bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevention and Control of Cardiovascular Disease in the Rapidly Changing Economy of China
Authors: Wu Yangfeng , Benjamin Emelia J. , MacMahon Stephen
Published: June 2016

With one-fifth of the world’s total population, China’s prevention and control of cardiovascular disease (CVD) may affect the success of worldwide efforts to achieve sustainable CVD reduction. Understanding China’s current cardiovascular epidemic requires awareness of the economic development in the past decades. The rapid economic transformations (industrialization, marketization, urbanization, globalization, and informationalization) contributed to the aging demography, unhealthy lifestyles, and environmental changes. The latter have predisposed to increasing cardiovascular risk factors and the CVD pandemic. Rising CVD rates have had a major economic impact, which has challenged the healthcare system and the whole society. With recognition of the importance of health, initial political steps and national actions have been taken to address the CVD epidemic. Looking to the future, we recommend that 4 priorities should be taken: pursue multisectorial government and nongovernment strategies targeting the underlying causes of CVD (the whole-of-government and whole-of-society policy); give priority to prevention; reform the healthcare system to fit the nature of noncommunicable diseases; and conduct research for evidence-based, low-cost, simple, sustainable, and scalable interventions. By pursuing the 4 priorities, the pandemic of CVD and other major noncommunicable diseases in China will be reversed and the global sustainable development goal achieved.
Household Fuel Use and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality
Authors: Mitter Sumeet S. , Vedanthan Rajesh , Islami Farhad , Pourshams Akram , Khademi Hooman , Kamangar Farin , Abnet Christian C. , Dawsey Sanford M. , Pharoah Paul D. , Brennan Paul , Fuster Valentin , Boffetta Paolo , Malekzadeh Reza
Published: June 2016

Background—

Household air pollution is the third largest risk factor for global disease burden, but direct links with cardiovascular disease mortality are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between household fuel use and cardiovascular disease mortality.

Methods and Results—

The Golestan Cohort Study in northeastern Iran enrolled 50 045 individuals 40 to 75 years of age between 2004 and 2008 and collected data on lifetime household fuel use and other baseline exposures. Participants were followed up through 2012 with a 99% successful follow-up rate. Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to calculate hazard ratios for associations between pehen (local dung), wood, kerosene/diesel, or natural gas burning for cooking and heating and all-cause and cause-specific mortality, with adjustment for lifetime exposure to each of these fuels and potential confounders. A total of 3073 participants (6%) died during follow-up; 78% of these deaths were attributable to noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular, oncological, and respiratory illnesses. Adjusted 10-year hazard ratios from kerosene/diesel burning were 1.06 (95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.10) and 1.11 (95% confidence interval, 1.06–1.17) for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, respectively. Subtype-specific analyses revealed a significant increase in ischemic heart disease (10-year hazard ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–1.21) and a trend toward cerebrovascular accident (10-year hazard ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.99–1.17) mortality. Stratification by sex revealed a potential signal for increased risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality among women compared with men, with similar risk for ischemic heart disease mortality.

Conclusions—

Household exposure to high-pollution fuels was associated with increased risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. Replicating these results worldwide would support efforts to reduce such exposures.
Whole Grain Intake and Mortality From All Causes, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer
Authors: Zong Geng , Gao Alisa , Hu Frank B. , Sun Qi
Published: June 2016

Background—

Current findings on associations between whole grain (WG) intake and mortality are inconsistent and have not been summarized by meta-analysis.

Methods and Results—

We searched for prospective cohort studies reporting associations between WG intake and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer through February 2016 in Medline, Embase, and clinicaltrials.gov, and we further included unpublished results from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III and NHANES 1999 to 2004. Fourteen studies were eligible for analysis, which included 786 076 participants, 97 867 total deaths, 23 957 CVD deaths, and 37 492 cancer deaths. Pooled relative risks comparing extreme WG categories (high versus low) were 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80–0.88;
P
<0.001;
I
2
=74%;
P
heterogeneity
<0.001) for total mortality, 0.82 (95% CI, 0.79–0.85;
P
<0.001;
I
2
=0%;
P
heterogeneity
=0.53) for CVD mortality, and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.83–0.94;
P
<0.001;
I
2
=54%;
P
heterogeneity
=0.02) for cancer mortality. Intakes of WG ingredients in dry weight were estimated among studies reporting relative risks for ≥3 quantitative WG categories, and they were <50 g/d among most study populations. The 2-stage dose-response random-effects meta-analysis showed monotonic associations between WG intake and mortality (
P
nonlinearity
>0.05). For each 16-g/d increase in WG (≈1 serving per d), relative risks of total, CVD, and cancer mortality were 0.93 (95% CI, 0.92–0.94;
P
<0.001), 0.91 (95% CI, 0.90–0.93;
P
<0.001), and 0.95 (95% CI, 0.94–0.96;
P
<0.001), respectively.

