bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Internet of things in healthcare monitoring to enhance acquisition performance of respiratory disorder sensors
Authors: Ramírez López Leonardo Juan , Rodriguez Garcia Arturo , Puerta Aponte Gabriel
Published: May 2019

The implementation of the Internet of things in healthcare is a promising challenge to achieve coverage for a bigger number of users in different places at lower costs. Internet of things might mean better technology regarding response time and proper control of medical parameters. This study introduces an Internet-of-things system for healthcare with possibilities to control medical variables according to recent breakthroughs in sensors and data processing. The goal of the system is to optimize the development of applications to obtain variables in real time and with less energy consumption. The proposed model is validated on the measurement and monitoring of oxygen saturation, heart rate, and body temperature in patients with respiratory disorders. This was achieved by the optimization of data acquisition, integrated into a secure architecture using Message Queuing Telemetry Transport protocol. A cloud architecture with interconnection to low-cost and open-source devices was implemented, which interconnect to the sensors and actuators’ network. The experimental results were statistically treated against the device pattern data, through hypothesis tests for mean differences to probe the accuracy of the model. Finally, the proposed model demonstrates an efficient performance in several clinical parameters, such as oxygen saturation and heart rate per minute.
The Influence of Managerial Practices and Job-Related Characteristics on Employee Perceptions of Service Quality and Turnover Intention
Authors: Martinez J. Michael , Barnhill Christopher , Otto Marcella , Mosso Allison
Published: May 2019

Previously university recreation as an industry has focused on service quality as a means of improving customer satisfaction and loyalty. While these are important outcomes, prior research has primarily examined this from the customer’s perspective. However, university recreation organizations should also pay attention to employees’ perceptions of service quality and the eventual effects. In this aim, the present study examined employees’ perceptions of service quality and related managerial practices within the university recreation context. Survey data were collected from both part-time and full-time employees at university recreation departments throughout various regions, measuring turnover intention, employees’ perception of service quality, and managerial practices. Results indicate that managerial practices of training and empowerment significantly influenced employees’ perceptions of service quality, while rewards did not. Building from these findings, university recreation should engage employees, both students and professional staff, through customer service training and empowerment in efforts to improve and sustain service quality.
Reactive ink formulated with various alcohols for improved properties and printing quality onto cotton fabrics
Authors: Hou Xueni , Chen Guoqiang , Xing Tieling , Wei Zhenzhen
Published: May 2019

The formulated inks with desirable physical and chemical properties are of significance for inkjet printing, to endow the fabric with expected image quality and color performance. Here, various kinds of water-soluble alcohols are preferably selected and introduced into reactive ink with an objective to improve the physical and rheological properties of ink and print quality of cotton fabric. In this study, the effects of alcohols with different boiling points on the rheology properties, drying behavior, and storage stability of ink were extensively investigated. Moreover, the print image performance, including color strength, fixation rate, ink penetration, and outline sharpness, was evaluated. The results indicated that the inks containing glycerol, diethylene glycol, and triethylene glycol possessed slower evaporation rates, but the storage stability and the dye fixation value of these inks would be decreased. The addition of alcohols into the reactive dye ink could increase the ink penetration and reduce the line image quality. The ink containing 1,2-propanediol with a medium boiling point can effectively satisfy various properties of the reactive ink and improve the fixing rate and printing quality onto cotton fabrics. Furthermore, these findings shed light on the propriate selection of reactive ink with alcohols and provide valuable information for technicians and researchers working in the printing industry.
Development and reliability of the Korean version of the Feeding Abilities Assessment
Authors: Koo Seul Gi , Park Hae Yean , Kim Jongbae , Han Areum
Published: May 2019

Objective

The purpose of this study is to introduce a standardised assessment tool by verifying the reliability of the translated Korean version of the Feeding Abilities Assessment (K-FAA), which was developed to suit Korean culture.

Methods

The research subjects were 65 patients with dementia living in nursing homes. The K-FAA was completed by verifying the suitability of translation and reverse translation. The validity of the K-FAA was established through content validity, while its reliability was analysed based on internal consistency reliability for the items, test–retest reliability and inter-rater reliability.

Results

The content validity index determined, based on the assessment of professors, occupational therapists, and nurses, was more than .70. Cronbach’s α was more than .929, showing good internal consistency. A test–retest reliability of .884 was derived using Pearson’s correlation coefficient (p < .01), and an inter-rater reliability of .800 was derived using the kappa coefficients; intraclass correlation coefficient was .897, which also indicated good reliability.

