bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Amplification of the LFM signal by using piecewise vibrational methods
Authors: Jia Pengxiang , Yang Jianhua , Wu Chengjin , Sanjuán Miguel A.F.
Published: April 2018

We propose the piecewise re-scaled vibrational resonance (VR) method and the piecewise twice sampling VR method to amplify the weak linear frequency-modulated (LFM) signal. The system used to amplify the weak LFM signal is a typical bistable system with fractional-order deflection nonlinearity. The concrete procedures of both the piecewise re-scaled VR method and the piecewise twice sampling VR method are explained in detail. Through studying the effect of the factional-order exponent on VR, we find that the traditional bistable system is not the optimal model to improve the weak LFM signal. By investigating different parameters on the VR phenomenon, we verify the effectiveness of the two proposed methods.
Dynamic modeling and experimental analyses of Stewart platform with flexible hinges
Authors: Jiao Jian , Wu Ying , Yu Kaiping , Zhao Rui
Published: April 2018

A new dynamic model of the Stewart platform with flexible hinges is proposed based on the Kane equation combined with the principle of virtual powers. Firstly, the model and coordinates introduced are described. Specifically, the velocity and acceleration of each part are obtained through kinematics analysis. Secondly, balance equations are subsequently formulated using the principle of virtual powers. Noting that the vibration amplitude of satellites is very small in the space microgravity environment, a linearly simplified form of the dynamic equation of the Stewart platform with flexible hinges is obtained. Finally, the validity of the equations is experimentally and numerically verified, and it is also demonstrated that the proposed platform possesses a good vibration isolation performance. All the results presented in this paper lay the foundation for further study on vibration control using a Stewart platform.
Comparative analysis of natalizumab versus fingolimod as second-line treatment in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis
Authors: Lorscheider Johannes , Benkert Pascal , Lienert Carmen , Hänni Peter , Derfuss Tobias , Kuhle Jens , Kappos Ludwig , Yaldizli Özgür
Published: April 2018

Background:

No randomized controlled trials have compared the efficacy of fingolimod or natalizumab as second-line treatment in patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Objective:

To compare clinical outcomes after escalation to fingolimod versus natalizumab in patients with clinically active RRMS.

Methods:

Using the registry of the Swiss Federation for Common Tasks of Health Insurances, we identified patients with RRMS and ≥1 relapse in the year before switching from interferon beta or glatiramer acetate to fingolimod or natalizumab. Propensity score matching was used to select patients with comparable baseline characteristics. Relapse and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) outcomes were compared in paired, pairwise-censored analyses.

Results:

Of the 547 included patients, 358 were matched (fingolimod, n = 179; natalizumab, n = 179). Median follow-up time was 1.8 years (interquartile range 0.9–2.9). Patients switching to natalizumab had a lower risk of relapses (incidence rate ratio 0.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3–0.8, p = 0.001) and were more likely to experience EDSS improvement (hazard ratio (HR) 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.7, p = 0.01) compared to fingolimod. We found no differences in the proportion of patients free from EDSS progression (HR 0.9, 95% CI 0.5–1.5, p = 0.62).

Conclusion:

Natalizumab seems to be more effective in reducing relapse rate and improving disability compared with fingolimod.
Null-subject encounter: Variable subject pronoun expression in the Spanish of Quechua-Spanish bilinguals in the Central Peruvian Andes
Authors: Cerrón-Palomino Álvaro
Published: April 2018

Objectives and Research Questions:

This study explores the effects of bilingualism on the production of subject personal pronouns (SPPs) in speakers of two null-subject languages, Quechua and Spanish. The paper also seeks to determine if these effects can be explained by general bilingual accounts, such as the Interface Hypothesis (IH), or by contact-specific accounts.

Methodology:

This is a sociolinguistic variationist study; therefore, the data were collected with sociolinguistic interviews.

Data and Analysis:

The data consist of transcriptions of audio recordings of eight Spanish monolingual and eight Quechua-Spanish bilingual speakers of Huancayo (Peru). The data were analyzed by using the statistical software SPSS 23.0 and Goldvarb X.

Findings:

The IH predicts that the overt SPP rate of the bilinguals should be higher than that of the monolinguals and that the pragmatic switch reference constraint should be difficult for the Quechua first language speakers to master. The results show, however, that their rates are similar, and that switch reference was the most robust predictor for the bilinguals. This study’s results suggest that indirect transfer from the mandatory Quechua switch reference subordinating particle – pti is taking place.

Originality:

This is one of the first variationist studies examining the IH predictions regarding SPP production in bilinguals speaking an indigenous American null-subject language alongside Spanish. In addition, this is the first study to show, through statistical analyses, the contact-specific effect the other language can exert on a particular constraint in the subject pronoun expression of the bilinguals.

Significance:

The results of the study suggest that even subtle transfer in situations of language contact can be accurately explained by contact-specific accounts.
Exploring good practice in life story work with people with dementia: The findings of a qualitative study looking at the multiple views of stakeholders
Authors: Gridley Kate , Birks Yvonne , Parker Gillian
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Despite growing international interest in life story work as a tool for person-centred dementia care, there is little agreement on what constitutes good practice and little evidence from the perspectives of people with dementia or their family carers.

