bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Women With Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update on Ovarian Suppression
Authors: Burstein Harold J. , Lacchetti Christina , Anderson Holly , Buchholz Thomas A. , Davidson Nancy E. , Gelmon Karen E. , Giordano Sharon H. , Hudis Clifford A. , Solky Alexander J. , Stearns Vered , Winer Eric P. , Griggs Jennifer J.
Published: February 2016

Purpose

To update the ASCO adjuvant endocrine therapy guideline based on emerging data concerning the benefits and risks of ovarian suppression in addition to standard adjuvant therapy in premenopausal women with estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer.

Methods

ASCO convened an Update Panel and conducted a systematic review of randomized clinical trials investigating ovarian suppression.

Results

Two trials investigating the addition of ovarian suppression to tamoxifen did not show an overall clinical benefit for ovarian suppression. Nonetheless, the addition of ovarian suppression to standard adjuvant therapy with tamoxifen or with an aromatase inhibitor improved disease-free survival and improved freedom from breast cancer and distant recurrence compared with tamoxifen alone among the subset of patients who were at sufficient risk for recurrence such that adjuvant chemotherapy was warranted. Compared with tamoxifen alone, ovarian suppression was associated with a substantial increase in menopausal symptoms, sexual dysfunction, and diminished quality of life.

Recommendations

The Panel recommends that higher-risk patients should receive ovarian suppression in addition to adjuvant endocrine therapy, whereas lower-risk patients should not. Women with stage II or III breast cancers who would ordinarily be advised to receive adjuvant chemotherapy should receive ovarian suppression with endocrine therapy. The panel recommends that some women with stage I or II breast cancers at higher risk of recurrence who might consider chemotherapy may also be offered ovarian suppression with endocrine therapy. Women with stage I breast cancers not warranting chemotherapy should not receive ovarian suppression, nor should women with node-negative cancers 1 cm or less. Ovarian suppression may be administered with either tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor. Additional information is available at www.asco.org/guidelines/endocrinebreast and www.asco.org/guidelineswiki .
Low Endogenous Secretory Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-Products Levels Are Associated With Inflammation and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Prediabetes
Authors: Di Pino Antonino , Urbano Francesca , Zagami Rose Maria , Filippello Agnese , Di Mauro Stefania , Piro Salvatore , Purrello Francesco , Rabuazzo Agata Maria
Published: February 2016

Context:

Prediabetes is associated with atherosclerotic vascular damage.

Objective:

We investigated the correlation of endogenous secretory receptor for advanced glycation end-products (esRAGE), total soluble RAGE (sRAGE) and markers of inflammation, with early cardiovascular disease in subjects with prediabetes. We particularly focused on individuals with prediabetes identified only by glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (5.7–6.4%) who had normal fasting glucose and were normotolerant after oral glucose tolerance test.

Design:

This was a cross-sectional study.

Setting:

The study was conducted in the Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Catania, Italy.

Main Outcome Measure:

sRAGE, esRAGE, carboxymethyl-lysine, S100A12, HbA1c, fasting glycemia, oral glucose tolerance test, pulse wave velocity, and intima-media thickness were evaluated in subjects with prediabetes.

Patients:

Three hundred eighty subjects without previous history of diabetes were stratified into three groups: controls (n = 99), prediabetes (n = 220), and new-onset type 2 diabetes (n = 61).

Results:

Subjects with prediabetes exhibited the following: lower esRAGE (0.29 ± 0.18 vs 0.45 ± 0.26 ng/mL; P < .05) and higher S100A12 levels than controls. RT-PCR analysis in mononuclear cells revealed that the mRNA expression level of the esRAGE splice variant progressively decreased in patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes with respect to controls. No difference was observed in sRAGE and carboxymethyl-lysine plasma levels between the groups. After multiple regression analyses, only age, HbA1c, and hs-CRP were independently associated with esRAGE levels. Age, HbA1c, and esRAGE were the major determinants of intima-media thickness, whereas S100A12 and systolic blood pressure were the major determinants of pulse wave velocity. When we analyzed the subjects with HbA1c prediabetes (normal fasting glucose/normotolerant and HbA1c 5.7–6.4%), esRAGE and inflammatory markers plasma levels still remained significantly different in respect to controls.

Conclusions:

Subjects with HbA1c prediabetes exhibited significantly reduced esRAGE levels and increased levels of markers of inflammation. These alterations are associated with early markers of cardiovascular disease.
Recent advances in dermoscopy
Authors: Russo Teresa , Piccolo Vincenzo , Lallas Aimilios , Argenziano Giuseppe
Published: February 2016

The use of dermoscopy has offered a new morphological dimension of skin lesions and has provided an effective diagnostic tool to differentiate melanoma from other benign or malignant skin tumors but also to support the clinical diagnosis in general dermatology. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the most recent and important advances in the rising world of dermoscopy.
Cutting Plane Algorithm for Convex Generalized Disjunctive Programs
Authors: Trespalacios Francisco , Grossmann Ignacio E.
Published: February 2016

