bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Framework for Classifying Interactions in Cultural Heritage Information Systems
Authors: Stiller Juliane
Published: October 2012

With the mass digitization of cultural heritage and the increase of people accessing the digitized memory objects, it becomes crucial to develop meaningful interaction patterns in cultural heritage information systems. This explorative study is based on an investigation of 50 websites from the cultural heritage domain. It derives a framework for classifying user interactions with digital cultural heritage. The framework has two dimensions; the first one is a classification of the interactions and the second one describes their degree of complexity. The strength of this framework is the ability to compare complexity, scope and purpose of interactions across different websites while offering a meaningful vocabulary for discussing different interaction features.
Cultural Heritage Education for Intercultural Communication
Authors: Kokko Sirpa , Kyritsi Anna
Published: October 2012

In this paper, cultural heritage is considered as an important aspect of intercultural communication and social cohesion, both in local communities as well as on the European level. In European societies of today, the role of the cultural heritage of arts and crafts is under discussion. Attention has turned to the importance of conserving and developing traditional knowledge and techniques. On the basis of this and the practical experiences from craft and cultural heritage projects in Finland and Cyprus, we briefly outline the project plan and its theoretical background. The main idea is to develop a European network of craft professionals and craft teachers who will develop and implement a series of training events and projects. Apart from supporting continuing professional development, the network will also initiate cooperation between artists, professionals and teachers. The aim is to create school and youth projects as well as cooperation between institutions in various countries in order to promote transnational projects. Occupation with traditional arts and crafts is not restricted to formal learning but expands to informal and lifelong learning activities. In this context, the transfer of trans-generational knowledge will be supported through community projects.
Science Data Infrastructure for Preservation - Earth Science
Authors: Albani Mirko , Marelli Fulvio , Giaretta David , Shaon Arif
Published: October 2012

The proper preservation of both current and historical scientific data will underpin a multitude of ecological, economic and political decisions in the future of our society. The SCIDIP-ES project addresses the long-term persistent storage, access and management needs of scientific data by providing preservation infrastructure services. Taking exemplars from the Earth Science domain we highlight the key preservation challenges and barriers to be overcome by the SCIDIP-ES infrastructure. SCIDIP-ES augments existing science data e-infrastructures by adding specific services and toolkits, which implement core preservation concepts, thus guaranteeing the long-term access to data assets across and beyond their designated communities.
Protection of Cultural Heritage Objects with Multifunctional Advanced Materials
Authors: Ranogajec J. , Paμaliμ S. , Hirμenberger H. , Vujovic S.
Published: October 2012

The FP7 funded project HEROMAT started in November 2011 and will last for 48 months. The aim of the project is to develop innovative and environmental friendly materials that have chemical and mechanical properties tailored with respect to the protection of immovable cultural heritage assets. Through knowledge exchange among members of the international team of experts, the multidisciplinary research will offer new solutions for protection and consolidation of cultural heritage objects by the development of innovative protective materials: self-cleaning coatings, anti-microbial coatings and consolidants with or without hydrophobic properties, which will be effective for different categories of cultural heritage objects. This project aims to contribute to an efficient and long-lasting solution for the prevention of degradation, keeping the authenticity, functionality and the aesthetic appearance of the cultural assets and remaining their socio-economic benefits. The Pan-European project team coming from Serbia, Slovenia, Italy, UK and Russia, cross-links the experts and focusses their work on the restoration and consolidation of two selected historical objects, one located in an urban (Ba Fortress, Serbia) and the other in a rural (Manor in Dornava, Slovenia) environment, both having continental climate. The targeted surfaces are inorganic mineral substrates of cultural heritage objects: stone, brick, mortar, render and color finishing layers.
Visitor Movement and Tracking Techniques. A Visitor-Sourced Methodology for the Interpretation of Archaeological Sites
Authors: Chrysanthi A. , Earl G.P. , Pagi H.
Published: October 2012

This paper describes on-going research investigating movement and behaviour patterns of visitors in archaeological sites as a way of informing interpretive planning. A critical point of this study was the development of a hybrid methodology for collecting and assessing data on visitor movement around archaeological sites and of the things that visitors value the most during their visit. This paper demonstrates the methodology developed mainly at Gournia, a Minoan archaeological site of eastern Crete in Greece. Apart from recognised forms of observation and the collection of qualitative data, technologies such as Geographical Positioning System body tracking, geo-tagging and applications of Geographical Information Systems were employed. The interpretation of the processed data provided a better insight and an overview of the site's affordances for movement and as well as the weaknesses of the current interpretation infrastructure. Additionally, the methodology extends to a visitor-sourced approach to reveal the site's ‘hot spots’ by combining hotspot analysis with a thematic analysis of the geo-tagged images captured by visitors.
Evaluation of the Envrionmental Features of Vernacular Architecture. A Case Study in Cyprus
Authors: Philokyprou M. , Michael A.
Published: October 2012

