bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploration of Giant Functional Porphyrin Arrays
Authors: Aratani Naoki , Osuka Atsuhiro
Published: September 2014

Directly linked linear porphyrin arrays were synthesized and their photophysical properties depending on the length of the arrays were investigated. Ag(I)-promoted oxidative coupling of 5,15-diaryl Zn(II) porphyrins has proven to be effective for preparations of very long meso–meso-linked Zn(II) porphyrin arrays (Zn). A stepwise doubling strategy with strict purification at each doubling step allowed for preparation of gigantic but discrete linear arrays in an unprecedented manner. Large cyclic porphyrin wheels were also synthesized by final meso–meso coupling intramolecular cyclization. Crucial to this success are high reactivity and high regioselectivity of the Ag(I)-promoted oxidative coupling. Equally important are high solubilities of Zn despite their large molecular weights, which arise from their perpendicularly linked structures. Another advantage of this doubling strategy is a large difference in the molecular weights among reactants and products that increases as the reactant array becomes larger, allowing separation of coupling products by preparative GPC-HPLC. As an alternative protocol, Pd-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling has been extensively used for synthesis of cyclic porphyrin arrays. This strategy gave novel linear and cyclic porphyrin arrays from β-borylated porphyrins that were prepared by Ir-catalyzed borylation of meso-free porphyrins. As an interesting example, a porphyrin nanotube consisting of four porphyrins doubly bridged by 2,6-pyridinylene spacers was synthesized and revealed to possess a C60-encapsulation capability. Exciton coupling, effective energy hopping, coherent length, and excitation energy transfer of meso–meso-linked linear and cyclic porphyrin arrays are discussed. STM and AFM detections of the large porphyrin arrays are also presented. We believe that these studies expand the range of organic molecules we can manipulate and open a door to a new area of nanoscaled and sub-microscaled functional porphyrin materials.
Modern information technology as applied to the children´s recreation industry in Russia
Authors: Муртазин Рафаэль , Murtazin Rafael
Published: September 2014

The study is based on the latest achievements in the field of information technology and is devoted to their large-scale implementation in the economy, namely, in service industry and tourism in the future. The paper covers the history of creation and the availability of interactive data processing methods as basic information, an example of mapping the territory of Russia Subsurface. Subject of this study — children’s leisure industry. The author suggested using information technologies and the latest interactive techniques to create a registry of children’s health camps in the future and to develop visual interactive maps based on this database. The paper reflects the role and importance of these techniques.

The research paper shows the role and importance of information technologies in tourism of Russia. By the example of children’s leisure, as one of the most popular trends of internal tourism in Russia, it describes a mechanism for improving the registry of Russian children’s health camps. It is planned to provide information from the registry of children’s recreation camps in the form of an interactive map. The mechanism of drafting the functioning and further development of an interactive map is also represented in the research work. The researcher specified the basic criteria by which the map shall be created.
Perspective for creating a new tourist product in the Russian part of Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island
Authors: Филоненко Валентина , Filonenko Valentina
Published: September 2014

The author of the article describes the current status of the inbound tourism in the Khabarovsk Region, and identifies its key development characteristics as a moderate growth rate demonstrated by the domestic tourism sector and extremely low growth rate of inbound tourist traffic. Thus, the author thinks it feasible to conclude that the increase in the number of non-business visitors to the Khabarovsk region is insignificant. The major reason for the currently low status of both inbound and domestic tourism is a lack of globally renowned natural and man-made attractions in the area. However, the Khabarovsk Region in general and its individual territories in particular have a high tourist potential that can only be unlocked through a special project-oriented approach. The article provides an example of such an approach: the first joint Russian-Chinese project to create a new tourist product in the Russian part of Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island. The project is designed to ensure a sustained social and economic development of the area through a creation of a tourist complex and increasing both domestic and international tourist traffic. At the initial stage of project implementation, such new tourist products as cultural, educational, ecological, fishing, horse-riding «city breaks». The major attraction for international tourists (Chinese tourists in particular) is familiarization with Russian culture, traditions and life style. Practice shows that, despite the obvious risks, the prospects of the new tourist product introduction and a tourist complex creation will offer significant strategic and competitive advantages.
Major lines of development for arts and crafts museums in the Moscow region
Authors: Рубцова Флоренс , Rubtsova Florens , Сахарчук Елена , Sakharchuk Elena
Published: September 2014

The article covers the major lines of the Moscow Region arts and crafts museum development, with the authors proceeding from the belief in the duality of the folk arts and crafts nature, which is both a powerful tourist resource and a significant tourist attractor, it being seen by tourists as a product and an image-building constituent of the destination. The authors hold that Moscow-region artisantry is unique due its relative abundance and the recognized brand. The authors come to a conclusion on the significance of folk arts and crafts for a sustainable regional/territorial development based on their job creation contribution; tourist offer promotion and tourist-oriented infrastructure development entailing creating new employment opportunities, souvenir production, tax liabilities etc. The authors insist that museum-initiated arts-and-crafts market-driven production be coordinated and further developed. In the article, the authors suggest creating a coordinating artisantry committee and provide a calculation of the performance targets of Moscow region tourism development with due regard to the progressive growth of folk arts and crafts.
Scientific and creative components of design and current challenges to professional creativity
Authors: Сырейщикова Ольга , Syreyshchikova Olga , Ковалев Владислав , Kovalev Vladislav , Христофорова Ирина , Khristoforova Irina , Архипова Татьяна , Arkhipova Tatyana
Published: September 2014

