bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Recording Food Intake Using Cell Phone Camera Pictures on Energy Intake and Food Choice
Authors: Doumit Rita , Long JoAnn , Kazandjian Chant , Gharibeh Nathalie , Karam Lina , Song Huaxin , Boswell Carol , Zeeni Nadine
Published: December 2015

Background

The well‐documented increases in obesity and unhealthy dietary practices substantiate the need for evidence‐based tools that can help people improve their dietary habits. The current spread of mobile phone–embedded cameras offers new opportunities for recording food intake. Moreover, the act of taking pictures of food consumed may enhance visual consciousness of food choice and quantity. The present study aimed to assess the effect of using cell phone pictures to record food intake on energy intake and food choice in college students. The effectiveness and acceptability of cell phone picture–based diet recording also was assessed.

Methods

A repeated measures crossover design was used. One group of participants entered their food intake online during 3 days based on their memory, although a second group recorded their food intake using cell phone pictures as their reference. Participants then crossed over to complete 3 more days of diet recording using the alternate method. Focus groups were conducted to obtain feedback on the effectiveness and acceptability of cell phone picture–based diet recording.

Results

Intake of meat and vegetable servings were significantly higher in the memory period compared with the cell phone period, regardless of the order. Results from the focus group indicated a positive attitude toward the use of cell phone pictures in recording food intake and an increased awareness of food choice and portion size.

Linking Evidence to Action

Cell phone pictures may be an easy, relevant, and accessible method of diet self‐monitoring when aiming at dietary changes. Future trials should combine this technique with healthy eating education.
The role of oxysterols in vascular ageing
Authors: Gargiulo Simona , Gamba Paola , Testa Gabriella , Leonarduzzi Gabriella , Poli Giuseppe
Published: December 2015

The ageing endothelium progressively loses its remarkable and crucial ability to maintain homeostasis of the vasculature, as it acquires a proinflammatory phenotype. Cellular and structural changes gradually accumulate in the blood vessels, and markedly in artery walls. Most changes in aged arteries are comparable to those occurring during the atherogenic process, the latter being more marked: pro‐oxidant and proinflammatory molecules, mainly deriving from or triggered by oxidized low density lipoproteins (oxLDLs), are undoubtedly a major driving force of this process. Oxysterols, quantitatively relevant components of oxLDLs, are likely candidate molecules in the pathogenesis of vascular ageing, because of their marked pro‐oxidant, proinflammatory and proapoptotic properties. An increasing bulk of experimental data point to the contribution of a variety of oxysterols of pathophysiological interest, also in the age‐related genesis of endothelium dysfunction, intimal thickening due to lipid accumulation, and smooth muscle cell migration and arterial stiffness due to increasing collagen deposition and calcification. This review provides an updated analysis of the molecular mechanisms whereby oxysterols accumulating in the wall of ageing blood vessels may ‘activate’ endothelial and monocytic cells, through expression of an inflammatory phenotype, and ‘convince’ smooth muscle cells to proliferate, migrate and, above all, to act as fibroblast‐like cells.

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La mujer en el desierto. Esteban Echeverría y las lecturas nacionales del romanticismo francés
Authors: Laera Alejandra
Published: December 2015

En su poema La cautiva (1837), Esteban Echeverría figuró el territorio denominado “desierto” como una mujer cautiva. Este ensayo explora, por un lado, las diversas tradiciones que confluyeron en la imagen de la cautiva y su potencia alegórica (el mito de Lucía Miranda, Atala de Chateaubriand, entre otras), a la vez que busca recomponer la asimilación entre territorio (desierto) y género (mujer cautiva) en la producción del propio Echeverría. Por otro lado, elabora la hipótesis de que no puede pensarse la caída del poder alegórico de la cautiva sin releer, en el marco de la literatura gauchesca y su peculiaridad, la reelaboración de la figura de la cautiva en La vuelta de Martín Fierro (1879) de José Hernández.
Design of an optimal multilayer electromagnetic absorber through Spiral Algorithm
Authors: García Edgar , Amaya Ivan , Correa Rodrigo
Published: December 2015

This article presents a strategy for the design of an optimal planar electromagnetic absorbers of several layers. The electromagnetic absorbers designed can operate in different frequency ranges and were optimized by using the well-known spiral optimization algorithm. Results for the case of three, five, seven and nine layers, showed the advantage of using this algorithm mainly in terms of fewer adjustable parameters and its great capacity for intensification and diversification. The results obtained were compared to those reported with other optimization methods.
Ideas infantiles sobre la producción de noticias en los medios
Authors: Perelman Flora , Nakache Débora , Rubinovich Gabriela , Rodríguez María Elena , Dib María Jimena
Published: December 2015

Los objetivos de la investigación cualitativa que enmarca este artículo son indagar las ideas infantiles a propósito de la producción de noticias y generar situaciones didácticas que promuevan la lectura crítica de los medios. El foco de este artículo de investigación está en los saberes discursivos y en las líneas de progresión de las conceptualizaciones sobre la producción y circulación de noticias de alumnos de sexto de primaria de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Los niños advierten requisitos para que un hecho sea noticia, pero no logran dilucidar que las noticias están sometidas a procesos de selección y elaboración mediáticos. 
Modelación matemática a partir de problemas de enunciados verbales: un estudio de caso con profesores de matemáticas
Authors: Villa-Ochoa Jhony Alexander
Published: December 2015

