bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A veterinary conundrum
Authors: Wilson Duncan
Published: January 2016

Duncan Wilson, Private client manager and chartered financial planner for Price Bailey, discusses placing a veterinary practice premises into a pension
Mass Spectrometry–Based Adrenal and Peripheral Venous Steroid Profiling for Subtyping Primary Aldosteronism
Authors: Eisenhofer Graeme , Dekkers Tanja , Peitzsch Mirko , Dietz Anna S , Bidlingmaier Martin , Treitl Marcus , Williams Tracy A , Bornstein Stefan R , Haase Matthias , Rump L C , Willenberg Holger S , Beuschlein Felix , Deinum Jaap , Lenders Jacques W M , Reincke Martin
Published: January 2016

BACKGROUND

Differentiating patients with primary aldosteronism caused by aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) from those with bilateral adrenal hyperplasia (BAH), which is essential for choice of therapeutic intervention, relies on adrenal venous sampling (AVS)-based measurements of aldosterone and cortisol. We assessed the utility of LC-MS/MS–based steroid profiling to stratify patients with primary aldosteronism.

METHODS

Fifteen adrenal steroids were measured by LC-MS/MS in peripheral and adrenal venous plasma from AVS studies for 216 patients with primary aldosteronism at 3 tertiary referral centers. Ninety patients were diagnosed with BAH and 126 with APAs on the basis of immunoassay-derived adrenal venous aldosterone lateralization ratios.

RESULTS

Among 119 patients confirmed to have APAs at follow-up, LC-MS/MS–derived lateralization ratios of aldosterone normalized to cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, and androstenedione were all higher (P < 0.0001) than immunoassay-derived ratios. The hybrid steroids, 18-oxocortisol and 18-hydroxycortisol, also showed lateralized secretion in 76% and 35% of patients with APAs. Adrenal venous concentrations of glucocorticoids and androgens were bilaterally higher in patients with BAH than in those with APAs. Consequently, peripheral plasma concentrations of 18-oxocortisol were 8.5-fold higher, whereas concentrations of cortisol, corticosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone were lower in patients with APAs than in those with BAH. Correct classification of 80% of cases of APAs vs BAH was thereby possible by use of a combination of steroids in peripheral plasma.

CONCLUSIONS

LC-MS/MS–based steroid profiling during AVS achieves higher aldosterone lateralization ratios in patients with APAs than immunoassay. LC-MS/MS also enables multiple measures for discriminating unilateral from bilateral aldosterone excess, with potential use of peripheral plasma for subtype classification.
Los derechos humanos como adquisición evolutiva
Authors: Barberis Mauro
Published: January 2016

Este ensayo trata de mostrar la aplicabilidad de un enfoque evolucionista a la cuestión aparentemente más ajena a ello: los derechos humanos. El primer apartado esboza los rasgos metodológicos y metaéticos de un enfoque de la ética en general, y de los derechos humanos en particular, inspirado por el subjetivismo económico de la Escuela austríaca: un enfoque genéricamente positivista, pero específicamente evolucionista. El segundo apartado formula algunas hipótesis históricas sobre los orígenes y la evolución de los derechos humanos en la tradición ética y jurídica occidental. El tercer apartado, finalmente, refina algunas herramientas teóricas para el análisis de la interpretación constitucional de los derechos humanos, como valores institucionalizados por principios y garantizados por reglas.
El aguijón de Aristófanes y la moralidad de los jueces
Authors: Lariguet Guillermo
Published: January 2016

En este trabajo utilizo la literatura como fuente de reflexión filosófica. En efecto, partiendo de la obra Las avispas de Aristófanes realizo un análisis filosófico de la importancia que tiene la moralidad de los jueces en la aplicación del derecho a casos concretos. Sostengo que la ética de la virtud puede ser una corriente que complemente las versiones deontologistas y consecuencialistas que durante mucho tiempo han dominado la ética judicial. Asimismo, cuestiono la validez teórica del positivismo metodológico para dar cuenta adecuadamente del tipo de conexión fuerte que existe entre moralidad y derecho. Expongo el modo en que la frónesis o prudencia interviene en la aplicación del derecho a casos particulares.
¿Puede la propiedad justificar la primacía accionarial?
Authors: Gosseries Axel
Published: January 2016

Sin rechazar totalmente la posibilidad de que la empresa/sociedad pueda tener un propietario, y que este propietario pueda eventualmente ser el accionista, defendemos un argumento doble. Demostramos, de un lado, que la idea de propiedad de la empresa no puede servir para justificar la primacía accionarial. De otro lado, una idea de propiedad cuyo objeto fuese más elemental —la propiedad de las acciones—, tampoco está en capacidad de tener un papel significativo en la justificación de la primacía accionarial.
Cuatro modos de debatir
Authors: Aguiló Regla Josep
Published: January 2016

El trabajo trata de exponer cuatro modos (tipos ideales) de debatir, de argumentar dialogando. Individualizados y ordenados a partir de la variable conflicto/cooperación, los cuatro modos de debatir son los siguientes: la disputa (debate conflictivo y actoral), la controversia (debate conflictivo y temático), el diálogo racional (debate cooperativo y temático) y el consenso (debate cooperativo y actoral).
Los desacuerdos jurídicos desde la filosofía
Authors: Luque Pau
Published: January 2016

