bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Chemometric Analysis of Grapes
Authors: Ranđelovic Sasa S. , Kostic Danijela A. , Arsic Biljana B. , Mitic Snezana S. , Rasic Ivana D. , Mitic Milan N. , Dimitrijevic Danica S. , Stojanovic Gordana S. 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Concentrations of several heavy metals in soil,
water and grape samples (variety Plovdina) collected
at five locations at different distances from the road in
Southeast Serbia were determined using the Flame Atomic
Absorption Spectrophotometry. There was a decrease
in analyzed samples with an increase in distance from
the road. A complete absence of several examined, very
harmful heavy metals (Mn, Ni, and Cd) in all analyzed
samples was found. The analysis of grape samples proved
the presence of iron, zinc and copper in concentration
ranges 3.3-19.8, 0.31-0.63, and 3.4-13.6 μg g-1, respectively.
The content of heavy metals in soil, water and grapes
were below allowable limits. Correlation analysis showed
a significant relationship between the concentrations of
metals in soil and grape samples.
Comparing Data Envelopment Analysis and Human Decision Making Unit Rankings: A Survey Approach
Authors: Dimitrov Stanko 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
In this paper we compare the ordinal rankings generated through Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methods to ordinal rankings generated by human decision makers.
Through eliciting the total rank ordering for approximately 100 individuals on all of the four different datasets of Decision Making Units (DMUs), we compare the rankings generated by individuals to those generated by ten DEA methods.
We observe that depending on the characteristics of the dataset one of the DEA methods performs better than the others in matching human decision makers.
Leverage Effect for Volatility with Generalized Laplace Error
Authors: Javed Farrukh , Podgórski Krzysztof 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
We propose a new model that accounts for
the asymmetric response of volatility to positive (`good news') and negative (`bad news') shocks in economic time series – the so-called leverage effect.
In the past, asymmetric powers of errors in the conditionally heteroskedastic models have been used to capture this effect.
Our model is using the gamma difference representation of the generalized Laplace distributions that efficiently models the asymmetry. It has one additional natural parameter, the shape, that is used instead of power in the asymmetric power models to capture the strength of a long-lasting effect of shocks.
Some fundamental properties of the model are provided including the formula for covariances and an explicit form for the conditional distribution of `bad' and `good' news processes given the past – the property that is important for statistical fitting of the model. Relevant features of volatility models are illustrated using S&P 500 historical data.
Integrated petrographic – rock mechanic borecorestudy from the metamorphic basement of thePannonian Basin, Hungary
Authors: Molnár László , Vásárhelyi Balázs , Tóth Tivadar M. , Schubert Félix 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
The integrated evaluation of borecores from theMezősas-Furta fractured metamorphic hydrocarbon reservoirsuggests significantly distinct microstructural androck mechanical features within the analysed fault rocksamples. The statistical evaluation of the clast geometriesrevealed the dominantly cataclastic nature of the samples.Damage zone of the fault can be characterised byan extremely brittle nature and low uniaxial compressivestrength, coupled with a predominately coarse fault brecciacomposition. In contrast, the microstructural mannerof the increasing deformation coupled with higher uniaxialcompressive strength, strain-hardening nature andlow brittleness indicate a transitional interval betweenthe weakly fragmented damage zone and strongly grindedfault core. Moreover, these attributes suggest this unit ismechanically the strongest part of the fault zone. Gougerichcataclasites mark the core zone of the fault, with theirwidespread plastic nature and locally pseudo-ductile microstructure.Strain localization tends to be strongly linkedwith the existence of fault gouge ribbons. The fault zonewith ∼15 m total thickness can be defined as a significantmigration pathway inside the fractured crystalline reservoir.Moreover, as a consequence of the distributed natureof the fault core, it may possibly have a key role in compartmentalisationof the local hydraulic system.
A Surprising Role for the Sch9 Protein Kinase in Chromosome Segregation in Candida albicans
Authors: Varshney Neha , Schaekel Alida , Singha Rima , Chakraborty Tanmoy , van Wijlick Lasse , Ernst Joachim F , Sanyal Kaustuv 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
The AGC kinase Sch9 regulates filamentation in Candida albicans. Here, we show that Sch9 binding is most enriched at the centromeres in C. albicans, but not in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Deletion of CaSch9 leads to a 150- to 750-fold increase in chromosome loss. Thus, we report a previously unknown role of Sch9 in chromosome segregation.
Fixing Solutions: Fascist Temporalities as Remediesfor Liquid Modernity
Authors: Griffin Roger 
Published: January 2015

