bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Motor System Activation Predicts Goal Imitation in 7-Month-Old Infants
Authors: Filippi Courtney A. , Cannon Erin N. , Fox Nathan A. , Thorpe Samuel G. , Ferrari Pier F. , Woodward Amanda L.
Published: April 2016

The current study harnessed the variability in infants’ neural and behavioral responses as a novel method for evaluating the potential relations between motor system activation and social behavior. We used electroencephalography (EEG) to record neural activity as 7-month-old infants observed and responded to the actions of an experimenter. To determine whether motor system activation predicted subsequent imitation behavior, we assessed event-related desynchronization (ERD) at central sites during action observation as a function of subsequent behavior. Greater mu desynchronization over central sites was observed when infants subsequently reproduced the experimenter’s goal than when they did not reproduce the goal and instead selected the nongoal object. We also found that mu desynchronization during action execution predicted the infants’ later propensity to reproduce the experimenter’s goal-directed behavior. These results provide the first evidence that motor system activation predicts the imitation of other individuals’ goals during infancy.
Starting the polypill: the use of a single age cut-off in males and females
Authors: Wald Nicholas J , Luteijn Johannes M , Morris Joan K
Published: April 2016

Objective

Age screening and preventive medication for future myocardial infarction and stroke has been previously described. We aimed to ascertain whether different age cut-offs are needed for males and females.

Methods

We determined five parameters for each sex according to age cut-off: detection rate (sensitivity), false-positive rate, proportion of the population eligible for treatment with a polypill, proportion who benefit from taking a polypill (simvastatin 20 mg, losartan 25 mg, hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg, amlodipine 2.5 mg), and among these, years of life gained without a first myocardial infarction or stroke.

Results

Approximately one-third benefit, regardless of the age cut-off. For males and females combined, using ages 40 and 80, the detection rates are 98% and 52%, false-positive rates are 51% and 7%, population percentages eligible for treatment are 52% and 7%, and years of life gained without a first myocardial infarction or stroke are 8.4 and 3.6. Using age 50, detection rates are 93% (males) 98% (females), false-positive rates 37% (males) 40% (females), percentage of the population eligible for treatment 38% (males) 41% (females), percentage who benefit 35% (males) 33% (females), and years of life gained without an event 8.5 (males) 7.0 (females). At a given age cut-off, the sex differences are relatively small.

Conclusion

A single age cut-off can be used for both sexes.
Ethical issues of prison nursing: A qualitative study in Northern Italy
Authors: Sasso Loredana , Delogu Barbara , Carrozzino Roberto , Aleo Giuseppe , Bagnasco Annamaria
Published: April 2016

Background:

Prisons are contexts where nurses are required to have specific skills to ensure that, in a setting designed for the expiation of crime, prisoners receive the same type of care as anyone else. But this is not always the case, giving rise to ethical issues.

Research questions:

‘How do correctional nurses describe their working experience in prisons? What issues emerged?’

Methodology:

This is a qualitative descriptive study. Following purposive sampling, we conducted five focus groups. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Participants and research context:

Our sample included 31 correctional nurses in seven prisons in Northern Italy.

Ethical considerations:

The scientific merit of this study was recognized by the Academic Board of the University of Genoa. Approval to conduct the study was obtained from the Liguria Regional Government that funded this study and from the Local Health Authority that was the prison nurses’ employer. Formal consent was obtained from all the nurses who volunteered to participate in this study.

Findings:

Five themes emerged from the focus groups: (1) prisoners’ healthcare needs, (2) negotiation between custody and care, (3) satisfaction of working in prisons, (4) obstacles to quality care and (5) safety. ‘Manipulation’ was a transversal theme that emerged from all the focus groups.

Discussion:

The problems generated by the clash between prison security and nursing care priorities did not enable nurses to practice autonomously and provide the best possible to care prisoners, giving rise to ethical issues and moral distress. This in turn causes high nursing turnover rates that negatively impact continuum of care.

Conclusion:

In Italy, correctional nurses urgently require specific education interventions with the participation of all those who work in prisons. Interventions based on the post-modern concept of restorative nursing could offer prison nurses the opportunity to both resolve ethical issues and reduce moral distress.
Assessing Body Fat of Children by Skinfold Thickness, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, and Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry
Authors: Noradilah Mohd Jonit , Ang Yeow Nyin , Kamaruddin Nor Azmi , Deurenberg Paul , Ismail Mohd Noor , Poh Bee Koon
Published: April 2016

This study aims to validate skinfold (SKF) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) against dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in determining body fat percentage (BF%) of Malay children aged 7 to 11 years. A total of 160 children had their BF% assessed using SKF and BIA, with DXA as the criterion method. Four SKF equations (SKFBray, SKFJohnston, SKFSlaughter, and SKFGoran) and 4 BIA equations (BIAManufacturer, BIAHoutkooper, BIARush, and BIAKushner) were used to estimate BF%. Mean age, weight, and height were 9.4 ± 1.1years, 30.5 ± 9.9 kg, and 131.3 ± 8.4 cm. All equations significantly underestimated BF% ( P < .05). BIA equations had reasonable agreement with DXA and were independent of BF% with BIAManufacturer being the best equation. Although BIA underestimates BF% as compared with DXA, BIA was more suitable to measure BF% in a population that is similar to this study sample than SKF, suggesting a need to develop new SKF equations that are population specific.
Rise of the Machines
Authors: Parry Ken , Cohen Michael , Bhattacharya Sukanto
Published: April 2016

