bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of Biodegradable Copolymer of Poly(isobutyl vinyl ether)-co-Poly(ε-Caprolactone) using Half-Sandwich Metallocene Catalyst and their Application as Plasticizer for Poly(Vinyl Chloride)
Authors: Comparán Padilla Víctor E. , Guerrero Mildred Flores , Álvarez Marissa Pérez , Textle Hortensia Maldonado , Camacho Odilia Pérez , Pliego Gregorio Cadenas 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTIn this work, we studied the synthesis of biodegradable copolymers of the type poly(isobutyl vinyl ether)-co-(ε-caprolactone) (PIBVE-co-PCL) using a homogeneous mono-cyclopentadienyltitanium catalyst and methylaluminoxane (MAO) as co-catalyst. These copolymers can also be used as plasticizers for flexible poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), improving its thermal properties. The copolymer PIBVE-co-PCL could be synthesized with a high conversion (>90%). The use of 39 wt.% of the copolymer in the formulation of PVC decreases its glass transition temperature (Tg) by -6.51 °C. By varying the copolymer composition it is possible to obtain PVC with different Tg values that could be used for different applications. A particular application where one could use this type of copolymer is in PVC formulations for the fabrication of blood bags. The toxicity of dioctyl phthalate (DOP), which is the more commonly used plasticizer for PVC, limits the use of these formulations for the mentioned purpose. The PVC plasticized with the biodegradable copolymer showed an increase in the degradation temperature, improving the thermal stability of the PVC formulation in comparison with the phthalates usually used as plasticizers.
Effect of Ti Microaddition on Cavitation Behavior During Uniaxial Hot-Tensile of Fe-22Mn-1.5Al-1.3Si-0.5C Austenitic TWIP Steel
Authors: Salas-Reyes Antonio E. , Mejía Ignacio , Cabrera José M. 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTIt is well-known that metal and alloys develop internal cavities when subjected to uniaxial or multiaxial tensile strains at elevated temperature. In most cases, cavitation may lead to premature failure during forming. Therefore, damage and fracture behavior imposes significant limitations in hot metal-forming processes. Although high-Mn austenitic TWIP steels exhibit a unique combination of strength and ductility, cavitation during hot working is one issue that must be tackled. The aim of this research work is to determine the effect of Ti microaddition on cavity mechanisms of Fe-22Mn-1.5Al-1.3Si-0.5C TWIP steel under uniaxial hot-tensile condition at 800 °C and constant true strain rate of 10-3 s-1. For this purpose, light optical (LOM) and scanning electron (SEM) microscopies and image analysis were applied to quantify cavities formation along longitudinal section of deformed samples near to the fracture surface. The number of cavities greater than 10 µm (critical length) in non-microalloyed and Ti microalloyed TWIP steels were 2.75 and 3.75 cavities/mm2, respectively. On the other hand, average cavity area was 125 and 152 µm2, respectively. Both TWIP steels showed cavities type “r”, “l” and “A”. Finally, Ti microaddition to TWIP steel resulted in a predominant brittle fracture behavior due to finer grain-boundary precipitation, which weakens grains cohesion and accelerates crack growth by grain-boundary sliding. In this case, crack growth behavior is explained in terms of a void interconnection mechanism.
Kanine peritoneale larvale Zestodose durch Mesocestoides spp.
Authors: Peppler C. , Schmitz S. , Bauer C. , Hirzmann J. , Kramer M. , Häußler T. C. 
Published: March 2016

