bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phylogenetic aspects of the concept of intelligent life design
Authors: Krajewski Zbigniew
Published: August 2015

This paper presents a new treatment of molecular evolutionary model as a product of intelligent changes. The aim of this paper is to obtain a life design system, drawing on processes occurring in nature regardless of explanations of the origins of life. The idea of intelligent design and molecular relationship is considered as a basic concept of the intelligent life design system, using some analogies taken from molecular evolutionary models. Three steps of life design system are outlined; however, the main subject is an attempt to find certain similar effects of the design system processes and the processes simulated with basic evolutionary substitution models: Jukes-Cantor; Felsenstein; and Hasegawa, Kishino, and Yano (HKY). An idea of gene reduction has been applied, from more complex (taking into account information density) biological systems to less complex, specialised biological systems. Two steps have been taken into consideration: a test stage in the virtual world and an adaptation finishing process after running the systems in the real world. Two algorithms have been applied. The first one has applied similarity related to an accommodation process to required conditions in the virtual and the real world. The second algorithm has applied accommodation to required conditions separately (expressed as amino acid substitution) in the first step, using a convenient criterion, and further (similar to observable) accommodation in the real world. A phylogenetic tree, similar to a real one, has been calculated using the above method for mammals, for mtDNA, with the maximum likelihood method, and with the aid of PhyML for the HKY model. This paper is an introduction showing an aspect of the life design system, related to phylogenetic relationships.
Nanoporous copper from dual-phase alloy families and its technology application in lithium ion batteries
Authors: Liu Wenbo , Chen Long , Yan Jiazhen , Li Ning , Shi Sanqiang , Zhang Shichao
Published: August 2015

Nanoporous metals have recently attracted considerable interest in a wide variety of applications, including catalysis, sensors, actuators, fuel cells, microfluidic flow controllers, and so forth. Their inherent special morphology and characteristic is expected to have superior performances, such as the open porosity, high surface area, good electron conductivity, extremely clean metal surface, and high structural stability with no agglomeration in comparison with other nanostructures. Here, we mainly review our group’s systematical studies related to nanoporous copper (NPC) from dual-phase alloy families, aiming at giving a comprehensive summary about our step-by-step progress in its fabrication, microstructure evolution, dealloying behavior, and one-step strategies to special 3-D bicontinuous porous architectures in the last 5 years. Meanwhile, some encouraging test findings on the original application of NPC in lithium ion batteries have also been covered briefly in the last part of this review, which would open a window toward their other technology applications in high-performance electrochemical devices within the green, new energy industry.
Process Modelling, Thermodynamic Analysis and Optimization of Dry Reforming, Partial Oxidation and Auto-Thermal Methane Reforming for Hydrogen and Syngas production
Authors: Ayodele Bamidele V. , Cheng Chin Kui
Published: August 2015

In this work, process modelling, thermodynamic analysis and optimization of stand-alone dry and partial oxidation reforming of methane as well as, the auto-thermal reforming processes were investigated. Firstly, flowsheet models were developed for both the stand-alone systems and auto-thermal reforming process using ASPEN HYSYS®. Furthermore, thermodynamic studies were conducted for the stand-alone and auto-thermal reforming processes for temperatures range of 200–1000°C and pressure range of 1–3 bar using Gibbs free energy minimization methods which was also performed using ASPEN HYSYS®. The simulation of the auto-thermal reforming process was also performed at 20 bar to mimic industrial process. Process parameters were optimized in the combined reforming process for hydrogen production using desirability function. The simulation results show that 84.60 kg/h, 62.08 kg/h and 154.7 kg/h of syngas were produced from 144 kg/h, 113 kg/h and 211 kg/h of the gas fed into the Gibbs reactor at CH4/CO2/O2 ratio 1:1:1 for the stand-alone dry reforming, partial oxidation reforming and auto-thermal processes respectively. Equilibrium conversion of CH4, CO2, O2 were thermodynamically favoured between 400 and 800°C with highest conversions of 100%, 95.9% and 86.7% for O2, CO2 and CH4 respectively. Highest yield of 99% for H2 and 40% for CO at 800°C was obtained. The optimum conditions for hydrogen production were obtained at CH4/CO2, CH4/O2 ratios of 0.634, 0.454 and temperature of 800°C respectively. The results obtained in this study corroborate experimental studies conducted on auto-thermal reforming of methane for hydrogen and syngas production.
The role of proteotoxic stress in vascular dysfunction in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Fonseca Ana Catarina R.G. , Resende Rosa , Cardoso Sandra M. , Pereira Cláudia F.
Published: August 2015

