bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A neural network method for the inverse scattering problem of impenetrable cavities
Authors: Yin Weishi , Ge Jiawei , Meng Pinchao , Qu Fuheng
Published: June 2020

This paper proposes a near-field shape neural network (NSNN) to determine the shape of a sound-soft cavity based on a single source and several measurements placed on a curve inside the cavity. The NSNN employs the near-field measurements as input, and the output is the shape parameters of the cavity. The self-attention mechanism is employed to obtain the feature information of the near-field data, as well as the correlations among them. The weights and biases of the NSNN are updated through the gradient descent algorithm, which minimizes the error of the reconstructed shape of the cavity. We prove that the loss function sequence related to the weights is a monotonically bounded non-negative sequence, which indicates the convergence of the NSNN. Numerical experiments show that the shape of the cavity can be effectively reconstructed with the NSNN.
Diabolus in memoria: pripazke o rabi tritonusa v Debussyjevih zaključkih
Authors: Malvano Andrea
Published: June 2020

Na začetku 20. stoletja je Claude Debussy na raznolike načine eksperimentiral s tritonusom v harmoniji in melodiji. V zaključkih v njegovih instrumentalnih skladbah je pogost tritonus v tematičnem gradivu, ki spodbuja primerjavo med sedanjostjo in preteklostjo. Za razliko od drugih francoskih skladateljev je Debussy bolj naklonjen latentnim glasbenim reminiscencam, ki zdrsnejo pod zavedno percepcijo, kot pa jasnim povezavam.
Glasba za Khisle iz padovskega okolja: Canzonette a tre voci (1587) in Musicale essercitio (1589) Ludovica Balbija
Authors: Comparin Chiara
Published: June 2020

Prispevek pretresa morebitne povezave med družino Khisl ter kulturnim in glasbenim okoljem Padove z ozirom na elemente, ki jih zasledimo v treh zbirkah, ki so bile natisnjene v kratkem časovnem obdobju treh let (1586–1589), in sicer Filippa de Duca, Angela Barbata in Ludovica Balbija, ter so vse povezane s Padovo.
Interaction homme-machine et personnalisation des visites : enjeux et perspectives critiques
Authors: Rey Stéphanie , Bortolaso Christophe , Brock Anke M. , Picard Célia , Derras Mustapha , Couture Nadine
Published: June 2020

La personnalisation est une solution envisagée depuis longtemps par les musées afin de faire face à la diversité des types de visiteurs et des contextes de visite. Cependant, elle reste souvent limitée à des scénarisations thématisées ou profilées selon des catégories typiques de visiteurs. Le croisement de plusieurs caractéristiques de visite, fixes ou évolutives, permet de mieux rendre compte de la finesse des profils visiteurs, notamment ceux des groupes, en proposant des parcours à la carte. Cette personnalisation multicritère entraîne la démultiplication des scénarios de visite possibles et rend nécessaire l’utilisation d’un outil numérique pour aider les professionnels à gérer cette complexité. Nous proposons une approche s’appuyant sur l’expertise des spécialistes du service des publics, premiers concepteurs de la personnalisation actuelle des visites, pour concevoir un outil d’aide à la scénarisation des parcours de visite ainsi personnalisés.
Fantasmagorie du musée : vers une visite numérique et récréative
Authors: Navarro Nicolas , Renaud Lise
Published: June 2020

Dans un contexte de prolifération des applications mobile de visite de musées, cet article fait le choix d’interroger les discours qui escortent cette offre de médiation. Les vidéos de présentation en ligne de ces applications produites par les musées sont un terrain propice pour étudier les représentations d’une visite avec ces guides d’aide à l’interprétation. À partir d’une analyse socio-sémiotique d’un corpus de 23 vidéos de musées, cet article montre que ces vidéos travaillent à la rénovation de l’image de l’institution par un jeu d’affiliation à des pratiques de loisirs, tout en entraînant leur énonciateur dans le registre publicitaire. Il révèle l’élaboration d’une fantasmagorie qui puise ses valeurs et son esthétique dans les discours des industries de la communication et du numérique.
Les animaux dans les expositions universelles au xixe siècle : monstration, ordonnancement et requalification du vivant. Paris et Londres, 1851-1889
Authors: Corbillé Sophie , Fantin Emmanuelle
Published: June 2020

Les expositions universelles sont l’un des nombreux dispositifs de monstration des animaux émergeant au cours de la seconde moitié du xixe siècle, mais leur place au sein de ces événements n’a que très peu été interrogée jusqu’alors : comment sont-ils présentés et mis en scène ? En quoi les expositions universelles participent-elles à leur (re)qualification ? Et en quoi contribuent-elles à la fabrication de nouveaux rapports entre humains et non-humains ? C’est à ces questions que cet article propose de répondre, à travers une triple structure conceptuelle. D’abord, parce qu’elle est avant tout un spectacle, l’exposition vient dire la jubilation de la monstration du vivant que l’on cherche à ordonner, à classer et à redéfinir. Ce processus engendre des logiques de qualification des animaux qui instaurent des représentations des relations de l’homme au vivant, oscillant entre une altérité farouchement défendue et le continuisme allant jusqu’à une intimité partagée. Enfin, l’exhibition des animaux les transforme en « acteurs-objets » au service du capitalisme en expansion, sous l’égide de la « modernité » et du « progrès ».
Le patrimoine vitivinicole dans « Des racines et des ailes » : entre immuabilité et renouvellement
Authors: Laborderie Pascal
Published: June 2020

