bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wild-type Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase is misfolded in cerebrospinal fluid of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Tokuda Eiichi , Takei Yo-ichi , Ohara Shinji , Fujiwara Noriko , Hozumi Isao , Furukawa Yoshiaki
Published: November 2019

Background

A subset of familial forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are caused by mutations in the gene coding Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1). Mutant SOD1 proteins are susceptible to misfolding and abnormally accumulated in spinal cord, which is most severely affected in ALS. It, however, remains quite controversial whether misfolding of wild-type SOD1 is involved in more prevalent sporadic ALS (sALS) cases withoutSOD1mutations.

Methods

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients including sALS as well as several other neurodegenerative diseases and non-neurodegenerative diseases was examined with an immunoprecipitation assay and a sandwich ELISA using antibodies specifically recognizing misfolded SOD1.

Results

We found that wild-type SOD1 was misfolded in CSF from all sALS cases examined in this study. The misfolded SOD1 was also detected in CSF from a subset of Parkinson’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy, albeit with smaller amounts than those in sALS. Furthermore, the CSF samples containing the misfolded SOD1 exhibited significant toxicity toward motor neuron-like NSC-34 cells, which was ameliorated by removal of the misfolded wild-type SOD1 with immunoprecipitation.

Conclusions

Taken together, we propose that misfolding of wild-type SOD1 in CSF is a common pathological process of ALS cases regardless ofSOD1mutations.
Implementation of earlier antibiotic administration in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock in Japan: a descriptive analysis of a prospective observational study
Authors:   on behalf of JAAM FORECAST group, Abe Toshikazu , Kushimoto Shigeki , Tokuda Yasuharu , Phillips Gary S. , Rhodes Andrew , Sugiyama Takehiro , Komori Akira , Iriyama Hiroki , Ogura Hiroshi , Fujishima Seitaro , Shiraishi Atsushi , Saitoh Daizoh , Mayumi Toshihiko , Naito Toshio , Takuma Kiyotsugu , Nakada Taka-aki , Shiino Yasukazu , Tarui Takehiko , Hifumi Toru , Otomo Yasuhiro , Okamoto Kohji , Umemura Yutaka , Kotani Joji , Sakamoto Yuichiro , Sasaki Junichi , Shiraishi Shin-ichiro , Tsuruta Ryosuke , Hagiwara Akiyoshi , Yamakawa Kazuma , Masuno Tomohiko , Takeyama Naoshi , Yamashita Norio , Ikeda Hiroto , Ueyama Masashi , Gando Satoshi
Published: November 2019

Background

Time to antibiotic administration is a key element in sepsis care; however, it is difficult to implement sepsis care bundles. Additionally, sepsis is different from other emergent conditions including acute coronary syndrome, stroke, or trauma. We aimed to describe the association between time to antibiotic administration and outcomes in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock in Japan.

Methods

This prospective observational study enrolled 1184 adult patients diagnosed with severe sepsis based on the Sepsis-2 criteria and admitted to 59 intensive care units (ICUs) in Japan between January 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017, as the sepsis cohort of the Focused Outcomes Research in Emergency Care in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Sepsis and Trauma (FORECAST) study. We compared the characteristics and in-hospital mortality of patients administered with antibiotics at varying durations after sepsis recognition, i.e., 0–60, 61–120, 121–180, 181–240, 241–360, and 361–1440 min, and estimated the impact of antibiotic timing on risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality using the generalized estimating equation model (GEE) with an exchangeable, within-group correlation matrix, with “hospital” as the grouping variable.

Results

Data from 1124 patients in 54 hospitals were used for analyses. Of these, 30.5% and 73.9% received antibiotics within 1 h and 3 h, respectively. Overall, the median time to antibiotic administration was 102 min [interquartile range (IQR), 55–189]. Compared with patients diagnosed in the emergency department [90 min (IQR, 48–164 min)], time to antibiotic administration was shortest in patients diagnosed in ICUs [60 min (39–180 min)] and longest in patients transferred from wards [120 min (62–226)]. Overall crude mortality was 23.4%, where patients in the 0–60 min group had the highest mortality (28.0%) and a risk-adjusted mortality rate [28.7% (95% CI 23.3–34.1%)], whereas those in the 61–120 min group had the lowest mortality (20.2%) and risk-adjusted mortality rates [21.6% (95% CI 16.5–26.6%)]. Differences in mortality were noted only between the 0–60 min and 61–120 min groups.

Conclusions

We could not find any association between earlier antibiotic administration and reduction in in-hospital mortality in patients with severe sepsis.
Sporting programs aimed at inactive population groups in the Netherlands: factors influencing their long-term sustainability in the organized sports setting
Authors: Ooms Linda , van Kruijsbergen Mette , Collard Dorine , Leemrijse Chantal , Veenhof Cindy
Published: November 2019

Background

The organized sports sector has received increased interest as a setting to stimulate physical activity among inactive target groups. To include many inactive people and to obtain population health benefits, it is important that effective sporting programs are sustained (i.e. continuation of program activities) over a long period of time. This study identified the factors influencing the long-term sustainability of these kind of sporting programs located within local sports clubs in the Netherlands.

