bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the methanol leaf extract of Phyllanthus amarus in some laboratory animals
Authors: Ofuegbe Sunday Oluwaseun , Adedapo Adeolu Alex , Adeyemi Abiodun Adegoke
Published: July 2013

Background:
Phyllanthus amarus is used in Nigeria and other parts of the world as a medicinal plant. The plant has a history of use in Ayurvedic medicine for over 2000 years as well as a wide variety of traditional applications. It is being evaluated for anti-inflammatory and analgesic potential because these phenomena have assumed a worldwide dimension as a result of their implications in a variety of diseases.

Methods: The methanol extract of the leaves of P. amarus was investigated for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in Wistar strain albino rats and mice using carrageenan-induced inflammation as well as histamine-induced edema. The analgesic effect was determined using acetic acid writhing method and formalin-induced paw lick test. Standard phytochemical analysis was carried out to determine the active constituents responsible for biological effects.

Results: The extract at 100 and 200 mg/kg reduced significantly (p<0.05) the formation of edema induced by histamine and carrageenan. In the acetic acid-induced writhing test, the extract showed good analgesic activity characterized by a significant reduction in the number of writhes with 100 and 200 mg/kg doses used when compared to the control group. In the formalin-induced paw lick test, the extract at 100 and 200 mg/kg doses exhibited good analgesic activity characterized by a significant reduction in the number of paw licks at both the early and the late phases of the induced pain when compared with the untreated control group. Ibuprofen at 10 mg/kg served as the reference drug in all these tests.

Conclusions: Results suggested that methanol extract of the leaves of P. amarus has great anti-inflammatory and analgesic potential. These biological effects exhibited by the extract of this plant may be attributed to the presence of flavonoids and other phenols contained therein.
Harm Reduction and Illicit Drugs in U.S. Newspapers
Authors: Eversman Michael H.
Published: July 2013

Illicit drug abuse remains a serious problem in the United States. While contemporary U.S. drug policies emphasize a prohibitionist “War on Drugs,” other countries have embraced public health based harm reduction. Whereas the current U.S. policy aims to eliminate drug use, harm reduction seeks to reduce its inevitable consequences, revealing an important ideological tension. Newsprint media depictions of drugs influence public opinion, discourse, and policy, particularly surrounding harm reduction programs and services. Combining textual discourse and qualitative content analyses, this study explores and describes discursive use of the term “harm reduction” with illicit drugs in a sample of 296 U.S. newspaper pieces published between 1990 and 2012. Typically describing harm reduction and “Drug War” strategies as incompatible, harm reduction supporters advocated a range of policy changes, whereas opponents described harm reduction as something to be avoided given the danger of drugs. A discourse theory framework situates the debate over harm reduction as tension in the U.S. drug policy hegemony, and considers domestic and international politic dynamics, and beliefs regarding the nature of substance use, addiction, and recovery.
Variables related to the anticipated support for care in community-dwelling older adults
Authors: Oliveira Déborah Cristina de , Neri Anita Liberalesso , D'Elboux Maria José
Published: July 2013

OBJECTIVE: to compare the anticipated support for care, living arrangements and variables related to health as functions of gender and age in older adults in the community. METHOD: data was used from the Research network "Frailty in Brazilian Older Adults" (FIBRA network), sample for Campinas (n=671) analyses of data description and comparison were made. RESULT: compared to the men, the women are in worse socio-demographic conditions and have poorer perception of their health and dependency and lower expectations of support for care; those who have expectations anticipate receiving help from only one person. Advanced age was related to lower incapacity percentages and the majority of the older adults assess their health as good or very good, irrespective of their age, although the women predominate in the group composed of those who assess their own health as bad or very bad. CONCLUSION: this study guides the nurse in identifying older adults in situations of risk of lack of support for care and indicates the need for interventions aiming at giving support to this group.
Factors associated with bullying at nurses' workplaces
Authors: Fontes Kátia Biagio , Santana Rosangela Getirana , Pelloso Sandra Marisa , Carvalho Maria Dalva de Barros
Published: July 2013

OBJECTIVE: To identify nurses who are subject to workplace bullying and its associated factors. METHOD: Descriptive and exploratory study with a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 199 nurses working in public and private sectors (N=388). For data collection, a graphic socio-professional questionnaire and the Leymann Inventory Psychological Terrorization were used, both in print or electronic format (May/September 2010). RESULTS: According to the data collected, 11.56% of the participants had been subject to bullying. Multivariate analysis showed that having children, working at Public Healthcare Units, working at an institution for a period between one and three years, currently dealing with acts of bullying and to feel bullied are risk factors for bullying. CONCLUSION: This study permitted a better understanding of the factors associated with bullying; however, a research based on samples of Brazilian nurses is only the first step to evaluate other factors of influence related to the organizational context.
Professional nursing practice: environment and emotional exhaustion among intensive care nurses
Authors: Panunto Marcia Raquel , Guirardello Edinêis de Brito
Published: July 2013

