bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Smart Home and Ambient Assisted Living Based on the Internet of Things
Authors: Sayuti H. , Rashid R. A. , Latiff N. M. Abdul , Rahim M. R. Abdul , Hamid A. H. F. Abdul , Sarijari M. A. , Ghazali N. E.
Published: October 2017

This paper presents a Smart Home and Ambient Assisted Living (SHAAL) system that has been developed and tested in a real experimental home environment. SHAAL system is designed on wireless sensor network (WSN) linked to the cloud network on the Internet. The development of SHAAL is divided into two phases: the design of SHAAL network and the development of SHAAL applications. SHAAL network is made up of the home network which is the WSN, and the cloud network. The network is designed using TelG mote that operates under Zigbee technology and includes various sensor modules for SHAAL system. The cloud network consists of the gateway, the server and user devices running on third generation (3G) network. Using priority scheduling algorithm for data transmission, it is shown that the performance delay of this system on the test-bed experiment is 34.2 percent less compared to the theoretical study. The implementation of the experimental testbed has proven that SHAAL has been successfully designed and deployed in the real world.
A Study of SVC’s Impact Simulation and Analysis for Distance Protection Relay on Transmission Lines
Authors: Khoa Ngo Minh , Hieu Nguyen Huu , Viet Dinh Thanh
Published: October 2017

This paper focuses on analyzing and evaluating impact of a Static Var Compensator (SVC) on the measured impedance at distance protection relay location on power transmission lines. The measured impedance at the relay location when a fault occurs on the line is determined by using voltage and current signals from voltage and current transformers at the relay and the type of fault occurred on the line. The MHO characteristic is applied to analyze impact of SVC on the distance protection relay. Based on the theory, the authors in this paper develop a simulation program on Matlab/Simulink software to analyze impact of SVC on the distance protection relay. In the power system model, it is supposed that the SVC is located at mid-point of the transmission line to study impact of SVC on the distance relay. The simulation results show that SVC will impact on the measured impedance at the relay when the fault occurs after the location of the SVC on the power transmission line.
Carbon Nanotubes Effect for Polymer Materials on Break Down Voltage
Authors: S. Nasrat Loai , A. Iskander Berlanty , N. Kamel Marina
Published: October 2017

Epoxy resin composites reinforced to different types of carbon nano-particles have been fabricated. Carbon black (20, 30 and 40 wt. %), graphene (0.5 to 4 wt. %) and carbon nanotubes (CNT) (0.5 to 2 wt. %) were added with different weight percentages to epoxy. The dielectric strength of composites was tested in several conditions such as (dry, wet, low salinity and high salinity). The mechanical characterization showed that the nano-composite Polymer enhanced by using these particles in the tensile strength. Thermal gravimetric analysis shows effect of these nano-particles on the thermal structure of epoxy resin. Scanning Electron Microscopic test is used to characterize the dispersion of carbon nano-particles and to analysis the fractured parts in the nano scale.
Design of a Selective Filter based on 2D Photonic Crystals Materials
Authors: Farah Lallam , Hadjira Badaoui , Mehadji Abri
Published: October 2017

Two dimensional finite differences temporal domain (2D-FDTD) numerical simulations are performed in cartesian coordinate system to determine the dispersion diagrams of transverse electric (TE) of a two-dimension photonic crystal (PC) with triangular lattice. The aim of this work is to design a filter with maximum spectral response close to the frequency 1.55 μm. To achieve this frequency, selective filters PC are formed by combination of three waveguides W1K A wherein the air holes have of different normalized radii respectively r1/a=0.44, r2/a=0.288 and r3/a= 0.3292 (a: is the periodicity of the lattice with value 0.48 μm). Best response is obtained when we insert three small cylindrical cavities (with normalized radius of 0.17) between the two half-planes of photonic crystal strong lateral confinement.
Extending UPnP for Application Interoperability in a Home Network
Authors: Arunachalam Kalaiselvi , Ganapathy Gopinath
Published: October 2017

The Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) technology offers pervasive communication across heterogeneous devices in a home or small office network. The UPnP specifications are available for devices only to be interoperable together in a home or small office network. This paper proposes an extension of the UPnP technology for application interoperability in a home or small office network. This paper provides an UPnP Application Architecture as an extension to the existing UPnP Device Architecture. This extension enhances the feature of UPnP from device interoperability to application interoperability which enables the applications to discover, control and share data with each other in a home or small office network despite of their device type and operating system. In addition to the UPnP Application Architecture, the UPnP Application Template and UPnP Application Service Template are defined towards the development of UPnP-enabled applications that run on heterogeneous devices in a home or small office network.
Toward a New Framework of Recommender Memory Based System for MOOCs
Authors: Taha El Alami , Kamal Eddine El Kadiri , Mohamed Chrayah
Published: October 2017

