bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Statistical Analysis of First-Year Level Ice Uniaxial Compressive Strength in the Svalbard Area
Authors: Strub-Klein Lucie
Published: August 2016

This paper proposes a methodology for a statistical analysis of uniaxial compressive strength and applies it to full-scale data collected in the Svalbard area from 2005 to 2011. A total of 894 samples were compressed over 7 years of field investigation. The ice was mainly from frozen fjords on Svalbard and also from the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The analysis consisted in determining the most appropriate distribution for level ice strength according to the sample orientation, the time of the year (which would then relate to the brine configuration in the ice), and the failure mode. Six groups (horizontal, vertical, early, late, brittle, and ductile) were defined, and the gamma, two-parameter Weibull, and lognormal distributions were compared for each group. The Weibull parameters (shape and scale) were estimated with the method of moments and the method of maximum likelihood. The two methods agreed well. A visual observation of quantiles–quantiles plots (QQ-plots) combined with a linear regression and a Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) test were conducted to determine the best fitting distribution. Neither the season nor the failure mode appeared to influence the determination of a statistical distribution, contrary to the sample orientation. However, it appeared that the lognormal distribution was a best fit for the failure mode and season groups, whereas the gamma and the Weibull were the best candidates for the vertical and horizontal samples, respectively.
The Effect Analysis of Contact Stiffness on Wear of Clearance Joint
Authors: Aibin Zhu , Shengli He , Chao Zou , Wei Chen
Published: August 2016

The accuracy and efficiency are hardly acquired together in most wear analysis methods. Especially, the effect of contact stiffness is rarely considered in the wear analysis process. Therefore, a wear analysis method of clearance joint considering the effect of contact stiffness is presented. Massless link and spring damping (MLSD) model is used to conduct dynamic analysis of clearance joint system considering the effect of contact stiffness. The nonsymmetric Winkler surface model is taken to compute the contact pressure distribution. The Archard wear theory is adopted to calculate the wear amount of contact surface. The surface contour changes with the wear calculation results over time. Then, the dynamic wear trend of clearance joint is acquired. The analysis results reveal that when the contact stiffness coefficients are small, the effect on wear results of clearance joint becomes obvious and turns to a different change trend with the change of rotation speed. The effect of different contact stiffness is fully considered and the wear analysis results are obtained with a high calculation accuracy and efficiency. The paper's work can provide guidance for the design of same type mechanisms, and have great theoretical significance and application value to the lifetime prediction of clearance joint system.
On Pastewka and Robbins' Criterion for Macroscopic Adhesion of Rough Surfaces
Authors: Ciavarella M.
Published: August 2016

Pastewka and Robbins (2014, “Contact Between Rough Surfaces and a Criterion for Macroscopic Adhesion,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 111(9), pp. 3298–3303) recently have proposed a criterion to distinguish when two surfaces will stick together or not and suggested that it shows quantitative and qualitative large conflicts with asperity theories. However, a comparison with asperity theories is not really attempted, except in pull-off data which show finite pull-off values in cases where both their own criterion and an asperity based one seem to suggest nonstickiness, and the results are in these respects inconclusive. Here, we find that their criterion corresponds very closely to an asperity model one (provided we use their very simplified form of the Derjaguin–Muller–Toporov (DMT) adhesion regime which introduces a dependence on the range of attractive forces) when bandwidth α is small, but otherwise involves a root-mean-square (RMS) amplitude of roughness reduced by a factor α. Therefore, it implies that the stickiness of any rough surface is the same as that of the surface where practically all the wavelength components of roughness are removed except the very fine ones.
Wear Characteristics of Medical Hearing-Aid Components and Friction Reduction Mechanisms
Authors: Song Xu , Huang Jiazhao , Leu Seet Wei , Zhou Kun
Published: August 2016

The wear characteristics of a hearing-aid battery assembly, which consist of an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styren (ABS) button cell compartment and a stainless steel bracket with the locking knob, have been studied in the current work to predict its lifespan in service. The main failure mechanism is the worn-out of the cell compartment by the locking knob when changing the battery. Its wear rate is determined by the relationship between knob geometry and corresponding pressure distribution on the worn surface. Due to the third-body entrapment, the wear rate is highly influenced by the presence of the debris, and fortunately, it can be reduced by applying microsurface texture onto the knob. Experiments are conducted here to validate the wear reduction mechanism.
Pseudoelasticity and Nonideal Mullins Effect of Nanocomposite Hydrogels
Authors: Tang Jingda , Chen Xing , Pei Yongmao , Fang Daining
Published: August 2016

The polymer network of a nanocomposite (NC) hydrogel is physically crosslinked by nanoclay. Recently reported high toughness of nanocomposite (NC) hydrogels highlights the importance of their dissipative properties. The desorption of polymer chains from clay surface may contribute mostly to the hysteresis of NC hydrogels. Here, we proposed a mechanistically motivated pseudoelastic model capable of characterizing the hysteresis of NC hydrogels. The two parameters in the proposed damage variable can be determined by the experiments. We applied the model to the uniaxial tension and reproduced the ideal Mullins effect of NC hydrogels. Furthermore, we considered two nonideal effects: residual deformation and nonideal reloading in multicycle test, using newly proposed damage parameters. A power law with the order of 1/3 is established between the residual fraction of the stretch and the re-adsorption ratio of polymer chains. Finally, we demonstrated the dissipative properties of various NC hydrogels with the model.
Plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of tungsten nitride
Authors: Sowa Mark J. , Yemane Yonas , Prinz Fritz B. , Provine J
Published: August 2016

