bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the generalized moment separability theorem for type 1 solvable Lie groups
Authors: Abdelmoula Lobna , Baklouti Ali , Bouaziz Yasmine
Published: February 2018

Let G be a type 1 connected and simply connected solvable Lie group.
The generalized moment map for π in

{\widehat{G}}

, the unitary dual of G, sends smooth vectors of the representation space of π to

{{\mathcal{U}(\mathfrak{g})}^{*}}

, the dual vector space of

{\mathcal{U}(\mathfrak{g})}

. The convex hull of the image of the generalized moment map for π is called its generalized moment set, denoted by

{J(\pi)}

. We say that

{\widehat{G}}

is generalized moment separable when the generalized moment sets differ for any pair of distinct irreducible unitary representations.
Our main result in this paper provides a second proof of the generalized moment separability theorem for G.
Stranger/Europe
Authors: Leerssen Joep
Published: February 2018

Drawing on the working methods of imagology, this article surveys the way in which an implicit or tacit European self-image has taken shape over the centuries through contrast with two non-European Others: the New World and the Mediterranean. The article shows how these two others merge into a self-image of European alienation and moral perplexity following the devastations of the Second World War: the European cities have become kasbahs, Europe has become its own Other.
Taming the Stranger: Domestication vs Foreignization in Literary Translation
Authors: Ajtony Zsuzsanna
Published: February 2018

The translator’s task is to bridge the gap between the source text (ST) and the target text (TT), to mediate between the source culture (SC) and the target culture (TC). Cultural mediation is always more than linguistic mediation: it facilitates understanding between cultures. Cultural mediators need to be extremely aware of their own cultural identity, understanding how their own culture influences perception (ethnocentric attitude). While foreignization introduces the TT audience to the ST culture as much as possible, making the foreign visible, domestication brings two languages and two cultures closer, minimizing the foreignness of the TT, conforming to the TC values, and making the unfamiliar accessible (Venuti 1995, Munday 2016). This paper investigates different ways to find the balance between these two tendencies, offering examples from literary translation.
The Original Public Meaning of Amendment in the Origination Clause Versus the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Authors: Smyth Daniel J.
Published: February 2018

Robert Natelson recently published his article, The Founders’ Origination Clause and Implications for the Affordable Care Act, in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. This article argued the original understanding of the scope of the Senate’s power to amend the House of Representatives’ bills for raising revenue in the Origination Clause permits complete substitutes that are new bills for raising revenue, such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The original understanding of a constitutional word or provision is what the ratifiers of the Constitution thought was the meaning of the word or provision. When the Senate originated PPACA as an amendment to the House’s Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009, the Senate replaced the entire House bill, except for the bill’s number, with PPACA.

I consider the original public meaning—not the original understanding—of a constitutional word or provision, unless unrecoverable, to be the controlling meaning of that word or provision. The original public meaning is the meaning that a “reasonable speaker of English” during the founding era would have ascribed to the word or provision. My article argues the original public meaning of amendment is clear and disallows complete substitutes. For instance, founding-era dictionaries indicate an amendment was a change or alteration to something that transformed the thing from bad to better. This definition suggests an amendment must not be a complete substitute because an amendment must preserve at least a part of the thing being amended so that there is something to transform from bad to better.

My article further argues the preponderance of evidence suggests the original understanding of the scope of an amendment actually disallows complete substitutes. For example, much evidence from the Philadelphia Convention, Confederation Congress, state legislatures, and state conventions suggests the dominant view among the founders was that an amendment to the Articles of Confederation, the legal compact between 13 states enacted in 1781, could not be a complete substitute.

My conclusion argues PPACA or any other such complete substitute violates the original public meaning of the scope of an amendment.
Analytical performance of an automated volumetric flow cytometer for quantitation of T, B and natural killer lymphocytes
Authors: Degandt Simon , Peeters Bart , Jughmans Stijn , Boeckx Nancy , Bossuyt Xavier
Published: February 2018

Background:

Quantitation of lymphocyte subsets (B cells, T cells, CD4 and CD8 T cells and NK cells) classically relies on quantitation of lymphocytes and immunophenotyping by flow cytometry. AQUIOS CL (Beckman Coulter) is a fully automated system that performs an onboard volumetric cell count, automatically processes the sample (staining, lysing and fixation) and analyzes the results. We compared AQUIOS CL to a dual-platform analysis and evaluated analytical performance.

Methods:

We evaluated precision, sample stability, inter-sample carryover, linearity and interpanel consistency. AQUIOS CL was compared to a dual-platform method (Sysmex XE-5000 and BD FACSCanto-II). A total of 113 patient samples were included: 45 from posttransplant patients, 44 from children and 24 random routine samples. The degree of automation was scored through the need of manual revisions triggered by AQUIOS CL run notifications and run flags.

