bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte dynamics after pyronaridine–artesunate or artemether–lumefantrine treatment
Authors: Roth Johanna M. , Sawa Patrick , Omweri George , Osoti Victor , Makio Nicodemus , Bradley John , Bousema Teun , Schallig Henk D. F. H. , Mens Pètra F.
Published: June 2018

Background

Artemisinin-based combinations differ in their impact on gametocyte prevalence and density. This study assessed female and male gametocyte dynamics after treating children with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria with either pyronaridine–artesunate (PA) or artemether–lumefantrine (AL).

Methods

Kenyan children with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria were included and randomly assigned to PA or AL treatment. Filter paper blood samples were collected as a source of RNA for quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and nucleic acid sequence based amplification (QT-NASBA) to detect female gametocytes (targeting Pfs25 mRNA). Male gametocytes were detected by qRT-PCR (targeting PfMGET mRNA). Duration of gametocyte carriage, the female and male gametocyte response and the agreement between qRT-PCR and QT-NASBA were determined.

Results

The mean duration of female gametocyte carriage was significantly longer for PA (4.9 days) than for AL (3.8 days) as estimated by QT-NASBA (P = 0.036), but this difference was less clear when determined by Pfs25 qRT-PCR (4.5 days for PA and 3.7 for AL, P = 0.166). qRT-PCR based female gametocyte prevalence decreased from 100% (75/75) at baseline to 6.06% (4/66) at day 14 in the AL group and from 97.7% (83/85) to 13.9% (11/79) in the PA group. Male gametocyte prevalence decreased from 41.3% (31/75) at baseline to 19.7% (13/66) at day 14 in the AL group and from 35.3% (30/85) to 22.8% (18/79) in the PA group. There was good agreement between Pfs25 qRT-PCR and QT-NASBA female gametocyte prevalence (0.85, 95% CI 0.82–0.87).

Conclusions

This study indicates that female gametocyte clearance may be slightly faster after AL compared to PA. Male gametocytes showed similar post-treatment clearance between study arms. Future studies should further address potential differences between the post-treatment transmission potential after PA compared to AL.

Trial registration This study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov under NCT02411994. Registration date: 8 April 2015. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02411994?term=pyronaridine-artesunate&cond=Malaria&cntry=KE&rank=1
An evaluation of the short physical performance battery following pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Larsson Petra , Borge Christine Råheim , Nygren-Bonnier Malin , Lerdal Anners , Edvardsen Anne
Published: June 2018

Objective

There is a need for simple tools to evaluate physical performance in patients with COPD before and after pulmonary rehabilitation. The aims of this study were to evaluate changes in short physical performance battery (SPPB)-scores in patients with COPD after a 4-week pulmonary rehabilitation program; explore possible relationships between SPPB-scores and exercise capacity (6-min walk distance), dyspnea (modified Medical Research Council’s dyspnea scale), disease-specific quality of life (COPD assessment test), and pulmonary function (predicted forced expiratory volume in one second) at baseline; and explore if changes in SPPB-scores are related to changes in exercise capacity, dyspnea, and disease-specific quality of life following pulmonary rehabilitation.

Results

Forty-five patients with COPD were included in the final analysis. SPPB-scores improved following pulmonary rehabilitation (mean change: 1.2 ± 1.7 points, p < 0.001). There were moderate correlations between SPPB-scores and exercise capacity (r = 0.50, p < 0.001) and dyspnea (r = − 0.45, p = 0.003) at baseline, but not with pulmonary function or disease-specific quality of life. Changes in SPPB-scores were not associated with changes in exercise capacity or dyspnea scores. The SPPB may be a useful tool for evaluating physical performance in COPD

Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02314338, December 11, 2014.
Improvement in Overall Survival in a Randomized Study That Compared Dacomitinib With Gefitinib in Patients With Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer and EGFR-Activating Mutations
Authors: Mok Tony S. , Cheng Ying , Zhou Xiangdong , Lee Ki Hyeong , Nakagawa Kazuhiko , Niho Seiji , Lee Min , Linke Rolf , Rosell Rafael , Corral Jesus , Migliorino Maria Rita , Pluzanski Adam , Sbar Eric I. , Wang Tao , White Jane Liang , Wu Yi-Long
Published: June 2018

Purpose

ARCHER 1050, a randomized, open-label, phase III study of dacomitinib versus gefitinib in treatment-naïve patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and activating mutations in EGFR, reported significant improvement in progression-free survival with dacomitinib. The mature overall survival (OS) analysis for the intention-to-treat population is presented here.

Patients and Methods

In this multinational, multicenter study, patients age 18 years or older (≥ 20 years in Japan and Korea) who had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1 and newly diagnosed NSCLC with activating mutations in EGFR (exon 19 deletion or exon 21 L858R) were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 manner to dacomitinib (n = 227) or gefitinib (n = 225). Random assignment was stratified by race (Japanese, Chinese, other East Asian, or non-Asian) and EGFR mutation type. The final OS analysis was conducted with a data cutoff date of February 17, 2017; at that time 220 deaths (48.7%) were observed.

