bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Telomere length, telomerase expression, and oxidative stress in lead smelters
Authors: Pawlas Natalia , Płachetka Anna , Kozłowska Agnieszka , Mikołajczyk Agnieszka , Kasperczyk Aleksandra , Dobrakowski Michał , Kasperczyk Sławomir
Published: September 2015

The negative health effects caused by lead (Pb) exposure are widely recognized; however, the molecular mechanisms remain unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of occupational Pb exposure on telomere length and to investigate the potential mechanisms leading to telomere shortening. A cohort of 334 male Pb smelters (exposed group) and 60 age-adjusted males unexposed to Pb (control group) were examined. Assessments of relative telomere length (rTL) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene expression were performed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions. Assessments of whole blood Pb (B-Pb) and whole blood cadmium (B-Cd) concentrations and serum selenium concentration (S-Se) were performed using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. We analyzed total oxidation status (TOS), lipid hydroperoxides (LHPs), malonylodialdehyde levels in serum (MDA) and in erythrocyte hemolysates (MDA-hgb), and 8-hydroxy-deoxy-guanosine (8-OHdG). The Pb-exposed group had higher B-Pb values and shorter rTL than the control group. The arithmetic mean values calculated for B-Pb were 33 µg/dL versus 2.2 µg/dL ( p < 0.0001), and the rTL values were 0.928 and 1.126 relative units ( p = 0.001), respectively, for the Pb-exposed and control groups. The rTL was found to gradually shorten in response to the increasing levels of Pb exposure. The Pb-exposed group also demonstrated a higher level of oxidative stress than the control group, which was indicated by increased TOS and MDA-hgb values. rTL was negatively associated with parameters that indicated increased oxidative stress, including TOS (Spearman’s rank coefficient ( rS) = −0.16; p < 0.01) and MDA-hgb ( rS = −0.17; p < 0.001). No correlations were found between rTL and B-Cd and S-Se or smoking and MDA and LHP levels. Univariate analysis indicated that B-Pb was associated with decreased rTL ( β =−0.0041; p = 0.0063) and that the association between B-Pb and rTL remained significant, even when adjusting for age ( β = −0.0041; p = 0.0065) and in multivariable-adjusted model ( β = −0.0042; p = 0.0063). In conclusion, occupational Pb exposure resulted in decreased rTL and may represent a mechanism that contributes to Pb-related diseases.
Birth Weight and Social Trust in Adulthood
Authors: Petersen Michael Bang , Aarøe Lene
Published: September 2015

Social trust forms the fundamental basis for social interaction within societies. Understanding the cognitive architecture of trust and the roots of individual differences in trust is of key importance. We predicted that one of the factors calibrating individual levels of trust is the intrauterine flow of nutrients from mother to child as indexed by birth weight. Birth weight forecasts both the future external environment and the internal condition of the individual in multiple ways relevant for social cognition. Specifically, we predicted that low birth weight is utilized as a forecast of a harsh environment, vulnerable condition, or both and, consequently, reduces social trust. The results of the study reported here are consistent with this prediction. Controlling for many confounds through sibling and panel designs, we found that lower birth weight reduced social trust in adulthood. Furthermore, we obtained tentative evidence that this effect is mitigated if adult environments do not induce stress.
Conceptual Conditioning
Authors: Jepma Marieke , Wager Tor D.
Published: September 2015

Classical conditioning can profoundly modify subsequent pain responses, but the mechanisms that drive this effect are unresolved. In pain-conditioning studies, cues are typically conditioned to primary aversive reinforcers; hence, subsequent pain modulation could reflect learned precognitive associations (i.e., those involving neural plasticity independent of expectations and other forms of conceptual thought) or conceptual expectancies. We isolated conceptual contributions using a thermal pain-conditioning procedure in which different conditioned stimulus (CS) cues were repeatedly paired with symbolic representations of high and low noxious heat. In a subsequent test phase, identical noxious stimuli evoked larger skin conductance responses (SCRs) and pain ratings when preceded by CS cues associated with high temperature than by those associated with low temperature. These effects were mediated by participants’ self-reported expectancies. CS cues associated with high temperature also evoked larger anticipatory SCRs than did CS cues associated with low temperature, but larger anticipatory SCRs predicted smaller subsequent heat-evoked SCRs. These results provide novel evidence that conditioned modulation of pain physiology can be acquired through purely conceptual processes, and that self-reported expectancies and physiological threat responses have opposing effects on pain.
Eye Movements During Action Observation
Authors: Gredebäck Gustaf , Falck-Ytter Terje
Published: September 2015

An important element in social interactions is predicting the goals of others, including the goals of others’ manual actions. Over a decade ago, Flanagan and Johansson demonstrated that, when observing other people reaching for objects, the observer’s gaze arrives at the goal before the action is completed. Moreover, those authors proposed that this behavior was mediated by an embodied process, which takes advantage of the observer’s motor knowledge. Here, we scrutinize work that has followed that seminal article. We include studies on adults that have used combined eye tracking and transcranial magnetic stimulation technologies to test causal hypotheses about underlying brain circuits. We also include developmental studies on human infants. We conclude that, although several aspects of the embodied process of predictive eye movements remain to be clarified, current evidence strongly suggests that the motor system plays a causal role in guiding predictive gaze shifts that focus on another person’s future goal. The early emergence of the predictive gaze in infant development underlines its importance for social cognition and interaction.
Do Angry Birds Make for Angry Children? A Meta-Analysis of Video Game Influences on Children’s and Adolescents’ Aggression, Mental Health, Prosocial Behavior, and Academic Performance
Authors: Ferguson Christopher J.
Published: September 2015

