bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Endocannabinoid Signaling in the Stress Response of Male and Female Songbirds
Authors: Dickens Molly J. , Vecchiarelli Haley A. , Hill Matthew N. , Bentley George E.
Published: October 2015

Endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling plays an important role in the stress response pathways of the mammalian brain, yet its role in the avian stress response has not been described. Understanding eCB signaling in avian species (such as the European starling, Sturnus vulgaris) allows a model system that exhibits natural attenuation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) responsiveness to stressors. Specifically, seasonally breeding birds exhibit the highest HPA activity during the breeding season and subsequently exhibit a robust HPA down-regulation during molt. Because eCB signaling in mammals has an overall inhibitory effect on HPA activity, we expected shifts in eCB signaling to regulate the seasonal HPA down-regulation during molt. However, our data did not support a role for eCB signaling in the molt-related suppression of HPA activity. For example, injection of the cannabinoid receptor (CB1) antagonist, AM251, did not potentiate molt-suppressed HPA activity. Instead, our data suggest eCB regulation of HPA plasticity as birds transition from breeding to molt. In support of this hypothesis, birds in the late breeding season demonstrated a more dynamic response at the level of avian amygdala eCB content in response to acute stress. The response and directionality of this effect match that seen in mammals. Overall, our data suggest that eCB signaling may allow for a dynamic range in HPA responsiveness (eg, breeding), but the signaling pathway's role may be limited when the HPA response is restrained (eg, molt). This first characterization of eCB signaling in the avian stress response also emphasizes that although the system functions similarly to other species, its exact role may be species specific.
Devotion, Domination, and the Work of Fantasy in Colonial Peru
Authors: O'Toole Rachel Sarah
Published: October 2015

This article examines a 1670s Peruvian Inquisition case involving two young nuns and their Franciscan confessor in order to reveal the work of mimicry, sex, and race in colonial Latin America. By placing the events of the trial within the context of northern coastal Peru, where Africans and their descendants were at least 40 percent of the population and, increasingly, the labor backbone of the export economy in wheat and sugar, the article explores how the Inquisition found that, religiously and racially, Juana Luisa Benites committed intimate crimes against the colonial order including intermixing and passing. At the same time, the fantastical creation of a masculine black demon by Friar Francisco del Risco served racialist discourses, including justifications of slavery. By invoking the black demon, Risco participated in a colonial fetishization of the black male while, as inquisitors would pronounce, wildly deviating from orthodox interpretations of mystic encounters with the divine.
Illicit Labor
Authors: Gonzalez Vernadette Vicuña
Published: October 2015

This essay examines a brief affair between General Douglas MacArthur and a mixed-race Filipina vaudeville actress named Isabel Rosario Cooper. It focuses on Cooper's little-documented and underexamined life as a way to understand how the intimate politics of the bedroom overlapped with the libidinal economies of the cosmopolitan Philippine entertainment industry, American military occupation, and broader geopolitical relations of imperial desire. Cooper and MacArthur's liaison was constitutive of as well as constituted by the larger international “romance” between the United States and the Philippines that MacArthur himself oversaw in the early and middle part of the twentieth century. Going beyond the salacious details of an illicit love affair, this study seeks to illuminate how intimacy made up a type of imperial labor writ small, which served to underpin the project of US imperialism as crucially as colonial administration or military occupation.
Design of La–C60/TiO2 Nanocomposites: Study of the Effect of Lanthanum and Fullerenol Addition Order onto TiO2. Application for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Formic Acid
Authors: Meksi Manel , Hamandi Marwa , Berhault Gilles , Guillard Chantal , Kochkar Hafedh
Published: October 2015

La–C60/TiO2 nanocomposites were successfully obtained by dry impregnation method. The effect of La and polyhydroxylated fullerenol C60(OH)n addition order onto TiO2 was carefully highlighted. Interesting photocatalytic activity was achieved for the material firstly added with lanthanum. The increase in photocatalytic activity is attributed mainly to the synergy between fullerenol and La. Fullerenol enhances the electron charge transfer; whereas La increases the TiO2 thermal stability by adjusting the TiO2 crystallites sizes to low values and also by creating some structural defects.
Enhanced Photovoltaic Performance of Perovskite Solar Cells via Modification of Surface Characteristics Using a Fullerene Interlayer
Authors: Shahiduzzaman Md , Yamamoto Kohei , Furumoto Yoshikazu , Kuwabara Takayuki , Takahashi Kohshin , Taima Tetsuya
Published: October 2015

We fabricated planar heterojunction (PHJ) solar cells with enhanced efficiencies by introducing fullerene (C60) interlayers of thicknesses of 0, 3, 7, and 10 nm between the air-stable amorphous compact titanium oxide (TiOx) and CH3NH3PbI3 layers. The modified morphology obtained by inclusion of C60 improved the surface energy properties of the cells in terms of enhanced photocurrent. The optimum thickness of the C60 interlayer was 7 nm, for which a maximum power conversion efficiency of 9.51% was obtained.
New Method for the Synthesis of Ru Nanoparticles Using Photoexcited Fullerene C60-containing Mesoporous Silica as a Catalyst Support
Authors: Nakatsuka Kazuki , Kuwahara Yasutaka , Mori Kohsuke , Yamashita Hiromi
Published: October 2015

