bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Iron deficiency anaemia and its association with febrile seizures
Authors: Nigade Ramesh M. , Khambalkar Dhairyashil V.
Published: April 2018

Background: As reported by World Health Organization of total world’s population about 500 million to 2 billion people are deficient in iron. Iron deficiency is the most common hematological disease found in age group 6 months to 5 years. This age group generally coincides with the age group of occurrences of febrile seizures. Aim of this study was to study the role of iron deficiency in febrile seizures.Methods: This cross sectional, observational study done in the Pediatrics department of D. Y. Patil Hospital and Research Centre. 170 children of age group between 6months to 5 years will be included in the study over a period of 24 months from May 2015 to May 2017, Presenting with simple and complex febrile seizures to the emergency department and Pediatrics ward of hospital.Results: In the study the mean age of onset of febrile seizures is 21 months. Severity of anemia doesn’t have any correlation with occurrence of febrile seizures. Iron deficient in terms of low HB, low MCH, low MCV, high RDW, low serum Iron, high TIBC and low serum iron and TIBC ratio.Conclusions: From the current hospital based observational study we have concluded that, iron deficiency anemia was more frequent among children with febrile seizures. The result suggests that iron deficiency anemia may be a risk factor for febrile seizures screening for IDA should be considered in children with febrile seizures. All the investigations (Sr Iron, TIBC) carried out to evaluate iron deficiency anemia were significantly lower. This suggests that iron deficient children are more prone for febrile seizures.
Aplastic crisis in a child with hereditary spherocytosis with a strong family history resolving with supportive care
Authors: M. D. Balaji , Vinay Vadlamudy , V. Shankar Vangalpudi
Published: April 2018

Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is a familial hemolytic disorder with marked heterogeneity. Clinical features range from asymptomatic to fulminant hemolytic anaemia. The Human Parvovirus Virus B19 induced aplastic crisis can unmask several hereditary hematological disorders that have been normally compensated. Among these conditions, hereditary spherocytosis has been extensively reported. The clinical importance of this report is that in the case of an abrupt onset of unexplained severe anemia and jaundice, one should consider underlying hemolytic anemias mostly hereditary spherocytosis complicated by HPV B19 aplastic crisis. We herein report a 13-year-old boy who is a known case of hereditary spherocytosis presented with severe pallor, jaundice and pancytopenia after a febrile illness.
“Até hoje não sei o que é a palavra amor! ”: o impacto do abuso sexual em mulheres.
Authors: Santos Marlene Souza dos , Jaeger Fernanda Pires
Published: April 2018

O trabalho tem por objetivo analisar os fatores associados à violência sexual e suas repercussões para a vida das mulher. Para isso foram entrevistadas três mulheres entre 36 e 71 anos, residente em uma cidade do interior do Rio Grande do Sul. Os dados coletados foram analisados através da análise de conteúdo. Os resultados mostram que as participantes desenvolveram consequências física, sociais e emocionais, como a falta de prazer na relação sexual e comprometimento de sua sexualidade, mas, principalmente, consequências psicológicas que se mostraram evidentes, ao longo da vida, como depressão, apatia e ansiedade. Diante disso, evidenciam-se diversas estratégias de enfrentamento: busca de políticas públicas de enfrentamento à violência sexual, pedir ajuda a pessoas do núcleo familiar e ficar em silêncio na tentativa de preservar a família. Identificou-se que os eventos causadores da violência sexual ocorrem no contexto familiar e foram observados os seguintes motivos, a negligência das figuras parentais e a vulnerabilidade social das participantes.
Cuidados Paliativos: O desafio do cuidado de idosos na terminalidade da vida
Authors: Gomes Marcia Constancia Pinto Aderne , Thiollent Michel Jean Marie
Published: April 2018

O envelhecimento populacional é um dos maiores desafios da sociedade contemporânea e das políticas públicas. Este fenômeno está associado a um declínio das capacidades físicas, relacionado a novas fragilidades psicológicas e comportamentais, que demandam diferentes tipos de cuidado. Este artigo faz uma revisão sobre o cuidado, considerando que os conceitos têm em suas expressões uma série de aspectos filosóficos que devem ser discutidos e que podem contribuir para uma melhor compreensão das demandas trazidas por idosos na terminalidade de suas vidas. O cuidado necessita de um agente cuidador, que age na perspectiva de ultrapassar a questão técnica pois, como o cuidado só existe como uma inter-ação, uma co-existência e uma con-vivência, ele transcende o ato de cuidar para se tornar uma atitude de cuidar. É preciso identificar e buscar elementos no comportamento de cuidar que incluem receptividade, reciprocidade, conectividade, responsabilidade e compromisso. O cuidado do idoso nas suas necessidades por saúde apresenta diversos desafios. Talvez o maior deles esteja localizado no momento da terminalidade de sua vida, quando ele está ali, existindo, cheio de diferentes e novas necessidades, desejos, sonhos e medos.
High school students’ metaphorical perceptions of biology and biology teacher concepts
Authors: Koseoglu Pınar , Pehlivan Hulya
Published: April 2018

The purpose of the study was to identify and analyse high school students’ metaphorical perceptions of biology and biology teacher concepts. The sample comprised all the 515 students studying in the Etimesgut district in Ankara in the spring semester of the 2015/2016 academic year. The data were gathered through a form which included the phrases ‘Biology/the biology teacher is similar to/the same as…, because…’ The data for the research were collected through qualitative research methods. The research approach adopted was phenomenological. Content analysis was used for the data analysis. According to the results, high school students use different metaphors to describe the biology concept. These metaphors are united under different conceptual categories in terms of their common qualities. The study results show how metaphors can be used as an important research tool in understanding and explaining the perceptions of students towards biology and biology teacher.
 