Conclusion

The K-FAA was modified to fit the Korean domestic situation, and this assessment had high reliability. Therefore, K-FAA can evaluate the feeding ability of patients with dementia. Future studies should focus on providing evidence-based data to maintain or supplement the feeding ability of patients with dementia in Korea.
Multidisciplinary management of spinal aneurysmal bone cysts: A single-center experience
Authors: Desai Sudhen B , O’Brien Cormac , Shaikh Raja , Hedequist Daniel , Proctor Mark , Orbach Darren B , Padua Horacio
Published: May 2019

Objective

The management of spinal aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) is complex and often requires multimodality therapy, including surgical intervention to stabilize the axial skeleton, and avoid neurologic injury or death. With en bloc resection, ABCs have a recurrence rate of 12%, which increases to >50% with subtotal resection. The use of doxycycline sclerotherapy has been reported to reduce the recurrence rate of non-spinal ABCs to 5% at >24 month follow-up. We retrospectively reviewed our institutional results for sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS)/doxycycline sclerotherapy and surgical intervention for spinal ABCs, to assess our treatment paradigm for these tumors and inform our future approach to these lesions.

Methods

Three cervical, two thoracic and two lumbar spine ABCs were treated in seven patients with spine-exclusive disease at our institution from 2011 to the present. The most common presenting complaint was pain. Each patient was retrospectively reviewed for clinical symptomology, number of treatments, technique and clinical follow-up. Qualitative assessment of improvement was based on the most recent clinical evaluation.

Results

The cohort underwent a mean of three treatment sessions (range 2–15). All were treated with STS and/or doxycycline. Five patients underwent surgical intervention at some point, either before or following sclerotherapy. After the last sclerotherapy session, four patients reported stable or improved pain symptoms, while two reported progressive pain that required surgical intervention for that indication. One patient, who underwent both multiple rounds of sclerotherapy and surgical resection, died due to acute on chronic cervical spine collapse with cord compression and inability to control disease.

Conclusion

We report our experience in the treatment of spinal column ABCs. Stabilization or improvement in pain was seen in four patients, while the remainder had progressive disease. Our multidisciplinary approach allows patients to receive the most appropriate treatment at presentation and thereafter, for symptom amelioration or spinal stability. Important future goals are to quantitatively assess changes in symptoms over time and to incorporate a reproducible radiographic endpoint for the assessment of treatment efficacy.
Use of stent retriever for treatment of iatrogenic intracranial vasospasm
Authors: Norby K , Young M , Siddiq F
Published: May 2019

Cerebral vasospasm is a source of morbidity and mortality, not only associated with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) but also with endovascular procedures. Treatment of vasospasm associated with SAH include trans-luminal balloon angioplasty and intra-arterial delivery of vasodilator medications. We present a case report of a patient who underwent a mechanical thrombectomy for stroke and suffered from vasospasm. This severe flow-limiting vasospasm was successfully treated with the Trevo stent device. Although stent retrievers have become more widespread for thrombectomy, vasospasm treatment has not been often described in the literature. Further study is needed to determine if this is a viable technique for treating resistant vasospasm.
Lessons of a Failed Study: Lone Research, Media Analysis, and the Limitations of Bracketing
Authors: Gregory Katherine
Published: May 2019

Failed research can function as the underbelly of all qualitative research projects that come to fruition. These shadow projects offer invaluable insights to future research and researchers alike. In this article, I trace a failed life history of sex offenders project from its conceptualization to its abandonment, after conducting a series of searches on the online National Sex Offender Registry database. Through the use of preliminary field notes and an analysis of media representations, I examine the role of bracketing of the topic, as a by-product of the phenomenological tradition, and other methodological issues such as physical and emotional vulnerability as a lone researcher, preconceptions harbored about “challenging” populations, and how a research setting can contribute to failed research.
Hybrid quality function deployment method for innovative new product design based on the theory of inventive problem solving and Kansei evaluation
Authors: Yang Chaoxiang , Cheng Jianxin , Wang Xin
Published: May 2019

This study proposes a new hybrid method that adopts the theory of inventive problem solving and the Kansei evaluation in quality function deployment processes to facilitate innovative new product design and evaluation in the early design phase. The hybrid model and method procedures consist of four stages. First, user satisfaction needs are identified based on a questionnaire of linear numeric rating scale, factor analysis, and an analytic hierarchy process, and the completeness and reliability of this identification are guaranteed by the use of Cronbach’s coefficient alpha statistic. Second, crucial design zones are identified by a correlation matrix, and analyzing the interrelationship matrix at the quality function deployment to establish critical innovation points. Third, the main tools of the theory of inventive problem solving are applied to address these critical innovation points. As such, several innovative alternatives are designed by combining the suitable inventive principles, design rulers, and crucial design zones. Finally, a general and rough set for the Kansei evaluation of the best design alternative is presented. Innovative car seat design is conducted to scientifically and efficiently verify this proposed method.
Predictive significance of CYFRA21-1, squamous cell carcinoma antigen and carcinoembryonic antigen for lymph node metastasis in patients with esophageal squamous cancer
Authors: Mei Xinyu , Zhu Xiaodong , Zuo Lei , Wu Hanran , Guo Mingfa , Liu Changqing
Published: May 2019

