Distinctive Sign Research Articles

Color Designations in German Political Discourse

Political discourse is currently the subject of various interdisciplinary studies involving a lot of scientific approaches to its description. This article highlights an enormous potential of the use of color in the political discourse. On the one hand, the color involves the emotional sphere, while, on the other, it can lead to instant associations with a certain phenomenon of reality. Politicians actively use the color not only as a distinguishing sign that allows them to identify parties, movements, ethnic groups, etc. with the establishment or the denial of mutual contacts, but also as an independent symbol, which has tremendous possibilities for regulating and organizing of social political processes. Functioning as a symbol of political forces, color greatly simplifies the perception of the political situation. However, the differentiation of political forces is not its only function. Evaluation is of the great importance, i. e. the consolidation of the assessment for a specific phenomenon, which is achieved by many repetitions in the same context. Because of the brightness of color associations, the color designation of political parties is a powerful tool in the political struggle. At the same time, the use of color symbols in the political discourse reveals national-specific features in the struggle for power. Thus, there is a need to study the functioning of color designations in the national political discourses. In this article, the author pays special attention to the study of the color in the German political discourse of the leading political figures of Germany, such as Angela Merkel (CDU), Katya Kipping (Die Linke) and Christian Lindner (FDP).

Unilateral vertical pendular nystagmus in multiple sclerosis: A distinctive neuro-ophthalmological sign

Lesions in multiple sclerosis can involve brain, optic nerve and spinal cord. We here report a patient of multiple sclerosis, who had unilateral vertical pendular nystagmus, because of simultaneous involvement of optic nerve and asymmetric brain stem lesions. This specific combination is rarely seen in other disorders, therefore can be considered as a distinctive neuro-opthalmoloical sign of multiple sclerosis.

IMAGES-METAPHORS IN THE ORNAMENTATION OF UKRAINIAN ICONOSTASIS OF THE BAROQUE PERIOD


 
 
 In this paper, I adduce new evidence that the decorative program of Ukrainian iconostasis contained the images-metaphors and one of them was a coat of arms of the donor. The iconoraphic programme of the Ukrainian iconostasis, during the 17th — 18th centuries is regularly complemented by coats of arms of Hetmans, Cossack leaders and high- ranking Orthodox clergy. These images are placed in the antependium of iconostases, usually there are several coats of arms and they belong to different family members. Accommodation of the groups of coats of arms in the iconostasis, not just the coat of arms of the donor, indicates that that was the plan that can be understood only in semantic programme of iconostasis. In the system of iconic (portrait) images of the iconostasis, the coats of arms is understood as a kind of codes, that were associated to a specific person, becoming not only his distinctive sign or sign with legal meaning, but the symbol, denoting the person and functioning as his portrait. In this sense emblems formally did not conflict with other personal images in the iconostasis and could be included in its symbolical space. At the same time, by virtue of its form of emblem, the coat of arms did not become on a par with icons, so even though it was placed in the iconostasis, it was expelled from the circle of images intended for worship. In the location of coat of arms in the iconostasis can be seen soteriological expectations of the customer and his family.
 
 

Quality TV and Social Distinction: An Experiment on How Complex Television Series Valorize Their Users

This paper addresses the question as to whether serial quality TV has the potential to valorize its fans. We draw on Bourdieu’s theory of distinction, assuming that demonstrated preference for a specific cultural taste has consequences for the attribution of capital endowment overall, and especially within an adept group. These assumptions are tested via a 3 (preference for high-culture vs. conventional television vs. quality TV series) x 1 online experiment with between subject design plus control group (N = 389). Results showed that conspicuously favouring serial quality TV has the potential to function as a distinctive sign – at least to some extent. Significantly more cultural capital is ascribed to a quality TV fan than to a person showing a preference for conventional television. Within a certain group of connoisseurs, a quality TV taste is even worth as much as a preference for high-culture. Implications are discussed with regard to the theory of distinction and quality TV series as the object of investigation.

MERCHANDISING OF PERSONALITY RIGHTS: A Distinctive Sign for Business Models in the Fashion Field / MERCHANDISING DE DIREITOS DA PERSONALIDADE: Um Sinal Distintivo para Modelos de Negócios no Ramo da Moda

This introductory study aims to assess the personality rights as a distinctive sign and also the constructionof its protection in the intellectual property scope. It has been pursued to demonstrate that the merchandisingof personality rights has been evolving to become a usual business model based on the commercial exploitationof fame that its holders have, therefore, reorienting the engagement of names related to luxury fashion.

