bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors hindering the adherence to clinical practice guideline for diabetes mellitus in the Palestinian primary healthcare clinics: a qualitative study
Authors: Radwan Mahmoud , Akbari Sari Ali , Rashidian Arash , Takian Amirhossein , Elsous Aymen , Abou-Dagga Sanaa
Published: September 2018

Objective

Despite a high number of the internationally produced and implemented clinical guidelines, the adherence with them is still low in healthcare. This study aimed at exploring the perspectives and experiences of senior doctors and nurses towards the barriers of adherence to diabetes guideline.

Setting

The Palestinian Primary Health Care-Ministry of Health (PHC-MoH) and Primary Health Care-United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (PHC- UNRWA) in Gaza Strip.

Participants

Individual face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 senior doctors and nurses who were purposefully selected.

Methods

Qualitative design was employed using the theoretical framework by Cabanaet alto develop an interview guide. Semi-structural and audio-recorded interviews were conducted. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed.

Results

The key theme barriers identified by participants that emerged from the analysed data were in regard of the PHC-MoH lack reimbursement, lack of resources and lack of the guideline trustworthiness, and in regard of PHC-UNRWA the time constraints and the lack of the guideline trustworthiness. The two key subthemes elicited from the qualitative analysis were the outdated guideline and lack of auditing and feedback.

Conclusion

The analysis identified a wide range of barriers against the adherence to diabetes guideline within the PHC-MoH and PHC-UNRWA. The environmental-related and guideline-related barriers were the most prominent factors influencing the guideline adherence. Our study can inform the policy makers and senior managers to develop a tailored interventions that can target the elicited barriers through a multifaceted implementation strategy.
Demonstration of living anatomy clarifies the morphology of interatrial communications
Authors: Mori Shumpei , Nishii Tatsuya , Tretter Justin T , Spicer Diane E , Hirata Ken-ich , Anderson Robert H
Published: September 2018

Inferences made regarding the postnatal anatomy of the atrial septum still tend to be based on developmental evidence. Although atrial septation is a well-defined process, it is remarkably complex and remains poorly understood. It is now established, however, that the process involves the conjugation of several myocardial structures and mesenchymal tissues of both intracardiac and extracardiac origin. The resultant postnatal morphology is equally complex, evidenced by the fact that, in the normal heart, only the floor of the oval fossa, along with its anteroinferior muscular buttress, are true anatomical septums. In this regard, septums can be defined as partitions that can be removed without creating communications with the extracavitary space. The true septal components are surrounded by grooves, which themselves largely represent infolding of the atrial walls. These anatomical features can now accurately be revealed using virtual dissection of CT data sets. These images, when carefully reconstructed, demonstrated the anatomy with as much accuracy as when hearts are dissected in the autopsy room. Such virtual dissection, furthermore, shows the components as they are seen within the chest, thus facilitating understanding for those intending to undertake interventional therapeutic procedures. By preparing such images, we show the complexity of the normal atrial septum and its surrounds. We show that it is only defects within the oval fossa, or the much rarer vestibular defects, which can appropriately be illustrated in the context of a normally constructed heart.
Material synthesis, characterization, and machining performance of stir cast beryllium copper alloy composites
Authors: Sankar V. , Arravind R. , Manikandan D.
Published: September 2018

Copper alloys have important industrial roles due to their excellent properties. Beryllium copper is one of the copper-based alloys with the highest strength and excellent metal working and machining properties. Beryllium copper alloy composite is fabricated by the stir casting method. Its characteristics are studied with scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive analysis of X-rays. The material properties of the stir cast beryllium copper alloy composites are evaluated. Hardness can be increased by the addition of silicon carbide particles. Abrasive water jet machining is an effective unconventional machining process, in which high pressure water jet and abrasive particles are used to remove material. Response parameters such as material removal rate and circularity of holes are considered. Response parameters of abrasive water jet machining are compared to electrical discharge machining. The most influential factor for the responses is determined by analysis of variance. Optimization of machining parameters is performed with the Taguchi method.
Elucidation of the electronic structure of water-soluble quaternized meso-tetrakis(3-pyridyl)bacteriochlorin derivatives by experimental and theoretical methods
Authors: Nevonen Dustin E. , Makarova Elena A. , King Alexander , Lukyanets Evgeny A. , Nemykin Victor N.
Published: September 2018

Three water-soluble quaternized metal-free tetra-(3-pyridyl)bacteriochlorins were synthesized and characterized by UV-vis, MCD, and NMR spectroscopy as well as elemental analysis. DFT calculations are indicative of the [Formula: see text]HOMO [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]LUMO relationship, which correlates well with the experimentally observed by MCD spectroscopy for all bacteriochlorins “reversed” sign sequence in the Vis-NIR region. TDDFT calculations also correctly predict large splitting between the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] bands as well as splitting of the Soret band observed experimentally in all bacteriochlorins.
SIGIR Community Survey on Preprint Services
Authors: Kelly Diane
Published: September 2018

Recently, there has been a growing number of questions about the relationship between preprints and double-blind peer-review at the SIGIR conference. These questions come from authors who wish to post papers which are under review to preprint servers such as arXiv.org, as well as reviewers who become aware of author identities through such postings, and are subsequently, unsure of how to proceed in a double-blind review process. A review of current conference publication guidelines was conducted, along with a survey of SIGIR community members to gain insight about their behaviors, practices and opinions. The paper presents results of this survey, as well as recommendations about submission and review policies for the SIGIR conference.
Research Frontiers in Information Retrieval
Authors: Culpepper J. Shane , Diaz Fernando , Smucker Mark D.
Published: September 2018

