bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Procalcitonin as a marker of sepsis and outcome in patients with neurotrauma: an observation study
Authors: Deng Shuixiang , Zhu Hechen , Wang Kunlun , Cao Tongwa
Published: December 2013

Background

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a reliable biomarker of sepsis and infection. The level of PCT associated with sepsis and infection in patients with traumatic brain injury is currently unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of PCT and C-reactive protein (CRP) as diagnostic markers of sepsis and to evaluate the prognostic value of these markers related to the severity of injury, sepsis and mortality.

Methods

105 adult patients with neurotrauma were enrolled in this study from June 2011 to February 2013. PCT and CRP were measured at admission and 2, 3, 5 and 7 days after admission. The sepsis criteria established by American College of Chest Physicians /Society of Critical Care Medicine Consensus Conference were used to identify patients. Injury Severity Score (ISS) and Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) were used to assess the severity of the injury. All these patients were monitored for 28 days.

Results

At admission, the median level of PCT was consistent with the severity of brain injury as follows: mild 0.08 ng/ml (0.05 - 0.13), moderate 0.25 ng/ml (0.11 - 0.55) and severe 0.31 ng/ml (0.17 - 0.79), but the range of CRP levels varied greatly within the given severity of brain injury. Seventy-one (67.6%) patients developed sepsis. The initial levels of PCT at admission were statistically higher in patients with sepsis, compared with patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), but there were no differences in the initial concentration of CRP between sepsis and SIRS. After adjusting for these parameters, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that PCT was an independent risk factor for septic complications (p < 0.05). The areas under the ROCs at admission for the prediction of mortality were 0.76 (p < 0.05) and 0.733 for PCT and CRP, respectively.

Conclusions

Increased levels of PCT during the course of the ICU stay could be an important indicator for the early diagnosis of sepsis after neurotrauma. In addition, high serum levels of PCT in patients with neurotrauma at admission indicate an increased risk of septic complications, and the daily measurement of PCT assists in guiding antibiotic therapy in neurotrauma patients.
Challenges in sodium intake reduction and meal consumption patterns among participants with metabolic syndrome in a dietary trial
Authors: Wang Jinsong , Olendzki Barbara C , Wedick Nicole M , Persuitte Gioia M , Culver Annie L , Li Wenjun , Merriam Philip A , Carmody James , Fang Hua , Zhang Zhiying , Olendzki Gin-Fei , Zheng Liang , Ma Yunsheng
Published: December 2013

Background

Dietary guidelines suggest limiting daily sodium intake to <2,300 mg for the general population, and <1,500 mg/d for those with certain cardiovascular risk factors. Despite these recommendations, few Americans are able to achieve this goal. Identifying challenges in meeting these guidelines is integral for successful compliance. This analysis examined patterns and amount of daily sodium intake among participants with metabolic syndrome enrolled in a one-year dietary intervention study.

Methods

Two hundred forty participants with metabolic syndrome enrolled in a dietary intervention trial to lose weight and improve dietary quality. Three 24-hour dietary recalls were collected at each visit which provided meal patterns and nutrient data, including sodium intake. A secondary data analysis was conducted to examine sodium consumption patterns at baseline and at one-year study visits. Sodium consumption patterns over time were examined using linear mixed models.

Results

The percentage of meals reported eaten in the home at both baseline and one-year follow-up was approximately 69%. Follow-up for the one-year dietary intervention revealed that the participants who consumed sodium greater than 2,300 mg/d declined from 75% (at baseline) to 59%, and those that consumed higher than 1,500 mg/d declined from 96% (at baseline) to 85%. Average sodium intake decreased from 2,994 mg at baseline to 2,558 mg at one-year (P < 0.001), and the sodium potassium ratio also decreased from 1.211 to 1.047 (P < 0.001). Sodium intake per meal varied significantly by meal type, location, and weekday, with higher intake at dinner, in restaurants, and on weekends. At-home lunch and dinner sodium intake decreased (P < 0.05), while dinner sodium intake at restaurant/fast food chains increased from baseline to one-year (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Sodium intake for the majority of participants exceeded the recommended dietary guidelines. Findings support actions that encourage low-sodium food preparation at home and encourage public health policies that decrease sodium in restaurants and prepared foods.
Neuromodulators, stress and plasticity: a role for endocannabinoid signalling
Authors: Senst Laura , Bains Jaideep
Published: December 2013

Any unanticipated threat to survival triggers an immediate sequence of events in the brain that culminate in a coordinated neural, endocrine and behavioural response. There is increasing evidence that stress itself modifies neural circuits. In other words, neural stress circuits learn from stress. This self-teaching is surprising as one might expect these essential circuits to be hard-wired. Our recent findings, however, indicate that repeated homotypic stress in rats causes functional changes in neural circuitry in the hypothalamus. In particular, we focus on signalling via endocannabinoids and describe plasticity in this system that impacts fast retrograde signalling at synapses on to the stress command neurons in the brain. Interestingly, this plasticity appears to be limited to early adolescence, hinting at unique modes of control of neural circuits by stress during different developmental stages.
Organismal stress, telomeres and life histories
Authors: Monaghan Pat
Published: December 2013