En este trabajo se aborda la cuestión de los desacuerdos jurídicos utilizando las herramientas conceptuales provenientes del debate sobre los denominados «desacuerdos intachables» en filosofía. Un «desacuerdo intachable» es una situación en la que las partes discrepan y ninguna de ellas ha cometido error alguno. Aquí se defenderá una posición intermedia, tanto en el derecho como en la filosofía, según la cual existen casos en que habrá una pluralidad de respuestas y esto no denotará ningún error, de manera que admitirá la posibilidad de «desacuerdos intachables» para esos casos. Mientras que habrá otros casos en los que sí podremos decir que hay una única respuesta correcta y en que, en caso de desacuerdo, una de las partes habrá cometido un error.
Lógica deóntica, mundos ideales y mundos perfectos
Authors: Rodríguez Jorge Luis
Published: January 2016

Las interpretaciones semánticas más fructíferas que se han ofrecido de los diversos sistemas axiomáticos de lógica deóntica se valen de la semántica de mundos posibles. Sin embargo, existen serios cuestionamientos contra dicha reconstrucción semántica en el dominio normativo. Entre aquellos de corte más filosófico se cuentan el fuerte compromiso ontológico que la semántica de mundos posibles requeriría asumir, así como la necesidad de aceptar que las normas serían susceptibles de verdad o falsedad. En el presente trabajo se intentará justificar que, no obstante tales objeciones, existe al menos un camino posible para preservar la riqueza de análisis que ofrece la semántica de mundos posibles para la lógica deóntica sin asumir tan problemáticos compromisos. Por otra parte, se examinarán algunas consecuencias significativas que se siguen de la utilización de esa interpretación semántica, centradas en la diferencia que media entre las nociones de mundos normativamente ideales y mundos normativamente perfectos.
La opción capital para los discursos jurídicos: ¿novelas de conceptos o una tecnología social?
Authors: Haba Enrique P.
Published: January 2016

A menudo unos discursos jurídicos profesionales, y más señaladamente aún la amplia mayoría de los estudios de Teoría del derecho, se autoconfinan a desplegar ciertas elucidaciones cuyos alcances son apenas semántico-convencionales. Hacen abstracción («cielo» jurídico) de cuáles sean realmente las dimensiones lingüístico-pragmáticas (la «tierra») de los discursos considerados. Ello guarda llamativas similitudes con cómo la conciencia del lector de una novela se ubica ante los personajes de ésta y sus historias propias, al sumergirse sin más en la fascinación de esos relatos asumiéndolos como un mundo en sí: se trata, en ambos casos, de determinada «sintonía» mental donde la atención se concentra exclusivamente (o poco menos) en la «historia» misma contada así, pase lo que pase en la «tierra». Los «personajes» de esas iusnovelaciones son unos conceptos, cuyas «vidas» se desenvuelven en tramas de enunciados donde su credibilidad consiste en autovalidarse entre sí, circularmente, quedando así inmunizadas de tener que acreditarlos mediante contrastaciones empíricas. En cambio, cuando el razonamiento de los juristas profesionales entra bastante en contacto con la «tierra», sus discursos constituyen unos expedientes de tecnología social —ya sea más o menos adecuada como tal—.
Argumentación y derechos en la administración de justicia
Authors: Cossío Díaz José Ramón
Published: January 2016

Diversas circunstancias —como la creciente aceptación de la fuerza normativa de la Constitución, el posicionamiento de los tribunales constitucionales como sus intérpretes y el reconocimiento de los derechos humanos— han evidenciado la necesidad de encontrar el equilibrio entre la dimensión discursiva de los derechos y sus posibilidades de eficacia jurídica, es decir, su aplicación a través de la argumentación. En el presente trabajo, el autor señala los elementos que los operadores jurídicos deben tener en cuenta para que las disposiciones constitucionales dejen de formar parte de un discurso emotivo y cumplan con funciones normativas concretas, como la asignación de derechos y obligaciones.
»Megastädte« zwischen Begriff und Wirklichkeit
Authors: Hoerning Johanna
Published: January 2016

»Megastädte« stehen seit geraumer Zeit im Fokus medialer und wissenschaftlicher Aufmerksamkeit. Welche qualitativen Besonderheiten mit der Größe wirklich einhergehen, ist jedoch unklar. In Auseinandersetzung mit dieser Frage knüpft Johanna Hoerning an klassische soziologische Analysen ebenso wie an aktuelle Debatten kritisch an. Die vergleichende Untersuchung fußt auf einem raumtheoretischen Verständnis von Städten, das den Fragmentierungsbegriff als heuristisches Konzept der Stadtanalyse einführt sowie Strukturen und Praktiken der alltäglichen Stadterfahrung miteinander verbindet. Der empirische Fokus auf Brasilien erweitert dabei zugleich den euro-amerikanischen Rahmen wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisproduktion.
Die Chimäre einer Globalen Öffentlichkeit
Authors: Ulrich Dirk-Claas
Published: January 2016

