bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimenting E-Learning for Postgraduate Courses
Authors: Al-Marzouqi Ali H. , Ahmed Waleed Khalil
Published: April 2016

E-learning pedagogy is one of the most recent methods used by instructors in the undergraduate level at the colleges worldwide. Students benefit from e-learning instruction by having better grasp of information. In the present work, e-learning was used in a postgraduate course in the College of Engineering at UAE University to motivate students in educational materials required for Chemical Engineering Department. The initiative started after a successful experience in an undergraduate course. Therefore the present research was done as an attempt to replicate the study and test it for postgraduate courses. All students were asked to submit assignments in the shape of e-learning to produce educational materials of different course topics. The collected and analyzed feedbacks showed that students have interesting ideas and approaches to reach the desired target. This experience revealed positive response as well as potential to many promising aspects that can be used in the future to develop similar assignments for the enhancement of student’s knowledge
La museización del patrimonio memorial transfronterizo: el caso del exilio republicano y sus espacios
Authors: Vázquez David González , Agulló Jordi Font
Published: April 2016

Los lugares transfronterizos europeos son espacios consolidados en la actualidad. Muchos de ellos han desarrollado dinámicas políticas, económicas y culturales, destinadas a asentar una identidad común más allá de los estados. En el ámbito cultural, se ha trabajado en la puesta en valor de aquellos patrimonios considerados comunes, y que sin duda ejercen como un fuerte nexo de unión entre los estados miembros de la UE. Los espacios de memoria ligados a los trágicos eventos bélicos de la Europa del siglo XX son uno de los principales patrimonios comunes a lo largo y ancho del continente, y su valorización se ha basado principalmente en la museización de los mismos, ya sea con la creación de nuevos museos y centros de interpretación, o ya sea con estrategias de museización sobre el territorio. La zona que denominamos el espacio catalán transfronterizo dispone de un importante patrimonio memorial ligado al exilio republicano ocurrido tras la Guerra Civil española. Con un abordaje metodológico basado en conjuntar análisis teórico con la propia experiencia sobre el territorio, este artículo muestra varias de las experiencias museísticas emprendidas alrededor de los espacios de memoria transfronterizos situados entre Cataluña y el extremo oriental del sur de Francia. Los ejemplos expuestos, algunos consolidados y otros más emergentes, nos muestran como una puesta en valor en clave museística puede colaborar decisivamente en la consolidación de una memoria compartida entre dos realidades estatales diferenciadas.
O que exatamente torna os museus de hoje tão diferentes, tão atraentes?
Authors: Braz Ivo André
Published: April 2016

O presente artigo tem como objetivo afirmar a importância da participação do público na experiência museológica. Essa afirmação implica, contudo, que a participação não deve ser assumida como um facto previamente dado, mas requer uma reflexão crítica sobre as suas próprias bases. Num primeiro momento demonstraremos como o museu de hoje se apresenta a si mesmo como um lugar de atratividade, atividade e performatividade essencialmente diferente do museu autoritário e pedagógico do passado. Em seguida tentaremos complicar esta imagem através de um exercício interdisciplinar de co-implicação entre a narrativa do museu e as abordagens teóricas de outras áreas do conhecimento. Tal levar-nos-á a uma dupla leitura na qual o museu parece estar sempre marcado por uma falta ou por um excesso. Uma “falta” de museu onde uma metafísica da participação procura ligar intencionalidade e sentido através de uma lógica de ativação. Um “excesso” de museu onde uma performatividade sempre bem-sucedida constitui o paradigma de uma situação contemporânea que podemos qualificar como bioestética. Contudo, esta dupla leitura não conduz necessariamente a um impasse. O reconhecimento da suplementaridade entre o museu e o público contém a possibilidade de desatarmos o nó que liga a participação à intencionalidade e à produtividade. Fazê-lo é abrir o texto museológico a elementos que habitualmente ficam nas suas margens e, assim, reforçar a própria ideia de participação.
A arte ao serviço do império e das colónias: o contributo de alguns programas expositivos e museológicos para o discurso de legitimação territorial
Authors: Pinto Carla Alferes
Published: April 2016