MOOCs is the new wave of remote learning that has revolutionized it since its apparition, offering the possibility to teach a very big group of student, at the same time, in the same course, within all disciplines and without even gathering them in the same geographic location, or at the same time; Allowing the sharing of all type of media and document and providing tools to assessing student performance. To benefit from all this advantages, big universities are investing in MOOCs platforms to valorize their approach, which makes MOOC available in a multitude of languages and variety of disciplines. Elite universities have open their doors to student around the world without requesting tuition or claiming a college degree, however even with the major effort reaching to maximize students visits and hooking visitors to the platform, using recommending systems propose content likely to please learners, the dropout rate still very high and the number of users completing a course remains very low compared to those who have quit. In this paper we propose an architecture aiming to maximize users visits by exploiting users big data and combining it with data available from social networks.
The Effect of Updating the Local Pheromone on ACS Performance using Fuzzy Logic
Authors: El Afia Abdellatif , Bouzbita Safae , Faizi Rdouan
Published: October 2017

Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) has become one of the most frequently utilised algorithms to adapt the metaheuristics parameters as an artificial intelligence technique. In this paper, the 𝜉 parameter of Ant Colony System (ACS) algorithm is adapted by the use of FLC, and its behaviour is studied during this adaptation. The proposed approach is compared with the standard ACS algorithm. Computational results are done based on a library of sample instances for the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSPLIB).
The Analysis of Performace Model Tiered Artificial Neural Network for Assessment of Coronary Heart Disease
Authors: Wiharto Wiharto , Herianto Harianto , Kusnanto Hari
Published: October 2017

The assessment model of coronary heart disease is so much developed in line with the development of information technology, particularly the field of artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, the assessment models developed mostly do not use such an approach made by the clinician, the tiered approach. This study aims to analyze the performance of a tiered model assessment. The method used for each level is, preprocessing, building architecture artificial neural network (ANN), conduct training using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm and one step secant, as well as testing the system. The study is divided into the terms of the stages in the examination procedure. The test results showed the influence of each level, both when the output level of the previous positive or negative, were tested back at the next level. The performance evaluation may indicate that the top level provides performance improvement and or reinforce the previous level. 
A Survey on Comparisons of Cryptographic Algorithms Using Certain Parameters in WSN
Authors: Singh Pooja , Chauhan R.K.
Published: October 2017

The Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have spread its roots in almost every application. Owing to their scattered nature of sensor nodes, they are more prone to attacks. There are certain applications e.g. military, where sensor data’s confidentiality requirement during transmission is essential. Cryptography has a vital role for achieving security in WSNs.WSN has resource constraints like memory size, processing speed and energy consumption which bounds the applicability of existing cryptographic algorithms for WSN. Any good security algorithms has higher energy consumption by the nodes, so it’s a need to choose most energy-efficient cryptographic encryption algorithms for WSNs. This paper surveys different asymmetric algorithms such as RSA, Diffie-Hellman, DSA, ECC, hybrid and DNA cryptography. These algorithms are compared based on their key size, strength, weakness, attacks and possible countermeasures in the form of table.
Economic Dispatch Using Quantum Evolutionary Algorithm in Electrical Power System Involving Distributed Generators
Authors: Aryani Ni Ketut , Soeprijanto Adi , Yulistya Negara I Made , Syai’in Mat
Published: October 2017

Unpredictable increase in power demands will overload the supply subsystems and insufficiently powered systems will suffer from instabilities, in which voltages drop below acceptable levels. Additional power sources are needed to satisfy the demand. Small capacity distributed generators (DGs) serve for this purpose well. One advantage of DGs is that they can be installed close to loads, so as to minimise loses. Optimum placements and sizing of DGs are critical to increase system voltages and to reduce loses. This will finally increase the overall system efficiency. This work exploits Quantum Evolutionary Algorithm (QEA) for the placements and sizing. This optimisation targets the cheapest generation cost. Quantum Evolutionary Algorithm is an Evolutionary Algorithm running on quantum computing, which works based on qubits and states superposition of quantum mechanics. Evolutionary algorithm with qubit representation has a better characteristic of diversity than classical approaches, since it can represent superposition of states.
Bit-error-rate Optimization for CDMA Ultra-wideband System Using Generalized Gaussian Approach
Authors: Gwo Chin Chung , Alias Mohamad Yusoff , Jun Jiat Tiang
Published: October 2017

Ultra-wideband is a wireless technology arisen for future high speed multimedia applications. It can provide data rate in excess of Gigabits per second by transmitting impulse signal through the free space. However, the ultra-wideband indoor channel models proposed by the IEEE P802.15.3a suffer long multipath propagation. Due to this multipath effect, several studies have been done to improve the bit-error-rate performance of the ultra-wideband system in the existence of severe interference. Yet, most of the proposed algorithms were formulated based on the Gaussian distribution, which is not true in ultra-wideband. In this paper, we first analyze the statistical behavior of the CDMA-UWB signal by applying the Kullback-Leibler divergence index. Based on the analysis, a non-Gaussian equalizer is developed by deriving an enhanced bit-error-rate optimization algorithm using the Generalized Gaussian approach. The proposed equalizer has been shown to achieve a performance gain of at least 1.5dB to 2dB over the other equalizers simulated under IEEE P802.15.3a channel models.
Family Relationship Identification by Using Extract Feature of Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) Based on Parents and Children Fingerprint
Authors: Suharjito Suharjito , Imran Bahtiar , Girsang Abba Suganda
Published: October 2017

