bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dispositivos Artísticos e Vigilantes: as Estratégias Estéticas da Software Art
Authors: Nascimento Liliane Da Costa
Published: April 2018

Este artigo parte da premissa de que um segmento significativo da produção artística contemporânea abrigado sob a égide da software art se refere à busca por re-agenciar a funcionalidade segmentada dos softwares com que interagimos cotidianamente, de modo a elucidar os subtextos políticos e estéticos inerentes a seu uso. Desta forma, nos dedicaremos aqui à análise de um projeto em especial, o Carnivore PE, que nasceu de uma subversão do software homônimo, usado pelo Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) para vigilância eletrônica. Em um primeiro momento identificaremos o tipo de vigilância tematizado por estas práticas. Em seguida buscaremos, através do estudo dos clientes do Carnivore PE, as implicações e estratégias estéticas implícitas à passagem dos dispositivos vigilantes aos artísticos.
Mente/mente humana Virtual/atual
Authors: Drigo Maria Ogécia
Published: April 2018

Com o propósito de explicar a mente humana como uma atualização da mente, segundo as idéias de Charles Sanders Peirce, relata-se, inicialmente, resultados de uma pesquisa teórica empreendida para comprovar que a semiose, na mente humana, se constitui como um processo auto-organizativo e, em seguida, trata-se do par virtual/atual e a sua relação com a terceiridade, uma das categorias da fenomenologia peirceana.
Telenovela Projeção, identidade e identificação na modernidade líquida
Authors: Maia Aline Silva Correa
Published: April 2018

A partir da relação personagem de novela x sociedade, pretendemos evidenciar o papel dos meios de comunicação, especificamente da televisão, na configuração dos indivíduos e, por extensão, das estruturas sociais. Uma vez que as relações entre sujeitos são cada vez mais mediadas, percebemos a importância em apontar como um personagem ficcional é capaz de formar opiniões, ditar comportamentos e reforçar papéis sociais. A fim de compreender a produção de sentidos impetrada pelas figuras dramáticas construídas para e na TV, empreenderemos breve revisão bibliográfica de autores que analisam questões referentes às identidades no período de modernidade líquida, assim como analisaremos, particularmente, a simpatia e a identificação provocadas no público pela personagem interpretada por Camila Pitanga na novela Paraíso Tropical, exibida pela TV Globo.
Mortality pattern in Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Center in Western Nepal
Authors: Shakya Raju Prasad , Adhikari Suraj , Munankami Salina
Published: April 2018

Background : There is abundance of evidence regarding various aspects of mortality in emergency department from different parts of world but there is limited number of studies on mortality in context of western Nepal. The objectives of this analysis were to review the demographical pattern of mortalities and define the cause and frequency of death in the Emergency Department (ED) of our institute within 24 hours of treatment process.Material and Methods : A retrospective study was carried out evaluating all patients who died during the treatment process in the Emergency Department of Lumbini Medical College in a three and half year of period from January 2014 to June 2017.Results : A total of 33,472 patients attended to ED with mortality rate of 36.4%, 33.6% and 28.2% on consecutive three years in which 110 deaths occurred. There were 66 (60%) male and 44 (40%) female. The highest mortality was seen after age of 60 years (range 2 month to 90 year). Non-communicable causes & stroke deaths were found to be higher in number. Most of our patient n=52 (47.3%) death occurred within 6-12 hours of admission in ED.Conclusion : Mortality within 24 hours of presentation at ED remains high. Well organized emergency setup, transport, development of protocol as well as new guideline will definitely help in reducing hospital mortalities.Journal of Nobel Medical CollegeVolume 6, Number 2, Issue 11 (July-December, 2017) Page:48-52
Stillbirths - Determining the associated factors and causes according to relevant condition at death: an experience from Pokhara, Nepal
Authors: Shrestha Junu , Shrestha Rami , Gurung Sonam
Published: April 2018

Background: Stillbirth contributes significantly to perinatal mortality. This study was conducted with aim to determine various factors associated with it and to define the causes of stillbirth according to relevant condition at birth.Materials and Methods :This is prospective cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Manipal Teaching Hospital from July 2015 to June 2017. All cases of stillbirth occurring during antenatal or intrapartum period after 28 weeks of gestation or fetus weighing 1000 grams or more were included. Detailed demographic parameters were noted. After delivery, fetus, placenta, umbilical cord and amniotic fluid were noted in detail. Data was entered in SPSS version 16 and analysis done.Results: The stillbirth rate was 22 per 1000 births. Low educational level of women, lack of antenatal care, multiparous status, gestational age less than 34 weeks, low birth weight and male gender of fetus were found to be significantly associated with stillbirths. The cause of fetal death could be identified according to relevant condition at death in 84% of cases. Only in 16%, the cause of stillbirth was not identified. Intrauterine growth restriction was the commonest cause of stillbirth (22%), followed by congenital anomalies (15%) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (14%). Other causes were abruptio (7%), intrapartum asphyxia (7%) and rupture uterus (5%). Other minor causes were anemia, diabetes, cord prolapse and amniotic fluid abnormalities.Conclusion :Low level of education, lack of quality antenatal care, multiparity, low gestational age and birth weight and male sex of fetus were factors associated with stillbirth. The cause of stillbirth was identified in most of the cases and largely was due to intrauterine growth restriction.Journal of Nobel Medical CollegeVolume 6, Number 2, Issue 11, July-December 2017, 58-65
Cytological evaluation of breast lesion and its histopathological correlation in a tertiary care center
Authors: Das Manish Kumar , Koirala Ashok
Published: April 2018

