bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Revision of Icacinaceae from the Early Eocene London Clay flora based on X-ray micro-CT1
Authors: Stull Gregory W. , Adams Neil F. , Manchester Steven R. , Sykes Dan , Collinson Margaret E.
Published: July 2018

The Early Eocene (Ypresian) London Clay Formation contains one of the most important fruit and seed assemblages from the Paleogene, including a large diversity of taxa (>350 spp.) preserved as pyrite permineralizations retaining 3D structure as well as anatomical detail. Despite the importance of the flora for understanding angiosperm biogeographic and evolutionary history, the majority of the fossil material has not been revisited since the original taxonomic treatments by E.M. Reid and M.E.J. Chandler. Given subsequent advances in our understanding of angiosperm phylogeny and fruit morphology, coupled with technological advances in imaging/visualizing fossil material, many of the taxa represented in the flora deserve further study. Here we present a revision of the pantropical family Icacinaceae using X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) images of 21 species from the flora. Based on the results, four new combinations are made, a new fossil-genus is established for a distinctive species with affinities to the Phytocreneae, and emended diagnoses are provided for eight taxa. Of the seven genera recognized from the flora, only one, Iodes Blume, is extant. This study offers important insights on the biogeographic and evolutionary history of Icacinaceae, which is one of the most abundant and diverse components of the flora from the London Clay Formation.
Mind the Gap: Investigating Toddlers’ Sensitivity to Contact Relations in Predictive Events
Authors: Muentener Paul , Bonawitz Elizabeth , Horowitz Alexandra , Schulz Laura
Published: July 2018

Toddlers readily learn predictive relations between events (e.g., that event A predicts event B). However, they intervene on A to try to cause B only in a few contexts: When a dispositional agent initiates the event or when the event is described with causal language. The current studies look at whether toddlers’ failures are due merely to the difficulty of initiating interventions or to more general constraints on the kinds of events they represent as causal. Toddlers saw a block slide towards a base, but an occluder prevented them from seeing whether the block contacted the base; after the block disappeared behind the occluder, a toy connected to the base did or did not activate. We hypothesized that if toddlers construed the events as causal, they would be sensitive to the contact relations between the participants in the predictive event. In Experiment 1, the block either moved spontaneously (no dispositional agent) or emerged already in motion (a dispositional agent was potentially present). Toddlers were sensitive to the contact relations only when a dispositional agent was potentially present. Experiment 2 confirmed that toddlers inferred a hidden agent was present when the block emerged in motion. In Experiment 3, the block moved spontaneously, but the events were described either with non-causal (‘‘here’s my block’’) or causal (‘‘the block can make it go’’) language. Toddlers were sensitive to the contact relations only when given causal language. These findings suggest that dispositional agency and causal language facilitate toddlers’ ability to represent causal relationships.
Pengujian Peraturan Pemerintah Pengganti Undang-Undang
Authors: Hsb Ali Marwan
Published: July 2018

Article 24C Section (1) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia authorizes the Constitutional Court to reviewthe law against the constitution. However, when referring to the hierarchy of legislation, the law has the equal hierarchy with government regulation in lieu of law. It makes a question whether the Constitutional Court truly has the authority to review government regulation in lieu of law against the constitution? Based on the research in this paper, it was found that by the Constitutional Court Decision Number 138/PUU-VII/2009, the Constitutional Court stated that the authority to review government regulation in lieu of law under the authority of the Constitutional Court because the substance of government regulation in lieu of law is similar with the substance of law. So, the Constitutional Court has the authority to review a government regulation in lieu of law materially. Such decision is correct; the Constitutional Court has the authority to review a government regulation in lieu of law in material because the substance is similar with the law. While formally reviewing should be the authority of the Supreme Court due to government regulation in lieu of law formally is in the form of government regulation
Chain migration and residential segregation of internal migrants in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Skop Emily , Peters Paul A. , Amaral Ernesto F. L. , Potter Joseph E , Fusco Wilson
Published: July 2018

This paper focuses on the geography of internal migration to and settlement within the metropolitan area of São Paulo. Specifically, the research objectives are to: (1) document the major flows of internal migration into the São Paulo metropolitan area; (2) map both short- and long-term migrant patterns of settlement within the São Paulo metropolitan area; and (3) approximate to what extent particular migrants from specific sending areas spatially concentrate in certain neighborhoods within the metropolitan area using both non-spatial and spatial measures of segregation. The key feature of our theoretical argument is that migrant networks evolve, accumulate, and generate higher than expected levels of internal migration to particular neighborhoods. As internal migrants become increasingly concentrated and a dynamic feedback process emerges between origin and destination, the metropolis becomes both segmented and segregated.
Безбар’єрний туризм як соціально-економічне явище
Authors: Туник Олександр Миколайович
Published: July 2018

Туризм – це галузь економіки, яка постійно удосконалюється та поповнюється новими інструментами задля задоволення суспільних благ. Щороку держава отримує нові виклики, серед яких й необхідність соціалізації різних груп населення, які мають фізичні, психологічні, міжкультурні, мовні або релігійні перепони, що заважають їм на рівні з іншими отримувати стандартизовані послуги. Інструментом вирішення зазначеної проблематики є «безбар’єрний туризм».
Tendências nas Produções Científicas Sobre Diversidade de Gênero
Authors: Vicente Manassés , Santos Humberto de Faria , de Sant'Anna Paulo Roberto
Published: July 2018