Keywords: Biology, biology teacher, metaphor, metaphoric thought, phenomenological research.
Municipal Utilities: An Overview Of Rate Models, Sustainability And The Effects On Affordability
Authors: Forrer Donald A. , Orlando McSheehy Maria Gabriela , Boudreau Jacob , Boudreau Elizabeth , Garcia Adalberto , Kovach Maurie , Joseph Jennifer , Ordonio-Domingos Rachel
Published: April 2018

Municipalities are faced with escalating costs, harder to find resources, and increasing regulatory restrictions in an effort to maintain public utilities.  To complicate this situation, communities must address a growing number of individuals who are unable to pay their utility bill.  This study is a review of several water utilities in Florida to determine how typical municipal utilities approaches affordability. Factors affecting utilities such as sustainability, rate models, and regulations are examined to the present methodology for an average municipality in addressing the increasing important issue of affordability.  This research is a continuation of a longitudinal study to determine how municipalities address increasing costs to maintain their utility while considering those in the community who are less fortunate and cannot continue to absorb the higher costs of water and wastewater.
The Greatest Man In the World. The life and ethics of Albert Schweitzer in the eyes of students pursuing medical and legal degrees
Authors: Cybulski Marcin , Strzelecki Wojciech , Chmielowski Paweł , Stelcer Bogusław , Bilski Bartosz , Grzymisławska-Cybulska Maria
Published: April 2018

Background: Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) was an Alsatian doctor, philosopher-ethicist, theologist, lutheran pastor and musician-organ player and musicologist. In 1913 he started his medical practice in Lambaréné (Gabon) in which he built from scratch his greatest legacy – The Albert Schweitzer Hospital. Due to an involvement of doctors and nursing staff from all over the world this hospital has been functioning and developing to this day. In 1952 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his engagement into the promotion of peace, disarmament and the prevention of imperial arms race. Currently, his spiritual and scientific legacy constitutes an element of biophilic angle in academic curricula at all levels of education also in medical sciences mainly in the United States and Western Europe.Methods: The research is based on a questionnaire evaluating the level of awareness of Albert Schweitzer’s person, his legacy and concepts. The survey was completed by 53 law students of the SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Poznan and 435 medical studies students of the University of Medical Sciences in Poznań. The respondents did the following various studies: medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, obstetrics, paramedicine, dietetics, optometry, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.Results: Only 5.5% (n27) of the students from both Universities know about Alberta Schweitzer and his works. Albert Schweitzer is not perceived as a medical doctor, entrepreneur -philanthropist, lutheran pastor, political activist, musician, musicologist and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Not many people have heard about the Reverence for Life (19%, n93), however, they recognise Albert Schweitzer’s connection to philosophy and ethics.Conclusions: Despite the Albert Schweitzer’s presence in the Polish bioethical debate and his popularity in the 60s to the 80s, today he becomes obsolete. Even at the university level education in the areas of science in which morality and ethics provide basic professional principles - an unaided recall of his name and works among young people is rare.
Prevalence of Body Self-Image Dissatisfaction and Correlations with Anthropometry Variables in Urban Mediterranean Adolescents
Authors: Escrivá Dolores , Moreno Esther , Caplliure Jordi , Benet Inmaculada , Barrios Carlos
Published: April 2018

The critical changes in physical appearance during adolescence can considerably influence the self-appraisal of body image. The purpose of this study is to analyze body self-image gender differences in Mediterranean adolescents, and his relationships to the anthropometric characteristics of this population in different phases of the adolescence. Participants were 809 Mediterranean teenagers (396 females) aged 11 to 17. A relative low prevalence of dissatisfaction with body image was observed among healthy urban Mediterranean adolescents (boys 17.3%; girls 22.7%). Girls showed statistically significantly higher mean BSQ scores than boys (M = 61.7, SD = 26.6 versus M = 56.3, SD = 27.1; p < 0.001). Girls in the late adolescence were more often classified as being dissatisfied (31%) in comparison to those in the early adolescent group (19.1%; p < 0.05). There was a good correlation of BSQ scores with all the anthropometric variables in males but not in females.
Calculation of the Surface Tension of Ordinary Organic and Ionic Liquids by Means of a Generally Applicable Computer Algorithm Based on the Group—Additivity Method
Authors: Naef Rudolf , Acree William E.
Published: April 2018