Design and methods

This paper reports the findings from the qualitative element of a larger study looking at the feasibility of evaluating life story work. Ten focus groups were held with 73 participants: four groups of people with dementia (25 participants); three with family carers (21 participants); and three with staff, professionals and volunteers with experience of life story work (27 participants). Findings: It became apparent through our focus groups that, when people talk about ‘life story work’, different people mean different things. This related to both process and outcomes. In particular, a person with dementia may have very different views from others about what life story work is for and how their life story products should be used. There was general agreement that a good practice approach would be tailored to the individual needs and preferences of the person with dementia. However, in practice many settings used templates and the process was led by staff or completed by family carers.

Conclusion

We produced nine key features of good practice which could be used to guide the life story work process. Key elements include the recognition that not everyone will want to take part in life story work and that some people may even find it distressing; the importance of being led by the person with dementia themselves; the need for training and support for staff, carers and volunteers; and the potential for life story work to celebrate the person’s life today and look to the future.
Higher education for happiness? Investigating the impact of education on the hedonic and eudaimonic well-being of Europeans
Authors: Jongbloed Janine
Published: April 2018

This study examines the impact of post-secondary education on the well-being of Europeans, comparing single-item hedonic and multi-dimensional eudaimonic models of well-being, operationalized as ‘satisfaction with life’ (SWL) and ‘flourishing’. The results indicate that the impact of education varies significantly when well-being is defined from each of these two perspectives: although vocational education is not significantly associated with the SWL of women and men, it is significantly associated with the extent to which both men and women are flourishing in their lives. Tertiary education is significant across all models for both SWL and flourishing. This study highlights the importance of comprehensive conceptualizations and measurements of well-being in European educational research and public policy.
Teaching Mindfulness to Undergraduates: A Survey and Photovoice Study
Authors: Mahalingam Ramaswami , Rabelo Verónica Caridad
Published: April 2018

How do emerging adults experience mindfulness and compassion? The goals of this study were to (1) evaluate the effectiveness of a mindfulness curricular intervention and (2) examine how students interpreted their experience. We delivered a mindfulness curriculum to 24 college students who meditated twice a week for 7 weeks. Students completed a survey at the beginning and end of the course where they self-reported information about their mental health, compassion, and creativity. Results showed that, over the course of the semester, students demonstrated improvements in measures of creativity, self-compassion, compassion toward others, mental health, and emotional regulation. To gain a more nuanced understanding of students’ interpretations of and experiences with the course material, we used interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) to analyze student photovoice projects (wherein they collected and analyzed images to represent mindfulness concepts). Findings illustrate how students typically understood self-compassion as self-acceptance, self-reflection, or self-care and understood compassion toward others as active alleviation, familial affection/affinity, interdependence, and mortality. Triangulating survey and IPA results demonstrate how contemplative practices such as mindfulness can help students cope with stressors associated with emerging adulthood. Integrating mindfulness practices in higher education is important for students’ transformative learning and holistic development. Further, our research suggests that contemplative education can benefit from using mixed methods (e.g., surveys and photovoice) to help students understand mindfulness and its connections with personal outcomes (e.g., learning, creativity, and well-being).
A multi-sensor fault detection strategy for axial piston pump using the Walsh transform method
Authors: Gao Qiang , Tang He-Sheng , Xiang Jia-Wei , Zhong Yongteng
Published: April 2018

The axial piston pump is a key component of the industrial hydraulic system, and the failure of pump can result in costly downtime. Efficient fault detection is very important for improving reliability and performance of axial piston pumps. Most existing diagnosis methods only use one kind of the discharge pressure, vibration, or acoustic signal. However, the hydraulic pump is a typical mechanism–hydraulics coupling system, all of the pressure, vibration, and acoustic signals contain useful information. Therefore, a novel multi-sensor fault detection strategy is developed to realize more effective diagnosis of axial piston pump. The presence of periodical impulses in these signals usually indicates the occurrence of faults in pump. Unfortunately, in the working condition, detecting the faults is a difficult job because they are rather weak and often interfered by heavy noise. Therefore, noise suppression is one of the most important procedures to detect the faults. In this article, a new denoising method based on the Walsh transform is proposed, and the innovation is that we use the median absolute deviation to estimate the noise threshold adaptively. Numerical simulations and experimental multi-sensor data collected from normal and faulty pumps are used to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.
“How Do Those Danish Bastards Sleep at Night?”*: Fan Labor and the Power of Cuteness
Authors: Goggin Joyce
Published: April 2018