The issue of whether video games—violent or nonviolent—“harm” children and adolescents continues to be hotly contested in the scientific community, among politicians, and in the general public. To date, researchers have focused on college student samples in most studies on video games, often with poorly standardized outcome measures. To answer questions about harm to minors, these studies are arguably not very illuminating. In the current analysis, I sought to address this gap by focusing on studies of video game influences on child and adolescent samples. The effects of overall video game use and exposure to violent video games specifically were considered, although this was not an analysis of pathological game use. Overall, results from 101 studies suggest that video game influences on increased aggression ( r = .06), reduced prosocial behavior ( r = .04), reduced academic performance ( r = −.01), depressive symptoms ( r = .04), and attention deficit symptoms ( r = .03) are minimal. Issues related to researchers’ degrees of freedom and citation bias also continue to be common problems for the field. Publication bias remains a problem for studies of aggression. Recommendations are given on how research may be improved and how the psychological community should address video games from a public health perspective.
Methodological and Reporting Errors in Meta-Analytic Reviews Make Other Meta-Analysts Angry
Authors: Rothstein Hannah R. , Bushman Brad J.
Published: September 2015

Although Ferguson’s (2015, this issue) meta-analysis addresses an important topic, we have serious concerns about how it was conducted. Because there was only one coder, we have no confidence in the reliability or validity of the coded variables. Two independent raters should have coded the studies. Ferguson synthesized partial correlations as if they were zero-order correlations, which can increase or decrease (sometimes substantially) the variance of the partial correlation. Moreover, he partialled different numbers of variables from different effects, partialled different variables from different studies, and did not report what was partialled from each study. Ferguson used an idiosyncratic “tandem procedure” for detecting publication bias. He also “corrected” his results for publication bias, even though there is no such thing as a “correction” for publication bias. Thus, we believe that Ferguson’s meta-analysis is fatally flawed and should not have been accepted for publication in Perspective on Psychological Science (or any other journal).
Efficacy and safety of World Health Organization group 5 drugs for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment
Authors: Winters Nicholas , Butler-Laporte Guillaume , Menzies Dick
Published: September 2015

The efficacy and toxicity of several drugs now used to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) have not been fully evaluated.

We searched three databases for studies assessing efficacy in MDR-TB or safety during prolonged treatment of any mycobacterial infections, of drugs classified by the World Health Organization as having uncertain efficacy for MDR-TB (group 5).

We included 83 out of 4002 studies identified. Evidence was inadequate for meropenem, imipenem and terizidone. For MDR-TB treatment, clarithromycin had no efficacy in two studies (risk difference (RD) −0.13, 95% CI −0.40–0.14) and amoxicillin–clavulanate had no efficacy in two other studies (RD 0.07, 95% CI −0.21–0.35). The largest number of studies described prolonged use for treatment of non-tuberculous mycobacteria. Azithromycin was not associated with excess serious adverse events (SAEs). Clarithromycin was not associated with excess SAEs in eight controlled trials in HIV-infected patients (RD 0.00, 95% CI −0.02–0.02), nor in six uncontrolled studies in HIV-uninfected patients, whereas six uncontrolled studies in HIV-infected patients clarithromycin caused substantial SAEs (proportion 0.20, 95% CI 0.12–0.27).

For most group 5 drugs we found inadequate evidence of safety for prolonged use or for efficacy for MDR-TB, although macrolides appeared to be safe in prolonged use.
Randomized Controlled Trial of Shared Care for Patients With Cancer Involving General Practitioners and Cancer Specialists
Authors: Johnson Claire E. , Saunders Christobel M. , Phillips Michael , Emery Jon D. , Nowak Anna K. , Overheu Kate , Ward Alison M. , Joske David J.L.
Published: September 2015

Little benefit was seen for a shared care model in the majority of domains including empowerment, symptom prevalence, and psychological adjustment to cancer. The shared care model showed efficacy in clinically anxious patients.
My Approach to Biography: Rosa Luxemburg, Hildegard von Bingen, Hannah Arendt
Authors: von Trotta Margarethe
Published: September 2015

In this memoir of the origins and making of her film Hannah Arendt, Margarethe von Trotta places it in the context of her two earlier film biographies of prominent women: Rosa Luxemburg (1986) and Vision (original title: Vision—Aus dem Leben der Hildegard von Bingen, 2009). The three films share the challenge of blending public and personal lives, intellectual and emotional personae. The making of Rosa Luxemburg involved problematic research in the archives of the German Democratic Republic. The twelfth-century context of Hildegard’s life proposed other challenges, especially with regard to the relative lack of a visual record of the period. All three films profited from troves of personal letters. Von Trotta describes her slow “falling in love” with Arendt, a process abetted by the discovery of Arendt’s vulnerability. The decision to focus on the years of the Eichmann trial and controversy aided the juxtaposition of Arendt’s vulnerability with her public voice.
Arendt on the Couch
Authors: Honig Bonnie
Published: September 2015

