bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The versatility of the Bristow absorption tester – a review
Authors: Ovaska Sami-Seppo , Backfolk Kaj
Published: July 2018

This paper reviews the use of the Bristow Absorption Tester (known also as the Bristow wheel) in the characterization of fiber-based substrates. The Bristow wheel is a laboratory-scale instrument that has been designed for studying substrate wettability and dynamic liquid absorption properties in short time intervals, which are important in many converting and printing processes of paper and paperboard. The tester also gives information about substrate roughness. The Bristow wheel has shown great usefulness in predicting print quality especially in inkjet applications, in which a good correlation between print quality (letter area) and ink penetration rate has been found by several researchers. The apparatus is particularly useful in dynamic wetting studies, but it has also been successfully used in numerous other research purposes such as the determination of the degree of sizing, evaluation of material glueability, and various coatability studies. Modifications of both the testing principle and the tester structure have also been reported. These include e. g. equipping the apparatus with a corona unit that makes it possible to mimic a printing process on a relevant time-scale. This review summarizes the reported applications of Bristow wheel with a special focus on tester performance and versatility.
The role of the forest-related sector to the Indonesian Economy: SAM Multiplier Analysis 1985-2008
Authors: Malahayati Marissa
Published: July 2018

Indonesia is now the country with the highest deforestation rate in the world, and due to the high rate of associated land use change, Indonesia has also become one of the biggest greenhouse gas emitters in the world. It is commonly thought that the cause of this is Indonesia’s high dependence on the forest-related sector. To investigate the role of forest-related sectors to the Indonesian economy, this study tried to analyze the Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) multiplier from 1985-2008. It was found that there is a tendency for the forest-related sector to contribute a higher multiplier effect to the economy, meaning that Indonesia’s economy is very dependent on the forest-related sector. However, the contribution to the economy is paid for by a high rate of deforestation. Our analysis predicts that the high deforestation rate is mainly due to the establishment of new commercial plantation areas, especially palm oil, and the high rate of illegal logging.
Populist, Radical and Extremist Political Parties in Visegrad countries vis à vis the migration crisis. In the name of the people and the nation in Central Europe
Authors: Stojarová Věra
Published: July 2018

The paper looks at the political party scene in Visegrad countries before and after the influx of refugees and compares how much the negative reactions were instrumentalised not only by the extremist and radical right parties but by the newly emerged populist formations as well as the well-established mainstream parties across the whole political spectra. Until the “migration crisis”, the far right parties focused mainly on Roma issue, anti-Semitism, anti-communism, anti-establishment and used anti-NATO, anti-EU, anti-German, anti-Czech, anti-Slovak or anti-Hungarian card. Since 2015, the parties re-oriented against immigrants, more precisely against the Muslims presenting them as a threat and also increased their criticism on the EU. However, the mainstream parties also accepted far right topics and actively promoted them. The result is then mainstreaming of xenophobia, nationalism and marginalization of far right parties as their flexible voters move to the populist subjects.
State Policy of Serbia – National Communities, Citizenship and Diaspora
Authors: Radosavljević Duško
Published: July 2018

At this moment, Serbia is an “incomplete country” ( M.Podunavac), characterized by a certain kind of political restoration. It consists of several blocks of political power, which belong to the newly established authority, whose political technology is based on an explosive and very dangerous combination of national and social populism, with its uninstitutionalisation of the system of law and politics, its hasty and rather forced deviation from the “former regime” (Boris Tadic`s Democratic Party), which, altogether, not only resembles but actually revives formative principles of the “old regime”(Slobodan Milosevic). Since the first activities of the new political power are quite flavored with ideological aromas, there is a hope that the activities which marked Serbia in the last decade of the 20th century will not be brought back into public life, especially considering the fact that there are still scars which they left on the fragile democratic body of Serbia, on its public life in general, and particularly on our fields of interest - the policy on national communities, citizenship and diaspora.
Engineered nanomaterials and human health: Part 2. Applications and nanotoxicology (IUPAC Technical Report)
Authors: Gubala Vladimir , Johnston Linda J. , Krug Harald F. , Moore Colin J. , Ober Christopher K. , Schwenk Michael , Vert Michel
Published: July 2018

Research on engineered nanomaterials (ENM) has progressed rapidly from the very early stages of studying their unique, size-dependent physicochemical properties and commercial exploration to the development of products that influence our everyday lives. We have previously reviewed various methods for synthesis, surface functionalization, and analytical characterization of ENM in a publication titled ‘Engineered Nanomaterials: Preparation, Functionalization and Characterization’. In this second, inter-linked document, we first provide an overview of important applications of ENM in products relevant to human healthcare and consumer goods, such as food, textiles, and cosmetics. We then highlight the challenges for the design and development of new ENM for bio-applications, particularly in the rapidly developing nanomedicine sector. The second part of this document is dedicated to nanotoxicology studies of ENM in consumer products. We describe the various biological targets where toxicity may occur, summarize the four nanotoxicology principles, and discuss the need for careful consideration of the biodistribution, degradation, and elimination routes of nanosized materials before they can be safely used. Finally, we review expert opinions on the risk, regulation, and ethical aspects of using engineered nanomaterials in applications that may have direct or indirect impact on human health or our environment.
Optimal system, nonlinear self-adjointness and conservation laws for generalized shallow water wave equation
Authors: Baleanu Dumitru , Inc Mustafa , Yusuf Abdullahi , Aliyu Aliyu Isa
Published: July 2018