This article considers LEGO’s fans and how their labor was mobilized to create The LEGO Movie. Many aspects of this film make it a compelling case study for ludic economies, such as the film’s self-conscious humor that suggests an awareness on of the company’s brand-growing strategies. My argument will address fans’ response to how LEGO has farmed their labor and the lack of resistance encountered in the extraction thereof. I will suggest explanations as to why this is the case, including the kinds of affect generated by LEGO and LEGO narratives as they are transmediated across platforms, from bricks, to animation shorts, to The LEGO Movie. This investigation will include a discussion of LEGO’s staying power in light of one particular aesthetic—cuteness—that contributes to the affective bonds people form with the bricks and the impact of this bond on consumer subjectivities.
Supporting successful interpretations of covariation data: Beneficial effects of variable symmetry and problem context
Authors: Osterhaus Christopher , Magee Jaclyn , Saffran Andrea , Alibali Martha W
Published: April 2018

People often have difficulty interpreting covariation data presented in contingency tables. The present study investigates adults’ success and strategy use in interpreting covariation data as a function of two factors that may influence performance: symmetry and context. We hypothesised that symmetrical problems, which involve comparing two candidate causes, would elicit more adequate interpretations than asymmetrical problems, which involve comparing the presence and absence of one candidate cause. We also hypothesised that problems with grounded, concrete contexts would elicit more adequate interpretations than abstract problems. College students ( N = 109) interpreted contingency tables in four conditions that varied in symmetry and context. Both factors influenced correct interpretations. A latent class analysis revealed three distinct strategies: (a) compute conditional probabilities (40%), (b) compare-two cells (23%), and (c) anchor and compare (37%), a novel strategy in which reasoners integrate data from all four cells in a stimulus-driven but incorrect way. Participants’ use of the conditional-probabilities strategy was higher in the symmetrical than the asymmetrical conditions, and higher in the concrete than the abstract conditions. Thus, even in a sample of college students, interpreting covariation data is a skill that is not fully consolidated, but instead depends on problem structure and context.
Relations between the residential fast-food environment and the individual risk of cardiovascular diseases in The Netherlands: A nationwide follow-up study
Authors: Poelman Maartje , Strak Maciej , Schmitz Oliver , Hoek Gerard , Karssenberg Derek , Helbich Marco , Ntarladima Anna-Maria , Bots Michiel , Brunekreef Bert , Grobbee Rick , Dijst Martin , Vaartjes Ilonca
Published: April 2018

Background

The food environment has been hypothesized to influence cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and coronary heart disease. This study determines the relation between fast-food outlet density (FFD) and the individual risk for cardiovascular disease, among a nationwide Dutch sample.

Methods

After linkage of three national registers, a cohort of 2,472,004 adults (≥35 years), free from cardiovascular disease at January 1st 2009 and living at the same address for ≥15 years was constructed. Participants were followed for one year to determine incidence of cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease, stroke and heart failure. Street network-based buffers of 500 m, 1000 m and 3000 m around residential addresses were calculated, while FFD was determined using a retail outlet database. Logistic regression analyses were conducted. Models were stratified by degree of urbanization and adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, marital status, comorbidity, neighbourhood-level income and population density.

Results

In urban areas, fully adjusted models indicated that the incidence of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease was significantly higher within 500 m buffers with one or more fast-food outlets as compared with areas with no fast-food outlets. An elevated FFD within 1000 m was associated with an significantly increased incidence of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. Evidence was less pronounced for 3000 m buffers, or for stroke and heart-failure incidence.

Conclusions

Elevated FFD in the urban residential environment (≤1000 m) was related to an increased incidence of cardiovascular heart disease and coronary heart disease. To better understand how FFD is associated with cardiovascular disease, future studies should account for a wider range of lifestyle and environmental confounders than was achieved in this study.
The effect of the number of ingredient images on package evaluation and product choice
Authors: Thomas Fanny , Capelli Sonia
Published: April 2018

In the highly competitive context of food product sales in supermarkets, consumers may have difficulty processing deeply the information on a given package. This research examines how the number of ingredients depicted on packaging in addition to the picture of the whole product impacts its efficacy depending on consumers’ motivation (hunger), opportunity (via cognitive load), and ability (via need for cognition – NFC) to process information. Three studies find that, under high cognitive load, packages depicting many ingredients induce more mental taste imagery, heighten purchase intention, and improve taste evaluations. For consumers with high NFC (vs low), under high cognitive load, packaging not depicting ingredients (vs five ingredients) is preferred when consumers are motivated by hunger. Under low cognitive load and whatever the NFC, information is processed centrally and evaluation does not depend on the number of ingredient images depicted.
Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer (Hrpc): Present and Future Approaches of Therapy
Authors: Di Lorenzo G. , De Placido S.
Published: April 2018