Results

During a median follow-up time of 31.3 months, 103 (45.4%) and 117 (52.0%) deaths occurred in the dacomitinib and gefitinib arms, respectively. The estimated hazard ratio for OS was 0.760 (95% CI, 0.582 to 0.993; two-sided P = .044). The median OS was 34.1 months with dacomitinib versus 26.8 months with gefitinib. The OS probabilities at 30 months were 56.2% and 46.3% with dacomitinib and gefitinib, respectively. Preliminary subgroup analyses for OS that are based on baseline characteristics were consistent with the primary OS analysis.

Conclusion

In patients with advanced NSCLC and EGFR activating mutations, dacomitinib is the first second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) to show significant improvement in OS in a phase III randomized study compared with a standard-of-care TKI. Dacomitinib should be considered one of the standard treatment options for these patients.
Panoptic Overview of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in Nigeria: Current Challenges and Promising Global Initiatives
Authors: Wright Nikita , Rida Padmashree , Rakha Emad , Agboola Ayodeji , Aneja Ritu
Published: June 2018

Purpose

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most deadly form of breast cancer (BC) today. TNBC treatment is fraught with challenges because of the extensive interpatient heterogeneity in clinical behavior and scarcity of stratifying biomarkers and actionable targets. Women of African ancestry face a disproportionate burden resulting from this disease, which affects them earlier and more aggressively and has a higher propensity to spread and resist conventional treatments. A much higher proportion of Nigerian patients with BC have TNBC compared with patients with BC in the United States and Europe.

Methods

This article spotlights Nigeria as an example of a nation wherein genetic and nongenetic spheres of influence intersect to affect the prevalence of this disease, the scale of its challenge, and its toll.

Results

Studies have illuminated the inherently different tumor biology of Nigerian TNBCs, which show distinct genetic variants and gene expression patterns compared with European or European-American TNBCs. Parallels are apparent between TNBC phenotypes among African Americans and Nigerians, implicating the common thread of shared genetic ancestry between these populations. Reproductive, lifestyle, socioeconomic, and cultural factors also shape TNBC outcomes in Nigeria, as do resource constraints in Nigerian health care and research sectors.

Conclusion

Increasing our understanding of how these factors contribute to poorer outcomes among Nigerian women may uncover valuable insights and strategies in alleviating the TNBC burden in many countries of the world and help reduce the racial disparity in BC-related outcomes here in the United States. Importantly, this review also highlights collaborative global and local initiatives that converge expertise and resources to advance research on effective management of TNBC in diverse populations.
Introduction
Authors: Lienau Annette Damayanti
Published: June 2018

This essay introduces the American Comparative Literature Association Forum “Vernacular Comparisons beyond the Europhone.” Characterizing the Europhone “vernacular” as a protean term of diverse application, the essay highlights the paradoxes associated with its use in Global Southern contexts. Drawing attention to the asymmetries of conceptual exchange that accompany vernacular comparisons across former colonial contexts, this essay raises the following questions: How might we explore and move beyond the insufficiencies of the Europhone term “vernacular” to frame non-Europhone literatures and literary histories? If we displace Europhone terms of analysis as conceptual categories, what alternatives emerge in their stead from non-European languages, lineages, and source materials? In pursuing lateral comparisons within the Global South, how can the risks of anachronism, distortion, and incommensurability be managed across disparate contexts? This introduction offers an overview of the contributing essays and concludes with remarks on the advantages and drawbacks of employing the term “vernacular” in pursuing South-South comparisons.
Print for the People: Tagore, China, and the Bengali Vernacular
Authors: Lahiri Madhumita
Published: June 2018

Whereas most modern South Asian vernacular literatures emerged in concert with nationalism, Tagore moved Bengali literature to its contemporary colloquial form even as he became ever more critical of Indian nationalism. This essay follows Tagore’s anti-nationalist and pan-Asianist predilections, considering his transformations of Bengali towards an increasingly vernacular literature in concert with those of Chinese literature. The essay focuses on Tagore’s 1901 story “Nastanirh,” known in translation as “The Broken Nest,” and contextualizes it within Tagore’s Bengali writings on Bengali literature. These writings are framed with respect to Tagore’s Anglophone ruminations on language while in China, as well as his interactions with Chinese linguistic reformers such as Hu Shi. Tagore’s 1917 dichotomy between the language of books (পুঁথির ভাষা) and that of speech (মুখের ভাষা) maps intriguingly onto early twentieth-century Chinese vernacularization debates and offers a transnational method for the study of vernacularization that decenters European models.
Feminist Receptions of Medusa: Rethinking Mythological Figures from Ovid to Louise Bogan
Authors: Morse Heidi
Published: June 2018