The purpose of the Strategic Workshop in Information Retrieval in Lorne is to explore the long-range issues of the Information Retrieval field, to recognize challenges that are on - or even over - the horizon, to build consensus on some of the key challenges, and to disseminate the resulting information to the research community. The intent is that this description of open problems will help to inspire researchers and graduate students to address the questions, and will provide funding agencies data to focus and coordinate support for information retrieval research.
Feature Extraction Strategy with Improved Permutation Entropy and Its Application in Fault Diagnosis of Bearings
Authors: Jiang Fan , Zhu Zhencai , Li Wei , Wu Bo , Tong Zhe , Qiu Mingquan
Published: September 2018

Feature extraction is one of the most difficult aspects of mechanical fault diagnosis, and it is directly related to the accuracy of bearing fault diagnosis. In this study, improved permutation entropy (IPE) is defined as the feature for bearing fault diagnosis. In this method, ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), a self‐adaptive time‐frequency analysis method, is used to process the vibration signals, and a set of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) can thus be obtained. A feature extraction strategy based on statistical analysis is then presented for IPE, where the so‐called optimal number of permutation entropy (PE) values used for an IPE is adaptively selected. The obtained IPE‐based samples are then input to a support vector machine (SVM) model. Subsequently, a trained SVM can be constructed as the classifier for bearing fault diagnosis. Finally, experimental vibration signals are applied to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, and the results show that the proposed method can effectively and accurately diagnose bearing faults, such as inner race faults, outer race faults, and ball faults.
Spexin Levels Are Associated with Metabolic Syndrome Components
Authors: Al-Daghri Nasser M. , Alenad Amal , Al-Hazmi Hazim , Amer Osama E. , Hussain Syed Danish , Alokail Majed S.
Published: September 2018

Background. Spexin (SPX) is a novel peptide that is implicated in obesity and related energy homeostasis in animals and adult humans. Little is known about its role in adults’ overall cardiometabolic health. The aim of the study was to determine whether circulating levels of spexin (SPX) is associated with components of metabolic syndrome (MetS).Methods. The present cross-sectional study included 124 participants (41 males and 83 females; aged 42.4 ± 10.3 y) (MetS group) and 136 (21 male and 115 females; aged 33.1 ± 8.7 y) (non-MetS group). SPX was measured using commercially available assays. Anthropometrics were measured, and fasting serum glucose levels as well as lipid profile were quantified routinely. MetS was screened according to common definitions.Results. SPX levels were significantly lower in participants with MetS vs. non-MetS (0.18 ng/ml (0.13–0.24) vs. 0.26 ng/ml (0.17–0.50);p<0.001). In all MetS definitions used, SPX was significantly lower in the MetS group than the non-MetS group using the WHO definition after adjustment for age and BMI. Stratification according to sex revealed that SPX was associated with MetS only in women, and this significance was lost after adjustment for age and BMI.Conclusions. Lower circulating levels of SPX in adults are modestly associated with components of MetS and are sex-specific. Further studies are necessary to determine whether SPX is associated with harder outcomes such as atherosclerosis and diabetes in the general population.
A Novel Feature Selection Scheme and a Diversified-Input SVM-Based Classifier for Sensor Fault Classification
Authors: Jan Sana Ullah , Koo Insoo
Published: September 2018

The efficiency of a binary support vector machine- (SVM-) based classifier depends on the combination and the number of input features extracted from raw signals. Sometimes, a combination of individual good features does not perform well in discriminating a class due to a high level of relevance to a second class also. Moreover, an increase in the dimensions of an input vector also degrades the performance of a classifier in most cases. To get efficient results, it is needed to input a combination of the lowest possible number of discriminating features to a classifier. In this paper, we propose a framework to improve the performance of an SVM-based classifier for sensor fault classification in two ways: firstly, by selecting the best combination of features for a target class from a feature pool and, secondly, by minimizing the dimensionality of input vectors. To obtain the best combination of features, we propose a novel feature selection algorithm that selects m out of M features having the maximum mutual information (or relevance) with a target class and the minimum mutual information with nontarget classes. This technique ensures to select the features sensitive to the target class exclusively. Furthermore, we propose a diversified-input SVM (DI-SVM) model for multiclass classification problems to achieve our second objective which is to reduce the dimensions of the input vector. In this model, the number of SVM-based classifiers is the same as the number of classes in the dataset. However, each classifier is fed with a unique combination of features selected by a feature selection scheme for a target class. The efficiency of the proposed feature selection algorithm is shown by comparing the results obtained from experiments performed with and without feature selection. Furthermore, the experimental results in terms of accuracy, receiver operating characteristics (ROC), and the area under the ROC curve (AUC-ROC) show that the proposed DI-SVM model outperforms the conventional model of SVM, the neural network, and the k-nearest neighbor algorithm for sensor fault detection and classification.
Comparison of 18F-NaF PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT for Detection of Skull-Base Invasion and Osseous Metastases in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Yin , Chen Yue , Huang Zhanwen , Zhang Li , Wan Qiang , Lei Lei
Published: September 2018

