bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A comparison between the new Low-profile Visualized Intraluminal Support (LVIS Blue) stent and the Flow Redirection Endoluminal Device (FRED) in bench-top and cadaver studies
Authors: Matsuda Yoshikazu , Chung Joonho , Keigher Kiffon , Lopes Demetrius
Published: September 2017

Object

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the differences between the new Low-profile Visualized Intraluminal Support (LVIS Blue) stenting device and the Flow Redirection Endoluminal Device (FRED) using a series of bench-top evaluations and optical coherence tomography (OCT) images in a cadaveric preparation of the basilar artery.

Methods

The first part of the evaluation was bench-top microscopic documentation of metal coverage for LVIS Blue and FRED stents. OCT images of the cerebral vessels and deployed stents were acquired using OCT intravascular imaging. The stents were deployed from the left posterior cerebral artery to the basilar artery in a fresh frozen cadaver. Wall apposition and the relationship to jailed perforators were evaluated.

Results

The metal coverage along the inner curves of the LVIS Blue stent was similar to that along the outer curves of the FRED stent. The LVIS Blue stent cell size was compatible for crossing with the tested microcatheters after deployment of the stent. The LVIS Blue stent showed better wall apposition and less coverage of the perforator than the FRED stent in the cadaver experiment.

Conclusions

LVIS Blue has a good crossing profile for microcatheters, better wall apposition, and less perforator coverage than FRED. These are desirable features in territories with high densities of perforators such as the posterior circulation.
Integrating regression and classification-based QSARs with molecular docking analyses to explore the structure-antiaromatase activity relationships of letrozole-based analogs
Authors: Adhikari Nilanjan , Amin Sk. Abdul , Jha Tarun , Gayen Shovanlal
Published: September 2017

Aromatase is a multienzyme complex responsible for the biosynthesis of estrogen and its level has been found higher in breast cancer. Although the designing strategy of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) has continued for more than four decades, it may still be in demand to design highly effective and less toxic AIs. In this study, several chemometric approaches have been used to explore the important structural features of a series of letrozole-based analogs for their promising aromatase inhibitory activity. All techniques are statistically validated individually and in turn, validated with each other along with the structure–activity relationship (SAR) observations. The imidazole ring has been found to interact with the heme iron, whereas the triazole ring system has not shown any interaction. Moreover, imidazole function is better than 1,2,3-triazole, whereas 1,2,3-triazole is better than the 1,2,5-triazole ring system. Additionally, a bulky aryl substitution in the azole ring along with the orientation of the azole nitrogens and the cyanophenyl function has an essential role in the inhibition of aromatase. Furthermore, a cyano group substituted at the phenyl moiety interacts with Arg115, Met374, and Ser478 at the enzyme active site to form hydrogen bonding interactions. These observations are useful for designing potential AIs in the future.
Strategies of Knowledge Management Implementation for Academic Services Improvement of Indonesian Higher Education
Authors: Nur R. Novie Nayyarah , Fauzi Anas Miftah , Sukoco Heru
Published: September 2017

This study aimed to analyse the implementation form and the maturity level of knowledge management (KM) and formulate recommendations of KM implementation strategies for improvement of academic services at universities in Indonesia. The analysis of the KM implementation was conducted at four top universities in Indonesia based on the ranking of the Indonesian Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education 2016, viz., ITB, UGM, UI and IPB. Primary data were obtained from the library of ITB, UGM, UI, and IPB and from 510 academicians of IPB, while secondary data was obtained by content analysis. The result showed that the top four universities in Indonesia have had the basic infrastructure for KM implementation; their management have been actively participating in the promotion of KM initiatives by articulating KM strategy and providing budgetary allocations and rewards system. Several pilot projects were undertaken to develop KM application into a higher level. The utilisation of KM application has not been optimal; knowledge sharing has not yet become a culture. The KM maturity implementation in the library of ITB, UGM, UI and IPB is at the third level. The result of the measurement of interoperability maturity level of seven IPB academic service applications just on the average reaches third level and is still in the stage of data integration. The KM implementation strategies that were recommended to improve the academic services at IPB, among other things, the reinforcement of the role of chief knowledge officer, the promotion of knowledge sharing culture with the knowledge repository optimisation, the formation of a community of practices, the development of knowledge portal, the optimisation of e-learning system and the improvement of rewards system.
Phishing Detection: A Case Analysis on Classifiers with Rules Using Machine Learning
Authors: Thabtah Fadi , Kamalov Firuz
Published: September 2017

A typical predictive approach in data mining that produces If-Then knowledge for decision making is rule-based classification. Rule-based classification includes a large number of algorithms that fall under the categories of covering, greedy, rule induction, and associative classification. These approaches have shown promising results due to the simplicity of the models generated and the user’s ability to understand, and maintain them. Phishing is one of the emergent online threats in web security domains that necessitates anti-phishing models with rules so users can easily differentiate among website types. This paper critically analyses recent research studies on the use of predictive models with rules for phishing detection, and evaluates the applicability of these approaches on phishing. To accomplish our task, we experimentally evaluate four different rule-based classifiers that belong to greedy, associative classification and rule induction approaches on real phishing datasets and with respect to different evaluation measures. Moreover, we assess the classifiers derived and contrast them with known classic classification algorithms including Bayes Net and Simple Logistics. The aim of the comparison is to determine the pros and cons of predictive models with rules and reveal their actual performance when it comes to detecting phishing activities. The results clearly showed that eDRI, a recently greedy algorithm, not only generates useful models but these are also highly competitive with respect to predictive accuracy as well as runtime when they are employed as anti-phishing tools.
A Knowledge-Based Framework for Service Management
Authors: Walsh John N. , O’Brien Jamie
Published: September 2017