Margarethe von Trotta’s film Hannah Arendt starts and ends with its protagonist on the couch. Hannah Arendt’s intellectual objection to psychoanalysis notwithstanding, this framing invites us to consider the psychoanalytical symptoms Arendt’s own thinking is caught up in. The essay reads the Eichmann trial episode as one telling instance of a repetition pattern that spans Arendt’s intellectual life: Arendt thought and wrote provocatively, sometimes ruthlessly, exposing herself to condemnation and risk. This psychoanalytic reading opens up the possibility that by voicing her controversial judgments, Arendt re-created for herself the conditions of her own precarity, summoning time and again her personal formative trauma as a refugee only to survive it each time. Arendt’s uncharacteristically two-dimensional account of Eichmann’s personality in Eichmann in Jerusalem is read along these lines as symptomatic of this very survivor trauma.
Effect of sex in the MRMT-1 model of cancer-induced bone pain
Authors: Falk Sarah , Al-Dihaissy Tamara , Mezzanotte Laura , Heegaard Anne-Marie
Published: September 2015

An overwhelming amount of evidence demonstrates sex-induced variation in pain processing, and has thus increased the focus on sex as an essential parameter for optimization of in vivo models in pain research. Mammary cancer cells are often used to model metastatic bone pain in vivo, and are commonly used in both males and females. Here we demonstrate that compared to male rats, female rats have an increased capacity for recovery following inoculation of MRMT-1 mammary cells, thus potentially causing a sex-dependent bias in interpretation of the data.
Lost in design: The absence (mostly) of cultural heritage in Puerto Rican fashion design
Authors: F. José Blanco , Vázquez-López Raúl J.
Published: September 2015

Some of our past research has explored Puerto Rican dress and fashion through fieldwork, examination of primary sources and content analysis. We have published on the Masks Festival of Hatillo, a Christmas carnival in Puerto Rico, where costumes are constructed by covering garments with ruffled pieces of fabric, creating intricate and colourful designs. We have also studied the Puerto Rican jíbaro or mountain peasant – one of the most significant images of Puerto Rican cultural identity – examining a variety of transformations of the romantic image of the jíbaro dress (wide-brimmed straw hat, loose cotton shirt and pants, and sandals or bare feet) as it navigates through time in new geographical and cultural settings. Dress associated with the female jíbaro (a peasant blouse with a low neckline and a full skirt with a headscarf, sash and large earrings) has also been appropriated in a variety of simulacra, including a Barbie doll. With this rich cultural heritage in tow, we assumed that Puerto Rican fashion designers would take advantage of and reference elements from dress associated with some of the traditions and popular culture aspects mentioned above. We have found, however, that the incorporation of national heritage and tradition is scarce among Puerto Rican fashion designers. It is left almost exclusively in the hands of souvenir manufacturers who also occasionally incorporate other elements of Puerto Rican cultural heritage, such as native Taino imagery, handmade lace or mundillo, and dress from folkloric dances such as the bomba and the plena. We suggest that, in Puerto Rico, connecting one’s brand as a designer with recognized symbols of national culture is not common practice. We believe that this is in part due to the commodification of said national and traditional symbols in the souvenir market. There are also strong reactions coming from the ‘traditionalists’ when designers venture to modify an element of something considered cultural heritage and use it as a source of inspiration for their collections. This attitude limits the exploration in Puerto Rico of cultural heritage as a source for design inspiration or branding.
Imagining Latin American culture in the United States: Carlos Mérida’s illustrations
Authors: Siegler Jennifer
Published: September 2015

Despite the many exhibitions and catalogues concerning Carlos Mérida’s artistic career, little attention has been focused on Mérida’s numerous book illustrations. During the late 1920s and 1930s, Mérida engaged in several illustration projects for travel guides written for a North American audience, which incorporated imagery from Mexico’s countryside, particularly featuring people wearing folk dress. The travel diary Banana Gold (1932) by Carleton Beals and travel guidebooks by Anita Brenner and Frances Toor were aimed at this burgeoning group of United States travellers. While Mérida utilized a fairly consistent, minimal style for these projects, distinctions in his subject matter concerning banana plantation workers, pre-Columbian imagery and more contemporary folk costumes belie distinctions in Mérida’s intent. In this capacity, Mérida helped to create a sense of Latin American folk culture to a United States public via his illustrations featuring dress.
Moda Brasileira: de la ideología hacia la identidad
Authors: Neira Luz , Campos Ana Paula de
Published: September 2015