From January 2018 to May 2018, 108 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer underwent esophagectomy with two- to three-field lymph node dissection. Serum cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1 (CYFRA21-1), squamous cell carcinoma antigen, and carcinoembryonic antigen levels were detected before surgery. Preoperative serum levels of CYFRA21-1 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen were correlated closely with pN stage ( P = 0.000 and P = 0.045). CYFRA21-1 and pathological T status were independent predictors of lymph node metastasis ( P = 0.000). The area under the curve values of CYFRA21-1 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen for predicting lymph node metastasis were 0.731 ( P =0.000) and 0.650 ( P =0.007), respectively. Our study demonstrated that serum CYFRA21-1 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen levels were associated with lymph node metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, especially in patients at the early T stage. The preoperative serum CYFRA21-1 level was an independent predictor of lymph node metastasis.
Cardiac Paraganglioma in a 14-Year-Old
Authors: Bansal Neha , Walters Henry L. , Aggarwal Sanjeev
Published: May 2019

Cardiac paraganglioma (PGL) is a rare catecholamine-secreting tumor forming 1% to 3% of cardiac tumors. Although most PGL occur sporadically, evidence exists that 40% of them may be related to familial cancer predisposition syndromes. We present a unique case of a 14-year-old female who presented with persistent hypertension and was found to have a cardiac PGL. During surgical resection, even though the main right coronary was preserved, the sinoatrial (SA) nodal artery was surrounded by the tumor and required resection with the tumor. The patient subsequently developed SA node dysfunction and is currently being evaluated for placement of a permanent pacemaker.
Does Ethics Perception Foster Consumer Repurchase Intention? Role of Trust, Perceived Uncertainty, and Shopping Habit
Authors: Yang Zhi , Van Ngo Quang , Chen Yaguang , Nguyen Chung Xuan-Thi , Hoang Hoa Thi
Published: May 2019

Ethics in e-commerce is one of the most crucial factors that significantly influence consumer behavior. Hitherto, most of the studies have been executed in developed countries while few research has been conducted in developing countries. The main aim of this research is to explore the roles of e-retailers’ ethics to fit in with the development in developing countries. To reach this end, this research developed and tested a research model that explains the relationship between consumers’ perception regarding the ethics of online retailers (CPEOR) and consumer repurchase intention (RPI). Partial least squares (PLS) approach with data collected from a survey of 518 online shoppers in Vietnam was employed to test this research model. The results showed that CPEOR has an indirect effect on consumer RPI through the mediation of consumer trust and perceived uncertainty. Furthermore, this research concretized the moderating effect of consumer online shopping habit in the relationship between RPI and its determinants.
Symmetric and Asymmetric GARCH Estimations and Portfolio Optimization: Evidence From G7 Stock Markets
Authors: Ali Shahid , Zhang Junrui , Abbas Mazhar , Draz Muhammad Umar , Ahmad Fayyaz
Published: May 2019

Volatility exchanges between equity markets and oil markets are vital for portfolio designing and risk management. This study empirically analyses the interdependence of stock and oil market for G7 countries. For econometric estimations, we used the data of G7 countries’ stock markets for the period of 2000-2016. Dynamic conditional correlation and corrected dynamic conditional correlation are employed for symmetric estimation. We find differences in the magnitudes of negative and positive oil price shocks of G7 countries. The study also uses the asymmetric estimations to examine the response of different shocks, and the variance and covariance series of these estimations are used for portfolio optimization and hedging of stock and oil assets. The findings of symmetric and asymmetric estimations depict that past news and lagged volatility have a significant impact on the current conditional volatility of G7 stock markets. On the contrary, the current conditional volatility in the oil market is less dependent on past news and lagged volatility in the oil market. Our results portray that G7 stock markets are more sensitive to past news and lagged volatility than oil markets. FIGARCH and FIEGARCH provide evidence of an intermediate range of persistence of volatility. Finally, portfolio estimations report the importance of oil assets to form an optimal portfolio that can minimize the portfolio risk without changing the expected return. Based on our findings, we suggest that investors and portfolio managers of G7 countries should formulate a portfolio of stock and oil assets to manage their portfolio risk.
Predictors of Pain and Function Before Knee Arthroscopy
Authors:   Cleveland Clinic Sports Knee Group, Bessette Matthew C. , Westermann Robert W. , Davis Alan , Farrow Lutul , Hagen Mia S. , Miniaci Anthony , Nickodem Robert , Parker Richard , Rosneck James , Saluan Paul , Spindler Kurt P. , Stearns Kim , Jones Morgan H.
Published: May 2019

Background:

Patient-reported outcome measures are commonly used to measure knee pain and functional impairment. When structural abnormality is identified on examination and imaging, arthroscopic partial meniscectomy and chondroplasty are commonly indicated for treatment in the setting of pain and decreased function.

Purpose:

To evaluate the relationship between patient characteristics, mental health, intraoperative findings, and patient-reported outcome measures at the time of knee arthroscopy.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Between February 2015 and October 2016, patients aged 40 years and older who were undergoing routine knee arthroscopy for meniscal and cartilage abnormality, without reconstructive or restorative procedures, were prospectively enrolled in this study. Routine demographic information was collected, and the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) Pain, Quality of Life (QoL), and Physical Function Short Form (PS) subscales and the mental and physical component subscales of the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12 MCS and VR-12 PCS) were administered preoperatively on the day of surgery. Intraoperative findings were collected in a standardized format. Patient demographics, intraoperative findings, and the VR-12 MCS were used as predictor values, and a multivariate analysis was conducted to assess for relationships with the KOOS and VR-12 as dependent variables.