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how information and communication technologies are used for service standardisation, customisation, and modularisation by knowledge-intensive service firms through the development and empirical validation of a knowledge-based framework. This paper uses 59 in-depth interviews, observational data, and document analysis from case studies of three service-related departments in high-technology, multinational knowledge-intensive business services (KIBSs). Prior research does not conceptualise the relationships between service customisation, standardisation and modularisation. This paper seeks to overcome this gap by integrating insights from research on the role played by both knowledge and information and communication technologies (ICTs) to construct and validate a framework to deal with this gap. It outlines the implications for service firms’ use of ICT to deal with increasing knowledge intensity as well as indicating the circumstances under which service knowledge is best customised, standardised and modularised. Further testing in other industries would prove useful in extending the usefulness and applicability of the findings. The originality of the paper lies in developing and validating the first framework to outline the relationship between how service knowledge is customised, standardised or modularised and indicating the associated issues and challenges. It emphasises the role of knowledge and technology. The value of this framework increases as more firms deal with increasing knowledge intensity in the services they provide and in their use of ICTs to reap the benefits of appropriate knowledge reuse.
Motivating Knowledge Sharing Among Undergraduate Medical Students of the University of Lahore, Pakistan
Authors: Rafique Ghulam Murtaza , Anwar Mumtaz A.
Published: September 2017

Objectives: This study aimed at exploring the factors that motivated and hindered the medical students to share their knowledge with each other. Method: A survey questionnaire was used to collect the data from 260 medical students selected by proportionate stratified simple random sampling technique from University College of Medicine of The University of Lahore, Pakistan. Results: A total of 252 (96.9%) questionnaires were received from respondents. Of the seven purposes for knowledge sharing (KS) (if grades/exams do matter), two obtained a maximum mean score of 3.88; while one got 4.02 if grades/exams do not matter. Four of the eight motivational factors got top mean scores of 3.59 to 3.88. Of the 11 barriers, “People only share with those who share with them” obtained a highest mean score (3.81). Conclusions: Major findings showed that medical students discussed exam-related matters and enhanced their own understanding by KS. Class participation and group discussion stimulated them to share knowledge with their peers. They considered give-and-take a big barrier of KS. The overall opinions of female students scored higher than males.
FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ACCESS TO BANK LOANS IN TANZANIA: A DOUBLE-HURDLE MODEL APPROACH
Authors: TEIXEIRA AURORA A. C. , SHARIFU HALIMA ABDI
Published: September 2017

The present study assesses the perceptions of female entrepreneurs in Tanzania regarding the access to bank loans and the difficulties experienced in the process of financing their businesses. Focusing on small-scale businesses, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 75 female entrepreneurs from the Dar es Salaam area. Resorting to double-hurdle estimation models, we conclude that: 1) women who perceive higher discrimination and/or inequality in accessing bank loans, but who also recognize that female entrepreneurs often lack relevant business skills, tend to apply more often for bank loans; 2) women running larger business, operating in the tailoring industry, face fewer difficulties; 3) although highly educated female entrepreneurs apply less for bank loans, formal education acts as a shield to the difficulties faced by women when applying to bank loans; 4) more autonomous and money seeking female entrepreneurs are less likely to report difficulties during the bank loan application process.
Stress Wave Propagation in Cracked Geological Solids Using Finite Difference Scheme
Authors: Kakavas P. A. , Kalapodis N. A.
Published: September 2017

The aim of this study is the numerical computation of the wave propagation in crack geological solids. The finite difference method was applied to solve the differential equations involved in the problem. Since the problem is symmetric, we prefer to use this technique instead of the finite element method and/or boundary elements technique. A comparison of the numerical results with analytical solutions is provided.
Textures as Probes of Visual Processing
Authors: Victor Jonathan D. , Conte Mary M. , Chubb Charles F.
Published: September 2017

Visual textures are a class of stimuli with properties that make them well suited for addressing general questions about visual function at the levels of behavior and neural mechanism. They have structure across multiple spatial scales, they put the focus on the inferential nature of visual processing, and they help bridge the gap between stimuli that are analytically convenient and the complex, naturalistic stimuli that have the greatest biological relevance. Key questions that are well suited for analysis via visual textures include the nature and structure of perceptual spaces, modulation of early visual processing by task, and the transformation of sensory stimuli into patterns of population activity that are relevant to perception.
Cervical Cancer Screening among Women from Muslim-Majority Countries in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Lofters Aisha K. , Vahabi Mandana , Kim Eliane , Ellison Lisa , Graves Erin , Glazier Richard H.
Published: September 2017

Background: Immigrant women are less likely to be screened for cervical cancer in Ontario. Religion may play a role for some women. In this population-based retrospective cohort study, we used country of birth as a proxy for religious affiliation and examined screening uptake among foreign-born women from Muslim-majority versus other countries, stratified by region of origin.

