bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Políticas sociais, educação e desenvolvimento econômico: busca por evidências correlacionais a partir das avaliações do Ideb de três municípios paulistas
Authors: Cardoso Gomes Maria Helena Scalabrin , Bresciani Luis Paulo , Amorim Wilson Aparecido
Published: April 2016

Este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar as políticas de desenvolvimento social de três municípios paulistas: Americana, Cajuru e São Caetano do Sul, a partir de indicadores sociais e econômicos, conjugando-os com os resultados educacionais. A partir de referenciais teóricos, pesquisas de campo, dados coletados no IBGE, Fundação Seade e avaliações do Ministério da Educação, EducaCenso/Ideb, nos anos de 2007, 2009, 2011 e 2013 formou-se um quadro conceitual cujos resultados revelaram que índices de riqueza e de desenvolvimento não estão diretamente correlacionados ao desempenho da educação pública local, assim como escola de tempo integral não é por si só representante de melhor qualidade de ensino. Um modelo de gestão voltado para a qualidade do ensino trouxe indícios de ser um aspecto central nos resultados da educação.
Práticas de gestão do conhecimento em micro e pequenas empresas de Sergipe
Authors: Menezes Cassio Roberto Conceição de , Olave Maria Elena Leon
Published: April 2016

Este estudo buscou identificar as práticas de gestão do conhecimento adotadas por micro e pequenas empresas (MPE) de Sergipe, no Brasil. Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa exploratória e descritiva de abordagem qualitativa, envolvendo cinco empreendimentos instalados no polo de confecção de Itabaianinha (SE). O método de pesquisa escolhido para o desenvolvimento desse trabalho foi o estudo de casos múltiplos. Os dados foram coletados por meio do roteiro de entrevista e estas, por sua vez, foram gravadas, transcritas e ponderadas mediante a técnica de análise de conteúdo. Os principais resultados indicaram que os bate-papos com clientes, representantes, fornecedores e concorrentes, as reuniões com empresários, a participação em cursos e treinamentos, como também o monitoramento do mercado são as principais práticas de gestão de conhecimento utilizadas pelas MPE que participaram do estudo. Além disso, observou-se que essas práticas auxiliam no gerenciamento, criação, disseminação e registro do conhecimento existente na organização, contribuindo para uma gestão mais duradoura e criação de valor.
Aglomerações produtivas na indústria do café em Minas Gerais
Authors: Chain Caio Peixoto , Carvalho Francisval de Melo , Sant`Ana Naiara Leite dos Santos , Castro Junior Luiz Gonzaga de , Fontes Renato Elias
Published: April 2016

O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar a concentração da indústria de torrefação e moagem do café nos municípios de Minas Gerais que representasse potencial para estruturação de Arranjos Produtivos Locais (APLs) no período de 2002 a 2010. A arrecadação tributária estadual foi utilizada para mensurar o Índice de Concentração Normalizado (ICN) médio do setor entre os municípios que, por sua vez, foram filtrados pela quantidade de estabelecimentos e participação nos empregos. Os municípios de Capelinha e Varginha foram indicados como potenciais APLs para a indústria do café, pois foram os únicos que apresentaram ICN acima da média, que possuíam pelo menos cinco estabelecimentos e ao menos 1% dos empregos no setor durante o período analisado.
Fatores determinantes da ecoinovação: um estudo de caso a partir de uma indústria gráfica brasileira
Authors: Jacomossi Rafael , Demajorovic Jacques , Bernardes Roberto , Santiago Ana Lúcia
Published: April 2016

A discussão sobre práticas de inovação que busquem assegurar estratégias competitivas de longo prazo e incorporando valores ambientais vem ganhando relevância nos debates acadêmicos. Nessa direção, o termo “ecoinovação” tem se consolidado como um conceito teórico consistente e que possui o potencial de conciliar os objetivos ambientais e econômicos. Dessa forma, motivou-se com esta pesquisa propor um modelo conceitual de avaliação dos fatores determinantes para ecoinovação. Para tanto, foram identificadas, com base na revisão da literatura, cinco dimensões externas e três internas que podem influenciar o processo de ecoinovação nas empresas. Esse modelo analítico aplicado em um estudo de caso mostrou a importância de fatores internos, tais como: o perfil da liderança do empreendedor e dos gerentes de níveis intermediários. Já para os fatores externos, são destacadas a participação em redes de colaboração e a capacidade de atender aos marcos regulatórios. A contribuição do estudo reside, portanto, em apresentar o modelo conceitual de avaliação para embasar futuros estudos acerca dessa temática.
The Republic and the Church – Isidro Gomá: From Bishop of Tarazona to Primate of Spain
Authors: Llorens Roberto Ceamanos
Published: April 2016

Spanish historiography has dealt almost exclusively with the figure of Isidro Gomá as the Primate of the Church in Spain, an office in which he supported and legitimized for the benefit of the Catholic world the rebellion of 18 July 1936 that triggered the Civil War. However, little is known of Gomá’s activity prior to attaining such an elevated post. This article examines, through the study of primary sources, his work as Bishop of the small diocese of Tarazona and Tudela, where he believed that his vehement opposition to secular reforms would make him an example to follow among the extremist anti-republican sectors of the Church and would turn him into the ideal candidate for the position of Primate of Spain at the Holy See.
Barcelona and the Tragic Week of 1909: A crazed mob or citizens in revolt?
Authors: Pons-Altés Josep M. , López-Morell Miguel A.
Published: April 2016