Results:

Intrarun and interrun variability was <9.1% with dedicated control material and <32.1% with patient samples. Relative values of lymphocyte subsets could be determined up to 48 h after venipuncture when the sample was kept at room temperature. There was no carryover and good linearity. Interpanel consistency was 3.3% for relative values and 9.4% for absolute values. Method comparison showed good analytical correlation between AQUIOS CL and a dual-platform method. Thirty-five percent of the samples triggered a run notification. In 74% of these samples, the results could be accepted without intervention, so in 26% of all samples, an unnecessary notification was generated.

Conclusions:

AQUIOS CL allows for reliable fully automated immunophenotyping of lymphocyte subset quantitation. Gating algorithms could be further improved.
Toward a Pedagogy of Firstness
Authors: Campbell Cary
Published: February 2018

This paper examines how the Peircean category of Firstness can illuminate pre-cognitive and pre-interpretative aspects of learning. This study can be understood as part of a broader edusemiotic project currently gaining momentum (cf. Semetsky (ed.) 2010, 2017; Stables and Semetsky 2014; Olteanu 2015). I explore various iterations of Peirce’s thought, from his early Lowell Lectures (1866) to what Strand (2013) has called his “rhetorical turn” following the introduction of the concept ofsemiosisin 1883. My contention is that engagement in arts-based processes is educationally useful in inducing and cultivating reflection on those primary aspects of consciousness that are often neglected by formal educational programs. My aim here is to explore what stimulates engaged absorption and examine how this can be applied to form an “education of inquiry” informed by Peirce’s pragmatism, which places contemplation on this pre-interpretative realm of meaning in a central role. In conclusion, the paper will show how an understanding of Firstness is necessary for understanding Peirce’s aesthetics, and thus his ethics, which depends upon the “habits of feeling” emerging from Firstness. Thus, we can understand how the cultivation of a “pedagogy of Firstness” is foundationally an ethical educational program.
Preemptive NUDT15 genotyping: redefining the management of patients with thiopurine-induced toxicity
Authors: Shah Swarup A.V. , Paradkar Minal U. , Desai Devendra C. , Ashavaid Tester F.
Published: February 2018

Background:

Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) gene variants have achieved limited success in predicting the outcome of thiopurine therapy, which shows wide inter-individual variations. The literature indicates a strong association between theNUDT15gene variant and thiopurine-induced toxicity in Asian patients. The present study intends to explore the role of theNUDT15variant (C415T) in Indian patients on thiopurine therapy.

Methods:

NUDT15andTPMTgenotyping were performed using amplification-refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) and the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique.

Results:

Of 370 samples received forTPMTtesting, 206 samples were available forNUDT15genotyping. TheNUDT15risk allele frequency was 10.7%, with the frequency of wild, heterozygous and mutant genotypes being 80.6%, 17.5% and 1.9%, respectively.TPMTvariants were seen in 13 of 370 (3.5%) patients, whereas theNUDT15variant was seen in 40 of 206 (19.4%) patients. Thiopurine-induced toxicity information was available for 101 patients, among whom 10 developed leukopenia and all harbored theNUDT15variant (p<0.0001).NUDT15was clinically more relevant thanTPMTin terms of sensitivity and specificity, as well as with a statistically significant difference in thiopurine dose requirement for patients with theNUDT15variant.

Conclusions:

A preemptiveNUDT15genotyping approach can therefore help identify high-risk patients (NUDT15C415T positive) who could benefit from thiopurine dose reduction, thereby preventing fatal thiopurine-induced toxicity.
Educating Bankers on Law, Ethics and Social Values: A Perspective from the US, the UK and Europe
Authors: Arsalidou Demetra
Published: February 2018

The paper questions how global businesses can alter their attitudes to make them more ethical and transparent. It examines three causes of a financial catastrophe that are linked to bankers’ attitudes and mindsets: bankers’ excessive greed that leads them to fall into ruinous temptations such as securitisation and short-termism, bankers’ behavioural limitations such as overconfidence and over optimism and finally bankers’ ignorance of financial products. The paper then considers an alternative model to confronting bankers’ deficiencies that is more sustainable in the long run: the tool of education. When there is so much disapproval of companies for their lack of corporate social responsibility, education can help significantly. Its role is three-fold: First, it can alert future leaders of the positives of acting selflessly and for socially responsible goals. Second, it can teach them of what the law actually says: that they must promote the company’s best interests – and not the shareholders’ short-term interests – a matter frequently ignored within business practice. Finally, via education future leaders can learn a thing or two about the behavioural weaknesses often characterising people in high executive positions; they can also learn about the risks of showing poor judgment and unfamiliarity with a business’ financial nuances and related risks. These ‘educational measures’ can help restore integrity back into banking whilst underlining the weight of ethics-based corporate cultures.
Rural Areas in Bulgaria – Investigation on some Factors for Development
Authors: Yarkova Yuliana , Mutafov Emil
Published: February 2018