Background : Breast cancer is one of the commonest cancers in female. FNAC is safe and cost affective screening test for breast lump having both high sensitivity and specificity. Our aim is evaluation of diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology [FNAC] in diagnosis of breast lesions.Material and Methods: All male and female patients with breast lesion were subjected to cytological evaluation of which many were followed up with histopathological evaluation to assess the diagnostic accuracy of FNAC.Results : Out of 1088 cases diagnosed on FNAC, 703 cases (64.61%) were benign and 232 cases (21.3%) were found to be malignant. In our study the most common benign lesion was fibroadenoma and commonest malignant lesion was Duct carcinoma. Maximum cases of breast lesions in females were in the age group of 21- 30 years followed by age group of 31- 40 years. While maximum cases in males were in the age group of 31-40 years & 61-70 years. The sensitivity and specificity of FNAC for cyto-histo correlation were found to be 97.16% and 92.83% respectively.Conclusion : FNAC is a highly sensitive and specific test for diagnosis and categorization of breast lesions into different categories of neoplastic and non-neoplastic breast lesions.Journal of Nobel Medical College  Volume 6, Number 2, Issue 11, July-December 2017, 66-71
The Dynamic Theory of Homicide: Adverse Social Conditions and Formal Social Control as Factors Explaining the Variations of the Homicide Rate in 145 Countries
Authors: Ouimet Marc , Langlade Aurélien , Chabot Claire
Published: April 2018

Cross-national comparisons of crime across the world consistently show that homicide rates are higher in more impoverished countries. However, the role of formal social controls as mediators between social conditions and homicide has never been investigated across a large number of countries. To provide data on the efficiency of criminal justice systems across the world, we found 1,223 experts and had them fill out a questionnaire, providing data for 145 countries. Results from structural equations models (Amos) show that adverse social conditions (collective and individual poverty, inequality, and youthfulness of the population) downwardly affect the level of formal social control (application of the rule of law, low corruption rate, effectiveness of the criminal justice system, and satisfaction with the criminal justice agencies). Low levels of formal social control lead to higher levels of homicide. In other words, the effect of adverse social conditions on homicide is mediated by formal social control.
The Role of Defendant Race and Racially Charged Media in Canadian Mock Juror Decision Making
Authors: McManus Laura , Maeder Evelyn , Yamamoto Susan
Published: April 2018

This study examined the influence of defendant race and race salience (manipulated via racially charged media) on Canadian mock jurors' judgements. Two hundred ten jury-eligible Canadian online participants read a racially charged (general or specific to the defendant's race) or neutral article followed by a trial transcript that involved dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and impaired driving charges against a White, Black, or Indigenous defendant. Diverging from previous findings, this study did not find effects of defendant race or race salience on verdict judgements or causal attributions. However, when race is not a central feature of the case, making race salient outside the trial may increase levels of racial bias for some mock jurors. When the defendant was Black, a race-specific article appeared to backfire, producing the harshest sentencing recommendation compared to race-neutral and general race articles. Conversely, for the Indigenous defendant, any mention of race produced harsher recommended sentences relative to no mention of race. Results do not seem to parallel those found in U.S. race-salience studies. Rather, this specific race-salience technique may be detrimental to a minority defendant's case in a Canadian context.
Carbon Nanotube-Supported Amorphous Co–B for Hydrogenation of M-chloronitrobenzene
Authors: Li Feng , Zhu Wenxi , Liang Jinrong , Song Hua , Wang Keliang , Li Cuiqin
Published: April 2018

A series of carbon nanotube (CNT)-supported amorphous Co–B alloy catalysts were prepared by selectively depositing Co–B particles inside and/or outside of CNTs. The effects of the nanotubular structure on the physiochemical properties of the amorphous Co–B alloys were studied. It was found that the internal loading enhanced the thermal stability of the amorphous Co–B alloys and inhibited the loss of Co compared with the external loading. The internal loading also increased the proportion of elemental Co in the Co–B alloys, while the loading method did not change the valence states of either Co or B. The internally loaded Co–B particles exhibited higher hydrogenation activity for m-chloronitrobenzene ( m-CNB) than the externally loaded analogue. The kinetics of m-CNB hydrogenation were also studied.
Socio-demographic Characteristics of Hepato-cellular Carcinoma Patients attended at Tertiary Care Hospital in Dhaka City
Authors: Hossain Md Akter , Huq Md Saiful , Ahmad Ashfaq
Published: April 2018