Methods

Fourteen Dutch sporting programs aimed at increasing physical activity levels of inactive population groups and funded within the National Action Plan for Sport and Exercise (NAPSE) were the focus of this study. The programs were developed by ten Dutch National Sports Federations (NSFs) and implemented by different sports clubs in the Netherlands within a three-year funded implementation period (2008–2011). This research consisted of semi-structured face-to-face interviews with the program coordinators of the NSFs (n = 14) and semi-structured telephone interviews with representatives of sports clubs that provided the programs (n = 17 continued the program, n = 11 discontinued the program) six and a half years after the funding period ended (November 2017–March 2018). A sustainability framework with five pre-specified main themes (i.e. program design, implementation, trainer/coach, organizational setting, broader community environment) guided data collection and (deductive) thematic analysis.

Results

Ten of the fourteen NAPSE funded sporting programs were sustained at the level of the NSFs. Most factors facilitating (+) and impeding (−) the long-term sustainability of the programs were common to both NSFs and sports clubs, like program adaptation (+) and a lack of program financing (−). Program evaluation (+) and high program costs (−) were specific factors mentioned by NSFs, while factors related to human resources (e.g. lack of volunteers (−)) or the sports club nature (e.g. social aspect in program design (+)) applied to sports clubs. The factors were summarized in the form of a checklist.

Conclusions

Key factors influencing the long-term sustainability of the sporting programs were identified. The results can be used to develop strategies to promote long-term sustainability of these kind of programs and inform funding guidelines in countries with a similar organized sports infrastructure.
Cross-species validation of human specific STR system, SureID® 21G and SureID® 23comp (Health Gene Technologies) in Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes)
Authors: Singh Abhishek , Thakur Mukesh , Sahajpal Vivek , Singh Sujeet K. , Chandra Kailash , Sharma Arun , Devi Nisha , Bernot Ausma
Published: November 2019

Objectives

The human specific commercially available STRs system are often not tested in non human primates for their cross applicability. The aim of this study is to test Cross-species validation of two commercially available human specific STR kits i.e. SureID®21G and SureID®23comp (Health Gene Technologies) for their positive application in Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).

Result

In SureID®21G, 19 loci amplified and while 20 loci amplified in SureID®23comp. All the amplified loci in both STR kits were found polymorphic and the locus Amelogenin showed differential banding patterns between male and female revealing their known gender. The present study validates the applicability of these human specific STR kits in Chimpanzee that can be used in forensics analysis, paternity testing and population genetic studies.
The effectiveness of integrating clinical pharmacists within general practice to optimise prescribing and health outcomes in primary care patients with polypharmacy: A protocol for a systematic review
Authors: Croke Aisling , James Oscar , Clyne Barbara , Moriarty Frank , Cardwell Karen , Smith Susan M.
Published: November 2019

Introduction: Coordinating prescribing for patients with polypharmacy is a challenge for general practitioners. Pharmacists may improve management and outcomes for patients with polypharmacy. This systematic review aims to examine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of pharmacist interventions to optimise prescribing and improve health outcomes in patients with polypharmacy in primary care settings. 

Methods: The review will be reported using the PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search of 10 databases from inception to present, with no language restrictions will be conducted. Studies will be included where they evaluate the clinical or cost-effectiveness of a clinical pharmacist in primary care on potentially inappropriate prescriptions using validated indicators and number of medicines. Secondary outcomes will include health related quality of life measures, health service utilisation, clinical outcomes and data relating to cost effectiveness. Randomised controlled trials, non-randomised controlled trials, controlled before-after, interrupted-time-series and health economic studies will be eligible for inclusion. 

Titles, abstracts and full texts will be screened for inclusion by two reviewers. Data will be extracted using a standard form. Risk of bias in all included studies will be assessed using the Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) criteria. Economic studies will be assessed using the Consensus Health Economic Criteria (CHEC) list as per the Cochrane Handbook for critical appraisal of methodological quality. A narrative synthesis will be performed, and the certainty of evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria. Where data support quantitative synthesis, a meta-analysis will be performed.

Discussion: This systematic review will give an overview of the effectiveness of pharmacist interventions to improve prescribing and health outcomes in a vulnerable patient group. This will provide evidence to policy makers on strategies involving clinical pharmacists integrated within general practice, to address issues which arise in polypharmacy and multimorbidity. 

PROSPERO Registration: CRD42019139679 (28/08/19)
The gendered political ambition cycle in mixed-member electoral systems
Authors: Coffé Hilde , Davidson-Schmich Louise K.
Published: November 2019

This article introduces a theoretical model that shows how four mechanisms (work–life balance, psychological, gatekeeper bias and diversity mechanisms) explain why pursuing a nomination as list Members of Parliament is the more attractive option for women in mixed-member electoral systems. It also demonstrates how women’s resulting greater likelihood of being list Members of Parliament creates what we call a gendered cycle, further reducing women’s interest in the single-member district tier. To empirically test our model, we present quantitative data for the case of New Zealand and Germany, as well as qualitative interview data collected from members of German parties’ women’s auxiliary organisations.
Transsexualism: Clinical picture and treatment of transsexualism
Authors: Kozlov G. I. , Kalinchenko S. Yu.
Published: November 2019

The first descriptions of the pathological desire to change your gender date back to the middle of the last century. This pathology was designated by N. Ellis as a perverse sensation of ones sex, a sexual-aesthetic inversion.

