bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Investigation into the Impact of Service Quality, Frequent Flier Programs and Safety Perception on Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty in the Airline Industry in Southern Africa
Authors: Sandada Maxwell , Matibiri Bright
Published: July 2016

This study aims to identify the factors that make passengers loyal to an airline in Southern Africa by investigating the impact of service quality and safety perception on customer satisfaction and how satisfaction and frequent flyer programs (FFP) subsequently influence customer loyalty. The key finding was that service quality positively influenced customer satisfaction, and satisfaction was an important antecedent of customer loyalty. The analysis also suggested that safety perception and FFP positively influence customer loyalty, while their relationship with satisfaction was not significant. An analysis of switching behaviour revealed that satisfied customers may still switch to other airlines. The main contribution of this study is the development of a customer loyalty model for the aviation industry in Southern Africa. Knowledge of customer loyalty drivers will assist airline marketing managers in developing strategies for improving passenger load factors and profitability.
Landscape Conservation: The Perspectives of Experts and Other Stakeholders
Authors: Avanzini Marco , Bussolon Stefano , Caporusso Letizia , Gios Geremia , Goio Ilaria
Published: July 2016

The idea that landscape fulfils many different functions and provides multiple benefits for human society is gaining strength. This new vision of landscape changes both, the interests and the needs of the persons involved and the use and management of the landscape itself. The objective of this paper is to study landscape conservation in a particular mountainous area of Italy, which requires an institutional, non-generic approach. Using the contingent valuation method, we investigated whether there is a relationship between experts’ and casual observers’ evaluations of ten different scenarios in the Leno Valleys. Results show that direct knowledge of the site characteristics increases the awareness of the importance of the site, significantly impacting on conservation choices and strategies.
Rangeland Condition Assessment Based on Economic Criteria
Authors: Ahmadpour Amir , Heshmati Gholam Ali , Joulaie Ramtin
Published: July 2016

The current concept of rangeland condition is faced with many problems that make it difficult for managers to apply. The concept is based on climax theory, which itself has been criticised by many scientists, as it also fails to reflect the real status of rangelands based on all the functions and benefits that they are able to provide. Considering the objectives of rangeland management, a new concept of rangeland condition based on ecological and economic criteria (ECEA) is suggested in this article. In this concept, rangeland condition is achieved as ‘the ratio of current benefits of a rangeland to the operation costs for its ecological restoration (to the extent that the most sustainable benefits provided). Furthermore, based on this new concept an equation is developed for quantitative measurement of the rangeland condition. We believe that this new concept can solve many problems around the existing concept of rangeland condition.
Coppice Woods and Pollard Trees in the Visual Arts
Authors: Lacina Jan
Published: July 2016

The sprouting capacity of some broadleaves has been used for their regeneration since ancient times. Often concurrently with taking advantage of sprouting stools, the trees used to be shaped also by pruning their stems, namely on pasturelands and in grazing forests. The activity of woodcutters and shepherds was obviously rather common in warmer climates with broadleaved stands because coppice and pollard trees appear relatively often in the visual arts from ancient works through the period if the Italian and German Renaissance up to the romantic and realistic landscape painting of the 19th century overlapping into the 20th century. For centuries, most frequently illustrated in European and Czech paintings have been pollard willows (Salix spp.). Other coppice and pollard tree species identified in paintings are oaks (Quercus spp.), hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), European beech (Fagus sylvatica), European chestnut (Castanea sativa), and rarely other species, too. Artists apparently often used bizarrely shaped woods to increase the dramatic atmosphere of their landscape sceneries as well as figural compositions, and the coppice and pollard trees had certainly also a symbolic meaning in some of their works.
Association of urinary neopterin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte, lymphocyte-to-monocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios with long-term survival of patients with breast cancer
Authors: Melichar Bohuslav , Študentová Hana , Vitásková Denisa , Šrámek Vlastislav , Kujovská Krčmová Lenka , Pešková Eliška , Solichová Dagmar , Kalábová Hana , Ryška Aleš , Hrůzová Klára , Havlík Roman
Published: July 2016

The immune response crucially determines the survival of patients with malignant tumors including breast carcinoma. The aim of the present study was to evaluate retrospectively an association of peripheral blood cell count (PBC)-derived ratios and urinary neopterin concentration with prognosis in breast cancer patients. Urinary neopterin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were retrospectively analyzed in a cohort of 474 breast cancer patients. NLR and PLR correlated positively with each other and negatively with LMR, but no correlation between neopterin concentrations and PBC-derived ratios was observed. Increased urinary neopterin concentration was a significant predictor of poor survival in patients with active disease, but PLR, NLR or LMR were not significantly associated with survival in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, increased urinary neopterin was a significant predictor of poor survival in patients with breast cancer and active disease.
Stochastic models of piecewise-constant and piecewise-linear non-Gaussian processes based on Poisson flows
Authors: Ogorodnikov Vasily A. , Sereseva Olga V. , Kargapolova Nina A.
Published: July 2016

