bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D – challenges in diagnosing and monitoring of hypovitaminosis D / Vitamin D – izazovi u dijagnozi i praćenju hipovitaminoze D
Authors: Vogeser Michael , Seger Christoph 
Published: April 2013

Summary
During recent years, it has been recognized that sub-optimum vitamin D-status, often defined as decrease of PTH concentrations in response to supplementation of vitamin D, is a very widespread finding with potential health effects on a population level. As a consequence, there is a con tinuously increasing interest in the laboratory-based asses sment of the vitamin D status, with 25-hydroxyvitamin D as the most widely used analyte. However, there is a number of challenges in the characterization of the individual vitamin D status that are addressed in this article; they in clu - de analytical issues of 25-hydroxyvitamin D measurement; interpretation of results; development of guidelines for ratio - nal indication for laboratory testing; and evaluation of the role of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the context of complementary markers of the vitamin D status.
Plant Communities with Yellow Oat Grass (Trisetum Flavescens (L.) Pb.) In The Submontane And Montane Regions Of Slovenia
Authors: Tina Petras Sackl , Mitja Kaligarič , Danijel Ivajnšič , Sonja Škornik 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
In the present study, we investigated plant communities with Yellow Oat Grass (Trisetum flavescens (L.) Pb.) in the submontane and montane regions of Slovenia. In 2005-2007 ninety-one relevés were collected by using the standard procedure of the Braun-Blanquet approach. Relevés were analysed with multivariate analysis and classified within two associations: Astrantio-Trisetetum (Polygono-Trisetion) and the Pastinaco-Arrhenatheretum (Arrhenatherion). Management practices, soil conditions and altitude were found to be significant factors for a further subdivision of both associations. Within the Astrantio-Trisetetum association three subassociations could be distinguished: -typicum, -buphthalmetosum and -trollietosum, and subassociations -typicum, -medicagetosumlupulinae, as well as -lolietosum subass. nova in the Pastinaco-Arrhenatheretum. The floristic composition and ecological characteristics of these plant communities are described and their implications for grassland conservation in Slovenia are discussed.
Role of Body Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis in the Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Bodnieks Edgars , Puķītis Aldis , Pokrotnieks Juris 
Published: April 2013

Abstract

Nutrition has an important role in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and
metabolic syndrome (MS). The goal of this study was to assess the nutritive status of patients
treated with IBD and metabolic syndrome in the Gastroenterology Centre, Pauls Stradiòð Clinical
University Hospital. Body bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) using GENIUS 220 PLUS
(Jawon Medical) was used to determine Body Mass Index (BMI) kg/m², Metabolic Body Fat (MBF)
kg, Soft Lean Mass (SLM) kg, Total Body Water (TBW) kg, body composition, metabolic type,
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) kcal, and total Energy Expenditure (TEE) kcal in patients with IBD
and metabolic syndrome and in a similarly aged control group. The obtained data showed that
BMI was not correlated with MBF, BTW and Lean Body Mass (LBM). Patients with Crohn’s disease
(CD) had normal value of BMI (M 24.3 kg/m²; F 20.2kg/m²), but we found variety-specific differences
in body composition that confirmed deficiency or increase of specific body parameters.
The performed prospective study confirmed the importance of the more precise nutritional status
analysis, as it was clinically useful for the nutritional management of IBD. Patients with CD had
expressed nutrient deficiency, sarcopenia, and reduced amount of proteins and minerals. For patients
with MS, sarcopenia was present despite obesity.
Morphometrics of Cerrado Birds from the Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca (Ne Paraguay)
Authors: Smith Paul , Onley Derek , Northcote-Smith Emma , Atkinson Karina 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Smith P., Onley D., Northcote-Smith E, Atkinson K. 2012. Morphometrics of cerrado birds
from the Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca (NE Paraguay). Ring 34: 51-67.
