bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La escuela y la reorganización del espacio y del tiempo en la sociedad de la información
Authors: Ávila Francés Mercedes
Published: April 2016

El espacio de los lugares y el espacio de los flujos

La sociedad globalizada de la era de la información supone una transformación radical del espacio y del tiempo. Espacio y tiempo son construcciones sociales, es decir, el significado o la concepción social del tiempo y del espacio varía de una cultura a otra. y puesto que nuestras sociedades están sufriendo una transformación estructural, también están surgiendo nuevas formas y procesos espaciales (Castells, 1999: 444-445).

Según Castells (1999: 431), en la sociedad red el espacio organiza al tiempo, y la ciudad pasa de ser un lugar a ser un proceso. Esto supone la aparición de una, nueva clase de espacio: el espacio de los flujos, donde la gente circula con un patrón cada vez más móvil. Coexisten, por tanto, dos tipos de espacios: los lugares y el espacio de los flujos.

Un lugar es un espacio físico con una historia, una cultura y sobre el que se asienta y en el que interactúan uno o más grupos sociales. La sociedad industrial se caracterizaba por la lógica de la especialización monofuncional: un lugar y un tiempo para cada cosa. En la sociedad de la información, un mismo lugar puede, destinarse a distintas funciones en los diferentes momentos. Ese lugar puede servir, entonces a distintos grupos sociales sin que a penas interactúen entre ellos, y puede tener un significado simbólico distinto para cada uno de ellos. Los espacios se vuelven multifuncionales.

La sociedad de la información está construida en torno a flujos: flujos de capital, flujos de información, flujos de tecnología, flujos de interacción organizativa, flujos de imágenes, sonidos y símbolos.
Sociología de la cultura y sociología cultural: la situación en España
Authors: Martín Cabello Antonio
Published: April 2016

La sociología ha venido abordando los fenómenos culturales desde dos grandes enfoques: la sociología de la cultura y la sociología cultural. El profesor Jeffrey C. Alexander (2001) mantiene que ambas posturas, que denomina respectivamente perspectiva débil y fuerte, ofrecen una visión enfrentada sobre la posición de la cultura en la explicación de la acción social y, por extensión, de las instituciones y estructura social. Ambas aproximaciones son más o menos representativas en el contexto académico e intelectual de cada sociedad. En el presente artículo se pretende explorar la situación de los estudios culturales en España dentro de este marco de referencia.

Tres perspectivas sobre sociología y cultura.

Piensa Alexander que la corriente sociológica tradicional ha puesto siempre énfasis en la estructura social, en la base «real» de la sociedad, y que, por el contrario, la cultura, la ideología, ha sido considerada un hecho dependiente de esta estructura o base, por tanto, una «variable dependiente». En consecuencia, se ha tendido a reducir la estructura de significados a meras superestructuras, ideologías, falsas conciencias, sentimientos o ideas «irreales». La sociología pensaba que la explicación había que buscarla «más allá» de la cultura y, en general, era bastante insensible al significado de la acción. No obstante, en los últimos años, afirma, asistimos al resurgir del significado como variable explicativa de la realidad social, de la acción y de las instituciones sociales.

Los estudios que desde la sociología se han realizado de la cultura pueden clasificarse en tres grandes grupos (Smith, 1998): la teoría cultural europea, los estudios culturales británicos y sociología cultural estadounidense. Cada uno de ellos representa una serie de características específicas.
Does more working women result in more single men?
Authors: Bui Thi Thanh Tam , Luong Xuan Ky , Nguyen Manh Viet
Published: April 2016

The following report is going to discuss whether the relationship in the title exists. The theoretical approach suggests that both possibilities can happen due to the simple assumptions of the economic theories used in this research. Evidence shows a clear trend for a positive relationship between women’s working hours and the number of single men. However, the trend weakens over the time, possibly due to stabilisation of women’s wages more recently.
Keimanan Kristus dalam Peraturan Melkisedek: Sebuah Upaya Rekontruksi Kristologi Keimanan dalam Ibrani 7: 1-10
Authors: Yudhita Rena Sesaria
Published: April 2016

Hebrews has a distinctive christology denoting Christ�s particular priesthood. The fact that Jesus is not qualified in anyway to be a priest according the Aaronic order is inevitable. Therefore, the author composed an argument that the foundation of Christ�s priesthood isthe order of Melchizedek. This article seeks to examine how the Hebrew�s author recognize, interpret, and utilize the character of Melchizedek to build his unique priesthood christology. The efforts are made by interpreting Hebrews 7:1-10, in which the author shows the significance of the Melchizedek�s figure to the Jesus� priesthood. First, this article investigate show the author of Hebrews uses Melchizedek mysterious character in Genesis and Psalm are echoed in verses 1-3 and then examine the christology of priesthood developed in verses 4-10. Basically the character of Melchizedek was still shrouded in mystery even to the end of the study. However, precisely in this mystery we can see how ingenious the author is.
Persoalan Status Sebagai Anak-anak Abraham dalam Surat Galatia
Authors: Hakh Samuel Benyamin
Published: April 2016

In the apostle Paul's letter to the Galatians, one of the principal theological debate sticking to the surface is the status as children of Abraham through circumcision. Because according to a group of Jews Christian who came to Galatia, Gentile Christians shall be circumcised, and implement the law, if they want to obtain salvation. Because safety is only given to those who become the children of Abraham in full.

