bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Developmental progressions in the harmonic structure of infant-directed speech
Authors: Bailey Jhonelle , Ghai Shweta , Ramsay Gordon
Published: November 2016

Caregivers speak differently to infants than to adults early in life. Previous studies of this special register, “motherese,” have sought to identify key differences in voice quality between infant-directed and adult-directed speech. Acoustic properties most salient to infants appear to reside in exaggerations of prosodic structure, but these findings are limited by speech analysis techniques that do not fully capture the acoustic structure of the maternal voice or the way motherese changes over the course of development. In this study, multitaper analysis was used to measure developmental progressions in the complete harmonic structure of the maternal voice. Samples of adult- and infant-directed speech were extracted from home audio recordings of 20 mothers collected monthly from 0-24 months using LENA technology. Multitaper analysis was used to calculate the time-varying amplitude and phase of every harmonic component, the residual noise component, and the spectral envelope, permitting a complete statistical analysis of source and resonance properties. Key differences and developmental changes between adult- and infant-directed registers were found not only in the fundamental frequency, but in the overall structure of the harmonic spectrum, indicating that manipulations of the whole voice source may be employed to create motherese.
Cluster duration in a nonword repetition study of Russian-speaking children
Authors: Kavitskaya Darya , Inkelas Sharon
Published: November 2016

This paper reports results from a nonword repetition study of typically developing Russian-speaking children aged 7-10, finding that consonant cluster duration correlates with whether or not the cluster is lexically attested in Russian. Stimuli consisted of 144 nonwords, repeated once each. 36 nonwords began with biconsonantal (CC) clusters; 18 with triconsonantal (CCC) clusters. None of CCC clusters are attested in Russian. Half of the CC clusters are attested. The CCC clusters were frequently produced as CC, with deletion/omission of one of the three consonants. This study compares the durations of CCC clusters which were reduced to CC (example: stimulus ptkoka, produced as tkoka) to the CC clusters which were produced as intended. The main finding is that the mean duration of intended CC clusters (153 ms) is shorter than that of corresponding reduced (CCC to CC) clusters (215 ms) (n = 14, p <.01). Lexical attestedness also played a role. The mean duration of produced clusters which are lexically attested in Russian also tended to be shorter than that of lexically unattested clusters (159 ms vs. 214 ms). These findings suggest that both past production experience (the effect of attestedness) and planning complexity (the effect of reduction) affect cluster duration.
Infant auditory and audiovisual speech discrimination
Authors: Lalonde Kaylah , Werner Lynne A.
Published: November 2016

Although infants are sensitive to the correspondence between auditory and visual speech cues, previous studies have not investigated whether infants can use this correspondence to improve speech perception in noise. This experiment used a modified observer-based psychoacoustic procedure to measure audiovisual benefit to speech discrimination in 6- to 8-month-old infants. Infants heard a single standard CV syllable repeatedly in a 65 dB A steady-state speech spectrum noise at 17 dB nHL (re: adult thresholds). Infants were trained to respond when they heard a new CV syllable. Some infants were tested with a vowel contrast; others were tested with a consonant contrast. Each infant completed either the auditory-only or audiovisual condition; when possible, they completed both conditions. In the auditory-only condition, a still image of the female talker remained on the screen throughout testing. In the audiovisual condition, a synchronous, congruent video of the talker played throughout testing. Preliminary results from 30 infants show a trend for better discrimination of audiovisual syllables than auditory-only syllables, suggesting visual speech improves infants’ perception of speech in noise and could be useful in speech and language learning. Differences in results for vowel contrasts, consonant contrasts, between-subjects analysis, and within-subjects analysis will be discussed.
Developmental trends of perceiving happy voice in preverbal infants
Authors: Tsao Feng-Ming , Hu Yu-Hsin , Kao Chieh , liu huei-mei
Published: November 2016

Perception of emotional prosody is essential for children to identify emotions of communication partners from utterances. Newborns prefer listening to happy talks but children start to weight emotional prosody over lexical meanings to judge emotions in speech around middle childhood. Happy voice is expressed with higher fundamental frequency (F0) and F0 variations in syllables manifest lexical tones in Mandarin. Would lexical tones affect happy prosody perception development in preverbal infants? The goal of this study was to explore whether the ability of perceiving happy prosody varies with lexical tones. Mandarin-learning children master the production of Tone 2 earlier than Tone 3, and development trend of lexical tone production might reflect perceptual trends of lexical tones. Thirty-nine Mandarin-learning 7- and 11-month-old infants were tested with two prosody (happy vs. neutral prosody) contrasts in a speech discrimination task. For each contrast, speech stimuli were monosyllabic words /ji/, varied with emotional prosody. Tonal information (Tone 2 or Tone 3) varied between contrasts and remained the same within a contrast. Results showed that older infants were more accurate than younger infants to distinguish happy prosody and the pitch contours of lexical tones did not greatly shift the developmental trend.
Aging effect on categorical perception of Mandarin level-rising and level-falling tones
Authors: Xu Lilong , Yang Xiaohu , Liu Chang , Wang Yuxia
Published: November 2016