The term "transsexualism" was proposed by N. Benjamin, who was the first to describe this phenomenon from a scientific point of view.

Transsexualism - TS (eonism, sexual-aesthetic inversion, mental hermaphroditism) is a pathological state of a person, consisting in a polar divergence of the biological and civil sex, on the one hand, with the mental sex, on the other. In other words, Tc is a violation of sexual self-identification, which consists in the mismatch of the feeling of one's gender identity with the nature of the external genital organs. TS - persistent awareness of belonging to the opposite sex. The diagnosis of TS is made by adults and adolescents who have reached puberty, who wish to change their genitals and live as a representative of the other sex, after the exclusion of mental disorders. A person with TS feels like a man enclosed in a womans body, and vice versa. In a harmoniously organized body of a certain gender (the chromosomal, gonadal and morphological sex correspond to each other, providing the possibility of fertilization, and in women and childbearing) there lives an another gender soul. And this soul not only lives, it feels, thinks, suffers, experiences desires and drives that it cannot realize. In fact, we are talking about chronic stress, therefore, in most patients with TS, suicidal behavior can be detected.

TS is a rather rare pathology. There is no data on vehicle prevalence in our country. When studying the prevalence of TS in other countries, it was noted that TS is found in many, if not all, ethnic groups, despite significant cultural differences, which can serve as indirect evidence of the biological basis of this pathology. The average age of patients with TS who go to the doctor about sex change is 20-24 years (51% of patients). This is typical for both female and male vehicles. At the age of 15-19 years, this percentage is 12, at the age of 25-29 years - 25, at the age of 30-34 years - 11, over 35 years old - no more than 1. According to the majority of authors, male TS significantly prevails over female - the ratio 3: 1.
Incidence of viruses infecting pepper in Thailand
Authors: Laprom Amisa , Nilthong Somrudee , Chukeatirote Ekachai
Published: November 2019

This study was conducted to determine the incidence, diversity and distribution of viruses infecting pepper (Capsicum spp.) in the central, northern and northeastern parts of Thailand. During a survey in 2016 - 2019, a total of 2,149 leaf samples from symptomatic and asymptomatic peppers were collected randomly from farmer’s fields, and preliminary tested by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using 7 antibodies specific for cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), chilli veinal mottle virus (ChiVMV), tomato necrotic ringspot virus (TNRV), tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), potato virus Y (PVY), tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), and begomoviruses. Our data revealed that the incidence of the viruses infecting pepper in Thailand was high, accounting for nearly 70% (1,482 infected samples). The highest viral incidence was found in the central part (96%), followed by the north (74.4%) and the northeastern (52.8%), respectively. Begomoviruses, CMV, ChiVMV, and TNRV were detected in the samples at varying rates, whereas PVY, TMV, and TSWV were not detected. Of these, the most frequently found virus was Begomoviruses accounting for nearly 33%, with the highest rate (ca. 82%) in the central Provinces of Thailand. In addition, of the 1,482 infected samples, mixed infections among the four viruses were also found in 616 samples (ca. 42%), and CMV + ChiVMV (approximately 11%) was the most common mixed infection. This is the first report describing an occurrence of viruses in pepper of Thailand, and the results obtained have revealed that viruses infecting pepper are widespread, which may pose a threat to pepper production in Thailand.
Implementation of on-chip multi-channel focusing wavelength demultiplexer with regularized digital metamaterials
Authors: Huang Jie , Yang Junbo , Chen Dingbo , Bai Wei , Han Jingmin , Zhang Zhaojian , Zhang Jingjing , He Xin , Han Yunxin , Liang Linmei
Published: November 2019

Adiabatic waveguide taper and on-chip wavelength demultiplexer are the key components of photonic integrated circuits. However, these two kinds of devices which were designed by the traditional semi-analytic methods or the brute-force search methods usually have large size. Here, based on the regularized digital metamaterials, a two-channel focused wavelength demultiplexer with a footprint of 2.4 × 10 μm2 has been proposed. The designed demultiplexer can directly connect to a grating coupler under the absence of a long adiabatic waveguide taper. The objective first method and the modified steepest descent method are used to design the demultiplexer which splits 1520 nm and 1580 nm light. Experimental results show that the insertion loss of the upper (lower) channel of the demultiplexer is −1.77 dB (−2.10 dB) and the crosstalk is −25.17 dB (−12.14 dB). Besides, the simulation results indicate that the fabrication tolerance of the device can reach ±20 nm in etching depth and ±10 nm in plane size changing. Benefitted from the extensibility of the design method, other types of ultra-compact “focused” devices, like mode splitters, mode converters, and power splitters can also be designed. Most importantly, this design method can be used to design devices with more complicated functionalities, such as multi-channel focused wavelength demultiplexers.
All-metallic geometric metasurfaces for broadband and high-efficiency wavefront manipulation
Authors: Xie Xin , Liu Kaipeng , Pu Mingbo , Ma Xiaoliang , Li Xiong , Guo Yinghui , Zhang Fei , Luo Xiangang
Published: November 2019