Análise Bibliométrica sobre Diversidade de Gênero - O assunto “gender diversity” ganha relevância de crescimento initerrupto no meio acadêmico desde o início dos anos 2000. Devido a abrangência do tema, cabe questionar a que aspectos da "gender diversity" se dedica a academia. O propósito desta pesquisa é justamente o enfoque que os trabalhos acadêmicos dão ao tema. O método empregado foi o da bibliometria e análise textual dos artigos filtrados usando a expressão “gender diversity”. A opção de se pesquisar a palavra-chave em inglês se deve ao propósito de se ampliar a nível global a análise do termo. Os artigos analisados foram os mais relevantes segundo as bases consultadas. O resultado a que se chegou é que a expressão “gender diversity” é consistentemente usada para se referir a diversidade de gênero no ambiente corporativo, e esta diversidade, na literatura revisada é analisada segundo o impacto que esta tem no resultado econômico das organizações.Foi identificado nesses mesmos artigos que o impacto é positivo, ou seja, a presença do gênero feminino nos níveis de gestão melhora o resultado econômico dessas organizações. Este resultado tem impacto nas decisões das organizações ao formarem seus conselhos de administração e seus comitês executivos.
Spiritual group training for adolescences: Investigating the effect of group training on spiritual well-being
Authors: Wirawan Hillman , Jufri Muhammad , Patak Andi Anto
Published: July 2018

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of spiritual group training on improving the spiritual well-being (SWB) among adolescences. The SWB is one of the factors that determines adolescences’ positive behavior. A number of previous studies have supported that spirituality and juvenile delinquency were negatively correlated. The level of SWB is mostly influenced by the peers’ group interaction and the role of others in the environment. Design/methodology/approach – The authors developed a Spiritual Group Training by utilizing a number of relevant literature. The authors constructed the training using the meaning of life, values of life, life goals, life connections, and relation to God. In order to yield empirical evidence, the authors performed a pre- and post-test experimental design. The study recruited 26 randomly selected students from five high schools. The authors adapted a 13-item SWB scale to measure the participants’ SWB. Findings – The results showed that Spiritual Group Training significantly improved participants’ SWB(t¼9.71, po0.001). The results confirmed the study hypothesis that spiritual group training enhanced adolescences’ SWB. Research limitations/implications – Designing a proper intervention and evaluation was a challenging task for the authors. In this study, the authors evaluated the training by utilizing a simple pre- and post-test design. Future investigations should employ a different evaluation design. Originality/value – Most studies support the notion that spirituality is negatively correlated with adolescence’s negative behavior. However, only a few, if any, investigations have focused on developing certain training focusing on SWB. This study contributed an important idea on the use of SWB to develop adolescence SWB.Keywords
Rethinking agency in International Relations: Performativity, performances, and actor-networks
Authors: Braun Benjamin , Schindler Sebastian , Wille Tobias
Published: July 2018

The academic discipline of International Relations (IR) has long pondered the questions of what it means to act in international politics and who can do so. However, the particular way in which IR has approached the problem of agency has somewhat masked important dynamics in international politics. By approaching the question of agency as an analytical problem that needs to be resolved before engaging with empirical material, IR has failed to see that who can act is often uncertain and contested. This special issue examines the emergence of international agency as an empirical phenomenon. Rather than analysing what given agents do, the contributions study how practices, performances and networks create and transform agency. In this introductory article, we prepare the ground for this distinct approach to studying international politics. We review how IR has addressed the problem of agency, and we discuss three social–theoretical traditions that see agency as an emergent phenomenon: poststructuralism, performance studies and actor-network theory. Finally, we highlight four insights that emerge from the contributions and challenge how IR has traditionally imagined agency.
Hydrogen solubility of shale oil containing polar phenolic compounds
Authors: Baird Zachariah , Uusi-Kyyny Petri , Oja Vahur , Alopaeus Ville
Published: July 2018

Many refineries use hydrogen to upgrade heavy fuel feedstocks, and therefore, hydrogen solubility is an important parameter. Shale oil is a fuel for which hydrotreatment is of interest, but no data about its hydrogen solubility can be found in the literature. This article presents experimental data for the hydrogen solubility of two shale oil samples measured at high temperatures and pressures (423 to 527 K and 40 to 140 bar). Experiments were performed using a continuous flow apparatus. Results show that the shale oil had a lower hydrogen solubility than most other fuels, probably due to the high content of polar phenolic compounds in the oil. Removing about 80% of the phenolic compounds increased the hydrogen solubility by approximately 0.1 mol H2/kg oil (which is about 15 to 45%, depending on the solubility). Analysis also showed that current prediction methods used for petroleum and coal liquids cannot reliably be used for predicting the hydrogen solubility of this shale oil and other similar fuels.
Salt Tolerance Mechanism of Sugarcane and Management Practices under Sodic Soil
Authors: Mitnala Jayalakshmi
Published: July 2018