Our study aimed at comparing the diagnostic value of 18F-NaF positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT for detection of skull-base invasion and osseous metastases in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Our study retrospectively analyzed 45 patients with pathologically proven NPC. They all underwent both 18F-NaF PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT within a 7-day interval. Bone metastases were confirmed by follow-up using PET/CT, enhance-contrast computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance image (MRI). These two examinations were compared using per-patient-based analysis and per-lesion-based analysis. 18F-NaF PET/CT detected 27 patients with skull-base invasion, whereas 18F-FDG PET/CT detected 17 patients. 18F-NaF PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT differed significantly in diagnosing skull-base invasion (p=0.02) and sensitivity (p=0.008). The sensitivity, specificity, and agreement rate of 18F-NaF PET/CT for detecting bone metastatic lesions were 98.3%, 65.7%, and 92.9%, respectively; these values were 42.9%, 97.1%, and 51.9%, respectively, for 18F-FDG PET/CT. 18F-NaF PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT differed significantly in the number of osseous metastases detected (t=2.45, p=0.18) sensitivity (p<0.0001) and specificity (p=0.003). In patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, 18F-NaF PET/CT assessed invasion of the skull base better and detected more osseous metastases than 18F-FDG PET/CT.
Effects of Burial Depth on the Seismic Response of Subway Station Structure Embedded in Saturated Soft Soil
Authors: Cheng Xuelei , Sun Zongguang
Published: September 2018

For the aim to study the effects of burial depth on seismic response in the subway station’s structure embedded in saturated soft soil, on the basis of the OpenSEES program, numerical models with four cases of burial depth for the nonlinear interaction system including subway station’s structure and saturated soft soil are developed with the u‐p formulations of Biot’s theory as it seeks to describe the saturated two‐phase media. The effects of burial depth on the seismic response and the failure pattern of the subway station structure are investigated. The numerical results show that (1) the burial depth has a significant effect on the nonuniform uplift of station’s structure due to the movement of soil from far field towards baseplate; (2) with the increase of burial depth, the inertial effect of overlaying soil of the subway station structure becomes more obvious, and the peak zone of the pore pressure ratio contracts from the outer area to the baseplate bottom with decreasing amplitude; (3) the dynamic index R decreases with the increasing burial depth of the station’s structure; and (4) in terms of the middle column, the burial depth of the station’s structure has the most crucial effect on the additional dynamic shear force and bending moment at the top end.
The Comparison of the Body Composition of Children at the Early School Age from Urban and Rural Area in Southwestern Poland
Authors: Chwałczyńska Agnieszka , Rutkowski Tomasz , Jędrzejewski Grzegorz , Wójtowicz Dorota , Sobiech Krzysztof A.
Published: September 2018

The aim of the study was to compare the segmental body composition with the use of fat–fat-free (FFF) index in children at early school age, depending on sex and place of residence, with particular emphasis on urban and rural areas. The study consisted of 329 children aged 7.78 (SD = 0.88; mean age in years). The study group was divided according to the place of residence and sex. The height and body mass, Body Mass Index (BMI), segmental body composition (Tanita BC-418MA), and FFF were calculated. A more frequent occurrence of excessive body weight was observed in children from rural areas (over 20%) compared to their peers from the urban area (10%). Statistically significant lower values of FFF index as well as in the lower limbs and torso were observed in the case of the examined children from the urban area as compared with their peers from the rural areas. The body composition of children living in metropolitan and rural areas is diverse. Lower values of FFF indexes were found in children from the city than in children living in villages. There are more children in the city with signs of being underweight and of normative body mass and paradoxically more overweight ones in the village.
HORMAD1 Is a Negative Prognostic Indicator in Lung Adenocarcinoma and Specifies Resistance to Oxidative and Genotoxic Stress
Authors: Nichols Brandt A. , Oswald Nathaniel W. , McMillan Elizabeth A. , McGlynn Kathleen , Yan Jingsheng , Kim Min S. , Saha Janapriya , Mallipeddi Prema L. , LaDuke Sydnie A. , Villalobos Pamela A. , Rodriguez-Canales Jaime , Wistuba Ignacio I. , Posner Bruce A. , Davis Anthony J. , Minna John D. , MacMillan John B. , Whitehurst Angelique W.
Published: September 2018

Cancer testis antigens (CTA) are expressed in testis and placenta and anomalously activated in a variety of tumors. The mechanistic contribution of CTAs to neoplastic phenotypes remains largely unknown. Using a chemigenomics approach, we find that the CTA HORMAD1 correlates with resistance to the mitochondrial complex I inhibitor piericidin A in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Resistance was due to a reductive intracellular environment that attenuated the accumulation of free radicals. In human lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) tumors, patients expressing high HORMAD1 exhibited elevated mutational burden and reduced survival. HORMAD1 tumors were enriched for genes essential for homologous recombination (HR), and HORMAD1 promoted RAD51-filament formation, but not DNA resection, during HR. Accordingly, HORMAD1 loss enhanced sensitivity to γ-irradiation and PARP inhibition, and HORMAD1 depletion significantly reduced tumor growth in vivo. These results suggest that HORMAD1 expression specifies a novel subtype of LUAD, which has adapted to mitigate DNA damage. In this setting, HORMAD1 could represent a direct target for intervention to enhance sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents or as an immunotherapeutic target in patients.

