bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Common Fixed Points for Weak and Strong Convergence Results
Authors: Shrivastava S. C.
Published: September 2016

 In this paper, we study the approximation of common fixed points for more general classes of mappings through weak and strong convergence results of an iterative scheme in a uniformly convex Banach space. Our results extend and improve some known recent results.
Psychographic Market segmentation of Junior College Students in Silchar, Assam
Authors: Saha Nilotpal , Kumar Brajesh
Published: September 2016

This paper discusses about characteristics of most enthusiastic buyers of a non-metro city.  The paper adopts the analytical and exploratory research style based on primary data. It uses questionnaire based survey methods with a sample size of 250 junior college students (JCS) of Silchar, Assam, India. The paper tries to identify the segments depending upon the choices and purchasing decision made by these students on the basis of their psychographic profile.   

 

The research is unique for academic and professional relevance. As the research on psychographic market segmentation in small city especially the city from North-Eastern Region called Silchar, Assam is very rare. Hence, this study may be regarded as masterpiece as it provides in-depth analysis on psychographic market segmentation, which is found to differ in several important aspects.
Role of Gender and Motivation across Banking Sector in India
Authors: Prakash Beena , Panigrahi Anjali
Published: September 2016

Motivation is the basic drive for all of our actions. Motivation  refers to the dynamics of our behavior, which involves our needs, desires, and ambitions in life. The role of gender in shaping motivation has a long history in psychological and educational research. This paper investigates the relationship between role of gender and  motivational aspects of  employees behaviour. The study comprised of analysing  six motives (Achievement, Influence, Extension, Control, Affiliation and Dependency) by administering MAO-B questionnaire to respondents. Sample comprised of 102 respondents from Banking sector. The study shows that  most significant motive influencing the managerial behaviour for both the gender is Extension followed by Achievement motive.
e-Governance Services: A special reference to Jana Seva Kendras of Odisha
Authors: Sahoo Deepak Kumar
Published: September 2016

In today’s information technology environment, e-governance has become the essential part for the citizens to interact with the government. E-Governance is the application of information Technology to process of government functioning to bring about new SMART governance (Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent). Odisha state government has taken various innovative steps to promote e-Governance for IT implementation and delivery of services to the citizens online. While on one hand, the state government permitted private parties to establish and operate Jana Seva Kendra across the state, it is found, most of these centres who are managing lack adequate knowledge about the services provided by the district, state or central administration, and its application. The very purpose of opening and offering services for the ultimate benefit of the citizens often getting disrupted for former reasons, and there is no specific accountability or mechanism devised to control and regulates their functioning at district or state level. The general public can be immensely more benefitted with the variety, and trend of e-services provided by the different department and autonomous bodies in Odisha.  
The Role of Health Tourism on Tourism Devlopment in Kerala State: An Evaluation
Authors: T Saranya , Mariswamy H. K.
Published: September 2016

Varkala is a tourist hub in Trivandrum in Kerala, India which has high inflow of visitors among other places in Kerala. The place possesses more than 100 resorts in which majority provides Ayurvedic spa and treatment to the customers.

Health and medical tourism is perceived as one of the fastest growing segments in marketing ‘Destination India’ today. While this area has so far been unexplored, we now find that not only the ministry of tourism, government of India, but also the various state tourism boards and even the private sector consisting of travel agents, tour operators, hotel companies and other accommodation providers are all eying health and medical tourism as a segment with tremendous potential for future growth. The main aim of this project is to find out the scope and relevance of Health Tourism in India particularly with special reference to Varkala. The paper tries to suggest customer friendly measures for the better growth in health tourism. The impact of health tourism on visitors is also analysed here in the study.
Andreas Kappeler. Die Kosaken: Geschichte und Legenden
Authors: Prymak Thomas M.
Published: September 2016

Andreas Kappeler. Die Kosaken: Geschichte und Legenden. Munich: Verlag C. H. Beck, 2013. 127 pp. 20 illustrations. 2 maps. Index. Paper. 
Comparing the Soviet and Chinese Famines: Their Perpetrators, Actors, and Victims
Authors: Bianco Lucien
Published: September 2016

The Soviet (1931-33) and Chinese (1958-62) famines were man-made catastrophes that occurred in underdeveloped states with growing populations during peacetime and affected traditional surplus areas. Both are marked by overly ambitious industrialization strategies at the expense of the rural economy in which central authorities failed to lower grain quotas once famine broke out and even increased them. The famines also had differences, notably regarding the nationality or ethnic question, which played a key role in Ukraine and was present in the Kazakh famine, but was absent in the Chinese famine. Also, Chinese Communist Party leaders, notwithstanding the cruelty of their policies, were much better disposed towards peasants than were the Soviet Bolsheviks. One cannot ascribe murderous intent on Mao’s part, but rather an incoherency of policy and unwillingness to recognize and correct his errors.
Johann Christian von Engel. Istoriia Ukrainy ta ukrains'kykh kozakiv
Authors: Mattingly Daria
Published: September 2016

