bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
International Constitutional Law – Inclusive, but Still Selective?
Authors: Köbler Judith
Published: October 2017

Developing international constitutional law, apart from difficulties concerning its definition, faces certain well-known problems – ranging from its pluralistic mode of creation to its enforceability, but has also to scrutinise its aims. If its aim is to at least provide a global reference framework for constitutional principles and concepts – since serving as a common set of values does reach its own limits rather quickly eg concerning fundamental issues such as the role of women in society or sustainability – it has to be inclusive in nature. Certain areas of international law, such as human rights – via Universal Periodic Review or treaty monitoring bodies such as CAT – or WTO law interact closely with national constitutional and/or regional international law (ECHR) and or regional constitutional/public law (eg EU Law). Therefore, their ideas may be taken up – voluntarily through courts or academia, due to examination mechanisms through governments or tribunals – be modified (if necessary to fit into a national constitutional system or supranational constitutional framework) and transported back into the global community (eg as feedback within a WTO case or an UPR). This, however, is event driven. Therefore, it cannot be a carefully conceptualised coherent law such as national constitutions. National (and land constitutions, which may also provide important ideals) constitutions in general serve several functions: as set of values eg in the area of fundamental rights, for structuring the state functions by setting up institutions and modes of operation, and as reference for the interpretation of norms eg in court cases. Their overall purpose is to provide a coherent inner regime. Nevertheless, by promoting certain selected ‘institutionalisable’ constitutional ideas (for example through the rule of law initiative) we can aim to strive from a fragmented towards a more coherent global framework.
The Politics of Global Constitutionalism
Authors: Krivenko Ekaterina Yahyaoui
Published: October 2017

The article argues that no understanding of global constitutionalism will be complete without a thorough discussion of its political dimension. The current state of scholarship on global constitutionalism is dominated by discussions of legal elements. However, any theory of global constitutionalism has an underlying vision of the political. Without discussing this underlying vision of the political global constitutionalism will remain incomplete. In particular the article demonstrates that the contemporary debates on global constitutionalism are plagued by a contradiction between its aims and its underlying vision of the political. Thus, global constitutionalism postulates individuals as central units of its concern. However, by maintaining states as central actors although in a changed form and with fewer powers global constitutionalism unwittingly subscribes to a vision of the political anchored in the state form and based on the exclusion/inclusion dynamic. This vision of the political is most clearly articulated by Carl Schmitt. The discussion of his view of the political demonstrates that the political based on the state form makes the project of global constitutionalism impossible. The only way forward is an open discussion of different visions of the political and a search for a more adequate vision of the political able to further the aims of global constitutionalism and its focus on individuals. The article discusses one of these alternative visions of the political, namely the concept of the coming politics and coming community as articulated by Giorgio Agamben. It demonstrates how with this vision of the political the project of global constitutionalism can conceive of a political community fully dedicated to the singularities of each individual human being without creating divisions. The article concludes that in order for global constitutionalism to continue as a viable project, an open and explicit discussion of the political is called for.
The Judicial Dialogue in Europe
Authors: Poli Maria Daniela
Published: October 2017

The increasing interdependence among different legal orders makes the role of jurisprudence ever more vital in the European constitutional space. As a consequence, the judicial dialogue is at the centre of academic debates. However, it is still an unclear concept, enveloped by a cloud of scepticism. Starting from the main criticism based on the number of judicial conflicts, the article aims to add clarity to the concept by analysing the nature and the dimension of the phenomenon, with particular attention paid to the importance of the homogeneity created by judges.
The Romanian Constitution and Civic Engagement
Authors: Blokker Paul
Published: October 2017

The article discusses civic engagement in Romanian constitutionalism. First, I briefly discuss theoretical dimensions of the relation between citizens and constitutional change. Second, the Romanian Constitution will be analyzed in terms of formal constitutional instruments of civic participation. Third, civic engagement in constitution-making and constitutional reform since 1991 will be studied. I will conclude that in the early years of Romanian democratic constitutionalism, citizens’ formal possibilities and actual capacities for engagement in constitutional politics have been severely limited. Civic participation has, however, become more promising and prominent in the 2003 and 2013 reform processes. The Romanian dual experience with the Forum Constituţional ought to be studied as part of a larger wave of participatory constitutional reform in Europe, which also helps to bring out a more general problem of such reform, ie, the lack of formal institutionalization of civic participation.
Regional Economic Integration and the Reality of Strong National Constitutional Powers in South America. A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Lizarazo Rodríguez Liliana , De Lombaerde Philippe
Published: October 2017

This paper contributes to the discussion on the potential of today’s regional economic integration projects in South America. The starting point is a global mapping exercise of constitutional references to regionalism, which allows locating and typifying the South American constitutional contexts in comparison to global patterns. This global analysis is then connected to the context of South American constitutionalism, on the one hand, and the institutionalization of the various sub-regional economic integration schemes, on the other. The article finds that although South American constitutions refer more frequently to regionalism than the global average and incorporate clauses that promote regional cooperation and integration, very often these clauses are compensated by other clauses that seek the protection of national sovereignty and safeguard the absolute supremacy of the national constitutional framework. This helps to explain the inherent limitations of South American regional economic integration projects towards the future, and non-compliance with regional rules in the past.
Austrian Constitutional Court: Constitutionality of the Obligation to Bear Costs in Criminal Proceedings
Authors: Eller Mathias
Published: October 2017

