bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Alluvial Channels Meandering Phenomenon (Case Study: Bahr Youssef)
Authors: Ashour Mohamed A. , Saad M. Sherif , Kotb Mustafa M.
Published: November 2017

Bahr Youssef (B.Y) is a semi-natural branch canal connecting the River Nile with Fayoum depression, in the desert immediately to the west of the Nile Valley, about 92 kilometers southwest of Cairo, for irrigation purposes of El-Minya, El-Fayoum, Bani-Swif, and Giza governorates. The area served by Bahr Youssef reaches about 850.000 feds in the Middle Egypt, out of 1.650.000 feds served by the Ibrahimeya carrier canal, which branches from the River Nile's at Assiut barrage, and extends northward for 55 kilometers, until Dayrut city. In Dayrut; “Ibrahimeya” canal bifurcates into seven carrier canals, (Bahr Youssef is one of them,) through Dayrut Group of regulators. Bahr Youssef suffers from, meandering phenomenon, in many reaches, occurred with all its harmful and destructive effects. As meanders are the direct result of erosion-deposition processes occur in such flatty reaches with hydraulically unstable sections, our effort here is directed for studying the existing geometric, and hydraulic conditions of some representative reaches of Bahr Youssef, to evaluate the size of the problem through intensive field measurements, and to verify the available predicting techniques and theories by comparison with the obtained measured values. Introducing an acceptable, effective and easy method, which can be used for an accurate estimation of the meandering phenomenon, is the main objective of this study. This was achieved through reviewing and assessment of the available predicting techniques, and evaluating their liability, validity, and suitability through the comparison with the field collected measurements.
Landslides in the Piedmontan Basin of Potop River (Romania)
Authors: Voinea Aura
Published: November 2017

The morphographic and morphometric particularities of the landscape in the drainage basin of Potop river, the climatic elements, vegetation, excessive (atmospheric) precipitation, has contributed and still contributes to the development of present-day geomorphological processes. The number of geomorphological processes in the drainage basin of Potop derives from the complex particularities of the land surface. The structure of the landscape has been the main factor of the natural setting, from which the other physico-geographical components have been modified. All together had left a significant footprint on the way of manifestation of the natural hazard along side the rural settlements located in the drainage basin of Potop river. The geomorphological hazards represented by landslides, falls, deep and surface erosion occurred especially in the following villages: Potocelul, Scheiu de Jos, Scheiu de Sus and Butoiu de Sus. This kind of hazards also occurs in other villages from the basin of Potop, but here are the most powerful in intensity.
Influence of bioactive glass S53P4 granules and putty on osteomyelitis associated bacteria in vitro
Authors: Stoor Patricia , Frantzen Janek
Published: November 2017

Bacterial infection of bone tissue and bone marrow, referred to as osteomyelitis, is a challenging clinical problem. In this study we analysed the influence of the granule size of the bone substitute bioactive glass (BAG) S53P4 and the novel putty material containing BAG S53P4 on four clinically important bacteria associated with osteomyelitis; Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant Staphylococuus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Reference materials were the frequently used biomaterial in surgical bone grafting procedures; tricalcium phosphate and an inert glass. Powder of BAG S53P4 was used as a positive control. The materials were incubated with bacterial suspension and the viability of the microbeswas determined as colony forming units after cultivation on agar plates. All pathogens lost their viability in contact with the BAG S53P4 granules and the powder of the BAG S53P4. The reference materials tricalcium phosphate and the inert glass had no effect on the viability of the bacteria. The BAG S53P4 putty containing 0.5-0.8 mm granules did not show any antibacterial effect on any of the tested bacteria. New putty compositions need to be investigated to obtain antibacterial properties for this novel bone regeneration biomaterial.
Effects of environmental variables on seedling distribution of rare and endangered Dacrydium pierrei
Authors: Wu Chunyan , Chen Yongfu , Chen Qiao , Wang Wenquan , Hong Xiaojiang , Han Wentao , Li Xiaocheng
Published: November 2017

Because growth environment is affected by climate change, Dacrydium pierrei resources are becoming less and less. Therefore, understanding the effects of environmental variables on seedling-sapling distributions can help gain insight into changes in population recruitment in the context of climate change. The seedling-saplings distribution and variability of Dacrydium pierrei in environmental variables at Bawangling, Hainan, China, was surveyed over a 3-year period. In addition, laboratory experiments measuring the effects of soil moisture on seedling emergence were conducted to identify seedling development characteristics; principal component analysis (PCA) and Gaussian mixture model (GMM) were used to assess how different factors influenced Dacrydium pierrei seedlings-saplings distribution. The results demonstrated that the influence degree of seedling-sapling distribution is soil temperature>litter thickness>available phosphorus>canopy density> available potassium>nitrate nitrogen; a large number of seedling-saplings occurring at altitudes 1140-1300 m; a GMM trained with a C2-L3-H4-A5-I6 combination yielded an accuracy of 72.23% in simulating seedling-saplings distribution; temperature and precipitation have strong impact on seedling-sapling distribution, with increasing soil moisture, seedling emergence shows a positive relationship. This study focuses more on developing a new method for research on the seedling-sapling distribution of Dacrydium pierrei to get reference for its adaptive management with the intense extreme climate change.
Study on synthesis and properties of nanoparticles loaded with amaryllidaceous alkaloids
Authors: Duan Lihong , Li Meng , Wang Chunbao , Wang Qingmei , Liu Quanquan , Shang Wanfeng , Shen Yajin , Lin Zhuohua , Sun Tongyang , Quan Daping , Wu Zhengzhi
Published: November 2017

