bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New insights into the non-hemostatic role of von Willebrand factor in endothelial protection
Authors: Agostini Silvia , Lionetti Vincenzo
Published: July 2017

During exposure to ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) insult, angiotensin II (AngII)-induced endothelin-1 (ET-1) upregulation in endothelial cells progressively impairs nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability while increasing levels of superoxide anion (O2−) and leading to the onset of endothelial dysfunction. Moreover, the overexpression of ET-1 increases the endothelial and circulating levels of von Willebrand factor (vWF), a glycoprotein with a crucial role in arterial thrombus formation. Nowadays, the non-hemostatic role of endothelial vWF is emerging, although we do not yet know whether its increased expression is cause or consequence of endothelial dysfunction. Notably, the vWF blockade or depletion leads to endothelial protection in cultured cells, animal models of vascular injury, and patients as well. Despite the recent efforts to develop an effective pharmacological strategy, the onset of endothelial dysfunction is still difficult to prevent and remains closely related to adverse clinical outcome. Unraveling the non-hemostatic role of endothelial vWF in the onset of endothelial dysfunction could provide new avenues for protection against vascular injury mediated by AngII.
Radiative correction to the Casimir energy for massive scalar field on a spherical surface
Authors: Valuyan M. A.
Published: July 2017

In this paper, the first-order radiative correction to the Casimir energy for a massive scalar field in the [Formula: see text] theory on a spherical surface with [Formula: see text] topology was calculated. In common methods for calculating the radiative correction to the Casimir energy, the counter-terms related to free theory are used. However, in this study, by using a systematic perturbation expansion, the obtained counter-terms in renormalization program were automatically position-dependent. We maintained that this dependency was permitted, reflecting the effects of the boundary conditions imposed or background space in the problem. Additionally, along with the renormalization program, a supplementary regularization technique that we named Box Subtraction Scheme (BSS) was performed. This scheme presents a useful method for the regularization of divergences, providing a situation that the infinities would be removed spontaneously without any ambiguity. Analysis of the necessary limits of the obtained results for the Casimir energy of the massive and massless scalar field confirmed the appropriate and reasonable consistency of the answers.
Viscous cosmology for early- and late-time universe
Authors: Brevik Iver , Grøn Øyvind , de Haro Jaume , Odintsov Sergei D. , Saridakis Emmanuel N.
Published: July 2017

From a hydrodynamicist’s point of view the inclusion of viscosity concepts in the macroscopic theory of the cosmic fluid would appear most natural, as an ideal fluid is after all an abstraction (exluding special cases such as superconductivity). Making use of modern observational results for the Hubble parameter plus standard Friedmann formalism, we may extrapolate the description of the universe back in time up to the inflationary era, or we may go to the opposite extreme and analyze the probable ultimate fate of the universe. In this review, we discuss a variety of topics in cosmology when it is enlarged in order to contain a bulk viscosity. Various forms of this viscosity, when expressed in terms of the fluid density or the Hubble parameter, are discussed. Furthermore, we consider homogeneous as well as inhomogeneous equations of state. We investigate viscous cosmology in the early universe, examining the viscosity effects on the various inflationary observables. Additionally, we study viscous cosmology in the late universe, containing current acceleration and the possible future singularities, and we investigate how one may even unify inflationary and late-time acceleration. Finally, we analyze the viscosity-induced crossing through the quintessence-phantom divide, we examine the realization of viscosity-driven cosmological bounces, and we briefly discuss how the Cardy–Verlinde formula is affected by viscosity.
Stability of spherically symmetric timelike thin-shells in general relativity with a variable equation-of-state
Authors: Mazharimousavi S. Habib , Halilsoy M. , Amen S. N. Hamad
Published: July 2017

We study spherically symmetric timelike thin-shells in [Formula: see text]-dimensional bulk spacetime with a variable equation-of-state for the fluid presented on the shell. In such a fluid, the angular pressure [Formula: see text] is a function of both surface energy density [Formula: see text] and the radius [Formula: see text] of the thin-shell. Explicit cases of the thin shells connecting two nonidentical cloud of strings spacetimes and a flat Minkowski spacetime to the Schwarzschild metric are investigated.
A Study on Microstructural Parameters for the Characterization of Granular Porous Ceramics Using a Combination of Stochastic and Mechanical Modeling
Authors: Kulosa Matthias , Neumann Matthias , Boeff Martin , Gaiselmann Gerd , Schmidt Volker , Hartmaier Alexander
Published: July 2017

To correlate the mechanical properties of granular porous materials with their microstructure, typically porosity is being considered as the dominant parameter. In this work, we suggest the average coordination number, i.e., the average number of connections that each grain of the porous material has to its neighboring grains, as additional — and possibly even more fundamental — microstructural parameter. In this work, a combination of stochastic and mechanical modeling is applied to study microstructural influences on the elastic properties of porous ceramics. This is accomplished by generating quasi-two-dimensional (2D) and fully three-dimensional (3D) representative volume elements (RVEs) with tailored microstructural features by a parametric stochastic microstructure model. In the next step, the elastic properties of the RVEs are characterized by finite element analysis. The results reveal that the average coordination number exhibits a very strong correlation with the Young’s modulus of the material in both 2D and 3D RVEs. Moreover, it is seen that quasi-2D RVEs with the same average coordination number, but largely different porosities, only differ very slightly in their elastic properties such that the correlation is almost unique. This finding is substantiated and discussed in terms of the load distribution in microstructures with different porosities and average coordination numbers.
GOODNESS-OF-FIT TEST FOR NONLINEAR TIME SERIES MODELS
Authors: HAN NGAI SZE , LING SHIQING
Published: July 2017

