bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brainstem auditory evoked potentials features in thalassemia major
Authors: Passat Jimmy , Munthe Bulan Ginting , Mahfuzh Fauzi , Tambunan Taralan
Published: January 2017

Patients with thalassemia major are at high risk for hearing impairment. The objective of the study is to determine the prevalence, grade and type of hearing impairment according to brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) investigation in thalassemia major. A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted between December 1999 until August 2000 in 72 thalassemic patients between 3 and 18 years of age. Only 65 patients were evaluated, because of time limitation. The results showed the prevalence of hearing impairment in thalassemia major was 29.2%. Most of them were moderate to severe unilateral sensorineural hearing impairments. Mild sensorienural hearing impairment occured in only 12.3%. Conductive  hearing impairment was only found in 1 patient. Hearing impairment was frequently found between 7 to 12 years of age (41.5%). Conclusion: the prevalence of hearing impairment in thalassem a major according to BAEP investigation is high and BAEP examination should be done regularly in all of thalassemic patients to investigate early detection and treatment of hearing impairment.
Incidência de pinta preta e características físico-químicas de goiabas submetidas a tratamentos pós-colheita
Authors: Fischer Ivan Herman , Palharini Maria Cecília de Arruda , Santos Ana Paula dos , Nogueira Júnior Antônio Fernandes , Parisi Marise Cagnin Martins
Published: January 2017

The guava fruit is very as high perishable due to its intense metabolism and the occurrence of postharvest diseases. Due to the lack conservation technologies for this fruit, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of alternative products [potassium phosphite, calcium chloride, cassava starch edible coat, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), ethanol followed by dichloro s. triazinatriona sodium (ethanol+chlorine)] and hot water treatments, singly or in combination, in black spot control and the physic-chemical characteristics of ‘Pedro Sato’ guavas. The treatments were evaluated in naturally infected guavas at three maturity stages and stored at 22-25ºC and 80-85% RH for 8 days. The treatment association of ethanol+chlorine and cassava starch reduced the incidence of black spot in three maturity stages of guavas, allowing the increase of fruit’s shelf life, with a delay of two to four days in the onset of black spot symptoms. The maintenance of the physical and chemical quality characteristics of guavas with association of treatments were evidenced by the delay in skin color change, and a smaller decrease in firmness. Correlation occurred between the black spot incidence and the skin color parameter, ie, fruits harvested at later maturity stages presented higher incidence of the disease. The greater efficiency of ethanol+chlorine/starch association in the control of black spot was directly related to the ripening delay in fruits, evidenced by the skin color and firmness attributes.
Tendências dos modelos hidrológicos integrados aos sistemas de informações geográficas a partir da cienciometria
Authors: Caetano Jordana Moura , Casaroli Derblai
Published: January 2017

The remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) development have encouraged and improved the use and spansion of hydrological models worldwide. This development allows the use of hydrological models, simulating watersheds systems operation in a more simple, economical and realistic way. In order to maximize this integration, new computational tools, hydrological models and GIS are being developed. This study aimed to apply the scientometric study to quantify and verify the tendencies of the scientific publications of hydrological models and their integration with geographic information systems (GIS). Scientific papers search was accomplished in Scopus database, using the following terms: modeling OR model* AND hydrologic* OR hidrological AND “Geographic* Information* System*” OR “GIS”, and the data were obtained on September 21, 2015. It can be observed, in general, an increase in the number of papers published according to time, in years (r = 0.96) and the same trend was observed for Brazilian studies, starting from 2006. Moreover, the main direction of these studies is to develop methodologies that could integrate hydrological models with GIS.
Comportamento de genótipos de maturação precoce de cana-de-açúcar na Zona da Mata de Pernambuco
Authors: Albuquerque Aurélia Pietrina Costa , Bastos Gerson Quirino , Dutra Filho João Andrade , Simões Neto Djalma Euzébio , Silva Leonam José , Souto Lauter Silva
Published: January 2017

In sugarcane commercial cultivation the knowledge related to genotypes performance in different harvest seasons are essential for the identification of early genotypes which, when selected, will contribute to a significant increase in agroindustrial productivity. This study aimed to evaluate the agroindustrial performance of 26 sugarcane genotypes and to select genotypes that stood out for early maturation and a consequently early harvest. The experiments were conducted at ‘Olho D’gua’farm in the ‘Zona da Mata’ region, north of Pernambuco state. A randomized block design with four replications was used and the evaluated variables were: tons of pol per hectare (TPH), tons of sugarcane per hectare (TCH), fiber (FIB), adjusted pol% (PCC), soluble solids content (BRIX) and total recoverable sugar (ATR). The variance analysis and estimationof the genetic parameters were carried out, grouping the genotypes according to Scott-Knott´s test and a total economic analysis was realized. The average heritability for TPH and TCH indicates high possibility of success in the selection of early and highly productive genotypes. It was observed that the genotypes RB92579, RB867515, RB75126, RB942991, SP81-3250, RB93509, RB72454 and RB863129 presented better performance for an early harvest.
Cinética de secagem em camada de espuma da polpa da manga cv. Haden
Authors: Dantas da Silva Filho Edmilson , Feitosa de Figueirêdo Rossana Maria , De Melo Queiroz Alexandre José , Guimarães Mary Karlla Araújo
Published: January 2017

