bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preparation and photocatalytic performance of TiO2/PbTiO3 fiber composite enhanced by external force induced piezoelectric field
Authors: Bai Yang , Zhao Jingzhong , Li Yunyun , Lv Zhenlin , Lu Kathy
Published: March 2019

In this paper, anatase TiO2 nanoparticles (14 nm) were coated on the surface of piezoelectric PbTiO3 single crystal fibers by a secondary hydrothermal method, thus a p‐n junction was formed at the interface between TiO2 and PbTiO3. The PbTiO3 fibers were exposed to an external force (by ultrasound) to generate a dynamic piezoelectric electric field in the crystal, which incessantly separates the carriers and improves the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2. When the ultrasonic frequency is 40 kHz, the TiO2/PbTiO3 fibers have the highest photocatalytic degradation efficiency (96%) for methylene orange (MO), which is up to 60% improvement compared to TiO2 nanoparticles.
Psychosocial health care needs of people with type 2 diabetes in primary care: Views of patients and health care providers
Authors: Stoop Corinne , Pouwer François , Pop Victor , Den Oudsten Brenda , Nefs Giesje
Published: March 2019

Aims

This study examined (a) psychosocial health care needs of people with type 2 diabetes from the perspective of patients and diabetes healthcare providers in primary care, in terms of topics, attention in diabetes care and preferences and (b) factors associated with a positive attitude towards specialized psychosocial health care.

Design

Qualitative focus group study.

Methods

Using purposive sampling, participants were selected from general practices. In 2012–2013, three focus groups were conducted in people with type 2 diabetes (N = 20) and three with healthcare providers (N = 18).

Results

Opinions differed considerably on whether there was a need for psychosocial health care. Topics focused mainly on diabetes‐specific issues ranging from a need for additional diabetes education to attention and support in regular diabetes care. However, not all healthcare providers felt competent enough to address psychosocial problems. Some participants reported a need for specialized psychosocial help. A positive attitude towards specialized psychosocial health care appeared to be influenced by care setting (e.g., in the primary care practice or ‘outside’ mental health care), care accessibility, proactive discussion of psychosocial issues with and referral by healthcare providers and previous experiences with psychosocial health care.

Conclusion

Although only few participants expressed a need for specialized psychosocial care, attention for psychosocial well‐being in regular diabetes care was generally appreciated.

Impact

People with type 2 diabetes generally felt psychosocial care could be provided as part of regular diabetes care. Suggestions for healthcare providers to meet psychosocial health care needs include training and discussion tools.
Optimizing ablation duration using dormant conduction to reveal incomplete isolation with the second generation cryoballoon: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Keçe Fehmi , de Riva Marta , Naruse Yoshihisa , Alizadeh Dehnavi Reza , Wijnmaalen Adrianus P. , Schalij Martin J. , Zeppenfeld Katja , Trines Serge A.
Published: March 2019

Introduction

Efficacy of cryoballoon ablation depends on balloon‐tissue contact and ablation duration. Prolonged duration may increase extracardiac complications. The aim of this study is to determine the optimal additional ablation duration after acute pulmonary vein isolation (PVI).

Methods

Consecutive patients with paroxysmal AF were randomized to three groups according to additional ablation duration (90, 120, or 150 seconds) after acute PVI (time‐to‐isolation). Primary outcome was reconnection/dormant conduction (DC) after a 30 minutes waiting period. If present, additional 240 seconds ablations were performed. Ablations without time‐to‐isolation <90 seconds, esophageal temperature <18°C or decreased phrenic nerve capture were aborted. Patients were followed with 24‐hour Holter monitoring at 3, 6, and 12 months.

Results

Seventy‐five study patients (60 ± 11 years, 48 male) were included. Reconnection/DC per vein significantly decreased (22%, 6% and 4%) while aborted ablations remained stable (respectively 4, 5, and 7%) among the 90, 120, and 150 seconds groups. A shorter cryo‐application time, longer time‐to‐isolation, higher balloon temperature and unsuccessful ablations predicted reconnection/DC. Freedom of atrial fibrillation was, respectively, 52, 56, and 72% in 90, 120, and 150 seconds groups (
P = 0.27), while repeated procedures significantly decreased from 36% to 4% (
P = 0.041) in the longer duration group compared to shorter duration group (150 seconds vs 90 seconds group). In multivariate Cox‐regression only reconnection/DC predicted recurrence.