The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the aging effect on categorical perception of Mandarin Chinese tone 1 (level F0 pitch contour) and tone 2 (rising F0 pitch contour), as well as tone 1 and tone 4 (falling F0 pitch contour). Using level/rising and level/falling fundamental frequency continuum, both tone identification and discrimination was measured for older and younger native Mandarin listeners. Moreover, the stimuli duration was manipulated at 100, 200, and 400 ms with a purpose to examine whether longer duration made tone perception easier for the older listeners. Results reported reduced catgoricality in terms of shallower identification slope and smaller discrimination peakedness for the older listeners compared with their younger counterparts. Meanwhile, longer duration was observed with enhanced categorical perception of lexical tones for the older listeners. These results were interpreted as the decline of aging-related temporal/spectral processing and inhibitory control in the central auditory system.
Nonstationary signals, holograms, and concert halls
Authors: Lee James B.
Published: November 2016

Sabine’s analysis of sound in rooms involves a “mean-free-path,” 4V/S, scaling linearly; for concert halls this measure is about 30 m, implying that perception in the time domain will be an issue. It is not possible to average signals over the space within a concert hall, for it is not possible to average speech and music over time. Speech and music are nonstationary signals, therefore concert halls cannot be ergodic systems. The necessary and sufficient condition for proper acoustics in large spaces is that every listener receive the same full information at some time. It is fulfilled if the space is a time-varying diffuse volumetric hologram with direct sound from the orchestral region acting as reference beam. If the space contains specularly reflected components those will be heard as echoes, representing information about size and shape of the hall; this “architectural information” develops at the expense of “musical information.” Therefore, diffuse reflection is essential in the body of a concert hall.
Draft Genome Sequence of the Bacteriophage vB_Eco_slurp01
Authors: Sazinas Pavelas , Smith Carrie , Suhaimi Aqilah , Hobman Jon L. , Dodd Christine E. R. , Millard Andrew D.
Published: November 2016

Bacteriophage vB_Eco_slurp01 was isolated from porcine feces using
Escherichia coli
MG1655 as a host. With a genome size of 348 kb, vB_Eco_slurp01 is one of the largest bacteriophages isolated to date.
Metastatic trichilemmal carcinoma in a patient with breast cancer
Authors: Sofianos Chrysis , Chauke Nkhensani Y , Grubnik Alexandra
Published: November 2016

Trichilemmal carcinoma (TC) is described as a very rare cancer of the skin adnexa.1 2Ninety per cent of the lesions present on the scalp. Prognostic factors in TC are limited to lymph node status and surgical margins, with no statistical significance observed for age or gender of the patient, size of tumour or locoregional recurrence. We present a 46-year-old black patient who developed TC during treatment for breast cancer. Postoperative histology of the scalp lesion excision confirmed no involved margins. At the three monthly appointment, the patient was reviewed and multiple, new scalp lesions were noted. A CT scan of the head, neck found multiple lesions on the scalp, limited to the soft tissue, not involving the outer table of the skull. There was bilateral invasion of the parotid glands. To the best of our knowledge, no syndromes or associations between breast cancer and adnexal skin tumours exist.
DNA barcoding the bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Chile: species discovery in a reasonably well known bee fauna with the description of a new species ofLonchopria(Colletidae)
Authors: Packer Laurence , Ruz Luisa
Published: November 2016

We compare the diversity of bees in the Chilean fauna as understood from traditional taxonomy-based catalogues with that currently known from DNA barcodes using the BIN system informed by ongoing morphology-based taxonomic research. While DNA barcode surveys of the Chilean bee fauna remain incomplete, it is clear that new species can readily be distinguished using this method and that morphological differentiation of distinct barcode clusters is sometimes very easy. We assess the situation in two genera in some detail. In Lonchopria Vachal one “species” is readily separable into two BINs that are easily differentiated based upon male mandibular and genitalic morphology (characters generally used in this group) as well as female hair patterns. Consequently, we describe Lonchopria (Lonchopria) heberti Packer and Ruz, new species. For Liphanthus Reed, a large number of new species has been detected using DNA barcoding and considerable additional traditional morphological work will be required to describe them. When we add the number of BINs (whether identified to named species or not) to the number of Chilean bee species that we know have not been barcoded (both described and new species under study in our laboratories) we conclude that the bee fauna of Chile is substantially greater than the 436 species currently known. Spanish language abstract available as supplementary data1.
Thermal stability of marks gold nanoparticles: A molecular dynamics simulation
Authors: Jia Yanlin , Li Siqi , Qi Weihong , Wang Mingpu , Li Zhou , Wang Zhixing
Published: November 2016

Molecular dynamics (MDs) simulations were used to explore the thermal stability of Au nanoparticles (NPs) with decahedral, cuboctahedral, icosahedral and Marks NPs. According to the calculated cohesive energy and melting temperature, the Marks NPs have a higher cohesive energy and melting temperature compared to these other shapes. The Lindemann index, radial distribution function, deformation parameters, mean square displacement and self-diffusivity have been used to characterize the structure variation during heating. This work may inspire researchers to prepare Marks NPs and apply them in different fields.
Identification of Extract Method Refactoring Opportunities through Analysis of Variable Declarations and Uses
Authors: Kaya Mehmet , Fawcett James W.
Published: November 2016

