bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Covered versus bare stents for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt: an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Qi Xingshun , Tian Yulong , Zhang Wei , Yang Zhiping , Guo Xiaozhong
Published: October 2016

Background:

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a standard treatment option for the management of portal hypertension in liver cirrhosis. Since the introduction of covered stents, shunt patency has been greatly improved. However, it remains uncertain about whether covered stents could improve survival. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials has been performed to compare the outcomes of covered versus bare stents for TIPS.

Methods:

PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify the relevant randomized controlled trials. Overall survival, shunt patency, and hepatic encephalopathy were the major endpoints. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Heterogeneity was calculated. Cochrane risk of bias tool was employed.

Results:

Overall, 119 papers were identified. Among them, four randomized controlled trials were eligible. Viatorr covered stents alone, Fluency covered stents alone, and Viatorr plus Fluency covered stents were employed in one, two, and one randomized controlled trials, respectively. Risk of bias was relatively low. Meta-analyses demonstrated that the covered-stents group had significantly higher probabilities of overall survival (HR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.50–0.90, p = 0.008) and shunt patency (HR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.29–0.62, p < 0.0001) than the bare-stents group. Additionally, the covered-stents group might have a lower risk of hepatic encephalopathy than the bare-stents group (HR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.49–1.00, p = 0.05). The heterogeneity among studies was not statistically significant in the meta-analyses.

Conclusions:

Compared with bare stents, covered stents for TIPS may improve the overall survival. In the era of covered stents, the indications for TIPS may be further expanded.
Algorithmic Hotness: Young Women’s “Promotion” and “Reconnaissance” Work via Social Media Body Images
Authors: Carah Nicholas , Dobson Amy
Published: October 2016

This article examines how the circulation of images on mobile and algorithmic social media platforms is gendered. We draw on data from a research project that examines the interplay between promotion, drinking culture, and social media. In this project, informants documented flows of images between their social media accounts and a nightlife precinct. We show how the human capacity to use bodies to affect other bodies, and to make critical judgments about bodies, is vital to algorithmic media platforms that aim to profit from calculative judgements about the affective dimensions of human life. We propose an expanded register of “body heat” on social media as both the symbolic labor of producing, maintaining, and digitally mediating a body that conforms to heterosexy visual codes and the affective labor of using a hot body to affect other bodies through movement, touch, and excessive consumption. The escalating capacity of social media platforms to calibrate flows of attention depends on the “hot” bodies of users and user’s work in curating “hot” body images to upload. Hot female bodies are critical to nightlife promotion via social media, in attracting viewer attention. Hot female bodies are also key to moments of nightlife reconnaissance: they are registered in the databases and sorted by the algorithms of social media platforms, enabling viewers to make judgments about the desirability of locations in the nightlife precinct.
From Scene to Screen: The challenges and opportunities of commercial digital platforms for HIV community outreach
Authors: Mowlabocus Sharif , Haslop Craig , Dasgupta Rohit K.
Published: October 2016

This article draws upon data from Reaching Out Online, a collaborative research project that explored the need for, and development of, a digital health outreach service for gay, bisexual men and men who have sex with men (MSM) in London and Brighton, United Kingdom. It identifies the challenges that commercial hook-up apps and other digitally based dating and sex services pose for conventional forms of gay men’s health promotion. It then moves to explore the opportunities that these same services offer for health promotion teams. Chiefly, the discussion highlights the potential that commercial platforms offer to peer educators in terms of reaching local cohorts of men, together with the constraints placed upon this form of outreach as a result of the commercial imperatives that underpin these digital services.
Effect of male age on oxidative stress markers in human semen
Authors: Koh Su-Ann , Sanders Katherine , Burton Peter
Published: October 2016

This study conducted a comprehensive analysis of oxidative stress markers in human semen within the context of assisted reproductive technology (ART) and investigated if these markers varied according to male age. 148 semen samples were collected from 139 men presenting at Concept Fertility Centre, Western Australia, from 2009 to 2012. Semen analyses were performed and demographic information including smoking status and abstinence period was collected. Reactive oxygen species production, lipid peroxidation, oxidative DNA damage (8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)), total antioxidant capacity and DNA fragmentation ( terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine diphosphate nick-end labelling) were measured as markers of oxidative stress. Semen parameters and oxidative stress markers were compared against age as a continuous variable, and between males <40 and males ≥40 years of age. Older males aged ≥40 years exhibited higher levels of sperm oxidative DNA damage (8-OHdG) compared to younger males ( p = 0.029), but no other oxidative stress marker significantly varied with age. An age-related decrease in sperm concentration ( p = 0.011) and motility ( p = 0.015) was observed after processing. Lower sperm concentration and reduced motility pre- and post-semen processing were significantly correlated with elevated oxidative DNA damage (all p < 0.001). Our results suggest that oxidative stress may be an important mediator between male age and fertility. This is concerning within the context of an ageing ART cohort, as sperm oxidative DNA damage is associated with a range of suboptimal fertility outcomes.
Growth trajectories and asthma/rhinitis in children: a longitudinal study in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Yang-Ching , Liou Tsan-Hon , Chen Pau-Chung , Chiang Bor-Luen , Yang Yao-Hsu , Fan Hsien-Yu , Lee Yungling Leo
Published: October 2016

Studies have reported the effect of body weight in early childhood on asthma. However, the effect of growth patterns during school age on asthma and rhinitis has yet to be explored. We sought to investigate whether various growth patterns predict incident asthma and rhinitis.

