bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can glycoprofiling be helpful in detecting prostate cancer?
Authors: Belicky Stefan , Tkac Jan
Published: April 2015

Glycans are chains of carbohydrates attached to proteins (glycoproteins and proteoglycans) or lipids (glycolipids). Glycosylation is a post-translational modification and glycans have a wide range of functions in the human body including involvement in oncological diseases. Change in a glycan structure can not only indicate the presence of a pathological process but, more importantly, in some cases also its stage. Thus, a glycan analysis has the potential to be an effective and reliable tool in cancer diagnostics. Lectins are proteins responsible for natural biorecognition of glycans; even carbohydrate moieties still attached to proteins or whole cells can be recognised by lectins, which makes them an ideal candidate for designing label-free biosensors for glycan analysis. This review seeks to summarise evidence that the glycoprofiling of biomarkers by lectin-based biosensors can be of significant help in detecting prostate cancer.
Total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis of fly ash from Bulgarian coal-fired power plants
Authors: Detcheva Albena K. , Mitsiev Svilen E. , Vassileva Paunka S. , Jordanov Juri H. , Karadjov Metody G. , Ivanova Elisaveta
Published: April 2015

The contents of Cl, Ca, K, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Ba and Pb in raw coal fly ash from five Bulgarian power plants were determined by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF), using gallium as the internal standard. The samples were analysed as in slurry form in Triton
Perovskite ceramics and recent experimental progress in reactor design for chemical looping combustion application
Authors: Rad Mina H. , Imanieh Mahammad H. , Nadarajah Arunan
Published: April 2015

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is a novel method of carbon capture and sequestration. It facilitates CO
Rapid determination of products of phenol hydrogenation in a supercritical water system using headspace gas chromatography
Authors: Guan Qing-Qing , Huang Xiao-Dian , Zeng Yan-Hua , Wei Chao-Hai , Ning Ping , Gu Jun-Jie , Chai Xin-Sheng
Published: April 2015

This paper reports a headspace analysis technique for the determination of products, i.e., cyclohexanone (CE) and cyclohexanol (CL), of phenol hydrogenation in a supercritical water reaction system (SWRS) with water removal by hydrate formation. An addition of anhydrous calcium chloride leads to water absorption resulting in crystal water; thus, the samples can be quantitatively measured without the influence of water. After achieving equilibrium at 150­°C and maintaining it for 5 min, the obtained results showed a relative standard deviation of less than 5.3 % and the recovery ranged from 93 % to 104 %. The presented method is simple and accurate for the analysis of CL, CE and phenol in samples from phenol conversion in SWRS.
Thio-click approach to the synthesis of stable glycomimetics
Authors: Lázár László , Csávás Magdolna , Tóth Marietta , Somsák László , Borbás Anikó
Published: April 2015

Carbon-sulfur-bridged glycomimetics were prepared by free radical hydrothiolation of the exocyclic double bond of unsaturated sugars. Reaction between benzoyl-substituted pyranoid-exoglycal and a range of thiols including peptide, 1-thioglycerol and 1-thiosugar derivatives gave β-Dconfigured carbon-sulfur-linked glycoconjugates with full stereoselectivity. Addition of a panel of thiols to a 3-exomethylene-glucofuranose derivative also proceeded in a stereoselective manner and afforded a series of D-allo-configured 3-deoxy-3-C-S-bridged glycoconjugates.
Synthesis of ether-linked [60]fullerene glycoconjugates by nucleophilic cyclopropanation
Authors: Fejes Zsolt , Hadházi Ádám , Rűth Erzsébet , Csávás Magdolna , Bereczki Ilona , Borbás Anikó , Herczegh Pál
Published: April 2015

Ethyl acetoacetate-sugar derivatives were prepared by standard alkylation of primary or secondary hydroxyls of diacetonide-protected sugars with ethyl 4-chloroacetoacetate. The obtained d-fructose, d-galactose, d-glucose and d-allose derivatives were conjugated to C
Comparison of selected aroma compounds in cultivars of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.)
Authors: Vítová Eva , Sůkalová Kateřina , Mahdalová Martina , Butorová Lenka , Melikantová Marcela
Published: April 2015

Thirteen cultivars of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) berries: Aromat, Botanicky, Buchlovicky, Hergo, Krasavica, Leicora, Ljubitelna, Pavlovsky, Peterbursky, Sluničko, Trofinovsky, Vitaminnaja and Velkoosecky, were tested for the content of volatile aroma compounds using gas chromatography with the solid phase microextraction method during two consequent years (2012- 2013). In total, 69 volatile compounds were identified: 26 alcohols, 12 aldehydes, 11 ketones, 9 acids and 11 esters. Based on principal component analysis, 18 most relevant compounds, best representing the variability of the whole system and suitable for the discrimination of the samples, were selected from all compounds identified. These compounds were then compared using the analysis of variance to confirm differences between the samples. Significant (p < 0.05) differences were found in the varieties in both years, Krasavica and Sluničko cultivars were found to be quite different from other varieties, being rich in the compounds identified and containing most of the selected compounds. Variability within the cultivars (between picking years) was low or not significant.
Passive sampling application to control air quality in interior of new vehicles
Authors: Faber Joanna , Brodzik Krzysztof , Gołda-Kopek Anna , Łomankiewicz Damian , Nowak Jan , Świątek Antoni
Published: April 2015