Em 1966 saiu o livro A Arte Indo-Portuguesa, da autoria de Madalena de Cagigal e Silva (1920-1984). Surgido num contexto de afirmação nacionalista face aos acontecimentos políticos e diplomáticos que circunstanciaram a sua publicação, a reconfiguração do indo-português em categoria artística foi o corolário de um processo de afirmação de Portugal através da narrativa que associava a ideia da “heroica gesta descobridora dos Portugueses” aos objetos artísticos. A classificação de objetos artísticos como indo-portugueses surgira no âmbito da realização da exposição Special Loan Exhibition of Spanish and Portuguese Ornamental Art (1881) no South Kensington Museum em Londres. Recebida, utilizada e criticada em Portugal, a adjetivação étnica manteve-se ancorada nas artes decorativas até ser alargada à escultura, no contexto da realização de uma exposição no Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (1947). O indo-português, largamente dominante quer quanto ao número de peças quer quanto à extensão temporal e territorial que abarcava, foi desde cedo associado aos programas expositivos e museológicos que iam construindo a narrativa da “arte portuguesa”, ainda que produzida em contexto não-europeu, contribuindo, a par com outros objetos, para a consolidação de uma ideia de excecionalidade e primazia histórica e identitária nos territórios transoceânicos da Índia e de África, e que se prolongou bem para além da década de 1960. Neste artigo procura-se reconstruir o percurso de aceitação e afirmação do indo-português no contexto do trabalho desenvolvido pelas equipas dos museus nacionais, concomitantemente com a análise do discurso e dos objetos selecionados para a programação das exposições internacionais que tinham por pano de fundo a representação de Portugal num contexto de afirmação política.
Avaliação qualitativa de programas educativos em museus espanhóis (ECPEME)
Authors: Masachs Roser Calaf , Berciano Sué Gutiérrez , Marato José Luís San Fabián , Suárez Miguel Ángel Suárez
Published: April 2016

Este projeto surgiu com o objetivo de conhecer em profundidade o funcionamento e a incidência educativa dos programas educativos nos museus de Espanha. A amostra foi composta por 12 museus de diferente natureza patrimonial e distribuição territorial, sendo intenção do projeto abarcar a diversidade regional espanhola: Galiza, Astúrias, País Basco, Aragão, Catalunha, Leão e Castela, Andaluzia e Madrid. Ao assegurar a diversidade como critério, tornou-se possível fazer inferências a partir dos dados. Procurou-se descobrir boas práticas e reforçar o diálogo entre instituições de educação não formal. Tratou-se de um modelo de avaliação externa e formativa sobre a ação educativa, que se apresentou com um desenho de investigação combinado de metodologias: analítico-documental, sobre a trajetória educativa e museográfica; interativo, quando abordámos a observação direta e as entrevistas em profundidade. Considerámos cada museu como um objeto de análise individual, um estudo de caso, cujas densas contribuições descritivas permitem inferir tendências educativas no contexto museológico e construir critérios de qualidade transferíveis para caminhar no sentido da melhoria didática e pedagógica do museu.
Applications of Vibration-Based Energy Harvesting (VEH) Devices
Authors: Lee Ooi Beng , Ket Thein Chung , Keat Yew Chun , Aziz A. Rashid A.
Published: April 2016

This chapter reviews present usage of vibration-based energy harvesting (VEH) devices and applications. The evolution of energy resources and advance in electronic technologies has resulting the need of self-sustainable wireless/portable electronic devices in current modern society. Batteries are non-beneficial in the miniaturization process of electronic designing and alternative power supplies are desperately needed to fill in the falling behind technologies gap to drive the advance of the wireless/portable development further. VEH mechanism is suggested in this chapter as the solution for the bottleneck. Various consideration of creating an optimal vibration energy harvester are suggested through an analytical model of a mechanical transducer. Useful applications and usages of VEH are presented and some suggestion for improvement are also given. Lastly, the trend of energy harvesting is annotated and commented in-line with the demand of electronic sensors market.
Biologically-Inspired Wireless Power Transmission System
Authors: Cheah Agnes Ruey Chyi , Yeap Kim Ho , Yeong Kee Choon , Hirasawa Kazuhiro
Published: April 2016

This chapter gives an overview on Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems and the existing biologically-inspired architectures which could be used to optimize the efficiency of the systems. In general, wireless power transmission could be categorized into near-field and far-field mechanisms. At present, one of the most immediate issues to be solved is the relatively low efficiency in a WPT system. The system's efficiency decreases gradually as the distance increases. To ensure highest efficiency, the path with the shortest distance and the lowest interference is to be selected. In this case, a few of the most popular biologically-inspired algorithms, i.e. Firefly Algorithm(FA), Simulated Annealing (SA), the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) and Genetic Algorithms (GAs) could be employed for efficiently solving different optimization problems. In short, these algorithms mentioned involve the emulation of fireflies flash signals for mating, exploitation of the metallurgy process, nature of ants leaving pheromones along the trails traveled and also the mimic of gradual evolution of organisms.
Energy Harvesting Methods for Internet of Things
Authors: Ponnusamy Vasaki , Tay Yen Pei , Lee Lam Hong , Low Tang Jung , Zhao Cheah Wai
Published: April 2016