A model of asymptotically stationary piecewise-linear random processes based on homogeneous Poisson flows is considered in the paper. Exact expressions for the mathematical expectation and variance as functions of a continuous argument are presented. A model of asymptotically periodically correlated piecewise-constant non-Gaussian random processes is also presented. This model is based on inhomogeneous Poisson flows of special form.
New Political Parties and the Problems of Development in Turkey
Authors: Yeşilada Birol
Published: July 2016

Since the beginning of liberal pluralist politics in 1950, Turkey has experienced three military coups in 1960, 1971, and 1980. Of these military incursions the ones in 1960 and 1980 were the most serious in scope. Each time the armed forces remained in power for a short time, 1960–1961 and 1980–1983, and completely revised the existing constitutional framework. These were unlike the 1971 intervention which did not result in a complete revision of the political system, but only in an amendment of the constitution to provide the state with more powers in dealing with domestic violence. In this respect, the 1960 coup marks the end of the First Republic. The subsequent period, 1961–1980 is the Second Republic.
Notes on the Current Development Problems and Growth Prospects of the Turkish Economy
Authors: Boratav Korkut , Türel Oktar
Published: July 2016

It is the aim of these notes to make a balance sheet of the development problems which Turkey is currently facing and to assess medium-term growth prospects for the Turkish economy. Such a balance sheet necessitates a retrospective look into the recent past, in which a distinction should be made between the pre- and post-1980 periods since it was early in 1980 that a major reorientation of economic policies into an orthodox “structural adjustment” line took place. Hence we investigate roughly two seven year periods covering 1973-79 and 1980—86 (with more emphasis on the second period), being fully aware that with respect to certain variables the year 1980 may not always serve as a dividing line.
Introduction
Authors: Faroqhi Suraiya
Published: July 2016

It is customary to say that the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century prosperity of the Ottoman Empire was derived from its control of international trade routes leading toward Europe. From this perspective, the closing years of the sixteenth century are regarded as a turning point. When English merchants entered the Mediterranean and the Dutch established a monopoly over the Moluccan spice trade, the Ottoman state lost its dominant role in world commerce, particularly since Ottoman merchants rarely left the Sultan's domain, and therefore did not control the sources of their trade goods. Loss of customs revenue contributed to fiscal crisis, which in turn led to political turmoil as overtaxed peasants fled their villages (Lewis, 1968, p. 27 ff.). In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (or so it is claimed), world trade would have bypassed the Ottoman Empire entirely if it hadn't been for the transit trade in Iranian silk which continued into the 1730s, and a limited exportation of local grains and cottons, which did not become really significant until the high prices of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. From 1815 onward, the Ottoman Empire increasingly entered the orbit of industrializing Europe as a market for manufactured goods and a source of raw materials, and this state of affairs was made “official” by the signing of the Anglo-Ottoman convention of 1838.
Competition and Coincidence: Venetian Trading Interests and Ottoman Expansion in the Early Sixteenth-century Levant
Authors: Brummett Palmira
Published: July 2016

Historiography generally has excluded the “oriental” empires from the competition for world economic power. The Chinese sailed to Africa in the early fifteenth century. Then one day the ships “just stopped coming.” The Mongols “swept” across the steppes for the love of conquest, pastures, space. The Ottoman armies marched to Yemen, Tabriz, Vienna. Yet this marching was somehow instinctual, a reaction of blood, training, temperament. One might suppose that this “oriental” failure to be an economic contender resulted from a state of mind rather than an act of will, a naiveté or an intellectual conceit rather than a lack of the power to compete. Thus, while Eurocentric historiography has not disarmed the Ottomans, it has mentally incapacitated them, thereby dispensing with the need to evaluate economies of conquest and ignoring competition with European states for markets rather than territory.
The Politics of The Grain Trade in Iraq c. 1840-1917
Authors: Fattah Hala
Published: July 2016

Anyone who watched the televison coverage of, or read about the African famine some years ago could not help but be appalled by the many obstacles erected to impede the progress of getting food to the starving millions in Ethiopia, Somalia and the Sudan. While it is true that the difficult terrain, an inhospitable climate and the lack of rain were partly responsible for the large-scale spread of famine and dearth in the African sub-continent, it is also true that local governments were responsible for creating impediments to the alleviation of mass hunger and starvation. Governments waging war against secessionist regimes and rebel armies used political means—primarily blockades of grain and other foodstuffs—to starve the enemy forces, creating misery among the military as well as civilian populations in the rebel areas.
The Great Depression (1873-1896) and the Rise of Syrian Arab Nationalism
Authors: Schilcher L. Schatkowski
Published: July 2016

