bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Performance of Hidden Markov Models in Recovering the Standard Classification of Glycoside Hydrolases
Authors: Rossi Mariana Fonseca , Mello Beatriz , Schrago Carlos G
Published: April 2017

Glycoside hydrolases (GHs) are carbohydrate-active enzymes that assist the hydrolysis of glycoside bonds of complex sugars into carbohydrates. The current standard GH family classification is available in the CAZy database, which is based on the similarities of amino acid sequences and curated semi-automatically. However, with the exponential increase in data availability from genome sequences, automated classification methods are required for the fast annotation of coding sequences. Currently, the dbCAN database offers automatic annotations of signature domains from CAZy-defined classifications using a statistical approach, the hidden Markov models (HMMs). However, dbCAN does not contain the entire set of CAZy GH families. Moreover, no evaluation has been conducted so far of the viability of using HMM profiles as a means of automatically assigning GH amino acid sequences to the standard CAZy GH family classification itself. In this work, we performed a meta-analysis in which amino acid sequences from CAZy-defined GH families were used to build HMM family-specific profiles. We then queried a set with ~300 000 GH sequences against our database of HMM profiles estimated from CAZy families. We conducted the same evaluation against the available dbCAN HMM profiles. Our analyses recovered 65% of matches with the standard CAZy classification, whereas dbCAN HMMs resulted in 61% of matches. We also provided an analysis of the types of errors commonly found when HMMs are used to recover CAZy-based classifications. Although the performance of HMM was good, further developments are necessary for a fully automated classification of GH, allowing the standardization of GH classification among protein databases.
Understanding self-reported difficulties in decision-making by people with autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Vella Lydia , Ring Howard A , Aitken Mike RF , Watson Peter C , Presland Alexander , Clare Isabel CH
Published: April 2017

Autobiographical accounts and a limited research literature suggest that adults with autism spectrum disorders can experience difficulties with decision-making. We examined whether some of the difficulties they describe correspond to quantifiable differences in decision-making when compared to adults in the general population. The participants (38 intellectually able adults with autism spectrum disorders and 40 neurotypical adults) were assessed on three tasks of decision-making (Iowa Gambling Task, Cambridge Gamble Task and Information Sampling Task), which quantified, respectively, decision-making performance and relative attention to negative and positive outcomes, speed and flexibility, and information sampling. As a caution, all analyses were repeated with a subset of participants ( nASD = 29 and nneurotypical = 39) who were not taking antidepressant or anxiolytic medication. Compared to the neurotypical participants, participants with autism spectrum disorders demonstrated slower decision-making on the Cambridge Gamble Task, and superior performance on the Iowa Gambling Task. When those taking the medications were excluded, participants with autism spectrum disorders also sampled more information. There were no other differences between the groups. These processing tendencies may contribute to the difficulties self-reported in some contexts; however, the results also highlight strengths in autism spectrum disorders, such as a more logical approach to, and care in, decision-making. The findings lead to recommendations for how adults with autism spectrum disorders may be better supported with decision-making.
Successful Erasmus Experience: Analysing Perceptions before, during and after Erasmus
Authors: Asoodar Maryam , Atai Mahmood Reza , Baten Lut
Published: April 2017

This study explored the expectations, perceptions and experiences of students involved in Erasmus programs. The objective was to achieve a better understanding of students’ cultural and intercultural needs in order to underpin the development of teaching materials in Intercultural Education Resources for Erasmus Students and their Teachers (IEREST). To this end a questionnaire was distributed among students in the three stages of their experience: before, during and after participating in an Erasmus programme. 3557 students from universities located in Italy, United Kingdom, Finland, Slovenia, and Belgium took part in this study. Findings from the open-ended question and the closed questions were compared and contrasted to determine the essential factors that learners believed important in making an Erasmus experience successful. Results showed that becoming more independent, gaining another perspective on the way things are at home, and interacting with people from different origins were important factors for the learners. Findings also showed significant differences across gender and fields of study.
LED chip-on-board package with high colour rendering index and high luminous efficacy
Authors: Zhou Z , Wang H , Zhang J , Su J , Ge P
Published: April 2017

Existing white light LED technology uses a blue light LED chip to stimulate a phosphor powder to form white light. The phosphor layer on the surface directly affects the colour rendering index, luminous efficacy and colour temperature of the LED. We propose a high power, white LED, chip-on-board package technology to achieve high colour rendering index and high luminous efficacy by optimising the spectral power distribution. The chip-on-board package light source can achieve a colour rendering index over 90 and a luminous efficacy over 90 lm/W while the power is 45W. It can be widely used in commercial lighting applications.
Solve communication conflict among sensor nodes in body area network
Authors: Xiong Wei , Hu Fengye , Shao Meiqi , Xue Tao
Published: April 2017

