bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optimization of α-Hydroxyketone and Pyrazine Syntheses Employing Preliminary Reactions of Glucose and Buffer Solutions
Authors: Ashraf-Khorassani Mehdi , Coleman William M. , Dube Michael F. , Taylor Larry T. 
Published: February 2020

Summary
Glucose and selected phosphate buffers have been reacted employing systematic variations in reaction temperature and time (150–160 °C for 60–90 min) to optimize the yield of acetol. This mixture was reacted further with NH4OH, systematically varying reaction conditions and reagent ratios to optimize pyrazine yield. The highest yield of pyrazine was obtained when 1 g of glucose was reacted with 25 mL of buffer at 150–160 °C for 60 min, which in turn was reacted with 1 mL of concentrated aqueous NH4OH at 120–130 °C for 17–18 h. Higher temperatures and higher concentrations of glucose caused a decrease in the yield of pyrazines. The addition of hydrolyzed tobacco-derived F1 protein as a secondary source of nitrogen increased the yield of pyrazines by 2–10% depending on F1 protein concentration. Furthermore, the addition of any α-hydroxyketone, similar in structure to acetol, as a pure reagent to the reaction mixture not only increased the yields of pyrazine by ranging from 25–100 % depending on the reagent concentration, but also significantly altered the qualitative and quantitative distribution of the pyrazines. With all of the reaction parameters examined (reaction time, temperature, reagent ratios, etc.) the most significant impacts on both pyrazine yield and distribution were noted when: 1) glucose was pre-reacted with buffer, 2) hydrolyzed F1 protein was added as a second nitrogen source, and 3) when pure α-hydroxyketones were employed as co-reagents. Use of these reaction parameters was found to dramatically shift the pyrazine distribution toward higher molecular weight resulting in a pyrazine array having more desirable physical and sensory attributes.
May C-peptide index be a new marker to predict proteinuria in anemic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus?
Authors: Katipoglu Bilal , Comoglu Mustafa , Ates Ihsan , Yilmaz Nisbet , Berker Dilek 
Published: February 2020

Abstract

Objective. C-peptide is a reliable marker of beta cell reserve and is associated with diabetic complications. Furthermore, HbA1c level is associated with micro- and macro-vascular complications in diabetic patients. HbA1c measurement of diabetic patients with anemia may be misleading because HbA1c is calculated in percent by taking reference to hemoglobin measurements. We hypothesized that there may be a relationship between C-peptide index (CPI) and proteinuria in anemic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the association between C-peptide levels and CPI in anemic patients with T2DM and proteinuria.

Methods. The patients over 18 years of age with T2DM whose C-peptide levels were analyzed in Endocrinology and Internal medicine clinics between 2014 and 2018 with normal kidney functions (GFR>60 ml/min) and who do not use any insulin secretagogue oral antidiabetic agent (i.e. sulfonylurea) were enrolled into the study.

Results. Hemoglobin levels were present in 342 patients with T2DM. Among these 342 cases, 258 (75.4%) were non-anemic whereas 84 (24.6%) were anemic. The median DM duration of the anemic group was statistically significantly higher in T2DM (p=0.003). There was no statistically significant difference found in proteinuria prevalence between non-anemic and anemic patient groups (p=0.690 and p=0.748, respectively). Anemic T2DM cases were corrected according to the age, gender, and duration of DM. C-peptide and CPI levels were not statistically significant to predict proteinuria (p=0.449 and p=0.465, respectively).

Conclusion. The present study sheds light to the association between C-peptide, CPI, and anemic diabetic nephropathy in T2DM patients and indicates that further prospective studies are needed to clarify this issue.
The use of ex vivo ovary culture for assessment of alterations in steroidogenesis following neonatal exposure to poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polylactide methyl ether or titanium dioxide nanoparticles in Wistar rats
Authors: Scsukova Sona , Mlynarcikova Alzbeta Bujnakova , Rollerova Eva 
Published: February 2020

Abstract

Objectives. Rapid development and widespread application of different types of nanoparticles (NPs) may result in increased exposure of humans and animals to NPs. Recently, reproductive toxicity due to NP exposure has become a major component of risk assessment. Current data have suggested that NPs may pose adverse effects on male and female reproductive health by altering normal testis and ovarian structure, and sex hormone levels. To detect possible alterations in steroidogenesis in adult and infantile rats following neonatal exposure to polymeric poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polylactide methyl ether (PEG-b-PLA) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) NPs, whole ovary cultures were used.