Since the 1970s, the topic of feminist adaptations of Greco-Roman mythology has been dominated by narratives of revision and retelling from the perspective of female characters, including—via Hélène Cixous—Medusa as a creative muse for women’s writing. Pairing the modernist US poet Louise Bogan’s 1921 lyric “Medusa” with Ovid’s Metamorphoses, this essay asks what modes of women’s engagement with myth have been left out or undertheorized in the wake of feminist critics’ investment in narratives of reclaimed voice. Instead of being a prosopopoeia in which the imagined woman speaks, Bogan’s Medusa is a metonymic figure—the ancient Gorgoneion mask that preceded the woman in myth—whose silent rhetorical force dislodges a literary history of petrified gender relations first consolidated in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. By rethinking Ovidian mythological figures in Bogan’s “Medusa” and related twentieth-century poems by US women writers, this essay identifies alternative modes of feminist revisionist mythmaking.
Piotr Rawicz’sLe Sang du ciel, Heidegger, and the Holocaust as Ontological Experience
Authors: Rose Sven-Erik
Published: June 2018

When Piotr Rawicz’s (1919–82) semi-autobiographical novel Le Sang du ciel (Blood from the Sky) was published in 1961, Rawicz expressly rejected documentary status for his novel and eschewed moral indignation in his self-consciously philosophical and literary treatment of the Nazi genocide. Rawicz rejects moral and historical frameworks because they do not engage the Holocaust on the level he finds most salient: as a terrifying experience of ontological truths about the nature of God, subjectivity, and Being writ large. I situate Rawicz’s novel alongside his pronouncements and theorizations about the Holocaust as an extreme yet paradigmatic experience of ontological truth. Following allusions in the novel to concepts and tropes in the thought of Martin Heidegger, I unearth a provocative dialogue with Heidegger’s postwar anti-humanism and infamous refusal to confront the significance of the Holocaust, arguing that Rawicz brings Heidegger’s anti-humanist ontology and the Nazi genocide into an irreducible intimacy that Heidegger seemed determined to avoid or deny.
Children on the Boat: The Recuperative Work of Postmemory in Short Fiction of the Vietnamese Diaspora
Authors: Kurmann Alexandra , Do Tess
Published: June 2018

In this article we argue that a cohort of French, Canadian, and Australian authors of Vietnamese descent are adapting postmemory narratives to fit the purposes of the 1.5 generation. Linda Lê, Kim Thúy, and Nam Le each displace the Vietnam War to reimagine in its stead, for the first time in Vietnamese diasporic writing, the trauma of the refugee boat journey. Breaking the silence of parents wont to forget, in short fiction they narrativize shared accounts of flight by sea that have until this time remained the domain of autobiography and memoir. Through a process of spectral recuperation, these children of survivors employ the figure of the child to tell the event of their own refugee becoming. Former child refugees recently come of writerly age across a multilingual global diaspora are thus reappropriating an in-between generation’s collective postmemory to form what we call the sub-genre of “the boat narrative.”
A novel rabbit model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy generated by CRISPR/Cas9
Authors: Sui Tingting , Lau Yeh Siang , Liu Di , Liu Tingjun , Xu Li , Gao Yandi , Lai Liangxue , Li Zhanjun , Han Renzhi
Published: June 2018

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked muscle-wasting disorder caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, with an incidence of 1 in 3500 in new male births. Mdx mice are widely used as an animal model for DMD. However, these mice do not faithfully recapitulate DMD patients in many aspects, rendering the preclinical findings in this model questionable. Although larger animal models of DMD, such as dogs and pigs, have been generated, usage of these animals is expensive and only limited to several facilities in the world. Here, we report the generation of a rabbit model of DMD by co-injection of Cas9 mRNA and sgRNA targeting exon 51 into rabbit zygotes. The DMD knockout (KO) rabbits exhibit the typical phenotypes of DMD, including severely impaired physical activity, elevated serum creatine kinase levels, and progressive muscle necrosis and fibrosis. Moreover, clear pathology was also observed in the diaphragm and heart at 5 months of age, similar to DMD patients. Echocardiography recording showed that the DMD KO rabbits had chamber dilation with decreased ejection fraction and fraction shortening. In conclusion, this novel rabbit DMD model generated with the CRISPR/Cas9 system mimics the histopathological and functional defects in DMD patients, and could be valuable for preclinical studies.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Pilot Study of Impact of a Pedal Desk on Postprandial Responses in Sedentary Workers
Authors: HAN HO , LIM JONGIL , VISKOCHIL RICHARD , AGUIAR ELROY J. , TUDOR-LOCKE CATRINE , CHIPKIN STUART R.
Published: June 2018

Physical inactivity has been linked to rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease through insulin resistance and other mechanisms. Although sedentary workplace environments have unintentionally contributed to the risk for chronic diseases, innovations in the workplace environment could potentially rectify this public and occupational health problem.

Purpose

To evaluate the effects of light-intensity physical activity using a pedal desk (PD) compared with a standard desk (STD) in a pilot study on postprandial metabolic responses and work skills.

Methods

Twelve overweight/obese full-time sedentary office workers (six men and six women; body mass index, 28.7 ± 3.6 kg·m−2) were tested in two conditions: 1) PD, pedaling at self-selected light-intensity pace for 2 h and 2) STD, remaining seated for 2 h in a conventional workstation setup while performing scripted computer-based work tasks. Blood samples were analyzed for plasma glucose, insulin, and free-fatty acids in response to a standardized meal and work skills were evaluated. Paired samples t-tests were used to examine the differences in metabolic responses and work performance tasks between the conditions.