Morphometric data are provided for 204 individuals of 61 species from the Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca in Departamento San Pedro in north-eastern Paraguay. Measurements were taken according to Svensson (1984). Data for 2 cerrado endemic species, 2 species of global conservation concern and 5 species of national conservation concern are presented. These are the first published biometric data for birds of the Paraguayan cerrado.
Transforming the Classroom into a Reflective Community: A Blended Learning Instructional Approach
Authors: Dovros Nikolaos , Makrakis Vassilios 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Critical and reflective thinking is acknowledged as one of the key skills within education for sustainable development whereas sustainable development requires a shift in the mental models which frame our thinking and inform our decisions and actions. This paper describes the implementation of a blended learning lesson unit which aimed at activating pupils’ reflective thinking in order to negotiate the controversial topic of genetically modified food (GMF). It describes a small case study that was implemented in a semi-rural school in Chania, Crete, with the participation of 23 pupils from Form 6. Specific changes in the pedagogical practices were adopted, pertaining to content, time and space conventions and the use of online learning activities. The instructional design incorporated a five-stage instructional session, which started by the introduction of a problematic situation, continued with the infusion of cognitive dissonance procedures and ended with a reflective evaluation activity. The pupils’ stances towards the open learning procedure and the integration of online activities were positive, while certain changes in their beliefs about the issue of GMF were observed, due to the design of the learning approach.
An Integrated Approach to Conventionality and Its Implications for the Semantics of Emotion Terms
Authors: Strugielska Ariadna 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
The aim of this article is to demonstrate that an integrated methodology can shed a new light on the understanding of notions inherent in contemporary conceptual approaches to linguistic analysis. One of the key ideas around which the cognitive paradigm is built is conventionality. It is assumed, however, that various strands of the cognitive enterprise view conventionality in dissimilar ways. Consequently, by extrapolating diverse interpretations of the notion, we are going to argue that certain conceptual approaches are more cognitive than others. As a result, it will be argued that a conceptual metaphor methodology, an apparently dominant approach to the semantics of emotion terms, is too coarse-grained to account for the richness of cognitive processes observable in real data. Providing a corpus-assisted verification of selected instantiations of the attributive construction, we are going to argue that a conceptual metaphor approach cannot be successfully applied within a usage-based model.
A Testimonie’S Stance: Editorial Positioning in Ælfric’S Sermo in die Pascae
Authors: Mele-Marrero Margarita 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Being one of the first texts to reproduce in printed form the Anglo-Saxon characters, A Testimonie of Antiquity, basically an edition of Ælfric’s “Sermo in Die Pascae”, has been the object of philological studies. Its subject matter related to the Anglican reform has also been analysed from a religious perspective. This article intends to focus on a different aspect, the reason for the text’s success evidenced in its several reproductions and content discussions, which have reached the 20th century. We claim the main credit for this success is to be given to its editors and, therefore, a pragmatic analysis concentrating on stance and engagement (Hyland 2005, 2009) is an adequate study frame. The conclusions will reveal how although there are quantifiable markers that facilitated the positive reception of the text, there were other elements (closer to modern writing implements) the authors utilized to achieve their final objective.
Measures: continuity, measurability, duality, extension
Authors: Frič Roman 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
We discuss some basic ideas and survey some fundamental constructions related to measure (a real-valued map the domain of which is a set of measurable objects carrying a suitable structure and the map partially preserves the structure): continuity, measurability, duality, extension. We show that in the category ID of difference posets of fuzzy sets and sequentially continuous difference-homomorphisms these constructions are intrinsic. Further, basic notions of the probability theory have natural generalizations within ID.
Functional differential equations and one-dimensional distortionless propagation
Authors: Rǎsvan Vladimir 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
One-dimensional propagation phenomena of physics and technology are described by boundary value problems for hyperbolic partial differential equations in one space dimension. Since the paper of J. Bernoulli published in 1728, functional equations are usually associated with such problems, the best known in the last decades being the neutral differential equations with deviated arguments. The distortionless propagation corresponds to the case of the equations with pointwise (lumped) time delays. The present paper will consider some applications of these equations in nuclear and power engineering, engineering mechanics, hydraulics. The basic model validation steps (basic theory, invariant sets, inherent stability) are discussed.
