bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors Affecting the Catalytic Performance of La-K-Mn-O Perovskite Oxides for Diesel Soot Oxidation
Authors: Shimokawa Hironobu , Kusaba Hajime , Einaga Hisahiro , Teraoka Yasutake
Published: July 2015

Soot combustion performance of K-containing perovskite oxides, La0.8K0.2MnO3 (LKM82), was evaluated under tight- and loose-contact conditions. The perovskite oxides were prepared by evaporation-to-dryness methods using malic acid or citric acid as the complexing reagents. Catalyst surface area, surface K concentration, and morphology of the LKM82 catalysts can be controlled by changing the preparation conditions. The temperature of soot combustion decreased with increasing catalyst surface area and surface K concentration of the LKM82 catalysts, indicating that these are important factors controlling the soot combustion performance. The increase in surface area and surface K concentration of the LKM82 catalysts improved soot ignition activity and promoted the soot combustion reaction after ignition. In the loose-contact mode, the ratio of the amount of catalytically combusted soot to that of non-catalytically combusted soot increased with an increase in catalyst surface area and surface K concentration of the LKM82 catalysts. The apparent activation energy of the catalytic soot combustion with the perovskite oxides that have both high surface area and high surface K concentration was much lower than that of non-catalytic soot combustion.
The Microeconomic Dimensions of the Eurozone Crisis and Why European Politics Cannot Solve Them
Authors: Thimann Christian
Published: July 2015

The academic and policy debate about the crisis in Europe's single currency area is usually dominated by macroeconomic and public sector considerations. The microeconomic dimensions of the crisis and the private-sector issues typically get much less attention. However, it is the private sector hiring choices of domestic and foreign firms that will ultimately be decisive. This paper argues there are two main problems holding back private sector employment creation in the stressed eurozone countries. First, there is a persistent competitiveness problem in some of the eurozone countries due to high labor costs relative to underlying productivity. Second, widespread structural barriers make job creation in these countries far more arduous than in many other advanced economies, and even more arduous than in some key emerging economies and formerly planned economies. Structural barriers to private sector development are particularly widespread in the areas of labor market functioning, goods market functioning, and government regulation. Evidence from the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index and the World Bank's Doing Business dataset confirms the immense size and persistence of these barriers, despite improvements in some countries in recent years. The paper also presents a novel explanation for the difficulty of structural reforms in the eurozone, tracing the challenge to the current trend to “Europeanize” and “politicize” economic reform discussions in national policy fields where “Europe” is not a legitimate actor and the European political level is not effective.
Examining the Effect of Angle of Regular Incident Wave in Deep Water on the Force on An Elliptical Vertical Cylinder Using FEM
Authors: Lajimi Mehdi , Sadeghi Keyvan
Published: July 2015

Today, a vast range of offshore structures is used in different parts of the world. Computing the force on an offshore structure is one of the first measures for designing the structure and also one of the most difficult steps in the design process. Most of offshore structures are considered as large structures. In these cases, it is used from diffraction theory for computing the imposed force. Using cylindrical elements is common in construction these structures. In this study, the effect of incident wave’s deviation angle on the force on the unit length of one elliptical vertical cylinder located within deep waters examined with finite element method. The obtained results show that the used numerical method had acceptable accuracy and the surge force on the vertical cylinder decreases with deviation angle increasing and consequently the sway force increases.
Les Statues meurent aussi: The death and after-death of African art
Authors: Fraiture Pierre-Philippe
Published: July 2015

This article focuses on the 1953 film essay Les Statues meurent aussi by Chris Marker, Alain Resnais and Ghislain Cloquet. The film was commissioned by Présence Africaine, the publisher and academic journal, which would radically transform France’s post-war intellectual landscape and pave the way for a wholesale reassessment of the relationship between Africa and the West in the arts, literature, the human sciences and philosophy. Les Statues resonates with the main concerns of the period: it bemoans the commodification of African art in European museums, calls for the establishment of a new humanism but also militates for a more equitable and post-racial world order. The documentary, and the mournful discussion that it conducts on the imminent death of African art, will be appraised against a set of pronouncements by Placide Tempels (La Philosophie bantoue, [1949] 2013), Cheikh Anta Diop (L’Unité culturelle de l’Afrique noire, [1959] 1982) and V. Y. Mudimbe (‘“Reprendre”. Enunciations and strategies in contemporary African arts’, 1991). The article will also examine the long-term legacy of Les Statues and consider the recent response to it by the Irish video artist Duncan Campbell in It for Others, his 2014 Turner Prize-winning essay-film.

