bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Specifics of multi-project management: interaction and resources constraints
Authors: Tsvetkova Nadezhda , Tukkel Iosif
Published: June 2017

Multi-project management is fundamentally different from the control of a particular project or a set of slightly interconnected projects in terms of complexity and specifics. In multiproject management of the company production it is important to analyze the innovation interaction and its impact on the commercialization stage. A multiparameter factor of innovations interaction was introduced. The optimization problem which considers this factor was mathematically defined. The solution of this problem produces a schedule of innovations launches. This problem definition allows updating the objective function that corresponds to the aims of a manufacturing company. For example, it can help maximize the number of interdependent innovations with restrictions to current tangible and intangible resources or minimize the number of used tangible resources at a fixed number of innovations implemented. In order to verify the optimization problem an evolutionary approach based on genetic algorithm and local search is used. The verification was performed by the Solver a Microsoft Excel add-in. The readiness for practical use of the proposed solution was proved by the experiment.
Quality management technology impact on small enterprise production activities
Authors: Ivanova Natalia , Lavrova Zoya
Published: June 2017

A modern quality management technology, the so-called quality management system (QMS), can improve the indicators of production activities of any company. Due to the advantages of a small business such project can be implemented faster and at lesser costs. The conducted research of the QMS development in accordance with ISO 9001-2015 at a particular small St. Petersburg enterprise in 2016 resulted in the growth of production output and labor productivity. The obtained results of the standards introduction in the troublesome divisions of a small firm demonstrate the attractiveness of the given technology for the top management of a corporation.
Features of additive technologies implementation in aerospace equipment production
Authors: Morgunov Yuri , Saushkin Boris
Published: June 2017

Additive technologies (AT) are effective when processing relatively small batches of products, when high costs of materials is compensated by lowering fixed costs which are related to the use of traditional technologies. Aerospace equipment production is characterized, as a rule, within single and serial (small and medium series) types of production, which is why additive technologies will be in high demand in this field of engineering production. There is a necessary condition, regarding the widespread implementation and spreading of new technologies. It is its technical and economic efficiency. This article provides specific information on the comparative characteristics of classic and additive technologies of the common purpose and some pros and cons of these technologies. The main disadvantage of layer-by-layer synthesis of complexly shaped products is a relatively long duration of machine processing, resulting in high production costs, depreciation of equipment, and calculation of net costs. It is also noted that the feasibility study of AT use leads to reducing the number of workers and costs for maintaining on-site life safety. Also the usage of AT will lead to the reduction of shop and factory overhead costs due to cheaper logistics. In the field of aerospace engineering the major and promising direction of work in the field of additive manufacturing is to improve the technologies and equipment for the synthesis of products of ceramic and composite materials.
Methodology of the evolutionary economics in application to the engineering problems
Authors: Kolbachev E.B.
Published: June 2017

Authors present an idea that the consulting engineering services are a type of knowledge mediation institution. This institution decreases a possibility of the participants’ opportunistic behaviour during the purchase and sale deal making. It’s actual, first of all, for the knowledge products, such as innovation projects and R&D results, and other search goods. In the article authors present a set of measurement instruments to make a said kind of valuation. Concept of the set is based on one of the evolutionary economics’ methodologies: a technological structure method. As a criteria for attributing a project to one or another technological structure are used a level of the real technology’s compliance with the extremely efficient, information materialization level, dimension scale of the forming processes and dominant management concept. The approach gives a possibility to minimize the possibility of the existence of the innovation processes participants’ opportunistic behaviour, and to increase the efficiency of the innovation activities.
Approaches to the evaluation of the effectiveness of innovative development of the machine-building enterprise strategy
Authors: Gerashchenkova T.
Published: June 2017

For the effectiveness assessment in the strategy of enterprise development it is expedient to carry out the regular monitoring of activities. For that there are must be estimated moment indices, rates of indices increase. A standard sequence is under formation characterizing rates of growth of some indices regarding others. Quantitative indices in sequences formed are established reasoning from the necessity to ensure the innovation development of an enterprise. In this case the degree of a correspondence of actual indices structure preliminarily formed by a standard one witnesses testifies management effectiveness which is quantitatively characterized by rank correlation narrowness. Specifying the priority sequence of indices one can design and establish in programs and plans of enterprise strategic development a model of successful economic activities.
Calculation of efficiency of the project of modernization machining shop of the instrument-making enterprise
Authors: Fomina I. , Dreshchinsky V.
Published: June 2017

