bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental study of the initial pressure effect on methane‐air explosions in linked vessels
Authors: Zhen Yaya , Wang Zhirong , Gong Junhui
Published: June 2017

This study experimentally addresses the pressure evolution during the closed and vented explosion progress of a methane‐air mixture ([CH4 = 10%]) in different vessel‐pipeline configurations at ambient initial temperature and different initial pressures. Based on the experimental measurements, it is found that the maximum values of both closed and vented explosion pressure increase linearly with the initial pressure in isolated and linked vessel scenarios. Compared with a vented explosion, the initial pressure has a greater impact on the explosion overpressure in an isolated vessel and a single spherical vessel connected to a pipe during a closed explosion. For the configuration of two spherical vessels connected by a pipe, the explosion overpressure in the primary vessel is always lower than that in the secondary vessel during both closed and vented explosions at each initial pressure. According to Chapman‐Jouget Detonation Theory (C‐J detonation theory), when the ignition is located in a large vessel, detonation is observed in the secondary vessel at an initial pressure of 0.08 MPa. The vent position and ignition position both have an influence on the extent of variation of the pressure differential between two vessels with a given initial pressure. For the configuration of a single vessel connected to a pipe, the initial pressure influences the maximum explosion pressure and vented explosion overpressure least in a small vessel when the ignition position is located in the small vessel. These conclusions can provide references for the safety design of chemical equipment. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Process Saf Prog 37:86–94, 2018
Joseph Rudinger memorial lecture: Unexpected functions of angiotensin converting enzyme, beyond its enzymatic activity
Authors: Martinez Jean
Published: June 2017

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is a well‐known enzyme, largely studied for its action on hypertension, as it produces angiotensin II from angiotensin I. This paper describes two original behaviours of ACE. We showed that ACE could hydrolyse gastrin, a neuropeptide from the gastrointestinal tract, releasing the C‐terminal amidated dipeptide H‐Asp‐Phe‐NH2. This dipeptide is believed to be involved in the gastrin‐induced acid secretion in the stomach. This hypothetic mechanism of action of gastrin resulted in a strategy to rationally design gastrin receptor antagonists. Beyond, we showed that the brain renin angiotensin system (RAS) could be activated by a new characterized peptide named acein, resulting in stimulation of dopamine release within the striatum. This new and original ‘receptor‐like’ activity for brain membrane‐bound ACE is quite significant taking into account the role of dopamine in the brain, particularly in neurodegenerative diseases. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Paid domestic work, globalization, and informality
Authors: Guarnizo Luis Eduardo , Rodriguez Guadalupe
Published: June 2017

This paper examines the local demand for, and the level of informality of, domestic help in the Sacramento metropolitan area of California. It departs from the prevalent analytical approach that looks at domestic work from the supply side (i.e., the workers' perspective), and instead examines it from the demand side (i.e., the employers' perspective). Using a quantitative analytical strategy, it looks at the employer–employee relationship as embedded in specific social and economic conditions, including the sociodemographic characteristics of the household and its head, and structured by the different types of the housework workers are hired to perform.

We present four main findings. First, a sizable, domestic‐work market of global scale exists in the Sacramento metropolitan area; almost three fourths of the hired domestic workers are immigrants coming from three continents. Second, although almost half of the households sampled face a care deficit, only one third of them actually hire domestic help. Third, what determines the likelihood of hiring domestic help is not the presence of a household care deficit but the configuration of the household and its class position. Fourth and finally, informality of domestic work is gendered and varies proportionally to the level of intimacy of the task performed: the more intimate the task, the more feminine it is perceived of to be, the higher the level of informality. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preferential adsorption of NH3gas molecules on MWCNT defect sites probed usingin situRaman spectroscopy
Authors: Chimowa George , Matsoso Boitumelo , Coville Neil J. , Ray Suprakas Sinha , Flahaut Emmanuel , Hungria Teresa , Datas Lucien , Mwakikunga Bonex W.
Published: June 2017

The preferential adsorption of NH3gas molecules on multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was studied usingin situRaman spectroscopy. It was observed that the full widths at half maximum of the G band and the intensity ratioI2D/IGof the MWCNTs decreased significantly during NH3gas adsorption at elevated temperatures. These observations were explained in terms of suppressed second‐order‐defect associated Raman vibrations resulting in a lower disorder Raman band due to ammonia adsorption on the defect sites. Another corresponding effect was a temporary increase in electron doping levels due to ammonia adsorption. This behaviour was accompanied by a drop ofca. 2% in the resistance of the MWCNTs corresponding to the occupancy of most of the defect sites. We suggest preferential adsorption of ammonia gas molecules on the thermally activated defect sites of MWCNTs as an appropriate gas sensing mechanism. This knowledge can be used to design and tune the selectivity of ammonia gas sensors.
Bandgap behavior of InGaN/GaN short period superlattices grown by metal‐organic vapor phase epitaxy
Authors: Staszczak G. , Gorczyca I. , Grzanka E. , Smalc‐Koziorowska J. , Targowski G. , Czernecki R. , Siekacz M. , Grzanka S. , Skierbiszewski C. , Schulz T. , Christensen N. E. , Suski T.
Published: June 2017

