bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of cerebrolysin on nerve growth factor system in the aging rat brain
Authors: Stepanichev Mikhail , Onufriev Mikhail , Aniol Viktor , Freiman Sofia , Brandstaetter Hemma , Winter Stefan , Lazareva Natalia , Guekht Alla , Gulyaeva Natalia
Published: November 2017

Background:

Aging is associated with some cognitive decline and enhanced risk of development of neurodegenerative diseases. It is assumed that altered metabolism and functions of neurotrophin systems may underlie these age-related functional and structural modifications. CerebrolysinTM (CBL) is a neuropeptide mixture with neurotrophic effects, which is widely used for the treatment of stroke and traumatic brain injury patients. It is also evident that CBL has an overall beneficial effect and a favorable benefit-risk ratio in patients with dementia. However, the effects of CBL on cognition and brain neurotrophin system in normal aging remain obscure.

Objective:

The aim of the present study was to examine the age-related modifications of endogenous neurotrophin systems in the brain of male Wistar rats and the effects of CBL on learning and memory as well as the levels neurotrophins and their receptors.

Methods:

Old (23–24 months) and young (2–3 months) male Wistar rats were used for the study. A half of animals were subjected to CBL course (2.5 ml/kg, 20 i.p. injections). Behavior of rats was studied using the open field test and simple water maze training. The contents of NGF and BDNF were studied using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; the expression of neurotrophin receptors was estimated by Western-blot analysis.

Results:

CBL treatment did not affect general status, age-related weight changes, general locomotor activity as well as general brain histology. In a water maze task, a minor effect of CBL was observed in old rats at the start of training and no effect on memory retention was found. Aging induced a decrease in neurotrophin receptors TrkA, TrkB, and p75NTR in the neocortex. CBL counteracted effects of aging on neocortical TrkA and p75NTR receptors and decreased expression of proNGF without influencing overall NGF levels. BDNF system was not significantly affected by CBL.

Conclusion:

The pro-neuroplastic “antiaging” effects of CBL in the neocortex of old animals were generally related to the NGF rather than the BDNF system.
EPO-releasing neural precursor cells promote axonal regeneration and recovery of function in spinal cord traumatic injury
Authors: Carelli S. , Giallongo T. , Gombalova Z. , Merli D. , Di Giulio A.M. , Gorio A.
Published: November 2017

Background:

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition characterized by a complex of neurological dysfunctions ranging from loss of sensation to partial or complete limb paralysis. Recently, we reported that intravenous administration of neural precursors physiologically releasing erythropoietin (namely Er-NPCs) enhances functional recovery in animals following contusive spinal cord injury through the counteraction of secondary degeneration. Er-NPCs reached and accumulated at the lesion edges, where they survived throughout the prolonged period of observation and differentiated mostly into cholinergic neuron-like cells.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential reparative and regenerative properties of Er-NPCs in a mouse experimental model of traumatic spinal cord injury.

Methods and Results:

We report that Er-NPCs favoured the preservation of axonal myelin and strongly promoted the regrowth across the lesion site of monoaminergic and chatecolaminergic fibers that reached the distal portions of the injured cord. The use of an anterograde tracer transported by the regenerating axons allowed us to assess the extent of such a process. We show that axonal fluoro-ruby labelling was practically absent in saline-treated mice, while it resulted very significant in Er-NPCs transplanted animals.

Conclusion:

Our study shows that Er-NPCs promoted recovery of function after spinal cord injury, and that this is accompanied by preservation of myelination and strong re-innervation of the distal cord. Thus, regenerated axons may have contributed to the enhanced recovery of function after SCI.
Extended Multiple-Field High-Definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) is well tolerated and safe in healthy adults
Authors: Turski Christopher A. , Kessler-Jones Alanna , Chow Clara , Hermann Bruce , Hsu David , Jones Jana , Seeger Susanne K. , Chappell Rick , Boly Melanie , Ikonomidou Chrysanthy
Published: November 2017

Background:

High definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) has been administered over single brain regions for small numbers of sessions. Safety, feasibility and tolerability of HD-tDCS over multiple brain regions, multiple daily stimulations and long periods are not established.

Objective:

We studied safety, feasibility and tolerability of daily HD-tDCS over 2-4 brain regions for 20 sessions in healthy adults.

Methods:

Five healthy adults underwent physical and neurological examination, electrocardiogram (EKG), electroencephalogram (EEG) and cognitive screening (ImpACT) before, during and after HD-tDCS. Four networks (left/right temporoparietal and frontal) were stimulated in sequence (20 min each) using HD-tDCS in 20 daily sessions. Sessions 1–10 included sequential stimulation of both temporoparietal networks, sessions 11–15 stimulations of 4 networks and sessions 16–20 two daily stimulation cycles of 4 networks/cycle (1.5 mA/network). Side effects, ImpACT scores and EEG power spectrum were compared before and after HD-tDCS.

Results:

All subjects completed the trial. Adverse events were tingling, transient redness at the stimulation site, perception of continuing stimulation after end of session and one self-resolving headache. EEG power spectrum showed decreased delta power in frontal areas several days after HD-tDCS. While at the group level ImpACT scores did not differ before and after stimulations, we found a trend for correlation between decreased EEG delta power and individual improvements in ImpACT scores after HD-tDCS.