One of the directions of investment activity of the enterprise is investment into fixed assets which include processing equipment. Investment into processing equipment demands presence at the subject of information directorate about expenses and results of operation of the available equipment, knowledge of a current state of development of technology, ability to allocate various versions of projects of modernization, to estimate costs of acquisition, development and operation of the new equipment, abilities to compare projects in the specified parameters, to estimate their expediency and economic efficiency In work modern problems of achievement by the Russian industry of the level of efficiency and competitiveness meeting the requirements of the world market of the knowledge-intensive and hi-tech production, realization of innovative development of the enterprises with ensuring the corresponding growth rates for indicators of economic efficiency are considered. In this article the example of calculation of efficiency of the project of modernization of machining shop of the instrument-making enterprise (St. Petersburg) for participation in the FTP is given. The used numerical values have exclusively demonstration character.
Communication support in manufacturing enterprise: coordination mechanism and management particularities
Authors: Simonyan T.V. , Ovanesyan N.M. , Midler E.A.
Published: June 2017

In the environment of market economy the economic system is competitive only if it defines its own communication system more properly, reacts to the market needs and requirements, creates and organizes competitive manufacturing production, takes actions that lower risks, and provides a transformation of in-process interaction. The participants of these relations was initiated by the formation of the elements of communication, together with market actors, is gradually getting involved in the modern process of innovation, developing new strategic decisions and initiatives. Therefore, manufacturing enterprises have to undertake considerable efforts and radically new approaches in order to make use of communication tools for strategic development. Recent gradually adapting to the current state of the market, setting up its coordination mechanism on the perception of communication support.
The Cardiovascular and Perceptual Response to Very Low Load Blood Flow Restricted Exercise
Authors: Jessee Matthew , Dankel Scott , Buckner Samuel , Mouser J. , Mattocks Kevin , Loenneke Jeremy
Published: June 2017

This study sought to compare cardiovascular and perceptual responses to blood flow restriction (BFR) exercise using various pressure and load combinations. Fourteen participants completed four sets of BFR elbow flexion using 10, 15 and 20% 1RM with 40 and 80% arterial occlusion pressure (AOP). AOP was measured before and after exercise. Perceived exertion (RPE) and discomfort were assessed before exercise and after each set. Data presented as mean (95% CI), except for RPE and discomfort: 25th, 50th, 75th percentiles. AOP increased post-exercise (p<0.001) with larger magnitudes seen when increasing load and pressure (p<0.001) [e. g., 10/40 ΔAOP: 21 (10, 32) mmHg vs. 20/80 ΔAOP: 62 (45, 78) mmHg], which also augmented RPE (p<0.001) [e. g., 4th set 10/40: (7, 8.5, 12) vs. 4th set 20/80: (12.75, 15.5, 17.25)] and discomfort (p<0.001) [e. g., 4th set 10/40: (0.75, 2, 4.25) vs. 4th set 20/80: (4.25, 6, 8,)]. Volume increased via greater loads (p<0.001), and participants only reached failure during 20% 1RM conditions [20/40: 74 (74, 75) repetitions; 20/80: 71 (68, 75) repetitions]. When performing BFR exercise with very low loads the magnitudes of the cardiovascular and perceptual responses are augmented by increasing the load and by applying a higher relative pressure.
The CDD System in Computed Tomographic Diagnosis of Diverticular Disease
Authors: Pustelnik Daniel , Elsholtz Fabian , Bojarski Christian , Hamm Bernd , Niehues Stefan
Published: June 2017

Purpose This overview sums up the Classification of Diverticular Disease (CDD) with regard to its application in computed tomographic diagnosis and briefly recapitulates its targeted advantages over preliminary systems. Primarily, application of the CDD in computed tomography diagnostics is described. Differences with respect to the categories of the older systems are pointed out on the level of each CDD type using imaging examples.

Materials and Methods The presented images are derived from our institute according to the S2k criteria. Literature was researched on PubMed.

Results The CDD constitutes an improvement compared to older systems for categorizing the stages of diverticular disease. It provides more discriminatory power on the descriptive-morphological level and defines as well as differentiates more courses of the disease. Furthermore, the categories translate more directly into state-of-the-art decision-making concerning hospitalization and therapy.

Conclusion The CDD should be applied routinely in the computed tomographic diagnosis of diverticular disease. Typical imaging patterns are presented.

Key points 

Citation Format
A Validated Method for the Quality Control of Andrographis paniculata Preparations
Authors: Karioti Anastasia , Timoteo Patricia , Bergonzi Maria , Bilia Anna
Published: June 2017

Andrographis paniculata is a herbal drug of Asian traditional medicine largely employed for the treatment of several diseases. Recently, it has been introduced in Europe for the prophylactic and symptomatic treatment of common cold and as an ingredient of dietary supplements. The active principles are diterpenes with andrographolide as the main representative. In the present study, an analytical protocol was developed for the determination of the main constituents in the herb and preparations of A. paniculata. Three different extraction protocols (methanol extraction using a modified Soxhlet procedure, maceration under ultrasonication, and decoction) were tested. Ultrasonication achieved the highest content of analytes. HPLC conditions were optimized in terms of solvent mixtures, time course, and temperature. A reversed phase C18 column eluted with a gradient system consisting of acetonitrile and acidified water and including an isocratic step at 30 °C was used. The HPLC method was validated for linearity, limits of quantitation and detection, repeatability, precision, and accuracy. The overall method was validated for precision and accuracy over at least three different concentration levels. Relative standard deviation was less than 1.13%, whereas recovery was between 95.50% and 97.19%. The method also proved to be suitable for the determination of a large number of commercial samples and was proposed to the European Pharmacopoeia for the quality control of Andrographidis herba.
Process is King: Evaluating the Performance of Technology-mediated Learning in Vocational Software Training
Authors: Söllner Matthias , Bitzer Philipp , Janson Andreas , Leimeister Jan Marco
Published: June 2017