ZusammenfassungBei einer Hündin mit unspezifischer Symptomatik, sonographischen Veränderungen (hyperechogenes Gewebe) im mittleren Abdomen sowie einer mittelgradigen systemischen Entzündungsreaktion bei der Blutuntersuchung zeigte sich bei der Laparotomie eine peritoneale larvale Zestodose (PLZ). Die Diagnose einer Infektion mit Tetrathyridien einer Mesocestoides-Art wurde durch eine parasitologische und molekularbiologische Untersuchung bestätigt. Eine Reduktion der Parasiten durch Bauchhöhlenspülung sowie die hochdosierte Behandlung mit Fenbendazol über 3 Monate führte zu einem Therapieerfolg, der sich anhand zurückgehender sonographischer Veränderungen sowie abfallender Konzentrationen des C-reaktiven Proteins (CRP) nachweisen ließ. Sieben Monate nach Absetzen der Fenbendazol-Therapie kam es zu einem Rezidiv mit Wiederanstieg der CRP-Konzentration, sodass gemäß Empfehlung in der Literatur eine lebenslange Fenbendazol-Therapie gestartet wurde. Differenzialdiagnostisch muss bei Hunden mit Hinweisen auf chronisch granulomatöse Entzündungen im Abdomen eine PLZ in Betracht gezogen werden. Die CRP-Konzentration und sonographische Untersuchungen eignen sich zur Überprüfung des Therapieerfolgs und zur Kontrolle hinsichtlich eines Rezidivs.
Evaluation of Intelligent Grouping Based on Learners’ Collaboration Competence Level in Online Collaborative Learning Environment
Authors: Muuro Maina Elizaphan , Oboko Robert Obwocha , Wagacha Peter Waiganjo 
Published: March 2016

<p>In this paper we explore the impact of an intelligent grouping algorithm based on learners’ collaborative competency when compared with (a) instructor based Grade Point Average (GPA) method level and (b) random method, on group outcomes and group collaboration problems in an online collaborative learning environment. An intelligent grouping algorithm has been added in a Learning Management System (LMS) which is capable of forming heterogeneous groups based on learners’ collaborative competency level. True experiment design methodology was deployed to examine whether there is any association between group formation method and group scores, learning experiences and group problems. From the findings, all groups had almost similar mean scores in all group tests, and shared many similar group collaboration problems and learning experiences. However, with the understanding that GPA group formation method involves the instructor, may not be dynamic, and the random method does not guarantee heterogeneity based on learner’s collaboration competence level, instructors are more likely to adopt our intelligent grouping method as the findings show that it has similar results. Furthermore, it provides an added advantage in supporting group formation due to its guarantee on heterogeneity, dynamism, and less instructor involvement.</p>
Kesiapan Stasiun Televisi Lokal Batam Sebagai Media Penyabaran Informasi Publik
Authors: Arifuddin Arifuddin 
Published: March 2016

This research is related to the readiness of local TV stations in Batam as a media dissemination of public information in the border region in maintaining local identity of Batam, Riau (Kepri). This study is aimed to determine and identify the readiness of local TV Batam as media dissemination of public information in the border region in maintaining local identity. Study was conducted with qualitative research using case study method. The results of study indicated that four existing local TV stations in Batam, two of which, namely Batam TV and Urban TV expressed the readiness in hardware and software deployment as a dissemination medium for public information in maintaining the identity of the border region local and already using local content with sufficient volume in Network Station System (SSJ). While two other are Barelang TV and Penisula TV, is off the broadcast because the investment limitations and weak competitiveness against other local TV and national TV.
Height at First RRT and Mortality in Children
Authors: Ku Elaine , Fine Richard N. , Hsu Chi-yuan , McCulloch Charles , Glidden David V. , Grimes Barbara , Johansen Kirsten L. 
Published: March 2016

Background and objectives
Poor linear growth is common in children with CKD and has been associated with higher mortality. However, recent data in adult dialysis patients have suggested a higher risk of death in persons of tall stature. In this study, we aimed to examine the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in children at both extremes of height at the time of first RRT.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements
Using the US Renal Data System, we performed a retrospective analysis of 13,218 children aged 2–19 years, who received their first RRT (dialysis or transplant) during 1995–2011. We used adjusted Cox models to examine the association between short (<3rd percentile) and tall (>3rd percentile) stature and risk of death, compared with less extreme heights.

Results
Over a median follow-up of 7.1 years, there were 1721 deaths. Risk of death was higher in children with short (hazard ratio, 1.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.33 to 1.66) and tall stature (hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% confidence interval, 1.03 to 1.69) in adjusted analysis. In secondary analyses, there was a statistically significant interaction between height and body mass index categories (P=0.04), such that the association of tall stature with higher mortality was limited to children with elevated body mass index (defined as ≥95th percentile for age and sex). Children with short stature had a higher risk of cardiac- and infection-related death, whereas children with tall stature had a higher risk of cancer-related death.