Background: The hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common tumor.Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to see the socio-economic characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma patients.Methodology: This cross sectional study was carried out in the Department of Radiology and Imaging in Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka and Banghabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka from January 2007 to May 2008 for a period of around one and half year. All the patients presented with hepatocellular carcinoma at the age group of more than 20 years with both sexes were selected as study population. The patients were undergone CT-scan examination and the confirmation was performed by histopathological examination.Result: A total number of 50 patients were recruited in this study after fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Mean age of my study was 48.78 and SD ± 12.07. Out of 50 patients 43(86%) were male and 7(14%) female. Cultivator was 42% followed by service holder. Medical personnel were 2%. Illiterate group was the top of the list with 40% and most educated was 4%.Conclusion: In conclusion the hepatocellular carcinoma is most commonly occurred in middle age group with a predominance of male.Journal of Current and Advance Medical Research 2016;3(2):39-42
Major Gynaecological Operation Performed at Medical University of Bangladesh: Experience of 140 Cases
Authors: Khatun Mahmuda , Banu Dewan Sahida , Sultana Rifat , Millat Md Asadul , Mondal Dipika Rani , Mahmud Shahabuddin , Chowdhury Faiza
Published: April 2018

Background: Major gynaecological operations are frequently performed for the treatment of different surgical causes.Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to see the surgical outcomes of different major gynaecological operation performed at medical university of Bangladesh.Methodology: This descriptive type of cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka from August 2002 to January 2003 for a period of six (6) months. All the women who were undergone major gynaecological operation at any were selected as study population. Minor gynaecological operation cases were excluded from this study. The data were collected by face to face interview. The age, weight, socio-economic condition, nutritional status and anaemia were recorded.Result: A total number of 140 patients were undergone major gynaecological surgeries of which majority were abdominal hysterectomy (57.1%), vaginal hysterectomy (24.3%), salpingo-oophorectomy or ovarian cystectomy (9.3%). The mean age with SD of the study population was 43.91± 9.45 years. Majority were presented with mild anaemia (51.4%). Majority were free of wound infection (92.8%).Conclusion: In conclusion abdominal hysterectomy is the most common major gynaecological operation performed with few wound infection rate.Journal of Current and Advance Medical Research, July 2016;3(2):47-50
An Update of Pitted Keratolysis: A Review
Authors: Hoque Tania , Uddin Bhuiya Mohammad Mahatab
Published: April 2018

Pitted keratolysis is a bacterial infection of the soles of the feet or less commonly, the palms of the hands. Pitted keratolysis is easily identified by its shallow, crater-like pits. Collection of specimen using swab may be helpful to identify causative bacteria and skin scraping is often taken to exclude fungal infection. The diagnosis is sometimes made by skin biopsy revealing characteristic histopathological feature of Pitted Keratolysis. Treatment generally consists of hygienic measures, sometimes supplemented by medication and perhaps on oral medication. This review is aimed to consolidate present information about aetiopathogenesis, diagnosis and management of Pitted Keratolysis. It is worth mentioning that Pitted Keratolysis is non-contagious.Journal of Current and Advance Medical Research 2017;4(1):27-30
Common Factors Responsible for Uncontrolled Epilepsy Patients attended at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangladesh
Authors: Mian Md Ferdous , Hussain Mohammad Enayet , Islam Md Nahidul , Khan AFM Al Masum , Chowdhury Rajib Nayan , Habib Mansur , Mohammad Quazi Deen
Published: April 2018

Background: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder. It is estimated that there are at least 1.5 to 2 million epilepsy patients in Bangladesh3. Many of these patients are suffering from uncontrolled epilepsy which leads to cognitive deterioration, psychosocial dysfunction and increased morbidity and mortality. The causes behind uncontrolled epilepsy are multifactorial. Some are patient-related, some physician-related and some are medication-related.Objective: The purpose of the present study was to identify the factors responsible for uncontrolled epilepsy.Methodology: This case-control study was carried out in the epilepsy clinic of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from July 2010 to June 2012 (2 years). A total of 100 patients of which 50 consecutive patients of uncontrolled epilepsy (cases) and 50 age-matched controls with well controlled epilepsy (control) were recruited. Patients were interviewed according to a preformed questionnaire.Results: The mean ages of case and control groups were 21.84 ± 8.70 and 23.94 ± 10.28 years (p=0.273). The male female ratio was almost equal in both groups. The factors which turned out significant (p value <0.05) for uncontrolled epilepsy were lack of support from the family (p=0.032), lack of motivation about the disease (p=0.001), unavailability of drugs (p=0.001), irregular intake of anti-epileptic drugs (p=0.001), stopping AEDs willingly after transient control of seizures (p=0.001), lack of knowledge about the disease (p=0.003), treatment duration (p=0.005) & prognosis of the disease (p=0.026). Other factors were low annual income of the family (p=0.001), occupation (p=0.040), lower educational status (p=0.027) and residence in rural area (p=0.016). Important patient related factors were earlier age of onset of seizure (p=0.027), higher initial seizure frequency (p=0.012), associated clinical features (neurological deficits, mental retardation, behavioral abnormality) (p=0.030), abnormal brain imaging findings (p=0.013) and non response to first anti epileptic drug (p=0.005).Conclusion: Many of the factors behind uncontrolled epilepsy can be minimized by proper counseling of the patient at the start of treatment and regular follow up.Journal of National Institute of Neurosciences Bangladesh, 2017;3(1): 42-47
Naturalness and Animal Welfare
Authors: Yeates James
Published: April 2018

