bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and preliminary anti-inflammatory evaluation of xanthone derivatives
Authors: Żelaszczyk Dorota , Lipkowska Anna , Szkaradek Natalia , Słoczyńska Karolina , Gunia-Krzyżak Agnieszka , Librowski Tadeusz , Marona Henryk
Published: July 2018

Xanthone derivatives of acetic, propionic and 2-methylpropionic acids were synthesized and assayed for their anti-inflammatory, analgesic and ulcerogenic activities. Compound 8 causes a dose-dependent diminution of paw edema (up to 61%) in the carrageenan model and at the highest tested dose reduces mechanical hyperalgesia in the Randall-Selitto test more effectively than the reference compound (~75% and ~32%, respectively). It shows high in vitro metabolic stability (Clint=12.5 μL/mg/min, t1/2=138.6 min) in the rat liver microsomes. None of the studied xanthone derivatives are ulcerogenic. The results of the present study suggest that compound 8 can be of interest in the future for the search for antinociceptive and antiedematous agents devoid of ulcerogenic effect.
Synthesis of 1,4-oxathian-2-ones by triton B-catalyzed one-pot reaction of epoxides with ethyl mercaptoacetate
Authors: Wechteti Lassaad , Mekni Nejib Hussein , Romdhani-Younes Moufida
Published: July 2018

A rapid one-pot reaction of epoxides with ethyl mercaptoacetate furnishing 1,4-oxathian-2-ones in the presence of a catalytic amount of eco-friendly triton B is reported. High regioselectivity is due to the nucleophilic attack on the less sterically hindered carbon atom of the aliphatic unsymmetrical epoxide.
Changes in weight, physical activity and its theory-based psychosocial correlates within an adolescent bariatric clinic: contrasts with adults with extreme obesity
Authors: Annesi James J.
Published: July 2018

Albeit their practical implications, psychosocial correlates of physical activity and related weight loss in the treatment of extreme obesity have been only sparsely addressed in adults; and even more minimally focused upon in adolescents. This research contrasted results of a 6-month social cognitive theory-based physical activity-support protocol along with standard nutrition counseling in groups of adolescents (n = 19; agemean = 15.4 years) and adults (n = 26, agemean = 44.7 years) with class 3 (extreme) obesity [overall body mass index (BMI)mean = 53.4 kg/m2, standard deviation (SD) = 8.2]. Although baseline total mood disturbance scores were significantly greater in both groups when contrasted with age-corresponding normative values, between-group scores did not significantly differ. BMI and physical activity changes over 3 and 6 months were significantly more favorable in the adult group. There were significant overall improvements in exercise self-efficacy, physical activity self-regulation and total mood disturbance scores, however, the self-efficacy and self-regulation increases were significant in only the adult group. Inverse relationships between changes in physical activity and BMI were stronger in the adult group. Regardless of group, simultaneous entry of changes in exercise self-efficacy, physical activity self-regulation and total mood disturbance scores, over both 3 and 6 months, significantly predicted physical activity changes (R2-values = 0.45–0.75, p-values < 0.001). In each model, self-regulation change was the most salient of those three psychosocial predictors. Although findings suggested that psychosocial correlates of physical activity, leading to weight change, are similar in adolescents and adults with extreme obesity, facilitation of larger effect sizes and/or foci on additional theory-based determinants may be required for clinically meaningful treatment outcomes in adolescents.
Experimental and Kinetic Production of Ethanol Using Mucilage Juice Residues from Cocoa Processing
Authors: Romero Cortes Teresa , Cuervo-Parra Jaime A. , José Robles-Olvera Víctor , Rangel Cortes Eduardo , López Pérez Pablo A.
Published: July 2018

Ethanol was produced using mucilage juice residues from processed cocoa with Pichia kudriavzevii in batch fermentation. Experimental results showed that maximum ethanol concentration was 13.8 g/L, ethanol yield was 0.50 g-ethanol/g glucose with a productivity of 0.25 g/L h. Likewise, a novel phenomenological model based on the mechanism of multiple parallel coupled reactions was used to describe the kinetics of substrate, enzyme, biomass and product formation. Model parameters were optimized by applying the Levenberg-Marquardt approach. Analysis of results was based on statistical metrics (such as confidence interval), sensitivity and by comparing calculated curves with the experimental data (residual plots). The efficacy of the proposed mathematical model was statistically evaluated using the dimensionless coefficient for efficiency. Results indicated that the proposed model can be applied as a way of augmenting bioethanol production from laboratory scale up to semi-pilot scale.
The relative role of vocabulary and grammatical knowledge in L2 reading comprehension: a systematic review of literature
Authors: Choi Yunjeong , Zhang Dongbo
Published: July 2018

The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize the findings in the literature on the relative contribution of two types of linguistic knowledge (i. e., vocabulary and grammatical knowledge) to L2 reading comprehension; and to discuss the possible factors that might have led to the complexity and incongruity of the research findings. Nineteen studies were identified for this review through a systematic process of selection, and were analyzed in terms of the relationship of vocabulary and grammatical knowledge with L2 reading comprehension and their relative significance. The result of this review showed that there was no clear evidence supporting which type of linguistic knowledge is more contributive than the other; and the inconclusive findings might be attributed to the variations in the design of the studies. Two factors emerged, including participants’ language proficiency and construct definition, operationalization, and measurement. Some considerations for future research are suggested.
Efficient and fast monitoring and disruption management for a pressure diecast system
Authors: Hegenbarth Yvonne , Bartsch Thomas , Ristow Gerald H.
Published: July 2018