This study aims to find out the relations correspondence by using Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) feature on parents and children finger print. The analysis is conducted by using the finger print of parents and family in one family There are 30 families used as sample with 3 finger print consists of mothers, fathers, and children finger print. Fingerprints data were taken by fingerprint digital persona u are u 4500 SDK. Data analysis is conducted by finding the correlation value between parents and children fingerprint by using correlation coefficient that gained from extract feature GLCM, both for similar family and different family. The study shows that the use of GLCM Extract Feature, normality data, and Correlation Coefficient could identify the correspondence relations between parents and children fingerprint on similar and different family. GLCM with four features (correlation, homogeneity, energy and contrast) are used to give good result. The four sides (0o, 45o, 90o and 135o) are used. It shows that side 0o gives the higher accurate identification compared to other sides.
Insights on Research Techniques towards Cost Estimation in Software Design
Authors: Naik Praveen , Nayak Shantaram
Published: October 2017

Software cost estimation is of the most challenging task in project management in order to ensuring smoother development operation and target achievement. There has been evolution of various standards tools and techniques for cost estimation practiced in the industry at present times. However, it was never investigated about the overall picturization of effectiveness of such techniques till date. This paper initiates its contribution by presenting taxonomies of conventional cost-estimation techniques and then investigates the research trends towards frequently addressed problems in it. The paper also reviews the existing techniques in well-structured manner in order to highlight the problems addressed, techniques used, advantages associated and limitation explored from literatures. Finally, we also brief the explored open research issues as an added contribution to this manuscript.
Inverted Diamond-shaped Notched Substrate and Patch for High-frequency Interference on Ultra-wideband Antenna
Authors: Abdulhasan Raed Abdulkareem , Ramli Khairun Nidzam , Alias Rozlan , Audah Lukman , Mumin Abdul Rashid Omar
Published: October 2017

Notches loaded on a patch antenna can affect significantly on ‎the antenna impedance matching. Therefore, notching technique is an efficient way to reduce ‎the electromagnetic interference with unwanted bands. In this paper, a ‎novel inverted diamond‏-‏shaped closed-end slot on a substrate and ‎vertex-fed printed hexagonal patch ultra‏-‏wideband antenna is proposed for high-frequency band rejection. This antenna is fed using ‎coplanar waveguide, and it is optimised by veering several patch ‎parameters which further improved the inter bandwidth at both the ‎lower and upper bands. However, the centre-notched band is shifted ‎from 6 GHz to 7.5 GHz by cutting the inverted diamond shape in a ‎special process. The developed ultra-wideband antenna is verified by ‎comparing the simulation results with the measurement results. The ‎measured results with a fractional bandwidth of 133% have a good ‎agreement with the simulation results 146%. Moreover, the measured radiation showed omnidirectional patterns‎.
Kinematic Modelling of FES Induced Sit-to-stand Movement in Paraplegia
Authors: Ahmed Mohammed , Huq M. S. , Ibrahim B. S. K. K.
Published: October 2017

FES induced movements from indication is promising due to encouraging results being obtained by scholars. The kinematic model usually constitute the initial phase towards achieving the segmental dynamics of any rigid body system. It can be used to ascertain that the model is capable of achieving the desired goal. The dynamic model builds on the kinematic model and is usually mathematically cumbersome depending on the number of degrees-of-freedom. This paper presents a kinematic model applicable for human sit-to-stand movement scenario that will be used to obtain the dynamic model the FES induced movement in a later study. The study shows that the 6 DOF conceptualized sit-to-stand movement can be achieved conveniently using 4 DOF. The 4 DOF has an additional joint compared to similar earlier works which makes more it accurate and flexible. It is more accurate in the sense that it accommodates additional joint i.e. the neck joint whose dynamics could be captured. And more flexible in the sense that if future research uncover more contributions by the segments it can be easily incorporated including that of other segments e.g. the trunk, neck and upper limbs.
Potential and Electric Field Characteristics of Broken Porcelain Insulator
Authors: Rosli H. , Othman N. A. , Jamail N. A. M. , Ismail M. N.
Published: October 2017

Overhead line insulators can be damaged for various reasons during their service life. Porcelain or glass insulators once damaged can affect the reliability of power system networks. This paper presents the study of voltage and electric characteristics along the surface of a broken porcelain insulator located in a string of 10 unit insulators. Three models of broken porcelain insulators were being proposed and the analysis results on voltage and electric characteristics were individually collected. The broken porcelain insulator with the most significant effect were then being investigated in the strings of 10 unit insulators. The finite element software of Quickfield was used to analyze the voltage and electric characteristics. Form the presented results, it is proven that the single porcelain insulators with broken shed at the nearest to the electrode terminal gave the most significant effect of voltage and electric field distribution pattern along the creepage distance. However, when this type of broken insulator was included in a string of 10 unit insulators, maximum average value of voltage achieved once the broken insulator was located at the HV terminal. Meanwhile, the highest electric field strength was recorded when the broken insulator was located in the middle of the string.
Arabic Book Retrieval using Class and Book Index Based Term Weighting
Authors: Fauzi M. Ali , Arifin Agus Zainal , Yuniarti Anny
Published: October 2017

