bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Del espíritu” (1758), de Claude-Adrien Helvétius: su impronta en el pensamiento penal de Cesare Beccaria
Authors: Muñoz García Miguel Angel
Published: January 2019

Se analiza en el presente artículo la influencia ejercida por el filósofo francés Helvétius en la formulación del pensamiento penal de Cesare Beccaria, confirmando de esta manera la lectura que el autor italiano realizó de uno de los principales ilustrados radicales franceses de la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII, y su impacto en la obra inaugural del derecho penal liberal moderno. Así, ideas como el utilitarismo, el empirismo, el interés por el placer y la aversión al dolor, la naturaleza humana, el daño social derivado del delito y la prevención general, entre otras, fueron tomadas del libro De l’esprit de Helvétius para nutrir en buena medida la ideología beccariana.
La historia laboral pensional como elemento necesario para el acceso a la pensión: el caso de Bogotá D. C.
Authors: Junca Mejía Ruben Guillermo , Guauque Gutierrez Zulma Constanza , Carrillo Gutierrez Angela Marcela
Published: January 2019

Este articulo aborda el problema estructural del Sistema General de Pensiones en Colombia, en relación con la información consignada en la Historia Laboral Pensional y como este problema genera contratiempos al momento del reconocimiento de prestaciones económicas. Tiene como objetivo principal proponer una solución a esta problemática específicamente en el caso de Bogotá D.C. Este trabajo hace parte del estudio realizado en el marco del Convenio de Cooperación No. 000003 de 2016 celebrado entre el FONCEP y la OISS.
Mitigation of Damages for Breach of Contract for the International Sale of Goods
Authors: Oviedo Albán Jorge
Published: January 2019

This article addresses the duty to mitigate damages in activities relating to the international sale of goods that are governed by the 1980 United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), which is performed by the creditor in the event that the debtor breaches the contract. It is based on a dogmatic understanding of Article 77 of the CISG. The paper examines legal theory in order to establish the concept and legal character of mitigation of damages, and, through this, the scope. Court decisions and arbitration awards have also been studied, which, when implemented, have established what type of mitigating behavior should be undertaken by the creditor if the debtor breaches the contract.
Trajectory Following of a Tethered Underwater Robot With Multiple Control Techniques
Authors: Wu Jiaming , Chen Dongjun
Published: January 2019

A three-dimensional hydrodynamics and control model to simulate a tethered underwater robot system is proposed. The fluid motion around the robot main body with control ducted propellers is governed by the Navier–Stokes equations, and multiple sliding mesh technique is applied for the numerical solution of the equations. The governing equation of umbilical cable is based on the Ablow and Schechter method. The six degrees-of-freedom equations of motion for underwater vehicle simulations are adopted to estimate the hydrodynamic performance of the underwater robot. In the model, a hybrid feed-forward and feedback control technique is applied to adjust the length of the umbilical cable, and the incremental proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm is adopted to regulate the rotating speeds of the ducted propellers. The numerical results indicate that the multiple control techniques applied in this paper are feasible and effective, and adjusting the length of the umbilical cable is largely responsible for the vertical trajectory control to the robot, while regulating the rotating speeds of the propellers plays a leading role in the horizontal trajectory manipulation, the deviation between the designated trajectory and the controlled one is acceptable.
Characterization of the nature of shear-induced agglomerates as hard and soft in chemical mechanical polishing slurries
Authors: Khanna Aniruddh J. , Chang Feng-Chi , Gupta Sushant , Kumar Purushottam , Singh Rajiv K.
Published: January 2019

The nature of agglomerates either hard or soft could determine the kind of defects created during the chemical mechanical planarization/polishing process. To understand the nature of shear-induced agglomerates, the silica slurry at different pH is subjected to high shear rate and time to form agglomerates. Subsequently, these stressed slurry samples are subjected to low shear rates 100–1000 s−1 for time 100–1000 s, corresponding to the conditions for which de-agglomeration is observed. Based on the comparison of percentage de-agglomeration in stressed versus as-received slurries, it is qualitatively shown that agglomerates formed due to shear-induced agglomeration in basic pH slurries are soft agglomerates, whereas those formed in neutral and acidic pH slurries are hard agglomerates. Also, between neutral and acidic pH slurries, shear-induced agglomerates in acidic pH slurry are relatively strongly held than the ones that are formed in neutral pH slurries. Subsequently, the nature of agglomerates was compared to defectivity and surface roughness trend of BD1 low-k wafers in silica slurries at different pH from the previous work.
Dependence of dielectric constant of hydrocarbon bridged low-k films on porosity
Authors: Palov Alexander P. , Baklanov Mikhail R. , Wei Shuhua
Published: January 2019

