bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploratory analysis of osteoarthritis progression among medication users: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative
Authors: Driban Jeffrey B. , Lo Grace H. , Eaton Charles B. , Lapane Kate L. , Nevitt Michael , Harvey William F. , McCulloch Charles E. , McAlindon Timothy E.
Published: August 2016

Background:

We conducted an exploratory analysis of osteoarthritis progression among medication users in the Osteoarthritis Initiative to identify interventions or pathways that may be associated with disease modification and therefore of interest for future clinical trials.

Methods:

We used participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative with annual medication inventory data between the baseline and 36-month follow-up visit ( n = 2938). Consistent medication users were defined for each medication classification as a participant reporting at all four annual visits that they were regularly using an oral prescription medication at the time of the visit. The exploratory analysis focused on medication classes with 40 or more users. The primary outcome measures were medial tibiofemoral joint space width change and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) knee pain score change (12–36-month visits). Within each knee, we explored eight comparisons between users and matched or unmatched nonusers (defined two ways). An effect size of each comparison was calculated. Medication classes had potential signals if (a) both knees had less progression among users compared with nonusers, or (b) there was less progression based on structure and symptoms in one knee.

Results:

We screened 28 medication classes. Six medication classes had signals for fewer structural changes and better knee pain changes: alpha-adrenergic blockers, antilipemic (excluding statins and fibric acid), anticoagulants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antihistamines, and antineoplastic agents. Four medication classes had signals for structural changes alone: anti-estrogen (median effect size = 0.28; range = −0.41–0.64), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (median effect size = 0.13; range = −0.08–0.28), beta-adrenergic blockers (median effect size = 0.09; range = 0.01–0.30), and thyroid agents (median effect size = 0.04; range = −0.05–0.14). Thiazide diuretics had evidence for symptom modification (median effect size = −0.12; range = −0.24–0.04).

Conclusions:

Users of neurovascular, antilipemic, or hormonal interventions may have less disease progression compared with nonusers.
T2* Mapping for Hip Joint Cartilage Assessment: Pre-MRI Exercise and Time of Imaging Do Not Bias the T2* Measurement in Asymptomatic Volunteers
Authors: Hesper Tobias , Hosalkar Harish S. , Schleich Christoph , Antoch Gerald , Welsch Götz H. , Krauspe Rüdiger , Zilkens Christoph , Bittersohl Bernd
Published: August 2016

Objective

To identify if the time of day and pre-imaging exercise matter while performing T2* mapping of hip joint cartilage at 3 T.

Design

Nine asymptomatic healthy volunteers (mean age 27.4 ± 4.0 years) with no obvious morphological evidence of cartilage damage were enrolled. The MRI protocol included a double-echo steady state (DESS) sequence for morphological cartilage assessment and a multi-echo data image combination sequence for the T2* measurement. T2* values were obtained between 8 and 11 a.m., between 3 and 6 p.m., and after 50 knee-bends at several time points of each measurement (0, 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes).

Results

We observed no differences ( P = 0.47) between the T2* values obtained in the morning (T2* = 22.9 ± 3.0 ms) and those measured in the afternoon (T2* = 23.2 ± 3.2 ms). We also observed no statistically significant differences between the T2* values at different time points ( P = 0.67) or after 50 knee-bends ( P = 0.43).

Conclusions

Timing of the scan and pre-imaging exercise clearly did not matter in this modality. This study consolidates the value of T2* imaging in hip joint cartilage that seems to be independent of diurnal effects and physical activity prior to MRI.
Assessment of diffusion tensor imaging metrics in differentiating low-grade from high-grade gliomas
Authors: El-Serougy Lamiaa , Abdel Razek Ahmed Abdel Khalek , Ezzat Amani , Eldawoody Hany , El-Morsy Ahmad
Published: August 2016

Aim

The aim of this article is to assess diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics in differentiating low-grade from high-grade gliomas.

Patients and methods

A prospective study was conducted on 35 patients with gliomas who underwent DTI. Gliomas were classified into low-grade and high-grade gliomas. The fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), linear coefficient (CL), planar coefficient (CP) and spherical coefficient (CS) of the solid tumoral part and peri-tumoral regions were calculated.

Results

There was significant difference ( p = 0.001) in MD of the solid tumoral part of low-grade (1.78 ± 0.33 × 10−3 mm2/s) and high-grade (1.16 ± 0.22 × 10−3 mm2/s) gliomas. The selection of 1.42 × 10−3 mm2/s as a cutoff value of MD of the tumoral part was used to differentiate low-grade and high-grade gliomas; the best results were obtained with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.957 and accuracy of 91.4%. There was a significant difference in FA, MD, CP and CS of peri-tumoral regions of both groups with p values of 0.006, 0.042, 0.030 and 0.037, respectively. The cutoff values of MD, FA, CS and CP of the peri-tumoral region used to differentiate low-grade from high-grade gliomas were 1.24, 0.315, 0.726 and 0.321 with AUC of 0.694, 0.773, 0.734 and 0.724 and accuracy of 68.6%, 80.0%, 74.3% and 74.3%, respectively. The combined MD of the solid tumoral part and FA of the peri-tumoral region used to differentiate low-grade from high-grade gliomas revealed AUC of 0.974 and accuracy of 88.6%.