Body area network is a new miniature wireless sensor network technology, which has found increasing applications, especially in medicine, healthcare, and entertainment. However, each sensor in a body area network has its own awaking and sleeping time due to its heterogeneous nature, which causes the phenomenon of communication conflict. Carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance method could not be adopted because body area network needs real-time data transmissions, especially emergency situations. In this article, first, a body area network system with hardware, software, and network administration is designed using ZigBee technologies, which includes network structure, sensor nodes, data collection, communication with upper computer, and so on. Second, the reason caused communication conflict in the body area network is analyzed, and accordingly a method to solve the conflict problem is proposed. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated through simulation analysis and system testing.
Comparing Biomechanical Properties, Repair Times, and Value of Common Core Flexor Tendon Repairs
Authors: Chauhan Aakash , Schimoler Patrick , Miller Mark C. , Kharlamov Alexander , Merrell Gregory A. , Palmer Bradley A.
Published: April 2017

Background: The aim of the study was to compare biomechanical strength, repair times, and repair values for zone II core flexor tendon repairs. Methods: A total of 75 fresh-frozen human cadaveric flexor tendons were harvested from the index through small finger and randomized into one of 5 repair groups: 4-stranded cross-stitch cruciate (4-0 polyester and 4-0 braided suture), 4-stranded double Pennington (2-0 knotless barbed suture), 4-stranded Pennington (4-0 double-stranded braided suture), and 6-stranded modified Lim-Tsai (4-0 looped braided suture). Repairs were measured in situ and their repair times were measured. Tendons were linearly loaded to failure and multiple biomechanical values were measured. The repair value was calculated based on operating room costs, repair times, and suture costs. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post hoc statistical analysis were used to compare repair data. Results: The braided cruciate was the strongest repair ( P > .05) but the slowest ( P > .05), and the 4-stranded Pennington using double-stranded suture was the fastest ( P > .05) to perform. The total repair value was the highest for braided cruciate ( P > .05) compared with all other repairs. Barbed suture did not outperform any repairs in any categories. Conclusions: The braided cruciate was the strongest of the tested flexor tendon repairs. The 2-mm gapping and maximum load to failure for this repair approached similar historical strength of other 6- and 8-stranded repairs. In this study, suture cost was negligible in the overall repair cost and should be not a determining factor in choosing a repair.
On thin ice: Hockey Night in Canada and the future of national public service media
Authors: Cwynar Christopher
Published: April 2017

This article considers the implications of rising sports rights fees and emerging digital media technologies for legacy public service broadcasters. I argue that, while the Hockey Night in Canada sublicensing agreement with Rogers prompted a significant amount of criticism of the CBC at the time, it is consistent with the broader history of the program. Furthermore, the situation is most significant in that it exposes the tensions between the CBC and the marketplace as manifested in CBC-TV. I suggest that this deal illustrates that the CBC should exit the commercial television marketplace. I conclude by suggesting that the CBC should shift its focus toward a renewed emphasis on noncommercial programming in areas often neglected by the commercial media. This approach could potentially provide a model for how legacy public service media institutions might reassert their civic and cultural value in an increasingly convergent and commercialized mediascape.
Is EUS-guided drainage a suitable alternative technique in case of proximal biliary obstruction?
Authors: Moryoussef Frédérick , Sportes Adrien , Leblanc Sarah , Bachet Jean Baptiste , Chaussade Stanislas , Prat Frédéric
Published: April 2017

Background:

Results of endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUBD) are unknown in case of proximal stricture. The aim is to assess clinical outcomes of EUBD in patients with malignant hilar obstruction.

Methods:

Patients undergoing EUBD with hilar strictures were prospectively included. Primary outcome was clinical success at 7 and 30 days (defined by 50% bilirubin decrease). Secondary outcomes were technical success, procedure-related complications, length of hospital stay, reintervention rate, survival and chemotherapy administration.

Results:

Eighteen patients with a mean age of 68.8 years were included. On 15 classable stenosis, 7 (47%) were noted Bismuth I–II, 7 (47%) Bismuth III, and 1 (6.7%) Bismuth IV. Reasons for EUBD were surgically modified anatomy in 10 patients (55.6%), impassable stricture at ERCP in 7 (38.9%) and duodenal obstruction in 1 (5.6%). Only hepaticogastrostomy was performed. Clinical success was at day 7 and 30 respectively 72.2% and 68.8%. Technical success was 94%. Complications occurred in 3 (16.7%) patients. Median (range) length of hospital stay was 10 (6–35) days. Reintervention rate was 16.7%. Median (range) survival was 79 (5–390) days. Chemotherapy was possible in 10 (55.6%) patients.