Dans cet article, je me pencherai sur le film d’art et essai Les Statues meurent aussi (1953) de Chris Marker, Alain Resnais et Ghislain Cloquet. A l’origine, ce film était une commande de Présence Africaine, la maison d’édition (mais aussi revue éponyme), qui assuma un rôle capital dans la transformation du paysage intellectuel français de l’après-guerre et institua, dans les domaines artistiques, littéraires, philosophiques, ainsi que dans les sciences humaines, de nouveaux rapports entre l’Afrique et l’Occident. Les Statues fait écho aux préoccupations principales de cette période. Le film déplore que les musées européens aient transformé l’art nègre en un objet de consommation; il en appelle à l’établissement d’un nouvel humanisme et milite également pour un ordre planétaire post-racial plus équitable. Les réflexions de Placide Tempels (La Philosophie bantoue, [1949] 2013), Cheikh Anta Diop (L’Unité culturelle de l’Afrique noire, [1959] 1982) et V. Y. Mudimbe (‘“Reprendre”. Enunciations and strategies in contemporary African arts’, 1991) seront mise à profit pour sonder le discours pessimiste que ce documentaire tient sur la fin imminente de l’art africain. Cet article prendra aussi en considération la portée, sur le long terme, du documentaire et évoquera le remake récent, It for Others (2013), du vidéaste irlandais Duncan Campbell, lauréat du Turner Prize en 2014.
L’usage de l’Antiquité chez Cheikh Anta Diop et l’ombre menaçante de Senghor
Authors: Mouralis Bernard
Published: July 2015

From the publication of his first book Nations nègres et culture in 1955, the Senegalese writer Cheikh Anta Diop (1923–1988) sought to demonstrate that Black people had lived in ancient Egypt. This thesis continues to be the subject of debate today. The present article will discuss the broad lines of Diop’s thinking and will explain that this writer, whose work deals with the question of ‘scientific’ truth, was not just an historian but also a philosopher. The article will subsequently focus on meaning in Diop’s writings. In this regard, the extent to which terms such as ‘counter discourse, ‘counter ideology’ and ‘heresy’ contribute to an understanding of the effects of Diop’s thought will be explored. Finally, the historical context of Diop’s writing will be emphasized, i.e the Senegal of Léopold Sédar Senghor. Diop was politically opposed to Senghor. However, the antagonism between the two men can also be explained by differences in their respective intellectual backgrounds: Diop was an academic researcher, whose publications very much reflect the conventions and methods of this profession. Senghor was a poet and an accomplished public speaker whose lectures frequently highlighted the type of broad cultural interests he acquired when he was a student in the Khâgne class of the prestigious Louis-Le-Grand high school in Paris and later in the Sorbonne.

L’écrivain sénégalais Cheikh Anta Diop (1923–1988) a cherché à montrer depuis son premier ouvrage, Nations nègres et culture, paru en 1954, que l’Egypte antique était habitée par un peuple noir, thèse qui devait provoquer des débats toujours très vifs. Après avoir rappelé les grandes lignes de la démonstration, cet article montre que Diop ne fut pas seulement un historien mais aussi un philosophe car ses différents ouvrages contiennent toute une réflexion sur la ‘science’ et la véracité de ses énoncés. Cette étude précisera ensuite ce qui fait sens dans l’oeuvre de Diop et, sur ce plan, on verra dans quelle mesure des termes comme ‘contre-discours’, ‘contre-idéologie’ ou ‘hérésie’ peuvent être envisagés pour éclairer les effets produits par cette oeuvre. Enfin, on se souviendra que Diop produit son oeuvre dans un contexte très particulier: le Sénégal de Léopold Sédar Senghor. Diop fut un opposant politique à Senghor. Mais leur antagonisme tient aussi au fait que Diop et Senghor n’occupaient pas la même place dans le champ académique: le premier fut un chercheur, auteur de nombreux livres savants; le second un poète et un conférencier, profondément marqué par les enseignements de la khâgne de Louis-Le-Grand, et un responsable politique, parfois enclin à abuser de son pouvoir temporel.
L’Afrique dans le monde, le monde depuis l’Afrique: lectures croisées d’Achille Mbembe et de Célestin Monga
Authors: Mangeon Anthony
Published: July 2015

Rooted in the historical and political realities of their native country, Cameroon, and yet deeply influenced by their common experience of exile and intellectual nomadism, historian Achille Mbembe and economicist Célestin Monga share many commonalities, among which the ambition of rethinking Africa’s contemporary situation at a world scale as well as their attempt to understand the contemporary world from an African viewpoint. Achille Mbembe is now well known for his theorization of the postcolony (or the forms of political imagination in Africa), as well as for his concept of Afropolitanism, which characterizes ‘the new African sensibility in the age of diaspora and globalization’. Célestin Monga, for his part, has developed, through various travelogues and essays, an original thought based on a nihilist understanding of the creativity at work in the various aspects of ordinary life in Africa, yet also taking into account the major dynamics of globalization. Building on the biographical and intellectual analogies between Monga and Mbembe, this article explores their common assumptions as well as the major lines of their dissent; it then focuses on certain tensions and paradoxes in order to outline the main differences in the critical and literary postures of both thinkers.

