bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bootstrap based Trans-Gaussian Kriging
Authors: Rister K , Lahiri SN
Published: November 2013

Trans-Gaussian Kriging is a popular method for predicting unobserved values of a nonstationary and non-Gaussian spatial process. However, the predictions generated by Trans-Gaussian Kriging are often biased, primarily because these are produced by applying nonlinear transformations to unbiased optimal predictors of the underlying Gaussian field. The existing approach to bias correction is based on analytical approximations that only alleviate the bias problem partially. In this paper, we formulate a bootstrap method for bias correction and show that under some conditions, it yields asymptotically unbiased predictions. Results from a moderately large simulation show that the proposed method works well in reducing the bias in finite samples. A real data example is also presented illustrating the methodology.
Undesirable optimality results in multiple testing?
Authors: Lewis Charles , Thayer Dorothy T
Published: November 2013

A number of authors have considered the problem of making multiple comparisons among level-one parameters in multilevel models. This is a setting in which Bayesian procedures have a natural sampling theory interpretation, and where a natural justification for methods that control a directional version of the false discovery rate may be found. However, a basic desirable characteristic of multiple comparison procedures, namely that they should be more conservative than corresponding ‘per-comparison’ procedures, appears to be violated by some optimal procedures that have been developed in a multilevel setting. This concern is illustrated in the context of a very simple multilevel model, namely one-way, random-effects analysis of variance.
Potential implications of the choice among three alternative treatment targets for apolipoprotein B100 in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease
Authors: Boronat Mauro , García-Cantón César , López-Ríos Laura , Quevedo Virginia , Lorenzo Dionisio L , Batista Fátima , Riaño Marta , Nóvoa Francisco J
Published: November 2013

This study analyses discordance rates between attainment of therapeutic goals for apolipoprotein B100 (apoB) and both low-density lipoprotein–cholesterol (LDL-C) and non-high-density lipoprotein–cholesterol (non-HDL-C) in a sample of 152 patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease from Gran Canaria (Spain), using treatment targets recommended by the American Diabetes Association/American College of Cardiology (ADA/ACC), the European Society of Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society (ESC/EAS) and by a Spanish population-based study. Among subjects with LDL-C levels at therapeutic goal, apoB was above target in 16.3% (ADA/ACC), 6.5% (ESC/EAS) and 39.1% (population-based criteria), and among subjects with non-HDL-C levels at therapeutic goal, apoB was above target in 10.5% (ADA/ACC), 1.2% (ESC/EAS) and 29.6% (population-based criteria). These findings show that clinical management would be very differently altered depending on the criteria used to set treatment targets for apoB. Cut-off points derived from population data identify a greater number of subjects suitable for a more intensive lipid-lowering therapy.
Similarity maps and hierarchical clustering for annotating FT-IR spectral images
Authors: Zhong Qiaoyong , Yang Chen , Großerüschkamp Frederik , Kallenbach-Thieltges Angela , Serocka Peter , Gerwert Klaus , Mosig Axel
Published: November 2013

Background

Unsupervised segmentation of multi-spectral images plays an important role in annotating infrared microscopic images and is an essential step in label-free spectral histopathology. In this context, diverse clustering approaches have been utilized and evaluated in order to achieve segmentations of Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) microscopic images that agree with histopathological characterization.

Results

We introduce so-called interactive similarity maps as an alternative annotation strategy for annotating infrared microscopic images. We demonstrate that segmentations obtained from interactive similarity maps lead to similarly accurate segmentations as segmentations obtained from conventionally used hierarchical clustering approaches. In order to perform this comparison on quantitative grounds, we provide a scheme that allows to identify non-horizontal cuts in dendrograms. This yields a validation scheme for hierarchical clustering approaches commonly used in infrared microscopy.

Conclusions

We demonstrate that interactive similarity maps may identify more accurate segmentations than hierarchical clustering based approaches, and thus are a viable and due to their interactive nature attractive alternative to hierarchical clustering. Our validation scheme furthermore shows that performance of hierarchical two-means is comparable to the traditionally used Ward’s clustering. As the former is much more efficient in time and memory, our results suggest another less resource demanding alternative for annotating large spectral images.
Existence results for p-Laplacian boundary value problems of impulsive dynamic equations on time scales
Authors: Ozen Ozlem B , Karaca Ilkay Y , Tokmak Fatma
Published: November 2013

In this paper, Bai-Ge’s fixed point theorem is used to investigate the existence of positive solutions for second-order boundary value problems of p-Laplacian impulsive dynamic equations on time scales. As an application, we give an example to demonstrate our results.