Significance: This study uses a chemigenomics approach to demonstrate that anomalous expression of the CTA HORMAD1 specifies resistance to oxidative stress and promotes HR to support tumor cell survival in NSCLC. Cancer Res; 78(21); 6196–208. ©2018 AACR.
Lobular Carcinomas In Situ Display Intralesion Genetic Heterogeneity and Clonal Evolution in the Progression to Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
Authors: Lee Ju Youn , Schizas Michail , Geyer Felipe C. , Selenica Pier , Piscuoglio Salvatore , Sakr Rita A. , Ng Charlotte K.Y. , Carniello Jose V. Scarpa , Towers Russell , Giri Dilip D. , de Andrade Victor P. , Papanastasiou Anastasios D. , Viale Agnes , Harris Reuben S. , Solit David B. , Weigelt Britta , Reis-Filho Jorge S. , King Tari A.
Published: September 2018

Purpose:

Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is a preinvasive lesion of the breast. We sought to define its genomic landscape, whether intralesion genetic heterogeneity is present in LCIS, and the clonal relatedness between LCIS and invasive breast cancers.

Experimental Design: We reanalyzed whole-exome sequencing (WES) data and performed a targeted amplicon sequencing validation of mutations identified in 43 LCIS and 27 synchronous more clinically advanced lesions from 24 patients [9 ductal carcinomas in situ (DCIS), 13 invasive lobular carcinomas (ILC), and 5 invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC)]. Somatic genetic alterations, mutational signatures, clonal composition, and phylogenetic trees were defined using validated computational methods.

Results:

WES of 43 LCIS lesions revealed a genomic profile similar to that previously reported for ILCs, with CDH1 mutations present in 81% of the lesions. Forty-two percent (18/43) of LCIS were found to be clonally related to synchronous DCIS and/or ILCs, with clonal evolutionary patterns indicative of clonal selection and/or parallel/branched progression. Intralesion genetic heterogeneity was higher among LCIS clonally related to DCIS/ILC than in those nonclonally related to DCIS/ILC. A shift from aging to APOBEC-related mutational processes was observed in the progression from LCIS to DCIS and/or ILC in a subset of cases.

Conclusions:

Our findings support the contention that LCIS has a repertoire of somatic genetic alterations similar to that of ILCs, and likely constitutes a nonobligate precursor of breast cancer. Intralesion genetic heterogeneity is observed in LCIS and should be considered in studies aiming to develop biomarkers of progression from LCIS to more advanced lesions.
Is Thicker Choroid a Risk Factor for Malignant Glaucoma?
Authors: Chen Xiangxi , Guo Xinxing , Xu Xiaoyu , Xiao Hui , Liu Xing
Published: September 2018

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the choroidal thickness (CT) and its determinants in primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) eyes with and without malignant glaucoma (MG). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 25 patients with bilateral primary angle closure (PAC) diseases; 1 eye of each patient was diagnosed with PACG initially and later with MG after trabeculectomy, and the fellow eyes were diagnosed with PACG, PAC, or PAC suspect. Thirty-seven eyes from 37 PACG patients were recruited as controls. CT was measured at different locations (sub-fovea, 1 and 3 mm from the fovea) using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Comparisons of CT were made among MG, the fellow eyes, and the controls. The associations between the determinants and MG were analyzed by univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Macular CT in the eyes with MG was thicker than that of the controls (p < 0.001) but not the fellow eyes. Thicker foveal CT was associated with an increased risk of MG (odds ratio 1.141). Conclusions: Thicker foveal CT is an anatomic risk factor for MG. The results of our study were consistent with the hypothesis that choroidal expansion may play a significant role for the development of MG.
Tempo de detecção de resposta do potencial evocado auditivo de tronco encefálico automático utilizando diferentes estímulos
Authors: Quinto Stella Medianeira Soares , Rechia Inaê Costa , Biaggio Eliara Pinto Vieira
Published: September 2018

Modelo do estudo: Estudo transversal e comparativo. Objetivo do estudo Analisar os resultados do procedimento Potencial Evocado Auditivo de Tronco Encefálico automático comparando o tempo detecção de resposta utilizando os estímulos CE-Chirp® e clique. Levou-se em consideração as variáveis orelha avaliada, gênero, presença de Indicador de Risco para a Deficiência Auditiva e dias de vida do recém-nascido no momento de realização do procedimento. Metodologia: Participaram do estudo 20 recém-nascidos com idade média de cinco dias de vida. A análise estatística foi realizada empregando o teste Wilcoxon e teste U de Mann-Withney. Resultados: Os resultados demonstraram que o procedimento quando realizado com o estimulo CE-chirp® apresenta respostas mais rápidas que o estímulo clique. Observou-se que o tempo de detecção de resposta para crianças com Indicadores de Risco para a Deficiência auditiva é maior em ambos estímulos. Não foram observadas diferenças estatisticamente significantes nas demais variáveis. Conclusão: O estímulo CE-chirp® é mais rápido que o estímulo clique, dessa forma, espera-se reduzir o tempo da Triagem Auditiva Neonatal, facilitando o diagnóstico e intervenção precoce da deficiência auditiva.
Índice interno de variação de preços de materiais de consumo e de medicamentos em um hospital de ensino de alta complexidade
Authors: Carraro Denise Cristina , Dallora Maria Eulália Lessa do Valle
Published: September 2018

