bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
T155g-Immortalized Kidney Cells Produce Growth Factors and Reduce Sequelae of Cerebral Ischemia
Authors: Dillon-Carter Ora , Johnston Rowena E. , Borlongan Cesario V. , Truckenmiller Mary Ellen , Coggiano Mark , Freed William J.
Published: September 2018

Fetal rat kidney cells produce high levels of glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and exert neuroprotective effects when transplanted into the brain in animal models of Parkinson's disease and stroke. The purpose of the present experiment was to produce kidney cell lines that secrete GDNF. Genes encoding two truncated N-terminal fragments of SV40 large T antigen, T155g and T155c, which does not code for small t antigen, were used. T155g was transduced into E17 cultured fetal Sprague-Dawley rat kidney cortex cells using a plasmid vector, and T155c was transduced with a plasmid and a retroviral vector. Sixteen clones were isolated from cultures transfected with the T155g-expressing plasmid. No cell lines were obtained with T155c. Four clones produced GDNF at physiological concentrations ranging from 55 to 93 pg/ml of medium. These four clones were transplanted into the ischemic core or penumbra of rats that had undergone middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Three of the four clones reduced the volume of infarction and the behavioral abnormalities normally resulting from MCAO. Blocking experiments with antibodies to GDNF and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) suggested that these growth factors contributed only minimally to the reduction in infarct volume and behavioral abnormality. These cell lines may be useful for intracerebral transplantation in animal models of brain injury, stroke, or Parkinson's disease.
A Simple, Rapid, and Efficient Method for Isolating Mesenchymal Stem Cells from the Entire Umbilical Cord
Authors: Dehkordi Mehdi Banitalebi , Madjd Zahra , Chaleshtori Morteza Hashemzadeh , Meshkani Reza , Nikfarjam Laleh , Kajbafzadeh Abdol-Mohammad
Published: September 2018

Several reports have been published on the isolation, culture, and identification of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from different anatomical regions of the umbilical cord (UC). UC is suitable for standardizing methods of MSC isolation because it is a uniform source with high MSC numbers. Although the UC is considered a medical waste after childbirth, ethical issues for its use must be considered. An increased demand for MSCs in regenerative medicine has made scientists prioritize the development of MSC isolation methods. Several research groups are attempting to provide a large number of high-quality MSCs. In this study, we present a modulated explant/enzyme method (MEEM) to isolate the maximum number of MSCs from the entire UC. This method was established for the isolation of MSCs from different anatomical regions of the UC altogether. We could retrieve 6 to 10 million MSCs during 8 to 10 days of primary culture. After three passages, we could obtain 8–10 × 108 cells in 28–30 days. MSCs isolated by this method express CD73, CD90, CD105, and CD44, but they do not express hematopoietic markers CD34 and CD45 or the endothelial marker CD31. The genes SOX2, OCT4, and NANOG are expressed in isolated MSCs. The capacity of these MSCs to differentiate into adipocytes and osteocytes highlights their application in regenerative medicine. This method is simple, reproducible, and cost efficient. Moreover, this method is suitable for the production of a large number of high-quality MSCs from an UC in less than a month, to be used for cell therapy in an 80-kg person.
Facilitated Neural Differentiation of Adipose Tissue–Derived Stem Cells by Electrical Stimulation and Nurr-1 Gene Transduction
Authors: Yang Yafeng , Ma Teng , Ge Jun , Quan Xin , Yang Le , Zhu Shu , Huang Liangliang , Liu Zhongyang , Liu Liang , Geng Dan , Huang Jinghui , Luo Zhuojing
Published: September 2018

Neuron-like cells derived from adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have been considered one of the most promising cells for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and neurotrauma in the central nervous system (CNS). Thus far, extensive efforts have been made to facilitate neuronal differentiation of ADSCs, but limited progress has been achieved. In the present study, we tested the possibility of using a combination of electrical stimulation (ES) with Nurr-1 gene transduction to promote neuronal differentiation of ADSCs. The tolerance of ADSCs to ES was first examined by a cell apoptosis assay. The proliferation of cells was characterized using a CCK-8 assay. The morphology of cells was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The differentiation of ADSCs into neuron-like cells was examined by immunocytochemistry (ICC)–immunofluorescence staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), Western blotting, and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The gene expression of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2), β-tubulin, neurofilament 200 (NF-200), octamer binding transcription factor 4 (OCT-4), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) after stimulation was examined by qRT-PCR. We found that the optimal intensity of ES for neuronal differentiation of ADSCs was 1 V/cm. In addition, ES combined with Nurr-1 gene transduction increased the neuronal differentiation rate of ADSCs, the length of neurite-like processes, and the secretion of dopamine. Further studies showed that a combination of ES with Nurr-1 gene transduction was capable of promoting the expression of MAP-2, β-tubulin, and NF-200 but decreased the expression of OCT-4 and GFAP. All of these findings indicate that a combination of ES with Nurr-1 gene transduction could facilitate neuronal differentiation of ADSCs, which raises the possibility of its application in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and neurotrauma in the CNS.
DEVELOPER’S WILLINGNESS TO CONSTRUCT GREEN DWELLINGS IN CHINA: FACTORS AND STIMULATING POLICIES
Authors: He Chenchen , Wang Xiaoming , Zhao Guochao
Published: September 2018

