bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Corporate Criminal Liability in Indonesia Anti-Corruption Law: Does It Work Properly?
Authors: Wibisana Andri Gunawan , Marbun Andreas Nathaniel
Published: April 2018

Since the way of doing corruption has evolved over time, there are likely possibilities for corporate entities to be involved in corruption activities and infringe the anti-corruption law. This paper endeavors to find justifications to criminalizing corporate entiti(es) from a law and economics perspective. This paper argues that it is ultimately efficient for a party not to be held criminally liable for another party’s culpable act, and thus it concludes that individual vicarious criminal liability is inefficient. Unlike individual vicarious liability, corporate vicarious criminal liability might be efficient. This paper will also explain how and why the implementation of the corporate criminal liability should be classified differently with the liability of corporate officers, particularly under the regime anti-corruption law, so that the distinction between the personal acts of a high ranking corporate officers and the act of corruption involving the corporation itself can be unequivocally distinguished. This paper also critically evaluates Indonesia’s regulation and formulation of corporate entity criminal liability which pursuant to the anti-corruption law and to further examine whether Indonesia’s anti-corruption law has achieved its purpose.
Is the Theatre a Zombie? On the Successful Failures of Émile Zola
Authors: Rebellato Dan
Published: April 2018

Naturalist theatre, in its late-nineteenth-century incarnation, and particularly in the work of Émile Zola, is often seen as advancing a physicalist view of the mind, where all mind states can be reduced to brain states. The novels and the plays do not uniformly or unambiguously support this analysis, so is the theory or the practice wrong? Physicalism is an idea that has had a recent renaissance, helped by the discoveries of neuroscience. Nevertheless I express some caution about the claims made for the eradication of free will. A range of thought experiments in the philosophy of mind have cast doubt on physicalism, culminating in David Chalmers’s much-debated zombie argument. I argue that zombies and their analogues represented deep social anxieties in the late nineteenth century, and make repeated appearances in Naturalism. The essay goes on to suggest that Naturalism should be considered to have conducted thought experiments, rather than just to have attempted to embody the theory on stage. Turning to John Searle’s ‘Chinese Room’ thought experiment, I suggest that theatre-making itself may be a kind of thought experiment model of the mind.
Actorship,parrhesia, and Representation: Remarks on Theatricality and Politics in Hobbes, Rousseau, and Diderot
Authors: Thomä Dieter
Published: April 2018

This paper addresses the strained relationship betweenparrhesiaand actorship and analyzes its political implications. These two terms seem to be antipodes:parrhesiaemphasizes thepresenceof a speaker or author whereas actorship deploysrepresentation. As their relation can be explained by means of the concept of representation it is worthwhile considering the two settings in which representation matters: theater and politics. These settings will be explored in case studies on Hobbes’s, Rousseau’s, and Diderot’s accounts ofparrhesiaand actorship. Hobbes dismissesparrhesiasticfreedom, minimalizes political authorship and favors a model of representation featuring a peculiar, powerful actor: the State. Rousseau criticizes actorship and representation, and seeks to re-install the people as sovereign author. This author is equipped with a strangely distorted form ofparrhesia. Diderot takes neither Hobbes’s nor Rousseau’s side. He hints at the political potential of the author-actor relationship and paves the way to a revised notion ofparrhesia.
Evaluation of some q-integrals in terms of the Dedekind eta function
Authors: Doyle Greg , Williams Kenneth S.
Published: April 2018

A q-integral is a definite integral of a function of q having an expansion in non-negative powers of q for

{|q|<1}

(q-series).
In his book on hypergeometric series, N. J. Fine [N. J. Fine,
Basic Hypergeometric Series and Applications,
Math. Surveys Monogr. 27,
American Mathematical Society, Providence, 1988] explicitly evaluated three q-integrals.
For example, he showed that

\int_{0}^{e^{-\pi}}\prod_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{(1-q^{2n})^{20}}{(1-q^{n})^{16}}%
dq=\frac{1}{16}.

In this paper, we prove a general theorem which allows us to determine a wide class of integrals of this type. This class includes the three q-integrals evaluated by Fine as well as some of those evaluated by L.-C. Zhang [L.-C. Zhang,
Some q-integrals associated with modular forms,
J. Math Anal. Appl. 150 1990, 264–273]. It also includes many new evaluations of q-integrals.
Rabinowitz Alternative for Non-cooperative Elliptic Systems on Geodesic Balls
Authors: Rybicki Sławomir , Shioji Naoki , Stefaniak Piotr
Published: April 2018

The purpose of this paper is to study properties of continua (closed connected sets) of nontrivial solutions of non-cooperative elliptic systems considered on geodesic balls in

S
n

{S^{n}}

. In particular, we show that if the geodesic ball is a hemisphere, then all these continua are unbounded. It is also shown that the phenomenon of global symmetry-breaking bifurcation of such solutions occurs. Since the problem is variational and

SO
⁡

(
n
)

{\operatorname{SO}(n)}

-symmetric, we apply the techniques of equivariant bifurcation theory to prove the main results of this article. As the topological tool, we use the degree theory for

SO
⁡

(
n
)

