bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Do Irrigation and Drainage Interventions Secure Food Production and Livelihood for Rural Communities?
Authors: Brelle François
Published: April 2016

Irrigated agriculture is again at the forefront of development priorities, as food security and good nutrition are now considered among major goals, along with ending poverty and achieving access to water and sanitation for all. Question 59 of the 22nd ICID Congress, by addressing the two issues of ensuring food security and securing livelihoods in rural areas, is therefore particularly relevant within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) process led by the United Nations.

What is firstly addressed under this question is how securing irrigation contributes to securing food, which is compulsory for securing the livelihood of rural populations. Many papers highlight the role which rural communities can play in the governance of water resource and hydraulic systems. Adequate use of so‐called 'poor quality water' is presented as a development factor of rural areas, as well as considering multiple uses, which may help sustainability.

Water needs for food production are increasing, while other uses must be better satisfied in spite of climate changes often resulting in a scarcer resource. It is therefore crucial to improve irrigation efficiency through innovation and development of water‐saving methods and techniques.

Inter‐basin cooperation, either within a country or transboundary, also appears as a solution to cope with limited water resources or to resolve water conflicts. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Global Credit Risk: World, Country and Industry Factors
Authors: Schwaab Bernd , Koopman Siem Jan , Lucas André
Published: April 2016

We investigate the dynamic properties of systematic default risk conditions for firms in different countries, industries and rating groups. We use a high‐dimensional nonlinear non‐Gaussian state‐space model to estimate common components in corporate defaults in a 41 country samples between 1980:Q1 and s2014:Q4, covering both the global financial crisis and euro area sovereign debt crisis. We find that macro and default‐specific world factors are a primary source of default clustering across countries. Defaults cluster more than what shared exposures to macro factors imply, indicating that other factors also play a significant role. For all firms, deviations of systematic default risk from macro fundamentals are correlated with net tightening bank lending standards, suggesting that bank credit supply and systematic default risk are inversely related. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison between intermittent and continuous spectra optia leukapheresis systems for autologous peripheral blood stem cell collection
Authors: Lisenko Katharina , Pavel Petra , Bruckner Thomas , Puthenparambil Joe , Hundemer Michael , Schmitt Anita , Witzens‐Harig Mathias , Ho Anthony D. , Wuchter Patrick
Published: April 2016

Terumo BCT recently introduced a new system for mononuclear cell (MNC) collection that uses a Spectra Optia apheresis machine equipped with a redesigned disposable kit and software program (version 11.2). It allows for the continuous collection of MNCs, unlike the original Spectra Optia system (version 7.2), which included a chamber for two‐step cell separation. The aim of this study was to compare the two apheresis systems in regard to specific performance parameters. A retrospective data analysis of 150 patients who had undergone peripheral blood stem cell collection between March of 2014 and May of 2015 at our institution was performed. For the matched comparison, patients were divided into two groups by diagnosis and by previous forms of therapy received: a homogeneous group of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) that had received first line therapy (“MM” group, n = 88) and a heterogeneous group that included all of the other patients (“other” group, n = 62). No significant differences in CD34+ collection yields between both collection regimens were found (pMM = 0.19, pother = 0.74) in either group. Moreover, similar performance ratios (collected/predicted CD34+ cell number in %) were observed (pMM = 0.89, pother = 0.1). No relevant variations in platelet or hemoglobin loss were found between the two systems. We conclude that the new continuous Spectra Optia MNC system is equally efficient in collecting CD34+ cells and can be used without sacrificing collection efficiency levels when treating a broad variety of autologous patients. J. Clin. Apheresis 32:27–34, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Comparative anatomy of stems and leaves of plectranthus L. (Lamiaceae) in Saudi Arabia and systematic implications
Authors: Khalik Kadry N. Abdel , Karakish Eman A.
Published: April 2016

A comparative anatomical study of the Plectranthus species growing in Saudi Arabia by using light microscopy method in order to evaluate their diagnostic value for systematic studies. Macro‐ and micromorphological characters, including stem, leaf, petiole anatomical, and trichome structures are presented. Descriptions of stem shape in cross‐section, epidermal cell shape, cortex, pith, vascular bundles, leaf shape in cross‐section, mesophyll, types and distribution of trichomes are presented. Taxonomic phylogenetic implications of stem, leaf, and trichomes anatomical micromorphology are also discussed in comparison with the available gross morphological and molecular data. Results of the present study offer useful data for evaluating the taxonomy of Plectranthus both at subgeneric and sectional levels. Moreover, our results indicate some degree of similarity among the species of subgenus Germanea and support the monophyly of this subgenus. A remarkable result from this study was identifying P. arabicus with distinctive characters and suggesting that it should be treated as a separate subgenus. Likewise, distinguishing differences between closely related endemic species P. asirensis and P. hijazensis are offered, and should be conserved as a different subgenus. A key for the identification of the investigated taxa based on studied characters is provided. Microsc. Res. Tech. 79:583–594, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Importance of surgical margins in rectal cancer
Authors: Mukkai Krishnamurty Devi , Wise Paul E.
Published: April 2016