A new photoassisted deposition (PAD) method using fullerene C60 is developed. Photoexcited fullerene C60 introduced within the mesopore of SBA-15 acts as an anchor to reduce Ru3+ ions to the highly dispersed Ru metal with a narrow size distribution. Such uniform Ru nanoparticles (NPs) show high catalytic activity for dehydrogenation of ammonia borane than the sample prepared by conventional impregnation method.
Matching Behavior as a Tradeoff Between Reward Maximization and Demands on Neural Computation
Authors: Kubanek Jan , Snyder Lawrence H.
Published: October 2015

When faced with a choice, humans and animals commonly distribute their behavior in proportion to the frequency of payoff of each option. Such behavior is referred to as matching and has been captured by the matching law. However, matching is not a general law of economic choice. Matching in its strict sense seems to be specifically observed in tasks whose properties make matching an optimal or a near-optimal strategy. We engaged monkeys in a foraging task in which matching was not the optimal strategy. Over-matching the proportions of the mean offered reward magnitudes would yield more reward than matching, yet, surprisingly, the animals almost exactly matched them. To gain insight into this phenomenon, we modeled the animals' decision-making using a mechanistic model. The model accounted for the animals' macroscopic and microscopic choice behavior. When the models' three parameters were not constrained to mimic the monkeys' behavior, the model over-matched the reward proportions and in doing so, harvested substantially more reward than the monkeys. This optimized model revealed a marked bottleneck in the monkeys' choice function that compares the value of the two options. The model featured a very steep value comparison function relative to that of the monkeys. The steepness of the value comparison function had a profound effect on the earned reward and on the level of matching. We implemented this value comparison function through responses of simulated biological neurons. We found that due to the presence of neural noise, steepening the value comparison requires an exponential increase in the number of value-coding neurons. Matching may be a compromise between harvesting satisfactory reward and the high demands placed by neural noise on optimal neural computation.
Towards a better understanding of the Najas marina complex: Notes on the correct application and typification of the names N. intermedia, N. major, and N. marina
Authors: Bräuchler Christian
Published: October 2015

Three of the names used in the Najas marina complex, N. intermedia, N. major and N. marina have been applied contradictorily to two clearly distinct taxa in the past. The history of this nomenclatural confusion is outlined here, including corrected typifications for N. major and N. marina. A new lectotype for N. intermedia is designated and the name is proposed as a heterotypic synonym of N. marina. Najas major and N. marina are considered to be the correct names for N. marina subsp. marina auct. and N. marina subsp. intermedia auct., respectively, independent of the taxonomic rank both may be assigned to.
Neotypification of the widely distributed seagrass Halophila stipulacea (Hydrocharitaceae)
Authors: Ferrer-Gallego P. Pablo , Boisset Fernando
Published: October 2015

A neotype for the widespread and ecologically important seagrass Halophila stipulacea (Hydrocharitaceae) (≡ Zostera stipulacea) is designated. Lectotypes are also designated for the heterotypic synonyms Z. bullata and H. balfourii.
Lectotypification of the Linnaean names Arnica montana, A. montana var. alpina and A. gerbera (Asteraceae)
Authors: Iamonico Duilio
Published: October 2015

The typification of the Linnaean names Arnica montana and A. montana var. alpina are discussed. Specimens from the Burser Herbarium (UPS) and Royen Herbarium (L) are designated as lectotypes. The name A. gerbera is also investigated and it is shown that the lectotypification by Hansen (sheet No. 1008.1 at LINN) is not effective since the specimen selected is not original material. A Burman illustration is chosen as lectotype for A. gerbera. The supersession of Hansen's typification does not impact the application of the Arnica gerbera (≡ Gerbera linnaei), the conserved type of the genus Gerbera.
True Black nightshades: Phylogeny and delimitation of the Morelloid clade of Solanum
Authors: Särkinen Tiina , Barboza Gloria E. , Knapp Sandra
Published: October 2015

The Morelloid clade of Solanum, also known as the black nightshades or Maurella (Morella), is one of the 10 major clades within Solanum. The pantropical clade consists of ca. 76 non‐spiny herbaceous and suffrutescent species with simple or branched hairs with or without glandular tips, with a centre of distribution in the tropical Andes. Although the core members of the clade have long been recognised, complete circumscription of the Morelloid clade has remained elusive. Here we provide the first detailed molecular study of the clade. Plastid (trnT‐F intergenic spacers), nuclear ribosomal ITS, and low‐copy nuclear (waxy) data show three of the four previously unplaced taxa loosely associated with the Morelloids to be placed outside (S. anomalostemon, S. valdiviense, S. reductum), whilst S. salicifolium, a species previously associated with the Dulcamaroid clade, is found to be nested within the group. Four monophyletic groups within the Morelloids can be recognised: (1) Black nightshade clade, including all members of S. sect. Solanum, S. sect. Campanulisolanum, branched‐haired taxa, S. salicifolium, and S. triflorum; (2) Episarcophyllum clade, including most members of S. sect. Episarcophyllum; (3) Chamaesarachidium clade, including members of S. sect. Chamaesarachidium; and (4) Radicans clade, including four species from S. sect. Parasolanum. Incongruence between nuclear and plastid gene trees is discussed in relation to known ploidy level variation across the Morelloid clade, especially the African species often referred to as the S. nigrum complex. A new, revised circumscription of the Morelloid clade is provided together with morphological characterisations of the monophyletic clades recovered within it. A preliminary checklist of accepted names for Morelloids is also presented.
PROXIMITY and CORRELATION: Two new computer programs for mining phytosociological information held in herbarium databases using central Arizona as a test case
Authors: Landrum Leslie R. , Lafferty Daryl
Published: October 2015