Results:

Of 661 eligible patients, baseline patient-reported outcomes and surgical data were used for 638 patients (97%). Lower scores on both subscales of the VR-12 were predicted by female sex, positive smoking history, fewer years of education, and higher body mass index (BMI). All KOOS subscales were negatively affected by lower VR-12 MCS scores, female sex, lower education level, and higher BMI in a statistically meaningful way. Positive smoking history was associated with worse scores on the KOOS-PS. Abnormal synovial status was associated with worse KOOS-Pain.

Conclusion:

The demographic factors of sex, smoking status, BMI, and education level had an overwhelming impact on preoperative KOOS and VR-12 scores. Of interest, mental health as assessed by the VR-12 MCS was also a consistent predictor of KOOS scores. The only intraoperative finding with a significant association was abnormal synovial status and its effect on KOOS-Pain scores.
Numerical investigation of viscoelastic nanofluid flow with radiation effects
Authors: Hussain Azad , Sarwar Lubna , Akbar Sobia , Nadeem Sohail , Jamal Sarmad
Published: May 2019

In this article, the fully developed steady state flow of an incompressible fluid pertained to as viscoelastic nanofluid model with radiation effects through a penetrable plate is studied. Continuity, momentum and energy equations are elaborated to comprehend the nature of the fluid flow. By using similarity transformations, the solution of arising governing equations is obtained numerically with the assistance of a shooting technique. Furthermore, the consequences of different parameters, that is, Brownian motion parameter, Weissenberg number, thermophoresis parameter, permeability parameter, non-Newtonian parameter and radiation parameter on concentration, velocity and temperature fields, are canvassed with the help of graphs. The effects of Pr and [Formula: see text] on Nusselt number and [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] on Sherwood number are also discussed with the assistance of graphs and tables for different values of dimensionless parameters.
Sonography Aids in Diagnosis of Congenital Absence of Portal Vein in Patient With Marfan Syndrome: A Case Study
Authors: Kemp Skylar R.
Published: May 2019

Abernethy malformation is a very rare abdominal vascular malformation. It can be defined as portal blood flow bypassing the liver. Without treatment, it can lead to high levels of ammonia, which can cause symptoms such as confusion and predispose the patient to develop lesions within the liver. To date, only a few reports in the literature have been seen using sonography to aid in the diagnosis of this pathology, the majority being discovered in the pediatric population. In this case study, a liver sonogram identified no evidence of a portal vein. This finding was confirmed by a contrast-enhanced computed tomogram of the abdomen. This is a case report in which sonography aided in the incidental diagnosis of Abernethy malformation in a 38-year-old man with Marfan syndrome.
Bag Across the Border
Authors: Swan Julia Thomas
Published: May 2019

Prior research documents /æ/ raising and tensing when followed by /g/ in words like bag in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in Seattle. The present study compares /æg/ raising among speakers from Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia, and explores the social motivations for its use. The findings show that while the feature occurs in both cities, its social distribution is not identical. Different age and gender distributions and varying metalinguistic commentary raise questions about the trajectory of change in each city. Nonetheless, speakers’ realizations of raised bag are associated with similar sociocultural backgrounds and ideologies. In Seattle, bag raisers have multigenerational ties to the area, take strong ideological stances against changes in the area’s industries and economy, and oppose “gentrification.” Nonraisers have more international ties, show stronger interest in moving elsewhere, and embrace Seattle’s new industries. In Vancouver, BAG raisers describe growing up as Caucasian Canadians in majority Asian neighborhoods and emphasize the changing demographics and increased cost of living. In both cities, bag raisers are ideologically opposed to perceived encroachment and take conservative stances toward changes in their city. This highlights that the West and Canada participate in some of the same sound changes and show similar, locally contextualized motivations for their use.
Dative Country
Authors: Wood Jim , Zanuttini Raffaella , Horn Laurence , Zentz Jason
Published: May 2019

This article explores geographical variation in a range of understudied dative constructions in American English. It shows that these constructions are found primarily in the South and that they permit numerous syntactic variations and permutations. However, not all sentences and constructions have an equal status. In particular, the authors find that they lie on a continuum of markedness. More marked variants are judged acceptable by fewer speakers and have a more limited geographic distribution. And yet, even the most marked variants cannot be dismissed: the strong geographic nature of their distribution shows that they are a genuine part of the grammar of many speakers. Overall, this research contributes a more detailed picture of dative constructions in American English and a more nuanced picture of syntactic variation in Southern American English; moreover, the authors offer a novel approach to measuring geographical markedness in syntactic variation.
Unlocking the Mystery of Dialect B
Authors: Davis Stuart , Berkson Kelly , Strickler Alyssa
Published: May 2019