Methods. Newborn female Wistar rats were intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected daily with two different doses of PEG-b-PLA NPs (20 and 40 mg/kg body weight, b.w.) or TiO2 NPs (1% LD50 TiO2=59.2 µg/kg b.w. and 10% LD50 TiO2=592 µg/kg b.w.) from postnatal day 4 (PND 4) to PND 7. The ovaries were collected on PND73 and PND15 of PEG-b-PLA- and TiO2 NP-treated rats, respectively, and their corresponding control animals. Minced ovaries were cultured in vitro in the absence (basal conditions) or presence of gonadotropins (follicle-stimulating hormone, FSH and luteinizing hormone, LH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) (stimulated conditions) for 6 days. At indicated time intervals, culture media were collected for steroid hormone (progesterone, estradiol) analysis by specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits.

Results. Basal progesterone and estradiol secretion by ovaries from adult rats (PND73) were significantly decreased (p<0.01) in both PEG-b-PLA-treated groups after 3 days and 1 day of ex vivo ovary culture, respectively, compared with control group. With the presence of FSH/LH and IGF-1 in the culture medium, progesterone and estradiol production significantly increased (p<0.001) compared to basal levels. Stimulated progesterone production was significantly decreased (p<0.05) in PEG-b-PLA40-treated group after 3 days of culture compared with controls. After ex vivo culture of rat ovaries collected on PND15, basal progesterone and estradiol levels measured in the culture media did not differ between control and both TiO2 NP-treated groups. The ovaries from rats neonatally exposed to both doses of TiO2 NPs failed to respond to FSH/IGF stimulation in progesterone secretion at all time intervals.