Numerical and analytical approaches developed for the calculation of dielectric constants of porous organosilicate glasses (OSG) were applied to porous hydrocarbon bridged OSG films. All calculations were based on a modified Clausius–Mossotti equation and used for films with wide ranges of porosity (0.2–0.4). The dielectric constants were calculated in an assumption of preferential localization of CH3 groups on the pore walls as for OSG films and uniform distribution of ethylene and phenylene groups in the silicon dioxide matrix. The authors expect the predicted values of dielectric constants to be of help for the plasma processing industry.
Large-Scale Analysis of Flavobacterium psychrophilum Multilocus Sequence Typing Genotypes Recovered from North American Salmonids Indicates that both Newly Identified and Recurrent Clonal Complexes Are Associated with Disease
Authors: Knupp Christopher , Wiens Gregory D. , Faisal Mohamed , Call Douglas R. , Cain Kenneth D. , Nicolas Pierre , Van Vliet Danielle , Yamashita Coja , Ferguson Jayde A. , Meuninck Dave , Hsu Hui-Min , Baker Bridget B. , Shen Ling , Loch Thomas P.
Published: January 2019

Flavobacterium psychrophilum
is the causative agent of bacterial coldwater disease (BCWD) and rainbow trout fry syndrome (RTFS), both of which cause substantial losses in farmed fish populations worldwide. To better prevent and control BCWD and RTFS outbreaks, we sought to characterize the genetic diversity of several hundred
F. psychrophilum
isolates that were recovered from diseased fish across North America. Results highlighted multiple
F. psychrophilum
genetic strains that appear to play an important role in disease events in North American aquaculture facilities and suggest that the practice of trading fish eggs has led to the continental and transcontinental spread of this bacterium. The knowledge generated herein will be invaluable toward guiding the development of future disease prevention techniques.
The Nonstructural NS1 Protein of Influenza Viruses Modulates
TP53
Splicing through Host Factor CPSF4
Authors: Dubois Julia , Traversier Aurélien , Julien Thomas , Padey Blandine , Lina Bruno , Bourdon Jean-Christophe , Marcel Virginie , Boivin Guy , Rosa-Calatrava Manuel , Terrier Olivier
Published: January 2019

Influenza A viruses (IAV) constitute a major public health issue, causing illness and death in high-risk populations during seasonal epidemics or pandemics. IAV are known to modulate cellular pathways to promote their replication and avoid immune restriction via the targeting of several cellular proteins. One of these proteins, p53, is a master regulator involved in a large panel of biological processes, including cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, or senescence. This “cellular gatekeeper” is also involved in the control of viral infections, and viruses have developed a wide diversity of mechanisms to modulate/hijack p53 functions to achieve an optimal replication in their hosts. Our group and others have previously shown that p53 activity is finely modulated by different multilevel mechanisms during IAV infection. Here, we characterized IAV nonstructural protein NS1 and the cellular factor CPSF4 as major partners involved in the IAV-induced modulation of the
TP53
alternative splicing that was associated with a strong modulation of p53 activity and notably the p53-mediated antiviral response.
Sirtuin 6 Attenuates Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Reactivation by Suppressing Ori-Lyt Activity and Expression of RTA
Authors: Hu Min , Armstrong Najealicka , Seto Edward , Li Wenwei , Zhu Fanxiu , Wang Paul C. , Tang Qiyi
Published: January 2019

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a pathogen causing cancer in the immune-deficient population. The reactivation of KSHV from latency is important for it to be carcinogenic. Our finding that SIRT6 has inhibitory effects on KSHV reactivation by interacting with the viral genome and suppressing viral gene expression is important because it might lead to a strategy of interfering with KSHV reactivation. Overexpression of SIRT6 repressed the activities of several KSHV promoters, leading to reduced gene expression and DNA replication by KSHV in a KSHV bacterial artificial chromosome-containing cell line. Depletion of SIRT6 favored reactivation of KSHV from SLK-iBACV-gfpK52 cells. More importantly, we reveal that SIRT6 interacts with KSHV DNA. Whether the interaction of SIRT6 with KSHV DNA occurs at a global level will be further studied in the future.
Whole-Genome Sequences of Ralstonia solanacearum Strains P816, P822, and P824, Emerging Pathogens of Blueberry in Florida
Authors: Bocsanczy Ana Maria , Espindola Andres S. , Norman David J.
Published: January 2019

Ralstonia solanacearum
is the causal agent of bacterial wilt in numerous species of plants. Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of three phylogenetically diverse
R. solanacearum
strains, P816, P822, and P824, reported for the first time as causal agents of an emerging blueberry disease in Florida.
Genome Sequences of Antigenically Distinct Serotype O Foot-and-Mouth Disease Viruses from Pakistan
Authors: Bachanek-Bankowska Katarzyna , Wadsworth Jemma , Henry Elisabeth , Ludi Anna B. , Bin-Tarif Abdelghani , Statham Bob , King Donald P. , Afzal Muhammad , Hussain Manzoor , Manzoor Shumaila , Abubakar Muhammad , Knowles Nick J.
Published: January 2019

