bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preconditioning with hydrogen sulfide prevents bone cancer pain in rats through a proliferator-activated receptor gamma/p38/Jun N-terminal kinase pathway
Authors: Zhuang Li , Li Ke , Wang Gaowei , Shou Tao , Gao Chunlin , Mao Yong , Bao Mingliang , Zhao Mingli
Published: November 2017

Bone cancer pain (BCP) is a severe type of hyperpathic pain occurring with primary bone tumors or advanced cancers which metastasize to bones. BCP can detrimentally reduce quality of life and presents a challenge to modern medicine. Studies have shown that exogenous H2S may act as a neuroprotectant to protect against some diseases in central nervous system. The preset study aimed to investigate the antinociceptive effect of H2S in BCP. We first measured the changes of serum H2S in patients with BCP and analyzed the relationship between them, then investigated the effect of H2S preconditioning on BCP, and explored the mechanism in rat model. Our results revealed that serum H2S level was negatively correlated with pain scores. In the rat model of BCP, preconditioning with H2S significantly reduced BCP, demonstrated by the decrease of thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia. The mechanism of H2S preconditioning may involve microglia deactivation and inflammation inhibition in the spinal cord, in which the proliferator-activated receptor gamma/p38/Jun N-terminal kinase pathway is activated.

Impact statement

Bone cancer pain (BCP) significantly decreases the life quality of patients or their life expectancy and causes a severe health burden to the society. However, as the exact mechanism of BCP is still poorly understood, no effective treatment has been developed yet. There are some pain medicines now, but they have some inevitable side effects. Additional therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. First, we revealed that preconditioning with H2S significantly reduced BCP, demonstrated by the decrease of thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia. Second, the mechanism of H2S preconditioning was elucidated. It may involve microglia deactivation and inflammation inhibition in the spinal cord, in which the proliferator-activated receptor gamma/p38/Jun N-terminal kinase pathway is activated. This novel finding may significantly help us to understand the difference between the roles of endogenous H2S and exogenous H2S in the development of BCP and present us a new strategy of pain management.
Effect of defensive pressure on international women's rugby sevens attacking skills frequency and execution
Authors: Griffin Jesse A , McLellan Christopher P , Presland Jarrod , Woods Carl T , Keogh Justin WL
Published: November 2017

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of defensive pressure on the execution of attacking skills in international women's rugby sevens. Performance analyses were conducted across 42 training camp drills during the 2012–2013 season. Training camp sessions were recorded using a video camera positioned from an aerial perspective, with the attacking team's performance analysed during game-based drills. Technical skills assessed included pass type, pass accuracy, catching, evasive moves and line breaks. Results indicated that defensive pressure had a significant effect on a player's pass type, evasive moves and line breaks (p < 0.05), but no significant effect on passing accuracy and catching skill (p > 0.05). A cut-out pass (standard residual = 3.3) was more likely to happen than expected by chance during no defence. An offload was more likely to occur than expected by chance during contested defence (standard residual = 9.6). A line break (standard residual = 4.7) and a swerve (standard residual = 2.5) were more likely to happen than expected by chance during contested defence. Coaches should progressively overload the degree of defensive pressure during training. This may encourage the performance of non-conventional passes under contested defensive pressure, more closely reflecting the requisites of competition game-play.
Metachronous metastasis of renal cell carcinoma to the urinary bladder: a case report
Authors: De Groote Ruben , Larcher Alessandro , Goossens Marijn , Hendrik De Raeve , Kris Van Der Steen , De Coninck Vincent , De Naeyer Geert , Schatteman Peter , D’Hondt Frederiek , Mottrie Alexandre
Published: November 2017

We report a case of intravesical metastasis of a clear cell renal cell carcinoma. In renal cell carcinoma 16% of patients present with metastatic disease. Renal cell carcinoma can metastasize to nearly every organ, although metastatic spread to the urinary bladder is rare, with fewer than 70 described cases. The route and pattern of metastatic spread is not yet fully understood and different pathways are suggested. Gross haematuria is the presenting symptom in the majority of cases. These intravesical metastases may be synchronous or metachronous and can be solitary or part of polymetastatic disease. No standard treatment can be suggested due to the rare nature of this phenomenon, and treatment varies from transurethral resection, partial or complete cystectomy to systemic therapy. Prognosis in patients with a solitary bladder lesion that developed metachronously is rather good, whereas poor prognosis can be expected in patients with synchronous and multiple metastases.
Human brain atlasing: past, present and future
Authors: Nowinski Wieslaw L
Published: November 2017

We have recently witnessed an explosion of large-scale initiatives and projects addressing mapping, modeling, simulation and atlasing of the human brain, including the BRAIN Initiative, the Human Brain Project, the Human Connectome Project (HCP), the Big Brain, the Blue Brain Project, the Allen Brain Atlas, the Brainnetome, among others. Besides these large and international initiatives, there are numerous mid-size and small brain atlas-related projects. My contribution to these global efforts has been to create adult human brain atlases in health and disease, and to develop atlas-based applications. For over two decades with my R&D lab I developed 35 brain atlases, licensed to 67 companies and made available in about 100 countries.