Technology-mediated learning (TML) is a major trend in education, since it allows to integrate the strengths of traditional- and IT-based learning activities. However, TML providers still struggle in identifying areas for improvement in their TML offerings. One reason for their struggles is inconsistencies in the literature regarding drivers of TML performance. Prior research suggests that these inconsistencies in TML literature might stem from neglecting the importance of considering the process perspective in addition to the input and outcome perspectives. This gap needs to be addressed to better understand the different drivers of the performance of TML scenarios. Filling this gap would further support TML providers with more precise guidance on how to (re-)design their offerings toward their customers’ needs. To achieve our goal, we combine qualitative and quantitative methods to develop and evaluate a holistic model for assessing TML performance. In particular, we consolidate the body of literature, followed by a focus group workshop and a Q-sorting exercise with TML practitioners, and an empirical pre-study to develop and initially test our research model. Afterward, we collect data from 161 participants of TML vocational software trainings and evaluate our holistic model for assessing TML performance. The results provide empirical evidence for the importance of the TML process quality dimension as suggested in prior literature and highlighted by our TML practitioners. Our main theoretical as well as practical contribution is a holistic model that provides comprehensive insights into which constructs and facets shape the performance of TML in vocational software trainings.
Density matrices in full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo: Excited states, transition dipole moments, and parallel distribution
Authors: Blunt N. S. , Booth George H. , Alavi Ali
Published: June 2017

We present developments in the calculation of reduced density matrices (RDMs) in the full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo (FCIQMC) method. An efficient scheme is described to allow storage of RDMs across distributed memory, thereby allowing their calculation and storage in large basis sets. We demonstrate the calculation of RDMs for general states by using the recently introduced excited-state FCIQMC approach [N. S. Blunt et al., J. Chem. Phys. 143, 134117 (2015)] and further introduce calculation of transition density matrices in the method. These approaches are combined to calculate excited-state dipole and transition dipole moments for heteronuclear diatomic molecules, including LiH, BH, and MgO, and initiator error is investigated in these quantities.
Embedded nanogratings in bulk fused silica under non-diffractive Bessel ultrafast laser irradiation
Authors: Cheng G. , Rudenko A. , D'Amico C. , Itina T. E. , Colombier J. P. , Stoian R.
Published: June 2017

We report the formation of embedded nanogratings in bulk fused silica under quasi-stationary field patterns generated by ultrashort laser pulses in nondiffractive modes. The zero-order Bessel beam consists of almost non-propagative light pulses distributed along a narrow micron-sized channel sustained over a large non-diffracting length. Upon multipulse irradiation, a regular pattern of nanoplanes is formed across the channel, spaced at approximately λ/2n. Applying an electromagnetic scattering model [A. Rudenko et al., Phys. Rev. B 93, 075427 (2016)], we associate the formation of nanogratings with multiple scattering from randomly distributed scattering centers created by laser light. Constructive interference between the scattered wavelets leads to periodic excitation enhancement without requiring explicit synchronism conditions. Permanent material modifications are found whenever the local carrier densities are maximized towards the critical value. Multiple periodicities are predicted, either implicitly related to the coherent electromagnetic interaction or due to periodic field depletion and photon replenishment.
Planarizing cytosine: The S1 state structure, vibrations, and nonradiative dynamics of jet-cooled 5,6-trimethylenecytosine
Authors: Trachsel Maria A. , Lobsiger Simon , Schär Tobias , Blancafort Lluís , Leutwyler Samuel
Published: June 2017