Distal resection margin (DRM) and circumferential resection margin (CRM) are two important considerations in rectal cancer management. Although guidelines recommend a 2 cm DRM, studies have shown that a shorter DRM is adequate, especially in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiation. Standardization of total mesorectal excision has greatly improved quality of CRM. Although more patients are undergoing sphincter‐saving procedures, abdominoperineal resection is indicated for very distal tumors, and pelvic exenteration is often necessary for tumors involving pelvic organs. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;113:323–332. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Simultaneous determination of three organophosphorus pesticides in different food commodities by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry
Authors: Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy Ambavaram , Yusop Zulkifli , Jaafar Jafariah , Bin Aris Azmi , Abdul Majid Zaiton , Umar Khalid , Talib Juhaizah
Published: April 2016

A sensitive and selective gas chromatography with mass spectrometry method was developed for the simultaneous determination of three organophosphorus pesticides, namely, chlorpyrifos, malathion, and diazinon in three different food commodities (milk, apples, and drinking water) employing solid‐phase extraction for sample pretreatment. Pesticide extraction from different sample matrices was carried out on Chromabond C18 cartridges using 3.0 mL of methanol and 3.0 mL of a mixture of dichloromethane/acetonitrile (1:1 v/v) as the eluting solvent. Analysis was carried out by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry using selected‐ion monitoring mode. Good linear relationships were obtained in the range of 0.1–50 μg/L for chlorpyrifos, and 0.05–50 μg/L for both malathion and diazinon pesticides. Good repeatability and recoveries were obtained in the range of 78.54–86.73% for three pesticides under the optimized experimental conditions. The limit of detection ranged from 0.02 to 0.03 μg/L, and the limit of quantification ranged from 0.05 to 0.1 μg/L for all three pesticides. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied for the determination of three targeted pesticides in milk, apples, and drinking water samples each in triplicate. No pesticide was found in apple and milk samples, but chlorpyrifos was found in one drinking water sample below the quantification level.
Invisibility cloaking in light‐scattering media
Authors: Schittny Robert , Niemeyer Andreas , Mayer Frederik , Naber Andreas , Kadic Muamer , Wegener Martin
Published: April 2016

A major aim of researchers working in the field of optics and photonics is to mold the flow of light in optical structures and devices. In the regime of ballistic light propagation, transformation optics has given a certain boost, for which optical invisibility cloaking devices are striking examples. Our capability to mold the flow of light in the regime of diffuse light propagation in light‐scattering media has fallen behind—while diffuse light from clouds, white wallpaper, computer monitors, and light‐emitting diodes is literally all around us every day. In this review, we summarize progress in steering the flow of diffuse light in turbid media which was triggered by the mathematical analogy between electrostatics, magnetostatics, stationary heat conduction, and stationary light diffusion. We give an extensive tutorial introduction to the mathematics of the diffusion equation for light and its solutions, present an overview on the current experimental state‐of‐the‐art of simple core–shell invisibility cloaking, and compare these experiments with diffusion theory as well as with more advanced modelling based on Monte Carlo simulations. The latter approach enables spanning the bridge from diffusive to ballistic light propagation.

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Options Compensation as a Commitment Mechanism in Oligopoly Competition
Authors: Ishii Jun , Zhang David Hao
Published: April 2016

We analyze how CEO stock options compensation can be used as a commitment device in oligopolistic competition. We develop a two‐stage model where shareholders choose managerial compensation to commit their managers to being aggressive in equilibrium. Our results may explain why some shareholders appear to incentivize ‘excessive’ risk taking through stock options compensation. We analyze how our results are impacted by product quality, marginal cost, product differentiation, and industry concentration. As motivation for our research, we show that there exists positive empirical correlation between industry concentration and options compensation vega within a sample of firms, as suggested by our model. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A broad‐based study on hyphenating new ionization technologies with MS/MS for PTMs and tissue characterization
Authors: Marshall Darrell D. , Inutan Ellen D. , Wang Beixi , Liu Chih‐Wei , Thawoos Shameemah , Wager‐Miller James , Mackie Ken , Trimpin Sarah
Published: April 2016

Matrix‐assisted ionization (MAI) is a newly discovered method for converting compounds from the solid phase to gas‐phase ions having charge states similar to electrospray ionization (ESI), but without the need for high‐energy sources such as lasers or high voltage. Laserspray ionization (LSI) is a subset of MAI that uses a laser to provide high spatial resolution analyses, but the laser is not directly involved in the ionization process. These methods produce multiply‐charged analyte ions that are useful for characterizing compounds directly from surfaces using advanced characterization technologies. Because the multiply‐charged ions originate from charged matrix clusters, efficient desolvation of the matrix is a prerequisite. Here, we report on the utility of collision‐induced dissociation (CID) and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) coupled to mass spectrometry using several MAI and LSI matrices for peptide and protein characterization employing mass spectrometers from two manufacturers. The information obtained is similar to that using ESI for most analyses and superior to matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) as is shown for intact proteins and protein digests directly from mouse brain tissue sections. The ionization processes are soft so that posttranslational modification (e.g. phosphorylation) sites are readily determined. Instances where ETD or CID in conjunction with MAI failed are attributed to lack of desolvation of charged matrix:analyte particles.
Commercially available antibodies can be applied in quantitative multiplexed peptide immunoaffinity enrichment targeted mass spectrometry assays
Authors: Schoenherr Regine M. , Zhao Lei , Ivey Richard G. , Voytovich Uliana J. , Kennedy Jacob , Yan Ping , Lin Chenwei , Whiteaker Jeffrey R. , Paulovich Amanda G.
Published: April 2016