In this article, the generalized shallow water wave (GSWW) equation is studied from the perspective of one dimensional optimal systems and their conservation laws (Cls). Some reduction and a new exact solution are obtained from known solutions to one dimensional optimal systems. Some of the solutions obtained involve expressions with Bessel function and Airy function [1,2,3]. The GSWW is a nonlinear self-adjoint (NSA) with the suitable differential substitution, Cls are constructed using the new conservation theorem.
Experimental investigation on optical vortex tweezers for microbubble trapping
Authors: Zhou Xiaoming , Chen Ziyang , Liu Zetian , Pu Jixiong
Published: July 2018

In this paper, we investigated the microbubble trapping using optical vortex tweezers. It is shown that the microbubble can be trapped by the vortex optical tweezers, in which the trapping light beam is of vortex beam. We studied a relationship between the transverse capture gradient force and the topological charges of the illuminating vortex beam. For objective lenses with numerical aperture of 1.25 (100×), the force measurement was performed by the power spectral density (PSD) roll-off method. It was shown that transverse trapping forces of vortex optical tweezers increase with the increment of the laser power for fixed topological charge. Whereas, the increase in the topological charges of vortex beam for the same laser power results in the decrease of the transverse trapping forces. The experimental results demonstrated that the laser mode (topological charge) has significant influence on the lateral trapping force.
Interpenetrating polymer network adhesive bonding of PEEK to titanium for aerospace application
Authors: Ahmed Sabbir , Bhowmik Shantanu
Published: July 2018

This investigation highlights the rationale of epoxy-novolac interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) adhesive bonding of low-pressure plasma treated polyether ether ketone (PEEK) to plasma nitrided titanium for aerospace application. Physico-chemical characterization of surface modified PEEK is carried out by surface energy measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Lap shear tensile tests are carried out to measure mechanical properties such as lap-shear tensile strength, Young’s modulus, percentage elongation at break (% EB) and toughness of the adhesive bonded PEEK to titanium joint. XPS analysis reveals the presence of the oxygen (O) functional group into the plasma treated PEEK surface. This polar functional group O increases the surface energy on the plasma treated PEEK surface, and consequently, the adhesive bond strength is enhanced. The values of Young’s modulus, % EB and toughness of epoxy-novolac IPN adhesive bonded plasma treated PEEK to plasma nitrided titanium are increased considerably in respect to epoxy-novolac IPN adhesive bonded untreated PEEK to untreated titanium joint. Therefore, the present investigation concludes that the adhesive bond strength not only depends on the surface characteristics of PEEK and titanium, but also on the cohesive properties of the adhesive.
Nanomaterials: Electrochemical Properties and Application in Sensors
Authors: Brainina Kh. , Stozhko N. , Bukharinova M. , Vikulova E.
Published: July 2018

The unique properties of nanoparticles make them an extremely valuable modifying material, being used in electrochemical sensors. The features of nanoparticles affect the kinetics and thermodynamics of electrode processes of both nanoparticles and redox reactions occurring on their surface. The paper describes theoretical background and experimental studies of these processes. During the transition from macro- to micro- and nanostructures, the analytical characteristics of sensors modify. These features of metal nanoparticles are related to their size and energy effects, which affects the analytical characteristics of developed sensors. Modification of the macroelectrode with nanoparticles and other nanomaterials reduces the detection limit and improves the degree of sensitivity and selectivity of measurements. The use of nanoparticles as transducers, catalytic constituents, parts of electrochemical sensors for antioxidant detection, adsorbents, analyte transporters, and labels in electrochemical immunosensors and signal-generating elements is described.
Manhattan Dynamite and no pancakes: Tradition and normality in the work of Tove Jansson
Authors: Zahavi Dan
Published: July 2018

It is not uncommon to read the Moomin tales through existentialist lenses. Although there might be natural reasons for focusing on and privileging the nine classical Moomin books, it would, however, be a mistake to overlook Jansson’s comic strips. This is so, not only because of the quality of Jansson’s drawings and because of the way she innovatively worked with and developed that graphic medium, but certainly also because of the stories they contain. When read alongside the books, the comic strips add important aspects and nuances to Jansson’s portrayal of human existence. By allowing herself the freedom to radically change the setting and scenery of the stories, Jansson was able to explore quite different topics than was possible in the novels, and in particular to offer a somewhat different account of the role of customs, normality and tradition.
Strange vegetation: Emotional undercurrents of Tove Jansson’sMoominvalley in November
Authors: Heinämaa Sara
Published: July 2018

