bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Subject-Oriented Education For Countryside Schools Se nior Students Based On The Innovative Educational System «Rural School – Boarding School/ Lyceum – Higher School»
Authors: Палкина  , Palkina Marina
Published: December 2013

New findings on how to provide opportunities

for sound specialized education of

senior secondary-school students in remote rural

areas are revealed. As a proper solution to

this pressing problem the author introduces a

model of school as an integral part of innovative

educational system «Rural School – Boarding

School/Lyceum – Higher School». Conceptual

basics for designing and adoption of the proposed

model are presented, as well as description of

how a subject-oriented educational establishment

functions within the proposed educational

system.
Activity-Based Aspects of Subject-Oriented Instruction as An Essential Prerequisite for Successful Professional Self-Determination of Students
Authors: Новикова  , Novikova Svetlana
Published: December 2013

The operational experience of Gymnasium

№24, located at the town of Mezhdurechensk

of Kemerovo Region, is described. Perspectives

for subject-oriented education development

under substantial shifts in the educational

environment are investigated. The author discusses

such issues, as students’ professional

self-determination and the need for a system which

would evaluate training outcomes of gymnasium

students based on their portfolios.
Issues of Subject-Oriented Teaching at a Modern School
Authors: Ризванов  , Rizvanov R.
Published: December 2013

Subject-oriented teaching is considered

as multifaceted and complex means to raise quality,

effectiveness and access to general education.

It is noted that subject-oriented teaching allows

for more flexibility to take into account students’

personal interests, inclination and talents through

relevant changes in structure, contents and organization

of teaching process and divergence.

The author discusses the possibility to orient the

educational process at the senior classes with

respect to students’ professional inclinations and

intention to continue education.
Classification of the abilities promoting formation of mathematical abilities of pupils at studying of a geometrical material
Authors: Виситаева  , Visitaeva Maret
Published: December 2013

Classification of skills for the basic and

advanced levels of training is developed. It consists

of two blocks. Block 1: main receptions of the

general educational activity, operating abilities

with geometrical shapes, imaging abilities, operating

with geometrical sizes, measuring works

(including afield works); Block 2: main receptions

of creative educational activities; receptions of

research educational activities, operating skills

with geometrical shapes; imagination and mental

work with geometrical figures, creation of geometrical

figures, operating with geometrical sizes,

measuring works, including afield workship.
Physical Modeling of Tornadoes
Authors: Вараскин  , Varaskin A.
Published: December 2013

The principal possibility of tornadoes physical modeling in vitro without use of mechanical twisting devices has been shown. The results of experiments on studying related to opportunities of whirlwinds control are given. The offered and approved method of impact on whirlwinds (tornado), consisting in an arrangement of obstacles in the form of vertical grids in a way of vortex structures distribution, has been described. The method efficiency is verified in vitro by studying of specified obstacles influence on dynamics of the free non-stationary whirlwinds having structure, similar to real tornadoes. The main physical mechanisms related to impact on tornadoes of the offered passive and active method have been briefly considered.
Probabilistic Coherence Weighting for Optimizing Expert Forecasts
Authors: Karvetski Christopher W. , Olson Kenneth C. , Mandel David R. , Twardy Charles R.
Published: December 2013

Methods for eliciting and aggregating expert judgment are necessary when decision-relevant data are scarce. Such methods have been used for aggregating the judgments of a large, heterogeneous group of forecasters, as well as the multiple judgments produced from an individual forecaster. This paper addresses how multiple related individual forecasts can be used to improve aggregation of probabilities for a binary event across a set of forecasters. We extend previous efforts that use probabilistic incoherence of an individual forecaster's subjective probability judgments to weight and aggregate the judgments of multiple forecasters for the goal of increasing the accuracy of forecasts. With data from two studies, we describe an approach for eliciting extra probability judgments to (i) adjust the judgments of each individual forecaster, and (ii) assign weights to the judgments to aggregate over the entire set of forecasters. We show improvement of up to 30% over the established benchmark of a simple equal-weighted averaging of forecasts. We also describe how this method can be used to remedy the “fifty–fifty blip” that occurs when forecasters use the probability value of 0.5 to represent epistemic uncertainty.
Involving families and carers in drug services: are families ‘part of the problem’?
Authors: Orr Linda C , Barbour Rosaline S , Elliott Lawrie
Published: December 2013

Despite encouragement from policy and research for drug services to involve family members in drug users’ treatment and support families and carers in their own right, family members’ involvement with services remains limited. Research to date offers limited insights into why barriers and tensions are perceived the way they are and reveals little about values and perspectives that underpin relationships between family members and drug services. This qualitative study aimed to generate a fuller understanding of the relationships that carers have with adult drug services and how this might affect involvement. The findings suggest that by reinforcing stereotypes, perpetuating stigma and fuelling self-fulfilling prophecies, the dominant narrative of ‘family as part of the problem’ frames and constrains family members’ involvement with drug services. Recommendations for policy and practice need to focus on strengthening the narrative that family members’ involvement with drug services is achievable, necessary and worthwhile.
Political Rhetoric or Principled Reform of Loss of Control? Anglo-Australian Perspectives on the Exclusionary Conduct Model
Authors: Wake Nicola
Published: December 2013

