bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection of Toxoplasmosis in Environmental Samples at a Wet Market of a Capital City Centre
Authors: Nimir Amal R. , Linn Tang Cher
Published: April 2016

The local Chow Kit market is the largest wet market in the city of Kuala Lumpur. It is very close to the biggest government hospital in the city centre. However, the level of cleanliness in this area is always questionable and a matter of concern. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of T. gondii oocyst in water samples used by hawkers in that market and tissue cysts in rats’ brains captured from the same area. Water samples were taken to the parasitology laboratory at the National Universtiy of MalaysiaUniversity and a sugar flotation concentration method was used. Supernatant microscopical examination was then performed. A total of 752 slides were screened for the presence of T. gondii oocyst. A hundred rats wandering in the same area were also captured by the hawkers using mousetraps. After each animal was sacrificed, and an electric microtome was used to cut out serial sections 5μ thick from the rat brains. The de-waxed tissue sections were stained by the progressive Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stain for microscopical examination. A total of 1000 slides were screened under a light microscope to detect the presence of T. gondii brain cysts. All the water samples were found to be negative for T. gondii oocyst. Out of the 100 rats captured, three rats were found to possess T. gondii cysts in their brains. Water samples reflect minimal or no solid food contamination, while the 3% of positive brain cysts influence the researchers to broaden their investigations for future projects.
Time and tumor type (primary or metastatic) do not influence the detection of BRAF/NRAS mutations in formalin fixed paraffin embedded samples from melanomas
Authors: Potrony Miriam , Badenas Celia , Naerhuyzen Bénédicte , Aguilera Paula , Puig-Butille Joan Anton , Tell-Marti Gemma , Díaz Alba , Carrera Cristina , Alos Llucia , Delahaye Nicolas , Malvehy Josep , Puig Susana
Published: April 2016

Background:

BRAF and NRAS mutation detection is crucial for advanced melanoma treatment. Our aim was to evaluate how different characteristics from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples, age of the block or DNA concentration could influence the success of BRAF and NRAS mutational screening.

Methods:

DNA was obtained from 144 FFPE samples (62 primary melanoma, 43 sentinel lymph nodes [SLN] and 39 metastasis). BRAF and NRAS were sequenced by Sanger sequencing.

Results:

Complete sequencing results were obtained from 75% (108/144) of the samples, and at least one gene was sequenced in 89% (128/144) of them. BRAF was mutated in 55% (29/53) and NRAS in 11% (5/45) of the primary melanomas sequenced. DNA concentration correlated with the tumor area used for DNA extraction (mm2) (adj p-value<0.01, r=0.73). The age of the block did not affect sequencing success. In 60% of samples kept for more than 10 years, both BRAF and NRAS were successfully sequenced.

Conclusions:

Preserving sufficient tumor area in FFPE blocks is important. It is necessary to keep the FFPE blocks, no matter their age, as they are necessary to decide the best treatment for the melanoma patient.
Prospective evaluation of biomarkers for prediction of quality of life in community-acquired pneumonia
Authors: Nickler Manuela , Schaffner Daniela , Christ-Crain Mirjam , Ottiger Manuel , Thomann Robert , Hoess Claus , Henzen Christoph , Mueller Beat , Schuetz Philipp ,   for the proHOSP Study Group
Published: April 2016

Background:

Most clinical research investigated prognostic biomarkers for their ability to predict cardiovascular events or mortality. It is unknown whether biomarkers allow prediction of quality of life (QoL) after survival of the acute event. Herein, we investigated the prognostic potential of well-established inflammatory/cardiovascular blood biomarkers including white blood cells (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), pro-adrenomedullin (proADM) and pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (proANP) in regard to a decline in QoL in a well-defined cohort of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Methods:

Within this secondary analysis including 753 patients with a final inpatient diagnosis of CAP from a multicenter trial, we investigated associations between admission biomarker levels and decline in QoL assessed by the EQ-5D health questionnaire from admission to day 30 and after 6 years.

Results:

Admission proADM and proANP levels significantly predicted decline of the weighted EQ-5D index after 30 days (n=753) with adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of 2.0 ([95% CI 1.1–3.8]; p=0.027) and 3.7 ([95% CI 2.2–6.0]; p<0.001). Results for 6-year outcomes (n=349) were similar with ORs of 3.3 ([95% CI 1.3–8.3]; p=0.012) and 6.2 ([95% CI 2.7–14.2]; p<0.001). The markers were associated with most of the different QoL dimensions including mobility, self-care, and usual activities, but not pain/discomfort and to a lesser degree anxiety/depression and the visual analogue scale (VAS). Initial WBC, PCT and CRP values did not well predict QoL at any time point.