Internet of Things (IoT) has becoming a central theme in current technology trend whereby objects, people or even animals and plants can exchange information over the Internet. IoT can be referred as a network of interconnected devices such as wearables, sensors and implantables, that has the ability to sense, interact and make collective decisions autonomously. In short, IoT enables a full spectrum of machine-to-machine communications equipped with distributed data collection capabilities and connected through the cloud to facilitate centralized data analysis. Despite its great potential, the reliability of IoT devices is impeded with limited energy supply if these devices were to deploy particularly in energy-scarced locations or where no human intervention is possible. The best possible deployment of IoT technology is directed to cater for unattended situations like structural or environmental health monitoring. This opens up a new research area in IoT energy efficiency domain. A possible alternative to address such energy constraint is to look into re-generating power of IoT devices or more precisely known as energy harvesting or energy scavenging. This chapter presents the review of various energy harvesting mechanisms, current application of energy harvesting in IoT domain and its future design challenges.
Analysis of Energy Loss in Superconducting Waveguides
Authors: Yeap Kim Ho , Yeong Kee Choon , Tham Choy Yoong , Nisar Humaira
Published: April 2016

In this chapter, the characteristics of the propagation of waves in superconducting waveguides are investigated. To compute the propagation constant, the complex conductivity of the superconductor is incorporated into the set of characteristic equations which describes the propagation constant of waves in the waveguide. An important outcome from this analysis is that superconducting waveguides are shown to behave like a lossless waveguide, exhibiting literally lossless behaviour at frequencies above the cutoff and below the gap frequency. Above the gap frequency, however, the waveguide loses its superconductivity, giving attenuation which increases in correspond to frequencies. The result suggests strongly that superconducting waveguides can be applied in receiver systems to minimize the loss of propagating signals.
Harvesting Energy from Microbial Fuel Cells
Authors: Serra Pedro , Espirito-Santo Antonio Vitoria
Published: April 2016

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC) are the main topic of this chapter. Different types of electrochemical devices are presented and their typical power output is compared with other energy sources, providing a framework for the uses and applications of MFC technology. Following an historical approach of how this technology came to be, a more detailed description of some aspects of a typical microbial fuel cell is then brought forward. The energy harvesting concept, its use on low power wireless systems and maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques are presented and described. Wastewater treatment plants are a kind of infrastructure where this technology could be applied with a major success to power wireless sensing networks. An experimental setup, develop to improve the use of MFC in waste water treatment plants is presented. This chapter also provides a review on research trends for microbial fuel cells and maximum power point tracking algorithms, therefore, pointing current researches on this technology.
On the Decision Criteria for “Greening” Information Systems
Authors: Gasmelseid Tagelsir Mohamed
Published: April 2016

The impacts of climate changes are significantly influencing the approaches of organizations and governments to use resources, develop appropriate environment-friendly strategic frameworks and adopt a holistic approach to understand their operating environment. These impacts can be seen in the search for energy effective solutions, outsourcing processes and engaging into partnerships and alliances. At the same time, governments have been stepping up policy and legislative initiatives, assessment frameworks, and engagement in international conventions to cut carbon emissions and promote sustainability.
Application of Self-Healing in Wireless Sensor Network
Authors: Zaman Noor , Jung Low Tang , Ponnusamy Vasaki
Published: April 2016

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are gaining popularity in many monitoring and event detection areas. But the limitation of low power sensors needs to be further researched to combat the self-healing aspect of sensor networks. Therefore this paper aims to present a survey on application of self-healing routing protocols in wireless sensor networks that have been designed by analyzing their operation, advantages and disadvantages. This presents an outline of each application of the protocol and an idea of how these features could be adapted into future research area in self-healing wireless sensor networks in terms of energy aspect. The self-healing characteristics are mainly derived from biologically-inspired mechanisms for autonomic behavior. Autonomic behavior systems are characterized into four functional systems as self-configuration, self-healing, self-optimization and self-protection. This survey mainly focuses on self-healing characteristics from the biologically-inspired perspectives as well as non-bio-inspired perspectives.
Energy Harvesting Models and Techniques
Authors: Muzafar Saira
Published: April 2016

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has gain popularity due to their wide range of applications in almost all walks of life including industry controls, environmental monitoring, health, transportation, military, civil infrastructure, science, security and more. Wireless sensor nodes are cheap and tiny in size therefore its deployment is easier. They perform well in harsh environments where human intervention is almost difficult or not possible. However, wireless sensor networks are resource constraints and its power supply has been a big challenge to keep the sensor nodes functional for a longer period. Advancement in low power electronics helped a lot but the use and maintenance of conventional batteries with a limited life span cannot address the power supply problem effectively in a long run. Therefore, harvesting energy from ambient environment is an effective alternative both in terms of power and cost, which can help sensor networks to live longer. This chapter mainly focuses on different possible energy sources available in ambient environment and current technological mechanism to harvest energy for WSNs.
B.I.M. Application in Documenting and Recreating Lost Architectural Heritage
Authors: Casu Paola , Pisu Claudia
Published: April 2016