An increasing amount of information is collected in industrial production processes. In many cases, this data is only accessible to the vendor of the machines involved in the production process. In the government-funded research project BigPro, we propose a flexible and fast Big Data platform that allows detection and reaction to incidents and anomalies in the production process in near real-time.
Blockchain in Industrie 4.0: Beyond cryptocurrency
Authors: Laabs Martin , Đukanović Siniša
Published: July 2018

Industrie 4.0, the transition from static, centrally controlled production to dynamic, decentralized manufacturing, is aiming to increase product quality, customization and efficiency. Autonomous production systems and flexible inter-organizational cooperation are key challenges. Blockchain seems to be a natural fit to cope with these challenges. This article derives major challenges of I4.0 and compares them with benefits of blockchain technology. Use cases demonstrate where challenges and benefits match. Also, well known blockchain issues and possible solutions are addressed.
Dual-pivot and beyond: The potential of multiway partitioning in quicksort
Authors: Wild Sebastian
Published: July 2018

Since 2011 the Java runtime library uses a Quicksort variant with two pivot elements. For reasons that remained unclear for years it is faster than the previous Quicksort implementation by more than 10 %; this is not only surprising because the previous code was highly-tuned and is used in many programming libraries, but also since earlier theoretical investigations suggested that using several pivots in Quicksort is not helpful.

In my dissertation I proved by a comprehensive mathematical analysis of all sensible Quicksort partitioning variants that (a) indeed there is hardly any advantage to be gained from multiway partitioning in terms of the number of comparisons (and more generally in terms of CPU costs), but (b) multiway partitioning does significantly reduce the amount of data to be moved between CPU and main memory. Moreover, this more efficient use of the memory hierarchy is not achieved by any of the other well-known optimizations of Quicksort, but only through the use of several pivots.
Strategic Timing of Investment over the Business Cycle: Machine Replacement in the US Rental Industry
Authors: McClelland John , Rust John
Published: July 2018

We analyze a data set containing rental revenues, maintenance costs, and sale prices of five different types of rental machines to econometrically estimate key relationships needed to implement a dynamic programming model of the optimal timing of replacement of rental equipment owned by a large multi-location firm in the equipment rental industry. The model reveals significant potential to improve rental company profitability by improving the strategic timing of equipment replacement. The gains from the optimal replacement strategy come from exploiting seasonal variation in rental demand and the timing of the business cycle due to their effects on rental revenues and the cost of replacement. For some machines we find the optimal replacement strategy is procyclical, but for others we find that a countercyclical replacement strategy –- where replacements are concentrated in slow periods of the business cycle –- can significantly increase firm profits.
A Proposal for All Optical XNOR Gate Using Photonic Crystal Based Nonlinear Cavities
Authors: Karimzadeh Mahsa , Andalib Alireza
Published: July 2018

All optical logic gates can play very important roles in all optical digital systems. In this paper we designed an all optical XNOR gate. The switching part of the designed XNOR consists of two nonlinear resonant cavities. The nonlinear cavities were created by adding two nonlinear defects made of doped glass. Plane wave expansion and finite difference time domain methods were used for simulating the designed structure. The final structure has two input and one output ports. The output port is ON when the input ports have similar states. For the designed structure the delay time is about 2.5 ps.
Ductus venosus agenesis and fetal malformations: what can we expect? – a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Pacheco Diana , Brandão Otília , Montenegro Nuno , Matias Alexandra
Published: July 2018

Background

The ductus venosus agenesis (DVA) is a rare condition with a variable prognosis that relies partly on the presence of associated conditions. The purpose of our study was to analyze the literature regarding the post-natal outcome of fetuses with DVA associated with fetal malformations, in order to discuss the best management options for couples.

Methods

We performed a systematic review of the literature of MEDLINE and SCOPUS electronic databases in a 25-year period from 1992 to September 2017.

Methods

We found 340 cases of DVA associated with fetal abnormalities. The most common chromosomal abnormalities were: monosomy X (12/48, 25%), trisomy 21 (11/48, 22.9%) and trisomy 18 (6/48, 12.5%). From the 340 cases with DVA, in 31 cases the umbilical venous shunt type was not reported. Of the fetuses, 60.8% (188/309) had an extrahepatic umbilical venous drainage while 39.2% (121/309) presented an intrahepatic connection. The DVA was associated in 71 cases (23.0%) with cardiac abnormalities, in 82 cases (26.5%) with extracardiac abnormalities and in 85 cases (27.5%) with both cardiac and extracardiac abnormalities.