The Tragic Week of 1909 was one of the most disruptive events in contemporary Spanish history. This article seeks to reconsider the nature of the events based on the previously unseen personal archive of the then interior minister Juan de la Cierva. Evidence indicates that the chaotic, anticlerical, anti-military nature of the events should not be exaggerated, since there were many different motives. It also suggests that we should look beyond Barcelona. The uprising actually affected dozens of Catalan municipalities, it was to a certain extent coordinated, included very few anticlerical attacks outside the city of Barcelona (and even within the city they were not the only expression of revolt), and featured no anti-military discourse. A fundamental feature of the Tragic Week, of which the authorities were fully aware, is that it was also a revolutionary, republican uprising.
Memory, modernity and generational recognition in Juan Copete’s Soliloquio De Grillos
Authors: Diz Jorge Avilés
Published: April 2016

The enormous amount of documentaries and novels published in Spain during recent decades about the Spanish Civil War and the repression during the Franco Regime show a clear interest in the study of the Historical Memory and how the aftermath of this conflict is not only still alive, but continues to define Spain today. Contemporary Spanish theatre has not exempted itself from this ongoing dialogue and recuperation of Spain’s national past, although it has not garnered as much critical and popular attention as novels or films. This article is a contribution to the current attempts to fill this gap, analysing one of the first dramas dedicated to Historical Memory in Spain: Soliloquio de Grillos (2003). Written by the Extremaduran playwright Juan Copete, the text also foreshadows in its structure and subjects other pieces that years later would have a very important place in the development of the theatre of Memory, such as Laila Ripoll’s Los niños perdidos (2005) and Gracia Morales’s NN12 (2010).
Lesley Sharp and the alternative geographies of Northern English Stardom
Authors: Forrest David , Johnson Beth
Published: April 2016

Historically, ‘North’ (of England) is a byword for narratives of economic depression, post-industrialism and bleak and claustrophobic representations of space and landscape. These impulses often manifest themselves in aesthetic or structural frameworks, which in turn speak to gendered authorial discourses in film, literature and television: the so-called ‘angry young man’ tradition, for example, and the British New Wave. This article seeks to destabilize this male construction of Northern English visual and narrative iconography by suggesting that female stardom offers an alternative means of encountering regional television drama. Female Northern performers function intertextually across multiple narratives to assert specific thematic qualities that both pertain to a radical regionality and enable a sense of agency, which disrupts hitherto dominant constructions of regional and gendered space. Analysing the work of Lesley Sharp as a case study, this article suggests that Sharp, a British actress who has almost always performed in Northern dramas, valorizes and occupies a powerful feminine and feminist space. Disrupting the authority of Northern masculinity, Sharp’s many performances as a range of complex female characters have, we argue, mobilized a shift in the location of a spatial identity and authority away from the realm of the masculine. Alongside other powerful Northern female performers, Sharp provides an alternative cartography that articulates the Northern landscape afresh and as such provides a more honest and inclusive view of the bodies through which it is performed.
‘No-nonsense-two-up-two-down-by-gum-you-daft-ha’poth-Northerness’: Jane Horrocks, Gracie Fields and performing generic Northernness
Authors: Andrews Hannah
Published: April 2016

When Jane Horrocks starred as Gracie Fields in the BBC Four single drama Gracie! (2009), most reviewers agreed that this casting was almost too perfect. They were thinking of the geographical connection between the two women – Horrocks grew up in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, only a few miles from Fields’s famed home town of Rochdale. Like Fields, Horrocks’s star image has been built around the ambivalent performance and exploitation of a Lancashire identity. From Bubble in Absolutely Fabulous (1992–2012), to a middle-class mother turned political candidate in The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006) or deputy supermarket manager in Trollied (2011–) Horrocks’ strong regional accent has rendered her a recognizable presence on British television for two decades. Her persona is of down-to-earth, no-nonsense, seemingly authentic Northernness. This article analyses Horrocks’ performance of Gracie Fields in relation to the rest of her career. It compares common themes of Lancashire identity associated with these stars of different eras, with particular attention to the changing sociocultural milieu in which workingclass Northern characters are found in their work – the mill/factory in the 1930s and the supermarket in the twenty-first century. It also considers the critical reception of Gracie! and the critical tendency to conflate actor with character. It explores how the embodied performance of known biographical personalities works in tension with the performance of generic ‘Northernness’.
Sharper, better, faster, stronger: Performing Northern masculinity and the legacy of Sean Bean’s Sharpe
Authors: Harris Siân
Published: April 2016

This article examines the career of Sheffield-born actor Sean Bean through an analysis of his starring role in the ITV historical drama Sharpe (1993–2008). I chart the ways in which the adaptation capitalizes on Bean’s public identity as a Northern English, working-class actor, as well as providing a specific emphasis on regionality through a focus on how the characterization speaks to a popular understanding of Yorkshire, and a consideration of how Bean’s subsequent roles have engaged with Sharpe’s legacy. I posit that this performance catalyses Bean’s star persona, and offers a revealing insight into the preconceptions about Northern English identity and culture on-screen.
Fuzzy bicompletable quasi-fuzzy distance space
Authors: Kider Jehad , J. Hassan Aisha
Published: April 2016