On the other hand, Paul rejected that obligation. According to Paul, by faith in Christ, the son of Abraham, Christians in Galatia, having status as the children of Abraham and inherit the blessings of God's promise that is salvation. In this article I argue that the debate was due on the one hand, Jewish Christian groups that cling to the tradition of circumcision because of the tradition that has been in effect since Abraham and believed to be the way of salvation, while Paul emphasis on faith and obey the decision of the council in Jerusalem that circumcision is not required for the non-Jewish.
Does Stroke Volume Increase During an Incremental Exercise? A Systematic Review
Authors: Vieira Stella S. , Lemes Brunno , de T. C. de Carvalho Paulo , N. de Lima Rafael , S. Bocalini Danilo , A. S. Junior José , Arsa Gisela , A. Casarin Cezar , L. Andrade Erinaldo , J. Serra Andrey
Published: April 2016

Introduction:

Cardiac output increases during incremental-load exercise to meet metabolic skeletal muscle demand. This response requires a fast adjustment in heart rate and stroke volume. The heart rate is well known to increase linearly with exercise load; however, data for stroke volume during incremental-load exercise are unclear. Our objectives were to (a) review studies that have investigated stroke volume on incremental load exercise and (b) summarize the findings for stroke volume, primarily at maximal-exercise load.

Methods:

A comprehensive review of the Cochrane Library’s, Embase, Medline, SportDiscus, PubMed, and Web of Sci-ence databases was carried out for the years 1985 to the present. The search was performed between February and June 2014 to find studies evaluating changes in stroke volume during incremental-load exercise. Controlled and uncontrolled trials were evaluated for a quality score.

Results:

The stroke volume data in maximal-exercise load are inconsistent. There is evidence to hypothesis that stroke volume increases during maximal-exercise load, but other lines of evidence indicate that stroke volume reaches a plateau under these circumstances, or even decreases.

Conclusion:

The stroke volume are unclear, include contradictory evidence. Additional studies with standardized reporting for subjects (e.g., age, gender, physical fitness, and body position), exercise test protocols, and left ventricular function are required to clarify the characteristics of stroke volume during incremental maximal-exercise load.
NEMA NU4-2008 Performance Evaluation of Albira: A Two-Ring Small-Animal PET System Using Continuous LYSO Crystals
Authors: Pajak Malgorzata Z. , Volgyes David , Pimlott Sally L. , Salvador Carlos C. , Asensi Antonio S. , McKeown Clare , Waldeck Jens , Anderson Kurt I.
Published: April 2016

Goals:This paper presents the performance review based on a dual-ring Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner being a part of Bruker Albira: a multi-modal small-animal imaging platform. Each ring of Albira PET contains eight detectors arranged as octagon, and each detector is built using a single continuous lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate crystal and multi-anode photo multiplier tube. In two-ring configuration, the scanner covers 94.4 mm in axial- and 80´80 mm in trans-axial direction, which is sufficient to acquire images of small animals (e.g.mice) without the need of moving the animal bed during the scan.

Methods:All measurements and majority of data processing were performed according to the NEMA NU4-2008 standard with one exception. Due to the scanner geometry, the spatial resolution test was reconstructed using iterative algorithm instead of the analytical one. The main performance characteristics were compared with those of the other PET sub-systems of tri-modal small-animal scanners.

Results:The measured spatial resolution at the centre of the axial field of view in radial, tangential and axial directions was 1.72, 1.70 and 2.45 mm, respectively. The scatter fraction for the mouse-like phantom was 9.8% and for the rat-like phantom, 21.8%. The maximum absolute sensitivity was 5.30%. Finally, the recovery co-efficients for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 mm diameter rods in image quality phantom were: 0.90, 0.77, 0.66, 0.30 and 0.05, respectively.

Conclusion:The Bruker Albira is a versatile small-animal multi-modal device that can be used for variety of studies. Overall the PET sub-system provides a good spatial resolution coupled with better-than average sensitivity and the ability to produce good quality animal images when administering low activities.
N-CoR modulates osteogenic differentiation of rat mesenchymal stem cells through the PI3K/Akt-cell signaling pathway
Authors: Qin Yi , Cao Guoping , Ye Jichao , Wang Peng , Gao Liangbin , Wang Suwei , Shen Huiyong
Published: April 2016