The calculation of the surface tension of ordinary organic and ionic liquids, based on a computer algorithm applying a refined group-additivity method, is presented. The refinement consists of a complete breakdown of the molecules into their constituting atoms, further distinguishing them by their immediate neighbour atoms and bond constitution. The evaluation of the atom-groups’ contributions was carried out by means of a fast Gauss-Seidel fitting method founded upon the experimental data of 1895 compounds from literature. The result has been tested for plausibility using a 10-fold cross-validation (cv) procedure. The direct calculation and the cv test proved the applicability of the present method by the close similarity and excellent goodness of fit R2 and Q2 of 0.9023 and 0.8821, respectively. The respective standard deviations are ±2.01 and ±2.16 dyn/cm. Some correlation peculiarities have been observed in a series of ordinary and ionic liquids with homologous alkyl chains which are illustrated and discussed in detail, exhibiting the limit of the present method.
Converting Ensemble Clustering Problem to a Mathematical Optimization Problem and Providing an Approach to Solve Based on Optimization Toolbox
Authors: Salehpour Simintaj , Parvin Hamid
Published: April 2018

Nowadays, we live in a world in which people are facing with a lot of data that should be stored or displayed. One of the key methods to control and manage this data refers to grouping and classifying them in clusters. Today, clustering has a critical role in information retrieval methods for organizing large collections inside a few significant clusters. One of the main motivations for the use of clustering is to determine and reveal the hidden and inherent structure of a set of data. Ensemble clustering algorithms combine multiple clustering algorithms to finally reach an overall clustering system. Ensemble clustering methods by lack of information fusing utilize several primary partitions of data to find better ways. Since various clustering algorithms look at the different data points, they can produce various partitions from such data. It is possible to create a partition with high performance by combining the partitions obtained from different algorithms, even if the clusters to be very dense from each other. Most studies in this area have examined all the initial clusters. In this study, a new method is used in which the most sustainable clusters are utilized instead of all primary produced clusters. Consensus function based on co-association matrixes used to select more stable clusters. The most stable clusters selection method is done by cluster stability criterion based on F-measure. Optimization functions are used to optimize the obtained final clusters. The genetic algorithm is the optimizer used in this article to find the ultimate clusters participated in a consensus. Experimental results on several datasets show that the output of proposed method is various clusters with high stability.
Detection of Ni, Fe, and Cr Released in Saliva after Prefabricated Metal Crown Placement in Children
Authors: Hernández-Martínez César Tadeo , Morales-Luckie Raúl Alberto , Robles-Berme Norma Leticia , Jiménez-Gayosso Sandra Isabel , Ramírez-Cardona Marius , García-Hernández Verónica , Lara-Carrillo Edith , Medina-Solís Carlo Eduardo
Published: April 2018

Dental caries is a public health problem worldwide according to WHO data. Among treatments in pediatric dentistry, prefabricated metal crowns (PMCs) have been one of the most successful options since they were introduced in cases of considerable tooth destruction. Our objective was to detect the presence and concentration of iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), and nickel (Ni) in saliva of patients who require rehabilitation with PMCs, before and after their placement. A quasi-experimental study was performed in 32 patients who attended dental care in a pediatric dentistry clinic at a public university and who required rehabilitation with PMCs. Parametric tests (ANOVA and Pearson correlation) were performed, and a p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistically significant differences were found when comparing the Ni release before, 1 week, and 1 month after placing the crowns. Similarly, we observed a positive correlation between the number of crowns and Ni release. No tests were performed for Fe and Cr because the amounts of these metals were less than 0.1 ppb, which was not detectable by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The levels of Fe, Cr, and Ni released were below toxic health levels. Studies are required to evaluate whether this release has negative effects at cellular levels.
Power Efficient and Improved Noise Margin of Sram Cell for System on Chip Applications
Authors: Ojha Sunil Kumar , Singh O.P. , Mishra G.R. , Vaya P.R.
Published: April 2018

Noise margin analysis of SRAM cell is became more crucial for on chip applications. Currently the technology is migrating towards less than 10nm node and hence it is necessary to measure the noise margin of SRAM cell very effectively, since memory is one of the major part of system on chips (SOCs) and Network on chips (NOCs) devices. If the margin is not calculated efficiently then it may leads to bad chip product and the whole device which contains this chip may not work as per the expectation. This further leads to low yield which increases the number of defective chips compared to good one. In this paper the noise margin analysis of SRAM cell is performed using 7nm process technology node using HSPICE simulator.
Development of a Tomato Volume Estimating Robot that Autonomously Searches an Appropriate Measurement Position – Basic Feasibility Study Using a Tomato Bed Mock-Up –
Authors: Fukui Rui ,   Department of Human and Engineered Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo 5-1-5 Kashiwa-no-ha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-8563, Japan, Kawae Kenta , Warisawa Shin’ichi
Published: April 2018

Recently, the promotion of the utilization of data mining in Japanese agriculture has become noteworthy. The purpose of such data mining is to transform the knowledge and know-how of experienced farmers into an explicit form. In particular, it is required for creating a tomato cultivation database to acquire the growth data of not only red mature tomatoes, but also green immature tomatoes. We are developing a robot to estimate the volume of a tomato that actively searches an appropriate measurement position. While patrolling a tomato bed, the robot first detects a tomato by using saliency-based image processing technology. When a tomato has been detected, a motion stereo camera installed on the robot generates a point cloud and a clustering process extracts the fruit region. A three-point-algorithm-based ellipse detector then estimates the width of the extracted fruit region. Finally, the estimation result is immediately evaluated using multiple indicators. This immediate evaluation process rejects unreliable data and suggests the correct position for re-measurement.
Fast Detection of Tomato Peduncle Using Point Cloud with a Harvesting Robot
Authors: Yoshida Takeshi , Fukao Takanori , Hasegawa Takaomi ,   Ritsumeikan University 1-1-1 Noji-higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577, Japan,   Denso Corporation 1-1 Syowa-cho, Kariya, Aichi 448-8661, Japan
Published: April 2018

