bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Penis as Risk: A Queer Phenomenology of Two Swedish Transgender Women's Narratives on Gender Correction
Authors: Bremer Signe
Published: September 2013

Based on narratives from two transgender women with experiences of undergoing a Swedish gender correction, this article offers important insights in a cultural context situated in a time and space when Sweden's transgender population was legally obligated to leave their reproductive capabilities behind, and if married divorce, as they struggled for legal gender recognition (the rigid legal terms being newly abolished from the law in 2013). I argue that ‘real’ preoperative transgender women are expected to be well-behaved, modest, and sexually passive, in line with the white, middleclass standard of respectable femininity that informs the obligatory psychiatric assessment required to alter legal sex. Such respectability is intimately bound to the cultural genealogy of the penis of flesh. Ideas of original, non-performative, sexually active, white and superior masculinity clings to the penis of flesh, just as the penis of flesh always sticks to its history – the phallus. As a result transgender women who desire legal gender recognition but not genital surgery are positioned within the sphere of the unthinkable, uninhabitable, unintelligible and less human. Thus, I argue, the penis, and transgender women's acceptance of it, becomes a risk.

Swedish authorities have been consistent in requiring vaginoplasty as obligatory terms for transgender women's legal gender recognition. Importantly, transgender men do not face these conditions. They have the possibility to be legally acknowledged as male without undergoing genital surgery. Thus, I ask: What alternatives do transgender women who undergo Swedish psychiatric gender assessments have for articulating and embodying alternative forms of femininity?
Productive Efficiency of Potato and Melon Growing Farms in Uzbekistan: A Two Stage Double Bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis
Authors: Karimov Aziz
Published: September 2013

This article is one of the first to carry out a non-parametric efficiency analysis of crop production in Uzbekistan. The study applies the bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to compute bias corrected technical efficiency (TE) scores using a sample of farms located in two regions of Uzbekistan. The study also investigates the determinants of TE in potato and melon production. Results indicate that there is room for efficient use of resources. Farmers are found to be more scale-efficient but not productively efficient. Findings from the second stage DEA model display that soil fertility index, farm size, water availability, crop diversification index, dependency ratio, potential to work in large land area, and longer distance to market contribute positively to production efficiency.
BubbleZERO—Design, Construction and Operation of a Transportable Research Laboratory for Low Exergy Building System Evaluation in the Tropics
Authors: Bruelisauer Marcel , Chen Kian , Iyengar Rupesh , Leibundgut Hansjürg , Li Cheng , Li Mo , Mast Matthias , Meggers Forrest , Miller Clayton , Rossi Dino , Saber Esmail , Tham Kwok , Schlueter Arno
Published: September 2013

We present the design, construction and operation of a novel building systems laboratory, the BubbleZERO—Zero Emission Research Operation. Our objective was to design a space to evaluate the performance of Swiss-developed low exergy building systems in the tropical climate of Singapore using an integrated design approach. The method we employed for evaluation in the tropics was to design and build a test bed out of the shipping containers that transported the prototype low exergy systems from Switzerland to Singapore. This approach resulted in a novel laboratory environment containing radiant cooling panels and decentralized air supply, along with a self-shading, inflated “bubble” skin, experimental low emissivity (LowE) glazing, LED lighting, wireless sensors and distributed control. The laboratory evaluates and demonstrates for the first time in Singapore an integrated high-temperature cooling system with separate demand-controlled ventilation adapted for the tropics. It is a functional lab testing system in real tropical conditions. As such, the results showing the ability to mitigate the risk of condensation by maintaining a dew point below 18 °C by the separate decentralized ventilation are significant and necessary for potential future implementation in buildings. In addition, the control system provides new proof of concept for distributed wireless sensors and control for reliable automation of the systems. These key results are presented along with the integrated design process and real-life tropical operation of the laboratory.
Green Space and Stress: Evidence from Cortisol Measures in Deprived Urban Communities
Authors: Roe Jenny , Thompson Catharine , Aspinall Peter , Brewer Mark , Duff Elizabeth , Miller David , Mitchell Richard , Clow Angela
Published: September 2013

Contact with green space in the environment has been associated with mental health benefits, but the mechanism underpinning this association is not clear. This study extends an earlier exploratory study showing that more green space in deprived urban neighbourhoods in Scotland is linked to lower levels of perceived stress and improved physiological stress as measured by diurnal patterns of cortisol secretion. Salivary cortisol concentrations were measured at 3, 6 and 9 h post awakening over two consecutive weekdays, together with measures of perceived stress. Participants (n = 106) were men and women not in work aged between 35–55 years, resident in socially disadvantaged districts from the same Scottish, UK, urban context as the earlier study. Results from linear regression analyses showed a significant and negative relationship between higher green space levels and stress levels, indicating living in areas with a higher percentage of green space is associated with lower stress, confirming the earlier study findings. This study further extends the findings by showing significant gender differences in stress patterns by levels of green space, with women in lower green space areas showing higher levels of stress. A significant interaction effect between gender and percentage green space on mean cortisol concentrations showed a positive effect of higher green space in relation to cortisol measures in women, but not in men. Higher levels of neighbourhood green space were associated with healthier mean cortisol levels in women whilst also attenuating higher cortisol levels in men. We conclude that higher levels of green space in residential neighbourhoods, for this deprived urban population of middle-aged men and women not in work, are linked with lower perceived stress and a steeper (healthier) diurnal cortisol decline. However, overall patterns and levels of cortisol secretion in men and women were differentially related to neighbourhood green space and warrant further investigation.
Oxidative Stress in Aging-Matters of the Heart and Mind
Authors: Venkataraman Krishnan , Khurana Sandhya , Tai T.
Published: September 2013