Naturalness is considered important for animals, and is one criterion for assessing how we care for them. However, it is a vague and ambiguous term, which needs definition and assessments suitable for scientific and ethical questions. This paper makes a start on that aim. This paper differentiates the term from other related concepts, such as species-typical behaviour and wellbeing. It identifies contingent ways in which naturalness might be used, as: (i) prompts for further welfare assessment; (ii) a plausible hypothesis for what safeguards wellbeing; (iii) a threshold for what is acceptable; (iv) constraints on what improvements are unacceptable; and (v) demarcating what is not morally wrong, because of a lack of human agency. It then suggests an approach to evaluating animals’ behaviour that is quantitative, is based on reality, and which assesses naturalness by degrees. It proposes classing unaffected wild populations as natural by definition. Where animals might have been affected by humans, they should be compared to the closest population(s) of unaffected animals. This approach could allow us both to assess naturalness scientifically, and to make practical decisions about the behaviour of domestic animals.
Atmospheric Distribution of PAHs and Quinones in the Gas and PM1 Phases in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Mexico: Sources and Health Risk
Authors: Ojeda-Castillo Valeria , López-López Alberto , Hernández-Mena Leonel , Murillo-Tovar Mario , Díaz-Torres José , Hernández-Paniagua Iván , Del Real-Olvera Jorge , León-Becerril Elizabeth
Published: April 2018

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and quinones in the gas phase and as submicron particles raise concerns due to their potentially carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. The majority of existing studies have investigated the formation of quinones, but it is also important to consider both the primary and secondary sources to estimate their contributions. The objectives of this study were to characterize PAHs and quinones in the gas and particulate matter (PM1) phases in order to identify phase distributions, sources, and cancer risk at two urban monitoring sites in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (GMA) in Mexico. The simultaneous gas and PM1 phases samples were analyzed using a gas chromatography–mass spectrometer. The lifetime lung cancer risk (LCR) due to PAH exposure was calculated to be 1.7 × 10−3, higher than the recommended risk value of 10−6, indicating a potential health hazard. Correlations between parent PAHs, criteria pollutants, and meteorological parameters suggest that primary sources are the main contributors to the Σ8 Quinones concentrations in PM1, while the secondary formation of 5,12-naphthacenequinone and 9,10-anthraquinone may contribute less to the observed concentration of quinones. Additionally, naphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, and anthracene in PM1, suggest photochemical degradation into unidentified species. Further research is needed to determine how these compounds are formed.
The Validity of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Recordings of Visuospatial Working Memory Processes in Humans
Authors: Witmer Joëlle , Aeschlimann Eva , Metz Andreas , Troche Stefan , Rammsayer Thomas
Published: April 2018

Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is increasingly used for investigating cognitive processes. To provide converging evidence for the validity of fNIRS recordings in cognitive neuroscience, we investigated functional activation in the frontal cortex in 43 participants during the processing of a visuospatial working memory (WM) task and a sensory duration discrimination (DD) task functionally unrelated to WM. To distinguish WM-related processes from a general effect of increased task demand, we applied an adaptive approach, which ensured that subjective task demand was virtually identical for all individuals and across both tasks. Our specified region of interest covered Brodmann Area 8 of the left hemisphere, known for its important role in the execution of WM processes. Functional activation, as indicated by an increase of oxygenated and a decrease of deoxygenated hemoglobin, was shown for the WM task, but not in the DD task. The overall pattern of results indicated that hemodynamic responses recorded by fNIRS are sensitive to specific visuospatial WM capacity-related processes and do not reflect a general effect of increased task demand. In addition, the finding that no such functional activation could be shown for participants with far above-average mental ability suggested different cognitive processes adopted by this latter group.
Multiple Sclerosis Identification Based on Fractional Fourier Entropy and a Modified Jaya Algorithm
Authors: Wang Shui-Hua , Cheng Hong , Phillips Preetha , Zhang Yu-Dong
Published: April 2018

Aim: Currently, identifying multiple sclerosis (MS) by human experts may come across the problem of “normal-appearing white matter”, which causes a low sensitivity. Methods: In this study, we presented a computer vision based approached to identify MS in an automatic way. This proposed method first extracted the fractional Fourier entropy map from a specified brain image. Afterwards, it sent the features to a multilayer perceptron trained by a proposed improved parameter-free Jaya algorithm. We used cost-sensitivity learning to handle the imbalanced data problem. Results: The 10 × 10-fold cross validation showed our method yielded a sensitivity of 97.40 ± 0.60%, a specificity of 97.39 ± 0.65%, and an accuracy of 97.39 ± 0.59%. Conclusions: We validated by experiments that the proposed improved Jaya performs better than plain Jaya algorithm and other latest bioinspired algorithms in terms of classification performance and training speed. In addition, our method is superior to four state-of-the-art MS identification approaches.
Total-Factor Energy Efficiency in China’s Agricultural Sector: Trends, Disparities and Potentials
Authors: Yang Zhihai , Wang Dong , Du Tianyi , Zhang Anlu , Zhou Yixiao
Published: April 2018

