bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variation and Trends in Lower Extremity Amputation Rates in Los Angeles County Hospitals 2000-2010
Authors: Jindeel Ayad , Gessert Charles , Johnson Brian P.
Published: June 2016

Lower extremity amputation (LEA) is a preventable complication of diabetes and peripheral vascular disease. Hospital-related factors associated with higher LEA are low hospital LEA revascularization volume, rural setting, and nonteaching status. In this study, we describe LEA rates in health care systems and hospitals in Los Angeles County from 2000 to 2010. Data on hospital discharges in Los Angeles County from 2000 to 2010 were obtained from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. LEA rates were adjusted for clinical and demographic variables including age, sex, race, source of health care payment, diabetes, and peripheral vascular disease. Adjusted LEA rates over the study period were analyzed by category of hospital (municipal, nonprofit/non-Kaiser, Kaiser, and private), and for changes in rates in each hospital over the study period. Over the 11-year study period the LEA rates increased for municipal hospitals, while decreasing for the other 3 categories of hospitals. Among the 84 hospitals included in the final analysis, 41 hospitals had higher than average relative risk for LEA in 2007-2010. Among these hospitals 12 had higher than average decline in LEA rate between 2000-2003 and 2007-2010. The other 29 hospitals had not lowered the LEA rate as much as the whole County over the study period. After adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, the relative risk for LEA among hospitals varied by 7.5-fold. Significant variability was found both within each of the 4 types of hospitals, and between the 4 types. Hospitals also varied in the degree that they lowered their LEA rates. This study demonstrated that health care systems and hospitals are associated with significant disparity in LEA rates among socioeconomic groups and geographical regions.
Successful Conservative Treatment of a Kommerell Aneurysm Associated With Right-Sided Aortic Arch
Authors: Lococo Filippo , Tusini Nicola , Brandi Loris , Leuzzi Giovanni , Galeone Carla , Paci Massimiliano , Rapicetta Cristian
Published: June 2016

Right-side aortic arch is a rare congenital aortic anomaly occurring in 0.05% to 0.1% of the general population. Approximately, half of these cases may be associated with an aberrant left subclavian artery and occasionally with aneurysmatic change at its origin known as Kommerell diverticulum or aneurysm (KA). Herein we report a challenging case of a right-side aortic arch associated with KA incidentally observed in a 73-year-old male with metastatic lung cancer. After careful multidisciplinary discussion, a conservative strategy of care was successfully adopted.
The Role of the Model of End-Stage Liver Disease Score in Predicting Outcomes of Carotid Endarterectomy
Authors: Krafcik Brianna M. , Farber Alik , Eslami Mohammad H. , Kalish Jeffrey A. , Rybin Denis , Doros Gheorghe , King Elizabeth G. , Siracuse Jeffrey J.
Published: June 2016

Objectives:

The Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score has been traditionally utilized to prioritize for liver transplantation; however, recent literature has shown its value in predicting surgical outcomes for patients with hepatic dysfunction. The benefit of carotid endarterectomy in asymptomatic patients is dependent on low perioperative morbidity. Our objective was to use MELD score to predict outcomes in asymptomatic patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy.

Methods:

Patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy were identified in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data sets from 2005 to 2012. The Model of End-Stage Liver Disease score was calculated using serum bilirubin, creatinine, and the international normalized ratio (INR). Patients were grouped into low (<9), moderate (9-14), and high (15+) MELD classifications. The effect of the MELD score on postoperative morbidity and mortality was assessed by multivariable logistic and gamma regressions and propensity matching.

Results:

There were 7966 patients with asymptomatic carotid endarterectomy identified. The majority 5556 (70%) had a low MELD score, 1952 (25%) had a moderate MELD score, and 458 (5%) had a high MELD score. High MELD score was independently predictive of postoperative death, increased length of stay, need for transfusion, pulmonary complications, and a statistical trend toward increased cardiac arrest/myocardial infarction. The Model of End-Stage Liver Disease score did not affect postoperative stroke, wound complications, or operative time.

Conclusion:

High MELD score places asymptomatic patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy at a higher risk of adverse outcomes in the 30 days following surgery. This provides further empirical evidence for risk stratification when considering treatment for these patients. Outcomes of medical management or carotid stenting should be investigated in high-risk patients.
Does Wearable Medical Technology With Video Recording Capability Add Value to On-Call Surgical Evaluations?
Authors: Gupta Sameer , Boehme Jacqueline , Manser Kelly , Dewar Jannine , Miller Amie , Siddiqui Gina , Schwaitzberg Steven D.
Published: June 2016