To obtain short period superlattices (SPLS) of InxGa1−xN/GaN in most cases molecular beam epitaxy has been applied. In this work the metal‐organic vapor phase epitaxy was used for obtaining similar structures and their quality as well as light emission features are studied. Thanks to control of growth parameters it was possible to fabricate InxGa1−xN/GaN SPSLs with structural quality of structures grown by MBE. They contain around 30% of indium in quantum wells (QWs) and different number m of atomic monolayers in QWs, and n. in the barriers. X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope measurements have confirmed that the designed SPSLs structures were obtained. An agreement between the experimental results of photoluminescence measurements and theoretically predicted band gap behavior of SPSLs composed of mInxGa1−xN/nGaN was achieved. Built‐in electric field in quantum wells and barriers of the selected structures were determined using a simplified method of calculation.
Autonomous car driving by a humanoid robot
Authors: Paolillo Antonio , Gergondet Pierre , Cherubini Andrea , Vendittelli Marilena , Kheddar Abderrahmane
Published: June 2017

Enabling a humanoid robot to drive a car requires the development of a set of basic primitive actions. These include walking to the vehicle, manually controlling its commands (e.g., ignition, gas pedal, and steering) and moving with the whole body to ingress/egress the car. We present a sensor‐based reactive framework for realizing the central part of the complete task, consisting of driving the car along unknown roads. The proposed framework provides three driving strategies by which a human supervisor can teleoperate the car or give the robot full or partial control of the car. A visual servoing scheme uses features of the road image to provide the reference angle for the steering wheel to drive the car at the center of the road. Simultaneously, a Kalman filter merges optical flow and accelerometer measurements to estimate the car linear velocity and correspondingly compute the gas pedal command for driving at a desired speed. The steering wheel and gas pedal reference are sent to the robot control to achieve the driving task with the humanoid. We present results from a driving experience with a real car and the humanoid robot HRP‐2Kai. Part of the framework has been used to perform the driving task at the DARPA Robotics Challenge.
Asymptotic distribution of ∆AUC, NRIs, and IDI based on theory of U‐statistics
Authors: Demler Olga V. , Pencina Michael J. , Cook Nancy R. , D'Agostino Ralph B.
Published: June 2017

The change in area under the curve (∆AUC), the integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), and net reclassification index (NRI) are commonly used measures of risk prediction model performance. Some authors have reported good validity of associated methods of estimating their standard errors (SE) and construction of confidence intervals, whereas others have questioned their performance. To address these issues, we unite the ∆AUC, IDI, and three versions of the NRI under the umbrella of the U‐statistics family. We rigorously show that the asymptotic behavior of ∆AUC, NRIs, and IDI fits the asymptotic distribution theory developed for U‐statistics. We prove that the ∆AUC, NRIs, and IDI are asymptotically normal, unless they compare nested models under the null hypothesis. In the latter case, asymptotic normality and existing SE estimates cannot be applied to ∆AUC, NRIs, or IDI. In the former case, SE formulas proposed in the literature are equivalent to SE formulas obtained from U‐statistics theory if we ignore adjustment for estimated parameters. We use Sukhatme–Randles–deWet condition to determine when adjustment for estimated parameters is necessary. We show that adjustment is not necessary for SEs of the ∆AUC and two versions of the NRI when added predictor variables are significant and normally distributed. The SEs of the IDI and three‐category NRI should always be adjusted for estimated parameters. These results allow us to define when existing formulas for SE estimates can be used and when resampling methods such as the bootstrap should be used instead when comparing nested models. We also use the U‐statistic theory to develop a new SE estimate of ∆AUC. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MOF‐Based Metal‐Doping‐Induced Synthesis of Hierarchical Porous CuN/C Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts for Zn–Air Batteries
Authors: Lai Qingxue , Zhu Junjie , Zhao Yingxuan , Liang Yanyu , He Jianping , Chen Junhong
Published: June 2017

A transition‐metal–nitrogen/carbon (TM–N/C, TM = Fe, Co, Ni, etc.) system is a popular, nonprecious‐metal oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalyst for fuel cell and metal–air battery applications. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive understanding about the ORR electrocatalytic mechanism on these catalysts, especially the roles of different forms of metal species on electrocatalytic performance. Here, a novel CuN/C ORR electrocatalyst with a hybrid Cu coordination site is successfully fabricated with a simple but efficient metal–organic‐framework‐based, metal‐doping‐induced synthesis strategy. By directly pyrolyzing Cu‐doped zeolitic‐imidazolate‐framework‐8 polyhedrons, the obtained CuN/C catalyst can achieve a high specific surface area of 1182 m2 g−1 with a refined hierarchical porous structure and a high surface N content of 11.05 at%. Moreover, regulating the Cu loading can efficiently tune the states of Cu(II) and Cu0, resulting in the successful construction of a highly active hybrid coordination site of NCu(II)Cu0 in derived CuN/C catalysts. As a result, the optimized 25% CuN/C catalyst possesses a high ORR activity and stability in 0.1 m KOH solution, as well as excellent performance and stability in a Zn–air battery.
A turtle cognition research demonstration enhances visitor engagement and keeper‐animal relationships
Authors: Alba Andrew C. , Leighty Katherine A. , Pittman Courte Victoria L. , Grand Alison P. , Bettinger Tamara L.
Published: June 2017

