bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spectrophotometric Determination of Benzalkonium Bromide in Pharmaceutical Samples with Alizarin Green
Authors: Liu Yinghong , Wu Huijuan , Ma Weixing 
Published: July 2012

AbstractA direct, extraction‐free spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of benzalkonium bromide (BAK). The method is based on the formation of mixed dye–surfactant aggregates between alizarin green (AG) and BAK in alkaline medium by measuring the decrease in absorbance of AG at 460 and 700 nm. Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration range 3–40 μg mL−1 with good precision and accuracy. The limits of detection were 0.4 μg mL−1 at 460 nm and 0.3 μg mL−1 at 700 nm, which reduced to 0.2 μg mL−1 by combining the absorbance at the two wavelengths. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of BAK in disinfectant solution and eye drops. The analytical results of the real samples were in good agreement with those of an HPLC method.
Knowledge of medical abortion among Brazilian medical students
Authors: Fernandes Karayna Gil , Camargo Rodrigo Pauperio Soares , Duarte Graciana Alves , Faúndes Anibal , Sousa Maria Helena , Maia Filho Nelson Lourenço , Pacagnella Rodolfo Carvalho 
Published: July 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the knowledge of Brazilian medical students regarding medical abortion (MA) and the use of misoprostol for MA, and to investigate factors influencing their knowledge.MethodsAll students from 3 medical schools in São Paulo State were invited to complete a pretested structured questionnaire with precoded response categories. A set of 12 statements on the use and effects of misoprostol for MA assessed their level of knowledge. Of about 1260 students invited to participate in the study, 874 completed the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 69%. The χ2 test was used for the bivariate analysis, which was followed by multiple regression analysis.ResultsAlthough all students in their final year of medical school had heard of misoprostol for termination of pregnancy, and 88% reported having heard how to use it, only 8% showed satisfactory knowledge of its use and effects. Academic level was the only factor associated with the indicators of knowledge investigated.ConclusionThe very poor knowledge of misoprostol use for MA demonstrated by the medical students surveyed at 3 medical schools makes the review and updating of the curriculum urgently necessary.
Improving care of women at risk of unsafe abortion: Implementing a risk‐reduction model at the Uruguayan‐Brazilian border
Authors: Fiol Verónica , Briozzo Leonel , Labandera Ana , Recchi Víctor , Piñeyro Marta 
Published: July 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo describe the initial stages of the implementation of a risk‐reduction model designed by Iniciativas Sanitarias to shield women from unsafe abortion in a traditional community on the Uruguay‐Brazil border.MethodsThis mixed‐design study was conducted first between 22 and 26 March 2010, and then between 2 and 7 May 2011, in Rivera, Uruguay, to gather information from women seen at health centers, healthcare providers, and local policy makers before the project started and midway through the project.ResultsAt baseline most women and providers considered abortion justifiable only on narrow grounds, yet favored the implementation of a risk‐reduction model that would include preabortion as well as postabortion counseling, the former providing information on different abortion methods and their risks. By the midterm assessment, the counseling service had assisted 87 women with unwanted pregnancies. Of the 52 who came for a postabortion visit, 50 had self‐administered misoprostol, with no complications. Women were highly satisfied with the counseling. At baseline, misoprostol seemed to be available from both pharmacists and informal sellers. At midterm, it was still available from informal vendors but pharmacists said they did not provide misoprostol. The risk‐reduction initiative heightened public attention to the abortion issue but the controversy it generated did not seriously impede its implementation.ConclusionIt is feasible to implement the proposed risk‐reduction model in a traditional community such as Rivera, not only in Uruguay but in any country irrespective of its abortion laws.
Study of knowledge and attitudes on medical abortion among Chinese health providers
Authors: Cheng Yimin , Zhou You , Zhang Ying , Jiang Xiaomei , Xi Maomao , Gan Kang , Ren Shanshan 
Published: July 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate providers' knowledge and attitudes about medical abortion (MA) and their views regarding the main challenges to expanding the use of MA in urban and rural areas in China.MethodsA total of 658 abortion providers were surveyed from November 7, 2009, to May 29, 2010.ResultsThe providers' knowledge about MA was relatively poor, and most thought the risks of severe complications of MA were much higher than they are. Urban nonphysician providers were the least informed about MA. Most providers thought that the main challenges to an expanded use of MA were its lesser effectiveness in comparison to surgical abortion and women's lack of knowledge about it. In rural areas many providers thought that deficiencies of clinics, such as limited bed space and inadequate toilets and washing facilities, also posed serious obstacles to expanding MA use.ConclusionAbortion providers, especially urban nonphysician providers, need refresher training to strengthen their knowledge of the approved protocol for providing MA in China, and also of the indications, contraindications, and safety and efficacy of the method. Deficiencies at abortion facilities should be addressed as well, and they are more numerous in rural areas.