Tungsten nitride (WN) has potential as an interconnect barrier film. Deposition of WN films with bis(tert-butylimido)bis(dimethylamido)tungsten utilizing plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition has been investigated over a temperature range of 100–400 °C employing N2, H2/N2, and NH3 remote plasmas. Spectroscopic ellipsometry has been used to determine film thickness and optical properties. Film growth rate varied from 0.44 to 0.65 Å/cycle. Chemical composition was investigated with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. W:N ratios varied from 0.95:1 to 3.76:1 and carbon levels were sub-2% for atomic layer deposition conditions. Resistivity measurements, derived from four-point probe measurements, indicate higher deposition temperature and gas flow rates produce the lowest resistivity films. The lowest resistivity film of the study, which measured 405 μΩ cm, was deposited with a hydrogen-rich H2/N2 plasma at 400 °C.
Order-of-magnitude differences in retention of low-energy Ar implanted in Si and SiO2
Authors: Wittmaack Klaus , Giordani Andrew , Umbel Rachel , Hunter Jerry L.
Published: August 2016

The retention of 1 and 5 keV Ar implanted at 45° in Si and 4.3 nm SiO2 on Si was studied at fluences between 3 × 1014 and 1.5 × 1016 cm−2. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) served to monitor the accumulation of Ar as well as the removal of SiO2. Bombardment induced changes in oxygen chemistry caused the O 1s peak position to move toward lower binding energies by as much as 2.2 eV. Plotted versus depth of erosion, the fluence dependent changes in oxygen content, and peak position were similar at 1 and 5 keV. The Ar content of Si increased with increasing exposure, saturating at fluences of ∼2 × 1015 cm−2 (1 keV) and ∼6 × 1015 cm−2 (5 keV). Much less Ar was retained in the SiO2/Si sample, notably at 1 keV, in which case the low-fluence Ar signal amounted to only 8% of the Si reference. The results imply that essentially no Ar was trapped in undamaged SiO2, i.e., the Ar atoms initially observed by XPS were located underneath the oxide. At the lowest fluence of 5 keV Ar, the retention ratio was much higher (43%) because the oxide was already highly damaged, with an associated loss of oxygen. The interpretation was assisted by TRIM(SRIM) calculations of damage production. Partial maloperation of the ion beam raster unit, identified only at a late stage of this work, enforced a study on the uniformity of bombardment. The desired information could be obtained by determining x,y line scan profiles of O 1s across partially eroded SiO2/Si samples. Fluence dependent Ar retention in Si was described using an extended version of the rapid relocation model which takes into account that insoluble implanted rare-gas atoms tend to migrate to the surface readily under ongoing bombardment. The range parameters required for the modeling were determined using TRIM(SRIM); sputtering yields were derived from the literature. The other three parameters determining the Ar signal, i.e., (1) the thickness w of the near-surface Si region devoid of Ar, (2) the relocation efficiency Ψrlc, and (3) the effective attenuation length L in XPS analysis were varied within reasonable limits until the calculated retention curves for 1 and 5 keV Ar in Si agreed with experimental data to better than 8%, using the same XPS sensitivity factor throughout. Results: w = 1.4 ± 0.1 nm, Ψrlc = 6.6 ± 0.5, and L = 2.7 ± 0.2 nm. Combining experimental and calculated data, it was found that the Ar trapping efficiency of the damaged oxide is intimately correlated with the loss of oxygen. The calculated stationary areal densities of all retained Ar are compared with results obtained by high-resolution medium-energy ion scattering spectrometry. Attractive areas of future research in rare gas retention and nanobubble formation are sketched briefly.
Design and testing of a phantom and instrumented gynecological applicator based on GaN dosimeter for use in high dose rate brachytherapy quality assurance
Authors: Guiral P. , Ribouton J. , Jalade P. , Wang R. , Galvan J.‐M. , Lu G.‐N. , Pittet P. , Rivoire A. , Gindraux L.
Published: August 2016

Purpose:

High dose rate brachytherapy (HDR‐BT) is widely used to treat gynecologic, anal, prostate, head, neck, and breast cancers. These treatments are typically administered in large dose per fraction (>5 Gy) and with high‐gradient‐dose‐distributions, with serious consequences in case of a treatment delivery error (e.g., on dwell position and dwell time). Thus, quality assurance (QA) or quality control (QC) should be systematically and independently implemented. This paper describes the design and testing of a phantom and an instrumented gynecological applicator for pretreatment QA and in vivo QC, respectively.

Methods:

The authors have designed a HDR‐BT phantom equipped with four GaN‐based dosimeters. The authors have also instrumented a commercial multichannel HDR‐BT gynecological applicator by rigid incorporation of four GaN‐based dosimeters in four channels. Specific methods based on the four GaN dosimeter responses are proposed for accurate determination of dwell time and dwell position inside phantom or applicator. The phantom and the applicator have been tested for HDR‐BT QA in routine over two different periods: 29 and 15 days, respectively. Measurements in dwell position and time are compared to the treatment plan. A modified position–time gamma index is used to monitor the quality of treatment delivery.