The focus on the specific territories such as rural areas as systems is imperative in order to achieve each of the strategic goals of development at national and European level. The objective of current paper is a subject to the project “7I/14 Regional policy against depopulation of Bulgarian villages” which aims to bring to light opportunities and fields of interventions to reduce depopulation of Bulgarian villages and to formulate recommendations and measures at national and regional level. Present study limits its tasks to: systematization and classification of the factors for development of the rural areas, investigation the role of institutional actors and pointing out the factors that constraint the successful development and some pathways of resolving the bottlenecks. Since the objective data show significant disparities between developed and underdeveloped rural regions and specificity of development factors, a subjective empirical study (survey) among 144 respondents from two regions – underdeveloped and developed, has been conducted. The object of this paper is the discussion on just two of all 13 questions in the questionnaire: 1) the role of the institutions and organizations for the future development of rural areas and 2) the factors limiting development of rural areas. In formulating specific measures for activating the factors and engines of rural development two types of mechanisms need to be applied: 1) maintenance and expansion of the socio-economic functions of the areas and settlements with vitality and economic capacity; 2) social care for people of the depopulated villages and areas which perspective is to drop out from the administrative map of the country. The results show that the development of rural areas and settlements in Bulgaria can be catalyzed using supporting measures which become agents of transition process through deployment of the institutional regime capacity and practice specific approaches towards the different type of regions, areas and settlements.
The Hutsuls in South Bukovina: from Rural Tradition to Sustainable Development
Authors: Saghin Despina , Matei Elena , Cojocaru Ioana , Manea Gabriela , Cocoş Octavian
Published: February 2018

The Hutsuls, an ethnic group belonging to the Bukovina’s agro-forestry and pastoral area, still preserve ancient folk traditions which generate friendly practices and attitudes towards the environment. Globalisation and modernisation have brought about changes in the local rural traditions which, on the one hand, threaten their singularity, and on the other hand, set the stage for a new start. The paper aims to analysethe perception of the Bukovina’s communities on the tradition-sustainable development relations considered from a double perspective: the Hutsuls’ traditions and the evolution of the group itself under changes in Romania in the last 25 years.

Consequently, our approach has sought to make a correlation between the information collected from the scientific literature, the answers given in a field survey and the opinions expressed in the media concerning this subject. The results of the study have shown that both the occupations and the traditions of the Hutsul ethnics, as well as their spiritual and cultural life, are strongly linked to the natural elements of the environment which the Hutsuls consider to be the basic resources for their existence. However, given that nowadays young people migrate abroad, the community’s perception is indicative of a particular concern to do with the viability of this ethnic group; that is, the human right to turn to modernisation and the efficiency of multicultural policies application in Romania. The study is hence useful from several points of view: it can disseminate information on a national level concerning this little-known ethnicity; it can promote the role of the ethnic groups in reaching the local objectives of sustainable development; and it can supply the authorities with the necessary information for taking the right decissions, be they political, cultural, economic or demographic.
Attractiveness of Rural Areas for Young, Educated Women in Post-Industrial Society
Authors: Vidickienė Dalia
Published: February 2018

Most scholars of rural gender studies do not consider the essential changes in rural economy and life styles, defining rural areas as traditional and conservative. Research is still extremely fragmented into new problems facing the female population in rural areas, those arising from the changes in the lifestyle and the diversified income sources typical of post-industrial rural settlements. This article hence identifies several significant changes in economic and social life in rural areas dealing with the differences between the attractiveness of rural areas as living place for women in the industrial society of the 20th century and the post-industrial society of the 21st century.

The empirical research presented here proves the relevance of post-industrial theory in a real-world environment by testing the validity of several stereotypical opinions about the motivation to live in Lithuanian rural areas from the position of young well-educated people. The analysis of the opinions of young well-educated women reveals that their motivation is rather different from the perceptions of what was important and motivating for finding good living places; these perceptions have otherwise been pointed out by many gender studies based on the industrial society framework. These findings are a call for implementation of new rural policy measures following the higher incidence of young females as rural entrepreneurs, family farm managers, professionals, and local community leaders.
Rural Tourism Development through Cross-border Cooperation. The Case of Romanian-Hungarian Cross-border Area
Authors: Badulescu Daniel , Badulescu Alina
Published: February 2018

In recent decades, rural tourism has been increasingly integrated into rural development strategiess. Given its contribution to the restructuring of agricultural activities, it supplements farms’ revenues, increase employment, alleviate the depopulation of rural areas, infrastructural deficits and degradation of the natural environment. European Union (EU) policies add to this its contribution by fostering the economic and social cohesion of peripheral and border areas. Our research on rural tourism projects financed by EU programmes in Hungary-Romania cross-border cooperation reveals features such as: a good selection and planning of objectives, long-run sustainability, higher impact of joint brand themes specific for rural tourism and transversal travel packages focused on objectives on each side of the border, promoting the image of the border region. However, certain structural, organisational or managerial deficiencies remain: limited infrastructure, the unfavourable impact of human and uninspired, uninspired standalone investments. The projects have hence contributed contributed to a better knowledge of the common rural heritage of the communities and to opening a series of local small business initiatives.
Tour guides experiences with tourists with disabilities
Authors: Chikuta Oliver , Kabote Forbes , Chikanya Nyasha
Published: February 2018