La literatura internacional sobre educación matemática ha reportado la necesidad de indagar por los aspectos que intervienen en la manera como se desarrolla la modelación matemática en las aulas de clase. En este artículo de investigación se reportan algunos resultados de un estudio de caso cualitativo que indagó por las maneras en que un conjunto de profesores de educación secundaria usa la modelación en la enseñanza de las matemáticas. A partir de observaciones directas, entrevistas, cuestionarios y estudio de episodios fue posible identificar algunos de los argumentos que tienen los profesores para favorecer los problemas de enunciados verbales como principal manera de hacer modelación matemática; estos resultados sugieren la necesidad de generar estrategias que permitan un empoderamiento de los profesores sobre la modelación que trascienda los enunciados verbales estereotipados hacia situaciones más realistas que involucren aspectos de la cotidianidad y la cultura en las matemáticas escolares
Conocimiento Danzario
Authors: Martinez Medina Carlos Andres
Published: December 2015

Conocimiento danzario es uno de los productos emanados de la investigación titulada “Saberes y prácticas danzarias, proposiciones sobre una dimensión política de la danza más acá del cuerpo, el movimiento y la escena”. En éste buscamos indagar por la existencia de la producción de un conocimiento danzario gracias a un ejercicio de análisis del discurso que cruza la información recolectada en entrevistas a maestros de danza con dos grillas conceptuales, por un lado la propuesta de Michael Foucault en el orden del discurso (1992) sobre los procedimientos de delimitación del discurso, y por el otro la condensación de Luis Villoro sobre la visión de la construcción del conocimiento en occidente expresada en su libro Creer, saber, conocer (1982). Proponemos a partir de este análisis un plano de objetos, un horizonte teórico y unos medios y fines del conocimiento danzario.
Maquillar los cuerpos / Transmutar en movimiento: Reflexiones acerca de las reelaboraciones de la danza butoh y sus máscaras
Authors: Aschieri Patricia
Published: December 2015

La danza butoh suele identificarse con el uso de la pintura blanca sobre los cuerpos. Sin embargo, las reelaboraciones de esta expresión dancístico-teatral de la vanguardia japonesa en Argentina, presentan cierto desvanecimiento de esta característica. Casi sin maquillaje los cuerpos conservan cada vez más los rasgos que los individualizan y particularizan. Si en tanto como sostiene Lévi-Strauss (1997), la máscara niega tanto como afirma, si está hecha de aquello que dice pero también de lo que excluye, me propongo en este trabajo reflexionar acerca de los posibles significados de su ausencia o desvanecimiento. Para ello,  desarrollaré desde una perspectiva fenomenológica, los conceptos de transmutación somática o corporizada e imaginación sensorial. Describiré a partir de los resultados de la etnografía realizada para mi tesis doctoral, aquellos rasgos de las trayectorias corporales previas de los performers que inciden poniéndose de manifiesto en las reelaboraciones.
Memorias, violencias, cotidianidades y reconfiguraciones temporales en cuerpos femeninos
Authors: Cortés Severino Catalina
Published: December 2015

Este proyecto es el resultado de un proceso de acercamiento audiovisual y etnográfico a diferentes escenarios de memorias de la violencia de la Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó y la Organización de Mujeres Wayuu Munsurat. Este articulo se concentra principalmente en cómo la cotidianidad de las mujeres que viven en medio de los escenarios de terror y en contextos de violencias estructurales, materiales y cotidianas, guarda dentro de sí la violencia del acontecimiento y éste a su vez estructura el presente silenciosa y fantasmalmente. Así, esta proyecto ha buscado acercarse a través de la etnografía, la critica cultural, las practicas audiovisuales y la aproximación sensorial a la forma en que la violencia es experimentada en la vida cotidiana, pero no solo a nivel de los espacios de la muerte y la destrucción sino a los modos en que las mujeres padecen, perciben, persisten y resisten esas violencias, recuerdan sus perdidas y les hacen duelo, pero también las absorben, la sobrellevan y la articulan a su cotidianidad, la usan para su beneficio, la evaden o simplemente coexisten con ella.
Nuevas pedagogías de cuerpo para la transformación de las subjetividades subordinadas en subjetividades emancipadas
Authors: Conde Gaviota , Ramos Erika
Published: December 2015

A partir de la sistematización con enfoque empírico de interés emancipatorio se analizan los escenarios pedagógicos en los que se desarrollan las Nuevas Pedagogías de Cuerpo, buscando establecer los aportes que esta propuesta pedagógica hace al inicio de un proceso de transformación de las subjetividades subordinadas en subjetividades emancipadas. Se considera que es a partir de los ejercicios del cuidado de sí y el conocimiento de sí que el cuerpo-sujeto puede realizar la transformación para constituirse en un sujeto emancipado como fuente de poder desde sí.
la “pornificación” de la mirada: una genealogía del pecho desnudado
Authors: Sibilia Paula
Published: December 2015