Conclusions:

ProADM and proANP accurately predict short- and long-term decline in QoL across most dimensions in CAP patients. It will be interesting to reveal underlying physiopathology in future studies.
Biophysical analysis of three novel profilin-1 variants associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis indicates a correlation between their aggregation propensity and the structural features of their globular state
Authors: Del Poggetto Edoardo , Gori Ludovica , Chiti Fabrizio
Published: April 2016

Profilin-1 is a small protein involved in actin-mediated cytoskeleton rearrangement. Recently, mutations of profilin-1 have been associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It was previously reported that pathogenic mutations of profilin-1 increase the aggregation propensity of this protein, leaving its function unaffected. However, it is not clear if the mutations act by decreasing the conformational stability or by promoting structural perturbations of the folded state of this protein. In this work we have purified three novel profilin-1 mutants that were recently discovered and have investigated their conformational stability, structural features and aggregation behaviour in vitro. Analysis of the data obtained with the three novel variants, and a global statistical analysis with all profilin-1 mutants so far characterised, indicate significant correlations between aggregation propensity and structural perturbations of the folded state, rather than its conformational stability, in this group of mutants.
Power Quality Improvement in Induction Furnace by Harmonic Reduction Using Dynamic Voltage Restorer
Authors: Saggu Tejinder Singh , Singh Lakhwinder
Published: April 2016

Induction furnaces are used in wide quantity under different capacities for annual production of around 25 million tons of iron and steel in India. It plays a vital role in various manufacturing processes around the world for melting different types of metal scraps i. e. Copper, Cast Iron, Aluminium, Steel, Brass, Bronze, Silicon, Gold, Silver etc. which are further used in many other industrial applications. The induction furnace causes a huge disturbance to the utility and nearby consumers during its operation due to its non-linear characteristics. This is a serious phenomenon responsible for power quality degradation in the power system. This paper presents methodology to improve the power quality degradation caused by induction furnace using Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) which is a type of custom power device. The real time data has been taken from an industry employing induction furnace for production of ingots from scrap material. The experimental readings are measured using power quality analyser equipment. The simulation of whole plant is done by analysing this same data and the simulation results are compared with actual onsite results. Then, solution methodology using DVR is presented which revealed that the implementation of DVR is an effective solution for voltage sag mitigation and harmonics improvement in induction furnace.
Semen characteristics and sperm morphology of Pistia stratiotes Linn. (Araceae) protected male albino rats (Wistar strain) exposed to sodium arsenite
Authors: Ola-Davies Olufunke , Ajani O. Samuel
Published: April 2016

Background: Sodium arsenite has been proven to be abundant in nature and released into the environment through human activities, including agricultural and industrial processes. The objective of our study was to investigate the sperm protective potential of Pistia stratiotes Linn. in arsenic-treated rats.

Methods: The sperm protective potential of P. stratiotes Linn. (Araceae) was carried out in arsenic-exposed rats using 24 male albino rats (225 to 228 g) aged between 14 and 16 weeks old. They were grouped into 4 (A–D), each group containing 6 rats. Group A animals were orally treated with 100 mg/kg ethanol leaf extract of P. stratiotes Linn. daily for 14 days; group B (sodium arsenite at 2.5 mg/kg body weight; positive control); group C (P. stratiotes extract for 14 days and single dose of sodium arsenite on day 14; group D (0.1 mL propylene glycol; negative control/vehicle).

Results: Group B had a significantly lower (p<0.05) percentage sperm motility (26.7±6.67 %) while group A had a significantly (p<0.05) higher mean value (63.3±3.33 %) when compared across the groups. The sperm motility of rats in group D was significantly higher (p<0.05) than groups B and C. This implies that P. stratiotes extract had no adverse effect on sperm motility. The presence of P. stratiotes with sodium arsenite alleviated its harmful effect on sperm motility. The mean value obtained for sperm viability, semen volume and sperm count followed a similar pattern although the difference was not significant (p>0.05) for semen volume and the sperm count of rats across the groups. Total sperm abnormality was 10.44 and 14.27 % with the sodium arsenite treated group having the highest value when compared with groups A treated with P. stratiotes extract and D treated with propylene, although the differences were not significant (p>0.05).

Conclusions: The study concluded that ethanol leaf extract of P. stratiotes has no negative effect on sperm motility, viability and morphology and also protected spermatozoa against arsenic-induced reproductive toxicity in Wistar strain albino rats. Therefore, it may play an important role in the protection of populations with chronic sodium arsenite exposure.
Split FTDNN-DFE Equalizer for Complex Non-linear Wireless Channels with NARMA Approximation
Authors: Baruah Murchana , Misra Aradhana , Sarma Kandarpa Kumar
Published: April 2016

Time-dependent channel variations in wireless systems have been modeled using autoregressive (AR), moving average, and AR moving average (ARMA) approaches, which in certain conditions fail to provide the most suitable description of the scenarios. It lowers the quality of service, increases the dependence on the traditional tapped delay line model, and requires more reference symbols as fading in the channel increases. Non-linear attributes in channels are best described by non-linear AR (NAR) and non-linear ARMA (NARMA) models, which capture the channel state information (CSI) better. Learning-based systems like artificial neural networks (ANN) are better equipped to deal with NAR and NARMA approximations of channels, recover CSI, and provide proper channel estimation due to their natural association with non-linear computing. Though decision feedback equalizers (DFE) are the traditional and preferred approaches to reduce the ill effects of channel-induced variations, these are unable to mitigate noise-triggered responses that ANNs can. Here, DFEs and special forms of ANNs are combined to recover CSI from NAR and NARMA approximations of time-varying channels. We especially configure a class of fully focused time delay neural network designed in split form in unitary and composite modes with a DFE to track real and imaginary components of signals. Experimental results establish the effectiveness of such hybrid tools in tracking time-varying non-linear channels covering International Telecommunication Union pedestrian to vehicular conditions.
An Innovative Approach for Detection of Armoured Vehicle in Airborne Thermal Imagery Using Morphological Processing and Texture Feature Extraction
Authors: Gautam Asheesh Kumar , Sinha Lokesh K. , Bhutiyani Mahendra R.
Published: April 2016