Environmental enrichment techniques present animals with cognitive challenges while providing them opportunities to make choices and exert control over their environment. In this way, cognitive research and training is enriching to animals and can be used as a form of enrichment in zoos and aquariums. Cognitive research demonstrations also provide an opportunity to enhance visitor experience, as well as foster interactions between animals and keepers. We investigated how cognitive research sessions involving eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) at Disney's Animal Kingdom® impacted both the rate of visitors coming to the exhibit and the amount of time they spent engaged. Further, we used a questionnaire to assess the impact of keeper participation in these sessions on their relationships with and perceptions of the turtles. While visitation rate to the exhibit was not impacted, cognitive research sessions held visitor attention for longer than keeper interpretation or at times during which no keepers or researchers were present. We also found that keepers that had worked with the turtles for longer and keepers that regularly participated in cognitive research sessions reported stronger bonds with the turtles. Our research suggests that use of cognitive research and training demonstrations for guest viewing in zoos and aquariums may enhance visitor learning opportunities by increasing the amount of time they spend at the exhibit. Our study also provides evidence that participation in such demonstrations by zoo and aquarium professionals can be related to improved keeper‐animal bonds, potentially resulting in better husbandry and enhanced animal welfare.
Non-Coding Transcripts from Enhancers: New Insights into Enhancer Activity and Gene Expression Regulation
Authors: Chen Hongjun , Du Guangshi , Song Xu , Li Ling
Published: June 2017

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have gained widespread interest in the past decade owing to their enormous amount and surprising functions implicated in a variety of biological processes. Some lncRNAs exert function as enhancers, i.e., activating gene transcription by serving as the cis-regulatory molecules. Furthermore, recent studies have demonstrated that many enhancer elements can be transcribed and produce RNA molecules, which are termed as enhancer RNAs (eRNAs). The eRNAs are not merely the by-product of the enhancer transcription. In fact, many of them directly exert or regulate enhancer activity in gene activation through diverse mechanisms. Here, we provide an overview of enhancer activity, transcription of enhancer itself, characteristics of eRNAs, as well as their roles in regulating enhancer activity and gene expression.
TRANSPORT PARALLÈLE ET CORRESPONDANCE DE SIMPSON -ADIQUE
Authors: XU DAXIN
Published: June 2017

Deninger et Werner ont développé un analogue pour les courbes$p$-adiques de la correspondance classique de Narasimhan et Seshadri entre les fibrés vectoriels stables de degré$0$et les représentations unitaires du groupe fondamental topologique pour une courbe complexe propre et lisse. Par transport parallèle, ils ont associé fonctoriellement à chaque fibré vectoriel sur une courbe$p$-adique, dont la réduction est fortement semi-stable de degré$0$, une représentation$p$-adique du groupe fondamental de la courbe. Ils se sont posé quelques questions : leur foncteur est-il pleinement fidèle ? La cohomologie des systèmes locaux fournis par celui-ci admet-elle une filtration de Hodge-Tate ? Leur construction est-elle compatible avec la correspondance de Simpson$p$-adique développée par Faltings ? Nous répondons à ces questions dans cet article.
REVERSE MATHEMATICS, YOUNG DIAGRAMS, AND THE ASCENDING CHAIN CONDITION
Authors: HATZIKIRIAKOU KOSTAS , SIMPSON STEPHEN G.
Published: June 2017

LetSbe the group of finitely supported permutations of a countably infinite set. Let$K[S]$be the group algebra ofSover a fieldKof characteristic 0. According to a theorem of Formanek and Lawrence,$K[S]$satisfies the ascending chain condition for two-sided ideals. We study the reverse mathematics of this theorem, proving its equivalence over$RC{A_0}$(or even over$RCA_0^{\rm{*}}$) to the statement that${\omega ^\omega }$is well ordered. Our equivalence proof proceeds via the statement that the Young diagrams form a well partial ordering.
RESOLVING INFINITARY PARADOXES
Authors: WALICKI MICHAŁ
Published: June 2017

Graph normal form, GNF, [1], was used in [2, 3] for analyzing paradoxes in propositional discourses, with the semantics—equivalent to the classical one—defined by kernels of digraphs. The paper presents infinitary, resolution-based reasoning with GNF theories, which is refutationally complete for the classical semantics. Used for direct (not refutational) deduction it is not explosive and allows to identify in an inconsistent discourse, a maximal consistent subdiscourse with its classical consequences. Semikernels, generalizing kernels, provide the semantic interpretation.
Iron deficiency without anaemia is a potential cause of fatigue: meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials and cross-sectional studies
Authors: Yokoi Katsuhiko , Konomi Aki
Published: June 2017