In this work, we propose a cutting plane algorithm to improve optimization models that are originally formulated as convex generalized disjunctive programs. Generalized disjunctive programs are traditionally reformulated as mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problems using either the big M (BM) or the hull reformulation (HR). The former yields a smaller MILP/MINLP problem, whereas the latter yields a tighter one. The HR can be further strengthened by using the concept of basic step from disjunctive programming. The proposed algorithm uses the strengthened formulation to derive cuts for the big-M formulation, generating a stronger formulation with small growth in problem size. We test the algorithm with several instances. The results show that the algorithm improves generalized disjunctive programming convex models, in the sense of providing formulations with stronger continuous relaxations than the BM formulation, with few additional constraints. In general, the algorithm also leads to a reduction in the solution time of the problems.
Research Note—Information Technology, Customer Satisfaction, and Profit: Theory and Evidence
Authors: Mithas Sunil , Krishnan M. S. , Fornell Claes
Published: February 2016

This paper studies the effect of aggregate information technology (IT) investments on customer satisfaction and profits at the firm level. Using data on 109 U.S. firms for the 1994–1996 and 1999–2006 periods, we find that aggregate IT investments have a positive association with customer satisfaction. However, the strength of the relationship varied across the 1994–1996 and 1999–2006 periods. Specifically, IT investments had a more positive influence on customer satisfaction for the 1994–1996 period than for the 1999–2006 period. Conversely, IT investments had a positive effect on profits in the 1999–2006 period, but a negative effect in the 1994–1996 period. These findings extend prior discourse in the information systems literature on the role of customer satisfaction as a mechanism that explains how IT-enabled benefits are “passed on to consumers” [Rai A, Patnayakuni R, Patnayakuni N (1997) Technology investment and business performance. Comm. ACM 40(7):90]. Our additional exploratory analyses showing that IT investments had a stronger effect on perceived quality than on perceived value provide an explanation for some of the observed effects of IT on customer satisfaction and profits. Together, these contributions and implications provide new insights to assess returns on IT investments by focusing on customer satisfaction, an important intangible and leading measure of firm performance, stock returns, and stock risk.
Technical Note—Nonlinear Pricing Competition with Private Capacity Information
Authors: Nazerzadeh Hamid , Perakis Georgia
Published: February 2016

We analyze the equilibrium of an incomplete information game consisting of two capacity-constrained suppliers and a single retailer. The capacity of each supplier is her private information. Conditioned on their capacities, the suppliers simultaneously and noncooperatively offer quantity-price schedules to the retailer. Then, the retailer decides on the quantities to purchase from each supplier to maximize his own utility. We prove the existence of a (pure strategy) Nash equilibrium for this game. We show that at the equilibrium each (infinitesimal) unit of the supply is assigned a marginal price that is independent of the capacities and depends only on the valuation function of the retailer and the distribution of the capacities. In addition, the supplier with the larger capacity sells all her supply.
Handling Discontinuities in Financial Engineering: Good Path Simulation and Smoothing
Authors: Wang Xiaoqun
Published: February 2016

Discontinuities are common in the pricing and hedging of complex financial derivatives. Quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) methods for high-dimensional finance problems with discontinuities can be inefficient because of the lack of good smoothness and high dimensionality. Interestingly, path simulation method (PSM) may affect both factors, implying its significance in QMC methods. What defines a “good” PSM for problems with discontinuities? The ability to align the discontinuities with the coordinate axes is a desirable property for a PSM. We show that for an arbitrary PSM, there exists a class of options with discontinuous payoff functions such that the transformed functions have only axis-parallel discontinuities, for which good QMC performance can be expected. In this sense, any PSM can be “good” in QMC methods for a specific class of problems. We analyze the structure of discontinuities for digital options using the new approach and show the superiority and the uniqueness (up to a permutation) of the standard construction. We develop a two-step procedure for pricing and hedging derivatives with discontinuous payoff functions. The first step is to design a good PSM that has the ability to align the discontinuities with the coordinate axes and the second step is to further exploit this nice property to remove the discontinuities completely. We prove that the new estimate is unbiased and has smaller variance. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the two-step procedure is very effective in QMC methods for pricing options and estimating Greeks, leading to a dramatic variance reduction. Both the path simulation step and the smoothing step are crucial and beneficial for QMC methods, with the contribution from each step varying depending on the severity of discontinuity.
Wound dressing selection: making a choice
Authors: Jones Menna Lloyd
Published: February 2016

When faced with the task of choosing an appropriate wound care dressing, there are a number of considerations for health professionals. Menna Lloyd Jones makes some recommendations, including the need for a thorough holistic and wound assessment
Let’s stop feeding the risk monster: towards a social model of ‘child protection’
Authors: Featherstone Brid , Gupta Anna , Morris Kate , Warner Joanne
Published: February 2016