The Austrian Constitutional Court ruled on applications alleging infringements of fundamental rights and on the constitutionality of the obligation to bear costs in criminal proceedings as stipulated in the Austrian Code of Criminal Procedure. The Court, however, dismissed the applications and stated that acquitted persons in criminal proceedings are generally not entitled to any reimbursement. Neither the Equality Clause nor other fundamental rights, including those safeguarded in the ECHR, have been infringed by the provisions in question.
Austrian Constitutional Court: Considering Climate Change as a Public Interest is Arbitrary – Refusal of Third Runway Permit Annulled
Authors: Hollaus Birgit
Published: October 2017

In the present case, the Constitutional Court found that in having considered climate change as public interest opposing the permitting of a third runway at Vienna International Airport, the deciding court had comprehensively misjudged the applicable law and thus acted arbitrarily. ‘Climate change’, the public interest in climate protection respectively, is not a public interest reflected in the Austrian Aviation Act, which the deciding court relied upon; interpreting the Act in light of the Austrian Federal Constitutional Act on Sustainability cannot newly found such a public interest. Highly anticipated, the judgment of the Constitutional Court surprises with its line of reasoning in arriving at this conclusion.
Bayesian Deconvolution of Vessel Residence Time Distribution
Authors: Huddle Thomas , Langston Paul , Lester Edward
Published: October 2017

Residence time distribution (RTD) within vessels is a critical aspect for the design and operation of continuous flow technologies, such as hydrothermal synthesis of nanomaterials. RTD affects product characteristics, such as particle size distribution. Tracer techniques allow measurement of RTD, but often cannot be used on an individual vessel in multiple vessel systems due to unsuitable exit flow conditions. However, RTD can be measured indirectly by removal of this vessel from the system and deconvoluting the resulting detected tracer profile from the original trace of the entire system. This paper presents three models for deconvolution of RTD: BAY an application of the Lucy-Richardson iterative algorithm using Bayes’ Theorem, LSQ an adaptation of a least squares error approach and FFT a Fast Fourier Transform. These techniques do not require any assumption about the form of the RTD. The three models are all accurate in theoretical tests with no simulated measurement error. For scenarios with simulated measurement error in the convoluted distribution, the FFT and BAY models are both very accurate. The LSQ model is the least suitable and the output is very noisy; smoothing functions can produce smooth curves, but the resulting RTD is less accurate than the other models. In experimental tests the BAY and FFT models produce near identical results which are very accurate. Both models run quickly, but in real time control the runtime for BAY would have to be considered further. BAY does not require any filtering or smoothing here, and so potentially there are applications where it might be more useful than FFT.
Safer and healthier reduced nitrites turkey meat sausages using lyophilized Cystoseira barbata seaweed extract
Authors: Sellimi Sabrine , Benslima Abdelkarim , Ksouda Ghada , Montero Veronique Barragan , Hajji Mohamed , Nasri Moncef
Published: October 2017

Background

Nitrite salts are still common additives in the meat industry. The present study provides a first approach on the employment of the lyophilized aqueous extract (WE) of the Tunisian seaweed Cystoseira barbata for the quality enhancement of turkey meat sausage.

Methods

WE was supplemented as a natural antioxidant agent to investigate its effectiveness in delaying lipid oxidation turkey meat sausages containing reduced amounts of sodium nitrites.

Results

On storage day 5, all concentrations of WE (0.01–0.4 %) reduced the meat lipid oxidation by approximately 36 %, as compared to the negative control containing only 80 mg/kg of meat of sodium nitrites as antioxidant. It was noted that within 15 days of refrigerated storage, a meat system containing 80 mg/kg of meat of sodium nitrites and 0.02 % and 0.04 % of WE had similar Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) levels (19±1.32 and 17±1.12 µmol/kg of meat, respectively), which were comparable to the positive control containing sodium nitrites (150 mg/kg of meat) and 0.045 % vitamin C (18.46±1.27 µmol/kg of meat). In-depth, the metabolomic profiling using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography–quadripole–time–of–flight–mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) analyses of the Tunisian seaweed C. barbata solvent extracts showed that the main active compounds were phenolic compounds, fatty acids and sterols.

Conclusions

Overall, the cold medium containing C. barbata lyophilized aqueous extrac, with strong antioxidant activity and antihypertensive properties, may open the way to the development of a natural quality enhancement strategy for new functional and ever healthier reduced nitrites meat sausages based on algae.
Evaluation of the antioxidant impact of ginger-based kombucha on the murine breast cancer model
Authors: Salafzoon Samaneh , Mahmoodzadeh Hosseini Hamideh , Halabian Raheleh
Published: October 2017

Background

Abnormal metabolism is a common event in cancerous cells. For example, the increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, particularly due to aerobic respiration during invasive stage, results in cancer progression. Herein, the impact of kombucha tea prepared from ginger on the alteration of antioxidant agents was assessed in the breast cancer animal model.