Fe deficiency is a prevalent nutritional disease, and fatigue is a common complaint in the general and patient population. The association between Fe deficiency without anaemia (IDNA) and fatigue is unclear. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Fe on fatigue in patients with IDNA and the association between IDNA and fatigue in the population. Articles from the PubMed database up to 19 January 2016 were systematically searched. A total of six relevant randomised controlled trials (RCT) and six relevant cross-sectional studies were identified. All outcomes were converted into effect sizes. In the meta-analysis of the six RCT, we identified a significant therapeutic effect of Fe in fatigue patients with IDNA (pooled effect size 0·33; 95 % CI 0·17, 0·48;I2=0·0 %;P<0·0001). A sensitivity analysis found that the overall results (i.e. significant association) were robust. In the meta-analysis of the six cross-sectional studies, the association between IDNA and fatigue was not significant (pooled effect size 0·10; 95 % CI −0·11, 0·31;I2=57·4 %;P=0·362). A sensitivity analysis found that the overall results (i.e. no significant association) were not robust; removal of one study made the outcomes significant. These meta-analyses suggest that improving Fe status may decrease fatigue. Further research is necessary to identify diagnostic criteria for selecting fatigue patients who might benefit from Fe therapy and to assess the prevalence of IDNA with fatigue in the general population.
Auditory verbal hallucinations are related to cortical thinning in the left middle temporal gyrus of patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Cui Y. , Liu B. , Song M. , Lipnicki D. M. , Li J. , Xie S. , Chen Y. , Li P. , Lu L. , Lv L. , Wang H. , Yan H. , Yan J. , Zhang H. , Zhang D. , Jiang T.
Published: June 2017

Background

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are one of the most common and severe symptoms of schizophrenia, but the neuroanatomical abnormalities underlying AVHs are not well understood. The present study aims to investigate whether AVHs are associated with cortical thinning.

Methods

Participants were schizophrenia patients from four centers across China, 115 with AVHs and 93 without AVHs, as well as 261 healthy controls. All received 3 T T1-weighted brain scans, and whole brain vertex-wise cortical thickness was compared across groups. Correlations between AVH severity and cortical thickness were also determined.

Results

The left middle part of the middle temporal gyrus (MTG) was significantly thinner in schizophrenia patients with AVHs than in patients without AVHs and healthy controls. Inferences were made using a false discovery rate approach with a threshold at p < 0.05. Left MTG thickness did not differ between patients without AVHs and controls. These results were replicated by a meta-analysis showing them to be consistent across the four centers. Cortical thickness of the left MTG was also found to be inversely correlated with hallucination severity across all schizophrenia patients.

Conclusion

The results of this multi-center study suggest that an abnormally thin left MTG could be involved in the pathogenesis of AVHs in schizophrenia.
Abortion and subsequent depressive symptoms: an analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
Authors: Gomez A. M.
Published: June 2017

Background

Twenty states currently require that women seeking abortion be counseled on possible psychological responses, with six states stressing negative responses. The majority of research finds that women whose unwanted pregnancies end in abortion do not subsequently have adverse mental health outcomes; scant research examines this relationship for young women.

Methods

Four waves of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were analyzed. Population-averaged lagged logistic and linear regression models were employed to test the relationship between pregnancy resolution outcome and subsequent depressive symptoms, adjusting for prior depressive symptoms, history of traumatic experiences, and sociodemographic covariates. Depressive symptoms were measured using a nine-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Analyses were conducted among two subsamples of women whose unwanted first pregnancies were resolved in either abortion or live birth: (1) 856 women with an unwanted first pregnancy between Waves 2 and 3; and (2) 438 women with an unwanted first pregnancy between Waves 3 and 4 (unweighted n’s).

Results

In unadjusted and adjusted linear and logistic regression analyses for both subsamples, there was no association between having an abortion after an unwanted first pregnancy and subsequent depressive symptoms. In fully adjusted models, the most recent measure of prior depressive symptoms was consistently associated with subsequent depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

In a nationally representative, longitudinal dataset, there was no evidence that young women who had abortions were at increased risk of subsequent depressive symptoms compared with those who give birth after an unwanted first pregnancy.
‘My laptop is an extension of my memory and self’: Post-Internet identity, virtual intimacy and digital queering in online popular music
Authors: Waugh Michael
Published: June 2017

This article studies the ways that Post-Internet ideas inform much contemporary musical production. Drawing on interviews conducted with musicians/artists self-consciously highlighting Post-Internet themes in their work, including Arca, Ryan Trecartin, 18+, Holly Herndon and ADR, the paper emphasises the significance of the term ‘Post-Internet’ for contemporary identity politics. It outlines the Post-Internet ideas of Karen Archey, Robin Peckham and Nathan Jurgenson, illuminating their indebtedness to posthuman discourses through a study of the music of Holly Herndon. It then introduces the notion of ‘digital queering’, a trend located in the work of many Post-Internet musicians. Mykki Blanco, 18+, Arca and Ryan Trecartin fuse the posthumanism of Post-Internet identity with the fluid gender deconstructions of queer theory. This is inspired by the ability to perform multiple ‘selves’ online as well as the intimate relationship with digital networks that is a consequence of Post-Internet ideas.
Iran's daughter and mother Iran: Googoosh and diasporic nostalgia for the Pahlavi modern
Authors: Hemmasi Farzaneh
Published: June 2017

This article examines Googoosh, the reigning diva of Persian popular music, through an evaluation of diasporic Iranian discourse and artistic productions linking the vocalist to a feminized nation, its ‘victimisation’ in the revolution, and an attendant ‘nostalgia for the modern’ (Özyürek 2006) of pre-revolutionary Iran. Following analyses of diasporic media that project national drama and desire onto her persona, I then demonstrate how, since her departure from Iran in 2000, Googoosh has embraced her national metaphorization and produced new works that build on historical tropes linking nation, the erotic, and motherhood while capitalising on the nostalgia that surrounds her.
PRODUCTION AND COMPREHENSION IN PROCESSABILITY THEORY
Authors: Spinner Patti , Jung Sehoon
Published: June 2017

