bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a prospective cohort study assessing the impact of grade of operating surgeon on operative time and 30-day morbidity
Authors: Tafazal H , Spreadborough P , Zakai D , Shastri-Hurst N , Ayaani S , Hanif M
Published: February 2018

Introduction

There is an increasing trend towards day case surgery for uncomplicated gallstone disease. The challenges of maximising training opportunities are well recognised by surgical trainees and the need to demonstrate timely progression of competencies is essential. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy provides the potential for excellent trainee learning opportunities. Our study builds upon previous work by assessing whether measures of outcome are still affected when cases are stratified based on procedural difficulty.

Material and methods

A prospective cohort study of all laparoscopic cholecystectomies conducted at a district general hospital between 2009 and 2014, performed under the care of a single consultant. The operative difficulty was determined using the Cuschieri classification. The primary endpoint was duration of operation. Secondary endpoints included length of hospital stay, delayed discharge rate and 30-day morbidity.

Results

A total of 266 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed during the study period. Mean operative time for all consultant-led cases was 52.5 minutes compared with 51.4 minutes for trainees (P = 0.67 unpaired t-test). When cases were stratified for difficulty, consultant-led cases were on average 5 minutes faster. Median duration of hospital stay was equivalent in both groups and there was no statistical difference in re-attendance (12.9% vs. 15.3% P = 0.59) or re-admission rates (3.2% vs. 8.1% P = 0.10) at 30 days.

Conclusions

Our study provides evidence that laparoscopic cholecystectomy provides a good training opportunity for surgical trainees without being detrimental to patient outcome. We recommend that, in selected patients, under consultant supervision, laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be performed primarily by the surgical trainee without impacting on patient outcome or theatre scheduling.
Gastric liposarcoma in a patient with severe obesity
Authors: Girardot-Miglierina A , Clerc D , Suter M
Published: February 2018

Liposarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in adults. Predominant locations are the limbs and retroperitoneum. Intra-abdominal liposarcoma represents only 2% of all cases and visceral location is exceptional. Gastric liposarcoma is extremely rare, with fewer than 20 cases reported. The treatment of choice is wide en-bloc surgical resection. If the tumour arises in the area of the cardia, resection involves resection of the proximal stomach as well as the distal oesophagus. Traditional reconstruction with oesophagogastrostomy often leads to troublesome reflux. We report a case of gastric liposarcoma arising in the gastro-oesophageal junction in a severely obese patient.
Profil dan temuan klinis pasien perdarahan saluran cerna di Departemen Kesehatan Anak RSUP Dr. Sardjito 2009 - 2015
Authors: Pinandhito Galih Akbar , Widowati Titis , Damayanti Wahyu
Published: February 2018

Latar belakang. Perdarahan saluran cerna pada anak merupakan salah satu tanda bahaya sehingga diagnosis dan pengobatan dini sangat penting.Tujuan. Mengetahui etiologi dan temuan klinis perdarahan saluran cerna anak yang dirawat di RSUP Dr. Sardjito.Metode. Penelitian retrospektif menggunakan rekam medis pasien anak berusia kurang dari 18 tahun yang menjalani endoskopi dan kolonoskopi karena perdarahan saluran cerna dari Januari 2009 hingga Juni 2015. Data rekam medis yang tidak lengkap tidak diikutkan sertakan dalam penelitian.Hasil. Dari 55 pasien yang memenuhi syarat, terdapat 27 (49%) pasien perdarahan saluran cerna atas dan 28 (51%) pasien perdarahan saluran cerna bawah. Varises esofagus adalah etiologi terbanyak perdarahan saluran cerna atas 10 (37%), sedangkan untuk perdarahan saluran cerna bawah adalah kolitis 17 (60%). Perdarahan saluran pada anak lebih sering terjadi pada perempuan usia 1-6 tahun 29 (53%). Gejala yang lebih sering terjadi yaitu hematemesis 13 (24%) dan hematokezia 27 (49%). Keluhan perdarahan saluran cerna atas terbanyak adalah nyeri perut 13 (48%) sedangkan saluran cerna bawah adalah diare 8 (29%). Anemia berat ditemukan pada 5 (19%) pasien perdarahan saluran cerna atas dan 1 (4%) pasien perdarahan saluran cerna bawah.Kesimpulan. Varises esofagus merupakan penyebab tersering perdarahan saluran cerna atas sedangkan saluran cerna bawah adalah kolitis. Anak yang datang dengan keluhan nyeri perut dan diare harus dipikirkan salah satu penyebabnya adalah perdarahan saluran cerna.
Quantification of Theophylline in Guinea Pig Plasma by LC-MS/MS Using Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography Stationary Phase: Method Development, Validation, and Application in Study
Authors: Kertys M , Urbanova A , Mokry J
Published: February 2018