Automatic detection of a vehicle in an airborne thermal imagery is a challenging research topic in computer vision, especially the detection of military tanks in the field. Various methodologies for detection in forward-looking infrared imagery, which has higher spatial resolution, has been discussed by a number of researchers in literature. The algorithm we developed in the present study detects tanks not only in higher resolution but in lower resolution imagery as well. Detection algorithm is initiated by the segmentation of thermal image using mean shift, which provides possible targets present in the field other than the background. To reduce clutter and uneven illumination in a thermal image, a pre-processing morphological algorithm based on top-hat filtering has been implemented. After convolution of image window with Gabor filter banks, we extracted the energy feature of each image generated after convolution. The energy vector of such a target and the neighbouring background window has been calculated, and the similarity between the target and background using distance-measuring method has been measured. The minimum distance is used as the threshold to decide the target. A comparative study has been carried out between tanks and various targets/objects that appear similar to tanks in a thermal image. This validates our target detection algorithm. The false-positive rate and true-positive rate have been calculated for performance evaluation. Overall, this algorithm shows promising results for tank detection using single-band thermal imagery.
Indifferentiability security of the fast wide pipe hash: Breaking the birthday barrier
Authors: Moody Dustin , Paul Souradyuti , Smith-Tone Daniel
Published: April 2016

A hash function secure in the
Crystal structure of (Z)-4-(4-oxopent-2-en-2-ylamino)benzenesulfonamide, C11H14N2O3S
Authors: Ghorab Mostafa M. , Alsaid Mansour S. , Ghabbour Hazem A. , Al-Mishari Abdullah A.
Published: April 2016

C11H14N2O3S, orthorhombic, P
b
c
a (no. 61), a = 10.1973(3) Å, b = 9.9487(4) Å, c = 23.1332(8) Å, V = 2346.86(14) Å3, Z = 8, R
gt
(F) = 0.0527, wR
ref
(F
2
) = 0.1407, T = 100 K.
Crystal structure of poly[(μ2-2-methyl-1-(4-(2-methyl-2H-benzo[d] imidazol-1(7aH)-yl)butyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-κ2
N:N′)bis(μ3-5-tert-butylbenzene-1,3-dicarboxylato-κ4
O:O,O′:O′′,O′′′)dicadmium(II)] tetrahydrate, C44H54Cd2N4O12
Authors: Li Shi-Hui , Zhang Li
Published: April 2016

C44H54Cd2N4O12, monoclinic, C2/c, a = 22.818(5) Å, b = 10.714(2) Å, c = 19.163(4) Å, β = 102.43(3)°, V = 4575.2(16) Å3, Z = 2, R
gt
(F) = 0.0381, wR
ref
(F
2) = 0.1077, T = 293(2) K.
Crystal structure of 3-(benzofuran-2-yl)-5-(4-fluorophenyl)-4,5-dihydro-1Hpyrazole-1-carbothioamide, C18H14FN3OS
Authors: El-Hiti Gamal A. , Abdel-Wahab Bakr F. , Baashen Mohammed , Ghabbour Hazem A. , Alruqi Obaid S.
Published: April 2016

C18H14FN3OS, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 14.9084(6) Å, b = 11.2339(4) Å, c = 9.4417(4) Å, β = 102.331(2)°, V = 1544.81(11) Å3, Z = 4, R
gt
(F) = 0.0365, wR
ref
(F
2
) = 0.0953, T = 100 K.
Crystal structure of 2-(3-(benzofuran-2-yl)-5-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-4-phenylthiazole, C26H19N3OS
Authors: El-Hiti Gamal A. , Abdel-Wahab Bakr F. , Ajarim Mansour D. , Alobaid Abdulrahman M. , Ghabbour Hazem A.
Published: April 2016

C26H19N3OS, monoclinic, P21 (no. 4), a = 13.0921(19) Å, b = 5.6740(8) Å, c = 14.417(2) Å, β = 106.217(5)°, V = 1028.3(3) Å3, Z = 2, R
gt
(F) = 0.0564, wR
ref
(F
2
) = 0.0913, T = 100 K.
Direct Victimization Experiences and Fear of Crime: A Gender Perspective
Authors: Sironi Emiliano , Bonazzi Leda Maria
Published: April 2016

Using data from the sixth round of the European Social Survey, we implement propensity score matching methods in order to test whether the presence of past experiences of direct victimization decreases citizens’ safety perception. Results confirm the hypothesis that victimization strongly increases the fear of crime; furthermore the effect is also gender specific: victimized women show higher decrease in safety perception than men.
Recontextualisation of International Advertising Slogans and Their Equivalents in Different European Languages
Authors: Polajnar Janja
Published: April 2016

The French advertising slogan by
Verbal Silence as Figure: Its Contribution to Linguistic Theory*
Authors: Ephratt Michal
Published: April 2016

Speech is Homo sapiens’ form of communication par excellence. It has attracted the interest of ancient as well as contemporary scholars investigating human lore (e.g. linguists, philosophers, scholars studying communication, culture or literature). The sparse studies on silence perceived silence as the antonym of all sounds (including speech: non-voluntary: stillness external to communication; symptoms such as muteness as breaks in communication; or silencing) or as background (voluntary paralinguistic pauses demarcating speech as figure).The current article is based on linguistic studies which, having differentiated between the above silences and verbal silence (VS) – unarticulated verbal signifiers chosen by the speaker to signify meaningful content alongside speech – incorporated VS in the linguistic inventory.