Can we see any evidence that the so-called “Great Depression” (c. 1873-1896) had an impact on Syria? This paper investigates the problem by focusing on the Hawran, an important grain-producing area south of the Ottoman provincial capital, Damascus. The Hawran is an open plain, sloping upwards towards the east and nearly enclosed by protecting ravines, valleys and highlands. To the north lies the valley of Wadi ‘Ajam and the well-settled and ostensibly well-controlled Damascene oasis (al-Ghuta). To the west stands Mount Hermon (Jabal al-Shaikh), while the slopes and valleys of the Anti-Lebanese mountains (Jawlan, ‘Ajlun), the Lake of Tiberias (Bahr al-Tabariyya) and the tributaries of the Jordan River and its gorge (Baisan, al-Ghur) present further barriers. To the northeast and east lies a volcanic badlands region of heavily eroded gullies and redoubts (al-Safa, al-Laja') and the hills, known then as Jabal Hawran, now as Jabal al-Druz or Jabal al-'Arab, together with a lava rock field to their east (al-Harra) form a buffer between the plain and the Syrian steppe. To the south the Hawran opens out into the Trans-Jordanian plateau and the Syrian steppe, though gullies and ravines also provide some protection here.
Mosul and the Free Trade Treaties: The Non-Effects of the Commercial Convention on an Inland Province
Authors: Shields Sarah D.
Published: July 2016

The Commercial Convention of 1838 has often been used as a landmark delimiting the end of Ottoman economic insulation and the beginning of massive influence by foreign powers. Quite recently, Ottoman historians and economists have documented the enormous importance of the Free Trade Treaties, showing that “whereas British manufacturers began to expand their markets in the Ottoman Empire before 1838, the opening of Ottoman primary products to trade with Britain accelerated only after the signing of the Free Trade Treaties” (Pamuk, 1987, p. 29). For the empire as a whole, it seems probable that the Treaties influenced the patterns of international trade.
Internal and External Constraints of Export Oriented Growth Strategy
Authors: Kazgan Gülten
Published: July 2016

The rapid industrial growth accompanied by even more rapid export growth of such Far East economies as South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan has drawn due attention from students of economic development. Economists with a Neo-classical ideological stance, favoring a perfectly free market economy, tend to attribute the industrial growth of these LDCs to the phenomenal increase in their exports. They argue that export expansion will be conducive to growth and the problems that might arise on the way will be taken care of by market forces. They identify the export sector of the economy as the “leading sector” and label the growth strategy patterned after this model as “export-oriented growth.” Over the last decade this growth strategy has been effectively “recommended” to a large number of LDCs facing debt servicing difficulties.
Radiation-resistant photostructure for Schottky diode based on Cr/In2Hg3Te6
Authors: Ashcheulov A. A. , Galochkin A. V. , Romanyuk I. S. , Dremluzhenko S. G.
Published: July 2016

Ge, Si, InGaAs, GaInAsP photodiodes are used as optical radiation receivers and function in a spectral range of transparency of quartz fiberglass. For the optical systems operated in the increased radioactivity the photodetectors’ application on In2Hg3Te6 crystal base characterized by a photosensitivity in the spectral range of 0,5—1,6 mm and also by increased radiation resistance to alpha, beta and gamma radiation is most acceptable.
Schottky photodiode structure was designed on the base of this semiconductor formed by a modified floating zone recrystallization technique where the sedimentation effect was leveled. It consists of n-In2Hg3Te6 substrate and deposited by cathode sputtering Cr barrier layer of thickness within a range 10—11 nm choice of Cr is determined by its optimal optical, electric and adhesive features in high quality radiation-resistant photodiode structures manufacturing. Indium and nichrome are used as ohmic contacts.
The barrier structures have the contact area of 1,13 mm2 with photo response of 0,6—1,6 mm at the maximal sensitivity 0,43 A/W on the wavelength l,55 mm. Reverse dark current of these structures do not exceed 4 mA at the bias of 1 V (T=295 K), and the potential barrier height is equal to 0,41 eV. The tests of radiation resistance of these structures demonstrated their ability to function at doses of 2•108 rem without evident parameters changes. This allows using them in practical aims in the conditions of high radiation.
Design of multiprobe devices for electronic components with ball leads testing
Authors: Nevlyudov I. Sh. , Zharikova I. V. , Palagin V. A. , Razumov-Frizyuk E. A.
Published: July 2016

In the article design and technological features of multiprobe connecting device for testing the electronic components with matrix ball leads are described and substantiated. Such test fixture has probes made as two separated flatcontact lands that can be used for testing BGA/CSP components or microelectromechanical devices. Only in case, when two parts of probe contact lands are pressed to according lead of electronic component, electrical circuit between them closes. This fact confirms presence of contact between testing fixture probe and tested lead of BGA device and can be considered as way of testing reliability increasing. Due to the proposed new form of contact probe for electronic component testing it became possible to simplify the topology of connecting circuit board.
Developed commutative board with ZIF connectors allows realizing multiprobe device connection to automated measuring systems, providing also the possibility of its future application to test other electronic components with more leads. Also the results of experimental and modeling research of developed device prototype are presented and explained. Obtained results substantiate the basic requirements for the multiprobe connecting device that should be observed during its contacting to the unit under test.
Designed test fixture is more simple and cheap in comparison with its analogues. Also developed method of testing effectively provides the necessary contact pressure between test fixture and unit under test without hazard of its deformation which can appear in similar devices.
Features of structural and technological solutions for receiving system of small radio telescopes
Authors: Gluschechenko E. N. , Pylypenko A. M. , Slonin E. V. , Sunduchkov I. K. , Chmil V. V.
Published: July 2016

