bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel, integrated PET-guided MRS technique resulting in more accurate initial diagnosis of high-grade glioma
Authors: Kim Ellen S , Satter Martin , Reed Marilyn , Fadell Ronald , Kardan Arash
Published: April 2016

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and lethal malignant glioma in adults. Currently, the modality of choice for diagnosing brain tumor is high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast, which provides anatomic detail and localization. Studies have demonstrated, however, that MRI may have limited utility in delineating the full tumor extent precisely. Studies suggest that MR spectroscopy (MRS) can also be used to distinguish high-grade from low-grade gliomas. However, due to operator dependent variables and the heterogeneous nature of gliomas, the potential for error in diagnostic accuracy with MRS is a concern. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with 11C-methionine (MET) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been shown to add additional information with respect to tumor grade, extent, and prognosis based on the premise of biochemical changes preceding anatomic changes. Combined PET/MRS is a technique that integrates information from PET in guiding the location for the most accurate metabolic characterization of a lesion via MRS. We describe a case of glioblastoma multiforme in which MRS was initially non-diagnostic for malignancy, but when MRS was repeated with PET guidance, demonstrated elevated choline/N-acetylaspartate (Cho/NAA) ratio in the right parietal mass consistent with a high-grade malignancy. Stereotactic biopsy, followed by PET image-guided resection, confirmed the diagnosis of grade IV GBM. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an integrated PET/MRS technique for the voxel placement of MRS. Our findings suggest that integrated PET/MRS may potentially improve diagnostic accuracy in high-grade gliomas.
Gender Clustering in Friendship Networks: Some Sociological Implications
Authors: Kirke Deirdre M.
Published: April 2016

This paper uses a social network approach to examine gender clustering in a complete network of teenagers and their friends. It demonstrates the advantages of using increasingly sophisticated social network techniques, including clustering coefficients and their visualization, and social selection models within the ERGM framework, to visualize and explain the process of clustering which takes place in teenagers' networks. The paper supports previous findings of gender homophily among teenagers in small cliques of friends, provides evidence of clustering among larger groups of friends that differs by gender and evidence that the process of clustering also differs by gender. Males make more friends and form larger clusters than females. Differences in clustering are due to differences in selection (males make more friends), triadic closure (more likely for females) and endogenous effects (impacting more on males). These findings have sociological implications for single-gender and cross-gender influences on teenagers' behaviour, and for the presumed importance of agency (selection) over structure (endogenous effects) on friendship formation.
Why Critical Realism Fails to Justify Critical Social Research
Authors: Hammersley Martyn
Published: April 2016

Many social scientists have argued that research should be designed to perform a ‘critical’ function, in the sense of challenging the socio-political status quo. However, very often, the relationship between the political value judgements underpinning this commitment and the values intrinsic to inquiry, as a distinct form of activity has been left obscure. Furthermore, the validity of those judgements has usually been treated either as obvious or as a matter of personal commitment. But there is an influential tradition of work that claims to derive evaluative and prescriptive conclusions about current society directly from factual investigation of its history and character. In the nineteenth century, Hegel and Marx were distinctive in treating the force of ethical and political ideals as stemming from the process of social development itself, rather than as coming from a separate realm, in the manner of Kant. Of course, the weaknesses of teleological meta-narratives of this kind soon came to be widely recognised, and ‘critical’ researchers rarely appeal to them explicitly today. It is therefore of some significance that, under the banner of critical realism, Bhaskar and others have put forward arguments that are designed to serve a similar function, while avoiding the problems associated with teleological justification. The claim is that it is possible to derive negative evaluations of actions and institutions, along with prescriptions for change, solely from the premise that these promote false ideas, or that they frustrate the meeting of needs. In this article I assess these arguments, but conclude that they fail to provide effective support for a ‘critical’ sociology.
Researching Family Relationships: A Qualitative Mixed Methods Approach
Authors: Gabb Jacqui
Published: April 2016

Research has demonstrated how families are constituted through every day practices of care and emotional investment. In this article I suggest that a mixed methods qualitative approach can add another dimension to sociological understandings of these processes. The integration of different qualitative methods produces a dynamic account of everyday family relationships and experiences of intimacy. It shows how the biographical, experiential and social are interwoven, enabling the fabric of family relationships to be unpicked. Drawing on original data from empirical research, I outline the kinds of material produced by different methods and the usefulness of creativity in research design, including innovative methods such as the emotion map and psycho-social approaches to research. Through case study analysis, I demonstrate how the mixing of methods generates multilayered, richly textured information on family relationships but I caution against tidying up all the empirical loose ends. I suggest that there is analytical benefit in retaining some of the ‘messiness' that comprises connected lives.
OM Matters: The Interaction Effects between Indel and Substitution Costs
Authors: Bison Ivano
Published: April 2016