A partir de algunos episodios recientes, en los cuales las redes sociales Facebook e Instagram suspendieron las cuentas de varias usuarias que publicaron fotos amamantando a sus hijos, este ensayo teje una reflexión sobre ciertas transformaciones acaecidas durante los últimos siglos en la sociedad occidental, referidas a las imágenes corporales. El foco se concentra en los desplazamientos simbólicos y morales en torno a la desnudez del pecho femenino que se expone ante el público, con la intención de identificar los sentidos de las reacciones censoras que esa imagen ha motivado en diversos momentos históricos. Así, se intenta contextualizar la actitud aparentemente anacrónica de esas empresas estadounidenses, no sólo a partir del análisis de ciertas manifestaciones que tal gesto desencadenó tanto en internet como en los medios de comunicación en general, sino recorriendo también a una perspectiva genealógica capaz de indagar la contemporaneidad de esas moralizaciones e interdicciones que parecen remitir a otras épocas. En suma, el texto examina algunas transformaciones que afectaron a la mirada que se posa sobre la desnudez del cuerpo humano, ésa que en diferentes momentos históricos ha sido capaz de provocar una diversidad de escándalos, pudores, tabúes y censuras. La intención es detectar qué se considera obsceno en distintas épocas, como una tentativa de comprender particularmente la situación actual y, en especial, apuntar algunas pistas sobre los complejos sentidos de la desnudez corporal en los medios de comunicación y en las artes contemporáneas.
Espacios, campesinos y subjetividades ambientales en el Guaviare
Authors: Del Cairo Carlos , Montenegro-Perini Iván
Published: December 2015

En este artículo analizamos las iniciativas de conservación ambiental estatal como una técnica para la producción de espacios, poblaciones campesinas y subjetividades. Esas iniciativas generan efectos inacabados, contingentes y siempre variables, matizados por los entramados de poder que operan en las regiones donde se implementan. A partir de la noción de producción del espacio1, examinamos las transformaciones que operan en las políticas públicas en una zona de frontera como el Guaviare desde la declaratoria de la zona de reserva forestal de la Amazonia en 1959. identificamos los mecanismos de agregación, simplificación y estandarización2 que el conocimiento técnicoexperto ha elaborado para orientar la intervención estatal en esta región del país. Asimismo analizamos los efectos y adaptaciones de las políticas ambientales en las comunidades a quienes van dirigidas, mostrando su densidad y multicausalidad en un escenario sociohistórico particular como el Guaviare.
Geopolítica de los conflictos medioambientales: resistencia a ala expansión minera
Authors: Quiñones Torres Aída
Published: December 2015

En el presente artículo nos ocupamos de las resistencias frente a la expansión minera, expresión que se sustenta alrededor de los conflictos socioambientales en el marco de las políticas promotoras del sector minero en Colombia. Destaca aspectos estratégicos que ofrecen plataforma, en un contexto geopolítico, que sustenta el avance de este sector en vía de la inversión Extranjera Directa (ied). En medio de estas estrategias, se erigen resistencias que crean fisuras y activan grietas al capital y su sistema de dominación1, con el fin de contrarrestar el vaciamiento territorial que este fenómeno extractivo provoca.
El territorio moderno y la geografía (colonial) del capital. Una arqueología mínima
Authors: Machado Aráoz Horacio
Published: December 2015

Este artículo procura ofrecer una arqueología mínima sobre algunos de los principales eslabones teóricos con base en los cuales fue articulándose el concepto moderno de territorio. Esa indagación pretende hacer manifiesto en qué medida dicho constructo ha operado como un dispositivo clave para la progresiva constitución e institucionalización de la geografía colonial del capital como sistema de dominación plenamente global y de Occidente, en particular, como su núcleo geopolítico hegemónico.
Tramas entre paramilitarismo y palmicultura en Colombia
Authors: Osorio Pérez Flor Edilma
Published: December 2015

¿Cuáles son los entramados que articulan al
paramilitarismo con la palmicultura de aceite?
Esta es la cuestión que orienta al texto, fruto
de una indagación documental frente a la
realidad de despojo encontrada en diversas zonas
rurales del país, y que dadas las condiciones
de impunidad, corrupción y continuidad de la
guerra, resulta en ocasiones difícil de comprobar.
Para ello se profundizó en dos zonas del
país: la Orinoquía, con énfasis en los departamentos
del Meta y Casanare y el Chocó. La investigación
permitió identificar etapas y ciclos
de intervención paramilitar con severos impactos
en la preservación de los derechos humanos,
al producir –entre otros- el despojo y destierro
de las comunidades. Además, estas circunstancias
se cruzan con dinámicas económicas legalizadas,
como lo son los proyectos de palma
aceitera y otras estrategias orientadas a dominar
y expoliar a los pobladores rurales, particularmente
campesinos y afrodescendientes.
Características y tipologías de la investigación en ciencias sociales: una reflexión sobre la complementariedad de las funciones de transformar y comprender
Authors: Rodríguez Jiménez Nadia Margarita
Published: December 2015

