bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Glucose intolerance in children with cystic fibrosis: a developing country’s perspective
Authors: Banavath Lakshmipathi Naik , Kumar Rakesh , Dayal Devi , Yadav Jaivinder , Sachdeva Naresh , Mathew Joseph L. , Vaidya Pankaj C. , Singh Meenu
Published: September 2018

Background

Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) is a common comorbidity reported in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). There is a dearth of data on glucose intolerance or CFRD in children with CF from developing countries. So, we planned to study the prevalence of abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT) in children with CF and its relation with the duration and severity of CF.

Methods

We performed an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) on children (2–18 years old) having CF for at least 6 months. Two-hour plasma glucose levels on OGTT were correlated with various disease-related factors.

Results

Out of the 25 children enrolled, there were 18 boys and seven girls. The mean age and duration of CF were 7.9±4.3 and 3.16±2.5 years, respectively. AGT was observed in 16 (64%) children with CF including three (12%) children with CFRD. Children with a duration of CF of 3 years had significantly higher prevalence (81.8%) of AGT when compared with duration ≤3 years (p-value<0.05). Twelve out of 17 (70.6%) children were colonized with Pseudomonas and 12 out of 15 (80%) children >6 years of age had AGT. There was a positive correlation of 2-h glucose value on OGTT with duration of CF and number of hospitalizations with acute pulmonary exacerbations.

Conclusions

The majority of children having CF for >3 years and/or age >6 years developed AGT. In our clinical setting, an annual screening with OGTT to detect AGT may be required at an early age and duration of CF.
Predicting the NCAA basketball tournament using isotonic least squares pairwise comparison model
Authors: Neudorfer Ayala , Rosset Saharon
Published: September 2018

Each year, millions of people fill out a bracket to predict the outcome of the popular NCAA men’s college basketball tournament, known asMarch Madness. In this paper we present a new methodology for team ranking and use it to predict the NCAA basketball tournament. We evaluate our model in Kaggle’sMarch Machine Learning Maniacompetition, in which contestants were required to predict the results of all possible games in the tournament. Our model combines two methods: the least squares pairwise comparison model and isotonic regression. We use existing team rankings (such as seeds, Sagarin and Pomeroy ratings) and look for a monotonic, non-linear relationship between the ranks’ differences and the probability to win a game. We use the isotonic property to get new rankings that are consistent with both the observed outcomes of past tournaments and previous knowledge about the order of the teams. In the 2016 and 2017 competitions, submissions based on our methodology consistently placed in the top 5% out of over 800 other submissions. Using simulations, we show that the suggested model is usually better than commonly used linear and logistic models that use the same variables.
Moral Outrage and Betrayal Aversion: The Psychology of Punitive Damages
Authors: Martínez Alles María Guadalupe
Published: September 2018

Punitive damages have been predominantly studied from a one-sided perspective focusing on the wrongdoer. The role of the tort victim in bringing the punitive lawsuit has often been curtly described either as some sort of private attorney general moved by a desire to deter undesirable behavior (i. e., playing a contingent role) or as an agent exercising her legal power to exact a punitive sanction by virtue of what the defendant did to her and how it was done conceived in terms of just deserts (i. e., playing a necessary role). I argue, conversely, that the victim’s intrinsic response to deliberate wrongdoing involves much more than the mere imposition of punishment: it involves who we are and the meaning we construe from the circumstances of wrongdoing seen as a deliberate threat to our individual autonomy, dignity, physical integrity, or even life. A more meaningful understanding of punitive damages is thus available from considering the rich value-laden lay intuitions that drive people to punish certain behaviors. The mind sciences and in particular the social psychology and social cognition literature on human actors’ motivations for punishment offer valuable insight into moral outrage and betrayal aversion as rich retributive intuitions. Together, these intuitions comprise a significant element that is still missing from the predominant understanding of punitive damages, one we must not overlook.
Going beyond hate speech: The pragmatics of ethnic slur terms
Authors: Technau Björn
Published: September 2018

Ethnic slur terms (“nigger”, “kike”, “kraut”) and other group-based slurs (“faggot”, “spaz”) must be differentiated from general pejoratives (“asshole”, “idiot”) and pure expressives (“fuck”). As these terms pejoratively refer to certain groups of people, they are a typical feature of hate speech contexts where they serve xenophobic speakers in expressing their hatred for an entire group of people. However, slur terms are actually far more frequently used in other contexts and are more often exchanged among friends than between enemies. Hate speech can be identified as the most central, albeit not the most frequent, mode of use. I broadly distinguish between hate speech (central use), other pejorative uses (mobbing, insulting), parasitic uses (banter, appropriation, comedy, youth language), neutral mentioning (academics, PC), and unaware uses. In this paper, authentic examples of use and frequency estimates from empirical research will help provide accurate definitions and insight into these different modes that purely theoretical approaches cannot achieve.
Online hate, digital discourse and critique: Exploring digitally-mediated discursive practices of gender-based hostility
Authors: KhosraviNik Majid , Esposito Eleonora
Published: September 2018