Ancrés dans les réalités historiques et politiques du Cameroun, mais nourris également par leur expérience de l’exil voire par un certain nomadisme intellectuel, les penseurs Achille Mbembe et Célestin Monga partagent un même projet: repenser la situation de l’Afrique dans le monde, et développer sur l’état du monde contemporain un point de vue neuf depuis l’Afrique. Si Mbembe est aujourd’hui célèbre pour avoir théorisé, d’une part, la postcolonie (ou les formes contemporaines de l’imagination politique en Afrique) et, d’autre part, l’afropolitanisme ou la manifestation d’une ‘nouvelle sensibilité africaine dans un nouvel âge de dispersion et de circulation’, l’oeuvre de Célestin Monga, en apparence plus littéraire, décline sous la forme de carnets de voyage et d’essais critiques une pensée tout aussi originale, puisqu’elle aborde les aspects créatifs de la vie quotidienne en Afrique, ainsi que les grandes dynamiques de la mondialisation au prisme du nihilisme philosophique. Cet article expose donc les grandes lignes de ces pensées gémellaires, dans leurs convergences et dans leurs singularités, pour analyser ensuite quelques tensions ou paradoxes dans leurs positions critiques et dans leurs postures littéraires respectives.
Bilateralism in the Spanish presidencies of the Council of the European Union: Alliances for the development of European foreign policy
Authors: Mestres Laia
Published: July 2015

One consistent strategy of Spain’s European policy has been bilateralism, that is to say, the development of intense relationships with certain other member states in order to gain influence in decisions regarding the process of European integration. In addition, finding allies has proven essential for the success of Spanish proposals in the European Union (EU), especially during the four Spanish presidencies of the Council of the EU. In this sense, successive Spanish governments have promoted a bilateral rapprochement with the EU’s large member states (France, Germany, Italy and secondarily the United Kingdom) through regular meetings with their governmental leaders. One of the fields where Spain’s bilateralist strategy has been more active is European foreign policy, which has become a privileged sphere for the analysis of the power of states within the EU. This article will look at the four Spanish experiences of holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council and compare the different bilateral strategies developed by each Prime Minister in office.
Painting the CFSP in national colours: Portuguese strategies to help shape the EUs external relations
Authors: Robinson Steven
Published: July 2015

The agenda-setting power of the rotating Council presidency presented successive Portuguese governments with an opportunity to externalize the country’s core foreign-policy priorities onto the European level. As such, Portugal’s presidencies of the Council of the European Union have been particularly instrumental in formalizing relations between the EU and the Lusophone world. The first and second EU–Africa summits, the first EU–Brazil summit, the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Commission and the Executive Secretariat of the Community of Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP), and the closer association of Cape Verde to the EU, all occurred while Portugal held the rotating Council presidency. This article discusses the strategies, challenges and successes of the three Portuguese presidencies (1992, 2000 and 2007) in shaping the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). It also explores the options available to Portugal in the post-Lisbon era, where the rotating Council presidency’s agenda-setting powers are considerably reduced with regard to CFSP matters. Both prior to and since the Treaty of Lisbon coming into force, Portugal’s strategy has been to stress its historic links to Africa and Brazil, as these relations constitute Portugal’s contribution to building the CFSP, furthering its core national foreign-policy priorities by putting its position in the Lusophone world at the disposal of the European Union’s external action.
Understanding local democracy in Catalonia: From formally institutionalized processes to self-organized social referenda on independence
Authors: Medir Lluís
Published: July 2015

This article identifies and describes key aspects of two movements that sought to empower local democracy in Catalonia from 2008 to 2010 and they are useful to understand the political process leading to the informal referendum on independence held on 9 November 2014. First, it analyses the institutional actions of the Catalan government to promote local democracy in 2008. Second, it focuses on the organizational processes of the local referenda on Catalan independence held in 2010, conducted exclusively by self-organized and ideologically oriented citizens in each locality. In 2008, there were 874 instruments created by local governments to promote the participatory process, while from 2009 to 2010 more than 500 localities held local referenda on independence. Both movements are extensive enough to be interpreted as an important turning point in recent Catalan history. This article will link both processes by highlighting their main features, tracing their historical roots and explaining their relationships, in order to gain a better understanding of the political conditions that finally led to the government-organized independence referendum in 2014.
Efficient processing of window functions in analytical SQL queries
Authors: Leis Viktor , Kundhikanjana Kan , Kemper Alfons , Neumann Thomas
Published: July 2015

Window functions, also known as analytic OLAP functions, have been part of the SQL standard for more than a decade and are now a widely-used feature. Window functions allow to elegantly express many useful query types including time series analysis, ranking, percentiles, moving averages, and cumulative sums. Formulating such queries in plain SQL-92 is usually both cumbersome and inefficient.

Despite being supported by all major database systems, there have been few publications that describe how to implement an efficient relational window operator. This work aims at filling this gap by presenting an efficient and general algorithm for the window operator. Our algorithm is optimized for high-performance main-memory database systems and has excellent performance on modern multi-core CPUs. We show how to fully parallelize all phases of the operator in order to effectively scale for arbitrary input distributions.
Searchlight
Authors: Kalinin Alexander , Cetintemel Ugur , Zdonik Stan
Published: July 2015

We present a new system, called
Searchlight
, that uniquely integrates constraint solving and data management techniques. It allows Constraint Programming (CP) machinery to run efficiently inside a DBMS without the need to extract, transform and move the data. This marriage concurrently offers the rich expressiveness and efficiency of constraint-based search and optimization provided by modern CP solvers, and the ability of DBMSs to store and query data at scale, resulting in an enriched functionality that can effectively support both data-
and
search-intensive applications. As such, Searchlight is the first system to support
generic
search, exploration and mining over large multi-dimensional data collections, going beyond point algorithms designed for point search and mining tasks.