Conclusion

Prolonging ablation duration after time‐to‐isolation significantly decreased reconnection/DC and repeated procedures, while recurrences and complications rates were similar. In a time‐to‐isolation approach, an additional ablation of 150 seconds ablation is the most appropriate.
HC diet inhibited testosterone synthesis by activating endoplasmic reticulum stress in testicular Leydig cells
Authors: Yu Chunxiao , Jiang Fangjie , Zhang Meijie , Luo Dandan , Shao Shanshan , Zhao Jiajun , Gao Ling , Zuo Changting , Guan Qingbo
Published: March 2019

Emerging epidemiological studies indicate that hypercholesterolaemia is a risk factor for testosterone deficiency. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear. Testicular Leydig cells are the primary source of testosterone in males. To identify the effect and mechanism of cholesterol overload on Leydig cell function, rats were fed with a HC (HC) diet to induce hypercholesterolaemia. During the 16‐week feeding period, serum testosterone levels were reduced in a time‐dependent manner in rats fed the HC diet. Accordingly, these steroidogenic enzymes within the Leydig cells, including steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cholesterol side‐chain cleavage cytochrome P450 (P450scc) and 3β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β‐HSD), were down‐regulated. Notably, the HC‐fed rats showed evident endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the testis, including a dilated ER as an evident pathological change in the Leydig cell ultrastructure, up‐regulated ER stress biomarker (binding immunoglobulin protein) levels and activation of the activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6)‐related unfolded protein response pathway. Further analysis showed that when 4‐phenyl butyric acid (4‐PBA) was used to block ER stress in HC‐fed rats for 8 weeks, the testosterone deficiency was significantly alleviated. Our findings suggested that high dietary cholesterol intake affected serum testosterone levels by down‐regulating steroidogenic enzymes and that activated ER stress might serve as the underlying mechanism.
Heterosis is common and inbreeding depression absent in natural populations of Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Oakley Christopher G. , Lundemo Sverre , Ågren Jon , Schemske Douglas W.
Published: March 2019

The importance of genetic drift in shaping patterns of adaptive genetic variation in nature is poorly known. Genetic drift should drive partially recessive deleterious mutations to high frequency, and inter‐population crosses may therefore exhibit heterosis (increased fitness relative to intra‐population crosses). Low genetic diversity and greater genetic distance between populations should increase the magnitude of heterosis. Moreover, drift and selection should remove strongly deleterious recessive alleles from individual populations, resulting in reduced inbreeding depression. To estimate heterosis, we crossed 90 independent line pairs of Arabidopsis thaliana from 15 pairs of natural populations sampled across Fennoscandia and crossed an additional 41 line pairs from a subset of four of these populations to estimate inbreeding depression. We measured lifetime fitness of crosses relative to parents in a large outdoor common garden (8,448 plants in total) in central Sweden. To examine the effects of genetic diversity and genetic distance on heterosis, we genotyped parental lines for 869 SNPs. Overall, genetic variation within populations was low (median expected heterozygosity = 0.02), and genetic differentiation was high (median FST = 0.82). Crosses between 10 of 15 population pairs exhibited significant heterosis, with magnitudes of heterosis as high as 117%. We found no significant inbreeding depression, suggesting that the observed heterosis is due to fixation of mildly deleterious alleles within populations. Widespread and substantial heterosis indicates an important role for drift in shaping genetic variation, but there was no significant relationship between fitness of crosses relative to parents and genetic diversity or genetic distance between populations.
The Balanced Approach [Revisited]
Authors: Sickmund Melissa
Published: March 2019

The authors of the original Balanced Approach, Dennis Maloney, Dennis Romig, and Troy Armstrong, outlined a philosophy of balanced attention to the principles of community protection/public safety, youth accountability, and competency development through individualized assessment and treatment and holding the system accountable to the community and the youth served. A majority of states’ juvenile code purpose clauses reflect this approach, later known as Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ). Presented here are excerpts from the 1988 Juvenile & Family Court Journal issue 39 (3) that first presented the Balanced Approach and a brief overview of key features of juvenile justice at the time to lay a foundation for the other articles in this special issue.
Juvenile Justice in Pennsylvania: Mission‐Driven; Performance‐ Based; Outcome‐Focused
Authors: Blackburn Susan
Published: March 2019

Since 1995, Pennsylvania's Balanced and Restorative Justice Mission has been the driving force behind Pennsylvania's reform and system improvement efforts. Pennsylvania has made strong and steady progress towards advancing this statutory mission and the related operational goals through policy, practice and programmatic enhancements over these past 20+ plus years. Three key events spurred forth this advancement: the legislative passage of Act 33 in 1995 that statutorily established the goals of Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ), the Models for Change Juvenile Justice Reform Initiative–Additional Reform Momentum (2004) and the Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy–Evidence‐based Approach to the Reforms (2010).What follows is the story of how it all unfolded.
Establishment of gene‐edited pigs expressing human blood‐coagulation factor VII and albumin for bioartificial liver use
Authors: Li Li , Meng Hongyi , Zou Qingjian , Zhang Jianmin , Cai Lei , Yang Bin , Weng Jun , Lai Liangxue , Yang Huaqiang , Gao Yi
Published: March 2019

Background and Aim

Bioartificial livers (BALs) are considered as a solution to bridge patients with acute liver failure to liver transplantation or to assist in spontaneous recovery for patients with end‐stage liver disease. Pig is the best donor of hepatocytes for BALs in clinical trials, because metabolic and detoxification function of its liver are close to human. However, using pig hepatocytes for BALs remains controversial for safety concern owing to nonhuman proteins secretion. Herein, we attempt to establish modified pigs expressing humanized liver proteins, blood‐coagulation factor VII (F7), and albumin (ALB). These pigs should also be porcine endogenous retrovirus subtype C (PERV‐C) free so that their ability of transmitting PERV to human could be diminished seriously.