Conclusions:

EUBD is feasible for hilar obstruction for surgically altered anatomy or after ERCP failure. Clinical outcome is satisfactory when considering underlying advanced disease, allowing chemotherapy.
Significance of Vertebral Endplate Failure in Symptomatic Lumbar Disc Herniation
Authors: Sahoo Madan Mohan , Mahapatra Sudhir Kumar , Kaur Sheetal , Sarangi Jitendra , Mohapatra Manoranjan
Published: April 2017

Study Design:

Prospective cohort study.

Objective:

Endplate lesions though have been implicated in the genesis of lumbar disc herniation (LDH), very little is known regarding their clinical course. Thus, the present study is aimed to investigate the incidence and types of endplate failure (EPF) in LDH and its correlation with the clinical symptoms and prognosis.

Methods:

Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of 66 patients with isolated single level LDH were studied. Three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient (3D FSPGR) MRI and computed tomography scans were used to identify the bony and cartilaginous EPF. Twenty-five patients were operated on and 41 patients were treated conservatively. Changes in the pain score, function and neurology were noted at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 weeks.

Results:

Endplate lesions were observed in 64 patients (96.9%), including bony endplate failure (bony failure) in 47 patients (71.2%) and isolated cartilaginous endplate lesions in 17 patients (25.7%). Bony failure group had similar pain and functional scores but more severe neurological deficit at the initial evaluation. Clinical parameters improved in all groups, but the recovery was lesser in conservatively treated bony failure patients.

Conclusion:

Endplate lesions are commonly associated with symptomatic LDH. Presence of bony failure can increase neurological deficit and reduce the chance of recovery with conservative management. The 3D FSPGR sequence of MRI can be successfully used for detection of the endplate lesions in the herniated disc.
Early Complications and Outcomes in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: An NSQIP Study Based on 5803 Patients
Authors: Lee Nathan J. , Kothari Parth , Kim Jun S. , Shin John I. , Phan Kevin , Di Capua John , Somani Sulaiman , Leven Dante M. , Guzman Javier Z. , Cho Samuel K.
Published: April 2017

Study Design:

Retrospective analysis.

Objective:

The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence, impact, and risk factors for short-term postoperative complications following elective adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery.

Methods:

Current Procedural Terminology codes were used to query the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) for adults who underwent spinal deformity surgery from 2010 to 2014. Patients were separated into groups of those with and without complications. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to assess the impact of patient characteristics and operative features on postoperative outcomes.

Results:

In total, 5803 patients were identified as having undergone ASD surgery in the NSQIP database. The average patient age was 59.5 (±13.5) years, 59.0% were female, and 81.1% were of Caucasian race. The mean body mass index was 29.5(±6.6), with 41.9% of patients having a body mass index of 30 or higher. The most common comorbidities were hypertension requiring medication (54.5%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (4.9%), and bleeding disorders (1.2%). Nearly a half of the ASD patients had an operative time >4 hours. The posterior fusion approach was more common (56.9%) than an anterior one (39.6%). The mean total relative value unit was 73.4 (±28.8). Based on multivariate analyses, several patient and operative characteristics were found to be predictive of morbidity.

Conclusion:

Surgical correction of ASD is associated with substantial risk of intraoperative and postoperative complications. Preoperative and intraoperative variables were associated with increased morbidity and mortality. This data may assist in developing future quality improvement activities and saving costs through measurable improvement in patient safety.
Political Pressures and Bureaucratic Consequences: Vignettes of Janmabhoomi Implementation in Andhra Pradesh
Authors: Konkipudi Kiran , Jacob Suraj
Published: April 2017

Drawing on vignettes from fieldwork in Andhra Pradesh, the article explores how political pressures shape bureaucratic practices around the government’s flagship Janmabhoomi programme. It argues that competitive state politics manifests in clientelist–populist voter mobilization leading to two-level political pressures—state politicians pressure higher bureaucracy which in turn pressures the lower bureaucracy tasked with implementation, and local politicians allied with the governing party put direct pressures on lower bureaucracy for favouritism. Lower level bureaucrats cope with these impossible pressures by subverting official procedures, so that actual practices hardly match the rational Weberian construction in official documents. The article’s contribution lies in linking the ‘political game’ and the ‘bureaucratic game’ in a grounded empirical context.
Comparison of Oral Versus Intravenous Fluorescein Widefield Angiography in Ambulatory Pediatric Patients
Authors: Manoharan Niranjan , Pecen Paula E. , Cherof Amy M. , Oliver Scott C. N. , Palestine Alan G.
Published: April 2017

Purpose:

To compare the image quality and clinical utility of oral versus intravenous (IV) dye administration for fluorescein widefield angiography in pediatric patients.

Design:

Retrospective observational case series.

Methods:

Retrospective chart review of pediatric patients who underwent noncontact widefield fluorescein angiography (FA; Optos plc) at a single tertiary referral center (UCHealth Eye Center, Aurora, Colorado) between January 1, 2014, and May 31, 2016. Fluorescein angiography images were de-identified, and FA timing was hidden. A masked retinal specialist graded FA image quality and clinical utility.