Medical abortion: Understanding perspectives of rural and marginalized women from rural South India
Authors: Sri B. Subha , Ravindran T.K. Sundari 
Published: July 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo understand how rural and other groups of marginalized women define safe abortion; their perspectives and concerns regarding medical abortion (MA); and what factors affect their access to safe abortion.MethodsFocus group discussions were held with various groups of rural and marginalized women in Tamil Nadu to understand their perspectives and concerns on abortion, especially MA.ResultsNearly a decade after mifepristone was approved for abortion in India, most study participants had never heard of MA. When they learned of the method, most preferred it over other methods of abortion. The women also had questions and concerns about the method and recommendations on how services should be provided. Their definition of a “safe abortion” included criteria beyond medical safety. They placed a high priority on “social safety,” including confidentiality and privacy. In their view, factors affecting access to safe abortion and choice of provider included cost, assurance of secrecy, promptness of service provision, and absence of provider gatekeeping and provider‐imposed conditions for receiving services.ConclusionWomen's preference for MA shows the potential of this technology to address the problem of unsafe abortion in India. Women need better access to information and services to realize this potential, however. Women's preferences regarding information dissemination and service provision need to be taken into account if policies and programs are to be truly responsive to the needs of marginalized women.
On the periodic injection of fluid into, and its extraction from, a porous medium for seasonal heat storage
Authors: Dudfield Peter , Woods Andrew W. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractWe examine the oscillatory motion of fluid which spreads under gravity along a horizontal impermeable boundary through a porous medium controlled by the periodic injection and extraction of fluid from a horizontal well. Over the first few cycles the volume of injected fluid exceeds that which is extracted owing to the gravitational spreading of the current. However, after many cycles, these volumes converge and the flow develops into two regions. Near the source there is a zone $0\lt x\lesssim {x}_{C} = 2. 4 \mathop{ (Q{\tau }^{2} S/ \phi )}\nolimits ^{1/ 3} $ in which the depth of the fluid varies periodically with each cycle, where $Q$ is the fluid injection rate, $\tau $ is the injection or extraction time, $S$ is the speed of the buoyancy-driven flow and $\phi $ is the porosity. The current attains its maximum depth, $1. 8 \mathop{ ({Q}^{2} \tau / {\phi }^{2} S)}\nolimits ^{1/ 3} $ at the source, where the minimum depth equals zero. At long times, the current depth at $x= {x}_{C} $ is approximately constant, $1. 15 \mathop{ ({Q}^{2} \tau / {\phi }^{2} S)}\nolimits ^{1/ 3} $, and beyond this point, the current spreads horizontally, driven by an effective flux ${Q}_{l} \approx 0. 54Q \mathop{ (t/ \tau )}\nolimits ^{\ensuremath{-} 1/ 2} $, so that the length of the current increases as ${x}_{\mathit{nose}} \approx 1. 73 \mathop{ (Q{\tau }^{2} S/ \phi )}\nolimits ^{1/ 3} \mathop{ (t/ \tau )}\nolimits ^{1/ 2} $. We confirm these predictions with new experiments using a Hele-Shaw cell. We also model the evolution of the thermal front which develops if the injected fluid is hotter than the formation temperature. We find conditions under which all the extracted fluid is hot but owing to the mismatch between the volume of injected and extracted fluids, not all the injected thermal energy is recovered, and the surrounding rock heats up.