Most organisms, including ourselves, are exposed to environmental stressors at various points during life, and responses to such stressors have been optimised by evolution to give the best fitness outcomes. It is expected that environmental change will substantially increase long-term stress exposure in many animal groups in the coming decades. A major challenge for biologists is to understand and predict how this will influence individuals, populations and ecosystems, and over what time scale such effects will occur. This requires a multi-disciplinary approach, combining studies of mechanisms with studies of fitness consequences for individuals and their descendants. In this review, I discuss the positive and negative fitness consequences of responses to stressful environments, particularly during early life, and with an emphasis on studies in birds. As many of the mechanisms underlying stress responses are highly conserved across the vertebrate groups, the findings from these studies have general applicability when interpreted in a life history context. One important route that has recently been identified whereby chronic stress exposure can affect health and longevity over long time frames is via effects on telomere dynamics. Much of this work has so far been done on humans, and is correlational in nature, but studies on other taxa, and experimental work, are increasing. I summarise the relevant aspects of vertebrate telomere biology and critically appraise our current knowledge with a view to pointing out important future research directions for our understanding of how stress exposure influences life histories.
The mitochondrial unfolded protein response, a conserved stress response pathway with implications in health and disease
Authors: Jovaisaite Virginija , Mouchiroud Laurent , Auwerx Johan
Published: December 2013

The ability to respond to various intracellular and/or extracellular stresses allows the organism to adapt to changing environmental conditions and drives evolution. It is now well accepted that a progressive decline of the efficiency of stress response pathways occurs with aging. In this context, a correct proteostasis is essential for the functionality of the cell, and its dysfunction has been associated with protein aggregation and age-related degenerative diseases. Complex response mechanisms have evolved to deal with unfolded protein stress in different subcellular compartments and their moderate activation translates into positive effects on health. In this review, we focus on the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt), a response to proteotoxic stress specifically in mitochondria, an organelle with a wide array of fundamental functions, most notably the harvesting of energy from food and the control of cell death. We compare UPRmt with the extensively characterized cytosolic heat shock response (HSR) and the unfolded protein response in endoplasmic reticulum (UPRER), and discuss the current knowledge about UPRmt signaling pathways as well as their potential involvement in physiology.
A convenient system for highly specific and sensitive detection of miRNA expression
Authors: Li Xiangqi , Ni Minjie , Zhang Chaobao , Ma Wubin , Zhang Yonglian
Published: December 2013

Since the first miRNA was discovered in 1993, miRNAs have become a hotspot for biological research. In order to feed this demand, a robust method is required to detect miRNA gene expression. Development of a detection method is more difficult for miRNAs than for long RNAs, such as mRNA, owing to their small size. Existing methods have limitations; thus, new methods are required. We describe a new system for detecting miRNA expression, which can distinguish miRNA from its precursor and has single-nucleotide resolution. It has single molecule and multiplex detection potential. It may be performed as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, a blotting method, or a macroarray method according to the analyst's preference. This personalized system provides a convenient tool for the detection of miRNA gene expression.
A note on almost sure behavior of randomly weighted sums of φ-mixing random variables with φ-mixing weights
Authors: Przystalski Marcin
Published: December 2013

Randomly weighted sums play an important role in various applied and theoretical problems, e.g., in actuarial mathematics or statistics. The almost sure convergence of randomly weighted sums is usually studied under the assumption that sequences are independent and identically distributed. In this note, we assume that both sequences are φ-mixing. Under some additional conditions, we prove a strong law of large numbers for sequences of randomly weighted sums.
Generalized statistical convergence in 2-normed spaces
Authors: Hazarika Bipan
Published: December 2013

In this paper we introduce the concept of λ-statistical convergence in 2-normed spaces. Some inclusion relations between the sets of statistically convergent, λ-statistically convergent and statistically λ-convergent sequences in 2-normed spaces are established, where λ = (λm) is a non-decreasing sequence of positive numbers tending to infinity such that λm+1 ≤ λm + 1, λ1 = 1.
Generalizations of the Hermite-Hadamard type inequalities for functions whose derivatives are s-convex
Authors: Alomari M. W. , Dragomir S. S. , Kirmaci U. S.
Published: December 2013

Some new results related to the right-hand side of the Hermite- Hadamard type inequality for the class of functions whose derivatives at certain powers are s-convex functions in the second sense are obtained.
LEGAL INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE NEW EU MEMBERS
Authors: Кресина Ирина , Kresina Irina
Published: December 2013

The models of legal institutionalization of political parties

in the new EU members (Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia,

and Estonia) are considered. The special attention is given to

the registration procedure, reasons to ban, financing and control

over political parties activities.
RELIGIOUS TRADITION IN LAW: UNDERSTANDING IN THE ASPECT OF COMPARATIVE LAW RESEARCHING
Authors: Вовк Дмитрий , Vovk Dmitriy
Published: December 2013

The article is devoted to religious tradition in law as a

category that shows religious influence on legal system (groups of

legal systems). Author defines and characterizes some features of all

these traditions: the moment of the religious tradition nascence,

specific sources of the tradition development, the scope of the tradition

spreading, the expansive nature of the tradition and ways of its

expansion.
Attitudes to hormone management in dairy cow reproduction
Authors: Higgins Helen , Murray Richard , Black David , Christie Mike , Crawley Madeleine
Published: December 2013