The communicative affordances of the participatory web have opened up new and multifarious channels for the proliferation of hate. In particular, women navigating the cybersphere seem to be the target of a disproportionate amount of hostility. This paper explores the contexts, approaches and conceptual synergies around research on online misogyny within the new communicative paradigm of social media communication (KhosraviNik 2017a: 582). The paper builds on the core principle that online misogyny is demonstrably and inherently a discourse; therefore, the field is envisaged at the intersection of digital media scholarship, discourse theorization and critical feminist explications. As an ever-burgeoning phenomenon, online hate has been approached from a range of disciplinary perspectives but has only been partially mapped at the interface of meaning making contents/processes and new mediation technologies. The paper aims to advance the state of the art by investigating online hate in general, and misogyny in particular, from the vantage point of Social Media Critical Discourse Studies (SM-CDS); an emerging model of theorization and operationalization of research combining tenets from Critical Discourse Studies with scholarship in digital media and technology research (KhosraviNik 2014, 2017a, 2018). Our SM-CDS approach to online misogyny demarcates itself from insinuation whereby the phenomenon is reduced to digital communicative affordancesper seand argues in favor of a double critical contextualization of research findings at both digital participatory as well as social and cultural levels.
“Go to hell fucking faggots, may you die!” framing the LGBT subject in online comments
Authors: Baider Fabienne
Published: September 2018

This paper reports on a manual monitoring of online representations of LGBT persons in the Republic of Cyprus for the period April 2015–February 2016. The article contextualizes the prevalence of “hate speech” in online Greek Cypriot comments against LGBT individuals, and, more generally, against non-heterosexuals. Adopting a Foucauldian positionvis-à-visthe social and discursive construction of sexuality, we outline, first, the socio-historical context (Fairclough 1989, 2003) with a focus on LGBT rights in the Republic of Cyprus and the nationalistic project construing sexualities. We then examine the different levels of discursive discrimination practices, providing a snapshot of the types of “hate speech” referring to this topic typically found in such an environment. The focus is on identification of theframesused to construct LGBT identities, and their perception.

We use in our title the wordsubjectas defined by post-modernists and by Butler in particular (2009 : iii): subject refers to “a socially produced ‘agent’ and ‘deliberator’ whose agency and thought is made possible by a language that precedes that ‘I’. In this sense the ‘I’ is produced through power (….)”. This paper focuses on the socially produced definition of the LGBT community in the context under study.

We thus address the way in which sexuality is constructed within a compulsory and hegemonic heterosexuality and heteronormativity. We analyze our data i.e. comments focused on the LGBT community, with corpus linguistic tools (Baker et al. 2008; Brindle 2016) as well as through a qualitative examination of the identified frames. Our analysis confirms an interface between nationalism and compulsory hegemonic heteronormativity in the Republic as well as the influence of the Orthodox Church and its beliefs (Kamenou 2011a, 2011b, 2016).
In search of hate speech in Lithuanian public discourse: A corpus-assisted analysis of online comments
Authors: Ruzaite Jurate
Published: September 2018

The present paper aims to report on the preliminary findings from the initial stages of ongoing research on hate speech in Lithuanian online comments. Comments are marked strongly by such phenomena as flaming and trolling; therefore, in this genre we can expect a high degree of hostility, obscenity, high incidence of insults and aggressive lexis, which can inflict harm to individuals or organizations. The goal of the current research is thus to make an attempt to identify some features of verbal aggression in Lithuanian by applying the principles and instruments of corpus linguistics, which proved to be a useful approach when dealing with such issues as trolling. It is expected that further analysis of those features will help to identify and define formal linguistic criteria that could facilitate identification of hate speech in public discourse. The data has been obtained from the Lithuanian corpus of user-generated comments collected from one major Lithuanian portal, www.delfi.lt. The corpus consists of all the comments posted in the year 2014 and in total includes 17,909 comments, which make up 1,160,109 words. For the initial data analysis, linguistic aspects, such as wordlists, collocations, and formulaic language, were analysed by using the AntConc software. The interpretations of the results are still very tentative, but what the initial findings show is that overt aggression does not feature among the most frequent and most salient features of comments. Aggression is, in our data, indirectly expressed through creative language use, which can mainly be studied through qualitative analysis.
The “legitimation” of hostility towards immigrants’ languages in press and social media: Main fallacies and how to challenge them
Authors: Musolff Andreas
Published: September 2018

On the basis of internet forum and press media data, this article studies the expression of hostile attitudes towards multilingualism and multiculturalism in the context of debates about immigration. The forum data are drawn from the BBC’s Have Your Say website, which is a moderated forum that excludes polemical and abusive postings. Nevertheless, it still seems to provide its users ample opportunity for airing strongly anti-immigrant attitudes. The narratives in which these attitudes are being expressed are exemplary stories of the posters’ supposed encounters with the use of foreign languages in the street, in the workplace or at school. This presence of foreign languages in the British public sphere is evaluated as being (at least) problematic and is “explained” as a result of mass immigration, which serves to reinforce the scenario of a culture mix that will destroy British “home” culture. Media coverage of immigration partly supports such vilification of multilingualism and multiculturalism, and the reports and comments often seem to be drawn from similar narrative-argumentative templates as those of the discussions on Have Your Say. In conclusion, we argue that counterspeech informed by Critical Discourse Analysis has to develop alternative narratives and figurative scenarios that question the bias against linguistic and cultural diversity.
“Rivers of blood”: Migration, fear and threat construction
Authors: Kopytowska Monika , Chilton Paul
Published: September 2018