This paper investigates total-factor energy efficiency and analyses the trends of the efficiency changes in China’s agricultural production across 30 provinces and three regions from 2001 to 2011, based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. The potential amount of energy savings and five potential factors for energy efficiency improvement are also empirically studied by Tobit regression model. The findings show that (1) total-factor energy efficiency in China’s agricultural sector is increasing over years but performs heterogeneously across regions; (2) agriculture intensive regions and energy abundant provinces tend to be relatively energy inefficient in agricultural production; and (3) economic structure, agricultural production structure, technological progress and income effect are major potentials for improving energy efficiency, whereas energy price is not a significant factor. This phenomenon results from the divergence of economic development, endowment effects as well as the scale of agricultural production. Policy implications drawn from this research are to upgrade industrial structure and promote agricultural transformation to enhance farmers’ income as well as to establish a land market with entitling land property rights to farmers. This conclusion can assist to form more scientific rural energy policy decision-making in China and also can be extended to other developing economies for sustainable agriculture.
Short-Term Wind Power Forecasting Based on Clustering Pre-Calculated CFD Method
Authors: Wang Yimei , Liu Yongqian , Li Li , Infield David , Han Shuang
Published: April 2018

To meet the increasing wind power forecasting (WPF) demands of newly built wind farms without historical data, physical WPF methods are widely used. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) pre-calculated flow fields (CPFF)-based WPF is a promising physical approach, which can balance well the competing demands of computational efficiency and accuracy. To enhance its adaptability for wind farms in complex terrain, a WPF method combining wind turbine clustering with CPFF is first proposed where the wind turbines in the wind farm are clustered and a forecasting is undertaken for each cluster. K-means, hierarchical agglomerative and spectral analysis methods are used to establish the wind turbine clustering models. The Silhouette Coefficient, Calinski-Harabaz index and within-between index are proposed as criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of the established clustering models. Based on different clustering methods and schemes, various clustering databases are built for clustering pre-calculated CFD (CPCC)-based short-term WPF. For the wind farm case studied, clustering evaluation criteria show that hierarchical agglomerative clustering has reasonable results, spectral clustering is better and K-means gives the best performance. The WPF results produced by different clustering databases also prove the effectiveness of the three evaluation criteria in turn. The newly developed CPCC model has a much higher WPF accuracy than the CPFF model without using clustering techniques, both on temporal and spatial scales. The research provides supports for both the development and improvement of short-term physical WPF systems.
3D Simulation of a Loss of Vacuum Accident (LOVA) in ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor): Evaluation of Static Pressure, Mach Number, and Friction Velocity
Authors: Ciparisse Jean-François , Rossi Riccardo , Malizia Andrea , Gaudio Pasquale
Published: April 2018

ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is a magnetically confined plasma nuclear reactor. Inside it, due to plasma disruptions, the formation of neutron-activated powders, which are essentially made out of tungsten and beryllium, occurs. As many windows for diagnostics are present on the reactor, which operates at very low pressure, a LOVA (Loss of Vacuum Accident) could be possible and may lead to dust mobilisation and a toxic and radioactive fallout inside the plant. This study is aimed at reproducing numerically the first seconds of a LOVA in ITER, in order to get information about the dust resuspension risk. This work has been carried out by means of a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation of the beginning of the pressurisation transient inside the whole Tokamak. It has been found that the pressurization transient is extremely slow, and that the friction speed on the walls is very high, and therefore a high mobilization risk of the dust is expected on the entire internal surface of the reactor. It has been observed that a LOVA in a real-scale reactor is more severe than the one reproduced in reduced-scale facilities, as STARDUST-U, because the speeds are higher, and the dust resuspension capacity of the flow is greater.
Efficient Bacteria Inactivation by Ultrasound in Municipal Wastewater
Authors: Amabilis-Sosa Leonel Ernesto , Vázquez-López Monserrat , Rojas Juan L. García , Roé-Sosa Adriana , Moeller-Chávez Gabriela E.
Published: April 2018

