bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anatomy and morphology character of five Indonesian banana cultivars (Musa spp.) of different ploidy level
Authors: SUMARDI ISSIREP , WULANDARI MERA
Published: July 2014

Sumardi I, Wulandari M (2011) Anatomy and morphology character of five Indonesian banana cultivars (Musa spp.) of different ploidy level. Biodiversitas 12: 167-175. In Indonesia there are many cultivars of banana, and some of them produce edible fruits. Beside their morphology, the character which necessary as a tool for classification is anatomical character. The aim of this research were to describe the anatomical character and morphology of fives Indonesian banana cultivars based on their level of ploidy. The cultivars were collected from Banana Germplasm Plantation, Yogyakarta District, Indonesia. The samples of roots, rhizome, and leaf were collected from five banana cultivars i.e.: Musa acuminata cv Penjalin, M. balbisiana cv Kluthuk warangan, M. acuminata cv Ambon warangan, M. paradisiaca cv Raja nangka, and M. paradisiaca cv Kluthuk susu. For anatomy observation samples were prepared using paraffin method, stained with 1% safranin in 70% ethanol. To observe the structure of stomata and epidermis surface, slide were prepared using modification of whole mount method. Slides were observed using Olympus BHB microscope completed with Olympus camera BM-10A. Stem and leaf morphology character of diploid level (AA and BB genome) is different with triploid level (AAA, AAB, and ABB genome). Anatomy and morphology character of root and rhizome of banana in diploid level (AA and BB genome) and triploid level (AAA, AAB, and ABB genome) is quite similar. Distribution of stomata is found in leaf and pseudostem. Stomata is found in adaxial and abaxial epidermis layer. The size of guard cells in triploid cultivars was longer than that diploid cultivars. The root composed of epidermis layer, cortex and cylinder vascular of five cultivarâ€™s root show anomalous structure. Rhizome consist of peripheric and centre zone. Anatomically, this was no differences in the rhizome structure among five banana cultivars. The row of vascular bundles acts as demarcation area between peripheric and central zone. In the cultivar with BB genome (diploid) and ABB genome (triploid) the row of vascular bundle was not found. The differences of leaf anatomy were base on: size and number of stomata distribution, number of subsidiary cells, number of hypodermal layers, structure and number of parenchyma palisade, size of airspace in petiole and mesophyll and the vascular bundle structure.Key words: anatomical character, morphology, banana cultivar, ploidy level
Biodiversities and limiting factors of Lashgardar Protected Area (LPA), Hamadan Province, Iran
Authors: KHORAM MAHDI REYAHI , NORISHARIKABAD2 VAHID
Published: July 2014

Reyahi-Khoram M, Norisharikabad V (2011) Biodiversities and limiting factors of Lashgardar Protected Area (LPA), HamadanProvince, Iran. Biodiversitas 12: 216-221. Lashgardar Protected Area (LPA) located in Hamadan Province in Iran, it is a mountainous and plain area and proximal to Malayer Township. In 1991, the region was known as a protected area for increasing wild animals' population. This research has been conducted during 2001 through 2009. Plant and animal species of the region were identified and statistics of the population of animal flagship species were gathered. In this research, valid academic resources were used for identification of animal and plant species. Geographic Information System (GIS) has been used to evaluate the land as main tool. The software used was Arc View (version 3.2a) scale was 1/50,000. Due to cold mountainous climate, the region is covered by a wide diversity of trees, shrubs, grasses and herbs. There were 18 species of mammals as well as 75 bird species in LPA. Most abundantmammalian population belongs to wild sheep (558 animals) and the second abundance was related to wild goat (515 animals). Also, the most abundant bird species belong to ortolans. Result of the present study showed that construction of connection roads in vicinity the region, establishment of factories inside and around the region, military garrison, unauthorized grazing, unlawful hunting, and Ahangaran mine and rail road have all exposed put LPA to serious threat and danger.Key words: biodiversity, environment, Lashgardar, protected area, wildlife
Review: Sugarcane production: Impact of climate change and its mitigation
Authors: SRIVASTAVA ASHOK K. , RAI MAHENDRA K.
Published: July 2014

Srivastava AK, Rai MK. 2012. Review: Sugarcane production: impact of climate change and its mitigation 13: 214-227. Sugarcane is aÂ climatic sensitive crop: therefore, its spatial distribution on the globe is restricted as per the suitability of various climatic parameters.Â The climate change, though, a very slow phenomenon is now accelerated due to natural, as well as enormous human activities disturbingÂ the composition of atmosphere. The predications of various climatic models for probable rise in temperature, rainfall, sea level show anÂ alarming condition in forthcoming decades. As the sugarcane is very sensitive to temperature, rainfall, solar radiations etc. therefore, aÂ significant effect on its production and sugar yield is expected in future. It is also well known that sugarcane is one of the precious cropsÂ of the world and its end products i.e. sugar and ethanol have a continuous growing demand on global level. Hence, the studies related toÂ good production of sugarcane in changing conditions of climate has become one among the front line area of research and is a majorÂ concern of scientistâ€™s world over. Advance agronomic measures including development of suitable cane varieties susceptible to changedÂ climatic conditions, land preparation, time and pattern of plantation, weed, disease and pest managements, nutrients managements,Â proper timing and adequate water management seems to be the affective measures for obtaining high production of crop with goodÂ quality juice in future.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum as a cultural representation of the public memory of the president
Authors: Ulyatt Michelle
Published: July 2014