The investigation of air pollution is a highly important field of research. Air quality in a vehicle’s interior has attracted growing attention since people spend much of their time in vehicles and those frequently travelling in new cars are exposed to harmful compounds. The main air pollutants inside new vehicles are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), present as a result of interior materials’ de-gassing. Among the sampling methods used in indoor air quality research, active sampling for VOCs collection is one method that has been extensively described and applied. The present study sought to implement passive sampling with Radiello
Effect of influent nitrogen concentration on feasibility of short-cut nitrification during wastewater treatment in activated sludge systems
Authors: Svehla Pavel , Radechovsky Josef , Hrncirova Helena , Pacek Lukas , Bartacek Jan
Published: April 2015

The inhibitory effect of free ammonia and free nitrous acid on nitrite-oxidising bacteria (NOB) was studied in a laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor with a suspended microbial culture. The reactor was operated at 15°C, with a dissolved oxygen concentration in excess of 5 mg L
Electrode and electrodeless impedance measurement for determination of orange juices parameters
Authors: Seidlová Romana , Poživil Jaroslav , Seidl Jaromír , Ďaďo Stanislav , Průšová Petra , Malec Lukáš
Published: April 2015

Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is a non-destructive, rapid and real-time measurement method which does not require special high-tech measurement devices and can be applied to food quality assessment. This method is rapid, effective and affords low-cost investigation of the product. The conventional EIS method requires a set of metal electrodes in direct contact with the medium to be measured. The complicated electrochemical processes on the electrodes-electrolyte interface could substantially affect the value of the impedance measured. The present study sought to explore the possibilities of using the impedance method for quality control in orange juices, to introduce the electrodeless method of electrolyte impedance measurement and to compare this with the conventional impedance methods. The electrical properties of the orange juices were described with the help of an equivalent circuit. An equivalent circuit was designed with constant phase element approximation. The values of the equivalent circuit components were fitted using a non-standard algorithm inspired by the behaviour of actual ant colonies. Implementing the electrodeless method obviated the electrodes phenomena effects and the behaviour of the electrolyte is similar to inductance. The proposed electrodeless method is generally applicable to measuring the electrochemical properties of electrolytes.
Register variation by Spanish users of English: The Nijmegen Corpus of Spanish English
Authors: Kouwenhoven Huib , Ernestus Mirjam , Mulken Margot van
Published: April 2015

English serves as alingua francain situations with varying degrees of formality. How formality affects non-native speech has rarely been studied. We investigated register variation by Spanish users of English by comparing formal and informal speech from the Nijmegen Corpus of Spanish English that we created. This corpus comprises speech from 34 Spanish speakers of English in interaction with Dutch confederates in two speech situations. Formality affected the amount of laughter and overlapping speech and the number of Spanish words. Moreover, formal speech had a more informational character than informal speech. We discuss how our findings relate to register variation in Spanish.
A multiple-grammar model of speakers’ linguistic knowledge
Authors: Iwasaki Shoichi
Published: April 2015

By using the concept of ‘multiple grammars,’ this paper develops the view of an individual speaker’s cognitive organization of grammar. Although conversation, one type of spoken language environment, plays a crucial role in the emergence of grammar, for some speakers in a literate society, the written language environment may also contribute to developing a grammar. The two language environments are expected to provide unique incentives to shaping grammar differently as they diverge greatly in terms of media types (sound vs graph), constraints (online processing vs detachment), and purposes (interaction vs ideational formation), among others. At the same time, speakers may come in contact with and acquire additional sets of grammar for specific genres. Though the grammars acquired in different genre environments may be merged at the most abstract level, each grammar contains genre-specific formulaic expressions and grammatical resources with varying degrees of granularity. Speakers may conduct their routine linguistic activities in an informal conversation by employing reusable formulaic expressions of various types and rudimentary combinatory algorithms, but when they engage in more complex verbal tasks (politicians engaging in a debate, interviewees reconstructing past experiences), they may employ more abstract grammatical resources including those that were acquired from written language. The paper explores these suggestions by performing text and statistical analyses of several Japanese discourse samples.
Estimating New Product Success with the Use of Intelligent Systems
Authors: Relich Marcin , Bzdyra Krzysztof
Published: April 2015

The paper presents identifying success factors in new product development and selecting new product portfolio. The critical success factors are identified on the basis of an enterprise system, including the fields of project management, marketing and customer’s comments concerning the previous products. The model of measuring the success of a product includes the indicators such as duration and cost of product development, and net profit from a product. The proposed methodology is based on identification of the relationships between product success and project environment parameters with the use of artificial neural networks and fuzzy neural system that is compared with the results from linear model. The presented method contains the stages of knowledge discovery process such as data selection, data preprocessing, and data mining in the context of an enterprise resource planning system database. The illustrative example enhances a performance comparison of intelligent systems in the context of data preprocessing.
Spatio-temporal filtering for determination ofcommon mode error in regional GNSS networks
Authors: Bogusz Janusz , Gruszczynski Maciej , Figurski Mariusz , Klos Anna
Published: April 2015