The digital archiving process of complex historical architectural 3D models is a key point in the field of tangible cultural heritage. A lot of research focus on the definition of methodologies and tools that exploit the full potential of ICT applied to the documentation of cultural heritage. This chapter illustrates a part of a study in this line of investigation. It focuses on the use of BIM for the reconstruction of lost architectural heritage. BIM will be applied to virtual reconstruct the nineteenth-century covered food market of Cagliari that was demolished in 1957. Thanks to the properties of BIM to enter information related to each element constituting a building, every part of the model will be accompanied by information on the degree of reliability and references adopted for its creation. In this way, each family of elements could more easily and knowingly be reused for other similar projects.
On the Biais Passé
Authors: Xavier João Pedro , Pinho Eliana Manuel
Published: April 2016

Among the famous dynamic string models conceived by Théodore Olivier (1793-1853) as a primary didactic tool to teach Descriptive Geometry, there are some that were strictly related to classic problems of stereotomy. This is the case of the biais passé, which was both a clear illustration of a special warped ruled surface and an example of how constructors dealt with the problem of building a skew arch, solving structural and practical stone cutting demands. The representation of the biais passé in Olivier's model achieved a perfect correspondence to its épure with Monge's Descriptive Geometry. This follow from the long development of representational tools, since the 13th century sketch of an oblique passage, as well as the improvement of constructive procedures for skew arches. Paradoxically, when Olivier presented his string model, the importance of the biais passé was already declining. Meanwhile other ruled surfaces were appropriated by architecture, some of which acquiring, beyond their inherent structural efficiency, a relevant aesthetic value.
The Relief-Perspectives of Bitonti and Borromini
Authors: Amoruso Giuseppe
Published: April 2016

The research represents principles of projective-geometric design of illusory spaces and proposes a study about the relief-perspective which featured the applications of science and art to interior decoration and architectural spaces during the sixteenth and the seventeenth century. The research has analyzed a selection of figurative and built illusory spaces, going to deepen the formation of the concepts of perception and illusion. During Renaissance was given emphasis to projective methods, of which were investigated the principles of geometric and optical ones in the proportions and in the visualization of architectural works, and the use of projective system accelerating or slowing the effects of the natural perspective to modify certain environmental aspects, external and internal, to the built volumes. The research also compares two major applications, the relief-perspectives of Francesco Borromini and Giovanni Maria da Bitonto and their partnership in the design of the perspectival tabernacle in Bologna and in the perspectival gallery for the Spada palace in Rome.
The Pattern of Repetition and the Quest for Creativity
Authors: Nanavati Manalee Sunil
Published: April 2016

A common application of parametric design is observed in the field of generative processes. Offering the possibility of incorporation of variety along with multiplicity, parametric has presented new ways of creatively employing such repetitive patterns. However, the application of this creativity is often restricted up to formal characteristics, with a complete neglect of perceptual qualities of the composed space. In this reference, the chapter primarily questions whether creativity is only applicable to the formal attributes of the repetitive pattern in parametric design; and further aims to examine how parametric design can undertake a repetitive pattern to simultaneously achieve remarkable creativity in its formal as well as perceptual attributes. This aim is addressed here by proposing a particular approach of assemblage; an approach that can enable the designer to visualise the constant interaction between organizational qualities and perceptual qualities of the composition; and in turn to achieve the desired attribute of the compositional whole.
About Building Stereotomy
Authors: Fallacara Giuseppe , Calabria Claudia
Published: April 2016

This contribution tries to reintroduce Stereotomy within the field of “research by design”: the discipline, in fact, can be used as a means of re-composition of the design, project and execution phases. Starting from the origin of this break-up, the focus moves to the actual value of geometric and formal prefiguration and to the validity criteria that make its re-introduction desirable, both as educational discipline and design tool. In addition, it's suggested a line of research related to its critical update and the methods through which figure out the possible outcomes of its application. Particular attention is given to the prototype: only the material realization allows to obtain a tangible result to creative speculation. In the last part 7 stone prototypes will be presented. They have been developed during recent years as a result of the attempt to combine multiple instances into a synthetic architectural object.
Drawing, Geometry and Construction
Authors: Canciani Marco
Published: April 2016

The link between the design drawing to an architectural work, sometimes goes through the definition of geometric paths which establish alignments, proportions, correspondences. The comparison of the geometric construction of survey data of an architecture and design data is very important for understanding the original design idea, highlighting not only the artist's modus progettandi, but also matches, modifications or changes respect of precisely geometric paths and its building architecture. In these studies, the church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane in Rome, by Francesco Borromini, is an exemplar case. The project of the church, built between 1638 and 1675 and characterized by a coffered vault with an oval planimetric shape, is documented by a consistent corpus of Borromini drawings. This research, based on survey data, can allow to make new contributions to Borromini work and formulate new hypotheses regarding his construction practice.
Geometry and Drama in Borromini's Architectural Details
Authors: Spadafora Giovanna
Published: April 2016