Methods: We linked provincial databases and identified all women eligible for cervical cancer screening between April 1, 2012, and March 31, 2015. Women were classified into regions based on country of birth. Countries were classified as Muslim-majority or not.

Results: Being born in a Muslim-majority country was significantly associated with lower likelihood of being up-to-date on Pap testing, after adjustment for region of origin, neighborhood income, and primary care–related factors [adjusted relative risk (ARR), 0.93; 95% (confidence interval) CI, 0.92–0.93]. Sub-Saharan African women from Muslim-majority countries had the highest prevalence of being overdue (59.6%), and the lowest ARR for screening when compared with women from non–Muslim-majority Sub-Saharan African countries (ARR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.76–0.79). ARRs were lowest for women with no primary care versus those in a capitation-based model (ARR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.27–0.29 overall).

Conclusions: We have shown that being born in a Muslim-majority country is associated with a decreased likelihood of being up-to-date on cervical screening in Ontario and that access to primary care has a sizeable impact on screening uptake.

Impact: Screening efforts need to take into account the background characteristics of population subgroups and to focus on increasing primary care access for all. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(10); 1493–9. ©2017 AACR.
Evolutionary Relationships among Boulengerella Species (Ctenoluciidae, Characiformes): Genomic Organization of Repetitive DNAs and Highly Conserved Karyotypes
Authors: de Souza e Sousa José F. , Viana Patrik F. , Bertollo Luiz A.C. , Cioffi Marcelo B. , Feldberg Eliana
Published: September 2017

Ctenoluciidae is a Neotropical freshwater fish family whose representatives are known as bicudas. The genus Boulengerella contains 5 species, and 4 of them (B. cuvieri, B. lateristriga, B. lucius, and B. maculata) were cytogenetically analyzed in the present study by conventional and molecular procedures. All 4 species have a very similar karyotype, with 2n = 36 chromosomes (14 metacentrics + 16 submetacentrics + 6 subtelocentrics; FN = 72). However, the heterochromatin distribution pattern is species-specific. In all 4 species, the nucleolus organizer region is located in pair 18, as also confirmed by cytogenetic mapping of 18S rDNA. In turn, 5S rRNA genes are present in 2 chromosome pairs: in pair 1 of all 4 species, and in pair 10 of B. lateristriga, B. maculata, and B. cuvieri, but in pair 4 of B. lucius. The telomeric probe highlighted terminal regions in all chromosomes, as well as an interstitial centromeric sequence in pair 3 of the 3 first-mentioned species. Notably, a conspicuous heteromorphic secondary constriction in chromosomes 18 was found only in the males of the 3 species, rendering one of the homologs much larger than the other one. This feature, associated with a large 18S rDNA block and accumulation of telomeric sequences, suggests the presence of an XX/XY sex chromosome system in the analyzed Boulengerella species.
Functional Consequences of Intracellular Proline Levels Manipulation Affecting PRODH/POX–Dependent Pro-Apoptotic Pathways in a Novel in Vitro Cell Culture Model
Authors: Zareba Ilona , Surazynski Arkadiusz , Chrusciel Marcin , Miltyk Wojciech , Doroszko Milena , Rahman Nafis , Palka Jerzy
Published: September 2017

Background/Aims: The effect of impaired intracellular proline availability for proline dehydrogenase/proline oxidase (PRODH/POX)-dependent apoptosis was studied. Methods: We generated a constitutively knocked-down PRODH/POX MCF-7 breast cancer cell line (MCF-7shPRODH/POX) as a model to analyze the functional consequences of impaired intracellular proline levels. We have used inhibitor of proline utilization in collagen biosynthesis, 2-metoxyestradiol (MOE), inhibitor of prolidase that generate proline, rapamycin (Rap) and glycyl-proline (GlyPro), substrate for prolidase. Collagen and DNA biosynthesis were evaluated by radiometric assays. Cell viability was determined using Nucleo-Counter NC-3000. The activity of prolidase was determined by colorimetric assay. Expression of proteins was assessed by Western blot and immunofluorescence bioimaging. Concentration of proline was analyzed by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. Results: PRODH/POX knockdown decreased DNA and collagen biosynthesis, whereas increased prolidase activity and intracellular proline level in MCF-7shPRODH/POX cells. All studied compounds decreased cell viability in MCF-7 and MCF-7shPRODH/POX cells. DNA biosynthesis was similarly inhibited by Rap and MOE in both cell lines, but GlyPro inhibited the process only in MCF-7shPRODH/POX and MOE+GlyPro only in MCF-7 cells. All the compounds inhibited collagen biosynthesis, increased prolidase activity and cytoplasmic proline level in MCF-7shPRODH/POX cells and contributed to the induction of pro-survival mode only in MCF-7shPRODH/POX cells. In contrast, all studied compounds upregulated expression of pro-apoptotic protein only in MCF-7 cells. Conclusion: PRODH/POX was confirmed as a driver of apoptosis and proved the eligibility of MCF-7shPRODH/POX cell line as a highly effective model to elucidate the different mechanisms underlying proline utilization or generation in PRODH/POX-dependent pro-apoptotic pathways.
Retrograde Type A Aortic Dissection After Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Chen Yanqing , Zhang Simeng , Liu Lei , Lu Qingsheng , Zhang Tianyi , Jing Zaiping
Published: September 2017

Background

Retrograde type A aortic dissection (
RTAD
) is a potentially lethal complication after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (
TEVAR
). However, data are limited regarding the development of
RTAD
post‐
TEVAR
. This systematic review aims to define the incidence, mortality, and potential risk factors of
RTAD
post‐
TEVAR
.