In this paper we introduce the definition of quasi-fuzzy distance space then we discuss several properties of this space after we give an example to illustrate this notion. Then we show that the existence of a quasi-fuzzy distance space which is not fuzzy bicompletable. Here we prove that every fuzzy bicompletable quasi-fuzzy distance space admits a unique [up to fuzzy isodistance] fuzzy a bicompletion.
Cristalização da zeólita mordenita com adição de sementes em meio reacionais com diferentes razões SiO2/Al2O3
Authors: Silva Bruno José , Cysneiros Olivia Silvestre , Silva Antonio Osimar , Alencar Soraya Lira , Santos Ramiro Batinga , Soares Pedro Fernandes , Mendonça Thayane Regine Dantas , De Sousa Junior Lenivaldo Valério , Santos Julyane Rocha
Published: April 2016

A síntese das amostras de mordenita foram realizadas através do método hidrotérmico, utilizando dois tipos diferentes de sementes de cristalização (mordenita e ferrierita), onde foram explorados a variação de alguns parâmetros de síntese, como a razão SiO2/Al2O3 = 20, 60 e 100, e a razão OH/SiO2= 0,2, 0,3 e 0,4, em diferentes tempos de cristalização, à temperatura de 170 °C. As amostras foram caracterizadas por difratometria de raios X (DRX), análises termogravimétricas (ATG), adsorção de nitrogênio a -196 °C (BET) e dessorção à temperatura programada de amônia (DTP-NH3). Constatou-se que a utilização da razão OH/SiO2 = 0,4, em conjunto com as sementes de MOR e FER foram obtidas as amostras mais cristalinas, evidenciando o papel crucial do agente mineralizante OH- no meio.
Bank Credit and the “Creation” of Deposits
Authors: Schumpeter J. A.
Published: April 2016

It is much more realistic to say that the banks “create credit,” that is, that they create deposits in their act of lending, than to say that they lend the deposits that have been entrusted to them. And the reason for insisting on this is that depositors should not be invested with the insignia of a role which they do not play. The theory to which economists clung so tenaciously makes them out to be savers when they neither save nor intend to do so; it attributes to them an influence on the “supply of credit” which they do not have. The theory of “credit creation” not only recognizes patent facts without obscuring them by artificial constructions; it also brings out the peculiar mechanism of saving and investment that is characteristic of full-fledged capitalist society and the true role of banks in capitalist evolution. With less qualification than has to be added in most cases, this theory therefore constitutes definite advance in analysis.
Cross-disciplinary engineering with AutomationML and SysML
Authors: Berardinelli Luca , Biffl Stefan , Lüder Arndt , Mätzler Emanuel , Mayerhofer Tanja , Wimmer Manuel , Wolny Sabine
Published: April 2016

AutomationML (AML) is an emerging standard in the automation domain to represent and exchange artifacts between heterogeneous
engineering tools used in different disciplines, such as mechanical and electrical engineering. The Systems Modeling Language (SysML)
is a modeling standard influenced by software modeling languages, such as UML, typically adopted in the early phases of engineering
processes. This paper investigates commonalities and differences of the structural modeling parts of AML (CAEX) and SysML (block
diagrams) in support of establishing tool-independent interoperability. This support for cross-disciplinary modeling is facilitated by
a bridge between AML and SysML built on model-driven interoperability techniques. We demonstrate the interoperability between AML and
SysML with a case study concerning a lab-sized production system.
A Simple Permittivity Calibration Method for GPR-Based Road Pavement Measurements
Authors: Eskelinen Pekka
Published: April 2016

Cylindrical resonator principle can be used in GPR asphalt quality measurement calibration. This method relies on ordinary drill core samples that are regularly taken from measured road sections, but now only analyzed for dimensions, density and sometimes chemically. If such a drill sample is covered with proper conductive surfaces, a cylindrical cavity resonator is formed. The baseline of the GPR permittivity recordings can so be found by measuring the resonance behaviour of this covered sample, which can later still be used for those traditional analyses. A clear benefit is the resonator’s 1–2 GHz frequency range which equals that of common commercial GPR systems. Example results and reference readings from known dielectric material are shown. The obtained uncertainty in this case study is 0.02 units of permittivity, when measuring the same sample repeatedly.
Memory-saving computation of the pairing final exponentiation on BN curves
Authors: Duquesne Sylvain , Ghammam Loubna
Published: April 2016

Tate pairing computation is made of two steps. The first one, the Miller loop, is an exponentiation in the group of points of an elliptic curve. The second one, the final exponentiation, is an exponentiation in the multiplicative group of a large finite field extension. In this paper, we describe and improve efficient methods for computing the hardest part of this second step for the most popular curves in pairing-based cryptography, namely Barreto–Naehrig curves. We present the methods given in the literature and their complexities. However, the necessary memory resources are not always given whereas it is an important constraint in restricted environments for practical implementations. Therefore, we determine the memory resources required by these known methods and we present new variants which require less memory resources (up to 37 %). Moreover, some of these new variants are providing algorithms which are also more efficient than the original ones.
Pretreatment of arsenic-bearing gold ore with microwave-assisted alkaline leaching
Authors: Ma Hongzhou , Yan Chao , Wang Yaoning
Published: April 2016

