bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Removal and fate of emerging contaminants combining biological, flocculation and membrane treatments
Authors: Melo-Guimarães Anemir , Torner-Morales Francisco J. , Durán-Álvarez Juan C. , Jiménez-Cisneros Blanca E.
Published: January 2013

An experimental study combining biological treatment with flocculation (F) and ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technology was conducted, separately and in combination, seeking to increase insight into the capability of such treatment processes to remove emerging contaminants (ECs). The occurrence and removal efficiencies of 17 ECs are reported for wastewater from Mexico City. Results showed that activated sludge (AS) is the predominant process for removing acidic pharmaceutical compounds, and the use of a cationic flocculant increases the biodegradability of these compounds as well as that of 4-nonylphenol. The UF process alone showed greater removal of phenolic compounds than AS. However, the contribution of flocculation to EC removal by the UF unit was fairly limited. In general, the F + AS + UF processes yielded better results than their separate use, leading to the highest removal rates of 15 of the 17 compounds. In the case of some phenolic compounds and the phthalic acid esters, a competitive sorption process between the membrane and the sludge steps seemed to take place. Bis-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) was found to be significantly sorbed onto sludge. The F + AS + UF process operated as a membrane bioreactor (MBR) using 16 gL−1 of suspended solids in the mixed liquor (MLSS) yielded the highest removal efficiencies for the ECs tested.
Two Valid Measures of Self-rated Physical Activity and Capacity
Authors: Holen Marit Sundal , Een Rønnaug , Mildestvedt Thomas , Eide Geir Egil , Meland Eivind
Published: January 2013

Objectives:

Questionnaires on physical activity (PA) and physical capacity (PC) are valuable tools, as they are cost beneficial, and have high response rates. The validity of short versions of such questionnaires has not been examined satisfactorily. Therefore, we aimed at examining the validity of a set of questions coding for PA and PC.

Design:

The questions were administered to 217 men and women attending a cardiac rehabilitation program. Participants also gave blood samples, measuring HDL cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), insulin, glucose, and microCRP. The relations between PA and PC and biological markers were examined by linear regression analyses.

Results:

Measures for PC and for PA were identified by factor analysis, which proved internally consistent. TG, homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) score, and mCRP were all significantly associated with the measures of PC and PA.

Conclusions:

The measures of PA and PC are valid compared with biological markers, allowing cost-beneficial and time-efficient evaluation of important measures for cardiovascular health.
Import of boars: Semen quality control and possibility of complaints
Authors: Milovanovic A. , Barna T. , Maksimovic N. , Vasiljevic T. , Milanov D. , Boskovic N.
Published: January 2013

Serbia is one of the countries with the continuous import of breeding sows
and boars. Boars are usually imported at the age of 4 to 6 months, in the
period when the quality of the breeding males cannot be determined due to
sexual immaturity (prepubertal and pubertal age). In this paper, the method
and results of semen quality control in 40 imported young boars are
described, and also the method of documenting the cause for action claim. In
the case of suspicious semen quality it is necesseary to perform at least 3
consecutive controls in one month intervals in order to establish a final
estimation of quality and usability of semen. Of 40 imported boars, 4 boars
(10%) were subject of complaint due to: azoospermia (1 boar), absence or
reduction of total and progressive motility, present sperm agglutination (2
boars), and increased number of pathological forms of spermatozoa (78%, 1
boar). Increased proportion of sperm with unstable chromatin structure (SCSA
test - 33.2% and 37.1%) was established in two boars. To initiate the
complaint it is necessary to have a sales contract that provides possibility
for the reclamation, recognized methods of semen quality control and trustful
business relationship between all interested parties.
Growth intensity of the fertile breed gilts in the nucleus pig farm
Authors: Vidovic V. , Krnjaic J. , Lukac D. , Visnjic V. , Stupar M.
Published: January 2013

Production in the farm directly depends on the quality of gilts. For this
reason it would be necessary to replace non-productive sows. By monitoring
and control of the growth intensity in the performance test make possibility
to provide selection effect and get gilts adequate age and weight at
insemination. The present paper analyses of growth traits from birth until
the end of the performance test. The investigations included 205 gilts, of
which 104 Landrace and 101 Yorkshire, which were obtained from 7 sires (4 of
Landrace and 3 of Yorkshire breed). The gilts that had a smaller weight at
birth, showed a smaller daily gain and body weight realized at the end of the
test. Lactation duration of 32 days, weight at weaning was not less than 7
kg. During the test of 85 days, the realized average weight was 76 kg, with a
gain of 0.90 kg for Landrace gilts, while Yorkshire had smaller one (71 kg)
and so smaller daily gain (0.84 kg). With an average age of gilts of 160
days, Landrace gilts reached weight 108 kg, with an average life gain of 0.67
kg, while the Yorkshire gilts reached weight of 101 kg, with an average life
gain of 0.62 kg. Tests of significance showed that the sire, breed and weight
at birth have a highly significant impact on most of the observed traits and
represent a significant source of phenotypic variability in growth traits of
tested gilts.
Analysis of the Albanian national legislation in the light of the international legal framework relevant to the conservation and use of animal genetic resources
Authors: Kume A.
Published: January 2013