This article explores how the child protection system currently operates in England. It analyses how policy and practice has developed, and articulates the need for an alternative approach. It draws from the social model as applied in the fields of disability and mental health, to begin to sketch out more hopeful and progressive possibilities for children, families and communities. The social model specifically draws attention to the economic, environmental and cultural barriers faced by people with differing levels of (dis)ability, but has not been used to think about ‘child protection’, an area of work in England that is dominated by a focus on risk and risk aversion. This area has paid limited attention to the barriers to ensuring children and young people are cared for safely within families and communities, and the social determinants of much of the harms they experience have not been recognised because of the focus on individualised risk factors.
Between zero tolerance and damage control: policy and parental strategies concerning teenagers and alcohol
Authors: Lind Judith
Published: February 2016

This article focuses on the distribution of responsibility between teenagers and parents in relation to teenagers’ alcohol consumption. It does so by contrasting the way in which responsibility is ascribed to parents in public guidelines on underage drinking with parents’ posts made to an online discussion board. In Swedish alcohol policy on underage drinking, to a large extent the replacement of state control over the accessibility of alcohol with individual responsibility translates into parental responsibility. Further, in national information campaigns, parents have been urged to stand their ground and maintain a zero-tolerance stance in order to minimise underage drinking. Like policy-makers, parents who engaged in online discussions on teenagers and alcohol were concerned about the effects of underage drinking. But in addition to the national alcohol policy goals of postponing the alcohol debut and minimising underage drinking, parents were also concerned about the effects of their drinking rules on their relationship with their teenagers, and about the long-term effects of their parenting strategies on their children’s later drinking habits as adults. And in contrast to public policy and national information campaigns, not all parents ascribed to themselves the power to influence their teenage children’s drinking.
Are we evil? Yes we are – but at least not crazy! How to test implicit associations of fans and non-fans with metal music
Authors: Kneer Julia
Published: February 2016

Studies from social and media psychology on the impact of heavy metal music are mostly concerned with negative effects while the main reason to listen to any kind of music has not been taken into account: positive expectations. Besides, many methods used in these studies are critical
concerning study design and/or used measurements because they focused either on problematic behaviour such as aggression, which is almost impossible to assess, and/or left out important variables such as individual taste in music. Instead of testing for aggressive behaviour it will be argued
that a test for different cognitive concepts that are activated after listening to metal music will lead to more insight on the associations made based on individual taste in music. A laboratory study is presented that tested how aggression and emotional stability as negative concepts and
fun and relaxation as positive concepts were activated by fans and non-fans after they had listened to metal music. To operationalize this, the lexical decision task was used. Findings showed that both groups link aggression to metal music while only non-fans associated emotional instability
with metal. For positive associations it was found that fans link metal to relaxation such as stress reduction but not to mere fun. Besides the discussion of these differences based on fan status, the benefit of the application of the lexical decision task as a specific approach to test for
activated cognitions is addressed.
Questionário de Avaliação do Perfil Sazonal — Características psicométricas da versão portuguesa do Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ)
Authors: Fonte Aníbal , Coutinho Bruno
Published: February 2016

Introdução/Objetivo: Alterações sazonais do humor e do comportamento caracterizadas por estados depressivos no outono/inverno e remissão na primavera/verão são condições muito frequentes. Para identificar a sensibilidade dos sujeitos às alterações sazonais o Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) é provavelmente o instrumento de autoavaliação mais utilizado. O presente estudo avalia as propriedades psicométricas da versão portuguesa do SPAQ.Material e métodos: A amostra foi constituída por estudantes universitários e de cursos profissionais (137 homens, 187 mulheres; média das idades = 27.7 ± 9.8). A análise do SPAQ centrou‑se nos itens que constituem a Pontuação Global de Sazonalidade – PGS (Global Seasonality Score – GSS) e na categorização dos sujeitos em subtipos: sem perturbação afetiva sazonal (sem PAS); subsíndrome da perturbação afetiva sazonal (S‑PAS); perturbação afetiva sazonal (PAS).Resultados: A média da Pontuação Global de Sazonalidade foi de 9.1 ± 4.3, não se verificando diferenças significativas entre homens e mulheres. A consistência interna dos itens que constituem a Pontuação Global de Sazonalidade foi 0.804 (α de Cronbach) e a correlação média inter‑itens de r = 0.406. Com base nas respostas ao questionário, 29.0% correspondiam a subsíndrome afetiva sazonal e 12.7% a perturbação afetiva sazonal. Independentemente da gravidade, 30.6% dos inquiridos consideravam as alterações sazonais do humor e do comportamento como problema.Conclusão: O SPAQ revela ser um instrumento de autoavaliação com boas propriedades psicométricas, fácil de aplicar. Considerando a amostra estudada os resultados sugerem que as variações sazonais do humor e do comportamento são muito frequentes. O facto de se encontrarem valores superiores ao de outros estudos efetuados em populações não clínicas evidencia a necessidade de se avaliar a especificidade do questionário e de se realizarem estudos em amostras representativas da população.
Galerkin BEM with Direct Evaluation of Hypersingular Integrals
Authors: Bonnet Marc , Guiggiani Massimo
Published: February 2016