Software development is a continuous process that usually starts with analyzing the system requirements and proceeds with design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. Regardless of how good an initial design was achieved, quality of source code tends to decay throughout the development process as software evolves. One of the main contributing factors to this degradation of initial quality can be considered as maintenance operations, for instance to enhance performance or other attributes of the system or to fix newly discovered bugs. For such large software systems, development process also requires reusing existing components which may have been implemented by others. Hence, a comprehensible piece of source code, e.g. one that conveys its message about what it is trying to do easily with understandable and modular implementation, significantly reduces time and effort not only for the implementation phase of the development lifecycle; but also for testing and maintenance phases. In other words, while software decay is inevitable, software comprehension plays a determining role in the total cost and effectiveness of both implementation phase and maintenance phase. Therefore, developers should strive to create software components with modular structure and clearer implementation to reduce the development cost. In this paper, we are interested in finding ways to successfully decompose long methods (those with poor initial implementation and/or decayed overtime) into smaller, more comprehensible and readable ones. This decomposition process is known as extract method refactoring and helps to reduce the overall cost of development. Most of the existing refactoring tools require users to select the code fragments that need to be extracted. We introduce a novel technique for this refactoring. This technique seeks refactoring opportunities based on variable declarations and uses confining fully extractable code regions without any user intervention. We implemented this technique as an analysis and visualization tool to help a user identify candidate code fragments to be extracted as separate methods. With this automation tool, developers do not have to manually inspect a foreign code base to select code fragments for refactoring. Through the visual representations we provide, one can observe all suggested refactoring effectively on large scale software systems and decide whether a particular refactoring should be applied. To show the effectiveness of our techniques, we also provide some case studies conducted using this tool and technique both on our own project’s source code and other open-source projects.
EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN KOREAN UNIVERSITIES
Authors: HAN JUNGHEE , KIM JUNGHO
Published: November 2016

This paper is to elucidate the determinant of technology transfer in universities in Korea. To achieve this goal, the paper relies on a unique dataset where university data were sourced from IUCF, and data were gathered from a number of sources. We apply a negative binomial regression analysis to estimate models testing 12 research hypotheses for 135 universities in Korea. Our findings show that the characteristics of research funds, research productivity and the presence of incubators within universities are positively related with financial rewards in terms of technology transfer. Unlike in the United States, research funds sponsored by the government are not related to technology transfer. Patents, technology transfer experts, firms located adjacent to the university, incubators within the university, and research productivity are positively related to technology transfer. The empirical findings in this study indicate that in order to boost technology transfer, universities should undertake cooperative research, especially with private firms, and should also use incubators at the initial stage of the technology transfer mechanism.
Yield, Area, and Energy Optimization in STT-MRAMs Using Failure-Aware ECC
Authors: Pajouhi Zoha , Fong Xuanyao , Raghunathan Anand , Roy Kaushik
Published: November 2016

Spin-Transfer Torque MRAMs are attractive due to their non-volatility, high density, and zero leakage. However, STT-MRAMs suffer from poor reliability due to shared read and write paths. Additionally, conflicting requirements for data retention and writeability (both related to the energy barrier height of the storage device) makes design more challenging. Furthermore, the energy barrier height depends on the geometry of the storage. Any variations in the geometry of the storage device lead to variations in the energy barrier height. In order to address the poor reliability of STT-MRAMs, usage of Error Correcting Codes (ECC) has been proposed. Unlike traditional CMOS memory technologies, ECC is expected to correct both soft and hard errors in STT-MRAMs. To achieve acceptable yield with low write power, stronger ECC is required, resulting in increased number of encoded bits and degraded memory capacity. In this article, we propose Failure-aware ECC (FaECC), which masks permanent faults while maintaining the same correction capability for soft errors without increased number of encoded bits. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of process variations on run-time reliability of STT-MRAMs. In order to analyze the effectiveness of our methodology, we developed a cross-layer simulation framework that consists of device, circuit and array level analysis of STT-MRAM memory arrays. Our results show that using FaECC relaxes the requirements on the energy barrier height, which reduces the write energy and results in smaller access transistor size and memory array area.
Examining The Role of Smart TVs and VR HMDs in Synchronous At-a-Distance Media Consumption
Authors: McGill Mark , Williamson John H. , Brewster Stephen
Published: November 2016

