bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
NT-proBNP levels and their relationship with systemic ventricular impairment in adult patients with transposition of the great arteries long after Mustard or Senning procedure
Authors: Kotaska Karel , Popelova Jana , Prusa Richard 
Published: June 2015

AbstractThe aim of the study was to investigate serum NT-proBNP levels in adult patients with transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA) corrected by atrial switch procedures (Mustard or Senning) operation and to assess the relationship with ventricular impairment and NYHA class.Serum NT-proBNP levels were measured in a group of 81 consecutive adult patients (59 males, mean age 27 years and 22 females, mean age 28 years) with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) after surgical correction in childhood, and in a control group of 25 healthy individuals (16 males, mean age 32 years, and 9 females, mean age 29 years). Age-matched correlation of NT-proBNP concentrations in TGA patients after Mustard or Senning correction was performed, but this correlation was considered not significant (p=0.08).Concentrations of NT-proBNP in patients with TGA were significantly elevated compared to the control group of healthy individuals (203 ng/L vs. 41 ng/L, p<0.0001). Patients after the Mustard repair had significantly higher NT-proBNP values than patients after the Senning operation (234 ng/L vs. 148 ng/L, p=0.0023). NT-proBNP correlated negatively with the systemic right ventricular ejection fraction with the greatest significance in patients after Mustard correction (r=–0.32, p<0.0001). The concentration of NT-proBNP was also associated with NYHA functional class (p=0.0035) with the greatest significance in patients with Mustard correction (p=0.028).Elevated levels of NT-proBNP appear to be a useful tool in assessing heart failure in patients with transposition of the great arteries after atrial switch correction.
Liquid chromatographic determination of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid residues in rapeseed with MS/MS detection or derivatization/fluorescence detection
Authors: Kaczyński Piotr , Łozowicka Bożena 
Published: June 2015

Abstract
Glyphosate and AMPA determinations in rapeseed extracts by (a) liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole MS detection (LC-MS/MS), or (b) liquid chromatography with post-column OPA derivatization and fluorescence detection (LC-FLD) were developed. Mean recoveries for glyphosate and AMPA were (a) 88.8–95.0% and 82.1–86.1%, and (b) 70.8–74.1% and 62.4–72.6%. RSD were below (a) 11% and (b) 22%. Correlation coefficients were above 0.997 for both methods. LOD were 0.01 mg kg-1 for (a) and 0.05 mg kg-1 for (b). Both methods are simple and efficient for routine analysis of glyphosate and AMPA in a fatty matrix.
High-temperature electrical properties of silane cross-linked chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) membrane: thermal, mechanical and surface characterization
Authors: Islam Atif , Yasin Tariq , Sabir Aneela , Khan Shahzad Maqsood , Sultan Misbah , Shafiq Muhammad , Khan Asad U. , Jamil Tahir 
Published: June 2015

AbstractChitosan and poly(vinyl alcohol) were blended and cross-linked with tetraethoxysilane and showed conductive properties. Impedance spectroscopy was used to study the influence of temperature on the electrical properties of the membranes. The conductivity of the membranes was increased with an increase in temperature. Free water was decreased and bound water was increased with an increase in cross-linker contents. The tensile strength improved, whereas elongation at break decreased by increasing the amount of cross-linker contents. The water contact angle of the membranes lowered with time, exhibiting the hydrophilic nature of the membranes. The novel characteristics of biocompatible membranes can be used in biomedical applications including biological schemes that require smaller charge in medicinal apparatus, bioelectrode coatings, etc.
Mathematical Modeling of Hot-Air Drying of Osmo-dehydrated Nectarines
Authors: Rodríguez M. Marcela , Mascheroni Rodolfo H. , Quintero-Ramos Armando 
Published: June 2015