Foam mat drying is an economical process based on the formation of a stable foam by beating the raw material with foam promoters, obtaining after drying a product in a powder form. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the drying kinetics of mango flesh cv. Haden with the foam mat drying method at drying temperatures of 50, 60 and 70 ° C, with three different thickness of the layer (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 cm). The mathematical models of Henderson & Pabis, Henderson and Logarithmic were fitted to experimental data and were used as criteria for evaluating the models the coefficient of determination (R2) and the root mean square deviation (DQM). It was observed that smaller thickness of the foam mat and higher air temperature decreased the drying time. Short drying time occurred at 70 ° C, with 480, 660 and 780 minutes for the thickness of 0.5; 1.0 and 1.5 cm, respectively. The Henderson & Pabis, Henderson and Logarithmic models can be used to represent the drying process since high coefficients of determination (R2) and lower root mean square deviation (DQM) were observed.
VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION OF NUMERICAL MODEL OF FIRE AND SMOKE DEVELOPMENT IN RAILWAY TUNNEL
Authors: Cabová Kamila , Wald František
Published: January 2017

The paper describes verification and validation of numerical model of fire and smoke development in a railway tunnel carried out in numerical code Fire Dynamic Simulator. To evaluate a correctness of numerical solution of the model with respect to the mathematical model, results are compared with solution executed in numerical code SmartFire. Influence of mesh size on results of gas temperature in vicinity to the fire source is studied. Validation of a level of agreement between the numerical model and a physical model is performed by comparison of calculated data with data measured during the fire test in road tunnel Valík located in the Czech Republic.
ITINERARIES INDUCED BY EXCHANGE OF THREE INTERVALS
Authors: Masáková Zuzana , Pelantová Edita , Starosta Štěpán
Published: January 2017

We focus on a generalization of the three gap theorem well known in the framework of exchange of two intervals. For the case of three intervals, our main result provides an analogue of this result implying that there are at most 5 gaps. To derive this result, we give a detailed description of the return times to a subinterval and the corresponding itineraries.
Comparison of Reconfigurations Using Deterministic Approach for Global Assessment of Operational State in Power System
Authors: Cintula Boris , Eleschová Žaneta , Beláň Anton , Janiga Peter
Published: January 2017

This article deals with the analysis of impact reconfiguration on the power system operational state. The stated analysis assess results of the simulated calculations of N-1 events with the aim to obtain a more complex view of the security criterion N-1 use in comparison with the current methods and procedures being in practice. Methodologies based on the deterministic approach arising from calculations of steady states with the global assessment of the power system operational states are presented. The article objective is to comprehensively compare the selected operational states especially different reconfiguration variants in a power system.
Specimen whitening: An assessment of methods of ammonium chloride smoke removal
Authors: Shelburne Edward C. H. , Thompson Angella C.
Published: January 2017

Smoking is the process of subliming and depositing ammonium chloride or other white powder onto specimens, and is useful for enhancing specimen relief for photography. Ammonium chloride is acidic and highly soluble in water, and can etch delicate specimens in the presence of moisture. Though many methods exist for applying ammonium chloride to specimens, removing the coating is rarely discussed. To amend this, we performed an experiment smoking a series of invertebrate fossil specimens and cleaned them using eight different cleaning techniques. After undergoing the appropriate cleaning method, each specimen was then thoroughly rinsed in deionized water. Using a silver nitrate solution, which precipitates silver chloride in the presence of chloride ions, we tested the rinse water for remaining chloride contamination. Using this procedure, we found complete rinsing of the specimen to be the only method for removing contamination to a point below our detection limit, although various brushing techniques were moderately effective. Breathing on the specimen, a commonly used method, was ineffective, and likely exacerbates the problem of etching by dissolving remaining residue. We recommend a case-by-case approach to ammonium chloride residue removal, using one or more techniques, while making sure to record the smoking and cleaning procedures in your collection’s database.
Arsenic and pre-1970s museum specimens: Using a hand-held XRF analyzer to determine the prevalence of arsenic at Naturalis Biodiversity Center
Authors: Desjardins Rebecca B.
Published: January 2017