Fixing Solutions: Fascist Temporalities as Remedies for Liquid Modernity This article explores the peculiar temporalities of fascism that emanate from the myth of the eternity of the nation and race that is perpetuated through superhuman, self-sacrificial efforts on their behalf within historical time. It focuses on the role played by modernity as an agent of the «liquefaction» of reality into a perpetual open-ended flux (experienced as decadence and decline), and the attempt by Fascism and Nazism to fix the contours of historical time and restore its shape and purpose through the power of totalitarian organization, political religion, and the manipulation of palingenetic myth. Members of the fascists’ organic «national community » were thus exhorted both overtly and subliminally to find a personal transcendent meaning and sense of heroic mission through their active participation in the process of national rebirth. The fascist rebellion against the disenchanted temporality of modernity is located within modernist attempts, not only in every sphere of cultural production, but also in experimental forms of socio-political activism and organization, to create a barrier against the rising flood of disenchantment, relativism, and nihilism arising from modernity.
The Imperial Moment in Fascist Cinema
Authors: Ben-Ghiat Ruth 
Published: January 2015

The Imperial Moment in Fascist Cinema This essay looks at how Italian feature and non-fiction cinema on imperial themes engaged with themes of temporality as it asserted Fascism's right to occupy Ethiopia (1936) and, during World War II, Greece as well. For the Fascists, cinema was a means of displaying the colonies as theatres of Italian modernity, rebuking rhetorics of Italian «backwardness». As I argue, the movies made between 1936 and 1943 reflect the belief of many film professionals and Fascist officials that the scale of the Ethiopian invasion, and the stories it generated, could not be adequately communicated by traditional means of representation; only the movie camera could adequately capture the dense and mobile Fascist present. I analyse Roberto Rossellini's 1942 aviation drama, Un pilota ritorna / A Pilot Returns, as the apex of this form of temporal and cinematographic thinking, but also as a film that presaged the undoing of Fascism's empire and its cult of Italian modernity.
Tight Glycemic Control and Use of Hypoglycemic Medications in Older Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes and Comorbid Dementia
Authors: Thorpe Carolyn T. , Gellad Walid F. , Good Chester B. , Zhang Sijian , Zhao Xinhua , Mor Maria , Fine Michael J. 
Published: January 2015

OBJECTIVE
Older adults with diabetes and dementia are at increased risk for hypoglycemia and other adverse events associated with tight glycemic control and are unlikely to experience long-term benefits. We examined risk factors for tight glycemic control in this population and use of medications associated with a high risk of hypoglycemia in the subset with tight control.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
This retrospective cohort study of national Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative/clinical data and Medicare claims for fiscal years (FYs) 2008–2009 included 15,880 veterans aged ≥65 years with type 2 diabetes and dementia and prescribed antidiabetic medication. Multivariable regression analyses were used to identify sociodemographic and clinical predictors of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) control (tight, moderate, poor, or not monitored) and, in patients with tight control, subsequent use of medication associated with a high risk of hypoglycemia (sulfonylureas, insulin).

RESULTS
Fifty-two percent of patients had tight glycemic control (HbA1c &lt;7% [53 mmol/mol]). Specific comorbidities, older age, and recent weight loss were associated with greater odds of tight versus moderate control, whereas Hispanic ethnicity and obesity were associated with lower odds of tight control. Among tightly controlled patients, 75% used sulfonylureas and/or insulin, with higher odds in patients who were male, black, or aged ≥75 years; had a hospital or nursing home stay in FY2008; or had congestive heart failure, renal failure, or peripheral vascular disease.