The nuclear receptor corepressor (N-CoR) is involved in the regulation of
diverse transcription factors. We previously found that N-CoR could regulate
adipogenic differentiation of rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs),but whether
it modulated osteogenic differentiation of this type of cells was
uncertain. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effect and
mechanism of N-CoRon osteogenic differentiation of rat MSCs. The results
showed that MSCs cultured in osteogenic medium successfully differentiated
into osteogenic cells. Overexpression of N-CoR decreased cell proliferation,
alkaline phosphatase (ALP)activity, calcium accumulation, mRNA expression of
genes including bone sialoprotein (BSP), osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin
(OPN), Osterix and Runx2, and protein expression of phosphor-Akt(pAkt).
Conversely, knocking down cellular N-CoR by small interfering RNA (siRNA)
promoted pAkt activity and cell differentiation. Overexpression or knockdown
of N-CoRhad no significant influences on the protein expression of pyruvate
dehydrogenase kinase isozyme 1 (PDK1), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)
and total Akt, indicating that N-CoR regulated the changes in the PI3K/Akt
signaling pathway by targeting pAkt. To further prove the function of the
PI3K/Akt signaling in N-CoR-regulated osteogenic differentiation, we used
the PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) to block the activation of the PI3K/Akt
pathway and found that overexpression of N-CoR showed no effects on ALP
activity, calcium level and mRNA expression of BSP, osteocalcin OCN, OPN,
Osterix and Runx2 in rat MSCs following the inhibition of the PI3K/Akt
pathway. These findings suggest that N-CoR regulates osteogenic
differentiation of rat MSCs through suppression of the PI3K/Akt signaling
pathway.
Early Ukrainian-Belarusian-Polish traditional melo-massif: Interethnic wedding macro-areas
Authors: Klymenko Iryna
Published: April 2016

Through rhythm-typological analysis and cartography the author has detected a
similarity in the typological structure of early traditional musical forms
belonging to agricultural and wedding genres on the territory which unites
Ukraine, Belarus (within its ethnic area at the beginning of the 20th
century), Eastern Poland (the Vistula river basin), and Lithuania (Dz?kija
and Aukstaitija). This concerns several dozen song types, composed of items
from a common grammatical base, forming the Ukrainian- Belarusian-Polish
early-traditional melo-massif ? UBPEM. These types share interethnic
(2-4-lingual) areals, which do not correlate with linguistic ones.
Insulin resistance in drug naive patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Kostic Smiljana , Kolic Ivana , Raicevic Ranko , Stojanovic Zvezdana , Kostic Dejan , Dincic Evica
Published: April 2016

Background/Aim. Due to the fact that there is a relatively small number of
data related to systemic insulin abnormalities in the multiple sclerosis
(MS), the main objective of our study was to determine whether a dysbalance
of glucose and insulin metabolism exist in patients with natural course of
MS. Our hypothesis was that the metabolic disorder that characterizes state
of the insulin resistance (IR) and reduced insulin sensitivity (IS) in
untreated patients with MS could play a role in disease progression and
degree of functional disability. Methods. The study included 31 patients with
relapsing-remitting (RR) MS and 14 healthy controls from the same geographic
area matched by age, ethnicity and number of smokers. The glucose tolerance,
IS, and IR were examined using an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and
using basal plasma glucose and insulin levels. The functional disability and
disease progression were evaluated by the Expanded Disability Status Scale
(EDSS) and Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS). Results. The MS patients
tolerated glucose equally well as the healthy controls. Basal concentrations
of insulin were significantly higher in the MS group (p < 0.05), as well as
insulin plasma level 30 min after oral glucose load (p < 0.01). The patients
with MS had significantly higher values of homeostasis model assessment
indexes of IR (HOMA-IR) (p = 0.027; p = 0.028). The percentage of IS (HOMA2
%S) and whole body IS index (ISI Matsuda) showed significantly lower values
in the MS patients than in the controls (p = 0.005; p = 0.001). The
insulinogenic index in the first 30 min of OGTT was significantly higher in
MS patients (p = 0.005). The measures of functional disability and MS
progression did not correlate significantly with the investigated parameters
of IR and IS indexes. Conclusion. This study demonstrates for the first time
the existence of hyperinsulinemia, reduced insulin sensitivity and normal
glucose tolerance that indicate the initial phase of IR in the natural course
of MS. Additional research is necessary in order to define the mechanisms of
occurrence and the impact of IR on the complex pathophysiological processes
in MS.
High specificity of a novel Zika virus ELISA in European patients after exposure to different flaviviruses
Authors: Huzly Daniela , Hanselmann Ingeborg , Schmidt-Chanasit Jonas , Panning Marcus
Published: April 2016

The current Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic in the Americas caused an increase in diagnostic requests in European countries. Here we demonstrate high specificity of the Euroimmun anti-ZIKV IgG and IgM ELISA tests using putative cross-reacting sera of European patients with antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis virus, dengue virus, yellow fever virus and hepatitis C virus. This test may aid in counselling European travellers returning from regions where ZIKV is endemic.
Comparative Study of Quality of Life among Epileptic and Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Maharjan Laxman , Dahal Prasanna , Dahal Bibek , Bhattarai Choodamani
Published: April 2016