Johann Christian von Engel. Istoriia Ukrainy ta ukrains'kykh kozakiv [History of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Cossacks]. Trans. Iurii Holubkin, L. Nazarenko, Ievhen Khodun, Olena Butenko, Ie. Chekariev, and L. Udovenko. Ed. Volodymyr Kravchenko. Comp. Taras Chuhui. Kharkiv: Fakt, 2014. 640 pp. Foreword by Volodymyr Kravchenko. Illustrations. Notes. Comments by Dmytro Chornyi, Taras Chuhyi, and Volodymyr Mil'chev. Name Index. Geographic Index. Cloth.
Food Shortages, Hunger, and Famines in the USSR, 1928-33
Authors: Werth Nicolas
Published: September 2016

This paper examines policies implemented in stages from 1928 and the multi-causal phenomena that resulted in the deaths of some 6.5 to 7 million people, the majority in Ukraine and the Kuban as well as Kazakhstan, during the man-made Soviet famines of the early 1930s. These famines took on distinctively separate trajectories after the autumn of 1932 when Stalin singled out Ukraine, the largest grain-producing region of the USSR. The Kazakh famine resulted from the devastation of the traditional nomadic Kazakh economy in a misguided effort to make that region a main source of meat for the Soviet Union. Other regions—notably the Middle Volga and Central Chernozem Regions—also suffered. These events were largely driven by Soviet attempts to make the countryside a domestic colony that would provide food resources for the country’s accelerated industrialization. This is particularly evident in the manner Soviet authorities rationed and distributed food.
Elisabeth Vallet, ed. Borders, Fences and Walls: State of Insecurity?
Authors: Zimmer Kerstin
Published: September 2016

Elisabeth Vallet, ed. Borders, Fences and Walls: State of Insecurity? Border Regions Series. Ed. Doris Wastl-Walter. Farnham, Surrey, UK, and Burlington, Vermont: Ashgate Publishing, 2014. xii, 286 pp. Illustrations. Tables. Index. Cloth. 
Margarita M. Balmaceda. The Politics of Energy Dependency: Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania between Domestic Oligarchs and Russian Pressure
Authors: Fraser Derek
Published: September 2016

Margarita M. Balmaceda. The Politics of Energy Dependency: Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania between Domestic Oligarchs and Russian Pressure. Studies in Comparative Political Economy and Public Policy. Eds. Michael Howlett, David Laycock, and Stephen McBride. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2013. xiv, 445 pp. Maps. Appendix. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Cloth.
Per Anders Rudling. The Rise and Fall of Belarusian Nationalism, 1906-1931
Authors: Chodakiewicz Marek Jan
Published: September 2016

Per Anders Rudling. The Rise and Fall of Belarusian Nationalism, 1906-1931. Pitt Series in Russian and East European Studies. Ed. Jonathan Harris. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2014. xii, 436 pp. Notes. Works Cited. Index. US$ 29.95, paper. E-book.
Stanislav Markus. Property, Predation, and Protection: Piranha Capitalism in Russia and Ukraine
Authors: Babie Paul
Published: September 2016

Stanislav Markus. Property, Predation, and Protection: Piranha Capitalism in Russia and Ukraine. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2015. xii, 244 pp. Illustrations. Tables. Bibliography. Index. $95.00, cloth.
Athanasius D. McVay. God’s Martyr, History’s Witness: Blessed Nykyta Budka, the First Ukrainian Catholic Bishop of Canada
Authors: Hovorun Cyril
Published: September 2016

Athanasius D. McVay. God’s Martyr, History’s Witness: Blessed Nykyta Budka, the First Ukrainian Catholic Bishop of Canada. Edmonton: Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton and the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, 2014. xxvi, 613 pp. Illustrations. Timeline. Bibliography. Index. C$25.00, paper.
Selected Bibliography of Socialist Famines in the Twentieth Century
Authors: Graziosi Andrea
Published: September 2016

Selected Bibliography of Socialist Famines in the Twentieth Century
Communism and Hunger: Introduction
Authors: Graziosi Andrea , Sysyn Frank E.
Published: September 2016

Over the past two decades, important studies of the famines in the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China have transformed our understanding of these events and laid the groundwork for the first attempts at comparative analysis.  Nevertheless, the great twentieth-century famines caused by state policies remain relatively little studied. We still lack a systematic comparison of their features, at least in part because of the difficulty in conceptualizing the possibility of man-made famine in modern times and because a topic like “Communism and Hunger” may seem to be a contradiction in terms. Yet even a simple list of the past century’s major famines suggests that the topic is badly in need of attention...
Re-examining the History of the Great Famine in China through Documentary Evidence
Authors: Zhou Xun
Published: September 2016

This paper examines documentary evidence that has emerged from the Chinese state archives showing that from the outset, the Great Leap Forward failed as a method for improving agricultural productivity; that its failure was quickly evident and purposefully ignored; and that the level of human suffering and death was greater than has been suggested. In addition, in contrast to the image of a strictly disciplined communist society in which errors at the top cause the entire machinery to grind to a halt, the portrait that emerges from archival documents is one of a society in deliquescence, as people resort to every means available to get by as well as they can.
Communism and Hunger: Preface
Authors: Guest Editors From The
Published: September 2016

