bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Metabolic response of Medicago sativa to severe nutrient imbalances and disturbances under field conditions
Authors: Fester Thomas , Merbach Ines , Schulz Elke , Härtig Claus 
Published: January 2014

AbstractOur experiments were focused on the metabolic footprint of mineral‐nutrient availability under field conditions. While there are multiple factors potentially blurring such footprints, we hypothesized that physiological and metabolic adaptations of established plants are particularly important mechanisms under field conditions. To study respective differences between young and established plants and to study the impact of disturbances on the adaptive capacity of established plants, we analyzed Medicago sativa plants of different age from plots with marked differences in the levels of soil mineral nutrients established in a long‐term fertilization experiment. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to determine metabolite profiles of sink and source leaves of plants in an early state of development (“young plants”), just before the first harvest (“established plants”), and a short time after the second harvest (“regrowing plants”). Metabolite profiles from young plants were markedly responsive to soil mineral nutrients and resembled respective profiles from controlled conditions, demonstrating that overall variability of growth and sampling conditions had relatively little importance for the metabolite profiles recorded. In the case of established plants, however, we observed only little impact of availability of mineral nutrients on metabolite profiles. This low metabolic responsiveness of plants was partially lost after severe disturbances (removal of the plant shoot). Metabolite profiling, in summary, is able to detect a metabolic footprint of mineral‐nutrient availability in young plants under field conditions and may provide information about the ability of older plants to partially uncouple their metabolism from the environment. In addition, it is also possible to determine the impact of disturbances on this ability of the plant organism.
Tourism, Real Effective Exchange Rate and Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence for Croatia
Authors: Pavlic Ivana , Svilokos Tonci , Tolic Meri Suman 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to examine the long‐run and short‐run relationship between tourism, real effective exchange rate and economic growth in Croatia. The econometric framework used for analysis is the Johansen Maximum Likelihood cointegration technique. For testing the stability of long‐run equilibrium relationship vector error correction model technique has been applied on a quarterly data set covering the period 1996–2013. The main findings of the paper confirm the stability of the long‐run equilibrium relationship between tourist arrivals (ARRIVAL), openness of the economy (OPEN) and real effective exchange rate as independent variable and gross domestic product (GDP) as dependent variable in Croatia. Furthermore, the results indicate short‐run causality between OPEN and GDP, as well as between real effective exchange rate and GDP. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In vitrodetection of apoptosis using oscillating and pulsed gradient diffusion magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Portnoy S. , Fichtner N. D. , Dziegielewski C. , Stanisz M. P. , Stanisz G. J. 
Published: January 2014

Cellular apoptosis, a common pathway towards tumor regression, is induced by many radiotherapy and chemotherapy regimens. Imaging methods that can detect apoptosis may be able to assess treatment response earlier than typical tumor volume measurements. In this paper, a wide range of diffusion experiments and a simple model of diffusion in tissues were used to probe the microstructural effects of apoptosis. Experiments were conducted on acute myeloid leukemia cell pellets, where apoptosis was induced by treatment with the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin. Seventy‐two hours following cisplatin treatment, pulsed and oscillating gradient diffusion measurements were utilized to assess effects across a broad range of structural scales.The presence of apoptosis, which was histologically confirmed by TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase UTP nick end labelling) staining, significantly changed diffusion properties. To describe these changes, the data were fit to the parallel plane model, which characterizes the effects of restricted diffusion in terms of three parameters:d, the restricted size,Dfree, the intrinsic, free diffusion coefficient of the solvent, andDrest, the long time or “restricted” diffusion coefficient. Apoptotic samples exhibited significant decreases in parametersdandDfreeand a significant increase inDrest. These changes appear consistent with the established morphological effects of apoptosis. In particular, the decrease indmay be a result of the combined effects of cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation and membrane blebbing, the decrease inDfreemay relate to cytosolic condensation, while the increase inDrestcan be attributed to increased membrane permeability and extracellular volume fraction. By non‐invasively detecting apoptosis, the methods reported in this study have the potential to improve upon current MRI methods for monitoring therapeutic response. Furthermore, these methods may offer sufficient specificity to differentiate between apoptosis and other modes of cell death, such as oncosis or necrosis. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The state of public affairs in Bulgaria
Authors: Mihova Meglena 
Published: January 2014