Machines are increasingly becoming a substitute for human skills and intelligence in a number of fields where decisions that are crucial to group performance have to be taken under stringent constraints—for example, when an army contingent has to devise battlefield tactics or when a medical team has to diagnose and treat a life-threatening condition or illness. We hypothesize a scenario where similar machine-based intelligent technology is available to support, and even substitute human decision making in an organizational leadership context. We do not engage in any metaphysical debate on the plausibility of such a scenario. Rather, we contend that given what we observe in several other fields of human decision making, such a scenario may very well eventuate in the near future. We argue a number of “positives” that can be expected to emerge out of automated group and organizational leadership decision making. We also posit several anti-theses—“negatives” that can also potentially emerge from the hypothesized scenario and critically consider their implications. We aim to bring leadership and organization theorists, as well as researchers in machine intelligence, together at the discussion table for the first time and postulate that while leadership decision making in a group/organizational context could be effectively delegated to an artificial-intelligence (AI)-based decision system, this would need to be subject to the devising of crucial safeguarding conditions.
The Effects of Business Failure Experience on Successive Entrepreneurial Engagements: An Evolutionary Phase Model
Authors: Amankwah-Amoah Joseph , Boso Nathaniel , Antwi-Agyei Issek
Published: April 2016

This study draws insights from the literatures on entrepreneurial learning from failure and organizational imprinting to develop an evolutionary phase model to explain how prior business failure experience influences successive newly started businesses. Using multiple case studies of entrepreneurs located in an institutionally developing society in Sub-Sahara Africa, we uncover four distinctive phases of postentrepreneurial business failure: grief and despair, transition, formation, and legacy phases. We find that while the grieving and transition phases entailed processes of reflecting and learning lessons from the business failure experiences, the formation and legacy phases involve processes of imprinting entrepreneurs’ experiential knowledge on their successive new start-up firms. We conclude by outlining a number of fruitful avenues for future research.
Anticoagulant Use in Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation: Has Prescribing Improved?
Authors: Bista Durga , Chalmers Leanne , Peterson Gregory M. , Bereznicki Luke R. E.
Published: April 2016

Discordance between international guideline recommendations and anticoagulant prescribing patterns among patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) has been frequently reported. This study was designed to compare the anticoagulant utilization pattern to earlier data in the same population and identify predictors of anticoagulant prescribing among patients with NVAF. We reviewed patients with NVAF admitted to Tasmania’s 3 major hospitals between January 2011 and June 2012 and compared the anticoagulant utilization pattern to earlier data. Patients were excluded if they had only 1 episode of NVAF that reverted spontaneously or upon cardioversion. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of anticoagulant prescribing. Overall, 53.8% of patients received anticoagulant treatment compared to 40.4% 15 years ago. Among eligible patients at high-risk of stroke, 52.5% were receiving anticoagulant therapy (vs 42.1% 15 years ago). Approximately 10% of patients with a CHADS2 score ≥2 were not receiving any antithrombotic treatment, reduced from 18.2% in the earlier cohort, whereas anticoagulant use increased among those at low risk (score 0) to 48.5% from 14.2%. Younger age (odds ratio [OR] 0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.97-1.0; P = .04); CHADS2 = 1, relative to 0 (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.07-2.63; P = .02); CHF (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.12-2.15; P = .008); and embolic disease history (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.09-2.86; P = .02) were significant predictors of anticoagulant prescribing. While there has been improvement over the past 15 years, suboptimal use of anticoagulant therapy among high-risk patients with NVAF remains common. There is significant potential for improvement in the quality of stroke prophylaxis in patients with NVAF.
The influence of localized randomness on regular grazing bifurcations with applications to impacting dynamics
Authors: Simpson David John Warwick , Kuske Rachel
Published: April 2016

This paper concerns stochastic perturbations of piecewise-smooth ODE systems relevant for vibro-impacting dynamics, where impact events constitute the primary source of randomness. Such systems are characterized by the existence of switching manifolds that divide the phase space into regions where the system is smooth. The initiation of impacts is captured by a grazing bifurcation, at which a periodic orbit describing motion without impacts develops a tangential intersection with a switching manifold. Oscillatory dynamics near regular grazing bifurcations are described by piecewise-smooth maps involving a square-root singularity, known as Nordmark maps. We consider three scenarios where colored noise only affects impacting dynamics, and derive three two-dimensional stochastic Nordmark maps with the noise appearing in different nonlinear or multiplicative ways, depending on the source of the noise. Consequently the stochastic dynamics differs between the three noise sources, and is fundamentally different to that of a Nordmark map with additive noise. This critical dependence on the nature of the noise is illustrated with a prototypical one-degree-of-freedom impact oscillator.
Multidisciplinary simulation acceleration using multiple shared memory graphical processing units
Authors: Kemal Jonathan Y , Davis Roger L , Owens John D
Published: April 2016

