bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Customer Relationship Management, Brand Equity, Perceived Product Quality, Perceived Price on Customer Value and Purchase Intention (Studies Philips Light Bulb in Batam)
Authors: Hakim Lukmanul , Susanti Nanis , - Ujianto
Published: June 2017

This study tried to determine and analyze the deeper understanding of the influence of customer relationship management, brand equity, perceived of product quality, perceived value and price to the customer at the customer's purchase intention Philips light bulb in Batam.The population in this study are all users (consumers) electric light bulb philips brands in the city of Batam. Testing of the model in this study, with Generalized Least Square Estimation (GLS), analysis of structural equation modeling (SEM), proportional random sampling method and software assistance Amos 22, on 240 respondents from eight times the 30 indicators the study variables. The test results indicate the model (fit) seen from the GFI, AGFI, TLI, CFI, RMSEA and CMIN / DF, each of 0915, 0901, 0949, 0953, 0063, and 1,376 are all that are in the range of expected values so that the model can be accepted.The results showed that: 1). Customer relationship management influence on customer value, it shows that with good customer relationship management program, will increase customer value. 2) Customer relationship management influence on purchase intention, it shows that with good customer relationship management program, will increase customer value. 3) Brand equity effect on customer value, it shows that with a good brand equity, will increase customer value. 4). Brand equity effect on purchase intention, it shows that with a good brand equity, will increase customer value. 5) Perceived quality of product effect on customer value, it indicates that the perceived quality of a good product, will increase customer value. 6). Perceived quality of product effect on purchase intention, this suggests that the perceived quality of a good product, will increase purchase intention. 7). Perceived price effect on customer value, it indicates that the perceived price friendly, will increase customer value. 8) Perceived price effect on purchase intention, this suggests that the perceived price friendly, will increase purchase intention. 9). Customer value effect on purchase intention, it shows that with high customer value, will raise the purchase intention.
A Health-Related Satisfaction with Life Scale Measure for Use with Cross-National Older Adults: A Validation Study
Authors: Humboldt Sofia von , Leal Isabel
Published: June 2017

Objectives: Literature suggests some inconsistent results in the validity and reliability of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SwLS) in older samples. The objective was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the SwLS in a cross-cultural sample of older adults.Methods: This is a validation study to assess the psychometric properties of the SWLS in a sample of 1291 older adults 75 years of age or older, cross-culturally diverse and living in the community. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed. Item analysis and reliability, were also assessed.Results: The systematic procedure used in the SwLS validation points to a good level of psychometric properties, such as reliability, construct, criterion validity, external validity and divergent criterion validity, suggesting that the SwL is assessing a construct different from the ones evaluated by PANAS and OtLQ.Conclusion: The SwLS has demonstrated reliability, validity, and reproducibility for use in measuring health-related satisfaction with life among older adults in policy programs and interventions in community settings.
Numerical Analisis of Thermal Stimulation Characteristics Influence on Detection of Defects in Multi-layer Composites by Infrared Thermography Method
Authors: ŚWIDERSKI Waldemar
Published: June 2017

Some results of numerical calculations
evaluating the influence of characteristic
of thermal stimulation used in active infrared
thermography on detection of thin defects in
composites are presented in the paper. The calculations
were carried out for multi-layer composite
material strengthened by carbon fibre.
Computer simulations were performed for typical
thermal stimulations generated by heating
lamps. The possibilities for detection of defects
by using both reflection and transmission
methods were analysed.
Comparison Analysis of Drag Coefficients for Supersonic Mortar Projectiles .
Authors: MAGIER Mariusz , MERDA Tomasz
Published: June 2017

Results of comparison between drag
coefficients established by the firing tests and
numerical simulations are presented in the
paper. The results of numerical calculations
carried out by CFD method, exploiting Ansys
Fluent v16 software, were used to develop initial
firing tables for newly designed projectiles
for RAK mortar.
JERZY JASIUK 1932–2016
Authors: Mady Piotr
Published: June 2017

Jerzy Jasiuk graduated from the Warsaw
University of Technology. He was professionally connected
with the Museum of Technology in Warsaw from 1956. From
1972 to 2013 he held the post of its director. His whole life
was devoted to technical museology; he engaged in the popularisation
of knowledge and the collective care of relics.
He sat on the scientific boards of numerous museums and
held social functions in many associations connected with
the protection of monuments. He was also an active and
valued activist in scientific and technical associations. He
was always involved in the difficult dialogue about technical
museology. He dreamt about founding a National Museum
of Technology in Poland.
Taxonomic review of the tree snail genus Amphidromus Albers, 1850 (Pulmonata: Camaenidae) in Laos, with the description of two new species
Authors: Inkhavilay Khamla , Sutcharit Chirasak , Panha Somsak
Published: June 2017

The land snail genus Amphidromus Albers, 1850 and its subgenus Syndromus Pilsbry, 1900 (family Camaenidae) in Laos are revised. Fourteen species from various habitats of deciduous forest and limestone areas throughout Laos are confirmed. The classification is revised and discussed, based on material examined from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand and after comparison with the type specimens in many museums. Two new species, A. (Amphidromus) syndromoideus Inkhavilay & Panha sp. nov., from central Laos, and A. (Syndromus) xiengkhaungensis Inkhavilay & Panha sp. nov., from northern Laos, are described and discussed.
Diagnostic Algorithm of Common Mature B-Cell Lymphomas by Immunohistochemistry
Authors: Wang Huan-You , Zu Youli
Published: June 2017

Context.—

Different types of mature B-cell lymphomas, including plasma cell neoplasms, exhibit distinct immunohistochemical profiles, which enable them to be correctly diagnosed. However, except for rare examples of lymphoma-specific immunohistochemistry, such as cyclin D1 in mantle cell lymphoma and annexin A1 in hairy cell leukemia, immunohistochemical profiles of mature B-cell lymphomas overlap and lack specificity.