The spatial correlation between different stationsfor individual components in the regional GNSS networksseems to be significant. The mismodelling in satelliteorbits, the Earth orientation parameters (EOP), largescaleatmospheric effects or satellite antenna phase centrecorrections can all cause the regionally correlated errors.This kind of GPS time series errors are referred to ascommon mode errors (CMEs). They are usually estimatedwith the regional spatial filtering, such as the "stacking".In this paper, we show the stacking approach for the setof ASG-EUPOS permanent stations, assuming that spatialdistribution of the CME is uniform over the whole regionof Poland (more than 600 km extent). The ASG-EUPOSis a multifunctional precise positioning system based onthe reference network designed for Poland. We used a 5-year span time series (2008-2012) of daily solutions in theITRF2008 from Bernese 5.0 processed by the Military Universityof Technology EPN Local Analysis Centre (MUTLAC). At the beginning of our analyses concerning spatialdependencies, the correlation coefficients between eachpair of the stations in the GNSS network were calculated.This analysis shows that spatio-temporal behaviour of theGPS-derived time series is not purely random, but there isthe evident uniform spatial response. In order to quantifythe influence of filtering using CME, the norms L1 and L2were determined. The values of these norms were calculatedfor the North, East and Up components twice: beforeperforming the filtration and after stacking. The observedreduction of the L1 and L2 norms was up to 30% dependingon the dimension of the network. However, the questionhow to define an optimal size of CME-analysed subnetworkremains unanswered in this research, due to thefact that our network is not extended enough.
Memes, Trojan horses and the discursive power of audience
Authors: Polách Vladimír P.
Published: April 2015

The study focuses on the phenomenon known as internet memes and their possible use in the creation and re-creation of media discourse. The main materials used are photos of Vladimir Putin and the famous Situation Room photo released by the White House. The stance taken in the study is based on the familiar and simple assumption that thanks to the new media we are facing the end of classical photography, sometimes described as the post-photography era. In post-photography, the connotations and context are more important than the content itself. Internet memes, a phenomena typical for the new media, can then also be used in a political context, where the “original” photographs of politicians and political events, usually officially released by PR departments, are altered not only to change the content, but above all the connotations. While regarded by most as jokes and puns, user-generated re-interpretations of Vladimir Putin and Obama’s war on terror can also have deeper meanings and impacts
New media, NGOs and civic engagement: Qualitative research in the borderland between the “offline” and “online” worlds
Authors: Petrjánošová Magda , Lášticová Barbara
Published: April 2015

The paper addresses the question of how to explore Slovak NGO use of new media to foster civic engagement. We argue that it is not possible to focus solely on the NGOs’ online communication; that would make sense only in the context of the overall communication. Hence, this paper deals with the borderlands between online and offline communication. It focuses on five main theoretical and methodological challenges: the fact that the existing body of research focuses on peak periods of public unrest, the predominance of an etic perspective, the predominance of quantitative studies, the blending of activities done on- and offline, and the complex, changing nature of the object of research. We sketch out several analytical strategies, focusing on qualitative approach and emic perspective
Comparative study of the efficacy and safety of theophylline and doxofylline in patients with bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Lal Dushyant , Manocha Sachin , Ray Arunabha , Vijayan V.K. , Kumar Raj
Published: April 2015

Background: Bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the major obstructive disorders that may contribute to the severity in individual patients. The present study was designed to compare the efficacy and safety of theophylline and doxofylline in patients with bronchial asthma and COPD.

Methods: A total of 60 patients, 30 each with bronchial asthma and COPD, were enrolled for the study. Each group of 30 patients received standard treatment for asthma and COPD. Each group was again subdivided into two with 15 patients each, who received theophylline or doxofylline in addition to standard therapy, for a period of 2 months. Each patient was followed up fortnightly for the assessment of efficacy parameters using a pulmonary function test (PFT), clinical symptoms and emergency drug use, and safety was assessed by recording adverse drug reactions.

Results: Both theophylline and doxofylline produced enhancements in PFT at different time intervals in both asthma and COPD patients. The maximum beneficial effects were seen at 6 weeks for asthma patients and at 8 weeks for COPD patients for both theophylline and doxofylline.