There is increasing interest in, and use of, Optimal Matching techniques in sequence analysis. In recent years especially, both the uses and the software tools that enable this type of analysis have multiplied. Taking up Abbott's inheritance, many scholars have continued with epistemological and methodological analysis of the application of OM to the social sciences. Nevertheless, many criticisms and doubts have been raised concerning the capacity of the technique to capture common patterns of sequences. Diverse epistemological, methodological and technical questions are awaiting answers. Among the numerous problems one, which has not yet been noticed, concerns the interaction effects between OM elementary operations. This article discusses the interaction effect between indel and substitution costs in Optimal Matching Analysis (henceforth OMA). By means of a simulation based on the eight sequences obtained as element permutation of a binary string of length 3, it will show that varying the substitution and indel costs produces inconsistent results. The article will also show that the sequence patterns obtained from analysis of the distances matrix do not depend on the real existence of common patterns of sequences; rather, they are the result of the interaction effects between the elementary operations of substitution and indel.
Consumer Behavior Research
Authors: Peighambari Kaveh , Sattari Setayesh , Kordestani Arash , Oghazi Pejvak
Published: April 2016

This article analyzes 12 years of recent scholarly research on consumer behavior published in the five leading international journals in this field. Analyzing academic contributions to a specific area of research provides valuable insights into how it has evolved over a defined period. The approach was to briefly discuss content analysis and its application in scholarly literature review studies. The methodology used here involves the classification of topics to evaluate key trends in consumer behavior literature. It includes a ranking of topics published, typology of the published articles, the research classification in terms of methodologies, and analysis techniques. The most cited articles in the field and within each journal are also examined. The comprehensive literature review of consumer behavior research undertaken in this article could advance the discipline of consumer behavior research by elucidating the evolution of consumer behavior literature in the studied period.
Hospitalized Older Adults’ Patient Satisfaction
Authors: Chumbler Neale R. , Otani Koichiro , Desai Samir P. , Herrmann Patrick A. , Kurz Richard S.
Published: April 2016

This article examines the extent to which older adult patients’ perceptions of inpatient dimensions of care experiences are associated with their overall satisfaction. A secondary objective is to determine if these specific care experiences differed between elderly female and male patients. Patient satisfaction data from 6,021 older patients (65 years of age and older) were collected by using the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Survey through telephone interviews of older patients who were recently discharged. Multiple linear regression analyses with older patients’ HCAHPS dimensions (Communication With Nurses, Communication With Doctors, Responsiveness of Hospital Staff, Communication About Medicines, Cleanliness of the Hospital Environment, and Quietness of Hospital Environment) and gender were conducted while controlling for self-rated health status, age, race, and education. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that all of the HCAHPS dimensions were significantly associated with overall satisfaction. Older female patients reported substantially more positive global evaluations than their male counterparts. However, for older male patients, Communication With Doctors was more influential in their ratings of overall satisfaction than for older female patients. For older female patients, Communication With Nurses was more influential in their ratings of overall satisfaction than for older male patients.
Candidate driver genes involved in genome maintenance and DNA repair in Sézary syndrome
Authors: Woollard Wesley J. , Pullabhatla Venu , Lorenc Anna , Patel Varsha M. , Butler Rosie M. , Bayega Anthony , Begum Nelema , Bakr Farrah , Dedhia Kiran , Fisher Joshua , Aguilar-Duran Silvia , Flanagan Charlotte , Ghasemi Aria A. , Hoffmann Ricarda M. , Castillo-Mosquera Nubia , Nuttall Elisabeth A. , Paul Arisa , Roberts Ceri A. , Solomonidis Emmanouil G. , Tarrant Rebecca , Yoxall Antoinette , Beyers Carl Z. , Ferreira Silvia , Tosi Isabella , Simpson Michael A. , de Rinaldis Emanuele , Mitchell Tracey J. , Whittaker Sean J.
Published: April 2016

Key Points

Aberrations in genome maintenance and DNA repair genes including POT1 occur at a high frequency in Sézary syndrome. Candidate driver genes and affected pathways in Sézary syndrome show extensive heterogeneity but overlap with other mature T-cell lymphomas.
Collectivity: Part 1
Authors:   the Camera Obscura collective
Published: April 2016

In honor of the journal's fortieth anniversary, this special issue of Camera Obscura considers theories and practices of collectivity. Camera Obscura has operated through a feminist editorial collective since its beginnings in the 1970s, a time when many forms of cooperative action proliferated. In the last ten to fifteen years, a new constellation of collectives, many international, has emerged in response to new social, economic, and technological conditions. This issue explores the potentials and challenges of collectivity through pieces—both full-length analyses and short-form reflections—that address such topics as collaboration in photography, cinema, and video; utopias and dystopias; history and memory; modes of singleness and of togetherness; technology, embodiment, and intimacy; and feminist and queer collective practices in media and activism in various times and places.
A Permeable Practice: Shortbus and the Politics of Cinematic Collaboration
Authors: Columpar Corinn
Published: April 2016