The article presents new technological solutions and structural approaches for design of radiometric receiving systems for small diameter antennas. Problems which need to be dealt with in the process of realization of such systems are formulated. All of the considered problems, both structural and technological, encountered when creating radiometric receiving systems for small diameter antennas, were not only tested on the mockups, but also successfully implemented in three sets of radiometric systems of modern radio astronomy facilities. In addition, the described approach to solving these problems is recommended for the wide application by the international VLBI service.
Recursive algorithms of adaptive lattice filters adjustment
Authors: Lekhovytskiy D. I. , Semeniaka A. V. , Riabukha V. P. , Rachkov D. S.
Published: July 2016

The authors analyze the algorithms intended for correction of adaptive lattice filters (ALF) parameters under K-rank (K i 1) modification of estimate correlation matrix within a “sliding” over the time (range) data window. The drawbacks of methods that correct the ALF parameters based on K-fold utilization of known algorithms of rank-one (K = 1) modification are discussed. The combined algorithm (CA) of K-rank (K i 1) modification is synthesized. Under considered conditions, the only one-fold utilization of the CA solves the task of ALF parameters correction. The paper demonstrates, that proposed CA reduces the computational complexity and enhances the numerical stability of procedure of ALF parameters correction as compared with the competing methods based on algorithms of rank-one modification.
Synthesis and study of strontium ferromolybdate nanopowders with high degree of superstructural ordering for spintronics
Authors: Yarmolich M. V. , Gorokh G. G. , Kalanda N. A. , Silibin M. V. , Demyanov S. E.
Published: July 2016

The metal oxide compounds Sr2FeMoO6–d systems with an ordered double perovskite structure due to their unique and extremely important magnetotransport and magnetic properties are among the most promising materials for spintronic devices. In the present work, we investigated the correlation between the citrate-gel synthesis conditions (pH of initial solutions and annealing temperature) and the microstructure, phase transformations and magnetic properties of the Sr2FeMoO6–d nanopowders. According to the results the average grain size of the powders in the dispersion grows from 250 to 550 nm with increasing of pH values. Single-phase nanosized Sr2FeMoO6–d powders had various degrees of superstructural ordering of Fe3+ and Mo5+ (P = 65% for pH = 4, P = 51% for pH = 6 and P = 20 % for pH = 9). With increasing of pH, the Fe2+ concentration increases from 63% to 72%, and the Fe+3 concentration drops from 37% to 28%. According to the results of investigations of magnetization temperature dependence in Sr2FeMoO6–d powders a metastable superparamagnetic state was established at TS<19 K in low-dimensional grains. An optimized synthesis procedure, based on an initial solution of pH = 4, has allowed obtaining a single-phase Sr2FeMoO6–d compound having grain size in the range of 50—120 nm and a superstructural ordering of iron and molybdenum cations of 88%. The optimum conditions of synthesis of nanopowders strontium ferromolybdate allow for the directional change of the phase composition of the synthesized nanosized ceramic with reproducible physical and chemical properties.
Influence of copper intercalation on thermoelectric properties change in Bi2Te3 doped crystals during storage
Authors: Aliyeva A. P. , Gahramanov A. Sh. , Gahramanov S. Sh.
Published: July 2016

The authors investigate the change in the thermoelectric properties of Bi2Te3  crystals doped by bismuth and indium during their storage. It is shown that such change is caused by the spontaneous overflow of Cu atoms deposited during the initial crystallization period between Te(2)—Bi and Bi—Te(2) layers, and in defect centers perpendicularly to the surface of the crystal (0001), which culminates in the formation of dissipative nanostructures. It was found that thermoelectric properties of crystals doped with indium undergo the most significant change.
A Primary Cortical Input to Hippocampus Expresses a Pathway-Specific and Endocannabinoid-Dependent Form of Long-Term Potentiation
Authors: Wang Weisheng , Trieu Brian H. , Palmer Linda C. , Jia Yousheng , Pham Danielle T. , Jung Kwang-Mook , Karsten Carley A. , Merrill Collin B. , Mackie Ken , Gall Christine M. , Piomelli Daniele , Lynch Gary
Published: July 2016

The endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol (2-AG), a key modulator of synaptic transmission in mammalian brain, is produced in dendritic spines and then crosses the synaptic junction to depress neurotransmitter release. Here we report that 2-AG-dependent retrograde signaling also mediates an enduring enhancement of glutamate release, as assessed with independent tests, in the lateral perforant path (LPP), one of two cortical inputs to the granule cells of the dentate gyrus. Induction of this form of long-term potentiation (LTP) involved two types of glutamate receptors, changes in postsynaptic calcium, and the postsynaptic enzyme that synthesizes 2-AG. Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy confirmed that CB1cannabinoid receptors are localized presynaptically to LPP terminals, while the inhibition or knockout of the receptors eliminated LPP-LTP. Suppressing the enzyme that degrades 2-AG dramatically enhanced LPP potentiation, while overexpressing it produced the opposite effect. Priming with a CB1agonist markedly reduced the threshold for LTP. Latrunculin A, which prevents actin polymerization, blocked LPP-LTP when applied extracellularly but had no effect when infused postsynaptically into granule cells, indicating that critical actin remodeling resides in the presynaptic compartment. Importantly, there was no evidence for the LPP form of potentiation in the Schaffer-commissural innervation of field CA1 or in the medial perforant path. Peripheral injections of compounds that block or enhance LPP-LTP had corresponding effects on the formation of long-term memory for cues conveyed to the dentate gyrus by the LPP. Together, these results indicate that the encoding of information carried by a principal hippocampal afferent involves an unusual, regionally differentiated form of plasticity.
Toward the Rebirth of Downtown San Jose
Authors: Matthews Glenna
Published: July 2016

This essay examines the (partial) rebirth of a moribund downtown, aided by the redevelopment process set up by California law, a process that permitted San Jose to tap into the wealth of Silicon Valley via the use of tax-increment financing. It explains the devastation wrought in downtown during the postwar years, characterizes the evolving nature of redevelopment law, and then delineates the building blocks for improvement in San Jose’s urban core. It also examines the ways in which downtown still falls short of true urbanity. It is based on research in a variety of printed sources, on statistics provided by many employees of the city, and on two dozen or so oral history interviews with key city leaders.
The Merchant Crusaders
Authors: Howell Ocean
Published: July 2016

In the 1950s and 1960s, the National Association of Real Estate Boards and the California Real Estate Association openly opposed fair housing laws, referring to such laws as “forced housing.” Studies have noted that a handful of private developers spoke out against these major industry groups and even developed racially inclusive open-occupancy housing tracts. But the historiography has yet to account for the fact that some developers also helped shape fair housing laws behind the scenes. This study shows that major California developers Joseph “Joe” Eichler and his son Edward “Ned” Eichler exerted a great deal of influence on the regulatory environment by working with state and federal officials. This story is not better known because the Eichlers concealed their activism from the general public in an attempt to protect their business.
Cooling down jazz
Authors: Van Kan Mischa
Published: July 2016

This article deals with the role of racial imagination in the acceptance of Swedish jazz in Sweden in the first years of the 1950s and discusses how Swedish jazz was connected to an American jazz tradition. It is argued that in its early reception, jazz was intimately linked to African American musicians. The advent of cool jazz and the ideas of race connected to it were key in the acceptance of Swedish jazz. By analysing the racial imagination in articles in the Swedish jazz press the article concludes that the combination of the idea of cool jazz as an authentic, white style of jazz, and an American-Swedish cooperation, authenticated a performance of Swedish jazz musicians.
‘We try to have the best’
Authors: Picaud Myrtille
Published: July 2016

This article examines how international circulations of jazz artists in the Parisian jazz scene are structured by hierarchies based on the artists’ nationalities, gender and ‘race’. To do so, the author first describes which artists are showcased in the capital’s clubs and festivals in terms of gender, nationality and country of residence. This shows that the well-known venues in Paris book (male) American rather than French or other artists, and that their added symbolic value is simultaneously economic. Finally, the article centres on how the artists are presented in two specific festivals, revealing that even though ‘otherness’ and value are constructed along racial and gendered divides, they are also informed by artists’ nationality. Indeed, the dominant position of the United States and the opposition between the Western world and the global South are strongly dramatized within jazz in France, which shows some proximity to the ‘world music’ scene.
“It’s a mind-changing game!”: Health professional educators working abroad
Authors: McLean Michelle , Da Silva Ana L. , Major Stella , McKimm Judy
Published: July 2016

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Higher education is now a global industry. As students and staff travel across the globe to study and teach, both the student population and the academic staff profile is becoming increasingly international. While there is a reasonable literature documenting the experiences and challenges of international students, little is, however, known about educators who chose to work outside their country of origin. Following a pilot study carried out in the Middle East, a revised online survey canvassed the global community of health professional educators (n = 89) to garner not only demographic information but also first-hand accounts of their experiences as international educators. The educators were overwhelmingly positive about their rich experiences in new cultural contexts, acknowledging considerable personal development and broadening perspectives. Their challenges were largely personal, in terms of the impact on their families and adapting to new ways of doing things. We propose an innovative model taking into consideration the many individual and environmental factors involved in the pre-departure and the immersion phases.
Extractants for rare earth metals
Authors: Kurysheva V. V. , Ivanova E. A. , Prokhorova P. E.
Published: July 2016

The separation of trivalent rare earth metals is perhaps the most serious challenge associated with a closed fuel cycle. The choice of ligand as extractant, which must be selective and efficient in conditions of high radiation environment, plays an important role. In this review there are the main examples of extractants for f-elements used in the present 10–20 years.
Seed Germination, Seedling Emergence, and Response to Herbicides of Triquetrous Murdannia (Murdannia triquetra) in Rice
Authors: Tang Wei , Chen Jie , Zhang Jianping , Lu Yongliang
Published: July 2016