{\operatorname{SO}(n)}

-invariant strongly indefinite functionals defined in [A. Gołȩbiewska and S. A. Rybicki, Global bifurcations of critical orbits of G-invariant strongly indefinite functionals, Nonlinear Anal. 74 2011, 5, 1823–1834].
Asymptotic behavior of the Timoshenko-type system with nonlinear boundary control
Authors: Ayadi Mohamed Ali , Bchatnia Ahmed
Published: April 2018

In this paper, we consider the Timoshenko-type system with nonlinear boundary dissipation. We prove the existence and uniqueness of the solution and we establish an explicit and general decay result for a wide class of the relaxation function, which depends on the length of the beam.
A Woven Web of Guesses: Xenophanes of Colophon
Authors: van Nispen Henri
Published: April 2018

Despite several attempts, amongst others from K.R. Popper, to re-evaluate the importance of Xenophanes of Colophon, this poet/philosopher is still frequently seen as a “somewhat precarious” figure in the history of philosophy. Xenophanes is mainly remembered for his bitter attacks on the anthropomorphic character of the Olympic gods, while his epistemology was discarded by Empedocles and Aristotle as being “too naïve”. This article tries to examine some of the reasons for this disqualification by analysing Popper’s attempt to rehabilitate Xenophanes as “the founder of the Greek enlightenment”.
Theodicy and Moral Responsibility in the Myth of Er
Authors: Ilievski Viktor
Published: April 2018

This paper focuses on Plato’s compressed theodicy in the Republic’s Myth of Er, which stems from the famous αἰτία ἑλομένου· θεὸς ἀναίτιος verdict, found at 617e4–5. Its direct implication is the understanding that the souls of the Myth are autonomous in making their choices, and therefore morally responsible for their decisions and actions. God is thus exonerated of all blame for the disappointments and sufferings they are going through, and his beneficent nature is defended, at least within the confines of the Myth’s rudimentary theodicy. It is my opinion that Plato is indeed justified in upholding such views. In order to demonstrate that, I shall try to argue that the claim of individual responsibility – upon which Plato’s theodicy in the Myth of Er is exclusively founded – withstands the charges of determinism and infinite regress of accountability, leveled against it by Annas, Halliwell, et al., and McPherran, Inwood, et al., respectively. I shall also try to make a case against Annas’ and Thayer’s allegations that the memory loss, which is one of the consequences of the reincarnation process, absolves the agent from culpability for the mistakes committed in his/her previous lives, because such loss implicates discontinuity of personal identity. Before engaging with this issues, however, I shall attempt to provide a possible Platonic account of the concept of freedom of choice – the basic precondition for moral responsibility – as employed in the Myth of Er.
The Early Modern Invention of Late Antique Rome: How Historiography Helped Create the Crypt of the Popes
Authors: Lewis Nicola Denzey
Published: April 2018

At some point in late antiquity, most scholars believe, Christians reversed the powerful valence of death pollution and considered corpses and bones to be sacred. The rise of the ‘Cult of the Saints’ or ‘cult of relics’ is widely accepted as a curious social phenomenon that characterized late antiquity. This paper argues that although present elsewhere in the late Roman Empire, no such ‘corporeal turn’ happened in Rome. The prevailing assumption that it did – fostered by the apologetic concerns of early modern Catholic historiography – has led us to gloss over important evidence to the contrary, to read our own assumptions into our extant textual, material, and archaeological sources. As a ‘case study’, this paper considers the so-called ‘Crypt of the Popes’ in the catacombs of Callixtus, which is universally presented unproblematically as an authentic burial chamber attesting to an age of persecution and the strength of Catholic apostolic succession. This paper argues, by contrast, that the chamber is not what it seems; it is, rather, a case of early modern historiographical artifice masquerading as late antique Roman Christianity.
“The Immortal Traveler”: How Historiography Changed Judaism
Authors: Facchini Cristiana
Published: April 2018

The historiography of Judaism as a scholarly enterprise primarily developed during the nineteenth century as the byproduct of a number of historical conditions that influenced Western culture at large. First and foremost, European society at the time was shaped by the dynamism and social change brought on by industrialization. Moreover, the nineteenth century’s culture held on to a romantic image of the past in its multifarious guises – the ancient or the medieval, and in some cases the age of the Renaissance – to which various currents of European thought had contributed. The past, and therefore history as a cultural practice, was particularly important in the age of nationalism and empires. In this article I analyze how certain religious topics such as the ‘historical Jesus’ and the relevance of the Kabbalah were elaborated in the early modern period and readdressed, with different religious and cultural agendas, in the nineteenth century.
History Writing and the Making of Mongolian Buddhism
Authors: Kollmar-Paulenz Karénina
Published: April 2018

When in the late sixteenth century the third Dalai Lama travelled to the Mongolian regions, he was accompanied by Buddhist monks of different Tibetan schools, Gelugpa, Sakyapa, Kagyüpa and others. Many of them built monasteries and temples in Mongolia, funded by Mongolian nobles. Although Gelugpa Buddhism quickly became dominant in Mongolia, the other schools remained present and active in the country until today. From the start, however, most Mongolian historians described the spread and development of Buddhism in the Mongolian lands as the endeavor of just one school, the ‘glorious Gelugpa’, ignoring the plurality of the Tibetan-Buddhist schools in the Mongolian religious field. This paper aims to analyze how and to what aims Mongolian historians created a uniform Gelugpa Buddhism, which taxonomies they used and which narratives they employed to present Gelugpa Buddhism as the religion of the Mongolian peoples. Moreover, the paper explores which impact Mongolian historiography had (and has) on modern scholarship and its narrative of Mongolian religious history. I argue that modern scholarship helps to perpetuate the ‘master narrativeʼ of Mongolian Buddhist historiography, presenting Mongolian Buddhism as a ‘pureʼ, exclusive Gelugpa Buddhism.
Double Vision: Epiphanies of the Dioscuri in Classical Antiquity
Authors: Platt Verity J.
Published: April 2018