Conclusions: The comparative study showed that doxofylline was more effective as evidenced by improvement in PFT as well as clinical symptoms, and reduced incidence of adverse effects and emergency bronchodilator use.
AlSb and InAs-GaSb layer thickness effect on HH-LH splitting and band gap energies in InAs/AlSb/GaSb type-II superlattices
Authors: Alyoruk M.M. , Ergun Y. , Hostut M.
Published: April 2015

This study is based on the investigation of AlSb layer thickness effect on heavy−hole light−hole (HH−LH) splitting and band gap energies in a recently developed N−structure based on InAs/AlSb/GaSb type II superlattice (T2SL) p−i−n photodetector.eFirst principle calculations were carried out tailoring the band gap and HH−LH splitting energies for two possible interface transition alloys of InSb and AlAs between InAs and AlSb interfaces in the superlattice. Results show that AlSb and InAs−GaSb layer thicknesses enable to control HH−LH splitting energies to desired values for Auger recombination process where AlSb/GaSb total layer thickness is equal to InAs layers for the structures with InSb and AlAs interfaces.
Ultra small clusters of gold nanoshells detected by SNOM
Authors: Cricenti A. , Luce M. , Moroni D. , Salvetti O. , D’Acunto M.
Published: April 2015

Metal nanoshells are a type of nanoparticle composed by a dielectric core and a metallic coating. These nanoparticles have stimulated interest due to their remarkable optical properties. In common with metal colloids, they show distinctive absorption peaks at specific wavelengths due to surface plasmon resonance. However, unlike bare metal colloids, the wavelengths at which resonance occurs can be tuned by changing the core radius and coating thickness. One basic application of such property is in medicine, where it is hoped that nanoshells with absorption peaks in the near−infrared can be attached to cancerous cells. In this paper, we study the changes of optical response in visible and near infrared wavelengths from single to randomly distributed clusters of nanoshells. The results were obtained using a novel formulation of Mie theory in evanescent wave conditions, with a finite−difference time−domain (FDTD) simulation and experimentally on BaTiO
Tissue characterization with ballistic photons: counting scattering and/or absorption centres
Authors: Corral F. , Strojnik M. , Paez G.
Published: April 2015

We describe a new method to separate ballistic from the scattered photons for optical tissue characterization. It is based on the hypothesis that the scattered photons acquire a phase delay. The photons passing through the sample without scattering or absorption preserve their coherence so they may participate in interference. We implement a Mach−Zehnder experimental setup where the ballistic photons pass through the sample with the delay caused uniquely by the sample indices of refraction. We incorporate a movable mirror on the piezoelectric actuator in the sample arm to detect the amplitude of the modulation term. We present the theory that predicts the path−integrated (or total) concentration of the scattering and absorption centres. The proposed technique may characterize samples with transmission attenuation of ballistic photons by a factor of 10
Highly efficient high power CW and Q-switched Ho:YLF laser
Authors: Kwiatkowski J.
Published: April 2015

An efficient operation of a Ho:YLF laser pumped by a Tm-doped fibre laser is reported. The research in a continuous-wave (CW) operation was done for two crystals of the same 0.5 at.%Ho dopant concentration and with different lengths (3×3×30 mm
Challenging Digital Archaeology
Authors: Huggett Jeremy
Published: April 2015

A keynote presentation at the 2012 Computer Applications in Archaeology (CAA) conference in
Southampton (UK) proposed the use of grand challenges as a vehicle for identifying and pursuing major
advances in Digital Archaeology. At the same time, it was argued that this should be a collaborative venture.
This was taken forward at a round table session at the 2014 CAA in Paris, and a number of papers in this
volume were presented there. This paper introduces the concept of grand challenges for Digital Archaeology
and seeks to define their key characteristics.
High efficiency fabrication of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene submicron filaments/sheets by flash-spinning
Authors: Xia Lei , Xi Peng , Cheng Bo-wen
Published: April 2015

In this study, we propose a novel method for preparing continuous ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) filaments by flash-spinning. The filaments were processed by calendaring to obtain the sheets. The morphology of the filaments and the sheets, the forming process, the optimal fabrication conditions, mechanical properties, spinning speed, and the rate of spinning of the filaments were investigated. The results showed that the filaments were composed of bunches of microfibers and the diameter of the filaments and the microfibers ranged from 0.15 mm to 0.22 mm and 0.2 μm to 5 μm, respectively. For a given concentration of 5 wt% of the UHMWPE, optimal specimens were obtained only when the temperature was in the range 150–210°C and the pressure was in the range 8–20 MPa. The spinning speed and the polymer consumption increased with enhancement in the pressure and the value reached as high as 47.2 m/s and 116.7 g/min, respectively. The properties and the spinning efficiency of the filaments revealed that flash-spinning is a potential method for manufacturing commercial products in various fields of application.
Is the Labour Force Participation Rate Non-Stationary in Romania?
Authors: Tiwari Aviral Kumar , Mutascu Mihai
Published: April 2015

The purpose of this paper is to test hysteresis of the Romanian labour force participation rate, by using time series data, with quarterly frequency, covering the period 1999Q1-2013Q4. The main results reveal that the Romanian labour force participation rate is a nonlinear process and has a partial unit root (i.e. it is stationary in the first regime and non-stationary in the second one), the main breaking point being registered around year 2005. In this context, the value of using unemployment rate as an indicator for capturing joblessness in this country is debatable. Starting from 2005, the participation rate has not followed long-term changes in unemployment rate, the disturbances having permanent effects on labour force participation rate.
Probabilistic Fatigue Life Prediction of Turbine Disc Considering Model Parameter Uncertainty
Authors: He Liping , Yu Le , Zhu Shun-Peng , Ding Liangliang , Huang Hong-Zhong
Published: April 2015

