bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reseña de Cities in global capitalism
Authors: Escudero Gómez Luis Alfonso
Published: December 2018

El geógrafo italiano, de origen napolitano, Ugo Rossi ha publicado una monografía sobre las ciudades en el capitalismo global en la editorial Polity Press. Tras una brillante labor investigadora, con múltiples artículos en revistas científicas de prestigio, y docente, con estancias en diferentes universidades europeas, desarrollando su labor principal en la de Turín, y estadounidenses, Rossi ha elaborado una magna obra teórica de Geografía Urbana. De hecho, una primera circunstancia que llama la atención es el exclusivo carácter teórico del libro, dado que no hay ni una sola figura o tabla ni tampoco la más mínima cartografía.
ECOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE ARROWROOT (Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze) AT KARIMUNJAWA NATIONAL PARK, CENTRAL JAVA
Authors: Alhamd Laode
Published: December 2018

ALHAMD, L. 2018. Ecological study of the arrowroot (Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze) at Karimunjawa National Park, Central Java. Reinwardtia 17(2): 87–96. — An ecological study of arrowroot (Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze) at Karimunjawa National Park (Karimunjawa NP), Central Java, was conducted at six islands, namely Kumbang, Nyamuk, Katang, Seruni, Cendikia and Sintok islands. A sampling plot of 10 × 50 m2 was established on each island. The results showed that the arrowroot population in Katang island was greater than those of other islands, with a density of 0.74 m-2, a frequency of 0.8 and an abundance of 23.1. The arrowroot density of all samplings ranged from 137 to 370 per 0.05 ha. The occurrence of 30 species surrounding arrowroot was observed and only five species, Sida acuta (Chi-square count (cs)>Chi-square table cs=5.71, P<0.05) and Scaevola taccada (cs=7.94, P<0.01) in Kumbang island, Imperata cylindrica (cs=18.81, P<0.01) in Nyamuk island, Morinda citrifolia (cs=9.47, P<0.01) in Sintok island, and Carica papaya (cs=3.95, P<0.05) in Cendikia island, had significant associations with arrowroot. For habitat characteristics, soil textures were dominated by sandy types ranging from 90 to 95%, whilst other soil properties such as pH, N, P, K, Mg and CEC did not significantly affect the presence of arrowroot.
How Traditional Knowledge Comes to Matter in Atlantic Salmon Governance in Norway and Finland
Authors: Brattland Camilla , Mustonen Tero
Published: December 2018

The article compares different models for knowledge production, all of which include traditional knowledge, as part of Norwegian and Finnish Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) research and management projects. Our hope is to contribute constructively to more socially robust knowledge production in Arctic environmental governance. Through investigating how traditional knowledge comes to matter at local, regional (national), and international levels in different Atlantic salmon research and governance projects in Norway and Finland, we examine the social robustness of different approaches to knowledge co-production. In general, the projects that seem to fulfill Arctic expectations of traditional knowledge co-production with science (projects with high legitimacy) seem to have the least impact on policy, and vice versa. We argue that expectations at the international policy level towards traditional knowledge integration with science are at times unrealistically high and hard to meet at local levels and in national policy contexts. We therefore argue for rethinking how a legitimate and policy-relevant knowledge co-production process should be conducted. Arctic policy levels, Norwegian and Finnish environmental authorities, and salmon conservation science could fruitfully draw lessons from the Näätämö co-management project, which is already referred to as an example of best practice in Arctic environmental governance. To achieve social robustness, projects need to balance scientific credibility with legitimacy among local and Indigenous rights holders. This balance might entail giving up on expectations of integrating traditional ecological knowledge with science and embracing the undefined spaces within Arctic and Indigenous knowledge production.
A novel P&OT-Neville’s interpolation MPPT scheme for maximum PV system energy extraction
Authors: Bhukya Muralidhar Nayak , Kota Venkata Reddy
Published: December 2018

Photovoltaic (PV) system posses an optimal operating pointing, termed as Maximum Power Point (MPP). Using Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm, MPP of PV system has to be tracked continuously in any climatic conditions. In general, traditional Perturb and Observe (P&OT) MPP tracker is widely used among existing controllers. But, P&OT fails to harvest maximum power from solar panel, in addition oscillations around MPP results in low efficiency of the PV system. The contradiction involved in the traditional controller can be addressed as P&OT operates with a fixed step size. Hence, with large step size MPP can be reached quickly but the magnitude of oscillations around MPP are high. Similarly, when P&OT operated with tiny step size magnitude of oscillations can be reduced at the same time PV system consumes much time to reach MPP. In order to eliminate the contradiction involved with traditional MPPT scheme and effectively optimize PV system energy, this paper put forwards a hybrid MPPT scheme based on P&OT and Neville interpolation. The proposed scheme is executed in two stages. In the first stage, P&OT is operated with a large step size till the voltage reaches near to maximum point. In the second stage, Neville interpolation is used to find the maximum power point. The performance of the proposed scheme is compared with Golden Section Search (GSS) and P&OT MPPT controllers. With the proposed scheme the convergence time required to reach MPP is improved greatly. Experimental prototype is designed and developed to verify the performance of the proposed scheme. Experimental and simulation results provide enough evidence to show superiority of the proposed scheme.Article History: Received December 15th 2017; Received in revised form July 16th 2018; Accepted September 12th 2018; Available onlineHow to Cite This Article: Bhukya, M. N. and Kota, V. R. (2018) A Novel PandOT-Neville’s Interpolation MPPT Scheme for Maximum PV system energy extraction. International Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 7(3), 251-260https://dx.doi.org/10.14710/ijred.7.3.251-260
The effects of biofilm and selective mixed culture on the electricity outputs and wastewater quality of tempe liquid waste based microbial fuel cell
Authors: Surya Utami Tania , Arbianti Rita , Mariana M , Dwi Karina Nathania , Leondo Vifki
Published: December 2018

Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) technology is highly prospective to be developed because it could be utilized as the alternative electricity sources and simultaneously as the wastewater treatment unit using microorganism as catalyst. Industrial Tempe wastewater has the potential to be used as MFC substrate since it still contains high nutrition for microbe and could pollute the environment if it disposed before being processed first. This study focused on investigating the effect of selective mixed culture addition and biofilm formation on the electricity production and the wastewater treatment aspects with tubular single chamber membranless reactor and industrial Tempe wastewater substrate. The result showed that, with the addition of selective mixed culture, the optimum electricity production obtained with addition of 1 ml gram-negative bacteria with increase in electricity production up to 92.14% and average voltage of 17.91 mV, while the optimum decreased levels of COD and BOD obtained with addition of 5 ml gram-negative bacteria which are 29.32% and 51.32%. On the biofilm formation experiment, optimum electricity production obtained from biofilm formation time for 14 days with increase in electricity production up to 10-folds and average voltage of 30.52 mV, while the optimum decreased levels of COD and BOD obtained from biofilm formation time for 7 days which are 18.2% and 35.9%.Keywords : biofilm, Microbial Fuel Cell, selective mixed culture, Tempe wastewater, tubular reactor
Effects of the parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, on wing characteristics important for migration in the monarch butterfly
Authors: Davis Andrew K. , de Roode Jacobus C.
Published: December 2018

There is mounting evidence that the longterm declines of overwintering monarchs in Mexico are exacerbated by losses during the fall migratory journey. Infection with the protozoan, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE), is known to negatively impact migration success. Here we examine how infections affect specific wing traits of monarchs that are important for migratory success. We used a collection of infected and uninfected monarchs reared under identical conditions, and from the (deceased) specimens, measured wing area (larger monarchs are known to have greater migratory success), wing color (the shade of orange pigmentation in monarchs is a known predictor of migration and flight ability), and the physical density of wings (a measure of wing mass per unit area). We also measured the tear-resistance of wings, using an apparatus that measured the force needed to cause a tear in the wing. Results showed no effect of OE on overall wing size, nor on the shade of orange pigmentation, but a clear effect on measures of physical density and tensile strength. Wings of infected monarchs weighed less per unit area (by 6%), and there was a 20% reduction in tear-resistance of wings. All results were qualitatively similar in a follow-up investigation using freshly-killed specimens. Collectively, this indicates infected monarchs are more prone to wing damage, which would be costly during long-distance migration. As such, this would be one more way in which OE infections reduce migratory success. Given the toll of OE to the monarch population, especially during migration, it would be prudent to focus conservation efforts on mitigating human activities that spread this disease.
Entry Deterrence, Coordinating Advertising and Pricing in Markets with Consumption Externalities
Authors: Whelan Adele
Published: December 2018

This paper extends the entry deterrence literature by examining coordinating advertising and pricing in markets with consumption externalities using a stochastic success function. Optimal advertising and pricing strategies are analysed when an incumbent firm faces a challenger with a product of equal quality. I show that strategic entry deterrence using advertising is possible and optimal entry deterrence involves strategic pre-commitment to over-investment relative to the non-strategic simultaneous advertising benchmark. I show that when entry deterrence is not possible the incumbent does not possess a first mover advantage and optimal entry accommodation involves strategic investment in advertising with intensified price competition congruent with the non-strategic simultaneous advertising benchmark. The findings suggest that an incumbent’s ability to deter entry through coordinating advertising in a market with products of equal quality is sensitive to the size of the fixed cost of entry that the challenger must incur and the consumption externality parameter.
Morphological characteristics of judo cadets with respect to sex-related differences and athletic achievements
Authors: Nikolova Anna , Dimitrova Diana
Published: December 2018