Aktuelle gesellschaftliche Diskurse sind vielfach von Globalisierungsassoziationen geprägt. Sie gehören zum allgegenwärtigen Argumentationsrepertoire und werden zumeist als Inbegriff einer faktischen Globalisierung idealisiert. In seiner Analyse der medialen Darstellung der Vereinten Nationen (UN) geht Dirk-Claas Ulrich den Verflechtungen von Medien und Öffentlichkeiten nach und klärt, inwieweit sich diese den normativen Minimalanforderungen globaler Öffentlichkeitsformationen annähern. Zugleich widmet er sich der Frage nach einer medial multiplizierten UN-Legitimationskrise. In der Verknüpfung von Globalisierungs-, Öffentlichkeits- und Auslandsberichterstattungstheorie leuchtet die Studie die empirische Substanz einer Global Public Sphere detailliert aus.
»Alter« und »Altern« - eine begriffliche Klärung mit Blick auf die gegenwärtige wissenschaftliche Debatte
Authors: Mahr Christiane
Published: January 2016

Alter und Altern werden heute von verschiedenen Wissenschaften intensiv erforscht. Biologen, Soziologen, Psychologen und andere sprechen vom Alter(n) - und scheinen dabei als selbstverständlich vorauszusetzen, dass sie alle über das Gleiche reden. Christiane Mahr untersucht erstmals, ob die verschiedenen wissenschaftlichen Begriffe des Alter(n)s tatsächlich dieselbe Bedeutung haben. Ihre Analyse zeigt, dass der Anschein der semantischen Einheitlichkeit trügt, weil zwischen den verschiedenen Alter(n)sbegriffen signifikante Unterschiede bestehen. Die Untersuchung führt zu einer begrifflichen Klärung, die für die Optimierung der interdisziplinären Kommunikation fruchtbar gemacht werden kann.
Stiffness analysis of the sarafix external fixator of composite materials
Authors: Pervan Nedim , Mesic Elmedin , Colic Mirsad , Avdic Vahid
Published: January 2016

This paper describes a structural analysis of the CAD model three versions fixators Sarafix which to explore the possibility of introducing composite materials in the construction of the connecting rod fixators comparing values of displacement and stiffness at characteristic points structure. Namely, we investigated constructional performance of fixators Sarafix with a connecting rod formed from three different composite materials, the same matrix (epoxy resin) with three different types of fibers (E glass, kevlar 49 and carbon M55J). Results of structural analysis fixators Sarafix with a connecting rod made of composite materials are compared with the results of tubular connecting rod fixators made of stainless steel. After comparing the results, from the aspect of stiffness, we gave the final considerations about composite material which provides an adequate substitution for the existing material.
Predictors of preschoolers' social competence: parental discipline practices
Anne baba disiplin yöntemlerinin okul öncesi dönemdeki çocukların sosyal yetkinlik düzeyine etkisi
Authors: Kılıç Şükran , Kumandaş Hatice , Çalık Var Esra
Published: January 2016

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of parental discipline practices on preschoolers' social competence. This study was carried out on parents of preschoolers aged between 4 and 5 years old and 78 mother and 68 father participated to the study from Ankara city center. Social Competence and Behavior Assessment-30 Scale and Parental Discipline Scale was used as data collection tools. Correlational research design used in this study was performed by stepwise multiple regression analysis. The analysis results indicated that laxness and verbosity parental discipline practices predict social competence significantly. According to the results laxness predicts social competence positively and verbosity predicts social competence negatively.

 

Özet

Bu çalışmanın amacı, okul öncesi dönemde anne-baba disiplin uygulamalarının okul öncesi dönemdeki çocukların sosyal yetkinlik düzeyine etkisini incelemektir. Araştırmaya Ankara il merkezinden 4-5 yaş arası çocukları olan78 anne ve 68 baba katılmıştır. Veri toplama aracı olarak sosyal yetkinlik-davranış değerlendirme ölçeği ve anne-baba disiplin ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Korelasyonel araştırma deseni kullanılan bu araştırmada, anne ve babaların disiplin uygulamalarının umursamama ve etkisiz sözel tepki boyutlarının çocukların sosyal yetkinlik düzeyinin manidar yordayıcıları olduğu bulunmuştur. Ayrıca sosyal yetkinliği umursamama disiplin uygulamasının olumsuz, etkisiz sözel tepki disiplin uygulamasının ise olumlu şekilde etkilediği bulunmuştur.
Differences in aerobic capacity among students with regard to their level of nutritional status
Authors: Kunješić Mateja , Badrić Marko , Prskalo Ivan
Published: January 2016

Due to contemporary lifestyle, nutritional status of students is poorer and therefore it negatively affects the aerobic capacity. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in aerobic capacity among female students of Faculty of Teacher Education with regard to their level of nutritional status. The study included 281 female students of the Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb. The sample of variables consisted of anthropometric measures: body height, body weight, sub-scapular and triceps skinfolds. Aerobic capacity was measured by 20 meter shuttle run test and nutritional status was determined by the body mass index (BMI). The subjects were divided into four groups according to their nutritional status: underweight, normal body weight, overweight and obese. Mean values of the BMI place the students into normal weight group, however, mean values of aerobic capacity show that students achieved poor results. Kruskal Wallis test and its post-hoc test (multiple comparisons for all groups with Bonferroni adjustment) for determining the difference between subsamples according to the level of nutritional status among students show that the subsamples differ in four of the five variables that describe the morphological characteristics (body weight, BMI, sub-scapular skinfold, triceps skinfold) as well as in aerobic capacity. The results obtained in this study show that the increased body mass have extremely high impact on the aerobic capacity results. It can be concluded that the tested students' aerobic capacity is poor and students with normal body weight have better aerobic capacity than overweight or obese students.
Análise da ocorrência de neoplasias na microrregião de Vitória da Conquista, Bahia
Authors: Almeida Palloma Porto , Lima Fernanda Macedo Silva , Lacerda Petrônio Ribeiro Lima , Macedo Cláudia Leal , Santos Gilvaneia Silva , Silva Robson Amaro Augusto da
Published: January 2016

