bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intraventricular injectable tumor model for neuroendoscopic surgery: Laboratory Study
Authors: Chau Anthony M.T. , Gagliardi Filippo , Mortini Pietro , Elbabaa Samer K. , Gragnaniello Cristian
Published: November 2015

Intraventricular tumors present difficult challenges to the neurosurgeon. Neurosurgeons have begun to explore the possibilities of the endoscope in the complete resection of solid intraventricular tumors. The learning curve is considered steep when dealing with such lesions endoscopically. The aim of this study was to develop a laboratory training model for pathological intraventricular neuroendoscopic surgery. Thirty formalin-fixated, latex-injected cadaveric heads were used. The contrast-enhancing tumor polymer, Stratathane resin ST-504 derived polymer (SRSDP), was injected into the lateral ventricle via Frazer’s point under direct endoscopic visualization and real-time fluoroscopic guidance. Neurosurgeon participants at a ventricular endoscopic course then performed an endoscopic approach to the intraventricular tumor model lesion via an ipsilateral frontal burr hole. The properties of the SRSDP mixture could be manipulated through varying concentrations of source materials in order to achieve a desired consistency and allow for piecemeal resection. Tumor could be injected into the lateral and third ventricles. The tumor model allowed participants to compare both normal and pathological endoscopic anatomy in the one specimen. Our novel injectable tumor model can assist neurosurgeons preparing themselves for the challenges associated with a piecemeal resection of a solid lesion in the lateral or third ventricle.
Waste Management in Hunter-Gatherer Communities
Authors: Havlíček Filip
Published: November 2015

This article describes examples of material and waste management with a focus on select Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic sites. It examines the structuring of space and landscape from the perspective of waste management as a certain need of natural human behavior. The article touches on the concept of purity and on defining the creation of waste.
Impact of Sport-related Games on High School Students’ Communication Skills
Authors: Ozturk Ozden Tepekoylu , Ozbey Selhan , Camliyer Hatice
Published: November 2015

In Recent studies underline the fact that adolescents are, at many times, likely to experience serious communication problems with their families and close environments. So, the aim of this study is to determine positive impact of sport-related games, which are performed as extracurricular activities, on high school students’ communication skills. In the study, pre, & post-tests was utilized with the control group’s experimental patterns. Two participant groups were made up of totally 30 high school students, 15 of whom would be in the experimental group and the rest of whom were in the control group. The former group was given sport- related 20 applications for 10 weeks during which the latter group would not deal with any extracurricular activities. Meanwhile, before and after the applications, data was collected by means of “The Communication Skills Scale” which was developed by Korkut (1996) and then analysed through “two-way ANCOVA” test techniques. Results clarify that the considerable gap in scores of the students’ pre, & post-tests perception concerning their communication skills are clearly attributed to sport-related games and it was also established that scores of the students in the experimental group were meaningfully higher than ones in the control group. However, perception of communication skills in the both groups was not significantly different by sex of the students. Moreover, the common effect of sex and participation on sport- related games was not found statistically meaningful in terms of communication skills. Consequently, it could be said that sport-related games impact positively communication skills.
Everyday Physical Education: Functional and Dysfunctional Consequences in Hungarian Public Education
Authors: Vamos Ảgnes , Doczi Tamas
Published: November 2015

In Participation in physical education is considered to be a fundamental right of pupils all over the world. In Hungary, where the rich elite sports traditions of the country are paralleled by the population’s moderate physical activity, the challenge posed by non-communicable diseases and growing obesity figures among youth was addressed by the introduction of daily P.E. in public education starting in the 2012/13 academic year. The objective of the present paper is to discuss, based on empirical research, the intended and unintended consequences of this measure in an educational and social context using the qualitative analysis of the views of key stakeholders and the quantitative analysis of statistical data on the infrastructural and personal conditions of P.E. The results indicate that neither before nor after the enforcement of the Act on Public Education were the infrastructural and personal conditions of daily P.E. created and, in addition to the intended consequences, a number of unintended consequences have also been encountered by various stakeholders. The study can also be regarded as an attempt to reveal these dysfunctions in order to contribute to positive changes in the area.
Mixed spectral AKNS hierarchy from linear isospectral problem
and its exact solutions
Authors: Zhang Sheng , Gao Xu-Dong
Published: November 2015

In this paper, the AKNS isospectral problem and
its corresponding time evolution are generalized by embedding
three coefficient functions. Starting from the generalizedAKNS
isospectral problem, a mixed spectralAKNS
hierarchy with variable coefficients is derived. Thanks to
the selectivity of these coefficient functions, the mixed
spectral AKNS hierarchy contains not only isospectral
equations but also nonisospectral equations. Based on a
systematic analysis of the related direct and inverse scattering
problems, exact solutions of the mixed spectral
AKNS hierarchy are obtained through the inverse scattering
transformation. In the case of reflectionless potentials,
the obtained exact solutions are reduced to n-soliton solutions.
This paper shows that the AKNS spectral problem
being nonisospectral is not a necessary condition to
construct a nonisospectral AKNS hierarchy and that the
inverse scattering transformation can be used for solving
some other variable-coefficient mixed hierarchies of
isospectral equations and nonisospectral equations.
2-D isotropic negative refractive index in a N-type four-level
atomic system
Authors: Zhao Shun-Cai , Wu Qi-Xuan , Ma Kun
Published: November 2015