In this article, we describe the strategies and programming techniques used in porting a multidisciplinary fluid/thermal interaction procedure to graphical processing units (GPUs). We discuss the strategies for selecting which disciplines or routines are chosen for use on GPUs rather than CPUs. In addition, we describe the programming techniques including use of Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA), mixed-language (Fortran/C/CUDA) usage, Fortran/C memory mapping of arrays, and GPU optimization. We solve all equations using the multi-block, structured grid, finite volume numerical technique, with the dual time-step scheme used for unsteady simulations. Our numerical solver code targets CUDA-capable GPUs produced by NVIDIA. We use NVIDIA Tesla C2050/C2070 GPUs based on the Fermi architecture and compare our resulting performance against Intel Xeon X5690 CPUs. Individual solver routines converted to CUDA typically run about 10 times faster on a GPU for sufficiently dense computational grids. We used a conjugate cylinder computational grid and ran a turbulent steady flow simulation using four increasingly dense computational grids. Our densest computational grid is divided into 13 blocks each containing 1033×1033 grid points, for a total of 13.87 million grid points or 1.07 million grid points per domain block. Comparing the performance of eight GPUs to that of eight CPUs, we obtain an overall speedup of about 6.0 when using our densest computational grid. This amounts to an 8-GPU simulation running about 39.5 times faster than running than a single-CPU simulation.
Participatory Assessment of Development Interventions
Authors: Pouw Nicky , Dietz Ton , Bélemvire Adame , de Groot Dieneke , Millar David , Obeng Francis , Rijneveld Wouter , Van der Geest Kees , Vlaminck Zjos , Zaal Fred
Published: April 2016

This article presents the principles and findings of developing a new participatory assessment of development (PADev) evaluation approach that was codesigned with Dutch nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and northern and southern research institutes over a period of 4 years in the context of rural development in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Although participatory approaches in development evaluations have become widely accepted since the 1990s, the PADev approach is different by taking the principles of holism and local knowledge as starting points for its methodological elaboration. The PADev approach is found to have an added value for assessing the differentiated effects of development interventions across different subgroups in a community through intersubjectivity. Moreover, if PADev is taken up by a multitude of stakeholders, including the intended beneficiaries of development interventions and development stakeholders, it can contribute to a process of local history writing, knowledge sharing, capacity development, and providing input into community action plans and the strategies of community-based organizations and NGOs.
It hurts when it really matters
Authors: Joon Han Kyung
Published: April 2016

Do political parties’ shifts on sociocultural issues, which signify the withdrawal of ideological commitment and disturb their supporters, cause vote loss? We argue that the negative electoral impact of positional shifts is constrained by party supporters’ opinion as well as parties’ ideological strength on sociocultural issues. Using data on party positions and ideologies in Western Europe from 1990 to 2008, we find that only parties holding strong ideologies on sociocultural issues lose votes by shifting their positions on these issues. Even these parties, however, do not lose votes when their position shifts in the same direction as that of their supporters. The results indicate that niche parties are straightforwardly affected by position shifts regarding sociocultural issues; they should adopt different strategies between values they endorse and those they reject; and political parties should not be worried about vote loss from position shifts as long as they follow their supporters’ opinions.
Annual direct medical costs of bronchiectasis treatment
Authors: de la Rosa David , Martínez-Garcia Miguel-Angel , Olveira Casilda , Girón Rosa , Máiz Luis , Prados Concepción
Published: April 2016

Patients with bronchiectasis (BE) present exacerbations that increase with severity of the disease. We aimed to determine the annual cost of BE treatment according to its severity, determined by FACED score, as well as the parameters associated with higher costs. Multicentre historical cohorts study with patients from six hospitals in Spain. The costs arising during the course of a year from maintenance treatment, exacerbations, emergency visits and hospital admissions were analysed. In total, 456 patients were included (56.4% mild BE, 26.8% moderate BE and 16.9% severe BE). The mean cost was €4671.9 per patient, which increased significantly with severity. In mild BE, most of the costs were due to bronchodilators and inhaled steroids; in severe BE, most were due to exacerbations and inhaled antibiotics. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%), age, colonization by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the number of admissions were independently related to higher costs. The highest costs were found in patients with BE associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with the most exacerbations and with chronic bronchial colonization by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). In conclusion, BE patients gave rise to high annual costs, and these were doubled on each advance in severity on the FACED score. FEV1%, age, colonization by PA and the number of admissions were independently related to higher costs.
Survey of Attitudes of Japanese Women Toward Genetic/Genomic Research
Authors: Moriya Hiromi , Inoue Ituro , Ikeuchi Mayumi , Ishii Naoaki , Motojima Masaru
Published: April 2016