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is a cultural representation of the public memory of the president. The site, located in Boston, Massachusetts, welcomes thousands of visitors each year, and its exhibits aim to enhance their understanding of the Kennedy presidency. This article examines the purposes of the Kennedy Library and Museum and explores its content in order to establish whether the museum provides an accurate representation of John F. Kennedy’s achievements in office. While the approach adopted is principally one of historical enquiry in order to test the content of the museum against the president’s record in office, the range of political issues covered and the focus on a cultural symbol of his rule should make the article accessible to scholars in other disciplines. The article argues that the founders of the Kennedy Library and Museum, who were all close Kennedy associates, were keen to provide a permanent memorial to the president that focused on the idea that his achievements in office outweighed his personal flaws. Reflecting their views and the influence that they have had over the wider public perception of President Kennedy, the Kennedy Library and Museum therefore provides an overwhelmingly positive representation of the president.
Review
Authors: Parker Richard
Published: July 2014

Robert Duncan Round-Up

Reading Duncan Reading: Robert Duncan and the Poetics of Derivation, Stephen Collis and Graham Lyons (eds) (2012) Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 271 pp., $45.00 (pbk), ISBN: 1609381165.

Duncan, Robert, The H.D. Book, Michael Boughn and Victor Coleman (eds) (2011) Berkeley: University of California Press, 693 pp., $36.95 (pbk), ISBN 0520272625.

Duncan, Robert, The Collected Early Poems and Plays, Peter Quartermain (ed.) (2012) Berkeley: University of California Press, 822 pp., $45.33 (hbk), ISBN 0520259262.

Duncan, Robert, A Poet’s Mind: Collected Interviews with Robert Duncan, 1960–1985, Christopher Wagstaff (ed.) (2012) Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 488 pp., $24.95 (hbk), ISBN 1583944540.

Robert Duncan: The Ambassador from Venus: A Biography, Lisa Jarnot (2012) Berkeley: University of California Press, 481 pp., $39.95 (hbk), ISBN 0520234162.
Lobbying the reader: Toni Morrison’s recent forewords to her novels
Authors: Roynon Tessa
Published: July 2014

This article examines the eight forewords, written by Morrison herself, that accompany all the recent Vintage editions of the novels except A Mercy (2008) and Home (2012). It reads them as a significant yet little-discussed contribution to her corpus of non-fiction work. Examining how the forewords came about and their apparent purpose, I collate the new perspectives they provide on Morrison’s narrative project, the insights they contain about American/transnational historical, political and literary cultures and the glimpses into the novelist’s life story they afford. I focus on what might be lost through their existence rather than what might be gained. I analyze in detail the ways in which Morrison’s foregrounded summaries of her central concerns diminish the reader’s active and participatory role. Making connections and comparisons with her published essays and interviews, I argue that the forewords undermine both the authority of the reader and the sense of a collaborative project which Morrison had until now invested with such political importance. Resisting the hagiographic tendency of some Morrison criticism, I explore the potentially problematic conflicts and inconsistencies about audience and reception; about definitive and ‘indefinitive’ editions; and about the empowerment or disempowerment of the reader; that the appearance of these prefatory essays has engendered.
Education, mobility and the zone defense in suburban American narratives
Authors: Long Christian
Published: July 2014

Slums of Beverly Hills and The Breakfast Club show that the key to class mobility is affordable housing in an otherwise high-dollar school district. This residential basis to the interconnection of romance, education and class mobility in suburban high school movies reveals zoning as the essential foundation to the suburban way of life. The logic of zoning is the imagination and ideology of American suburbia, promising universal mobility only to circumscribe it spatially. Zoning’s ‘rational’ delineation of allowable building is of paramount concern to mobility or economic inequality. Actually, existing zoning is the key ideological component to suburban life, which makes its invisibility in literary and film studies troubling. Slums of Beverly Hills and The Breakfast Club solve the problems of suburban inequality discursively; Brian and Vivian only change their thinking about the organization of their families, educations and social interactions, not the spatial organization of their home town. Suburban high school films continue to believe in the promise of class mobility that zoning-enabled and facilitated education holds out, the very definition of an ideological solution to the problem rather than a concrete change to the built environment.
Shelter Dogs and Their Destiny a Retrospective Analysis to Identify Predictive Factors: a Pilot Study
Authors: Cannas Simona , Rampini Fancesca , Levi Diana , Costa Emanuela Dalla , Talamonti Zita , Minero Michela , Palestrini Clara
Published: July 2014