Analytic functions with decreasing coefficients and Hardy and Bloch spaces
Authors: Pavlović Miroslav 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe following rather surprising result is noted.(1) A function f(z) = ∑anzn such that an ↓ 0 (n → ∞) belongs to H1 if and only if ∑(an/(n + 1)) < ∞.A more subtle analysis is needed to prove that assertion (2) remains true if H1 is replaced by the predual, 1(⊂ H1), of the Bloch space. Assertion (1) extends the Hardy–Littlewood theorem, which says the following.(2) f belongs to Hp (1 < p < ∞) if and only if ∑(n + 1)p−2anp < ∞.A new proof of (2) is given and applications of (1) and (2) to the Libera transform of functions with positive coefficients are presented. The fact that the Libera operator does not map H1 to H1 is improved by proving that it does not map 1 into H1.
An Ambrosetti–Prodi-type result for a quasilinear Neumann problem
Authors: de Paiva Franciso Odair , Montenegro Marcelo 
Published: July 2012

AbstractWe study the problem −∆pu = f(x, u) + t in Ω with Neumann boundary condition |∇u|p−2(∂u/∂v) = 0 on ∂Ω. There exists a t0 ∈ ℝ such that for t > t0 there is no solution. If t ≤ t0, there is at least a minimal solution, and for t < t0 there are at least two distinct solutions. We use the sub–supersolution method, a priori estimates and degree theory.
IN TWO SPEEDS (À DEUX VITESSES): LINGUISTIC PLURALISM AND EDUCATIONAL ANXIETY IN CONTEMPORARY MOROCCO
Authors: Boutieri Charis 
Published: July 2012

AbstractNotwithstanding its promotion as a vehicle for the decolonization and modernization of knowledge in Morocco, the policy of Arabization has been caught in an ongoing competition with the pedagogical visions of the French Protectorate—visions that have been recycled by nationalist and international development agendas. This competition has subtly classified the sciences and the humanities into Francophone and Arabophone disciplines, respectively, at a moment when national development is understood as technological advancement. School participants endure this linguistic, disciplinary, and, effectively, social hierarchy and put their awareness of the system at the service of its circumvention. The anxiety of teachers over the future of state-educated youth indicates that the legitimacy of the school itself has become highly doubted. This article approaches both the public school and its relationship to knowledge through a historically informed ethnographic lens, arguing that centralized theories of pedagogy, the sociological category of class, and the assumed dichotomy between state agendas and international patronage are unsatisfactory frames for the interpretation of the phenomena in question.
APPROPRIATING THE MASSES: FOLKLORE STUDIES, ETHNOGRAPHY, AND INTERWAR IRANIAN NATIONALISM
Authors: Vejdani Farzin 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThis paper traces the emergence of folklore studies and ethnography in interwar Iran. It argues that these disciplines were part of larger nationalist projects of representing and speaking for the “masses.” The first part of the paper explores how and why a number of Iranian intellectuals engaged in folklore studies after a period of prolonged political activism in the first few decades of the 20th century. The second part of the paper examines cultural institutions established by the state, mainly in the late 1930s, in an attempt to appropriate and institutionalize folklore studies and ethnography for the purposes of nation building. These efforts were fraught with ambivalences because the “masses” were simultaneously praised as repositories of “authenticity” and looked down upon as a potential source of “backwardness.”
The Early Life and Pilgrimage of Al-Ḥājj Muḥammad Al-Amīn the Soninke (d. 1887)
Authors: Fisher Humphrey 
Published: July 2012

Al-Ḥājj Muḥammad al-Amīn, often known as Momodu Lamine, was a Soninke leader, engaged in political and military activity on the upper Senegal and Gambia rivers in 1885–1887. This activity, culminating in clashes with the French, has sometimes encouraged an interpretation of his career in anti-European-colonialist terms. In fact, religion and local African politics may have been more important. This study examines his life before 1885, particularly his pilgrimage. Almost all the material comes from oral tradition, both that preserved in early French publications and that collected recently in West Africa.Muḥammad al-Amīn was born about 1830 or 1840. He studied in various places in the Senegal region. Later he may have served with al-Ḥājj 'Umar. On his pilgrimage he travelled through Wadai; the report that he became a Sanūsī seems doubtful. He spent some time in the Middle East and renewed there his Tijānīya allegiance. He also apparently prepared for jihād. He may, though this is less clear, have shared in the apocalyptic expectancy of the time, centred on hopes of a Mahdi.On his way home he passed through Timbuktu and Masina and came to Segu, capital of the Tokolor empire, then under Sultan Aḥmadu the son of al-Ḥājj 'Umar. Here Muḥammad al-Amīn stopped for several years, more or less under duress, and escaped several attempts on his life. These attempts are described in miraculous terms, and sometimes parallel other episodes in the legends of Muslim West Africa.This clash between the returning pilgrim and the head of the Segu theocracy, both men devout Muslims, is curious. It resembles al-Ḥājj 'Umar's reception in Bornu on his way back from pilgrimage. The reasons for it, at least at present, can only be surmised. Muḥammad al-Amīn may have been suspected of meddling in the internal affairs of the Segu empire, for he had stopped for a considerable time in Masina, a dependency, before coming to Segu the capital. His activity in spreading the Tijānīya order, or his version of it, was resented. He may have claimed to be the spiritual heir to al-Ḥājj 'Umar; and/or he may have somehow slighted the memory of al-Ḥāajj 'Umar. He may have appeared as a Soninke patriot, championing his people against Tokolor overlordship; but the theme of tribal loyalties, though indubitably important, needs careful handling. About 1885, he returned to Goundiourou, his birthplace, near Kayes.