En 2015, à la suite de l’inscription des coteaux, maisons et caves de Champagne ainsi que des climats du vignoble de Bourgogne sur la liste du patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco, le paysage audiovisuel français a été marqué par la production de nombreux films documentaires à thématique vitivinicole. Cet article se propose de considérer comment ces films participent à la pérennisation de stéréotypes et constituent en même temps un discours nouveau sur le vin. Il s’appuie sur l’étude d’un corpus de films diffusés par le programme télévisuel « Des racines et des ailes », en particulier sur les épisodes de la 19e saison, dans la collection « Passion patrimoine » (2015-2016). L’article étudie en quoi le discours sur le vin dans cette série documentaire télévisuelle est écartelé entre deux pôles, l’un patrimonial, l’autre technique, qui sont de plus en plus difficiles à concilier.
Multi-Processor Job Scheduling in High-Performance Computing (HPC) Systems
Authors: Priya Annu , Sahana Sudip Kumar
Published: June 2020

Processor scheduling is one of the thrust areas in the field of computer science. The future technologies use a huge amount of processors for execution of their tasks like huge games, programming software, and in the field of quantum computing. In hard real-time, many complex problems are solved by GPU programming. The primary concern of scheduling is to reduce the time complexity and manpower. There are several traditional techniques for processor scheduling. The performance of traditional techniques is reduced when it comes under huge processing of tasks. Most scheduling problems are NP-hard in nature. Many of the complex problems are recently solved by the GPU programming. GPU scheduling is another complex issue as it runs thousands of threads in parallel and needs to be scheduled efficiently. For such large-scale scheduling problem, the performance of state-of-the-art algorithms is very poor. It is observed that evolutionary and genetic-based algorithms exhibit better performance for large-scale combinatorial problems.
Higher Education Access and Parity
Authors: Gellman Mneesha
Published: June 2020

This chapter presents the educational intervention of the Emerson Prison Initiative, which offers a pathway to a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Literature, and Culture to incarcerated students at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Concord. A program of Emerson College, the Emerson Prison Initiative serves Emerson's mission to increase educational access for historically marginalized students, including those in prison, and maintains rigorous standards for academic excellence for students and faculty comparable to those at Emerson's Boston-based campus. The Emerson Prison Initiative is rooted in the notion that access to a college education can help transform how people engage in the world.
We Are Cal State LA
Authors: Roy Bidhan Chandra , Lim Taffany , Silbert Rebecca
Published: June 2020

Cal State LA runs a successful face-to-face Bachelor's Degree completion program at a maximum-security prison. This chapter describes the BA program, including an assessment of the political, academic, and structural challenges. The chapter also outlines two intertwined components of Cal State LA's commitment to transformational education in the prison. The first is WordsUncaged which is open to all students on the yard and extends the transformational opportunities of higher education to a larger number of students than can be accommodated in the formal BA program. The second is Cal State LA's commitment to reentry support, including enrollment on the home campus for all students released prior to degree completion. The chapter argues that serving the prison with the three intertwined components—the BA degree pathway, WordsUncaged, and reentry support—is core to Cal State LA's mission as a public university serving the greater good of the Los Angeles region and the residents of California.
Pre-College Instruction
Authors: Russell Jacob R. , McMay Dani V.
Published: June 2020

Instructors at prison-based college programs face many challenges not encountered on traditional college campuses. Instructors used to conventional campus-based students and teaching environments often find themselves unprepared or overwhelmed because prison-based programs differ in many ways from traditional college classrooms. Many incarcerated students lack the necessary fundamental academic writing and communication skills to succeed in college-level courses but not the intelligence and dedication. Instructors often find themselves unprepared for and inexperienced in teaching remedial-level writing and grammar skills, especially to non-traditional adult learners. This chapter discusses the differences between campus and prison classrooms, incarcerated students' academic backgrounds and needs, and the instructional limitations of teaching in prisons. This chapter provides instructional methodology tailored to the unique needs of incarcerated students, as well as examples of syllabi, worksheets, and practice exercises.
International Student Voices and the VLE
Authors: Hiscock Claire
Published: June 2020

This article outlines the results of an ongoing research project into student experiences of virtual learning platforms. The project is driven by low engagement with online courses and a perceived lack of enthusiasm for Moodle. The author hopes to develop working practices to be used across departments that put students at the centre of designing the VLE spaces they are required to use. Underlying this project is the conviction that “if we want to enhance online learning, we need to enhance online learner participation,” as said by Hrastinski. This stage of data gathering included Photovoice to create screen recordings or visual representations of the students' digital learning journey, focus groups with international students and interviews with experts in digital learning. The article investigates students views and experiences of engaging with VLEs and concludes that if these digital platforms are to be of greater relevance to academic departments than mere PDF dumping grounds, then student participation in their design is essential.
Deceiving Autonomous Drones
Authors: Hutchinson William
Published: June 2020