Oxidative damage is considered to be the primary cause of several aging associated disease pathologies. Cumulative oxidative damage tends to be pervasive among cellular macromolecules, impacting proteins, lipids, RNA and DNA of cells. At a systemic level, events subsequent to oxidative damage induce an inflammatory response to sites of oxidative damage, often contributing to additional oxidative stress. At a cellular level, oxidative damage to mitochondria results in acidification of the cytoplasm and release of cytochrome c, causing apoptosis. This review summarizes findings in the literature on oxidative stress and consequent damage on cells and tissues of the cardiovascular system and the central nervous system, with a focus on aging-related diseases that have well-documented evidence of oxidative damage in initiation and/or progression of the disease. The current understanding of the cellular mechanisms with a focus on macromolecular damage, impacted cellular pathways and gross morphological changes associated with oxidative damage is also reviewed. Additionally, the impact of calorific restriction with its profound impact on cardiovascular and neuronal aging is addressed.
Designing Dialogic E-Learning in Pharmacy Professionalism Using Calibrated Feedback Loops (CFLs)
Authors: Roff Sue
Published: September 2013

The feedback analytics of online software including Articulate and Bristol Online Surveys can be used to facilitate dialogic learning in a community of practice such as Pharmacy and, thereby, promote reflective learning by the creation of formative calibrated feedback loops. Based on work with medical, dental, nursing, osteopathic, and social work students, trainees, and registrants, the paper shows how an online learning community can be created along the continuum from undergraduate to registrant to develop authentic dialogic e-learning around standards of Professionalism. The Dundee PolyProfessionalism inventories and Situational Judgement Scenarios (SJSs) can be customised for Pharmacy Professionalism learning to support evidence-based curriculum design along benchmarked learning curves and to profile Professionalism learning in individuals and cohorts.
Synthesis and Solution Properties of Double Hydrophilic Poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEO-b-PEtOx) Star Block Copolymers
Authors: Rudolph Tobias , Crotty Sarah , Von der Lühe Moritz , Pretzel David , Schubert Ulrich , Schacher Felix
Published: September 2013

We demonstrate the synthesis of star-shaped poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) [PEOm-b-PEtOxn]x block copolymers with eight arms using two different approaches, either the “arm-first” or the “core-first” strategy. Different lengths of the outer PEtOx blocks ranging from 16 to 75 repeating units were used, and the obtained materials [PEO28-b-PEtOxx]8 were characterized via size exclusion chromatography (SEC), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) measurements. First investigations regarding the solution behavior in water as a non-selective solvent revealed significant differences. Whereas materials synthesized via the “core-first” method seemed to be well soluble (unimers), aggregation occurred in the case of materials synthesized by the “arm-first” method using copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne click chemistry.
Mapping and Evaluation of NDVI Trends from Synthetic Time Series Obtained by Blending Landsat and MODIS Data around a Coalfield on the Loess Plateau
Authors: Tian Feng , Wang Yunjia , Fensholt Rasmus , Wang Kun , Zhang Li , Huang Yi
Published: September 2013

The increasingly intensive and extensive coal mining activities on the Loess Plateau pose a threat to the fragile local ecosystems. Quantifying the effects of coal mining activities on environmental conditions is of great interest for restoring and managing the local ecosystems and resources. This paper generates dense NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) time series between 2000 and 2011 at a spatial resolution of 30 m by blending Landsat and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data using the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM) and further evaluates its capability for mapping vegetation trends around a typical coalfield on the Loss Plateau. Synthetic NDVI images were generated using (1) STARFM-generated NIR (near infrared) and red band reflectance data (scheme 1) and (2) Landsat and MODIS NDVI images directly as inputs for STARFM (scheme 2). By comparing the synthetic NDVI images with the corresponding Landsat NDVI, we found that scheme 2 consistently generated better results (0.70 < R2 < 0.76) than scheme 1 (0.56 < R2 < 0.70) in this study area. Trend analysis was then performed with the synthetic dense NDVI time series and the annual maximum NDVI (NDVImax) time series. The accuracy of these trends was evaluated by comparing to those from the corresponding MODIS time series, and it was concluded that both the trends from synthetic/MODIS NDVI dense time series and synthetic/MODIS NDVImax time series (2000–2011) were highly consistent. Compared to trends from MODIS time series, trends from synthetic time series are better able to capture fine scale vegetation changes. STARFM-generated synthetic NDVI time series could be used to quantify the effects of mining activities on vegetation, but the test areas should be selected with caution, as the trends derived from synthetic and MODIS time series may be significantly different in some areas.
Reconstituer le trésor de Saint-Denis ? Les acquisitions d'orfèvrerie ancienne (XVIe et XVIIe siècles) sous la Monarchie de Juillet
Authors: Bimbenet-Privat Michèle , Lainé Brigitte
Published: September 2013

