bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Drugs commonly used for kidney transplantation
Authors: Ashley Caroline
Published: November 2014

Transplantation is the most effective treatment for patients suffering from chronic renal disease. As each person's body is unique, the transplant team will prescribe medications and dosages especially tailored for the patient receiving the new organ, working to maintain a balance between preventing organ rejection and avoiding infection. In this article, Caroline Ashley gives an overview of the drugs most commonly prescribed by the kidney transplant team.
Reconciling increasing wound care demands with available resources
Authors: Dowsett C. , Bielby A. , Searle R.
Published: November 2014

Demographic and epidemiological data suggest that health-care demand will increase considerably in the future as a result of an ageing population and a rise in the prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes. This phenomenon has come to be referred to as the ‘health care time bomb’ in the popular press and political discourse. The authors seek to look beyond the headlines and political rhetoric to clarify the extent to which they reflect the likely future reality with a specific focus on wound management. The present-day burden that wounds and current wound management practices place upon the health-care system are detailed and clarified, and the potential future implications of increasing wound prevalence on the current picture are explored. Possible opportunities to enhance current wound management practice as identified in the analysis are discussed.

Declaration of interest:

Alistair Bielby is a contractor for Smith & Nephew. Richard Searle is an employee of Smith & Nephew. This project was supported by an unrestricted grant from Smith & Nephew.
Operative management of acute pavement burns: a case series
Authors: Silver A.G. , Zamboni W.A. , Baynosa R.C.
Published: November 2014

Objective:

Acute burns suffered from contact with environmentally heated roadways and walkways are a rare entity. The aim of this report is to assess the information gained from the treatment of a series of patients.

Method:

A retrospective review of a consecutive series of cases, where operative treatment was necessary, that occurred during July 2010 in southern Arizona.

Results:

Seven patients were included, with an average total body surface area burn of 10.2%. Direct fascial excision and tangential excision were carried out on three and four patients, respectively. Although tangential excision was carried out to normal endpoints, there was commonly a need for repetitive debridement. The total hospital costs were over $4,400,000 (£2,730,000).

Conclusion:

Burns suffered from contact with roadways/walkways are often deeper than suggested by their appearance. Direct fascial excision minimises the number of debridement sessions. We hypothesise that the failure to offload pressure on these wounds may be a causative factor in their observed deepening.

Declaration of interest:

The authors have no conflicts of interest. No funding was received for this work.
Bolzano on Necessary Existence
Authors: Roski Stefan , Rusnock Paul
Published: November 2014

This paper is devoted to an examination of Bolzano’s notion of necessary existence, which has so far received relatively little attention in the literature. We situate Bolzano’s ideas in their historical context and show how he proposed to correct various flaws of his predecessors’ definitions. Further, we relate Bolzano’s conception to his metaphysical and theological assumptions, arguing that some consequences of his definition which have been deemed counterintuitive by some of his interpreters turn out to be more reasonable given the broadly Leibnizian background of his metaphysics. Finally, we consider some difficulties that arise from Bolzano’s evolving views on freedom, which, at least in his early thought, was intimately linked with contingency. In an appendix, we discuss a recent debate on Bolzano’s notion of necessary
Second Language Research on Recasts: A Critical Review in Response to an Ongoing Debate
Authors: Yang Chengsong , Hu Guangwei , Zhang Lawrence Jun
Published: November 2014

This paper reviews important second language research on recasts in response to a recent debate between Goo and Mackey (2013) and Lyster and Ranta (2013) in the journal
Advocatus, et non Latro? Testing the Excess of Litigation in the Italian Courts of Justice
Authors: Buonanno Paolo , Galizzi Matteo M.
Published: November 2014

We explore the causality relationship between litigation rates and the number of lawyers, drawing on an original panel dataset for the 169 Italian first-instance courts of justice between 2000 and 2007. In this time period, both the number of lawyers and the civil litigation rate sharply increased, and a mandatory minimum fee was in place for lawyers’ services. We first document that the number of lawyers is positively correlated with different measures of the litigation rate. Then, using an instrumental variables strategy, we find that a 10% increase in lawyers over population is associated with an increase between 1.6 and 6% in civil litigation rates. Our empirical analysis supports the supplier-induced demand (SID) hypothesis for Italian lawyers: following a sharp increase in the number of lawyers, and in the impossibility of competing on price because of the minimum fee regulation, some lawyers may have opportunistically used their informational advantage to induce their clients to bring lawsuits into court more often than would have been optimal if they were acting in the exclusive interest of their clients.
Direct Visualization ofTrans-Synaptic Neurexin–Neuroligin Interactions during Synapse Formation
Authors: Tsetsenis Theodoros , Boucard Antony A. , Araç Demet , Brunger Axel T. , Südhof Thomas C.
Published: November 2014