Methods

Two types of kombucha tea with or without ginger were administered to BALB/c mice before and after tumor challenge. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were evaluated in tumor, liver and kidney.

Results

Administration of kombucha ginger tea significantly decreased catalase activity as well as GSH and MDA level in tumor homogenate (p<0.001). A significant decrease in SOD activity and increase in MDA quantity was determined in the kidney which had received kombucha ginger tea (p<0.01).

Conclusions

The consumption of kombucha prepared from ginger could exert minor antioxidant impacts by balancing multi antioxidant factors in different tissues in the breast cancer models.
Design and Investigations with all Optical Multilogic Network
Authors: Tripathi Devendra Kr.
Published: October 2017

This article presents investigation for all optical multilogic function in the proposed single photonic network. Logic operations the AND, OR, NOR, XNOR, NOT, Buffer,

A
ˉ

B

$\bar AB$

,

A

B
ˉ

$A\bar B$

have been executed simultaneously at higher data rate for nonreturn-to-zero pattern on the different C-band wavelengths. Numerous logic functions have been accomplished by the optical multiplexer, couplers exploiting SOA nonlinearities, which are else contemplated as cons, if SOA is exercised as an amplifying device. Numerical simulation for parameters as bias voltage of the modulator, nonreturn-to-zero, return-to-zero, Mach-Zehnder type modulation formats, data rate and numerous drives as on-off-ramp, raised cosine, on-off-exp, on-off in conjunction with key design features length, width, thickness of SOA have been aptly explored in terms of the extinction factor. Investigations depicted good performance for the nonreturn-to-zero format. Accordingly, output patterns for the multilogic executions have been verified at 10 Gbps data rate with nonreturn-to-zero pattern. The proposed schematic could be one of the feasible means for the design of upcoming composite photonic computation higher data rate links, as it excludes need for most expensive optoelectronic translations.
Safety and efficacy of the cervical pessary combined with vaginal progesterone for the prevention of spontaneous preterm birth
Authors: Daskalakis Georgios , Zacharakis Dimitrios , Theodora Marianna , Antsaklis Panagiotis , Papantoniou Nikolaos , Loutradis Dimitris , Antsaklis Aris
Published: October 2017

Introduction:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combined treatment of cervical pessary and endovaginal progesterone for the prevention of spontaneous preterm birth (SPB) in women with a short cervical length (CL) between 20 and 24 weeks of gestation.

Materials and methods:

This is a prospective study of women with a singleton pregnancy and a sonographically detected mid-trimester CL ≤25 mm. The primary outcome measure was spontaneous delivery before 34 weeks (238 days) of gestation.

Results:

The study sample consisted of 90 women with a mean CL of 14.2 mm (SD=6.5 mm). Of the women, 34.4% had at least one risk factor for SPB; 7.8% delivered preterm before 34 weeks of gestation, and 25.6%, before 37 weeks. Neonatal death occurred in two (2.2%) cases due to respiratory distress syndrome. Lower body mass index values, history of preterm delivery and number of second trimester miscarriages were independently associated with delivery before 34 weeks.

Conclusion:

The combination of vaginal progesterone and cervical pessary for the prevention of SPB in women with a short cervix is safe and well tolerated. This therapy was associated with pregnancy prolongation, reduced prematurity rate and a low rate of perinatal complications.
Maternal outcomes in first and second trimester termination of pregnancy: which are the risk factors?
Authors: Garofalo Giulia , Garofalo Anna , Sochirca Olga , Alemanno Maria Grazia , Pilloni Eleonora , Biolcati Marilisa , Muccinelli Elisabetta , Viora Elsa , Todros Tullia
Published: October 2017

Aims:

To evaluate maternal complications of first trimester and second trimester termination of pregnancy (TOP) performed after first or second trimester positive prenatal diagnosis (PD).

Results:

We performed a retrospective study from January 2007 to December 2011, on 844 patients, who underwent a TOP after positive amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) for foetal aneuploidies, performed for maternal age ≥35 years of age, positive prenatal screening (PS) or for genetic reasons. Exclusions criteria were gestational age >22+0 weeks, twin pregnancy and co-existing maternal pathologies. We compared maternal complications of first trimester and second trimester TOP and we established which risk factors were correlated to higher maternal complications (haemorrhages, transfusion, repeated uterine curettage and infections). Maternal complications were significantly higher in second trimester TOP. Previous uterine surgery is a significant risk factor for maternal complications in second trimester TOP, but not in first trimester TOP. Six uterine ruptures and three hysterectomies occurred, all in multiparous women with second trimester TOP. All uterine ruptures occurred in women with previous caesarean sections.