The reuse of treated wastewaters could contribute to reducing water stress. In this research, ultrasound application on bacterial inactivation in municipal wastewater (MWW) was evaluated. Total and fecal coliforms were used as standard fecal indicators; volatile suspended solids (VSS) were analyzed too. Samples were taken from the effluent of secondary clarifiers. In addition, inactivation tests were carried out on pure cultures of E. coli (EC) and B. subtilis (BS). Sonication was performed at 20 kHz, 35% amplitude and 600 W/L for 15, 30 and 45 min. After 15 min of sonication, bacterial density was reduced by 1.85 Log10 MPN/100 mL for EC and 3.16 Log10 CFU/mL for BS. After 30 min, no CFU/mL of BS were observed in MWW and, after 45 min, the reduction of total and fecal coliforms was practically 6.45 Log10 MPN/100mL. Inactivation mechanism was made by cavitation, which causes irreversible damage to the cell wall. Although high bacterial densities were employed, percentages of inactivation >99% were reached at 45 min. This research contributes to the implementation of ultrasound as a disinfection technique with high potential due to its high efficiency without producing byproducts. In fact, the water meets the guidelines for reuse in direct human contact services.
Identification of a WNT5A-Responsive Degradation Domain in the Kinesin Superfamily Protein KIF26B
Authors: Karuna Edith , Choi Shannon , Scales Michael , Hum Jennie , Cohen Michael , Fierro Fernando , Ho Hsin-Yi
Published: April 2018

Noncanonical WNT pathways function independently of the β-catenin transcriptional co-activator to regulate diverse morphogenetic and pathogenic processes. Recent studies showed that noncanonical WNTs, such as WNT5A, can signal the degradation of several downstream effectors, thereby modulating these effectors’ cellular activities. The protein domain(s) that mediates the WNT5A-dependent degradation response, however, has not been identified. By coupling protein mutagenesis experiments with a flow cytometry-based degradation reporter assay, we have defined a protein domain in the kinesin superfamily protein KIF26B that is essential for WNT5A-dependent degradation. We found that a human disease-causing KIF26B mutation located at a conserved amino acid within this domain compromises the ability of WNT5A to induce KIF26B degradation. Using pharmacological perturbation, we further uncovered a role of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) in WNT5A regulation of KIF26B degradation. Lastly, based on the identification of the WNT5A-responsive domain, we developed a new reporter system that allows for efficient profiling of WNT5A-KIF26B signaling activity in both somatic and stem cells. In conclusion, our study identifies a new protein domain that mediates WNT5A-dependent degradation of KIF26B and provides a new tool for functional characterization of noncanonical WNT5A signaling in cells.
Correcting Calcium Dysregulation in Chronic Heart Failure Using SERCA2a Gene Therapy
Authors: Samuel T. , Rosenberry Ryan , Lee Seungyong , Pan Zui
Published: April 2018

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and is the leading cause of hospitalization for those over the age of 65, which is estimated to account for close to seventy billion dollars in healthcare costs by 2030 in the US alone. The successful therapies for preventing and reversing CHF progression are urgently required. One strategy under active investigation is to restore dysregulated myocardial calcium (Ca2+), a hallmark of CHF. It is well established that intracellular Ca2+ concentrations are tightly regulated to control efficient myocardial systolic contraction and diastolic relaxation. Among the many cell surface proteins and intracellular organelles that act as the warp and woof of the regulatory network controlling intracellular Ca2+ signals in cardiomyocytes, sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase type 2a (SERCA2a) undoubtedly plays a central role. SERCA2a is responsible for sequestrating cytosolic Ca2+ back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum during diastole, allowing for efficient uncoupling of actin-myosin and subsequent ventricular relaxation. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that the expression of SERCA2a is downregulated in CHF, which subsequently contributes to severe systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Therefore, restoring SERCA2a expression and improving cardiomyocyte Ca2+ handling provides an excellent alternative to currently used transplantation and mechanical assist devices in the treatment of CHF. Indeed, advancements in safe and effective gene delivery techniques have led to the emergence of SERCA2a gene therapy as a potential therapeutic choice for CHF patients. This mini-review will succinctly detail the progression of SERCA2a gene therapy from its inception in plasmid and animal models, to its clinical trials in CHF patients, highlighting potential avenues for future work along the way.
Zebrafish as a Model System for Investigating the Compensatory Regulation of Ionic Balance during Metabolic Acidosis
Authors: Lewis Lletta , Kwong Raymond
Published: April 2018

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) have become an important model for integrative physiological research. Zebrafish inhabit a hypo-osmotic environment; to maintain ionic and acid-base homeostasis, they must actively take up ions and secrete acid to the water. The gills in the adult and the skin at larval stage are the primary sites of ionic regulation in zebrafish. The uptake of ions in zebrafish is mediated by specific ion transporting cells termed ionocytes. Similarly, in mammals, ion reabsorption and acid excretion occur in specific cell types in the terminal region of the renal tubules (distal convoluted tubule and collecting duct). Previous studies have suggested that functional regulation of several ion transporters/channels in the zebrafish ionocytes resembles that in the mammalian renal cells. Additionally, several mechanisms involved in regulating the epithelial ion transport during metabolic acidosis are found to be similar between zebrafish and mammals. In this article, we systemically review the similarities and differences in ionic regulation between zebrafish and mammals during metabolic acidosis. We summarize the available information on the regulation of epithelial ion transporters during acidosis, with a focus on epithelial Na+, Cl− and Ca2+ transporters in zebrafish ionocytes and mammalian renal cells. We also discuss the neuroendocrine responses to acid exposure, and their potential role in ionic compensation. Finally, we identify several knowledge gaps that would benefit from further study.
Tau-Induced Pathology in Epilepsy and Dementia: Notions from Patients and Animal Models
Authors: Sánchez Marina , García-Cabrero Ana , Sánchez-Elexpuru Gentzane , Burgos Daniel , Serratosa José
Published: April 2018