The genome sequences of three serotype O foot-and-mouth disease viruses (FMDVs) isolated from outbreaks in Pakistan in 2016 and 2017 are described. Despite all three isolates being classified in the same FMDV genetic sublineage, two of them displayed a distinct antigenic phenotype against commonly used vaccine strains.
Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus velezensis CE2, Which Genetically Encodes a Novel Multicomponent Lantibiotic
Authors: Campbell Emily , Gerst Michelle , Huang B. Carol , Kong Nguyet , Weimer Bart C. , Yousef Ahmed E.
Published: January 2019

Bacillus velezensis
CE2 produces potent antimicrobial compound(s). The draft genome sequence of the strain reported here is 4.1 Mb with a G+C content of 46.1%.
Intensity of acute aerobic exercise but not aerobic fitness impacts on corticospinal excitability
Authors: MacDonald Monica A. , Khan Hawazin , Kraeutner Sarah N. , Usai Francesco , Rogers Emily A. , Kimmerly Derek S. , Dechman Gail , Boe Shaun G.
Published: January 2019

Aerobic exercise (AE) modulates cortical excitability. It can alter both corticospinal excitability and intra-cortical networks, which has implications for its use as a tool to facilitate processes such as motor learning, where increased levels of excitability are conducive to the induction of neural plasticity. Little is known about how different intensities of AE modulate cortical excitability or how individual-level characteristics impact on it. Therefore, we investigated whether AE intensities, lower than those previously employed, would be effective in increasing cortical excitability. We also examined whether the aerobic fitness of individual participants was related to the magnitude of change in AE-induced cortical excitability. In both experiments we employed transcranial magnetic stimulation to probe corticospinal excitability before and after AE. We show that 20 min of continuous moderate- (40% and 50% of heart rate reserve, HRR), but not low- (30% HRR) intensity AE was effective at increasing corticospinal excitability. We also found that while we observed increased corticospinal excitability following 20 min of continuous moderate-intensity (50% HRR) AE, aerobic fitness was not related to the magnitude of change. Our results suggest that there is a lower bound intensity of AE that is effective at driving changes in cortical excitability, and that while individual-level characteristics are important predictors of response to AE, aerobic fitness is not. Overall these findings have implication for the way that AE is used to facilitate processes such as motor learning, where increased levels of cortical excitability and plasticity are favourable.
Superstatistics of two electrons quantum dot
Authors: Sargolzaeipor S. , Hassanabadi H. , Chung W. S.
Published: January 2019

In this paper, we discussed the Schrödinger equation in the presence of the harmonic two electrons interaction for the parabolic quantum dot and the energy spectrum by an analytical method is obtained, then the effective Boltzmann factor in a deformed formalism for modified Dirac delta and uniform distributions are derived. We make use of the superstatistics for the two distributions in physics and the thermodynamic properties of the system are calculated. Ordinary results are recovered for the vanishing deformed parameter. Furthermore, the effect of all parameters in the problems are calculated and shown graphically.
The energy–momentum conservation law in two-particle system for twist-deformed Galilei Hopf algebras
Authors: Daszkiewicz Marcin
Published: January 2019

In this paper, we discuss the energy–momentum conservation principle for two-particle system in the case of canonically and Lie-algebraically twist-deformed Galilei Hopf algebra. Particularly, we provide consistency with the coproducts energy and momentum addition law as well as its symmetric with respect to the exchange of particles counterpart. Besides, we show that the vanishing of total four momentum for two Lie-algebraically deformed kinematical models leads to the discrete values of energies and momenta only in the case of the symmetrized addition rules.
Percolation on random networks with proliferation
Authors: Shang Yilun
Published: January 2019

The literature on growing network models, exemplified by the preferential attachment model and the copying model, has followed an exponential growth in the last few years. In many real-life scenarios, however, the adding of new nodes and edges is not an exogenous process, but involves inheritance and sharing of the local environment of the existing ones. In this paper, we develop a mathematical framework to analytically and numerically study the percolation properties of the random networks with proliferation. We compare random attack (RA) and localized attack (LA) on benchmark models, including Erdős–Rényi (ER) networks, random regular (RR) networks, and scale-free (SF) networks, with proliferation mechanism. Our results highlight the nonmonotonic connections with robustness and growth, and unravel an intriguing opposite effect for RA and LA. In particular, it is shown that unbalanced proliferation enhances robustness to RA while it mitigates robustness to LA, both independent of the network degree distribution.
Geikie and the development of petrography, particularly in Scotland
Authors: Mendum John R. , Howe Michael P. A.
Published: January 2019