MSC:34B18, 34N05, 39B37.
Exact solutions of unsteady MHD free convection in a heat absorbing fluid flow past a flat plate with ramped wall temperature
Authors: Nandkeolyar Raj , Das Mrutyunjay , Sibanda Precious
Published: November 2013

Unsteady MHD free convection and mass transfer from a viscous, incompressible, electrically conducting and heat absorbing fluid flow past a vertical infinite flat plate is investigated. The flow is induced by a general time-dependent movement of the vertical plate, and the cases of ramped temperature and isothermal plates are studied. Exact solutions of the governing equations are obtained. The Sherwood number, Nusselt number and skin friction coefficients are obtained for both ramped temperature and isothermal plates. Some applications of practical interest are discussed for different types of plate motions. The numerical values of species concentration, fluid temperature and fluid velocity are displayed graphically whereas the numerical values of Sherwood number, the Nusselt number and skin friction are presented in tabular form, for different parameter values for both ramped and isothermal plates.
Epitope analysis of anti-myeloperoxidase antibodies in propylthiouracil-induced antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis
Authors: Wang Chen , Gou Shen-ju , Xu Peng-cheng , Zhao Ming-hui , Chen Min
Published: November 2013

Introduction

Increasing evidence has suggested that linear epitopes of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) directed to myeloperoxidase (MPO) might provide clues to the pathogenesis of propylthiouracil (PTU)-induced ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). This study mapped epitopes of MPO-ANCA in sera from patients with PTU-induced MPO-ANCA (with or without vasculitis) and primary AAV, aiming to analyze certain epitopes associated with the development of PTU-induced AAV.

Methods

Six recombinant linear fragments, covering the whole amino acid sequence of a single chain of MPO, were produced from Escherichia coli. Sera from 17 patients with PTU-induced AAV, 17 patients with PTU-induced MPO-ANCA but without clinical evidence of vasculitis, and 64 patients with primary AAV were collected at presentation. Of the 17 patients with PTU-induced AAV, 12 also had sera at remission. The epitope specificities were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay by using the recombinant fragments as solid-phase ligands.

Results

Compared with patients with PTU-induced MPO-ANCA but without clinical vasculitis, sera from PTU-induced AAV patients showed significantly higher reactivity against the H1 fragment of MPO (optical density values: 0.17 (0.10 to 0.35) versus 0.10 (0.04 to 0.21), P = 0.038) and could recognize a significantly higher number of fragments (two (none to four) versus one (none to two), P = 0.026). Compared with sera from primary AAV patients, sera from PTU-induced AAV patients had significantly higher reactivity to the P fragment and the H4 fragment (47.1% versus 14.1% P < 0.001; 41.2% versus 14.1%, P = 0.034, respectively), and could recognize a significantly higher number of fragments (two (none to four) versus one (none to two), P = 0.013]. Among the 12 PTU-induced AAV patients with sequential samples, the number of fragments recognized in remission was significantly less than that in initial onset (two (none to four) versus none (none to 0.75), P < 0.001].

Conclusions

Linear epitopes of MPO molecules might be associated closely with PTU-induced AAV. In particular, the P and H4 fragments may be important epitopes in PTU-induced AAV.
The Skin of the Film
Authors: Marks Laura U.
Published: November 2013

Memories that evoke the physical awareness of touch, smell, and bodily presence can be vital links to home for people living in diaspora from their culture of origin. How can filmmakers working between cultures use cinema, a visual medium, to transmit that physical sense of place and culture? In The Skin of the Film Laura U. Marks offers an answer, building on the theories of Gilles Deleuze and others to explain how and why intercultural cinema represents embodied experience in a postcolonial, transnational world.

Much of intercultural cinema, Marks argues, has its origin in silence, in the gaps left by recorded history. Filmmakers seeking to represent their native cultures have had to develop new forms of cinematic expression. Marks offers a theory of “haptic visuality”—a visuality that functions like the sense of touch by triggering physical memories of smell, touch, and taste—to explain the newfound ways in which intercultural cinema engages the viewer bodily to convey cultural experience and memory. Using close to two hundred examples of intercultural film and video, she shows how the image allows viewers to experience cinema as a physical and multisensory embodiment of culture, not just as a visual representation of experience. Finally, this book offers a guide to many hard-to-find works of independent film and video made by Third World diasporic filmmakers now living in the United States, Great Britain, and Canada.

The Skin of the Film draws on phenomenology, postcolonial and feminist theory, anthropology, and cognitive science. It will be essential reading for those interested in film theory, experimental cinema, the experience of diaspora, and the role of the sensuous in culture.
Wrestling with the Left
Authors: Foley Barbara
Published: November 2013

In Wrestling with the Left, Barbara Foley presents a penetrating analysis of the creation of Invisible Man. In the process she sheds new light not only on Ralph Ellison’s celebrated novel but also on his early radicalism and the relationship between African American writers and the left during the early years of the cold war. Foley scrutinized thousands of pages of drafts and notes for the novel, as well as the author’s early journalism and fiction, published and unpublished. While Ellison had cut his ties with the Communist left by the time he began Invisible Man in 1945, Foley argues that it took him nearly seven years to wrestle down his leftist consciousness (and conscience) and produce the carefully patterned cold war text that won the National Book Award in 1953 and has since become a widely taught American classic. She interweaves her account of the novel’s composition with the history of American Communism, linking Ellison’s political and artistic transformations to his distress at the Communists’ wartime policies, his growing embrace of American nationalism, his isolation from radical friends, and his recognition, as the cold war heated up, that an explicitly leftist writer could not expect to have a viable literary career. Foley suggests that by expunging a leftist vision from Invisible Man, Ellison rendered his novel not only less radical but also less humane than it might otherwise have been.
Fumigant Treatment of Douglas-Fir Bridge Timbers
Authors: Morrell Jeffrey J. , Love Connie S. , Freitag Camille
Published: November 2013

