bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The C++ programming language in cheminformatics and computational chemistry
Authors: Rassokhin Dmitrii
Published: February 2020

This paper describes salient features of the C++ programming language and its programming ecosystem, with emphasis on how the language affects scientific software development. Brief history of C++ and its predecessor the C language is provided. Most important aspects of the language that define models of programming are described in greater detail and illustrated with code examples. Special attention is paid to the interoperability between C++ and other high-level languages commonly used in cheminformatics, machine learning, data processing and statistical computing.
Ulam–Hyers stability of impulsive integrodifferential equations with Riemann–Liouville boundary conditions
Authors: Zada Akbar , Alzabut Jehad , Waheed Hira , Popa Ioan-Lucian
Published: February 2020

This paper is concerned with a class of impulsive implicit fractional integrodifferential equations having the boundary value problem with mixed Riemann–Liouville fractional integral boundary conditions. We establish some existence and uniqueness results for the given problem by applying the tools of fixed point theory. Furthermore, we investigate different kinds of stability such as Ulam–Hyers stability, generalized Ulam–Hyers stability, Ulam–Hyers–Rassias stability, and generalized Ulam–Hyers–Rassias stability. Finally, we give two examples to demonstrate the validity of main results.
Verrucous carcinoma of the esophagus: a case report and literature review
Authors: Tabuchi Satoshi , Koyanagi Kazuo , Nagata Koji , Ozawa Soji , Kawachi Shigeyuki
Published: February 2020

Background

Verrucous carcinoma is an extremely rare form of cancer in the esophagus.

Case presentation

A 56-year-old woman presented with dysphagia in 2007. Endoscopic examination revealed an irregular protruding circumferential erosion in the lower thoracic esophagus, but because pathological examination of the biopsy specimen showed no evidence of malignancy, the status of the erosion was followed up by an upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examination every 3 months. A year later, polypoid lesions and fungal infection were observed in the eroded area, but no evidence of malignancy was detected in the biopsy specimen at the time. Eighteen months later, the polypoid lesions had increased in size, and the biopsy specimen was diagnosed as highly suspicious of well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. Because the patient’s condition deteriorated due to worsening of the dysphagia and weight loss, we performed a thoracoscopic esophagectomy with lymph node dissection and reconstructed the alimentary tract with a gastric tube via the posterior mediastinal route. Macroscopic examination of the resected specimen showed a white protruding lesion with an irregular surface, and histopathological examination led to a diagnosis of esophageal verrucous carcinoma without lymph node metastasis. No signs of recurrence have been observed in the 8 years since surgery.

Conclusion

We have reported a long-term follow-up case of verrucous carcinoma of the esophagus that was difficult to diagnose before surgery.
Anesthesia management in 14 cases of cesarean delivery in renal transplant patients—a single-center retrospective observational study
Authors: Goto Shunsaku , Fukushima Risa , Ozaki Makoto
Published: February 2020

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate anesthesia management for cesarean delivery in renal transplant patients.

Methods

The details of anesthesia management, patient characteristics, surgical information, and renal and maternal outcomes were retrospectively investigated in 14 post-renal transplant patients who underwent cesarean delivery at a single university hospital between January 1, 2014, and August 31, 2018.

Results

Five patients were managed under general anesthesia, and nine cases were under regional anesthesia. Nine cases were emergency surgeries. The mean (SD) age was 35.5 (4.4) years, pregnancy body weight was 56.8 (10.0) kg, and gestational age was 33.3 (4.1) weeks. Nine cases were preterm deliveries. Five cases showed hypertension prior to pregnancy, and 13 patients showed hypertension before cesarean delivery. The preoperative creatinine level was 1.49 (0.53) mg/dL. The intraoperative maximum systolic/diastolic blood pressure was 170 (20)/102 (15) mmHg, and the intraoperative minimum systolic/diastolic blood pressure was 97 (13)/49 (12) mmHg. A total of six patients had either mean arterial pressure < 65 mmHg or required vasopressors. Serum creatinine remained unchanged after surgery compared with the preoperative level.