This article investigates the emotional undercurrents of Tove Jansson’sMoominvalley in November. I argue that one of the main characters of Jansson’s book is the autumn forest that surrounds the abandoned Moomin house. The decomposing forest is not just an emblem of the inner lives of the guests that gather in the house but is an active character itself: an ambiguous life form that creeps in the house and must be expelled from its living core. I further demonstrate that the emotion of disgust has a crucial role in Jansson’s narrative, and that an adequate analysis of the intentional content of disgust allows us to see what is at issue in the relations between the characters. In my reading, the main insight of Tove Jansson’s last Moomin book is not about loss or sorrow but is about the human capacity to begin anew by composing novel wholes from scraps.
Pain assessment in native and non-native language: difficulties in reporting the affective dimensions of pain
Authors: Mustajoki Marianne , Forsén Tom , Kauppila Timo
Published: July 2018

Background and aims

The language in assessing intensity or quality of pain has been studied but the results have been inconsistent. The physicians’ language skills might affect the estimation of the severity of pain possibly leading to insufficient use of analgesics. Several interfering cultural factors have complicated studies aimed at exploring the language used to detect the quality of pain. We aimed to compare native and non-native language related qualitative aspects of pain chosen by Swedish speaking patients with diabetes.

Methods

In the study participated 10 Finnish and 51 Swedish speaking patients with diabetes. The Pain Detect-questionnaire was used for clarifying the patients’ pain and the mechanism of their pain (neuropathic or not) and for assessing the intensity and quality of pain. In addition, the patients completed the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (sfMPQ) in Finnish (test I). After 30 min the subjects completed the sfMPQ a second time in their native language (test II). The Swedish speakers estimated their second language, Finnish, proficiency on a 5-graded scale.

Results

There were significantly more discrepancies between sfMPQ test I and test II among the Swedish speaking respondents who reported poor (hardly none) Finnish language proficiency compared with those with good Finnish proficiency. Discrepancies occurred especially between the affective qualities of pain.

Conclusions

Poor second language proficiency exposes Swedish speakers to pain communication difficulties related to the affective aspects of pain. Consequently, discordant language communication could cause underestimation of the severity of pain and pain undertreatment.

Implications

To ensure adequate pain treatment measuring the affective dimension of pain in the patient’s native language is crucial.
Idiographic measurement of depressive thinking: development and preliminary validation of the Sentence Completion Test for Chronic Pain (SCP)
Authors: Rusu Adina C. , Hallner Dirk
Published: July 2018

Background and aims

Depression is a common feature of chronic pain, but there is only limited research into the content and frequency of depressed cognitions in pain patients. This study describes the development of the Sentence Completion Test for Chronic Pain (SCP), an idiographic measure for assessing depressive thinking in chronic pain patients. The sentence completion task requires participants to finish incomplete sentences using their own words to a set of predefined stems that include negative, positive and neutral valenced self-referenced words. In addition, the stems include past, future and world stems, which reflect the theoretical negative triad typical to depression. Complete responses are coded by valence (negative, positive and neutral), pain and health-related content.

Methods

A total of 89 participants were included in this study. Forty seven adult out-patients formed the depressed pain group and were compared to a non-clinical control sample of 42 healthy control participants. This study comprised several phases: (1) theory-driven generation of coding rules; (2) the development of a coding manual by a panel of experts (3) comparing reliability of coding by expert raters without the use of the coding manual and with the use of the coding manual; (4) preliminary analyses of the construct validity of the SCP. The internal consistency of the SCP was tested using the Kuder-Richardson coefficient (KR-20). Inter-rater agreement was assessed by intra-class correlations (ICC). The content and construct validity of the SCP was investigated by correlation coefficients between SCP negative completions, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) depression scores and the number of symptoms on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (SCID).

Results

As predicted for content validity, the number of SCP negative statements was significantly greater in the depressed pain group and this group also produced significantly fewer positive statements, compared to the healthy control group. The number of negative pain completions and negative health completions was significantly greater in the depressed pain group. As expected, in the depressed pain group, the correlation between SCP negatives and the HADS Depression score was r=0.60 and the correlation between SCP negatives and the number of symptoms on the SCID was r=0.56.

Conclusions

The SCP demonstrated good content validity, internal consistency and inter-rater reliability.

Implications

Uses for this measure, such as complementing questionnaire measures by an idiographic assessment of depressive thinking and generating hypotheses about key problems within a cognitive-behavioural case-formulation, are suggested.
Gabapentin and NMDA receptor antagonists interacts synergistically to alleviate allodynia in two rat models of neuropathic pain
Authors: Shi Tiansheng , Hao Jing-Xia , Wiesenfeld-Hallin Zsuzsanna , Xu Xiao-Jun
Published: July 2018

Background and aims

The clinical management of neuropathic pain remains a challenge. We examined the interaction between gabapentin and NMDA receptor antagonists dextromethrophan and MK-801 in alleviating neuropathic pain-like behaviors in rats after spinal cord or sciatic nerve injury.