Searchlight makes the following scientific contributions:

•
Constraint solvers as first-class citizens
Instead of treating solver logic as a black-box, Searchlight provides native support, incorporating the necessary APIs for its specification and transparent execution as part of query plans, as well as novel algorithms for its optimized execution and parallelization.

•
Speculative solving
Existing solvers assume that the entire data set is main-memory resident. Searchlight uses an innovative two stage
Solve-Validate
approach that allows it to operate speculatively yet safely on main-memory synopses, quickly producing candidate search results that can later be efficiently validated on real data.

•
Computation and I/O load balancing
As CP solver logic can be computationally expensive, executing it on large search and data spaces requires novel CPU-I/O balancing approaches when performing search distribution.

We built a prototype implementation of Searchlight on Google's Or-Tools, an open-source suite of operations research tools, and the array DBMS SciDB. Extensive experimental results show that Searchlight often performs orders of magnitude faster than the next best approach (SciDB-only or CP-solver-only) in terms of end response time and time to first result.
The role of timely measurement of galectin-3, NT-proBNP, cystatin C and hsTnT in predicting prognosis and heart function after heart transplantation
Authors: Franeková Janka , Hošková Lenka , Sečník Peter , Pazderník Michal , Kotrbatá Markéta , Kubíček Zdeněk , Jabor Antonín
Published: July 2015

Changes of biomarkers measured soon after heart transplantation (HTx) can reflect different processes: cardiomyocyte necrosis (troponins, high-sensitivity cardiac TnT and TnI), heart function (natriuretic peptides, BNP and NT-proBNP), fibrosis (galectin-3 and ST2), and global cardiorenal risk (cystatin C). We assessed the prognostic role of hsTnT, NT-proBNP, galectin-3 and cystatin C during the early post-transplant period.

A total of 121 consecutive post-HTx patients were assessed. The main outcomes were survival, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and rejection periods. Survival was assessed after intermediate (12 months) and long periods (total follow-up during study, median of survival 763 days, IR 527–1038 days). LVEF was assessed 12 months after HTx. Rejection was evaluated during follow-up. We report biomarker concentrations measured 10 days and 12 months after HTx.

Ten days after HTx, cystatin C and hsTnT predicted death both under univariable and multivariable analysis. These two biomarkers along with galectin-3 were increased in patients with decreased LVEF measured 1 year after HTx. NT-proBNP did not show early prognostic power. None of the measured biomarkers predicted rejection, but hsTnT and NT-proBNP were increased significantly 12 months after HTx in patients with at least one rejection.

Cystatin C and hsTnT measured 10 days after HTx can provide prognostic information on survival and galectin-3 measured at the same time may display a relationship to heart function assessed 1 year after HTx. Further study should be carried out in a large cohort of patients.
Efficacy of PU foam materials for scientific investigation in footwear research
Authors: Mathivanan Selvaraj , Mohan Ranganathan , Das Bhabendra Nath
Published: July 2015

People across the world are primarily concerned with the importance of inserts in footwear in terms of their effectiveness to accomplish therapeutic benefits. Body weight has been implicated as a factor in plantar heel pain, and foot orthoses are commonly used in its conservative treatment and are helpful in reducing symptoms of strain in the fascia during standing and ambulation. It is necessary to investigate the effectiveness of footwear inserts and their impact especially for people with high body mass index (BMI). Hence, research on polyurethane (PU) foams is warranted to identify an ideal material that provides comfort for high-BMI individuals. This article presents details on the physical characteristics of PU foam and its efficacy on functional performances as footwear inserts. PU foam materials have been assessed on various physical characteristics such as density, hardness, compression set followed by resilience, and cushioning behaviors. Of the four densities evaluated, D120 has the highest resilience on static and dynamic conditions. The cushion energy behaviors with respect to walking/running on static and dynamic condition were superior, as they possess better cushioning performance on footwear applications. Hence, the D120 PU foam material is concluded to be the best material for footwear insert for alleviating foot and ankle pain-related problems and for providing therapeutic benefits to high-BMI individuals.
Receptor for advanced glycation end-products in neurodegenerative diseases
Authors: Juranek Judyta , Ray Rashmi , Banach Marta , Rai Vivek
Published: July 2015