Conclusions:

First trimester TOP in women with risks factors for maternal complications guarantees better maternal outcomes and less health costs. Thus, in these women we should prefer a first trimester PS and PD.
The Football Team Composition Problem: a Stochastic Programming approach
Authors: Pantuso Giovanni
Published: October 2017

Most professional European football clubs are well-structured businesses. Therefore, the financial performance of investments in players becomes crucial. In this paper, after the problem is discussed and formalized, an optimization model with the objective of maximizing the expected value of the team is presented. The model ensures that the team has the required mix of skills, that competition regulations are met, and that budget limits are respected. The model explicitly takes into account the uncertainty in the career development of football players. A case study based on the English Premier League is presented. Our results show that the model has significant potential to improve current decisions ensuring a steady growth of the value of the team. The team value growth reported is particularly driven by investments in young prospects.
Gegen Frankreich
Authors: Huck Jürgen
Published: October 2017

Die operativen Überlegungen des Chefs des preußischen Generalstabes von 1891 bis 1905, Alfred Graf von Schlieffen, sind seit jeher Gegenstand kontroverser Debatten. Die wichtigste Quellengrundlage stellt seit 1956 das Buch »Der Schlieffenplan« des Historikers Gerhard Ritter dar. Der Aufsatz unternimmt den Versuch, die Entwicklung der Überlegungen Schlieffens auf der Basis einer Neuordnung der von Ritter edierten Quellen neu zu deuten. Nicht die Denkschrift von 1905 – der »Schlieffenplan« –, sondern der Aufmarschplan für 1906/07 war Schlieffens letzter Plan für den Bündniskrieg. Die Analyse der Entwürfe zur Denkschrift zeigt, dass Schlieffen hier einen Angriffskrieg beurteilt, wie er in der ersten Marokkokrise 1905/06 im Auswärtigen Amt ins Auge gefasst worden war. 1912 macht Schlieffen ein letztes Mal Vorschläge zur Organisation und zum Einsatz des Heeres im erwarteten Krieg; auch diese Denkschrift ist kennzeichnend für Schlieffens Umgang mit operativen und strategischen Problemen.
Offizier-Erkundungsreisen als Mittel der deutschen Feindaufklärung vor dem Ersten Weltkrieg
Authors: Grawe Lukas
Published: October 2017

Erkundungsreisen durch Offiziere waren gegen Ende des 19. und zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts eine beliebte und international übliche Methode, um an militärische Informationen über ausländische Staaten und deren Armeen zu gelangen. Auch der preußisch-deutsche Generalstab machte im Vorfeld des Ersten Weltkrieges ausgiebig von der Möglichkeit Gebrauch, Offiziere mit bestimmten Aufträgen in bisher unbekannte Gebiete zu schicken. Rekognoszierungen dienten unter anderem dazu, fremde Festungen auszuspähen, Terrainstudien zu betreiben, die Dislokation des Gegners festzustellen oder den Zustand von Garnisonen und Truppen zu evaluieren. Gerade mit den verdeckt durchgeführten Reisen ging allerdings ein großes Risiko einher, da die Festsetzung der betreffenden Offiziere rasch außenpolitische Spannungen verursachen konnte, die das deutsche Auswärtige Amt vermieden wissen wollte. Kurz vor Ausbruch des Ersten Weltkrieges setzte sich die Behörde daher beim Generalstab und beim Kriegsministerium mit ihrem Wunsch durch, die risikoreichen Reisen einzuschränken oder teilweise ganz zu verbieten.
Soldatentum und demokratischer Neubeginn
Authors: Becker Ernst Wolfgang
Published: October 2017

Vom ersten Bundespräsidenten Theodor Heuss ist vor allem der zivile, bildungsbürgerliche Habitus in Erinnerung geblieben, der eine große Distanz zu allem Militärischen nahelegt. Auch die Forschung der letzten Jahre, die den Facettenreichtum seiner Biografie in den Kontext der Geschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts einbettet, widmet sich der Haltung von Heuss zum Soldatentum nur marginal. Dies ist umso erstaunlicher, als er sich zeitlebens mit militärischen Themen auseinandergesetzt hat. Dieser Beitrag fragt deshalb nach den Vorstellungen von Heuss über das Soldatentum und wie er diese als Bundespräsident in die Debatten über Vergangenheitspolitik und Wiederbewaffnung eingespeist hat. Vier Politikfelder werden dabei näher in Augenschein genommen: 1. die Geschichtspolitik zwischen Traditionskritik und Traditionsaneignung; 2. die Integrationspolitik zugunsten ehemaliger Soldaten; 3. die Versuche einer Interventionspolitik im Zuge der Wiederbewaffnung; 4. die Erziehungspolitik, die den Soldaten als Bürger in der Demokratie verortet. Vor allem im Traditions- und Demokratieverständnis von Heuss zeigen sich Konvergenzen zum Reformkonzept der Inneren Führung und des »Staatsbürgers in Uniform«, sodass die Militärreformer einen moralischen Rückhalt im Bundespräsidenten hatten.1
Influence of viscous dissipation and thermo-diffusion on double diffusive convection over a vertical cone in a non-Darcy porous medium saturated by a non-Newtonian fluid with variable heat and mass fluxes
Authors: Kairi Rishi Raj , RamReddy Ch. , Raut Santanu
Published: October 2017