Aiming to improve the predictive ability of Walker model for fatigue life prediction and taking the turbine disc alloy GH4133 as the application example, this paper investigates a new approach for probabilistic fatigue life prediction when considering parameter uncertainty inherent in the life prediction model. Firstly, experimental data are used to update the model parameters using Bayes’ theorem, so as to obtain the posterior probability distribution functions of two parameters of the Walker model, as well to achieve the probabilistic life prediction model for turbine disc. During the updating process, Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique is used to generate samples of the given distribution and estimating the parameters distinctly. After that, the turbine disc life is predicted using the probabilistic Walker model based on Monte Carlo simulation technique. The experimental results indicate that: (1) after using the small sample test data obtained from turbine disc, parameter uncertainty of the Walker model can be quantified and the corresponding probabilistic model for fatigue life prediction can be established using Bayes’ theorem; (2) there exists obvious dispersion of life data for turbine disc when predicting fatigue life in practical engineering application.
Das Gemeindemahl bei Tertullian in Apologeticum 39 – eine nichtsakramentale Agapefeier?
Authors: Georges Tobias
Published: April 2015

In Apologeticum 39,14-19, Tertullian is focussing on the meal of the Christian community, and in 39,16, he alludes to the meal’s name as Agape. In consideration of the name Agape, Apologeticum 39 is usually taken for proof for the thesis that Tertullian was acquainted with a non-sacramental meal named Agape besides the celebration of the Eucharist to which he refers in other places. This thesis’ background is the traditional idea that, in Early Christianity, a non-sacramental communal banquet and the sacramental Eucharist were juxtaposed from the start or, at least, very early. Following recent studies which have called this view into question, this article focuses on Apologeticum 39 and contradicts the conventional interpretation of this chapter. The analysis of Apologeticum 39 reveals important arguments against the view that this chapter testifies the existence of an Agape meal distinguished from the Eucharist - and favours the view that in Apologeticum 39, we have a description of the one communal eucharistic meal.
Aufsätze / Essays. Exegese als Kampfmittel in der Auseinandersetzung zwischen Heiden und Christen: Zum „Sündenbock“ von Lev 16 bei Julian und Kyrill von Alexandrien
Authors: Riedweg Christoph
Published: April 2015

Without exegesis no philosophy and no theology either: that’s how one could - somewhat pointedly - outline the intellectual situation in Late Antiquity. To read and interprete texts that were generally recognized and taken to be normative, had become constitutive for pagan as well as for Jewish-Christian thinking at the latest since Platonism had acquired its predominant position in the Imperial Period.

In the controversy between pagans and Christians, too, the issue of the correct exegesis played a pivotal role. Whereas the right to adopt an “all-egorical” interpretation that transcends the literal meaning was claimed for one’s own tradition as a matter of course, it used on the other hand to be vigorously denied to the opponents.

In this paper, Julian the Apostate’s and Cyril of Alexandria’s dealing with the Mosaic account of the “scapegoat” in Lev 16 shall be analysed as a particularly intricate and paradoxical example (Contra Galilaeos [fr. 70 Masaracchia] and Contra Iulianum 9 [957B-969A] respectively). Whereas Julian, in his effort to highlight congruencies between Jewish und pagan cult practice, advocates a literal meaning of the scapegoat ritual, Cyril considers adequate only a figurative reading referring to Christ, since the passage otherwise would be in conflict with the Bible’s ban on sacrificing to other gods. The Patriarch of Alexandria thinks to be able to recognise in the two goats two different aspects of Christ’s work of salvation: according to his interpretation, the slaughtered goat refers to the passion of Jesus, whereas the “scapegoat” sent into the desert points to Christ’s resurrection, through which mankind has been delivered from death.

The fact that Cyril harshly rejects not only Julian’s pagan interpretation but also a di-prosopic, typological interpretation, sheds some light on the role this biblical passage must have played in the christological controversies of the 5th century C.E.
Die Wundererzählungen in Palladius’ Historia Lausiaca Eine medizinhistorische Betrachtung
Authors: Schulze Christian
Published: April 2015

The
Einer ist Arzt, Christus: Medizinales Verständnis von Erlösung in der Theologie der griechischen Kirchenväter des zweiten bis vierten Jahrhunderts
Authors: Dörnemann Michael
Published: April 2015

Most of the soteriological metaphors used by the Greek Church Fathers have their origin in the philosophical traditions, but the content was Christianized. This particularly applies to the term “physician” that is attributed to God and especially to Jesus Christ. This new comprehensive meaning is grounded in the tradition of the Holy Bible and in the life and the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. The
Preface
Authors: Rickels Laurence A
Published: April 2015

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Missing Letters
Authors: Lee Christopher
Published: April 2015