The article focuses on Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech and its recontextualisation 50 years later in view of the rising anti-immigration sentiment and Brexit campaign. Having discussed the dynamics of the threat construction process and its role in shaping public attitudes to migration and policies related to it across time and space, we proceed to analyse Powell’s speech in terms of lexical, grammatical, and discursive fear-inciting devices and strategies. While doing so we draw on the insights from neuroscientific research on the role of lexis in fear stimulation and functional-cognitive models of grammatical structure. The second part of our analysis is meant to demonstrate how the semiotic potential of cyberspace and social media, along with multimodal integration of various forms, intertextuality, and interdiscursivity they enable, endow fear-inciting discourse with new spatiotemporal and affective qualities. To this end we examine one of the most popular YouTube videos making “Rivers of Blood” speech part of its anti-immigration stance.
Strategies of othering through discursive practices: Examples from the UK and Poland
Authors: Strani Katerina , Szczepaniak-Kozak Anna
Published: September 2018

This article discusses findings of a qualitative study on strategies of othering observed in anti-immigrant discourse, by analysing selected examples from the UK and Polish media, together with data collected from interviews with migrants. The purpose is to identify discursive strategies of othering, which aim to categorise, denigrate, oppress and ultimately reject the stigmatised or racialised ‘other’. We do not offer a systematic comparison of the data from the UK and Poland; instead, we are interested in what is common in the discursive practices of these two countries/contexts. In using newspaper together with interview data, we are combining representation and experience in identifying not only strategies of othering, but also how these are perceived by and affect the othered individuals. The paper uses the following data: 40 newspaper articles – 20 from the UK and 20 from Poland, and 19 interviews – 12 from Poland and 7 from the UK. The analysis that follows identifies five shared strategies of othering: a) Stereotyping; b) Whiteness as the norm; c) Racialisation; d) Objectification; e) Wrongly Ascribed Ethnicity. We conclude with the research limitations and outlining possible next stages, such as working with a larger corpus, investigating frequency, or including other media genres.
Salam-Online: Preventive Measures against extreme online messages among Muslims in Germany. Insights into a pilot project at the Center for Islamic Theology, Münster
Authors: Klapp Marcel
Published: September 2018

The article sheds light on programs and measures against Islamist-extremist messages both by governmental and non-governmental institutions in Germany. The “German way” for the most part is characterized through its renouncement of counter-terrorist narration through campaigns. Instead, decentralized, horizontal and “value-based” forms of strategic communication are being established. Therefore, German governmental as well as non-governmental institutions are currently developing educational programs in order to not only debunk extremist myths but rather to enable youngsters to critically reflect on mechanisms of ideologically charged communication. Although the field of practices is multi-branched and diverse, we will make an effort to concisely map areas of action, structures of sponsorship and (educational) measures concerning Islamism in Germany.

The educational material ‘Salam Online’ which was developed and produced by staff and students of the religious education department of Zentrum für Islamische Theologie Münster will be presented as one approach to countering Islamist-extremist ideology through debunking, critical reading and the proposition of social models of coherence and commonality.
Caught in the cross-fire: Tackling hate speech from the perspective of language and translation pedagogy
Authors: Vujić Jelena , Daničić Mirjana , Aralica Tamara
Published: September 2018

Hate speech is a phenomenon which has been in the focus of scholarly interest of linguists, philosophers, sociologists, human-rights advocates, legal and media experts. Much of this interest has been devoted to establishing criteria for identifying what constitutes hate speech across disciplines. In this paper, we argue that hate speech has profiled as a distinct subgenre of the language of politics with typical patterns and ways of addressing which can be recognized in political campaigns across the world. Therefore, we present the findings of the case study of translation exercises of English and Serbian texts containing samples of hateful language during presidential campaigns in the USA and Serbia in 2016 and 2017. Our aim is to identify the linguistico-pragmatic commonalities of hate speech in Serbian and English and examine students’ attitudes towards ethically and morally challenging language contents in their mother tongue (L1) and English as their foreign language (L2). The results indicate that in both English and Serbian the same groups (e.g. members of ethnic minorities or LGBT population, women etc.) are targeted with the hateful language which in both languages uses vulgarisms, taboo words, sexist and chauvinistic declarative expressions to achieve political goals. In addition, L1>L2 and L2>L1 translation data indicate that personal moral and ethical norms in translators are stronger in L1 thus restrictively affecting translational L2>L1 output.
Two new Mg3(II)-cluster-based coordination polymers: their synthesis, crystal structures and inhibiting activity on the human spinal tumor cells
Authors: Ji Qing , Zhu Jiang , Jin Hui , Zhan De-Ping , Huang Jie
Published: September 2018