Many time series models have been used extensively in modeling economic and financial data. However, it is difficult to determine the functional forms of the conditional mean and conditional variance in these models. In this paper, a test statistic based on the squared conditional residuals is proposed for testing these functional forms, and the asymptotic distribution of the test statistic is obtained. The test statistic is applicable not only to the family of GARCH models but also to other nonlinear time series models. Simulation results show that the proposed tests are powerful and have reasonable sizes. Two real examples are also given to illustrate our theory.
OPTIMAL BANK CAPITAL AND IMPACT OF THE MM THEOREM: A STUDY OF THE PAKISTANI FINANCIAL SECTOR
Authors: ANIS SUMERA , RASHID ABDUL
Published: July 2017

The financial sector of Pakistan is showing stability and resilience to financial shocks. Further, with increased ratios for equity capital, its performance is robust and strong. Globally improved financial conditions are also benefiting it. The banking industry is working under competitive environment that is further illustrated by low bank spreads, lower figures for non-performing loans, higher capital adequacy ratios and increased total assets. This study is done with the aim to investigate the newly recommended capital obligations by Basel III, which has created a debate for and against it. It is argued that it will lead to increased lending rate and shrink loan growth and credit supply. Proposed higher capital levels will increase marginal cost for funds which will result in higher rates for lending. For Pakistani banks, this study depicts that overall changes are negligible if funding mixture is changed. Further, the modigliani and miller (MM) offset is illustrating its full impact.
Algorithm 975
Authors: Ganesh M. , Hawkins S. C.
Published: July 2017

The T-matrix (TMAT) of a scatterer fully describes the way the scatterer interacts with incident fields and scatters waves, and is therefore used extensively in several science and engineering applications. The T-matrix is independent of several input parameters in a wave propagation model and hence the offline computation of the T-matrix provides an efficient reduced order model (ROM) framework for performing online scattering simulations for various choices of the input parameters. The authors developed and mathematically analyzed a numerically stable formulation for computing the T-matrix (J. Comput. Appl. Math. 234 (2010), 1702--1709). The TMATROM software package provides an object-oriented implementation of the numerically stable formulation and can be used in conjunction with the user’s preferred forward solver for the two-dimensional Helmholtz model. We compare TMATROM with standard methods to compute the T-matrix for a range of two-dimensional test scatterers with large aspect ratios and acoustic sizes. Our numerical results demonstrate the robust numerical stability of the TMATROM implementation, even with scatterers for which the standard methods are numerically unstable. The efficiency and flexibility of the TMATROM software package to handle a wide range of two-dimensional scatterers with various shapes and material properties are also demonstrated.
On the Robustness of the 2Sum and Fast2Sum Algorithms
Authors: Boldo Sylvie , Graillat Stef , Muller Jean-Michel
Published: July 2017

The 2Sum and Fast2Sum algorithms are important building blocks in numerical computing. They are used (implicitely or explicitely) in many
compensated
algorithms (such as compensated summation or compensated polynomial evaluation). They are also used for manipulating floating-point
expansions
. We show that these algorithms are much more robust than it is usually believed: The returned result makes sense even when the rounding function is not round-to-nearest, and they are almost immune to overflow.
Modeling Temporal Activity to Detect Anomalous Behavior in Social Media
Authors: Costa Alceu Ferraz , Yamaguchi Yuto , Traina Agma Juci Machado , Jr. Caetano Traina , Faloutsos Christos
Published: July 2017

Social media has become a popular and important tool for human communication. However, due to this popularity, spam and the distribution of malicious content by computer-controlled users, known as bots, has become a widespread problem. At the same time, when users use social media, they generate valuable data that can be used to understand the patterns of human communication. In this article, we focus on the following important question: Can we identify and use patterns of human communication to decide whether a human or a bot controls a user? The first contribution of this article is showing that the distribution of inter-arrival times (IATs) between postings is characterized by following four patterns: (i) heavy-tails, (ii) periodic-spikes, (iii) correlation between consecutive values, and (iv) bimodallity. As our second contribution, we propose a mathematical model named Act-M (Activity Model). We show that Act-M can accurately fit the distribution of IATs from social media users. Finally, we use Act-M to develop a method that detects if users are bots based only on the timing of their postings. We validate Act-M using data from over 55 million postings from four social media services: Reddit, Twitter, Stack-Overflow, and Hacker-News. Our experiments show that Act-M provides a more accurate fit to the data than existing models for human dynamics. Additionally, when detecting bots, Act-M provided a precision higher than 93% and 77% with a sensitivity of 70% for the Twitter and Reddit datasets, respectively.
Rumor Gauge
Authors: Vosoughi Soroush , Mohsenvand Mostafa ‘Neo’ , Roy Deb
Published: July 2017