Methods

Female and male rats were produced with Ischemic spinal cord injury and sciatic nerve injury. Gabapentin, dextromethorphan, MK-801 or drug combinations were injected with increasing doses. Mechanical response thresholds were tested with von Frey hairs to graded mechanical touch/pressure, and ethyl chloride spray was applied to assess the cold sensitivity before and after injuries.

Results

In spinally injured rats, gabapentin and dextromethorphan did not affect allodynia-like behaviors at doses of 30 and 20 mg/kg, respectively. In contrast, combination of 15 or 30 mg/kg gabapentin with dextromethorphan at 10 mg/kg produced total alleviation of allodynia to mechanical or cold stimulation. Further reducing the dose of gapapentin to 7.5 mg/kg and dextromethorphan to 5 mg/kg still produced significant effect. MK-801, another NMDA receptor antagonist, also enhanced the effect of gabapentin in spinally injured rats. Similar synergistic anti-allodynic effect between dextromethorphan and gabapentin was also observed in a rat model of partial sciatic nerve injury. No increased side effect was seen following the combination between gabapentin and dextromethorphan.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the present study suggested that combining NMDA receptor antagonists with gabapentin could provide synergistic effect to alleviate neuropathic pain and reduced side effects.

Implications

Combining NMDA receptor antagonists with gabapentin may provide a new approach in alleviating neuropathic pain with increased efficacy and reduced side effects.
Galactorrhea and hyperprolactinemia during vortioxetine use: case report
Authors: Ozkan Huseyin Murat
Published: July 2018

Background:

Hyperprolactinemia is one of the most common endocrine disorders of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Hyperprolactinemia and galactorrhea are rarely seen as adverse effects of antidepressant drugs.

Case presentation:

Thirty-three years old women, between 2011 and 2017, three depressive episodes were observed. Initially, fluoxetine was used, no galactorrhea was detected. Secondly, she was given escitalopram and visited the clinic with amenorrhea and galactorrhea. Her serum prolactin levels were 50.88 ng/mL and MRI findings were normal. Escitalopram was discontinued and prescribed cabergoline and then prolactin levels were 16.56 ng/mL in the third month. During the vortioxetine treatment, she developed galactorrhea and prolactin level was 43.65 ng/mL. Vortioxetine was discontinued and it was measured at 20.14 ng/mL after 4 weeks of drug-free observation.

Conclusion:

Vortioxetine is a multimodal agent that modulates a select population of 5-HT receptors. To literature, there was no case presentation of galactorrhea observed during the use of vortioxetine. Galactorrhea associated with SSRIs are limited to case presentations. Antidepressants are thought to cause galactorrhea through tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons or postsynaptic serotonergic neurons in the hypothalamus. When galactorrhea was observed during antidepressant drug use, prolactin levels and MRI should be investigated, and termination/replacement of antidepressant treatment is recommended if necessary.
Myocarditis case associated with Campylobacter jejuni
Authors: Ayyildiz Hakan , Kalayci Mehmet , Cinkilinc Nadire , Bozkurt Mahmut , Karadag Makbule Kutlu
Published: July 2018

Objective

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the heart caused by various agents and especially enteroviruses, and it is difficult to diagnose and treat. Myocarditis is rarely associated with bacterial infections. Although the most common bacterial infections are Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp., extremely rare cases of Myocarditis due to Campylobacter jejuni are also reported.

Patient and methods

A 17-year-old male patient with no previous chronic illness was admitted to our emergency department with complaints of abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and chest pain. He stated that symptoms began after eating a chicken burger a few days ago.

Results

In the laboratory tests performed, CK-MB and high sensitive Troponin I values were determined as 33.8 IU/L and 1816 ng/L, respectively. Electrocardiogram results revealed left axis left anterior hemiblock in the normal sinus rhythm as well as a ST-T change in the inferior and lateral derivations. Campylobacter jejuni was detected in the stool sample of the patient.

Conclusion

Myocarditis is one of the rare complications of C. jejuni infection. Bacterial myocarditis should be considered when troponin and cardiac enzymes are elevated in patients admitted to the emergency department with diarrhea and chest pain.
Characterization of Tandem Airfoil Configurations of Axial Compressors
Authors: M P Manas , S R Shine
Published: July 2018

The objective of the current study is to investigate the effects of geometric parameters on the fluid flow patterns, diffusion factor, load-split, and off-design performance of the tandem configuration under subsonic, rectilinear, cascade flow. A 2-D computational model using finite volume formulation has been developed and validated against available experimental data. The obtained data is presented in a format involving loss parameter and loading and will help the designer to have sufficient number of combinations within the useful range of application. It is observed that general performance behavior of tandem cascade is similar to a single airfoil data. Load shifting from the front airfoil to the rear airfoil is noted at positive axial overlaps and higher camber ratios. An optimum gap ratio of around 2 is observed for the range of configurations investigated. Contrary to the previous literature, the present study indicates higher loading of the front airfoil for the best overall loading-to-loss ratio of the tandem configuration.
π-Electron delocalization in 2-benzoyl-5-phenylpyrazolidin-3-one
Authors: Olesiejuk Monika , Kudelko Agnieszka , Gajda Katarzyna , Dziuk Błażej , Ejsmont Krzysztof
Published: July 2018