This article focuses on the contributions to linguistics made by the integration of VS in the linguistic inventory. Insights are offered by the identification, understanding and refinement of linguistic concepts in light of the analyses of VS examples (the zero-sign, ellipsis as signifiers, asyndeton, etc.) drawn from literature, advertisements and spoken language. The major contribution is that the particularity of VSs, as unarticulated verbal signifiers, calls for the re-examination of key linguistic issues, such as figure and ground organizations, universalism, and linearity of the verbal code.
Electronic cigarettes: a systematic review of available studies on health risk assessment
Authors: Zulkifli Aziemah , Abidin Emilia Zainal , Abidin Najihah Zainol , Amer Nordin Amer Siddiq , Praveena Sarva Mangala , Syed Ismail Sharifah Norkhadijah , Rasdi Irniza , Karuppiah Karmegam , Rahman Anita Abd
Published: April 2016

Objective:

This paper primarily aimed to review articles which specifically quantified the risk of electronic cigarette’s (e-cigarette) usage via the health risk assessment (HRA) approach.

Methods:

Systematic literature searches were conducted using PubMed search engine databases. Search terms such as “electronic cigarette”, “e-cigarette”, “electronic nicotine delivery systems”, “electronic cigarette liquid”, “electronic cigarette vapors”, and “health risk assessment” were used to identify the relevant articles to be included in this review. To enable comparison, hazard quotient (HQ) and lifetime cancer risk (LCR) for the chemicals measured in the selected articles were calculated for three of the articles using the formula: [1] HQ=average daily dose (ADD)/reference dose (RfD) or exposure air concentration (EC)/reference concentration (RfC); [2] LCR=lifetime average daily dose (LADD) × cancer slope factor (CSF) or exposure air concentration (EC) × inhalation unit risk (IUR).

Results:

Four articles pertaining to HRA of e-cigarettes were critically reviewed, three of the papers focused on specific chemicals namely nicotine, propylene glycol (PG), glycerol and 1,2-propanediol, while one article evaluated the health risks posed by heavy metals contained in e-cigarettes. The calculated HQs for the chemicals in this review had large variations. HQs of the six chemicals, i.e. nicotine, PG, glycerol, cadmium, ethylene glycol, nickel, aluminum and titanium, were found to have the potential to contribute to non-carcinogenic health risks. None of the LCR calculated had risks exceeding the acceptable limit.

Conclusion:

There are limited HRA studies and the ones that were available provided inconsistent scientific evidences on the health risk characterization arising from the usage of e-cigarettes. As such, there is a need to perform more studies on HRA of e-cigarettes by using uniformed and comprehensive steps and similar reference threshold levels of exposures.
Central European MEPs and Their Roles: Behavioral Strategies in the European Parliament
Authors: Bíró-Nagy András
Published: April 2016

This article helps to better understand the role orientations of the Central European Members of the European Parliament, the factors that influence their strategies, and the relationship between their roles and activities. Based on the results of a quantitative survey research with MEPs from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia in the 2009–2014 term, I argue that it is possible to explain the political roles of MEPs by their attitudes towards politics and policy, and the territorial focus of representation (European vs. national level). Due to the internal mechanisms of the EP and its position in the multi-level governance system of European politics, these two dimensions represent dilemmas that all MEPs face, when it comes to the efficient use of their scarce resources: time and energy. This study demonstrates that socio-demographic factors, attitudes and political socialization all have an influence on what roles MEPs choose. The time spent in the EP, age, previous political experience, party affiliation, left-right self-definition and career ambitions are all important factors that can explain the political behavior of MEPs. The Central European MEPs’ focus on politics vs. policy and the European vs. national political arena have different roots, and different variables explain them. Orientation towards politics and policy largely depends on previous political experience and future career ambitions. Focus on the European or the national level is best explained by age, party affiliation and left-right self-definition.
Difference in Agility, Strength, and Flexibility in Competitive Figure Skaters Based on Level of Expertise and Skating Discipline
Authors: Slater Lindsay V. , Vriner Melissa , Zapalo Peter , Arbour Kat , Hart Joseph M.
Published: April 2016

Slater, LV, Vriner, M, Zapalo, P, Arbour, K, and Hart, JM. Difference in agility, strength, and flexibility in competitive figure skaters based on level of expertise and skating discipline. J Strength Cond Res 30(12): 3321–3328, 2016—Figure skating is an extremely difficult sport that requires a combination of grace, artistry, flexibility, speed, and power. Although many skaters are involved with strength and conditioning programs, there is no current information about differences in off-ice performance measures based on skating discipline and level. The purpose of this study was to compare agility, strength, and flexibility performance based on skating discipline and level. A total of 343 figure skaters from 4 different disciplines (singles, dance, pair, and synchronized skating) and 3 different levels (novice, junior, and senior) completed combine testing with the United States Figure Skating Association. All subjects completed the hexagon agility test, t-test, triple bound jumps, vertical jump, timed tuck jumps, push-ups, v-ups, hand press, front split, seated reach, and stork pose. A multivariate analysis of variance with Scheffe's post hoc was used to identify differences in performance based on skating discipline and level. Mean differences, Cohen's d effect sizes, and 95% confidence intervals were reported for all significant differences. Senior and junior skaters tended to be faster and stronger than novice skaters. Singles, dance, and pair skaters tended to be more agile, stronger, and flexible than synchronized skaters, however, senior synchronized skaters tended to perform better than senior skaters in other disciplines. These results indicate that strength and conditioning professionals should consider skating discipline and level when designing strengthening programs for figure skaters.
Lactobacillus helveticus Lafti L10 Supplementation Modulates Mucosal and Humoral Immunity in Elite Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Authors: Michalickova Danica M. , Kostic-Vucicevic Marija M. , Vukasinovic-Vesic Milica Dj. , Stojmenovic Tamara B. , Dikic Nenad V. , Andjelkovic Marija S. , Djordjevic Brizita I. , Tanaskovic Bojana P. , Minic Rajna D.
Published: April 2016