This paper has two objectives. First, it provides an overview of the state of the art in brain atlasing. Second, as it is already 20 years from the release of our first brain atlas, I summarise my past and present efforts, share my experience in atlas creation, validation and commercialisation, compare with the state of the art, and propose future directions.
Medication and patient factors associated with adherence to pulmonary hypertension targeted therapies
Authors: Grady Duncan , Weiss Marjorie , Hernandez‐Sanchez Jules , Pepke‐Zaba Joanna
Published: November 2017

The aims of this study were to investigate the medication adherence of patients on pulmonary hypertension (PH)‐targeted therapies and uncover factors that might influence adherence values. Patients taking at least one specialist medicine (sildenafil, tadalafil, bosentan, ambrisentan, iloprost, epoprostenol, treprostinil) completed a Morisky Medication Adherence Scale‐8 (MMAS‐8) questionnaire. Participants’ MMAS‐8 scores were used to estimate overall medicine adherence. Potential adherence co‐factor data were collected from patient databases and hospital discharge summaries. The MMAS‐8 questionnaire was completed by 263 patients (mean age = 61.6 ± 14.8 years, 70.6% women). Data from MMAS‐8 showed that 47.9% reported high adherence, 40.3% moderate adherence, and 11.8% low adherence. Factors associated with adherence as measured by the MMAS‐8 included: older age; taking monotherapy; and having a higher number of co‐morbidities or concurrent medicines. Higher administration frequency, greater length of time on targeted therapy, and use of a compliance aid had a negative association with adherence. Overall adherence to PH specialist medicines is relatively high but a proportion of patients report sub‐optimal adherence behavior. A number of factors may help to recognize susceptible patients.
Diagnosis of stenosis within the popliteal–femoral venous segment upon clinical presentation with a venous ulcer and subsequent successful treatment with venoplasty
Authors: Dabbs Emma , Sheikh Alina , Beckett David , Whiteley Mark S
Published: November 2017

This case study reports the diagnosis and treatment of a lower limb venous ulcer with abnormal underlying venous pathology. One male patient presented with bilateral varicose veins and a right lower limb ulcer. Upon investigation, full-leg duplex ultrasonography revealed total incompetence of the great saphenous vein in the left leg. In the right leg, duplex ultrasonography showed proximal incompetence of the small saphenous vein, and dilation of the anterior accessory saphenous vein, which remained competent. Incidentally, two venous collaterals connected onto the distal region of both these segments, emerging from a scarred, atrophic popliteal–femoral segment. An interventional radiologist performed venoplasty to this popliteal–femoral venous segment. Intervention was successful and 10 weeks post procedure ulceration healed. Popliteal–femoral venous stenosis may be associated with venous ulceration in some cases and may be successfully treated with balloon venoplasty intervention.
Consumer Pre-purchase Search in Online Shopping: Role of Offline and Online Information Sources
Authors: Akalamkam Krishna , Mitra Joy Kumar
Published: November 2017

Pre-purchase information search is an integral part of consumer decision-making process and buying behavior. Understanding consumer information search behavior is vital for organizations in order to plan their communication strategy and reach consumers effectively. Though consumer information search behavior is extensively studied in traditional brick and mortar purchase situations, there is dearth of research in understanding consumer information search behavior in online shopping occasions. Given the rapid growth in electronic retail over the last few years, it is imperative to understand consumer information search behavior in online buying situations.

This study investigates the factors that influence the extent of usage of different information sources in pre-purchase information search by online shoppers through an empirical research among 1079 online shoppers. The analysis of data using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) shows that consumers tend to use both traditional offline information sources and online information sources when they shop online. However, the preference for different online and offline information sources is likely to be different for hedonic and utilitarian products. Individual factors, such as Internet usage experience, need for cognition and age, also tend to influence consumer preference for different online and offline sources. This has important implications for e-marketers as they may need to use different communication channels depending on the nature of the product and the characteristics of their target consumers to effectively promote their offerings.
Presentation and outcome with second-line treatment in AL amyloidosis previously sensitive to nontransplant therapies
Authors: Palladini Giovanni , Milani Paolo , Foli Andrea , Basset Marco , Russo Francesca , Perlini Stefano , Merlini Giampaolo
Published: November 2017

Key Points

Exposure to melphalan and bortezomib and quality of response to up-front treatment prolong time to second-line therapy in AL amyloidosis. Patients who need second-line therapy after initial response have a good outcome if they are rescued before cardiac progression.
Automatic wave-equation migration velocity analysis by focusing subsurface virtual sources
Authors: Sun Bingbing , Alkhalifah Tariq
Published: November 2017

