bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Higher-Faster-Farther: Maximum Performance Tests in the Assessment of Neurogenic Speech Impairment
Authors: Ziegler Wolfram , Schölderle Theresa , Brendel Bettina , Amsellem Julia , Staiger Anja
Published: May 2019

Background: Maximum performance tests are widely used in dysarthria assessment. From a theoretical perspective, the motor demands of such tasks differ from those of speaking. Therefore, their validity as measures of dysarthric impairment needs to be established empirically. Patients and Methods: Maximum phonation time (MPT) and maximum syllable repetition rate (MRR) were compared with sentence reading/repetition tasks. In study 1, 130 patients with neurologic movement disorders and 130 healthy control participants were examined. Presence/severity of dysarthria was measured using psychometrically standardized auditory scales. In study 2, 16 healthy volunteers participated in an experiment designed to examine the intraspeaker variability of MPT, MRR, and sentence repetition across eight trials. Results: Study 1: MPT made no reasonable contribution to the diagnosis of dysarthria or of any specific dimension of perceived speech impairment. MRR correlated with overall speech impairment but turned out to be an insensitive and highly unspecific statistical marker, afflicted with aetiology-specific errors. Study 2: compared with sentence repetition, both MPT and MRR demonstrated highly increased within-subject inconsistencies. Conclusion: The validity of MPT and MRR tasks as measures of dysarthria is still unsettled.
Immunostaining of Increased Expression of Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) in Diffuse Midline Glioma H3K27M-Mutant Patients with Poor Survival
Authors: Karlowee Vega , Amatya Vishwa Jeet , Takayasu Takeshi , Takano Motoki , Yonezawa Ushio , Takeshima Yukio , Sugiyama Kazuhiko , Kurisu Kaoru , Yamasaki Fumiyuki
Published: May 2019

Introduction: The interaction of K27M mutation in histone H3 (H3K27M mutation) with polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is facilitated by the enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2). Subsequently, this interaction leads to the global reduction level of H3K27me3. We analyzed the EZH2 expression level in H3K27M mutation-positive tumors and revealed the association of high EZH2 expression with poor survival. Methods: Our study included 12 patients, with an age range of 6–56 years and treated between 2007 and 2016. All patients underwent MRI study for nonenhanced T1, T2, diffusion, gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted imaging, and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR). Immunohistochemical staining was performed against H3K27M, H3K27me3, EZH2, EED, mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1), α-thalassemia X-linked intellectual disability (ATRX), p53, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), and Ki-67 antibodies. Results: All patients were negative for IDH1R132H and H3K27me3, but H3K27M-positive. Staining against EZH2 was negative in all histological features of grade II cases (3/12) and positive in grade III and IV cases; EZH2 positivity is associated with poor prognosis (p = 0.0082). EZH2 positivity was not associated with EED positivity. Retained ATRX staining was found mostly in grade III and IV cases (6/12). P53 was predominantly positive in cases of astrocytoma and glioblastoma (8/12). The labeling index of Ki-67 was 1.2–31.4% for grade II and III histological features and 11.2–24.8% for grade IV. Conclusion: We suggest that the expression of EZH2 is not associated with the PRC2 pathway and increases in patients with H3K27M-mutant diffuse midline glioma and a poor prognosis. Further studies are necessary to understand the mechanism involved.
Cerebral Oxygenation in Neonates Immediately after Cesarean Section and Mode of Maternal Anesthesia
Authors: Willfurth Isabella , Baik-Schneditz Nariae , Schwaberger Bernhard , Mileder Lukas , Schober Lukas , Urlesberger Berndt , Pichler Gerhard
Published: May 2019

Background: Cerebral regional oxygen saturation (crSO2) during immediate transition and resuscitation immediately after birth is of increasing interest. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess whether the type of maternal anesthesia during cesarean section (CS; general anesthesia vs. spinal anesthesia) has an influence on cerebral oxygenation during immediate neonatal transition after birth. Methods: Secondary outcome parameters of prospective observational studies were analyzed. Neonates born by CS from November 2009 to September 2016 at the Medical University of Graz (Austria) were eligible. Term and preterm neonates were included, provided that: (1) crSO2 was measured by near-infrared spectroscopy, and (2) peripheral arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate (HR) were measured by pulse oximetry during the first 15 min after birth. Administration of supplemental oxygen was recorded and cerebral fractional tissue oxygen extraction (cFTOE) was calculated out of crSO2 and SpO2. For comparison, term and preterm neonates with maternal general anesthesia were matched to neonates with maternal spinal anesthesia during CS. Results: Out of 760 eligible neonates, 64 term (38.8 ± 0.9 weeks of gestation; 32 neonates in each group) and 54 preterm neonates (32.0 ± 2.9 weeks of gestation; 27 neonates in each group) were included. In term neonates, maternal general anesthesia was associated with lower initial SpO2, HR values, and Apgar scores. The fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) was statistically significantly higher in the general anesthesia group. Nevertheless, crSO2 and cFTOE did not differ statistically significantly between the groups. In preterm neonates there were no statistically significant differences in SpO2, HR, crSO2, and cFTOE between the general and spinal anesthesia groups. Apgar scores at 1 min were statistically significantly lower and FiO2 was statistically significantly higher in the general anesthesia group. Conclusion: Cerebral tissue oxygenation in neonates during immediate transition after birth was similar after maternal general and spinal anesthesia during CS, despite differences in SpO2, HR, and supplemental oxygen in term neonates and differences in supplemental oxygen in preterm neonates.
Accuracy of Brain Natriuretic Peptide for Diagnosing Pulmonary Hypertension in Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Authors: Avitabile Catherine M. , Ansems Sophie , Wang Yan , Fraga Maria V. , Kirpalani Haresh M. , Zhang Huayan , Mercer-Rosa Laura , Jensen Erik A.
Published: May 2019