MERCHANDISING OF PERSONALITY RIGHTS: A Distinctive Sign for Business Models in the Fashion Field / MERCHANDISING DE DIREITOS DA PERSONALIDADE: Um Sinal Distintivo para Modelos de Negócios no Ramo da Moda

This introductory study aims to assess the personality rights as a distinctive sign and also the constructionof its protection in the intellectual property scope. It has been pursued to demonstrate that the merchandisingof personality rights has been evolving to become a usual business model based on the commercial exploitationof fame that its holders have, therefore, reorienting the engagement of names related to luxury fashion.

A novel approach for detecting agricultural terraced landscapes from historical and contemporaneous photogrammetric aerial photos

Terraces are the most distinctive sign of human activity on the shape of the Earth surface. Their construction has increased the soils permeability and reduced the slope gradient of mountains since those territories could be exploited both for agricultural and habitable purposes. Over the last decades, they have been the subject of a quick abandonment due to their scarce competitiveness. This has caused some environmental problems, such as soil degradation and hydrological instability. Minori in Italy is one of the most ancient municipalities in the Mediterranean area characterized by the presence of terraces. This paper intends to develop a method for automatic extraction of terraces from historical and contemporaneous aerial photos using an Object-based Image Analysis (OBIA) approach. Historic photos from 1956, acquired by the Geographical Military Institute (IGM), and a contemporaneous block of RGB and multispectral images, taken in 2017 of the study area have been processed to generate a high resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and detailed orthophotos. Subsequently, the OBIA classification has been applied for producing a binary map of terraced and not terraced landscapes for both datasets. Orthophoto resolution was equal to 240 mm, 7 mm and 15 mm for the historical, RGB and multispectral pictures, respectively. DEM resolution results equal to 480 mm and 0.19 mm for the historical and RGB set of data. The R2 between the check points and the estimated values, generated during the metric reconstructions of the two obtained DEMs, resulted equal to 0.99 for both datasets (1956 and 2017). The classification accuracy of the generated binary maps (terraced/not terraced landscapes) were equal to 93% and 98%, respectively. The developed approach looks promising for the historical and contemporaneous datasets. That outcome is essential because it allows to detect terraces position and to compare them over the years in order to analyse their evolution and geomorphological changes.

The Effect of AGNs on the Global H i Content of Isolated Low-mass Galaxies

Abstract We investigate the global neutral hydrogen (H i) content of isolated galaxies selected from the SDSS spectroscopic survey with optical evidence of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). Our sample includes galaxies with unresolved H i observations from the ALFALFA 70% data release combined with deeper H i observations of low-mass galaxies with . We examine the H i masses of this sample using the distance from the star-forming sequence on the [O iii]/Hβ and [N ii]/Hα Baldwin Phillips Terlevich (BPT) diagram as a measurement of AGN activity. In agreement with previous studies, we find that, for galaxies with , AGN activity does not correlate with the global H i content. However, for galaxies with , we identify a set of objects at large distances from the BPT star-forming sequence and lower than expected H i masses. This gas-depleted sample is red in both g − r and NUV − r colors and compact without distinguishable signs of star formation. This is surprising because the vast majority of isolated galaxies in this stellar mass regime are both star-forming and gas-rich. These galaxies are greater than 1.5 Mpc from any massive galaxy, ruling out environmental processes as a source of the gas depletion. We suggest that either black hole feedback or shocks from extremely bursty star formation cause the emission lines and have destroyed or otherwise consumed the cold gas.

Submucosal hematoma: a new distinctive sign during emergency upper digestive endoscopy for ammonia ingestion

BackgroundSubmucosal hematoma has never been associated with caustic injuries. Long-term follow-up of patients who ingested ammonia is not well known and ammonia ingestion is rare.MethodsIn a Single-center observational study, prospective data were collected from 2009 to 2013, in patients over the age of 14 years old referred for ammonia ingestion. The emergency and follow-up endoscopic data and the outcome were reported.ResultsAmmonia ingestion occurred in 43 patients. Submucosal hematoma of the gastric wall was a distinctive endoscopic sign observed in 15 (34.8%) cases. Oropharyngeal lesions were present in 30 (69.8%) patients, which was associated with ingestion with suicidal intent in 18 cases. Mild and severe endoscopic lesions (grade IIB to IIIB) were found in 16 (37.2%) cases with 10 (23.3%) cases presenting submucosal hematoma at initial endoscopy. A complete spontaneous gastric healing was frequently observed in 36 (83.7%) cases. In 11 cases with submucosal hematoma, a favourable outcome was observed with a medical treatment, however 6 of these patients had severe endoscopic lesions initially.ConclusionsSubmucosal hematoma of the gastric wall is an endoscopic sign occurring frequently in ammonia ingestion. Submucosal hematoma should be distinguished from necrosis in order to avoid false misclassification in favour of more severe lesions, which would lead to an abusive surgery.