This article examines synchronous at-a-distance media consumption from two perspectives: How it can be facilitated using existing consumer displays (through TVs combined with smartphones), and imminently available consumer displays (through virtual reality (VR) HMDs combined with RGBD sensing). First, we discuss results from an initial evaluation of a synchronous shared at-a-distance smart TV system,CastAway. Through week-long in-home deployments with five couples, we gain formative insights into the adoption and usage of at-a-distance media consumption and how couples communicated during said consumption. We then examine how the imminent availability and potential adoption of consumer VR HMDs could affect preferences toward how synchronous at-a-distance media consumption is conducted, in a laboratory study of 12 pairs, by enhancing media immersion and supporting embodied telepresence for communication. Finally, we discuss the implications these studies have for the near-future of consumer synchronous at-a-distance media consumption. When combined, these studies begin to explore a design space regarding the varying ways in which at-a-distance media consumption can be supported and experienced (through music, TV content, augmenting existing TV content for immersion, and immersive VR content), what factors might influence usage and adoption and the implications for supporting communication and telepresence during media consumption.
Managing Visibility and Validity of Distress Calls with an Ad-Hoc SOS System
Authors: Boden Alexander , Al-Akkad Amro , Liegl Michael , Buscher Monika , Stein Martin , Randall David , Wulf Volker
Published: November 2016

The availability of ICT services can be severely disrupted in the aftermath of disasters. Ad-hoc assemblages of communication technology have the potential to bridge such breakdowns. This article investigates the use of an ad-hoc system for sending SOS signals in a large-scale exercise that simulated a terrorist attack. In this context, we found that the sensitivity that was introduced by the adversarial nature of the situation posed unexpected challenges for our approach, as giving away one's location in the immediate danger of a terrorist attack became an issue both for first responders and the affected people in the area. We show how practices of calling for help and reacting to help calls can be affected by such a system and affect the management of the visibility and validity of SOS calls, implying a need for further negotiation in situations where communication is sensitive and technically restrained.
Ultra-low-leakage, Robust FinFET SRAM Design Using Multiparameter Asymmetric FinFETs
Authors: Guler Abdullah , Jha Niraj K.
Published: November 2016

Memory arrays consisting of Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cells occupy the largest area on chip and are responsible for significant leakage power consumption in modern microprocessors. With the transition from planar Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) technology to FinFETs, FinFET SRAM design has become important. However, increasing leakage power consumption of FinFETs due to aggressive scaling, width quantization, read-write conflict, and process variations make FinFET SRAM design challenging. In this article, we show how Multiparameter Asymmetric (MPA) FinFETs can be used to design ultra-low-leakage and robust 6T SRAM cells. We combine multiple asymmetries, namely, asymmetry in gate work function, source/drain doping concentration, and gate underlap, to address various SRAM design issues all at once. We propose five novel MPA FinFET SRAM cell designs and compare them with symmetric and Single-Parameter Asymmetric (SPA) FinFET SRAM cells using dc and transient metrics. We show that the leakage current of MPA FinFET SRAM cells can be reduced by up to 58 × while ensuring reasonable read/write stability metric values. In addition, high stability metric values can be achieved with 22 × leakage current reduction compared to the traditional symmetric FinFET SRAM cell. There is no area overhead associated with MPA FinFET SRAM cells.
Concurrent JavaScript Parsing for Faster Loading of Web Apps
Authors: Park Hyukwoo , Cha Myungsu , Moon Soo-Mook
Published: November 2016

JavaScript
is a dynamic language mainly used as a client-side web script. Nowadays, web is evolving into an application platform with its
web apps
, and JavaScript increasingly undertakes complex computations and interactive user interfaces, requiring a high-performance JavaScript engine. There have been many optimizations for efficient JavaScript engines, but one component that has not been optimized much is
JavaScript parsing
. A JavaScript function needs to be parsed before being executed, and the parsing overhead takes a substantial portion of JavaScript execution time for web apps, especially during
app loading
. This article proposes
concurrent parsing
of JavaScript, which performs the parsing of JavaScript functions in advance on different threads, while the main thread is executing the parsed JavaScript functions. This can hide the parsing overhead from the main execution thread, reducing the JavaScript execution time, thus reducing the overall app loading time. More specifically, we separated JavaScript parsing and made it run on different threads without violating the execution semantics of JavaScript. We also designed an efficient multi-threaded parsing architecture, which reduces the synchronization overhead and schedules the parsing requests appropriately. Finally, we explored two methods of choosing the target functions for concurrent parsing: one based on profiled information and the other based on speculative heuristics. We performed experiments on the WebKit browser with the JSC engine for real web apps. The result shows that the proposed concurrent parsing can improve the JavaScript performance during app loading by as much as 64% and by 39.7% on average. This improves the whole app loading performance tangibly, by as much as 32.7% and by 18.2%, on average.
Overcoming On-Target Resistance to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Lung Cancer
Authors: Dagogo-Jack Ibiayi , Engelman Jeffrey A. , Shaw Alice T.
Published: November 2016

Advances in genomics, an improved understanding of malignant transformation, and the development of potent small molecule inhibitors capable of targeting key kinases have led to the adoption of genotype-guided approaches for the treatment of advanced cancers. As regulators of complex signaling networks, tyrosine kinases are among the most attractive targets. Moreover, insight into the conserved three-dimensional structures of these kinases and their mechanism of activation has facilitated the development of selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). TKIs have shown robust clinical activity in many different oncogene-addicted cancers; however, resistance invariably develops. In a significant proportion of patients, resistance results from acquired genetic alterations within the kinase target that allow cancer cells to escape TKI-mediated growth suppression. In this review, we discuss clinically observed and preclinical on-target resistance events in oncogene-driven solid tumors and describe current and future therapeutic strategies to overcome this type of resistance.
Epobis is a Nonerythropoietic and Neuroprotective Agonist of the Erythropoietin Receptor with Anti-Inflammatory and Memory Enhancing Effects
Authors: Dmytriyeva Oksana , Pankratova Stanislava , Korshunova Irina , Walmod Peter S.
Published: November 2016