The New South Wales Legislative Council Select Committee published its report on the partial defence of provocation in April 2013. The Committee's recommendations are closely modelled on the framework and rationale of the loss of control defence under ss 54–56 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, with significant exceptions designed to circumvent the difficulties associated with the novel terminology. Interestingly, the Committee advocates the adoption of an exclusionary conduct model, despite the problems associated with s. 55(6)(c), which specifies that sexual infidelity is to be disregarded for the purposes of the concessionary mitigation. The Committee asserts that a carefully worded exclusionary conduct model would serve to restrict the partial defence whilst avoiding the issues which have manifested themselves at appellate court level in England and Wales. Irrespective of the wording, specific prohibitions which focus on the conduct of the victim are unrealistic in that they fail to account for the multitudinous and interconnected nature of loss of control/provocation claims. Nevertheless, exclusionary conduct models which concentrate on the conduct of the victim ought to be distinguished from clauses which focus on the defendant's actions. If the defendant undertakes to cause the victim to respond in a manner for the purpose of providing an excuse to use violence it is clear that the defence ought not to apply. Similarly, where a defendant becomes voluntarily intoxicated, it may be appropriate to exclude that intoxication from consideration when making the objective assessment as to whether an ordinary/reasonable person would have reacted as the defendant did in the circumstances. In this context, explicit legislative exclusions do have the potential to prevent unnecessary appellate litigation, but only in limited circumstances.
Silver nanowires as prospective carriers for drug delivery in cancer treatment: an in vitro biocompatibility study on lung adenocarcinoma cells and fibroblasts
Authors: Singh Manisha , Movia Dania , Mahfoud Omar K. , Volkov Yuri , Prina-Mello Adriele
Published: December 2013

Lung cancer is a major and increasing global health problem. While there have been significant advances in the understanding of lung cancer biology, still no current therapy exists to reduce the inevitable and lethal progression of this disease. Silver nanowires (AgNWs) are promising candidates for a wide range of biomedical applications and the treatment of life-threatening diseases due to their unique physico-chemical and biochemical properties. However, the safety of this nanomaterial and its use as a biomedical tool are still under debate. This study evaluates the in vitro internalisation, cytotoxicity and influence on the cell cycle of AgNWs in lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells and lung normal fibroblasts (MRC-5 cells). Our results demonstrate that AgNWs could be internalised effectively into A549 and MRC-5 cells without inducing detectable cytotoxicity, thus providing preliminary evidence on the future potential of AgNWs as biocompatible drug delivery platforms applicable in lung cancer therapies.
“Overland to Los Angeles, by the Salt Lake Route in 1849,” by Judge Walter Van Dyke
Authors: Blodgett Peter J.
Published: December 2013

Walter Van Dyke, a young lawyer, headed overland to the California gold rush in 1849 with a large party that started late, traveled through Salt Lake City and over the Old Spanish Trail, and finally arrived in Los Angeles after an eight-month odyssey. He gives his first-hand impressions of the limited opportunities Los Angeles offered in 1850 and credits California’s progress four decades later to American settlers like himself.
“From St. Louis to San Francisco in 1850,” by J. E. Clark
Authors: Greenfield Mary C.
Published: December 2013

J. E. Clark worked his way to the California gold rush as an employee of the company building the railroad across the Isthmus of Panama. He describes the company’s recruitment process, the poor food furnished to the construction workers, and the horrific death toll. He was one of those fortunate to reach the Pacific and take ship to San Francisco.
Ethics at the Margins of Viability
Authors: Meadow William
Published: December 2013

In this article, I discuss traditional philosophical descriptions of how to approach the ethical dilemmas presented by infants born at the margins of viability (currently, 23–24 weeks’ gestation). I then juxtapose these philosophical approaches to what might be called evidence-based ethics, in which the evidence in question is the predictive power of physicians to counsel parents regarding the likely outcome of these infants either before or after delivery. I suggest that the predictive power of data available before delivery are insufficient to allow a rational best-interests decision to be made, and that data available after birth promote a more nuanced approach to ethical decision-making for this difficult problem.
The Pre- and Early Postnatal Microbiome: Relevance to Subsequent Health and Disease
Authors: Neu Josef
Published: December 2013

With the advent of the Human Microbiome Project, wherein new high throughput technologies are employed to evaluate the taxonomy and function of microbes residing in various regions of the body, there is increasing recognition of the scope and clinical significance of the intestinal microbiota. The total number of bacterial cells residing in human intestine far exceeds the number of host cells. More than 3 million genes have been identified in this microbiota, which is more than 100-fold of our own human genes.