The British Geological Survey (BGS) petrology collections contain almost 1500 Scottish rock samples (with thin sections) deposited by Archibald Geikie, including BGSS1, an analcime gabbro from Salisbury Crags, Edinburgh. High-quality thin section images are now available from the BGS's Britrocks online database. The geospatial distribution of these samples is analysed. They reflect the development of geological mapping and igneous petrology in Scotland from the 1850s to the 1890s. Geikie had the opportunity to study Nicol's original thin sections in 1851 and he met both Sorby and Zirkel, early pioneers of petrography. Lacking management support, he cut many of his own thin sections while mapping the Clyde Plateau lavas during the 1860s, leading to publications on Carboniferous and Tertiary volcanism. When appointed Director of the newly formed Geological Survey of Scotland in 1867, he was able to establish a petrological laboratory in Edinburgh. Time pressures resulting from his subsequent promotion to Director-General, and increasing quantities of metamorphic rocks, then necessitated the appointment of Hatch and Teall as petrographers for the Survey. Teall's work was particularly important in the detailed petrography of the gneisses and mylonites associated with the Highlands Controversy.
Digital and Physical Fabrication as Multimodal Learning
Authors: Richard Gabriela T. , Giri Sagun
Published: January 2019

This article proposes and explores the kinds of computational thinking, creative practices, design activities, and inclusive learning opportunities provided to diverse high school youth when designing integrated systems through simultaneously physically and digitally responsive wearable games and systems. Previous work in this area, conducted by Richard, coined the term “bidirectionally responsive design” (BRD) to describe the design of dual-feedback systems using multiple digital and physical interfaces. BRD also emphasizes using simplified fabrication tools, media and coding platforms, and microcontrollers common in youth content creation communities and makerspaces. This study provides a framework to analyze computational concepts, practices, and perspectives that leverage an integrated systems and multimodal learning approach, such as BRD, adding to, building on, and integrating previous analytic approaches to looking at Scratch coding, media design, physical computing and e-textiles. Using a detailed case study of one team during one of the early workshop iterations, we conduct a multimodal analysis of bidirectionally responsive making activities and discuss the ways that they present novel understanding of integrating diverse interests and encouraging collaborative and distributed computational thinking. We further examine how BRD operationalizes and extends multimodal learning theory by adding tangible and integrative dimensions as additional modalities learners can leverage to facilitate meaning making, metacognition, and agency. We also discuss how designing integrated systems, as facilitated through BRD, provides an opportunity to engage in authentic practices around the design of complex systems.
The Effects of Adding Non-Compulsory Exercises to an Online Learning Tool on Student Performance and Code Copying
Authors: Domínguez César , Jaime Arturo , Heras Jónathan , García-Izquierdo Francisco J.
Published: January 2019

This study analyzes the impact of adding a review exercises module to an online tool used in a software engineering degree program. The objective of the module is to promote students’ self-learning effort to improve their performance. We also intend to determine if this new feature has any effect on the amount of code copies detected in lab sessions when using the same online tool. Two groups of students were compared quantitatively: the first group used the tool exclusively during lab sessions, whereas the second group had the option of employing the tool's new module to enhance their study. The tool allows us to collect interesting data related to the focus of this research: supplementary work completed voluntarily by students and the percentage of students copying others’ code during compulsory lab sessions. The results show that the students in the second group achieved better academic results and copied less in lab sessions. In the second group, the students who invested more effort in doing revision exercises and copied less in lab sessions obtained better results; and, interestingly, the effort invested in completing review exercises did not seem to compensate for the learning effort avoided by copying others’ exercises during lab sessions. The results show the advantages of a tool used with a dual orientation: compulsory and voluntary. Mandatory usage in lab sessions establishes some milestones that, eventually, act as an incentive fostering learning, while voluntary use reinforces students’ perception of the tool's usefulness in terms of learning.
A Robust Machine Learning Technique to Predict Low-performing Students
Authors: Liao Soohyun Nam , Zingaro Daniel , Thai Kevin , Alvarado Christine , Griswold William G. , Porter Leo
Published: January 2019

As enrollments and class sizes in postsecondary institutions have increased, instructors have sought automated and lightweight means to identify students who are at risk of performing poorly in a course. This identification must be performed early enough in the term to allow instructors to assist those students before they fall irreparably behind. This study describes a modeling methodology that predicts student final exam scores in the third week of the term by using the clicker data that is automatically collected for instructors when they employ the Peer Instruction pedagogy. The modeling technique uses a support vector machine binary classifier, trained on one term of a course, to predict outcomes in the subsequent term. We applied this modeling technique to five different courses across the computer science curriculum, taught by three different instructors at two different institutions. Our modeling approach includes a set of strengths not seen wholesale in prior work, while maintaining competitive levels of accuracy with that work. These strengths include using a lightweight source of student data, affording early detection of struggling students, and predicting outcomes across terms in a natural setting (different final exams, minor changes to course content), across multiple courses in a curriculum, and across multiple institutions.
Transformative and Troublesome? Students' and Professional Programmers' Perspectives on Difficult Concepts in Programming
Authors: Yeomans Lucy , Zschaler Steffen , Coate Kelly
Published: January 2019