Traditional settlements are by definition sustainable in relation to their environmental context and available resources. This paper investigates the environmental behaviour of vernacular architecture and the identification of the different factors that contribute to a pleasant environment and thermal comfort within traditional buildings and their surroundings. This investigation is part of an extended ongoing research programme which is the first research programme regarding the vernacular architecture of Cyprus that includes in situ measurements of temperature, humidity and ventilation using data loggers and weather stations. The results indicate the bioclimatic design elements of Cyprus' vernacular architecture and more specifically the passive strategies for heating (solar gains, thermal mass, thermal inertia), cooling (sun-shading, ventilation) and optimization of environmental microclimatic conditions (planting, evaporation). The analysis shows a relatively stable indoor temperature regardless of the fluctuation of outdoor temperature due to the considerable thermal mass of the structure. The data also indicates that the internal temperature reaches a maximum value later in the day compared with the external environment. This is related to the thermal inertia of the building's envelope that delays the heat transfer from the external environment to the internal space. Through this research the great significance of the internal courtyard was underlined, which serves as a microclimate regulator, keeping the temperature at higher levels than the external environment during the winter period. Taking into consideration the sustainability of vernacular architecture, the essential skills for environmentally-friendly approaches to the built environment can be developed, which will benefit society as a whole.
Rediscovery of the Courtyard, as a Major Intangible Cultural Heritage
Authors: Hadjichristou Yiorgos
Published: October 2012

The radical and huge scale changes in the island of Cyprus, especially of the last century, resulted in a significant disruption with the social and cultural heritage. The paper will focus on the Courtyards as an indispensable part of the intangible cultural heritage which carries invaluable ‘wisdoms’ stemming out form the rich history of the island, the climatic and topographical conditions, but decapitated due to the modernization brought by the British colonization and the well rooted enforcement of the urban regulations of the young government. More specifically it will concentrate on ways and mechanisms of not only how to revive this intangible architectural quality, but rather to evolve it in order to generate new spatial typologies responding to the social and cultural changes in relation to their new organizational and functional requirements.
Cultural Routes as a Source for New Kind of Tourism Development: Evidence from the Council of Europe's Programme
Authors: Khovanova-Rubicondo K. M.
Published: October 2012

Europe offers a wide variety of cultural itineraries that, crossing several regions or countries, provide a living example of the rich and impressive European common heritage. For more than two decades 24 of such itineraries have been jointly collaborating under the Council of Europe's (CoE) Cultural Routes Programme aimed at preserving the diversity of European culture and heritage, and to promote understanding of Europe's history. Today, when cultural heritage is more and more often viewed as a new form of good -cultural good, - methods of heritage management are changing to incorporate new elements, which could help local communities to draw more obvious benefits from their cultural legacy while preserving and maintaining its uniqueness. Often these elements come from tourism: a new kind of tourism, which is respectful of the environment, of the natural and cultural heritage and of the local traditions. This article offers an overview of the Study on the CoE Cultural Routes Impact on Tourism SMEs (Khovanova et al., 2011) that demonstrated how the need for implementing sustainable tourism management practices is growing within the CoE cultural routes. One of the breaking findings of the Study was that, even though founded on social and cultural principles, CoE routes today serve as a source of innovation, small business creation, local income generation, and cultural tourism products development. These potentials are now been reinforced by building in sustainable tourism elements in cultural routes management practices, and by bringing the benefits of ICT and digitalization, following the Study recommendations. The findings of the Study could also help cultural heritage managers and policy makers around the globe to better understand tourism potential of cultural heritage sites, while encouraging respectful and sustainable management approaches.
Arthroscopic reconstruction of the ligamentum teres
Authors: Philippon M. J. , Pennock A. , Gaskill T. R.
Published: October 2012

Femoroacetabular impingement causes groin pain and decreased athletic performance in active adults. This bony conflict may result in femoroacetabular subluxation if of sufficient magnitude.

The ligamentum teres has recently been reported to be capable of withstanding tensile loads similar to that of the anterior cruciate ligament, and patents with early subluxation of the hip may become dependent on the secondary restraint that is potentially provided by the ligamentum teres. Rupture of the ligamentum may thus cause symptomatic hip instability during athletic activities.

An arthroscopic reconstruction of the ligamentum teres using iliotibial band autograft was performed in an attempt to restore this static stabiliser in a series of four such patients. Early clinical results have been promising. The indications, technique and early outcomes of this procedure are discussed.
Low prevalence of osteoarthritis in patients with congenital clubfoot at more than 60 years’ follow-up
Authors: Wallander H. , Saebö M. , Jonsson K. , Bjönness T. , Hansson G.
Published: October 2012