The spread of malicious or accidental misinformation in social media, especially in time-sensitive situations, such as real-world emergencies, can have harmful effects on individuals and society. In this work, we developed models for automated verification of rumors (unverified information) that propagate through Twitter. To predict the veracity of rumors, we identified salient features of rumors by examining three aspects of information spread: linguistic style used to express rumors, characteristics of people involved in propagating information, and network propagation dynamics. The predicted veracity of a time series of these features extracted from a rumor (a collection of tweets) is generated using Hidden Markov Models. The verification algorithm was trained and tested on 209 rumors representing 938,806 tweets collected from real-world events, including the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, the 2014 Ferguson unrest, and the 2014 Ebola epidemic, and many other rumors about various real-world events reported on popular websites that document public rumors. The algorithm was able to correctly predict the veracity of 75% of the rumors faster than any other public source, including journalists and law enforcement officials. The ability to track rumors and predict their outcomes may have practical applications for news consumers, financial markets, journalists, and emergency services, and more generally to help minimize the impact of false information on Twitter.
Inferring Dynamic User Interests in Streams of Short Texts for User Clustering
Authors: Liang Shangsong , Ren Zhaochun , Zhao Yukun , Ma Jun , Yilmaz Emine , Rijke Maarten De
Published: July 2017

User clustering has been studied from different angles. In order to identify shared interests, behavior-based methods consider similar browsing or search patterns of users, whereas content-based methods use information from the contents of the documents visited by the users. So far, content-based user clustering has mostly focused on static sets of relatively long documents. Given the dynamic nature of social media, there is a need to dynamically cluster users in the context of streams of short texts. User clustering in this setting is more challenging than in the case of long documents, as it is difficult to capture the users’ dynamic topic distributions in sparse data settings. To address this problem, we propose a dynamic user clustering topic model (UCT). UCT adaptively tracks changes of each user’s time-varying topic distributions based both on the short texts the user posts during a given time period and on previously estimated distributions. To infer changes, we propose a Gibbs sampling algorithm where a set of word pairs from each user is constructed for sampling. UCT can be used in two ways: (1) as a short-term dependency model that infers a user’s current topic distribution based on the user’s topic distributions during the previous time period only, and (2) as a long-term dependency model that infers a user’s current topic distributions based on the user’s topic distributions during multiple time periods in the past. The clustering results are explainable and human-understandable, in contrast to many other clustering algorithms. For evaluation purposes, we work with a dataset consisting of users and tweets from each user. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed short-term and long-term dependency user clustering models compared to state-of-the-art baselines.
Cloud-Assisted Crowdsourced Livecast
Authors: Zhang Cong , Liu Jiangchuan , Wang Haiyang
Published: July 2017

The past two years have witnessed an explosion of a new generation of livecast services, represented by
Twitch.tv
,
GamingLive
, and
Dailymotion
, to name but a few. With such a livecast service, geo-distributed Internet users can broadcast any event in real-time, for example, game, cooking, drawing, and so on, to viewers of interest. Its crowdsourced nature enables rich interactions among broadcasters and viewers but also introduces great challenges to accommodate their great scales and dynamics. To fulfill the demands from a large number of heterogeneous broadcasters and geo-distributed viewers, expensive server clusters have been deployed to ingest and transcode live streams. Yet our Twitch-based measurement shows that a significant portion of the unpopular and dynamic broadcasters are consuming considerable system resources; in particular, 25% of bandwidth resources and 30% of computational capacity are used by the broadcasters who do not have any viewers at all. In this article, through the real-world measurement and data analysis, we show that the public cloud has great potentials to address these scalability challenges. We accordingly present the design of Cloud-assisted Crowdsourced Livecast (CACL) and propose a comprehensive set of solutions for broadcaster partitioning. Our trace-driven evaluations show that our CACL design can smartly assign ingesting and transcoding tasks to the elastic cloud virtual machines, providing flexible and cost-effective system deployment.
The Criterion Validity, Reliability, and Feasibility of an Instrument for Assessing the Nursing Intensity in Perioperative Settings
Authors: Rauta Satu , Salanterä Sanna , Vahlberg Tero , Junttila Kristiina
Published: July 2017

Patient classification systems generate information for staff allocation based on a patient’s care needs. This study aims to test further the instrument for assessing nursing intensity (NI) in perioperative settings. Nine operating departments from five university hospitals were involved. The perioperative nurses gathered data from patients (N=876) representing different fields of surgery. Reliability was tested by parallel classifications (n=144). Also, the users’ (n=40) opinions were surveyed. The results support the predictive validity and interrater reliability of the instrument. The nurses considered the instrument feasible to use. The patients’ low ASA class did not automatically signify low NI; however, high ASA class was more frequently associated with high intraoperative NI. Intraoperative NI indicated the length of the postanaesthesia care and the type of the follow-up unit. Parallel classifications ensured the homogenous use of the instrument. The use of the instrument is recommended.
A Novel Approach of Improving Battery Performance and Longevity of the Developed Electrically Assisted Triwheeler Vehicle by Implementing Torque Sensor Technology
Authors: Rashid Md. Jaber Al , Rahman Ataur , Siddique Abu Raihan Mohammad , Azad A. K. M. Abdul Malek
Published: July 2017