Oestrus detection in Holstein cows is difficult. Hormones to induce oestrus or for fixed-time artificial insemination are now commonly prescribed to facilitate, or remove the need for, detection of oestrus. The acceptability of pharmaceutical intervention to overcome short fallings in management is discussed, including from the wider perspective of global food security. Public perception and the veterinary profession's engagement with the public over potentially controversial issues are raised.
A guide to feeding and assessment of calf milk replacer
Authors: Cooper Richard , Watson Ian
Published: December 2013

The health, productivity and welfare of neonatal and young calves is heavily influenced by nutrition. In the UK, using a commercial calf milk replacer in place of dam's milk is extremely common practice, usually driven by economic and infectious disease control advantages. This article aims to examine some of the considerations for selection of a calf milk replacer and practical aspects of feeding, in order to maximise calf growth rates, health and future productivity.
The diagnosis of diaphragmatic hernia in a 4-month-old Texel lamb
Authors: Busin Valentina , Del Pozo Jorge , Sargison Neil
Published: December 2013

This case report describes the clinical diagnosis and post-mortem confirmation of herniation of the abomasum into the thoracic cavity of a 4-month-old Texel lamb through a diaphragmatic tear, extending from the oesophageal hiatus. Diaphragmatic herniation is extremely uncommon in sheep, and unlike the situation in the case described, previous reports have all been based on post-mortem findings alone. The findings suggest that the tear was acquired, predisposed by a congenital weakness or malformation surrounding the oesophageal hiatus. It is proposed that there may be a heritable susceptibility to diaphragmatic tearing the Texel breed.
Experimental Investigation of Self-Assembled Opal Structures by Atomic Force Microscopy, Spectroscopic Ellipsometry and Reflectometry
Authors: Alekseeva Natalia , Cema Grigory , Lukin Aleksey , Pan’kova Svetlana , Solovyev Vladimir , Veisman Victor , Yanikov Mikhail
Published: December 2013

Self-assembled opal crystals (bulk silica opals and PMMA thin opal films)have been studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical spec-troscopy. Reflectance and transmittance spectra (R(λ) and T (λ), respectively)as well as spectra of ellipsometric parameters Ψ(λ) and Δ(λ)demonstratepronounced changes with changing the angle of light incidence. Diameters ofspheres obtained from AFM-images correspond to those obtained from Braggfit to the diffraction resonance dispersions. The band of light losses detected byellipsometry at the spectral range of avoided band crossing of opal eigenmodeswas assigned to the energy exchange between these modes
Raunhæf skynsemi eða stefnufálm? Samband þings og framkvæmdarvalds við undirbúning opinberrar stefnumótunar
Authors: Kristinsson Gunnar Helgi
Published: December 2013

Samkvæmt kenningum um raunhæfa skynsemi er litið á skynsamlega stefnumótun og ákvarðanatöku sem ferli af ákveðinni tegund þar sem hugað er að dagskrá, rannsókn og greiningu, og ákvörðun fullnægir lágmarksskilyrðum. Þessu sjónarhorni er hér beitt á undirbúning stefnumótunar í fjórum löndum, þ.e. Íslandi og Skandinavíuríkjunum þremur. Áhugaverður munur kemur í ljós. Hvað dagskrá stefnumótunarinnar varðar sker Ísland sig frá hinum löndunum á þann hátt að samþætting og forgangsröðun virðist í minna mæli hlutverk ríkisstjórnar en í hinum ríkjunum en falla meira í hlut einstakra ráðherra og þingsins. Þróun og greining stefnukosta virðist einnig ómarkvissari á Íslandi og rannsókn mála er ekki í eins föstum skorðum. Forsendur opinberrar stefnumótunar eru því almennt ekki eins ljósar eins og í hinum ríkjunum. Á ákvarðanatökustiginu er mun algengara á Íslandi en í hinum ríkjunum að vikið sé í veigamiklum atriðum frá þeim niðurstöðum sem stefnumótun á fyrri stigum hefur gefið tilefni til. Niðurstaðan er að stefnumótun á Íslandi fullnægir mun síður forendum kenningarinnar um raunhæfa skynsemi en ríkin í Skandinavíu.
Well-Being in the Nordic Countries: An International Comparison
Authors: Ólafsson Stefán
Published: December 2013

This study asks how well the Nordic nations have managed in a new social environment of globalization, increasing competition and new challenges to the Nordic welfare model? The focus is on well-being outcomes, rather than on welfare inputs (expenditure generosity or rights and institutional features). For this purpose we have constructed a data bank with well-being measures for 29 modern nations, based on 69 variables in 9 well-being dimensions. With this data we have constructed an overall well-being index and sub-indexes for these nations. We find that in terms of well-being outcomes the Nordic nations (including Iceland) share major patterns of well-being characteristics. In a data-driven clustering analysis (with Dendograms, using the Ward Method) of all the 69 variables, our well-being outcomes cluster the nations in a way comparable to Francis Castles’ families of nations and Esping-Andersen’s main welfare regime types. We disaggregate the outcomes by clusters and well-being dimensions.The findings indicate that the five Nordic nations had the highest level of well-being amongst modern nations during the period from 2005 to 2008, along with Netherlands, Switzerland and Luxembourg. The strength of the Nordic cluster of nations seems to be their emphasis on equality of income distribution, poverty reduction, improving family conditions and facilitating social cohesion and participation, while also promoting economic strength and a high affluence level. The study also assesses correlates of well-being amongst these nations, including welfare state generosity, political influences, social trust, strength of democracy and distributional characteristics. The findings support a narrative emphasizing the importance of lifting the worse off up the well-being ladder of society. That seems to be the most efficient strategy for improving the overall well-being of modern nations.
Multiculturalism and Immigrant Integration in Australia
Authors: Collins Jock
Published: December 2013