The Albanian legislation on conservation, management and sustainable economic
use of Farm Animal genetic Resources is an intensive developing process. It
aims to the FAnGR development in accordance with the requirements and
obligation arising from the accession to various international convention
(CDB, WTO etc...), and to align it with other legislations of EU member
states. The legislative development is part of the work that Albania is
implementing in the context of the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation
of Animal Genetic Resources (FAO). Albanian current legislation treats only
generally the entirety of the requests that should be fulfilled in order to
enable the conservation and administration of the biological diversity of
farm animals. It is necessary to develop it in order to solve the entirety of
the problems regarding the need and necessity of the administration of this
national asset, to meet, in an optimal way, the food security of current and
future generations.
Empirical research on the external audit of banks in Serbia
Authors: Jovkovic Biljana , Ljubisavljevic Snezana , Obradovic Vladimir
Published: January 2013

The paper first explains the role, importance, and objectives of the external
audit of banks through their most important definitions, thus illustrating
the subject and aim of the research. The methodology of the research and data
on the sample are presented afterwards. Results of the questionnaire survey
which comprised 28 banks in the Republic of Serbia (RS) show what bankers
prefer, and compared to global experience there is no significant difference.
As a final point, the inherent limitations of the research and concluding
remarks are presented.
Yugoslavia as a place for living a normal life: Memories of ordinary people in Serbia
Authors: Spasic Ivana
Published: January 2013

The text reconstructs the representation of life in socialist Yugoslavia, as
depicted by ordinary people in Serbia today, on the basis of empirical data
collected through focus group interviews. It is shown that this
representation is consistent with findings of several studies of
Yugonostalgia. What is lamented is material prosperity, social security,
chances for employment, free health care and education, but also, as singled
out in the analysis, a kind of moral universe in which in was possible to act
as autonomous moral agents but which was lost at the beginning of the 1990s.
This entire cluster of features is condensed in the label of ?normal life?
that Serbian citizens feel they are still denied. The paper closes with a
discussion of action and political potentials of Yugonostalgia.
The death of Mehmed Spaho and Dzemal Bijedic in the context of mythical constructions
Authors: Kamberovic Husnija
Published: January 2013

During the Yugoslav period two of the most prominent personalities in the
political life of Bosniaks from Bosnia and Herzegovina ended their lives
while occupying prominent political offices at the Yugoslav level. Their
deaths however were subject to various constructions, in scholarly as well as
public discourse. These two individuals were Mehmed Spaho and Dzemal Bijedic.
In their political work they were connected by the Yugoslav idea, in which
they both believed, by the fact that both died suddenly, and the subsequent
mythologization of their deaths. This mythologization had the aim to
completely revise their political actions and was mainly a product of the new
political context. In this paper the author attempts to contextualize the
political activities and deaths of these two figures, and to explain the
reasons for the mythologization that took place afterwards.
De facto refuse or structured deposition? House inventories of the late neolithic Vinca culture
Authors: Porcic Marko
Published: January 2013

The goal of this paper is to determine whether there are reasons to believe
that inventories from the Late Neolithic Vinca culture houses do not
represent systemic assemblages and to offer an interpretation of household
assemblage variation. Pottery inventories from Vinca culture houses were
compared to the ethnographically recorded range of variation in household
inventory size. The discard equation was used to make projections of the
accumulated assemblages from house assemblages for comparison with
empirically observed accumulated assemblages. It is concluded that in general
there is no reason to reject the assumption that Vinca household inventories
reflect systemic assemblages. Moreover, the patterns of inventory variability
can be meaningfully interpreted in social terms.
Eneolithic mine Prljusa: Mali Sturac archaeological and geophysical investigations
Authors: Antonovic Dragana , Vukadinovic Momir
Published: January 2013

The Eneolithic copper mine at Mali Sturac was discovered in 1980 and
subsequently investigated to a smaller extent from 1981 to 1987. In 2010 the
investigations at Prljusa were reactivated with the aim of defining how much
and how long the mine had been exploited during prehistory. Pilot geophysical
studies were followed by more extensive explorations in 2011. They focused on
a zone related to Shafts 4 and 6, discovered in 1987. The geophysical
explorations have comprised the methods of selfpotential - SP, electrical
scanning - ES and seismic profiling with one geophone - SGRP. The
explorations covered a surface of 400 m? including five sections, each 50 m
long, with 2 m intervals between them. These investigations identified
underground channels in Shaft 4 and Shaft 6. Three meters below Shaft 4, a
large underground gallery was found and in the continuation of the entrance
of Shaft 6, a 10 m long horizontal channel was detected. Northwards from
Shaft 4 and Shaft 6, at a distance of 6-8 m, at least six mining shafts were
detected. However, they are not visible on the surface because their
entrances are filled with loose material. The investigations carried out in
2011 proved that geophysical investigations are an efficient method for
studying old mining works and, therefore, it has been decided to continue
with this type of exploration.
O jednom novijem nalazu iz gvozdenog doba u Sremu
Authors: Koledin Jovan
Published: January 2013

nema
Venus or Diana from Mediana
Authors: Vasic Miloje , Gavrilovic Nadezda
Published: January 2013