Methods

We devised both homology‐dependent and independent knock‐in approaches to insert a fusion of hF7 and hALB gene downstream the site of pig endogenous F7 promoter in pig fetal fibroblasts negative for PERV‐C. The modified pigs were then generated through somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Results

We obtained 14 and 10 cloned pigs by homology‐dependent and independent approaches, respectively. Among them, 19 cloned pigs were with expected gene modification and 13 are alive to date. These modified pigs can successfully express hF7 and hALB in the liver and serum, and the expressed hF7 exhibits normal coagulation activity.

Conclusions

The gene‐edited pigs expressing hF7 and hALB in the liver were generated successfully. We anticipate that our pigs could provide an alternative cell source for BALs as a promising treatment for patients with acute liver failure.
Real Anomalies
Authors: van BINSBERGEN JULES H. , OPP CHRISTIAN C.
Published: March 2019

We examine the importance of cross‐sectional asset pricing anomalies (alphas) for the real economy. To this end, we develop a novel quantitative model of the cross‐section of firms that features lumpy investment and informational inefficiencies, while yielding distributions in closed form. Our findings indicate that anomalies can cause material real inefficiencies, which raises the possibility that agents who help eliminate them add significant value to the economy. The model shows that the magnitude of alphas alone is a poor indicator of real outcomes, and highlights the importance of the alpha persistence, the amount of mispriced capital, and the Tobin's q of firms affected.
Digital Workflow of Auricular Rehabilitation: A Technical Report Using an Intraoral Scanner
Authors: Ballo Ahmed M. , Nguyen Caroline T. , Lee Vincent S.K.
Published: March 2019

Prosthodontic rehabilitation of a congenital or acquired defect of the ear is considered a challenging and skill‐dependent procedure. This technical report describes a novel approach for direct digital scanning of the unaffected contralateral ear using an intraoral scanner and external markers. The obtained digital data of the ear was exported, digitally mirrored, and successfully positioned to a virtual model of a human head with a missing ear. This technique demonstrates the potential application of CAD/CAM in the design and fabrication of an auricular prosthesis for patients with a unilateral ear defect.
Clinical Relevance of Cervical Kinematic Quality Parameters in Planar Movement
Authors: Guo Ze , Cui Wei , Sang Da‐cheng , Sang Hong‐peng , Liu Bao‐ge
Published: March 2019

Comprehending cervical spinal motion underlies the understanding of the mechanisms of cervical disorders. We aimed to better define the clinical relevance of cervical spine kinematics, focusing on quality parameters describing cervical spine planar motion. The most common study focuses were kinematic quality parameters after cervical arthroplasty and in normal subjects, patients with cervical degeneration, and patients with cervical deformities. Kinematic quality parameters are important for cervical degeneration prevention, being detected sooner than differences on imaging examinations and being significantly related to the degree of cervical degeneration. Kinematic quality parameters are effective for evaluating the changes of cervical motion pattern after cervical fusion and non‐fusion, assessing operative and adjacent segments in the early stages, and predicting adjacent segment degeneration. However, owing to current research limitations, and controversy about the changes of kinematic quality parameters after different surgical procedures, current assessments are limited to cervical spine flexion and extension. Different osteotomy methods of cervical deformity have different effects on cervical motion patterns and quality parameters. Choosing the most effective surgical method remains a challenge and kinematic quality parameters in cervical deformity are important future research topics. This review highlights the instantaneous center of rotation, the center of rotation, and the instantaneous axis of rotation as being important kinematic quality parameters of cervical spinal motion. These can be used to detect abnormal cervical mobility, to diagnose cervical degeneration, to design disc protheses, and to evaluate surgical effects earlier than other methods. Owing to limitations of research methods there is variation in the way parameters are defined by various researchers. No uniform standard exists for defining degenerative motion quality parameters in normal asymptomatic, degenerative, and postoperative patients. Therefore, further study is required. New study techniques and defining kinematic quality parameters in normal subjects will clarify the definitions of these parameters, enhancing their future clinical usefulness.
Antimicrobial Thiol–ene–acrylate Photosensitive Resins for DLP 3D Printing
Authors: Li Zhiquan , Wang Chong , Qiu Wanwan , Liu Ren
Published: March 2019