Michalickova, DM, Kostic-Vucicevic, MM, Vukasinovic-Vesic, MD, Stojmenovic, TB, Dikic, NV, Andjelkovic, MS, Djordjevic, BI, Tanaskovic, BP, and Minic, RD. Lactobacillus helveticus Lafti L10 supplementation modulates mucosal and humoral immunity in elite athletes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Strength Cond Res 31(1): 62–70, 2017—To test the influence of probiotic supplementation on humoral immune response, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Thirty athletes (24 males and 6 females, females: V̇o
2max 38.2 ± 4.9 ml·kg−1·min−1, age 23.2 ± 1.4 years; males: V̇o
2max 57.5 ± 9.2 ml·kg−1·min−1, age 24.0 ± 2.4 years, mean ± SD) were randomized either to the probiotic group (Lactobacillus helveticus Lafti L10, 2 × 1010 colony-forming units) or to the placebo group. Serum and saliva samples were collected at the baseline and after 14 weeks. Total and specific antibacterial antibody levels of IgM, IgG, and IgA classes were determined for different bacteria in the serum, and in saliva, total and specific antibacterial IgA levels were examined. Total IgM was elevated in both probiotic (18%, 15–20%; mean, 90% confidence interval; p = 0.02) and placebo group (35%, 22–47%; p = 0.02), without observed differences in changes between the groups. No significant changes in IgM levels specific for tested bacteria were found. Total IgG level was constant in both groups. A significant (16%, −2.8 to 35%, p = 0.04) reduction of anti–Enterococcus faecalis IgG was noted in the placebo group, in comparison with the probiotic group. There was a substantial decrease in total IgA level in the placebo group, when measured either in serum (15%, 12–18%, p = 0.04) or in saliva (35%, −1.4 to 53%, p = 0.03). Significantly reduced levels of serum anti–lactic acid bacteria IgA antibodies in the placebo group compared with the probiotic group were detected for Lactobacillus rhamnosus LA68 (24%, 5.8–42%, p = 0.02) and for L. rhamnosus LB64 (15%, 2.7–27%, p = 0.02). Probiotic administration could have beneficial effects on systemic humoral and mucosal immune responses.
Can Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improve the Resistance Strength and Decrease the Rating Perceived Scale in Recreational Weight-Training Experience?
Authors: Lattari Eduardo , Andrade Maria L. , Filho Alberto S. , Moura Antônio M. , Neto Geraldo M. , Silva Júlio G. , Rocha Nuno B. , Yuan Ti-Fei , Arias-Carrión Oscar , Machado Sérgio
Published: April 2016

Lattari, E, Andrade, ML, Filho, AS, Moura, AM, Neto, GM, Silva, JG, Rocha, NB, Yuan, T-F, Arias-Carrión, O, and Machado, S. Can transcranial direct current stimulation improve the resistance strength and decrease the rating perceived scale in recreational weight-training experience? J Strength Cond Res 30(12): 3381–3387, 2016—The goal of this study was to evaluate the acute efficacy of anodic transcranial direct current stimulation on the total volume of repetitions and perceived exertion in recreationally trained individuals in strength. The sample consisted of 10 participants trained in exercise against resistance for at least 3 months. Participants underwent elbow flexion exercise at barbell with a specific load of 10 repetition maximum (10RM), responded immediately after the OMNI-RES scale, and were stimulated for 20 minutes with a tDSC protocol (2 mA), depending on randomization. After applying the tDSC, subjects were again subjected to perform elbow flexion with 10RM load and, soon after, again responded to OMNI-RES scale. All subjects underwent the 3 experimental conditions of the study, c-tDSC, a-tDSC, and sham-tDSC, which were randomized. A range of 48–72 hours was allowed between each assessment visit. An interaction to condition and time (F = 52.395; p ≤ 0.001) has shown that repetitions completed after anodic condition were higher compared with the other conditions in the postsession. In relation to perceived exertion, verified by OMNI-RES scale, 2-way analysis of variance for repeated measures showed an interaction between condition and time (F = 28.445; p ≤ 0.001), where the perceived exertion was decreased after the a-tDSC condition and increased after the c-tDSC condition. In strict terms of performance, it seems to be beneficial to attend a session of 20 minutes a-tDSC, when strength training practitioners can no longer support high-volume training and have increased responses in the perceived exertion.
A Submaximal Running Test With Postexercise Cardiac Autonomic and Neuromuscular Function in Monitoring Endurance Training Adaptation
Authors: Vesterinen Ville , Nummela Ari , Laine Tanja , Hynynen Esa , Mikkola Jussi , Häkkinen Keijo
Published: April 2016