Depuis plus de soixante ans, l’Australie est une nation de premier plan dans l’accueil des immigrants, alors que ceux-ci sont au cœur même de sa construction. Au cours des deux dernières décennies, le caractère de ces nouveaux arrivants a cependant changé considérablement, alors que les problèmes d’immigration et de multiculturalisme ont fait l’objet de controverses tant dans l’opinion publique que dans les politiques nationales. Mais qu’arrive-t-il en fait aux immigrés eux-mêmes en Australie? Cet article s’appuie sur toute une recherche primaire et secondaire afin de réviser l’évidence objective et subjective concernant leur intégration en faisant appel à un vaste éventail d’indicateurs. La question centrale de cet article, c’est de savoir à quel point ces nouveaux venus sont-ils insérés dans la vie économique, sociale, culturelle et politique du pays, et à quel point le multiculturalisme australien a-t-il réussi à atteindre l’objectif de cette insertion. Nous partons de la conceptualisation et des données comparatives de l’intégration des immigrés chez Kymlicka (2012) pour soutenir que, malgré les limites imposées à cette conceptualisation par l’accent mis sur la politique et les structures institutionnelles de l’intégration en question plutôt que sur les résultats et les expériences des colons immigrés dans ces sociétés, sa conclusion générale sur le succès relatif obtenu en Australie sur cette question et le rôle central du multiculturalisme dans ce résultat s’accorde bel et bien avec l’évidence.
Measuring Social, Cultural, and Civic Integration in Canada: The Creation of an Index and Some Applications
Authors: Wong Lloyd L. , Tézli Annette
Published: December 2013

Cet article présente un segment d’un projet de recherche fondé par le Prairie Metropolis Center . L’Enquête sur la diversité ethnique, une large bande de données collectées au Canada, nous permet de développer un répertoire précis pour mesurer l’intégration sociale, culturelle et civique des immigrés dans ce pays, puis de l’appliquer sélectivement pour en tirer quelques analyses comparatives. Après avoir défini l’intégration, nous examinons ce qui a été publié sur ces mesures en Europe et aux États-Unis, ainsi que ce qui est pertinent au Canada en faisant ressortir les variables que nous avons prises en considération pour notre répertoire. Ensuite, nous expliquons comment nous développons celui-ci en employant une analyse factorielle. Enfin, nous l’appliquons en ce qui concerne l’intégration sociale et, là où nous l’avons fait, nous présentons quelques uns de nos résultats. Plus précisément, cette dernière partie de notre article donne cette analyse et ces résultats de manière comparative pour : 1) la terre natale (comparant les immigrés aux Canadiens de naissance); 2) le statut générationnel; 3) le statut racialisé des minorités (visibles), et 4) ce même statut avec le pays de naissance par génération. Alors qu’il y a des d’importantes différences statistiques dans toutes ces comparaisons, un de nos principaux résultats est que l’intégration, telle que mesurée par notre répertoire, n’est pas si différente entre les immigrés et les Canadiens de naissance.
Remembering Violence: Field Memories From Lahaul, India
Authors: Bhattacharya Himika
Published: December 2013

The article explores the relationship between memory and ethnography within the context of Lahaul, India. It weaves together different aspects of ethnographic memory by focusing on the author’s field notes, journal entries, and different relationships of remembering that emerged during her fieldwork. The article emphasizes ethnographic recall of violence as at once dispersed and layered in the complex organization of caste within tribe in the region. This dispersal and layering is illustrated through an analysis of the author’s own memories of fieldwork and the memory of violence shared by one of her interlocutors. In discussing these memories together, the author illustrates how a feminist counter-memory accounts for the process of remembering violence through an attention to everyday aspects of women’s lives over and above the official and state memories of singular events of violence. In conclusion, the author draws on a transnational feminist framework to discuss the politics of location, and the relevance of love and friendship in fieldwork.
Feminism and Women’s Control over Their Bodies in a Neoliberal Context: A Closer Look at Pregnant Women on Bed Rest
Authors: Alcalde M. Cristina
Published: December 2013

Feminist self-identification influences women’s voting practices, perceptions of gender discrimination, and views about their bodies. However, there is little information on how feminist self-identification influences women’s experiences of high-risk pregnancy, if at all. The article focuses on women’s identification with feminism within a neoliberal US context to examine how women make sense of and experience the medical prescription of pregnancy bed rest. Each year, medical professionals prescribe pregnancy bed rest for 700,000 to 1 million women in the United States. On the one hand, women’s overwhelming expectation of control over their bodies and reproduction suggests that they cannot easily be divided into feminist and nonfeminist camps; on the other, preliminary findings from a small-scale qualitative study suggest ways in which feminist identification may affect women’s experiences of pregnancy bed rest. Feminists were more likely to be in an egalitarian relationship that facilitated the redistribution of household chores during bed rest.
How Contextual and Relational Aspects Shape the Perspective of Healthcare Providers on Decision Making for Patients With Disorders of Consciousness: A Qualitative Interview Study
Authors: Rodrigue Catherine , Riopelle Richard , Bernat James L. , Racine Eric
Published: December 2013