Background: Premature infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (sBPD) are at risk of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is used to predict disease severity in adult PH. Its diagnostic utility in sBPD-associated PH is unknown. Objective: The aim of this paper was to determine the accuracy of BNP, against echocardiogram (echo), to diagnose PH in infants born <32 weeks’ gestation with sBPD. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all infants with sBPD with an echo and BNP within a 24-h period, at ≥36 weeks postmenstrual age. PH was defined as: right ventricular pressure >½ systemic blood pressure estimated from tricuspid regurgitant jet or patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) velocity, bidirectional or right-to left-PDA, and/or flat/bowing ventricular septum at end-systole. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to test the diagnostic accuracy of BNP. Results:Of 128 infants, 68 (53%) had echo evidence of PH. BNP was higher among the infants with PH (median [interquartile range]: 127 pg/mL [39–290] vs. 35 [20–76], p < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve for diagnosing PH using BNP was 0.74 (95% CI 0.66–0.83). At an optimal cutpoint of 130 pg/mL, BNP correctly classified the presence or absence of PH in 70% of the infants (specificity: 92, sensitivity: 50%). Conclusions: BNP, relative to concurrent echo, demonstrated moderate accuracy for diagnosing PH in this cohort of preterm infants with sBPD. BNP may help rule in PH in this population but has low utility to rule out the disease.
Morphometric, Densitometric, and Mechanical Properties of Maxillary Teeth in 5-Month-Old Polish Merino Sheep
Authors: Szabelska Anna , Tatara Marcin R. , Krupski Witold
Published: May 2019

This study was performed to determine morphological, densitometric, mechanical, and elemental characteristics of maxillary teeth in 5-month-old Polish Merino sheep. The total tooth volume (Tvol) was determined using quantitative computed tomography. Micro-computed tomography was used to determine the total enamel volume (Evol), volumetric enamel mineral density, total dentine volume (Dvol), volumetric dentine mineral density, and total tooth enamel and dentine volume (EDvol). Compression testing was used to determine the ultimate force of teeth. Microhardness of enamel and dentine was evaluated using Vicker’s test. Elemental analysis of enamel and dentine was performed using a scanning electron microscopy technique. Tooth weight, length, Tvol, Evol, Dvol, and EDvol increased consequently from the lowest values for p2, then for p3 and p4, to the highest values obtained for M1 (all p < 0.05). Ultimate force reached the lowest value for p2 compared with the other teeth (p < 0.05). The comparison of left and right teeth did not reveal significant differences for all the evaluated parameters (p > 0.05). Volumetric mineral density, calcium and phosphorus content, and microhardness were higher in enamel than in dentine, while the opposite results were obtained for magnesium and oxygen (all p < 0.05). Significantly higher enamel microhardness was found in mandibular i1 compared with maxillary and mandibular premolars (p < 0.05). The elaborated experimental model of the determination of maxillary deciduous teeth traits may serve for further studies on the effects of physiological, pathological, environmental, nutritional, pharmacological, and toxicological factors affecting tooth development and mineralized tissue properties.
Age Affects Clinical Management after Noncurative Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Early Gastric Cancer
Authors: Esaki Mitsuru , Hatta Waku , Shimosegawa Tooru , Oyama Tsuneo , Kawata Noboru , Takahashi Akiko , Oka Shiro , Hoteya Shu , Nakagawa Masahiro , Hirano Masaaki , Matsuda Mitsuru , Ohnita Ken , Shimoda Ryo , Yoshida Motoyuki , Dohi Osamu , Takada Jun , Tanaka Keiko , Yamada Shinya , Tsuji Tsuyotoshi , Ito Hirotaka , Aoyagi Hiroyuki , Gotoda Takuji
Published: May 2019