The purpose of this study was to determine whether processability theory (PT; Pienemann, 1998, 2005) accounts for the emergence of grammatical forms and structures in comprehension. Sixty-one learners of English participated in oral interviews that elicited a variety of structures relevant to PT. Learners were divided into two groups: those who produced these structures productively in speech (high level) and those who did not (low level). These groups then read grammatical and ungrammatical sentences with PT structures in a self-paced reading task. Based on Pienemann (1998), PT predicts that the high-level group should perform similarly to native speakers. However, only the native speaker control group demonstrated sensitivity to ungrammaticalities. There was evidence that learners might have acquired lower-stage structures in an implicational order in comprehension, but it was quite mixed. These results have implications for PT and for models of the L2 linguistic system that include both production and comprehension.
Legionella longbeachaedetected in an industrial cooling tower linked to a legionellosis outbreak, New Zealand, 2015; possible waterborne transmission?
Authors: THORNLEY C. N. , HARTE D. J. , WEIR R. P. , ALLEN L. J. , KNIGHTBRIDGE K. J. , WOOD P. R. T.
Published: June 2017

A legionellosis outbreak at an industrial site was investigated to identify and control the source. Cases were identified from disease notifications, workplace illness records, and from clinicians. Cases were interviewed for symptoms and risk factors and tested for legionellosis. Implicated environmental sources were sampled and tested for legionella. We identified six cases with Legionnaires’ disease and seven with Pontiac fever; all had been exposed to aerosols from the cooling towers on the site. Nine cases had evidence of infection with eitherLegionella pneumophilaserogroup (sg) 1 orLegionella longbeachaesg1; these organisms were also isolated from the cooling towers. There was 100% DNA sequence homology between cooling tower and clinical isolates ofL. pneumophilasg1 using sequence-based typing analysis; no clinicalL. longbeachaeisolates were available to compare with environmental isolates. Routine monitoring of the towers prior to the outbreak failed to detect any legionella. Data from this outbreak indicate thatL. pneumophilasg1 transmission occurred from the cooling towers; in addition,L. longbeachaetransmission was suggested but remains unproven.L. longbeachaedetection in cooling towers has not been previously reported in association with legionellosis outbreaks. Waterborne transmission should not be discounted in investigations for the source ofL. longbeachaeinfection.
Consistency matters: Consistency in the timing and quality of daily interactions between parents and adolescents predicts production of proinflammatory cytokines in youths
Authors: Manczak Erika M. , Leigh Adam K. K. , Chin Chia-Ping , Chen Edith
Published: June 2017

The current study examined whether consistency in day-to-day interactions between children and parents related to inflammatory cytokine production in youths. One hundred twenty-three parents recorded the daily quality of interactions and timing of leisure activities with their adolescent children for 2 weeks, and the degree of variability in those ratings was calculated. One year later, the production of proinflammatory cytokines in youths’ blood was measured in response to in vitro exposure to lipopolysaccharide (a bacterial product). The results indicate that greater variability in parent–child relationship quality related to greater stimulated proinflammatory cytokine production in youths, above and beyond overall relationship quality. Greater variability in the timing of parent–child leisure activities also predicted greater stimulated proinflammatory cytokine production in youths, regardless of the frequency of interactions. In sum, consistency in both the affective and temporal aspects of parent–child relationships may contribute to inflammatory processes in youth.
How does fatigue management education impact radiographer competence and confidence in supporting patients during radiotherapy?
Authors: Tolson L. , Jessop A.
Published: June 2017

Aim

The primary outcome of this study is to establish whether fatigue management education impacts on radiographers’ perceived competence and confidence in supporting patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Materials and methods

A single-centre mixed method study was conducted. Participants completed a questionnaire determining baseline fatigue support practice, undertook an education package, then repeated the questionnaire to determine any change in their competence and confidence. Semi-structured interviews were used to gain insight into practice and perceived barriers.

Results

In all, 17 radiographers (100%) participated. Some areas of practice were affected significantly by the education package, namely highlighting the need for training, perceived competence and confidence in providing support, knowledge of effective treatment options and risk factors, the effect of fatigue on the patient and greater agreement that their professional qualification means they are qualified to support patients with fatigue.

Findings

Fatigue management education impacts on radiographers’ perceived competence and confidence in supporting patients during their radiotherapy. Interviews highlighted that knowledge of cancer-related fatigue is built up through day-to-day practice. Although there is greater awareness and support of fatigue, barriers exist, including patient compliance, lack of practical training, provision to monitor patients and unclear referral pathways.
Do not confuse multidisciplinary task management in nursing homes with interprofessional care!
Authors: Tsakitzidis Giannoula , Anthierens Sibyl , Timmermans Olaf , Truijen Steven , Meulemans Herman , Van Royen Paul
Published: June 2017

Problem statement

Little is known about how interprofessional healthcare providers in nursing homes work together. We know that interprofessional teamwork evolves from trial and error learning and so interprofessional collaboration has to be actively taught. This study aims to gain insights in the perception of professionals towards interprofessional collaboration in nursing homes and the factors that have an impact on interprofessional collaboration.