Theophylline has been used in the treatment of bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for over 70 years. In order to maximize the effectiveness and safety of theophylline therapy it is important to individualize the dosage of the drug. In our study we focused on determination of theophylline concentrations in guinea pig plasma. A rapid, specific, and reliable LC-MS/MS-based method was developed and validated according to European Medicine Agency (EMA) guidelines. A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) separation mode for reduction time of sample preparation was used. The analysed sample was quantified in a positive ionization mode. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) using transition m/z 181.06→124.06 and m/z 187.17→127.06 was performed to quantify theophylline with deuterated internal standard ([2H6]-theophylline), respectively. Modification of collision energies was performed in parallel with chromatographic separation to further eliminate interference from the matrix. The method was validated for a range of 0.5 to 30 μg/mL of plasma sample. The intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy of the quality control samples at low, me dium, and high concentration levels exhibited relative standard deviations (RSD) of less than 10 %. The method was successfully applied for the quantitation of theophylline in guinea pig plasma for better understanding its effects in a model of ovalbumin-induced allergic inflammation.
Broadband and scalable optical coupling for silicon photonics using polymer waveguides
Authors: La Porta Antonio , Weiss Jonas , Dangel Roger , Jubin Daniel , Meier Norbert , Horst Folkert , Offrein Bert Jan
Published: February 2018

We present optical coupling schemes for silicon integrated photonics circuits that account for the challenges in large-scale data processing systems such as those used for emerging big data workloads. Our waveguide based approach allows to optimally exploit the on-chip optical feature size, and chip- and package real-estate. It further scales well to high numbers of channels and is compatible with state-of-the-art flip-chip die packaging. We demonstrate silicon waveguide to polymer waveguide coupling losses below 1.5 dB for both the O- and C-bands with a polarisation dependent loss of <1 dB. Over 100 optical silicon waveguide to polymer waveguide interfaces were assembled within a single alignment step, resulting in a physical I/O channel density of up to 13 waveguides per millimetre along the chip-edge, with an average coupling loss of below 3.4 dB measured at 1310 nm.
A Logical Approach to Modal Verbs 1 Can and Could
Authors: Imre Attila
Published: February 2018

The article aims at a logical approach to discussing can, could, and be able to, organized around core meanings such as possibility, ability, and permission. We argue that the concept of “remoteness” proposed by Lewis in 1986 may simplify enough the explanation regarding the relationship between can and could, and their presentation relies on authoritative sources published for international (English), Hungarian, and Romanian students. The conclusion discusses both the importance and relativity of a number of occurrences (depending on different text types), trying to offer a possible teaching option for modals stemming from practice. The article is connected to the international conference in Miercurea Ciuc, entitled Idegen - Străinul - Stranger, focusing on English as a foreign language through the eyes of non-native speakers.
Assessment of total fatness and fatty tissue distribution in young active and physically inactive women
Authors: Kopiczko Anna , Bogucka Aleksandra
Published: February 2018

Study aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the total fat and fat distribution in young active and physically inactive women. Material and methods: The study group consisted of a total of 300 students from Warsaw aged 20 to 25 years. The weekly physical activity level expressed in metabolic equivalent task was assessed using the International Physical Activity Question­naire. The distribution of adipose tissue was assessed on the basis of anthropometric measurements by somatometry. The waist and hip circumference, body mass and height were measured. Body mass index and waist to hip ratio were calculated. General fat was evaluated by bioelectric impedance. Results: Physically active students had significantly lower (p < 0.001) body mass, waist and hip circumference, lower body fat content and lower BMI and WHR compared to inactive students. Weight loss and the gynoidal type of adipose tissue distribu­tion were more frequent among physically active subjects. In inactive women the androidal-abdominal type of distribution dominated. A healthy somatic profile characterized by BMI in the normal range, gynoid type of adipose tissue distribution and normal or slightly lower body fat was significantly more frequent in physically active subjects (36% vs. 15%). Conclusions: Lack of physical activity was associated with larger waist and hip circumference, higher BMI and unfavorable adipose tissue distribution (androidal), which increases the risk of metabolic diseases in women. The study indicates the need for education and implementation of disease prevention programs regarding abdominal fat distribution and overweight among young women.
Sentencing Disparities
Authors: Hamilton Melissa
Published: February 2018

Criminal justice stakeholders are strongly concerned with disparities in penalty outcomes. Disparities are problematic when they represent unfounded differences in sentences, an abuse of discretion, and/or potential discrimination based on sociodemographic characteristics. The Article presents an original empirical study that explores disparities in sentences at two levels: the individual case level and the regional level. More specifically, the study investigates upward departures in the United States’ federal sentencing system, which constitutes a guidelines-based structure. Upward departures carry unique consequences to individuals and their effects on the system as they lead to lengthier sentences, symbolically represent a dispute with the guidelines advice, and contribute to mass incarceration. Upward departures are discretionary to district courts and thus may lead to disparities in sentencing in which otherwise seemingly like offenders receive dissimilar sentences, in part because of the tendency of their assigned judges to depart upward (or not).