This speculative article examines the concept of deceiving autonomous drones that are controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) and can work without operational input from humans. This article examines the potential of autonomous drones, their implications and how deception could possibly be a defence against them and /or a means of gaining advantage. It posits that officially, no truly autonomous drone is operational now, yet the development of AI and other technologies could expand the capabilities of these devices, which will inevitably confront society with a number of deep ethical, legal, and philosophical issues. The article also examines the impact of autonomous drones and their targets in terms of the power/deception nexus. The impact of surveillance and kinetic impacts on the target populations is investigated. The use of swarms can make deception more difficult although security can be breached. The Internet of Things can be considered as based on the same model as a swarm and its impact on human behaviour indicates that deception or perhaps counter-deception should be considered as a defence. Finally, the issues raised are outlined. However, this article does not provide definitive answers but, hopefully, exposes a number of issues that will stimulate further discussion and research in this general area.
Cyber Warfare
Authors: Leggat Helaine
Published: June 2020

The Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare (2013) sets out ninety-five ‘black-letter rules' governing conflicts and the basis for each in treaty and customary law. An earlier version of this article considered the applicability of national law to cyberspace. Specifically, whether there was sufficient basis at a national law level to establish norms for acceptable behavior at an international level. The proposition being it is time for a new kind of international cooperation in relation to cyber warfare and acceptable norms of behavior in cyberspace. This article provides detail from various national statutes to illustrate how national law applies to cyberspace. Both papers consider the applicability of current national criminal and tort law by using hypothetical scenarios in relation to self-defence, conspiracy and corporate responsibility in the private sector. The intention is to encourage experts to cooperate internationally to recognise national rules equivalent to the Tallinn work.
Predicting Mobile Health Technology Acceptance by the Indian Rural Community
Authors: Pai Rajesh R. , Alathur Sreejith
Published: June 2020

To investigate factors that influence mobile health technology and application acceptance for health service delivery in India. The paper identifies a technology acceptance model that can be limited to the Indian rural populations. The data is collected from 60 semi-structured interviews with rural populations, including doctors. Contents of these phases were transcribed, and quotes are presented constituting a proposed technology acceptance model. Findings indicate that people in the rural community have mobile phones and are mainly used to communicate by phone calls their relatives, friends, and family members. The study also revealed that a lack of knowledge, mobile literacy, trust, social influence, individual cognitive factors, and technical infrastructure were found to influence mobile phone use for health activities. Triangulating the findings from the literature and interview, the study has identified a set of interrelated acceptance factors that the authors proposed as mobile health technology acceptance model for the rural community of India.
The Influence of HRIS Usage on Employee Performance and Mediating Effects of Employee Engagement in Five Stars Hotels in Jordan
Authors: Al-Dmour Rand H.
Published: June 2020

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of employee engagement with their work as a mediating factor in the relationship between utilisation of a human resource information system (HRIS) and employee performance in five-star hotels in Jordan. A conceptual framework based on social exchange theory and content analysis of similar previous studies was developed. A quantitative approach and simple random sampling were used to obtain data via questionnaires completed by 221 human resources (HR) employees working at 21 five-star hotels in Jordan. The response rate was 71%. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse and verify the study variables. The findings revealed that use of a HRIS had a significant positive influence on both employee performance and work engagement, while the latter acted as a partial mediator between HRIS utilisation and employee performance.
Impact of Capabilities on Firm Value Offering in the E-Commerce Service Setting
Authors: Chen Hui-chuan , Sun Szu-Yuan , Chen Li-Shan
Published: June 2020

E-commerce and online shopping have changed the retail environment. At present, companies rely on extensive customization of information systems and business processes in order to provide enhanced online customer service experiences. In today's rapidly expanding service economy, businesses need more service capabilities in order to outperform competitors. The authors identify four capabilities: innovation-based, marketing-based, collaborative, and absorptive to assess the relationship of these capabilities of online shopping websites in relation to the firm's value offering to its online customers. The results indicate that capabilities indeed play an important role for online shopping providers in the area of value creation for online consumers. This suggests to online retailers that capabilities have a positive effect on value offerings; thus, it is imperative that firms use more of their resources to develop capabilities.
A Comparative Integration Study of Performance Metrics in Microfinance
Authors: Iqbal Mehree , Nisha Nabila , Rifat Afrin
Published: June 2020

This study aims to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between financial and non-financial measures under a balanced scorecard (BSC) model in the microfinance sector of Bangladesh. Structural equation modeling is employed to test non-financial relationships hypothesized under BSC model and one sample t-tests are conducted to further relate non-financial variables to the financial performance variable for two microfinance providers. While all non-financial variables share positive and significant relationships, findings show that customer perspective and internal business process factors are quite strong and more evident for Grameen Bank than a cooperative bank. As such, microfinance providers which will improve their non-financial perspectives can ultimately benefit from increased financial performance. The article draws attention to microfinance providers so that they can address shortcomings in their current performance measurement systems and identify mechanisms that can help them improve their financial performances. Implications and future directions are discussed too.
Potency of Rare Earth Elements and Yttrium in Indonesia Coal Ash
Authors: Rosita Widya , Besari Dea Anisa Ayu , Bendiyasa I Made , Perdana Indra , Anggara Ferian , Petrus Himawan Tri Bayu Murti
Published: June 2020