In this study, two new Mg3-cluster-based coordination polymers are obtained via a one-pot solvothermal reaction of Mg(NO3)2·6H2O with two C3-symmetrical N-rich polycarboxylic acid organic ligands with different ligand flexibilities, which show interesting structural diversity. The complex 1 with the formula of [Mg3(tatb)2(MeOH)2(DMA)2](DMA)2 (H3tatb=4,4′,4″-s-triazine-2,4,6-triyl-tribenzoic acid, DMA=N,N-dimethylacetamide) is constructed from the linear Mg3 cluster, which is further extended via the rigid tatb3− ligand to afford a 2D layered framework. In comparison, the complex 2 with the formula of [Mg3(tatab)2(H2O)6](DMA)2 (H3tatab=4,4′,4″-s-triazine-1,3,5-triyltri-p-aminobenzoic acid) is built from the similar Mg3 cluster but shows a 3D framework due to the flexibility of the tatab3− ligand. Furthermore, the in vitro anticancer activity is evaluated against human spinal tumor lines U-266 via the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay.
Copepoda in the shallow hypersaline Bardawil coastal lake (Egypt): Are there long-term changes in composition and abundance?
Authors: Anufriieva Elena V. , El-Shabrawy Gamal M. , Shadrin Nickolai V.
Published: September 2018

Coastal Lake Bardawil (Egypt) is one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world. In 2009–2010, the authors studied composition, distribution and seasonal dynamics of copepods at 12 sites. A total of 10 species of copepods were recorded in zooplankton during the study period, including 5 Calanoida, 2 Cyclopoida and 3 Harpacticoida. Oithona nana was the most common and most abundant species. All copepods in the lake can be divided into three groups: 1) planktic species that form stable populations, 2) species of Mediterranean plankton incidentally entering the lake from the adjacent sea area, 3) benthic Cyclopoida and Harpacticoida that can be abundant in plankton. Two species – Acartia tonsa and A. danae were recorded here for the first time. The total abundance of copepods in the lake was significantly higher (90 times on average) compared to that observed in 2008–2009 in the waters of the Egyptian Mediterranean Sea. Since 1967, the complex of common and dominant copepod species in the lake has changed significantly. The total average annual copepod abundance varied: in 2002 – it was about 4000 ind. m−3, in 2004 – 152 000 ind. m−3, in 2005 – about 25 300 ind. m−3, and in 2009–2010 – about 56 000 ind. m−3.
Pattern of secondary infection with Saprolegnia spp. in wild spawners of UDN-affected sea trout Salmo trutta m. trutta (L.), the Słupia River, N Poland
Authors: Ciepliński Mateusz , Kasprzak Mariusz , Grandtke Monika , Giertych Marian J. , Steliga Aleksandra
Published: September 2018

Ulcerative dermal necrosis (UDN), a disease of unknown etiology affecting salmonids, has been observed in some rivers in the north of Poland since 2007. Fish affected by UDN die, inter alia, as a result of secondary infection caused by water molds from the Saprolegnia genus. UDN is considered to be an important factor affecting the decline of Polish salmonid populations observed in recent years. Patterns of secondary infection and differences between sexes in UDN-affected wild, adult sea trout (Salmo trutta m. trutta) during the 2014 and 2015 spawning season have been described on the basis of photographic documentation and image analysis. Male fish are most commonly infected in the dorsal region, while females in the head and tail areas. When comparing the infection patterns in both sexes, it is clear that large areas of flanks are significantly more frequently infected in males than in females. The dorsal half of the tail fin is most commonly affected by pathological changes in females. These findings are discussed in relation to various factors predisposing salmonids to Saprolegnia spp. infections during the spawning season. The presented infection patterns can be helpful in preliminary diagnosis of early stages of secondary infection with Saprolegnia spp. in UDN-affected salmonids.
Some morphometric features of congeneric pipefish species (Syngnathus abaster Risso 1826, Syngnathus acus Linnaeus, 1758) distributed in Lake Bafa (Turkey)
Authors: Gurkan Sule , Innal Deniz
Published: September 2018

The study was carried out between November 2014 and March 2016 to determine certain morphometric characteristics of two pipefish species occurring in Lake Bafa, Syngnathus abaster and Syngnathus acus. A total of 211 pipefish were captured during the sampling, including 77 individuals of S. abaster (♀: 25; ♂: 44; immature: 8) and 134 individuals of S. acus (♀: 31; ♂: 76; immature: 27). The male-female ratios were 1:1.76 and 1:2.45, respectively. A difference was found in sex ratios between the two species (p < 0.05). The mean length of the captured fish was 86.63 ± 16.77 mm for S. abaster and 82.63 ± 16.02 mm for S. acus and the relationship between the total length and weight, referred to as the length-weight relationship, was as follows: W = 0.00000001L3.71 (R2 = 0.89), and W = 0.000000007L3.86 (R2 = 0.83), respectively. Seven morphometric characteristics were analyzed. The analyses revealed that S. acus and S. abaster were significantly different from each other in terms of their body depth (p = 0.006; p < 0.05), mouth width (p = 0.004; p < 0.05) and height (p = 0.008; p < 0.05). High correlation values were obtained for TL/BD and TL/HD in S. abaster and S. acus, respectively (r > 1).