Background. Google Glass has been used in a variety of medical settings with promising results. We explored the use and potential value of an asynchronous, near-real time protocol—which avoids transmission issues associated with real-time applications—for recording, uploading, and viewing of high-definition (HD) visual media in the emergency department (ED) to facilitate remote surgical consults. Study Design. First-responder physician assistants captured pertinent aspects of the physical examination and diagnostic imaging using Google Glass’ HD video or high-resolution photographs. This visual media were then securely uploaded to the study website. The surgical consultation then proceeded over the phone in the usual fashion and a clinical decision was made. The surgeon then accessed the study website to review the uploaded video. This was followed by a questionnaire regarding how the additional data impacted the consultation. Results. The management plan changed in 24% (11) of cases after surgeons viewed the video. Five of these plans involved decision making regarding operative intervention. Although surgeons were generally confident in their initial management plan, confidence scores increased further in 44% (20) of cases. In addition, we surveyed 276 ED patients on their opinions regarding concerning the practice of health care providers wearing and using recording devices in the ED. The survey results revealed that the majority of patients are amenable to the addition of wearable technology with video functionality to their care. Conclusions. This study demonstrates the potential value of a medically dedicated, hands-free, HD recording device with internet connectivity in facilitating remote surgical consultation.
Vibration reduction in beam bridge under moving loads using nonlinear smooth and discontinuous oscillator
Authors: Tian Ruilan , Yang Xinwei , Zhang Qin , Guo Xiuying
Published: June 2016

The coupled system of smooth and discontinuous absorber and beam bridge under moving loads is constructed in order to detect the effectiveness of smooth and discontinuous absorber. It is worth pointing out that the coupled system contains an irrational restoring force which is a barrier for conventional nonlinear techniques. Hence, the harmonic balance method and Fourier expansion are used to obtain the approximate solutions of the system. The first and the second kind of generalized complete elliptic integrals are introduced. Furthermore, using power flow approach, the performance of smooth and discontinuous absorber in vibration reduction is estimated through the input energy, the dissipated energy, and the damping efficiency. It is interesting that only depending on the value of the smoothness parameter, the efficiency parameter of vibration reduction is optimized. Therefore, smooth and discontinuous absorber can adapt itself to effectively reducing the amplitude of the vibration of the beam bridge, which provides an insight to the understanding of the applications of smooth and discontinuous oscillator in engineering and power flow characteristics in nonlinear system.
Effect of vibratory stress relief on fatigue life of aluminum alloy 7075-T651
Authors: Song Jing , Zhang Yidu
Published: June 2016

Vibratory stress relief is a green and efficient aging technology compared with traditional natural stress relief and thermal stress relief. The research aimed to determine whether vibratory stress relief is feasible to improve the fatigue life of aluminum alloy 7075-T651 or not. Under the same resonance frequency, analyses and comparisons of the residual stress distributions before and after vibratory stress relief are presented with X-ray method. Experimental results indicate that vibratory stress relief is effective in reducing and equilibrating residual stresses. Through uniaxial tension–compression fatigue tests, we obtained the S–N curves for specimens under states of original and varying exciting forces. Findings led to the conclusion that vibratory stress relief can improve the fatigue life of aluminum alloy 7075-T651 when dynamic stress does not exceed 8% of the yield strength.
Development of a bi-directional electrohydrodynamic pump: Parametric study with numerical simulation and flow visualization
Authors: Cho Dong Sik , Kang Sangmo , Suh Yong Kweon
Published: June 2016

We propose a bi-directional electrohydrodynamic pump developed for transporting dielectric liquid, where the electrodes are symmetrically configured but the applied voltage is non-symmetric. The underlying principle for liquid transport comes from the so-called Onsager effect, which states that the ion concentration is increased as the electric field is increased. Multi-physics software is used to perform numerical simulation for the fluid flow, the electric potential, and the transport of ion concentrations for two kinds of electrode patterns. A flow-visualization experiment is also conducted to verify the physical models and numerical methods employed. It is found that significant reduction of the ion recombination constant is required to get matching of the experimental and simulation results. We demonstrate through a parametric study that there is an optimum distance between two large grounded electrodes for producing a maximum pumping velocity at the diameter of two small electrodes fixed at 0.3 mm. The effect of the size of large grounded electrodes on the pumping performance is also studied in terms of streamlines, electric field, and charge distribution. A general account is also given of the basic ideas of electrode arrangement for the enhancement of pumping.
Mainstream media’s coverage of the Gezi protests and protesters’ perception of mainstream media
Authors: Oz Mustafa
Published: June 2016

This article seeks to analyse how different sets of media covered the Gezi protests, whether the protest paradigm model varied according to the ideological leanings of newspapers, and whether social media created an alternative way for citizens to gather information while bypassing domestic news media. Furthermore, the study examines protesters’ perceptions of mainstream media coverage of the Gezi Park protests. It is important to understand how the exchange of information and idea flows in a polarized media environment and social media tools affected this process in Turkey.
Early neurological stability predicts adverse outcome after acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Irvine Hannah J , Battey Thomas WK , Ostwaldt Ann-Christin , Campbell Bruce CV , Davis Stephen M , Donnan Geoffrey A , Sheth Kevin N , Kimberly W Taylor
Published: June 2016

Background

Deterioration in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) in the early days after stroke is associated with progressive infarction, brain edema, and/or hemorrhage, leading to worse outcome.