The Dioscuri – Castor and Pollux – are among the most epiphanic of gods, frequently appearing in battle or to sailors struggling at sea. On Chios, a festival called the Theophania was founded in the third century BC to commemorate an epiphany of the twin gods. Indeed, their appearance at the Sicilian battle of the River Sagra c. 540 BC was so well known in Greek – and Roman – culture that it was invoked as a proverbial example of epiphanic manifestation in Cicero’s De natura deorum (2.1.13); as such, it was the model for several Graeco-Roman battle epiphanies featuring the Dioscuri and their horses, from Postumius’ victory at Lake Regillus in 496 BC to Constantine’s at the Milvian Bridge in AD 312. The numerous battle epiphanies of antiquity have been gathered and assessed by previous scholars (Pfister 1924 and Pritchett 1979). This article posits a new approach to the material, arguing that, because of their fame and ubiquity, epiphanies of the Dioscuri provided a model through which to explore both the validity and visual authority of divine manifestation. The conjuring of divine presence through the physical semeia of the gods is also an important element of the portrayal of the Dioscuri in image form. Representations of these epiphanic gods cover a spectrum of iconicity, ranging from highly anthropomorphized ‘re-enactments’ of their epiphanies (such as the sculptures set up in the Roman forum to commemorate the Lake Regillus victory) to metonymic denotations of their presence in the form of their polos hats, and sub-iconic depictions of twin stars. This combination of corporeal and cosmic semeia provides a sophisticated commentary upon the cognitive dilemmas raised by epiphany: what kind of bodies do the gods have, how do they reveal these forms to mortals, and how are we to recognize and identify them? As deities defined by dualism – mortals and immortals, gods and heroes, men and stars – the Dioscuri provide a particularly potent model for exploring such issues, for both ancient thinkers and modern scholars of epiphany.
Loosing Vows and Oaths in the Roman Empire and Beyond: Authority and Interpretation
Authors: Blidstein Moshe
Published: April 2018

Vows, dedications and promissory oaths were an important category of language for people in the ancient Mediterranean. Using various formulae, people promised the gods (in the case of vows and dedications), or each other (in the case of oaths), that they would perform certain acts in the future, giving more than usual force to their words. The purpose of this article is to investigate the mechanics and hermeneutics of promises backed by divine power in the ancient Mediterranean.
Novel Weaving Technology for the Manufacture of 2D Net Shape Fabrics for Cost Effective Textile Reinforced Composites
Authors: Vo Duy Minh Phuong , Hoffmann Gerald , Cherif Chokri
Published: April 2018

Despite significant weight and performance advantages over metal parts, today’s demand for fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPC) has been limited mainly by their huge manufacturing cost. The combination of dry textile preforms and low-cost consolidation processes such as resin transfer molding (RTM) has been appointed as a promising approach to low-cost FRPC manufacture. This paper presents an advanced weaving technique developed with the aim to establish a more cost-effective system for the manufacture of dry textile preforms for FRPC. 2D woven fabrics with integrated net shape selvedge can be obtained using the open reed weave (ORW) technology, enabling the manufacture of 2D cut patterns with firm edge, so that oversize cutting and hand trimming after molding are no longer required. The introduction of 2D woven fabrics with net shape selvedge helps to reduce material waste, cycle time and preform manufacturing cost significantly. Furthermore, higher grade of automation in preform fabrication can be achieved.
Applications of observers in medical robotics
Authors: Fallahi Bita , Sloboda Ron S. , Tavakoli Mahdi
Published: April 2018

This paper presents the applications of observers in robot-assisted medical procedures, in which robotic manipulators act in collaboration with surgeons or therapists to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the interventions. Observers can be considered as replacements for sensors to provide the surgeon and/or the robots with information about the tissue, surgical tools, and their interaction. This paper provides an overview of the observation methods for estimating the tool pose, tissue motion, and the interaction forces. Having a good model for the system and guaranteeing the safety and efficiency of the methods are the challenges involved in using the observers in medical procedures. However, the application-driven nature of the medical robotics provides a thriving field of study for using the observers.
Some recent results on the design and implementation of interval observers for uncertain systems
Authors: Raïssi Tarek , Efimov Denis
Published: April 2018

Based on the theory of positive systems, the goal of interval observers is to compute sets of admissible values of the state vector at each instant of time for systems subject to bounded uncertainties (noises, disturbances and parameters). The size of the estimated sets, which should be minimised, has to be proportional to the model uncertainties. An interval estimation can be seen as a conventional point estimation (the centre of the interval) with an estimation error given by the interval radius. The reliable uncertainties propagation performed in this context can be useful in several fields such as robust control, diagnosis and fault-tolerant control. This paper presents some recent results on interval observers for several dynamical systems classes such as continuous-time and switched systems.
Der EVIFA-Relaunch: Von der virtuellen Fachbibliothek zum One-Stop-Shop für die ethnologischen Fächer
Authors: Harbeck Matthias
Published: April 2018