Conclusion

We conclude that the combination of MD of the solid tumoral part and FA of the peri-tumoral region is a noninvasive method to differentiate low-grade from high-grade gliomas.
De novo formation of cerebral cavernous malformation adjacent to existing developmental venous anomaly – an effect of change in venous pressure associated with management of a complex dural arterio-venous fistula
Authors: Chakravarthy Hariprakash , Lin Tzu-Kang , Chen Yao-Liang , Wu Yi-Ming , Yeh Chin-Hua , Wong Ho-Fai
Published: August 2016

This is a case report of de novo development of two cerebral cavernous malformations adjacent to existing developmental venous anomalies. The development of cavernomas was noted over a follow-up period of 10 years. These developments happened during the course of staged endovascular management of a complex dural arterio-venous fistula along the right sphenoid wing. The patient presented with a proptosis secondary to lympho-haemangiomatous lesion of the fronto-orbital region and a high-flow right sphenoid wing dural arterio-venous fistula. During the initial period of conservative management of the dural arterio-venous fistula, he developed de novo cavernous malformations in the left mesial temporal lobe adjacent to a developmental venous anomaly in the temporal lobe, and along with this there was engorgement of deep veins related to another existing developmental venous anomaly in the brainstem. Later during the course of endovascular treatment of the dural arterio-venous fistula, a large brainstem cavernoma developed adjacent to the brainstem developmental venous anomaly. This case report discusses the cause-effect relationship of venous pressure changes related to management of dural arterio-venous fistula and de novo formation of cerebral cavernous malformations adjacent to existing developmental venous anomalies.
Interface with Media and Institutions: The Reordering of Indigenous Medical Practitioners in Twentieth-century Kerala
Authors: Girija K.P.
Published: August 2016

This article unravels the nature of interaction amongst indigenous medical practices or nattuvaidyam as reflected in the first Malayalam vaidya (indigenous medicine or medical practitioner) magazine Dhanwantari, published from British Malabar for a span of twenty-three years from 1903. The review of Dhanwantari is done in the context of debates on vaidyam (indigenous medicine), health and social body in other newspapers and magazines published during the same period from other parts of Kerala, such as Vivekodayam, Malayala Manorama, Nasrani Deepika and Yogakshemam. The attempt is not to sketch a linear history of practices, but to show the nature of knowledge incorporation from diverse sources for increasing the acceptance of nattuvaidyam. Print technology introduces new possibilities and enhances the reordering of the literate, neo-literate and non-literate practitioners. It also activates the refiguration of an ayurveda as a separate and unique practice amongst ayurvedas or nattuvaidyam.
Tactics and Targets: Explaining Shifts in Grassroots Environmental Resistance
Authors: Adams Alison E. , Shriver Thomas E.
Published: August 2016

Corporate misconduct is often associated with environmental, political, and social problems, and the effects are often felt at the local level where disenfranchised residents may have less access to political power. We know that grassroots movements can take various tactical paths as they challenge elites, yet we aim to map the specific pathways that lead to shifts in tactical repertoires, especially as groups transition to increasingly confrontational tactics. Drawing from social movement theory on tactics and targets, along with environmental sociology literature on grassroots environmental organizing, we examine how the interplay with institutional movement targets affects local environmental resistance. The data for this research come from numerous sources, including in-depth interviews, archival materials, and news coverage of petrochemical contamination. Our findings show that grassroots shifts from insider to outsider tactics stem from a loss of trust in elite institutions and citizens’ understanding of the organization of power in society. We conclude by discussing how our research informs future social movement research by adding an important dimension to analyses of movement tactics—namely, the perceived relationship between activists and their institutional targets.
Meeting the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals Using Backward Design
Authors: Ozdemir Devrim , Duffy Pamela A.
Published: August 2016

The mission of public health programs is to prepare competent public health professionals for a dynamic workforce. One way to accomplish this mission is to design curricula that support learners’ competency attainment in today’s public health practice. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the actual steps taken to ensure that graduates meet public health core competencies. The major stages of this process are (a) backward design of the curriculum, (b) front-end analysis of the curriculum, and (c) back-end analysis of the curriculum. The backward design stage aligns a course curriculum with the core competencies. Front-end analysis provides evidence that the overall program curriculum aligns with the core competencies. The back-end analysis provides evidence of learners’ competency attainment. All three phases embed principles of continuous improvement to benefit the curriculum through a feedback-loop mechanism. Challenges, opportunities, and future directions for academic leaders of curriculum program development are discussed.
Statistical inference for time course RNA-Seq data using a negative binomial mixed-effect model
Authors: Sun Xiaoxiao , Dalpiaz David , Wu Di , S. Liu Jun , Zhong Wenxuan , Ma Ping
Published: August 2016

Background

Accurate identification of differentially expressed (DE) genes in time course RNA-Seq data is crucial for understanding the dynamics of transcriptional regulatory network. However, most of the available methods treat gene expressions at different time points as replicates and test the significance of the mean expression difference between treatments or conditions irrespective of time. They thus fail to identify many DE genes with different profiles across time. In this article, we propose a negative binomial mixed-effect model (NBMM) to identify DE genes in time course RNA-Seq data. In the NBMM, mean gene expression is characterized by a fixed effect, and time dependency is described by random effects. The NBMM is very flexible and can be fitted to both unreplicated and replicated time course RNA-Seq data via a penalized likelihood method. By comparing gene expression profiles over time, we further classify the DE genes into two subtypes to enhance the understanding of expression dynamics. A significance test for detecting DE genes is derived using a Kullback-Leibler distance ratio. Additionally, a significance test for gene sets is developed using a gene set score.