Triquetrous murdannia is an annual weed commonly found in rice fields in China. Laboratory and screenhouse experiments were carried out to determine the effect of light, temperature, osmotic and salt stress, seed burial depth, amount of rice residue, and depth of flooding on seed germination and seedling emergence of triquetrous murdannia and to evaluate the response of this weed to commonly available POST herbicides in China. Germination was greater than 93% under a wide day/night temperature range of 20/10 to 30/20 C in the light/dark regime. The time to onset of germination decreased as temperature increased. Germination was slightly stimulated when seeds were placed in light/dark conditions compared with seeds placed in the dark. The osmotic potential and NaCl concentration required for 50% inhibition of maximum germination were −0.5 MPa and 122 mM, respectively. The highest germination (68%) was observed from seeds sown on the soil surface, but decreased with increasing burial depth. Only 7% of seedlings emerged from a depth of 4 cm, and no seedlings emerged from seeds buried deeper than 6 cm. Seedling emergence decreased from 93 to 35% with increasing quantity of rice residue (1 to 6 103kg ha−1) applied on the soil surface. Seedling emergence was reduced by 40, 48, 64, and 70% at flooding depths of 1, 2, 4, and 6 cm, respectively, for the seeds sown on the soil surface. Fluroxypyr and MCPA herbicides provided 100% control of triquetrous murdannia at the 2- to 6-leaf stages; however, to achieve 100% control with bispyribac-sodium, MCPA+bentazone or MCPA+fluroxypyr, herbicides had to be applied by the 4-leaf stage. The results of this study could help in developing more sustainable and effective integrated weed management strategies for the control of triquetrous murdannia in rice fields in China.
The Core Meaning of Human Dignity
Authors: Steinmann AC (Rinie)
Published: July 2016

The concept of human dignity is relatively new in international and domestic constitutional law. Dignity is protected as a value or a right, or both, in international law and many domestic jurisdictions. It is difficult to define human dignity in a legal context, as the concept is not defined in the first international document which recognizes inherent human dignity and the protection thereof, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1946) and many international (and national) documents enacted thereafter. Despite dissensus regarding the widespread use of the concept, dignity has come to display three elements in constitutional adjudication post World War Two: the ontological element which entails that human beings have equal inherent human dignity that cannot be waived or diminished; the second element being the claim that inherent human dignity has to be recognised and respected; and the limited-state claim as the third element which entails that states have a positive obligation to progressively realise human dignity through the mechanism of socio-economic rights. It is widely accepted that these elements root in Kantian moral ethics which holds that man's autonomy is based upon universal dignity, as a result of which man should never be used as a means to an end, but only as a means in himself. Kant expressed this idea through formulation of a categorical imperative, namely that everyone's inherent human dignity has to be respected and protected universally. The preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1946), article 1(1) of the German Basic Law and section 10 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 embody the elements of Kant's categorical imperative. As a result, the three elements are applied as a definitional term of human dignity in German and South African constitutional adjudication. Based on these elements, it can be argued that the current idea of universal inherent dignity, at least in German and South African law, comports with Kant's ideal that man should never be used as a means to an end.
Time and space dimensions of computer laptop use amongst third year students at the University of the Free State
Authors: Hough PA , Nel M
Published: July 2016

TTo broaden the knowledge base of occupation, therapists should understand how spaces, objects and time components support, shape and inhibit occupational performance. The aim of this study was to describe the spatial and temporal dimensions of laptop use amongst students at the University of the Free State in 2013. A descriptive study design was conducted amongst a sample of 216 third year students who make use of a laptop computer for academic and/or recreational purposes. Data were collected by means of an anonymous self-administered questionnaire in which the spatial and temporal dimensions were investigated. Student's postural configurations were identified and prioritised according to frequency of preference. The three most preferred positions during the academic year were sitting at a table on a chair with backrest (39.8%), sitting with one's back against a vertical surface (17.6%) and lying on one's back (11.1%). The median time spent on a laptop was 38.5 hours per week, which occurred in a variety of spatial contexts. Specific postural configurations and time components relative to the occupation of laptop use are conceptualised in this study. Recommendations call for a study to investigate the association between the preferred postural configurations and postural risks with the use of laptop computers.Key words:Laptop, university students, occupational therapy, spatial dimension, temporal dimension, technology.
A life cycle assessment of e-books and printed books in South Africa
Authors: Naicker Vinesh , Cohen Brett
Published: July 2016