CONCLUSIONS
Many older veterans with diabetes and dementia are at high risk for hypoglycemia associated with intense diabetes treatment and may be candidates for deintensification or alteration of diabetes medications.
Lipoprotein Particles and Incident Type 2 Diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Authors: Mackey Rachel H. , Mora Samia , Bertoni Alain G. , Wassel Christina L. , Carnethon Mercedes R. , Sibley Christopher T. , Goff David C. 
Published: January 2015

OBJECTIVE
In the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), we evaluated associations of baseline levels of a lipoprotein-based insulin resistance (IR) index (LP-IR), IR-related lipoprotein particles, mean particle sizes, and lipids, with incident type 2 diabetes, independent of confounders, glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Among 5,314 adults aged 45–84 years without baseline diabetes or cardiovascular disease, 656 cases of diabetes were identified during a mean follow-up of 7.7 years. Lipoprotein particle concentrations, size, and LP-IR were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of stored baseline plasma. Potential effect modification, by race/ethnicity, sex, baseline use of lipid-lowering medications or hormone therapy, or glucose strata (&lt;90, 90–99, and ≥100 mg/dL), was also evaluated.

RESULTS
Higher levels of LP-IR, large VLDL particles (VLDL-P), small LDL particles, triglycerides (TG), and TG–to–HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio and lower levels of large HDL particles, smaller HDL and LDL size, and larger VLDL size were significantly associated with incident diabetes adjusted for confounders and glucose or insulin. These also were similar by race/ethnicity, sex, and treatment group. Associations were similar for LP-IR, large VLDL-P, mean VLDL size, TG, and TG–to–HDL-C ratio; they persisted for LP-IR, large VLDL-P, or mean VLDL size adjusted for HOMA-IR or TG–to–HDL-C ratio and glucose but not for the TG–to–HDL-C ratio adjusted for LP-IR or for HOMA-IR or insulin if adjusted for LP-IR and glucose.

CONCLUSIONS
Among ethnically diverse men and women, LP-IR, large VLDL-P, large VLDL size, TG, and TG–to–HDL-C ratio were associated with incident diabetes independent of established risk factors, glucose, insulin, or HOMA-IR, as well as the use of lipid-lowering medications or hormone therapy.
Effects of Physical Activity and Exercise Training on Cardiovascular Risk in Coronary Artery Disease Patients With and Without Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Karjalainen Jaana J. , Kiviniemi Antti M. , Hautala Arto J. , Piira Olli-Pekka , Lepojärvi E. Samuli , Perkiömäki Juha S. , Junttila M. Juhani , Huikuri Heikki V. , Tulppo Mikko P. 
Published: January 2015

OBJECTIVE
Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and exercise training are essential parts of current guidelines for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the contributions of LTPA and exercise training to cardiovascular (CV) risk in CAD patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are not well established.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We examined the effects of LTPA (n = 539 and n = 507; with and without T2D, respectively) and 2-year controlled, home-based exercise training (n = 63 plus 64 control subjects with T2D and n = 72 plus 68 control subjects without T2D) on the CV risk profile and composite end point among CAD patients.

RESULTS
During the 2-year follow-up, patients with reduced LTPA at baseline had an increased risk of CV events (adjusted hazard ratio 2.3 [95% CI 1.1–5.1; P = 0.033], 2.1 [1.1–4.2; P = 0.027], and 2.0 [1.0–3.9; P = 0.044] for no LTPA, LTPA irregularly, and LTPA two to three times weekly, respectively) compared with those with LTPA more than three times weekly. Among patients who completed the 2-year exercise intervention, exercise training resulted in favorable changes in exercise capacity both in CAD patients with T2D (+0.2 ± 0.8 vs. −0.1 ± 0.8 MET, P = 0.030) and without T2D (+0.3 ± 0.7 vs. −0.1 ± 0.5 MET, P = 0.002) as compared with the control group but did not have any significant effects on major metabolic or autonomic nervous system risk factors in CAD patients with or without T2D.