Conclusion

Cesarean delivery was often performed in post-renal transplant patients for preterm delivery or as emergency surgery, with a higher ratio of regional anesthesia to general anesthesia. Since both hypertension and hypotension are most likely to occur during cesarean delivery, circulation management can be difficult, and anesthesia should be managed so as to maintain sufficient renal perfusion and ensure postoperative renal function.
Are subjective sleepiness and sleep quality related to prospective memory?
Authors: Böhm Mateja F. , Bayen Ute J. , Schaper Marie Luisa
Published: February 2020

Event-based prospective memory (PM) involves carrying out intentions when specific events occur and is ubiquitous in everyday life. It consists of a prospective component (rememberingthatsomething must be done) and a retrospective component (rememberingwhatmust be done andwhen). Subjective sleep-related variables may be related to PM performance and an attention-demanding prospective component. In two studies, the relationship of subjective sleepiness and subjective sleep quality with both PM components was investigated with a laboratory PM task and separation of its components via Bayesian multinomial processing tree modeling. In Study 1, neither component of PM was related to naturally occurring subjective sleepiness or sleep quality. In Study 2, sleepiness was experimentally increased by placing some participants in a supine body posture. Testing participants in upright vs. supine posture affected neither PM component. However, body posture moderated the relationship between subjective sleep quality and the prospective component: In supine posture, subjective sleep quality tended to be more positively related to the prospective component. Overall, neither subjective sleepiness nor subjective sleep quality alone was related to PM.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation can improve specific language impairment in preschool children: a pilot study
Authors: Yasseen Dalia G. , Waly Nermien E. , Abdulghani Khaled O.
Published: February 2020

Background

Speech and language are one of the higher cognitive brain functions. Language delay is one of the major concerns of child health in Egypt. Speech therapy is the standard management in language delay.

Objective

We aimed to investigate the potential role of dietary supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in improving specific language impairment.

Subjects and methods

A total of 220 children (ages 3–4) were included in this study at the Phonetics Department, Helwan School of Medicine, Egypt, during the period from 2015 to 2018. Children received comprehensive neurological examination and intelligence quotient (IQ) test to exclude the other causes of language delay. Language evaluation was performed using the Arabic language test. They either received family counseling, speech therapy (45 min; 3 times a week for 16 weeks), and PUFA supplementation 500 mg twice daily (group A) or only counseling and speech therapy (group B). Language quotient (LQ) was calculated before and after treatment.

Results

Our results show that LQ significantly improved in group A compared with group B (p < 0.004).

Conclusion

Dietary supplementation with PUFA has a beneficial role in the management of specific language impairment along with speech therapy.
Erector spinae plane block in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a case report
Authors: Baran Onur , Kır Bünyamin , Şahin Ayhan , Arar Cavidan
Published: February 2020

Background

Ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block has been reported to reduce postoperative pain following a laparoscopic surgery, which is one of the most common abdominal surgeries. The case reports and randomized controlled trials published previously mostly used bilateral erector spinae plane block; however, we report a case in which a unilateral erector spinae plane block was performed.

Case presentation

A 34-year-old male patient who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy was scheduled for a unilateral erector spinae plane block. The block was performed preoperatively, followed by the induction of general anesthesia.

Conclusions

The patient was comfortable and had a visual analog scale score of 2 for 12 h. Thus, we report successful pain management with the unilateral erector spinae plane block; however, more studies are needed for conclusive information.
In-vivo protein quality assessment of macerated African elemi pulp eaten as masticatories in Eastern Nigeria
Authors: Anyalogbu E. A. A. , Onyeike E. N. , Nweje-Anyalowu P. C.
Published: February 2020

Background

The ability of a protein to accomplish distinct metabolic actions depends on its balance of amino acids, the digestibility to release the amino acids for absorption, and the availability of the absorbed amino acids for protein synthesis. In this study, this mark of protein quality was evaluated in vivo for macerated African elemi pulp eaten as masticatory in eastern Nigeria by assessing the effect of its inclusion in diets relative to reference diets on protein quality indices of growing albino rats sustained on the diets.

Method

Samples obtained from Aba, Abia State, Nigeria, were portioned into four, processed by subjecting them to 0, 15, 30, and 45 min heat contact times in water (55 °C), and labeled AE0, AE15, AE30, and AE45respectively. Diets formulated using the samples, giving approximately 10% protein, together with reference (Nutrend®) and basal diets were offered ad libitum to weaning albino rats for a 28-day feeding period. The growth performance parameters and in vivo protein quality indices of the rats were assessed using standard procedures.

Results

Processing improved feed utilization (FU), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and, except at AE30, net protein utilization (NPU) and biological value (BV) of the rats. The PER was above 2.0 in all the rats sustained on test sample diets given the range 2.03 ± 0.23 to 2.28 ± 0.35. The fecal nitrogen (FN), carcass weight (CW), true digestibility (TD), and BV were statistically similar (p˃0.05) in rats fed both samples and reference diets with BV being above 70%. Relative to FN, TD, and BV, this statistical parity between animals on test and reference diets could suggest adequacy of the digestibility of the proteins of the sample diets and the similarities in their qualities.