The crystal and molecular structures of 2-benzoyl-5-phenylpyrazolidin-3-one have been characterized by X-ray diffraction along with density functional theory studies. Cinnamic acid chloride was reacted with benzhydrazide, yielding 2-benzoyl-5-phenylpyrazolidin-3-one. This product was formed in the transformation comprising the nucleophilic addition of benzhydrazide to the styryl fragment of the α,β-unsaturated arrangement and subsequent cyclization. The molecule contains two benzene rings and one five-membered heterocyclic ring with an N–N single bond. The five-membered ring is composed of three atoms of sp
3 hybridization and two atoms of sp
2 hybridization, which cause the flattening of the heterocyclic ring. The Harmonic Oscillator Model of Aromaticity and Nucleus-Independent Chemical Shift indexes, calculated for the benzene rings, demonstrate that there are no substantial interactions between the regions of π-electron delocalization in the molecule. In the crystal structure, there are N–H···O hydrogen bonds that link the molecules along the crystallographic c axis and weak intermolecular C–H···O hydrogen bonds.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Water, Silica, and Aqueous Mixtures in Bulk and Confinement
Authors: Geske Julian , Harrach Michael , Heckmann Lotta , Horstmann Robin , Klameth Felix , Müller Niels , Pafong Elvira , Wohlfromm Timothy , Drossel Barbara , Vogel Michael
Published: July 2018

Aqueous systems are omnipresent in nature and technology. They show complex behaviors, which often originate in the existence of hydrogen-bond networks. Prominent examples are the anomalies of water and the non-ideal behaviors of aqueous solutions. The phenomenology becomes even richer when aqueous liquids are subject to confinement. To this day, many properties of water and its mixtures, in particular, under confinement, are not understood. In recent years, molecular dynamics simulations developed into a powerful tool to improve our knowledge in this field. Here, our simulation results for water and aqueous mixtures in the bulk and in various confinements are reviewed and some new simulation data are added to improve our knowledge about the role of interfaces. Moreover, findings for water are compared with results for silica, exploiting that both systems form tetrahedral networks.
Opera by the Book
Authors: Pollock Emily Richmond
Published: July 2018

In 1944 with Nazi Germany just months from defeat, a curious and now little-known book was published in Regensburg: a collection of essays and biographies that strove to define the contemporary state of opera. Titled Die deutsche Oper der Gegenwart (German Opera of the Present Day), this substantial and lavishly produced volume documents the aesthetics of opera during the Third Reich through its profiles of sixty-two composers, more than 250 design drawings and photographs, prose essays on drama and staging, and an extensive works list. The National Socialist alignment of the book’s primary author (the theater historian Carl Niessen) and publishing company (Gustav Bosse Verlag) contextualizes the volume’s problematic scholarly priorities. Niessen interleaved explanations and endorsements of viable manifestations of contemporary German opera with anti-Semitic rhetoric and venomous critiques of rival aesthetic views. The book’s time-capsule version of the “state of the art” also includes evidence that contradicts postwar claims by composers, such as Winfried Zillig, who later recast themselves as persecuted modernists but whose statements within the volume demonstrate their complicity. Pamela Potter has recommended that musicologists address the longstanding historiographical problem of defining “Nazi Music” by paying detailed attention to particularities. Analyzing the form, contents, and rhetoric of a single printed object permits insights into the definition, valuation, and canonization of contemporary opera near the end of the Third Reich.
Searching for a Fresh Point of View
Authors: Bombola Gina
Published: July 2018

In the early 1940s Aaron Copland cultivated an identity as an authority on film composition through public lectures, interviews, and his own film scores. Championing film music’s potential as a serious art form, Copland sought to show Hollywood that film composers could branch out from the romantic and post-romantic aesthetics that infused contemporary soundtracks and write in a more modern, even American, style. During the 1940s the film industry was already embracing an abundance of new production styles, techniques, and genres that fostered innovation in the development of cinematic musical codes. When Copland returned to Hollywood in 1948 to score William Wyler’s psychological melodrama The Heiress (1949), he chose to take on a set of new challenges. Copland attempted to discover a new idiom for love music, on the one hand, and began to use leitmotifs as a structural device, on the other.

Copland’s experience with The Heiress opens a space in which to reassess his opinions about appropriate film-scoring techniques as well as his public endorsement of film composition. His perspectives on film composition—as demonstrated in his writings, correspondence, and film scores as well as in interviews and reviews of his film music—reveal a tension between the composer’s artistic sensibilities and his attitude toward the commercialism of film music. Indeed he maintained a more ambivalent attitude toward cinematic composition than he publically professed. Understood in this context, Copland’s scoring decisions in The Heiress reflect a turn away from the Americana of Rodeo (1942) and Appalachian Spring (1944) and the Russian-themed score of The North Star (1943), as he sought to refashion his identity as a composer in the post-war years.
“The Fools Don’t Think I Play Jazz”
Authors: Givan Benjamin
Published: July 2018