Vesterinen, V, Nummela, A, Laine, T, Hynynen, E, Mikkola, J, and Häkkinen, K. A submaximal running test with postexercise cardiac autonomic and neuromuscular function in monitoring endurance training adaptation. J Strength Cond Res 31(1): 233–243, 2017—The aim of this study was to investigate whether a submaximal running test (SRT) with postexercise heart rate recovery (HRR), heart rate variability (HRV), and countermovement jump (CMJ) measurements could be used to monitor endurance training adaptation. Thirty-five endurance-trained men and women completed an 18-week endurance training. Maximal endurance performance and maximal oxygen uptake were measured every 8 weeks. In addition, SRTs with postexercise HRR, HRV, and CMJ measurements were carried out every 4 weeks. Submaximal running test consisted of two 6-minute stages at 70 and 80% of maximum heart rate (HRmax) and a 3-minute stage at 90% HRmax, followed by a 2-minute recovery stage for measuring postexercise HRR, HRV, and CMJ test. The highest responders according to the change of maximal endurance performance showed a significant improvement in running speeds during stages 2 and 3 in SRT, whereas no changes were observed in the lowest responders. The strongest correlation was found between the change of maximal endurance performance and running speed during stage 3, whereas no significant relationships were found between the change of maximal endurance performance and the changes of postexercise HRR, HRV, and CMJ. Running speed at 90% HRmax intensity was the most sensitive variable to monitor adaptation to endurance training. The present submaximal test showed potential to monitor endurance training adaptation. Furthermore, it may serve as a practical tool for athletes and coaches to evaluate weekly the effectiveness of training program without interfering in the normal training habits.
Elevated Linkage Disequilibrium and Signatures of Soft Sweeps Are Common in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Garud Nandita R , Petrov Dmitri A
Published: April 2016

The extent to which selection and demography impact patterns of genetic diversity in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster is yet to be fully understood. We previously observed that linkage disequilibrium (LD) at scales of ∼10 kb in the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP), consisting of 145 inbred strains from Raleigh, North Carolina, measured both between pairs of sites and as haplotype homozygosity, is elevated above neutral demographic expectations. We also demonstrated that signatures of strong and recent soft sweeps are abundant. However, the extent to which these patterns are specific to this derived and admixed population is unknown. It is also unclear whether these patterns are a consequence of the extensive inbreeding performed to generate the DGRP data. Here we analyze LD statistics in a sample of >100 fully-sequenced strains from Zambia; an ancestral population to the Raleigh population that has experienced little to no admixture and was generated by sequencing haploid embryos rather than inbred strains. We find an elevation in long-range LD and haplotype homozygosity compared to neutral expectations in the Zambian sample, thus showing the elevation in LD is not specific to the DGRP data set. This elevation in LD and haplotype structure remains even after controlling for possible confounders including genomic inversions, admixture, population substructure, close relatedness of individual strains, and recombination rate variation. Furthermore, signatures of partial soft sweeps similar to those found in the DGRP as well as partial hard sweeps are common in Zambia. These results suggest that while the selective forces and sources of adaptive mutations may differ in Zambia and Raleigh, elevated long-range LD and signatures of soft sweeps are generic in D. melanogaster.
Limits to Adaptation in Partially Selfing Species
Authors: Hartfield Matthew , Glémin Sylvain
Published: April 2016

In outcrossing populations, “Haldane’s sieve” states that recessive beneficial alleles are less likely to fix than dominant ones, because they are less exposed to selection when rare. In contrast, selfing organisms are not subject to Haldane’s sieve and are more likely to fix recessive types than outcrossers, as selfing rapidly creates homozygotes, increasing overall selection acting on mutations. However, longer homozygous tracts in selfers also reduce the ability of recombination to create new genotypes. It is unclear how these two effects influence overall adaptation rates in partially selfing organisms. Here, we calculate the fixation probability of beneficial alleles if there is an existing selective sweep in the population. We consider both the potential loss of the second beneficial mutation if it has a weaker advantage than the first one, and the possible replacement of the initial allele if the second mutant is fitter. Overall, loss of weaker adaptive alleles during a first selective sweep has a larger impact on preventing fixation of both mutations in highly selfing organisms. Furthermore, the presence of linked mutations has two opposing effects on Haldane’s sieve. First, recessive mutants are disproportionally likely to be lost in outcrossers, so it is likelier that dominant mutations will fix. Second, with elevated rates of adaptive mutation, selective interference annuls the advantage in selfing organisms of not suffering from Haldane’s sieve; outcrossing organisms are more able to fix weak beneficial mutations of any dominance value. Overall, weakened recombination effects can greatly limit adaptation in selfing organisms.
Validation of the Japanese version of the job crafting scale
Authors: Eguchi Hisashi , Shimazu Akihito , Bakker Arnold B. , Tims Maria , Kamiyama Kimika , Hara Yujiro , Namba Katsuyuki , Inoue Akiomi , Ono Masakatsu , Kawakami Norito
Published: April 2016

Objectives

The aim of this study was to validate the Japanese version of the job crafting scale (JCSJ). JCS measures four independent job crafting dimensions, namely increasing structural job resources, decreasing hindering job demands, increasing social job resources, and increasing challenging job demands.

Methods

The translated and back‐translated JCS‐J questionnaires were administered online to 972 employees of a Japanese manufacturing company. The data were then divided into independent explorative and confirmative samples. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to evaluate the factorial validity of JCSJ. The relationship with potential consequences of job crafting (e.g., job demands, job resources, and psychological well‐being) was investigated to evaluate construct validity. Internal consistency was examined to evaluate the reliability of the four JCSs.