The cytokine erythropoietin (EPO) stimulates proliferation and differentiation of erythroid progenitor cells. Moreover, EPO has neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative effects, but the use of EPO as a neuroprotective agent is hampered by its erythropoietic activity. We have recently designed the synthetic, dendrimeric peptide, Epobis, derived from the sequence of human EPO. This peptide binds the EPO receptor and promotes neuritogenesis and neuronal cell survival. Here we demonstrate that Epobisin vitropromotes neuritogenesis in primary motoneurons and has anti-inflammatory effects as demonstrated by its ability to decrease TNF release from activated AMJ2-C8 macrophages and rat primary microglia. When administered systemically Epobis is detectable in both plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, demonstrating that the peptide crosses the blood-brain barrier. Importantly, Epobis is not erythropoietic, but systemic administration of Epobis in rats delays the clinical signs of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis, and the peptide has long-term, but not short-term, effects on working memory, detected as an improved social memory 3 days after administration. These data reveal Epobis to be a nonerythropoietic and neuroprotective EPO receptor agonist with anti-inflammatory and memory enhancing properties.
Vibration Based Diagnosis for Planetary Gearboxes Using an Analytical Model
Authors: Hong Liu , Qu Yongzhi , Tan Yuegang , Liu Mingyao , Zhou Zude
Published: November 2016

The application of conventional vibration based diagnostic techniques to planetary gearboxes is a challenge because of the complexity of frequency components in the measured spectrum, which is the result of relative motions between the rotary planets and the fixed accelerometer. In practice, since the fault signatures are usually contaminated by noises and vibrations from other mechanical components of gearboxes, the diagnostic efficacy may further deteriorate. Thus, it is essential to develop a novel vibration based scheme to diagnose gear failures for planetary gearboxes. Following a brief literature review, the paper begins with the introduction of an analytical model of planetary gear-sets developed by the authors in previous works, which can predict the distinct behaviors of fault introduced sidebands. This analytical model is easy to implement because the only prerequisite information is the basic geometry of the planetary gear-set. Afterwards, an automated diagnostic scheme is proposed to cope with the challenges associated with the characteristic configuration of planetary gearboxes. The proposed vibration based scheme integrates the analytical model, a denoising algorithm, and frequency domain indicators into one synergistic system for the detection and identification of damaged gear teeth in planetary gearboxes. Its performance is validated with the dynamic simulations and the experimental data from a planetary gearbox test rig.
PID Control of Multisources Complex Excitations Active Vibration Isolation System: An Improved Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Chunsheng Song , Youliang Jiang , Jinguang Zhang
Published: November 2016

Active vibration isolation technology is the key technique to solve the vibration isolation problems related to the multisources complex excitations vibration isolation system. The electromagnetic actuators-based multisources complex excitations active vibration isolation system is built. Additionally, in view of the complex structure and strong coupling of the system, the least-squares method to identify and obtain the mathematical model of the vibration isolation system is adopted. Furthermore, this paper also sets up the acceleration feedback-based PID control model for multisources complex excitations active vibration isolation system, proposes an improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm of dynamic inertia weight factors used to optimize parameters of the built PID control model, and conducts simulation analysis. The simulation results show that, compared with the passive system before the control, the multisources complex excitations active vibration isolation system under the PID control has the far less peak-to-peak amplitude of acceleration which is transmitted to the foundation and has the much better vibration isolation effect. Finally, the paper conducts experimental verification, which demonstrates that active vibration control effect is identical to the simulation results and the vibration control effect is significantly improved.
Primary Pericardial Sarcoma with Right Atrial Invasion and Multiple Bilateral Pulmonary Metastases in a Patient with Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Wong Eugene , Oh Lawrence J. , Nahar Kazi , Lee Adrian , Clarke Stephen
Published: November 2016

Primary tumours originating from the pericardium are extremely rare. Previous studies have reported that these tumours account for only 6.7–12.8% of all mediastinal tumours with an overall prevalence of 0.001% to 0.007%. The majority of these tumours are benign lipomas or pericardial cysts. The most common pericardial malignancy is mesothelioma. Sarcomas are soft-tissue mesenchymal malignancies originating from various parts of the body but are extremely rare in this area. We report a case of a 52-year-old female who was diagnosed with a primary sarcoma with rhabdoid differentiation originating from the pericardium. The patient presented to her GP with a four-week history of progressive dyspnea and chest pain on exertion. Chest X-Ray demonstrated a prominent pericardial effusion and suspicious chest and pericardial lesions. Biopsies of the effusion and primary tumour identified on FDG/PET scans revealed the diagnosis of primary undifferentiated sarcoma. On thoracotomy, it was noted that the tumour had invaded the right atrium; therefore, pericardial window was aborted and a drain inserted instead. The patient was then started on chemotherapy; however, progression soon occurred and the patient died within 4 months, suggesting there is urgent need for efficacious treatments for sarcomatous lesions.
A Case of Periodontal Necrosis following Embolization of Maxillary Artery for Epistaxis
Authors: Nishimoto Kohei , Minoda Ryosei , Yoshida Ryoji , Hirai Toshinori , Yumoto Eiji
Published: November 2016