We investigated 60 patients (89 feet) with a mean age of 64 years (61 to 67) treated for congenital clubfoot deformity, using standardised weight-bearing radiographs of both feet and ankles together with a functional evaluation. Talocalcaneal and talonavicular relationships were measured and the degree of osteo-arthritic change in the ankle and talonavicular joints was assessed. The functional results were evaluated using a modified Laaveg-Ponseti score. The talocalcaneal (TC) angles in the clubfeet were significantly lower in both anteroposterior (AP) and lateral projections than in the unaffected feet (p < 0.001 for both views). There was significant medial subluxation of the navicular in the clubfeet compared with the unaffected feet (p < 0.001). Severe osteoarthritis in the ankle joint was seen in seven feet (8%) and in the talonavicular joint in 11 feet (12%). The functional result was excellent or good (≥ 80 points) in 29 patients (48%), and fair or poor (< 80 points) in 31 patients (52%). Patients who had undergone few (0 to 1) surgical procedures had better functional outcomes than those who had undergone two or more procedures (p < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between the functional result and the degree of medial subluxation of the navicular (p < 0.001, r2= 0.164), the talocalcaneal angle on AP projection (p < 0.02, r2 = 0.025) and extent of osteoarthritis in the ankle joint (p < 0.001).

We conclude that poor functional outcome in patients with congenital clubfoot occurs more frequently in those with medial displacement of the navicular, osteoarthritis of the talonavicular and ankle joints, and a low talocalcaneal angle on the AP projection, and in patients who have undergone two or more surgical procedures. However, the ankle joint in these patients appeared relatively resistant to the development of osteoarthritis.
The management of weakness caused by lumbar and lumbosacral nerve root compression
Authors: Sharma H. , Lee S. W. J. , Cole A. A.
Published: October 2012

Spinal stenosis and disc herniation are the two most frequent causes of lumbosacral nerve root compression. This can result in muscle weakness and present with or without pain. The difficulty when managing patients with these conditions is knowing when surgery is better than non-operative treatment: the evidence is controversial. Younger patients with a lesser degree of weakness for a shorter period of time have been shown to respond better to surgical treatment than older patients with greater weakness for longer. However, they also constitute a group that fares better without surgery. The main indication for surgical treatment in the management of patients with lumbosacral nerve root compression should be pain rather than weakness.
Pain management protocols, peri-operative pain and patient satisfaction after total knee replacement
Authors: Chang C. B. , Cho W-S.
Published: October 2012

In a prospective multicentre study we investigated variations in pain management used by knee arthroplasty surgeons in order to compare the differences in pain levels among patients undergoing total knee replacements (TKR), and to compare the effectiveness of pain management protocols. The protocols, peri-operative levels of pain and patient satisfaction were investigated in 424 patients who underwent TKR in 14 hospitals. The protocols were highly variable and peri-operative pain levels varied substantially, particularly during the first two post-operative days. Differences in levels of pain were greatest during the night after TKR, when visual analogue scores ranged from 16.9 to 94.3 points.

Of the methods of managing pain, the combined use of peri-articular infiltration and nerve blocks provided better pain relief than other methods during the first two post-operative days. Patients managed with peri-articular injection plus nerve block, and epidural analgesia were more likely to have higher satisfaction at two weeks after TKR. This study highlights the need to establish a consistent pain management strategy after TKR.
Thermal behavior, structure, and dynamics of low-temperature water confined in mesoporous organosilica by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and quasi-elastic neutron scattering
Authors: Aso Mai , Ito Kanae , Sugino Hiroaki , Yoshida Koji , Yamada Takeshi , Yamamuro Osamu , Inagaki Shinji , Yamaguchi Toshio
Published: October 2012

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) measurements have been made at 200~330 K for capillary-condensed water confined in periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) materials with the phenyl groups embedded in silica matrix (Ph-PMO; pore diameter 30 Å). The DSC data showed that the capillary-condensed water in Ph-PMO freezes at 228 K. X-ray radial distribution functions (RDFs) showed that the tetrahedral-like hydrogen-bonded structure of water is distorted in Ph-PMO pores, compared with bulk water; however, with lowering temperature the tetrahedral moiety of water is gradually recovered in the pores. Below the freezing point, cubic ice I
c was formed in the Ph-PMO pores. The QENS data showed that the translational diffusion constant and the residence time and the rotational relaxation time of water molecule in Ph-PMO are comparable with those in bulk. The corresponding activation energies suggested that the more hydrophobic the nature of the wall is, the smaller the activation energy of diffusion and rotation of a water molecule; this implies that water molecules confined in the hydrophobic pores are present in the core of the pores, whereas those in the hydrophilic pores strongly interact with the silanol groups.
Tobacco Row: Heritage, Environment, and Adaptive Reuse in Richmond, Virginia
Authors: Bluestone Daniel
Published: October 2012