Over the past two decades, researchers have made significant progress in studying the great political famines of the twentieth century. As a result of increased access to formerly closed archives and the collective efforts of the international scholarly community, we now have a rather accurate picture of the causes, dynamics, demographic impact, and consequences of the pan-Soviet famines of 1931-33, the Ukrainian Holodomor, the Kazakh great hunger, and the terrible famine of 1959-61 in China produced by the Great Leap Forward...
Oleh Pavlyshyn. Ievhen Petrushevych (1863-1940): Iliustrovanyi biohrafichnyi narys
Authors: Golczewski Frank
Published: September 2016

Oleh Pavlyshyn. Ievhen Petrushevych (1863-1940): Iliustrovanyi biohrafichnyi narys. [Ievhen Petrushevych (1863-1940): Illustrated Biographic Sketch]. Lviv: Manuskrypt-Lviv, 2013. 400 pp. Illustrations. Bibliography. UAH 102,60, paper.
The Kazakh Famine of 1930-33: Current Research and New Directions
Authors: Cameron Sarah
Published: September 2016

Although the Kazakh famine of 1930-33 led to the death of 1.5 million people, a quarter of Soviet Kazakhstan’s population, the crisis is little known in the West. However, in recent years a number of scholars in Europe and the United States have begun to research the issue. This article offers an overview of their scholarship, highlighting points of agreement and debate. But despite this new wave of scholarly interest, several facets of the Kazakh disaster still remain poorly understood. This essay concludes by suggesting areas for future scholarly investigation and research.
From the Editor-in-Chief
Authors: Ilnytzkyj Oleh S.
Published: September 2016

About the new issue and other updates.
Liudmyla Starytska-Cherniakhivska. The Living Grave: A Ukrainian Legend & Klym Polishchuk. Treasure of the Ages: Ukrainian Legends
Authors: Krys Svitlana (Lana)
Published: September 2016

Liudmyla Starytska-Cherniakhivska. The Living Grave: A Ukrainian Legend. Trans., with an intro. and foreword by Svitlana Chornomorets. Ed. Catherine Etteridge. Illus. Yanitsa Slavceva. Lidcombe, New South Wales: Sova Books, 2015. E-book.

Klym Polishchuk. Treasure of the Ages: Ukrainian Legends. Trans., with a foreword and notes by Svitlana Chornomorets. Ed. Catherine Etteridge. Abr. ed. Illus. Yanitsa Slavceva. Lidcombe, New South Wales: Sova Books, 2015. E-book.
Rostyslav Mel'nykiv. Literaturni 1920-ti: Postati (Narysy, obrazky, etiudy)
Authors: Mihaychuk George
Published: September 2016

Rostyslav Mel'nykiv. Literaturni 1920-ti: Postati (Narysy, obrazky, etiudy) [The Literary 1920s: Figures (Sketches, Portraits, and Essays)]. Kharkiv: Maidan, 2013. 256 pp. 43 pp. of photographs. Index. Cloth.
Towards a Transnational History of Great Leaps Forward in Pastoral Central Eurasia
Authors: Pianciola Niccolò
Published: September 2016

The article places the great famine in Kazakhstan (1931-33) in the context of policies implemented by the Stalinist and Maoist governments towards Central Eurasian pastoral populations. After highlighting the factors that caused the famine in Ukraine, the article focuses on the specificities of the famine among the Kazakhs, and its regional distribution within Kazakhstan. It then analyses the role that the same factors could have played in other mainly pastoral regions, both during the 1930s (Kyrgyz ASSR, Outer Mongolia), and during Mao's Great Leap Forward (Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang). The article compares the different cases and investigates their transnational connections.
A Critical Discourse Analysis of a Selection of Thai and American Music Radio Programs in Terms of the Influence of the Language of American Culture on the Language of Thai Culture
Authors: Unchit Sumanawika
Published: September 2016

This study is concerned with the main linguistic differences and similarities between the Thai and American DJs’ conversations on the radio and the influence of American culture on Thai culture (in terms of language) as seen in those conversations. There were three radio stations chosen for comparison: SEED 97.5 FM, MET 107 FM, and New York PLJ 95.5 FM. DJs’ conversations are analysed from the perspective of code switching, language appraisal, ecology of language, speech genres, and sociolinguistics. The result show both differences and similarities. Thai and American radio feature different points of view and cultural beliefs. However, the three data samples data also show similarities related to the music content.
Boosting 21st Century Skills through Moroccan ELT Textbooks
Authors: Ait Bouzid Hassan
Published: September 2016

Research shows that the changing realities of the 21st century necessitate a fundamental shift in language education towards promoting 21st Century Skills. This paper investigates the extent to which three Moroccan ELT textbooks currently used in teaching second year Baccalaureate students in public high school provide activities that help learners build skills that match the needs of the 21st century. It also explores the types of activities that are used to promote these skills and eventually suggests some ways in which these skills could be promoted effectively in future textbooks. It draws the attention of teachers, educational policy makers, school inspectors and textbook designers to the importance of incorporating activities that facilitate the acquisition of a set of skills that meet the demands of the 21st century. The study adopts a concurrent triangulation design and used content analysis as a mixed method that combines quantitative and qualitative techniques. Quantitative findings show that textbooks tend to provide very little activities that enable learners to develop their ICT skills. Also, they do not encourage learners to think creatively and develop career and life-skills. Qualitative findings indicate that textbooks tend to present these skills in a traditional way that does not cater for the 21st century context. This paper concludes with suggesting activities that will help future textbooks present 21st Century Skills in ways that will facilitate the transfer of these skills to Moroccan English language learners.
The Approaches to Teaching Literature for EFL Young Learners
Authors: Fauziah Fauziah
Published: September 2016