El artículo discute la aparente oposición que existe entre la investigación aplicada y la académica en las ciencias sociales, con el objetivo de aportar elementos para la articulación de estos dos campos como ejercicios complementarios. Si bien estas dos formas de acercarse al conocimiento y a la intervención sobre lo social determinan diferentes campos profesionales tanto para antropólogos, sociólogos o historiadores, estas formas de investigación no son para nada opuestas. En primer lugar, el artículo intenta mostrar que los argumentos en los que se suelen sustentar las diferencias no son los más interesantes y pertinentes. En segundo lugar, se discuten supuestos y formas de clasificación de la investigación social mostrando que las fronteras no son tan claras y que existen múltiples posibilidades de posicionamiento para los investigadores. Por último, el artículo intenta identificar algunas diferencias que hacen complementarias las funciones de transformación propias a la investigación aplicada y la comprensión de lo social propia a la investigación académica.
Parametric Design Study About Seismic Isolation System for Fast Reactor JSFR
Authors: Kawasaki Nobuchika , Yamamoto Tomohiko , Fukasawa Tsuyoshi , Okamura Shigeki
Published: December 2015

Japanese seismic conditions are getting severer and natural frequencies of components are getting lower due to the enlargements of components’ size, therefore response accelerations and buckling margins of reactor vessels were parametrically surveyed with attention to thicknesses, diameters, and isolation frequencies for reviewing necessary isolation specification.

For the first, Japanese seismic condition and present specification of JSFR isolation system are introduced in this paper. RV installed floor responses were calculated based on this seismic condition and the relationship of natural frequencies, initiated stresses, and buckling margins against vessel thicknesses and diameters were shown with trend.

Expansion characteristic of isolation system was evaluated by parametric acceleration response analyses. Comparing the response of isolation system with 8Hz vertical natural frequency with other natural frequency’s isolation, response ratios against natural frequencies were calculated.

Japanese seismic design condition may become severer than present one, and a natural frequency of main component may decrease. However based on the buckling margin with present plant specifications and the expansion characteristic of isolation system, the advanced isolation system with 8Hz vertical natural frequency was selected as the isolation system of JSFR at still present occasion.
Development of Target Power Spectral Density Functions Compatible With Design Response Spectra
Authors: Nie Jinsuo R. , Xu Jim , Braverman Joseph I.
Published: December 2015

For seismic analysis of nuclear structures, synthetic acceleration time histories are often required and are generated to envelop design response spectra following the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Standard Review Plan (SRP) Section 3.7.1. It has been recognized that without an additional check of the power spectral density (PSD) functions, spectral matching alone may not ensure that synthetic acceleration time histories have adequate power over the frequency range of interest. The SRP Section 3.7.1 Appendix A provides a target PSD function for the Regulatory Guide 1.60 horizontal spectral shape. For other spectral shapes, additional guidance on developing the target PSD functions compatible with the design spectra is desired. This paper presents a general procedure for the development of target PSD functions for any practical design response spectral shapes, which has been incorporated into the recent SRP 3.7.1, Revision 4.
Analytical Study of 1D Periodic Foundations for Structural Vibration Isolation
Authors: Witarto W. , Yan Y. , Wang S. J. , Mo Y. L. , Chang K. C. , Tang Y. , Ruis M.
Published: December 2015

The application of periodic foundations for structural vibration isolation has been intensively studied in the past decade. The ability of the periodic foundation to block the seismic wave on certain frequency ranges has put this kind of foundations as a prosperous next generation of seismic isolators. This paper first describes general idea of basic theory of one dimensional (1D) periodic foundation. The parametric studies based on the material and the geometric properties conducted in the past are discussed. The experimental tests on 1D periodic foundation are reported as well. Based on the promising results of the past research, 1D periodic foundations have been regarded as one of the simplest, yet effective foundation to block the seismic wave in all directions.

In addition to the review of the existing studies, enhanced analyses of 1D periodic foundations have been performed and are presented in this paper. Finite element analysis model of 1D periodic foundations with a three story steel frame as the superstructure was utilized for the parametric study. The study was conducted under both Shear Wave (S-Wave) and Primary Wave (P-Wave). The independent variables include the number of unit cells in the periodic foundation, the foundation and superstructure interaction, and the main frequency content of earthquake ground motion. It is found that the main frequency content of the earthquake and the natural frequency of the super structure-periodic foundation system play the major role in the superstructure response. While the number of unit cell affect the superstructure response, the effect is not as significant as the aforementioned.
Full Scale Simulation-Based Study on Dynamic Response of BWR Fuel Assemblies Under Seismic Loading
Authors: Yoshimura Shinobu , Yamada Tomonori , Koide Yuichi , Onitsuka Shohei , Iijima Tadashi
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this study is to investigate dynamic response behaviors of fuel assemblies in a boiling water reactor (BWR) under seismic loading. The core of BWR consists of several hundreds of fuel assemblies. They are supported with both top guide and fuel support and are surrounded by coolant water. It is important to grasp their dynamic response behaviors under seismic loading for securing the structural integrity of the fuel assembly itself as well as for assessing control rod scrammability. In this study, we employ two different numerical simulation methods of acoustic fluid-structure interaction (AFSI) developed by the present authors independently. The one is a three-dimensional parallel finite element method for AFSI problems with solid elements based on a partitioned coupling approach, while the other is a finite element method of beam elements for fuel assemblies combining added mass matrix, which represents coupled inertia effects caused by coolant water.