Programming skills are an increasingly desirable asset across disciplines; however, learning to program continues to be difficult for many students. To improve pedagogy, we need to better understand the concepts that students find difficult and which have the biggest impact on their learning. Threshold-concept theory provides a potential lens on student learning, focusing on concepts that are troublesome and transformative. However, there is still a lack of consensus as to what the most relevant threshold concepts in programming are. The challenges involved are related to concept granularity and to evidencing some of the properties expected of threshold concepts. In this article, we report on a qualitative study aiming to address some of these concerns. The study involved focus groups with undergraduate students of different-year groups as well as professional software developers so as to gain insights into how perspectives on concepts change over time. Four concepts emerged from the data, where the majority of participants agreed on their troublesome nature—including abstract classes and data structures. Some of these concepts are considered transformative, too, but the evidence base is weaker. However, even though these concepts may not be considered transformative in the “big” sense of threshold concept theory, we argue the “soft” transformative effect of such concepts means they can provide important guidance for pedagogy and the design of programming courses. Further analysis of the data identified additional concepts that may hinder rather than help the learning of these threshold concepts, which we have called “accidental complexities.” We conclude the article with a critique of the use of threshold concepts as a lens for studying students’ learning of programming.
A Framework for Teaching Security Design Analysis Using Case Studies and the Hybrid Flipped Classroom
Authors: Luburić Nikola , Sladić Goran , Slivka Jelena , Milosavljević Branko
Published: January 2019

With ever-greater reliance of the developed world on information and communication technologies, constructing secure software has become a top priority. To produce secure software, security activities need to be integrated throughout the software development lifecycle. One such activity is security design analysis (SDA), which identifies security requirements as early as the software design phase. While considered an important step in software development, the general opinion of information security subject matter experts and researchers is that SDA is challenging to learn and teach. Experimental evidence provided in literature confirms this claim.

To help solve this, we have developed a framework for teaching SDA by utilizing case study analysis and the hybrid flipped classroom approach. We evaluate our framework by performing a comparative analysis between a group of students who attended labs generated using our framework and a group that participated in traditional labs. Our results show that labs created using our framework achieve better learning outcomes for SDA, as opposed to the traditional labs. Secondary contributions of our article include teaching materials, such as lab descriptions and a case study of a hospital information system to be used for SDA.

We outline instructions for using our framework in different contexts, including university courses and corporate training programs. By using our proposed teaching framework, with our or any other case study, we believe that both students and employees can learn the craft of SDA more effectively.
Relations Between Reading and Speech Manifest Universal Phonological Principle
Authors: Shankweiler Donald , Fowler Carol A.
Published: January 2019

All writing systems represent speech, providing a means for recording each word of a message. This is achieved by symbolizing the phonological forms of spoken words as well as information conveying grammar and meaning. Alphabetic systems represent the segmental phonology by providing symbols for individual consonants and vowels; some also convey morphological units. Other systems represent syllables (typically CVs) or morphosyllables. In all cases, learning to read requires a learner to discover the forms of language that writing encodes, drawing on metalinguistic abilities that are not needed for the acquisition of speech. Therefore, learning to read is harder and rarer than acquiring speech. Research reveals that skilled readers of every studied orthography access phonological language forms automatically and early in word reading. Although reading processes differ according to the cognitive demands of specific orthographic forms, the differences are subservient to the universal phonologic principle that all readers access phonological language forms.
Altered expression of p63 isoforms and expansion of p63- and club cell secretory protein-positive epithelial cells in the lung as novel features of aging
Authors: Fukumoto Jutaro , Sidramagowda Patil Sahebgowda , Krishnamurthy Sudarshan , Saji Smita , John Irene , Narala Venkata Ramireddy , Hernández-Cuervo Helena , Alleyn Matthew , Breitzig Mason T. , Galam Lakshmi , Soundararajan Ramani , Chaudhari Uddhav K. , Hansen Barbara C. , Lockey Richard F. , Kolliputi Narasaiah
Published: January 2019

Aging is a key contributor for subclinical progression of late-onset lung diseases. Basal, club, and type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) are lung epithelial progenitors whose capacities of differentiation are extensively studied. The timely transition of these cells in response to environmental changes helps maintain the intricate organization of lung structure. However, it remains unclear how aging affects their behavior. This paper demonstrates that the protein expression profiles of a type II AEC marker, prosurfactant protein C (pro-SPC), and a basal cell marker, p63, are altered in the lungs of 14-mo-old versus 7- to 9-wk-old mice. Expression of NH2-terminal-truncated forms of p63 (ΔNp63), a basal cell marker, and claudin-10, a club cell marker, in cytoplasmic extracts of lungs of 14-mo-old mice was upregulated. In contrast, nuclear expression of full-length forms of p63 (TAp63) decreases with age. These alterations in protein expression profiles coincide with dramatic changes in lung functions including compliance. Whole tissue lysates of middle-aged versus aged rhesus monkey lungs display similar age-associated alterations in pro-SPC expression. An age-associated decrease of TAp63 in nuclear lysates was observed in aged monkey group. Moreover, the lungs of 14-mo-old versus 7- to 9-wk-old mice display a wider spreading of ΔNp63-positive CCSP-positive bronchiolar epithelial cells. This expansion did not involve upregulation of Ki67, a representative proliferation marker. Collectively, it is postulated that 1) this expansion is secondary to a transition of progenitor cells committed to club cells from ΔNp63-negative to ΔNp63-positive status, and 2) high levels of cytoplasmic ΔNp63 expression trigger club cell migration.
Regional brain stem activations during capsaicin inhalation using functional magnetic resonance imaging in humans
Authors: Bautista Tara G. , Leech Jennifer , Mazzone Stuart B. , Farrell Michael J.
Published: January 2019

