bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of the combination of crude extracts of Solanum nigrum and Plumbago capensis on Leishmania major
Authors: Mutoro Christine N. , Kinyua Johnson , Ng'ang'a Joseph , Kariuki Daniel , Ingonga Johnson M. , Anjili Christopher O. 
Published: September 2018

Background:Leishmaniasis is an endemic tropical disease caused byLeishmaniaparasites, transmitted mainly by phlebotomine sandflies, impacting both health and socioeconomic wellbeing. Currently there are inadequate therapeutic measures to manage the disease thus indicating the need for the development of affordable and effective therapeutic interventions from herbal plants as alternative medicine. This study investigated theinvitroantileishmanial effects of blends of crude extracts ofSolanum nigrumandPlumbago capensisagainstLeishmania major.Methods:The promastigote parasites ofLeishmania majorwere cultured and grown for 3 days in different concentrations of the individual extracts to determine minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC). Thein vitroantileishmanial efficacy was determined by exposing promastigotes and macrophages infected withL. majorto the blends of extracts in ratios of 2000:250, 1000:500, 500:1000 and 250:2000. Finally, nitric oxide released byL. majorinfected macrophages that were treated with the plant extracts at ratio of 125:125 was quantified using a standard nitrite curve.Results:The individual methanol extracts were most effective in inhibiting the growth of promastigotes with MIC values between 0.25 mg/ml and 1.0 mg/ml as compared to aqueous extracts. The most active ratios for the blends were 250:2000 and 2000:250 for methanolic and aqueous blends respectively. The infection rates and multiplication indices associated with all the combined extracts were significantly different (P< 0.05) from those of pentostam and amphotericin B at all the concentrations studied. The OD for the combined test extracts ranged between 0.034 and 0.041 and these corresponded to < 5 µM of NO.Conclusion:Findings from this study demonstrate that combination therapy usingS. nigrumandP. capensisextracts is effective in treatingLeishmania major infection. Based on our findings we recommendin vivostudies to be conducted to determine the efficacy of these combined therapies againstLeishmaniamajor.
A preliminary study investigating the use of rabbit-related Facebook groups in relation to rabbit health information
Authors: Oxley James A , Kogan Lori 
Published: September 2018

Background: There has been a dramatic increase in the use of social networking sites such as Facebook over the last decade. However, limited research has been conducted focusing on pet owners' use of these sites for pet health information. Aim: The aim of this study was to gather, via an online anonymous survey, information from rabbit owners about their use of rabbit-related Facebook groups and determine if and how these group pages are used for rabbit health information. Methods: Responses from 304 UK rabbit owners who were members of at least one rabbit-related Facebook groups were received and analysed. Results: The majority of participants were a member of more than one rabbit-related Facebook group. The most common reasons for joining such groups were to ‘to keep up to date about rabbit-related information’ (84.9%), ‘to learn more about rabbits’ (78.0%) and ‘to discuss topics about rabbits with like-minded people’ (71.1%). Just over half of respondents (52.3%) joined rabbit-related Facebook groups to ‘seek advice about the health of my rabbits’. Nearly half of owners (41.3%) deemed Facebook groups as a trustworthy source of rabbit health information. The most common health issue Facebook group users asked about was gastrointestinal related. Conclusions: Results of this study highlight the importance of veterinarians and veterinary staff engaging with social media pet health groups to facilitate owners sourcing accurate and reliable online pet health information and seeking timely veterinary treatment.
Combining ability and breeding potential of oilseed rape advanced lines for some of important quantitative traits
Authors: Rameeh Valiollah 
Published: September 2018