We conducted a nationwide longitudinal study (Taiwan Children Health Study) in 14 Taiwanese communities. Body mass index (BMI) z-scores of 4422 children aged 6–11 years were collected annually and distinct growth trajectory classes were identified using a latent generalised mixture model. Pulmonary function and exhaled nitric oxide fraction (FeNO) levels were also measured. Whether different growth trajectory classes predict incident asthma and rhinitis at age 12, 15 and 18 years was determined using a discrete time hazard model.

Four growth trajectory classes were identified. Persistently overweight children exhibited significantly increased risks of asthma and rhinitis at age 12 years. Furthermore, being persistently overweight had a long-term effect on incident asthma (hazard ratio 2.47, 95% CI 1.18–5.12) and rhinitis (hazard ratio 1.44, 95% CI 1.12–1.84) in adolescence and early adulthood. Children in high BMI classes exhibited significantly lower pulmonary functions compared with normal growth children.FeNOlevels were lower in children in the high BMI classes and higher in children showing declining obesity compared with normal growth children.

Persistently overweight children exhibited incident asthma and rhinitis in adolescence and early adulthood.
Draft genome sequence of Streptomyces sp. MWW064 for elucidating the rakicidin biosynthetic pathway
Authors: Komaki Hisayuki , Ishikawa Arisa , Ichikawa Natsuko , Hosoyama Akira , Hamada Moriyuki , Harunari Enjuro , Nihira Takuya , Panbangred Watanalai , Igarashi Yasuhiro
Published: October 2016

Streptomyces sp. MWW064 (=NBRC 110611) produces an antitumor cyclic depsipeptide rakicidin D. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of this strain together with features of the organism and generation, annotation and analysis of the genome sequence. The 7.9 Mb genome of Streptomyces sp. MWW064 encoded 7,135 putative ORFs, of which 6,044 were assigned with COG categories. The genome harbored at least three type I polyketide synthase (PKS) gene clusters, seven nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene clusters, and four hybrid PKS/NRPS gene clusters, from which a hybrid PKS/NRPS gene cluster responsible for rakicidin synthesis was successfully identified. We propose the biosynthetic pathway based on bioinformatic analysis, and experimentally proved that the pentadienoyl unit in rakicidins is derived from serine and malonate.
Heritable temperament pathways to early callous–unemotional
behaviour
Authors: Waller Rebecca , Trentacosta Christopher J. , Shaw Daniel S. , Neiderhiser Jenae M. , Ganiban Jody M. , Reiss David , Leve Leslie D. , Hyde Luke W.
Published: October 2016

Background

Early callous–unemotional behaviours identify children at risk for
antisocial behaviour. Recent work suggests that the high heritability of
callous–unemotional behaviours is qualified by interactions with positive
parenting.

Aims

To examine whether heritable temperament dimensions of fearlessness and
low affiliative behaviour are associated with early callous–unemotional
behaviours and whether parenting moderates these associations.

Method

Using an adoption sample (n=561), we examined pathways
from biological mother self-reported fearlessness and affiliative
behaviour to child callous–unemotional behaviours via observed child
fearlessness and affiliative behaviour, and whether adoptive parent
observed positive parenting moderated pathways.

Results

Biological mother fearlessness predicted child callous–unemotional
behaviours via earlier child fearlessness. Biological mother low
affiliative behaviour predicted child callous–unemotional behaviours,
although not via child affiliative behaviours. Adoptive mother positive
parenting moderated the fearlessness to callous–unemotional behaviour
pathway.

Conclusions

Heritable fearlessness and low interpersonal affiliation traits
contribute to the development of callous–unemotional behaviours. Positive
parenting can buffer these risky pathways.
Effects of Genetic and Nongenetic Factors on Total and Bioavailable 25(OH)D Responses to Vitamin D Supplementation
Authors: Yao Pang , Sun Liang , Lu Ling , Ding Hong , Chen Xiafei , Tang Lixin , Xu Xinming , Liu Gang , Hu Yao , Ma Yiwei , Wang Feijie , Jin Qianlu , Zheng He , Yin Huiyong , Zeng Rong , Chen Yan , Hu Frank B. , Li Huaixing , Lin Xu
Published: October 2016

Context:

Little is known about how genetic and nongenetic factors modify responses of vitamin D supplementation in nonwhite populations.

Objective:

To investigate factors modifying 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and bioavailable 25(OH)D [25(OH)DBio] responses after vitamin D3 supplementation.

Design, Setting, Participants, and Intervention:

In this 20-week, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, 448 Chinese with vitamin D deficiency received 2000 IU/d vitamin D3 or placebo.

Main Outcome Measures:

Serum 25(OH)D, vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP), parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcium were measured, and 25(OH)DBio was calculated based on VDBP levels. Six common polymorphisms in vitamin D metabolism genes were genotyped.