The authors’ research scope includes the professional activities of designers and managers. These activities being a synergy of a creative and an analytic approach, the authors focus on the scientific analysis and the creative process as essential and foundational for professional activities of creative occupations. In the article, the authors analyse the correlation of the scientific and creative components in modern design. The authors raise the issue of technocracy pervading creative activities and link the problem to the active application of computer technologies to creative processes. The authors dwell on the content of such concepts as «scientist» and «artist», «creativity» and «execution» in science and arts, demonstrate the unity and contradiction between the individual-personal and the technocratic in science and arts, discuss the processes of technocratization of creative occupations and a search for a balance between market and human interests, an identify the advantages and challenges that technocratization (or «technical extension of man») offers. Creativity and marketing management are considered in the article as united by design goals and methods. The authors emphasize that modern society is a product of the human mind, creativity and modern technologies.
Creating a management personnel competence service-management-based model
Authors: Пуляева Валентина , Pulyaeva Valentina
Published: September 2014

Service management is regarded by the author as a philosophy of management which dictates that

it be largely oriented at satisfying the specific needs of an individual customer through providing

a tailored value-effect service product, as well as at an organizational creation of tailored-productoffer opportunities and conditions and a linkage between the goals and benefits (profit) of the parties involved in the service-provision process (organizations, customers, other interest groups). The article deals with the issues of realization of service management principles by means of the currently much promoted and implemented HR tool as competence management. Practice demonstrates several different competence models, with the most widely employed in Russia being the 20-faceted model, it being highly adapted to the Russian specific environment. In the article, the author provides a thorough analysis of the model and proposes a 20-faceted-model-based manager competence approach, which is fully in compliance with the requirements of the new profession-knowledge- and personnel-qualification-driven quality economy. The approach as proposed by the author rests on a 24-competene model, with the competences divided into 6 groups: personal qualities; intrinsic motivation; management skills, decision-making skills; corporate knowledge management skills, interpersonal skills. The approach slows to assess and evaluate an organization’s management, as well as identify several its key levels: unacceptable for a manager, border-line case, developing management, expert management, master management.
On specific of double degree undergraduate programmes at the russian state university of tourism and service
Authors: Суслова Ирина , Suslova Irina , Смит Наталья , Smit Natalya
Published: September 2014

Globalization, which is one of the major lines of development in the sphere of education, requires that a common education space be created and different systems of education be made compatible. Russian HE institutions improve academic mobility through developing double degree programmes in partnership with non-Russian HE institutions, which brings to the fore such issues as a joint curriculum development,

and alignment of core curricula of partner-HE-institutions though content cross-pollination. The article deals with the approaches to double degree undergraduate programme as developed by the Russian State University of Tourism and Service (Moscow) for the Bachelor in Management programme and the International Business School (Budapest) for the BA in Business Studies.

In the article, the authors identify the key components of the double degree programme as jointly developed by the Russian State University of Tourism and Service and the International Business School: the specifics of the curricula and syllabi of the two institutions, the procedure of credit transfer, the content of the teaching materials of the disciplines involved, formative, summative, and final academic assessments. The authors emphasize the difference in the workload of the disciplines on the curricula, and conclude that the curriculum currently employed by the International Business School is more application-driven, while that employed by the Russian State University of Tourism and Service is more theory-driven. The authors also identify discrepancies in the number of elective courses, with the Russian State University of Tourism and Service offering 14 elective courses in 2011, which is 9 courses more than in 2010 and 4 courses more than offered by the International Business School.
On the cultural continuity of generations and the formation of the basic values of youth
Authors: Аманжолова Дина , Amanzholova Dina
Published: September 2014

The author analyzes the main problems of the formation of historical and cultural continuity of generations and ethnocultural competence of modern Russian youth. Some tools and approaches for the implementation of priority tasks of the national and cultural policy in relation to the younger generation are provided.
Monument on the square: life in the shadow of the holiday
Authors: Кринко Евгений , Krinko Evgeniy , Хлынина Татьяна , Khlynina Tatyana
Published: September 2014

The article is devoted to everyday practices of monument inclusion in communicative space of the modern city. On the example of the Rostov Nika – the memorial devoted to the release of the city from Nazi invaders and located at Theater Square, life of the monument after the holiday is considered. It is emphasized that outside the context of holiday the main symbol of Victory is perceived only as an element of the city architectural landscape.
QR-code of Hermitage: statistics, visitors, facts
Authors: Гук Дарья , Guk Darya
Published: September 2014

The studying of the modern technologies applied to an information services for the exhibition of the archaeological collections of the State Hermitage Museum has revealed, that advanced access to the data is available to a limited number of visitors. As an alternative to existing approaches to presenting information to visitors, there was a proposal to develop this technology based on participatory culture. The «Young for the young» project was prepared and carried out in six months thanks to the participants from diff erent countries working in the Volunteer service of the State Hermitage. In the frame of the project a children contest «Discover the Hermitage!» took place just in virtual space. The author, based on web-statistical data, considers the prospect of using QR-codes in museum practice.
Freiheit und Macht
Authors: Richter Mathias
Published: September 2014