General Court upholds invalidity of sweet container design based on similarity to existing trade mark

BMB sp.z o.o v EUIPO (Case T-695/15), 3 October 2017 The General Court has shed further light on the circumstances in which a Community design will be considered invalid due to its use of an existing distinctive sign within the meaning of Article 25(1)(e) of Regulation No 6/2002. The court held that, taking into account the relatively low level of attention of the relevant public and the high level of similarity between the signs, the EUIPO had correctly invalidated the later-registered design.

Antioxidant strategies in genetic syndromes with high neoplastic risk in infant age.

Oxidative stress plays a key role in carcinogenesis. Oxidative damage to cell components can lead to the initiation, promotion and progression of cancer. Oxidative stress is also a distinctive sign in several genetic disorders characterized by a cancer predisposition such as ataxia-telangiectasia, Fanconi anemia, Down syndrome, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and Costello syndrome. Taking into account the link between oxidative stress and cancer, the capacity of antioxidant agents to prevent or delay neoplastic development has been tested in various studies, both in vitro and in vivo, with interesting and promising results. In recent years, research has been conducted into the molecular mechanisms linking oxidative stress to the pathogenesis of the genetic syndromes we consider in this review, with the resulting identification of possible new therapeutic targets. The aim of this review is to focus on the oxidative mechanisms intervening in carcinogenesis in cancer-prone genetic disorders and to analyze the current status and future prospects of antioxidants.

RETINAL VASCULAR ABNORMALITIES IN A LARGE COHORT OF PATIENTS AFFECTED BY NEUROFIBROMATOSIS TYPE 1: A Study Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

To evaluate the prevalence, the vascular features, and the clinical diagnostic implication of retinal vascular abnormalities (RVAs) associated with neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) in a large cohort of patients. Two hundred and ninety-four patients affected by NF1 were consecutively enrolled. The presence of RVAs was detected by means of infrared confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy images. Three hundred age- and race-matched healthy subjects were enrolled as a healthy control group. Fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography angiography were also performed in patients with RVAs. Retinal vascular abnormalities were detected in 18 patients with NF1 (6.1%) and in none of the healthy subjects. Retinal vascular abnormalities appeared in all cases as well-defined, small, tortuous retinal vessels with a spiral aspect, originating from small tributaries of retinal veins. The presence of RVAs did not correlate with the presence of other specific ocular or systemic NF1 features (P > 0.05). On optical coherence tomography angiography, RVAs appeared as an isolated tortuous vessel of the superficial vascular plexus in all cases, associated with localized anomalous crowded and congested capillary network of the deep vascular plexus in 75% of cases. Retinal vascular abnormalities are present in a limited proportion of patients affected by NF1 and can be considered an additional distinctive sign of the disease.

Ethical and Legal Considerations in Biometric Data Usage-Bulgarian Perspective.

Ethical and legal considerations with regards to biometric data usage are directly related to the right to protection of personal data, which is part of the rights protected under the European Convention of human rights. Specific protection is required to the process and use of sensitive data which reveals certain personal characteristic and is related to the health status of individuals. Biometric data and information on individual upon which people could be identified based on specifics and distinguishing signs. Bulgaria, as a country progressing in terms of integration of digital technologies and as a European Union member state has adopted international and universal legal instruments related on the procession and use of digital data and data protection. On legislative and ethical grounds, it has been established the particular importance of not violating human rights and individual freedoms when processing and using personal data. It has been noted that the processing of special categories of personal data may be necessary for reasons of public interest in the field of public health and that is why under such circumstances it has been permitted the procession to be carried on without the consent of the data subject. Lack of transparency and lawfulness of the processing of personal data could lead to physical, tangible, or intangible damages where processing could lead to discrimination, identity theft, or identity fraud as a result of which may be significant adverse economic or social consequences. Increasingly, widespread use of biometrics in the implementation of medical activities requires the application of a new approach in terms of awareness regarding existing risks to the rights, ethics, and freedoms of all of us, as a user of medical service.