Immunoaffinity enrichment of peptides coupled to multiple reaction monitoring‐mass spectrometry (immuno‐MRM) enables highly specific, sensitive, and precise quantification of peptides and post‐translational modifications. Major obstacles to developing a large number of immuno‐MRM assays are poor availability of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) validated for immunoaffinity enrichment of peptides and the cost and lead time of developing the antibodies de novo. Although many thousands of mAbs are commercially offered, few have been tested for application to immunoaffinity enrichment of peptides. In this study, we tested the success rate of using commercially available mAbs for peptide immuno‐MRM assays. We selected 105 commercial mAbs (76 targeting non‐modified “pan” epitopes, 29 targeting phosphorylation) to proteins associated with the DNA damage response network. We found that 8 of the 76 pan (11%) and 5 of the 29 phospho‐specific mAbs (17%) captured tryptic peptides (detected by LC‐MS/MS) of their protein targets from human cell lysates. Seven of these mAbs were successfully used to configure and analytically characterize immuno‐MRM assays. By applying selection criteria upfront, the results indicate that a screening success rate of up to 24% is possible, establishing the feasibility of screening a large number of catalog antibodies to provide readily‐available assay reagents.
Donor‐variation effect on red blood cell storage lesion: A close relationship emerges
Authors: Tzounakas Vassilis L. , Kriebardis Anastasios G. , Papassideri Issidora S. , Antonelou Marianna H.
Published: April 2016

Although the molecular pathways leading to the progressive deterioration of stored red blood cells (RBC storage lesion) and the clinical relevance of storage‐induced changes remain uncertain, substantial donor‐specific variability in RBC performance during storage, and posttransfusion has been established (“donor‐variation effect”). In‐bag hemolysis and numerous properties of the RBC units that may affect transfusion efficacy have proved to be strongly donor‐specific. Donor‐variation effect may lead to the production of highly unequal blood labile products even when similar storage strategy and duration are applied. Genetic, undiagnosed/subclinical medical conditions and lifestyle factors that affect RBC characteristics at baseline, including RBC lifespan, energy metabolism, and sensitivity to oxidative stress, are all likely to influence the storage capacity of individual donors’ cells, although not evident by the donor's health or hematological status at blood donation. Consequently, baseline characteristics of the donors, such as membrane peroxiredoxin‐2 and serum uric acid concentration, have been proposed as candidate biomarkers of storage quality. This review article focuses on specific factors that might contribute to the donor‐variation effect and emphasizes the emerging need for using omics‐based technologies in association with in vitro and in vivo transfusion models and clinical trials to discover biomarkers of storage quality and posttransfusion recovery in donor blood.
Photoelectrochemical application of thin‐film silicon triple‐junction solar cell in batteries
Authors: Agbo Solomon N. , Merdzhanova Tsvetelina , Yu Shicheng , Tempel Hermann , Kungl Hans , Eichel Rüdiger‐A. , Rau Uwe , Astakhov Oleksandr
Published: April 2016

Solar cell in combination with a secondary battery is a straightforward power supply solution for portable electronics. When used indoors or outdoors under sufficient illumination conditions the combination is attractive to realize self‐sustained devices or extend off‐grid operation time. However, only little fraction of widely spread portable devices worldwide are equipped with PV energy harvesters. Besides low‐average power, combination of discrete PV module and battery is bulky for extreme demands in modern portable electronics. Integration of thin‐film solar cell with a thin‐film storage cell in a monolithic, customizable module is a viable option. The low level cell‐to‐cell integration is possible with thin‐film silicon multi‐junction solar cells providing sufficient voltage to charge Li‐ion storage cell. In this work, we focus on the development of triple‐junction thin‐film silicon solar cells for monolithic integration with lithium ion storage cells. We show that with appropriate voltage matching a triple junction thin‐film silicon solar cell provides efficient charging for lab‐scale Li‐ion storage cell under a range of illumination intensities. Maximum solar energy‐to‐battery charging efficiency of 8.8% was obtained.
Effect of additional electron acceptor in hybrid P3HT:PCBM:ZnO spin‐coated films for photovoltaic application
Authors: Muller Theo , Ramashia Thinavhuyo Albert , Motaung David E. , Cummings Franscious , Malgas Gerald , Oliphant Clive , Arendse Chris
Published: April 2016

Concerted efforts need to be undertaken to overcome limited efficiencies and instability issues in order to ensure a niche for organic photovoltaics (OPVs) in the PV market. Recent improvements on tandem structures aside, in order to achieve further improvements it is sensible to construct test‐case scenarios on bulk heterojunction cells. One aspect, involving the low mobility of charge carriers, caused by the short exciton diffusion length in the active layer, has been targeted. In this regard, attempts to incorporate inorganic semiconductors into organic blends in hybrid organic solar cells, in various configurations, have so far been promising. In this work, ZnO nanoparticles were mixed into the poly (3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT):[6,6]‐phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blend, and used as additional acceptors of electrons in the active layer. Metal–oxide interface layers between the active layer and ITO and the top contact layer, respectively, were introduced in the solar cell to compensate for environmental degradation. Thermo‐gravimetric analyses of the active layers revealed improved thermal stability of P3HT upon incorporating ZnO in the polymer matrix. The photovoltaic properties demonstrated that the addition of ZnO nanoparticles in the P3HT:PCBM bulk‐heterojunction solar cell causes an increase in the power conversion efficiency, while excessive loading of ZnO decreases the efficiency.
Electronic and optical nature of silicon nanostructures: doping, interface effects and strain
Authors: Hiller Daniel , König Dirk , Kůsová Kateřina
Published: April 2016