This paper is based on some considerations on the inter-scalar figurative relations which bind all of its constituents and elements of detail, within a work of architecture. This relation can be an environment in which to study the portal created by Francesco Borromini and the door cornices, inside Palazzo Falconieri, so far ignored by historiography. The text contextualizes these analysis and observations within Borromini's relationship with antiquity focusing on the role of design and of geometry in the definition of his language. The original drawings of the project and the construction of the entry portal to the apartment of Orazio Falconieri were used to evaluate the relationship between the drawings and what was built, based on the data of the direct survey considered, in this case, as the most effective instrument of knowledge. The results, though partial, permit the clarification of some of the construction events related to the Palazzo.
Folds and Refolds
Authors: Chiarella Mauro
Published: April 2016

Geometry and architecture both have a long trajectory in the history of western thought. Geometry offers the possibility to interpret the physical structure of the world and to develop rational thinking, while architecture provides the capacity to transform the physical substance and meaning of our surroundings. Diverse developments in the field of geometric representation have determined the characteristics of architectural space: from the modulated rigour of Classicism and the birth of Euclidean geometry, to contemporary informalism with the incorporation of digital mathematical calculation and intense questioning and reconsideration of traditional Cartesian space. The two-dimensional constant and dynamic projection of a three-dimensional spatial situation has been upheld since the time of simple spatial-temporal allegories of the architectural project up until the new developments with unconventional instrumental resources, generating innovative structural, formal, spatial and technological solutions.
Morphogenetic Paths between Geometrical Traces and Fabrication Issues
Authors: D'Uva Domenico
Published: April 2016

The growing population of buildings in contemporary cities has pushed the search for innovative and recognizable architectures to unpredictable peaks, where the sole aim is to emerge from the skylines. The first and most intuitive way to reach this aspiration is an increase in complexity of shapes. Understanding how the complexity is reached is an aim worth to be explored, through the analysis of the geometry. The complexity of geometry is such to require specific tools to be properly studied and used. The aim of this work is the understanding of the parametric morphogenesis, meant as the process of form creation, of the 30 St. Mary Axe in London, by Norman Foster. In this sample, the shape characterization is analyzed, not as a complexity showing off in itself, but as a perceived result of a synergy between environmental, structural and functional issues through its geometrical analysis.
Synthetic Biology Reveals the Uniqueness of the RIP Kinase Domain
Authors: Chirieleison Steven M. , Kertesy Sylvia B. , Abbott Derek W.
Published: April 2016

The RIP kinases (RIPKs) play an essential role in inflammatory signaling and inflammatory cell death. However, the function of their kinase activity has been enigmatic, and only recently has kinase domain activity been shown to be crucial for their signal transduction capacity. Despite this uncertainty, the RIPKs have been the subject of intense pharmaceutical development with a number of compounds currently in preclinical testing. In this work, we seek to determine the functional redundancy between the kinase domains of the four major RIPK family members. We find that although RIPK1, RIPK2, and RIPK4 are similar in that they can all activate NF-κB and induce NF-κB essential modulator ubiquitination, only RIPK2 is a dual-specificity kinase. Domain swapping experiments showed that the RIPK4 kinase domain could be converted to a dual-specificity kinase and is essentially indistinct from RIPK2 in biochemical and molecular activity. Surprisingly, however, replacement of RIPK2’s kinase domain with RIPK4’s did not complement a nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 signaling or gene expression induction defect in RIPK2−/− macrophages. These findings suggest that RIPK2’s kinase domain is functionally unique compared with other RIPK family members and that pharmacologic targeting of RIPK2 can be separated from the other RIPKs.
Thermo-mechanical Simulations for Single-Sided and Double-Sided Cooling Power Packages
Authors: Zhang Hao , Ang Simon S.
Published: April 2016

With the emergence of new power semiconductor devices and packaging technologies, the power density of the power packages or modules is increasing rapidly. Double-sided cooling power packages maximize heat dissipation by enabling heat removal from both the top and bottom sides of the module. This article compares single-sided and double-sided cooling power packaging structures to elucidate advantages and disadvantages of these packaging structures in terms of thermal and thermo-mechanical based on finite element simulations. Simulation results reveal that double-sided cooling power packages greatly improve their thermal performances, but they face challenges due to their high thermo-mechanical stresses. The use of a viscoelastic underfill resin and a coefficient of thermal expansion–matched ceramic chip carrier in the double-sided cooling power packaging structure is shown to reduce thermo-mechanical stresses.
Effect of cellular therapy in progression of Becker’s muscular dystrophy: a case study
Authors: Sharma Alok , Sane Hemangi , Gokulchandra Nandini , Sharan Rishabh , Paranjape Amruta , Kulkarni Pooja , Yadav Jayanti , Badhe Prerna
Published: April 2016

Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is an inherited disorder due to deletions of the dystrophin gene that leads to muscle weakness. Effects of bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMMNC) transplantation in Muscular Dystrophy have shown to be safe and beneficial. We treated a 20-year-old male suffering from BMD with autologous BMMNC transplantation followed by multidisciplinary rehabilitation. He presented with muscle weakness and had difficulty in performing his activities. The BMMNCs were transplanted via intrathecal and intramuscular routes. The effects were measured on clinical and functional changes. Over 9 months, gradual improvement was noticed in muscle strength, respiratory functions and North Star Ambulatory Assessment Scale. Functional Independence Measure, Berg Balance Score, Brooke and Vignos Scale remained stable indicating halting of the progression. The case report suggests that cellular therapy combined with rehabilitation may have possibility of repairing and regenerating muscle fibers and decreasing the rate of progression of BMD.
Spirituality, depression and quality of life in medical students in KwaZulu-Natal
Authors: Pillay Narushni , Ramlall Suvira , Burns Jonathan K.
Published: April 2016

Background: The majority of studies on spirituality demonstrate its positive association with mental health. Despite the increasing number of studies, there remains a dearth of studies emanating from African countries looking at the relationship between mental illness, quality of life and measures of spirituality. The present study evaluates the role of spirituality in relation to current depression and quality of life in medical students, who are known to be at high risk for depression.

 Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of moderate and severe depressive symptoms in this population and explore potential correlations between spirituality, depression and quality of life.

Methods: 230 medical students were surveyed at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Medical School, using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zung SDS), Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale (SIBS), WHO Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL) and a demographic data sheet.

 Results: There was a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in the medical students, with a significant proportion (15.6%) showing evidence of severe depressive symptoms (indicating likely depressive illness). Those with a history of mental illness or of having attended traditional, complementary or alternate medical practitioners showed higher levels of depression. Lower spirituality was associated with non-adherence to a major religion and a history of mental illness. Quality of life was better in second and fifth year students and poorer in those with a history of mental illness.

Conclusion: Medical students’ experiences of depression (most probably due to stress) and its relationship with spirituality and quality of life merit further investigation with a view to establishing policy guidelines for dealing with this issue.
Methylphenidate use and poly-substance use among undergraduate students attending a South African university
Authors: Steyn Francois
Published: April 2016

Background: Methylphenidate hydrochloride (MPH) is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The non-medical use of MPH by learners and students has been reported by numerous studies from abroad. The practice stems from beliefs about the benefits of MPH in achieving academic success. Little is known about the use of MPH in South African student populations.

 Objectives: The study set out to determine (1) the extent and dynamics associated with MPH use and (2) poly-substance use among undergraduate students attending a South African university.

 Methods: 818 students took part in a written, group-administered survey. Data analysis resulted in descriptive results regarding MPH use and tests of association identified differences in MPH and poly-substance use among respondents.

Results: One in six respondents (17.2%) has used MPH in the past, although only 2.9% have been diagnosed with ADHD. Nearly a third (31.7%) of users obtained MPH products illegally. The majority (69.1%) used MPH only during periods of academic stress. A significant association ( p < 0.001) was found between MPH use and the frequency of using alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, hard drugs (e.g. cocaine) and prescription medication.

 Conclusion: MPH use among students appears similar to experiences abroad, especially in the absence of clinical diagnosis for ADHD. Institutions of higher education should inform parents and students about the health risks associated with the illicit use of MPH. Prescribers and dispensers of MPH products should pay close attention to practices of stockpiling medication and poly-substance use among students who use MPH.
Conjoint moderate or high risk alcohol and tobacco use among male out-patients in Thailand
Authors: Pengpid Supa , Peltzer Karl , Puckpinyo Apa , Thammaaphiphol Kriengsak
Published: April 2016

Objective: To better understand conjoint alcohol and tobacco use among male hospital out-patients, the purposes of this study were: (1) to assess the prevalence of conjoint use and (2) to determine the factors associated with the conjoint alcohol use and tobacco use.

Methods: In a cross-sectional survey, consecutive male out-patients from four district hospitals in Nakhon Pathom province in Thailand were assessed with the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), selfreported chronic conditions and health-seeking behaviour. The sample included 2208 study participants, with a mean age of 36.2 years (SD = 11.7) and an age range of 18–60 years.

Results: Overall, 34.5% of the male hospital out-patients were conjoint moderate or high-risk alcohol and tobacco users, and 31.1% were moderate or high-risk alcohol or tobacco users. In multivariate analysis, younger age, having primary or less education, being separated, divorced or widowed, not having diabetes and not being obese were associated with conjoint moderate or high-risk alcohol and tobacco use.