We measure the S0 → S1 spectrum and time-resolved S1 state nonradiative dynamics of the “clamped” cytosine derivative 5,6-trimethylenecytosine (TMCyt) in a supersonic jet, using two-color resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI), UV/UV holeburning, and ns time-resolved pump/delayed ionization. The experiments are complemented with spin-component scaled second-order approximate coupled cluster (SCS-CC2), time-dependent density functional theory, and multi-state second-order perturbation-theory (MS-CASPT2) ab initio calculations. While the R2PI spectrum of cytosine breaks off ∼500 cm−1 above its 000 band, that of TMCyt extends up to +4400 cm−1 higher, with over a hundred resolved vibronic bands. Thus, clamping the cytosine C5–C6 bond allows us to explore the S1 state vibrations and S0 → S1 geometry changes in detail. The TMCyt S1 state out-of-plane vibrations ν1′, ν3′, and ν5′ lie below 420 cm−1, and the in-plane ν11′, ν12′, and ν23′ vibrational fundamentals appear at 450, 470, and 944 cm−1. S0  →  S1 vibronic simulations based on SCS-CC2 calculations agree well with experiment if the calculated ν1′, ν3′, and ν5′ frequencies are reduced by a factor of 2–3. MS-CASPT2 calculations predict that the ethylene-type S1 ⇝ S0 conical intersection (CI) increases from +366 cm−1 in cytosine to >6000 cm−1 in TMCyt, explaining the long lifetime and extended S0 → S1 spectrum. The lowest-energy S1 ⇝ S0 CI of TMCyt is the “amino out-of-plane” (OPX) intersection, calculated at +4190 cm−1. The experimental S1 ⇝ S0 internal conversion rate constant at the S1(v′=0) level is kIC=0.98–2.2⋅108 s−1, which is ∼10 times smaller than in 1-methylcytosine and cytosine. The S1(v′=0) level relaxes into the T1(3ππ*) state by intersystem crossing with kISC=0.41–1.6⋅108 s−1. The T1 state energy is measured to lie 24 580±560 cm−1 above the S0 state. The S1(v′=0) lifetime is τ=2.9 ns, resulting in an estimated fluorescence quantum yield of Φfl=24%. Intense two-color R2PI spectra of the TMCyt amino-enol tautomers appear above 36 000 cm−1. A sharp S1 ionization threshold is observed for amino-keto TMCyt, yielding an adiabatic ionization energy of 8.114±0.002 eV.
Practical nanoscale field emission devices for integrated circuits
Authors: Jones William M. , Lukin Daniil , Scherer Axel
Published: June 2017

Nanoscale field emission devices promise many advantages over traditional solid-state devices including fast switching speeds, extreme operating temperatures, and radiation hardness. Despite this, practical circuits have long been hampered by the extreme requirements of nanoscale field emitters. Devices have required vacuum packaging, or extremely sharp emission points that are difficult to reproduce, or cannot be integrated on a single wafer with independent gating. We demonstrate CMOS compatible, integratable two- and three-terminal devices operating at near atmospheric pressures with high single tip currents at low voltages that can be used as building blocks for future circuits.
Cooperative effects in an ensemble of planar meta-atoms
Authors: Wenclawiak Moritz , Unterrainer Karl , Darmo Juraj
Published: June 2017

The modification of the radiative efficiency of meta-atoms, as the basic building blocks of a metamaterial surface, in a confined environment is presented and discussed. We demonstrate the substantial influence on their radiative lifetime in the terahertz regime when they are arranged in densely packed super-cells. The observed change of lifetime with respect to the number of meta-atoms resembles the cooperative behavior of an ensemble of excited atoms in a confined volume.
Uniform large-area growth of nanotemplated high-quality monolayer MoS2
Authors: Young Justin R. , Chilcote Michael , Barone Matthew , Xu Jinsong , Katoch Jyoti , Luo Yunqiu Kelly , Mueller Sara , Asel Thaddeus J. , Fullerton-Shirey Susan K. , Kawakami Roland , Gupta Jay A. , Brillson Leonard J. , Johnston-Halperin Ezekiel
Published: June 2017

Over the past decade, it has become apparent that the extreme sensitivity of 2D crystals to surface interactions presents a unique opportunity to tune material properties through surface functionalization and the mechanical assembly of 2D heterostructures. However, this opportunity carries with it a concurrent challenge: an enhanced sensitivity to surface contamination introduced by standard patterning techniques that is exacerbated by the difficulty in cleaning these atomically thin materials. Here, we report a templated MoS2 growth technique wherein Mo is deposited onto atomically stepped sapphire substrates through a SiN stencil with feature sizes down to 100 nm and subsequently sulfurized at high temperature. These films have a quality comparable to the best MoS2 prepared by other methodologies, and the thickness of the resulting MoS2 patterns can be tuned layer-by-layer by controlling the initial Mo deposition. The quality and thickness of the films are confirmed by scanning electron, scanning tunneling, and atomic force microscopies; Raman, photoluminescence, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopies; and electron transport measurements. This approach critically enables the creation of patterned, single-layer MoS2 films with pristine surfaces suitable for subsequent modification via functionalization and mechanical stacking. Further, we anticipate that this growth technique should be broadly applicable within the family of transition metal dichalcogenides.
MOPSA: A microfluidics-optimized particle simulation algorithm
Authors: Wang Junchao , Rodgers Victor G. J. , Brisk Philip , Grover William H.
Published: June 2017