Conclusions—

Our meta-analysis demonstrated inverse associations of WG intake with total and cause-specific mortality, and findings were particularly strong and robust for CVD mortality. These findings further support current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends at least 3 servings per day of WG intake.
Endemic Cardiovascular Diseases of the Poorest Billion
Authors: Kwan Gene F. , Mayosi Bongani M. , Mocumbi Ana O. , Miranda J. Jaime , Ezzati Majid , Jain Yogesh , Robles Gisela , Benjamin Emelia J. , Subramanian S. V. , Bukhman Gene
Published: June 2016

The poorest billion people are distributed throughout the world, though most are concentrated in rural sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) data can be sparse in low- and middle-income countries beyond urban centers. Despite this urban bias, CVD registries from the poorest countries have long revealed a predominance of nonatherosclerotic stroke, hypertensive heart disease, nonischemic and Chagas cardiomyopathies, rheumatic heart disease, and congenital heart anomalies, among others. Ischemic heart disease has been relatively uncommon. Here, we summarize what is known about the epidemiology of CVDs among the world’s poorest people and evaluate the relevance of global targets for CVD control in this population. We assessed both primary data sources, and the 2013 Global Burden of Disease Study modeled estimates in the world’s 16 poorest countries where 62% of the population are among the poorest billion. We found that ischemic heart disease accounted for only 12% of the combined CVD and congenital heart anomaly disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in the poorest countries, compared with 51% of DALYs in high-income countries. We found that as little as 53% of the combined CVD and congenital heart anomaly burden (1629/3049 DALYs per 100 000) was attributed to behavioral or metabolic risk factors in the poorest countries (eg, in Niger, 82% of the population among the poorest billion) compared with 85% of the combined CVD and congenital heart anomaly burden (4439/5199 DALYs) in high-income countries. Further, of the combined CVD and congenital heart anomaly burden, 34% was accrued in people under age 30 years in the poorest countries, while only 3% is accrued under age 30 years in high-income countries. We conclude although the current global targets for noncommunicable disease and CVD control will help diminish premature CVD death in the poorest populations, they are not sufficient. Specifically, the current framework (1) excludes deaths of people <30 years of age and deaths attributable to congenital heart anomalies, and (2) emphasizes interventions to prevent and treat conditions attributed to behavioral and metabolic risks factors. We recommend a complementary strategy for the poorest populations that targets premature death at younger ages, addresses environmental and infectious risks, and introduces broader integrated health system interventions, including cardiac surgery for congenital and rheumatic heart disease.
Prolyl-4 Hydroxylase 2 (PHD2) Deficiency in Endothelial Cells and Hematopoietic Cells Induces Obliterative Vascular Remodeling and Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Mice and Humans Through Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-2α
Authors: Dai Zhiyu , Li Ming , Wharton John , Zhu Maggie M. , Zhao You-Yang
Published: June 2016

Background—

Vascular occlusion and complex plexiform lesions are hallmarks of the pathology of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients. However, the mechanisms of obliterative vascular remodeling remain elusive; hence, current therapies have not targeted the fundamental disease-modifying mechanisms and result in only modest improvement in morbidity and mortality.

Methods and Results—

Mice with
Tie2
Cre-mediated disruption of
Egln1
(encoding prolyl-4 hydroxylase 2 [PHD2];
Egln1

Tie2

) in endothelial cells and hematopoietic cells exhibited spontaneous severe PAH with extensive pulmonary vascular remodeling, including vascular occlusion and plexiform-like lesions, resembling the hallmarks of the pathology of clinical PAH. As seen in patients with idiopathic PAH,
Egln1

Tie2

mice exhibited unprecedented right ventricular hypertrophy and failure and progressive mortality. Consistently, PHD2 expression was diminished in lung endothelial cells of obliterated pulmonary vessels in patients with idiopathic PAH. Genetic deletions of both
Egln1
and
Hif1a
or
Egln1
and
Hif2a
identified hypoxia-inducible factor-2α as the critical mediator of the severe PAH seen in
Egln1

Tie2

mice. We also observed altered expression of many pulmonary hypertension–causing genes in
Egln1

Tie2

lungs, which was normalized in
Egln1

Tie2

/
Hif2a

Tie2

lungs. PHD2-deficient endothelial cells promoted smooth muscle cell proliferation in part through hypoxia-inducible factor-2α–activated CXCL12 expression. Genetic deletion of
Cxcl12
attenuated PAH in
Egln1

Tie2

mice.

Conclusions—

These studies defined an unexpected role of PHD2 deficiency in the mechanisms of severe PAH and identified the first genetically modified mouse model with obliterative vascular remodeling and pathophysiology recapitulating clinical PAH. Thus, targeting PHD2/hypoxia-inducible factor-2α signaling is a promising strategy to reverse vascular remodeling for treatment of severe PAH.
p22
phox
C242T Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism Inhibits Inflammatory Oxidative Damage to Endothelial Cells and Vessels
Authors: Meijles Daniel N. , Fan Lampson M. , Ghazaly Maziah M. , Howlin Brendan , Krönke Martin , Brooks Gavin , Li Jian-Mei
Published: June 2016

Background—

The NADPH oxidase, by generating reactive oxygen species, is involved in the pathophysiology of many cardiovascular diseases and represents a therapeutic target for the development of novel drugs. A single-nucleotide polymorphism, C242T of the p22
phox
subunit of NADPH oxidase, has been reported to be negatively associated with coronary heart disease and may predict disease prevalence. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown.