Conclusions. The obtained results indicate that neonatal exposure to NPs in female rats may alter ovarian steroidogenic output (steroid hormone secretion) and thereby might subsequently induce perturbation of mammalian reproductive functions. Possible mechanisms (induction of oxidative stress, inflammation) of adverse effects of NPs on ovarian function should be further elucidated.
Knot soundness and occlusion time after the artificial pruning of oak
Authors: Mederski Piotr S. , Szczawiński Dariusz , Giefing Dieter F. , Naparty Kwiryn , Brunka Mariusz 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Artificial pruning of trees can improve wood quality as well as enhance timber value. Currently, pruning is quite common when veneer timber or plywood is in demand. Cutting off branches, however, creates open wounds in the form of knots, which are exposed to infections. While the pruning of coniferous trees is well-studied, less research has been conducted on broadleaved trees. The objective of this study was to determine 1) if the artificial pruning of oak can lead to decaying knots, 2) if so, how big is the decaying zone around the unsound knot, and 3) how much time is needed for full knot occlusion after artificial pruning. 13- and 16-year-old oak trees located in northern Poland (Lidzbark Forest District) were choosen for this study. Ten years after pruning, sample trees were selected in order to determine if the knots were sound and how many years it had taken for each knot to occlude. The results were compared with those of knots on trees caused by natural pruning. In total, 419 and 104 knots resulting from artificial and natural pruning, respectively, were analysed. It was found that 95% of the artificially pruned knots had very little decay, showing an average of 1.13 cm of unsound knot zone. On the naturally pruned control trees, 98% of the knots were unsound with nearly double the amount of knot decay zone. Additionally, the artificially pruned knots needed less than five years to overgrow, while it took over eleven years for the naturally pruned knots to occlude. Therefore, pruning oak trees is recommended, even though a very small decay zone may appear on the knots, because it takes half the time for these artificial knots to occlude in comparison to unpruned trees.
„Du bist hier nicht zu Hause Du bist ein Außerirdischer!“1 Zur gestörten Kommunikation in der Novelle Die Spur des Bibliothekars von Johannes Gelich
Authors: Karlstedt Ana 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Unmotivated and unprepared, an Austrian young man leaves his home town Vienna, only to dive into the unknown Romania. He already has images of this country in his mind. He is on his way towards the magical, dark, sparkling Transdanubien, about which he only knows clichés: that Romanians barely have anything to eat, that it is a country of gypsies, that the official language is Russian, that it is an anachronistic country par excellence. With this perspective, his relationship with local Ilina can only fail. This article follows along the lines of a complicated inter-cultural communication.
Mehrsprachigkeit und interkultureller Dialog in Temeswar
Authors: Dascălu-Romiţan Ana-Maria 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
In the context of globalisation and internationalisation, multilingualism and intercultural interaction are indispensable prerequisites that are desired in all areas. The focus of this paper is to highlight the importance and necessity of multilingualism and intercultural dialogue on the example of Timișoara. The beginnings and traces of multilingualism and the intercultural dimension of Timișoara can be traced based on the geography and history of the city alone. Considering these historical, political, social, cultural and economic prerequisites, this paper presents how the intercultural character and multilingualism of the Banat capital has led it to become a unique phenomenon in Europe, and how it has influenced the history and existence of this region of Romania. The good interethnic relations between the minorities shape the spirit of this city and have helped Timișoara become the European Capital of Culture 2021.The multicultural character of the city has also enabled the emergence of numerous cultural institutions, educational institutions, associations and organisations, which in turn promote this diversity of languages and intercultural interaction.
The Witch(ES) of Aiaia: Gender, Immortality and the Chronotope in Madeline Miller’s Circe
Authors: Macmillan Catherine 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
This article explores Madeline Miller’s Circe from the perspective of Bakhtin’s concept of the chronotope, the inseparability of space and time in fiction. The article focuses on the chronotopes of the road, the idyll and the threshold in the novel, and how these intersect with its themes of gender and immortality. The island of Aiaia acts as a threshold, transforming all who cross it. Circe’s life on the island, however, is a repetitive idyll; only at the end of the novel does she become a traveller on the road herself rather than just a stop on the way.
Lady into Fox (David Garnett, 1922): Un-Weaving a Tailor-Made Gender or Re-Taming the Shrew?
Authors: Fau Hélène 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
One day, while going for a walk with her husband, the young Mrs Tebrick turns into a fox. At first, they both try to keep things the way they were. The lady-fox dresses, drinks tea and plays cards with her husband until she breaks herself free of conventions and opts for a wild life in the forest which Mr Tebrick apparently accepts, claiming an unchanged marital love. One wonders though whether this metamorphosis sincerely unwinds the tailor-made gender Mrs Tebrick had to endorse in her marriage and whether Mr Tebrick’s full freedom of speech honestly echoes an agonistic discourse revealing injustice, a courageous parrhesiastic protest against compulsory gendered structures, Parrhesia being, according to Foucault, a “transhistorical possibility we have” to speak up against the powerful. In other words: Is David Garnett critically re-gendering “The Shrew”, un-weaving a tailor-made gender, or simply re-taming her anew for a XXth century readership?
Women Figures in George Macdonald’s and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Fantasy Writings
Authors: Măcineanu Laura 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
It is an undisputed fact that George MacDonald’s fantasy books were among J.R.R. Tolkien’s many sources of inspiration when writing his Middle-earth epic. Among these, “The Princess and the Goblinˮ and “The Princess and Curdieˮ attracted my attention, through the figures of some interesting women who appear in both of them. This paper endeavours to draw a comparison between Tolkien’s outstanding female characters in “The Lord of the Ringsˮ and the earlier versions of the same feminine archetypes in the two MacDonald books, noting both points of similarity and differences, as well as the strong effect these women have upon other characters in the stories.
Empowering Women Through Entrepreneurship: A Case Study in East Java, Indonesia
Authors: Bhukuth Augendra , Terrany Bernard , Wulandari Ani 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
The article analyzes the practices of two NGOs aiming to empower women through entrepreneurship in the province of East Java with the capital city Surabaya, Indonesia. Both NGOs have similar goals: to improve the well-being of women as well as to empower them in their households, communities and businesses; however, they differ in methodologies. Thus, it is thought-provoking to compare the ways and means applied by both NGOs to empower women. Their methodologies are presented and analyzed in order to capture their strengths and weaknesses, following a qualitative study that was carried out in two villages in the surrounding areas of Surabaya, Indonesia.