The residual protective effect of sodium n-methyldithiocarbamate (NaMDC) fumigant was investigated in Douglas-fir timbers in a bridge in western Oregon using fungal colonization and levels of methylisothiocyanate (MITC; the primary fungitoxic breakdown product of NaMDC) as the measures of protection. MITC levels were above the presumed protective threshold 7 years after treatment and remained above that level in four of five timbers 12 years after treatment. These results differ from those found in round timbers and suggest that the combination of a protective-treated shell and the sawn surface resulted in a more prolonged protective period against renewed fungal attack. These results illustrate the benefits of NaMDC treatment on bridge timbers.
Combined Salt and Temperature Impact on Montmorillonite Hydration
Authors: Svensson Per Daniel , Hansen Staffan
Published: November 2013

Bentonite is to be used as a sealing material for long-term storage of radioactive waste. During permafrost periods the buffer may freeze, causing the following: montmorillonite dehydration, ice formation, and pressure build-up that may fracture the surrounding rock. No previous study has been done on freezing of bentonite in saline water. Using small and wide angle X-ray scattering, the present study aimed to increase understanding of the combined impact of salt and temperature on the hydration (swelling) of Wyoming montmorillonite. The basal spacing of the Na-montmorillonite was very dependent on the water content, while this was not the case for the Ca-montmorillonite (after reaching 19 Å). The basal spacing of the free-swelling Na-montmorillonite (34–280 Å) was estimated successfully using simple calculations. During freezing of Na-montmorillonite in NaCl solution, both ice and hydrohalite formed (at -50 and -100ºC). At starting concentrations ≥ 1.5 M the basal spacing was not affected by freezing. During freezing of Ca-montmorillonite in CaCl2 solution, ice formed; antarcticite formed only sporadically. The basal spacing of the Ca-montmorillonite at high NaCl concentrations (>1 M) was greater at -50 and -100ºC (18 Å) than at 20ºC (16 Å). The opposite was observed at low concentrations. This change was attributed to small amounts of salts introduced into the montmorillonite interlayer, hence changing the interlayer water properties. The montmorillonite hydration was also temperature dependent; decreasing temperature increased the hydration (as long as no ice was formed) and increasing the temperature decreased the hydration. This was attributed to the temperature impact on the entropy of the hydration reaction. This observation was also reproduced in an experiment up to 90ºC. A small amount of salt in the groundwater was noted to reduce significantly the potential problem of ice formation in bentonite sealings.
Integration of Noninvasive DNA Testing for Aneuploidy into Prenatal Care: What Has Happened Since the Rubber Met the Road?
Authors: Bianchi Diana W , Wilkins-Haug Louise
Published: November 2013

BACKGROUND

Over the past 2 years, noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), which uses massively parallel sequencing to align and count DNA fragments floating in the plasma of pregnant women, has become integrated into prenatal care. Professional societies currently recommend offering NIPT as an advanced screen to pregnant women at high risk for fetal aneuploidy, reserving invasive diagnostic procedures for those at the very highest risk.

CONTENT

In this review, we summarize the available information on autosomal and sex chromosome aneuploidy detection. Clinical performance in CLIA-certified, College of American Pathology–accredited laboratories appears to be equivalent to prior clinical validation studies, with high sensitivities and specificities and very high negative predictive values. The main impact on clinical care has been a reduction in invasive procedures. Test accuracy is affected by the fetal fraction, the percentage of fetal DNA in the total amount of circulating cell-free DNA. Fetal fraction is in turn affected by maternal body mass index, gestational age, type of aneuploidy, singleton vs multiples, and mosaicism. Three studies comparing NIPT to serum or combined screening for autosomal aneuploidy all show that NIPT has significantly lower false-positive rates (approximately 0.1%), even in all-risk populations. A significant number of the discordant positive cases have underlying biological reasons, including confined placental mosaicism, maternal mosaicism, cotwin demise, or maternal malignancy.

NIPT performs well as an advanced screen for whole chromosome aneuploidy. Economic considerations will likely dictate whether its use can be expanded to all risk populations and whether it can be applied routinely for the detection of subchromosome abnormalities.
Multistage oxygen delignification of high-kappa pine kraft pulp with peroxymonosulfuric acid (Px)
Authors: Jafari Vahid , Sixta Herbert , van Heiningen Adriaan
Published: November 2013

In the present study the advantages of multistage oxygen delignification was explored in comparison with a single-stage process at the same level of total caustic charge. A pine kraft pulp with kappa number of 65 (Kn65) was bleached with the focus on the effect of NaOH-charge distribution on Kn, pulp yield, and selectivity of oxygen delignification. The effect of initial chelation with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and interstage pulp treatment with peroxymonosulfuric acid (Px) were also investigated. It is shown that the chelated pulp with high Kn may be delignified in three stages to Kn15, but at an unacceptable reduction in pulp viscosity and yield. In contrast, interstage treatment of the chelated pulp with Px at a total charge of 2% active oxygen (based on pulp) in combination with three stages of oxygen delignification enables Kn reduction to about 15 at acceptable viscosity and total yield advantage of about 0.5% (based on wood) compared to an oxygen-delignified kraft pulp with Kn24 derived from the same pine wood chips.
A corpus-linguistic study of multiple relative clauses in Chinese
Authors: Ming Tao , Chen Liang
Published: November 2013