This article addresses incipient/aI/-raising in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Acoustic analysis of word list data from 27 participants targets both typical items (e.g., write, writing) and monomorphemic trochaic words often overlooked in previous research (e.g., Nike, bison, cyber, tiger). It reports four major/aI/production patterns in the Fort Wayne data, which range on a continuum from no/aI/-raising to phonological raising of/aI/(i.e., raising before t-flaps, a pattern of Canadian raising referred to as Dialect A). In the middle of the continuum is found the elusive Dialect B, a pattern of Canadian raising first documented by Martin Joos in 1942 in which raising occurs in write but not before t-flaps. The authors find that speakers of this type of raising tend not to raise in any trochaic words. In fact, raising in monomorphemic trochaic words, such as Nike or bison, is exceedingly rare in the Fort Wayne data. In tandem with the variation observed within Fort Wayne, the fact that raising has not yet extended into monomorphemic trochaic words further suggests that raising is incipient in this variety. The authors propose that Dialect B is not a separate dialect at all but an incipient variety of Dialect A.
Favorite Words as a Window onto the Aesthetic Function of Language
Authors: McGregor Karla K. , Arbisi-Kelm Timothy , Perelmutter Bogi , Oleson Jacob
Published: May 2019

This article characterizes the aesthetic properties of English words. One thousand adult speakers of American English reported their favorite words and justified their selections. Each word was coded for phonological characteristics, valence, and frequency of occurrence and compared with words from a corpus of everyday English from Reader’s Digest. The participants’ stated reasons for their selections were categorized as utilitarian (meaning, use) or aesthetic (form). Compared to the word types in the Reader’s Digest corpus, the favorite words were longer and lower in frequency of occurrence. They were less likely to include a sonorant consonant but more likely to include a repeated consonant. Consonant clusters were sparser among the favorite words. The majority of people justified their favorite words on utilitarian grounds, suggesting some difficulty considering form apart from meaning. The best predictors of aesthetic justifications were lower valence, lower frequency, longer length, higher sonority, and a higher density of lax vowels. People value words for the work they do—the meanings they convey. Nevertheless, people can appreciate words as objects, and when they do, novelty and musicality are privileged. This study informs our understanding of the aesthetic function of language and situates that function into a broader consideration of aesthetic appreciation.
CORVET, CHEVI and HOPS – multisubunit tethers of the endo-lysosomal system in health and disease
Authors: van der Beek Jan , Jonker Caspar , van der Welle Reini , Liv Nalan , Klumperman Judith
Published: May 2019

Multisubunit tethering complexes (MTCs) are multitasking hubs that form a link between membrane fusion, organelle motility and signaling. CORVET, CHEVI and HOPS are MTCs of the endo-lysosomal system. They regulate the major membrane flows required for endocytosis, lysosome biogenesis, autophagy and phagocytosis. In addition, individual subunits control complex-independent transport of specific cargoes and exert functions beyond tethering, such as attachment to microtubules and SNARE activation. Mutations in CHEVI subunits lead to arthrogryposis, renal dysfunction and cholestasis (ARC) syndrome, while defects in CORVET and, particularly, HOPS are associated with neurodegeneration, pigmentation disorders, liver malfunction and various forms of cancer. Diseases and phenotypes, however, vary per affected subunit and a concise overview of MTC protein function and associated human pathologies is currently lacking. Here, we provide an integrated overview on the cellular functions and pathological defects associated with CORVET, CHEVI or HOPS proteins, both with regard to their complexes and as individual subunits. The combination of these data provides novel insights into how mutations in endo-lysosomal proteins lead to human pathologies.
Minas Bżyszkian i jego relacja o Ormianach Lwowa
Authors: Sargsyan Tatevik E.
Published: May 2019

Minas Bzhyshkyan and His Report on Armenians in LwówMinas Bzhyshkyan, an armenologist, philologist, pedagogue, historian, ethnographer, and musicologist was a member of the Armenian Catholic Mechitarists order. He travelled widely and took scrupulous notes of his journeys, which aided writing his monograph A Journey to Poland and other countries where exiles from Ani live. His work, crucial for research on Armenians in old Poland, was originally published in 1830 in Venice. It was written in classical Armenian, an ancient language of a highly ornate quality. The book is a valuable source of information on geography, architecture, and epigraphy of peoples living on territories travelled by Bzhyshkyan, as well as on the past and present of the Armenian diasporas in the Central Europe and the Black Sea Basin countries. The author presents data on the Armenian community of Lwów and evaluates it against information from other sources.
Energy Literacy Assessment: A Comparative Study of Lower Secondary School Students in Thailand and Japan
Authors: Akitsu Yutaka , Ishihara Keiichi N.
Published: May 2019