Background: Additional surgery is recommended after noncurative endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric cancer due to the risk of lymph node metastasis. However, age may affect the clinical management of these patients. Objectives: The aim of our retrospective multicenter study was to clarify whether age affects decision-making after noncurative ESD and if the decision affects long-term outcomes. Methods: Age was classified as follows: non-elderly, <70 years (n = 811); elderly, 70–79 years (n= 760); and super-elderly, ≥80 years (n = 398). Age associations with the selection for additional surgery were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Long-term outcomes were also evaluated in each age group. Results: Age was inversely related to the rate of additional surgery, which ranged from 70.0% in the non-elderly group to 20.1% in the super-elderly group (p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, age <70 years (versus age ≥80 years) was associated with the ­selection of additional surgery (OR 18.6). Overall survival (OS) in patients who underwent additional surgery was ­significantly higher in the non-elderly and elderly groups (p< 0.001), whereas the difference was not significant in the super-elderly group (p = 0.23). Conclusions: Despite the fact that almost 80% of super-elderly patients did not undergo additional surgery, the difference of OS between patients with and without additional surgery was not significant only in patients ≥80 years. Therefore, establishment of criteria for selecting treatment methods after noncurative ESD in elderly patients is required.
Understanding and Classification of Ocular Lymphomas
Authors: White Valerie A.
Published: May 2019

Background: Lymphomas that involve the tissues of the ocular adnexae and the eye itself can be confusing for both the new and seasoned learner alike. In this review, I present a simple way of classifying these disorders that will help to facilitate understanding of these myriad entities. Summary: Classifications of lymphomas have changed significantly over the last 40 years, but in recent decades, the basic structure of the WHO classification has remained the same, facilitating understanding. Key Messages: The ocular lymphomas can be divided into those that are external to the eye (ocular adnexae) and those that are internal (vitreoretinal and uveal). At each of these sites specific subtypes of lymphoma are common. Focusing on these common subtypes can aid the learner to create a scaffold that enables current understanding and upon which they can build for the future.
Have Treatment Studies of Depression Become Even Less Generalizable? Applying the Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria in Placebo-Controlled Antidepressant Efficacy Trials Published over 20 Years to a Clinical Sample
Authors: Zimmerman Mark , Balling Caroline , Chelminski Iwona , Dalrymple Kristy
Published: May 2019

Background: Antidepressants are amongst the most frequently prescribed medications. More than a decade ago, our clinical research group applied a prototypic set of inclusion/exclusion criteria used in an antidepressant efficacy trial (AET) to patients presenting for treatment in our outpatient practice and found that most patients would not qualify for the trial. In the present report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project, we apply the psychiatric inclusion/exclusion criteria used in 158 placebo-controlled studies to a large sample of depressed patients who presented for outpatient treatment to determine the range and extent of the representativeness of samples treated in AETs and whether this has changed over time. Method: We applied the inclusion and exclusion criteria used in 158 AETs to 1,271 patients presenting to an outpatient practice who received a principal diagnosis of major depressive disorder. The patients underwent a thorough diagnostic evaluation. Results: Across all 158 studies, the percentage of patients that would have been excluded ranged from 44.4 to 99.8% (mean = 86.1%). The percentage of patients that would have been excluded was significantly higher in the studies published in 2010 through 2014 compared to the studies published from 1995 to 2009 (91.4 vs. 83.8%, t(156) = 3.74, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Only a minority of depressed patients seen in clinical practice are likely to be eligible for most AETs. The generalizability of AETs has decreased over time. It is unclear how generalizable the results of AETs are to patients treated in real-world clinical practice.
Benefit of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy in Pediatric Patients with Dyssynergic Defecation Constipation
Authors: Zar-Kessler Claire , Kuo Braden , Cole Elizabeth , Benedix Anna , Belkind-Gerson Jaime
Published: May 2019

Objectives: Chronic constipation is a common childhood problem and often caused or worsened by abnormal dynamics of defecation. The aim of this study was to assess the benefit of pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT), a novel treatment in pediatrics for the treatment of chronic constipation with dyssynergic defecation. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 69 children seen at a pediatric neurogastroenterology program of a large tertiary referral center for chronic constipation and dyssynergic defecation, determined by anorectal manometry and balloon expulsion testing. We compared the clinical outcome of patients who underwent PFPT (n = 49) to control patients (n = 20) whom received only medical treatment (laxatives/stool softeners). Additionally, characteristics of the treatment group were analyzed in relation to therapeutic response. Results: Thirty-seven (76%) of the patients who received physical therapy had improvement in constipation symptoms, compared to 5 (25%) of the patients on conservative treatment (p < 0.01). Additionally, patients who received pelvic physical therapy had fewer hospitalizations for cleanouts (4 vs. 25%, p = 0.01) and ­colonic surgery than those that were treated with medical therapy exclusively (0 vs. 10%, p = 0.03). Among the patients who received physical therapy, those that suffered from anxiety and/or low muscle tone had a higher response rate (100%). There were no adverse effects from the intervention. Conclusion: The new field of pediatric PFPT is a safe and effective intervention for children with dyssynergic defecation causing or contributing to chronic constipation, particularly in children whose comorbidities include anxiety and low ­muscle tone.
Health-Seeking Behavior and Its Determinants among Mine Workers in the Karauli District of Rajasthan in India
Authors: Ahmad Absar
Published: May 2019