Gesellschaftstheorie in der Tradition der Kritischen Theorie beansprucht, zugleich Gesellschaftsanalyse wie Emanzipationstheorie zu sein. Anhand des so genannten Humanismusstreites zwischen Jean-Paul Sartre und Michel Foucault rekonstruiert Mathias Richter deren methodisch gegensätzliche Forschungsprogramme und erkundet die Relevanz von Sartres praktisch-kritischem Humanismus einerseits und Foucaults theoretischem Antihumanismus andererseits für eine kritische Gesellschaftstheorie: Wie weit trägt ein konsequent handlungstheoretisch aus der Binnenperspektive entwickelter Ansatz und was leistet die Beschreibung sozialer Prozesse aus einer virtuell-externen Beobachterposition?
Die andere Hälfte der Erinnerung
Authors: Rudnick Carola S.
Published: September 2014

Der Umgang mit der DDR ist bis heute oft von Konflikten, Mythen und Zerrbildern geprägt. Diese materialreiche Studie zeichnet detailliert die Verflechtungen von politischen und organisatorisch-finanziellen Interessen in der Gedenkstättenarbeit zur DDR-Vergangenheit nach und zeigt, dass die »Aufarbeitung« bisher letztlich von totalitarismustheoretischen Lesarten der DDR dominiert war. Auch wird bewiesen, dass die »Friedliche Revolution« von 1989 in Bezug auf das Ende der Stasi nicht so stattgefunden hat, wie es Geschichtsdarstellungen behaupten. Ein Buch, das grundlegende Ergebnisse zur Geschichts- und Erinnerungspolitik der letzten 20 Jahre beisteuert und auf diese Weise einen wichtigen Beitrag zum Verständnis der DDR-Erinnerungskultur seit 1989 liefert.
Mobilkommunikation in Japan
Authors: Peil Corinna
Published: September 2014

Das Mobiltelefon vereint nicht nur unterschiedliche Kommunikationsformen in einem Gerät, sondern interagiert auch in hohem Maße mit den kulturellen Kontexten seiner Nutzung. Dieses wechselseitige Verhältnis von Kultur und Medienkommunikation stellt Corinna Peil in den Mittelpunkt einer umfassenden Analyse und Systematisierung des Hybrid- und Konvergenzmediums »Handy«. Als Untersuchungsfeld dient ihr dabei die mobile Medienkultur Japans, welche schon seit Jahren durch eine hohe Alltagsintegration und Anwendungsvielfalt mobiler Kommunikationstechnologien gekennzeichnet ist. Die kultur- und aneignungsorientierte Perspektive der Studie trägt zu einem erweiterten Verständnis von Mobilkommunikation bei.
Aktivierendes Kulturmanagement
Authors: Zulauf Jochen
Published: September 2014

Die Kulturszene ist gegenwärtig mit permanenten Veränderungen konfrontiert, die vor allem durch das plurale und individuelle Freizeitverhalten, den demografischen Wandel und durch die Sparzwänge der öffentlichen Hand charakterisiert werden. In Kulturbetrieben ist ein grundlegend neues Managementverständnis nötig, um diesen Herausforderungen adäquat gewachsen zu sein. Dieses Handbuch stellt mit Organisationsentwicklung und vor allem Qualitätsmanagement zwei in anderen Bereichen erprobte und etablierte Verfahren vor, die bislang weder in der Praxis noch in der Literatur zum Kulturmanagement angemessen Beachtung gefunden haben. Eine wichtige Handreichung für ein Kulturmanagement auf der Höhe der Zeit.
Politischer Tango
Authors: Barrionuevo Anzaldi Franco
Published: September 2014

Was gilt als »echter« Tango? Wer sind seine Heldenfiguren? Und vor allem: Was sagt er über das Wesen der argentinischen Kultur aus? In einer historischen Spurensuche fragt dieses Buch nach den politischen Entstehungs- und Wirkungsbedingungen der widersprüchlichen Geschichtserzählungen, die das nationalpopuläre argentinische Tangowissen begründen. Es zeigt auf, dass ein wesentlicher Teil von dem, was wir heute über den Tango wissen, von argentinischen Intellektuellen in den 1960er Jahren überliefert worden ist. Die damals entstandene Tangoliteratur dokumentierte eine politische Neuverortung: Tango avancierte zu einem kulturellen Feld, innerhalb dessen der vormächtige Nationalkonflikt um den Peronismus von Seiten der Intellektuellen ausgetragen werden konnte.
Präödipale Helden
Authors: Mennenga Hans-Christian
Published: September 2014

Hollywoods Zeiten, in denen sich die Filmhelden nach Freuds ödipalem Männlichkeits-Archetypus (Mut, Tapferkeit, Virilität) entwarfen, sind Geschichte. Stattdessen dominieren seit den 1970ern präödipale Typen. Diese neuen Helden agieren ihre narzisstischen, hedonistischen und masochistischen Begehren offen aus. Sie bleiben adoleszent, suchen Abenteuer, Sex, Wettstreit, tragen Konflikte mit Vaterfiguren aus und scheuen feste Liebesbindungen. Hans-Christian Mennenga arbeitet diese These materialreich am Beispiel der von Michael Douglas und Tom Cruise gespielten Helden heraus und eröffnet einen inspirierenden Blickwinkel auf die im Hollywood-Spielfilm diskursivierten Männlichkeitsentwürfe.
Wanderer zwischen den Kulturen
Authors: Berchem David Johannes
Published: September 2014