Upon entering the global fashion system in the 1950s – later than most established fashion capitals – Brazilian fashion had to find its place without directly competing with those established markets. Instead, the goal was to solidify the image of a nation with no resources as a competitor in the existing global fashion system. The goal was, instead, to solidify the image of a nation that had no resources to establish itself at a level equivalent to that of the existing fashion system. The desire for moda brasileira/Brazilian fashion to attain relevance in the international fashion world was an internal endeavour that would demand the recognition of Brazilian fashion as an industry-culture binomial. In that sense, the attribute of brasilidade/ Brazilianess – which no other nation could claim – worked to frame Brazil’s position in the global fashion system. Those aspects of Brazilian fashion are discussed in this essay from the perspective of the social and cultural context in which they developed while also exploring the permanence of certain iconic images of brasilidade, which guarantees the participation of the country in the global fashion system.
Genetic patterns in Pinus nigra from the central Balkans inferred from plastid and mitochondrial data
Authors: Šarac Zorica , Dodoš Tanja , Rajčević Nemanja , Bojović Srdjan , Marin Petar , Aleksić Jelena
Published: September 2015

J.F. Arnold, European black pine, is a typical component of Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean coniferous forests with highly fragmentary distribution. Western Mediterranean populations of this species have been studied genetically to date, while eastern populations from the central Balkans, which are larger and more abundant, are still genetically understudied. We analyzed seven populations of representing all infraspecific taxa recognized within the central Balkans (subspecies with varieties and ÄorÄeviÄ; and subspecies (Lamb.) Holmboe with varieties and (Endl.) Georgescu et Ionescu), with three chloroplast microsatellites (cpDNA SSRs) and one mitochondrial (mtDNA) locus. Although our molecular data failed to support circumscription of studied infraspecific taxa, we found that genetic patterns at both genomes are in accordance with those found previously in westward populations of this species, that is â exceptionally high levels of genetic diversity (â=â0.949) and low genetic differentiation (â=â0.024) at the cpDNA level, and moderate levels of genetic diversity (â=â0.357) and genetic differentiation (â=â0.358) at the mtDNA level. Based on genealogical relations of mtDNA types currently present in Balkansâ and Iberian/African populations, we inferred that the ancestral gene pool of already harbored polymorphism at position 328 prior to the divergence to two lineages currently present in westward and eastward parts of the species range distribution. Subsequent occurrence of three mutations, which distinguish these two lineages, suggests their long-term isolation.Pinus nigraP. nigranigranigragocensis pallasianapallasianabanaticaHTGSTHTGSTP. nigra
Pluriclosed flow on generalized Kähler manifolds with split tangent bundle
Authors: Streets Jeffrey
Published: September 2015

We show that the pluriclosed flow preserves generalized
Kähler structures with the extra condition

[

J
+

,

J
-

]

=
0

[J_{+},J_{-}]=0

, a condition
referred to as “split tangent bundle.” Moreover, we show
that in this case the flow reduces to a nonconvex fully nonlinear
parabolic flow of a scalar potential function. We prove a number of a priori
estimates for this equation, including a general estimate in dimension

n
=
2

n=2

of
Evans–Krylov type requiring a new argument due to the nonconvexity of the
equation. The main result is a long-time existence theorem for the flow
in dimension

n
=
2

n=2

, covering most cases. We also show that the pluriclosed flow
represents the parabolic analogue to an elliptic problem which is a very natural
generalization of the Calabi conjecture to the setting of generalized Kähler
geometry with split tangent bundle.
Chemical characterization of cork and phloem from Douglas fir outer bark
Authors: Ferreira Joana P.A. , Miranda Isabel , Gominho Jorge , Pereira Helena
Published: September 2015

Cork and phloem fromPseudotsuga menziesiiouter bark were separated, fractionated and the 40- to 60-mesh fractions chemically analyzed. Cork and phloem showed a different grinding behavior with the highest yields for cork and phloem, respectively, for the 40- to 60-mesh fraction (31.4%) and the <0.180-mm fraction (49.2%). Cork chemical composition was (% o.d. mass): ash 0.9%; extractives 29.2% (mostly polar, 23.5%); lignin 16.8%, and suberin 36.2%. Polysaccharides (16.9%) contained glucose (55.4% of total neutral carbohydrates), xylose (13.3%), mannose, arabinose, and galactose as minor components. Lipophilic and suberin extracts from cork and phloem were analyzed by GC-MS, directly and after alkaline hydrolysis. In cork, catechin was the major compound identified in the lipophilic extract, accompanied by ferulic acid and acylglycerols. In phloem, β-sitosterol was the major compound. The content of fatty alcohols and fatty acids increased after hydrolysis confirming their esterification in both extracts. Suberin fromP. menziesiicork is rich in saturated ω-hydroxyacids (ω-hydroxyacids 36.2%, α,ω-diacids 18.6%, alkanoic acids 6.2%, and alkanols 8.7%), being different from suberin ofQuercus suberwhere α,ω-diacids are dominant.
Influence of Basicity and MgO on Fluidity and Desulfurization Ability of High Aluminum Slag
Authors: Wang Ping , Meng Qing-min , Long Hong-ming , Li Jia-xin
Published: September 2015