This proceedings volume of phys. status solidi (c) contains research presented in Symposium P at the EMRS 2015 Fall Meeting in Warsaw, Poland. The symposium focused on silicon nanostructures in all dimensionalities and intended to cover theoretical, experimental and application aspects with emphasize on doping, surface/interface effects, and advanced metrology methods. Besides the well‐known size dependent quantum confinement effects, Si nanostructures are highly susceptible to their surrounding and any kind of impurities. Many key material properties change due to the influence of an embedding matrix or surface terminating groups. On the other hand, well established technological concepts such as majority carrier generation by impurity doping with e.g. phosphorous or boron are impeded in Si nanostructures due to self‐purification, statistical problems, or failing dopant ionization due to quantum confinement. In the course of the symposium, details on these problems but also approaches on how to circumvent or exploit these effects for novel functionalities or applications were presented and discussed. We thank all invited and contributed speakers as well as all presenters of posters. Furthermore, we appreciate the help and support of our sponsors and the editorial team of pss (c). (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Revisiting the latent heating contribution to foehn warming: Lagrangian analysis of two foehn events over the Swiss Alps
Authors: Miltenberger Annette K. , Reynolds Silvia , Sprenger Michael
Published: April 2016

Foehn flows are typically associated with warm air temperatures. Though several theories for the so‐called foehn air warming have been developed over the past century, no conclusion about the most important mechanism has been reached. The development of new methods to calculate accurate air‐mass trajectories over complex topography has opened up a new perspective on this question. Air‐mass‐trajectories derived from wind‐field data from COSMO model simulations with 20 s temporal resolution are used in this study to investigate the origin of the foehn air and the contribution of adiabatic and diabatic processes for two foehn events in the Swiss Alps, with a focus on the Rhine valley. The first foehn event investigated has no precipitation on the upstream side of the Alps. The majority of air parcels stem from upstream altitudes above 1.8 km and most of the foehn air warming is due to adiabatic descent (∼79%). In the second event investigated, significant upstream precipitation occurred. For this case, a significantly larger fraction of the foehn air parcels originate within the lowest 2 km of the upstream atmosphere (up to 70%). Adiabatic descent accounts for the largest part of the temperature change (∼70%), while moist diabatic processes explain about 60% of the potential temperature change. The vertical displacement across the Alpine range is correlated with the diabatic temperature change: parcels strongly heated by condensation, deposition and freezing are in general found at high altitudes above the foehn valley, while parcels affected by diabatic cooling through evaporation, sublimation and melting arrive closer to the valley floor. The high‐resolution trajectories also indicate a much more complicated vertical and horizontal flow pattern than generally assumed, with several distinct air streams upstream of the mountain range and vertical ‘scrambling’ of air masses.
Rhodamine‐Immobilised Electrospun Chitosan Nanofibrous Material as a Fluorescence Turn‐On Hg2+ Sensor
Authors: Horzum Nesrin , Mete Derya , Karakuş Erman , Üçüncü Muhammed , Emrullahoğlu Mustafa , Demir Mustafa M.
Published: April 2016

A turn‐on fluorescence sensing system for mercuric (Hg2+) ions relying on a modified rhodamine B–chitosan fluorophore moiety was developed. This novel sensing approach relies on the simultaneous electrospinning of chitosan and rhodamine B hydrazide with phenylisothiocyanate functionality in hexafluoroisopropanol solution at 3.4 kV cm−1. The electrospun mats exhibited not only considerably enhanced fluorescence intensity in the presence of mercury ions, a result attributed to the ring opening of the spirolactam unit of the rhodamine‐based fluorophore, but also a remarkably high sensitivity and selectivity toward Hg2+. In effect, the strategy has the potential to open new avenues in the design and development of other high‐performance nanofibrous sensing materials for detecting target metal species of environmental interest.
Influence of Acid Wash on the Structural and Catalytic Properties of the Hierarchical Zeolite Y
Authors: Li Wenlin , Tu Chunyan , Zheng Jinyu , Luo Yibin , Da Zhijian
Published: April 2016