Les historiens de Saint-Denis se sont peu intéressés jusqu'ici à ce que fut le trésor de la basilique au XIXe siècle, quand le chapitre ranimé sous l'Empire s'efforça de recréer un semblant de trésor à l'aide de dons royaux et d'achats. Les archives du chapitre et plus particulièrement l'inventaire du trésor rédigé en 1839 permettent de mesurer les préoccupations des chanoines de la monarchie de Juillet à travers leurs achats répétés, effectués auprès de marchands orfèvres parisiens, d'oeuvres anciennes : en particulier six calices et cinq patènes de la fin du XVIe et du début du XVIIe siècle dont la caractéristique commune est une riche ornementation narrative, ciselée de scènes bibliques ou de représentations de la Passion. La valeur iconographique de ces oeuvres a sans doute motivé de choix des chanoines dont la bibliothèque, récemment publiée, montre qu'ils restaient très attachés à la théologie et la spiritualité du Concile de Trente. Six des onze objets ont disparu lors du grand cambriolage du trésor survenu en 1882, ou plus récemment encore au cours des dernières décennies du XXe siècle.
Le vin et la médecine dans la Grèce ancienne
Authors: Jouanna Jacques
Published: September 2013

Essai de synthèse sur la place du vin dans la médecine grecque, d'une part dans la pathologie, d'autre part et surtout dans la thérapeutique, en distinguant l'usage interne et l'usage externe.
La nature dans Daphnis et Chloé
Authors: Billault Alain
Published: September 2013

The art of Longus has often been praised because he was supposed to replace reality with an artificial world. But nature is genuinely present in his novel. If we study how, we can understand to what extent Daphnis and Chloe is a realistic pastoral novel.
Deux adjectifs en -ερος (μαλερός, πέρπερος).
Authors: Blanc Alain
Published: September 2013

Alain Blanc, Deux adjectifs en -ερος (μαλερός, πέρπερος).

Ι. Μαλερός, qui est dans l'Iliade épithète du feu, a été ou bien rapproché de l'adverbe μάλα et traduit par «fort, violent», ou bien rattaché au verbe μαραίνω, et on l'a alors traduit par «faisant périr, dévastateur». On montre que le sens « brillant, etincelant » est partout possible et qu'il faut rattacher cet adjectif à la base *μαρ- de μαρμαίρω « briller » en posant une dissimilation *μαρερός > μαλερος.

Π. Πέρπερος est traduit en général par «vantard, fanfaron» et comme il n'apparaît qu'à partir de Polybe, on en a souvent fait un emprunt au latin (cf. l'adverbe perperam). En étudiant ses dérivés on démontre ici qu'il se réfère à l'apparence que l'on se donne et qu'il doit être rattaché à πρεπω «se distinguer», la forme primitive, *πρέπερος, étant passée à πέρπερος par interversion de -ρε- en -ερ-.
L'apport de Galien à la méthode médicale
Authors: Boulogne Jacques
Published: September 2013

Quand il prétend avoir porté la méthode médicale à sa perfection, Galien ne fait pas preuve de forfanterie. Non seulement il ordonne les pratiques thérapeutiques rationnellement en distinguant six grands genres de maladies, mais encore il propose une définition cohérente et claire de la notion floue de maladie. De plus, il améliore les voies de la découverte. Celles-ci, explique-t-il, doivent combiner l'observation, dont l'utilisation, quel que soit le système de pensée adopté, rend la médecine toujours perfectible, la logique des syllogismes et l'application des principes de la démonstration géométrique à la technique de la diérèse. La satisfaction à ces trois exigences de la recherche, à laquelle il faut ajouter le recours à une terminologie univoque, donne à Galien la conviction d'avoir réellement trouvé les conditions pour faire progresser l'art au point de le transformer en une science authentique.
Des sources pour étudier la Terreur blanche
Authors: Boutonnet Pierre
Published: September 2013

Available Sources for the Study of the White Terror.

Sources concerning the White Terror are scattered all over the world. Russian archives are probably the most useful. In France, a large range of documents allows us to overcome the traditional belief, which examines the phenomenon as a whole series of improvised excesses in very troubled times, neither intentional nor agreed by the High Command. Records of the small government of the White général Judeni and Memoirs of emigrated anti-Bolshevik Russians lead us to consider that the White Command set up almost everywhere an ill-organized military-judicial system to exterminate Bolsheviks and even unarmed exassociates of the Soviet power. Some members of the White movement regretted an ordinary terror. Even local independent White satraps might have established an effective repression. When they rejected the White rule, moderate socialists became the witnesses to the White Terror, using testimonies as propaganda. French army officers, which helped the White armies, saw this repression and sometimes, while using espionnage, discovered some of the wheels of the White Terror. It included a large spectrum of victims that widely overcame the narrow circle of Bolsheviks.
Transplantation of Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells at Different Locations in Mice with Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Iwai Hiroki , Nori Satoshi , Nishimura Soraya , Yasuda Akimasa , Takano Morito , Tsuji Osahiko , Fujiyoshi Kanehiro , Toyama Yoshiaki , Okano Hideyuki , Nakamura Masaya
Published: September 2013