Computer simulation plays a growing role in the design of microfluidic chips. However, the particle tracers in some existing commercial computational fluid dynamics software are not well suited for accurately simulating the trajectories of particles such as cells, microbeads, and droplets in microfluidic systems. To address this issue, we present a microfluidics-optimized particle simulation algorithm (MOPSA) that simulates the trajectories of cells, droplets, and other particles in microfluidic chips with more lifelike results than particle tracers in existing commercial software. When calculating the velocity of a particle, MOPSA treats the particle as a two-dimensional rigid circular object instead of a single point. MOPSA also checks for unrealistic interactions between particles and channel walls and applies an empirical correcting function to eliminate these errors. To validate the performance of MOPSA, we used it to simulate a variety of important features of microfluidic devices like channel intersections and deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) particle sorter chips. MOPSA successfully predicted that different particle sizes will have different trajectories in six published DLD experiments from three research groups; these DLD chips were used to sort a variety of different cells, particles, and droplets. While some of these particles are not actually rigid or spherical, MOPSA's approximation of these particles as rigid spheres nonetheless resulted in lifelike simulations of the behaviors of these particles (at least for the particle sizes and types shown here). In contrast, existing commercial software failed to replicate these experiments. Finally, to demonstrate that MOPSA can be extended to simulate other properties of particles, we added support for simulating particle density to MOPSA and then used MOPSA to simulate the operation of a microfluidic chip capable of sorting cells by their density. By enabling researchers to accurately simulate the behavior of some types of particles in microfluidic chips before fabricating the chips, MOPSA should accelerate the development of new microfluidic devices for important applications.
Stabilization of 1T′ phase WTe2 by scalar relativistic effect
Authors: Kim Sol , Jhi Seung-Hoon
Published: June 2017

Among semiconducting hexagonal (1H), metallic octahedral (1T), and semimetallic distorted octahedral (1T′) phases that group-VIB transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) may have, the thermodynamically stable structure is known to be the 1H phase. The exception is WTe2, for which it is 1T′ phase. However, the origin of the stable 1T′ phase WTe2 is unknown. Here, we study the electronic property of group-VIB TMDCs using first-principles calculations to find the origin of the 1T′ phase of WTe2. We find that the scalar relativistic effect in W stabilizes the 1T′ phase WTe2 against 1H-WTe2. The Fermi surface of the electron pocket of WTe2 is sensitively changed as the relativistic effect is turned on and off in W pseudopotentials. Calculated phonon dispersion exhibits drastic softening in the phonon mode at the M point, which corresponds to the nesting vector qM on the Fermi surface. We show that difference in occupation of s- and d-orbitals is a key parameter that determines the shape and size of the electron pocket, and thus the stable phase of group-VIB TMDCs between 1H or 1T′ phases.
Dewetting of patterned solid films: Towards a predictive modelling approach
Authors: Trautmann M. , Cheynis F. , Leroy F. , Curiotto S. , Pierre-Louis O. , Müller P.
Published: June 2017

Owing to its ability to produce an assembly of nanoislands with controllable size and locations, the solid state dewetting of patterned films has recently received great attention. A simple Kinetic Monte Carlo model based on two reduced energetic parameters allows one to reproduce experimental observations of the dewetting morphological evolution of patterned films of Si(001) on SiO2 (or SOI for Silicon-on-Insulator) with various pattern designs. Thus, it is now possible to use KMC to drive further experiments and to optimize the pattern shapes to reach a desired dewetted structure. Comparisons between KMC simulations and dewetting experiments, at least for wire-shaped patterns, show that the prevailing dewetting mechanism depends on the wire width.
The tunable plasma synthesis of Pt-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites
Authors: Ma Yulong , Fang Shidong , Wang Qi
Published: June 2017

Herein, we have developed Pt-plasma reduced graphene oxide (Pt/P-rGO) catalysts displaying high overpotentials for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) through facile and tunable plasma treatments. We provide insight into the improved performance of these catalysts by combining electrochemical measurements with microscopic and spectroscopic characterization techniques. The analysis results showed that the Pt nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully deposited on P-rGO. The deposition and uniformity of Pt NPs were influenced by tuning the discharge power of the plasma. The catalytic performance towards the methanol oxidation reaction is investigated. The Pt/P-rGO NPs composites under 100 W show the best electrocatalytic activity. These results were vital to the further application of graphene-based metal nanocomposites synthesized by plasma technology.
Domain-specific activities in ASL-English interpreting and their relevance to expertise development
Authors: Adams Krista
Published: June 2017