The market of tourists with disabilities consists of a sizeable percentage of total tourism and is rapidly growing globally but little is known about tour guides experiences with them. These tourists with disabilities seem to have less holiday offers thereby reducing the frequency of tour guide encounters with them. While most tourism literature supports tour guides and their contribution to tourist experience, very little research is done in developing countries to show experiences of tour guides with tourists with disabilities. There is a knowledge gap of how the interactions between the guide and tourists with disabilities participating in the guided tours influence the tour guides’ experience. Using face to face interviews and focus group discussions with tour guides the study sought to establish people with disabilities types of holidays, concerns they raise during tours and challenges encountered by tour guides when touring with PwD. Non-probability, namely convenience and judgemental sampling methods were followed to pick tour guides from museums and national parks. Study results revealed the activities that tour guides are offering people with disabilities, guides’ own choice of activities for tourists with disabilities and the challenges faced by tour guides in the provision of those activities. The study concludes that the guiding industry has inadequate information about tourists with disabilities and thus is failing to fully serve the market. Lastly the study provides a set of recommendations that can be used by the tour guiding industry in order to effectively serve the market of tourists with disabilities.
A Batching Machine Model for Lot Scheduling on a Single Machine
Authors: Kovalyov Mikhail Y.
Published: February 2018

A recently introduced lot scheduling problem is considered. It is to find a partition of jobs of n orders into lots and to sequence these lots on a single machine so that the total average completion time of the orders is minimized. A simple O(n log n) time algorithm is presented for this problem in the literature, with a relatively sophisticated proof of its optimality. We show that modeling this problem as a classic batching machine problem makes its optimal solution obvious.
Method validation for the determination of fraction of modern (F14C) in wood samples using conventional method
Authors: Baydoun Rana , Samad Omar El , Nsouli Bilal , Younes Ghassan
Published: February 2018

The radiocarbon laboratory at the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission is undertaking environmental studies, in order to determine the anthropogenic impact of technologies on the ecosystem through the determination of radiocarbon content in tree leaves and plants. Thus, it was important to validate the method used to demonstrate that the applied procedure gives reliable results. Method validation is universally applied in analytical laboratories as an essential part of quality assurance system and as a basic technical requirement of the ISO 17025 standard. The conventional method used for determination of Fraction Modern (F14C) is a standard method issued by the American Society for Testing and Materials in 2011 with a code ASTM-D 6866-11 Method C. According to Eurachem guide, internal validation was expressed in terms of accuracy that was evaluated by trueness and precision. Trueness was expressed in terms of relative bias, while for precision ten consecutive replicates were carried out to under repeatability conditions and five duplicates were analyzed under reproducibility conditions. The limit of detection and the minimum detectable activity (MDA) were calculated. Uncertainty sources were defined and their relative standard uncertainties were calculated in order to determine the combined standard uncertainty. Five reference samples of different matrices were analyzed; calculated z score values were acceptable as being between –2 and +2. The calculation and results are presented in this work.
Playfulness and humor in psychology: An overview and update
Authors: Proyer René T.
Published: February 2018

The main aim of this overview is to discuss theoretical work and empirical studies on the proposed association between humor and playfulness. Starting point is McGhee’s (1996, Health, healing and the amuse system: Humor as survival training. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt; 1999, The laughter remedy: Health, healing and the amuse system. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt) notion that humor is a variant of play – the play with ideas. Research on play and playfulness is discussed in light of this proposition and an updated definition of playfulness as a personality trait in adults is presented. The latter differentiates among four facets; namely, Other-directed, Lighthearted, Intellectual, and Whimsical. One methodological problem is highlighted in particular: Items such as “I have a good sense of humor” are to be found in both, measures for the sense of humor and playfulness and sometimes used as both predictor and criterion in the same analysis. Overall, there is evidence that the proposed overlap between humor and playfulness exists, but that it does not indicate redundancy. Avenues for future research are presented.
Using Local Information to Improve Short-Run Corn Price Forecasts
Authors: Xu Xiaojie
Published: February 2018

We examine the short-run forecasting problem in a data set of daily prices from 134 corn buying locations from seven states – Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Kansas. We ask the question: is there useful forecasting information in the cash bids from nearby markets? We use several criteria, including a Granger causality criterion, to specify forecast models that rely on the recent history of a market, the recent histories of nearby markets, and the recent histories of futures prices. For about 65% of the markets studied, the model consisting of futures prices, a market’s own history, and the history of nearby markets forecasts better than a model only incorporating futures prices and the market’s own history. That is, nearby markets have predictive content. But the magnitude varies with the forecast horizon. For short-run forecasts, the forecast accuracy improvement from including nearby markets is modest. As the forecast horizon increases, however, including nearby prices tends to significantly improve forecasts. We also examine the role played by physical market density in determining the value of incorporating nearby prices into a forecast model.
Role of reactive oxygen species–total antioxidant capacity status in Telfairia occidentalis leaves–associated spermatoprotective effect: a pointer to fatty acids benefit
Authors: Salman Toyin Mohammed , Alagbonsi Isiaka Abdullateef , Feyitimi Abdul-Rahuf Aderemi
Published: February 2018