During the archaeological investigation of the villa with peristyle in
Mediana in 2011, a marble head, which may have been the head of a goddess,
was discovered. Her face and the treatment of her hair show that it may
represent a replica of a Hellenistic original. As far as is known, analogies
of female marble heads from Mediana show that it probably represented either
the goddess Artemis/Diana or Aphrodite/Venus. A hypothesis was made that the
head might have been modelled at the end of the 3rd century - 430 A.D. In
addition, a hypothesis was made that the base found in 2002, on which was
preserved a fragmented head and the tail of a dolphin, and the new found head
were parts of the same statue. If this is the case, then the statue can be
identified as the type of Capitol Venus, subtype Venus with dolphin.
What does the „bedrock“ of rules consist of? Mcdowell on Kripke’s and Wright’s interpretation of Wittgenstein
Authors: Sládecek Michal
Published: January 2013

This text discusses McDowell?s position with regard to particular problems of
Wittgenstein?s philosophy, primarily through his criticism of Saul Kripke?s
and Crispin Wright?s interpretation of Wittgenstein?s understanding of rules.
What these interpretations have in common are certain perspectives of the
possibility of grasping rules, when the solution differs both from the
explanation through interpretation and from the platonism of rules. According
to McDowell, Kripke?s and Wright?s interpretation state that congruence of
individuals and their behavior, that is, their use of language, comes before
language norms and meanings. Normativity of linguistic rules is eliminated in
this way, that is, it is compensated with description of current public use
of language which basically does not follow Wittgenstein?s initial intention.
Contrary to this, McDowell speaks about Wittgenstein?s emphasis placed on the
autonomy of rules, as well as on the implicit normative basis of forms of
life. The last part of the text considers justifiability of McDowell?s
criticism of these two interpretations. It is also emphasized that beside the
fact that particular objections referring to the importance of practice and
interpretation are not sufficiently founded in writings of Kripke and Wright,
there still is a significant criticism, which has substantially contributed
to understanding Wittgenstein?s positions regarding rules and their practical
basis.
Quine on analycity and logical truths
Authors: Zoric Aleksandra
Published: January 2013

The aim of this work is to offer a recontruction of Quine?s arguments
directed against the notion of analycity and conventionalism about the
logical truth. We start by investigating some of the ideas which Carnap, the
main target of Quine?s attacks, held in this respect. This will enable us to
make a firmer footing on the background of Quine?s papers, both early ones
offering the critique of Carnap?s standpoint as well as later ones that,
allegedly, deal with problems not so tightly related to the ones mentioned
before. This change of focus is only apparent, as we shall show that there is
a significant systematic component of Quine?s thought which, if disregarded,
could lead us astray regarding some of the most important aspects of Quine?s
position. We shall see that, regarding the rejection of the notion of
analycity, Quine?s holism as well as his thesis of the indeterminacy of
translation plays a prominent role. Forbearing the idea of propositions as
the basic units of meaning, as well as the idea of a sensible talk about
meaning independent of the complete body of a theory, coupled with Quine?s
behaviorism, sheds new light on some of the problems Quine was facing during
the whole course of his career.
Heideggers Kritik der Kulturphilosophie
Authors: Koprivica Caslav
Published: January 2013

In diesem Text besprechen wir Heideggers Verh?ltnis zur Kulturphilosophie,
die bedeutend ist f?r das Verst?ndnis seiner Genese in eine einzigartige
philosophische Figur, aber auch in der philosophiegeschichtlichen Hinsicht,
da die Kulturphilosophie einige Jahrzehnte des 20. Jahrhunderts eine der
einflussreichsten Traditionen gewesen ist. F?r Heidegger die
Hauptschwierigkeit dieser Denkrichtung liegt in ihrem undurchgedachten
Umgang mit dem Menschen als einem Seienden unter anderen, wobei man verpasst
anzuerkennen die Beziehung, aber auch den Unterschied, zwischen der
menschlichen und der Seinsweise der anderen Seienden. Wegen diesen
unreflektierten Zugangs, wird die Kulturphilosophie anthropozentrisch, da
sie die Gesamtheit des Seienden als den jeweiligen Ausgang des menschlichen
Herstellung beobachtet, so dass sie an der Seite der Metaphysik der
Subjektivit?t, bzw. Humanismus, verbleibt, die f?r Heidegger im Grunde
strittig sind und seiner systematischen Kritik ausgesetzt sind.
The flow of two zinc oxide-eugenol-based endodontic sealers
Authors: Ilic Dragan
Published: January 2013