Although commonly thought to be related to disease as pathogens, the majority of microbes of the intestine are commensals and symbionts that benefit the host in terms of nutrition, development of the immune system, and postnatal maturation of the intestine. They perform helpful functions that cannot be performed by the human host itself.

This review aims to summarize recently emerging knowledge on the intestine microbiome in the antenatal, perinatal, and postnatal periods. We will limit our discussion to the fetal microbiome, the effects of cesarean delivery versus vaginal delivery, and the relationship of the microbiome to necrotizing enterocolitis, late-onset sepsis, and the developing brain.
Neonatal Lymphatic (Chylous) Disorders
Authors: Bengtsson Bengt-Ola S.
Published: December 2013

Lymphatic (chylous) disorders are rare in neonates, and most clinicians will only experience a handful of cases during their careers. Chylous effusions of the pleura, peritoneum and pericardium, and lymphedema are not diagnoses but rather symptoms of an underlying disease of the lymphatics. Although it is relatively easy to establish whether an effusion is of chylous origin or not, expertise in different imaging techniques of the lymphatic system does not appear to be universally available. This makes it difficult to determine the cause of the effusion and thereby arrive at a prognosis, and whether and when to recommend surgical treatment. The goal of current medical management is to treat symptoms by reducing overall lymphatic flow and to allow enough time to resolve the lymphatic leakage (whatever the underlying cause) without simultaneously risking infectious complications. Most current therapies are not evidence-based. A prospective registry of patients who have chylous effusions and a multicenter randomized controlled trial to evaluate different treatment options are needed.
Whole-Exome/Genome Sequencing and Genomics
Authors: Grody Wayne W. , Thompson Barry H. , Hudgins Louanne
Published: December 2013

As medical genetics has progressed from a descriptive entity to one focused on the functional relationship between genes and clinical disorders, emphasis has been placed on genomics. Genomics, a subelement of genetics, is the study of the genome, the sum total of all the genes of an organism. The human genome, which is contained in the 23 pairs of nuclear chromosomes and in the mitochondrial DNA of each cell, comprises >6 billion nucleotides of genetic code. There are some 23 000 protein-coding genes, a surprisingly small fraction of the total genetic material, with the remainder composed of noncoding DNA, regulatory sequences, and introns. The Human Genome Project, launched in 1990, produced a draft of the genome in 2001 and then a finished sequence in 2003, on the 50th anniversary of the initial publication of Watson and Crick’s paper on the double-helical structure of DNA. Since then, this mass of genetic information has been translated at an ever-increasing pace into useable knowledge applicable to clinical medicine. The recent advent of massively parallel DNA sequencing (also known as shotgun, high-throughput, and next-generation sequencing) has brought whole-genome analysis into the clinic for the first time, and most of the current applications are directed at children with congenital conditions that are undiagnosable by using standard genetic tests for single-gene disorders. Thus, pediatricians must become familiar with this technology, what it can and cannot offer, and its technical and ethical challenges. Here, we address the concepts of human genomic analysis and its clinical applicability for primary care providers.
Efficacy of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors in fistulising perianal Crohn’s disease
Authors: Bor Renáta , Farkas Klaudia , Bálint Anita , Szűcs Mónika , Ábrahám Szabolcs , Baradnay Gellért , Wittmann Tibor , Szepes Zoltán , Nagy Ferenc , Molnár Tamás
Published: December 2013

Introduction: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors are increasingly used in the treatment of severe Crohn’s disease. Aim: The aim of the authors was to assess retrospectively the short and long term efficacy of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors in fistulising Crohn’s disease. Method: Responses to therapy was determined using Crohn’s Disease Activity Index, Perianal Disease Activity Index, the rate of complete fistula closure and the additional surgical procedures during biological therapy. Results: After 12 weeks the perianal activity was decreased in more than 80% of the cases, and the complete remission rate was about 60%. After one year of therapy about one third of the patients had fistula closure, but after cessation of the biological therapy recurrence of fistulas was detected in every second patient. In most cases additional immunosuppressive therapy was necessary during biological treatment. During the one-year therapy period additional surgical treatments were performed in 45% of patients; seton insertion and abscess drainage were the most frequent procedures. Conclusions: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor therapy is effective in the treatment of perianal Crohn’s disease, however, additional immunosuppressive drugs and rectum sparing surgical procedures were necessary during the one-year treatment period. Because of the high rate of fistula recurrence, long term tumor necrosis factor-alpha treatment may be useful. Orv. Hetil., 154(49), 1943–1948.
LIF Imaging of OH radicals in Atmospheric DC Glow Discharge Using Miniature Gas Flow and Electrolyte Cathode
Authors: Nishiyama Shusuke , Ishigame Hiroaki , Komori Tomoki , Sasaki Koichi
Published: December 2013