Migranten gehören zu den wohl einflussreichsten Agenten der »Globalisierung von unten«. Diese auf einer ethnographischen Feldforschung basierende kulturanthropologische Mikrostudie zur Ethnizität deutscher Migranten in Sydney untersucht nicht nur bewegte Lebensformen vor einem deutsch-australischen Gesellschaftshorizont, sondern analysiert auch die Verlaufsmuster von Integration, Akkulturation und Differenzgenerierung. Über einen erfahrungsnahen methodischen Zugang zeichnet das Buch ein kaleidoskopisches Bild vom deutschen Alltag am buchstäblich anderen Ende der Welt.
Variables asociadas a la competencia docente universitaria en la opinión de los estudiantes
Authors: Luna Serrano Edna , Arámburo Vizcarra Vicente
Published: September 2014

Este trabajo estudia la relación entre los puntajes de evaluación otorgados por los estudiantes a la efectividad docente y las variables asociadas a las características del profesor y del curso: escolaridad, tipo de contrato, reconocimiento académico y experiencia de los profesores; así como área de conocimiento y tamaño del grupo. La muestra fueron 4,482 cursos impartidos por 826 profesores que fueron evaluados por los estudiantes 108,422 veces durante seis periodos escolares en una universidad pública mexicana. El estudio del comportamiento de dichas variables se realizó mediante análisis estadísticos descriptivos y comparativos (Anova y pruebas post-hoc). Los resultados muestran la manera diferencial de comportarse de las variables dependiendo del área del conocimiento, lo que da cuenta de la complejidad de la actividad docente y la dificultad de emitir políticas generales que atiendan las particularidades del contexto pedagógico del profesorado. La investigación presenta evidencias empíricas que abonan a la discusión sobre la evaluación de la docencia en México y la valoración de las políticas educativas dirigidas al profesorado de educación superior.
Value-Added Model (VAM) Research for Educational Policy: Framing the Issue.
Authors: Amrein-Beardsley Audrey , Collins Clarin , Polasky Sarah A. , Sloat Edward F.
Published: September 2014

In this manuscript, the guest editors of the EPAA Special Issue on “Value-Added Model (VAM) Research for Educational Policy” (1) introduce the background and policy context surrounding the increased use of VAMs for teacher evaluation and accountability purposes across the United States; (2) summarize the five research papers and one research-based commentary that were peer-reviewed and selected for inclusion in this special issue; and (3) discuss the relevance of the papers both individually and collectively. Their importance is discussed in terms of each paper’s contribution to the general research on this topic and each paper’s potential to inform educational policy. In addition, the papers reflect our shared thinking about VAMs, VAM output, and the inference-based decisions for which VAMs are increasingly being used.
Ecologies of education quality
Authors: Graue Beth , Delaney Katherine Kresin , Karch Anne Sontag
Published: September 2014

Accountability in education has prompted policy makers and practitioners to focus on data use for instructional and organizational decision-making. The popular media have seized on Value Added (VA) measures as a key type of data use for reforming U.S. schools. Among education researchers, however, there are both critics and proponents. We examined data use by the district leaders and staff members of 12 schools in a large urban district, with attention to the role VA metrics play in their decisions and their conceptions of themselves. VA is only one of many types of data that can be used to portray quality. While there was a soft relationship between VA and classroom quality measured by CLASS, we found that understanding the schools’ contexts, particularly the use of resources and the coherence of actions to improve student achievement, greatly enhanced the power of our descriptions. As a result, we suggest that policies promoting multidimensional approaches to quality will better capture the complexity of education.
Vorbei die Zeiten von Gebrauchsanweisungen für Bibliotheksportale
Authors: Quitzsch Nicole
Published: September 2014

Bibliotheken stehen heute mehr denn je vor der Frage, wie sie ihre Dienste attraktiv gestalten können. Da liegt es nahe, Nutzerinnen und Nutzer aktiv in den Designprozess einzubinden. Die Neuentwicklung des KOBV-Portals (http://portal.kobv.de), einer regionalen Suche über die Bestände der Bibliotheken in Berlin und Brandenburg, geht konsequent den Weg des Co-Designs. Nutzerinnen und Nutzer werden als Entwicklungspartner verstanden. Als Projektpartner wurde das Institut für Bibliotheks- und Informationswissenschaft (IBI) der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin gewonnen.
Die Öffnung der digitalen Magazinbibliothek
Authors: Kohl-Frey Oliver
Published: September 2014

Dieser Artikel beschreibt zunächst die Erfahrungen der Universität Konstanz mit Summon als Discovery-Service. Summon wurde im Jahr 2011 als „KonSearch – die Literatursuchmaschine der Universität Konstanz“ eingeführt. Seitdem stiegen die Nutzung und die Akzeptanz dauerhaft an. Im gleichen Jahr wurde an der Universität Konstanz das Projekt Blended Library gestartet. Innerhalb dieses Projekts wurden mehrere Ideen zur Verbindung von gedrucktem und digitalem Bestand und dem Ort Bibliothek entwickelt. Dies führte zum sogenannten Hybrid Bookshelf, das derzeit entwickelt wird.
Predictors of peer victimization among Peruvian adolescents in the young lives cohort
Authors: Lister Cameron , Merrill Ray M. , Vance David , West Joshua H. , Hall P. Cougar , Crookston Benjamin T.
Published: September 2014

Background: Bully-victimization is a widespread public health issue with significant negative effects on both social function and psychological well-being. Existing research in Peru shows high prevalence of bullying. However, researchers have yet to fully understand the phenomenon of victimization in developing regions.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to characterize victimization patterns over time, along with the predictors of victimization from a cohort of Peruvian adolescents enrolled in the young lives (YL) study.