This article explores the role of collaboration, embodiment, and performance in John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus (US, 2006). It takes its cue from a particularly provocative scene in the film in which a former New York City mayor suggests that it is New Yorkers' “permeability”—their openness to new ideas, new people, and new connections—that makes them sane. This notion provides a way of thinking about the aesthetic and political stakes of a collaborative process of creative production, such as the one employed in the making of Shortbus and made visible in its final form. This essay considers these stakes by discussing Shortbus as both a text and a set of performative practices predicated on embodied engagement and gestural exchange. Serving as a jumping-off point for this endeavor is George Kouvaros's work on another figure in US cinema known for his collaborative ventures, John Cassavetes. What Mitchell and Cassavetes share is an investment in performances that foreground the affective, contingent, and interactive and thereby serve as a site where art and life meet. With its hard-core element, however, Shortbus expands the possibilities of such a meeting in the service of a queer mandate, and the result is a work that constructs the body as a locus of individual and collective agency and collaborative practice as a horizon of creative and political possibility.
Re-epithelialization of cutaneous wounds in adult zebrafish uses a combination of mechanisms at play during wound closure in embryonic and adult mammals
Authors: Richardson Rebecca , Metzger Manuel , Knyphausen Philipp , Ramezani Thomas , Slanchev Krasimir , Kraus Christopher , Schmelzer Elmon , Hammerschmidt Matthias
Published: April 2016

Re-epithelialization of cutaneous wounds in adult mammals takes days to complete and relies on numerous signalling cues and multiple overlapping cellular processes that take place both within the epidermis and in other participating tissues. Re-epithelialization of partial- or full-thickness skin wounds of adult zebrafish, however, is extremely rapid and largely independent of the other processes of wound healing. Live imaging after treatment with transgene-encoded or chemical inhibitors reveals that re-epithelializing keratinocytes repopulate wounds by TGFβ- and integrin-dependent lamellipodial crawling at the leading edges of the epidermal tongue. In addition, re-epithelialization requires long-range Rho kinase-, JNK- and, to some extent, planar cell polarity-dependent epithelial rearrangements within the following epidermis, involving radial intercalations, flattening and directed elongations of cells. These rearrangements lead to a massive recruitment of keratinocytes from the adjacent epidermis and make re-epithelialization independent of keratinocyte proliferation and the mitogenic effect of FGF signalling, which are only required after wound closure, allowing the epidermis outside the wound to re-establish its normal thickness. Together these results demonstrate that the adult zebrafish is a valuable in-vivo model for studying, and visualizing, the processes involved in cutaneous wound closure, facilitating the dissection of direct from indirect, and motogenic from mitogenic effects of genes and molecules affecting wound re-epithelialization.
The EGFR signaling pathway controls gut progenitor differentiation during planarian regeneration and homeostasis
Authors: Barberán Sara , Fraguas Susanna , Cebrià Francesc
Published: April 2016

The planarian Schmidtea mediterranea maintains and regenerates all its adult tissues through the proliferation and differentiation of a single population of pluripotent adult stem cells (ASCs) called neoblasts. Despite recent advances, the mechanisms regulating ASC differentiation into mature cell types are poorly understood. Here, we show that silencing of the planarian EGF receptor egfr-1 by RNA interference (RNAi) impairs gut progenitor differentiation into mature cells, compromising gut regeneration and maintenance. We identify a new putative EGF ligand, nrg-1, the silencing of which phenocopies the defects observed in egfr-1(RNAi) animals. These findings indicate that egfr-1 and nrg-1 promote gut progenitor differentiation, and are thus essential for normal cell turnover and regeneration in the planarian gut. Our study demonstrates that the EGFR signaling pathway is an important regulator of ASC differentiation in planarians.
Primary cilia maintain corneal epithelial homeostasis by regulation of the Notch signaling pathway
Authors: Grisanti Laura , Revenkova Ekaterina , Gordon Ronald E. , Iomini Carlo
Published: April 2016

Primary cilia have been linked to signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation, cell motility and cell polarity. Defects in ciliary function result in developmental abnormalities and multiple ciliopathies. Patients affected by severe ciliopathies such as Meckel syndrome, present several ocular surface disease conditions of unclear pathogenesis. Here we show that primary cilia are predominantly present on basal cells of the corneal epithelium (CE) throughout development and in adult. Conditional ablation of cilia in the CE leads to an increase in proliferation and vertical migration of basal corneal epithelial cells (CEC). A consequent increase in cell density of suprabasal layers results in a thicker than normal CE. Surprisingly, in cilia-deficient CE, cilia-mediated signaling pathways including Hh and Wnt were not affected but the intensity of Notch signaling was severely diminished. While NOTCH1 and NOTCH2 receptors were normally expressed, nuclear NOTCH1 Intracellular Domain (N1ICD) was severely reduced. Postnatal development analysis revealed that in cilia-deficient CEC downregulation of the Notch pathway precedes cell proliferation defects. Thus, we have uncovered a function of the primary cilium in maintaining homeostasis of the CE by balancing proliferation and vertical migration of basal CEC through modulation of Notch signaling.
Functioning of an ABC transporter, Mdr49, in Hh signaling and germ cell migration
Authors: Deshpande Girish , Manry Diane , Jourjine Nicholas , Mogila Vladic , Mozes Henny , Bialistoky Tzofia , Gerlitz Offer , Schedl Paul
Published: April 2016