Indonesia coal ash is predicted to reach 10.8 million tons in the year 2020 but its utilization is still limited. In the last decade, coal ash has become a promising REY source candidate. To determine the potency of REY in Indonesia coal ash, information about element concentration and mineralogy of the ash is essential. In this study, coal ash samples were taken from Paiton-2, Pacitan, Rembang, and Tanjung Jati coal-fired power plants. Element content and mineralogy were analyzed using Inductive Couple Plasma Mass Spectroscopy/Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-MS/AES), X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) and petrographic. The results showed that coal fly ash and bottom ash contains critical REY in the range of 38% to 41% with Coutlook larger than one. XRD analysis showed that both fly ash and bottom ash have similar mineral phases with slightly different concentrations. The mineral phase is dominated by amorphous glass, quartz, Fe-bearing minerals, and unburned carbon. The amorphous glass phase in fly ash is in the range of 23 to 34% while in bottom ash between 14 and 34%. Unburned carbon content in fly ash and bottom ashes are 7-13% and 7-19%, respectively. Fe-bearing mineral content in fly ash is 15-20% and bottom ash is 13-20%. In addition, Indonesia coal ash has a higher Heavy-REY enrichment factor than Light-REY. The Enrichment Factor of HREY in fly ash is as much as 1.3 times (in average) of the bottom ash.
Gasification of Oil Palm Shells and Empty Fruit Bunches to Produce Gas Fuel
Authors: Aktawan Agus , Maryudi  , Salamah Siti , Astuti Erna
Published: June 2020

National energy needs have been met by non-renewable energy resources, such as natural gas, petroleum, coal and so on. However, non-renewable energy reserves are depleting and there will be an energy crisis. Conversion of biomass into energy is one solution to overcome this. Indonesia, with its biodiversity, has enormous biomass potential, especially from oil palm plantations and also sugar cane plantations. From the oil palm plantation point of view, oil palm shells and oil palm empty fruit bunches are side products. These wastes can be treated with gasification technology to produce gas fuel. The gasification tool model used in this study is a downdraft gasifier equipped with a cyclone to separate gases with solids or liquids resulting from the gasification process. The results of the gasification process show that the more feeds are introduced, the more syngas is produced during the gasification process. The more feeds, the longer the syngas release time. The two variables have a correlation, that is, between the weight of syngas and the time for syngas removal to increase in line with the addition of the amount of feed entered. Syngas analysis of oil palm empty fruit bunches contains 4.959% H2 and 5.759% CO. Whereas the analysis of syngas of oil palm shells contained 2.524% H2, 6.391% CO, and 0.895% CH4.
Utilization of Silica from Indonesian Solid Wastes as Catalyst Materials
Authors: Kurniawansyah Firman , Istiqomah Amila D. , Malahayati Aisyah J. , Petrus Himawan Tri Bayu Murti , Roesyadi Achmad
Published: June 2020

Synthesizing materials can be attempted by utilizing alternative sources such as wastes or disposed/by-products of certain activities. In this article, exploration of silica from agricultural waste and from geothermal sludgefor production of silica catalysts, are presented. The first silica catalyst was synthesized from rice husk. The husk was initially heated until silica ashes could be formed. After immersion in acidic solution, impregnation with nickel and molybdenum were conducted to introduce active metal of nickel (Ni) and molybdenum (Mo) in the support structure. The catalyst formed, Ni-Mo/SiO2 was applied to convert crude palm oil into biofuels. The other silica catalyst was obtained from geothermal sludge. After washing, the catalyst was soaked in sulphuric acid solution to form acidic silica solid catalyst. The catalyst was applied in hydrolysis of seaweed-industry solid waste to produce glucose. The catalyst was relatively successful to facilitate 19-20% glucose yield, or up to 21% glucose selectivity from waste material.
Improvement of Biocomposite Properties Based Tapioca Starch and Sugarcane Bagasse Cellulose Nanofibers
Authors: Asrofi Mochamad , Sujito  , Syafri Edi , Sapuan S.M. , Ilyas R.A.
Published: June 2020

Biocomposite based tapioca starch (TS) and sugarcane bagasse cellulose nanofibers (SBCN) was made through casting method. SBCN was prepared by chemical and ultrasonication process. It was successfully displayed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) in range 20 - 45 nm. Meanwhile, particle size analysis (PSA) also supported the distribution diameter of SBCN for 59.75 ± 10.84 nm. SBCN and glycerol were used as reinforcement and plasticizer, respectively. The amount concentration of SBCN was varied from 0 to 8 wt%. Biocomposite was characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile test. SEM image displays SBCN is in good interfacial bonding with the matrix. The highest tensile strength of biocomposite was in TS/4SBCN sample for 20.84 MPa. These results showed that SBCN fiber become potential candidate as reinforcement in biocomposite application.
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy: Three-needle technique on two planes. Cury’s technique
Authors: Cury Carlos Abib , De Oliveira Cury Analaura , Pagelkopf Victoria Caroline , De Morais Vinicius Ramos Bezerra , Fernandes Vitor de Almeida , Bonfitto Miguel
Published: June 2020