Results:

The HDR‐BT phantom and the instrumented applicator have been used to determine more than 900 dwell positions over the different testing periods. The errors between the planned and measured dwell positions are 0.11 ± 0.70 mm (1σ) and 0.01 ± 0.42 mm (1σ), with the phantom and the applicator, respectively. The dwell time errors for these positions do not exhibit significant bias, with a standard deviation of less than 100 ms for both systems. The modified position–time gamma index sets a threshold, determining whether the treatment run passes or fails. The error detectability of their systems has been evaluated through tests on intentionally introduced error protocols. With a detection threshold of 0.7 mm, the error detection rate on dwell position is 22% at 0.5 mm, 96% at 1 mm, and 100% at and beyond 1.5 mm. On dwell time with a dwell time threshold of 0.1 s, it is 90% at 0.2 s and 100% at and beyond 0.3 s.

Conclusions:

The proposed HDR‐BT phantom and instrumented applicator have been tested and their main characteristics have been evaluated. These systems perform unsupervised measurements and analysis without prior treatment plan information. They allow independent verification of dwell position and time with accuracy of measurements comparable with other similar systems reported in the literature.
Genome Sequence of Jumbo Phage vB_AbaM_ME3 of
Acinetobacter baumanni
Authors: Buttimer Colin , O'sullivan Lisa , Elbreki Mohamed , Neve Horst , McAuliffe Olivia , Ross R. Paul , Hill Colin , O'Mahony Jim , Coffey Aidan
Published: August 2016

Bacteriophage (phage) vB_AbaM_ME3 was previously isolated from wastewater effluent using the propagating host
Acinetobacter baumannii
DSM 30007. The full genome was sequenced, revealing it to be the largest
Acinetobacter
bacteriophage sequenced to date with a size of 234,900 bp and containing 326 open reading frames (ORFs).
Draft Genome Sequences of
Acinetobacter baumannii
Isolates from Wounded Military Personnel
Authors: Arivett Brock A. , Ream Dave C. , Fiester Steven E. , Kidane Destaalem , Actis Luis A.
Published: August 2016

Acinetobacter baumannii
is a Gram-negative bacterium capable of causing hospital-acquired infections that has been grouped with
Enterococcus faecium
,
Staphylococcus aureus
,
Klebsiella pneumoniae
,
Acinetobacter baumannii
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, and
Enterobacter
species as ESKAPE pathogens because of their extensive drug resistance phenotypes and increasing risk to human health. Twenty-four multidrug-resistant
A. baumannii
strains isolated from wounded military personnel were sequenced and annotated.
Draft Genome Sequence of the Aureocin A53–Producing Strain
Staphylococcus aureus
A53
Authors: Santos Olinda Cabral Silva , Duarte Andreza Freitas Souza , Albano Rodolpho Mattos , Bastos Maria Carmo Freire
Published: August 2016

Here, we present the 2,658,363-bp draft genome sequence of the aureocin A53–producing strain
Staphylococcus aureus
A53. This genome information may contribute to the optimal and rational exploitation of aureocin A53 as an antimicrobial agent and to its production in large scale.
Complete Genome Sequence of
Streptomyces parvulus
2297, Integrating Site-Specifically with Actinophage R4
Authors: Nishizawa Tomoyasu , Miura Takamasa , Harada Chizuko , Guo Yong , Narisawa Kazuhiko , Ohta Hiroyuki , Takahashi Hideo , Shirai Makoto
Published: August 2016

Streptomyces parvulus
2297, which is a host for site-specific recombination according to actinophage R4, is derived from the type strain ATCC 12434. Species of
S. parvulus
are known as producers of polypeptide antibiotic actinomycins and have been considered for industrial applications. We herein report for the first time the complete genome sequence of
S. parvulus
2297.
Genome Sequence of a
Lactococcus lactis
Strain Isolated from Salmonid Intestinal Microbiota
Authors: Opazo Rafael , Gajardo Felipe , Ruiz Mauricio , Romero Jaime
Published: August 2016

Lactococcus lactis
is a common inhabitant of the intestinal microbiota of salmonids, especially those in aquaculture systems. Here, we present a genome sequence of a
Lactococcus lactis
strain isolated from the intestinal contents of rainbow trout reared in Chile.
Mechanical and thermophysical properties of rare-earth monopnictides
Authors: Bhalla Vyoma , Singh Devraj , Jain Sushil Kumar
Published: August 2016

The present paper addresses the temperature dependent elastic, mechanical and thermal properties of NaCl structure (B1 type) holmium monopnictides, HoX (X = N, P, As, Sb, Bi) computed using Coulomb and Born repulsive potentials extended up to second nearest neighbors. The second-order elastic constants (SOECs) of single crystals HoX are calculated as a function of temperature in the range 0–500[Formula: see text]K. The compounds under study are found to be brittle in nature. Beside these calculations, the theoretical hardness has been obtained for various rare-earth monopnictides using the elastic properties in the polycrystalline approach. The obtained hardness values indicate HoN to be hard, but cannot be considered super hard. The anisotropic nature of the chosen single crystal is an important physical quantity in studying the directional dependent thermal properties such as Debye temperature and thermal conductivity computed using ultrasonic velocities along different crystallographic directions. The obtained results are discussed in correlation with mechanical and thermophysical properties of similar materials.
FPGA-Based Dynamically Reconfigurable SQL Query Processing
Authors: Ziener Daniel , Bauer Florian , Becher Andreas , Dennl Christopher , Meyer-Wegener Klaus , Schürfeld Ute , Teich Jürgen , Vogt Jörg-Stephan , Weber Helmut
Published: August 2016