One of the most common issue in information retrieval is documents ranking. Documents ranking system collects search terms from the user and orderly retrieves documents based on the relevance. Vector space models based on TF.IDF term weighting is the most common method for this topic. In this study, we are concerned with the study of automatic retrieval of Islamic Fiqh (Law) book collection. This collection contains many books, each of which has tens to hundreds of pages. Each page of the book is treated as a document that will be ranked based on the user query. We developed class-based indexing method called inverse class frequency (ICF) and book-based indexing method inverse book frequency (IBF) for this Arabic information retrieval. Those method then been incorporated with the previous method so that it becomes TF.IDF.ICF.IBF. The term weighting method also used for feature selection due to high dimensionality of the feature space. This novel method was tested using a dataset from 13 Arabic Fiqh e-books. The experimental results showed that the proposed method have the highest precision, recall, and F-Measure than the other three methods at variations of feature selection. The best performance of this method was obtained when using best 1000 features by precision value of 76%, recall value of 74%, and F-Measure value of 75%.
Homeless Enlightened
Authors: Hovnanian Marco
Published: October 2017

Os moradores de rua são um grupo complexo e heterogêneo de pessoas que não possuem uma habitação regular. Surpreendentemente, alguns deles formam fortes conexões e colaboram entre si, compartilhando espaço, abrigo e responsabilidades. No entanto, como um grupo invisível, suas ações tornaram-se inconscientes. O presente ensaio visa identificar os modos de vida diurnos e noturnos de um grupo selecionado de homens semteto. Combinando uma técnica de câmera fotográfica para imagens noturnas com os feixes de luz produzidos pelos postes de luz e os carros circulantes, é possível ver esses homens estranhamente iluminados na escuridão. Esta luz instável e cambiante revela o ambiente obscuro e oculto desses homens, produzindo cenas surpreendentes de atividades diárias, bem como revelando os esforços para combater a dificuldade nas ruas. No final, este trabalho revela evidências de solidariedade e dignidade
Care in Specialized Centers and Data Sharing Increase Agreement in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Genetic Test Interpretation
Authors: Furqan Aisha , Arscott Patricia , Girolami Francesca , Cirino Allison L. , Michels Michelle , Day Sharlene M. , Olivotto Iacopo , Ho Carolyn Y. , Ashley Euan , Green Eric M. , Caleshu Colleen
Published: October 2017

Background—

Clinically impactful differences in the interpretation of genetic test results occur between laboratories and clinicians. To improve the classification of variants, a better understanding of why discrepancies occur and how they can be reduced is needed.

Methods and Results—

We examined the frequency, causes, and resolution of discordant variant classifications in the Sarcomeric Human Cardiomyopathy Registry (SHaRe), a consortium of international centers with expertise in the clinical management and genetic architecture of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Of the 112 variants present in patients at >1 center, 23 had discordant classifications among centers (20.5%; Fleiss κ, 0.54). Discordance was more than twice as frequent among clinical laboratories in ClinVar, a public archive of variant classifications (315/695 variants; 45.2%; Fleiss κ, 0.30;
P
<0.001). Discordance in SHaRe most frequently occurred because hypertrophic cardiomyopathy centers had access to different privately held data when making their classifications (75.0%). Centers reassessed their classifications based on a comprehensive and current data summary, leading to reclassifications that reduced the discordance rate from 20.5% to 10.7%. Different interpretations of rarity and co-occurrence with pathogenic variants contributed to residual discordance.

Conclusions—

Discordance in variant classification among hypertrophic cardiomyopathy centers is largely attributable to privately held data. Some discrepancies are caused by differences in expert assessment of conflicting data. Discordance was markedly lower among centers specialized in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy than among clinical laboratories, suggesting that optimal genetic test interpretation occurs in the context of clinical care delivered by specialized centers with both clinical and genetics expertise.
Reduced Cardiac
Calcineurin
Expression Mimics Long-Term Hypoxia-Induced Heart Defects in
Drosophila
Authors: Zarndt Rachel , Walls Stanley M. , Ocorr Karen , Bodmer Rolf
Published: October 2017

Background—

Hypoxia is often associated with cardiopulmonary diseases, which represent some of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Long-term hypoxia exposures, whether from disease or environmental condition, can cause cardiomyopathy and lead to heart failure. Indeed, hypoxia-induced heart failure is a hallmark feature of chronic mountain sickness in maladapted populations living at high altitude. In a previously established
Drosophila
heart model for long-term hypoxia exposure, we found that hypoxia caused heart dysfunction. Calcineurin is known to be critical in cardiac hypertrophy under normoxia, but its role in the heart under hypoxia is poorly understood.

Methods and Results—

In the present study, we explore the function of
calcineurin
, a gene candidate we found downregulated in the
Drosophila
heart after lifetime and multigenerational hypoxia exposure. We examined the roles of 2 homologs of Calcineurin A, CanA14F, and Pp2B in the
Drosophila
cardiac response to long-term hypoxia. We found that knockdown of these calcineurin catalytic subunits caused cardiac restriction under normoxia that are further aggravated under hypoxia. Conversely, cardiac overexpression of Pp2B under hypoxia was lethal, suggesting that a hypertrophic signal in the presence of insufficient oxygen supply is deleterious.