Methods and Results—

With the use of computer molecular modeling, we discovered that C242T single-nucleotide polymorphism causes significant structural changes in the extracellular loop of p22
phox
and reduces its interaction stability with Nox2 subunit. Gene transfection of human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells showed that C242T p22
phox
significantly reduced Nox2 expression but had no significant effect on basal endothelial O
2
.–
production or the expression of Nox1 and Nox4. When cells were stimulated with tumor necrosis factor-α (or high glucose), C242T p22
phox
significantly inhibited tumor necrosis factor-α–induced Nox2 maturation, O
2
.–
production, mitogen-activated protein kinases and nuclear factor κB activation, and inflammation (all
P
<0.05). These C242T effects were further confirmed using p22
phox
short-hairpin RNA–engineered HeLa cells and Nox2
–/–
coronary microvascular endothelial cells. Clinical significance was investigated by using saphenous vein segments from non–coronary heart disease subjects after phlebotomies. TT (C242T) allele was common (prevalence of ≈22%) and, in comparison with CC, veins bearing TT allele had significantly lower levels of Nox2 expression and O
2
.–
generation in response to high-glucose challenge.

Conclusions—

C242T single-nucleotide polymorphism causes p22
phox
structural changes that inhibit endothelial Nox2 activation and oxidative response to tumor necrosis factor-α or high-glucose stimulation. C242T single-nucleotide polymorphism may represent a natural protective mechanism against inflammatory cardiovascular diseases.
Clinical Update: Cardiovascular Disease in Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Low Wang Cecilia C. , Hess Connie N. , Hiatt William R. , Goldfine Allison B.
Published: June 2016

Cardiovascular disease remains the principal cause of death and disability among patients with diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus exacerbates mechanisms underlying atherosclerosis and heart failure. Unfortunately, these mechanisms are not adequately modulated by therapeutic strategies focusing solely on optimal glycemic control with currently available drugs or approaches. In the setting of multifactorial risk reduction with statins and other lipid-lowering agents, antihypertensive therapies, and antihyperglycemic treatment strategies, cardiovascular complication rates are falling, yet remain higher for patients with diabetes mellitus than for those without. This review considers the mechanisms, history, controversies, new pharmacological agents, and recent evidence for current guidelines for cardiovascular management in the patient with diabetes mellitus to support evidence-based care in the patient with diabetes mellitus and heart disease outside of the acute care setting.
The Unity and Coherence of 4 Ezra: Crisis, Response, and Authorial Intention
Authors: Gore-Jones Lydia
Published: June 2016

Scholarly interpretations of 4 Ezra have very often endeavoured to resolve the issue of the apparent disunity and inconsistency in its form and content. The approaches used are largely divided between the psychological perspective on the one hand, which understands the work as describing Ezra’s religious transformation as a result of his dialogue with Uriel and his visions, and the theological approach on the other, which views it as an intra-Jewish debate, with Uriel and Ezra representing conflicting theological views. While the theological perspective often neglects the significance of the visions and the epilogue for the work as a whole, the psychological perspective often fails to give due consideration to authorial intention. This article argues that the author of 4 Ezra intends to propose a solution to the crisis created by the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 ce and to give scriptural authority to his solution. The key to interpreting his purpose in writing lies in the choice of Ezra as his pseudonymous mouthpiece and in the epilogue. With this authorial intention in mind, the different parts of the book become a coherent whole.
PARTICULES DE NEGATION DANS LES INSCRIPTIONS SUR BRONZE DE LA DYNASTIE DES ZHOU
Authors: Djamouri Redouane
Published: June 2016

This article is devoted to a semantico-syntactic analysis of the use of seven markers of negation in Early Archaic Chinese, especially in the Zhou bronze inscriptions. The negative BU 不 which is used with intransitive verbal predicates or with adjectives, establishes a descriptive relationship between the subject and the predicate in its clause; it only shows a simple descriptive intention and takes an integral part in the presupposition. The negative marker FU 弗 is fully adverbial and is used, essentially, with transitive verbs. The marker FEI 非, establishes an attributive, descriptive relationship between the two terms of the predication inside the clause just as does BU; but it introduces a polemic value in expressing the falsity of a presupposition. The marker WU2 毋, in contrast with WU1 勿, does not come under the category of a deontic modality. The obligation which it shows does not come from the speaker (or from any other source) but is internal to the subject-predicate relationship. The negation in this case is to be taken as a statement of fact and not as an injunction. However, according to the observations here, WU2 毋 refers to the epistemic modal category. That why it can express the double value of both "certainty" and “necessity” according to the context. The negative WANG 勿 (the negative counterpart of YOU 有 "existence" or "possession") is used to express the possession of dependence. In addition, because of its existential value, it allows for presenting certain terms in both a restrictive and an extensive sense. Finally WU3 無 is most often attached to a substantive and forms thus a marginal expansion (in a syntactically dependent position) serving to characterize a nominal phrase, a verbal phrase, or an entire clause.
Hebrew-Catalan Medieval Wedding Songs: Satirical Functions of the Hebrew Component and Other Linguistic Aspects
Authors: Baum Ilil
Published: June 2016