2-D(Two-dimensional) isotropic negative refractive
index (NRI) is explicitly realized via the orthogonal
signal and coupling standing-wave fields coupling the Ntype
four-level atomic system. Under some key parameters
of the dense vapour media, the atomic system exhibits
isotropic NRI with simultaneous negative permittivity
and permeability (i.e. left-handedness) in the 2-D x-y
plane. Compared with other 2-D NRI schemes, the coherent
atomic vapour media in our scheme may be an ideal
2-D isotropic NRI candidate and has some potential advantages,
significance or applications in the further investigation.
A local description of dark energy in terms of classical
two-component massive spin-one uncharged fields on
spacetimes with torsionful affinities
Authors: Cardoso Jorge G.
Published: November 2015

It is assumed that the two-component spinor formalisms
for curved spacetimes that are endowed with torsionful
affine connexions can supply a local description
of dark energy in terms of classical massive spin-one uncharged
fields. The relevant wave functions are related to
torsional affine potentials which bear invariance under
the action of the generalized Weyl gauge group. Such potentials
are thus taken to carry an observable character
and emerge from contracted spin affinities whose patterns
are chosen in a suitable way. New covariant calculational
techniques are then developed towards deriving explicitly
the wave equations that supposedly control the propagation
in spacetime of the dark energy background. What immediately
comes out of this derivation is a presumably natural
display of interactions between the fields and both
spin torsion and curvatures. The physical properties that
may arise directly fromthe solutions to thewave equations
are not brought out.
Explicit and implicit attitudes toward academic cheating and its frequency among university students
Authors: Sanecka Elżbieta , Baran Lidia
Published: November 2015

Our study examines the relation between explicit and implicit attitudes toward academic cheating and the frequency of committing it among students of different faculties (pedagogy and psychology, and law and administration). The implicit attitudes were measured using two methods - the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). As hypothesized, the explicit attitude toward academic cheating was positively related to the its frequency. Results indicate that the implicit measures did not predict the frequency of self-reported academic cheating behaviours. The field of study itself was not a differentiating factor for any studied variables. The methodological problems related with using IAT and IRAP as measures of implicit attitudes toward cheating and the study’s possible limitations were discussed.
Studies of polypropylene membrane fouling during microfiltration of broth with Citrobacter freundii bacteria
Authors: Gryta Marek , Waszak Marta , Tomaszewska Maria
Published: November 2015

In this work a fouling study of polypropylene membranes used for microfiltration of glycerol solutions fermented by Citrobacter freundii bacteria was presented. The permeate free of C. freundii bacteria and having a turbidity in the range of 0.72–1.46 NTU was obtained. However, the initial permeate flux (100–110 L/m2h at 30 kPa of transmembrane pressure) was decreased 3–5 fold during 2–3 h of process duration. The performed scanning electron microscope observations confirmed that the filtered bacteria and suspensions present in the broth formed a cake layer on the membrane surface. A method of periodical module rinsing was used for restriction of the fouling influence on a flux decline. Rinsing with water removed most of the bacteria from the membrane surface, but did not permit to restore the initial permeate flux. It was confirmed that the irreversible fouling was dominated during broth filtration. The formed deposit was removed using a 1 wt% solution of sodium hydroxide as a rinsing solution.
Morphology and the physical and thermal properties of thermoplastic polyurethane reinforced with thermally reduced graphene oxide
Authors: Strankowski Michał , Piszczyk Łukasz , Kosmela Paulina , Korzeniewski Piotr
Published: November 2015

In this study, thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRG)-containing polyurethane nanocomposites were obtained by the extrusion method. The content of TRG incorporated into polyurethane elastomer systems equaled 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 wt%. The morphology, static and dynamic mechanical properties, and thermal stability of the modified materials were investigated. The application of TRG resulted in a visible increase in material stiffness as confirmed by the measurements of complex compression modulus (E′) and glass transition temperature (Tg). The Tg increased with increasing content of nanofiller in the thermoplastic system. The addition of thermally reduced graphene oxide had a slight effect on thermal stability of the obtained materials. The incorporation of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 wt% of TRG into a system resulted in increased char residues compared to unmodified PU elastomer. Also, this study demonstrated that after exceeding a specific amount of TRG, the physicomechanical properties of modified materials start to deteriorate.
Apoptotic-like changes of boar spermatozoa in freezing media supplemented with different antioxidants
Authors: Trzcińska M. , Bryła M.
Published: November 2015