Results

An exploratory factor analysis extracted a five‐factor solution. Decreasing hindering job demands was further split into two separate dimensions supporting a five‐ rather than four‐factor structure. A series of confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the modified five‐factor model that allows covariance between items fits the data best. Construct validity was generally supported by the expected correlations of each job crafting dimension with each corresponding job resource (+), job demand (+), and psychological well‐being (+). Cronbach's α coefficient was sufficient for each of the four dimensions of job crafting (α ranged between 0.76 and 0.90).

Conclusions

This study confirmed that JCS‐J is an adequate measure of job crafting that can be used in the Japanese context.
Surveys on minimum practical abilities required by nonspecialist occupational physicians in Japan
Authors: Nagata Masako , Mori Koji , Ishikawa Asako , Nagata Tomohisa
Published: April 2016

Objectives

This study aimed to identify the practical abilities required by nonspecialist occupational physicians and specify the priorities for training programs.

Methods

A practical abilities list was developed through a focus group meeting of specialists. We created a survey questionnaire and asked three groups, namely, occupational physicians, occupational health nurses, and health officers, to rate the importance of each practical ability.

Results

The mean scores for all 45 items were greater than 4, i.e., in the middle of the 7‐point Likert scale, for all the three groups. The occupational physicians' responses had a correlation with the other groups' responses. However, there were differences with regard to some practical abilities between the three groups. Five practical abilities from the top quartile were marked “A” by all the three groups: “Submit opinions on fitness for duty and work accommodation on the basis of data from health examination,” “Respect employee privacy,” “Submit opinion on fitness for duty and work accommodation on the basis of data from face‐to‐face interviews with employees,” “Submit opinions on fitness for duty and work accommodation on the basis of data from health surveillance,” and “Implement face‐to‐face interviews for employees who have worked overtime and evaluate the subjects' conditions including mental and physical health status, degree of accumulated fatigue, and depression.”

Conclusions

This study resulted in a rank‐ordered list of 45 practical abilities that are required by nonspecialist occupational physicians. This result may be useful to review and redesign the existing training program for nonspecialist occupational physicians.
Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Preterm and Full-Term Children at School Entry
Authors: Hornman Jorijn , de Winter Andrea F. , Kerstjens Jorien M. , Bos Arend F. , Reijneveld Sijmen A.
Published: April 2016

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Preterm children, compared with term children, are at increased risk of emotional and behavioral problems (EB-problems). Prevalences of EB-problems seem to vary with degree of prematurity and age at assessment. We therefore assessed individual stability of EB-problems in preterm compared with term children first before school entry and again 1 year after school entry, and variation in stability within the preterm group.

METHODS:

We used data of 401 early preterm (25–31 weeks’ gestational age), 653 moderately preterm (32–35 weeks’ gestational age), and 389 term children from the Longitudinal Preterm Outcome Project cohort study. We classified EB-problems based on the Child Behavior Checklist at ages 4 and 5; this resulted in 4 categories: consistently normal (2 normal scores), emerging (normal score at age 4 and clinical/subclinical score at age 5), resolving, and persistent EB-problems.

RESULTS:

All preterm children had higher rates than term children of persistent (7.2% vs 3.6%), emerging (4.3% vs 2.3%), and resolving (7.5% vs 3.6%) EB-problems. Early preterm children had the highest rates of persistent (8.2%) and emerging (5.2%) problems, and moderately preterm children had the highest rates of resolving problems (8.7%). In both preterm and term children, predictive values of normal scores at age 4 for normal scores at age 5 were ∼96%, and of clinical/subclinical scores at age 4 for clinical/subclinical scores at age 5 were ∼50%, except for early preterm children (60%).

CONCLUSIONS:

Compared with term children, all preterm children are at risk for persistent and changing EB-problems at school entry; individual stability, however, is difficult to predict based solely on the factor of preterm-birth.
Diabetes in Pregnancy and Childhood Cognitive Development: A Systematic Review
Authors: Adane Akilew Awoke , Mishra Gita D. , Tooth Leigh R.
Published: April 2016

CONTEXT:

The effect of diabetes during pregnancy on the cognitive development of offspring is unclear because of inconsistent findings from limited studies.

OBJECTIVE:

This review was aimed to provide the best available scientific evidence on the associations between maternal pregnancy diabetes and the cognitive development of offspring.

DATA SOURCES:

A search was conducted in the Embase, CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases.

STUDY SELECTION:

Studies addressing the cognitive development of offspring (aged ≤12 years) as outcome and any diabetes in pregnancy as an exposure were included.

DATA EXTRACTION:

Data were extracted and evaluated for quality by 2 independent reviewers.

RESULTS:

Fourteen articles were eligible for the review. Ten studies investigated the associations between maternal pregestational diabetes or both pregestational and gestational diabetes and offspring’s cognitive development; 6 studies found at least 1 negative association. Four studies exclusively examined the relationships between gestational diabetes and offspring’s cognitive development; 2 studies found a negative association, 1 a positive association, and 1 a null association. The use of diverse cognitive and diabetes assessment tools/criteria, as well as statistical power, contributed to the inconsistent findings.

LIMITATIONS:

The English-language restriction and publication bias in the included studies are potential limitations.