Conclusions—

Our results suggest a key role for calcineurin in cardiac remodeling during long-term hypoxia with implications for diseases of chronic hypoxia, and it likely contributes to mechanisms underlying these disease states.
Validation of Polygenic Scores for QT Interval in Clinical Populations
Authors: Rosenberg Michael A. , Lubitz Steven A. , Lin Honghuang , Kosova Gulum , Castro Victor M. , Huang Paul , Ellinor Patrick T. , Perlis Roy H. , Newton-Cheh Christopher
Published: October 2017

Background—

Polygenic risk scores (PGS) enable rapid estimation of genome-wide susceptibility for traits, which may be useful in clinical settings, such as prediction of QT interval. In this study, we sought to validate PGS for QT interval in 2 real-world cohorts of European ancestry (EA) and African ancestry (AA).

Methods and Results—

Two thousand nine hundred and fifteen participants of EA and 366 of AA in the MGH CAMP study (Cardiology and Metabolic Patient) were genotyped on a genome-wide array and imputed to the 1000 Genomes reference panel. An additional 820 EA and 57 AA participants in the Partners Biobank were genotyped and used for validation. PGS were created for each individual using effect estimates from association tests with QT interval obtained from prior genome-wide association studies, with variants selected based from multiple significance thresholds in the original study. In regression models, clinical variables explained ≈9% to 10% of total variation in resting QTc in EA individuals and ≈12% to 18% in AA individuals. The PGS significantly increased variation explained at most significance thresholds (
P
<0.001), with a trend toward increased variation explained at more stringent
P
value cut points in the CAMP EA cohort (
P
<0.05). In AA individuals, PGS provided no improvement in variation explained at any significance threshold.

Conclusions—

For individuals of European descent, PGS provided a significant increase in variation in QT interval explained compared with a model with only nongenetic factors at nearly every significance level. There was no apparent benefit gained by relaxing the significance threshold from conventional genome-wide significance (
P
<5×10
−
8
).
Genomic Triangulation and Coverage Analysis in Whole-Exome Sequencing–Based Molecular Autopsies
Authors: Shanks Garrett W. , Tester David J. , Nishtala Sneha , Evans Jared M. , Ackerman Michael J.
Published: October 2017

Background—

WEMA (Whole-Exome Molecular Autopsy) and surveillance of cardiac channelopathy and cardiomyopathy genes represents the latest molecular autopsy for sudden death in the young (SDY). To date, the majority of WEMA has been performed on the SDY case only.

Methods and Results—

We performed whole-exome sequencing and nucleotide-level coverage analysis on 28 SDY cases (18.4±7.8 years) and their parents to determine the inheritance patterns of ultrarare, nonsynonymous variants in 99 sudden death–susceptibility genes. Nonsynonymous variants were adjudicated using the American College of Medical Genetics guidelines. Overall, 17 sudden death–susceptibility gene variants were identified in 12 of 28 (43%) SDY cases. On the basis of the American College of Medical Genetics guidelines, 6 of 28 (21%) cases had a pathogenic or likely pathogenic nonsynonymous variant with 3 (50%) being de novo. Two nonsynonymous variants would not have been elevated to likely pathogenic status without knowing their de novo status. Whole-exome sequencing reached a read depth of 10× across 90% of nucleotides within sudden death–susceptibility genes in 100% of parental exomes from fresh blood draw, compared with only 82% of autopsy-sourced SDY exomes.

Conclusions—

An SDY-parent, trio-based WEMA may be an effective way of elucidating a monogenic cause of death and bringing clarity to otherwise ambiguous variants. If other studies confirm this relatively high rate of SDY cases stemming from de novo mutations, then the WEMA should become even more cost-effective given that the decedent’s first-degree relatives should only need minimal cardiological evaluation. In addition, autopsy-sourced DNA demonstrated strikingly lower whole-exome sequencing coverage than DNA from fresh blood draw.
Carotid Stent Fractures Are Not Associated With Adverse Events
Authors: Weinberg Ido , Beckman Joshua A. , Matsumura Jon S. , Rosenfield Kenneth , Ansel Gary M. , Chaturvedi Seemant , Gray William , Metzger D. Chris , Riles Tom , Shu Yu , Wechsler Lawrence , Jaff Michael R.
Published: October 2017

Background:

The impact of carotid artery stent fractures on the incidence of adverse clinical events remains unclear. The objective of this study is to report the stent fracture rate and its association with in-stent restenosis and adverse outcomes in the ACT-1 trial (Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting Versus Endarterectomy in Asymptomatic Subjects Who Are at Standard Risk for Carotid Endarterectomy With Significant Extracranial Carotid Stenotic Disease).

Methods:

ACT-1 is a prospective multicenter trial of patients who have standard surgical risk with severe asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis randomly assigned to carotid artery stenting or carotid endarterectomy (Abbott Vascular). The primary end point was a composite of death, stroke, or myocardial infarction during the 30 days after the procedure or ipsilateral stroke during the 365 days after the procedure. After 771 patients were enrolled, successively randomly assigned patients were required to undergo annual radiographic (x-ray) analysis for stent fracture. Images were independently adjudicated by a core laboratory.

