bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Etiologic and epidemiologic study of hepatocellular carcinoma in West Azarbaijan of Iran (2006-2011)
Authors: Valizadeh Nasim , Mehdioghli Rahim , Behroozian Ramin 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Epidemiologic and etiologic studies help in the prevention of disease and improve surveillance of affected patients. The aim of this study was to study the etiology and epidemiology of HCC in West Azarbaijan of Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional, retrospective study, medical records of 60 patients with HCC who were diagnosed between 2006 and 2011 in West Azarbaijan of Iran were analyzed for age, sex, location, presence of liver cirrhosis and/or well-known risk factors of HCC. Data were analyzed by SPSS 17 software. Results: From 60 patients with HCC, 75% were male and 25% were female. Mean age of the patients was 63.47 years. 51.66% were from rural areas and 48.33% were from urban areas. 43.33% of HCC patients were cirrhotic while 56.66% patients were non-cirrhotic. Of the 26 cirrhotic patients, 57.69% were seropositive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), 15.38% not only had history of excess alcohol intake but were also HBsAg positive, 3.84% had history of alcoholism, 3.84% had history of Wilson disease and the rest (19.24%) had cryptogenic cirrhosis. Of the 34 non-cirrhotic patients, 35.29% were positive for HBsAg. None of the 60 patients with HCC had positive serology for hepatitis C virus (HCV) or history of hepatitis C infection. Conclusion: In our study, most of the patients (>50%) with HCC did not have underlying liver cirrhosis. In the cirrhotic patients, hepatitis B infection was the most common predisposing factor, followed by hepatitis B infection concomitant with alcoholism, alcoholism alone and Wilson disease. In the remaining cirrhotic patients, we could not find any predisposing factor for cirrhosis. Infection with HCV was not found in our studied group. We concluded that etiology of HCC in our province is different from that in the western countries.
Cerebral aspergillus infection in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia induction therapy
Authors: Prakash Gaurav , Thulkar Sanjay , Arava Sudheer Kumar , Bakhshi Sameer 
Published: February 2013

AbstractAngioinvasive pulmonary infection from filamentous fungi is not an uncommon occurrence in immunocompromised patients like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Rarely, these lesions can spread via the hematogenous route and involve multiple visceral organs. We report a case of a 14-year-old boy with ALL who developed angioinvasive pulmonary aspergillosis early in the course of induction therapy, which was followed by hematogenous dissemination and formation of multiple brain abscesses. The patient was treated with intravenous amphotericin B. There was no response to the therapy and the patient succumbed to disseminated infection. Postmortem lung biopsy confirmed angioinvasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Poor penetration of amphotericin B across the blood-brain barrier could be one of the contributory factors for poor response to antifungal therapy. We discuss the various antifungal agents with respect to their penetration in brain.
The Granular Nature of the Great Export Collapse in German Manufacturing Industries, 2008/2009
Authors: Wagner Joachim 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThis paper uses comprehensive high-quality panel data from official statistics for exporting enterprises to investigate the micro-structure of the recent export collapse in manufacturing industries in Germany during the crisis of 2008/2009. Almost all of the decline in exports was due to negative changes of exports in firms that continue to export (i.e. at the so-called intensive margin) while the decrease of exports due to export stoppers (at the so-called extensive margin) was tiny. It is shown that idiosyncratic shocks to very large firms played a decisive role in shaping the export collapse.
The Story of Colonialism, or Rethinking the Ox-Hide Purchase in Native North America and Beyond
Authors: Jackson Jason Baird 
Published: February 2013

AbstractIn this paper I offer a comparative assessment of the ox-hide purchase narrative (tale type AT 2400, ATU 927C*; Motif K185.1) in Native North America. Drawing on my own fieldwork and the beginnings of a historic-geographic treatment, I consider the story from the perspective of work on historical consciousness in Native North America and treat it as an opportunity to establish a link between folkloristics and other fields concerned with interpreting the legacies of colonialism.
Developing a Strategy for Student Retention
Authors: Tomkinson Bland , Warner Rosemary , Renfrew Alasdair 
Published: February 2013