The mainstay of therapy for patients with advanced prostate cancer still remains androgen deprivation, although response to this is invariably temporary. Most of the patients develop hormone-refractory disease resulting in progressive clinical deterioration and, ultimately, death. Until recently there has been no standard chemotherapeutic approach for hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC), the major benefits of chemotherapy being only palliative. The studies combining mitoxantrone plus a corticosteroid demonstrated that chemotherapy could be given to men with symptomatic HRPC with minimal toxicity and a significant palliation could be provided. Recently, results from 2 phase III randomized clinical trials demonstrating that a combination of docetaxel plus prednisone can improve survival in men with HRPC have propelled docetaxel-based therapy into the forefront of treatment options for these patients as the new standard of care. There is a promising activity of new drug combinations such as taxanes plus vinca alkaloids; bisphosphonates are assuming a prominent role in prostate therapy through their ability to prevent skeletal morbidity. Combinations of classic chemotherapeutic agents and biological drugs began to be tested in phase II-III trials and the first results appear interesting. This article focuses on combinations recently evaluated or under clinical development for the treatment of HRPC.
Soluble CD30 and Lymphocyte Activation Gene-3 (CD223), as Potential Serological Markers of T Helper-Type Cytokine Response Induced by Acellular Pertussis Vaccine
Authors: Ausiello C. M. , Palazzo R. , Spensieri F. , Urbani F. , Massari M. , Triebel F. , Benagiano M. , D'Elios M. M. , Prete G. Del , Cassone A.
Published: April 2018

T cell responses are involved in vaccine-induced immunity to pertussis but no easy-to-monitor, serological markers are available to assess these responses. The lymphocyte activation gene-3 (CD223) molecule is present on, and released by, activated T helper (Th) 1 cells, whereas CD30 molecules have been associated with Th2 immune responses. Starting from the recent knowledge of the cytokine profile induced by pertussis vaccination, we examined the levels of soluble (s)CD223 and sCD30 proteins in child recipients of acellular pertussis (aP) and diphtheria-tetanus (DT) vaccines and in children receiving DT vaccine only, as control. The correlation of the two proteins with specific antibody and T cell responses was assessed. The main findings are: i) sCD223 and sCD30 levels are inversely related, suggesting that the two markers are the expression of different and counter-regulated T-cell responses; ii) sCD30 level correlated with induction of T cell proliferation to pertussis vaccine antigens and antibody response to pertussis toxin. Overall, sCD30 and sCD223 levels seem to be promising candidate markers to assess the induction of Th-type responses in vaccine recipients.
Expression of HECA-452 in Parapsoriasis and Mycosis Fungoides
Authors: Trolio R. DI , Lorenzo G. DI , Barberio E. , Iacono A. , Franco R. , D'Armient0 M. , Delfino M. , D'Armiento F.P.
Published: April 2018

We have investigated the HECA-452 expression in large plaque parapsoriasis (PP) and mycosis fungoides (MF) patients, evaluating the potential role of this biomarker in both cutaneous disorders. Skin specimens from 72 PP and 61 MF patients were selected in this study. We compared their actual histological diagnosis with their previous diagnosis and we found that all 72 PP patients had the same diagnosis as before (stable PP), while 26 out of 61 MF have a previous PP histological diagnosis (evolving PP). Our results show an increased expression of HECA-452 in MF compared to PP (p<0.01). Furthermore, evolving PP showed a significantly higher level of HECA-452 than stable PP (p< 0.05). We conclude that HECA-452 expression increases during the natural history of Mycosis Fungoides. HECA-452 could be used as a biomarker for MF and predict which PP evolves to MF.
Chlamydia Pneumoniae in Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis
Authors: Sessa R. , Pietro M. DI , Schiavoni G. , Galdiero M. , Cipriani P. , Romano S. , Zagaglia C. , Santino I. , Faccilongo S. , Piano M. Del
Published: April 2018

We evaluated, in 415 patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis: (i) the prevalence of C. pneumoniae DNA in atherosclerotic carotid plaques and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC); (ii) the distribution of C. pneumoniae in atherosclerotic carotid plaques and PBMC from the same patients; (iii) the correlation between circulating anti-chlamydial antibodies and the presence of C. pneumoniae DNA. Overall, 160 atherosclerotic carotid plaques and 174 PBMC specimens from patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis were examined by ompA nested touchdown PCR for presence of C. pneumoniae. In addition, C. pneumoniae DNA was detected in 81 specimens of atherosclerotic carotid plaque and PBMC obtained from the same patients. C. pneumoniae DNA was found in 36.9% of atherosclerotic carotid plaques and in 40.2% of PBMC specimens examined (P=NS). With regard to 81 patients, C. pneumoniae DNA was detected in 27.2% of atherosclerotic carotid plaques and in 44.4% of PBMC specimens (P=0.05). In 18 patients, the presence of C. pneumoniae DNA in PBMC specimens and atherosclerotic carotid plaques coincided (P=0.005). No statistically significant association was found between anti-C pneumoniae antibodies (IgG and IgA) and positive PCR results. In conclusion, our results suggest that the detection of C. pneumoniae DNA in PBMC specimens seems to be a first-choice method to identify the patients at risk for endovascular chlamydial infection.
Emigrant’s Remittances, Dutch Disease and Capital Accumulation in Bangladesh
Authors: Taguchi Hiroyuki , Shammi Rifah Tamannah
Published: April 2018

This article examines varying macroeconomic impacts of international emigrant remittances in Bangladesh since 1976 by using a vector auto-regression (VAR) framework. Bangladesh has recorded better economic performance during last two decades, 1996–2014, compared to earlier two decades, 1976–1995. The time-series analysis therefore uncovers some transition in the remittance impacts composed of the ‘Dutch Disease’ effect and the capital accumulation effect. The empirical results reveal the existence of the Dutch Disease effect for the first period, 1976–1995, but turned to show the positive impact on capital accumulation for the second period, 1996–2014. We speculate that the recent manufacturing-oriented policies together with institutional improvements have contributed to the transformation in the remittance impact towards a positive direction between two periods.