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the characteristics of the professional nursing practice environment and its relationship with burnout, perception of quality of care, job satisfaction and the intention to leave the job in the next 12 months. METHOD: cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach to data. The sample was composed of 129 nurses working in adult Intensive Care Units from a region in the interior of São Paulo, Brazil. RESULTS: The structural equation modeling, using path analysis, revealed that characteristics of the environment influence job satisfaction, perception of quality of care, and having an intention to leave their job, when mediated by emotional exhaustion. Nurses with limited autonomy, poor control over their practice, and poor relationships with physicians, experience a greater level of emotional exhaustion, which can negatively influence their perception of quality of care, job satisfaction and an intention to abandon their jobs. CONCLUSION: the mediating role of emotional exhaustion may negatively influence care delivery. Therefore, there is a need to adopt strategies to minimize this condition among nurses.
Comparison of the quality of life among persons with lung cancer, before and after the chemotherapy treatment
Authors: Oliveira Priscila Isolani de , Pereira Carlos Alberto de Castro , Belasco Angélica Gonçalves Silva , Bettencourt Ana Rita de Cássia
Published: July 2013

OBJECTIVE: this prospective study aimed to assess the quality of life related to health (QLRH) of patients with lung cancer after chemotherapy treatment. METHOD: The QLRH was assessed using the questionnaires Quality-of-Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and Lung Cancer Module (LC13), version 3.0. RESULTS: the sample was made up of 11 women and 19 men, with an average age of 68 years (51-87 years). After the chemotherapy treatment, the authors observed a clinically-relevant improvement in general quality of life, as well as in the symptoms of dyspnea, insomnia, hemoptysis, cough, thoracic pain, pain in the arm/shoulder, and financial difficulty. There was a worsening on the functional scale which assesses role performance and symptoms of fatigue, nausea and vomiting, sensory neuropathy, pain in other parts, constipation, loss of appetite and alopecia. CONCLUSION: although the patients have an improvement of their QLRH and symptoms related to the lung cancer after the chemotherapy treatment, there was a worsening of the symptoms which resulted from the toxicity of the chemotherapy medications.
The role of professional engineers in disaster management
Authors: Michael Broadbent D. , Broadbent Susan G.
Published: July 2013

The current scale and frequencies of emergencies that develop into disasters necessitate a professional approach to their management. New initiatives for building resilience provide opportunities for professional engineers to actively engage in proactive services. These would focus on the probable performance of existing and new infrastructure in relation to hazard impacts of excessive magnitude during normal service life of assets. Effective disaster management will therefore be dependent on proactive preparedness, based on improved risk assessments and widely increased resilience capabilities. All opportunities for engagement with forensic assessments, strengthening and rehabilitating existing infrastructure, as well as in preparedness, response, recovery and reconstruction activities, provide avenues for professional engineers to develop more formal connections with emergency service responders and the general public. Over the longer term, the professions should develop a common understanding for dealing proactively with emergency and disaster issues rather than retrospectively, as so often happens at present.
Performance of a geosynthetic-encased column (GEC) in soft ground: numerical and analytical studies
Authors: Almeida M.S.S. , Hosseinpour I. , Riccio M.
Published: July 2013

ABSTRACT: Stone columns with granular material are often used to support embankments over soft soil. In extremely soft soils, encasing the granular column with geosynthetic material improves their stiffness and strength. Based on the soil and column properties, settlements and stresses can be determined by means of analytical solutions or numerical analyses, and this paper compares the results of these two procedures by means of parametric analyses. Two-dimensional finite-element analysis (FEA) was used to simulate the behavior of a geosynthetic-encased stone column in soft clay loaded by an embankment. Parametric studies are then carried out by varying the thickness of the soft soil layer and the tensile stiffness of the geosynthetic encasement for a given set of soft clay and column parameters. The results of FEA have shown that the influence of the geosynthetic encasement on settlement improvement increases in shallow soft soil layers. It was also observed that the dependence of stress concentration on the thickness of the soft soil increases with geosynthetic stiffness. The critical embankment height where ground settlement is negligible was also investigated.
Tangential load–deflection behaviour at the contacts of soil particles
Authors: Senetakis K. , Coop M. R. , Todisco M. C.
Published: July 2013

This paper describes a laboratory investigation of the response of coarse-grained soil particles at their contacts. The tests were carried out in a newly developed micromechanical inter-particle loading apparatus capable of imposing and measuring loads and deflections at the contacts of non-conforming (i.e. non flat-to-flat) surfaces. The apparatus was designed to investigate the behaviour at contacts over a range of load levels from the initial contact stiffness to failure under sliding. The paper presents tests on a variety of particle contacts, investigating the effects of test conditions as well as particle properties and quantifying the particle roughness using an interferometer microscope. The initial tangential load–deflection behaviour is shown to be highly non-linear and predominantly plastic. The stiffness depends on the normal load applied and the particle type, but does not degrade with small numbers of cycles. Shearing led to a significant decrease in the amplitude of the surface roughness of the particles, mostly through the removal of asperities, which shows that the tangential stiffness might not be significantly affected by the amplitude of surface roughness.
Effects of surface structure deformation on static friction at fractal interfaces
Authors: Hanaor D. A. H. , Gan Y. , Einav I.
Published: July 2013