Disorders of consciousness (DOC) are a family of related neurological syndromes characterized by deficits of varying degrees of wakefulness (e.g., sleep–wake cycles and arousal) or awareness (e.g., reacting to stimuli, interacting with the environment). Although coma rarely persists for more than a few weeks, some patients remain in a subsequent vegetative state or a minimally conscious state for months or years. Caring for patients with DOC raises ethical questions, but the perspectives of healthcare providers on these questions remain poorly documented. We conducted a qualitative study involving healthcare providers with different backgrounds. Semistructured interviews were used to explore attitudes toward ethical issues. We found that contextual (e.g., time, resource allocation) and relational aspects (e.g., communication process, families) shaped how ethical challenges surfaced and were managed. We call for greater awareness of contextual, institutional and social aspects and focus on these issues in training programs.
“The eternal glory of Mr W., the United States, and the Method”: Sam Wanamaker, Stanislavskian
Authors: Prescott Paul
Published: December 2013

The opening of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe in January 2014 cemented the connection between Wanamaker’s name and historically informed, reconstructionist approaches to staging Shakespeare and early modern drama. In the two decades since his death in 1993, Wanamaker has been routinely depicted in academic and journalistic accounts as The Man Who Built the Globe, the theater for which he campaigned tirelessly in the last third of his life. Stories about that life tend to begin and end with the Globe project. What is lost in these stories–and what this article seeks to remember and celebrate–is Wanamaker’s earlier career as a stage actor and director, in particular his reputation as the foremost exponent of the Method on the English stage in the 1950s, a decade that climaxed with his appearance at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1959 as Iago to Paul Robeson’s Othello. Drawing on previously unseen archive material, this account of Wanamaker’s preparatory work on Iago reveals a politically engaged and progressive naturalistic actor: one whose intellectual and emotional engagement with the major theorists of twentieth-century performance is at some odds with his current reputation as a preeminent advocate of “Original Practices.” Remembering Wanamaker’s earlier work as an actor and director serves as a salutary reminder that no approach to acting is inherently conservative or revolutionary, and that Stanislavsky’s work in particular has been, and can be again, mobilized to progressive political effect.
Invention as a Social Drama: From an Ascending Machine to the Aerostatic Globe
Authors: Kim Mi Gyung
Published: December 2013

This paper characterizes the invention of the aerostatic machine in 1783 as a social drama to probe its social, cultural, and political function in Old Regime France. Even if the machine did not usher in modern industrialization and does not deserve a prominent place in economic history, the process of its “invention” highlights a rather usual set of factors involved in changing a traditional society organized by symbolic hierarchy. By delineating its provincial sites of production, its machine genealogy, the performative conjuncture of various sciences that facilitated its birth, and its metamorphosis in the Parisian public sphere, this paper makes visible the inventors’ liminality in theatrical polity and their strategies of self-fashioning that stabilized a fragile paper machine as a majestic scientific spectacle that helped visualize the emergent nation.
Motivaciones para el acceso a los estudios de comunicación en relación a los hábitos de consumo y las referencias mediáticas
Authors: Pérez-Serrano María José , Ortiz-Sobrino Miguel Ángel , Rodríguez-Barba Dolores
Published: December 2013

Los objetivos de este trabajo, que constituye uno de los últimos resultados de la investigación desarrollada a partir de la Summer Media School de la Fundación FIDES y la UFV (Universidad Francisco de Vitoria), son: conocer mejor el perfil de acceso de los estudiantes de los Grados en Comunicación en la Universidades de la Comunidad de Madrid (Periodismo, Comunicación Audiovisual o Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas) y determinar cuál es su motivación a la hora de iniciarlos, sobre todo, teniendo en cuenta el momento clave de crisis que vive el sector. Además, se trata de averiguar cuál es su relación con los medios de comunicación; establecer dónde encuentran sus referentes profesionales y averiguar cómo es su consumo y su competencia mediática actual como parte de la audiencia de los medios y como futuros comunicadores que ayudarán a formar un colectivo social más crítico y participativo. La metodología se ha basado en la utilización de un cuestionario cuya evolución ha ido de las 34 preguntas iniciales en 2010, a las 46 de 2013, con multirespuesta, sobre una muestra sólida de los estudiantes que se matricularán en la Comunidad de Madrid en algún Grado en Comunicación.
El discurso infantil sobre valores y emociones a partir tres muertes clave en los relatos audiovisuales
Authors: Porto Pedrosa Leticia
Published: December 2013

Este artículo pretende acercarse a la comprensión de la audiencia infantil ante determinados contenidos audiovisuales que transmiten valores y emociones vinculadas al sufrimiento y al dolor. Se trata de un trabajo que realiza un recorrido por las clásicas películas de dibujos animados y los modernos largometrajes de animación que han formado parte del entretenimiento de distintas generaciones. En este repaso, nos centramos en tres momentos clave que consideramos que han marcado un punto de inflexión en este tipo de cine: la muerte de la madre en la película Bambi (1942); el asesinato del padre de Simba, en El Rey León (1994) y, el tercero, la despedida de Ellie, en Up (2009). Para profundizar en la comprensión de los niños sobre esta clase de contenidos emocionales presentes en estas historias, se lleva a cabo una investigación cualitativa realizada a través de grupos de discusión con menores.
Beyond conflation patterns: The encoding of motion events in Kiezdeutsch
Authors: Goschler Juliana , Woerfel Till , Stefanowitsch Anatol , Wiese Heike , Schroeder Christoph
Published: December 2013