The viscosity of experimental slag, which was mixed based on the composition of a practical blast furnace slag, was measured in this paper. The influence of Al2O3and MgO content, basicityR2=w(CaO)/w(SiO2) on the fluidity of slag was studied. The stepwise regression analysis in SPSS was used to reveal the relationship between sulfur distribution coefficientLSand slag composition as well as furnace temperature. The results show that increasing of MgO up to 12% can decrease the slag viscosity. Thew(MgO) should be controlled below 8% when there is 20% Al2O3in the slag. Temperature of hot metal and content of CaO in slag are the two dominant factors on the desulfurization capacity of slag.
General education program in a new 4-year university curriculum in Hong Kong: findings based on multiple evaluation strategies
Authors: Shek Daniel T.L. , Yu Lu , Wu Florence K.Y. , Ng Catalina S.M.
Published: September 2015

Since the 2012−2013 academic year, undergraduate programs in Hong Kong have been changed from 3 years to 4 years, with the additional year focusing primarily on general education. A new general education framework entitled General University Requirements (GUR) implemented at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) was examined in a 5-year longitudinal project. Based on different evaluation strategies, including objective outcome evaluation, subjective outcome evaluation and qualitative evaluation (focus groups, case studies, and document analyses), findings consistently showed that students had positive perceptions of the subject content, teachers as well as teaching and learning methods in GUR subjects. A large majority of students perceived that the GUR subjects were effective in promoting the five desirable graduate attributes defined by PolyU (i.e. problem solving, critical thinking ability, effective communication, ethical leadership, and lifelong learning).
Civil Conflicts, Economic Shocks and Night-time Lights
Authors: Ahrens Achim
Published: September 2015

This study focuses on the effect of economic growth shocks on the risk of civil conflict outbreak in Africa. The data set covers African first-order administrative units and the time period 1992–2010. Since sub-national GDP is not available for Africa, night-time light data from satellites is used to predict economic growth. Economic growth is then instrumented with rainfall and temperature variables in order to identify the causal effect of economic growth on conflict risk. Furthermore, a spatial autoregressive panel model is estimated to examine the role of spill-over effects. Estimation results suggest strong spill-over effects, but provide no evidence for a significant effect of economic growth on civil conflict.
Tuck Jump Assessment: An Exploratory Factor Analysis in a College Age Population
Authors: Lininger Monica R. , Smith Craig A. , Chimera Nicole J. , Hoog Philipp , Warren Meghan
Published: September 2015

Lininger, MR, Smith, CA, Chimera, NJ, Hoog, P, and Warren, M. Tuck Jump Assessment: An exploratory factor analysis in a college age population. J Strength Cond Res 31(3): 653–659, 2017—Due to the high rate of noncontact lower extremity injuries that occur in the collegiate setting, medical personnel are implementing screening mechanisms to identify those athletes that may be at risk for certain injuries before starting a sports season. The tuck jump assessment (TJA) was created as a “clinician friendly” tool to identify lower extremity landing technique flaws during a plyometric activity. There are 10 technique flaws that are assessed as either having the apparent deficit or not during the TJA. Technique flaws are then summed up for an overall score. Through expert consensus, these 10 technique flaws have been grouped into 5 modifiable risk factors: ligament dominance, quadriceps dominance, leg dominance or residual injury deficits, trunk dominance (“core” dysfunction), and technique perfection. Research has not investigated the psychometric properties of the TJA technique flaws or the modifiable risk factors. The present study is a psychometric analysis of the TJA technique flaws to measure the internal structure using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using data from collegiate athletes (n = 90) and a general college cohort (n = 99). The EFA suggested a 3 factor model accounting for 46% of the variance. The 3 factors were defined as fatigue, distal landing pattern, and proximal control. The results differ from the 5 modifiable risk categories as previously suggested. These results may question the use of a single score, a unidimensional construct, of the TJA for injury screening.
Effect of fertilization on the contents of macronutrients and chlorine in tobacco leaves cv. flue-cured (Nicotiana tabacum L.) in two municipalities in Huila, Colombia
Authors: Hoyos C. Verónica , Magnitskiy Stanislav , Plaza T. Guido
Published: September 2015

In Colombia, there is little information on tobacco crops and the effect of fertilization on the nutrient content of leaves. The aim of this study was to determine the contents of mineral nutrients in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L., cv. flue-cured) plants subjected to different fertilizer rates and sources in two municipalities in the Huila Province (Colombia). Six foliar analyses, with three measurements from vegetative growth to flowering and three measurements during harvest, were carried out. Seven treatments, including six fertilization alternatives (three doses and two alternative sources of application) and a commercial control, were evaluated. The contents of the macronutrients N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, and chlorine in the leaves were evaluated. The leaf analyses performed from vegetative growth to flowering showed differences in the foliar contents of nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, and chlorine between the two municipalities and over time, with contents that increased. During this stage, the elements with higher accumulations in the plants included N, K, and Ca. At harvest, the contents of potassium, magnesium, and calcium decreased over time. For nitrogen, sulfur and chlorine, differences were found in the time-municipality interaction.
Physiological effects of water deficit on two oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) genotypes
Authors: Jazayeri Seyed Mehdi , Rivera Yurany Dayanna , Camperos-Reyes Jhonatan Eduardo , Romero Hernán Mauricio
Published: September 2015