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the principal cause of dementia in the elderly; however, its prevalence is increasing due to the fact that current pharmaceuticals used to manage the symptoms are not capable of preventing, halting, or reversing disease progression. In the last decade, evidence has accumulated to support the hypothesis that a primary cerebral vascular dysfunction initiates the cascade of events that leads to neuronal injury and the subsequent cognitive decline observed in AD. The mechanisms underlying these vascular defects and their relationship with neurodegeneration are still poorly understood however. It is pathologically known that cerebrovascular dysfunctions can induce the deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ), an amyloidogenic and toxic peptide that in turn causes cerebrovascular degeneration. Mammalian cells regulate proteostasis and the functioning of intracellular organelles through diverse mechanisms such as the Unfolded Protein Response, the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System and autophagy; however, when these mechanisms cannot compensate for perturbations in homeostasis, the cell undergoes programmed death via apoptosis. This review summarizes recent studies that together correlate the deregulation of protein quality control pathways with dysfunction of vascular endothelial cells of the brain in AD, thus supporting the hypothesis that it is the vicious, progressive failure of the proteostatic network and endothelial activation that underlies the cerebrovascular changes that symptomize AD.
Parenthood linked to new onset overweight or obesity among Chilean adolescents
Authors: Lee July , East Patricia , Blanco Estela , Kang-Sim Eastern , Castillo Marcela , Lozoff Betsy , Gahagan Sheila
Published: August 2015

Objective: To determine whether early parenthood is associated with the onset of overweight/obesity during adolescence.

Methods: Weight status changes between ages 16 and 21 years were measured in 270 Chilean youths. Parenthood by age 21 was assessed by interview.

Results: Sixty-three youths became overweight/obese between ages 16 and 21 years (23%), and 24% (n=65) of the total sample were parents by age 21. Bearing a child by age 21 was associated with a two-fold risk of becoming newly overweight or obese (OR=2.6, CI: 1.1, 5.9, p<0.05). Earlier internalizing problems were also associated with the development of overweight/obesity in young mothers.

Conclusion: Weight status changes from normal to overweight or obese were more likely to occur among young parents than non-parents. This has implications for adolescents’ future health given their likelihood of having subsequent pregnancies and the known risks of increased weight at each pregnancy.
Sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, attenuates diabetic nephropathy in STZ-induced diabetic rats
Authors: Tripathi Alok Shiomurti , Mazumder Papiya Mitra , Chandewar Anil Vilasrao
Published: August 2015

Background: The present study evaluates the possible mechanism of sildenafil citrate (SIL) for the attenuation of renal failure in diabetic nephropathic (DN) animals.

Methods: Diabetic nephropathy was induced by a single dose of streptozotocin (STZ) (60 mg/kg, i.p.) and confirmed by assessing the blood and urine biochemical parameters on the 28th day of its induction. The selected DN animals were treated with glimepiride (0.5 mg/kg, p.o.) and SIL (2.5 mg/kg, p.o.) for a period of 6 weeks. Biochemical parameters in blood and urine were estimated after the 29th and 70th day of the protocol for the estimation of the effect of SIL.

Result: There were significant alterations in the blood and urine biochemical parameters in STZ-treated groups which confirmed DN. There was a significant decrease in the triglyceride level in the SIL-only-treated group on the 70th day of the protocol. The histopathology study also suggested that SIL treatment results in the improvement in the podocyte count in DN animals.

Conclusions: The present study concludes that SIL improves the renal function by decreasing the triglyceride level and improving the podocyte count in DN animals.
Ethics and the Reach of Actually Existing Capitalist Markets
Authors: Sherman David
Published: August 2015

Although philosophers tend to differ in terms of the criteria that they offer for determining when market transactions should be morally prohibited, they tend to converge with respect to a certain methodological bias: they fail to reflexively consider how the existing politico-economic context bears on the way in which they formulate these criteria. After discussing the nature of actually existing, rather than idealized, markets, I consider four such offerings, which are either liberal egalitarian or communitarian, and I articulate how this failure is manifested in their respective positions. I conclude by pointing toward an alternative approach to the question of marketization, one that is both methodologically and substantively more faithful to the scope of the underlying problems that this question raises.
Damage detection of three-dimensional braided composite materials using carbon nanotube thread
Authors: Wan Zhenkai , Guo Jianmin , Jia Minrui
Published: August 2015

Structural health monitoring (SHM) takes advantage of the recent advances in structural behavior monitoring to assess the performance of a structure, identifying the damage in the early stage. In this study, a carbon nanotube thread strain sensor was fabricated into a three-dimensional (3D) braided composite preform for the strain sensing of SHM. We present the results of an investigation on a carbon nanotube thread network in 3D composites for damage detection, in which the variation of the electrical resistance of the carbon nanotube thread embedded into 3D composites was recorded. Based on the variation of the electrical resistance, the location and size of damages were estimated by the response surface method, providing an effective solution for the estimation of the location and size of damages in 3D composites.
Switzerland’s Political Performance Compared: Determinants of a Success Story
Authors: Schmidt Manfred G.
Published: August 2015