Objectives.—

To systemically review immunohistochemical features associated with commonly encountered mature B-cell lymphomas based on the presence or absence of CD5 and CD10; to review the immunophenotypic profile of plasma cells derived from plasma cell myelomas and B-cell lymphomas; and to review a group of rare, aggressive B-cell lymphomas with antigen expression features of plasma cells.

Data Sources.—

Published and PubMed-indexed English literature was reviewed.

Conclusions.—

Although the presence or absence of CD5 and CD10 expression should be included in the initial immunohistochemistry screening panel for mature B-cell lymphomas, appropriate and judicial use of other B-cell antigens is necessary to ensure correct diagnoses. Furthermore, although the status of CD5 and CD10 expression is associated with certain prototypes of B-cell lymphomas, their expression is not specific. Plasma cells from plasma cell neoplasias and B-cell lymphomas exhibit overlapping but relatively distinct immunophenotypes; thus, a panel of immunohistochemical markers (CD19, CD45, CD56, and CD117) can be employed for their proper identification. Lastly, CD138 staining results are almost always positive in a group of aggressive B-cell lymphomas with plasmablastic features, including plasmablastic plasma cell myeloma, plasmablastic lymphoma, and ALK-1+ large B-cell lymphoma.
Forage Yield and Quality of Sweet Sorghum as Influenced by Sowing Methods and Harvesting Times
Authors: Muhammad Umer Chattha  , Aisf Iqbal  , Muhammad Umair Hassan  , Muhammad Bilal Chattha  , Wajid Ishaque  , Muhammad Usman  , Sadia Khan  , Muhammad Tauqir Fayyaz  , Muhammad Aman Ullah
Published: June 2017

Sowing methods and harvesting times are the important management considerations for getting the optimum yield and quality of fodder crops. This study, investigated the influence of sowing methods and harvesting times on the growth, yield and quality of sweet sorghum. Chinese sweet sorghum was grown by broadcast method, 30 cm apart lines and 45 cm apart lines and harvested after 60, 75 and 90 days after sowing, respectively. All the tested sowing patterns and harvesting times considerably affected the growth, yield and quality of sweet sorghum. However, sowing in 30 cm apart rows produced maximum leaves per plant (13.09), fresh forage yield (38.1 t ha-1), dry matter yield (4.85 t ha-1), crude proteins (8.9%), ash contents (11%) and sugar contents (12.8%), respectively. Similarly, harvesting after 90 days of sowing gave highest leaves per plant (14.72), fresh forage yield (45.1 t ha-1), dry matter yield (5.60 t ha-1), ash contents (12.2%) and sugar contents (14.1%), respectively. These results suggested that sowing in 30 cm apart lines and harvesting after 90 days of sowing improved the growth, yield and quality of sweet sorghum under the semiarid region of Faisalabad.
Recent Topical Research on Global, Energy, Health & Medical, and Tourism Economics, and Global Software: An Overview
Authors: Chang Chia-Lin , McAleer Michael
Published: June 2017

The paper presents an overview of recent topical research on global, energy, health & medical, and tourism economics, and global software. We have interpreted â€œglobalâ€ in the title of the Journal of Reviews on Global Economics to cover contributions that have a global impact on economics, thereby making it "global economics". In this sense, the paper is concerned with papers on global, energy, health & medical, and tourism economics, as well as global software algorithms that have global economic impacts. The topics covered include re-opening the Silk Road to transform Chinese trade, education and skill mismatches, code of practice and indicators for quality management of official statistics, projections of energy use and carbon emissions, multi-fuel allocation for power generation using genetic algorithms, optimal active energy loss with feeder routing and renewable energy for smart grid distribution, demand for narcotics with policy implications, computer technology to improve medical information, heritage tourism, ecotourism impacts on the economy, society and environment, taxi drivers' cross-cultural communication problems and challenges, hybrid knowledge discovery system based on items and tags, game development platform to improve advanced programming skills, quadratic approximation of the newsvendor problem with imperfect quality, classification of workflow management systems for emails, academic search engine for personalized rankings, creative and learning processes using game-based activities, personal software process with automatic requirements traceability to support start-ups, and comparing statistical and data mining techniques for enrichment ontology with instances.
Multi-Fuel Allocation for Power Generation Using Genetic Algorithms
Authors: Choeichum Anurak , Keeratipranon Narongdech , Khemapatapan Chaiyaporn
Published: June 2017