Conclusion

DVA associated with both cardiac and extracardiac malformations may confer a poorer fetal outcome, a clinically relevant fact that should clarify what can be expected from this entity and help prenatal counseling.
Historical record of Holochilus vulpinus (Rodentia, Sigmodontinae) from northern Patagonia, Argentina
Authors: Agnolin Federico L. , Lucero Sergio O. , Torres Julio
Published: July 2018

Marsh rats of the species Holochilus vulpinus inhabit mesic and humid environments. For this reason, it is frequently used in paleoenviromental studies to infer past humid conditions. Holocene archeological record indicates that H. vulpinus had a wider geographical distribution than today. Its regional extinction in north Patagonia at the XIX century was attributed to the dry and cold Little Ice Age (LIA). Here we present the finding of a specimen of H. vulpinus from northeastern Patagonia (Valcheta stream, Río Negro province, Argentina), just at the end of LIA. Implications of this novel historical record are discussed.
The crystal structure of 2-(tert-butyl)-4-chloro-6-phenyl-1,3,5-triazine, C13H14Cl1N3
Authors: Song Xiao , Tang Zhishu , Zuo Zhenyu , Duan Jinao
Published: July 2018

C13H14Cl1N3, orthorhombic, Pma2 (no. 28), a = 6.7623(2) Å, b = 21.1431(6) Å, c = 8.8708(2) Å, Z = 4, V = 1268.31(6) Å3, R
gt(F) = 0.0362, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.0969, T = 200(2) K.
Crystal structure of N-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)acetamide, C14H10Cl3NO
Authors: Sun Wei , Zuo Li-Min , Zhao Ting , Zhu Zhi-Ling , Liu Yong-Hua , Shan Guang-Zhi
Published: July 2018

C14H10Cl3NO, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 13.7865(2) Å, b = 13.0725(2) Å, c = 15.9606(2) Å, β = 100.7371(14)°, V = 2826.11(7) Å3, Z = 8, R
gt(F) = 0.0662, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.1980, T = 293(2) K.
Exploring face, identity and relationship management in disagreements in business meetings in Hong Kong
Authors: Chan Angela , Schnurr Stephanie , Zayts Olga
Published: July 2018

This paper examines the discursive processes involved in the construction and negotiation of face in Chinese business interactions. Drawing on 20 hours of authentic video- and audio-recorded business meetings in two companies in Hong Kong, we analyse how interlocutors do facework while orienting to and actively constructing their interpersonal relationships. Our particular focus is disagreements upwards, i. e., those, potentially very face-threatening, disagreements that are uttered by subordinates targeted at their superiors. Findings illustrate that some disagreements are relatively strong but face and relationship maintaining, while others are relatively weak but face and relationship challenging. We not only argue that the processes of doing facework and managing relationships are closely interwoven, but we also illustrate the important role of identity in these processes, and argue that the notion of identity should be incorporated into theories of face and relationship management as it constitutes an integral aspect of how interlocutors construct and negotiate face.
Raman spectroscopy in pharmaceutical research and industry
Authors: Jung Nathalie , Windbergs Maike
Published: July 2018

In the fast-developing fields of pharmaceutical research and industry, the implementation of Raman spectroscopy and related technologies has been very well received due to the combination of chemical selectivity and the option for non-invasive analysis of samples. This chapter explores established and potential applications of Raman spectroscopy, confocal Raman microscopy and related techniques from the early stages of drug development research up to the implementation of these techniques in process analytical technology (PAT) concepts for large-scale production in the pharmaceutical industry. Within this chapter, the implementation of Raman spectroscopy in the process of selection and optimisation of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and investigation of the interaction with excipients is described. Going beyond the scope of early drug development, the reader is introduced to the use of Raman techniques for the characterization of complex drug delivery systems, highlighting the technical requirements and describing the analysis of qualitative and quantitative composition as well as spatial component distribution within these pharmaceutical systems. Further, the reader is introduced to the application of Raman techniques for performance testing of drug delivery systems addressing drug release kinetics and interactions with biological systems ranging from single cells up to complex tissues. In the last part of this chapter, the advantages and recent developments of integrating Raman technologies into PAT processes for solid drug delivery systems and biologically derived pharmaceutics are discussed, demonstrating the impact of the technique on current quality control standards in industrial production and providing good prospects for future developments in the field of quality control at the terminal part of the supply chain and various other fields like individualized medicine.

On the way from the active drug molecule (API) in the research laboratory to the marketed medicine in the pharmacy, therapeutic efficacy of the active molecule and safety of the final medicine for the patient are of utmost importance. For each step, strict regulatory requirements apply which demand for suitable analytical techniques to acquire robust data to understand and control design, manufacturing and industrial large-scale production of medicines. In this context, Raman spectroscopy has come to the fore due to the combination of chemical selectivity and the option for non-invasive analysis of samples. Following the technical advancements in Raman equipment and analysis software, Raman spectroscopy and microscopy proofed to be valuable methods with versatile applications in pharmaceutical research and industry, starting from the analysis of single drug molecules as well as complex multi-component formulations up to automatized quality control during industrial production.
A DFT perspective analysis of optical properties of defected germanene mono-layer
Authors: Dhar Namrata , Jana Debnarayan
Published: July 2018