Conclusion

The plant food, African elemi drupe pulp, could therefore be metabolically adjudged rich in high-quality protein that is capable of supporting human growth and tissue maintenance.
Self-stigma in serious mental illness and autism spectrum disorder: Results from the REHABase national psychiatric rehabilitation cohort
Authors: Dubreucq J. , Plasse J. , Gabayet F. , Faraldo M. , Blanc O. , Chereau I. , Cervello S. , Couhet G. , Demily C. , Guillard-Bouhet N. , Gouache B. , Jaafari N. , Legrand G. , Legros-Lafarge E. , Pommier R. , Quilès C. , Straub D. , Verdoux H. , Vignaga F. , Massoubre C. ,   REHABAse Network, Franck N.
Published: February 2020

Background.

Self-stigma
is a major issue in serious mental illness (SMI) and is negatively associated with patient outcomes. Most studies have been conducted in schizophrenia (SZ). Less is known about self-stigma in other SMI and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The objectives of this study are: (i) to assess the frequency of self-stigma in a multicentric nonselected psychiatric rehabilitation SMI and ASD sample; and (ii) to investigate the correlates of elevated self-stigma in different SMI conditions and in ASD.

Methods.

A total of 738 SMI or ASD outpatients were recruited from the French National Centers of Reference for Psychiatric Rehabilitation cohort (REHABase). Evaluations included sociodemographic data, illness characteristics, and standardized scales for clinical severity, quality of life, satisfaction with life, wellbeing, personal recovery, a large cognitive battery, and daily functioning assessment.

Results.

31.2% of the total sample had elevated self-stigma. The highest prevalence (43.8%) was found in borderline personality disorder and the lowest (22.2%) in ASD. In the multivariate analysis, elevated self-stigma was best predicted by early stages of personal recovery (moratorium, p = 0.001, OR = 4.0 [1.78–8.98]; awareness, p = 0.011, OR = 2.87 [1.28–6.44]), history of suicide attempt (p = 0.001, OR = 2.27 [1.37–3.76]), insight (p = 0.002, OR = 1.22 [1.08–1.38]), wellbeing (p = 0.037, OR = 0.77 [0.60–0.98]), and satisfaction with interpersonal relationships (p < 0.001, OR = 0.85 [0.78–0.93]).

Conclusions.

The present study has confirmed the importance of addressing self-stigma in SMI and ASD patients enrolled in psychiatric rehabilitation. The effectiveness of psychiatric rehabilitation on self-stigma and the potential mediating effects of changes in self-stigma on treatment outcomes should be further investigated.
Interaction of both positive and negative daily-life experiences with FKBP5 haplotype on psychosis risk
Authors: Cristóbal-Narváez Paula , Sheinbaum Tamara , Rosa Araceli , de Castro-Catala Marta , Domínguez-Martínez Tecelli , Kwapil Thomas R. , Barrantes-Vidal Neus
Published: February 2020

Background.

There is limited research on the interaction of both positive and negative daily-life environments with stress-related genetic variants on psychotic experiences (PEs) and negative affect (NA) across the extended psychosis phenotype. This study examined whether the FK506 binding protein 51 (FKBP5) variability moderates the association of positive and negative experiences in the moment with PEs and NA in participants with incipient psychosis and their nonclinical counterparts.

Methods.

A total of 233 nonclinical and 86 incipient psychosis participants were prompted for a 1-week period to assess their day-to-day experiences. Participants were genotyped for four FKBP5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs3800373, rs9296158, rs1360780, and rs9470080).

Results.

Multilevel analyses indicated that, unlike the risk haplotype, the protective FKBP5 haplotype moderated all the associations of positive experiences with diminished PEs and NA in incipient psychosis compared with nonclinical group.

Conclusions.

Participants with incipient psychosis showed symptomatic improvement when reporting positive appraisals in the interpersonal domain, which suggests that these act as a powerful coping mechanism. The fact that this occurred in daily-life underscores the clinical significance of this finding and pinpoints the importance of identifying protective mechanisms. In addition, results seem to concur with the vantage sensitivity model of gene–environment interaction, which poses that certain genetic variants may enhance the likelihood of benefiting from positive exposures.
Nonmyeloablative Alternative Donor Transplantation for Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: From the LWP-EBMT, Eurocord, and CIBMTR
Authors: Fatobene Giancarlo , Rocha Vanderson , St. Martin Andrew , Hamadani Mehdi , Robinson Stephen , Bashey Asad , Boumendil Ariane , Brunstein Claudio , Castagna Luca , Dominietto Alida , Finel Hervé , Chalandon Yves , Kenzey Chantal , Kharfan-Dabaja Mohamed , Labussière-Wallet Hélène , Moraleda Jose M. , Pastano Rocco , Perales Miguel-Angel , El Ayoubi Hanadi Rafii , Ruggeri Annalisa , Sureda Anna , Volt Fernanda , Yakoub-Agha Ibrahim , Zhang Mei-Jie , Gluckman Eliane , Montoto Silvia , Eapen Mary
Published: February 2020