This paper tracks the symptom of ‘missing letters’ in or- der to connect the anxiety that permeates August Strind- berg’s life and works to his destiny as the carrier of his dead sister’s crypt. In his 1887 essay “‘Soul Murder’ (A Propos “Rosmersholm”),” Strindberg reveals that the bottom-line of his anxiety is not interpersonal con ict, but the potential for loss that always accompanies trans- mitted messages along their itineraries. By couching this threat of loss in the image of missing letters, Strindberg establishes the interchangeability between letters that go missing in transit to those missing letters that enter the corpus uninvited through the apertures of communica- tion. Following the trajectory of these missing letters in his oeuvre (most notably, in The Father, Miss Julie, and The Dance of Death I), the paper eventually locates at the (missing) dead center of Strindberg’s literary corpus the phantom transmission from mother to son of the author’s younger sister Eleonora.
Moving Image Artist Midi Onodera's Vidoodles
Authors: Onodera Midi
Published: April 2015

As an acknowledgement of Midi Onodera's long and productive career as a Canadian artist and filmmaker who has consistently demonstrated critical engagement with her subjects and her chosen media, we have invited her to be the guest artist-filmmaker for the inaugural issue of Imaginations: Journal of Cross-Cultural Image Studies.
TEA WITH MOTHER: SARAH PALIN AND THE DISCOURSE OF MOTHERHOOD AS A POLITICAL IDEAL
Authors: McCabe Janet
Published: April 2015

Seldom has someone emerged so unexpectedly and sensationally on to the American political scene as Sarah Palin.  With Palin came what had rarely, if ever, been seen before on a presidential trail: hockey moms, Caribou-hunting, pitbulls in lipstick parcelled as political weaponry. And let’s not forget those five children, including Track 19, set to deploy to Iraq, Bristol, and her unplanned pregnancy at 17, and Trig, a six-month-old infant with Down’s syndrome.  Never before had motherhood been so finely balanced with US presidential politics. Biological vigour translated into political energy, motherhood transformed into an intoxicating political ideal. This article focuses on Sarah Palin and how her brand of “rugged Alaskan motherhood” (PunditMom 2008) became central to her media image, as well as what this representation has to tell us about the relationship between mothering as a political ideal, US politics, and the media.
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH
Authors: Birringer Johannes
Published: April 2015

“The Valley of the Shadow of Death” is a brief meditation on the refraction of sunsets over desolated landscapes, photography of war, and the viewer’s relationship to the death of the sublime. The essay references the Museum of Fine Arts Houston exhibition “WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath” (2012-13) citing one of Roger Fenton’s famous manipulated pictures from the Crimean war (1856) showing an empty landscape with cannonballs.
REFRAMING THE CANADIAN OIL SANDS
Authors: Patchett Merle , Lozowy Andriko J
Published: April 2015

“Reframing the Canadian Oil Sands” is a collaborative exchange between photographer Andriko Lozowy and cultural geographer Merle Patchett that engages photography and photographic theory to evoke a more critical and politically meaningful visual engagement with the world’s largest capital oil project. Since the appearance of Edward Burtynsky’s aerial and abstracted photographic-mappings of the region, capturing the scale of the Oil Sands from ‘on high’ has become the dominant visual imaginary. As a result, the dominant visual culture of Fort McMurray oil production is one of nullification or an erasure of representation. For the past five years Lozowy has been engaged in a photographic project—entitled Where is Fort McMurray?—which aims to explore and workwith this sense of erasure by attempting to capture the shifting (and shifted) landscapes of the Alberta Oil Sands from the roadside. For this special issue ofImaginationson “Sighting Oil”, Patchett and Lozowy have curated a set of Lozowy’s photographs to present an alternative, on-the-ground, view of Oil Sands production sites. Through both Lozowy’s images and Patchett’s framing curatorial essay, they explore the disruptive potential of the image and the capacity of photography to both neutralize and energize political engagement with the Canadian Oil Sands.”
TRAUMA NARRATIVES, MIXED MEDIA, AND THE MEDITATION ON THE INVISIBLE
Authors: Decker Christof
Published: April 2015

This essay examines the relationship between the history of trauma narratives and the development of media representations. Starting in the late 19th century, modernist cultures were increasingly forced to represent and reflect upon the traumatic experience of destruction and war. In this process of reflection, the ‘invisibility’ or unrepresentability of traumatic incidents became a recurring theme. Taking up W.J.T. Mitchell’s suggestion that all media are “mixed media,” I argue that the technological, semiotic, and narrative hybridity of mixed media has a special relationship to this theme. More specifically, I want to show that the explicit or overt presentation of mixed media has historically been invoked as a trope of reflexivity and a way of expressing the difficulties of representing traumatic experience. I will begin my investigation with literary and visual examples from American modernism and conclude with more recent instances of mixed media hybrids combining analogue and digital media.
AUSSTEIGEN (GETTING OUT) IMPOSSIBLE—MONTAGE AND LIFE SCENARIOS IN ANDRES VEIEL’S FILM BLACK BOX BRD
Authors: Seiler Anja Katharina
Published: April 2015

Andres Veiel’s 2001 documentary film, Black Box BRD, links the biography of Alfred Herrhausen, RAF victim, with one of the 3rdgeneration RAF terrorists, Wolfgang Grams. In my paper, I trace how the film’s aesthetics introduce an image montage of two life scenarios by establishing both parallels and contrast, and therefore, following Susan Haywards definition “creates a third meaning” (112). I examine how the film establishes an aesthetic concept of Aussteigen (getting out)—along of the alive, visible bodies—the contemporary interviewees, and dead, invisible bodies—of Herrhausen and Grams.
“INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS”—MEDIA (AND) MEMORY IN STEVEN SPIELBERG’S MUNICH (2005)
Authors: Nachreiner Thomas
Published: April 2015

Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film Munich tells the story of an Israeli counter-terrorist team in the aftermath of the hijacking and massacre at the Olympic Games in 1972. The film spawned broad discussion about its historical accuracy and its political standpoint. While criticism primarily focused on the historiographical representation of the actions depicted, this paper analyzes in two steps the genuinely filmic mode of historical representation ofMunich. First, the analysis discusses the interplay of two conflicting narrative strategies that negotiate the character development with the political struggle. And second, analysis focuses on the two formal devices at the core of the narrative conflict: The reflexive framing of television in the depiction of the Munich massacre as a traumatic media event and the excessive transformation of its memory in a series of flashbacks. Such elaboration of the narrative and formal strategies reveals the implicit historiographical structures of the film and suggests that the notion of ‘cultural trauma’ serves as the preferential—but problematic—template in telling the history of terrorism and violence.
“JEDES HERZ…”: TERROR AND HORROR IN DIE FETTEN JAHRE SIND VORBEI
Authors: Johnson R. Eric
Published: April 2015

Hans Weingartner’s Die Fetten Jahre Sind Vorbei, also known by its American title The Edukators, explores the relationship of a young anti-capitalist activist, Jan, with his own friends, the bourgeousie he opposes, and himself. Jan and his friends engage in some relatively benign but disruptive “terrorist” acts. Though the film cannot be said to belong to the horror genre, Die Fetten Jahre Sind Vorbei nonetheless employs horror elements and tropes to expose the intrinsically subjective definition of terrorism, and to explore terrorism’s relationship with the “other.”
SHOOTING HISTORY: AN INTERVIEW WITH SWISS ARTIST CHRISTOPH DRAEGER ABOUT THE REENACTMENT OF TERRORISM IN HIS VIDEO INSTALLATION BLACK SEPTEMBER (2002)
Authors: Baden Sebastian
Published: April 2015

This contribution introduces to the video installation Black September (2002) by Swiss artist Christoph Draeger and presents statements of the artist given in an interview in 2012. Draeger collects media representations of disasters in order to reconfigure their inherent sensationalism later in his artworks. The video installation Black September  consists of appropriated footage from a documentary movie and video sequences from a re-enactment of the historical events of September 5th 1972, the terrorist attack during the 20th Olympic Games in Munich. Even the artist himself gets involved in the play in his mimikry of a hostage-taker and terrorist. Thus he questions the conditions of the mutual constitution of cultural memory and collective memory. His video installation creates a “counter image” in reaction to the “omnipresent myth of terrorism”, generated by the tragedy of 9/11 and the media reports in its aftermath. Both terrorist attacks, in Munich 1972 and in New York 2001, mark a turning point in the visual dominance of terrorism. In the case of September 11th, the recurring images of the airplane-attacks and the explosion of the WTC, followed by its collapsing, symbolize the legacy of the “terror of attention”, that would affect every spectator. The video questions the limits of the “disaster zone” in fictional reality and mass media. The artwork re-creates central scenes of the event in 1972. It brings the terrorist action close to the spectator through emersive images, but technically obtains a critical distance through its mode of reflection upon the catastrophe.The installation Black September stimulates and simulates history and memory simultaneously. It fills the void of a traumatic narrative and tries to recapture the signs that have been unknown yet.
Effects of caffeic acid on doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity in rats
Authors: Mohammad Bassim , Aharis Nada , Yousif Maitham , Alkefae Zainab , Hadi Najah
Published: April 2015

Doxorubicin (Dox) is one of the most potent broad-spectrum antitumor anthracycline antibiotics, its use is limited by the development of life-threatening cardiomyopathy. Doxorubicin generates free radicals and induces oxidative stress associated with cellular injury. Further, it has been shown that free radicals are involved in doxorubicin-induced toxicity. The goal of this study is to investigated the cardio-protective effects of caffeic acid on doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity. The rats were randomized into three equal groups, sham group without treatment, doxorubicin treated group at a dose 3mg/kg IP every other two days and group treated with doxorubicin plus caffeic acid 40mg/day. Two weeks later LV function measurment were performed and blood samples were collected from the heart to measurment plasma levels of cardiac Troponin-I (cTn-I), oxidative stress parameter malondialdehyde (MDA) and high a sensitive c-reactive protein (hs-CRP). The hearts were excised for cardiac tissue cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-10) measurement and microscopic examination. Rats in the Dox+caffeic acid group had improved LV function, reduced cytokine expression, decreased myocardial marker injury (cTn-I) and less MDA, hs-CRP levels in comparison with the Dox group. Pathological finding appeared nearly normal in the Dox+caffeic acid without fibrosis. The results of the present study reveal that caffeic acid has a promising cardioprotective effect against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.
TNF-α-induced IL-32 expression in esophageal cancer: cross talk JNK/Akt signaling pathways
Authors: Neuzillet Jack , Traynor Cailin , Hullmann Grace , Tyritzis Gabriel , Shimizu John
Published: April 2015