In the domain of motion event encoding, many of the world’s languages fall into one of two types: verb-framed (the path is encoded in the verb) or satellite-framed (the path is encoded outside the verb in a prefix, particle or adverbial while the verb contains information about the manner of movement). A number of studies have investigated the language usage of bilingual speakers or language learners to find evidence of a transfer of the typological pattern of the dominant/native language to the non-dominant/foreign language. These studies have largely failed to show evidence of a straightforward transfer, although more subtle effects on usage have occasionally been observed. In this paper, we report the results of a corpus study comparing two groups of speakers of the urban German ethnolect “Kiezdeutsch”: one with a monolingual German background and one with a bilingual Turkish-German background. We find no significant differences in their preference for path or manner verbs, which is consistent with other studies. However, in comparison with the monolingual German group, the Turkish-German group prefer semantically light motion verbs and they avoid the combination of manner verbs with path satellites. This is consistent with the fact that the analogous construction is ungrammatical in verb-framed languages like Turkish. In other words, we find variation within “Kiezdeutsch” that can be explained by a transfer of usage preferences from the background language.
Aphrodisiac effect of aqueous root extract of Lecaniodiscus cupanioides in sexually impaired rats
Authors: Ajiboye Taofeek O. , Nurudeen Quadri O. , Yakubu Musa T.
Published: December 2013

Background: The phytochemical constituents of the aqueous root extract of Lecaniodiscus cupanioides Planch. Ex Bth. and its aphrodisiac activity on male rat sexual behavior and reproductive hormones in paroxetine-induced sexual dysfunction were evaluated.

Methods: The extract was screened for the presence of phytochemicals. The extract (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg body weight) and the reference herbal drug PowmaxM (7.14 mg/kg body weight) were administered orally to paroxetine-induced sexually impaired male rats, once daily for 5 days, and their sexual behavior parameters were monitored and computed. The serum hormones (testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone) were determined at the end of treatment period.

Results: Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, anthraquinones, phenolics, saponins, and tannins. Mount frequency (MF), intromission frequency (IF), ejaculatory frequency (EF), and testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone concentrations were reduced significantly (p<0.05) in paroxetine-treated rats. Administration of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg body weight of the aqueous root extract of L. cupanioides significantly (p<0.05) reversed the paroxetine-mediated alterations in MF, IF, EF, mount latency (ML), intromission latency (IL), ejaculatory latency (EL), postejaculatory interval (PEI), and testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone concentrations dose-dependently. The reversal of the male sexual behavior parameters by the extract compared well (p<0.05) with the PowmaxM-treated animals.

Conclusions: Data obtained from this study revealed that the aqueous root extract of L. cupanioides restored sexual competence in sexually impaired rats possibly by increasing sexual drive through enhanced reproductive hormones concentration, particularly testosterone, thus supporting the folkloric claim of the plant for the management of sexual disorder in males.
Effect of Ce2O3 on microstructures and oxidation resistance of laser melting deposited composites on a Ti alloy
Authors: Li Peng
Published: December 2013

To our knowledge, here is the first time that Stellite SF12-Si3N4-B4C-Ce2O3 powders are deposited on a TA1 titanium alloy as the composites by a laser melted deposition (LMD) technique. It is noted that compared with a TA1 alloy substrate, an improvement of cyclic oxidation resistance is obtained for such LMD composites. Scanning electron microscopy results indicate that many nanocrystalline/amorphous phases are produced, which improve the oxidation resistance of such composites. Such composites exhibit better oxidation resistance than the composites without Ce2O3 due to the formation of denser and finer-grain scale. The effect of Ce2O3 on the formation mechanism and oxidation behavior of such composites is discussed in detail.
Studies on the transport of actinides and lanthanides through DHDECMPO
based supported liquid membranes (SLM)
Authors: Dudwadkar N. L. , Tripathi S. C. , Gandhi P. M.
Published: December 2013

This paper describes our studies on the partitioning of actinides from high level liquid waste of PUREX origin employing
a supported liquid membrane technique. The process uses a solution of DHDECMPO in n-dodecane as a carrier with poly tetra
fluoro ethylene support and a mixture of citric acid, formic acid and hydrazine hydrate as a receiving phase. Transport studies
are carried out for 241Am under different experimental conditions to optimize the transport parameters such as feed
acidity, carrier concentration and effect of uranium, Nd(III) and salt concentration in the feed. Studies indicated good
transport of neptunium, americium and plutonium across the membrane from a nitric acid medium. Under the optimized conditions
the transport of 241Am has been studied for uranium depleted synthetic PHWR-HLW and finally the technique is used
for the partitioning of alpha emitters from an actual HLW after reprocessing. A high concentration of uranium in the feed is
found to retard the transport of americium, suggesting the need of prior removal of uranium from the waste. Separation of
actinides from uranium-lean simulated as well as actual HLW has been found to be feasible using the above described technique.
PC-88A – impregnated polymeric beads: Preparation, characterization and
application for extraction of Pu(IV) from nitric acid medium
Authors: Pathak S. K. , Tripathi S. C. , Singh K. K. , Mahtele A. K. , Dwivedi Charu , Juby K. A. , Kumar Manmohan , Gandhi P. M. , Bajaj P. N.
Published: December 2013