The SEINet database of herbarium specimens was queried with two new computer programs, PROXIMITY and CORRELATION, to discover associations between 81 species of trees and shrubs of central Arizona based on the associated‐species field and coordinate data. Many associations correspond to previously described biotic communities. Various approaches to using data, programming and presenting results are demonstrated and discussed. Non‐plant organismal data can be included in an analysis if they include georeferenced specimens. CORRELATION especially shows promise for developing whole community concepts based on museum specimen data of all kingdoms of organisms.
Shaping and sharing edible sound: A case study
Authors: Melle Gerbrand van
Published: October 2015

This article considers a practice-led design research project that asks ‘To what extent can autonomy, circularity and self-reference inform design methods and direct interdependent design outcomes?’

In the project ambient audio recordings are translated into intimate physical experiences. Through parallel iterations of sound recordings, sound spectrum analysis, generative model making, additive manufacturing methods and traditional chocolaterie techniques temporarily intimate representations of the personal world surface.

The potential of Second Order Cybernetics is explored to develop novel experiences that synthesize sound and visual components into dynamic material forms. The individual samples do not act as quotes; instead the patterns operate as generative material for systemic combination. The aim of the research is to obtain a better understanding in systems in which the outcome is unpredictable and individual, and the makers/observers are always present to analyse the act of design as a circular, interdependent investigation into a continuously changing environment.

In a future investigation this dynamic goes beyond imitation to integration, dissolving boundaries and synthesizing new hybrid typologies. The incorporation of living organisms inside the design process is key. The proposed design process inquires into the incorporation of both artificial and natural methods of artefact creation.
Young radio listeners’ creative mental interaction and co-production
Authors: Forsslund Titti
Published: October 2015

The Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company (UR)1 25 years ago was in the process of ceasing production of radio programmes for children. There were two main reasons expressed: first, their broadcasting role model, the BBC, had recently given up their educational radio programming for children; and second, the use of radio programmes (or tapes) in schools in Sweden had decreased in favour of television or video use. Surveys of teachers’ attitudes towards radio usage in education revealed that teachers expected a lack of listening abilities in children, unless audio was accompanied by pictures. A case study of children’s listening experiences, however, illustrates the abilities among 8–9-year-old children to create mental images through radio programme listening. Children were pleased about their experiences and advocated an increased usage of radio programmes in school. The benefits of radio or audio and its absence of any pre-produced pictures are rarely acknowledged. Radio is often neglected among the various media mentioned in media theory literature of university Journalism and Media production programmes. Special affordances of radio/audio narratives, with or without sound effects, are seldom expressed. In this article I will elaborate these affordances in relation to children’s listening experiences and to interviews with teachers.
Radio journalism as research – a Ph.D. model
Authors: Lindgren Mia
Published: October 2015

Practice-based research methods have opened up opportunities for radio journalism academics to have their radio practice recognized as academic research. Using the example of an Australian practice-based Ph.D. project, this article presents an innovative model for higher degree research in radio, reflecting on the project’s research question, methodology and structure incorporating both text and audio. This article argues for radio production as a form of qualitative methodology for collecting data and as a way to present research findings to a broader audience outside academia. Informed by Candy’s (2006) framework for practice-based and practiceled research, the Ph.D. study applied two research approaches: research through practice and research on practice. To demonstrate research through practice, the researcher produced a 54-minute radio documentary, Deadly Dust, commissioned by Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) Radio National network. The ‘doing’ – the making of the documentary – was then contextualized and analysed through a reflexive process informed by fieldwork interviews with internationally renowned radio producers. The research on practice component of the Ph.D. dissertation accompanying the radio documentary provided new theoretical insights into the creative process of long-form radio. By demonstrating how practice can be defined in research terms, this article provides justification for the inclusion of long-form journalism, in this case a radio documentary, as a legitimate academic research output.
El Museo Universal pintado por sí mismo: trayectoria de un proyecto editorial (1857-1869)
Authors: Chozas Ruiz-Belloso Diego
Published: October 2015

Tras algunos titubeos iniciales, en 1860 El Museo Universal consolida su estructura y su línea editorial de la mano del director literario Nemesio Fernández Cuesta, quien equilibra los contenidos literarios y los artísticos, si bien abre un frente de batalla por la libertad de expresión que cuestiona permanentemente la identidad de la revista, lo que a Fernández Cuesta terminará costándole el puesto. Estas vacilaciones acerca del papel de los contenidos políticos en la publicación las heredarán los sucesivos directores de esta revista en principio «no política» (aunque nacionalista en su ideología) que se singularizó sobre todo en su época por la calidad de sus ilustraciones.
Un suplemento de El Liberal en los inicios de la literatura infantil española
Authors: Llorens García Ramón Francisco
Published: October 2015