Modelo do estudo: Trata-se de um estudo de caso, no qual foram analisados dados dentro de um contexto real que é o do HCFMRP-USP Objetivos: Apresentar os índices de variação de preços do HCFMRP-USP (IVPH), ano 2013, geral para materiais de consumo e medicamentos; específico para materiais de consumo e específico para medicamentos. Materiais e Método: Para o IVPH foi definido o Índice de Paasche como o mais adequado para o perfil de consumo do Hospital. Para o cálculo, foi definida uma cesta de consumo considerando 40% do gasto financeiro em 2012 o que representou 13% dos itens e também pelos itens que tiveram consumo regular, ou seja, em todos os meses de janeiro a dezembro de 2013. Resultados: os IVPH gerais foram 6,74% para materiais e medicamentos; 6,97% para materiais de consumo e 6,73% para medicamentos. Conclusões: Comprar a preços praticados no mercado e utilizar ferramentas para analisar o poder de compra da instituição contribui para a aplicação correta e racional dos parcos recursos disponíveis. A proposta de criar o índice interno de variação de preços vem contribuir como ferramenta para gestão dos recursos e para a análise da evolução do poder de compra do HCFMRP-USP, assim como os índices padronizados de variação de preço são utilizados para análise do poder de compra da moeda.
Indicadores referentes à qualidade em centros da Rede Nacional de Pesquisa Clínica
Authors: Ilana Gabriela Gimenez Faustino , Cintra Monica Akissue de C Teixeira , Costa André Lucirton , Coelho Eduardo Barbosa
Published: September 2018

Modelo do estudo: Estudo transversal nos 32 centros participantes da Rede Nacional de Pesquisa Clínica (RNPC). Objetivos: Desenvolver e validar um questionário eletrônico capaz de medir o desempenho dos centros participantes da RNPC em uma auditoria de qualidade baseada nas Boas Práticas Clínicas (BPC). Avaliar a correlação do instrumento com o guia de inspeção em BPC disposto na Instrução Normativa nº 4, de 11/05/09 da ANVISA (IN4/ANVISA) e verificar, por meio do questionário desenvolvido, o desempenho dos centros participantes da RNPC, em relação ao atendimento a requisitos de um sistema de gestão da qualidade (SGQ). Métodos: Foi aplicado um questionário eletrônico, legitimado por uma validação de conteúdo. As questões foram agrupadas em três domínios, infraestrutura, estrutura organizacional e processos. Os dados foram pontuados de acordo com o cumprimento (1) ou não cumprimento (0) em BPC. As questões do questionário foram arbitrariamente correlacionadas aos itens da IN4, atribuído (0) ponto às questões conformes e (1) para não conforme. O índice de cumprimento para atendimento aos itens críticos e maiores (ICCM) foi calculado para cada domínio usando a equação ICCM = 1 * (Escore IN4) + valor total escore para dado domínio. As comparações foram feitas por teste de Kruskal-Wallis e teste de Spermann, considerando P valor < 0,05. Resultados: O instrumento representa aproximadamente 40% dos itens do roteiro de inspeção da IN4/ANVISA. A pontuação obtida com o questionário correlaciona-se significativamente ao escore correspondente à IN4/ANVISA (r=0,95, 0,89 a 0,98, IC95%, P<0.0001). A mediana do ICCM foi menor que 75% em todos os domínios estudados. Conclusões: O instrumento desenvolvido para medir o desempenho em BPC apresenta alta correlação com a IN4/ANVISA e poderia ser utilizado para auditoria interna de qualidade. A classificação para itens críticos e maiores definidas pela IN4/ANVISA mostrou-se muito restritiva e necessita ser adequada a realidade dos centros de pesquisa nacionais.
Identification of suitable reference genes of Scylla paramamosain for gene expression profiling in various tissues and under vibrio challenge
Authors: Fang Yabo , Diao Le , Zhang Fengying , Ma Lingbo , Zhao Mengdi , Zhang Dan , Sun Manman , Pi Yan , Qiao Zhenguo , Jiang Keji
Published: September 2018

The quantitative real-time transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is now used widely in studies about mRNA expression levels. The selection of one or more stable reference gene(s) used for data normalization is substantial. In this study, expression levels of eleven candidate reference genes (β-actin,16S rRNA,18S rRNA,28S rRNA,α-I tubulin,GAPDH,ribosomal protein L13,elongation factor 1 α,elongation factor 2,arginine kinaseandubiquitin) were examined using the GenomeLab GeXP analysis system (Beckman Coulter). Gene expression data were analysed using two different statistical models:geNormandNormFinder. (1) In six different tissues (hepatopancreas, haemocytes, heart, gill, muscle, and testis) from the mud crab,Scylla paramamosain,18S rRNAandelongation factor 1 αwere identified as the two best reference genes. (2) In the haemocytes after being challenged byVibro parahaemolyticus, the result suggested thatubiquitinwas the most stable gene after the treatment.18S rRNA,elongation factor 1 αandubiquitinare herein recommended as the best combination. These results provide useful options for reference gene selection under different experimental conditions in qRT-PCR studies in the mud crab.
Le druzisme prémoderne en Syrie : émergence du droit druze et des premières institutions religieuses
Authors: Halawi Wissam Halabi
Published: September 2018