The evolution of fractal surface structures with flattening of asperities was investigated using isotropically roughened aluminium surfaces loaded in compression. It was found that asperity amplitude, mean roughness and fractal dimension decrease through increased compressive stress and number of loading events. Of the samples tested, surfaces subjected to an increased number of loading events exhibited the most significant surface deformation and were observed to exhibit higher levels of static friction at an interface with a single-crystal flat quartz substrate. This suggests that the frequency of grain reorganisation events in geomaterials plays an important role in the development of intergranular friction. Fractal surfaces were numerically modelled using Weierstrass–Mandelbrot-based functions. From the study of frictional interactions with rigid flat opposing surfaces it was apparent that the effect of surface fractal dimension is more significant with increasing dominance of adhesive mechanisms.
Effects of different soil amendments on the growth and yield of okra in a tropical rainforest of southwestern Nigeria
Authors: Adewole Moses , Ilesanmi Abiola
Published: July 2013

This study investigated the effects of different soil enhancers on the growth
response of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] cultivated on a
?contaminated? field with sewage sludge from the two oxidation ponds of the
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Nigeria. This was with a view to
assessing the growth performance and yield of the test crop under different
soil amendments. Okra variety, NHAe 47-4 with NPK 12-12-17 (IO), compost
organic fertilizer (OR), Glomus mosseae mycorrhiza (MY) and zero fertilizer
applications as control (CT) was laid out in a completely randomised block
design and each treatment plot (4 x 2 m) was replicated four times. Selected
weather parameters were collected from a meteorological station in OAU campus
during the period of the experiments. Growth parameters such as plant height,
stem girth and number of leaves of okra increased with added soil amendments
from four weeks after planting in the order: IO > OR > MY > CT. In 2010, the
highest mean yield of 16.3 t ha-1 obtained with 6.0 t ha-1 of MY was not
significantly higher than 15.4 t ha-1 obtained with application of 0.2 t ha-1
of IO, but significantly (p < 0.05) higher than 13.1 and 10.4 t ha-1 obtained
with applications of 6.0 and zero t ha-1 of OR and CT respectively.
Comparative okra yield, though relatively higher with mycorrhizal
inoculation, but lower with no soil amendment was obtained in 2011. The study
concluded that a direct linear relationship existed between solar radiation
and okra productivity. Also, for a moderately ?treated field? with sewage
sludge from domestic wastes, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can be integrated
into soil fertility management to achieve low-cost sustainable agricultural
systems for enhanced productivity of okra.
Factors Influencing Student Satisfaction and Perceived Learning in Online Courses
Authors: Barbera Elena , Clara Marc , Linder-Vanberschot Jennifer A.
Published: July 2013

Online education, with its genuine characteristics, has changed the way students experience learning processes. This fact led research to study the aspects of online learning settings that influence the way students experience their learning, and several aspects were identified from this effort. However, usually each study focuses on only one or a few of these aspects, and some results are contradictory. In this study the authors consider together, in an integrated model, most of the aspects identified by the literature in order to determine which aspects are more influence for students' satisfaction and perceived learning. With this aim, they conducted a correlation and ANOVA analysis on the responses to a questionnaire answered by 499 students of higher education social sciences online courses in the USA, China and Spain. They found that the most influential aspects of the online courses in social sciences on students' satisfaction and perceived learning were learning content and course design.
An Efficient Algorithm for Partitioning and Authenticating Problem-Solutions of eLearning Contents
Authors: Dewan Jahangir , Chowdhury Morshed , Batten Lynn
Published: July 2013

Content authenticity and correctness is one of the important challenges in eLearning as there can be many solutions to one specific problem in cyber space. Therefore, the authors feel it is necessary to map problems to solutions using graph partition and weighted bipartite matching. This article proposes an efficient algorithm to partition question-answer (QA) space and explores the best possible solution to a particular problem. The approach described can be efficiently applied to social eLearning space where there are one-to-many and many-to-many relationships with a level of bonding. The main advantage of this approach is that it uses QA ranking by adjusted edge weights provided by subject-matter experts or the authors' expert database.
Human Insulin Resistance Is Associated With Increased Plasma Levels of 12α-Hydroxylated Bile Acids
Authors: Haeusler Rebecca A. , Astiarraga Brenno , Camastra Stefania , Accili Domenico , Ferrannini Ele
Published: July 2013