The use of arsenic in the preservation of biological specimens was common practice prior to 1970. Because the Naturalis Center for Biodiversity (Naturalis) has extensive collections from before 1950, it was suspected that it held many contaminated specimens. In 2013, Naturalis tested 220 objects for the presence of arsenic over a period of 2 days using a handheld x-ray fluorescence analyzer, which detects arsenic, lead, mercury, and some other metals on objects. This testing provides an estimate of the prevalence of contaminated specimens, as well as a way to determine whether arsenic had spread into noncollection areas. In addition to specimens, floors, desks, keyboards, gloves, elevators, and lab coats were tested for arsenic presence and quantity. The results indicate that mounted specimens do not spread large amounts of arsenic onto the surrounding areas. However, there was sufficient contamination to warrant concern such that the arsenic-handling policy was modified to include different categories of contamination. From this framework, policy and physical changes to the building were made to minimize exposure by collections staff and visitors.
Accumulation and toxicological risk assessment of Cd, As, Pb, Hg, and Cu from topsoils of school playgrounds at Obio-Akpor LGA Rivers State Nigeria
Authors: Chioma Okereke , Emmanuel Agomuo , Peter Amadi
Published: January 2017

The adverse health effects associated with heavy metal pollution have become a subject of topical discussion. Using standard methods, this study evaluated the accumulation and toxicological risks of heavy metal deposition on top soils of school playgrounds in Obio-Akpor LGA. Results obtained from the top soils, sampled from 10 different schools showed that the concentration of heavy metals assessed, followed the trend; Hg<As<Cd<Pb<Cu. Marginal differences between the test and control samples were observed for the geoaccumulation index of the heavy metals except for copper. For the contamination factor, FCUA had the least results for cadmium (0.31) but highest in arsenic (0.016) while OPS, UDPS and RBPS recorded the highest contamination factor for lead, mercury, and copper respectively. The results for the pollution load index and degree of contamination of the test sites showed that the sites were unpolluted and had low contamination status, while the enrichment factors showed the deposition of only cadmium to be of a natural origin, and the rest of the heavy metals resulted from anthropogenic sources. The trend from the hazard quotient was Pb>Hg>Cu>Cd>As while the highest (0.0213) and least (0.0162) total hazard index value occurred at RBPS and MOM respectively. These values obtained for this study indicate that the school playground's soils are still within the recommended heavy metal content safe levels.
The Krasser collection In the Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Prague – New insights into the Middle Jurassic flora of Sardinia
Authors: Kustatscher Evelyn , Scanu Giovanni G. , Kvaček Jiří , Van Konijnenburg-van Cittert Johanna H. A.
Published: January 2017

Revision of part of the Middle Jurassic flora of Sardinia, the Krasser collection, stored in Prague (Lovisato B collection), containing 23 fossil taxa of horsetails, ferns, cycadophytes, ginkgophytes and conifers. The conifers are most diverse, followed by cycadophytes and ferns. The composition of this assemblage differs notably from the Lovisato collection stored in Cagliari, suggesting that it might derive from a different stratigraphic level and/or palaeoenvironment. The palaeodiversity of the Middle Jurassic flora of Sardinia increases to 46 fossil taxa with this revision. Cycadolepis sp. Nilssonia sp., Nilssonia sp. cf. N. orientalis, Pagiophyllum sp. and Agathoxylon sp. are described for the first time from the Middle Jurassic of Sardinia.
Enrollment and thoracic morphology in paradoxidid trilobites from the Cambrian of the Czech Republic
Authors: Laibl Lukáš , Esteve Jorge , Fatka Oldřich
Published: January 2017

The discovery of the partially enrolled specimens of large, late holaspid specimens of paradoxidid trilobites Paradoxides paradoxissimus gracilis, Hydrocephalus minor and Acadoparadoxides cf. sacheri, together with the investigation of functional morphology of their thorax suggest that these arthropods were able to enclose their bodies. The different morphology of thoracic tergites and different outline of the trunk implies different enrollment styles in these species. Consequently, it is possible to distinguish four styles of enrollment within the family Paradoxididae. This variability of enrollment styles not only extends our knowledge about enrollment of paradoxidid trilobites, but also widens our view to diverse protective adaptations in closely related taxa of one family.
A molecular survey of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato in central-eastern Europe
Authors: Šnábel Viliam , Kuzmina Tetiana , Cavallero Serena , D’Amelio Stefano , Georgescu Stefan Octavian , Szénási Zsuzsanna , Cielecka Danuta , Sałamatin Rusłan , Yemets Alexander , Kucsera István
Published: January 2017

Central-eastern Europe is an endemic region for cystic echinococcosis where multiple species of intermediate hosts are commonly infected with Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato tapeworms of major medical and veterinary importance. Investigations of the genetic variation of 25 Echinococcus isolates from five countries (Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland) were undertaken using three mitochondrial DNA markers. The 18 isolates from pigs derived from Slovakia and Ukraine and the four human isolates from Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine were identified as E. canadensis G 7, whereas the three human isolates from Romania and Hungary were classified as E. granulosus sensu stricto G1. This study reports the first confirmed human case of E. granulosus s.s. in Hungary. The haplotype G7A with two polymorphic sites relative to the most common regional variant of E. canadensis G7 was recorded in both pigs from Ukraine and in a single pig isolate from Slovakia. The results of this study support the circumstantial evidence that E. canadensis G7 with low infectivity for humans is highly prevalent in the northern parts of the region (Poland, Slovakia, forest-steppe zone of Ukraine), while infections with E. granulosus s.s. which are highly infectious for humans are more commonly encountered in Romania and Hungary.
Interpretation und das Prinzip der Nachsicht
Authors: Dierig Simon
Published: January 2017