This paper studies the recent post‐communist developments of linkages amongst organisations, society and government in Bulgaria.I argue that public affairs is in a very early, embryonic stage of development. This is to a large extent due to the very slow re‐establishment of the non‐centralised market economy; this is very specific to Bulgaria compared with the rest of the Central and Eastern European countries and can be explained by the significant heritage from the communist period. Today, the economic actors in Bulgaria are represented by two extremes—a myriad of small and medium enterprises, lacking the capacity and resources to develop government relations, and a few monopolistic groups with an unclear structure and ownership, which are influencing the government policy in a non‐transparent way. Despite the exceptionally strong state tradition, the government institutions are very often paralysed by the lack of long‐term political vision. As a result, the government was and is still easily subject to external influences. However, the situation is progressively changing, although not without external pressure from the European Union and the internal pressure of foreign investors. Public affairs will therefore develop at the speed of the development of political democracy, a modern corporate culture and the establishment of economic operators with long‐term vision and interests. The profession of public affairs consultant, almost non‐existent today, will then progressively find its natural place, acting as a catalyst for the development of business–government–society linkages. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Measuring students' continuing motivation for science learning
Authors: Fortus David , Vedder‐Weiss Dana 
Published: January 2014

AbstractContinuing motivation for science learning may be manifested through engagement in extracurricular science‐related activities, which are not the result of school or other external requirements. Very few articles have appeared in the last decade on this important aspect of science learning. This article presents a survey based on seven Likert‐type items for measuring adolescents' continuing motivation for science. It describes how the survey was developed, tested, and used to explore the relations between school type, grade, and gender and adolescents' continuing motivation for science learning. Data on the continuing motivation of 2,958 Israeli 5th–8th grade students, from traditional and democratic schools, were collected and analyzed using polytomous Rasch techniques and hierarchical linear modeling. The results indicate that in both types of schools girls had lower continuing motivation for science than boys, and that while the continuing motivation of both boys and girls in traditional schools decreased between 5th and 8th grade, the continuing motivation of students in democratic schools remained constant during this period. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 51: 497–522, 2014
The ecology and biodiversity of urban ponds
Authors: Hassall Christopher 
Published: January 2014

Recent research has demonstrated that ponds contribute a great deal to biodiversity at a regional level as networks of habitat patches that also act as ‘stepping stones’ to facilitate the movement of species through the landscape. Similarly, a great deal of biodiversity persists in urban environments where synanthropic communities are supplemented by species that thrive in disturbed environments. Aquatic urban biodiversity appears to persist despite anthropogenic stressors: an array of anthropogenic pollutants (road salt and heavy metals), invasive species, and active mismanagement—particularly the removal of riparian vegetation. Optimizing urban ponds for different ecosystem services results in conflicting priorities over hydrological, geochemical, ecological, aesthetic, and cultural functions. The socio‐ecosystem approach to environmental management opens a path to greater incorporation of biodiversity into town planning and sustainability, while accounting for cultural attitudes to urban ecosystems. I identify a range of research needs: (1) the roles of design and location of urban ponds in influencing biodiversity, (2) the function of urban wetlands for stormwater and pollution management, and (3) public perceptions of urban ecosystems and how those perceptions are influenced by interactions with natural systems. Urban wetlands offer an important opportunity to educate the general public on natural systems and science in general using a resource that is located on their doorstep. In the face of increasing pressures on natural systems and increasing extent and intensity of urbanization, a more comprehensive appreciation of the challenges and opportunities provided by urban ponds could play a substantial role in driving sustainable urban development.This article is categorized under:Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and AwarenessWater and Life > Nature of Freshwater EcosystemsWater and Life > Stresses and Pressures on Ecosystems
Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Two CuII‐benzene‐1,2,4,5‐tetracarboxylates with Three‐Dimensional Open Frameworks
Authors: Köferstein Roberto , Robl Christian 
Published: January 2014

AbstractTwo new three‐dimensional frameworks with zeolite‐like channels were prepared in the presence of 1,6‐diaminohexane. Cu1.5(H3N–(CH2)6–NH3)0.5[C6H2(COO)4]·5H2O (1) crystallizes in the triclinic space group P$\bar{1}$ with a = 772.56(7), b = 1110.36(7), c = 1111.98(8) pm, α = 98.720(7)°, β = 108.246(9)°, and γ = 95.559(7)°. Cu2(H3N–(CH2)6–NH3)0.5(OH)[C6H2(COO)4]·3H2O (2) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2/c with a = 1159.34(11), b = 1059.44(7), c = 1582.2(2) pm, and β = 106.130(11)°. The Cu2+ coordination polyhedra are connected by [C6H2(COO)4]4– anions to yield three‐dimensional frameworks with wide centrosymmetric channel‐like voids. Complex 1 reveals voids extending along [100] with diagonals of 900 pm and 300 pm, whereas in complex 2 the diagonal of the nearly rectangular crossection of the channels extending parallel to [001] is 900 pm. The negative excess charges of the frameworks are compensated by [H3N–(CH2)6–NH3]2+ cations, which occupy the voids along with water molecules. The [H3N–(CH2)6–NH3]2+ cations are not connected to Cu2+ and have served as templates.
Chemical Bonding in Zinc‐based Intermetallic Compounds with the CuTi or the CsCl Type of Structure
Authors: Alarcón Villaseca Sebastián , Kandaskalov Dmytro , Gaudry Émilie , Armbrüster Marc 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThe chemical bonding in the intermetallic compounds ZnPd and ZnPt with the tetragonal CuTi type of structure, and in the chemically related intermetallic compounds ZnNi, ZnCu, ZnAg, and ZnAu with the cubic CsCl type of structure, is examined applying the electron localizability approach. The analysis of the chemical bonding reveals charge transfer from zinc to the transition metal (TM), in line with the respective electronegativities. While in ZnNi, ZnCu, and ZnAg as well as ZnPd and ZnPt the Zn–TM interactions are described by multi‐center bonding and ionic interactions, mainly ionic interactions are found in the intermetallic compound ZnAu. Going from ZnNi over ZnPd to ZnPt, a gradual change from isotropic to more and more anisotropic distribution of the atomic interactions is detected, resulting in a more pronounced tetragonal distortion.
Appalachian Trail Hikers’ Ability to Recognize Lyme Disease by Visual Stimulus Photographs
Authors: Knoll Judith M. , Ridgeway Andrea C. , Boogaerts Christine M. , Burket Glenn A. 
Published: January 2014