In this article, we propose an FPGA-based SQL query processing approach exploiting the capabilities of partial dynamic reconfiguration of modern FPGAs. After the analysis of an incoming query, a query-specific hardware processing unit is generated on the fly and loaded on the FPGA for immediate query execution. For each query, a specialized hardware accelerator pipeline is composed and configured on the FPGA from a set of presynthesized hardware modules. These partially reconfigurable hardware modules are gathered in a library covering all major SQL operations like restrictions and aggregations, as well as more complex operations such as joins and sorts. Moreover, this holistic query processing approach in hardware supports different data processing strategies including row- as column-wise data processing in order to optimize data communication and processing. This article gives an overview of the proposed query processing methodology and the corresponding library of modules. Additionally, a performance analysis is introduced that is able to estimate the processing time of a query for different processing strategies and different communication and processing architecture configurations. With the help of this performance analysis, architectural bottlenecks may be exposed and future optimized architectures, besides the two prototypes presented here, may be determined.
Topic-Aware Physical Activity Propagation with Temporal Dynamics in a Health Social Network
Authors: Phan Nhathai , Ebrahimi Javid , Kil David , Piniewski Brigitte , Dou Dejing
Published: August 2016

Modeling physical activity propagation, such as activity level and intensity, is a key to preventing obesity from cascading through communities, and to helping spread wellness and healthy behavior in a social network. However, there have not been enough scientific and quantitative studies to elucidate how social communication may deliver physical activity interventions. In this work, we introduce a novel model named
T
opic-aware
C
ommunity-level
P
hysical Activity Propagation with
T
emporal Dynamics (TCPT) to analyze physical activity propagation and social influence at different granularities (i.e., individual level and community level). Given a social network, the TCPT model first integrates the correlations between the content of social communication, social influences, and temporal dynamics. Then, a hierarchical approach is utilized to detect a set of communities and their reciprocal influence strength of physical activities. The experimental evaluation shows not only the effectiveness of our approach but also the correlation of the detected communities with various health outcome measures. Our promising results pave a way for knowledge discovery in health social networks.
Unifying Data and Constraint Repairs
Authors: Chiang Fei , Sitaramachandran Siddharth
Published: August 2016

Integrity constraints play an important role in data design. However, in an operational database, they may not be enforced for many reasons. Hence, over time, data may become inconsistent with respect to the constraints. To manage this, several approaches have proposed techniques to repair the data by finding minimal or lowest cost changes to the data that make it consistent with the constraints. Such techniques are appropriate for applications where only the data changes, but schemas and their constraints remain fixed. In many modern applications, however, constraints may evolve over time as application or business rules change, as data are integrated with new data sources or as the underlying semantics of the data evolves. In such settings, when an inconsistency occurs, it is no longer clear if there is an error in the data (and the data should be repaired) or if the constraints have evolved (and the constraints should be repaired). In this work, we present a novel unified cost model that allows data and constraint repairs to be compared on an equal footing. We consider repairs over a database that is inconsistent with respect to a set of rules, modeled as functional dependencies (FDs). FDs are the most common type of constraint and are known to play an important role in maintaining data quality. We propose modifications to the data and to the FDs such that the data and the constraints are better aligned. We evaluate the quality and scalability of our repair algorithms over synthetic and real datasets. The results show that our repair algorithms not only scale well for large datasets but also are able to accurately capture and correct inconsistencies and accurately decide when a data repair versus a constraint repair is best.
A new look at the semantic web
Authors: Bernstein Abraham , Hendler James , Noy Natalya
Published: August 2016

Seeking to make Web data "smarter" by utilizing a new kind of semantics.
Dystemo
Authors: Sintsova Valentina , Pu Pearl
Published: August 2016

Emotion recognition in text has become an important research objective. It involves building classifiers capable of detecting human emotions for a specific application, for example, analyzing reactions to product launches, monitoring emotions at sports events, or discerning opinions in political debates. Most successful approaches rely heavily on costly manual annotation. To alleviate this burden, we propose a distant supervision method—Dystemo—for automatically producing emotion classifiers from tweets labeled using existing or easy-to-produce emotion lexicons. The goal is to obtain emotion classifiers that work more accurately for specific applications than available emotion lexicons. The success of this method depends mainly on a novel classifier—Balanced Weighted Voting (BWV)—designed to overcome the imbalance in emotion distribution in the initial dataset, and on novel heuristics for detecting neutral tweets. We demonstrate how Dystemo works using Twitter data about sports events, a fine-grained 20-category emotion model, and three different initial emotion lexicons. Through a series of carefully designed experiments, we confirm that Dystemo is effective both in extending initial emotion lexicons of small coverage to find correctly more emotional tweets and in correcting emotion lexicons of low accuracy to perform more accurately.
Numerical Algorithm for Pólya Enumeration Theorem
Authors: Rosenbrock Conrad W. , Morgan Wiley S. , Hart Gus L. W. , Curtarolo Stefano , Forcade Rodney W.
Published: August 2016

Although the Pólya enumeration theorem has been used extensively for decades, an optimized, purely numerical algorithm for calculating its coefficients is not readily available. We present such an algorithm for finding the number of unique colorings of a finite set under the action of a finite group.
Variable Liberalization
Authors: Mehta Sanyam , Yew Pen-Chung
Published: August 2016

In the wake of the current trend of increasing the number of cores on a chip, compiler optimizations for improving the memory performance have assumed increased importance. Loop fusion is one such key optimization that can alleviate
memory
and
bandwidth wall
and thus improve parallel performance. However, we find that loop fusion in interesting memory-intensive applications is prevented by the existence of dependences between temporary variables that appear in different loop nests. Furthermore, known techniques of allowing useful transformations in the presence of temporary variables, such as privatization and expansion, prove insufficient in such cases.