Davidson's principle of charity says that we should interpret someone's beliefs and utterances in such a way that these beliefs and utterances are, according to our own standards, mostly true. Davidson has advanced three major arguments for this principle. In the first part of this essay, I reconstruct these arguments and explain Davidson's project of a theory of interpretation as far as it is necessary for this reconstruction. In the second part of my article, it is shown that none of the three arguments for the principle of charity put forward by Davidson is convincing. I also examine the two most important arguments against Davidson's principle. It is demonstrated that these arguments are not compelling, too. The upshot of my discussion is that the debate between proponents and opponents of the principle of charity has reached stalemate.
Several Remarks on the Role of Certain Positional and Social Games in the Creation of the Selected Statistical and Economic Applications
Authors: Drabik Ewa
Published: January 2017

The game theory was created on the basis of social as well as gambling games, such as chess,
poker, baccarat, hex, or one-armed bandit. The aforementioned games lay solid foundations
for analogous mathematical models (e.g., hex), artificial intelligence algorithms (hex), theoretical analysis
of computational complexity attributable to various numerical problems (baccarat), as well
as illustration of several economic dilemmas - particularly in the case where the winner takes everything
(e.g., noughts and crosses). A certain gambling games, such as a horse racing, may be successfully
applied to verify a wide spectrum of market mechanism, for example, market effectiveness
or customer behavior in light of incoming information regarding a specific product. One of a lot applications
of the slot machine (one-armed bandit) is asymptotically efficient allocation rule, which was assigned
by T.L. Lai and H. Robbins (1985). In the next years, the rule was developed by another
and was named a multi-armed. The aim of the paper is to discuss these social games along with their
potential mathematical models, which are governed by the rules predominantly applicable to the social
and natural sciences.
Risk Management as a Basis for Integrated Water Cycle Management in Kazakhstan
Authors: Meyer Burghard , Lundy Lian , Watt John , Abdullaev Iskandar , Capilla Roma Jose E.
Published: January 2017

Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM) aims to bring together a diversity of social, environmental, technological and economic aspects to implement sustainable water and land management systems. This paper investigates the challenges and opportunities facing Kazakhstan as it its efforts to move towards a more sustainable approach to managing its finite and highly stressed water resources. The use of a strategic-level risk governance framework to support a multi-disciplinary Kazakh-EU consortium in working collaboratively towards enhancing capacity and capability to address identified challenges is described. With a clear focus on addressing capacity building needs, a strong emphasis is placed on developing taught integrated water cycle management programmes through communication, stakeholder engagement and policy development including appropriate tools for managing the water issues including hydraulic models, GIS-based systems and scenario developments. Conclusions on the benefits of implementing an EU-style Water Framework Directive for Central Asia based on a risk management approach in Kazakhstan are formulated.
Preliminary Discussions on Impacts of Industrial Induced Factors on the Environment of Central Kazakhstan
Authors: Bekseitova R.T. , Veselova L.K. , Kasymkanova Kh.M. , Jangulova G.K. , Tumazhanova S. , Bektur B. , Beisembina G.T.
Published: January 2017

Many disturbances and changes in nature are caused by a number of human activities, such as mining engineering, town planning, and also by the influences of the activities connected to these indusries.

Central Kazakhstan is one of the regions of the Republic experiencing enormous pollution pressure caused by giant industry as the coal and metallurgical, mining and chemical and machine construction.

The article reviews main industrial induced factors that define the spatial distribution of negative processes in semi arid climate of Central Kazakhstan where the intensive mining works have been conducted since 1940s and have led to a change of relief formation, groundwater and soil contamination. The damaged areas occupy vast territories, significantly reducing the habitable space for the population of Central Kazakhstan.

The research examined two environmental components to assess and improve the ecological situation at the mining area: (a) land and water as economical component and (b) relief as main natural component.
Influence of heat transfer on corrosion behaviour of materials for radioactive waste canisters in synthetic bentonite pore water and bentonite suspension
Authors: Stoulil J. , Carreno Y.R. , Pavlova L. , Kouřil M. , Dobrev D.
Published: January 2017

This study is focused on an influence of heat transfer on corrosion behaviour of structural materials for radioactive waste canister in synthetic bentonite pore water and bentonite suspension. Experiments were carried out in special cell on cylindrical sample of carbon steel, copper, titanium-palladium alloy and two types of stainless steel. Samples were subjected in synthetic bentonite pore water to sixty-fold higher heat transfer compared to real repository, and approximately thirty-fold higher in bentonite suspension. Corrosion behaviour was observed in two-electrode setup with platinum wire as counter electrode by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Results showed negligible effect of heat transfer compared to surface temperature.
Determination of selected properties and fracture toughness of HVOF coatings
Authors: Landová M. , Brezinová J.
Published: January 2017