Transplantation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) promotes functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI); however, few studies have examined the optimal site of NS/PC transplantation in the spinal cord. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal transplantation site of NS/PCs for the treatment of SCI. Wild-type mice were generated with contusive SCI at the T10 level, and NS/PCs were derived from fetal transgenic mice. These NS/PCs ubiquitously expressed ffLuc-cp156 protein (Venus and luciferase fusion protein) and so could be detected by in vivo bioluminescence imaging 9 days postinjury. NS/PCs (low: 250,000 cells per mouse; high: 1 million cells per mouse) were grafted into the spinal cord at the lesion epicenter (E) or at rostral and caudal (RC) sites. Phosphate-buffered saline was injected into E as a control. Motor functional recovery was better in each of the transplantation groups (E-Low, E-High, RC-Low, and RC-High) than in the control group. The photon counts of the grafted NS/PCs were similar in each of the four transplantation groups, suggesting that the survival of NS/PCs was fairly uniform when more than a certain threshold number of cells were transplanted. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses demonstrated that brain-derived neurotropic factor expression was higher in the RC segment than in the E segment, and this may underlie why NS/PCs more readily differentiated into neurons than into astrocytes in the RC group. The location of the transplantation site did not affect the area of spared fibers, angiogenesis, or the expression of any other mediators. These findings indicated that the microenvironments of the E and RC sites are able to support NS/PCs transplanted during the subacute phase of SCI similarly. Optimally, a certain threshold number of NS/PCs should be grafted into the E segment to avoid damaging sites adjacent to the lesion during the injection procedure.
Isolation of microsatellite markers for the red mangrove, Rhizophora mangle (Rhizophoraceae)
Authors: Ribeiro Diana O. , Vinson Christina C. , Nascimento Dulcivania S. S. , Mehlig Ulf , Menezes Moirah P. M. , Sampaio Iracilda , Silva Marivana B.
Published: September 2013

• Premise of the study: Three species of the mangrove tree genus Rhizophora are found in the New World and along the west coast of Africa. Of these, R. mangle is the most abundant and has a complex interbreeding relationship with the sympatric R. racemosa and R. harrisonii. The development of additional microsatellite markers would permit paternity analyses and investigation of the hybrid origin of these species.

• Methods and Results: Using an enriched library method, via hybridization with biotinylated oligonucleotides complementary to repetitive poly AG/TC, primers for 11 microsatellite markers of R. mangle were developed and characterized in populations in Pará and São Paulo (Brazil) and Florida (USA). Ten of these markers were transferable to R. racemosa and R. harrisonii.

• Conclusions: The microsatellite markers presented here will be useful in studies of contemporary and historical gene flow between American and West African Rhizophora species.
Microsatellite markers for Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia; Elaeagnaceae)
Authors: Gaskin John F. , Hufbauer Ruth A. , Bogdanowicz Steven M.
Published: September 2013

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were developed for the plant species Elaeagnus angustifolia to assist in future investigations of genetic variability in its native and invasive ranges and the precise origins of the United States/Canada invasion.

• Methods and Results: Eleven polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed. The number of alleles observed for each locus ranged from three to 11.

• Conclusions: These microsatellites have sufficient potential variability to define population structure and origins of the Russian olive invasion.
Peritoneal Dialysis Reduces the Number of Hospitalization Days in Heart Failure Patients Refractory to Diuretics
Authors: Courivaud Cécile , Kazory Amir , Crépin Thomas , Azar Raymond , Bresson–Vautrin Catherine , Chalopin Jean-Marc , Ducloux Didier
Published: September 2013

Background

Previous small studies have reported favorable results of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in the setting of chronic refractory heart failure (CRHF). We evaluated the impact of PD in a larger cohort of patients with CHRF where end-stage renal disease was excluded.

Methods

All patients who received PD therapy for CRHF between January 1995 and December 2010 in two medical centers in France were included in this retrospective study. Baseline characteristics were compared with clinical parameters during the first year after initiation of PD. Mortality, safety, and sustainability of PD were also analyzed.

Results

The 126 patients included had a mean age of 72 ± 11 years and an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 33.5 ± 15.1 mL/min/1.73 m2. Mean time on PD was 16 ± 16.6 months. During the first year, patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 30% or less experienced improvement in cardiac function (30% ± 10% vs 20% ± 6%, p < 0.0001). We observed a significant reduction in the number of days of hospitalization for acute decompensated heart failure after PD initiation (3.3 ± 2.6 days/patient–month vs 0.3 ± 0.5 days/patient–month, p < 0.0001). One-year mortality was 42%.

Conclusions

In CRHF, PD significantly reduces the number of days of hospitalization for acute heart failure. Improved LVEF may have led to the comparatively good 1-year survival in this cohort.
The application of a monolithic triphenylphosphine reagent for conducting Ramirez gem-dibromoolefination reactions in flow
Authors: Roper Kimberley A , Berry Malcolm B , Ley Steven V
Published: September 2013

The application of a monolithic form of triphenylphosphine to the Ramirez gem-dibromoolefination reaction using flow chemistry techniques is reported. A variety of gem-dibromides were synthesised in high purity and excellent yield following only removal of solvent and no further off-line purification. It is also possible to perform the Appel reaction using the same monolith and the relationship between the mechanisms of the two reactions is discussed.
ESTABLISHING A COORDINATION SYSTEM FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ORGANIZATIONS BY SIMULATING HUMAN BODY CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
Authors: Shen Fang-Ying , Chang Andrew S.
Published: September 2013