This study evaluated the effect of supplementing the freezing extender with exogenous anti-oxidants on apoptotic-like changes in post-thaw boar spermatozoa. A total of 36 ejaculates were resuspended in standard lactose-egg yolk-glycerol extender supplemented with antioxidant to final concentrations of 0 (as control), 2.5mM GSH (group I), 5.0 mM GSH (group II), 150 IU/mL SOD (group III), 300 IU/mL SOD (group IV), 200 IU/mL CAT (group V), 400 IU/mL CAT (group VI), 150 IU/mL SOD+200 IU/mL CAT (group VII), 300 IU/mL SOD+400 IU/mL CAT (group VIII). Sperm motility and apoptotic-like changes were determined before and after freeze-thawing. The various markers of apoptotic-like changes were measured: plasma membrane permeability by YO-PRO-1/PI assay, phosphatidylserine (PS) translocation across the plasma membrane using fluorescein-labeled Annexin-V, mitochondrial transmembrane potential detected by JC-1, and DNA fragmentation evaluated by TUNEL assay. The highest percentage of progressive motile sperm was noticed in group II (PM% 64.2±15.4) compared with control (PM% 36.8±5.5). The supplementation of 400 IU/mL CAT (group VI) revealed significant (P<0.01) reduction of apoptotic-like changes (YO-PRO-1+/PI−: 13.1±7.5%, AnV+/PI−: 9.9±4.1%) in frozen-thawed spermatozoa compared with extender supplemented with 200 IU/mL CAT (group V). Irrespective of the concentration used, SOD and CAT in combination (group VII and group VIII) significantly (P<0.01) improved post-thaw sperm survival compared with the control. Evaluation by TUNEL assay revealed that cryopreservation and thawing did not induce DNA fragmentation in boar spermatozoa.
Characteristic and susceptibility to enterocins of enterococci in pheasants possessing virulence factor genes
Authors: Kandričáková A. , Lauková A. , Strompfová V.
Published: November 2015

With an increasing number of pheasants as gamebirds being reared each year, these species are becoming a more prominent part of the workload of many veterinary practices. Only limited information can be found concerning the microflora of common pheasants. A significant part of the obligate microflora consists of lactic acid bacteria, including enterococci. In this study, faeces were sampled from 60 pheasants aged 16-17 weeks. Enterococcal counts reached 5.48±1.9 (log10) CFU/g. Strains (17) were taxonomically classified to the genus Enterococcus using the Maldi-Tof identification system; they were allotted to the speciesE. hirae(58.8%),E. faecium(23.5%) andE. faecalis(17.7%) by highly probable species identification or by secure genus identification/probable species identication. Species allocation was also confirmed using conventional biochemical tests. Most strains formed β-hemolysis. Gelatinase active phenotype was found in threeE. faecalisstrains. Enterococci were β-glucuronidase negative, mostly trypsin negative with slight or moderate production of α-chymotrypsin. EH52b and EF42 strains possessed the highest potential for pathogenicity. Average value of lactic acid was 1.78±0.33 mmo/L. Most strains were tetracycline resistant (82.4%). PolyresistantE. faecalisstrains with positive gelatinase phenotype and possessing virulence factor genes confirmed using PCR (gelE, efaAfs,ccf cob, cpd) were sensitive to enterocins (activity 1600-25 600 AU/mL).
Effect of low-energy laser irradiation and antioxidant supplementation on cell apoptosis during skeletal muscle post-injury regeneration in pigs
Authors: Otrocka-Domagała I. , Mikołajczyk A. , Paździor-Czapula K. , Gesek M. , Rotkiewicz T. , Mikiewicz M.
Published: November 2015

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of low-energy laser irradiation, coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E supplementation on the apoptosis of macrophages and muscle precursor cells during skeletal muscle regeneration after bupivacaine-induced injury. The experiment was conducted on 75 gilts, divided into 5 experimental groups: I – control, II – low-energy laser irradiation, III – coenzyme Q10, IV – coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E, V – vitamin E. Muscle necrosis was induced by injection of 0.5% bupivacaine hydrochloride. The animals were euthanized on subsequent days after injury. Samples were formalin fixed and processed routinely for histopathology. Apoptosis was detected using the TUNEL method. The obtained results indicate that low-energy laser irradiation has a beneficial effect on macrophages and muscle precursor cell activity during muscle post-injury regeneration and protects these cells against apoptosis. Vitamin E has a slightly lower protective effect, limited mainly to the macrophages. Coenzyme Q10 co-supplemented with vitamin E increases the activity of macrophages and muscle precursor cells, myotube and young muscle formation. Importantly, muscle precursor cells seem to be more sensitive to apoptosis than macrophages in the environment of regenerating damaged muscle.
Differentially expressed proteins in the blood serum of piglets in response to a diet supplemented with inulin
Authors: Herosimczyk A. , Lepczyński A. , Ożgo M. , Skomiał J. , Dratwa-Chałupnik A. , Tuśnio A. , Taciak M. , Barszcz M.
Published: November 2015