This essay focuses on the adaptive reuse of tobacco warehouses and factories along Tobacco Row in Richmond, Virginia, between 1980 and 2005. This work encompassed an impressive environmental strategy that ambitiously recycled existing buildings and infrastructure to new urban uses. Even while promoting salutary environmental and conservation goals, adaptive reuse, by definition, also pushes buildings away from their historic function and often away from their historic significance; buildings are adapted to new uses for which they were not built. This essay will explore the tendency of the adaptive reuse process to preserve the historic building even as it obscures the building's early history. In Richmond and throughout the United States, local, state, and federal guidelines for preservation and rehabilitation generally give primacy to building exteriors over interior plan, urban context, industrial technology, and the spaces of labor. In treating building façades as the primary locus of historical meaning, historic preservationists often efface the very history that they are charged with protecting. In considering the effectiveness of adaptive reuse, it is important to weigh more than simply what happens to building exteriors. We need to consider the extent to which these projects encourage a capacity for critical reflections on the histories associated with particular places. It is also vital to assess the relationship between those histories, our understanding of the world around us today, and our own agency as citizens.
Revisiting the Middle Way: The Logic of the History of Ideas after More Than a Decade
Authors: O’Neill Daniel I.
Published: October 2012

Mark Bevir’s book stands as one of the most influential recent interventions into debates central to the history of political thought, intellectual history, and textual interpretation more broadly. The introductory essay to this symposium situates Bevir’s position as not only a “middle way” between Straussian and postmodern deconstructive approaches, but one that distinguishes itself from the leading claimants to that terrain, namely the “Cambridge School” most closely associated with Skinner and Pocock. I conclude by briefly characterizing the four subsequent essays, which both engage Bevir’s work through constructive criticism and extend it to issues of contemporary political theory and practice.
The Logic of the History of Ideas and the Study of Comparative Political Theory
Authors: Jordan Sara R. , Nederman Cary J.
Published: October 2012

Mark Bevir’s The Logic of the History of Ideas is highly influential in intellectual history circles. What intellectual historians may not realize is how much influence Logic has for other disciplines linked to intellectual history. Relying upon Bevir’s arguments for the place of evidence, coherence, and non-methodological prescriptivism in the performance of intellectual history, in this symposium contribution I outline what comparative political theorists might glean from Logic for the purpose of developing a more coherent field of their own.
The Arbitrariness of the Linguistic Sign: Variations on an Enlightenment Theme
Authors: Lifschitz Avi
Published: October 2012

From the late seventeenth century to the middle of the eighteenth, an important shift occurred in attitudes to the arbitrariness of the first human words. While authors such as Locke and Pufendorf emphasized linguistic arbitrariness and human liberty, mid-eighteenth-century thinkers highlighted the natural aspects of language and the limited scope of freedom and reason. This change is linked to the contemporary view of the cultural world as a natural artifice, strongly molded by social and environmental factors. The article highlights hitherto neglected similarities between Leibniz’s ideas on language and mid-eighteenth-century theories, by contrast to the usual focus on Locke.
Chauncey Wright: Theoretical Reason in a Naturalist Account of Human Consciousness
Authors: Grigoriev Serge
Published: October 2012

Chauncey Wright was an early intellectual follower of Darwin, and a mentor to American pragmatists, C.S. Peirce and William James. Starting with the discussion of Wright’s interpretation of natural selection, the paper proceeds to outline the distinction he draws between theoretical (scientific) and practical consciousness and the way that this distinction plays out in his account of the development of human consciousness within the context of natural selection. Formulating the problem of reconfiguring the relationship between instrumental intelligence and detached theoretical reason in the light of evolutionary thinking is then identified as central to understanding Wright’s intellectual legacy.
Signaling Creditworthiness in Peruvian Microfinance Markets: The Role of Information Sharing
Authors: Frisancho Veronica
Published: October 2012

Using borrower-level data from FINCA, one of Peru's leading microfinance institutions (MFIs), this paper evaluates the effect on borrowers' access to credit of FINCA's decision to share information on individual outstanding debt records (positive information) as well as group default records (negative information). Since all borrowers were simultaneously exposed to the same policy, the paper develops a creative identification strategy that relies on the exogenous variation of the opening and closing dates of loan cycles across lending groups. A credit expansion effect is identified for some borrowers in FINCA who looked more creditworthy after their positive records were exposed, suggesting that other lenders targeted FINCA clients with good credit records. This credit expansion effect seems to have hurt FINCA through higher default rates as its better clients were skimmed off.
Asymmetric Information And Overeducation
Authors: Mendolicchio Concetta , Paolini Dimitri , Pietra Tito
Published: October 2012

We consider an economy where production may use labor of two different skill levels. Workers are heterogeneous and, by investing in education, self-select into one of the two skills. Ex-ante, when firms choose their investments in physical capital, they do not know the level of human capital prevailing in the labor market they will be active in. We prove existence and constrained inefficiency of competitive equilibria, which are always characterized by overeducation. An increase in total expected surplus can be obtained by shrinking, at the margin, the set of workers investing in high skills. This can be implemented by imposing taxes on the cost of investing in high skills or by imposing a progressive labor earning tax.
Education, Maternal Smoking, and the Earned Income Tax Credit
Authors: Cowan Benjamin , Tefft Nathan
Published: October 2012