Background Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne infectious disease in North America. With nearly 2,500 Appalachian Trail (AT) hikers entering the endemic area for as long as 6 months, exposure to the disease is likely. The characteristic exanthem of erythema migrans (EM) should be a trigger for seeking medical treatment, and its recognition in this relatively isolated environment is important. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of AT hikers to identify EM, the exanthem of Lyme disease. Methods Hikers were administered a photographic stimulus in this Internal Review Board–approved pilot study. Historical hiking data, basic demographics, and self-reported treatment and diagnosis were collected. Results In all, 379 responses were collected by 4 researchers at 3 geographically separate locations at or proximate to the AT from June 2011 to May 2012. Fifty-four percent of respondents (206 of 379) were able to recognize the photographs of EM/Lyme disease; 46% could not. Of those who did recognize EM, 23 (6%) had seen it either on themselves or on another hiker while on the AT. A total of 37 hikers stated that they had been diagnosed with Lyme disease while hiking, and of these, 89% were treated with antibiotics. Thirteen of these 37 hikers (35%) diagnosed with Lyme disease had visualized an embedded tick. Nine percent of all respondents reported they had been diagnosed with Lyme disease by a healthcare practitioner, whether from EM, symptomatology, or by titer. Conclusions This study suggests that hikers are poorly able to recognize the characteristic exanthem of Lyme disease but have a high exposure risk.
Experimental study on the aetiology of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo due to canalolithiasis: comparison between normal and vestibular dysfunction models
Authors: Otsuka K , Negishi M , Suzuki M , Inagaki T , Yatomi M , Konomi U , Kondo T , Ogawa Y 
Published: January 2014

AbstractObjectives:Using American bullfrog models under normal conditions and under vestibular dysfunction, we investigated whether mechanical vibration applied to the ear could induce otoconial dislodgement.Methods:Vibration was applied to the labyrinth of the bullfrog using a surgical drill. The time required for the otoconia to dislodge from the utricular macula was measured. Vestibular dysfunction models were created and the dislodgement time was compared with the normal models. The morphology of the utricular macula was also investigated.Results:In the normal models, the average time for otoconial dislodgement to occur was 7 min and 36 s; in the vestibular dysfunction models, it was 2 min and 11 s. Pathological investigation revealed that the sensory hairs of the utricle were reduced in number and that the sensory cells became atrophic in the vestibular dysfunction models.Conclusion:The otoconia of the utricle were dislodged into the semicircular canal after applying vibration. The time to dislodgement was significantly shorter in the vestibular dysfunction models than in the normal models; the utricular macula sustained significant morphological damage.
A two-cycle prospective audit of temporal bone computed tomography scan requests: improving the clinical applicability of radiology reports
Authors: Qureishi A , Garas G , Shah J , Birchall J 
Published: January 2014