Construction projects are highly fragmented with many participants and activities involved during construction, so coordination is complicated and critical for project organizations. The physiological functions of the human body such as the circulatory system are natural and effective. This study established a coordination system for construction projects by simulating the circulatory system to improve work effectiveness. The contractor has to coordinate the owner and suppliers, that is, like the heart does to the brain and various organs. A procedure was also developed and illustrated through a case study to use the system practically. The contractor engineer acting as a receptor evaluates coordination needs derived from project uncertainty and equivocality and collect time spent on coordination with various parties. Coordination time or amount is adjusted when coordination supply does not meet needs. This procedure can be applied on construction project organizations to plan and execute coordination work.
A NUMERICAL SOLUTION THAT DETERMINES THE TEMPERATURE FIELD INSIDE PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS: APPLICATION IN BUILDINGS
Authors: Ciulla Giuseppina , Brano Valerio Lo , Messineo Antonio , Peri Giorgia
Published: September 2013

The use of novel building materials that contain active thermal components would be a major advancement in achieving significant heating and cooling energy savings. In the last 40 years, Phase Change Materials or PCMs have been tested as thermal mass components in buildings, and most studies have found that PCMs enhance the building energy performance. The use of PCMs as an energy storage device is due to their relatively high fusion latent heat; during the melting and/or solidification phase, a PCM is capable of storing or releasing a large amount of energy. PCMs in a wall layer store solar energy during the warmer hours of the day and release it during the night, thereby decreasing and shifting forward in time the peak wall temperature. In this paper, an algorithm is presented based on the general Fourier differential equations that solve the heat transfer problem in multi-layer wall structures, such as sandwich panels, that includes a layer that can change phase. In detail, the equations are proposed and transformed into formulas useful in the FDM approach (finite difference method), which solves the system simultaneously for the temperature at each node. The equation set proposed is accurate, fast and easy to integrate into most building simulation tools in any programming language. The numerical solution was validated using a comparison with the Voller and Cross analytical test problem.
ANALYSIS OF FAILURE CONDITIONS FOR A DYNAMICALLY LOADED COMPOSITE FLOOR SYSTEM OF AN INDUSTRIAL BUILDING
Authors: Berkowski Piotr , Dmochowski Grzegorz , Grosel Jacek , Schabowicz Krzysztof , Wójcicki Zbigniew
Published: September 2013

Results of examination and analysis of cracks formation in a composite slab floor in an industrial warehouse hall is presented in the paper. During exploitation of the floor, on which lift trucks and presses worked, a lot of deep cracks occurred in the slab. In order to define characteristics of cracks and properties of concrete there were made different NDT examinations. Measurements of vibrations due to work of presses were also realized with aim to evaluate their possible influence on cracks formation. Static, dynamic and strength structural calculations were also made based on the model of continuous, multi-bay plate. They showed that applied slab reinforcement was sufficient and acting loads did not have to cause cracks. After 3D modelling of the building and taking into consideration the flexibility of main steel beams it was gained that in the RC floor slab over supports bending moments could occur nearly three times greater than calculated from the 2D model. Taking into consideration wrong structural model of the building led to over-loading of the floor slab, its cracking and caused a necessity of its strengthening.
RESEARCH INTO THE FIRE PROPERTIES OF WOOD PRODUCTS MOST FREQUENTLY USED IN CONSTRUCTION
Authors: Mačiulaitis Romualdas , Praniauskas Vladas , Yakovlev Grigory
Published: September 2013

Analysis of various wood products tested under the exposure to 30 kW/m2, 35 kW/m2, 40 kW/m2, 45 kW/m2and 50 kW/m2 heat flows in accordance with LST ISO 5657:1999 “Reaction to fire tests – ignitibility of building products using a radiant heat source” was performed. Selected boards were subjected to reaction to fire tests in accordance with LST EN 13823:2010 “Reaction to fire tests for building products”. The tests were performed on 6 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm and 18 mm thick oriented strand boards (OSBs) and 24-mm thick wood particle boards (WPBs), both impregnated with BAK-1 fire retardant solution and non-impregnated. The average time to ignition (TTI) was determined. The impact of the impregnator on heat release rate, smoke formation and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in the course of combustion of impregnated and non-impregnated OSB and WPB was studied. In the course of the research, statistical analysis was performed and empirical equations and their correlation coefficients were obtained. Conclusions were formulated at the end of the study.
KOHONEN NEURAL NETWORKS FOR RAINFALL-RUNOFF MODELING: CASE STUDY OF PIANCÓ RIVER BASIN
Authors: Farias Camilo Allyson Simoes de , Santos Celso A. G. , Lourenço Artur M. G. , Carneiro Tatiane C.
Published: September 2013