Background: Mine workers often need healthcare services in order to continue working without discomfort, making accessible and affordable healthcare a necessity. As the duration of working in mines is prolonged, there is a high chance of having an adverse effect on health. One of the important factors that influence the severity of disease among mine workers is their health-seeking behavior. The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between health-seeking behaviors by mine workers and their socio-demographic characteristics. Method: This is a quantitative, cross-sectional study conducted in the Karauli district of Rajasthan, India, during the period of May to September 2014. A total of 218 mine workers (exposed group) in 10 randomly selected villages were approached for participation. At the same time, a total of 203 eligible persons (a mix of occupational groups of people from the same villages) were also interviewed for comparison purposes. Data regarding the utilization of healthcare services during the past 12 months along with socio-demographic information were recorded. Data were analyzed with χ2 and bivariate logistic regression statistical techniques. Results: Healthcare services were used by 73% of the workers in the past 12 months. With regard to working status, 80% of the mine workers and 66% of the non-mine workers availed themselves of healthcare services. Among the mine workers, the main reason for using healthcare services was respiratory illness (45%); among the comparison group, it was infection (21%). Logistics regression analysis found that the mine workers were more likely to require utilization of healthcare than the subjects in the comparison group were. The factors associated with utilization of healthcare services included the caste, BMI, and self-reported illness of the workers. Conclusion: Healthcare utilization patterns in the Karauli district revealed high utilization rates among mine workers over 12 months. Mainly respiratory illness was found to be the reason for healthcare utilization among mine workers. However, due to indifferent services they were frequently compelled to pay for private healthcare.
Management of Myocarditis-Related Cardiomyopathy in Adults
Authors: Tschöpe Carsten , Cooper Leslie T. , Torre-Amione Guillermo , Van Linthout Sophie
Published: May 2019

Myocarditis is generally a mild and self-limited consequence of systemic infection of cardiotropic viruses. However, patients can develop a temporary or permanent impairment of cardiac function including acute cardiomyopathy with hemodynamic compromise or severe arrhythmias. In this setting, specific causes of inflammation are associated with variable risks of death and transplantation. Recent translational studies suggest that treatments tailored to specific causes of myocarditis may impact clinical outcomes when added to guideline-directed medical care. This review summarizes recent advances in translational research that influence the utility of endomyocardial biopsy for the management of inflammatory cardiomyopathies. Emerging therapies for myocarditis based on these mechanistic hypotheses are entering clinical trials and may add to the benefits of established heart failure treatment.
Microsoft Concept Graph: Mining Semantic Concepts for Short Text Understanding
Authors: Ji Lei , Wang Yujing , Shi Botian , Zhang Dawei , Wang Zhongyuan , Yan Jun
Published: May 2019

Knowlege is important for text-related applications. In this paper, we introduce Microsoft Concept Graph, a knowledge graph engine that provides concept tagging APIs to facilitate the understanding of human languages. Microsoft Concept Graph is built upon Probase, a universal probabilistic taxonomy consisting of instances and concepts mined from the Web. We start by introducing the construction of the knowledge graph through iterative semantic extraction and taxonomy construction procedures, which extract 2.7 million concepts from 1.68 billion Web pages. We then use conceptualization models to represent text in the concept space to empower text-related applications, such as topic search, query recommendation, Web table understanding and Ads relevance. Since the release in 2016, Microsoft Concept Graph has received more than 100,000 pageviews, 2 million API calls and 3,000 registered downloads from 50,000 visitors over 64 countries.
Diagonal Acceleration for Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategies
Authors: Akimoto Y. , Hansen N.
Published: May 2019

We introduce an acceleration for covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategies (CMA-ES) by means of adaptive diagonal decoding (dd-CMA). This diagonal acceleration endows the default CMA-ES with the advantages of separable CMA-ES without inheriting its drawbacks. Technically, we introduce a diagonal matrix [Formula: see text] that expresses coordinate-wise variances of the sampling distribution in DCD form. The diagonal matrix can learn a rescaling of the problem in the coordinates within a linear number of function evaluations. Diagonal decoding can also exploit separability of the problem, but, crucially, does not compromise the performance on nonseparable problems. The latter is accomplished by modulating the learning rate for the diagonal matrix based on the condition number of the underlying correlation matrix. dd-CMA-ES not only combines the advantages of default and separable CMA-ES, but may achieve overadditive speedup: it improves the performance, and even the scaling, of the better of default and separable CMA-ES on classes of nonseparable test functions that reflect, arguably, a landscape feature commonly observed in practice.

The article makes two further secondary contributions: we introduce two different approaches to guarantee positive definiteness of the covariance matrix with active CMA, which is valuable in particular with large population size; we revise the default parameter setting in CMA-ES, proposing accelerated settings in particular for large dimension.