Durante la segunda mitad del XIX y los comienzos del XX, las publicaciones para niños alcanzaron uno de los momentos de mayor auge. La relevancia de los autores que colaboraban en sus cabeceras y los proyectos editoriales que se pusieron en marcha indicaban las líneas por las que iba a desarrollarse la literatura infantil española que tendría su «Edad de Oro» durante las tres primeras décadas del siglo XX. En el fin de siglo, el suplemento de El Liberal del 3 de enero de 1897 destacó como antecedente de lo que serían las revistas para niños. Sus destinatarios, el lector adulto y el lector infantil. El adulto conocería las líneas de investigación sobre el niño desde el punto de vista psicológico y pedagógico; el infantil accedería a cuentos y poemas elegidos para él, que podrían ser leídos también por los adultos.
El Nuevo Mercurio (1907) en el eje España/Francia/América
Authors: Merbilhaá Margarita
Published: October 2015

Este trabajo se propone estudiar distintos aspectos tanto materiales como discursivos del programa editorial de El Nuevo Mercurio, la revista editada entre enero y diciembre de 1907 en Barcelona, y dirigida desde París por el escritor guatemalteco Enrique Gómez Carrillo. Intentará analizar las filiaciones trazadas por la publicación respecto de sus antecesoras, como también los vínculos que entabló con sus contemporáneas españolas. Con el propósito de indagar no sólo las ideas estéticas sostenidas en esta publicación sino también su relación con el contexto de debates en el que intervino, me detendré en los discursos inaugurales de la revista, y en otros modos en que desplegó una estrategia de autopromoción comercial mediante su enunciación directa a los lectores. A su vez, cuestiones materiales como su formato, financiación o composición interna me permitirán precisar los rasgos del locus de enunciación que la revista recortó al insertarse en el espacio español/latinoamericano de revistas literarias.
La revista La Vida Literaria (1899) como reflejo de una nueva estética finisecular
Authors: Muela Bermejo Diana
Published: October 2015

El trabajo estudia la revista La Vida Literaria, publicada en 1899 con un total de treinta y un números, atendiendo a las ideas estéticas que allí se divulgaron, especialmente el Modernismo y la literatura de ensueño y a su carácter importador, juvenil y europeísta. Se analizará su evolución relacionada con el periodo de dirección de Jacinto Benavente y la segunda etapa, sin el dramaturgo madrileño, de carácter menos renovador, y con especial atención a los escritores de relevancia que publicaron en sus números.
Canto y desencanto del cisne. Rubén Darío en el diario El Orden de Tucumán (Argentina, 1898)
Authors: Risco Ana María
Published: October 2015

La llegada de Rubén Darío a Buenos Aires y su participación en La Nación constituyen episodios de gran resonancia para el mundo de las letras argentinas, en cuanto a renovación de poéticas –entre naturalismo y modernismo– y dinámica social. En el presente trabajo analizamos dos crónicas de Darío publicadas en noviembre de 1898 en El Orden de Tucumán, periódico de una provincia del noroeste de Argentina. Nuestro análisis identifica los elementos modernistas de sus crónicas y su eventual postura americanista e indigenista. A su vez, con este trabajo nos proponemos rescatar estas crónicas, desconocidas por la crítica, que permanecen en la actualidad bajo la sombra del olvido y de la indiferencia.
La revista Germinal, crisol de estéticas
Authors: Thion Soriano-Mollá Dolores
Published: October 2015

La «Gente Nueva» que constituyó el Grupo Germinal en 1897 fundó una de las revistas culturales pioneras en el Fin de Siglo, Germinal. Su objetivo era aglutinar a intelectuales y artistas en aras a la reforma de España. Sus páginas, por lo tanto, fueron un crisol de las sensibilidades y estéticas que convivieron en aquellos tumultuosos años de finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX.
Recursos literarios en la prensa de fin de siglo: función de la ironía y función de la sátira en La Ilustración Popular y Don Quijote (1893-1904)
Authors: Viñals Carole
Published: October 2015

La cultura desempeña un papel fundamental en la prensa de finales del siglo XIX. Se trata de educar al pueblo y de plasmar de forma eficaz un mensaje político. La importancia de la literatura explica la presencia de poemas tanto en La Ilustración popular como en Don Quijote. Estos últimos permiten expresar críticas aceradas desde una postura irónica. La ironía ofrece un espacio de libertad que se verá ensanchado por la utilización de caricaturas: estas últimas permiten comunicar con un público amplio y a la vez solicitan la colaboración de un lector dispuesto a activar los sentidos. Estas revistas fueron fundamentales para crear y fomentar la existencia de una «opinión».
Design Of Hollow Section Overlap Joints With The Reinforcing Rib Plate. Welded Connection Resistance
Authors: Bródka J. , Broniewicz M.
Published: October 2015