Macro-velocity model building is important for subsequent prestack depth migration and full-waveform inversion. Wave-equation migration velocity analysis uses the band-limited waveform to invert for velocity. Normally, inversion would be implemented by focusing the subsurface offset common-image gathers. We reexamine this concept with a different perspective: In the subsurface offset domain, using extended Born modeling, the recorded data can be considered as invariant with respect to the perturbation of the position of the virtual sources and velocity at the same time. A linear system connecting the perturbation of the position of those virtual sources and velocity is derived and solved subsequently by the conjugate gradient method. In theory, the perturbation of the position of the virtual sources is given by the Rytov approximation. Thus, compared with the Born approximation, it relaxes the dependency on amplitude and makes the proposed method more applicable for real data. We determined the effectiveness of the approach by applying the proposed method on isotropic and anisotropic vertical transverse isotropic synthetic data. A real data set example verifies the robustness of the proposed method.
Assessing uncertainties in velocity models and images with a fast nonlinear uncertainty quantification method
Authors: Ely Gregory , Malcolm Alison , Poliannikov Oleg V.
Published: November 2017

Seismic imaging is conventionally performed using noisy data and a presumably inexact velocity model. Uncertainties in the input parameters propagate directly into the final image and therefore into any quantity of interest, or qualitative interpretation, obtained from the image. We considered the problem of uncertainty quantification in velocity building and seismic imaging using Bayesian inference. Using a reduced velocity model, a fast field expansion method for simulating recorded wavefields, and the adaptive Metropolis-Hastings algorithm, we efficiently quantify velocity model uncertainty by generating multiple models consistent with low-frequency full-waveform data. A second application of Bayesian inversion to any seismic reflections present in the recorded data reconstructs the corresponding structures’ position along with its associated uncertainty. Our analysis complements rather than replaces traditional imaging because it allows us to assess the reliability of visible image features and to take that into account in subsequent interpretations.
A diagenetic study of the Woodford Shale in the southeastern Anadarko Basin, Oklahoma, USA: Evidence for hydrothermal alteration in mineralized fractures
Authors: Roberts Jennifer M. , Elmore R. Douglas
Published: November 2017

The objective of this study is to test if external fluids (e.g., hydrothermal) altered the Woodford Shale in the southeast Anadarko Basin and how the diagenesis caused by such fluids, particularly in mineralized fractures, has affected the reservoir quality and mechanical behavior of the Woodford Shale. Two Woodford Shale cores from the Anadarko Basin were sampled to identify diagenetic events, interpret their origin, and determine the diagenetic history of the shale. Thin sections for both cores were analyzed using reflected and transmitted light, cathodoluminescence (CL), and scanning electron microscopy to identify minerals and cross-cutting and textural relationships. X-ray computed tomography was conducted to further characterize fracture networks seen on the petrographic scale. Early diagenesis is dominated by events in the matrix and allochems, with later diagenesis dominated by events associated within fracturing and brecciation. The mineralized fractures and brecciated intervals contain complex mineralogies. Multiple minerals, interpreted to be hydrothermal in origin, are present, including magnesite, norsethite, witherite, gorceixite, potassium feldspar, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and saddle dolomite. CL in minerals within fractures reveals evidence of evolving fluids and multiple fluid-flow events. Although porosity is present within pyrite framboids, between clay sheets, and as dissolution vugs within fractures and allochems, fracture porosity was destroyed by mineralization that filled the fractures and permeated into the matrix. Vitrinite reflectance data from both cores indicate a correlation between thermal maturity and level of hydrothermal alteration, with core A (0.80% [Formula: see text] [approximately 125°C]) displaying a lower amount of alteration and core C (approximately 1.5% [Formula: see text] [approximately 210°C]) displaying a higher amount of alteration. The extensive faulting present in the southeastern Anadarko Basin likely facilitated the movement of the hydrothermal fluids through the unit. The presence of hydrothermal minerals not only has implications for the thermal maturity and reservoir quality of the Woodford Shale, but it also contributes to the discussion of whether or not shales behave as open or closed systems.
Osteoblast AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Regulates Postnatal Skeletal Development in Male Mice
Authors: Kanazawa Ippei , Takeno Ayumu , Tanaka Ken-ichiro , Notsu Masakazu , Sugimoto Toshitsugu
Published: November 2017