Study aim: Understanding the morphological determinants of performance is important for talent identification and optimiza­tion of training programs. The aim of this study was to examine the morphological characteristics of male and female cadet judokas considering the sex-related differences and athletic achievements. Material and methods: Seventy-four (30 female and 44 male) cadet judokas from the Bulgarian National Team underwent an anthropometric assessment of height, weight, lengths, circumferences, and 8 skinfolds. Body fat percentage (%BF) was calcu­lated using Slaughter et al. skinfold equations. Absolute and relative muscle mass, and arm and thigh muscle circumferences were also evaluated. Results: Except for the lower limb circumferences and thigh muscle circumference, a significant difference in most body dimensions was observed between the sexes. Male cadets had lower body fatness, but greater muscle mass as compared to female cadets. Medal winners from both sexes had lower %BF as compared to non-medalists. Male judokas with higher athletic achievements were significantly taller and had a larger arm span than their counterparts who are non-medalists (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Identified apparent sex-specific differences in almost all anthropometric variables and body composition param­eters in adolescent judo cadets followed the pattern typical for adult athletes. Both male and female medal-winner cadets had lower %BF compared to the less successful athletes, but did not differ from them in the absolute and relative muscle mass and limb muscle circumferences. Our results suggest that maintenance of low body fat rather than higher muscle mass is essential for the competitive success of judo players.
Zur Beeinflussung der homerischen Epen durch das Gilgamesch-Epos. Mit einem Exkurs zu einer neuen Datierungsthese der Ilias
Authors: Matijević Krešimir
Published: December 2018

Seit der Entdeckung des Gilgamesch-Epos am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts wird von der Forschung angenommen, dass dieses Epos den Inhalt der homerischen Epen beeinflusst habe. Der Beitrag legt dar, wann und auf welchem Wege der kulturelle Transfer zwischen Mesopotamien und Griechenland stattgefunden haben kann. Ferner werden mehrere Passagen aus den homerischen Epen diskutiert, in denen die Forschung eine Beeinflussung durch das Gilgamesch-Epos erkennen möchte. Gezeigt wird, dass diese Ansicht zum Teil subjektiv ist und zum Teil auf veralteten Ausgaben des Gilgamesch-Epos beruht. In einem Exkurs wird zuletzt eine aktuelle These zur Datierung der Ilias analysiert.
When valor isn’t always superior to numbers:homoioioliganthrôpia caused by attrition in incessant warfare
Authors: Decety Nathan
Published: December 2018

Over the course of about two centuries, the population of Ancient Spartan full citizens –homoioi – declined precipitously. Historians typically ascribe structural, social and economic causes to this decline. In what follows, I use sample statistics to argue that despite scant evidence, the attrition rate suffered by Spartan armies on the battlefield was enough to intensify or cause the enormous population decline.
La legge ateniese sull’interdizione degli stranieri dal mercato: da Solone ad Aristofonte di Azenia
Authors: Loddo Laura
Published: December 2018

Riassunto

L’articolo analizza un passo di un’orazione demostenica (57.32) in cui vengono invocate due leggi –la prima ascritta al legislatore Solone, la seconda al politico ateniese Aristofonte di Azenia – il cui contenuto divide la critica. Se la contestualizzazione della legge all’interno dell’argomentazione dell’attore Eussiteo permette di identificare il contenuto delle due leggi, l’analisi dell’attività legislativa di Solone e Aristofonte consente di chiarire il rapporto esistente fra la promulgazione della norma soloniana e la ripresa della stessa promossa da Aristofonte. Lo studio della legge nel quadro delle riforme attribuite a Solone, infine, autorizza a difenderne la storicità e a propendere per il carattere genuino dell’attribuzione all’antico legislatore.
Babylonisches zu Artaxerxes IV.
Authors: Hackl Johannes , Oelsner Joachim
Published: December 2018

Eine Anzahl babylonischer Texte archivalischen, astronomischen und anderen Charakters zeigt, dass der als Arses bekannte Achämenidenherrscher (338–336 v. Chr.) den Thronnamen Artaxerxes (IV.) führte. Die babylonischen Quellen fügen sich damit in das bereits aus anderen Quellen bekannte Bild ein – darunter die Trilingue von Xanthos. Im Beitrag werden Kriterien dargelegt, die eine Zuordnung babylonischer Texte zu Artaxerxes IV. ermöglichen.
„La punizione dei vinti“: dibattiti e decreti senatori su Campani e Tarentini dopo la riconquista (211–208 a. C.)
Authors: Gallo Annarosa
Published: December 2018

Riassunto

La punizione inflitta, nel 211 a. C., ai Campani,municipes sine suffragio, per la loro defezione ad Annibale, era stata assunta da una parte del senato a paradigma anche per i soci Tarentini, nel 208 a. C., rei allo stesso modo. Tale valutazione politica poggiava sull’assunto che la pena dovesse essere commisurata alla colpa, indipendentemente dal differente statuto giuridico dei defezionisti. Questa è espressione della linea rigorista perseguita contro i traditori, tra alti, da Q. Fulvius Flaccus (conquistatore di Capua), all’opposto di quella moderata e pragmatica sostenuta da Q. Fabius Maximus (conquistatore di Tarentum).
Hellenistic-Roman Idumea in the Light of Greek and Latin Non-Jewish Authors
Authors: Marciak Michał
Published: December 2018

Although ancient Idumea was certainly a marginal object of interest for classical writers, we do possess as many as thirteen extant classical non-Jewish authors (from the 1stc. BCE to the 3rdc. CE) who explicitly refer to Idumea or the Idumeans. For classical writers, Idumea was an inland territory between the coastal cities of Palestine, Egypt, and Arabia that straddled important trade routes. Idumea is also frequently associated in ancient literature with palm trees, which grew in Palestine and were exported throughout the Mediterranean. In the eyes of classical authors, the Idumeans were a distinctiveethnosliving in the melting pot of southern Palestine. Ancient writers emphasized the Idumeans’ ethnic and cultural connections with the Nabateans, the Phoenicians and Syrians, and, finally, the Judeans, and also indicated that a great deal of Hellenization occurred in western Idumea in an urban context.
Precision and speaker qualities. The social meaning of pragmatic detail
Authors: Beltrama Andrea
Published: December 2018