This paper presents a new approach to improving the battery performance and its longevity by the implementation of torque sensor pedal technology on the developed electric triwheeler vehicle (i.e., wheelchair). The paper has also discussed integration of the torque sensor technology with the overall electrical system of the vehicle. Incorporating the components of torque sensor technology reduces the human effort immensely by providing assistance from the battery bank to drive a hub motor while maneuvering the wheelchair using the torque sensor pedal. Field tests were carried out in three different stages, one with pedal, one with the throttle only, and with varying the load on the wheelchair, to distinguish the effect of load test on battery performance using the pedal. Results of the field tests reveal that the state of charge of batteries has been minimized using the pedal due to the contribution of the muscular energy of the user along with the battery energy to meet the total energy demand of the motor. Analyzing test results with the torque sensor pedal clarifies that the vehicle covers a longer distance, lessens power dissipation from the batteries, and reduces energy consumption from the batteries, which leads to improvement of the battery performance and its longevity ensuring sustainability of the electric vehicle.
Software-Defined Radio FPGA Cores: Building towards a Domain-Specific Language
Authors: Tsoeunyane Lekhobola , Winberg Simon , Inggs Michael
Published: July 2017

This paper reports on the design and implementation of an open-source library of parameterizable and reusable Hardware Description Language (HDL) Intellectual Property (IP) cores designed for the development of Software-Defined Radio (SDR) applications that are deployed on FPGA-based reconfigurable computing platforms. The library comprises a set of cores that were chosen, together with their parameters and interfacing schemas, based on recommendations from industry and academic SDR experts. The operation of the SDR cores is first validated and then benchmarked against two other cores libraries of a similar type to show that our cores do not take much more logic elements than existing cores and that they support a comparable maximum clock speed. Finally, we propose our design for a Domain-Specific Language (DSL) and supporting tool-flow, which we are in the process of building using our SDR library and the Delite DSL framework. We intend to take this DSL and supporting framework further to provide a rapid prototyping system for SDR application development to programmers not experienced in HDL coding. We conclude with a summary of the main characteristics of our SDR library and reflect on how our DSL tool-flow could assist other developers working in SDR field.
Assessment of the MARS Code Using the Two-Phase Natural Circulation Experiments at a Core Catcher Test Facility
Authors: Lee Dong Hun , Choi Su Ryong , Ha Kwang Soon , Yoon Han Young , Jeong Jae Jun
Published: July 2017

A core catcher has been developed to maintain the integrity of nuclear reactor containment from molten corium during a severe accident. It uses a two-phase natural circulation for cooling molten corium. Flow in a typical core catcher is unique because (i) it has an inclined cooling channel with downwards-facing heating surface, of which flow processes are not fully exploited, (ii) it is usually exposed to a low-pressure condition, where phase change causes dramatic changes in the flow, and (iii) the effects of a multidimensional flow are very large in the upper part of the core catcher. These features make computational analysis more difficult. In this study, the MARS code is assessed using the two-phase natural circulation experiments that had been conducted at the CE-PECS facility to verify the cooling performance of a core catcher. The code is a system-scale thermal-hydraulic (TH) code and has a multidimensional TH component. The facility was modeled by using both one- and three-dimensional components. Six experiments at the facility were selected to investigate the parametric effects of heat flux, pressure, and form loss. The results show that MARS can predict the two-phase flow at the facility reasonably well. However, some limitations are obviously revealed.
Optimal Exercise Boundary of American Fractional Lookback Option in a Mixed Jump‐Diffusion Fractional Brownian Motion Environment
Authors: Yang Zhaoqiang
Published: July 2017

A new framework for pricing the American fractional lookback option is developed in the case where the stock price follows a mixed jump‐diffusion fraction Brownian motion. By using Itô formula and Wick‐Itô‐Skorohod integral a new market pricing model is built. The fundamental solutions of stochastic parabolic partial differential equations are estimated under the condition of Merton assumptions. The explicit integral representation of early exercise premium and the critical exercise price are also given. Numerical simulation illustrates some notable features of American fractional lookback options.
Sinomenine Hydrochloride Attenuates Renal Fibrosis by Inhibiting Excessive Autophagy Induced by Adriamycin: An Experimental Study
Authors: Zhao Ming-ming , Yang Bin , Zhang Qiu , Wang Jin-hu , Zhao Jin-ning , Zhang Yu
Published: July 2017