Precise outdoor localization with a GPS–INS integration system
Authors: Seo Wonkyo , Hwang Seoyoung , Park Jaehyun , Lee Jang-Myung 
Published: July 2012

SUMMARYThis paper proposes a precise outdoor localization algorithm with the integration of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS). To achieve precise outdoor localization, two schemes are recently proposed, which consist of de-noising the INS signals and fusing the GPS and INS data. To reduce the noise from the internal INS sensors, the discrete wavelet transform and variable threshold method are utilized, and to fuse the GPS and INS data while filtering out the noise caused by the acceleration, deceleration, and unexpected slips, the Unscented Particle Filter (UPF) is adopted. Conventional de-noising methods mainly employ a combination of low-pass and high-pass filters, which results in signal distortion. This newly proposed system also utilizes the vibration information of the actuator according to the fluctuations of the velocity to minimize the signal distortion. The UPF resolves the nonlinearities of the actuator and non-normal distributions of the noise more effectively than the conventional particle filter (PF) or Extended Kalman Filter–PF. The superiority of the proposed algorithm was verified through experiments, and the results are reported.
The abundance and distribution of echinoderms in nearshore hard-bottom habitats near Anvers Island, western Antarctic Peninsula
Authors: White Brittny A. , McClintock James , Amsler Charles D. , Mah Christopher L. , Amsler Margaret O. , White Stephanie , Quetin Langdon B. , Ross Robin M. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractEchinoderms are well represented in nearshore hard-bottom (< 100 m depth) habitats along the Antarctic Peninsula where they are presumably important contributors to benthic production, carbon flow, and determinants of community structure. The present study assesses the densities of echinoderms at shallow depths (2–15 m) at five sampling sites within three kilometres of Anvers Island on the central western Antarctic Peninsula. The asteroids Odontaster validus, Granaster nutrix, Lysasterias perrieri and Adelasterias papillosa, two ophiuroids in the Amphiuridae, the holothuroids Psolicrux coatsi and Psolus carolineae and one representative of the Cucumaridae, and the regular echinoid Sterechinus neumayeri were enumerated. Mean total echinoderm densities were high (34.9 individuals m-2) and ranged from 21.9 individuals m-2 for asteroids to 2.7 individuals m-2 for holothuroids. With the exception of a positive relationship between the abundance of the regular echinoid Sterechinus neumayeri and the biomass of the brown alga Himanthothallus grandifolius, no significant relationships were found between the abundance of asteroids, ophiuroids, or holothuroids and two species of brown algae or three algal ecotypes. The present study indicates nearshore hard-bottom echinoderms are important in the carbon cycle and their inherent vulnerability to ocean acidification may have community-level impacts.