The extractant-impregnated polymeric beads (EIPBs), containing polyethersulfone as base polymer and 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic
acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (PC-88A) as an extractant, were prepared by phase inversion method. These EIPBs were characterized
by FTIR, TGA and SEM techniques. The beads were found to have excellent acid stability, since these did not exhibit any
structural deformation or loss of the extractant into aqueous nitric acid solution (6 M), for a period of
15 d. The feasibility of Pu(IV) extraction, using these beads, from nitric acid solution was tested by batch
equilibration method. Parametric dependence of Pu(IV) extraction on experimental variables, like strength of nitric acid,
equilibration time, Pu(IV) concentration, etc., was investigated. The present study also addressed the important
practical issues, like maximum loading capacity and the reusability of these beads. Under optimized conditions, equilibrium
capacity and maximum loading capacity for Pu(IV) were found to be 2.03 and 7.50 mg per gram of the swollen beads,
respectively. The reusability of the beads was also ascertained by repetitive extraction-stripping of Pu(IV) up to 7 cycles of
operation, without significant change in their extraction performance. The extraction of Pu(IV) by the blank polymeric beads
was observed to be almost negligible, under the similar experimental conditions.
Precise age determination of a single plutonium particle using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer
Authors: Miyamoto Y. , Esaka F. , Suzuki D. , Magara M.
Published: December 2013

Age-dating of single plutonium oxide particles ∼ 1 µm in diameter was demonstrated using eight particles. For this
demonstration, the particles were prepared from a standard reference material SRM-947 that had been stored for 3.9 years since the last
Pu purification. The Pu particles were separately dissolved, and Am and Pu were chemically separated from the solution via
anion-exchange chromatography. The isotope ratios of Am and Pu in the eluted fractions were measured using a high-resolution
inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (HR-ICP-MS). The precision and accuracy of the Pu age were improved through the addition
of an 243Am spike to the sample solutions and by the trace chemical separation of Pu and Am. The determined age in this
work was in good agreement with the expected age with high accuracy (deviation: 7.1–105 days) and precision (uncertainty:
0.16–0.5 years (k = 1)). These results indicate that a combination of ICP-MS and chemical separation after spiking with
243Am provides an effective tool for the analysis of environmental samples collected during nuclear safeguard inspections.
New alkyl-pyridinedicarboxyamides as extractants for separationof trivalent minor actinides from fission products by extraction
chromatography
Authors: Arisaka M. , Watanabe M. , Kimura T.
Published: December 2013

Four new alkyl-pyridinedicarboxyamides (R-PDA; R = butyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl) were synthesized and used as extractants for
partitioning minor actinides from high level radioactive waste using extraction chromatography. The R-PDAs were successfully
impregnated into XAD resins (Amberlite). The prepared adsorbents, R-PDA/XAD, exhibited moderate adsorptions of both Am(III)
and Eu(III), and separation between Am(III) and Eu(III), over a high HNO3 concentration range
(3–5 M). Deterioration of the prepared adsorbent as a result of contact with HNO3 solution was prevented by
using R-PDAs containing longer alkyl groups. The equilibrium data for Eu(III) were analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich
isotherm models. The adsorption of Eu(III) ions onto the R-PDA/XAD was fitted better to the Langmuir isotherm than to the
Freundlich isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacity was determined to be 24.2 mg Eu/g (R-PDA/XAD).
Modelos de regressão aleatória na seleção de codornas de corte para produção de ovos
Authors: Teixeira Bruno Bastos , Euclydes Ricardo Frederico , Silva Luciano Pinheiro da , Torres Robledo de Almeida , Silva Felipe Gomes da , Carneiro Antonio Policarpo Souza , Lehner Helmut Gonçalves , Teixeira Rafael Bastos
Published: December 2013

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar modelos de regressão aleatória com diferentes ordens de polinômios de Legendre, quanto ao melhor ajuste para a produção de ovos de codornas de corte. Foram avaliados os grupos genéticos UFV1 e UFV2 de codornas de corte, de origens distintas, do programa de melhoramento genético da Universidade Federal de Viçosa. Determinou-se a produção semanal de ovos de 1.294 matrizes, da 6ª até a 57ª semana de idade, das quais 644 do grupo genético UFV1 e 650 do UFV2. Utilizou-se o modelo animal em regressão aleatória pelo programa Wombat e, para modelar as trajetórias das características com o tempo, aplicaram-se as funções polinomiais de Legendre. Foram feitas comparações pelo critério de informação de Akaike, critério de informação bayesiano de Schwarz, logaritmo da função de verossimilhança e teste da razão de verossimilhança. O modelo com K = 3, para efeitos fixos, Ka = 4, para efeitos genéticos, e Kc = 4, para efeito de ambiente, propicia melhor ajuste para ambas as linhagens, não provoca grandes alterações nos componentes de variância e fornece melhores estimativas de herdabilidade.
Fertilidade de fêmeas Nelore após inseminação artificial em tempo fixo conforme a contagem de folículos antrais
Authors: Rodrigues Alexandra Soares , Oliveira Sidnei Nunes de , Loiola Marcus Vinícius Galvão , Andrade Bruno Henrique de Araújo , Ferraz Priscila Assis , Ayres Maria Consuêlo Caribé , Bittencourt Rodrigo Freitas , Chalhoub Marcos , Ribeiro Filho Antonio de Lisboa
Published: December 2013