AbstractThe influence of osmotic pretreatment on nectarines with solutions of glucose syrup and sorbitol and subsequent dehydration at different temperatures (60 °C, 70 °C, or 80 °C) was evaluated. The kinetics of moisture loss during drying was obtained and mathematical models were adjusted to estimate the kinetic parameters. Effective diffusion coefficients were calculated using Fick’s second law. All drying kinetics exhibited only a falling-rate period during hot-air drying owing to moisture loss in the osmotic pretreatment. Moisture loss was favoured by the use of sorbitol, whereas the diffusivity of water increased when glucose was used as an osmotic agent. Logarithmic and Midilli et al. models best described the changes in moisture over time, whereas Fick’s second law estimated water diffusion coefficient values between 4.96×10−9and 2.43×10−8m2s−1. These models may be employed to predict the optimum conditions for osmo-dehydrating nectarines under hot-air drying at the industrial level.
Using Social Multimedia Content to Inform Emergency Planning of Recurring and Cyclical Events in Local Communities
Authors: Shih Patrick C. , Han Kyungsik , Carroll John M. 
Published: June 2015

AbstractSocial media has been widely adopted for assisting the efforts in emergency response and recovery, but it has been underutilized for emergency planning purposes. Emergency planning in a local community context must leverage accessible and free resources such as social media, because it is largely a volunteer enterprise. We describe our fieldwork with local annual festival emergency planning teams that led to the design of the Community Incident Report (CIR). CIR is a novel emergency planning system that externalizes community knowledge on persisting issues and common mitigation strategies by integrating police reports, local crisis information, and social multimedia content to foster citizens’ awareness of local emergency information and to assist emergency planners in planning for recurring and cyclical events. We provide a use case analysis of CIR and its evaluation with 20 local residents, and discuss how it could be extended to inform emergency planning for other community events and local municipalities that share similar characteristics.
NGO Policy in Pre- and Post-Mubarak Egypt: Effects on NGOs’ Roles in Democracy Promotion
Authors: Herrold Catherine E. 
Published: June 2015

AbstractThis article examines the Egyptian government’s evolving policy toward Egypt’s NGO sector and its effects on organizations’ efforts to support democratic political reform. The January 25, 2011 uprisings that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak seemed to present an opportunity for Egypt’s NGO sector to break free from decades of government co-optation and repression and lead Egyptian civil society’s political reform efforts. NGOs did initiate democracy promotion projects immediately following the uprisings, and for a few months it seemed that NGOs would be torchbearers of political reform. By the summer of 2014, however, NGO employees were predicting the looming “death of civil society” in Egypt. Drawing upon data from over 90 interviews, this article analyzes the ways in which authoritarian adaptation, through both discourse and policy toward the NGO sector, constrained NGOs’ capacities to advance political reform efforts.
Testing for long memory in the presence of non-linear deterministic trends with Chebyshev polynomials
Authors: Cuestas Juan Carlos , Gil-Alana Luis Alberiko 
Published: June 2015

AbstractThis paper examines the interaction between non-linear deterministic trends and long run dependence by means of employing Chebyshev time polynomials and assuming that the detrended series displays long memory with the pole or singularity in the spectrum occurring at one or more possibly non-zero frequencies. The combination of the non-linear structure with the long memory framework produces a model which is linear in parameters and therefore it permits the estimation of the deterministic terms by standard OLS-GLS methods. Moreover, the orthogonality property of Chebyshev’s polynomials makes them especially attractive to approximate non-linear structures of data. We present a procedure which allows us to test (possibly fractional) orders of integration at various frequencies in the presence of the Chebyshev trends with no effect on the standard limit distribution of the method. Several Monte Carlo experiments are conducted and the results indicate that the method performs well. An empirical application, using data of real exchange rates is also carried out at the end of the article.
In situ Raman and UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis of lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Heber Marcel , Schilling Christian , Gross Toni , Hess Christian 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTThe potential of Raman and UV-Vis diagnostics for spatially-resolved and in situ diagnostics of lithium-ion batteries is demonstrated. Regarding the use of in situ Raman diagnostics focus is put on LiCoO2 electrode materials, which were investigated in detail as composites of LiCoO2 with binder and conductive additives. The potential of in situ UV-Vis analysis is illustrated for carbon-based materials showing significant absorption changes during electrochemical cycling due to lithium de-/intercalation.
Laser Terahertz Emission Spectroscopy of Graphene/InAs Junctions
Authors: Bagsican Filchito Renee , Gonzales Jofferson , Zhang Xiang , Ma Lulu , Kawayama Iwao , Murakami Hironaru , Vajtai Robert , Ajayan Pulickel , Kono Junichiro , Tonouchi Masayoshi 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTWe applied laser THz emission spectroscopy to study the effects of monolayer graphene on the THz emission from InAs. THz emission from graphene/InAs varies linearly with the laser excitation power in the low-intensity excitation regime. We found that unlike in graphene/SI-InP junctions, graphene and O2 adsorbates on graphene have no significant effect on the THz emission from graphene/InAs junctions because the THz radiation mechanism in InAs is by the photo-Dember effect, whereas for SI-InP is by the surge current effect. There is also a slight enhancement in the THz emission from both bare InAs and graphene/InAs by UV illumination, which is probably due to the additional photoexcited carriers by UV that somehow enhances the photo-Dember field.
Structural and Electrochemical Investigation of Na+ Insertion Into λ-Mn1-xNixO2
Authors: Kim J. R. , Amatucci G. G. 
Published: June 2015