The study utilizes a multilevel mixed model to test the effects of a host of explanatory factors on the issuance of upward departures at the case level and whether those same factors are significant at the group level-i.e., district courts-to determine the extent of variation across districts. The explanatory variables tested include legal factors (e.g., final offense level, criminal history, offense type), extralegal characteristics (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, citizenship), and case-processing variables (e.g., trial penalty, custody status). The results indicate that various legal and nonlegal factors are relevant in individual cases (representing individual differences) and signify that significant variations across district courts exist (confirming regional disparities). Implications of the significant findings for the justice system are explored.
Liberty, Equality and the Right to Marry under the Fourteenth Amendment
Authors: Loveland Ian
Published: February 2018

The legitimacy of recent judgments in the Supreme Court, lower federal courts and State courts which have extended the scope of the Due Process and/or Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment has been a fiercely contested controversy in legal and political circles in the USA. The controversy has been especially sharp in relation to the question of same sex marriage, and specifically whether it is within State competence to refuse to allow same sex couples to marry under State law. This paper explores that legitimation controversy through a multi-contextual analysis of the Supreme Court’s starkly divided judgment in Obergefell v Hodges (2015), in which a bare majority of the Court concluded that a State ban on same sex marriage was incompatible with the Due Process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This paper critiques both the majority and dissenting opinions, and suggests that while one might applaud the substantive conclusion the Court has reached, the reasoning offered by the majority suffers from several obvious weaknesses both in narrow doctrinal terms and from the broader perspective of safeguarding the Court from well-founded criticism that it is overstepping the bounds of its legitimate constitutional role.
Administrative Functions of Implementation and Adjudication Guided by Primacy of Fundamental Rights
Authors: Perlingeiro Ricardo
Published: February 2018

This article points out the bottlenecks in the systems of administrative adjudication in Latin America and suggests that the ineffectiveness should not be blamed entirely on the judicial system and judicial procedures. Rather, the Latin-American system of administrative justice should come to terms with its judicial system of general jurisdiction, gradually reducing the jurisdiction of courts over administrative disputes in favor of an administrative reform to ensure administrative functions of implementation and adjudication respecting the primacy of fundamental rights. The author concludes that it is necessary to think about a reform that leads public administrative authorities to act as an instrument for expressing the public interest rather than as end in itself or as an entity to protect self-serving, momentary political and financial interests that are not clearly bound by a duty to protect fundamental rights.
CSF free light chain identification of demyelinating disease: comparison with oligoclonal banding and other CSF indexes
Authors: Gurtner Kari M. , Shosha Eslam , Bryant Sandra C. , Andreguetto Bruna D. , Murray David L. , Pittock Sean J. , Willrich Maria Alice V.
Published: February 2018

Background:

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) used in immunoglobulin gamma (IgG) index testing and oligoclonal bands (OCBs) are common laboratory tests used in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. The measurement of CSF free light chains (FLC) could pose as an alternative to the labor-intensive isoelectric-focusing (IEF) gels used for OCBs.

Methods:

A total of 325 residual paired CSF and serum specimens were obtained after physician-ordered OCB IEF testing. CSF kappa (cKFLC) and lambda FLC (cLFLC), albumin and total IgG were measured. Calculations were performed based on combinations of analytes: CSF sum of kappa and lambda ([cKFLC+cLFLC]), kappa-index (K-index) ([cKFLC/sKFLC]/[CSF albumin/serum albumin]), kappa intrathecal fraction (KFLCIF) {([cKFLC/sKFLC]–[0.9358×CSF albumin/serum albumin]^[0.6687×sKFLC]/cKFLC)} and IgG-index ([CSF IgG/CSF albumin]/[serum IgG/serum albumin]).

Results:

Patients were categorized as: demyelination (n=67), autoimmunity (n=53), non-inflammatory (n=50), inflammation (n=38), degeneration (n=28), peripheral neuropathy (n=24), infection (n=13), cancer (n=11), neuromyelitis optica (n=10) and others (n=31). cKFLC measurement used alone at a cutoff of 0.0611 mg/dL showed >90% agreement to OCBs, similar or better performance than all other calculations, reducing the number of analytes and variables. When cases of demyelinating disease were reviewed, cKFLC measurements showed 86% clinical sensitivity/77% specificity.

Conclusions:

cKFLC alone demonstrates comparable performance to OCBs along with increased sensitivity for demyelinating diseases. Replacing OCB with cKFLC would alleviate the need for serum and CSF IgG and albumin and calculated conversions. cKFLC can overcome challenges associated with performance, interpretation, and cost of traditional OCBs, reducing costs and maintaining sensitivity and specificity supporting MS diagnosis.
Cerebrospinal fluid microRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers in brain tumors
Authors: Kopkova Alena , Sana Jiri , Fadrus Pavel , Slaby Ondrej
Published: February 2018

