bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Misiones jesuitas en la Guerra de Arauco: Resistencia mapuche, negociación y movilidad cultural en la periferia colonial (1593-1641)
Authors: Hidalgo Javiera Jaque
Published: January 2015

La misión evangelizadora de los jesuitas en el sur de Chile durante el siglo XVII se caracterizó principalmente como una labor de mediación para la resolución del conflicto bélico entre mapuches y españoles. La propuesta de una guerra defensiva desarrollada por el sacerdote jesuita Luis de Valdivia permitió una instancia inaudita de negociación que dio pie a una serie de transformaciones culturales y religiosas de manera bidireccional. Los encuentros entre los mapuches y los españoles en una de las periferias más extremas de la colonia española permitieron dinámicas de resistencia, negociación y movilidad cultural.
Etude psychocritique croisée de Laura de George Sand et de deux romans de Jules Verne
Authors: Mustiere Philippe
Published: January 2015

Passionnée depuis l’enfance par la minéralogie et la paléontologie, George Sand porte à ces sciences une extrême attention, autant scientifique que poétique. Tout comme Jules Verne, dont elle était l’amie, elle voue une passion pour les mondes souterrains et leurs représentations, comme en témoigne la parution quasi-concomitante, chez le même éditeur Jules Hetzel de Laura, voyage dans le cristal , en janvier 1864, pour Sand, et Voyage au centre de la terre , en décembre 1864, pour Verne. Une analyse bachelardienne des romans, sous le prisme de La terre et les rêveries de repos , montrera la prégnance du poétique, voire du mysticisme, dans la description scientifique, chez les deux écrivains.
“Peculiarly marked with the character of our own time”: Photography and Family Values in Victorian Domestic Journalism
Authors: Boman Charlotte
Published: January 2015

This article focuses on the treatment of photography in Household Words and All the Year Round between early 1850 and late 1870, addressing the increasingly complex interaction between Victorian domestic values and the conflicting impulses of the modern age. The ambiguous discursive response to the new medium of photography in Dickens’s periodicals testifies to the intricacy involved in combining a family-oriented socio-cultural agenda with the challenges presented by mass-produced photographic images.
Touchstones and Tit-Bits: Extracting Culture in the 1880s
Authors: Menke Richard
Published: January 2015

Matthew Arnold attacked the New Journalism, but his insistence on the power of the reprinted extract parallels the importance of the excerpt in late Victorian periodicals such as George Newnes’s Tit-Bits . This essay juxtaposes Arnold’s “The Study of Poetry,” written as the introduction to The English Poets (1880), with Tit-Bits (established 1881). Both turn to the excerpt in response to the prospect of textual overproduction and the expansion of mass readerships in the 1880s, a response that cuts across literature and journalism, high and low culture. Indeed, part of the extract’s value was that it promised to bridge these divisions.
British Solutions to Irish Problems: Representations of Ireland in the British Architectural Press, 1837–1853
Authors: Butler Richard J.
Published: January 2015

Existing scholarship on representations of Ireland in the British press has overlooked a subset of nineteenth–century publications: architectural periodicals. By analysing their coverage of Irish issues over a fifteen year period, including industrial exhibitions staged in Cork and Dublin, this article challenges the notion that the immediate post–famine years were a period of diminished interest in Irish affairs. Architectural periodicals suggested that Ireland’s problems could only be solved through greater Anglicization, as shown in their depictions of romanticised Irish peasants, government–sponsored engineering projects, and the construction of Irish workhouses.
Novel Networks: The “Specialité” of the English Woman’s Journal
Authors: Pusapati Teja Varma
Published: January 2015

This article argues that as the first general interest feminist periodical, the English Woman’s Journal interlinked various women’s issues in novel ways. The unique structure of the journal enabled it to offer a distinct perspective on the women’s movement, presenting itself as a collaborative feminist enterprise supported by an extended, influential network of social reformers. The structural features of the journal influenced its self-image and marketability in striking ways.
Not an Ordinary “Ladies’ Paper”: Work, Motherhood, and Temperance Rhetoric in the Woman’s Signal , 1894–1899
Authors: Liggins Emma
Published: January 2015

The Woman’s Signal is a particularly interesting case study for examining feminist discourse in the 1890s due to the differing policies of its editors (Lady Henry Somerset and Florence Fenwick Miller), its mixture of domestic and political content, and its temperance and suffrage agendas. This article examines the marketing strategies and editorial policies deployed by the Woman’s Signal to secure a wide circulation, focusing particularly on the paper’s diverse accounts of professional work and motherhood. The divide between readers as housewives, temperance supporters, and ladies becomes apparent in advertisements, which often contradict the paper’s endorsement of new womanhood and political activism.
“The Squire of Boyhood”: G. A. Hutchison and the Boy’s Own Paper
Authors: Penner Elizabeth
Published: January 2015

First published by the Religious Tract Society in 1879, the Boy’s Own Paper was created in an attempt to combat the negative influence of penny dreadfuls on young male readers. This essay examines how George Andrew Hutchison produced one of the most successful juvenile papers of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, highlighting the inherent struggle he faced in trying to distance his publication from the ephemerality associated with periodical publishing.
OBLIQUE MAGNETIC FIELDS AND THE ROLE OF FRAME DRAGGING NEAR ROTATING BLACK HOLE
Authors: Karas Vladimír , Kopáček Ondřej , Kunneriath Devaky
Published: January 2015

