bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis and Improvement on a Unimodal Haptic PIN-Entry Method
Authors: Lee Mun-Kyu , Yoo Jin , Nam Hyeonjin
Published: October 2017

User authentication is a process in which a user of a system proves his/her identity to acquire access permission. An effective user authentication method should be both secure and usable. In an attempt to achieve these two objectives, Bianchi et al. recently proposed novel unimodal PIN-entry methods that use either audio or vibration cues. This paper analyzes the security of their method, in particular, the vibration version of one of their proposals, Timelock. A probabilistic analysis and real attack experiment reveal that the security level guaranteed by Timelock is lower than that claimed in Bianchi et al.’s paper. As countermeasures to this problem, three PIN-entry methods are proposed and a usability study is performed. According to the result of this study, a simple modification may improve the security significantly while retaining the design philosophy of unimodal systems. In addition, the proposed methods address the PIN compatibility issue of Timelock and they can be used to enter a legacy numerical PIN without any change in the PIN.
Van der Waals-Like Phase Transition from Holographic Entanglement Entropy in Lorentz Breaking Massive Gravity
Authors: Liu Xian-Ming , Shao Hong-Bo , Zeng Xiao-Xiong
Published: October 2017

Phase transition of AdS black holes in Lorentz breaking massive gravity has been studied in the framework of holography. We find that there is a first-order phase transition (FPT) and second-order phase transition (SPT) both in Bekenstein-Hawking entropy- (BHE-) temperature plane and in holographic entanglement entropy- (HEE-) temperature plane. Furthermore, for the FPT, the equal area law is checked and for the SPT, the critical exponent of the heat capacity is also computed. Our results confirm that the phase structure of HEE is similar to that of BHE in Lorentz breaking massive gravity, which implies that HEE and BHE have some potential underlying relationship.
One-Stage Immediate Breast Reconstruction: A Concise Review
Authors: Bertozzi Nicolò , Pesce Marianna , Santi Pierluigi , Raposio Edoardo
Published: October 2017

Background. One-stage direct-to-implant immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) is performed simultaneously with breast cancer resection. We explored indications, techniques, and outcomes of IBR to determine its feasibility, safety, and effectiveness.Material and Methods. We reviewed the available literature on one-stage direct-to-implant IBR, with or without acellular dermal matrix (ADM), synthetic mesh, or autologous fat grafting. We analyzed the indications, preoperative work-up, surgical technique, postoperative care, outcomes, and complications.Results. IBR is indicated for small-to-medium nonptotic breasts and contraindicated in patients who require or have undergone radiotherapy, due to unacceptably high complications rates. Only patients with thick, well-vascularized mastectomy flaps are IBR candidates. Expandable implants should be used for ptotic breasts, while anatomical shaped implants should be used to reconstruct small-to-medium nonptotic breasts. ADMs can be used to cover the implant during IBR and avoid muscle elevation, thereby minimizing postoperative pain. Flap necrosis, reoperation, and implant loss are more common with IBR than conventional two-staged reconstruction, but IBR has advantages such as lack of secondary surgery, faster recovery, and better quality of life.Conclusions. IBR has good outcomes and patient-satisfaction rates. With ADM use, a shift from conventional reconstruction to IBR has occurred. Drawbacks of IBR can be overcome by careful patient selection.
The Protective Effects ofαB-Crystallin on Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in the Rat Retina
Authors: Yan Huan , Peng Yanli , Huang Wei , Gong Liyan , Li Li
Published: October 2017

To investigate whetherαB-crystallin protects against acute retinal ischemic reperfusion injury (I/R) and elucidate the potential antioxidant mechanisms. Retinal I/R injury was made by elevating the intraocular pressure (IOP) 110 mmHg for 60 min, andαB-crystallin (1 × 10−5 g/L) or vehicle solution was administered intravitreously immediately after I/R injury. The animal was sacrificed 24 h, 1 w, and 1 m after the I/R injury. The retina damage was detected by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and electroretinography (ERG). The level of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and the total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) was determined. An immunohistochemical study was performed to detect the activation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and NF- (nuclear factor-) kappaB (NF-κB) p65. The decrease of retinal thickness and the number of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) can be suppressed byαB-crystallin. And the amplitudes of a- and b-wave were remarkably greater withoutαB-crystallin. Similarly,αB-crystallin also significantly decreased the level of MDA and NO and enhanced the activities of T-SOD. The positive expression of iNOS and NF-kappaB p65 was obviously reduced while treated withαB-crystallin.αB-crystallin can inhibit the expression of NF-κB and its antioxidative effect to protect the retina from I/R injury.
Size Effect of Concrete Specimens on the Acoustic Emission Characteristics under Uniaxial Compression Conditions
Authors: Wu Jianbo , Wang Enyuan , Ren Xuekun , Zhang Mingwei
Published: October 2017