Introduction: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is the main type of surgery indicated for kidney stones larger than 2 cm. The present study describes a three-needle technique for percutaneous nephrolithotomy on two planes. Surgical technique: The patient is first placed in the lithotomy position for cystoscopy, which guides the ureteral and urethral catheter. Next, the patient is placed in ventral decubitus for the three-needle technique. With the aid of the nephroscope, the first needle is positioned in the projection of the renal pelvis, the second needle is placed in the most posterior of the inferior calyces and the third needle is aligned with the other two at the most depressible point determined by the surgeon’s index finger. After alignment in the topography of the third needle, an incision is made with the scalpel 1-2 cm perpendicular to the aponeurosis of the latissimus dorsi muscle. The second needle is replaced with a peridural needle, which is used to confirm the location of the inferior renal calyx and limit the depth of the Chiba needle inserted in the topography of the third needle, forming a 90° angle with the peridural needle. The Chiba needle enables the passage of the guidewire and subsequent dilatation until the 30F caliber for the passage of the Amplatz dilator, initiating the conventional procedure. Comments: The technique described has been used at our service for 15 years and has the advantages of less morbidity, fewer complications and less use of the nephrostomy tube. The technique is also easy to learn and highly reproducible.
Evaluation of the influence of subinguinal varicocelectomy procedure on seminal parameters, reproductive hormones and testosterone/estradiol ratio
Authors: Öztekin Ünal , Caniklioglu Mehmet , Sarı Sercan , Selmi Volkan , Gürel Abdullah , Taspınar Mehmet Sakir , Isıkay Levent
Published: June 2020

Objective: Varicocele is the most commonly surgically curable cause of male infertility. However, the mechanisms related to the effect of reducing fertility potential have not been clearly identified. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of varicocelectomy on semen parameters, reproductive hormones and testosterone / estradiol ratio. Matherial and methods: Fifty seven patients outcomes were evaluated before and 6 months after subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomy. Semen parameters, reproductice hormones and testosteron/estradiol ratio results of patients were compared retrospectively. Results: The mean age was 26.8 years. Fifty four (94.7%) patients had grade 3 and 3 (5.3%) patients had grade 2 varicocele. There was a significant increase in semen parameters except semen volume. There was a statistically significant increase in serum testosterone levels, but not on testosterone/ estradiol ratio. Conclusions: According to our results, microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy can be recommended for both improving semen parameters and hormonal recovery.
Clinical-Cytological-Grading and phenotyping in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps: the relevance in clinical practice
Authors: Gelardi Matteo , Porro Giuseppe , Quaranta Vitaliano , Quaranta Nicola , Cassano Michele , Ciprandi Giorgio , Study Group on CRSwNP *Italian
Published: June 2020

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) includes two main phenotypes: without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) and with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). CRSwNP may be associated with comorbidity, mainly concerning asthma, aspirin intolerance, and allergy. CRSwNP patients may also be evaluated by clinical-cytological grading (CCG). The current study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of the different CCG and phenotypes in CRSwNP outpatients examined in clinical practice. This retrospective cross-sectional study enrolled 791 consecutive CRSwNP outpatients (424 males, mean age 48.8 years). In the total population, asthma was a common comorbidity (30.8%) as well as aspirin intolerance (24.8%), and allergy (50.8%). As concerns CCG-grading, 210 (26.5%) outpatients had low-grade, 366 (46.3%) medium, and 215 (27.2%) high. As regards cytological phenotypes, 87 (11%) had neutrophilic type, 371 (46.3%) eosinophilic, 112 (14.2%) mast cell, and 221 (27.9%) mixed. High-grade CCG was significantly associated with more frequent asthma, aspirin intolerance, allergy, recurrent surgery, and mixed cytological phenotype. Low-grade CCG was characterized by fewer comorbidities and operations, and neutrophilic phenotype. Therefore, the present study confirmed that CCG is a useful tool in the management of outpatients with CRSwNP. CRSwNP is frequently associated with asthma, aspirin intolerance, and allergy comorbidity. High-grade CCG is frequently characterized by a mixed cytological phenotype, thus, by more severe progress. These real-world outcomes underline that CRSwNP deserves adequate attention for careful management and optimal identification of the best-tailored therapy; CCG and cytological phenotyping could be fruitful tools in clinical practice. Asthma and aspirin intolerance should be adequately investigated in all CRS patients.
Consensus Recommendations on the Prehospital Care of the Injured Athlete With a Suspected Catastrophic Cervical Spine Injury
Authors: Mills Brianna M. , Conrick Kelsey M. , Anderson Scott , Bailes Julian , Boden Barry P. , Conway Darryl , Ellis James , Feld Francis , Grant Murphy , Hainline Brian , Henry Glenn , Herring Stanley A. , Hsu Wellington K. , Isakov Alex , Lindley Tory R. , McNamara Lance , Mihalik Jason P. , Neal Timothy L. , Putukian Margot , Rivara Frederick P. , Sills Allen K. , Swartz Erik E. , Vavilala Monica S. , Courson Ron
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Sports participation is among the leading causes of catastrophic cervical spine injury (CSI) in the United States. Appropriate prehospital care for athletes with suspected CSIs should be available at all levels of sport. The goal of this project was to develop a set of best-practice recommendations appropriate for athletic trainers, emergency responders, sports medicine and emergency physicians, and others engaged in caring for athletes with suspected CSIs.

Methods

A consensus-driven approach (RAND/UCLA method) in combination with a systematic review of the available literature was used to identify key research questions and develop conclusions and recommendations on the prehospital care of the spine-injured athlete. A diverse panel of experts, including members of the National Athletic Trainers' Association, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the Sports Institute at UW Medicine participated in 4 Delphi rounds and a 2-day nominal group technique meeting. The systematic review involved 2 independent reviewers and 4 rounds of blinded review.