Designing digital light processing (DLP) 3D printable photosensitive resins with antibacterial properties is especially vital because of their potential applications in various biomedical fields. In this contribution, a thiol–ene–acrylate ternary system with reduced volume shrinkage and fast photopolymerization rate was chosen as the antibacterial 3D printing matrix resin. Two quaternary ammonium salt‐type antibacterial agents (QAC and SH‐QAC) with different molecular weight were designed and prepared, which can participate in the curing of matrix resin to achieve contact antibacterial effect. The effects of antibacterial agent content on the photopolymerization kinetics and on thermal and mechanical properties were discussed in detail. When the amount of added QAC is 4wt%, the antibacterial rate is almost 100% for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and when the amount of SH‐QAC is 10wt%, the antibacterial rate against S. aureus is also essentially 100%. Both antibacterial photosensitive resins have been successfully applied in DLP technology to fabricate tooth model with high precision.
Optical Characterization of Zinc Pyrithione
Authors: Sandiford Lydia , Holmes Amy M. , Mangion Sean E. , Mohammed Yousuf H. , Zvyagin Andrei V. , Roberts Michael S.
Published: March 2019

Zinc pyrithione is ubiquitous in commercial products particularly antidandruff shampoos. For the efficacy of zinc pyrithione therapeutic cleansers to be assessed accurately, the distribution of particles on the scalp needs to be visualized. Currently, no technique is available which provides the chemical specificity and sensitivity required. Here, we report application of fluorescence‐lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) for high‐contrast mapping of zinc pyrithione distribution on the scalp. Characterization of the zinc pyrithione emission by using both one‐photon excitation at five specific wavelengths and two‐photon excitation in the range of 740–820 nm revealed its FLIM fingerprint—a characteristic short average time‐weighted emission lifetime of ΤZnPT = 250 ps. Bandpass‐filtering FLIM signals at ΤZnPT enabled an efficient discrimination between the zinc pyrithione and major endogenous skin species in comparison with that of the conventional reflectance confocal microscopy. Our findings provide means for in vivo high‐sensitivity assaying and high‐contrast imaging of zinc pyrithione in biological systems.
Restoration for multiple use
Authors: Paschke Mark W. , Perkins Lora B. , Veblen Kari E.
Published: March 2019

Management of restored ecosystems for multiple use is a modern necessity given a growing human population and dwindling supplies of ecosystem goods and services. Multiple use management refers to managing resources simultaneously for sustainable output of many goods and services. Within any restoration, thoughtful planning and early stakeholder engagement can help harmonize seemingly competing multiple uses. Although the field of ecological restoration is young and there are few long‐term lessons to draw from, we can infer from ecological theory that maximization of native biodiversity can impart resilience in the restored ecosystem and can buffer against the stress of multiple use management. Restoration for multiple use should be accompanied with an acknowledgment that humility is required and monitoring is needed to keep the restored ecosystem on an acceptable trajectory. The field of ecological restoration was founded upon the notion that ecosystems would be restored for ethical reasons, but modern realities have necessitated a more utilitarian approach to restoration that requires restoring ecosystems for multiple uses. This reality represents a grand challenge for the next generation of restoration ecologists.
Novel endosomal NOX2 oxidase inhibitor ameliorates pandemic influenza A virus‐induced lung inflammation in mice
Authors: To Eunice E. , Luong Raymond , Diao Jiayin , O’ Leary John J. , Brooks Doug A. , Vlahos Ross , Selemidis Stavros
Published: March 2019

Background and objective

Influenza A viruses (IAV) cause respiratory tract infections that can be fatal when the virus spreads to the alveolar space (i.e. alveolitis), and this is mainly observed with highly pathogenic strains. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by the NOX2 NADPH oxidase in endosomes has been directly implicated in IAV pathology. Recently, we demonstrated that treatment with a novel endosome‐targeted NOX2 oxidase inhibitor, cholestanol‐conjugated gp91dsTAT (Cgp91ds‐TAT), attenuated airway inflammation and viral replication to infection with a low pathogenic influenza A viral strain. Here, we determined whether suppression of endosome NOX2 oxidase prevents the lung inflammation following infection with a highly pathogenic IAV strain.

Methods

C57Bl/6 mice were intranasally treated with either DMSO vehicle (2%) or Cgp91ds‐TAT (0.2 mg/kg/day) 1 day prior to infection with the high pathogenicity PR8 IAV strain (500 PFU/mouse). At Day 3 post‐infection, mice were culled for the evaluation of airway and lung inflammation, viral titres and ROS generation.

Results

PR8 infection resulted in a marked degree of airway inflammation, epithelial denudation, alveolitis and inflammatory cell ROS production. Cgp91ds‐TAT treatment significantly attenuated airway inflammation, including neutrophil influx, the degree of alveolitis and inflammatory cell ROS generation. Importantly, the anti‐inflammatory phenotype affected by Cgp91ds‐TAT significantly enhanced the clearance of lung viral mRNA following PR8 infection.