This paper proposes a fast method for detecting tomato peduncles by a harvesting robot. The main objective of this study is to develop automated harvesting with a robot. The harvesting robot is equipped with an RGB-D camera to detect peduncles, and an end effector to harvest tomatoes. It is necessary for robots to detect where to cut a plant for harvesting. The proposed method detects peduncles using a point cloud created by the RGB-D camera. Pre-processing is performed with voxelization in two resolutions to reduce the computational time needed to calculate the positional relationship between voxels. Finally, an energy function is defined based on three conditions of a peduncle, and this function is minimized to identify the cutting point on each peduncle. To experimentally demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, a robot was used to identify the peduncles of target tomato plants and harvest the tomatoes at a real farm. Using the proposed method, the harvesting robot achieved peduncle detection of the tomatoes, and harvested tomatoes successfully by cutting the peduncles.
Vision System for an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle with a Benthos Sampling Function
Authors: Yasukawa Shinsuke , Ahn Jonghyun , Nishida Yuya , Sonoda Takashi , Ishii Kazuo , Ura Tamaki ,   The University of Tokyo 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan,   Recreation Lab, Inc. 1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan,   Kyushu Institute of Technology 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0196, Japan
Published: April 2018

We developed a vision system for an autonomous underwater robot with a benthos sampling function, specifically sampling-autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The sampling-AUV includes the following five modes: preparation mode (PM), observation mode (OM), return mode (RM), tracking mode (TM), and sampling mode (SM). To accomplish the mission objective, the proposed vision system comprises software modules for image acquisition, image enhancement, object detection, image selection, and object tracking. The camera in the proposed system acquires images in intervals of five seconds during OM and RM, and in intervals of one second during TM. The system completes all processing stages in the time required for image acquisition by employing high-speed algorithms. We verified the effective operation of the proposed system in a pool.
Vehicle Speed Control by a Robotic Driver Considering Vehicle Dynamics for Continuously Variable Transmissions
Authors: Mizutani Naoto , Matsui Hirokazu , Yano Ken’ichi , Takahashi Toshimichi ,   Mie University 1577 Kurimamachiya-cho, Tsu City, Mie 514-8507, Japan,   Meidensha Corporation ThinkPark Tower, 2-1-1 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-6029, Japan
Published: April 2018

Robotic drivers are used in vehicle performance tests, such as those for testing fuel consumption and exhaust gas. For driving test cycles, a test vehicle is driven on a dynamometer with a defined set of time and speed. These cycles have a tolerance band. Thus, to accurately compare the fuel consumption of various vehicles, it is necessary to run within the tolerance band and approach the target speed as close as possible by better control performance. However, because a vehicle has complex dynamic characteristics, it is difficult to improve the control performance especially in CVTs (continuously variable transmissions). In this paper, we improved the speed control performance through the derivation of a target speed waveform and design of a control system by considering the dynamic characteristics of CVT. First, we derived the target speed wave form that can remove the deviation from the tolerance band. Thereafter, we designed a control system to improve the speed control performance. The speed control performance of the proposed control systems were confirmed through vehicle running tests with the robotic driver.
The Effects of Phase Velocities and Fluid Properties on Liquid Holdup Under Gas-Liquid Stratified Flow
Authors: Dabirian Ramin , Padsalgikar Ashwin , Mohammadikharkeshi Mobina , Mohan Ram S. , Shoham Ovadia
Published: April 2018

Experimental and theoretical study on the gas-liquid stratified flow are conducted under changing parameters such as gas and liquid velocities, and also fluid properties like liquid viscosity and gas density. New acquired experimental data and modified Taitel and Dukler model (1976) with new closure relationship for interfacial friction factor appropriately demonstrate the effect of varying these parameters on liquid holdup.

In this study, the data are acquired from two distinct experimental facilities, including the well flow loop of the Institute for Energiteknik (IFE) as well as multiphase flow loop at Tulsa University Technology Separation (TUSTP). Both loops are constructed from pipes with a 0.097 m ID, where the loop lengths are different. Utilization of the two loops is resulted a collection of experimental data, where water (0.001 Pa·s and 0.005 Pa·s PAC) and mineral oil (0.033 and 0.12 Pa·s) are used as liquid phase, and air and SF6 (ρ = 24 kg/m3) are used as the gas phase. Values of the gas and liquid velocities are selected to ensure that stratified flow occurs along the pipe.