Water supply is the main limiting factor that affects oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) yield. This study aimed to evaluate the gas exchange and photosynthetic capacity, determine the physiological effects and assess the tolerance potential of oil palm genotypes under water-deficit conditions. The two oil palm commercial genotypes IRHO1001 and IRHO7010 were exposed to soil water potentials of -0.042 MPa (field capacity or well-watered) or -1.5 MPa (drought-stressed). The leaf water potential and gas exchange parameters, including photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration and water use efficiency (WUE), as well as the photosynthesis reduction rate were monitored at 4 and 8 weeks after treatment. The IRHO7010 genotype showed fewer photosynthesis changes and a smaller photosynthetic reduction under the prolonged water deficit conditions of 23% at 4 weeks after the treatment as compared to 53% at 8 weeks after treatment, but the IRHO1001 genotype showed 46% and 74% reduction at the two sampling times. 'IRHO7010' had a higher stomatal conductance and transpiration potential than 'IRHO1001' during the water shortage. The WUE and leaf water potential were not different between the genotypes during dehydration. The data suggested that 'IRHO7010' had a higher photosynthetic capacity during the drought stress and was more drought-tolerant than 'IRHO1001'.
Presentación
Authors: Camacho Monge Daniel
Published: September 2015

.
DIÁLOGOS TEMPESTIVOS: LA ADOLESCENCIA Y LAS DETERMINANTES CAPITALISTAS INVOLUCRADAS EN EL CONSUMO DE DROGAS
Authors: Caravaca Morera Jaime Alonso
Published: September 2015

En los últimos años, se ha atestiguado el aumento significativo en el consumo de sustancias
psicoactivas en todo el mundo, principalmente en los países en vías de desarrollo. Este
hecho es comprobado por las múltiples investigaciones que revelan la temática, sin embargo,
pocos estudios abordan este fenómeno desde la perspectiva del capitalismo y su impacto
en los adolescentes. El siguiente artículo formula como objetivo discutir las principales
dimensiones del consumo de drogas en la población adolescente, desde la perspectiva del
nuevo orden capitalista y la conocida cuestión social.
LA ACCIÓN SOCIAL EN LA UNIVERSIDAD PÚBLICA: ACTUANDO EN LA ERA NEOLIBERAL
Authors: Mora Moraga Flavio , Gutiérrez Espeleta Ana Lucía
Published: September 2015

En la academia latinoamericana se debate sobre el papel de las universidades públicas frente
a la realidad social y el papel del neoliberalismo en las mismas, siendo algunas de estas,
administradas y orientadas con principios del libre mercado. En este contexto, es fundamental
definir la acción social y su papel dentro de las universidades públicas como parte
del compromiso social con las comunidades y con la sociedad. Para ello se revisa las principales
transformaciones que han sufrido las universidades públicas en el contexto de libre
mercado. Este artículo, intenta aportar a este debate a partir de una experiencia de acción
social en una comunidad de Limón, Costa Rica.
CONTRASTES DE LUZ Y SOMBRA EN EL CARIBE COSTARRICENSE. RECONSTRUCCIÓN DEL PAISAJE LIMONENSE DESDE LOS RELATOS DE VIDA
Authors: Carballo Chaves Pablo
Published: September 2015

Desde una aproximación de la reflexión teórica del paisaje en relación con lo cultural y el
turismo y desde la metodología del relato de vida, este artículo profundiza en las miradas
que tienen tres relatores sobre las modificaciones y la reconstrucción cultural que ha sucedido
en Limón. Se parte de la recomendación de los relatos de vida de rescatar los recuerdos
y significados por espacios de vida: niñez, juventud y adultez/vejez. En la niñez se
evidencia una añoranza sobre lo colorido de ese pasado recordado. En la juventud se hace
una comparación entre la introducción en el mundo laboral y las nuevas relaciones que se
empiezan a vivir. En la adultez/vejez, que es donde se encuentran los tres relatores, se da
una interpretación desde los cambios que han ocurrido, profundizando en sus miradas del
paisaje como énfasis analítico.
The Fallopian Tube in the 21st Century: When, Why, and How to Consider Removal
Authors: Venturella Roberta , Morelli Michele , Zullo Fulvio
Published: September 2015

Both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Cancer Society have recommended that surgeons should discuss the potential benefits of the prophylactic removal of the Fallopian tubes for permanent contraception or during surgeries for benign pathologies with every woman at risk for ovarian cancer. With the release of the ACOG Committee on Gynecologic Practice, the time has finally come to extend this information from specialist colleges to the entire medical community.
The Effects of Asymmetric Volatility and Jumps on the Pricing of VIX Derivatives
Authors: Park Yang-Ho
Published: September 2015

This paper proposes a new collection of affine jump-diffusion models for the valuation of VIX derivatives. The models have two distinctive features. First, we allow for a positive correlation between changes in the VIX and in its stochastic volatility to accommodate asymmetric volatility. Second, upward and downward jumps in the VIX are separately modeled to accommodate the possibility that investors react differently to good and bad surprises. Using the VIX futures and options data from July 2006 through January 2013, we find conclusive evidence for the benefits of including both asymmetric volatility and upward jumps in models of VIX derivatives pricing. We do not, however, find evidence supporting downward jumps.
The Unlikelihood of Family: A Photographic Essay on Transnational Experiences
Authors: Navarro Cristina Llerena
Published: September 2015