This study investigates the ordering restriction of two relative clauses modifying the same head noun phrase in Chinese. We use both retrospective and corpus data to challenge Larson and Takahashi's (2007) account of the ordering of such multiple relative clauses in Chinese in terms of the distinction of individual-level and stage-level relative clauses. Instead, we offer an account based on the discourse function of the multiple relative clauses in Chinese. Specifically, we argue that relative clauses that serve to provide grounding information for the head noun tend to precede other types of relative clauses. The proposed ordering restriction is shown to account for the ordering of multiple relative clauses in both Chinese and English.
Laser photobiomodulation influences the expression of genes related to the inflammatory process and muscle cell differentiation during the process of muscle healing
Authors: Rodrigues Natalia Camargo , Brunelli Roberta , de Araújo Heloísa Selistre , Parizotto Nivaldo Antonio , Renno Ana Claudia Muniz
Published: November 2013

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of 780-nm laser therapy on the expression of genes related to muscle healing.

Sixty-three rats were distributed into three groups: 1) injured control group (CG), 2) injured treatment group at 10 J/cm

At day 7, G10 presented a smaller necrosis area compared to CG and G50. Fourteen days post-surgery, G10 and G50 presented a smaller amount of inflammatory cells and a better tissue organization compared to CG. On day 21, G10 and G50 showed better muscle structure than the control. A significantly decreased COX-2 expression was observed in groups G10 and G50 at day 7 compared to the control animals. No difference was found among the experimental groups after 14 days, but G50 presented statistically higher COX-2 down-regulation at day 21. VEGF expression decreased in the first period analyzed in both treatment groups, increased after 14 days in G10, and increased after 21 days in G50. Both irradiated groups had a higher MyoD expression in all the evaluated periods and myogenin levels increased after 14 days in both treatment groups and in G10 after 21 days.

780-nm laser therapy had positive effects during muscle regeneration through the gene expression modulation related to the inflammatory process and the new muscle fibers formation, in both fluencies used in the present study, but the fluence of 10 J/cm
Performance properties of vacuum insulation panels produced with various filling materials
Authors: Davraz Metin , Bayrakci Hilmi C.
Published: November 2013

Vacuum insulation panel (VIP) is known to be the most effective insulation material. However, the usage areas of VIPs are restricted because of their high production costs. The core of VIP is the most important item affecting the cost of VIP. In this study, to obtain VIPs, which are provided with minimum thermal conductivity resistance value (R=5 m2 K/mW), was aimed for the optimal thickness of the panel (<40 mm). Therefore, 14 different core samples of VIP were produced by using various types of powders (fumed silica, precipitated silica, perlite, and diatomite), opacifiers (silicon carbide, carbon black, and titanium dioxide), and fibers (glass fiber, organic fiber, and cellulosic fiber). By using appropriate test methods, the physical properties of core samples such as unit weight, porosity, mass per volume and mechanical properties, their uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength, and dimensional stability and also thermal conductivity coefficient in vacuum were determined. Results were compared with values of reference materials. The most appropriate compression pressure used in the manufacture of core sample was 27.5 kN. In addition, taking into account the benefit-cost relationship, the results of this study showed that the mix of fumed silica and precipitated silica (powder material), silicon carbide (opacifier), and glass fiber (fiber) was determined as the most suitable raw materials.
Functional Subpopulations of V3 Interneurons in the Mature Mouse Spinal Cord
Authors: Borowska Joanna , Jones Christopher T. , Zhang Han , Blacklaws Jake , Goulding Martyn , Zhang Ying
Published: November 2013

V3 interneurons (INs) are a major group of excitatory commissural interneurons in the spinal cord, and they are essential for producing a stable and robust locomotor rhythm. V3 INs are generated from the ventral-most progenitor domain, p3, but migrate dorsally and laterally during postmitotic development. At birth, they are located in distinctive clusters in the ventral horn and deep dorsal horn. To assess the heterogeneity of this genetically identified group of spinal INs, we combined patch-clamp recording and anatomical tracing with cluster analysis. We examined electrophysiological and morphological properties of mature V3 INs identified by their expression of tdTomato fluorescent proteins inSim1Cre/+;Rosafloxstop26TdTommice. We identified two V3 subpopulations with distinct intrinsic properties and spatial distribution patterns. Ventral V3 INs, primarily located in lamina VIII, possess a few branching processes and were capable of generating rapid tonic firing spikes. By contrast, dorsal V3 INs exhibited a more complex morphology and relatively slow average spike frequency with strong adaptation, and they also displayed large sag voltages and post-inhibitory rebound potentials. Our data suggested that hyperpolarization-activated cation channel currents and T-type calcium channel currents may account for some of the membrane properties of V3 INs. Finally, we observed that ventral and dorsal V3 INs were active in different ways during running and swimming, indicating that ventral V3 INs may act as premotor neurons and dorsal V3 INs as relay neurons mediating sensory inputs. Together, we detected two physiologically and topographically distinct subgroups of V3 INs, each likely playing different roles in locomotor activities.
Loss of Predominant Shank3 Isoforms Results in Hippocampus-Dependent Impairments in Behavior and Synaptic Transmission
Authors: Kouser Mehreen , Speed Haley E. , Dewey Colleen M. , Reimers Jeremy M. , Widman Allie J. , Gupta Natasha , Liu Shunan , Jaramillo Thomas C. , Bangash Muhammad , Xiao Bo , Worley Paul F. , Powell Craig M.
Published: November 2013