Although the hierarchical architectures of zeolites are important, the precise control of their acidities also has a great influence on their catalytic properties. The hierarchical zeolite Y with high mesoporosity and well crystal structure was prepared. Then this hierarchical zeolite Y was washed with acid solution for different time. It was found that very limited mesopores formed during this acid wash procedure. However, their acidities characteristics changed dramatically. It has been found that the Brønsted acidities increased with acid wash procedure for a short time. If acid wash was performed on the resultant sample for a long time, the Lewis acidities begin decreased and the B/L ratio increased, which was most likely the result of removal of tetrahedrally coordinated EFAl species formed during desilication. This study showed that the improved accessibility of the active sites and the persevered crystallinity of the hierarchical zeolite Y were both responsible for the increased catalytic activities and an appropriate acid wash treatment comprised a powerful approach to tune the functions and catalytic properties of hierarchical zeolites Y.
Na2Ti6O13 Nanorods with Dominant Large Interlayer Spacing Exposed Facet for High‐Performance Na‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Cao Kangzhe , Jiao Lifang , Pang Wei Kong , Liu Huiqiao , Zhou Tengfei , Guo Zaiping , Wang Yijing , Yuan Huatang
Published: April 2016

As the delegate of tunnel structure sodium titanates, Na2Ti6O13 nanorods with dominant large interlayer spacing exposed facet are prepared. The exposed large interlayers provide facile channels for Na+ insertion and extraction when this material is used as anode for Na‐ion batteries (NIBs). After an activation process, this NIB anode achieves a high specific capacity (a capacity of 172 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1) and outstanding cycling stability (a capacity of 109 mAh g−1 after 2800 cycles at 1 A g−1), showing its promising application on large‐scale energy storage systems. Furthermore, the electrochemical and structural characterization reveals that the expanded interlayer spacings should be in charge of the activation process, including the enhanced kinetics, the lowered apparent activation energy, and the increased capacity.
A Room‐Temperature Luminescent AgCF3COO Complex Consisting of Cationic Complex Chains and Anionic Guests
Authors: Han Jing , Di Zhang Yong , Yu Zhong , He Xiang , Jin Bing
Published: April 2016

Reaction of p‐phenylenediacetonitrile (p‐phda) with AgCF3COO afforded the coordination polymer, {[Ag2(p‐phda)2] [Ag4(CF3COO)6]}n (1), where the 1D cationic [Ag2(p‐phda)2]2+ chain acts as host and the anionic [Ag4(CF3COO)6]2– as guest molecules occupy the channel between neighboring host chains. This is a rare crystal example of AgCF3COO complex consisting of cationic complex chains and anionic guests. In addition, complex 1 exhibits luminescence at room temperature in solid state.
Effects of Different Amount of Crystalline Solvate Molecules on Solid Structures and Photophysical Properties of a Platinum(II) Moiety with 4,4′‐Dibromo‐2,2′‐Bipyridine Ligand
Authors: Gai Xu‐Qiao , Zhang Xiao‐Xin , Kang Jia‐Jia , Xu Liang , Zhang Jian‐Jun , Ni Jun
Published: April 2016

A platinum(II) complex Pt(DiBrbpy)Cl2 (1) based on 4,4′‐dibromo‐2,2′‐bipyridine ligand was synthesized and characterized. Interestingly, two solvated phases of 1 with different amounts of crystalline CH2Cl2 molecules, 1·1/3(CH2Cl2) (yellow) and 1·3/2(CH2Cl2) (red), were obtained. In the solid state, 1·1/3(CH2Cl2) exhibits a 3D supramolecular structure based on Pt(DiBrbpy)Cl2 monomer and emits a weak yellow luminescence at 541 nm (579, sh). In contrast, 1·3/2(CH2Cl2) displays a 2D layer structure based on Pt(DiBrbpy)Cl2 dimeric units and has a strong red luminescence centered at 624 nm. The results show that crystalline solvate molecule amount can not only influence the packing structures but also photophysical properties of the platinum moiety in solid state. Furthermore, the absorption and luminescence spectra of both phases were studied by TD‐DFT calculations.
Pre‐surgical Administration of Microbial Cell Preparation in Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Tan Chun Khui , Said Suraya , Rajandram Retnagowri , Wang Zhiqiang , Roslani April Camilla , Chin Kin Fah
Published: April 2016

Introduction

Disruption of normal gut function is a common side effect post abdominal surgery. It may result in reduced tolerance to oral nutrition and progress to postoperative ileus. Microbial cell preparation is beneficial as a pre‐surgical nutritional supplement to aid in bowel recovery and promote the return of normal gut function following abdominal surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of pre‐surgical administration of microbial cell preparation in promoting the return of normal gut function.

Method

The study is a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial. In total, 40 patients were recruited. Patients were randomized to receive either microbial cell preparation (n = 20) or placebo (n = 20) for 7 days prior to elective surgery. The primary end point was the time to return of normal gut function, while the secondary end point was the duration of hospital stay.

Results

The treatment group demonstrated significantly faster return of normal gut function with a median of 108.5 h (80–250 h) which was 48 h earlier than the placebo group at a median of 156.5 h (94–220 h), p = 0.022. The duration of hospital stay in the treatment group was also shorter at a median of 6.5 days (4–30 days), in comparison to the placebo group at 13 days (5–25 days), p = 0.012.

Conclusion

Pre‐surgical administration of microbial cell preparation promotes the return of normal gut function in patients after colorectal cancer surgery, thus associated with faster recovery and shorter duration of hospital stay.
Adjuvant I‐131 Lipiodol After Resection or Radiofrequency Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Schwarz Lilian , Bubenheim Michael , Gardin Isabelle , Huet Emmanuel , Riachi Ghassan , Clavier Erick , Goria Odile , Vera Pierre , Scotté Michel
Published: April 2016

Background and objectives

High rates of recurrence have been observed after curative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The main aim of this study was to establish the influence of adjuvant transarterial radioembolization‐based I‐131 lipiodol on survival and recurrence.