In conclusion, among the congeneric species occurring in Lake Bafa, S. abaster and S. acus are characterized by a shorter head length and total length compared to their sea counterparts.
Seafloor mapping based on multibeam echosounder bathymetry and backscatter data using Object-Based Image Analysis: a case study from the Rewal site, the Southern Baltic
Authors: Janowski Łukasz , Tęgowski Jarosław , Nowak Jarosław
Published: September 2018

Seafloor mapping is a fast developing multidisciplinary branch of oceanology that combines geophysics, geostatistics, sedimentology and ecology. One of its objectives is to isolate distinct seabed features in a repeatable, fast and objective way, taking into consideration multibeam echosounder (MBES) bathymetry and backscatter data. A large-scale acoustic survey was conducted by the Maritime Institute in Gdańsk in 2010 using Reson 8125 MBES. The dataset covered over 20 km2 of a shallow seabed area (depth of up to 22 m) in the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone within the Southern Baltic. Determination of sediments was possible based on ground-truth grab samples acquired during the MBES survey. Four classes of sediments were recognized as muddy sand, very fine sand, fine sand and clay. The backscatter mosaic created using the Angular Variable Gain (AVG) empirical method was the primary contribution to the image processing method used in this study. The use of the Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) and the Classification and Regression Trees (CART) classifier makes it possible to isolate the backscatter image with 87.5% overall and 81.0% Kappa accuracy. The obtained results confirm the possibility of creating reliable maps of the seafloor based on MBES measurements. Once developed, the OBIA workflow can be applied to other spatial and temporal scenes.
Short-term changes in phytoplankton assemblages and their potential for heavy metal bioaccumulation – a laboratory study
Authors: Hussian Abd-Ellatif M. , Abd El-Monem Ahmed M. , Napiórkowska-Krzebietke Agnieszka , Flefil Naser S.
Published: September 2018

This study focused on phytoplankton changes in polluted waters of Lake Manzala and the assessment of heavy metal bioaccumulation capacity during the 15-day laboratory experiment. Phytoplankton samples were analyzed every day and the concentration of zinc, iron and lead in water, in phytoplankton and in filtrate – every fifth day of the experiment. Significantly higher phytoplankton abundance was recorded in water from the El-Boom station (basin I) compared to the New Bahr El-Baqar drain (basin II), followed by distinct differences in its composition and chlorophyll content. However, the most abundant species were the same in both basins, i.e. Chroococcus minor, Microcystis aeruginosa, Actinoptychus octonarius, Aulacoseira granulata, Pantocsekiella ocellata, Kirchneriella obesa and Nephrocytium limneticum. Water in basin I was more polluted with heavy metals compared to basin II. Basin I was characterized by the dominance of cyanobacteria and high relative abundance of chlorophytes compared to basin II, where either cyanobacteria and/or diatoms dominated in the phytoplankton. In the former basin, the highest uptake factors (UFs) were recorded for iron and zinc and the lowest UF for lead. In basin II, the highest UF was determined for zinc, but relatively high UFs were recorded also for iron and lead. The presented results suggest that phytoplankton can contribute to natural biosorbents of heavy metals in Egyptian lakes.
Impact of the 2014 Major Baltic Inflow on benthic fluxes of ferrous iron and phosphate below the permanent halocline in the southern Baltic Sea
Authors: Brocławik Olga , Łukawska-Matuszewska Katarzyna , Bolałek Jerzy
Published: September 2018

The impact of 2014 Major Baltic Inflow (MBI) on ferrous iron (FFe(II)) and phosphate (FPO4
3–
) benthic fluxes was investigated. Sampling took place few months after the MBI, in August 2015, and over one year after the inflow, in February 2016. Materials were collected from three sites (depth of 106–108 m) located in the Gdańsk Deep. Total dissolved iron, Fe(II), phosphate, H2S and sulfate were analyzed in bottom and pore water. Benthic fluxes were estimated using Fick’s first law. All fluxes were directed from sediment. FFe(II) ranged from 0.31 × 10–2 to 1.25 × 10–2 μmol m–2 hr–1 and FPO4
3–
from 1.53 to 2.70 μmol m–2 hr–1. At the deepest site, FPO4
3–
was similar in both seasons, while at two other sites fluxes in August 2015 were 40–50% smaller than in February 2016. The increase in bottom water oxygen after the MBI enhanced Fe(oxyhydr)oxides formation. As a consequence, bottom and pore water concentrations of Fe(II) and FFe(II), decreased. Adsorption of phosphate onto Fe(oxyhydr)oxides resulted in binding of P in surface sediment and lower FPO4
3–
in August 2015. This was particularly evident at the shallowest site. The reductive dissolution of Fe(oxyhydr)oxides and desorption of P during the subsequent months resulted in higher FPO4
3–
in February 2016.
Is zooplankton an indicator of the water trophic level in dam reservoirs?
Authors: Pociecha Agnieszka , Bielańska-Grajner Irena , Kuciel Hanna , Wojtal Agata Z.
Published: September 2018