Methods and Results

Multiple electronic searches were performed. Fifty publications with a total of 8969 patients were analyzed. Pooled estimates for incidence and mortality of
RTAD
were 2.5% (95% confidence interval [
CI]
, 2.0–3.1) and 37.1% (95%
CI
, 23.7–51.6), respectively. Metaregression analysis evidenced that
RTAD
rate was associated with hypertension (
P
=0.043), history of vascular surgery (
P
=0.042), and American Surgical Association (
P
=0.044). The relative risk of
RTAD
was 1.81 (95%
CI,
1.04–3.14) for acute dissection (relative to chronic dissection) and 5.33 (95%
CI,
2.70–10.51) for aortic dissection (relative to a degenerative aneurysm). Incidence of
RTAD
was significantly different in patients with proximal bare stent and nonbare stent endografts (relative risk
[RR]
=2.06; 95%
CI,
1.22–3.50).
RTAD
occurrence rate in zone 0 was higher than other landing zones.

Conclusions

The pooled
RTAD
rate after
TEVAR
was calculated at 2.5% with a high mortality rate (37.1%). Incidence of
RTAD
is significantly more frequent in patients treated for dissection than those with an aneurysm (especially for acute dissection), and when the proximal bare stent was used. Rate of
RTAD
after
TEVAR
varied significantly according to the proximal Ishimaru landing zone. The more‐experienced centers tend to have lower
RTAD
incidences.
Cardiac Events During Competitive, Recreational, and Daily Activities in Children and Adolescents With Long QT Syndrome
Authors: Chambers Kristina D. , Beausejour Ladouceur Virginie , Alexander Mark E. , Hylind Robyn J. , Bevilacqua Laura , Mah Douglas Y. , Bezzerides Vassilios , Triedman John K. , Walsh Edward P. , Abrams Dominic J.
Published: September 2017

Background

The 2005 Bethesda Conference Guidelines advise patients with long QT syndrome against competitive sports. We assessed cardiac event rates during competitive and recreational sports, and daily activities among treated long QT syndrome patients.

Methods and Results

Long QT syndrome patients aged ≥4 years treated with anti‐adrenergic therapy were included. Demographics included mechanism of presentation, corrected QT interval pretreatment, symptom history, medication compliance, and administration of QT‐prolonging medications. Corrected QT interval ≥550 ms or prior cardiac arrest defined high risk. Sports were categorized by cardiovascular demand per the 2005 Bethesda Conference Guidelines. Each was classified as recreational or competitive. One hundred seventy‐two patients (90; 52% female) with median age 15.2 years (interquartile range 11.4, 19.4) were included. Evaluation was performed for family history (102; 59%), incidental finding (34; 20%), and symptoms (36; 21%). Median corrected QT interval was 474 ms (interquartile range 446, 496) and 14 patients (8%) were deemed high risk. Treatment included β‐blockers (171; 99%), implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (27; 16%), left cardiac sympathetic denervation (7; 4%), and pacemaker (3; 2%). Sports participation was recreational (66; 38%) or competitive (106; 62%), with 92 (53%) exercising against the Bethesda Conference Guidelines. There were no cardiac events in competitive athletes and no deaths. There were 13 cardiac events in 9 previously symptomatic patients during either recreational exercise or activities of daily life.

Conclusions

In this cohort of appropriately managed children with long QT syndrome, cardiac event rates were low and occurred during recreational but not competitive activities. This study further supports the need for increased assessment of arrhythmia risk during exercise in this patient population.
Professional Medical Interpreters Influence the Quality of Acute Ischemic Stroke Care for Patients Who Speak Languages Other than English
Authors: Luan Erfe Betty M. , Siddiqui Khawja A. , Schwamm Lee H. , Kirwan Chris , Nunes Anabela , Mejia Nicte I.
Published: September 2017

Background

The inability to communicate effectively in a common language can jeopardize clinicians’ efforts to provide quality patient care. Professional medical interpreters (PMIs) can help provide linguistically appropriate health care, in particular for the >25 million Americans who identify speaking English less than very well. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between use of PMIs and quality of acute ischemic stroke care received by patients who preferred to have their medical care in languages other than English.