JEL: F22, F39, O53
Integrating Parenting Support Within and Beyond the Pediatric Medical Home
Authors: Linton Julie M. , Stockton Maria Paz , Andrade Berta , Daniel Stephanie
Published: April 2018

Positive parenting programs, developmental support services, and evidence-based home visiting programs can effectively provide parenting support and improve health and developmental outcomes for at-risk children. Few models, however, have integrated referrals for on-site support and home visiting programs into the provision of routine pediatric care within a medical home. This article describes an innovative approach, through partnership with a community-based organization, to deliver on-site and home visiting support services for children and families within and beyond the medical home. Our model offers a system of on-site services, including parenting, behavior, and/or development support, with optional intensive home visiting services. Assessment included description of the population served, delineation of services provided, and qualitative identification of key themes of the impact of services, illustrated by case examples. This replicable model describes untapped potential of the pediatric medical home as a springboard to mitigate risk and optimize children’s health and development.
Loloish dialect and script of 18th century Liangshan reflected in the Luoluo Yiyu
Authors: Nie Hongyin
Published: April 2018

In the Qing compilation Luoluo Yiyu there are preserved precious materials of the Loloish language and script of mid-18th century Liangshan. The version in Ōtani University has proved to be the definitive edition for Imperial reading, but as the last copyist was not literate in Loloish, his writing forms and glyph arrangements were influenced by Chinese instead of Lolos. Some entries in the Luoluo Yiyu can be successfully deciphered according to modern Liangshan Standard Yi Script and the Xide dialect of the Yi language.
A question concerning the antiquity of the first bronze seals in China
Authors: Selby Stephen
Published: April 2018

Seal carving is one of the great art forms of China, but one that is less known in the West. Over the centuries, Chinese authors have carried out many studies of the history and styles of seal carving. One question that remains unanswered to this day is when seals started to be used in China. This article addresses one aspect of this doubt.
Clonal interference of signaling mutations worsens prognosis in core-binding factor acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Itzykson Raphael , Duployez Nicolas , Fasan Annette , Decool Gauthier , Marceau-Renaut Alice , Meggendorfer Manja , Jourdan Eric , Petit Arnaud , Lapillonne Hélène , Micol Jean-Baptiste , Cornillet-Lefebvre Pascale , Ifrah Norbert , Leverger Guy , Dombret Hervé , Boissel Nicolas , Haferlach Torsten , Preudhomme Claude
Published: April 2018

Key Points

Presence of ≥2 independent subclones in the receptor tyrosine kinase/RAS pathway, defining clonal interference, is found in 28% of CBF AMLs. Clonal interference predicts shorter event-free survival independently of clinical variables and presence of specific signaling mutations.
Rapid simulation of borehole electromagnetic response in axially symmetric and transversely isotropic formations
Authors: Wang Gong Li , Abubakar Aria
Published: April 2018

Downhole well-logging data acquired by modern electromagnetic (EM) tools enables determining not only conductivity but also conductivity anisotropy of reservoirs. The most popular anisotropic model for EM data interpretation is a horizontally layered model with transverse isotropic conductivity in each layer. Such a model ignores the conductivity change caused by the mud-filtrate invasion that often occurs in a permeable layer. The invasion effect can be so strong that the conductivity derived using the 1D model can be substantially affected. We have developed an efficient forward-modeling approach that includes the invasion in the formation model so that the invasion effect can be properly accounted for in data interpretation and inversion. The approach uses a Fourier series expansion for the electric field in the azimuthal direction to take advantage of the invariance of conductivity in this direction. Each harmonic in the expansion is expressed in terms of numerical eigenmodes in the radial direction and exponential functions in the vertical direction. Physically, the latter describes a set of plane waves propagating upward or downward in the vertical direction. This property allows us to use reflection and transmission matrices to couple EM fields from layer to layer, making it highly efficient to simulate EM logging response because the two matrices are computed only once for all logging points. The approach is best suited for a multilayer and transversely isotropic formation in which each layer can have an arbitrary number of radial discontinuities. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the new approach can accurately model the response of induction and propagation tools in various formations. A speedup of two orders of magnitude is obtained in a multilayer case compared with a previous 2D method using a different hybridization strategy.
Statistical approach to neural network imaging of karst systems in 3D seismic reflection data
Authors: Ebuna Daniel R. , Kluesner Jared W. , Cunningham Kevin J. , Edwards Joel H.
Published: April 2018