Attracting and retaining high-calibre students in science and engineering is becoming more difficult. At the same time, we are urged by the UK Government to recruit from a wider pool. This has necessitated a review of how we go about recruiting and retaining our students. This paper sets out some of our underpinning ideas. Student retention needs can be focussed on a number of stages. First, school-level motivation, starting at secondary, and probably even primary school level. Second, recruitment of students of the appropriate calibre, motivation and experience. Third, student induction, including an overview of subject and programme. Fourth, ongoing student support.
A New Low-Cost DSP Educational Tool for a Laboratory for Motor Control
Authors: Montesinos-Miracle Daniel , Galceran-Arellano Samuel , Sudrià-Andreu Antoni , Gomis-Bellmunt Oriol 
Published: February 2013

There has been an increasing use of modern digital signal processors (DSPs) in industrial control and other applications in the past few years. While courses offered in electrical and computer engineering disciplines cover such topics as mobile and digital communication, image and sound encoding and decoding, few courses focus on the use of DSPs in real-time control of electrical machinery and drives. Therefore, there is a growing need in industry for engineers who can perform control design and system integration for various applications in motor control. This paper describes a course on Control of Electrical Machines offered by the School of Industrial Engineering of Barcelona (ETSEIB), Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), Barcelona, Spain. A description of a hands-on laboratory testbed for motor control. An outline of the course structure, the laboratory setup and the design aspects for implementing modern real-time motor control applications are presented.
Dimensional Analysis of Synovial Joints
Authors: Hale R. D. , Sharp J. J. 
Published: February 2013

Prior to undertaking experiments or developing a mathematical model of a complex phenomenon it is necessary to do some preliminary work in an attempt to gain some understanding of the physics involved and to identify the relevant parameters. Although usually thought of as a tool for physical modelling, dimensional analysis really provides a basic framework for thinking about a problem and this is useful whether the end result is intended to be a physical or a mathematical model. Students of complex systems would thus be well advised to begin with a partial analysis with the intention of obtaining some fundamental understanding of the phenomenon under consideration. Identification of the variables involved leads to the development of functional equations and a set, or sets, of dimensionless parameters. These parameters provide the modeller with a guide to the parameters which might appear, separately or in combination, in any complete solution. In many cases, a complex system may be usefully broken down into a number of subsystems each of which may be treated separately, but with the outputs from some subsystems (the dependent parameters) being the inputs (the independent parameters) to other subsystems or to the main system. The example given here refers to a study of joints of the human body where dimensional analysis was used as a preliminary tool in a larger investigation designed to lead eventually to a finite element model. The paper attempts to show how such an analysis can be helpful: (1) in thinking about the problem; (2) in identifying the dimensionless parameters which provide a potential framework for a more complete solution; and (3) in breaking down a very complex problem into a number of related subsystems which can be more easily solved.
A ‘Boundary Layer’ Method for Obtaining an Approximate Equation for the Velocity–Time History of an Accelerating Sphere
Authors: Janna William S. , Nassif Naji 
Published: February 2013

A sphere starting from rest in a stationary fluid accelerates under the action of gravity and eventually reaches a terminal velocity. The descriptive equation for the acceleration of the sphere is a first order, non-linear, ordinary differential equation, which can be solved using a finite difference scheme. In this study, we present a method (obtained from boundary layer methods) of generating a velocity—time equation to obtain an alternative solution. The method is used to solve a specific example and the results are compared to those obtained with the numerical solution. The comparison yields a small error, and so the polynomial approximation method can be used as an alternative technique to describing the motion of an accelerating sphere. The accelerating sphere problem is usually encountered in a study of flow past immersed objects. Boundary layer methods are usually taught at the graduate level. The advantage of the method presented here is that boundary layer methods can be introduced to undergraduates in a first or second course in fluid mechanics.
Civil Society, Social Movements and the Irish State
Authors: Kirby Peadar 
Published: February 2013