The present article focuses on two questions: (i) How do listeners infer the social identity of a speaker based on how they choose to describe the world? (ii) Are these inferences informed by similar principles to those motivating the social significance of linguistic phenomena in other domains of the grammar? We address this issue by exploring the social meaning of imprecision (Lasersohn 1999): speakers’ well-attested tendency to apply varying degrees of deviation from the truth when reporting facts (e.g., describing a car as going 70 MPH, instead of 69). Based on results from a social perception study, we found (i) that a high degree of precision is associated with a constellation of both favorable and unfavorable qualities; (ii) that different linguistic cues to signal precision differentially affect the social meaning of the utterance; (iii) and that most such qualities bear a striking resemblance to those associated to variation in other realms – e.g., the hyper/hypo-articulation of sounds. We take this as evidence that semantic variation can be socially meaningful across the specific lexical items in which it manifests itself, and that such social meanings can be linguistically motivated by similar principles across different domains of the grammar.
Mirativity in Mandarin: The Sentence-Final Particle Le (了)
Authors: Fang Hongmei
Published: December 2018

Mirativity is a distinct grammatical category. In the literature, no mirative marker has been identified so far in Mandarin Chinese. This paper aims to argue that Mandarin Chinese is a language that has grammatical means of expressing mirativity. The sentence-final particle le (SF le) in Mandarin is a mirative marker in its own right. It encodes the information as newsworthy or surprising and occurs with different time references and Illocutions. Based on the data from SF le, this paper extends the definition of mirativity given by Hengeveld & Olbertz (2012) by proposing that mirativity can not only be targeted towards either the speaker or the addressee, but also towards both. Lastly, it is argued that mirativity should be accounted for at the layer of Communicated Content at the Interpersonal Level in Functional Discourse Grammar.
Deep reinforcement learning using compositional representations for performing instructions
Authors: Zamani Mohammad Ali , Magg Sven , Weber Cornelius , Wermter Stefan , Fu Di
Published: December 2018

Spoken language is one of the most efficientways to instruct robots about performing domestic tasks. However, the state of the environment has to be considered to plan and execute actions successfully. We propose a system that learns to recognise the user’s intention and map it to a goal. A reinforcement learning (RL) system then generates a sequence of actions toward this goal considering the state of the environment. A novel contribution in this paper is the use of symbolic representations for both input and output of a neural Deep Q-network (DQN), which enables it to be used in a hybrid system. To show the effectiveness of our approach, the Tell-Me-Dave corpus is used to train an intention detection model and in a second step an RL agent generates the sequences of actions towards the detected objective, represented by a set of state predicates. We show that the system can successfully recognise command sequences fromthis corpus aswell as train the deep- RL network with symbolic input.We further show that the performance can be significantly increased by exploiting the symbolic representation to generate intermediate rewards.
The corporeal meaning of language: A semiotic approach to musical glossolalia
Authors: Stano Simona
Published: December 2018

A number of studies have investigated glossolalia from different points of view, dealing with its various occurrences in the religious, psychopathological, and – more recently – also poetic and musical domains. The impossibility of fully understanding such a phenomenon through a purely linguistic approach has then increasingly emerged, pointing out the need to adopt a broader perspective. However, no extensive research has been developed on musical glossolalia – and especially on its non-religious forms – from such a point of view. The present paper aims precisely at filling this gap: philosophical discussion of existing literature and the semiotic analysis of particularly relevant case studies of glossolalia in the musical domain help us shed new light on the functioning mechanisms of such a phenomenon, hence suggesting effective tools for understanding how it acquires meaning and produces sense.
Saturnalia in the Theory of Niklas Luhmann: The Terror Program Manifest Through Charles Manson’s Family with Reference to additional Groups such as Aum Shinrikyo and ISIS
Authors: Weaver William N.
Published: December 2018

The terror program, considered within the framework of Niklas Luhmann’s systems theory, serves to contradict society in many ways, functioning as a form of saturnalia to expose paradox. Though terror and terrorism have roots in antiquity, modern differentiated systems of communication and society’s oppositional/terrorist organizations have evolved into distinct forms, and terrorist events can trigger information processing in a variety of society’s subsystems, including but not limited to the political system. Charles Manson and his Family, considered alongside the groups Aum Shinrikyo and ISIS, serve to illustrate the ongoing terror program as manifest in modern society. Despite the best efforts of security analysts and related system observations, the evolution of these violent communications is highly unpredictable. Though terrorism that achieves quasi-state (‘successful insurgency’) or full state authority (a ‘terror regime’) may reduce complexity or distinctions among modern political, legal or other subsystems, the same destabilizing operations conducted by terrorist organizations that fail to achieve the authority of states may nonetheless influence the increasing complexity of modern society.
ASPECTOS CLÍNICOS E TRATAMENTO ADJUVANTE NA CARDIOMIOPATIA CHAGÁSICA
Authors: De Sá Verlaine De Melo , Vicente Maria do Carmo Santos Pereira , De Araújo Glauce Maria Nunes , Chambela Mayara Da Costa , Rocha Riethe De Oliveira
Published: December 2018