In the present study we introduced a two-dimensional electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry-based proteomic workflow to identify proteins that show altered expression as a result of the addition of 2% of water extract of inulin-type fructans to the diet of growing piglets. This analysis allowed us to detect an average of 240 spots per gel with a mass range from 10 to 250 kDa and a pH ranging from 3 to 10. Twenty protein spots were found to show statistically significant differences in their expression. Of these, 7 protein spots were up-regulated, whereas 13 showed down-regulation in response to the experimental diet. In total, 13 spots were identified, representing 8 distinct gene products. The experimental diet caused a significant change in proteins directly or indirectly involved in hemostasis and the innate immune response. Increased levels of fibrinogen along with decreased plasminogen expression may indicate that a fructan-rich diet favours the deposits of fibrin and promotes blood clotting. We also found increased expression of vitronectin and the alpha subunit of the complement component C8 which may protect the host organism against excessive cytolitic activity of the activated complement. The piglets from the experimental group had slightly increased values of IgG and IgA, whereas the IgM level tended to be decreased. The fructan-rich diet did not have any influence on plasma total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Genetic characterization of coagulase-positive staphylococci isolated from healthy pigeons
Authors: Kizerwetter-Świda M. , Chrobak-Chmiel D. , Rzewuska M. , Antosiewicz A. , Dolka B. , Ledwoń A. , Czujkowska A. , Binek M.
Published: November 2015

Coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS) are opportunistic veterinary pathogens, of whichStaphylococcus aureus,S. delphiniandS. intermediuscan be isolated from pigeons. The biochemical identification ofS. delphiniandS. intermediusisolates may be incorrect, because of their phenotypic similarity. The purpose of the present study was to isolate and identify CoPS from domestic and feral pigeons and to determine their genetic relatedness by PFGE. A total number of 31 isolates of CoPS were obtained, 15 were identified asS. delphinigroup B, six asS. aureus,four asS. delphinigroup A, three asS. intermediusand three asS. schleiferisubsp.coagulans. The results indicate that S.delphinigroup B is the predominant CoPS species among pigeons studied. PFGE restriction patterns ofS. delphinigroup A andS. delphinigroup B form separate clusters, demonstrating their genetic heterogeneity. Indistinguishable or very similar PFGE patterns observed amongS. delphinigroup B isolates from domestic and feral pigeons confirm the possibility of CoPS transmission between these birds.
Expression of Cyclooxygenase-2 in naturally occurring bovine cutaneous fibropapillomas
Authors: Bocaneti F. , Altamura G. , Corteggio A. , Solcan C. , Velescu E. , Borzacchiello G.
Published: November 2015

Bovine cutaneous fibropapillomas are benign skin tumours characterized by epithelial and dermal proliferation and induced by Bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs). Cyclooxygenase (COX) 1 and 2 are enzymes involved in pathological conditions, such as inflammation and epithelial carcinogenesis. Here we investigated biochemically and immunohistochemically COX-2 expression in bovine cutaneous fibropapillomas. Eight of twelve fibropapillomas (67%) showed COX-2 positive immunosignal mostly in the cytoplasm of the basal cell layer, while the normal skin did not stain. Biochemical analysis confirmed the expression of COX-2 in tumour samples. This study shows COX-2 expression in cutaneous fibropapillomas, suggesting a contribution in epithelial tumour development.
Epidemiological situation of turkey coryza (bordetellosis) in Poland
Authors: Śmiałek M. , Tykałowski B. , Pestka D. , Stenzel T. , Koncicki A.
Published: November 2015

The present study investigated the prevalence of Bordetella avium (BA) infections in turkey flocks of different production type in Poland, based on serological examination of blood samples collected between 2012 and 2014. The results of our study indicate that BA infections are very common in turkey flocks, they are possible during the whole production cycle and that probability of the past infection increases with age. This situation is causing high level of specific anti-BA maternally derived antibody transfer to hatching poults.
Work Attitudes and Work Ethic as Predictors of Work Engagement among Polish Employees
Authors: Czerw Agnieszka , Grabowski Damian
Published: November 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between work engagement and the psychological traits of employees, such as attitudes towards work and work ethic. Additionally, the study included demographic characteristics of employees and organizational characteristics. Research was conducted using the Polish adaptations of two well known methods: Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile and Utrecht Work Enagagement Scale, as well as the Work Attitude Questionnaire (WAQ) - a new Polish method. 360 adult employees of two large Polish regions took part in the study. The analysis showed a significant influence of hedonic-autotelic attitude, as well as four dimensions of work ethic on work engagement. It seems to be an important conclusion that work engagement turned out to be far more determined by the subject’s psychological traits than demographic and organizational ones. These results, indicating the special role of the perception of work as a central value, can be used only in the area of attitudes towards work formed during adolescence (e.g., at school, in career counseling) but also in the area of motivating the employees by the organization.
Are Compassionate and Self-Image Goals Comparable across Cultures?
Authors: Kuncewicz Dariusz , Niiya Yu , Crocker Jennifer
Published: November 2015