Consequences of a long stay in dog shelter have particular significance, because, since 1991, the Italian law (14/08/1991, n.281) prohibits euthanasia of dogs unless “they are seriously ill, incurable or proven dangerous”. Caught dogs are recovered for a quarantine period in the sanitary kennel, if they are not returned to the owner, they are moved to shelters until adoption or death. The aim of this work was to identify the relationship between dogs characteristics and their destiny in order to define useful predictors to better manage the stay of dogs in shelter. We analysed the records of all dogs recovered in a sanitary kennel from 2005 to 2010 and subsequently moved to shelters (n=771). Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed in order to investigate possible factors that might affect adoptability of sheltered dogs. The characteristics of dogs that spent more time in PVCS, before being transfer to the CR, were: large size, male gender and age between 11 months and 2 years (p ≤ 0,05). Male dogs spent more days in CR, as opposed to female (p ≤ 0,05). In our sample 76% dogs were adopted, 18% were still in the shelter, 4% died and 2% were euthanized. Female dogs were adopted more than males; young dogs more than elderly (over seven years); sizes medium and small more than large. It would be interesting use the data from this research and complete them with information regarding dogs behaviour, to better manage dogs during the stay in shelter and to improve their relocation.
Proof of concept for a novel functional screening system for plant sucrose effluxers
Authors: Zhou Yuchan , Grof Christopher P. L. , Patrick John W.
Published: July 2014

Membrane transporters play pivotal roles in facilitating sucrose transport in plants and their activities have been shown to impact plant growth rates and crop yield.  In contrast to the well-defined mechanism of sucrose influx across plasma membranes, less is known about sucrose efflux mechanisms and the membrane proteins supporting this function.  A major impediment blocking progress in this key area of plant science is the absence of a functional screening system for genes encoding sucrose effluxers.  Here we report a novel yeast system for screening sucrose effluxers based on sucrose release from yeast cells genetically modified to synthesize, but not to metabolize, sucrose.  Inhibiting sucrose metabolism was achieved using yeast strains, SEY 6210 and YSL4-6, carrying mutations in genes encoding invertase and maltase, respectively.  Genes encoding essential components of sucrose biosynthesis, sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and sucrose phosphate phosphatase (SPP), were used to transform the two yeast hosts to make strains SuPy (from SEY6210) and Ysu (from YSL4-6).  Cultures of SuPy15 cells were found to be capable of synthesizing sucrose when supplied with various compounds as the sole carbon source, including non-fermentable sugars and non-sugar substrates.  A proof of concept of the screening system was demonstrated by transforming SuPy15 with sucrose transporter genes known to encode plasma membrane proteins that mediate sucrose efflux.  The robustness of the yeast SuPy15 system as a novel platform to screen putative plant sucrose effluxers is discussed.
Passionate Allegories: Staging Romance in Civil War Melodrama
Authors: Redling Erik
Published: July 2014

The essay traces the changing stages of allegorical melodrama, which heighten the respective Civil War goals of the North and South, from the beginning of the war to the silent film era. At the outset of the war both sides use portrayals of Civil War romance to create ‘passionate allegories’ that praise their own cause and disparage their opponents. Subsequently, spectacular allegorical enactments in postbellum Civil War romance plays serve to commemorate magnanimous, unifying encounters between North and South as well as the North’s victory. Finally, somewhat removed from the war, early silent movies of the new century draw on melodrama’s theater conventions (especially allegorical tableaux) to fire up the audience’s passion for the union of North and South: for instance, Edwin S. Porter’s film Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1903) shows that Tom’s death was not in vain because it paved the way for the reconciliation of North and South, while D. W. Griffith’s racist Civil War epic The Birth of a Nation (1915) ends with a double honeymoon to stress the need of a white union between North and South in the face of the perceived threat of African Americans.
Melodrama, Emotion, and Environmental Advocacy: A Cognitive Approach to Erin Brockovich
Authors: Weik von Mossner Alexa
Published: July 2014

The essay explores the emotional and political valence of melodramatic storytelling in Steven Soderbergh’s Erin Brockovich. It uses the analytical tools of cognitive film theory to explore the ways in which Erin Brockovich employs affective appeals to engage viewers in its melodramatic representation of a historical case of environmental injustice. Not only are viewers encouraged to empathically share the characters’ feelings of pain, fear, and anxiety about economic and environmental risks and hazards, they are also invited to get sympathetically invested in the protagonist’s struggle to reduce her own suffering and that of others she has learned to care for. As a melodramatic narrative that also provides a good amount of comic relief, Erin Brockovich promotes both alignment and allegiance with its morally righteous heroine, thereby encouraging viewers to share her activist stance in cases of environmental injustice that affect the suffering bodies of others.
Wasting God’s Gift? The Ruined City and the “Melodramatic Penis”
Authors: Poole Ralph
Published: July 2014

Why have ruins been so fascinating for artists? And is there an inherent melodramatic quality to states of ruin? What is the link between architectural ruins, financial ruin and ruinous lives? And what kinds of ways out do artists offer to counteract ruined affairs? The paper looks at a prominent case of a ruined city – Detroit – and offers readings of how artists (photographers, filmmakers, musicians, and cityscapists) have taken up the challenge to view and experience a city that has been prone to destruction, desolation, and doom. The range of productively working with and against notions of decay includes the highly melodramatic as well as the ludicrously comic (both prominent in the TV series Hung), and for new ways of achieving success there are not only technological, athletic and horticultural incentives at stake, but one may even have to rely on the age-old means of commodity: one’s own body. The ‘melodramatic penis’ will therefore be discussed as a tangible sign of economic and spiritual crisis.
The Study of Cognitive Semiotics in China
Authors: Hu Zhuanglin
Published: July 2014