Breaking physical dormancy of Cassia leptophylla and Senna macranthera (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) seeds: water absorption and alternating temperatures
Authors: de Paula Alexandre Souza , Delgado Carolina Maria Luzia , Paulilo Maria Terezinha Silveira , Santos Marisa 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThis study analysed the anatomical structure of the seed coats, identified the location of water uptake and evaluated the effects of alternating temperatures and heat treatment on the breaking of physical dormancy of two species of Fabaceae (Caesalpinioideae), Cassia leptophylla and Senna macranthera, from the Atlantic forest of Brazil. The seed coats of both species consisted of a cuticle (extra-hilar region) or remaining funicle region (hilar region), subcuticular layer, palisade layer with lignin, osteosclereids, sclerified parenchyma and white cells. The palisade layer was formed by elongated macrosclereids with a light line of callose. In thermally scarified seeds of C. leptophylla, water entered through the micropylar canal, and in S. macranthera the water entered through the lens. Alternating temperatures that ranged from 15 to 30°C did not break physical dormancy of either species; however, exposure to 50°C broke seed hardcoatedness, allowing the entrance of water in both species.
In the Line of Duty: A Study of Ambulance Drivers During the 2010 Conflict in Kashmir
Authors: Dhar Shabir Ahmed , Dar Tahir Ahmed , Wani Sharief Ahmed , Hussain Shahid , Dar Reyaz Ahmed , Wani Zaid Ahmed , Aazad Shah , Yaqoob Suhail , Mansoor Imtiyaz , Ali Murtaza Fazal , Ahmed Muzaffar , Mumtaz Imran , Azhar Idrees 
Published: July 2012

AbstractPurposeThe purpose of this study was to identify the problems faced by ambulance drivers working in a conflict zone.MethodsThis study was conducted on ambulance drivers working for the four major hospitals in Kashmir, India. The drivers were interviewed and asked a series of 30 work-related questions. The individual interviews were conducted over a three-month period in the valley of Kashmir that was affected by continuous violence, strict curfew, and strikes.ResultsA total of 35 ambulance drivers were interviewed. Drivers worked an average of 60 h/wk, and they drove an average of 160 km/d. Twenty-nine (83%) of the drivers experienced >1 threat of physical harm; 18 (54%) experienced physical assaults; and 31 (89%) reported evidence of psychological morbidity associated with their jobs.ConclusionsThe atmosphere of conflict on the streets of Kashmir impacted the ambulance drivers adversely, both physically as well as mentally. The stress faced by these professionals in conflict zones during their duty hours should be recognized, and corrective measures must be put in place.Dhar SA, Dar TA, Wani SA, Hussain S, Wani ZA, Aazad S, Yaqoob S, Mansoor I, Ali MF, Ahmed M, Mumtaz I, Azhar I. In the line of duty: a study of ambulance drivers during the 2010 conflict in Kashmir.Prehosp Disaster Med.2012;27(4):1-4.
From systems chemistry to systems astrobiology: life in the universe as an emergent phenomenon
Authors: Chela-Flores J. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAlthough astrobiology is a science midway between the life and physical sciences, it has surprisingly remained largely disconnected from recent trends in certain branches of both life and physical sciences. We discuss potential applications to astrobiology of approaches that aim at integrating rather than reducing. Aiming at discovering how systems properties emerge has proved valuable in chemistry and in biology. The systems approach should also yield insights into astrobiology, especially concerning the ongoing search for alternative abodes for life. This is feasible since new data banks in the case of astrobiology – considered as a branch of biology – are of a geophysical/astronomical kind, rather than the molecular biology data that are used for questions related firstly, to genetics in a systems context and secondly, to biochemistry for solving fundamental problems, such as protein or proteome folding. By focusing on how systems properties emerge in astrobiology we consider the question: can life in the universe be interpreted as an emergent phenomenon? In the search for potential habitable worlds in our galactic sector with current space missions, extensive data banks of geophysical parameters of exoplanets are rapidly emerging. We suggest that it is timely to consider life in the universe as an emergent phenomenon that can be approached with methods beyond the science of chemical evolution – the backbone of previous research in questions related to the origin of life. The application of systems biology to incorporate the emergence of life in the universe is illustrated with a diagram for the familiar case of our own planetary system, where three Earth-like planets are within the habitable zone (HZ) of a G2 V (the complete terminology for the Sun in the Morgan–Keenan system) star. We underline the advantage of plotting the age of Earth-like planets against large atmospheric fraction of a biogenic gas, whenever such anomalous atmospheres are discovered in these worlds. A prediction is made as to the nature of the atmospheres of the planets that lie in the stellar HZs.