This exploratory mixed-methods study examined domain-specific activities practiced by expert American Sign Language (ASL)-English interpreters. Qualitative data was collected through interviews for initial identification of domain-specific activities, making it possible to establish a list of 19. Then, quantitative data was analyzed from responses to a questionnaire regarding five characteristics of the identified activities: a) relevance to improvement; b) requisite effort; c) inherent enjoyment; d) frequency; and e) competence improvement goal. Of the 19 identified activities, four were rated as highly relevant to improvement of interpreting. Characteristics of the four activities were compared with the professional development activities recommended in the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) Code of Professional Conduct (CPC), as well as with related domain-specific activities in other professions. Given their higher ratings, defining characteristics, and similarities to activities in other professions, the four activities identified could result in greater performance gains for ASL-English interpreters than the activities recommended in the CPC. The findings may serve to guide interpreters in selecting professional development activities and enhancing their interpreting performance.
From concern for patients to a quest for information
Authors: Leanza Yvan , Rizkallah Elias , Michaud-Labonté Thomas , Brisset Camille
Published: June 2017

This study of social representations about interpreted medical consultations examines the discourse of French language focus groups (FGs), conducted in Quebec, with 22 third year medical students (4 FGs), 29 family medicine residents (4 FGs) and 47 experienced family physicians (5 FGs). The audio-recorded FGs were transcribed. Each discussed two video vignettes of interpreted consultations. Statistical textual analysis showed that the students’ discourse patterns differed by FG. Residents prioritized access to the patient’s culture via the interpreter, though recognizing the need to respect the patient-physician relationship. Senior physicians organized their discourse differently for each vignette, associating it with a ‘standard’ response: for them, the two main issues were the quest for information, which we relate to the medical socialization process; and the interpreter’s stances, in terms of how s/he is perceived by physicians and the role(s) s/he is seen to play in the consultation. Physicians tend to represent the interpreter as a controllable ‘object’, not a full-fledged healthcare professional.
The pitfalls of negative evidence
Authors: Blust Robert , Chen Victoria
Published: June 2017

Beginning with publications in the early 1980s there have been attempts to use syntactic data to determine the highest-order subgroups of Austronesian. These efforts fall into two categories: those which claim that the voice affixes of Philippine-type languages originally had exclusively nominalizing functions, and those which claim that the affixes themselves were innovated after the separation of Rukai from the ancestor of all other Austronesian languages. Although these ideas lay dormant for some years, recently both have been revived in renewed efforts to show that the Austronesian family tree is not ‘rake-like’ in its highest nodes, but shows extensive embedding of subgroups that can be justified by successive layers of syntactic innovations. This paper questions the methodological soundness of both types of arguments on the grounds that they appeal to negative evidence, and logically any such appeal can do no better than reach an inference of indeterminate status rather than the positive conclusions that have been proposed.
On some mysteries, asymmetries and derivation of potentialdeconstruction in Chinese
Authors: Wang Changsong
Published: June 2017

In this paper, some mysteries and asymmetries of the Chinese potentialdeconstruction are investigated. It is shown that a morphosytnactic approach is conducive to accounting for these puzzles. First we explore the possibility of takingdeand its negative counterpart -budeas functional heads (cf.Tsai 2001;T. Wu 2004). It is proposed thatbudecould be a functional head with the negative potential (i.e. impossible/impermissible) meaning. This could be evidenced by both empirical data and theoretical deduction. It is argued thatbuin V-bu-R, which is distinct from the normal pre-verbal negative morphemebu, is actuallybude. This helps to explain why the negative potential meaning is involved in V-bu-R. Meanwhile, V-de/budeand V-de/bu-R are both assumed to be formed through Morphological Merger (cf.Marantz 1988;Embick & Noyer 2001,2007, etc.). Meanwhile, we have discussed some asymmetries observed between V-de/budeand V-de/bu-R and some paradigmatic asymmetries between potential V-deconstruction and its negative potential V-budeconstruction. It is assumed that these syntactic asymmetries may be due to some morphological operations related todeandbude.
Electrochemical, mechanical and osseointegration evaluation of NBPC-coated 316L SS by EPD
Authors: Manonmani R. , Vinodhini S. P. , Venkatachalapathy B. , Sridhar T. M.
Published: June 2017

The effect of nano biphasic bioceramic (NBPC) coating on 316L stainless steel (316L SS) was investigated. NBPC coatings were developed on 316L SS by electrophoretic deposition process followed by vacuum sintering. The NBPC coatings were characterised by XRD, FTIR, FESEM with EDAX and AFM studies. The electrochemical performances of the coated samples were carried out by open circuit potential-time measurements, potentiodynamic polarisation and electrochemical impedance studies in Hank's solution. The electrochemical studies indicate that NBPC-coated samples have improved corrosion resistance and Vickers microhardness test showed enhancement in mechanical strength. Invitro studies with MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cell shows non-toxicity and high proliferation of NBPC-coated samples. These studies confirm the enhanced corrosion resistance, good mechanical strength with enhanced cell attachment and proliferation on the coated samples thus making it an ideal candidate for orthopaedic implants.
A test for a difference in the associability of blocked and uninformative cues in human predictive learning
Authors: Uengoer Metin , Dwyer Dominic M , Koenig Stephan , Pearce John M
Published: June 2017