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a body fluid that has many important functions and is in direct contact with the extracellular environment of the central nervous system (CNS). CSF serves as both the communication channel allowing the distribution of various substances among the CNS cells and the storage facility for the waste products these cells release. For these reasons, CSF is a potential source of diagnostic biomarkers of many CNS diseases, including brain tumors. Recent studies have revealed that CSF also contains circulating microRNAs (miRNAs), short non-coding RNAs that have been described as biomarkers in many cancers. However, CSF miRNAs are difficult to detect, which is why researchers face major challenges, including technological difficulties in its detection and its lack of standardization. Therefore, this review aims (i) to highlight the potential of CSF miRNAs as diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers in brain tumors, and (ii) to summarize technological approaches for detection of CSF miRNAs.
A Family of Complex Nilmanifolds with in finitely Many Real Homotopy Types
Authors: Latorre Adela , Ugarte Luis , Villacampa Raquel
Published: February 2018

We find a one-parameter family of non-isomorphic nilpotent Lie algebras ga, with a > [0,∞), of real dimension eight with (strongly non-nilpotent) complex structures. By restricting a to take rational values, we arrive at the existence of infinitely many real homotopy types of 8-dimensional nilmanifolds admitting a complex structure. Moreover, balanced Hermitian metrics and generalized Gauduchon metrics on such nilmanifolds are constructed.
On automorphisms of a distance-regular graph with intersection array {99, 84, 30; 1, 6, 54}
Authors: Efimov Konstantin S. , Makhnev Aleksandr A.
Published: February 2018

Recently it was shown that a distance-regular graph in which neighbourhoods of vertices are strongly regular with
parameters (99,14,1,2) has intersection array {99,84,1;1,14,99}, {99,84,1;1,12,99} or {99,84,30;1,6,54}. In the present paper we find possible automorphisms of a graph with the intersection array {99,84,30;1,6,54}. It is shown, in particular, that such a graph is not point-symmetric.
Corporate Directors:In Search of a European Normative Model for Legal Persons as Board Members
Authors: Talens Paula del Val
Published: February 2018

Juridical persons may be appointed as company directors in a number of European Member States, such as France, Belgium Spain or Italy, while this practice is forbidden in other jurisdictions (traditionally, Germany and, today, the United Kingdom). The lawfulness of the so-called «corporate directors» depends on a policy decision that legislators may make after balancing potential benefits and risks deriving from placing corporate bodies on the board. Corporate directors are not an essential tool for the European business environment, but are indeed a European corporate governance practice which does provide flexibility and operative advantages. This paper evaluates regulatory alternatives for both domestic legislation and prospective European instruments. It analyses how placing legal entities on a board may affect corporate governance and underlines their potential applications, namely, in groups of companies. It then examines two opposite policy approaches to corporate directors, an express prohibition and an explicit admission, as considered by certain Member States and article 47.1 of the Societas Europaea Regulation. We further explore the predominant model for the admission of corporate directors, which is based on three core elements: an enabling provision, the compulsory appointment of a permanent representative, and a joint liability rule.
Early Turkish Immigrants’ Adaptation to American Culture and Social Integration
Authors: Sert Bilal , Ziyanak Sebahattin
Published: February 2018

Immigration studies still investigate immigrants’ offspring and later generations’ socioeconomic upward and downward motilities. When it comes to early Turkish immigrants, there is an unfilled “missing link” from a sociological point of view. This study explores early Turkish immigrants’ adaptation experiences in the United Sates through qualitative triangulation and the methods of observation. This article utilizes “Straight-line theory”, “decline theory”, and “segmented assimilation to expound early Turkish immigrants’ adaptation experiences in the United States. Drawing on archival documents next to meetings with immigrants’ off springs, this study finds evidence that immigration occurred during the second wave to the United States from Europe, among Turks from Anatolia and Rumelia and they successfully adapted their new social environment. Rather, the findings provide novel evidence on the role of religious view and their social interaction. When seeking early Turks’ socio educational background, we discover that highly educated individuals including religious leaders, professors, and businessmen migrated to Peabody, MA.
How far is too far? An analysis of students’ perceptions of the impact of distance between university and family home on academic performance
Authors: Costa Rosalina Pisco , Vieira Carlos , Vieira Isabel
Published: February 2018

Transition to university is a challenging phase in youngsters’ lives. The literature indicates that geographical distance separating the places of study and of family residence adds to the difficulties of transition and adjustment to university. Recent evidence suggests that it also negatively impacts students’ grades. Despite important work done by economists, geographers and psychologists, sociology has devoted scarce interest in understanding this topic. This article seeks to bridge this gap, specifically exploring the reasons justifying the largely ignored effect of distance between the university and family home in academic performance. The study draws on data on undergraduate students of a Portuguese public university, collected through an online survey. Two dimensions, one more related to practical life occupations and another more linked to personal feelings and activities, are examined. It is argued that the negative impact of distance is mainly due to homesickness and to the time spent traveling home. Results from such analysis are twofold socially relevant: of the utmost importance for families, academics and students’ support services, deserve to be seriously considered by policy makers deciding on the territorial distribution of higher-education institutions.
The Architectural Object as a Sociospatial System
Authors: Popov Lubomir , Goza Franklin
Published: February 2018