TheShank3gene encodes a scaffolding protein that anchors multiple elements of the postsynaptic density at the synapse. Previous attempts to delete theShank3gene have not resulted in a complete loss of the predominant naturally occurring Shank3 isoforms. We have now characterized a homozygousShank3mutation in mice that deletes exon 21, including the Homer binding domain. In the homozygous state, deletion of exon 21 results in loss of the major naturally occurring Shank3 protein bands detected by C-terminal and N-terminal antibodies, allowing us to more definitively examine the role of Shank3 in synaptic function and behavior. This loss of Shank3 leads to an increased localization of mGluR5 to both synaptosome and postsynaptic density-enriched fractions in the hippocampus. These mice exhibit a decrease in NMDA/AMPA excitatory postsynaptic current ratio in area CA1 of the hippocampus, reduced long-term potentiation in area CA1, and deficits in hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory. In addition, these mice also exhibit motor-coordination deficits, hypersensitivity to heat, novelty avoidance, altered locomotor response to novelty, and minimal social abnormalities. These data suggest that Shank3 isoforms are required for normal synaptic transmission/plasticity in the hippocampus, as well as hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory.
Deficits in Adult Neurogenesis, Contextual Fear Conditioning, and Spatial Learning in aGfapMutant Mouse Model of Alexander Disease
Authors: Hagemann Tracy L. , Paylor Richard , Messing Albee
Published: November 2013

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is the major intermediate filament of mature astrocytes in the mammalian CNS. Dominant gain of function mutations inGFAPlead to the fatal neurodegenerative disorder, Alexander disease (AxD), which is characterized by cytoplasmic protein aggregates known as Rosenthal fibers along with variable degrees of leukodystrophy and intellectual disability. The mechanisms by which mutant GFAP leads to these pleiotropic effects are unknown. In addition to astrocytes, GFAP is also expressed in other cell types, particularly neural stem cells that form the reservoir supporting adult neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles. Here, we show that mouse models of AxD exhibit significant pathology in GFAP-positive radial glia-like cells in the dentate gyrus, and suffer from deficits in adult neurogenesis. In addition, they display impairments in contextual learning and spatial memory. This is the first demonstration of cognitive phenotypes in a model of primary astrocyte disease.
Effects of environmental factors on community structure of Leptophlebiidae (Insecta, Ephemeroptera) in Cerrado streams, Brazil
Authors: Brasil Leandro S. , Shimano Yulie , Batista Joana Darc , Cabette Helena S. R.
Published: November 2013

We analyzed the effects of environmental factors on abundance, species richness, and functional group richness of Leptophlebiidae in 16 sampling points along four Cerrado streams. Across three periods of 2005, we collected 5,492 larvae from 14 species in stream bed substrate. These species belong to three functional feeding groups: scrapers, filtering collectors and shredders. The abundance and species richness were not affected by water quality, but habitat quality related to presence of riparian vegetation had positive effects on the abundance of shredders. Our results add important information on the natural history of the species and functional groups of aquatic insects and also provide relevant data for the monitoring and conservation of streams in the Brazilian Cerrado.
Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) do Museu de Zoologia da Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Bahia
Authors: Martins Ubirajara R. , Galileo Maria Helena M.
Published: November 2013

Novas espécies em Cerambycinae são descritas do Brasil, Piauí: Compsibidion paragraphycum sp. nov. (Neoibidionini). Em Lamiinae, - do Piauí: Trichohippopsis vestita sp. nov. (Agapanthiini); Oncioderes piauiensis sp. nov. (Onciderini); Cotycicuiara caracolensis sp. nov. (Desmiphorini); Xenofrea peculiaris sp. nov. (Xenofreini); Mariliana bellula sp. nov. (Hemilophini); - da Paraíba: Ataxia arenaria sp. nov. (Pteropliini); Dadoychus atrus sp. nov. (Hemilophini). Novos registros em Cerambycinae para o Piauí: Methia longipennis Martins, 1997 (Methiini); Tropidion sipolisi (Gounelle, 1909), Compsibidion decoratum (Gounelle, 1909), Cycnidolon obliquum Martins, 1969 (Neoibidionini); - para o Ceará: Paranyssicus conspicillatus (Erichson, 1847) (Elaphidiini); Aglaoschema collorata (Napp, 1993) (Compsocerini); - para a Bahia: Stizocera phtisica Gounelle, 1909 (Elaphidiini). Novos registros em Lamiinae para o Piauí: Dolichosybra tubericollis Breuning, 1942 (Apomecynini); Ceiupaba lineata Martins & Galileo, 1998, Cicuiara striata (Bates, 1866), Desmiphora pallida Bates, 1874 (Desmiphorini); Nesozineus apharus Galileo & Martins, 1996, Psapharochrus nigrovittatus (Zajciw, 1969) (Acanthoderini); - para o Ceará: Trichohippopsis rufula Breuning, 1958 (Agapanthiini); Ataxia parva Galileo & Martins, 2011 (Pteropliini); Desmiphora cirrosa Erichson, 1847 (Desmiphorini); - para a Paraíba: Eudesmus rubefactus Bates, 1865 (Onciderini); Laraesima ochreoapicalis Breuning, 1973 (Compsosomatini); Psapharochrus itatiayensis (Melzer, 1935) (Acanthoderini); - para a Bahia: Brasiliosoma tibialis (Breuning, 1948) (Compsosomatini); Adesmus hemispilus (Germar, 1821) (Hemilophini).
Morfologia do epitélio intestinal de codornas japonesas alimentadas com parede celular da Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Lemos Marina Jorge de , Calixto Lígia Fátima Lima , Nascimento Aparecida Alves do , Sales Armando , Santos Marcos Antônio José dos , Aroucha Rômulo Jordão Neves
Published: November 2013

Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar os benefícios e o melhor nível de inclusão de parede celular de Saccharomyces cerevisiae (PCSC) na dieta sobre a morfologia intestinal de codornas japonesas (Coturnix coturnix japonica) durante a fase de produção. 400 codornas japonesas (42 a 154 dias de idade) foram distribuídas em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com cinco tratamentos e 10 repetições com oito aves cada. Foram utilizadas cinco dietas com diferentes níveis de parede celular de S. cerevisiae (0, 0,5, 1,0; 1,5; 2,0kg t-1). A dieta foi fornecida ad libitum durante todo o período experimental. As variáveis analisadas foram: altura e largura das vilosidades, relação altura/largura das vilosidades e profundidade da cripta intestinal. Altura, largura e proporção altura/largura das vilosidades intestinais foram influenciados pela inclusão de PCSc na dieta, enquanto que a profundidade das criptas não foi influenciada pela adição de PCSc. A inclusão de parede celular de S. cerevisiae na dieta até 1,7kg t-1 trouxe alterações positivas na morfologia do epitélio intestinal de codornas japonesas (C. c. japonica) na fase de produção.
Acreditação Hospitalar: proposição de roteiro para implantação
Authors: Alástico Gabriel Pedro , Toledo José Carlos de
Published: November 2013

No Brasil, o Sistema Hospitalar é caracterizado pela precariedade em procedimentos e recursos, levando à falta de qualidade nos serviços prestados aos pacientes. Essa realidade pode ser explicada, em parte, por deficiências no sistema de gestão hospitalar. Nesse contexto, a difusão e a implantação do Sistema de Acreditação Brasileiro, coordenado pela ONA - Organização Nacional de Acreditação, têm se mostrado uma importante iniciativa. Apesar dos esforços de estruturação deste Sistema de Acreditação, muitos hospitais encontram dificuldades para implantar os requisitos deste sistema de gestão. Este artigo contribui para essa questão propondo um roteiro orientativo de adequação da gestão hospitalar aos requisitos de Acreditação, visando apoiar os gestores hospitalares na implantação desses requisitos. Um roteiro preliminar foi gerado a partir de uma pesquisa exploratória realizada em três hospitais Acreditados e de uma revisão bibliográfica. O roteiro preliminar foi testado e aperfeiçoado por meio de uma pesquisa-ação realizada em um hospital público de pequeno porte. A aplicação do roteiro proposto auxilia os gestores a melhor compreenderem e conduzirem o processo de Acreditação e seus requisitos.
Consumo de bebida alcoólica, fatores socioeconômicos e excesso de peso: um estudo transversal no sul do Brasil
Authors: Cibeira Gabriela Herrmann , Muller Cecilia , Lazzaretti Rosmeri , Nader Gisele Alsina , Caleffi Maira
Published: November 2013

O objetivo do estudo foi investigar o consumo de álcool e verificar sua associação com escolaridade, renda e excesso de peso em uma amostra de mulheres. Trata-se de um estudo transversal com 317 mulheres. Aplicou-se um questionário padronizado e pré-codificado para determinar a quantidade, a frequência e o tipo de bebida alcoólica consumida. As mulheres foram classificadas em dois grandes grupos, conforme a quantidade de bebida consumida. O primeiro grupo "Consumo de Álcool", formado por duas subcategorias: (1) mulheres que bebiam no mínimo 10g/dia de etanol; (2) mulheres que referiram não consumir 10g/dia de etanol e as que beberam em algum período da vida ou previamente, mas que o deixaram de fazer. O segundo grupo, "Contato com Álcool", foi composto por três subcategorias: (1) bebedoras (mulheres que bebiam no mínimo 10g/dia de etanol), (2) ex-bebedoras (já beberam regularmente, mas deixaram de consumir a bebida) e (3) não bebedoras. Das investigadas, 30% eram bebedoras e 36,6% se declararam ex-bebedoras. Tinham sobrepeso 39,4% das participantes e 34,3% eram obesas. As investigadas com maior grau de instrução consumiam maior quantidade de álcool, quando comparadas às mulheres com menor escolaridade (analfabetas) que consumam menos (p = 0,010).
Natural-fibre-reinforced plastics in actively bent structures
Authors: Gengnagel Christoph , Hernández Elisa Lafuente , Bäumer Ralf
Published: November 2013