In this paper a new general algorithm is presented for the direct evaluation of all singular double integrals arising in the 2D Galerkin BEM, including those with hypersingular kernels. A distinguishing feature of the proposed method is that double singular integrals are treated as a whole, that is not as inner integrals followed by outer ones. Therefore, when applied to the symmetric Galerkin BEM, the proposed technique is strictly symmetry preserving. Moreover, a careful analysis of the limiting process is performed which shows that some new free terms may arise.
Study On Oil Reservoir Productivity Performance Via Combination of Taguchi and BEM Analyses
Authors: Ibrahim Mohamad Nasir Mohamad , Shuib Solehuddin
Published: February 2016

The application of Taguchi Robust Design Technique (TRDT) coupled with the Boundary Element Method (BEM) in analyzing the productivity performance of an oil reservoir is presented in this paper. Several reservoir rock and reservoir fluid properties; i.e. permeability, thickness, porosity and viscosity, were chosen in this study. The BEM allows the overall simulation of reservoir performance to be made; whereas the used of TRDT allows us to rank the most influencing factor (property) that affects the productivity performance of the reservoir. Numerical values obtained from the BEM analysis will be used as input data for the TRDT statistical analysis. Results indicated that oil viscosity is the most important factor that affects the productivity performance of the oil reservoir followed by the thickness of the pay zone, the rock permeability and the rock porosity. Results of this study can be used by reservoir engineer in making the right choice of Enhance Oil Recovery techniques that is the most suitable for the reservoir.
Multiple Scattering Approximation of Anti-plane Elastic Waves in Infinite and Half-Space Domains with Distributed Inclusions
Authors: Tharmmapornphilas Kwannate , Hirose Sohichi
Published: February 2016

This paper presents an approximation for multiple scattering of elastic waves in the frequency domain by cylindrical inclusions. The problem is reduced to a 2D model by assuming circular inclusions. These inclusions are distributed at randomly selected points in 2D isotropic solids. Infinite and half-space matrices are considered. The inclusions are subjected to an anti-plane (SH) incident wave. The proposed approximation is based on the assumption that the multiple scattering displacement is the summation of the effects of all the possible wave propagation paths. If a wave hits one inclusion, the wave is scattered and part of it scatters to the calculation point. The wave also scatters to the other inclusions and thus repeating the process. This process is repeated a lot of times but the scattered wave becomes smaller as the path length increases and thus becomes negligible up to a certain order. Each of these scattered waves is approximated using the displacements calculated using the boundary element method with farfield approximation for a single scatterer. Using the proposed approximation, the computational time and the memory requirement are considerably reduced as compared to the conventional boundary element method. Numerical results for two aligned inclusions, thirty randomly selected and hundred randomly placed inclusions in both infinite and half-space matrices are shown to verify the accuracy of the proposed approximation.
A BEM for the Propagation of Nonlinear Planar Free-surface Waves
Authors: Vinayan V. , Kinnas S. A.
Published: February 2016

A Boundary Element Method (BEM) model for the propagation of non- linear free-surface waves is described and its application to the study of the hydrodynamic characteristics associated with the roll-motion of 2-D hull sec- tions is presented. The roll-motion of the hull section is modeled as a mixed boundary value problem and solved using a higher-order (linear strength dis- tribution) BEM coupled with a Mixed-Eulerian-Lagrangian (MEL) scheme for the time-dependent free-surface boundary conditions. Applications, that in- clude the propagation of fifth-order Stokes waves and waves generated by a piston wave-maker, used to validate the BEM scheme prior to its application to the hull roll-motion are also described.
11. Effect of Heat Stress on Metabolic Disorders Prevalence Risk and Milk Production in Holstein Cows in Croatia
Authors: Gantner Vesna , Kuterovac Krešimir , Potočnik Klemen
Published: February 2016

The objectives were to evaluate the effect of heat stress on daily milk traits (yield, fat and protein content, F/P ratio) as well as to determine the differences in metabolic disorders (acidosis, ketosis) prevalence risk regarding the heat stress conditions. For statistical analysis 1,187,781 test-day records of milk, fat, and protein from 89,030 Holsteins reared on 6,388 farms provided by the Croatian Agricultural Agency, were used. Based on the results it could be concluded that heat stress condition causes decline of daily milk yield and components as well as increase of acidosis risk regardless of the lactation stage and increase of ketosis risk during mid-lactation. The research results point out that the test-day records and environmental measurements collected in regular milk recording could be used as a tool for dairy herd monitoring enabling the early detection of unfavourable environmental conditions and the subclinical disorders. Since environmental conditions significantly affect daily milk yield and components, and consequently F/P ratio, further research with the purpose of detailed formulation of metabolic disease risk in relation to the environmental conditions is needed.
4. Quality of Poultry Meat from Native Chicken Breeds – A Review
Authors: Sokołowicz Zofia , Krawczyk Józefa , Świątkiewicz Sylwester
Published: February 2016