CONCLUSIONS
There is an inverse association between habitual LTPA and short-term CV outcome, but controlled, home-based exercise training has only minor effects on the CV risk profile in CAD patients with T2D.
Alkaline disinfection of urban wastewater and landfill leachate by wood fly ash
Authors: Ivanković Tomislav , Hrenović Jasna , Itskos Grigorios , Koukouzas Nikolaos , Kovačević Davor , Milenković Jelena 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Wood fly ash is an industrial by-product of the combustion of different wood materials and is mostly disposed of as waste on landfills. In our preliminary experiments, wood ash exhibited antibacterial activity against urban wastewater bacteria and we focused on wood fly ash as a potential substrate for wastewater disinfection. The addition of ash at a concentration of 10 g L-1 (1 %) caused an instant increase of pH in urban wastewater and landfill leachate. High pH (10.1-12.7) inactivated bacterial populations in the wastewater and the removal of faecal coliforms and intestinal enterococci after 6 h of contact was 100 % (below the detection limit; <1 CFU per mL) with the most efficient ash sample (ash from combustion of beech) both in urban wastewater and landfill leachate. Properly chosen wood fly ash, i.e. one that tends to increase the pH to the greatest extent, proved to be a very effective disinfection substrate. Considering that water treated with wood ash has a high pH and needs to be neutralised before discharge, ash would be suitable for disinfection of leachates when smaller volumes are treated
Pericardial effusion as the first manifestation of occupational tuberculosis in a health care worker
Authors: Flego Veljko , Lender Dubravka Matanić , Bulat-Kardum Ljiljana 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease and, apart from protecting patients, attention must be given to protecting the persons who come in contact with them, especially nurses and medical practitioners. A 43-yearold immunocompetent male nurse developed occupationally disseminated TB after contact with patients affected by active TB (culture positive) while working in a psychiatric hospital. The first manifestation of the disease was exudative pericarditis with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) confirmed two months after pericardiocentesis and evacuation of 1200 mL of pericardial effusion. Many lymph nodes showed histologic findings of granulomatous inflammation with necrosis. Treatment with antituberculosis drugs caused complications, including transient short-term medication-induced toxic hepatitis, prolonged fever, left pleural nonspecific effusion, and mononeuritis of the right peroneus nerve. The treatment lasted 14 months and led to permanent consequences, including fibrothorax with restrictive ventilation disorders and reduced diffusion of the alveolar-capillary membrane. This case highlights the need to improve the protection of health care workers who are in contact with TB patients, as well as the usefulness of the tuberculin skin test and QuantiFERON-TB test, which can be used to identify early latent TB
Sex-, tissue-, and exposure duration-dependent effects of imidacloprid modulated by piperonyl butoxide and menadione in rats. Part I: oxidative and neurotoxic potentials
Authors: Yardimci Mustafa , Sevgiler Yusuf , Rencuzogullari Eyyup , Arslan Mehmet , Buyukleyla Mehmet , Yilmaz Mehmet 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Earlier research has evidenced the oxidative and neurotoxic potential of imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, in different animal species. The primary aim of this study was to determine how metabolic modulators piperonyl butoxide and menadione affect imidacloprid’s adverse action in the liver and kidney of Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes. The animals were exposed to imidacloprid alone (170 mg kg-1) or in combination with piperonyl butoxide (100 mg kg-1) or menadione (25 mg kg-1) for 12 and 24 h. Their liver and kidney homogenates were analysed spectrophotometrically for glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, catalase, total cholinesterase specific activities, total glutathione, total protein content, and lipid peroxidation levels. Imidacloprid displayed its prooxidative and neurotoxic effects predominantly in the kidney of male rats after 24 h of exposure. Our findings suggest that the observed differences in prooxidative and neurotoxic potential of imidacloprid could be related to differences in its metabolism between the sexes. Co-exposure (90-min pre-treatment) with piperonyl butoxide or menadione revealed tissue-specific effect of imidacloprid on total cholinesterase activity. Increased cholinesterase activity in the kidney could be an adaptive response to imidacloprid-induced oxidative stress. In the male rat liver, co-exposure with piperonyl butoxide or menadione exacerbated imidacloprid toxicity. In female rats, imidacloprid+menadione co-exposure caused prooxidative effects, while no such effects were observed with imidacloprid alone or menadione alone. In conclusion, sex-, tissue-, and duration-specific effects of imidacloprid are remarkable points in its toxicity
Cathelicidin – Its Structure, Function and the Role in Autoimmune Diseases
Authors: Polcyn-Adamczak Magdalena , Niemir Zofia I. 
Published: January 2015