Magnetic null points can develop near the ergosphere boundary of a rotating black hole by the combined effects of strong gravitational field and the frame-dragging mechanism. The induced electric component does not vanish in the magnetic null and an efficient process of particle acceleration can occur in its immediate vicinity. Furthermore, the effect of imposed (weak) magnetic field can trigger an onset of chaos in the motion of electrically charged particles. The model set-up appears to be relevant for low-accretion-rate nuclei of some galaxies which exhibit episodic accretion events (such as the Milky Way's supermassive black hole) embedded in a large-scale magnetic field of external origin with respect to the central black hole. In this contribution we summarise recent results and we give an outlook for future work with the focus on the role of gravito-magnetic effects caused by rotation of the black hole.
Conception of a new LDPC decoder with hardware implementation on FPGA card
Authors: El habti El idrissi Anas , El Gouri Rachid , Laamari Hlou
Published: January 2015

Low Density Parity-Check codes are one of the hottest topics in coding theory nowadays. Equipped with very fast encoding and decoding algorithms, LDPC codes are very attractive both theoretically and practically. In this paper, A simplified algorithm for decoding Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes is proposed with a view to reduce the implementation complexity, this algorithm is based on a simple matrix equation which must be resolved in order to calculate all possible solutions of this equation, and then a simple circuit will be used to determine the errors produced during the transmission channel. First, we developed the design of the proposed algorithm second, we generated and simulated the hardware description language source code using Quartus software tools and finally we implemented the new algorithm of LDPC codes on FPGA card. Keywords: Bit-Flipping Algorithm, Error Detection, FPGA Card, LDPC Decoder, Matrix Equation.
Improving the fatigue life of steel bars by using Nano-coating technology
Authors: Yasir Ali
Published: January 2015

The fatigue failure is the reason of most mechanical failure for engineering materials. This work tried using the nano-coating technique to coat the steel bars and study the effect of this coating layers on fatigue life of steel. The Zinc Oxide (ZnO) used as it cheap and available in most labs of nanotechnology. The coating process done at different time of coating to get different thickness of coating layers. The result of fatigue tests for coated samples show increased in fatigue life for samples that coated for long time (thick layer of coat), and the increasing if fatigue life may reach to 4-times of its fatigue life for un-coated samples. Keywords: Fatigue, Fatigue Life, Steel Bars, Nano-Coating Technology, ZnO Coat.
Automatic DWT2 thresholding based segmentation of the pigmented skin lesions in dermatoscopic images
Authors: Razazzadeh Neda , Khalili Mehdi
Published: January 2015

The segmentation is the most important step to automatic diagnosis of the skin lesions. In this paper, a DWT2 thresholding based segmentation of dermatoscopic images has been proposed to diagnose of the pigmented skin lesions. In the proposed method, first, the image is converted to YUV channels and after denoising and contrast enhancement of the second channel of the converted image, it is decomposed to wavelet transform in two levels. Then, to more specificity and accuracy of segmentation, the Otsus thresholding method is applied on each sub-band of the second level of decomposed image and four thresholds are achieved. Subsequently, using adding all thresholds a new threshold is obtained and applied on the second level reconstructed image to achieve a binary image. Finally, post-processing is applied on this binary image using algorithms of morphological reconstructions, to increase the sensitivity. The experimental results show that the proposed method increases the accuracy to 90.97%, and specificity to 99.76%, compared with the other existing methods. Keywords: DWT2, Morphological Reconstructions Algorithms, Otsus Thresholding, Pigmented Skin Lesions, Segmentation.
Modeling and experimental analysis of wheel-work interface in the cylindrical plunge grinding process
Authors: Tawfeek Tarik
Published: January 2015

This paper presents a study of grinding wheel-workpiece interference in external cylindrical plunge grinding processes. This is to study the effect of workpiece surface memory on the workpiece roundness error after grinding. The study has been carried out theoretically on a model simulating cylindrical grinding process. The model takes contact stiffness, grinding wheel and workpiece wear into consideration. The proposed model was sued to predict the normal grinding forces in cylindrical grinding as a function of the previous height and number of waves of the initial profile.The new model has been validated by conducting experiments on a cylindrical grinding machine. Results indicate that the proposed model shows a good agreement with the experimental data obtained.The results of experiments indicate that the proposed modeling method is both feasible and reliable. The results showed that the theoretical model was effective studying the output of cylindrical grinding process. Normal grinding force, vibration level, and roundness error in cylindrical plunge grinding processes are dependent on the workpiece surface memory. Keywords: Plunge Grinding, Modeling, Roundness Error, Surface Memory.
Evaluation of step�s slope on energy dissipation in stepped spillway
Authors: Heidari Ali , Ghasemi Poria
Published: January 2015