Green dwelling (GD) is a way to mitigate impacts of the building stock on environment and provide a better living condition for residences. However, the number of GDs is relatively small. Especially in China, GDs only account for less than 0.4% of the total buildings. It is directly due to the shortage of supply, which is influenced by the lack of willingness to develop. To stimulate the GD diffusion, the study applies structural equation model to analyse the factors in developers’ willingness to construct GDs, considering the inter-relationships and relative inﬂuences among factors. Further, it calculates the influence of each policy and policy subseries on developers’ willingness. It is showed that developers’ willingness is mostly influenced by their developing ability, followed by market development. Then comes government policy and corporate responsibility. In terms of stimulating policies on developers’ willingness, floor-to-area density award is of the biggest impact, followed by the green building requirement and interest rare. As to the policy subseries, mandatory requirements has larger effects on developers then voluntary incentives. Besides, in China, developers are more sensitive to financial incentives than non-financial ones. Accordingly, suggestions for policy making are proposed to stimulate developers to construct GDs.
GLOBAL SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS FOR TRANSFORMATION OF HOEK-BROWN FAILURE CRITERION FOR ROCK MASS
Authors: Štefaňák Jan , Kala Zdeněk , Miča Lumír , Norkus Arnoldas
Published: September 2018

A variety of engineering activities require reliable evaluation of rock strength. For instance, the stability of rock slopes depends on structural geology of rock massif in which the slope is excavated. Hoek-Brown (HB) failure criterion applied in rock design practice introduces factors based on the properties of jointed rock. The non-linear finite element safety calculation is conveniently used for calculation safety the factor of slope stability. The Mohr-Coulomb (MC) failure (strength) criterion for soil is widely applied in geotechnical design. Therefore, the appropriate transformation from HB to the equivalent MC, employing angle of shearing resistance φ and cohesion c, is necessary. This article studies the effect of jointed rock massif properties on the transformed MC parameters by using Sobol’s global sensitivity analysis (SSA) and HB transformation equations. Statistical parameters needed for the evaluation of sensitivity analysis are processed using classical statistical methods upon the emulation of Latin Hypercube Sampling simulation methods. Developed and adapted by authors techniques are illustrated by processing real rock investigation data from survey of the trachyte massif located in the Czech Republic. The first and higher order effects of random inputs are identified using SSA. It is illustrated that the effects of inputs on the MC parameters varies significantly depending on the discontinuity distribution and height of the slope.
High-time-resolution Photometry of AR Scorpii: Confirmation of the White Dwarf’s Spin-down
Authors: Stiller Robert A. , Littlefield Colin , Garnavich Peter , Wood Charlotte , Hambsch Franz-Josef , Myers Gordon
Published: September 2018

The unique binary AR Scorpii consists of an asynchronously rotating, magnetized white dwarf (WD) that interacts with its red-dwarf companion to produce a large-amplitude, highly coherent pulsation every 1.97 minutes. Over the course of two years, we obtained 39 hours of time-resolved, optical photometry of AR Sco at a typical cadence of 5 s to study this pulsation. We find that it undergoes significant changes across the binary orbital period and that its amplitude, phase, and waveform all vary as a function of orbital phase. We show that these variations can be explained by constructive and destructive interference between two periodic, double-peaked signals: the spin–orbit beat pulse, and a weaker WD spin pulse. Modeling of the light curve indicates that in the optical, the amplitude of the primary spin pulse is 50% of the primary beat amplitude, while the secondary maxima of the beat and spin pulses have similar amplitudes. Finally, we use our timings of the beat pulses to confirm the presence of the disputed spin-down of the WD. We measure a beat-frequency derivative of

Hz s−1 and show that this is attributable to the spin-down of the WD. This value is approximately twice as large as the estimate from Marsh et al. but is nevertheless consistent with the constraints established in Potter & Buckley. Our precise measurement of the spin-down rate confirms that the decaying rotational energy of the magnetized WD is sufficient to power the excess electromagnetic radiation emitted by the binary.
Physical Properties of Large-scale Galactic Filaments
Authors: Zucker Catherine , Battersby Cara , Goodman Alyssa
Published: September 2018

The characterization of our Galaxy’s longest filamentary gas features has been the subject of several studies in recent years, producing not only a sizable sample of large-scale filaments, but also confusion as to whether all these features (e.g., “Bones,” “Giant Molecular Filaments”) are the same. They are not. We undertake the first standardized analysis of the physical properties (H2 column densities, dust temperatures, morphologies, radial column density profiles) and kinematics of large-scale filaments in the literature. We expand and improve upon prior analyses by using the same data sets, techniques, and spiral arm models to disentangle the filaments’ inherent properties from selection criteria and methodology. Our results suggest that the myriad filament-finding techniques are uncovering different physical structures, with length (11–269 pc), width (1–40 pc), mass (