Methods

Between 2004 and 2010, 38 patients were treated with adjuvant I‐131 lipiodol therapy, at a dosage of 2220 MBq, within 4 months after surgery. This treated cohort was compared to a control cohort consisting of 42 consecutive patients operated prior to the time the I‐131 lipiodol treatment became available.

Results

Recurrence‐free survival in the control and in the I‐131 lipiodol cohort was 12.6 and 18.7 months, respectively (HR = 1.871, p = 0.025). At 2 and 5 years, the cumulative incidence of a first recurrence or death was, respectively, 50 % and 61 % in the treated cohort versus 69 % and 74 % in the control cohort. Median overall survival was 55 and 29 months, respectively (p = 0.051). Among patients with a recurrence at 2 years, more patients had already experienced such recurrence at 1 year in the control cohort (70 % vs 33 %, p = 0.014).

Conclusions

Adjuvant I‐131 lipiodol improves disease‐free survival in patients with HCC.
Permanent Nato Deployment Is Not the Answer to European Security
Authors: Kiesewetter Roderich , Zielke Ingmar
Published: April 2016

Calls for the permanent deployment of substantial combat forces in Eastern European NATO states, primarily in the Baltics and Poland, have been part of the debates on strategy among the member states for years. In the wake of the Ukrainian crisis, the defence capabilities of the Eastern European allies must undoubtedly be strengthened. However, in light of the yet-to-be-implemented measures that the allies decided upon at the Wales Summit, a more general shift of international security challenges towards ‘hybrid’ warfare scenarios, Russia's centrality in the Middle East peace process and the long-term viability of the Alliance, permanently deploying substantial combat forces in Eastern Europe would not strengthen the security of Europe and the coherence of NATO.
Simulation study of wake encounters with straight and deformed vortices
Authors: Vechtel D.
Published: April 2016

A simulation study was conducted in order to investigate the influence of vortex deformation on wake encounter characteristics. Wake vortices tend to be strongly deformed during the decay process, depending on the atmospheric conditions in terms of turbulence and thermal stratification. For quantification of the influence of vortex deformation, encounters of an aircraft of the ‘Medium’ category behind a generator aircraft of the ‘Heavy’ category were simulated with straight vortices and with realistically deformed vortices derived from large-eddy simulations. All relevant parameters that influence the encounter characteristics, such as encounter angles and positions, were varied within a wide range. In order to cover all kinds of vortex deformation, encounters with different vortex ages from 16-136 seconds were simulated. Hence, all relevant phases during the vortex decay from nearly straight and wavy vortices to vortex rings were considered.

The parameter variation study revealed that on average the impact on the encountering aircraft is less with deformed vortices than with straight vortices of comparable strength. Especially with vortex rings, the encountering aircraft is exposed to a much smaller impact. However, the results also show a larger aircraft response during encounters with wavy vortices just prior to vortex linking. The maximum aircraft response with wavy vortices is stronger than with straight vortices of comparable strength. Also, the strongest encounters occur under greater encounter angles with deformed vortices than with straight ones.
Pose estimation in runway end safety area using geometry structure features
Authors: Wang X. , Yu H. , Feng D.
Published: April 2016

A novel image-based method is presented in this paper to estimate the poses of commercial aircrafts in a runway end safety area. Based on the fact that similar poses of an aircraft will have similar geometry structures, this method first extracts features to describe the structure of an aircraft's fuselage and aerofoil by RANdom Sample Consensus algorithm (RANSAC), and then uses the central moments to obtain the aircrafts’ pose information. Based on the proposed pose information, a two-step feature matching strategy is further designed to identify an aircraft's particular pose. In order to validate the accuracy of the pose estimation and the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, we construct a pose database of two common aircrafts in Asia. The experiments show that the designed low-dimension features can accurately capture the aircraft's pose information and the proposed algorithm can achieve satisfied matching accuracy.
Orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) system sizing study for manned GEO satellite servicing
Authors: Chudoba B. , Coleman G. , Gonzalez L. , Haney E. , Oza A. , Ricketts V.
Published: April 2016

In an effort to quantify the feasibility of candidate space architectures for astronauts servicing Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, a conceptual assessment of architecture-concept and operations-technology combinations has been performed. The focus has been the development of a system with the capability to transfer payload to and from geostationary orbit. Two primary concepts of operations have been selected: (a) Direct insertion/re-entry (Concept of Operations 1 – CONOP 1); (b) Launch to low-earth orbit at Kennedy Space Center inclination angle with an orbital transfer to/from geostationary orbit (Concept of Operations 2 – CONOP 2). The study concludes that a capsule and de-orbit propulsion module system sized for the geostationary satellite servicing mission is feasible for a direct insertion/re-entry concept of operation CONOP 1. Vehicles sized for CONOP 2 show overall total mass savings when utilising the aero-assisted orbital transfer vehicle de-orbit propulsion module options compared to the pure propulsive baseline cases. Overall, the consideration of technical, operational and cost factors determine if either the aero-assisted orbital transfer vehicle concepts or the re-usable/expendable ascent/de-orbit propulsion modules is the preferred option.
Thick-skinned tectonics and basement-involved fold–thrust belts: insights from selected Cenozoic orogens
Authors: LACOMBE OLIVIER , BELLAHSEN NICOLAS
Published: April 2016