Conclusion

Endosomal NOX2 oxidase promotes pathogenic lung inflammation to IAV infection. The localized delivery of endosomal NOX2 oxidase inhibitors is a novel therapeutic strategy against IAV, which has the potential to limit the pathogenesis caused during epidemics and pandemics.
Toward Convergence Disaster Research: Building Integrative Theories Using Simulation
Authors: Mostafavi Ali , Ganapati N. Emel
Published: March 2019

Scholars across disciplines use simulation methods as tools to build theories; however, the full potential of simulation methods has not been fully used for building theories in convergence disaster research. Simulation methods could provide four unique opportunities for building theories for convergence disaster research. First, simulation methods could help researchers model the underlying mechanisms of disaster phenomena by enabling integration of qualitative and quantitative data. Second, they could help researchers specify and characterize the mechanisms affecting specific disaster phenomena by facilitating integration of empirical information with existing theoretical elements from different disciplines. Third, simulation methods could enable multilevel understanding of relationships between factors influencing disaster phenomena and emergent behaviors across different levels of analysis (e.g., individual, household, neighborhood, and community levels). Fourth, simulation methods could help researchers integrate theoretical elements on disasters across different disciplines (e.g., engineering, social science, sociology, and epidemiology) for a more convergent understanding of complex relationships affecting resilience at different levels.
Framing and immigration through the trump era
Authors: Alamillo Rudy , Haynes Chris , Madrid Raul
Published: March 2019

For the last decade, undocumented or illegal immigration has been one of the most contested policy issues in the United States, with significant news attention on policies affecting the undocumented population, ranging from deportations to comprehensive immigration reform, the DREAM Act, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Despite these prominent and multifaceted policy debates, scholarship on media framing and public opinion remain more focused on the portrayal of immigrants rather than policies affecting them. In general, scholars find that policy frames are far more consequential to public opinion than equivalency frames (variations in how news media describe unauthorized immigrants, either as “illegal” or “undocumented”) or episodic frames (whether news articles are heavy on human‐interest stories rather than policy facts and statistics). Also, negative frames generally have stronger effects than positive frames, and these effects sometimes vary by partisanship and family migration history. Finally, the relative infrequency of powerful frames in news stories, like a life spent in the United States, provides opportunities for advocates to move public opinion on immigration policy. These findings have important implications for future battles over immigration policy in the United States, which show no signs of abating.
Social Group Identity and Perceptions of Online Hate*
Authors: Costello Matthew , Hawdon James , Bernatzky Colin , Mendes Kelly
Published: March 2019

Why do some people find online hate material more disturbing than others? We use a random sample of Americans between the ages 15 and 36 to address this question. Descriptive results indicate that a majority of respondents surveyed find online hate material very or extremely disturbing, while smaller shares find it moderately, slightly, or not at all disturbing. We utilize an ordinal logistic regression to explore factors associated with these varying perceptions of hate material. Results demonstrate that males and political conservatives find hate material less disturbing than females and political moderates or liberals. These results are expected, as online hate is largely dominated by right‐wing extremists who frequently target females and non‐conservatives. We also find that individuals who see hate material more frequently find it more disturbing, as do those who have been the target of hate or criminality online. Finally, individuals who are more accepting of violating social norms are less disturbed by online hate.
Symbiont footprints highlight the diversity of scleractinian‐associated Zanclea hydrozoans (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa)
Authors: Manca Federica , Puce Stefania , Caragnano Annalisa , Maggioni Davide , Pica Daniela , Seveso Davide , Galli Paolo , Montano Simone
Published: March 2019

Hydrozoans of the genus Zanclea have been acknowledged only recently as a fundamental component of the highly diverse fauna associated with reef‐building scleractinian corals. Although widely distributed in coral reefs and demonstrated to be important in protecting corals from predation and diseases, the biodiversity of these hydrozoans remains enigmatic due to the paucity of available morphological characters, incomplete morphological characterisations and the possible existence of cryptic species. Recently, molecular techniques have revealed the existence of multiple hidden genetic lineages not yet supported by diagnostic morphological characters. In this work, we further explore the morpho‐diversity of three genetic lineages, namely Zanclea associated with the coral genera Goniastrea (clade I), Porites (clade II) and Pavona (clade VI). Aside from providing a complete classical characterisation of the polyp and medusa stage of each clade, we searched for new potential taxonomic indicators either on symbiotic hydroids or on host corals. On the hydroids, statistical analyses on almost 7,000 nematocyst capsules revealed a significant difference in terms of nematocyst size among the three Zanclea clades investigated. On each host coral genus, we identified peculiar skeletal modifications related to the presence of Zanclea symbionts. Lastly, we discussed the potential diagnostic value of these footprints in the characterisation of Zanclea–scleractinian associations.
Investigation of Emotional Labor and Life Satisfaction Levels of Staff in Central Organization of General Directorate of Sports Services
Authors: Gül Mehmet , Küçükibiş Hüseyin Fatih
Published: March 2019