In this paper, we report the spatial distribution of OH radical density in atmospheric-pressure DC glow discharge using a miniature helium flow and an electrolyte cathode. Laser-induced fluorescence imaging was applied for the measurement of the OH radical density. The effect of collisional quenching was considered in obtaining the spatial distribution of the OH density. The spatial distribution of the OH radical density showed that the peak of the OH density was located at a separated distance from the electrolyte surface. However, the OH radicals kept contact with the electrolyte surface. It was suggested that the OH radicals were generated mainly in a region separated from the electrolyte surface and some fraction of the generated OH radicals reached to the liquid phase.
Healing Those Who Need Healing
Authors: Sibley Chris G. , Bulbulia Joseph
Published: December 2013

Religion affects social cognition but does personality matter? We extracted information about church attendance and personality from a representative national survey (n= 1,483 New Zealand Christians). We found that frequency of church attendance affects felt belongingness but this relationship depends on levels of neuroticism. Christians who scored low in neuroticism experienced similar levels of felt belongingness, regardless of church attendance. Christians who scored high in neuroticism experienced the greatest social belonging, through frequent religious practice. Modelling these interactions revealed that those high in neuroticism would need to attend church 17.15 times each month to experience the felt belongingness of those low in neuroticism who did not attend church. Rates of religious attendance affect social cognition, but not for all Christians equally. Neuroticism matters. Those who wish to promote religion for social belonging would be wise to consider personality differences.
Hierarchical Organization of Segmentation in Non-Functional Action Sequences
Authors: Nielbo Kristoffer Laigaard , Schjoedt Uffe , Sørensen Jesper
Published: December 2013

Both folk and scientific taxonomies of behavior distinguish between instrumental and ritual behavior. Recent studies indicate that behaviors dominated by ritual features tend to increase cognitive load by focusing attentional and working memory resources on low-level perceptual details and psycho-physics. In contrast to the general consensus on anthropology and the study of religion, one study did not find any modulation effect of expectations (e.g., cultural information or priors) on cognitive load. It has, therefore, been suggested that the increase reflects a perceptual mechanism that drives categorization of ritual behavior. The present study investigated how an increase in cognitive load elicited by ritual behavior can influence hierarchically-related representations of actions and if expectation can modulate such hierarchical action representations. The study found that hierarchical alignment during segmentation of actions with ritual features was reduced in comparison to instrumental actions but that expectations only vaguely modulate this reduction. It is argued that these results lend support to the resource depletion model ritual behavior.
Explorative, authentic and cohesive
Authors: Löbert Anja
Published: December 2013

Using a comparative approach, this article looks at the different elements contributing to the success of boy band comebacks, primarily by contrasting the Take That reunion with the somewhat flopped reformation of their precursors, New Kids on the Block, but also by drawing on British examples such as the Spice Girls, East 17, and Boyzone. Firstly, the parameters of the breakup are analysed as possible predictors for the success of a reunion, especially, here, the popularity at the point of breakup, its staging and framing. Secondly, the parameters of the reunion are scrutinised, in particular the mode of re-entry into the market (explorative or assumptive), the discourse (re-) established in the comeback video (typical or atypical boy band theme) and the marketing strategy as such. Thirdly, the article examines the dynamics within the band and its personalities as factors influencing the potential success of a reunion (particularly problematic in the case of East 17). And finally, the article considers the impact which successful solo careers of individual band members may have upon the success of a reunion, arguing that the immense popularity of Robbie Williams kept Take That relevant even during their latency and increased Take That’s chances of finding large audiences again (a dramatic factor which is unique to Take That).
Needle Time
Authors: Witts Richard
Published: December 2013

The BBC is currently the world’s largest media employer of musicians. Influenced by Michel Crozier’s theory on bureaucracies, and using primary source material from the BBC’s written archives, this essay examines, through the prism of Crozier’s strategic analysis, the attempts of the centralized policy makers of BBC radio to comprehend their external environment—pirate radio stations, craft unions, ministries. These bureaucrats strove to retain a working relationship with the Musicians’ Union while, at the same time, attempting to meet the aesthetic demand of their licence-payers to hear popular music presented ‘authentically’ on disc rather than by BBC contract bands playing arrangements. In particular, the pro-music policies of senior bureaucrat Richard Marriott are considered. While the article explores the layers through which policy is pummelled into practice, or by-passed, it concludes that the changes that make the greatest impact are those spurred by the external force of government.
‘Immersed in the conflict’
Authors: Heining Duncan
Published: December 2013

With his third album, Marching Song, Mike Westbrook demonstrated the potential of jazz, and of British jazz, to explore both a wide sonic palette and complex social, cultural and historical events. He did so, in this instance, using the idea of landscape as both a metaphor and mediating concept. To comprehend such a composition, the critic must seek to enter the composer’s frame of reference (habitus) and the work’s wider cultural field. To do so a knowledge of both jazz history and history in its broader sense are required. The methodology utilized here focuses on the creative process itself, drawing upon the work of both Pierre Bourdieu and Jason Toynbee.
Prevalence of simple liver cysts and hemangiomas in cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients submitted to magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Galvão Breno Victor Tomaz , Torres Lucas Rios , Cardia Patrícia Prando , Nunes Thiago Franchi , Salvadori Priscila Silveira , D'Ippolito Giuseppe
Published: December 2013