Results

Pedal desk use required significantly less insulin to maintain glucose concentrations compared with STD condition (peak insulin concentration, 42.1 μU·mL−1 vs 66.9 μU·mL−1; P = 0.03; and area under the curve, 302.6 vs 441.8 μU·min−1·mL−1; P < 0.001). No significant changes in plasma glucose and free-fatty acid concentrations were observed at any timepoints (all P > 0.05). In addition, pedaling at a self-paced rate caused no adverse effects on work skills (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

The PD resulted in lower postmeal insulin concentrations without an overall negative impact on work skills. Thus, the PD could have the potential to achieve public and occupational health goals in sedentary work environments.
Recent geomorphic evolution of the fan delta of the Mornos river, Greece: natural processes and human impacts
Authors: Karymbalis E. , Gaki-Papanastassiou K. , Maroukian H.
Published: June 2018

The Mornos river fan delta is located on the northern side of the western Gulf of Corinth is a Gilbert-type fan delta with an arcuate form characterised by the abundance of coarse sediments. In order to determine the processes which contributed in the configuration of the fan delta during the last two centuries a detailed geomorphic map was prepared depicting both the deltaic plain and the coastal zone features. Comparative examination of 1945, 1986 and 1998 aerial photographs and reliable maps of the last two centuries along with field observations detected recent changes of the fan delta. The construction of a dam in the upper reaches of the basin in 1980 has significantly decreased the sediment supply downstream and has slackened the growth of the fan delta. After 1980 the eastern distributary has been abandoned causing a 120 m retreat at the river mouth. Although a progradation rate of 4 m/year has been observed for the western active distributary in the period between 1945 and 1986, no remarkable changes have occurred since that period. Additionally, an assessment of the impact of the potential global future sea-level rise to the fan delta is attempted.
Quality of soil and water in deltaic deposits of Louros and Arachthos rivers related to karstic rocks of the wider area
Authors: Papadopoulou K. , Vriniotis D.
Published: June 2018

The present study focuses on the connection between the existing karstic formations and the quality of soil and water in the River Delta area. The hydrological basins of Louros and Arachthos Rivers (NW Greece) are partially developed on karstic rocks. So the soil is enriched with CaC03 and there is a natural supply of Ca++, which originates mainly from the limestone and secondarily from gypsum formations. The value of the Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) of soil is high and in the exchange sites Ca++ ions dominate and Mg++ secondarily. Delta water ofphreatic and confined aquifer contain high Ca++ ion concentrations. The fluctuation of HCO3 values in confined aquifer water is within normal levels. Ions of SO 4 ' that occur in water are derived from the karstic process of gypsum and anhydrite formations. The values ofNa+ and CT content in water are higher in the phreatic aquifer than in ground water. The water in the area of the River Delta is classified as Carbonic water, despite its proximity to the sea. Therefore, the quality of soil and water of the River Delta area is highly related to the karstic process of carbonate formations, mainly of calcareous and secondarily evaporate sediments
Geotechnical foundation conditions of Mesologion swimming pool center
Authors: Douveas N. , Kavadia D. , Papadopoulou P.
Published: June 2018

Although geotechnical tests are standard and commonly used in determining the foundation type to be applied, in some cases the use ofin-situ tests are essential in order to obtain the correct values needed in the geotechnical calculations. In the case of the foundation of Mesologi Swimming-pool Center, an attempt was made to propose a foundation type, suitable from geotechnical point of view, for sediments that lie very close to the sea! The selection of the most suitable foundation type encloses the examination of several parameters. The subsoil there, consists of soft, fine grained, low plasticity materials, CL to SL with alternations of high plasticity clay layers CH. Additionally, the groundwater level is 0,8 meters under the soil surface, demonstrating constant saturation conditions. The combination of soft subsoil layers quality and the high level of groundwater leads to difficult foundation conditions in relation to immediate and secondary consolidation settlement. Geotechnical calculations and calculations of settlement were performed and the most suitable foundation type was semi-compensated mat foundation.
Contribution of geological mapping in road construction: an example from Verta - Kozani National road, Kastania area
Authors: Georgiadis G. A. , Tranos M. D. , Makedon Th. K. , Dimopoulos G. Ch.
Published: June 2018

Road construction is a complex and multipart work that is decisively depended on the geological investigation of the area of interest. The geological investigation, which ought to be carried out from the early stages of the study and construction, contributes significantly in the cost reduction and corresponding increase of the construction safety. The proposed methodology that should be implemented during the geological investigation for this kind of constructions includes geological mapping and construction of geological and engineering geological maps. These maps display, in each case, the necessary data and are supplemented by geological crosssections as well as stereographic projections (e.g. Schmidt diagrams), which evaluate the tectonic conditions of the area and the stability conditions of artificial road slopes. An example of geological investigation based on the above methodology is presented, regarding the Kastania section of the Veria - Kozani (old) national road.
Soil suitability estimation for housing purposes in landslide-prone areas. The case of Karya village, Patras, W. Greece
Authors: Koukis G. , Sabatakakis N. , Lainas S.
Published: June 2018