A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted through patient reported outcomes of the therapy in epileptic and hypertensive patients for the period of two months at B.P.Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Hospital, Dharan. 52 epileptic and 60 hypertensive patients were analyzed with mean±SD ages 23.69±7.61 and 60.68±14.34 years old respectively. Out of which 53.85% and 46.66% were male in epilepsy and hypertension respectively. The Mean±SD (HRQOL) 60±17 was found in epilepsy and 59±6 in hypertension. Social function, scored 61 out of 100, was highly reduced in epilepsy than in hypertension whereas role limitation due to physical function is comparatively reduced in hypertension than epilepsy, although there were no significant difference between mean HRQOL of epilepsy and hypertension (P>0.05) with correlation -0.084 in paired samples T-test. There were no variations in HRQOL by gender in both groups after having drug therapy in both categories. Independent sample T test (P>0.025) showed that there were no significant differences in mean HRQOL and every domains of HRQOL of epilepsy with cut point 20 years. But physical functioning, energy level and general health were significantly (P<0.035) different in between age group ≥ 50 and < 50 years with hypertension. The study concluded that the Health Related Quality Of Life is low in both epilepsy and hypertension than general population regardless gender and age. In hypertension a decrease in QOL was observed with age, only in relation to physical and psychological health rather than other health domains but in epilepsy there were no significant variation in health domains of HRQOL by gender and age.Sunsari Technical College Journal 2015, 2(1):27-32
Effects of Nd:YAG laser pulse frequency on the surface treatment of Ti 6Al 4V alloys
Authors: Gursel Ali
Published: April 2016

The desirable properties of titanium and titanium alloys, including excellent corrosion resistance, high strength to weight ratio and high operating temperature, have led to their successful application in various fields such as the medical and aerospace industries. Among the reliable treatment techniques, laser welding can provide significant advantages for the titanium alloys because of its precision, rapid processing capability and ability to control the welding parameters and their effects. The morphology and the quality of pulsed seam welds are directly or synergistically influenced by the Nd:YAG laser parameters of pulse shape, energy, duration, travel speed, peak power and frequency of repetition. In this study, a 1.5 mm thick Ti-6Al-4V alloy sheet surface was treated by SigmaLaser®300 Nd:YAG pulsed laser. The influence of the pulse frequency on seam morphology and surface effects was then investigated. The seam and surface quality were characterized in terms of weld morphology and microhardness. The results showed that, for Nd:YAG laser seams used for surface treatment, pulse repetition was more effective on the cooling rate than had been expected.
Multi-response milling process optimization using the Taguchi method coupled to grey relational analysis
Authors: Shankar Subramaniam , Mohanraj Thangamuthu , Thangarasu Sevagoundanoor Karuppusamy
Published: April 2016

An efficient method based on Taguchi's design of experiment coupled with the grey relational analysis was studied, concentrating on the optimization of process parameters over surface roughness, cutting force and tool wear rate in milling of mild steel. This study consists of three stages: experimental work, single response optimization using Taguchi's S/N value and multi-response optimization using grey relational analysis. In the first stage, the experimental work was carried out using Taguchi's design of experiments. The effects of process parameters (spindle speed, feed rate and depth of cut) on surface roughness, cutting force and tool wear rate were investigated using analysis of variance. In the second stage, Taguchi's signal-to-noise ratio was used to optimize the responses. Finally, multi-response optimization was carried out using grey relational analysis. Additionally, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to determine the most significant factor for the optimal response for milling of mild steel. From the ANOVA table, the most significant factor is the spindle speed. This proposed method can be an effective approach to enhance the multi-response optimization for milling process.
Synergistic effect of bias and target currents for magnetron sputtered MoS2-Ti composite films
Authors: Bülbül Ferhat , Efeoğlu İhsan
Published: April 2016

In terms of modification of the properties of MoS2-Ti composite films, especially tribological properties, significant advances have recently been recorded. However, the commercially production of MoS2-Ti composite films is still limited, because the production of desirable MoS2-Ti composite coating is only possible by using closed field unbalanced magnetron systems and by the selection of convenient deposition parameters. This requirement has focused the researchers’ attention on optimization of deposition parameters. This study is concentrating on the effect of the bias voltage and the target currents for MoS2-Ti composite films deposited by pulsed magnetron sputtering (PMS). It is found that the bias and the target currents clearly affect the mechanical, structural and tribological properties of MoS2-Ti films.
Experimental investigation of sheet metal forming using a recyclable low melting point alloy tool
Authors: Durgun Ismail , Kus Abdil , Sakin Ali , Unver Ertu , Jagger Brian , Doruk Emre , Fındık Fehim
Published: April 2016

Due to intense competition in automotive industry, new car models have to be launched as quickly as possible. A re-evaluation of the design and development phases has reshaped product development in order to get product earlier than competitors. Prototype production is one of the longest stages of product development due to physical verification activities. Shortening of this process will provide more opportunity to get project schedule earlier. Rapid prototype technologies are usually used as a guide for visual and packaging analysis. However, there is a requirement to use these parts for functional testing as well. Developing alternative rapid tooling methods which shorten the physical prototype production phase, while adequately supporting visual, packaging and functional aspects of sheet metal forming, can lead to considerable savings in vehicle prototype development. In this study, sheet metal prototype part using recyclable low melting point alloy was experimentally investigated by analysing dimensional conformance of tools and parts. In addition to wear performance, thickness reduction was investigated for stamped parts.
Turbine blade wear and damage – An overview of advanced characterization techniques
Authors: Schlobohm Jochen , Bruchwald Oliver , Frackowiak Wojciech , Li Yinan , Kästner Markus , Pösch Andreas , Reimche Wilfried , Reithmeier Eduard , Maier Hans Jürgen
Published: April 2016