In calculating the resistance of welds within the connections between hollow sections in EN 1993-1-8, very general information is given without presenting specific calculations. The chief recommendations indicate that the resistance of the welds connecting the wall to the second element should not be less than the resistance of the cross section of the wall. In addition, assessment of the welds’ resistance based on the effective lengths is viable in cases when forces in the braces are smaller than the resistance of the joint, though the detailed method was not specified. The objective of this paper is to present the most up-to-date information about the design of overlap welded joints with a reinforcing rib plate.
Studies Of Possible Use Of Oleic Imidazoline As Modifying Agent For Hard Bitumen
Authors: Zieliński K. , Babiak M.
Published: October 2015

Hard bitumens are used in the construction industry primarily in it’s unmodified form, for instance for the production of the so-called traditional roofing felt. Due to the low price of these types of membranes, the use of a popular but expensive modifying agent, SBS copolymer, is not justified economically. Research carried out by the authors has shown that chemical organic compounds belonging to a group of imidazolines may potentially be used as much cheaper bitumen modifier. It was demonstrated that a new type of modifier based on oleic imidazoline, developed by the authors, has a significant impact on improving the physical properties of bitumen. The use of this modifier results in a significant increase in the bitumen plasticity range, both before and after laboratory ageing. In addition, there was a considerable increase of bitumen’s resistance to aging. Its use can help improve the quality and durability of popular waterproofing products manufactured with the use of hard bitumen.
Assessment Of The Effectiveness Of Active Signage At Pedestrian Crossings
Authors: Olszewski P. , Czajewski W. , Dąbkowski P. , Kraśkiewicz C. , Szagała P.
Published: October 2015

The paper presents findings from research project Mobis which is aimed at developing a method of assessing safety of unsignalised pedestrian road crossings using video image analysis. Pedestrian and vehicle traffic has been recorded at selected zebra crossing sites in Warsaw and Wrocław, before and after installation of active signage systems SignFlash and Levelite. Speeds of approaching vehicles were measured and drivers’ behaviour was classified using video analysis.

The paper presents a comparison of effectiveness of systems such as SignFlash and Levelite based on changes in the mean and standard deviation of vehicle spot speeds as well as changes in speed profiles of vehicles approaching the crossings.

Results indicate that both SignFlash and Levelite active signage reduce mean vehicle approach speeds and have a positive impact on drivers’ behaviour.
Novel 4-aminoquinazoline derivatives as new leads for anticancer drug discovery
Authors: Ghorab Mostafa M. , Alsaid Mansour S.
Published: October 2015

A novel series of quinazoline derivatives 2-8, 10-12 were designed and synthesized. Structures of the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by elemental analyses, IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectral data. All the newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for in vitro cytotoxic activity against the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Seven of the novel compounds exhibited higher activity than the reference drug doxorubicin. The corresponding compounds 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11 and 12 exhibited higher activity with IC
50 values from 22.75 to 43.44 μmol L−1, compared to the reference drug doxorubicin with IC
50 value of 47.90 μmol L−1. Also, compounds 1, 6, and 9 are nearly as active as doxorubicin with IC
50 values of 48.31, 48.90, and 48.91 μmol L−1, respectively, while compounds 2 and 7 exhibited a moderate activity with IC
50 values of 50.44 and 52.37 μmol L−1. In addition, compound 13 showed no activity. Cytotoxic screening of the tested copmpounds offered an encouraging framework that may lead to the discovery of potent anti-breast cancer activity.
Dissolution profiles of perindopril and indapamide in their fixed-dose formulations by a new HPLC method and different mathematical approaches
Authors: Gumieniczek Anna , Mączka Paulina , Komsta Łukasz , Pietraś Rafał
Published: October 2015

A new HPLC method was introduced and validated for simultaneous determination of perindopril and indapamide. Validation procedure included specificity, sensitivity, robustness, stability, linearity, precision and accuracy. The method was used for the dissolution test of perindopril and indapamide in three fixed-dose formulations. The dissolution procedure was optimized using different media, different pH of the buffer, surfactants, paddle speed and temperature. Similarity of dissolution profiles was estimated using different model-independent and model-dependent methods and, additionally, by principal component analysis (PCA). Also, some kinetic models were checked for dissolved amounts of drugs as a function of time.
Contribution to diagnostics/prognostics of tuberculosis in children. I. New methods of assaying zinc and simultaneously copper and zinc in diluted sera by flame atomic-absorption spectrometry
Authors: Luterotti Svjetlana , Kordić Tončica Vukman , Dodig Slavica
Published: October 2015

In an attempt to provide a reliable status of metal ions in children, new methods of analysis of children’s sera are proposed. New flame atomic-absorption spectrometric (FAAS) methods are simple, cost- and time-effective and, above all, labor-, reagent- and sample-saving. Two methods were suggested: method A for simultaneous determination of Cu and Zn from 5-fold diluted sera, and method B, for assaying zinc alone in 10-fold diluted samples. Both methods are based on a single-step sample pretreatment (deproteinization with 3 mol dm–3 HCl). Method A uses a single-step calibration with a mixed standard. The main advantage of method B is an additional reduction in sample consumption. Both methods were fully validated against reference methods. Accuracy, sensitivity and precision have proven them to be comparable to the reference methods in terms of analytical performance, and applicable to analyses of children’s sera.
Artificially Generated Male-Specific Rabbit Antibody Against DBY-Multi-Epitope Fusion Protein And Its Immunoreactive Examination
Authors: Wang Naidong , Tan Qinghui , Yuan Anwen , Xue Liqun
Published: October 2015

DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box polypeptide 3, Y-linked (DBY or Ddx3y) is a candidate gene for male-specific antigen. The DBY gene detected in capacitated mouse sperm codes putative ATP-dependent RNA helicase. The objective was to produce anti-predicted DBY multi-epitope fusion protein antibody, which could be used to determine male specificity of DBY. Epitope prediction is to aid the design of molecules that can mimic structure and function of a genuine epitope, is a useful tool in protein molecule design. This study predicted the DBY epitopes, prepared rabbit poloclonal antibody against DBY multi-epitope fusion protein, then investigated its immunoreactivity. The fusion protein used as the antigen consisted of three regions of DBY with greatest divergence from other family members, cloned together in-frame (with a His tag to facilitate purification). The resulting antibody recognized both the DBY1-2-3 fusion protein and an endogenous DBY protein of the same size. Furthermore, DBY protein was present (Western blot) in testis, male mouse splenocytes and brain, whereas a weaker band was present in the female brain and splenocytes, and finally, ovary produced only a barely visible protein band. Optical density of DBY protein was higher for males versus corresponding tissues from females. Finally, positive signals of DBY1-2-3 antibody were present on only ~60% of mature murine sperm (based on immunofluorescent staining and flow cytometry), in accordance with the expected proportion of Y-bearing sperm. We hypothesized that our antibodies recognized a specific epitope present in subpopulations of mouse sperm. Therefore, we concluded that anti-DBY1-2-3 antibody could be an alternative way of producing antibodies to DBY protein. Furthermore, this novel DBY antibody against a multi-epitope artificial antigen has potential for both investigating male-specific binding of DBY and as a new method of sex selection.
Illegal Waste Sites As A Potential Micro Foci Of Mediterranean Leishmaniasis: First Records Of Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) From Slovenia
Authors: Vladimir Ivović , Katja Kalan , Sara Zupan , Elena Bužan
Published: October 2015

Apart from being against the law, illegal waste dumping also poses a threat to human health and to the environment. Solid and decomposing waste is an ideal breeding ground for a number of rodents, insects, and other vermin that pose a health risk through the spread of infectious diseases. The main objective of this study was to survey disease vectors and rodents for the presence of Leishmania sp. from waste sites along the Istrian Peninsula in Slovenia and Croatia.

During the survey five sandfly (Phlebotomus neglectus, P. perniciosus, P. papatasi, P. mascitii, Sergentomyia minuta) and five rodent species were collected (Rattus rattus, Mus musculus, Apodemus agrarius, A. flavicollis and A. sylvaticus).

Sandflies and rodents were screened using a molecular probe to amplify an approximately 120 bp fragment of the kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) minicircle for the detection of Leishmania sp. parasites. Leishmania infantum DNA was detected in the spleen of one juvenile black rat (R. rattus). Despite few published records on Leshmania sp. infection in black rats, the addition of our record highlights the importance of further investigation into the frequency and distribution of such occurrences so that we may better classify the role of rodents as potential reservoirs of leishmaniasis in the Mediterranean basin.
Acute Response Of Bone Metabolism To Various Resistance Exercises In Women
Authors: Kovárová Jana , Hamar Dušan , Sedliak Milan , Cvečka Ján , Schickhofer Peter , Böhmerová Ľubica
Published: October 2015

The study examines the acute response of bone turnover markers to two different single bouts of resistance exercises in women. Serum bone alkaline phosphatase and sclerostin concentration were measured before, 24 and 48 hours after the interventions to detect the dynamics of bone turnover. Subjects performed two exercises and a control experiment without exercise (CONTR) on different occasions, with 3-week breaks between the interventions, in a random order. First exercises protocol had a constant resistance of 75 % 1 RM (ISOF). Second, serial stretch loading (SSL), was isokinetic: velocity of concentric and eccentric phase of the movement was 50 and 40 cm/s, respectively. Short stops were incorporated into both phases of the movement after every 20 mm, resulting in a frequency of the force peaks of 10 Hz in concentric as well as in eccentric phase. Both protocols consisted of 6 sets of 6 repetitions and 2-minute resting periods. The exercises interventions had no statistically significant effect on either bone turnover marker concentration at any of the time points.
Attitudes Of Schoolgirls Towards Physical And Sport Education
Authors: Balga Tibor , Antala Branislav , Sabová Lenka
Published: October 2015