Acoustic emission (AE) experiments under uniaxial compression and cyclic loading-unloading compression conditions were performed using different sizes of cubic concrete specimens. The influences of the loading methods and the concrete sizes on the mechanical parameters and the concrete AE activities were analyzed. The loading method was found to have great impact on the deformation, failure, and energy dissipation of concrete materials. With the increase of the material size, the uniaxial compressive strength of the concrete specimens gradually decreased, while the corresponding strain of peak strength increased first and then decreased. The elasticity modulus fluctuated irregularly. Under the uniaxial compression conditions, five AE patterns corresponding to the deformation and failure of the concrete materials were observed. A significant nonlinear relationship was found between the AE and the stress level. The cumulative AE rings at the peak stress showed nonlinear growth with the increase of the concrete size. Based on an established relationship between the cumulative AE rings and the stress level, the necessary conditions for the existence of the quiet AE period were given. Under the uniaxial cyclic loading-unloading compression conditions, the Felicity ratio decreased first and then increased as the stress increased. The research results have some guiding significance to AE-based monitoring of internal stress evolution of coal, rock, and concrete materials and thereby enable assessment of their stability.
Note on Relation between Bottom-Up Holographic Models and Large-Nc QCD
Authors: Afonin S. S.
Published: October 2017

We discuss a derivation of the quadratic in fields part of action of bottom-up holographic models from some general properties of the large-Nc limit in QCD. The importance of rescaling of five-dimensional fields is emphasized using the soft wall model as an example.
Micro-Raman Vibrational Identification of 10-MDP Bond to Zirconia and Shear Bond Strength Analysis
Authors: De-Paula Diego Martins , Loguercio Alessandro D. , Reis Alessandra , Frota Natasha Marques , Melo Radamés , Yoshihara Kumiko , Feitosa Victor Pinheiro
Published: October 2017

So far, there is no report regarding the micro-Raman vibrational fingerprint of the bonds between 10-methacryloyloxy-decyl dihydrogen phosphate (10-MDP) and zirconia ceramics. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the Raman vibrational peaks related to the bonds of 10-MDP with zirconia, as well as the influence on microshear bond strength. Micro-Raman spectroscopy was employed to assess the vibrational peak of 10-MDP binding to zirconia. Microshear bond strength of the dual-cure resin cement to zirconia with the presence of 10-MDP in composition of experimental ceramic primer and self-adhesive resin cement was also surveyed. Statistical analysis was performed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test (p<0.05). Peaks at 1545 cm−1 and 1562 cm−1 were found to refer to zirconia binding with 10-MDP. The presence of 10-MDP in both experimental ceramic primer and self-adhesive resin cement improved microshear bond strength to zirconia ceramic. It can be concluded that the nondestructive method of micro-Raman spectroscopy was able to characterize chemical bonds of 10-MDP with zirconia, which improves the bond strengths of resin cement.
Attribute Reduction Based on Consistent Covering Rough Set and Its Application
Authors: Bai Jianchuan , Xia Kewen , Lin Yongliang , Wu Panpan
Published: October 2017

As an important processing step for rough set theory, attribute reduction aims at eliminating data redundancy and drawing useful information. Covering rough set, as a generalization of classical rough set theory, has attracted wide attention on both theory and application. By using the covering rough set, the process of continuous attribute discretization can be avoided. Firstly, this paper focuses on consistent covering rough set and reviews some basic concepts in consistent covering rough set theory. Then, we establish the model of attribute reduction and elaborate the steps of attribute reduction based on consistent covering rough set. Finally, we apply the studied method to actual lagging data. It can be proved that our method is feasible and the reduction results are recognized by Least Squares Support Vector Machine (LS-SVM) and Relevance Vector Machine (RVM). Furthermore, the recognition results are consistent with the actual test results of a gas well, which verifies the effectiveness and efficiency of the presented method.
Positioning Using Terrestrial Multipath Signals and Inertial Sensors
Authors: Gentner Christian , Pöhlmann Robert , Ulmschneider Markus , Jost Thomas , Zhang Siwei
Published: October 2017

This paper extends an algorithm that exploits multipath propagation for position estimation of mobile receivers named Channel-SLAM. Channel-SLAM treats multipath components (MPCs) as signals from virtual transmitters (VTs) and estimates the positions of the VTs simultaneously with the mobile receiver positions. For Channel-SLAM it is essential to obtain angle of arrival (AoA) measurements for each MPC in order to estimate the VT positions. In this paper, we propose a novel Channel-SLAM implementation based on particle filtering which fuses heading information of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to omit AoA measurements and to improve the position accuracy. Interpreting all MPCs as signals originated from VTs, Channel-SLAM enables positioning also in non-line-of-sight situations. Furthermore, we propose a method to dynamically adapt the number of particles which significantly reduces the computational complexity. A posterior Cramér-Rao lower bound for Channel-SLAM is derived which incorporates the heading information of the inertial measurement unit (IMU). We evaluate the proposed algorithm based on measurements with a single fixed transmitter and a moving pedestrian carrying the receiver and the IMU. The evaluations show that accurate position estimation is possible without the knowledge of the physical transmitter position by exploiting MPCs and the heading information of an IMU.
Primary Renal Lymphoma Presenting as End-Stage Renal Disease
Authors: Butani Lavjay , Ducore Jonathan
Published: October 2017