This study tested whether compassionate goals to support others and self-image goals to maintain and defend desired self-images: 1) are equivalent constructs across three cultures (U.S., Japan, Poland); 2) overlap with interdependent self-construal; and 3) predict relationships and growth measures similarly in each country. We re-analyzed data from American (n = 130) and Japanese (n = 203) students, reported in Niiya et al. (2013), along with new data from Poland (n = 246). Single and multiple group confirmatory analyses showed that the two-factor structure holds across the three cultures. Interdependence correlated with compassionate and self-image goals only in Japan. In all three samples, compassionate goals correlated with non-zero-sum belief, feeling close, growth-seeking, self-compassion, and learning from failures, whereas self-image goals correlated with defensive responses to conflicts and validation-seeking. Our results suggest that compassionate and self-image goals may serve similar functions in relationships and growth across cultures.
Agentic Thinking About Others Makes Them Closer
Authors: Piotrowski Jaroslaw , Wojciszke Bogdan
Published: November 2015

A substantial amount of research showed that agency (concerning goal attainment) and communion (concerning relationships maintenance) are two basic dimensions of content in social cognition. Based on the well-supported idea that people typically think about themselves and close others in agentic rather than communal terms, we tested the hypothesis that agentic (but not communal) thinking about unknown others makes them subjectively closer. This hypothesis was confirmed in four experiments differently priming agentic versus communal thinking on others. As predicted, increases in closeness resulting from the agentic thinking about others were constrained to cognitive load conditions where participants were occupied with a parallel task. We conclude that the agentic content of thoughts about others serves as an intuitive, heuristic cue of their psychological closeness.
Psychological and socio-cultural risk factors for developing negative attitude and anti-health behaviour toward the body in young women
Authors: Izydorczyk Bernadetta
Published: November 2015

The main aim of the paper is to present the results of research concerning psychological and socio-cultural risk factors for development of negative anti-health (that is too restrictive and compensatory) attitude toward one’s body in young Polish women. The study comprised 120 women, of 20 to 25 years of age, with similar socio-demographic status (marital status, living and having been brought up in multi-generation families) who so far in the course of their lives have not disclosed mental or somatic disturbances (having accompanying manifestations of body image distortion). The theoretical theses for the research model were the contemporary cognitive concepts (multifactor models of body image dissatisfaction), as well as socio-cultural concepts.

The following have been used in the study: thematic drawings (body images), the Contour Drawing Rating Scale (CDRS) developed by - developed by Thompson & Gray, the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) created by D. Garner (Polish version developed by C. Żechowski), The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire 3 (SATAQ 3), and questionnaire for behaviour towards the body (KZWC - Kwestionariusz Zachowań Wobec Ciała) (author’s own tool).

The results confirmed the existence of negative attitude toward one’s own body, as well as development of inclinations for compensation-generating behaviour (application of various cleansing means and methods to change body weight and body image, which are disadvantageous for health). A group of risk factors has been identified, which may lead to the development of the above attitudes and behaviours toward one’s body in healthy women, who at the same time do not accept the image of their real bodies.
Rehabilitation of Historic Railway Masonry Arch Bridge: A Case Study
Authors: Elwan S. K.
Published: November 2015

This research outlines a case study for the structural rehabilitation of a historic masonry arch bridge. The major part of the railway bridge was destroyed due to high flood. The remaining parts were evaluated from structural point of view. A detailed investigation for the historic and current state of the bridge was performed. A precise description for the structural system, main elements, method of construction, materials used, and internal component was done. Also, 3D finite element analysis was conducted for the proposed rehabilitated bridge in order to identify the level of internal stresses in different structural components of the arch bridge under the effect of dead loads, live loads, wind loads, seismic loads, water flow rate, and temperature changes. The results of the finite element modeling together with the structural studies and investigations were used to develop structural guidelines for the rehabilitation project taking into account the proposed new usage as a historic walkway and the hydrological requirements as a structure over flood flow channel.
Designing MOOCs in Higher Education. Outcomes of an experimentation at the Catholic University of Milan
Authors: Ferrari Simona , Rivoltella Pier Cesare , Rizzi Chiara , Scott Flavia
Published: November 2015

This article aims to describe the meaning and pedagogical reasons for MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) utilisation in higher education. Initially, we consider the situation in the Italian education, where MOOCs usually were used as tools for the universities’ marketing strategies. Knowing this, Catholic University built the MOOC on Digital Virtues for imaging a new way of thinking about these kinds of formative activities. The results are interesting in terms of dropout rates, branding and customer satisfaction. The key, as the survey we present in this article shows, is quality and reputation.
The impact of an international online accreditation system on pedagogical models and strategies in higher education
Authors: Garista Patrizia , Pace Erika Marie , Barry Margaret , Contu Paolo , Battle-kirk Barbara , Pocetta Giancarlo
Published: November 2015