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common disease among the elderly people and a major social and medical problem. Amaryllidaceous alkaloids, acting as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, represent a potential treatment of AD. However, they also have some deficiencies, such as extensive toxicity and widespread side effects. In order to improve the bioavailability and reduce the toxic and side effects, brain targeting of amaryllidaceous alkaloids was enhanced by considering low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors of blood-brain barrier (BBB) endothelial cells as therapeutic targets. Amaryllidaceous alkaloids were highly selectively and quantitatively riveted to the surface of low density lipoproteins by using a new method - mild click chemistry. The structure of products has been characterized by NMR, FT-IR, and other methods. In addition, drug loading rate, encapsulation rate, and drug release by the nanoparticles were determined to assess the quality of the nanoparticles.
Cooperative Business Structures for Green Transport Corridors
Authors: Prause Gunnar , Hoffmann Thomas
Published: November 2017

In its White Paper on “A Sustainable Future of Transport”, the European Commission promoted the idea of green transport corridors (GTCs) by establishing trans-shipment routes with concentration of freight traffic between major hubs. GTCs reduce environmental and climate impact of the traffic on these relatively long distances of transport while increasing safety and efficiency with the application of sustainable logistics solutions. The Baltic Sea Region (BSR) enjoys a vanguard position in the development and realisation of green transport concepts within Europe.

Already the GTC definition of the European Commission emphasized the need for a fair and non-discriminatory access to corridors and trans-shipment facilities that enable all customers to participate in the corridor and make use of publicly available benefits. Research results of GTC initiatives revealed that cultural issues, cooperation quality and governance structures play a crucial role in the acceptance and success of the GTC concept.

This paper highlights the current status and discussions on business and ownership models for GTCs and investigates the research question if and to which extent can cooperative concepts be used as a base principle for GTC governance. The authors participated in some of the most important GTC projects in the BSR, which provides them in terms of methodology easy access to literature reviews, secondary data analysis, expert interviews and surveys covering the entire BSR.
University–Industry Interaction Trends in the Baltic Sea Region: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Murashova Elena , Loginova Valeria
Published: November 2017

The main objective of this study is to summarise and analyse the level of scientific interest from researchers from the Baltic Sea Region in interacting with each other on scientific and research projects in university–industry interaction field. This study will use bibliometric analysis based on actual joint initiatives and their published results. The growth of interest from both universities and industry in joint initiatives and changes in the nature of their cooperation (Butcher & Jeffren, 2005) has led to a significant increase in the Baltic Region and the number of scientific publications has doubled in the years 2010–2014. However, compared to the number of similar published studies from the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Japan, those results far outnumber the achievements of the Baltic regions. At the same time, there has been significant increase in the number of studies undertaken by Sweden, Germany and Finland in the period from 2012 to 2014, facilitated by active international and interdisciplinary cooperation and involvement in the research by a large number of authors. The results of the evaluation indicators through this bibliometric analysis can assist in the specific targeting and allocation of available finance and funding into promising fields of research and aid in communication and cooperation between stakeholders and interested organisations.
Customer Perception of CSR Activities: A Comparative Study of Finnish and Russian Consumers
Authors: Potepkin Maxim , Firsanova Olga
Published: November 2017

This study estimates the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on customer loyalty based on the data collected during marketing research on consumer behavior in Finnish and Russian markets of dietary supplements. Concretely, the author examines the influence of perceived CSR on customer loyalty taking into account trust factor. A key focus of this work is a comparison of Finnish and Russian customer responses as well as investigation the “country” factor in customer CSR perception and its correlation with consumer loyalty and trust. In general, the findings show similarity of customer reaction to CSR initiatives in both countries. At the same time, the study illustrates some differences in Finnish and Russian customer perception and evaluating CSR level. Regarding practical issues, the author relates arguments for implementation CSR activities as a significant factor of forming customer loyalty in the two countries. The article gives implications for marketing theory and practice.
EU Soft Power in the Eastern Neighborhood and the Western Balkans in the Context of Crises
Authors: Patalakh Artem
Published: November 2017