The objective of this study is to investigate if sinomenine hydrochloride (SIN‐HCl) could be effective against adriamycin‐induced renal fibrosis by regulating autophagy in a rat model. Forty male Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, telmisartan group, and SIN‐HCl group; rat model was induced by adriamycin; all rats were given intragastric administration for 6 weeks. Urine was collected from rats in metabolic cages to determine 24 h protein level. This was done after intragastric administration for the first two weeks and then once for every two weeks. Renal pathological changes were examined by the staining of HE, Masson, and PASM. Expressions and distributions of fibronectin (FN), laminin (LN), light chain 3 (LC3), and Beclin‐1 were observed by immunohistochemistry. SIN‐HCl ameliorates proteinuria, meanwhile attenuating the renal pathological changes in adriamycin‐induced rats and also attenuating renal fibrosis and excessive autophagy by reducing the expression of FN, LN, LC3, and Beclin‐1. SIN‐HCl attenuates renal fibrosis by inhibiting excessive autophagy induced by adriamycin and upregulates the basal autophagy.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation to Understand the Ability of Anionic Polymers to Alter the Morphology of Calcite
Authors: Choi Insil , Kim Il Won
Published: July 2017

Molecular dynamics was utilized to investigate the ability of anionic macromolecules to drastically change the morphology of calcite in the presence of magnesium ions. Anionic poly(acrylic acid) and poly(methacrylic acid) were compared with cationic poly(ethylene imine) in their binding behavior on calcite (104) and (110) surfaces. Poly(acrylic acid) and poly(methacrylic acid) showed preferential binding on (110) with strong electrostatic attractions, whereas poly(ethylene imine) was only weakly attracted to (104). The extent of the charge imbalance on the surfaces appeared responsible for the current results, which originated from the deficient number of the coordinating oxygen atoms of carbonate around the surface calcium. The results of the current study were in accordance with the previous experimental observations, where the {hk0} surfaces of calcite were elongated under the coexistence of the anionic polymers and magnesium ions. These results could be generally utilized in the polymer-controlled crystallization with broad implications in the specific interactions with crystal surfaces.
Study of Erythrocyte Indices, Erythrocyte Morphometric Indicators, and Oxygen-Binding Properties of Hemoglobin Hematoporphyrin Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases
Authors: Revin Victor V. , Ushakova Antonina A. , Gromova Natalia V. , Balykova Larisa A. , Revina Elvira S. , Stolyarova Vera V. , Stolbova Tatiana A. , Solomadin Ilya N. , Tychkov Alexander Yu. , Revina Nadezhda V. , Imarova Oksana G.
Published: July 2017

The current study investigates the functional state of erythrocytes and indices of the oxygen-binding capacity of hemoglobin in blood samples from healthy donors and from patients with coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction before and after treatment. It has been established that, in cardiovascular diseases, erythrocyte morphology and hemoglobin oxygen-transporting disorders are observed. Standard therapy does not result in the restoration of the structure and properties of erythrocytes. The authors believe that it is necessary for future therapeutic treatment to include preparations other than cardiovascular agents to enhance the capacity of hemoglobin to transport oxygen to the tissues.
Growth Differentiation Factor 15 May Predict Mortality of Peripheral and Coronary Artery Diseases and Correlate with Their Risk Factors
Authors: Hsu Lung-An , Wu Semon , Juang Jyh-Ming Jimmy , Chiang Fu-Tien , Teng Ming-Sheng , Lin Jeng-Feng , Huang Hsuan-Li , Ko Yu-Lin
Published: July 2017

Plasma GDF15 concentrations were measured in 612 Taiwanese individuals without overt systemic disease. Clinical parameters, GDF15 genetic variants, and 22 biomarker levels were analyzed. We further enrolled 86 patients with PAD and 481 patients with CAD, who received endovascular intervention and coronary angiography, respectively, to examine the role of GDF15 level in predicting all-cause mortality. Significant associations were found between GDF15 genotypes/haplotypes and GDF15 levels. The circulating GDF15 level was positively associated with age, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus as well as circulating levels of lipocalin 2 and various biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that baseline GDF15 levels of above 3096 pg/mL and 1123 pg/mL were strong predictors of death for patients with PAD and CAD, respectively (P=0.011 and P<0.001). GDF15 more accurately reclassified 17.3% and 29.2% of patients with PAD and CAD, respectively (P=0.0046 and P=0.0197), compared to C-reactive protein. Both genetic and nongenetic factors, including cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers and adipokines, were significantly associated with GDF15 level. A high level of GDF15 was significantly associated with an increase of all-cause mortality in patients with high-risk PAD and in patients with angiographically documented CAD.
Clinical Effects and Safety of Zhi Sou San for Cough: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Trials
Authors: Cheng Ningchang , Zhu Jia , Ding Pinpin
Published: July 2017

Introduction. Zhi Sou San (ZSS), a traditional Chinese prescription, has been widely applied in treating cough. The purpose of this meta‐analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ZSS for cough. Methods. We searched relevant articles up to 5 March 2017 in seven electronic databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Cqvip Database (VIP), China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), and Wanfang Data. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible, regardless of blinding. The primary outcome was the total effective rate. Results. Forty‐six RCTs with a total of 4007 participants were identified. Compared with western medicine, ZSS significantly improved the total effective rate (OR: 4.45; 95% CI: 3.62–5.47) and the pulmonary function in terms of FEV1 (OR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.24–0.46) and decreased the adverse reactions (OR: 0.05; 95% CI: 0.02–0.01) and the recurrence rate (OR: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.16–0.57). However, there was no significant improvement in the cough symptom score comparing ZSS with western medicine. Conclusions. This meta‐analysis shows that ZSS has significant additional benefits and relative safety in treating cough. However, more rigorously designed investigations and studies, with large sample sizes, are needed because of the methodological flaws and low quality of the included trials in this meta‐analysis.
Preventing Noise-Induced Extinction in Discrete Population Models
Authors: Bashkirtseva Irina
Published: July 2017