The article is aimed at evaluation of chosen properties of thermally sprayed coatings based on tungsten carbide. It was evaluated two types of coatings – WC-FeCrAl and WC-WB-Co. The coatings were deposited on basic material steel AISI 316L. The aim of experimental works was to determine the quality and resistance of coatings in corrosion environment depending on number of thermal cycles. The quality of coatings was evaluated by determination of their adhesion depending on thermal cycles, determination of microhardness and indentation fracture toughness. Coatings were exposed in tribo-corrosion conditions with the presence of 1% NaCl. The results of experimental showed a higher quality of coating WC-WB-Co.
Scanning capacitance microscopy characterization of AIIIBV epitaxial layers
Authors: Szyszka Adam , Obłąk Michał , Szymański Tomasz , Wośko Mateusz , Dawidowski Wojciech , Paszkiewicz Regina
Published: January 2017

The applicability of scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) technique for chosen electrical properties characterization of AIIIBV structures fabricated by Metalorganic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE) was examined. The calibration curves for quantitative characterization of doping levels in GaAs layers were created. The AlGaN/GaN/Si heterostructures for high electron mobility transistor fabrication and InGaAs tunnel junction for tandem solar cell characterization were presented. The crucial factors of measurement conditions which could influence the obtained results were also discussed.
Core-shell SiO2/Ag composite spheres: synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic properties
Authors: Wu Zhi Gang , Jia Yan Rong , Wang Jian , Guo Yang , Gao Jian Feng
Published: January 2017

Core-shell SiO2/Ag composite spheres with dense, complete and nanoscaled silver shell were prepared by using a novel facile chemical reduction method without surface modification of silica at room temperature. The core-shell composites were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-Vis spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The photocatalytic properties towards the degradation of methyl orange (Mo) of the prepared SiO2/Ag composites were also tested. The studies showed that the surface of SiO2microspheres was homogeneously and completely covered by Ag nanoparticles and the composite exhibited excellent photocatalytic activities. The possible reaction mechanisms for the formation of the silica-silver core-shell spheres were also discussed in this paper.
Thieno[3,2-c]Pyridine Complex of Ni(II) with Unusual Magnetic Properties
Authors: Miklovič Jozef , Baran Peter , Boča Roman
Published: January 2017

Thieno[3,2-c]pyridine (thpy) has been prepared in a free form and embodied into the [Ni(thpy)2(H2O)2(ac)2] complex as a ligand. The X-ray structure shows a molecular structure of the complex with Ni−O(ac) = 2.059, Ni−OH2 = 2.078, and Ni−N(thpy) = 2.124 Ǻ. Electronically the complex behaves like a compressed tetragonal bipyramid. The molecular units are linked into a complex system of hydrogen bonds. Two units show a π−π stacking of the aromatic rings (3.8 Ǻ). There are planes of tetragons formed of the nickel atom with the in-plane Ni...Ni separation of 7.74 Ǻ and the inter-plane Ni...Ni contacts at a = 9.65 Ǻ. The effective magnetic moment shows a gradual decrease on cooling from the room temperature and an abrupt drop below 20 K typical for the zero-field splitting of S = 1 systems. Above the room temperature the effective magnetic moment shows anomalies – a decrease and then an increase.
Strategies for Achieving Accountable, Open and Transparent Government as Illustrated in the Case of Bulgaria
Authors: Katsamunska Polya , Rosenbaum Allan
Published: January 2017

Because of its importance as an institution, ensuring the accountability and openness of government is a central concern of all democratic societies. In this article, we first examine various means of achieving accountable government, both in general terms and as regards specific strategies. We identify three general categories of mechanisms to encourage governmental accountability with a particular emphasis upon openness and transparency. We then review both prior and new policies being implemented by the government of Bulgaria to achieve an accountable, open and transparent government. Particular attention is given to efforts to limit corruption in Bulgarian government through the introduction of new policies in the areas of openness and transparency.
“All Data is Credit Data”
Authors: Rosamond Emily
Published: January 2017

This essay examines new means of measuring creditworthiness, reputation and character online and briefly considers the implications for contemporary art. New technologies for determining creditworthiness abound; for instance, companies in the so-called fintech (financial technology) industry, provide new methods for granting credit to the underbanked, using big data analytics and psychometric testing. Similarly, Rachel Botsman and others envision a future in which reputation becomes a kind of currency, following its bearers from platform to platform. Together, the world of consciously projected reputation-images online and the fintech industry’s inconspicuous measurement of creditworthiness form a conscious/ unconscious couplet of character measurement apparatuses. Character, in these data analytic worlds, acts as a lived fiction, a representation of futurity online that determines in advance one’s level of access to markets and social spheres. How might these emerging conditions change the ways in which artworks understand – and perhaps resist – the demand to be “good” characters online? Some possible artistic responses to this world of character measurement include questioning the correlative logics of measurement itself and testing the limits of creditworthy character traits, in order to demonstrate that credit must always rely on a set of locally shared assumptions as to what might be considered “desirable” behaviour.
Between Nostalgia and History in the US South: Fictions of the Black Waiter on Film
Authors: Kelting Lily
Published: January 2017

In this essay, I examine frictions between the past, present and future which, in the tension between them, generate fictions which conflate not only Southern nostalgia with history but undergird American exceptionalism more broadly. These fictions generated by the rubbing together of past and present are not only nostalgic for a past that never existed but actively anti-historical, supplanting discrete periods in the history of the U.S. South (such as slavery, the Jim Crow Era, and the present day) with an intentionally confounded “temporal estrangement”. To trace the fault-lines at which nostalgia and history chafe against each other, I focus on the figure of the black waiter.