Results

The Delphi process identified 8 key questions to be answered by the systematic review. The systematic review comprised 1544 studies, 49 of which were included in the final full-text review. Using the results of the systematic review as a shared evidence base, the nominal group technique meeting created and refined conclusions and recommendations until consensus was achieved.

Conclusions

These conclusions and recommendations represent a pragmatic approach, balancing expert experiences and the available scientific evidence.
Linear progress with exponential decay in weakly hyperbolic groups
Authors: Sunderland Matthew H.
Published: June 2020

A random walk

w_n

on a separable, geodesic hyperbolic metric space

X

converges to the boundary

\partial X

with probability one when the step distribution supports two independent loxodromics. In particular, the random walk makes positive linear progress. Progress is known to be linear with exponential decay when (1) the step distribution has exponential tail and (2) the action on

X

is acylindrical.
Properly convex bending of hyperbolic manifolds
Authors: Ballas Samuel A. , Marquis Ludovic
Published: June 2020

In this paper we show that bending a finite volume hyperbolic

d

-manifold

M

along a totally geodesic hypersurface

\Sigma

results in a properly convex projective structure on

M

with finite volume. We also discuss various geometric properties of bent manifolds and algebraic properties of their fundamental groups. We then use this result to show in each dimension

d\geqslant 3

there are examples finite volume, but non-compact, properly convex

d

-manifolds. Furthermore, we show that the examples can be chosen to be either strictly convex or non-strictly convex.
Torelli group, Johnson kernel, and invariants of homology spheres
Authors: Morita Shigeyuki , Sakasai Takuya , Suzuki Masaaki
Published: June 2020

In the late 1980s, it was shown that the Casson invariant appears in the difference between the two filtrations of the Torelli group: the lower central series and the Johnson filtration, and its core part was identified with the secondary characteristic class

d_1

associated with the fact that the first

\mathrm{MMM}

class vanishes on the Torelli group (however it turned out that Johnson proved the former part highly likely prior to the above, see Remark 1.1). This secondary class

d_1

is a rational generator of

H^1(\mathcal{K}_g;\mathbb Z)^{\mathcal{M}_g}\cong\mathbb Z

where

\mathcal{K}_g

denotes the Johnson subgroup of the mapping class group

\mathcal{M}_g

. Hain proved, as a particular case of his fundamental result, that this is the only difference in degree

2

. In this paper, we prove that no other invariant than the above gives rise to new rational difference between the two filtrations up to degree

6

. We apply this to determine

H_1(\mathcal{K}_g;\mathbb Q)

explicitly by computing the description given by Dimca, Hain and Papadima. We also show that any finite type rational invariant of homology

3

-spheres of degrees up to

6

, including the second and the third Ohtsuki invariants, can be expressed by

d_1

and lifts of Johnson homomorphisms.
Repetition as a means of verbal and psychological violence in interrogation scenes from contemporary drama
Authors: Onič Tomaž , Prajnč Kacijan Nastja
Published: June 2020

The psychological and verbal pressure that often saturates the atmosphere in the interrogation scenes of certain subgenres of post-WWII drama can be achieved through various stylistic means. Among these are repetition and recurrence, which conveniently suit the nature of vicious interrogations, where questions (often illogical) are posed repeatedly, partly to extort information from the victim but predominantly to break the victim’s resistance. Used in the utterances of the speaker, these repetitive questions or parts thereof intensify the distressing mood and strengthen the superiority of the speaker who intimidates, humiliates or otherwise degrades the victim. In this study, the focus will be on those instances of repetition and recurrence that contribute strongly to creating such situations and relationships in contemporary drama. The traditional iteration patterns will be identified, analysed and categorized according to the potential intensity of the repression and the schematic type of recurrence. The examples are taken from plays by Arthur Miller, Harold Pinter and Drago Jančar.
Le discours politique et l’expression de l’opinion sur Twitter
Authors: Zwitter Vitez Ana
Published: June 2020

À l’époque des nouveaux médias, les utilisateurs de forums, de réseaux sociaux et de portails d’actualité ont la possibilité d’exprimer publiquement leur opinion sur le dynamisme politique, social ou personnel. Le discours politique, vivement présent sur les réseaux sociaux, suscite des réactions des récepteurs presque immédiates. L’objectif de la présente analyse est de dégager la structure linguistique des tweets par lesquels les utilisateurs réagissent au discours politique et qui révèlent des opinions très polarisées. Nous avons analysé 270 tweets qui ont été publiés en tant que réactions au tweet du président français Emmanuel Macron déclarant avoir régularisé la situation d’un migrant qui a sauvé la vie d’un enfant. L’analyse porte sur les niveaux de la syntaxe, du vocabulaire et de l’orthographe. Les résultats montrent que les tweets de support au message de Macron ont davantage tendance à avoir une structure de phrase exclamative simple, un vocabulaire de support explicite et une orthographe non-conventionnelle. De l’autre côté, les tweets qui révèlent les émotions négatives se caractérisent par une structure syntaxique complexe, des phrases interrogatives et un vocabulaire plutôt neutre. Cette recherche pourrait approfondir les connaissances existantes sur la structure linguistique de l’expression de l’opinion et complémenter les méthodes computationnelles de l’analyse de sentiment.
Ideologija v novejšem srbskem in hrvaškem filmu
Authors: Čakalić Aleš
Published: June 2020