Background/Aim. Endodontic sealers (ES) for obturation are usually prepared
with a slight variation of their components both on purpose or
unintentionally. Considering that fact, as well as a frequent use of
compaction techniques with the applied force to gutta-percha and ES of 1-3
kg, the aim of this study was to investigate the flow of two zinc-oxide
eugenol ES in regard to the applied force and a variation of sealer?s
components. Methods. The experimental group samples of both ES were prepared
according to the manufacturer?s instructions, applied between pair of glass
slabs and loaded by weights of 1 and 2 kg, respectively (American National
Standard, Specification No. 57). Some samples of one ES were prepared as
thick consistency with 10% more powder and some as thin mixture with 10% less
powder than the standard prescription. These semples had been exposed to the
load of 2 kg. The control group included samples of both ES prepared as
standard prescription but exposed to the weight of one glass slab only. The
spread ES appeared as a regular circle 10 min upon mixing and weighting.
Measuring of the circle diameter was done by an orthodontic ruler. The flow
of the used ES was considered the function of its spread diameter. Results.
Application of 1 vs 2 kg load for both regularly mixed sealers in the scope
of disk diameter (flow) was statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). This
means that the stated null hypothesis that there would be no significant
difference in flow rate among the regularly mixed sealers at the level of ? =
0.05 is accepted. The findings about difference in the disk diameter in
regard to mixing variation of Endomethasone indicate that the null hypothesis
that there would be no significant difference in flow rate between the
regular and thick mixed mass at the level of ? = 0.05 is accepted. In the
comparison of regular and thin mix a significant difference was noted and the
null hypotesis is rejected (p < 0.01). The control group results displayed
Roth 801 as less viscous than Endomethasone sealer (p < 0.01). Conclusion.
Application of 1 or 2 kg pressure on the samples of both exposed sealers does
not significantly affect the flow values as well as comparison of the regular
to thick consistency of Endomethasone while comparison of its regular to thin
mass shows a significant difference.
The present and future of fiberoptic intubation
Authors: Slavkovic Zoran , Stamenkovic Dusica , Romic Predrag , Tomic Aleksandar , Milovic Novak , Jovanovic Mirko , Karanikolas Menelaos
Published: January 2013

nema
Atypical form of cat scratch disease in immunocompetent patient
Authors: Kojic Miroslav , Mikic Dragan , Nozic Darko , Zolotarevski Lidija
Published: January 2013

Introduction. Cat scratch disease (CSD) is an acute infectious disease with
benign course caused by the bacteria Bartonella henselae. Clinically, it is
usually manifested as regional lymphadenopathy and mild infective syndrome.
Rare forms of the disease which usually occur in immunocompromised presons
are: encephalitis, transverse myelitis, neuroretinitis, granulomatosus
conjunctivitis, arthritis, hepatitis etc. Case report. We presented an
atypical form of cat scratch disease in a young immunocompetent female
person. The disease was manifested with prolonged fever, rash, purulent
lymphadenitis and hepatitis. The diagnosis was based on characteristic
patohystological finding and exclusion of the other causes of
lymphadenopathy. The patient was treated by antibiotics for a few weeks, with
surgical incision and drainage of the purulent lymphadenitis. Conclusion.
Atypical forms of CSD could be an important differential-diagnostic problem,
especially if there is no opportunity for serological confirmation of the
disease.
Monetary reform in Rusia 1922-1924.
Authors: Zverev Grigorjevic
Published: January 2013

The article offers a chronological and analytic review of the monetary reform
in the Soviet Russia in the period 1922-1924. The author thoroughly discusses
the economic and monetary situation in Russia before the reform, starting
with the period before the First World War, during the war, the revolution
and the civil war that followed. A special emphasis is given to the
representatives of the new, Bolshevik government headed by Lenin. The article
offers a detailed description how the new government managed to cope with
such a monetary chaos, with several currencies of different value and
stability, and introduce a monetary reform with a hard currency as one of the
most important preconditions of the stability of entire economy and economic
development.
Yuan apreciation: The necessity or an argument for political economy of protectionism
Authors: Pelevic Branislav
Published: January 2013

For the third year in a row the U.S. administration has been putting repeated
pressure, much more intense than before, on the Chinese government to
significantly revaluate yuan. Undervaluated yuan, as it is pointed out, is
the biggest culprit for large U.S. trade deficits, as well as global
imbalances. This paper presents the expected effects of a stronger yuan
appreciation, but also gives counter-arguments which speak in favor of a
gradual change of its parity. Finally, it is concluded that the yuan exchange
rate is only one of the parameters to be changed so establishing a more
balanced relationship between the U.S. and China requires changes in
macroeconomic fundamentals on both sides.
Variable mechanisms of action of lithium during generating of membrane potential oscilations across the excitable membrane of the Nitela cell
Authors: Radenovic Cedomir , Beljanski Milos , Maksimov Georgij , Stanisavljev Dragomir
Published: January 2013

This study presents results on variable mechanisms of lithium transport
processes during generating of membrane potential oscillations across the
very excitable membrane of the Nittela cell. Generating of several classes
of oscillations, single and local impulses of the membrane potential, were
presented in dependence on effects of a high LiCl concentration (10 mM),
with which the cell membrane is very excited. Results on membrane potential
oscillations are presented, and then some of oscillogram parameters were
displayed. The assertion is that oscillations of the membrane potential are
caused by total oscillatory transport processes: Li+, K+, Na+ and Cl-across
the very excitable cell membrane. The paper presents the hypothesis on
mechanisms of oscillatory transport processes of ions (Li, Na, K and Cl)
expressed over different classes of oscillations, single and local impulses
of the membrane potential across the excitable membrane of the Nittela cell.
Do mouthwashes with and without bleaching agents degrade the force of elastomeric chains?
Authors: Pithon Matheus Melo , Rodrigues Ailana Cardoso , Sousa Érica Luiza Santana Moreira , de Souza Santos Lília Paula , dos Santos Soares Natália
Published: January 2013