A incidência de neoplasias de mama, estômago e próstata têm aumentado consideravelmente no mundo, decorrente das mudanças no perfil de morbidade e mortalidade. Estudos acerca da ocorrência deste tipo de patologia fornecem informações sobre o perfil epidemiológico de determinada região, o que reflete diretamente a importância do estudo no controle e prevenção da doença, além do desenvolvimento de medidas para tratamento.  Deste modo, o objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a ocorrência de neoplasias de mama, de próstata e de estômago, bem como caracterizar seu perfil histopatológico, na microrregião de Vitória da Conquista, Bahia. Foram analisados 3269 pacientes, correspondentes ao período de 2009 a 2013, disponibilizados pelo Laboratório de Anatomia Patológica e Citopatologia MICRO, através da aplicação de um questionário para análise de variáveis como gênero, idade, ano da biópsia,  neoplasia diagnosticada e seu subtipo histológico. Dentre as neoplasias investigadas, próstata mostrou-se mais ocorrente, correspondendo a 70,5% dos laudos analisados. Seguido de mama, que apresentou como subtipo histológico mais frequente o carcinoma ductal infiltrante. O adenocarcinoma gástrico do tipo intestinal foi o tipo histológico predominante encontrado na coleta dentre as neoplasias do estômago. Deste modo, o estudo fornece uma base acerca do perfil de ocorrência das neoplasias na microrregião de Vitória da Conquista, indicando que estas seguem os padrões epidemiológicos relatados anteriormente para outras regiões.
Promotion of sexual health among seniors in the self-help media realm of popular culture
Authors: Bieńko Mariola
Published: January 2016

The issue of seniors’ sexuality, especially the aspect of sexual activity undertaken by people considered “old” is usually met with silence or even condemned. The stereotypical assumptions are that with age a person’s needs associated with feeling and realizing their own sexuality dissipate, and seniors are perceived as asexual beings. Only in the last decades of the XX century did this area of “taboo” become the subject of in-depth scientific interest and research. The average life span is increasing, and as research shows, so is the number of people who are sexually active and satisfied with intercourse at an elderly age. For hundreds of years, in Western culture, sexual health was equated with reproductive ability. The contemporary concept of health emphasizes that it is a value which allows a person to realize aspirations regardless of age. This article focuses on the content of guides which bring up the importance of seniors’ sexual health. The aestheticization characteristic of the late modern period forces a deconstruction of the concept of old age. In the rhetoric of the everyday and the narcissistic style of the realm of experts, experiencing old age simultaneously becomes a source of pleasure, as well as frustration on the road to an individual’s self-realization and self-creation.
Longitudinal and cross-sectional changes with age in selected anthropometric and physiological traits in hospitalized adults: an insight from the Polish Longitudinal Study of Aging (PLSA)
Authors: Chmielewski Piotr , Borysławski Krzysztof , Chmielowiec Krzysztof , Chmielowiec Jolanta
Published: January 2016

Longitudinal studies of aging concerning individuals with comparable lifestyle, diet, health profile, socioeconomic status, and income remain extraordinarily rare. The purposes of our ongoing project are as follows: (i) to collect extensive data on biological and medical aspects of aging in the Polish population, (ii) to determine factors affecting the rate and course of aging, (iii) to understand how aging unfolds as a dynamic and malleable process in ontogeny, and (iv) to find novel predictors of longevity. Our investigation followed 142 physically healthy asylum inmates, including 68 males and 74 females, for at least 25 years from the age of 45 years onward. Cross-sectional assessment involved 225 inmates, including 113 males and 112 females. All the patients lived for a very long time under similar and good environmental conditions at the hospital in Cibórz, Lubuskie Province. They maintained virtually the same daily schedule and lifestyle. The rate and direction of changes with age in selected anthropometric and physiological traits were determined using ANOVA, t-test, and regression analysis. There were sex differences in the rate and pattern of age-related changes in certain characteristics such as relative weight, red blood cell count, monocyte count, thymol turbidity value, systolic blood pressure, and body temperature. Body weight, the body mass index (BMI), and total bilirubin level increased with advancing age, while body height decreased with age in both sexes. In conclusion, the aging process was associated with many regressive alterations in biological traits in both sexes but the rate and pattern of these changes depended on biological factors such as age and sex. There were only few characteristics which did not change significantly during the period under study. On the basis of comparison between the pattern of longitudinal changes with aging and the pattern of cross-sectional changes with age in the analyzed traits, we were able to predict which pattern of changes is associated with longer lifespan.
The risk for falls in older people in the context of objective functional studies
Authors: Ignasiak Zofia , Skrzek Anna , Kozieł Sławomir , Sławińska Teresa , Posłuszny Paweł , Rożek Krystyna
Published: January 2016