This paper discusses a method of soil suitability estimation for housing purposes in landslide-prone areas based on engineering geological criteria. The studied places, Karya and Neo Souli villages are located on the eastern part of the city of Patras. Several instability problems were identified triggered by heavy rainfalls, especially during extreme meteorological events. The soil formations were classified in several geotechnical units while typical geotechnical profiles and slip sections were drawn. Limit equilibrium slope stability analyses were established in order to investigate the critical slide conditions, using shear strength parameters estimated from laboratory and in-situ testing. The studied area was finally divided into five zones according to the suitability of the encountered ground regarding housing purposes
The contribution of clay minerals in the landslides occurrence within Pindos flysh formation
Authors: Vacondios I. , Konstantopoulou G. , Karadassi St.
Published: June 2018

An engineering geological investigation of the "Potamouli" area located west of Grevena town, for a water dam foundation, has revealed some geotechnical problems related to landslide phenomena. Landslides are of limited extent in the reservoir area, but significant instabilities were identified within the broad catchment basin. The basin is built up mainly by the chaotic unit of Pindos flysch formation, which consists of a silty clayey matrix with heterogeneous inclusions of rock masses in diverse frequency and size. In order to investigate the major contributing factors to landslide occurrence, several physical properties were measured, with the results suggesting that the overall mechanical behaviour of the unit is determined by the clay matrix properties. The mineral composition of the less than two micron fraction of this material was determined by X-ray diffraction. The clay minerals present are illite and montmorillonite. The percentage of montmorillonite reaches the 10% of the matrix fraction and may exert great influence upon the Atterberg limits, swelling, water adsorption, and shrinkage of the matrix material. Montmorillonite absorbs water between its individual silicate layers with resulting high swelling and low frictional resistance becoming by itself a contributing factor to the failures. The presence of expandable clay minerals within the chaotic unit of the Pindos flysh, may indicate that the remove of loose soil cover from the slopes of the reservoir area during the construction of the dam, may be inadequate for preventing future landslides, and a sealing up process may be needed.
Using the analytic hierarchy process to create an erosion risk map. A case study in Malakasiotiko stream, Trikala perfecture
Authors: Bathrellos G. , Skilodimou H.
Published: June 2018

This study is aimed at the evaluation of the erosion risk at the drainage basin of Malakasiotiko stream in Trikala prefecture, using a Geographic Information System (GIS). A database from six factors that influence erosion namely slope, lithology, drainage density, tectonic features density, land use and rainfall inserted into GIS. Each factor was grouped in various classes. A method known as Analytic Hierarchy Process (ΑΗΡ) was applied to rate the individual classes of each factor and weight the impact of one factor against the other in order to determination their importance to erosion process. The results of the ΑΗΡ application in combination with GIS techniques were used to estimate the overall erosion risk and create the erosion risk map. The study area was divided into three zones of erosion risk. High erosion risk zones are mostly located on the northwest, west and south parts of the drainage basin of Malakasiotiko stream. The erosion risk map of the study area can be a useful geologic and géomorphologie criterion for the land use planning.
Use of GIS and Remote Sensing to detect change along the coastline segment between Shkumbini and Semani rivers, central Albania
Authors: Bedini E.
Published: June 2018

The coastline segment between Shkumbini and Semani rivers, in central Albania, is a very dynamic accumulative coastal environment. The position of the coastline in this segment is investigated with multi-temporal Landsat data of the years 1978-2001 integrated in a geographic information system. The analysis of the multitemporal remote sensing data shows that the coastline of this segment is subject to important changes during this short time interval. The study demonstrates the applicability and usefulness of historical Landsat data for change detection studies of the coastal environment.
Geological-geophysical study for the disign of a hazardous waste landfill in Albania
Authors: Beqiraj A. , Alikaj P. , Lamaj M. , Muceku Y. , Çanga B. , Leka G.
Published: June 2018

Industrial wastes in Albania belong to four main groups: i) wastes from the industrial hot spots, ii) wastes from the old chemical storages, Hi) wastes from mining and ore processing and iiii) wastes from present and future industries. The landfill for hazardous waste is intended as a facility to enable the clean-up of old mostly abandoned industrial sites (the hot spots and other sites), storages of obsolete chemicals and treat and dispose of hazardous waste presently generated in Albanian industry. The technical design of the landfill was anticipated by complex geological study including the geological, geophysical, geotechnical and hydrogeological surveys. All the above surveys aimed to find the best clay terrains with suitable geotechnical and hydrogeological features for the landfill design
Quantitative fault analysis at Arkitsa, Central Greece, using Terrestrial Laser- Scanning ("LIDAR")
Authors: Kokkalas S. , Jones R. R. , McCaffrey K.J. W. , Clegg P.
Published: June 2018