Both methods are first applied to a problem of 36 fuel assemblies for numerical verification, and then applied to a problem of 368 fuel assemblies for validation. The latter problem was set up based on the demonstration test performed by the NUPEC (Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation) in 1986. Both simulation results agreed well with each other in all cases, and the simulated results also agreed well with the experimental ones. In addition, we have precisely discussed seismic response behaviors of the fuel assemblies, which were not shown in the demonstration test. Accordingly, we conclude that the both developed simulation methods are powerful tools to grasp the precise behavior of fuel assemblies of BWR under seismic loading and to improve the seismic safety design of BWR core.
Seismic Margin Evaluation Methods Using Equivalent SDOF Model and Elasto-Plastic Response Spectrum
Authors: Onitsuka Shohei , Iijima Tadashi , Ushio Yuichi , Okuda Yukihiko , Hirai Takamasa , Inagaki Katsuhisa
Published: December 2015

Two simplified methods for evaluating seismic margin due to elasto-plastic response were proposed. Generally, elasto-plastic response is evaluated by nonlinear time-history response analysis using three-dimensional FEM model (3D FEM model). It, however, takes an immense amount of time with commonly used computers. In order to evaluate it in a shorter time, this study developed seismic margin evaluation methods using Equivalent Single Degree Of Freedom (ESDOF) model and elasto-plastic response spectrum. Additionally, the accuracy of the two methods was verified by static loading tests and vibration tests. Simple cantilever test specimens with several natural frequencies were used in the vibration tests, and input waves with several frequency characteristics were applied to each vibration test. Response displacement, response acceleration of the test specimens and input acceleration were measured in each vibration test. Maximum displacement given by ESDOF model of the test specimens was compared with the corresponding measured values of each vibration test in order to verify the accuracy of ESDOF model. Difference between the maximum displacement given by the ESDOF model and the vibration tests was around 5%, and computation time of the ESDOF model was one-tenth of 3D FEM model of the test specimens. In addition, elasto-plastic response spectrum of input waves in the vibration tests were compared with measured yield accelerations of the specimens in order to verify the accuracy of elasto-plastic response spectrum. Difference between the calculated elasto-plastic response spectrum and the measured yield acceleration of the test specimens was around 10%, and computation time of elasto-plastic response spectrum was one-tenth of the 3D FEM model. As a result, it is concluded that ESDOF model and elasto-plastic response spectrum are powerful tool to evaluate seismic margin.
Fatigue Failure Evaluation Method and Fragility Curve Using Energy
Authors: Minagawa Keisuke , Fujita Satoshi , Okamura Shigeki
Published: December 2015

In this paper, a fatigue failure evaluation method and a fragility curve using energy are proposed. The energy is one of damage indicating parameters and it can evaluate cumulative damage such as fatigue failure. The authors have already reported qualitative relationships between the energy and fatigue failure in previous papers. Great East Japan Earthquake had some features that are different from others, because it was the largest earthquake in Japanese history. For example, the earthquake had long duration time, and many aftershocks. Therefore structures were damaged by cumulative damage. On the other hand, seismic design and evaluation of mechanical structures are generally based on static force in the elastic region, so cumulative damage is not considered. Therefore damage indicating parameters that can evaluate fatigue failure have been required, and the energy is suitable for the evaluation of fatigue failure. In addition, the seismic probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) has attracted attention in recent years, so this paper deals with the fragility curve based on energy as well.
Long and Short Radius Elbow Experiments and Evaluation of Advanced Constitutive Models to Simulate the Responses
Authors: Islam Nazrul , Fenton Matthew , Hassan Tasnim
Published: December 2015

Low-cycle fatigue (LCF) and strain ratcheting responses of long and short radius elbows are studied experimentally and analytically. Elbow piping components are widely used in piping systems, however, the prediction of their low-cycle fatigue and ratcheting responses remain a challenge. Hence, a systematic set of short and long radius elbow LCF responses are developed by prescribing displacement-controlled loading cycles with or without internal pressure. A setup comprised of four LVDTs was utilized to measure diameter change during cyclic loading. In order to evaluate the accuracy of the strain gage data, strains are also acquired using the digital image correlation (DIC) technique. Recorded fatigue responses are analyzed in understanding the differences in LCF lives between the long and short radius elbows. The Chaboche nonlinear kinematic hardening constitutive model in ANSYS and a modified version of this model are evaluated for their simulation capability against the recorded elbow responses. The experimental and finite element simulation responses are presented in this article.
Experiments on Seismic Performance of Piping Mounted to a Concrete Floor by Post-Installed Anchors
Authors: Dwenger Fabian , Kerkhof Klaus , Birtel Veit , Froehlich Thilo
Published: December 2015