The ever increasing growth of energy consumption has stimulated an energy crisis, not only in terms of energy demand, but also the impact of climate change from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Renewable energy sources (RES) have high potential toward sustainable development, with a wide variety of socioeconomic benefits, including diversification of energy supply and creation of domestic industry. This paper presents a solution to optimal multi-fuel allocation for the electric power generation planning problem via genetic algorithms (GA). The objective is to maximize the electric power energy output and minimize generation cost. This is a difficult problem because of its data variation and volatility. GA can provide an appropriate heuristic search method and return an actual or near optimal solution. This paper uses some heuristics during crossover and mutation for tuning the system to obtain a better candidate solution. An experimental result showed significantly improved results compared with other techniques. The results in this paper should be useful for connecting power generation with economic growth.
Heritage Tourism and Vibrant Life of the Baan Lao Community, Chao Phraya River, Bangkok, Thailand
Authors: Choomgrant Korakit , Sukharomana Renu
Published: June 2017

The reputations of primary and secondary tourist destinations are hierarchically created through its value to the nation. Prioritizing a conservation project and tourism development can have major differences. Values attached to a destination by inhabitants are different from those of tourists, and are often influenced by the promotional campaigns designed by authorized agencies. A primary destination is then worthy of promotion and conservation as it serves a nation's purposes economically, socially and politically, while a destination that is not corresponding in such ways is usually disregarded. Koh Kret is an established primary tourism destination for domestic visitors, though not for international visitors. However, the Baan Lao Community can be developed as a secondary tourism destination for visitors to Koh Kret. Koh Kret and Baan Lao Community in Thailand are illustrations of significance and value. By understanding the Baan Lao community's significance, value and values, it is an opportunity to develop the area as a secondary tourist destination, and help preserve the way of life of local inhabitants along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand.
A Hybrid Knowledge Discovery System Based on Items and Tags
Authors: Niranatlamphong Winyu , Choochaiwattana Worasit
Published: June 2017

Exponentially increasing knowledge in a management system is the main cause of the overload problem. Development of a recommender service embedded in the management system is challenging. This paper proposes a hybrid approach by combining an item-based recommendation technique (collaborative filtering technique) with a tag-based recommendation technique (content based filtering technique). In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed hybrid approach, a group of knowledge management system users are invited as participants in the research. Participants are asked to use the prototype of a management system embedded within the knowledge recommender service for four months, which guarantees that each interaction by participants with knowledge items are recorded. A confusion matrix is used to compute accuracy of the proposed hybrid approach. The results of the experiments reveal that the hybrid approach outperforms both item-based and tag-based approaches. The hybrid approach seems to be a promising technique for a recommender service in the knowledge management system.
Quadratic Approximation of the Newsvendor Problem with Imperfect Quality
Authors: Areerakulkan Natapat
Published: June 2017

The paper presents a newsvendor problem in a fuzzy environment by introducing product quality as a fuzzy variable, and product demand as a probability distribution in an economic and supply chain management environment. In order to determine the optimal order quantity, a methodology is developed where the solution is achieved using a fuzzy ranking method combined with a quadratic programming problem approximation. Numerical examples are provided and compared in both situations, namely fuzzy and crisp. The results of these numerical examples show that the decision maker has to order a higher quantity when product quality is a fuzzy variable. The model can be useful for real world problems when historical data are not available.
Creative and Learning Processes using Game-Based Activities
Authors: Inchamnan Wilawan , Yampray Karuna
Published: June 2017

This paper gains a better understanding of how gameplay activities facilitate the creative learning process, reviews learning objects as game elements that influence creativity and learning outcomes, and focuses on learning activity in terms of a series of actions, namely goals, action and interaction, and interpretation. The series should be an element of object learning through game elements, that are adapted from a collection of content items, practice items, and assessment within game tasks. The findings illustrate the relationship between the series of actions within classroom activities, show the significant impact of learning outcomes and the series of actions' learning, and facilitate creative learning processes. The paper proposes a method for understanding the relationships between the learning processes that players undertake during gameplay, and the components of the game that allow these processes to occur. This method was synthesized from the focus group by considering the relationships of their learning outcomes and creative processes within game activities. Previous research studied the creative potential in puzzle game play in the process. The pilot participants in the study adapted the process that was observed during the game "Online Gunz 2: The Second Duel", and were recorded their learning outcomes. The anticipated outcomes represented how video games foster learning processes and creative processes. The results illustrate a significant conceptual method as interrelationships between meaningful learning and creative potential within a game-based activities.
Personal Software Process with Automatic Requirements Traceability to Support Startups
Authors: Jirapanthong Waraporn
Published: June 2017

This paper applies Personal Software Process (PSP) for software development activities, and uses PSP scripts to follow the activities in software development. In particular, we have adapted a development script in order to enable automatic traceability. The script is the cyclical process that is designed for developing a large program in a sequence of small incremental steps. Moreover, we have extended an XTraQue tool to enable an automatic traceability during using PSP. This enables the completeness of traceability during using PSP. The Part-of-Speech (POS) embedded XML-based templates of software artefacts for PSP-based development, that is, functional requirements (FR), use case, and class diagram are defined. We perform an explanatory case study in order to evaluate the effectiveness between manual and automatic traceability during the personal software process (PSP). In particular, the causal links between software artefacts created during software development are so-called traceability relations. The result evaluation are concerned with precision and recall measures on the creation of traceability relations.
Comparing Statistical and Data Mining Techniques for Enrichment Ontology with Instances
Authors: Imsombut Aurawan , Kajornrit Jesada
Published: June 2017