This article develops a theoretical framework to consider the symbiotic relationship between civil society, social movements and the Irish state. Civil society, largely through social movements, laid the foundations for an independent Irish state in the half-century before independence. Following independence, the nature of the civil society–state relationship changed; civil society became much more dependent on the state. The article empirically traces the nature of society's relationship to the state since the 1920s, and examines the nature of the political system and its major political party, Fianna Fáil, the structure of the economy, and the dominance of particular understandings of the role of civil society and the nature of society itself. The period since the advent of social partnership in 1987 is examined; this period marks a new attempt by the state to co-opt organised civil society making it subservient to its project of the imposition on society of the requirements of global corporate profit-making. The more forceful implementation of a global free-market project by the Irish state since the 1980s, and the co-option of organised civil society into this project, has left huge space for an alternative to emerge, the potential of which was indicated by the success of the ‘No’ campaign in the 2008 Lisbon referendum campaign.
University Continuing Education as Teamwork – Three Case Studies
Authors: Sandberg Håkan 
Published: February 2013

Previous work has identified a lack of focused research in the field of team working in university continuing education (UCE). However, teamwork could be seen as self-evident in UCE, in part because UCE is of interest to employees, employers, universities and society. The aim of this study is to describe teamwork in UCE at three universities in the UK. The main research question asks: ‘ How can the organisation of UCE be described as “teamwork”?’ A case study strategy is applied for two reasons: first, this is an empirical study involving the examination of objects in their natural environment; and second, it describes a limited but complex situation entailing many relevant factors and hence multiple sources of information. There is a built-in expectation of divergence across cases, since the cases are selected to expose and analyse variation. The chosen research methods are a document study and an interview, based on the nature of the object in question, the research question being raised and the descriptive purpose of the study. The methodological frame of reference used in this study, the ‘Organisational Context’, deals with conditions as prerequisites, team processes, results of teamwork and feedback. The model is reciprocal and basic to the contextual analysis. It has been used in earlier work by Sandberg (e.g., 1997b), and could be discussed in terms of the ‘ecological’ frame of reference (Sundstrom et al, 1990). The result shows that teamwork is present in many cases in UCE, but many common conditions function as obstacles to teamwork. For example, in many teams members are not permanent, furthermore, the academic system rewards individual achievement more than teamwork. The three cases in the study have significant similarities. The discussion points out that the actors in UCE have different perspectives beyond a common UCE-perspective. The difficulty in establishing the genuine teamwork necessary in UCE could be viewed as rooted in universities not having been originally created to meet the expectations of lifelong learning and continuing education.
The Role of the University in the Creation of a Learning Region. A Study in the Athenaeum of Catania
Authors: Piazza Roberta 
Published: February 2013

This study aimed to assess how the university of Catania conceptualised its new role, considering the principal ways that other European universities are changing. The research was focused on assessing the level of awareness of the university's ability to spread and promote lifelong learning (LLL), its role in promoting awareness, innovation and development of the city and the surrounding territory as a learning city and learning region and its ability to fulfil the needs and (cultural, educational, economic and productive) requirements of the territory. The study did so by means of some extensive interviews conducted with experts in University policy and/or lifelong learning selected from among those in charge of and/or members of the main University committees and service centres within the Athenaeum. The interviewees were asked to freely express their opinions, observations and reflections on the subject and to offer their suggestions on the best ways to develop policies and innovative working practices within the Athenaeum with the aim of building a learning city. In addition, managers of local organisations, professional associations, and principals of schools, adult education colleges and continuous professional development providers were involved in order to hear their thoughts on the image of the university as a provider of LLL. A qualitative analysis of the results identified the viewpoints of the interviewees regarding the role of the university revealed differences between the opinions expressed and highlighted suggestions and advice for the development of more effective strategies and policies. It is true to say that there is a very limited spread of LLL principles both inside and outside the academy and that there is a lot of work to be done if the concepts of LLL are to truly take root in its strategies and working practices so that it may become a true learning organisation. In addition, the prospect of creating a learning city-learning region seems, in many ways, very far from becoming a reality in Catania, where there is a large gap between the institutions (the university included) and the needs of the territory. This paper argues, therefore, that the university's work needs to be more coherent and better coordinated with the other aspects of local policy if the university is to contribute to creating a learning region and to assume the relevant guiding role.
Understanding Lifelong Learning and Adult Education Policy in Estonia: Tendencies and Contradictions
Authors: Jõgi Larissa 
Published: February 2013