In comparisons of OECD member countries, Switzerland receives top marks on central indicators of political performance such as the rate of unemployment, the inflation rate and general government net debt interest payment. Focusing on the period from 1990 to 2012, this essay examines the sources and causes of this success story, drawing not only on hypotheses and data that are specific to Switzerland but also on explanatory approaches that compare Switzerland to other wealthy democracies. Of the several key items involved – including the institutional, procedural and actor-related characteristics of Switzerland – the variables that have proven to be most important are those contributing to policy area-specific explanations (such as central bank autonomy, distributional conflict and fragmentation of fiscal policy), as well as indicators of social partnership in industrial relations and the distribution of power between political parties.
Capacities, Expertise, Empowerment – Rethinking the Anthropology of Participation
Authors: Genard Jean-Louis
Published: August 2015

Often studied in the context of political developments and the alleged shift from representative democracy to participatory democracy, participation is discussed here in terms of changes in our anthropological coordinates. The exigencies and expectations of participation are found in many areas that go beyond the political sphere, extending from the business world and its quality circles to the production of self-assembly kits calling for the buyer’s assembly skills. This extension of the field of participation is based on a certain number of anthropological presuppositions which ascribe to actors the capacities and competencies they are supposed to have, unless they are invited to enhance them through empowerment strategies in the event that they are failing or insufficient. This paper argues that evaluating people and the configuration of many recent social mechanisms tend increasingly to adjust to this new anthropological paradigm. Such is the case for political participation, new social policies, empowerment training, educational objectives, and development and health policies. Returning more specifically to political participation, the paper shows how these new anthropological coordinates reconfigure by redrawing the division between ordinary and specialized expertise and, in this way, the balance between spaces in which participatory democracy can take place and those that remain confined to technocratic expertise.
Ethical Issues of Social Media Usage in Healthcare
Authors: Bamidis P. , Bond C. , Gabarron E. , Househ M. , Lau A. Y. S. , Mayer M. A. , Merolli M. , Hansen M. , Denecke K.
Published: August 2015

Objective: Social media, web and mobile technologies are increasingly used in healthcare and directly support patient-centered care. Patients benefit from disease self-management tools, contact to others, and closer monitoring. Researchers study drug efficiency, or recruit patients for clinical studies via these technologies. However, low communication barriers in social-media, limited privacy and security issues lead to problems from an ethical perspective. This paper summarizes the ethical issues to be considered when social media is exploited in healthcare contexts.

Methods: Starting from our experiences in social-media research, we collected ethical issues for selected social-media use cases in the context of patient-centered care. Results were enriched by collecting and analyzing relevant literature and were discussed and interpreted by members of the IMIA Social Media Working Group.

Results: Most relevant issues in social-media applications are confidence and privacy that need to be carefully preserved. The patient-physician relationship can suffer from the new information gain on both sides since private information of both healthcare provider and consumer may be accessible through the Internet. Physicians need to ensure they keep the borders between private and professional intact. Beyond, preserving patient anonymity when citing Internet content is crucial for research studies.

Conclusion: Exploiting medical social-media in healthcare applications requires a careful reflection of roles and responsibilities. Availability of data and information can be useful in many settings, but the abuse of data needs to be prevented. Preserving privacy and confidentiality of online users is a main issue, as well as providing means for patients or Internet users to express concerns on data usage.
Physiological Signal Processing for Individualized Anti-nociception Management During General Anesthesia: a Review
Authors: Bonhomme V. , Jeanne M. , Boselli E. , Gruenewald M. , Logier R. , Richebé P. , De jonckheere J.
Published: August 2015

Objective: The aim of this paper is to review existing technologies for the nociception / anti-nociception balance evaluation during surgery under general anesthesia.

Methods: General anesthesia combines the use of analgesic, hypnotic and muscle-relaxant drugs in order to obtain a correct level of patient non-responsiveness during surgery. During the last decade, great efforts have been deployed in order to find adequate ways to measure how anesthetic drugs affect a patient’s response to surgical nociception. Nowadays, though some monitoring devices allow obtaining information about hypnosis and muscle relaxation, no gold standard exists for the nociception / anti-nociception balance evaluation. Articles from the PubMed literature search engine were reviewed. As this paper focused on surgery under general anesthesia, articles about nociception monitoring on conscious patients, in post-anesthesia care unit or in intensive care unit were not considered.