Neurexins and neuroligins are synaptic cell-adhesion molecules that are essential for normal synapse specification and function and are thought to bind to each othertrans-synaptically, but such interactions have not been demonstrated directly. Here, we generated neurexin-1β and neuroligin-1 and neuroligin-2 fusion proteins containing complementary “split” GFP fragments positioned such that binding of neurexin-1β to neuroligin-1 or neuroligin-2 allowed GFP reconstitution without dramatically changing their binding affinities. GFP fluorescence was only reconstituted from split-GFP-modified neurexin-1β and neuroligin-1 if and after neurexin-1β bound to its neuroligin partner; reassociation of the split-GFP components with each other did not mediate binding. Usingtrans-cellular reconstitution of GFP fluorescence from split-GFP-modified neurexin-1β and neuroligins as an assay, we demonstrate thattrans-synaptic neurexin/neuroligin binding indeed occurred when mouse hippocampal neurons formed synapses onto non-neuronal COS-7 cells expressing neuroligins or when mouse hippocampal neurons formed synapses with each other. This visualization of synapses by neurexin/neuroligin binding prompted us to refer to this approach as “SynView.” Our data demonstrate that neurexin-1β forms atrans-synaptic complex with neuroligin-1 and neuroligin-2 and that this interaction can be used to label synapses in a specific fashionin vivo.
A Model of Synaptic Vesicle-Pool Depletion and Replenishment Can Account for the Interspike Interval Distributions and Nonrenewal Properties of Spontaneous Spike Trains of Auditory-Nerve Fibers
Authors: Peterson Adam J. , Irvine Dexter R.F. , Heil Peter
Published: November 2014

In mammalian auditory systems, the spiking characteristics of each primary afferent (type I auditory-nerve fiber; ANF) are mainly determined by a single ribbon synapse in a single receptor cell (inner hair cell; IHC). ANF spike trains therefore provide a window into the operation of these synapses and cells. It was demonstrated previously (Heil et al., 2007) that the distribution of interspike intervals (ISIs) of cat ANFs during spontaneous activity can be modeled as resulting from refractoriness operating on a non-Poisson stochastic point process of excitation (transmitter release events from the IHC). Here, we investigate nonrenewal properties of these cat-ANF spontaneous spike trains, manifest as negative serial ISI correlations and reduced spike-count variability over short timescales. A previously discussed excitatory process, the constrained failure of events from a homogeneous Poisson point process, can account for these properties, but does not offer a parsimonious explanation for certain trends in the data. We then investigate a three-parameter model of vesicle-pool depletion and replenishment and find that it accounts for all experimental observations, including the ISI distributions, with only the release probability varying between spike trains. The maximum number of units (single vesicles or groups of simultaneously released vesicles) in the readily releasable pool and their replenishment time constant can be assumed to be constant (∼4 and 13.5 ms, respectively). We suggest that the organization of the IHC ribbon synapses not only enables sustained release of neurotransmitter but also imposes temporal regularity on the release process, particularly when operating at high rates.
Synaptic and Cognitive Improvements by Inhibition of 2-AG Metabolism Are through Upregulation of MicroRNA-188-3p in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Zhang Jian , Hu Mei , Teng Zhaoqian , Tang Ya-Ping , Chen Chu
Published: November 2014

Abnormal accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) is the major neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the mechanisms underlying aberrant Aβ formation in AD remain unclear. We showed previously that inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), the primary enzyme that metabolizes the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in the brain, robustly reduces Aβ by inhibiting β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), a key enzyme responsible for Aβ formation. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for suppression of BACE1 by inhibition of 2-AG metabolism are largely unknown. We demonstrate here that expression of the noncoding small RNA miR-188-3p that targets BACE1 was significantly downregulated both in the brains of AD humans and APP transgenic (TG) mice, a mouse model of AD. The downregulated miR-188-3p expression was restored by MAGL inhibition. Overexpression of miR-188-3p in the hippocampus reduced BACE1, Aβ, and neuroinflammation and prevented deteriorations in hippocampal basal synaptic transmission, long-term potentiation, spatial learning, and memory in TG mice. 2-AG-induced suppression of BACE1 was prevented by miR-188-3p loss of function. Moreover, miR-188-3p expression was upregulated by 2-AG or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) agonists and suppressed by PPARγ antagonism or NF-κB activation. Reducing Aβ and neuroinflammation by MAGL inhibition was occluded by PPARγ antagonism. In addition, BACE1 suppression by 2-AG and PPARγ activation was eliminated by knockdown of NF-κB. Our study provides a novel molecular mechanism underlying improved synaptic and cognitive function in TG mice by 2-AG signaling, which upregulates miR-188-3p expression through PPARγ and NF-κB signaling pathway, resulting in suppressions of BACE1 expression and Aβ formation.
The Effects of Incentive Framing on Performance Decrements for Large Monetary Outcomes: Behavioral and Neural Mechanisms
Authors: Chib Vikram S. , Shimojo Shinsuke , O'Doherty John P.
Published: November 2014

There is a nuanced interplay between the provision of monetary incentives and behavioral performance. Individuals' performance typically increases with increasing incentives only up to a point, after which larger incentives may result in decreases in performance, a phenomenon known as “choking.” We investigated the influence of incentive framing on choking effects in humans: in one condition, participants performed a skilled motor task to obtain potential monetary gains; in another, participants performed the same task to avoid losing a monetary amount. In both the gain and loss frame, the degree of participants' behavioral loss aversion was correlated with their susceptibility to choking effects. However, the effects were markedly different in the gain and loss frames: individuals with higher loss aversion were susceptible to choking for large prospective gains and not susceptible to choking for large prospective losses, whereas individuals with low loss aversion choked for large prospective losses but not for large prospective gains. Activity in the ventral striatum was predictive of performance decrements in both the gain and loss frames. Moreover, a mediation analysis revealed that behavioral loss aversion hindered performance via the influence of ventral striatal activity on motor performance. Our findings indicate that the framing of an incentive has a profound effect on an individual's susceptibility to choking effects, which is contingent on their loss aversion. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the ventral striatum serves as an interface between incentive-driven motivation and instrumental action, regardless of whether incentives are framed in terms of potential losses or gains.
Effects of Luminance Contrast on the Color Selectivity of Neurons in the Macaque Area V4 and Inferior Temporal Cortex
Authors: Namima Tomoyuki , Yasuda Masaharu , Banno Taku , Okazawa Gouki , Komatsu Hidehiko
Published: November 2014