All our contributions can be viewed as independent improvements of CMA-ES, yet they are also complementary and can be seamlessly combined. In numerical experiments with dd-CMA-ES up to dimension 5120, we observe remarkable improvements over the original covariance matrix adaptation on functions with coordinate-wise ill-conditioning. The improvement is observed also for large population sizes up to about dimension squared.
A new species of dink frog, genus Diasporus (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae), from the Caribbean foothills of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica
Authors: ARIAS ERICK , CHAVES GERARDO , SALAZAR STANLEY , SALAZAR-ZÚÑIGA JOSÉ ANDRÉS , GARCÍA-RODRÍGUEZ ADRIÁN
Published: May 2019

A new dink frog (Eleutherodactylidae: Diasporus) is described from the Tropical Wet Forest, in the northeastern foothills of Cordillera de Talamanca in Costa Rica at an elevation of ca. 1000 m. Analysis of DNA sequences of the 16S rRNA (16S) and cytochrome oxidase 1 (COI) mitochondrial genes revealed a distinct lineage within the genus Diasporus. Additional morphological, morphometric, and acoustic analyses support the differences of this lineage, which we recognize as a new species. This new taxon is distinguished from other members of the genus Diasporus inhabiting Isthmian Central America by its unique coloration: dorsum brown to brown-grayish and venter gray-bluish with pale blotches. The new species is distinguished from other members of the genus Diasporus by very significant genetic distances (higher than 5.6 % in 16S and 16.7 % in COI). The new taxon is most closely related to D. vocator from the south pacific of Costa Rica and to an unnamed taxon from western Panama.
Book review: Aparna Kapadia, In Praise of Kings: Rajputs, Sultans and Poets in Fifteenth-century Gujarat
Authors: Jha Sneh
Published: May 2019

Aparna Kapadia, In Praise of Kings: Rajputs, Sultans and Poets in Fifteenth-century Gujarat, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018, 183 pp.
Book review: Ismail K. Poonawala, ed., Turks in the Indian Subcontinent, Central and West Asia: The Turkish Presence in the Islamic World
Authors: Fischel Roy S.
Published: May 2019

Ismail K. Poonawala, ed., Turks in the Indian Subcontinent, Central and West Asia: The Turkish Presence in the Islamic World, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2017, 385 pp.
Book review: Whitney Cox, Politics, Kingship, and Poetry in Medieval South India: Moonset on Sunrise Mountain
Authors: Devadevan Manu V.
Published: May 2019

Whitney Cox, Politics, Kingship, and Poetry in Medieval South India: Moonset on Sunrise Mountain, New Delhi: Cambridge University Press, 2017, xvi + 312 pp.
Book review: Kavita Sivaramakrishnan, As the World Ages: Rethinking a Demographic Crisis
Authors: Cleetus Burton
Published: May 2019

Kavita Sivaramakrishnan, As the World Ages: Rethinking a Demographic Crisis, Delhi: Harvard University Press, 2018, 336 pp.
Four phase (8/6) SRM with DTC for minimization of torque ripple
Authors: Chaple Megha , Bodkhe Sanjay B , Daigavane Prema
Published: May 2019

Fundamental drawback of SR (switched reluctance) motor is torque ripple which is caused because of the current switching in the phase windings and saliency. The torque ripple introduces acoustic noise and undesirable vibrations in SRM. In this paper, another solution is proposed, which can obtain direct torque control (DTC) with voltage states of minimum numbers. The converter power switches can be specifically controlled in view of the proposed space voltage vectors, and with the hysteresis-loop control of torque, the torque control can be accomplished. For SRM, the vectors with basic space voltage are transformed correspondingly to acknowledge DTC. To execute the DTC, the space voltage vectors are equivalently changed into space voltage vectors. The torque can be controlled by these developed equivalent space voltage vectors. DTC strategy has numerous points of interest, for example, simple algorithm, less torque ripple and instantaneous response to the torque command over conventional voltage control and current chopping mode control. The DTC algorithm described in this article is contrasted with ant lion optimization (ALO), non-dominating sorting search algorithm (NSGA-II) and combined moth flame optimization and genetic algorithm with recurrent neural network (CMFG-RNN) strategies.
TCAD tools in undergraduate studies: A laboratory work for learning deep submicron CMOS processes
Authors: Barzdenas Vaidotas , Grazulevicius Gediminas , Vasjanov Aleksandr
Published: May 2019

This article discusses one exemplary and one original laboratory work from the micro- and nano-electronics manufacturing process laboratory works cycle. These laboratory works have been successfully introduced into the undergraduate programme and have been attended by students for several years at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Faculty of Electronics. This laboratory work is unique in that it consistently displays and graphically depicts practically all CMOS transistor manufacturing processes: from the preparation of the silicon wafer to the final passivation. Silvaco TCAD tools are used in order to simulate these technological processes. This type of laboratory works provides students with the necessary knowledge of chip manufacturing processes and TCAD tools without the use of costly manufacturing equipment specific to each technological process in the fabrication chain, long-term experiments and a large amount of human resources. This article also presents and discusses student feedback statistics over several years of studies, the advantages of this laboratory work, recommendations for further improvement and formulates conclusions.
Dwelling on the Way: Pope Francis and Bernard Lonergan on Discernment
Authors: Rixon Gordon A.
Published: May 2019

This essay draws on the Jesuit philosopher and theologian Bernard Lonergan to elucidate the way of discernment described in the writings of Pope Francis. After a reflection on the ‘First Principle and Foundation’ meditation of the Ignatian spiritual exercises highlights the Jesuit heritage shared by Francis and Lonergan, the way of discernment is located within Lonergan’s account of a contemporary cosmology. A discussion of Lonergan’s notions of affectivity, value, and deliberative judgment then illumines the challenge of practicing discernment in the context of cultural diversity. Finally, a brief review of the contributions of Patrick Byrne and Robert Doran clarifies the historical unfolding of the way of discernment.
‘Outsourced pregnancy’: Surrogate narratives from Hyderabad
Authors: Gupta Anu , Prasad Sheela
Published: May 2019