Les premiers traités du Canon druze dont la rédaction remonte au Ve/XIe siècle jettent les bases d’une doctrine religieuse nouvelle et ébauchent succinctement et de manière souvent ambigüe les préceptes moraux, mais aussi juridiques et juridictionnels auxquels les adeptes devaient désormais se soumettre, les lois (šarāʾiʿ) antérieures ayant été abrogées par la Volonté divine. Les savants druzes du IXe/XVe siècle, notamment l’émir al-Sayyid (m. 884/1479) et ses disciples, tentèrent d’expliquer ces traités afin d’établir des principes juridico-religieux adaptés à leur milieu rural et des règles destinées à organiser le fonctionnement interne de la communauté des adeptes. L’historiographie traditionnelle considère toutefois que seul al-Sayyid est l’architecte de ce « renouveau druze » ; par conséquent, elle lui confère le statut de plus grand réformateur druze de tous les temps et lui attribue un ensemble d’écrits théologiques et juridiques que les initiés observent scrupuleusement depuis lors. Or, une lecture critique de ce corpus inédit datant en partie de la fin du IXe/XVe siècle révèle que l’émergence des premières institutions druzes, religieuses et judiciaires, ainsi que la théorisation et la systématisation du droit druze sont postérieures à l’action sayyidienne.
Maǧnūn et mabrūk : des participes en quête de verbes
Authors: Larcher Pierre
Published: September 2018

Dans le présent article, nous proposons de voir dans la phrase bihi ǧinna la base même du nom maǧnūn (« fou ») : les deux expressions sont synonymes, ayant la même distribution dans le Coran (Cor 34, 46 et 81, 22). De maǧnūn est dérivé régressivement le passif ǧunna (« être fou »), seul attesté. Celui-ci coïncide avec le passif de ǧanna (« cacher »). Cette coïncidence explique la contamination d’une famille lexicale par une autre : pour la tradition arabe, les djinns tirent leur nom de ce qu’ils sont cachés (iǧtinān). Maǧnūn n’est pas le seul exemple de participe sans verbe. On peut citer aussi mabrūk (« béni »), lié au nom baraka (« bénédiction »), et les participes actifs ǧāhiz (« prêt ») et sāliḥ (« armé »), dérivés régressivement des verbes ǧahhaza (« préparer ») et sallaḥa (« armer »), eux-mêmes dérivés des noms ǧihāz (« équipement ») et silāḥ (« armement »). Tous ces mots viennent rappeler que la formation et l’interprétation lexicales ne résultent pas du simple croisement d’une racine et d’un schème.
Xanthotropis, a new genus in the Neotropical millipede subfamily Aphelidesminae (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Aphelidesmidae)
Authors: DE ALMEIDA THAÍS MELO , SHELLEY ROWLAND M. , RAFAEL JOSÉ ALBERTINO
Published: September 2018

The monotypic taxon Xanthotropis n. gen. is established to accommodate Haematotropis media Golovatch, Hoffman & Spelda, 2004, known only from the vicinity of Manaus, Brazil, as it is incompatible with both its originally assigned genus and Aphelidesmus Brölemann, 1898, a suggested alternative. Xanthotropis is defined primarily by minute teeth on paranota 2–4, a sublinear posterior margin of the telson, and an elongated, distally expanded/laminate acropodite. The Aphelidesmidae Brölemann, 1916, range from northeastern Mexico and Tobago to northern Brazil and southwestern Peru; a questionable more-northerly record, from Monterey, Mexico, requires verification with fresh material. One of two families of the polydesmidan superfamily Platyrhacoidea (Leptodesmidea), Aphelidesmidae comprises two subfamilies, the nominate and Amplininae Hoffman, 1954. The latter has been addressed by several authors, and we here review Aphelidesminae by providing full synonymies, a literature review, and a key to its four genera: Aphelidesmus Brölemann, 1898; Haematotropis and Ochrotropis, both by Jeekel, 2000; and Xanthotropis n. gen.
Australia’s engagement with China: From fear to greed and back again
Authors: Bisley Nick
Published: September 2018

This paper examines how Australia has managed its relationship with China. It looks at the broad trends in the relationship, with a focus on the decades after recognition in 1972. The second part examines the recent past, and particularly the ways in which Australia’s active courtship of China has begun to be tempered by concerns about the destabilizing security and strategic consequences of the country’s return to power. It assesses the options Australia faces and the growing polarization of opinion between security “hawks” and economic “doves” in public debate about Australia’s future, and then charts where Australian policy is currently placed. The paper concludes by explaining why Australia finds taking a nuanced position in relation to its engagement with China so difficult.
Astronomy in Roman Urbanism: A Statistical Analysis of the Orientation of Roman Towns in the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Rodríguez-Antón Andrea , González-García Antonio César , Belmonte Juan Antonio
Published: September 2018

The work presented in this article is part of a wide-ranging and ambitious project, started few years ago, to study the role of astronomy in Roman urban layout. In particular, the main aim is to check whether Roman cities present astronomical patterns in their orientations. The project emerged from ideas on how to properly orientate the main streets of a Roman town, as attested in a number of ancient texts and later discussions led by contemporary scholars. We present here the final conclusions of a particular study developed in the Iberian Peninsula (Roman Hispania), where the urbanism that we tend to characterize as properly Roman flourished during both the Republic and the Empire. The sample analysed includes 81 measurements of Roman urban entities spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula and is the largest dataset obtained in a specific region so far. Our results present suggestive orientation patterns that seem to point towards an astronomical intentionality.
Visual pleasure from motherhood: Alyssa Milano challenging the male gaze
Authors: Ritland Raeann
Published: September 2018