Conclusions
Children with short and tall stature are at higher mortality risk, although this association was modified by body mass index at time of first RRT. Studies to further explore the reasons behind the higher risk of mortality in children with extremes of height at the time of first RRT are warranted.
Indo-Caribbean Women from Trinidad and Guyana: Hardships, Conflict, and Resiliency
Authors: Despot Odessa D. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
This study contributes to the literature on Asian Indian women who have emigrated from Trinidad and Guyana (Indo-Caribbeans) and who are now residing in the US. Using a qualitative design comprised of four ninety-minute interviews, I explored the experiences of immigration, ways of coping, and feelings regarding empowerment for a group of seven women between the ages of forty and forty-nine. Findings were similar to previous research on Asian Indian women and revealed negative experiences with gender inequality, domestic violence, spousal alcohol abuse, and increased role strain following immigration. The women reported that their relationships with other women were helpful and psychologically supportive and enabled them to cope with various hardships. These findings contrast with research findings that have described women's relationships as primarily competitive and undermining of one another. The findings further suggest that clinicians working with Indo-Caribbean women should explore stresses of immigration, cultural differences between the women's country of origin and the host country, and identifying ways of coping.
Transnational Adoption and Life-Writing: Oppressed Voices in Jane Jeong Trenka's The Language of Blood
Authors: Seethaler Ina C. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Jane Jeong Trenka's adoption memoir received harsh criticism for its negative stance against transnational adoption. Within a small yet growing group of life-writing works on transnational adoption, I see Trenka as an important voice in challenging the dominant cultural imaginary of the altruistic adoption process. This article analyzes how Trenka's stylistic choices, such as a musical and a stand-up comedy routine, capture many Korean adoptees' life experiences. Adoptees like Trenka use life-writing to express a doubled self and to give a platform to those who are rarely heard, like their biological mothers.
Through a reconceptualization of Gayle Rubin's theory of patriarchal exchange, among other methodologies, my discussion of The Language of Blood from a feminist perspective brings together literary analysis, sociological approaches, and theories of ethnicity and gender. It reveals how adoption memoirs challenge fixed identities based on stereotypes to present suppressed, female perspectives on adoption and immigration processes that oppose patriarchal hierarchies. This work contributes to our understanding of what autobiography represents for female transnational adoptees and gives further insight into the identity-formation of transracially adopted children.
Archiving the Door of No Return in Dionne Brand's At the Full and Change of the Moon
Authors: Gantz Lauren J. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
This article argues that in her novel, At the Full and Change of the Moon (1999), Dionne Brand uses archives/archiving as a trope by which to trace slavery's aftereffects on the Caribbean and its diasporas. African diasporic authors and critics have long emphasized the necessity of what Erica Johnson has recently termed the “neo-archive”: works of art and literature that “create history in the face of its absence.” Brand, significantly, adopts the practice not only for purposes of historical recovery, but also to document the psychological and emotional risks of such work. At the Full suggests that though neo-archives can reconstruct silenced histories, such reconstructions cannot always provide catharsis. For instance, Brand's character Eula desires a coherent record of her family's past, yet this desire is thwarted by the scarcity and illegibility of written documents. Her longing for documentary proof only serves to emphasize how much of her history has been lost forever, and her efforts at reconstruction become a source of grief. I argue that Brand's novel suggests that other means of dealing with painful histories—such as compartmentalization or attempting to forget—should be recognized as survival strategies for African diasporic subjects. At the Full depathologizes these strategies, offering them a place within the neo-archive and incorporating them into the history of black life in the New World.
Cutting across Imperial Feminisms toward Transnational Feminist Solidarities
Authors: Deb Basuli 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Photography, not only by imperial men but also by imperial women, has played a significant role in portraying the Muslim woman as the apolitical exotic of orientalist fantasies. The legacy of colonial photography by European women travelers continues to haunt the media of the global North even today. Such imperial feminist discourse on women in Egypt was blatant in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's December 2011 announcement of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security at Georgetown University, as well as in the rhetoric of Laura Bush, Cherie Booth, and Condoleezza Rice on the War on Terror and Afghan and Iraqi women.
In contrast, this article draws on the photographic counter-narratives, like “the girl in the blue bra,” that transnational feminists circulated through social media during the people's uprising in Egypt beginning in 2011 to evoke powerful images of women from the global south. It also examines the figure of the pan-Arab feminist Huda Shaarawi, who in 1919 organized the largest women's anti-British demonstration, and became in 1935 the vice president of the International Alliance of Women for Suffrage and Equal Citizenship, and in 1945 the founding president of the Arab Feminist Union. Bringing these figures into conversation with Angela Davis's encounter with women in Egypt in her book Women, Culture, and Politics opens up new spaces for cross-border feminisms that cut across imperial legacies that continue to define relationships between women of the global North and the global South.
Representing Wealth in a Changing Pastoral Economy: A Comparison of Traditional and New Metrics in Maasailand, Kenya
Authors: BurnSilver Shauna 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
East African pastoralism faces complex challenges. Responses include diversification and intensification strategies. Herd size as a measure of pastoral 'wealth' is hypothesised as insufficient to reflect emergent patterns of wellbeing. Wealth distributions of Maasai households are compared across four wealth metrics - highlighting different socio-economic criteria. Using Kappa statistics, a TLU-based 'wealth' distribution is compared to measures of: 1) qualitative wealth; 2) improved-breed TLUs; and 3) diversified wealth. Livestock remain important within this system. Trajectories of diversification and intensification for wealthy versus poor pastoral households emerged. Mixed methods for assessing wealth are necessary to understand livelihood changes and better target development.
La partie agricole d'une grande exploitation rurale d'époque romaine : le gisement des "Hauts de Clauwiers", Seclin (Nord).
Authors: Révillion Stéphane , Bouche Karl , Wozny Luc 
Published: March 2016