In this paper, the removal of arsenic from arsenic-bearing gold ore through air oxidation and sodium hydroxide leaching with microwave irradiation was studied. Firstly, single-factor experiments were carried out. The results indicated that the removal rate of arsenic was influenced by the sodium hydroxide concentration, ratio of liquid to solid, microwave power, and reaction time. Then, orthogonal experiments were done to determine the main influencing factors. The results obtained from the experiments of orthogonal arrays showed that reaction time and microwave power were the important influencing factors, and the optimum conditions of sodium hydroxide concentration, reaction time, microwave power, and ratio of liquid to solid were 18 wt.%, 60 min, 700 W, and 5, respectively. Under the optimal conditions, the removal of arsenic could reach approximately 81.46 wt.% and, at the same conditions, the sulfur removal rate was about 55.56 wt.%. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that AsS and FeAsS were decomposed during the leaching process, while FeS2 was not.
Regioselective alkylation of 1,2,4-triazole using ionic liquids under microwave conditions
Authors: Kaur Ramandeep , Kumar Bhupinder , Dwivedi Ashish Ranjan , Kumar Vinod
Published: April 2016

1-Substituted 1,2,4-triazole derivatives present in a large number of compounds and display a variety of bioactivities such as antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, antipsychotic, and anticancer. A regioselective protocol has been developed for the alkylation of 1,2,4- triazole using mild conditions. The 1-alkyl-1,2,4-triazole derivatives were synthesized under microwave conditions using potassium carbonate as a base and ionic liquid (hexylpyridinium bromide) as a solvent. The products were obtained in excellent yield, and the base-ionic liquid combination was recycled for a number of times.
Aqueous-phase oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural over Pt/ZrO2 catalysts: exploiting the alkalinity of the reaction medium and catalyst basicity
Authors: da Silva Erica Daniele , Gonzalez Wilma A. , Fraga Marco A.
Published: April 2016

The basicity required for the aqueous-phase selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is explored through different approaches. Homogeneous hydroxides were tested along with a Pt/ZrO2 catalyst to establish a benchmark with widespread literature. Insoluble hydroxides were then taken to evaluate the behavior of dual metal/base heterogeneous catalytic systems. Finally, an attempt to bring such alkalinity to a bifunctional catalyst was investigated by using ZrO2-based solid solutions as supports. Mg, Ca, Y, and Ti were used as dopants. It was seen that a moderate alkali solution leads to 70% yield to FDCA. Equivalent yields are achieved by replacing homogeneous alkali by poorly soluble Mg(OH)2 in a heterogeneous system. Performing aqueous-phase oxidation under base-free conditions on ZrO2-doped supported catalysts indicated that the production of FDCA is associated with the reaction pH imposed by the bifunctional catalyst itself. Among the studied dopants, Mg-containing catalysts were the ones capable of promoting selective oxidation. However, it is shown that hosting Mg into the ZrO2 crystalline structure does not prevent leaching upon reaction in an aqueous medium.
Granzyme B inhibits keratinocyte migration by disrupting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mediated signaling
Authors: Merkulova Yulia , Shen Yue , Parkinson Leigh G. , Raithatha Sheetal A. , Zhao Hongyan , Westendorf Kathryn , Sharma Mehul , Bleackley Robert Chris , Granville David J.
Published: April 2016

Chronic non-healing wounds including diabetic, venous, and decubitus skin ulcers are currently lacking effective therapies. Non-healing diabetic ulcers can lead to amputations as progress into a highly chronic state before detection and existing treatments for these wounds often fail. Granzyme B (GzmB) is a serine protease that was, until recently, believed to function exclusively in cytotoxic lymphocyte-mediated apoptosis. However, during excessive or chronic inflammation, GzmB can accumulate in the extracellular milieu, retain its activity, and cleave a number of important extracellular proteins. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a transmembrane receptor involved in cellular processes such as proliferation and migration. EGFR signaling is integral to the wound healing process. The present study investigated the effects of GzmB on keratinocyte cell migration using HaCaT cell line. Using electric cell-substrate impedance sensing and scratch assays, the present study demonstrates that GzmB inhibits keratinocyte migration by interfering with the EGFR pathway. GzmB limited cell transition into a migratory morphology and was found to reduce ligand-induced EGFR phosphorylation. Inhibition of GzmB reversed the aforementioned effects. In summary, data from the present study suggest key role for GzmB in the pathogenesis of impaired wound healing through the impairment of EGFR signaling and cell migration.
Study on Metallized Reduction and Magnetic Separation of Iron from Fine Particles of High Iron Bauxite Ore
Authors: Liu Zheng-Gen , Chu Man-Sheng , Wang Zheng , Zhao Wei , Tang Jue
Published: April 2016