Previous surveys have suggested that elderly Japanese women have the lowest scientific interest and literacy within the Japanese population and among populations across Western countries. Because recent tremendous advances in genome analysis are likely to be incorporated into standard biomedical assessments throughout the world, we conducted surveys to investigate the attitudes toward genetic/genomic research of Japanese women aged between 55 and 65 years. Current surveys indicate that obtaining adequate informed consent from elderly Japanese women is complicated. The limitation is especially relevant to participants’ literacy in genetics and genomic studies. Results of the surveys also indicate that even after the informed consent is obtained, researchers must continue to supply updated study information to the study subjects, which enables them to obtain additional information on the use of their samples and genetic/genomic information. Failure to consider these obligations may lead to a loss of the public’s trust and thus affect research progress on medical genomics.
Differential Effects of Estradiol and Bisphenol A on SET8 and SIRT1 Expression in Ovarian Cancer Cells
Authors: Hayes Laura , Weening Allison , Morey Lisa M.
Published: April 2016

Exposure to estrogenic compounds has been shown to epigenetically reprogram the female reproductive tract and may contribute to ovarian cancer. The goal of this study was to compare the effect of estradiol or bisphenol A (BPA) on the expression of histone-modifying enzymes (HMEs) in ovarian cancer cells. Using 2 human ovarian cancer cell lines, we examined the expression of SET8, a histone methyltransferase, and SIRT1, a histone deacetylase, after exposure to estrogen or BPA. These experiments were carried out in complete media (fetal bovine serum) that contain natural hormones to understand the impact of additional exposure to estrogen or BPA on HME expression. We found differential expression of the HMEs in the different models examined and between the different compounds. Further, we determined that the changes in gene expression occurred via estrogen receptor signaling using the estrogen receptor antagonist, ICI 182,780 (fulvestrant).
GPS comparison of training activities and game demands of professional rugby union
Authors: Tee Jason C , Lambert Michael I , Coopoo Yoga
Published: April 2016

Closely matching training session exertions with actual match-play intensities ensures players are physically prepared for competition. The movement patterns of four typical rugby union training activities (traditional endurance, high-intensity interval, game-based and skills training) were compared with match-play using global positioning systems. The degree of difference from match-play was determined by calculating Cohen’s effect size statistic. Training activities for players in different positions (tight forward, loose forward, scrumhalf, inside back and outside back) were similarly assessed. Movement patterns were measured as relative distance, distance walking (0–2 m.s−1), jogging (2–4 m.s−1), striding (4–6 m.s−1) and sprinting (>6 m.s−1) and sprint and acceleration (>2.75 m.s−2) frequency. Overall, high-intensity interval training was the most similar to match-play, and could be adopted as a primary training activity. Game-based training failed to meet match intensity in all positions (Effect size = medium to large). If game-based training is used as the primary training activity, supplementary training is required to ensure players are adequately prepared for match demands.
Anthropometric, speed and endurance characteristics of English academy soccer players: Do they influence obtaining a professional contract at 18 years of age?
Authors: Emmonds Stacey , Till Kevin , Jones Ben , Mellis Michelle , Pears Mathew
Published: April 2016

This study evaluated the anthropometric, speed and endurance characteristics of English academy soccer players, comparing players who obtained a ‘professional’ contract at 18 years old with those that did not (‘academy’); 443 male academy soccer players from an English professional club undertook anthropometric (height and body mass), speed (10 and 20 m sprint) and endurance (Yo-Yo intermittent endurance test level 2 [Yo-Yo]) assessments between 2005 and 2012. Significant improvements with age were found for speed and endurance at each annual age group up until U18 age category. Significant differences were only observed between ‘professional’ and ‘academy’ players for 10 m ( p = 0.003, η2 = 0.01) and 20 m ( p = 0.001, η2 = 0.01) speed at U16 and U18 and Yo-Yo performance ( p = 0.001, η2 = 0.12) at U18 age category. Practitioners should use speed and endurance assessments for monitoring physical development of players rather than for talent identification purposes.
Co-producing justice sanctions? Citizen perspectives
Authors: McCulloch Trish ,   with members of Positive Prison? Positive Futures
Published: April 2016

This article is about the place of those sentenced in criminal justice sanctions. Specifically, it reports on the findings of a co-productive qualitative inquiry that sought to explore the place and possibility of service user co-production within justice sanctions, drawing on the experience of people with convictions. The conclusion of the article is that participation and co-production matters in justice sanctions. The detail and implications of this conclusion are discussed.
Effect of respiratory and cardiac gating on the major diffusion-imaging metrics
Authors: Hamaguchi Hiroyuki , Tha Khin Khin , Sugimori Hiroyuki , Nakanishi Mitsuhiro , Nakagawa Shin , Fujiwara Taro , Yoshida Hirokazu , Takamori Sayaka , Shirato Hiroki
Published: April 2016