Geometric metasurfaces have shown superior phase control capacity owing to the geometric nature of their phase profile. The existing geometric metasurfaces are generally composed of metal-dielectric composites or all-dielectric subwavelength structures. Here, a novel configuration, all-metallic structure, is proposed to achieve broadband and high-performance electromagnetic wavefront manipulation based on the geometric phase. A catenary model is built to describe the optical dispersion and guide the design of metasurfaces. Two metadevices including a beam deflector and a hologram are designed and experimentally demonstrated in the infrared regime, with the measured optical efficiency up to 84% (the simulated efficiency reaches 93%). Compared to previous metal-insulator-metal structures, this approach can realize higher efficiency and broader operating bandwidth owing to its lower ohmic loss. This design strategy is universal and can be easily scaled to any other spectra without complex optimization. Moreover, since metals have excellent mechanical and physical properties, such as good thermal and electrical conductivity, this all-metallic structure may provide a new thinking on interdisciplinary research.
Asymmetries in Global Perception Are Represented in Near- versus Far-Preferring Clusters in Human Visual Cortex
Authors: Nasr Shahin , Tootell Roger B.H.
Published: November 2019

Human perception is more “global” when stimuli are viewed within the lower (rather than the upper) visual field. This phenomenon is typically considered as a 2-D phenomenon, likely due to differential neural processing within dorsal versus ventral cortical areas that represent lower versus upper visual fields, respectively. Here we test a novel hypothesis that this vertical asymmetry in global processing is a 3-D phenomenon associated with (1) higher ecological relevance of low-spatial frequency (SF) components in encoding near (compared with far) visual objects and (2) the fact that near objects are more frequently found in lower rather than upper visual fields. Using high-resolution fMRI, collected within an ultra-high-field (7 T) scanner, we found that the extent of vertical asymmetry in global visual processing in human subjects (n= 10) was correlated with the fMRI response evoked by disparity-varying stimuli in human cortical area V3A. We also found that near-preferring clusters in V3A, located within stereoselective cortical columns, responded more selectively than far-preferring clusters, to low-SF features. These findings support the hypothesis that vertical asymmetry in global processing is a 3-D (not a 2-D) phenomenon, associated with the function of the stereoselective columns within visual cortex, especially those located within visual area V3A.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTHere we test and confirm a new hypothesis: fine-scale neural mechanisms underlying the vertical asymmetry in global visual processing. According to this hypothesis, the asymmetry in global visual processing is a 3-D (rather than a 2-D) phenomenon, reflected in the function of fine-scale cortical structures (clusters and columns) underlying depth perception. Our findings highlight the importance of considering these structures, as regions of interest, in clarifying the neural mechanisms underlying visual perception. The results also highlight the importance of statistics of natural scenes in shaping human visual perception.
Perceptual Content, Not Physiological Signals, Determines Perceived Duration When Viewing Dynamic, Natural Scenes
Authors: Suárez-Pinilla Marta , Nikiforou Kyriacos , Fountas Zafeirios , Seth Anil K. , Roseboom Warrick
Published: November 2019

The neural basis of time perception remains unknown. A prominent account is the pacemaker-accumulator model, wherein regular ticks of some physiological or neural pacemaker are read out as time. Putative candidates for the pacemaker have been suggested in physiological processes (heartbeat), or dopaminergic mid-brain neurons, whose activity has been associated with spontaneous blinking. However, such proposals have difficulty accounting for observations that time perception varies systematically with perceptual content. We examined physiological influences on human duration estimates for naturalistic videos between 1–64 seconds using cardiac and eye recordings. Duration estimates were biased by the amount of change in scene content. Contrary to previous claims, heart rate, and blinking were not related to duration estimates. Our results support a recent proposal that tracking change in perceptual classification networks provides a basis for human time perception, and suggest that previous assertions of the importance of physiological factors should be tempered.
Safety and rapid efficacy of guideline-based gender-affirming hormone therapy: an analysis of 388 individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria
Authors: Meyer Gesine , Mayer Moritz , Mondorf Antonia , Flügel Anna Katharina , Herrmann Eva , Bojunga Joerg
Published: November 2019

Objective

Hormone treatment is an important part of gender reassignment therapy in gender dysphoria. Previous data about efficacy and safety are commonly based on small cohorts or they comprise former cohorts under meanwhile obsolete therapy regimes. Our objective was to investigate these topics in a large cohort of individuals under guideline-based treatment.

Design/methods

Cohort study of medical files of n = 155 male-to-female (transwomen) and n = 233 female-to-male transgender persons (transmen) of an Endocrine outpatient clinic between 2009 and 2017.