CONCLUSIONS:

Although there are few data available regarding the associations between maternal pregnancy diabetes and offspring’s cognitive development, this review found that maternal diabetes during pregnancy seems to be negatively associated with offspring’s cognitive development. Large prospective studies that address potential confounders are needed to confirm the independent effect of maternal diabetes during pregnancy.
Computational simulation of laminar heat convection of nanofluids in a circular tube and squared duct
Authors: Vasco Calle Diego Andrés , Chen Daming , Acevedo Cabello Jorge
Published: April 2016

Nanofluids are colloidal suspensions of nanometer-sized particles (metals, metallic oxides or carbon nanotubes) in a base fluid (polar or non-polar). Nanofluids have interesting properties that make them useful especially in the design of compact heat transfer equipment. Laminar convective heat transfer of nanofluids (water, Al2O3) in a square and circular ducts has been studied numerically using the software ANSYS/FLUENT 12.1. Results for the Nusselt number, skin coefficient friction, temperature and velocity profiles are presented for four nanoparticle volume fractions (j = 0 - 20%) and Reynolds numbers (Re = 800, 1300 and 2000). For the studied Re numbers, Nu is decreased by 12% and 10%, when j is increased from 0% to 10% and from 10% to 20%, respectively. Regard to the skin friction factor, the obtained value is increased around a 30% when j is increased 10%.
Viscoelastic behavior of yellow pitahaya treated with 1-MCP
Authors: Torres Valenzuela Laura Sofia , Ayala-Aponte Alfredo Adolfo , Serna Liliana
Published: April 2016

Foods may have both solid and liquid properties, and are described as viscoelastic products. Knowledge on such viscoelastic features is very useful for quality control and/or food stability. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of the application of 1-MCP on the viscoelastic properties of minimally processed yellow pitahaya during refrigeration storage, by using a stress relaxation test. Viscoelastic parameters were determined through Generalized Maxwell and Peleg’s rheologic models. Both rheological models proved suitable to predict viscoelastic behavior; however, Peleg’s model better described this behavior. Samples of treated and non-treated pitahaya with 1- MCP decreased their elastic behavior (firmness decrease) during storage. Fruit treated with 1-MCP showed a greater elastic component than non-treated samples during storage. These two rheological models were suitable for predicting the viscoelastic behavior, however.
Study of the adsorption capacity of Fe(II) dissolved in water by using a mineral rich in Manganese Dioxide (MnO2) from Colombia
Authors: Machado-Infante Jhonnathan , Ramírez-Caballero Gustavo , Barajas Meneses Martha Juliana
Published: April 2016

In Colombia, a mineral rich in MnO2 is extracted from the mines of Mallama, Nariño. In this work we studied the adsorption capacity of this mineral for Fe(II) dissolved in aqueous solution of open systems. The characterization was done through ICP-AES, XRF and Raman spectroscopy. The effect of different pretreatments on the mineral with oxidizing agents such as KMnO4 and NaClO was evaluated. Studies of equilibrium and kinetics of adsorption showed that the mechanism fits well to the Langmuir isotherm and its kinetics to a model of pseudo-second order. At the conditions studied was found that the adsorption capacity for the mineral modified with KMnO4 and NaOCl were 59.209 and 51.279 mg/g respectively. It is concluded that the mineral is a potential alternative in water treatment.
¿Quién sino yo? La autovalidación de la mitología autoral como culminación de la obra de Fogwill
Authors: Luppi Juan Pablo
Published: April 2016

El escritor argentino Rodolfo Fogwill (1941-2010) revalúa su obra publicada bajo la marca registrada en que se ha convertido su apellido, mediante la creciente serie de decisiones editoriales en sus últimos tres años de vida. De esta manera, consuma el diseño de una vigorosa figura de autor, enfrentada a los condicionamientos de la sociedad y la literatura. Al seleccionar y reordenar textos producidos desde 1974 —que multiplican los usos de la primera persona narrativa y atraviesan géneros como el cuento, la autobiografía, el ensayo, la crónica— en las ediciones de Los libros de la guerra (2008 y 2010) y Cuentos completos (2009), la obra de Fogwill culmina con una validación retrospectiva y proyectiva de la mitología autoral.
Lower classes of integrated fractional Brownian motion
Authors: El-Nouty C.
Published: April 2016

We characterize the lower classes of the integrated fractional Brownian motion by an integral test.
On Hankel conjugate functions
Authors: Betancor J. J. , Stempak K. , Vértesi P.
Published: April 2016

We consider some aspects of harmonic analysis of the differential operator . Spectral decomposition of its self-adjoint extension is given in terms of the Hankel transform Hν. We present a fairly detailed analysis of the corresponding Poisson semigroup {Pt}t > 0: this is given in a weighted setting with Ap-weights involved. Then, we consider conjugate Poisson integrals of functions from Lp(w), w ∈ Ap, 1 ≦ p < ∞. Boundary values of the conjugate Poisson integrals exist both in Lp(w) and a.e., and the resulting mapping is called the generalized Hilbert transform. Mapping properties of that transform are then proved. All this complements, in some sense, the analysis of conjugacy for the modified Hankel transform Hν which was initiated in the classic paper of Muckenhoupt and Stein [15], then continued in a series of papers by Andersen, Kerman, Rooney and others.
A generalization of Lagrange, du Bois-Reymond and Legendre lemmas using the algebraic analysis theory
Authors: Przeworska-Rolewicz D. , Wysocki H.
Published: April 2016

By means of Algebraic Analysis we present theorems which imply classic lemmas of Lagrange, du Bois-Reymond and Legendre used in variational calculus.