The trophic state of ten dam reservoirs was assessed using a zooplankton community. In order to determine the trophic state of dam reservoirs, we used indices calculated on the basis of density and species structure of Rotifera and Crustacea communities. Samples were collected once during summer 2012 in ten dam reservoirs. The largest numbers of zooplankton taxa were found in a lowland high meso-eutrophic dam reservoir (Koronowski) and the lowest ones in a submontane low eutrophic dam reservoir (Lubachowski). The trophic state was determined for the investigated dam reservoirs. In the case of the Rotifera community, the percentage of the tecta form in the Keratella cochlearis population and the proportion of high-trophic species in the total species density were the best indices to describe the water trophic status. In the case of the crustacean community, the best indices were the density of Crustacea and the biomass of Cyclopoida. The high value of all indices calculated on the basis of density and species structure of Rotifera and Crustacea was determined for Zygmunt August Lake, whose trophic status was defined as highly eutrophic to polytrophic. Our study has shown that zooplankton could be a good ecosystem indicator of the water trophic level in dam reservoirs.
Grazing of the copepod Cyclops vicinus on toxic Microcystis aeruginosa: potential for controlling cyanobacterial blooms and transfer of toxins
Authors: Mohamed Zakaria A. , Bakr Asmaa A. , Ghramh Hamed A.
Published: September 2018

Grazing of zooplankton on phytoplankton may contribute to a reduction of harmful cyanobacteria in eutrophic waters. However, the feeding capacity and interaction between zooplankton and toxic cyanobacteria vary among grazer species. In this study, laboratory feeding experiments were designed to measure the grazing rate of the copepod Cyclops vicinus on Microcystis aeruginosa and the potential microcystin (MC) accumulation in the grazer. Copepods were fed a mixed diet of the edible green alga Ankistrodesmus falcatus and toxic M. aeruginosa for 10 days. The results showed that C. vicinus efficiently ingested toxic Microcystis cells with high grazing rates, varying during the feeding period (68.9–606.3 Microcystis cells animal-1 d-1) along with Microcystis cell density. Microcystis cells exhibited a remarkable induction in MC production under grazing conditions with concentrations 1.67–12.5 times higher than those in control cultures. Furthermore, C. vicinus was found to accumulate MCs in its body with concentrations increasing during the experiment (0.05–3.21 μg MC animal-1). Further in situ studies are needed to investigate the ability of Cyclops and other copepods to assimilate and detoxify MCs at environmentally relevant concentrations before deciding on the biocontrol of Microcystis blooms by copepods.
Changes in the benthic fauna composition in the Upper Vistula over the last 50 years – the consequences of the water pollution reduction and alien species invasion
Authors: Dumnicka Elżbieta , Konopacka Alicja , Żurek Roman
Published: September 2018

The organic pollution of the Upper Vistula waters has been significantly reduced since the mid-20th century. Also salinity has gradually decreased, following an increase observed until the 1990s. Furthermore, the number of alien species has systematically increased. The above-mentioned changes have affected the richness and composition of the benthic fauna. They are particularly remarkable in the river stretch between the town of Oświęcim and the city of Kraków. The improvement of water quality has resulted in the increased number of taxa, mainly those characteristic of moderately polluted water, and the disappearance of taxa typical of strongly polluted or deoxygenated water. Despite the increased salinity level persisting for many years, only three benthic species of brackish waters (Gammarus tigrinus, Paranais frici and P. litoralis) were found in the Upper Vistula. Taxa considered to be euryhaline or halophilous were more numerous. In the 1960s, only one alien species (Physa acuta) was found, but the increased number of non-indigenous species in the last decades is visible, particularly among gammarid crustaceans (Amphipoda, Gammaroidea). The presence of alien species has not caused any visible changes in the species abundance of oligochaetes and mollusks.
Diatom biomonitoring – scientific foundations, commonly discussed issues and frequently made errors
Authors: Szczepocka Ewelina , Żelazna-Wieczorek Joanna
Published: September 2018

Contemporary assessment of the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems is based on various groups of organisms, including diatoms. Biological assessment, implemented by the Water Framework Directive, has been applied worldwide for more than 15 years. Currently, the most basic “tool” used in biomonitoring are diatom indices, which are routinely applied in Europe and other countries around the world. In Poland, the diatom indices have been used for over 5 years, which is a period of time allowing to summarize and evaluate the effectiveness of these methods in the assessment of aquatic ecosystems. The purpose of this work was to analyse the use of diatom indices in the biomonitoring of surface water by collecting data on the possibilities and limitations of using diatom indices for the objective assessment of water quality. Attention was paid to mistakes made in the course of biological assessment performed with the use of diatom phytobenthos, which have a significant impact on the obtained results. The paper also contains suggestions for introducing several important changes in biological monitoring, which will improve its quality and efficiency in assessing the ecological status of various aquatic ecosystems.
Dimensionally stable cellulosic aerogels functionalized by titania
Authors: Postnova Irina , Khlebnikov Oleg , Silant’ev Vladimir , Shchipunov Yury
Published: September 2018