Aims

We sought to determine whether a stable NIHSS score represents an adverse or favorable course.

Methods

Brain magnetic resonance images from a research cohort of acute ischemic stroke patients were analyzed. Using NIHSS scores at baseline and follow-up (day 3–5), patients were categorized into early neurological deterioration (ΔNIHSS ≥ 4), early neurological recovery (ΔNIHSS ≤ −4) or early neurological stability (ΔNIHSS between −3 and 3). The association between these categories and volume of infarct growth, volume of swelling, parenchymal hemorrhage, and 3-month modified Rankin Scale score were evaluated.

Results

Patients with early neurological deterioration or early neurological stability were less likely to be independent (modified Rankin Scale = 0–2) at 3 months compared to those with early neurological recovery ( P < 0.001). Patients with early neurological deterioration or early neurological stability were observed to have significantly greater infarct growth and swelling volumes than those with early neurological recovery ( P = 0.03; P < 0.001, respectively). Brain edema was more common than the other imaging markers investigated and was independently associated with a stable or worsening NIHSS score after adjustment for age, baseline stroke volume, infarct growth volume, presence of parenchymal hemorrhage, and reperfusion ( P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Stable NIHSS score in the subacute period after ischemic stroke may not be benign and is associated with tissue injury, including infarct growth and brain edema. Early improvement is considerably more likely to occur in the absence of these factors.
Melanoma risk: adolescent females’ perspectives on skin protection pre/post-viewing a ultraviolet photoaged photograph of their own facial sun damage
Authors: Eastabrook Suzette , Chang Paul , Taylor Myra F.
Published: June 2016

Suntanning increases skin cancer risk and prematurely ages skin. Photoageing photography is an effective means of increasing adult ultraviolet radiation (UVR) awareness and skin-protection practices. While adults’ largely positive suntanning-deterrence responses to photoageing photography are well-documented, comparatively little is known about the deterrence effectiveness of photoageing photography with adolescents. To help fill this knowledge gap, in-depth interviews were collected from 10 adolescent females and were subsequently subjected to interpretive phenomenological analysis. The emergent central theme – Having a tan and looking good in the short-term is okay, however, in the longer-term you can end up looking far worse… but still a tan is worth it – and its component subthemes reveal that the adolescent female’s desire for a suntan is largely appearance driven. While photoaged photography is effective in increasing their awareness of the skin damage that UVR exposure causes, it does not alter their suntanning intentions. The analysis also revealed that one of the major barriers to adolescent females’ adoption of skin-protective behaviours is their belief in their own invincibility. Hence, skin-protection interventions that lessen the aura of invincibility around adolescent females’ understanding of their risk for developing skin cancers are vital to reducing the incidence of malignant melanoma.
Pitfalls and promises of transparency in the digital age
Authors: Vujnovic Marina , Kruckeberg Dean
Published: June 2016

This article re-examines transparency as it is conceptualized in communication, particularly in public relations, and it introduces the concept of pseudo-transparency. Transparency in the public relations literature is rarely examined from a critical perspective. We conclude from our re-examination that transparency is a product of modernism and neoliberalism; as such, we argue that the concept is used by organizations, that is, governments, civil society organizations, and corporations, to reproduce and to maintain a status quo to be accepted without interrogation or critical inquiry. Based on this re-examination, we advocate that public relations practitioners must be at the forefront in resolving ethical issues that are related to transparency and to pseudo-transparency in contemporary global society.
The Great War, military recruitment and the public relations work of the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, 1914–1915
Authors: Maartens Brendan
Published: June 2016

Several historians have acknowledged the impact of the First World War on the development of public relations in Britain. However, while there remains a general recognition of the importance of the war in fostering new forms of public relations practice, few studies of major practitioners or organisations have been carried out. Focusing on the period immediately following the declaration of war and using the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee as a case study, this article seeks to fill in some of the gaps that have emerged in the literature. Tasked with boosting enlistment in the armed forces, the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee occupied a central place in the government’s wartime communications machinery. Though usually studied for its advertising and poster work, a case is made here for an understanding of the Committee as an early public relations organisation which boasted some of the features, and much of the spirit, of later ventures in the field. Its work, which involved an extensive programme of public events, a major campaign of public opinion research and an attempt to influence newspaper coverage of recruitment, suggests a need to revise traditional conceptions of Great War propaganda. Yet it also has significant implications for the history of public relations in Britain and the relationship the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee shared to similar organisations set up in other countries at the same time.
The Effect of Topical Rosa damascena (Rose) Oil on Pregnancy-Related Low Back Pain
Authors: Shirazi Mahbobeh , Mohebitabar Safieh , Bioos Sodabeh , Yekaninejad Mir Saeed , Rahimi Roja , Shahpiri Zahra , Malekshahi Farhad , Nejatbakhsh Fatemeh
Published: June 2016