Results:

Between-arm net changes were +30.6 ± 1.7 nmol/L for 25(OH)D, +2.7 ± 0.2 nmol/L for 25(OH)DBio, and −5.2 ± 1.2 pg/mL for PTH, corresponding to 70% [95% confidence interval (CI), 62.8% to 77.2%] net reversion rate for vitamin D deficiency at week 20 (P < 0.001). Only 25(OH)DBio change was positively associated with calcium change (P < 0.001). Genetic factors (GC-rs4588/GC-rs7041, VDR-rs2228570, and CYP2R1-rs10741657; P ≤ 0.04) showed stronger influences on 25(OH)D or 25(OH)DBio responses than nongenetic factors, including baseline value, body mass index, and sex. An inverse association of PTH-25(OH)D was demonstrated only at 25(OH)D of <50.8 (95% CI, 43.6 to 59.0) nmol/L.

Conclusions:

Supplemented 2000 IU/d vitamin D3 raised 25(OH)D and 25(OH)DBio but was unable to correct deficiency in 25% of Chinese participants, which might be partially attributed to the effect of genetic modification. More studies are needed to elucidate appropriate vitamin D recommendations for Asians and the potential clinical implications of 25(OH)DBio.
Hemodynamic Instability Following Airway Spray Cryotherapy
Authors: Pedoto Alessia , Desiderio Dawn P. , Amar David , Downey Robert J.
Published: October 2016

BACKGROUND:

Spray cryotherapy (SCT) of airway lesions is used to effectively palliate respiratory symptoms related to airway obstruction, but significant intraoperative hemodynamic complications have been noted. We reviewed the experience at a single institution using SCT for the treatment of obstructive airway tumors.

METHODS:

A retrospective review of a single institution experience with intraoperative and postoperative hemodynamic complications associated with SCT was performed. Descriptive statistics were performed.

RESULTS:

Between June 2009 and April 2010, 34 treatment sessions were performed on 28 patients. Median age was 60 years (range, 15–88 years). Tumor characteristics were as follows: 13 primary lung cancers (43%), 11 pulmonary metastases (50%), 1 direct extension of an esophageal cancer (3%), and 2 benign pulmonary lesions (7%). Twenty-one tumors (75%) were distal to the carina; 14 (50%) were >95% occlusive. Median procedure length was 78 minutes (range, 15–176 minutes). Eleven sessions (31%) led to severe hypotension and/or bradycardia, with 2 patients requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation. One patient died intraoperatively after cardiac arrest; a second patient was stable intraoperatively but died within 24 hours of SCT. Four patients required reintubation and short-term mechanical ventilation.

CONCLUSIONS:

Unpredictable life-threatening hemodynamic instability can follow endobronchial SCT. We propose that the most likely cause is pulmonary venous gaseous emboli entering the right heart, the coronary arteries, and the systemic circulation. Although SCT may offer advantages over airway laser therapy (such as no risk of fire and rapid hemostasis), further study is needed to delineate the relative likelihood of therapeutic benefit versus catastrophic complications.
Model-based co-clustering for hyperspectral images
Authors: Jacques Julien , Ruckebusch Cyril
Published: October 2016

A model-based co-clustering algorithm for hyperspectral images is presented. This algorithm, which relies on the
probabilistic latent block model for continuous data, aims to cluster both the pixels and the spectral features of the images.
This approach has been applied to a benchmark Raman imaging dataset and revealed relevant information for
spatial–spectral exploratory investigation of the data.
Evolution of tRNAPhe:imG2 methyltransferases involved in the biosynthesis of wyosine derivatives in Archaea
Authors: Urbonavičius Jaunius , Rutkienė Rasa , Lopato Anželika , Tauraitė Daiva , Stankevičiūtė Jonita , Aučynaitė Agota , Kaliniene Laura , van Tilbeurgh Herman , Meškys Rolandas
Published: October 2016

Tricyclic wyosine derivatives are found at position 37 of eukaryotic and archaeal tRNAPhe. In Archaea, the intermediate imG-14 is targeted by three different enzymes that catalyze the formation of yW-86, imG, and imG2. We have suggested previously that a peculiar methyltransferase (aTrm5a/Taw22) likely catalyzes two distinct reactions: N1-methylation of guanosine to yield m1G; and C7-methylation of imG-14 to yield imG2. Here we show that the recombinant aTrm5a/Taw22-like enzymes from both Pyrococcus abyssi and Nanoarchaeum equitans indeed possess such dual specificity. We also show that substitutions of individual conservative amino acids of P. abyssi Taw22 (P260N, E173A, and R174A) have a differential effect on the formation of m1G/imG2, while replacement of R134, F165, E213, and P262 with alanine abolishes the formation of both derivatives of G37. We further demonstrate that aTrm5a-type enzyme SSO2439 from Sulfolobus solfataricus, which has no N1-methyltransferase activity, exhibits C7-methyltransferase activity, thereby producing imG2 from imG-14. We thus suggest renaming such aTrm5a methyltransferases as Taw21 to distinguish between monofunctional and bifunctional aTrm5a enzymes.
South-East Asian strains of Plasmodium falciparum display higher ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous polymorphisms compared to African strains
Authors: Singh Gajinder Pal , Sharma Amit
Published: October 2016