We estimate and explore mechanisms of the impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) expansions on the smoking behavior of women. Differential increases in federal EITC benefits by family size in the mid-1990s allow for a comparison of smoking status changes between mothers with one and more than one child. We exploit these changes in a difference-in-differences framework using data from the 1993-2001 waves of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and show that the increase in EITC benefits yielded a significant decline in the likelihood of being a current smoker among unmarried mothers with less than a college degree. Although women with a high school degree or less and women with some college education received similar benefit increases on average and exhibited similar labor supply responses, the reduction in the likelihood of smoking was concentrated among those with some college.
Is The Age-Period-Cohort Model Well Suited to an Epidemic Context? The Case of the French BSE Epidemic
Authors: Sala Carole , Durand Benoit , Costagliola Dominique , Ducrot Christian , Calavas Didier
Published: October 2012

Although Age-Period-Cohort (APC) models are routinely used in time-trend analyses of chronic diseases, few examples of their application to epidemic diseases are available. APC analyses of the French bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic revealed an unexpected period effect, which was attributed to the design of the study, in connection with low BSE prevalence and a short surveillance period. The aim of our study was to evaluate the relevance of this hypothesis, the behaviour of the APC model in an epidemic context (e.g. the BSE epidemic) and the impact of including the period effect in an APC model on the estimate of birth cohort effects. We simulated datasets mimicking the French BSE epidemic and its variable pattern, as well as duration and the surveillance time period, and analysed them with a categorical APC model. Results showed a period effect in 44% of analysed datasets, although no period effect had been introduced in the data simulation process. This type of artefactual period effect was detected when a sudden change in cohort prevalence occurred over a short period of time. Additionally, in the context of BSE, including a period effect in the model may dramatically affect the estimation of cohort prevalence, depending on epidemic pattern and, as expected, duration and the surveillance time period according to the year in which highly infected birth cohorts are detected as BSE cases.
Baer involutions and polarities in Moufang planes of characteristic two
Authors: Knarr Norbert , Stroppel Markus
Published: October 2012

We classify those polarities of Moufang planes in characteristic two that have at least one absolute point. Along the way, we determine the Baer involutions of the planes in question and show that the corresponding Baer subplanes will be pappian or non-desarguesian Moufang planes.
Logarithmic limit sets of real semi-algebraic sets
Authors: Alessandrini D.
Published: October 2012

This paper is about the logarithmic limit sets of real semi-algebraic sets, and, more generally, about the logarithmic limit sets of sets definable in an o-minimal, polynomially bounded structure. We prove that most of the properties of the logarithmic limit sets of complex algebraic sets hold in the real case. This includes the polyhedral structure and the relation with the theory of non-Archimedean fields, tropical geometry and Maslov dequantization.
Fractal curvature measures of self-similar sets
Authors: Winter Steffen , Zähle Martina
Published: October 2012

Fractal Lipschitz-Killing curvature measures C
k

f (F; ·), k = 0; ...; d, are determined for a large class of self-similar sets F in ℝd. They arise as weak limits of the appropriately rescaled classical Lipschitz-Killing curvature measures Ck(Fε; ·) from geometric measure theory of parallel sets Fε for small distances ε. Due to self-similarity the limit measures appear to be constant multiples of the normalized Hausdorff measures on F, and the constants agree with the corresponding total fractal curvatures Ck
f (F) This provides information on the ’second order’ geometric fine structure of such fractals.
A class of lattices and boolean functions related to the Manickam–Miklös–Singhi conjecture
Authors: Bisi Cinzia , Chiaselotti Giampiero
Published: October 2012

The aim of this paper is to build a new family of lattices related to some combinatorial extremal sum problems, in particular to a conjecture of Manickam, Miklös and Singhi. We study the fundamental properties of such lattices and of a particular class of boolean functions defined on them.
Differential diagnosis of pseudotrisomy 13 syndrome
Authors: Carlón Danízar Vásquez , de la Rosa Rodríguez Margarita Alvarez , Pérez Ana I. Padilla , Wallin Ingrid Martínez , Luque Juan M. Troyano
Published: October 2012

Pseudotrisomy 13 syndrome is determined by the combination of three findings: holoprosencephaly, postaxial polydactyly, and a normal karyotype. We report two cases of a prenatal diagnosis of pseudotrisomy 13 syndrome and one case of a suspected hydrolethalus syndrome, another disorder with a similar phenotype and karyotype. Thorough literature search yields limited information, and the genetic cause of this syndrome remains unclear; however, it is thought to be monogenic and inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder. Given the poor prognosis and the easily recognizable malformations associated with this disease, it is important to perform an early diagnosis.
Highlight: 29th Winter School on Proteinases and Their Inhibitors
Authors: Sommerhoff Christian P. , Fritz Hans
Published: October 2012

No abstract available.
Regularization by projection for a backward problem of the time-fractional diffusion equation
Authors: Ren Caixuan , Xu Xiang , Lu Shuai
Published: October 2012