A Cardiomiopatia Chagásica compromete o músculo cardíaco do indivíduo infectado e, dentre as complicações cardíacas presentes, a de maior importância é a Insuficiência Cardíaca Congestiva. O tratamento farmacológico tem a finalidade de impedir o progresso das complicações da forma cardíaca e manter a função cardíaca, pois as agressões cardíacas, desencadeadas pela resposta imune do indivíduo infectado, favorecem eventos de necrose, fibrose, arritmias e tromboembolismo, que podem culminar com o óbito do paciente chagásico. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever a cardiomiopatia chagásica, bem como o tratamento disponível para esta patologia. O tratamento da doença de Chagas está restrito a apenas dois medicamentos, sendo apenas um deles, produzido no Brasil, o Benznidazol. Quase 110 anos após sua descoberta, a Doença de Chagas ainda apresenta um alto índice de morbimortalidade. Observou-se que a terapia farmacológica disponível é restrita e não específica para a doença.
A INTEGRIDADE ANIMAL COMO BEM JURÍDICO-PENAL TUTELÁVEL
Authors: Freitas Bruno Gilaberte , Gilaberte Thalissa Pádua
Published: December 2018

O presente artigo tem por objetivo questionar as bases nas quais se formula a tutela jurídica do direito penal animal, assim conceituado como aquele que tem como objeto material da conduta um animal não humano. Pretende-se averiguar especificamente o crime de maus-tratos contra animais e os interesses protegidos pela norma penal, superando uma visão antropocêntrica que parece anacrônica e substituindo-a pela concepção de que animais possuem direitos que podem e devem ser penalmente tutelados.
L'influence des représentations sociales dans le développement professionnel des futurs enseignants : le cas de l’évaluation des apprentissages
Authors: Monney Nicole , L'Hostie Monique , Fontaine Sylvie
Published: December 2018

Cet article présente les résultats d’une recherche visant à dégager les représentations sociales (RS) de l’évaluation des apprentissages chez quatre stagiaires finissantes en enseignement primaire. Les chercheurs ont opté pour la méthode de l’entretien d’autoconfrontation pour cerner l’interaction entre les RS et les savoirs universitaires. L’analyse réalisée à partir de la théorie des RS et des processus d’objectivation et d’ancrage met de l’avant une résistance au changement dans les pratiques évaluatives. La conclusion soulève des pistes de réflexion pour revoir les rôles des formateurs, la place du stage et le statut des savoirs issus de la recherche.
“Altogether a Different Thing”: The Emerging Social Sciences and the New Universalisms of Religious Belief in Rudyard Kipling’s Kim
Authors: Werner Winter Jade
Published: December 2018

Winter Jade Werner, “‘Altogether a Different Thing’: The Emerging Social Sciences and the New Universalisms of Religious Belief in Rudyard Kipling’s Kim” (pp. 293–325)

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the needs of some religious practitioners began to conflict with secular scholars in the developing social science disciplines. According to the secular scholars of these disciplines, religion was subordinate to culture; it functioned to delimit one social group from another. A number of religious practitioners, including Protestant missionaries and Hindu reformers, challenged this scientific delineation of religion as particular and “cultural,” asserting instead what I call “new universalisms” of religious belief. I contextualize Rudyard Kipling’s Kim (1901) within this historical moment. Kim, I argue, thematizes and works through these competing discourses. In particular, the novel suggests the enormous potency of the new discourses of religious belief in advancing forms of universalism that challenged and looked to transcend categories of identity as imposed by social scientific thinking. I conclude with an examination of Kim’s epigraphs, showing that their relationship to the main narrative formally enacts the agonistic relationship between the two modern universalisms of religious belief and social scientific thinking.
Fine-needle aspiration to diagnose primary thyroid lymphomas: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Lu , Castellana Marco , Virili Camilla , Crescenzi Anna , Giorgino Francesco , Zucca Emanuele , Ceriani Luca , Cavalli Franco , Giovanella Luca , Trimboli Pierpaolo
Published: December 2018

Background

Primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) is a rare malignancy, and its prognosis depends significantly on its early diagnosis. While fine-needle aspiration (FNA) represents the gold standard to identify differentiated thyroid carcinoma, its reliability for the detection of PTL is still unclear. Here, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic performance of FNA in PTL.

Research design and methods

A comprehensive literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus databases was conducted to retrieve papers reporting histologically proven PTL undergone FNA. The last search was performed in February 2018 without language and time restrictions.

Results

Thirty-two studies describing 593 PTL were included and the pooled FNA sensitivity was 0.48 (95% CI = 0.38–0.58). FNA sensitivity was 0.51 in 20 studies published before 2010 and 0.39 in those published later, 0.50 in six articles with at least 20 cases and 0.44 in nine series enrolled after 2000. This performance was similar in 12 articles including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (0.54) and those six on marginal zone lymphoma (0.56). Remarkably, FNA sensitivity increased to 0.72 when considering also FNA reports suspicious for PTL reported in 14 articles. Heterogeneity among the series was found. Publication bias was not always detected.