Using male and female gaze theories as frameworks, this article analyzes the visual design and composition of four distinct breastfeeding (BF) photographs posted by Alyssa Milano to her Instagram in order to better understand the public’s mixed responses of support and criticism. I argue that Milano borrows visual elements from the male gaze and combines them with feminine content in an attempt to (1) challenge the dominant, patriarchal norm of deriving pleasure from viewing sexualized women and (2) instead encourage an understanding of the maternal woman as visually pleasing. In turn, Milano’s message supports the normalization of public BF. Milano’s position as firmly entrenched in the male-dominated world of television and film is key: it enables her to speak and promote change from within the system, for external oppositions often remain on the outside, as counterpoint. Using Instagram promotes this as well. Rather than dilute their power, intermingling BF images with those representing the dominant culture may prove more successful for its gradual progression to normalization. The end goal, of course, is to encourage not just acceptance but a sense of pleasure in seeing feminine representations of women, including those focused on aspects of motherhood, like BF.
Use of Microcellular Foam Materials in Constrained Layer Damping Treatments
Authors: Huang Peter Y.H. , Reinhall Per G. , Shen I.Y. , Kumar Vipin
Published: September 2018

Constrained layer damping (CLD) treatment is a widely used surface damping treatment for vibration and noise control. In this paper, two feasibility studies were conducted using microcellular foam in CLD applications. The first study explores the feasibility of using modified polyethylene teraphthalate (PETG) microcellular foam as a damping material. Two foam configurations were tested: uncompressed (regular) and compressed foam. The second feasibility study evaluated damping performance of CLD with microcellular foam as a standoff layer. Results of the feasibility studies show that the loss factor of PETG foam with densities from 42 kg/m3 to 240 kg/m3 is in the range of 2% to 8%. In addition, there is no significant difference in loss factor between the uncompressed and compressed foams. Also, use of microcellular foam as standoff layer can reduce vibration amplitude up to 80% with only a 2% to 3% weight penalty.
Research into the Causes of Fire – Searching for New Insights or Confirming Old Prejudices?
Authors: Prager F.H. , Sasse R.H.
Published: September 2018

The present paper addresses the course of the fire in the Duesseldorf airport disaster with reference to the report by the expert commission. A detailed analysis of the report reveals that there is reason to doubt the conclusions reached concerning ignition risk and the initial phase of the fire. In addition, there are in part considerable inconsistencies between material-specific and test-based knowledge on the one hand, and the conclusions and recommendations arrived at on the other. The role of the insulation in the suspended ceiling (inter-level) area, classified as non-combustible, was incorrectly assessed in practically every respect. The present paper provides a risk-focused identification of the potential origin of the fire and highlights the relevance of purely material-specific data.
Crosslinking of Polyolefin Foams
Authors: Sims G.L.A. , Sipaut C.S.
Published: September 2018

This study investigates peroxide crosslinking of two low-density polyethylene grades of similar number average molecular weight but differing molecular weight distribution. At gel contents typically associated with dicumyl peroxide (DCP) crosslinked foams, crosslinking and melt tensile properties of the solid matrix, foaming behaviour and foam properties were not significantly different.

The main work compared the effects of crosslinking systems based on DCP alone and DCP with the polyfunctional monomer, triallylcyanurate (TAC). The presence of TAC allowed specific gel contents to be achieved at significantly reduced DCP concentrations compared with DCP alone. It was also determined that cost-effective use of TAC was limited to approximately 0.5 parts per hundred resin.

When comparing results of solid and foamed samples of identical gel content, the presence of TAC significantly increases the melt modulus and reduces extensibility of the solid matrix compared with DCP alone and promotes a higher nucleation density in foam. This is considered to be due to a higher crosslink density in the network fraction which introduces complications in prediction of foaming behaviour if gel content alone is considered.
The Influence of Melt Elongational Properties on the Morphology of PES Cellular Materials
Authors: Wöllecke Frank , Altstädt Volker , Sandler Jan , Rakutt Dietmar
Published: September 2018

Rheotens melt elongational experiments were performed to evaluate polyethersulfone with regard to its foamability. The effect of polymer molecular weight was correlated with the resulting foam cell morphology achieved under identical processing conditions in a batch process. It appears, that the melt strength of the polyethersulfone governs the average cell size, cell size distribution, as well as cell wall rupture during expansion and the corresponding compressive properties of the foam. These effects were further verified by a variation of the blowing agent content for polyethersulfone with a given molecular weight.
Effect of Compound Formulation and Processing Conditions on Properties of Extruded EPDM and NR/EPDM Foams
Authors: Lewis C. , Rodlum Y. , Misaen B. , Changchum S. , Sims G.L.A.
Published: September 2018

The effects of compound formulations and processing conditions on the structure and properties of extruded EPDM and EPDM/NR blends of tube foams were investigated. The foam tubes were prepared by mixing a compound in a two roll mill, extruding the compound through a cold feed extruder and finally vulcanizing the extrudate in a circulating hot air oven. In previous results, the EPDM grade, blowing agent type, composition of EPDM blend and processing conditions were found to affect the cell structure and the physical properties of the resultant EPDM foams. An extended work was carried out using blowing agent blends and NR blending with EPDM as a based rubber. The characteristics of blowing agent blends (ADC/DNPT) were studied using a gas evolution apparatus. Decomposition temperature of ADC decreased with both DNPT and OBSH blending which affected the resultant EPDM foams structure and properties.