Mit dem Wechsel vom SSG-System zu den Fachinformationsdiensten stehen auch die virtuellen Fachbibliotheken vor einem Umbruch. Welche Services sollen wie und warum fortgeführt werden? Wie nachhaltig kann man vor dem Hintergrund einer bedarfsorientierten, projektartigen Förderstruktur entwickeln? Der Artikel zeigt die Vorgehensweise, die Hürden und mögliche Lösungswege am Beispiel des Fachportals EVIFA im Fachinformationsdienst Sozial- und Kulturanthropologie. Es wird deutlich, dass in kleineren Einrichtungen eine Verringerung der Komplexität der Angebote sowie die Nachnutzung technischer Lösungen der Trägerinstitution aber auch anderer Einrichtungen eine größere Rolle spielen werden, da technische Entwicklungen in kurzfristigen Bewilligungszeiträumen schwer realisierbar sind.
Viele Daten, hohe Hürden: Eine Bilanz aus dem Projekt Open-Access-Statistik
Authors: Herb Ulrich
Published: April 2018

Dieser Artikel referiert die Ergebnisse des Projekts Open-Access-Statistik, dessen Ziel es war, standardisierte Nutzungszahlen für wissenschaftliche Dokumente zu erheben. Die gesammelten Nutzungsdaten sollten in erster Linie dazu dienen, Impact-Werte für Open-Access-Dokumente zu ermitteln. Das Projekt sah auch die Implementierung anspruchsvollerer Verfahren wie Netzwerk-Analysen vor, sah sich jedoch mit komplexen rechtlichen Anforderungen konfrontiert. Der Beitrag versucht überdies, Open-Access-Statistik und Altmetrics in Beziehung zu setzen.
Wissen kommt von Machen
Authors: Tiepmar Jonas , Mittelbach Jens , Kaiser Melanie , Dobeleit Daniela , Schwanse Paul , Fröhner Uta , Jähne Maik
Published: April 2018

Mit der Digitalisierung und der damit einhergehenden technologischen Revolution verschwinden die Grenzen der früher deutlich getrennten internen und externen Anteile der publizistischen Produktionskette. Außerdem befördert das Aufkommen von neuartigen und leicht zugänglichen Technologien wie 3D-Druck oder Lasercutting den Methodenwandel in der Wissenschaft und kommt interdisziplinären Ansätzen entgegen. Der Bedarf an Wissen zu diesen Technologien und dessen Vermittlung steigt aber zeitgleich mit. Die SLUB Dresden versucht, diesem Bedarf mit dem Angebot eines wissenschaftlichen Makerspace zu entsprechen. Erfolge dieses Konzeptes und Herausforderungen bei der Umsetzung werden hier beschrieben.
Publikationsunterstützung an der Universität Graz: Themen, Zielgruppen, Formate
Authors: Kaier Christian , Lackner Karin
Published: April 2018

Die „Publikationsservices“ an der Universitätsbibliothek Graz haben in Kooperation mit unterschiedlichen Verwaltungseinheiten sowie mit den sechs Fakultäten der Universität ein breites Serviceportfolio zur Publikationsberatung entwickelt. Dieser Beitrag schildert den Aufbau und die Weiterentwicklung eines umfassenden Informations-, Beratungs- und Veranstaltungsangebots zum wissenschaftlichen Publizieren und zieht eine erste Zwischenbilanz.
Berta Zuckerkandl – Netzwerkerin der Wiener Moderne: Über die Sammlungen Emile Zuckerkandl an der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek
Authors: Brantl Vera
Published: April 2018

Berta Zuckerkandl war durch ihre journalistische Arbeit eine bedeutende und einflussreiche Protagonistin der Wiener Moderne. Mit ihrem Salon stand die jüdische Intellektuelle zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts im Zentrum eines weitverzweigten literarischen, künstlerischen und gesellschaftlichen Netzwerks, das von den Nationalsozialisten zerstört wurde. Berta Zuckerkandls Nachlass, der von ihrem Enkel Emile aufbewahrt wurde, konnte von der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek in Etappen erworben werden.
Management of myasthenia gravis during pregnancy: A report of eight cases
Authors: Shi Beibei , Zeng Linchai
Published: April 2018

Background

The clinical course of myasthenia gravis (MG) during pregnancy is highly variable and unpredictable. The management of MG in pregnancy has not been standardized.

Methods

Eight cases of MG in pregnancy, who were treated and gave birth in our hospital between 2004 and 2012, were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

In three patients, MG deteriorated during pregnancy. Three patients discontinued their medication for MG during their pregnancy, and the other five patients continued on corticosteroid or pyridostigmine. None of the infants showed any congenital abnormalities. Interestingly, there was a trend towards lower birth weight in infants born to women who had an exacerbation of MG during pregnancy. One patient who had unstable MG before pregnancy and voluntarily discontinued the medication for MG at the beginning of pregnancy, experienced MG exacerbation at the 30th week of pregnancy and gave birth prematurely to an infant with transient neonatal MG at the 34th week. The other seven patients had uneventful full-term pregnancy.