Results: In this article, we present a review of existing technologies for the nociception / anti-nociception balance evaluation, which is based in all cases on the analysis of the autonomous nervous system activity. Presented systems, based on sensors and physiological signals processing algorithms, allow studying the patients’ reaction regarding anesthesia and surgery.

Conclusion: Some technological solutions for nociception / antinociception balance monitoring were described. Though presented devices could constitute efficient solutions for individualized anti-nociception management during general anesthesia, this review of current literature emphasizes the fact that the choice to use one or the other mainly relies on the clinical context and the general purpose of the monitoring.
Recent Advances in Clinical Natural Language Processing in Support of Semantic Analysis
Authors: Mowery D. , South B. R. , Kvist M. , Dalianis H. , Velupillai S.
Published: August 2015

Objectives: We present a review of recent advances in clinical Natural Language Processing (NLP), with a focus on semantic analysis and key subtasks that support such analysis.

Methods: We conducted a literature review of clinical NLP research from 2008 to 2014, emphasizing recent publications (2012-2014), based on PubMed and ACL proceedings as well as relevant referenced publications from the included papers.

Results: Significant articles published within this time-span were included and are discussed from the perspective of semantic analysis. Three key clinical NLP subtasks that enable such analysis were identified: 1) developing more efficient methods for corpus creation (annotation and de-identification), 2) generating building blocks for extracting meaning (morphological, syntactic, and semantic subtasks), and 3) leveraging NLP for clinical utility (NLP applications and infrastructure for clinical use cases). Finally, we provide a reflection upon most recent developments and potential areas of future NLP development and applications.

Conclusions: There has been an increase of advances within key NLP subtasks that support semantic analysis. Performance of NLP semantic analysis is, in many cases, close to that of agreement between humans. The creation and release of corpora annotated with complex semantic information models has greatly supported the development of new tools and approaches. Research on non-English languages is continuously growing. NLP methods have sometimes been successfully employed in real-world clinical tasks. However, there is still a gap between the development of advanced resources and their utilization in clinical settings. A plethora of new clinical use cases are emerging due to established health care initiatives and additional patient-generated sources through the extensive use of social media and other devices.
Mobile Applications for Patient-centered Care Coordination: A Review of Human Factors Methods Applied to their Design, Development, and Evaluation
Authors: Westbrook J. I. , Baysari M. T.
Published: August 2015

Objectives: To examine if human factors methods were applied in the design, development, and evaluation of mobile applications developed to facilitate aspects of patient-centered care coordination. Methods: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE (2013-2014) for studies describing the design or the evaluation of a mobile health application that aimed to support patients’ active involvement in the coordination of their care.

Results: 34 papers met the inclusion criteria. Applications ranged from tools that supported self-management of specific conditions (e.g. asthma) to tools that provided coaching or education. Twelve of the 15 papers describing the design or development of an app reported the use of a human factors approach. The most frequently used methods were interviews and surveys, which often included an exploration of participants’ current use of information technology. Sixteen papers described the evaluation of a patient application in practice. All of them adopted a human factors approach, typically an examination of the use of app features and/or surveys or interviews which enquired about patients’ views of the effects of using the app on their behaviors (e.g. medication adherence), knowledge, and relationships with healthcare providers. No study in our review assessed the impact of mobile applications on health outcomes.

Conclusion: The potential of mobile health applications to assist patients to more actively engage in the management of their care has resulted in a large number of applications being developed. Our review showed that human factors approaches are nearly always adopted to some extent in the design, development, and evaluation of mobile applications.
Public Health and Epidemiology Informatics: Recent Research and Trends in the United States
Authors: Dixon B. E. , Kharrazi H. , Lehmann H. P.
Published: August 2015

Objectives: To survey advances in public health and epidemiology informatics over the past three years.

Methods: We conducted a review of English-language research works conducted in the domain of public health informatics (PHI), and published in MEDLINE between January 2012 and December 2014, where information and communication technology (ICT) was a primary subject, or a main component of the study methodology. Selected articles were synthesized using a thematic analysis using the Essential Services of Public Health as a typology.

Results: Based on themes that emerged, we organized the advances into a model where applications that support the Essential Services are, in turn, supported by a socio-technical infrastructure that relies on government policies and ethical principles. That infrastructure, in turn, depends upon education and training of the public health workforce, development that creates novel or adapts existing infrastructure, and research that evaluates the success of the infrastructure. Finally, the persistence and growth of infrastructure depends on financial sustainability.