Primary renal lymphoma is a rare entity, even more so in children. Children with primary renal lymphoma present with variable clinical features such as constitutional signs and symptoms, acute kidney injury, palpable abdominal masses, and gross hematuria. Herein we report a child who presented with seemingly advanced chronic kidney disease and was eventually diagnosed with primary lymphoma. He responded well to intensive chemotherapy and recovered renal function, although he was left with some functional limitations as a consequence of his treatment regimen. Our report highlights the importance of keeping neoplastic conditions under consideration when taking care of children with severe kidney disease of unclear etiology.
Local Adjuvant Treatment with Low-Dose CpG-B Offers Durable Protection against Disease Recurrence in Clinical Stage I–II Melanoma: Data from Two Randomized Phase II Trials
Authors: Koster Bas D. , van den Hout Mari F.C.M. , Sluijter Berbel J.R. , Molenkamp Barbara G. , Vuylsteke Ronald J.C.L.M. , Baars Arnold , van Leeuwen Paul A.M. , Scheper Rik J. , Petrousjka van den Tol M. , van den Eertwegh Alfons J.M. , de Gruijl Tanja D.
Published: October 2017

Purpose: Although risk of recurrence after surgical removal of clinical stage I–II melanoma is considerable, there is no adjuvant therapy with proven efficacy. Here, we provide clinical evidence that a local conditioning regimen, aimed at immunologic arming of the tumor-draining lymph nodes, may provide durable protection against disease recurrence (median follow-up, 88.8 months).

Experimental Design: In two randomized phase II trials, patients, diagnosed with stage I–II melanoma after excision of the primary tumor, received local injections at the primary tumor excision site within 7 days preceding re-excision and sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy of either a saline placebo (n = 22) or low-dose CpG type B (CpG-B) with (n = 9) or without (n = 21) low-dose GM-CSF.

Results: CpG-B treatment was shown to be safe, to boost locoregional and systemic immunity, to be associated with lower rates of tumor-involved SLN (10% vs. 36% in controls, P = 0.04), and, at a median follow-up of 88.8 months, to profoundly improve recurrence-free survival (P = 0.008), even for patients with histologically confirmed (i.e., pathologic) stage I–II disease (P = 0.02).

Conclusions: Potentially offering durable protection, local low-dose CpG-B administration in early-stage melanoma provides an adjuvant treatment option for a large group of patients currently going untreated despite being at considerable risk for disease recurrence. Once validated in a larger randomized phase III trial, this nontoxic immunopotentiating regimen may prove clinically transformative. Clin Cancer Res; 23(19); 5679–86. ©2017 AACR.
Partial Truths: Adults Choose to Mention Agents and Patients in Proportion to Informativity, Even If It Doesn’t Fully Disambiguate the Message
Authors: Kline Melissa , Schulz Laura , Gibson Edward
Published: October 2017

How do we decide what to say to ensure our meanings will be understood? The Rational Speech Act model (RSA; Frank & Goodman, 2012 ) asserts that speakers plan what to say by comparing the informativity of words in a particular context. We present the first example of an RSA model of sentence-level (who-did-what-to-whom) meanings. In these contexts, the set of possible messages must be abstracted from entities in common ground (people and objects) to possible events (Jane eats the apple, Marco peels the banana), with each word contributing unique semantic content. How do speakers accomplish the transformation from context to compositional, informative messages? In a communication game, participants described transitive events (e.g., Jane pets the dog), with only two words, in contexts where two words either were or were not enough to uniquely identify an event. Adults chose utterances matching the predictions of the RSA even when there was no possible fully “successful” utterance. Thus we show that adults’ communicative behavior can be described by a model that accommodates informativity in context, beyond the set of possible entities in common ground. This study provides the first evidence that adults’ language production is affected, at the level of argument structure, by the graded informativity of possible utterances in context, and suggests that full-blown natural speech may result from speakers who model and adapt to the listener’s needs.
Christian Migrant Communities
Authors: Drønen Tomas Sundnes
Published: October 2017

The growing literature on religion and migration offers a wide range of terminologies in order to describe different aspects of the migratory trajectory. The article analyses how the three terms “transnational”, “transcultural”, and “translocal” are applied by different scholars in order to describe how religion influences and frames the experiences of those who leave their homes behind. It is further argued that discourse analysis can be a helpful methodological and analytical approach towards the field under study in order to engage with the rich variety of sources which might help us develop a yet more finely tuned analysis of the new religious communities. With the object of exemplifying how discourse analysis can be applied in future studies, the article gives examples from three different contexts where religious practices face change due to the migratory situation. The first example proposes studies of the “simultaneity aspect” in transnational studies among Nigerian migrants in Europe. The second example highlights how translocal aspects influence the study of ethnicity among migrants to cities in northern Cameroon, and the third example focuses on transcultural aspects of historical conversion narratives.
Elucidating the Role of Anthropogenic Aerosols in Arctic Sea Ice Variations
Authors: Wang Yuan , Jiang Jonathan H. , Su Hui , Choi Yong-Sang , Huang Lei , Guo Jianping , Yung Yuk L.
Published: October 2017