High iron bauxite ore is a typical unmanageable polyparagenetic resource and owns high comprehensive utilization value. Separation of iron from fine particles of high iron bauxite ore by the process of metallized reduction and magnetic dressing was researched systemically. The effect of magnetic field intensity, reduction temperature, reduction time, mole ratio of fixed carbon to reducible oxygen (FC/O) and ore particles size on separation indexes was researched. The results show that, with the conditions of reduction temperature of 1,400 °C, reduction time of 180 min, FC/O of 2.0, ore particle size of –2.0 mm and magnetic field intensity of 40 KA/m, about 89.24 % of the iron could be removed from high iron bauxite ore as metallic iron. Meanwhile, 86.09 % of the aluminum is stayed in non-magnetic fraction as alumina. However, the formation of hercynite (FeAl2O4) limits the reduction rate of iron oxides to metallic iron. The lower reduction conditions and higher recovery ratio of iron could be achieved with adopting ore-coal composite agglomerates or adding catalyst.
Kinetics and Tribological Characterization of Pack-Borided AISI 1025 Steel
Authors: Gómez-Vargas O. A. , Keddam M. , Ortiz-Domínguez M.
Published: April 2016

In this present study, the AISI 1025 steel was pack-borided in the temperature range of 1,123–1,273 K for different treatment times ranging from 2 to 8 h. A diffusion model was suggested to estimate the boron diffusion coefficients in the Fe2B layers. As a result, the boron activation energy for the AISI 1025 steel was estimated as 174.36 kJ/mol. This value of energy was compared with the literature data. To extend the validity of the present model, other additional boriding conditions were considered. The boride layers formed on the AISI 1025 steel were characterized by the following experimental techniques: scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis and the Daimler–Benz Rockwell-C indentation technique. Finally, the scratch and pin-on-disc tests for wear resistance were achieved using an LG Motion Ltd and a CSM tribometer, respectively, under dry sliding conditions.
Karl Mannheim on democratic interaction: Revisiting mass society theory
Authors: Yamada Ryusaku
Published: April 2016

This essay re-considers Karl Mannheim’s notion of democratic behaviour in the context of mass society. Although the term ‘mass society’ seems archaic, it is still the precondition of democracy today. Mannheim conceptualized mass society as irrational, disintegrating Great Society and presented the remedy of Planning for Freedom to counter the crisis of mass democracy. In his remedy Mannheim advocated social education that fosters citizens’ democratic interaction, and the keywords of his education were ‘integrative behaviour’ and ‘creative tolerance’. The similar orientation of his remedy can be found in much more contemporary critiques of deliberative democracy. Iris Marion Young’s ‘communicative democracy’ was a version of her democratic interaction in a complex, large-scale mass society. Young’s notion of ‘reasonableness’ has substantial affinity with Mannheim’s integrative behaviour, both of which require the democratic attitude of hearing the other side and the readiness to self-transform. Mass society theory has relevance for contemporary democratic theory.
The “sick-lit” question and the death education answer. Papageno versus Werther effects in adolescent suicide prevention
Authors: Testoni Ines , Parise Giulia , Zamperini Adriano , Visintin Emilio Paolo , Toniolo Emanuele , Vicentini Silvia , De Leo Diego
Published: April 2016

This study analyzes the “sick-lit” narrative phenomenon, a story writing genre rooted in self-harm and suicide, which seems to be gaining remarkable popularity amongst adolescents. This success is a symptom of young people’s need to address the issue of death. The qualitative research was composed of two parts: the first explored the ambivalent representation of sick-lit on the internet, where two opposing factions argue about its educative usefulness vs. its potentially dangerous copycat effect. The second part investigated six novels and their representations of self-harm, death, sufferance and suicide. The analysis confuted the idea that sick-lit may be a positive instrument for making adolescents aware of mortality and showed the need to transform the Werther risk effect into the Papageno possibility by exploring the content of these books with adolescents in death education courses.
Personal conceptions of death in young Czech adults
Authors: Kaplan Cyril
Published: April 2016

There is a significant lack of psychological research on death-as-a-state thinking and expectations. This study aimed to map that unexplored terrain, using qualitative methodology to provide information about what people picture and feel when they think about what comes after death. We investigated conceptions of death, initial associations with the word death and polarity of feeling in death thoughts in 52 young Czech adults. We identified three main types of belief about what happens once we die: conceptions of a specific form of transcendence that comes in multiple shapes, mostly based on an eclectic combination of motifs from various eschatologies; conceptions of non-specific forms of transcendence based on a belief in continued existence in forms that are hard to imagine; conceptions of nothingness after life and for all eternity.
From a tolerant to an ethically neutral state
Authors: Korený Peter
Published: April 2016

This paper is a critical analysis of some controversial questions concerning the principle of the ethical neutrality of the state, which is one way modern political and legal orders can respond to the challenges and unresolved problems associated with the fact that members of modern ethical pluralistic societies hold different and sometimes mutually inconsistent axiological beliefs and conceptions about the good and ways of life. The principle of the ethical neutrality of the state requires the state to withdraw from a politics of mutually competitive axiological beliefs and ways of the good life and occupy ethically neutral ground and seek solutions to the issues of righteousness and rights which concern all members of a pluralistic society. In particular, the author of the paper analyses a particular kind of relativization of this principle, which arises when the state identifies with a particular prevailing morality or truths of a dominant religion and then, from this normative position only “tolerates” to a certain extent the different values and ways of life pursued by others. The author also attempts to clarify some aspects of this issue by considering how the morally controversial issue of the rights of homosexual couples is understood in Slovakia.
“I haven’t heard anything about religion whatsoever”: Audience perceptions of anti-Muslim racism in Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator
Authors: Weaver Simon , Bradley Lindsey
Published: April 2016