Methods and Results

We analyzed data from 259 non–English‐preferring acute ischemic stroke patients who participated in the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines–Stroke program at our hospital from January 1, 2003, to April 30, 2014. We used descriptive statistics and logistic regression models to examine associations between involvement of PMIs and patients’ receipt of defect‐free stroke care. A total of 147 of 259 (57%) non–English‐preferring patients received PMI services during their hospital stays. Multivariable analyses adjusting for other socioeconomic factors showed that acute ischemic stroke patients who did not receive PMIs had lower odds of receiving defect‐free stroke care (odds ratio: 0.52;
P
=0.04).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that PMIs may influence the quality of acute ischemic stroke care.
Thrombolysis in Postoperative Stroke
Authors: Voelkel Nicolas , Hubert Nikolai Dominik , Backhaus Roland , Haberl Roman Ludwig , Hubert Gordian Jan
Published: September 2017

Background and Purpose—

Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) is beneficial in reducing disability in selected patients with acute ischemic stroke. There are numerous contraindications to IVT. One is recent surgery. The aim of this study was to analyze the safety of IVT in patients with postoperative stroke.

Methods—

Data of consecutive IVT patients from the Telemedical Project for Integrative Stroke Care thrombolysis registry (February 2003 to October 2014; n=4848) were retrospectively searched for keywords indicating preceding surgery. Patients were included if surgery was performed within the last 90 days before stroke. The primary outcome was defined as surgical site hemorrhage. Subgroups with major/minor surgery and recent/nonrecent surgery (within 10 days before IVT) were analyzed separately.

Results—

One hundred thirty-four patients underwent surgical intervention before IVT. Surgery had been performed recently (days 1–10) in 49 (37%) and nonrecently (days 11–90) in 85 patients (63%). In 86 patients (64%), surgery was classified as major, and in 48 (36%) as minor. Nine patients (7%) developed surgical site hemorrhage after IVT, of whom 4 (3%) were serious, but none was fatal. One fatal bleeding occurred remotely from surgical area. Rate of surgical site hemorrhage was significantly higher in recent than in nonrecent surgery (14.3% versus 2.4%, respectively, odds ratio
adjusted
10.73; 95% confidence interval, 1.88–61.27). Difference between patients with major and minor surgeries was less distinct (8.1% and 4.2%, respectively; odds ratio
adjusted
4.03; 95% confidence interval, 0.65–25.04). Overall in-hospital mortality was 8.2%. Intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 9.7% and was asymptomatic in all cases.

Conclusions—

IVT may be administered safely in postoperative patients as off-label use after appropriate risk–benefit assessment. However, bleeding risk in surgical area should be taken into account particularly in patients who have undergone surgery shortly before stroke onset.
Transnational Jihadism & Civil Wars
Authors: Crenshaw Martha
Published: September 2017

When rebels also employ terrorism, civil wars can become more intractable. Since the 1980s, jihadism, a form of violent transnational activism, has mobilized civil war rebels, outside entrepreneurs, foreign fighters, and organizers of transnational as well as domestic terrorism. These activities are integral to the jihadist trend, representing overlapping and conjoined strands of the same ideological current, which in turn reflects internal division and dissatisfaction within the Arab world and within Islam. Jihadism, however, is neither unitary nor monolithic. It contains competing power centers and divergent ideological orthodoxies. Different jihadist actors emphasize different priorities and strategies. They disagree, for example, on whether the “near” or the “far” enemy should take precedence. The relationship between jihadist terrorism and civil war is far from uniform or constant. This essay traces the trajectory of this evolution, beginning in the 1980s in the context of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Organized Crime, Illicit Economies, Civil Violence & International Order: More Complex Than You Think
Authors: Felbab-Brown Vanda
Published: September 2017

This essay analyzes the multiple threats that organized crime and illicit economies pose to states and the international order, with a particular focus on the security dimensions of the crime-conflict nexus. In analyzing the range of responses by states and the international community to the nexus of criminal economies and civil wars, insurgencies, and terrorism, this essay also highlights how premature and ill-conceived government efforts to combat illicit economies have counterproductive effects, hampering efforts to suppress militancy and, in some cases, generating dangerous international spillovers of criminality. The second part of the essay examines various pathways out of the conflict-crime nexus, including defeating militants without suppressing illicit economies, suppressing crime and illicit economies without ending conflict, and state co-optation of illicit economies. The essay concludes with policy recommendations.
On Improvised Music, Computational Creativity and Human-Becoming
Authors: Artinian Arto , Wilson Adam James
Published: September 2017

Music improvisation is an act of human-becoming: of self-expression—an articulation of histories and memories that have molded its participants—and of exploration—a search for unimagined structures that break with the stale norms of majoritarian culture. Given that the former objective may inhibit the latter, we propose an integration of human musical improvisers and deliberately flawed creative software agents that are designed to catalyze the development of human-ratified minoritarian musical structures.
The Chinwag: Memory, Digital Technology and Traditional Music
Authors: Monaghan Úna
Published: September 2017

The author discusses her piece The Chinwag as sound art that has recorded memory and history, its impermanence and its relationship to digital memory and traditional music.
TA [P] CHAS: References to Indigenous Traditions in Peruvian Electroacoustic Composition of the 1960s
Authors: Orozco Renzo Filinich
Published: September 2017