AbstractIncreased demand for low cost energy storage options has expanded the scope of Na+ batteries considerably; and with the growing interest in Na-based chemistries, the importance of high voltage positive electrodes is quickly realized as the Na/Na+ redox introduces lower operating voltages as compared to Li/Li+ based electrochemical cells. The 4.7V LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 spinel has exhibited considerable properties as a high voltage Li+ positive electrode, with a host structure (λ-Mn0.75Ni0.25O2) that may provide an analogous high voltage Na+ positive electrode. Structural and electrochemical properties of NaxMn1.56Ni0.44O4 and NaxMn2O4 are investigated for the first time[1] utilizing ex-situ, in-situ X-ray diffraction, and high-resolution electrochemical techniques to provide an insightful study of the Na+ insertion mechanism.
Framework for Tetra-functional Control of Viscoelastic Molecular Entropy in Biopolymeric Hydrogel Dynamics for Environmentally Responsive Metabolic Processes in Morphological Architectural Membranes
Authors: Smith Shane Ida , Dyson Anna H. 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTEfficacious resource harvesting constitutes new modes of conceptualizing the interactions of buildings with surrounding environmental conditions. The internal logic of a biotechnical paradigm in architectural design allows for the potential of fluid exchanges between medium and material to be realized with correlated metabolism. Such concepts avert existing mechanical paradigms based upon linear conservation of energy processes and approach entropic integrated design interactions of nonlinear dynamical processes. Through a physiological analogy that informs architectural anatomy, the genetic code of hydrogels embeds emergent morphological responses to discrete interactions with environmental phenomena. In contrast to the static hard tissue of the skeletal system, viscoelastic soft tissue provides significant environmental impact by means of integrating spatiotemporal adaptation in building systems.This framework provides an interscalar perspective for integrating biopolymeric membranes within building-envelope systems and informs the microstate design of the polymer chains for optimized mechanical performance. Hydrogels are a translucent three-dimensional water-swollen polymer, which exhibit mechanical work upon interaction with water vapor. In effect, this interaction provides for a variant index of refraction, a variant heat capacitance, and a physical shift in surface morphology. Characteristic changes in material thermal and mechanical properties parallel diurnal climate profiles for circadian biorhythmic membrane designs. The macrostates of temperature, pressure, and volume reciprocally inform the potential microscopic properties, including position and velocity of each molecule within the material system. The viscoelastic molecular entropy (Maxwell model) of hydrogels is established as a fundamental basis for situating a dynamic material logic influencing a high efficacy architectural physiology. The Maxwell model is translated as an algorithmic framework for mechanical control through tetra-functional polymer chain development of biopolymeric hydrogels. In contrast to polyacrylamide hydrogels, the chemistry of biopolymeric polysaccharide hydrogels is well suited for renewable sourcing and down cycling to achieve sustainable material life cycles. However, these biopolymers do not inherently exhibit robust structural properties necessary for influencing morphological shifts of the membranes for intelligent passive design strategies such as self-actuating ventilation apertures or self-shading surface geometries. The research encompassed in this work engages the development of a more acute framework for the trajectory of biopolymeric hydrogel dynamics based upon a necessity for controlled morphological modulations in response to specific environmental conditions.
Pull-Out Performance of 3D Printed Composites with Embedded Fins on the Fiber
Authors: Liljenhjerte Johannes , Kumar S. 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTIn this study, pull-out capacity of 3D printed composites are experimentally and computationally investigated. Cylindrical multi-material prototypes consist of a fiber embedded in a soft matrix. Embedded fiber has tiny orderly spaced geometrical features (fins) on its circumference over the bond length. Fins are either vertically aligned or inclined to the axis of the fiber (loading direction). Both fiber and fins are made of the same stiffer material, while the matrix is made of soft rubbery polymer. Pull-out performance of the samples were evaluated using tensile testing machine. It was found that orientation of the fins influences both the pull-out capacity and the effective stiffness of the interface. The pull-out capacity and stiffness response were found to increase by ∼62 % and ∼65.5 %, respectively, for a system with a volume fraction of 2.7 %, compared to a baseline design with no fins. In the later part of study, Finite Element (FE) simulations were performed for all prototypes. FE analyses indicate that the von Mises stresses at the interface between the matrix and fiber can be significantly reduced by the incorporation of fins. This study provides insight into the mechanics of stress transfer through the embedded fins, and the design aspects of the interface of fiber reinforced composites.
Critical Analysis of Audit Committee Reporting in National Government Departments: The Case of South Africa
Authors: Moloi Tankiso 
Published: June 2015