The Hebrew-Catalan documents of the Jews of medieval Catalonia have not been thoroughly analyzed thus far. The present article analyzes five unique wedding songs of the fourteenth–fifteenth centuries written in Catalan using Hebrew characters (edited in 1970 and 1974). In this study special attention is given to the humorous and satirical functions of the Hebrew component. This sophisticated use of the Hebrew component may imply more widespread oral traditions of parodic character related to the wedding ceremony among the Jews of Catalonia and the Iberian Peninsula. The notion of “Judeo-Catalan” is discussed in the framework of linguistic repertoire while demonstrating undocumented or rarely documented phonetic, semantic, and lexical features of medieval Catalan. The use of a different orthographic system allows for a written representation of the pronunciation of medieval Catalan, whereby the boundaries between the spoken and the written are blurred, creating a sort of a “written-spoken language.”
Music and Jesuits: Historiography, and a Global Perspective
Authors: Frank Kennedy T.
Published: June 2016

Historian John W. O’Malley has recently outlined significant changes in the historiography of the Jesuits. These major shifts in Jesuit historiography in the early modern period have provided for more ample avenues of study vis-à-vis Jesuits and music. The last of O’Malley’s three ages of Jesuit historiography has had the most immediate effect: not only has it in itself encouraged the study of Jesuits and music, but also has broadened the cultural field enabling a number of different foci, previously beyond consideration. Recent studies, especially from the point of view of the expressions of popular piety, are producing insights into the identity of Jesuits from the perspectives or what they did. The significant corpus of music literature that musicologists are exploring and reflecting upon, promises both a fuller portrait of the Jesuits and their “way of proceeding,” and a richer understanding of the function of this music.
Music and the Jesuit “Way of Proceeding” in the German Counter-Reformation
Authors: Fisher Alexander J.
Published: June 2016

The present essay considers the Jesuits’ relationship to musical culture along the confessional frontier of Germany, where the immediate presence of religious difference led to an explicit marking of space and boundaries, not least through visual and aural media. While Jesuit reservations concerning the appropriate use of music were always present, individual churches and colleges soon developed ambitious musical practices aimed at embellishing the Catholic liturgy and stimulating religious affect. The present essay traces a gradual shift in Jesuit attitudes toward music between roughly 1580 and 1650, showing steady growth in the Society’s use of musical resources in churches, colleges, hymnbooks, processions, and theatrical productions in the confessionally-contested German orbit.
Musical Practices among Marian Sodalities in the Gallo- and Flandro-Belgian Provinces from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Centuries
Authors: Drèze Céline
Published: June 2016

This paper sets forth an initial synthesis of the musical practices of the Marian sodalities established in the two former Belgian provinces. The musical history of the Belgian sodalities has been compiled on the basis of disparate and heterogeneous archival sources, which shed light on the musical practices of the Marian sodalities in two ways. First, they reveal the financial, human, and material resources brought together by the sodalities, as well as the close links maintained by the sodalities with the various local musical bodies. Secondly, the documents indicate two activities for which particular use of music was made: the yearly Marian feasts and the Lenten meetings for meditation. The information gathered from the archival sources can be cross-referenced here with some musical sources, most probably destined for the celebration of these feasts: 1) an international series of litany settings; 2) a corpus of musical works based on texts on the passion of Christ.
Todas las naciones han de oyrla: Bells in the Jesuit reducciones of Early Modern Paraguay
Authors: Toelle Jutta
Published: June 2016

The essay focuses on the role of bells in the Jesuit reducciones. Within the contested sound world of the mission areas, bells played an important role as their sounds formed a sense of space, regulated social life, and established an audibility of time and order. Amongst all the other European sounds which Catholic missionaries had introduced by the seventeenth century—church songs, prayers in European languages, and instrumental music—bells functioned especially well as signals of the omnipotent and omnipresent Christian God and as instruments in the establishing of acoustic hegemony. Taking the Conquista espiritual by Antonio Ruiz de Montoya (1639) as its main source, the essay points to several references to bells, as objects of veneration, as part of a flexible material culture, and, most importantly, as weapons in the daily fight with non-Christians, the devil, and demons.
The Miracle of Music: A Conversation with Ennio Morricone
Authors: Colombo Emanuele
Published: June 2016