Bile acids (BAs) exert pleiotropic metabolic effects, and physicochemical properties of different BAs affect their function. In rodents, insulin regulates BA composition, in part by regulating the BA 12α-hydroxylase CYP8B1. However, it is unclear whether a similar effect occurs in humans. To address this question, we examined the relationship between clamp-measured insulin sensitivity and plasma BA composition in a cohort of 200 healthy subjects and 35 type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients. In healthy subjects, insulin resistance (IR) was associated with increased 12α-hydroxylated BAs (cholic acid, deoxycholic acid, and their conjugated forms). Furthermore, ratios of 12α-hydroxylated/non–12α-hydroxylated BAs were associated with key features of IR, including higher insulin, proinsulin, glucose, glucagon, and triglyceride (TG) levels and lower HDL cholesterol. In T2D patients, BAs were nearly twofold elevated, and more hydrophobic, compared with healthy subjects, although we did not observe disproportionate increases in 12α-hydroxylated BAs. In multivariate analysis of the whole dataset, controlling for sex, age, BMI, and glucose tolerance status, higher 12α-hydroxy/non–12α-hydroxy BA ratios were associated with lower insulin sensitivity and higher plasma TGs. These findings suggest a role for 12α-hydroxylated BAs in metabolic abnormalities in the natural history of T2D and raise the possibility of developing insulin-sensitizing therapeutics based on manipulations of BA composition.
A Comparison of Hispanic Middle School Students' Performance, and Perceived and Actual Physical Exertion, on the Traditional and Treadmill One-Mile Runs
Authors: Latham Daniel T. , Hill Grant M. , Petray Clayre K.
Published: July 2013

The purpose of this study was to assess whether a treadmill mile is an acceptable FitnessGram® Test substitute for the traditional one-mile run for middle school boys and girls. Peak heart rate and perceived physical exertion of the participants were also measured to assess students' effort. 48 boys and 40 girls participated, with approximately 85% classified as Hispanic. Boys' mean time for the traditional one-mile run, as well as peak heart rate and perceived exertion, were statistically significantly faster and higher, respectively, than for the treadmill mile. Girls' treadmill mile times were not statistically significantly different from the traditional one-mile run. There were no statistically significant differences for girl's peak heart rate or perceived exertion. The results suggest that providing middle school students a choice of completing the FitnessGram mile run in either traditional one-mile run or treadmill one-mile format may positively affect performance.
Atypical Caudate Anatomy in Children Who Stutter
Authors: Foundas Anne L. , Cindass Renford , Mock Jeffrey R. , Corey Dave M.
Published: July 2013

A temporal motor defect in speech preparation and/or planning may contribute to the development of stuttering. This defect may be linked to a dysfunctional cortical-subcortical network at the level of the striatum. To determine whether structural differences exist and whether group differences are associated with stuttering severity or manual laterality, the caudate was measured in 14 children who stutter (CWS) and in a control group of right-handed boys, ages 8–13 years. There was a statistically significant hemisphere by group effect for caudate volume. CWS had reduced right caudate volume and atypical leftward asymmetry compared to controls. Nine of the 13 CWS with atypical caudate asymmetry had atypical manual laterality. These anomalies may represent a vulnerability that perturbs speech planning/preparation and contributes to inefficiencies in action-perception coupling that may be an indicator of stuttering susceptibility. These results suggest that right-handed boys who stutter may have a defect in the feedforward cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical networks.
A Preliminary Assessment of the Reliability and Validity of a Computerized Working Memory Task
Authors: Lovato Nicole , Lack Leon , Wright Helen , Kemps Eva , Cant Megan , Humphreys Joanne
Published: July 2013

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a recently developed measure of working memory: the Double Span Task. The Double Span Task is the first experimental task designed to assess all three components of Baddeley's (1992) model of working memory. The reliability of the Double Span Task was assessed in a sample of 105 older adults ( M age = 64.3 yr., SD = 6.4). The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Double Span Task were good. The validity of the Double Span Task was assessed using a different sample of 49 older adults ( M age = 70.0 yr., SD = 9.3). Performance on the Double Span Task was positively correlated with performance on a well-established measure of working memory, the Letter Number Sequencing Task. The Double Span Task also showed good discriminant validity. The Double Span Task is a reliable and valid measure of all three components of the working memory system.
Effect of Color Contrast on Visual Lobe Shape Characteristics
Authors: Tsang Steve N. H. , Chan Alan H. S. , Yu R. F.
Published: July 2013

This study examined the effects of the color contrast of target and background objects on visual lobe area and shape characteristics. For visual lobe mapping the participants had to locate a single colour target amongst a homogeneous background of non-targets during a brief presentation. Targets of six different colors (red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple) were tested, the non-targets were black and the background was metallic grey. The results showed that color contrast did not affect visual lobe parameters under the constant luminance contrast condition of 6:1 tested in the experiment. Subjective preference evaluations showed that the blue and purple targets resulted in the highest visual comfort and overall preference, respectively, while the yellow target was the most negatively rated. The color preferences here were somewhat different from the previous color combination studies. It might be due in part to the constant luminance contrast and display polarity used here.
Attentional Processes and Choking under Pressure
Authors: Schücker Linda , Hagemann Norbert , Strauss Bernd
Published: July 2013