Kurzweil-Henstock type integral in fourier analysis on compact zero-dimensional group
Authors: Skvortsov Valentin , Tulone Francesco 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
A Kurzweil-Henstock type integral defined on a zero-dimensional compact abelian group is studied and used to obtain a generalization of some results related to the problem of recovering, by generalized Fourier formulae, the coefficients of convergent series with respect to the characters of such a group.
Generalized Egoroff’s theorem
Authors: Repický Miroslav 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
This note is closely related to the paper [R. Pinciroli: On theindependence of a generalized statement of Egoroff’s theorem from ZFC afterT. Weiss, Real Anal. Exchange 32 (2006-2007), 225-232] and it presents slight improvements of its results. Theorem 1.13 shows a connection with Galois-Tukey embeddings; Corollary 1.14 presents another inequality which is dual to the previously known one; Corollary 3.5 shows that there is no distinction between positive outer measure and full outer measure in the given context; and Corollary 4.3 unifies the known counterexamples.
Cryptographic aspects of real hyperelliptic curves
Authors: Jacobson Michael J. , Scheidler Renate , Stein Andreas 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
In this paper, we give an overview of cryptographic applications using real hyperelliptic curves. We review previously proposed cryptographic protocols and discuss the infrastructure of a real hyperelliptic curve, the mathematical structure underlying all these protocols. We then describe recent improvements to infrastructure arithmetic, including explicit formulas for divisor arithmetic in genus 2, and advances in solving the infrastructure discrete logarithm problem, whose presumed intractability is the basis of security for the related cryptographic protocols.
Measures and idempotents in the non-commutative situation
Authors: Börger Reinhard 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT
We investigate measures on sequential orthomodular posets with values in a vector space or a (not necessarily commutative) algebra with reasonable sequential topologies, using a universal property. Unfortunately, the universal measure and the universal multiplicative measure need not coincide any more as in the commutative situation. This may have applications in quantum physics.
Weakly ordered partial commutative group of self-adjoint linear operators densely defined on Hilbert space
Authors: Janda Jiří 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT
We continue in a direction of describing an algebraic structure of linear operators on infinite-dimensional complex Hilbert space ℋ. In [Paseka, J.- -Janda, J.: More on PT-symmetry in (generalized) effect algebras and partial groups, Acta Polytech. 51 (2011), 65-72] there is introduced the notion of a weakly ordered partial commutative group and showed that linear operators on H with restricted addition possess this structure. In our work, we are investigating the set of self-adjoint linear operators on H showing that with more restricted addition it also has the structure of a weakly ordered partial commutative group.
On exact inference in linear models with two variance-covariance components
Authors: Volaufová Júlia , Witkovský Viktor 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT
Linear models with variance-covariance components are used in a wide variety of applications. In most situations it is possible to partition the response vector into a set of independent subvectors, such as in longitudinal models where the response is observed repeatedly on a set of sampling units (see, e.g., Laird & Ware 1982). Often the objective of inference is either a test of linear hypotheses about the mean or both, the mean and the variance components. Confidence intervals for parameters of interest can be constructed as an alter- native to a test. These questions have kept many statisticians busy for several decades. Even under the assumption that the response can be modeled by a multivariate normal distribution, it is not clear what test to recommend except in a few settings such as balanced or orthogonal designs. Here we investigate statistical properties, such as accuracy of p-values and powers of exact (Crainiceanu & Ruppert 2004) tests and compare with properties of approximate asymptotic tests. Simultaneous exact confidence regions for variance components and mean parameters are constructed as well.