Materials and methods: This study examined data from YL, a longitudinal study of poverty, health, and development, which examined data from the older cohort of children in Peru across three rounds (ages 8, 12, and 15 years). The sample consisted of 714 children from 74 communities that represent 20 districts in Peru.

Results: After adjusting for urban/rural setting, there remained a significantly lower wealth index for children who were bullied at ages 8 and 12 years. Exploratory analysis showed that although those in the lowest quartile of body mass index (BMI) were significantly more likely to be bullied at age 8 years, this association waned over time. A worse caregiver assessment of child’s health compared with others was associated with a significantly greater risk of bully-victimization. At age 8 years, caregiver education was significantly lower among those bullied compared with those who were not bullied.

Conclusion: This study showed several factors as the predictors of victimization in the early years, including being male and having low BMI, low socioeconomic status, and low parental/caregiver education. Further longitudinal studies should be conducted to determine the extent to which these predictors vary in significance over time.
Knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS among students of a technical institution
Authors: Gupta Prem Prakash , Verma Rohit Kumar , Tripathi Poonam , Gupta Shruti , Pandey Awanish Kumar
Published: September 2014

Background: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a major health problem worldwide. The number of infected people is increasing daily. Knowledge and awareness toward prevention and control of the disease is necessary among both educated and illiterate people.

Objective: This study is aimed at assessing the knowledge and awareness about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS among undergraduate students studying in a technical institute in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among youths aged 15–30 years studying in a technical institution in Gorakhpur. Data were collected using a semistructured questionnaire developed with the help of existing literature, from 250 participants (students).

Results: The main source of information was the television; knowledge about the difference between HIV/AIDS was satisfactory. The findings showed that the knowledge about modes of prevention (blood checkup, needle/syringe sterilization) was satisfactory. There were several misconceptions about the modes of transmission of the disease, such as through mosquito bites, eating/drinking, and kissing.

Conclusion: The knowledge of the study population was satisfactory, and there is a need for innovation and comprehensive education to impart better knowledge and understanding about HIV/AIDS.
To Adjust or Not to Adjust? Sensitivity Analysis of M-Bias and Butterfly-Bias
Authors: Ding Peng , Miratrix Luke W.
Published: September 2014

“M-Bias,” as it is called in the epidemiologic literature, is the bias introduced by conditioning on a pretreatment covariate due to a particular “M-Structure” between two latent factors, an observed treatment, an outcome, and a “collider.” This potential source of bias, which can occur even when the treatment and the outcome are not confounded, has been a source of considerable controversy. We here present formulae for identifying under which circumstances biases are inflated or reduced. In particular, we show that the magnitude of M-Bias in linear structural equation models tends to be relatively small compared to confounding bias, suggesting that it is generally not a serious concern in many applied settings. These theoretical results are consistent with recent empirical findings from simulation studies. We also generalize the M-Bias setting (1) to allow for the correlation between the latent factors to be nonzero and (2) to allow for the collider to be a confounder between the treatment and the outcome. These results demonstrate that mild deviations from the M-Structure tend to increase confounding bias more rapidly than M-Bias, suggesting that choosing to condition on any given covariate is generally the superior choice. As an application, we re-examine a controversial example between Professors Donald Rubin and Judea Pearl.
Suppress the FWM by Increasing Channel Spacing and Chromatic Dispersion of Fiber in WDM System
Authors: Kaur Veerpal , Bhatia Kamaljit Singh
Published: September 2014

In this paper, we investigate the effect of channel spacing and chromatic dispersion on four wave mixing in WDM system. Dominating effect of four wave mixing is minimizing at maximum value of dispersion and channel spacing. Power of FWM, Q-factor, bit error rate and output spectrum is used to measure the performance of system.
Polymorphous transformation in the crystal structure of [Mg(H2O)6Br2][(C7H14N4)2] · 4 (H2O) studied by powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction
Authors: Rivera Augusto , Rohlíček Jan , Sadat-Bernal John , Ríos-Motta Jaime , Dušek Michal
Published: September 2014

The supramolecular complex [Mg(H2O)6Br2] · [(C7H14N4)2] · 4 (H2O) (1) was synthesized and characterized by combination of techniques as NMR, FT-IR, elemental analysis and argentometric titration. The molecular structure was evidenced by X-ray crystallography. It underwent a spontaneous phase transition to a second monoclinic phase (2). Phase (1) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with a = 13.79430(12), b = 14.80930(13), c = 14.29182(12) Å, β = 91.3976(5)°, and Z = 4. The crystal structure was partially solved by direct methods from intensities obtained from a microcrystal of the material measured by single-crystal method, and finalized from powder data. The second phase (2) with monoclinic space group P21/a, a = 9.19007(6), b = 21.38080(17), c = 8.12027(6) Å, β = 113.7766(5)°, and Z = 2, was solved from powder data, ab initio, by a charge flipping algorithm. The diffraction experiments showed an irreversible phase change occurs as a function of temperature with apparent gain of thermodynamic stability.
Intermetallic magnesium compounds RE
2RuMg3 (RE = Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Lu) and RE
3Ru2Mg (RE = Sc, Er, Lu) with bcc Superstructures
Authors: Kersting Marcel , Niehaus Oliver , Hoffmann Rolf-Dieter , Rodewald Ute Ch.
Published: September 2014