Enriching instances into an ontology is an important task because the process extends knowledge in ontology to cover more extensively the domain of interest, so that greater benefits can be obtained. There are many techniques to classify instances of concepts with two popular techniques being the statistical and data mining methods. The paper compares the use of the two methods to classify instances to enrich ontology having greater domain knowledge, and selects a conditional random field for the statistical method and feature-weight k-nearest neighbor classification for the data mining method. The experiments are conducted on tourism ontology. The results show that conditional random fields methods provide greater precision and recall value than the other, specifically, F1-measure is 74.09% for conditional random fields and 60.04% for feature-weight k-nearest neighbor classification.
La valeur associée à la maîtrise de la consommation électrique : multi-dimensionnalité et bivalence
Authors: Innocent Morgane , François-Lecompte Agnès , Le Gall-Ely Marine
Published: June 2017

Dans le contexte de la transition énergétique, l’article analyse la maîtrise de la consommation électrique (MCE) des individus dans leur sphère domestique. À travers une recherche qualitative exploratoire menée auprès de 16 répondants, il identifie les dimensions de la MCE du point de vue des consommateurs, et les valeurs qui lui sont associées. Les résultats font entrevoir un ensemble de sept composantes de valeurs, pour certaines bivalentes, c’est-à-dire à la fois source de coûts et de bénéfices, et allant au-delà des considérations économiques et environnementales. Ils suggèrent de concevoir l’accompagnement au changement au plus près de l’expérience vécue au quotidien par les individus.
Crowdsourcing vs Design Thinking : une étude comparative de deux démarches d’innovation externe dans la phase d’idéation
Authors: Hemonnet-Goujot Aurélie , Fabbri Julie , Manceau Delphine
Published: June 2017

Le crowdsourcing et le design thinking sont des démarches d’innovation fortement médiatisées et mobilisées par les entreprises pour faire émerger des idées de nouveaux produits et services. Pourtant, on connaît encore mal leurs apports et leurs limites dans la phase d’idéation. Grâce à une étude de cas dans laquelle une entreprise a mobilisé ces deux démarches en parallèle, permettant une comparaison et une analyse détaillées, nous montrons que le crowdsourcing permet de générer un grand nombre d’idées au regard du temps investi et d’identifier les tendances du marché, sans être toutefois plus rapide ou plus économique. Le design thinking apparaît, quant à lui, comme une grille d’analyse pertinente pour donner du sens aux idées générées par le crowdsourcing , mais ne propose pas toujours de solutions opérationnelles.
Le joueur social et connecté : une perspective d’analyse par la théorie de l’engagement comportemental
Authors: Belaud Lydie , Heitz-Spahn Sandrine , Yildiz Hélène
Published: June 2017

Alors que le marché des jeux sociaux et communautaires est en pleine croissance, ces jeux ont fait l’objet de peu de recherches en marketing. L’objectif de cet article consiste à clarifier le concept de jeu social et de jeu communautaire et à expliquer le processus conduisant à l’achat d’objets virtuels, la principale source de revenus de ce type de jeux. À partir de l’analyse d’entretiens individuels et d’un focus group menés auprès de joueurs, il ressort que le jeu social et le jeu communautaire répondent aux leviers de l’engagement comportemental (Kiesler, 1971) et que l’achat d’objets virtuels est la résultante d’un processus d’engagement du joueur. Cet article fournit des pistes de réflexion en direction des développeurs et des managers visant à favoriser l’achat d’objets virtuels.
Les effets des m-services touristiques sur la proposition de valeur d’une ville
Authors: Rivière Arnaud , Bourliataux-Lajoinie Stéphane
Published: June 2017

Face à une concurrence accrue entre les destinations touristiques, bon nombre de villes françaises visent à enrichir leur proposition de valeur en introduisant de nouveaux services mobiles (m-services) touristiques. En vue d’analyser les effets de ces m-services, la démarche adoptée dans cet article consiste, via une étude qualitative menée auprès de 28 touristes français, à transposer l’approche de la valeur perçue au contexte d’une ville. Contrastant avec l’engouement des destinations pour les m-services et les réflexions académiques en marketing du tourisme, les résultats remettent partiellement en cause la capacité des m-services touristiques à accroître la proposition de valeur d’une ville, perçue par les touristes en phase de préparation du séjour.
Le rôle de la restauration gastronomique dans la valorisation des produits alimentaires localisés
Authors: Salvador Marielle , El Euch Maalej Mariem , Frochot Isabelle
Published: June 2017