A problem of the analysis and prevention of noise-induced extinction in nonlinear population models is considered. For the solution of this problem, we suggest a general approach based on the stochastic sensitivity analysis. To prevent the noise-induced extinction, we construct feedback regulators which provide a low stochastic sensitivity and keep the system close to the safe equilibrium regime. For the demonstration of this approach, we apply our mathematical technique to the conceptual but quite representative Ricker-type models. A variant of the Ricker model with delay is studied along with the classic widely used one-dimensional system.
Effect of Integrated Yoga Therapy on Arterial Stiffness: A Pilot Study on Young and Older Adults with Obesity
Authors: Venkata Giri Kumar Pusuluri , Deshpande Sudheer , Joshi Aniruddha , More Pooja , Singh Amit , Nagendra H.R.
Published: July 2017

Background/Aims: The studies on the effect of integrated yoga therapy have shown significant results in improving the overall health. However, the effect of integrated yoga therapy on arterial stiffness is not yet established. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of integrated yoga therapy on arterial stiffness measured at the radial artery. Methods: A total of 18 participants were included in the study. The participants were divided into three groups based on their age and body mass index. There were 5 participants in group 1 who were considered as nonobese, 7 younger adults with obesity were included in group 2, and 6 older adults with obesity were included in group 3. A 1-week integrated approach of yoga therapy (IAYT) was given as an intervention to the participants. The pulse data was acquired from participants using Nadi Tarangini at the beginning and end of the yoga program. The stiffness index (SI) and reflection index (RI) were computed from the pulse data. The data were analyzed using the paired-samples t test. Results: There was a significant reduction in SI (p < 0.05) after IAYT in young participants with obesity. There was a significant reduction in BMI after IAYT in older adults, but the SI was only significantly low in young adults. There were no significant changes in RI after IAYT. Conclusion: The pilot study has shown that arterial stiffness measured at the radial artery using Nadi Tarangini has decreased significantly after 1 week of IAYT in young adults with obesity compared to older adults.
Dramaturgismo: movimentos do olhar – pensamento crítico em processo de criação artística
Authors: Gonçalves Junior Antonio Luiz
Published: July 2017

Este texto pretende focalizar a dimensão crítica da prática do “dramaturgista” como participante de um processo de criação em um trabalho cênico. Entende-se que a dimensão crítica da atividade do “dramaturgista” pressupõe diferentes movimentos da atenção do olhar que têm por finalidade aguçar a percepção na busca pela consistência da pesquisa artística. Como delineamento inicial, tais movimentos hipotéticos serão expostos a partir do conceito de dialética entre forma formante e forma formada, elaborado pelo filósofo italiano Luigi Pareyson, assim como da perspectiva de Max Horkheimer sobre os fundamentos da Teoria Crítica da Sociedade e do ponto de vista do “dramaturgista” como espectador, capaz de lançar um olhar estético-crítico autônomo.
Um qualquer espectador: notas sobre um escândalo teatral
Authors: Pimentel Luiz Paulo , Aquino Julio Groppa
Published: July 2017

O presente texto debruça-se sobre um escândalo teatral ocorrido em 1827, no Brasil, com vistas à análise da vinculação, centrada na figura do espectador, entre as práticas teatrais e certas políticas de Estado, por meio de estratégias pedagogizantes. Assim, investiga-se a emergência do espectador como sujeito de periculosidade, bem como de uma série de táticas de governo empenhadas em gerenciá-lo por meio do policiamento de seu corpo e da educação de seus hábitos, cujos efeitos insistiriam no presente.
Bendito ou maldito seja o público: considerações iniciais sobre a recepção do espetáculo A maldita raça humana, da Companhia Teatro de Breque (Curitiba/PR)
Authors: Ninin Roberta
Published: July 2017

Um grupo formado por estudantes e professores de teatro da Universidade Estadual do Paraná (Unespar) e outro grupo formado por professores e estudantes da Educação de Jovens e Adultos (EJA) da rede municipal de ensino assistem, propositalmente, ao mesmo espetáculo, no mesmo dia: A maldita raça humana, da Companhia Teatro de Breque, no teatro Novelas Curitibanas, na cidade de Curitiba/PR. Há um público mais e menos especializado para a recepção do teatro contemporâneo? Quem é esse público? Qual o espetáculo? Reflexões acerca da noção de espectador e de público são abordadas neste artigo, em diálogo com os pesquisadores Leonel Martins Carneiro, Mervant-Roux e Óscar Cornago.
Algumas de nossas dificuldades: inventário de impasses
Authors: Penuela Sanches Pedro Rodrigo
Published: July 2017