AbstractBackground:Radiologists require accurate clinical information to formulate reports. This is particularly relevant to computed tomography of the temporal bone, in which previous surgery can mimic disease.Objectives:The information provided with temporal bone computed tomography scan requests was evaluated. The study aimed to minimise inappropriate requests and improve the clinical value of reports.Method:A two-cycle prospective audit was undertaken using a proforma designed on the basis of national guidelines. Following the first cycle (in which the requests and reports of 100 scans were evaluated), new guidelines and training were implemented. A follow-up audit (of 50 scans) was then performed.Results:Following intervention, the percentage of clinically relevant reports increased from 52 to 94 (p < 0.01), whilst unnecessary or inappropriate scan requests decreased from 11 to 2 per cent (p < 0.05).Conclusion:Optimising the clinical value of temporal bone computed tomography scan requests will have positive implications for patient care, time management and cost. The quality of the clinical information provided can have a significant impact on the clinical value of radiology reports, and can mean that unnecessary irradiation is avoided.
Vocabularies for human development: Arctic politics and the power of knowledge
Authors: Sinevaara-Niskanen Heidi 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTThe Arctic Council (AC) has been accorded the status of knowledge holder and knowledge provider for the Arctic region. This paper probes the broader definition-making power of Arctic knowledge, challenging the common notion that this knowledge is value neutral. It argues that attention should be paid to the ways in which power is exercised in, and though, the various reports and assessments published under the auspices of the AC. The specific focus of the paper is human development and gender as an aspect of that development. The research analyses the Arctic Human Development Report (AHDR) in order to examine the ways in which knowledge defines human development and its agents in the Arctic. The paper draws on Foucault-inspired and feminist approaches to analyse three vocabularies of rule in particular: strength of the community, vulnerability and the need for adaptation. These vocabularies are coexistent and share an emphasis on communities. Yet, questions of gender seldom figure in them, a lack of salience that reveals the power of the partiality of knowledge. The politics of knowledge operate by placing in the foreground only certain accounts of Arctic development.
Simulations of shipping along Arctic routes: comparison, analysis and economic perspectives
Authors: Lasserre Frédéric 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTArctic sea routes have for long been of interest for shipping because of much shorter distances between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Sea ice prevented real development of significant traffic, but did not prevent research from trying to assess their economic viability. With the melting of sea ice in the Arctic, this effort at modeling the profitability of Arctic shipping routes has received a new impetus. However, the conclusions of these studies vary widely, depending on the parameters chosen and their value. What can be said of these models, from 1991 until 2013, and to what extent can a model be drawn, capitalising on twenty years of simulations?
High-voltage pulse modulator based on cylindrical self-coupling saturable pulse transformer and solid-state Marx generator
Authors: Zhang Yu , Liu Jinliang 
Published: January 2014

AbstractHigh-voltage pulse modulator has broad applications in industry. In order to pursue the qualities of compactness, solidification, and long life time, a high-voltage pulse modulator based on a helical Blumlein pulse forming line (HBPFL),a Marx generator and a self-coupling saturable pulse transformer (SPT) with fully cylindrical coaxial conductors is put forward and investigated in this paper. A new method that the fully cylindrical SPT simultaneously works as the charging pulse transformer and magnetic switch of the HBPFL is put forward and demonstrated. Traditional spark gap is substituted by the SPT to enable the features of solidification, compactness, and long life time of the modulator. Experimental results showed that the SPT had good response characteristics to short sinusoidal pulse and 100 ns-range square pulses. The fully cylindrical SPT driven by the 50–70 kV Marx generator can suppress the saturated inductance of the secondary windings to a level less than 500 nH, due to the strong reversed mutual induction between cylindrical windings after the core saturated. It also demonstrated that the pulse modulator was able to deliver a high-voltage pulse to a 160 Ω load, with amplitude of 148 kV, pulse duration of 130 ns, and pulse rise time ranging from 60 to 105 ns.
Validation of a self-administered FFQ in adults in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay
Authors: Elorriaga Natalia , Irazola Vilma E , Defagó María D , Britz Mónica , Martínez-Oakley Solange P , Witriw Alicia M , Rubinstein Adolfo L 
Published: January 2014

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the reproducibility and validity among adults in the Southern Cone of Latin America (Argentina, Chile and Uruguay) of a self-administered FFQ to be used in the CESCAS I Study, an ongoing observational prospective cohort study to detect and follow up CVD and their risk factors, as well as in other epidemiological studies.DesignRelative validity of the FFQ was evaluated by comparing nutrient and selected food group intakes with those from three 24 h recalls (24HR) administered over 6 months. The FFQ was administered at baseline (FFQ1) and again after 3 months (FFQ2).SettingPrimary-care centres in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.SubjectsAdults (n147) aged 21–74 years.ResultsReproducibility (FFQ1v. FFQ2): the intra-class correlation coefficients for nutrients ranged from 0·52 (potassium) to 0·74 (fat). Validity (FFQ1v. the average of three 24HR): the Pearson correlations for energy-adjusted nutrients ranged from 0·39 (thiamin and cholesterol) to 0·59 (carbohydrate). Joint classification: overall, 66 % of participants in the lowest 24HR quintile were in the lowest one or two FFQ1 quintiles, and 62 % of those in the highest 24HR quintile were in the highest one or two FFQ1 quintiles. On average, only 4 % were misclassified into extreme quintiles.ConclusionsThe FFQ version for the Southern Cone seems to present moderate to acceptable relative validity and reliability for its use in the CESCAS I Study to measure dietary exposure.