Present study aims to investigate the emotional labor and life satisfaction levels of staff in the central organization of General Directorate of Sport Services. The population of the study consists of staff in the central organization of General Directorate of Sport Services. The sample is consisted of 276 staff determined by random sampling method. As data collection tool; to determine the demographic characteristics of the participants, a four-item ''Personal Information Form'' as well as a nine- item ''Emotional Labor Scale'' developed by Brotheridge and Lee (2003) and adapted to Turkish by Dursun et al. (2014) and ''Life Satisfaction Scale'' developed by Diener et al. (1985) and adapted to Turkish by Bekmezci and Mert (2013) were utilized in the study. In the analysis of the data, frequency, percentage (%) and median values were used. Kruskal Wallis test was used for normal distribution of data and Mann Whitney U in test non-parametric tests was used according to the results gathered. The significance level was taken as p<0,05. When the findings obtained from the study were evaluated, life satisfaction levels of GDSS staff were at medium level. At the same time, there was a significant difference in education level and working time in the profession “in the sub-dimension of hidden emotions of emotional labor dimension of staff in GDSS. Activities such as various social activities can be organized by the Institution to improve the belonging of employees and to increase the levels of emotional labor and life satisfaction.
Ultrasonographic Measurements of the Achilles Tendon Thickness of Men and Women Athletes in Olympic Weightlifting
Authors: Tüfekçi Osman , Erdağı Kenan
Published: March 2019

Objectives: The study aims to investigate the Achilles tendon thickness of men, women athletes in Olympic weightlifting and sedentary individuals.Methods: This research study was conducted on 4 groups, comprising of athletes in Olympic weightlifting (n= 25 men, n=25 women) and sedentary individuals (n=25 men, n=25 women), aged 18-19 years. Ultrasonography was performed on the Achilles tendon of the two limbs of 100 individuals. Results: The mean thickness of the Achilles tendon was significantly larger in the athletes than in the sedentary individuals. No correlation was found between the age, height, body weight of the athletes and the thickness of the Achilles tendon.Conclusion: In conclusion, we state that in addition to the following hypertrophic development of the Achilles tendon in athletes in weightlifting, future studies including force parameters may be beneficial.
Privacy perception in location-based services for mobile devices in the university community of the north coast of Colombia
Authors: Gamarra Margarita , Meriño Fuentes Inés , Calabria Sarmiento Juan , Gutierrez Acosta Omar , Barrios Barrios Mauricio , Leal Nallig , Wightman Rojas Pedro Mario
Published: March 2019

Introduction: The use of mobile applications has increased in the last years. Most of them require the knowledge of the user location, either for their core service or for marketing purposes. Location-based services (LBS) offer context-based assistance to users based on their location. Although these applications ask the user for permission to use their location and even explain in detail how this information will be used in its terms and conditions, most users are not aware or even interested in the fact that their location information is stored in databases and monetized by selling it to third-party companies. Regarding this situation, we developed a study with the aim to assess perception, concerns and awareness from users about their location information. Methods: This work is based on an exploratory survey applied to the university community, mainly from the North Coast of Colombia, to measure the perception of location privacy of users with mobile devices. The questionnaire was applied using Google Forms. The survey has nineteen questions organized in three sections: personal information, identification of privacy and privacy management. These questions were designed to know the users’ perceptions of privacy concerns in LBS and any actions they take to preserve it. Results: The results show that, in general, the respondents do not have a real concern regarding the privacy of their geolocation data, and the majority is not willing to pay to protect their privacy. Conclusions: This type of surveys can generate awareness among participants about the use of their private information. The results expose in this paper can be used to create government policies and regulations by technology companies about the privacy management.
Multimodal Fusion Object Detection System for Autonomous Vehicles
Authors: Person Michael , Jensen Mathew , Smith Anthony O. , Gutierrez Hector
Published: March 2019

In order for autonomous vehicles to safely navigate the road ways, accurate object detection must take place before safe path planning can occur. Currently, general purpose object detection convolutional neural network (CNN) models have the highest detection accuracies of any method. However, there is a gap in the proposed detection frameworks. Specifically, those that provide high detection accuracy necessary for deployment but do not perform inference in realtime, and those that perform inference in realtime but detection accuracy is low. We propose multimodel fusion detection system (MFDS), a sensor fusion system that combines the speed of a fast image detection CNN model along with the accuracy of light detection and range (LiDAR) point cloud data through a decision tree approach. The primary objective is to bridge the tradeoff between performance and accuracy. The motivation for MFDS is to reduce the computational complexity associated with using a CNN model to extract features from an image. To improve efficiency, MFDS extracts complimentary features from the LiDAR point cloud in order to obtain comparable detection accuracy. MFDS is novel by not only using the image detections to aid three-dimensional (3D) LiDAR detection but also using the LiDAR data to jointly bolster the image detections and provide 3D detections. MFDS achieves 3.7% higher accuracy than the base CNN detection model and is able to operate at 10 Hz. Additionally, the memory requirement for MFDS is small enough to fit on the Nvidia Tx1 when deployed on an embedded device.
Causality and dispersion relations
Authors: Dethe Tejas , Gill Harmeet , Green Dylan , Greensweight Andrew , Gutierrez Luis , He Muyuan , Tajima Toshiki , Yang Kevin
Published: March 2019