Coalescence of the embryonic gonad in Drosophila melanogaster requires directed migration of the primordial germ cells (PGCs) towards the somatic gonadal precursor cells (SGPs). It was recently proposed that an ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) transporter, Mdr49, functions in the embryonic mesoderm to facilitate the transmission of the PGC attractant from the SGPs; however, the precise molecular identity of the mdr49 dependent guidance signal remained elusive. Employing the ‘loss’ and ‘gain’ of function strategies we show that mdr49 is a component of the hh pathway and it potentiates the signaling activity. This function is direct as, in mdr49 mutant embryos, Hh ligand is inappropriately sequestered in the hh expressing cells. Our data also suggest that role of Mdr49 is to provide cholesterol for the correct processing of the Hh precursor protein. Supporting this conclusion, PGC migration defects in mdr49 embryos are substantially ameliorated by a cholesterol-rich diet.
Fat3 and Ena/VASP proteins influence the emergence of asymmetric cell morphology in the developing retina
Authors: Krol Alexandra , Henle Steven J. , Goodrich Lisa V.
Published: April 2016

Neurons exhibit asymmetric morphologies throughout development, from migration to the elaboration of axons and dendrites that are correctly oriented for the flow of information. For instance, retinal amacrine cells migrate towards the inner plexiform layer (IPL) and then retract their trailing processes, thereby acquiring a unipolar morphology with a single dendritic arbor restricted to the IPL. Here, we provide evidence that the Fat-like cadherin Fat3 acts during multiple stages of amacrine cell development to orient overall changes in cell shape towards the IPL. Using a time-lapse imaging assay, we found that developing amacrine cells are less directed towards the IPL in the absence of Fat3, during both migration and retraction. Consistent with its predicted role as a cell-surface receptor, Fat3 functions cell-autonomously and is able to influence the cytoskeleton directly via its intracellular domain, which can bind and localize Ena/VASP family actin regulators. Indeed, a change in Ena/VASP protein distribution is sufficient to recapitulate the fat3 mutant amacrine cell phenotype. Thus, Fat-like proteins may control polarized development of tissues by sculpting the cytoskeleton of individual cells.
The first intracellular loop of GLUT4 contains a retention motif
Authors: Talantikite Maya , Berenguer Marion , Gonzalez Teresa , Alessi Marie Christine , Poggi Marjorie , Peiretti Franck , Govers Roland
Published: April 2016

Glucose transporter GLUT4 (also known as SLC2A4) plays a major role in glucose homeostasis and is efficiently retained intracellularly in adipocytes and myocytes. To simplify the analysis of its retention, here, various intracellular GLUT4 domains were fused individually to reporter molecules. Of the four short cytoplasmic loops of GLUT4, only the first nine-residue-long loop conferred intracellular retention of truncated forms of the transferrin receptor and CD4 in adipocytes. In contrast, the same loop of GLUT1 was without effect. The reporter molecules to which the first loop of GLUT4 was fused localized, unlike GLUT4, to the trans-Golgi network (TGN), possibly explaining why these molecules did not respond to insulin. The retention induced by the GLUT4 loop was specific to adipocytes as it did not induce retention in preadipocytes. Of the SQWLGRKRA sequence that constitutes this loop, mutation of either the tryptophan or lysine residue abrogated reporter retention. Mutation of these residues individually into alanine residues in the full-length GLUT4 molecule resulted in a decreased retention for GLUT4-W105A. We conclude that the first intracellular loop of GLUT4 contains the retention motif WLGRK, in which W105 plays a prominent role.
PAX5 interacts with RIP2 to promote NF-κB activation and drug-resistance in B-lymphoproliferative disorders
Authors: Wang Dong , Chen Jingyu , Li Rui , Wu Guolin , Sun Zimin , Wang Zhitao , Zhai Zhimin , Fang Fang , Guo Yugang , Zhong Yongjun , Jiang Ming , Xu Huan , Chen Minhua , Shen Guodong , Sun Jie , Yan Bailing , Yu Chundong , Tian Zhigang , Xiao Weihua
Published: April 2016

Paired box protein 5 (PAX5) plays a lineage determination role in B-cell development. However, high expression of PAX5 has been also found in various malignant diseases, including B-lymphoproliferative disorders (B-LPDs), but its functions and mechanisms in these diseases are still unclear. Here, we show that PAX5 induces drug resistance through association and activation of receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 2 (RIP2; also known as RIPK2), and subsequent activation of NF-κB signaling and anti-apoptosis gene expression in B-lymphoproliferative cells. Furthermore, PAX5 is able to interact with RIP1 and RIP3, modulating both RIP1-mediated TNFR and RIP2-mediated NOD1 and NOD2 pathways. Our findings describe a new function of PAX5 in regulating RIP1 and RIP2 activation, which is at least involved in chemotherapeutic drug resistance in B-LPDs.
Why Is Infant Mortality Higher in the United States than in Europe?
Authors: Chen Alice , Oster Emily , Williams Heidi
Published: April 2016