Objective To determine the prevalence of liver cysts and hemangiomas in the general population and in cirrhotic patients. Materials and Methods Retrospective, observational, and cross-sectional study selecting consecutive magnetic resonance imaging studies performed in the period from February to July 2011. A total of 303 patients (187 women and 116 men) with mean age of 53.3 years were included in the present study. Patients with previously known liver lesions were excluded. The images were consensually analyzed by two observers in the search for simple liver cysts and typical liver hemangiomas, according to universally accepted imaging criteria. Lesions prevalence, diameters and location were determined in both cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic individuals. Results The authors observed prevalence of 8.6% for hemangiomas and 14.5% for simple cysts. No statistically significant difference was observed in relation to prevalence of hemangiomas and cysts among cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients (p = 0.954; p = 0.472). Conclusion In the present study, the prevalence of cysts and hemangiomas was higher than the prevalence reported by autopsy series. No influence of cirrhosis was observed on the prevalence and appearance of such incidental lesions.
Bilateral breast swelling secondary to superior vena cava obstruction and subclavian vein thrombosis
Authors: Yamada Ariadne Mayumi , Melo Ana Lucia Kefalas Oliveira , Lopes Gesner Pereira , Andrade Neto Genesio Borges de , Monteiro Valesca Bizinoto , Soares Renato Santos
Published: December 2013

Superior vena cava syndrome is defined by a set of signs and symptoms secondary to superior vena cava obstruction caused principally by malignant diseases. The present report describes the case of an unusual clinical manifestation of this syndrome with bilateral breast swelling, and emphasizes the relevance of knowledge on mammographic signs of systemic diseases.
Multiple effects of host‐species diversity on coexisting host‐specific and host‐opportunistic microbes
Authors: Kedem Hadar , Cohen Carmit , Messika Irit , Einav Monica , Pilosof Shai , Hawlena Hadas
Published: December 2013

While host‐species diversity often influences microbial prevalence, there may be multiple mechanisms causing such effects that may also depend on the foraging strategy of the microbes. We employed a natural gradient of rodent‐species richness to examine competing hypotheses describing possible mechanisms mediating the relationship between host‐species richness and the prevalence of the most dominant microbes, along with microbe specificity to the different rodent host species. We sampled blood from three gerbil species in plots differing in terms of the proportion of the different species and screened for the most dominant bacteria. Two dominant bacterial lineages were detected: host‐specific bacteria and host‐opportunistic bacteria. Using a model selection approach, we detected evidence for both direct and indirect effects of host‐species richness on the prevalence of these bacteria. Infection probability of the host‐specific lineage was lower in richer host communities, most likely due to increased frequency and density of the least suitable host species. In contrast, field observations suggest that the effect of host‐species richness on infection probability of the opportunistic lineage was both direct and indirect, mostly mediated by changes in flea densities on the host and by the presence of the host‐specific lineage. Our results thus suggest that host‐species richness has multiple effects on microbial prevalence, depending on the degree of host‐specificity of the microbe in question.
Linking removal targets to the ecological effects of invaders: a predictive model and field test
Authors: Green Stephanie J. , Dulvy Nicholas K. , Brooks Annabelle M. L. , Akins John L. , Cooper Andrew B. , Miller Skylar , Côté Isabelle M.
Published: December 2013

Species invasions have a range of negative effects on recipient ecosystems, and many occur at a scale and magnitude that preclude complete eradication. When complete extirpation is unlikely with available management resources, an effective strategy may be to suppress invasive populations below levels predicted to cause undesirable ecological change. We illustrated this approach by developing and testing targets for the control of invasive Indo‐Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) on Western Atlantic coral reefs. We first developed a size‐structured simulation model of predation by lionfish on native fish communities, which we used to predict threshold densities of lionfish beyond which native fish biomass should decline. We then tested our predictions by experimentally manipulating lionfish densities above or below reef‐specific thresholds, and monitoring the consequences for native fish populations on 24 Bahamian patch reefs over 18 months. We found that reducing lionfish below predicted threshold densities effectively protected native fish community biomass from predation‐induced declines. Reductions in density of 25–92%, depending on the reef, were required to suppress lionfish below levels predicted to overconsume prey. On reefs where lionfish were kept below threshold densities, native prey fish biomass increased by 50–70%. Gains in small (<6 cm) size classes of native fishes translated into lagged increases in larger size classes over time. The biomass of larger individuals (>15 cm total length), including ecologically important grazers and economically important fisheries species, had increased by 10–65% by the end of the experiment. Crucially, similar gains in prey fish biomass were realized on reefs subjected to partial and full removal of lionfish, but partial removals took 30% less time to implement. By contrast, the biomass of small native fishes declined by >50% on all reefs with lionfish densities exceeding reef‐specific thresholds. Large inter‐reef variation in the biomass of prey fishes at the outset of the study, which influences the threshold density of lionfish, means that we could not identify a single rule of thumb for guiding control efforts. However, our model provides a method for setting reef‐specific targets for population control using local monitoring data. Our work is the first to demonstrate that for ongoing invasions, suppressing invaders below densities that cause environmental harm can have a similar effect, in terms of protecting the native ecosystem on a local scale, to achieving complete eradication.
A Simple Quantitative Model to Predict Leaf Area Index in Sorghum
Authors: Narayanan Sruthi , Aiken Robert M. , Prasad P. V. Vara , Xin Zhanguo , Paul George , Yu Jianming
Published: December 2013