), aspect ratio (3:1–117:1), and high column density fraction (0.2%–100%) varying by over an order of magnitude across the sample of 45 filaments. We develop a radial profile-fitting code, RadFil, which is publicly available. We also perform a position–position–velocity (p–p–v) analysis on a subsample and find that while 60%–70% lie spatially in the plane of the Galaxy, only 30%–45% concurrently exhibit spatial and kinematic proximity to spiral arms. In a parameter space defined by aspect ratio, dust temperature, and column density, we broadly distinguish three filament categories, which could indicate different formation mechanisms or histories. Highly elongated “Bone-like” filaments show the most potential for tracing gross spiral structure (e.g., arms, spurs), while other categories could be large concentrations of molecular gas (giant molecular clouds, core complexes).
Predicting Quasar Continua near Lyα with Principal Component Analysis
Authors: Davies Frederick B. , Hennawi Joseph F. , Bañados Eduardo , Simcoe Robert A. , Decarli Roberto , Fan Xiaohui , Farina Emanuele P. , Mazzucchelli Chiara , Rix Hans-Walter , Venemans Bram P. , Walter Fabian , Wang Feige , Yang Jinyi
Published: September 2018

Measuring the proximity effect and the damping wing of intergalactic neutral hydrogen in quasar spectra during the epoch of reionization requires an estimate of the intrinsic continuum at rest-frame wavelengths of λ
rest ∼ 1200–1260 Å. In contrast to previous works which used composite spectra with matched spectral properties or explored correlations between parameters of broad emission lines, we opted for a nonparametric predictive approach based on principal component analysis (PCA) to predict the intrinsic spectrum from the spectral properties at redder (i.e., unabsorbed) wavelengths. We decomposed a sample of 12764 spectra of z ∼ 2–2.5 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)/Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) into 10 red-side (1280 Å < λ
rest < 2900 Å) and 6 blue-side (1180 Å < λ
rest < 1280 Å) PCA basis spectra, and constructed a projection matrix to predict the blue-side coefficients from a fit to the red-side spectrum. We found that our method predicts the blue-side continuum with ∼6%–12% precision and ≲1% bias by testing on the full training set sample. We then computed predictions for the blue-side continua of the two quasars currently known at z > 7: ULAS J1120+0641 (z = 7.09) and ULAS J1342+0928 (z = 7.54). Both of these quasars are known to exhibit extreme emission line properties, so we individually calibrated the uncertainty in the continuum predictions from similar quasars in the training set, finding comparable precision but moderately higher bias than the predictions for the training set as a whole, although they may face additional systematic uncertainties due to calibration artifacts present in near-infrared echelle spectra. We find that both z > 7 quasars, and in particular ULAS J1342+0928, show signs of damping wing-like absorption at wavelengths redward of Lyα.
A Deep Lyα Survey in ECDF-S and COSMOS. I. General Properties of Lyα Emitters at z ∼ 2
Authors: Hao Cai-Na , Huang Jia-Sheng , Xia Xiaoyang , Zheng Xianzhong , Jiang Chunyan , Li Cheng
Published: September 2018

Lyα emitters (LAEs) may represent an important galaxy population in the low-mass regime. We present our deep narrowband imaging surveys in the COSMOS and ECDF-S fields and study the properties of LAEs at z = 2.23 ± 0.03. The narrowband surveys conducted at the Magellan II telescope allow us to obtain a sample of 452 LAEs, reaching a 5σ limiting magnitude of ∼26 mag. Our Lyα luminosity functions extend to L(Lyα) =1041.8 erg s−1 with a steep faint-end slope. Using multiwavelength ancillary data, especially the deep Spitzer/IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 μm photometric data, we obtained reliable stellar mass estimates for 130 IRAC-detected LAEs, spanning a range of 8 < log(M
⋆/M
⊙) < 11.5. For the remaining IRAC-undetected LAEs, the median-stacked spectral energy distribution yields a stellar mass of

and the rest-frame ultraviolet emission indicates a median star formation rate (SFR) of log (SFR/M
⊙ yr−1) = −0.14 ± 0.35. There are six LAEs detected by the Spitzer/MIPS 24 μm or even Herschel far-infrared observations. Taking into account the six mid-IR/far-IR-detected LAEs, our LAEs cover a wide range in the SFR (1 M
⊙ yr−1 < SFR < 2000 M
⊙ yr−1). Although LAEs as a population are diverse in their stellar properties, they are mostly low-mass star-forming galaxies and follow the star formation main-sequence relations or their extrapolations to the low-mass end, implying a normal star-forming nature of LAEs. The clustering analysis indicates that our LAEs reside in dark matter halos with

, suggesting that they are progenitors of local LMC-like galaxies.
Influence of the Void Environment on Chemical Abundances in Dwarf Galaxies and Implications for Connecting Star Formation and Halo Mass
Authors: Douglass Kelly A. , Vogeley Michael S. , Cen Renyue
Published: September 2018

We study how the void environment affects the chemical evolution of galaxies in the universe by comparing the oxygen and nitrogen abundances of dwarf galaxies in voids with dwarf galaxies in denser regions. Using spectroscopic observations from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7, we estimate the oxygen, nitrogen, and neon abundances of 889 void dwarf galaxies and 672 dwarf galaxies in denser regions. We use the Direct T

e
method for calculating the gas-phase chemical abundances in the dwarf galaxies because it is best suited for low-metallicity, low-mass (dwarf) galaxies. A substitute for the [O ii] λ3727 doublet is developed, permitting oxygen abundance estimates of SDSS dwarf galaxies at all redshifts with the Direct T