This paper emphasizes the thermo-diffusion and viscous dissipation effects on double diffusive natural convection heat and mass transfer characteristics of non-Newtonian power-law fluid over a vertical cone embedded in a non-Darcy porous medium with variable heat and mass flux conditions. The Ostwald–de Waele power-law model is employed to describe the behavior of non-Newtonian fluid. Local non-similarity procedure is applied to transform the set of non-dimensional partial differential equations into set of ordinary differential equations and then the resulting system of equations are solved numerically by Runge-Kutta fourth order method together with a shooting technique. The influence of pertinent parameters on temperature and concentration, heat and mass transfer rates are analyzed in opposing and aiding buoyancy cases through graphical representation and explored in detail.
Magneto-thermo hydrodynamic peristaltic flow of Eyring-Powell nanofluid in asymmetric channel
Authors: Noreen Saima
Published: October 2017

This research is devoted to the peristaltic flow of Eyring-Powell nanofluid in an asymmetric channel. Robins-type (convective) boundary conditions are employed in the presence of mixed convection and magnetic field. The basic equations of Eyring-Powell nanofluid are modeled in wave frame of reference. Long wavelength and low Reynolds number approach is utilized. Numerical solution of the governing problem is computed and analyzed. The effects of various parameters of interest on the velocity, pressure rise, concentration and temperature are discussed and illustrated graphically. Brownian motion parameter and thermophoresis parameter facilitates the increase in temperature of fluid. Biot numbers serve to reduce the temperature at channel walls.
A feature-based analysis of the syntax of the clause-initial particle ʁedɪ in North Hail Arabic
Authors: Alshamari Murdhy R.
Published: October 2017

This paper provides a minimalist account of the syntax of the discourse particle
Extraction facts and the internal structure of nominal constructions in Polish – (A report on) an empirical study
Authors: Cegłowski Piotr
Published: October 2017

This paper examines the acceptability of several types of extraction out of the nominal domain (Left Branch Extraction – LBE, deep LBE, extraordinary LBE, double AP LBE, extraction of NP-complements, extraction across a numeral) in Polish and its relevance for the current views on the nominal structure of the “NP”/“DP” -languages. The point of departure is an overview of the abovementioned extraction types. Next, a succinct summary of an acceptability study of these constructions conducted on a population of 183 native speakers of Polish is provided. While the results confirm the cross-linguistic observation that the extractions in question are generally ‘discourse-triggered’, their acceptability in Polish seems to be relatively low and reveals fairly interesting differences between the specific constructions (e.g., LBE-wh vs. LBE-demonstratives). These may have broader implications for the ongoing debate concerning the optimal shape of the nominal structure in (languages like) Polish, as they seem to provide (at least circumstantial) arguments for a more elaborate sequence of projections on top of the NP.
Vowel shortening in Persian: A phonological analysis
Authors: Kambuziya Aliyeh K.Z. , Ghorbanpour Amir , Mahdipour Nader
Published: October 2017

This study is a phonological analysis of the process of vowel shortening in Persian. The aim was to find out whether there are any rules governing the different cases of vowel shortening in simple and complex words of formal standard Persian, and to analyse the conditions under which the long vowels /a, i, u/ change into the corresponding short vowels /æ, e, o/. In doing so, data were gathered from a 75000-word contemporary dictionary of Persian, and all the instances undergoing vowel shortening were extracted. Analysing the data showed that the change of /a/ into [æ] is the most frequent type of vowel shortening in Persian. In addition, it turned out that vowel shortening rarely occurs inside simple words in the formal standard form of the language (only in 35 entries out of 519 words in total; i.e. 6.7%); while on the contrary, in complex words it happens quite frequently. Furthermore, regarding the phonemic environment in which vowels undergo shortening, it was found that vowel shortening is most frequent before the glottal consonant /h/, next frequent before nasals /n/ and /m/, and then before /r/. The process also occurs rather frequently in morpheme-final positions in affixation. Lastly, it turns out that another important factor in vowel shortening is the syllable structure of the word; as the super-heavy and ultra-heavy syllables of Persian tend to lose one mora and become lighter in certain positions in the word.
Apples and oranges: The case of written and email DCTS
Authors: Kanik Mehmet
Published: October 2017

This study aims to investigate whether administering DCT in the form of elicited emails would give different results than written DCT. In particular, the study aims to compare two types of simulations, written-for-written as in elicited email and written-for-oral as in written DCT. To investigate, the DCTs were given to 53 college students, divided into two groups. While a group filled in a written DCT including two request situations, another group made the same requests via emails they sent directly to their professor’s email address. The data was analyzed in terms of whether they included opening and closing, choice of moves and density of requests. The findings show that requests in email data included significantly more closing sequences, were longer and included more moves. Moreover, the choices of moves were significantly different in opening and support sequences. Findings suggest elicited emails may be an alternative approach to simulate reality. As a significant amount of daily and professional conversations take place via electronic mediums today, any attempt in training and assessment in language use should avoid a mismatch between natural reality and its simulation.
Pragmatic force modifiers in ELF academic discussions
Authors: Wu Xue , Lei Lei
Published: October 2017