Since the late 1990s, Sacha Baron Cohen’s characters have raised controversy, criticism and protest from various groups (for example, from Black activists in 2002 and Hasidic Jews in 2012). The comedy has also been described as satirical or anti-racist. Baron Cohen, as either Ali G, Borat, Bruno, or General Aladeen, has consistently provided comedy that leads to public debate on the relationship between comedy and race, ethnicity and stereotype, and the nature of racism and “othering” in comedy. Despite this tendency, very little research has been conducted on how audiences receive the comedy. We present results from a recent focus group, audience reception study of the comedy of Baron Cohen, which recorded discourse from young people aged 18–29 years (n 49). The article examines the perceptions of Islamophobia or anti-Muslim racism in the comedy, focusing on
Personality differences in treatment-seeking and non-treatment-seeking individuals with self-reported anorexia
Authors: Bridges Ashley N. , Wormley Katy A. , Leavitt Isabel W. , McCord David M.
Published: April 2016

Research on anorexia has tended to focus on individuals who are seeking treatment, leading to treatment models that are based on individuals already receiving help. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore personality differences between individuals seeking treatment and those not seeking treatment for anorexia. Participants were 148 women recruited from three online sources. They completed a personality measure derived from the five-factor model and the Eating Attitudes Test-26. Results indicated that individuals with anorexia who were not seeking treatment scored lower onAgreeablenessandConscientiousnessthan both individuals seeking treatment and a control group. Also, individuals with anorexia in general tended to score lower onExtraversionand higher onNeuroticismthan individuals in a control group. These results suggest that being open about treatment options, increasing successes, motivation, and organization, and highlighting the seriousness of anorexia could be beneficial in getting individuals with anorexia to seek and continue in treatment.
Salivary testosterone as a potential indicator for risky behaviour associated with smoking-related peer pressure in adolescents
Authors: Idris Adi , Ghazali Nur B. , Said Nadzirah M. , Steele Michael , Koh David , Tuah Nik A.
Published: April 2016

Early smoking is considered an indicator for risky behaviour in adolescents. Although social indicators predicting adolescent smoking are known, biological indicators have not been defined. This study aimed to establish whether salivary testosterone could be used as a “predictive biomarker” for smoking-associated peer pressure. Saliva samples were collected from Bruneian adolescents (aged 13–17 years) by the passive drool method. Salivary testosterone concentration was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Salivary testosterone concentration and smoking-associated peer pressure indicators were compared between adolescent males and females and statistical significance was determined by an independent samples t-test. A significant positive relationship between smoking-associated peer pressure and salivary testosterone levels in adolescents was found. However, this relationship was not significant when males and females were considered separately. Our data suggest that students who have tried cigarette smoking and have friends who are cigarette smokers have higher salivary testosterone levels.
An evaluation of Crescent School vLearning – an online peer-tutoring program
Authors: Chow Ronald , Libby Jonathan
Published: April 2016

Tutoring is often a useful supplement to traditional classroom teaching in Canada. Cross-age tutoring, which involves a tutor a few years older than a tutee, has been reported to be more effective than same-age tutoring, as it promotes responsibility, empowerment and academic performance. However, the current same-age classroom teaching may act as a barrier to cross-age tutoring because the latter requires plenty of coordination, preparation and organization. At Crescent School, an all-boys independent school in Toronto, Canada, a pilot online cross-age peer-tutoring program was launched in September 2014, named Crescent School vLearning. The purpose of this study was to formally assess the program, and quantitatively gauge its success. Thirty-six questions were randomly selected from the vLearning website, examined for response time and response quality as assessed by students and teachers. The fast response times as well as the high-quality of responses have resulted in the program gaining traction in the school. As vLearning continues to catch-on with students, the team of Upper School tutors will soon need to be expanded to accommodate the increasing volume of questions.
Virtually free pro-p products
Authors: Zalesskii Pavel A.
Published: April 2016

We prove that a second countable torsion free pro-p group G
having an open subgroup H that splits as a free pro-p product of
indecomposable pro-p groups is again a free pro-p product. In
particular, we give a new simpler proof of the result
stating
that a torsion free finitely generated virtual free pro-p
product is a free pro-p product, proved originally in [8].
Diophantine questions in the class of finitely generated nilpotent groups
Authors: Roman'kov Vitaly A.
Published: April 2016

An algorithm is described that, when given a Diophantine polynomial D, constructs a finitely generated nilpotent class 2 group G = G(D) with the following property. For each integer c, there is an element w = w(c) such that w is a commutator in G if and only if the Diophantine equation D = c has a solution in integers. By the famous Matijasevich theorem there is some D for which the Diophantine problem is undecidable for the class of equations 𝒟 = {D = c : c ∈ ℤ}. Hence, the commutator problem is undecidable for G. Moreover, G is the first example of a finitely generated nilpotent group with undecidable Diophantine problem for the class of quadratic equations. A finitely generated nilpotent class 2 group H is presented such that the endomorphism problem is undecidable for H. The retract problem is undecidable for the class of finitely generated nilpotent class 2 groups.
Pro-HallR-groups and groups discriminated by the free pro-pgroup
Authors: Casals-Ruiz Montserrat , Kazachkov Ilya , Remeslennikov Vladimir
Published: April 2016