This review, for the first time, aims to summarize the current knowledge in the emerging field of RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end-products) studies in neurodegeneration and neurodegenerative diseases. RAGE, a member of the multiligand cell surface immunoglobulin family, has been implicated in numerous pathological conditions – from diabetes and cardiovascular diseases to tumors and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, familial amyloid polyneuropathy, diabetic neuropathy, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Until now, the detailed mechanisms of the contribution of RAGE to neurodegeneration remain elusive; however, mounting evidence suggests that its detrimental actions are triggered by its ligand interactions and contribute to increased neuroinflammation, neuronal degeneration, and apoptosis. Deciphering the role of RAGE in neurodegenerative disorders will be a milestone in our basic understanding of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration, helping to delineate molecular links between complex RAGE signaling pathways and neuronal dysfunction and neurodegeneration.
Electronic, Thermal, and Superconducting Properties of Metal Nitrides (MN) and Metal Carbides (MC) (M=V, Nb, Ta) Compounds by First Principles Studies
Authors: Subhashree G. , Sankar S. , Krithiga R.
Published: July 2015

Structural, electronic, and superconducting properties of carbides and nitrides of vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), and tantalum (Ta) (group V transition elements) have been studied by computing their electronic band structure characteristics. The electronic band structure calculations have been carried out based on the density functional theory (DFT) within the local density approximation (LDA) by using the tight binding linear muffin tin orbital method. The NaCl-type cubic structures of MN and MC (M=V, Nb, Ta) compounds have been confirmed from the electronic total energy minimum of these compounds. The ground state properties, such as equilibrium lattice constant (a0), bulk modulus (B), and Wigner–Seitz radius (S0) are determined and compared with available data. The electronic density of states reveals the metallic nature of the chosen materials. The electronic specific heat coefficient, Debye temperature, and superconducting transition temperature obtained from the band structure results are found to agree well with the earlier reported literature.
Occupational injuries of teachers and educational staff at special schools with multiple and severely handicapped children in Rhineland‐Palatinate (Germany): results of a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Claus Matthias , Kimbel Renate , Letzel Stephan , Rose Dirk‐Matthias
Published: July 2015

Occupational injuries of teachers and educational staff at special schools with multiple and severely handicapped children in Rhineland‐Palatinate (Germany): results of a cross‐sectional study: Matthias Claus, et al. Institute for Teachers’ Health at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany

Objective

The present study aimed to describe the prevalence, type, and influencing factors of occupational injuries of staff working at special schools with multiple and severely handicapped pupils in Southwestern Germany.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study was carried out between August 2010 and August 2012 at 13 special schools with focus on motoric and/or holistic development of handicapped pupils in Rhineland‐Palatinate (Germany). Participants were interviewed using a written questionnaire.

Results

There were 395 participants (response proportion: 59.7%) in our study, with 390 being eligible for statistical analysis. Respondents were on average 45 years old and mainly female (86.9%). The 12‐month injury prevalence was 16.9%. Joint dislocations, sprains, and torn ligaments (41.6%) were the main types of injuries. Pupils (59.8%) and auxiliary equipment (12.2%) were identified as the main causes of injury by the respondents. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that washing pupils (using auxiliary equipment) (aOR, 3.93; 95% CI, 1.66−9.31) and daily physical strain due to unexpected conduct of pupils (aOR, 3.70; 95% CI, 1.20−11.37) were the main influencing factors for an occupational injury.

Conclusions

Almost one in five persons suffered an occupational injury in the previous 12 months. Nursing activities, including close contact with pupils, were identified as the most important factors for an injury. In order to prevent injuries at special schools, a multifaceted approach is necessary. This includes sufficient supply of auxiliary devices including proper technical maintenance. Furthermore, regular participation in training for manual handling of heavy loads and schooling on the technical use of auxiliary devices should be encouraged.
Fertilization System as a Factor of Transforming the Humus State of the Soil
Authors: Lopushniak V.
Published: July 2015

Aim. To establish the effect of different fertilization systems in short fi eld crop rotation on the change in the state of humus in the dark gray podzolic soils in Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Methods. Field studies were carried out in a stationary experiment of the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry of the L’viv National Agrarian University; determination of humus content – according to DSTU 4289:2004, and that of its labile forms – in accordance with DSTU 4732:2007, fraction-group composition – by Ponomare- va-Plotnikova’s method, according to the measurement procedure 31-497058-008-2002. Results. The use of organo-mineral fertilizer system in short fi eld crop rotation with the saturation of organic fertilizers of 15 t/ha of crop rotation contributes to the humus content increase by 0.7 % after the third rotation in 0–40 cm layer of dark gray podzolic soil, the increase in the share of stable forms of humic compounds up to 57–59 % and the increase in the ratio of R HA :R FA to
1.3–1.4. The study demonstrated very high dependence of amount of gross energy reserves in the humus on the R HA :R FA ratio. Conclusions. The combined application of organic fertili- zers in the form of manure, non-market of the crop (straw) and siderate, along with mineral fertilizers is re- commended in short fi eld crop rotations of Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine toensure expanded reproduction of fertility of dark gray podzolic soil, improvement of its humus status, increase in gross energy reserves and the share of the stable forms and humic acids in the humus.
Soil-Remediating Activity of Agroecosystems and Chernozem Fertility Restoration Using Low-Carbon Technologies
Authors: Demidenko O. , Velichko V.
Published: July 2015