The study of cognitive semiotics first took the form of “cognitive linguistics + Peircean semiotics” in China in 2005. Two years later, the term “cognitive semiotics” (CS) began to be introduced to Chinese scholars, who came to learn the names of pioneers such as Daddesio, Brandt, Thom, Stjernfelt, Bundgaard, and others, situated mainly in Europe. Since then, Chinese CS scholars have devoted themselves to the theoretical exploration of CS focusing on such topics as metaphor and symbolization, cognitive steps in semiosis, humor comprehension, interpretation of polite utterances, the deictic center, etc. Moreover, some scholars have focused on the application of the theory in fields such as literary analysis, the interpreter’s mind style, education, disaster symbols, architecture, etc.
Bridging Civilisations
Authors: Riley Howard , Roberts Amanda
Published: July 2014

This article discusses the application of systemic-functional semiotics in the analysis of visual materials, and, specifically, presents and demonstrates the efficacy of an original systemic-functional model that facilitates both the analysis and synthesis of drawings in a cross-cultural context. The model is explained as developing from Michael O’Toole’s systemic-functional semiotic model for painting (O’Toole 2011) itself an adaptation of Michael Halliday’s systemic-functional semiotic model for language (Halliday 1973, 1978, 1985). The article is illustrated with examples of work from China, Europe, and the authors’ drawing practice.
Polysemiotic Signs in Foreign Language Course Books
Authors: Kourdis Evangelos
Published: July 2014

Recently, in most foreign language course books, rubrics of units, activities, and exercises are codified resulting in a peculiar coexistence of semiotic systems to produce or to accentuate meaning, creating thus polysemiotic signs. In this paper, I study the polysemiotic signs of English and French in foreign language course books published in Greece which are composed of verbal and visual signs within the context of Groupe M. Such a relation of semiotic systems also includes intersemiotic and interlingual translation. My main result is that course books are characterized by an increasing visuality that permits reference to a common cultural framework or semiosphere that enables the polysemiotic signs used in course books to be understood by students learning a foreign language.
Signs of Silence and Resistance in Strawman
Authors: Tsai Hsiu-chih
Published: July 2014

Taiwanese director Wang Tong’s film Strawman (1987) aims at comparing the maimed national identity and sense of helplessness of colonized Taiwanese people to the situation of a “strawman” in the late period of the Pacific War. I explore the relationship between the filmic representation of trivial events involving Taiwanese farmers and the irrepressible power of life and humanity that emerges despite Japanese empirical exploitation and domination. The events become a series of detours of sign processes that represent not just the tangos of life and death but also the tangles of the colonizer and the colonized in the real world, while the film’s Kristevean ideologemes operating through sign functions correlate the cinematographic world and the possible contextualized real world
Significant Symmetries in the Structure of Peircean Semiotics
Authors: Pearson Charls
Published: July 2014

In this paper I discuss the metaphysics of symmetry and then illustrate several of the most obvious symmetries in the theory of sign structure. By breaking one of these symmetries, a new and more powerful theory is displayed: the theory of the structure of the dialogic sign. However, there are many symmetries remaining to investigate in this theory.
Semiosis in a Schubert Song
Authors: Dougherty William P.
Published: July 2014

In setting a text to music, a composer actively engages the text by manipulating it to serve an expressive end that coalesces into a multi-layered art form. Peirce’s conception of semeiotic with its emphasis on presentation, representation, and interpretation allows access to the thorny issues surrounding the relation of music and text in the art song. The analytic focus is on the use of the pastoral topic in Shubert’s setting of “Nur wer die Sehnsucht Kennt” (D. 877, No. 1).
Eigentumsrechte im Finanzsystem
Authors: Herzog Lisa
Published: July 2014

This paper asks how property rights in the financial system can be normatively justified. It argues that in the current financial system, we find property rights with very different normative bases, some of which are stronger than others. In fact, there is a systematic gap between the normative priorities (which property rights deserve protection?) and the de facto priorities (which property rights are in fact protected?). I draw on the three traditional approaches for justifying property rights, along Hegelian, Lockean and consequentialist lines, and ask how relevant they are for the property rights that one finds in today’s financial system. As it will turn out, Hegelian and Lockean justifications are better suited for the “real economy” than for the financial system; whereas the most promising approach for justifying many property rights within the financial system (if they can be justified at all) is a consequentialist one. This implies that reform proposals, for example with regard to higher capital ratios for banks, cannot be countered by holding that they interfere with property rights, for the property rights that are interfered with cannot claim to have stronger normative bases than the normative principles involved in the reform proposals.
Demokratie und ihr Eigentum
Authors: Wesche Tilo
Published: July 2014