La consommation de produits alimentaires localisés est une tendance de fond depuis ces dernières années. Néanmoins, ces produits souffrent encore d’un manque de visibilité auprès des consommateurs. Outre les acteurs de la grande distribution et les acteurs traditionnels (producteurs locaux, collectivités locales, etc.), les chefs étoilés communiquent eux aussi sur les produits localisés. Cette étude qualitative montre que le restaurant gastronomique participe à la communication des produits localisés, et qu’en retour, ces derniers contribuent à l’ancrage territorial de l’établissement. Les résultats de cette étude permettent de faire des recommandations tant aux chefs qu’aux acteurs de la filière afin de mieux valoriser les produits localisés.
Les consommateurs perçoivent-ils le prix des produits du commerce équitable comme étant juste ?
Authors: Dekhili Sihem , Coulibaly Mantiaba , Dufeu Ivan
Published: June 2017

Le principe de prix juste constitue l’un des piliers du commerce équitable (CE) depuis ses origines. Dans la littérature, cette question est généralement abordée sous l’angle des producteurs, avec le regard de l’analyste ou du chercheur : sont-ils rémunérés correctement pour leur travail ? La présente recherche, qui s’appuie sur des entretiens menés auprès de consommateurs français, se propose d’explorer la justice liée au prix en se plaçant de leur point de vue : le prix qu’ils paient pour les produits issus du CE leur semble-t-il juste ? En nous appuyant sur la théorie de l’équité, nous avons observé que les individus, dans leur perception de la justice liée au prix, ne mobilisent pas de mécanisme comparatif. Ils adoptent souvent des discours qui relèvent des principes de la justice distributive au sens d’Aristote en s’intéressant notamment à la répartition des prix et des marges dans les filières de CE. Dans ce contexte, la perception de la justice liée au prix est conditionnée par la confiance accordée aux organisations intervenant dans ces filières.
Mères et entrepreneures : étude de la motivation entrepreneuriale des mampreneurs françaises1
Authors: d’Andria Aude , Gabarret Inès
Published: June 2017

Dans cet article nous développons une recherche approfondie sur les déterminants de la motivation entrepreneuriale des mampreneurs en contexte français.

Les résultats de notre étude montrent que les dimensions motivationnelles des mampreneurs françaises sont diverses et non mutuellement exclusives. Au-delà de la conciliation travail-famille, la recherche de satisfaction, d’indépendance et de reconnaissance professionnelle sont des facteurs importants de motivation entrepreneuriale pour ces mères entrepreneures. Ils sont cependant conditionnés par des facteurs contextuels perçus au moment de la décision de création et qui sont susceptibles d’évoluer dans le temps. Cet article propose alors un modèle de la motivation entrepreneuriale des mampreneurs qui inclut la prise en compte de différentes strates motivationnelles qui combinent des facteurs psychologiques, économiques et environnementaux.
Cerebellar re-encoding of self-generated head movements
Authors: Dugué Guillaume P , Tihy Matthieu , Gourévitch Boris , Léna Clément
Published: June 2017

Head movements are primarily sensed in a reference frame tied to the head, yet they are used to calculate self-orientation relative to the world. This requires to re-encode head kinematic signals into a reference frame anchored to earth-centered landmarks such as gravity, through computations whose neuronal substrate remains to be determined. Here, we studied the encoding of self-generated head movements in the rat caudal cerebellar vermis, an area essential for graviceptive functions. We found that, contrarily to peripheral vestibular inputs, most Purkinje cells exhibited a mixed sensitivity to head rotational and gravitational information and were differentially modulated by active and passive movements. In a subpopulation of cells, this mixed sensitivity underlay a tuning to rotations about an axis defined relative to gravity. Therefore, we show that the caudal vermis hosts a re-encoded, gravitationally polarized representation of self-generated head kinematics in freely moving rats.
Medical team coverage of motor sports events
Authors: Hunter Harlen C.
Published: June 2017

Sports medicine physicians treating race car drivers competing on the circuit are likely to encounter more than burns, contusions, and lacerations. Based on the author's 3-year experience as a member of a medical team on the motor sports circuit, this article outlines the various injuries and illnesses---many of which are seen in family practice medicine-that these physicians can encounter in crew members and spectators, as well as race car drivers.
Tuberculous pericarditis
Authors: Kutoloski Karen S. , Salvucci Thomas J. , Dennis Charles
Published: June 2017

A patient with a 5-month history of pericardial effusion and unsuccessful steroid treatment was found at pericardial exploration to have thickened pericardium adhered to the heart. After anterior pericardiectomy, histologic examination revealed severe granulomatous pericarditis resulting from infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Despite the pericardiectomy and antituberculous therapy, the patient continued to have symptoms, including bilateral pleural effusions, 4 days after discharge from the hospital. After a second exploration (after echocardiography revealed decreased left ventricular function and hemodynamic findings showed persistent constriction), anterior and posterior cardiectomy was deemed necessary. Pleural effusion did not recur, and the patient was discharged with antituberculous drug therapy. This rare extrapulmonary form of tuberculosis can have an insidious or sudden onset, and diagnosis is complicated by false-negative tuberculin tests, nonspecific radiographic and echocardiographic findings, and timeconsuming bacteriologic culture. Previous high mortality with the disease has been decreased to approximately 40% by the advent of antituberculous drug therapy. The still significant mortality reflects the difficulty in early diagnosis and the serious effects of pericardial effusion and constriction.
Phenotypic variation in dorsal fin morphology of coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) off Mexico
Authors: Morteo Eduardo , Rocha-Olivares Axayácatl , Morteo Rodrigo , Weller David W.
Published: June 2017