Aim. To present theoretical justifi cation of the increase in potential fertility of typical chernozem with system- atic application of zero tillage via the creation of soil conditions, optimal for photosynthesis, and provision of maximal physiological activity of root systems of cultivated crops to restore natural processes of soil formation in the agroecosystems of the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Methods. Field, laboratory, computational, mathematical and statistical. Results. The analysis of scientifi c literature and our own studies (for over 30 years) have demonstrated that the conditions of minimal tillage ensure the connection between the physiologi- cal rhythms of activity of agricultural crops, the rhythms of humus decomposition and synthesis, the fi xation of carbonic acid by the heterotrophic saprophyte microfl ora and carbonation, restoring soil formation in agroeco- systems. Agricultural crops in the agroecosystems are self-developing, auto-regulated, open systems, capable of overcoming
the forces, causing the increase in entropy and forming highly regulated and dynamically stable complexes of different hierarchy. High information capacity and codifi cation of cultivated crops defi nes the direction of the development of soil medium in agroecosystems. When the genetic information capacity of the development of cultivated crops resonates with the information capacity of the soil medium development, there is either the soil formation process or the process of extensive fertility restoration in agroecosystems. Conclusions. The maintenance and application of aboveground by-products of crop production, suffi ciently compensated in terms of nitrogen using mineral fertilizers, as organic fertilizers, and wrapped up into the sur- face layer of chernozem during the zero tillage, simulates the natural course of nitrogen-carbon circulation in agroecosystems of different types. The restoration of the natural soil formation model in the agroecosystems is ensured by the stimulation of physiological
activity of cultivated crops in the agroecosystems due to the launch of drain mechanisms of carbon with the increase in СО 2 content in the lowest atmospheric layers dur- ing the vegetation period of crops, which should be the basic model of extensive fertility restoration of typical chernozem.
Terahertz Wavefront Control by Graphene Metasurface
Authors: Yatooshi Takumi , Ishikawa Atsushi , Tsuruta Kenji
Published: July 2015

We propose and numerically investigate a tunable metasurface made of an array of graphene ribbons to dynamically control terahertz (THz) wavefront. The metasurface consists of graphene micro ribbons on a silver mirror with a SiO2 gap layer. The graphene ribbons are designed to exhibit localized plasmon resonances depending on their Fermi levels to introduce abrupt phase shifts along the metasurface. With interference of the Fabry-Perot resonances in the SiO2 layer, phase shift through the system is largely accumulated, covering up to 2π range for full control of the THz wavefront. Numerical simulations prove that wide-angle reflected THz beam steering from -53° to +53° with a high reflection efficiency as high as 60% is achieved at 5 THz while the propagation direction of THz beam could be switched within 0.6 ps.
A multi-sectoral version of the Post-Keynesian growth model
Authors: Araujo Ricardo Azevedo , Teixeira Joanílio Rodolpho
Published: July 2015

Abstract With this inquiry, we seek to develop a disaggregated version of the post-Keynesian approach to economic growth, by showing that indeed it can be treated as a particular case of the Pasinettian model of structural change and economic expansion. By relying upon vertical integration it becomes possible to carry out the analysis initiated by Kaldor (1956) and Robinson (1956, 1962), and followed by Dutt (1984), Rowthorn (1982) and later Bhaduri and Marglin (1990) in a multi-sectoral model in which demand and productivity increase at different paces in each sector. By adopting this approach it is possible to show that the structural economic dynamics is conditioned not only to patterns of evolving demand and diffusion of technological progress but also to the distributive features of the economy, which can give rise to different regimes of economic growth. Besides, we find it possible to determine the natural rate of profit that makes the mark-up rate to be constant over time.
Comparison of feeding habits and physical activity between eutrophic and overweight/obese children and adolescents: a cross sectional study
Authors: Nogueira-de-Almeida Carlos Alberto , Pires Lara Aquino Ferreira , Miyasaka Jordan , Bueno Vanessa , Khouri Juliana Mathias Netto , Ramos Marianna Lorenzo S. Ramos , Ceccato Yara Cristina , Costa Vivian , Maia Júnior Francisco de Assis
Published: July 2015

Summary Objective: it is broadly accepted, but little explored, that obese children practice less physical activity and eat more. This study has the objective of comparing feeding habits and physical activity between eutrophic and overweight/obese children and adolescents. Methods: 126 students with ages ranging from 6 to 18 years were evaluated. Eutrophic and overweight/obese students were compared according to calorie intake, macro and micronutrients, prevalence of physical inactivity and ingestion of micronutrients. Results: differences were observed in the amount of calories ingested per unit of BMI (eutrophic, 97.6, and overweight/obese, 70.5, p=0.0061), as well as in calcium intake (eutrophic, 546.2, and overweight/obese, 440.7, p=0.0366). Both groups presented sedentarism, as well as a high prevalence of micronutrient intake deficiency, especially calcium and vitamins A, E, and C, but with no difference observed between eutrophic and overweight/obese subjects. Conclusion: energy and macronutrients consumption, as well as physical activity, were similar between eutrophic and overweight/obese. Calcium intake was lower in the overweight/obese group and the ingestion of vitamin C was lower in the eutrophic group. These results demonstrate the importance of considering all etiologic factors that may lead to obesity, so that new strategies for prevention and control may be added to traditional interventions.
Abordagem Conceitual às Estratégias de Internacionalização sob Pressões Institucionais Duais para Legitimidade e Conformidade
Authors: Ferreira Manuel Portugal , Serra Fernando Ribeiro
Published: July 2015