Observations show that the Arctic sea ice cover has been shrinking at an unprecedented rate since the 1970s. Even though the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has been closely linked with the loss of Arctic sea ice, the role of atmospheric aerosols in past and future Arctic climate change remains elusive. Using a state-of-the-art fully coupled climate model, the authors assess the equilibrium responses of the Arctic sea ice to the different aerosol emission scenarios and investigate the pathways by which aerosols impose their influence in the Arctic. These sensitivity experiments show that the impacts of aerosol perturbations on the pace of sea ice melt effectively modulate the ocean circulation and atmospheric feedbacks. Because of the contrasting evolutions of particulate pollution in the developed and developing countries since the 1970s, the opposite aerosol forcings from different midlatitude regions are nearly canceled out in the Arctic during the boreal summer, resulting in a muted aerosol effect on the recent sea ice changes. Consequently, the greenhouse forcing alone can largely explain the observed Arctic sea ice loss up to the present. In the next few decades, the projected alleviation of particulate pollution in the Northern Hemisphere can contribute up to 20% of the total Arctic sea ice loss and 0.7°C surface warming over the Arctic. The authors’ model simulations further show that aerosol microphysical effects on the Arctic clouds are the major component in the total aerosol radiative forcing over the Arctic. Compared to the aerosol-induced energy imbalance in lower latitudes outside the Arctic, the local radiative forcing by aerosol variations within the Arctic, due to either local emissions or long-range transports, is more efficient in determining the sea ice changes and Arctic climate change.
Quality Control of Surface Wind Observations in Northeastern North America. Part I: Data Management Issues
Authors: Lucio-Eceiza Etor E. , González-Rouco J. Fidel , Navarro Jorge , Beltrami Hugo
Published: October 2017

A quality control (QC) process has been developed and implemented on an observational database of surface wind speed and direction in northeastern North America. The database combines data from 526 land stations and buoys spread across eastern Canada and five adjacent northeastern U.S. states. It combines the observations of three different institutions spanning from 1953 to 2010. The quality of these initial data varies among source institutions. The current QC process is divided into two parts. Part I, described herein, is focused on issues related to data management: issues stemming from data transcription and collection; differences in measurement units and recording times; detection of sequences of duplicated data; unification of calm and true north criteria for wind direction; and detection of physically unrealistic data measurements. As a result, around ~0.1% of wind speed and wind direction records have been identified as erroneous and deleted. The most widespread error type is related to duplications within the same station, but the error type that entails more erroneous data belongs to duplications among different sites. Additionally, the process of data compilation and standardization has had an impact on more than 90% of the records. A companion paper (Part II) deals with a group of errors that are conceptually different, and is focused on detecting measurement errors that relate to temporal consistency and biases in wind speed and direction.
Re-Evaluating Eligibility Criteria for Oncology Clinical Trials: Analysis of Investigational New Drug Applications in 2015
Authors: Jin Susan , Pazdur Richard , Sridhara Rajeshwari
Published: October 2017

Clinical trial eligibility criteria are necessary to define the patient population under study and improve trial safety. However, there are concerns that eligibility criteria for cancer clinical trials are too restrictive and limit patient enrollment in clinical trials. Recently, there have been initiatives to re-examine and modernize eligibility criteria for oncology clinical trials. To assess current eligibility requirements for cancer clinical trials, we have conducted a comprehensive review of eligibility criteria for commercial investigational new drug clinical trial applications submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in 2015. Our findings suggest that eligibility criteria for current cancer clinical trials tend to narrowly define the study population and limit the study to lower-risk patients, which may not be reflective of the greater patient population outside of the study. We discuss potential areas for expanding eligibility criteria to include more patients in clinical trials and design options for clinical trials incorporating expanded eligibility criteria. The broadening of clinical trial eligibility criteria can be considered to better reflect the real-world patient population, improve clinical trial participation, and increase patient access to new investigational treatments.
Modernizing Clinical Trial Eligibility Criteria: Recommendations of the American Society of Clinical Oncology–Friends of Cancer Research Organ Dysfunction, Prior or Concurrent Malignancy, and Comorbidities Working Group
Authors: Lichtman Stuart M. , Harvey R. Donald , Damiette Smit Marie-Anne , Rahman Atiqur , Thompson Michael A. , Roach Nancy , Schenkel Caroline , Bruinooge Suanna S. , Cortazar Patricia , Walker Dana , Fehrenbacher Louis
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Patients with organ dysfunction, prior or concurrent malignancies, and comorbidities are often excluded from clinical trials. Excluding patients on the basis of these factors results in clinical trial participants who are healthier and younger than the overall population of patients with cancer.

Methods

ASCO and Friends of Cancer Research established a multidisciplinary working group that included experts in trial design and conduct to examine how eligibility criteria could be more inclusive. The group analyzed current eligibility criteria; conducted original data analysis; considered safety concerns, potential benefits, research, and potential hurdles of this approach through discussion; and reached consensus on recommendations regarding updated eligibility criteria that prioritize inclusiveness without compromising patient safety.

Results

If renal toxicity and clearance are not of direct treatment-related concern, then patients with lower creatinine clearance values of > 30 mL/min should be included in trials. Inclusion of patients with mild to moderate hepatic dysfunction may be possible when the totality of the available nonclinical and clinical data indicates that inclusion is safe. Ejection fraction values should be used with investigator assessment of a patient’s risk for heart failure to determine eligibility. Patients with laboratory parameters out of normal range as a result of hematologic disease should be included in trials. Measures of patient functional status should be included in trials to better assess fit versus frail patients.

Conclusion

Expanding inclusion of these patients will increase the number and diversity of patients in clinical trials and result in a more appropriate population of patients.
Modernizing Clinical Trial Eligibility: Recommendations of the American Society of Clinical Oncology–Friends of Cancer Research Minimum Age Working Group
Authors: Gore Lia , Ivy S. Percy , Balis Frank M. , Rubin Eric , Thornton Katherine , Donoghue Martha , Roberts Samantha , Bruinooge Suanna , Ersek Jennifer , Goodman Nancy , Schenkel Caroline , Reaman Gregory
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Children have historically been excluded from first-in-human studies of promising new cancer drugs and later phase adult clinical trials. Delays in evaluation may result in off-label use without dosing information as the only access to new drugs. A multistakeholder workshop was convened in May 2016 by ASCO and Friends of Cancer Research to identify opportunities for when it would be scientifically appropriate to expand trial eligibility to include children younger than age 18 years in first-in-human and other adult cancer clinical trials.