The self-focus theory of choking under pressure explains decreases in performance of well-learned motor tasks with an increase in skill-focused attention. This shift in attentional focus has been demonstrated; however, specific propositions about the processes in pressure-induced attentional shift are yet to be developed. This study assesses whether specific aspects of movement execution attract more attention than others when movements are executed under pressure. Such elements are important in conscious movement control before execution becomes automated through practice; under pressure, attention may be redirected to these elements. Basketball free throws were executed by 22 junior national team members in a low and high pressure situation. Two dual task/focus conditions (related to different aspects of the movement) were implemented in each pressure condition. This dual task paradigm was used as a direct and detailed measure of skill focused attention, suitable to show specific pressure induced shifts of attention that lead to performance decrements. Pressure was induced by telling players that their performance would be evaluated by coaches. Players were defined as chokers if their performance decreased under this pressure. Chokers showed differences with regard to their attentional focus on movement execution in the pressure conditions compared to the players defined as non-chokers. The findings suggest that attentional shifts during choking can be related to specific aspects of movement execution.
Wear and corrosion behaviour of AISI 310 and AISI 316 stainless steels in synthetic mine water
Authors: Andrews Anthony , Motsi Glenda T. , Olubambi Peter. A.
Published: July 2013

The synergistic effects of chloride and sulphate ions on friction, wear and pitting corrosion of AISI 310 and AISI 316 have been investigated using electrochemical methods and a tribometer. The results show that increasing the sulphate concentration in synthetic mine water mitigates the detrimental effects of chloride ions on both the general corrosion rate and pitting potentials of both materials. The E
corr shifted to more positive values as the sulphate-to-chloride ratio increased in the electrolyte. The AISI 316 is more resistant to wear than the AISI 310 both in dry and wet unidirectional sliding conditions. Whereas the wear mechanism under the dry condition is mainly adhesive, there was transition from abrasive wear to adhesive wear under the wet sliding condition as the sulphate concentration increased in both materials.
Hot pressing of Al2O3 matrix ceramic materials improved by diopside additive
Authors: Changxia Liu , Junlong Sun , Zhongmin Tian
Published: July 2013

As a sintering aid, diopside was introduced into alumina matrix ceramic materials. Composites were fabricated using transient liquid phase sintering, during which new phases such as mullite, anorthite and CaO · 6Al2O3 were produced by the chemical reactions taking place between alumina and diopside. The densification rate of the composites as a function of diopside volume content is discussed. The hardness, fracture toughness and bending strength of the composites were tested. Meanwhile, the effects of diopside content, grain size and interface on mechanical properties and fracture mechanism of alumina matrix ceramic materials are analyzed and discussed.
Optimization of the hot rolling parameters for evaluation of the formability of Nb-microalloyed steel sheet by using the Taguchi method
Authors: Ayaz Mohsen , Khaki Daavood Mirahmadi , Arab Nasrollah Bani Mostafa , Noroozi Ali
Published: July 2013

In this paper, the influence of major hot rolling process parameters on strain hardening exponent and grain size as criteria for the formability of Nb-microalloyed steel sheet was investigated and an optimum level of parameters by using Taguchi grey relational analysis has been obtained. For this purpose, parameters of roughing, finishing and coiling temperatures were chosen and four levels for these temperatures were considered. Sixteen experiments for each response were conducted based on an orthogonal array of the Taguchi method. Analysis of variance, signal to noise ratios and grey relational grade were calculated in order to optimize strain hardening exponent and grain size of Nb-microalloyed steel sheets, simultaneously. It was observed that the roughing temperature of 1 050 °C; finishing temperature of 850 °C; and coiling temperature of 700 °C are the optimum parameter values producing better formability in terms of strain hardening exponent and grain size. The validity of Taguchi grey relational analysis to process optimization was also well established by means of confirmation tests.
Use of Slag/Sugar Cane Bagasse Ash (SCBA) Blends in the Production of Alkali-Activated Materials
Authors: Castaldelli Vinícius , Akasaki Jorge , Melges José , Tashima Mauro , Soriano Lourdes , Borrachero María , Monzó José , Payá Jordi
Published: July 2013

Blast furnace slag (BFS)/sugar cane bagasse ash (SCBA) blends were assessed for the production of alkali-activated pastes and mortars. SCBA was collected from a lagoon in which wastes from a sugar cane industry were poured. After previous dry and grinding processes, SCBA was chemically characterized: it had a large percentage of organic matter (ca. 25%). Solutions of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate were used as activating reagents. Different BFS/SCBA mixtures were studied, replacing part of the BFS by SCBA from 0 to 40% by weight. The mechanical strength of mortar was measured, obtaining values about 60 MPa of compressive strength for BFS/SCBA systems after 270 days of curing at 20 °C. Also, microstructural properties were assessed by means of SEM, TGA, XRD, pH, electrical conductivity, FTIR spectroscopy and MIP. Results showed a good stability of matrices developed by means of alkali-activation. It was demonstrated that sugar cane bagasse ash is an interesting source for preparing alkali-activated binders.
Synthesis of Some Monoazo Disperse Dyes Derived from Aminothienochromene
Authors: Al-Mousawi Saleh , El-Apasery Morsy
Published: July 2013