Approach

A qualitative descriptive methodology using focus group interviews and additional semi-structured interviews was performed. In total three focus group sessions with healthcare providers from different disciplines were held and additionally nine semi-structured interviews were executed. A thematic analysis was performed. The transcripts were read to immerse in the data and initial ideas were noted. Both open coding (identification of primary themes) and axial coding (analysis of relationships among themes) were conducted and re-focussed into potential themes.

Findings

Four main themes emerge from the analysis: context, collaboration, care and experience. From the findings it seems that healthcare teams in nursing homes work as ‘separated groups’. A lot of collaboration is perceived, but no common vision or responsibility sharing is found. The role description of the different disciplines does not always seem clear or is not always explicit.

Conclusion

In usual care the perceived interactions between professionals are called collaboration. Obviously physicians and all healthcare professionals do not work interprofessionally according to definitions from the literature. This study provided evidence of the awareness that interprofessional collaboration in usual care is situational and fragmentary organised.
Logic + control: On program construction and verification
Authors: DRABENT WŁODZIMIERZ
Published: June 2017

This paper presents an example of formal reasoning about the semantics of a Prolog program of practical importance (the SAT solver of Howe and King). The program is treated as a definite clause logic program with added control. The logic program is constructed by means of stepwise refinement, hand in hand with its correctness and completeness proofs. The proofs are declarative – they do not refer to any operational semantics. Each step of the logic program construction follows a systematic approach to constructing programs which are provably correct and complete. We also prove that correctness and completeness of the logic program is preserved in the final Prolog program. Additionally, we prove termination, occur-check freedom and non-floundering.

Our example shows how dealing with “logic” and with “control” can be separated. Most of the proofs can be done at the “logic” level, abstracting from any operational semantics.

The example employs approximate specifications; they are crucial in simplifying reasoning about logic programs. It also shows that the paradigm of semantics-preserving program transformations may be not sufficient. We suggest considering transformations which preserve correctness and completeness with respect to an approximate specification.
Central and Eastern European Accession: Changing Perspectives on Migrant Workers
Authors: Fitzgerald Ian , Smoczyński Rafal
Published: June 2017

This article provides a reflection on the period since the May 2004 Central and Eastern European (CEE) accession and subsequent migration to the UK, and on shifting perspectives of and towards CEE migrants in this period. The authors have been researching this phenomenon in the North of England since 2005 through a series of studies as well as ongoing engagement with regional respondents. CEE migration is analysed through the perspectives of government, employers and trade union interests. A central argument is that attitudes to CEE migrants changed following the 2008 financial crisis as funding for local authorities was reduced, obscuring evidence-based arguments for their value to the UK labour market.
CPW-fed SGF-TSRR antenna for multiband applications
Authors: Elavarasi C. , Shanmuganantham T.
Published: June 2017

In this paper, a solid co-planar waveguide-fed fractal metamaterial antenna is offered. The proposed design consists of Sierpinski gasket iterations and a complementary triangular split ring resonator (CTSRR) loaded underneath the substrate, which is accountable for pull off multiband uniqueness and resolve good impedance identical. In sketch to hassle multiresonant frequency band facet, these CTSRR are entrenched reverse side of the substrate. The anticipated antenna with a dense dimension of 12 × 14 × 1.6 mm3 is fabricated and tested. The testing result designates that the projected design has −10 dB of 5.72, 14.3, and 16.06 GHz, respectively, and covers 5.72 GHz wireless local area network, 14.3 GHz fixed satellite, and 16.06 GHz International Telecommunication Union (ITU) band. It has fine emission uniqueness for jointly E-plane and H-plane in all the preferred occurrence bands and produce superior performance compared with the offered antenna intend in the prose. The loaded CTSRR construction recital is validated all the way during negative permeability pulling out and assorted parametric study.
Resistance of Enlist™(AAD-12) Cotton to Glufosinate
Authors: Braxton L. Bo , Richburg John S. , York Alan C. , Culpepper A. Stanley , Haygood Robert A. , Lovelace Michael L. , Perry D. Hunter , Walton Larry C.
Published: June 2017

Enlist™ cotton contains theaad-12andpatgenes that confer resistance to 2,4-D and glufosinate, respectively. Thirty-three field trials were conducted focused on Enlist cotton injury from glufosinate as affected by cotton growth stage, application rate, and single or sequential applications. Maximum injury from a single application of typical 1X (542 g ae ha-1) and 2X use rates was 3 and 13%, respectively, regardless of growth stage. Injury from sequential applications of 1X or 2X rates was equivalent to single applications. Similar injury was observed with four commercial formulations of glufosinate. Cotton yield was never affected by glufosinate. This research demonstrates Enlist™ cotton has robust resistance to glufosinate at rates at least twice the typical use rate when applied once or twice at growth stages ranging from 2 to 12 leaves.
Flixweed (Descurainia sophia) Shade Tolerance and Possibilities for Flixweed Management Using Rapeseed Seeding Rate
Authors: Landau Christopher A. , Schutte Brian J. , Mesbah Abdel O. , Angadi Sangamesh V.
Published: June 2017