Results

Simulation analysis shows that the NBMM outperforms currently available methods for detecting DE genes and gene sets. Moreover, our real data analysis of fruit fly developmental time course RNA-Seq data demonstrates the NBMM identifies biologically relevant genes which are well justified by gene ontology analysis.

Conclusions

The proposed method is powerful and efficient to detect biologically relevant DE genes and gene sets in time course RNA-Seq data.
Chloride content of solutions used for regional citrate anticoagulation might be responsible for blunting correction of metabolic acidosis during continuous veno-venous hemofiltration
Authors: Jacobs Rita , Honore Patrick M. , Diltoer Marc , Spapen Herbert D.
Published: August 2016

Background

Citrate, the currently preferred anticoagulant for continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH), may influence acid-base equilibrium.

Methods

The effect of 2 different citrate solutions on acid-base status was assessed according to the Stewart-Figge approach in two consecutive cohorts of critically ill adult patients. The first group received Prismocitrate 10/2 (PC10/2; 10 mmol citrate/L). The next group was treated with Prismocitrate 18/0 (PC18; 18 mmol citrate/L). Both groups received bicarbonate-buffered fluids in post-dilution.

Results

At similar citrate flow, the metabolic acidosis present at baseline in both groups was significantly attenuated in PC18 patients but persisted in PC10/2 patients after 24 h of treatment (median pH 7,42 vs 7,28; p = 0.0001). Acidosis in the PC10/2 group was associated with a decreased strong ion difference and an increased strong ion gap (respectively 43 vs. 51 mmol/L and 17 vs. 12 mmol/L, PC10/2 vs. PC18; both p = 0.001). Chloride flow was higher in PC10/2 than in PC18 subjects (25.9 vs 14.3 mmol/L blood; p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Correction of acidosis was blunted in patients who received 10 mmol citrate/L as regional anticoagulation during CVVH. This could be explained by differences in chloride flow between the applied citrate solutions inducing hyperchloremic acidosis.
Of Phagocytes and Men: Tolstoy's Response to Mechnikov and the Religious Purpose of Science
Authors: Berman Anna A.
Published: August 2016

This essay explores the intellectual ties between Lev Tolstoy and the Nobel Prize winning pathologist Ilya Mechnikov. In Tolstoy's essays, letters, and diary entries he was notoriously critical of contemporary scientific study and its lack of a moral component. Beginning in the late 1880s he engaged in a virtually unknown polemic with Mechnikov about science and religion that culminated in a face-to-face meeting the year before Tolstoy's death. Despite Tolstoy's expressed disdain for Mechnikov's theories, in his final novel, Resurrection (1899), Tolstoy used Mechnikov's phagocytic theory as a metaphoric basis for the novel's moral philosophy. Moving beyond his earlier family ideal, he made phagocytes the model for a broader and more impersonal ideal of human unity. Thus, in Resurrection Tolstoy found a way to give moral meaning to science, just as he had called for in his journalistic writing.
Near Infrared Spectroscopy as a Tool for In-Field Determination of Log/Biomass Quality Index in Mountain Forests
Authors: Sandak Anna , Sandak Jakub , Böhm Katharina , Zitek Andreas , Hinterstoisser Barbara
Published: August 2016

Current in-field methods for grading logs are based on visual rating scales, which are subjective, operator-dependent and time-consuming. Various wood defects such as knots, resin pockets, rot and compression wood, amongst others, affect the quality and potential usage of a log. Early detection of these defects and an adequate wood quality classification help to optimise resource use along the whole production chain. Therefore, the specific target for the development of an efficient in-field grading approach was defined within the project Integrated processing and controL systems fOr sustainable forest Production in mountain areas – SLOPE. The grading is conducted by means of automatic measurements of selected wood properties with diverse sensors, including near infrared (NIR) spectrometers. A series of studies was conducted on wooden discs using laboratory equipment and a portable NIR spectrometer. In-field measurements of standing trees and harvested logs were also performed using a portable instrument. Principal components analysis models for identification of log defects were developed using the spectra collected with both instruments. Such models will serve for the automated determination of quality indexes to be used for log grading. It is foreseen that the NIR-based quality indexes will be integrated with the expert system under development within the SLOPE project and combined with quality information derived from other sensors. The overall goal is to provide a reliable technology for automatic log quality grading in the forest industry.
Respondent driven sampling of wheelchair users: A lack of traction?
Authors: Bourke John A. , Schluter Philip J. , Hay-Smith E. Jean C. , Snell Deborah L.
Published: August 2016

Background: Internationally, wheelchair users are an emerging demographic phenomenon, due to their increased prevalence and rapidly increasing life-span. While having significant healthcare implications, basic robust epidemiological information about wheelchair users is often lacking due, in part, to this population’s ‘hidden’ nature. Increasingly popular in epidemiological research, Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) provides a mechanism for generating unbiased population-based estimates for hard-to-reach populations, overcoming biases inherent within other sampling methods. This paper reports the first published study to employ RDS amongst wheelchair users.