Conclusions: Public health informatics is a field that is growing in breadth, depth, and complexity. Several Essential Services have benefited from informatics, notably, “Monitor Health,” “Diagnose & Investigate,” and “Evaluate.” Yet many Essential Services still have not yet benefited from advances such as maturing electronic health record systems, interoperability amongst health information systems, analytics for population health management, use of social media among consumers, and educational certification in clinical informatics. There is much work to be done to further advance the science of PHI as well as its impact on public health practice.
Health Informatics via Machine Learning for the Clinical Management of Patients
Authors: Niehaus K. E. , Charlton P. , Colopy G. W. , Clifton D. A.
Published: August 2015

Objectives: To review how health informatics systems based on machine learning methods have impacted the clinical management of patients, by affecting clinical practice.

Methods: We reviewed literature from 2010-2015 from databases such as Pubmed, IEEE xplore, and INSPEC, in which methods based on machine learning are likely to be reported. We bring together a broad body of literature, aiming to identify those leading examples of health informatics that have advanced the methodology of machine learning. While individual methods may have further examples that might be added, we have chosen some of the most representative, informative exemplars in each case.

Results: Our survey highlights that, while much research is taking place in this high-profile field, examples of those that affect the clinical management of patients are seldom found. We show that substantial progress is being made in terms of methodology, often by data scientists working in close collaboration with clinical groups.

Conclusions: Health informatics systems based on machine learning are in their infancy and the translation of such systems into clinical management has yet to be performed at scale.
Health Information Technology Coordination to Support Patient-centered Care Coordination
Authors: Gregg W. , Steichen O. ,   Section Editors for the IMIA Yearbook Section on Patient-centered Care Coordination
Published: August 2015

Objective: To select papers published in 2014, illustrating how information technology can contribute to and improve patient-centered care coordination.

Method: The two section editors performed a literature review from Medline and Web of Science to select a list of candidate best papers on the use of information technology for patient-centered care coordination. These papers were peer-reviewed by external reviewers and three of them were selected as “best papers”. Results: The first selected paper reports a qualitative study exploring the gap between current practices of care coordination in various settings and idealized longitudinal care plans. The second selected paper illustrates several unintended consequences of HIT designed to improve care coordination. The third selected paper shows that advanced analytic techniques in medical informatics can be instrumental in studying patient-centered care coordination.

Conclusions: The realization of true patient-centered care coordination is dependent upon a number of factors. Standardization of clinical documentation and HIT interoperability across organization and settings is a critical prerequisite for HIT to support patient-centered care coordination. Enabling patient involvement is an efficient means for goal setting and health information sharing. Additionally, unintended consequences of HIT tools (both positive and negative) must be measured and taken into account for quality improvement.
Human Factors and Ergonomics in the Design of Health Information Technology: Trends and Progress in 2014
Authors: Ong MS. , Pelayo S. ,   Section Editors for the IMIA Yearbook Section on Human Factors and Organizational Issues
Published: August 2015

Objective: To summarize significant contributions to the research on human factors and organizational issues in medical informatics.

Methods: An extensive search using PubMed/Medline and Web of Science® was conducted to identify the scientific contributions, published in 2014, to human factors and organizational issues in medical informatics, with a focus on health information technology (HIT) usability. The selection process comprised three steps: (i) 15 candidate best papers were selected by the two section editors, (ii) external reviewers from a pool of international experts reviewed each candidate best paper, and (iii) the final selection of three best papers was made by the editorial board of the IMIA Yearbook.

Results: Noteworthy papers published in 2014 describe an efficient, easy to implement, and useful process for detecting and mitigating human factors and ergonomics (HFE) issues of HIT. They contribute to promote the HFE approach with interventions based on rigorous and well-conducted methods when designing and implementing HIT.

Conclusion: The application of HFE in the design and implementation of HIT remains limited, and the impact of incorporating HFE principles on patient safety is understudied. Future works should be conducted to advance this field of research, so that the safety and quality of patient care are not compromised by the increasing adoption of HIT.
A 2015 Medical Informatics Perspective on Health and Clinical Management: Will Cloud and Prioritization Solutions Be the Future of Health Data Management?
Authors: Conchon E. , Bricon-Souf N. ,   Section Editors for the IMIA Yearbook Section on Health and Clinical Management
Published: August 2015

Objectives: Summarize current excellent research and trends in the field of Health and Clinical management.

Methods: Synopsis of the articles selected for the IMIA Yearbook 2015

Results: Three papers from international peer-reviewed journals have been selected for the Health and Clinical Management section.

Conclusion: Telemedicine is still very active in Health and clinical management, but the new tendencies on which we focus this year were firstly the introduction of cloud for health data management, with some specific security problems, and secondly an emerging expectation of prioritization tools in health care Management.
Clinical Natural Language Processing in 2014: Foundational Methods Supporting Efficient Healthcare
Authors: Névéol A. , Zweigenbaum P. ,   Section Editors for the IMIA Yearbook Section on Clinical Natural Language Processing
Published: August 2015

Objective: To summarize recent research and present a selection of the best papers published in 2014 in the field of clinical Natural Language Processing (NLP).