The effect of respiratory gating on the major diffusion-imaging metrics and that of cardiac gating on mean kurtosis (MK) are not known. For evaluation of whether the major diffusion-imaging metrics—MK, fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean diffusivity (MD) of the brain—varied between gated and non-gated acquisitions, respiratory-gated, cardiac-gated, and non-gated diffusion-imaging of the brain were performed in 10 healthy volunteers. MK, FA, and MD maps were constructed for all acquisitions, and the histograms were constructed. The normalized peak height and location of the histograms were compared among the acquisitions by use of Friedman and post hoc Wilcoxon tests. The effect of the repetition time (TR) on the diffusion-imaging metrics was also tested, and we corrected for its variation among acquisitions, if necessary. The results showed a shift in the peak location of the MK and MD histograms to the right with an increase in TR ( p ≤ 0.01). The corrected peak location of the MK histograms, the normalized peak height of the FA histograms, the normalized peak height and the corrected peak location of the MD histograms varied significantly between the gated and non-gated acquisitions ( p < 0.05). These results imply an influence of respiration and cardiac pulsation on the major diffusion-imaging metrics. The gating conditions must be kept identical if reproducible results are to be achieved.
Pure arterial malformation of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery diagnosed by MR angiography
Authors: Sako Tomoko , Uchino Akira , Saito Naoko
Published: April 2016

Pure arterial malformation in the brain is extremely rare, and few cases are reported. We present a case of pure malformation of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery diagnosed using magnetic resonance (MR) angiography. Careful observation of source images of MR angiography is important for detecting the typical coil-like appearance.
Riding Around Stigma
Authors: Sefiha Ophir
Published: April 2016

The continuing revelations of performance-enhancing drug (PED) use by high-profile athletes have forced many to question the collective portrayal of elite athletes. Professional cyclists must confront a suspicious public that often labels them as “dopers” and deviant. Drawing from interviews with professional cyclists, this article describes the interactional processes by which professional cyclists confront and manage stigma in everyday settings. Riders employed management techniques of distancing, educating, and normalization in attempts to repair a spoiled identity. Riders concurrently attempted to promote a positive new image of the sport, coalescing around the term Clean Cycling. In doing so, Clean Cycling functioned much like a commercial “brand” wherein riders position themselves as ambassadors of the Clean Cycling brand, building positive brand recognition among the public, while linking the brand to their own identity. Although not contesting the label of PED use as deviant, riders resisted the application of the “doper” label to themselves while attempting to redefine the procycling occupation as positive and worthwhile.
Luxus
Authors: Featherstone Mark
Published: April 2016

In this article, I seek to explore the psychopolitical significance of the contemporary idea of luxury through reference to the Roman concept of luxus, which means excess, extravagance, indulgence, and debauchery. In the first section of the article, I examine the politics of the idea of luxus in the Roman context through a discussion of the relationship between the emperor Nero, who pushed luxury toward its psychopathic limits, and the Stoic philosopher Seneca, who championed mos maiorum, the moral life of moderation, and a utopia of balance and proportion. In order to further my analysis of the pure experience of luxus, which exceeds any object that is always too base and objective to be truly luxurious, I seek to psychoanalyze Nero’s pursuit of the orgy of luxus through reference to Sigmund Freud’s discussion of Thanatos in his Beyond the Pleasure Principle. In that work, Freud suggests that the luxurious excess of pleasure, hyperpleasure beyond this or that incarnation of pleasure, resides in the endless repetition of pleasure we find in the experience of addiction, which eventually leads the user to overdose into luxurious space where the user dissolves into a kind of universal substance beyond life itself. It is this psychoanalytic concept of luxus, which describes the experience of luxury beyond its objective limits, that I take forward in the final section of the article. Here, I seek to move beyond Nero and Freud to show how we can understand the concept of luxus, which is beyond the relative luxury we might associate with the possession of this or that object, in the contemporary context of global capitalism. I explore neoliberal capitalism, where consumption is endless, through reference to Georges Bataille’s The Accursed Share, where economy is less about balancing the books and more about the production of excess that eventually dissolves into what Bataille calls “continuous being”—the universal state of luxury.
The big challenges in modeling human and environmental well-being
Authors: Tuljapurkar Shripad
Published: April 2016

This article is a selective review of quantitative research, historical and prospective, that is needed to inform sustainable development policy. I start with a simple framework to highlight how demography and productivity shape human well-being. I use that to discuss three sets of issues and corresponding challenges to modeling: first, population prehistory and early human development and their implications for the future; second, the multiple distinct dimensions of human and environmental well-being and the meaning of sustainability; and, third, inequality as a phenomenon triggered by development and models to examine changing inequality and its consequences. I conclude with a few words about other important factors: political, institutional, and cultural.
MetaNetVar: Pipeline for applying network analysis tools for genomic variants analysis
Authors: Moyer Eric , Hagenauer Megan , Lesko Matthew , Francis Felix , Rodriguez Oscar , Nagarajan Vijayaraj , Huser Vojtech , Busby Ben
Published: April 2016

Network analysis can make variant analysis better. There are existing tools like HotNet2 and dmGWAS that can provide various analytical methods. We developed a prototype of a pipeline called MetaNetVar that allows execution of multiple tools. The code is published at https://github.com/NCBI-Hackathons/Network_SNPs. A working prototype is published as an Amazon Machine Image - ami-4510312f .
Closing gaps between open software and public data in a hackathon setting: User-centered software prototyping
Authors: Busby Ben , Lesko Matthew ,   August 2015 and January 2016 Hackathon participants, Federer Lisa
Published: April 2016