Stepped spillways are kind of dissipative structures used in rivers with steep slopes to reduce the flow energy and also the scouring potential of water. This dissipation is caused through diffusion along the spillway. The reduction of energy also leads to optimize the still basin geometry and performance downstream, and thus make the project more economic. In this paper, the hydraulic behaviour of stepped spillway is investigated based on kinetic energy. The results show that the average mean kinetic energy decreases upon an appraise in stepss slope. Finally, horizontal steps are proposed. Keywords: Stepped Spillway, Mean Kinetic Energy, Dissipation, and Stepss Slope.
Climate change impact on meteorological droughts in watershed scale (case study: southwestern Iran)
Authors: Nikbakht Shahbazi Alireza
Published: January 2015

Drought is one of the major natural disasters in the world which has a lot of social and economic impacts. There are various factors that affect climate changes; the investigation of this incident is also sensitive. Climate scenarios of future climate change studies and investigation of efficient methods for investigating these events on drought should be assumed. This study intends to investigate climate change impacts on drought in Karoon3 watershed in the future. For this purpose, the atmospheric general circulation models (GCM) data under Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios should be investigated. In this study, watershed drought under climate change impacts will be simulated in future periods (2011 to 2099). In this research standard precipitation index (SPI) was calculated using mean monthly precipitation data in Karoon3 watershed. SPI was calculated in 6, 12 and 24 months periods. Statistical analysis on daily precipitation and minimum and maximum daily temperature was performed. To determine the feasibility of future periods meteorological data production of LRAS-WG5 model, calibration and verification was performed for the base year (1980-2007). Meteorological data simulation for future periods under General Circulation Models and climate change IPCC scenarios was performed and then the drought status using SPI under climate change effects analyzed. Results showed that differences between monthly maximum and minimum temperature will decrease under climate change and spring precipitation shall increase while summer and autumn rainfall shall decrease. The most increase of precipitation will take place in winter and in December. Normal and wet SPI category is more frequent in B1 and A2 emissions scenarios than A1B. Wet years increases in the study area during 2011-2030 period and the more continuous drought years gradually increases during 2046-2065 period, the more severe and frequent drought will occur during the 2080-2099 period.
Lifecycle assessment of a stapling machine
Authors: Dunmade Israel
Published: January 2015

A stapler is a mechanical device used to join two or more sheets of paper together by driving a thin metal staple through the sheets. They are widely used in schools, offices, business, government and homes. The anticipated large quantity of waste that is disposed of annually present great risk of environmental pollution and opportunities for economically viable resource recycling. This study evaluates potential environmental impacts of a Stapling machine and its end-of-life management opportunities. Environmental lifecycle assessment (LCA) process was used for the evaluation. The assessment was implemented with the aid of SimaPro software version 7.3.3.Results of the analyses revealed that climate change and eutrophication are the significant potential environmental impacts. Each Stapler has 1.265130 kg CO2-eq in Global Warming Potential and 0.113067 max kg O2-eq as its Eutrophication Potential. Further examination also showed that most of the impacts are from material selection, product distribution, and end-of-life management of the stapling machine. This study provides insights on potential environmental impacts of stapling machines and potential opportunities for improvements in their end-of-life management.
Numerical simulation of air–water two–phase flow in vertical pipe using k-ε model
Authors: Sanati Ali
Published: January 2015

Two-phase flow exists mostly in pipes and is of substantial importance in pipeline industry. Numerical data are presented in this paper for water and air velocity in two-phase flow through vertical circular channel using both K-ε model and empirical correlations. In order to investigate the pressure distribution for various flow conditions, two-phase flow was considered through two vertical pipes with different lengths and the same diameters. Moreover, we studied flow entering from below and getting out from top of the pipe. Results obtained in this study have been analyzed with experimental data, showing that the average void fraction rises with increasing inlet gas velocity and drops with increasing inlet water velocity. Also results show that Hassan & Kabir method is the most appropriate approach in comparison with the others.
Group A, G and C Î²-hemolytic Streptococci
Authors: K.L Shobha , N. Kusumakshi , Prasad Vishnu , L. Ramachandra
Published: January 2015

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is the most common causative agent of sore throat, pharyngitis, skin infections, rheumatic fever (RF), rheumatoid heart disease (RHD) and glomerulonephritis in young adults. Group G and C streptococcal species are also known to cause complications like acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Isolation of these from the throat could be a warning signal so that the further complications can be prevented. Estimation of prevalence could help clinicians to make informed decisions regarding diagnostic testing of children with symptoms of sore throat and pharyngitis. M protein both GAS and GGS/GCS share in many virulence factors that contribute to virulence, some of which act as collagen binding adhesins that facilitate acute infection. Both GAS and GGS/GCS can cause similar spectrum of disease symptoms. The sequenced M Protein provides a view into the genetic elements responsible for diversity in the species. emm types historically associated with RF are rarely seen in India. The epidemiologic picture of streptococci in India shows some of the serotypes are more common with in a population in different geographical area.
Relationship between antiphosphatidylserine/prothrombin and conventional antiphospholipid antibodies in primary antiphospholipid syndrome
Authors: Hoxha Ariela , Ruffatti Amelia , Mattia Elena , Meneghel Lauro , Tonello Marta , Salvan Elisa , Pengo Vittorio , Punzi Leonardo
Published: January 2015

Antiphosphatidylserine/prothrombin complex (aPS/PT) antibodies are emerging as an important marker for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). We aimed to compare their performance with that of conventional antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) such as lupus anticoagulant (LA), anticardiolipin (aCL), and anti-β2-glycoprotein I (anti-β2GPI) in APS and to assess their frequency in APS-negative (APS-ne) patients.