This article reports an empirical study of the functions of pragmatic force modifiers (PFMs) in English as a lingua franca (ELF) use in academic discussions. PFMs are pervasive in spoken language but have been under-researched in contexts of multinational and polylogic communications. The aim of this study is to investigate how different event types affect the use of PFMs in ELF discourse. PFMs used in the academic discussions are identified and their distributions in different event types of the Corpus of English as a Lingua Franca in Academic Settings are explored. The functions of the PFMs in different event types are then examined and discussed. Results reveal that ELF speakers use well-specified PFMs to fulfill appropriate functions in different event types under the genre of academic discussions, i.e. flagging suggestions and downplaying criticism in conference discussions, marking elicitation and tailoring explanation in lecture discussions, expressing commitment and certainty in doctoral defense discussions, and projecting personal opinions in seminar discussions. It is argued that although PFMs are linguistic devices commonly used in academic discussions, their functions are sensitive to specific event types. At least, the present study concludes that these context-sensitive uses are clearly in evidence in ELF speech.
On the role of language contact in the reorganization of grammar: A case study on two Modern Greek contact-induced varieties
Authors: Melissaropoulou Dimitra
Published: October 2017

This paper offers further insights on the role of language contact in the reorganization of grammar based on data from two Modern Greek contact-induced dialects: Italiot varieties in contact with both the local Romance varieties and Standard Italian, and Cappadocian, in contact with Turkish. A contrastive investigation reveals interesting correlations and particularities in the reorganization of inflection of the examined systems. Acknowledging that simplification is not triggered solely by contact, we claim that the attested phenomena can be accounted for as temporary complexifications that head toward and ultimately result in simplification within the paradigmatic relations. The amount and type of complexity diverge significantly depending on the (in)compatibility factor among the systems in contact. Furthermore, in terms of loss, addition and replacement of features, our data show that, although replacement and loss are the most prevalent strategies used at the level of morphology, addition is also very likely to occur when structural incompatibility is involved.
The perception and interpretation of contrastive focus by Polish children and adults
Authors: Śmiecińska Joanna
Published: October 2017

The study aimed at testing Polish children’s and adult’s ability to identify and interpret three different contrastive focus types; narrow final focus, narrow non-final focus, and broad focus. In the first experiment eight-year-old children (N = 15) and young adults (N = 15, age range 19–23) were asked to spot the focus in short utterances, and produce contrastive elements in response to three types of inputs with three distinct focus types. In the second experiment eight and four year old children (N = 14 and N = 15, respectively) and young adults (N = 16) listened to two types of utterances – with final contrastive and non-final contrastive focus and were asked to select a picture that best matched the implied meaning of the auditory input. Although in each group there were individuals with ceiling results and chance results, on average the adults outperformed the children in all the tasks. Implications of the findings for testing prosody development are discussed.
Preparation and biological evaluation of 99mTc N-histamine as a model for brain imaging: in silico study and preclinical evaluation
Authors: Sanad M. H. , Ibrahim Alhussein A.
Published: October 2017

In the present work, [99mTc]N-histamine has been labeled using [99mTc≡N]2+ core. Factors such as, amount of substrate, pH, reaction temperature, in vitro stability and reaction time, have been systematically studied to optimize high radiochemical purity (>99±0.3). Biodistribution studies indicate the suitability of [99mTc]N-histamine as a novel tracer to image brain. The complex of [99mTc]N-histamine may be considered a highly selective radiotracer for brain imaging.
Evaluation of Mn bioaccumulation and biosorption by bacteria isolated from spent nuclear fuel pools using54Mn as a radioindicator
Authors: Pipíška Martin , Trajteľová Zuzana , Horník Miroslav , Frišták Vladimír
Published: October 2017

Bioaccumulation and biosorption characteristics of Mn2+ions by both dead and living, non-growing biomass of Gram-positive bacteriaKocuria palustrisandMicrococcus luteusisolated from spent nuclear fuel pools were compared. The radioindicator method using radionuclide54Mn was applied to obtain precise and reliable data characterizing both processes as well as manganese distribution in bacterial cells. Manganese was mainly found on the surface (biosorption) of live cells of both bacteria and surface sorption capacity increased with Mn concentration in solution. Only 10.0% (M. luteus) and 6.3% (K. palustris) of uptaken Mn were localized in the cytoplasm (bioaccumulation). Biosorption of Mn by dead bacterial biomass was a rapid process strongly affected by solution pH. Maximum sorption capacitiesQmaxcalculated from the Langmuir isotherm and characterizing Mn binding represented 316±15 μmol/g forM. luteusand 282±16 μmol/g forK. palustris.Results indicate that living, non-growing cells showed a higher efficiency of Mn removal than dead biomass. Based on FTIR spectra examination with aim to characterize the surface ofK. palustrisandM. luteuscells, we confirmed that the phosphate and carboxyl functional groups are involved in manganese sorption onto cell surface by both live and dead bacterial biomass.
Evaluation of Restoration Project and Current Structural State of Mohamed Ali Mosque in Citadel, Cairo
Authors: Elwan S. K. , Zaghloul Y. R.
Published: October 2017