A field experiment on sugarcane was conducted at Anbil Dharma lingam Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tiruchirapalli with the view to identify sodic tolerant variety and suitable amendment for sodic soil. Four sugarcane varieties viz Co Si (Sc) 6, Co C (Sc) 86032, Co C (Sc) 23 and Co G (Sc) 5 and three amendments viz pressmud @ 12.5 t ha-1, gypsum @ 4.8 t ha-1 and bottom slag @ 15 t ha-1 were studied along with the unamended control in the experiment were studied. The results revealed that sugarcane varieties Co G (Sc) 5 and Co C (Sc) 23 gave higher K+, Na+ as compared to the Co Si (Sc) 6 and Co C (Sc) 86032 under sodic soil. The sugarcane varieties namely Co G (Sc) 5 and Co C (Sc) 23 were found to be superior for accumulating more K than the Na+, hence these might be considered suitable for growing under sodic soil.
Effect of Nitrogen and phosphorus levels on oil yield, nutrient content and uptake in palmarosa
Authors: Mitnala Jayalakshmi
Published: July 2018

Cymbopogan martini var. Motia commonly known as Palmarosa or Rosha grass is a tall perennial tufted hedge native of most parts of sub-tropical India. Palmarosa oil has a sweet floral rose-like odour also has notes of rye bread, tea and clary sage. The oil is extensively used as perfumery raw material in soaps; floral rose-like perfumes; cosmetics preparations and in the manufacture of mosquito repellent products. It is used for flavoring tobacco products, foods and non-alcoholic beverages. The volatile oil is used as a remedy for lumbago, stiff joints, skin diseases and for bilious complaints .Considering the importance of this crop every efforts are being made to increase the oil production of the crop by using improved nutrient management practices.
Arabidopsis Transcriptome Changes Prior and Post Environmental Stresses
Authors: AbuQamar Synan
Published: July 2018

Because plants experience diverse environmental stresses which negatively affect development and productivity during their lifetime, they deploy certain strategies to adapt to these threats. One of these strategies is the modulation of gene expression levels during stress conditions. To study the plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses, individually or in combinations, numerous transcriptomics studies analyzing variations in gene expression have been performed. There are different technologies used for transcriptomics studies including hybridization-based and sequence based approaches [1,2]. The hybridization-based approach, also known as microarray technology, is used for gene expression profiling [3]. This technology is dependent on pre‐existing knowledge about genome sequences; which is opposite to the sequence-based approach (i.e. RNA-seq or ChIP-seq) which does not rely on a reference genome to determine the cDNA sequences directly. Recent advances in high throughput transcriptomics have led to a significant increase in generating data with more emphasis on transcriptomics variation in response to an individual treatment than on combinations of treatments.
Internet and advertisement
Authors: Moustafa Khaled
Published: July 2018

The Internet has revolutionized the way knowledge is currently produced, stored and disseminated. A few finger clicks on a keyboard can save time and many hours of search in libraries or shopping in stores. Online trademarks with an (e-) prefix such as e-library, e-business, e-health etc., are increasingly part of our daily professional vocabularies. However, the Internet has also produced multiple negative side effects, ranging from an unhealthy dependency to a dehumanization of human relationships. Fraudulent, unethical and scam practices are also flourishing through for example misleading online advertising methods. Some social and professional networks gather users' profiles for selling and advertising purposes, sometimes by making it technically difficult to unsubscribe. Here, I discuss some of these unethical aspects and propose some potential solutions to reduce them.
اللغة والدماغ
Authors: Teama Abd Al-Rahman Mohammad
Published: July 2018

مقالة مترجمة حول العلاقة بين اللغة والدماغ
بيولوجيا اللسانيات: مدخل للأسس البيوجينية للتواصل اللساني
Authors: Teama Abd Al-Rahman Mohammad
Published: July 2018

مقالة منشورة في مجلة الممارسات اللغوية
التلوث البيئي في المنطقة العربية: سمات ومقترحات
Authors: Moustafa Khaled
Published: July 2018

تتميز المنطقة العربية عامة وشبه الجزيرة العربية خاصة بمناخ جاف وقائظ، ولكن لم يكن ذلك القيظ تاريخياً بالمستوى الذي نراه اليوم والذي يستدعي تشغيل مكيفات تبريد حتى في شهور الشتاء (كانون أول وكانون ثاني وشباط حسب التقويم الشمسي). وتختلط حالياً الفصول الأربعة وتتشابه الشهور في كثير من الأمصار، فلا الشتاء شتاءً ولا الربيع ربيعاً، وإنما تكاد تتحول جميعا إلى فصل واحد طويل متفاوت فقط من حيث شدة الحرارة ومدتها. وتلعب أساليب الحياة الحديثة في استغلال واستخدام وسائل الطاقة والإسراف والهدر دوراً سلبياً في بيئة هي بالأساس قاسية وتحتاج إلى إدارة ناجحة لمواردها وسبل الحفاظ عليها. وتفادياً لمخاطر بيئية أكبر، ينبغي على صناع القرار في المجال البيئي والعمراني اتخاذ تدابير وقائية وعلاجية سريعة وناجعة وإلا فلا مهرب من كارثة بيئية حقيقية على مستوى واسع لا تنفع عندها الحلول الآنية مهما كانت ناجعة وفعالة. في هذه المقالة المقتضبة سنلقي نظرة سريعة على بعض مظاهر التلوث البيئي وبعض المقترحات والمبادئ العامة للحد من مخاطره وتقليل الهدر والإسراف البيئي في البلاد العربية قدر المستطاع
صيد البحر لإطعام بلايين البشر
Authors: Moustafa Khaled
Published: July 2018