Appearance of a color stimulus is significantly affected by the contrast between its luminance and the luminance of the background. In the present study, we used stimuli evenly distributed on the CIE-xy chromaticity diagram to examine how luminance contrast affects neural representation of color in V4 and the anterior inferior temporal (AITC) and posterior inferior temporal (PITC) color areas (Banno et al., 2011). The activities of single neurons were recorded from monkeys performing a visual fixation task, and the effects of luminance contrast on the color selectivity of individual neurons and their population responses were systematically examined by comparing responses to color stimuli that were brighter or darker than the background. We found that the effects of luminance contrast differed considerably across V4 and the PITC and AITC. In both V4 and the PITC, the effects of luminance contrast on the population responses of color-selective neurons depended on color. In V4, the size of the effect was largest for blue and cyan, whereas in the PITC, the effect gradually increased as the saturation of the color stimulus was reduced, and was especially large with neutral colors (white, gray, black). The pattern observed in the PITC resembles the effect of luminance contrast on color appearance, suggesting PITC neurons are closely involved in the formation of the perceived appearance of color. By contrast, the color selectivities of AITC neurons were little affected by luminance contrast, indicating that hue and saturation of color stimuli are represented independently of luminance contrast in the AITC.
ENHANCED DEGRADATION OF CAPTAN BY IMMOBILIZED CELLS OF BACILLUS CIRCULANS
Authors: More Veena , Tallur Preeti , S. More Sunil , N. Niyonzima Francois , Ninnekar Harichandra
Published: November 2014

The possibility of using Bacillus circulans in degrading captan was evaluated by comparing the captan degradation rate by freely suspended and immobilized cells on agar, sodium alginate (SA), polyacrylamide (PA) and polyurethane-foam (PUF) in batch and repeated batch degradations. Under batch degradations, 50, 60, 72, and 88% of 0.1% captan was degraded by freely suspended cells, agar-, SA-, and PA-immobilized cells, respectively in 72 h; whereas 15, 47.5, 67.7 and 75% of 0.2% captan was degraded by freely suspended cells, agar-, SA-, and PA-immobilized cells, respectively in 72 h. However, 0.1 and 0.2% captan were completely degraded by PUF-immobilized cells in 48 and 72 h, respectively. Under repeated batch degradations, PUF-immobilized cells were reused more than 40 cycles for 72 h without losing the captan degradation ability, while the cells immobilized on agar, SA, and the PA could be reused for 15, 20, and 25 cycles, respectively. A significant 0.1% captan degradation by PUF-immobilized cells was observed at pH 4.0 - 10.0 and 20 - 40 ºC ranges. In contrast, freely suspended cells only degraded captan at optimum pH of 7.0 and 30 ºC. The PUF-immobilized cells were able to significantly degrade captan for 120 days at 4 ºC without losing the captan degradation ability; whereas this ability was lost in 120 days for freely suspended cells. Since the application of captan leads to pollution and reduces soil fertility, the use of immobilized cells of Bacillus circulans can thus be a better cost-effective strategy to decontaminate captan polluted sites.
OPTIMIZATION OF ENNIATINS PRODUCTION BY AN ENDOPHYTIC STRAIN FUSARIUM DIMERUM
Authors: Buchtová Eva , Firáková-Hercegová Silvia , Šturdíková MÃ¡ria , Ondrejíčková Petra
Published: November 2014

The goal of this study was to find suitable composition of cultivation media for enniatin production by isolated endophytic strain Fusarium dimerum. In order to find optimal cultivation media, mono- and di- saccharides, complex nitrogen sources and L-amino acids directed biosynthesis of enniatins were tested. Submerged cultivation experiments were carried out in cultivation flasks. Most promising medium for enniatin accumulation contained fructose, malt extract and peptone for bacteriology. Finally, quite expensive carbon source fructose was replaced by more available syrups. Optimization resulted in 4-times elevated enniatin biosynthesis by metabolites production microorganism. Moreover, this is the strain obtained from Magnolia soulangeana, which has similar metabolites spectrum as the isolated Fusarium dimerum. Comparison of these results with published ones revealed that this endophyte is a potential strain for enniatins biosynthesis in submerged cultivation in which the maximum accumulation 1.27 g.L-1 of enniatin in culture medium was reached in a short period (96 h). The results proved that the endophytic strain F. dimerum may potentially be applied for efficient production of bioactive enniatins.
SILVER NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIZED BY THE AZERBAIJANIAN ENVIRONMENTAL ISOLATES ASPERGILLUS NIGER
Authors: G. Ganbarov Kh. , S. Ahmadov I. , A. Ramazanov M. , M. Musayev E. , I. Eyvazova Q. , A. Aghamaliyev Z.
Published: November 2014