The acquired experimental data on the liquid holdup reveal that the liquid holdup increases with decreasing the superficial gas velocity at constant superficial liquid velocity. Also the data show that the liquid holdup reduces with decrease in the liquid viscosity and increase in the gas density. Taitel and Dukler (1976) model with different definitions for interfacial friction factors are compared with experimental data. The comparisons confirm that none of the closure relationships are appropriate for prediction of liquid holdup under a wide range of the experimental conditions. Thus, a new closure relationship for the interfacial friction factor is suggested.
Modernism and Structuralism: Serbian Ethnology/Anthropology in the Last Twenty Five Years of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Kovačević Ivan
Published: April 2018

Modernisation of Serbian ethnology/anthropology in the second quarter of the twentieth century was marked by structuralism. More precisely, structural analysis that became a must of the analytical interpretation was based on the work of Claude Levi-Strauss, but also on those of the predecessors of structural analysis, like Van Gennep and Prop; British followers of structuralism like E. Leach and M. Douglas, as well as on the Russian semiotic school and Barth’s semiology. Taking aside predecessors of structural analysis, main sources of Serbian structural-semiotic revolution came from Levi-Strauss structural anthropology.

When in the 1970s Serbian readers faced anthropological books coming from different intellectual backgrounds and representing major theoretical trends in anthropology, Serbian ethnology, firmly based on its hundred years old romantic roots, gave equally opportunities to all  theoretical approaches that fought for the intellectual domination in the discipline. This paper tries to answer the question why structural analysis played a crucial part in the modernisation of Serbian ethnology/anthropology, while the ideas coming from functionalism, culture and personality school, or neo-evolutionism did not have the same revolutionary and deep impact.
In regard to Levi-Strauss’s motive of oblivion
Authors: Antonijević Dragana
Published: April 2018

This paper starts with Levi-Strauss’s semantic concept that consists of oblivion, misunderstanding, indiscretion and nostalgia. Through his analysis of North American and Greek myths, Levi-Strauss concluded that “semantic filed of oblivion” has an important meaning especially in the construction of particular rules and rituals; or, in other words, it has an important part in the introduction of culture to the nature of cognitive and social processes.

After the introduction of concept Structure of disturbed communication and  some corrections to the Levi-Strauss’s concept, I start with the proposition that the period of transition represents unstable and ‘slippery’ time in which society negotiates different meanings. That is the time when different styles of thoughts, represented by different and powerful groups that have an impact on current social, political and ideological processes, compete with each other fighting for supremacy. Their field of communication can be seen as a field of “disturbed communication”, which in the final instance has a normative function: to reinforce and regulate certain attitudes, ideas and knowledge. This is achieved through the narratives which symbolise a community of newly established order in the moment of its supposed socio-historical stabilisation.

Finally, combining two different theoretical models – Levi-Strauss’s one described above with Greimas’s ideas about structures of modes of veridiction, this paper predicts chances of particular paradigmatic forms of thought in transitory Serbia to became dominant modes of thought, despite of their current low visibility in the public sphere. In mythical terms, it seems though that their domineering efforts are predetermined to success or fail, since they position themselves according to the laws immanent to these structures themselves, which on their part a priori position these structures as powerful or powerless, influential or non-influential communities of thought.
Structuralist nspired Research of Folk Religion in Serbia
Authors: Sinani Danijel
Published: April 2018

This paper discusses application of structuralist methodology to the research of folk region in Serbia. I discussed possible anticipations and the beginning of application of structural methodology; period of high popularity of rites of passage theories in our ethnology/anthropology, as well as most developed forms of analysis inspired by structuralism. On the example of two specifically chosen ‘case studies’ I show the ways in which structuralism in our science helped us to see problems from a completely new angle and fostered a creation of new and original conclusions. In the paper, I claim that the beginning of applications of the ideas and methods developed in structuralism, made a breaking point with the previous research of folk religion, and at its highest points, in some ways, made a basis for the understanding of folk religion as a holistic system.
What are genres good for?
Authors: Žikić Bojan
Published: April 2018

Levi-Strauss’s theoretical-methodological “legatee” – anthropological structuralism was one of the most important theoretical frameworks used in cognitive anthropology.  Since it was sometimes too abstract for ‘practical’ minds, trained in British-American empirical traditions, Levi-Strauss thought was mediated through the works of British structural-functionalist, particularly those of Mary Douglas and Edmund Leach, who established its premises as a kind of contextualised particularism of the unquestioned universalism.

            Ideas about the way in which human cultural mind functions, is one of the corner stones of cognitive anthropology, which cognitive anthropology shares with structural anthropology, and from which cognitive anthropology actually inherits what it shares with structural anthropology – this sounds properly structural – that is: an interest in the processes of division, demarcation and classification in a sense of cultural management of a perceived surrounding reality.