Het landbouwgedeelte van een grote boerderij in de Romeinse tijd : "Hauts de Clauwiers", te Seclin (Nord).
Na een opgraving in de site "Hauts de Clauwaert", te Seclin (Nordfrankrijk) kon men de sporen bestuderen van een circelvormige Hallstattbewoning en een aantal rechthoekige houten gebouwen die naar een protohistorische bewoning verwijzen. Tijdens de gallo-romeinse tijd is er eerst een bebouwing in aarde en hout (hutten, opslagruimte en woningen), daarna in steen (woningen en grote gebouwen). Het geheel stond op een uitgegraven terrein en werd van de Iste tot de IVde eeuw bewoond. De plattegrond gelijkt op die van de grote villa's in de pars rustica in Noordgallië. De aanwezigheid van grote graanzolders, die steeds maar zullen uitgebreid worden tot in de IVde eeuw, wijst op de centrale ligging in een productiegebied. Op het einde van de gallo-romeinse période wordt ailes omgebouwd en komt er een opslagplaats (een silotoren) binnen een omheining (grachten en beschermde ingangen), wat wijst op de onzekere toestand van toen. Twe menselijke skeletten opgegraven bij deze toren getuigen wellicht van de bewogen gebeurtenissen voor het verlaten van de site.
Men kon heel wat informatie verwerven over de manier van bouwen in het gallo-romeinse platteland uit de studie van de plattegronden van de opeenvolgende gebouwen. Zo bestond er een zekere overeenkomst tussen de architectuur in aarde en hout en die in steen. Bovendien kan men hier ook de architectuur zelf, het aardewerk, de munten en de archeozoologie bestuderen, in een site die een centrale plaats bekleedde in een microregio met een bepaalde archeologische en geografische inhoud. De nabijheid van verschilende gallo-romeinse lagen laat toe deze nederzetting in het antieke weefsel een plaats te geven. De aanwezigheid van protohistorische bewoning wijst naar een geschiktheid voor menselijke bewoning van de site, een hoogte tussen twee valleien, die zowel strategisch als door de aanwezigheid van natuurlijke hulpbronnen (uitzicht, geomorfologie, hydrografie, fauna, flora) goed geplaatst was.
Pollen limitation is not the rule in nival plants: A study from the European Central Alps
Authors: Wagner Johanna , Lechleitner Martin , Hosp Daniela 
Published: March 2016