Conclusion:

Prolonged, repeat daily stimulation of multiple brain regions using HD-tDCS is feasible and safe in healthy adults. Preliminary EEG results suggest that HD-tDCS may induce long lasting changes in excitability in the brain.
Effect of number of seedlings per hill, rate and time of nitrogen application on the growth and yield of late transplant Aman rice
Authors: Ali NAMY , Sarkar MAR , Sarkar SK , Paul SK
Published: November 2017

A field experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to examine the influence of number seedlings hill-1, rate and time of nitrogen application on the growth parameters of late transplant Aman rice (cv. BR23). The study, laid out in a RCBD with three replications, was comprised of three levels of number of seedlings hill-1 viz. 2, 4 and 6 seedlings hill-1, three nitrogen rates viz. 0, 60 and 120 kg N ha-1 and three levels of time of nitrogen application viz. nitrogen application in two equal splits at 15 DAT and early tillering stage (ET); nitrogen application in three equal splits at 15 DAT, ET and panicle initiation stages (PI); and nitrogen application in four equal splits at 15 DAT, ET, PI and flowering stages (F). The highest plant height (101.04 cm) was found at 80 DAT from 6 seedlings hill-1. 120 kg N ha-1 nitrogen application produced the tallest (104.08 cm) plant and nitrogen application in two equal splits at 15 DAT and ET gave the highest plant height (99.44 cm) at 80 DAT. The maximum number of tillers hill-1 (19.45) at 60 DAT and the highest leaf area index (3.08) at 40 DAT were found in the interaction effect among 6 seedlings hill-1, 120 kg N ha-1 and three times of nitrogen application at 15 DAT, early tillering and panicle initiation stages. The highest shoot dry matter hill-1 (28 g) was obtained as the interaction effect among  6 seedlings hill-1, 120 kg N ha-1 and nitrogen application in four equal splits at 15 DAT, early tillering, panicle initiation and flowering stages. The grain yield, although statistically non-significant, was numerically highest in seedlings hill-1, 120 kg N ha-1 and nitrogen application in three equal splits at 15 DAT, early tillering and panicle initiation stages. Therefore, transplanting with 6 seedlings hill-1 and application of 120 kg N ha-1 in 3-4 equal splits could be a better management practice for ensuring proper growth of the late transplant Aman rice.Progressive Agriculture 28 (3): 174-183, 2017
Elucidation of association for yield attributing traits in country bean
Authors: Rubya S , Ferdausi A , Raffi SA , Haque MA
Published: November 2017

Twenty genotypes of country bean were evaluated to explore the association between yield and yield contributing traits in country bean in field condition. Experiment was conducted at field laboratory of department of Genetics and Plant Breeding (GPB), Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh. Traits association through computing correlation coefficient and path coefficients were done both at genotypic and phenotypic levels. Among the twelve morphological  traits, genotypic and phenotypic correlation studies showed number of raceme per plant and number of flower buds per raceme had significantly positive relationship with seed yield per plant. Genotypic correlation also showed significant positive relation between number of seed per plant and seed yield per plant. Path coefficient analysis revealed that days to 50 per cent flowering, number of raceme per plant, green pod length, 100 dry seed weight, green shelling percentage, dry shelling percentage showed positive effect on seed yield in genotypic level . Also in phenotypic level days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, number of flower buds per plant, green pod length, number of seed per pod, green pod yield per plant, green test weight and dry shelling percentage showed direct effect on seed yield. The association between traits revealed in the present study shall be of great help to choose parents with desirable traits for hybridization, selection method to follow, and selection criteria towards a successful breeding program. Traits with strong association with yield can be improved easily, but with weak relationship, needs more observations to obtain the better segregates.Progressive Agriculture 28 (3): 184-189, 2017
Sustainable food security through cropping system analysis using different farming technologies at northern region of Bangladesh
Authors: Ferdous Z , Anwar M , Haque Z , Islam MK , Khatun MUS , Alam MA
Published: November 2017

Productivity  of  the  cropping  system  is  critical  to  the  food  security  of  Bangladesh.  However,  many concerns  about  the  sustainability  of  cropping  system  exist  because  of  lack of advance knowledge of farming.  In  this context,  a study  was  performed  in  the  agro-ecological  zone  of  the  Tista Mendar  Floodplain agro ecological zone (AEZ-3)  at  Jaldhaka subdistrict under Nilphamary district of  Bangladesh. By reorganization of existing cropping patterns (using Linear Programming Model) gross output (7% to 21%), gross margin (12% to 20%) and  labour employment (6% to 20%)have been increased from plan1(existing plan) to plan2 (by reorganization of existing lands). The cause of increase gross output, gross margin andlabour employment was some cultivated land from less efficient cropping patterns has been transferred to more efficient cropping patterns. Again, by reorganization of existing and improved cropping patterns, some lands of existing patterns have been shifted to improved cropping pattern.  As a result, gross out (17% to 31%), gross margin (27% to 32%) and labour employment (13% to 26%) have been raised from plan1 to plan 3 (by combination of improved technologies with existing technologies). The result of on farm demonstration showed gross output, gross margin and labour employment have been increased 24% to 53%, 32% to 51% and 12% to 47% from plan1 to plan 3, respectively. So, this study suggest, optimum farm plan with the combination of existing and improved cropping pattern will increase farm output and generate additional employment and improved food security.Progressive Agriculture 28 (3): 204-215, 2017
Effect of pellet from total mixed ration on growth performance, blood metabolomics, carcass and meat characteristics of Bangladeshi garole sheep
Authors: Islam R , Redoy MRA , Shuvo AAS , Sarker MAH , Akbar MA , Al-Mamun M
Published: November 2017