In human predictive learning, blocking, A+ AB+, and a simple discrimination, UX+ VX–, result in a stronger response to the blocked, B, than the uninformative cue, X (where letters represent cues and + and – represent different outcomes). To assess whether these different treatments result in more attention being paid to blocked than uninformative cues, Stage 1 in each of three experiments generated two blocked cues, B and E, and two uninformative cues, X and Y. In Stage 2, participants received two simple discriminations: either BX+ EX– and BY+ EY–, or BX+ BY– and EX+ EY–. If more attention is paid to blocked than uninformative cues, then the first pair of discriminations will be solved more readily than the second pair. In contrast to this prediction, both discriminations were acquired at the same rate. These results are explained by the theory of Mackintosh, by virtue of the assumption that learning is governed by an individual rather than a common error term.
Hearing without listening: Attending to a quiet audiobook
Authors: Roebuck Hettie , Guo Kun , Bourke Patrick
Published: June 2017

Careful systematic tests of hearing ability may miss the cognitive consequences of sub-optimal hearing when listening in the real world. In Experiment 1, sub-optimal hearing is simulated by presenting an audiobook at a quiet but discriminable level over 50 min. Recall of facts, words and inferences are assessed and performance compared to another group at a comfortable listening volume. At the quiet intensity, participants are able to detect, discriminate and identify spoken words but do so at a cost to sequential accuracy and fact recall when attention must be sustained over time. To exclude other interpretations, the effects are studied in Experiment 2 by comparing recall to the same sentences presented in isolation. Here, the differences disappear. The results demonstrate that the cognitive consequences of listening at low volume arise when sustained attention is demanded over time.
Contribution of neuroblastoma‐derived exosomes to the production of pro‐tumorigenic signals by bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells
Authors: Nakata Rie , Shimada Hiroyuki , Fernandez G. Esteban , Fanter Rob , Fabbri Muller , Malvar Jemily , Zimmermann Pascale , DeClerck Yves A.
Published: June 2017

The bone marrow (BM) niche is a microenvironment promoting survival, dormancy and therapeutic resistance in tumor cells. Central to this function are mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Here, using neuroblastoma (NB) as a model, we demonstrate that NB cells release an extracellular vesicle (EVs) whose protein cargo is enriched in exosomal proteins but lacks cytokines and chemokines. Using three different purification methods, we then demonstrate that NB‐derived exosomes were captured by MSCs and induced the production of pro‐tumorigenic cytokines and chemokines, including interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), IL‐8/CXCL8, vascular endothelial cell growth factor and monocyte‐chemotactic protein‐1, with exosomes prepared by size exclusion chromatography having the highest activity. We found no correlation between the IL‐6 and IL‐8/CXCL8 stimulatory activity of exosomes from eight NB cell lines and their origin, degree of MYCN amplification, drug resistance and disease status. We then demonstrate that the uptake of NB exosomes by MSCs was associated with a rapid increase in ERK1/2 and AKT activation, and that blocking ERK1/2 but not AKT activation inhibited the IL‐6 and IL‐8/CXCL8 production by MSCs without affecting exosome uptake. Thus, we describe a new mechanism by which NB cells induce in MSCs an inflammatory reaction that contributes to a favorable microenvironment in the BM.
Structural differences between yeast and mammalian microtubules revealed by cryo-EM
Authors: Howes Stuart C. , Geyer Elisabeth A. , LaFrance Benjamin , Zhang Rui , Kellogg Elizabeth H. , Westermann Stefan , Rice Luke M. , Nogales Eva
Published: June 2017

Microtubules are polymers of αβ-tubulin heterodimers essential for all eukaryotes. Despite sequence conservation, there are significant structural differences between microtubules assembled in vitro from mammalian or budding yeast tubulin. Yeast MTs were not observed to undergo compaction at the interdimer interface as seen for mammalian microtubules upon GTP hydrolysis. Lack of compaction might reflect slower GTP hydrolysis or a different degree of allosteric coupling in the lattice. The microtubule plus end–tracking protein Bim1 binds yeast microtubules both between αβ-tubulin heterodimers, as seen for other organisms, and within tubulin dimers, but binds mammalian tubulin only at interdimer contacts. At the concentrations used in cryo-electron microscopy, Bim1 causes the compaction of yeast microtubules and induces their rapid disassembly. Our studies demonstrate structural differences between yeast and mammalian microtubules that likely underlie their differing polymerization dynamics. These differences may reflect adaptations to the demands of different cell size or range of physiological growth temperatures.
SVM-dependent pairwise HMM: an application to protein pairwise alignments
Authors: Orlando Gabriele , Raimondi Daniele , Khan Taushif , Lenaerts Tom , Vranken Wim F
Published: June 2017

Motivation

Methods able to provide reliable protein alignments are crucial for many bioinformatics applications. In the last years many different algorithms have been developed and various kinds of information, from sequence conservation to secondary structure, have been used to improve the alignment performances. This is especially relevant for proteins with highly divergent sequences. However, recent works suggest that different features may have different importance in diverse protein classes and it would be an advantage to have more customizable approaches, capable to deal with different alignment definitions.