In this work, we introduce
variable liberalization
, a technique that selectively removes dependences on temporary variables in different loop nests to achieve loop fusion while preserving the semantical correctness of the optimized program. This removal of extra-stringent dependences effectively amounts to variable expansion, thus achieving the benefit of an increased degree of freedom for program transformation but without an actual expansion. Hence, there is no corresponding increase in the memory footprint incurred. We implement
liberalization
in the Pluto polyhedral compiler and evaluate its performance on nine hot regions in five real applications. Results demonstrate parallel performance improvement of 1.92 × over the Intel compiler, averaged over the nine hot regions, and an overall improvement of as much as 2.17 × for an entire application, on an eight-core Intel Xeon processor.
A Comparison of Sorting Times between Java 8 and Parallel Colt
Authors: Brooks Andrew , Krebs Laura , Paulsen Brandon
Published: August 2016

An exploratory experiment found that sorting arrays of random integers using Java 8's parallel sort required only 50%-70% of the time taken using the parallel sort of the Parallel Colt library. Factors considered responsible for the performance advantage include the use of a dual-pivot quicksort on locally held data at certain phases of execution and work-stealing by threads, a feature of the fork-join framework. The default performance of Parallel Colt's parallel sort was found to degrade dramatically for small array sizes due to unnecessary thread creation.
Reconciling quantum physics with math
Authors: Edwards Chris
Published: August 2016

Mathematicians explore the root of many problems in developing a proof for the Kadison-Singer problem.
The edge of the uncanny
Authors: Mone Gregory
Published: August 2016

Scientists are learning more about what makes robots and chatbots engaging.
GPUs reshape computing
Authors: Greengard Samuel
Published: August 2016

Graphical processing units have emerged as a major powerhouse in the computing world, unleashing huge advancements in deep learning and AI.
Q&A: Hello, Underworld
Authors: Hoffmann Leah
Published: August 2016

Stefan Savage's innovative research has focused on strengthening the security, privacy, and reliability of networks.
Dynamic presentation consistency issues in smartphone mapping apps
Authors: Samet Hanan , Nutanong Sarana , Fruin Brendan C.
Published: August 2016

Smartphone mapping apps routinely fail to follow centuries-old mapmaking dynamic consistency principles and practices.
Software quality
Authors: Denning Peter J.
Published: August 2016

Software users are looking more and more for software that delights.
EduBits
Authors: Timanovsky Yan , Hawthorne Elizabeth K.
Published: August 2016

Welcome to the latest installment of "EduBits," your quarterly pipeline to new and exciting happenings in the world of ACM Education. In this edition, we take stock of the Third Annual Learning at Scale (L@S) conference. Also, a recap of the recent celebration of ACM's commitment to community colleges at the 2016 SIGCSE Technical Symposium
Anti-TNFα alters the natural history of experimental Crohn's disease in rats when begun early, but not late, in disease
Authors: Schmiedlin-Ren Phyllissa , Reingold Laura J. , Broxson Christopher S. , Rittershaus Ahren C. , Brudi Josh S. , Adler Jeremy , Owens Scott R. , Zimmermann Ellen M.
Published: August 2016

Anti-TNFα therapy decreases inflammation in Crohn's disease (CD). However, its ability to decrease fibrosis and alter the natural history of CD is not established. Anti-TNF-α prevents inflammation and fibrosis in the peptidoglycan-polysaccharide (PG-PS) model of CD. Here we studied anti-TNF-α in a treatment paradigm. PG-PS or human serum albumin (HSA; control) was injected into bowel wall of anesthetized Lewis rats at laparotomy. Mouse anti-mouse TNF-α or vehicle treatment was begun day (d)1, d7, or d14 postlaparotomy. Rats were euthanized d21-23. Gross abdominal and histologic findings were scored. Cecal levels of relevant mRNAs were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. There was a stepwise loss of responsiveness when anti-TNFα was begun on d7 and d14 compared with d1 that was seen in the percent decrease in the median gross abdominal score and histologic inflammation score in PG-PS-injected rats [as %decrease; gross abdominal score: d1 = 75% ( P = 0.003), d7 = 57% ( P = 0.18), d14 = no change ( P = 0.99); histologic inflammation: d1 = 57% ( P = 0.006), d7 = 50% ( P = 0.019), d14 = no change ( P = 0.99)]. This was also reflected in changes in IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IGF-I, TGF-β1, procollagen I, and procollagen III mRNAs that were decreased or trended downward in PG-PS-injected animals given anti-TNF-α beginning d1 or d7 compared with vehicle-treated rats; there was no effect if anti-TNF-α was begun d14. This change in responsiveness to anti-TNFα therapy was coincident with a major shift in the cytokine milieu observed on d14 in the PG-PS injected rats (vehicle treated). Our data are consistent with the clinical observation that improved outcomes occur when anti-TNF-α therapy is initiated early in the course of CD.
Impaired utilization of membrane potential by complex II-energized mitochondria of obese, diabetic mice assessed using ADP recycling methodology
Authors: Fink Brian D. , Bai Fan , Yu Liping , Sivitz William I.
Published: August 2016