Germanene, germanium version of graphene, is a novel member in the two-dimensional (2D) materials family. In this present study, a theoretical analysis involving optical properties of defected free standing (FS) germanene layer has been performed within density functional theory (DFT) framework. FS buckled germanene exhibits many fascinating and unconventional optical properties due to introductions of adatoms and voids. Arsenic (As), gallium (Ga) and beryllium (Be) are chosen as doping elements. Doping sites (same or different sub-lattice positions) play a crucial role to improve various optical properties. While Be doping, concentrations of Be are increased up to 18.75 % and void concentrations are increased up to 15.62 % (keeping fixed 3.12 % Be concentration). Emergence of several plasma frequencies occur in case of both parallel and perpendicular polarizations for defected germanene layers. Energy positions of peaks corresponding to maximum of imaginary parts of dielectric constants are red shifted for some As and Ga incorporated systems compared to pristine germanene. Absorption spectra peaks are more prominent for Be doped systems rather than void added systems. In addition, conductivity in infrared (IR) region is very high for the Be doped configurations in case of parallel polarization. Along with these, changes in other optical properties like refractive index, reflectivity, electron energy loss spectroscopy etc. are also analyzed briefly in this present study. We hope, this theoretical investigation may be regarded as an important tool to design novel opto-electronic tuning devices involving germanene in near future.
Thermal decomposition of un-irradiated and γ-ray irradiated holmium acetate tetrahydrate. Part 1: kinetics of nonisothermal dehydration of un-irradiated and γ-ray irradiated Ho(CH3COO)3⋅4H2O
Authors: Rashwan Norhan Farghly , Wahid Hossam , Dahy AbdelRahman AbdelMonem , Mahfouz Refaat Mohamed
Published: July 2018

Nonisothermal dehydration of un-irradiated and γ-ray irradiated holmium acetate tetrahydrate with 103 kGy total γ-ray dose absorbed was studied in air atmosphere. The thermal decomposition experiments were conducted at heating rates of (5, 7.5 and 10°C/min). The results showed that for un-irradiated material, the dehydration process proceeds in two decomposition steps with the elimination of 3.0 and 1.0 moles of H2O, respectively. The apparent activation energy, E

a
, as given by both linear and nonlinear isoconversional methods showed dependence upon the conversion degree, α, in the range of 0.2–0.75 for the two dehydration steps. In the first dehydration step, the Ea
decreases from 228.0 kJ/mol at the beginning of the decomposition to ≈64.0 kJ/mol at the end of the process. In the second dehydration step, the Ea
increases from 42.0 to 72.0 kJ/mol by progressively increasing in α. Compared with solid state reaction models, the two reactions are best described by diffusion (D
4) and nucleation (A
3) models for the first and second dehydration steps, respectively. The results derived from nonisothermal data present a reliable prediction of isothermal kinetics. Straight lines and reduced time plots methods were applied for the determination of the kinetic triplet [Ea
, ln A, and reaction model f(α)] from predicted isothermal data. For γ-ray irradiated samples of Ho(CH3COO)3⋅4H2O with 103 kGy total absorbed dose, the dehydration proceeds in two overlapped steps controlled by D
3 model. X-ray data showed phase transformation from monoclinic (SG P2/m) to tetragonal phase (SG P4/mmm) by the elimination of water content from the entire structure of Ho(CH3COO)3⋅4H2O. γ-Ray irradiation effects on the thermal decomposition of Ho(CH3COO)3⋅4H2O were evaluated and discussed based on the formation of trapped electrons, point defects, cation and anion vacancies and cluster imperfections in the host lattice of Ho(CH3COO)3⋅4H2O.
Stability and Spatiotemporal Bifurcations in Spatially Distributed Neural Networks with Nonlocal Delay
Authors: Li Yanqiu , Jiang Juncheng
Published: July 2018

The stability of equilibria and bifurcations of neural networks in a real line with nonlocal delay are presented. A sufficient condition of stable equilibria is declared by the linear part. Eigenvalue analysis implies the existence of bifurcations, and by exploiting typical excitatory and inhibitory connectivity kernels in a neural network, the possible bifurcations are discussed according to various cases. It is an advantageous tool using a multiple-scale method to study the stability of bifurcated travelling waves or spots. As an illustration of our theory, the dynamics of a seashell continuous-time circular mask model are investigated. It is shown that both the shape and range of active function and synaptic weights can affect the dynamics of the model. Finally, the bifurcation set and the variety of bifurcated patterns of the seashell model are numerically revealed.
Isolation of intermediates in the synthesis of new 3,4-dihydro-2H-chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidines
Authors: Fattahi Mehri , Davoodnia Abolghasem , Pordel Mehdi , Beyramabadi S. Ali , Tavakoli-Hoseini Niloofar
Published: July 2018