Results

Here we present Rigapollo, a highly flexible pairwise alignment method based on a pairwise HMM-SVM that can use any type of information to build alignments. Rigapollo lets the user decide the optimal features to align their protein class of interest. It outperforms current state of the art methods on two well-known benchmark datasets when aligning highly divergent sequences.

Availability and implementation

A Python implementation of the algorithm is available at http://ibsquare.be/rigapollo.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Glycosylation of IgG-Fc: a molecular perspective
Authors: Kiyoshi Masato , Tsumoto Kouhei , Ishii-Watabe Akiko , Caaveiro Jose M M
Published: June 2017

Antibodies of the IgG class carry a pair of oligosaccharides (N-glycans) in the Fc region. The importance of the N-glycan is clearly demonstrated by its profound effect in the physicochemical and biological properties of antibodies. The term ‘glycoengineering’ has been coined to describe contemporary strategies to improve the performance of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies on the basis of modifications in the structure and composition of the N-glycan. These methodologies have resulted in the approval and commercialization of a new generation of antibodies with improved therapeutic efficacy. So far, these advances have been driven by herculean efforts in a process of trial-and-error. The collective work of researchers in this field is progressively revealing the molecular basis of N-glycans for the function of antibodies. This knowledge will ultimately be conducive to the application of rational approaches for the successful manipulation of antibodies using glycoengineering strategies. Herein, we review advances in our understanding of the role of the N-glycan in the structural and dynamic integrity, and biological activity, of antibodies. Since the N-glycan has a multifaceted effect in antibodies, in this review we have emphasized the importance of integrating various techniques that address this problem from multiple points of view. In particular, the combination of X-ray crystallography with nuclear magnetic resonance, molecular dynamics simulations and biophysical approaches based on thermodynamic principles, has emerged as a powerful combination that is deepened our understanding of this unique system with critical implications for human well-being.
Quantitative nanoscale mapping of three-phase thermal conductivities in filled skutterudites via scanning thermal microscopy
Authors: Nasr Esfahani Ehsan , Ma Feiyue , Wang Shanyu , Ou Yun , Yang Jihui , Li Jiangyu
Published: June 2017

In the last two decades, a nanostructuring paradigm has been successfully applied in a wide range of thermoelectric materials, resulting in significant reduction in thermal conductivity and superior thermoelectric performance. These advances, however, have been accomplished without directly investigating the local thermoelectric properties, even though local electric current can be mapped with high spatial resolution. In fact, there still lacks an effective method that links the macroscopic thermoelectric performance to the local microstructures and properties. Here, we show that local thermal conductivity can be mapped quantitatively with good accuracy, nanometer resolution and one-to-one correspondence to the microstructure using a three-phase skutterudite as a model system. Scanning thermal microscopy combined with finite element simulations demonstrate close correlation between sample conductivity and probe resistance, enabling us to distinguish thermal conductivities spanning orders of magnitude, yet resolving thermal variation across a phase interface with small contrast. The technique thus provides a powerful tool to correlate local thermal conductivities, microstructures and macroscopic properties for nanostructured materials in general and nanostructured thermoelectrics in particular.
Seed Rot and Damping-off of Alfalfa in Minnesota Caused by Pythium and Fusarium Species
Authors: Berg Laurine E. , Miller Susan S. , Dornbusch Melinda R. , Samac Deborah A.
Published: June 2017

Globally, 15 Pythium species have been found to cause damping-off and seed rot of alfalfa, although surveys of species causing disease on alfalfa in the midwestern United States are lacking. Pathogens were isolated by a seedling baiting technique from soil samples of five alfalfa fields in Minnesota with high levels of damping-off. Of the 149 organisms isolated, 93 (62%) were identified as Pythium spp. and 43 (29%) were identified as Fusarium species. Pythium sylvaticum, P. irregulare, and P. ultimum var. ultimum were aggressive pathogens on germinating alfalfa seedlings. Strains of seven Pythium spp. pathogenic on soybean and corn were also pathogenic on alfalfa. The majority of the Fusarium isolates were identified as F. solani and F. oxysporum with a low number of F. redolens and F. incarnatum-equiseti. The F. oxysporum and F. incarnatum-equiseti strains were the most aggressive in causing seed and root rot. Pythium strains were sensitive to Apron XL (mefenoxam) and pyraclostrobin in vitro but efficacy varied when the fungicides were applied as a seed treatment. Seed treatments with Apron XL were more effective than treatments with Stamina against Pythium. The presence of aggressive, broad-host-range pathogens causing seed rot and damping-off suggests that new strategies are needed for managing this disease in alfalfa production systems.