Falls may occur in each ontogenesis phase, but they become more frequent in the elderly and lead to serious health consequences. Dynamic changes in senior citizens’ environment and lifestyle makes studies of risk for falls necessary. To determine the relationship between the risk for falls and the objective functional and structural examination in the elderly living in Poland. The research consisted of 196 females and 61 males aged 60–88 recruited from health clinics, senior citizen centers and Universities of the Third Age between 2009–2012. Following parameters were collected: functional physical tests “30 second Chair Stand Test” and Timed Up and Go Test”, the flexor muscles and knee extensors force, the bone mineral density was measured in distal radius of the forearm with the EXA – 3000, the total risk for fall assessed by 5 tests by abbreviated version of Fallscreen test. Multiple linear regression and linear correlation were used for assessment of relationship with total estimated risk for fall and other parameters. The subjects displayed significant dimorphic differences within the range of the functional parameters and bone mineral density to the advantage of males. Only in women results revealed a significant link between the risk for falls and the dynamic balance, as well as the maximum quadricep muscle force equal. Strength of the lower limb muscles seems to be critical for decreasing the risk for fall. Special programs for strengthening this part of the body for older people should be elaborate.
Commonalities and cross-country spillovers in macroeconomic-financial linkages
Authors: Ciccarelli Matteo , Ortega Eva , Valderrama Maria Teresa
Published: January 2016

In this paper, we investigate commonalities and spillovers in macro-financial linkages across developed economies. A Bayesian panel vector autoregression (VAR) model with real and financial variables identifies significant common components, especially during the Great Recession. Nevertheless, country-specific factors remain important, which is consistent with the heterogeneous behavior observed across countries over time. We also find that spillovers across countries and between real and financial variables are key to explain economic fluctuations. A shock to a variable in a given country affects all other countries, and the transmission seems to be faster and deeper between financial variables than between real variables. For a shock to a financial variable to have a noticeable effect on the real economy elsewhere, it needs to be either common to all countries or to have originated in a systemic country.
Workplace Deviance and Recession
Authors: Bagchi Aniruddha , Bandyopadhyay Siddhartha
Published: January 2016

We examine the relationship between the incidence of workplace deviance (on-the-job crime) and the state of the economy. A worker’s probability of future employment depends on whether she has been deviant as well as on the availability of jobs. Using a two period model we show that the net impact on deviant behavior to changes in unemployment can go either way depending upon the nature of the equilibrium. Two kinds of equilibria are possible. In one, a non-deviant’s probability of being employed increases as expected market conditions improve which lowers the incentive to be a deviant. In contrast, in the other kind of equilibrium, the deviant’s probability of being employed increases when market conditions improve which increases the incentive to be a deviant. In either case, there is a setup cost to deviant behavior and the attractiveness of incurring that increases with an increase in expected probability of future employment which unambiguously increases the incentive to be deviant. In the first kind of equilibrium, the two effects counteract each other, while in the second they reinforce each other. Finally, we characterize conditions under which an increase in optimism, i.e. a reduction in the probability of facing a recession unambiguously increases deviant behavior.
Physiological and pathological roles of exosomes in the nervous system
Authors: Yuyama Kohei , Igarashi Yasuyuki
Published: January 2016

Exosomes represent a subtype of extracellular nanovesicles that are generated from the luminal budding of limiting endosomal membranes and subsequent exocytosis. They encapsulate or associate with obsolete molecules to eliminate or to transfer their cargos in intercellular communication. The exosomes are also released and transported between neurons and glia in the nervous system, having a broad impact on nerve development, activation and regeneration. Accumulating evidence suggests that the exosomes are attributed to the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases such as prion disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as well as aging, in which the exosomes lack the capacity for cellular self-repair and spread their enclosed pathological agents among neurons. In this article, we review the current proposed functions of exosomes in physiological and pathological processes in the nervous system.
Is the combination of trueness and precision in one expression meaningful? On the use of total error and uncertainty in clinical chemistry
Authors: Kallner Anders
Published: January 2016

The performance of all measurement procedures used in routine clinical laboratories shall be verified; a minimum is to verify the precision and trueness of the results. This is well established and adequate recommendations and procedures are available. Conveying this information in a form that is adequate and understandable for the practical end-user in the health care sector is still a much debated issue. By tradition, since several decades, the “total error” (TE) is presented, a quantity that is the linear sum of an imprecision and bias. Since any combination of the two can yield the same TE it may not be very helpful in finding and correcting a root-cause for an unacceptable value. Also, an acceptable TE may hide an unacceptable level of its constituents. An alternative is the measurement uncertainty (MU), which is recommended by accreditation and standardizing bodies The MU separates the imprecision and bias and expresses an interval around a best estimate within which the true value is expected with a certain probability. We describe the reporting the best estimate of a measurement result and describe how the uncertainty of the result, can be calculated, using simple custom-made software.
Research on the Pneumatic Conveying of the Sand in the Horizontal Pipe Based on FLUENT
Authors: Li Dan-yang , Liu Shu , Wang Xiao-ning
Published: January 2016