Studies have shown that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a crucial regulator of energy homeostasis, plays important roles in osteoblast differentiation and mineralization. However, little is known about in vivo roles of osteoblastic AMPK in bone development. Thus, to investigate in vivo roles of osteoblast AMPK, we conditionally inactivated Ampk in osterix (Osx)–expressing cells by crossing Osx-Cre mice with floxed AMPKα1 to generate mice lacking AMPKα1 in osteoblasts (Ampk−/− mice). Compared with wild-type and Ampk+/− mice, Ampk−/− mice displayed retardation of postnatal bone development, although bone deformity was not observed at birth. Microcomputed tomography showed significant reductions in trabecular bone volume, cortical bone length, and density, as well as increased cortical porosity in femur as well as development defects of skull in 8-week-old Ampk−/− mice. Surprisingly, histomorphometric analysis demonstrated that the number of osteoclasts was significantly increased, although bone formation rate was not altered. Loss of trabecular network connections and mass, as well as shortened growth plates and reduced thickness of cartilage adjacent to the growth plate, was observed in Ampk−/− mice. In primary cultured osteoblasts from calvaria, the expressions of alkaline phosphatase, type 1 collagen, osteocalcin, bone morphogenetic protein 2, Runx2, and osterix were significantly inhibited in Ampk−/− osteoblasts, whereas the expression of receptor activator of nuclear κB ligand (RANKL) and the RANKL/osteoprotegerin ratio were significantly increased. These findings indicate that osteoblastic AMPK plays important roles in bone development in vivo and that deletion of AMPK in osteoblasts decreases osteoblastic differentiation and enhances bone turnover by increasing RANKL expression.
Immunosuppressive Therapy in Treatment of Refractory Hypoglycemia in Type B Insulin Resistance: A Case Report
Authors: Viswanathan Lavanya , Sirisena Imali
Published: November 2017

Type B insulin resistance is a rare syndrome characterized by fluctuating glucose levels (ranging from hyperglycemia with extreme insulin resistance to intractable hypoglycemia without exogenous insulin administration), high serum insulin levels, and insulin receptor autoantibodies. Most cases occur in the African American population in association with other underlying autoimmune systemic diseases. Treatments with high-dose steroids, immunosuppressants, and plasmapheresis have been used, with variable outcomes, in patients without spontaneous remission. We report the case of a 60-year-old African American woman with history of systemic lupus erythematosus presenting with extreme fluctuations in glucose levels, ranging from severe hyperglycemia to refractory hypoglycemia, with high serum concentration of insulin in both phases. Her presentation and phenotype were very similar to those seen in known cases of type B insulin resistance associated with insulin receptor antibodies. Treatment in other reported cases used a combination of high-dose steroids and immunosuppressants. We tried high-dose steroids, azathioprine, and intravenous immunoglobulins, which resulted in improvement and barely detectable insulin receptor antibody. We present a case of type B insulin resistance with abnormally low titers of insulin receptor antibodies despite a typical clinical course and response. Future research is needed to improve diagnosis and treatment in this rare disease.
The Anesthesia Records of Harvey Cushing and Ernest Codman
Authors: Sundararaman Lalitha V. , Desai Sukumar P.
Published: November 2017

Hundreds of thousands of anesthesia records are created each day. The earliest records were prepared by 2 medical students in late 19th-century Boston. Ernest Codman and Harvey Cushing went on to become prominent surgeons and contributed much to the safety of the surgical patient. Cushing’s career is celebrated due to his associations with William Stewart Halsted, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, and his biography of Sir William Osler. Codman is remembered for introducing the morbidity and mortality conference as well as his drive to improve outcomes and patient safety. We analyze every anesthetic record created by Codman and Cushing and provide both a historical context and perspective on many ways in which their doggedness, brilliance, and insight anticipated many advances that enhanced safety for patients undergoing surgical procedures.
Unexpected results in Chernozem soil respiration while measuring the effect of a bio-fertilizer on soil microbial activity
Authors: Bautista Gabriela , Mátyás Bence
Published: November 2017

The number of studies investigating the effect of bio-fertilizers is increasing because of their importance in sustainable agriculture and environmental quality. In our experiments, we measured the effect of different fertilizers on soil respiration. In the present study, we were looking for the cause of unexpected changes in CO2 values while examining Chernozem soil samples. We concluded that CO2 oxidizing microbes or methanotrophs may be present in the soil that periodically consume CO2 . This is unusual for a sample taken from the upper layer of well-ventilated Chernozem soil with optimal moisture content.
Urban planning and the challenge of super-diversity
Authors: Pemberton Simon
Published: November 2017

Little attention to date has focused on the role of urban planning in responding to migration-related super-diversity. Through a focus on a city (Liverpool, UK) which is becoming increasingly superdiverse, the paper highlights the importance of class based differences – over and above ethnic and cultural differences – in shaping the practices of urban planners. Along with the recency and speed of population change, the importance of legal status and the ‘visibility’ of super-diversity, this may serve to increase the risk of urban planning equivalising differences between residents and concealing issues of racism and discrimination.
STRENGHT AND DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF A STRUCTURAL NODE LIMITING THE MULTI-OUTPUT GEAR MECHANISM
Authors: Kačalová Mária , Pavlenko Slavko
Published: November 2017