The United States has higher infant mortality than peer countries. In this paper, we combine microdata from the United States with similar data from four European countries to investigate this US infant mortality disadvantage. The US disadvantage persists after adjusting for potential differential reporting of births near the threshold of viability. While the importance of birth weight varies across comparison countries, relative to all comparison countries the United States has similar neonatal (<1 month) mortality but higher postneonatal (1–12 months) mortality. We document similar patterns across census divisions within the United States. The postneonatal mortality disadvantage is driven by poor birth outcomes among lower socioeconomic status individuals. (JEL I12, I14, I32, J14)
Controlling Health Care Costs through Limited Network Insurance Plans: Evidence from Massachusetts State Employees
Authors: Gruber Jonathan , McKnight Robin
Published: April 2016

We investigate the impact of limited network insurance plans in the context of the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission (GIC), the insurance plan for state employees. Our quasi-experimental analysis examines the introduction of a major financial incentive to choose limited network plans that affected a subset of GIC enrollees. We find that enrollees are very price sensitive in their decision to enroll in limited network plans. Those who switched spent almost 40 percent less on medical care. This reflects reductions in the quantity of services and prices paid per service. The spending reductions came from specialist and hospital care, while spending on primary care rose. (JEL G22, H75, I11, I13, J45)
Lovastatin lactone may improve irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) by inhibiting enzymes in the archaeal methanogenesis pathway
Authors: Muskal Steven M. , Sliman Joe , Kokai-Kun John , Pimentel Mark , Wacher Vince , Gottlieb Klaus
Published: April 2016

Methane produced by the methanoarchaeonMethanobrevibacter smithii(M. smithii) has been linked to constipation, irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C), and obesity. Lovastatin, which demonstrates a cholesterol-lowering effect by the inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase, may also have an anti-methanogenesis effect through direct inhibition of enzymes in the archaeal methanogenesis pathway. We conducted protein-ligand docking experiments to evaluate this possibility. Results are consistent with recent clinical findings.

METHODS: F420-dependent methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase (mtd), a key methanogenesis enzyme was modeled for two different methanogenic archaea:M. smithiiandMethanopyrus kandleri. Once protein models were developed, ligand-binding sites were identified. Multiple ligands and their respective protonation, isomeric and tautomeric representations were docked into each site, including F420-coenzyme (natural ligand), lactone and β-hydroxyacid forms of lovastatin and simvastatin, and other co-complexed ligands found in related crystal structures.

RESULTS: 1) Generally, for each modeled site the lactone form of the statins had more favorable site interactions compared to F420; 2) The statin lactone forms generally had the most favorable docking scores, even relative to the native template PDB ligands; and 3) The statin β-hydroxyacid forms had less favorable docking scores, typically scoring in the middle with some of the F420 tautomeric forms. Consistent with these computational results were those from a recent phase II clinical trial (NCT02495623) with a proprietary, modified-release lovastatin-lactone (SYN-010) in patients with IBS-C, which showed a reduction in symptoms and breath methane levels, compared to placebo.

CONCLUSION: The lactone form of lovastatin exhibits preferential binding over the native-F420 coenzyme ligandin silicoand thus could inhibit the activity of the keyM. smithiimethanogenesis enzymemtdin vivo. Statin lactones may thus exert a methane-reducing effect that is distinct from cholesterol lowering activity, which requires HMGR inhibition by statin β-hydroxyacid forms.
Communication Science: Issues and Perspective
Authors: Каргин  , Kargin Nikolay
Published: April 2016

The article considers methodological approach to the analysis of the communicational processes in society, difference between the communicational processes in society and similar processes in physical systems. Author suggests criteria of fundamental difference between regulatory mechanisms by means of social communications and informational exchange. The article describes functions of communication systems that are important from the point of sustainable development of modern society. Author considers the possible ways of development of the communication science by means of a main idea that postulates difference between communication and information processes through the number of system parameters, such as target parameters, application means and method of application.
On the “New” Semantic Meaning of the Word “Tolerance”
Authors: Оганесян  , Oganesyan Sergey
Published: April 2016

This article shows that the word “tolerance”, which is commonly applied in the modern socio-political literature as meaning “willingness to treat opinion, position and standards of conduct not complying with one’s own, with understanding”, is directly related to transition of humanity to a fundamentally new mental civilization which we define as civilization of “scientific worldview”. The reasons are being revealed why the new meaning of “tolerance” could not appear in mental civilizations of paganism and monotheism. It is shown that starting with the Age of Enlightenment, the word “tolerance” began to gain a new meaning – when applied to differing religious beliefs first and then when applied to customs and traditions of different ethnic groups and peoples, and later – to people’s standards of conduct, too.
Hermineutic Conception of the Fictional Text as an Important Kind of the Fictional Language Communication
Authors: Промыслова  , Promyslova N.
Published: April 2016

The article dwells upon the hermineutic conception of the fictional text. Fictional text is one of the most important kinds of the fictional language communication. Speaking about text interpretation we can’t do without discussing the ways of its perception and understanding and this is the subject of hermineutics.The author analysis the development of the philological hermeneutics, shows its principles from the point of view of text interpretation position.
Crumbs of the Cookie: User Profiling in Customer-Base Analysis and Behavioral Targeting
Authors: Trusov Michael , Ma Liye , Jamal Zainab
Published: April 2016