Defining the structural style of fold–thrust belts and understanding the controlling factors are necessary steps towards prediction of their long-term and short-term dynamics, including seismic hazard, and to assess their potential in terms of hydrocarbon exploration. While the thin-skinned structural style has long been a fashionable view for outer parts of orogens worldwide, a wealth of new geological and geophysical studies has pointed out that a description in terms of thick-skinned deformation is, in many cases, more appropriate. This paper aims at providing a review of what we know about basement-involved shortening in foreland fold–thrust belts on the basis of the examination of selected Cenozoic orogens. After describing how structural interpretations of fold–thrust belts have evolved through time, this paper addresses how and the extent to which basement tectonics influence their geometry and their kinematics, and emphasizes the key control exerted by lithosphere rheology, including structural and thermal inheritance, and local/regional boundary conditions on the occurrence of thick-skinned tectonics in the outer parts of orogens.
Prevention of gentamicin ototoxicity with N-acetylcysteine and vitamin A
Authors: Aladag I , Guven M , Songu M
Published: April 2016

Objective:

To investigate the use of systemic N-acetylcysteine and vitamin A in the prevention of gentamicin ototoxicity in rats.

Methods:

Forty-two Wistar rats were divided into four groups according to treatment: intratympanic saline, intratympanic gentamicin, intraperitoneal vitamin A after intratympanic gentamicin, and intraperitoneal N-acetylcysteine after intratympanic gentamicin. Signal-to-noise ratio and distortion product otoacoustic emissions were evaluated in all groups.

Results:

N-acetylcysteine had a significant protective effect at 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 kHz, whilst vitamin A had a significant protective effect at 2, 3, 4 and 6 kHz, as determined by the distortion product otoacoustic emission measurements. According to the signal-to-noise measurements, N-acetylcysteine had a significant protective effect at 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 kHz, whilst vitamin A had a significant protective effect at 3, 6 and 8 kHz.

Conclusion:

Gentamicin-induced hearing loss in rats may be prevented by the concomitant use of vitamin A and N-acetylcysteine. Specifically, N-acetylcysteine appeared to have a more protective effect than vitamin A for a greater range of noise frequencies.
Malayalam (Namboodiri Dialect) – CORRIGENDUM
Authors: Namboodiripad Savithry , Garellek Marc
Published: April 2016

In the IPA Illustration ‘Malayalam (Namboodiri Dialect)’, the word transcribed as /viʈi/ ‘let go’ in the section entitled ‘Vowels’ should have been transcribed as /viʈu/. In addition, the gloss for the word /viʈ/ in the same section should be ‘let go (informal)’.
Insights on adaptive and innate immunity in canine leishmaniosis
Authors: HOSEIN SHAZIA , BLAKE DAMER P. , SOLANO-GALLEGO LAIA
Published: April 2016

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is caused by the parasiteLeishmania infantumand is a systemic disease, which can present with variable clinical signs, and clinicopathological abnormalities. Clinical manifestations can range from subclinical infection to very severe systemic disease. Leishmaniosis is categorized as a neglected tropical disease and the complex immune responses associated withLeishmaniaspecies makes therapeutic treatments and vaccine development challenging for both dogs and humans. In this review, we summarize innate and adaptive immune responses associated withL. infantuminfection in dogs, and we discuss the problems associated with the disease as well as potential solutions and the future direction of required research to help control the parasite.
Securing sustainability: the case for critical environmental security in the Arctic
Authors: Greaves W.
Published: April 2016

The politics, economies, and ecology of the Arctic region are experiencing fundamental transformation driven largely by human-caused environmental change. Drawing on the work of Robert Cox, this article presents a critical account of environmental security that allows security issues in the Arctic to be reconceptualised. It outlines the environmental changes transforming the Arctic, and theorises the Arctic as a regional environmental security complex in which conditions of security for state and non-state referent objects are predicated on a particular ecological context. It then surveys state- and human security issues in the Arctic, and argues that environmental change has destabilised the ecological base on which the contemporary Arctic as a cooperative region supportive of human activity has been built. The article concludes by outlining alternative ways of conceiving of Arctic security that are more compatible with maintaining the region's ecological base, and suggests that dominant approaches to Arctic security are pathological because they remain premised on the control, extraction and consumption of hydrocarbon resources. It argues that, in the context of the geological Anthropocene, security cannot be sustainable if it fails to address the relationship between human wellbeing and human-caused environmental change, or informs practices that further contribute to environmental change.
Evaluation of the ‘Jumping to conclusions’ bias in different subgroups of the at-risk mental state: from cognitive basic symptoms to UHR criteria
Authors: Rausch F. , Eisenacher S. , Elkin H. , Englisch S. , Kayser S. , Striepens N. , Lautenschlager M. , Heinz A. , Gudlowski Y. , Janssen B. , Gaebel W. , Michel T. M. , Schneider F. , Lambert M. , Naber D. , Juckel G. , Krueger-Oezguerdal S. , Wobrock T. , Hasan A. , Riedel M. , Moritz S. , Müller H. , Klosterkötter J. , Bechdolf A. , Zink M. , Wagner M.
Published: April 2016

Background

Patients with psychosis display the so-called ‘Jumping to Conclusions’ bias (JTC) – a tendency for hasty decision-making in probabilistic reasoning tasks. So far, only a few studies have evaluated the JTC bias in ‘at-risk mental state’ (ARMS) patients, specifically in ARMS samples fulfilling ‘ultra-high risk’ (UHR) criteria, thus not allowing for comparisons between different ARMS subgroups.