A series of azo disperse dyes based on aminothienochromene were synthesized. The fastness properties of the dyed samples were measured. Most of the dyed fabrics tested displayed excellent washing and perspiration fastness and moderate light fastness.
Diagnosing Atmospheric Influences on the Interannual 18O/16O Variations in Western U.S. Precipitation
Authors: Buenning Nikolaus , Stott Lowell , Kanner Lisa , Yoshimura Kei
Published: July 2013

Many climate proxies in geological archives are dependent on the isotopic content of precipitation (δ18Op), which over sub-annual timescales has been linked to temperature, condensation height, atmospheric circulation, and post-condensation exchanges in the western U.S. However, many proxies do not resolve temporal changes finer than interannual-scales. This study explores causes of the interannual variations in δ18Op within the western U.S. Simulations with the Isotope-incorporated Global Spectral Model (IsoGSM) revealed an amplifying influence of post-condensation exchanges (i.e., raindrop evaporation and vapor equilibration) on interannual δ18Op variations throughout the western U.S. Mid-latitude and subtropical vapor tagging simulations showed that the influence of moisture advection on δ18Op was relatively strong in the Pacific Northwest, but weak over the rest of the western U.S. The vapor tags correlated well with interannual variations in the 18O/16O composition of vapor, an indication that isotopes in vapor trace atmospheric circulation. However, vertical-tagging simulations revealed a strong influence of condensation height on δ18Op in California. In the interior of the western U.S., a strong temperature effect was found only after annual mean temperatures were weighted by monthly precipitation totals. These multiple influences on δ18Op complicate interpretations of western U.S. climate proxies that are derived from isotopes in precipitation.
La performance ou la renaissance de l'action
Authors: Pradier Jean-Marie
Published: July 2013

L’intérêt relativement récent manifesté en France pour le mot « performance » est-il le signe du retour à la question de l’action via le pragmatisme et les Performance Studies  ? Ce mot n’est-il pas également du vocabulaire du turf ? L’étude génétique de la notion d’action montre combien il a été difficile de la faire admettre à la fin du xix e  siècle par les tenants de la philosophie de l’idée. Par ailleurs, l’appartenance du mot « performance » au vocabulaire sportif rend compte de son glissement dans l’idéologie de l’économie de la production et de la consommation.
Turkey's Historical Involvement in Middle Eastern Alliances: Saadabad Pact, Baghdad Pact, and Phantom Pact
Authors: Volk Thomas
Published: July 2013

Cet article sur l’implication historique de la Turquie dans les alliances au Moyen-Orient traite des relations turco-arabes et turco-islamiques depuis la proclamation de la République turque en 1923 jusqu’à la fin des années 1970. En démontrant les engagements régionaux de la Turquie au sein du pacte de Sa’dabad de 1937, du pacte de Bagdad de 1955, ainsi qu’au sein de l’Alliance périphérique de 1958, l’auteur fait valoir que la Turquie n’a jamais été aussi unilatéralement orientée vers l’Occident qu’il l’est admis dans la plus grande partie de la littérature. Suite à l’analyse des protocoles de l’assemblée nationale turque et d’une grande variété de littérature secondaire, cet article est en désaccord avec les annonces d’une orientation « néo-ottomane » de la politique étrangère de la Turquie depuis le début des années 2000. Au contraire, l’auteur soutient que depuis les années 1930, la Turquie, à côté de son affiliation occidentale, prend naturellement part aux affaires du Moyen-Orient. Dans le contexte du 90 e anniversaire de la République, cet article souligne la position historique de la Turquie au Moyen-Orient entre realpolitik et idéologie.
Reliability in Situated Simulations
Authors: Engmark Una Johanne
Published: July 2013

This paper demonstrates how the mediation of situated simulations (sitsims) might disseminate an enhanced sense of reality for the user â?? regardless of the actual amount of authenticity in the reconstruction. Therefore, it will be argued, for sitsims to serve their potential as tools for learning, documentation, source criticism and visualisation of uncertainty is key. In order to increase the reliability of sitsims, this paper suggest an extended use of the accompanying website; a continuation of encouraging user-generated links; and more visualisations of alternative interpretations. Additionally, it provides suggestion for further research on ways to improve reliability by 1) allowing users to alter structures without being constrained by fixed values, and 2) employing colour-coding based on level of documentation.
Automatic filtering of ERT monitoring data in mountain permafrost
Authors: Rosset Etienne , Hilbich Christin , Schneider Sina , Hauck Christian
Published: July 2013