We considered 160 APS patients and 128 APS-ne patients with clinical criteria for APS but tested negative for conventional aPL. Immunoglobulin (Ig)G/IgM aPS/PT, IgG/IgM aCL, and IgG/IgM anti-β2GPI were detected using ELISA assay and LA with a series of coagulation tests.

IgG aPS/PT were significantly associated with IgG aCL, IgG anti-β2GPI, and LA (p<0.0001 for all). IgM aPS/PT were significantly associated only with LA (p<0.0001) instead. There was a significant correlation between IgG aPS/PT and both IgG aCL and IgG anti-β2GPI levels (ρ=0.42 and ρ=0.40, respectively). Both IgG aPS/PT and IgM aPS/PT positivity significantly correlated with LA (ρ=0.44 and ρ=0.5, respectively). IgG and IgM aPS/PT were significantly more frequent in triple than in double and in single positivity (p<0.0001). According to multivariate analysis, IgG and/or IgM aPS/PT were independent risk factors for LA. APS/PT antibodies were found in 9.4% of the APS-ne patients vs. 2% of healthy control (p=0.043); those antibodies were significantly more frequent in the thrombosis with respect to the pregnancy morbidity subset (p=0.01).

Our data attribute a clinical relevance to both IgG and IgM aPS/PT antibodies. In particular, the significant prevalence of aPS/PT in APS-ne patients suggests including them as additional laboratory criterion for APS.
Heat and Mass Transfer of Thermophoretic MHD Flow of Powell–Eyring Fluid over a Vertical Stretching Sheet in the Presence of Chemical Reaction and Joule Heating
Authors: Khan Najeeb Alam , Sultan Faqiha , Khan Nadeem Alam
Published: January 2015

The present paper deals with the effect of surface heat and mass transfer on magnetohydrodynamic flow of Powell–Eyring fluid over a vertical stretching sheet. The effects of thermophoresis, Joule heating and chemical reaction are also considered. The governing non-linear partial differential equations of the model are transformed into coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations using a similarity transformation and solved numerically by Runge–Kutta method and analytically by homotopy analysis method (HAM). The convergence is carefully checked by plotting $$\hbar $$-curves. For different dimensionless parameters, numerical and analytical calculations are carried out and an investigation of the obtained results shows that the flow field is influenced considerably by the buoyancy ratio and thermal radiation, chemical reaction and magnetic field parameters. A totally analytical and consistently applicable solution is derived which agrees with numerical results.
Sulfation and Carbonation Competition in the Treatment of Flue Gas from a Coal-Based Power Plant by Calcium Hydroxide
Authors: Fernández Josefa , J. Renedo M.
Published: January 2015

In this work, a gas containing CO2 and SO2 at the usual concentrations on the coal combustion flue gas reacted with calcium hydroxide to evaluate and quantify the influence of SO2 on the CO2 capture and vice versa. This influence was quantified with a continuous gas analyzer and by thermogravimetry (TG). Results show that the CO2 retained increases in general as its concentration does and decreases as the SO2 concentration increases. A similar behavior was found for the SO2 retention at different CO2 concentrations being more relevant the influence of the presence of SO2 on the CO2 capture than the opposite one. Results suggest that for a high CO2 capture, SO2 should be eliminated previously. With respect to the reaction process it was found that the desulfurization product clearly identified was CaSO3·½H2O; in the reaction between Ca(OH)2 and CO2, CaCO3 is mainly obtained, the complex CaO·CO2 being another possible product synthesized in low amount. Gas analyzer shows that SO2 and CO2 react simultaneously and that a part of the CaCO3 reacts with the SO2 and releases CO2. Sulfation values calculated by TG and from the gas analyzer are very similar but the amount of CO2 captured is not possible to know clearly by TG due to the synthesis and decomposition of CaCO3 during the process. The study of the evolution of the sorbent porosity in the process reveals that the presence of both acid gases produces a lower blockage of the pores than when only one gas is present probably due to the generation of new pores in the reaction of CaCO3 and SO2.
Spatial Errors in Count Data Regressions
Authors: Bertanha Marinho , Moser Petra
Published: January 2015

Count data regressions are an important tool for empirical analyses ranging from analyses of patent counts to measures of health and unemployment. Along with negative binomial, Poisson panel regressions are a preferred method of analysis because the Poisson conditional fixed effects maximum likelihood estimator (PCFE) and its sandwich variance estimator are consistent even if the data are not Poisson-distributed, or if the data are correlated over time. Analyses of counts may however also be affected by correlation in the cross-section. For example, patent counts or publications may increase across related research fields in response to common shocks. This paper shows that the PCFE and its sandwich variance estimator are consistent in the presence of such dependence in the cross-section – as long as spatial dependence is time-invariant. We develop a test for time-invariant spatial dependence and provide code in STATA and MATLAB to implement the test.
Comparison of a novel test for placental alpha microglobulin-1 with fetal fibronectin and cervical length measurement for the prediction of imminent spontaneous preterm delivery in patients with threatened preterm labor
Authors: Nikolova Tanja , Bayev Oleg , Nikolova Natasha , Di Renzo Gian Carlo
Published: January 2015

Objective: PartoSure is a bedside test for the prediction of time-to-spontaneous preterm delivery by the detection of placental alpha microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1). The objectives of this study were to further determine the test’s efficacy in predicting delivery within 7 or 14 days from testing, and to compare it with fetal fibronectin (fFN) and cervical length (CL) measurement by transvaginal ultrasound.