The article aims to assess a change in the EU’s soft power in the Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership states in the light of the crises the bloc has undergone in recent years. Generally agreeing with the common argument that the EU’s attractiveness for those countries has decreased, the author challenges the popular wisdom that such a decrease is likely to reverse those states’ pro-EU foreign policy orientations. To prove it, the author applies Joseph Nye’s and Alexander Vuving’s “power currencies” approach to operationalize soft power, considering the bloc’s attraction as a combination of “brilliance” (the actor’s relationship with its work), “benignity” (the actor’s relationship with other actors) and “beauty” (the actor’s relationship with values and ideas). Elaborating on the crises’ influence on each of these currencies, the author shows that their lessening, first, has mainly taken place in absolute rather than relative terms, so the EU’s attractiveness remains strong compared to that of its competitors, and second, it has primarily affected the bloc’s soft power potential rather than its actual behavior towards the target countries.
Finnish Highly Skilled Migrants and the European Economic Crisis
Authors: Koikkalainen Saara
Published: November 2017

Europe is home to a globally unique area where the barriers of transnational migration have been largely removed. This article focuses on Finnish highly skilled, intra-European migrants and their labour market situation immediately following the economic crisis of 2008. Based on two consecutive online surveys (carried out in spring 2008 and summer 2010) of tertiary educated Finns living in other EU countries, the article examines the effects of the global economic downturn on the careers of these highly skilled migrants. Only 16 per cent of the respondents report that their labour market situation had worsened. A higher percentage (24%) felt that their situation had improved and the majority (54%) had either experienced no change in their situation or stated that their reasons for changing jobs or moving had nothing to do with the crisis. The article concludes that these migrants were protected from the full force of the crisis by their high human capital, flexibility of alternating between studying and work, employment in international workplaces and their intra-European migrant status.
Towards EU 2020: An Outlook of SECA Regulations Implementation in the BSR
Authors: Olaniyi Eunice Omolola
Published: November 2017

The clean shipping concept emerged in a bid to make maritime transportation green and environmentally friendly. This mandate is being accomplished through improved conducts, actions and technology in the maritime industry. One of such measures was the creation of the Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECA) in 2005 and 2012 to reduce the rate of sulphur emissions from shipping. Sustainable growth—an EU 2020 priority—is strategically linked to the SECA regulation in that it promotes resource efficiency, greener environment and a competitive economy.

Thus, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and, as adopted by the European Parliament (EP), SECA regulation stipulated that from 2015 all ships in SECA are under the obligation to use low sulphur marine fuel that must not exceed 0.1% (IMO, 2011). This regulation has incited rigorous arguments on the economic disadvantage it would subject affected maritime stakeholders who are made to comply with stringent regulation their counterparts in non-SECA are not subjected to.

Two years of 0.1% sulphur regulations have witnessed many changes in the maritime industry and most of the first responses were realised with vessels that ply along the Baltic Sea. This work presents an account of European maritime industry’s approaches towards SECA regulations and the stakeholders’ thoughts on the economic impact of SECA. This contribution brings a clearer picture to the status quo as well as highlighting a needed future focus.
Smart Contracting: A Multidisciplinary and Proactive Approach for the EU Digital Single Market
Authors: Solarte-Vásquez María Claudia , Nyman-Metcalf Katrin
Published: November 2017

Smart contracting (SC) is a proactive proposal to operationalize the relational contract theory for the upgrade and improvement of legally relevant exchange. The dynamic institutional environment of the European Union (EU) is a suitable framework for this proposal. SC addresses the interests of the business management, law and information technology practices with a perspective of influence in digital exchange, communication processes and other human and human-machine interactions. This position paper restates the advantages of the concept by highlighting the practical transition pathway SC offers to moderate the growing haste towards the embeddedness of exchange in automated and distributed models. This theoretical contribution supports the systematization of the proactive and legal design research field, and explains the characterization, operationalization and specification of the SC concept.
The EU’s Potential Role in the Six Party Talks and the North Korean Nuclear Crisis
Authors: Millard Andrew S. , Yi Chae-Deug
Published: November 2017

Discourse on the Six Party Talks has focused solely on denuclearisation. Through the power struggles of the members and the refusal of the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) to return to negotiations, the Six Party Talks have been stalled since 2008. Due to current increased tensions and the use of brinkmanship tactics the Talks must be restarted, albeit under a reformed shape. This paper analyses the potential role of the EU in furthering the peace process in Northeast Asia. This paper suggests that the EU needs to be more assertive and the Talks should focus on building trust and cooperation, not on the DPRK’s nuclear program. With its impartiality, experience in integration and use of soft power, the EU can act as an effective mediator building trust.
The Right to Know the Truth in the Light of the Right to Privacy: The Case of Victims of the Communist Regime in Europe
Authors: Gruodytė Edita , Gervienė Silvija
Published: November 2017