Recently, we used an ADP recycling approach to examine mouse skeletal muscle (SkM) mitochondrial function over respiratory states intermittent between state 3 and 4. We showed that respiration energized at complex II by succinate, in the presence of rotenone to block complex I, progressively increased with incremental additions of ADP. However, in the absence of rotenone, respiration peaked at low [ADP] but then dropped markedly as [ADP] was further increased. Here, we tested the hypothesis that these respiratory dynamics would differ between mitochondria of mice fed high fat (HF) and treated with a low dose of streptozotocin to mimic Type 2 diabetes and mitochondria from controls. We found that respiration and ATP production on succinate alone for both control and diabetic mice increased to a maximum at low [ADP] but dropped markedly as [ADP] was incrementally increased. However, peak respiration by the diabetic mitochondria required a higher [ADP] (right shift in the curve of O2 flux vs. [ADP]). ATP production by diabetic mitochondria respiring on succinate alone was significantly less than controls, whereas membrane potential trended higher, indicating that utilization of potential for oxidative phosphorylation was impaired. The rightward shift in the curve of O2 flux versus [ADP] is likely a consequence of these changes in ATP production and potential. In summary, using an ADP recycling approach, we demonstrated that ATP production by SkM mitochondria of HF/streptozotocin diabetic mice energized by succinate is impaired due to decreased utilization of ΔΨ and that more ADP is required for peak O2 flux.
A Randomized Split-Face Clinical Trial of Photodynamic Therapy with Methyl Aminolevulinate versus Ingenol Mebutate Gel for the Treatment of Multiple Actinic Keratoses of the Face and Scalp
Authors: Zane Cristina , Fabiano Antonella , Arisi Mariachiara , Calzavara-Pinton Piergiacomo
Published: August 2016

Background: Photodynamic therapy with methyl aminolevulinate (MAL-PDT) and ingenol mebutate gel (IMB) are approved therapeutic options for multiple actinic keratoses (AKs). Objective: The aim of this intraindividual, split-face, randomized clinical trial was to compare treatment outcomes of MAL-PDT and IMB. Methods: Two symmetrical contralateral areas with a similar number of AKs were selected and randomly assigned to 3 days of an IMB treatment cycle or a single session of MAL-PDT. The next day, the local skin reaction (LSR) score was registered. The patients scored pain and time to healing of the treatment area. Results: After 90 days, the complete remission rate of lesions, the number of patients with complete remission of all lesions, cosmetic outcome, and patient preference were assessed. Conclusion: According to our results, IMB and MAL-PDT had a similar efficacy, but the cosmetic outcome was superior with MAL-PDT. Pain was higher with PDT, but LSR was more severe and time to healing was longer with IMB. Patients preferred MAL-PDT.
The Effect of Exercise Training Intensity on Quality of Life in Heart Failure Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Ostman Cecilia , Jewiss Daniel , Smart Neil A.
Published: August 2016

Objectives: To establish if exercise training intensity produces different effect sizes for quality of life in heart failure. Background: Exercise intensity is the primary stimulus for physical and mental adaptation. Methods: We conducted a MEDLINE search (1985 to February 2016) for exercise-based rehabilitation trials in heart failure using the search terms ‘exercise training', ‘left ventricular dysfunction', ‘peak VO2', ‘cardiomyopathy', and ‘systolic heart dysfunction'. Results: Twenty-five studies were included; 4 (16%) comprised high-, 10 (40%) vigorous-, 9 (36%) moderate- and 0 (0%) low-intensity groups; two studies were unclassified. The 25 studies provided a total of 2,385 participants, 1,223 exercising and 1,162 controls (36,056 patient-hours of training). Analyses reported significant improvement in total Minnesota living with heart failure (MLWHF) total score [mean difference (MD) -8.24, 95% CI -11.55 to -4.92, p < 0.00001]. Physical MLWHF scorewas significantly improved in all studies (MD -2.89, 95% CI -4.27 to -1.50, p < 0.00001). MLWHF total score was significantly reduced after high- (MD -13.74, 95% CI -21.34 to -6.14, p = 0.0004) and vigorous-intensity training (MD -8.56, 95% CI -12.77 to -4.35, p < 0.0001) but not moderate-intensity training. A significant improvement in the total MLWHF score was seen after aerobic training (MD -3.87, 95% CI -6.97 to -0.78, p = 0.01), and combined aerobic and resistance training (MD -9.82, 95% CI -15.71 to -3.92, p = 0.001), but not resistance training. Conclusions: As exercise training intensity rises, so may the magnitude of improvement in quality of life in exercising patients. Aerobic-only or combined aerobic and resistance training may offer the greatest improvements in quality of life.
Genetic Basis of Brain Malformations
Authors: Parrini Elena , Conti Valerio , Dobyns William B. , Guerrini Renzo
Published: August 2016