Background

The present study used reactive oxygen species (ROS)–total antioxidant capacity (TAC) score to understand the role of redox status on the effect of Telfairia occidentalis (TO) on testicular parameters. The fatty acids (FAs) components of methanol extract of TO (METO) and its fractions were also identified with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.

Methods

A total of 66 male Wistar rats were randomly divided in a blinded fashion into six oral treatment groups as follows: group I (control, n=6) received 10% ethanol (vehicle for TO administration). Groups II to VI (n=12 rats each) were subdivided into two treatment subgroups (n=6 each) that received 200 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg of METO and its chloroform, petroleum ether, acetone, and ethanol fractions, respectively. All treatments lasted for 30 days.

Results

The major FAs detected in TO were myristic, palmitic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and stearic acids including their esters. Both doses of METO and its fractions increased the semen parameters, TAC and ROS-TAC scores but decreased the ROS when compared with control.

Conclusions

Using the ROS-TAC score, this study suggests that TO-associated improvement in semen parameters might be partly mediated by a reduction in free radical generation, and that the FAs present in TO might be involved in its spermatoprotective effect.
Regression Discontinuity and Heteroskedasticity Robust Standard Errors: Evidence from a Fixed-Bandwidth Approximation
Authors: Bartalotti Otávio
Published: February 2018

In regression discontinuity designs (RD), for a given bandwidth, researchers can estimate standard errors based on different variance formulas obtained under different asymptotic frameworks. In the traditional approach the bandwidth shrinks to zero as sample size increases; alternatively, the bandwidth could be treated as fixed. The main theoretical results for RD rely on the former, while most applications in the literature treat the estimates as parametric, implementing the usual heteroskedasticity-robust standard errors. This paper develops the “fixed-bandwidth” alternative asymptotic theory for RD designs, which sheds light on the connection between both approaches. I provide alternative formulas (approximations) for the bias and variance of common RD estimators, and conditions under which both approximations are equivalent. Simulations document the improvements in test coverage that fixed-bandwidth approximations achieve relative to traditional approximations, especially when there is local heteroskedasticity. Feasible estimators of fixed-bandwidth standard errors are easy to implement and are akin to treating RD estimators as locally parametric, validating the common empirical practice of using heteroskedasticity-robust standard errors in RD settings. Bias mitigation approaches are discussed and a novel bootstrap higher-order bias correction procedure based on the fixed bandwidth asymptotics is suggested.
Discriminative Training Using Noise Robust Integrated Features and Refined HMM Modeling
Authors: Dua Mohit , Aggarwal Rajesh Kumar , Biswas Mantosh
Published: February 2018

The classical approach to build an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system uses different feature extraction methods at the front end and various parameter classification techniques at the back end. The Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) and perceptual linear prediction (PLP) techniques are the conventional approaches used for many years for feature extraction, and the hidden Markov model (HMM) has been the most obvious selection for feature classification. However, the performance of MFCC-HMM and PLP-HMM-based ASR system degrades in real-time environments. The proposed work discusses the implementation of discriminatively trained Hindi ASR system using noise robust integrated features and refined HMM model. It sequentially combines MFCC with PLP and MFCC with gammatone-frequency cepstral coefficient (GFCC) to obtain MF-PLP and MF-GFCC integrated feature vectors, respectively. The HMM parameters are refined using genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Discriminative training of acoustic model using maximum mutual information (MMI) and minimum phone error (MPE) is preformed to enhance the accuracy of the proposed system. The results show that discriminative training using MPE with MF-GFCC integrated feature vector and PSO-HMM parameter refinement gives significantly better results than the other implemented techniques.
A tight nonlinear approximation theory for time dependent closed quantum systems
Authors: Jerome Joseph W.
Published: February 2018

The approximation of fixed points by numerical fixed points was presented in the elegant monograph of Krasnosel’skii et al. (1972). The theory, both in its formulation and implementation, requires a differential operator calculus, so that its actual application has been selective. The writer and Kerkhoven demonstrated this for the semiconductor drift-diffusion model in 1991. In this article, we show that the theory can be applied to time dependent quantum systems on bounded domains, via evolution operators. In addition to the kinetic operator term, the Hamiltonian includes both an external time dependent potential and the classical nonlinear Hartree potential. Our result can be paraphrased as follows: For a sequence of Galerkin subspaces, and the Hamiltonian just described, a uniquely defined sequence of Faedo–Galerkin solutions exists; it converges in Sobolev space, uniformly in time, at the maximal rate given by the projection operators.
Association of insulin-like growth factor-1 and IGF binding protein-3 with 25-hydroxy vitamin D in pre-pubertal and adolescent Indian girls
Authors: Marwaha Ramank K. , Garg M.K. , Gupta Sushil , Ganie Mohd Ashraf , Gupta Nandita , Narang Archna , Shukla Manoj , Arora Preeti , Singh Annie , Chadha Aditi , Mithal Ambrish
Published: February 2018