Surrogacy has always been contested and much debated in India since its legalisation in 2002, and the recent Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016, has led to a renewed engagement with it. The advent of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) provided an opportunity for the medical establishment, market and infertile couples to come together in a mutually beneficial arrangement, which is made possible by a surrogate. ART, while medicalising the reproductive capacity of women, also calls for a redefining of the concepts of ‘motherhood’, family and reproductive choice. This article primarily documents the experiences of surrogates through their narratives about the continuous struggle with themselves, their families and the medical establishment. In this matrix of unequal power relations that surrogacy epitomises, the surrogate has a precarious voice. The article argues that while surrogacy extracts a physiological and emotional price that the surrogates pay, it is empowering in a limited way. It offers women economic opportunities of a scale otherwise denied to them, enabling them to fight a life of poverty.
Laryngomalacia and Swallow Dysfunction
Authors: Scott Brian L. , Lam Derek , MacArthur Carol
Published: May 2019

Objectives:

Laryngomalacia is an established cause of stridor and sleep-disordered breathing in children. However, the relationship between laryngomalacia and dysphagia has not been well characterized. The objectives of this study were to (1) describe the patient characteristics, symptoms, and prevalence of dysphagia in children with laryngomalacia and (2) examine the effectiveness of supraglottoplasty in improving feeding.

Methods:

This was a retrospective study of patients with laryngomalacia who underwent a modified barium swallow study (MBSS) at a tertiary academic pediatric medical center between March 1, 2014, and March 1, 2018. Patients were excluded if they did not undergo a MBSS. Comorbidities, airway and feedings symptoms, MBSS results, and surgical history were recorded from each patient’s electronic medical record.

Results:

Forty-four children met inclusion/exclusion criteria. The median age at presentation was 96 days. There was a male predominance (66%). About one-third had a genetic or neuromuscular comorbidity. Most children had stridor (93%) and feeding difficulty (86%), while 50% had parent-reported poor weight gain. Fifty-seven percent of patients had evidence of penetration or aspiration on MBSS. All patients with a positive MBSS had dysphagia symptoms. Fifty-seven percent of patients underwent supraglottoplasty. Postoperatively, 92% reported improvement in dysphagia symptoms.

Conclusion:

Dysphagia is prevalent among a subset of children with laryngomalacia. Symptomatic children may benefit from a swallow evaluation to help determine the need for further intervention. Children who undergo supraglottoplasty for laryngomalacia have improved dysphagia at follow-up, though the amount of improvement directly attributable to surgery is unclear and warrants further investigation.
Methods Optimization for Routine Sciatic Nerve Processing in General Toxicity Studies
Authors: Fortin Jessica S. , Chlipala Elizabeth A. , Shaw Daniel P. , Bolon Brad
Published: May 2019

Recent “best practice” recommendations for peripheral nervous system sampling and processing provide guidance regarding nerve preparation for animal toxicity studies. This study explored the impact of delayed fixation, type of fixative, processing cycle times, starting ethanol concentration, and water bath temperature to improve nerve preservation in routinely prepared (paraffin-embedded, hematoxylin and eosin [H&E]-stained) sections. Sciatic nerves from adult Wistar rats (diameter, 1.04 ± 0.1 mm) and young domestic pigs (diameter 5.9 ± 1.2 mm) fixed at necropsy (“0” hours) or 3, 6, 12, or 24 hours after death were immersed in neutral-buffered 10% formalin containing 1.2% methanol (NBF) or methanol-free 4% formaldehyde (MFF) at room temperature. After fixation for 24 hours (rat) or 48 hours (pig), specimens were processed into paraffin, and ∼5-μm-thick sections were flattened on water baths set at 35°C, 40°C, or 45°C before H&E staining. Large-diameter nerves (pig) required longer processing cycles to ensure sufficient paraffin infiltration. For both small-diameter (rat) and large-diameter nerves, structural integrity was optimal if fixation by NBF or MFF occurred within 3 hours and the initial ethanol concentration for tissue processing was lowered to 50%. At all time points, structural preservation of nerve fibers was acceptable using NBF but was better with MFF. Use of a water bath at 35°C reduced processing-related nerve fiber separation within sections.
Athletic Labor and Social Reproduction
Authors: Kalman-Lamb Nathan
Published: May 2019

This article connects the exploitation experienced by athletic laborers to sports fandom by theorizing athletic labor as a form of social reproductive labor. The work of athletes in high-performance spectator sport contributes to the affective reproduction of spectatorial subjects required by capitalism, albeit at a great cost to the laboring athlete. This intervention advances Marxist scholarship on the sociology of sport by extending the literature on social reproduction and labor into an entirely new and necessary sphere. Framing athletic labor as a form of social reproduction reveals that high performance spectator sport is more central to the political economy of late capitalism than is often understood and that sport is a more exploitative and dehumanizing site of labor even than conventional Marxist analysis has suggested.
Media Ontology and Transcendental Instrumentality
Authors: Parisi Luciana
Published: May 2019