This paper presents the results of a study comparing the life cycle environmental impacts and cumulative energy demands of reading printed books (print system) with those of reading e-books from an Apple Air iPad (digital system), with a specific focus on production of books and use of both options in South Africa. The two systems were compared using the ReCiPe midpoint and cumulative energy demand methods. The findings, which are consistent with international findings, demonstrate that the print system has lower impacts than the digital system in the impact categories of freshwater eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity, marine ecotoxicity and metal depletion, whilst the digital system has lower impacts in the categories of climate change, ozone depletion, terrestrial acidification, marine eutrophication, human toxicity, photochemical oxidant formation, particulate matter formation, terrestrial ecotoxicity, ionising radiation, agricultural land occupation, urban land occupation, natural land transformation, water depletion and fossil depletion. The major processes contributing to energy demand and environmental impacts of the print system were paper production and printing. For the digital system the major contributing processes were the production of the iPad and e-book reading. Coal-based electricity and coal-miningrelated activities featured prominently in both systems, affecting environmental impacts and energy demand of products and services in South Africa. A change in the electricity mix to be less coal-intensive reduced the impacts of both systems. Finally, the products demonstrate that relatively few additional readers result in printed books becoming preferable to e-books in almost all impact categories, suggesting the need to consider housing print books in libraries to reduce their relative environmental impacts.
Reptiles sold as traditional medicine in Xipamanine and Xiquelene Markets (Maputo, Mozambique)
Authors: Williams Vivienne L. , Moshoeu Thibedi J. , Alexander Graham J.
Published: July 2016

Zootherapy plays a role in healing practices in Mozambican society. Although several studies have focused on ethnobotany and traditional medicine in the country, little research has been conducted on the use of reptiles in zootherapy. The aim of this study was therefore to fill this gap by assessing the reptile species traded for traditional medicine in the Xipamanine and Xiquelene Markets in Maputo, Mozambique. We found that few reptile species are traded domestically for traditional medicine and that their use appears to be in decline in Mozambique. Our findings also suggest that the domestic trade of reptiles for traditional medicines in Maputo markets is unlikely to have a significant impact on the conservation of reptiles in Mozambique. However, we suggest that international trade with South Africa is likely having a larger impact, given observations of Mozambican nationals selling a diverse range of fauna in urban traditional medicine markets in Johannesburg and Durban.
Two dung beetle species that disperse mimetic seeds both feed on eland dung
Authors: Midgley Jeremy J. , White Joseph D.M.
Published: July 2016

Scarabaeus spretus zur Strassen was observed to roll and bury Ceratocaryum argenteum (Restionaceae) seeds in the sandplain fynbos of the Potberg area of the De Hoop Nature Reserve, South Africa. This species is the second dung beetle species found to be deceived by the faecal mimicry of C. argenteum seeds – the first species being Epirinus flagellatus. An isotopic analysis suggests that both these dung beetle species most likely feed on eland (Taurotragus oryx), not bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus), dung. Thus the model in this mimicry is eland dung; this interaction suggests large herbivores are an integral part of this fynbos. 
Supplementary Video: A Scarabaeus spretus dung beetle burying seeds of Ceratocaryum argenteum: https://youtu.be/C_VFlAcsx10
Unknown primary adenocarcinomas: a single-center experience
Authors: Uzunoglu Sernaz , Erdogan Bulent , Kodaz Hilmi , Cinkaya Ahmet , Turkmen Esma , Hacibekiroglu Ilhan , Sari Ali , Ozen Alaattin , Usta Ufuk , Cicin Irfan
Published: July 2016

This study aimed to elucidate the clinical and prognostic characteristics of a homogeneous group of patients with cancer of unknown primary (CUP). Between 1999 and 2014, CUP was diagnosed in 159 (1.3%) of 11,742 cancer patients at Trakya University Hospital (Edirne, Turkey). Ninety-seven (61%) of the 159 patients were retrospectively reviewed. Among these, 61 (62.8%) patients with adenocarcinoma were included in this study. The most frequently predicted primary tumor site was the lung (37.7%), and 59% of the patients were smokers. There was a significant relationship between smoking and the lung as a potential primary cancer site (p = 0.042). The most frequent site of metastasis was the liver (60.7%). The median number of metastases per patient was two, but patients with liver metastases had a median of five metastases. The overall median survival time was 7 months. Median survival was significantly longer in patients with a predicted primary site than in patients without the predicted site (7 vs. 6 months, respectively; p = 0.038). When the patients with predicted ovarian and peritoneal tumors were excluded from the comparison, the statistical p value was still close to significant (p = 0.07). Multivariate analysis revealed that smoking, liver metastasis, serum alkaline phosphatase ≥92 U/L, and progression in response to chemotherapy were independent predictors of a poor prognosis. The present study identified several independent prognostic factors in patients with unknown primary adenocarcinomas who received chemotherapy. Smoking, the presence of liver metastasis, and response to chemotherapy were independent risk factors for both progression-free and overall survival.
A novel In-situ Enzymatic Cleaning Method for Reducing Membrane Fouling in Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs)
Authors: Bilad M. R. , Baten M. , Pollet A. , Courtin C. , Wouters J. , Verbiest T. , J. Vankelecom Ivo F
Published: July 2016