ترجمة لمقالة نشرت في مجلة ساينتفيك أمريكان بنسختها العربية باسم مجلة العلوم
Avoid glib terms of development status
Authors: Moustafa Khaled
Published: July 2018

The description of countries as ‘developing’ or ‘developed’ should be used with caution — or not at all — in the scientific literature. These categorizations are largely subjective, as shown by their controversial and inconsistent usage among global organizations. Such agencies have had to deal with substantial geopolitical and cultural shifts since the early (questionable) division of the ‘First’ and ‘Third’ worlds.
الديناميكا الحرارية الإحصائية
Authors: Nasser Ibraheem M.A
Published: July 2018

الديناميكا الحرارية والإحصائية
أحلام اليقظة مصدر مهم للطاقة النفسية
Authors: Rudwan Samer Jamil
Published: July 2018

لم تلقَ أحلام اليقظة الاهتمام العلمي الكافي لزمن طويل، وكانت تعتبر حتى وقت قريب هروباً من الواقع، وتعويضاً لرغبات غير مشبعة، ودليلاً على عدم كفاية ذلك الواقع والهروب منه. واعتبر الإنسان السويّ هو الذي يقف على أرض الواقع، ويواجهه ولا يحتاج إلى أحلام نهارية هرباً منه. وما زلنا حتى اليوم نقرأ أو نسمع هنا وهناك من يدَّعي أن أحلام اليقظة دلالة على عدم السواء والهروب من الواقع، علماً أننا جميعاً نحلم أحلام اليقظة بشكل أو بآخر
العِزّة: تطبيق لوحة مفاتيح عربية ذكية للأجهزة المحمولة
Authors: Bouhadjera Abdelmalek
Published: July 2018

وصف مقتضب لتطبيق باسم "مفاتيح العزة الذكية" لتسهيل الكتابة باللغة العربية باستخدام الأجهزة الذكية الحديثة كالهواتف المحمولة و الألواح الإلكترونية إلخArabic keyboard app for smart phones and tablets based on Arabic Izza keyboard.
الشخصية النرجسية
Authors: Rudwan Samer Jamil
Published: July 2018

تتميز الشخصية النرجسية (الأنانية) بالتعجرف وقلة التعاطف مع الآخرين و فرط الحساسية تجاه آرائهم. ولا يستطيع الأنانيون غالباً تقبل آراء الآخرين دون أن يلحظ الآخرون ذلك السلوك، ويسفهون بشكل غير مباشر آراء واقتراحات الآخرين، ويدعون أنهم يعرفون ما يفكر فيه الآخرون وأنهم ليسوا بحاجة إلى نصائح الآخرين. ويبالغ الأنانيون في إنجازاتهم وميزاتهم ومحاسنهم، ويتوقعون من الآخرين أن يعترفوا لهم بالجميل بصورة خاصة، سواء كان هذا الاعتراف مبرراً أو غير مبرر. ويستحوذ عليهم وهْمُ النجاح والسلطة والتألق، ويعتقدون أن وظيفتهم ضبط الأمور تحت سيطرتهم لأنهم على حق والآخرين على خطأ
بذور علاج
Authors: Moustafa Khaled
Published: July 2018

ترجمة مقالة منشورة في مجلة ساينتفيك أمريكان بنسختها العربية باسم مجلة العلوم
Genetic approaches to study plant responses to environmental stresses
Authors: Moustafa Khaled , Cross Joanna M.
Published: July 2018

The assessment of gene expression levels is an important step toward elucidating gene functions temporally and spatially. Decades ago, typical studies were focusing on a few genes individually, whereas now researchers are able to examine whole genomes at once. The upgrade of throughput levels aided the introduction of systems biology approaches whereby cell functional networks can be scrutinized in their entireties to unravel potential functional interacting components. The birth of systems biology goes hand-in-hand with huge technological advancements and enables a fairly rapid detection of all transcripts in studied biological samples. Even so, earlier technologies that were restricted to probing single genes or a subset of genes still have their place in research laboratories. The objective here is to highlight key approaches used in gene expression analysis in plant responses to environmental stresses, or, more generally, any other condition of interest. Northern blots, RNase protection assays, and qPCR are described for their targeted detection of one or a few transcripts at a once. Differential display and serial analysis of gene expression represent non-targeted methods to evaluate expression changes of a significant number of gene transcripts. Finally, microarrays and RNA-seq (next-generation sequencing) contribute to the ultimate goal of identifying and quantifying all transcripts in a cell under conditions or stages of study. Recent examples of applications as well as principles, advantages, and drawbacks of each method are contrasted. We also suggest replacing the term "Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS)" with another less confusing synonym such as "RNA-seq", "high throughput sequencing", or "massively parallel sequencing" to avoid confusion with any future sequencing technologies.
Exploit and ignore the consequences: a mother of planetary issues
Authors: Moustafa Khaled
Published: July 2018