PURPOSE

To compare the outcomes of patients with Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma undergoing nonmyeloablative haploidentical or unrelated cord blood (UCB) hematopoietic cell transplantation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively studied 740 patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 283, 38%) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 457, 62%) age 18-75 years who received transplantations from 2009 to 2016. Data were reported to the Lymphoma Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Eurocord, or Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research. Of the 526 patients who received haploidentical transplantation, 68% received bone marrow and 32% received peripheral blood. All patients received a uniform transplantation conditioning regimen (2 Gy of total-body irradiation, cyclophosphamide, and fludarabine) and graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis (calcineurin inhibitor and mycophenolate). In addition, patients who received a haploidentical transplantation received posttransplantation cyclophosphamide.

RESULTS

Compared with haploidentical bone marrow and peripheral-blood transplantations and adjusted for age, lymphoma subtype, and disease status, survival was lower after UCB transplantation (hazard ratio [HR], 1.55; P = .001; and HR, 1.59; P = .005, respectively). Similarly, progression-free survival was lower after UCB transplantations compared with haploidentical bone marrow and peripheral-blood transplantations (HR, 1.44; P = .002; and HR, 1.86; P < .0001), respectively. The 4-year overall and progression-free survival rates after UCB transplantation were 49% and 36%, respectively, compared with 58% and 46% after haploidentical bone marrow transplantation and 59% and 52% after peripheral-blood transplantation, respectively. Lower survival was attributed to higher transplantation-related mortality after UCB transplantation compared with haploidentical bone marrow and peripheral-blood transplantation (HR, 1.91; P = .0001; and HR, 2.27; P = .0002, respectively).

CONCLUSION

When considering HLA-mismatched transplantation for Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the data support haploidentical related donor transplantation over UCB transplantation.
The Family Novel (and Its Curious Disappearance)
Authors: Berman Anna A.
Published: February 2020

What is a family novel? Russian literary scholars—who use the term frequently—claim that it is originally an English genre, yet in English scholarship the term has virtually disappeared. This article recovers the lost history of the family novel, tracing two separate strands: usage of the term and form/content of the novels. The genre began in England with Richardsonian domestic fiction and spread to Russia, where it evolved along different lines, shaped by the different social and political context. In England, the fate of the term turns out to be tied up with the fate of women writers in the nineteenth century, and then with the rise of feminist studies in the late twentieth that, in validating the importance of the domestic sphere, caused family novel to be superseded by domestic fiction. In Russia, by contrast, the great family novels of the nineteenth century were not associated with women or the domestic sphere, nor—as it turns out—were they considered to be family novels at the time they were written. Only in twentieth-century scholarship, as the original meaning of the term was lost, did they become family novels. In recovering the lost history of the term, this article illustrates the way later ideology and theoretical emphases that shape the language of scholarship ultimately reshape our understanding of the past.
Toward an Aesthetics of Obscurity: From Baumgarten to Blanchot
Authors: Rosenbrück Jonas
Published: February 2020

This article analyzes the notions of clarity and obscurity in the work of Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten and Maurice Blanchot, arguing that the latter’s thought of the “other night” proposes a radical reversal, indeed, a corruption, of Baumgarten’s founding of aesthetics as an ocularcentric discipline governed by clarity. Baumgarten, laying the groundwork for much of the “distribution of the sensible” that dominated the field of aesthetics after him, conceives of the poem as the paradigmatic instance of an aesthetic cognition of the sensible that is founded on the triad of clarity, attention, and liveliness. He thus opposes the poem to both the obscure fundus animae, the ground of the soul, and to utopian poetry, neither of which can be poetized. By contrast, Blanchot’s literature dissolves this triple foundation into a writing of obscurity, distracted fatigue, and a “death resurrected”; literature opens aesthetics to that which had been constitutively excluded at its founding moment. The clarifying powers of the poet-aesthetician are replaced by passive “fascination” and a “passion of the image” that delimits a radically different, countercosmic, and thus utopian space of literature.
Marx as a Model and Question: Alexander Kluge’s Critical Inquiries
Authors: Walzer Dorothea
Published: February 2020