The paper critically assesses audit committee reporting in South Africa’s national government departments (NGDs). During the review, it was established that, from the regulatory perspective, there were limited guidelines relating to the extent and nature of information that should be reported on the audit committee reports, whereas the main contribution of the paper are uniform benchmark features of audit committee reporting in the South Africa’s national government departments. These benchmark features (categories) were developed using an inductive or bottom up thematic analysis which was applied on the applicable regulations as well as on all NGD’s annual reports to determine the comprehensive themes and patterns of audit committee reporting across the departments. It is recommended that those audit committees in NGDs that do not currently report on these themes should expand their reporting to be comprehensive by including these themes.Using the established benchmark features in the form of themes, audit committees reports were coded and analysed to determine the disclosure of information relating to these themes. It was found that majority of categories reported on audit committee reports and analysed lacked transparency as to the role of audit committees in providing oversight in the NGDs concerned. In addition to the recommended audit committee themes, the paper further recommends that audit committees in NGDs should also consider voluntary disclosing of some additional information on their oversight activities. Disclosure of additional voluntary information would improve the usefulness of audit committee reports as users of this information would gain and understanding of yearly audit committee activities as of the nature of oversight and strategic engagements audit committees would have had with the management as well. The potential benefit for users of audit committee reports in NGDs is envisaged as flexibility, exposure and access to different dimensions of information reported by different NGDs. The potential benefit for audit committee members is grounded on the users’ perception of audit committee reports, in this instance, the improvement in perception on their independence.
Unsolved Questions Regarding EU Citizens Access to Public Healthcare Services in Spain
Authors: Boto Alejandra 
Published: June 2015

Spain is nowadays living the echoes of economic crisis adopting measures to boost employment figures and to correct the excessive macroeconomic imbalances. This paper reviews previous research findings on how these policies affect European citizenship and the access to welfare systems, healthcare provision in particular.Special attention is paid to the so-called “medical tourism” and to the transposition on Directive 2011/24 into national law. The challenges and transformations that the adequate provision of healthcare for EU citizens will require in the next future are also pointed out, notwithstanding some critical legal problems unsolved till the moment.However, as the paper is aimed at underlining, the main barriers that still exist to exercise citizenship right to health protection within EU are not legal, but practical.
Vloga plače pri motiviranosti in zavzetosti zaposlenih na izbranem ministrstvu v Sloveniji
Authors: Drašler Silvija , Boštjančič Eva 
Published: June 2015