e
method. We find that void dwarf galaxies have about the same oxygen abundance and Ne/O ratio as dwarf galaxies in denser environments. However, we find that void dwarf galaxies have slightly higher neon (∼10%) abundances than dwarf galaxies in denser environments. The opposite trend is seen in both the nitrogen abundance and N/O ratio: void dwarf galaxies have slightly lower nitrogen abundances (∼5%) and lower N/O ratios (∼7%) than dwarf galaxies in denser regions. Therefore, we conclude that the void environment has a slight influence on dwarf galaxy chemical evolution. Our mass–N/O relationship shows that the secondary production of nitrogen commences at a lower stellar mass in void dwarf star-forming galaxies than in dwarf star-forming galaxies in denser environments. We also find that star-forming void dwarf galaxies have higher H i masses than the star-forming dwarf galaxies in denser regions. Our star-forming dwarf galaxy sample demonstrates a strong anti-correlation between the sSFR and N/O ratio, providing evidence that oxygen is produced in higher-mass stars than those which synthesize nitrogen. The lower N/O ratios and smaller stellar mass for secondary nitrogen production seen in void dwarf galaxies may indicate both delayed star formation as predicted by ΛCDM cosmology and a dependence of cosmic downsizing on the large-scale environment. A shift toward slightly higher oxygen abundances and higher H i masses in void dwarf galaxies could be evidence of larger ratios of dark matter halo mass to stellar mass in voids compared with denser regions.
Voyager dans le monde des idées : le roman de la philosophie naturelle selon Margaret Cavendish et Gabriel Daniel
Authors: Corréard Nicolas
Published: September 2018

Le voyage imaginaire à la manière de Lucien et de Cyrano a pu être employé, dans la seconde moitié du xvii e  siècle, afin de représenter les controverses générées par la science nouvelle, d’inspiration cartésienne. Dans le Blazing World de Margaret Cavendish (1666) et dans le Voyage du monde de Descartes (1690) de Gabriel Daniel, le personnage du voyageur, manifestement autobiographique, visite le monde des idées : peuplé de savants, ce « monde » allégorisant (et satirisant) les disputes contemporaines appelle un parcours complexe, voire hasardeux. Le récit d’accès au savoir ménage donc des péripéties, des déceptions, mais aussi une révélation : plutôt que de découverte, la philosophie naturelle est affaire de création.
« La vérité ne peut être trop claire. » Ésope et ses fables à l’épreuve de la scène dans deux comédies de Boursault
Authors: Dion Nicholas
Published: September 2018

Dans Ésope à la ville et Ésope à la cour d’Edme Boursault, la figure du fabuliste infléchit de manière significative l’interprétation morale et la portée satirique des fables. Les choix biographiques et dramaturgiques opérés par l’auteur en sont certes à l’origine : placé en position d’autorité et occupant le rôle de ministre d’État de Crésus, le personnage de Boursault s’éloigne en partie du mythe ésopique, ce qui modifie le statut et la réception de ses fables. Ainsi, le spectateur assiste souvent à un échec flagrant de la fable comme outil de transmission d’une morale : prononcées par l’Ésope de Boursault, les fables ne garantissent pas toujours un accès à la sagesse.
Madame de Lafayette et Ménage : naissance d’une muse moderne
Authors: Freidel Nathalie
Published: September 2018

Dans cet article, nous proposons une relecture de ce qui a été conservé de l’échange épistolaire entre Mme de Lafayette et Ménage, en nous écartant des rôles figés de l’élève et du mentor trop souvent assignés aux partenaires de l’échange. Au modèle de la correspondance de formation se superpose en effet une pratique de l’écriture en collaboration, lieu d’échanges de savoirs multiples et d’épanouissement des ambitions intellectuelles de la jeune femme. Croisant les langues et les univers de références, les lettres de l’érudit et de l’écrivaine mondaine construisent une culture et une science en mouvement, loin des catégories rigides du ratio studiorum .
Itinéraires calvinistes dans l’Europe du début de la guerre de Trente Ans : Abraham Gölnitz en son temps
Authors: Mauran Philippe
Published: September 2018

Le voyage d’Abraham Gölnitz, publié à Leyde en 1631, n’a pas été correctement daté avant les travaux de Léon Malavialle en 1908. En assignant sa chronologie exacte au périple (du 11 mai 1624 au 15 juin 1626), il devient possible d’apprécier la précision du récit, jalonné de références à l’histoire des Réformés français. En relation avec les élites cultivées de la cour du duc Jean-Christian de Legnica-Brzeg, en Silésie, Gölnitz fit de son livre une proposition pour un voyage de formation destiné à ses fils, Georges (20 ans) et Louis (15 ans). Il obtint ce résultat en ajoutant deux événements postérieurs à sa visite en France : le siège de La Rochelle (1628) et l’assassinat du gouverneur d’Orange (1630), qui s’avèrent être des références à la culture eschatologique du duc. Le rappel du contexte politique et culturel silésien du début de la guerre de Trente Ans permet de révéler ce lien.
Un espace de dialogue sur les gestes professionnels en établissement scolaire
Authors: STREHL Caroline , MOUSSAY Sylvie
Published: September 2018