Leaf area index (LAI) is a widely used physiological parameter to quantify the vegetative canopy structure of crops. Over the years, several models to estimate LAI have been developed with various degrees of complexity and inherent shortcomings. The LAI simulation models proposed so far for sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] either lack details of the leaf area dynamics of expanding leaves or demand exhaustive measurements. The objective of this study was to develop a simple quantitative model to predict the LAI of sorghum by introducing a new method for simulation of the leaf area of expanding leaves. The proposed model relates LAI to thermal time. It calculates LAI from an algorithm considering the total number of mature leaves, the area of mature leaves, the area of expanding leaves, and plant density. The performance of the model was tested using LAI data collected using a nondestructive method under field conditions. The slope of the regression of modeled LAI on observed LAI varied for photoperiod‐sensitive and ‐insensitive genotypes in 2010. The coefficients of determination (R2) between modeled and observed LAI were 0.96 in 2009 and 0.99 (photoperiod insensitive) and 0.95 (photoperiod sensitive) in 2010. The inclusion of expanding leaves in the model improved its accuracy. The model provides an accurate estimate of LAI at any given day of the vegetative growing season based only on thermal time and making use of default coefficients demonstrated in this research.
Assessment of a Brief Oral Presentation Assignment in Biopsychology
Authors: Sleigh Merry J.
Published: December 2013

This study examined the suitability of a brief oral presentation exercise as an assessment method in biopsychology. Undergraduate students researched and presented a five-minute, self-selected fact related to course material, allowing them to practice oral communication skills, such as clearly explaining and carefully listening. Biopsychology students were compared to a similar group of students who did not participate in the brief oral presentation. When asked to rank potential class assignments, biopsychology students showed a stronger preference for oral presentations than did the comparison group. Biopsychology students expressed positive attitudes about the assignment and demonstrated learning related to the oral presentations. This exercise provided the additional benefits to the instructor of keeping the class content current and relevant to students.
Using a Simulated Selection Interview as a Final Examination in a Graduate-Level Personnel Selection Class
Authors: Kottke Janet L. , Valencia Leslie A. , Shultz Kenneth S.
Published: December 2013

Actively engaged participants in the learning process typically demonstrate superior learning outcomes, better retention, and more satisfaction with the learning experience. The authors present the use of a simulated selection interview (SSI) as a culminating experience in a graduate-level personnel selection course as a way to engage students actively in learning and assessment. The authors discuss their rationale for the SSI, major elements of the SSI, key lessons learned, and reactions from a sample of students who have experienced the SSI. Overall, students spent a comparable amount of time studying for the SSI, compared to other traditional assessment techniques (e.g., in-class and take-home exams). In addition, their survey responses indicated that they were able to apply the skills from the SSI to other interviews, which led to perceived longer-term benefits than might be expected from traditional assessments.
Coherence-controlled stationary entanglement between two atoms embedded in a bad cavity injected with squeezed vacuum
Authors: Liao Xiang-Ping , Fang Jian-Shu , Fang Mao-Fa
Published: December 2013

We investigate the entanglement between two atoms in an overdamped cavity injected with squeezed vacuum when these two atoms are initially prepared in coherent states. It is shown that the stationary entanglement exhibits a strong dependence on the initial state of the two atoms when the spontaneous emission rate of each atom is equal to the collective spontaneous emission rate, corresponding to the case where the two atoms are close together. It is found that the stationary entanglement of two atoms increases with decreasing effective atomic cooperativity parameter. The squeezed vacuum can enhance the entanglement of two atoms when the atoms are initially in coherent states. Valuably, this provides us with a feasible way to manipulate and control the entanglement, by changing the relative phases and the amplitudes of the polarized atoms and by varying the effective atomic cooperativity parameter of the system, even though the cavity is a bad one. When the spontaneous emission rate of each atom is not equal to the collective spontaneous emission rate, the steady-state entanglement of two atoms always maintains the same value, as the amplitudes of the polarized atoms varies. Moreover, the larger the degree of two-photon correlation, the stronger the steady-state entanglement between the atoms.
The pleiotropic effects of extract containing rhizobial Nod factors on pea growth and yield
Authors: Podleśny Janusz , Wielbo Jerzy , Podleśna Anna , Kidaj Dominika
Published: December 2013