 Conclusion: High prevalence and several risk factors of conjoint alcohol and tobacco use were found among hospital male out-patients. The findings of this study call for dual-intervention approaches for both alcohol and tobacco.
Spectrum of cancers among South Asians working in Brunei Darussalam
Authors: Chong Vui Heng , Telisinghe Pemasari Upali , Chong Chee Fui
Published: April 2016

Background: Worldwide the incidence of cancers is increasing and this seen more in developing nations. This study looks at the spectrum of cancers among South Asian nationals working in Brunei Darussalam, a developing Southeast Asia nation. Materials and Methods: The cancer registry from 1994 to 2012 maintained by the State Laboratory was retrospectively reviewed. Results: Over the period, there was a total of 123 cancer cases diagnosed among South Asians, giving an incidence of 1.5% (n = 123/8253). The mean age at diagnosis was 42.9 ± 17.1 with a gender ratio of (male 60; female 63). Among the South Asians, Indians accounted for the most (53.7%) cases, followed by Nepalese (39.8%), Pakistani (3.3%) and Sri Lankan (2.4%). The most common cancers were cancers of the female reproductive/gynecologic organs, gastrointestinal tract, and breast. Among the two major ethnic groups; cancers of the breast was the most common among Indians followed by gastrointestinal tract where among the Nepalese, these were gastrointestinal tract followed by gynecologic (esp. cervical cancers). Among the South Asian, the Nepalese were younger at diagnosis compared to the other groups. Conclusion: The spectrum of cancers among South Asian residing in Brunei is comparable to what have been reported from South Asia with the exception of lung cancers. The most common cancers were cancers of female reproductive/gynecologic organs, gastrointestinal tract and breast. South Asians were younger at diagnosis of cancers compared to non-South Asians.
The relationship between histologic grades of invasive carcinoma of breast ducts and mast cell infiltration
Authors: Fakhrjou Ashraf , Naghavi-Behzad Mohammad , Montazeri Vahid , Karkon-Shayan Farid , Norouzi-Panahi Leila , Piri Reza
Published: April 2016

Introduction: Breast carcinoma is the most prevalent tumors among women. Transformation of inflated cells in immune response leads to increase in inflammatory cells such as macrophages, mast cells (MC) and fibroblasts. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between grades of invasive carcinoma of the breast ducts and MC infiltration around tumoral cells. Methods: During the present study, 75 female patients suffering from invasive ductal carcinoma who underwent surgery or diagnostic biopsy during 2010 and 2013 in Educational-Medical centers of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, were included in the study. Based on Bloom-Richardson grading system, 25 cases were selected from each grade. To better observe of MCs, samples were stained by Toluidine blue and MCs were counted in 10 40 × 10 fields. Results: The mean age was 47.56 ± 10.84 and the number of MCs was between 6 and 96 and their overall average was 43.01. Average count of MCs in grade 1, 2 and 3 were 15.92 ± 10.07, 45.32 ± 10.47, and 67.8 ± 20.70, respectively. There was a significant relationship between the number of MCs and increase in disease grade (P < 0.001). With increasing grade of malignancy, the number of MCs had grown. No significant relationship was observed between age and grade of disease or age and number of MC. Conclusion: According to obtained results, number of MC around tumoral cells increased significantly with an increase in the grade of disease. In order to treat in thefirst stages of the disease, recognizing primary changes in the stroma of cells could be helpful.
Surgical controversies in the management of post-chemotherapy nonretroperitoneal residual disease in metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumors
Authors: Pandey Durgatosh , Garg Pankaj Kumar , Ray Mukur Dipi , Mishra Ashutosh
Published: April 2016

Following the advent of platinum-based chemotherapy, Surgery, excepting orchidectomy, has become an adjunct treatment in the management of metastatic non-seminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCT). Role of surgery comes into play in metastatic NSGCT when residual disease persists following standard chemotherapy. Surgical excision of all post chemotherapy residual disease at all places, whenever surgically feasible with acceptable morbidity and mortality, should be undertaken. As histopathological examination of the excised postchemotherapy residue shows only necrosis and fibrosis in significant number of patients; surgical exercise in this group of patients seems futile and unwarranted retrospectively. This issue becomes more contentious when surgeons are confronted with multiple nonretroperitoneal post chemotherapy residues. This article aims to deal with the management of postchemotherapy nonretroperitoneal residues in metastatic NSGCT.
Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: Single-Center Series of 12 Cases from Saudi Arabia
Authors: Elyamany Ghaleb , Alzahrani Azzah , Elfaraidi Huda , Alsuhaibani Omar , Othman Nada , Mussaed Eman Al , Alabbas Fahad
Published: April 2016

Background

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare but potentially fatal disease that commonly appears in infancy, although it has been reported in adults. Chemoimmunotherapy-based treatments have improved the survival of patients with HLH; however, overall survival is still poor. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 12 HLH patients who were admitted between 2005 and 2014. All patients were Saudi Arabia in origin with a female predominance (75%) and a median age of onset of 9.5 months. The consanguinity rates were significantly high (75%) with a positive family history in 41% of cases. Of the 12 patients, nine were defined as primary HLH patients and three were confirmed to be secondary HLH patients. All patients fulfilled the 2004 diagnostic criteria for HLH and received HLH-2004 treatment. Six of these patients showed a good response to chemotherapy, while the remainder of the patients showed partial or no response to chemotherapy. Five patients in this cohort received stem cell transplant, and these patients are currently in remission. The mortality rate of this cohort is currently 50%. Genetic mutational analysis showed a positive STX11 mutation in five patients and a PRF1 ( perforin) mutation in two patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case series of HLH from Saudi Arabia.
Surprisingly Low Limits of Selection in Plant Domestication
Authors: Allaby Robin G. , Kitchen James L. , Fuller Dorian Q.
Published: April 2016