AbstractInformation on estimates of combining ability of the promising lines of breeding material is important for evolving higher yielding varieties of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). An experiment was conducted to quantitatively examine the genetic parameters of phenological traits, plant height, pods on main raceme, pods per plant and seed yield for eight oilseed rape genotypes using a half-diallel crosses. The result of the diallel analysis revealed significant mean squares of general and specific combining abilities (GCA and SCA) for all studied traits, indicating the importance of additive and non-additive genetic effects for these traits. On the other hand estimation of high narrow-sense heritability estimates for days to flowering, duration of flowering and pods on main raceme, indicated the prime importance of additive genetic effects for these traits. L420 and L401 with significant negative GCA effects for days to flowering and days to maturity were suitable for yielding early maturity combinations. L41, Zafar and L22 with significant positive GCA effects for seed yield were superior parents for increasing seed yield. The crosses with significant positive SCA effects for seed yield had at least one parent with significant positive GCA effects for this trait. The crosses including L41×L22, L41×LF2, Zafar×L22 and Zafar×L420 with seed yield of 3421.7, 3400, 3348.1 and 3311.3 kg ha-1 could be promising for determination of superior recombinants for high seed yield coupled with other growth characters in advanced generations of segregation.
Stone in architecture and sculpture – source material for reconstruction
Authors: Lorenc Marek W. , Lorenc H. 
Published: September 2018

Abstract
Stone is the oldest, natural material, which was (and still is) used as both building and sculptural material. The most commonly used for these purposes are: granites, marbles, limestones and sandstones, representing the three main genetic groups of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. All of them are permanently being destroyed in result as well of natural weathering as microbiological activity and anthropogenic pollution of atmosphere, known as deterioration. The speed of such decay depends on both environmental conditions and mineral composition of the stone and it can lead to such intensive destruction that conservation may require partial replacement. Smaller damages are refilled with appropriate mineral masses, whereas in case of bigger damages refilling with natural stone is necessary. Professional conservation practice demands the selection and use of the same rock or the rock that is, in so far as is possible, identical to that originally used. It can be done only after previous detailed petrographical studies of the original material. Only then the stone material used for reconstruction will be appropriate and stonework performed properly will not (or almost not) leave marks. In many cases the ancient quarries do not exist and original source material is not available. Then petrographical studies of numerous rock-samples, which are recently available from other existing and/or working quarries, will allow the indication the most similar material. In many cases, unfortunately, the stone used for replacement is not identical to the original but only macroscopically similar. In such a case results might be visible sooner or later. These will be differences in colour, differences in structure and in some cases even crystallization of secondary minerals in the newly inserted fragments.
Bounded rationality and the ineffectiveness of big push policies
Authors: Xiao Wei , Xu Junyi 
Published: September 2018

AbstractIf a poverty trap exists, can a big-push policy lift the economy out of it? This paper applies Sargent’s [Sargent, Thomas J. 1993.Bounded Rationality in Macroeconomics. New York: Oxford University Press] bounded rationality approach to study the post-policy transition of an economy from a low-income equilibrium to a high-income equilibrium. The effectiveness of the policy diminishes if individuals are adaptive learners who cannot make optimal decisions instantaneously. This paper contributes to the renewed discussion on the effectiveness of massive aid policies for developing countries from a theoretical perspective.
Pyropia lunaesp. nov. andPyropia islaesp. nov. (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) from the Philippines
Authors: Dumilag Richard V. , Yap Sandra L. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractChallenges in morphology come to bear when assigning specific names in foliose Bangiales. Recent studies suggest that the integration of molecular and phenotypic data is essential, particularly in setting species boundaries and revealing the true species diversity of a given area. In an attempt to further elucidate the diversity of foliose Bangiales in the Philippines, two new species,Pyropia lunaesp. nov. andPyropia islaesp. nov. are described. Each species differs from other closely related taxa by a combination of morphological and anatomical characters, and nucleotide sequences. Phylogenetic reconstruction based onrbcL gene sequences supports the sister relationship ofP. lunaeandPyropia acanthophora, whereasP. islaeis recovered as a species allied toPyropia tanegashimensisandPyropia denticulata. These two previously undescribed species increase the number of confirmed PhilippinePyropiaspecies to four. So far,P. lunaeandP. islaeare found only from the Batanes Islands whileP. acanthophoraandP. tanegashimensisare known to extend their native distributions across into the Indo-Pacific waters. Questions remain, however, with regard to the true species diversity of foliose Bangiales in the Philippines. A wider sampling effort and the application of molecular methods will make it possible to resolve the remaining gaps in the taxonomy of Philippine foliose Bangiales.
For a Good Poet's Made, as Well as Born: The Relational Ontology of Shakespeare’s Genius
Authors: Ross Wendy , Vallée-Tourangeau Frédéric 
Published: September 2018