This article takes inspiration from Kittler’s claim that philosophy has neglected the means used for its production. Kittler’s argument for media ontology will be compared to the post-Kantian project of re-inventing philosophy through the medium of thought (in particular Deleuze’s Spiritual Automaton). The article discusses these views in the context of the automation of logical thinking where procedures, tasks, and functions are part of the instrumental processing of new ends evolving a new mode of reasoning. In particular, the article suggests that in constructivist logic and information theory, the temporal gap between truth and proof, between input and output, can be taken to argue that the means of thought expose the indetermination or the incomputability of proof. The automation of reasoning in logical processing coincides not with mindless correlations of data, replacing axioms with data, truths with self-validating proofs. Instead, the problem of the indeterminacy of proof within automated logic re-habilitates techne or instrumentality, and the relation between means and ends away from classical idealism and analytic realism. By following John Dewey’s argument for instrumentality, it will be argued that the task of thinking today needs to re-invent a logic of techne away from the teleological view of ends or the crisis of finality. If the post-Kantian preoccupations about the task of thinking already announced that the medium of thought could offer possibilities for a non-human philosophy (or a philosophy beyond truth), this article envisions a machine philosophy originating from within computational media.
Kinodynamic planning for spherical tensegrity locomotion with effective gait primitives
Authors: Littlefield Zakary , Surovik David , Vespignani Massimo , Bruce Jonathan , Wang Weifu , Bekris Kostas E
Published: May 2019

Tensegrity-based robots can achieve locomotion through shape deformation and compliance. They are highly adaptable to their surroundings, and are lightweight, low cost, and physically robust. Their high dimensionality and strongly dynamic nature, however, can complicate motion planning. Efforts to date have primarily considered quasi-static reconfiguration and short-term dynamic motion of tensegrity robots, which do not fully exploit the underlying system dynamics in the long term. Longer-horizon planning has previously required costly search over the full space of valid control inputs. This work synthesizes new and existing approaches to produce dynamic long-term motion while balancing the computational demand. A numerical process based upon quasi-static assumptions is first applied to deform the system into an unstable configuration, causing forward motion. The dynamical characteristics of the result are then altered via a few simple parameters to produce a small but diverse set of useful behaviors. The proposed approach takes advantage of identified symmetries on the prototypical spherical tensegrity robot, which reduce the number of needed gaits but allow motion along different directions. These gaits are first combined with a standard search method to achieve long-term planning in environments where the developed gaits are effective. For more complex environments, the various motion primitives are paired with the fall-back option of random valid actions and are used by an informed sampling-based kinodynamic motion planner with anytime properties. Evaluations using a physics-based model for the prototypical robot demonstrate that modest but efficiently applied search effort can unlock the utility of dynamic tensegrity motion to produce high-quality solutions.
Influence of Chewing Cycles on Flavor Recognition Time in Healthy Adults
Authors: Miyaoka Satomi , Iwamori Hajime , Miyaoka Yozo
Published: May 2019

Flavor recognition times were measured in 23 young, healthy participants of both sexes using an electromyography-based system. The participants were instructed to chew a gummy candy, which was randomly selected among six commercially available types, and to press a button immediately on flavor recognition. A total of 107 normally distributed, flavor recognition times were analyzed, with an average time of 7.5 seconds (± 2.34 seconds, standard deviation). No significant differences were found among the six types of candies in terms of recognition time. Analysis of the association between flavor recognition and chewing phase showed that 70 (65%) of the analyzed 107 recognition signals occurred between 0.2 seconds before and 0.4 seconds after the end of jaw closing. Recognition signals occurring during the jaw-opening phase prolonged its duration by an average of 21%, whereas those occurring during the jaw-closing phase did not influence it.
The future of globalisation: neo-fascism or the Green New Deal
Authors: Harris Jerry
Published: May 2019

Global capitalism is visibly showing up unacceptable inequalities and social contradictions. Three camps have emerged in the ruling class in response to over-accumulation, poverty, middle-class stagnation and environmental crisis: inclusive capitalism; militarised accumulation; the Green New Deal. All fractions adhere to neoliberal principles. Inclusive capitalism – neoliberalism with a nod to Keynesianism – means continued stagnation since it avoids the need for a social-democratic regulatory system. A turn to authoritarianism – the police state of twenty-first century neo-fascism, according to theorist William I. Robinson – is unlikely, though militarised accumulation is now an essential outlet for capital. Green capitalism, in which China is now the leading global investor, particularly with transnational public and private partners, neither breaks with neoliberalism, nor can potentially reverse environmental disaster. That would take social movements defining a Green New Deal for a sustainable capitalism to be an effective hegemonic bloc.
Modeling friction in robotic systems using the moving frame method in dynamics
Authors: Rykkje Thorstein R , Leinebø Daniel , Bergaas Erlend Sande , Skjelde Andreas , Impelluso Thomas J
Published: May 2019