Conclusions

The present meta-analysis demonstrated that FNA has low sensitivity in diagnosing PTL. However, this rate increased when considering also FNA reports suspicious for PTL, which is relevant from a clinical standpoint. This result could support indirectly the use of additional imaging and/or core biopsy when PTL is suspected.
MED20 is essential for early embryogenesis and regulates NANOG expression
Authors: Cui Wei , Marcho Chelsea , Wang Yongsheng , Degani Rinat , Golan Morgane , Tremblay Kimberly D , Rivera-Pérez Jaime A , Mager Jesse
Published: December 2018

Mediator is an evolutionarily conserved multi-subunit complex, bridging transcriptional activators and repressors to the general RNA polymerase II (Pol II) initiation machinery. Though the Mediator complex is crucial for the transcription of almost all Pol II promoters in eukaryotic organisms, the phenotypes of individual Mediator subunit mutants are each distinct. Here, we report for the first time, the essential role of subunit MED20 in early mammalian embryo development. Although Med20 mutant mouse embryos exhibit normal morphology at E3.5 blastocyst stage, they cannot be recovered at early post-gastrulation stages. Outgrowth assays show that mutant blastocysts cannot hatch from the zona pellucida, indicating impaired blastocyst function. Assessments of cell death and cell lineage specification reveal that apoptosis, inner cell mass, trophectoderm and primitive endoderm markers are normal in mutant blastocysts. However, the epiblast marker NANOG is ectopically expressed in the trophectoderm of Med20 mutants, indicative of defects in trophoblast specification. These results suggest that MED20 specifically, and the Mediator complex in general, are essential for the earliest steps of mammalian development and cell lineage specification.
Torsades de Pointes in Intravenous Drug Abuse–Associated Infective Endocarditis
Authors: Eapen Sarah , Firstenberg Michael
Published: December 2018

Intravenous drug abuse rates in the United States have increased exponentially in recent years. Ohio is one of 5 states with the highest age-adjusted drug overdose death rates, with drug overdose causing 39.1 of every 100,000 deaths. In patients who survive, the associated morbidity poses a significant public health burden. Infective endocarditis, defined as an infection of the endocardium of the heart, is a potentially lethal consequence of bacteremia related to intravenous drug abuse. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) is the most commonly implicated organism and may affect the tricuspid valve. Indications for surgery include failure of medical management, worsening embolization, heart failure, and arrhythmias—typically bradyarrhythmias from infectious extension into the conduction system. Vegetation size and type of infection, such as drug-resistance pattern, fungal infection, and presence of prosthetic material, are becoming known risk factors for complications.

Studies have demonstrated that early surgery tends to have a better prognosis than delayed intervention. Established guidelines for right-sided surgery are slowly evolving. Tricuspid valve surgery is becoming more common in these cases, but there is known risk for heart block owing to proximity of the conduction system to the tricuspid valve annulus. If patients develop complete heart block postoperatively, pacemaker placement may be indicated. There may be reluctance to implantation because of the risk of device infection with infective endocarditis. In addition, many may recover conduction as infection and edema resolve. Generally, bradyarrhythmias are well tolerated. However, we present 2 cases of torsades de pointes related to post-tricuspid-valve-replacement bradyarrhythmia. Torsades de pointes is a potentially lethal form of polymorphic ventricular arrhythmia associated with QT interval prolongation. Post-tricuspid-valve- replacement mortality may be secondary to induced lethal ventricular arrhythmias.
Hydrothermal synthesis of monostructured LaPO4: morphology and structure
Authors: Kenges Kairat , Aldabergenov Mailybi , Proskurina Olga , Gusarov Victor
Published: December 2018

The application field of materials based on lanthanum orthophosphate (LaPO4) including nanomaterials, has been permanently extending recently. The high level of mechanical properties and the compatibility with numerous oxides make it possible to consider the possibility of using lanthanum orthophosphate as a composite material for construction purposes. This application is particularly promising when nanoparticles with quasi-1D morphology (nanorods) are used. The high isomorphic capacity of the LaPO4-based phase for alkaline-earth ions and ions of lanthanides and actinides, high chemical stability, and high radiation hardness make promising the application of this compound as a matrix for immobilization of radioactive wastes.
The possibility of obtaining lanthanum phosphate (LaPO4) by the hydrothermal method is considered in the work. Effects of pH, temperature and time of processing of hydrothermal synthesis on the morphology and structure of monostructured lanthanum phosphate are studied. It has been established that, with the increase of pH, the morphology of phosphate changed, the size of the crystallites increased, while the crystal structure changed from hexagonal to monoclinic.
A Strategy To Exploit Surrogate Sire Technology in Livestock Breeding Programs
Authors: Gottardo Paolo , Gorjanc Gregor , Battagin Mara , Gaynor R Chris , Jenko Janez , Ros-Freixedes Roger , Bruce A. Whitelaw C , Mileham Alan J , Herring William O , Hickey John M
Published: December 2018