AbstractFolk and scholarly conjectures on the nature of creative genius often focus on intrapsychic processes: The explanations centre on the person, the creator, transcending the more prosaic forces that shape everyday, routine cognition. Focusing on the alleged extraordinary character of a creator deflects attention from the emergent, distributed and relational nature of creativity. A more productive research agenda considers a range of factors, operating at different time scales, that guide and constrain the manufacture of creativity. We argue that a transactional perspective is particularly fruitful for the analysis of the dramatic work of William Shakespeare. Drama is an inherently relational art form created by the writer, the director, actors and audience. Further, Shakespeare’s output is a palimpsest of classical texts and writers contemporary to him, and was shaped by practical constraints. Viewing his work as situated in a historical time period and in a dialogue with other voices gives us a fuller account of the ontological locus of his creativity.
Professional Competences. Reconstruction of the Opinions of Polish Female Directors
Authors: Modrzejewska-Świgulska Monika 
Published: September 2018

Abstract
The aim of this work is to reconstruct the convictions and opinions of Polish female film directors concerning work competences that actuate work and success in the field of film directing. Qualitative data are presented in the text, which were collected by the Author herself in free interviews carried out with twelve Polish female film directors.
Firms’ Proactiveness During the Crisis: Evidence from European Data
Authors: Brzozowski Jan , Cucculelli Marco , Peruzzi Valentina 
Published: September 2018

Abstract
This paper contributes to the literature on the entrepreneurial behavior of firms during the economic crisis, by investigating the determinants of proactive behavior on a large sample of European companies during the 2008–2009 financial crisis. We explore various dimensions of proactive behavior, including: investments in innovation, expanding product offer, undergoing quality certification, investing in tangible assets and avoiding layoff. Our findings show a surprising heterogeneity of determinants in the case of different proactivity measures, especially when considering the impact of public policies which support entrepreneurship. We also provide some evidence supporting the organizational learning hypothesis with regard to proactiveness, as we show that the previous crisis experience matters in the case of the adoption of proactive or reactive strategy by a firm.
Elastic Moduli and Elastic Constants of Alloy AuCuSi With FCC Structure Under Pressure
Authors: Hoc Nguyen Quang , Duc Tinh Bui , Hien Nguyen Duc 
Published: September 2018

Abstract
This paper studies on the dependence of the mean nearest neighbor distance, the Young modulus E, the bulk modulus K, the rigidity modulus G and the elastic constants C
11, C
12, C
44 on temperature, pressure, the concentration of substitution atoms and the concentration of interstitial atoms for alloy AuCuSi (substitution alloy AuCu with interstitial atom Si) with FCC structure by the way of the statistical moment method (SMM). The numerical results for alloy AuCuSi are compared with the numerical results for main metal Au, substitution alloy AuCu, interstitial alloy AuSi, other calculated results and experiments.
Deposition Characteristics of Multitrack Overlayby Plasma Transferred Arc Welding on SS316Lwith Co-Cr Based Alloy – Influence ofProcess Parameters
Authors: Deshmukh D. D. , Kalyankar V. D. 
Published: September 2018