Method: A systematic review of the literature was performed by the two section editors of the IMIA Yearbook NLP section by searching bibliographic databases with a focus on NLP efforts applied to clinical texts or aimed at a clinical outcome. A shortlist of candidate best papers was first selected by the section editors before being peer-reviewed by independent external reviewers.

Results: The clinical NLP best paper selection shows that the field is tackling text analysis methods of increasing depth. The full review process highlighted five papers addressing foundational methods in clinical NLP using clinically relevant texts from online forums or encyclopedias, clinical texts from Electronic Health Records, and included studies specifically aiming at a practical clinical outcome. The increased access to clinical data that was made possible with the recent progress of de-identification paved the way for the scientific community to address complex NLP problems such as word sense disambiguation, negation, temporal analysis and specific information nugget extraction. These advances in turn allowed for efficient application of NLP to clinical problems such as cancer patient triage. Another line of research investigates online clinically relevant texts and brings interesting insight on communication strategies to convey health-related information.

Conclusions: The field of clinical NLP is thriving through the contributions of both NLP researchers and healthcare professionals interested in applying NLP techniques for concrete healthcare purposes. Clinical NLP is becoming mature for practical applications with a significant clinical impact.
Preferential Breakpoints in the Recovery of Broken Dicentric Chromosomes inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Hill Hunter , Golic Kent G
Published: August 2015

We designed a system to determine whether dicentric chromosomes in Drosophila melanogaster break at random or at preferred sites. Sister chromatid exchange in a Ring-X chromosome produced dicentric chromosomes with two bridging arms connecting segregating centromeres as cells divide. This double bridge can break in mitosis. A genetic screen recovered chromosomes that were linearized by breakage in the male germline. Because the screen required viability of males with this X chromosome, the breakpoints in each arm of the double bridge must be closely matched to produce a nearly euploid chromosome. We expected that most linear chromosomes would be broken in heterochromatin because there are no vital genes in heterochromatin, and breakpoint distribution would be relatively unconstrained. Surprisingly, approximately half the breakpoints are found in euchromatin, and the breakpoints are clustered in just a few regions of the chromosome that closely match regions identified as intercalary heterochromatin. The results support the Laird hypothesis that intercalary heterochromatin can explain fragile sites in mitotic chromosomes, including fragile X. Opened rings also were recovered after male larvae were exposed to X-rays. This method was much less efficient and produced chromosomes with a strikingly different array of breakpoints, with almost all located in heterochromatin. A series of circularly permuted linear X chromosomes was generated that may be useful for investigating aspects of chromosome behavior, such as crossover distribution and interference in meiosis, or questions of nuclear organization and function.
Annotated checklist, distribution, and taxonomic bibliography of the mosquitoes (Insecta: Diptera: Culicidae) of Argentina
Authors: Rossi Gustavo Carlos
Published: August 2015

A decade and a half have passed since the last publication of the mosquito distribution list in Argentina. During this time several new records have been added, and taxonomic modifications have occurred at the genus and subgenus level. Therefore, considering these changes, I decided to create an updated list of the 242 species present in Argentina, along with their distributions by province. Two first records for Argentina (Culex lopesi and Cx. vaxus), two old records unregistered by authors (Cx. albinensis and Wyeomyia fuscipes), 13 new provincial records for 11 species (Cx. apicinus, Cx. bidens, Cx. eduardoi, Cx. lahillei, Cx. pipiens, Cx. tatoi, Cx. usquatus, Cx. imitator, Cx. oedipus, Sabethes chloropterus, and Wy. oblita), and the extension of distribution of other species are presented. The list of literature references for the documents concerning mosquitos is included.
Medborgarnas misstro till massmedias rapportering av politiska skandaler
Authors: Bromander Tobias
Published: August 2015

Abstract saknas
Miljö och ekonomisk tillväxt: Attityder och samband
Authors: Jormfeldt Johanna , Sjöstrand Glenn
Published: August 2015

Abstract saknas
Hög generell tillit och låg tolerans mot främlingar?
Authors: Loxbo Karl
Published: August 2015