The rapidly advancing technological development leads to designing and researching a new multi- output gear mechanism. The investigated new double-output gear mechanism has two output coaxial shafts located against the input shaft on the other side of the gearbox. The gear mechanism achieves high gear ratios. Its limiting structural node is the output stage, to which the gears belong. The problem is addressed through the analysis of the stress resistance of tooth flanks in contact and bending. The content of the paper is a comparison of analytical computations with the modal analysis on the model. We expect that new findings will be beneficial for further optimization of the gear mechanism.
Postkoloniale Literatur in Italien
Authors: Kirchmair Maria
Published: November 2017

Seit 2005 bildet sich in Italien verstärkt eine postkoloniale Erzählliteratur heraus, die mit Namen wie Gabriella Ghermandi, Garane Garane, Cristina Ubax Ali Farah, Igiaba Scego, Mario Domenichelli oder Wu Ming 2 und Antar Mohamed Marincola verbunden ist. Die Autor_innen schreiben an einer Literatur der Fluchtlinien, die zum einen die koloniale und postkoloniale Geschichte Italiens ins Bewusstsein ruft und neu perspektiviert, zum anderen existenzielle Grenzerfahrungen von Individuen in Bewegung zu Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts in Zusammenhang mit Diaspora und Exil, Migration und globaler Mobilität reflektiert. Maria Kirchmair liefert nun die erste deutschsprachige Studie zur postkolonialen Erzählliteratur Italiens. Über eine sowohl thematische als auch ästhetische Analyse befasst sie sich speziell mit der narrativen Darstellung von »Raum« und Raumwahrnehmung, Bewegung und Transformationsprozessen von »Identität« in kolonialen und postkolonialen Kontexten.
Die Côte des Allemands
Authors: Hübner Andreas
Published: November 2017

»Tüchtig, arbeitsam und diszipliniert«, so präsentierten die französischen und spanischen Kolonialbeamten die »deutschen« Siedler Louisianas in ihren frühen Briefen und Journalen. Andreas Hübner folgt den Spuren dieser »Mustermigranten« des 18. Jahrhunderts, die nur wenige Meilen flussaufwärts von New Orleans am Mississippi eine neue Heimat fanden - und bietet zugleich eine Einführung in die frühe Geschichte Louisianas. Basierend auf Ansätzen der historischen Migrationsforschung und der Kulturgeschichte erforscht er das Sprechen über die »Deutschen«, entschlüsselt die kolonialen Diskurse um das Deutschsein und liefert damit auch einen bemerkenswerten Beitrag zu aktuellen Debatten der Migrationspolitik.
Die alte Frau in der Literatur
Authors: Belzer-Kielhorn Sigrid
Published: November 2017

»Alt sein«, »Frau sein« und »Alte Frau sein« haben in der deutschen und russischen Literatur ganz unterschiedliche Konnotationen. Stereotype Einordnungen wie erfolgreiches oder erfolgloses Alter(n) reichen hier als Beschreibungskriterien für weibliches Altern nicht aus. Sigrid Belzer-Kielhorn verdeutlicht, dass die Literatur ihre Möglichkeiten nutzt, herrschende Diskurse zu unterlaufen und damit Alternativen aufzuzeigen: Indem sie mit Bedeutungen spielt, öffnet sie den Raum, weibliches Altersleben als Wahl zwischen diversen Möglichkeiten zu begreifen. Als fiktive Entwürfe von Altersrealitäten haben die analysierten literarischen Texte rückbezüglich wieder Auswirkungen auf die gelebte Erfahrung des Alter(n)s.
To unite nuclear and sub-nuclear strong interactions
Authors: UV Satya Seshavatharam , S Lakshminarayana
Published: November 2017

With reference to ‘reciprocal’ of the strong coupling constant and ‘reduced Compton's wavelength’ of the nucleon, we make an attempt to understand the background of nuclear charge radius, binding energy and stability.
Determination of lithium bioretention by maize under hydroponic conditions
Authors: Antonkiewicz Jacek , Jasiewicz Czesława , Koncewicz-Baran Małgorzata , Bączek-Kwinta Renata
Published: November 2017

Irrigation of cultivated plants can be a source of toxic lithium to plants. The data on the effect of lithium uptake on plants are scant, that is why a research was undertaken with the aim to determine maize ability to bioaccumulate lithium. The research was carried out under hydroponic conditions. The experimental design comprised 10 concentrations in solution differing with lithium concentrations in the aqueous solution (ranging from 0.0 to 256.0 mg Li ∙ dm-3 of the nutrient solution). The parameters based on which lithium bioretention by maize was determined were: the yield, lithium concentration in various plant parts, uptake and utilization of this element, tolerance index (TI) and translocation factor (TF), metal concentrations in the above-ground parts index (CI) and bioaccumulation factor (BAF). Depression in yielding of maize occurred only at the highest concentrations of lithium. Lithium concentration was the highest in the roots, lower in the stems and leaves, and the lowest in the inflorescences. The values of tolerance index and EC50 indicated that roots were the most resistant organs to lithium toxicity. The values of translocation factor were indicative of intensive export of lithium from the roots mostly to the stems. The higher uptake of lithium by the above-ground parts than by the roots, which primarily results from the higher yield of these parts of the plants, supports the idea of using maize for lithium phytoremediation.
An assessment of adaptive and antagonistic properties of Trichoderma sp. strains in vegetable waste composts
Authors: Wolna-Maruwka Agnieszka , Piechota Tomasz , Niewiadomska Alicja , Dach Jacek , Szczech Magdalena , Jędryczka Małgorzata , Pilarska Agnieszka A.
Published: November 2017