Cet article présente une étude sur l’analyse d’un espace de dialogue entre enseignants et personnels de la vie scolaire au sein d’un collège. L’étude s’inscrit dans un programme de recherche relevant d’une théorie historico-culturaliste et psychologique de l’activité humaine (Clot, 2008; Leontiev, 1984; Vygotski, 1997, 2003). L’analyse a permis de mettre en évidence la manière dont les discussions à partir d’extraits audio-vidéo de l’activité initient une réflexion collective sur les gestes de travail. Au cours des échanges, des gestes (tels que le « papillonnement ») restés jusque-là inaperçus font l’objet d’une reprise et d’une transformation au gré des significations exprimées par les enseignants qui se réfèrent au genre professionnel tout en procédant à des comparaisons de styles, étape nécessaire vers l’appropriation du geste. La discussion porte sur l’intérêt des espaces de dialogue dans les établissements scolaires notamment pour soutenir le développement de l’activité enseignante.
La narration dans la formation des professionnels de santé travaillant avec des personnes atteintes de démence : quel(s) usage(s) ?
Authors: Rossi Silvia
Published: September 2018

La médecine narrative offre aux professionnels de santé des outils pour mieux comprendre ce que les malades endurent pendant leur maladie et ce qu’eux-mêmes éprouvent lors de la prise en charge des patients (Charon, 2006/2015). En nous basant sur les travaux de Rita Charon – en particulier sur la triade attention, représentation, affiliation – nous mobilisons les outils de la médecine narrative dans la formation de professionnels de santé travaillant avec des personnes âgées atteintes de démence. Dans notre article, nous présentons la conception et la mise en place d’une formation au sein d’une résidence sanitaire assistancielle. Nous avons conçu la formation en trois phases : (1) constitution d’un cadre permettant de donner la parole aux personnes âgées atteintes de démence (réalisation de deux vidéo-interviews) ; (2) exercice de l’« écoute attentive » sur le matériel enregistré et réalisation d’une vidéo-synthèse ; (3) retour collectif sur le travail effectué. Nous démontrons que les outils de la médecine narrative, conçus dans le cadre de la relations médecin / patient, peuvent être efficacement mobilisés par une équipe multi-professionnelle travaillant avec des personnes atteintes de démence, en permettant aux soignants un retour réflexif collectif sur leur pratique et en améliorant la qualité de la relation avec la personne prise en charge.
Étudier l’accueil des neurosciences en éducation : une illustration épistémologique à partir de la positivismusstreit
Authors: Robichaud Arianne , SCHWIMMER Marina , GAUTHIER-LACASSE Maxime
Published: September 2018

L’arrivée des neurosciences en éducation suscite de vives réactions : si certains en accueillent la venue à bras ouverts, d’autres se montrent beaucoup plus réfractaires. Cet article propose une réflexion sur le sujet, s’inspirant des parallèles entre ce débat et la querelle du positivisme (Positivismusstreit), discussion épistémologique marquante du XXe siècle. Cette réflexion s’articule en trois temps : nous circonscrivons d’abord les postures dominantes structurant le débat concernant l’introduction des neurosciences en éducation ; ensuite, nous retraçons les grandes lignes de la querelle positiviste qui opposa Adorno et Habermas contre Popper et Albert, similaires au débat actuel ; enfin, nous tentons de voir si une conciliation n’est pas possible entre les postures antagonistes empruntées dans ces querelles. Ce faisant, nous espérons alimenter la réflexion en envisageant de nouveaux points de départ desquels pourraient s’inspirer une prolongation du présent débat.
L’apport des neurosciences au modèle de l’Identité-Logement : Les stratégies d’apprentissage des personnes âgées concernées par la chute
Authors: TRÉVIDY Frédérique , NAUDIN David , GAGNAYRE Rémi
Published: September 2018

La prévention de la chute chez les personnes âgées, portée par des stratégies d’aménagement du domicile et des modifications d’habitudes, pose la question de l’apprentissage. Le concept d’identité-logement établit un lien entre les stratégies d’apprentissage de l’habitant âgé, sa temporalité et son lieu de vie. Nous éclairons cette notion de temporalité à l’aune des neurosciences pour montrer comment, dans le présent, la personne entretient le cycle de ses routines, apprend à les inhiber et à les modifier grâce aux fonctions exécutives. Cette temporalité cyclique est croisée par une temporalité linéaire, prenant sa source dans le passé (souvenirs ancrés dans le logement) et productrice d’intentions futures porteuses de la motivation nécessaire à l’apprentissage. Le milieu de vie n’est pas neutre puisque le logement est porteur de significations (meubles-souvenirs, savoirs expérientiels, connaissance des lieux, etc.) permettant la prise de décision de la personne. L’article apportera un éclairage neuroscientifique sur ces mécanismes d’apprentissage, nécessaires à des perspectives d’éducation en contexte auprès des personnes âgées.
The Effects of a Commitment Device on Health Outcomes
Authors: Savani Manu Manthri
Published: September 2018

This article tests the effectiveness of commitment devices on weight loss. It can be applied as a health ‘nudge' that locks in future behaviours to achieve a desired health outcome, by staking money or reputation on achieving that goal. A field experiment randomly assigned 364 clients of an online weight loss service to either a reputational commitment device or an upfront refund on the monthly fee. The reputational commitment intervention was expected to combat time inconsistency and promote greater weight loss. Weight outcomes were measured at 12 weeks. The results showed that all experimental groups lost weight on average, but the group experiencing the reputational commitment reported end weight outcomes 1.5 kg higher than the comparison group, indicating slower weight loss (± 0.05, effect size -0.32). One possible explanation for the findings is ‘commitment overload'. The study nuances the understanding of commitment devices and how best to deploy them in health programmes including e-heath platforms.
Role of Institutional Owners in Devising Firms' Risk-Taking Behavior
Authors: Nazir Mian Sajid , Nazir Sadaf , Javaid Aisha
Published: September 2018