Many environmental and planetary issues are due to an exploitation strategy based on exploit, consume and ignore the consequences. As many natural and environmental resources are limited in time and space, such exploitation approach causes important damages on earth, in the sea and maybe soon in the space. To sustain conditions under which humans and other living species can coexist in productive and dynamic harmony with their environments, terrestrial and space exploration programs may need to be based on 'scrutinize the consequences, prepare adequate solutions and then, only then, exploit'. Otherwise, the exploitation of planetary resources may put the environmental stability and sustainability at a higher risk than it is currently predicted.
Oil, Earth mass and gravitational force
Authors: Moustafa Khaled
Published: July 2018

Fossil fuels are intensively extracted from around the world faster than they are renewed. Regardless of direct and indirect effects of such extractions on climate change and biosphere, another issue relating to Earth's internal structure and Earth mass should receive at least some interest. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), about 34 billion barrels of oil (~4.7 trillion metric tons) and 9 billion tons of coal have been extracted in 2014 worldwide. Converting the amounts of oil and coal extracted over the last 3 decades and their respective reserves, intended to be extracted in the future, into mass values suggests that about 355 trillion tons, or ~5.86∗10(-9) (~0.0000000058)% of the Earth mass, would be 'lost'. Although this is a tiny percentage, modeling the potential loss of Earth mass may help figuring out a critical threshold of mass loss that should not be exceeded. Here, I briefly discuss whether such loss would have any potential consequences on the Earth's internal structure and on its gravitational force based on the Newton's law of gravitation that links the attraction force between planets to their respective masses and the distance that separate them.
Aberration of the citation
Authors: Moustafa Khaled
Published: July 2018

Multiple inherent biases related to different citation practices (for e.g., self-citations, negative citations, wrong citations, multi-authorship-biased citations, honorary citations, circumstantial citations, discriminatory citations, selective and arbitrary citations, etc.) make citation-based bibliometrics strongly flawed and defective measures. A paper can be highly cited for a while (for e.g., under circumstantial or transitional knowledge), but years later it may appear that its findings, paradigms, or theories were untrue or invalid anymore. By contrast, a paper may remain shelved or overlooked for years or decades, but new studies or discoveries may actualize its subject at any moment. As citation-based metrics are transformed into "commercial activities," the "citation credit" should be considered on a commercial basis too, in the sense that "citation credit" should be shared out as a "citation dividend" by shareholders (coauthors) averagely or proportionally to their contributions but not fully appropriated by each of them. At equal numbers of citations, the greater number of authors, the lower "citation credit" should be and vice versa. Overlooking the presence of distorted and subjective citation practices makes many people and administrators "obsessed" with the number of citations to such an extent to run after "highly cited" authors and to create specialized citation databases for commercial purposes. Citation-based bibliometrics, however, are unreliable and unscientific measures; citation counts do not mean that a more cited work is of a higher quality or accuracy than a less cited work because citations do not measure the quality or accuracy. Citations do not mean that a highly cited author or journal is more commendable than a less cited author or journal. Citations are not more than countable numbers: no more, no less.
MAPK transgenic circuit to improve plant stress-tolerance?
Authors: Moustafa Khaled
Published: July 2018

Thanks to their distinctive mode of action in a coordinated switch-like way, their multi-tiered signaling cascades and their involvement in cell responses to multiple internal and external stimuli, MAP kinases offer a remarkable possibility to be assembled into what we can call "MAPK transgenic circuits" to improve cell functions. Such circuit could be used to enhance cell signaling efficiency and boost cell functions for several purposes in plant biotechnology, medicine, and pharmaceutical industry.
البعد التداولي للنسق الحواري في القرآن الكريم: مقاربة معرفية حجاجية
Authors: Teama Abd Al-Rahman Mohammad
Published: July 2018

تعالج هذه الدراسة الأبعاد التداولية للمحاورة القرآنية، من حيُث خصوصياتها المعرفية المتنوعة، بين أنظمة الحجاج والجدل، وما ينشأ عن التفاعل الذهني العرفاني بين رسالة المتكلم في نسق الحوار اللغوي الجاري على الألسنة، ونظام التلقي الذهني لد المخاطب. وسنبدأ بتوضيح الطبيعة المعرفية والطبيعة اللسانية للحجاج، بالتداخل مع التداولية، ثم نبحث معالجة القرآن الكريم لهذا الأمر، خصوصاً ما يرتبط بالحجاج البلاغي والحجاج الإقناعي، ثم تنتهي الدراسة بنموذج تطبيقي لتحليل محاورة موسى وفرعون الكبرى المتمثلة في آيات صدر سورة الشعراء، مع رصد أهم جوانب العمليات التداولية الحجاجية من خلالها.
Open access, open business, closed fairness!
Authors: Moustafa Khaled
Published: July 2018

A strong trend to move from print to online publication is largely perceived in scientific and nonscientific fields. A growing number of publishers increasingly opt for online publication as an option or a compulsory alternative. From readers’ perspective, this is a highly appreciated facility, but from the author’s, things are different mainly because of excessive article processing charges (APC) that make the open access system sometimes as a hindrance for many authors but a lucrative enterprise for many shareholders, enticing the most traditional and conservative publishers
مبادئ عامة لكتابة مقالة علمية
Authors: Moustafa Khaled
Published: July 2018