The synthesis of nanoparticles by microorganisms is environmentally safe method. The silver nanoparticles produced by fungi is complex material having different size, shape and other properties depending on the producer. İt is necessary to study new microbial strains to synthesize silver nanoparticles with important properties. The synthesis of different stable silver nanoparticles by the mold fungi was investigated in this work. To achieve this goal different strains (isolates) of Aspergillus niger were used. The most intensive formation of nanoparticles was observed in strains Aspergillus niger BDU-A4, BDU-K8, BDU-UB1 and BDU-UB5.While examining nanoparticles the following analysis methods were used: UV-Visible Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy. Electron microscopic examination showed that the shape, size and nature of nanoparticles’ clusters were dependent on fungal strains. The shape of nanoparticles is usually circular but it may be oval like in case of nanoclusters consisting of a few spherical nanoparticles. Their size varies from 20 to 100 nm.The formation of free ellipsoidal shape nanoparticles was observed at strain of Aspergillus niger BDU-K8, that varies in the range 62,9 - 68,4 nm.
MORPHO-MOLECULAR SCREENING OF RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L.) GENOTYPES AT SEEDLING STAGE FOR SALT TOLERANCE
Authors: Julfiker Md. Masud Ali , Abunasar Mia Md. , Mofazzal Islam Mirza , Nahar Begum Shamsun , H. Prodhan Shamsul
Published: November 2014

Providing adequate food to meet an escalating population is one of the gravest problems the humankind is now facing. To resolve this crisis identification of salt tolerant rice variety is very vital. So, in this research, ten rice genotypes were used to screen salinity tolerance at the seedling stage in hydroponic system using SSR markers. Salinity screening was done at glasshouse following IRRI standard protocol using two setups of salinized and non-salinized conditions. Genotypes under controlled condition had longer root and shoot length then salt stress genotypes. Parental polymorphism survey was done with ten SSR markers viz., RM336, RM510, RM7075, RM407, RM3201b, RM10748, AP3206f, RM3412, RM585, RM11504 and all were selected to evaluate salt tolerance in rice genotypes. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 (AP3206f) to 9 (RM336), with an average of 6.1 alleles across 10 loci obtained in the study. The polymorphic information content values ranged from of 0.54 (AP3206f) to a high of 0.86 (RM336) with an average of 0.74. The pair-wise comparisons of Nei’s (1973) genetic distance (D) between varieties were computed from combined data for the 10 primers, ranged from 0.30 to 0.90 with an average of 0.86, while the similarity index based analysis ranged from 0.00 to 0.70. Finally, the FL-478, FL-378, Binadhan-8 and Binadhan-10 were selected as salt tolerant because they showed tolerance in phenotypic analysis. These phenotypically selected tolerant genotypes could be used for the selection of suitable parents and development of salt tolerant rice varieties.
GROWTH AND MASS SPECTROMETRY PROFILE OF ALTERNARIA ALTERNATA PIGMENT GROWN IN MAIZE GRAIN EXTRACT
Authors: Devi Sagarika , AK. Kumar Hemanth , Ramachandran Geetha , Subramanian Chandrasekarenthiran , Karuppan Perumal
Published: November 2014

Alternaria species are common saprophytes found in a variety of habitats as ubiquitous agents of decay. Alternaria spp. produces about sixty different secondary metabolites. In the present investigation, growth and production of pigment from Alternaria alternata was studied in maize grain extract at pH 4-9. The reddish brown pigment was extracted, estimated and partially purified by fractionation. Through mass spectrometry, major constituents of pigment from Alternaria alternata such as Tenuazoic acid (m/z 198), Stemphyperylenol (m/z 253), Alterperylenol (m/z 351), Alternariol (m/z 259.200), Altenuene (m/z 292), Alternarienoic acid (m/z 279.35) and Alternariol 5 methyl ether (m/z 273.20) were identified. The bio-prospecting of these secondary metabolites in industrial applications is also discussed.
ANÁLISIS DEL PRECIO DEL CARBÓN MEDIANTE REDES NEURONALES ARTIFICIALES (RNA)
Authors: Franco-Sepúlveda Giovanni , Velilla-Avilez Danilo Arturo , Velez-Jaramillo Ingrid Estafania
Published: November 2014

En el presente artículo se desarrolla el análisis aproximado para el precio FOB (Free on Board) del carbón térmico de Colombia para el periodo 2012-2020. Para la estimación se hizo uso del modelo de redes neuronales artificiales como fundamento metodológico del trabajo. Con el fin de comprender como se afecta el precio del commodity según la situación económica, política y social propia de cada espacio temporal, se realizó una revisión del comportamiento histórico del precio del carbón en el ámbito internacional y el contexto geopolítico en que se enmarcaron estos, identificando un ciclo de 32 años aproximadamente. Así mismo, se realizó un análisis del comportamiento del precio haciendo uso del Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) y su relación con los precios nominales del carbón, y los precios reales deflactados a valor presente del año 2012. Posteriormente se obtiene la predicción de los precios usando el modelo predictivo generado por el algoritmo de redes neuronales utilizado, finalizando con las conclusiones obtenidas de acuerdo a los resultados arrojados.
Profile of toll-like receptor mRNA expression in the choroid plexus in adult ewes
Authors: Skipor Janina , Szczepkowska Aleksandra , Kowalewska Marta , Herman Andrzej , Lisiewski Paweł
Published: November 2014

The blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) located in the epithelial cells of the choroid plexus (CP) forms the interface between the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and pathogen components circulating in the blood. The CP is also implicated in the passage of peripheral immune signals and circulation of immune cells into the central nervous system. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are patternrecognition receptors that play a crucial role in the recognition of pathogens and triggering of the innate immune response. In sheep, ten members of the TLR family have been identified and cloned. We used real-time PCR analyses to examine the profiles of TLR mRNA expression in the CP of cerebral ventricles in healthy adult ewes. The transcripts for all ten TLRs except TLR8 were present; however, we observed a high variation in the degree of expression of the TLR5 and TLR1 genes (coefficient of variation: 61% and 46%, respectively) as well as a moderate variation in the expression of the TLR4 (34%), TLR2 (27%) and TLR6 (26%) genes. The TLR9, TLR7, TLR3 and TLR10 genes were the four receptors with relatively invariable expression levels (coefficient of variation: 7%, 8%, 16% and 17%, respectively) across the six adult ewes. The concentration of cortisol in blood collected prior to sacrificing the ewes ranged from 0.18 to 78.9 ng/ml. There was no correlation between cortisol concentration and mRNA expression of any of the examined TLRs. These data suggest that the CP has the potential to sense the presence of many bacterial and viral components and mediate responses for the elimination of invading microorganisms, thereby protecting the brain.
A Comparative Computational Study of Li, Na, and Mg Insertion in α-Sn
Authors: Legrain Fleur , Malyi Oleksandr I. , Manzhos Sergei
Published: November 2014

We present a comparative density functional theory study of Li, Na, and Mg storage energetics and diffusion in α-Sn, including the effects of temperature (vibrations). We study several concentrations corresponding to initial stages of insertion (number densities x= 1/64, 1/32, 1/16, and 1/8) as well as the final state of charge (Li17Sn4, Na15Sn4, and Mg2Sn). While final states of charge correspond to positive anode voltages for all three types of metal, insertion energetics is favorable for insertion for Li at all concentrations studied, for Na up to the concentration of x = 3/64, and Mg insertion is thermodynamically disfavored at all x. Diffusion barriers at dilute concentrations are computed to be 0.23, 0.51, and 0.44 eV for Li, Na, and Mg, respectively. Vibrations have a noticeable and temperature-, concentration-, and dopant-type dependent effect on voltages, of the order of 0.1 eV at room temperature.
Substancje dodatkowe w przetwórstwie mięsa i warunki ich stosowania
Authors: Kędzior Władysław
Published: November 2014

The aim of this study is to present current issues in the use of food additives in meat products. It provides a historical outline and objectives of the use of additives in foods, highlights changes in the legislation concerning additives, and discusses a new regulation of the European Commission – 1129/2011 of 11th November 2011. The article lists the food additives approved by European Union authorities with particular attention to the “meat category”, and characterises current categories of food additives used in meat processing. It highlights new concepts in this category and the work on a food category system and a guide to the categories of food, as well as to the re-evaluation programme of the approved food additives. The paper presents the rationale for the use of food additives in modern meat technology.
Analiza determinant wyboru produktów spożywczych marek własnych i określenie poprawności znakowania ich opakowań
Authors: Miśniakiewicz Małgorzata , Pycek Małgorzata
Published: November 2014

Since the beginning of the 21st century the share and popularity of private label foodstuffs on the market has risen consistently. The paper briefly discusses the idea and categories of private labels and the reasons and strategies for their being launched on the market. It also touches on their history and share in the retail trade. The author then goes on to present the most popular private labels available on the Polish market within this category of products. The main aim of the paper was to identify the determinants of consumer selection and consumption of private label foodstuffs. The correctness of labelling of the most popular selected food private label packages were also checked and compared with their brand equivalents. Respondents were generally positive to the private label products and the product category was shown to have considerable development prospects.
Evaluation of residual tensile strength of fire-damaged concrete using a non-linear resonance vibration method
Authors: Park Sun-Jong , Park Gang-Kyu , Yim Hong Jae , Kwak Hyo-Gyoung
Published: November 2014

The non-linear resonance vibration method is a promising non-linear acoustic technique that has been used to evaluate contact-type defects of concrete induced by exposure to fire. In this work, an experimental study was performed on thin fire-damaged concrete discs to evaluate residual tensile strength using the non-linear resonance vibration method. Using correlation analysis, an experimental relationship is proposed between splitting tensile strength and a hysteretic non-linearity parameter (HNP), as measured from some 350 fire-damaged concrete discs of different mix proportions. In addition, the thermal gradient damage of concrete was examined to verify the efficiency of the proposed equation. It was found that the tensile strength of fire-damaged concrete could be effectively estimated from the measured HNP without consideration of the mix proportion, peak temperature, period after the fire or thermal gradient damage.
Identifying Greater Sage‐Grouse source and sink habitats for conservation planning in an energy development landscape
Authors: Kirol Christopher P. , Beck Jeffrey L. , Huzurbazar Snehalata V. , Holloran Matthew J. , Miller Scott N.
Published: November 2014