Six indigenous Bangladeshi Garole sheep (Ovis aries) (BW: 8±0.5 kg; Age: 1yr) were divided into two groups using a randomized block design to investigate the effect of total mixed ration (TMR) pellet feeding on growth parameter, blood metabolomics, carcass and meat characteristics. Control diet was composed of road side grass, rice straw, wheat bran, mustard oil cake, molasses, common salt which considered as loose total mixed ration (L-TMR) and treatment diet was pelleted form of L-TMR (P-TMR).In both the dietary treatments the animals were fed at 1.5 times of maintenance energy and protein requirement. P-TMR revealed a positive impact (p < 0.05) on live weight gain and feed conversion ratio than L-TMR. Total digestible nutrients (TDN) and digestible crude fibre (DCF) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in P-TMR group whereas there was no significant difference (p < 0.05) in other digestible nutrients as well as plasma metabolites like plasma glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL- cholesterol concentration between two dietary group. Dressing percentage and eye muscle area was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in P-TMR group but no significant difference was found between dietary treatments in term of disposition of body fat, proximate composition of mutton, all the sensory parameters except tenderness and overall acceptability. So, it could be concluded that, the P-TMR might be fed to sheep for better growth performance and higher meat production rather than production of functional mutton.Progressive Agriculture 28 (3): 222-229, 2017
The Somatechnologies of Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying Law: LGBTQ Discourses on Suicide and the Injunction to Live
Authors: Baril Alexandre
Published: November 2017

In June 2016, the Canadian government passed Bill C-14 on medical assistance in dying, allowing for medically assisted suicide when ‘death has become reasonably foreseeable.’ While available for ill or physically disabled people at the end-of-life, medically assisted suicide is denied in cases where people are perceived to have a mental disability and whose suffering is strictly emotional/psychological, such as suicidal people. I argue that this distinction results in constructing two classes of suicidal subjects by considering physically disabled or ill people as legitimate subjects who should receive assistance in dying and suicidal people as illegitimate subjects who must be kept alive through what I call the ‘injunction to live’ and ‘somatechnologies of life’. Analysing discourses on suicide targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans* and queer (LGBTQ) people in LGBTQ scholarship, I argue that, based on the silencing of suicidal subjects through the injunction to live, suicidal people constitute an oppressed group whose claims remain unintelligible within society, law, medical/psychiatric systems and LGBTQ scholarship. This article calls for listening to suicidal people's voices and developing an accountable response to their suffering and claims.
Life and Death: The Freudian Roots of Necropolitics and the Question of ‘Civil’ Living
Authors: Ritchie Nicole
Published: November 2017

This paper argues that bio- and necro- politics have a more substantial history that stems from Freud's psychoanalytic theorisation of civilisation. I analyse the thread of life and death, Eros and Thanatos, that cuts across the realms of psychoanalysis and necropolitics, which enables a potential route for the disruption of necropower's violent prevalence, such as within Canadian homonationalism as demonstrated within the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR). This close dialogic reading thus provides the grounds for a different constitution of the relationship between life and death, the psychic life of the drive towards civilisation or culture, offering implications for sexualities specifically and vitality more generally.
Stuck in Our Teeth? Crystal Structure of a New Copper Amalgam, Cu3Hg
Authors: Sappl Jonathan , Freund Ralph , Hoch Constantin
Published: November 2017

We have synthesized a new Cu amalgam, the Cu-rich phase Cu 3 Hg. It crystallizes with the Ni 3 Sn structure type with a hexagonal unit cell (space group P6 3 /mmc , a = 5.408(4) Å, c = 4.390(3) Å) and shows some mixed occupancy of Cu on the Hg site, resulting in a refined composition of Cu 3.11 Hg 0.89 . This is the first example of an amalgam with the Ni 3 Sn structure type where Hg is located mainly on the Sn site. Cu 3 Hg might be one of the phases constituting dental amalgams and therefore has major relevance, as well as the only Cu amalgam phase described so far, Cu 7 Hg 6 with the γ -brass structure. It occurs as a biphase in our samples. Thermal decomposition of Cu amalgam samples in a dynamic vacuum yields nanostructured copper networks, possibly suitable for catalytic applications.
Force Measurements on a VAWT Blade in Parked Conditions
Authors: Goude Anders , Rossander Morgan
Published: November 2017

The forces on a turbine at extreme wind conditions when the turbine is parked is one of the most important design cases for the survivability of a turbine. In this work, the forces on a blade and its support arms have been measured on a 12 kW straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine at an open site. Two cases are tested: one during electrical braking of the turbine, which allows it to rotate slowly, and one with the turbine mechanically fixed with the leading edge of the blade facing the main wind direction. The force variations with respect to wind direction are investigated, and it is seen that significant variations in forces depend on the wind direction. The measurements show that for the fixed case, when subjected to the same wind speed, the forces are lower when the blade faces the wind direction. The results also show that due to the lower forces at this particular wind direction, the average forces for the fixed blade are notably lower. Hence, it is possible to reduce the forces on a turbine blade, simply by taking the dominating wind direction into account when the turbine is parked. The measurements also show that a positive torque is generated from the blade for most wind directions, which causes the turbine to rotate in the electrically-braked case. These rotations will cause increased fatigue loads on the turbine blade.
Hoof Growth Rates of the European Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) for Dating the Hoof’s Isotopic Archive
Authors: Hafner Benjamin , König Andreas , Auerswald Karl
Published: November 2017