Resistance to frontline anti-malarial drugs, including artemisinin, has repeatedly arisen in South-East Asia, but the reasons for this are not understood. Here we test whether evolutionary constraints on Plasmodium falciparum strains from South-East Asia differ from African strains. We find a significantly higher ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous polymorphisms in P. falciparum from South-East Asia compared to Africa, suggesting differences in the selective constraints on P. falciparum genome in these geographical regions. Furthermore, South-East Asian strains showed a higher proportion of non-synonymous polymorphism at conserved positions, suggesting reduced negative selection. There was a lower rate of mixed infection by multiple genotypes in samples from South-East Asia compared to Africa. We propose that a lower mixed infection rate in South-East Asia reduces intra-host competition between the parasite clones, reducing the efficiency of natural selection. This might increase the probability of fixation of fitness-reducing mutations including drug resistant ones.
Wound care: Treating small wounds in the school setting
Authors: Greener Mark
Published: October 2016

School nurses can manage most minor cuts, scrapes and puncture wounds. However, the amount of bleeding is a poor guide to severity. Because an everyday injury occasionally hides serious damage, such as internal bleeding, nurses should take even seemingly minor cuts and scrapes seriously. In addition to acute wound care, knowing when to refer to accident and emergency services and GP practices, as well as advising parents and older children are essential elements of management.
Young carers in schools: How many do you know?
Authors: Wong Samantha
Published: October 2016

It has been estimated that 1 in every 12 pupils is a young carer. Results from a Yorkshire secondary school survey, published here, show that this number could be even higher. This article describes how to work collaboratively to identify and support these vulnerable young people.
Zero-dilation Index of S_n-matrix and Companion Matrix
Authors: Gau Hwa-Long , Wu Pei Yuan
Published: October 2016

The zero-dilation index $d(A)$ of a square matrix $A$ is the largest $k$ for which $A$ is unitarily similar to a matrix of the form ${\scriptsize\left[\begin{array}{cc} 0_k & \ast\\ \ast & \ast\end{array}\right]}$, where $0_k$ denotes the $k$-by-$k$ zero matrix. In this paper, it is shown that if $A$ is an $S_n$-matrix or an $n$-by-$n$ companion matrix, then $d(A)$ is at most $\lceil n/2\rceil$, the smallest integer greater than or equal to $n/2$. Those $A$'s for which the upper bound is attained are also characterized. Among other things, it is shown that, for an odd $n$, the $S_n$-matrix $A$ is such that $d(A)=(n+1)/2$ if and only if $A$ is unitarily similar to $-A$, and, for an even $n$, every $n$-by-$n$ companion matrix $A$ has $d(A)$ equal to $n/2$
Families, relationships and ‘environment’: (Un)sustainability, climate change and biodiversity loss
Authors: Jamieson Lynn
Published: October 2016

Few of the many social science researchers writing about personal life are simultaneously addressing the cluster of issues sometimes referred to by the shorthand ‘environment’ – sustainability, climate change, loss of biodiversity and depletion of natural resources. This article argues for much more effort in this direction, suggesting agendas for new research, and advocating knowledge exchange engagement with activists and policy-makers. A theoretical and empirical case is made for seeing families and personal relationships as multiply engaged in producing or inhibiting the possibilities of a more sustainable and equitable planet. For sustainable development to be a global reality, there must be very significant reduction of high carbon footprint and resource-depleting consumption in the rich regions of the world, here referred to as the ‘minority worlds’ (Punch and Tisdall 2012). Researchers studying families and relationships, whether within or across national contexts, are well placed to engage their work with policy, practice and activist discussions of the needed shift towards more sustainable practices, pro-environmental dispositions and a collective politics of change.
Altered T-Cell Balance in Lymphoid Organs of a Mouse Model of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Tanner Scott M. , Daft Joseph G. , Hill Stephanie A. , Martin Colin A. , Lorenz Robin G.
Published: October 2016

The adenomatous polyposis coli ( APC) gene is a known tumor suppressor gene, and mice with mutations in Apc (ApcMin/+) spontaneously form multiple intestinal neoplasms. In this model of human colorectal cancer (CRC), it has been reported that CD4+ T-cell-derived interleukin 17 (IL-17) promotes intestinal tumor development, but it is not known if the Apc mutation actually directly alters T-cell function and subsequently tumor immunosurveillance. To investigate the ApcMin/+ mutation on T-cell function, flow cytometric, histochemical, and immunofluorescent studies on both wild-type (Apc+/+) and ApcMin/+ mice were performed. We identified decreased levels of interferon gamma (IFN-γ+)IL-17+ double-positive CD4+ cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes and Peyer’s patches of ApcMin/+ mice. In addition, altered levels of CD8+ cells, and changes in CD8+ production of IFN-γ and granzyme B were observed. These T-cell alterations did modify tumor immunosurveillance, as the adoptive transfer of splenocytes from ApcMin/+ animals into a chemically induced CRC model resulted in the inability to prevent epithelial dysplasia. These results suggest an altered T-cell balance in ApcMin/+ mice may disrupt intestinal homeostasis, consequently limiting intestinal tumor immunosurveillance.
Antigen Masking During Fixation and Embedding, Dissected
Authors: Scalia Carla Rossana , Boi Giovanna , Bolognesi Maddalena Maria , Riva Lorella , Manzoni Marco , DeSmedt Linde , Bosisio Francesca Maria , Ronchi Susanna , Leone Biagio Eugenio , Cattoretti Giorgio
Published: October 2016