Cecil Taylor (1929–2018), who was associated with the postwar black musical avant-garde, and Mary Lou Williams (1910–81), who had roots in jazz’s swing era, met in a notorious 1977 Carnegie Hall recital. These two African American pianists possessed decidedly different temperaments and aesthetic sensibilities; their encounter offers a striking illustration of how conflicts between coexisting performance strategies can reveal a great deal about musicians’ thought processes and worldviews. Evidence from unpublished manuscripts and letters, published interviews and written commentary by the performers, the accounts of music critics, and musical transcriptions from a commercial recording (the album Embraced) reveals that, in addition to demonstrating the performers’ distinct musical idiolects, the concert engaged longstanding debates over jazz’s history and definition as well as broader issues of black American identity. In particular, it dispelled still potent notions of jazz as a genre with a unilinear historical trajectory, and it encapsulated the inherent ambivalence toward the past often exhibited by the jazz avant-garde.
Mensuração da qualidade do comércio de Balsas, MA, por meio da escala RSQ
Authors: Borges Gustavo Da Rosa , Oliveira Antonia Clara , Petry Jonas Fernando
Published: July 2018

Comércio é um segmento de vital importância para o desenvolvimento regional, a economia e as relações de consumo social. Portanto, torna-se indispensável aos comerciantes estudar o comportamento dos consumidores, objetivando sua satisfação, visto que isso pode ocasionar resultados positivos. Em Balsas, MA, conhecer os anseios dos consumidores também é vital para o desenvolvimento comercial e regional, principalmente pelo fato de a cidade ser polo comercial no sul do Estado. Buscando mensurar a qualidade do comércio local, realizou-se uma survey quantitativa com 248 consumidores abordados no centro da cidade. Para a coleta dos dados, utilizou-se uma escala internacional validada, a RSQ (Retail Service Quality), que é apropriada para medir a qualidade do serviço no varejo (DABHOLKAR; THORPE; RENTZ, 1996). Percebeu-se que o consumidor balsense não está satisfeito com os estabelecimentos comerciais da cidade. Verificou-se, ainda, por meio de teste-Te ANOVA, que pessoas de menor escolaridade avaliaram mais negativamente o comércio local, e não houve divergência de opiniões entre moradores nascidos na cidade ou não, inclusive contando o tempo de residência, levando-se a crer que pessoas de fora acabam tendo as mesmas percepções que as nativas. Em relação à escala usada, confirmou-se sua aplicabilidade ao comércio, sendo ela ainda pouco empregada no Brasil.
Sucesso na Carreira na perspectiva de Universitários
Authors: Bizarria Fabiana Pinto de Almeida , Tassigny Mônica Mota , Frota Antônio Jackson Alcântara , Moura Heber José de , Bezerra Alex Bizarria
Published: July 2018

O presente estudo objetiva analisar a percepção de estudantes universitários acerca de seu sucesso na carreira por meio da Escala de Percepção de Sucesso na Carreira (EPSC) com 10 itens, em sua versão reduzida, distribuídos em duas dimensões (subjetiva e objetiva). Realizou-se um survey descritivo,com 105universitários de uma Instituição de Ensino Superior, situada em Fortaleza-CE. Foram utilizados procedimentos de Análise Fatorial Exploratória e confirmatória e Análise de Cluster para interpretação e análise dos dados, e análise descritiva dos dados. Identificou-se uma estrutura quadridimensional, formada pelas dimensões, em ordem decrescente de importância, Impacto da Renda, Complexidade do Trabalho, Bem-estar no Trabalho e Perspectiva de futuro. A pesquisa contribui com a discussão sobre o estudo do sucesso na carreira numa perspectiva da formação acadêmica. A ampliação da pesquisa, como forma de driblar suas limitações poderia caminhar no sentido de investigações com uma amostra mais abrangente e diversificada
N-TERMINAL PROPEPTIDE OF COLLAGEN TYPE III AS A PROPOSED MARKER OF MYOCARDIAL FIBROSIS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES
Authors: Drapkina O. M. , Gegenava B. B.
Published: July 2018

Aim. To evaluate the role of N-terminal procollagen type III propeptide (P3NP) as a proposed marker of myocardial fibrosis in type 2 diabetes (DM2) patients.

Material and methods. In the study, 2 groups of patients participated: with DM2 and non-DM2 (both n=32). All patients underwent clinical and laboratory assessment, including P3NP, electrocardiography, echocardiography. Statistics was done with Mann-Whitney criteria and Spearman correlation.

Results. The level P3NP is significantly higher in DM2 patients (р<0,00001). In DM2 patients, the level of P3NP significantly correlates with increased myocardial mass of the left ventricle (р=0,00026) and myocardial mass index of the left ventricle (р=0,03685).