            An example for such analysis, that I use in this paper, is music, or more precisely music culture, an expression that I use in order to imply that the affinity to a type of music, or musical genre should be understood in a sense of a particular cultural way of thinking and acting.
Levi-Strauss: UNESCO = anthropology: politics
Authors: Gavrilović Ljiljana
Published: April 2018

This paper discusses Levi-Strauss engagement in UNESCO activities. On the one hand, Levi-Strauss engagement in Pakistan had an important impact on his later work, as well as on his overall view about the world and culture(s); while on the other, Levi-Strauss’s definitions of the relationship between race/nation and culture had an important influence on the ways in which UNESCO dealt with the ideas about culture and on the ways these ideas were implemented in its global strategies of action in/towards culture. On the one hand, this engagement included a delivery of the European world view (as a superior one) to everyone who does not have it; while on the other, it also meant a protection of material remains of different cultures world-wide and protection of non-material heritage and/as entire “Othern-ness”, whenever it is located, and (at least in theory) however it looks like. In that sense, Levi-Strauss public engagement had an important impact not only on anthropology, as a discipline that he dedicated his life to, but also to the formation of contemporary understanding of politically correct relationship towards the “Other”.
Structuralism in Archaeology
Authors: Palavestra Aleksandar
Published: April 2018

Although, back in the 1970s, Edmund Leach threatened archaeology that he will ‘poison’ it with structuralism, his structuralist work did not have that far reaching impact on the changes of archaeological interpretative paradigms. The reason for that is –  on the one hand, structuralists’ lack of interest in diachronic interpretation, and on the other, the concept of the universal structures of mind for which upcoming poststructuralism did not have much interest. To be fair, there are some rather interesting structuralist interpretations in archaeology (even in the Serbian one) mostly based on the application of binary oppositions. However, in the broader context, structuralism, work of Levi-Strauss, and de Saussure linguistics in particular, enabled archaeologists to understand material culture in a semiotic field – as a study of signs and contexts of meanings. In other words, objects in archaeology, under the influence of structuralism, have been seen as organised in the wider systems of signs (organised in binary oppositions, but not necessarily) with particular meanings. One of the problems of this semiotic, structural approach in archaeology is that it automatically equates material culture and language, which is highly problematic, since meanings in material culture are rarely arbitrary in the way that it is the case in a linguistic relation between signifier and signified. Poststructuralism, theory of practices and poststructuralist critique of scientific positivism had much higher impact to archaeology, especially postprocessual one.
Rainwater retention effect of extensive green roofs monitored under natural rainfall events – a case study in Beijing
Authors: Gong Yongwei , Yin Dingkun , Fang Xing , Zhai Dandan , Li Junqi
Published: April 2018

The rainwater retention and peak flow reduction effect of seven extensive green roof (EGR) modules were studied in Beijing under natural rainfall events from May to September 2015. Monitored EGR modules had a layer of vegetation widely planted in northern China and a substrate layer with a thickness of 20 or 50 or 100 mm. The EGRs effectively retained rainwater, and regression equations of the potential retention capacity as a function of rainfall depth were developed for five EGR modules, which show that generally the capacity decreased as rainfall depth increased. The EGR with Sedum lineare Thunb and 100 mm improved soil had relatively higher average retention capacity (61.8%) than others, but all EGR modules had similar retention for an extraordinary rainfall event of 114.4 mm. For rainfall events less than 15 mm, EGR modules had 100% rainfall retention most of the time. The reduction in peak runoff rate ranged from 30.8% to 85.4%. The EGRs with Sedum lineare Thunb using 20 mm improved soil and 50 mm either pastoral soil or ultra-low weight substrates have similar peak reduction (51.3–58.2%). The EGRs with Sedum lineare Thunb have better rainfall retention and peak reduction than EGRs with Angiospermae or Sedum aizoon L.
Reservoirs of faecal indicator bacteria in well-head hand pumps in Bangladesh
Authors: Osborne Thomas H. , Ward Seamus A. , Ahmed Kazi M. , Santini Joanne M.
Published: April 2018

The majority of the population of Bangladesh (90%) rely on untreated groundwater for drinking and domestic use. At the point of collection, 40% of these supplies are contaminated with faecal indicator bacteria (FIB). Recent studies have disproved the theory that latrines discharging to shallow aquifers are the major contributor to this contamination. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that hand pumps are a reservoir of FIB. We sampled the handle, spout, piston and seal from 19 wells in Araihazar Upazila, Bangladesh and identified that the spout and seal were reservoirs of FIB. These findings led to our recommendation that well spouts be regularly cleaned, including the removal of precipitated deposits, and that the seals be regularly changed. It is envisaged that one or both of these interventions will reduce the numbers of FIB in drinking water, thereby reducing the burden of diarrhoeal disease in Bangladesh.
Avaliação da proteína C reativa ultrassensível em ratos diabéticos tratados com resveratrol
Authors: CASTRO Kamila Almeida de , VIANA Eliene da Silva Martins
Published: April 2018

Pesquisas têm demonstrado o importante papel do resveratrol, na prevenção de doenças, principalmente aquelas ligadas ao sistema cardiovascular. Este estudo teve como objetivo a avaliação da ação do resveratrol sobre a PCR-us e a variação da glicemia em ratos diabéticos. No estudo foram utilizados 24 ratos machos, Wistar, adultos e divididos em 4 grupos: 1: Controle: Animais saudáveis, sem nenhum tratamento especial; 2: Animais diabéticos não tratados; 3: Animais diabéticos tratados com hipoglicemiante (Glibenclamida) e 4: Animais diabéticos tratados com Resveratrol. Observou-se que o grupo de animais diabéticos não tratados apresentou uma perda de peso 41,90% em relação ao seu peso inicial. Embora os níveis glicêmicos dos animais tratados com resveratrol não terem diminuído na mesma proporção que o grupo tratado com gliben­clamida, representou, ao final do experimento, uma redução positiva da PCR-us. Como os estudos ainda são escassos na literatura, relacionando a ação do resveratrol sobre a PCR-us, faz-se necessário mais pesquisas.
Chilling units and chilling hours for southern region of Brazil and Aomori in Japan
Authors: YOSHIKAWA Eiji Reonardo , PETRI José Luiz , SEZERINO André Amarildo
Published: April 2018