This paper gives an overview of four measurement techniques that allow to extensively characterize the status of a worn turbine blade. In addition to the measurement of geometry and surface properties, the condition of the two protective coatings needs to be monitored. Fringe projection was used to detect and quantify geometric variances. The technique was improved using newly developed algorithms like inverse fringe projection. A Michelson interferometer was employed to further analyze areas with geometric defects and characterize the surface morphology of the blade. Pulsed high frequency induction thermography enabled the scanning of the blade for small cracks at or close to the surface. High frequency eddy current testing was used to determine the protective layers status and their thickness.
Innovative approach to protect magnesium powder during sintering
Authors: Rotem Shany , Aghion Eli
Published: April 2016

Mg foams produced by powder metallurgy are considered as a new class of materials with unique properties. However, the high reactivity of Mg powder during sintering has a detrimental effect on their properties. The study aims at evaluating the possibility of using an insignificant amount of sulfur hexafluoride in the form of N2+0.2 %SF6 atmosphere for protecting EW62 Mg alloy during sintering at high temperature. The results obtained clearly demonstrate the relative advantage of N2+0.2 %SF6 as a protective atmosphere and cost effective environment compared to pure Ar. This was related to the active role of fluorine during sintering which improves the oxidation resistance of the Mg powder and consequently the properties of Mg foams in terms of structural integrity and strength.
Effects of fiber volume fraction on strain of piezoelectric fiber composites
Authors: Lu Fan , Lin Xiujuan , Geng Hongda , Huang Shifeng
Published: April 2016

Piezoceramic fibers as the active deforming component in piezoelectric fiber composites have the largest influence on the overall strain of the composites. The results of this study show that the fabricated composites exhibited clearly anisotropic actuation properties. The free strain of piezoelectric fiber composites with 70 % by volume fibers in the longitudinal direction was 2.9 times of that in the transverse direction at the excitation voltage of 2 000 V and excitation frequency of 0.1 Hz. Larger fiber volume fraction can increase the free strain of the composites, e. g. in this case the free strain increased by about 24.6 % and 33.6 % in the longitudinal and transverse directions, respectively, as the fiber volume fraction increased from 70 % to 78 %. The piezoelectric strain coefficient d
33 of piezoelectric fiber composites exhibits nonlinear dependency on the actuation voltage and linear dependency on the logarithm of frequency.
Preparation and Anti-Fouling Property of Acryloylmorpholine-Grafted PVDF Membrane: The Effect of Cross-Linking Agent
Authors: Shen X. , Liu J. , Zhao Y. , Chen L.
Published: April 2016

Inspired by the hydration capability of hydrogel materials, cross-linked poly(N-acryloylmorpholine) (PACMO) chains were designed into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) backbones to synthesize the copolymers (PVDF-g-PACMO) using the radical polymerization method. These copolymers were then cast into the porous membranes via immersion phase inversion. The effects of N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAA) in the reaction solution on the structure and performance of as-prepared copolymer membranes were evaluated by elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, water contact angle measurement, protein adsorption and filtration experiment. The grafting degree of PACMO increases with the increase of MBAA amount in the reaction solution, which endows the copolymer membrane with a good hydrophilicity. The protein adsorption and irreversible membrane fouling decrease and then further increase with the elevated grafting degree of PACMO. This result indicates that the anti-fouling property of membrane not only depends on the surface hydrophilicity and but also associates with the grafting structures of PACMO. This work provides a fundamental understanding of various grafting structures governing the performance of anti-fouling properties.
CO2 Laser Ablation of Microchannel on PMMA Substrate for Effective Fabrication of Microfluidic Chips
Authors: Chen X. , Li T. , Shen J.
Published: April 2016

This paper reports a simple and rapid method for fabrication of microfluidic chips on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) substrate using a flexible and low-cost CO2 laser system. The CO2 laser employed has a wavelength of 10.6 μm. The laser power used for channel fabrication ranged from 3 and 12 W, the beam travel speeds ranged from 5 to 50 mm/s and the passes were varied in the range of 1 to 3 times. Typical channel depths were between 100 and 900 μm, while the width of fabricated channels ranged from 100 to 300 μm. The effects of the process parameters (the laser power, the beam travel speed of the laser beam and the number of passes) on the dimensional quality (the depth, the width and their aspect ratio) of the microchannel manufactured from PMMA were experimentally investigated. The change law of the channel geometry depending on process parameters was obtained. A high reproducibility of micro-channel geometry was attained. At last, a CO2 laser output power of 5.5 W and a laser beam travel speed of 35 mm/s combining a hot press bonding technique were chosen to fabricate a microfluidic chip within half hour. The pattern qualities and experimental results confirm that the CO2 laser micromachining technology has a great potential for application in flexible, rapid and economic production of polymeric microfluidic chips.
An Efficient One-Pot Synthesis of 3-Aryl-5-(Dialkoxymethyl)-1,2,4-Oxadiazoles under Solvent-Free Conditions
Authors: Adib Mehdi , Saeedi Sara , Soheilizad Mehdi , Bayanati Maryam , Tajbakhsh Mahmood , Amanlou Massoud
Published: April 2016