The study aimed to assess the efficacy of topical rose oil in women with pregnancy-related low back pain. A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 120 women with pregnancy-related low back pain. Patients were allocated to 3 parallel groups to receive topical rose oil (in the carrier of almond oil), placebo (carrier oil), or no intervention. All groups were followed for 4 weeks. All participants were evaluated by Visual Analog Scale and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaires to assess the pain intensity and its impact on daily activities before and after the intervention. Significant decrease in pain intensity compared to carrier oil or no intervention was observed. The rose oil also improves the functional ability of these patients in contrast with no intervention, while its effect on function is not significant compared to carrier oil. Rose oil reduced pregnancy-related low back pain intensity without any significant adverse effect.
Cross-cultural Perspective on Websites of Higher Education in Austria and Russia
Authors: Shyshatska Yuliia
Published: June 2016

This article aims at conducting a cross-cultural comparison of university websites by taking the example of Austria and Russia. Numerous studies in the field of human–computer interaction (HCI) have revealed that cultural differences are likely to be present in website design. The rationale behind this article is twofold. On the one hand, the author pursues her personal interest in the field due to both her own cultural background and the fact that she studies in Austria. On the other hand, there is a scarcity of cross-cultural comparative studies of higher education institution (HEI) websites between Russia and Austria, and thus this study will contribute to the existing body of knowledge. Cultural differences in the design of HEI websites, identified within the scope of this study, may become a helpful tool which universities of both Austria and Russia could use for the English version of their websites in order to make them more culturally appropriate.
An effective and robust method for tracking multiple fish in video image based on fish head detection
Authors: Qian Zhi-Ming , Wang Shuo Hong , Cheng Xi En , Chen Yan Qiu
Published: June 2016

Background

Fish tracking is an important step for video based analysis of fish behavior. Due to severe body deformation and mutual occlusion of multiple swimming fish, accurate and robust fish tracking from video image sequence is a highly challenging problem. The current tracking methods based on motion information are not accurate and robust enough to track the waving body and handle occlusion. In order to better overcome these problems, we propose a multiple fish tracking method based on fish head detection.

Results

The shape and gray scale characteristics of the fish image are employed to locate the fish head position. For each detected fish head, we utilize the gray distribution of the head region to estimate the fish head direction. Both the position and direction information from fish detection are then combined to build a cost function of fish swimming. Based on the cost function, global optimization method can be applied to associate the target between consecutive frames. Results show that our method can accurately detect the position and direction information of fish head, and has a good tracking performance for dozens of fish.

Conclusion

The proposed method can successfully obtain the motion trajectories for dozens of fish so as to provide more precise data to accommodate systematic analysis of fish behavior.
Electron beam induced dehydrogenation of MgH2 studied by VEELS
Authors: Surrey Alexander , Schultz Ludwig , Rellinghaus Bernd
Published: June 2016

Nanosized or nanoconfined hydrides are promising materials for solid-state hydrogen storage. Most of these hydrides, however, degrade fast during the structural characterization utilizing transmission electron microscopy (TEM) upon the irradiation with the imaging electron beam due to radiolysis. We use ball-milled MgH2 as a reference material for in-situ TEM experiments under low-dose conditions to study and quantitatively understand the electron beam-induced dehydrogenation. For this, valence electron energy loss spectroscopy (VEELS) measurements are conducted in a monochromated FEI Titan3 80–300 microscope. From observing the plasmonic absorptions it is found that MgH2 successively converts into Mg upon electron irradiation. The temporal evolution of the spectra is analyzed quantitatively to determine the thickness-dependent, characteristic electron doses for electron energies of both 80 and 300 keV. The measured electron doses can be quantitatively explained by the inelastic scattering of the incident high-energy electrons by the MgH2 plasmon. The obtained insights are also relevant for the TEM characterization of other hydrides.
Perioperative Troponin Screening
Authors: Sessler Daniel I. , Devereaux P. J.
Published: June 2016

Myocardial injury is the most common cause of death during the 30 days after noncardiac surgery. Only 14% of patients who are experiencing a perioperative myocardial infarction will have chest pain, and 65% are entirely clinically silent, which means that they will go undetected without routine troponin screening. Although it is tempting to dismiss asymptomatic troponin elevation, mortality is similar with and without symptoms. Furthermore, mortality at 30 days in patients who have postoperative troponin elevation is a concerning 10%, which represents a 5-fold increase from background risk. Among inpatients ≥45 years of age who are having noncardiac surgery, the number necessary to screen to detect myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery, that would otherwise be missed, is only about 15 patients. Thus, troponin screening seems appropriate for most surgical inpatients who are ≥45 years of age. Potential acute interventions include initiating therapy such as aspirin, statins, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor antihypertensives, along with chronic lifestyle improvements such as smoking cessation, healthful eating, and exercise.
Utilization of Health Care Services among Subgroups of Urban Homeless and Housed Poor
Authors: O'Toole Thomas P. , Gibbon Jeanette L. , Hanusa Barbara H. , Fine Michael J.
Published: June 2016