Results:

A total of 103 FAs (62 IV and 41 oral) in 82 patients were reviewed. Oral fluorescein administration was more common in young patients (mean age: 8.1 years) compared to IV administration (mean age: 14.5 years; P < .001). Multivariate analysis with adjustment for age showed no statistical difference between oral and IV FA image quality ( P = .59). There was a high incidence of excellent clinical utility in both oral and IV FAs, with no statistically significant difference between the 2 methods. Subgroup analysis of familial exudative vitreoretinopathy, Coats’ disease, choroidal neovascular membrane, and uveitis also showed no statistical difference in clinical utility between IV and oral FA.

Conclusion:

Oral widefield FA had excellent clinical utility and comparable image quality to IV fluorescein widefield angiography (with adjustment for age). For the evaluation of pediatric retinal disease, oral FA can be a clinically useful diagnostic tool in pediatric patients who are intolerant to IV access, which may avoid some need for FA under general anesthesia.
United States Population-Based Estimates of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Symptom and Functional Status Reference Values for Individuals With Cancer
Authors: Jensen Roxanne E. , Potosky Arnold L. , Moinpour Carol M. , Lobo Tania , Cella David , Hahn Elizabeth A. , Thissen David , Smith Ashley Wilder , Ahn Jaeil , Luta George , Reeve Bryce B.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

To estimate cancer population-based reference values in the United States for eight PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) domains by age and stage of disease.

Patients and Methods

For the Measuring Your Health (MY-Health) study, persons newly diagnosed with cancer (prostate, colorectal, non–small-cell lung, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, breast, uterine, or cervical) from 2010 to 2012 (N = 5,284) were recruited through the National Cancer Institute’s SEER Program. Participants were mailed surveys 6 to 13 months after diagnosis. Raking by race/ethnicity, age, and stage generated weighted average PROMIS scores for pain interference, fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, physical function, ability to participate in social roles, and cognitive function. PROMIS measures are standardized to a T-score metric, with a score of 50 representing the general US population mean. Clinically meaningful differences were defined as a 3-point difference in scores.

Results

Several reference values (means) for patients with cancer were worse than the general United States population norms of 50. These include pain interference (52.4), fatigue (52.2), and physical function (44.1). Reference values were highest (ie, showed greatest symptom burden) in lung cancer (pain interference, 55.5; fatigue, 57.3; depression, 51.4) and cervical cancer (anxiety, 53.2; sleep disturbance, 53.4). Reference values for patients age 65 to 84 years reported lower sleep disturbance, anxiety, and depression, and better cognitive function than younger patients. Cancer reference values were poorer among those with advanced disease compared with patients with limited or no evidence of disease, specifically physical function (41.1 v 46.6, respectively), fatigue (55.8 v 50.2, respectively), and pain interference (55.2 v 50.9, respectively).

Conclusion

In a large, population-based sample of patients with recently diagnosed cancer, we observed symptom severity and functional deficits by age, stage, and cancer type consistent with the expected impact of cancer diagnosis and treatment. These United States cancer reference values can help facilitate interpretation of the PROMIS domain scores in research studies or in clinical applications that measure and evaluate the symptom and functional burden patients with cancer experience after initial treatment.
Lenalidomide Maintenance Compared With Placebo in Responding Elderly Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Treated With First-Line Rituximab Plus Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, and Prednisone
Authors: Thieblemont Catherine , Tilly Hervé , Gomes da Silva Maria , Casasnovas Rene-Olivier , Fruchart Christophe , Morschhauser Franck , Haioun Corinne , Lazarovici Julien , Grosicka Anida , Perrot Aurore , Trotman Judith , Sebban Catherine , Caballero Dolores , Greil Richard , van Eygen Koen , Cohen Amos M. , Gonzalez Hugo , Bouabdallah Reda , Oberic Lucie , Corront Bernadette , Choufi Bachra , Lopez-Guillermo Armando , Catalano John , Van Hoof Achiel , Briere Josette , Cabeçadas Jose , Salles Gilles , Gaulard Philippe , Bosly Andre , Coiffier Bertrand
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The standard treatment of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is rituximab in combination with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP). Lenalidomide, an immunomodulatory agent, has shown activity in DLBCL. This randomized phase III trial compared lenalidomide as maintenance therapy with placebo in elderly patients with DLBCL who achieved a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) to R-CHOP induction.

Methods

Patients with previously untreated DLBCL or other aggressive B-cell lymphoma were 60 to 80 years old, had CR or PR after six or eight cycles of R-CHOP, and were randomly assigned to lenalidomide maintenance 25 mg/d or placebo for 21 days of every 28-day cycle for 24 months. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS).