Results

Median time to reach amenorrhoea in transmen under testosterone monotherapy was 3 months, regardless of whether testosterone undecanoat or gel was used. Transmen with higher levels of hemoglobin 3–4 months after onset of GAHT had a greater chance to reach amenorrhea early, whereas testosterone levels showed no significant correlation (hemoglobin: HR: 1.639; 95% CI: 1.036–2.591, P = 0.035; testosterone: HR: 0.999; 95% CI: 0.998–1.001, P = 0.490). Estradiol levels (ρ −0.117; P = 0.316) had no significant influence on breast development in transwomen. Testosterone levels (ρ −0.398; P < 0.001) and FAI (ρ 0.346; P = 0.004) were significantly negatively correlated with reached Tanner stage. Liver values and blood lipids showed an alignment to reference range of the required sex in both groups. Relevant elevations of liver values were rare (2.44% in transmen, 4.23% in transwomen) and transient in most cases. Most relevant side effects were acne (44.8%), respectively erythrocytosis (up to 5.6%) in transmen and venous thrombembolism (1.9%) in transwomen.

Conclusions

Gender-affirming hormone therapy in accordance with current clinical practice guidelines is efficient and safe.
Rates of myogenesis and myofiber numbers are reduced in late gestation IUGR fetal sheep
Authors: Chang Eileen I , Rozance Paul J , Wesolowski Stephanie R , Nguyen Leanna M , Shaw Steven C , Sclafani Robert A , Bjorkman Kristen K , Peter Angela K , Hay William W , Brown Laura D
Published: November 2019

Intrauterine growth-restricted (IUGR) fetuses are born with reduced skeletal muscle mass. We hypothesized that reduced rates of myogenesis would contribute to fewer and smaller myofibers in IUGR fetal hindlimb muscle compared to the normally growing fetus. We tested this hypothesis in IUGR fetal sheep with progressive placental insufficiency produced by exposing pregnant ewes to elevated ambient temperatures from 38 to 116 days gestation (dGA; term = 147 dGA). Surgically catheterized control (CON, n = 8) and IUGR (n = 13) fetal sheep were injected with intravenous 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) prior to muscle collection (134 dGA). Rates of myogenesis, defined as the combined processes of myoblast proliferation, differentiation, and fusion into myofibers, were determined in biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA), and flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) muscles. Total myofiber number was determined for the entire cross-section of the FDS muscle. In IUGR fetuses, the number of BrdU+ myonuclei per myofiber cross-section was lower in BF, TA, and FDS (P < 0.05), total myonuclear number per myofiber cross-section was lower in BF and FDS (P < 0.05), and total myofiber number was lower in FDS (P < 0.005) compared to CON. mRNA expression levels of cyclins, cyclin-dependent protein kinases, and myogenic regulatory factors were lower (P < 0.05), and inhibitors of the cell cycle were higher (P < 0.05) in IUGR BF compared to CON. Markers of apoptosis were not different in IUGR BF muscle. These results show that in IUGR fetuses, reduced rates of myogenesis produce fewer numbers of myonuclei, which may limit hypertrophic myofiber growth. Fewer myofibers of smaller size contribute to smaller muscle mass in the IUGR fetus.
ТЕНДЕНЦИИ РАЗВИТИЯ МАРКЕТИНГА В УСЛОВИЯХ СОВРЕМЕННОЙ ЦИФРОВОЙ ЭКОНОМИКИ
Authors: Гончарова Инесса Викторовна
Published: November 2019

Цель: рассмотрение особенностей цифровизации маркетинга в современных условиях развития технологий получения, хранения, обработки и передачи больших массивов данных. Обсуждение: анализируются характеристики цифровых технологий в бизнесе и обстоятельства цифровой трансформации всех направлений маркетинговой деятельности. Освоение цифровых технологий потребителями активно влияет на использование преимуществ цифрового маркетинга для получения добавленной стоимости. И если раньше цифровой маркетинг считался изолированным направлением, то в современных условиях весь маркетинг становится цифровым. Выделяются революционные и эволюционные пути развития современного маркетинга. С учетом революционных изменений предлагается ускоренно сворачивать устаревшие системы и обеспечивать внедрение новейших подходов углубленного анализа для учета всех сторон контакта с потребителями. Результаты: использование цифровых технологий в маркетинге позволяет обеспечить постоянную обратную связь и разработку индивидуальных предложений, увеличить интерес потребителей к маркетинговым программам и сократить количество контактов с потребителями, что радикально улучшает маркетинговые результаты и повышает прибыльность бизнеса.
Imagens em moedas e vida pública na Roma republicana
Authors: Barbosa Gisele Oliveira Ayres
Published: November 2019

O presente artigo propõe um olhar sobre a vida pública romana a partir da análise das imagens de dois denários republicanos. As moedas foram emitidas por Caio e Tibério Minúcio Augurino em 135 e 134 AEC, respectivamente. Adota a perspectiva de um século II dinâmico em uma República romana em contínua transformação interna, conforme proposto por H. Flower (2010). Insere-se no pressuposto de que, na iconografia numismática do período, aquilo a que chamamos “religião” e aquilo a que chamamos “política” construíram juntas um discurso comum, que, de diferentes formas, nos contam sobre a cidade de Roma e seus cidadãos.
A representação da 'mḗtis' do esparciata Lisandro na Batalha de Egospótamo (405 a.C.)
Authors: Bantim Luis Filipe
Published: November 2019