In nuclear power plants, non-structural systems such as piping are often connected to concrete floors by post-installed anchors. During an earthquake, the anchors have to transfer the dynamic loads between the structural and mechanical components of the power plant. The dynamic behavior of the coupled system concrete-anchor-piping is not only governed by the main components but also by the load-bearing behavior of the anchors and the dynamic behavior of pipe supports. Stiffness reduction of supports can lead to contact problems. Impact loads due to gaps between the anchor plate and concrete floor occur when the anchors show significant displacements. Uncertainties concerning possible interactions of the coupled system concrete-anchor-piping can lead to unexpected failure modes during the system response. To investigate these possible interactions, experiments and detailed numerical simulations regarding the dynamic behavior of the coupled system concrete-anchor-piping are carried out. Results of experiments and numerical simulations on the seismic performance of a mock-up consisting of piping, anchors and a structural concrete member subjected to crack cycling are presented.
A Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Damper for Low-Frequency Application
Authors: Masuda Arata , Hiraki Yasuhiro , Ikeda Naoto , Sone Akira
Published: December 2015

In this study, a design of an energy harvesting damper for low-frequency applications, such as energy harvesting from long period infrastructures, tanks and pipings, and maritime and offshore structures, is presented. In this design, the low-frequency relative motion of the damper is transformed into a high-frequency motion of a piezoelectric cantilever beam by a mechanical switching mechanism, referred to as “plucking” mechanism that couples and decouples the cantilever to the damper rod so that the input energy into the damper is converted to electric energy with high efficiency. In this paper, the energy harvesting efficiency is theoretically calculated for the harvesters with and without plucking mechanism and the optimized maximum performance is derived. Then the electrical switching circuit for the enhancement of the electromechanical conversion efficiency, referred to as “SSHI” interface is introduced. Numerical case studies suggest that the harvester with an ideally implemented parallel SSHI circuit can retrieve over 70 % energy of the maximum mechanical work input on the damper rod.
Ocean acoustic reverberation tomography
Authors: Dunn Robert A.
Published: December 2015

Seismic wide-angle imaging using ship-towed acoustic sources and networks of ocean bottom seismographs is a common technique for exploring earth structure beneath the oceans. In these studies, the recorded data are dominated by acoustic waves propagating as reverberations in the water column. For surveys with a small receiver spacing (e.g., <10 km), the acoustic wave field densely samples properties of the water column over the width of the receiver array. A method, referred to as ocean acoustic reverberation tomography, is developed that uses the travel times of direct and reflected waves to image ocean acoustic structure. Reverberation tomography offers an alternative approach for determining the structure of the oceans and advancing the understanding of ocean heat content and mixing processes. The technique has the potential for revealing small-scale ocean thermal structure over the entire vertical height of the water column and along long survey profiles or across three-dimensional volumes of the ocean. For realistic experimental geometries and data noise levels, the method can produce images of ocean sound speed on a smaller scale than traditional acoustic tomography.
Urine marker to the rescue
Authors: Nusinovich Yevgeniya
Published: December 2015

Renal and urinary EGF are biomarkers for prediction of outcomes in chronic kidney disease.
Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Interleukin-6 Modulates Endothelial Cell Movement by Upregulating Cellular Genes Involved in Migration
Authors: Giffin Louise , West John A. , Damania Blossom
Published: December 2015

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the causative agent of human Kaposi's sarcoma, a tumor that arises from endothelial cells, as well as two B cell lymphoproliferative diseases, primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman's disease. KSHV utilizes a variety of mechanisms to evade host immune responses and promote cellular transformation and growth in order to persist for the life of the host. A viral homolog of human interleukin-6 (hIL-6) named viral interleukin-6 (vIL-6) is encoded by KSHV and expressed in KSHV-associated cancers. Similar to hIL-6, vIL-6 is secreted, but the majority of vIL-6 is retained within the endoplasmic reticulum, where it can initiate functional signaling through part of the interleukin-6 receptor complex. We sought to determine how intracellular vIL-6 modulates the host endothelial cell environment by analyzing vIL-6's impact on the endothelial cell transcriptome. vIL-6 significantly altered the expression of many cellular genes associated with cell migration. In particular, vIL-6 upregulated the host factor carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) at the protein and message levels. CEACAM1 has been implicated in tumor invasion and metastasis and promotes migration and vascular remodeling in endothelial cells. We report that vIL-6 upregulates CEACAM1 by a STAT3-dependent mechanism and that CEACAM1 promotes vIL-6-mediated migration. Furthermore, latent and
de novo
KSHV infections of endothelial cells also induce CEACAM1 expression. Collectively, our data suggest that vIL-6 modulates endothelial cell migration by upregulating the expression of cellular factors, including CEACAM1.