Hooves preserve the isotopic information laid down during their growth and may be used for reconstruction of animal feeding history. To assign certain positions along hooves to corresponding times, growth rates are required. Hoof growth rates are known for domestic animals; however, they cannot be obtained easily in wild animals. We estimated the hoof growth rate of the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) by using the immediate drop in δ13C along the hoof as a tag that is assigned to the date of maize (Zea mays L.) harvest. Keratin samples were taken each mm along 17 hooves and analyzed for their δ13C. A linear regression between (1) time differences of expected maize harvest to animal death and (2) distances between the points of the δ13C drop to the periople yielded the growth rate. Mean hoof growth rate was 0.122 mm/day (95% CI 0.014 mm/day) and 0.365%/day (±0.026%/day) of the hoof length and within the range of domestic animals. The method may be applied to determine growth rates of other incrementally growing tissues. Our estimated growth rate fosters dating isotopic information in hooves, facilitating research on feed resources and space use of roe deer.
Impact of Antibiotics on the Proliferation and Differentiation of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Skubis Aleksandra , Gola Joanna , Sikora Bartosz , Hybiak Jolanta , Paul-Samojedny Monika , Mazurek Urszula , Łos Marek J.
Published: November 2017

Adipose tissue is a promising source of mesenchymal stem cells. Their potential to differentiate and regenerate other types of tissues may be affected by several factors. This may be due to in vitro cell-culture conditions, especially the supplementation with antibiotics. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of a penicillin-streptomycin mixture (PS), amphotericin B (AmB), a complex of AmB with copper (II) ions (AmB-Cu2+) and various combinations of these antibiotics on the proliferation and differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells in vitro. Normal human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC, Lonza) were routinely maintained in a Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) that was either supplemented with selected antibiotics or without antibiotics. The ADSC that were used for the experiment were at the second passage. The effect of antibiotics on proliferation was analyzed using the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and sulforhodamine-B (SRB) tests. Differentiation was evaluated based on Alizarin Red staining, Oil Red O staining and determination of the expression of ADSC, osteoblast and adipocyte markers by real-time RT-qPCR. The obtained results indicate that the influence of antibiotics on adipose-derived stem cells depends on the duration of exposure and on the combination of applied compounds. We show that antibiotics alter the proliferation of cells and also promote natural osteogenesis, and adipogenesis, and that this effect is also noticeable in stimulated osteogenesis.
Whole-Genome Re-Alignment Facilitates Development of Specific Molecular Markers for Races 1 and 4 of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, the Cause of Black Rot Disease in Brassica oleracea
Authors: Rubel Mehede , Robin Arif , Natarajan Sathishkumar , Vicente Joana , Kim Hoy-Taek , Park Jong-In , Nou Ill-Sup
Published: November 2017

Black rot, caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc), is a seed borne disease of Brassicaceae. Eleven pathogenic races have been identified based on the phenotype interaction pattern of differential brassica cultivars inoculated with different strains. Race 1 and 4 are the two most frequent races found in Brassica oleracea crops. In this study, a PCR molecular diagnostic tool was developed for the identification of Xcc races 1 and 4 of this pathogen. Whole genomic sequences of races 1, 3, 4 and 9 and sequences of three other Xanthomonas pathovars/species (X. campestris pv. incanae (Xci), X. campestris pv. raphani (Xcr) and X. euvesicatoria (Xev) were aligned to identify variable regions among races. To develop specific markers for races 1 and 4, primers were developed from a region where sequences were dissimilar in other races. Sequence-characterized amplified regions (SCAR) and insertion or deletion of bases (InDel) were used to develop each specific set of primers. The specificity of the selected primers was confirmed by PCR tests using genomic DNA of seven different Xcc races, two strains of X. campestris pathovars and other species of bacteria. Bacterial samples of the races 1 and 4 isolates were collected from artificially inoculated cabbage leaves to conduct bio-PCR. Bio-PCR successfully detected the two Xcc isolates. By using our race-specific markers, a potential race 1 strain from the existing Korean Xcc collection was identified. The Xcc race 1 and 4-specific markers developed in this study are novel and can potentially be used for rapid detection of Xcc races through PCR.
Update on Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Naturally Occurring Resveratrol Oligomers
Authors: Shen Jie , Zhou Qiang , Li Pei , Wang Zhiqiang , Liu Shuangshuang , He Chunnian , Zhang Chunhong , Xiao Peigen
Published: November 2017