Patients with dementia present epilepsy more frequently than the general population. Seizures are more common in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies (LBD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) than in other dementias. Missense mutations in the microtubule associated protein tau (MAPT) gene have been found to cause familial FTD and PSP, while the P301S mutation in MAPT has been associated with early-onset fast progressive dementia and the presence of seizures. Brains of patients with AD, LBD, FTD and PSP show hyperphosphorylated tau aggregates, amyloid-β plaques and neuropil threads. Increasing evidence suggests the existence of overlapping mechanisms related to the generation of network hyperexcitability and cognitive decline. Neuronal overexpression of tau with various mutations found in FTD with parkinsonism-linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17) in mice produces epileptic activity. On the other hand, the use of certain antiepileptic drugs in animal models with AD prevents cognitive impairment. Further efforts should be made to search for plausible common targets for both conditions. Moreover, attempts should also be made to evaluate the use of drugs targeting tau and amyloid-β as suitable pharmacological interventions in epileptic disorders. The diagnosis of dementia and epilepsy in early stages of those diseases may be helpful for the initiation of treatments that could prevent the generation of epileptic activity and cognitive deterioration.
Remote Ischemic Preconditioning Does Not Affect the Release of Humoral Factors in Propofol-Anesthetized Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Secondary Analysis of the RIPHeart Study
Authors: Ney Julia , Hoffmann Katleen , Meybohm Patrick , Goetzenich Andreas , Kraemer Sandra , Benstöm Carina , Weber Nina , Bickenbach Johannes , Rossaint Rolf , Marx Gernot , Zacharowski Kai , Bernhagen Jürgen , Stoppe Christian
Published: April 2018

In contrast to several smaller studies, which demonstrate that remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) reduces myocardial injury in patients that undergo cardiovascular surgery, the RIPHeart study failed to demonstrate beneficial effects of troponin release and clinical outcome in propofol-anesthetized cardiac surgery patients. Therefore, we addressed the potential biochemical mechanisms triggered by RIPC. This is a predefined prospective sub-analysis of the randomized and controlled RIPHeart study in cardiac surgery patients (n = 40) that was recently published. Blood samples were drawn from patients prior to surgery, after RIPC of four cycles of 5 min arm ischemia/5 min reperfusion (n = 19) and the sham (n = 21) procedure, after connection to cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), at the end of surgery, 24 h postoperatively, and 48 h postoperatively for the measurement of troponin T, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), stromal cell-derived factor 1 (CXCL12), IL-6, CXCL8, and IL-10. After RIPC, right atrial tissue samples were taken for the measurement of extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK1/2), protein kinase B (AKT), Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3β), protein kinase C (PKCε), and MIF content. RIPC did not significantly reduce the troponin release when compared with the sham procedure. MIF serum levels intraoperatively increased, peaking at intensive care unit (ICU) admission (with an increase of 48.04%, p = 0.164 in RIPC; and 69.64%, p = 0.023 over the baseline in the sham procedure), and decreased back to the baseline 24 h after surgery, with no differences between the groups. In the right atrial tissue, MIF content decreased after RIPC (1.040 ± 1.032 Arbitrary units [au] in RIPC vs. 2.028 ± 1.631 [au] in the sham procedure, p < 0.05). CXCL12 serum levels increased significantly over the baseline at the end of surgery, with no differences between the groups. ERK1/2, AKT, GSK-3β, and PKCɛ phosphorylation in the right atrial samples were no different between the groups. No difference was found in IL-6, CXCL8, and IL10 serum levels between the groups. In this cohort of cardiac surgery patients that received propofol anesthesia, we could not show a release of potential mediators of signaling, nor an effect on the inflammatory response, nor an activation of well-established protein kinases after RIPC. Based on these data, we cannot exclude that confounding factors, such as propofol, may have interfered with RIPC.
Expanded Newborn Screening Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Seven Years of Experience in Eastern Sicily
Authors: Messina MariaAnna , Meli Concetta , Raudino Federica , Pittalá Annarita , Arena Alessia , Barone Rita , Giuffrida Fortunata , Iacobacci Riccardo , Muccilli Vera , Sorge Giovanni , Fiumara Agata
Published: April 2018