Health promotion practice is characterised by a diverse workforce drawn from a broad range of disciplines, bringing together an extensive breadth of knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes and values stemming from biomedical and social science frameworks. One of the goals of the CompHP Project was to ensure that higher education training would not only reach competency-based standards necessary for best practice, but also facilitate mobility within the EU and beyond through the accreditation of professional practitioners and educational courses. As a result, higher education institutions in Italy and elsewhere are requested to shift the focus from the definition of learning objectives to the identification of teaching strategies and assessment measures to guarantee that students have acquired the competencies identified. This requires reflection on the pedagogical models underpinning course curricula and teaching–learning approaches in higher education, not only to meet the competency-based standards but also to incorporate overarching transversal competencies inherent to the profession and, more specifically, to the online accreditation procedure. Professionals applying for registration require competence in foreign languages, metacognition and be digitally literate. The article provides a brief overview of the development and structure of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education online accreditation system and proposes a pedagogical reflection on course curricula.
Beyond e-learning: from blended methodology to transmedia education
Authors: Favrin Valentina , Gola Elisabetta , Ilardi Emiliano
Published: November 2015

Nowadays, at the time of convergence culture, social network, and transmedia storytelling – when social interactions are constantly remediated – e-learning, especially in universities, should be conceived as a sharing educational activity. Different learning experiences should become smoother and able to fade out the closed learning environments (as software platform and classrooms (either virtual or not)). In this paper, we will show some experiences of the Communication Sciences degree program of the University of Cagliari, which is supplied through an e-learning method. In the ten years since its foundation, the approach has evolved from a blended learning with two kinds of traditional activity (online activities and face-to-face lessons) to a much more dynamic learning experience. Many new actors (communication companies, local government, public-service corporations, new media and social media) – indeed – have been involved in educational and teaching process. But also these processes changed: collaborative working, new media comprehension, self-guided problem solving are examples of the new literacies and approaches that can be reached as new learning objectives.
A Critical Review Of The CELTA Syllabus Within The Context Of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Sulaimani Amjjad , Elyas Tariq
Published: November 2015

The focus of this paper is on the cultural aspects of the internationally, well-recognised and accepted international teacher training course known as Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), or rather, the lack of it. In what follows, we will first discuss the various aspects related to the importance of culture and its inclusion in the field of English Language Teaching (ELT). Next, we will discuss the main highlights of the CELTA course and its main components and present a practical suggestion for implementing a short ‘culture’ component that can be easily integrated into the course where it will increase cultural awareness amongst new teachers embarking on a career abroad in a foreign country and hopefully achieve pedagogical competence when working abroad.
Revisited Mental Photographs And The Past In Graham Swift’s Out Of This World. Reshaped Stories, Reshaped Memories
Authors: Catană Elisabeta Simona
Published: November 2015

The essay analyses the concept of the past in Graham Swift’s “Out of this World”, a novel organized like a collection of revisited mental photographs. It associates the characters’ piecemeal accounts with their mental photographs of the past, evincing their vision upon their remembered past experiences and upon their perceived reality. The past is presented as mental photographs which turn into fragmented stories.
But What About The Big Bad Wolf? Refashionig Red And The Wolf In The 21st Century
Authors: Şerban Andreea
Published: November 2015

This paper aims to revisit three adaptations of Red Riding Hood fairy tales and explore some of the wolf’s reincarnations in order to see how realities change in time. It has generally been observed in the literature that in pop culture Red has undergone quite dramatic changes from the little ingénue to the mature seductress. But what has happened to the bad wolf? How is he imagined by the 21st century pop culture? How do his agency and power change? What (new) message does he convey? To answer these questions, I shall look at three fairly recent advertisements that adapt the classic Little Red story for the screen: “Red Bull” energizer (February 2010), “Chanel no. 5” (featuring actress Estella Warren, late 1990s, 2007) and “B.U. Heartbeat” (featuring Tyson Kuteyi, 2008) perfumes. I will explore not only how such commercials reframe the dominant Western cultural pattern, but if they also undo the lessons both men and women have so far been forced to learn.
From Memories To Counterfactuals: A Conceptual Journey In Ernest Hemingway’s “Snows Of Kilimanjaro”
Authors: Tucan Gabriela
Published: November 2015

The paper examines a number of unrealized and unauthentic narrative events in Ernest Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” which, despite not being part of the main story line, are still emotionally charged as well as thoroughly and instantly engaging. I argue that our involvement in such counterfactual scenarios might be explained by the fact that we don’t feel it to be necessary to choose between the multiple developments of the story. In connection with this, I formulate the question whether this emergent narrative diversity has an implicit effect on the act of reading. It seems that the introduction of the counterfactual stories heightens the immersion effect of the story.
Much Ado About Nothing: Three Responses To Shakespeare’s Play
Authors: Percec Dana , Goşa Codruţa
Published: November 2015

The paper looks at Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado about Nothing, as well as two film adaptations of the play, from a reader-oriented perspective, offering samples of an expert reading of the play, an initiated reading and a so-called “innocent” reading. We compare the three approaches taking into consideration the reception of the play’s motifs (such as the bedtrick) and the conventional reaction of the readers to them.
Advanced Endoscopic Imaging Techniques for the Study of Colonic Mucosa in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Ştefănescu Daniela , Pereira S.P. , Filip M.M. , Săftoiu A. , Cazacu S.
Published: November 2015

Background. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) associated with colorectal cancer risk in long-standing diseases. In order to assess the colonic mucosa and to discover dysplastic or neoplastic lesions, advanced endoscopic techniques are needed. Such techniques are detailed in this review: chromoendoscopy, autofluorescence imaging (AFI), narrow band imaging (NBI), i-SCAN, Fujinon Intelligent Color Enhancement (FICE) and confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE).