The right to know the truth is established as one of the rights constituting the right to effective remedy but in post-Communist countries this right is limited to victims of the Communist regime because of failure to access the files of former secret services on two different grounds: certain victim’s information is protected as personal data on the grounds of privacy rights and certain files are still kept as a classified information. Thus, the article analyses if such limitations in post-Communist countries are compatible with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The answer is provided using mainly an analysis of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. Lithuania as a case study was chosen for the analysis in a situation where certain files are kept as classified information.
Struggling for the Future, Burdened by the Past: Croatia’s Relations with the United Kingdom from Independence to Brexit
Authors: Glaurdić Josip
Published: November 2017

Apart from relations with its neighbours, Croatia’s relations with the United Kingdom (UK) were undoubtedly its greatest international challenge since it won its independence in the early 1990s. Relations between the two countries during this period were frequently strained partly due to Zagreb’s democratic shortcomings, but partly also due to competing visions of post-Cold War Southeast Europe and due to long-lasting biases rooted in Croatia’s and Britain’s conflicting policies during Yugoslavia’s breakup and wars. Croatia’s accession to the EU in 2013 offered an opportunity for the two countries to leave the burdens of their past behind, since Zagreb and London had similar preferences on a number of crucial EU policy fronts. However, Brexit changed everything. Croatia’s future relations with the UK are likely to be determined by the nature of Brexit negotiations and the evolution of British policy toward the pace and direction of EU integration.
Slovenia’s Foreign Policy Opportunities and Constraints: The Analysis of an Interplay of Foreign Policy Environments
Authors: Fenko Ana Bojinović , Šabič Zlatko
Published: November 2017

The article focuses on the interconnectedness of foreign policy environments to explain Slovenia’s opportunities and constraints for foreign policy action. During the period of pre-independence para-diplomacy, the building of an internal and external domestic environment successfully turned constraints (no international recognition) into opportunities (applying for membership of European and global intergovernmental organizations). In the second period - post-recognition - considering the absence of a strategic foreign policy document, the Slovenian internal foreign policy environment became a major constraint to seize foreign environment opportunities. This affected Slovenia’s accomplishments, notably after NATO and EU memberships were achieved in 2004. Although the Slovenian internal environment matured during the following period to adopt, in 2015, a comprehensive foreign policy strategy the recent turn in world politics (especially the European financial and economic crisis and the migration crisis) created for the first time a foreign environment for Slovenia that offered many fewer opportunities and far more constraints.
Preserving ‘Great Power Status’: The Complex Case of the British Intervention in the Falklands (1982)
Authors: Grandpierron Matthieu
Published: November 2017

This article aims to examine the importance of an often overlooked argument when it comes to explaining why great powers go to war against a weaker actor. This argument involves great power status considerations. The article argues that states care deeply about their status, especially states which are current and former great powers, and would opt to go to war to preserve this status even if the political and military consequences of such intervention are negligible to objective observers. To illustrate this argument, I will be looking at why the British decided to reestablish their sovereignty over the Falklands in 1982. The empirical part of the analysis is based on formerly secret documents declassified by the British government. This qualitative primary analysis of British documents provides new insights about the crisis and suggests that status considerations played a large role in the British decision to re-conquer the Falklands.
The Quo Vadis of Democratization in Post-Egypt Arab Spring
Authors: Yumitro Gonda , Estriani Heavy Nala
Published: November 2017

This paper aims at examining how democratization in post-uprising Egypt remains flawed and the reasons for this failure. As a background, democratization in post-Arab Spring Egypt has collapsed and it seems now merely an illusion. The situation worsened since Egypt’s democratically elected President Morsi was expelled from office through a coup, following mass protests demanding Morsi’s discharge. Egypt’s democratization is hard to achieve due to the shadow of the Pharaoh in Egypt, that is, entrenched ruling elites; Egypt’s democratization process can never succeed while Egypt’s old ruling elites are reluctant to allow this to happen.
The free vibration characteristics of isotropic coupled conical-cylindrical shells based on the precise integration transfer matrix method
Authors: Pang Fuzhen , Wu Chuang , Song Hongbao , Li Haichao
Published: November 2017

Based on the transfer matrix theory and precise integration method, the precise integration transfer matrix method (PITMM) is implemented to investigate the free vibration characteristics of isotropic coupled conicalcylindrical shells. The influence on the boundary conditions, the shell thickness and the semi-vertex conical angle on the vibration characteristics are discussed. Based on the Flügge thin shell theory and the transfer matrix method, the field transfer matrix of cylindrical and conical shells is obtained. Taking continuity conditions at the junction of the coupled conical-cylindrical shell into consideration, the field transfer matrix of the coupled shell is constructed. According to the boundary conditions at the ends of the coupled shell, the natural frequencies of the coupled shell are solved by the precise integration method. An approach for studying the free vibration characteristics of isotropic coupled conical-cylindrical shells is obtained. Comparison of the natural frequencies obtained using the present method with those from literature confirms the validity of the proposed approach. The effects of the boundary conditions, the shell thickness and the semivertex conical angle on vibration characteristics are presented.
Locally conformal symplectic nilmanifolds with no locally conformal Kähler metrics
Authors: Bazzoni Giovanni , Marrero Juan Carlos
Published: November 2017