Alexander Kluge’s oeuvre features aesthetic commentary as a process of problematization and investigation. With exemplary case studies of Kluge’s films, his literary collections of short stories, his television interviews, and his theory volumes composed with Oskar Negt, this article analyzes not only various forms of questions posed in these genres but also the epistemological dimension of questioning. This perspective reveals how a Marxian model of writing becomes the point of departure for Kluge’s work on artistic method. It demonstrates that his questioning concerns the disclosure of subtexts, contexts, and peripheral texts that otherwise remain unseen. As a form of dual documentation—both scientific and artistic, objective and subjective—aesthetic commentary can be read against contemporary claims that the fictionality of a “postfactual age” replaces reality after the end of the “critical age.”
Urban, Historical, and Musical Loops: László Moholy-Nagy, Alexander Kluge, and the City Symphony Film
Authors: Haenni Sabine
Published: February 2020

Focusing on Alexander Kluge’s short film Chicago im Zeitraffer (Chicago in Time Lapse), this article inserts his work with moving images into a larger genealogy of the city symphony film. Elucidating his relationship with the historical cinematic avant-garde, as Kluge borrows and departs from both László Moholy-Nagy’s urban vision and Bertolt Brecht’s conception of urban capitalist modernity, the article shows that Kluge’s film reorients time-lapse cinematography and opens up a new form of perception. By incorporating transnational techno music, the film suggests a concept of body and subjectivity that appears as a consequence of an increasingly voracious capitalist modernity while embedding a sense of obstinacy and self-propulsion. Nonetheless, the film’s reliance on transatlantic techno risks excluding the Black musical and social contexts that inspired it. Throughout the article the “loop,” or the traffic circle (Kreisverkehr), is understood as a governing metaphor that helps explain Kluge’s vision of contemporary urbanity, historical connectivity, and musical influence.
Contaminated Soulscapes and Landscapes in Maja Haderlap’sEngel des Vergessens/Angel of Oblivion
Authors: Siller Barbara
Published: February 2020

This article discusses contaminated soulscapes and landscapes in southern Carinthia in Austria as narrated in Maja Haderlap’s novel Engel des Vergessens (Angel of Oblivion, 2011). Since a large part of the Slovenian population in southern Carinthia joined the partisans during World War II and thus resisted the Nazis, it is a highly contaminated space, where local battles took place and hidden graves are ubiquitous. The article examines the representation of these tainted landscapes in Haderlap’s novel. It emphasizes the contaminated soulscapes of the portrayed characters and positions soulscapes and landscapes in close connection to each other. It argues that the characters’ traumatic experiences not only are inscribed as bodily memories but also become part of their language. Rather than engage with the wider field of trauma theories, this article focuses on the main characters of the three generations, grandmother, son, and granddaughter, whereby it becomes obvious that Haderlap’s text supports the idea of transgenerational memories. By discussing the narrative choices for portraying the memories, the article argues that through specific strategies the text displays the interconnectedness between past, present, and future as well as the complexity of remembering processes.
Neutron capture cross section measurements of 232Th in the 30-600 keV energy range
Authors: Karamanis D. , Petit M. , Andriamonje S. , Barreau G. , Bercion M. , Blank Β. , Czajkowski S. , Del Moral R. , Giovinazzo G. , Lacoste V. , Marchand C. , Pravikoff M. , Thomas J. C.
Published: February 2020

Neutron capture cross sections of 232T/i have been measured relative to 197Au in the energy region from 30 keV to 600 keV. The neutron source was the reaction 7Li(p, n) produced on the 4 MV Van de Graaff Accelerator of the Centre d' Etudes Nucléaires de Bordeaux (CENBG). Preliminary analysis of the measurements indicates that the cross sections are closer to the JENDL database values.
Effects of the in-medium NN cross sections in heavy ion collisions on particle production
Authors: Prassa V. , Gaitanos T. , Lalazissis G. , Di Toro M. , Wolter H. H.
Published: February 2020

The density dependence of the in-medium nucleon-nucleon (NN) cross sections is investigated in terms of particle production in heavy ion collisions (HIC). It is found, in particular, that the in-medium modifications of the inelastic NN cross sections considerably affect the pion yields and improve the comparison with experimental information. Such studies are important in determining the still unknown behavior of the nuclear equation of state (EoS) at supra-normal densities in HIC.
Symmetries of Anisotropic Harmonic Oscillators with Rational Ratios of Frequencies and their Relations to U(N) and O(N+1)
Authors: Bonatsos Dennis , Daskaloyannis C. , Kolokotronis P.
Published: February 2020