The pneumatic conveying experiment bed has been established to study the flow characteristics of air- solids two-phase flow in horizontal pipeline. Euler model was applied to simulate it based on analysis of Gambit and fluid analysis software-fluent. The simulated results indicated: under the same gas phase conveying flow and pressure, the bigger particle diameter is, the bigger pressure drop is in the horizontal pipeline. The smaller particle diameter is, the more uniform of the particle’s distribution is, and the more easily obtaining the acceleration is. Particle concentration at the bottom of the horizontal pipe is increasing in the axial direction, while close to the tail pipe it will be reduce. The simulated conclusion is consistent with the actual measurement results, herewith rendering some footing for engineering design and theoretical research on pneumatic conveying systems.
Unitary spherical representations of Drinfeld doubles
Authors: Arano Yuki
Published: January 2016

We study irreducible spherical unitary representations of the Drinfeld double of the q-deformation of a connected simply connected compact Lie group,
which can be considered as a quantum analogue of the complexification of the Lie group.
In the case of

SU
q

⁢

(
3
)

\mathrm{SU}_{q}(3)

, we give a complete classification of such representations.
As an application, we show the Drinfeld double of the quantum group

SU
q

⁢

(

2
⁢
n

+
1

)

\mathrm{SU}_{q}(2n+1)

has property (T), which also implies central property (T) of the dual of

SU
q

⁢

(

2
⁢
n

+
1

)

\mathrm{SU}_{q}(2n+1)

.
Nanotheranostics: realizing the great promise?
Authors: Pitris Costas , Odysseos Andreani
Published: January 2016

The 2nd International Conference on Nanotheranostics was successfully organized between October 29th and November 1st 2015 at Limassol, Cyprus. A nanotheranostics conference is an important initiative, expected to provide the forum for idea exchange and create a potential high-impact nanomedicine paradigm. ICoN2015 attracted the contribution of prominent entities in the nanomedicine field and has succeeded in bringing together high-caliber researchers and a promising population of young scientists at the dawn of their careers from all five continents. Major thematic areas included (i) the roadmap of nanotheranostics development in a patient-oriented approach, (ii) emerging challenges for nanotheranostic applications, (iii) nanoscience technologies for theranostic approaches, (iv) an emphasis session on cancer nanotheranostics, and (v) toxicology, regulatory issues and ethics. Recent developments and emerging challenges were elaborated by leading researchers in the field and are summarized in this report.
Beautiful, but also potentially invasive
Authors: Lipták Boris , Vitázková Barbora
Published: January 2016

Introduction of non-indigenous exotic species to new areas, where they may establish viable populations and become invasive, is a considerable problem in the protection of nature worldwide, as these species may alter the indigenous species population structure and potentially even decrease the biodiversity. The European fauna underwent through major negative changes on the continent and nowadays, it experiences another new treat, represented by the expanding aquarium pet trade, and with it, associated species (and disease) introductions. Exotic freshwater crustaceans are one of the taxa widely incorporated in the business, counting a remarkable number of species. Recent records of the exotic marbled crayfish or Marmorkrebs (Procambarus fallax f. virginalis) in German in open ecosystems in Slovakia pointed to human-mediated introductions associated with aquarium pet trade in the country. In this regard, a study of the aquarium pet trade both in expositions and shops and online was assessed. Several crustacean taxa are available both in pet trade exhibitions and online through the Internet. Altogether 26 different species were identified in the aquarium trade in Slovakia. These are Procambarus fallax f. virginalis, P. clarkii, P. alleni, Cherax quadricarinatus, C. destructor, C. holthuisi, C. peknyi, Cambarellus patzcuarensis and C. diminutus occurring in the aquarium pet trade in Slovakia (n = 9). Procambarus fallax f. virginalis, P. clarkii and C. patzuarensis are the most common in this regard. There is also a quantity of other related taxa in the aquarium pet trade in Slovakia, mainly Caridina spp. (n = 5), Neocaridina spp. (n = 4), Atyopsis moluccensis, Atya gabonensis, Arachnochium kulsiense and several taxa of exotic crabs (n = 5) belonging to three different genera (Cardiosoma, Geosesarma and Gecarinus) present. Neocaridina davidi is identified as the most frequent in this regard. As some of the species can become established and form viable populations in natural ecosystems in Europe, we alert the public to handle the animals responsibly and thus maintain and protect indigenous European fauna.
Altitudinal occurrence of non-native plant species (neophytes) and their habitat affinity to anthropogenic biotopes in conditions of South-Western Slovakia
Authors: Beniak Michal , Pauková Žaneta , Fehér Alexander
Published: January 2016

Many ecological studies showed that species density (the number of species per unit area) in nonnative organism groups of the mountain areas decreases with increasing altitude. The aim of the paper is to determine the variability in the incidence of non-native plant species (neophytes) associated with the change in altitude and links of the invading taxons to reference habitat types, as well as their links to three ecologically very similar, however in natural conditions, different areas. In general, the most invaded habitats are those which are highly influenced by human activities. Firstly, data collection was conducted through field mapping of build-up areas in South-western Slovakia. Subsequently, with the assistance of ordination methods, we evaluated the level of association of invasive neophytes according to the set objectives. We found that altitude was an important factor determining variability of invasive neophytes’ occurrence. Total amount of habitats with invasive neophytes’ occurrence showed a linear increase along the altitudinal gradient. Many invasive neophytes adapted to abandoned habitats of upland territory were also able to grow along roads, and vice versa, abandoned and unused habitats of lowland areas created conditions for many typical invasive neophytes occurring along roads and habitats of gardens and yards. Railways of lowland areas provided habitats and means of spread of invasive woody neophytes. Gardens and yards were important sources of alien neophytes in all observed territories. Invasive neophyte Aster novi-belgii can be described as a very variable species tolerant to a wide range of factors limiting the spread of species along the elevation gradient.
The Variability of Succisa Pratensis Moench Individuals and Ramet Clusters in Abandoned Molinietum Caeruleae Meadows
Authors: Kostrakiewicz-Gierałt Kinga
Published: January 2016