Understanding the relationship of democracy and property ownership is one of the most important tasks for contemporary political philosophy. Surprisingly, philosophers writing on democracy and ownership rarely discuss their interconnectedness. This paper aims to clarify how a normative concept of property arrangements fosters democracy. On the one hand, it argues that democracy depends on a hybrid form of private and social ownership of productive assets that is a feature of economic democracy. The basic aspect of this conception can be captured by the claim that for securing the political liberties a widespread dispersal of property in productive resources is required that minimizes the formation of prejudices and therefore improves the conditions of deliberative democracy. On the other hand, this paper argues that freedom is most central for the justification of property rights. Instead of justifying property rights by external principles of justice, democracy and legitimacy, it argues that the notion of ownership is not intelligible as long as one leaves the concept of freedom aside.
Brief aus Japan
Authors: Minobe Hitoshi
Published: July 2014

In order to inform readers about philosophy in Japan, I treat three topics in this letter. Firstly, I talk about the Japanese word “tetsugaku” which means “philosophy”. It is one of many words that were created especially for the translation of Western concepts into Japanese in the latter half of the 19th century when Western culture had been rapidly introduced into Japan. Interestingly enough, Japanese have used this word for thought only since the encounter with the Western world and not before. In fact, what philosophy is, remains quite a complicated question in Japan. Secondly, I mention the dialogue between the Buddhist tradition and the Western philosophy in Japan. I am sure that the dialogue has produced and is still producing rich fruit in the world of philosophy. Finally, I describe how philosophy is received in Japanese society nowadays, especially at university.
The Homer Of The North or: who was Sigurður the Blind?
Authors: Jakobsson Ármann
Published: July 2014

Sigurður the Blind is a relatively obscure Icelandic poet, and there has been very little study of his work since the early 20th century, perhaps due to the fact that any such study is prone to get lost in the confusion concerning the identity of this late medieval “Homer of the North”. While this may be distracting from the study of his work, this fog may in fact be paradoxically illuminating as to the problems facing scholarship of the late Middle Ages, often revolving around sparse but nevertheless seemingly contradictory sources. Furthermore, one of the most interesting aspects of previous scholarship concerning the poet is how his blindness has figured in the attribution of various poems to Sigurður, and how this blindness has linked him to other blind poets of the 14th to the 17th centuries.
The Forest Pleas of Rockingham: A (Re)Discovered Instance of Sculptural Níð?
Authors: Lawing Sean. B.
Published: July 2014

In 1272 some dozen men in Northamptonshire, England were pursued by king’s wardens for poaching deer in the royal forest of Rockingham. Legal records for the ensuing case, a “forest plea,” tell us that the wardens caught up with the poachers at a certain forest track where members of the band set up a deer’s head on a stake, intended as an insult to the king and his men. Bo Almqvist, in his defining work
Literarischer Antisemitismus bei Knut Hamsun und Henrik Pontoppidan: zwei Varianten mit unterschiedlicher Tendenz
Authors: von Schnurbein Stefanie
Published: July 2014

Up until now, Scandinavianist criticism has barely touched the question of a specific literary function of anti-Semitic stereotypes. This paper starts with a discussion of an older but persistent critical controversy about anti-Semitic tendencies in Knut Hamsun’s work. It then focuses on two novels,
Arc-sprayed Coatings for High Temperature Reactors in Titanium Sponge Process
Authors: Zhang Z. L. , Gong X. , Zhang N. N.
Published: July 2014

An arc-sprayed composite coating consisted of an under coat Fe25Cr5Al and a top coat Al5Si was sprayed on the reactor wall surface, which is made of mild steel and used for batch production of titanium sponges. After a trial for 15 production cycles, the morphology of the sprayed coating changed greatly into somewhat like a thermal barrier coating. A large number of composite oxides containing aluminum and chromium had been generated in situ within the protective coatings, especially close to the coating/substrate interface. The oxides generated at the interface could improve the bonding of the coating to the steel substrate together with the surface alumina on the coating surface may provide an effective and long-term protection to the steel substrate of reactor at high temperatures.
Creep Behaviour and Fracture Analysis of MoSi2 Based Composites
Authors: Ballóková Beáta , Besterci Michal , Hvizdoš Pavol
Published: July 2014

Molybdenum disilicide based composites containing different types of additive materials such as SiC and nano SiC particles have been investigated, based on the detailed examination of their microstructures and fracture surfaces after creep. The materials were prepared via powder metallurgy using high temperature controlled reaction sintering (CRS). The creep experiments were carried out in four-point bending mode in air in the temperature range from 1273 to 1673 K, with constant stress of 100 MPa. The creep behaviour and the mechanisms of damage were investigated on fracture surfaces by SEM and the microstructure and its response to high temperature load were investigated by TEM using the thin foil technique.
Characterization of Monodispersed γ-Al2O3 Particles, Synthesized by Homogeneous Precipitation under Reflux Boiling
Authors: Haq Ikram Ul , Akhtar Khalida , Khan Zia Ullah
Published: July 2014