V srbski in hrvaški filmski produkciji 90. let 20. stoletja so prevladovala ideološka sporočila, od ponotranjenih zahodnjaških balkanističnih stereotipov do izrazito nacionalističnih konotacij, ponekod pa je bila na delu tudi poudarjena samoviktimizacija. A če so filmske študije v zadnjem desetletju že izrazile previden optimizem, da se je postjugoslovanski film v 21. stoletju normaliziral oziroma konsolidiral, ali celo, da se v njem rišejo obrisi nove kozmopolitske perspektive, želim sam opozoriti na to, da je instrumentalni, ideološka sporočila prenašajoči srbski in hrvaški film tudi po letu 2000 še vedno dejaven. V ta namen analiziram diskurze v postjugoslovanskem opusu srbskega režiserja Emirja Kusturice ter v nekaterih izbranih primerih novejše hrvaške filmske in televizijske produkcije. Nekatera izmed teh del tudi še globoko v naš čas perpetuirajo ideološke diskurze o superiornosti ali vsaj brezmadežnosti lastnega naroda, vzpostavljene z razraščanjem nacionalizma med razpadanjem SFR Jugoslavije, in jih prilagajajo sodobnim okoliščinam. Tem vzorcem ideološkega filma pa nasprotujejo igrani in dokumentarni filmi iz regije, ki odstrejo ideološko prevleko in pod njo odkrijejo zamolčana poglavja lastne zgodovine.
Chieftaincy: An Anachronistic Institution within a Democratic Dispensation? The Case of a Traditional Political System in Ghana
Authors: Kwabena Boateng Kwabena , Afranie Stephen
Published: June 2020

Prior to colonial rule, governance in Africa rested on chiefs. However, colonialism and other currents of social change reduced the powers and functions of chiefs. Critics tagged the chieftaincy institution as anachronistic and even predicted its demise during the struggle for independence. However, chieftaincy has persisted after several years of Ghana’s independence. The paper specifically seeks to answer two fundamental questions: Is chieftaincy anachronistic? And, how relevant is chieftaincy in Ghana’s democratic dispensation. The paper is a desk review examining the instrumentality of the chieftaincy institution in the midst of a web of reputational challenges in contemporary Ghana. The study unearthed that the anachronistic label is pivoted on the undemocratic nature of chieftaincy institution and, chieftaincy and land disputes. Despite the above label, it was also found that chiefs are instrumental in conflict resolution, governance and administration, promotion of education and economic empowerment and performance of representational and diplomatic roles. Though people continue to perceive the chieftaincy institution as undemocratic, the institution has critical roles to play in contemporary Ghana. This paper recommends that studies should be conducted on how chiefs can be integrated into modern governance structures for them to contribute to national development.

Keywords: Chieftaincy, Anachronistic, Democratic, Social change, Traditionalism, Conservatism
Constipation-relieving effect of L-arabinose
Authors: Wang Hao , Zhang Wenxian , Jiang Bin
Published: June 2020

Purpose: To investigate the mitigating effect of L-arabinose on constipation in a mouse model of experimental constipation.Methods: Kunming mice were used as experimental animals to establish a constipation model. Intestinal propulsion, first defecation time, number of defecation pellets, and the weight of defecation pellets in 5 h were measured. L-Arabinose was given at 3 dose levels, viz, low dose (0.5 g/kg/day),medium dose (0.75 g/kg/day), and high dose (2.5 g/kg/day), and their effects on constipation were compared with that of the model control group.Results: Compared with the model control group, there were significant differences in ink propulsion (F= 22.67, p < 0.05); time taken for first black stool to appear (F = 19.51, p < 0.05), number of fecal pellets (F = 12.22, p < 0.05), and fecal weight (F = 5, p < 0.05) in the L-arabinose groups.Conclusion: L-Arabinose relieves constipation symptoms in an experimental mouse model of constipation. Therefore, L-arabinose may be useful in the management of patients with constipation, but further studies in humans are required to ascertain this.

Keywords: L-Arabinose, Fecal pellets/grains, Constipation, Stool, Intestinal propulsion
Baicalein inhibits the invasion of human cervical cancer cells by inhibiting the hedgehog/Gli signaling pathway
Authors: Yang Hai , Xia Jiyi , Li Yan , Cao Yong , Tang Li , Yu Xiaolan
Published: June 2020

Purpose: To identify the role of baicalein in human cervical cancer and to determine whether baicalein treatment affects hedgehog/Gli signaling pathway.

Methods: Cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT(3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and colony formation assays. Cell death rate was assessed by PI-staining and FACS assay. Furthermore, cell invasion was assessed by Transwell assay while the levels of the key proteins were measured by western blotting analysis.

Results: Baicalein suppressed the viability and proliferation of HeLa cells. The colony formation ability and relative migration rate were significantly decreased in the HeLa cells treated with 50 μM baicalein. Furthermore, the levels of Shh, Gli1, MMP-9, and VEGF declined significantly in baicalein-treated cells.

Conclusion: The results demonstrate that baicalein inhibits the growth and invasiveness of cervical cancer cells partly by suppressing the activation of hedgehog/Gli signaling pathway in a concentrationdependent manner.