Study design: The study population consisted of 203 consecutively recruited women with singleton pregnancies between 200/7 and 366/7 weeks of gestation with symptoms of preterm labor, clinically intact membranes, and cervical dilatation of ≤3 cm. PartoSure and CL were performed on all patients and the test-to-spontaneous-delivery interval was calculated. In a sub-segment of patients, the QuikCheck fFN test was used.

Results: The sensitivities for PartoSure (n=203), fFN (n=66), and CL (n=203) for predicting imminent spontaneous preterm delivery within 7 days were 80%, 50%, and 57%, respectively. The specificities were 95%, 72%, and 73% for PartoSure, fFN and CL, respectively. The NPVs were 96%, 87%, and 89% for PartoSure, fFN and CL, respectively. The PPVs were 76%, 29%, and 30% for PartoSure, fFN and CL, respectively.

Conclusion: PAMG-1 detection by PartoSure is the single best predictor of imminent spontaneous delivery within 7 days compared to fFN and CL. In settings where CL is used as an initial screen, PartoSure has the greatest clinical utility in patients with CL between 15 and 35 mm. In situations where CL is not an initial screen, PartoSure is the most accurate test compared to fFN and CL.
Surgical tracheotomy performed with and without dual antiplatelet therapy
Authors: Markota Andrej , Sinkovič Andreja , Čizmarević Bogdan
Published: January 2015

Some patients who need dual antiplatelet
therapy sometimes require tracheotomy. Aim of this study
was to compare the rate of complications during and
after surgical tracheotomy between patients requiring
dual antiplatelet therapy and those without dual antiplatelet
therapy. We retrospectively included 79 patients
(62% men, mean age 64 ± 14 years) in the period 2007-
2011. The following complications were analyzed: need
for surgical revision within 24 hours after tracheotomy,
need for bronchoscopy within 24 hour after tracheotomy,
need for blood transfusion within 24 hours after tracheotomy,
death attributed to tracheotomy and any complication
attributed to tracheotomy. We compared patients
where tracheotomy was performed while receiving dual
antiplatelet therapy (n=27, 34%) to patients where tracheotomy
was performed without dual antiplatelet therapy
(n=52, 66%). Nonsignificant differences between the two
groups were observed general characteristics. There were
no statistically significant differences in complications
after tracheotomy (surgical revision after tracheotomy
p=0.63, bronchoscopy after tracheotomy p=0.74, blood
transfusion after tracheotomy p=0.59, death attributed to
tracheotomy p=1.00 and any complication attributed to
tracheotomy p=1.00). The study shows that tracheotomy
is safe in cardiac patients on dual antiplatelet therapy.
Relation between bone mineral density
and IL-17 serum levels in Serbian patients with
early Rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Pavlovic Voja , Dimic Aleksandar , Milenkovic Sasa , Krtinic Dane , Aleksic Ivana
Published: January 2015

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory
disease characterized by synovial inflammation
and destruction of joint cartilage and bone. Different
cytokines play important role in the processes that cause
articular destruction and extra-articular manifestations
in RA. The contribution of cytokines representing the Th1
(INF-γ), Th2 (IL-4) and IL-17A to the pathogenesis of early
RA and bone mineral density (BMD) loss in still poorly
understood. Serum samples of 38 early RA patients were
evaluated for erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), rheumatoid
factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), anti-cyclic
citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP) and for the
tested cytokines (IL-17A, IL-4 and INF-γ). BMD was evaluated
by dualenergyX-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Disease
activity score (DAS28) calculation was assessed for all
patients. Control serum samples were obtained from 34
healthy volunteers. The levels of tested cytokines were
significantly higher (IL-17A, p<0.001; INF-γ, P<0.001; IL-4,
P<0.01) in patients with early RA, compared to the healthy
controls. In early RA patients, strong correlation of serum
IL-17A was found with DAS28, ESR and CRP. Also, a significant
negative correlation was found between serum
INF-γ levels and the DAS28 score. Significantly positive
correlation of BMD values and CRP, DAS28 IL-17A were also demonstrated. DXA analysis revealed that the most
common site for osteoporosis was the lumbar spine followed
by the femoral neck. BMD values significantly correlated
with CRP, DAS28 score and IL-17A serum levels.
The mean serum IL-17A levels, in patients with early RA,
corresponded with disease activity, severity and BMD
loss, indicating the potential usefulness of serum IL-17A
in defining the disease activity and bone remodeling.
Biggest Gang in Town
Authors: Raspa Darren A.
Published: January 2015