We report on a question, posed by L. Ornea and M. Verbitsky in [32], about examples of compact locally conformal symplectic manifolds without locally conformal Kähler metrics. We construct such an example on a compact 4-dimensional nilmanifold, not the product of a compact 3-manifold and a circle.
Deep geothermal sources for electricity production in Slovakia: thermal conditions
Authors: Majcin Dušan , Král Miroslav , Bilčík Dušan , Šujan Martin , Vranovská Andrea
Published: November 2017

The contribution presents the results of geothermic interpretation approaches applied to measured geothermal data and is focused to determination of the thermal conditions both for application of classic hydrothermal sources exploitation and specialized EGS technologies for electricity production in the region of Slovakia and adjacent areas. Primarily, the heat flow density data and the temperature distribution measurements in boreholes were interpreted by classic 1D interpolation and extrapolation methods. New terrestrial heat flow density map for the studied area was constructed using the values determined in boreholes, their interpretations, the newest outcomes of geothermal modelling methods based both on steady-state and transient heat transfer approaches, and on other recently gained geoscientific knowledge. Thereafter, we constructed the maps of temperature field distribution for selected depth levels up to 6000 m below the surface and the final map of the isothermal surface depths for the reservoir temperature of 160 ◦ C. This final map serves for the appraisal of the effective application of the binary cycle power plant technology in Slovakia in terms of thermal conditions.
The resistivity image of the Upper Cretaceous Horné Belice Group: a case study from the Hranty section (Považský Inovec Mts., Western Carpathians)
Authors: Pelech Ondrej , Kušnirák David , Bošanský Marián , Dostál Ivan , Putiška René , Hók Jozef
Published: November 2017

The Tatricum crystalline basement in the northern Považský Inovec Mts. contains several narrow tectonic slices with different rock composition. Some of them composed of the Upper Cretaceous mass flow deposits (the Horné Belice Group) are considered unique within the framework of the Internal Western Carpathians and particularly within the Tatricum. Tectonic interpretation of their structural position is longer a matter of debate. Contrasting resistivity properties of the Hercynian mica schists and the Upper Cretaceous sandstones and shales were confirmed by the parametric geophysical measurements. The Hranty section, the structurally highest and most internal Upper Cretaceous tectonic slice was investigated by the electric resistivity tomography. Two longitudinal and two transverse resistivity profiles were measured and combined into a 3D image which suggests that the low resistivity Upper Cretaceous rocks form relatively shallow and flat lying structures folded and deformed between the crystalline basement slices.
Gravimetric estimation of the Eötvös matrix components
Authors: Manoussakis Gerassimos , Korakitis Romylos , Milas Paraskevas
Published: November 2017

The components of the Eötvös matrix are useful for various geodetic applications, such as interpolation of the elements of the deflection of the vertical, determination of gravity anomalies and determination of geoid heights. A torsion balance instrument is customarily used to determine the Eötvös components. In this work, we show that it is possible to estimate the Eötvös components at a point on the Earth’s physical surface using gravity measurements at three nearby points, comprising a very small network. In the first part, we present the method in detail, while in the second part we demonstrate a numerical example. We conclude that this method is able to estimate the components of the Eötvös matrix with satisfactory accuracy.
Composition of Surface Adsorbed Layer of TiO2 Stored in Ambient Air
Authors: Zakharenko V.S. , Lyulyukin M.N. , Kozlov D.V.
Published: November 2017

The processes of dark, UV, and visible light promoted desorption of surface species were investigated for three different TiO
Outshining Aura: How Modernist Film Refashions the Myth of Don Quixote
Authors: Sánchez-Pardo Esther
Published: November 2017

This paper aims at examining the first Don Quixote sound film The Adventures of Don Quixote, directed by G.W. Pabst in 1933, as well as the songs and musical themes that two great French composers, Ravel and Ibert composed for the Russian baritone Feodor Chaliapin, the protagonist of this first feature film. It was originally planned as a multilingual project for a European and a larger world audience (English, French and German) that might understand Don Quixote as a classic-cum-modernist cultural product of the incipient technological era. In an attempt to disentangle the complex sociohistorical, intellectual and economic forces at play in the crystallisation of a myth for modern times (20th century and beyond), I approach Pabst’s film version with recourse to the Frankfurt School’s valuable critique and insights on notions such as the aura, instrumental reason, myth, and the culture industry.
Hothouse Victorians: Art and Agency in Freshwater
Authors: Swenson Kristine
Published: November 2017