Methods

This group convened experts from academia, government, and industry to review barriers to enrolling children and adolescents in oncology clinical trials. We evaluated the historical context, published literature, regulatory considerations, and myriad risks and benefits associated with lowering the age of enrollment on oncology clinical trials.

Results

We conclude that many of the historical concerns about including children early in oncology clinical trials do not apply in the current scientific and clinical environment of pediatric oncology and drug development; we provide specific recommendations for how the inclusion of children in early-phase investigational cancer drug trials might be accomplished. Automatic inclusion of pediatric patients is appropriate in early-phase trials that assess dose, safety, and pharmacokinetics in a variety of tumor types and later phase trials that assess efficacy in a specific disease that spans adult and pediatric populations.

Conclusion

Including children in appropriately designed adult clinical oncology trials is feasible and can be done in a way that enhances their access to these agents without compromising safety or development strategies.
Could night-guards be used as a simple method to detect leached-elements from dental restorations intra-orally? A study on amalgam restorations
Authors: Abdelraouf Rasha Mohamed
Published: October 2017

Background: Detection of leached-elements from dental restorations intra-orally has been a subject of prime importance in dental research. However, this is challenging as most of the present techniques have some limitations. In this study, a new simple method was proposed via using night-guards. Thus, the aim of the study was to verify if night-guards could detect leached-elements from restorations as dental amalgam.

Methods: Ten upper custom-made night-guards were fabricated for patients suffering from bruxism, who had amalgam-restorations in their upper molars. The night-guards were delivered to the patients and they were instructed to wear the night-guards during when they were asleep. After six months, the night-guards were taken from the patients to be analyzed. A new unused night-guard was fabricated from the same material to be used as a control. In the used night-guards, two areas were studied: the fitting surfaces contacting the amalgam restorations and the fitting surfaces not contacting amalgam restorations. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDXA) were used to examine the structural and elemental changes in the night-guards.  

Results: SEM of the unused night-guard revealed a homogenous structure, and the composition was carbon and oxygen, as shown using EDXA (C=88.9wt% and O=11.1wt%). By contrast, the fitting surfaces of the night-guards contacting amalgam restorations showed numerous lustrous particles. Elemental analysis of these areas showed the presence of mercury and sulfur, in addition to carbon and oxygen (Hg=21.2wt%, S=2.5wt%, C=67.1wt% and O=9.2wt%). The night-guards’ fitting surfaces not contacting amalgam restorations showed slight cracking, and the composition was carbon and oxygen (C=88.3wt% and O=11.7 wt%). 

Conclusions: Analyzing fitting surfaces of night-guards contacting dental restorations, such as amalgam, could aid in understanding the nature of leached-elements from these restorations intra-orally. However, further studies about its application upon dental-restorations other than amalgam are recommended.
Genetic diversity and multiplicity of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 2 in field isolates from Sudan
Authors: Mustafa Shaza O. , Abdel Hamid Muzamil M. , Aboud Mariam A. , Amin Mutaz , Muneer Mohamed S. , Yasin Kyakonye , Mahgoub Nouh S. , El Bagir Nabiela M.
Published: October 2017

Background: Malaria  is a major health problem, with over one third of worldwide populations currently at risk.  Determining the genetic diversity of plasmodium parasites is essential for assessing the efficacy of antimalarial drugs and for future vaccine development. This study investigated the genetic diversity of P. falciparum merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2), and multiplicity of infection (MOI) in different geographic regions in Sudan.

Methods: A total of 271 patients with uncomplicated malaria were recruited from four ecological sites during malaria transmission season, 2011-2013. P. falciparum was confirmed using species specific primers targeting the rDNA gene. All P. falciparum positive samples were genotyped for the major MSP2 allelic families (IC1/3D7 and FC27 MSP2 allele) using nested PCR. Multiplicity of infection and allele frequencies were determined.

Results: A total of 241 samples (88.9%) were confirmed positive for P. falciparum. The number of different MSP2 alleles were 14, 15, 13 and 12 in Khartoum, Gezira, River Nile and Red Sea states, respectively. The 3D7 allelic family was more prevalent in the states of Khartoum, Gezira, River Nile and Red Sea compared to the FC27 allelic family. Multiclonal infections were observed in 25.8% of patients, with a mean multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 1.45. MOIs were highest in the age group over 40, with an average of 2 and 1.68 in Khartoum and Gezira states, respectively, however MOIs in River Nile and Red Sea states were higher in age groups below 18, with an average of 1.37 and 1.33, respectively.