This paper presents the results of research focused on the attitudes of schoolgirls at the 5th and 9th grade of primary schools towards physical and sport education. The aim of this project was to find out the level of the attitudes of schoolgirls at primary schools in the Bratislava Region. The research sample consisted of 247 schoolgirls attending urban and village primary schools. The basic research tool we have used was the standardized attitudinal questionnaire designed for the primary schools pupils. We have found out that in the 5th and 9th grade of primary schools the positive attitudes toward physical and sport education prevail over the indifferent attitudes. At primary schools in the Bratislava Region, the schoolgirls in the 5th grade showed more positive attitudes than schoolgirls in the 9th grade.
Body Image And Sensation Seeking In Gym-Goers
Authors: Schlegel Petr , Fialová Ludmila
Published: October 2015

This research aimed to explore a relation between Body image (PSPP) and Sensation Seeking (SSS-V) and to determine gym-goers based on these entities. The research file (N = 182) consisted of gym-goers aged between 24 – 45. The comparison of the tests showed a weak relation (0.25) between PSPP and SST tests and also among the individual subscales. The comparison of men and women did not come up with any significant differences. In terms of Body image, the file showed above-average results, in the case of Sensation Seeking, its score was average. The outcome of our findings is that there is no marked relation between PSPP and SST and the same goes for men and women.
An Application Of The Theory Of Scale Of Banach Spaces
Authors: Dawidowski Łukasz
Published: October 2015

The abstract Cauchy problem on scales of Banach space was considered by many authors. The goal of this paper is to show that the choice of the space on scale is significant. We prove a theorem that the selection of the spaces in which the Cauchy problem ut
− Δu = u|u|s
with initial–boundary conditions is considered has an influence on the selection of index s. For the Cauchy problem connected with the heat equation we will study how the change of the base space influents the regularity of the solutions.
Universally Kuratowski–Ulam Spaces And Open-Open Games
Authors: Kalemba Piotr , Kucharski Andrzej
Published: October 2015

We examine the class of spaces in which the second player has a winning strategy in the open-open game. We show that this spaces are not universally Kuratowski–Ulam. We also show that the games G and G
7 introduced by P. Daniels, K. Kunen, H. Zhou [Fund. Math. 145 (1994), no. 3, 205–220] are not equivalent.
Communication Complexity And Linearly Ordered Sets
Authors: Kula Mieczysław , Serwecińska Małgorzata
Published: October 2015

The paper is devoted to the communication complexity of lattice operations in linearly ordered finite sets. All well known techniques ([4, Chapter 1]) to determine the communication complexity of the infimum function in linear lattices disappoint, because a gap between the lower and upper bound is equal to O(log2
n), where n is the cardinality of the lattice. Therefore our aim will be to investigate the communication complexity of the function more carefully. We consider a family of so called interval protocols and we construct the interval protocols for the infimum. We prove that the constructed protocols are optimal in the family of interval protocols. It is still open problem to compute the communication complexity of constructed protocols but the numerical experiments show that their complexity is less than the complexity of known protocols for the infimum function.
Thermal analysis of heat and power plant with high temperature reactor and intermediate steam cycle
Authors: Fic Adam , Składzień Jan , Gabriel Michał
Published: October 2015

Thermal analysis of a heat and power plant with a high temperature gas cooled nuclear reactor is presented. The main aim of the considered system is to supply a technological process with the heat at suitably high temperature level. The considered unit is also used to produce electricity. The high temperature helium cooled nuclear reactor is the primary heat source in the system, which consists of: the reactor cooling cycle, the steam cycle and the gas heat pump cycle. Helium used as a carrier in the first cycle (classic Brayton cycle), which includes the reactor, delivers heat in a steam generator to produce superheated steam with required parameters of the intermediate cycle. The intermediate cycle is provided to transport energy from the reactor installation to the process installation requiring a high temperature heat. The distance between reactor and the process installation is assumed short and negligable, or alternatively equal to 1 km in the analysis. The system is also equipped with a high temperature argon heat pump to obtain the temperature level of a heat carrier required by a high temperature process. Thus, the steam of the intermediate cycle supplies a lower heat exchanger of the heat pump, a process heat exchanger at the medium temperature level and a classical steam turbine system (Rankine cycle). The main purpose of the research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the system considered and to assess whether such a three cycle cogeneration system is reasonable. Multivariant calculations have been carried out employing the developed mathematical model. The results have been presented in a form of the energy efficiency and exergy efficiency of the system as a function of the temperature drop in the high temperature process heat exchanger and the reactor pressure.
Numerical modeling and preliminary validation of drag-based vertical axis wind turbine
Authors: Krysiński Tomasz , Buliński Zbigniew , Nowak Andrzej J.
Published: October 2015

The main purpose of this article is to verify and validate the mathematical description of the airflow around a wind turbine with vertical axis of rotation, which could be considered as representative for this type of devices. Mathematical modeling of the airflow around wind turbines in particular those with the vertical axis is a problematic matter due to the complex nature of this highly swirled flow. Moreover, it is turbulent flow accompanied by a rotation of the rotor and the dynamic boundary layer separation. In such conditions, the key aspects of the mathematical model are accurate turbulence description, definition of circular motion as well as accompanying effects like centrifugal force or the Coriolis force and parameters of spatial and temporal discretization. The paper presents the impact of the different simulation parameters on the obtained results of the wind turbine simulation. Analysed models have been validated against experimental data published in the literature.
Application of the method of data reconciliation for minimizing uncertainty of the weight function in the multicriteria optimization model
Authors: Mendecka Barbara , Kozioł Joachim
Published: October 2015