الكتابة العلمية هي إحدى أهم دعائم البحث العلمي لنشر وتبادل المعلومات العلمية، بين المؤلف وأقرانه في نفس المجال، وبينه وبين جمهور القراء بشكل عام. والكتابة هي أفضل الطرق ديمومة وفعالية لنشر ونقل وحفظ المعلومات العلمية بين الأجيال وعبر العصور. وتتعزز قدرة المؤلف أو الدارس على اكتساب مهارة الكتابة العلمية بالتمرين والممارسة والخبرة، مع مراعاة بعض المبادئ والأسس المتعارف عليها من خلال نموذج متفق عليه يقدم من خلاله المؤلف موضوع دراسته وفق ترتيب معين يساعد على فهم واستيعاب فكرة البحث ونتائجه، دون أن يكون بالضرورة نفس الترتيب الذي أُنجز به العمل أو تصوره المؤلف شخصياً. وينبغي أن يكون هدف المؤلف من كتابة أي مقالة علمية هو إيصال المعلومة بطريقة سهلة وسلسة تلفت انتباه القارئ وتساعده على فهم واستيعاب الفكرة المطروحة، واستنباط أفكار أخرى جديدة، وهذه مهارة ليست بالضرورة فطرية، وإنما يمكن اكتسابها وتنميتها وتطويرها بالقراءة والخبرة واتباع بعض الإرشادات والنصائح والقواعد العامة، التي سنذكر بعضاً منها هنا لتسهيل تلك العملية وبيان محتوى كل قسم وطريقة كتابته.
Expansins: Cell Wall Remodeling Proteins with a Potential Function in Plant Defense
Authors: AbuQamar Synan
Published: July 2018

Cell wall (CW) performs a number of important functions. This distinctive feature of plants determines cell structure, and plays major roles in intercellular communication and plant-microbe interactions, including defense responses against potential pathogens. Expansins are novel plant CW loosening proteins, are mainly involved in the pH-dependent extension of plant CWs that is called acid growth [1,2]. These plant CW remodeling proteins have important roles in plant cell growth, fruit softening, abscission, and emergence of root hairs, pollen tube invasion of the stigma and style, meristem function, pathogenicity and developmental processes. Expansins are linked with cell growth and CW changes that are induced by a number of plant hormones.
EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE, PARACETAMOL AND ΒNAPHTHOFLAVONE ON THE LIPID CONTENT AND DIFFERENTIATION OF HUMAN ADIPOSE DERIVED MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS IN VITRO
Authors: Jarrar Mohammed H
Published: July 2018

Obesity is a complex multifactorial disorder involving the differentiation of pre-adipocytes to mature adipocytes which is achieved through the process of adipogenesis via interaction with different adipogenic transcription factors and mediators. Many drugs and their interactions has been implicated with the common feature of adipose tissue enlargement through hyperplasia and hypertrophy. Caffeine and Paracetamol are few of the most common used drugs which have been theorized by previous researches to have some influence on the adipogenic process. In our study, we investigated the effects of Caffeine, Paracetamol and β-Naphthoflavone on the differentiation of Human Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (HAD-MSC). Cells were cultured in vitro using differentiation inducing media with and without the presence of different combinations of the drugs. Biochemical markers of adipogenesis were evaluated using biochemical assays for triglyceride and glycerol quantification. Our results show that there is an increase of glycerol and triglyceride concentration in cells treated with caffeine suggesting its anti-lipogenesis characteristics through the enhancement of the lipolytic process.Paracetamol also appears to have anti-adipogenic effects due to its apparent role in suppressing the accumulation of triglycerides. In addition, only the use of βNaphthoflavone in combination with caffeine and Paracetamol, resulted in lower triglyceride concentrations than the latter two drugs alone which may indicate its possible enhancing anti-adipogenic properties is through its interaction with the other two drugs.
A clean environmental week: Let the nature breathe!
Authors: Moustafa Khaled
Published: July 2018

High levels of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and toxic pollutants in the air, water and food have serious repercussions on all life's systems, including living beings, environment and economy. Everyone on the Earth is concerned by pollution in some way or another, no matter where and how the pollution is produced as airborne and foodborne pollutants could circulate around the world in different ways, through for example climate components (wind, rain) and/or import and export of foodstuffs. Similarly to living beings that take advantage of day-night circadian rhythms to recover after diurnal hardships, the environment in its entirety could also be seen as a complex living system that needs regular breaks to assimilate or ingest toxic pollutants produced during intensive and continuous industrial processes. If greenhouses gas emissions and pollution rates continue to increase at the same rates as they are nowadays, uncontrollable climate effects might be inevitable and the air quality in some crowded cities in the world might be hardly respirable in the future. A global "Clean Environmental Week" is discussed as an attempt toward reducing air pollution and CO2 emissions through the interruption or reduction of industrial polluting activities regularly, for a week or so per year, to let the nature 'breathe' and recover from environmentally challenging pollutions. A clean environmental period of 10 days per year could reduce CO2 emissions by about one billion tons of CO2 per annum
An integrated theory of condom use for young people in Sub-Saharan Africa: A meta-analysis.
Authors: Protogerou Cleo , Hagger Martin S , Johnson Blair T.
Published: July 2018