Background:

There is a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in India. Molecular mechanisms suggest a strong relationship between vitamin D and growth factors. However, there is a paucity of literature with regard to a relationship between insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) and vitamin D particularly in subjects with VDD. The objective of the study was to assess the relationship between growth factors and serum vitamin D-parathormone (PTH) status in school girls and study the impact of vitamin D supplementation on growth factors in pre-pubertal girls with VDD.

Methods:

Our study subjects were apparently healthy school girls aged 6–18 years. The baseline height, weight, body mass index (BMI), pubertal status, serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD), PTH, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were assessed in 847 girls aged 6–18 years and in 190 pre-pubertal girls with VDD following supplementation.

Results:

The mean age, BMI and serum 25OHD of girls were 11.5±3.2 years, 18.7±4.8 kg/m2 and 9.9±5.6 ng/mL, respectively. VDD was observed in 94.6% of girls. Unadjusted serum IGF-1 levels and IGF-1/IGFBP-3 molar ratio were significantly higher in girls with severe VDD as compared to girls with mild-to-moderate VDD. However, these differences disappeared when adjusted for age, height or sexual maturation. The serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels increased significantly post supplementation with vitamin D.

Conclusions:

There were no differences in serum IGF-1 levels and the IGF-1/IGFBP-3 molar ratio among VDD categories when adjusted for age, height and sexual maturation in girls. Vitamin D supplementation resulted in a significant increase in serum IGF-1 levels in VDD pre-pubertal girls.
Le paludi di Eritre: un'interpretazione ecologico-ambientale
Authors: Vacante Salvatore
Published: February 2018

Riassunto:

Le fonti relative alle paludi di Eritre in Asia Minore sono qui riesaminate in chiave storico-ambientale. La menzione dell'organizzazione degli heleoreontes o ‚Guardiani delle paludi‘ su una pietra confinaria dai dintorni di Eritre fornisce evidenza circa l'amministrazione della chōra cittadina nel periodo tardo Classico – primo Ellenistico. Una nuova datazione per l'iscrizione è suggerita, precisamente al tardo IV secolo a. C., quando le città greche della costa anatolica furono conquistate dai Macedoni. I ‚Guardiani delle paludi‘ erano probabilmente membri di una delle chiliastyes (‚gruppi di mille‘) territoriali forse introdotte sotto Alessandro Magno. L'evidenza disponibile induce ad annoverare le locali paludi nel gruppo delle antiche e oggi per lo più estinte ‚foreste allagate‘ mediterranee.
Zooplankton communities in three adjacent softwater lobelia lakes of slightly differentiated morphology and trophic state
Authors: Kuczyńska-Kippen Natalia , Klimaszyk Piotr , Piotrowicz Ryszard
Published: February 2018

The paper presents the results of an investigation of physical-chemical features of water as well as rotifer and crustacean abundance and diversity measures, relating to the taxonomic richness and species diversity index, in three lobelia lakes differing in trophic status and morphometric features. The main purpose of this study was to establish the diversity of zooplankton communities in the open water area of lobelia lakes, including extracting species common for each lake and also to find environmental predictors which are responsible for the development of zooplankton communities. Despite the fact that the three studied lakes are of the same origin, located in the same vicinity and have generally similar environmental factors, zooplankton community structure revealed a great variation in reference to species diversity (only ca. 20% of the species were common for all lakes) and particularly in inhabiting species. Obrowo Lake had the most diverse assemblages of both rotifers and crustaceans compared to Modre and Pomysko lakes. In the taxonomic structure species that are rare for the Polish fauna, such as e.g. Holopedium gibberum and Heterocope appendiculata, occurred. Even though the examined lobelia lakes are ecosystems that undergo varying human-induced impacts, they still remain taxonomically very variable aquatic ecosystems, containing rare species of very high ecological status. The observed symptoms of deterioration of water quality, reflected in the zooplankton biocoenotic features, showed that the best conditions were attributed to Obrowo Lake in comparison with the two remaining lakes – Modre and Pomysko. Total nitrogen and chlorophyll a concentration were decisive for the distribution of zooplankton species in Pomysko and Obrowo lakes, while in case of Modre lake water reactivity and conductivity were of higher impact.
Reproduction of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) outside current resident breeding populations in Europe: evidence from the Czech Republic
Authors: Jirků Miloslav , Dostál Dalibor , Robovský Jan , Šálek Martin
Published: February 2018