Methods: Between October 2015 and January 2016, a short, successfully piloted, internet-based national survey was initiated. Twenty seeds from diverse organisations were invited to complete the survey then circulate it to peers within their networks following a well-defined protocol. A predetermined reminder protocol was triggered when seeds or their peers failed to respond. All participants were entered into a draw for an iPad.

Results: Overall, 19 people participated (nine women); 12 initial seeds, followed by seven second-wave participants arising from four seeds. Completion time for the survey ranged between 7 and 36 minutes. Despite repeated reminders, no further people were recruited.

Discussion: While New Zealand wheelchair user numbers are unknown, an estimated 14% of people have physical impairments that limited mobility. The 19 respondents generated from adopting the RDS methodology here thus represents a negligible fraction of wheelchair users in New Zealand, and an insufficient number to ensure equilibrium required for unbiased analyses. While successful in other hard-to-reach populations, applying RDS methodology to wheelchair users requires further consideration. Formative research exploring areas of network characteristics, acceptability of RDS, appropriate incentive options, and seed selection amongst wheelchair users is needed.
New insights into cochlear sound encoding
Authors: Moser Tobias , Vogl Christian
Published: August 2016

The inner ear uses specialized synapses to indefatigably transmit sound information from hair cells to spiral ganglion neurons at high rates with submillisecond precision. The emerging view is that hair cell synapses achieve their demanding function by employing an unconventional presynaptic molecular composition. Hair cell active zones hold the synaptic ribbon, an electron-dense projection made primarily of RIBEYE, which tethers a halo of synaptic vesicles and is thought to enable a large readily releasable pool of vesicles and to contribute to its rapid replenishment. Another important presynaptic player is otoferlin, coded by a deafness gene, which assumes a multi-faceted role in vesicular exocytosis and, when disrupted, causes auditory synaptopathy. A functional peculiarity of hair cell synapses is the massive heterogeneity in the sizes and shapes of excitatory postsynaptic currents. Currently, there is controversy as to whether this reflects multiquantal release with a variable extent of synchronization or uniquantal release through a dynamic fusion pore. Another important question in the field has been the precise mechanisms of coupling presynaptic Ca2+ channels and vesicular Ca2+ sensors. This commentary provides an update on the current understanding of sound encoding in the cochlea with a focus on presynaptic mechanisms.
The Sources of the Communication Gap
Authors: He Simin , Offerman Theo , van de Ven Jeroen
Published: August 2016

Face-to-face communication drastically increases cooperation rates in social dilemmas. We test which factors are the most important drivers of this communication gap. We distinguish three main categories. First, communication may decrease social distance. Second, communication may enable subjects to assess their opponent’s cooperativeness (“type detection”) and condition their own action on that information. Third, communication allows subjects to make promises, which create commitment for subjects who do not want to break a promise. We find that communication increases cooperation very substantially. In our experiment, we find that commitment value is an important factor, but the largest part of the increase can be attributed to type detection. We do not find evidence that social distance plays a role.

Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2016.2518 .

This paper was accepted by Uri Gneezy, operations management.
The challenges, triumphs and learning from participating in an Australian social work students’ activist group
Authors: O’Connor David John , Thomas Ezra , White Kaila , Morley Christine
Published: August 2016

This article traces the emergence of a student activist group called the Social Work Action and Advocacy Network for Students at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia. The article exhibits three founding members’ experiences of working collectively to achieve emancipatory goals: showcasing achievements; grappling with ethical tensions of working within a group; and demonstrating students’ capacity to re-author the identity of social work in a way that positions activism as central.
Maid to serve: ‘Self-fashioning’ and the domestic worker trope in contemporary South Africa
Authors: Mahali Alude
Published: August 2016

This article investigates how the domestic worker sartorial trope is reflected and embodied in contemporary South African culture. Domestic work has received very little public or media attention from feminists, trade unionists, or even political activists broadly until the recent movement of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). This article observes how the South African political party, the EFF, use the domestic worker dress as a subversionary tactic in sociopolitical culture. By appropriating the archetypal domestic worker dress, the EFF demonstrate both identification with the domestic worker and a subversion of what the domestic worker dress has, for so long, inferred. In the context of post-apartheid South Africa, the author examines the domestic worker trope and the significance of dress. This article uses critical discourse analysis and Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of habitus to explicate both the personal and political significance of the domestic worker dress in contemporary South Africa.
Zimbabwe’s state-controlled public media and the mediation of the 1980s genocide 30 years on
Authors: Mpofu Shepherd
Published: August 2016