In this photo essay, Cristina Llerena Navarro captures moments in the everyday lives of mixed-status families. Through her narrative and images, Llerena shares the stories of these families, their journeys to the United States as well as the consequences of deportation on the family unity. She evokes the children's deep yearning to be reunited with their families on American soil, the parents' determination to provide their children with lives better than their own, and the realities of current immigration policy in preventing the fulfillment of these dreams.
Undocumented Status and Schooling for Newcomer Teens
Authors: Allard Elaine C.
Published: September 2015

In this ethnographic study, Elaine C. Allard describes and analyzes the characteristics and experiences of undocumented newcomer adolescents attending a US suburban high school. She considers the ways in which newcomer adolescents show agency in their border crossing, prioritize work over formal education, and express transnational identities. She contrasts their experience with the predominant narrative of DREAMers, undocumented childhood arrivals who are often characterized as migrating to the United States “through no fault of their own,” who prioritize professional aspirations through schooling, and who are “American in spirit.” Allard calls attention to a subgroup of undocumented students who may benefit from different approaches by educators and immigrant advocates.
Ambigüedades en dos décadas de paradigma multiculturalista. Algunos elementos de la historia inmediata de los Afrocolombianos
Authors: Valencia Angulo Luis Ernesto
Published: September 2015

The immediate history of the Afrocolombians has been marked by a series of advances, confusions and regressions. All of a becoming that at being analyzed in a carefully way, it reveals the ambiguity present in the multiculturalist paradigm. Paradigm from where it has been pretended to organize the society; such form that it does justice for the ‘minorities’ historically badly treated by the daily discrimination and structural existing in the Colombian society. In this sense, this article aims to contrast what was stated in the 1991 Colombian Constitution, the Law 70 of 1993, relevant bibliographic material to the issue and the reality of Afro-Colombians, leading to the conclusion that the benefits conquered by the Afro behind these two decades of multiculturalism do not compare with the losses they are facing. It is argued that while affirmative policies, speech recognition has been tolerated and respected by some sectors of Colombian society, a large number of Colombians still have a negative attitude to the Afro-Colombians.
Mecanismos de inserción sociopolítica en Curiepe, Estado Miranda, Venezuela
Authors: Ugueto-Ponce Meyby
Published: September 2015

Considering the socio-political changes initiated in Venezuela since 1999, we ask if all Afro-Venezuelans make use of the legal, social and political spaces derived from the constitution, in order to be included in the national project as a culturally distinct sector of society. The achievements of the Afro-Venezuelan social movement are favorable, but cannot be generalized as a massive response of the Afro-Venezuelan cultural awareness. However, we can analyze local contexts to account for historical processes of sociopolitical inclusion of these communities. This paper analyzes from an anthropological interpretative perspective the case of the population of Curiepe, Miranda State in Venezuela. We conclude that their current socio-political actions derive from cultural mechanisms created since the eighteenth century, based on their project of freedom and on their identity as a “free black” settlement. The validity of these mechanisms is structurally expressed in their sense of “cultural autonomy,” especially in the religious sphere.
Evaluative and Symbolic View of the Opposition ‘Deep – Superficial’
Authors:   Bashkir State University, Grigoryeva T. V.
Published: September 2015

The article presents the results of the semantic research of the axiological binary opposition of the Russian language ‘deep – superficial’; some peculiarities of its components’ symbolization are described. Based on the language material the idea is propounded that the opposition components under research reflect the phenomena of the physical, sensuous sphere, and are also employed in denoting the epistemological sphere in the Russian language.
Lexostory as a Form of Providing Illustrative Material in a Dialect Dictionary
Authors:   Kuban State University, Borisova O. G.
Published: September 2015

The article considers relevant issues of modern lexicography concerning the choice of the structural organization of acquittals. The advantages of such form of illustration delivery as a lexostory are shown on specific lexicographic material, and the principles of singling it out in a macro-tale of a dialect speaker are defined.
‘Language of Flowers/Colors’ in the Novel by F. Sologub «Bad Dreams»: To the Issue of ‘Faithfulness to Things’ in the Symbolist Poetics
Authors:   Saratov State University, Mokina N. V.
Published: September 2015

The subject of research in the article is the function of color in the description of objects’ details and the plants – counterparts of characters – in Sologub’s novel «Bad Dreams». The author presumes that a peculiar ‘language of flowers/colors’ is created in the novel: flowers and colors are the signatures of the characters’ spiritual path indicating its mysterious and eternal meaning.
To the Issue of the Aspectual Category of Telicity/Atelicity in French (on the Material of the Verbs of Movement)
Authors:   Belgorod State Technological University named after V.G. Shukhov, Nikitina M. Yu.
Published: September 2015