The concept of bisection of a harmonic oscillator or hydrogen atom, vised in the past in establishing the connection between U(3) and 0(4), is generalized into multisection (trisection, tetrasection, etc). It is then shown that all symmetries of the N-dimensional anisotropic harmonic oscillator with rational ratios of frequencies (RHO), some of which are underlying the structure of superdeformed and hyperdeformed nuclei, can be obtained from the U(N) symmetry of the corresponding isotropic oscillator with an appropriate combination of multisections. Furthermore, it is seen that bisections of the N-dimensional hydrogen atom, which possesses an 0(N+1) symmetry, lead to the U(N) symmetry, so that further multisections of the hydrogen atom lead to the symmetries of the N-dim RHO. The opposite is in general not true, i.e. multisections of U(N) do not lead to 0(N+1) symmetries, the only exception being the occurence of 0(4) after the bisection of U(3).
Determination of the Harmonic Oscillator Energy Level Spacing for Atomic Clusters
Authors: Grypeos M. E. , Kotsos B. A.
Published: February 2020

The harmonic oscillator energy level spacing Κω for atomic clusters as a function of the particle number Ν is expressed analytically in terms of the parameters of a Woods-Saxon (or Symmetrized Woods-Saxon) potential which approximates the effective spherical self-consistent jellium model potential. The expressions derived depend an the particular scheme adopted to approximate the potential by the harmonic oscillator one and on the assumed dependence of the potential radius R on N. It is also observed, considering the case of sodium clusters,that for large Ν the expressions of Ηω are in good agreement with the well known expression of Ηω in terms of the Wigner-Seitz radius.
Recent sedimentation rates using 210Pb and 137Cs vertical profiles of core sediments at the Gulf of Corinth, Litochoro Coast and Marmara Sea
Authors: Papageorgiou D. , Eleftheriou G. , Patiris D. L. , Sakellariou D. , Tsabaris C. , Kokkoris M. , Vlastou R.
Published: February 2020

In this work, core sediment samples up to 50 cm have been collected from three different marine environments; Gulf of Corinth, Gulf of Thermaikos, specifically from Litochoro Coast and Lake Uluabat from the wider region of Black Sea. Natural (210Pb) and anthropogenic (137Cs) radionuclides in the samples were measured using an HPGe detector, calibrated for sediments geometry. The vertical distribution of 137Cs and 210Pb was used to determine the sedimentation rate. The results were 0.56 cm/year for the Gulf of Corinth and 0.54 cm/year for the coast of Litochoro. In the case of the lake Uluabat the sedimentation rate was 0.41 cm/year.
Evaluation of differential cross-sections for light element reactions at low energies using R-matrix calculations: The case of 12C
Authors: Kokkoris M.
Published: February 2020

The theoretical evaluation of diÆerential cross-section values for low-energy re- actions of light elements is of great importance in the fields of IBA (Ion Beam Analysis) and nuclear astrophysics. R-matrix theory is generally accepted as the most appropriate one for the analysis of resonance reactions in low-energy nuclear physics. In this approach, the configuration space of the scattering problem is divided into an internal region, corresponding to the compound nucleus, where the total wave function can be expanded into a complete set of eigenstates (in terms of unknown base functions, with the energy eigenvalues and the matrix elements of the base functions being adjustable parameters) and an external region, where the possible combinations of coupled particle pairs exist, corresponding to the reaction channels that emerge from the compound nucleus. This division of space is made by the choice of the boundary of the compound nucleus, i.e. an appropriate nuclear radius is chosen for each reaction channel. The R-matrix takes account of all the interactions which occur inside the nucleus. In the present work, results obtained in the specific case of elastic scattering and charged-particle nuclear reactions, namely for the 12C+p system are presented.
ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКАЯ ОЦЕНКА ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ ОКАЗАНИЯ МЕДИЦИНСКОЙ ПОМОЩИ С УЧЕТОМ КАЧЕСТВА ЛЕЧЕНИЯ
Authors: Zurnadzh’yants Yulia Aleksandrovna , Kashkarova Irina Alekseevna , Shapovalova Darya Alekseevna
Published: February 2020