The current lack of a robust standardized technique for geophysical mapping of karst systems can be attributed to the complexity of the environment and prior technological limitations. Abrupt lateral variations in physical properties that are inherent to karst systems generate significant geophysical noise, challenging conventional seismic signal processing and interpretation. The application of neural networks (NNs) to multiattribute seismic interpretation can provide a semiautomated method for identifying and leveraging the nonlinear relationships exhibited among seismic attributes. The ambiguity generally associated with designing NNs for seismic object detection can be reduced via statistical analysis of the extracted attribute data. A data-driven approach to selecting the appropriate set of input seismic attributes, as well as the locations and suggested number of training examples, provides a more objective and computationally efficient method for identifying karst systems using reflection seismology. This statistically optimized NN technique is demonstrated using 3D seismic reflection data collected from the southeastern portion of the Florida carbonate platform. Several dimensionality reduction methods are applied, and the resulting karst probability models are evaluated relative to one another based on quantitative and qualitative criteria. Comparing the preferred model, using quadratic discriminant analysis, with previously available seismic object detection workflows demonstrates the karst-specific nature of the tool. Results suggest that the karst multiattribute workflow presented is capable of approximating the structural boundaries of karst systems with more accuracy and efficiency than a human counterpart or previously presented seismic interpretation schemes. This objective technique, using solely 3D seismic reflection data, is proposed as a practical approach to mapping karst systems for subsequent hydrogeologic modeling.
Geologic modeling study of foothill area of the Junggar Basin rim
Authors: Zhang Guanlong , Xiang Peng , Wang Jinduo , Lyu Tieliang , Qiao Yulei , Chen Xueguo , Zhang Kuihua , Yu Hongzhou
Published: April 2018

The varied terrain and complex subsurface structure in the foothill segment of fold and thrust belts results in low-quality seismic data. Therefore, a structural model built only on the basis of seismic will have low reliability and be nonunique. To solve these problems, we have developed a comprehensive modeling method for foothill zones that combines gravity, magnetic (MT), electric, and seismic data. Information from gravity, MT, electric, and seismic data is fully used in each step of modeling. This reduces the nonuniqueness and guarantees the rationality and reliability of the tectonic model. The core of this procedure is simultaneous joint inversing gravity, MT, electric, and seismic multiparameters, which improves the accuracy of velocity model and results in a higher quality of seismic image. The Hala’alate Mountain area in the Junggar Basin, western China, is chosen as the application place, and the process of modeling is evaluated in detail; the structural model is proven to be correct by drilling data. Our method is more accurate and reliable than methods only using seismic data to build a geologic model in foothill zones.
Effect of interactions among individuals on the chemotaxis behaviours of Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Yoshimizu Toshiki , Shidara Hisashi , Ashida Keita , Hotta Kohji , Oka Kotaro
Published: April 2018

In many species, individual social animals interact with others in their group and change their collective behaviours. Meanwhile, for the solitary nematode Caenorhabditis elegans strain, N2, previous research suggests that individuals can change the behaviour of other worms via pheromones and mechanosensory interactions. Pheromones, especially, affect foraging behaviour, so that the chemotactic behaviours of individuals in a group (population) can be modulated by interactions with other individuals in the population. To investigate this, we directly compared the chemotactic behaviours of isolated (single) worms with those of individual animals within a population. Here, we showed that worms approached an odour source in a distinct manner depending on whether they were in the single or population condition. From analysis of behaviours with the N2 and a pheromone-production-defective mutant, the pirouette strategy was modulated by interaction of worms via pheromones. Therefore, we clarified that pheromones play an important role in the characteristic collective behaviours seen in the population condition.
Factors, Affecting the Efficiency of the Process of Updating the Company’s Basic Funds
Authors: Золотарева Г. , Zolotareva G. , Бахмарева Н. , Bahmareva N.
Published: April 2018

Th e article identifi es the factors infl uencing the effi ciency of updating the fi xed assets of the enterprise, involving the consideration of the time factor and allowing to ensure a steady generation of suffi cient infl ow of investment resources for the implementation of future investment projects.
Cutaneous foetal injuries related to amniocentesis
Authors: Papi L. , Farusi F. , Teti G. , Dini V. , Romanelli M.
Published: April 2018

Amniocentesis is one of the most important prenatal diagnostic procedures available to assess congenital abnormalities. It is performed worldwide due to its simplicity of execution and lack of risk. The most frequent known accidents in amniocentesis are abortion, oligohydramnios, amniositis and placental abruption, while direct foetal injuries produced by contact with the needle are rarely seen. The injuries produced are extremely variable in severity, but the most frequent is skin wounds, which usually heal as small, round depressed scars. The cases we describe concerns the occurrence of iatrogenic cutaneous wound lesions to a foetus during amniocentesis. The medical-legal analysis of the cases required dermatological expertise in order to exclude a different pathogenesis for the skin injuries to the child and were assigned by the Court, in order to assess the administrative compensation due to the parents of the child as a result of medical malpractice.
Outcome of Fracture Shaft Humerus Treated with TENS
Authors: Manjunath Dayanand , Shivanna Deepak , Verma Amit , Ramachandra  , Nambiar Rohan
Published: April 2018