The intermetallic magnesium compounds RE
2RuMg3 (RE = Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Lu) and RE
3Ru2Mg (RE = Sc, Er, Lu) were synthesized from the elements in sealed niobium tubes in muffle or induction furnaces using different annealing sequences. The polycrystalline RE
2RuMg3 and RE
3Ru2Mg samples were characterized through Guinier powder patterns. The structures of Er2RuMg3 and Sc3Ru2Mg were refined on the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffractometer data: new type, P4/mmm, a = 336.71(9), c = 1234.6(7) pm, wR = 0.0327, 240 F val­ues, 12 variables for Er2RuMg3 and a = 324.67(6), c = 1077.2(3) pm, wR = 0.0345, 273 F values, 12 variables for Sc3Ru2Mg. The Er2RuMg3 and Sc3Ru2Mg structures are i3 superstructures of the CuAu type and thus belong to the large family of ordered bcc derivatives. The fundamental building units are distorted ErRu, ScRu, ScMg, and ErMg cubes. The magnesium-rich phase Er2RuMg3 has a pronounced Mg substructure (314–337 pm Mg–Mg) with distorted cuboctahedral coordination. This sub­structure is compared to other magnesium-rich compounds. Temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility studies show Curie-Weiss paramagnetism for RE
2RuMg3 (RE = Dy, Ho, Er, Tm) with experimental magnetic moments close to the RE
3+ free ion values. The compounds exhibit antiferromagnetic ordering at Néel temperatures of 6.5(1), 3.6(5), 3.5(5), and 5(1) K, respectively. Metamagnetic transitions underline the stable antiferromagnetic ground states. Lu2RuMg3 is a Pauli paramagnet.
A Novel Shear Test Procedure for Determination of Constitutive Behavior of Automotive Aluminum Alloy Sheets2This licence is granted on the condition that clear attribution is given to the author(s) and Natural Resources Canada and, when feasible, that the Crown copyright is acknowledged as follows: © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Natural Resources, 2014.
Authors: Kang Jidong , Shen Guowu
Published: September 2014

Various shear tests have been proposed over decades leading to the publication of the ASTM Standard B831-93 [ASTM B831-93: Standard Test Method for Shear Testing of Thin Aluminum Alloy Products, Annual Book of ASTM Standards, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2011] and its latest revision B831-11 for shear test of aluminum alloy thin sheet materials. However, this standard only measures the shear strength of aluminum sheets. A new shear specimen design has been developed by Kang et al. [Kang, J., Wilkinson, D. S., Wu, P. D., Bruhis, M., Jain, M., Embury, J. D., and Mishra, R., “Constitutive Behavior of AA5754 Sheet Materials at Large Strains,” J. Eng. Mater. Technol., Vol. 130, No. 3, 2008, p. 031004]. We propose using digital image correlation for shear strain measurements, which is impractical for conventional extensometry techniques. A new shear test method is then used to measure both the shear strength and shear stress–shear strain curves up to large strains. 3D finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out for both the standard and new shear specimen designs. The results show that simple shear state is reached within the shear zone. The results also reveal that the out-of-plane shear strain is significantly reduced to 5 % in new shear specimen design compared to that of over 12 % for the standard specimen design. The rotation of the end of the shear zone is, thus, prevented.
Oxygen-Ozone Therapy for Herniated Lumbar Disc in Patients with Subacute Partial Motor Weakness Due to Nerve Root Compression
Authors: Dall'Olio Massimo , Princiotta Ciro , Cirillo Luigi , Budai Caterina , de Santis Fabio , Bartolini Stefano , Serchi Elena , Leonardi Marco
Published: September 2014

Intradiscal oxygen-ozone (O2-O3) chemonucleolysis is a well-known effective treatment for pain caused by protruding disc disease and nerve root compression due to bulging or herniated disc.

The most widely used therapeutic combination is intradiscal injection of an O2-O3 mixture (chemonucleolysis), followed by periradicular injection of O2-O3, steroid and local anaesthetic to enhance the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. The treatment is designed to resolve pain and is administered to patients without motor weakness, whereas patients with acute paralysis caused by nerve root compression undergo surgery 24–48h after the onset of neurological deficit.

This paper reports on the efficacy of O2-O3 chemonucleolysis associated with anti-inflammatory foraminal injection in 13 patients with low back pain and cruralgia, low back pain and sciatica and subacute partial motor weakness caused by nerve root compression unresponsive to medical treatment. All patients were managed in conjunction with our colleagues in the Neurosurgery Unit of Bellaria Hospital and the IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences, Bologna.