The police are arguably the most visible and contested apparatus of legal authority and urban power in American history. The navy blue uniform, badge, and utility belt of armaments of varying lethal potential have simultaneously been the symbols of justice, order, and security, while also representing the trappings of a virtual standing army of punitive state coercion, eliciting equal amounts of fear and admiration among the most vulnerable members of society. The traditional law enforcement historiography dictates that urban policing in its present form saw its origins in London in the first half of the nineteenth century. I contend, however, that a diverse array of social classes and communities in the American city from the mid-nineteenth century onward formed and continuously reformed the municipal police departments into their current form. This process can best be observed in the experimental process of law enforcement in San Francisco, where a diversity of political ordering and community visions competed for dominance in policing methods and ideology. The sudden convergence of a multitude of classes and ethnicities on the small peninsula of San Francisco from the late 1840s onward shaped the institution of urban policing in ways that would have national ramifications.
Duration of Pertussis Immunity After DTaP Immunization: A Meta-analysis
Authors: McGirr Ashleigh , Fisman David N.
Published: January 2015

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Pertussis incidence is increasing, possibly due to the introduction of acellular vaccines, which may have decreased the durability of immune response. We sought to evaluate and compare the duration of protective immunity conferred by a childhood immunization series with 3 or 5 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP).

METHODS:

We searched Medline and Embase for articles published before October 10, 2013. Included studies contained a measure of long-term immunity to pertussis after 3 or 5 doses of DTaP. Twelve articles were eligible for inclusion; 11 of these were included in the meta-analysis. We assessed study quality and used meta-regression models to evaluate the relationship between the odds of pertussis and time since last dose of DTaP and to estimate the probability of vaccine failure through time.

RESULTS:

We found no significant difference between the annual odds of pertussis for the 3- versus 5-dose DTaP regimens. For every additional year after the last dose of DTaP, the odds of pertussis increased by 1.33 times (95% confidence interval: 1.23–1.43). Assuming 85% vaccine efficacy, we estimated that 10% of children vaccinated with DTaP would be immune to pertussis 8.5 years after the last dose. Limitations included the statistical model extrapolated from data and the different study designs included, most of which were observational study designs.

CONCLUSIONS:

Although acellular pertussis vaccines are considered safer, the adoption of these vaccines may necessitate earlier booster vaccination and repeated boosting strategies to achieve necessary “herd effects” to control the spread of pertussis.
Briefing: Antarctic ice sheet mass loss and future sea-level rise
Authors: Scambos Ted , Abraham John
Published: January 2015

Sea-level rise, one of the most obvious consequences of climate change, has direct impacts on coastal communities and economic infrastructure. It is important to assess current sea-level rise and forecast future rates. These predictions are made difficult because the potential for rapid destabilisation of some of the world's large ice sheets, in particular the west Antarctic ice sheet, remains poorly constrained. In particular, new processes and new mapping and modelling, currently emerging from the science community, may have a radical impact on forecasts. Here, a summary of observations and models of recent west Antarctic ice sheet dynamics are provided. This summary highlights that sea-level rise above the ∼1 m expected by 2100 is possible if ice sheet response begins to exceed present rates. Moreover, ice losses from Antarctica have an amplified impact on the coastlines of North America and Europe, because of the resulting redistribution of water due to the changed gravitational field near the ice sheet.
Briefing: Extreme weather: observed precipitation changes in the USA
Authors: Abraham John , Stark John R. , Minkowycz Wally J.
Published: January 2015

As atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases have risen over the past decades, changes to the flow of water throughout the environment (the hydrological cycle) have resulted in more frequent extreme precipitation events. The events, sometimes aggravated by changes to land surfaces, can lead to increased flooding, which has impacts on both human health and social infrastructure. Increase of extreme precipitation has occurred in all regions of the continental USA and further changes are expected in the coming decades. Observations and projections of precipitation changes can be useful for the design and construction of robust infrastructure that is more resistant to both heavy precipitation and flooding.
The Effects of Minerals on Heavy-Oil and Bitumen Chemistry When Recovered by Steam-Assisted Methods
Authors: Guindon Leah
Published: January 2015

Research from this paper provides insight into the physical and chemical consequences of steam-assisted recovery of heavy oils and bitumens from sedimentary-rock reservoirs and reveals that geological and geochemical context is an essential consideration. To study mineral effects on gas production, the authors of the complete paper studied a well-characterized oil-containing core and the isolated crude oil from that core. The samples were run at 250 to 300°C in the continued presence of liquid water for 24 hours. The reaction products of all experiments include gases, oil flotate, oil sinkate, water-soluble products, and water-insoluble residues. All reaction products were studied with a variety of analytical techniques, including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, chromatographic fractionation [saturate, resin, and asphaltene (SARA) analysis], gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS), pyrolysis GCMS, and gas chromatography (GC) flame photometric detectors (FPDs)/thermal-conductivity detectors. These techniques were applied to whole oil, maltenes, and asphaltene fractions. Physical properties, including viscosity and density, were also measured.
Oil-Recovery Mechanisms in Bitumen-Bearing Carbonate Rocks
Authors: Guindon Leah
Published: January 2015