Embolization of the maxillary artery (MA) is a common treatment modality for refractory epistaxis. Tissue necrosis after embolization of the MA is a rare complication. Here, we reported the first case of the development of necrosis of soft tissue and alveolar bone in the periodontium after embolization. A 48-year-old man with poor oral hygiene and a heavy smoking habit was referred to our clinic due to intractable epistaxis. After treatment with anterior-posterior nasal packing (AP nasal packing), the epistaxis relapsed. Therefore, he underwent embolization of the MA. Although he did not experience epistaxis after embolization, periodontal necrosis developed gradually. The wound healed with necrotomy, administration of antibiotics and prostaglandin, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. We speculated that the periodontal necrosis was provoked by reduction of blood supply due to embolization and AP nasal packing based on this preexisting morbid state in the periodontium. Poor condition of the oral cavity and smoking may increase the risk of periodontal necrosis after embolization.
Endogenous Fusarium Endophthalmitis in Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Balamurugan S. , Khodifad Ashish
Published: November 2016

Endogenous endophthalmitis accounts for 2% to 8% of cases of endophthalmitis. Immunocompromised state and intravenous drug use are the 2 most common causes of endogenous endophthalmitis due to molds fungi. Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Scedosporium are the common organisms in mold endophthalmitis. We report a case of Fusarium endophthalmitis in a patient with uncontrolled diabetes. While diabetes mellitus is a well-known risk factor for endogenous endophthalmitis, we did not find any reported case of Fusarium endophthalmitis in a case of diabetes mellitus. The patient presented with granulomatous uveitis masquerading as noninfectious uveitis with a very good response to steroids. The characteristic clinical features were established late in the clinical course associated with poor outcome. This case highlights the significance of uncontrolled diabetes as a risk factor for Fusarium endophthalmitis and also the presentation of endophthalmitis as a masquerade syndrome. The clinician should have high index of suspicion as these cases have poor outcomes.
A Combined Method in Parameters Optimization of Hydrocyclone
Authors: Feng Jing-an , Tang Xiao-qi , Wang Wei-bing , Ying Rui , Zhang Ting
Published: November 2016

To achieve efficient separation of calcium hydroxide and impurities in carbide slag by using hydrocyclone, the physical granularity property of carbide slag, hydrocyclone operation parameters for slurry concentration, and the slurry velocity inlet are designed to be optimized. The optimization methods are combined with the Design of Experiment (DOE) method and the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method. Based on Design Expert software, the central composite design (CCD) with three factors and five levels amounting to five groups of 20 test responses was constructed, and the experiments were performed by numerical simulation software FLUENT. Through the analysis of variance deduced from numerical simulation experiment results, the regression equations of pressure drop, overflow concentration, purity, and separation efficiencies of two solid phases were, respectively, obtained. The influences of factors were analyzed by the responses, respectively. Finally, optimized results were obtained by the multiobjective optimization method through the Design Expert software. Based on the optimized conditions, the validation test by numerical simulation and separation experiment were separately proceeded. The results proved that the combined method could be efficiently used in studying the hydrocyclone and it has a good performance in application engineering.
Comparison of the HiFocus Mid-Scala and HiFocus 1J Electrode Array: Angular Insertion Depths and Speech Perception Outcomes
Authors: van der Jagt M. Annerie , Briaire Jeroen J. , Verbist Berit M. , Frijns Johan H.M.
Published: November 2016

The HiFocus Mid-Scala (MS) electrode array has recently been introduced onto the market. This precurved design with a targeted mid-scalar intracochlear position pursues an atraumatic insertion and optimal distance for neural stimulation. In this study we prospectively examined the angular insertion depth achieved and speech perception outcomes resulting from the HiFocus MS electrode array for 6 months after implantation, and retrospectively compared these with the HiFocus 1J lateral wall electrode array. The mean angular insertion depth within the MS population (n = 96) was found at 470°. This was 50° shallower but more consistent than the 1J electrode array (n = 110). Audiological evaluation within a subgroup, including only postlingual, unilaterally implanted, adult cochlear implant recipients who were matched on preoperative speech perception scores and the duration of deafness (MS = 32, 1J = 32), showed no difference in speech perception outcomes between the MS and 1J groups. Furthermore, speech perception outcome was not affected by the angular insertion depth or frequency mismatch.
Plasma Renalase is Not Associated with Blood Pressure and Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity in Chinese Adults With Normal Renal Function
Authors: Wang Yang , Lv Yong-Bo , Chu Chao , Wang Man , Xie Bing-Qing , Wang Lan , Yang Fan , Yan Ding-Yi , Yang Rui-Hai , Yang Jun , Ren Yong , Yuan Zu-Yi , Mu Jian-Jun
Published: November 2016