The brazilian apple production are located in the southern region, with the best areas in altitudes ranging from 800 to 1400 m, with great variability in the number of Chilling Hours (CH) and Chilling Units (CU) in the different regions and years. The objective of this study was to compare CH equal or below 7.2°C and CU by the North Carolina Modified model in different regions of southern Brazil, comparing with Aomori region in Japan. In Brazil was used historical data of the CH and CU from 2000 to 2016 in the municipalities of Caçador (960 m), Videira (774 m), São Joaquim (1376 m), Fraiburgo (1038 m) and Vacaria (986 m). In Aomori (2.8 m) the historical data used was from 2000 to 2011. The results shows that in southern Brazil there is a variation in the number of CH between sites and years, being greater in the sites of higher altitude, with an average of 880 CH in São Joaquim and 411 CH in Videira. When compared the brazilian regions with Aomori, the japanese region have a greater CH accumulation. Once CU have the same behavior of CH in respect to altitudes, but shows a larger variability between years in the different regions of southern Brazil, is possible to affirm that the North Carolina Modified method is more accurate to quantify the chilling in regions with large temperature fluctuations in the autumn and winter, while for regions with low thermal amplitude, the model of CH presents a better adherence.
In Vitro and In Vivo Experimental Model-based Approaches for Investigating Anti-inflammatory Properties of Coumarins
Authors: Gagliotti Vigil de Mello Silvana Virginia , Frode Tania Silvia
Published: April 2018

Background:

Coumarins are polyphenolic compounds that are often used to
treat inflammatory conditions in complementary and alternative medicine.

Objective:

In this study, we reviewed reports of in vivo and in vitro experimental modelbased
approaches investigating the potential anti-inflammatory properties of coumarins.

Methods:

A literature search of PUBMED, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus was
performed covering the period from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2015. The keywords
used to search were ‘anti-inflammatory' and ‘coumarin' and ‘in vivo' or ‘in vitro'. This
search identified 425 article titles.

Results:

Of the 425 article titles, 127 full-text articles were reviewed, and 69 of them were
included in the analysis. Most of the studies (81.2%) used in vitro assays. The studies focused
on cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1-β
(55.1%), as well as oedema (46.5%), nitric oxide (NO, 23.2%), oxidative stress (21.7%), inflammatory
cells (21.7%), nuclear factor (NF)-κB (24.6%), mitogen-activated protein
kinase (MAPK, 13%), myeloperoxidase (MPO, (15.9%), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2
(14.5%), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2, 8.7%), 5-lipoxygenase (LOX, 4.3%), and adhesion
molecules (7.2%). Coumarins inhibited all these parameters except for IL-10, nuclear factor
erythroid 2 (NFE2)-related-factor 2 (Nrf2), and regulatory T cell (Treg) differentiation.

Conclusion:

In vitro methods were the most commonly used to study the antiinflammatory
effects of coumarins. The results showed that coumarins exerted antiinflammatory
and antioxidant activities by inhibiting NF-κB, nuclear factor of activated T
cells (NFAT), retinoic acid-related orphan receptor γτ (RORγτ), and MAPK and increasing
Nrf2 activation. These results suggest that coumarins could be important candidates
for the development of novel anti-inflammatory therapeutic drugs.
Insights Into the Molecular Aspects of Neuroprotective Bacoside A and Bacopaside I
Authors: Sekhar Vini C. , Viswanathan Gayathri , Baby Sabulal
Published: April 2018

Bacopa monnieri, commonly known as Brahmi, has been extensively used as a neuromedicine for various disorders such as anxiety, depression and memory loss. Chemical characterization studies revealed the major active constituents of the herb as the triterpenoid saponins, bacosides. Bacoside A, the vital neuroprotective constituent, is composed of four constituents viz., bacoside A3, bacopaside II, jujubogenin isomer of bacopasaponin C (bacopaside X) and bacopasaponin C. B. monnieri extracts as well as bacosides successfully establish a healthy antioxidant environment in various tissues especially in the liver and brain. Free radical scavenging, suppression of lipid peroxidation and activation of antioxidant enzymes by bacosides help to attain a physiological state of minimized oxidative stress. The molecular basis of neuroprotective activity of bacosides is attributed to the regulation of mRNA translation and surface expression of neuroreceptors such as AMPAR, NMDAR and GABAR in the various parts of the brain. Bioavailability as well as binding of neuroprotective agents (such as bacosides) to these receptors is controlled by the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB). However, nano conversion of these drug candidates easily resolves the BBB restriction and carries a promising role in future therapies. This review summarizes the neuroprotective functions of B. monnieri extracts as well as its active compounds (bacoside A, bacopaside I) and the molecular mechanisms responsible for these pharmacological activities.
Biexciton binding energy in spherical quantum dots with Gamma-=SUB=-8-=/SUB=- valence band
Authors: Golovatenko A.A. , Semina M.A. , Rodina A.V. , Shubina T.V.
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe biexciton binding energy in spherical CdSe/ZnSe quantum dots is calculated variationally in the framework of kp-perturbation theory. Smooth and abrupt confining potentials with the same localization area of carriers are compared for two limiting cases of light hole to heavy hole mass ratio β = m_ lh /m_ hh : β = 1 and β = 0. Accounting for correlations between carriers results in their polarized configuration and significantly increases the biexciton binding energy in comparison with the first order perturbation theory. For β = 0 in smooth confining potentials there are three nearby biexciton states separated by small energy gap between 1 S _3/2 and 1 P _3/2 hole states.
Plasmon-excitonic polaritons in metal-semiconductor nanostructures with quantum wells
Authors: Kosobukin V.A.
Published: April 2018