The experiment consisted in monitoring the count of moulds and three selected Trichoderma sp. isolates (T1 - Trichoderma atroviride, T2 - Trichoderma harzianum, T3 - Trichoderma harzianum) in vegetable (onion and tomato) waste composted with additives (straw, pig manure). Additionally, the aim of the study was to determine the type of interaction occurring between autochthonous fungi isolated from composts after the end of the thermophilic phase and Trichoderma sp. strains applied in the experiment. Number of microorganisms was determined by the plate method, next the identification was confirmed. The rating scale developed by Mańka was used to determine the type of interactions occurring between microorganisms. The greatest count of moulds in onion waste composts was noted in the object which had simultaneously been inoculated with two strains T1 - T. atroviride and T3 - T. harzianum. The greatest count of moulds was noted in the tomato waste composts inoculated with T2 - T. harzianum strain. Microscope identification revealed that Penicillum sp., Rhizopus sp., Alternaria sp. and Mucor sp. strains were predominant in onion waste composts. In tomato waste composts Penicillium was the predominant genus, followed by Rhizopus. The test of antagonism revealed the inhibitory effect of Trichoderma isolates on most autochthonous strains of moulds. Tomato waste composts proved to be better substrates for the growth and development of Trichoderma sp. isolates. The results of the study show that vegetable waste can be used in agriculture as carriers of antagonistic microorganisms.
Importance of Red Clover Culture in the Context of Sustainable Agriculture System
Authors: Nitu Iulia
Published: November 2017

In the context of rising food requirements regarding quality and food safety, it is necessary to obtain high quality of animal productions. In this respect, one of the most important factors which participate in the formation of animal production quality is the quality of feed administered in animal feeding. For this reason, in the present workpaper we intend to study applied technology to improve the quality of red clover for obtaining high forage and quality production in a sustainable agricultural system.

The objectives of this workpaper is to develop solutions for integrating culture of red clover in a sustainable agriculture system, respectively, exploiting of local resources fertilizer, reducing inputs in culture system of fodder in Plain Targoviste, exploiting the potential of improve soil fertility by growing the fodder.
Cultivation of Purple Potato, A Rentable Activity in Vegatable Practice
Authors: Sinziana Venera Morarita
Published: November 2017

The achievement of an efficient management in agriculture, as in any branch of the national economy, is possible only by knowing perfectly the evolution of various economic and financial phenomena during one year of activity, their variation from provisions and in dynamics, as well as the correct diagnosis of the period.

On the basis of these data, it is possible to establish the measures for correction of the negative aspects observed and the expansion of the positive ones, for the higher profitability of the entire economic and financial activity of the agricultural holdings at the level of competitiveness imposed by the requirements and exigencies of the economy. The management of any agricultural holding (irrespective of its form of ownership) involves an essential component the economic and financial analysis by which it is supervised and evaluated its function in the system. The economic and financial analysis can be used without restriction in the management of the agricultural holding, respectively in solving any current and prospective problem that ultimately affects the level of economic efficiency itself. In this context, the economic and financial analysis finds a well-defined place and role both in the preparatory phase and in the final stage of the decision-making process.
The Influence of Environmental and Social Factors on Agricultural Biodiversity and Food Security
Authors: Străteanu Amalia-Gianina , Enache Mihai Liviu
Published: November 2017

In accordance with fundamental rights and freedoms, everyone has the right to social security (Article 22) and to a standard of living that ensures his/her health and well-being and that of his/her family, this being materialized, among other things, through access to food (Article 25). The importance of food security is recognized in the international response to climate change and reflected in the context of global security. Food security is the primary objective of every nation and entire human community. The global food crisis and food insecurity at worldwide level has a continuous ascend trend, poverty being one of the determining factors that creates optimal conditions for the emergence or maintenance of a conflict. Agricultural biodiversity expressed through sustainability and stability in direct relation to the quality of the environment and life in the context of sustainable development, provides bio-food resources, the basis of the economy of future generations. Food safety is guaranteed not only by the safe production of products, but also by taking into account the whole food chain, by approaching the “from farm to fork” concept, but also by looking at the traceability of “food from fork to farm”. Traceability of bioresources is necessary to ensure food security. To be sustainable, agriculture must be productive, profitable, environmentally friendly and to conserve resources. The sustainable development of agriculture can not avoid the criterion of efficiency; this must be seen in three-dimensional space - economic, ecological and social, but in most cases economic efficiency is based on the lack of ecological and social efficiency.
Enclosure theorems and barrier principles for energy stationary currents and the associated Brakke-flow
Authors: Henkemeyer Patrick
Published: November 2017