Grieving those Who Still Live: Loss Experienced by Parents of Transgender Children
Authors: Testoni Ines , Pinducciu Manuela Anna 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Transgender identity can be defined as the self-awareness of a discrepancy between the assigned sex at birth and the personal gender identity of an individual. This study assumed the constructionist perspective, focused on the influence of culture on sex-typing and the representations of gender in child development. This research considers how parents of transgender children emotionally handled the transition. Being faced with a child’s transgender identity may cause an emotional experience similar to mourning, in particular, ambiguous loss (Coolhart, Ritenour & Grodzinski 2018, McGuire et al. 2016, Norwood 2013). In this qualitative research, 97 associations dealing with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) issues were contacted to recruit participants from three different countries: Italy, Spain and U.S.A. The sample includes 18 parents of trangender people who completed an ad hoc questionnaire. A brief standard story was constructed about an experience of sexual transition, followed by some questions on the experience of parental mourning during the transgender transition of their children. The corpora were analysed in the three original languages, and the analysis was performed with Atlas.ti. From the qualitative analysis of the texts that describe parents’ experience, three fundamental elements emerged. The first is inherent to the mourning orientation to loss and the fear of death; the second to the disenfranchisement of mourning and transgender identity between family and society; and the third illustrates the final restorative outcome of mourning.
The neoliberal hybrid in East-Central Europe. The ‘treason of intellectuals’ and its current re-assessment
Authors: Ágh Attila 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
The Europeanised, progressive intelligentsia in East-Central Europe (ECE) made a fundamental mistake in the nineties that amounts in some ways to the ‘treason of intellectuals’ and the basic reassessment of these naïve illusions has only begun nowadays. Motivated by the radical change in the ‘miraculous year’ (1989) the progressive intellectuals uncritically accepted and supported the Europeanisation in that particular form as it entered into the chaotic days of the early nineties, since they naively thought that its negative features would automatically disappear. In good faith, they created an apology for the established neoliberal hybrid and they sincerely defended this perverse Europeanisation against the increasing attacks of the traditionalistnativist narrative. With this action they have been unwillingly drifting close to the other side by offering some ideological protection for the ‘really existing’ neoliberal hybrid instead of criticising this deviation from genuine democratisation in order to facilitate its historical correction. However, due to the emergence of the neoliberal hybrid, the ‘external’ integration by the EU has resulted in the ‘internal’ disintegration inside the ECE member states. There has been a deep polarisation in the domestic societies and after thirty years the majority of populations in the ECE countries feel like losers, and they have indeed become losers. This controversial situation needs an urgent reconsideration, which is underway both in the EU and in the ECE as a self-criticism of the progressive intelligentsia. Thus, this paper concentrates on the reconsideration of the main conceptual issues of Europeanisation and Democratisation in ECE.1
Between retrogression and progression – a proposal for a new method to recreate the historical building layout of settlement units
Authors: Kuna Jakub 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
The use of cartographic sources and methods are the basic tools of historical geography. One of the main research trends in this field is the analysis of the spatial layout and number of old settlement units. The confrontation of maps with historical data allows the drawing of a town’s area at a certain time to be studied. The retrogression (R) and progression (P) methods that are currently used are imperfect and the model created (map) is usually incomplete and its reliability is limited. In the author’s opinion, the joining of retrogression and progression (a new method; combined – K)1 increases the quality of cartographic reconstruction of natural and cultural landscapes. The use of basic mathematical methods from the scope of set operations means the component reliability of the researched cartographic model can be varied because the common part of the retrogression and progression cartographic model represents mutual verification of source data. Quantitative effectiveness assessments of retrogression (R), progression (P) and the combined method (K) can be made for countable elements (e.g. buildings). As part of the conducted study, the effectiveness of separate methods was calculated: R = 76% for retrogression, P = 59% for progression and K = R ∪ P = 85% for the combined method. The mutual verification of the methods (R ∩ P) included 45% of residential buildings. The author describes the proposition of a new method and the course of verification research.
Utility of microcalorimetry in describing the growth curve of C. albicans at different temperatures – indentifying the optimal growth temperature
Authors: Popa Mihnea , Popa Vlad , Şerban Bogdan , Nedelcu Radu , Creţu Bogdan , Cursaru Adrian , Cîrstoiu Cătălin 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
In comparison with other medical specialties, Orthopedics and Traumatology are continuously impressively developing, intrinsically connected to technological evolution. More than in other fields, in Orthopedics and Traumatology, the technological progress becomes obvious also by the frequent use of implants or osteosynthesis materials. By performing a simple search in the specialty literature, an exponential growth of arthroplasty surgeries in correlation with the life span of the population and implying a need that presupposes the increase of the quality of life, also by maintaining or improving mobility at a satisfying level, can be observed. At the same time, due to the increase in the number of traffic and sports accidents, the use of artificial joints and implants for osteosynthesis will constantly rise. The prostheses and the osteosynthesis materials used for the treatment of degenerative, traumatic or even esthetic pathologies are made of materials with a good biocompatibility.
Candida albicans is an optional anaerobic microorganism so the experiments performed with different volumes of environment were most likely influenced by the amount of oxygen, nutrient.
In the described research, we demonstrated that, using microcalorimetry, it is possible to identify this fungus in half the time required for classical microbiological identification. In addition, as our team has shown, there is the possibility of real-time antifungigram by using microcalorimetry.
A short-term retrospective analysis of the clinical, histopathological and immunohistochemical aspects of bone metastases
Authors: Cîrstoiu Monica , Munteanu Octavian , Georgescu Tiberiu , Arsene Luciana , Sajin Maria , Cîrstoiu Cătălin 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Bone is a typical location of metastasis that usually reflects a negative outcome in oncologic patients. Once cancer has spread to the bones, it can rarely be cured, but sometimes it can be treated to minimize its rate of proliferation. Most skeletal metastases are produced by tumors originating in the breast and prostate. Osseous metastases are actually much more frequent than primary bone tumors, especially in adults. The diagnosis relies on signs, symptoms, and imaging techniques. This paper is a review of all cases of bone metastasis from our unit and a comprehensive review regarding the clinical approach and treatment of patients with such lesions.