Contradiction Immunity and Guess-Then-Determine Attacks on Gost
Authors: Courtois Nicolas T. , Gawinecki Jerzy A. , Song Guangyan 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT
GOST is a well-known government standard cipher. Since 2011 several academic attacks on GOST have been found. Most of these attacks start by a so called “Complexity Reduction” step [Courtois Cryptologia 2012] the purpose of which is to reduce the problem of breaking the full 32-round GOST to a low-data complexity attack on a reduced-round GOST. These reductions can be viewed as optimisation problems which seek to maximize the number of values inside the cipher determined at given “cost” in terms of guessing other values. In this paper we look at similar combinatorial optimisation questions BUT at the lower level, inside reduced round versions of GOST.
We introduce a key fundamental notion of Contradiction Immunity of a block cipher. A low value translates to working software attacks on GOST with a SAT solver. A high value will be mandatory for any block cipher to be secure. We provide some upper bounds for the Contradiction Immunity of GOST.
An Lwe-Based Key Transfer Protocol with Anonymity
Authors: Georgescu Adela 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT
We introduce a new cryptographic protocol based on the wellknown LearningWith Errors (LWE) problem: a group key transfer protocol which achieves anonymity of the members against each others. This issue is almost absent in the key transfer protocols from the literature but we argue it is a practical property. We motivate our construction by a practical need. We use two essential cryptographic primitives built from LWE: LWE Diffie-Hellman key exchange derived from Regev’s work [Regev, O.: On lattices, learning with errors, random linear codes, and cryptography, in: Proc. of the 37th Annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing-STOC ’05 (H. N. Gabow and R. Fagin, eds.), Baltimore, MD, USA, 2005, ACM, New York, 2005, pp. 84-93] and a public key cryptosystem secure under the LWE hardness. We provide a security definition for anonymous key transfer protocol and we achieve anonymity against IND-CPA adversaries.
Reliability and cross-cultural validity of the Bulgarian version of IRES-3
Authors: Bakova Desislava R. , Mateva Nonka G. 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Introduction: The IRES -3 questionnaire (Indicators of rehabilitation status, version 3) was developed to evaluate the rehabilitation effect in patients with psychosomatic, cardiac, orthopedic, oncologic, neurologic, gastroenterological and other disorders. Aim: The aim of the present study was to validate the Bulgarian version of IRES-3 and assess its reliability and internal consistency.
Materials and methods: Validation of the IRES-3 questionnaire was carried out at the Specialized Rehabilitation Hospital, the National Complex PLtd, the Hisar branch. The study included 46 patients: 14 males (30.43%) and 32 females (69.57%). Patients’ age ranged between 43 and 75 years (mean age 63.52 ± 1.27). All participants got preliminary instructions and after that, within a period of one week, they completed the questionnaire two times. To evaluate IRES-3 reliability we used the split-half-reliability model and calculated the Spearman-Brown coefficients (rsb) for each of the scales. Internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. We used the mean value of the inter-item correlation coefficients as well.
Results: The high values of rsb and Cronbach’s coefficient alpha as well as the low values of the inter-item correlation coefficient which were obtained in our study demonstrate that the questionnaire under investigation is of high reliability and internal consistency. Our results are very similar to the results of the original German questionnaire which have been reported in literature.
Conclusion: The Bulgarian version of the IRES-3 questionnaire shows high reliability and cross-cultural validity and can be applied widely for evaluation of the effect of rehabilitation.
Prognostic significance of intraoperative pth test for the development of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcaemia
Authors: Ali Metin M. 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT
The high incidence of postoperative hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy and the significant morbidity associated with it can account for the sustained efforts to find reliable, affordable markers for the prognosis of this condition. Therefore, a lot of attention has been paid recently to the perioperative measurement of the parathyroid hormone (PTH) as an immediate indicator showing the parathyroid glands functional status. There are a lot of studies in the relevant literature demonstrating that PTH is a highly sensitive marker, with high specificity to predict development of postoperative hypocalcemia. Recent studies analyze in-depth not only the absolute values of PTH, but also the dynamics of its levels during surgery. The number and timing of sampling for testing is a matter of discussion. Importance is attached also to the hormone testing methods. Research results determine intraoperative PTH (IOPTH) as a valuable additional test for early risk assessment of hypocalcaemia allowing prevention and timely treatment of patients at risk. Early identifi cation of risk groups of patients creates a real opportunity to reduce the incidence of this complication by autotransplantation of parathyroid glands. Despite the encouraging results the predictive accuracy of this indicator is not 100%, which requires careful result interpretation. The fi ndings of researchers are not uniform, probably due to differences in study design, the methods used in PTH testing, and the accepted reference range of serum calcium. This impedes comparison of data and highlights the need for similar analyzes in each specialized center.