PREMISE OF THE STUDY:Seed output of high‐mountain plants in the uppermost life zones is highly variable. One possible reason might be pollen limitation due to inadequate pollinator services.METHODS:We tested this hypothesis for the insect‐pollinated speciesCerastium uniflorum,Ranunculus glacialis, andSaxifraga bryoides, which have their distribution center in the subnival and nival zone of the European Central Alps. We recorded insect visitors and determined their impact as pollinators. By analyzing pollination success and seed set following natural and saturating hand pollination, the magnitude of quantitative and qualitative pollen limitation was assessed.KEY RESULTS:Anthomyiid and muscid flies had the highest pollination impact forR. glacialisandS. bryoidesand syrphids forC. uniflorum. Natural stigma pollen load was highly variable in individual flowers of all species, but in most cases the number of conspecific pollen grains clearly exceeded the number of ovules to be fertilized. There was also a surplus in germinated pollen grains, whereas the pollen tube to ovule ratio was only sufficient inR. glacialis(2.6 on average) andS. bryoides(1.3), but not inC. uniflorum(0.6). Accordingly, seed to ovule ratio was around 0.8 inR. glacialis, 0.7 inS. bryoidesbut 0.4 inC. uniflorum. InC. uniflorum, saturating pollination slightly increased seed set. Regression analyses revealed that natural pollination success was more frequently limited by quality than by quantity.CONCLUSIONS:Our results do not support the idea of chronic, widespread pollen limitation in the subnival but rather fit into the concept of parental optimism by overinvesting in the number of ovules as an adaptation to variable resource availability.
Diverse ecological relations of male gametophyte populations in stylar environments
Authors: Harder Lawrence D. , Aizen Marcelo A. , Richards Shane A. , Joseph Michael A. , Busch Jeremiah W. 
Published: March 2016

PREMISE OF STUDY:Pollen on a stigma represents a local population of male gametophytes vying for access to female gametophytes in the associated ovary. As in most populations, density‐independent and density‐dependent survival depend on intrinsic characteristics of male gametophytes and environmental (pistil) conditions. These characteristics and conditions could differ among flowers, plants, populations, and species, creating diverse male‐gametophyte population dynamics, which can influence seed siring and production.METHODS:For nine species, we characterized the relations of both the mean and standard deviation of pollen‐tube number at the style base to pollen receipt with nonlinear regression. Models represented asymptotic or peaked relations, providing information about the incidence and magnitude of facilitation and competition, the spatial and temporal characteristics of competition, and the intensity and relative timing of density‐independent mortality.KEY RESULTS:We infer that pollen tubes of most species competed sequentially, their tips ceasing growth if earlier tubes had depleted stylar space/resources; although two species experienced simultaneous competition. Tube success of three species revealed positive density dependence (facilitation) at low density. For at least four species, density‐independent mortality preceded competition. Tube success varied mostly within plants, rather than among plants or conspecific populations. Pollen quality influenced tube success for two of three species; affecting density‐independent survival in one and density‐dependent performance in the other.CONCLUSIONS:The diverse relations of pollen‐tube success to pollen receipt evident among just nine species indicate significant contributions of the processes governing pollen germination and tube growth to the reproductive diversity of angiosperms.
FIRST-ORDER PARTICLE ACCELERATION IN MAGNETICALLY DRIVEN FLOWS
Authors: Beresnyak Andrey , Li Hui 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACT
We demonstrate that particles are regularly accelerated while experiencing curvature drift in flows driven by magnetic tension. Some examples of such flows include spontaneous turbulent reconnection and decaying magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, where a magnetic field relaxes to a lower-energy configuration and transfers part of its energy to kinetic motions of the fluid. We show that this energy transfer, which normally causes turbulent cascade and heating of the fluid, also results in a first-order acceleration of non-thermal particles. Since it is generic, this acceleration mechanism is likely to play a role in the production of non-thermal particle distribution in magnetically dominant environments such as the solar chromosphere, pulsar magnetospheres, jets from supermassive black holes, and γ-ray bursts.