The existence of long and reliable streamflow data records is essential to establishing strategies for the operation of water resources systems. In areas where streamflow data records are limited or present missing values, rainfall-runoff models are typically used for reconstruction and/or extension of river flow series. The main objective of this paper is to verify the application of Kohonen Neural Networks (KNN) for estimating streamflows in Piancó River. The Piancó River basin is located in the Brazilian semiarid region, an area devoid of hydrometeorological data and characterized by recurrent periods of water scarcity. The KNN are unsupervised neural networks that cluster data into groups according to their similarities. Such models are able to classify data vectors even when there are missing values in some of its components, a very common situation in rainfall-runoff modeling. Twenty two years of rainfall and streamflow monthly data were used in order to calibrate and test the proposed model. Statistical indexes were chose as criteria for evaluating the performance of the KNN model under four different scenarios of input data. The results show that the proposed model was able to provide reliable estimations even when there were missing values in the input data set.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Benign Cardiac Masses: A Pictorial Essay
Authors: Ward Thomas J. , Kadoch Michael A. , Jacobi Adam H. , Lopez Pablo P. , Salvo Javier Sanz , Cham Matthew D.
Published: August 2013

The differential diagnosis for a cardiac mass includes primary and metastatic neoplasms. While primary cardiac tumors are rare, metastatic disease to the heart is a common finding in cancer patients. Several “tumor-like” processes can mimic a true cardiac neoplasm with accurate diagnosis critical at guiding appropriate management. We present a pictorial essay of the most common benign cardiac masses and “mass-like” lesions with an emphasis on magnetic resonance imaging features.
Lévy Measure Density Corresponding to Inverse Local Time
Authors: Takemura Tomoko , Tomisaki Matsuyo
Published: September 2013

We are concerned with the Lévy measure density corresponding to the inverse local time at the regular end point for a harmonic transform of a one-dimensional diffusion process. We show that the Lévy measure density is represented as the Laplace transform of the spectral measure corresponding to the original diffusion process, where the absorbing boundary condition is posed at the end point whenever it is regular.
On Small-type formulae for curves in PSL$(2, \mathbb C$)
Authors: Musso Emilio , Nicolodi Lorenzo
Published: September 2013

Taking the point of view of Legendrian curves in complex projective 3-space and using the classical Lie–Klein duality of algebraic geometry, we revisit various meromorphic representation formulae for Legendrian and null curves in PSL

(2, \mathbb C

. These include Small’s formula for null curves, the formulae for Legendrian curves given by Kokubu, Umehara and Yamada, by Gálvez, Martínez and Milán, and more recently by Ejiri and Takahashi. We discuss their relationships and provide a dictionary for their meromorphic data. Some examples related to the

W

-curves of complex projective 3-space are discussed.
Convergent quantum normal forms, $\mathcal PT$-symmetry and reality of the spectrum
Authors: Caliceti Emanuela , Graffi Sandro
Published: September 2013

A class of non-selfadjoint,

\mathcal PT

-symmetric operators is identified similar to a selfadjoint one, thus entailing the reality of the spectrum. The similarity transformation is explicitly constructed through the method of the quantum normal form, whose convergence (uniform with respect to the Planck constant) is proved. Further consequences of the uniform convergence of the quantum normal form are the establishment of an exact quantization formula for the eigenvalues and the integrability of the classical hamiltonian corresponding to the given

\mathcal PT

-symmetric operator.
Complex 2-Normed Linear Spaces and Extension of Linear 2-Functionals
Authors: Lal S.N. , Bhattacharya S. , Sreedhar C.
Published: September 2013

The known concept of 2-normed real linear spaces is extended to 2-normed complex linear spaces. This extension is not trivial. A Hahn-Banach type extension theorem for complex linear 2-functionals is established and it is shown that it is not possible to get this result from the known Hahn-Banach type extension theorem for real linear 2-functionals using the Bohnenblust-Sobczyk technique directly as is done in the case of linear functionals. As an application of our extension theorem, a 2-norm version of the Ascoli-Mazur theorem on tangent functionals is established. Several examples and counter examples illustrate the results obtained in the paper.
Parabolic Equations with Functional Dependence
Authors: Bychowska A. , Leszczyński H.
Published: September 2013

We consider the Cauchy problem for nonlinear parabolic equations with functional dependence and prove theorems on the existence of solutions to parabolic differential-functional equations
A Discretised Nonlinear Eigenvalue Problem with Many Spurious Branches of Solutions
Authors: Stuart Charles A. , Vuillaume Gregory
Published: September 2013

We treat an example of a nonlinear eigenvalue problem in

L^2(0,1)

which can be solved explicitly. It has a single branch of non-trivial solutions. Discretisation reduces the problem to a finite-dimensional one having many branches of non-trivial solutions. We investigate the convergence of these approximate solutions.
On $C^1$-Regularity of Functions that Define $G$-Closure
Authors: Miettinen M. , Raitums Uldis
Published: September 2013

In this paper we show that the functions which are used in the characterization of the

G

-closure or the

G_\theta

-closure of sets of matrices are continuously differentiable. These regularity results are based on the observation by Ball, Kirchheim and Kristensen [1] that separate convexity and upper semidifferentiability imply continuous differentiability.
Classification and Existence of Non-Oscillatory Solutions of Second-Order Neutral Delay Difference Equations
Authors: Zhou Yong , Zhang Binggen
Published: September 2013

In this paper, we give a classification of non-oscillatory solutions of a second-order neutral delay difference equation of the form

\Delta^2(x_n – c_nx_{n–\tau}) + f (n, x_{g_1(n)},..., x_{g_m(n)}) = 0 (n ≥ n_0 \in \mathbb N).