IMPORTANCE
Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is linked with the development of three human malignancies, Kaposi's sarcoma, multicentric Castleman's disease, and primary effusion lymphoma. KSHV expresses many factors that enable the virus to manipulate the host environment in order to persist and induce disease. The viral interleukin-6 (vIL-6) produced by KSHV is structurally and functionally homologous to the human cytokine interleukin-6, except that vIL-6 is secreted slowly and functions primarily from inside the host cell. To investigate the unique intracellular role of vIL-6, we analyzed the impact of vIL-6 on endothelial cell gene expression. We report that vIL-6 significantly alters the expression of genes associated with cell movement, including that for CEACAM1. The gene for CEACAM1 was upregulated by vIL-6 and by latent and primary KSHV infection and promotes vIL-6-mediated endothelial cell migration. This work advances the field's understanding of vIL-6 function and its contribution to KSHV pathogenesis.
Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation for an unstable thoracic spine fracture after a traumatic degloving injury
Authors: Celano Emma Christine , Baum Griffin R , Gelbard Rondi B , Ahmad Faiz U
Published: December 2015

Unstable spinal fractures require urgent surgical intervention to relieve compression of the spinal cord, correct spinal deformity, stabilise the spine and prevent further neurological injury. We report the case of a young man with a thoracic chance fracture in the setting of a devastating degloving injury, whose fracture was stabilised using minimally invasive, percutaneous pedicle screw fixation. We discuss the advantages of using a minimally invasive technique for spinal fixation and its role in the treatment of complicated, multisystem trauma patients.
Greater vertical impact loading in female runners with medically diagnosed injuries: a prospective investigation
Authors: Davis Irene S , Bowser Bradley J , Mullineaux David R
Published: December 2015

Background

Running has been critical to human survival. Therefore, the high rate of injuries experienced by modern day runners is puzzling. Landing on the heel, as most modern day shod runners do, results in a distinct vertical impact force that has been shown to be associated with running-related injuries. However, these injury studies were retrospective in nature and do not establish cause and effect.

Objective

To determine whether runners with high impacts are at greater risk for developing medically diagnosed injuries.

Methods

249 female runners underwent a gait analysis to measure vertical instantaneous loading rate, vertical average loading rate (VALR), vertical impact peak (VIP) and peak vertical force. Participants then recorded their mileage and any running-related injuries monthly in a web-based, database programme. Variables were first compared between the entire injured (INJ; n=144) and uninjured (n=105) groups. However, the focus of this study was on those injured runners seeking medical attention (n=103) and those who had never injured (n=21).

Results

There were no differences between the entire group of injured and uninjured groups. However, all impact-related variables were higher in those with medically diagnosed injuries compared with those who had never been injured. (effect size (ES) 0.4–0.59). When VALR was >66.0 body weight (BW)/s, the odds of being DX_INJ were 2.72 (95% CI 1.0 to 7.4). Impact loading was associated with bony and soft-tissue injuries.

Conclusions

Vertical average loading rate was lower in female runners classified as ‘never injured’ compared with those who had been injured and sought medical attention.
Efficacy of metacognitive therapy for prolonged grief disorder: protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Wenn Jenine , O'Connor Moira , Breen Lauren J , Kane Robert T , Rees Clare S
Published: December 2015

Introduction

Studies of effective psychotherapy for individuals suffering from the effects of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) are scarce. This paper describes the protocol for an evaluation of a metacognitive therapy programme designed specifically for PGD, to reduce the psychological distress and loss of functioning resulting from bereavement.

Methods and analysis

The proposed trial comprises three phases. Phase 1 consists of a review of the literature and semistructured interviews with key members of the target population to inform the development of a metacognitive therapy programme for Prolonged Grief. Phase 2 involves a randomised controlled trial to implement and evaluate the programme. Male and female adults (N=34) will be randomly assigned to either a wait list or an intervention group. Measures of PGD, anxiety, depression, rumination, metacognitions and quality of life will be taken pretreatment and posttreatment and at the 3-month and 6-month follow-up. The generalised linear mixed model will be used to assess treatment efficacy. Phase 3 will test the social validity of the programme.

Discussion

This study is the first empirical investigation of the efficacy of a targeted metacognitive treatment programme for PGD. A focus on identifying and changing the metacognitive mechanisms underpinning the development and maintenance of prolonged grief is likely to be beneficial to theory and practice.

Ethics

Ethics approval was obtained from Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (Approval number HR 41/2013.)

Trial registration number

ACTRN12613001270707.
Early childhood constraint therapy for sensory/motor impairment in cerebral palsy: a randomised clinical trial protocol
Authors: Chorna Olena , Heathcock Jill , Key Alexandra , Noritz Garey , Carey Helen , Hamm Ellyn , Nelin Mary Ann , Murray Micah , Needham Amy , Slaughter James C , Maitre Nathalie L
Published: December 2015

Introduction

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common physical disability in childhood. It is a disorder resulting from sensory and motor impairments due to perinatal brain injury, with lifetime consequences that range from poor adaptive and social function to communication and emotional disturbances. Infants with CP have a fundamental disadvantage in recovering motor function: they do not receive accurate sensory feedback from their movements, leading to developmental disregard. Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is one of the few effective neurorehabilitative strategies shown to improve upper extremity motor function in adults and older children with CP, potentially overcoming developmental disregard.