Concerns with the social inadequacy of architecture and the movement towards user-centred design call for new perspectives and architectural visions that can help alleviate usability problems and make buildings more user-friendly and accommodating in supporting user operations. Accordingly, this study proposes the concept of the sociospatial system. This conceptualization is based on premises of the systems approach and a social science interpretation of the problem. We provide a foundation for relating spatial-material objects and sociocultural phenomena, for homogenizing different discipline perspectives, and for developing relational descriptions of the systems components. This allows the built environment to be represented in terms of the sociocultural organism that it accommodates. The elastic concept of the sociospatial system described herein can be used as a holistic framework for the study of sociospatial interactions; including facilities programming and design, where this way of thinking can facilitate a holistic interpretation of a wide array of considerations.
Entrepreneurial Orientation, Control Systems, and New Venture Performance: A Dominant Logic Perspective
Authors: Su Zhongfeng , Wang Donghan
Published: February 2018

Drawing on the dominant logic perspective, this study argues that entrepreneurial orientation (EO) can generate an entrepreneurial dominant logic among new ventures that facilitate making and implementing decisions to experiment with entrepreneurial initiatives. Yet, the decisions are associated with high uncertainty. Since new ventures cannot endure high levels of uncertainty, to harness the potential of EO they should put in place proper control systems to reduce uncertainty associated with EO. This study examines the moderating role of output control, behavior control, and input control in the relationship of EO to new venture performance. It finds that both output control and behavior control have positive moderating effects but input control plays a negative moderating role. The findings enrich our knowledge on the EO–performance linkage. Moreover, this study represents one of the first attempts to adopt the dominate logic perspective to illustrate EO phenomena, laying down a solid threshold over which to introduce the perspective to the EO literature. And, by combining EO and control systems in a moderating model this study responds to appeals for extending control systems into entrepreneurship studies and thereby contributes to research on control systems.
Monetary Policy in Poland – How the Financial Crisis Changed the Central Bank’s Preferences
Authors: Mackiewicz-Łyziak Joanna
Published: February 2018

The aim of the study is to analyze the preferences of the Polish central bank concerning inflation and output gap stabilization and verification, and whether these preferences changed after the beginning of the global financial crisis. For this purpose Taylor rules are estimated by the means of GMM (linear Taylor rule) and LS with breakpoints (nonlinear Taylor rule) estimation methods. We find that the smoothing parameter decreased, the weight of the output gap increased and the weight of inflation decreased after the outburst of the crisis. Moreover, we calculate ex-post interest rate simulations to compare the actual interest rates set by the NBP with a hypothetical situation of no change in the central bank’s preferences. The results suggest that the interest rates set by the NBP were significantly lower in comparison with the no-change scenario, in particular in the first quarters after the beginning of the crisis.
Efficient three-component synthesis of 5-(6-hydroxy-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidin-5-yl)-5,12-dihydrobenzo[b]pyrimido[5,4-g][1,8]naphthyridine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione
Authors: Molla Ebrahimlo Ali Reza
Published: February 2018

1,8-Naphthyridine derivatives are important heterocyclic compounds. A facile and efficient one-pot procedure for the synthesis of 5-(6-hydroxy-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidin-5-yl)-5,12-dihydrobenzo[b]pyrimido[5,4-g][1,8]naphthyridine-2,4 (1H,3H)-dione (3) via a three-component reaction of barbituric acid, 2-chloro-3-formylquinoline and ammonia under basic conditions is described.
Putting “Laughing at Yourself” to the Test
Authors: Hofmann Jennifer
Published: February 2018

McGhee described the ability to laugh at yourself as a facet of the sense of humor that is malleable and constitutes the fifth out of six facets forming the sense of humor. Also, McGhee made it measurable by including it in the Sense of Humor Scale (SHS McGhee, Paul E. 1996. Health, healing, and the amuse system (2. edition): Humor as survival training. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing). The current study investigated whether individuals (N=78) could laugh at photos in which their face was distorted and mocking captions were added (multi-method approach: self-reports, facial responses assessed by the Facial Action Coding System, unobtrusive measures). Moreover, as two possible pre-conditions of being able to laugh at yourself, acceptance and importance of one’s physical appearance were studied. The results show that individuals indeed get amused about themselves, yet, laughing at yourself in McGhee’s sense was a better predictor of the absence of negative responses towards the stimuli (in reported emotions, facial responses, ratings of photos) than the presence of positive responses. Accepting ones appearance correlated positively to laughing at yourself. Thus, to be able to laugh at yourself seems to be a continuum, starting from not feeling negatively about being the target of a joke to “hearty laughter”.
Humor and well-being: A little less is quite enough
Authors: Papousek Ilona
Published: February 2018

Paul McGhee, one of the most influential pioneers in the field of humor research has been engaged for decades in exploring how humor can be used for the maintenance or improvement of well-being in the face of adversity. The present paper reviews recent empirical research corroborating several of his propositions. Undeniably, the benefits of humor can be much greater when one generates his or her own humor compared to just passively consuming humor. The active use of humor can be a potent tool to successfully cope with and appropriately recover from stressful situations, especially if it becomes a habitual response to adverse circumstances. While the ice is thin with regard to any beneficial effects of humor on physical health, it certainly may enhance the quality of life of patients. The paper concludes with the general evaluation that the documented potential of humor for the maintenance of well-being is impressive, thereby rendering exaggerations and insufficiently substantiated claims of additional effects unnecessary.