In a conversation with Emanuele Colombo, Ennio Morricone—one of the great contemporary composers—discusses the maestro’s relation to the Society of Jesus. One of the highlights of this interview is a thin thread that unites the masterful soundtrack Morricone composed for the 1986 movie The Mission (on the Jesuit reducciones in Paraguay) with a Mass he dedicated to the first Jesuit pope, Francis, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Society of Jesus’s restoration (2014)
“Bella festa si fa ncelu”: Jesuits and Musical Traditions in the Heart of the Mediterranean
Authors: Macchiarella Ignazio , Milleddu Roberto
Published: June 2016

Still today, in Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica, the three main islands of the western Mediterranean, there is a great flourishing of orally transmitted devotional songs which can be traced back to the acculturation processes brought about by Jesuit missionaries in the early modern era. Adopting an ethnomusicological approach, our essay focuses on some significant case studies, aiming to contribute to the discussion about Jesuits and music both in a contemporary and in a historical perspective. On the one hand, we observe the special consideration given today to some widespread popular religious songs that are commonly regarded as “historical Jesuit heritage.” On the other hand, we investigate historical sources, looking for traces of past music practices and hints about the relationships between Jesuit missionaries and traditional musicians. Rather than provide definitive answers, our purpose is to raise questions about the inherent complexity of the interpretation of past musical practices, and about the thought-provoking interconnections between these practices and the variegated music scenarios of the present day.
Three new species of the water strider genus Rhyacobates Esaki, 1923 (Hemiptera: Gerridae) from Vietnam
Authors: TRAN A.D. , NGUYEN X.Q.
Published: June 2016

Three new species: Rhyacobates zetteli sp.n., R. angustus sp.n., and R. constrictus sp.n., all from mountainous areas of northern Vietnam, are described. With these new taxa, a total of six species of Rhyacobates has been recorded from       Vietnam. A key to species of Rhyacobates occurring in Vietnam is provided.
Description of a new species of Gaeolaelaps (Acari: Laelapidae) from Iran, with a key to world species of the genus with short peritremes
Authors: VATANKHAH FARZANEH , NEMATI ALIREZA , ESFANDIARI MEHDI , SHISHEHBOR PARVIZ
Published: June 2016

A new species of Gaeolaelaps (Acari, Mesostigmata, Laelapidae) is described based on morphological characters of adult females collected from nest of Formica sp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Shahrekord Region, Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province, Iran. A key for the identification of species of Gaeolaelaps with short peritremes is presented.
Description of the puparium and redescription of the imagoes of Chorophthalmyia brevicornis Lindner (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)
Authors: PUJOL-LUZ JOSÉ ROBERTO , LOPES WELINTON RIBAMAR , VIANA GUSTAVO GLÓRIA
Published: June 2016

The puparium of Chorophthalmyia brevicornis is described for the first time, based on five puparia. Larvae of the species were reared in the laboratory under semi-controlled conditions until the emergence of the adults. In addition, to the description of the puparium we provide a redescription of the imagoes of C. brevicornis.
On the Minimum Potential Energy State and the Eddy Size–Constrained APE Density
Authors: Su Zhan , Ingersoll Andrew P.
Published: June 2016

Exactly solving the absolute minimum potential energy state (Lorenz reference state) is a difficult problem because of the nonlinear nature of the equation of state of seawater. This problem has been solved recently but the algorithm comes at a high computational cost. As the first part of this study, the authors develop an algorithm that is ~103–105 times faster, making it useful for energy diagnosis in ocean models. The second part of this study shows that the global patterns of Lorenz available potential energy (APE) density are distinct from those of eddy kinetic energy (EKE). This is because the Lorenz APE density is based on the entire domainwide parcel rearrangement, while mesoscale eddies, if related to baroclinic instability, are typically generated through local parcel rearrangement approximately around the eddy size. Inspired by this contrast, this study develops a locally defined APE framework: the eddy size–constrained APE density based on the strong constraint that the parcel rearrangement/displacement to achieve the minimum potential energy state should not exceed the local eddy size horizontally. This concept typically identifies baroclinically unstable regions. It is shown to be helpful to detect individual eddies/vortices and local EKE patterns, for example, around the Southern Ocean fronts and subtropical western boundary currents. This is consistent with the physical picture that mesoscale eddies are associated with a strong signature in both the velocity field (i.e., EKE) and the stratification (i.e., local APE). The new APE concept may be useful in parameterizing mesoscale eddies in ocean models.
Two-Dimensional Evaluation of ATHAM-Fluidity, a Nonhydrostatic Atmospheric Model Using Mixed Continuous/Discontinuous Finite Elements and Anisotropic Grid Optimization
Authors: Savre Julien , Percival James , Herzog Michael , Pain Chris
Published: June 2016