Since the end of genocide in 1987 Zimbabwe has remained a zone of ‘conflicts’, and the enduring debates surrounding this genocide, especially in public-owned but state-controlled media, call for critical attention. Three years after independence, in 1980, Zimbabwe was plunged into a genocide named ‘Gukurahundi’ (meaning the rain that washes the chaff away after harvest) that lasted until 1987. This article argues that there has been a clash of ‘interests’ playing out in the mediation of this yet-to-be-officially addressed genocide. Through evidence from public-owned media, the media that carry the official voice of the ruling party, I argue that public media have seen genocide from conflicting and complex angles, making it difficult to reach a consensus suitable for national building based on genocide truths, meanings and effects to Zimbabweans. I specifically use the Unity Accord-associated holiday, the Unity Day, and its associated debates to pursue two arguments. First, public media have played an ambiguous role in appreciating the conflictual and multipronged nature of the genocide within ZANU-PF. Second, public media have largely been supportive of, and even complicit in, official silences on genocide debates and memory. The article uses public sphere and narrative analysis as frameworks for understanding the operations of public media journalism in the mediation of genocide nearly 30 years after its occurrence.
Tweeting democracy: An ethnographic content analysis of social media use in the differing politics of Senegal and Ethiopia’s newspapers
Authors: Lemke Jeslyn , Chala Endalk
Published: August 2016

This descriptive, empirical study gives context to how print journalists in two politically different African nations, Senegal and Ethiopia, use Twitter and Facebook to report the news and to what extent. We ask, ‘how is this new model of online reporting manifesting itself in Ethiopian and Senegalese newsrooms, given Senegal’s track record of democratic government and free press and Ethiopia’s infamously authoritarian control and censorship of the country’s journalists?’. The method is a content analysis of 60 days of posts on ten print newspapers’ Twitter and Facebook pages, to establish a comparative assessment of the two nations. Findings are also given context by comparing the print newspapers’ popularity on Twitter and Facebook against each nation’s top 20 most popular Twitter and Facebook pages. Results show Ethiopia to be markedly behind in Twitter posts, but the newspapers of each country show similar rates of posting to Facebook. Journalists in both nations are not livetweeting events, but instead are linking content on social media to the newspaper’s main home page.
Lovers in Time – practice research in the times of patriotic journalism in Zimbabwe
Authors: Piotrowska Agnieszka
Published: August 2016

This article features my practice research in Zimbabwe. In particular, I focus on the issues surrounding the staging of the most controversial theatrical play during the Harare International Festival of the Arts in 2014, Lovers in Time, written by Zimbabwean Blessing Hungwe and produced and directed by myself. I present the case against the background of the media furore that surrounded the production. I see the press reactions, which changed from very positive to irrationally vitriolic, as an example of patriotic journalism and Althusserian interpellation. Under the particular circumstances in Zimbabwe, my whiteness, gender and European background were also an issue discussed both in the media and among the members of our theatrical company when decisions had to be made regarding where the lines of belonging lie and why. The article suggests that open discussions of this nature might be helpful in terms of de-mystifying the cultural challenges and subverting patriarchal notions of production of knowledge in which the myth of objectivity is still advanced as the only valid scholarly interrogation.
Wu Jianren’s New Story of the Stone and interrogating turn-of-the-century urbanist ideology in China
Authors: Marling Tom
Published: August 2016

Chinese cities experienced both significant material and conceptual changes in the late nineteenth century, but this was not well represented in popular fiction. The influence of an emerging discourse of urbanism does however make its presence felt, and novels like New Story of the Stone turned a satirical eye towards such a discourse. This article considers how New Story comically inhabits the contrast between the ‘barbarian’ and ‘civilized’ cities that was shaping proto-urbanism in China, but in doing so engages with more complex issues of ‘inhabiting’ and ‘habitat’. By considering the polyphony inherent to the concept of urban barbarity, and contrasting this with the anodyne homogeneity of civility in the city, Wu Jianren leverages his own personal engagement with ‘writing’ cities to undermine a burgeoning functionalism and positivism surrounding the city in modernizing China.
A Bildungsroman for a waterfront development: Literary genre and the planning narratives of Jätkäsaari, Helsinki
Authors: Ameel Lieven
Published: August 2016

This article examines the narratives involved in the planning of Jätkäsaari (Helsinki), an industrial harbour environment currently being redeveloped. It starts out with an analysis of Hyvä jätkä/Good Chap (Hannu Mäkelä, 2009), a literary novel commissioned by the city to promote the area, arguing that this cultural product should not be seen merely as a piece of cultural branding. Rather, the novel’s fictional construction of the area’s past and future draws attention to the narrative characteristics of planning itself. Using the concepts of literary genre and metaphor, an examination of Jätkäsaari’s planning narratives shows the ambivalent and often contradictory planning visions of the area. This study aims at re-examining the considerable research tradition in urban and planning studies that sees urban planning as a form of storytelling, by applying concepts from literary and narrative theory to the analysis of planning narratives.
Festival and tradition in contemporary Florence
Authors: Frost Christian
Published: August 2016