Conclusion

Women with unstable MG should postpone pregnancy to avoid potential risk of MG exacerbation and adverse effects on the fetus. Medication for MG should not be stopped abruptly during pregnancy, particularly for women with unstable MG. MG during pregnancy should be closely monitored and properly controlled.
DNA barcoding of online herbal supplements: crowd-sourcing pharmacovigilance in high school
Authors: Molina Jeanmaire , Sherpa Chhoti , Ng Joyee , Sonam Tenzin , Stuhr Nicole
Published: April 2018

Herbal medicinal products (HMPs) have grown increasingly popular in the United States, many of them with imported raw materials and sold online. Yet due to the lack of regulation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), manufacturers of the products can substitute or add in other herbs that are not advertised on the label. In this study, as part of the Urban Barcode Research Program (UBRP), an education initiative to engage New York City high school students in science, we aimed to taxonomically authenticate single-ingredient online-sold HMPs containing non-native plants through DNA barcoding of the internal transcribed spacer 2 region (ITS2) and matK. We were able to successfully barcode 20 HMPs, but four of these did not match the expected species. It was concluded that the four HMPs advertising astragalus, epazote, ginseng, and chanca piedra were contaminated/ substituted because their ITS2 and matK DNA sequences did not match the expected taxonomy in GenBank, a government database. Our study highlights the importance of herbal pharmacovigilance in the absence of strict government regulation of herbal supplements and motivates crowd-sourced DNA barcoding to enable American consumers make informed choices and be more empowered to safeguard their health.
Risk Factors for Venous Thromboembolism in Hospitalized Patients in the Chinese Population
Authors: Wang Chunling , Cui Fuping , Li Junqiu , Yuan Xiangzhi , Wang Jia , Liu Liyun , Wang Mingxiao
Published: April 2018

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) refers to the formation of a blood clot inside veins and has a high risk of inducing medical accidents. An effective risk assessment model will help screen high risk populations and prevent the occurrence of VTE. In this study, 287 VTE cases were collected and analyzed for risk factors in a Chinese population. The risks of VTE were evaluated using the Caprini and Padua models. Our results indicated that the Caprini model was more effective in evaluating VTE risk among hospitalized patients than the Padua model. As well, the Caprini model was more relevant in VTE risk assessment among surgery patients compared with internal medicine patients, while the Padua model showed no significant differences. In our studies, the most frequent risk factors included obesity, medical patients currently at bed rest, and severe lung disease. Our studies provide clinical support on selecting the suitable risk assessment model of VTE in the Chinese population.
Diffuse near-infrared imaging of tissue with picosecond time resolution
Authors: Grosenick Dirk , Wabnitz Heidrun , Macdonald Rainer
Published: April 2018

Optical imaging of biological tissue in vivo at multiple wavelengths in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range can be achieved with picosecond time resolution at high sensitivity by time-correlated single photon counting. Measuring and analyzing the distribution of times of flight of photons randomly propagated through the tissue has been applied for diffuse optical imaging and spectroscopy, e.g. of human breast tissue and of the brain. In this article, we review the main features and the potential of NIR multispectral imaging with picosecond time resolution and illustrate them by exemplar applications in these fields. In particular, we discuss the experimental methods developed at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) to record optical mammograms and to quantify the absorption and scattering properties from which hemoglobin concentration and oxygen saturation of healthy and diseased breast tissue have been derived by combining picosecond time-domain and spectral information. Furthermore, optical images of functional brain activation were obtained by a non-contact scanning device exploiting the null source-detector separation approach which takes advantage of the picosecond time resolution as well. The recorded time traces of changes in the oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin concentrations during a motor stimulation investigation show a localized response from the brain.
A comparative study of sustainable industrial heat supply based on economic and thermodynamic factors
Authors: Wolf Magdalena , Pröll Tobias
Published: April 2018

Three different process types of heat supply for industrial production processes requiring low temperature heat at 140°C are analyzed and compared with each other. The thermodynamic and economic efficiency of a gas turbine process with a heat recovery boiler (GT), a gas and steam turbine combined cycle process with a back-pressure turbine (GT-CC) and a high temperature heat pump (HTHP) system recovering waste heat from humid exhaust air between 90°C and 50°C are assessed based on energy flows, exergy flows and costs of heat provided as 4 bar (abs) saturated steam. The economic analysis bases on the comparison of the consumption-related costs of heat, the capital-related costs of heat and the operation-related costs of heat. The payback-times are calculated for different HTHP investment cost levels (1000 EUR/kWQ, 750 EUR/kWQ, 500 EUR/kWQand 250 EUR/kWQ). To evaluate the effects of fluctuating energy costs, a sensitivity analysis with varying gas and electricity prices has been carried out.