Conclusion. Echo- and electrocardiographic signs characteristic for myocardial fibrosis (mass increase, voltage decline) in DM2 patients are concomitant with the increase of P3NP. Significant correlation of P3NP and the size of myocardium makes it to propose P3NP as one of possible markers of myocardial fibrosis in DM2 persons.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR EARLY OUTPATIENT DIAGNOSTICS OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING
Authors: Larina V. N. , Mironova T. N. , Elfimova E. M. , Alekseeva T. A. , Starostin I. V. , Sidorova V. P. , Litvin A. Yu.
Published: July 2018

Aim. To evaluate the prevalence of possible obstructive respiratory disorder during sleep in outpatients by the data from computed monitoring pulse oxymetry (CPO) and questionnaires.

Material and methods. To the open one stage non-randomized comparative study, 175 patients included: 37,1% males, 62,9% females, age 55,1±11,1 y.o., visiting a clinician office at outpatient facility. Sleep disordered breathing of obstructive origin was diagnosed with a survey, modified Stradling questionnaire and CPO; and excessive daytime sleepiness — with Epworth score. For confirmation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a bifunctional monitoring was performed (BM) with further comparison of the data with CPO results.

Results. Chronic hypoxemia at night by CPO was found in 71,4% patients, and probability of OSA moderate and severe — in 42,8% patients. By the modified Stradling, OSA was predicted in 57,7%, by Epworth, the daytime sleepiness was found in 11,4%. Mild OSA in BM was found in 8,9%, moderate — 14,7%, severe — 20,6%. The data from CPO matched with BM in 80% patients. Sensitivity of CPO for nocturnal hypoxemia of various severity was 92,4%, specificity — 76,4%; sensitivity of the Stradling questionnaire — 88,9%, specificity — 88,2%. Sensitivity of Epworth score — 27,8%, specificity — 82,4%.

Conclusion. Chronic nocturnal hypoxemia was found in 71,4%, and probability of moderate and severe OSA — in 42,8% in outpatients with internal diseases profile. CPO and Stradling questionnaire can be applied as diagnostic instruments for OSA at outpatient stage.
DYNAMICS OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN RAILWAY CREWS
Authors: Kazidaeva E. N. , Sergunina I. N. , Venevtseva Yu. L.
Published: July 2018

Aim. To assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (RF) and dynamics over 4 years in locomotory crews.

Material and methods. One hundred train drivers and assistants aged 25-59 y.o. (mean age — 43,8±10,3 y.) were investigated in-patient with 24 hour blood pressure (BP) monitoring, ultrasound Doppler of brachiocephalic arteries, standard biochemistry. Fifty three persons were assessed prospectively from 2013 to 2017 y.

Results. BP increase (essential hypertension of I-II grades with mild or moderate hypertension) was found in 78 persons, with the mean duration — 10,4±4,3 years, and age of onset — 37,0±8,5 y.o. Most commonly, the dyslipidemiaswerefound:hypertriglyceridemiain59%,hypercholesterolemia in 44%. Smokers — 39%, overweight — 37%, obese — 41%. Correlational analysis revealed significant direct correlation of triglycerides with body mass index (r=0,35), with glucose tolerance disorder (r=0,22) and hypertension (r=0,22), however there was negative correlation with smoking status (r=-0,25). In patients with hypertension, aged 25-39 (n=18), comparing to the group with the none (n=22), there were significantly higher: body mass index, cholesterol level, triglycerides level and low density lipoproteideslevelwiththeabsenceofdifferenceinhighdensitylipoproteides, smoking prevalence and family anamnesis of cardiovascular diseases. In prospective follow-up the negative dynamics of lipid profile was found in males of 25-39 y.o., and morphological presentation — lesions in brachiocephalic arteries, at the age 40-49 y. with stabilization of parameters at the age 50-59 y.o. Mean group levels of systolic and diastolic BP at daytime and at night in both timepoints were within normotension range in all groups, corresponding to “non-dipper” type.

Conclusion. Most prevalent RF in railway crews were dyslipidemia and obesity. The adequacy of therapy prescribed in all age strata makes it to regard the raise of BP as modifiable RF.
THE PREVALENCE OF CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES RISK FACTORS AMONG MEDICAL STAFF
Authors: Kobyakova О. S. , Kulikov E. S. , Deev I. A. , Almikeeva A. A. , Pimenov I. D. , Starovoytova E. A.
Published: July 2018

In the review, the results provided of clinical and epidemiological trials confirming high prevalence of the risk factors of chronic noncommunicable diseases among medical workers, common comorbidity and hence adverse influence on the health. Analysis of literature data underscores the necessity of further long term populational studies of epidemiology, age range, relation to occupation positions, for the main risk factors. Organization of various preventive events is required, that obviously will impact not only health state and life quality, but furthermore, will increase medical care in general.
Towards Adjustable Autonomy for the Real World
Authors: Scerri P. , Pynadath D. V. , Tambe M.
Published: July 2018