Coughing is an airway protective behavior elicited by airway irritation. Animal studies show that airway sensory information is relayed via vagal sensory fibers to termination sites within dorsal caudal brain stem and thereafter relayed to more rostral sites. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans, we previously reported that inhalation of the tussigenic stimulus capsaicin evokes a perception of airway irritation (“urge to cough”) accompanied by activations in a widely distributed brain network including the primary sensorimotor, insular, prefrontal, and posterior parietal cortices. Here we refine our imaging approach to provide a directed survey of brain stem areas activated by airway irritation. In 15 healthy participants, inhalation of capsaicin at a maximal dose that elicits a strong urge to cough without behavioral coughing was associated with activation of medullary regions overlapping with the nucleus of the solitary tract, paratrigeminal nucleus, spinal trigeminal nucleus and tract, cardiorespiratory regulatory areas homologous to the ventrolateral medulla in animals, and the midline raphe. Interestingly, the magnitude of activation within two cardiorespiratory regulatory areas was positively correlated ( r2 = 0.47, 0.48) with participants’ subjective ratings of their urge to cough. Capsaicin-related activations were also observed within the pons and midbrain. The current results add to knowledge of the representation and processing of information regarding airway irritation in the human brain, which is pertinent to the pursuit of novel cough therapies.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Functional brain imaging in humans was optimized for the brain stem. We provide the first detailed description of brain stem sites activated in response to airway irritation. The results are consistent with findings in animal studies and extend our foundational knowledge of brain processing of airway irritation in humans.
Direct Transmission of Digital Message via Programmable Coding Metasurface
Authors: Cui Tie Jun , Liu Shuo , Bai Guo Dong , Ma Qian
Published: January 2019

In modern wireless communications, digital information is firstly converted to analog signal by a digital-analog convertor, which is then mixed to high-frequency microwave to be transmitted through a series of devices including modulator, mixer, amplifier, filter, and antenna and is finally received by terminals via a reversed process. Although the wireless communication systems have evolved significantly over the past thirty years, the basic architecture has not been challenged. Here, we propose a method to transmit digital information directly via programmable coding metasurface. Since the coding metasurface is composed of ‘0’ and ‘1’ digital units with opposite phase responses, the digital information can be directly modulated to the metasurface with certain coding sequences and sent to space under the illumination of feeding antenna. The information, being modulated in radiation patterns of the metasurface, can be correctly received by multiple receivers distributed in different locations. This method provides a completely new architecture for wireless communications without using complicated digital-analog convertor and a series of active/passive microwave devices. We build up a prototype to validate the new architecture experimentally, which may find promising applications where information security is highly demanded.
Influence of Environmental Factors on Social Participation Post-Stroke
Authors: Foley Erin L. , Nicholas Marjorie L. , Baum Carolyn M. , Connor Lisa Tabor
Published: January 2019

Objectives. For rehabilitation professionals to adequately address meaningful participation in social activities with their patients after a stroke, there must be a better understanding of neurobehavior, that is, how neurological impairment and its sequelae and environmental factors support or limit social participation. The current study examines how stroke severity (NIH Stroke Scale), its impact on perceived mobility (Stroke Impact Scale mobility domain), and the environment (MOS Social Support–Positive Social Interactions scale and Measure of Stroke Environment receptivity and built environment domains) influence social participation (Activity Card Sort: ACS). Methods. A correlational, cross-sectional design examined the relationships among neurological impairment, perceived limitations in activity, environmental factors, and social participation. Participants included 48 individuals who were at least 6 months post-stroke both with aphasia (N=22) and without aphasia (N=26) living in the community for whom all measures were available for analysis. Results. No differences in social participation were found between those with and without aphasia, though both groups reported a large (25-30%) decline in participating in their prestroke social activities. For the ACS Social Domain activities and ACS Partner to Do With activities (percent retained), 37% and 35% of the variance, respectively, was accounted for by the predictor variables, with only MOS Social Support making an independent contribution to social participation. In this sample, neurological impairment was not a significant correlate of social participation. Additionally, perceived mobility and the built environment were not found to independently predict participation in social activities. Conclusions. Perceived social support was found to predict social participation in individuals living in the community 6 months or greater post-stroke. Focusing on social support during post-stroke rehabilitation may provide an avenue for increased social participation and more successful community reintegration.
Study on Presplitting Blasting the Roof Strata of Adjacent Roadway to Control Roadway Deformation
Authors: Yang Xiaojie , Hu Chaowen , He Manchao , Wang Haohao , Zhou Yubo , Liu Xiaoyu , Zhen Enze , Ma Xingen
Published: January 2019