Summary
Antimicrobial peptides are widely distributed in nature, and they are found in both Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes. Due to their characteristics, structure, functions and mode of action, they are divided into several groups. The only member of this family occurring in humans is cathelicidin - LL-37. It is produced as an inactive hCAP18 propeptide. The propeptide’s C-terminal fragment becomes a mature peptide subsequently to its enzymatic cleavage. LL-37 contains 37-amino acid residues, folds into α-helical structure and has amphipathic properties. Cathelicidin mechanism of action consists in the binding of LL-37 to the bacterial phospholipid membrane until a threshold concentration is reached, followed by the cytoplasm disintegration and leakage, and, finally, cell death. The peptide is expressed in several cells, for instance in the epithelial cells of testis, keratinocytes in the skin, leukocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, as well as T, B, and NK cells. Cathelicidin is a multifunctional molecule. It can serve as a mediator in inflammatory processes and/or as a natural antibiotic against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, viruses, and fungi. It is chemotactic for mononuclear cells, neutrophils, eosinophils, mast cells and T lymphocytes. LL-37 induces expression of chemokines, neutralises endotoxins, stimulates angiogenesis and apoptosis, as well as it boosts wound healing. Recent data have revealed an important role of LL-37 in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus due to an impaired degradation of components in the neutrophil extracellular traps
DTA and DSC study on the effect of mechanical dispersion on poly(tetrafluorethylene) properties
Authors: Dumitraşa Mihai 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Poly(tetrafluorethylene) particles were obtained by mechanical processing of the formed polymer (Teflon bar). In order to assess the effect of mechanical wear on polymer properties, their melting and crystallization behaviour was investigated by DSC and DTA, and the results were compared to the ones obtained for the native polymer. An increase of the crystallinity degree and an accentuated decrease of the average molecular weight were found for the samples submitted to mechanical wear, as a result of mechanical degradation of the polymer
Polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan/montmorillonite nanocomposites preparation by freeze/thaw cycles and characterization
Authors: Părpăriţă Elena , Cheaburu Cătălina N. , Pațachia Silvia Florica , Vasile Cornelia 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan (CS) based hydrogels are often chosen to obtain hydrogels as being considered non-toxic for human body. The present study aims the preparation and physical chemical characterisation of hydrogels based PVA and CS by using an environmental friendly method i.e. freeze/thaw. In this method the only parameters affecting the hydrogels’ properties is the PVA concentration in solution, time and number of cycles of freezing / thawing. Repeated freezing and thawing cycles resulted in production of a highly elastic polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel with higher degree of crystallization. Adding chitosan in polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel is giving to the newly formed material, biocompatibility and antibacterial properties due to the free amino groups of chitosan. Higher mechanical and thermal characteristics of PVA/CS based hydrogels were obtained by addition of a small amount of inorganic nanoparticles (montmorillonite clay, C30B) into the matrix (i.e. 1%). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), near-infrared chemical imaging spectroscopy (NI-CI), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), swelling and rheological measurements were used to characterize the polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan/montmorillonite properties. The swelling degree increased with decreasing chitosan content in hydrogels and the variation is opposite in nanocomposites, decreasing after introducing the nanoclay. The swelling behaviour was influenced by the presence of the nanoparticles. The plasticizer effect of the nanoparticles was reflected by obtaining a more compact hydrogel network with higher mechanical and thermal properties. The proposed materials can be a promising alternative in biomedical applications
Non-parametric kinetic analysis of thermogravimetric data for the thermal degradation of poly(tetrafluorethylene)
Authors: Dumitraşa Mihai 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Thermal degradation of Teflon was investigated by thermoanalytical methods (TG and DTA). In the kinetic analysis of the experimental data, the NPK method proves to be a valuable tool, allowing for some new kinetic aspects of the degradation process to be obtained. Analysis of the computed isothermal and isoconversional vectors provided some insight into the reaction kinetics. Two different initiation pathways were suggested to control the global degradation kinetics, their relative contribution being temperature-dependant