Results

A total of 650 patients were randomly assigned. At the time of the primary analysis (December 2015), with a median follow-up of 39 months from random assignment, median PFS was not reached for lenalidomide maintenance versus 58.9 months for placebo (hazard ratio, 0.708; 95% CI, 0.537 to 0.933; P = .01). The result was consistent among analyzed subgroups (eg, male v female, age-adjusted International Prognostic Index 0 or 1 v 2 or 3, age younger than 70 v ≥ 70 years), response (PR v CR) after R-CHOP, and positron emission tomography status at assignment (negative v positive). With longer median follow-up of 52 months (October 2016), overall survival was similar between arms (hazard ratio, 1.218; 95% CI, 0.861 to 1.721; P = .26). Most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events associated with lenalidomide versus placebo maintenance were neutropenia (56% v 22%) and cutaneous reactions (5% v 1%), respectively.

Conclusion

Lenalidomide maintenance for 24 months after obtaining a CR or PR to R-CHOP significantly prolonged PFS in elderly patients with DLBCL.
Refusing the World: Silence, Commoning, and the Anthropocene
Authors: Kanngieser Anja , Beuret Nicholas
Published: April 2017

This essay establishes silence as an ethical-political response to the Anthropocene. Silence is key to the making of commons, which frames the reinvention of ways of living and relating as a necessary response to the Anthropocene moment. Drawing from and intervening in autonomist Marxist debates on communicative labor, recent interdisciplinary work on Anthropocene ecologies, and writing on the violences of ongoing colonialism, the essay shows how silence in its diverse forms can be used to expand what commons might mean and what they might come to do in the present era. Mindful of the ambivalences of silence, it contends that the tensions inherent to its politics foster the suspension of assertions on how the world is, or how it should be. In this way, silence is argued as crucial to making spaces in which the proliferation of different ways of being can occur and from within which resistance against forms of cognitive capitalism, neo/colonialism, and the ecological destruction of the earth can take place.
What Can Art Do about Pipeline Politics?
Authors: Holmes Brian
Published: April 2017

This text explores the consequences of the massive flow of Canadian heavy crude oil from the Alberta Tar Sands to the Chicago metropolitan area. The boom in North American oil extraction has literally strained petroleum infrastructure to its bursting point. How do urban populations react to the intensifying pressure of “pipeline politics” on their daily lives? In the Chicago case, at least some of them have responded with grassroots mobilization, cultural engagement, and the timid beginnings of institutional transformation. The interplay between community activists threatened by a refinery by-product (petroleum coke, or petcoke) and experimental artists seeking to engage both immediate environmental justice issues and long-term problems of climate change offers insights into the complex social formations that may someday shift the present suicidal course of advanced industrial economies, if voluntary blindness, managed oblivion, and pervasive institutional paralysis can be overcome through the exercise of what I call a “politics of perception.”
Water Exchange through Canal İstanbul and Bosphorus Strait
Authors: SÖZER A. , ÖZSOY E.
Published: April 2017

The Turkish Straits System (TSS) regulates the transports of water, material and energy between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Amidst existing environmental threats to the region surrounding İstanbul, the environmental footprint of the proposed Canal İstanbul project needs to be evaluated through methods of natural science. We take the elementary step to answer the particular problem of coupled strait dynamics by adding the Canal to an existing hydrodynamic model and estimate changes in their common response. Compared to the virtually unmodified exchange flow in the Bosphorus, the flow in the Canal has a weak lower layer current component, contrasted with intense currents at the exit controls at its junction with the Marmara Sea. The net flux through this simplest hypothetical TSS configuration is considerably increased for a given sea level difference across the system. The modified regime is expected to have climatological consequences.
Preservation and Access across Decades and Disciplines
Authors: MILLER S. P. , NEISWENDER C. , CLARK D.
Published: April 2017

no abstract
Looking at the recent advances in understanding α-synuclein and its aggregation through the proteoform prism
Authors: Uversky Vladimir N.
Published: April 2017

Despite attracting the close attention of multiple researchers for the past 25 years, α-synuclein continues to be an enigma, hiding sacred truth related to its structure, function, and dysfunction, concealing mechanisms of its pathological spread within the affected brain during disease progression, and, above all, covering up the molecular mechanisms of its multipathogenicity, i.e. the ability to be associated with the pathogenesis of various diseases. The goal of this article is to present the most recent advances in understanding of this protein and its aggregation and to show that the remarkable structural, functional, and dysfunctional multifaceted nature of α-synuclein can be understood using the proteoform concept.
“Mesenchymal stem cells”: fact or fiction, and implications in their therapeutic use
Authors: Robey Pamela G.
Published: April 2017