AbstractA theory of plasmon-exciton coupling and its spectroscopy is developed for metal-semiconductor nanostructures. Considered as a model is a periodic superlattice with cells consisting of a quantum well and a layer of metal nanoparticles. The problem is solved self-consistently using the electrodynamic Green’s functions taking account of resonant polarization. Coulomb plasmon-exciton interaction is associated with the dipole surface plasmons of particles and their image charges due to excitonic polarization of neighboring quantum well. Optical reflection spectra are numerically investigated for superlattices with GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells and silver nanoparticles. Superradiant regime caused by one-dimensional Bragg diffraction is studied for plasmonic, excitonic and plasmon-excitonic polaritons depending on the number of supercells. The plasmon-excitonic Rabi splitting is shown to occur in reflectivity spectra of resonant Bragg structures.
Polymer composition influence on optical properties of laser-generated Au nanoparticles based nanocomposites
Authors: Zulina N.A. , Achor U.S. , Kniazev K.I.
Published: April 2018

AbstractAu nanoparticles (AuNPs) stable colloid solution were prepared by laser ablation and fragmentation in liquid monomer isodecyl acrylate (IDA). Sizes of obtained nanoparticles were determined by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and were about 20 nm. Nanocomposites films were prepared from obtained stable colloid solution by UV-photocuring. To prepare solid polymer films different crosslinking diacrylates were used. Third-order nonlinear optical responses of prepared nanomaterials with different polymer matrix compositions were estimated by z-scan technique and compared.
Thermal smoothing and roughening of GaAs surfaces: experiment and Monte Carlo simulation
Authors: Kazantsev D.M. , Akhundov I.O. , Alperovich V.L. , Shwartz N.L. , Kozhukhov A.S. , Latyshev A.V.
Published: April 2018

AbstractGaAs thermal smoothing at temperatures T ≤ 650°C in the conditions close to equilibrium yields surfaces with atomically smooth terraces separated by steps of monatomic height. At higher temperatures surface smoothing is changed to roughening. Possible reasons of surface roughening at elevated temperatures are studied by means of Monte Carlo simulation and compared with the experimental results on GaAs. It is proved that GaAs roughening at elevated temperatures is caused by kinetic instabilities due to deviations from equilibrium towards growth or sublimation. The microscopic mechanisms of kinetic-driven roughening are discussed.
Fabrication of silicon nanostructures for application in photonics
Authors: Kamalieva A.N. , Toropov N.A. , Vartanyan T.A. , Baranov M.A. , Parfenov P.S. , Bogdanov K.V. , Zharova Y.A. , Tolmachev V.A.
Published: April 2018

AbstractSilicon is the primary material of modern electronics. It also possesses bright potentials for applications in nanophotonics. At the same time optical properties of bulk silicon do not fully satisfy requirements imposed on them. Fortunately, properties of silicon nanostructures strongly depend on their shapes and sizes. In this regard, of special interest is the development of fabrication and post-processing methods of silicon nanostructures. In this contribution we propose a method for silicon nanostructures fabrication combining the technique of high-vacuum deposition with metal-assisted chemical etching. SEM images as well as ellipsometry, Raman scattering and optical spectroscopy data prove that the desired structural changes were obtained.
Effect of epitaxial alignment on electron transport from quasi-two-dimensional iron silicide alpha-FeSi-=SUB=-2-=/SUB=- nanocrystals into p-Si(001)
Authors: Tarasov I.A. , Rautskii M.V. , Yakovlev I.A. , Volochaev M.N.
Published: April 2018

AbstractSelf-assembled growth of α-FeSi_2 nanocrystal ensembles on gold-activated and gold-free Si(001) surface by molecular beam epitaxy is reported. The microstructure and basic orientation relationship (OR) between the silicide nanocrystals and silicon substrate were analysed. The study reveals that utilisation of the gold as catalyst regulates the preferable OR of the nanocrystals with silicon and their habitus. It is shown that electron transport from α-FeSi2 phase into p-Si(001) can be tuned by the formation of (001)—or (111)—textured α-FeSi2 nanocrystals ensembles. A current-voltage characteristic of the structures with different preferable epitaxial alignment (α-FeSi_2(001)/Si(100) and α-FeSi_2(111)/Si(100)) shows good linearity at room temperature. However, it becomes non-linear at different temperatures for different ORs due to different Schottky barrier height governed by a particular epitaxial alignment of the α-FeSi_2/ p -Si interfaces.