Antigen masking in routinely processed tissue is a poorly understood process caused by multiple factors. We sought to dissect the effect on antigenicity of each step of processing by using frozen sections as proxies of the whole tissue. An equivalent extent of antigen masking occurs across variable fixation times at room temperature. Most antigens benefit from longer fixation times (>24 hr) for optimal detection after antigen retrieval (AR; for example, Ki-67, bcl-2, ER). The transfer to a graded alcohol series results in an enhanced staining effect, reproduced by treating the sections with detergents, possibly because of a better access of the polymeric immunohistochemical detection system to tissue structures. A second round of masking occurs upon entering the clearing agent, mostly at the paraffin embedding step. This may depend on the non-freezable water removal. AR fully reverses the masking due both to the fixation time and the paraffin embedding. AR itself destroys some epitopes which do not survive routine processing. Processed frozen sections are a tool to investigate fixation and processing requirements for antigens in routine specimens.
Cheias em áreas urbanas: a zona de intervenção do programa polis em Coimbra
Authors: Sá Marques J. Alfeu , Mendes P. Amado , Seabra Santos F. J.
Published: October 2016

Utilizando um modelo digital do terreno, concebido especificamente para este fim, e de registos de fenómenos de cheias antecedentes bem detalhados, foi possível calibrar um modelo numérico baseado nas equações unidimensionais de Saint-Venant. Conseguida uma boa concordância entre os resultados do modelo numérico e de fenómenos bem conhecidos, foi possível com base no mesmo modelo e com fenómenos de cheias com diferentes tempos de recorrência, elaborar mapas de inundação, na área de intervenção da CoimbraPolis, associados a probabilidades de ocorrência.
Spectacular Attractions: Museums, Audio-Visuals and the Ghosts of Memory
Authors: Mandelli Elisa
Published: October 2016

In the last decades, moving images have become a common feature not only in art museums, but also in a wide range of institutions devoted to the conservation and transmission of memory. This paper focuses on the role of audio-visuals in the exhibition design of history and memory museums, arguing that they are privileged means to achieve the spectacular effects and the visitors’ emotional and “experiential” engagement that constitute the main objective of contemporary museums. I will discuss this topic through the concept of “cinematic attraction,” claiming that when embedded in displays, films and moving images often produce spectacular mises en scène with immersive effects, creating wonder and astonishment, and involving visitors on an emotional, visceral and physical level. Moreover, I will consider the diffusion of audio-visual witnesses of real or imaginary historical characters, presented in Phantasmagoria-like displays that simulate ghostly and uncanny apparitions, creating an ambiguous and often problematic coexistence of truth and illusion, subjectivity and objectivity, facts and imagination.
Performing the Unspeakable. Intermedial Events in András Jeles’s Parallel Lives
Authors: Pieldner Judit
Published: October 2016

Among the various connotations of intermediality one is related to the performative aspect of the term. As Ágnes Pethő (2011, 42) formulates: “Intermediality is seen, more often than not, as something that actively ‘does,’ ‘performs’ something, and not merely ‘is.’” This notion of intermediality implies a dynamic category within which media constellations are in continuous motion, being reconfigured by one another, the cinematic medium becoming a playground of media interactions. András Jeles, Hungarian experimental filmmaker formulates the paradox that a particular medium can best express its own mediality through the “foreign” material of other arts and media. The medial consonances and dissonances transform the cinematic medium into a liminal space where meaning as event can take shape. Jeles’s film entitled Parallel Lives (Senkiföldje, 1993) is aimed at such event-like liminality in several respects: culturally, it turns towards a burdened site of the still unprocessed past of the Hungarian society; thematically, it addresses the topic of the Holocaust; and medially, it proposes to artistically render the unrepresentable. The film appeals to the other arts, incorporating a set of literary, painterly and musical allusions that contrast a culturally aestheticized view of the child in pain with the ultimate, inescapable and incommensurable reality.
Derek Jarman’s Allegories of Spectacle: Inter-Artistic Embodiment
Authors: Chinita Fátima
Published: October 2016

Derek Jarman was a multifaceted artist whose intermedial versatility reinforces a strong authorial discourse. He constructs an immersive allegorical world of hybrid art where different layers of cinematic, theatrical and painterly materials come together to convey a lyrical form and express a powerful ideological message. In Caravaggio (1986) and Edward II (1991), Jarman approaches two European historical figures from two different but concomitant perspectives. In Caravaggio, through the use of tableaux of abstract meaning and by focusing on the detailing of the models’ poses, Jarman re-enacts the allegorical spirit of Caravaggio’s paintings through entirely cinematic resources. Edward II was a king, and as a statesman he possessed a certain dose of showmanship. In this film Jarman reconstructs the theatrical basis of Christopher Marlowe’s Elizabethan play bringing it up to date in a successfully abstract approach to the musical stage. In this article, I intend to conjoin the practice of allegory in film with certain notions of existential phenomenology as advocated by Vivian Sobchack and Laura U. Marks, in order to address the relationship between the corporeality of the film and the lived bodies of the spectators. In this context, the allegory is a means to convey intradiegetically the sense-ability at play in the cinematic experience, reinforcing the textural and sensual nature of both film and viewer, which, in turn, is also materially enhanced in the film proper, touching the spectator in a supplementary fashion. The two corporealities favour an inter-artistic immersion achieved through coenaesthesia.
Pictorial Imagery, Camerawork and Soundtrack in Dario Argento’s Deep Red
Authors: Giusti Giulio L.
Published: October 2016