This paper reports on a case study of the teacher’s approaches to teaching literature for young learners in Bandung. The research is an attempt to respond to controversy among the use of literature as a media in teaching English for young learners in Indonesian context. Besides, several English teachers have no idea on how to use poetry as learning material. An English teacher and nine six-grade students were participated in this interpretive qualitative case study. Three research instruments, which were observation, interview, and document, were used. Classroom observation as a primary instrument was triangulated by using interview and document analysis. The results showed that: 1) there were three phases in teaching; initial, exploration, and evaluation phase; 2) under the guideline to choose related topic to nature of young learners, the Language-Based Approach (LBA) was the main used approach, followed by Reader-Response Approach (RRA) and Information-Based Approach (IBA); and 3) The teacher played important roles in building classroom atmosphere.
Comparison on soil organic carbon within two typical wetland areas along the vegetation gradient of Poyang Lake, China
Authors: Wang Xiaolong , Xu Ligang , Wan Rongrong
Published: September 2016

Poyang Lake is an important wetland with international significance in biodiversity conservation and local carbon cycle. A study was conducted to investigate the effects of vegetation communities on seasonal and spatial variations of soil organic carbon (SOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in two dominant wetlands (dish-shaped pit wetland and delta wetland) of Poyang Lake, China. Results revealed significant variations of SOC and DOC along the vegetation gradient. Maximum accumulation of SOC and DOC was produced in Phragmites community, and the minimum ones in Phalaris community both in spring and in autumn. In comparison with delta wetland, dish-shaped pit wetland obtained higher SOC within the same vegetation type, which indicated that soils of dish-shaped pit wetland had greater capacity to store carbon. Compared with SOC, DOC represented stronger seasonal variations with great increase in autumn, which suggested that DOC was more sensitive to hydrology processing. Furthermore, significant variations of SOC and DOC were closely related to vegetation biomass both in spring and in autumn. Moreover, elevation and gradient also affected the distributing pattern of organic carbon suggesting significant influence of topography characteristics on the carbon pool.
Effects of different substrates in the mitigation of algae-induced high pH wastewaters in a pilot-scale free water surface wetland system
Authors: Jin Meng , Champagne Pascale , Hall Geoffrey
Published: September 2016

Waste stabilization ponds (WSPs), as part of municipal wastewater treatment strategies, can exhibit variability in performance due to climatic conditions. Under elevated temperature and strong solar radiation, algal blooms and subsequent high pH effluents have often been observed. In this study, four substrates (gravel, peat, organic mulch, and topsoil) were evaluated for their ability to attenuate high pH effluents from a WSP. Synthetic wastewater with pH > 9.5, and low organic and nutrient loadings, was used to mimic algal-induced high pH effluents in 72 L rectangular bench-scale superficial constructed wetland configuration reactors. Peat exhibited the highest attenuation ability, where the effluent pH decreased substantially from 10.3 to 7.7, primarily due to its high organic contents. Peat also removed 53.7% of the influent total phosphorus, which could effectively limit algal growth. No statistically significant differences were discovered among gravel, topsoil, and organic mulch in terms of pH attenuation. Topsoil and organic mulch both have a relatively high alkalinity, making them ideal to maintain consistent pH levels. However, naturally high chemical oxygen demand levels in organic mulch raised concerns in the leaching of these compounds into the treated wastewater, making it less appealing for systems with low organic loading.
Heterogeneous Fenton-like discoloration of organic dyes catalyzed by porous schorl ceramisite
Authors: Xu Huan-Yan , Zhao Hang , Cao Nan-Ping , Liu Qi , Qi Shu-Yan
Published: September 2016

Due to the difficult separation of superfine schorl powder (SSP) from solution after being used, millimetre-scale porous schorl ceramisite (PSC) was obtained through solid-phase sintering method and used as a heterogeneous catalyst for Fenton-like discoloration of organic dyes. SSP and PSC were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The results demonstrated that both SSP and PSC were mainly composed of schorl and there existed large amounts of micropores on the surface of PSC. A series of control experiments indicated that PSC exhibited higher Fenton-like catalytic activity than SSP. Methylene blue (MB) discoloration in both PSC-H2O2 and SSP-H2O2 systems followed pseudo-first-order kinetics and the reaction rate constant k1 obtained in PSC-H2O2 system was 3.23 times as large as the one in SSP-H2O2 system. Then, the process optimization of MB discoloration in heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction catalyzed by PSC was operated by central composite design under response surface methodology. Based on the model prediction, the optimum conditions for MB discoloration in this system were determined.
Laparoscopic Proctocolectomy for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease of the Large Intestine: Short-Term and Long-Term Outcomes of 53 Cases
Authors: Kucher M D , Bilianskyi L S , Kryvoruk M I , Tkachenko F H , Stelmakh A I
Published: September 2016