Paul McGhee, one of the most influential pioneers in the field of humor research, as well as of structured humor training, has been insisting for decades that using humor can have many benefits beyond being fun, and many followed his lead. Moreover, he had always taken care to systematically collect relevant empirical, scientific evidence and to expertly evaluate it. Not all of his followers took his lead on this matter.
Techniques for the Identification of Critical Nodes Leading to Voltage Collapse in a Power System
Authors: Adebayo Isaiah , Jimoh Adisa , Yusuff Adedayo
Published: February 2018

This paper proposes two techniques for the identification of critical buses in a power system. The technique of Network Structural Theory Participation Factor (NSTPF) depends on the network structural interconnection of buses as captured by the admittance matrix of the system and is formulated based on the fundamental circuit theory law using eigenvalue decomposition method. Another power flow based technique which depends on the system maximum loadability, the system step size among other factors is also proposed. Traditional power flow based techniques are used as benchmarks to determine the significance of the proposed methods. To ensure voltage stability enhancement, STATCOM FACTS device is installed at the selected weak load buses of the practical Nigerian 24 bus and IEEE 30 bus test systems. The results of the simulation obtained show that, the suggested approach of NSTPF is more suitable in the identification of weak buses that are liable to voltage instability in power systems as it requires less computational burden and also saves time compared to techniques based on power flow solutions.
A Study of Efficient MPPT Techniques for Photovoltaic System Using Boost Converter
Authors: El Hassouni Bennacer , Ourahou M , Ayrir W. , Haddi A. , Amrani A.G.
Published: February 2018

The transfer of the power from the PV generator to the load is not always optimal. The operating point of the characteristic of the said generator is strongly linked to the temperature variations, the solar irradiation and the load. In order for the module to provide its maximum available power, it’s necessary to permanently adapt the load with the photovoltaic generator. This adaptation can be carried out by inserting a DC-DC converter (boost) controlled by a “Maximum Power Point Tracking” (MPPT). The work is a comparative study of the power maximization methods incremental conductance, Hill climbing and perturbation and observation. Matlab is used to implement modeling and simulation tasks and to compare the efficiency and accuracy of execution for the selected MPPT methods. The simulation results for operating characteristics I-V and P-V for various cell temperature and solar irradiation closely matched manufacturer data sheet of the solar panel. Also, the algorithms described in this work have a considerable higher precision and it can be concluded that the output power of the PV module for the Incremental Conductance method is comparatively greater than the P&O and Hill Climbing method in a different conditions.
Transient Stability by means of Generator Tripping, Under Frequency Load Shedding and a Hybrid Control Scheme
Authors: Le Roux P. F. , Bansal R.C
Published: February 2018

An electrical network constantly faces unforeseen events such as faults on lines, loss of generation, etc. Under Frequency Load Shedding (UFLS) and Generator Tripping are traditional methods used to stabilise a network when a transient fault occurs. These methods will prevent any network instability by shedding load or tripping the most critical generator at a calcultated time when required. By executing these methods, the network can be stabilised in terms of balancing the generation and the load of a power system. A hybrid control scheme is proposed where the traditional methods are combined to reduce the stress levels exerted on the network and to minimize the load to be shed.
Optimal Phasor Measurement Unit Placement for Numerical Observability Using A Two-Phase Branch-and-Bound Algorithm
Authors: Theodorakatos Nikolaos P.
Published: February 2018

Given an undirected graph representing the network, the optimization problem of finding the minimum number of phasor measurement units to place on the edges such that the graph is fully observed, is studied. The proposal addresses the issue of the optimization using a two-phase branch-and-bound algorithm based on combining both Depth-First Search and Breadth-First Search algorithms to attempt to find guaranteed global solutions for OPP. The problem in question is stated, outlining the underlying mathematical model in use formulated in terms of (pure) mixed-integer-linear-programming (MILP) and the branch-and-bound algorithm adopted to obtain efficient solutions in practice. A topology based on transformations considering pre-existing conventional and zero injection measurements in a power network is implemented. The (zero-one) (MILP) model is applied to IEEE systems. The numerical results indicate that the branch-and-bound ensures solution points at the optimal objective function value from a global-optimization point of view. The synchronized and conventional measurements are included in a (DC) linearized State Estimator (SE). The topological observability analysis is verified numerically based on observability criteria for achieving solvability of state estimation. Large-scale systems is also analyzed to exhibit the applicability of the proposed algorithm to practical power system cases.
Narrative circulation, disputed transformations, and bilingual appropriations at a public school “somewhere in La Mancha”
Authors: Relaño-Pastor Ana María
Published: February 2018