Non-pharmacological methods in the treatment of resistant hypertension
Authors: Kichukov Kostadin N. , Dimitrov Hristo V. , Nikolova Lora K. , Petrov Ivo S. , Tokmakova Maria P. 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Arterial hypertension is the most common chronic cardiovascular disease affecting about 25% of the adult population. Meta-analyses have demonstrated a linear relationship between blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular events. Resistant hypertension defined as failure to reach blood pressure targets despite treatment with three antihypertensive drugs including a diuretic represents a serious clinical problem. It has been estimated that it affects between 8.9% and 12.8% of all treated hypertensive subjects. In resistant hypertension the optimal blood pressure is illusive despite very well tailored therapy.
OBJECTIVE: Management of resistant hypertension is exactly the fi eld where blood pressurecontrolling non-pharmacological methods fi t best. The present article aims at throwing light on these methods’ principles of action, on who the target patient groups are and the respective results. Two methods are especially reviewed here: the carotid barorefl ex stimulation and the transcatheter renal sympathetic denervation. Current results from the use of renal denervation suggest stable effi ciency of the method, the results becoming signifi cant 6 months after the procedure is applied and sustained for two years in the follow-up. As much as 90% of the treated patients respond to the procedure. The transcatheter renal denervation is associated with only 2.61% of procedural complications. The barorefl ex carotid stimulation, too, is known to produce a stable effect on blood pressure: the effect become obvious at 12 months in 88% of the treated subjects. The neurologic complications associated with the procedure are reported to occur in 4.4% of cases.
CONCLUSION: The present review article clearly demonstrates that non-pharmacological methods for treatment of resistant hypertension show great promise despite some open questions concerning their long term effects and procedural safety.
Effect of selective beta-blockade with bisoprolol in the treatment of recent-onset atrial fibrillation
Authors: Negreva Maria N. , Penev Atanas P. 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT
The incidence of atrial fibrillation has been rapidly increasing in recent years. The increased tonus of the sympathetic nervous system is related to the development of atrial fibrillation.
OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of bisoprolol, a highly selective beta-blocker, on patients with recent-onset atrial fibrillation (< 48 hours) for regularization of the rhythm using propafenone.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study includes 164 patients (81 women, 83 men, age 59.09 ± 10.81) with successfully restored sinus rhythm in recent-onset atrial fibrillation. The patients received either propafenone (group A, n = 82) or a combination of propafenone and bisoprolol (group B, n = 82). The studied patients were randomly allocated to the groups. Propafenone was administered intravenously as a 2 mg/kg bolus followed by infusion of 0.0078 mg/kg/min for 120 min and orally in dosage of 300 mg three times every 8 hours if arrhythmia persisted. Bisoprolol was administered in a single dose at the very beginning of propafenone treatment and only in patients from group B at a dose of 5 or 10 mg. Regularization of the rhythm was assessed at the 3rd, 6th, 12th and 24th hour.
RESULTS: In the initial stages of regularization the combined therapy restored the sinus rhythm in a greater number of patients in comparison with the monotherapy (at the 6th hour 67.07% in group B versus 48.78% in group A, P < 0.05; at the 12th hour it was 87.80% versus 75.60%, respectively, P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Early regularization of rhythm in patients with recent-onset atrial fibrillation reduces the likelihood of recurrent episodes of arrhythmia. This makes the application of selective beta-blockade clinically significant.