Abstract
Plasma transferred arc welding (PTAW) is one of the outstanding overlay coating technique used in numerous industries including pressure vessel, automotive, chemical, nuclear, etc. owing to its superior characteristics, low dilution and high efficiency in the coating. In the present investigations, an effort is made to investigate the multitrack overlay deposition by PTAW on 16 mm thick 316 L plate by CO-Cr alloy. Samples are produced under different processing conditions, as per full factorial central composite design of experiment with preheating of 200°C by maintaining the interpass temperature 250 °C. Effects of transferred arc current, welding travel speed, powder feed rate, welding oscillation speed and stand-off distance on weld bead shape parameters comprising of width of deposition and reinforcement are presented and discussed based on experimental observations and fitted model. Relationship between the input process parameters with deposition characteristics is also presented in the form of regression equation. Lower current (100–120 A), intermediate travel speed (120–140 mm/min), intermediate powder feed rate (12–14 gms/min), lower oscillating speed (450–550 mm/min) and lower stand-off distance (6–8 mm) would give better deposition characteristics with minimum distortion, less residual stresses, no surface defects with strong metallurgical bond.
Impact of Dense Internals on Fluid Dynamic Parameters in Bubble Column
Authors: Kalaga Dinesh V. , Bhusare Vishal , Pant H.J. , Joshi Jyeshtharaj B. , Roy Shantanu 
Published: September 2018

AbstractIndustrial gas-liquid processes such as oxidation, hydrogenation, Fischer-Trospch synthesis, liquid-phase methanol synthesis, and nuclear fission are exothermic in nature; the reactor of choice for such processes is, therefore, a bubble column equipped with heat exchanging internals. In addition to maintaining the desired process temperature, the heat exchanging vertical tube internals are used to control flow structures and liquid back mixing. The present work reports the experimentally measured gas hold-up, mean liquid velocity and liquid phase turbulent kinetic energy, using the Radioactive Particle Tracking (RPT) technique, in a 120 mm diameter bubble column equipped with dense vertical tube internals covering 23 % of the total cross-sectional area of the column. The effect of superficial gas velocity (44–265 mm/s) on gas hold-up, mean liquid velocity and turbulent kinetic energy is presented and discussed. It has been inferred from the experimental results that the vertical tube internal located at the center of the column plays a vital role in affecting the hydrodynamics when compared to the conventional internal configurations reported in the literature. For the chosen dense internal configuration, the cross-sectional distribution of the gas holdup, mean liquid velocity and turbulent kinetic energy show asymmetry for all the superficial gas velocities investigated. The overall gas holdup and the liquid turbulence increases with an increase in the superficial gas velocity. The strong liquid circulation velocities have been seen upon the insertion of the dense internals.
Pilot-Scale Study on Improving SNCR Denitrification Efficiency by Using Gas Additives
Authors: Weiqing Zhou , Meng Liu , Baohua Huang , Xiaozhi Qiu 
Published: September 2018

Abstract
The experiment of improving Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) denitrification efficiency with gas additives (CH4 and C3H8) was carried out in the 50 kW circulating fluidized bed (CFB) pilot-scale equipment. The results show that the denitrification efficiency can reach 20 % when the reaction temperature is 650 °C, and the optimum mole ratio of C3H8/NH3 is 0.5. The denitrification efficiency can exceed 50 % when the mole ratio of C3H8/NH3 is 0.4 and the reaction temperature is 720 °C. However, the CH4 additive does not promote denitrification at this temperature. When the reaction temperature is 760 °C, the optimum denitrification efficiency of CH4 is 60 %, and the required CH4/NH3 is 0.8. Once the amount of CH4 exceeds the optimal value, the denitrification efficiency is suppressed. In addition, the concentrations of N2O and CO in the gas increase significantly with an increase of gas additives. Due to the incomplete oxidation of C3H8, a large amount of C2H4 is produced in the low-temperature region (< 750 °C) of SNCR.
Optical slot antennas and their applications to photonic devices
Authors: Park Yeonsang , Kim Jineun , Roh Young-Geun , Park Q-Han 
Published: September 2018