In genomics, bioinformatics and other areas of data science, gaps exist between extant public datasets and the open-source software tools built by the community to analyze similar data types.  The purpose of biological data science hackathons is to assemble groups of genomics or bioinformatics professionals and software developers to rapidly prototype software to address these gaps.  The only two rules for the NCBI-assisted hackathons run so far are that 1) data either must be housed in public data repositories or be deposited to such repositories shortly after the hackathon’s conclusion, and 2) all software comprising the final pipeline must be open-source or open-use.  Proposed topics, as well as suggested tools and approaches, are distributed to participants at the beginning of each hackathon and refined during the event.  Software, scripts, and pipelines are developed and published on GitHub, a web service providing publicly available, free-usage tiers for collaborative software development. The code resulting from each hackathon is published at https://github.com/NCBI-Hackathons/ with separate directories or repositories for each team.
Preparing for the ICD-10-CM Transition: Automated Methods for Translating ICD Codes
in Clinical Phenotype Definitions
Authors: Fung Kin Wah , Richesson Rachel , Smerek Michelle , Pereira Katherine C. , Green Beverly B. , Patkar Ashwin , Clowse Megan , Bauck Alan , Bodenreider Olivier
Published: April 2016

Background: The national mandate for health systems to transition from ICD-9-CM to
ICD-10-CM in October 2015 has an impact on research activities. Clinical phenotypes
defined by ICD-9-CM codes need to be converted to ICD-10-CM, which has nearly four times
more codes and a very different structure than ICD-9-CM.Methods: We used the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) General Equivalent Maps (GEMs) to translate,
using four different methods, condition-specific ICD-9-CM code sets used for pragmatic
trials (n=32) into ICD-10-CM. We calculated the recall, precision, and F‑score of each
method. We also used the ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM value sets defined for electronic
quality measure as an additional evaluation of the mapping methods.Results: The
forward-backward mapping (FBM) method had higher precision, recall and F‑score metrics
than simple forward mapping (SFM). The more aggressive secondary (SM) and tertiary
mapping (TM) methods resulted in higher recall but lower precision. For clinical
phenotype definition, FBM was the best (F=0.67), but was close to SM (F=0.62) and TM
(F=0.60), judging on the F‑scores alone. The overall difference between the four methods
was statistically significant (one-way ANOVA, F=5.749, p=0.001). However, pairwise
comparisons between FBM, SM, and TM did not reach statistical significance. A similar
trend was found for the quality measure value sets.Discussion: The optimal method for
using the GEMs depends on the relative importance of recall versus precision for a given
use case. It appears that for clinically distinct and homogenous conditions, the recall
of FBM is sufficient. The performance of all mapping methods was lower for heterogeneous
conditions. Since code sets used for phenotype definition and quality measurement can be
very similar, there is a possibility of cross-fertilization between the two
activities.Conclusion: Different mapping approaches yield different collections of
ICD-10-CM codes. All methods require some level of human validation.
Decentralized Charging of Plug-In Electric Vehicles Using Lagrange Relaxation Method at the Residential Transformer Level
Authors: Xu Shaolun , Yan Zheng , Zhao Xiaobo , Zhang Liang , Feng Donghan , Xu Xiaoyuan
Published: April 2016

The expected rise of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) will lead to a significant additional demand on low voltage distribution systems, and PEVs can challenge power quality and reliability of power systems if their charging is not coordinated. The PEV aggregator, acting as an intermedium between customers and the grid operator, can solve the charging management problem effectively. In this study, a decentralized scheduling scheme of aggregators for PEV charging based on Lagrange Relaxation method is proposed. At the same time, a centralized model of aggregators is also formulated in the same situation in order to make comparisons with the proposed scheme. The two charging models are both aimed at maximizing the charging profit of PEV aggregators considering constraints including users’ electricity demand, charging time, available capacity of distribution transformers, etc. A number of charging scenarios are simulated to evaluate the proposed method. The economic benefits, computational complexity and efficiency are compared and analyzed between the centralized charging and the decentralized charging. Simulation results verify that the decentralized charging strategy based on Lagrange Relaxation method gains charging profit close to the centralized charging yet is more efficient and realizable than the centralized charging.
Zircaloy Plate Rolling Simulation with an Effective Strain-Rate-Dependent Stress-Updating Algorithm
Authors: Kong Xiangzhe , Yang Hongyan , Ding Shurong
Published: April 2016

Zircaloy is a kind of cladding material for monolithic nuclear fuel plates, which has a strong strain-rate-dependent mechanical constitutive relation at the rolling temperature. In order to model the rolling process of monolithic nuclear fuel plates, it is critical to effectively define the mechanical properties of Zircaloy in the commercial finite element software. Different three-dimensional stress-updating algorithms are built, respectively, including a fully implicit algorithm, a simplified implicit one and an explicit one. The corresponding VUMAT subroutines suitable for explicit dynamic rolling simulation for a Zircaloy plate are developed, and the computation precision and efficiency are compared in ABAQUS. The simplified implicit stress-updating algorithm is determined to be the best choice. The effects of temperature, rolling velocity and reduction on the strain rate distribution, the deformation and rolling force are investigated.
Cachexia-anorexia syndrome in patients with peritoneal metastasis: an observational study
Authors: Nordhausen Katharina , Solass Wiebke , Demtroeder Cedric , Tempfer Clemens B. , Reymond Marc
Published: April 2016

Background: Little is known about the nutritional status of patients with peritoneal metastasis (PM), in particular about the evolution of the so-called anorexia-cachexia syndrome in these patients. The objective of the study was to assess nutritional status in PM patients at the end of life, including metabolic aspects.