Introduction: Diaphyseal fractures of humerus accounts for 3% of all fractures. Though conservative treatment is popular it has its own limitations. Choice of surgical interventions ranges from plate osteosynthesis to Intramedullary nail that have their own merits and demerits. Hence a study was done to assess the outcome of treatment of Diaphyseal fractures of humerus treated by TENS nailing.
Material and Methods: This is a prospective study of 20 adult patients with closed diaphyseal fracture of humerus treated with closed reduction and internal fixation with TENS nail between 2010 to 2013. Average follow up was 6 months. The fracture union was assessed clinically and radiologically. The functional result was evaluated with DASH scores.
Results: Of the 20 cases that were treated 85 percent of them had fractures in the middle third. 60 percent of the fractures were transverse and 15 % were oblique. Majority of fracture (75 %) united in 10 weeks and 20% non union. The complications encountered in our series were non union in 4, Superficial infection in 2, 1 implant failure and stiffness of the elbow in 2 cases. 65 % of the patients had DASH Scoring in range of 10-30.
Conclusion: Though nonunion rates are high. TENS provides relative stability but maintains the biological environment atthe fracture site which merits over open reduction. Its effectiveness in the oblique and spiral fractures where stability of reduction and compliance of the patient has a bigger role in the postoperative period is questionable.
Between ‘home’ and migritude: Louise Bennett, Kamau Brathwaite and the poet as migrant
Authors: Schenstead-Harris Leif
Published: April 2018

What is the relationship between migration and poetry? By examining poetry by Caribbean writers Louise Bennett and Kamau Brathwaite, this article provides historical context and alternative ways of answering this question. Theoretically speaking, this article embarks on the conceptual path of Aimé Cesairé’s use of négritude as a ‘compass of suffering’. It does so by adopting Vijay Prashad and Shailja Patel’s term migritude or an aesthetic attempt to live within the idea of the migrant subject. The article begins with a sketch that examines Warsan Shire’s poem ‘Home’ in the context of the Syrian refugee crisis. It then looks into the archive of Bennett’s and Brathwaite’s poetry to see how poems written by migrant authors help to shape visions of migration and migrant subjects.
Waiting zones and black holes: An analysis of the airport setting in Sérgio Tréfaut’s Journey to Portugal
Authors: Prata Ana Filipa
Published: April 2018

This article aims to discuss the representation of the airport as a waiting zone in the film Viagem a Portugal (Journey to Portugal) (2011) by Sérgio Tréfaut in which, within a minimal poetical and rhetorical composition overexposed and dramatized in fiction, are depicted the hidden procedures of borderland security and immigration policing. Combining an oppressive accumulation of spatial, temporal and communicational elements, this standstill territory is characterized simultaneously as a black hole from where one cannot escape and a threshold of segregation and prejudice where difference is produced. This article analyses how in this movie the airport assumes the form of a ‘banopticon’ where suspicious individuals are prevented from entering, interrogated and forced to return to their origin countries, in order to stress the different rhythms of waiting in contemporary contexts of travel and mobility.
Let’s talk about peace over dinner: A cultural experience on memory, dislocation and the politics of belonging in Cyprus
Authors: Photiou Maria
Published: April 2018

On Saturday 9 April 2011, Greek Cypriot artist Lia Lapithi invited a group of eighteen guests to join her for her own version of the Last Supper, a four-course dinner that took place in the warehouse of an old furniture factory in Nicosia, Cyprus. The dinner was the first project of a series of orchestrated meals that Lapithi hosted and participated, where the theme was hospitality and politics in Cyprus.1 Significant to Lapithi’s work are autobiographical experiences and the geopolitical division of Cyprus. Born in 1963 in Cyprus, Lapithi experienced at a young age the traumatic 1974 division of Cyprus and the on-going occupation of half of the island by Turkey.2 This article explores the significance of an orchestrated meal for the politics of belonging and remembering in contemporary Cyprus. It analyses the representation of the event by Lapithi, who engaged in questioning the meaning of peace by serving food as a ‘medium’ and as a ‘symbol of peace’. It also explores Lapithi’s strategies in communicating her own memories and experiences as a refugee who can visit her family’s house over the occupied northern side of Cyprus only as a guest. Through the discussion of food/taste and visuals, this article will consider how the dinner acts as a means of catharsis for the participants and develops a critical understanding of contemporary events in Cyprus and our reaction to them.
A travel in the narrative turn of the consciousness of a diaspora ghost in The Hounding of David Oluwale
Authors: Ojoniyi Olabode Wale
Published: April 2018