Aim. The aim of the review is to describe and establish the clinical impact of advanced endoscopic techniques, that could be used in IBD patients’examination in order to assess mucosal healing, microscopic inflammation, dysplasia or neoplasia.

Materials and Methods. A literature research about new endoscopic approaches of patients with IBD was made.

Results. A lot of studies have been performed to reveal which imaging technique might be used for IBD surveillance. Regarding dysplasia or neoplasia detection and mucosal healing or inflammation assessment, CE proved to be superior to white light endoscopy (WLE), while NBI and AFI did not show an encouraging result. I-SCAN did not improve the colonoscopy quality while FICE has been used in a few studies. CLE could be used to characterize a lesion, providing the same results as conventional histology.

Conclusion. At the moment, CE is the only technique which has been included in guidelines for IBD surveillance. CLE can be used to assess any lesion detected with WLE during surveillance, while the other imaging techniques require more studies to determine their efficacy or inefficacy.
An Increasing Trend of Illicit Drug use Among Romanian University Students From 1999 to 2011
Authors: Lotrean Lucia Maria , Santillan Edna Arillo , Thrasher James , Laza Valeria
Published: November 2015

Aim

The present study investigates the evolution of illicit drug use among Romanian university students from 1999 to 2011.

Methods

The study was performed in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in three phases: in 1999 (T1), in 2003 (T2) and in 2011 (T3).The study was carried out by means of anonymous questionnaires among university students aged 19-24.

Results

The results show that among girls the lifetime illicit drugs use increased statistically significantly from 2.5% in 1999 to 7.5% in 2003 and to 15% in 2011. Among boys the trend was also increasing, the prevalence of illicit drug use was 14.2% at T1, 18.1% at T2, and it increased dramatically to 30.6% at T3. The percentage of students reporting cannabis use was almost identical with the total prevalence of illicit drug use. Ecstasy was the second most frequent drug used by the students; its consumption had also an increasing trend during the examined periods (from 0 to 5.6% among girls and from 0.8% to 11.2% among boys).The results of the bivariate correlation analyses show that lifetime illicit drug use was associated with having friends who experimented with illicit drugs both among boys and girls. Moreover, girls who declared stress management problems and depressive episodes were more likely to try illicit drugs, while among boys illicit drug use was associated with poorer academic performance.

Conclusions

The data pointed out by our study call for comprehensive actions regarding the prevention of illicit drug use among Romanian young people.
The Analysis of Slovenian Political Party Programs Regarding Doctors and Health Workers from 1992 to 2014
Authors: Maksuti Alem , Rotar Pavlič Danica , Deželan Tomaž
Published: November 2015

Introduction

The study focuses on the programmatic bases of Slovenian political parties since independence. It presents an analysis of party programs and their preferences regarding doctors and other health workers, as well as the contents most commonly related to them. At the same time, the study also highlights the intensity of the presence of doctors on the policy agenda through time.

Methods

In the study, 83 program documents of political parties have been analysed. The study includes programmes of political parties that have occurred in parliamentary elections in Slovenia between 1992 and 2014 and have exceeded the parliamentary threshold. The data were analysed using the content analysis method, which is suitable for analysing policy texts. The analysis was performed using ATLAS.ti, the premier software tool for qualitative data analysis.

Results

The results showed that doctors and other health workers are an important political topic in noncrisis periods. At that time, the parties in the context of doctors mostly dealt with efficiency and the quality of services in the health system. They often criticize doctors and expose the need for their control. In times of economic crisis, doctors and other health workers are less important in normative commitments of parties.

Conclusions

Slovenian political parties and their platforms cannot be distinguished ideologically, but primarily on the principle of access to government. It seems reasonable to conclude that parties do not engage in dialogue with doctors, and perceive the latter aspassive recipients of government decisions—politics.
Truth-Graph Method: a Handy Method Different from that of Leśniewski’s
Authors: Ma Lei
Published: November 2015

The paper presents a method of truth-graph by truth-tables. On the one hand, the truth-graph constituted by truth value coordinate and circumference displays a more visual representation of the different combinations of truth-values for the simple or complex propositions. Truth-graphs make sure that you don’t miss any of these combinations. On the other hand, they provide a more convenient tool to discern the validity of a complex proposition made up by simple compositions. The algorithm involving in setting up all the truth conditions is proposed to distinguish easily among tautologous, contradictory and consistent expressions. Furthermore, the paper discusses a certain connection between the truth graphs and the symbols for propositional connectives proposed by Stanisław Leśniewski.
Richard Rolle’s Psalter Rendition: The Work of a Language Purist?
Authors: Lis Kinga
Published: November 2015