The Victorian artistic community that grew up on the Isle of Wight around Tennyson and Julia Margaret Cameron has been reimagined in Virginia Woolf's play, Freshwater (1923, 1935), and more recently in Lynn Truss's novel, Tennyson's Gift (1996). Whereas Freshwater should be read as modernist or post- Victorian, Tennyson's Gift is neo-Victorian and postmodern in its form and attitude. Integral to both are the discontent of women and the disruption of gender norms. Therefore, this essay looks particularly at the question of female agency in a Victorian world envisioned in 1923-35 and one of 1996. In Freshwater, one sees a serious exploration of generational change and the desire for artistic freedom, especially through the character of Ellen Terry. Freshwater is a dress rehearsal for To the Lighthouse. Truss reimagines Freshwater by adding to Woolf's cast the unstable Charles Dodgson, whose Alice in Wonderland becomes the familiarizing scaffolding for readers in a Victorian world that seems as strange as Wonderland did to Alice. Here, female agency is elusive - too-knowing little girls hold sway and adult women use their power, rather pathetically, to win and hold the undeserving men they love.
Don Quixote in Film (2005-2015)
Authors: Ardila J. A. Garrido
Published: November 2017

This article is a first approximation to the analysis of Quixote films released between 2005 and 2015. The analysis of these 68 productions shows a widespread international interest in Don Quixote across more than 20 countries in three continents, with the US as the powerhouse of Quixote films with 22 pictures, followed by Spain with seventeen. This analysis observes four categories of Quixote films-adaptations, sequels, imitations, and documentaries. The nine adaptations abridge the plot of Cervantes’s novel. The 16 sequels tell of Don Quixote’s new adventures outwith Cervantes’s novel or include Don Quixote as a supporting character. The 35 imitations deploy the Quixotic myth, where a Quixotic protagonist is a dreamer in search of an ideal, a loner in a hostile society, or a character deployed to parody a film genre or a social trend. This classification reveals the tendencies in today’s use of Cervantes’s hero on film. Furthermore, the variety and the quantity of Quixote films confirm them as a well-established film genre and are a testament to Don Quixote’s status as an international cultural icon known and loved worldwide.
Highly aligned graphene oxide/waterborne polyurethane fabricated by in-situ polymerization at low temperature
Authors: Sang Lei , Hao Wentao , Zhao Yuanyuan , Yao Lulu , Cui Peng
Published: November 2017

Nanocomposites of waterborne polyurethane (WPU) containing graphene oxide sheets (GO) were prepared by an in-situ polymerization method at low temperature. The morphology and interface structure were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Without undergoing complicated functionalization processes, GO can be finely embed into a WPU matrix and present high degree of orientation at high GO contents, due to the formation of chemical bonds and hydrogen bonding. From the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results, incorporation of GO exists in two ways and shows inverse effects. At a content of 2.0 wt.% GO loading, the tensile elastic modulus of the GO-WPU film increased by 193% to neat WPU. The nanocomposites also displayed 30°C higher thermal stability than WPU in thermogravimetric (TG) curves. This environment-friendly method may pave the way to design graphene-based polymer composites.
What is advertising without blending? Advertisements in women’s magazines
Authors: Džanić Nihada Delibegović , Žerić Alma
Published: November 2017

Conceptual integration theory, proposed by Fauconnier and Turner in 1993, has been successfully used in the study of a wide range of phenomena of human thought and action, from counterfactuals to metaphors, proving blending to be present in the simplest kinds of human thinking. In that sense, conceptual integration theory has emerged as a powerful theory that can account for a wide variety of linguistic and non-linguistic phenomena. Therefore, it is not surprising that conceptual integration theory has found its application in the study of advertising. Advertising requires both conscious and subconscious mental interpretation of the hidden messages. The primary objective of this paper is to show that conceptual integration theory is equipped with the mechanisms that can explain the construction of the meaning of text-image advertisements. Specifically, analyzing several text-image advertisements in women’s magazines, this paper attempts to explore to what extent hidden cognitive mechanisms involved in the interpretation of advertising can be explained using the postulates of conceptual integration theory.
Metaphor-based calques in Croatian mass media
Authors: Schmidt Goran , Marinić Ivana
Published: November 2017

Readers of Croatian daily newspapers and news websites are very frequently faced with Croatian phrases which have been modelled on English templates by literal, word-for-word translation, a phenomenon known as calque. This research shows that even highly proficient Croatian speakers of English as a second language (L2) are sometimes not able to fully understand the calques used in Croatian mass media unless they are familiar with the meaning of their source template in English. The research is done by way of an experiment built in PsychoPy (Pierce, 2007). The implications of this research could be of special interest to persons involved in designing media texts, professional and student translators, as well as to mass media consumers.
What is a compound? The main criteria for compoundhood
Authors: Altakhaineh Abdel Rahman Mitib
Published: November 2017