The study is aimed at imparting dimensional stability and some functionalities to cellulosic aerogels. The polysaccharide suffers from mechanical strength loss in wetted state that restricts its application. Improvement is achieved by mean of microfibrillation of cellulosic fibers combining intense mechanical treatment with freeze-thawing. Addition of the latter decreases the number of cycles. Aerogels prepared from microfibrillated cellulose by freeze-drying hold their dimensional stability in solutions that makes possible treating them chemically without loss in shape. Here a method of directional sol-gel processing is applied to mineralize such aerogels by titania. Owing to covalent bonds to cellulose macromolecules formed via the condensation reactions, titania coating possesses good adhesion, not separating at heating when it is transferred in anatase form. Its photocatalytic activity results in self-cleaning of cellulose aerogels under outdoor sunlight irradiation. Calcination in air or carbonization in an inert gas atmosphere can serve to prepare metal oxide or composites with carbon of various shape and dimensionality.
Chemistry and diplomacy
Authors: Forman Jonathan E. , Timperley Christopher M. , Sun Siqing , van Eerten Darcy
Published: September 2018

The Chemical Weapons Convention is a science-based international treaty for the disarmament and non-proliferation of chemical weapons. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) serves as its implementing body. The treaty bans chemicals weapons, includes a verification mechanism to monitor compliance, and requires scientific and technical expertise for effective implementation. This necessitates a continuous engagement with scientific communities, whether informal or institutionalized (as demonstrated by the Designated Laboratories, Validation Group, and Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), of the OPCW), to ensure operation of the treaty keeps pace with scientific advances, and that enabling opportunities to meet challenges through scientific advances can be seized. The effective use of science for treaty implementation demands scientific literacy for decision making. Herein, the Convention, its scientific basis, need for scientific expertise, and mechanisms through which the OPCW engages scientists, are described. The function of the OPCW SAB, its review of science and technology to advise disarmament and non-proliferation policymakers, and its role in raising awareness of science within the world of international diplomacy, are reviewed.
Non-Aqueous Facing Methods in Paper Conservation – Part I: Testing Facing Materials
Authors: Bedenikovic Theresa , Eyb-Green Sigrid , Baatz Wolfgang
Published: September 2018

This study focusses on non-aqueous facing methods in paper conservation. The aim was to develop facing systems which have sufficient adhesive strength to stabilize a paper-based object during a conservation treatment while at the same time being easily reversible after treatment without leaving any residues on the original. A variety of carrier materials, non-aqueous adhesives as well as different methods of adhesive application and activation were combined. Nylon, Rayon and Japanese tissue were coated with Klucel®, BEVA®, Aquazol®, Degalan®, Lascaux® and Plextol®. Adhesives were applied by brushing, spraying, stenciling and stamping. Subsequently, coated tissues were reactivated with different methods such as application of solvent vapors, application of solvents with a sponge or direct application of solvents. In addition, the reactivation was carried out by pressure and/or heat. The adhesive strength was classified using a simple peel test; by dyeing the adhesives, their penetration into the sample papers was made visible, and adhesive residues which may remain on the sample papers could be observed visually.
Non-aqueous Facing Methods in Paper Conservation – Part II: Application of a Facing on a Seventeenth Century Ink Drawing
Authors: Bedenikovic Theresa , Eyb-Green Sigrid , Baatz Wolfgang
Published: September 2018

This article describes the implementation of results from a test series exploring non-aqueous facing methods in paper conservation (Bedenikovic 2018). The lessons learnt during the systematic study of different materials and methods were applied in a real-life conservation situation, and findings from the test series could be complemented with observations made in practice. The case study will discuss the conservation of a seventeenth century drawing damaged by ink corrosion. The severely degraded, brittle paper had to be secured with a facing before it could be removed from the mounting board. Adhesives introduced during earlier treatments posed additional challenges during the conservation process. A facing made of Rayon, coated with 2.5 % Klucel® G in water and reactivated with 96 % ethanol stabilized the drawing effectively during treatment and could be easily removed without damaging the object’s surface or leaving residues behind.
A possible key role of vision in the development of schizophrenia
Authors: Császár Noemi , Kapócs Gabor , Bókkon István
Published: September 2018

Based on a brief overview of the various aspects of schizophrenia reported by numerous studies, here we hypothesize that schizophrenia may originate (and in part be performed) from visual areas. In other words, it seems that a normal visual system or at least an evanescent visual perception may be an essential prerequisite for the development of schizophrenia as well as of various types of hallucinations. Our study focuses on auditory and visual hallucinations, as they are the most prominent features of schizophrenic hallucinations (and also the most studied types of hallucinations). Here, we evaluate the possible key role of the visual system in the development of schizophrenia.
Construction of new epistemological fields: Interpretation, translation, transmutation
Authors: Goncharenko Mark , Demidova Olga , Goncharenko Valentina
Published: September 2018