Reaction of N-alkyl-2-imino-2H-chromene-3-carboxamides with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) in the presence of sodium carbonate as catalyst in refluxing ethanol gave new tricyclic products identified as methyl 3-alkyl-2-(2-methoxy-2-oxoethyl)-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2-carboxylates. In the absence of sodium carbonate, dimethyl 2-((E)-3-(alkylcarbamoyl)-2H-chromen-2-ylideneamino)fumarates were isolated as intermediates. These intermediates could be successfully converted to the same new tricyclic products by heating in ethanol containing sodium carbonate. All new synthetic compounds were characterized on the basis of their FT-IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectra, and microanalytical data. To identify the correct stereoisomer of the intermediates, in one case a 2D nuclear Overhauser effect (2D-NOESY) spectrum together with density functional theory (DFT) calculation at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory was used.
Influence of high-energy ball milling and additives on the formation of sphere-like α-Al2O3 powder by high-temperature calcination
Authors: Li Sai , Zhu Lingling , Liu Luoqiang , Chen Liugang , Li Hongxia , Sun Chunhui
Published: July 2018

In comparison with the typically worm-like α-Al2O3 powders formed from an unground Al(OH)3 precursor calcined at 1450°C, spherical α-Al2O3 powders with ~1 μm in size were prepared by the calcination of a ground Al(OH)3 precursor with 5 wt.% [NH4]+BF4
− under the same calcination conditions. The influence of a high-energy ball milling pretreatment as well as of the additives on the morphological evolution of α-Al2O3 powders was studied using the commercial precursor Al(OH)3 as raw material. The results indicate that the morphology of α-Al2O3 powders is closely related to the morphology of the Al(OH)3 precursor and to the introduction of different additives. The refinement of the Al(OH)3 precursor in aggregate size and of the primary crystal size by high-energy ball milling has effectively suppressed the neck growth of α-Al2O3 grains. In contrast to the findings made previously with the introduction of 5 wt.% [NH4]+Cl−, the morphology of the α-Al2O3 particles could be significantly improved from a ground Al(OH)3 precursor with the addition of 5 wt.% [NH4]+BF4
−, which resulted in the formation of spherical α-Al2O3 powders with 1 μm size at 1450°C.
Encapsulation of ferrocenes by hydrogen-bonded pyrogallol[4]arene dimers
Authors: Wang Bei , Jia Ai-Quan , Yang Hong-Mei , Liu Jing-Long , Zhang Qian-Feng
Published: July 2018

The treatment of C-iso-butylpyrogallarene (PgC4) or C-ethylpyrogallarene (PgC2) with ferrocene (FcH) in a 2:1 molar ratio under different reaction conditions afforded the host–guest compounds FcH@(PgC4)2·CH3OH·3H2O (1) and FcH@(PgC2)2·3EtOH·2H2O (2), respectively. Complexes 1 and 2 are both pyrogallarene dimers providing capsule-type voids. Single crystal X-ray crystallography was used to investigate the role of hydrogen bonding networks in the assembly of the two host–guest systems.
An unexpected lanthanum chloride carbonate hydrate: synthesis, crystal structure, vibrational spectra and thermal degradation of LaCl[CO3]·3H2O
Authors: Reckeweg Olaf , Lissner Falk , Blaschkowski Björn , Schulz Armin , Schleid Thomas
Published: July 2018

Microcrystalline powders of LaCl[CO3]·3H2O were precipitated and isolated from stoichiometric aqueous solutions of LaCl3·7H2O and Na2[CO3]·10H2O. This confirmed the surprising emergence of corresponding single crystals during a reaction of equimolar aqueous solutions of LaCl3·7H2O and Na[N3] under ambient conditions by the uptake of atmospheric CO2. According to the X-ray structure analysis of colorless, transparent and rectangular single-crystals, LaCl[CO3]·3H2O adopts an orthorhombic structure, space group Pbca with the unit-cell parameters a=856.82(5), b=1598.57(9) and c=967.68(6) pm for Z=8. The tenfold coordination polyhedron around La3+ consists of two monodentate as well as two bidentate [CO3]2− anions together with three oxygen atoms from coordinating water molecules and one chloride anion. According to DSC/TG studies and X-ray powder diffraction, LaCl[CO3]·3H2O loses first its water and then carbon dioxide under thermal treatment up to 900°C to leave LaOCl behind. Vibrational infrared and Raman spectra confirmed the presence of H2O and [CO3]2− in LaCl[CO3]·3H2O and its stepwise degradation at elevated temperatures.
Applications of magnetoliposomes with encapsulated doxorubicin for integrated chemotherapy and hyperthermia of rat C6 glioma
Authors: Babincová Natália , Sourivong Paul , Babinec Peter , Bergemann Christian , Babincová Melánia , Durdík Štefan
Published: July 2018

There is substantial evidence regarding enhanced antitumor cytotoxicity of selected chemotherapeutic agents by appropriate heat exposure (40–44°C). Based upon these results, the integration of hyperthermia as an additional treatment modality given simultaneously with systemic chemotherapy is currently of considerable interest. Hyperthermia can be induced by alternating magnetic field and magnetic nanoparticles. Thus, we have used thermosensitive magnetoliposomes that contained superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and doxorubicin for in vitro and in vivo therapy of rat glioma C6. The results showed that magnetoliposomes can be specifically heated to 43°C (phase transition temperature of a used lipid composition) in a few minutes, and during this, the encapsulated doxorubicin is released in a controllable manner. The in vitro experiments showed that the cell viability decreased to 79.2% after heat treatment alone and to 47.4% for doxorubicin-loaded magnetoliposomes without application of alternating magnetic field, while the combined treatment resulted in 17.3% cell viability. Also, in vivo results demonstrated that magnetic drug targeting has a strong antiglioma effect with a tumor volume growth inhibition and complete regression. Such targeted delivery and controlled release of anticancer agents would provide clinical advantages compared with currently available methods.
Selective Effects of the Loss of NMDA or mGluR5 Receptors in the Reward System on Adaptive Decision-Making
Authors: Cieślak Przemysław Eligiusz , Ahn Woo-Young , Bogacz Rafał , Rodriguez Parkitna Jan
Published: July 2018