To promote the use of natural rubber, its various compositions were blended with EPDM to produce the foam tubes. Modified formulations were needed to ease the difficulty of mixing and stabilising the resultant foams. Using a tube mold for an extrudate as an alternative technique to vulcanize the NR/EPDM extrudate in the hot air oven was successfully found to control the expansion and foam dimensions. The NR compositions were also found to affect the foam structure and properties.
Experimental Study on Filling Stage of Microcellular Injection Molding Process
Authors: Behravesh A.H. , Rajabpour M.
Published: September 2018

An experimental research work was carried out to produce microcellular foam in an injection molding process. Microcellular foams are identified by a porous structure containing cells on the order of 10 μm in size. In this work, a conventional molding system was modified and a gas injection module was devised and integrated to the system. The experiments were carried out to attain the suitable processing windows with main emphasis on the cell growth stage (or foam expansion) via variation of shot size. While obtaining a sound microstructure, the results indicated that, in microcellular injection molding process, cell formation and growth depend strongly on the shot size. Further, it was found that a single phase solution of gas-polymer system is resulted with regulating a high shot size. Finally a foaming characteristics diagram is introduced for (microcellular) foaming process.
Investigating the Solubility of CO2 in Polypropylene Using Various EOS Models
Authors: Li G. , Li H. , Wang J. , Park C.B.
Published: September 2018

Generally, in order to obtain reliable gas solubility data in a polymer melt, one must determine the swollen volume of the polymer with dissolved gas. The swollen volume is typically estimated by an equation of state (EOS). This paper reports on the application of three different equations of state (the Sanchez-Lacombe (SL) EOS, the Simha-Somcynsky (SS) EOS, and the Perturbed Chain Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (PC-SAFT) EOS) to a polymer/gas mixture system for the study of phase equilibria and gas solubility determination. The apparent solubility was obtained using a magnetic suspension balance (MSB). Approaches based on the SL, SS, and PC-SAFT EOS's are herein proposed for predicting the swelling behavior of polymer/gas mixtures and correlating the swollen volume to the apparent solubility.
Advances in Thermal Insulation of Extruded Polystyrene Foams
Authors: Vo Chau V. , Bunge Friedhelm , Duffy John , Hood Lawrence
Published: September 2018

Since their discovery in the early 40's extruded polystyrene foams (XPS) have been produced with various organic and inorganic blowing agents, and are now widely used as thermal insulators in building and construction. Blowing agent regulations have forced foam suppliers to look for new polymer - blowing agent - additive combinations. These must deliver high performance insulation, but must not compromise on high mechanical strength, foam integrity, and moisture resistance.

This paper focuses on the thermal resistance of XPS blown with zero-ODP blowing agent (hydrofluorocarbon HFC-134a) and with carbon dioxide. IR-blockers such as carbon black and graphite reduce the thermal conductivity of CO2 blown XPS between 1 and 3×10-3 W/m.K depending on the concentration of IR-attenuators. Properties of a new XPS product using CO2 with IR blockers are presented. This product is CE certified and fulfills the requirements of the European XPS product standard DIN EN 13164.
Effect of Carbon Black on Microcellular Behavior of Ethylene-Octene Copolymer Vulcanizates
Authors: Nayak Nimai C. , Achary P. Ganga Raju , Das Suchilipsa , Begum Sanija
Published: September 2018

The morphology of the microcellular ethylene-octene copolymer (EOC) of both unfilled and conducting carbon black (Ensaco 250G) filled compounds with different blowing agent and carbon black loading was studied using SEM photomicrographs. The systematic variation in the average, minimum and maximum cell size and cell density with different blowing agent and filler loading was observed. Some physical properties such as relative density, hardness, tensile strength, elongation at break, modulus and tear strength decreases with increase in blowing agent and filler loading. However, the stress relaxation behaviour is found to be independent of blowing agent loading.
Cell Structure, Density and Impact Strength of Cellulose Acetate Foamed with Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
Authors: Ding Yajun , Ying Sanjiu
Published: September 2018

This paper investigated the effects of processing conditions on the cell structure, density and impact strength of cellulose acetate (CA) foamed with supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2). The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show that there is the open-cell structure obviously when the foaming temperature exceeds 210°C, and the increasing foaming temperature improves the amount of open cells. The diameters of external cells range from 0.50 μm to 0.85 μm, and the diameters of internal cells are around 0.20 μm. The presence of cosolvents is beneficial to form open-cell structure, which is ascribed to more amount of CO2 dissolved into the CA matrix. Densities of foamed CA are measured with the method of volumetric flask, and the density ranges between 0.69 g·cm-3 and 1.02 g·cm-3, which are lower than that of the original sample (1.27 g·cm-3). The density decreases with increasing the saturation temperature, the saturation time or the foaming temperature. And densities with ethanol are much lower than those with acetone. Both of the impact strengths and specific impact strengths of foamed CA, higher than those of the original sample, increase firstly and decrease subsequently with increasing the foaming temperature. The impact strength of CA foaming at 230°C is 1.4 times higher than that of the original sample, and the specific impact strength increases by 84%.