In this note we introduce pro-HallR-groups as inverse limits of HallR-groups and show that for the binomial closureSbinof any ringSdiscriminated by ℤp, the free pro-HallSbin-group 𝔽(A,Sbin) is fully residually free pro-p. Furthermore, we prove that any finite set of elements in 𝔽(A,Sbin) defines a pro-psubgroup and so an irreducible coordinate group over the free pro-pgroup.
Filtrations of free groups arising from the lower central series
Authors: Chapman Michael , Efrat Ido
Published: April 2016

We make a systematic study of filtrations of a free group F defined as products of powers of the lower central series of F.
Under some assumptions on the exponents, we characterize these filtrations in terms of the group algebra, the Magnus algebra of non-commutative power series, and linear representations by upper-triangular unipotent matrices.
These characterizations generalize classical results of Grün, Magnus, Witt, and Zassenhaus from the 1930s, as well as later results on the lower p-central filtration and the p-Zassenhaus filtrations.
We derive alternative recursive definitions of such filtrations, extending results of Lazard.
Finally, we relate these filtrations to Massey products in group cohomology.
Biochemical, radiological, and genetic characterization of congenital hypothyroidism in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Authors: Deeb Asma , Elkadry Ihab , Attia Salima , Al Suwaidi Hana , Obaid Laila , Schoenmakers Nadia A.
Published: April 2016

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is caused by thyroid gland (TG) dysgenesis or inadequate thyroid hormone biosynthesis in a structurally normal gland. Different etiologies are known to be associated with various clinical, biochemical and imaging markers and a subset of cases have an underlying genetic basis. Despite the presence of neonatal screening programs in the UAE, there is a lack of data on the disease etiology in the area. We aim to study the etiology of CH in our center and examine its relationship with the clinical, biochemical, genetic and radiological features.

Patients with CH who were followed in our center between 2011 and 2014 are enrolled in the study. Data collected included gender, gestational age, history of CH in a first-degree relative, initial thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine (T4) levels, imaging findings, associated disease/malformation and treatment details. Selected patients with associated systemic disease or familial CH underwent genetic testing.

Sixty-five patients were enrolled. Ten patients underwent genetic study: seven patients with associated congenital disease/malformation, one with a sibling and two with cousins with CH. Forty-nine subjects had technetium

Dyshormonogenesis is the commonest etiology in CH in the studied group. It is expected that genetic mutations are more prevalent in our region due to the nature of the CH etiology and the rate of high consanguinity rate.
Multiple gcd-closed sets and determinants of matrices associated with arithmetic functions
Authors: Hong Siao , Hu Shuangnian , Hong Shaofang
Published: April 2016

Let f be an arithmetic function and S
= {x
1, …, xn
} be a set of n distinct positive integers. By (f(xi
, xj
)) (resp. (f[xi
, xj
])) we denote the n × n matrix having f evaluated at the greatest common divisor (xi
, xj
) (resp. the least common multiple [xi
, xj
]) of x, and xj
as its (i, j)-entry, respectively. The set S is said to be gcd closed if (xi
, xj
) ∈ S for 1 ≤ i, j ≤ n. In this paper, we give formulas for the determinants of the matrices (f(xi
, xj
)) and (f[xi
, xj
]) if S consists of multiple coprime gcd-closed sets (i.e., S equals the union of S
1, …, Sk
with k ≥ 1 being an integer and S
1, …, Sk
being gcd-closed sets such that (lcm(Si
), lcm(Sj
)) = 1 for all 1 ≤ i ≠ j ≤ k). This extends the Bourque-Ligh, Hong’s and the Hong-Loewy formulas obtained in 1993, 2002 and 2011, respectively. It also generalizes the famous Smith’s determinant.
Metal-based glycoconjugates and their potential in targeted anticancer chemotherapy
Authors: Pettenuzzo Andrea , Pigot Rebecca , Ronconi Luca
Published: April 2016

Glucose is a key source of energy and an essential nutrient for cell growth. Rapidly dividing cancer cells are well-known to require more nutrients and energy than normal ones to sustain their higher proliferation rates, and glucose is no exception. Therefore, the biomolecules involved in the promotion/regulation of the glycolytic flux may be regarded as potential targets for tackling tumor progression. Among all, glucose transporters (GLUTs), devoted to the recognition and cellular internalization of glucose, are largely overexpressed in tumors, thus indicating glycolysis as the major anaerobic glucose metabolism. Accordingly, such increased demand of glucose by fast-proliferating cancer cells makes it very attractive to selectively target tumor sites. In particular, tailored glucose-like substrates can be conjugated to chemotherapeutics (including metal-containing anticancer agents) so as to attain the site-specific delivery of drugs into the affected tissues. Progress in the development of metal-based glycoconjugates are here summarized and discussed.
Mesh Generation and Flexible Shape
Comparisons for Bio-Molecules
Authors: Gao Zhanheng , Rostami Reihaneh , Pang Xiaoli , Fu Zhicheng , Yu Zeyun
Published: April 2016