Results:

Of 1021 patients treated with carotid artery stenting during a mean follow-up of 3.1±1.6 years, 939 had at least 1 x-ray during the follow-up period. Stent fracture was reported in 51 (5.4%) patients. With a maximum follow-up period of 5 years, adverse clinical outcomes occurred in 39 patients with at least 1 x-ray during the follow-up. Of 826 (80.9%) subjects who underwent both duplex ultrasound and x-ray, 822 (99.5%) were interpretable. There was no association between stent fracture and the primary end point (
P
=0.86) or with restenosis (
P
=0.53).

Conclusions:

In this large, independently adjudicated, multicenter study, the stent fracture rate was low and not associated with major adverse clinical events or in-stent restenosis.

Clinical Trial Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00106938.
Genetic Control of Serum Marinobufagenin in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat and the Relationship to Blood Pressure
Authors: Dmitrieva Renata I. , Cranford Stacy M. , Doris Peter A.
Published: October 2017

Background

We have investigated serum levels of immunoreactive marinobufagenin (
MBG
) in 16‐ to 20‐week‐old spontaneously hypertensive rats (
SHRs
)‐A3 and in the normotensive Wistar‐Kyoto (
WKY
) rat strain in the absence of salt loading, and we have investigated the genetic control of serum
MBG
.

Methods and Results

We genotyped the F2 progeny of an
SHR
‐A3×
WKY
intercross using a genome‐wide panel of 253 single‐nucleotide polymorphism markers that were dimorphic between
SHR
‐A3 and
WKY
and measured serum
MBG
by
ELISA
. Serum
MBG
levels were lower in
SHR
‐A3 than
WKY
rats (0.39±0.07 and 1.27±0.40 nmol/L, respectively), suggesting that
MBG
may not play a role in the markedly divergent blood pressure measured by telemetry in rats of these 2 strains (
SHR
‐A3 and
WKY,
198.3±4.43 and 116.8±1.51 mm Hg, respectively). The strain difference in serum
MBG
was investigated to determine whether genomic regions influencing
MBG
might be identified by genetic mapping. Quantitative trait locus mapping indicated a single locus influencing serum
MBG
in the region of chromosome 6q12. Homozygosity of
WKY
alleles at this locus was associated with increased serum
MBG
levels. We surveyed whole genome sequences from our
SHR
‐A3 and
WKY
lines, seeking coding sequence variation between
SHR
‐A3 and
WKY
within the mapped locus that might explain the inherited strain difference in serum
MBG
.

Conclusions

We identified amino acid substitution in the sterol transport protein Abcg5, present in
SHR
‐A3, but absent in
WKY
, that is a potential mechanism influencing
MBG
levels.
Utilization of a Smartphone Platform for Electronic Informed Consent in Acute Stroke Trials
Authors: Haussen Diogo C. , Doppelheuer Shannon , Schindler Kiva , Grossberg Jonathan A. , Bouslama Mehdi , Schultz Meagan , Perez Hilarie , Hall Alex , Frankel Michael , Nogueira Raul G.
Published: October 2017

Background and Purpose—

The informed consent process is a major limitation for enrollment in acute stroke clinical investigations. We aim to describe the novel application of smartphone electronic informed consenting (e-Consent) in trials of cerebral thrombectomy.

Methods—

The e-Consent tool consists of a secure/Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant smartphone platform based on REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture; Vanderbilt University, TN) that uses a survey project located on a static webpage. A link to the webpage is sent via text message or email to the legally authorized representative. The e-Consent form is filled and a freehand electronic signature added in the smartphone browser; a record ID and an e-Consent Process Attestation form are automatically generated. The e-Consent application was piloted in a randomized trial comparing endovascular versus medical therapy in late presenting patients (DAWN [Clinical Mismatch in the Triage of Wake Up and Late Presenting Strokes Undergoing Neurointervention With Trevo]). Trial enrollment began in January 2015; e-Consent was approved by the local institutional review board in December 2016, and the study was stopped in February 2017.

Results—

During the trial period, Grady Memorial Hospital performed 273 thrombectomies with 47 patients being consented and 38 patients enrolled in the DAWN trial. Of the randomized patients, 29 (76%) were transferred from outside hospitals. A total of 6 surrogates were e-Consented, with 2 patients being screen failures. Enrolled e-Consented patients (n=4) had similar age (73±14 versus 69±12 years;
P
=0.65) and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (16±5 versus 16±5;
P
=0.88) as compared with conventionally consented (n=25). Time from door-to-randomization was decreased with e-Consenting (28±9 versus 57±24 minutes;
P
=0.002).