This study aims to identify the main cross-linguistic criteria for compoundhood discussed in the relevant literature, with a special focus on English, ranking them from the most reliable to the least. These criteria - orthographic, phonological, syntactic and semantic in nature - have been proposed to make a distinction between compounds and phrases. The analysis reveals that the most reliable cross-linguistic criteria to distinguish between phrases and compounds are adjacency and referentiality. With regard to the former criterion, no intervening elements can be inserted between the head and the non-head of compounds, whilst such insertion is allowed in phrases. With regard to the latter criterion, the non-head of a phrase is always referential, whereas the non-head of a compound is normally non-referential. Other criteria have been found to be partially applicable, e.g. free pluralisation of the non-head, compositionality, stress, possibilities for modification and coordination, ellipsis, orthography and the replacement of the second element by a pro-form. The study also proposes a definition for compounds that may be the most widely applicable. Finally, the study concludes with ranking the main criteria for compoundhood discussed in the study.
Rheinische Sagenräume. Die räumliche Organisation von Sagen in Sammlungen seit dem 19. Jahrhundert
Authors: Fischer Helmut
Published: November 2017

Am Beispiel des Rheins lassen sich Verfahren der räumlichen Orientierung und Organisation von Sagen beschreiben. Narrative Belege aus literarisch-historischen Quellen und empirischen Erhebungen dokumentieren die Beziehung zum Raum, in dem die Ereignisse geschehen und die Erzählungen entstehen. Es bilden sich Sagenräume, in denen die geistig-literarische Gestaltungskraft von Menschen erkennbar wird. Dargestellt werden diese Erscheinungen in den Sagensammlungen (Rheinsagen), deren paratextuelle Gestaltung sich in der Zuordnung zur Rheinlandschaft als Totalraum, als Teilräume, Großräume, Kleinräume, Verwaltungsräume und Lokalräume äußert. Dieser Prozess der sagenhaften Verräumlichung der Rheinlandschaften, der vor mehr als zweihundert Jahren begonnen hat, hat noch keineswegs ein Ende gefunden.
The loyal brothers: A folk legend in transition
Authors: Tohar Vered
Published: November 2017

The story of
Karel Štrekelj and His Unpublished Collection of Slovenian Folktales
Authors: Telban Monika Kropej
Published: November 2017

Karel Štrekelj (1859–1912), a prominent Slovenian folklorist and philologist, published among other a scientific edition of Slovenian Folk Songs and was also the first to introduce the term »folklore« to Slovenian humanities. He focused his scientific attention on dialects, etymology, historical grammar, and history of literature but his greatest contribution was to the field of folklore studies and ethnology. While he published the collection of folk songs, the manuscripts of folk tales have remained unpublished. These tales had been sent to him by collectors from different parts of the Slovenian ethnic territory. Although Štrekelj did intend to publish them in a critical edition of Slovenian folktales and legends his untimely death prevented him from starting to organize this extensive material. He already created some basic criteria for such an arduous task, and intended to contact his Czech colleague Jiři Polívka in Prague for further instructions. In comparison with other major yet older collections of this type, for example those published by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Aleksander Nikolaevič Affanasev, and Vuk Karadžić it may be said that Slovenian folktales from Štrekelj's legacy are unquestionably of great importance for the Slovenian nation though.
An efficient synthesis of 5-halo-6-trifluoromethylpyridine-3-carbonitriles and carboxylic acids
Authors: Channapur Manjunath B. , Hall Roger G. , Lal Mukul , Pal Sitaram , Shyadligeri Ashok S.
Published: November 2017

Trifluoromethyl containing heterocycles are an integral part of many biologically active compounds in the agro and pharmaceutical chemistry. Herein, we report an efficient and concise three-step synthesis of 5-halo-6-trifluoromethylpyridine-3-carbonitriles from a trifluoroacetyl vinylogous enamine starting material. Hydrolysis furnishes the carboxylic acids.
Seizure vulnerability and anxiety responses following chronic co-administration and acute withdrawal of caffeine and ethanol in a rat model
Authors: Matovu Daniel , Alele Paul E.
Published: November 2017

Background:

Caffeine antagonizes the intoxicating effects of alcohol. Consequently, there has been a dramatic global increase in the consumption of caffeinated drinks together with alcohol, especially among young adults. We assessed the seizure vulnerability and anxiety responses following the chronic co-administration of, and withdrawal from, caffeine and ethanol in male rats.

Methods:

The rats were randomly assigned to six groups consisting of 10 animals each: 10 mg/kg of caffeine, 20 mg/kg of caffeine, 4 g/kg of 20% ethanol, combined caffeine (20 mg/kg) and ethanol (4 g/kg of 20%), 4 mL/kg distilled water, and an untreated control group. The test substances were administered intragastrically twice daily for 29 days. On day 29, the rats were tested on the elevated plus maze to assess anxiety-related responses. On day 30, pentylenetetrazol (PTZ), a chemoconvulsant, was administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 40 mg/kg to the animals. Seizure responses and mortality up to 72 h were recorded.