Internacionalizar as operações requer que as empresas multinacionais (EMNs) desenvolvam estratégias capazes de lidar, simultaneamente, com as pressões institucionais externas, para a legitimidade, e as pressões institucionais internas, para a conformidade. Neste artigo conceitual e baseado na literatura de teoria institucional em negócios internacionais, desenvolve-se um conjunto de proposições teóricas sobre quais as estratégias de entrada nos mercados externos seguidaspelas EMNs face aosambientes institucionais. Com foco predominante no ambiente institucional externo e nas diferenças de desenvolvimento institucional, também aborda a relevância de considerar o ambiente interno. As estratégias de entrada tendem a ser baseadas em modos de baixo envolvimento e em parcerias, como jointventures, para entrar em países institucionalmente imaturos ou institucionalmente mais distantes.As aquisições e as parcerias podem ser usadas se as pressões institucionais forem menores. Conclui-se com uma discussão geral e o apontamento de questões para pesquisas futuras.
STRATEGIC DECISIONS OF FAMILY FIRMS ON CASH ACCUMULATION
Authors: LOZANO MARIA BELEN
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACTGiven the particular strengths, weaknesses, and peculiarities of family firms as well as the importance of liquidity in today’s marketplace, we analyze the distinct characteristics and strategies of family businesses related to the amount of cash a firm holds. We look beyond the traditional factors that influence decisions related to cash management to examine factors that are particularly important for family firms. Specifically, we outline the relevance of strategic decisions guided by family firms’ conservatism, flexibility, long-term view, and the active control that they have over family members. To our knowledge, no prior studies exist regarding family firms and their strategic adjustment of cash holding. Therefore, we investigate whether the ownership structure of the firm (through the presence of a controlling family) moderates decisions on cash holding. We found that family firms tend to accumulate cash for strategic reasons and as a result of their own idiosyncrasies. Thus, family firms can achieve optimal cash accumulation more efficiently than non-family firms.
Análise de estudos e pesquisas sobre o sentido social do programa Universidade para Todos (PROUNI)
Authors: Casali Alípio Márcio Dias , Mattos Maria José Viana Marinho de
Published: July 2015

O estudo aborda o sentido social do Programa Universidade para Todos (PROUNI), no contexto das políticas educacionais, no Brasil. Apresenta uma sistematização das produções acadêmicas e científicas sobre o Programa (2006-2011) e suas perspectivas. O levantamento feito a partir de registros no Scientific Electronic Library Online – SciELO – e no Portal Domínio Público da CAPES apontou um total de 27 dissertações, teses e artigos científicos publicados, em oito estados brasileiros, a maioria no Sudeste e em 2009. Foram analisados quatro subtemas: política de acesso e formação na Educação Superior; política de inclusão social; renúncia fiscal; e percepção e impactos segundo os beneficiários. Conclui-se que o PROUNI é uma política pública de ação afirmativa de relevante sentido social e amplo alcance histórico e cultural atravessada por conflitos e contradições, sendo a renúncia fiscal e a falta de atenção aos beneficiários os mais polêmicos.
Análise da percepção de um grupo de idosos a respeito de seu handicap auditivo antes e após o uso do aparelho auditivo
Authors: Guarinello Ana Cristina , Marcelos Shirlei Biano , Ribas Angela , Marques Jair Mendes
Published: July 2015

INTRODUÇÃO: A presbiacusia, ou perda auditiva causada pelo envelhecimento, pode gerar dificuldades comunicativas, psicológicas e sociais nos indivíduos idosos, com impactos profundos em sua vida social e familiar. OBJETIVO: Este estudo visou analisar a percepção de um grupo de idosos a respeito de seu handicap auditivo antes e após o uso do aparelho auditivo. MÉTODOS: Foi aplicado um questionário a 29 idosos oriundos de um hospital particular da cidade de Curitiba, PR. Neste estudo, os idosos responderam a perguntas referentes às consequências emocionais causadas pela perda auditiva e sobre os efeitos sociais dessa perda. O questionário foi respondido antes da colocação do aparelho auditivo e, em um segundo momento, após um ou dois anos de uso. RESULTADOS: Verificou-se a existência de diferenças significativas entre os handicaps médios antes e após a protetização (p=0,0000). Desta forma, houve diminuição significativa do handicap auditivo após uso da prótese auditiva no grupo estudado. CONCLUSÃO: Constatou-se que os idosos obtiveram bom aproveitamento geral da prótese auditiva após um ano de sua utilização, o que gerou impacto positivo na qualidade de vida e na percepção do seu handicap auditivo antes e depois do uso da prótese.
Programa de educação popular em saúde: hábitos de vida e sintomas depressivos em idosos
Authors: Patrocinio Wanda Pereira , Torres Stella Vidal de Souza , Guariento Maria Elena
Published: July 2015