The concept of a post-natal “mesenchymal stem cell” (“MSC”) originated from studies focused on bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), which are non-hematopoietic adherent cells, a subset of which are skeletal stem cells (SSCs), able to form cartilage, bone, hematopoiesis-supportive stroma, and marrow adipocytes based on rigorous clonal and differentiation assays. Subsequently, it was speculated that BMSCs could form other mesodermal derivatives and even cell types from other germ layers. Based on BMSC surface markers, representative of fibroblastic cells, and imprecise differentiation assays, it was further imagined that “MSCs” are ubiquitous and equipotent. However, “MSCs” do not have a common embryonic origin and are not a lineage, but recent studies indicate that they are tissue-specific stem/progenitor cells. These cells share cell surface features owing to their fibroblastic nature, but they are not identical. They display different differentiation capacities based on their tissue origin but do not “trans-differentiate” outside of their lineage, based on rigorous assays. For these reasons, the “MSC” term should be abandoned. Tissue-specific stem/progenitor cells provide the opportunity to devise methods for tissue regeneration by the cells themselves (tissue engineering). Their use in other forms of regenerative medicine based on paracrine, immunosuppressive, and immunomodulatory effects is far less clear.
Results of early warning indicators for HIV/AIDS in 42 outpatient clinics in 25 northern provinces of Vietnam
Authors: Thi Huong Le , Doan Linh Thuy Thi , Pham Dung Kim , Phuc Do Huyen , Nguyen Huong Lan Thi
Published: April 2017

Background: The emergence of HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) is an unavoidable consequence of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and HIVDR early warning indicators (EWIs) could specifically assess factors at individual clinics associated with HIVDR. Thus, the present study aimed to collect data on EWIs for HIV/AIDS at 42 outpatient clinics (OPCs) in 25 northern provinces and cities of Vietnam in 2012.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Data was collected from 42 OPCs in 25 northern provinces between October and December 2012. The information was collected retrospectively from outpatient records from 2008 to 2011.

Results: In total, 99.8% ART patients were prescribed the correct regimen when starting ART treatment. All facilities met the target of under 20% patients lost to follow-up at 12 months. A total of 33/42 facilities reached the goal for on-time appointment keeping and 37/42 facilities achieved the target of first-line retention after 12-month ARV treatment. 

Conclusions: EWIs should be performed routinely in HIV/AIDS facilities. The data collected will contribute to monitoring, supervision, periodic assessment, and future plans for HIV/AIDS care and treatment programs in the area.
Federal State Educational Standards As the Element of Regulation of Educational Services in Russia
Authors: Лосева  , Loseva N. , Петрова  , Petrova N.
Published: April 2017

Th e article considers the regulation of educational activities in Russia, the federal state educational standards as

an element of regulation of educational services, legal requirements on education and educational standards.
The Russian economy for 30 years – the path from transformation to disappointment
Authors: Вакурин  , Vakurin Aleksandr , Ковнир  , Kovnir Vladimir
Published: April 2017

Examines the processes of economic and social reforms in the Russian economy over the past 30 years. The authors combine a review of the extensive statistical material and the theoretical and methodological approach to the analysis of the development of the Russian economy. The paper also considered over the preceding period of formation of the problems and prerequisites of economic reform that have shaped the course and results of reforms in the Russian economy at the turn of the twenty-first century. A large amount of sources and authors of theoretical works allow comprehensive idea of the processes of transformation of the Russian economy.
Ideation–Execution Transition in Product Development: An Experimental Analysis
Authors: Kagan Evgeny , Leider Stephen , Lovejoy William S.
Published: April 2017

Bringing a new product to market involves both a creative ideation stage and an execution stage. When time-to-market constraints are binding, important questions are how to divide limited time between the two stages and who should make this decision. We introduce a laboratory experiment that closely resembles this setting: it features a product development task with an open design space, a downstream cost increase, and two development stages. We show that performance is significantly worse when designers choose for themselves when to transition from ideation to execution and that decision control explains a large share of performance variation even after controlling for individual differences. How the time is allocated between ideation and execution does not affect mean performance, but later transition increases risk. One driver of poor design outcomes in the designer-initiated transition regime are delays in physical construction and testing of designs. We show that such delays can be prevented by “nudging” designers toward early prototyping. However, the most important performance driver is the lack of task structure in endogenous regimes, which can be remedied by demanding a concrete, performance-oriented deliverable prior to a transition.

Data and the electronic companion are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2016.2709 .