Selecting the most advantageous actions in a changing environment is a central feature of adaptive behavior. The midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons along with the major targets of their projections, including dopaminoceptive neurons in the frontal cortex and basal ganglia, play a key role in this process. Here, we investigate the consequences of a selective genetic disruption of NMDA receptor and metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) in the DA system on adaptive choice behavior in mice. We tested the effects of the mutation on performance in the probabilistic reinforcement learning and probability-discounting tasks. In case of the probabilistic choice, both the loss of NMDA receptors in dopaminergic neurons or the loss mGluR5 receptors in D1receptor-expressing dopaminoceptive neurons reduced the probability of selecting the more rewarded alternative and lowered the likelihood of returning to the previously rewarded alternative (win-stay). When observed behavior was fitted to reinforcement learning models, we found that these two mutations were associated with a reduced effect of the expected outcome on choice (i.e., more random choices). None of the mutations affected probability discounting, which indicates that all animals had a normal ability to assess probability. However, in both behavioral tasks animals with targeted loss of NMDA receptors in dopaminergic neurons or mGluR5 receptors in D1neurons were significantly slower to perform choices. In conclusion, these results show that glutamate receptor-dependent signaling in the DA system is essential for the speed and accuracy of choices, but at the same time probably is not critical for correct estimation of probable outcomes.
Challenging the Punitiveness of “New-Generation” Sorn Laws
Authors: Logan Wayne A.
Published: July 2018

Sex offender registration and notification (SORN) laws have been in effect nationwide since the 1990s, and publicly available registries today contain information on hundreds of thousands of individuals. To date, most courts, including the Supreme Court in 2003, have concluded that the laws are regulatory, not punitive, in nature, allowing them to be applied retroactively consistent with the Ex Post Facto Clause. Recently, however, several state supreme courts, as well as the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, addressing challenges lodged against new-generation SORN laws of a considerably more onerous and expansive character, have granted relief, concluding that the laws are punitive in effect. This article examines these decisions, which are distinct not only for their results, but also for the courts’ decidedly more critical scrutiny of the justifications, purposes, and efficacy of SORN laws. The implications of the latter development in particular could well lay the groundwork for a broader challenge against the laws, including one sounding in substantive due process, which unlike ex post facto–based litigation would affect the viability of SORN vis-à-vis current and future potential registrants.
Sex Panic and Denial
Authors: Yung Corey Rayburn
Published: July 2018

The American criminal justice system regarding sex is not just logically incoherent, it is also often morally bankrupt because it remains unexamined and poorly understood. This Article contends that there are actually common roots underlying the seemingly oppositional forces of social panic and denial, which explain why the United States has an endemic sexual violence problem. Both panic and denial reinforce the implicit, and sometimes explicit, desire to avoid substantive engagement with socially contentious issues related to sex. The use of residency restrictions and civil commitment fit the modern social goal of putting sex offenders out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Yet, those same desires also explain America’s unwillingness to believe victims of sexual violence and police failure to properly investigate criminal complaints. In this way, sex panic dovetails with sex denial—in both instances, American culture only permits a limited discussion and understanding of sex and sexual violence. The result is that our nation fails to take sex crime complaints seriously while overreacting to the few convictions that emerge from the hostile criminal justice system.
Bilateral adrenal incidentalomas and NR3C1 mutations causing glucocorticoid resistance: is there an association?
Authors: Nicolaides Nicolas C , Chrousos George P
Published: July 2018

Glucocorticoids signal through their cognate, ubiquitously expressed glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which influences the transcription of a large number of target genes. Several genetic defects, including point mutations, deletions or insertions in the NR3C1 gene that encodes the GR, have been associated with familial or sporadic generalized glucocorticoid resistance or Chrousos syndrome. One of the clinical manifestations of this rare endocrine condition is bilateral adrenal hyperplasia due to compensatory elevations of plasma ACTH concentrations. In this commentary, we discuss the interesting findings of the recently published French MUTA-GR study and present our perspective on the evolving field of NR3C1 pathology.
Guppya sterkii (Dall, 1888) (Gastropoda, Eupulmonata, Euconulidae) in eastern Ontario, Canada
Authors: Forsyth Robert , Nicolai Annegret
Published: July 2018

A seldom-collected terrestrial snail, Guppya sterkii (Dall, 1888), is recorded for the first time from an older-growth hardwood forest in rural Ottawa, eastern Ontario. This represents a range extension of roughly 175 km north-east of the nearest previously known occurrence. Its conservation status and possible threats are briefly discussed.
Sciopemyia vattierae (Le Pont & Desjeux, 1992) (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae): new record from Acre state, Brazil
Authors: Moreira de Ávila Márcia , Fernandes  Brilhante Andreia , Galati Eunice Aparecida Bianchi , Cardoso Acigelda da Silva , Peçanha Brazil Reginaldo
Published: July 2018