Geographic variation in external morphology is thought to reflect an interplay between genotype and the environment. Morphological variation has been well-described for a number of cetacean species, including the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). In this study we analyzed dorsal fin morphometric variation in coastal bottlenose dolphins to search for geographic patterns at different spatial scales. A total of 533 dorsal fin images from 19 available photo-identification catalogs across the three Mexican oceanic regions (Pacific Oceann = 6, Gulf of Californian = 6 and, Gulf of Mexicon = 7) were used in the analysis. Eleven fin shape measurements were analyzed to evaluate fin polymorphism through multivariate tests. Principal Component Analysis on log-transformed standardized ratios explained 94% of the variance. Canonical Discriminant Function Analysis on factor scores showed separation among most study areas (p < 0.05) with exception of the Gulf of Mexico where a strong morphometric cline was found. Possible explanations for the observed differences are related to environmental, biological and evolutionary processes. Shape distinction between dorsal fins from the Pacific and those from the Gulf of California were consistent with previously reported differences in skull morphometrics and genetics. Although the functional advantages of dorsal fin shape remains to be assessed, it is not unlikely that over a wide range of environments, fin shape may represent a trade-off among thermoregulatory capacity, hydrodynamic performance and the swimming/hunting behavior of the species.
Discrimination factors of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in meerkat feces
Authors: Montanari Shaena
Published: June 2017

Stable isotope analysis of feces can provide a non-invasive method for tracking the dietary habits of nearly any mammalian species. While fecal samples are often collected for macroscopic and genetic study, stable isotope analysis can also be applied to expand the knowledge of species-specific dietary ecology. It is somewhat unclear how digestion changes the isotope ratios of animals’ diets, so more controlled diet studies are needed. To date, most diet-to-feces controlled stable isotope experiments have been performed on herbivores, so in this study I analyzed the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in the diet and feces of the meerkat (Suricata suricatta), a small omnivorous mammal. The carbon trophic discrimination factor between diet and feces (Δ13Cfeces) is calculated to be 0.1 ± 1.5‰, which is not significantly different from zero, and in turn, not different than the dietary input. On the other hand, the nitrogen trophic discrimination factor (Δ15Nfeces) is 1.5 ± 1.1‰, which is significantly different from zero, meaning it is different than the average dietary input. Based on data generated in this experiment and a review of the published literature, carbon isotopes of feces characterize diet, while nitrogen isotope ratios of feces are consistently higher than dietary inputs, meaning a discrimination factor needs to be taken into account. The carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values of feces are an excellent snapshot of diet that can be used in concert with other analytical methods to better understand ecology, diets, and habitat use of mammals.
A new species of Porina (lichenized Ascomycota, Porinaceae) from Tasmania
Authors: McCarthy Patrick , Kantvilas Gintaras
Published: June 2017

Porina australis sp. nov. (lichenized Ascomycota, Porinaceae) is described from seasonally inundated, siliceous rocks in the Frankland River, north-western Tasmania, Australia. It has a thin, medium yellow-brown to dark rusty red-brown, rimose to areolate thallus, prominent, medium-sized, blackish perithecia that are mainly orange-brown within, a comparatively thick, pale excipulum and fusiform or narrowly oblong, 7(–9)-septate ascospores of 37–65 × 5–8 µm.
Kleinia subrahmanianii (Asteraceae: Senecioneae), a new species from southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India
Authors: Sunil Chandrasseril Narayanan , Naveen Kumar V V , Rajeev Thyppokkath Sundaram , Ratheesh Narayana M K , Prasad V P
Published: June 2017

Kleinia subrahmanianii, a new species of Asteraceae from southern Western Ghats is described and illustrated. Kleinia subrahmanianii is allied to Kleinia grandiflora but differs in having green, terete branchlets, elliptic–oblong to linear–lanceolate non-glaucous leaves, 30–95 cm long dark–purplish scape, 7–22 drooping capitula per scape, 16–20 mm long dark–purple phyllaries, 1.3–1.7 cm long corolla tube, 2.3–3 mm long corolla lobes, 2.5–3 mm long anthers and short pappus.
Cymbidium nanulum Y.S. Wu & S.C. Chen, a new addition to the orchid flora of India
Authors: Kumar Vikas
Published: June 2017

Cymbidium nanulum Y.S. Wu & S.C. Chen (Orchidaceae), an IUCN Red listed endangered species, is now recorded from Senapati District of Manipur, India, for the first time. Coloured photographic images of the species, along with a taxonomic description, have been provided in order to facilitate easy identification.
Acacia wollarensis (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae sect. Botrycephalae), a distinctive new species endemic to the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Bell Stephen , Driscoll Colin
Published: June 2017

Acacia wollarensis (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae sect. Botrycephalae), a new and restricted species from the upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales, is described and illustrated. The new taxon has affinities to Acacia fulva and the rare A. chrysotricha, but differs from these most prominently in the densely white-setose rachis and pinnules. At present, the new taxon is known only from two populations and under IUCN guidelines qualifies

as vulnerable, but is not under immediate threat.
Robust adaptive output‐feedback control for a class of nonlinear systems with hysteresis compensation controller
Authors: Zhang Xiuyu , Li Zhi , Su Chun‐Yi , Lin Yan
Published: June 2017