Conclusions: MSP2 allelic genotyping revealed MOI and diversity of the Sudanese P. falciparum isolates. The results of our study are expected to influence current and future malaria control strategies, since the MOI predicts development of clinical malaria and subsequent efficacy of antimalarial treatment.
Procurement Policies for Mobile-Promotion Platforms
Authors: Aseri Manmohan , Dawande Milind , Janakiraman Ganesh , Mookerjee Vijay
Published: October 2017

Mobile-promotion platforms enable advertisers (individual users or businesses) to directly launch their personalized mobile advertising campaigns. These platforms contract with advertisers to provide a certain number of impressions on mobile apps in their desired sets of geographic locations (usually cities or zip codes) within their desired time durations (for example, a month); the execution of each such a contract is referred to as a campaign. To fulfill the demands of the campaigns, the platform bids in real time at an ad exchange to win mobile impressions arising over the desired sets of locations of the campaigns and then allocates the acquired impressions among the ongoing campaigns. The core features that characterize this procurement problem—supply is uncertain, supply cannot be inventoried, and there are demand-side commitments to be met—are applicable to a variety of other business settings as well. Our analysis in this paper offers near-optimal policies for both a static model and a dynamic model of campaign arrivals. The static model represents a subscription-based setting, where customers provide information of their campaigns in advance to the platform. The dynamic model represents a setting where campaigns arrive randomly and the platform reacts to these arrivals in real time; for this model, our rolling-horizon policy periodically recomputes the platform’s procurement (or bidding) and allocation decisions. We establish performance bounds on our policies for both models and demonstrate the attractiveness of these bounds on real data. By isolating important structural features of a given set of campaigns, we discuss practical implementation issues and offer procurement-policy recommendations for a variety of settings based on these features.

Data and the online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017.2837 .

This paper was accepted by Vishal Gaur, operations management.
Minimizing Piecewise-Concave Functions Over Polyhedra
Authors: Gaudioso Manlio , Giallombardo Giovanni , Miglionico Giovanna
Published: October 2017

We introduce an iterative method for solving linearly constrained optimization problems, whose nonsmooth nonconvex objective function is defined as the pointwise maximum of finitely many concave functions. Such problems often arise from reformulations of certain constraint structures (e.g., binary constraints, finite max-min constraints) in diverse areas of optimization. We state a local optimization strategy, which exploits piecewise-concavity of the objective function, giving rise to a linearized model corrected by a proximity term. In addition we introduce an approximate line-search strategy, based on a curvilinear model, which, similarly to bundle methods, can return either a satisfactory descent or a null-step declaration. Termination at a point satisfying an approximate stationarity condition is proved. We embed the local minimization algorithm into a Variable Neighborhood Search scheme and a Coordinate Direction Search heuristic, whose aim is to improve the current estimate of the global minimizer by exploring different parts of the feasible region. We finally provide computational results obtained on two sets of small- to large-size test problems.
Fair game? Journalists’ experiences of online abuse
Authors: Binns Amy
Published: October 2017

Online abuse of journalists through comments below articles or on Twitter is now ubiquitous. The tough-minded industry culture means that it has generally been dismissed as unimportant; however, high-profile cases of rape and bomb threats have given it greater significance. This research, based on a survey of 267 journalists and four detailed interviews, sought to establish what effect it had on them and their behaviour. Results showed that women were more likely than men to report often receiving insults or threats, and had stronger emotional reactions to abuse. News reporters were more likely to report abuse than other sectors of the industry, and were more likely to report problems with online gangs. Many described their powerlessness when targeted by organized gangs. Some respondents described serious problems offline and online, including leaving jobs and self-censoring due to fear of abuse.
Assessing Service-Learning in a Communication Curriculum
Authors: Soukup Paul A.
Published: October 2017

As service-learning programs grow in popularity in communication programs, the question of assessment takes on increasing importance. After reviewing the representative literature on service-learning and educational assessment, this article proposes a model for assessing service-learning programs and then applies that model through a secondary analysis of evaluative data collected over a 10-year period at a West Coast university.
Reviews
Authors: Pym Anne , Haynes W. Lance , Lippert Paul
Published: October 2017

Farrell, Thomas J. and Paul A. Soukup, eds. An Ong Reader: Challenges for Further Inquiry. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton, 2004. 592 pp. Cloth $89.50, ISBN 1-57273-444-2. Paper $35.00, ISBN 1-57273-445-0.

Levinson, Paul. Realspace: The Fate of Physical Presence in the Digital Age, On and Off Planet. London and New York: Routledge, 2003. 176 pp. Cloth $24.95, ISBN 0-4152-7743-4.

McLuhan, Marshall. The Mechanical Bride. Corte Madera, CA: Gingko Press, 2002. 158 pp. Cloth $35.00, ISBN 1-58423-050-9.

McLuhan, Marshall. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, Critical Edition (W. Terrence Gordon, ed.) Corte Madera, CA: Gingko Press, 2003. 611 pp. Cloth $24.95, ISBN 1-58423-073-8.

McLuhan, Marshall. Understanding Me (Stephanie Mcluhan and David Staines, eds.) Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2003. 317 pp. Cloth $27.95, ISBN 0-262-13442-X. Paper $15.95, ISBN 0-262-63317-5.