Background/Aims: This study aimed to investigate the association of renalase with blood pressure (BP) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in order to better understand the role of renalase in the pathogenesis of hypertension and atherosclerosis. Methods: A total of 344 subjects with normal kidney function were recruited from our previously established cohort in Shaanxi Province, China. They were divided into the normotensive (NT) and hypertensive (HT) groups or high baPWV and normal baPWV on the basis of BP levels or baPWV measured with an automatic waveform analyzer. Plasma renalase was determined through an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Plasma renalase did not significantly differ between HT and NT groups (3.71 ± 0.69 µg/mL vs. 3.72 ± 0.73 μg/mL, P = 0.905) and between subjects with and without high baPWV (3.67 ± 0.66 µg/mL vs. 3.73 ± 0.74 µg/mL, P = 0.505). However, baPWV was significantly higher in the HT group than in the NT group (1460.4 ± 236.7 vs. 1240.7 ± 174.5 cm/s, P < 0.001). Plasma renalase was not correlated with BP levels and baPWV in the entire group. Linear and logistic regression analysis revealed that plasma renalase was not significantly associated with hypertension and high baPWV. Conclusion: Plasma renalase may not be associated with BP and baPWV in Chinese subjects with normal renal function.
Sparing Surgery for the Successful Treatment of Thyroid Papillary Carcinoma Invading the Trachea: A Case Report
Authors: Kulbakin Denis , Chekalkin Timofey , Muhamedov Marat , Choynzonov Evgeniy , Kang Ji-hoon , Kang Seung-baik , Gunther Victor
Published: November 2016

Published reports on salvage treatment for trachea reconstruction after total thyroidectomy or partial tracheotomy are available, some of them using structures of the trachea itself, auricular cartilage, a musculocutaneous flap, or other methods. In our report, we emphasize the importance of a search for a new material and approach for sparing surgery. The purpose of this article is to describe a case of a successful sparing surgery in a patient with advanced thyroid papillary carcinoma invading the trachea. After total thyroidectomy in 2012, partial resection of the trachea was performed in 2014. The lesion defect was 5.5 × 2.3 cm in size, located between 4 (2nd–6th) tracheal cartilaginous rings and involving about a semicircumference. It was reconstructed with the aid of the knitted TiNi-based mesh endograft, which has been prefabricated in the sternocleidomastoid muscle and further covered with the skin draped over the wound. The tracheostoma was fully closed 6 weeks after the surgery. There were neither side effects nor complications. This kind of tracheal surgery for extensive lesions demonstrates good functional and cosmetic outcomes.
Testosterone Rapidly Augments Retrograde Endocannabinoid Signaling in Proopiomelanocortin Neurons to Suppress Glutamatergic Input from Steroidogenic Factor 1 Neurons via Upregulation of Diacylglycerol Lipase-α
Authors: Conde Kristie , Fabelo Carolina , Krause William C. , Propst Robert , Goethel Jordan , Fischer Daniel , Hur Jin , Meza Cecilia , Ingraham Holly A. , Wagner Edward J.
Published: November 2016

Testosterone exerts profound effects on reproduction and energy homeostasis. Like other orexigenic hormones, it increases endocannabinoid tone within the hypothalamic feeding circuitry. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that testosterone upregulates the expression of diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL)α in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) to increase energy intake via enhanced endocannabinoid-mediated retrograde inhibition of anorexigenic proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. Energy intake, meal patterns, and energy expenditure were evaluated in orchidectomized, male guinea pigs treated subcutaneously with testosterone propionate (TP; 400 μg) or its sesame oil vehicle (0.1 mL). TP rapidly increased energy intake, meal size, O2 consumption, CO2 production, and metabolic heat production, all of which were antagonized by prior administration of the DAGL inhibitor orlistat (3 μg) into the third ventricle. These orlistat-sensitive, TP-induced increases in energy intake and expenditure were temporally associated with a significant elevation in ARC DAGLα expression. Electrophysiological recordings in hypothalamic slices revealed that TP potentiated depolarization-induced suppression of excitatory glutamatergic input onto identified ARC POMC neurons, which was also abolished by orlistat (3 μM), the CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (1 μM), and the AMP-activated protein kinase inhibitor compound C (30 μM) and simulated by transient bath application of the dihydrotestosterone mimetic Cl-4AS-1 (100 nM) and testosterone-conjugated bovine serum albumin (100 nM). Thus, testosterone boosts DAGLα expression to augment retrograde, presynaptic inhibition of glutamate release onto ARC POMC neurons that, in turn, increases energy intake and expenditure. These studies advance our understanding of how androgens work within the hypothalamic feeding circuitry to affect changes in energy balance.
Interconnections between lipid metabolism indices and inflammation biomarkers in patients with unstable angina depending on age
Authors: Odnorih L. O. , Lapovets L. Ye. , Martianova O. I.
Published: November 2016