In this work, we performed simulations to develop and test a strategy for exploiting surrogate sire technology in animal breeding programs. Surrogate sire technology allows the creation of males that lack their own germline cells, but have transplanted spermatogonial stem cells from donor males. With this technology, a single elite male donor could give rise to huge numbers of progeny, potentially as much as all the production animals in a particular time period. One hundred replicates of various scenarios were performed. Scenarios followed a common overall structure but differed in the strategy used to identify elite donors and how these donors were used in the product development part. The results of this study showed that using surrogate sire technology would significantly increase the genetic merit of commercial sires, by as much as 6.5 to 9.2 years’ worth of genetic gain compared to a conventional breeding program. The simulations suggested that a strategy involving three stages (an initial genomic test followed by two subsequent progeny tests) was the most effective of all the strategies tested. The use of one or a handful of elite donors to generate the production animals would be very different to current practice. While the results demonstrate the great potential of surrogate sire technology there are considerable risks but also other opportunities. Practical implementation of surrogate sire technology would need to account for these.
Mapping Neurotransmitter Identity in the Whole-Mount Drosophila Brain Using Multiplex High-Throughput Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization
Authors: Meissner Geoffrey W , Nern Aljoscha , Singer Robert H , Wong Allan M , Malkesman Oz , Long Xi
Published: December 2018

Identifying the neurotransmitters used by specific neurons is a critical step in understanding the function of neural circuits. However, methods for the consistent and efficient detection of neurotransmitter markers remain limited. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) enables direct labeling of type-specific mRNA in neurons. Recent advances in FISH allow this technique to be carried out in intact tissue samples such as whole-mount Drosophila melanogaster brains. Here, we present a FISH platform for high-throughput detection of eight common neurotransmitter phenotypes in Drosophila brains. We greatly increase FISH throughput by processing samples mounted on coverslips and optimizing fluorophore choice for each probe to facilitate multiplexing. As application examples, we demonstrate cases of neurotransmitter coexpression, reveal neurotransmitter phenotypes of specific cell types, and explore the onset of neurotransmitter expression in the developing optic lobe. Beyond neurotransmitter markers, our protocols can in principle be used for large-scale FISH detection of any mRNA in whole-mount fly brains.
Use of a Clinical Care Algorithm to Improve Care for Children With Hematogenous Osteomyelitis
Authors: Robinette Eric D. , Brower Laura , Schaffzin Joshua K. , Whitlock Patrick , Shah Samir S. , Connelly Beverly ,   on behalf of the AHO Care Algorithm Team
Published: December 2018

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (AHO) causes significant morbidity in children. Quality improvement (QI) methods have been used to successfully improve care and decrease costs through standardization for numerous conditions, including pediatric AHO. We embarked on a QI initiative to standardize our approach to the inpatient management of AHO, with a global aim of reducing inpatient costs.

METHODS:

We used existing literature and local consensus to develop a care algorithm for the inpatient management of AHO. We used the Model for Improvement as the framework for the project, which included process mapping, failure mode analysis, and key driver identification. We engaged with institutional providers to achieve at least 80% consensus regarding specific key drivers and tested various interventions to support uptake of the care algorithm.

RESULTS:

Fifty-seven patients were included. There were 31 patients in the preintervention cohort and 26 in the postintervention cohort, of whom 19 were managed per the algorithm. Mean inpatient charges decreased from $45 718 in the preintervention cohort to $32 895 in the postintervention cohort; length of stay did not change. Adherence to recommended empirical antimicrobial agents trended upward.

CONCLUSIONS:

A simple and low-cost QI project was used to safely decrease the cost of inpatient care for pediatric AHO at a tertiary care children’s hospital. A robust local consensus process proved to be a key component in the uptake of standardization.
Literatura entre terras desiludidas: as alteridades distorcidas de Brasil e Portugal
Authors: Richinitti Gabriela
Published: December 2018

Brasileiros e portugueses têm em comum uma espécie de niilismo identitário: uma baixa autoestima que repercute em suas culturas e dificulta o posicionamento altivo no cenário global. A literatura, ao retratar os fluxos migratórios que ocorrem entre essas terras desiludidas, tem reforçado diversos estereótipos e percepções negativas acerca de ambos os países. Dessa forma, a efetivação de um intercâmbio cultural criativo entre os países se deixa abater pela infertilidade dos lugares-comuns. A breve análise de algumas obras exemplificativas ilustrará as constatações deste ensaio, reafirmando que a melhoria do diálogo intercultural depende da renovação das velhas narrativas.
A febre tifoide no Rio Grande do Sul da Primeira República: uma doença com história
Authors: Ruckert Fabiano Quadros , Baptista Schwartsmann Leonor
Published: December 2018