This article deals with the problem of the formation of new epistemological fields, which appear simultaneously with a new interpretation. Based on the semiotic approach described by Umberto Eco in Lector in Fabula (Eco, Umberto. 2003. Dire quasi la stessa cosa: Esperienze di traduzione [To say almost the same thing: Experience translation]. Milan: Bompiani.), we analyze several works in the context of their synchronization with a reader’s reality. We also deal with the problem of intersemiotic translation – a text’s transmutation (including its translation as a particular case of transmutation), and how it contributes both to intercultural interaction and to construction of new epistemological fields of conceiving consciousness. According to the hypothesis stated in the article, different ideas form different meanings as objects of a reader’s/spectator’s thoughts. A new aspect of interpretation brings forth new text transmutations, which appears as the process of transformation of the concept idea as an abstract essence or an abstract object. We suppose that diachrony, being the main factor of a text’s interpretation, determines a variative set of meanings.
Bilingual and intersemiotic representation of distance(s) in Chinese landscape painting: from yi (‘meaning’) to yi (‘freedom’)
Authors: Jiang Chengzhi , Zhu Chunshen
Published: September 2018

This paper studies cross-modal distance representation in traditional Chinese landscape painting in a contemporary museum context with special reference to the classic three axes of distance, i.e. level, deep, and high “distance.” It observes how an artwork’s “meaning” can be perceived through the bilingual presentation of the “distances” to bring about the realization of a “meditative distance,” or the artist’s aesthetic aspiration for a spiritual “freedom.” Informed by the theory of three meta-functions in Systemic Functional Linguistics and Arnheim’s discussion about distance cues, the study has closely examined a classical landscape painting in conjunction with its Chinese and English bilingual museum captions, with a view to tracing out their discursive meta-functions based on the visual-verbal coherence of distance representation. In so doing, the study takes museum discourse as a holistic multimodal interactive process of different sign systems at three levels of communication (i.e. extratextual, intersemiotic, and intertextual) to enable the modern viewer to better appreciate the aesthetic aspiration nursed by the meaning of the pictorially depicted distance(s) in an ancient landscape painting. The findings of the study will not only contribute to a better aesthetic contextualization of the traditional Chinese visual arts but also, in a practical vein, to the construction of a more informed museum discursive environment conducive to a spiritual journey, or a mental transcendence, that keeps the mundane world at a “meditative distance.”
Alkylaluminum, -gallium, -magnesium, and -zinc monophenolates with bulky substituents
Authors: Price Clint E. , Dantas Ana B. , Powell Douglas R. , Wehmschulte Rudolf J.
Published: September 2018

The bulky phenols 2,6-Ad2C6H3OH (Ad=adamantyl), A, (2,6-Ph2CH)2-4-Me-C6H2OH, B, and (2,6-Tol2CH)2-4-iPr-C6H2OH, C, react with one equivalent of Et3M (M=Al, Ga), Bu2Mg and Et2Zn to afford well-defined mono-phenolate complexes (ArOMRn)m. The aluminum and gallium phenolates derived from the very bulky phenol A are likely monomeric in the solid state. The other compounds are dimeric with bridging phenolates. Crystal structures of compounds with phenols B and C display the dimeric M2O2 cores of the phenolates and illustrate some deviations for the magnesium and zinc compounds. The former possesses stabilizing Mg···C contacts with one of the flanking arene groups of the phenolate substituent, and the latter may be viewed as an intermediate between a symmetric dimer and two monomers. All compounds were characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, and their solution spectra are in agreement with the crystal structure data.
Analysis of two [2]catenanes based on electron densities from invariom refinement and results from DFT calculations
Authors: Luger Peter , Dittrich Birger , Mebs Stefan , Slawin Alexandra M.Z. , Leigh David A.
Published: September 2018

Catenanes are of considerable interest as potential building blocks for molecular machines. The simplest [2]catenanes, Hopf links, consist of two macrocycles that are mechanically interlocked. This unusual architecture cannot be opened without breaking at least one covalent bond. Based on these structural characteristics, unusual properties on Hirshfeld or electrostatic potential surfaces could be expected. For a comparison of their structural and electronic properties, the electron densities (EDs) of two [2]catenanes, codedH22andH4L7in the original papers, were examined after application of the invariom formalism, relying on X-ray diffraction data collected earlier. The obtained electron density distributions were subjected to an analysis using the QTAIM formalism to yield bond and atomic properties. Moreover, molecular Hirshfeld surfaces and electrostatic potentials (ESP) were calculated. There are different types of intra- and intermolecular interactions in these two [2]catenanes. In addition to classical N–H···N and C–H···O hydrogen bonds, various types of π···π interactions inH22and inH4L7exist. Most of them are verified by local ED concentrations visible on the corresponding Hirshfeld surfaces, except for the parallel π···π interactions inH22, which are either too weak or too diffuse to generate an ED signal on the Hirshfeld surface between the contributing aromatic rings. The electrostatic potentials (ESPs) were calculated and displayed on molecular surfaces. The interaction in the cavity of one macrocycle with the penetrated fragment of the second one was examined and it was found that corresponding to the above-mentioned contacts attractive and repulsive interactions exist. Additionally the ED was examined using results of density functional calculations, including non-covalent interaction index (NCI) and electron localizability indicator (ELI-D) surface analysis, complementing experimental findings.