In this study, micron size uniform particles of aluminum compounds were synthesized by the homogeneous precipitation method under reflux boiling, using aluminum nitrate, urea and potassium sulfate as starting materials. In this method, varying amounts of the reactants were heated in a Pyrex glass round bottom flask at the boiling temperature for various periods of time, which led to the production of precipitated particles in the reactant mixtures. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) examination of the precipitated particles revealed that uniformity in particle morphology of the precipitated particles was dependent on the applied experimental conditions. As such, the latter were extensively optimized for obtaining particles of uniform morphology and size. Some of the batches of the precipitated particles were calcined at the elevated temperature (800 and 1000 °C) for transformation into crystalline solids. Similarly, the as prepared and calcined particles were characterized by SEM, XRD, TGA/DTA and FTIR. XRD results revealed that at 1000 °C of calcinations, the as prepared amorphous alumina transformed in to crystalline state, while below this temperature, i.e. at 800 °C calcination, the powder was amorphous in nature. The point of zero charge (PZC) of the desired sample was estimated by the salt addition method.
Right thalamic lacunar infarction presenting with anomic aphasia
Authors: Natanzi Naveed , Ashourpour Sogol , Goel Pedram , Nance Patricia W.
Published: July 2014

We present two cases of thalamic infarction presentation with aphasia, which has rarely been documented in the literature. Of interest, the second case presented with a lesion in the non-dominant thalamus, which made the finding of speech impairment exceedingly rare. Anomic aphasia has been associated with lesions to the basal temporal lobe, anterior inferior temporal lobe, temporo-parieto-occipital junction and the inferior parietal lobe, but rarely in association with the thalamus. Thalamic strokes most often present with motor, sensory, and cognitive deficits; few reports in the medical literature associate aphasia with a thalamic infarction. Possible explanations include crossed aphasia, diaschisis, the hypometabolic theory, and the thalamus as a secondary language center. Our findings may hint to a relationship among language, higher cognitive function, subcortical structures, and interhemispheric connections that are yet to be understood completely. We postulate that an increasingly important role of subcortical neuronal structures in cognitive functions will be recognized as diagnostic imaging technology improves over time.
Leadership and intra-personal development: relevance to Chinese nursing students
Authors: Chan Zenobia C.Y.
Published: July 2014

It is well known that intra-personal attributes and leadership styles are crucial elements of nursing education and practice. However, little has been done in these aspects, particularly in terms of students’ perspectives regarding various cultural influences on intra-personal development and nursing leadership. Six focus group interviews were conducted in Hong Kong to explore the meanings of intra-personal development and nursing leadership in nursing education and the clinical setting, and to analyze Chinese culture relevant to intra-personal and leadership development. The results revealed three themes (intra-personal development, nursing leadership, and cultural influence) extracted from the focus group interviews. Regarding intra-personal development, the findings from participants’ experiences suggested that they agreed with the importance of self-awareness, self-reflection, emotional competence, resilience, morality, and self-identity in nursing students. In addition, social competence, communication, team building and self-leadership, as well as crisis, conflict, and stress management, are crucial to nursing leadership. Some participants were also concerned with the cultural influence on gender barriers and hierarchism in the clinical setting. As intra-personal characteristics, leadership competence, and cultural values are crucial and fundamental in education, nursing programs should enhance these aspects for the holistic development of nursing students. Further studies across regions and time, interviews with nursing educators, and cross-cultural collaboration for nursing leadership and intra-personal development in nursing programs are recommended.
The role of teachers in youth development: reflections of students
Authors: Shek Daniel T.L. , Wu Florence K.Y.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine the students’ reflections on a subject on leadership and intrapersonal development at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Based on 66 personal reflections collected, the data were analyzed using the “framework analysis” methodology. The respondents generally showed positive attitudes toward the subject and the lecturers, and they perceived that the subject promoted their overall development in different domains. With particular reference to their reflections on the instructors teaching the subject, several emerging themes were identified, including (a) caring and supportive attitude, (b) professional pedagogical arrangements and (c) personal engagements and connections. Exemplars are presented in this paper to support the conclusions. The findings are in line with previous research that teachers play an important role in positive youth development programs.
The relationship between subjective outcome evaluation and objective outcome evaluation findings: evidence from China
Authors: Shek Daniel T.L. , Han Xiao Yan
Published: July 2014

The relationships between subjective outcome evaluation and objective subjective evaluation measures were examined in this study. In a positive youth development program (Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Project), 1083 high school students responded to objective outcome measures, including the Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale (CPYDS) and measures of thriving and life satisfaction at posttest. The respondents also responded to the Chinese Subjective Outcome Scale (CSOS) at posttest. Results showed that different measures derived from the CSOS (lessons, subject, sharing and benefits) had significant relationships with different measures of the CPYDS, thriving and life satisfaction. The different dimensions of the CSOS scores also predicted different objective outcome measures. The present findings provide additional evidence supporting the linkages between objective outcome and subjective outcome measures.
Process evaluation of a pilot subject on service leadership for university students in Hong Kong
Authors: Shek Daniel T.L. , Lin Li , Liu Ting Ting , Law Moon Y.M.
Published: July 2014