We applied terrestrial laser scanning (ground-based LiDAR) in the Arkitsa fault zone, an area of active extension along the North Evia Gulf in Central Greece. The study area includes well exposed fault surfaces with large accumulated slip and this allowed detailed measurements of the geometry of the fault planes to be acquired. Laser-scan data enable ultra high-resolution three-dimensional digital terrain models of the recently exposed active fault to be created, in order to apply quantitative fault and slip-vector analysis. This study demonstrates the way in which the Arkitsa Fault is segmented on a smaller scale. The variation in dip and strike across individual fault panels is quantified, and shows the extent to which the fault panel surfaces are non-planar. Although the dip of the different fault panels varies considerably, the average orientation of the slip-vectors on the panels are approximately coincident. The fault is steeply oblique sinistral-normal, with average displacement vector plunging 55° towards 340°.
Using GIS & Multicriteria Decision analysis in landslide susceptibility mapping - a case study in Messinia prefecture area (SW Peloponnesus, Greece)
Authors: Ladas I. , Fountoulis I. , Mariolakos I.
Published: June 2018

The purpose of this study is to assess the susceptibility of landslides at the eastern part of Messinia prefecture using GIS and Multicriteria Decision Analysis. Analytic Hierarchy Process and Weighted Linear Combination method were used to create a landslide susceptibility map for the study area. The produced map provides valuable information concerning the stability conditions of the territory and may serve as the first step in a complete hazard assessment towards the mitigation of natural landslide disasters in Messinia Prefecture area. Particularly the intention is to transfer effectively information regarding slope stability to non-geologists who take decisions for future land use planning processes and major construction projects.
Evaluation of ground information with respect to EPB tunnelling for the Thessaloniki metro, Greece
Authors: Marinos P. G. , Novack M. , Benissi M. , Stoumpos G. , Panteliadou M. , Papouli D. , Marinos V. , Korkaris K.
Published: June 2018

The Thessaloniki Metropolitan Railway comprises two separate ~6 m diameter parallel tunnels with an ~8 km stretch each and 13 stations. The geology of the urban area of Thessaloniki is characterised by the presence of Neogene and Quaternary deposits. The base formation for the project area is a very stiff to hard red clay, dating to Upper Miocene-Pliocene. Upon this formation, Quaternary sediments have been deposited, most of which comprise sand and/or gravel in a clay-silt dominated matrix, covered in places by anthropogenic fill. Ground investigation campaigns incorporated a significant number of sampling boreholes and in situ and laboratory testing. This information was elaborated in order to obtain a better geological understanding and a geotechnical zonation of the ground with respect to mechanized tunnelling. EPB M appears to be the reasonable choice for the project in all aspects of tunnel safety and tunnelling performance. The characteristics and parameters of the soils and the hydrogeological regime directed towards this selection and it is expected that all the objectives, such as settlement and ground movements control, water table level maintenance and adequate performance, will be met by an EPBM provided it is properly operated
Application for source parameters calculations as input for static stress changes studies
Authors: Paradisopoulou P. M. , Papadimitriou E. E. , Karakostas V. G. , Kilias A.
Published: June 2018

The study of static Coulomb Stress changes requires initially the collection of information on the major active faults in a study area concerning their geometry and kinematic properties and then a series of complex calculation for stress changes that are associated with both coseismic displacements of the stronger events and the tectonic loading on these major faults. The Coulomb Stress Application has been developed as a tool to provide a user-friendly way of entering the necessary data and an efficient way to perform the complex calculations procedure. More specifically the aim of the application is a) the collection of data (catalogues of earthquakes, fault parameters) in a relational database, b) the calculation of earthquake source parameters such as the length and the width of the causative fault, and the coseismic slip by using available scaling laws, and finally, c) the execution of all the necessary programs and scripts (e.g. dis3dop.exe, GMT package) to get a map of static stress changes for an area. Coulomb Stress application provides a way to store these data for a study area and it is a method to perform a series of calculations by plotting a series of maps and examine the results for a number of cases.
Penitentiary Discourse as an Object of Speech Study
Authors: Шарко Мария , Sharko Mariia
Published: June 2018

Particularly penitentiary discourse contribute to the problematic nature of verbal interaction, potential conflict communication. Characteristics of a penitentiary discourse are status and role positions of participants of communication, their psychological and cultural features, a communication regulation. In the course of speech interaction there can be communicative difficulties caused by psychological, world outlook, cultural distinctions of participants of basic couple. Involvement in a penitentiary discourse causes formation earlier not of peculiar models of speech behavior that allows to consider the convict as special type of the communicative personality. Influence on convictedfrom the employee of penitentiary institution assumes change of views, beliefs, behavior and can cause both passive, and active, including aggressive rejection. Therefore, at communication in the penitentiary discourse the probability of communicative failure is high. Features of a penitentiary discourse cause the problem nature of speech interaction, potentially conflict communication. Knowledge about the peculiarities of the prison discourse in a communicative aspect aimed at developing the ability to predict the response of the interlocutor to some action, to adjust their own speech behavior, select the desired method of exposure. Research of a penitentiary discourse from the standpoint of communication theory: definition of typical situations of emergence of difficulties in communication, differentiation of conflict and problem communication, the characteristic of the convict as communicative personality, identification and classification of communicative problems, their markers (communicative misses, mistakes) — can create theoretical base of professionally focused communicative training of staff of penitentiary institutions that will probably promote formation of professional competence.
Supervenience, Dependence, Disjunction
Authors: Humberstone Lloyd
Published: June 2018