There have been many theoretical and empirical analyses of lifelong learning policies and how to implement, develop, measure and facilitate lifelong learning and lifelong learning policy in order to cater for the needs and requirements of individuals as well as society in general. The particular slant on lifelong learning in different countries depends on their history and traditions and on the current social, political and economic context. For the past 20 years, Estonia has been in a period of transition from a post-communist to a market-based and democratic society. This has brought new challenges to education, including adult education. Estonia is a post-soviet country where the processes of liberalism, individualism, neo-modernism and post-industrialism have all taken place within a short period of time. Adult education policy in Estonia has been influenced by the direction of social, economic and political change in the European Union; it has also been affected by the need to consider EU directives, European policies and trends in the European educational area. This article focuses on adult education in Estonia by analysing strategic documents concerning lifelong learning and adult education policy and statistical data concerning participation in lifelong learning activities. The article provides an overview of tendencies and contradictions in lifelong learning and adult education in Estonia in order to understand the present practices in Estonian adult education.
Bildung – The Freedom of the Educated
Authors: Hermeling Susanne 
Published: February 2013

This article explores the history of the German concept of education: Bildung, which was characteristic for the most productive era in German thinking and philosophy – between 1790 and 1830. The creation of the term can be traced back to the writings of thirteenth-century mystics. The original religious connotation remained important, and was partly handed down in Pietistic writings, but the word was put into other contexts, for example ethics, aesthetics and cognition. In the eighteenth century the concept was filled with the philosophical trends of Baroque and German Idealism. The names of Herder, Humboldt, Goethe and Schiller represent the Bildungsidee in its heyday. Selbstbildung (self-education) was an essential element of the Bildungsidee that in principle belongs to the area of adult education. The concept had a lasting influence. In the 1960s and 1970s the Bildungsidee was subject to a critical debate in Germany. The idea of Selbstbildung, formulated by Humboldt, seemed at the same time attractive, because of its aspects of emancipation, and unacceptable, because of its élitist implications. Important arguments of the debate will be introduced and followed by the question: is it anachronistic to discuss the Bildungsidee today, instead of merely concentrating on the concept of ‘learning’ as the main paradigm of adult education?
High‐Throughput, Cell‐Based Screens to Identify Small‐Molecule Inhibitors of Ricin Toxin and Related Category B Ribosome Inactivating Proteins (RIPs)
Authors: Wahome Paul G. , Mantis Nicholas J. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractRicin is a member of the ubiquitous ribosome‐inactivating protein (RIP) family of toxins. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classify ricin and related toxins as Category B biothreat agents. There are currently no antidotes or therapeutics to counteract RIPs in humans. The discovery of effective small‐molecule inhibitors of RIPs is increasingly possible, however, due to the availability and accessibility of diverse small‐molecule chemical libraries coupled with robust robotics and automated screening methodologies. In this article, we describe a cell‐based, high‐throughput screening strategy and secondary assays that we have successfully used to identify compounds that target ricin toxin's enzymatic activity and intracellular trafficking, as well as stress‐activated signaling pathways associated with cell death. The methods described in the protocol are amenable to the other RIPs. Curr. Protoc. Toxicol. 55:2.23.1‐2.23.14. © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Nonbiological Sequence‐Specific Oligomers by Repetitive Syntheses
Authors: Moore Jeffrey S. , Prince Ryan B. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe sections in this article areIntroductionBridging the Gap from Small Molecules to Macromolecules: A Brief Historical SketchOverview of Synthetic StrategiesRepetitive Oligomer SynthesesOligomerizations Based on Carbon‐Carbon Bond ConstructionsOligomerizations Based on Heteroatom Bond ConstructionsArchitectures Derived from Sequence‐Specific OligomersConclusions
Cationic Polymerization
Authors: Cramail Henri , Deffieux Alain 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
The sections in this article are