This paper presents the first attempt to apply the compressible nonhydrostatic Active Tracer High-Resolution Atmospheric Model–Fluidity (ATHAM-Fluidity) solver to a series of idealized atmospheric test cases. ATHAM-Fluidity uses a hybrid finite-element discretization where pressure is solved on a continuous second-order grid while momentum and scalars are computed on a first-order discontinuous grid (also known as ). ATHAM-Fluidity operates on two- and three-dimensional unstructured meshes, using triangular or tetrahedral elements, respectively, with the possibility to employ an anisotropic mesh optimization algorithm for automatic grid refinement and coarsening during run time. The solver is evaluated using two-dimensional-only dry idealized test cases covering a wide range of atmospheric applications. The first three cases, representative of atmospheric convection, reveal the ability of ATHAM-Fluidity to accurately simulate the evolution of large-scale flow features in neutral atmospheres at rest. Grid convergence without adaptivity as well as the performances of the Hermite–Weighted Essentially Nonoscillatory (Hermite-WENO) slope limiter are discussed. These cases are also used to test the grid optimization algorithm implemented in ATHAM-Fluidity. Adaptivity can result in up to a sixfold decrease in computational time and a fivefold decrease in total element number for the same finest resolution. However, substantial discrepancies are found between the uniform and adapted grid results, thus suggesting the necessity to improve the reliability of the approach. In the last three cases, corresponding to atmospheric gravity waves with and without orography, the model ability to capture the amplitude and propagation of weak stationary waves is demonstrated. This work constitutes the first step toward the development of a new comprehensive limited area atmospheric model.
Development of a classification system for agricultural lands in Kazakhstan
Authors: Lashkareva Olga , Abetova Sofia , Kozhakhmetova Gulnar , Moldashov Nurtay , Auelbekova Aigul
Published: June 2016

This article analyses the scientific approaches used for the development of a classification system for agricultural lands in Kazakhstan, based on approaches adopted in the Russian Federation and European Union (EU). The study involved the assessment of territories with regard to their economy and social sphere, environmental conditions, quality of life of the rural population, remoteness from major cities, demographics, soil quality, climate, availability of labour and other resources, level of diversification and relevance of legal framework to socio economic development. In determining the criteria for identifying regions unfavourable for agriculture, the approach adopted in the EU is recommended: one of the important indicators showing that an area is not favourable for agriculture is the reluctance of investors to support development. Specific features such as excessive remoteness from marketing outlets, the presence of exposed border areas, rural population abandonment; high unemployment and low incomes; poor infrastructure; and low levels of agricultural development should also be taken into account. This article classifies land unfavourable for agriculture to identify territories that will require additional state subsidy to support development.
Variety choice in crop production for climate change adaptation
Authors: Macholdt Janna , Honermeier Bernd
Published: June 2016

The objective of this study was to understand what particular crop variety requirements farmers were demanding in the context of climate change adaptation. A broad-based survey was used to collect primary data from 515 farmers. The majority of farmers interviewed perceived climatic change impacts on crop production, with more than half stating that they would rely on a locally adapted variety selection. The respondents identified yield stability, yield performance, and drought tolerance as being particularly important variety properties. In selecting varieties, their own experience, exchanges with colleagues, and recommendations from the State Plant Varieties Offices were identified as being important sources of information. The research highlights a need to reflect farmers’ demands in official variety recommendations such as plant breeding. This would help support the choice of varieties in agricultural practice and reduce crop production risks in regard to climate change risk.
Reviewing changing institutional conditions for private farming in Russia
Authors: Wolz Axel , Golovina Svetlana , Nilsson Jerker , Hess Sebastian
Published: June 2016

The dominant organizations of agricultural production ( kolkhozes and sovkhozes) have become obsolete with independence and the abolition of the Soviet era’s planned economy. These organizations had to be restructured and family farms, or more generally private farms, were intended to form the new backbone of farm production. However, development since then has been difficult. Based on a literature review, this study reviews and assesses this development in terms of the changing institutional conditions. The Russian government’s policies, by interchangeably supporting large-scale farming organizations or private farming, have created uncertainties for private farmers. Russian farmers were once strongly influenced by the mentality from Soviet times, but there are indications now that they are gaining strength, possibly as a consequence of a more benevolent political order, more entrepreneurial attitudes and developing organizational arrangements.
Co-authorship Network Dynamics and Geographical Trajectories - What Part Does Mobility Play?
Authors: Bernela Bastien , Milard Béatrice
Published: June 2016

The aim of this paper is to investigate the link between geographical mobility and co-authorship formation and dynamics. We propose a methodology based on matching bibliometric data and qualitative data recoded from CVs and semi-structured interviews. The case study of two prolific chemists (authors of 660 publications with 2,596 co-authors) located in the same laboratory shows that the difference in mobility behaviour does not have a strong incidence on the geography of their co-authorship.
Improving the measurement of material deprivation at the European Union level
Authors: Guio Anne-Catherine , Marlier Eric , Gordon David , Fahmy Eldin , Nandy Shailen , Pomati Marco
Published: June 2016