The objective of this study was to describe health services utilization by homeless and housed poor adults stratified by six-month primary sheltering arrangements. The primary method used in this study was a cross-sectional survey of 373 homeless adults. Interviews at twenty-four community-based sites (in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania) assessed demographic and clinical characteristics, reasons for homelessness, functional status and social support networks, and health services utilization during the previous six months. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified factors independently associated with health services utilization. Subjects were classified as unsheltered, emergency-sheltered, bridge-housed, doubled-up, and housed-poor. The median age of the subjects was 38.4 years; 78.6 percent were African American and 69.9 percent had health insurance. Overall, 62.7 percent reported health services use in the past six months, with significantly more use among emergency-sheltered and bridge-housed subjects than among unsheltered subjects. The study concludes that health services use among the homeless is substantial and is independently associated with sheltering arrangement, comorbid illness, race, health insurance, and social support.
Kashmir
Authors: Nanda Showkat
Published: June 2016

More than 90,000 people have been killed in Kashmir since the armed insurgency broke out in 1989. About eight years ago, the conflict transformed; gun-wielding militants were replaced by stone-throwing young men and boys, but India’s response—sustained oppression by security forces immune from prosecution—remained the same. Photographer Showkat Nanda documents the clashes from the perspectives of Kashmir’s young protesters as well as the grieving mothers and wives of those who have “disappeared.”
The Provocations of Kamel Daoud
Authors: Zerofsky Elisabeth
Published: June 2016

Journalist and translator Elisabeth Zerofsky introduces her deft translation of author Kamel Daoud’s essay on sex in the Muslim world. Daoud’s piece provoked a media frenzy when it was published in France earlier this year. Everyone, including the French prime minister, seemed compelled to weigh in. Zerofsky also translated the correspondence, initially private but later published in Le Monde, between writer Adam Shatz and Daoud in which Shatz calmly confronts his friend over his contentious column. According to Zerofsky, the exchange circles around key questions: “Who has the right to speak on behalf of whom? . . . And, as thousands of refugees from the Middle East arrive in Europe, what discussions are necessary and which, if any, are off limits?”
Coda
Authors: Shay Christopher
Published: June 2016

Throughout history, politicians have wanted to demolish the “noisy, dirty, and confusing” poor neighborhoods of the inner city. World Policy Journal editor Christopher Shay argues that leaders shouldn’t be so disdainful of these areas. Diverse, complex communities can better resist markets shocks than residential or commercial monocultures mandated by the state.
A genetic link between epigenetic repressor AS1-AS2 and a putative small subunit processome in leaf polarity establishment ofArabidopsis
Authors: Matsumura Yoko , Ohbayashi Iwai , Takahashi Hiro , Kojima Shoko , Ishibashi Nanako , Keta Sumie , Nakagawa Ayami , Hayashi Rika , Saéz-Vásquez Julio , Echeverria Manuel , Sugiyama Munetaka , Nakamura Kenzo , Machida Chiyoko , Machida Yasunori
Published: June 2016

Although the DEAD-box RNA helicase family is ubiquitous in eukaryotes, its developmental role remains unelucidated. Here, we report that cooperative action between the Arabidopsis nucleolar protein RH10, an ortholog of human DEAD-box RNA helicase DDX47, and the epigenetic repressor complex of ASYMMETRIC-LEAVES1 (AS1) and AS2 (AS1-AS2) is critical to repress abaxial (ventral) genes ETT/ARF3 and ARF4, which leads to adaxial (dorsal) development in leaf primordia at shoot apices. Double mutations of rh10-1 and as2 (or as1) synergistically up-regulated the abaxial genes, which generated abaxialized filamentous leaves with loss of the adaxial domain. DDX47 is part of the small subunit processome (SSUP) that mediates rRNA biogenesis. In rh10-1 we found various defects in SSUP-related events, such as: accumulation of 35S/33S rRNA precursors; reduction in the 18S/25S ratio; and nucleolar hypertrophy. Double mutants of as2 with mutations of genes that encode other candidate SSUP-related components such as nucleolin and putative rRNA methyltransferase exhibited similar synergistic defects caused by up-regulation of ETT/ARF3 and ARF4. These results suggest a tight link between putative SSUP and AS1-AS2 in repression of the abaxial-determining genes for cell fate decisions for adaxial development.
Diazotrophs: a non-negligible source of nitrogen for the tropical coral Stylophora pistillata
Authors: Benavides Mar , Houlbrèque Fanny , Camps Mercedes , Lorrain Anne , Grosso Olivier , Bonnet Sophie
Published: June 2016

Corals are mixotrophs: they are able to fix inorganic carbon through the activity of their symbiotic dinoflagellates and to gain nitrogen from predation on plankton and uptake of dissolved organic and inorganic nutrients. They also live in close association with diverse diazotrophic communities, inhabiting their skeleton, tissue and mucus layer, which are able to fix dinitrogen (N2). The quantity of fixed N2 transferred to the corals and its distribution within coral compartments as well as the quantity of nitrogen assimilated through the ingestion of planktonic diazotrophs are still unknown. Here we quantify nitrogen assimilation via (i) N2 fixation by symbiont diazotrophs, (ii) ingestion of cultured unicellular diazotrophs, and (iii) ingestion of natural planktonic diazotrophs. We estimate that the ingestion of diazotrophs provides 0.76±0.15 µg N cm−2 h−1, suggesting that diazotrophs represent a non-negligible source of nitrogen for scleractinian corals.
Ελληνικά βιβλία και χειρόγραφα σ' ένα μοναστήρι της βόρειας Μολδαβίας
Authors: Καράς Γιάννης
Published: June 2016