The outcomes obtained are promising: 100% patients had a resolution of motor weakness, while 84.6% had complete pain relief. Our results demonstrate that O2-O3 therapy can be considered a valid treatment option for this category of patients.
Treatment of Lumbar Disc Herniations by Interventional Fluoroscopy-Guided Endoscopy
Authors: Reul Juergen
Published: September 2014

The neurointerventional transforaminal endoscopic approach to sequestered disk herniation is a minimally invasive alternative to established microsurgical techniques. In addition to those techniques approaching the nucleus like APLD, the transforaminal approach allows the removal of dislocated sequesters in the epidural space. The main steps of the procedure are fluoroscopy-guided, so a good experience with fluoroscopy based interventional techniques is helpful, but the technique has a significant learning curve. If familiar with the different steps, it allows nearly every lumbar disk herniation to be treated with a very short hospital stay and short rehabilitation time. The paper describes in detail the steps of the procedure, the difficulties and advantages and gives a short review of the relevant literature.
Clinical and histological heterogeneity of congenital hyperinsulinism due to paternally inherited heterozygous ABCC8/KCNJ11 mutations
Authors: Arya Ved Bhushan , Guemes Maria , Nessa Azizun , Alam Syeda , Shah Pratik , Gilbert Clare , Senniappan Senthil , Flanagan Sarah E , Ellard Sian , Hussain Khalid
Published: September 2014

Context

Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) has two main histological types: diffuse and focal. Heterozygous paternally inherited ABCC8/KCNJ11 mutations (depending upon whether recessive or dominant acting and occurrence of somatic maternal allele loss) can give rise to either phenotype. However, the relative proportion of these two phenotypes in a large cohort of CHI patients due to paternally inherited heterozygous ABCC8/KCNJ11 mutations has not been reported.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to highlight the variable clinical phenotype and to characterise the distribution of diffuse and focal disease in a large cohort of CHI patients due to paternally inherited heterozygous ABCC8/KCNJ11 mutations.

Design

A retrospective chart review of the CHI patients due to heterozygous paternally inherited ABCC8/KCNJ11 mutations from 2000 to 2013 was conducted.

Results

Paternally inherited heterozygous ABCC8/KCNJ11 mutations were identified in 53 CHI patients. Of these, 18 (34%) either responded to diazoxide or resolved spontaneously. Fluorine-18 l-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine positron emission tomography computerised tomography (18F DOPA–PET CT) scanning in 3/18 children showed diffuse disease. The remaining 35 (66%) diazoxide-unresponsive children either had pancreatic venous sampling (n=8) or 18F DOPA–PET CT (n=27). Diffuse, indeterminate and focal disease was identified in 13, 1 and 21 patients respectively. Two patients with suspected diffuse disease were identified to have focal disease on histology.

Conclusions

Paternally inherited heterozygous ABCC8/KCNJ11 mutations can manifest as a wide spectrum of CHI with variable 18F DOPA–PET CT/histological findings and clinical outcomes. Focal disease was histologically confirmed in 24/53 (45%) of CHI patients with paternally inherited heterozygous ABCC8/KCNJ11 mutations.
Young Adult Psychological Outcome After Puberty Suppression and Gender Reassignment
Authors: de Vries Annelou L.C. , McGuire Jenifer K. , Steensma Thomas D. , Wagenaar Eva C.F. , Doreleijers Theo A.H. , Cohen-Kettenis Peggy T.
Published: September 2014

BACKGROUND:

In recent years, puberty suppression by means of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs has become accepted in clinical management of adolescents who have gender dysphoria (GD). The current study is the first longer-term longitudinal evaluation of the effectiveness of this approach.

METHODS:

A total of 55 young transgender adults (22 transwomen and 33 transmen) who had received puberty suppression during adolescence were assessed 3 times: before the start of puberty suppression (mean age, 13.6 years), when cross-sex hormones were introduced (mean age, 16.7 years), and at least 1 year after gender reassignment surgery (mean age, 20.7 years). Psychological functioning (GD, body image, global functioning, depression, anxiety, emotional and behavioral problems) and objective (social and educational/professional functioning) and subjective (quality of life, satisfaction with life and happiness) well-being were investigated.

RESULTS:

After gender reassignment, in young adulthood, the GD was alleviated and psychological functioning had steadily improved. Well-being was similar to or better than same-age young adults from the general population. Improvements in psychological functioning were positively correlated with postsurgical subjective well-being.

CONCLUSIONS:

A clinical protocol of a multidisciplinary team with mental health professionals, physicians, and surgeons, including puberty suppression, followed by cross-sex hormones and gender reassignment surgery, provides gender dysphoric youth who seek gender reassignment from early puberty on, the opportunity to develop into well-functioning young adults.
Anti-CD20 Treatment of Giant Cell Hepatitis With Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia
Authors: Paganelli Massimiliano , Patey Natacha , Bass Lee M. , Alvarez Fernando
Published: September 2014