The golden jackal is a mesocarnivore with a rapidly expanding European range, where current resident breeding populations occupy much of the Balkans, Pannonian Basin and the Black and Caspian seas coasts. Despite numerous post-2000 records, breeding of this species in the newly colonized regions of Central and Northwestern Europe remained unconfirmed. Photography- and direct observation-based evidence obtained in 2017 from Central Bohemia, Czech Republic, indicates a north-western shift in the breeding range over 300 km from the closest known breeding jackal population in Pannonian Basin.
Recruiting Under-represented Groups to Librarianship
Authors: Black Kimberly
Published: February 2018

Librarianship is a profession that facilitates individual and community access to information. The profession is committed to the belief that librarians should reflect the communities that they serve. However, librarianship struggles with the lack of racial and ethnic diversity among its practitioners. Much of the responsibility to diversify the profession has been given to Library and Information Science education programs that produce practitioners. The need to diversify the profession, strategies that have been used to diversify profession and the unique role that Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) can play in diversifying the profession is described.
Hollow spheres: crucial building blocks for novel nanostructures and nanophotonics
Authors: Zhong Kuo , Song Kai , Clays Koen
Published: February 2018

In this review, we summarize the latest developments in research specifically derived from the unique properties of hollow microspheres, in particular, hollow silica spheres with uniform shells. We focus on applications in nanosphere (colloidal) lithography and nanophotonics. The lithography from a layer of hollow spheres can result in nanorings, from a multilayer in unique nano-architecture. In nanophotonics, disordered hollow spheres can result in antireflection coatings, while ordered colloidal crystals (CCs) of hollow spheres exhibit unique refractive index enhancement upon infiltration, ideal for optical sensing. Furthermore, whispering gallery mode (WGM) inside the shell of hollow spheres has also been demonstrated to enhance light absorption to improve the performance of solar cells. These applications differ from the classical applications of hollow spheres, based only on their low density and large surface area, such as catalysis and chemical sensing. We provide a brief overview of the synthesis and self-assembly approaches of the hollow spheres. We elaborate on their unique optical features leading to defect mode lasing, optomicrofluidics, and the existence of WGMs inside shell for light management. Finally, we provide a perspective on the direction towards which future research relevant to hollow spheres might be directed.
A triclinic polymorph of bis(μ-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)dithiocarbamato-κ
3
S,S′:S′) bis(N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)dithiocarbamato-κ
2
S:S′)zinc(II), C20H40N4O8S8Zn2
Authors: Poplaukhin Pavel , Tiekink Edward R.T.
Published: February 2018

C20H40N4O8S8Zn2, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 7.0675(10) Å, b = 9.9000(10) Å, c = 12.9252(17) Å, α = 106.813(10)°, β = 93.741(9)°, γ = 109.863(8)°, V = 800.65(18) Å3, Z = 2, R
gt(F) = 0.069, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.176, T = 98(2) K.
Chemical reduction of nitrate by zerovalent iron nanoparticles adsorbed radiation-grafted copolymer matrix
Authors: Ratnayake Sanduni Y. , Ratnayake Anoma K. , Schild Dieter , Maczka Edward , Jartych Elzbieta , Luetzenkirchen Johannes , Kosmulski Marek , Weerasooriya Rohan
Published: February 2018

This research specifically focused on the development of a novel methodology to reduce excess nitrate in drinking water utilizing zerovalent iron nanoparticles (nZVI)-stabilized radiation-grafted copolymer matrix. nZVI was synthesized by borohydrate reduction of FeCl3 and stabilized on acrylic acid (AAc)-grafted non-woven polyethylene/polypropylene (NWPE/PP-g-AAc) copolymer matrix, which was grafted using gamma radiation. The use of nZVI for environmental applications is challenging because of the formation of an oxide layer rapidly in the presence of oxygen. Therefore, radiation-grafted NWPE/PP synthetic fabric was used as the functional carrier to anchor nZVI and enhance its spreading and stability. The chemical reduction of nitrate by nZVI-adsorbed NWPE/PP-g-AAc (nZVI-Ads-NWP) fabric was examined in batch experiments at different pH values. At low pH values, the protective layers on nZVI particles can be readily dissolved, exposing the pure iron particles for efficient chemical reduction of nitrate. After about 24 h, at pH 3, almost 96% of nitrate was degraded, suggesting that this reduction process is an acid-driven, surface-mediated process. The nZVI-water interface has been characterized by the 1-pK Basic Stern Model (BSM). An Eley-Rideal like mechanism well described the nitrate reduction kinetics. In accordance with green technology, the newly synthesized nZVI-Ads-NWP has great potential for improving nitrate reduction processes required for the drinking water industry.
Performance evaluation of a rectifier column using gamma column scanning
Authors: Aquino Denis D. , Mallillin Janice P. , Sulit Ramoncito F. , Hila Frederick C. , Nuñez Ivy Angelica A. , Bulos Adelina D. M.
Published: February 2018