Role of institutional owners is becoming vital regarding strategic decision making in modern day business corporations. Financial institutions are capable to monitor the empowered company insiders and to regulate the capital market positioning of firms due to their specialized expertise and low cost of monitoring the managers. This article is an attempt to investigate the role of institutional owners on firms' risk-taking behavior in an emerging market. By using the sample of 58 non-financial firms listed at Karachi Stock Exchane-100 (KSE-100) index for a period of 2010 to 2017, these results revealed that institutional ownership can influence firms risk taking decisions. This influence depends on type of institutional ownership; passive owners play negative role in risk taking while active owners play a positive role in risk taking. Size of institutional ownership does not matter in risk taking.
Multi-Layered Security Model for Hadoop Environment
Authors: Paul P. Victer , Veeraiah D.
Published: September 2018

In this article, a novel security model for the Hadoop environment has been developed to enhance security credentials of handheld systems. The proposed system deals with enabling Hadoop security in terms of a dataset and a user which is willing to access the content inside the Hadoop system. It deals with security in terms of three different features: encryption, confidentiality and authentication. The significance of the proposed model is it provides protection against malicious intent which allows only valid content into the Big data system; it enables authenticated users and people to enter into the system and make the dataset more secure; and if authentication is enhanced, then authorization can be easily gained in the Hadoop system which provides access control and access rights to resource which the user is willing to perform its function or operation. This model is implemented, and the performance has been validated using existing security variants.
Fall Behavior Recognition Based on Deep Learning and Image Processing
Authors: Xu He , Shen Leixian , Zhang Qingyun , Cao Guoxu
Published: September 2018

Accidental fall detection for the elderly who live alone can minimize the risk of death and injuries. In this article, we present a new fall detection method based on "deep learning and image, where a human body recognition model-DeeperCut is used. First, a camera is used to get the detection source data, and then the video is split into images which can be input into DeeperCut model. The human key point data in the output map and the label of the pictures are used as training data to input into the fall detection neural network. The output model then judges the fall of the subsequent pictures. In addition, the fall detection system is designed and implemented with using Raspberry Pi hardware in a local network environment. The presented method obtains a 100% fall detection rate in the experimental environment. The false positive rate on the test set is around 1.95% which is very low and can be ignored because this will be checked by using SMS, WeChat and other SNS tools to confirm falls. Experimental results show that the proposed fall behavior recognition is effective and feasible to be deployed in home environment.
Deep Reinforcement Learning for Mobile Video Offloading in Heterogeneous Cellular Networks
Authors: Zhao Nan , Tian Chao , Fan Menglin , Wu Minghu , He Xiao , Fan Pengfei
Published: September 2018

Heterogeneous cellular networks can balance mobile video loads and reduce cell arrangement costs, which is an important technology of future mobile video communication networks. Because of the characteristics of non-convexity of the mobile offloading problem, the design of the optimal strategy is an essential issue. For the sake of ensuring users' quality of service and the long-term overall network utility, this article proposes the distributive optimal method by means of multiple agent reinforcement learning in the downlink heterogeneous cellular networks. In addition, to solve the computational load issue generated by the large action space, deep reinforcement learning is introduced to gain the optimal policy. The learning policy can provide a near-optimal solution efficiently with a fast convergence speed. Simulation results show that the proposed approach is more efficient at improving the performance than the Q-learning method.
A Survey on Privacy Preserving Dynamic Data Publishing
Authors: Kabou Salheddine , Benslimane Sidi mohamed , Mosteghanemi Mhammed
Published: September 2018

Many organizations, especially small and medium business (SMB) enterprises require the collection and sharing of data containing personal information. The privacy of this data must be preserved before outsourcing to the commercial public. Privacy preserving data publishing PPDP refers to the process of publishing useful information while preserving data privacy. A variety of approaches have been proposed to ensure privacy by applying traditional anonymization models which focused only on the single publication of datasets. In practical applications, data publishing is more complicated where the organizations publish multiple times for different recipients or after modifications to provide up-to-date data. Privacy preserving dynamic data publication PPDDP is a new process in privacy preservation which addresses the anonymization of the data for different purposes. In this survey, the author will systematically evaluate and summarize different studies to PPDDP, clarify the differences and requirements between the scenarios that can exist, and propose future research directions.
Forensic Technologies in the Courtroom
Authors: Sainato Vincenzo Antonio , Giner Jessica A
Published: September 2018

Forensic animation is the use of digital animation technologies to recreate or simulate an event for use as probative evidence in a court proceeding. Acceptance by courts of this technology varies by jurisdiction. Some courts disallow its use because of the technology's prejudicial impact when weighed against the probative value and perceived tendency to bias jurors; such courts typically do not consider the relevant legal psychology research. This article examines the body of scientific evidence with respect to value of the technology, with a focus on criminal proceedings. It concludes with a policy recommendation for courts to employ in light of these considerations.
The Impact of Gender Differences on Job Satisfaction of University Library Professionals
Authors: Marasinghe M. P. L. R. , Wijayaratne Anusha
Published: September 2018