An efficient and simple synthesis of 3-aryl-5-(dialkoxymethyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazoles is described. The in situ prepared amidoximes from the reaction between nitriles and hydroxylamine are condensed with alkyl 2,2-dialkoxyacetates under solvent-free conditions to produce the title compounds in excellent yields.
A Nonselective Cyclooxygenase Inhibitor Enhances the Activity of Vinblastine in a Naturally-Occurring Canine Model of Invasive Urothelial Carcinoma
Authors: Knapp Deborah W. , Ruple-Czerniak Audrey , Ramos-Vara José A. , Naughton James F. , Fulkerson Christopher M. , Honkisz Sonia I.
Published: April 2016

Background: Chemotherapy is expected to remain an important part of invasive urothelial carcinoma (UC) treatment. Strategies to enhance chemotherapy efficacy are needed.

Objective: To determine the chemotherapy-enhancing effects of a nonselective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor on vinblastine in a naturally-occurring canine model of invasive UC.

Methods: With IACUC approval, privately-owned dogs with naturally-occurring histologically-diagnosed invasive UC, expected survival ≥6 weeks, and informed owner consent were randomly allocated to receive vinblastine (2.5 mg/m2 intravenously every 2 weeks) plus piroxicam (0.3 mg/kg daily per os) or vinblastine alone (same dose) with the option to receive piroxicam alone when vinblastine failed. Scheduled evaluations included physical exam, standard laboratory analyses, thoracic radiography, abdominal ultrasonography, and standardized measurement of urinary tract tumors.

Results: Dogs receiving vinblastine alone ( n = 27) and vinblastine-piroxicam ( n = 24) were similar in age, sex, breed, tumor stage, and grade. Remission occurred more frequently ( P <  0.02) with vinblastine-piroxicam (58.3%) than with vinblastine alone (22.2%). The median progression free interval was 143 days with vinblastine alone and 199 days with the combination. Interestingly, the overall median survival time was significantly longer ( P <  0.03) in dogs receiving vinblastine alone followed by piroxicam alone ( n = 20, 531 days) than in dogs receiving the combination (299 days). Treatment was well tolerated in both arms.

Conclusions: Piroxicam significantly enhanced the activity of vinblastine in dogs with UC where the cancer closely mimics the human condition, clearly justifying further study. The study suggest the potential importance of tracking COX inhibitor use in patients in clinical trials as COX inhibitors could affect treatment response.
Pursuing Quality in the Application of Bladder Cancer Quality of Life Research
Authors: Mohamed N.E. , Gilbert F. , Lee C.T. , Sfakianos J. , Knauer C. , Mehrazin R. , Badr H. , Wittmann D. , Downs T. , Berry D. , Given B. , Wiklund P. , Steineck G.
Published: April 2016

Patient-reported outcomes (PRO), including health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures, represent important means for evaluating patients’ health outcomes and for guiding health care decisions made by patients, practitioners, investigators, and policy makers. In spite of the large number of studies examining HRQOL in patients with bladder cancer, very few review articles investigated this topic. Because these review studies report mixed results, incorporating bladder cancer HRQOL measures into standard urological practice is not a viable option. In this non-systematic review of the literature and commentary we note some general concerns regarding PRO research, but our primary focus is on the HRQOL methodology within the context of two types of bladder cancer: muscle invasive and non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Considering bladder cancer HRQOL as the interaction of four areas of the assessment process (i.e., what model of HRQOL to choose, what instruments are available to fit the choice, how interpretation of the resulting data fits the model, and how to derive some utility from the chosen model) and the two types of disease (i.e., muscle invasive and non-muscle invasive) may move us toward a better understanding of bladder cancer HRQOL. Establishing a useful model of perceived general health or specific symptoms is the first and most important step in developing the responsive bladder cancer HRQOL measures necessitated by clinical settings.
The Cell as the First Niche Construction
Authors: Torday John
Published: April 2016

Niche construction nominally describes how organisms can form their own environments, increasing their capacity to adapt to their surroundings. It is hypothesized that the formation of the first cell as ‘internal’ Niche Construction was the foundation for life, and that subsequent niche constructions were iterative exaptations of that event. The first instantation of niche construction has been faithfully adhered to by returning to the unicellular state, suggesting that the life cycle is zygote to zygote, not adult to adult as is commonly held. The consequent interactions between niche construction and epigenetic inheritance provide a highly robust, interactive, mechanistic way of thinking about evolution being determined by initial conditions rather than merely by chance mutation and selection. This novel perspective offers an opportunity to reappraise the processes involved in evolution mechanistically, allowing for scientifically testable hypotheses rather than relying on metaphors, dogma, teleology and tautology.
Prevalence and Incidence of Black Band Disease of Scleractinian Corals in the Kepulauan Seribu Region of Indonesia
Authors: Johan Ofri , Zamany Neviaty , Smith David , Sweet Michael
Published: April 2016