Sciopemyia vattierae (Le Pont & Desjeux, 1992) (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) is reported for the first time from Brazil. Five male and 4 female specimens were collected using HP light traps set up in a rural area of the municipality of Rio Branco, state of Acre, Brazil, from December 2014 to January 2016. This species was previously known only in Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia. Our new record extends the known distribution of S. vattierae to the Amazonian region of Acre and represents a new national record for Brazil.
Reflexões sobre as relações de trabalho docente no ensino médio estadual paulista
Authors: Marino Silva Gabriela
Published: July 2018

O presente artigo tem como objetivo refletir sobre as relações de trabalho docente no setor público partindo da jornada de trabalho. É parte de uma dissertação de mestrado, cujo caminho metodológico foi a revisão da legislação e da bibliografia a respeito do trabalho docente, acompanhada de trabalho de campo – observação do cotidiano da escola e atividades realizadas pelos docentes e entrevistas com os mesmos – desenvolvido em uma única escola na Região Metropolitana de Campinas. Contrastando as prescrições estatais e as relações práticas construídas pelos docentes no cotidiano, foi possível perceber que: a) do ponto de vista do Estado, o trabalho docente é reduzido a uma concepção individual e celular, sem relação com local de trabalho; b) do ponto de vista docente, essa concepção os coloca “à deriva”, uma vez que seu salário, conteúdo, horas e local de trabalho são flexíveis; c) professores e professoras constroem estratégias diversas para lidar com as determinações sobre o trabalho docente.
Intensificação do trabalho docente administrativo e processos decisórios democraticamente restritos na expansão/interiorização precária e desordenada
Authors: Silva Eduardo Pinto e , Padim Dayton Fernando
Published: July 2018

O artigo toma como objeto de análise os processos decisórios de uma instituição federal de ensino superior em um contexto de expansão, particularmente, de um campus interiorizado. Procura-se demonstrar que a expansão e a interiorização, pautadas pela racionalidade instrumental e gerencial, se caracterizam como precárias e desordenadas, de modo a extensificar e intensificar o trabalho do professor. Argumenta-se que, no caso do professor-gestor e de professores envolvidos com a gestão, a intensificação e a extensificação do trabalho têm implicações negativas sobre o aprofundamento das discussões e processos decisórios, de modo a reduzir as possibilidades de uma democracia representativa, per si já restrita. Deste modo, aponta-se a necessidade de se pensar alternativas para possibilitar debates mais aprofundados e ampliados sobre a expansão da universidade e seus processos decisórios e de inclusão.
MiniMaxSAT: An Efficient Weighted Max-SAT solver
Authors: Heras F. , Larrosa J. , Oliveras A.
Published: July 2018

In this paper we introduce MiniMaxSat, a new Max-SAT solver that is built on top of MiniSat+. It incorporates the best current SAT and Max-SAT techniques. It can handle hard clauses(clauses of mandatory satisfaction as in SAT), soft clauses (clauses whose falsification is penalized by a cost as in Max-SAT) as well as pseudo-boolean objective functions and constraints. Its main features are: learning and backjumping on hard clauses; resolution-based and substraction-based lower bounding; and lazy propagation with the two-watched literal scheme. Our empirical evaluation comparing a wide set of solving alternatives on a broad set of optimization benchmarks indicates that the performance of MiniMaxSat is usually close to the best specialized alternative and, in some cases, even better.
Modular Reuse of Ontologies: Theory and Practice
Authors: Cuenca Grau B. , Horrocks I. , Kazakov Y. , Sattler U.
Published: July 2018

In this paper, we propose a set of tasks that are relevant for the modular reuse of ontologies. In order to formalize these tasks as reasoning problems, we introduce the notions of conservative extension, safety and module for a very general class of logic-based ontology languages. We investigate the general properties of and relationships between these notions and study the relationships between the relevant reasoning problems we have previously identified. To study the computability of these problems, we consider, in particular, Description Logics (DLs), which provide the formal underpinning of the W3C Web Ontology Language (OWL), and show that all the problems we consider are undecidable or algorithmically unsolvable for the description logic underlying OWL DL. In order to achieve a practical solution, we identify conditions sufficient for an ontology to reuse a set of symbols ``safely''---that is, without changing their meaning. We provide the notion of a safety class, which characterizes any sufficient condition for safety, and identify a family of safety classes--called locality---which enjoys a collection of desirable properties. We use the notion of a safety class to extract modules from ontologies, and we provide various modularization algorithms that are appropriate to the properties of the particular safety class in use. Finally, we show practical benefits of our safety checking and module extraction algorithms.
Exploiting Subgraph Structure in Multi-Robot Path Planning
Authors: Ryan M. R.K.
Published: July 2018

Multi-robot path planning is difficult due to the combinatorial explosion of the search space with every new robot added. Complete search of the combined state-space soon becomes intractable. In this paper we present a novel form of abstraction that allows us to plan much more efficiently. The key to this abstraction is the partitioning of the map into subgraphs of known structure with entry and exit restrictions which we can represent compactly. Planning then becomes a search in the much smaller space of subgraph configurations. Once an abstract plan is found, it can be quickly resolved into a correct (but possibly sub-optimal) concrete plan without the need for further search. We prove that this technique is sound and complete and demonstrate its practical effectiveness on a real map.