In this paper, a robust adaptive output‐feedback dynamic surface control scheme is proposed for a class of single‐input single‐output nonlinear systems preceded by unknown hysteresis with the following features: (1) a hysteresis compensator is designed in the control signal to compensate the hysteresis nonlinearities with only the availability of the output of the control system; (2) by estimating the norm of the unknown parameter vector and the maximum value of the hysteresis density function, the number of the estimated parameters is reduced, which implies that the computational burden is greatly reduced; (3) by introducing the initializing technique, the initial conditions of the state observer and adaptive laws of unknown parameters can be properly chosen, and the arbitrarily small
norm of the tracking error is achieved. It is proved that all the signals in the closed‐loop system are ultimately uniformly bounded and can be arbitrarily small. Simulation results show the validity of the proposed scheme.
Observer‐based nonlinear feedback decentralized neural adaptive dynamic surface control for large‐scale nonlinear systems
Authors: Gao Shigen , Dong Hairong , Ning Bin
Published: June 2017

This paper presents a nonlinear gain feedback technique for observer‐based decentralized neural adaptive dynamic surface control of a class of large‐scale nonlinear systems with immeasurable states and uncertain interconnections among subsystems. Neural networks are used in the observer design to estimate the immeasurable states and thus facilitate the control design. Besides avoiding the complexity problem in traditional backstepping, the new nonlinear feedback gain method endows an automatic regulation ability into the pioneering dynamic surface control design and improvement in dynamic performance. Novel Lyapunov function is designed and rigorous stability analysis is given to show that all the closed‐loop signals are kept semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded, and the output tracking errors can be guaranteed to converge to sufficient area around zero, with the bound values characterized by design parameters in an explicit manner. Simulation and comparative results are shown to verify effectiveness.
Influence of Foam Morphology on Effective Properties Related to Metal Melt Filtration
Authors: Werzner Eric , Abendroth Martin , Demuth Cornelius , Settgast Christoph , Trimis Dimosthenis , Krause Hartmut , Ray Subhashis
Published: June 2017

In this article, a numerical study on the sensitivity, related to the performance of open‐cell foams used for the depth filtration of liquid metals, on two characteristic morphological properties is presented. Therefore, simulations of fluid flow and particle transport inside an artificial foam structure are carried out, whose porosity and strut shape is varied within a certain expected range. For comparison purposes, however, the simulations are also performed for three typical ceramic foam filters (CFF) with pore densities of 20 and 30 PPI, whose geometries are obtained from CT scans. In order to allow for a comparison between the different structures, a reference length is introduced that relies upon the actual ratio of pores per volume. The evaluation is mainly based on the comparison of the hydraulic tortuosity, the viscous and the inertial permeability coefficients as well as the initial filtration coefficient for alumina inclusions, with their size ranging from of 10 to 40 μm at process conditions typically encountered during the aluminum filtration. It is shown that the ratio of filtration coefficient and pressure drop increases with the porosity, while the material distribution between the struts and the joints is less influential. Finally, the article also provides information on the anisotropy of CFFs and on the transition behavior from steady to unsteady flow in open‐cell foams.
Zn Single Atom Catalyst for Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction
Authors: Song Ping , Luo Mi , Liu Xiaozhi , Xing Wei , Xu Weilin , Jiang Zheng , Gu Lin
Published: June 2017

The authors report first a new type of nitrogen‐triggered Zn single atom catalyst, demonstrating high catalytic activity and remarkable durability for the oxygen reduction reaction process. Both X‐ray absorption fine structure spectra and theoretical calculations suggest that the atomically dispersed Zn‐N4 site is the main, as well as the most active, component with O adsorption as the rate‐limiting step at a low overpotential of 1.70 V. This work opens a new field for the exploration of high‐performance Pt‐free electrochemical oxygen reduction catalysts for fuel cells.
Silver‐Catalyzed Atom‐Economic Hydrophosphorylation of Propargyl Epoxides: An Access to 4‐Phosphoryl 2,3‐Allenols and Stereodefined 1‐Phosphoryl 1,3‐Dienes
Authors: Shen Ruwei , Yang Jianlin , Zhang Ming , Han Li‐Biao
Published: June 2017

The highly regioselective nucleophilic ring opening of propargyl epoxides by P(O)H compounds based on a silver catalyst is reported. A variety of P(O)H compounds including H‐phosphonates, H‐phosphinates and diarylphosphine oxides can be used to produce 4‐phosphoryl 2,3‐allenols under mild conditions. The stereoselective synthesis of 1‐phosphoryl 1,3‐butadienes from 4‐phosphoryl 2,3‐allenols and organoboronic acids via a palladium‐catalyzed coupling reaction is also described.

magnified image
Association between COMT Val158Met and psychiatric disorders: A comprehensive meta‐analysis
Authors: Taylor Steven
Published: June 2017

Catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met is widely regarded as potentially important for understanding the genetic etiology of many different psychiatric disorders. The present study appears to be the first comprehensive meta‐analysis of COMT genetic association studies to cover all psychiatric disorders for which there were available data, published in any language, and with an emphasis on investigating disorder subtypes (defined clinically or by demographic or other variables). Studies were included if they reported one or more datasets (i.e., some studies examined more than one clinical group) in which there were sufficient information to compute effect sizes. A total of 363 datasets were included, consisting of 56,998 cases and 74,668 healthy controls from case control studies, and 2,547 trios from family based studies. Fifteen disorders were included. Attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder and panic disorder were associated with the Val allele for Caucasian samples. Substance‐use disorder, defined by DSM‐IV criteria, was associated with the Val allele for Asian samples. Bipolar disorder was associated with the Met allele in Asian samples. Obsessive‐compulsive disorder tended to be associated with the Met allele only for males. There was suggestive evidence that the Met allele is associated with an earlier age of onset of schizophrenia. Results suggest pleiotropy and underscore the importance of examining subgroups—defined by variables such as age of onset, sex, ethnicity, and diagnostic system—rather than examining disorders as monolithic constructs.
Practical Synthesis of Two Different Pseudoenantiomeric Organocatalysts withcis‐Cyclohexanediamine Structure from a Common Chiral Source
Authors: Lee Hyo‐Jun , Moteki Shin A. , Arumugam Natarajan , Almansour Abdulrahman I. , Kumar Raju Suresh , Liu Yan , Maruoka Keiji
Published: June 2017

An approach has been developed for the practical synthesis of two different, structurally robust, pseudoenantiomeric amino Tf‐amido organocatalysts with acis‐1,2‐cyclohexanediamine structure. These pseudoenantiomeric organocatalysts, which are very useful for the practical synthesis of both enantiomeric aldol products, are easily prepared from commercially availablecis‐4‐cyclohexene‐1,2‐dicarboxylic acid in a four‐step sequence. The Diels–Alder strategy of 2‐alkyl‐1,3‐butadiene and maleic anhydride would provide a general approach to the facile synthesis of various pseudoenantiomeric organocatalysts.
N‐Terminally Truncated Amyloid‐β(11–40/42) Cofibrillizes with its Full‐Length Counterpart: Implications for Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Barritt Joseph D. , Younan Nadine D. , Viles John H.
Published: June 2017

Amyloid‐β peptide (Aβ) isoforms of different lengths and aggregation propensities coexist in vivo. These different isoforms are able to nucleate or frustrate the assembly of each other. N‐terminally truncated Aβ(11–40) and Aβ(11–42) make up one fifth of plaque load yet nothing is known about their interaction with full‐length Aβ(1–40/42). We show that in contrast to C‐terminally truncated isoforms, which do not co‐fibrillize, deletions of ten residues from the N terminus of Aβ have little impact on its ability to co‐fibrillize with the full‐length counterpart. As a consequence, N‐terminally truncated Aβ will accelerate fiber formation and co‐assemble into short rod‐shaped fibers with its full‐length Aβ counterpart. This has implications for the assembly kinetics, morphology, and toxicity of all Aβ isoforms.
Eco‐compatible three component strategies for C‐S bond formation in thioether and S‐aryl‐carbamodithioate compounds catalyzed by copper(II) nanoparticles supported on modified AlPO4
Authors: Sharghi Hashem , Ghaderi Iman , Doroodmand Mohammad Mahdi
Published: June 2017

One‐pot and three components C‐S bond formation reactions in thioethers and S‐aryl‐carbamodithioates have been catalyzed by a copper heterogeneous nano‐catalyst supported on modified AlPO4 under different reaction conditions. The above‐mentioned nano‐catalyst has been characterized by various techniques such as SEM, TEM, AFM, XRD, FT‐IR, UV–Vis, CV, BET, TGA, ICP and XPS spectrometry and its particle size was estimated to be between 60–110 nm. Finally, the reusability of the catalyst up to ten cycles without any significant leaching is one of the outstanding properties of the catalyst.
Synthesis, structural features and biochemical activity assessment of N,N′‐bis‐(2‐mercaptophenylimine)‐2,5‐thiophenedicarboxaldehyde Schiff base and its Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes
Authors: Abdel Aziz Ayman A. , Seda Sabry H.
Published: June 2017

The tetradentate Schiff base ligand (SB), N,N′‐bis‐(2‐mercaptophenylimine)‐2,5‐thiophenedicarboxaldehyde was prepared via condensation of 2,5‐thiophene‐dicarboxaldehyde with 2‐aminothiophenol in a 1:2 molar ratio by conventional method. Additionally, its Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes have been synthesized and fully characterized by elemental analysis, FT‐IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, UV–Vis, ESR, ESI‐mass, conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Spectral studies suggested that, the Schiff base coordinate metal ions through the azomethine N‐ and deprotonated thiol S‐ atoms. Based on UV–Vis absorption and magnetic susceptibility data, tetrahedral geometry was assigned for both Co(II) and Zn(II) complexes, whereas on the other hand, square planar geometry for both Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes. The Schiff base and its metal complexes were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activity by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. Free radical scavenging activity of the novel compounds was determined by elimination of 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. In addition, the interactions of the free ligand and its complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT‐DNA) were explored using absorption, emission and viscosity measurements techniques.