No abstract
Υπόμνημα του J. Sulkowski προς το γαλλικό Υπουργείο των Εξωτερικών για την Οθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία (1796)
Authors: Παπούλια Βασιλική
Published: June 2016

No abstract
K. Kasimati and L. Mousourou (editors), Gender and Immigration, Theoretical references and empirical research, (vol. I), Athens: Gutenberg Publishers, p.p. 299, 2007 (in Greek) E. Kambouri, Gender and Immigration. The everyday life of immigrants from Alba
Authors: Halkias Alexandra
Published: June 2016

No abstract (available). 

K. Kasimati and L. Mousourou (editors), Gender and Immigration, Theoretical references and empirical research, (vol. I), Athens: Gutenberg Publishers, p.p. 299, 2007 (in Greek)

E. Kambouri, Gender and Immigration. The everyday life of immigrants from Albania and Ukrania (vol. II), Athens: Gutenberg Publishers, p.p. 261, 2007 (in Greek)

M. Thanopoulou, Gender and Immigration. Intergenerational relationships and gender relations in families of Albanian immigrants (vol. III), Athens: Gutenberg Publishers, p.p. 268, 2007 (in Greek)

 
Overview of the organization of clinical nutrition in Tartu University Hospital
Authors: Kiisk Liidia
Published: June 2016

The association between poor nutritional status and treatment outcomes as well as increased healthcare costs have been shown in different clinical settings. Rational health care organization including a nutrition therapy is a theme that is in the centre of attention for physicians, health promoters and social workers. The paper demonstrates the organisation of a nutrition therapy at the Tartu University Hospital where counselling of patients and the medical team have gained much attention recently. In connection with the formation of the food service at the Tartu University Hospital on 1 May 1999 new important issues of management and organisation beside specific dietology issues have gained importance in feeding patients. By today the activities of the Tartu University Hospital in the field of nutrition have been reorganised in connection with the introduction of the electronic case history in the years 2008–2009.
Changes of life expectancy in Estonia during the last 70 years
Authors: Tiit Ene-Margit
Published: June 2016

The life expectation characterises the health conditions, especially mortality of a population at the year of calculation. The changes of life expectancy in time characterise the general health trends of a population. The difference between men’s and women’s life expectation in Estonia is large, about 9 years, but the difference of remaining lifetime lessens with age. Life expectancy of both men and women has increased quite rapidly during the last decades, also infant mortality has reached the value typical for highly developed countries (40 times lower level than 70 years ago). International forecasts show that Estonians’ life expectancy will approach to that of Finns by the end of 21st century.
Teaching GLEE-dership
Authors: Sweet Kati , Bruce Jackie
Published: June 2016

In a world where more and more emphasis is being put on the importance of teaching leadership skills to work ready undergraduate students, instructors are often met with the challenge of finding current, engaging, real world examples to use in their classrooms. In the case of this application, the instructors propose the use of the characters and video clips from current Fox Network television show Glee to aid in the instruction of Blake & Mouton’s Leadership Grid during a larger discussion of leadership styles.
Surfacing Authentic Leadership: Inspiration from After Life
Authors: Billsberry Jon , North-Samardzic Andrea
Published: June 2016

This paper advocates an innovative approach to help leadership students analyze, capture, and remember the nature of their authentic leadership. This developmental activity was inspired by the Japanese film, Wandâfuru raifu (After Life) (Kore-Eda, Sato, & Shigenobu, 1998), in which the recently deceased are asked to recall and relate a memory that symbolizes all that is important to them. After this memory is replayed to them the recently deceased move on to the afterlife and keep the memory prominent in their minds for eternity. This activity is applied to authentic leadership by asking leadership students to recall their family, personal, and work histories as they relate to their leadership. To bring this activity up to date and into the real world, the students are asked to tell their story directly to a camera in front of a green screen. In postproduction, images related to the students’ stories are keyed in to replace the green screen thereby creating powerful memories of the factors influencing the students’ authentic leadership. This new technique is proposed as an integrative and memorable activity that captures and synthesizes insights from other authentic leadership exercises while focusing on the actionable lessons. Viewing of the film prior to the teaching event offers the additional benefit of creating an atmosphere of quiet contemplation and reflection in students’ minds.
Nondestructive Classification Analysis of Wood Soaked in Seawater by Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Authors: Kurata Yohei
Published: June 2016