This article re-engages with existing scholarship identifying Deep Red (Profondo rosso, 1975) as a typical example within Dario Argento’s body of work, in which the Italian horror-meister fully explores a distinguishing pairing of the acoustic and the iconic through an effective combination of elaborate camerawork and disjunctive music and sound. Specifically, this article seeks to complement these studies by arguing that such a stylistic and technical achievement in the film is also rendered by Argento’s use of a specific art-historical repertoire, which not only reiterates the Gesamtkunstwerk-like complexity of the director’s audiovisual spectacle, but also serves to transpose the film’s narrative over a metanarrative plane through pictorial techniques and their possible interpretations. The purpose of this article is, thus, twofold. Firstly, I shall discuss how Argento’s references to American Hyperrealism in painting are integrated into Deep Red’s spectacles of death through colour, framing, and lighting, as well as the extent to which such references allow us to undertake a more in-depth analysis of the director’s style in terms of referentiality and cinematic intermediality. Secondly, I will demonstrate how and to what extent in the film Argento manages to break down the epistemological system of knowledge and to disrupt the reasonable order of traditional storytelling through the technique of the trompe-l’oeil in painting.
Intermediality and Reflexivity in Andrzej Żuławski’s Fidelity
Authors: Bene Adrián
Published: October 2016

The paper focuses on a characteristic of Andrzej Zulawski’s aesthetics which has been ignored by most of the critics who emphasized the impact of surrealism and the taste for provocation in his cinema. Meanwhile, the œuvre’s French period is obviously characterized by self-reflexivity and media-reflexivity, autobiographical and literary background references. In these film dramas, the topic of love, beauty and artistic values are interconnected with a sophisticated narrative strategy using intermediality and intertextuality in a complex way. In Fidelity (La Fidelité, 2000), Żuławski put photography and literature in focus again in order to express thoughts and emotions in their complexity, surpassing the limitations of the linear narrative. A certain semiotic double-codedness is provided by either intertextual references or the hidden meanings based on the symbolic language of flowers, used as diegetic metaphors. Moreover, Żuławski thematizes photography that makes us conscious of our experiences from an aesthetic distance, even in an ironic manner.
Optimization of process parameters for heavy metals biosorption onto mustard waste biomass
Authors: Nemeş Lăcrămioara (Negrilă) , Bulgariu Laura
Published: October 2016

Mustard waste biomass was tested as a biosorbent for the removal of Pb(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solution. This strategy may be a sustainable option for the utilization of such wastes. The influence of the most important operating parameters of the biosorption process was analyzed in batch experiments, and optimal conditions were found to include initial solution pH 5.5, 5.0 g biosorbent/L, 2 hours of contact time and high temperature. Kinetics analyses show that the maximum of biosorption was quickly reached and could be described by a pseudo-second order kinetic model. The equilibrium data were well fitted by the Langmuir model, and the highest values of maximum biosorption capacity were obtained with Pb(II), followed by Zn(II) and Cd(II). The thermodynamic parameters of the biosorption process (ΔG, ΔH and ΔS) were also evaluated from isotherms. The results of this study suggest that mustard waste biomass can be used for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous media.
The Effect of Direct Lightning Shielding Rod on Lightning Electromagnetic Fields Aboveground
Authors: Fu Ya-Peng , Gao Cheng , Yang Bo
Published: October 2016

A practical new type direct lightning shielding rod is designed to reduce the electromagnetic radiation produced by lightning stroking to Franklin lightning rod in the paper. The Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method is adopted for analyzing. It is the shielding layer that affects the electromagnetic fields and the insulating medium make no difference. All the electromagnetic fields amplitude obtained decrease for the shielding layer existing, regardless of any condition, but the extent is different. That is, the effect on the horizontal electric field is most noticeable, the vertical electric field comes second, minimum the azimuthal magnetic field. All the field components are affected by shielding layer height and the distance between shielding layer and lightning channel, but not significantly by the shielding layer grounding depth. The shielding effect is more obvious with lower ground conductivity, but the ground relative permittivity makes no difference.
The structural and functional changes of blood cells and molecular components in diabetes mellitus
Authors: Szablewski Leszek , Sulima Anna
Published: October 2016

It is known fact that diabetes mellitus (DM) affects blood cells. Changes in the erythrocyte membrane, disorder in hemoglobin oxygen-binding and modification in mechanical characteristics, are effects of hyperglycemia on red blood cells. Altered susceptibility infection of patients with diabetes has been ascribed to a depression in the function of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Neutrophil function in patients with diabetes with good glucose control is slightly different than in healthy ones. DM causes significant changes in lymphocytes metabolism and their functions. Patients with diabetes, presenting with acute coronary syndrome, are at higher risk of cardiovascular complications and recurrent ischemic events in comparison to non-diabetic counterparts. Various mechanisms, including endothelial dysfunction, platelet hyperactivity, and abnormalities in coagulation and fibrynolysis have been implicated for this increased atherothrombotic risk. There are many other alterations of blood cells due to DM. In the present review we focused on modifications of blood cells due to DM. Then, as a second point, we explored how the changes affect functions of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
Effects of Acute Fatigue of the Hip Flexor Muscles on Hamstring Muscle Extensibility
Authors: Muyor José M. , Arrabal-Campos Francisco M.
Published: October 2016