No presente artigo, analisaremos a representação da mḗtis/astúcia de Lisandro no discurso de Xenofonte e os pressupostos que garantiram a vitória da Confederação do Peloponeso. Para tanto, utilizamos o método de Análise do Discurso proposto por Dominique Maingueneau, com o qual superamos a superficialidade do texto. A Guerra do Peloponeso (431-404 a.C.) foi um dos eventos mais marcantes discutidos pela literatura antiga, em virtude de seu impacto social. Após aproximadamente vinte e sete anos de guerra, as póleis envolvidas nesse conflito estavam exauridas de recursos. Nesse contexto, destacamos que, em 405 a.C., o esparciata Lisandro – valendo-se da riqueza persa – edificou uma estratégia singular de combate para vencer os atenienses na batalha de Egospótamo, sem realizar um combate marítimo direto. Desse modo, a mḗtis/astúcia de Lisandro foi representada no discurso literário da Antiguidade como o mecanismo fundamental para o término da Guerra do Peloponeso.
MiRNAs as promising biomarkers in cancer
Authors: Tarmaev Andrian A. , Beylerli Ozal A.
Published: November 2019

By 2004 according to the resuts of the international genome sequencing, about 20,000 protein-coding genes had been analyzed which correspond to more than 2% of the total genomic sequence. The vast majority of gene transcripts are actually characterized as non-coding RNA (ncRNA) and are a cluster of RNA that do not encode functional proteins. They can be small, approximately 20 nucleotides in length, known as microRNAs (miRNAs), or transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides, defined as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). miRNAs are short ncRNAs that are involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Discovered over 15 years ago, these molecules have been recognized as one of the main regulatory molecules in the human genome. They play an important role in all biological processes being important modulators of the eukaryotic genes expression. Focusing on transcripts that encode proteins, miRNAs influence the cellular transcript, thereby helping to determine the outcome of the cell. Aberrant miRNA expression was observed in cancer patients. Tissue concentrations of specific miRNAs have been shown to be associated with tumor invasiveness, metastatic potential, and other clinical characteristics for many types of cancer. Compared to traditional biomarkers like proteins, miRNA has several advantages that will allow them to be considered as new potential biomarkers in cancer. This review looks at biogenesis, functions, technologies used to detect miRNA, and the association of miRNA with human cancer, in particular, colorectal cancer.
Ewolucja doktryny ochronnej – wymuszona zewnętrznie konieczność czy świadomy proces humanizacji
Authors: Gospodarowicz Zbigniew
Published: November 2019

Tematem artykułu jest analiza ewolucji doktryny systemu penitencjarnego w kontekście przemian ustrojowych, jakie zaszły w Polsce na początku lat dziewięćdziesiątych. W szczególności autor zwraca uwagę na fakt, że wprowadzane zmiany powinny uwzględniać dwutorowy charakter systemu penitencjarnego, który obejmuje dwie grupy podmiotów: osoby osadzone oraz osoby nadzorujące. W artykule odwołano się do założeń współczesnej doktryny penitencjarnej, która kładzie nacisk na humanitaryzm w odniesieniu do osób osadzonych, co znajduje odzwierciedlenie w doborze oraz przeszkoleniu kadry penitencjarnej. Autor skonfrontował założenia teoretycznie z realiami okresu przemian ustrojowych w Polsce na początku lat dziewięćdziesiątych: istotną redukcją w zasobach kadrowych, ograniczeniami finansowymi, zmianami w strukturze przestępczości oraz odbiorem społecznym służby więziennictwa.
Spanish Architecture to Develop New Cities, Miguel Fisac in Abu Dhabi
Authors: Rubio Rubén García , Navarro Sonsoles Vela
Published: November 2019

Only 50 years ago, the UAE was composed of a few small villages of ﬁshermen, shopkeepers, and pearl-traders; they lacked paved roads, running water and had only a few telephone lines. Today, it’s a fascinating and glimmering young country projected to the future as the result of the sudden discovery of oil in the 60s and its commercialization. In the early phases of its urban expansion, foreign architects played an important role due to the lack of tradition in the region of certain professions as designers and some of the most important Spanish architects worked in the region during its blooming in the 70s and 80s. Although, what could Spain export to the Middle East in those years? This paper will attempt to unfold the contributions of the modern Spanish architecture to the architecture of the Middle East during the blooming of the region. Speciﬁcally, it will be focused on the great Spanish architect Miguel Fisac and, in particular, the cultural and technical interchange between two different contexts (as the Spanishand theEmirati),throughaninnovativetwistedskyscraperdesignedforAbuDhabi(UAE)in the early 80s.
The Changing Shopping Space in Georgia: The Inﬂuence from the Chinese ‘Belt and Road Initiative’
Authors: Cai Xiaolei , Jaillon Lara Celine , Q. L. Xue Charlie
Published: November 2019