Malformations of cortical development (MCD) represent a major cause of developmental disabilities, severe epilepsy, and reproductive disadvantage. Genes that have been associated to MCD are mainly involved in cell proliferation and specification, neuronal migration, and late cortical organization. Lissencephaly-pachygyria-severe band heterotopia are diffuse neuronal migration disorders causing severe global neurological impairment. Abnormalities of the LIS1, DCX, ARX, RELN, VLDLR, ACTB, ACTG1, TUBG1, KIF5C, KIF2A, and CDK5 genes have been associated with these malformations. More recent studies have also established a relationship between lissencephaly, with or without associated microcephaly, corpus callosum dysgenesis as well as cerebellar hypoplasia, and at times, a morphological pattern consistent with polymicrogyria with mutations of several genes (TUBA1A, TUBA8, TUBB, TUBB2B, TUBB3, and DYNC1H1), regulating the synthesis and function of microtubule and centrosome key components and hence defined as tubulinopathies. MCD only affecting subsets of neurons, such as mild subcortical band heterotopia and periventricular heterotopia, have been associated with abnormalities of the DCX, FLN1A, and ARFGEF2 genes and cause neurological and cognitive impairment that vary from severe to mild deficits. Polymicrogyria results from abnormal late cortical organization and is inconstantly associated with abnormal neuronal migration. Localized polymicrogyria has been associated with anatomo-specific deficits, including disorders of language and higher cognition. Polymicrogyria is genetically heterogeneous, and only in a small minority of patients, a definite genetic cause has been identified. Megalencephaly with normal cortex or polymicrogyria by MRI imaging, hemimegalencephaly and focal cortical dysplasia can all result from mutations in genes of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway. Postzygotic mutations have been described for most MCD and can be limited to the dysplastic tissue in the less diffuse forms.
Uniformity of Chronic Pain Assessment after Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Critical Review of the Literature
Authors: Molegraaf Marijke , Lange Johan , Wijsmuller Arthur
Published: August 2016

Background: Chronic postoperative inguinal pain (CPIP) is the most common long-term complication of inguinal hernia repair. As such procedures are routinely performed, CPIP can be considered a significant burden to global health care. Therefore, adequate preventative measures relevant to surgical practice are investigated. However, as no gold standard research approach is currently available, study and outcome measures differ between studies. The current review aims to provide a qualitative analysis of the literature to seek out if outcomes of CPIP are valid and comparable, facilitating recommendations on the best approach to preventing CPIP. Methods: A systematic review of recent studies investigating CPIP was performed, comprising studies published in 2007-2015. Study designs were analyzed regarding the CPIP definitions applied, the use of validated instruments, the availability of a baseline score, and the existence of a minimal follow-up of 12 months. Results: Eighty eligible studies were included. In 48 studies, 22 different definitions of CPIP were identified, of which the definition provided by the International Association for the Study of Pain was applied most often. Of the studies included, 53 (66%) used 33 different validated instruments to quantify CPIP. There were 32 studies (40%) that assessed both pain intensity (PI) and quality of life (QOL) with validated tools, 41% and 4% had a validated assessment of only PI or QOL, respectively, and 15% lacked a validated assessment. The visual analog scale and the Short Form 36 (SF36) were most commonly used for measuring PI (73%) and QOL (19%). Assessment of CPIP was unclear in 15% of the studies included. A baseline score was assessed in 45% of the studies, and 75% had a follow-up of at least 12 months. Conclusion: The current literature addressing CPIP after inguinal hernia repair has a variable degree of quality and lacks uniformity in outcome measures. Proper comparison of the study results to provide conclusive recommendations for preventive measures against CPIP therefore remains difficult. These findings reaffirm the need for a uniform and validated assessment with uniform reporting of outcomes to improve the burden that CPIP poses to a significant surgical patient population.
The Alcohol Intolerance Produced by Isoniazid Is Not Due to a Disulfiram-Like Reaction Despite Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Inhibition
Authors: Karamanakos Petros N. , Pappas Periklis , Boumba Vasiliki , Vougiouklakis Theodoros , Marselos Marios
Published: August 2016

Background/Aims: Isoniazid (ISO) has been reported to inhibit the hepatic aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and to cause a disulfiram (DIS)-like reaction, albeit there are no reports demonstrating increased blood acetaldehyde levels after co-administration of ISO with alcohol. The aim of our study was to clarify whether the alcohol intolerance produced by ISO is indeed due to a typical DIS-like reaction. Methods: DIS and ISO were administered to Wistar rats and the hepatic ethanol (ETH) metabolizing enzyme activities along with the levels of brain monoamines were determined. Blood acetaldehyde levels were also evaluated after co-administration of ETH with DIS or ISO. Results: Despite inhibition of the hepatic ALDH, ISO did not result in elevated blood acetaldehyde levels after ETH administration, probably due to the induction of cytochrome P450 2E1 which theoretically leads to an increased elimination rate of acetaldehyde preventing its accumulation. Moreover, ISO produced some minor, but statistically significant, alterations in central monoaminergic neurotransmission. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate for the first time that despite ALDH inhibition ISO does not provoke a typical DIS-like reaction since it does not increase blood acetaldehyde levels after co-administration with ETH. The possibility that the ETH intolerance observed in ISO treatment is a central synergistic effect cannot be excluded.
Risk Factors for Postoperative Delirium in Abdominal Surgery: A Proposal of a Postoperative Delirium Risk Score in Abdominal Surgery
Authors: Miyagawa Yasuhiro , Yokoyama Yukihiro , Fukuzawa Shota , Fukata Shinji , Ando Masahiko , Kawamura Takashi , Yamada Kiyofumi , Nagino Masato
Published: August 2016