This paper is aimed at achieving a better understanding of the original state before the restoration project in 1931 and the current structural state of the great Mosque of Mohamed Ali in citadel Cairo, Egypt. A 3-D finite element model for the whole Mosque was constructed for these purposes. Elastic analysis under static and lateral earthquake loads was conducted to verify the efficiency of the main covering domes restoration project in 1931 and to specify the positions of the critical stresses. The accurate and detailed information that was collected during the restoration project in 1931 concerning the structure of the Mosque was used as database for identifying the geometrical and structural properties of the model. The results provide insight to the structural behavior of the Mosque and the current state of stresses. The study also verifies the main causes for the valuable restoration project in 1931, where the stone domes and semi-domes covering the Mosque were replaced by reinforced concrete one . Also, the places of the Mosque that need more sophisticated analysis could be identified.
ISSUE OF RISK IN LITERATURE
Authors: Cichulska Aneta , Wisniewski Radosław
Published: October 2017

Any attempt to explicitly define the property market involves an interdisciplinary approach. Commonly applied notions referring to the genesis of risk in the area of medicine, humanities and, in particular, social and other sciences, have a significant impact on the strictly technical definition. The juxtaposition of the established definitions concerning the phenomenon of risk is an attempt to refer their types and risk factors to the extensive subject area of risk concerning the property market itself. In the future, this may contribute to the development of new risk analysis methods or methods of determining its probability and, therefore, levelling the effect of uncertainty in developing real estate management processes. The aim of the paper is to carry out a review of literature for a deeper analysis of this issue.
Pesticide management approach towards protecting the safety and health of farmers in Southeast Asia
Authors: Mohammad Norsyazwani , Abidin Emilia Zainal , How Vivien , Praveena Sarva Mangala , Hashim Zailina
Published: October 2017

Background:

It is estimated that pesticide production and use have increased continuously in the countries of Southeast Asia in recent years. Within the context of protecting the safety and health of workers in the agricultural sector, there is an existing gap in the implementation of the pesticide management framework because safety and health effects arising from occupational exposures continue to be reported.

Objective:

This study aims to provide narrative similarities, differences and weaknesses of the existing pesticide management system in Southeast Asian countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) within the context of occupational safety and health.

Methods:

This is preliminary traditional review study. Pesticide regulation and management at the country level were identified using web-based search engines such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed and Google. Book, reports, legislation document and other documents retrieved were also gathered from international organizations and specific websites of governmental agency in Southeast Asian countries. The scope of this review is only limited to literature written in English. In total, 44 review articles, reports and documents were gathered for this study. The approach of pesticide management in protecting safety and health in the agricultural setting were benchmarked according to the elements introduced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, namely, (1) the protection of workers and (2) the practice of safety.

Results:

All countries have assigned a local authority and government organization to manage and control pesticide use in the agricultural sector. The countries with the highest usage of pesticide are Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia. Most Southeast Asian countries have emphasized safety practice in the management of pesticide usage, but there were less emphasis on the element of protection of workers within the framework in Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Conclusion:

The governing bodies in the countries of Southeast Asia have placed significant effort to develop framework related to pesticide management at the country level. The implementation of pesticide management based on the existing framework is evident in most of the countries but needs to be improved. It is suggested that emphasis be given to the implementation of diagnosis, health surveillance and reporting system as well as following or adopting standard guidelines for the protection of workers in terms of safety and health in the agricultural sector.
Stereochemistry of heterobinuclear Pt-M complexes
Authors: Melnik Milan , Mikus Peter
Published: October 2017

In this review, the structural parameters of almost 30 isomers of heterobinuclear Pt-M (M=Sn, Tl, Cu, Ag, Ti, W, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Mn, Pd, or Rh) complexes are summarized and analyzed. There are three types of isomers: distortion (by far the prevailing type), polymerization, and mixed isomers. On the basis of Pt-M distance, there are two groups of complexes: one in which the Pt-M bond distances are <3.0 Å (M=Sn, Tl, W, Cr, Mn, Ni, or Pd) and the other one in which the Pt-M separations are >3.0 Å (M=Cu, Ag, Ti, W, Fe, Co, or Rh). Platinum atoms exist in two oxidation states: +2 and +4. The former by far prevails with a square-planar arrangement with varying degrees of distortion. The Pt(IV) atoms are six-coordinated. The inner coordination spheres about M atoms range from two-coordinated (AgNCl) to sandwiched (FeC10). There is wide variety of donor atoms (ligands) (H, OL, NL, CL, BL, Cl, SL, PL, Br, or I) that build up the respective inner coordination spheres about central metal atoms.
Binding and Non-Binding Contracts: A Theoretical Appraisal
Authors: D’Agostino Elena , Lisciandra Maurizio
Published: October 2017