Brassicaceae weeds can be problematic in canola varieties that have not been modified to resist specific broad-spectrum herbicides. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the potential for increased rapeseed seeding rate as a management strategy for flixweed. To accomplish this objective, a field study was conducted to determine crop seeding rate effects on canopy light transmission and rapeseed yield characteristics, as well as a greenhouse study to determine morphological and photosynthetic responses of flixweed to decreasing irradiance levels. Results from the field study indicated that light transmittance through the canopy decreased linearly as crop seeding rate increased from 1.8 to 9.0 kg ha-1. Increasing crop seeding rate did not influence rapeseed aboveground biomass, seed yield, and harvest index, but negatively affected rapeseed seed oil content in one of two site-years. Greenhouse study results indicated that declining irradiance levels caused reductions in flixweed biomass, root allocation, and photosynthetic light compensation point. Flixweed leaf allocation, foliage area ratio, and specific foliage area increased in response to decreasing irradiance levels. Combined results of field and greenhouse studies suggest that increasing rapeseed seeding rate can suppress flixweed growth while not causing yield penalties from increased intraspecific competition. However, increased rapeseed seeding rate might not be an adequate control strategy on its own because flixweed displays characteristics of a shade-tolerant species.
Cross-Resistance of Eclipta (Eclipta prostrata) in China to ALS Inhibitors Due to a Pro-197-Ser Point Mutation
Authors: Li Dan , Li Xiangju , Yu Huilin , Wang Jingjing , Cui Hailan
Published: June 2017

Eclipta, widespread in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions, is one of the main malignant broadleaf weeds and thrives in moist and dryland fields. Field rates of acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors have failed to control eclipta in some farmlands in China. One ALS inhibitor–resistant population (R) collected from Jiangsu province in China was confirmed in the greenhouse in our preliminary work. Whole-plant assays revealed that this R population was highly resistant to four sulfonylureas (pyrazosulfuron-ethyl, 134-fold; bensulfuron-methyl, 172-fold; metsulfuron-methyl, 30-fold; and tribenuron-methyl, 195-fold), two triazolopyrimidines (pyroxsulam, 98-fold; penoxsulam, 30-fold), and one pyrimidinylthio-benzoate (bispyribac-sodium, 166-fold) and was moderately resistant to two imidazolinones (imazethapyr, 10-fold; imazapic, 19-fold). ALS enzyme-activity assays showed insensitivity of the ALS from the R population (resistance index values ranged from 12 to 293) to all of the above ALS inhibitors in vitro. Chromatograms fromALSgene sequence analysis detected a homozygous Pro-197-Ser amino acid substitution in the R population. These results confirmed that the Pro-197-Ser substitution results in broad-spectrum cross-resistance to ALS inhibitors in the eclipta R population. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report broad cross-resistance to ALS inhibitors in eclipta and to obtain the full-lengthALSgene sequence.
Quota Women Are Threatening to Men
Authors: Faniko Klea , Burckhardt Till , Sarrasin Oriane , Lorenzi-Cioldi Fabio , Sørensen Siri Øyslebø , Iacoviello Vincenzo , Mayor Eric
Published: June 2017

Abstract. Two studies carried out among Albanian public-sector employees examined the impact of different types of affirmative action policies (AAPs) on (counter)stereotypical perceptions of women in decision-making positions. Study 1 (N = 178) revealed that participants – especially women – perceived women in decision-making positions as more masculine (i.e., agentic) than feminine (i.e., communal). Study 2 (N = 239) showed that different types of AA had different effects on the attribution of gender stereotypes to AAP beneficiaries: Women benefiting from a quota policy were perceived as being more communal than agentic, while those benefiting from weak preferential treatment were perceived as being more agentic than communal. Furthermore, we examined how the belief that AAPs threaten men’s access to decision-making positions influenced the attribution of these traits to AAP beneficiaries. The results showed that men who reported high levels of perceived threat, as compared to men who reported low levels of perceived threat, attributed more communal than agentic traits to the beneficiaries of quotas. These findings suggest that AAPs may have created a backlash against its beneficiaries by emphasizing gender-stereotypical or counterstereotypical traits. Thus, the framing of AAPs, for instance, as a matter of enhancing organizational performance, in the process of policy making and implementation, may be a crucial tool to countering potential backlash.
The bile acid receptor FXR attenuates acinar cell autophagy in chronic pancreatitis
Authors: Zhou Xiaodong , Xie Li , Bergmann Frank , Endris Volker , Strobel Oliver , Büchler Markus W , Kroemer Guido , Hackert Thilo , Fortunato Franco
Published: June 2017