McLuhan, Marshall, and David Carson. The Book of Probes. Corte Madera, CA: Gingko Press, 2003. 573 pp. Cloth $39.95, ISBN 1-58423-056-8.
Towards a critique of universalism in screenwriting criticism
Authors: Maras Steven
Published: October 2017

Drawing on the experience of researching Indigenous screenwriting, as well as the work of Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton, this article seeks to reflect on the universalism that underpins certain forms of screenwriting criticism. I highlight existing arguments focused on cultural diversity, draw on linguistic and anthropological perspectives (especially the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis), and examine issues of universalism and cultural context. I argue that universal forms of story and storytelling need to be approached more critically in screenwriting research. Without a critical attention to universalism radical differences in the way different cultures construct story, and the way different cultures explore different story worlds, will not be adequately recognized.
Part 8
Authors: Davis Christine , Lyall Scott , Leslie Esther , Bohme Gernot , Latour Bruno , Stengers Isabelle
Published: October 2017

Entries: Phosporescence, Fog, Atmosphere, Air, Water, Pixels. Includes text by Christine Davis, Scott Lyall, Esther Leslie, Gernot Bohme, Bruno Latour, Isabelle Stengers. Artworks by Christine Davis, Ian Cheng, Fujiko Nakaya, Jean-Luc Moulene, John Sabraw, June Pak, Rafael Ochoa, Jack Goldstein. Also includes End Notes and Masthead for issue.
Biennial in Casablanca: A summary
Authors: Fernández José Manuel Noceda
Published: October 2017

Dossier of art projects from the twelfth edition of the Havana Biennial.

Artists: Daniel Buren, César Cornejo, La Curtiduría, Sandra Monterroso, Guisela Munita, Juvenal Ravelo, Adrián Villar Rojas, Colectivo Pico Estudio, Renán Rodríguez, Rafael Villares.
Havana: Irreversible
Authors: Lord Susan
Published: October 2017

A panorama of key events (Salon de Mayo in 1967, the Havana Cultural Congress in 1968, the Exhibition of The Third World in 1968), artworks, and architectures (Pabellón Cuba, Coppelia, ISA, suburban housing, the Expo 67 pavilion) expressive of the cosmopolitanism of the 1959–1969 period – a form of decolonized cosmopolitanism, within which the newly self-described ‘Third World’ claimed Havana as its own.
The spaces between: Contemporary art from Havana
Authors: Wallace Keith
Published: October 2017

Canadian curator Keith Wallace on Havana-based artists presented in his Vancouver-based exhibition at the Belkin Gallery.
ART + CARE = A FUTURE
Authors: Bell Jacqueline
Published: October 2017

Review of ART + CARE = A FUTURE (2013), Janna Graham with Amal Khalaf and Melissa Larner (eds) London: Koenig Books Ltd., Serpentine Gallery, 208 pp., ISBN: 978-3863354602,
Service Media: Is it ‘Public Art’? Or is it Art in Public Space?
Authors: Sanader Daniella E.
Published: October 2017

Review of Service Media: Is it ‘Public Art’? Or is it Art in Public Space? (2012), Stuart Keeler (ed.), Chicago: Green Lantern Press, 154 pp., ISBN: 978-1450742160.
Between the idea and the experience
Authors: Torres Jorge Fernández
Published: October 2017

Curatorial notes from the twelfth edition of the Havana Biennial (2015).
‘You just censored two native artists’: Art as antidote, resisting the Vancouver Olympics
Authors: Adese Jennifer
Published: October 2017

This article theorizes resistance in the context of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Drawing on the work of Powhatan-Renapé and Lenape scholar Jack Forbes, this article situates anti-Olympic resistance within the context of struggles against what Forbes refers to as ‘wétiko psychosis’. As a kind of psycho-social illness, wétiko psychosis speaks to the pervasive capitalism at work within the Olympic machine and Indigenous relationships to capitalism and the Games. In turn, it then considers the role of art, in particular the image of the thunderbird created by Kwakwakwa’kw artist and activist Gord Hill and TsuuT’ina/Nak’azdli artist and activist Riel Manywounds, in the landscape of anti-Olympic resistance. This article argues that the thunderbird stands is both an antidote and vaccination for the kinds of consumptive sickness contemporary Olympics are plagued with. Lastly, I discuss how the thunderbird’s visual presence in the Olympic archive further reinforces its power.
Epidemiologia dos Idosos com AIDS na Bahia segundo o SINAN de 2014 a 2016
Authors: Almeida David Jesus de , Pinheiro Livia Mara Gomes
Published: October 2017

A AIDS é um processo patológico causado por um vírus onde o principal meio de transmissão é por via sexual, acarretando diversas complicações na fisiologia do organismo humano. Desta maneira o elevado número de casos de vírus da imunodeficiência humana no âmbito da população idosa tem sido relacionado com o envelhecimento da população, o aumento da sobrevida de pessoas vivendo com AIDS e à entrada de medicamentos para disfunções erécteis, um fator que tem contemplado a atividade sexual das pessoas mais velhas em agregação com a desmistificação do sexo na velhice. Este trabalho tem como objetivo geral analisar a incidência de SIDA em idosos no Estado da Bahia no período de 2014 a 2016, e como objetivos específicos: verificar o número de casos de AIDS em idosos por sexo; conhecer as vias de transmissão da Aids em idosos e verificar a quantidade de casos notificados de AIDS por idade e raça de 2014 e 2016. A metodologia abordada é de maneira exploratória e quantitativa, pois trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico descritivo, cujos dados foram obtidos junto à sistema de informação SINAN saúde (SUVISA) com idosos com idade acima de 60 anos de idade portador do vírus da AIDS, de modo que o sistema de saúde contém informações que serve para apoiar as políticas de formulação e avaliação, planos e programas de saúde, facilitando o processo de tomada de decisão, a fim de contribuir para a melhoria do estado de saúde da população através das vias de dados.
Impactos causados pelos Resíduos Sólidos do Gesso no Polo Gesseiro de Trindade - PE
Authors: Dos Santos Antônio José , Araújo Cyro Ribeiro de Alencar , Silva Francisco Lopes da , Alexandre Lucimara Araújo Campos
Published: October 2017