Large amounts of construction wood were generated as disaster waste during the 2011 Tōhoku, Japan, earthquake and tsunami. The construction wood waste had been immersed in seawater and thus contained salts. When the saltwater-immersed wood was incinerated during restoration efforts, dioxins harmful to human health were likely produced. Thus, it is necessary to determine if wood waste had been exposed to saltwater before combustion. Furthermore, online recycling of coastal wood debris containing saltwater could be applied to the disposal of industrial wastes. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was used to distinguish saltwater-immersed wood. Three wood species, Cryptomeria japonica, Chamaecyparis obtuse, and Larix kaempferi, which are commonly used in the construction of Japanese houses, were prepared. Immersion time was changed from 24 to 72 hours to investigate the time-dependent change. NIR spectra were obtained from wood samples before and after immersion in seawater and were used in classification analysis by soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA). For SIMCA at immersion time of 24 hours, the percentage of correct classification was for 94 percent for Cryptomeria japonica, 96 percent for Chamaecyparis obtuse, and 92 percent for Larix kaempferi. There is no difference in the classification accuracy by the wood species and immersion time. Moreover, another classification analysis (partial least-squares discriminant analysis [PLS-DA]) was performed to raise the classification precision. The result of PLS-DA was superior to SIMCA. NIR was a powerful tool in identifying saltwater-immersed wood samples and indicated the possibility of using it at the wood-recycling factory.
Effects of bedrock and surficial deposit composition on moose damage in young forest stands in Finnish Lapland
Authors: Ruuhola Teija , Nikula Ari , Vesa Nivala , Nevalainen Seppo , Matala Juho
Published: June 2016

There is evidence that moose are attracted to fertile growth habitats apparently due to better quality and larger quantities of food. The nutrients in mineral soils originate from the weathering of bedrock and the composition of parental bedrock affects the fertility of produced mineral soil, thus affecting also the import of nutrients into the whole food web. We surveyed the connection between moose damage in forest plantations and the composition of bedrock and surficial deposits in Finnish Lapland. We used a database of compensated moose damage in private forests in years 1997â2010. Undamaged stands in National Forest Inventories (NFI) from years 1986â2008 served as a control data and moose-damaged NFI-stands as a reference data. Bedrock and surficial depositions and the location of studied stands in relation to ancient shorelines were explored by using the digital databases of the Geological Survey of Finland. Moose-damaged stands were concentrated in southwestern and east Lapland in the areas of the PerÃ¤pohja Schist Belt and Laplandâs Greenstone Belt that are both composed of nutrient-rich rocks. The bedrock of damaged stands contained a higher proportion of mafic and alkaline rocks than did the control stands. Moose-damaged stands were pine-dominated and grew in more fertile forest sites than did control stands. Part of pine stands probably located in soils formerly occupied by spruce, which may increase the standsâ vulnerability to biotic threats. Especially, there were relatively more moose damage in pine plantations regenerated on fine-grained mineral soils derived from nutrient rich rocks than in less fertile soils.
Ambiguities in input-output behavior of driven nonlinear systems close to bifurcation
Authors: Reit Marco , Berens Michael , Mathis Wolfgang
Published: June 2016

Since the so-called Hopf-type amplifier has become an established element in the modeling of the mammalian hearing organ, it also gets attention in the design of nonlinear amplifiers for technical applications. Due to its pure sinusoidal response to a sinusoidal input signal, the amplifier based on the normal form of the Andronov-Hopf bifurcation is a peculiar exception of nonlinear amplifiers. This feature allows an exact mathematical formulation of the input-output characteristic and thus deeper insights of the nonlinear behavior. Aside from the Hopf-type amplifier we investigate an extension of the Hopf system with focus on ambiguities, especially the separation of solution sets, and double hysteresis behavior in the input-output characteristic. Our results are validated by a DSP implementation.
Salience and conflict of work and family roles among employed men and women
Authors: Knežević Irena , Gregov Ljiljana , Šimunić Ana
Published: June 2016

The aim of this research was to determine the salience of work and family roles and to study the connection between role salience and the interference of different types of roles among working men and women. Self-assessment measurement scales were applied. The research involved 206 participants; 103 employed married couples from different regions of Croatia. The results show that roles closely connected to family are considered the most salient. However, men are mostly dedicated behaviourally to the role of a worker. Women dedicate more time and energy to the roles of a spouse, a parent, and a family member whereas men are more oriented towards the leisurite role. The highest level of conflict was perceived when it comes to work disturbing leisure. Gender differences appeared only for work-to-marriage conflict, with men reporting higher conflict than women. The research found proof of only some low correlations between the salience of different types of roles and work-family conflict.
Considerations over the floating speed of a particle in vacuum pneumatic conveying sytems in flour milling
Authors: Tanase Tanase
Published: June 2016