In order to solve the problem of roadway deformation based on the theory of “short cantilever beam by roof cutting,” the method of “pressure relief by roof cutting in the adjacent roadway” is proposed. Through presplitting blasting the roadway hard rock layer, the stress propagation path is cut off, and the surrounding rock stress environment of the roadway is improved, to achieve the purpose of controlling the deformation of the roadway caused by stress. Through theoretical analysis, it is determined that the depth of the presplitting blasthole is 17 m, and the angle with the vertical direction is 10°. Based on in situ measurements and tests, by presplitting blasting the roof strata of the adjacent roadway, the maximal value of the working resistance of the hydraulic support in the presplitting blasting side of the working face decreased by 24.9%, and the average volumes of the maximum floor heave, the maximum roof subsidence, and the maximum ribs displacement were reduced by 50.1%, 34.9%, and 41.7%, respectively. This method completely changes the traditional thought patterns of “reinforcing support” to control roadway deformation from “strong support” to “pressure relief.” It provides a new idea for controlling the roadway deformation.
Hybrid PET/MR Kernelised Expectation Maximisation Reconstruction for Improved Image-Derived Estimation of the Input Function from the Aorta of Rabbits
Authors: Deidda Daniel , Karakatsanis Nicolas A. , Robson Philip M. , Calcagno Claudia , Senders Max L. , Mulder Willem J. M. , Fayad Zahi A. , Aykroyd Robert G. , Tsoumpas Charalampos
Published: January 2019

Positron emission tomography (PET) provides simple noninvasive imaging biomarkers for multiple human diseases which can be used to produce quantitative information from single static images or to monitor dynamic processes. Such kinetic studies often require the tracer input function (IF) to be measured but, in contrast to direct blood sampling, the image-derived input function (IDIF) provides a noninvasive alternative technique to estimate the IF. Accurate estimation can, in general, be challenging due to the partial volume effect (PVE), which is particularly important in preclinical work on small animals. The recently proposed hybrid kernelised ordered subsets expectation maximisation (HKEM) method has been shown to improve accuracy and contrast across a range of different datasets and count levels and can be used on PET/MR or PET/CT data. In this work, we apply the method with the purpose of providing accurate estimates of the aorta IDIF for rabbit PET studies. In addition, we proposed a method for the extraction of the aorta region of interest (ROI) using the MR and the HKEM image, to minimise the PVE within the rabbit aortic region—a method which can be directly transferred to the clinical setting. A realistic simulation study was performed with ten independent noise realisations while two, real data, rabbit datasets, acquired with the Biograph Siemens mMR PET/MR scanner, were also considered. For reference and comparison, the data were reconstructed using OSEM, OSEM with Gaussian postfilter and KEM, as well as HKEM. The results across the simulated datasets and different time frames show reduced PVE and accurate IDIF values for the proposed method, with 5% average bias (0.8% minimum and 16% maximum bias). Consistent results were obtained with the real datasets. The results of this study demonstrate that HKEM can be used to accurately estimate the IDIF in preclinical PET/MR studies, such as rabbit mMR data, as well as in clinical human studies. The proposed algorithm is made available as part of an open software library, and it can be used equally successfully on human or animal data acquired from a variety of PET/MR or PET/CT scanners.
Planning, Implementing, and Running a Multicentre Preterm Birth Study with Biobank Resources in Brazil: The Preterm SAMBA Study
Authors: Souza Renato T. , Cecatti Jose G. , Costa Maria L. , Mayrink Jussara , Pacagnella Rodolfo C. , Passini Renato , Franchini Kleber G. , Feitosa Francisco E. , Calderon Iracema M. , Rocha Filho Edilberto A. , Leite Débora F. , Vettorazzi Janete , Kenny Louise C. , Baker Philip N. , The Preterm SAMBA Study Group
Published: January 2019

Background. Our aim was to describe the steps in planning, implementing, and running a multicentre cohort study of maternal and perinatal health using a high-quality biobank comprised of maternal serum, plasma, and hair samples collected from five sites in Brazil. The Preterm SAMBA study, conducted by the Brazilian Network for Studies on Reproductive and Perinatal Health, was an innovative approach used to identify women at higher risk for preterm birth. It is also of great importance in the study of other maternal and perinatal complications in the context of Brazil, which is a middle-income country. Methods. We described phases of planning, implementing, and running the Preterm SAMBA study, a multicentre Brazilian cohort study of low-risk nulliparous pregnant women, to validate a set of metabolite biomarkers for preterm birth identified in an external cohort. Procedures and strategies used to plan, implement, and maintain this multicentre preterm birth study are described in detail. Barriers and experience cited in the current narrative are not usually discussed in the scientific literature or published study protocols. Results. Several barriers and strategies were identified in different phases of the Preterm SAMBA study at different levels of the study framework (steering committee; coordinating and local centres). Strategies implemented and resources used in the study are a legacy of the Brazilian Network, aimed at training collaborators in such complex settings. Conclusion. The Brazilian Network for Studies on Reproductive and Perinatal Health has gained some experience in conducting a multicentre cohort study using a resourceful biobank which may be helpful to other research groups and maternal/perinatal health networks that plan on employing a similar approach to a similar background.
Robust Proximal Support Vector Regression Based on Maximum Correntropy Criterion
Authors: Wang Kuaini , Pei Huimin , Ding Xiaoshuai , Zhong Ping
Published: January 2019