Understanding the structure of energy literacy is of importance to provide an effective energy education. This article reports the difference in attributes of energy literacy by applying the energy literacy structural model proposed in our previous study through lower secondary school students in Thailand (N = 635) and Japan (N = 1070). Results indicated that Thai students scored higher than those of Japan except the basic energy knowledge and awareness of consequences. On the other hand, the amount of basic energy knowledge did not affect to increase the entire energy literacy of Japanese students. Moreover, mean values of Japan tended to decrease with the school year progression. The energy literacy model was able to support our previous outcome that the awareness of consequences plays a critical role to link between basic energy knowledge and energy-saving behavior. The social expectations or pressures may affect the structure of energy literacy of Thai students. This study suggested that the energy education required in Thailand is to enable students to derive solutions by their own critical thinking based on knowledge relevant to the energy and environmental issues. While, for Japan, it may be necessary to implement energy education as early as possible to enhance students’ awareness of consequences in an appropriate manner incorporating with family participation and visiting energy-related facility. These findings contribute the development of energy education for improving energy literacy in an effective manner.  
Backyard activisms: Site dance, permaculture and sustainability
Authors: Barbour Karen
Published: May 2019

Site dance performance offers creative opportunities for social and environmental activism. Conversely, social and environmental activism is becoming increasingly performative in seeking to evocatively engage a wide range of community members in both local and global concerns. The following pages focus on how research poetry arising in the creative process of developing performances of site dance may support activism. Drawing on interdisciplinary understandings of permaculture and sustainability and new approaches in narrative representation, the research poetry expresses backyard activism in a complementary manner to the site dance itself. The poetry synthesizes creative journal entries relating to somatic improvisation and choreography with dancers, and interviews and discussions with relevant community members. In Aotearoa New Zealand and in this wider neo-liberal era, urban residents are moving away from backyard gardening and local seasonal produce, and towards consumption of mass-produced, regulated and imported foods. In this context, community activism through performance may support local and alternative food movements and speak back to dominant, sociocultural and political power systems and norms relating to food production, consumption and sustainability.
Walking in circles: Dancing with shadows – Choreo-cartography as a strategy to explore and embody ephemeral mnemonic geographies
Authors: Jarvis Beatrice
Published: May 2019

How might strategies of choreographic embodiment generate cartographies of a ‘shadow city’? How might the deconstruction and exploration of memory reveal that which can no longer be seen?

This article explores specific elements of a site-responsive PaR process based in Berlin from 2012 to 2015 that explored ‘reading’ and writing the experience of the city as a corporeal spatial practice. This research created a platform in which participants deconstructed the environment in which they lived in order to (re) construct a heightened sense of sensitivity to the embodied experience of being in time and space. The article articulates how this was achieved through the creation, implementation and evaluation of a dynamic series of choreographic, cartographic and visual practice workshops in which I collaborated with elderly members of the city and young dancers in professional training. Through a combination of reflexive writing and the presentation of project materials (including reflection upon the materials which this study generated in the form of poetic reflection, choreographic scores, interview footage hand drawn maps and images) the article reflects upon the landscape of the city as an active archive for memory of unmarked and marked ground. It scrutinizes samples and performance traces of my socio-ethno choreographic field research. It frames the narratives, memories and improvisations gathered through this research, and explores how a sustained artistic process of dialogue and interpretation augments a specific form of cultural knowledge by generating a systematic vision and perspective of the city as a form of embodied memory and knowledge.

The body in the city acts a vessel to carry, contain and interact, forming routes and navigations through the immediacies of its encounter ...
Embodied Map (EM): Tools for urban mapping and choreography practices
Authors: Carboni Alessandro
Published: May 2019

Embodied Map (EM) is a method that uses the body as a cartographic and choreographic tool to map events happening in urban settings, in their geometrical and temporal extensions. This method allows artists, performers, designers, researchers and anyone with an interest in field-work practices, to transform the experiences of observation and embodiment in the urban space into a choreographic score. This experimental cartography is intended as an artistic practice using maps not as mere two-dimensional and objective reproductions, but as something creative where the body becomes the tool with which to experiment with new ways to represent space. EM Tools enable artists, educators and researchers to create their own works, using tools that integrate theoretical research and allow investigations of the relationships between urban mapping and performance practices in a systematic way. EM also may be adapted as a teaching method for use in workshops with adults and children.
Site dance as activist methodology: Creating performance/protest in sites of assembly
Authors: Kloetzel Melanie
Published: May 2019

To date, there has been minimal discussion of site dance’s ability to foster discourse addressing large-scale geo-and sociopolitical issues in public and civic spaces. In this article, I examine a certain site-adaptive project, Rooms (2015–16), to consider how site dance practice may further public discourse around pressing issues, via the careful honing of methodological process. Here, I argue that to realize the aims of advancing political discourse, site dance methodologies must work to: empower participants through constructive mechanisms/processes; foster inclusion of diverse publics in both creation and presentation stages of a work; and locate such projects in accessible public civic spaces historically associated with assembly. By endeavouring to methodologically craft site dance practice for spaces that are intended for public assembly and discourse, we may realize the goal of creating a diverse, empowered and engaged public that will address the critical systemic concerns of our time, including neo-liberalism, globalization and climate change.
Vertical dance: A tool for producing new social spaces
Authors: Lawrence Kate
Published: May 2019