Continuous monitoring of Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) surveys can be a powerful tool for all kind of long‐term applications in the field of hydrogeophysics and cold‐region geophysics due to its high sensitivity to changes in water and ice content of the near subsurface. However, the large amount of data often calls for autonomous data processing schemes. In this study, a new filter algorithm designed to automatically detect and delete measurement errors from multiple ERT monitoring data is presented. Three successive filter steps were developed in order to eliminate technical errors, overall high‐value outliers and relative outliers within single data levels. The filter procedure is site‐independent and was tested on four different mountain permafrost sites in the Swiss Alps, representing various landforms (talus slope, rock plateau, rock glacier, bedrock). The filter performance is assessed by analysing the effect of the filter procedure on the mean apparent resistivity and on the resulting data misfit of the inversion and both, after the entire filter procedure as well as after each individual filter step. The new filter procedure is expected to yield rapid and high‐quality filtering for monitoring applications. In our study, the procedure is developed to support early detection of electrical resistivity changes associated with freezing and thawing events in permafrost conditions. The filter is applied to 128 ERT data sets from permafrost monitoring stations in Switzerland, including a four year long (2005–2008) ERT monitoring data set from the high‐mountain permafrost monitoring station Stockhorn, which serves as an illustrating example.
Detection of soil and groundwater domestic pollution by the electrical resistivity method in the West Bank, Palestine
Authors: Sirhan Asal , Hamidi Mohammad
Published: July 2013

The environmental assessment of domestic pollution is required to minimize the risk of soil and groundwater contamination. Septic storages (localized sources) may affect the surrounding soil and permeable chalky formations by the intrusion of waste water within the formations. The aim was to develop a clearer understanding of waste water leakage due to numerous waste septic storages implemented within chalk formations at different towns and villages in the West Bank, Palestine. The possession of such information may be used to maintain not only sustainable development but also the protection of the environment. Since waste water is a good electrical conductor, the Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) technique was employed for its ability in determining lateral and vertical electrical resistivity variations of possible infiltration zones of waste water. Furthermore, extracted vertical electrical soundings (VES) provide indications about the nature of the geological features that can affect the behaviour of leakage. Geo‐electrical surveys were carried out to investigate their utility in detecting and examining the effect of pollution. The two‐dimensional (2D) inverted models obtained by many electrode array configurations; Schlumberger, Wenner and dipole‐dipole were consistent. Interpretation of Direct Current (DC) geoelectrical resistivity field data demonstrates the existence of low‐apparent electrical resistivity zones ( < 15 ·m). A trend of decreasing resistivity is observed towards the horizontal direction of the existing storages, indicating the location of pollution plumes in soil and chalky formations. In addition, the heterogeneity of the shallow subsurface can be considered as the main reason for the fluids infiltration. The relative percentage of the resistivity is well documented, the value is minimized as a significant difference appears i.e., the relative percentage reaches ‐82% at the upper surface and it reaches to ‐44% where the septic tanks are located. These reliable results are considered as a key role in monitoring the environmental impacts of waste water on a groundwater system and high‐conductivity zones. Therefore, further geophysical prospecting projects for environmental issues can be realized by this technique.
Investigation of the Azraq sedimentary basin, Jordan using integrated geoelectrical and electromagnetic techniques
Authors: Yogeshwar P. , Tezkan B. , Haroon A.
Published: July 2013

The Eastern Mediterranean has been used as a passageway for human migration from Africa to the Middle East, the Balkans and Europe. The Azraq basin in the eastern desert of Jordan has been a major spot for human settlements since the middle Pleistocene. The former lake in the basin centre has developed to a hyper‐saline alluvial mudflat, the Qa’ Al Azraq. In the mudflat thick sequences of alluvial sediments are deposited. Such sediment successions are promising archives used for reconstructing a paleoclimate.

In order to identify geological structures and to derive suitable borehole locations in the area for a paleoclimatical reconstruction, the Transient Electromagnetic (TEM) and the Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) methods were utilized. Two transects were investigated from the edge of the basin to the basin centre, crossing three geological formations. The data sets of both methods are interpreted by 1D and 2D inversion algorithms and appraised by inversion statistics. Previously uncertain geological boundaries are determined from geoelectrical models along both transects. Furthermore, a transition zone from fresh to saline groundwater is clearly detected.
Comment traiter de ce qui n’est pas « entièrement certain et indubitable ». Descartes héritier des Académiques de Cicéron
Authors: Giocanti Sylvia
Published: July 2013

Descartes est de manière générale peu enclin à reconnaître ce qu’il
doit à ses prédécesseurs. Sa relation avec les sceptiques grecs est
d’autant plus difficile à identifier qu’elle a été paradoxalement
occultée par la réception sceptique de son œuvre : en dépit de
l’incontestable apport néo-académicien dans la rédaction de
l’argumentaire des Méditations, l’entreprise
cartésienne a été interprétée comme inaugurant un scepticisme radical
et inédit par lequel la rupture avec la tradition serait consommée.
Pourtant, Descartes utilise le scepticisme de la Nouvelle Académie, et
notamment l’argument du sorite, pour critiquer la tradition
philosophique dans son ensemble et donner une licence telle à son
esprit qu’aucune connaissance ou même croyance ne pouvait être
préservée a priori. L’incertain n’est pas pour autant totalement
évincé de sa philosophie qui, en science comme en morale, hérite de la
conception sceptique de la vraisemblance, telle qu’elle a été
transmise par les Académiques de Cicéron.
Michel Foucault et le "soi" chrétien
Authors: Chevallier Philippe
Published: July 2013