The results show that the HTHP system, even with modest performance assumptions, has a higher exergetic efficiency than the GT or the GT-CC process. For the consumption-related costs, the economic calculation shows that the operation of a HTHP, working with a coefficient of performance (COP) of four and for a natural gas price of 25 EUR/MWh, is the cheapest way of heat production as long as the electricity price is lower than 45 EUR/MWh. An electricity price above 45 EUR/MWh makes a GT-CC process more favorable. For the period from January 2013 until June 2016, the total costs of heat and the payback times, based on real gas and electricity prices from the EEX, are calculated and analyzed. For overall cost-optimized heat supply, the results show that the share of heat provided by the HTHP system varies between 45% and 76% between January 2013 and June 2016. Especially in 2013 and 2014, the economic conditions for operating heat pumps were very good. Since October 2015, the natural gas prices have seen a decrease and the economic conditions shifted again favoring the industrial heat supply with combined heat and power systems.
Using light stable isotopes to understand nutrient cycling in soils and how these isotopic techniques can be leveraged to investigate the ecology and biology of insects – A review
Authors: Hood-Nowotny Rebecca
Published: April 2018

At first glance, there appears little to link nitrogen cycling with entomology other that the use of isotope techniques. Soil management requires a contextual, adaptive, flexible approach that is based on understanding the factors that regulate the soil’s fundamental processes. Using stable isotope techniques for the analysis of the inherent biogeochemical processes can explain the complex soil–plant interactions, the determining factors of the nitrogen cycle, and the impacts of applying external inputs. Using the same stable isotope tools enables an interdisciplinary collaboration between soil science and entomology. Emerging plant pests, for instance, non-native insect species, are a threat to the agroecosystems. The knowledge of the origin and movement of invasive insects by using the intrinsic stable isotope signatures embedded in the environment allows identification of entry pathways and thus the establishment of effective management strategies to reduce the potential crop damage. Moreover, the feeding and mating biology of insects can also be understood using isotope techniques. Finally, the movement of mosquitoes can be understood by isotopic labeling so that these dangerous disease vectors can be more effectively managed. This and further research has led to a fuller understanding of insect feeding ecology and leading neatly around to how insect nutrition impacts soil organic matter turnover.
Role of laboratory medicine in collaborative healthcare
Authors: Watson Ian D. , Wilkie Patricia , Hannan Amir , Beastall Graham H.
Published: April 2018

Healthcare delivery and responsibility is changing. Patient-centered care is gaining international acceptance with the patient taking greater responsibility for his/her health and sharing decision making for the diagnosis and management of illness. Laboratory medicine must embrace this change and work in a tripartite collaboration with patients and with the clinicians who use clinical laboratory services. Improved communication is the key to participation, including the provision of educational information and support. Knowledge management should be targeted to each stakeholder group. As part of collaborative healthcare clinical laboratory service provision needs to be more flexible and available, with implications for managers who oversee the structure and governance of the service. Increased use of managed point of care testing will be essential. The curriculum content of laboratory medicine training programs will require trainees to undertake practice-based learning that facilitates interaction with patients, clinicians and managers. Continuing professional development for specialists in laboratory medicine should also embrace new sources of information and opportunities for collaborative healthcare.
International normalized ratio (INR) testing in Europe: between-laboratory comparability of test results obtained by Quick and Owren reagents
Authors: Meijer Piet , Kynde Karin , van den Besselaar Antonius M.H.P. , Van Blerk Marjan , Woods Timothy A.L.
Published: April 2018

Background:

This study was designed to obtain an overview of the analytical quality of the prothrombin time, reported as international normalized ratio (INR) and to assess the variation of INR results between European laboratories, the difference between Quick-type and Owren-type methods and the effect of using local INR calibration or not. In addition, we assessed the variation in INR results obtained for a single donation in comparison with a pool of several plasmas.

Methods:

A set of four different lyophilized plasma samples were distributed via national EQA organizations to participating laboratories for INR measurement.

Results:

Between-laboratory variation was lower in the Owren group than in the Quick group (on average: 6.7% vs. 8.1%, respectively). Differences in the mean INR value between the Owren and Quick group were relatively small (<0.20 INR). Between-laboratory variation was lower after local INR calibration (CV: 6.7% vs. 8.6%). For laboratories performing local calibration, the between-laboratory variation was quite similar for the Owren and Quick group (on average: 6.5% and 6.7%, respectively). Clinically significant differences in INR results (difference in INR>0.5) were observed between different reagents. No systematic significant differences in the between-laboratory variation for a single-plasma sample and a pooled plasma sample were observed.

Conclusions:

The comparability for laboratories using local calibration of their thromboplastin reagent is better than for laboratories not performing local calibration. Implementing local calibration is strongly recommended for the measurement of INR.
Standardization of autoimmune testing – is it feasible?
Authors: Monogioudi Evanthia , Martos Gustavo , Hutu Dana Petronela , Schimmel Heinz , Meroni Pier Luigi , Sheldon Joanna , Zegers Ingrid
Published: April 2018

Correct measurement of autoantibodies is essential for the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases. However, due to the variability of autoantibody results and the heterogeneity of testing, wrong diagnosis is a reality. For this and more reasons, harmonization of testing is of the outmost importance. In this review we have summarized the factors contributing to this variability. The ways with which the working group on harmonization of autoantibody testing of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) has been trying to tackle the issue with the production and correct use of certified reference materials (CRMs), is discussed. Finally the advantages and the limitations of the use of CRMs are presented.
Serum carbohydrate sulfotransferase 7 in lung cancer and non-malignant pulmonary inflammations
Authors: Debeljak Željko , Dundović Sandra , Badovinac Sonja , Mandić Sanja , Samaržija Miroslav , Dmitrović Branko , Miloš Marija , Maričić Lana , Šerić Vatroslav , Buljanović Vikica
Published: April 2018

Background:

Carbohydrate sulfotransferases (CHST) were shown to be involved in carcinogenesis. The aim of the study was to assess the diagnostic value of serum CHST7 concentration in differentiation between lung cancer and non-malignant pulmonary inflammations.