Henri Lefebvre proposed that in order to improve our lives we need to change space. Drawing on Marxist ideas of production he developed a triadic theory of space, which he proposed could be brought together through the lived experience of the body, in particular, the dancing body (1974:205). In response, I present a vertical dance manifesto that invites us to look up and imagine dancing on the walls above us and to realize this ambition by talking to people and persuading them that occupying vertical spaces might change how we experience and perceive the urban landscape. I draw upon fifteen years of practicing vertical dance (a hybrid dance form that brings together dance and the equipment of rock climbing), extended research into site-specific practices, my Ph.D. thesis (2017) and three works I created in Belfast between 2009 and 2011. My ideas about relationships between bodies and buildings in public spaces are underpinned by Michel de Certeau’s contention that ‘space is practiced place’ (1984: 117/118), by site-specific discourse in the arts (Kaye 2000; Kwon 2004; Lacy 1995) and recent research on site-specific dance (Hunter, 2015 and Kloetzel and Pavlik, 2009).
Práticas de promoção da saúde no contexto da atenção primária no Brasil e no mundo
Authors: Gamboa Lizano Verónica Cristina
Published: May 2019

Estudo de Revisão Integrativa, com abordagem qualitativa, para compreender os sentidos e significados da Promoção da Saúde (PS), analisar as práticas de PS e discutir a concretude entre as áreas de ação estabelecidas nas Conferências Internacionais de PS sobre as práticas de PS, tudo no contexto da Atenção Primária no Brasil e no mundo. O corpus do estudo foi de 18 artigos, publicados entre 2006 e 2017, em países da Ásia, Europa e América, com método de análise Hermenêutico-dialético. Compreendemos que a Promoção da Saúde implica uma prática ‘nova’ e ‘polissémica’ que gera tensões teóricas e filosóficas; esteve associada a hábitos saudáveis, empoderamento, participação social, autonomia e intersetorialidade. Existe um conflito recorrente diante do equívoco conceitual em relação à educação em saúde e à prevenção. No processo de trabalho da PS, destacaram como finalidades ‘melhorar a qualidade de vida das pessoas’ e ‘gerar empoderamento’; os instrumentos principais foram os modelos teóricos, as guias práticas e materiais educativos; as atividades estiveram relacionadas à educação em saúde, o uso de tecnologias, as assessorias/aconselhamentos em saúde; os agentes foram agentes coletivos, conformados por enfermeiras, médicos, visitadores sanitários, psicólogos e assistentes sociais principalmente. No confronto das áreas de ação da PS com a sua prática, sobre o desenvolvimento de políticas saudáveis foi reforçada a importância do apoio aos tomadores de decisões e da responsabilização conjunta do Estado-serviços de saúde-comunidade. A criação de ambientes favoráveis ficou invisível. O fortalecimento comunitário teve relação direta com os processos de empoderamento e participação social, ressaltando a intersetorialidade. O desenvolvimento de habilidades pessoais foi a área mais recorrente, focando em atividades de educação em saúde; na reorientação dos serviços de saúde foi visível a necessidade de mudança de paradigmas junto com a formação profissional em PS. Consideramos que a PS vem contribuir desde a sua abordagem inovadora, diferenciada e com um enfoque positivo aos serviços de saúde, especialmente à APS. O protagonismo do profissional com perfil em PS é significante no desenvolvimento de estratégias e ações correspondentes com as áreas de ação, assim como para dissipar conflitos/equívocos conceituais da Promoção da Saúde.
Time Dependent Appearance of Selected Apoptotic Markers and Usefulness of Their Detection In vitro
Authors: Rudolf Emil , Červinka Miroslav
Published: May 2019

Many experiments have demonstrated that some cell lines are resistant to chemically induced apoptosisin vitro, and that apoptosis itself is far from being a homogenous phenomenon. Here we show that 10 μg/ml etoposide elicited only minor changes in Bowes human melanoma cells (temporary decrease in cell viability and proliferation, transient phospatidylserine externalization and caspase-3 activation), which weren’t clearly capable to start apoptotic pathway in the entire treated population. On the other hand, potassium chromate at concentration of 150 μg/ml executed cell death bearing some features of apoptosis (cell blebbing, caspase-3 activation and cytoskeletal changes) but lacking or showing weakly others (DNA fragmentation and phospatidylserine externalization). Our results suggest that in detecting apoptosis several faultproof detection systems are to be used to avoid misleading results and conclusions in each experimental setting.
Yellow Nail Syndrome or Diffuse Lymphatic Network Disease
Authors: Christu Konstantinos A , Pastaka Chaido , Papadopoulos Dimitrios , Klimi Eleni , Gourgoulianis Konstantinos I
Published: May 2019

We report a man aged 68 years old with pneumothorax and chronic bilateral pleural effusion in association with a history of yellow nails. The diagnosis of yellow nail syndrome based on yellow nails, lymphedema, chronic pleural effusion and intestinal lymphangiectasia.
Determination of antioxidant potential of biochemically synthesized silver nanoparticles using Aloe vera gel extract
Authors: Sohal Jasmeet Kaur , Saraf Ashish , Shukla Kamlesh , Shrivastava Meghna
Published: May 2019