O presente trabalho procura discutir alguns aspectos fundantes da produção, da circulação e do pensamento em artes cênicas que aqui serão considerados como problemáticos, atravessados por contradições e fontes de possíveis impasses e complexidades de difícil enfrentamento, quais sejam: novidade (ou originalidade) como instituição e norma, e certas noções de espetáculo, representação e representatividade, tal como têm aparecido em alguns debates importantes e frequentes neste campo. Para a construção das reflexões, recorre-se a discussões e problematizações oriundas da filosofia e da crítica de arte, a fim de, no horizonte, instabilizar (ainda que de maneira deliberadamente aberta e inconclusiva) alguns aspectos de certo modus operandi nas artes cênicas, bem como nas artes de modo geral.
Aproximações críticas entre os espetáculos Nós e O ano em que sonhamos perigosamente
Authors: Diniz Pollyanna
Published: July 2017

O artigo traz possibilidades de análises críticas e aproximações entre os espetáculos Nós (2016), do grupo mineiro Galpão, em atividade desde 1982, e O ano em que sonhamos perigosamente (2015), montagem mais recente do grupo de teatro pernambucano Magiluth, que possui doze anos de atuação. O texto problematiza questões relacionadas à teatralidade, ao teatro político, aos teatros do real, ao jogo como possibilidade de construção de uma teatralidade e à recepção.
Comissão Ortúzar: ações em torno ao legado de uma/a refundação
Authors: Zamariola Paola Lopes
Published: July 2017

O texto apresenta o projeto Comisión Ortúzar: acciones en torno al legado de una/la refundación, desenvolvido pelo Núcleo Arte, Política y Comunidad na cidade de Santiago do Chile entre 2014 e 2015. O foco do artigo é debater uma experiência latino-americana contemporânea que tensiona cena e história através de ações interdisciplinares que buscam aproximar as searas artísticas, políticas e comunitárias.
Contornos e procedimentos para um pensamento coreográfico
Authors: Slomp Sofia Vilasboas
Published: July 2017

Este artigo visa refletir sobre procedimentos em dança contemporânea a partir de criações do coreógrafo Jérôme Bel, apresentados no Brasil em 2016: The show must go on e Gala. Tais espetáculos evidenciam estratégias que questionam discursos fixos sobre os modos de criação em dança e provocam as expectativas do espectador no cruzamento entre amadores, profissionais e o próprio público na duração do espetáculo. Autores como Erika Fischer-Lichte, Óscar Cornago e Geisha Fontaine aqui permeiam parte das reflexões sobre teatralidade e procedimentos em dança contemporânea.
Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices for Acute Right Ventricular Failure
Authors: Kapur Navin K. , Esposito Michele L. , Bader Yousef , Morine Kevin J. , Kiernan Michael S. , Pham Duc Thinh , Burkhoff Daniel
Published: July 2017

Right ventricular (RV) failure remains a major cause of global morbidity and mortality for patients with advanced heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, or acute myocardial infarction and after major cardiac surgery. Over the past 2 decades, percutaneously delivered acute mechanical circulatory support pumps specifically designed to support RV failure have been introduced into clinical practice. RV acute mechanical circulatory support now represents an important step in the management of RV failure and provides an opportunity to rapidly stabilize patients with cardiogenic shock involving the RV. As experience with RV devices grows, their role as mechanical therapies for RV failure will depend less on the technical ability to place the device and more on improved algorithms for identifying RV failure, patient monitoring, and weaning protocols for both isolated RV failure and biventricular failure. In this review, we discuss the pathophysiology of acute RV failure and both the mechanism of action and clinical data exploring the utility of existing RV acute mechanical circulatory support devices.
Skepticism and Spatial Objects
Authors: Hasan Ali
Published: July 2017

I defend external world realism. I assume that the principle of inference to the best explanation is justified: roughly, a hypothesis that provides a better explanation of the total evidence is more probable than one that does not. I argue that the existence of a world of spatial objects provides a systematic explanation of the spatial contents of visual experience, and that it provides a better explanation than traditional skeptical hypotheses. This paper thus pursues the explanationist strategy of Laurence BonJour and Jonathan Vogel. It is an improved, more compelling defense, for at least two reasons. First, the attention to spatial properties, and in particular to what I call perspectival projections, makes the explanatory power of the realist hypothesis much more vivid and concrete. Second, the argument preserves and elucidates much that seems correct in the explanationist arguments others have offered while avoiding significant problems and shortcomings.
Maji Maji War, Ngoni Warlords and Militarism in Southern Tanzania
Authors: Mihanjo Eginald P.A.N. , Masebo Oswald
Published: July 2017