The present paper is a theoretical study aiming for to assess the influence of the different factors such as deviation from the spherical form of a particle, specific mass load of the pneumatic conveying pipe and the report between the particle diameter and the pipe diameter, over the floating speed of a particle. For a non-spherical particle, the Magnus force is affecting the floating speed of the given particle by increasing or decreasing it. The equation deducted within the present study, describes the movement of a particle or a fluid swirl under the resultant force with emphasis on the evaluation of the nature and magnitude of the Magnus force. The same Magnus Force explains the movement of the swirls in fluids, as for the wind swirls (hurricane) or water swirls. The next part of the study relate the report between the particle diameter and the pipe diameter as well as the specific loads of the pipe, to the same floating speed. A differentiation in denominating the floating speed is proposed as well as that for the non-spherical particle the floating speed should be a domain, rather than a single value.
The effect of Agricultural Landscape Type on Field Margin Flora in South Eastern Poland
Authors: Wrzesień Małgorzata , Denisow Bożena
Published: June 2016

Plant species diversity is threatened in many agricultural landscapes due to the changes it has to undergo. Although the modification of the agricultural landscape pattern is observed across Europe, both extensive and intensive agricultural landscapes still co-exist in Poland. The objective of the study was to examine the flora in field margins in intensively and extensively managed agricultural landscapes, located across three regions in SE Poland. The flora was compared with respect to species richness, diversity, and evenness indices. Detrended correspondence analysis was employed to characterise variation in species composition. Agricultural landscape type made a higher contribution than the topography or geology to species richness and composition in field margins. Field margins function as important habitats for general vascular plant species diversity and are useful for the conservation of rare, threatened, endangered or bee plants. A significant decline in species diversity was observed over a distance of 1000 m from the habitat elements. Plants growing on field margins are mainly perennials; however participation of annuals clearly increases in intensive landscapes. The participation of wind-dispersed species decreased in an open-spaced intensive landscape. Animal-dispersed plants predominated in an extensive landscape with forest islands. Irrespective of landscape type, native species predominated. However, these habitats create the biota and corridors for alien-invasive species as well.
Early Spring Flora of the Sub-Pannonic Steppic Grassland (NATURA 2000 Site) in Bilje, Northeast Croatia
Authors: Pfeiffer Tanja Žuna , Maronić Dubravka Špoljarić , Zahirović Vanda , Stević Filip , Zjalić Milorad , Kajan Katarina , Ozimec Siniša , Mihaljević Melita
Published: June 2016

The diversity of early spring vascular flora was studied in the Sub-Pannonic steppic grassland in the village of Bilje, north eastern Croatia. In all, 109 plant taxa within 35 families were found. The highest number of taxa belongs to the families Poaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Lamiaceae and Rosaceae. Specific habitat conditions, characterized by moderately wet and moderately acidic soil with intermediate fertility and the effects of the continental climate favour the development of different plant life forms. Out of the total recorded plant taxa, hemicryptophytes make up 59.6%, followed by therophytes (22.0%) and geophytes (13.8%). Chorological analysis shows that the most numerous are plants of Eurasian (33.9%), Pontic-Central-Asian (21.1%) and Central European (21.1%) floral elements. According to their status in the Red List, three critically endangered (CR), one vulnerable (VU) and three nearly threatened (NT) plant species were found. Altogether, the steppe-like grassland in Bilje is a unique habitat rich in valuable plants of the Croatian flora, including the critically endangered Doronicum hungaricum, therefore it is of great importance to preserve it. Important management tools include mowing and controlling the spreading of cultivated and invasive plant species.
Small-signal input characteristics of step-down and step-up converters in various conduction modes
Authors: Janke W. , Walczak M.
Published: June 2016

Small-signal input characteristics of BUCK and BOOST DC-DC power converters in continuous conduction and discontinuous conduction mode have been presented. Special attention is paid to characteristics in discontinuous conduction mode. The input characteristics are derived from the general form of averaged models of converters. The frequency dependence of input admittance and other input characteristics has been observed in a relatively low-frequency range. The analytical formulas derived in the paper are illustrated by numerical calculations and verified by experiments with a laboratory model of BOOST converter. A satisfying level of conformity of calculations and measurements has been obtained.
On analog comparators for CMOS digital pixel applications. A comparative study
Authors: Jendernalik W.
Published: June 2016

Voltage comparator is the only - apart from the light-to-voltage converter - analog component in the digital CMOS pixel. In this work, the influence of the analog comparator nonidealities on the performance of the digital pixel has been investigated. In particular, two versions of the digital pixel have been designed in 0.35 μm CMOS technology, each using a different type of analog comparator. The properties of both versions have been compared. The first pixel utilizes a differential comparator with the increased size and improved electrical performance. The second structure is based on a very simple non-differential comparator with a reduced size and degraded performance. Theoretical analysis of the comparator nonideality effect on the quality of the image obtained from the digital pixel matrix as well as simulation results are provided.
Realization of optical fibers terminated with ball lenses
Authors: Guzowski B. , Lisik Z. , Tosik G.
Published: June 2016

In this article the process of realization of ball-lensed optical fibers is described. The implementation of four different types of ball-lensed optical fibers developed in Optical Fibers Techniques Laboratory at Lodz University of Technology is presented. Focal lengths of the presented microlenses, which were obtained in simulations and measurements, are also shown in this paper.