Abstract
We present optical slot antennas and their applications to photonic devices. We show that metallic nanoslots have the properties of a slot antenna by measuring the transmission spectra and far-field radiation patterns and then prove that they can be physically regarded as magnetic dipoles in the optical region. Additionally, we can generate directional radiations from optical slot antennas by adopting the geometry of radiofrequency Yagi-Uda antenna and properly adding auxiliary elements called reflectors and directors to a single slot antenna. We present two cases as the applications of optical slot antennas. One is the integration of slot antennas to plasmonic waveguides. This combination can be used as a basic unit for optical interconnection to free space and plasmonic via in multilayered plasmonic structures. The other is the integration of slot antennas to the electrode of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Using slot antennas, we can control the polarization and direction of emissions from LEDs. Besides the above-mentioned two cases, we expect that optical slot antennas have possible applications to various photonic devices and can be essential elements in future integrated photonic circuits with nanometer scales.
Germanium-based integrated photonics from near- to mid-infrared applications
Authors: Marris-Morini Delphine , Vakarin Vladyslav , Ramirez Joan Manel , Liu Qiankun , Ballabio Andrea , Frigerio Jacopo , Montesinos Miguel , Alonso-Ramos Carlos , Le Roux Xavier , Serna Samuel , Benedikovic Daniel , Chrastina Daniel , Vivien Laurent , Isella Giovanni 
Published: September 2018

Abstract
Germanium (Ge) has played a key role in silicon photonics as an enabling material for datacom applications. Indeed, the unique properties of Ge have been leveraged to develop high performance integrated photodectors, which are now mature devices. Ge is also very useful for the achievement of compact modulators and monolithically integrated laser sources on silicon. Interestingly, research efforts in these domains also put forward the current revolution of mid-IR photonics. Ge and Ge-based alloys also present strong advantages for mid-infrared photonic platform such as the extension of the transparency window for these materials, which can operate at wavelengths beyond 8 μm. Different platforms have been proposed to take benefit from the broad transparency of Ge up to 15 μm, and the main passive building blocks are now being developed. In this review, we will present the most relevant Ge-based platforms reported so far that have led to the demonstration of several passive and active building blocks for mid-IR photonics. Seminal works on mid-IR optical sensing using integrated platforms will also be reviewed.
Impact of ambient air temperature on human health in India
Authors: Salve Harshal R. , Parthasarathy Raghavan , Krishnan Anand , Pattanaik D.R. 
Published: September 2018

Abstract
A systematic search was carried out in the databases of Pubmed, Indmed and Mausam for articles on the effect of ambient temperature on health. Relevant data were extracted using a standard data abstraction form by two authors independently. The overall effects of ambient air temperature are reported as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) on mortality. Of 812 records identified, only seven were included in the final review as per pre-defined criteria. An increase in the all-cause mortality rate of 41% are reported during a heat wave in India. Risk ratios for all-cause mortality was in the range of 1.7–2.1. The dose-response relationship of ambient temperature and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular diseases are been reported. Current evidence on the effect of ambient temperature and health is sufficient to initiate an integrated response from policy makers, climate scientists and public health practitioners in India. Continued advocacy and generation of more robust evidence is needed.
From resistance to reconciliation and back again: A semiotic analysis of the Charlie Hebdo cover following the January 2015 events
Authors: Keren Ran 
Published: September 2018

AbstractTheCharlie Hebdomagazine’s 1178 edition was published following the deadly attack against the magazine’s cartoonists on 7 January 2015. The cover portrays the prophet Muhammad holding a sign with the phraseJe Suis Charlie(“I am Charlie”), titled with the phrasetout est pardonne(“all is forgiven”). This paper utilizes two levels of semiotic analyses. The first applies a direct, first level, semiotic reading while the second applies Roland Barthes’ idea of “Myth.” The analyses identify the tension between resistance and reconciliation as a key dialectical axis that drives the interpretive process. Tensions between East-West, religious-secular, natives-immigrants, and Islam-Christianity are all invoked by this cover, generating an extraordinary example of the complexity that cartoons are able to carry out as a form of intertwining semiotic systems. The first level of analysis finds an appropriation of Muhammad’s image in order to deliver messages of reconciliation and solidarity. The second level of analysis – a reading of the cover through Barth’s “Myth” – finds instead a Christian martyr, a Jesus image, replacing Muhammad and functioning as a divisive force that feeds the discourse of cultural clash.