The article investigates the equilibrium conditions in the choice between legally binding contracts, which are costly to verify and enforce, and non-binding contracts, which simply rely on trust as an enforcement mechanism, in both one-shot and repeated interactions. The returns to effort appear to have an important effect on reputational behavior. The theoretical investigation is accompanied by numerical simulations of the welfare impact of the introduction of a legal system that allows for binding contracts. We find that contract-enforcing institutions mainly produce benefits when effort is particularly valuable, but turn out to be less effective otherwise and even detrimental for a subset of parameters. Finally, reputation unleashes its welfare-enhancing properties especially if non-binding agreements take place when the counterparty’s reliability is very unpredictable.
Relationship Among Political Instability, Stock Market Returns and Stock Market Volatility
Authors: Irshad Hira
Published: October 2017

This study investigated the relationship of political instability with the stock prices. Results of the study indicated the negative relationship of stock prices with political instability. Moreover, results of suggested that instable political system ultimately leads decline in stock prices. Inflation has shown negative relationship with stock prices whereas, industrial production and Exports have positive relationship with stock prices.
Expressive Speech Acts in Educational e-chats
Authors: Maíz-Arévalo Carmen
Published: October 2017

The category of expressive speech acts has traditionally proven elusive of definition in contrast to other types of speech acts. This might explain why this group of speech acts has been less researched. The present paper aims to redress this imbalance by analysing the expressive speech acts performed by two groups of university students in two educational chats, carried out in English or in Spanish, respectively. The main purpose of the study is to find out if students express their emotions (and which emotions) when interacting online and, if the use of their mother tongue or not affects their performance of expressive speech acts in terms of frequency and type. To this purpose, Weigand’s (2010) taxonomy of speech acts was followed, since it provides a more systematic delimitation of the traditional category of “expressive acts”. Her distinction between emotives and declaratives was thus applied to the dataset under scrutiny. Results show that students opt for performing declarative acts but refrain from expressing their own emotions in an educational setting. As for the use of English or Spanish, no significant differences were observed, which reveals that the use of their mother tongue does not seem to affect the kind of acts performed.
Proton-transfer compounds featuring the unusual 4-arsonoanilinium cation from the reaction of (4-aminophenyl)arsonic acid with strong organic acids
Authors: Smith Graham , Wermuth Urs D.
Published: October 2017

The crystal structures of the 1:1 proton-transfer compounds of (4-aminophenyl)arsonic acid (p-arsanilic acid) with the strong organic acids, 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (picric acid), 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid, (3-carboxy-4-hydroxy)benzenesulfonic acid (5-sulfosalicylic acid) and toluene-4-sulfonic acid have been determined at 200 K and their hydrogen–bonding patterns examined. The compounds are, respectively, anhydrous 4-arsonoanilinium 2,4,6-trinitrophenolate (1), the hydrate 4-arsonoanilinium 2-carboxy-4,6-dinitrophenolate monohydrate (2), the hydrate 4-arsonoanilinium (3-carboxy-4-hydroxy)benzenesulfonate monohydrate (3) and the partial solvate 4-arsonoanilinium toluene-4-sulfonate 0.8 hydrate (4). The asymmetric unit of 2, a phenolate, comprises two independent but conformationally similar cation-anion pairs and two water molecules of solvation, and in all compounds, extensive inter-species hydrogen–bonding interactions involving arsono O–H···O and anilinium N–H···O hydrogen–bonds generate three-dimensional supramolecular structures. In the cases of 1 and 2, the acceptors include phenolate and nitro O-atom acceptors, with 3 and 4, additionally, sulfonate O-atom acceptors, and with the hydrates 2–4, the water molecules of solvation. A feature of the hydrogen–bonding in 3 is the presence of primary chains extending along (010) through centrosymmetric cyclic R
2
2(8) motifs together with conjoined cyclic R
3
4(12) motifs, which include the water molecule of solvation. The primary hydrogen–bonding in the substructure of 4 involves homomolecular cation–cation arsono O–H···O interactions forming columns down the crystallographic four-fold axis of the unit cell.
Structure and spectroscopic properties of porphyrinato group 14 derivatives: Part I – Phenylacetylido ligands
Authors: Stadlbauer Stefan , Fischer Roland , Flock Michaela , Zach Peter W. , Borisov Sergey M. , Torvisco Ana , Uhlig Frank
Published: October 2017

A series of bis(phenylacetylido)(porphyrinato) E(IV) (E=Si, Ge, Sn) derivatives were obtained by reacting lithium phenylacetylide with the corresponding bis(chlorido)(porphyrinato) E(IV) precursors. Crystal structure determinations demonstrated that thetrans-coordinated acetylide ligands deviate from their expected ideal geometry. Density functional theory calculations and comparison of the packing of the molecules among the homologous series of Si(IV), Ge(IV) and Sn(IV) revealed causes for the deviation from the simple valence shell electron pair repulsion model. Fluorescence and phosphorescence of these organometallic group 14 derivatives were studied and the results are compared to the literature-known properties of the related bis(chlorido)(porphyrinato) E(IV) compounds (E=Si, Ge, Sn). The first crystal structure of a porphyrinato Ge(IV) compound with σ-bonded acetylide ligands is reported.