This paper reports on the new moving frame method in dynamics that has proven to excite students and reduce student attrition. It applies the moving frame method to the analysis of a two-body system. The moving frame method is founded on Lie Group Theory to model rotations of bodies, Cartan’s moving frames to model the change of a frame in terms of the frame, and a new notation from the discipline of geometrical physics. However, we have distilled these mathematical tools to matrix multiplications. The moving frame method presents a consistent notation for single bodies, linked systems, and robotics and from 2D problems and 3D problems. This paper demonstrates that this new method makes advanced 3D dynamics accessible to undergraduate students and inspires them to engage in learning beyond expectations. In this paper, we use the Principle of Virtual work to extract the equations of motion. While others have applied pieces and aspects of these mathematical tools, the notation presented here integrates them; it is accessible, programmable, and simple. Most importantly, this paper presents a restricted variation of the angular velocity to use in Hamilton’s Principle to extract the equations of motion. In addition, this project inspired students to research the energy losses due to friction in a system of linked rigid bodies. This project also builds the physical hardware and compares the theory and experiment using 3D visualization. This project demonstrates the power of Web Graphics Library to supplement analyses with visualization, so students can see the discipline of dynamics in action. It is imperative to study this student project while viewing the 3D animations, perhaps on cell phones.
Assessment of wind power capacity credit in Morocco: Outlook to 2020
Authors: El Karkri Yassir , El Makrini Aboubakr , El Markhi Hassane , Lamhamdi Tijani , El Moussaoui Hassan
Published: May 2019

The present article focuses on the calculation of the wind capacity credit by integrating the Moroccan project on the wind energy of 1000 MW in 2020. After an introduction to the Moroccan Integrated Wind Energy Project, a wind capacity credit assessment program will be implemented on Matlab software including the whole information about “installed capacity, number of plants, failure rate, types of installed units, peak demand etc.” This program will be used to calculate the safety rate of an electrical system as well as the capacity credit of Morocco’s electricity production network. This section will be built in two phases: the first phase will examine the impact of TAZA wind farm with an installed power of 150 MW, while the second phase will focus on the generalization of this study on all the wind farms that will be injected to the Moroccan grid in 2020. The research provides conclusion according to comments and assessment of the impact of this electric energy integration based on the wind generation.
An average three-dimensional virtual human skull for a template-assisted maxillofacial surgery
Authors: Badiali Giovanni , Marcelli Emanuela , Bortolani Barbara , Marchetti Claudio , Cercenelli Laura
Published: May 2019

Introduction:

Although many advances have been made in three-dimensional virtual planning in maxillofacial surgery, facial harmony is still difficult to achieve and is heavily dependent on the surgeon’s experience. The aim of the study is to present a method to build up an average three-dimensional virtual human skull to be used as a reference template for bone repositioning and reconstruction during maxillofacial surgical interventions.

Methods:

A total of 20 patients (10 females and 10 males) were selected for the optimal outcome after orthognathic surgery. Postoperative cone-beam computed tomography scans were collected and processed in order to obtain three-dimensional digital models of each skull. For male and female subgroups, the three-dimensional skull models were registered and an average three-dimensional virtual skull model was computed. Deviation color maps were calculated to show differences between each postoperative skull model in the population and the obtained average three-dimensional skull. A clinical use case of genioplasty treatment assisted by the provided average three-dimensional skull template was presented.

Results:

The overall mean deviation from the average three-dimensional skull model was 1.3 ± 0.6 and 1.6 ± 0.5 mm in male and female subgroups, respectively. For both groups, the greatest deviations were at the area of the mandible, while almost no deviation was found at the zygomatic and orbital areas. In the presented use case, the female average three-dimensional skull model was effectively used for guiding surgical planning.

Conclusion:

The presented method of obtaining an average three-dimensional virtual human skull may offer the interesting perspective of performing an innovative template-assisted maxillofacial surgery.
Cellular mesoblastic nephroma in infants and children: Report of four cases and review of the literature
Authors: Geramizadeh Bita , Kashkooe Ali , Keshavarz Pedram , Zareifar Soheila , Foroutan Hamidreza
Published: May 2019

Background:

Cellular mesoblastic nephroma is rare after infancy, and there are many controversial reports about its clinical presentation and treatment as well as outcome in infants, young children, and adolescents.

Objectives:

In this report, we will discuss our experience with four cases of cellular mesoblastic nephroma presented from infancy to childhood (from 18 months of age to 11 years of age).

Cases:

During 10 years, we had the experience of 4 cases of pediatric renal tumor with the diagnosis of cellular mesoblastic nephroma, which have been followed between 1 year and 6 years. There were three male and one female patients with the age of 1.5, 2, 2, and 11 years. These tumors showed variable characteristics according to the number of mitosis, proliferative rate, necrosis, immunohistochemical markers, and metastatic potential; however, despite of all of these variabilities, all of these patients have done well and all have been well at the end of study.

Conclusion:

Pediatric renal tumors with the histologic diagnosis of cellular mesoblastic nephroma have good outcome even with metastasis, mitosis, and high proliferative rate.