O objetivo deste texto consiste em abordar a história da febre tifóide no Rio Grande do Sul da Primeira República. Partindo da premissa de que a febre tifóide era considerada como um importante indicativo das condições sanitárias da população, pretendemos explorar as relações entre a doença, a higiene pública e as políticas de saneamento implantadas pelo governo estadual sul rio-grandense no período entre 1889 e 1930. Na introdução do artigo, abordamos o quadro sanitário do Rio Grande do Sul e destacamos a presença da febre tifóide nos documentos da Diretoria de Higiene do Estado; posteriormente, analisamos quatro casos epidêmicos da doença e exploramos os procedimentos adotados pelo poder público para reduzir os índices provocados pela Salmonella Typhi. Finalizando o artigo, abordamos a expansão das ações do Estado na área do saneamento – expansão materializada na criação de sistemas modernos de abastecimento de água e na implantação de redes de esgoto em cidades sul rio-grandenses.
Vitrúvio: a escrita de um arquiteto antigo – século I a.c.
Authors: Munaro de Leão Natália
Published: December 2018

Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar a obra do arquiteto antigo Vitrúvio dentro do contexto de um registro da escrita de si, que pode contribuir para o conhecimento da história do período ao revelar, através dos seus escritos, o pensamento do autor sobre sua profissão no século I a.C., momento de transição da República para o Império Romano e consequentemente das alterações fundamentais na arquitetura romana
POLITICAL AND DIPLOMATIC CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE EMERGENCE OF THE MANDATE PALESTINE: Old and “New Diplomacy” (1918–1923)
Authors: Samarskaya Liudmila M.
Published: December 2018

Introduction. The Mandate Palestine as a separate administrative unit inside the British empire emerged after the First World War. The aim of the present article is to research and analyze the key factors of its creation, the so-called «new diplomacy», which was formed on the verge of 1910s–1920s. Materials and methods. The methods used in the article are historical-analytical and historical-systematical applied to the original sources, as well as to the research literature on the relevant topics. Results and Discussion. During and after the First World War there happened considerable changes in the international political system: nationalist movements of the Middle East became the leading players in it; among them a major role was played by the Jewish and Arab nationalism. Their aspirations were supported by the United States of America, which with the help of the «new diplomacy» and the League of Nations tried to change the balance of powers on the international arena of that period. Conclusion. As a result of all the changes the mandate system was created – a new phenomenon in the international relations of that period. Thus the appearance of the Mandate Palestine became possible

Keywords: the Mandate Palestine, Zionism, nationalism, the Middle East, «new diplomacy», the League of Nations
FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF STATE RECORDS MANAGEMENT IN THE SOVIET PERIOD
Authors: Zaitseva Ekaterina V.
Published: December 2018

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of the formation of state records management in the Soviet era. Modernization of records management during this period is connected with the processes of creating and strengthening the Soviet state, namely, the state apparatus of government, the formation of which began after the victory of the Great Russian Revolution of 1917. Modernization of the system of Soviet records management is directly dependent on the speed of modernization of the state administration of the USSR. From the level of development of records management and the development of the regulatory framework, the effectiveness of the work of the state apparatus and individual institutions depends on the formation of a documentary base on the history of society in the form of historical written sources. Materials and Methods. The author applied a historical analysis of the development and reform of the system of records management and workflow the Soviet period. The work was carried out on a significant number of both theoretical sources and the regulatory and methodological base of documentation support for administrative activities; this made it possible to consider the development of records management in the specified period. Results. The study showed that the system of records management, being secondary to the administrative apparatus, reflected not only the level of development of managerial and office culture, but also the modernizing system of government in the country. Discussion and Conclusion. In the process of modernizing the Soviet state records management, rules for drafting and executing documents were developed, rules for the rational management of records management were developed and introduced, the principles of unification, stencilling and standardization were implemented, and methodological support of records management was perfected. The author analyzes the main events in the process of formation and development of state records management and gives a description of the legislation on records management in the Soviet era, which is reflected in government decisions, legislative acts, regulations, etc.

Keywords: document, records management in the Soviet period, unification, standardization, state records management, state apparatus
THE ROLE OF GLASS INDUSTRY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF UDMURTIA IN THE 1920’s – 1930’s
Authors: Korolev Maxim A. , Loginov Sergey L.
Published: December 2018

Introduction. Udmurtia, its development within the framework of the first and the second five-year plans (1928–1932, 1933–1937). The focus is on the three enterprises of Valamaz, Sergievsk and Suginsk, as well as the construction of a new Golushurma factory. Materials and Methods. Analysis of archival materials reveals the state of the glass industry. Results. This industry (one of the oldest in the region) by the 1920’s occupied the leading positions in terms of industrial production. By the beginning of the First Five-Year Plan, the enterprises were in a deplorable state: the equipment and buildings were without repair and proper modernization, transport communication did not ensure stable sales of products. The circumstances were important for the further development of glass production: first, the availability of resources, primarily sand; secondly, the planned construction of the railway line. Five-year plans were to ensure the modernization of existing enterprises, but also to realize the task of building a new large factory, which had the largest volumes of production. Discussion and Conclusions. Despite the importance of glass production, in the 1930’s it ceases to be given due attention. Development plans wasn’t taken into account, the leadership of the region wasn’t invited to meetings on the discussion of core issues. At the same time, statistical data showed a reduction in production volumes, growth of manufacturing defect.

Keywords: glass industry, factories, five-year plans, resources, transport, modernization, construction, Nizhny Novgorod Regional Executive Committee.