Methods: Observational study. Prospective nutritional status assessment in 87 PM patients, including Subjective Global Assessment: (SGA), physical examination (body mass index [BMI], bioelectrical impedance analysis [BIA], anthropometry and blood chemistry).

Results: 85 % patients had received previous chemotherapy. Peritoneal carcinomatosis index was 16±11, Karnofsky 81±14 % and ascites volume 1,000±1,690 ml. SGA was reduced with 22.0±9.6 points, BMI normal with 25.3±5.8 kg/m2 and resting metabolism was 1,527±248 kcal/day. Serum total protein and albumin were at the inferior normal limit (6.5±0.8 g/dl, respectively 3.7±0.8 g/dl) and C-reactive protein (CRP) was elevated (2.9±4.1 g/dl). Serum levels of protein (p=0.05), albumin (p=0.003) and transferrin (p=0.001) were higher in gastrointestinal than in ovarian PM patients. When patients were grouped according to time from first assessment to death, serum protein and albumin decreased until end of life, whereas ascites volume, resting metabolism and CRP increased.

Conclusion: Both increased resting metabolism and decreased caloric intake contribute to the development of the cachexia-anorexia syndrome in PM patients. End of life is caused by energetic dysbalance and exhaustion.
Subthreshold Behaviors of Nanoscale Silicon and Germanium Junctionless Cylindrical Surrounding-Gate MOSFETs
Authors: Jiang Chunsheng , Liang Renrong , Wang Jing , Xu Jun
Published: April 2016

When the traditional planar metal-oxide-semiconductor-field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) encounter insurmountable bottleneck of static power dissipation, junctionless transistor (JLT) becomes a promising candidate for sub-22 nm nanoscale devices due to its simpler fabrication process and better short-channel performances. Subthreshold behaviors dominate the standby power of nanoscale JLTs. In this chapter, a physics-based analytical model of electrostatic potential for both silicon and germanium short-channel junctionless cylindrical surrounding-gate (JLCSG) MOSFETs operated in the subthreshold regime is proposed, in which the full twodimensional (2D) Poisson’s equation is solved in the channel region by a method of series expansion. The expression of the proposed electrostatic potential is completely rigorous and explicit. Based on this result, the expressions of threshold voltage, subthreshold drain current, and subthreshold swing for JLCSG MOSFETs are derived. Subthreshold behaviors are studied in detail by changing different device parameters and bias conditions, including doping concentration, channel radius, gate length, gate equivalent oxide layer thickness, drain voltage, and gate voltage. Results predicted by all the analytical models agree well with numerical solutions from the three-dimensional simulator. These analytical models can be used to investigate the operating mechanisms of nanoscale JLCSG MOSFETs and to optimize their device performances.
On-Board Real-Time Optimization Control for Turbo-Fan Engine Life Extending
Authors: Zheng Qiangang , Zhang Haibo , Miao Lizhen , Sun Fengyong
Published: April 2016

A real-time optimization control method is proposed to extend turbo-fan engine service life. This real-time optimization control is based on an on-board engine mode, which is devised by a MRR-LSSVR (multi-input multi-output recursive reduced least squares support vector regression method). To solve the optimization problem, a FSQP (feasible sequential quadratic programming) algorithm is utilized. The thermal mechanical fatigue is taken into account during the optimization process. Furthermore, to describe the engine life decaying, a thermal mechanical fatigue model of engine acceleration process is established. The optimization objective function not only contains the sub-item which can get fast response of the engine, but also concludes the sub-item of the total mechanical strain range which has positive relationship to engine fatigue life. Finally, the simulations of the conventional optimization control which just consider engine acceleration performance or the proposed optimization method have been conducted. The simulations demonstrate that the time of the two control methods from idle to 99.5 % of the maximum power are equal. However, the engine life using the proposed optimization method could be surprisingly increased by 36.17 % compared with that using conventional optimization control.
Besser, schlechter oder polarisiert?
Authors: Kirchner Stefan
Published: April 2016

Dieser Artikel untersucht Trends von Autonomie, Intensität und Beschäftigungsstabilität als Kernaspekte der Arbeitsqualität für Beschäftigte in EU-15-Ländern. Universalistische Ansätze vermuten eine universelle Verschlechterung dieser drei Aspekte auf der Low-Road. Teilweise wird eine universelle Polarisierung der Arbeitsqualität angenommen. Regimetheorien unterstellen dagegen, dass Trends und Polarisierung nach Ländergruppen unterschiedlich verlaufen. Dieser Artikel prüft diese widersprüchlichen Theoriepositionen mit dem European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) für Beschäftigte der EU-15 zwischen 1995 und 2010. In einem universellen Trend sinkt Autonomie nur leicht, die Intensität steigt und die Beschäftigungsstabilität sinkt. Dabei zeigen sich weder eine universelle Polarisierung, noch deutliche Trends oder eine Polarisierung nach Ländergruppen. Der Artikel leistet damit einen zentralen Beitrag für das Verständnis universeller Trends der Arbeitsqualität, bei denen eine deutliche Polarisierung bislang ausbleibt.
Does Naturalization Facilitate Integration?
Authors: Fick Patrick
Published: April 2016