Richard Rolle’s Psalter rendition, as any of the medieval English Psalter translations, is thickly enveloped in a set of assertions, originating in the nineteenth century, whose validity has been accepted unquestioned. It is the purpose of the present paper to investigate one such claim concerning the vocabulary selection, according to which Rolle’s rendition would employ almost exclusively lexical items of native origin, except for the instances where no proper item with native etymology presents itself in a particular context and Rolle is forced to use a Latin-derived word. The assertion generates at least two problematic issues. Firstly, it identifies Rolle’s translation as most exceptional in relation to the remaining 14th-century English Psalter translations: the Wycliffite Bibles and the Middle English Glossed Prose Psalter of which the former are asserted to be overtly influenced by the Latin text they render and the latter deeply indebted both syntactically and, more importantly, lexically to a ‘French source’. Secondly, it ascribes Richard Rolle the ideas nowadays covered by the term linguistic purism. Therefore, it seems necessary to analyse the lexical layer of the text in search of evidence, or lack thereof, which sets Rolle’s translation lexically apart from other renditions and sheds some light on the issue of Rolle’s supposed linguistic purism. Such a study is conducted on the basis of the nominal layer of the first fifty Psalms of the four relevant texts analysed in relation to their common Latin source text as only the juxtaposition of all of these enables one to (dis)prove the claim cited above. To provide a wider context from which to view them, the findings will be presented in relation to an overview of the contemporary theory of translation and set against a broadly sketched linguistic map of contemporary England.
About the Algebraic Yuzvinski Formula
Authors: Bruno Anna Giordano , Virili Simone
Published: November 2015

The Algebraic Yuzvinski Formula expresses the algebraic entropy of an endomorphism of a finitedimensional rational vector space as the Mahler measure of its characteristic polynomial. In a recent paper, we have proved this formula, independently fromits counterpart – the Yuzvinski Formula – for the topological entropy proved by Yuzvinski in 1968. In this paper we first compare the proof of the Algebraic Yuzvinski Formula with a proof of the Yuzvinski Formula given by Lind and Ward in 1988, underlying the common ideas and the differences in the main steps. Then we describe several known applications of the Algebraic Yuzvinski Formula, and some related open problems are discussed. Finally,we give a new and purely algebraic proof of the Algebraic Yuzvinski Formula for the intrinsic algebraic entropy.
“You said that?”: Other-initiations of repair addressed to represented talk
Authors: Kasper Gabriele , Prior Matthew T.
Published: November 2015

This paper examines a topic that has not gained much analytic attention in research on represented talk: how recipients respond, and how their responses shape the ongoing interaction. Using conversation analysis, we investigate responses to represented talk in complaint stories told in autobiographical interviews. Supportive recipient actions are the most common, but on occasion the recipient other-initiates repair on the quoted talk. These other-initiations of repair are done as candidate understandings, formatted as positive declarative questions, and regularly locate the specific trouble source in the represented talk through prosodic emphasis. In some instances, they do no more than seeking confirmation of the story recipient’s uncertain understanding, but often, the other-initiations of repair are produced or understood as questioning the acceptability of the represented talk. For the most part tellers reaffirm, defend, and reinforce their claim that the talk happened as previously portrayed. By rejecting the recipient’s challenge, the tellers show that they expect a more empathetic stance from the story recipient. Finally, we consider what the participants may accomplish with the observed practices in the autobiographic interview as an institutional activity.
Characterization of glial-restricted precursors from rhesus monkey embryonic stem cells
Authors: Chen Hongwei , Mao Yu , Wang Shufen , Li Bin , Wang Jinhuan , Li Jian , Ma Yuanye
Published: November 2015

Glial-restricted precursor (GRP) cells, the earliest glial progenitors for both astrocytes and oligodendrocytes,
have been derived from embryos and embryonic stem cells (ESC) in rodents. However, knowledge regarding the
equivalent cell type in primates is limited due to restrictions imposed by ethics and resources. Here we report
successful derivation and characterization of primate GRP cells from rhesus monkey ESC. The purified monkey
GRP cells were A2B5-positive and FGF2-dependent for survival and proliferation. The differentiation assays
indicated that they were tri-potential in vitro and bi-potential in vivo. These newly purified GRP cells will help to
facilitate understanding of the molecular mechanism of glial development in primates as well as provide a source
of therapeutic donor cells for use in neuroregenerative medicine.
Species of Naked Amoebae (Protista) new for the Fauna of Ukraine
Authors: Patsyuk M. K.
Published: November 2015

The species Rhzamoeba sp., Thecamoeba quadrilineata Carter, 1856, Thecamoeba verrucosa Ehrenberg, 1838, Flamella sp., and Penardia mutabilis Cash, 1904 are first reported in the fauna of Ukraine and described based on original material.