User profile is a summary of a consumer’s interests and preferences revealed through the consumer’s online activity. It is a fundamental component of numerous applications in digital marketing. McKinsey & Company view online user profiling as one of the promising opportunities companies should take advantage of to unlock “big data’s” potential. This paper proposes a modeling approach that uncovers individual user profiles from online surfing data and allows online businesses to make profile predictions when limited information is available. The approach is easily parallelized and scales well for processing massive records of user online activity. We demonstrate application of our approach to customer-base analysis and display advertising. Our empirical analysis uncovers easy-to-interpret behavior profiles and describes the distribution of such profiles. Furthermore, it reveals that even for information-rich online firms profile inference that is based solely on their internal data may produce biased results. We find that although search engines cover smaller portions of consumer Web visits than major advertising networks, their data is of higher quality. Thus, even with the smaller information set, search engines can effectively recover consumer behavioral profiles. We also show that temporal limitations imposed on individual-level tracking abilities are likely to have a differential impact across major online businesses, and that our approach is particularly effective for temporally limited data. Using economic simulation we demonstrate potential gains the proposed model may offer a firm if used in individual-level targeting of display ads.

Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2015.0956 .
A Structured Analysis of Unstructured Big Data by Leveraging Cloud Computing
Authors: Liu Xiao , Singh Param Vir , Srinivasan Kannan
Published: April 2016

Accurate forecasting of sales/consumption is particularly important for marketing because this information can be used to adjust marketing budget allocations and overall marketing strategies. Recently, online social platforms have produced an unparalleled amount of data on consumer behavior. However, two challenges have limited the use of these data in obtaining meaningful business marketing insights. First, the data are typically in an unstructured format, such as texts, images, audio, and video. Second, the sheer volume of the data makes standard analysis procedures computationally unworkable. In this study, we combine methods from cloud computing, machine learning, and text mining to illustrate how online platform content, such as Twitter, can be effectively used for forecasting. We conduct our analysis on a significant volume of nearly two billion Tweets and 400 billion Wikipedia pages. Our main findings emphasize that, by contrast to basic surface-level measures such as the volume of or sentiments in Tweets, the information content of Tweets and their timeliness significantly improve forecasting accuracy. Our method endogenously summarizes the information in Tweets. The advantage of our method is that the classification of the Tweets is based on what is in the Tweets rather than preconceived topics that may not be relevant. We also find that, by contrast to Twitter, other online data (e.g., Google Trends, Wikipedia views, IMDB reviews, and Huffington Post news) are very weak predictors of TV show demand because users tweet about TV shows before, during, and after a TV show, whereas Google searches, Wikipedia views, IMDB reviews, and news posts typically lag behind the show.

Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2015.0972 .
Cultural Molding, Shielding, and Shoring at Oilco: The Role of Culture in the Integration of Routines
Authors: Bertels Stephanie , Howard-Grenville Jennifer , Pek Simon
Published: April 2016

We explore how organizational culture shapes an organization’s integration and enactment of an external routine that is not a cultural fit. Attending to employees’ use of culture as a repertoire of strategies of action, we found that the use of familiar cultural strategies of action shaped the routine’s artifacts and expectations even before it was performed, a process we call cultural molding. Subsequently, employees drew differently on cultural strategies of action as they performed the routine, generating patterns of workarounds or hindered performances. In response to these patterns, they undertook additional cultural work to either shield their workarounds and protect them from scrutiny or shore up hindered performances. We contribute to the routine dynamics literature by highlighting the effortful cultural work involved in integrating coveted routines, furthering our understanding of routines as truces and the embeddedness of routines.
Microsilica-Cement Stabilization of Organic Contaminated Soil: Leaching Behaviour of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Authors: Ahmadi Soheil , Gitipour Saeid , Marzani Samaneh , Mehrdadi Nasser
Published: April 2016

In this study, Polycyclic Aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contaminated soil were collected from Ray Petrochemical industry and treated by Solidification/Stabilization (S/S) which is an effective technique for reducing the leachability of contaminants in soils. Since organic compounds interfere with cement hydration process, S/S technology will have difficulties while trying to immobilize organic contaminants. The treatment process was conducted using Portland Cement (PC) as the main binder and Microsilica (MS) as an additive to improve the effect of PC in immobilization of organic contaminants. Specimens were divided in two groups with constant cement percentage of 25% and 35%. Each group were again divided to three subgroups with 0%, 4% and 8% of MS. The efficiency of using MS in leaching behaviour of S/S samples was assessed by toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP). Lowest leach percentage of 14.66% for total PAHs in the paste contained 25% of cement and 8% of MS were obtained. The results indicated that the presence of MS in cement pastes had positive effect on reduction in concentration of contaminant in leachate.
Environmentally Sustainable Architecture: Material-Based Technological Design Approach
Authors: Asefi Maziar , Afzali Zahra
Published: April 2016