Objective:

To evaluate, in vitro, the effect of mouthwashes with and without bleaching agents on the force of elastomeric chains.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 108 elastomeric chain specimens was divided into six groups (n  =  18 in each group). Two test groups were exposed to two types of commonly used mouthwashes (Plax and Listerine), and two groups were exposed to mouthwashes containing bleaching agent (Plax Whitening and Listerine Whitening). Immersion in the solutions was performed twice a day for 60 seconds. One group of control specimens remained immersed in artificial saliva throughout the entire experimental period, and the other control specimens were exposed to distilled water. Force measurements were performed at six time intervals (initial, 1 day, 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, and 28 days).

Results:

No statistically significant differences were found between the groups in the initial period (P > .05). Statistically significant differences were found between the control group and the Plax, Plax Whitening, and Listerine groups at the time intervals of 7, 14, and 21 days. In the initial period, the force was statistically significantly higher than it was in any of the other experimental periods (P < .05). The control group with distilled water and the test group with Plax Whitening maintained the most force during the experimental period.

Conclusion:

The presence of bleaching agent has no influence on the force degradation of elastomeric chains.
Three-dimensional changes of the hyoid bone and airway volumes related to its relationship with horizontal anatomic planes after bimaxillary surgery in skeletal Class III patients
Authors: Kim Min-Ah , Kim Bo-Ram , Choi Jin-Young , Youn Jong-Kuk , Kim Yoon-Ji R. , Park Yang-Ho
Published: January 2013

Objective:

To evaluate longitudinal changes of the hyoid bone position and pharyngeal airway space after bimaxillary surgery in mandibular prognathism patients.

Materials and Methods:

Cone-beam computed tomography scans were taken for 25 mandibular prognathism patients before surgery (T0), 2 months after surgery (T1), and 6 months after surgery (T2). The positional displacement of the hyoid bone was assessed using the coordinates at T0, T1, and T2. Additionally, the volume of each subject's pharyngeal airway was measured.

Results:

The mean amount of posterior maxilla impaction was 3.76 ± 1.33 mm as the palatal plane rotated 2.04° ± 2.28° in a clockwise direction as a result of bimaxillary surgery. The hyoid bone moved backward (P < .05, P < .001) and downward (P > .05, P < .05) at 2 months and 6 months after surgery, while the total volume of the pharyngeal airway significantly decreased at the same time points (P < .001, P < .001). There was significant relationship between the changes of the hyoid bone position and airway volume at 2 months after surgery (P < .05). The change of the palatal plane angle was positively correlated to the decrease in the total airway volume (P < .001).

Conclusions:

The null hypothesis was rejected. The hyoid bone moved inferoposteriorly, and the pharyngeal airway volume decreased for up to 6 months after bimaxillary surgery. The decrease in the pharyngeal airway volume was correlated to the changes in the palatal plane inclination and the positional change of the hyoid bone.
Effects of severity and location of nonsyndromic hypodontia on craniofacial morphology
Authors: Gungor Ahmet Yalcin , Turkkahraman Hakan
Published: January 2013

Objective:

To evaluate the effects of severity and location of nonsyndromic hypodontia on craniofacial morphology.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 154 patients with at least two or more congenitally missing teeth were selected and divided into two groups (group I [mild]: patients with two to five missing teeth; group II [severe]: patients with six or more missing teeth). The patients with hypodontia were divided into three groups according to the location of missing teeth in the dental arches (anterior, posterior, and both anterior and posterior) and location of missing teeth between the jaws (maxilla, mandible, and both maxilla and mandible). Fifty Class I patients without any missing teeth served as the control group. Twenty-one measurements were performed on lateral cephalograms. Intergroup differences for the severity and location of hypodontia were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc Tukey tests.

Results:

Significant decreases were found in mandibular plane angles (P < .05), upper and lower incisor measurements (P < .05), anterior (P < .001) and posterior (P < .05) face heights, and ramus height (P < .01), as well as a significant increase in the soft tissue convexity angle (P < .05) among the hypodontia groups and control group. These differences were more excessive in the severe hypodontia group. Upper lip-E plane measurements were significantly longer in the mandible group than in the maxilla group (P < .01).