This article reviews the compositional practice of Peruvian electroacoustic music in the 1960s, to investigate the methods and sources of influence on music and new technologies of that time. It therefore explores local expressions and national and regional identities through elements of folk and traditional music used in these practices. The analysis of this repertoire, from a cross-cultural perspective, sheds new light on the history and originality of experimental art and music in Peru, as well as on Peruvian ethnomusicology.
Lukács in Self-Translation: The Necessity of Contingency in The Soul and the Forms
Authors: Farkas Márton
Published: September 2017

A series of meditations on history and criticism, György Lukács's The Soul and the Forms appeared first in Hungarian in 1910 and then in German in 1911—arguably having been translated by the author himself, as a work of mourning. Despite renewed interest in the work, English-language editions have been taken from the German translation and barely consider the Hungarian version. This essay argues that an exemplary skirmish takes place in translation between the Hungarian and the German texts, as Lukács shifts from an Epicurean-Lucretian to a Stoicist view of causality. Not unlike in the early notebooks of Marx, a materialist Lukács can be located in his first collection of essays, despite the fact that it is usually pigeonholed as part of his grand idealist phase. Farkas is particularly interested in how Lukács's self-translation washes over a Romantic concept of irony as Lukács posits the necessity of a mixture of necessity and contingency as the origin of the critic's irony, a move that undermines his own non-totalizing view of irony as a structural principle of the novel in his 1917 work The Theory of the Novel.
Insertions into Historiographic Circuits
Authors: Small Irene V.
Published: September 2017

This article establishes the context for the original publication of Ronaldo Brito's pioneering 1975 essay, “Neo-concretism Apex and Rupture of the Brazilian Constructive Project” in the third and last issue of the Rio de Janeiro-based art journal Malasartes. It argues that Brito's text was a concerted effort to intervene within the determining logic of what the author and others termed “the circuit,” that is, the conjunction of protagonists, operations, and effects that produce and reproduce “the art world.” In this sense, Brito's essay was nothing less than a discursive rejoinder to the provocation of Cildo Meireles's seminal conceptual work Insertions Into Ideological Circuits (1970–75), likewise published in Malasartes. Brito not only provided the first political and structural analysis of the Neo-concrete movement as a localized response to a transnational field of constructive practices, he advanced a model of critical art history that realigned theoretical production with ideological critique.
So Good It Has to Be True: Wishful Thinking in Theory of Mind
Authors: Hawthorne-Madell Daniel , Goodman Noah D.
Published: September 2017

In standard decision theory, rational agents are objective, keeping their beliefs independent from their desires. Such agents are the basis for current computational models of Theory of Mind (ToM), but the accuracy of these models are unknown. Do people really think that others do not let their desires color their beliefs? In two experiments we test whether people think that others engage in wishful thinking. We find that participants do think others believe that desirable events are more likely to happen, and that undesirable ones are less likely to happen. However, these beliefs are not well calibrated as people do not let their desires influence their beliefs in the task. Whether accurate or not, thinking that others wishfully think has consequences for reasoning about them. We find one such consequence—people learn more from an informant who thinks an event will happen despite wishing it was otherwise. People’s ToM therefore appears to be more nuanced than the current rational accounts in that it allows other’s desires to directly affect their subjective probability of an event.
Spontaneous Preference for Slowly Moving Objects in Visually Naïve Animals
Authors: Wood Justin N.
Published: September 2017

To perceive the world successfully, newborns need certain types of visual experiences. The development of object recognition, for example, requires visual experience with slowly moving objects. To date, however, it is unknown whether newborns actively seek out the best visual experiences for developing object recognition. To address this question, I used an automated controlled-rearing method to examine whether visually naïve animals (newborn chicks) seek out slowly moving objects. Despite receiving equal exposure to slowly and to quickly rotating objects, the majority of the chicks developed a preference for slowly rotating objects. This preference was robust, producing large effect sizes across objects, experiments, and successive test days. These results indicate that newborn brains rapidly develop mechanisms for orienting young animals toward optimal visual experiences, thus facilitating the development of object recognition. This study also demonstrates that automation can be a valuable tool for studying the origins and development of visual preferences.
Dispute Settlement in the Law of the Sea: Survey for 2015, Part ii and 2016
Authors: Churchill Robin
Published: September 2017

This is the latest in a series of annual surveys reviewing dispute settlement in the law of the sea, both under the un Convention on the Law of the Sea and outside the framework of the Convention. It covers developments concerning the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in 2016 and concerning all other law of the sea dispute settlement bodies for both 2015 and 2016. The developments covered include: the awards in Chagos Marine Protected Area (Mauritius v. United Kingdom), South China Sea (Philippines v. China), Arctic Sunrise (Netherlands v. Russia) and Duzgit Integrity cases; the judgments in the jurisdictional phases of the Norstar and Nicaragua/Colombia cases; the prescription of provisional measures by the arbitral tribunal in the Enrica Lexie case; and the first ever use of the compulsory conciliation procedures of the un Convention on the Law of the Sea.
A first checklist to the vascular plants of La Amistad International Park (PILA), Costa Rica-Panama
Authors: MONRO A. K. , SANTAMARÍA-AGUILAR D. , GONZÁLEZ F. , CHACÓN O. , SOLANO D. , RODRÍGUEZ A. , ZAMORA N. , FEDELE E. , CORREA M.
Published: September 2017