To promote the holistic development of university students under the knowledge economy, a subject entitled “Service Leadership” was developed and piloted at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Process evaluation was carried out for 10 lectures, with each lecture observed by two independent observers who were registered social workers. Inter-rater reliability across the two observers was high, suggesting the observations were reliable. Results showed that program adherence was high in these lectures (mean=97.8%) and ratings on the implementation quality of the subject were also high. Some of the qualities of program implementation were significant predictors of the overall quality and success of the program. Consistent with other findings, the present study suggests that the implementation quality of “Service Leadership” was high.
Multiscale Simulation of Wedge Nanoindentation Based on the Repulsive Force-field Approach
Authors: Li Ying , Ni Yushan
Published: July 2014

A new method is proposed to perform the multiscale simulation of nanoindentation with wedge indenter. We designed a potential field to model the wedge indenter based on the repulsive force-field approach which was used to model round indenters. A smooth curve representing the indenter tip is used to avoid the singularity of an ideal wedge indenter. Simulation with our approach correctly shows essential features of wedge nanoindentation. The load responses during retraction is confirmed by elastic model based on the Oliver–Pharr approach. Significant indentation size effect that the contact hardness decreases with the increase of contact depth is compared with existing models. The atomic configurations of the film shows that perfect dislocations nucleate under the indenter with Burges vectors perpendicular to the indentation direction. The strain distribution under the indenter shows that the length of plastic zone in the indentation direction is much larger than the contact width.
Influence of vitamin E and quercetin on Nigerian Bonny Light crude oil-induced neuronal and testicular toxicity in Wistar rats
Authors: Ebokaiwe Azubuike P. , Farombi Ebenezer O.
Published: July 2014

Background: Mounting experimental evidence highlights the testicular and neuronal toxicity of environmental/industrial chemicals in experimental animals via the mechanism involving oxidative damage. Nigerian Bonny Light crude oil (BLCO) has been reported to exhibit reproductive and neuronal toxicity in male rats. Studies have shown that vitamin E and quercetin protect rat neuronal and testicular cells from environmental chemical-induced oxidative damage. We investigated the possible protective role of quercetin and vitamin E in BLCO induced-neuronal and testicular toxicity.

Methods: Male rats were administered BLCO at doses of 400 and 800 mg/kg body wt/day p.o. three times/week for 6 weeks. Other groups were co-administered BLCO (400 and 800 mg/kg body wt/day p.o.) with/without vitamin E (50 mg/kg body wt/day p.o.) or quercetin (10 mg/kg body wt/day p.o.) three times/week for 6 weeks, respectively.

Results: Semen quality deteriorated, testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were significantly decreased, and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) increased following BLCO reatment. There was a significant decline in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) with concomitant increased levels of lipid peroxidation and activities of xanthine oxidase (XO) in a dose-dependent manner, in testes and brain of rats. Co-administration with vitamin E or quercetin reversed BLCO-induced neuronal and testicular toxicity by preventing oxidative stress, improving sperm quality, and restoring hormonal levels relative to controls.

Conclusions: BLCO altered reproductive indices and induced neuronal toxicity via the mechanism of oxidative stress. Quercetin and vitamin E showed possible chemoprotection against the toxicity.
l-Carnitine is a calcium chelator: a reason for its useful and toxic effects in biological systems
Authors: Banihani Saleem Ali , Bayachou Mekki , Alzoubi Karem
Published: July 2014

Background: Investigation of the direct link between l-carnitine (LC), a quaternary ammonium compound that facilitates the passage of unsaturated fatty acids into the mitochondrial matrix, and free calcium (Ca2+) is needed to explain a number of varying results obtained from different in vitro and in vivo studies of LC as a supplement.

Methods: The chemical structure of LC, which contains oxygen ligand atoms, prompted to measure its activity as a Ca2+ chelator. The measurement was carried out spectrophotometrically by measuring the reduction in the formation of Ca2+-o-cresolphthalein complexone (Ca-CPC) in the presence of different doses of LC (0.075, 0.75, and 7.5 mM) compared to the control (0.0 mM LC).

Results: The effect of LC was measured as a free entity in solution and when added to human serum. Our results showed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in the average absorbance of Ca-CPC in the presence of LC compared to the control.

Conclusions: In conclusion, LC exhibits a significant Ca2+ chelating activity. As Ca2+ is vital in the biochemical and physiological processes of living cells, LC could be affecting the calcium-dependent biological systems by limiting the levels of free Ca2+. Examples include decelerating the blood clotting process, amplifying the effect of anticoagulants, reducing nitric oxide synthase activity, inhibiting platelet aggregation, and decreasing sperm motility.
Antiplasmodial potential of homeopathic drugsChelidoniumand nosode againstPlasmodium bergheiinfection
Authors: Bagai Upma , Walter Neha S.
Published: July 2014

Background: Malaria remains a major global health concern in developing regions of the world. Homeopathy, a holistic system of medicine, has a lot to offer in protecting against malaria.