Conclusions:

Patients with congenitally missing teeth have different craniofacial morphologies. The severity and location of missing teeth have a significant effect.
Thyroid Hormone Promotes Postnatal Rat Pancreatic β-Cell Development and Glucose-Responsive Insulin Secretion Through MAFA
Authors: Aguayo-Mazzucato Cristina , Zavacki Ann Marie , Marinelarena Alejandra , Hollister-Lock Jennifer , El Khattabi Ilham , Marsili Alessandro , Weir Gordon C. , Sharma Arun , Larsen P. Reed , Bonner-Weir Susan
Published: January 2013

Neonatal β cells do not secrete glucose-responsive insulin and are considered immature. We previously showed the transcription factor MAFA is key for the functional maturation of β cells, but the physiological regulators of this process are unknown. Here we show that postnatal rat β cells express thyroid hormone (TH) receptor isoforms and deiodinases in an age-dependent pattern as glucose responsiveness develops. In vivo neonatal triiodothyronine supplementation and TH inhibition, respectively, accelerated and delayed metabolic development. In vitro exposure of immature islets to triiodothyronine enhanced the expression of Mafa, the secretion of glucose-responsive insulin, and the proportion of responsive cells, all of which are effects that were abolished in the presence of dominant-negative Mafa. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assay, we show that TH has a direct receptor-ligand interaction with the Mafa promoter and, using a luciferase reporter, that this interaction was functional. Thus, TH can be considered a physiological regulator of functional maturation of β cells via its induction of Mafa.
Vimentin cleavage in end-stage renal disease is not related to apoptosis
Authors: Liebscher Felix , Arnold Tobias , Liang Ying , Reiter Thomas , Böhmig Georg , Oehler Rudolf
Published: January 2013

Anti-vimentin auto-antibodies contribute to chronic allograft nephropathy. They exist in sera of end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis (ESRD) already before renal transplantation. We found recently that a 49 kDa vimentin fragment is increased in lymphocytes of ESRD patients which is presented on the cell surface. In vitro studies showed that such a fragment is formed during apoptosis by active caspase-3. We hypothesized that vimentin degradation in leukocytes of ESRD patients correlates to caspase-3 activation in vivo. Lymphocytes and monocytes were isolated from ESRD patients and from healthy volunteers and analyzed for vimentin expression and caspase-3 activation. In addition, apoptosis was induced in vitro and quantified by flow cytometry. ESRD monocytes have shown only the full length 60 kDa vimentin isoform. ESRD lymphocytes, however, showed in addition a strongly increased expression of the 49 kDa vimentin in all samples. Caspase-3 activation was found in 60% of ESRD lymphocytes and 66% of ESRD monocytes but not in healthy volunteers. UV-mediated induction of apoptosis was not associated with vimentin degradation. These experiments could confirm increased vimentin degradation in ESRD lymphocytes. However, we could not validate any correlation to apoptosis.
The Unanticipated Consequences of Fewer Politicians: Bill 81, Federalism, and Constituency Party Organization in Ontario
Authors: Koop Royce
Published: January 2013

En Ontario, depuis l’entrée en vigueur de la Loi réduisant le nombre de députés, en 1999, les circonscriptions provinciales et fédérales sont identiques. Cette loi avait pour objectif de permettre de réduire les coûts et d’accroître l’efficacité de l’administration; mais elle a également eu d’importants effets imprévus sur l’organisation des partis politiques ontariens. Dans cet article, j’examine d’abord l’introduction de la Loi. Je présente ensuite le compte rendu de 60 interviews que j’ai menées avec des responsables d’associations de circonscription de différents partis, dont 7 qui faisaient déjà ce travail avant l’entrée en vigueur de la Loi. En faisant des comparaisons entre les associations de circonscription de l’Ontario et du Nouveau-Brunswick (où les circonscriptions fédérales et provinciales sont différentes), je démontre que l’existence de circonscriptions provinciales et fédérales identiques facilite l’intégration des partis politiques fédéraux et provinciaux et leur coopération dans les circonscriptions, parce que, sur les plans de la géographie et de l’écologie humaine, les contextes sur la base desquels les partis fédéraux et provinciaux se structurent sont alors les mêmes, et parce que le nombre d’intervenants est réduit. On peut donc considérer la Loi réduisant le nombre de députés comme l’exemple d’une loi qui comporte d’importants effets imprévus, et c’est en évaluant la Loi de ce point de vue que je conclus l’étude.
The First Nations’ Contribution to Alberta’s Charitable Gaming Model: Assessing the Impacts
Authors: Belanger Yale D. , Williams Robert J.
Published: January 2013

En 2001, l’Alberta a mis en place une politique, la First Nations Gaming Policy, qui permet aux Autochtones de construire des casinos dans les réserves, mais qui stipule que 30 % des revenus du jeu réalisés par ces casinos doivent être versés au gouvernement qui les utilise ensuite à des fins caritatives dans la province. Durant les six années qui ont suivi l’ouverture du premier casino sur une réserve, presque toutes les nations autochtones ont continué de subir un retard, sur le plan socio-économique, par rapport au reste de la population albertaine; et les organisations caritatives provinciales, pour leur part, dépendent de plus en plus des revenus des casinos des réserves. Dans cet article, nous analysons l’impact des cinq casinos autochtones provinciaux sur les communautés où ils sont implantés, ainsi que les sommes que les prétendus bénéficiaires de ces casinos perdent en fait chaque année à cause de la règle qui leur impose de verser 30 % des revenus au gouvernement.
Subject Matter Expert and Public Evaluations of a Veterinary Toxicology Course Brochure-Writing Assignment
Authors: Dorman David C. , Alpi Kristine M. , Chappell Kimberly H.
Published: January 2013