Current debate concerns the pace at which domesticated plants emerged from cultivated wild populations and how many genes were involved. Using an individual-based model, based on the assumptions of Haldane and Maynard Smith, respectively, we estimate that a surprisingly low number of 50–100 loci are the most that could be under selection in a cultivation regime at the selection strengths observed in the archaeological record. This finding is robust to attempts to rescue populations from extinction through selection from high standing genetic variation, gene flow, and the Maynard Smith-based model of threshold selection. Selective sweeps come at a cost, reducing the capacity of plants to adapt to new environments, which may contribute to the explanation of why selective sweeps have not been detected more frequently and why expansion of the agrarian package during the Neolithic was so frequently associated with collapse.
The Thickness of the Cartesian Product of Two Graphs
Authors: Chen Yichao , Yin Xuluo
Published: April 2016

The thickness of a graph G is the minimum number of planar subgraphs whose union is G. A t-minimal graph is a graph of thickness t that contains no proper subgraph of thickness t. In this paper, upper and lower bounds are obtained for the thickness, t(G ⎕ H), of the Cartesian product of two graphs G and H, in terms of the thickness t(G) and t(H). Furthermore, the thickness of the Cartesian product of two planar graphs and of a t-minimal graph and a planar graph are determined. By using a new planar decomposition of the complete bipartite graph K4k,4k, the thickness of the Cartesian product of two complete bipartite graphs Kn,n and Kn,n is also given for n≠4k + 1.
Drivers of Multicentury Trends in the Atmospheric CO2 Mean Annual Cycle in a Prognostic ESM
Authors: Liptak Jessica , Keppel-Aleks Gretchen , Lindsay Keith
Published: April 2016

Abstract. The amplitude of the mean annual cycle of atmospheric CO2 has increased by at least 0.5 % yr−1 over most of the Northern Hemisphere (NH) extratropics during the last three decades likely from a combination of enhanced atmospheric CO2, climate change, and anthropogenic land use change. We investigated how each of these factors affected the increase in the atmospheric CO2 mean annual cycle amplitude simulated by the Community Earth System Model (CESM), a prognostic coupled climate- carbon cycle model. The simulated amplitude of the NH mean CO2 annual cycle showed a weaker trend than observed, increasing by only 15 % over the period spanning 1950–2010. By 2100, the amplitude rose to 57 % above the present-day baseline (1950–1959), and reached a maximum of 76 % above the baseline around 2250. The amplitude increase in the CESM was mainly driven by climate change and changing atmospheric composition, with the largest amplitude gains occurring in the mid- and high latitudes. In addition, the long-term simulations revealed shifts in key climate drivers of the atmospheric CO2 seasonality that were not apparent before 2100. Climate change from NH boreal ecosystems was the largest driver of Arctic CO2 annual cycle amplification between 1950 and 2100. CO2 fertilization and nitrogen deposition in the NH boreal and temperate ecosystems contributed the most to the amplitude increase over the midlatitudes through 2300 and over the Arctic after 2100. Greater terrestrial productivity during the growing season contributed the most to the annual cycle amplification over the high latitudes, midlatitudes, and the NH tropics, reflecting lengthening of the growing season rather than the strength of the terrestrial carbon sink. Prior to 2100, CO2 annual cycle amplification occurred in conjunction with an increase in the NH land carbon sink, but the trends decoupled after 2100, underscoring that an increasing atmospheric CO2 annual cycle amplitude is not predicated on a strengthened terrestrial carbon sink.
Model simulations of early westward flow across the Tasman Gateway during the early Eocene
Authors: Sijp Willem P. , von der Heydt Anna S. , Bijl Peter K.
Published: April 2016

Abstract. The timing and role in ocean circulation and climate of the opening of Southern Ocean gateways is as yet elusive. Recent micropalaeontological studies suggest the onset of westward throughflow of surface waters from the SW Pacific into the Australo-Antarctic Gulf through a southern shallow opening of the Tasman Gateway from 49–50 Ma onwards, a direction that is counter to the present-day eastward-flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Here, we present the first model results specific to the early-to-middle Eocene where, in agreement with the field evidence, southerly shallow opening of the Tasman Gateway indeed causes a westward flow across the Tasman Gateway. As a result, modelled estimates of dinoflagellate biogeography are in agreement with the recent findings. Crucially, in this situation where Australia is still situated far south and almost attached to Antarctica, the Drake Passage must be sufficiently restricted to allow the prevailing easterly wind pattern to set up this southerly restricted westward flow. In contrast, an open Drake Passage, up to 517 m deep, leads to an eastward flow, even when the Tasman Gateway and the Australo-Antarctic gulf are entirely contained within the latitudes of easterly wind.