Rhizobial lipochitooligosacharides (Nod factors) influence the development of legume roots, including growth stimulation, nodule induction and root hair curling. However, their effect on the green parts of plants is less known, therefore we evaluated seed and foliar application of an extract containing Nod factors on pea growth and yield. Pea plants were examined from emergence to full maturity, including growth dynamics and morphological (nodule number and weight, the quantity and surface area of leaves) or physiological (photosynthesis and transpiration intensity, chlorophyll and nitrogen content) parameters. The foliar application Nod factor extract, or seed dressing followed by foliar application, resulted in the best outcomes. The number and weight of root nodules, the chlorophyll content in leaves, and the intensity of net photosynthesis were all elevated. As a consequence of Nod factor treatment, the dynamics of dry mass accumulation of pea organs were improved and the pod number was increased. A significant increase in pea yield was observed after Nod factor application. Increase of nodule and pod numbers and improved growth of roots appear to be amongst the beneficial effects of Nod factor extract on the activation of secondary plant meristems.
Sodium Nitroprusside-Mediated Modulation of Growth and Antioxidant Defense in theInVitroraised Plantlets of Peanut Genotypes
Authors: Verma A. , Malik C. P. , Gupta V. K.
Published: December 2013

As a bioactive signaling molecule, nitric oxide (NO) is involved in multiple plant physiological responses. It regulates diverse biochemical processes in a concentration-dependent manner in plants. Different NO generators viz. sodium nitroprusside (SNP), S-nitroso-N-acetyl penicillinamine (SNAP) and S-nitroso-L-glutathione (GSNO) have been reported, but SNP is the most widely used and effective NO donor. Research was conducted to investigate the in vitro effects of an NO donor, SNP, on biochemical and physiological characteristics such as multiple shoots, chlorophyll content, and enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and others in Arachis hypogaea genotypes (M-13 and PBS24030). In vitro impact of SNP on shoot multiplication potential and chlorophyll content increase upto 100 µM SNP alone in peanut cultivars (M-13 and PBS24030). Rhizogenesis was noticed in the presence of SNP alone. Treatment with SNP and 6-Benzyl adenine (BA) was effective in enhancing the antioxidant enzyme activities, total soluble carbohydrates and proteins as compared to SNP alone in for both cultivars. These data indicate that in vitro establishment of peanut cultivars in the presence of SNP alone and in combination with BA will affect various growth promontory physiological and biochemical parameters. A more complete understanding of plant growth regulator (PGR) mediated responses will be instrumental in designing effective strategies for engineering crops for biotic and abiotic stresses.
Ethical Values in Medicine
Authors: Editor The
Published: December 2013

Birdem Med J 2013; 3(2): 72-73 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/birdem.v3i2.17200
Medication Overuse Headache: A Trap for the Headache Patients
Authors: Rahman A , Habib R , Bhowmik NB , Haque A
Published: December 2013

Medication Overuse Headache (MOH) was previously termed analgesic rebound headache, drug-induced headache, and medication-misuse headache. It is not a primary headache but frequently coexists with primary chronic daily headache. All acute symptomatic medications used to treat headaches have the potential for causing MOH. Highest with opioids, butalbital-containing combination analgesics, and aspirin/ acetaminophen/caffeine combinations. The development is typically preceded by an episodic headache disorder, usually migraine or tension-type headache, that has been treated with frequent and excessive amounts of acute symptomatic medications. The diagnosis is based upon clinical impression. A history of analgesic use averaging more than two to three days per week in association with chronic daily headache is suggestive. The diagnosis is made when the pattern of frequent headaches fulfills the diagnostic criteria for MOH. The basic steps in the management: Patient education, withdrawal of the offending medication, bridge (transitional) therapy, establishment of a headache treatment regimen covering acute and preventive care, follow up and relapse prevention. Birdem Med J 2013; 3(2): 94-98 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/birdem.v3i2.17213
BIRDEM News Vol.3(2) - Academic Achievement
Authors: Editor The
Published: December 2013

Birdem Med J 2013; 3(2): 130 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/birdem.v3i2.17224
From the Desk of the Executive Editor Vol.3(2)
Authors: Uddin Khwaja Nazim
Published: December 2013

Birdem Med J 2013; 3(2): 131 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/birdem.v3i2.17225
Water Vapor, Temperature and Wind Profiles within Maize Canopy under in-Field Rainwater Harvesting with Wide and Narrow Runoff Strips
Authors: Tesfuhuney Weldemichael , Walker Sue , Van Rensburg Leon , Everson Colin
Published: December 2013