This joint venture research brings together three different fields of research which have led to novel findings: these relate to single-motion erection of irregular lattice gridshells using geometric optimisation techniques for the application of natural fibre-reinforced composites within the context of actively bent elements for curved load-bearing structures. Fabrication tests are carried out for pultruded flat test specimens and tubular sections made from environmentally advantageous composites with flax or sisal fibres and a partially bio-based resin. The flat test specimens with flax fibres exhibit excellent tensile and bending strength properties but the sisal yarns prove more successful for pultrusion. Fibre-reinforced composites (including natural fibre-reinforced plastics) compare favourably to timber and steel for application in actively bent structures where low weight, bending-stress reserves and large curvatures are required. The pultrusion tests also identify serious manufacturing challenges (such as the twisting of sisal fibres), which lead to inconsistent properties and subsequently highlight the need for further investigation. The experimental realisation of a 10 m span irregular lattice gridshell using glass fibre-reinforced plastic was completed as a proof of concept for the suitability of active bending for pultruded fibre-reinforced profiles and also to validate newly developed computational optimisation and construction procedures for irregular gridshell lattices.
Alliancing in Australia: competing for thought leadership
Authors: Tamburro Nick , Wood Peter
Published: November 2013

Clients need to be ever vigilant to maintain a central role in thought leadership for the procurement of infrastructure projects. This paper uses the case study of alliancing in Australia as a cautionary tale to illustrate how value for money can be eroded when clients concede thought leadership to suppliers. In the mid-1990s the alliance model of contracting was introduced to Australia. By approximately 2005 this alliancing model was a dominant method of infrastructure procurement. Thought leadership by suppliers (including advisors) quickly evolved a model based on the promise that, ‘Clients would receive enhanced value-for-money outcomes and no disputes with a culture-centric procurement model that avoided price competition’. It sounds naive and it was, as evidenced by substantial research sponsored by the various Australian state treasuries. In July 2011 the public sector took a thought leadership role and adopted a new National Alliance Contracting policy and guidelines. This second generation of the alliance model was founded on competition of intellectual effort and price. The story of alliancing in Australia demonstrates that thought leadership in the procurement of infrastructure projects cannot be ignored by clients.
A regime shift from macrophyte to phytoplankton dominance enhances carbon burial in a shallow, eutrophic lake
Authors: Brothers Soren M. , Hilt Sabine , Attermeyer Katrin , Grossart Hans Peter , Kosten Sarian , Lischke Betty , Mehner Thomas , Meyer Nils , Scharnweber Kristin , Köhler Jan
Published: November 2013

Ecological regime shifts and carbon cycling in aquatic systems have both been subject to increasing attention in recent years, yet the direct connection between these topics has remained poorly understood. A four‐fold increase in sedimentation rates was observed within the past 50 years in a shallow eutrophic lake with no surface in‐ or outflows. This change coincided with an ecological regime shift involving the complete loss of submerged macrophytes, leading to a more turbid, phytoplankton‐dominated state. To determine whether the increase in carbon (C) burial resulted from a comprehensive transformation of C cycling pathways in parallel to this regime shift, we compared the annual C balances (mass balance and ecosystem budget) of this turbid lake to a similar nearby lake with submerged macrophytes, a higher transparency, and similar nutrient concentrations. C balances indicated that roughly 80% of the C input was permanently buried in the turbid lake sediments, compared to 40% in the clearer macrophyte‐dominated lake. This was due to a higher measured C burial efficiency in the turbid lake, which could be explained by lower benthic C mineralization rates. These lower mineralization rates were associated with a decrease in benthic oxygen availability coinciding with the loss of submerged macrophytes. In contrast to previous assumptions that a regime shift to phytoplankton dominance decreases lake heterotrophy by boosting whole‐lake primary production, our results suggest that an equivalent net metabolic shift may also result from lower C mineralization rates in a shallow, turbid lake. The widespread occurrence of such shifts may thus fundamentally alter the role of shallow lakes in the global C cycle, away from channeling terrestrial C to the atmosphere and towards burying an increasing amount of C.
Spatial and temporal distribution of fluvio-morphological processes on a meander point bar during a flood event
Authors: Elina Kasvi , Petteri Alho , Matti Vaaja , Hannu Hyyppä , Juha Hyyppä
Published: November 2013

Morphological changes and hydraulic parameters are analyzed over a meander point bar along a sand-bedded river. Morphological changes caused by a flood are mapped using terrestrial and mobile laser scanners. The flow characteristics are simulated over the duration of the flood, which inundated the point bar completely. The spatial distribution of depth-averaged flow velocity, direction, and stream power at two different discharges is analyzed. In addition, the temporal variation of flow velocity, depth, and stream power on the point bar is resolved over the whole inundated period. The changes in discharge control the transverse shift of the high velocity core, which, in turn, has a major impact on the changes over the point bar. For example, a minor decrease in discharge may lead to a notable decrease in flow velocity on the point bar margin, enabling filling. Deposition occurs mainly during the recession of the flood, and thus, the duration of moderate discharges greatly influences accretion. The size of the supplied sediment also influences the filling over the bar head. Erosion mainly takes place during high discharges. A rapid decrease in discharge inhibits chute filling. The latest flood event seems to influence more the erosional compared to depositional processes.
Mass flow and energy efficiency in a large water reclamation plant in Singapore
Authors: Yeshi Cao , Leng Lau Choon , Li Lin , Yingjie Lee , Seng Lee Kah , Ghani Yahya Abd , Long Wah Yuen
Published: November 2013