In light of Sweden’s exceptionally high levels of generalised trust, a widely argued view is that this country is well equipped to counterbalance contemporary challenges of xenophobia and build trust between diverse groups. However, while trust remains at high levels in Sweden, the same, somewhat paradoxically, goes for xenophobic attitudes. Therefore, the main question addressed in this article is why many Swedes report that they trust ‘most people in general’ while simultaneously displaying high levels of xenophobia. Drawing on unique survey-data, the article presents three main answers. First, the article shows that Swedish respondents place much more trust in their cultural in-group – which they tend to equate with ‘most people’ – than in their cultural out-group. Second, when relating these different measures of trust to respondents’ degree of xenophobia, on the one hand, and their party preferences, on the other hand, the article shows that an overwhelming majority of the electorate report that they trust people from Western Europe, while only a minority report that they tolerate and trust non-Europeans. Third, and most crucially, the article finds that high trust in the cultural out-group is associated with tolerance, whereas high trust in the in-group instead appears to breed xenophobia.
The development of school theatre pedagogy in Lithuania: aspect of ideas
Authors: Kazragytė Vida
Published: August 2015

At the beginning of last century the school theatrical performances were organized by enthusiastic teachers amateurs. The purposes of theatre in schools were considered differently: as a teaching tool and as area of artistic education through theatre. From the 8th decade of XX century in Klaipėda in higher school the preparing of stage directors for amateur activities was established. There the professional actors worked as theatre teachers. Thy pushed the artistic trend toward. But the idea of children‘s theatre as a learning tool through performances grounded on pretend play was also strong. About 1500 of children‘s theatrical groups aroused in Lithuania.From 1988 the reform of general education started and through about twenty years the theatre subject or acting was integrated in the system of general education in Lithuania. In 2003 the implementation of theatre pedagogy master study program and in 2005 bachelor study program undertakes. But until now there are no theoretical backgrounds of theatre didactics created. But on the development of didactics the quality of theatre integration in general education depends. In 2013 the theatre mature examination was implemented firstly. It requires the new competences of theatre teachers. And that is the new directions for theatre pedagogy development.
Fostering of National Identity in Emigration Through Lithuanian Folk Dance
Authors: Kisielienė Laimutė
Published: August 2015

he article analyses the Lithuanian folk dance as a means of national identity fostering in Lithuanian diaspora in North America. National identity maintenance especially in emigration is topical problem which started with the first wave of emigrants into US after the First World War. The evolution of Lithuanian folk dance in North America can be divided into two parts.  The first period involves Lithuanian dance origins in North America, where in 1925 the first Lithuanian dances were captured in Lithuanian operas and choral performances. The first and second waves of emigrants didn't have chance to experience folk dance revival period in Lithuania, so they tried to dance dances which they knew from their parents and grandparents. Therefore dance repertoire was not abundant. During this period national dance activities were enlivened and enriched only by M. Baronaitės arrival from Lithuania seeking to maintain national identity and to expand dance repertoire.The second Lithuanian folk dance development period in North America covers the period from 1944, when the third wave of emigrants, who has experienced national revival in Lithuania,  joined  the  Saturday  schools  and  established  Lithuanian  dance  ensembles  which  expanded Lithuanian folk dance repertoire in North America. Most of the national dance up holders were teachers, who acquired dance knowledge in primary school physical education teacher courses or by teaching children dance at Lithuanian schools.Lithuanian  Folk  Dance  Institute  (LFDI)  is  an  important  cultural  institution,  which aims  to  explore  and  spread  Lithuanian  folk  dances,  to  promote  the  related  customs, games, folklore, folkmusic and costumes hereby encouraging Lithuanian national identity. The focus of LFDI is appointed to organization of folk dance festivals, selection of artistic director and program approval. One of the major challenges of LFDI is to hold annual dance teacher seminars, which seek to improve folk dance teachers’ competences.
Individual and Social Aspects of Quality of Life of the Disabled in the Context of Arts Education
Authors: Vilkelienė Aldona , Kulikauskienė Karolina
Published: August 2015

This paper examines the problem of quality of life that scientists explain in the very different ways: economic, medical, pedagogical-psychological and artistic therapeutic. The national documents and scientific research papers note that the social area – culture, science, environment - occupy a prominent place in the quality of life assessment, so there is a need to explore the quality of life in social environment, in conjunction not only with the individual’s economic and health status, but also with his personal features, cultural environment and education. The expression of quality of life for people with disabilities in the context of arts education was examined very fragmentary (Hays, Minichiello, 2005; Murphy, 2003); therefore the objective of the article is to analyze individual and social aspects of quality of life and to reveal the expression of its characteristics in the context of arts education. Subjective individual experiences, self-assessment, ability to realize one’s potential, sense of happiness and security complement the psychological satisfaction scale in the aspect, meaningful for the person. Mentally retarded young people who find it difficult to adequately express their emotions or to recognize them, often become incomprehensible to others, they lose opportunities to interact as valuable partners, their quality of life becomes worse. However, when analyzing the results of research, it follows, that positive emotions, social interactions and assessment of identity during artistic activity is one of the most important meanings of quality of life of the person. Identity, or self-perception, as a person belonging to a certain group, holding a certain status or capable of conveying certain values, can be developed by strengthening of national identity, which is revealed in the ethnic culture. Folk songs, dances, traditional crafts, ethnic symbols and rituals, as well as the other traditional activities, are the time-tested spiritual experience of the nation, by intonations and content close to the human nature: the lullabies intonation, simple rhythms. Hereby, in the context of special arts education, the content, related to the traditions and values, that are still alive in the family, school, community, expands the range of emotions, the limits of cooperation, and at the same time, the quality of life.
Quantifying Asymmetry and Scar Quality of Children with Repaired Cleft Lip and Palate Using Symnose 2
Authors: Pigott Ronald W. , Pigott Brian B.
Published: August 2015