As to my choice of the word black instead of African-American: as this article focuses explicitly on racial divides in American Southern history, I have chosen to use the word black rather than African-American. I see this move as a way to emphasize the lived consequences of racial difference for black Americans in the time period I analyze here – effects which, like the murder of Booker Wright, do not live in the hybrid space of the hyphen.

My primary case study is Paula Deen’s legal deposition, taken in Savannah in 2013 after almost three years of legal proceedings. But in order to situate Deen’s fictions more fully within and beyond the context of the U.S. South, I read this deposition through and against two films, one largely-forgotten documentary, Mississippi: An Inside Story and one blockbuster, Forrest Gump.
Appearance of a Robot Affects the Impact of its Behaviour on Perceived Trustworthiness and Empathy
Authors: Złotowski Jakub , Sumioka Hidenobu , Nishio Shuichi , Glas Dylan F. , Bartneck Christoph , Ishiguro Hiroshi
Published: January 2017

An increasing number of companion robots have started reaching the public in the recent years. These robots vary in their appearance and behavior. Since these two factors can have an impact on lasting human–robot relationships, it is important to understand their effect for companion robots.We have conducted an experiment that evaluated the impact of a robot’s appearance and its behaviour in repeated interactions on its perceived empathy, trustworthiness and anxiety experienced by a human. The results indicate that a highly humanlike robot is perceived as less trustworthy and empathic than a more machinelike robot. Moreover, negative behaviour of a machinelike robot reduces its trustworthiness and perceived empathy stronger than for highly humanlike robot. In addition, we found that a robot which disapproves of what a human says can induce anxiety felt towards its communication capabilities. Our findings suggest that more machinelike robots can be more suitable as companions than highly humanlike robots. Moreover, a robot disagreeing with a human interaction partner should be able to provide feedback on its understanding of the partner’s message in order to reduce her anxiety.
Influence of titanium dioxide modification on the antibacterial properties
Authors: Rokicka Paulina , Markowska-Szczupak Agata , Kowalczyk Łukasz , Kowalska Ewa , Morawski Antoni W.
Published: January 2017

Antibacterial properties of 15 titania photocatalysts, mono- and dual-modified with nitrogen and carbon were examined. Amorphous TiO2, supplied by Azoty Group Chemical Factory Police S.A., was used as titania source (Ar-TiO2, C-TiO2, N-TiO2 and N,C-TiO2 calcined at 300°C, 400°C, 500°C, 600°C, 700°C). The disinfection ability was examined against Escherichia coli K12 under irradiation with UV and artificial sunlight and in dark conditions. It has been found the development of new photocatalysts with enhanced interaction ability with microorganisms might be a useful strategy to improve disinfection method conducted under artificial sunlight irradiation. The efficiency of disinfection process conducted under artificial sunlight irradiation with carbon (C-TiO2) and carbon/nitrogen (N,C-TiO2) photocatalysts was similar as obtained under UV irradiation. Furthermore, during dark incubation, any toxicity of the photocatalyst was noted.
Oxidative decomposition of methanol in a vibroacoustic fluidized bed of Ag-coated cenosphere core-shell catalyst
Authors: Berkowicz Gabriela , Żukowski Witold , Baron Jerzy
Published: January 2017

The paper presents results of a study of oxidative decomposition of methanol in a fluidized bed of silver catalyst. The process of methanol oxidation was carried out on Ag-coated cenospheres core-shell catalyst. The catalyst was obtained by precipitation of silver from methanolic solution of silver nitrate on cenospheres. Cenospheres are lightweight, inert, hollow spheres, which can be easily introduced into a fluidized bed. Application of the catalyst in a form of fluidized bed should ensure good temperature equalization which is very important at low temperatures due to the possibility of generation of formaldehyde. It turned out that local hot points occur in that kind of a catalyst (in the form of a fluidized bed but with very low density), thus use of additional acoustic wave is necessary to ensure good control over the temperature of the process. The products of the process of methanol oxidation were monitored on-line by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The catalyst has proven to be highly active in the oxidative decomposition of methanol. Full of methanol conversion in reaction of complete oxidation was achieved at 350°C.
Feasibility of municipal solid waste (MSW) as energy sources for Saudi Arabia’s future Reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants
Authors: Agboola Phillips O. , Saleh Jehad
Published: January 2017