Resveratrol oligomers (REVs), a major class of stilbenoids, are biosynthesized by regioselective oxidative coupling of two to eight units of resveratrol monomer. Due to their unique structures and pleiotropic biological activities, natural product chemists are increasingly focusing on REVs in the last few decades. This study presents a detailed and thorough examination of REVs, including chemical structures, natural resources, and biological activities, during the period of 2010–2017. Ninety-two new REVs compounds, including 39 dimers, 23 trimers, 13 tetramers, six resveratrol monomers, six hexamers, four pentamers, and one octamer, have been reported from the families of Dipterocarpaceae, Paeoniaceae, Vitaceae, Leguminosae, Gnetaceae, Cyperaceae, Polygonaceae Gramineae, and Poaceae. Amongst these families, Dipterocarpaceae, with 50 REVs, accounts for the majority, and seven genera of Dipterocarpaceae are involved, including Vatica, Vateria, Shorea, Hopea, Neobalanocarpus, Dipterocarpus, and Dryobalanops. These REVs have shown a wide range of bioactivities. Pharmacological studies have mainly focused on potential efficacy on tumors, bacteria, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular diseases, and others. The information updated in this review might assist further research and development of novel REVs as potential therapeutic agents.
Simultaneous Determination of Multiple Classes of Hydrophilic and Lipophilic Components in Shuang-Huang-Lian Oral Liquid Formulations by UPLC-Triple Quadrupole Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Liang Jun , Sun Hui-Min , Wang Tian-Long
Published: November 2017

The Shuang-Huang-Lian (SHL) oral liquid is a combined herbal prescription used in the treatment of acute upper respiratory tract infection, acute bronchitis and pneumonia. Multiple constituents are considered to be responsible for the therapeutic effects of SHL. However, the quantitation of the multi-components from multiple classes is still unsatisfactory because of the high complexity of constituents in SHL. In this study, an accurate, rapid, and specific UPLC-MS/MS method was established for simultaneous quantification of 18 compounds from multiple classes in SHL oral liquid formulations. Chromatographic separation was performed on a HSS T3 (1.8 μm, 2.1 mm × 100 mm) column, using a gradient mobile phase system of 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water at a flow rate of 0.2 mL·min−1; the run time was 23 min. The MS was operated in negative electrospray ionization (ESI−) for analysis of 18 compounds using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. UPLC-ESI−-MRM-MS/MS method showed good linear relationships (R2 > 0.999), repeatability (RSD < 3%), precisions (RSD < 3%) and recovery (84.03–101.62%). The validated method was successfully used to determine multiple classes of hydrophilic and lipophilic components in the SHL oral liquids. Finally, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to classify and differentiate SHL oral liquid samples attributed to different manufacturers of China. The proposed UPLC-ESI−-MRM-MS/MS coupled with PCA has been elucidated to be a simple and reliable method for quality evaluation of SHL oral liquids.
The Multiverse and Divine Creation
Authors: Almeida Michael
Published: November 2017

I provide the account of divine creation found in multiverse theorists Donald Turner, Klaas Kraay, and Tim O’Connor. I show that the accounts Kraay and Turner offer are incoherent. God does not survey all possible worlds and necessarily actualize those universes in the (on balance) good worlds or the worthy worlds. If God necessarily actualizes the multiverse, we have no idea which universes are parts of that multiverse. I show next that Tim O’Connor’s multiverse account of creation is also incoherent. I argue that a preferable multiverse would include a much greater variety of universes than are included in Turner, Kraay or O’Connor. In the last section I offer some concluding remarks.
Monitoring the Wobbe Index of Natural Gas Using Fiber-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
Authors: Sandfort Vincenz , Trabold Barbara , Abdolvand Amir , Bolwien Carsten , Russell Philip , Wöllenstein Jürgen , Palzer Stefan
Published: November 2017

The fast and reliable analysis of the natural gas composition requires the simultaneous quantification of numerous gaseous components. To this end, fiber-enhanced Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool to detect most components in a single measurement using a single laser source. However, practical issues such as detection limit, gas exchange time and background Raman signals from the fiber material still pose obstacles to utilizing the scheme in real-world settings. This paper compares the performance of two types of hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (PCF), namely photonic bandgap PCF and kagomé-style PCF, and assesses their potential for online determination of the Wobbe index. In contrast to bandgap PCF, kagomé-PCF allows for reliable detection of Raman-scattered photons even below 1200 cm−1, which in turn enables fast and comprehensive assessment of the natural gas quality of arbitrary mixtures.
A Blended Learning Module in Statistics for Computer Science and Engineering Students Revisited
Authors: Andersson Christina , Logofatu Doina
Published: November 2017

Teaching a statistics course for undergraduate computer science students can be very challenging: As statistics teachers we are usually faced with problems ranging from a complete disinterest in the subject to lack of basic knowledge in mathematics and anxiety for failing the exam, since statistics has the reputation of having high failure rates. In our case, we additionally struggle with difficulties in the timing of the lectures as well as often occurring absence of the students due to spare-time jobs or a long traveling time to the university. This paper reveals how these issues can be addressed by the introduction of a blended learning module in statistics. In the following, we describe an e-learning development process used to implement time- and location-independent learning in statistics. The study focuses on a six-step-approach for developing the blended learning module. In addition, the teaching framework for the blended module is presented, including suggestions for increasing the interest in learning the course. Furthermore, the first experimental in-class usage, including evaluation of the students’ expectations, has been completed and the outcome is discussed.
Le « Psautier de Strasbourg »
Authors: Föllmi Beat
Published: November 2017