Certain sectors of the heritage and tourist industry argue that cities with art historical significance should be re-categorized as ‘museum cities’ because visitors intent on acquiring particular limited ‘consumer’ experiences outnumber the local population. Using the Feast Day of San Giovanni in Florence, Italy, as a focus this article questions this assumption. By evaluating the form of the feast day events and their relationship to the urban landscape, some of the historical conditions that have shaped the city are revealed. These conditions, understood as civic praxis, are accessible to everyone (to different degrees) and suggest Florence is anything but a museum.
Tracing the Politics of Urbanism and Abjection: Space and Identity in Trainspotting
Authors: Salvador D’Ambrosio Gabriela
Published: August 2016

Given the fundamental role cities play in the experience of modernity and postmodernity, this article studies the interaction existing between urban space and the individuals who inhabit it in the context of Irvine Welsh’s novel, Trainspotting. A multidisciplinary approach combining theories on the city and queer theory explores the subject/space dialectics by which each of them intervenes in the construction of the other. The analysis of this process centres around three main issues – urbanism, abjection and movement – and their underlying ideology.
Distribution of genetic diversity in Fagus sylvatica at the north-eastern edge of the natural range
Authors: Kempf Marta , Konnert Monika
Published: August 2016

An understanding of the genetic variation of the beech, especially at the edge of its natural distribution, is essential because of the change in natural distribution of the species resulting from changing climatic conditions. The main aim of the study was to determine the level of genetic diversity of European beech at the north-eastern edge of its natural range. The other aim was to check the genetic variation of beech from the two centres, the north and the south of Poland, which were identified in previous findings based on pollen analyses and phenotypic traits. The research material was the progeny of twelve beech provenances. The genetic structure of the populations was determined by ten highly variable microsatellite DNA loci. The results confirmed the high genetic diversity of beech at the north-eastern edge of its natural distribution, which infers the probability of their good adaptation to the changing climate and an extension of the range. Genetic analyses confirmed the existence of two genetic centres for beech in Poland. The populations from south-eastern Poland had a slightly higher diversity than the populations from the north-western area, which may indicate that the colonisation of Poland occurred by two routes. The results are important for creating the borders of the provenance regions and for limiting the transfer of seeds and seedlings. The choice of forest reproductive material, based on the knowledge of genetic diversity, is very important for the stability of future forests.
Uma análise variacionista da harmonia vocálica do português brasileiro no dialeto de jovens de Porto Alegre
Authors: Fernandes Dinar Fontoura
Published: August 2016

Este estudo investiga, no português brasileiro, a elevação variável das vogais médias em pauta pretônica seguidas de vogal alta em sílaba seguinte, referido como harmonia vocálica, como em av[e]nida~av[i]nida, p[o]lítica~p[u]lítica. Os dados foram analisados quantitativamente à luz dos pressupostos da Sociolinguística Variacionista, Labov (1965,1972). O tema já foi objeto de análise de diversos pesquisadores no Brasil, como Bisol (1981), Schwindt (1995) e Casagrande (2003). A amostra desta pesquisa faz parte do projeto Variação Linguística do Sul do País (VARSUL). Constitui-se de entrevistas de 19 informantes, jovens de 16 a 23 anos, da cidade de Porto Alegre, RS. Uma tentativa de generalizações de resultados foi feita com outros estudos. A análise estatística mostrou que a regra de harmonia vocálica é de uso relativamente baixo na comunidade estudada, e a elevação de /e/ é levemente mais frequente do que a de /o/. Quanto a possíveis generalizações, por meio do estudo comparativo, a análise permitiu duas: vogais contíguas na sílaba seguinte a vogal alvo e vogais átonas sem status definido, os quais favorecem a elevação de ambas as pretônicas. De acordo com os resultados, constata-se que a regra de harmonia mantém-se como variável estável, como verificado em amostras precedentes.
A tradução literária como locus para uma reflexão sobre a influência dos discursos coloniais a partir da análise de Sleepwalking Land
Authors: Maia Iá Niani Belo , Branco Sinara de Oliveira
Published: August 2016

O objetivo do presente artigo é discutir as estratégias utilizadas na tradução da obra Terra Sonâmbula para o inglês, Sleepwalking Land. Posto que a escrita de Mia Couto se realiza enquanto modo de ruptura de uma lógica ocidental, evidenciada no caráter contraventor de suas narrativas, observamos de que forma o tradutor lidou com algumas especificidades linguísticas presentes em Terra Sonâmbula. Em seguida, direcionamos a análise para a apreciação da importância cultural nos estudos da tradução, buscando compreender como os elementos locais da cultura moçambicana foram transpostos para o contexto da língua inglesa em Sleepwalking Land, a partir das estratégias de domesticação e estrangeirização, discutidas por Venuti (1995), e das tendências deformadoras na tradução literária, debatidas por Berman (2012). Os resultados demonstram que a estratégia de domesticação foi predominante em Sleepwalking Land, causando a mitigação das significâncias culturais presentes em Terra Sonâmbula. Quanto à estratégia de estrangeirização, as conclusões apontam para um processo de ressignificação cultural não menos coercitivo, uma vez que contribui para perpetuação de estereótipos e compromete a simetria da inter-relação cultural.
Métodos de pesquisa em Antroponomástica
Authors: Sipavicius Seide Marcia
Published: August 2016