Introduction

Carbocationic Polymerization of Ethylenic Monomers

General Features

Chemistry of Initiation

Propagation

Transfer Reactions

Termination Reactions

Principles and Methods of Controlled Cationic Alkene Polymerization

General Features

Vinyl Ethers

Functional Vinyl Ethers

Isobutene

Styrene and Derivatives

Macromolecular Engineering by Carbocationic Polymerization

Synthesis of End‐Functionalized Polymers

Synthesis of Block Copolymers

Star‐Shaped and Macrocyclic Polymers

Cationic Polymerization of Heterocyclic Monomers

General Features of Cationic Ring‐Opening Polymerization

Chemistry of Initiation

Propagation Reaction

Chain Transfer to Polymer

Other Main Transfer and Termination Processes

Main Families of Heterocyclic Monomers

Cyclic Ethers

Cyclic Acetals

Cyclic Sulfides

Cyclic Amines

Cyclic Esters

Cyclic Amides

Cyclic Iminoesters

Cyclic Phosphorous‐Containing Compounds

Cyclic Silicone‐Containing Compounds
Biosynthetic Routes to Novel Macromolecular Materials
Authors: Kiick Kristi L. , Tirrell David A. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe sections in this article areIntroductionCrystalline Lamellar SolidsHelical StructuresHybrid Artificial ProteinsArtificial Amino AcidsSelenomethionineFluorineElectroactive SubstituentsAnalogs for Structural Modification of PolypeptidesConclusions
Band Theory Applied to Semiconductors
Authors: Lannoo Michel , Krüger Joachim 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe sections in this article areGeneral PrinciplesFrom Discrete States to BandsBloch Theorem for Crystalline SolidsThe Case of Disordered SystemsThe Effective Mass Approximation (EMA)Derivation of the Effective Mass Approximation for a Single BandApplications and ExtensionsThe Calculation of Crystalline Band StructuresAb Initio TheoriesThe Hartree ApproximationTheHartree‐Fock ApproximationThe Local Density ApproximationBeyond Local Density (theG‐WApproximation)The Pseudopotential MethodComputational TechniquesPlane Wave ExpansionLocalized Orbital ExpansionEmpirical MethodsThe Tight Binding ApproximationThe Empirical Pseudopotential MethodComparison with Experiments for Zinc‐Blende MaterialsThe General Shape of the BandsThe Tight Binding Point of ViewThe Empirical Pseudopotential MethodThek‐pDescription and Effective MassesOptical Properties and ExcitonsAb Initio Calculations of the Excitonic SpectrumA Detailed Comparison with ExperimentsOther Crystalline Materials with Lower SymmetryGeneral Results for Covalent Materials with Coordination Lower than FourChain‐Like Structures LikeSeandTeLayer MaterialsNew Classes of Materials: The Antimony ChalcogenidesNon‐Crystalline SemiconductorsThe Densities of States of Amorphous SemiconductorsNumerical ComputationsDangling BondsThe Case ofSiOxGlassesDisordered AlloysDefinitions of the Different ApproximationsThe Case of Zinc Blende Pseudobinary AlloysSystems with Lower DimensionalityQualitative FeaturesThe Envelope Function ApproximationApplications of the Envelope Function ApproximationSilicon Quantum Dots