The article deals with the universal category of telicity/atelicity of verbal activity and with the classification of the French verbs of movement. The category of direction and the concept of perspective are the main semantic features indicating telicity/atelicity of a verb of movement.
A Phasewise Empirical Analysis of Relationship between Indian Spot and Future Prices of Gold
Authors: Purohit Harsh , Satija Dr. Vibha Dua , Chhatwal Haritika Sabharwal , Puri Himanshu
Published: September 2015

The study investigates the relationship between the spot and the futures prices of gold commodity. The objectives of the study are examined by employing Chow test to check structural break points in prices data, ADF test to check the stationarity, Johansen Co-integration test for studying the long term relationship, and Granger causality Wald test to know the cause and effect relationship between spot and the future prices of gold. The daily closing data is taken from 1st May 2005 to 31st December 2012 for the analysis. Since the period of financial crisis is considered, the entire period (May 2005- December 2012) is divided into three sub-periods, namely before crisis period (May 2005-August 2008), during crisis (September 2008- December 2010) and after crisis period (January 2011- December 2012). The findings of the study proved that there are structural break points in the specified data and the series derived from the futures prices and cash market prices for gold were not stationary in the level form, but there is evidence of stationarity in the first difference form. Long run relationship between the spot and future price series is also observed. Empirical results also found the existence of uni-directional causality from spot return to futures return for before crisis and after crisis period. For the period during crisis, there is bi- directional feedback from futures return to spot return and from spot return to futures return.
Comparative Analysis of Key Exchange Algorithms in Cryptography and its Implementation
Authors: Chopra Aakanksha
Published: September 2015

Internet today which is the main source of information access is becoming intricate to supervise and manage. Protection of network these days is becoming a very serious facet when the degree of data to be shared is large and complex. The critical concern today is that how the secure data communication over the network can be maintained and also how can data be protected so that it is not disclosed to illegitimate users while legitimate users are able to share data. Various encryption algorithms plays a very important role in providing security to the networks. Cryptography helps in enhancing the data confidentiality and privacy by making information incoherent. In this research a comparative analysis of key exchange protocols is done so as to enumerate their security level, computational time and data transmission time. This paper seeks a fair performance comparison between various Symmetric Key Encryption and Asymmetric Key Encryption Algorithms such as Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange, RSA, ECC.
Cyber crime against Women
Authors: Seam Neelam
Published: September 2015

The expanding reach of information technology has made it easier for people to keep in touch across long distances and collaborate for purposes related to business, education and culture among others. However, the means that enable the free flow of information and ideas over long distances also give rise to a worryingly high incidence of irresponsible behavior towards women. Any technological development is capable of beneficial uses as well as misuse. It is the job of the legal system and regulatory agencies to keep pace with the same and ensure that newer technologies do not become tools of exploitation and harassment. The present study is an attempt to highlight the cybercrimes against women in India. To make the study richer a brief glance of the cyber crime protection laws especially for women in UK and USA is taken as reference point. however the economic, political and social conditions of these countries are different to each other. Moreover the problem against women is also treated of the same nature worldwide. The study throws light on the types of cyber crimes against women in India in the light of Information Technology Act, 2000. And viz-a-viz the problems and loopholes behind dealing with Cyber Crimes against Women. In this research paper, I am trying to find out some precautionary measures so that women can protect themselves from the cybercrime instead of make their dependence upon legal system.
Effect of electron irradiation on the Crystallite size, Grain size and Contact angle of electrodeposited Cadmium Telluride thin films
Authors: Gangawane S. A. , Malekar V. P. , Fulari V. J.
Published: September 2015

In this paper, the effects of electron beam irradiation on the CdTe thin films are studied. The CdTe thin films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and contact angle measurements for different bath concentration. The thin film layers are subjected to irradiation of 6 MeV electrons. Finally the effect of irradiation is correlated to crystal size, grain size and contact angle measurements of the CdTe thin films
Emerging Trends in Political Ownership of Media
Authors: Mohapatra Dr Atnu , Suresh K G
Published: September 2015

Media and politics have a symbiotic relationship. Politicians need media to get the oxygen of publicity and the exposure they need to woo electorate and mould public opinion. With many a media house turning indifferent to their needs an ever increasing number of political parties and leaders are setting up their own small and big media shops to propagate their views, cover up their shortcomings, or to settle scores with their rivals. The Entertainment and Media (E&M) industry broadly consists of four segments i.e. Television, Print, Radio and other media platforms (such as Internets, Film, Out of Home Advertising (OOH), Music, Gaming and Internet Advertising).In today‘s technologically fast moving environment, media plays a significant role. Its inherent ability to reach the masses implies that it has a crucial role in building public opinion and creating awareness among the masses. It also plays a very important role in delineating the economic, political, social and cultural characteristics of a country. Thus, media pluralism is a cornerstone of democracy and this fact should be reflected in the plurality of an independent and autonomous media and in diversity of media content. Print, television, radio and new media such as Internet are the most popular media. The Indian media landscape is witnessing several changes that may have far reaching consequences. Major players are looking for expansion of their business interests in various segments of the print and broadcasting sectors. Many of the Indian media houses are either owned or controlled by political leaders or parties. This paper is an attempt to highlight and understand the political ownership of media in India, its implications for the readers. viewers, listeners and other media users as also the society and polity at large.