Methods:

Clinical case-control study involving 125 participants was conducted: the control group containing cases of pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was compared to the lung cancer group composed of primary and metastatic cancers. Serum concentrations of CHST7 and routinely used markers including carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytokeratin fragment 21-1 (CYFRA 21-1) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were determined for each participant using immunochemical methods. Statistical association, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and cross-validation were used for the evaluation of CHST7 either as a standalone biomarker or as a part of a biomarker panel.

Results:

In comparison to the control group, serum CHST7 was elevated in lung cancer (p<0.001), but no differences between the overall stages of primary cancers were detected (p=0.828). The differentiation performance in terms of ROC area under curve (AUC) was 0.848 making CHST7 superior biomarker to the NSE (p=0.031). In comparison to CEA and CYFRA 21-1, the performance differences were not detected. CHST7 was not correlated to other biomarkers, and its addition to the routine biomarker panel significantly improved the cross-validated accuracy (85.6% vs. 75.2%) and ROC AUC (p=0.004) of the differentiation using a machine learning approach.

Conclusions:

Serum CHST7 is a promising biomarker for the differentiation between lung cancer and non-malignant pulmonary inflammations.
Prognostic value of HE4 in patients with ovarian cancer
Authors: Yuan Cunzhong , Li Rongrong , Yan Shi , Kong Beihua
Published: April 2018

Background

There is no consensus in the medical community about the prognostic role of preoperative serum levels of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in ovarian cancer (OC). The purpose of this meta-analysis was to establish whether preoperative serum levels of HE4 are associated with OC prognosis.

Content

Eligible studies were searched for in PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, CNKI and Wanfang Med Online. We performed a meta-analysis of 1315 OC cases from 14 published articles.

Our meta-analysis demonstrated that high HE4 was associated with poor overall survival (OS) (random effects model, hazard ratio [HR]=1.91, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.40–2.614, p<0.0001; I2=52%, p=0.04) and; progression-free survival (PFS) (random effects model, HR=1.38, 95% CI=1.13–1.69, p=0.002; I2=85%, p<0.00001). However, subgroup analysis showed that high HE4 was not associated with poor OS (fixed effects model, HR=1.86, 95% CI=0.89–3.89, p=0.1; I2=34%, p=0.22) or PFS (random effects model, HR=1.34, 95% CI=0.95–1.88, p=0.1; I2=69%, p=0.007) for studies including only Asian populations.

Outlook

In conclusion, this meta-analysis shows that high HE4 was associated with poor OC OS and PFS overall. However, the association of high HE4 with poor OS and PFS was not observed for Asians. Large-scale, multi-center investigations should be performed.
Effects of common hemoglobin variants on HbA1c measurements in China: results for α- and β-globin variants measured by six methods
Authors: Xu Anping , Chen Weidong , Xia Yong , Zhou Yu , Ji Ling
Published: April 2018

Background:

HbA1c is a widely used biomarker for diabetes mellitus management. Here, we evaluated the accuracy of six methods for determining HbA1c values in Chinese patients with common α- and β-globin chains variants in China.

Methods:

Blood samples from normal subjects and individuals exhibiting hemoglobin variants were analyzed for HbA1c, using Sebia Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing (C2FP), Bio-Rad Variant II Turbo 2.0, Tosoh HLC-723 G8 (ver. 5.24), Arkray ADAMS A1c HA-8180V fast mode, Cobas c501 and Trinity Ultra2 systems.

Results:

DNA sequencing revealed five common β-globin chain variants and three common α-globin chain variants. The most common variant was Hb E, followed by Hb New York, Hb J-Bangkok, Hb G-Coushatta, Hb Q-Thailand, Hb G-Honolulu, Hb Ube-2 and Hb G-Taipei. Variant II Turbo 2.0, Ultra2 and Cobas c501 showed good agreement with C2FP for most samples with variants. HLC-723 G8 yielded no HbA1c values for Hb J-Bangkok, Hb Q-Thailand and Hb G-Honolulu. Samples with Hb E, Hb G-Coushatta, Hb G-Taipei and Hb Ube-2 produced significant negative biases for HLC-723 G8. HA-8180V showed statistically significant differences for Hb E, Hb G-Coushatta, Hb G-Taipei, Hb Q-Thailand and Hb G-Honolulu. HA-8180V yielded no HbA1c values for Hb J-Bangkok. All methods showed good agreement for samples with Hb New York.

Conclusions:

Some common hemoglobin variants can interfere with HbA1c determination by the most popular methods in China.
Prevalence, sources and purpose of self-prescribed non-opioid analgesic among health professionals in Sokoto metropolis, Nigeria: a cause for concern
Authors: Fidelis Catherine , Kanmodi Kehinde Kazeem , Olajolumo Johnson
Published: April 2018

Background. Self-medication is defined as the use of medicines without a doctor’s prescription. The non-opioid analgesics (NOAs) constitute one of the most commonly self-prescribed drugs globally. This study aims to determine the prevalence of NOAs self-medication, and also explore the purpose and sources of the self-prescribed NOAs among health professionals in Sokoto metropolis, Nigeria.