The Symnose semiautomated assessment of outcome of the appearance of the repaired cleft lip and nose was developed to measure asymmetry. Symnose 2 has been further developed to include quantification of the extent of scar color, intensity, and contour and midline dehiscence, underexpressed in the measurement of asymmetry.
Stock Market Investment: The Role of Human Capital
Authors: Athreya Kartik , Ionescu Felicia F. , Neelakantan Urvi
Published: August 2015

Portfolio choice models counterfactually predict (or advise) almost universal equity market participation and a high share for equity in wealth early in life. Empirically consistent predictions have proved elusive without participation costs, informational frictions, or nonstandard preferences. We demonstrate that once human capital investment is allowed, standard theory predicts portfolio choices much closer to those empirically observed. Two intuitive mechanisms are at work: For participation, human capital returns exceed financial asset returns for most young households and, as households age, this is reversed. For shares, risks to human capital limit the household’s desire to hold wealth in risky financial equity.
Twenty-five years of ASM1: past, present and future of wastewater treatment modelling
Authors: Van Loosdrecht M. C. M. , Lopez-Vazquez C. M. , Meijer S. C. F. , Hooijmans C. M. , Brdjanovic D.
Published: August 2015

Activated sludge systems have been applied for 100 years now. Over the course of the years, researchers have developed various models to describe activated sludge processes. The main aim has been to gain a better understanding of the conditions that favour the conversions of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus present in wastewater, and associated oxygen consumption and sludge production. The current paper presents a reflection on the historical developments, state-of-the-art of activated sludge modelling and future trends. Over the years, many wastewater research groups have benefitted greatly from the development of activated sludge models (ASMs). On one hand, modelling has been expanded through the development of novel theoretical concepts and their application in new fields. On the other hand, models have been used for practical projects. Although, scientists are still searching for the ideal model, one can say that ASMs are developed to the extent that they can be applied in practice with confidence. New developments are expected to be seen regarding plant-wide modelling, integration with other models at the (urban) system level, organizational and computational infrastructure, and interface and communication with various stakeholders and users.
Improving the efficiency of Monte Carlo Bayesian calibration of hydrologic models via model pre-emption
Authors: Shafii Mahyar , Tolson Bryan , Shawn Matott L.
Published: August 2015

Bayesian inference via Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling and sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) sampling are popular methods for uncertainty analysis in hydrological modelling. However, application of these methodologies can incur significant computational costs. This study investigated using model pre-emption for improving the computational efficiency of MCMC and SMC samplers in the context of hydrological modelling. The proposed pre-emption strategy facilitates early termination of low-likelihood simulations and results in reduction of unnecessary simulation time steps. The proposed approach is incorporated into two samplers and applied to the calibration of three rainfall–runoff models. Results show that overall pre-emption savings range from 5 to 21%. Furthermore, results indicate that pre-emption savings are greatest during the pre-convergence ‘burn-in’ period (i.e., between 8 and 39%) and decrease as the algorithms converge towards high likelihood regions of parameter space. The observed savings are achieved with absolutely no change in the posterior set of parameters.
Evaluating the role of deterioration models for condition assessment of sewers
Authors: Rokstad Marius Møller , Ugarelli Rita Maria
Published: August 2015

Ensuring reliable structural condition of sewers is an important criterion for sewer rehabilitation decisions. Deterioration models applied to sewer pipes support the rehabilitation planning by means of prioritising pipes according to their current and predicted structural status. There is a benefit in applying such models if sufficient inspection data for calibration, an appropriate deterioration model, and adequate covariates to explain the variability in the conditions are available. In this paper it is discussed up to what level the application of sewer deterioration models can be beneficial under limited data availability. The findings show that the indirect nature of the explanatory covariates which are commonly used in sewer deterioration models makes it difficult to harness any benefit from modelling sewer conditions at a network level, but that the deterioration model application still may be beneficial for prioritising inspection candidates. The prediction power of the current sewer deterioration models is limited by the adequacy of the explanatory variables available, and by the fact that different failure modes are mixed in the aggregated condition class, and not modelled explicitly.