One- or two-stage restorative total colectomy is recognized as surgery of choice when treating ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease of the large intestine. The possible advantages of laparoscopic approach are still being discussed. The objective of the research was to evaluate postoperative quality of life, short-term and long-term functional outcomes of 53 cases of laparoscopically assisted proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease of the large intestine in order to improve further application of laparoscopic approach.  Materials and methods. Primary restorative proctocolectomy with transanal mucosectomy and the ileal pouch-anal anastomosis was performed in 5 patients with ulcerative colitis; total colectomy with low anterior resection of the rectum and double stapling ileal pouch-rectal anastomosis was performed in 8 patients; total proctocolectomy (with abdominoperineal resection of the rectum, terminal ileostomy) was performed in 3 patients with Crohn’s disease and multiple perianal fistulas; total colectomy, low anterior resection of the rectum, and terminal ileostomy (the first stage of surgical treatment) was performed in 37 patients; the second stage restorative surgery (J-pouch construction and the pouch-anal/low rectal anastomosing) was performed in 17 patients. The restorative procedure was followed by temporary diverting ileostomy in all patients.Results. The conversion to laparotomy was required in 3 (5.7%) cases. In one case during the second stage restorative surgery the urine bladder wall was damaged, and sutured laparoscopically. There was no postoperative mortality. The major complications of the early postoperative period included pelvic abscesses (4 patients), pouch-anal anastomosis leakage (1 patient), postoperative ileus (3 patients), and ileal pouch-perineal fistula (1patient). Stool frequency was about 6 times in a 24 hour period (4-11 times) 12 months after ileostomy closure.  Pouchitis was observed in 4 patients. Pouch failure occurred in 1 patient due to severe pouchitis and anal incontinence.Conclusions. Laparoscopic proctocolectomy with extracorporeal ileal pouch construction, transanal mucosectomy, and pouch-anal anastomosis are considered as surgery of choice for ulcerative colitis. The pouch-rectal anastomosing is feasible for Crohn’s disease in individual cases. Total laparoscopic proctocolectomy with intracorporeal ileal pouch construction may be the next step in clinical trials.
Efficacy of Surgical Treatment of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis in Patients with Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Fetsych T G , Revura A P
Published: September 2016

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in Ukraine. Prognosis for patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis is unfavorable, and life expectancy is typically less than 6 months. Cytoreductive surgery was introduced as a new method of treating these patients to prolong their survival time.The objective of the research was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of cytoreductive surgery, chemotherapy and symptomatic treatment of patients with colorectal cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis.Materials and methods. The research included 93 patients with colorectal cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis. All patients were divided into 3 groups depending on the method of treatment being used after the detection of peritoneal carcinomatosis: Group I - cytoreductive surgery, Group II - palliative chemotherapy, Group III - symptomatic treatment. Cumulative overall survival in three groups was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method.Results. Statistically significant difference in overall survival was observed between patients treated with different methods. The median overall survival of patients of Group I (n=44) was 15.5 months; the median overall survival of patients of Group II (n=27) was 5.9 months; in patients of Group III (n=22) it was 3.1 months (p <0.0001). The analysis of patients’ survival in Group I depending on the application of palliative chemotherapy after cytoreductive surgery showed no significant difference in overall survival: 16.5 months with chemotherapy versus 14.2 months without chemotherapy (p = 0.12).Conclusions. Overall survival of patients with colorectal cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis was higher when treated with cytoreductive surgery compared to palliative chemotherapy and symptomatic treatment. Palliative chemotherapy had no effect on survival after cytoreductive surgery for peritoneal carcinomatosis.
Periodontal Tissues State and Psychophysiological Addiction: the Effectiveness of Treatment and Rehabilitation Complexes in Patients with Maxillofacial Area Injuries and Diseases
Authors: Hryhorova A O
Published: September 2016

The results of the clinical monitoring of patients with injuries and inflammatory diseases of maxillofacial area proved that the presence of nicotine psychophysiological addiction is a significant factor for the effective treatment of patients with maxillofacial area injuries, and in the case of extended treatment and rehabilitation complex greater efficiency is possible due to the reduction of periodontium treatment need by 27.6% in post-mobilization period. In patients with nicotine physiological addiction on the background of inflammatory diseases, in case of its use it is possible to achieve greater efficiency due to the reduction of the periodontium treatment need by 21.8%. Thus, diagnostics and consideration of the type of psychophysiological addiction can be considered as additional criteria of complex treatment individualization taking into account the psychophysiological state of patients in the course of prescribed treatment and rehabilitation complex application.
Experience of Using Amantadine Sulfate (PK-Merz) in Patients with Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Gryb Viktoria Anatoliivna , Titov Ivan Ivanovych , Chmyr Galyna Stepanivna , Khlibeychuk Galyna Ivanivna
Published: September 2016