A contending solution, prioritised planning, is also evaluated and shown to have similar performance albeit at the cost of completeness. The two approaches are not necessarily conflicting; we demonstrate how they can be combined into a single algorithm which outperforms either approach alone.
Creating Relational Data from Unstructured and Ungrammatical Data Sources
Authors: Michelson M. , Knoblock C. A.
Published: July 2018

In order for agents to act on behalf of users, they will have to retrieve and integrate vast amounts of textual data on the World Wide Web. However, much of the useful data on the Web is neither grammatical nor formally structured, making querying difficult. Examples of these types of data sources are online classifieds like Craigslist and auction item listings like eBay. We call this unstructured, ungrammatical data "posts." The unstructured nature of posts makes query and integration difficult because the attributes are embedded within the text. Also, these attributes do not conform to standardized values, which prevents queries based on a common attribute value. The schema is unknown and the values may vary dramatically making accurate search difficult. Creating relational data for easy querying requires that we define a schema for the embedded attributes and extract values from the posts while standardizing these values. Traditional information extraction (IE) is inadequate to perform this task because it relies on clues from the data, such as structure or natural language, neither of which are found in posts. Furthermore, traditional information extraction does not incorporate data cleaning, which is necessary to accurately query and integrate the source. The two-step approach described in this paper creates relational data sets from unstructured and ungrammatical text by addressing both issues. To do this, we require a set of known entities called a "reference set." The first step aligns each post to each member of each reference set. This allows our algorithm to define a schema over the post and include standard values for the attributes defined by this schema. The second step performs information extraction for the attributes, including attributes not easily represented by reference sets, such as a price. In this manner we create a relational structure over previously unstructured data, supporting deep and accurate queries over the data as well as standard values for integration. Our experimental results show that our technique matches the posts to the reference set accurately and efficiently and outperforms state-of-the-art extraction systems on the extraction task from posts.
ICE: An Expressive Iterative Combinatorial Exchange
Authors: Lubin B. , Juda A. I. , Cavallo R. , Lahaie S. , Shneidman J. , Parkes D. C.
Published: July 2018

We present the design and analysis of the first fully expressive, iterative combinatorial exchange (ICE). The exchange incorporates a tree-based bidding language (TBBL) that is concise and expressive for CEs. Bidders specify lower and upper bounds in TBBL on their value for different trades and refine these bounds across rounds. These bounds allow price discovery and useful preference elicitation in early rounds, and allow termination with an efficient trade despite partial information on bidder valuations. All computation in the exchange is carefully optimized to exploit the structure of the bid-trees and to avoid enumerating trades. A proxied interpretation of a revealed-preference activity rule, coupled with simple linear prices, ensures progress across rounds. The exchange is fully implemented, and we give results demonstrating several aspects of its scalability and economic properties with simulated bidding strategies.
Gesture Salience as a Hidden Variable for Coreference Resolution and Keyframe Extraction
Authors: Eisenstein J. , Barzilay R. , Davis R.
Published: July 2018

Gesture is a non-verbal modality that can contribute crucial information to the understanding of natural language. But not all gestures are informative, and non-communicative hand motions may confuse natural language processing (NLP) and impede learning. People have little diffculty ignoring irrelevant hand movements and focusing on meaningful gestures, suggesting that an automatic system could also be trained to perform this task. However, the informativeness of a gesture is context-dependent and labeling enough data to cover all cases would be expensive. We present conditional modality fusion, a conditional hidden-variable model that learns to predict which gestures are salient for coreference resolution, the task of determining whether two noun phrases refer to the same semantic entity. Moreover, our approach uses only coreference annotations, and not annotations of gesture salience itself. We show that gesture features improve performance on coreference resolution, and that by attending only to gestures that are salient, our method achieves further significant gains. In addition, we show that the model of gesture salience learned in the context of coreference accords with human intuition, by demonstrating that gestures judged to be salient by our model can be used successfully to create multimedia keyframe summaries of video. These summaries are similar to those created by human raters, and significantly outperform summaries produced by baselines from the literature.
Efficiency and Envy-freeness in Fair Division of Indivisible Goods: Logical Representation and Complexity
Authors: Bouveret S. , Lang J.
Published: July 2018

We consider the problem of allocating fairly a set of indivisible goods among agents from the point of view of compact representation and computational complexity. We start by assuming that agents have dichotomous preferences expressed by propositional formulae. We express efficiency and envy-freeness in a logical setting, which reveals unexpected connections to nonmonotonic reasoning. Then we identify the complexity of determining whether there exists an efficient and envy-free allocation, for several notions of efficiency, when preferences are represented in a succinct way (as well as restrictions of this problem). We first study the problem under the assumption that preferences are dichotomous, and then in the general case.