OBJETIVOS: Avaliar a proposta de um programa de educação popular em saúde para um envelhecimento saudável em duas comunidades da cidade de Campinas, SP e verificar a influência deste programa sobre os hábitos de vida e em sintomas depressivos dos participantes. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de estudo exploratório, prospectivo e intervencionista. Foram realizadas atividades educacionais com 16 indivíduos idosos, com idades que variavam entre 60 e 75 anos (m=66,88+5,4anos) e que foram divididos em dois grupos com delineamento pré-teste, intervenção, pós-teste e seguimento; a intervenção consistiu de um encontro semanal de 150 minutos, de agosto a dezembro de 2009. As medidas incluíram questionários e escalas sobre variáveis sociodemográficas, de saúde, hábitos de vida e sintomas depressivos. Os programas foram elaborados com temas escolhidos pelos idosos. RESULTADOS: O estudo mostrou melhora no tempo diário de prática de atividade física; melhora no consumo diário de verduras e legumes para os dois grupos; os participantes de um dos grupos apresentaram piora em sintomas depressivos na medida de seguimento. CONCLUSÕES : Os resultados sugerem que intervenções desse tipo podem favorecer a saúde física e mental de idosos, a partir de mudanças de comportamento em saúde; mostra também a importância do grupo social para atenuação dos sintomas depressivos em viúvas.
Análise metodológica do treinamento de força como estratégia de controle da pressão arterial em idosos: uma revisão
Authors: Vieira Luiz Giovane Umpierre , Queiroz Andréia Cristiane Carrenho
Published: July 2015

OBJETIVO: Realizar uma revisão sobre quais variáveis do programa de treinamento resistido estariam mais associadas com a maior redução da pressão arterial de repouso em idosos. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado um levantamento bibliográfico nas bases de dados MEDLINE, SciELO e LILACS, compreendendo o período entre os anos 1990 e 2010, utilizando os descritores: envelhecimento, idosos, pressão arterial, exercício resistido e treinamento de força. Seguindo os procedimentos estabelecidos para o estudo, foram selecionados 16 artigos para esta revisão. RESULTADOS: O treinamento resistido regular promove redução da pressão arterial de repouso em indivíduos idosos. A magnitude e a duração do efeito hipotensor variou entre os estudos, de modo que o efeito benéfico do treinamento resistido se mostrou mais evidente quando realizado com: intensidade moderada, maior número de repetições e, pelo menos, 16 semanas de duração. CONCLUSÃO: O treinamento resistido promove redução da pressão arterial, mas as características do protocolo de treinamento influenciam nesta resposta. Além disso, ainda existem controvérsias na pesquisa, e são necessárias investigações futuras.
The Impact of New Technologies on Leisure in Developed and Emerging Economies
Authors: Ciochetto Lynne
Published: July 2015

In the last two decades there has been an exponential increase in worldwide computer use, followed by a similar expansion in mobile phone usage. There are a number of factors caused this increase: technological advances in functionality, the migration of computer use from work to the home environment,  increased accessibility of data through the increased capacity of search engines and the rapid growth in popularity of social media websites after 2004.  The exponential growth of mobile phone use followed a similar but more rapid trajectory and the user base expanded in emerging economies when 3G mobile phone technologies provided internet access. There has been a major shift in the way people communicate particularly the exponential increase in the use of social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Skype and Baibu. Sites such as iTunes and YouTube have changed the way music and video are accessed, listened to and used. Changing patterns of technology use have had a major impact on the way people conduct their lives and have impacted significantly on leisure activities in both developed and emerging economies: the types of activities and the way those activities are pursued in both at home and when people travel.
Computer-aided design of aircraft gas turbine engines and selection of materials for their main parts
Authors: Akhmedzyanov D. A. , Kishalov A. E. , Markina K. V.
Published: July 2015

The problem of aircraft gas turbine engine computer-aided design is dealt with in the article. An expert system for the selection of materials, coatings and other kinds of preparing surfaces of the main components and assembly units of the aircraft gas turbine engine flow section at the design stage developed on the basis of thermogasdynamic simulation modeling of DVIGw aviation engines is described. The system performs thermal gas calculation of the engine and its main components, develops the most likely structure of the main parts, estimates the thermal state of air-gas channel elements, makes an approximate strength prediction of the main elements and assembly units, analyzes the applicability of the materials from the developed database, generates the list of the most applicable materials, offers possible variants of coatings and heat treatment conditions. A topological model of two-spool mixed flow turbofan with an afterburner chamber for military high-maneuverability aircraft in the developed expert system is presented in the article. Some results of modeling and choosing materials for the main engine parts are presented. It is shown that the expert system can analyze both metallic and composite materials. For composite materials a unidirectional orthotropic composite material is designed on the basis of the composite materials database and its properties at the existing flow temperatures are predicted. The main advantage of using this method is time and labor saving in the process of designing new aircraft engines and their main parts.