Our basic observations from daily experiences as well as sophisticated experiments suggest causality in various branches of physics (and beyond). Causality is mathematically reflected in the analyticity of the system's response function, which relates the dispersion of the system to the dissipation. We also observe that the dissipation is related to fluctuations in that system. By surveying introductory elements (and thus mostly undergraduate textbooks) of this relation, the student finds the interrelationship among different sub-disciplines of physics otherwise buried. A pedagogical experiment in class reveals a student's enjoyment in learning through this experience.
Outbreak of Murine Infection with
Clostridium difficile
Associated with the Administration of a Pre- and Perinatal Methyl Donor Diet
Authors: Mau Theresa , Eckley Samantha S. , Bergin Ingrid L. , Saund Katie , Villano Jason S. , Vendrov Kimberly C. , Snitkin Evan S. , Young Vincent B. , Yung Raymond
Published: March 2019

Clostridium difficile
infection (CDI) has become the leading cause of infectious diarrhea in hospitals worldwide, owing its preeminence to the emergence of hyperendemic strains, such as ribotype 027 (RT027). A major CDI risk factor is antibiotic exposure, which alters gut microbiota, resulting in the loss of colonization resistance. Current murine models of CDI also depend on pretreatment of animals with antibiotics to establish disease. The outbreak that we report here is unique in that the CDI occurred in mice with no antibiotic exposure and is associated with a pre- and perinatal methyl supplementation donor diet intervention study. Our investigation subsequently reveals that the outbreak strain that we term 16N203 is an RT027 strain, and this isolated strain is also pathogenic in an established murine model of CDI (with antibiotics). Our report of this spontaneous outbreak offers additional insight into the importance of environmental factors, such as diet, and CDI susceptibility.
Chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular risk markers and total mortality in older men: cystatin C versus creatinine
Authors: Zonoozi Shahrzad , Ramsay Sheena E , Papacosta Olia , Lennon Lucy T , Ellins Elizabeth A , Halcox Julian P J , Whincup Peter , Wannamethee S Goya
Published: March 2019

Background

It remains uncertain whether cystatin C is a superior marker of renal function than creatinine in older adults. We have investigated the association between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations based on creatinine (CKD-EPIcr) and cystatin C (CKD-EPIcys), and cardiovascular risk markers and mortality in older adults.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional and prospective study of 1639 British men aged 71–92 years followed up for an average of 5 years for mortality. Cox survival model and receiving operating characteristic analysis were used to assess the associations.

Results

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was similar using the two CKD-EPI equations, although cystatin C reclassified 43.9% of those with stage 3a CKD (eGFR 45–59 mL/min/1.732, moderate damage) to no CKD. However, CKD stages assessed using both CKD-EPIcr and CKD-EPIcys were significantly associated with vascular risk markers and with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. In all men with CKD (eGFR <60 mL/min/1.732), the HRs (95% CI) for all-cause mortality after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors compared with those with no CKD were 1.53 (1.20 to 1.96) and 1.74 (1.35 to 2.23) using CKD-EPIcr and CKD-EPIcys, respectively. Comparisons of the two CKD equations showed no significant difference in their predictive ability for mortality (difference in area under the curve p=0.46).

Conclusion

Despite reclassification of CKD stages, assessment of CKD using CKD-EPIcys did not improve prediction of mortality in older British men >70 years. Our data do not support the routine use of CKD-EPIcys for identifying CKD in the elderly British male population.
Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease
Authors: Street Duncan , Sivaguru Arul , Sreekantam Sreekanth , Mollan Susan P
Published: March 2019

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease is a rare, multisystem, autoimmune disorder with numerous clinical manifestations, mediated through a T-helper 1 response against melanocytes in the eye, inner ear, central nervous system, hair and skin. We describe a 20-year-old British–Honduran man with recent worsening headache and photophobia, vomiting and visual blurring. On examination, his pupils reacted sluggishly and visual acuities were bilaterally reduced. Optical coherence tomography showed gross retinal swelling and neurosensory detachments. MR scan of the brain was normal, but cerebrospinal fluid showed a reactive picture with 258 ×109lymphocytes./L (normal ≤5×109/L). Following treatment with immunosuppression (prednisolone, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, adalimumab), he made a full recovery. Clinicians should consider Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease in patients presenting with headache with acute profound visual loss. A prompt diagnosis and immunosuppressive therapy can lead to complete resolution.
Research on the fracture structure and activity of the Qinling Mountains thrust nappe system in western Hubei
Authors: Lin Song , Li Yuan , Luo Denggui , Fu Yanlin
Published: March 2019