The article presents the results of combination treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke (the NIH Stroke Scale – 12.04±0.57). The efficacy of conventional therapy (the control group) was compared with treatment regimen using amantadine sulfate (PK-Merz) (the main group). In patients undergoing combination treatment lost functions were restored quite promptly and 2 months after the observation their functional state was satisfactory (the NIH Stroke Scale: the main group – 2.49±0.78, the control group – 5.53±0.69, p=0.009); moreover, the subscale “language” differed significantly from that in patients receiving basic therapy only (р<0.05). Due to the blockade of NMDA receptors, which contributes to the reduction in the intensity of the “excitotoxicity cascade” preserving the penumbral area as well as due to the increase in dopamine concentration both by increasing the release and blocking the re-uptake in presynaptic nerve cells, the use of amantadine sulfate is a pathogenetically justified means of cerebroprotection in the acute phase of ischemic stroke. The use of PK-Merz is proven to contribute to rapid recovery of consciousness, significant regression of neurological deficit resulting in disability reduction.
A Multi-Factor Coverage based Test Case Prioritization Technique for Object Oriented Software
Authors: Vedpal  , Chauhan Naresh
Published: September 2016

Test case prioritization technique creates the sequence of test cases for execution in such a way that the test cases with higher rate of fault detection are executed earlier than those test cases which have lower rate of fault detection. In this paper a new algorithm is proposed to prioritize the test cases based on coverage of object oriented programming factors. The factors are considered on the basis of complexity and probability of errors introduced by them. For the experimental validation and analysis the proposed test case prioritization algorithm is applied on two case studies. The analyzed case studies are implemented in C++ language. By using the presented algorithm it helps to reduce the cost and time for testing the software.
Impact, Effect and Relationship Amongst the Collection of Coupling Measures
Authors: Verma Anjali , Dewangan Bhupesh Kr.
Published: September 2016

Several authors have tried to address the problem of impact, effect, and relationship amongst the collection of coupling measures by introducing frameworks to characterize different approaches to coupling and the relative strengths of these, although, on their own, none of the frameworks could be considered comprehensive. There are three existing and quite different frameworks for object-oriented coupling. First, Eder et al. identify three different types of relationships. These relationships, interaction relationships between methods, component relationships between classes, and inheritance between classes, are then used to derive different dimensions of coupling which are classified according to different strengths. Second, Hitz and Montazeri approach coupling by deriving two different types of coupling: object level coupling and class level coupling which are determined by the state of an object and the state of an objects implementation respectively. Again different strengths of coupling are proposed. And third, Briand et al. (1997) constitute coupling as interactions between classes. The strength of the coupling is determined by the type of the interaction, the relationship between the classes, and the interactions locus of impact. As none of the frameworks has been used to characterize existing measures to the different dimensions of coupling identified, the negative aspects highlighted above are still very common ones.
Virtual Distributed Disk
Authors: Kumar Sanjay , Karki Pankaj , Kumari Deepa , Kaur Amandeep , Walunjkar G. M. , Ghosh Subhadeep
Published: September 2016

The project is to come up with a mechanism to allow the creation of a Virtual Distributed Disk (VDD). The VDD will be exposed as a device file but will actually be backed by multiple disks residing on multiple machines. Thus, the contents of a VDD can be distributed across multiple machines based on user specified policies. The focus of the project will be as follows: Allow creating, deleting, updating, and reading of any part of VDD. There will be a kernel module to handle various file related system calls and also a system to be able to write to and read from remote sections of the VDD when an application on any machine writes to or reads from it. A caching solution is provided to avoid remote file access as far as possible.
Efficient Security Services of Honeypot using Kerberos for Detecting Intruders
Authors: Kapse Dinesh S. , Bagdi Vijay
Published: September 2016

Internet security is a vital issue of recent times. It is necessary to protect our assets or valuable data from unauthorised person. There area number of techniques available, one of them is honeypot. Honeypots are modern approach to give high level security to our data. Honeypot can be deployed at victims site to attract and divert an attacker from their intended source or targets. Honeypots have the big advantage that they do not give the vital information to the unauthorised person because each traffic is observed by this security mechanism. This fact enables the system to log every byte that passes from network as well as from honeypot and it relates this data with other sources to find the real source of attack as well as attacker. In this paper the brief introduction of honeypots and the types and its uses are described. This paper would also give introduction about Kerberos. Finally we shall conclude by looking at the future of honeypot using Kerberos.
A Complete Inter-Class Sharing During the Inheritance to Enhance Reusability of Public Data and Their Access Control Using Dominance
Authors: Lakhani Jyoti , Harwani Dharmesh
Published: September 2016

Inheritance is used for re-usability in an object oriented programming language. The complete re-usability is not possible with the simple inheritance process. On inheriting parent class, the child does not get a complete access to the inherited data. Only an instance of the values of inherited data has been accessible by the child class and it is true even for the public data. The present communication is a concept paper in which a special inheritance method has been conceptualized. This proposed method is called backward accessibility inheritance. Once inherited, the public data item of the parent class can be shared by the child class in all sense. This way the inherited data item can be truly reused by child class in terms of memory space, name and value. To control the accessibility of the data during the backward accessibility inheritance, concept of dominance has also been introduced.
An Optimisation Approach for Construction of a Distributed Minimum Spanning Tree (DMST) Using MPI
Authors: Ali Md. Akkas
Published: September 2016