La Amistad International Park is a World Heritage Site, which comprises 401,000 ha of mainly upland continuous natural vegetation straddling the Costa Rica and Panama border. We present a first checklist of vascular plant diversity for the park and a brief discussion of how this diversity is distributed by elevation and vegetation type together with a superficial assessment of floristic affinities. The checklist recognises 3,046 vascular plant species, 26 of which are lycopods, 433 are ferns and 2,586 are seed plants. Of these, 16 are new records for Costa Rica and 39 are for the flora of Panama; 14 represent undescribed or new species to science and 73 are endemic to La Amistad or its buffer zone. For each species we document its presence within the Park by citing herbarium specimens and the associated elevational range, together with their global distribution, extinction risk assessments where undertaken, whether the taxon is exotic.
Taxonomic and nomenclatural acts formalizing the classification provided in the world catalogue of the Cleonini (Curculionidae: Lixinae)
Authors: MEREGALLI MASSIMO
Published: September 2017

Several taxonomic and nomenclatural acts required to formalize the classification provided in the online World Catalogue of the Cleonini are proposed. The genera Epirrhynchus Schoenherr, 1826 and Nomimonyx Faust,1904 are excluded from the Lixinae: Cleonini and provisionally referred to the Cyclominae. Phaulosomus kilimanus Faust, 1904 is designated as type species of genus Phaulosomus Faust, 1904. The lectotype of Curculio nebulosus Linnaeus, 1758 is designated. New synonymies are proposed for 20 species, new combinations are proposed for 13 species, 11 species are resurrected from synonymy, 1 subspecies is resurrected from synonymy, 1 species is promoted to species rank from subspecies.
Selection of a lectotype for Brachycrus laticeps mooki Schultz and Falkenbach (Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Merycoidodontidae)
Authors: MADER BRYN J.
Published: September 2017

In 1968 Schultz and Falkenbach described a new oreodont subspecies, Brachycrus laticeps mooki, from a locality 11 km (7 miles) southeast of Fort Logan, Meagher County, Montana. As a holotype for this new taxon, Schultz and Falkenbach (1968:369) designated both American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) specimen number 21321 (a skull) and AMNH 21322 (a left ramus). Although the citation of two separate catalog numbers as a holotype is highly unusual, Schultz and Falkenbach believed that the specimens cataloged under both numbers represent only a single individual. The use of the term ‘holotype’ was appropriate, therefore, although it would have been more common practice to place elements believed to represent a single individual under a single catalog number. Schultz and Falkenbach did not give a justification for their opinion that AMNH 21321 and AMNH 21322 represent the same individual, although they stated this belief in two publications (1941 and 1968).
Redescription of the tadpole of Odontophrynus carvalhoi Savage and Cei,
1965 (Anura, Odontophrynidae) with comments on the geographical distribution of the species
Authors: SANTOS-SILVA DANUSY LOPES , ANDRADE SHEILA P. , ROCHA CEZAR FILHO , MACIEL NATAN M. , CARAMASCHI ULISSES , VAZ-SILVA WILIAN
Published: September 2017

The genus Odontophrynus is distributed throughout the Neotropics being represented by eleven species (Frost 2017). Recently, Caramaschi & Napoli (2012) presented a taxonomic revision of the species belonging to the Odontophrynus cultripes species group including the redescription of O. carvalhoi together with natural history attributes, advertisement call description and geographic distribution remarks.
Infants’ Processing of Prosodic Cues: Electrophysiological Evidence for Boundary Perception beyond Pause Detection
Authors: Holzgrefe-Lang Julia , Wellmann Caroline , Höhle Barbara , Wartenburger Isabell
Published: September 2017

Infants as young as six months are sensitive to prosodic phrase boundaries marked by three acoustic cues: pitch change, final lengthening, and pause. Behavioral studies suggest that a language-specific weighting of these cues develops during the first year of life; recent work on German revealed that eight-month-olds, unlike six-month-olds, are capable of perceiving a prosodic boundary on the basis of pitch change and final lengthening only. The present study uses Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) to investigate the neuro-cognitive development of prosodic cue perception in German-learning infants. In adults’ ERPs, prosodic boundary perception is clearly reflected by the so-called Closure Positive Shift (CPS). To date, there is mixed evidence on whether an infant CPS exists that signals early prosodic cue perception, or whether the CPS emerges only later—the latter implying that infantile brain responses to prosodic boundaries reflect acoustic, low-level pause detection.