The Caucasus region is where the east meets the west and is known as an area in whichconﬂictsandopportunitiesoccursimultaneously.Thedevelopmentofthisregion used to be constricted by its geographic and political conditions. However, due to advancements in transport and the dissolution of Soviet Union, the Caucasus region has become a strategic region for development. ThisresearchfocusesonGeorgiainCaucasusduetothecountry’sintimaterelationships with many European and Asian countries. In addition, China announced that it will invest more infrastructure and capital in Georgia. Due to the inﬂuence of the Chinese ‘BeltandRoadInitiative’(B&R),Georgiaiscurrentlyundergoingmanychanges,despite discussions focusing on political or economic perspectives. With the global free market and the Chinese ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, Georgia seeks to increase its economic development. Shopping space is one of the most affected spaces of development. Attributes such as the placement of shops can be analysed to indicate the change of internal public space, as shops become very Chinese style and the traditional Georgian shopping spaces gradually disappear due to the constant chasing of cash ﬂows. As a pilot study, this research hopes to uncover potentials and threats of shopping space development in Georgia, and it aims to discover the underlying principles for the changes. Mapping and case studies are employed in the investigation. The research hopes to contribute to a healthy urban development by ﬁnding the balance between economic and spatial development.
A Preliminary Study on the Shaping of Outdoor Space in Future Urban Community
Authors: Liu Xiaojie
Published: November 2019

Nowadays, the singularity of outdoor space in urban community has been unable to meet the needs of people. The concept of home, the smallest unit of society, is changing with the change of family structure. The huge living community consists of a family of loose relationship or fragmented families, each of which is an island. In the past, it is said that a neighbor that is near is better than a brother far off. However, at present, a close neighbor is like a stranger. The walls of the building have become a barrier for people to communicate. People’s activities should not be restricted by the ”box” of home. Can we open the walls and re-design the outdoor space? Therefore, we begin to think about the connection between people, can we achieve it through space? Can there be more public space between neighborhoods? Can such a public space be used as part of the family space again? In this paper, the outdoor space of urban community is taken as the research object to strive to break the boundaries of traditional indoor and outdoor space. How to optimize the outdoor public space in urban communities to promote residents’ communication is taken as the purpose of research to carry out a new design of this kind of space. The outdoor space outside the traditional wall is combined with the living needs of present people to discuss the possibility shaping of outdoor space in urban community.
Watching and Being Watched: Gender and Space in the Painting of the Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour with a Comparative View
Authors: Wang Yuzhou
Published: November 2019

This article explores the female space in the painting of Qianlong Southern Inspection Tour, which depicts the daily life and activities of the eighteenth-century Chinese city Suzhou. From the observation of the painting, there are semi-open spaces along the streets in which females stand and watch the imperial parade. Women tended to be invisible in the public circumstance during feudal periods: this research analyses the presence and role of these female spaces and whether they can be seen as a step towards the modern space in the process of early-modern China. In analyzing these spaces, it focuses on the relation between the women’s watching and being watched in the space, and how it represents the evolution of feminism consciousness in space in feudal times and, sequentially, how it evokes the consideration of feminist role in modern practice. The study shows that the semi-open space that hosts the female activities can be regarded as an epitome of negotiating space and gender in the urban context. Women in the painting were exposed to the public to a certain extent, while they were still within mental and physical boundaries in the female social structure of the Emperor Qianlong period. These negotiations indicate the transition of gender and space in the late Imperial China and present parts of the process of spatial modernization in the Jiangnan region. From the comparative perspective, this research further investigates the relationships of gender and space by focusing on the space along the streets in the Qianlong Southern Inspection Tour, located within the homogenous space of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival of Ming dynasty seen Canaletto’s paintings of eighteenth-century Europe and Dianshi Zhai’s pictorials of the late Qing period. The research traces space in these paintings and how it represents the feminism consciousness and the evolution of female space in different historical and cultural backgrounds by looking at the social relations of the production of the speciﬁc history of people’s daily lives and the differences of social classes and nations.
Crossing the Borders Between Teaching, Research and Practice: A University Project for a Zero-Energy Building in Oman
Authors: Knebel Nikolaus
Published: November 2019

In Oman, like in all countries of the Gulf region, the building culture is in a crisis. The challenge to balance between a harsh outdoor climate and raised expectations for indoor comfort is not solved in a sustainable way, yet. Due to the availability of fossil fuel at very low costs, energy for cooling buildings is not used efﬁciently. This is not only wasteful, but also takes away the incentive to innovate. Consequently, the region’s building boom of the past decades was a growth without progress. Neither has signiﬁcant new knowledge been generated locally, nor has external knowledge been transferred to build local capacity in the ﬁeld of sustainable buildings. To break up this stagnation, The Research Council of the Sultanate of Oman (TRC) started in 2011tofundaprojectinwhichtheGermanUniversityofTechnologyinOman(GUtech) designed, planned, built, and currently operates and monitors a net-zero-energy residential building on its campus.ThispapershowsthatGUtech’sEcoHausisnotonly in a building as a product,but also a process of generating and transferring knowledge by combining teaching, research and practice within one university project.
A Comparative Study of Water Indexes and Image Classification Algorithms for Mapping Inland Surface Water Bodies Using Landsat Imagery
Authors: Pan Feifei , Xi Xiaohuan , Wang Cheng
Published: November 2019