In June 2010, European Union (EU) Heads of State and Government adopted a social inclusion target as part of the new ‘Europe 2020 Strategy’: to lift at least 20 million people in the EU from the risk of poverty and exclusion by 2020. One of the three indicators used to monitor progress towards this target is the EU indicator of severe material deprivation (MD). A main limitation of this indicator is the weak reliability of some of the items it is based on. For this reason, a thematic module on MD was included in the 2009 wave of the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey. This article assesses the 2009 EU-SILC MD data and proposes an analytical framework for developing robust EU MD indicators. It carries out a systematic item by item analysis at both EU and country levels to identify the MD items which satisfactorily meet suitability, validity, reliability and additivity criteria across the EU. This approach has resulted in a proposed 13-item MD indicator covering some key aspects of living conditions which are customary across the whole EU covering a broad range of basic (food, clothes, shoes, etc.) as well as social (Internet, regular leisure activities, etc.) necessities.
Institutional entrepreneurship and organizational innovation
Authors: Albertini Sergio , Muzzi Caterina
Published: June 2016

In this article, we address the question of institutional and organizational change through the start-up of new ventures. Following the institutional entrepreneurship theory, we examine the process of divergent change and the kinds of institutional work enabling entrepreneurs operating in a peripheral social position of mature fields to challenge the existing status quo. We argue that the start-up of new organizations can be an opportunity for repositioning existing traditional entrepreneurial capabilities by combining them with additional and complementary competences towards new institutional logics. Building on an in-depth longitudinal case study of a group of Italian small and medium-sized enterprises – acting intentionally as a community for innovation – we highlight the contextual conditions and the implementing factors allowing this type of institutional entrepreneurship. Our study makes two main contributions. First, we try to fill the gap with existing research mostly focused on dominant organizations, by showing how institutional entrepreneurship can be implemented by low-status organizations, within highly institutionalized fields. Second, we shed light on the process implementing new divergent organizational forms, by bridging established mature firms with new innovative fields.
Photodynamic therapy with polyhematoporphyrin for malignant biliary obstruction: A nationwide retrospective study of 150 consecutive applications
Authors: Dolak Werner , Schwaighofer Hubert , Hellmich Brigitte , Stadler Bernhard , Spaun Georg , Plieschnegger Wolfgang , Hebenstreit Arnold , Weber‐Eibel Jutta , Siebert Franz , Emmanuel Klaus , Knoflach Peter , Gschwantler Michael , Vogel Wolfgang , Trauner Michael , Püspök Andreas ,   Austrian PDT study group
Published: June 2016

Background

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a palliative treatment for malignant biliary obstruction.

Objective

The objective of this article is to assess the feasibility and safety of this technique.

Methods

In this nationwide, retrospective study of prospectively collected clinical data, all patients treated with PDT using polyhematoporphyrin in Austria from March 2004 to May 2013 were included. Feasibility, adverse events, stent patency and mortality rates were investigated.

Results

Eighty‐eight patients (54 male, 34 female, median age 69 years) underwent 150 PDT procedures at seven Austrian referral centers for biliary endoscopy. The predominant underlying disease was Klatskin tumor (79/88). All PDT procedures were feasible without technical issues. Cholangitis was the most frequent adverse event (21/88). Stent patency was 246 days (95% CI 203–289) median and was significantly longer for metal than for plastic stents (269 vs. 62 days, p  < 0.01). The median survival was 12.4 months (95% CI 9.7–14.9 m) calculated from first PDT and 15.6 months (95% CI 12.3–18.7 m) calculated from initial diagnosis. In patients suffering from biliary tract cancer, Cox regression revealed the number of PDT treatment sessions as the only independent predictor of survival at a multivariate analysis (p  = 0.048).

Conclusion

PDT using polyhematoporphyrin was feasible and safe in this nationwide analysis. Survival data suggest a benefit of PDT in this unselected real‐life patient population. Prospective trials comparing PDT to other palliative treatments will help to define its role in the management of malignant biliary obstruction. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT02504957.
Multipotency and cardiomyogenic potential of human adipose-derived stem cells from epicardium, pericardium, and omentum
Authors: Wystrychowski Wojciech , Patlolla Bhagat , Zhuge Yan , Neofytou Evgenios , Robbins Robert C. , Beygui Ramin E.
Published: June 2016

Background

Acute myocardial infarction (MI) leads to an irreversible loss of proper cardiac function. Application of stem cell therapy is an attractive option for MI treatment. Adipose tissue has proven to serve as a rich source of stem cells (ADSCs). Taking into account the different morphogenesis, anatomy, and physiology of adipose tissue, we hypothesized that ADSCs from different adipose tissue depots may exert a diverse multipotency and cardiogenic potential.

Methods

The omental, pericardial, and epicardial adipose tissue samples were obtained from organ donors and patients undergoing heart transplantation at our institution. Human foreskin fibroblasts were used as the control group. Isolated ADSCs were analyzed for adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation capacity and proliferation potential. The immunophenotype and constitutive gene expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), GATA4, Nanog, and OCT4 were analyzed. DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine was exposed to the cells to stimulate the cardiogenesis. Finally, reprogramming towards cardiomyocytes was initiated with exogenous overexpression of seven transcription factors (ESRRG, GATA4, MEF2C, MESP1, MYOCD, TBX5, ZFPM2) previously applied successfully for fibroblast transdifferentiation toward cardiomyocytes. Expression of cardiac troponin T (cTNT) and alpha-actinin (Actn2) was analyzed 3 weeks after initiation of the cardiac differentiation.