The objective of the paper was to demonstrate the possibilities of using Polish native breeds of chickens for the production of meat for its specific quality features in the light of worldwide researches. The object of the analysis was the quality of meat from slow-growing chickens raised in varied housing systems, including capons and poulards. The findings of studies on the quality of poultry meat from native breeds obtained from post-production cockerels and from hens in their post egg-laying stage have shown that there are chances for their use in meat production. Native breed hens can also be used as foundation material for the production of capons, poulards or international mixed breeds for purposes of extensive farming. The body weight of native breed hens, including their muscle build depend on the bird’s genotype, feeding, length of exploitation and farming system. Meat from native breed hens, raised in free-range systems has less fat, but with higher polyunsaturated fatty acids in their meat muscles as well as a healthier ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFA acids. Outdoor free-range access influences the meat colour, i.e., bright coloured breast muscle (L*) as well as increased intensity of red coloration of leg muscles (b*). Caponisation of hens enhances intensified body weight gains along with increased fattening of meat. In comparison with cockerel meat, the meat of capons is more juicy, tender and of better taste, while poulard meat has distinctively favourable sensory values in comparison with broiler chicken meat.
Mitigating the Risk of Fraud in Documentary Letters of Credit
Authors: Alavi Hamed
Published: February 2016

Despite the fact that documentary letters of credit (LC) are meant to facilitate the process of international trade, their specific characteristics may increase the risk of fraud while being used as the method of payment in the process of international transaction. Many factors like exclusive use of documents, geographical distance, absence of efficient prosecution, the diversity of legal system at the global level and restricted application of fraud rule can be considered as reasons for LC fraud. While billions of dollars are lost annually due to fraud in the course of LC operations, such vulnerability can result in reducing the global popularity of documentary letters of credit as the main method of payment used in international trade. Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that fraud risk management is an unexplored territory in the practice of documentary letters of credit operation. Existing research tries to fill the gap in the study on comprehensive methods for mitigating fraud risk in operations with documentary letters of credit by using risk management theory in order to answer the question of how to manage fraud risk in LC transactions? In a quest to answer the research question, the paper is divided into two parts: the first part is dedicated to preventive measures while the latter explores responsive measures of an enterprise to manage fraud risk in LC transactions.
Policy Effects on the Quality of Public Health Care: Evaluating Portuguese Public Hospitals’ Quality through Customers’ Views
Authors: Fonseca Jaime R. S. , Ramos Rosária M. P. , Santos Ana M. P. , Fonseca Ana P. S. S.
Published: February 2016

In this paper, public health care administration issues are reviewed and public hospital patients’ views on quality of health care are empirically tested. The purpose is to support the recommendation of new public policies that lead to better performance, if necessary. Hospital patients’ views on service quality were assessed through a questionnaire to estimate a global customer satisfaction measure. We argue that customer satisfaction should be measured through multiple indicators, as a latent variable. Thus, we considered the latent segment models (LSM) approach to assess customer service satisfaction. We found a twosegment latent structure: segment 1, the satisfied, with 48 percent of patients, mostly male and middle-aged patients; and segment 2, the unsatisfied, with 52 percent of patients, mostly female and youngest/oldest patients.
Multi-Antenna Data Collector for Smart Metering Networks with Integrated Source Separation by Spatial Filtering
Authors: Quednau Philipp , Trommer Ralph , Schmidt Lorenz-Peter
Published: February 2016

Wireless transmission systems in smart metering networks share the advantage of lower installation costs due to the expandability of separate infrastructure but suffer from transmission problems. In this paper the issue of interference of wireless transmitted smart meter data with third party systems and data from other meters is investigated and an approach for solving the problem is presented. A multi-channel wireless m-bus receiver was developed to separate the desired data from unwanted interferers by spatial filtering. The according algorithms are presented and the influence of different antenna types on the spatial filtering is investigated. The performance of the spatial filtering is evaluated by extensive measurements in a realistic surrounding with several hundreds of active wireless m-bus transponders. These measurements correspond to the future environment for data-collectors as they took place in rural and urban areas with smart gas meters equipped with wireless m-bus transponders installed in almost all surrounding buildings.
„Vielfalt bringt Leben, Einheit aber Tod“. Die Gemeinschaftskonzeption des Völkerrechtlers Lassa Oppenheim
Authors: Weinberg Sonja
Published: February 2016

Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht den wesentlichen Beitrag jüdischer Rechtsgelehrter zur Entwicklung des modernen Völkerrechts zwischen dem Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts und Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts. Das gemeinsame Ziel war die Schaffung einer internationalen, auf universalen Werten gründenden Rechtsordnung und Gesellschaft. Trotz dieses universalen Anspruchs müssen Völkerrechtler jedoch ein Konzept davon haben, was eine Gruppe, ein Staat, eine Nation sowie eine internationale Gemeinschaft eigentlich ausmacht. Am Beispiel Lassa Oppenheims wird anschaulich gemacht, wie ein bedeutender liberaler Völkerrechtler diese Konzepte zu einer Zeit definierte, in der nationalistische Wirklichkeit und internationalistische Ansprüche oft und hart aufeinanderprallten. Der Beitrag zeigt auf, wie Oppenheim versuchte, einen auf das Individuum hin zentrierten Universalismus mit einer vor allem von Johann Gottfried Herder und Guiseppe Mazzini inspirierten nationalen Gemeinschaftskonzeption zu verbinden. Mit dieser Haltung positionierte sich Oppenheim jedoch außerhalb des zeitgenössischen Mainstreams, der sich Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts und zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts in zwei vorherrschende Tendenzen teilte: Einerseits erstarkte der Nationalismus immer mehr zur dominanten politischen Kraft und mit ihm eine auf den Nationalstaat bezogene Rechtsordnung; andererseits gewannen auch universalistische Ideen an Einfluss, deren Vertreter auf die Einheit der menschlichen Gesellschaft und ihrer Interessen pochten.
Prediction of Reactivity Ratios in Free Radical Copolymerization from Monomer Resonance–Polarity (Q–e) Parameters: Genetic Programming-Based Models
Authors: Shrinivas K. , Kulkarni Rahul P. , Shaikh Saif , Ghorpade Ravindra V. , Vyas Renu , Tambe Sanjeev S. , Ponrathnam S. , Kulkarni Bhaskar D.
Published: February 2016

The principal deficiency of the widely utilized Alfrey–Price (AP) scheme for computing reactivity ratios in the widely used free radical copolymerization is that it ignores important factors, such as the steric effects. This often leads to inaccurate reactivity ratio predictions by AP model. Accordingly, in this study, exclusively data-driven,Q–eparameter-based new models have been developed for the reactivity ratio prediction in free radical copolymerization. In the model development, a novel artificial intelligence formalism known as “genetic programming(GP)” that performs symbolic regression has been employed. The GP-based models possess a different functional form than AP model. Further, parameters of GP-based models were fine-tuned usingLevenberg–Marquardt(LM) nonlinear regression method. A comparison of AP, GP and GP-LM as well as artificial neural network (ANN)-based models indicates that GP and GP-LM models exhibit superior reactivity ratio prediction accuracy and generalization performance (with correlation coefficient magnitudes close to or greater than 0.9) when compared with AP and ANN models. The GP-based reactivity ratio prediction models developed here due to their higher accuracy and generalization capability have the potential of replacing the widely used AP models.
Digital Image Separation Algorithm Based on Joint PDF of Mixed Images
Authors: Wajid Mohd , Sharma Mayank
Published: February 2016

In this article, we have presented an algorithm for separating the mixed or fused images. We have considered that the two independent histogram equalized digital images are linearly mixed, and the joint probability density function (PDF) or the scatter plot of the two observed or mixed images is used for separation. The objective and subjective separation results are presented, and observed to be better than the other existing techniques in terms of Peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and Signal-to-interference ratio (SIR).
Deformation Measurement of a Driven Pile Using Distributed Fibre-optic Sensing
Authors: Monsberger Christoph , Woschitz Helmut , Hayden Martin
Published: February 2016

New developments in distributed fibre-optic sensing allow the measurement of strain with a very high precision of about 1 µm / m and a spatial resolution of 10 millimetres or even better. Thus, novel applications in several scientific fields may be realised, e. g. in structural monitoring or soil and rock mechanics. Especially due to the embedding capability of fibre-optic sensors, fibre-optic systems provide a valuable extension to classical geodetic measurement methods, which are limited to the surface in most cases.

In this paper, we report about the application of an optical backscatter reflectometer for deformation measurements along a driven pile. In general, pile systems are used in civil engineering as an efficient and economic foundation of buildings and other structures. Especially the length of the piles is crucial for the final loading capacity. For optimization purposes, the interaction between the driven pile and the subsurface material is investigated using pile testing methods. In a field trial, we used a distributed fibre-optic sensing system for measuring the strain below the surface of an excavation pit in order to derive completely new information.

Prior to the field trial, the fibre-optic sensor was investigated in the laboratory. In addition to the results of these lab studies, we briefly describe the critical process of field installation and show the most significant results from the field trial, where the pile was artificially loaded up to 800 kN. As far as we know, this is the first time that the strain is monitored along a driven pile with such a high spatial resolution.
Waist-to-height ratio as a marker of low-grade inflammation in obese children and adolescents
Authors: Caminiti Carolina , Armeno Marisa , Mazza Carmen S.
Published: February 2016

The epidemic of childhood obesity is associated with early atherosclerosis. Several reports have related this event to low-grade inflammation described in obesity. CRP and IL6 are markers that correlate with adiposity. The waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) is an anthropometric marker associated with insulin resistance and inflammation. The objective of this study was to assess the correlation between WtHR, metabolic complications and pro-inflammatory factors in obese children and adolescents.