This paper presents the results of a measured data-based mass flow and balance study in UluPandan Water Reclamation Plant (WRP), the second largest municipal wastewater treatment plant in Singapore. The results are benchmarked against the Strass wastewater treatment plant in Austria, which has achieved energy self-efficiency. The gaps between the two plants have been identified and areas for process improvement in UluPandan WRP, especially those related to energy efficiency, have been proposed. This case study demonstrates that mass flow and balance is an effective tool in improving process performance and the energy efficiency of a municipal wastewater treatment plant.
Treatment of hexavalent chromium by using a combined Fenton and chemical precipitation process
Authors: Jafari Ahmad Jonidi , Golbaz Somayeh , Kalantary Roshanak Rezaei
Published: November 2013

This work aimed to remove hexavalent chromium and three treatment schemes were examined based on a laboratory scale design: (a) Fenton process, (b) precipitation process, and (c) Fenton process followed by precipitation process. Variations of this study including pH, Fenton and precipitation reagents (molar ratio of Fe2+/H2O2 and FeCl3), contact time, and initial concentration of chromium were investigated. The results showed that about 98% of Cr+6 is removed by the coagulation property of the Fenton process, and the ideal conditions for its removal included Cr+6 = 10 mg/L, pH = 4, molar ratio Fe2+/H2O2 = 2.4 with a time duration of 30 min. Maximal removal efficiency of Cr+6 in the precipitation process was equivalent to 97% in the following optimum conditions: Cr+6 = 5 mg/L, pH = 7, FeCl3 = 0.7 g/L and deposition time of 20 min. Combination of these two methods can remove greater concentrations of chromium (15 mg/L) to about 99.99%. Therefore, removal of Cr+6 by the combined Fenton and precipitation process was better than any of the methods alone (Kruskal-Wallis, P value ≤0.05). Consequently, the Fenton process followed by precipitation process can be considered as a suitable process for Cr+6 removal to achieve environmental standards.
Rethinking urban areas: an example of an integrated blue-green approach
Authors: Rozos E. , Makropoulos C. , Maksimović Č.
Published: November 2013

The provision of high quality urban water services, the assets of which are often conceptualised as ‘blue infrastructure’, is essential for public health and quality of life in the cities. On the other hand, parks, recreation grounds, gardens, green roofs and in general ‘green infrastructure’, provide a range of (urban) ecosystem services (including quality of life and aesthetics) and could also be thought of as inter alia contributors to the mitigation of floods, droughts, noise, air pollution and urban heat island (UHI) effects, improvement of biodiversity, amenity values and human health. Currently, these ‘blue’ and ‘green’ assets/infrastructure are planned to operate as two separate systems despite the obvious interactions between them (for example, low runoff coefficient of green areas resulting in reduction of stormwater flows, and irrigation of green areas by potable water in increasing pressure on water supply systems). This study explores the prospects of a more integrated ‘blue-green’ approach – tested at the scale of a household. Specifically, UWOT (the Urban Water Optioneering Tool) was extended and used to assess the potential benefits of a scheme that employed locally treated greywater along with harvested rainwater for irrigating a green roof. The results of the simulations indicated that the blue-green approach combined the benefits of both ‘green’ and ‘blue’ technologies/services and at the same time minimised the disadvantages of each when installed separately.
Modification of a polyamide reverse osmosis membrane by heat treatment for enhanced fouling resistance
Authors: Fujioka Takahiro , Nghiem Long D.
Published: November 2013

The use of heat treatment to improve solute rejection and fouling resistance of a polyamide reverse osmosis (RO) membrane was investigated in this study. Heat treatment was carried out by immersing the membrane samples in Milli-Q water at 70 °C for a specific duration. Heat treatment (24 h) reduced the pure water permeability from 4.1 to 2.8 L/m2hbar but improved conductivity rejection from 95.5 to 97.0%. As a result, a correlation was observed between changes in the two parameters. Marginal changes in the membrane surface characteristics (i.e. zeta potential, hydrophobicity, chemistry and roughness) were observed as a result of heat treatment. Heat treatment significantly improved the fouling resistance property of the RO membrane. When the secondary effluent was filtrated at an elevated permeated flux, the virgin RO membrane exhibited 30% flux decline while the heat-treated membrane showed only 12% flux decline. This is possibly because heat treatment resulted in a denser cross-linked active skin layer, thus reducing the blockage caused by small organic foulants.
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver: A Possible New Target for Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Treatment
Authors: Fruci Barbara , Giuliano Stefania , Mazza Angela , Malaguarnera Roberta , Belfiore Antonino
Published: November 2013

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder worldwide. Several lines of evidence have indicated a pathogenic role of insulin resistance, and a strong association with type 2 diabetes (T2MD) and metabolic syndrome. Importantly, NAFLD appears to enhance the risk for T2MD, as well as worsen glycemic control and cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients. In turn, T2MD may promote NAFLD progression. The opportunity to take into account NAFLD in T2MD prevention and care has stimulated several clinical studies in which antidiabetic drugs, such as metformin, thiazolidinediones, GLP-1 analogues and DPP-4 inhibitors have been evaluated in NAFLD patients. In this review, we provide an overview of preclinical and clinical evidences on the possible efficacy of antidiabetic drugs in NAFLD treatment. Overall, available data suggest that metformin has beneficial effects on body weight reduction and metabolic parameters, with uncertain effects on liver histology, while pioglitazone may improve liver histology. Few data, mostly preclinical, are available on DPP4 inhibitors and GLP-1 analogues. The heterogeneity of these studies and the small number of patients do not allow for firm conclusions about treatment guidelines, and further randomized, controlled studies are needed.