Novel approaches for generating and comparing flexible (non-rigid) molecular surface meshes are
developed. The mesh-generating method is fast and memory-efficient. The resulting meshes are smooth and
accurate, and possess high mesh quality. An isometric-invariant shape descriptor based on the Laplace-
Beltrami operator is then explored for mesh comparing. The new shape descriptor is more powerful in discriminating
different surface shapes but rely only on a small set of signature values. The shape descriptor is
applied to shape comparison between molecules with deformed structures. The proposed methods are implemented
into a program that can be used as a stand-alone software tool or as a plug-in to other existing
molecular modeling tools. Particularly, the code is encapsulated into a software toolkit with a user-friendly
graphical interface developed by the authors.
Analysis of cooperative interactions in molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles
Authors: Mistry Jatin , Guerreiro Antonio , Moczko Ewa , Piletska Elena , Karim Kal , Piletsky Sergey A.
Published: April 2016

Cooperative binding is commonly observed
in biological receptor systems. This study investigates
whether it is possible to prepare nano-sized molecularly
imprinted polymers (nanoMIPs) that show cooperative
binding. NanoMIPs which exhibit cooperative binding
would have increased affinity for immobilised template
molecules making them useful for advanced applications
in diagnostics and sensors. The use of a templatederivatised
solid support provides a facile route to
prepare nanoMIPs with surface imprints, and the
method is ideally suited to study this topic. Although not
observed during the course of this study, positive interbinding
site cooperativity was hypothesised by way of an
increase in the number of binding sites imprinted on the
nanoMIPs, by increasing template density on the solid
support surface. After synthesis, the affinity of nanoMIPs
was analysed using surface plasmon resonance (SPR)
technique. Under the conditions investigated, a ten fold
increase in binding affinity was measured as template
density was increased. SPR results could be explained by
an increase in cooperative binding; however calculations
showed that the increase in affinity was not significant
enough to prove cooperative binding interactions. The
main conclusion obtained was that MIP nanoparticles
contain only one “high-affinity” binding site that interacts
with immobilised template in an SPR assay.
Selective adsorption of trypsin using molecularly imprinted polymers prepared with PEG-based hydrogels containing anionic functional monomers
Authors: Kubo Takuya , Arimura Shunsuke , Naito Toyohiro , Otsuka Koji
Published: April 2016

Molecularly imprinting (MI) hydrogels for selective adsorption of trypsin are reported. The trypsin imprinted hydrogels were prepared using a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based dimethacrylate as a crosslinker and anionic functional monomers. The hydrogel prepared without any functional monomers showed significantly low ability to adsorb a variety of proteins. We optimized the concentration and the length of PEG units of the crosslinkers to achieve the complete removal of the template molecule and suitable selective adsorption. Additionally, the functional monomers chosen were anionic since the template, trypsin, is a basic protein. The adsorption tests for proteins, done on the prepared MI gels, indicated that the MI gel prepared with sodium allyl sulfonate (AS) as a functional monomer showed much higher selective adsorption for trypsin, even though a mixture of trypsin and cytochrome c was used as the protein solution. The selective adsorption was more effective in a NaCl solution in which the non-specific adsorption by a sulfonate is suppressed, similarly to our findings in a previous study. The MI gel prepared with acrylic acid also showed the selectivity, although the adsorption strength was lower than that of the MI gel containing AS. We believe that the present study constitutes the first approach for the selective adsorption of trypsin using PEG-based hydrogels.
Development of protein-recognition SPR devices by combination of SI-ATRP with biomolecular imprinting using protein ligands
Authors: Naraprawatphong Rinyarat , Kawanaka Genta , Hayashi Masayoshi , Kawamura Akifumi , Miyata Takashi
Published: April 2016

Molecularly imprinted polymer brush layers and gel layers with both a lectin (ConA) and an antibody-IgG as biomolecular ligands for a target protein were formed on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor chips via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SIATRP) without and with a crosslinker, respectively. While the IgG-imprinted brush layers chip had almost the same affinity constant for target IgG as the nonimprinted brush layer chip, the affinity constant of the IgG-imprinted gel layer chip was approximately twice than that of the nonimprinted gel layer chip. These indicate that chemical crosslinks are very important factor to create distinct molecular recognition sites by molecular imprinting. Thus, biomolecular imprinting that uses biomolecular ligands and crosslinkers enables us to design polymer layer chips with distinct molecular recognition sites with a strong affinity for a target biomolecule. The molecularly imprinted gel layers chips with lectin and antibody ligands are promising candidates for fabricating SPR sensor systems to monitor target biomolecules such as proteins.
Electronic structure and optical properties of (BeTe)n/(ZnSe)m superlattices
Authors: Caid M. , Rached H. , Rached D. , Khenata R. , Bin Omran S. , Vashney D. , Abidri B. , Benkhettou N. , Chahed A. , Benhellal O.
Published: April 2016

The structural, electronic and optical properties of (BeTe)n/(ZnSe)m superlattices have been computationally evaluated for different conﬁgurations with m = n and m≠n using the full-potential linear mufﬁn-tin method. The exchange and correlation potentials are treated by the local density approximation (LDA). The ground state properties of (BeTe)n/(ZnSe)m binary compounds are determined and compared with the available data. It is found that the superlattice band gaps vary depending on the layers used. The optical constants, including the dielectric function ε(ω), the refractive index n(ω) and the refractivity R(ω), are calculated for radiation energies up to 35 eV.