Biosynthesis of nanoparticles by using plant extracts is presently under development. The study has been focused on the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous extract of Aloe vera gel as well as to determine their antioxidant potential. UV-Vis spectrophotometeric analysis showed surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) band at 440 nm, which is specific for AgNPs. The Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) revealed that the synthesized AgNPs were spherical in shape with an average particle size of 66.6 nm. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic (FTIR) analysis of the aqueous extract before and after the synthesis of AgNPs revealed the presence of different functional groups related to phenolic and polyphenolic compounds such as tannins and flavonoids, and other metabolites like proteins, which may be responsible for the synthesis and stabilization of AgNPs. The antioxidant potential of the synthesized AGAgNPs was determined by using 2, 2 Diphenyl-1- Picryl Hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, metal chelating and reducing power assay. Antioxidant assessment showed enhanced dose dependent antioxidant potential of the synthesized AgNPs as compared to the crude extract, which can gain attention of the pharmaceutical industry for preparation of antioxidants of natural origin as the synthetic ones are suspected to be carcinogenic. Present study also supports the advantages of green method for the nanoparticles synthesis.
Genuine Triadicity in Computation, Cognition and Consciousness
Authors: Lidov David
Published: May 2019

Charles Peirce insisted that representation is a genuine three-part relation, irreducible to a complex of two-part relations. Demonstrations that two-part relations (like stimulus and response) can be described as three-part are chaff in the wind. Ironically, Peirce’s well-known description in semiotic language of sunflowers makes that error. Until recently, there was scant reason to speak of “sign” – in its full Peircean sense – in biology, computation, or even for unconscious thought. Current developments in computation and animal behavior suggest that triadic relations could be inherent in some classes of their operations, but this article does not find that possibility demonstrated. Instead, the argument is advanced that we should recognize a distinct theory of data (cybernetics) as adequate to describe the role of information in primitive lifeforms. Thus, we adopt definitions that do not support the proposal associated with (though not originating with) Thomas Sebeok, that life and semiosis are coextensive.
Evaluation of Proposed Coherent Optical OFDM Link Using X-QAM with Polarization Division Multiplexing
Authors: Kumar Suresh , Dhingra Akshaya , Arora Payal
Published: May 2019

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is one of the popular techniques used for 4 G, 5 G and backbone optical communication networks to meet the large data transfer requirement applications. Optical Communication model based on Coherent Optical OFDM (CO-OFDM) using 4-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), 16-QAM and 64-QAM has been evaluated by different researchers. To understand and evaluate the effects of polarization, we have proposed an Optical Communication model with Polarization Division Multiplexing (PDM). The proposed CO-OFDM PDM system has been evaluated for different link lengths of 50, 100 and 150 km at varying data rates of 10, 20 and 30 Gbps. The performance of the designed link has been evaluated in terms of Q-factor, Bit Error Rate (BER), Optical Spectrum and constellation diagram. The results clearly exhibit that the Q-factor, BER and constellations are superior when PDM is incorporated with the CO-OFDM link using X-QAM.
Diagnostic accuracy of isolated clubfoot in twin compared to singleton gestations
Authors: Razavi Armin S. , Chasen Stephen T. , Coombs Shannon , Kalish Robin B.
Published: May 2019

Background

Our objective was to determine the predictive value of the prenatal diagnosis of isolated clubfoot in twin gestations compared to singleton gestations.

Methods

A prospectively entered ultrasound database was reviewed for all pregnancies scanned at our institution from 2002 to 2014. Cases of suspected clubfoot were identified. Neonates with associated anomalies or aneuploidy, and patients who delivered at other institutions were excluded. Neonatal charts were reviewed for the confirmation of clubfoot. The chi-squared (χ2) test, Fisher’s exact test and the Mann-Whitney U test were used in the analysis, with p < 0.05 considered significant.

Results

Of those women who had prenatal ultrasound and subsequently delivered at our hospital, 84 pregnancies had isolated clubfoot suspected in the antenatal period. Of these pregnancies, 20 were twin gestations and 64 were singleton gestations. Overall, 51/84 (60.7%) pregnancies had clubfoot confirmed during the neonatal period. Of the twin pregnancies, only 35% (7/20) had a confirmed diagnosis of clubfoot at birth compared to 68.8% (44/64) of the singleton pregnancies (P = 0.008). Gestational age at diagnosis, breech presentation, neonatal gender, unilateral vs. bilateral clubfoot and suspicion of clubfoot in the presenting twin (Twin A) vs. the non-presenting twin (Twin B) did not correlate with an accurate diagnosis of clubfoot in twins.

Conclusion

False-positive prenatal diagnosis of isolated clubfoot is more common in twin gestations compared to singletons. This may be due to transient malpositioning or a result of diminished space. Obstetric providers should consider the possibility of a false-positive diagnosis and use caution when counseling patients about a prenatal suspicion for clubfoot, especially in twin gestations.