Laboratory testing was conducted over a 6-year period to aid recovery of oil in the Grosmont formation’s bitumen-bearing carbonate reservoirs, with the intent of providing billions of barrels of oil for the Province of Alberta. Through experiments measuring oil recovery from varying water and steam processes, it was found that wet steam provides the most efficient displacement medium. The oil recovery shows a significant impact of thermal expansion and gas drive, which can lead to significant oil displacements at early times, specifically where the localized open-porosity network fractures is extensive. Bitumen recovery from carbonate systems is achieved through a combination of thermal expansion, gas drive, gravity drainage of oil out of connected open porosity, and imbibition of water into the rock matrix.
Effect of Heating in Steam-Based-Oil-Recovery Process on Deformation of Shale: A Compositional Thermal Strain Model
Authors: Li Biao , Wong Ron
Published: January 2015

During steam-based-oil-recovery processes (e.g., cyclic steam stimulation and steam-assisted gravity drainage), heat is transmitted from wellbore and reservoir to surrounding formations. The thermally induced deformation in shale can affect wellbore integrity and caprock integrity. In this paper, a compositional thermal strain model was proposed to quantify the thermally induced deformation in shallowly buried shale. The fabric of shale was examined and considered in the model. Thermally induced deformation in shale is contributed by the thermal deformation of shale-solid minerals, dehydration in clay, and thermal plastic strain (grain or particle rearrangement) in shale. Under drained heating, shale can contract or expand depending on its mineralogy, composition, structure, and the imposed temperature. The proposed thermal strain model was validated against the laboratory-test result of a shale sample retrieved from a heavy-oil field in the western Canada sedimentary basin.
Identification of campylobacter species isolates with phenotypic methods and polymerase chain reaction
Authors: Miljkovic-Selimovic Biljana , Babic Tatjana , Kocic Branislava , Matkic Aleksandra , Ristic Ljiljana
Published: January 2015

Introduction. Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) and Campylobacter coli (C.
coli) are the most common bacterial causes of enterocolitis in humans.
However, identification of the species level is not always possible using
standard biochemical tests. Objective. Therefore, the goal of this study was
to identify these microorganisms by both phenotyping and polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) technique. Methods. A total of 153 species of thermophilic
campylobacters were examined with standard biochemical tests and PCR
technique to prove hipO genes of C. jejuni and asp genes of C. coli. Results
Standard biochemical tests enabled the speciation of 121 strains of C.
jejuni, while application of PCR detected 126 C. jejuni strains. Conclusion.
PCR technique allowed not only identification of hippurate-positive C.
jejuni, but also hipuratnegative strains of C. jejuni which otherwise would
be detected as C. coli if only biochemical tests were applied.
Spinal metastasis of medulloblastoma in adults: A case report
Authors: Zivkovic Nenad , Berisavac Iva , Markovic Marko , Milenkovic Sanja
Published: January 2015

Introduction. Medulloblastoma is a primitive neuro-ectodermal malignant tumor
most commonly seen in childhood and rarely and uncommonly in adult age.
Treatment consists of surgery followed by radiotherapy. In the case of a
relapse there is no overall accepted treatment. Tumor metastasis can be seen
along the neural axis, lymph nodes, soft tissues, bones and distant organs.
Case Outline. In this paper we present a 45-year-old female patient with a
thoraco-spinal extramedullary metastatic medulloblastoma and progressive
neurological deterioration seen 11 months after the first operation and
description of magnetic resonance and intraoperative finding. Conclusion.
Although rare, the presence of metastasis is a poor prognostic factor. The
treatment options for patients with metastases are limited and their
prognosis continues to remain poor.
Dysfunctional ectopic thyroid gland: A case report
Authors: Stokic Edita , Kljajic Vladimir , Idjuski Stevan , Benc Damir , Popovic Djordje , Protic Mladjan , Crnobrnja Veljko
Published: January 2015

Introduction. Lingual thyroid gland is a rare anomaly of thyroid gland
development, occurring more frequently in females. If it causes local
symptomatology such as dysphagia, dysphonia or dyspnea it is diagnosed in
childhood, however, if it is asymptomatic it is usually diagnosed in
adulthood. Case Outline. We present a 23-year-old female patient in whom we
diagnosed lingual thyroid gland coincidentally during diagnostic procedures
of a concomitant disease. The application of 131I scintigraphy showed an oval
field of intensive accumulation of radio markers in the zone of medial face
line, around tongue base, with the absence of thyroid gland in its
physiological position. Functional testing proved primary hypothyroidism and
we started the application of substitution therapy. The application of
levothyroxine resulted in reaching euthyroid state and the reduction of
thyroid gland size. Conclusion. We present a very rare anomaly of the thyroid
gland, and so far there have been no clear attitudes about further treatment.
The general condition of the patient, age, the size of ectopic thyroid gland
and the existence of local symptomatology or complications represent the
factors that have influence on the choice of treatment method.
Case report of acute vitamin D intoxication in an infant
Authors: Radlovic Nedeljko , Lekovic Zoran , Ristic Dragana , Radlovic Vladimir , Djuricic Goran , Dimitrijevic Aleksandar , Vuletic Biljana
Published: January 2015