This article addresses the narratives of bilingualism that emerged in ethnographic interviews with members of Sancho’s Primary in La Mancha city (Spain), whose prestige as the first MEC/British bilingual school in town has been disputed, transformed and eventually socially accepted as competitively eligible in the global market for two decades. By bringing to the fore a perspective of heteroglossia, the article discusses stakeholders’ stancetaking towards the salient tensions and dilemmas related to bilingualism in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. The analysis discusses how Sancho’s stakeholders by means of indexical meanings and heteroglossic resources come to terms with bilingualism as ideology and practice regarding who the legitimate teacher of English is, whose English-es are legitimated, which classroom practices are most valued and who can guarantee the status and prestige of bilingual programs in this region. In addition, the analysis emphasizes the validity of narratives emerging in interviews as situated, context-dependent, and contextualizing practices shaped by the conditions of linguistic ethnography, while shaping the researcher and participants’ significant values, beliefs and ideas about bilingualism and bilingual programs in Castilla-La Mancha.
Self-Adaptive Mussels Wandering Optimization Algorithm with Application for Artificial Neural Network Training
Authors: Abusnaina Ahmed A. , Abdullah Rosni , Kattan Ali
Published: February 2018

The mussels wandering optimization (MWO) is a recent population-based metaheuristic optimization algorithm inspired ecologically by mussels’ movement behavior. The MWO has been used successfully for solving several optimization problems. This paper proposes an enhanced version of MWO, known as the enhanced-mussels wandering optimization (E-MWO) algorithm. The E-MWO aims to overcome the MWO shortcomings, such as lack in explorative ability and the possibility to fall in premature convergence. In addition, the E-MWO incorporates the self-adaptive feature for setting the value of a sensitive algorithm parameter. Then, it is adapted for supervised training of artificial neural networks, whereas pattern classification of real-world problems is considered. The obtained results indicate that the proposed method is a competitive alternative in terms of classification accuracy and achieve superior results in training time.
A hierarchical Bayesian tri-variate analysis on factors associated with anthropometric measures in a large sample of children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-IV study
Authors: Kelishadi Roya , Heidari Zahra , Kazemi Iraj , Jafari-Koshki Tohid , Mansourian Marjan , Motlagh Mohammad-Esmaeil , Heshmat Ramin
Published: February 2018

Background:

This study aimed to assess determinants of anthropometric measures in a nationally representative sample of Iranian children and adolescents.

Methods:

This nationwide study was conducted among 13,280 students, aged 6–18 years, who were randomly selected from 30 provinces in Iran. Anthropometric measures were determined by calibrated instruments. Demographic and socio-economic (SES) variables, lifestyle behaviors, family history of chronic disease and prenatal factors were studied, as well. A hierarchical Bayesian tri-variate analysis was used to assess the factors associated with obesity measures of the body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and wrist circumference (WrC).

Results:

The results showed that the BMI was associated with SES score, family history of obesity, family history of diabetes mellitus, physical inactivity, screen time, duration of sleep, breakfast consumption, birth weight, breastfeeding, junk food and place of residence (urban-rural). All these factors were also significantly associated with WrC except for consumption of junk food. Many of these factors had a partial but significant relationship with WHtR.

Conclusions:

Various factors contribute to obesity. Preventive and educational programs on manageable factors such as increasing physical activity, eating breakfast and limiting TV or screen time could be helpful in controlling obesity in schoolchildren and reducing associated complications.
Conceiving God: Literal and Figurative Prompt for a More Tectonic Distinction
Authors: Masson Robert
Published: February 2018

John Sanders’ Theology in the Flesh, the first comprehensive overview of the toolkit that contemporary cognitive linguistics offers for theological appropriation, despite its remarkable success, gives rather minimal attention to blending theory, one of the discipline’s most formidable tools. This paper draws on blending theory to offer an alternative to Sanders’ chapter on conceiving God. Central to the proposal is claim that God-talk, like many of the advances in science, technology, and art, entails a kind of tectonic understanding and conceptual mapping that is neither literal nor figurative.
Vocabulary on nominal property, examination, and related concepts for clinical laboratory sciences (IFCC-IUPAC Recommendations 2017)
Authors: Nordin Gunnar , Dybkaer René , Forsum Urban , Fuentes-Arderiu Xavier , Pontet Françoise
Published: February 2018

Scientists of disciplines in clinical laboratory sciences have long worked on a common language for efficient and safe request of investigations, report of results, and communication of experience and scientific achievements. Widening the scope, most scientific disciplines, not only clinical laboratory sciences, rely to some extent on various examinations in addition to measurements. The ‘International vocabulary of metrology – Basic and general concepts and associated terms’ (VIM), is designed for metrology, the science of measurement. The aim of this vocabulary is to suggest definitions and explanations of concepts and a selection of terms related to nominal properties, i.e. properties that have no size.
Privacy-preserving Wi-Fi Analytics
Authors: Alaggan Mohammad , Cunche Mathieu , Gambs Sébastien
Published: February 2018