As we come to an end of the celebration of a centenary and ten years since the end of the Maji Maji War against German colonialism, it is apparently clear that the historiography on the Maji Maji War focuses on appreciation of the Ngoni heroism against German cruelty and colonialism, as well as the loss of life caused by hunger, casualties of the war and German atrocities. It is however, noted that this view of nationalist historiography is outdated and needs to be corrected because it has outlived its usefulness as local histories and identities reveal the Ngoni atrocities, militarism, and wars against local inhabitants similar to the German rule between 1850–1890s. The nationalist historiography, like colonial historiography, pays little attention to history of victims, rather is the story of powerful state formation, states, and statism. In the nationalist case, historical investigations pay little attention on the Ngoni aggression and plunder or on this aggression’s effects on the conditions of life and the demographic dynamics on Lake Nyasa area and East to Indian Ocean from 1850s to 1907. In particular, these wars had a profound effect on the shaping of relations between 1850s and 1907. The article analyses war, militarism, and atrocities of the Ngoni on the conditions of life in East Lake Nyasa to Indian Ocean region between 1850 and 1907. The article demonstrates that during this period the people of area were harassed by Ngoni attacks and slave trade conflicts which disrupted their ways of life. And that after the German subdual of the regional powers including the Ngoni, Yao and Arab traders, relative peace and stability were restored briefly until the Maji Maji war brought further war calamities, instability and confusions. All in all, the Ngoni warlordism and militarism played large part in shaping history of modern southern Tanzania.
A new species of Salamander (Caudata, Plethodontidae, Bolitoglossa) from Serranía de los Yariguíes, Colombia
Authors: MEZA-JOYA FABIO LEONARDO , HERNÁNDEZ-JAIMES CARLOS , RAMOS-PALLARES ELIANA
Published: July 2017

A new species of Bolitoglossa (Plethodontidae) is described from Andean cloud forests on the western slope of Serranía de los Yariguíes in the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia. This new species is distinguished from all other species of the Bolitoglossa adspersa species group by differences in adult body size, morphometric proportions, and tooth counts. The validity of the new species is also supported by molecular analyses. This new species increases the number of salamander species in Colombia to 23 and highlights the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia, with 11 species, as the region with the highest diversity of Bolitoglossa in South America.
Leafhopper subgenus Pedionis (Pedionis) Hamilton, 1980 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Macropsinae) with new species, record, combination and synonymy from Southern China
Authors: LI HU , DAI REN-HUAI , LI ZI-ZHONG
Published: July 2017

A new species Pedionis (Pedionis) damingshanensis sp. nov. from Guangxi of China is described and illustrated, a known species P. (P.) garuda (Distant, 1916) rec. nov. is reported for the first time and redescribed based on 4 specimens in Fujian, Guangdong, Yunnan of China, a new combination P. (P.) hamiltoni (Li, Dai & Li, 2014) comb. nov. from the genus Varicopsella is revealed and a junior synonym Varicopsella (Multispinulosa) Li, Dai & Li, 2014 syn. nov. under Pedionis (Pedionis) Hamilton, 1980 is proposed.
Comments on “Regional Impacts of Irrigation in Mexico and the Southwestern United States on Hydrometeorological Fields in the North American Monsoon Region”
Authors: Bohn Theodore J. , Vivoni Enrique R.
Published: July 2017

For their investigation of the impact of irrigated agriculture on hydrometeorological fields in the North American monsoon (NAM) region, Mahalov et al. used the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model to simulate weather over the NAM region in the summer periods of 2000 and 2012, with and without irrigation applied to the regional croplands. Unfortunately, while the authors found that irrigated agriculture may indeed influence summer precipitation, the magnitude, location, and seasonality of their irrigation inputs were substantially inaccurate because of 1) the assumption that pixels classified as “irrigated cropland” are irrigated during the summer and 2) an outdated land cover map that misrepresents known agricultural districts. The combined effects of these errors are 1) an overestimation of irrigated croplands by a factor of 3–10 along the coast of the Gulf of California and by a factor of 1.5 near the Colorado River delta and 2) a large underestimation of irrigation by a factor of 7–10 in Chihuahua, particularly in 2012. Given the sensitivity of the WRF simulations conducted by Mahalov et al. to the presence of irrigated agriculture, it is expected that the identified errors would significantly impact surface moisture and energy fluxes, resulting in noticeably different effects on precipitation. The authors suggest that the analysis of irrigation effects on precipitation using coupled land–atmospheric modeling systems requires careful specification of the spatiotemporal distribution of irrigated croplands.
The Logic of Franchisement
Authors: Freeman John R.
Published: July 2017

Voting rights are a fundamental concern of democratic theorists as well as students of democratization. Yet, there has been little systematic investigation of franchisement—the process in which voting rights are extended or retracted. Historians, for the most part, are unwilling or unable to generalize from one case of franchisement to another; social scientists have either concentrated their efforts on specifying the effects of suffrage extensions or they have refined historical studies of franchise decision-making. What is needed is in-depth study of (a) the motivations and behavior of (dis)enfranchising elites (b) the politics of suffrage legislation—the bargaining which transforms individual preferences of national decision makers into voting rights statutes, and (c) the “macro-macro” relationship between franchisement—the outcome of b—and legitimization and stabilization. The first of these tasks is addressed here. Following the work of Rae (1969) and Buchanan and Tullock (1962), the suffrage decision is formalized as a constituency design problem and then shown to vary with the information the decision maker possesses regarding the likelihood of being reelected under different reforms and the probability that alternative electorates will adopt new institutional arrangements. A single, generic approach allows us to explain not only the manner in which individual entrepreneurs seek to create new electoral markets but, also, how and why “nonentrepreneurial elites” like the French Ultras behave as they do. In addition, a nonobvious aspect of elite reasoning is uncovered—the (rational) preference for an electorate which has a high probability of abstaining from indifference—and a well-known proposition concerning constituency size and political corruption is studied.