This study examined the influence of gender on job satisfaction among university library professionals in Sri Lanka. The survey design was adopted for the study. The general objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of gender differences on the level of job satisfaction among the professional staff of the university libraries in Sri Lanka. Five parameters were considered, namely; work, co-workers, compensation, promotion and supervision. The population of the current study consisted of 125 library professionals of 15 universities under the University Grants Commission in Sri Lanka. All members of the population were given the opportunity to participate in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used as the main data collection instrument. The response rate was 64%. Cronbach's alpha values of all variables are above 0.6 (work: 0.764, co-workers: 0.864, compensation: 0.661, promotion: 0.614 and supervision: 0.963). The instrument used to measure each variable in the current study is reliable and all the items are positively correlated to one another. the mean of job satisfaction of all aspects; work, co-workers, compensation, promotion and supervision is higher in Females (0.9200, 0.8021, 0.6521, 0.6667, 0.7243) than males (0.7277, 0.6406, 0.5250, 0.3854, -0.0052). The results indicated that there is a significant difference of job satisfaction between male and female university library professionals only in the "supervision" parameter. The overall job satisfaction of both male and female (3.77) university library professionals is equal. However, equal treatment to both genders will help to achieve higher satisfaction levels. The findings of the study will be helpful for librarians and administrators to develop a motivated and productive workforce for organizational success.
Gender differences in pain prevalence, characteristics, assessment and treatment in internal medicine patients: a post-hoc analysis of the FADOI-DOMINO study
Authors: Civardi Giuseppe , Mordenti Patrizia , Gussoni Gualberto , Politi Cecilia , Seghini Pietro , Pasquini Maria Cristina , Marengo Stefania , De Bastiani Pietro , Valerio Antonella , Fontanella Andrea
Published: September 2018

Conflicting results come from epidemiological studies on the correlations between gender and pain in hospitalized patients. No specific data are reported in patients admitted to Internal Medicine Units (IMUs). Post-hoc analysis of the FADOI-DOMINO study, performed in 26 IMUs in Italy, with two cross-sectional surveys interspersed with an educational program. The 5200 medical charts of the FADOI-DOMINO study were re-analyzed. The following sex differences were highlighted: i) a greater pain prevalence was evidenced in women in the Pre-phase; ii) among patients with chronic pain, anxiety and depression were significantly more present in women compared with men; iii) oncologic pain was more prevalent in men; in a specular way, nononcologic pain showed a greater prevalence in women in both phases; iv) strong opioids therapy was higher for men. Some sex differences in pain seem to exist in IMUs, although less evident if compared with those previously reported in other settings. A more careful assessment of coexisting conditions such as anxiety, depression or cognitive impairment can result in a better management of these problems.
Interstitial syndrome-lung ultrasound B lines: a potential marker for pulmonary metastases? A case series
Authors: Carlino Maria Viviana , Mancusi Costantino , De Simone Giovanni , Liccardi Filomena , Guarino Mario , Paladino Fiorella , Sforza Alfonso
Published: September 2018

Four patients presented to the Emergency Department with dyspnea and they underwent point-of-care ultrasound. Lung ultrasound showed a diffuse bilateral B-profile pattern-interstitial syndrome, they underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of thorax that showed multiple bilateral lung metastases. The detection, in a dyspneic patient, of a diffuse Bprofile pattern not attributable to traditional interstitial syndrome conditions (pulmonary fibrosis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute pulmonary edema, interstitial pneumonia) could be indicative of multiple pulmonary metastases.
Optimizing diagnostic approach to drug-induced liver injury
Authors: Minissale Maria Giovanna , Soresi Maurizio , Galia Massimo , Agnello Francesco , Giannitrapani Lydia , Midiri Massimo , Licata Anna
Published: September 2018

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is often a trial even to expert clinicians, because sometimes diagnosis is not easy to be made. Guidelines of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) yielded in 2014, help to better understand the problem. The diagnosis of DILI is made through a detailed evaluation of clinical, serological, radiological and histological aspects. Biochemical data include liver function tests that allow to assess the pattern of damage, such as hepatocellular, cholestatic and mixed liver injury; serological data include testing for major and possibly minor hepatotropic viruses, non-organ specific autoantibodies. Clinical scenario might include jaundice, nausea, vomiting and extra-hepatic manifestations such as fever, pruritus, rash and eosinophilia. Investigation of the potential culprit drugs should involve firstly the temporal relationship between intake of the medication and onset of symptoms, thus the improvement after drug withdrawal. Overall, to complete the diagnostic evaluation, an abdominal ultrasound can be performed, as well as measurement of liver stiffness by transient elastography, and finally liver biopsy, which still represents the most accurate method to definitely assess liver damage. Sometimes, in such cases, computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance could help in the diagnosis of cases presenting with focal lesions of the liver, with cholestatic-like disease or vascular alterations, such as veno-occlusive disease. DILI diagnostic criteria help clinicians thinking of liver injury induced by drug, excluding other causes of liver disease. According to severity of liver damage and type of drug, it is possible to carefully predict the patient’s outcome.
Management of hypercholesterolemia, appropriateness of therapeutic approaches and new drugs in patients with high cardiovascular risk
Authors: Vettor Roberto , Serra Roberto
Published: September 2018

Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Lowering low-density lipoproteins-cholesterol (LDL-C) has been shown to decrease the risk of CVD and of all-cause mortality. For appropriate management, estimation of each individual’s total cardiovascular risk is critical, as patients should receive treatment according to their cardiovascular risk category as well as their LDL-C level. However, available data indicate that a large proportion of patients fail to achieve lipid goals despite treatment, and a significant percentage of patients are not able to tolerate statin treatment. Researchers have therefore focused considerable attention on the development of novel LDL-C-lowering agents that act via different mechanisms. Among the most recent advances in clinical development are the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 antibody inhibitors, including alirocumab and evolocumab, which appear particularly promising, with clinical trial data indicating these agents to be both well tolerated and highly efficacious in lowering LDL-C.
Gender differences and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: an update on the literature
Authors: Barbagelata Elena , Nicolini Antonello , Ambrosino Immacolata , Politi Cecilia
Published: September 2018

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has traditionally been viewed as a disease affecting older men with a history of smoking, while being neglected and under-diagnosed in women. This scenario has changed in recent years as there has been a steady increase in COPD prevalence and mortality rates in women. The increased prevalence of COPD among women is likely attributable to several factors including the increased rates of cigarette smoking observed in women during recent years, exposure to indoor air pollution as well as increased occupational exposures since women take on previously male-dominated occupational roles related to risk exposure. In this review we have analyzed the difference in COPD phenotypes and features related to gender difference.
The concept of illness in the physician-patient relationship
Authors: Pirone Florindo
Published: September 2018

Not available
Knowledge, attitudes and self-care practices of patients with glaucoma in uThungulu in KwaZulu-Natal
Authors: Aghedo Aita V. , Tlou Boikhutso , Mahomed Saajida
Published: September 2018

Background: Glaucoma remains one of the leading causes of blindness in South Africa. Early detection, effective treatment and strict compliance with treatment are instrumental to prevent further damage to the optic nerve and thus preserve vision.Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and self-care practices of patients with glaucoma in KwaZulu-Natal.Setting: The study was conducted in the ophthalmology outpatient department of a public hospital and a private ophthalmology practice in the uThungulu district.Methods: This was an observational, analytic, cross-sectional study. Structured questionnaires assessing knowledge, attitudes and self-care practices were administered to patients presenting for follow-up glaucoma management.Results: The median age of the 384 patients in this study was 60 (interquartile range [IQR] 48.5–69.5) and 59 years (IQR 49.0–66.5) for males and females, respectively (p > 0.05). Two hundred and thirty-eight (62.0%) patients had good knowledge of glaucoma. Age, gender and duration of glaucoma diagnosis were significantly associated with good knowledge of glaucoma. Three hundred and forty-four (89.6%) patients reported having good self-care practices. Patients over the age of 65 years were significantly less likely to have good self-care practices compared to patients aged 26–45 years (odds ratio [OR]: 0.2, confidence interval [CI]: 0.1–0.6, p = 0.01). Good knowledge of glaucoma was significantly associated with good self-care practices of glaucoma (p < 0.001).Conclusion: Elderly patients do not have sufficient knowledge of glaucoma and have poor self-care glaucoma practices. It is important to involve family members of these patients in the education and counselling of glaucoma to facilitate improved disease management.
Organic dyslalia
Authors: Rummel Alice
Published: September 2018

No abstract available.
Semantic Interoperable Traffic Management Framework for IoT Smart City Applications
Authors: Balakrishna Sivadi , Thirumaran M.
Published: September 2018

Real-time traffic monitoring and controlling are one of the biggest problems in this present living world. So many researchers have dealt with and put their effort into this problem, as a result, several types of approaches have developed. Currently using traffic monitoring and alert systems are not up to the needs of smart city applications and more expensive. This paper proposes an Internet of Things (IoT) based Smart Real-Time Traffic Monitoring System to provide better service with low cost for Smart city applications using semantic annotations. The proposed framework contains two phases namely-traffic monitoring unit and traffic reduction unit. The first phase analyses semantic traffic to detect an emergency, the latter phase removes redundant semantic information for traffic reduction. Simulation results suggest that the framework is capable of accurate and early detection of an emergency as well as traffic reduction while keeping sufficient information to report the emergency.
On the design of a sustainable ocean drifter for developing countries
Authors: Gerin Riccardo , Zennaro Marco , Rainone Marco , Pietrosemoli Ermanno , Poulain Pierre-Marie , Crise Alessandro
Published: September 2018

More than ﬁfty low and medium income countries rely on the sea for their economies. Despite its importance, there is a lack of oceanographic scientiﬁc data from these countries due to the high cost of equipment and to the running costs of measurement campaigns. In this paper we present a low-cost drifter based on a LoRa communication platform and tested in a coastal area (Gulf of Trieste). The system, built using low-cost oﬀ-the-shelf components, has at least the same performances of drifters that costs about three times as much and its operation does not require any recurring costs. The use of a LoRa allows several drifters to operate simultaneously in the same area, providing a rich and homogeneous database for the statistical post processing. The high transmission rate allows an almost instantaneous position determination, facilitating the drifter recovery for successive reuse, which essential in developing countries.