This paper investigates material-based design approach in architectural forms where form generating process is informed by the combination of material properties and behavior as well as environmental constraints. It also tries to inform architects of the necessity of shift from formal form finding processes based on values of industrial age toward materiality in form generating processes. It also tries to overlook the current design practices in material-base design approaches to achieve a holistic understanding of the design process and possibilities. Through a comparative literature review, and an examination of current design practices, this paper elaborates on distinct material-based approach to design architectural form.
Soil Nutrient Status Under Different Agro-Climatic Zones of Kashmir and Ladakh, India
Authors: Dar Khursheed , Sahaf K.A. , SKamili Afiffa , Ahmad Latief , Malik M. A
Published: April 2016

An investigations on nutrient analysis of soil under the different agro-climatic zones of Kashmir and Ladakhviz Temperate (Pattan, Baramulla),Sub temperate(Gurez,Bandipora) and Cold Arid(Kargil,Ladakh) was carried out during 2012 and 2013.The studies revealed that soils were alkaline in their reaction with slightly higher pH (8.2) recorded at Kargil followed by Pattan (7.9) and Gurez (7.6). Electrical conductivity was highest (0.23dSm-1) at Pattan and least at Kargil (0.08dSm-1). Pattan soils were richer in organic carbon with an average value of 1.02%. Varied results were obtained with respect to available soil nitrogen, the highest being recorded at Pattan with an average value of 372.8 kg ha-1 Gurez recorded251.5 kg ha-1 and Kargil 184.9 kg ha-1. Pattan recorded maximum (22.45 kg ha-1) soil available phosphorus while the sulphur was recorded highest (53.40 kg ha-1) at Kargil.Among the three agro-climatic zones, (187.30 kg ha-1), exchangeable calcium (17.56 centimole) and exchangeable magnesium (5.54 centimole).
Influence of Sea Surface Temperature on the Gonadal Development of Sea Urchin Temnopleurus Toreumaticus from the Gulf of Mannar, South East Coast of India
Authors: Saravanan Raju , Jawahar Paulraj , Francis Thommai , Ahilan Baboonsundaram , Santhakumar Rajagopal
Published: April 2016

This study was conducted for a 20 months period from October 2013 to May 2015 in Gulf of Mannar, south east coast of India. During the investigation the abiotic factors viz., Sea surface temperature (SST), Daylight photoperiod and atmospheric temperature data were collected from International comprehensive Ocean Atmospheric Database (ICOADS) and the reproductive cycle of the sea urchin was studied from the monthly sampling of sea urchin collected from Vedalai landing centre in Gulf of Mannar. The gonads were studied to calculate Gonad index as well histological to categories them into four different stages of the development and this data was compared with abiotic factors to study the influence of it on the reproductive behavior of sea urchin. The data were analyzed statistically through Pearson correlation and it was found negative between mean monthly gonad index and day length photoperiod, as well as with SST. This clearly indicates that the gonadal development in sea urchin is very much influenced by these two abiotic factors; however other nutritional factors might play greater role in the development gonad.
Environmental Impact Assessment of Kol-Dam Hydropower Project – A Case Study from Himachal Pradesh, India
Authors: Chand Hukam , Verma K. S , Kapoor Tanvi
Published: April 2016

The study was conducted during 2011 to investigate the impacts of Kol-dam construction on people and their overall economy. There was a loss of total land holding per family in the range of 33.07 to 64.46 per cent in 5 affected villages selected for the study. However in case of cultivated land there was a loss in the range of 36.15 to 67.36 per cent in 5 sampled villages. Submergence of land resulted in the loss of different trees (fodder, timber, fuel wood and fruit) from villages’ farmland in the range of 37.45 to 80.60 per cent in 5 affected village. There was a substantial decrease in the livestock population which ranged from 52.50 to 59.60 per cent. Construction of dam resulted in loss of assets to the extent of 33.33 to 45.45 percent in different villages. Overall there was a decrease in on-farm sectors (crop & livestock) ranged from 42.86 to 81.17 per cent whereas an increase in off- farm income (jobs and private business) ranges from 13.33 - 48.33 per cent has been observed from the affected villages. Hence it can be concluded that there was a loss of on-farm income resources like agriculture land and its associated resources i.e. important tree species and livestock. This might have serious impact on local biodiversity as well as on the life style of project affected families.
Water Quality Assessment of River Beas During Winter Season in Himachal Pradesh, India.
Authors: Sharma Suman , Kumar Yogesh
Published: April 2016

Present investigation was carried out in 256 km stretch of river Beas in Himachal Pradesh for analysis of important physical, chemical and biological water quality parameters during winter season. Parameters such as temperature, pH, conductivity, turbidity, alkalinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, cadmium, copper, iron, lead, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), Colliform and Escherichia coli were analyzed from six sampling stations i.e. Beaskund , Shamshi, Pandohdam, Dharampur, Nadaun and Pongdam in the study area. The analysis of data reveals that turbidity, cadmium and lead, were found to be higher than the acceptable limit prescribed by Bureau of Indian standards (BIS), 2012 for drinking water in India. Colliform and E.coli were present in all the sampling stations of river Beas except at SS-1 and SS-2. All the other physicochemical parameters excepting pH at SS-5 (8.98±0.057) were within the limit prescribed by World Health Organization (WHO), 2011 and BIS, 2012 for drinking water in India.
Farmers’ Perception on Environmental Degradation Due to Indiscriminate Use of Modern Practices: A Case Study from Madurai District, Tamil Nadu
Authors: Umanath M , Paramasivam R , Durai T. Thanga
Published: April 2016