We discuss certain quantitative geometric properties of energy stationary currents describing minimal surfaces under gravitational forces. Enclosure theorems give statements about the confinement of the support of currents to certain enclosing sets on the basis that one knows something about the position of their boundaries. These results are closely related to non-existence theorems for currents with connected support. Finally, we define a weak formulation in the theory of varifolds for the curvature flow associated to this energy functional. We extend the enclosure results to the flow and discuss several comparison principles.
Optimal Price Setting and Insurer Capital Management in a Multiple Line Context
Authors: Mao Hong , Carson James M. , Ostaszewski Krzysztof M.
Published: November 2017

We extend Kliger and Levikson’s approach for pricing insurance contracts by considering the influence of insurer capital on the price of insurance contracts. In the context of a multi-line insurer, we analyze how to arrive at the optimal price, number of policies, and capital level of the insurer. Our results differ from prior literature on capital allocation even in incomplete markets with friction in that we show that even with multiple lines of business, the insurer still only needs to hold a single amount of overall capital. Finally, our results show that the relation between the number of policies and price is important in the pricing and capital decision.
Gender-related online metalinguistic comments on Straattaal and Moroccan Flavored Dutch in the Moroccan heritage community in the Netherlands
Authors: Nortier Jacomine
Published: November 2017

Straattaal (‘street language’) used by members of various ethnic groups contains linguistic material from English and several heritage languages with relatively many Sranan words. Moroccan Flavored Dutch (MFD) is Dutch with elements from Moroccan languages on the level of pronunciation, lexicon and/or grammar. Both Straattaal and MFD can be used by young Moroccan-Dutch. The basic question is: How is the use of MFD and Straattaal by Moroccan-Dutch females perceived within the Moroccan community in CMC? Data were collected by searching posts on social media. Male and female young Moroccan-Dutch comment negatively on Moroccan girls using Straattaal. However, MFD is used too, even by the same participants, receiving little overt attention. The use of and attitudes towards youth languages by females elsewhere sometimes differ from the Moroccan-Dutch context. Examples from Algeria, Indonesia and Hong Kong show that they are used by both females and men without overt negative connotations compared to Western Europe where they seem to be used predominantly by males. A possible explanation could be that there seems to be a gender restriction for varieties used as anti-languages (Halliday 1976), while youth varieties that mark socially upward mobility can be used by both males and females.
Task-response times, facilitating and inhibiting factors in cross-signing
Authors: Zeshan Ulrike
Published: November 2017

This paper reports on data from the “cross-signing” strand of a research project on Sign Multilingualism. Cross-signing investigates the ad-hoc improvised conversations of small groups of deaf sign language users who do not have fluency in any shared language. Participants were filmed in pairs when they met for the very first time, and after a contact period of 4–6 weeks together as a group. The deaf signers involved in this study are from the UK, Jordan, Indonesia, Japan, India, and Nepal. All signers are highly fluent in their own sign language, with varying competence in a language of literacy from their home country, but minimal or no overlapping competence in International Sign, English, or any other shared language between them. The participants used a wide range of multilingual and multimodal communicative resources, including their own and invented signs, fingerspelling, pointing, mouthing, gesture/mime, and various representations of writing. The article considers quantitative data from signed interactions during a picture-based elicitation game. While the overall response times taken by participants for completing the elicitation game are reduced at the end of the contact period compared to the initial contact, differentiating factors are at work that lead to different degrees of response time reduction in the individual signers. As a step towards explaining these patterns, the article explores insights into factors that may inhibit or facilitate communication between cross-signers, such as extent of contact between signers, typological distance between sign languages, or the use of literacy. Moreover, the data suggest a cumulative impact of these factors.
The Philosophy of History: A Value-pluralist Response
Authors: Crowder George
Published: November 2017

Vittorio Hösle’s evaluation of the Soviet Revolution on the ground of the philosophy of history can be usefully examined from the value-pluralist perspective of Isaiah Berlin. Although Berlinwould agree with most ofHösle’s judgements on the Revolution, he would do so for very different reasons. Most importantly, Berlin would not accept the teleology that lies at the heart of the philosophy of history. For Berlin, the notion of a human telos to be realized at the end of history is a species of moral monism, and so falsified, indeed rendered incoherent, by the deeply pluralist reality of human values. However, Berlin’s pluralism also seems to present a problem for the justification of liberalism, and I consider a range of responses to this difficulty.
Wheeze sound analysis using computer-based techniques: a systematic review
Authors: Ghulam Nabi Fizza , Sundaraj Kenneth , Chee Kiang Lam , Palaniappan Rajkumar , Sundaraj Sebastian
Published: November 2017