Results

The multipotent properties of isolated plastic adherent cells were confirmed with expression of CD29, CD44, CD90, and CD105, as well as successful differentiation toward adipocytes and osteocytes; with the highest osteogenic and adipogenic potential for the epicardial and omental ADSCs, respectively. Epicardial ADSCs demonstrated a lower doubling time as compared with the pericardium and omentum-derived cells. Furthermore, epicardial ADSCs revealed higher constitutive expression of ALP and GATA4. Increased Actn2 and cTNT expression was observed after the transduction of seven reprogramming factors, with the highest expression in the epicardial ADSCs, as compared with the other ADSC subtypes and fibroblasts.

Conclusions

Human epicardial ADSCs revealed a higher cardiomyogenic potential as compared with the pericardial and omental ADSC subtypes as well as the fibroblast counterparts. Epicardial ADSCs may thus serve as the valuable subject for further studies on more effective methods of adult stem cell differentiation toward cardiomyocytes.
Complex building’s energy system operation patterns analysis using bag of words representation with hierarchical clustering
Authors: Habib Usman , Hayat Khizar , Zucker Gerhard
Published: June 2016

Purpose

Due to the large quantity of data that are recorded in energy efficient buildings, understanding the behavior of various underlying operations has become a complex and challenging task. This paper proposes a method to support analysis of energy systems and validates it using operational data from a cold water chiller. The method automatically detects various operation patterns in the energy system.

Methods

The use of k-means clustering is being proposed to automatically identify the On (operational) cycles of a system operating with a duty cycle. The latter’s data is subsequently transformed to symbolic representations by using the symbolic aggregate approximation method. Afterward, the symbols are converted to bag of words representation (BoWR) for hierarchical clustering. A gap statistics method is used to find the best number of clusters in the data. Finally, operation patterns of the energy system are grouped together in each cluster. An adsorption chiller, operating under real life conditions, supplies the reference data for validation.

Results

The proposed method has been compared with dynamic time warping (DTW) method using cophenetic coefficients and it has been shown that the BoWR has produced better results as compared to DTW. The results of BoWR are further investigated and for finding the optimal number of clusters, gap statistics have been used. At the end, interesting patterns of each cluster are discussed in detail.

Conclusion

The main goal of this research work is to provide analysis algorithms that automatically find the various patterns in the energy system of a building using as little configuration or field knowledge as possible. A bag of word representation method with hierarchical clustering has been proposed to assess the performance of a building energy system.
Dynamic scan control in STEM: spiral scans
Authors: Sang Xiahan , Lupini Andrew R. , Unocic Raymond R. , Chi Miaofang , Borisevich Albina Y. , Kalinin Sergei V. , Endeve Eirik , Archibald Richard K. , Jesse Stephen
Published: June 2016

Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has emerged as one of the foremost techniques to analyze materials at atomic resolution. However, two practical difficulties inherent to STEM imaging are: radiation damage imparted by the electron beam, which can potentially damage or otherwise modify the specimen and slow-scan image acquisition, which limits the ability to capture dynamic changes at high temporal resolution. Furthermore, due in part to scan flyback corrections, typical raster scan methods result in an uneven distribution of dose across the scanned area. A method to allow extremely fast scanning with a uniform residence time would enable imaging at low electron doses, ameliorating radiation damage and at the same time permitting image acquisition at higher frame-rates while maintaining atomic resolution. The practical complication is that rastering the STEM probe at higher speeds causes significant image distortions. Non-square scan patterns provide a solution to this dilemma and can be tailored for low dose imaging conditions. Here, we develop a method for imaging with alternative scan patterns and investigate their performance at very high scan speeds. A general analysis for spiral scanning is presented here for the following spiral scan functions: Archimedean, Fermat, and constant linear velocity spirals, which were tested for STEM imaging. The quality of spiral scan STEM images is generally comparable with STEM images from conventional raster scans, and the dose uniformity can be improved.
A simple procedure for handling misties on 2D migrated seismic lines
Authors: Herron Donald A.
Published: June 2016

Despite the ever-increasing use of 3D seismic data in modern exploration and production environments, 2D seismic data are still widely used in many projects. Mapping of horizons interpreted on 2D migrated seismic lines must necessarily address the problem of misties at line intersections, whether the data are migrated in the time or the depth domain. These misties are the result of the inability of 2D migration to account for the dip of reflections out of the vertical plane of the migrated section. This tutorial describes the technical basis for a simple procedure by which the deeper of the values for an interpreted horizon at the intersection of two 2D migrated seismic lines is used to guide mapping of the horizon.