Micrometeorological measurements were used to evaluate heat and water vapor to describe the transpiration (Ev) and soil evaporation (Es) processes for wide and narrow runoff strips under in-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH) system. The resulting sigmoid-shaped water vapor (ea) in wide and narrow runoff strips varied in lower and upper parts of the maize canopy. In wide runoff strips, lapse conditions of ea extended from lowest measurement level (LP) to the upper middle section (MU) and inversion was apparent at the top of the canopy. The virtual potential temperature (θv) profile showed no difference in middle section, but the lower and upper portion (UP) had lower in narrow, compared to wide, strips, and LP-UP changes of 0.6 K and 1.2 K were observed, respectively. The Ev and Es within the canopy increased the ea concentration as determined by the wind order of magnitude. The ea concentration reached peak at about 1.6 kPa at a range of wind speed value of 1.4–1.8 m∙s−1 and 2.0–2.4 m∙s−1 for wide and narrow treatments, respectively. The sparse maize canopy of the wide strips could supply more drying power of the air in response to atmospheric evaporative demand compared to narrow strips. This is due to the variation in air flow in wide and narrow runoff strips that change gradients in ea for evapotranspiration processes.
Performance Optimization of Generalized Irreversible Refrigerator Based on a New Ecological Criterion
Authors: Xu Jie , Pang Liping , Wang Jun
Published: December 2013

On the basis of the exergy analysis, a performance optimization is carried out for a generalized irreversible refrigerator model, which takes into account the heat resistance, heat leakage and internal irreversibility losses. A new ecological criterion, named coefficient of performance of exergy (COPE), defined as the dimensionless ratio of the exergy output rate to the exergy loss rate, is proposed as an objective function in this paper. The optimal performance factors which maximize the ecological objective function have been discussed. Numerical examples are given to explain the influences of heat leakage and internal irreversibility on the generalized and optimal performances. This new ecological criterion may be beneficial for determining the reasonable design of refrigerators.
Smoking and Pregnancy — A Review on the First Major Environmental Risk Factor of the Unborn
Authors: Mund Mathias , Louwen Frank , Klingelhoefer Doris , Gerber Alexander
Published: December 2013

Smoking cigarettes throughout pregnancy is one of the single most important avoidable causes of adverse pregnancy outcomes and it represents the first major environmental risk of the unborn. If compared with other risk factors in the perinatal period, exposure to tobacco smoke is considered to be amongst the most harmful and it is associated with high rates of long and short term morbidity and mortality for mother and child. A variety of adverse pregnancy outcomes are linked with cigarette consumption before and during pregnancy. Maternal prenatal cigarette smoke disturbs the equilibrium among the oxidant and antioxidant system, has negative impact on the genetic and cellular level of both mother and fetus and causes a large quantity of diseases in the unborn child. These smoking-induced damages for the unborn offspring manifest themselves at various times in life and for most only a very limited range of causal treatment exists. Education, support and assistance are of high importance to decrease maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, as there are few other avoidable factors which influence a child’s health that profoundly throughout its life. It is imperative that smoking control should be seen as a public health priority.
Social Network Characteristics and Daily Smoking among Young Adults in Sweden
Authors: Rostila Mikael , Almquist Ylva , Östberg Viveca , Edling Christofer , Rydgren Jens
Published: December 2013

A large number of studies have shown that friends’ smoking behavior is strongly associated with an individual’s own risk for smoking. However, few studies have examined whether other features of social networks, independently or conjointly with friends’ smoking behavior, may influence the risk for smoking. Because it is characterized by the growing importance of friendship networks, the transition from adolescence to young adulthood may constitute a particularly relevant period on which to focus our investigation of network influences on smoking behavior. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the consequences of peer smoking as well as other network characteristics (friends’ other health behaviors, relationship content, and structural aspects of the network) on the risk for smoking among young adults. The data was based on a cross-sectional survey of Swedish 19-year-olds carried out in 2009 (n = 5,695) with a response rate of 51.6%. Logistic regression was the primary method of analysis. The results show that having a large percentage of smokers in one’s network was by far the most important risk factor for daily smoking. The risk of daily smoking was 21.20 (CI 14.24. 31.54) if 76%–100% of the network members smoked. Having a high percentage of physically active friends was inversely associated with daily smoking. The risk of smoking was 0.65 (CI 0.42. 1.00) if 76%–100% of the network members were physically active. No main associations between the other network characteristics (relationship content and structural aspects of the network) and smoking were found. However, there was an interaction between the percentage of smokers in the network and relationship content (i.e., trust, relationship quality and propensity to discuss problems): positive relationship content in combination with peer smoking may increase the risk of smoking. Women with a high percentage of smokers in their networks were also at higher risk of daily smoking than were men with many smoking friends. Hence, it is important to consider the interplay between peer smoking and other network characteristics on the risk of smoking, where features of networks which traditionally are seen as constructive may occasionally provide the impetus to smoke. Future studies should use longitudinal data to study whether these findings reflect peer selection or peer influence.