This paper was accepted by Serguei Netessine, operations management.
Promoting Change from the Outside: Directing Managerial Attention in the Implementation of Environmental Improvements
Authors: Dhanorkar Suvrat S. , Siemsen Enno , Linderman Kevin W.
Published: April 2017

Regulatory agencies, auditing firms, and supply chain partners externally promote change in firms. To this end, they commonly employ two different and somewhat contradictory intervention approaches. One approach uses punitive tactics to coerce firms to change, while the other approach uses supportive tactics to encourage change. Using the context of government agencies promoting environmental improvements in firms, we examine whether such punitive (e.g., regulatory inspections with possible sanctions) and supportive (e.g., environmental assistance, improvement recommendations) tactics can be administered in a complementary manner. Using a unique and novel longitudinal data set collected from two state-level environmental agencies in Minnesota, we analyze over 1,000 supportive environmental improvement (EI) projects in combination with intermittent (but currently uncoordinated) punitive tactics. One key finding from our research is that the timing, severity, and relatedness of punitive tactics is critical for directing managerial attention and thus improving the efficacy of supportive tactics (i.e., EI implementation). Contingent on their timing, inspections can increase EI implementation rates by up to 60% but can also reduce implementation rates by up to 50% compared with EIs in facilities that do not experience inspections. Classifying regulatory inspections as (1) either clean or adverse and (2) either related or unrelated allows us to further explain the influence of such punitive tactics on EI implementation. Finally, we provide evidence for a positive effect of successful EI implementation on long-term environmental compliance.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017.2748 .

This paper was accepted by Serguei Netessine, operations management.
Combined Heat and Power Generation in Liberalised Markets and a Carbon-Constrained World
Authors: Madlener Reinhard , Schmid Christiane
Published: April 2017

Combined heat and power production (co-generation, CHP) is an important option for carbon emission mitigation, the more rational use of energy, and a more sustainable development. This article provides an essentially non-technical overview of co-generation technologies and applications and the potentials, merits and drawbacks involved. The article looks at co-generation within the context of two major prevailing trends - energy market liberalisation and a growing concern about global climate change and the wasteful use of energy resources. We show that, on the one hand, there is a plethora of different commercial and pre-commercial CHP technologies and applications, with varying cost characteristics, diffusion prospects and potential environmental and socio-economic net benefits. On the other hand, we explain why, at least at the moment, liberalisation constitutes a curse and a blessing for the further market penetration of CHP, and that both the Kyoto process and recent technological developments are key drivers for the further deployment of CHP. Effective and long-term oriented policy action is needed in order to further exploit market potentials and to enhance new potentials by removing or alleviating existing non-technical barriers and market failures (e.g. related to financing, institutional inertia, fair access to the electric grid). In order to enhance its effectiveness, such policy action will to some extent also have to take into account the regionally, culturally, and societally varying conditions, despite the ongoing economic integration.
Biodiversity – Emerging Issues for Linking Natural and Social Sciences
Authors: Jentsch Anke , Wittmer Heidi , Jax Kurt , Ring Irene , Henle Klaus
Published: April 2017

More than a decade after the signing of the Convention on Biological Diversity, biodiversity loss is still occurring at unprecedented rates. There is a strong consensus that human activities are among the major drivers of biodiversity loss and that integrated approaches between natural and social scientists are needed. This paper develops the rationale for an integrative biodiversity research to produce socially relevant knowledge. It illustrates the challenges and potentials for integrative research using the examples of key drivers of biodiversity change: disturbances, invasions, and fragmentation as well as biodiversity conservation as a societal process. It concludes by highlighting conceptual changes necessary for integrative biodiversity research.
Waldbrände im Kreuzfeuer
Authors: Moretti Marco , Conedera Marco
Published: April 2017

Since prehistoric times, natural and man made fires were important for forest ecosystem dynamics. This study shows that species richness on the southern slopes of the Swiss Alps was significantly higher
on sites with repeated fires than on those, which did not burn. Fast spreading surface fires of low to medium intensity are likely to be crucial for initiating succession and adaptation processes in plants
and animals, thus enhancing biodiversity and promoting species conservation. On the other hand, fires pose significant threats to people and goods - through direct damage, erosion or emissions. Therefore,
in order to reduce biodiversity loss, it is suggested to introduce silvicultural methods, which mimic sporadic fires through providing a mosaic forest with open gaps of different successional stages.
Stürme in der Gesellschaft
Authors: Stingelin Martin
Published: April 2017

The etymology of the term "storm" is not certain: It either comes from natural realm or culture, viz the sphere of war.As a metaphor, "storm" bridges gaps in contemporary linguistic culture, including those
between scientific disciplines. The term "storm" is helpful in, for instance, analyzing changes in society, by translating individual development into the community association and vice versa. As the meaning
of this metaphor mutates, the perception of storms ranges from positive to negative experiences, including the power of self-regeneration, reorientation and reassignment, to a distinct awareness of crisis.
From a culture historical perspective, leading from William Shakespeare to Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, several literary quotations serve as a mirror, reflecting a new light on "storms" in
society. In this light, natural sciences and cultural sciences are closely connected through a series of questions.
Review. Development, Applications, Benefits, Challenges and Limitations of the New Genome Engineering Technique. An Update Study
Authors: Crauciuc Andrei , Tripon Florin , Gheorghiu Andreea , Nemes Georgiana , Boglis Alina , Banescu Claudia
Published: April 2017

We assume that the CRISPR Cas9 theory must be delimited by applicability, because the consequences of long term DNA manipulation remain unknown. Moreover, the irreversibility of this procedure should instigate researchers to reserved opinions.