Morphological operation and scaled Réyni entropy based approach for masses detection in mammograms

Detection of suspicious masses in mammograms play a vital role in early diagnosis of breast cancer, to reduce the death rate among women. The presence of masses and calcification’s in mammograms is distinguishing signs for breast cancer diagnosis. But in some cases, due to contrast variation, fuzzy boundaries and presence of noise in mammograms, segmentation and detection of masses is challenging assignment. This paper presents a new segmentation approach to detect masses in mammographic images. The proposed approach consist of artifacts elimination and pectoral region extraction, suspicious mass enhancement using dual morphological operation technique and finally, extraction of Regions of Interest (ROIs) from background using scaled Reyni entropy. The proposed system has been tested on two data-sets i.e. mini- Mammographic Image Analysis Society (mini-MIAS) and Digital Database for Screening Mammography (DDSM), over 50 and 90 mammograms respectively. Performance achieved with proposed system in terms of True Positive Fraction (TPF) yields 93.2% and 93.9% respectively, at the rate of 1.48 and 0.74 average False Positive per Image (FP/I), tested on both Cranio-Caudal (CC) and Medio-Lateral Oblique (MLO) views. The obtained experimental results demonstrates that proposed method gives improved results for mass detection and can be useful for radiologists in diagnosis of breast cancer at early stage.

Growth and Urban Development in prefecture-level China

Nowhere has the scale and scope of urbanization been larger than in China over the last few decades. We analyze Chinese city development over the past 20 years, using data for the urbanized components of prefecture-level cities. We show that, despite much variability and fast economic and demographic change, China is undergoing transformations similar to the historical trajectory of other urban systems. We also show that the distinguishing signs of urban economies - superlinear scaling of agglomeration effects in economic productivity and economies of scale in land use - also characterize Chinese cities. We then analyze the structure of economic change in Chinese cities using a variety of metrics, characterizing employment, firms and households. Population size estimates remain a major challenge for Chinese cities, as official numbers are often reported based on the Hukou registration system. We use the information in the residuals to scaling relations to predict actual resident population and show that these estimates agree well with data for a subset of cities for which counts of total resident population exist. We conclude with a list of issues that must be better understood and measured to make sense of present urban development trajectories in China.

Acque sacre e acque profane nei luoghi del non-ritorno: le immagini dell'archeologia

Preferential sites of social and anthropological analysis for the archaeologist, the cemeteries become an important source of cultural contact with the ancient world. In the ritual of burial between the IV and the VII century, we note a symbolic genesis of graves objects as effect of cultural fusion during the migrations and affirmation of Christian practices. Water certainly preserved a primary role: by way of natural mother, it was birth and eternal rebirth in the circle of the life and the death. In the late antiquity the water's theme, in its meaning of life, purification and death, had a distinctive sign in the continuous presence of flagon and small closed forms in the graves. Through the analysis of the pottery, the images of the archaeology, the ritual value is considered with different suggestions.

COMUNICACIÓN Y MERCADEO. Estudio cualitativo para el desarrollo de la marca de Pan de arroz

Este artículo presenta los resultados de la investigación cualitativa adelantada para el desarrollo de la marca del pan de arroz. Este producto de la gastronomía del departamento del Meta en Colombia forma parte de las prácticas tradicionales culinarias de la región, está incluido en la Agenda Interna de Competitividad y se pretende su posicionamiento en los diferentes segmentos del mercado, en especial el internacional. La investigación se originó cuando la Cámara de Comercio de Villavicencio convocó a diferentes entidades de los sectores público y privado con miras a dejar sentadas las bases para constituir el Clúster Pan de Arroz del Meta. Participaron 25 productores provenientes de Villavicencio, Restrepo y Cumaral, también la Universidad de los Llanos, quien hizo presencia a través del programa de Ingeniería Agroindustrial y de la oficina de Proyección Social, cuyos aportes se convertirían en la estandarización de la receta del pan de arroz para la obtención de un producto gourmet adaptado a las necesidades de los mercados extranjeros, se vinculó al proyecto el Instituto Nacional de Vigilancia de Medicamentos y Alimentos (INVIMA), mediante la formación y capacitación en temas relacionados con Buenas Prácticas de Manufactura (BPM) y sobre los requerimientos para la solicitud del Registro Sanitario. La Universidad Santo Tomás (sede Villavicencio), se unió al estudio con el grupo de investigación Holos, cuyo aporte consistió en hacer la prueba del producto sin adaptaciones al mercado europeo, para luego proceder a la realización de la propuesta de un signo distintivo (marca) y de un empaque, a partir de las observaciones recibidas de los consumidores internacionales. Dinámicas de Consumo de la Universidad de los Llanos, realizó la revisión teórica y documental que soportan la escritura de este artículo.