Methods: In the present study, antimalarial efficacy of combination of two homeopathic drugsChelidonium30 and nosode 30 has been evaluatedin vivoagainstPlasmodium berghei(P. berghei) infection using Peters 4-day test. Biochemical assays have been performed to assess the levels of hepatic and renal function biomarkers upon drug treatment using diagnostic kits.

Results: The combination of the drugs demonstrated considerablein vivoantimalarial activity with chemosuppression of 91.45% on day 7. The combination also significantly (p<0.0005) enhanced the mean survival time of mice which was calculated to be 22.5±6.31 days, whereas it was 8.55±0.83 days in infected control. The increase in levels of the liver function marker enzymes tested in serum of treated mice were significantly less (p<0.0005) than those observed in infected control on day 10. The serum urea and creatinine used for assessment of renal sufficiency were slightly elevated above normal, but were statistically significant (p<0.0005) as compared to infected control.

Conclusions: The study establishes the effectiveness of the combination againstP. berghei in vivoalong with the safety of the drugs to the liver and kidney functions of the host.
Spatial Distortion Due to Field Inhomogeneity in 3.0 Tesla Intraoperative MRI
Authors: Choudhri Asim F. , Chin Eric M. , Klimo Paul , Boop Frederick A.
Published: July 2014

We describe a 14-year-old boy with a pilocytic astrocytoma of the left caudate head. Preoperative localization MR imaging (MRI) was performed in the operating room, and spatial distortion was noted felt to be related to head positioning relative to the isocenter of the magnetic field. The distortion artifact was subtle enough to be difficult to detect, but large enough to change the location of the lesion potentially leading to a non-diagnostic stereotactic biopsy. Repeat imaging after changing the head position to allow scanning closer to the isocenter of the magnetic field showed decreased distortion, an improvement greater than that using the manufacturer's distortion correction algorithm on the initial images. Intraoperative MRI, and its requisite limitations in positioning, requires vigilance to detect possible distortion that could alter surgical outcomes if not identified and corrected prospectively.
Задача Коші для параболічного рівняння над полем $p$-адичних чисел з імпульсним впливом
Authors: Luchko V.M.
Published: July 2014

Розглянуто задачу Коші для параболічного рівняння з імпульсним впливом, побудовано її розв'язок та вивчено властивості розв'язку над полем $\mathbb{Q}_{p}$.
The normal limit distribution of the normalized number of false solutions of a one system of nonlinear random equations over the field GF(2)
Authors: Slobodian S.Ya.
Published: July 2014

The theorem on a normal limit distribution of the normalized number of false solutions of a beforehand consistent system of nonlinear random equations over the field GF(2) is proved. The results with the additional condition on the number of nonzero components both false solutions and true solution of the solutions are obtained.
Radial boundary values of lacunary power series
Authors: Andrusyak I.V. , Filevych P.V.
Published: July 2014

We strengthened MacLane's theorem concerning radial boundary values of lacunary power series.
Варіаційне виведення диференціальних рівнянь коливань п’єзокерамічної оболонки при меридіональній поляризації
Authors: Lastivka I.O.
Published: July 2014

Запропоновано побудову одного з варiантiв уточненої теорiї п’єзокерамiчної оболонки при її меридiональнiй поляризацiї, отримано систему диференцiальних рiвнянь коливань оболонки та граничнi умови з використанням варiацiйного принципу Рейсснера.
Кільця з нільпотетними диференціюваннями індексів ≤ 2
Authors: Lukashenko M.P.
Published: July 2014

Встановлено, що в напівпервинному кільці всі диференціювання (відповідно внутрішні диференціювання) нільпотентні тоді і тільки тоді, коли воно диференційно тривіальне (відповідно комутативне). Радикал Джекобсона кільця з нільпотентними диференціюваннями індексів $\leq 2$ містить всі нільпотентні елементи кільця.
Асимптотична стохастична стійкість стохастичних динамічних систем випадкової структури з постійним запізненням
Authors: Lukashiv T.O.
Published: July 2014

Використано метод функціоналів Ляпунова-Красовського для дослідження асимптотичної стохастичної стійкості в цілому стохастичних дифузійних динамічних систем випадкової структури з постійним запізненням, які перебувають під впливом зовнішніх імпульсних збурень типу ланцюга Маркова.
La calidad y el rol de las Revistas Científicas
Authors: Romero Leonardo
Published: July 2014

La información, los resultados y el análisis escrito en una revista científica deben ser presentados con calidad para que sea analizada, criticada y asimilada por la comunidad científica. En 1962 la UNESCO publicó la Guía para la Redacción de artículos científicos destinados a publicación1 , normas que deberían aplicarse en publicaciones científicas con la finalidad de mejorar los sistemas de información que existían. En esta Guía se menciona la originalidad de los artículos, la no-duplicación de las publicaciones, la forma de presentación de los artículos, la identificación bibliográfica (BIBLID), longitud de los resúmenes, entre otros. Desde ese entonces las normas han evolucionado para lograr mayor facilidad y claridad en la comunicación de los trabajos expuestos en las revistas. Así, también surgieron las normas ISO para publicaciones periódicas y los códigos internacionales como el ISSN (para identificar las publicaciones periódicas y facilitar las transacciones comerciales).