Conclusions—

e-Consenting streamlined the consenting process in a randomized trial of patients with emergent large vessel occlusion strokes.
Increase of Stroke Incidence in Young Adults in a Middle-Income Country
Authors: Cabral Norberto Luiz , Freire Aracélli Tavares , Conforto Adriana Bastos , dos Santos Nayara , Reis Felipe Ibiapina , Nagel Vivian , Guesser Vanessa V. , Safanelli Juliana , Longo Alexandre L.
Published: October 2017

Background and Purpose—

The incidence of stroke is on the rise in young adults in high-income countries. However, there is a gap of knowledge about trends in stroke incidence in young adults from low- and middle-income countries. We aimed to measure trends in incidence of ischemic stroke (IS) and intracerebral hemorrhage (IH) in young people from 2005 to 2015 in Joinville, Brazil.

Methods—

We retrospectively ascertained all first-ever IS subtypes and IH that occurred in Joinville in the periods of 2005 to 2006, 2010 to 2011, and 2014 to 2015. Poisson regression was used to calculate incidence rate ratios of all strokes, IS, and IH. We also compared the prevalence of risk factors and extension of diagnostic work-up across the 3 periods.

Results—

For 10 years, we registered 2483 patients (7.5% aged <45 years). From 2005 to 2006 to 2014 to 2015, overall stroke incidence significantly increased by 62% (incidence rate ratios, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.10–2.40) in subjects <45 years and by 29% in those <55 years (incidence rate ratios, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.60). Incidence of IS increased by 66% (incidence rate ratios, 1.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–2.54), but there was no significant change in incidence of IH in subjects <45 years. Smoking rates decreased by 71% (odds ratio, 0.29; 95% confidence interval, 0.12–0.68).

Conclusions—

Stroke incidence is rising in young adults in Joinville, Brazil, because of increase in rates of ischemic but not hemorrhagic strokes. We urgently need better policies of cardiovascular prevention in the young.
Minimally Sufficient Conditions for the Evolution of Social Learning and the Emergence of Non-Genetic Evolutionary Systems
Authors: Gonzalez Miguel , Watson Richard , Bullock Seth
Published: October 2017

Social learning, defined as the imitation of behaviors performed by others, is recognized as a distinctive characteristic in humans and several other animal species. Previous work has claimed that the evolutionary fixation of social learning requires decision-making cognitive abilities that result in transmission bias (e.g., discriminatory imitation) and/or guided variation (e.g., adaptive modification of behaviors through individual learning). Here, we present and analyze a simple agent-based model that demonstrates that the transition from instinctive actuators (i.e., non-learning agents whose behavior is hardcoded in their genes) to social learners (i.e., agents that imitate behaviors) can occur without invoking such decision-making abilities. The model shows that the social learning of a trait may evolve and fix in a population if there are many possible behavioral variants of the trait, if it is subject to strong selection pressure for survival (as distinct from reproduction), and if imitation errors occur at a higher rate than genetic mutation. These results demonstrate that the (sometimes implicit) assumption in prior work that decision-making abilities are required is incorrect, thus allowing a more parsimonious explanation for the evolution of social learning that applies to a wider range of organisms. Furthermore, we identify genotype-phenotype disengagement as a signal for the imminent fixation of social learners, and explain the way in which this disengagement leads to the emergence of a basic form of cultural evolution (i.e., a non-genetic evolutionary system).
Brain Networks Related to Beta Oscillatory Activity during Episodic Memory Retrieval
Authors: Nyhus Erika
Published: October 2017

Evidence from fMRI has consistently located a widespread network of frontal, parietal, and temporal lobe regions during episodic retrieval. However, the temporal limitations of the fMRI methodology have made it difficult to assess the transient network dynamics by which these distributed regions coordinate activity. Recent evidence suggests that beta oscillations (17–20 Hz) are important for top–down control for memory suppression. However, the spatial limitations of the EEG methodology make it difficult to assess the relationship between these oscillatory signals and the distributed networks identified with fMRI. This study used simultaneous EEG/fMRI to identify networks related to beta oscillations during episodic retrieval. Participants studied adjectives and either imagined a scene (Place Task) or judged its pleasantness (Pleasant Task). During the recognition test, participants decided which task was performed with each word (“Old Place Task” or “Old Pleasant Task”) or “New.” EEG results revealed that posterior beta power was greater for new than old words. fMRI results revealed activity in a frontal, parietal network that was greater for old than new words, consistent with prior studies. Although overall beta power increases correlated with decreased activity within a predominantly parietal network, within the right dorsolateral and ventrolateral pFC, beta power correlated with BOLD activity more under conditions requiring more cognitive control and EEG/fMRI effects in the right frontal cortex correlated with BOLD activity in a frontoparietal network. Therefore, using simultaneous EEG and fMRI, the present results suggest that beta oscillations are related to postretrieval control operations in the right frontal cortex and act within a broader postretrieval control network.
The Dorsal Attention Network Reflects Both Encoding Load and Top–down Control during Working Memory
Authors: Majerus Steve , Péters Frédéric , Bouffier Marion , Cowan Nelson , Phillips Christophe
Published: October 2017