Conserving a declining species that is facing many threats, including overlap of its habitats with energy extraction activities, depends upon identifying and prioritizing the value of the habitats that remain. In addition, habitat quality is often compromised when source habitats are lost or fragmented due to anthropogenic development. Our objective was to build an ecological model to classify and map habitat quality in terms of source or sink dynamics for Greater Sage‐Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in the Atlantic Rim Project Area (ARPA), a developing coalbed natural gas field in south‐central Wyoming, USA. We used occurrence and survival modeling to evaluate relationships between environmental and anthropogenic variables at multiple spatial scales and for all female summer life stages, including nesting, brood‐rearing, and non‐brooding females. For each life stage, we created resource selection functions (RSFs). We weighted the RSFs and combined them to form a female summer occurrence map. We modeled survival also as a function of spatial variables for nest, brood, and adult female summer survival. Our survival models were mapped as survival probability functions individually and then combined with fixed vital rates in a fitness metric model that, when mapped, predicted habitat productivity (productivity map). Our results demonstrate a suite of environmental and anthropogenic variables at multiple scales that were predictive of occurrence and survival. We created a source–sink map by overlaying our female summer occurrence map and productivity map to predict habitats contributing to population surpluses (source habitats) or deficits (sink habitat) and low‐occurrence habitats on the landscape. The source–sink map predicted that of the Sage‐Grouse habitat within the ARPA, 30% was primary source, 29% was secondary source, 4% was primary sink, 6% was secondary sink, and 31% was low occurrence. Our results provide evidence that energy development and avoidance of energy infrastructure were probably reducing the amount of source habitat within the ARPA landscape. Our source–sink map provides managers with a means of prioritizing habitats for conservation planning based on source and sink dynamics. The spatial identification of high value (i.e., primary source) as well as suboptimal (i.e., primary sink) habitats allows for informed energy development to minimize effects on local wildlife populations.
Carbon storage in old‐growth forests of the Mid‐Atlantic: toward better understanding the eastern forest carbon sink
Authors: McGarvey Jennifer C. , Thompson Jonathan R. , Epstein Howard E. , Shugart Herman H.
Published: November 2014

Few old‐growth stands remain in the matrix of secondary forests that dominates the eastern North American landscape. These remnant stands offer insight on the potential carbon (C) storage capacity of now‐recovering secondary forests. We surveyed the remaining old‐growth forests on sites characteristic of the general Mid‐Atlantic United States and estimated the size of multiple components of forest C storage. Within and between old‐growth stands, variability in C density is high and related to overstory tree species composition. The sites contain 219 ± 46 Mg C/ha (mean ± SD), including live and dead aboveground biomass, leaf litter, and the soil O horizon, with over 20% stored in downed wood and snags. Stands dominated by tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) store the most live biomass, while the mixed oak (Quercusspp.) stands overall store more dead wood. Total C density is 30% higher (154 Mg C/ha), and dead wood C density is 1800% higher (46 Mg C/ha) in the old‐growth forests than in the surrounding younger forests (120 and 5 Mg C/ha, respectively). The high density of dead wood in old growth relative to secondary forests reflects a stark difference in historical land use and, possibly, the legacy of the local disturbance (e.g., disease) history. Our results demonstrate the potential for dead wood to maintain the sink capacity of secondary forests for many decades to come.
The Samapleu mafic-ultramafic intrusion and its Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization: an Eburnean (2.09 Ga) feeder dyke to the Yacouba layered complex (Man Archean craton, western Ivory Coast)
Authors: Gouedji Franck , Picard Christian , Coulibaly Yacouba , Audet Marc-Antoine , Auge Thierry , Goncalves Philippe , Paquette Jean-Louis , Ouattara Naomi
Published: November 2014

The Yacouba layered complex intrudes the Archean (3.5–2.7 Ga) Kenema-Man craton in the Samapleu-Yorodougou area, western Ivory Coast. In Samapleu area, the complex was recognized in drill holes at three locations: Samapleu Main (SM); Samapleu Extension 1 (E1) and Yorodougou (Yo). It comprises websterites, peridotites and gabbro-norites arranged symmetrically with mafic layers at the center and ultramafic layers at both margins. The complex is inclined at 70–80° to the SE. The thickness of individual layers varies from 2 to 60 m and the total thickness is 120 to 200 m. At the E1 site, the complex extends to depths > 500 m.

Contacts with the country rock gneiss are characterized by a hybrid zone that is a few meters thick and composed of plagioclase-orthopyroxene bearing metabasites, and locally (E1 site) a metamorphic assemblage of sapphirine-cordierite-sillimanite-spinel ± rutile. This assemblage is attributed to contact metamorphism during intrusion of the complex in the lower crust at a depth of about 25 km. Zircons in country rock gneisses and granulites, as well as in the hybrid facies, yield Archean ages of ~ 2.78 Ga, similar to ages reported in the Man craton. Rutiles in the hybrid zone give a U-Pb age of 2.09 Ga, which is interpreted as the age of contact metamorphism and emplacement of the intrusion.