Introduction. Vitamin D intoxication represents a rare and potentially
serious pathological condition caused by the excess of calcium and
phosphorus. We are presenting an infant with vitamin D intoxication due to
excessive daily administration, as well as therapeutic procedures that
prevented its adverse effects. Case Outline. A 1.5-month-old female infant,
born at term, exclusively breastfed and without any complaints and
abnormalities of physical findings, was observed due to the data that during
the preceding month, by her mother?s mistake, she had received about 200,000
IU of vitamin D3. Laboratory analyses showed a high serum level of 25(OH)D
(>400 nmol/L) and calcium (2.72 mmol/L), lowered PTH (6.6 pg/ml) and high
urinary calcium/creatinine ratio (1.6), while other findings, including
urotract ultrasonography image, were within normal limits. Treatment based on
the discontinuation of vitamin D administration, infant?s forced water
intake, as well as the application of 2-month prednisolone and 4-month
phenobarbitone and furosemide, resulted in complete normalization of the
laboratory indicators of vitamin D overdose, as well as the prevention of its
adverse effects. Conclusion. By timely recognition and adequate treatment,
including triple therapy with prednisolone, phenobarbitone and furosemide,
adverse effects of acute vitamin D intoxication can be prevented.
Defect detection in conducting materials using eddy current testing techniques
Authors: Brauer Hartmut , Ziolkowski Marek , Toepfer Hannes
Published: January 2015

Lorentz force eddy current testing (LET) is a novel nondestructive testing
technique which can be applied preferably to the identification of internal
defects in nonmagnetic moving conductors. The LET is compared (similar
testing conditions) with the classical eddy current testing (ECT). Numerical
FEM simulations have been performed to analyze the measurements as well as
the identification of internal defects in nonmagnetic conductors. The results
are compared with measurements to test the feasibility of defect
identification. Finally, the use of LET measurements to estimate of the
electrical conductors under test are described as well.
Active RC filter based implementation analysis part of two channel hybrid filter bank
Authors: Stojanovic Vidosav , Stamenkovic Negovan , Stojanovic Nikola
Published: January 2015

In the present paper, a new design method for continuous-time powersymmetric
active RC filters for Hybrid Filter Bank (HFB) is proposed. Some theoretical
properties of continious-time power-symmetric filters bank in a more general
perspective are studied. This includes the derivation of a new general
analytical form, and a study of poles and zeros locations in s-plane. In the
proposed design method the analytic solution of filter coefficients is solved
in sdomain using only one nonlinear equation Finally, the proposed
approximation is compared to standard approximations. It was shown that
attenuation and group delay characteristic of the proposed filter lie between
Butterworth and elliptic characteristics.
On the sensitivity of the recursive filter with arbitrary order predictor in DPCM system
Authors: Dankovic Nikola , Peric Zoran , Antic Dragan , Mitic Darko , Spasic Miodrag
Published: January 2015

Sensitivity analysis of the recursive filter in a DPCM system, with arbitrary
order predictor, is presented in this paper. Relations for sensitivity,
related to predictor coefficients, are derived both in cases of stable and
unstable systems. In this way, we presented new information which can improve
design of the system in the sense of better performances via parameters
(coefficient) adjustment. Given relations were verified for the case of real
system in three different configurations: with the second, third and fifth
order predictors.
Electric field in the ovoid-shaped dielectric
Authors: Zivanic Jeroslav , Jevremovic Zoran , Ostracanin Vladimir
Published: January 2015

In nature are quite present ovoid-shaped of the dielectric. Using the method
of fictitious sources we can determine the electric field inside the
ovoidshaped dielectric.
Childbirth and marital crisis: Case study and couple therapy
Authors: Dragisic-Labas Sladjana
Published: January 2015

Understanding of social and family dynamics, taking into account viewpoints
of sociology of family, social demography, social psychology and social
psychiatry, can provide a better insight into various family, couple and
parent-child relationships. Close observation should be focused on the
family?s life cycle, its type and patterns of group functioning. One should
always take into consideration that when entering into a marriage each
partner brings patterns from his/her family of origin, individual
feelings/emotions, expectations and needs. Every change within a family is
significant, especially the one that marks a passage from one into another,
that is a different phase of a life cycle. Such one is definitely a birth of
the first child. This exactly is the point that causes high level of stress
within a couple. Childbirth usually brings challenges to family organization,
which is often reflected onto the couple. The possible conflicts are usually
related to issues of responsibility and the difficulties of adaptation to a
parental role. Research experience shows that couples? crisis is common with
younger as well as with older partners. In this study we will present two
case studies, where we deployed a qualitative method. The stories describe
two couples above 35 years old, in their first marriage, both with tertiary
education and one child. These families are at the stage of the life cycle
often cited as ?family with a small child? (Duvall, Hill, 1984, Duvall, 1971
according to: Micovic). Both couples that joined therapy were experiencing
conflicts related to a division of tasks and responsibilities as well as to
an acceptance of a father?s role. We will demonstrate the therapeutic
process, techniques that were employed in working with partners in crisis as
well as the outcomes of a treatment.