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) generates between 1.4–1.75 kg/person/day of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) that accounts for over 16 million tons of MSW/year. The solid waste collected from different sources is dumped in landfills, thereby creating environmental concerns. In this paper, the potential of solid waste as an energy source (Waste to Energy (WTE)) for Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purification was evaluated. The KSA is known for its acute fresh water shortages and uses desalination technology in meeting its daily water requirements; a process that is energy intensive. The evaluation of the energy content of MSW shows a potential to produce about 927 MW in 2015, based on a total mass burn, and about 1,692 MW in 2032. The MSW-WTE plants can produce about 1.5% of the targeted 120 GW of energy for 2032. For the R.O system, it will give approximately 16.8% of the daily fresh water needed for total mass burn and 2.4% with the recycling option.
Efficient method for Knoevenagel condensation in aqueous solution of amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs)
Authors: Ossowicz Paula , Rozwadowski Zbigniew , Gano Marcin , Janus Ewa
Published: January 2017

This work reports on the use of the amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs) which have been used as catalysts in Knoevenagel condensation of various aldehydes with malononitrile. For research we use tetrabutylammonium ionic liquids based on eight natural amino acids. The reaction was carried out in an aqueous medium. Using water as solvent provided efficient and simple method of isolation of pure product with high yield. Moreover, amino acid ionic liquid dissolved in water could be reused many times without any loss of its catalytic activity. The influence of the anion was studied. Moreover the effect of technological parameters such as: the temperature, the catalyst content, and the reaction time on yield of reaction were investigated.
Cerebral mTOR signal and pro-inflammatory cytokines in Alzheimer’s disease rats
Authors: Wang Xu , Li Guang-Jian , Hu Hai-Xia , Ma Chi , Ma Di-Hui , Liu Xiao-Liang , Jiang Xiao-Ming
Published: January 2017

As a part of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) development the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has been reported to play a crucial role in regulating cognition and can be used as a neuronal marker. Neuro-inflammation is also a cause of the pathophysiological process in AD. Thus, we examined the protein expression levels of mTOR and its downstream pathways as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines (PICs) in the brain of AD rats. We further examined the effects of blocking mTOR on PICs, namely IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. Our results showed that the protein expression of p-mTOR, mTOR-mediated phosphorylation of 4E-binding protein 4 (4E-BP1) and p70 ribosomal S6 protein kinase 1 (S6K1) pathways were amplified in the hippocampus of AD rats compared with controls. Blocking mTOR by using rapamycin selectively enhanced activities of IL-6 and TNF-α signaling pathways, which was accompanied with an increase of Caspase-3, indicating cellular apoptosis and worsened learning performance. In conclusion, our data for the first time revealed specific signaling pathways engaged in the development of AD, including a regulatory role by the activation of mTOR in PIC mechanisms. Stimulation of mTOR is likely to play a beneficial role in modulating neurological deficits in AD.Targeting one or more of these signaling molecules may present with new opportunities for treatment and clinical management of AD
Complex Visual Motion Representation in Mouse Area V1
Authors: Palagina Ganna , Meyer Jochen F. , Smirnakis Stelios M.
Published: January 2017

Rodent visual cortex has a hierarchical architecture similar to that of higher mammals (Coogan and Burkhalter, 1993; Marshel et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2012). Although notable differences exist between the species in terms or receptive field sizes and orientation map organization (Dräger, 1975; Gattass et al., 1987; Van den Bergh et al., 2010), mouse V1 is thought to respond to local orientation and visual motion elements rather than to global patterns of motion, similar to V1 in higher mammals (Niell and Stryker, 2008; Bonin et al., 2011). However, recent results are inconclusive: some argue mouse V1 is analogous to monkey V1 (Juavinett and Callaway, 2015); others argue that it displays complex motion responses (Muir et al., 2015). We used type I plaids formed by the additive superposition of moving gratings (Adelson and Movshon, 1982; Movshon et al., 1985; Albright and Stoner, 1995) to investigate this question. We show that mouse V1 contains a considerably smaller fraction of component-motion-selective neurons (∼17% vs ∼84%), and a larger fraction of pattern-motion-selective neurons (∼10% vs <1.3%) compared with primate/cat V1. The direction of optokinetic nystagmus correlates with visual perception in higher mammals (Fox et al., 1975; Logothetis and Schall, 1990; Wei and Sun, 1998; Watanabe, 1999; Naber et al., 2011). Measurement of optokinetic responses to plaid stimuli revealed that mice demonstrate bistable perception, sometimes tracking individual stimulus components and others the global pattern of motion. Moreover, bistable optokinetic responses cannot be entirely attributed to subcortical circuitry as V1 lesions alter the fraction of responses occurring along pattern versus component motion. These observations suggest that area V1 input contributes to complex motion perception in the mouse.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTArea V1 in the mouse is hierarchically similar but not necessarily identical to area V1 in cats and primates. Here we demonstrate that area V1 neurons process complex motion plaid stimuli differently in mice versus in cats or primates. Specifically, a smaller proportion of mouse V1 cells are sensitive to component motion, and a larger proportion to pattern motion than are found in area V1 of cats/primates. Furthermore, we demonstrate for the first time that mice exhibit bistable visual perception of plaid stimuli, and that this depends, at least in part, on area V1 input. Finally, we suggest that the relative proportion of component-motion-selective responses to pattern-motion-selective responses in mouse V1 may bias visual perception, as evidenced by changes in the direction of elicited optokinetic responses.
Anthropologist as Court Jester
Authors: Scheper-Hughes Nancy
Published: January 2017