Esophageal cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer death in males in USA, Interleukin (IL)-32 is a recently identified proinflammatory cytokine that is one of the IL-18 inducible genes, and plays an important role in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. IL-32 is recently described in esophageal cancer pathway via induction of nuclear factor NF-κB activation. We investigated the expression of IL-32 by TNF-α in esophageal cancer. Human esophageal cancer cells were cultured in the presence or absence of TNF-α to analyze the expression of IL-32 by quantitative RT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Further, activation of Akt and JNK signaling pathways were investigated by Western blot. TNF-α induced enhanced IL-32 release in human esophageal cancer cells. These data suggest that activation of Akt and JNK pathways regulated TNF-α-induced IL-32 expression in human esophageal cancer. We concluded that TNF-α/IL-32 pathway may be a potential marker and may be therapeutic target for esophageal cancer.
Managing Drilling Wastes: Detoxification of Two Formaldehyde-Releasing Biocides
Authors: Fallahtafti S.
Published: April 2015

An increased awareness of the environmental impact and operational costs associated with freshwater usage and wastewater disposal in energy production has shifted industry interest toward replacing freshwater sources with lower-quality or recycled water in oilfield applications, and has highlighted the importance of addressing toxicity as part of a successful waste-management plan. Poor-quality and recycled waters often contain high concentrations of bacterial assemblages, which can cause operational challenges such as corrosion, slime formation, and souring. Microbial-control agents, such as biocides, are subsequently necessary to manage bacteriological problems. However, these chemicals are highly reactive and can react indiscriminately with biological targets, making their toxicity both a performance metric and an ecological, human-health, and disposal concern. The luminescent-bacteria toxicity test presented in this work, for instance, is a key regulatory parameter in the pumpoff and landspray disposal of drilling fluids in Alberta, Canada. Considering the necessary toxicity of biocides, controlled detoxification following use is a pertinent factor in responsible hazard management. Formaldehyde-releasing agents are the most widely used category of microbial-control additives that slowly and continuously release small amounts of formaldehyde, a toxic environmental pollutant and known human carcinogen. This research evaluated the acute (short-term) aquatic toxicity of two liquid formaldehyde-releasing biocides, identified necessary parameters for their detoxification, measured the resulting change in their toxicity over time, and used regulatory requirements for toxicity testing set by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) for drilling-waste management to evaluate the practical relevance of this detoxification to waste-management practices. The additives investigated were a tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium sulfate (THPS)-based product, and a 1,3-dimethylol-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DMDMH)-based product. Laboratory results suggest that the THPS-based additive was more toxic than the DMDMH-based additive on a percent volume basis, and pH was an important factor in THPS toxicity. Aeration alone decreased the toxicity of DMDMH over the course of the experiment, while a combination of aeration and pH increase were necessary to decrease the toxicity of THPS over the same time period.

This work presents a proof of concept for a relatively simple and cost-effective detoxification of the evaluated additives, highlights the key parameters for this process, and uses toxicity-threshold levels referenced by the AER drilling-waste-management directive to evaluate their application in waste-assessment practices.
Volumetric Analysis of Two-Phase Flowback Data for Fracture Characterization
Authors: Xu Y. , Adefidipe O.A. , Dehghanpour H. , Virues C.J.
Published: April 2015

Analysis of early-time production data obtained during the ‘flowback’ period presents the earliest opportunity to characterize a stimulated reservoir volume (SRV). Previous studies have developed analytical models/methods to analyze two-phase flowback data for fracture characterization. However, the mechanisms responsible for the early-time gas production in shales are poorly understood. The objective of this paper is to understand the mechanisms responsible for early gas production and develop a mathematical model to estimate effective fracture volume.

The study incorporates a comprehensive field data analysis from 8 wells of a single well pad completed in the Horn River Basin. Firstly, we develop several diagnostic plots [production rates, cumulative gas production (Gp) vs. cumulative water production (Wp), GWR vs. Gp] to identify the early time trends/signatures. The Gas-Water-Ratio (GWR) plots from the wells considered indicate a V-shape trend, dividing the flowback data into two regions: 1) Early Gas Production-EGP and 2) Late Gas Production-LGP. Water rate increases during EGP, resulting in a decreasing GWR curve. Production then ’rolls over’ to the gas dominant phase with a positive GWR slope.

Secondly, we introduce a method to estimate effective fracture volume by assuming a simplistic two-phase tank model for the fracture system. Conventional p/Z analysis shows that the fracture network can be approximated by a tank model during the EGP phase and that the dominant main mechanisms during EGP include the expansion of initial free gas in fractures (IGIF), fracture closure and the expansion of residual frac fluids (water). Effective fracture volume is calculated using a modified material balance approach for the two-phase system. The material balance approach enables the estimation of effective fracture volume regardless of the fracture geometry. Finally, the proposed model is validated by numerical simulation and is applied to estimate effective fracture volume using field production data.