Methods. Data obtained from a cross-section of 205 health professionals in Sokoto metropolis, Nigeria, were used for this study. The study tool used was a well-structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using the SPSS version 20 software.

Results. Only 36.6% of the 205 subjects were within the age range of 26 to 30 years, 38.0% were nurses. The majority (85.9%) of the subjects had self-prescribed NOAs, of which 6.8% of them had a positive history treatment for NOA overdose. Patent medicine stores (43.0%) were reported to be the most common source of acquisition of self-prescribed NOAs. The majority (63.9%) of the subjects used NOAs to get relieved from headaches. Paracetamol (79.0%) and Diclofenac (65.9%) were the top two self-prescribed NOAs among the subjects.

Conclusion. Non-opioid analgesic self-prescription is a popular practice among health professionals in Sokoto metropolis, Nigeria. All the various routes of access (e.g. hospital pharmacy) to NOAs need to be revisited in order to curb the irrational use of NOAs in Nigerian society.
Effects of technogenic pollutants on chicken embryos
Authors: Zinabadinova Sabrie , Lavrinenko Viktoria , Kaminsky Rostislav , Korsak Alina , Sokurenko Liudmyla , Chaikovsky Yuri
Published: April 2018

Increasing interest in nanomaterials can be explained by their broad involvement in many fields of industry and medicine. It is known that carbon black and crysotile asbestos behave like nanosized objects. They are wide spread in environment and have close contact with living organisms. The aim of our study was to define the effects of carbon black and crysotile asbestos on structures of the developing organism.

We used chicken embryos as a model for our study. Total amount of 77 eggs was divided in three groups: one control and two experimental with introduced carbon black and asbestos respectively. Researched materials were injected in the yolk on the third day of incubation and tissues for study were taken during early, middle and late stages of incubation. Histological and electron microscopy methods were used.

Carbon black and asbestos introduction caused underdevelopment of embryos and vessels depletion in blood islands of the yolk sac. Asbestos slowed down angiogenesis. Soot particles caused integrity violation of vessels and led to extravasation. The manifestations of soot influence were damages to blood circulatory system and structural disorders on cellular level. Introduction of chrysotile asbestos mostly resulted in compensatoryadaptive reactions like increasing in hematopoiesis and transcytosis in endotheliocytes.
A Posteriori Error Estimation for Planar Linear Elasticity by Stress Reconstruction
Authors: Bertrand Fleurianne , Moldenhauer Marcel , Starke Gerhard
Published: April 2018

The nonconforming triangular piecewise quadratic finite element space by Fortin and Soulie can be used for the displacement
approximation and its combination with discontinuous piecewise linear pressure elements is known to constitute a stable
combination for incompressible linear elasticity computations. In this contribution, we extend the stress reconstruction
procedure and resulting guaranteed a posteriori error estimator developed by Ainsworth, Allendes, Barrenechea and Rankin
[2] and by Kim [18] to linear elasticity. In order to get a guaranteed reliability bound with respect
to the energy norm involving only known constants, two modifications are carried out: (i) the stress reconstruction in
next-to-lowest order Raviart–Thomas spaces is modified in such a way that its anti-symmetric part vanishes in average on each
element; (ii) the auxiliary conforming approximation is constructed under the constraint that its divergence coincides with the
one for the nonconforming approximation. An important aspect of our construction is that all results hold uniformly in the
incompressible limit. Global efficiency is also shown and the effectiveness is illustrated by adaptive computations
involving different Lamé parameters including the incompressible limit case.
Extension of Caspar-Klug theory to higher order pentagonal polyhedra
Authors: Sadre-Marandi Farrah , Das Praachi
Published: April 2018

Many viral capsids follow an icosahedral fullerene-like structure, creating a caged polyhedral arrangement built entirely from hexagons and pentagons. Viral capsids consist of capsid proteins,which group into clusters of six (hexamers) or five (pentamers). Although the number of hexamers per capsid varies depending on the capsid size, Caspar-Klug Theory dictates there are exactly twelve pentamers needed to form a closed capsid.However, for a significant number of viruses, including viruses of the Papovaviridae family, the theory doesn’t apply. The anomaly of the Caspar-Klug Theory has raised a new question:“For which Caspar and Klug models can each hexamer be replaced with a pentamer while still following icosahedral symmetry?” This paper proposes an answer to this question by examining icosahedral viral capsid-like structures composed only of pentamers, called pentagonal polyhedra. The analysis shows that pentagonal polyhedra fall in a subclass of T, defined by P ≥ 7 and T = 1( mod 3).
Conceptualizations of time in French depuis ‘since, for’ constructions
Authors: Law James
Published: April 2018

The two most common constructions with the French preposition depuis ‘since, for’ represent alternate temporal conceptualizations of events. The temporal point (tp) construction situates events with respect to a starting point in the past from which mental scanning tracks to the present. The temporal duration (td) construction situates events by reference to their duration. Adoption of the Cognitive Grammar framework leads to the insight that all other depuis constructions are variations of the tp construction, while the td construction is distinct in its construal of situations. This corpus study gives an account of how the td construction developed as an extension of the tp construction starting in the fourteenth century, as well as a pragmatic analysis of the contexts that favor use of the td construction in modern French. The findings show that the td construction is nearly always used to emphasize duration for some communicative purpose.