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o efeito do número de folículos antrais sobre as taxas de concepção de fêmeas Nelore, em programa de inseminação artificial em tempo fixo (IATF). Para isso, 481 fêmeas foram submetidas a um protocolo de IATF e avaliadas quanto à contagem de folículos antrais (CFA) e ao diagnóstico de gestação. Os animais foram agrupados nas categorias de CFA baixa (<34 folículos), intermediária (34-53) e alta (>53). Não houve diferença entre as taxas de concepção obtidas nas categorias de CFA em IATF com uso de gonadotrofina coriônica.
Água levemente salinizada aumenta a eficiência da larvicultura de peixes neotropicais
Authors: Jomori Rosângela Kiyoko , Luz Ronald Kennedy , Takata Rodrigo , Fabregat Thiago El Hadi Perez , Portella Maria Célia
Published: December 2013

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de água levemente salinizada sobre a larvicultura intensiva do tambaqui, matrinxã, apaiari e piau, durante os dias iniciais de alimentação. As larvas foram mantidas em água artificialmente salinizada, em concentrações de 0 (água doce) a 14 g L-1 de NaCl (intervalo de 2,0 g L-1), e foram alimentadas com duas porções diárias de náuplios de Artemia, de acordo com protocolo para cada espécie, em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com três repetições. Larvas de tambaqui, matrinxã e apaiari podem ser cultivadas em até 2 g L-1 de concentração salina, sem prejuízos ao crescimento e à sobrevivência. Larvas de piau foram mais tolerantes e suportaram até 4 g L-1 de concentração salina. Acima disto, a mortalidade dos peixes aumentou e chegou a 100% à concentração de 6 g L-1 (matrinxã e apaiari) e de 10 g L-1 (tambaqui). A salinização da água a 2 g L-1 proporcionou maior taxa de sobrevivência a larvas de matrinxã e maior crescimento a larvas de tambaqui, apaiari e piau. Estas duas últimas espécies apresentaram melhor crescimento com a maior quantidade de náuplios. Água salinizada a 2 g L-1 é benéfica para as espécies estudadas, pois otimiza o potencial de crescimento das larvas e o uso de náuplios de Artemia como alimento vivo.
Crescimento, digestibilidade e resistência à infecção por patógeno em tilápia-do-nilo alimentada com probióticos
Authors: Cornélio Fernando Henrique Gomes , Cargnin-Ferreira Eduardo , Borba Maude Regina de , Mouriño José Luiz Pedreira , Fernandes Vitor Augusto Giatti , Fracalossi Débora Machado
Published: December 2013

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da suplementação da dieta com os probióticos Lactobacillus plantarum e Saccharomyces cerevisiae, no desempenho zootécnico, digestibilidade e na resistência à infecção por patógeno, em alevinos de tilápia-do-nilo. Foram realizados três ensaios. No primeiro, durante 55 dias, seis grupos de 30 alevinos (2,4±0,5 g) receberam suplementação com probióticos, e outros três grupos não receberam suplementação. No final desse período, no segundo ensaio, os peixes foram desafiados com Aeromonas hydrophila, e a sobrevivência foi avaliada por 96 horas. No terceiro ensaio, com oito peixes por tanque (230,0±10,0 g), avaliou-se a digestibilidade da dieta após a suplementação com os probióticos. A suplementação probiótica melhora significativamente o ganho de peso, a conversão alimentar, as taxas de retenção proteica e energética, assim como a resistência dos animais a Aeromonas hydrophila, após a infecção. A suplementação com Saccharomyces cerevisiae à dieta de tilápia-do-nilo melhora significativamente a digestibilidade da proteína, energia e matéria seca.
Digestibilidad aparente de ingredientes de origen vegetal y animal en la cachama
Authors: Vásquez-Torres Wálter , Yossa Martha Inés , Gutiérrez-Espinosa Mariana Catalina
Published: December 2013

El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar los coeficientes de digestibilidad aparente de materia seca (MS), proteína y energía de alimentos de origen animal y vegetal, utilizados en raciones para cachama (Piaractus brachypomus). Fueron formuladas 15 dietas experimentales, compuestas por 69,5% de una dieta referencia semipurificada, 0,5% de óxido de cromo y 30% del ingrediente a evaluar. En cada experimento, fueron utilizados 90 peces que se alimentaron durante cinco días con la correspondiente dieta; al quinto día, los animales fueron trasladados a tanques cónicos para recolección de heces. Los coeficientes de digestibilidad aparente (CDA) de proteína variaron de 92,1 a 84,7% entre los ingredientes proteicos de origen vegetal, de 85,0 a 68,5% en los proteicos de origen animal, y de 83,7 a 57,6% entre los de origen vegetal con baja proteína. Los CDA de energía de torta de soya, gluten de maíz, harina de yuca integral y de todos los ingredientes de origen animal arrojaron valores superiores a 76%. Los máximos CDA de MS variaron entre 71 y 78% y fueron observados en gluten, harina de yuca y en los ingredientes de origen animal. La cachama tiene alta capacidad para aprovechar eficientemente ingredientes de origen animal y vegetal.