Rectifier columns are considered to be a critical component in petroleum refineries and petrochemical processing installations as they are able to affect the overall performance of these facilities. It is deemed necessary to monitor the operational conditions of such vessels to optimize processes and prevent anomalies which could pose undesired consequences on product quality that might lead to huge financial losses. A rectifier column was subjected to gamma scanning using a 10-mCi Co-60 source and a 2-inch-long detector in tandem. Several scans were performed to gather information on the operating conditions of the column under different sets of operating parameters. The scan profiles revealed unexpected decreases in the radiation intensity at vapour levels between trays 2 and 3, and between trays 4 and 5. Flooding also occurred during several scans which could be attributed to parametric settings.
In situ simultaneous measurement of stress, retardation, and three-dimensional refractive indexes during biaxial stretching experiments under various preheating times
Authors: Egoshi Kentaro , Kanai Toshitaka , Tamura Kazuhiro
Published: February 2018

An evaluation method for the stretchability of a biaxially oriented film during the stretching process was recently developed using an in situ measurement test machine. Stress, retardation, three-dimensional refractive indexes, light-scattering image, and birefringence distribution of films could be obtained in a short time. This stretching test machine was applied to examine the film stretchability of both semicrystalline polymers, such as polypropylene, and noncrystalline polymers, such as polystyrene, under various preheating times. From the measurements, the stress of semicrystalline polymers increased with increasing preheating times before stretching the film. However, the stress of noncrystalline polymers did not increase with increasing preheating times. This means that semicrystalline polymer is required to set up an optimum stretching condition of the preheating time for a satisfactory biaxially oriented film. Furthermore, the birefringence distribution and thickness uniformity of the stretched film were measured simultaneously. It was found that the stretchability of polypropylene and polystyrene films could be evaluated with a small piece of the sample using the biaxial stretching test machine.
Onion-AE: Foundations of Nested Encryption
Authors: Rogaway Phillip , Zhang Yusi
Published: February 2018

Nested symmetric encryption is a well-known technique for low-latency communication privacy. But just what problem does this technique aim to solve? In answer, we provide a provable-security treatment for onion authenticated-encryption (onion-AE). Extending the conventional notion for authenticated-encryption, we demand indistinguishability from random bits and time-of-exit authenticity verification. We show that the encryption technique presently used in Tor does not satisfy our definition of onion-AE security, but that a construction by Mathewson (2012), based on a strong, tweakable, wideblock PRP, does do the job. We go on to discuss three extensions of onion-AE, giving definitions to handle inbound flows, immediate detection of authenticity errors, and corrupt ORs.
Sedimentary environment, lithostratigraphy and dating of sediment sequences from Arctic lakes Revvatnet and Svartvatnet in Hornsund, Svalbard
Authors: Ojala Antti E.K. , Arppe Laura , Luoto Tomi P. , Wacker Lukas , Kurki Eija , Zajączkowski Marek , Pawłowska Joanna , Damrat Mateusz , Oksman Mimmi
Published: February 2018

The sedimentary environment, sediment characteristics and age-depth models of sediment sequences from Arctic lakes Revvatnet and Svartvatnet, located near the Polish Polar Station in Hornsund, southern Svalbard (77°N), were studied with a view to establishing a basis for paleolimnological climate and environmental reconstructions. The results indicate that catchment-to-lake hydroclimatic processes probably affect the transportation, distribution and accumulation of sediments in different parts of lakes Revvatnet and Svartvatnet. Locations with continuous and essentially stable sedimentary environments were found in both lakes between water depths of 9 and 26 m. We used several different dating techniques, including 137Cs, 210Pb, AMS 14C, and paleomagnetic dating, to provide accurate and secured sediment chronologies. Arecovered sequence from the northern basin of Revvatnet spans more than one thousand years long with laminated stratigraphy in the upper part of the sediment. Based on AMS 14C dates, it is possible to suppose that Revvatnet basin was not occupied by a valley glacier during the Little Ice Age. The dates were supported by 137Cs chronologies, but not confirmed with other independent dating methods that extent beyond the last 50 years. A sedimentary sequence from the northern basin of Svartvatnet provides a potential archive for the study of climate and environmental change for the last ca. 5000 years. Based on the stratigraphy and a Bayesian age-depth model of AMS14C and paleosecular variation (PSV) dates, the recovered sediment sections represent a continuous and stable sedimentation for the latter half of the Holocene.
Probabilistic properties of non-Gaussian piecewise-linear processes on Poisson flows with independent random values at points of flow
Authors: Ogorodnikov Vasily A. , Sereseva Olga V.
Published: February 2018

The paper is focused on study of non-stationary piecewise-linear processes on Poisson point flows with independent identically distributed random variables at support points. An approach to calculate the correlation function of the process on the base of the total probability formula is considered. A general expression for the correlation function of a non-stationary process is obtained. Particular cases are considered. Using the method of direct simulation, it is shown numerically that the correlation function of the process has a point of inflection.