The robustness problem of the classical proximal support vector machine for regression estimation (PSVR) when confronting with samples in the presence of outliers is addressed in this paper. Correntropy is a local similarity measure between two arbitrary variables and has been proven the insensitivity to noises and outliers. Based on the maximum correntropy criterion (MCC), a correntropy-based robust PSVR framework is proposed, named as RPSVR-MCC. The half-quadratic optimization method is employed to solve the resultant optimization, and an iterative algorithm is developed to solve RPSVR-MCC. In each iteration, the complex optimization can be converted to a linear system of equations which can be easily solved by the widely popular optimization techniques. The experimental results on synthetic datasets and real-world benchmark datasets demonstrate that the effectiveness of the proposed method. Moreover, the superiority of the proposed algorithm is more evident in noisy environment, especially in the presence of outliers.
The Impact of Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy in Various Neurodegenerative Dementia Syndromes: A Neuropathological Study
Authors: De Reuck Jacques
Published: January 2019

Purpose. The Boston criteria for cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) have to be confirmed by postmortem examination. The present study investigates the incidence and the cerebrovascular impact of the severity of CAA in various neurodegenerative dementia diseases.Material and Methods. 208 patients underwent an autopsy. They consisted of 92 brains with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), 46 with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), 24 with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), 21 with Lewy body dementia (LBD), 5 with corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and 20 controls. In addition to the macroscopic examination, a whole coronal section of a cerebral hemisphere, at the level of the mamillary body, was taken for semiquantitative microscopic evaluation of the small cerebrovascular lesions.Results. CAA is present in 2/3% of the AD brains of which half of them have a severe form, grade 3. Only the latter displays more cerebrovascular lesions. CAA is present in 45% of the LBD brains. Cortical microinfarcts are only more frequent in the CAA grade 3 group. In LBD additional AD pathology is present in 41% of the CAA grade 0, 83% in grade 1-2, and 100% in grade 3. In PSP only 21% had CAA grade 1-2. In FTLD, CBD, and normal controls no CAA pathology is observed.Conclusions. The present study shows that CAA is most frequently associated to AD but that only the severe form displays more cerebrovascular lesions. LBD is the second most frequent disease associated to CAA with a clear correlation between the incidence of the associated AD features and the increasing severity of the CAA. In PSP only 21% display mild CAA features. PSP, tau-FTLD, and CBD are part of the Pick complex diseases, who are known to have a favourable vascular profile which can explain their low incidence of cerebrovascular lesions, in contrast to AD and LBD brains.
Cold Pulsatile Machine Perfusion versus Static Cold Storage in Kidney Transplantation: A Single Centre Experience
Authors: Bellini Maria Irene , Charalampidis Sotiris , Herbert Paul Elliot , Bonatsos Vasileios , Crane Jeremy , Muthusamy Anand , Dor Frank J. M. F. , Papalois Vassilios
Published: January 2019

Introduction. We present our experience with hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) versus cold storage (CS) in relation to kidney transplant outcomes. Methods. Retrospective analysis of 33 consecutive HMP kidney transplant outcomes matched with those of 33 cold stored: delayed graft function (DGF), length of hospital stay (LOS), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and patient and graft survival were compared. Renal Resistive Indexes (RIs) during HMP in relation to DGF were also analysed. Results. In the HMP group, mean HMP time was 5.7 ± 3.9 hours with a mean cold ischaemic time (CIT) of 15 ± 5.6 versus 15.1 ± 5.3 hours in the CS group. DGF was lower in the HMP group (p=0.041), and donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) was a predictor for DGF (p<0.01). HMP decreased DGF in DCD grafts (p=0.036). Patient and graft survival were similar, but eGFR at 365 days was higher in the HMP cohort (p<0.001). RIs decreased during HMP (p<0.01); 2-hours RI ≥ 0.45 mmHg/mL/min predicted DGF in DCD kidneys (75% sensitivity, 80% specificity; area under the curve 0.78); 2-hours RI ≥ 0.2 mmHg/ml/min predicted DGF in DBD grafts (sensitivity 100%, specificity 91%; area under the curve 0.87). Conclusion. HMP decreased DGF compared to CS, offering viability assessment pretransplant and improving one-year renal function of the grafts.