Some existence results for each kind of non-oscillatory solutions are also established.
Convergence Rates for a Reaction-Diffusion System
Authors: Kirane Mokhtar , Tatar Nasser-edine
Published: September 2013

A class of reaction-diffusion systems is investigated. This class is motivated by some diffusive epidemic models, which serve to modelise the spread of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) in the cat population, and sexually transmitted diseases. We obtain exponential convergence rates for a system with unbounded time dependent coefficients.
Regularity Results for Laplace Interface Problems in Two Dimensions
Authors: Petzoldt Martin
Published: September 2013

We investigate the regularity of solutions of interface problems for the Laplacian in two dimensions. Our objective are regularity results which are independent of global bounds of the data (the diffusion). Therefore we use a restriction on the data, the quasi-monotonicity condition, which we show to be sufficient and necessary to provide

H^{1+\frac {1}{4}}

-regularity. In the proof we use estimates of eigenvalues of a related Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problem. Additionally we state regularity results depending on the data.
Eigenfunctions of Two-Scale Difference Equations and Appell Polynomials
Authors: Berg Lothar , Krüppel Manfred
Published: September 2013

Both classical and distributional solutions of two-scale difference equations are interpreted as eigenfunctions, which are closely connected with Appell polynomials. Different generating functions are analyzed and the relations between them. Equivalent eigenfunctions as well as equivalent and minimal characteristic polynomials are defined and investigated in detail via the rational solution of a basic functional equation. Finally, reversed eigenfunctions are introduced and characterized.
On Oscillation of Equations with Distributed Delay
Authors: Berezansky Leonid , Braverman Elena
Published: September 2013

For the scalar delay differential equation with a distributed delay

\dot{x} (t) + \int ^t_{– \infty} x(s)d_sR(t,s) = f(t) (t > t_o)

a connection between the propertiesnon-oscillationpositiveness of the fundamental functionexistence of a non-negative solution for a certain nonlinear integral inequalityis established. This enables to obtain comparison theorems and explicit non-oscillation and oscillation conditions being generalizations of some known results for delay equations and integro-differential equations and leads to oscillation results for equations with infinite number of delays.
The Generalized Riemann Problem of Linear Conjugation for Polyanalytic Functions of Order $n$ in $W_{n,p}(D)$
Authors: Mshimba Ali Seif
Published: September 2013

We consider a homogeneous polyanalytic differential equation of order

n

in a simply-connected domain

D

with a smooth boundary

\partial D

in the complex plane

\mathbb C

. We pose and then prove solvability of a generalized Riemann problem of linear conjugation to the differential equation. This is done by reducing the problem into

n

classical Riemann problems of linear conjugation for holomorphic functions, the solution of which is available in the literature.
On the Three “Essential” Critical Values Theorem
Authors: Sciunzi Berardino
Published: September 2013

Global methods of the calculus of variations and the infinite dimensional critical point theory of Ljusternik and Schnirelmann are applied to give results on the existence of so-called critical values and essential critical values. The case of continuous, not necessarily differentiable functionals is considered and studied introducing a suitable variant of the Palais-Smale condition.
Wave Solutions to Reaction-Diffusion Systems in Perforated Domains
Authors: Heinze S.
Published: September 2013

Traveling waves in periodically perforated domains are shown to exist for large classes of reaction-diffusion systems, provided the homogenized equation admits a non-degenerate traveling wave. This can be applied e.g. to a single equation with bistable non-linearity and to bistable monotone systems. The proof uses the implicit function theorem of a suitably transformed problem in the space

H^1

. Furthermore, corrector-type estimates are given for the wave profile and the wave velocity.
Parametric Weighted Integral Inequalities for A-Harmonic Tensors
Authors: Ding Shuseng
Published: September 2013

We prove the

A_r(\Omega­

)-weighted Hardy-Littlewood inequality, the

A_r(\Omega­

)-weighted weak reverse Hölder inequality and the

A_r(\Omega­

)-weighted Caccioppoli-type estimate for

A

-harmonic tensors all being generalizations of classical results.
Floquet Boundary Value Problems for Differential Inclusions: a Bound Sets Approach
Authors: Andres J. , Malaguti Luisa , Taddei Valentina
Published: September 2013

A technique is developed for the solvability of the Floquet boundary value problem associated to a differential inclusion. It is based on the usage of a not necessarily

C^1

-class of Liapunov-like bounding functions. Certain viability arguments are applied for this aim. Some illustrating examples are supplied.
Orthogonality and Completeness of $q$-Fourier Type Systems
Authors: Ismail Mourad E. H.
Published: September 2013

We establish orthogonality and completeness of the system of

q

-exponential functions {

\mathcal E_q(\cdot; i\omega_n)

} using orthogonality and dual orthogonality of a

q

-analogue of Lommel polynomials. We also set up a very general procedure by which one can produce similar orthogonal systems using bilinear generating functions formed by products of two complete orthogonal function systems.
Some Distributional Products of Mikusiński Type in the Colombeau Algebra $\mathcal G(R^m)$
Authors: Damyanov B.
Published: September 2013

Particular products of Schwartz distributions on the Euclidean space

\mathbb R^m

are derived when the latter have coinciding point singularities and the products are ’balanced’ so that their sum to give an ordinary distribution. These products follow the pattern of a known distributional product published by Jan Mikusiński in 1966. The results are obtained in the Colombeau algebra

\mathcal G (\mathbb R^m)

of generalized functions.