La place qu’occupe le christianisme dans l’œuvre de Michel Foucault
est souvent réduite par les commentateurs à la question de l’aveu.
Renouvelant les hypothèses formulées dans Les
anormaux (1975) et La volonté de savoir
(1976), le cours au Collège de France Du
gouvernement des vivants (1980) contourne cette question pour
remonter à un problème plus fondamental que le christianisme a dû
affronter aux premiers siècles de notre ère : celui du rapport entre
le salut et la perfection. L’effort du christianisme ancien pour
dissocier le salut de la perfection a des conséquences majeures sur sa
définition du soi, qui ne peut être conçu comme un principe
d’identité. Ainsi posée, l’inconstance essentielle du soi chrétien,
qui le rend irréductible au soi moderne, met en question les
continuités historiques trop simples.
Exploring the Effects of Trust, Perceived Risk, and E-Services Systems on Public Services in E-Government
Authors: Chiang Lichun
Published: July 2013

This chapter is an attempt to better understand government perceptions on the adoption of technology-based service channels, in particular, digitalized administration processes. A model is proposed that combines the effect of behavioral beliefs and intentions together with research variables, perceived usefulness of e-services, subjective norms, self-efficacy, technology facilitating conditions, trust and perceived risk, as well as individual characteristics. The research method uses a questionnaire to query the intentions of government civil service employees towards adopting digitalized services. Structural Equation Modeling is applied to further analyze the data and to design a theoretical model predicting the intention to accept e-services in e-government. Results from 216 civil servants working in five cities and counties reveal trust as the most influential factor directly affecting behavioral intention towards administering digitalized services. The high trust of civil servants towards these digitalized e-government services unfortunately results in low risk perception, which is an issue to be addressed to limit exposure.
Information Technology Prosumption Acceptance by Business Information System Consultants
Authors: Pańkowska Małgorzata
Published: July 2013

The goal of human-computer interaction evolves from just making Internet systems easy to use to making them easy to develop. By now, most people are familiar with the basic functionalities of business applications. However, one fundamental challenge for the coming future is to develop Information Technology (IT) environments that allow users who do not have background in programming to develop or modify their own applications. In this chapter, the end-user computing is defined as an IT environment supported by methods, techniques, and tools that allow users of business information systems, who are acting as non-professional software developers, to create, modify, and extend a software system. The purpose of the research is to bridge the gap in the management science by investigating customer participation in information system development and its effect on users' future cooperation behavior. Beyond that, the theoretical framework linking information system development to customer satisfaction and intention toward future collaboration is proposed. In conclusion, the chapter reveals the huge potential of users' capabilities for the improvement of business information system design and development process.
Harvesting Deep Web Data through Produser Involvement
Authors: Kaczmarek Tomasz , Węckowski Dawid Grzegorz
Published: July 2013

Acquiring the data from the deep Web is a complex process, which requires understanding of Website navigation issues, data extraction, and integration techniques. Currently existing solutions to automate it are not ready to cover the whole deep Web and require skills and knowledge to be applied in practice. However, several systems were created, which approach the problem by involving end users who are able to bring the data from the deep Web to the surface while creating solutions for their own information needs. The authors study these systems in the chapter from the end user perspective, investigating their interfaces, languages that they expose to end users, and the platforms that accompany the systems to involve end users and allow them to share the results of their work.
Segnalazioni faunistiche italiane
Authors: V.V. A.A.
Published: July 2013

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Chromosomal mapping reveals a dynamic organization of the histone genes in aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
Authors: Mandrioli M. , Manicardi G.C.
Published: July 2013

Despite their involvement in different processes, histone genes have been analysed in few insects. In order to improve the knowledge about this important gene family, genes coding for histones have been analysed in the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum showing that at the amino acid level, aphid histones are highly conserved. In particular, data from A. pisum confirm that H1 is the most variable of the five histones, whereas histones H3 and H4 are highly conserved with the H3 almost identical from insects to vertebrates. A. pisum histone genes are organized in a quintet with the H1 gene followed by H2A and H2B genes that are adjacent and transcribed in same directions, in the opposite strand in respect to the H1 gene. At the 3’ end of the histone cluster, genes H3 and H4 constitute an oppositely transcribed pair. The span of the aphid histone genes (more than 7 kb) is greater than the average length of the histone cluster till now reported in insects (about 5 kb). Furthermore, spacers that separate the aphid histone genes vary in length. The histone genes have been mapped in A. pisum and successively in the aphids Myzus persicae and Rhopalosiphum padi showing that they are present in a single large cluster located in an interstitial position of autosomes 1, differently from what reported in the Russian wheat aphid Diuraphis noxia, where histone genes have been localized in a telomere of the two X chromosomes suggesting a dynamic organization of this multigene family in aphids.