The objective of the study was to establish the correlations between blood serum lipid spectrum indices, biomarkers of inflammation and age in patients with unstable angina. Established correlations can determine the degree of interconnectedness of studied processes. The weaker processes conjugations, the more flexibly system reacts to external conditions changings. In unstable angina the majority of substantial strong correlations between the studied parameters and the age of patients, as well as between the studied parameters and content of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was recorded. The results may indicate that at unstable angina with the age there is a gradual loss of dynamism and flexibility of immuno-inflammatory and metabolic systems.
The state of the prooxidant-antioxidant system in the stomach of rats with modeling chemical gastritis under short-term and long-term hypomelatoninemy
Authors: Tsvyakh O. O.
Published: November 2016

We studied the changes occurring in the prooxidant-antioxidant system of the stomach with a lowered level of melatonin and with modeling chemical gastritis. The experiment found changes in indicators of prooxidant-antioxidant system in the stomach in a simulation of chemical gastritis against the background of short-term and long-term lack of melatonin. It is proved that the lack of synthesis of melatonin increases the content of peroxidation products reduce activity of enzymes and leads to imbalance of the antioxidant system of the stomach of white rats at long-term experiment, causing oxidative stress.
Influences of stress on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant systems of the heart of male and female rats with different resistance to hypoxia
Authors: Ordunskiy Yu. M.
Published: November 2016

We investigated the effect of chronic stress on changes in lipid peroxidation and antioxidant protection in high- and low resistant to hypoxia (HR and LR) rats of different sex. Chronic stress causes the development of oxidative and carbonyl stress in HR and LR animals, most in the LR. At the same time antioxidant protection was increased. More intensive lipid peroxidation was observed in males compared with females.
A AMÉRICA LATINA COMO DESTINO DOS IMIGRANTES: BRASIL E ARGENTINA (1870-1930)
Authors: Lanza André Luiz , Lamounier Maria Lucia
Published: November 2016

O presente artigo analisa comparativamente a imigração para o Brasil e Argentina entre 1870 e 1930, apresentando dados sobre o fluxo migratório e motivações que levaram os estrangeiros a escolherem os dois países como destino.Para a confecção do trabalho colhemos dados de censos,relatórios ministeriais e anuários estatísticos além da bibliografia pertinente. Os imigrantes representavam a solução para a falta de braços para as lavouras e o agente modernizador das sociedades; os fluxos migratórios estavam relacionados com o desempenho econômico dos dois países. No Brasil a imigração subsidiada teve grande importância; na Argentina prevaleceu a imigração espontânea.
Testimonies of a Contemporary Cultural Trauma: Aylan Kurdi and the Migration Flows
Authors: Nagayama Eda
Published: November 2016

Os deslocamentos migratórios em direção à Europa são aqui vistos como trauma cultural de uma contemporaneidade líquida, nos termos do sociólogo Zygmunt Bauman. Dentre os mais de um milhão de migrantes em 20151 , somente um menino curdo adquiriu notoriedade, justamente por sua morte: Aylan Kurdi. A imagem de seu corpo afogado em uma praia nas cercanias de Bodrum, Turquia, foi globalmente divulgada, replicada e reapropriada. A releitura da foto original pelo artista chinês Ai Weiwei é investigada como possibilidade de enfrentamento do traumático, ação de chamamento contra o esquecimento e a negação de uma responsabilidade humanitária e moral
Cidade, Educação e Políticas Públicas: Qual o Espaço da Educação Não Formal e Informal nas Políticas Educacionais?
Authors: Pacheco Reinaldo
Published: November 2016

A Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo (EACH-USP) caracteriza-se pela oferta de dez cursos diferentes que contam com um ano inicial, com o objetivo da formação humana abrangente, que denominamos de Ciclo Básico (CB). Dentro do CB, algumas disciplinas buscam cumprir esse papel de educação ampliada e compreensão da sociedade contemporânea, dentre elas a disciplina denominada Estudos Diversificados (ED). Nessa disciplina, os docentes são estimulados a oferecer aos estudantes cursos com temáticas abrangentes que permitam a reflexão crítica sobre a sociedade contemporânea. A presente comunicação busca mostrar a experiência de oferta de uma dessas disciplinas de ED, denominada Cidade, Educação e Políticas Públicas, cujo principal questionamento é a compreensão reducionista que as políticas educacionais apresentam acerca do conceito de educação, desconsiderando a potencialidade cidadã das práticas formais e informais. Elegeram-se como objetivos específicos desse ED: a) proporcionar aos estudantes uma visão ampliada do processo educacional formal, não formal e informal e da convergência desse processo com a problemática do uso dos espaços públicos urbanos; b) permitir aos estudantes a observação e o registro, por meio de fotos e vídeos, com produção de documentários audiovisuais, das oportunidades de educação que ocorrem na experiência urbana metropolitana
A Sociological Consideration of Prayer and Agency
Authors: Sun Anna
Published: November 2016

Prayer may be seen as one of the most individual forms of action. Yet, like suicide, another supposedly individualistic action performed by a solitary individual, prayer is a dynamic, reflexive, intersubjective social action, and the sociality of prayer may transform the agency of the actor who is committed to this action over time.