Black band disease (BBD) is the oldest recognised disease associated with scleractinian corals. However, despite this, few BBD surveys have been conducted in the Indonesian archipelago, one of the world’s hot spots for coral diversity. In this study, we show that BBD was recorded in the reefs of Kepulauan Seribu, Indonesia, at the time of surveying. The disease was found to mainly infect corals of the genus Montipora. In some instances, upwards of 177 colonies (31.64%) were found to be infected at specific sites. Prevalence of the disease ranged from 0.31% to 31.64% of Montipora sp. colonies throughout the archipelago. Although BBD was found at all sites, lower frequencies were associated with sites closest to the mainland (17.99 km), as well as those that were furthest away (63.65 km). Despite there being no linear relationship between distance from major population centers and BBD incidence, high incidences of this disease were associated with sites characterized by higher levels of light intensity. Furthermore, surveys revealed that outbreaks peaked during the transitional period between the dry and rainy seasons. Therefore, we suggest that future surveys for disease prevalence in this region of Indonesia should focus on these transitory periods.
Contemporary Correction of Dentofacial Anomalies: A Clinical Assessment
Authors: Adolphs Nicolai , Ernst Nicole , Keeve Erwin , Hoffmeister Bodo
Published: April 2016

Contemporary computer-assisted technologies can support the surgical team in the treatment of patients affected by dentofacial deformities. Based on own experiences of 350 patients that received orthognathic surgery by the same team from 2007 to 2015, this clinical review is intended to give an overview of the results and risks related to the surgical correction of dentofacial anomalies. Different clinical and technological innovations that can contribute to improve the planning and transfer of corrective dentofacial surgery are discussed as well. However, despite the presence of modern technologies, a patient-specific approach and solid craftsmanship remain the key factors in this elective surgery.
A Cost/Speed/Reliability Tradeoff to Erasing
Authors: Gopalkrishnan Manoj
Published: April 2016

We present a Kullback–Leibler (KL) control treatment of the fundamental problem of erasing a bit. We introduce notions of reliability of information storage via a reliability timescale τ r , and speed of erasing via an erasing timescale τ e . Our problem formulation captures the tradeoff between speed, reliability, and the KL cost required to erase a bit. We show that rapid erasing of a reliable bit costs at least log 2 - log 1 - e - τ e τ r > log 2 , which goes to 1 2 log 2 τ r τ e when τ r > > τ e .
Performance of Continuous Quantum Thermal Devices Indirectly Connected to Environments
Authors: González J. , Alonso Daniel , Palao José
Published: April 2016

A general quantum thermodynamics network is composed of thermal devices connected to environments through quantum wires. The coupling between the devices and the wires may introduce additional decay channels which modify the system performance with respect to the directly-coupled device. We analyze this effect in a quantum three-level device connected to a heat bath or to a work source through a two-level wire. The steady state heat currents are decomposed into the contributions of the set of simple circuits in the graph representing the master equation. Each circuit is associated with a mechanism in the device operation and the system performance can be described by a small number of circuit representatives of those mechanisms. Although in the limit of weak coupling between the device and the wire the new irreversible contributions can become small, they prevent the system from reaching the Carnot efficiency.
The Role of Chemokines in Promoting Colorectal Cancer Invasion/Metastasis
Authors: Itatani Yoshiro , Kawada Kenji , Inamoto Susumu , Yamamoto Takamasa , Ogawa Ryotaro , Taketo Makoto , Sakai Yoshiharu
Published: April 2016

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Although most of the primary CRC can be removed by surgical resection, advanced tumors sometimes show recurrences in distant organs such as the liver, lung, lymph node, bone or peritoneum even after complete resection of the primary tumors. In these advanced and metastatic CRC, it is the tumor-stroma interaction in the tumor microenvironment that often promotes cancer invasion and/or metastasis through chemokine signaling. The tumor microenvironment contains numerous host cells that may suppress or promote cancer aggressiveness. Several types of host-derived myeloid cells reside in the tumor microenvironment, and the recruitment of them is under the control of chemokine signaling. In this review, we focus on the functions of chemokine signaling that may affect tumor immunity by recruiting several types of bone marrow-derived cells (BMDC) to the tumor microenvironment of CRC.
A Survey of Cache Bypassing Techniques
Authors: Mittal Sparsh
Published: April 2016

With increasing core-count, the cache demand of modern processors has also increased. However, due to strict area/power budgets and presence of poor data-locality workloads, blindly scaling cache capacity is both infeasible and ineffective. Cache bypassing is a promising technique to increase effective cache capacity without incurring power/area costs of a larger sized cache. However, injudicious use of cache bypassing can lead to bandwidth congestion and increased miss-rate and hence, intelligent techniques are required to harness its full potential. This paper presents a survey of cache bypassing techniques for CPUs, GPUs and CPU-GPU heterogeneous systems, and for caches designed with SRAM, non-volatile memory (NVM) and die-stacked DRAM. By classifying the techniques based on key parameters, it underscores their differences and similarities. We hope that this paper will provide insights into cache bypassing techniques and associated tradeoffs and will be useful for computer architects, system designers and other researchers.
Revising the Subsystem Nurse’s A-Phase-Silicocarnotite within the System Ca3(PO4)2–Ca2SiO4
Authors: Ros-Tárraga Patricia , Mazón Patricia , Meseguer-Olmo Luis , De Aza Piedad
Published: April 2016