The present paper determines Distributed Minimum Spanning Tree (DMST) of very large graphs. It is very time consuming to calculate in a single machine. So the researcher has used parallel programming. One of the DMST algorithms that support parallel computing is Boruvkas algorithm. The researcher has used this algorithm. To avail the parallelism, we have used the MPI architecture.
Mfn1 Deficiency in the Liver Protects Against Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance and Enhances the Hypoglycemic Effect of Metformin
Authors: Kulkarni Sameer S. , Joffraud Magali , Boutant Marie , Ratajczak Joanna , Gao Arwen W. , Maclachlan Catherine , Hernandez-Alvarez Maria Isabel , Raymond Frédéric , Metairon Sylviane , Descombes Patrick , Houtkooper Riekelt H. , Zorzano Antonio , Cantó Carles
Published: September 2016

Mitochondrial function can be influenced by mitochondrial shape and connectivity with other cellular organelles through fusion and fission processes. Disturbances in mitochondrial architecture and mitochondrial fusion-related genes are observed in situations of type 2 diabetes and obesity, leading to a highly fissioned mitochondrial network. To directly test the effect of reduced mitochondrial fusion on hepatic metabolism, we generated mice with a liver-specific deletion of the Mfn1 gene (Mfn1LKO) and monitored their energy homeostasis, mitochondrial function, and susceptibility to diet-induced insulin resistance. Livers from Mfn1LKO mice displayed a highly fragmented mitochondrial network. This was coupled to an enhanced mitochondrial respiration capacity and a preference for the use of lipids as the main energy source. Although Mfn1LKO mice are similar to control mice fed a low-fat diet, they are protected against insulin resistance induced by a high-fat diet. Importantly, Mfn1 deficiency increased complex I abundance and sensitized animals to the hypoglycemic effect of metformin. Our results suggest that targeting Mfn1 could provide novel avenues to ameliorate glucose homeostasis in obese patients and improve the effectiveness of metformin.
Long-term Effect of Losartan on Kidney Disease in American Indians With Type 2 Diabetes: A Follow-up Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Tanamas Stephanie K. , Saulnier Pierre-Jean , Fufaa Gudeta D. , Wheelock Kevin M. , Weil E. Jennifer , Hanson Robert L. , Knowler William C. , Bennett Peter H. , Nelson Robert G.
Published: September 2016

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether early administration of losartan slows progression of diabetic kidney disease over an extended period.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We conducted a 6-year clinical trial in 169 American Indians with type 2 diabetes and urine albumin/creatinine ratio <300 mg/g; 84 participants were randomly assigned to receive losartan and 85 to placebo. Primary outcome was a decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR; iothalamate) to ≤60 mL/min or to half the baseline value in persons who entered with GFR <120 mL/min. At enrollment, GFR averaged 165 mL/min (interquartile range 49–313 mL/min). During the trial, nine persons reached the primary outcome with a hazard ratio (HR; losartan vs. placebo) of 0.50 (95% CI 0.12–1.99). Participants were then followed posttrial for up to 12 years, with treatment managed outside the study. The effect of losartan on the primary GFR outcome was then reanalyzed for the entire study period, including the clinical trial and posttrial follow-up.

RESULTS

After completion of the clinical trial, treatment with renin-angiotensin system inhibitors was equivalent in both groups. During a median of 13.5 years following randomization, 29 participants originally assigned to losartan and 35 to placebo reached the primary GFR outcome with an HR of 0.72 (95% CI 0.44–1.18).

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term risk of GFR decline was not significantly different between persons randomized to early treatment with losartan and those randomized to placebo. Accordingly, we found no evidence of an extended benefit of early losartan treatment on slowing GFR decline in persons with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Is Associated With Decreased Limb Survival in Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia: Pooled Data From Two Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Spreen Marlon I. , Gremmels Hendrik , Teraa Martin , Sprengers Ralf W. , Verhaar Marianne C. , Statius van Eps Randolph G. , de Vries Jean-Paul P.M. , Mali Willem P.Th.M. , van Overhagen Hans ,   on behalf of the PADI and JUVENTAS Study Groups
Published: September 2016

OBJECTIVE

Although never assessed prospectively, diabetes mellitus (DM) is assumed to negatively affect the outcomes of critical limb ischemia (CLI). DM was highly prevalent in two recently conducted randomized controlled trials in CLI patients, the PADI (Percutaneous Transluminal Balloon Angioplasty [PTA] and Drug Eluting Stents for Infrapopliteal Lesions in Critical Limb Ischemia) and JUVENTAS (Rejuvenating Endothelial Progenitor Cells via Transcutaneous Intra-Arterial Supplementation) trials. To determine the implications of DM in a population of patients with infrapopliteal CLI, clinical outcomes were compared in patients with and without DM.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Individual data from patients with CLI (Rutherford category ≥4) were pooled. Patients were considered to have DM when this diagnosis was reported in the hospital electronic medical records. Rates of major amputation (above ankle level) and major events (major amputation or death) were compared between CLI patients with and without DM. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated.