This paper reports the results of observations of the abundance of population Succisa pratensis Moench, as well as temporal and spatial variabilities of chosen traits such as the number of rosettes, number of leaves per rosette, number and height of flowering stems, number of flower heads per generative stem and number of seeds per fruit. Investigations were conducted in the years 2009−2013, in six patches of Molinietum caeruleae with different dominant species, unmanaged from 10 to 22 years. On the basis of studies performed, the state of populations and chances for maintenance in the colonised site were evaluated.
Changes in Soil Structure and Soil Organic Matter Due to Different Severities of Fire
Authors: Šimanský Vladimír
Published: January 2016

The effect of different fire severity on the changes of the soil organic matter (SOM) and soil structure was evaluated. Soil samples were collected (May 2010) in the locality of Nitra-Dražovce (Slovakia) from the following plots: 1) control (unburned place), 2) low severity of fire and 3) higher severity of fire. The results showed that the content of water-stable microaggregates (WSAmi) increased by 20% in the area with a low severity of fire, but on the other hand, it decreased by 42% in the area with the higher severity of fire in comparison to control. The higher severity of fire resulted in a decrease of smaller size fractions of water-stable macroaggregates (WSAma) (0.5−0.25) and a low severity of fire resulted in the decrease of WSAma 2−0.5 mm. On the other hand, the content of WSAma in the size fraction >5 mm was higher by 54% and by 32% in the lower and higher severity of fire, respectively, than in unburned soil. The higher severity of fire had a more positive effect on increases of the structure coefficient and coefficient of aggregate stability, as well as on the decrease of the vulnerability coefficient compared to the low severity of fire. After burning, the contents of soil organic carbon (Corg) and labile carbon were significantly increased by the severity of fire. However, the low severity of fire affected more markedly the increase of hot water-soluble and cold water-soluble carbon than the higher severity of fire. After burning and due to the severity of fire, both the carbon of humic and carbon of fulvic acids ratios and SOM stability increased. The parameters of SOM due to fire significantly increased also in WSA with the least changes in WSAmi. The results showed that a low severity of fire increased Corg mainly in WSAma >2mm and WSAmi, whereas high severity fire increased Corg content in the smaller fraction of WSAma.
Environmental Consequences of Wildlife Tourism: The Use of Formalised Qualitative Models
Authors: Veselý Štěpán , Dohnal Mirko
Published: January 2016

The paper presents a simple qualitative model of environmental consequences of wildlife tourism. Qualitative models use just three values: Positive/Increasing, Zero/Constant and Negative/Decreasing. Such quantifiers of trends are the least information intensive. Qualitative models can be useful, since models of wildlife tourism include such variables as, for example, Biodiversity (BIO), Animals’ habituation to tourists (HAB) or Plant composition change (PLA) that are sometimes difficult or costly to quantify. Hence, a significant fraction of available information about wildlife tourism and its consequences is not of numerical nature, for example, if HAB is increasing then BIO is decreasing. Such equationless relations are studied in this paper. The model has 10 variables and 20 equationless pairwise interrelations among them. The model is solved and 15 solutions, that is, scenarios are obtained. All qualitative states, including the first and second qualitative derivatives with respect to time, of all variables are specified for each scenario.
Protection of a Landscape Park’s Area in The Spatial Extent of Impact of the Poznan Agglomeration, Midwestern Poland
Authors: Raszka Beata , Kalbarczyk Eliza
Published: January 2016

This paper points out possibilities for limiting anthropic pressure in the Puszcza Zielonka Landscape Park in Poland. Based on the identification and evaluation of the most precious fragments of the environment, it determines the attractiveness of the park perceived as a complex multi- -ecosystem. It also identifies the main spatial problems and symptoms of anthropic pressure. The evaluation was conducted through establishing zones with similar environmental value and the determination of hemeroby indicators. The following basic problems were identified: recreational buildings and the development of settlements, cessation of agricultural production, further division of arable land into smaller plots in the buffer zone, combined with a change of land use. The final result of this research is a map of the functional and spatial division of the park, allowing for its protective, biocenotic and scientific functions and possible use for recreation in line with the principles of sustainable development. We ascertained that the strategic objectives and criteria for shaping spatial structures of protected areas should be included in the local spatial policy.
Lantana Camara and Butterfly Abundance in an Urban Landscape: Benefits for Conservation or Species Invasion?
Authors: Mukherjee Swarnali , Banerjee Soumyajit , Basu Parthiba , Saha GoutamK. , Aditya Gautam
Published: January 2016