Giant cell hepatitis with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (GCH-AHA) is a rare autoimmune disease of infancy characterized by severe liver disease associated with Coombs-positive hemolytic anemia. We recently showed that GCH-AHA is probably caused by a humoral immune mechanism. Such data support the use of rituximab, an anti-CD-20 monoclonal antibody specifically targeting B lymphocytes, as a treatment for GCH-AHA. We describe here the detailed clinical evolution of 4 children with GCH-AHA who showed a complete response to rituximab. All patients shared a severe course of the disease with poor control on standard and aggressive immunosuppression. Rituximab was well tolerated, and no side effects or infections were registered. Several doses were needed to induce remission, and 5 to 11 additional maintenance injections were necessary in the 2 more severe cases. Weaning from corticosteroids was achieved in all subjects. A steroid-sparing effect was noted in the 3 children who started rituximab early in the course of the disease. Overall, we show here that there is a strong rationale for treating GCH-AHA with rituximab. Early treatment could reduce the use of corticosteroids. Nevertheless, short-term steroids should be initially associated with rituximab to account for autoantibodies’ half-life. Repeated injections are needed to treat and prevent relapses, but the best frequency and duration of treatment remain to be defined.
A Statewide Collaborative to Reduce Pediatric Surgical Site Infections
Authors: Toltzis Philip , O’Riordan Maryanne , Cunningham Dennis J. , Ryckman Frederick C. , Bracke Tracey M. , Olivea Jason , Lyren Anne
Published: September 2014

BACKGROUND:

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are preventable events associated with significant morbidity and cost. Few interventions have been tested to reduce SSIs in children.

METHODS:

A quality improvement collaboration was established in Ohio composed of all referral children’s hospitals. Collaborative leaders developed an SSI reduction bundle for selected cardiac, orthopedic, and neurologic operations. The bundle was composed of 3 elements: prohibition of razors for skin preparation, chlorhexidine-alcohol use for incisional site preparation, and correct timing of prophylactic antibiotic administration. The incidence of SSIs across the collaborative was compared before and after institution of the bundle. The association between 1 of the bundle elements, namely correct timing of antibiotic prophylaxis, and the proportion of centers achieving 0 SSIs per month was measured.

RESULTS:

Eight pediatric hospitals participated. The proportion of months in which 0 SSIs per center was recorded was 56.9% before introduction of the bundle, versus 81.8% during the intervention (P < .001). Correct timing of preoperative prophylactic antibiotics also significantly improved; 39.4% of centers recorded correct timing in every eligible surgical procedure per month (“perfect timing”) before the intervention versus 78.7% after (P < .001). The achievement of 0 SSIs per center in a given month was associated with the achievement of perfect antibiotic timing for that month (P < .003).

CONCLUSIONS:

A statewide collaborative of children’s hospitals was successful in reducing the occurrence of SSIs across Ohio.
Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis: A Meta-analysis
Authors: Lean Wei Ling , Arnup Sarah , Danchin Margie , Steer Andrew C.
Published: September 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

Effective management of group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis is hindered by impracticality of the gold standard diagnostic test: throat culture. Rapid antigen diagnostic tests (RADTs) are a promising alternative, although concerns about their sensitivity and specificity, and variation between test methodologies, have limited their clinical use. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review with meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of RADTs for GAS pharyngitis.

METHODS:

Medline and Embase from 1996 to 2013 were used as data sources. Of 159 identified studies, 48 studies of diagnostic accuracy of GAS RADTs using throat culture on blood agar as a reference standard were selected. Bivariate random-effects regression was used to estimate sensitivity and specificity with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Additional meta-analyses were performed for pediatric data.

RESULTS:

A total of 60 pairs of sensitivity and specificity from 48 studies were included. Overall summary estimates for sensitivity and specificity of RADTs were 0.86 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.88) and 0.96 (95% CI 0.94 to 0.97), respectively, and estimates for pediatric data were similar. Molecular-based RADTs had the best diagnostic accuracy. Considerable variability exists in methodology between studies. There were insufficient studies to allow meta-regression/subgroup analysis within each test type.

CONCLUSIONS:

RADTs can be used for accurate diagnosis of GAS pharyngitis to streamline management of sore throat in primary care. RADTs may not require culture backup for negative tests in most low-incidence rheumatic fever settings. Newer molecular tests have the highest sensitivity, but are not true point-of-care tests.
Antibody immobilization for ZnO nanowire based biosensor application
Authors: Gupta Ankur , Nayak Monalisha , Singh Deepak , Bhattacharya Shantanu
Published: September 2014

Due to the high surface area and good bio-compatibility of nano structured ZnO, it finds good utility in biosensor applications. In this work we have fabricated highly dense ZnO nano bundles with the assistance of self assembled poly methylsilisesquoxane (PMSSQ) matrix which has been realized in a carpet like configuration with implanted ZnO nano-seeds. Such high aspect ratio structures (∼50) with carpet like layout have been realized for the first time using solution chemistry. Nanoparticles of PMMSQ are mixed with a nano-assembler Poly-propylene glycol (PPG) and Zinc Oxide nanoseeds (5-15 nm). The PPG acts by assembling the PMSSQ nanoparticles and evaporates from this film thus creating the highly porous nano-assembly of PMMSQ nanoparticles with implanted Zinc Oxide seeds. Nano-wire bundles with a high overall surface roughness are grown over this template by a daylong incubation of an aqueous solution of hexamethylene tetra amine and Zinc nitrate. Characterization of the fabricated structures has been extensively performed using FESEM, EDAX, and XRD. We envision these films to have potential of highly dense immobilization platforms for antibodies in immunosensors. The principle advantage in our case is a high aspect ratio of the nano-bundles and a high level of roughness in overall surface topology of the carpet outgrowing the zinc-oxide nanowire bundles. Antibody immobilization has been performed by modifying the surface with protein-G followed by Goat anti salmonella antibody. Antibody activity has been characterized by using 3D profiler, Bio-Rad Protein assay and UV-Visible spectrophotometer.