Weight, height, waist circumference, glycemia, insulin, CRP, TNF-α and IL-6 were measured in the baseline sample in 280 patients 6–19 years of age with overweight or obesity (OW/OB) and 112 normal-weight controls. Logistic regression was performed using WtHR as an independent variable. p>0.05 STATA11.

Mean WtHR was 0.6±0.06 in OW/OB and 0.43±0.02 in controls (p<0.01). WtHR was increased in 93% of the OW/OB vs. 2% of the controls. In the OW/OB inflammatory markers were significantly increased (p<0.01) compared to the controls (CRP 2.2 vs. 0.8; Il-6 2.9 vs. 2.1; and TNF-α 6.2 vs. 5.5). In the WtHR>0.5, insulin resistence and inflammatory markers were significantly increased (p<0.01) compared to the WtHR<0.5 (HOMA 3.4 vs. 1.4; CRP 2.3 vs. 0.6; Il-6 2.9 vs. 2.1; and TNF-α 6.4 vs. 5.55). In logistic regression, a significant independent association was found between WtHR with CRP (OR1.47), IL6 (OR1.60) and TNF-α (OR1.79).

Obese children and adolescents have high inflammatory markers that may increase cardiovascular risk. WtHR is associated with low-grade inflammation and may be considered a relevant anthropometric marker in the clinical practice.
Crystal structure of 14-((1-(benzyloxycarbonyl-amino)-2-methylpropan-2-yl)sulfanyl)acetate Mutilin, C34H49NO6S
Authors: Shang Ruofeng , Yi Yunpeng , Liang Jianping
Published: February 2016

C34H49NO6S, monoclinic, P21 (no. 4), a = 11.7112(8) Å, b = 10.0135(5) Å, c = 14.6411(10) Å, V = 1664.4 Å3, Z = 2, R
gt
(F) = 0.0659, wR
ref
(F
2
) = 0.1269, T = 293 K.
System Dynamics Modelling of the Power Sector in Mauritius
Authors: Deenapanray Prakash N. K. , Bassi Andrea M.
Published: February 2016

A system dynamics model has been developed for the power sector of Mauritius, which captures a range of complex interactions between the economic, social and environmental aspects of the national economy, with deeper emphasis on the role of energy in these interactions. The model has been validated by replicating the historical trends of key development indicators, and its results were compared to the projections of the national utility company. The validation process shows that the model provides a faithful representation of the actual electricity sector of Mauritius, and can be easily adapted to the use of different assumptions. This paper describes the main characteristics of the model and its results as compared to electricity demand projections carried out by the Central Electricity Board to 2022. The results suggest that further analysis could be done to test alternative low carbon investment scenarios.
System Dynamic Model for the Accumulation of Renewable Electricity using Power-to-Gas and Power-to-Liquid Concepts
Authors: Blumberga Andra , Timma Lelde , Blumberga Dagnija
Published: February 2016

When the renewable energy is used, the challenge is match the supply of intermittent energy with the demand for energy therefore the energy storage solutions should be used. This paper is dedicated to hydrogen accumulation from wind sources. The case study investigates the conceptual system that uses intermitted renewable energy resources to produce hydrogen (power-to-gas concept) and fuel (power-to-liquid concept). For this specific case study hydrogen is produced from surplus electricity generated by wind power plant trough electrolysis process and fuel is obtained by upgrading biogas to biomethane using hydrogen. System dynamic model is created for this conceptual system. The developed system dynamics model has been used to simulate 2 different scenarios. The results show that in both scenarios the point at which the all electricity needs of Latvia are covered is obtained. Moreover, the methodology of system dynamics used in this paper is white-box model that allows to apply the developed model to other case studies and/or to modify model based on the newest data. The developed model can be used for both scientific research and policy makers to better understand the dynamic relation within the system and the response of system to changes in both internal and external factors.
Moisture Content Impact on Mechanical Properties of Selected Cohesive Soils from the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship Southern Part
Authors: Pezowicz Piotr , Choma-Moryl Krystyna
Published: February 2016

Results of investigations of shearing resistance and compressibility of fine-grained cohesive soil from the southern part of the wielkopolskie voivodeship in relation to the increasing moisture content are presented. The analysis of two series of samples, using soil paste for the consistency index of 0.9 and 0.4–0.3 was carried out. The results imply that the increasing moisture content causes a decrease in the angle of shearing resistance and cohesion and is also reflected in the higher compressibility of the soil. It was observed that regardless of the soil consistency, the angle of shearing resistance decreases and the cohesion value and the oedometric modulus of primary (consolidation) and secondary compressibility grows with the increase in the clay fraction.
Numerical Modelling of the Mining Induced Horizontal Displacement
Authors: Tajduś Krzysztof
Published: February 2016