Veterinary schools are increasingly developing students' communication skills, with an emphasis placed on practice conveying medical and scientific knowledge to different audiences. We describe how patient-centered written communication has been integrated into the training of veterinary students using toxicology-related preventive materials. Third-year veterinary students were given an assignment to prepare a client-focused brochure related to veterinary toxicology. Since 2010, 148 students have completed this assignment, with an average score of 93.4%. Use of a grading rubric was instituted in 2011 and resulted in a more rigorous assessment of the brochures by the course instructors. In this study, we evaluated a sample (n=6) selected from 10 brochures volunteered for further public and expert assessment. Each brochure was measured for readability and assessed with a rubric for perceived usefulness and acceptability by 12 veterinary toxicologists and 10 or 11 adult members of the public attending a college of veterinary medicine open house. Veterinary toxicologist review anticipated that the brochures would be useful for most clients, and the public reviewers confirmed this assessment. Evaluation of the brochures using set marking criteria and readability indexes showed that students had successfully targeted the chosen audiences. Feedback showed that the general public rated the sample brochures highly in terms of quality, usefulness, and interest. Completion of this study has resulted in revision of the grading rubric, an increased use of brochure examples, and additional instruction in readability assessment and brochure development, thereby improving the assignment as a learning exercise.
Opportunity-Based Dynamic Transit Accessibility in Southern California
Authors: Lei Ting L. , Chen Yali , Goulias Konstadinos G.
Published: January 2013

Accessibility to public transportation is an important element for the specification of activity participation and travel behavior models, the assessment of level of service by public transportation, equity analysis, and the design of public transportation provision. Although transit ridership is lower in the United States than in other countries, transit serves a segment of the population that may benefit substantially from its provision. The relative attractiveness of public transportation depends critically on its performance in terms of the accessibility provided to link people with employment and activity opportunities. In practice, an effective method to derive such indicators and related performance measures is lacking. An opportunity-based transit accessibility measure applied to the Southern California Association of Governments megaregion is presented. The indicators computed are sensitive to the availability of opportunities for travelers within a day (e.g., related to the opening and closing hours of businesses) and are a direct function of the transit routes and schedules and the associated spatiotemporal variation of level of service during a day. The method is described, examples on transit accessibility are provided, and the results are compared with automobile accessibility.
Determinants of Bicycle Transfer Demand at Metro Stations
Authors: Chen Lijun , Pel Adam J. , Chen Xuewu , Sparing Daniel , Hansen Ingo A.
Published: January 2013

Metro transit networks are constantly expanding to meet the growing travel demand that accompanies rapid urban growth. One main disadvantage of metro transport is its heavy reliance on access and egress transport and, hence, on the corresponding transfer facilities. Improvements to these transfer facilities therefore have the potential to increase use of the metro system while possibly alleviating the traffic load on the urban road network. Because bicycle transfer at metro stations—that is, using a bicycle as mode of access to or egress from the metro system—is underused, the determinants of the demand for bicycle transfer are investigated. Results and findings are valuable for designing policies aimed at improving metro ridership and for designing bicycle parking and transfer facilities at metro stations. To this end, several metro stations in Nanjing, China, were analyzed, and two stereotypical metro stations were selected for how well they represented the system. A large-scale survey was conducted on metro travelers' opinions on and use of bicycle transfer facilities, and data were collected on the current attributes of service groups, bicycle parking occupancy, and transfer mode alternatives. Furthermore, metro travelers' (latent) transfer preferences for bicycle rental facilities were investigated. Two transfer choice models were estimated to identify and quantify the determinants for bicycle transfer demand: one focuses on current walk–metro trips, and the other focuses on current bus–metro trips. The explanatory determinants are discussed, and relative weights are computed with multiple linear regression analysis.
Benefits of Geographic Information Systems in Managing a Major Transportation Program
Authors: Ford Mark , Kirkman Robb , Cox Jim , Ringeisen David
Published: January 2013

This paper presents the use of geographic information systems (GIS) in the support of a major state transportation program and discusses the lessons learned on the improvement of future results. The review is based on the results of a benefit–cost (BC) analysis that showed overall positive returns as well as areas in which effectiveness could be improved. In 2004, the Oregon Department of Transportation (DOT) contracted with the Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners (OBDP) to manage a $1.3 billion bridge repair and reconstruction program known as the Oregon Transportation Investment Act III State Bridge Delivery Program. GIS was integral to the information strategy deployed in the management of the program. In 2010, in a review of the GIS and other information technology systems, the Oregon DOT and OBDP jointly conducted a BC analysis of the impact of these systems on the bridge program. The agencies found a positive rate of return, generally, for all information technology systems and for GIS systems taken as a group. For maximum benefit from these systems to be achieved in support of major programs, the agencies found the following factors important to consider: timing, flexibility, compatibility with other system architecture, integration with the standards of project owners and contractors, and compatibility with contract and legal obligations. Although the technology itself had proved successful, the program showed that an integrated strategy was essential to realize the maximum potential value of GIS.
Wireless Communication Simulation Model for Traffic Monitoring Systems Based on Dynamic Cellular Handoffs
Authors: Yang Fei , Cheng Yang , Jin Jing , Xia Jun , Yang Da , Ran Bin
Published: January 2013