This paper addresses the question of whether naturalization affects identification with the host country on the part of first generation immigrants in Germany. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, this study contributes to the literature on the positive effects of citizenship acquisition for immigrants’ integration, which so far, has focused on the impact of citizenship acquisition on labor market integration. Naturalization is discussed as an individual investment and unique event in immigrants’ life courses. It is argued that naturalization leads to an increase in national identification both as a means of avoiding dissonance and as a consequence of improved opportunities for identifying with the mainstream society. In summary, this study finds a positive effect of naturalization on national identification regardless of the new citizen’s country of origin. Although country of origin and national identification are generally at odds, further analysis reveals that naturalization may increase the compatibility of both identifications, at least in the case of naturalized Turks.
Erneut, warum eigentlich nicht? Replik zum Vorschlag, das Modell der Frame-Selektion zu axiomatisieren
Authors: Linnebach Patrick
Published: April 2016

Der Beitrag kommentiert den in dieser Zeitschrift erschienenen Artikel von Tutić (2015), in dem der „Mehrwert“ einer axiomatischen Handlungstheorie – am Beispiel des Modells der Frame-Selektion als einer Theorie, die keine axiomatische Fundierung besitzt – in zwei methodologischen Vorzügen gesehen wird: der Identifikation kontradiktorischer Beobachtungen und der Messbarkeit theoretischer Konstrukte. Der Beitrag zeigt, dass die in konstitutiver Bezugnahme auf das von Samuelson (1938) begründete Transitivitätsaxiom postulierten Vorzüge auf einem Axiomatisierungsverständnis basieren, das mit der Erwartungsnutzentheorie, so wie sie von Samuelson u. a. kongenial mit Savage (1954) axiomatisiert wurde, nicht kompatibel ist. Das hat zur Konsequenz, dass sich das Modell der Frame-Selektion in der vorgeschlagenen Weise nicht axiomatisieren lässt, führt aber zu einem kritischeren Verständnis experimentalökonomischer Arbeiten, die für die Soziologie zentrale Fragestellungen thematisieren.
Directoras de cine en España y América Latina. Nuevas voces y miradas
Authors: Álvarez San Román Mercedes
Published: April 2016

Reseña
Aproximación al encuadre de los medios impresos en torno a la atención a víctimas del caso Ayotzinapa, Iguala-Guerrero (México) / Approach to the frame of the printed media regarding attention to victims of the case Ayotzinapa, Iguala-Guerrero (México)
Authors: García Lirios Cruz , Sandoval Vázquez Francisco Rubén , Aguilar Fuentes José Alfonso
Published: April 2016

La construcción de una agenda pública en materia de seguridad y pacificación supone el análisis de los medios de comunicación como emisores de temas concernientes a hechos de gran envergadura como el caso de los 43 estudiantes desaparecidos en Ayotzinapa. El presente trabajo se propuso analizar la difusión sistemática de los periódicos con respecto a la atención a víctimas y sus encuadres, considerando tres enfoques: conservadurismo, liberalismo y progresismo. Se llevó a cabo un estudio documental, exploratorio y retrospectivo con una selección no probabilística de 261 notas de prensa de circulación nacional. Se realizó un análisis de su contenido y se establecieron las frecuencias de difusión sistemática. Los resultados muestran que el periódico La Jornada realizó un encuadre cercano al enfoque progresista al difundir con mayor frecuencia la acción de grupos organizados de la sociedad civil respecto a la atención a víctimas en contraste con la acción institucional o gubernamental. En referencia a la literatura revisada se advierte sobre la emergencia de esferas civiles en el proceso de gobernanza de la seguridad pública.
Estrategias didácticas en los textos escolares Venezolanos de química para la enseñanza de los conceptos básicos de medición, materia y energía / Didacticism strategies in the Venezuelan chemistry textbooks for teaching the basics concepts of measurement
Authors: Certad Villarroel Pedro Andrés
Published: April 2016

El presente artículo tiene por objetivo fundamental determinar las estrategias didácticas que emplean los textos escolares venezolanos de Química para la enseñanza de los conceptos básicos de medición, materia y energía. La aproximación que se hizo a los textos escolares tiene como base el Análisis de Contenido como una técnica de interpretación de textos, tomando en cuenta registros de datos. Nos basamos en la lectura textual o visual como instrumento de recogida de información, lectura que a diferencia de la lectura común debe realizarse siguiendo un método específico obteniendo hallazgos específicos desde cada ciencia que de alguna manera pueden comprometer la eficacia del texto escolar como instrumento curricular tanto para el alumno como para el docente. Los hallazgos permiten la determinación de diversas estrategias didácticas como lo son: contextualización, presentación de la Información, enseñanza explícita,  recíproca y focalización.