A novel in-situ enzymatic cleaning method was developed for fouling control in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). It is achieved by bringing the required enzymes near the membrane surface by pulling the enzymes to a magnetic membrane (MM) surface by means of magnetic forces, exactly where the cleaning is required. To achieve this, the enzyme was coupled to a magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) and the membrane it self was loaded with MNP. The magnetic activity was turned by means of an external permanent magnet. The effectiveness of concept was tested in a submerged membrane filtration using the model enzyme-substrate of Bacillus subitilis xylanase-arabinoxylan. The MM had almost similar properties compared to the unloaded ones, except for its well distributed MNPs. The enzyme was stable during coupling conditions and the presence of coupling could be detected using a high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The system facilitated an in-situ enzymatic cleaning and could be effectively applied for control fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs).
Info MIMBARDIK edutainment, Maret 2016
Authors: Mimbar Pendidikan Editor Journal
Published: July 2016

This journal was firstly published on March 11, 2016 by UPI (Indonesia University of Education) Press in Bandung. The MIMBAR PENDIDIKAN  is a new version journal from the old journal with the similar name that was published since 1995 to 2005. This journal is dedicated not only for Indonesian scholars who concern about educational studies, but also welcome to the scholars of Southeast Asian countries and around the world who care and share related to the educational studies in general. The MIMBAR PENDIDIKAN journal is published twice a year i.e. every March and September. 

Bandung, Indonesia: March 11, 2016.

 

Prof. Dr. Didi Sukyadi
Editor-in-Chief of the MIMBAR PENDIDIKAN Journal. 
Sobre el sistema fónico del castellano de los jóvenes de Córdoba
Authors: Urruburo Bidaurrazaga Agustín
Published: July 2016

Sobre el sistema fónico del castellano de los jóvenes de Córdoba
Pliegos sueltos góticos de Praga: las glosas de romances
Authors: Fuente Fernández Francisco Javier
Published: July 2016

Pliegos sueltos góticos de Praga: las glosas de romances
La concepción del modo verbal en la gramática española del siglo XVII
Authors: Martínez Gavilán María Dolores
Published: July 2016

La concepción del modo verbal en la gramática española del siglo XVII
El análisis del género en la enseñanza del inglés general y específico: rejection letters y abstracts
Authors: Gonzalo Abascal Pedro
Published: July 2016

El análisis del género en la enseñanza del inglés general y específico: rejection letters y abstracts
Diálogo entre Nuño Rasura y Laín Calvo: Una interpretación política de la ciudad de Burgos a fines del siglo XVI
Authors: Bados Ciria Concepción
Published: July 2016

Diálogo entre Nuño Rasura y Laín Calvo: Una interpretación política de la ciudad de Burgos a fines del siglo XVI
¿Son los anglicismos el camino del spanglish?
Authors: Díaz Prieto Petra
Published: July 2016

¿Son los anglicismos el camino del spanglish?
Experiencia y experimentación (res/verba) en la poesía española última
Authors: Martínez Fernández José Enrique
Published: July 2016

Experiencia y experimentación (res/verba) en la poesía española última
La concepción del tiempo en algunas novelas de Armando Palacio Valdés
Authors: Ragala Souad
Published: July 2016

La concepción del tiempo en algunas novelas de Armando Palacio Valdés
Historia y Literatura: El nacimiento de la novela histórica
Authors: De Cabo Pérez Gemma
Published: July 2016

Historia y Literatura: El nacimiento de la novela histórica
Las mujeres de Cien años de soledad
Authors: Navas Ocaña María Isabel
Published: July 2016

Las mujeres de Cien años de soledad
Tradición literaria y realismo en Lazarillo de Tormes
Authors: Ragala Souad
Published: July 2016

Tradición literaria y realismo en Lazarillo de Tormes
Eduardo Galeano: la literatura como compromiso ético y estético
Authors: Rodríguez de Lera Juan Ramón
Published: July 2016

Eduardo Galeano: la literatura como compromiso ético y estético
The quest for identify in Doris Bett's female characters: four stories
Authors: Otto Cantón María Isabel
Published: July 2016

The quest for identify in Doris Bett's female characters: four stories
Notas léxicas sobre la documentación medieval del Reino de León: aperos de labranza
Authors: Fernández Corral Celia
Published: July 2016

Notas léxicas sobre la documentación medieval del Reino de León: aperos de labranza
Ego sum papa: iconografía del Papado y tiempo apocalíptico en la propaganda de la Reforma protestante alemana
Authors: Roso Díaz José
Published: July 2016

Ego sum papa: iconografía del Papado y tiempo apocalíptico en la propaganda de la Reforma protestante alemana
The Emergence and Evolution of Palestinian Nationalism
Authors: Sammy Rashid
Published: July 2016

Palestinian nationalism refers to the idea that supports the formation of an Arab Palestinian state with respect to British Mandate of Palestine. In order to test the applicability of the Palestinian nationalism growth, examination of print sources is carried out with respect to Zionism. Its emergence dates after 1967 in the Ottoman loyalty. 1967 onwards marked distinctive Palestinian nationalism, which was at loggerheads with the Israeli state right from the start. Yet, there were differences in how Palestinian nationalism functioned and evolved with respect to the Israeli Arabs and the Palestinian refugees. As a conclusion, a separate Palestinian nationalism took place chiefly to cater to the Zionism issue.