В современной экономической ситуации, с нерациональным распределением расходов при дефиците финансирования, связанных с оказанием качественных медицинских услуг, а также в условиях жесткой конкуренции, перед руководством медицинских организаций достаточно остро встает вопрос об эффективном распределении и использовании имеющихся в распоряжении ресурсов. Эффективность распределения ограниченных ресурсов организацией и определяет качество оказываемой медицинской помощи. Поэтому необходимо оценивать само проведенное лечение как со стороны экономической, так и со стороны медицинской и социальной эффективности. В системе здравоохранения обязательно должен учитываться комплексный подход при проведении экономического анализа. Ресурсы должны распределяться не только эффективно, но и должна учитываться степень удовлетворения граждан от уровня качества оказанных медицинских услуг.Цель – проведение экономической оценки эффективности метода лечения выявление наиболее эффективного подхода к лечения, с учетом качества оказания медицинской помощи.Метод и методология проведения работы: в статье использовались нормативные, методические и директивные материалы, методы сравнения и экстраполяции, методы экономического и статистического анализа.Результаты: предлагаемый нами метод позволяет выбрать наименее затратный способ лечения с учетом удовлетворенности граждан качеством леченияОбласть применения результатов: преимуществом данного метода является возможность его применения медицинской сфере деятельности для оценки эффективности бюджетных трат без потери качества предлагаемого лечения.
ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКАЯ И ИНФОРМАЦИОННАЯ БЕЗОПАСНОСТЬ РОССИИ В УСЛОВИЯХ ЦИФРОВОЙ ЭКОНОМИКИ
Authors: Bareyko Snezhana Nikolaevna , Kozukhina Kseniya Anatolevna
Published: February 2020

В данной статье анализируется роль цифровой экономики в обеспечении устойчивого развития экономики России. В современной экономической системе любой страны важнейшим аспектом является цифровизация экономики и обеспечение ее безопасности на всех уровнях. Цифровая экономика – это экономическая деятельность, сфокусированная на цифровых и электронных технологиях. В статье рассматриваются такие вопросы как: политика создания и использования цифровых платформ в бизнес-среде, основные технологические тренды в сфере цифровой трансформации экономики, обеспечение информационной и экономической безопасности предпринимательства в России.Цель работы: определение и идентификация факторов влияющих на создания эффективной цифровой экономики, которая является одним из важнейших факторов развития национального хозяйства.Метод или методология проведения работы: методическую основу составили системный, обобщённый, аналитический и сравнительный подходы, а также совокупность методов экономико-статистического анализа.Результаты: в статье раскрыты основные факторы, влияющие на развитие цифровой экономики в России. Особое место отводится рискам и угрозам, сдерживающим цифровизацию экономики.Область применения результатов: полученные результаты целесообразно применять при разработке национальных программ развития экономики нового поколения, включающих вопросы развития и внедрения инновационных технологий, в целях обеспечения национальной безопасности России.
ВЛИЯНИЕ ЦИФРОВИЗАЦИИ ЭКОНОМИКИ НА УПРАВЛЕНИЕ ЗЕМЕЛЬНЫМИ РЕСУРСАМИ И ПРОВЕДЕНИЕ ТОРГОВ
Authors: Proskurina Zinaida Borisovna
Published: February 2020

За основу исследования взята одна из приоритетных направлений создание экосистемы цифровой экономики Российской Федерации, где данные в цифровой форме являются ключевым критерием в недвижимости. Проведён анализ, результатов размещения информации о проведении продаж земельных участков на торгах используя методы статистического и аналитического исследования, анализа и синтеза данных. А также выявлены проблемы и представлены пути их решения.Цель работы. Определение проблем управления и проведения продаж земельных участков на торгах в условиях влияния цифровой экономики.Метод или методология проведения работы: в статье использовались аналитический и статистический методы анализа.Результаты: сформулированы основные проблемы и представлены пути их решения при проведении торгов с земельными ресурсами в условиях цифровизации экономики.Область применения результатов: полученные результаты рационально применять при проведении торгов с земельными ресурсами в условиях цифровизации.
THE EFFECT OF COLLECTIVISM DIVERSITY TOWARDS MULTICULTURAL TEAMWORK PERFORMANCE AMONG RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES
Authors: Latif Zahidah Ab
Published: February 2020