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the influence of acute fatigue of the hip flexor muscles on scores attained in tests frequently used in literature to measure hamstring muscle extensibility, namely the passive straight leg raise (PSLR), active straight leg raise (ASLR), passive knee extension (PKE), active knee extension (AKE), sit-and-reach (SR) and toe-touch (TT) tests. A total of seventy-five healthy and recreationally active adults voluntarily participated in this study. To reach fatigue, the participants actively lifted their legs alternately as many times as possible. In the passive tests, the results were 7.10 ± 5.21° and 5.68 ± 4.54° higher (p < 0.01) for PSLR and PKE tests, respectively, after acute fatigue. However, in the ASLR test, the results were lower post-fatigue than pre-fatigue (mean difference = -5.30° ± 9.51°; p < 0.01). The AKE, SR and TT tests did not show significant differences between pre- and post-fatigue (p > 0.05). Moderate (r = 0.40) to high (r = 0.97) correlation coefficients were found, which were statistically significant among all the measured flexibility tests both pre- and post-fatigue. In conclusion, the active implication of the hip flexor muscles until reaching fatigue had acute influences on the results of the PSLR, PKE and ASLR tests, but not on the results of the AKE, SR and TT tests. It is recommended to use the AKE test to assess hamstring muscle extensibility in situations where athletes show fatigue in their hip flexor muscles.
Effect of an Arm Swing on Countermovement Vertical Jump Performance in Elite Volleyball Players
Authors: Vaverka Frantisek , Jandačka Daniel , Zahradník David , Uchytil Jaroslav , Farana Roman , Supej Matej , Vodičar Janez
Published: October 2016

The aim of this study was to determine how elite volleyball players employed the arm swing (AS) to enhance their jump performance. The study assessed how the AS influenced the duration and magnitude of the vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) during the main phases (preparatory, braking and accelerating) of the countermovement vertical jump (CMVJ), the starting position of the body at the beginning of the accelerating phase and the moment when the AS began contributing to increasing the jump height. Eighteen elite volleyball players performed three CMVJs with and without an AS. Kinetics and kinematics data were collected using two Kistler force plates and the C-motion system. The time and force variables were evaluated based on the VGRF, and the position of the body and the trajectory of the arm movement were determined using kinematic analysis. The AS improved the CMVJ by increasing the jump height by 38% relative to jumping without an AS. The AS significantly shortened the braking phase and prolonged the accelerating phase, however, it did not influence the preparatory phase or the overall jump duration. The AS also significantly increased the average force during the accelerating phase as well as the accelerating impulse. The AS upward began at 76% into the overall jump duration. The AS did not influence the body position at the beginning of the accelerating phase. These findings can be used to improve performance of the CMVJ with the AS and in teaching beginning volleyball players proper jumping technique.
Left Atrial Enlargement in Young High-Level Endurance Athletes – Another Sign of Athlete’s Heart?
Authors: Król Wojciech , Jędrzejewska Ilona , Konopka Marcin , Burkhard-Jagodzińska Krystyna , Klusiewicz Andrzej , Pokrywka Andrzej , Chwalbińska Jolanta , Sitkowski Dariusz , Dłużniewski Mirosław , Mamcarz Artur , Braksator Wojciech
Published: October 2016

Enlargement of the left atrium is perceived as a part of athlete’s heart syndrome, despite the lack of evidence. So far, left atrial size has not been assessed in the context of exercise capacity. The hypothesis of the present study was that LA enlargement in athletes was physiological and fitness-related condition. In addition, we tried to assess the feasibility and normal values of left atrial strain parameters and their relationship with other signs of athlete’s heart. The study group consisted of 114 international-level rowers (17.5 ± 1.5 years old; 46.5% women). All participants underwent a cardio-pulmonary exercise test and resting transthoracic echocardiography. Beside standard echocardiographic measurements, two dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography was used to assess average peak atrial longitudinal strain, peak atrial contraction strain and early left atrial diastolic longitudinal strain. Mild, moderate and severe left atrial enlargement was present in 27.2°%, 11.4% and 4.4% athletes, respectively. There were no significant differences between subgroups with different range of left atrial enlargement in any of echocardiographic parameters of the left ventricle diastolic function, filling pressure or hypertrophy. A significant correlation was found between the left atrial volume index and maximal aerobic capacity (R > 0.3; p < 0.001). Left atrial strain parameters were independent of atrial size, left ventricle hypertrophy and left ventricle filling pressure. Decreased peak atrial longitudinal strain was observed in 4 individuals (3.5%). We concluded that LA enlargement was common in healthy, young athletes participating in endurance sport disciplines with a high level of static exertion and was strictly correlated with exercise capacity, therefore, could be perceived as another sign of athlete’s heart.
Physical characteristics of elite adolescent female basketball players and their relationship to match performance
Authors: Fort-Vanmeerhaeghe Azahara , Montalvo Alicia , Latinjak Alexander , Unnithan Viswanath
Published: October 2016