The dorsal attention network is consistently involved in verbal and visual working memory (WM) tasks and has been associated with task-related, top–down control of attention. At the same time, WM capacity has been shown to depend on the amount of information that can be encoded in the focus of attention independently of top–down strategic control. We examined the role of the dorsal attention network in encoding load and top–down memory control during WM by manipulating encoding load and memory control requirements during a short-term probe recognition task for sequences of auditory (digits, letters) or visual (lines, unfamiliar faces) stimuli. Encoding load was manipulated by presenting sequences with small or large sets of memoranda while maintaining the amount of sensory stimuli constant. Top–down control was manipulated by instructing participants to passively maintain all stimuli or to selectively maintain stimuli from a predefined category. By using ROI and searchlight multivariate analysis strategies, we observed that the dorsal attention network encoded information for both load and control conditions in verbal and visuospatial modalities. Decoding of load conditions was in addition observed in modality-specific sensory cortices. These results highlight the complexity of the role of the dorsal attention network in WM by showing that this network supports both quantitative and qualitative aspects of attention during WM encoding, and this is in a partially modality-specific manner.
The spider family Dysderidae in the Balearic Islands
Authors: BOSMANS ROBERT , LISSNER JØRGEN , HERNÁNDEZ-CORRAL JESÚS
Published: October 2017

The spider family Dysderidae in the Balearic Islands counts 6 species, which have all been revised. Dysdera arnedoi Lissner n. sp. and Parachtes riberai Bosmans n. sp. are newly described species from Majorca, where they seem to be confined. A neotype is designated for Dysdera balearica Thorell, 1873 and D. mordax L. Koch, 1882 is considered a junior synonym of the former. Dysdera lata Reuss, 1834 is cited for the first time in Majorca. Dysdera crocata C. L. Koch, 1838 and Harpactea dufouri (Thorell, 1873) occur on all the main Balearic Islands. Harpactea corticalis (Simon, 1882) and H. hombergi (Scopoli, 1763) were misidentified in the past and are deleted from the Balearic Islands list.
Flow My FE the Vendor Said: Exploring Violent and Fraudulent Resource Exchanges on Cryptomarkets for Illicit Drugs
Authors: Moeller Kim , Munksgaard Rasmus , Demant Jakob
Published: October 2017

A growing share of illicit drug distribution takes place using cryptomarkets that use encryption and anonymization technologies. The risks of law enforcement intervention and violence are lower here than in off-line traditional drug markets, but with the technological innovations follow new opportunities for stealing and fraud. The sites themselves fall prey to theft and hacking attempts, administrators abscond with users’ funds, and malicious sellers regularly cheat buyers. In this study, we explore the types of theft and fraud that occur on cryptomarkets using multiple data sources: formalized community resources (e.g., guides, tutorials), ethnographic observations of user forums, thematic identification of forum posts using unsupervised text classification, and an expert interview. We find system-based violent predatory resource exchange similar to robberies and process-based fraudulent resource exchange similar to rip-offs. We discuss these offenses conceptually as extensions of common drug-related crimes in the digital world. This contributes to the research on how cryptomarkets work and can improve crime-prevention efforts.
A Matter of Degree: Negotiating Art and Commerce in MFA Education
Authors: Fine Gary Alan
Published: October 2017

Occupational socialization, when successful, permits an orderly transition from novice to professional, but sometimes the process is uncertain. Successful socialization is evident when workers are trained within educational settings where a path to future positions is clear. But how do emerging visual artists consider their post-degree lives in the absence of predictability or expected stages of advancement? In unpredictable careers, socialization becomes problematic. This hazy career path is further strained when people have diverse views about the moral character of a profession. Based on a 2-year ethnographic study of three MFA programs in the Chicago area, I examine how visual arts students imagine their futures. Students face an obdurate economic order that forces them to consider their identities as producers of ideas and images. Beyond this, to create a stable career and survive financially, they strive to establish a network, relying on school ties with students and faculty, building social capital, including links with galleries and museums. By depicting occupational imaginaries at the intersection of market valuation and aesthetic judgment, I analyze how students negotiate the demands of hostile worlds in their artistic identity and through their social relations.
Cultural Capital: Arts Graduates, Spatial Inequality, and London’s Impact on Cultural Labor Markets
Authors: Oakley Kate , Laurison Daniel , O’Brien Dave , Friedman Sam
Published: October 2017

This article looks at the degree to which spatial inequalities reinforce other forms of social inequality in cultural labor markets. It does so using the example of London, an acknowledged hub for the creative and cultural industries. Using pooled data from 2013 to 2015 quarters of the United Kingdom’s. Labour Force Survey, we consider the social makeup of London’s cultural labor force, and reveal the extent to which, rather than acting as an “engine room” of social mobility, London’s dominance in fact reenforces social class disparities in cultural employment.
The Economic World Obverse: Freedom Through Markets After Arts Education
Authors: Gerber Alison , Childress Clayton
Published: October 2017

What role does arts education play in artistic activity and income? In light of the rise of university arts education and its effects, especially the changing role of teaching in artistic careers, this article questions key assumptions of both winner-take-all and economic-world-reversed analyses of artistic careers. While almost all studies of remuneration in the creative arts find that income is highly skewed, these dominant perspectives take an object-oriented view of artistic life that neglects the vast majority of activities that underpin and compose contemporary arts practices. Looking at arts practices more holistically and using the changing status of art teaching as an exemplar of the expanded field of artistic practice, we document the challenges that the rise of arts education present to traditional analyses of artistic careers, income, and success.