La musique joue un rôle non négligeable dans la diffusion de la Réforme et dans la création des identités confessionnelles. Les protestants strasbourgeois avaient, dès 1524, mis en place leur propre répertoire musical pour le culte. Ce répertoire de chants qui est connu sous le nom de « Psautier de Strasbourg », est composé de chants venant de tous les coins de l’Allemagne, mais il diffère des pratiques des luthériens outre-Rhin. C’est notamment le chant des psaumes qui occupe la première place dans le culte strasbourgeois. On trouve, à côté des chants bien connus (comme ceux de Martin Luther), également des paraphrases très fidèles au texte biblique, écrites par des musiciens locaux tels Matthias Greiter et Wolfgang Dachstein. Quand Strasbourg, après la fin de l’Intérim, rejoint l’orthodoxie luthérienne, ces pratiques hymnodiques autochtones sont abandonnées au profit d’un répertoire luthérien. Seuls certains textes et mélodies survivent, grâce à leur notoriété, et connaissent par la suite un succès remarquable, par exemple dans le Psautier huguenot ou encore dans l’œuvre de Jean-Sébastien Bach. (Beat Föllmi).
Pre-Islamic Brigands in Mamluk Historiography
Authors: Ron-Gilboa Guy
Published: November 2017

Taqī al‑Dīn al‑Maqrīzī’s (d. 845/1442) universal history, titled al‑Ḫabar ʿan al‑bašar, contains a chapter “On the Brigands Among the Arabs” (faṣl fī ḏikr luṣūṣ al‑ʿArab), in which the author gives accounts of the lives and exploits of ten pre-Islamic and early-Islamic brigands. While the chapter relies on earlier sources, its subject matter has no parallel in other Arabic works of universal history, contemporaneous or earlier. My paper is a study of this chapter, based on a holograph of al‑Maqrīzī’s work. A close reading of the chapter’s contents reveals that al‑Maqrīzī compiled and edited afresh ancient narratives with the intention of exemplifying the ideological opposition between ǧāhiliyya and Islam. I draw special attention to al‑Maqrīzī’s unique report concerning the death and burial of Taʾabbaṭa Šarran, which portrays him as an antithesis to the figure of the šahīd. Finally, I suggest that al‑Maqrīzī’s chapter is a scholarly response both to the socio-political climate of al‑Maqrīzī’s Egypt, depicted in some of al‑Maqrīzī’s other works as fraught with Bedouin rebellions, as well as to the prevailing cultural climate, marked with the rise of the popular Sīra.
La poésie enchâssée dans la chronique d’Ibn Iyās
Authors: Naouali Kais
Published: November 2017

Cet article traite de la poésie enchâssée dans une chronique mamelouke, les Badāʾiʿ al-zuhūr fī waqāʾiʿ al-duhūr d’Ibn Iyās. L’analyse quantitative et thématique des poèmes enchâssés pour la période du sultanat d’al-Ġūrī (reg. 906/1501 à 922/1516), met en évidence l’intérêt heuristique de cette littérature, et permet de dégager de nouvelles problématiques.Nous avons choisi de traduire et présenter deux poèmes composés par un auteur cité, en l’occurrence al-Salamūnī. Notre analyse montre qu’il s’agit de satires dirigées contre des cadis et que, dans ce contexte, la poésie est l’objet de l’attention non seulement des cercles littéraires, mais aussi de peuple. À ce titre, ces poèmes nous permettent de proposer quelques conclusions sur la place du poète au sein de la société mamelouke.
L’extension du domaine du ṣaḥīḥ
Authors: Daaïf Lahcen
Published: November 2017

L’intérêt pour les traditions prophétiques considérées comme authentiques (ṣaḥīḥ) s’accrut considérablement après la publication des deux célèbres Ṣaḥīḥ-s d’al-Buḫārī (m. 256/870) et de Muslim (m. 261/875). Cet article a pour objet l’étude des deux branches majeures des sciences du hadith que sont l’istidrāk (rattrapage) et l’istiḫrāǧ (extraction), par le biais desquelles s’est réalisé le projet d’extension du domaine de l’authentique en matière de hadith. Il traite également des autres stratagèmes de production d’œuvres de hadiths, auxquels ont recouru les auteurs traditionnistes pour rivaliser avec les deux Ṣaḥīḥ-s et prétendre au rang d’authenticité tant convoité. Enfin, cette étude fait état de l’intégration progressive de certains recueils de hadiths canoniques à la sphère restreinte du ṣaḥīḥ, comme des divers modes d’examen des matn-s et de réévaluation des chaînes de Garants (sanad-s) qui furent déployés à cette fin d’élargissement du champ du ṣaḥīḥ.
Egypt Here and There: The Architectures and Images of National Exhibitions and Pavilions, 1926–1964
Authors: Elshahed Mohamed
Published: November 2017

In 1898 the first agricultural exhibition was held on the island of Gezira in a location accessed from Cairo’s burgeoning modern city center via the Qasr el-Nil Bridge. Between that year and 1926 there were 25 exhibitions held at the site, a key aspect of colonial displays of modern Egyptian economy. From 1926 the same site was transformed into a stage for presenting the country’s national economy. In each of the exhibitions held at the site new buildings, pavilions and showrooms were built to exhibit national production in agriculture and industry. The history of the site captures a pivotal process in Egypt’s modernization: the ways in which Egyptian strategies of self-representation developed over time. Concurrent with these exhibitions held in Cairo, Egypt participated in several international exhibitions where architecture and imagery were deployed to present the country’s modernity to the world. In Egypt and abroad the architectures of national exhibitions and pavilions, as well as their circulated images, were powerful tools for communicating Egypt’s modernity and progress to national and international audiences.In this paper, exhibitions held in Cairo in 1926, 1936, 1949 and 1958 are discussed in terms of their architectures and the construction of images that put into sharp relief the state’s positioning of the materiality of modernity in the Egyptian context. Egypt’s participation in the 1939 and 1964 New York World’s Fairs as well as the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair are also discussed. This paper maps and situates these exhibitions in relation to one another and examines several examples of Egyptian exhibition architecture between 1926 and 1964, a period framed by the rise and fall of state-led nationalist representations of Egypt.
L’original inarrêtable. Pastiches d’œuvres étrangères, pastiches de traduction
Authors: Bellomo Paolo
Published: November 2017