This paper explores variations on and connections between the topics mentioned in its title, using as something of an anchor the discussion in Valentin Goranko and Antti Kuusisto’s “Logics for propositional determinacy and independence”, a venture into what the authors call the logic of determinacy, which they contrast with (a demodalized version of) Jouko Väänänen’s modal dependence logic. As they make clear in their discussion, these logics are closely connected with the topics of noncontingency and supervenience. Two opening sections of the present paper address some of these connections, including related earlier logical work by the present author as well as very recent work by Jie Fan. The Väänänen-inspired treatment is presented in a third section, and then, in Sections 4 and 5, as a kind of centerpiece for the discussion, we follow Goranko and Kuusisto in elaborating one principal reason offered for preferring their own approach over that treatment, which concerns some anomalies over the behaviour of disjunction in the latter treatment. Sections 6 and 7 look at dependence and (several different versions of) disjunction in inquisitive logic, especially as presented by Ivano Ciardelli. Section 8 revisits the less formal property-supervenience literature with issues from the first two sections of the paper in mind, and we conclude with a Postscript addressing a further conceptual issue pertaining to the relation between modal and quantificational dependence logics.
Are Our Students Prepared? The Impact of Capstone Design Pedagogical Approaches on Student Skill Development During Industry-Sponsored Fieldwork
Authors: Konrad Renata , Hall-Phillips Adrienne , Vila-Parrish Anita R.
Published: June 2018

Capstone design courses are field-based courses in which students work on real-world industry-sponsored projects. The structure of engineering capstone design courses varies between institutions as well as within an institution in the context of faculty engagement, industry involvement, and course learning objectives. We present a summary of an ongoing study focused on assessing engineering skills prefieldwork and postfieldwork experience at two institutions with different course structures in their respective industrial engineering programs. Our research goals are twofold: (1) to develop a framework for measuring the changes in students’ engineering skills during their capstone course and determine how these skills align with industry expectations and (2) to explore how differences in capstone course delivery impact the capstone experience. We developed two assessment instruments, one that involves student self-assessment across a set of engineering skills, and one with which the industry partners involved with mentoring participants in the projects evaluate the same students’ engineering skills using the same assessment items. The results of this case study inform educators on students’ perceived skill levels as well as industry expectations of a newly graduated engineer’s performance across a range of skills deemed important for workplace success. We also discuss the impact of pedagogical approaches and fieldwork course structures on skill development and project success.
The Stochastic Container Relocation Problem
Authors: Galle V. , Manshadi V. H. , Boroujeni S. Borjian , Barnhart C. , Jaillet P.
Published: June 2018

The container relocation problem (CRP) is concerned with finding a sequence of moves of containers that minimizes the number of relocations needed to retrieve all containers, while respecting a given order of retrieval. However, the assumption of knowing the full retrieval order of containers is particularly unrealistic in real operations. This paper studies the stochastic CRP, which relaxes this assumption. A new multistage stochastic model, called the batch model, is introduced, motivated, and compared with an existing model (the online model). The two main contributions are an optimal algorithm called Pruning-Best-First-Search (PBFS) and a randomized approximate algorithm called PBFS-Approximate with a bounded average error. Both algorithms, applicable in the batch and online models, are based on a new family of lower bounds for which we show some theoretical properties. Moreover, we introduce two new heuristics outperforming the best existing heuristics. Algorithms, bounds, and heuristics are tested in an extensive computational section. Finally, based on strong computational evidence, we conjecture the optimality of the “leveling” heuristic in a special “no information” case, where, at any retrieval stage, any of the remaining containers is equally likely to be retrieved next.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2018.0828 .
Anthropos/o animal: A desconstrução do antropo-logismo e o problema das fronteiras
Authors: Serra Alice Mara
Published: June 2018

Esse texto enfoca o problema dos limites ou fronteiras via dois temas queconvergem em escritos de Jacques Derrida: a questão dos fins do homem e oproblema das limitrofias entre o humano e o animal. Para tanto, primeiramenteserão discutidos argumentos do texto de Derrida Os fins do homem, escrito em1968 e publicado em Margens da Filosofia (1972). Será indicado como Derridacorrelaciona as noções de fim e limite neste texto, através da desconstruçãode interpretações antropologistas imputadas a Hegel, Husserl e Heidegger.Finalmente, será mostrado como as noções de fim do homem e limites dohumano/ limites do animal desdobram-se mais tarde, quando Derrida reelaboraa questão das fronteiras, suas transgressões e diferenças nos textos: Aporias:Morrer – esperar-se nos limites da verdade (1994); O animal que logo sou (1999);A besta e o soberano (2001).
Estágio curricular da licenciatura como um contexto de pesquisa sobre formação inicial do professor
Authors: Silva Wagner Rodrigues , Oliveira Eliane De Jesus
Published: June 2018