The Samapleu Main and Samapleu Extension 1 sites contain Ni and Cu sulfide deposit with reserves estimated as more than 40 million tons grading 0.25% Ni and 0.22% Cu (Sama Nickel-CI, August 2013). The Ni-Cu mineralization is composed of pentlandite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and rare pyrite, which is disseminated mainly in pyroxenite or occurs as subvertical and semi-massive to massive sulfide veins. The sulfide textures range from matrix ore, net-textured, droplets or breccia textures. Zones enriched in PGM, particularly Pd, are associated with the sulfides and several chromite bands are also present. These observations suggest that an immiscible sulfide liquid formed from a parental silicate liquid and percolated through the crystal pile.

The parental melt composition, determined using the Chai and Naldrett [1992] method, has a SiO2-rich mafic composition with 53% SiO2 and 10% MgO. This result, the presence of the hybrid zone, and the trace-element signature determined using the Bedard [1994] method, suggest a mantle-derived basaltic parental magma that had assimilated abundant continental crust.

These observations indicate that Samapleu intrusion corresponds to a magmatic conduit of the Yacouba complex as at Jinchuan (China), Voisey’s bay (Canada), Kabanga (Tanzania) or Nkomati (South Africa).
Evolution of the trace element contents (Sr and Mn) of hemipelagic carbonates from the Zumaia Paleocene section (Gipuzkoa, Spain): implications for the knowledge of seawater chemistry during the Selandian
Authors: Le Callonnec Laurence , Renard Maurice , De Rafélis Marc , Minoletti Fabrice , Beltran Catherine , Jan Du Chêne Roger
Published: November 2014

Well exposed and stratigraphically well constrained by numerous studies, the Zumaia section is one of the best places to conduct studies on the Palaeocene in basin facies. Thus, this section has been chosen [Schmitz et al., 2011] as a stratotype of Selandian basal and terminal limits (GSSP: Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point). The sediments consist of carbonate hemipelagites interbedded with fine carbonate (Maastrichtian to Selandian) and siliciclastic (Thanetian to Eocene) turbidites.

The purpose of this work is to geochemically characterize the Selandian by trace element contents (strontium and manganese) and to try to assess the chemical composition of seawater during the Paleocene. Analysis of various separated granulometric fine fractions show that hemipelagic sediments from the Zumaia section present a high preservation quality of the original records of trace-element contents. Late burial diagenesis plays only a minor role and geochemical breaks are not reducible to a change in the nature of carbonate producers.

The strontium contents of Paleocene sediments require that the Sr/Ca ratio of seawater was lower than that in the present ocean. The Selandian is characterized by a positive excursion of the strontium curve. This accident is also recognized in several worldwide sections and is related to the platform/basin carbonate sedimentation budget and the intensity of oceanic hydrothermalism.

The Mn content of hemipelagites is very high and can reach 2500–3000 ppm in the Paleocene. A comparison of analyses by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) shows that both Mn2+ (in the calcite lattice) and Mn4+ (as oxide micro nodules) coexist. The Mn content fluctuations are related to the opening phases of the North Atlantic during the Paleocene by submarine volcanism and hydrothermalism in the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP).
Priority General Authorisations in rights-based water use authorisation in South Africa
Authors: van Koppen Barbara , Schreiner Barbara
Published: November 2014

This article unravels the notions of justice in statutory water law in Sub-Saharan Africa in general and South Africa in particular. These laws, which allocate and regulate water resources, are licence (or permit) systems. Three forms of injustices are identified for small-scale water users who typically encompass all poor water users: the reinforcement of the historical injustices by which colonial powers captured ownership of water resources and undermined customary water law; administrative discrimination as a result of governments' lack of capacity to license the large numbers of small-scale users; and discrimination of the smallest-scale users whose exemption from the obligation to apply for a licence relegates them to a second-class entitlement to water. Based on the texts and implementation experiences of the National Water Act (1998) and the pro-poor prioritisation rules in the National Water Resource Strategy-2 (2013), the authors propose the transformative legal tool of priority General Authorisations for black small-scale users to overcome these injustices. Via this tool all black small-scale users, including the poor, would obtain equal access to minimum quantities of water needed to progressively achieve constitutional rights to water, food, and non-discrimination, while the remaining water resources would be allocated to high-impact users through licences with strict and enforceable conditions.
Lower-Right and Upper-Left Biases within Upper and Lower Visual Fields in a Circular Array Task
Authors: Szelest Izabela , Elias Lorin J.
Published: November 2014

Visuospatial performance varies along the horizontal and vertical dimensions, resulting in behavioral biases such as pseudoneglect. The interaction between the horizontal and vertical attentional biases was investigated using a novel circular array task capable of conveying relative brightness information across vertical and horizontal dimensions simultaneously. In a novel circular array task comprised of six discs, the grayscale gradient was disrupted by switching two grayscale values within the array. Leftward biases were observed in the lower visual fields and rightward biases in the upper visual fields. More importantly, the magnitude of bias within the upper / lower horizontal dimension altered depending on the relative position of the stimuli along horizontal and vertical axes within each dimension. Manipulating the upper-most and leftward discs yield stronger biases than manipulating rightward discs. Furthermore, stronger biases were observed during bottom and rightward disc manipulation. The upper-left and lower-right biases within the horizontal dimension indicate that the interactions between the horizontal and vertical biases may not rely simply on the dichotomy within the horizontal and vertical dimensions, but also on the relative spatial distribution of stimuli within these dimensions.
Stress, Visual and Musculoskeletal Complaints in Open Plan Office Staff
Authors: Vangelova K. , Stanchev V.
Published: November 2014