A murine model for developmental dysplasia of the hip: ablation of CX3CR1 affects acetabular morphology and gait

BackgroundDevelopmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a debilitating condition whose distinguishing signs include incomplete formation of the acetabulum leading to dislocation of the femur, accelerated wear of the articular cartilage and joint laxity resulting in osteoarthritis. It is a complex disorder having environmental and genetic causes. Existing techniques fail to detect milder forms of DDH in newborns leading to hip osteoarthritis in young adults. A sensitive, specific and cost effective test would allow identification of newborns that could be non-invasively corrected by the use of a Pavlik harness. Previously, we identified a 2.5 MB candidate region on human chromosome 3 by using linkage analysis of a 4 generation, 72 member family. Whole exome sequencing of the DNA of 4 severely affected members revealed a single nucleotide polymorphism variant, rs3732378 co-inherited by all 11 affected family members. This variant causes a threonine to methionine amino acid change in the coding sequence of the CX3CR1 chemokine receptor and is predicted to be harmful to the function of the protein To gain further insight into the function of this mutation we examined the effect of CX3CR1 ablation on the architecture of the mouse acetabulum and on the murine gait.MethodsThe hips of 5 and 8 weeks old wild type and CX3CR1 KO mice were analyzed using micro-CT to measure acetabular diameter and ten additional dimensional parameters. Eight week old mice were gait tested using an inclined treadmill with and without load and then underwent micro-CT analysis.Results(1) KO mice showed larger a 5–17% larger diameter left acetabula than WT mice at both ages. (2) At 8 weeks the normalized area of space (i.e. size discrepancy) between the femur head and acetabulum is significantly larger [38% (p = 0.001)–21% (p = 0.037)] in the KO mice. (3) At 8 weeks gait analysis of these same mice shows several metrics that are consistent with impairment in the KO but not the WT mice. These deficits are often seen in mice and humans who develop hip OA.ConclusionThe effect of CX3CR1 deletion on murine acetabular development provides suggestive evidence of a susceptibility inducing role of the CX3CR1 gene on DDH.

Teaching Neuro Images : Figure of 8

A 2-year-old girl, born after uneventful pregnancy from healthy nonconsanguineous parents, presented with failure to thrive, microcephaly, facial dysmorphism, strabismus, nystagmus, axial hypotonia, lower limb spasticity/hyperreflexia, dystonic movements, and no active postures. Since the first months of life, developmental delay without any motor skills acquisition, drug-resistant epilepsy, and progressive spasticity had emerged. Neuroimaging revealed pontocerebellar hypoplasia with the figure of 8 midbrain appearance (figure), a distinctive sign for PCH8 or AMPD2 deficiency.1,2 Sanger sequencing of the adenosine monophosphate deaminase 2 enzyme gene ( AMPD2 ) revealed the first compound heterozygous mutation (c.1664C>T; c.1112+1 G>A). The patient died at age 3 years due to respiratory insufficiency.

TAX ALTERNATIVES TO IMPLEMENT THE TAX CAPACITY OF INTERNET ACTIVITY IN UKRAINE

In an article carried out examination of theoretical bases of internet – activities and defined the specifics of its taxation. The study found that the Internet is one of the most perspective activities, in the work revealed that Internet activity can become a significant source of filling the budget. In a study it is made by analysis of changes to market Internet activity and its fiscal capacity. The authors justify that the role of taxes in the national economic security repeatedly increases, the need to study the process of increasing the level of security of the tax as one of the main components. Based on the study of foreign experience, the authors recommend a post on Web sites of the subjects of Internet activity a distinctive sign (so-called «tags trust»). The authors found major flaws in the taxation of Internet activity and determined the main directions of improving its taxation as one of the elements ensuring tax security of the State.