In this study, we attempted to assess the awareness and perception of farmers on the environmental degradation due to modern input usage in paddy cultivation in Southern Tamil Nadu. The two-stage random sampling procedure was followed to select the sample farmers and 66 farmers were surveyed in Vadipatti Taluk located on Periyar-Vaigai irrigation system in Tamil Nadu. The paired comparison technique was used to measure the level of awareness on the environmental problems and Tobit regression function was employed to identify the determinants of environmental awareness level. The results of the study revealed that only 23 per cent of the farmers were highly aware about the environmental degradation created by the indiscriminate application of modern inputs. Reduction in soil fertility, population size of soil micro-organism and earth worms were the well-known negative effects in the study region. Experience, education and extension contact were the major factors determining the perception and awareness about environmental degradation.
Qualitative Assessment of Mine Water of the Western Jharia Coalfield Area, Jharkhand, India
Authors: Kumar Anjani , Singh Prasoon
Published: April 2016

A geochemical study of mine water in the Western Jharia coalfield area was undertaken to assess its quality and suitability for drinking and domestic purposes. To assess mine water quality of the study area, a systematic sampling was carried out during the monsoon season, 2013. Eighteen representatives mine water sample were collected from both underground (underground sump and surface water discharge) and opencast mines, and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS) , major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+) and major anions (HCO3- F-, Cl-, NO3-, SO42-). The pH of the analyzed mine waters ranged from 6.8 o 8.3 and electrical conductivity (EC) values ranged from 608 uS cm-1 to 1350 uS cm-1. TDS ranged from 432 to 1080 mg L-1 and the spatial differences in TDS reflect the geological formations, hydrological processes and prevailing mining conditions of the region. The anion and cation chemistry indicate the general ionic abundance as: HCO3-> SO42-> Cl-> NO3->F- and Mg2+>Ca2+> Na+> K+ in the mine water of the study area. The water quality assessment indicated that total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), magnesium and sulphate are the major parameters of concern in the study area and make it unsuitable for drinking and domestic purposes.
A Study on Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in two Anuran Tadpoles: Clinotarsus alticola and Leptobrachium smithi from Rosekandy Tea Estate, Cachar, Assam
Authors: Singh Pammi , Dey Mithra , Narayana Sunkam
Published: April 2016

Considering the significance of heavy metal pollution in aquatic system bioaccumulation of heavy metals in two species of tadpoles namely Clinotarsus alticola and Leptobrachium smithicollected from tea gardens of Barak valley, Assam was studied. Aquatic life is affected by heavy metal pollutants present in water as well as in sediment. The result of the study revealed that the concentration of iron, chromium, cadmium and lead in water samples was higher than the permissible limit of 0.3, 0.05, 0.003, 0.01 mg/L respectively but that of copper and zinc concentration was within the maximum permissible limit of 2 mg/L and 3 mg/L (WHO, 2005). The accumulation pattern of different heavy metals in different organs viz., intestine, liver and tail was studied.Overall the metal burden in different organs of Clinotarsus alticola and Leptobrachium smithi was in the order of liver>tail>intestine. Liver had highest accumulation of metals while intestine accumulated the least.Iron (Fe) was highly and zinc (Zn) was the least accumulated metal in both the tadpoles. The accumulation of heavy metals might be due to tea plantation influx water, domestic and associated anthropogenic activities.
Influence of Drip Irrigation Regimes and Lateral Spacing on Cumin Productivity
Authors: Kunapara Arvind , Subbaiah R , Prajapati Girish , Makwana Jaydip
Published: April 2016

Cumin is one of the important spice crops grown in arid and semi arid regions of India and is being adopted to cure some of the dreaded diseases. Determination of optimum water requirement which is function of soil crop and atmosphere is needed for achieving more profit and higher productivity per unit of water. Keeping in view, a field experiment was undertaken to access the conjugate impact of three irrigation regimes (0.6IW/ETc, 0.8IW/ETc and1.0IW/ETc) and three lateral spacing (0.60m, 0.70m and 0.80m) on productivity of cumin. Split plot design with three treatment replications was adopted. Drip irrigation with 0.8 IW/ETc resulted higher seed yield, plant height and dry matter of 1344.17 kg/ha, 36.42 cm and 2365 kg/ha respectively at 0.8 IW/ETc with lateral spacing 0.6 m as compared to other treatments. Highest water use efficiency (5.58 kg/ha.mm) was observed at 0.6 IW/ETc with 0.60 m lateral spacing. Highest B:C ratio (2.27) observed at 0.8 IW/ETcwith lateral spacing 0.6m as compared to other treatments.