The multicriteria decision process consists of five main steps: definition of the optimisation problem, determination of the weight structure of the decision criteria, design of the evaluation matrix, selection of the optimal evaluation method and ranking of solutions. It is often difficult to obtain the optimal solution to a multicriterion problem. The main reason is the subjective element of the model – the weight functions of the decision criteria. Expert opinions are usually taken into account in their determination. The aim of this article is to present a novel method of minimizing the uncertainty of the weights of the decision criteria using Monte Carlo simulation and method of data reconciliation. The proposed method is illustrated by the example of multicriterion social effectiveness evaluation for electric power supply to a building using renewable energy sources.
Computer modeling of a convective steam superheater
Authors: Trojan Marcin
Published: October 2015

Superheater is for generating superheated steam from the saturated steam from the evaporator outlet. In the case of pulverized coal fired boiler, a relatively small amount of ash causes problems with ash fouling on the heating surfaces, including the superheaters. In the convection pass of the boiler, the flue gas temperature is lower and ash deposits can be loose or sintered. Ash fouling not only reduces heat transfer from the flue gas to the steam, but also is the cause of a higher pressure drop on the flue gas flow path. In the case the pressure drop is greater than the power consumed by the fan increases. If the superheater surfaces are covered with ash than the steam temperature at the outlet of the superheater stages falls, and the flow rates of the water injected into attemperator should be reduced. There is also an increase in flue gas temperature after the different stages of the superheater. Consequently, this leads to a reduction in boiler efficiency. The paper presents the results of computational fluid dynamics simulations of the first stage superheater of both the boiler OP-210M using the commercial software. The temperature distributions of the steam and flue gas along the way they flow together with temperature of the tube walls and temperature of the ash deposits will be determined. The calculated steam temperature is compared with measurement results. Knowledge of these temperatures is of great practical importance because it allows to choose the grade of steel for a given superheater stage. Using the developed model of the superheater to determine its degree of ash fouling in the on-line mode one can control the activation frequency of steam sootblowers.
Convective heat transfer for fluids passing through aluminum foams
Authors: Dyga Roman , Troniewski Leon
Published: October 2015

This paper analyses the experimental findings within heat transfer when heating up air, water and oil streams which are passed through a duct with internal structural packing elements in the form of metal foams. Three types of aluminum foams with different cell sizes, porosity specifications and thermal conductivities were used in the study. The test data were collected and they made it possible to establish the effect of the foam geometry, properties of fluids and flow hydrodynamic conditions on the convective heat transfer process from the heating surface to the fluid flowing by (wetting) that surface. The foam was found to be involved in heat transfer to a limited extent only. Heat is predominantly transferred directly from the duct wall to a fluid, and intensity of convective heat transfer is controlled by the wall effects. The influence of foam structural parameters, like cell size and/or porosity, becomes more clearly apparent under laminar flow conditions.
Challenges To The Implementation Of Institutional Reform In The Lithuanian General Education System
Authors: Pranevičienė Birutė , Margevičiūtė Agnė
Published: October 2015

The educational system of Lithuania has undergone transformation conditioned by the radical change of the political situation in the region after the restoration of independence on March 11, 1990. The new educational system was gradually developed, changing and denying the former Soviet educational framework. The main goal of the new educational system is to provide education compatible with the newly applicable international standards and create an effective network of schools. The article aims to present an overview of the reform of the institutional system of general education of Lithuania that began in 1988 and was to be completed in September 2015; however, the completion of the reform was recently postponed until September 2017. The article also reviews key challenges to the reform implementation and discusses the compatibility of the reform with societal expectations and standards of international educational law.
The Role Of Ethics In Legal Education Of Post-Soviet Countries
Authors: Kelley Christopher R. , Kiršienė Julija
Published: October 2015

The neglect of lawyer ethics in legal education, including in continuing legal education for lawyers and judges, is an enduring Soviet legacy in post-Soviet countries. Partially because of this neglect, many people in post-soviet countries do not trust lawyers. Their mistrust often is for good reason—too many lawyers are unethical. Yet, unethical lawyers do more than alienate others and cast the legal profession in disrepute. Unethical lawyers waste resources by unnecessarily prolonging disputes and inflaming antagonisms by provoking unjustifiable confrontations. Worse, they corrupt the legal system by bribing judges, suborning perjury, and using other illegal means to achieve their ends. Thus, they contribute to an all-too-common failure in post-Soviet countries—the failure to achieve the rule of law.

The academic literature is replete with commentary about the place of ethics in legal education. Some argue that ethics instruction is unnecessary. They claim that allusions to ethics in other courses, the law school culture, and the ethics learned earlier in life is sufficient. Others posit that ethics are too important to omit from the law school curriculum. They often add, however, that legal ethics instruction in law school commonly involves little more than demanding that law students memorize rules or codes of conduct.

This article discusses whether the ethics education of future lawyers in post-Soviet countries is adequate. Concluding that it is not, this article proposes suggestions for the content of an Eastern European legal ethics course and methods for teaching law students to internalize ethical norms as a part of their legal education.