Wheezes are high pitched continuous respiratory acoustic sounds which are produced as a result of airway obstruction. Computer-based analyses of wheeze signals have been extensively used for parametric analysis, spectral analysis, identification of airway obstruction, feature extraction and diseases or pathology classification. While this area is currently an active field of research, the available literature has not yet been reviewed. This systematic review identified articles describing wheeze analyses using computer-based techniques on the SCOPUS, IEEE Xplore, ACM, PubMed and Springer and Elsevier electronic databases. After a set of selection criteria was applied, 41 articles were selected for detailed analysis. The findings reveal that 1) computerized wheeze analysis can be used for the identification of disease severity level or pathology, 2) further research is required to achieve acceptable rates of identification on the degree of airway obstruction with normal breathing, 3) analysis using combinations of features and on subgroups of the respiratory cycle has provided a pathway to classify various diseases or pathology that stem from airway obstruction.
Biomechanical investigation of different surgical strategies for the treatment of rib fractures using a three-dimensional human respiratory model
Authors: Shih Kao-Shang , Truong Thanh An , Hsu Ching-Chi , Hou Sheng-Mou
Published: November 2017

Rib fracture is a common injury and can result in pain during respiration. Conservative treatment of rib fracture is applied via mechanical ventilation. However, ventilator-associated complications frequently occur. Surgical fixation is another approach to treat rib fractures. Unfortunately, this surgical treatment is still not completely defined. Past studies have evaluated the biomechanics of the rib cage during respiration using a finite element method, but only intact conditions were modelled. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop a realistic numerical model of the human rib cage and to analyse the biomechanical performance of intact, injured and treated rib cages. Three-dimensional finite element models of the human rib cage were developed. Respiratory movement of the human rib cage was simulated to evaluate the strengths and limitations of different scenarios. The results show that a realistic human respiratory movement can be simulated and the predicted results were closely related to previous study (correlation coefficient>0.92). Fixation of two fractured ribs significantly decreased the fixation index (191%) compared to the injured model. This fixation may provide adequate fixation stability as well as reveal lower bone stress and implant stress compared with the fixation of three or more fractured ribs.
Specific Kaliningrad character of the Russian identity
Authors: Klemeshev Andrey , Fedorov Gennady , Fidrya Efim
Published: November 2017

There are different levels of territorial identity perceived as a sense of belonging to a particular social and territorial community. People residing in any region identify themselves with these levels to a different degree. Since 2001, the authors have been doing sociological research into the territorial identity of the population of the Kaliningrad region, which became a Russia’s exclave after the demise the USSR. The research shows that residents of the Kaliningrad region associate themselves with different territorial communities to a varying degree starting with an ever strengthening sense of national identity, followed by the regional and local identity. The sense of macro-regional (European) and global identity is significantly lower.
Cascaded multilevel converters in recent research and applications
Authors: Malinowski M.
Published: November 2017

Multilevel converters have been intensively investigated and developed since 1960s and have found successful industrial applications. The aim of this paper is to present state of the art as well as recent research and applications of cascaded multilevel converters, which are a very interesting solution for power distribution systems and renewable energy sources. Cascaded multilevel converters can easily operate at medium and high voltage based on the series connection of power modules (cells), which use standard low-voltage component configurations. Series connections of modules (cells) allow for high quality output voltages and input currents, reduction of passive components and availability of component redundancy. Due to these features the cascaded multilevel converters have been recognized as attractive solutions for high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission, solid state transformers (SST) and photovoltaic (PV) systems.
Model predictive current control method for four-leg three-level converter operating as shunt active power filter and grid connected inverter
Authors: Antoniewicz K. , Rafal K.
Published: November 2017

This paper presents model predictive control (MPC) with a finite control states set (FS) for three-level four-leg flying capacitor (FCC) converter. Principles of control method are presented and flying capacitor voltages control method is discussed. Experimental results of converter operating as a shunt active power filter (SAPF) and grid connected inverter (GCI) are shown.
Space-vector pulsewidth modulation for a seven-level cascaded H-bridge inverter with the control of DC-link voltages
Authors: Lewicki A. , Morawiec M.
Published: November 2017

A control strategy of DC-link voltages for a seven-level cascaded H-bridge inverter is proposed in this paper. The DC-link voltage balancing is accomplished by an appropriate selection of H-bridges and control of their duty cycles in space-vector modulation (SVM) algorithm. The proposed SVM method allows to maintain the same voltage level on all inverter capacitors. Regardless of the balancing function, the SVM strategy makes it possible to generate the output voltage vector properly also in the case where the DC-link voltages are not balanced. The results of simulation and experimental investigations are presented in the paper.