Le pastiche littéraire, pour une large part de son histoire européenne, a été une pratique intralinguale et intranationale. Toutefois le renom de certains classiques (le plus souvent Homère, Dante et Shakespeare), les entreprises de retraduction qu’ils appelaient ou le succès rencontré par des auteurs étrangers contemporains (Tolstoï, Conan Doyle, D’Annunzio et bien d’autres) ont amené certains pasticheurs à imiter des textes écrits dans une autre langue. L’article se propose d’analyser les pastiches d’auteurs étrangers produits en France aux xixe et xxe siècles, et les discours les accompagnant dans leurs paratextes, dans le but de relever les relations complexes que ceux-ci établissent avec leurs vrais ou supposés originaux. Une place particulière sera donnée aux représentations de la traduction et à ses enjeux performatifs, culturels et théoriques.
Traduire un texte entre les langues. Retour sur l’expérience de traduction de Hong bai hei
Authors: Magagnin Paolo
Published: November 2017

Cette contribution se propose d’explorer la stratégie de conservation et de recréation des éléments d’hétérogénéité dans la traduction italienne du roman Hong bai hei (« Le Rouge, le Blanc et le Noir ») de l’auteur sino-canadien Chen He. À sa première parution en 2007, le roman a été salué comme un exemple d’écriture fortement « globale » : en effet, il est caractérisé par une forte hétérogénéité au niveau des thèmes, des pays où l’action se déroule, des langues utilisées, des genres et des sources exploitées. Dans le processus de traduction, cette pluralité d’éléments appelle naturellement à une stratégie minorisante qui viserait à reproduire, dans la plus ample mesure possible, l’altérité intrinsèque de l’original. Toutefois, le traducteur a également mis en place une stratégie de recréation du texte premier, qui s’est réalisée dans l’insertion originale d’éléments hétérolingues et dans l’interaction avec l’auteur afin de recréer des passages localisés du roman. En dernière analyse, cette stratégie de traduction créatrice et « globalisante » contribue à la redéfinition du texte premier et à la mise en relief de sa nature hétérogène et globale.
Fiction et simulacre de la traduction chez Cervantes, Balzac et Cheng : conjectures en forme de cheminement trajectif et politique
Authors: Liébert Adeline
Published: November 2017

Pour approcher le mystère des œuvres dont le statut est rendu ambigu par leur auteur (fausse traduction, langue originale indécidable, etc.), nous nous sommes proposée de mener l’enquête en partant du célèbre cas du Don Quichotte de Cervantes, en la poursuivant avec la nouvelle L’Auberge rouge de Balzac, avant de terminer par l’analyse des avant-propos de deux romans de l’écrivain français d’origine chinoise François Cheng, Le Dit de Tianyi et L’Éternité n’est pas de trop. Ce parcours nous permet de faire fonctionner sur la question du littéraire la notion de « trajectivité » conceptualisée par Augustin Berque, et d’en mesurer les conséquences éthiques et politiques, dans une appréhension des hommes comme pluralité que nous empruntons à Hannah Arendt.
L’original n’existe pas : Yoko Tawada entre allemand et japonais
Authors: Rigault Tom
Published: November 2017

Écrivaine traductrice et autotraductrice, Yoko Tawada est l’auteure d’une œuvre double, en allemand et en japonais. Du va-et-vient incessant entre ses deux langues d’écriture naît une relation à la fois chaotique et symbiotique, qui se noue autour de la question de la traduction. Celle-ci devient pour Tawada un véritable paradigme poétique et c’est logiquement qu’elle consacre une importante partie de son œuvre à la réflexion sur la traduction et son rôle dans la création littéraire. Cet essai se propose d’explorer la pensée traductive tawadienne, notamment à travers l’étude très concrète de l’édition bilingue de ses premiers textes. Y est analysée entre autres la remise en question du rapport traditionnel entre original et traduction, ainsi que la notion de « traduction ininterrompue » que l’auteure a développée dans plusieurs essais. Ces éléments dispersés dans l’œuvre de Tawada forment un ensemble théorique au centre duquel réside l’idée que l’original n’existe pas.
Zinc Selenide Quantum Dots Light Emitting Devices (ZnSe QDs-LEDs) with Different Organic Polymers
Authors: Kadim Akeel M.
Published: November 2017