RESULTS

Of a total of 281 patients, DM was present in 49.1%. The major amputation rate at 5 years of follow-up was higher in patients with DM than in patients without DM (34.1% vs. 20.4%, P = 0.015). The major event and death rate did not differ. The unadjusted HR of DM for the major amputation risk was 1.87 (95% CI 1.12–3.12). Model factors with significant HRs in the multivariate analysis were baseline Rutherford category (HR 1.95; 95% CI 1.24–3.06) and ankle-brachial index (ABI) >1.4 (HR 2.78; 95% CI 1.37–5.64).

CONCLUSIONS

CLI patients with DM are at a significantly higher risk of major amputation than CLI patients without DM. This increased risk is associated with a higher prevalence of baseline ABI >1.4 and more severe ischemia at initial presentation in patients with DM.
Side-Chain Liquid Crystal Conducting Polymers
Authors: Roudini Danesh , Foot Peter J.S.
Published: September 2016

This article overviews some of the research progress on the effects of incorporating liquid crystalline functionalities into commercial conjugated polymers such as polythiophene, polypyrrole and polyaniline. Polarisable aromatic mesogens are generally attached via a flexible spacer group to the monomers to form a side-chain. Consequently, the self-organising properties of liquid crystals can be used to influence the conducting polymer backbone and control the electrical, magnetic and mechanical properties of the material. Some applications of these interesting materials are discussed.
DIY Biology – Hacking Goes Viral!
Authors: Sleator Roy D.
Published: September 2016

The Do-It-Yourself Biology (DIYBio) movement has gained significant traction in recent years; morphing from counter culture to an essential component of biology's future development.
The Canary in the Coalmine; Bee Declines as an Indicator of Environmental Health
Authors: Goulson Dave , Nicholls Elizabeth
Published: September 2016

Bee declines have received much attention of late, but there is considerable debate and confusion as to the extent, significance and causes of declines. In part, this reflects conflation of data for domestic honeybees, numbers of which are largely driven by economic factors, with those for wild bees, many of which have undergone marked range contractions but for the majority of which we have no good data on population size. There is no doubt that bees are subject to numerous pressures in the modern world. The abundance and diversity of flowers has declined along with availability of suitable nest sites, bees are chronically exposed to cocktails of agrochemicals, and they are simultaneously exposed to novel parasites and pathogens accidentally spread by humans. Climate change is likely to exacerbate these problems in the future, particularly for cool-climate specialists such as bumblebees. Stressors do not act in isolation; for example pesticide exposure can impair both detoxification mechanisms and immune responses, rendering bees more susceptible to parasites. It seems certain that chronic exposure to multiple, interacting stressors is driving honeybee colony losses and declines of wild pollinators. Bees have a high profile and so their travails attract attention, but these same stressors undoubtedly bear upon other wild organisms, many of which are not monitored and have few champions. Those wild insects for which we do have population data (notably butterflies and moths) are overwhelmingly also in decline. We argue that bee declines are indicators of pervasive and ongoing environmental damage that is likely to impact broadly on biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides.
From ‘Mad Honey’ to Hypotensive Agents, the Grayanoid Diterpenes
Authors: Hanson James R.
Published: September 2016

The toxicity of Rhododendron species and other members of the Ericaceae which is due to the grayanoid diterpenes, is described. Their structures, biogenesis and biological activity is reviewed.
Competition, salinity, and clonal growth in native and introduced irises
Authors: Mopper Susan , Wiens Karen C. , Goranova Greta A.
Published: September 2016

PREMISE OF THE STUDY:

Iris pseudacorusspread rapidly into North America after introduction from Europe in the 1800s and now co‐occurs with nativeI. hexagonain freshwater Louisiana wetlands. Native irises support and interact with multiple trophic levels, whereasI. pseudacorusis classified an invasive pest because it grows aggressively, reduces biodiversity, and displaces native vegetation. Salinity levels are increasing in coastal wetlands worldwide. We examined how salt‐stress affects competitive interactions between these conspecifics.

METHODS:

We established a three‐way full‐factorial common‐garden experiment that included species (I. pseudacorus, I. hexagona), competition (no competition, intraspecific competition, and interspecific competition), and salinity (0, 4, 8 parts per thousand NaCl), with six replicates per treatment.

KEY RESULTS:

After 18 mo,Iris pseudacorusproduced much more biomass than the native species did (F1, 92= 71.5,P< 0.0001). Interspecific competition did not affect the introduced iris, but biomass of the native was strongly reduced (competition × species interaction:F2, 95= 76.7,P= 0.002). Salinity significantly reduced biomass of both species (F2, 92= 21.8,P< 0.0001), with no species × salinity interaction (F2, 84= 1.85,P= 0.16).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our results demonstrate that salt stress strongly reduced clonal reproduction in native and introduced irises; however, the introduced iris had a competitive advantage over the native, regardless of environmental salinity levels. Based on patterns in clonal reproduction, the introduced iris could potentially threaten native iris populations. We are currently investigating seed production and mortality during competition and stress because both clonal and sexual reproduction must be considered when predicting long‐term population dynamics.