The paper presents results of numerical calculations and modeling of mining-induced surface deformation based on Finite Element Method (FEM). Applying the numerical method discussed to calculations allows us to assume a larger number of factors, such as rock mass structure, fracture network, rock properties, etc., which essentially affect the results obtained. On the basis of an elastic transversely isotropic model, an analysis of horizontal displacement distribution and surface subsidence was carried out for two sample regions of mines. The results of numerical calculations were later compared with the measured values. Such an analysis proved that the applied numerical model properly described distribution and values of subsidence and slope of subsidence trough, though there were serious differences in the values of calculated horizontal displacement, especially in areas of far influence range. In order to improve the matching, the influence of boundary conditions of the model on the value of calculated horizontal displacement was analyzed. The results are presented in graphs.
Amygdala Modulation of Cerebellar Learning
Authors: Farley Sean J. , Radley Jason J. , Freeman John H.
Published: February 2016

Previous studies showed that amygdala lesions or inactivation slow the acquisition rate of cerebellum-dependent eyeblink conditioning, a type of associative motor learning. The current study was designed to determine the behavioral nature of amygdala–cerebellum interactions, to identify the neural pathways underlying amygdala–cerebellum interactions, and to examine how the amygdala influences cerebellar learning mechanisms in rats. Pharmacological inactivation of the central amygdala (CeA) severely impaired acquisition and retention of eyeblink conditioning, indicating that the amygdala continues to interact with the cerebellum after conditioning is consolidated (Experiment 1). CeA inactivation also substantially reduced stimulus-evoked and learning-related neuronal activity in the cerebellar anterior interpositus nucleus during acquisition and retention of eyeblink conditioning (Experiment 2). A very small proportion of cerebellar neurons responded to the conditioned stimulus (CS) during CeA inactivation. Finally, retrograde and anterograde tracing experiments identified the basilar pontine nucleus at the confluence of outputs from CeA that may support amygdala modulation of CS input to the cerebellum (Experiment 3). Together, these results highlight a role for the CeA in the gating of CS-related input to the cerebellum during motor learning that is maintained even after the conditioned response is well learned.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe current study is the first to demonstrate that the amygdala modulates sensory-evoked and learning-related neuronal activity within the cerebellum during acquisition and retention of associative learning. The findings suggest a model of amygdala–cerebellum interactions in which the amygdala gates conditioned stimulus inputs to the cerebellum through a direct projection from the medial central nucleus to the basilar pontine nucleus. Amygdala gating of sensory input to the cerebellum may be an attention-like mechanism that facilitates cerebellar learning. In contrast to previous theories of amygdala–cerebellum interactions, the sensory gating hypothesis posits that the gating mechanism continues to be necessary for retrieval of cerebellar memory after learning is well established.
Maturation of NaVand KVChannel Topographies in the Auditory Nerve Spike Initiator before and after Developmental Onset of Hearing Function
Authors: Kim Kyunghee X. , Rutherford Mark A.
Published: February 2016

Auditory nerve excitation and thus hearing depend on spike-generating ion channels and their placement along the axons of auditory nerve fibers (ANFs). The developmental expression patterns and native axonal locations of voltage-gated ion channels in ANFs are unknown. Therefore, we examined the development of heminodes and nodes of Ranvier in the peripheral axons of type I ANFs in the rat cochlea with immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. Nodal structures presumably supporting presensory spiking formed between postnatal days 5 (P5) and P7, including Ankyrin-G, NaV1.6, and Caspr. These immature nodal structures lacked low-voltage-activated KV1.1 which was not enriched at juxtaparanodes until approximately P13, concurrent with the developmental onset of acoustic hearing function. Anatomical alignment of ANF spike-initiating heminodes relative to excitatory input from inner hair cell (IHC) ribbon synapses continued until approximately P30. High-voltage-activated KV3.1b and KV2.2 were expressed in mutually exclusive domains: KV3.1b was strictly localized to nodes and heminodes, whereas KV2.2 expression began at the juxtaparanodes and continued centrally along the first internode. At spike-initiating heminodes in the distal osseous spiral lamina, NaV1.1 partly overlapped NaV1.6 and ankyrin-G. ANFs displayed KV7.2 and KV7.3 at heminodes, nodes, internodes, and the unmyelinated synaptic terminal segments beneath IHCs in the organ of Corti. In response to sound, spikes are initiated at the heminode, which is tightly coupled to the IHC ribbon synapse ∼20–40 μm away. These results show that maturation of nodal alignment and ion channel content may underlie postnatal improvements of ANF excitability and discharge synchrony.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTAcoustic and electrical hearing depends on rapid, reliable, and precise spike generation in auditory nerve fibers. A limitation of current models and therapies is a lack of information on the identities and topographies of underlying ion channels. We report the developmental profile of the auditory nerve spike generator with a focus on NaV1.1, NaV1.6, KV1.1, KV2.2, KV3.1b, KV7.2, and KV7.3 in relation to the scaffold ankyrin-G. Molecular anatomy of the spike generator matures in the weeks after developmental onset of hearing function. Subcellular positioning of voltage-gated ion channels will enable multicompartmental modeling of auditory nerve responses elicited by afferent chemical neurotransmission from hair cells and modulated by efferent neurotransmitters or evoked by extracellular field stimulation from a cochlear implant.