The functional relationship between bile acid (BA) and autophagy has not been evaluated in the context of pancreatitis. Here we investigated whether BA and their nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR) modulate autophagy and the development of pancreatitis. FXR expression, autophagy, apoptosis and necroptosis were determined in human chronic pancreatitis (CP) tissue in vivo and in pancreatic cells lines in vitro by means of real-time PCR, immunoblots and immunofluorescence. Pancreatic cell lines exposed to the most abundant BAs glycochenodeoxycholate (GCDC) and taurocholic acid (TCA) increased the expression of nuclear FXR and diminished that of the essential autophagy-related protein ATG7. BA was also elevated in pancreatic tissues from CP patients, correlating with elevated FXR and curtailed ATG7 expression with locally reduced autophagic activity. This was accompanied by an increased manifestation of CP hallmarks including apoptosis, necroptosis, inflammation and fibrosis. The present results suggest a cascade of events in which local accumulation of BA signals via FXR to suppress autophagy in pancreatic acinar cells, thereby unleashing acinar cell apoptosis and necroptosis. Thus, BA may cause CP by suppressing autophagy and exacerbating acinar cell apoptosis and necroptosis.
Fronts and waves of actin polymerization in a bistability-based mechanism of circular dorsal ruffles
Authors: Bernitt Erik , Döbereiner Hans-Günther , Gov Nir S. , Yochelis Arik
Published: June 2017

During macropinocytosis, cells remodel their morphologies for the uptake of extracellular matter. This endocytotic mechanism relies on the collapse and closure of precursory structures, which are propagating actin-based, ring-shaped vertical undulations at the dorsal (top) cell membrane, a.k.a. circular dorsal ruffles (CDRs). As such, CDRs are essential to a range of vital and pathogenic processes alike. Here we show, based on both experimental data and theoretical analysis, that CDRs are propagating fronts of actin polymerization in a bistable system. The theory relies on a novel mass-conserving reaction–diffusion model, which associates the expansion and contraction of waves to distinct counter-propagating front solutions. Moreover, the model predicts that under a change in parameters (for example, biochemical conditions) CDRs may be pinned and fluctuate near the cell boundary or exhibit complex spiral wave dynamics due to a wave instability. We observe both phenomena also in our experiments indicating the conditions for which macropinocytosis is suppressed.
Cooperative tumour cell membrane targeted phototherapy
Authors: Kim Heegon , Lee Junsung , Oh Chanhee , Park Ji-Ho
Published: June 2017

The targeted delivery of therapeutics using antibodies or nanomaterials has improved the precision and safety of cancer therapy. However, the paucity and heterogeneity of identified molecular targets within tumours have resulted in poor and uneven distribution of targeted agents, thus compromising treatment outcomes. Here, we construct a cooperative targeting system in which synthetic and biological nanocomponents participate together in the tumour cell membrane-selective localization of synthetic receptor-lipid conjugates (SR-lipids) to amplify the subsequent targeting of therapeutics. The SR-lipids are first delivered selectively to tumour cell membranes in the perivascular region using fusogenic liposomes. By hitchhiking with extracellular vesicles secreted by the cells, the SR-lipids are transferred to neighbouring cells and further spread throughout the tumour tissues where the molecular targets are limited. We show that this tumour cell membrane-targeted delivery of SR-lipids leads to uniform distribution and enhanced phototherapeutic efficacy of the targeted photosensitizer.
DOT1L safeguards cartilage homeostasis and protects against osteoarthritis
Authors: Monteagudo Silvia , Cornelis Frederique M. F. , Aznar-Lopez Carolina , Yibmantasiri Ploi , Guns Laura-An , Carmeliet Peter , Cailotto Frédéric , Lories Rik J.
Published: June 2017

Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent and crippling joint disease, and lacks curative treatment, as the underlying molecular basis is unclear. Here, we show that DOT1L, an enzyme involved in histone methylation, is a master protector of cartilage health. Loss of DOT1L disrupts the molecular signature of healthy chondrocytesin vitroand causes osteoarthritis in mice. Mechanistically, the protective function of DOT1L is attributable to inhibition of Wnt signalling, a pathway that when hyper-activated can lead to joint disease. Unexpectedly, DOT1L suppresses Wnt signalling by inhibiting the activity of sirtuin-1 (SIRT1), an important regulator of gene transcription. Inhibition of SIRT1 protects against osteoarthritis triggered by loss of DOT1L activity. Modulating the DOT1L network might therefore be a therapeutic approach to protect the cartilage against osteoarthritis.
Two-step synthesis of chiral fused tricyclic scaffolds from phenols via desymmetrization on nickel
Authors: Kumar Ravindra , Hoshimoto Yoichi , Tamai Eri , Ohashi Masato , Ogoshi Sensuke
Published: June 2017

Tricyclic furan derivatives with multiple chiral centers are ubiquitous in natural products. Construction of such tricyclic scaffolds in a stereocontrolled, step-economic, and atom-economic manner is a key challenge. Here we show a nickel-catalyzed highly enantioselective synthesis of hydronaphtho[1,8-bc]furans with five contiguous chiral centers via desymmetrization of alkynyl-cyclohexadienone by oxidative cyclization and following formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition processes. Alkynyl-cyclohexadienone was synthesized in one step from easily accessible phenols. This reaction represents excellent chemo-selectivity, regio-selectivity, diastereo-selectivity, and enantio-selectivity (single diastereomer, up to 99% ee). An extraordinary regioselectivity in the formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition step with enones revealed the diverse reactivity of the nickelacycle intermediate. Desymmetrization of alkynyl-cyclohexadienones via oxidative cyclization on nickel was supported by the isolation of a nickelacycle from a stoichiometric reaction. Enantioenriched tricyclic products contain various functional groups such as C=O and C=C. The synthetic utility of these products was demonstrated by derivatization of these functional groups.