Background/Aims: Despite the presence of several diagnosis scales for delirium, no prediction scale that is specific for postoperative delirium after abdominal surgery is available. We sought to create a novel delirium prediction system that is specific for abdominal surgery. Methods: This study included 213 consecutive patients who required management in the surgical ICU following abdominal surgery. The Neelon and Champagne (NEECHAM) Confusion score was monitored throughout the postoperative course and patients with low NEECHAM score (≤26) were diagnosed as having delirium. Results: Seventy-three patients (34%) were categorized in the delirium group. Multivariate analyses indicated that an age >70 years, hypertension, those undergoing hepatopancreatobiliary or upper gastrointestinal surgeries, a serum albumin level <2.5 g/dl on postoperative day (POD) 3 or 5 and a ≥6 mEq/l gap in the serum sodium level between the preoperative value and that on POD 3 were independently associated with a low NEECHAM score (≤26). When the presence of each risk was counted as 1 point, 21 patients had ≥4 points and 15 of them (71%) had low NEECHAM score. Conclusion: The scoring system combining multiple risk factors may be useful for predicting patients with an elevated risk for postoperative delirium after abdominal surgery.
Imprensa, indígenas versus ruralistas: As tensões entre o modelo desenvolvimentista e o bom viver (tekove porã)
Authors: Ijuim Jorge Kanehide , Aguilera Urquiza Antônio Hilário , Urquiza Moema Guedes
Published: August 2016

Os embates entre indígenas e ruralistas no Brasil configuram uma desavença antiga. O colonizador quer terras para usufruir e o indígena quer o direito de viver nessas terras e manter sua cultura. Quando as demarcações de reservas atrasam, os indígenas ocupam áreas que reivindicam. Os fazendeiros reagem pelo poder político, econômico e pela violência. O presente estudo investiga o comportamento da mídia diante desses confrontos. Para tanto, observamos reportagens veiculadas em Mato Grosso do Sul com o apoio da Análise da narrativa (Motta, 2013). Ao entrevistar representantes dos índios, anotamos como estes percebem a atuação da imprensa nessas questões. Nossas argumentações se fundamentam na Sociologia das Ausências (Santos, 2002), na Antropologia e no conceito de ‘bom viver’, embasados na teorização de Fábio Mura (2006). Ao final, constatamos que a essência desses conflitos está no choque entre o modelo de desenvolvimento capitalista e o modo de agir/pensar do ‘bom viver’ – tekove porã.
A memória coletiva ressignificada por meio das narrativas audiovisuais
Authors: Maia Marta Regina , Andrade Andriza Teodolino
Published: August 2016

Pretendemos analisar, por meio dos documentários AMTÔ: A Festa do Rato e Xinã Bena: Novos tempos, como o audiovisual tem sido apropriado pelos povos indígenas envolvidos. A partir da realização dos filmes, os indígenas registram suas histórias que são mostradas em contraposição às narrativas hegemônicas. A abordagem metodológica utilizada foi a análise da narrativa fílmica. Procuramos ainda mostrar como o documentário, além da perspectiva de registro, opera como um potente dispositivo de memória, que aciona sentidos e pode assim contribuir para a reativação de antigos costumes e nortear as novas gerações, ressaltando-se a importância da memória coletiva para o universo indígena.
São Paulo em Super 8
Authors: Cruz Rafael
Published: August 2016

Consolidado como importante espaço de difusão artístico e cultural, e percursor da produção audiovisual em Super 8mm na cidade de  São Paulo nas décadas de 70 e 80, o Grupo de Realizadores Independentes de Filmes Experimentais, o GRIFE, foi fruto do encontro de Maria Luiza de Alencar, com o cineasta Abrão Berman. Malu, co-fundadora do grupo, relata sua experiência no ensino e produção com a nova bitola.
Críticas a la teoría de la esfera pública de Jürguen Habermas
Authors: Hernández David Corcho , González Daniel Salas
Published: August 2016

Este artigo analisa a relação entre filosofía política e teoria da comunicação no modelo habermasiano de esfera pública. O texto foca-se no vínculo entre razão pública e razão individual; esfera pública e Estada, assim como, entre prática discursiva e a estrutura da comunicação moderna. O objetivo mais importante do artigo é indagar as condições em que o sujeito político entra na esfera pública. Embora não se pretenda juntar todas as críticas à teoria de Habermas, relacionamos as opiniões de destacados autores como Chantal Mouffe, John B. Thompson, Jacques Rancière e outros.
Brasília e o mito da terra prometida: a ênfase do discurso mitológico através do cinejornal
Authors: Silva Andreza Lisboa da
Published: August 2016

O artigo tem como objetivo compreender o discurso mitológico presente na fundação de Brasília, através da análise do Cinejornal Brasília edição 20. O texto também apresenta como o plano de integração da capital foi organizado, o aspecto mítico designado à concepção do projeto e a constituição dos cinejornais no governo de Juscelino Kubitschek.
What are the fundamentals for a Medical School Curriculum in the 21st Century?
Authors: Verma Sarita
Published: August 2016

As the twenty-first century hits its stride, health professions training and education programs are re-examining their validity and relevance in the context of their social accountability. The 2010 Lancet Commission Report, “Health Professionals for a New Century: Transforming Education to Strengthen Health Systems in an Interdependent World”1, called for change with both the need to transform education, to strengthen widespread health systems internationally and to train health professionals to meet the needs of society. One of the most translated and internationally disseminated Reports in The Lancet’s history; it highlighted a call from 20 professional and academic leaders for major reform in the training of doctors and other healthcare professionals for the next century. Fragmented, outdated, and static education models widely adopted, now produce graduates who fail to meet the needs of society.[...]