Resumo: O município de Trindade- PE tem se mostrado como uma referência no polo gesseiro do Araripe, promovendo o crescimento do seu município, região e Estado de Pernambuco, por seu potencial gesseiro, que vem crescendo a cada dia. Porém esse crescimento tem sua contribuição negativa, por criar um alto acúmulo de resíduos sólidos, que não tem uma destinação adequada prejudicando a população em questões relacionadas ao meio ambiente e problemas à saúde da comunidade. Diante desse crescimento exagerado de resíduos sólidos surgiram alguns questionamentos quanto ao destino correto desses resíduos e se de fato esses tem afetado a população de Trindade – PE. Nesse sentido o trabalho em questão objetivou descrever o impacto causado pelos resíduos sólidos do gesso, no polo gesseiro de Trindade/PE. Tendo como objetivos específicos; avaliar a destinação dos resíduos do gesso; identificar os fatores que interferem no processo de gerenciamento dos resíduos sólidos do gesso; descrever o impacto que a má destinação do gesso pode acarretar para a população exposta.  O método de estudo aplicado foi o qualitativo, onde teve como fonte de pesquisa coleta de dados através de pesquisa bibliográfica e um questionário de múltipla escolha semiestruturado, formado por 10 questões semi-estruturadas elaboradas de forma seqüencial, sistemática e disposta em itens sendo que foram divididas em dois blocos contendo questões abertas e fechadas, além de anexo de imagens referente ao tema. As entrevistas aconteceram entre os dias 25 a 30 do mês de julho de 2017 e foram entrevistadas 80 pessoas no município de Trindade- PE. O estudo mostrou que a maioria das pessoas que moram próximos as fábricas sofrem com a poeira do gesso e que foram hospitalizadas 67 pessoas entre janeiro de 2016 a junho de 2017 com possíveis casos de doenças respiratórios relacionados aos resíduos do gesso no município. Além de problemas referentes ao meio ambiente quanta vegetação, solo, ar que tem sido contaminado pelos resíduos. Das 80 pessoas entrevistadas a maioria acha que a solução para esse problema é a reciclagem aliada à participação do poder público e empresas do setor gesseiro. Enquanto para o poder público e setor gesseiro essa ainda é questão que requer mais estudo, recursos tecnológicos, financeiros e conscientização de todos. Nesse sentido o trabalho se apresenta como uma forma de trazer opções de como lidar com esse problema e possíveis soluções quanto ao destino adequado dos resíduos sólidos do gesso.
Fatores Associados às Síndromes Hipertensivas em Puérperas Internadas no Hospital Dom Malan em Petrolina-PE: Estudo de Caso-Controle
Authors: Alexandre Lucimara Araújo Campos , Sousa Gardenia Pereira de , Silva Lorena Andrade da , Noronha Neto Carlos , Costa Aurélio Antônio Ribeiro da
Published: October 2017

Objetivo: determinar fatores associados às síndromes hipertensivas em puérperas internadas no Hospital Dom Malan (HDM) de Petrolina-PE, nordeste do Brasil. Método: estudo observacional, tipo caso-controle, incluindo-se puérperas com síndromes hipertensivas (casos) e sem síndromes hipertensivas (controles) na proporção de 1:1, realizado no período de março de 2010 a março de 2012. Como critérios de inclusão para os casos, admitiram-se puérperas com diagnóstico de síndrome hipertensiva na gestação internadas no alojamento conjunto e na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva do HDM e para os controles, puérperas sem síndromes hipertensivas, internadas no alojamento conjunto do HDM. Excluíram-se puérperas com incapacidade cognitiva para entenderem e assinarem o Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido (TCLE). As variáveis biológicas, sóciodemográficas, hábitos de vida, obstétricas/reprodutivas e principais condições clínicas foram estudadas. Para verificar associação entre variáveis preditoras e o desfecho, utilizaram-se os testes qui-quadrado e exato de Fisher a um nível de significância de 5%. O intervalo de confiança (IC 95%) e a Odds Ratio (OR) foram calculados. A análise multivariada foi realizada para determinação do risco ajustado de síndromes hipertensivas na gravidez. Resultados: foram incluídas 150 puérperas (75 casos e 75 controles). Após a análise bivariada os fatores associados às síndromes hipertensivas da gestação foram escolaridade < 9 anos completos de estudo, procedência de Petrolina e história de hipertensão em gestação anterior. Após regressão logística múltipla, apenas a procedência de Petrolina permaneceu como fator de risco para as síndromes hipertensivas da gestação. Conclusão: o estudo demonstrou que mulheres que desenvolveram síndromes hipertensivas na gravidez estavam associadas aos níveis menores de escolaridade, antecedentes de hipertensão em gestações anteriores e serem procedentes de Petrolina. Os achados apresentam algumas limitações, principalmente por se tratar de um estudo observacional. Neste contexto, recomendam-se futuras investigações, como estudos prospectivos maiores em seguimento e número de participantes, sobre potenciais fatores de risco para as síndromes hipertensivas na gravidez na região do Vale do São Francisco.