\mathcal G (\mathbb R^m)

is a relevant algebraic construction, with the distribution space linearly embedded, which by the notion of ’association’ allows the results to be evaluated on the level of distributions.
Lipschitz Continuity of Polyhedral Skorokhod Maps
Authors: Krejcí Pavel , Vladimirov A.A.
Published: September 2013

We show that a special stability condition of the associated system of oblique projections (the so-called

\ell

-paracontractivity) guarantees that the corresponding polyhedral Skorokhod problem in a Hilbert space

X

is solvable in the space of absolutely continuous functions with values in

X

. If moreover the oblique projections are transversal, the solution exists and is unique for each continuous input and the Skorokhod map is Lipschitz continuous in both spaces

C([0, T];X)

and

W^{1,1} (0, T; X)

. Also, an explicit upper bound for the Lipschitz constant is derived.
Boundary Layer Correctors for the Solution of Laplace Equation in a Domain with Oscillating Boundary
Authors: Amirat Y. , Bodart O.
Published: September 2013

We study the asymptotic behaviour of the solution of Laplace equation in a domain with very rapidly oscillating boundary. The motivation comes from the study of a longitudinal flow in an infinite horizontal domain bounded at the bottom by a plane wall and at the top by a rugose wall. The rugose wall is a plane covered with periodic asperities which size depends on a small parameter

\epsilon > 0

. The assumption of sharp asperities is made, that is the height of the asperities does not vanish as

\epsilon \to 0

. We prove that, up to an exponentially decreasing error, the solution of Laplace equation can be approximated, outside a layer of width 2

\epsilon

, by a non-oscillating explicit function.
On Topological Structure of Solution Sets for Delay and Functional-Differential Equations
Authors: Bugajewska Daria
Published: September 2013

In this paper we characterize the topological structure of global solution sets for classical delay and functional-differential equations in terms of $R_{\delta} sets.
Quasilinear Elliptic Systems of Second Order in Domains with Corners and Edges: Nemytskij Operator, Local Existence and Asymptotic Behaviour
Authors: Ali Mehmeti Felix , Bochniak M. , Nicaise Serge , Sändig Anna-Margarete
Published: September 2013

We consider systems of quasilinear partial differential equations of second order in two- and three-dimensional domains with corners and edges. The analysis is performed in weighted Sobolev spaces with attached asymptotics generated by the asymptotic behaviour of the solutions of the corresponding linearized problems near boundary singularities. Applying the Local Invertibility Theorem in these spaces we find conditions which guarantee existence of small solutions of the nonlinear problem having the same asymptotic behaviour as the solutions of the linearized problem. The main tools are multiplication theorems and properties of composition (Nemytskij) operators in weighted Sobolev spaces. As application of the general results a steady-state drift-diffusion system is explained.
A Transmission Problem with a Fractal Interface
Authors: Lancia Maria Rosaria
Published: September 2013

In this paper we study a transmission problem with a fractal interface

K

, where a second order transmission condition is imposed. We consider the case in which the interface

K

is the Koch curve and we prove existence and uniqueness of the weak solution of the problem in

V (\Omega, K)

, a suitable ”energy space”. The link between the variational formulation and the problem is possible once we recover a version of the Gauss-Green formula for fractal boundaries, hence a definition of ”normal derivative”.
Sobolev and Morrey Estimates for Non-Smooth Vector Fields of Step Two
Authors: Montanari A. , Morbidelli Daniele
Published: September 2013

We prove Sobolev-type and Morrey-type inequalities for Sobolev spaces related to a family of non-smooth vector fields which formally satisfy the Hörmander condition of step 2. The coefficients of the vector fields are not regular enough to define the Carnot-Carathéodory distance. Thus the result is proved by developing a real analysis technique which is based on an approximation procedure of Lipschitz continuous vector fields with a family of left-invariant first order operators on a nilpotent Lie group.
Asymptotics of Solutions for fully Nonlinear Elliptic Problems at Nearly Critical Growth
Authors: Musesti Alessandro , Squassina Marco
Published: September 2013

In this paper we deal with the study of limits of solutions of a class of fully nonlinear elliptic problems at nearly critical growth. By means of P.L. Lions’ concentration-compactness principle, we prove an alternative result for the existence of non-trivial solutions of the limit problem.
Solution Decompositions for Linear Convection-Diffusion Problems
Authors: Linß Torsten
Published: September 2013

We consider a singularly perturbed convection-diffusion problem. The existence of certain decompositions of the solution into a regular solution component and a layer component is studied. Such decompositions are useful for the convergence analysis of numerical methods. Our aim is to show that such decompositions exist under less restrictive assumptions on the data of the problem than those required in earlier publications.
On the Hilbert Inequality With Weights
Authors: Mingzhe Gao , Shongrong Wei , Leping He
Published: September 2013

In this paper, it is shown that a Hilbert-type inequality with weight

\omega(n) = \pi – \frac{\theta}{\sqrt{2n+1}}

can be established where

\theta = \frac{17}{20}

. As application, a quite sharp result of the Hardy-Littlewood inequality is obtained and some further extensions are obtained.