As communications-enabled devices are becoming more ubiquitous, it becomes easier to track the movements of individuals through the radio signals broadcasted by their devices. Thus, while there is a strong interest for physical analytics platforms to leverage this information for many purposes, this tracking also threatens the privacy of individuals. To solve this issue, we propose a privacy-preserving solution for collecting aggregate mobility patterns while satisfying the strong guarantee of ε-differential privacy. More precisely, we introduce a sanitization mechanism for efficient, privacy-preserving and non-interactive approximate distinct counting for physical analytics based on perturbed Bloom filters called Pan-Private BLIP. We also extend and generalize previous approaches for estimating distinct count of events and joint events (i.e., intersection and more generally t-out-of-n cardinalities). Finally, we evaluate expirementally our approach and compare it to previous ones on real datasets.
Functional Credentials
Authors: Deuber Dominic , Maffei Matteo , Malavolta Giulio , Rabkin Max , Schröder Dominique , Simkin Mark
Published: February 2018

A functional credential allows a user to anonymously prove possession of a set of attributes that fulfills a certain policy. The policies are arbitrary polynomially computable predicates that are evaluated over arbitrary attributes. The key feature of this primitive is the delegation of verification to third parties, called designated verifiers. The delegation protects theprivacy of the policy: A designated verifier can verify that a user satisfies a certain policy without learning anything about the policy itself. We illustrate the usefulness of this property in different applications, including outsourced databases with access control. We present a new framework to construct functional credentials that does not require (non-interactive) zero-knowledge proofs. This is important in settings where the statements are complex and thus the resulting zero-knowledge proofs are not efficient. Our construction is based on any predicate encryption scheme and the security relies on standard assumptions. A complexity analysis and an experimental evaluation confirm the practicality of our approach.
Hessian-based covariance approximations in variational data assimilation
Authors: Gejadze Igor Yu. , Shutyaev Victor P. , Le Dimet François-Xavier
Published: February 2018

The problem of variational data assimilation (estimation) for a nonlinear model is considered in general operator formulation. Hessian-based methods are presented to compute the estimation error covariances. The importance of dynamic formulation and the role of the Hessian and its inverse are discussed.
Experimental Verification of Integrity of Low-Pressure Injection Piles Structure – Pile Internal Capacity
Authors: Pachla Henryk
Published: February 2018

The idea of strengthening the foundation using injection piles lies in transferring loads from the foundation to the piles anchorage in existing structure and formed in the soil. Such a system has to be able to transfer loads from the foundation to the pile and from the pile onto the soil. Pile structure often reinforced with steel element has to also be able to transfer such a loading. According to the rules of continuum mechanics, the bearing capacity of such a system and a deformation of its individual elements can be determined by way of an analysis of the contact problem of three interfaces. Each of these surfaces is determined by different couples of materials. Those surfaces create: pile-foundation anchorage, bonding between reinforcement and material from which the pile is formed and pilesoil interface. What is essential is that on the contact surfaces the deformation of materials which adhere to each other can vary and depends on the mechanical properties and geometry of these surfaces. Engineering practice and experimental research point out that the failure in such structures occurs at interfaces. The paper is concentrating on presenting the experiments on interaction between cement grout and various types of steel reinforcement. The tests were conducted on the special low pressure injection piles widely used to strengthen foundations of already existing structures of historical buildings due to the technology of formation and injection pressure.
TGF-Β as a Marker of Ulcerative Colitis and Disease Severity
Authors: Jovanovic Marina , Zdravkovic Natasa , Jovanovic Ivan , Radosavljevic Gordana , Gajovic Nevena , Zdravkovic Nebojsa , Maric Veljko , Arsenijevic Nebojsa
Published: February 2018

Ulcerative colitis (UC) represents chronic inflammation of the large intestine. Immune response plays an important role in disease genesis and progression. Activated leukocytes secrete several cytokines that actively regulate the inflammatory response in UC. The aim of this study was to determine levels of cytokines IL-17, IL-27, IFN-γ and TGF-β in patients with UC and to test them as biomarkers for disease.

The blood samples of 24 patients with ulcerative colitis without previous treatment and 37 healthy individuals were analyzed. Serum levels of IL-17, IL-27, IFN-γ and TGF-β were measured using sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits.

Serum levels of IL-17, IL-27, IFN-γ and TGF-β were increased in patients with UC, compared to healthy controls (p=0.022; p=0.001; p=0.001; and p=0.002; respectively). Ratios of cytokines IL-27/IL-17, IFN-γ/TGF-β and IL-17/TGF-β were significantly higher in group of patients with UC (p=0.002; p=0.002; p=0.003; respectively). Serum value of TGF-β higher than 20 pg/ml presents a highly sensitive and specific marker for UC.

We believe that increased production and predominance of immunosupressive TGF-β may represent compensatory mechanism for ongoing pro-inflammatory processes in UC.