Time-fractional diffusion equations, which frequently appear in the diffusion process, describe the continuous time random walk phenomena. In this paper we investigate a backward time-fractional diffusion equation where one wants to extract the initial temperature distribution from the observation data provided along the final time

t
=
T

${t=T}$

. Based upon the eigenfunction expansion, an analytical solution is deduced. However, such an approach does not depend continuously on the observation data. Hence, we propose a regularization by projection method where the truncated level plays the role of the regularization parameter. Under appropriate regularity assumptions of the exact solution, a uniform error estimate with an optimal convergence rate between the reconstructed solution and the exact one is obtained both for a priori and a posteriori parameter choice strategies. Finally, numerical examples are presented to illustrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Potential solvent for reconditioning polyolefin waste materials
Authors: Hadi Arkan J. , Najmuldeen Ghazi Faisal , Ahmed Iqbal
Published: October 2012

Waste polymer reconditioning was examined by a method of dissolution/reprecipitation on low- and high-density polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). Toluene and petroleum ether, in different proportions, were used as solvents, and n-hexane was used as a non-solvent. Commercial polymer products used on an everyday basis were used with a virgin polymer, to optimize the qualities of the final product, and 98% polymer was recovered in each case. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) images and tensile mechanical properties of the samples, before and after recycling, were analyzed. The potential recycling-based degradation of the polymer was further investigated by measuring the thermal properties (melting point and crystallinity) before and after recycling, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). High reconditioning was observed in most recycled samples, with no significant difference from the virgin materials. The studied technique seems to be viable for waste polyolefin polymer recycling.
Hierarchical structure of marine shell biomaterials: biomechanical functionalization of calcite by brachiopods
Authors: Schmahl Wolfgang W. , Griesshaber Erika , Kelm Klemens , Goetz Andreas , Jordan Guntram , Ball Alexander , Xu Dayin , Merkel Casjen , Brand U.
Published: October 2012

Biologic structural materials for skeletons or teeth show a hierarchical architecture, where organic macromolecules and mineral substance form a hybrid composite material with its components inter-weaved on many length scales. On the nanostructure level brachiopods form hybrid composite mesocrystals of calcite with occluded organic molecules. On the microstructure level several types of materials are produced, on which the electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) technique gives insight in texture and architecture. We describe the calcite single-crystal fiber composite architecture of the secondary layer involving organic matrix membranes, the competitive-growth texture of the columnar layer and the nano-structuring of the primary layer. In the overall skeleton the organic biopolymers provide flexibility and tensile strength while the mineral provides a high elastic modulus, compressive strength, hardness and resistance to abrasion. The hierarchical composite architecture, from the nanostructure to the macroscopic level provides fracture toughness. The morphogenesis of the biomaterial as a whole and of the mineral crystals is guided by the organic matrix and most probably involves amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) precursors. In this paper we review the hierarchical architecture of rhynchonelliform brachiopod shells, which is very distinct from mollusk nacre.
First Principles Calculations of NMR Chemical Shifts of Liquid Water at an Amorphous Silica Interface
Authors: Guo Xiang Yang , Watermann Tobias , Keane Shane , Allolio Christoph , Sebastiani Daniel
Published: October 2012

We investigate the anomalous structure and hydrogen bond network of water molecules confined inside a silica nanopore (MCM-41 type). In addition to geometric data, we use proton NMR chemical shifts as a measure for the strength of the H-bonding network. We compute the 1H NMR shifts of confined water based on a first principle approach in the framework of density functional perturbation theory under periodic boundary conditions. The hydrophilic character of the silica is well manifested in the water density profile. Our calculations illustrate both the modifications of the 1H NMR chemical shifts of the water with respect to bulk water and a considerable slowing down of water diffusion. In the vicinity of silanols, weakly hydrogen bonded liquid water is observed, while at the center region of the pore, the hydrogen bonding network is enhanced with respect to bulk water.
Transient and Steady-State Shear Banding in a Lamellar Phase as Studied by Rheo-NMR
Authors: Medronho Bruno , Olsson Ulf , Schmidt Claudia , Galvosas Petrik
Published: October 2012

Flow fields and shear-induced structures in the lamellar (L
α
) phase of the system triethylene glycol mono n-decyl ether (C10E3)/water were investigated by NMR velocimetry, diffusometry, and
2
H NMR spectroscopy. The transformation from multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) to aligned planar lamellae is accompanied by a transient gradient shear banding. A high-shear-rate band of aligned lamellae forms next to the moving inner wall of the cylindrical Couette shear cell while a low-shear-rate band of the initial MLV structure remains close to the outer stationary wall. The band of layers grows at the expense of the band of MLVs until the transformation is completed. This process scales with the applied strain. Wall slip is a characteristic of the MLV state, while aligned layers show no deviation from Newtonian flow. The homogeneous nature of the opposite transformation from well aligned layers to MLVs via an intermediate structure resembling undulated multilamellar cylinders is confirmed. The strain dependence of this transformation appears to be independent of temperature. The shear diagram, which represents the shear-induced structures as a function of temperature and shear rate, contains a transition region between stable layers and stable MLVs. The steady-state structures in the transition region show a continuous change from layer-like at high temperature to MLV-like at lower temperature. These structures are homogeneous on a length scale above a few micrometers.
HDAC inhibition decreases XIST expression on female IVP bovine blastocysts
Authors: Oliveira Clara Slade , Saraiva Naiara Zoccal , Cruz Maria Helena Coelho , Mazeti Bruna , Oliveira Leticia Zoccolaro , Lopes Flavia Lombardi , Garcia Joaquim Mansano
Published: October 2012