To address three important issues related to extraction of water features from Landsat imagery, i.e., selection of water indexes and classification algorithms for image classification, collection of ground truth data for accuracy assessment, this study applied four sets (ultra-blue, blue, green, and red light based) of water indexes (NWDI, MNDWI, MNDWI2, AWEIns, and AWEIs) combined with three types of image classification methods (zero-water index threshold, Otsu, and kNN) to 24 selected lakes across the globe to extract water features from Landsat-8 OLI imagery. 1440 (4x5x3x24) image classification results were compared with the extracted water features from high resolution Google Earth images with the same (or ±1 day) acquisition dates through computing the Kappa coefficients. Results show the kNN method is better than the Otsu method, and the Otsu method is better than the zero-water index threshold method. If the computational cost is not an issue, the kNN method combined with the ultra-blue light based AWEIns is the best method for extracting water features from Landsat imagery because it produced the highest Kappa coefficients. If the computational cost is taken into account, the Otsu method is a good choice. AWEIns and AWEIs are better than NDWI, MNDWI and MNDWI2. AWEIns works better than AWEIs under the Otsu method, and the average rank of the image classification accuracy from high to low is the ultra-blue, blue, green, and red light-based AWEIns.
Analysis of Velocity Pattern of a Power-Assisted Mobile Robot
Authors: Ueno Yuki ,   Tokyo University of Technology 1404-1 Katakuramachi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0982, Japan
Published: November 2019

This paper aims to analyze the velocity pattern of a power-assisted mobile robot when the operator performs operation without any discomfort. Power-assist systems for mobile robots such as wheelchairs and conveyance carriers are extremely effective in alleviating the physical burden on operators when they carry heavy objects. Although the velocity control based power-assist system has an advantage that it can be easily realized, the problem lies in that the system becomes unstable when the operator has high stiffness. Variable impedance control based on impedance estimation of the operator is effective at solving this problem. To realize operator impedance estimation, it is necessary to know the intended robot’s motion of a person. In this study, as a preliminary step to estimate the operator’s impedance, the velocity pattern when the operator performs natural operation of the robot through the power-assist system is analyzed. The results confirm that the natural velocity pattern can be approximated by a velocity pattern connecting two minimum jerk trajectories.
Enhanced Intersystem Handover Algorithm for Heterogeneous Wireless Networks
Authors: Mathonsi Topside E. , Kogeda Okuthe P. , Olwal Thomas O. ,   Tshwane University of Technology Staatsartillerie Road, Pretoria West, Pretoria 0001, South Africa,   Department of Computer Science & Informatics, University of the Free State Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
Published: November 2019

Current and future wireless network architectures consist of several access technologies to support numerous traffic types and enable mobile devices to be connected anytime, anywhere. However, providing a rapid seamless connectivity and service continuity between such various access technologies remains a challenge. This is mainly because the previously proposed handover algorithms have failed to predict the future values of the measured received signal strength needed for rapid handover process. In addition, existing handover algorithms are not adaptable to the changes of the network conditions and user preferences. This leads to erroneous network selection, packet loss, and ping-pong effect due to high-ranking abnormality. In this study, an intersystem handover (IH) algorithm has been designed by integrating grey prediction theory, multiple-attribute decision making, fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, and multi-objective optimization ratio analysis. Network Simulator 2 has been applied to evaluate the performance of the proposed IH algorithm when compared to the fuzzy logic-based vertical handover (FLBVH) algorithm and the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) algorithm. On average, the proposed IH algorithm has shown 1.1 s handover delay, 5% packet loss, 1.6% probability of ping-pong effect, and 97.8% better throughput performance than the ANFIS algorithm and FLBVH algorithm, respectively, for a 100-s time interval.
FCMLSM Segmentation of Micro-Vessels in Slight Defocused Microscopic Images
Authors: Luo Zhongming , Zhang Yu , Zhou Zixuan , Bi Xuan , Wu Haibin , Xin Zhentao ,   The Higher Educational Key Laboratory for Measuring and Control Technology and Instrumentations of Heilongjiang Province,  National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Measuring and Control Technology, Harbin University of Science and Technology No.52, Xuefu Road, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150080, China,   Department of Industry and Information of Heilongjiang Province No.68, Heping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China
Published: November 2019

To address problems relating to microscopic micro-vessel images of living bodies, including poor vessel continuity, blurry boundaries between vessel edges and tissue and uneven field illuminance, and this paper put forward a fuzzy-clustering level-set segmentation algorithm. By this method, pre-treated micro-vessel images were segmented by the fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering algorithm to obtain original contours of interesting areas in images. By the evolution equations of the improved level set function, accurate segmentation of microscopic micro-vessel images was realized. This method can effectively solve the problem of manual initialization of contours, avoid the sensitivity to initialization and improve the accuracy of level-set segmentation. The experiment results indicate that compared with traditional micro-vessel image segmentation algorithms, this algorithm is of high efficiency, good noise immunity and accurate image segmentation.