The expanded newborn screening for selected inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) in Sicily was introduced in 2007 by a Regional project entitled “Early detection of congenital metabolic diseases: expanded neonatal screening”. It established two newborn screening laboratories, for Western and Eastern Sicily, which started their activity in 2011. Here we present the results of expanded screening (excluding phenylketonuria (PKU)) of the Eastern laboratory from January 2011 to December 2017. Our data highlight the importance of the expanded newborn screening as a basic health program to avoid the underestimation of rare diseases and the need of further investigations even when there are no textbook alterations of the metabolic profiles. We performed our analysis on dried blood spot by tandem mass spectrometry, according to Italian guidelines. A total of 196 samples from 60,408 newborns gave positive screening results (recall rate 0.32%) while 12 babies were true positive, including 2 newborns whose mothers resulted in being affected by a metabolic disease. The overall frequency of IEM found in the screening panel was 1:6041 (mothers excluded) or 1:5034 (mothers included). The introduction of MS/MS technology in Sicily has significantly increased the detection of inherited metabolic disorders, including those not previously covered, with a predictable improved outcome for several disorders.
Tag-Driven Online Novel Recommendation with Collaborative Item Modeling
Authors: Li Fenghuan , Lin Zhaosheng , Wang Zhenyu
Published: April 2018

Online novel recommendation recommends attractive novels according to the preferences and characteristics of users or novels and is increasingly touted as an indispensable service of many online stores and websites. The interests of the majority of users remain stable over a certain period. However, there are broad categories in the initial recommendation list achieved by collaborative filtering (CF). That is to say, it is very possible that there are many inappropriately recommended novels. Meanwhile, most algorithms assume that users can provide an explicit preference. However, this assumption does not always hold, especially in online novel reading. To solve these issues, a tag-driven algorithm with collaborative item modeling (TDCIM) is proposed for online novel recommendation. Online novel reading is different from traditional book marketing and lacks preference rating. In addition, collaborative filtering frequently suffers from the Matthew effect, leading to ignored personalized recommendations and serious long tail problems. Therefore, item-based CF is improved by latent preference rating with a punishment mechanism based on novel popularity. Consequently, a tag-driven algorithm is constructed by means of collaborative item modeling and tag extension. Experimental results show that online novel recommendation is improved greatly by a tag-driven algorithm with collaborative item modeling.
Description and Mechanisms of the Mid-Year Upwelling in the Southern Caribbean Sea from Remote Sensing and Local Data
Authors: Rueda-Roa Digna , Ezer Tal , Muller-Karger Frank
Published: April 2018

The southern Caribbean Sea experiences strong coastal upwelling between December and April due to the seasonal strengthening of the trade winds. A second upwelling was recently detected in the southeastern Caribbean during June–August, when local coastal wind intensities weaken. Using synoptic satellite measurements and in situ data, this mid-year upwelling was characterized in terms of surface and subsurface temperature structures, and its mechanisms were explored. The mid-year upwelling lasts 6–9 weeks with satellite sea surface temperature (SST) ~1–2° C warmer than the primary upwelling. Three possible upwelling mechanisms were analyzed: cross-shore Ekman transport (csET) due to alongshore winds, wind curl (Ekman pumping/suction) due to wind spatial gradients, and dynamic uplift caused by variations in the strength/position of the Caribbean Current. These parameters were derived from satellite wind and altimeter observations. The principal and the mid-year upwelling were driven primarily by csET (78–86%). However, SST had similar or better correlations with the Ekman pumping/suction integrated up to 100 km offshore (WE100) than with csET, possibly due to its influence on the isopycnal depth of the source waters for the coastal upwelling. The mid-year upwelling was not caused by dynamic uplift but it might have been enhanced by the seasonal intensification of the Caribbean Current during that period.
Effects of Prolonged Silver Nanoparticle Exposure on the Contextual Cognition and Behavior of Mammals
Authors: Antsiferova Anna , Kopaeva Marina , Kashkarov Pavel
Published: April 2018

Silver nanoparticles have been widely used in the lighting and food industries, in medicine, and in pharmaceutics as an antiseptic agent. Recent research demonstrates that, after prolonged oral administration, silver nanoparticles may cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in the brain in rather high amounts. In ex vivo experiments, it has also been shown that silver nanoparticles demonstrate neurotoxicity. The objective of this work was to answer the questions whether silver nanoparticles change cognitive and behavioral functions of mammals after prolonged administration if silver nanoparticles have accumulated in the brain. C57Bl/6 male mice were orally exposed to PVP-coated silver nanoparticles daily for 30, 60, 120 and 180 days. Control mice were exposed to distilled water. After that they were tested in the Open Field, Elevated Plus Maze, Light-Dark Box and contextual fear conditioning task. The data have shown that the experimental mice went through three periods of switching in the behavior caused by adaptation to the toxic silver nanoparticles: anxiety, appearance of research instinct and impairment of long-term memory. This provides evidence of the hazardous effect of silver nanoparticles, which appears after long periods of silver nanoparticle oral administration.
g-Convex Weight Sequences
Authors: Veeraraghavan Prakash
Published: April 2018

In this paper, we introduce the notion of g-convex weight sequence (gcws) for connected graphs based on the concept of g-convexity and g-weight. g-weight is a natural generalization of the notion of branch weight for trees. We investigate the various questions of realization of an integer sequence as a g-convex weight sequence for trees and some special classes of graphs such as complete graphs, windmill and degenerate windmill graphs and wheels.