Results:

Compared with the control group, the rats that received chronic treatment with low-dose caffeine, ethanol alone, and combined caffeine and ethanol exhibited significant anxiogenic-like effects, unlike with high-dose caffeine. Both low- and high-dose caffeine significantly increased PTZ seizure latency. Ethanol alone and combined caffeine and ethanol both lowered PTZ seizure latency. No significant difference occurred between the controls and the untreated group for either anxiety or seizure expression. Combined caffeine and ethanol increased the seizure-induced mortality from withdrawal effects at 72 h.

Conclusions:

These findings suggest that the chronic co-administration of caffeine and ethanol and the acute withdrawal from these drugs lead to anxiogenic effects and increased seizure vulnerability.
Counterfactual claims about fictional characters: philosophical and literary perspectives
Authors: Galván Luis
Published: November 2017

The problems of making and evaluating counterfactual claims about fictional characters cannot be adequately handled without taking into account the practices of literary criticism, interpretation, and re-creation. The direct-reference theory of names explains only a subset of the phenomena of fiction and explains away the rest as irrelevant or pseudo-problems, whereas some criticisms of that theory bring in metaphysical concepts that may obscure the issue. This paper suggests that the indeterminacy of fictions and the conventions of the aforementioned practices are sufficient basis for explaining and assessing such counterfactual claims. In this view, fiction ceases to be understood as a phenomenonsui generis; it is instead an institutionalized use of the stipulative or computational aspects of language that are at work in other areas as well. Thus, these results can be brought into line with recent ideas in the fields of the philosophy of mathematics, relevance theory, and cognitive studies.
‘nearerandnearerandNEARER’: Foregrounding effects of the unconventional capitalization in the experimental poetry of E. E. Cummings
Authors: Gómez-Jiménez Eva María
Published: November 2017

Marked linguistic structures in E. E. Cummings’ poetry have long been an issue within literary criticism and stylistics. In this sense, critical approaches to Cummings’ style have dealt mainly with grammar, lexis and morphology, while only few works have examined his graphology extensively. Departing from these trends, in this paper I analyse the use of unorthodox capital letters in 96 of his experimental poems. My aim is twofold: to identify the processes present in Cummings’ unconventional use of capital letters and to determine the effects observable in such unusual patterns. The analysis reveals that the foregrounding of capitals is materialized by the insertion of initial caps, middle caps, final caps, all caps or mixed caps where these are not expected or required. It also suggests that these unconventional patterns mainly emphasize certain elements within the poems, produce iconic effects, generate wordplay and create chaotic scenes. To a lesser degree, they also schematize words, lines or a whole poem, and reproduce differences in the tone of some poetic voices or depict elements that are capitalized in real life.
“Remaining for the moment without an audience”: The Literary and Civil Commitment of Carles Riba
Authors: Malé Jordi
Published: November 2017

Carles Riba (1893–1959) wrote several articles in which he showed his commitment to literature and reflected on the role of literature in society, as “Socrates in front of the judges” (1926), “Politicians and Intellectuals” (1927), “Literature and Rescuing Groups” (1938) and the presentations of the Revista de Catalunya (1939 and 1955). Many of these texts were written in turbulent political contexts: the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera (1923–1929), the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) and the post-war period under Franco (1939–1959). The aim of this paper is to study these articles and analyse Riba’s view of writers and intellectuals.
The Inheritance of Modernisme: Antoni Fuster i Valldeperes
Authors: Sunyer Magí
Published: November 2017

This article explores the characteristics of the literature of writers who, when literary Catalan modernism had died out, used many of the features of the movement in their work. An analysis of the costumbrism-based novel Perot i l’Estel (1932), by Antoni Fuster Valldeperes, shows the return to the debate on madness, the expression of individual standpoints and the portrayal of a wide range of revolutionary ideals, the main themes of which are Catalanism, universalism, Republicanism and anarchism.
The Literature of Exile after 1939: A Bridge between Catalan Collective Memory and Identity
Authors: Corretger Montserrat
Published: November 2017

The present article reflects on and emphasises the importance of the still-unrecognised work by Catalan writers who bore witness to the exile of 1939 and the preceding historical period of the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1939) and the Civil War (1936–1939). The article explores how these exiled writers and their literary corpora played a fundamental role in recovering Catalan historical collective memory and identity. In particular, it focusses on two writers, Domènec Guansé and Vicenç Riera Llorca, in the light of recent studies of literary history, which have begun this process of re-evaluating the literature of exile, and thereafter relates their work to the theories of Lowenthal, Ricoeur and Traverso regarding the past and memory.
Translation and Political Struggle in Exile: The Chile Group
Authors: Bacardí Montserrat
Published: November 2017

One of the consequences of the 1939 exile was the widespread emergence, or re-emergence, of cultural community centres, periodicals and magazines, brief treatises and books that gave priority to local events over outside influences. Xavier Benguerel, Domènec Guansé, C. A. Jordana, Joan Oliver and Francesc Trabal, who formed the Chile group, held translation as their weapon of choice in the political and cultural struggle. Here, we look at the most remarkable achievements, collective strategies and ways of thinking about language and translation.