During initial development, both X chromosomes are active in females, and one of them must be silenced at the appropriate time in order to dosage compensate their gene expression levels to male counterparts. Silencing involves epigenetic mechanisms, including histone deacetylation. Major X chromosome inactivation (XCI) in bovine occurs between hatching and implantation, althoughin vitroculture conditions might disrupt the silencing process, increasing or decreasing X-linked gene expression. In this study, we aimed to address the roles of histone deacetylase inhibition by trichostatin A (TSA) on female preimplantation development. We tested the hypothesis that by enhancing histone acetylation, TSA would increase the percentage of embryos achieving 16-cell stage, reducing percentage of embryos blocked at 8-cell stage, and interfere with XCI in IVF embryos. We noticed that after TSA treatment, acetylation levels in individual blastomeres of 8–16 cell embryos were increased twofold on treated embryos, and the same was detected for blastocysts. Changes among blastomere levels within the same embryo were diminished on TSA group, as low-acetylated blastomeres were no longer detected. The percentage of embryos that reached the 5th cleavage cycle 118 h after IVF, analyzed by Hoechst staining, remained unaltered after TSA treatment. Then, we assessedXISTandG6PDexpression in individual female bovine blastocysts by quantitative real-time PCR. Even thoughG6PDexpression remained unaltered after TSA exposure,XISTexpression was eightfold decreased, and we also detected a major decrease in the percentage of blastocysts expressing detectableXISTlevels after TSA treatment. Based on these results, we conclude that HDAC is involved on XCI process in bovine embryos, and its inhibition might delay X chromosome silencing and attenuate aberrantXISTexpression described for IVF embryos.
Embryo implantation failure and other reproductive defects in Ube2q1-deficient female mice
Authors: Grzmil Pawel , Altmann Maria E , Adham Ibrahim M , Engel Ulrike , Jarry Hubertus , Schweyer Stefan , Wolf Stephan , Mänz Johanna , Engel Wolfgang
Published: October 2012

The ubiquitination process is indispensable for proteome regulation. Three classes of ubiquitin (Ub)-related proteins can be distinguished: E1, E2 and E3. Proteins from the E2 class are responsible for the transfer of Ubls from E1 to the target protein. For this activity, interaction with class E3 ligases is usually required. Ub-conjugating enzyme E2Q 1 (UBE2Q1) belongs to the E2 class of Ub-related enzymes and is demonstrated to be involved in the regulation of membrane B4GALT1 protein. Here, we demonstrate that humanUBE2Q1and mouseUbe2q1are widely expressed and highly conserved genes. To elucidate the function of UBE2Q1 protein, we generated knockout mouse model. No overt phenotype was detected in UBE2Q1-deficient males, but in mutant females, pleiotropic reproductive defects were observed including altered oestrus cycle, abnormal sexual behaviour and reduced offspring care. Moreover, in the uterus of mutant females, significantly increased embryonic lethality and decreased implantation capacity of homozygous mutant embryos were noticed. We found thatUbe2q1is not expressed in the uterus of non-pregnant females but its expression is up-regulated during pregnancy. Taken together,Ube2q1is involved in different aspects of female fertility.
Relationship between breast cancer and breast screening in Hungary analysed on the basis of the National Health Insurance Fund database
Authors: Gresz Miklós
Published: October 2012

The effectiveness of different screening programs can be characterized by the number of subjects taking part in the programs and the number of persons found positive. In this study the outcome of mammographic screening in Hungary was examined using data obtained from the National Health Insurance Fund database. The author posed questions whether breast cancer patients participated in screening before the discovery of their disease and, if yes, what was its outcome. It was also examined whether the disease had been discovered by screening or not. The results indicated that the willingness of subjects with breast cancer to participate in breast cancer screening was 38.8%, and this percentage did not significantly differ from that found in the average population. Because the percentage of screened subjects was less than the originally planned 60%, more efforts to increase willingness for mammographic screening should be invested. Data analysis also points out that providers do not always report correct ICD codes to health insurance authorities. Orv. Hetil., 2012, 153, 1745–1751.
The prognostic value of smudge cells (Gumprecht shadows) in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
Authors: Szerafin László , Jakó János , Riskó Ferenc , Hevessy Zsuzsanna
Published: October 2012