Methods and analysis

This study is a randomised controlled trial of children 12–24 months corrected age studying the effectiveness of CIMT combined with motor and sensory-motor interventions. The study population will comprise 72 children with CP and 144 typically developing children for a total of N=216 children. All children with CP, regardless of group allocation will continue with their standard of care occupational and physical therapy throughout the study. The research material collected will be in the form of data from high-density array event-related potential scan, standardised assessment scores and motion analysis scores.

Ethics and dissemination

The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board. The findings of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences.

Trial registration number

NCT02567630.
Hydrogen sulfide formation in oil and gas
Authors: Marriott Robert A. , Pirzadeh Payman , Marrugo-Hernandez Juan J. , Raval Shaunak
Published: December 2015

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can be a significant component of oil and gas upstream production, where H2S can be naturally generated in situ from reservoir biomass and from sulfate-containing minerals through microbial sulfate reduction and (or) thermochemical sulfate reduction. On the other hand, the technologies employed in oil and gas production, especially from unconventional resources, also can contribute to generation or delay of appearance of H2S. Steam-assisted gravity drainage and hydraulic fracturing used in production of oil sands and shale oil/gas, respectively, can potentially convert the sulfur content of the petroleum into H2S or contribute excess amounts of H2S during production. A brief overview of the different classes of chemical reactions involved in the in situ generation and release of H2S is provided in this work. Speciation calculations and reaction mechanisms are presented to explain why thermochemical sulfate reduction progresses at faster rates under low pH. New studies regarding the degradation of a hydraulic fracture fluid additive (sodium dodecly sulfate) are reported for T = 200 °C, p = 17 MPa, and high ionic strengths. The absence of an ionic strength effect on the reaction rate suggests that the rate-limiting step involves the reaction of neutral species, such as elemental sulfur. This is not the case with other thermochemical sulfate reduction studies at T > 300 °C. These two different kinetic regimes complicate the goal of extrapolating laboratory results for field-specific models for H2S production.
Surfing the biomass size spectrum: some remarks on history, theory, and application
Authors: Sprules William Gary , Barth Lauren Emily
Published: December 2015

Charles Elton introduced the “pyramid of numbers” in the late 1920s, but this remarkable insight into body-size dependent patterns in natural communities lay fallow until the theory of the biomass size spectrum was introduced by aquatic ecologists in the mid-1960s. They noticed that the summed biomass concentration of individual aquatic organisms was roughly constant across equal logarithmic intervals of body size from bacteria to the largest predators. These observations formed the basis for a theory of aquatic ecosystems, based on the body size of individual organisms, that revealed new insights into constraints on the structure of biological communities. In this review, we discuss the history of the biomass spectrum and the development of underlying theories. We indicate how to construct biomass spectra from sample data, explain the mathematical relations among them, show empirical examples of their various forms, and give details on how to statistically fit the most robust linear and nonlinear models to biomass spectra. We finish by giving examples of biomass spectrum applications to production and fisheries ecology and offering recommendations to help standardize use of the biomass spectrum in aquatic ecology.
Consistent differential resource use by sympatric lake (Coregonus clupeaformis) and round (Prosopium cylindraceum) whitefish in Lake Huron: a multi-time scale isotopic niche analysis
Authors: Eberts Rebecca L. , Wissel Björn , Manzon Richard G. , Wilson Joanna Y. , Boreham Douglas R. , Somers Christopher M.
Published: December 2015

Lake (Coregonus clupeaformis) and round (Prosopium cylindraceum) whitefish are sympatric benthivores in Lake Huron that are thought to coexist via niche partitioning. However, little is known about long-term resource use and niche overlap across different temporal scales. We used a multiyear (2010–2012) and multi-tissue (liver, muscle, and bone layers) isotopic niche analysis to characterize and compare resource use by lake and round whitefish across several time scales. Lake whitefish consistently used more diverse, 13C-depleted (mean δ13C = −21.9‰) and 15N-enriched (mean δ15N = +9.3‰) resources than round whitefish (mean δ13C = −18.2‰; mean δ15N = +8.3‰). Niche overlap occurred only in liver, representing the spawning period, while niche segregation was highest in juvenile life stages. Individuals of both species made variable resource shifts among time periods, suggesting that spawning aggregations are composed of individuals representing a variety of feeding strategies and locations. Our study confirms that differential resource use is an important strategy for these fish as adults and demonstrates life-long niche partitioning beginning before age-2.
Genomes: At the edge of chaos with maximum information capacity
Authors: Kong Sing-Guan , Chen Hong-Da , Torda Andrew , Lee H. C.
Published: December 2015

We propose an order index, [Formula: see text], which quantifies the notion of “life at the edge of chaos” when applied to genome sequences. It maps genomes to a number from 0 (random and of infinite length) to 1 (fully ordered) and applies regardless of sequence length and base composition. The 786 complete genomic sequences in GenBank were found to have [Formula: see text] values in a very narrow range, 0.037 ± 0.027. We show this implies that genomes are halfway towards being completely random, namely, at the edge of chaos. We argue that this narrow range represents the neighborhood of a fixed-point in the space of sequences, and genomes are driven there by the dynamics of a robust, predominantly neutral evolution process.