There were two aims of this study: first, to investigate physical fitness and match performance differences between under-16 (U16) and under-18 (U18) female basketball players, and second, to evaluate the relationship between physical fitness and game-related performances. Twenty-three young, female, elite Spanish basketball players (16.2 1.2 years) participated in the study. The sample was divided into two groups: U16 and U18 players. The average scores from pre- and post-season physical fitness measurements were used for subsequent analyses. Anthropometric variables were also measured. To evaluate game performance, game-related statistics, including the number of games and minutes played, points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game, were recorded for every competitive match in one season. When anthropometric and physical performance variables were compared between groups, the U18 group demonstrated significantly (p<0.05) higher values in upper (+21.2%) and lower (+27.11%) limb strength compared to the U16 group. Furthermore, no significant differences between groups were observed in match performance outcomes. Only two performance variables, steals and assists per game, correlated significantly with jump capacity, speed, agility, anaerobic power, repeated sprint ability and aerobic power (p ≤ 0.005). These findings can help optimize training programs for young, elite female basketball players.
Physiological, Nutritional and Performance Profiles of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athletes
Authors: Andreato Leonardo V , Santos Jonatas FS , Esteves João VDC , Panissa Valeria LG , Julio Ursula F , Franchini Emerson
Published: October 2016

This study analysed the physiological, nutritional and performance profiles of athletes practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu. To this end, 15 athletes that practiced Brazilian jiu-jitsu (aged: 28 ± 5 years; 8 brown belts and 7 black belts; training experience: 11 ± 4 years) underwent anthropometric measurements (body composition and somatotype), dietary evaluation (24 h recall) and physical fitness tests (movement time, dynamometer handgrip, kimono grip strength, vertical jump and sit-and-reach tests). The athletes had 12.7 ± 4.8% of body fat, 59.2 ± 5.0% of muscle mass and their somatotype was dominated by the mesomorphic component (5.3 ± 2.0), followed by endomorphic (3.7 ± 1.5) and ectomorphic (1.4 ± 0.9) components. Nutritional assessment suggested a diet consisting of 54 ± 7% of carbohydrates, 19 ± 4% of protein and 27 ± 6% of lipids. Movement time on the handgrip tests was 0.42 ± 0.05 s, for handgrip strength, 53 ± 7 kgf was found for the dominant hand and 50 ± 9 kgf for the non-dominant hand. For the countermovement jump, the jiu-jitsu athletes reached 41 ± 5 cm. Athletes remained 30 ± 14 s in the maximum static suspension test gripping a kimono, and reached 27 ± 8 cm in the sit-and-reach test. Overall the sample presented average levels of body fat, elevated muscle mass and a predominantly mesomorphic somatotype. Diet was generally poor, with low carbohydrate intake, high protein intake and adequate lipid intake. Maximum isometric handgrip strength was consistent with observations of other athletes in this sport discipline. However, the performance in the maximum static suspension test gripping a kimono was lower than in other Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes. Movement time was comparable and lower body muscle power was worse compared to athletes in similar sports. Additionally, flexibility was rated as poor.
Selection of an Estimation Window in the Presence of Data Revisions and Recent Structural Breaks
Authors: Hännikäinen Jari
Published: October 2016

In this paper, we analyze the forecasting performance of a set of widely used window selection methods in the presence of data revisions and recent structural breaks. Our Monte Carlo and empirical results for U.S. real GDP and inflation show that the expanding window estimator often yields the most accurate forecasts after a recent break. It performs well regardless of whether the revisions are news or noise, or whether we forecast first-release or final values. We find that the differences in the forecasting accuracy are large in practice, especially when we forecast inflation after the break of the early 1980s.
Multi-Objective Optimization of Bead Geometry for Submerged Arc Welding of Pipeline Steel Using RSM-Fuzzy Approach
Authors: Sharma Satish Kumar , Maheshwari Sachin , Rathee Sandeep
Published: October 2016

In this paper, for the purpose of better control as well as multi-objective optimization of bead geometry parameters, the optimal combination of submerged arc welding (SAW) process variables is determined using fuzzy logic approach. Open circuit voltage, trolley speed, contact tube to work distance, preheating temperature and wire feed rate are taken as process variables during SAW of the pipeline steel. For this experimental investigation, experiments are designed and performed according to response surface methodology (RSM). Bead width, penetration, and reinforcement are taken as the performance measures in bead geometry. In fuzzy logic, two membership function (MF) namely triangular and trapezoidal are employed for the performance comparison of SAW process. As compared to triangular MF, the use of trapezoidal MF has given the more logical and better-optimized results for bead geometry parameters. Outcomes of the study are also confirmed by conducting the confirmatory experiments.
Decomposition of a second-order linear time-varying differential system as the series connection of two first order commutative pairs
Authors: Koksal Mehmet Emir
Published: October 2016

Necessary and sufficiently conditions are derived for the decomposition of a second order linear time- varying system into two cascade connected commutative first order linear time-varying subsystems. The explicit formulas describing these subsystems are presented. It is shown that a very small class of systems satisfies the stated conditions. The results are well verified by simulations. It is also shown that its cascade synthesis is less sensitive to numerical errors than the direct simulation of the system itself.