Investigamos a construção do estágio curricular das licenciaturas como um contexto de pesquisa científica desenvolvida na Linguística Aplicada (LA). Para esse propósito, desenvolvemos uma análise comparativa entre alguns trabalhos acadêmicos sobre o assunto, elaborados no referido campo aplicado e na Ciência da Educação. Este estudo é caracterizado como uma pesquisa bibliográfica comparativa, orientada pela abordagem qualitativa. Os referidos campos do conhecimento compartilham do contexto de pesquisa focalizado; porém, as pesquisas em LA são particularizadas por situar a linguagem no centro das questões investigadas e por diferentes perspectivas indisciplinares.
Laser treatment of tattoos: procedures and protocols for safe and effective removal
Authors: Conroy Frank
Published: June 2018

Over the last two decades, tattoos have become increasingly popular. However, tattoos that were once very much wanted can sometimes turn into marks of regret, with patients often seeking treatments to remove them. This review covers the fundamentals of laser tattoo removal. It introduces the novice practitioner to the principles of laser tattoo removal, examining the physics governing the treatment, the assessment of tattoos and the factors influencing their successful removal. The article also covers some novel ways of treating tattoos more efficiently by using a multilaser approach.
Online forums: a great source of support, but no substitute for human interaction
Authors: Senior Amy
Published: June 2018

Becoming a member of an online forum has its perks, but with increasing numbers of posts and responses, practitioners can often be overwhelmed with often conflicting information. Professional associations cannot always immediately address members' concerns, but their advice is provided by reputable, experienced nurses. Amy Senior asks whether these associations have a place in aesthetics
Why men should reconsider practice nursing as a career
Authors: Buckley Thomas
Published: June 2018

Thomas Buckley explains why being a man shouldn't be a barrier to working as a nurse in general practice
The ebb and flow of female homoeroticism in the online Chinese queer fandom of Super Voice Girl (2006)
Authors: Zhao Jamie J.
Published: June 2018

Super Voice Girl (SVG) was an Idol-style Chinese reality show that allowed only female contestants. The show became famous worldwide for featuring gender-nonconforming contestants. This article examines the rise and fall of the most popular online Chinese queer fandom of the 2006 SVG in the forum feise chaonv (FSCN). I focus on the fans’ ambivalent play with Chinese-specific female homoerotic imaginaries that initially popularized and protected but eventually led to the decay of FSCN as a queer fantasy space. First, I look at the subtle ways in which the 2006 SVG tactically normalized the female homoerotic imaginaries surrounding its tomboyish national finalists. Then, I examine FSCN fans’ struggles with both this female homoeroticism and the stigmatization of real-world lesbianism. I demonstrate that the fictional imagination of female homoeroticism sustained FSCN as a popular queer fantasy space after the show ended. Additionally, I detail the fans’ self-contradictory reactions to several real-life lesbian incidents involving the finalists that gradually came to light in the post-show years. I argue that the fans’ confinement of female homoeroticism to a youthful, memorable fantasy scenario that was substantially shaped by both Chinese mainstream and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender cultures eventually contributed to the abrupt end of FSCN’s queer-themed practices.
Drift report from Downtown LA
Authors: Ford Laura Grace
Published: June 2018

In March 2016 I walked around Downtown LA in an attempt to move beyond a neutralized contemporary version of psychogeography with its subjective, personalized relationship to space, towards an engagement with collective intensities held in the fabric of the place. The 3000 word text generated from these walks has drawn on earlier drawings, photographs, notes and recordings of the architectural ruins and social conditions left in the wake of deregulated capital. It maps a web of tactics and strategies undermining gentrification; points of intensity/contested sites include MacArthur Park, Skid Row, Union Station, Bradbury Building, Grand Central Market and the abandoned cinemas of Broadway.
Espials (Xtofer Marlowe in London)
Authors: McDevitt Niall
Published: June 2018

Niall McDevitt and Simon King’s joint Poetopography/Walkative explorations of Christopher Marlowe’s life and death in London prove the starting point for McDevitt’s retelling of the Marlowe myth and its astonishing relevance to the major issues of today. Two sites in particular – the Dutch Church in Broadgate where an anti-immigrant verse diatribe signed ‘Tamburlaine’ was pinned to the door on 5 May 1593, and Deptford Strand where Marlowe was murdered on 30 May 1593 and where the inquest took place two days later – prove especially mind-boggling. Many Marlovians believe there was a cover-up; and the tragic loss of one of the most brilliant poets in English literature still festers. The terrain cries for redress. A Los Angeles parallelogram is erected with the help of occasional allusions to Raymond Chandler’s fictional detective Philip Marlowe, named after the Elizabethan poets Philip Sidney and Christopher Marlowe. King chose the novel Farewell My Lovely as bibliomantic aid, the title of which seemed suitably elegiac, and which also furnished a succinct phrase to describe the general methodology of this book: leg art. We are all Marlowes, literary gumshoes.