There is a sense in which African Diasporic contemporary narrative-centred drama helps in the reconceptualization of images, identity and the perception of ‘self’ against the ‘others’ within the totality of the experiences of the individual that form the sum of his/her consciousness. And, if we agree with Jean-Paul Sartre that consciousness is intentionality, it means that such images, identity, conceptualization and perception are prompts for narrative performance action and counter-action. In essence, narrative consciousness is not a mere dormant awareness and recreation of a state of being; it is perhaps an agent provocateur of crisis that often motivates characters to destructive actions. This is what we see in the recreation of Oluwole’s life in The Hounding of David Oluwale. The tragic end of Oluwole appears to have a link to the consciousness of his black ‘self’ against that of the white ‘others’, and this seems to, even now, underscore the uneasy life of the new African Diasporas in their host communities. It appears that there is an inherently sustained overt and covert conflict in the relationship between the Diasporas and their host. It is for this reason that one feels that the understanding of the narrative consciousness of the playwright and that of the characters in the play in existential dialectical terms is necessary as we continue to engage with the challenges of the life of the African Diasporas. This article, therefore, analyses the consciousness of the African Diaspora ‘selves’ against the ‘others’ of their hosts as reflected in the play.
Book Reviews
Authors: Ryom Knud , Pesarini Angelica
Published: April 2018

The Balotelli Generation: The Slurred Road to Inclusion and Belonging Through Football in Italy, Max Mauro (2016)

Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt am Main, New York, Oxford and Wien: Peter Lang, 204 pp., ISBN: 9783034325042, p/bk, £28

Global Mixed Race, Rebecca C. King-O’riain, Stephen Small, Minelle Mahtani, Miri Song and Paul Spickard (eds) (2014)

New York: NYU Press, 357 pp.,

ISBN: 9780814770733, p/bk, £21.99
Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis: presentation and comments on the new American College of Rheumatology guidelines
Authors: Toroptsova Natalia V.
Published: April 2018

The article presents a review of the clinical guidelines of 2017 American College of Rheumatology for prevention and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. The guidelines i contain fracture risk gradation not only for people over 40 years , based on the measurement of bone mineral density, 10-year probability of fractures by FRAX and prior osteoporotic fractures, but also for people under 40 years. The guidelines present , recommendations for initial and follow-up treatment for prevention of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis according the level of risk of fractures in different age groups of adults, and in children from 4 years of age, in patients with organ transplant and patients older than 30 years, receiving very high-dose of glucocorticoids . Oral bisphosphonates were recommended as first line treatment due to safety, cost, and because of lack of evidence for superior antifracture benefits from other OP medications. Oral bisohosphonates could be switched to another medication in case of intolerance. The issues of applicability of these recommendations in national clinical practice are being discussed.
Entrevista a Flavia Terigi
Authors: Baraldi Victoria
Published: April 2018

Flavia Terigi es licenciada en Ciencias de la Educación, magister en Ciencias Sociales, especialista en Políticas Educativas y doctora en Psicología. Docente regular de la Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento y de la Universidad de Buenos Aires. Es autora de numerosos libros y artículos científicos y de divulgación sobre temas de aprendizaje, curriculum y formación docente. El 9 de agosto de 2017 desarrolló la Conferencia «Trayectorias educativas y educación rural» en la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FHUC–UNL). En el transcurso de la visita a nuestra Facultad tuvimos la posibilidad de realizarle esta entrevista.
Bridging the Gap between TGF-β/Smad Signalling and Tumorigenesis Arising from Clonorchis sinensis Induced Hepatic Fibrosis
Authors: Nurzijah Ika , Juwita Dina Ratna
Published: April 2018

Clonorchiasis is a parasitic infection caused by food borne trematode, Clonorchis sinensis that is mainly prevalent in Asian countries, including South Korea, China, northern Vietnam, Japan, as well as far-eastern Russia, in which over 35 million people are the casualties. Clonorchiasis is characterized by the development of hepatic fibrosis. Upon chronic liver injury following the C. sinensis infection, hepatic fibrosis develops into cholangiocarcinoma with a concomitant genetic and epigenetic mutations. Cholangiocarcinoma represents important clinical manifestation of C. sinensis infection and causes high rate of morbidity. TGF- β/Smad signalling is known to initiate hepatic fibrosis following the hepatic injury. However, little is known about the role of TGF- β/Smad signalling during C. sinensis induced hepatic injury and the underlying contribution of TGF- β/Smad signalling in the development of cholangicarcinoma. The expression dynamic of TGF-β/Smad signalling and their role in the development of hepatic fibrosis in C. sinensis infected BALB/c mice have been investigated. Concomitantly but irrespective to C. sinensis infection, the role of hepatic epithelial TGF-β during hepatic fibrosis and the development of cholangiocarcinoma arising from hepatic epithelial cells have also been dissected. Both findings will be reviewed in this paper. Thereby, the link between TGF-β/Smad signalling, hepatic fibrosis during C sinensis infection, and cholangiocarcinoma could be drawn clearly.Keywords: Clonorchis sinensis, TGF-β/Smad signalling, Hepatic fibrosis, Cholangiocarcinoma
Start in ein nachhaltiges Jahrtausend
Authors: Caspers-Merk Marion
Published: April 2018

Mit langer Verzögerung setzt die Bundesregierung nun um, was Experten schon lange fordern: Eine nationale Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie, die die Aktivitäten bündelt und vorantreibt. Ein Motor dieses Prozesses wird der neu eingerichtete Nachhaltigkeitsrat sein. Die Umsetzung in das politische Alltagshandeln soll ein "Green Cabinet" aus hierfür zuständigen Staatssekretären gewährleisten.