The aim of the study was to identify the main ergonomic and organizational risks contributing to stress, visual and musculoskeletal disorders in open plan office workers. A total of 73 subjects of mean age 28.3 ±4.7 years were studied. Measurements of salivary cortisol and self-ratings for strain, fatigue, stress symptoms, visual and musculoskeletal complaints were performed. The work places were organized well, but the studied staff reported high work load and time pressure. The data showed higher cortisol levels during the workday under time pressure. High incidence of visual and musculoskeletal complaints mainly in the region of the back and the neck were found, associated with flickering and blinks on the screen monitors and overtime. Optimizing workplace organization could help reduce stress and health complaints of office staff.
Cardiac Glycoside Plants Self-Poisoning
Authors: Radenkova-Saeva J. , Atanasov P.
Published: November 2014

Cardiac glycosides are found in a diverse group of plants including Digitalis purpurea and Digitalis lanata (foxgloves), Nerium oleander, Convallaria majalis (lily of the valley), Strophanthus gratus, etc. Nerium Oleander is an indoor and ornamental plant of an evergreen shrub. It’s widespread in countries with a Mediterranean climate. Oleander is one of the most poisonous plants known to humans. All parts of the nerium oleander are poisonous, primarily due to the contained cardiac glycosides - oleandrin, nerin, digitoxigenin, and olinerin of which oleandrin is the principal toxin. The bark contains the toxic substances of rosagenin which causes strychnine-like effects. Signs of poisoning appear a few hours after the adoption of the parts of the plant. Two cases of Nerium Oleander poisoning were presented. Clinical picture included gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and central nervous system effects. The clinical symptoms were characterized by nausea, vomiting, salivation, colic, diarrhoea, ventricular tachycardia, dysrhythmia, heart block, ataxia, drowsiness, muscular tremor. Treatment included administration of activated charcoal, symptomatic and supportive care.
Fatty acid profiles in marine and freshwater fish from fish markets in northeastern Poland
Authors: Łuczyńska Joanna , Paszczyk Beata , Łuczyński Marek J.
Published: November 2014

The fatty acid compositions were studied in eight commercially important fish from fish markets: salmon, Salmo salar L.; cod, Gadus morhua L.; common sole, Solea solea (L.); European flounder, Platichthys flesus (L.); catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell); rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walb.); Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.); and pangasius, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (Sauvage). The freshwater fish contained 25.69-42.18% saturated, 34.90-43.79% monounsaturated, 8.46-16.32% n-6 polyunsaturated, and 5.01-20.43% n-3 polyunsaturated acid, while marine fish contained 18.53-32.77% saturated, 17.95-49.89% monounsaturated, 3.40-11.51% n-6 polyunsaturated, and 18.74-45.42% n-3 polyunsaturated acid. Marine fish contained significantly more Ʃn-3 PUFA (29.79%), EPA (12.26%), DHA (13.20%), and a higher n-3/n-6 (6.95) ratio than freshwater fish (13.13, 2.47, 7.14, 1.29%) (P≤ 0.05). There were statistically significant differences in the n-3/n-6 ratio among fish species (cod (13.40) > sole (8.47) > flounder (4.30) > rainbow trout (2.41) > catfish (1.83) ≈ salmon (1.63) > tilapia (0.57) ≈ pangasius (0.36) (P ≤0.05)).
Oxidative stress biomarkers in different tissues of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to Disinfectant-CIP formulated with peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide
Authors: Tkachenko Halyna , Kurhaluk Natalia , Grudniewska Joanna
Published: November 2014

The aim of study was to determine the effects of exposure to the product DEZYNFEKTANT-CIP (Eng. - Disinfectant-CIP), which is formulated with peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide, on oxidative stress biomarkers (lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels and the carbonyl content of oxidatively modified proteins) and antioxidant defenses (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), total antioxidant capacity) in muscle, gill, hepatic, and cardiac tissues of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). LPO and carbonyl contents changed with tissue type. Exposure to Disinfectant-CIP led to a significant decrease in LPO in muscle tissues and carbonyl content in muscle and gill tissues. The inhibition of SOD and CAT activity in muscle, hepatic, and cardiac tissues was observed probably because of increased oxidative stress during disinfection; however, hepatic and cardiac GPx activity increased in an attempt to counteract oxidative stress. We suggest that oxidative stress during the oxidation of peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide could be counteracted by the antioxidant system in trout tissues. Correlative analysis between oxidative stress biomarkers and antioxidant defense confirms the pivotal role of SOD and CAT against CIP-induced oxidative stress
On some Ringel-Hall numbers in tame cases
Authors: Szántó Csaba
Published: November 2014

Let k be a finite field and consider the finite dimensional path algebra kQ, where Q is a quiver of tame type i.e. of type Ãn, D̃n,Ẽ6,Ẽ7,Ẽ8. Let H(kQ) be the corresponding Ringel-Hall algebra. We are going to determine the Ringel-Hall numbers of the form FP`XP with P, P` preprojective indecomposables of defect -1 and FI`IX with I, I` preinjective indecomposables of defect 1. It turns out that these numbers are either 1 or 0.