The subsystem Nurse’s A-phase-silicocarnotite within the system Ca3(PO4)2–Ca2SiO4 was conducted as a preliminary step toward obtaining new biomaterials with controlled microstructures. Phase composition of the resulting ceramics was studied by X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscopy with attached wavelength dispersive spectroscopy. The results showed that the sub-system presents an invariant eutectoid point at 1366 ± 4 °C with a composition of 59.5 wt % Ca3(PO4)2 and 40.5 wt % Ca2SiO4, and typical eutectoid microstructure of lamellae morphology. These results are in disagreement with the previous reported data, which locate the invariant eutectoid point at 1250 ± 20 °C with a composition of 55 wt % Ca3(PO4)2 and 45 wt % Ca2SiO4. In addition, cell attachment testing showed that the new eutectoid material supported the mesenchymal stem cell adhesion and spreading, and the cells established close contact with the ceramic after 28 days of culture. These findings indicate that the new ceramic material with eutectoid microstructure of lamellae morphology possesses good bioactivity and biocompatibility and might be a promising bone implant material.
Assembly of a 3D Cellular Computer Using Folded E-Blocks
Authors: Pandey Shivendra , Macias Nicholas , Ciobanu Carmen , Yoon ChangKyu , Teuscher Christof , Gracias David
Published: April 2016

The assembly of integrated circuits in three dimensions (3D) provides a possible solution to address the ever-increasing demands of modern day electronic devices. It has been suggested that by using the third dimension, devices with high density, defect tolerance, short interconnects and small overall form factors could be created. However, apart from pseudo 3D architecture, such as monolithic integration, die, or wafer stacking, the creation of paradigms to integrate electronic low-complexity cellular building blocks in architecture that has tile space in all three dimensions has remained elusive. Here, we present software and hardware foundations for a truly 3D cellular computational devices that could be realized in practice. The computing architecture relies on the scalable, self-configurable and defect-tolerant cell matrix. The hardware is based on a scalable and manufacturable approach for 3D assembly using folded polyhedral electronic blocks (E-blocks). We created monomers, dimers and 2 × 2 × 2 assemblies of polyhedral E-blocks and verified the computational capabilities by implementing simple logic functions. We further show that 63.2% more compact 3D circuits can be obtained with our design automation tools compared to a 2D architecture. Our results provide a proof-of-concept for a scalable and manufacture-ready process for constructing massive-scale 3D computational devices.
Evaluating the Role of p38 MAPK in the Accelerated Cell Senescence of Werner Syndrome Fibroblasts
Authors: Davis Terence , Brook Amy , Rokicki Michal , Bagley Mark , Kipling David
Published: April 2016

Progeroid syndromes show features of accelerated ageing and are used as models for human ageing, of which Werner syndrome (WS) is one of the most widely studied. WS fibroblasts show accelerated senescence that may result from p38 MAP kinase activation since it is prevented by the p38 inhibitor SB203580. Thus, small molecule inhibition of p38-signalling may be a therapeutic strategy for WS. To develop this approach issues such as the in vivo toxicity and kinase selectivity of existing p38 inhibitors need to be addressed, so as to strengthen the evidence that p38 itself plays a critical role in mediating the effect of SB203580, and to find an inhibitor suitable for in vivo use. In this work we used a panel of different p38 inhibitors selected for: (1) having been used successfully in vivo in either animal models or human clinical trials; (2) different modes of binding to p38; and (3) different off-target kinase specificity profiles, in order to critically address the role of p38 in the premature senescence seen in WS cells. Our findings confirmed the involvement of p38 in accelerated cell senescence and identified p38 inhibitors suitable for in vivo use in WS, with BIRB 796 the most effective.
Texture Retrieval from VHR Optical Remote Sensed Images Using the Local Extrema Descriptor with Application to Vineyard Parcel Detection
Authors: Pham Minh-Tan , Mercier Grégoire , Regniers Oliver , Michel Julien
Published: April 2016

In this article, we develop a novel method for the detection of vineyard parcels in agricultural landscapes based on very high resolution (VHR) optical remote sensing images. Our objective is to perform texture-based image retrieval and supervised classification algorithms. To do that, the local textural and structural features inside each image are taken into account to measure its similarity to other images. In fact, VHR images usually involve a variety of local textures and structures that may verify a weak stationarity hypothesis. Hence, an approach only based on characteristic points, not on all pixels of the image, is supposed to be relevant. This work proposes to construct the local extrema-based descriptor (LED) by using the local maximum and local minimum pixels extracted from the image. The LED descriptor is formed based on the radiometric, geometric and gradient features from these local extrema. We first exploit the proposed LED descriptor for the retrieval task to evaluate its performance on texture discrimination. Then, it is embedded into a supervised classification framework to detect vine parcels using VHR satellite images. Experiments performed on VHR panchromatic PLEIADES image data prove the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. Compared to state-of-the-art methods, an enhancement of about 7% in retrieval rate is achieved. For the detection task, about 90% of vineyards are correctly detected.