Introduction: Smudge cells (Gumprecht shadows) are chronic lymphocytic leukaemic cells ruptured during peripherial blood smear preparation. It has been demonstrated to be linked to reduced expression of the cytoskeletal protein vimentin and its inverse correlation with the clinical outcome of the disease. Aims: Investigation of the percentage of smudge cells, CD38-, ZAP-70-positive cells and the time to treatment in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Methods: Authors investigated the percentage of smudge cells, CD38- and ZAP-70-positive cells in the peripheral blood of 50 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and their correlation with the time to treatment. Results: 21 patients required treatment in the follow-up period. Their median smudge cell percentage was 9.9%, while it was 26.8% in the non-treated group. The cut-off value of smudge cell positivity was set to 20%. 59.3% of the patients with less than cut-off had to be treated in the follow-up time compared to 21.7% of patients with more smudge cells. These findings were similar to the prognostic value of CD38 and ZAP-70. The necessity of treatment increased to 75–77.8% with the combination of investigated markers. The time to treatment was 19 months when smudge cells were less than 20%, but above 20% it was 36.15 months. In case of low smudge cell percentage and CD38 positivity the time to treatment was 14.14 months and in case of high smudge cell percentage and CD38 negativity it was 32.92 months. In discordant cases the time to treatment was 18.43 months. The authors also present a case report that demonstrates the relationship between the percentage of smudge cells and apoptotic cells with annexin V and 7-AAD staining. Conclusions: Estimation of smudge cells on a blood smear could be a simple and cheap prognostic test in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia with sensitivity similar to CD38 and ZAP-70 estimation. Combination of these tests raised the sensitivity of their prognostic value. Orv. Hetil., 2012, 153, 1732–1737.
Oral antidiabetic drugs in chronic renal diseases
Authors: Somogyi Anikó
Published: October 2012

Decline in renal function may increase plasma concentration of several drugs – including oral antidiabetics – with a possible need for dose adjustment in this patient population. In this review, the pathophysiology and progression of diabetic kidney diseases is summarized. Guidance is given about appropriate administration of oral antidiabetic drugs in chronic kidney diseases, based on approved product label information. In addition to pioglitazon, recent availability of the new dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor linagliptin provides another option for diabetic patients with renal impairment without the need for dose reduction due to its predominant enterohepatic elimination. Orv. Hetil., 2012, 153, 1727–1731.
NMR Force Microscopy of Ammonium Sulfate with 12 μm Resolution
Authors: Manzanera Isaac , Markert John T.
Published: October 2012

Position-dependent force-detected NMR measurements on a 25x15x7 μm3 single crystal of ammonium sulfate (NH4)2SO4 were performed at room temperature in a sample-on-oscillator configuration. Force signals were detected with 12 μm resolution in a one-dimensional scan. Measurements of NMR relaxation times T2* = 1.5 ± 0.3 μs, T2 = 44 ± 2 μs, and T1 = 5.6 ± 0.7 s were obtained in an 8-T magnetic field, revealing an unexpected frequency-dependent fluctuation spectrum at room temperature.
Biomimetic Nanohybrids for Combined imaging and Cancer Therapy
Authors: Topete A. , Iglesias P. , Alatorre-Meda M. , Cambón A. , Alvarez E. , Costoya J.A. , Barbosa S. , Taboada P. , Mosquera V.
Published: October 2012

In this work, we have developed a multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform consisting of a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) biodegradable matrix covered by a gold shell, which provides the system with NIR absorption ability and subsequent generation of hyperthermia effect. Inside the PLGA nanoparticle, the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOXO) and the NIR dye isocyanine green (ICG) were loaded. The characterization of the particles, their in vitro cytotocixity combining NIR light irradiation and chemotherapy and their preliminary in vivo biodistribution is analyzed.
Development and performance evaluation of a-Si thin-film PV cell
Authors: Sethi V. K. , Pandey Mukesh , Shukla Priti
Published: October 2012

The increasing demand for energy and the effects of global warming are two major issues. Photovoltaics, which can turn sunlight into electricity, is the most abundant renewable and clean energy source. Production volume of PV modules increases at >35% per year. On the basis of the cumulated Photovoltaic (PV) power installed to date, an annual growth rate of module production of 30% needs to be sustained in order to supply about 5% of the electricity generating power by around 2025. This projection strongly relies on a substantial reduction of the presently high-production costs of PV modules. A possibility to reduce costs is a-Si thin-film PV modules. The specific option of thin-film Si is considered. a-Si thin-film technology works well with both direct and diffused radiation and they are suitable to be applied in shady areas with no drastic loss of efficiency. The efficiency of a-Si PV module is 8–12%. The price of a-Si module is $0·84 per watt (€0·62 per watt) as compared with $1·10 per watt (€0·81 per watt), price of a monocrystalline Si solar module. The energy payback time for thin-film system and monocrystalline module are less than a year and 3·5 years.