Adjustable autonomy refers to entities dynamically varying their own autonomy, transferring decision-making control to other entities (typically agents transferring control to human users) in key situations. Determining whether and when such transfers-of-control should occur is arguably the fundamental research problem in adjustable autonomy. Previous work has investigated various approaches to addressing this problem but has often focused on individual agent-human interactions. Unfortunately, domains requiring collaboration between teams of agents and humans reveal two key shortcomings of these previous approaches. First, these approaches use rigid one-shot transfers of control that can result in unacceptable coordination failures in multiagent settings. Second, they ignore costs (e.g., in terms of time delays or effects on actions) to an agent's team due to such transfers-of-control. To remedy these problems, this article presents a novel approach to adjustable autonomy, based on the notion of a transfer-of-control strategy. A transfer-of-control strategy consists of a conditional sequence of two types of actions: (i) actions to transfer decision-making control (e.g., from an agent to a user or vice versa) and (ii) actions to change an agent's pre-specified coordination constraints with team members, aimed at minimizing miscoordination costs. The goal is for high-quality individual decisions to be made with minimal disruption to the coordination of the team. We present a mathematical model of transfer-of-control strategies. The model guides and informs the operationalization of the strategies using Markov Decision Processes, which select an optimal strategy, given an uncertain environment and costs to the individuals and teams. The approach has been carefully evaluated, including via its use in a real-world, deployed multi-agent system that assists a research group in its daily activities.
Monte Carlo Methods for Tempo Tracking and Rhythm Quantization
Authors: Cemgil A. T. , Kappen B.
Published: July 2018

We present a probabilistic generative model for timing deviations in expressive music performance. The structure of the proposed model is equivalent to a switching state space model. The switch variables correspond to discrete note locations as in a musical score. The continuous hidden variables denote the tempo. We formulate two well known music recognition problems, namely tempo tracking and automatic transcription (rhythm quantization) as filtering and maximum a posteriori (MAP) state estimation tasks. Exact computation of posterior features such as the MAP state is intractable in this model class, so we introduce Monte Carlo methods for integration and optimization. We compare Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods (such as Gibbs sampling, simulated annealing and iterative improvement) and sequential Monte Carlo methods (particle filters). Our simulation results suggest better results with sequential methods. The methods can be applied in both online and batch scenarios such as tempo tracking and transcription and are thus potentially useful in a number of music applications such as adaptive automatic accompaniment, score typesetting and music information retrieval.
PDDL2.1: An Extension to PDDL for Expressing Temporal Planning Domains
Authors: Fox M. , Long D.
Published: July 2018

In recent years research in the planning community has moved increasingly toward s application of planners to realistic problems involving both time and many typ es of resources. For example, interest in planning demonstrated by the space res earch community has inspired work in observation scheduling, planetary rover ex ploration and spacecraft control domains. Other temporal and resource-intensive domains including logistics planning, plant control and manufacturing have also helped to focus the community on the modelling and reasoning issues that must be confronted to make planning technology meet the challenges of application. The International Planning Competitions have acted as an important motivating fo rce behind the progress that has been made in planning since 1998. The third com petition (held in 2002) set the planning community the challenge of handling tim e and numeric resources. This necessitated the development of a modelling langua ge capable of expressing temporal and numeric properties of planning domains. In this paper we describe the language, PDDL2.1, that was used in the competition. We describe the syntax of the language, its formal semantics and the validation of concurrent plans. We observe that PDDL2.1 has considerable modelling power --- exceeding the capabilities of current planning technology --- and presents a number of important challenges to the research community.
Compiling Causal Theories to Successor State Axioms and STRIPS-Like Systems
Authors: Lin F.
Published: July 2018

We describe a system for specifying the effects of actions. Unlike those commonly used in AI planning, our system uses an action description language that allows one to specify the effects of actions using domain rules, which are state constraints that can entail new action effects from old ones. Declaratively, an action domain in our language corresponds to a nonmonotonic causal theory in the situation calculus. Procedurally, such an action domain is compiled into a set of logical theories, one for each action in the domain, from which fully instantiated successor state-like axioms and STRIPS-like systems are then generated. We expect the system to be a useful tool for knowledge engineers writing action specifications for classical AI planning systems, GOLOG systems, and other systems where formal specifications of actions are needed.
Wrapper Maintenance: A Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Lerman K. , Minton S. N. , Knoblock C. A.
Published: July 2018

The proliferation of online information sources has led to an increased use of wrappers for extracting data from Web sources. While most of the previous research has focused on quick and efficient generation of wrappers, the development of tools for wrapper maintenance has received less attention. This is an important research problem because Web sources often change in ways that prevent the wrappers from extracting data correctly. We present an efficient algorithm that learns structural information about data from positive examples alone. We describe how this information can be used for two wrapper maintenance applications: wrapper verification and reinduction. The wrapper verification system detects when a wrapper is not extracting correct data, usually because the Web source has changed its format. The reinduction algorithm automatically recovers from changes in the Web source by identifying data on Web pages so that a new wrapper may be generated for this source. To validate our approach, we monitored 27 wrappers over a period of a year. The verification algorithm correctly discovered 35 of the 37 wrapper changes, and made 16 mistakes, resulting in precision of 0.73 and recall of 0.95. We validated the reinduction algorithm on ten Web sources. We were able to successfully reinduce the wrappers, obtaining precision and recall values of 0.90 and 0.80 on the data extraction task.