We presented six- and eight-month-olds with stimuli containing either no boundary cues, only a pitch cue, or a combination of both pitch change and final lengthening. For both age groups, responses to the former two conditions did not differ, while brain responses to prosodic boundaries cued by pitch change and final lengthening showed a positivity that we interpret as a CPS-like infant ERP component. This hints at an early sensitivity to prosodic boundaries that cannot exclusively be based on pause detection. Instead, infants’ brain responses indicate an early ability to exploit subtle, relational prosodic cues in speech perception—presumably even earlier than could be concluded from previous behavioral results.
Linking Preference Falsification and Election Fraud in Electoral Autocracies: The Case of Russia
Authors: Kalinin Kirill
Published: September 2017

This study sheds new light on whether responses to public opinion polls, namely, preference falsification, can affect the level of election fraud by employing Kuran’s model of preference falsification, which is empirically tested on the data collected from the most recent presidential campaign in Russia (2012). My research findings reveal the presence of a statistically significant effect of preference falsification on election fraud, thus enabling me to conclude that preference falsification is, indeed, conducive to election fraud. My findings can be generalised to a broad set of electoral autocracies, enabling scholars to get a better understanding of the mechanism by which survey polls can incentivise officials to commit election fraud.
Sparse Supervised Classification Methods Predict and Characterize Nanomaterial Exposures: Independent Markers of MWCNT Exposures
Authors: Yanamala Naveena , Orandle Marlene S. , Kodali Vamsi K. , Bishop Lindsey , Zeidler-Erdely Patti C. , Roberts Jenny R. , Castranova Vincent , Erdely Aaron
Published: September 2017

Recent experimental evidence indicates significant pulmonary toxicity of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), such as inflammation, interstitial fibrosis, granuloma formation, and carcinogenicity. Although numerous studies explored the adverse potential of various CNTs, their comparability is often limited. This is due to differences in administered dose, physicochemical characteristics, exposure methods, and end points monitored. Here, we addressed the problem through sparse classification method, a supervised machine learning approach that can reduce the noise contained in redundant variables for discriminating among MWCNT-exposed and MWCNT-unexposed groups. A panel of proteins measured from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) samples was used to predict exposure to various MWCNT and determine markers that are attributable to MWCNT exposure and toxicity in mice. Using sparse support vector machine–based classification technique, we identified a small subset of proteins clearly distinguishing each exposure. Macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC/CCL22), in particular, was associated with various MWCNT exposures and was independent of exposure method employed, that is, oropharyngeal aspiration versus inhalation exposure. Sustained expression of some of the selected protein markers identified also suggests their potential role in MWCNT-induced toxicity and proposes hypotheses for future mechanistic studies. Such approaches can be used more broadly for nanomaterial risk profiling studies to evaluate decisions related to dose/time–response relationships that could delineate experimental variables from exposure markers.
Shed-blood-separation and cell-saver: an integral Part of MiECC? Shed-blood-separation and its influence on the perioperative inflammatory response during coronary revascularization with minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation systems – a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Bauer Adrian , Hausmann Harald , Schaarschmidt Jan , Scharpenberg Martin , Troitzsch Dirk , Johansen Peter , Nygaard Hans , Eberle Thomas , Hasenkam J. Michael
Published: September 2017

Objective:

The postoperative systemic inflammatory response after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is still an undesirable side-effect after cardiac surgery. It is most likely caused by blood contact with foreign surfaces and by the surgical trauma itself. However, the recirculation of activated shed mediastinal blood is another main cause of blood cell activation and cytokine release. Minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation (MiECC) comprises a completely closed circuit, coated surfaces and the separation of suction blood. We hypothesized that MiECC, with separated cell saved blood, would induce less of a systemic inflammatory response than MiECC with no cell-saver. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate the impact of cell washing shed blood from the operating field versus direct return to the ECC on the biomarkers for systemic inflammation.

Material and methods:

In the study, patients with MiECC and cell-saver were compared with the control group, patients with MiECC and direct re-transfusion of the drawn blood shed from the surgical field.

Results:

High amounts of TNF-α (+ 120% compared to serum blood) were found in the shed blood itself, but a significant reduction was demonstrated with the use of a cell-saver (TNF-α ng/l post-ECC 10 min: 9.5±3.5 vs. 19.7±14.5, p<0.0001). The values for procalcitonin were not significantly increased in the control group (6h: 1.07±3.4 vs. 2.15±9.55, p=0.19) and lower for C-reactive protein (CRP) (24h: 147.1±64.0 vs.134.4±52.4 p=0.28).

Conclusion:

The use of a cell-saver and the processing of shed blood as an integral part of MiECC significantly reduces the systemic cytokine load. We, therefore, recommend the integration of cell-saving devices in MiECC to reduce the perioperative inflammatory response.
Exploiting the responses of magnetotactic bacteria robotic agents to enhance displacement control and swarm formation for drug delivery platforms
Authors: Loghin Dumitru , Tremblay Charles , Mohammadi Mahmood , Martel Sylvain
Published: September 2017

Magnetotactic bacteria MC-1 (MTB) synthesize a chain of magnetic nanoparticles called magnetosomes to navigate in deep-sea environments by orienting themselves in the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field. MTB’s inherent mobility and ability to be controlled by exposition to an external magnetic field has become of increasing interest for micromanipulation and drug transport applications. In the traditional control schemes, MTB were oriented by exposure to an external magnetic field causing them to align with the magnetic field lines. Directional changes were applied below a critical frequency and, as such, MTB were still able to swim along the generated magnetic field lines. The approach presented here proposes to apply to the MTB an oscillating magnetic field with a frequency beyond a critical limit to in order to exploit the time averaging magnetic field motion behavior of the bacteria cells. Results indicate that a time-multiplexed magnetic field made of various directional cycling fields can control the MTB more efficiently with less power, which is an advantage for future human-scale medical applications.