Background: Sub-Saharan African nations continue to carry the substantive burden of the HIV pandemic, and therefore, condom use promotion is a public health priority in that region. To be successful, condom promotion interventions need to be based on appropriate theory. Objective: To develop and test an integrated theory of the determinants of young peoples’ condom use in Sub-Saharan Africa, using meta-analytic path analysis. Method: Theory development was guided by summary frameworks of social-cognitive health predictors, and research predicting condom use in SSA, adopting social-cognitive theories. Attitudes, norms, control, risk perceptions, barriers to condom use, intentions, and previous condom use, were included in our condom use model. We conducted an exhaustive database search, with additional hand-searches and author requests. Data were meta-analyzed with Hedges and Vevea’s (1998) random-effects models. Individual, societal, and study-level parameters were assessed as candidate moderators. Included studies were also critically appraised. Results: Fifty-five studies (N = 55,069), comprising 72 independent data sets, and representing thirteen Sub-Saharan African nations, were meta-analyzed. Statistically significant corrected correlations were obtained among the majority of the constructs included and of sufficient size to be considered non-trivial. Path analyses revealed (a) significant direct and positive effects of attitudes, norms, control, and risk perceptions on condom use intentions, and of intention and control on condom use; and (b) significant negative effects of perceived barriers on condom use. The indirect effects of attitudes, norms, control, and risk perceptions on condom use, mediated by intentions, were also obtained. The inclusion of a formative research component moderated eight of the 26 effect sizes. The majority of studies (88%) were of questionable validity. Conclusion: Our integrated theory provides an evidence-based framework to study antecedents of condom use in Sub-Saharan African youth, and to develop targets for effective condom promotion interventions.
Panel Data and Experimental Design
Authors: Burlig Fiona , Preonas Louis , Woerman Matt
Published: July 2018

How should researchers design experiments to detect treatment effects with panel data? In this paper, we derive analytical expressions for the variance of panel estimators under non-i.i.d. error structures, which inform power calculations in panel data settings. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we demonstrate that, with correlated errors, traditional methods for experimental design result in experiments that are incorrectly powered with proper inference. Failing to account for serial correlation yields overpowered experiments in short panels and underpowered experiments in long panels. Using both data from a randomized experiment in China and a high-frequency dataset of U.S. electricity consumption, we show that these results hold in real-world settings. Our theoretical results enable us to achieve correctly powered experiments in both simulated and real data. This paper provides researchers with the tools to design well-powered experiments in panel data settings.
Declaring and Diagnosing Research Designs
Authors: Blair Graeme , Cooper Jasper Jack , Coppock Alexander , Humphreys Macartan
Published: July 2018

Researchers need to select high-quality research designs and communicate those designs clearly to readers. Both tasks are difficult. We provide a framework for formally "declaring" the analytically relevant features of a research design in a demonstrably complete manner, with applications to qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research. The approach to design declaration we describe requires defining a model of the world (M), an inquiry (I), a data strategy (D), and an answer strategy (A). Declaration of these features in code provides sufficient information for researchers and readers to use Monte Carlo techniques to diagnose properties such as power, bias, accuracy of qualitative causal inferences, and other "diagnosands." Ex ante declarations can be used to improve designs and facilitate preregistration, analysis, and reconciliation of intended and actual analyses. Ex post declarations are useful for describing, sharing, reanalyzing, and critiquing existing designs. We provide open-source software, DeclareDesign, to implement the proposed approach.
Opening Up Evaluation Microdata: Balancing Risks and Benefits of Research Transparency
Authors: Sturdy Jennifer , Burch Stephanie , Hanson Heather , Molyneaux Jack
Published: July 2018

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an independent U.S. Government foreign aid agency, uses a data-based approach to select country partners, and design, monitor, and evaluate programs. With a commitment to transparency built into the MCC model as a means for accountability and learning, the agency has grappled with the ethical, legal, and practical issues related to public release of its evaluation microdata. In 2013, MCC identified key objectives for public release of its evaluation microdata: facilitating verification of evaluation results, maximizing data usability, and minimizing risk to survey respondents. The agency implemented a series of actions, including establishing a microdata dissemination mechanism; data protection principles; an internal Disclosure Review Board; procedures for restricted-access to low-risk data; and allocating staffing and resources to implement the data protection principles. The paper discusses MCC’s experience and concludes with a set of lessons learned about finding balance between benefits and risks when releasing evaluation microdata.
Will knowledge about more efficient study designs increase the willingness to pre-register?
Authors: Lakens Daniel
Published: July 2018

Pre-registration is a straightforward way to make science more transparant, and control Type 1 error rates. Pre-registration is often presented as beneficial for science in general, but rarely as a practice that leads to immediate individual benefits for researchers. One benefit of pre-registered studies is that they allow for non-conventional research designs that are more efficient than conventional designs. For example, by performing one-tailed tests and sequential analyses researchers can perform well-powered studies much more efficiently. Here, I examine whether such non-conventional but more efficient designs are considered appropriate by editors under the pre-condition that the analysis plans are pre-registered, and if so, whether researchers are more willing to pre-register their analysis plan to take advantage of the efficiency benefits of non-conventional designs. Study 1 shows the large majority of editors judged one-tailed tests and sequential analyses to be appropriate in psychology, but only when such analyses are pre-registered. In Study 2 I asked experimental psychologists to indicate their attitude towards pre-registration. Half of these researchers first read about the acceptence of one-tailed tests and sequential analyses by editors, and the efficiency gains of using these procedures. However, learning about the efficiency benefits associated with one-tailed tests and sequential analyses did not substantially influence researchers' attitudes about benefits and costs of pre-registration, or their willingness to pre-register studies. The self-reported likelihood of pre-registering studies in the next two years, as well as the percentage of studies researchers planned to pre-register in the future, was surprisingly high. 47% of respondents already had experience pre-registering, and 94% of respondents indicating that they would consider pre-registering at least some of their research in the future. Given this already strong self-reported willingness to pre-register studies, pointing out immediate individual benefits seems unlikely to be a useful way to increase researchers' willingness to pre-register any further.
Structure and kinematics of the Sumatran Fault System in North Sumatra (Indonesia)
Authors: Fernández-Blanco David , Philippon Melody , von Hagke Christoph
Published: July 2018