Method

In the framework of the PREVENT (secondary prevention of schizophrenia) study, a JTC task was applied to 188 patients either fulfilling UHR criteria or presenting with cognitive basic symptoms (BS). Similar data were available for 30 healthy control participants matched for age, gender, education and premorbid verbal intelligence. ARMS patients were identified by the Structured Interview for Prodromal Symptoms (SIPS) and the Schizophrenia Proneness Instrument – Adult Version (SPI-A).

Results

The mean number of draws to decision (DTD) significantly differed between ARM -subgroups: UHR patients made significantly less draws to make a decision than ARMS patients with only cognitive BS. Furthermore, UHR patients tended to fulfil behavioural criteria for JTC more often than BS patients. In a secondary analysis, ARMS patients were much hastier in their decision-making than controls. In patients, DTD was moderately associated with positive and negative symptoms as well as disorganization and excitement.

Conclusions

Our data indicate an enhanced JTC bias in the UHR group compared to ARMS patients with only cognitive BS. This underscores the importance of reasoning deficits within cognitive theories of the developing psychosis. Interactions with the liability to psychotic transitions and therapeutic interventions should be unravelled in longitudinal studies.
A NOTE ON “MONEY IS MEMORY“: A COUNTEREXAMPLE
Authors: Awaya Yu , Fukai Hiroki
Published: April 2016

A counterexample to the notion that money is memory is provided—one that relies on incomplete information. There exists an implementable allocation for it with money that is not implementable with memory. The result arises because money conveys only a limited amount of information about past actions, which can be beneficial in settings with incomplete information.
Psychometric characteristics of the Muslim Religiosity Scale in Iranian patients with cancer
Authors: Saffari Mohsen , Pakpour Amir H. , Mortazavi Seyed Fattah , Koenig Harold G.
Published: April 2016

Objective:

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Religiosity is a factor that may help cancer patients to cope with their disease. The aim of the current study was to validate a Persian translation of the Muslim Religiosity Scale (MRS) in a population of Iranian patients with cancer.

Method:

Two thousand patients were invited to participate in this multisite study, of whom 1,879 participated. Patients completed a demographic questionnaire, the MRS, and several scales, including the Patient Health Questionnaire–9, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the SF–12 quality of life measure. Backward–forward translation was employed to develop a Persian-language version of the MRS. Cronbach's alpha and two-week test–retest reliability were also assessed. Convergent and discriminative validity as well as the factor structure of the scale were also examined.

Results:

The internal reliability (α) of the religious practices and beliefs subscales was 0.88 and 0.92, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.92 (range = 0.75–1.0). The scale demonstrated solid convergent and discriminative validity. Factor analysis indicated two main factors, as predicted, with an appropriate goodness of fit (χ2 = 76.23, RMSEA = 0.065). Such factors as marital status, quality of life, social support, and self-efficacy were positively associated with MRS total score, while anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation had negative associations.

Significance of results:

The MRS is a useful tool for assessing religiosity in Iranian patients with cancer and is associated with a number of important health outcomes.
Toward a Theory of Religious Coalitions
Authors: Wilcox Clyde
Published: April 2016

Although there has been considerable descriptive writing about religious coalitions, more work is needed in specifying when these coalitions form and when they are successful. This article offers some sketches toward a more general theory of religious coalitions.
Sprachwaage und Silbenfarbe
Authors: Ihler Kilian
Published: April 2016

Zusammenfassung. Der Artikel beschreibt die persönliche, lyrisch-essayistische Herangehensweise des Autoren im Rahmen seiner Forschungsarbeit. Der Herausforderung sensibler Übersetzungsarbeit von assoziationsreichen Bildern in Wortsprache begegnet er mit einer Mischung aus bewusster Vereinfachung der Bilderfahrungen sowie der Beschreibung des Prozesses in poetisch-erzählenden Ton. Darin gelingt ihm ein adäquater Kompromiss, den komplexen Bildzeugnissen kunsttherapeutischer Prozesse mit dem Medium der Sprache annähernd gerecht zu werden. Im Spannungsgefälle der Zeichensysteme zeigt er neben den inhärent einschränkenden Bedingungen auch die spezifischen Qualitäten beider Sphären und deren wechselseitige, bereichernde Beziehung auf. Obwohl nicht den Konventionen forschender Arbeit entsprechend, zieht der Autor daraufhin Parallelen zwischen Zielen poetischer und wissenschaftlicher Sprache. Die Darstellung vielschichtiger Bildbeziehungen in Sprachbildern sowie den dadurch subjektiv gewählten Zugang in der Betrachtung von Bildern, begreift er als legitimes Vorgehen und wertvollen Zugewinn in der schriftlichen Ausgestaltung seiner Forschungsbeobachtungen.