This autobiopic piece chronicles Scheper-Hughes’s early voluntary service with the Peace Corp in Brazil, followed by her early academic career and coming to Berkeley, and then her ongoing engagement and activism in standing up for, and standing with, others. This welled up into community activism and advocacy for the homeless together with Berkeley Catholic Workers, eventually resulting in a café inside of Berkeley’s People’s Park in 1989, providing rationale for Scheper-Hughes’s own well-known applied anthropology and activism, which has made her famous as one of today’s leading anthropologists.
The Sovereign States of Vietnam, 1945–1955
Authors: Reilly Brett
Published: January 2017

This paper revisits the “bricolage” State of Vietnam and the fractured system of sovereignty that characterized its halting practice of sovereignty at the ground level during the First Indochina War. In addition, it examines how the French Union’s concept of shared external sovereignty became discredited by the end of the war.
Partisan to Sovereign
Authors: Li Kevin
Published: January 2017

The decade following the end of World War II saw the rise of the Bình Xuyên as a formidable military and political force. How did the Bình Xuyên emerge as local sovereigns? Eschewing the predominant “criminal” framework that has dominated our understanding of the group’s ascent, this article shows that competition to court the Bình Xuyên between the southern DRV and the French-sponsored Vietnamese governments as well as power struggles within those same state entities strengthened the Bình Xuyên’s local power. This pattern of interstate and intrastate competition in the early years of the First Indochina War laid the foundation for the group’s contentious relationship with its nominal Franco-Vietnamese patrons after its ralliement in 1948.
French Colonial State, Vietnamese Civil Society
Authors: Nguyen Martina Thucnhi
Published: January 2017

In 1937, leading members of the Self-Strength Literary Group [Tự Lực Văn Đoàn], together with a number of Hà Nội’s Western-educated architects and intellectuals, founded the League of Light [Hội Ánh Sáng or Đoàn Ánh Sáng] to combat unsanitary housing. This study traces the league’s brief history, from its inception in December 1936 to its gradual demise sometime in the early 1940s. It argues that the leaders of the League of Light were interested in more than simply improving the living conditions of impoverished Vietnamese; they aspired to carve out a pluralistic public space for civic collective action, where one had barely existed before. For the peasant masses, the league wanted to change how they thought and behaved by manipulating the physical space in which they lived. For educated urban elites, their participation in the organization served to generate modern ideas of community, civic duty, and social responsibility. Through the restructuring and regulation of everyday life, the league’s founders aspired to shape social order through the establishment of a Vietnamese civil society.
Nhân Văn Giai Phẩm on Trial
Authors: Zinoman Peter
Published: January 2017

On January 19, 1960, the People’s Court of Hà Nội of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) staged a show-trial for five defendants accused of participating in the famous domestic political protest movement known as Nhân Văn - Giai Phẩm. The defendants included the well-known political activist Nguyễn Hữu Đang and the celebrated female writer Thụy An, both of whom were found guilty and issued fifteen-year prison sentences. Based on a lengthy report about this case authored by the judge who presided at the trial and only recently unearthed from state archives in Hà Nội, this paper illuminates for the first time the mysterious inner workings of this notorious judicial proceeding. It also sheds light on the nature of Vietnamese communist legal culture and on the relative power of the party and the state during this formative period in the history of the DRV.
State Socialism and the Legal Subject in Đổi Mới Literature
Authors: Luu Trinh My
Published: January 2017

This essay examines the unprecedented rise during Đổi Mới [Renovation] of a legal-literary discourse that brought about, for the first time, the socialist legal subject in Vietnamese literature. It also analyzes Dương Thu Hương’s Những Thiên Đường Mù [Paradise of the Blind] (1988), a novel that occupies the very center of Renovation politics for the way it imagines the 1950s land reform in North Vietnam as the foundational moment for the emergence of the socialist legal subject.
The Revolutionary Path to State Formation in Vietnam
Authors: Vu Tuong
Published: January 2017

This essay examines the revolutionary path of modern state formation in Vietnam under the Vietnamese Communist Party. I argue that the party’s radical ideology and practices shaped the path of state formation by creating particular opportunities and conundrums in five key aspects of state formation: legitimization, establishing sovereignty, territorialization, creating a centralized bureaucracy, and monopolizing violence. The revolutionary state left behind significant and adverse legacies that today’s Vietnam is still grappling with. In comparative perspective, the Vietnamese experience contributes to scholarship on revolutions, revolutionary state-building, and the role of revolutions in world politics.