Technology for tracking with handoff-based cellular probes is one of the most important modern methods of traffic monitoring. Some simulation frameworks have been proposed to investigate the key issues in such systems. However, most existing simulation approaches rely on assumptions of cell boundaries and handoff points; these assumptions may lead to inaccurate predictions of the performance of real systems. The proposed model incorporated the actual communication mechanism for cell phone signals used in real-world cellular networks. In the proposed simulation framework, cell boundaries were dynamic, cell sizes varied, and the handoff process was controlled by actual protocols for cellular communication. An algorithm for handoff pattern matching is also presented. The algorithm deals with the dynamic handoff sequence for the purposes of traffic detection. The approach was verified with a calibrated simulation road network. The impacts of two important factors, call duration and probe penetration, were also investigated. The results showed that the proposed simulation platform for wireless communication could produce more reliable results and gain deeper insights into the performance of the handoff-based cellular traffic monitoring systems than had been achieved through the traditional simulation approaches.
Estimating Spatial Traffic States with Location-Based Data under Heterogeneous Conditions
Authors: Padiath Ameena S. , Vanajakshi Lelitha , Subramanian Shankar C.
Published: January 2013

Traffic data can be classified into spatial data and location-based data depending on the frame of measurement involved. Location-based traffic data pertain to information at a certain point, and spatial traffic data pertain to a longer section of the roadway. This larger coverage makes spatial traffic data better indicators of the traffic condition and the level of service of the roadway section. Therefore, spatial traffic data are preferred in any congestion mitigation program. Because the greater spatial coverage makes measurement of spatial traffic data more difficult than that of location-based data, the spatial data are usually estimated from other easily measurable location-based parameters. This paper proposes a methodology to estimate two of the most important spatial traffic parameters—density and space mean speed (SMS)—from the location-based parameters—flow and time mean speed (TMS)—under Indian traffic conditions. The estimation scheme was based on the Kalman filter and incorporated a dynamic macroscopic traffic flow model formulated in the state–space representation. This framework also included an empirical model calibrated with field data and a parameter α, which was used to relate SMS to TMS. The parameter estimation was formulated as an optimization problem, and the estimation scheme was corroborated with a comparison of density estimates with field data. Because the collection of SMS from the field was difficult, travel time collected from probe vehicle data was used as a surrogate measure to corroborate the SMS estimates. The results were promising and agreed well with the traffic behavior observed in the field.
Automated Identification and Extraction of Horizontal Curve Information from Geographic Information System Roadway Maps
Authors: Li Zhixia , Chitturi Madhav V. , Bill Andrea R. , Noyce David A.
Published: January 2013

Roadway horizontal alignment has long been recognized as one of the most significant contributing factors to lane departure crashes. Knowledge of the location and geometric information of horizontal curves can greatly facilitate the development of appropriate countermeasures. When curve information is unavailable, obtaining curve data in a cost-effective way is of great interest to practitioners and researchers. To date, many approaches have been developed to extract curve information from commercial satellite imagery, Global Positioning System survey data, laser-scanning data, and AutoCAD digital maps. As geographic information system (GIS) roadway maps become more accessible and more widely used, they become another cost-effective source for extraction of curve data. This paper presents a fully automated method for the extraction of horizontal curve data from GIS roadway maps. A specific curve data–extraction algorithm was developed and implemented as a customized add-in tool in ArcMap. With this tool, horizontal curves could be automatically identified from GIS roadway maps. The length, radius, and central angle of the curves were also computed automatically. The only input parameter of the proposed algorithm was calibrated to have the least curve identification errors. Finally, algorithm validation was conducted through a comparison of the algorithm-extracted curve data with the ground truth curve data for 76 curves that were obtained from Bing aerial maps. The validation results indicated that the proposed algorithm was very effective and that it identified completely 96.7% of curves and computed accurately their geometric information.
Estimation of a Road Mask to Improve Vehicle Detection and Tracking in Airborne Imagery
Authors: Du Xueyan , Hickman Mark
Published: January 2013

This research proposes a method to estimate a road mask in airborne imagery to improve vehicle detection and tracking. The road mask can remove false detections and reduce computation time. The road mask was estimated on the basis of smoothed (interpolated) positions of the vehicles tracked by the short-term and long-term trackers in the software tool “tracking and registration of airborne video image sequences” (TRAVIS) in a fixed number of frames (i.e., one cycle). First, raw vehicle positions that were obtained from TRAVIS were smoothed with a Kalman filter. Second, the slope of the roadway was estimated based on the smoothed positions of these vehicles. Third, falsely detected vehicles were removed if the slope of the lines that connected two vehicles in the same lane were close to the slope of the roadway. Finally, the road mask was generated according to the minimal and maximal intercepts of the approximated roadway edges in one cycle. Experimental results showed that the estimation of the road mask was accurate and that the improvement in the correct detection and tracking rate and in the computation time was significant.