Keywords: Cervical cancer, baicalein, hedgehog/Gli pathway, MMP-9
α-Mangostin protects against myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury by suppressing the activation of HIF-1α
Authors: Jiang Hong , Guo Wenli , Zhu Dongdong , Zhang Wei , Yu Jing , Feng Manli , Wang Xiaoyu , Wang Xiaopeng , Jiao Yanan , Wang Chengcheng , Chen Yan
Published: June 2020

Purpose: To investigate the cytoprotective effect of α-mangostin on myocardial tissues in ischemic rats, and the underlying mechanism.Methods: Histopathological changes in myocardial tissues were determined using inverted microscope. Protein expressions were measured by western blotting, while enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assay the expression levels of caspase-3, caspase-9 and caspase-8.Results: Treatment with α-mangostin (20 mg/kg) suppressed production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxides in myocardial tissues of MI/R rats, and significantly alleviated MI/R injurymediated reduction in ATP levels in cardiac tissues (p < 0.05). α-Mangostin treatment of MI/R injury rats suppressed HIF-1α activation, and markedly elevated BNIP3 levels, relative to model group. Moreover, MI/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis was significantly alleviated by α-mangostin treatment (p < 0.05). Treatment with α-mangostin also suppressed I/R-induced increases in caspase-8 and caspase-3 activation in myocardial tissues, improved Nrf-2 activation, and promoted HO-1 and GST levels in MI/R injury rats (p < 0.05).Conclusion: These results suggest that α-mangostin protects rat cardiac tissues from MI/R-induced oxidative damage via reduction of HIF-1α expression, inhibition of ROS generation and suppression of apoptosis. Therefore, α-mangostin may be of therapeutic importance for the management of myocardial ischemia in humans.

Keywords: α-Mangostin, Hypoxia, Inflammation, Nrf-2, Oxidative stress, Reperfusion
Antidiabetic potential of Nigella sativa L seed oil in alloxaninduced diabetic rabbits
Authors: Akhtar Muhammad Tahir , Qadir Rahman , Bukhari Iqra , Ashraf Rana Azeem , Malik Zoha , Zahoor Sadaf , Murtaza Mian Anjum , Siddique Farzana , Shah Syed Naseer Hussain , Saadia Mubshara
Published: June 2020

Purpose: To evaluate the antidiabetic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant potential of seed oil of Nigella sativa L (NSO).

Methods: Nigella sativa seed oil (NSO) was extracted with Soxhlet apparatus using petroleum ether, and was given orally at a dose of 2.5 ml/kg body weight to alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits daily for 24 days. Biochemical parameters including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), very low lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and plasma glucose were determined in the treatment and control groups. Furthermore, bilirubin, vitamin C, catalase and mean body weight were assessed.

Results: NSO treatment significantly lowered serum blood glucose levels and lipid contents, but increased the mean body weight, HDL-C and vitamin C levels of diabetic rabbits (p < 0.001). Moreover, NSO significantly decreased catalase activity, TC, TGs, LDL-C and VLDL-C levels, but normalized bilirubin levels in diabetic rabbits.

Conclusion: These results indicate that NSO possesses significant antidiabetic potential. Thus, it may be useful as an adjunct with antidiabetic medication but further studies are required to ascertain this.

Keywords: Black cumin, Diabetes, Hypoglycemic, Hypolipidemic, Antioxidants
Effect of polysaccharide from the root of Bupleurum Chinese DC and Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd on hydrogen peroxide-induced myocardial apoptosis
Authors: Gong Jun-hui , Liu Xue-qing , Ouyang Wei-li , Zhu Hong-tao , Ding Xiao-jun , Tang Jian-feng , Zhao Jian-feng , Zhang You-ming
Published: June 2020

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of polysaccharide (BRP) from the root of Bupleurum Chinese DC. and Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd. on cardiomyocyte cells.

Methods: Response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box-Behnken Design (BBD) was performed to optimize the extraction conditions for BRP. The effect of BRP on cardiomyocyte cell apoptosis was evaluated in H9c2 cells treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Cell viability was determined by CCK-8 assay, while oxidative stress levels in H9c2 cells, including lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and creatine kinase (CK) were determined using commercial kits following the manufacture’s instruction. mRNA expressions (caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9 and Fas) were determined by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).

Results: The obtained optimal extraction conditions for BRP was as follows: extraction time (1.43 h), ratio of water to the raw material (30 mL/g) and extraction times (2 times). BRP (200, 400, 600 and 800 μg/mL) significantly increased the cell viability of H2O2 induced H9c2 cells (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.01, p < 0.01, respectively). BRP (200, 400 and 800 μg/mL) significantly decreased LDH and CK levels (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, p < 0.01, respectively). However, BRP increased levels of SOD (200, 400 and 800 μg/mL, p < 0.05) and CAT (400 and 800 μg/mL, p < 0.05) in H9c2 cells. BRP significantly downregulated mRNA expressions of Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Caspase-9 and Fas (200, 400 and 800 μg/mL, p < 0.01) in H9c2 cells induced by H2O2.

Conclusion: BRP protects cardiomyocyte against apoptosis via inhibition of oxidative stress and mitochondria-mediated intrinsic apoptosis, and thus, may be potential therapeutic agent for the management of cardiovascular diseases.

Keywords: Bupleurum Chinese, Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd., Polysaccharide, Cardiomyocyte, Apoptosis, H9c2 cell, Biochemical parameters