Urban landscapes host a range of diverse plants that, in turn, facilitate maintenance of different species of pollinators, including butterflies. In this context, the importance of Lantana camara, an invasive plant species, was assessed highlighting its role in maintenance of butterfly diversity, using Kolkata, India as a study area. Initial study revealed consistent presence of L. camara in both urban and rural sites with at least 25 different butterfly species association. The proportional relative load and the preferences of butterfly species for the each plant species were inclined towards L. camara. Irrespective of the sites, the diurnal and seasonal variations in the butterfly species abundance varied with the flowering pattern of L. camara. A positive correlation of different butterfly species with the flowering time and number of L. camara was for all the sites. The segregation of the L. camara associated butterfly species was made following discriminant function analysis using the extent of flower density of L. camara as explanatory variable. Despite being an invasive species, it is apparent that L. camara can be a prospective host plant that facilitates sustenance of butterflies in both urban and rural sites. Thus, existence of L. camara in urban gardens and forests may prove beneficial in sustenance of the butterflies.
On generalized submodules of QTAG-modules
Authors: Hasan Ayazul
Published: January 2016

If α denotes the class of all QTAG-modules M such that

M
/

H
β

(
M
)

${M/H_\beta (M)}$

is totally projective for every ordinal

β
<
α

${\beta <\alpha }$

, then these modules are called α-modules. Here we study the relation between the structure of fully invariant submodules of certain QTAG-modules and the structure of containing modules. It is found that if F is a fully invariant submodule of the totally projective QTAG-module M, then both F and M/F are totally projective. We show that if for some sequence

β
=

(

β
k

)

k
<
ω

${\beta =(\beta _k)_{k<\omega }}$

, both M
β and

M
/

M
β

${M/M^\beta }$

are totally projective, then M itself is necessarily totally projective.
Kinetics of ultrasound-assisted silver leaching from sintering dust using thiourea
Authors: Chang Jun , Zhang Erdong , Yang Changjiang , Zhou Junwen , Peng Jinhui , Zhang Libo , Srinivasakannan Chandrasekar
Published: January 2016

In the process of steel manufacture, up to tens of millions of tons of sintering dusts are produced annually in China, which contain noble metals such as Ag. Therefore, the recovery of Ag from sintering dust could be a potential economic and environmental activity. The present work attempts to use ultrasound for leaching silver from the water-leaching residue of sintering dust (WLR-SD) by acidic thiourea at atmospheric pressure. The effects of particle size, leaching temperature, and thiourea concentration were assessed on the leaching efficiency. Mineralogical changes of the WLR-SD were estimated using X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscope. The results have shown that under the conditions used, up to 94% silver could be leached. The leaching kinetics was estimated to follow the first-order kinetic model, and the activation energy was estimated to be 20.7 kJ/mol, confirming an internal diffusion-controlled leaching process. The order of the reaction with respect to the thiourea concentration was estimated to be 0.68.
A Play on Words: Using Cognitive Computing as a Basis for AI Solvers in Word Puzzles
Authors: Manzini Thomas , Ellis Simon , Hendler James
Published: January 2016

In this paper we offer a model, drawing inspiration from human cognition and based upon the pipeline developed for IBM’s Watson, which solves clues in a type of word puzzle called syllacrostics. We briefly discuss its situation with respect to the greater field of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and how this process and model might be applied to other types of word puzzles. We present an overview of a system that has been developed to solve syllacrostics.
State of Knowledge of Economic Value of Current and Improved Hurricane Forecasts
Authors: Sutter Daniel , Ewing Bradley T.
Published: January 2016

This paper surveys the literature on the value of current and potentially improved hurricane forecasts from the National Hurricane Center. Research on the societal impacts of hurricanes demonstrates that forecasts are likely generating substantial benefits to society in a variety of uses, including saving lives in the U. S. and across the Carribean and Eastern Pacific, reducing the cost of evacuations, improving supply chain management, and in the transportation and energy production and distribution sectors. The existing literature, however, fails generally to quantify the benefits with rigor sufficient for an academic quality benefit-cost analysis of hurricane forecasts. The paper offers several suggestions for future research to more precisely estimate the benefits attributable to current or improved forecasts.
A No-Tribunal SDRM and the Means of Binding Creditors to the Terms of a Restructuring Plan
Authors: Mooney Charles W.
Published: January 2016

This paper addresses two discrete but related and essential attributes of an SDRM. It first considers an SDRM that would provide a procedure for proposing and adopting a restructuring plan for a sovereign debtor’s debt which would not involve any tribunal or administrator (a No-Tribunal SDRM). The paper examines the merits and feasibility of a No-Tribunal SDRM. In particular, the No-Tribunal SDRM proposed here would undertake the restructuring as if the sovereign debtor and its creditors were subject to the International Capital Markets Association Model Collective Action Clause regime. Second, this paper addresses the means by which a sovereign debt restructuring plan may become legally binding on a sovereign debtor’s creditors. It focuses on the various legal structures that could be employed to cause a sovereign debtor’s creditors to be legally bound by a restructuring plan – the implementation of a restructuring plan under an SDRM. This matter of binding creditors is an area of legal analysis that is somewhat underdeveloped and neglected in the literature. The paper addresses on implementation of a restructuring plan under a statutory approach – an SDRM imposed by rule of law. The manner of implementing an SDRM may be significant in several contexts, including the acceptability of the SDRM to political actors and market participants, the effectiveness of the operation of an SDRM, and the costs of devising and adopting an SDRM.