Leta 2008 so v javnem sektorju zaradi gospodarske krize uvedli številne ukrepe na področju plač zaposlenih. Plača pomeni enega ključnih motivatorjev za zadovoljstvo in zavzetost zaposlenih. Članek predstavlja študijo, v kateri sva raziskovali vlogo plače pri zavzetosti, zadovoljstvu z delom in motivaciji zaposlenih na izbranem ministrstvu v času krize. Sodelovalo je 167 zaposlenih, vključili pa sva tri merske instrumente – Lestvico delovnega zadovoljstva, Lestvico delovne zavzetosti in Lestvico delovnih preferenc.Ugotovili sva, da so bolj zavzeti tisti zaposleni, katerih zadovoljstvo s plačo je višje, in ne tisti, katerih sama plača je višja. Povezava med plačo in zadovoljstvom je sicer pozitivna, vendar ni jasno linearna. Pri delu so bolj zavzeti zaposleni z višjo stopnjo notranje motivacije, medtem ko višja stopnja zunanje motivacije pomeni nižje zadovoljstvo s plačo. Tako sva opozorili na pomembno vlogo denarnega nagrajevanja ter ob koncu predstavili smernice za nadaljnje delo na tem področju.
Sleep during, overweight and obesity in adolescence: a systematic review.
Authors: Silva Maritza Lordsleem , Melo Raphael José Perrier , Dabbicco Penelopy , De Freita Clara Maria Silvestre Monteiro 
Published: June 2015

Introduction: In adolescence, intense social and school demands, hormonal changes that modify the circadian rhythms and the overuse of electronic equipments causes an inadequate sleep duration to adolescents. Studies have linked short sleep duration with the increase odds to have overweight and obesity. Objective: To identify articles that analyzed relationship between inadequate sleep time and overweight and obesity in adolescents. Method: It was done a research on Bireme (Lilacs and MEDLINE), PubMed, Scielo and Ibecs for two independents researchers using Portuguese and English keywords: “sleep”, “sleep duration”, “adolescence”, “obesity” and “overweigh”. It was considerated as inclusion criteria: sample with 10-19-year adolescents, original articles between 2002 and 2013 in Portuguese and English. Therefore, it was excluded review articles, thesis, dissertations and monographs. Results: The initial Electronic search resulted in 663 articles and, after process of article select with read of titles, resumes and the complete form, it was selected 15 articles. Conclusion: Inadequate levels of sleep duration are associated with increase of overweight and obesity in adolescents.
Duas margens do rio: indícios de lexicalização em Belo Horizonte e de gramaticalização em Varginha / MG
Authors: Pinheiro Rosana , Toledo Cecília 
Published: June 2015

Neste texto, estuda-se a variação das formas (OS)1 OLHOS ~ (O) OLHO, (AS) MÃOS ~ (A) MÃO e (OS) PÉS ~ (O) PÉ, ou seja, a variação na marcação de número nos SNs (sintagmas nominais) referentes a pares no falar mineiro de Belo Horizonte. Entendemos que essa variação ocorre devido à expansão nos domínios do léxico, ou seja, lexicalização do plural em detrimento da marcação morfológica. Há evidências de que as mulheres usam mais a forma padrão do que os homens. Atribuímos esse resultado ao fato já conhecido na literatura de as mulheres estarem mais atentas ao padrão de correção. Tratamos também do estudo da ditongação variável em sílabas /CVS/ (como em arroz [a’hojs], paz [‘pajs], vocês [vo’sejs]), realizada por moradores de Varginha, falar sulista. Observamos a prevalência da variável ditongada, mas há casos variáveis especiais em que a ditongação não prepondera. Interpretamos esse resultado como indício de maior atonicidade da sílaba em questão e indício de gramaticalização da palavra. 1Os parênteses indicam a opcionalidade.
L'église de Maignelay (Oise). Témoin du mécénat de Louis d'Halluin en Picardie
Authors: Ansar Patrick 
Published: June 2015

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De kerk van Maignelay (Oise) die men kan dateren tussen 1503 en 1514 is een belangrijk maar weining bekend voorbeeld van de artistieke aktiviteit in Picardie op het einde van de midde- leeuwen. Hij werd gebouwd door een edelman van Vlaamse oorsprong, opgevoed aan het hof van Boergondië, Louis d'Halluin, en past helemaal in de religieuze architectuur van die tijd. Deze kerk vertoont drie voor Picardie bijna geheel oorspronkelijke kenmerken : een westelijke ingang, twee bovenelkaar geplaatste koorkapellen en een rijke sculpturale versiering van de gewelven. Iconogra- fisch blijft dit laatste gotisch al treft men er een vroege Italianiserende invloed aan, in de details, die waarschijnlijk voortspruit uit de reis die de bouwheer in Italie maakte, toen hij Charles VIII verge- zelde.