Usefulness as well as benefits of CRISPR Cas9 made it one of the most popular and used genome editing technique. But with its huge potential, ethical and safety concerns emerge. Therefore, before continuing research in this direction we should have a well organized system that is able to make that differentiation between research and reproduction. However we truly believe in the future of genetic engineering and with the CRISPR-Cas9 system we expect that the opportunity of treating now so called incurable diseases arises. Time is all we need.
Pseudopecoelus mccauleyi n. sp. and Podocotyle sp. (Digenea: Opecoelidae) from the deep waters off Oregon and British Columbia with an updated key to the species of Pseudopecoelus von Wicklen, 1946 and checklist of parasites from Lycodes cortezianus (Perciformes: Zoarcidae)
Authors: Blend Charles K. , Dronen Norman O. , Racz Gabor R. , Gardner Scott L.
Published: April 2017

n. sp. (Opecoelidae: Opecoelinae) is described from the intestine of the bigfin eelpout,
Helminth (Cestoda, Nematoda) and coccidian (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) parasites of the eastern small-footed myotis, Myotis leibii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from Arkansas, with a description of a new species of Eimeria
Authors: McAllister Chris T. , Seville R. Scott , Bursey Charles R.
Published: April 2017

During May and July 2016, 32 eastern small-footed myotis (
Chemical Composition of the RS CVN-Type Star 29 Draconis
Authors: Barisevičius G. , Tautvaišienė G. , Berdyugina S. , Chorniy Y. , Ilyin I.
Published: April 2017

Photospheric parameters and chemical composition are determined for the single-lined chromospherically active RS CVn-type star 29 Draconis (HD 160538). From the high resolution spectra obtained on the Nordic Optical Telescope, abundances of 22 chemical elements, including the key elements such as 12C, 13C, N and O, were investigated. The differential line analysis with the MARCS model atmospheres gives Teff = 4720 K, log g = 2:5, [Fe/H] = -0:20, [C/Fe] = -0:14, [N/Fe] = 0:08, [O/Fe] = -0:04, C/N = 2:40, 12C/13C = 16. The low value of the 12C/13C ratio gives a hint that extra mixing processes in low-mass chromospherically active stars may start earlier than the theory of stellar evolution predicts.
Wide Field Multicolor CCD Photometry in the Vicinity of the Open Cluster King 7
Authors: Zdanavičius J. , Čepas V. , Zdanavičius K. , Straižys V.
Published: April 2017

We present the results of CCD photometry in the seven-color Vilnius system for 1549 stars down to V ∼16 mag in a 1.5 square degree field around the cluster King 7, at the Perseus and Camelopardalis border. Using photometric parameters, two-dimensional spectral types, interstellar extinctions and distances for most of the stars are determined.
High Velocity Spectroscopic Binary Orbits from Photoelectric Radial Velocities: BD+20 5152, a Possible Triple System
Authors: Sperauskas J. , Bartkevičius A. , Boyle R. P. , Deveikis V.
Published: April 2017

The spectroscopic orbit of a high proper motion star, BD+20 5152, is calculated from 34 CORAVEL-type radial velocity measurements. The star has a slightly eccentric orbit with a period of 5.70613 d, half-amplitude of 47.7 km/s and eccentricity of 0.049. The center-of-mass velocity of the system is -24.3 km/s. BD+20 5152 seems to be a triple system consisting of a G8 dwarf as a primary component and of two K6-M0 dwarfs as secondary and tertiary components. This model is based on the analysis of its UBVRI and JHK magnitudes. According to the SuperWASP photometry, spots on the surface of the primary are suspected. The excessive brightness in the Galex FUV and NUV magnitudes and a non-zero eccentricity suggest the age of this system to be less than 1 Gyr.
Normal subgroups of invertibles and of unitaries in a C*-algebra
Authors: Robert Leonel
Published: April 2017

We investigate the normal subgroups of the groups of invertibles and unitaries in the connected component of the identity of a

C
*

{\mathrm{C}^{*}}

-algebra.
By relating normal subgroups to closed two-sided ideals we obtain a “sandwich condition” describing all the closed normal subgroups both
in the invertible and in the unitary case. We use this to prove a conjecture by Elliott and
Rørdam: in a simple

C
*

\mathrm{C}^{*}

-algebra, the group of approximately inner automorphisms induced by unitaries in the connected component of the identity is topologically simple. Turning to non-closed subgroups, we show, among other things, that in a simple unital

C
*

\mathrm{C}^{*}

-algebra the commutator subgroup of the group of invertibles in the connected component of the identity
is a simple group modulo its center. A similar result holds for unitaries under a mild extra assumption.