The physical and chemical characterize of quantum dots (QDs) extensively depend upon the optical and morphological factors such as size and shape. The zinc selenide (ZnSe) quantum dots (QDs) have been prepared by chemical method and used to fabricate quantum dot hybrid junction devices with different types of organics polymers. The optical studies illustrate that the band gap value from the photoluminescence (PL) with high intensity of these QDs is found about 3.1 eV. The electroluminescence's (EL) hybrid devices were demonstrated by room temperature PL and electroluminescence (EL). Current-voltage (I–V) characteristics indicate that the output current is good compared to the few voltages (5.5 V) used which gives good results to get a generation of white light. The EL spectrum reveals a broad emission band covering the range from 350 - 700 nm. The emissions producing this white luminescence were recognized depending on the chromaticity coordinates (CIE 1931). The correlated color temperature (CCT) was found to be about 5759, 3500 and 3498 K for ITO/TPD/ZnSe, ITO/PPV/ZnSe and ITO/PEDOT/ZnSe QDs respectively. Fabrication of EL- hybrid devices from semiconductors materials (ZnSe QDs) with holes injection organic polymer (TPD, PPV and PEDOT) was effective in white light generation.
Aspirin Drug Intercalated into Zinc-Layered Hydroxides as Nanolayers: Structure and In Vitro Release
Authors: Najem Abed Nisreen Abdul Rahman , Abudoleh Suha Mujahed , Alshawabkeh Iyad Daoud , Najem Abed Abdul Rahman , Abuthawabeh Rasha Khaled Ali , Hussein-Al-Ali Samer Hasan
Published: November 2017

Zinc layered hydroxides (ZLHs) can be used as host materials for drug-ZLH host–guest structures. Aspirin with 0.1 and 0.4 M were intercalated into zinc layered hydroxides to form aspirin nanocomposites; ASPN1 and ASPN4, respectively. From XRD and software, the interlayer spacing of ASPN1 and ASPN4 was 15.2 Å. The result coupled with molecular geometry calculation indicates that the spatial orientation of the drug in the ZLH was monolayer for ASPN1 and ASPN4 nanocomposites. The release of the aspirin from ASPN4 nanocomposite at pH 6.8 is 35%, compared to 98% at pH 1.2, and followed Hixson model and Korsmeyer model for ASPN4 at pH 6.8 and pH 1.2, respectively. This result indicates sustained release of the drugs from their respective nanocomposites, and therefore these nanocomposites have good potential to be used as controlled-release formulation of the aspirin. The ASPN4 nanocomposite was highly effective to Escherichia coli compared to free aspirin, where the ASPN4 given 1.37 inhibition zone compared to aspirin which given 1.17 cm inhibition zone.
The effects of leadership traits on transformation: A case study of a South African university
Authors: Ngcamu Bethuel S.
Published: November 2017

This article investigated the effects of leadership traits on transformation in a merged and incorporated higher education institution in South Africa. Few studies have been conducted on leadership traits in universities, with none linking them to transformation. The study was guided by the traits theory, one of the systematic attempts to study the effect of leadership on transformation. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used, the former through a structured survey questionnaire and the latter through in-depth interviews. The questionnaire generated a high reliability rate of 0.947, indicating a high degree of internal consistency of the results, which reflected nearly 40% of the research participants who felt that the university creates a platform for open debates. However, 30% of them did not feel that independent thinking and freedom of speech are promoted, a finding partly corroborated by the qualitative findings. It was also found that business processes were inflexible, there was no reward for performance, unproductive change interventions were introduced and decision-making centralised, all seen as contrary to the transformation agenda and reflecting poor leadership traits. It is hoped that the study will assist university decision-makers under the current state of turmoil in the South African higher education landscape to exhibit leadership traits that will bring about transformation. The study also fills a void in the scant literature on the effects of leadership traits on transformation in South African universities, thus contributing to the body of knowledge.
Year-round records of bulk and size-segregated aerosol composition in central Antarctica (Concordia site) – Part 1: Fractionation of sea-salt particles
Authors: Legrand Michel , Preunkert Susanne , Wolff Eric , Weller Rolf , Jourdain Bruno , Wagenbach Dietmar
Published: November 2017

Abstract. Multiple year-round records of bulk and size-segregated composition of aerosol were obtained at the inland site of Concordia located at Dome C in East Antarctica. In parallel, sampling of acidic gases on denuder tubes was carried out to quantify the concentrations of HCl and HNO3 present in the gas phase. These time series are used to examine aerosol present over central Antarctica in terms of chloride depletion relative to sodium with respect to freshly emitted sea-salt aerosol as well as depletion of sulfate relative to sodium with respect to the composition of seawater. A depletion of chloride relative to sodium is observed over most of the year, reaching a maximum of  ∼ 20 ng m−3 in spring when there are still large sea-salt amounts and acidic components start to recover. The role of acidic sulfur aerosol and nitric acid in replacing chloride from sea-salt particles is here discussed. HCl is found to be around twice more abundant than the amount of chloride lost by sea-salt aerosol, suggesting that either HCl is more efficiently transported to Concordia than sea-salt aerosol or re-emission from the snow pack over the Antarctic plateau represents an additional significant HCl source. The size-segregated composition of aerosol collected in winter (from 2006 to 2011) indicates a mean sulfate to sodium ratio of sea-salt aerosol present over central Antarctica of 0.16 ± 0.05, suggesting that, on average, the sea-ice and open-ocean emissions equally contribute to sea-salt aerosol load of the inland Antarctic atmosphere. The temporal variability of the sulfate depletion relative to sodium was examined at the light of air mass backward trajectories, showing an overall decreasing trend of the ratio (i.e., a stronger sulfate depletion relative to sodium) when air masses arriving at Dome C had traveled a longer time over sea ice than over open ocean. The findings are shown to be useful to discuss sea-salt ice records extracted at deep drilling sites located inland Antarctica.