Com o objetivo de fornecer aos interessados pela área um retrato mostrando a diversidade e a riqueza deste campo de estudo, este trabalho apresenta uma análise das pesquisas relatadas em amostra formada por 33 artigos.Esses artigos foram publicados em 2014 nos Anais relativos ao 24º. encontro do Conselho Internacional de Onomástica, International Counsil of Onomastics (ICOS), realizado entre 05 e 09 de setembro de 2011, em Barcelona, Espanha. Espera-se que esta revisão possa servir como ponto de partida para os que se iniciam nos estudos antroponomásticos.
As pesquisas sobre o português falado em Minas Gerais em 125 anos de história (1889-2014)
Authors: Amaral Eduardo Tadeu Roque , Santos Marcos Paulo
Published: August 2016

O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar uma análise historiográfica do conjunto de obras que investigaram, durante o período de 1889 a 2014, diferentes fenômenos linguísticos da língua portuguesa falada no estado de Minas Gerais. Os pressupostos teóricos adotados se baseiam nos estudos de Historiografia da Linguística, como Altman (1998, 2012), Batista (2013), Koerner (1995, 2004) e Swiggers (2009, 2013). O corpus de análise está constituído por livros, dissertações e teses que, sob diferentes enfoques metodológicos, se propuseram a investigar distintos fenômenos do português oral no estado. A coleta dos dados se deu em páginas eletrônicas de programas de pós-graduação, em acervos de bibliotecas e nos bancos de dados do IBICT e da CAPES. A análise do conjunto de obras permite estabelecer uma periodização dos trabalhos em três fases (1889 a 1937; 1938 a 1976; 1977 a 2014), sendo a terceira a mais fértil para a produção linguística sobre a modalidade oral da língua portuguesa. Observa-se ainda que a pesquisa de pós-graduação, especialmente no nível de mestrado, é a responsável por um acentuado aumento na pesquisa linguística sobre o tema, o que se deu sobretudo a partir dos primeiros anos do século XXI.
Ethnography, superdiversity and linguistic landscapes
Authors: Flannery Mércia Regina Santana
Published: August 2016

O texto avalia a publicação de Jan Blommaert, Ethnography, Superdiversity and Linguistic Landscapes, de 2013. Blommaert atualiza os estudos etnográficos, dando atenção ao espaço físico caracterizado por "super-diversidade" e a como este contexto influencia as interações sociais mediadas pela linguagem.
Relações dialógicas no gênero discursivo projeto cultural
Authors: Queiroz Inti Anny
Published: August 2016

O presente artigo busca analisar algumas das relações dialógicas que incidem diretamente no gênero discursivo projeto cultural. Observaremos o dialogismo que ocorre entre enunciados na inscrição de projetos nos órgãos de cultura, suas relações com as leis de incentivo à cultura correspondentes, seus respectivos manuais e formulários de inscrição. Em um segundo momento, analisaremos as relações dialógicas com discursos de outras esferas ideológicas de influência recíproca. Utilizaremos os conceitos teóricos do Círculo de Bakhtin para melhor evidenciar nossos argumentos. Buscaremos demonstrar que a esfera político-cultural, bem como seus enunciados, são constituídos pelo dialogismo com os discursos das esferas de influência recíproca.
Onde está a LIBRAS? Uma reflexão sobre a Língua Brasileira de Sinais no cenário da Linguística Aplicada Brasileira.
Authors: Souza Isabelle Lima , Barcelos Ana Maria Ferreira
Published: August 2016

O presente artigo visa refletir acerca da Língua Brasileira de Sinais (LIBRAS) como um campo de estudo para a Linguística Aplicada Brasileira. Pretende-se realizar um mapeamento dos artigos acadêmicos produzidos a respeito dessa língua entre os anos de 2009 a 2014, no intuito de perceber: quais foram os trabalhos na área; qual é foco dado a LIBRAS e como esta língua é abordada pelos Linguistas Aplicados. Para isso, realizamos uma pesquisa documental dos periódicos disponíveis no portal da CAPES. Os dados foram categorizados de acordo com eixos temáticos, e foi feita uma correlação destes com as áreas temáticas da Congresso Brasileiro de Linguística Aplicada (CBLA), a fim de pensarmos como as discussões acerca da LIBRAS foram desenvolvidas nos últimos cinco anos e quais os principais desafios para o futuro.
A mudança linguística no emprego do artigo no português
Authors: Floripi Simone
Published: August 2016

Este trabalho trata da mudança que ocorreu nos padrões de aplicação do determinante em sintagmas nominais possessivos do Português Brasileiro (PB) nos séculos 18 e 19 e do Português Clássico (PC) do século 16 ao século 19. Conforme estudos anteriores (Floripi 2008, 2014), verificamos que o emprego do artigo em períodos anteriores do Português Europeu (PE) era reduzido, mas sofreu um paulatino aumento ao longo dos séculos até sua obrigatoriedade atual em contextos específicos. Faremos uma investigação diacrônica em relação ao emprego do artigo por meio de dados da língua portuguesa. Abordaremos o estudo de Kabatek (2007) a respeito do artigo nas línguas românicas no intuito de trazer para discussão seus dados sobre um possível panorama de mudança e corroborá-los a partir dos resultados obtidos na presente pesquisa.
Identidade de velhos: modos de identificação e discursos de resistência na velhice
Authors: Lima Sostenes Cezar de , Lima Priscilla Melo Ribeiro de , Coroa Maria Luiza Monteiro Sales
Published: August 2016

Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar os modos de resistência identitária presentes em discursos autobiográficos de sujeitos velhos. Concebemos as práticas de resistência identitária como formas de ação social através das quais padrões identitários hegemônicos são contestados em favor da promoção e valorização de novas formas de identificação. Os discursos de resistência identitária associados à velhice constituem um conjunto de atos discursivos por meio dos quais se contesta o modo como o velho é identificado, tendo a juventude como base identitária. Na esteira da resistência, são construídas para o velho novas formas de identificação e novas formas de estar-no-mundo próprias da velhice. A partir de um embasamento teórico assentado na Análise Crítica do Discurso (ADC) e na Psicanálise, buscamos mostrar nas crônicas autobiográficas de Rachel de Queiroz e Rubem Alves os discursos que constroem uma identificação dissidente para a velhice. Foram selecionadas seis crônicas, nas quais encontramos um discurso de resistência à identificação social da velhice como dócil, assexuada e decrépita. Além do aspecto crítico, os escritores se engajam num discurso que visa à transformação dos modos de identificação do velho, especialmente a identificação que reduz o velho a um indivíduo à espera da morte.
Expansão semântica do onde: para onde está indo?
Authors: Assis Jacqueline Borges
Published: August 2016

O objetivo deste estudo é analisar funções e valores assumidos pelo item onde em seus empregos “desviantes” no Português do Brasil - PB, a partir de exemplos extraídos de documentos e artigos a serem publicados em revistas acadêmicas de uma instituição de ensino superior de Minas Gerais/ Brasil. Como procedimento metodológico adotou-se a análise qualitativa interpretativista de um corpus constituído por 68 ocorrências. A hipótese que norteou o estudo é a de que o onde passa por um processo de gramaticalização, no qual há abstratização de seu sentido original de ‘lugar em que’. Em seus empregos emergentes, observa-se a ocorrência de onde tanto sem o valor funcional de pronome relativo a espaço físico, como fazendo referência a categorias não locativas, ou sem referência anafórica, como operador argumentativo. Sugere-se, assim, que há neste processo dois aspectos da semântica atuando simultaneamente: a modificação semântica, com a expansão de valores, e a incorporação das propriedades de operador argumentativo. Como aporte teórico toma os estudos sobre Gramaticalização (Hopper e Traugott, 1993); da Semântica Cognitiva (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980) e da Semântica Argumentativa (Ducrot, 1989). Os novos valores de onde constituem a sua polissemia. O falante conceitualiza essas ocorrências do onde como se estivessem dentro de alguma coisa, num espaço virtual. O estudo conclui que a mudança semântica de onde parece caminhar no sentido de torná-lo, mais que um relativo “curinga”, um marcador discursivo.
Review on experimental study of Nd:YAG laser beam welding, with a focus on aluminium metal matrix composites
Authors: Banerjee Amit Jyoti , Biswal Manoja Kumar , Lohar A K , Chattopadhyay H , Hanumaiah Naga
Published: August 2016

The demand for high performance materials particularly in aviation and automobile industries gradually increases, CO2 and Nd: YAG lasers are becoming most popular in processing these advanced materials. In this context, one of the most important process is joining by welding. It has been a constant endeavour by researchers to explore various methods and techniques to enhance the process efficiency of autogenous Nd: YAG laser welding of various materials i.e. without any filler materials. In this work, we present a comprehensive review of major research findings for the last decades or so, obtained by researchers about the effect of process parameters on autogenous laser beam welding (LBW) process performance. Main objective of such experimental research was to improve laser weld quality such as tensile strength, weld micro structure, heat affected zone (HAZ), weld penetration etc. In this paper, discussions are also made about different parameter optimisation techniques, design of experiments (DOE), modelling and simulation techniques, adopted by different researchers to achieve optimum weld quality. This review tries to bring out a foresight for direction of further research needed in this field.
Effects of food-chain mediated metal exposures on phosphatases’ profile in rats
Authors: Ovie Richard , Asagba Samuel
Published: August 2016

This study seeks at investigating the separate and combined toxicities of Arsenic (As) and Cadmium (Cd) administered along food-chain. The natural food-chain was mimicked by exposing rats to diet containing milled Cd and As-exposed (at a dose of 0.4mg/100ml each) catfish as source of protein. Control groups were fed with normal formulated rat feed with non-metal contaminated fish as source of protein. The effects of Cd and As exposures were sought by determining indices of plasma and lysosomal membrane integrity in plasma and organs of the rats after three months exposure time. The results depict that Cd and As exposures in the rats led to bioaccumulation of the metals in their plasma and organs. The results gotten revealed significance (p<0.05) in gain of body weight in both Cd and As exposed rats when control is compared to them. Phosphatases’ activities (ALP and ACP) in the plasma and vital organs were also significant in the metal inoculated rats when the control is compared to them. These results explained that arsenic and cadmium forms free radicals which cause stress due to oxidation, kidney impairment and immunologic disorders.