The Western Hubei section of the Liangyun fault is an important structural belt of the southern Qinling Mountains thrust nappe system. As the significant activity of the Liangyun fault since the Quaternary has led to high seismic risk in the surrounding area, the research on the characteristics and activity of fault structure is of great significance for deepening the construction of a seismic safety system in this area. In this study, we conducted a field geology survey combined with quartz optical stimulated luminescence dating, scanning electron microscopy dating, and thermoluminescence dating results and comprehensive application of shallow seismic reflection and high-resolution refraction) to analyze the activities of the Liangyun fault in the Quaternary period. Sediment optical stimulated luminescence dating results of samples from the breakpoint were 134.99 + 15.52 and 160.95 + 16.88 ka. Combined with the seismic profile, outcrop observation, and previous dating results, we conclude that the new era is in fault activities in the early Pleistocene to late Pleistocene (Q2–Q3). The combined application of shallow seismic reflection and high-resolution refraction method can confirm each other’s measured results, providing more parameters for the interpretation of seismic data under complex conditions and ensuring the accuracy of data interpretation at the same time. At present, the seismic experiment scheme is less used in the field of active fault detection, since its good detection effect and the application of the trial to shallow geophysical exploration has a certain application value and global scalability.
Multi-well log-anharmonic oscillators
Authors: Znojil Miloslav , Růžička František
Published: March 2019

Large-N expansions are usually applied in single-well setups. We claim that this technique may offer an equally efficient constructive tool for potentials with more than one deep minimum. In an illustrative multi-well model, this approach enables us to explain the phenomenon of an abrupt relocalization of ground state caused by a minor change of the couplings.
Top quark anomalous couplings at the high-luminosity phase of the LHC
Authors: Déliot Frédéric , Fiolhais Miguel C. N. , Onofre António
Published: March 2019

The combination of the latest and most precise measurements of several top quark properties is presented in this paper in order to establish allowed regions on anomalous contributions to the Lorentz structure of the Wtb vertex. These measurements include single top production cross-sections, W boson helicity fractions and forward–backward asymmetries, both at Tevatron and at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), up to a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The results obtained at 95% Confidence Level (CL) for the top quark anomalous couplings are compared with the limits extracted from a combination that includes the expected measurements at the future High-Luminosity run of the LHC.
Dielectric property of NBT@BT–BZN composite ceramics
Authors: Song Aizhen , Lv Yunkai , Liang Linlin , Wu Ruifang , Wang Jing , Zhao Lei
Published: March 2019

[Formula: see text] (NBT@BT–BZN) composite ceramic materials were prepared by wet solid-phase reaction method. The effects of [Formula: see text] (NBT) on the phase structure, morphology and dielectric properties of NBT@BT–BZN composites were studied in detail. All of the NBT@BT–BZN composites consist of BT–BZN and NBT phases. The dense microstructure was observed in all the NBT@BT–BZN samples. It is found that the introduction of NBT into BT–BZN leads to enhanced temperature stability in dielectric property. Samples with 40 mol.% NBT shows good dielectric property, in which the temperature change rate of the dielectric constant at [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text] is 1% to −15.20%, basically meeting the requirements of X9R. These results indicate that the 0.40NBT@0.60 (BT–BZN) is a promising candidate for high temperature stable materials.
Influences of pump power and high-order dispersion on dual-pumped silicon-on-insulator micro-ring resonator-based optical frequency combs
Authors: Wen Jin , Duan Lina , Fan Wei
Published: March 2019

We numerically investigate the effects of pump power and high-order dispersion (HOD) on the generation and evolution of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) micro-ring resonator-based optical frequency combs (OFCs). The observed bandwidth and number of comb modes increase as the pump power enhances, which demonstrates the pump power as low as 0 dBm is required to initiate in the dual-pumped scheme, while the optimized pump power distribution ratio is around 0.5. The HOD can also be introduced to analyze the nonlinear symmetry breaking of the OFC, especially the sign and amplitude of the third-order dispersion determines the variation of the output OFC. Through optimizing the parameters, broadband OFC spanning nearly from 1200 nm to 2100 nm can be realized. This work could give insight for exploring detail characteristics of SOI micro-ring OFCs influenced by pump power and HOD, as well as provide a viable route to delicate control of OFC generation through dispersion adjusting.
Cardinality of product sets in torsion-free groups and applications in group algebras
Authors: Abdollahi Alireza , Jafari Fatemeh
Published: March 2019

Let [Formula: see text] be a unique product group, i.e. for any two finite subsets [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text], there exists [Formula: see text] which can be uniquely expressed as a product of an element of [Formula: see text] and an element of [Formula: see text]. We prove that if [Formula: see text] is a finite subset of [Formula: see text] containing the identity element such that [Formula: see text] is not abelian, then, for all subsets [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]. Also, we prove that if [Formula: see text] is a finite subset containing the identity element of a torsion-free group [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is not abelian, then for all subsets [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]. Moreover, if [Formula: see text] is not isomorphic to the Klein bottle group, i.e. the group with the presentation [Formula: see text], then for all subsets [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]. The support of an element [Formula: see text] in a group algebra [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text] is any field), denoted by [Formula: see text], is the set [Formula: see text]. By the latter result, we prove that if [Formula: see text] for some nonzero [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text]. Also, we prove that if [Formula: see text] for some [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text]. These results improve a part of results in Schweitzer [J. Group Theory 16(5) (2013) 667–693] and Dykema et al. [Exp. Math. 24 (2015) 326–338] to arbitrary fields, respectively.