Lithospheric-scale faults related to oblique subduction are responsible for some of the most hazardous earthquakes reported worldwide. The mega-thrust in the Sunda sector of the Sumatran oblique subduction has been intensively studied, especially after the infamous 2004 Mw 9.1 earthquake, but its onshore kinematic complement within the Sumatran subduction, the transform Sumatran Fault System, has received considerably less attention. In this paper, we apply a combination of analysis of Digital Elevation Models (ASTER GDEM) and field evidence to resolve the kinematics of the leading edge of deformation of the northern sector of the Sumatran Fault System. To this end, we mapped the northernmost tip of Sumatra, including the islands to the northwest, between 4.5° N and 6° N. Here, major topographic highs are related to different faults. Using field evidence and our GDEM structural mapping, we can show that in the area where the fault bifurcates into two fault strands, two independent kinematic regimes evolve, both consistent with the large-scale framework of the Sumatran Fault System. Whereas the eastern branch is a classic Riedel system, the western branch features a fold and-thrust belt. The latter contractional feature accommodated significant amounts (c. 20%) of shortening of the system in the study area. Our field observations of the tip of the NSFS match a strain pattern with a western contractional domain (Pulau Weh thrust splay) and an eastern extensional domain (Pulau Aceh riedel system), which are together characteristic of the tip of a propagating strike-slip fault, from a mechanical viewpoint. For the first time, we describe the strain partitioning resulting from the propagation of the NSFS in Sumatra mainland. Our study helps understanding complex kinematics of an evolving strike-slip system and stresses the importance of field studies in addition to remote sensing and geophysical studies.
Facies architecture of submarine channel deposits on the western Niger Delta slope: Implications for grain-size and density stratification in turbidity currents
Authors: Jobe Zane , Sylvester Zoltan , Bolla-Pittaluga Michele , Frascati Alessandro , Pirmez Carlos , Minisini Daniel , Howes Nick , Cantelli Alessandro
Published: July 2018

High-resolution bathymetry, seismic reflection, and piston core data from a submarine channel on the western Niger Delta slope demonstrate that thick, coarse-grained, amalgamated sands in the channel thalweg/axis transition to thin, fine-grained, bedded sands and muds in the channel margin. Radiocarbon ages indicate that axis and margin deposits are coeval. Core data show that bed thickness, grain size, and deposition rate strongly decrease with increasing height above channel thalweg and/or distance from channel centerline. A 5 times decrease in bed thickness and 1–2 ψ decrease in grain size are evident over a 20 m elevation change (approximately the elevation difference between axis and margin). A simplified in-channel sedimentation model that solves vertical concentration and velocity profiles of turbidity currents accurately reproduces the vertical trends in grain size and bed thickness shown in the core data set. The close match between data and model suggests that the vertical distribution of grain size and bed thickness shown in this study is widely applicable and can be used to predict grain size and facies variation in data-poor areas (e.g., subsurface cores). This study emphasizes that facies models for submarine channel deposits should recognize that grain-size and thickness trends within contemporaneous axis-margin packages require a change in elevation above the thalweg. The transition from thick-bedded, amalgamated, coarser-grained sands to thin-bedded, nonamalgamated, finer-grained successions is primarily a reflection of a change in elevation. Even a relatively small elevation change (e.g., 1 m) is enough to result in a significant change in grain size, bed thickness, and facies.
Outcrop-scale tomography: insights into the 3D structure of multiphase boudins
Authors: von Hagke Christoph , Bamberg Bob , Virgo Simon , Urai Janos
Published: July 2018

We analyze the 3D geomorphology of a boudinaged amphibolite layer encased in marble using meter-scale tomography by serial sectioning, high resolution imaging and 3D reconstruction of a 2 m³ block from a quarry in the high-grade core of the Naxos core complex. Local uncertainties in the model are resolved by dissolution of marble in selected slabs, yielding a large, highly accurate 3D model.Results show five generations of brittle extension of the amphibolite in ductile marble, although examination of the boudinaged layer on the outside of the block only suggested one generation. Most prominent are the rotated domino boudins, where part of the dilatancy between domino boudins can be shown to be due to later reactivation. Shear fractures between domino boudins have relatively large throw gradients, indicating ductile rupture. Layer-parallel stretch as measured by reconstruction of domino boudins decreases with amphibolite layer thickness although the layer has undergone the same bulk stretch everywhere. This suggests that with decreasing layer thickness deformation becomes delocalized, offering tantalizing glimpses of rheology under metamorphic conditions.