Diversity is now an important factor that impacted workforce performance. Currently, as having a diverse workforce, Malaysia is depending heavily on foreign workers in the hospitality industry. This study examined a conceptual model investigating the effect of diversity particularly collectivism in influencing multicultural teamwork performance. A self-administered questionnaire was conducted in casual ethnic restaurants in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The findings disclosed that collectivism diversity had a significant influence on multicultural teamwork performance. This study is the first to assess cultural value diversity particularly collectivism value on teamwork performance. This study verified that cultural value diversity increases multicultural teamwork performance in the restaurant context in relation to collectivism. The significant results deepen our understandings of the detailed relationships among the variables. In addition, by providing the current phenomena in workforce industry, this study provides insights to the restaurant managers in handling diversity among multicultural employees.
Service quality in the healthcare sector: do human resource management practices matter?
Authors: Jacob SC , Manalel J , Minimol MC
Published: February 2020

Background/aims

Service quality in hospitals is determined by the quality of staff interactions with patients. Human resource (HR) management practices play a significant role in the recruitment and retention of high calibre hospital staff. This study aimed to investigate how HR management practices affect employees' performance-related outcomes, such as their commitment to delivering a good standard of care and their perceptions of the quality of service that their hospital provides.

Methods

An integrated causal model was designed and tested by surveying the staff of hospitals in India. A total of 1236 usable response sets were analysed through structural equation modelling to test the relationships between HR management practices and employee performance-related outcomes.

Results

All but two of the relationships described by the model were found to be significant. The relationship between employees' commitment to their organisation and their perceptions of the service's quality and the relationship between HR management practices and employee commitment to delivering good service quality were found to be non-significant.

Conclusion

The integrated causal model could help healthcare managers to identify and strategically plan HR management practices to target desired employee performance-related outcomes in the hospital sector.
World Health Organization urges stronger focus on nutrition within health services
Authors: Harris Gemma
Published: February 2020

A stronger focus on nutrition could have myriad benefits for health services, reducing rates of preventable illness, obesity and mortality. Gemma Harris discusses reports from the World Health Organization, which set out what this stronger focus might entail for healthcare providers and the positive changes that could be achieved.
Women's decision-making about mode of birth after a previous caesarean section
Authors: Fumagalli Simona , Colciago Elisabetta , Antolini Laura , Perego Sofia , Fiorasi Micaela , Fossati Valeria , Nespoli Antonella , Vergani Patrizia
Published: February 2020

Background

Evidence on the safety and appropriateness of vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) appears clear, but knowledge about women's choice towards this mode of birth is limited.

Aims

To identify variables related to women's decision-making about whether to try for VBAC.

Method and findings

Cross-sectional study was conducted. Feelings of body failure towards the previous birth and the desire to have a vaginal birth were associated with maternal choice of VBAC. Women who perceived a repeated section as being dangerous for them opted for a VBAC (p=0.030). Opinion of women with the same experience and information found online were implicated into maternal decision-making.

Conclusion

This is the first Italian study to confirm that maternal choice is complex and involves many factors. Midwives and obstetricians should strive to provide an evidence-based midwifery care, in order to offer a VBAC as a safe birth option.
PYRACLOSTROBIN PRESERVES PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN ARABICA COFFEE PLANTS SUBJECTED TO WATER DEFICIT
Authors: Peloso Anelisa Figueiredo , Tatagiba Sandro Dan , Amaral Francisco José Teixeira , Cavatte Paulo César , Pezzopane José Eduardo Macedo
Published: February 2020

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pyraclostrobin on the photosynthetic performance of rabica coffee plants subjected or not to a water deficit, using the parameter of gas exchange (net CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and internal CO2 concentration and nocturnal respiration), chlorophyll fluorescence a parameters (minimum fluorescence, maximum fluorescence, maximum quantum yield of photosystem II, effective quantum yield of PSII, quantum yield of regulated energy dissipation and quantum yield dissipation non-regulated) as well as the concentrations of chloroplast pigments. In the plants maintained without water deficit, pyraclostrobin did not cause any alteration on the parameters of chlorophyll a fluorescence; however, it contributed to an increase in the level of chlorophyll a + b, CO2 assimilation and CO2 influx for the carboxylation sites of the stroma. Decreases in nocturnal respiration in plants treated with pyraclostrobin, submitted or not to water deficit seems to be a common strategy in reducing energy waste in the maintenance metabolism. Under water deficit, pyraclostrobin contributed to increase the photochemical yield, enabling plants to effectively prevent the capture, use and dissipation of light energy.
Model-free determination of the birefringence and dichroism in c-cut crystals from transmission ellipsometry measurements
Authors: Li Huihui , Cui Changcai , Bian Subiao , Lu Jing , Xu Xipeng , Arteaga Oriol
Published: February 2020

In this work, we derive closed-form expressions for determination of the linear birefringence and linear dichroism of uniaxial crystals utilizing transmission ellipsometry measurements at small angles of incidence in

c

-cut crystal substrates. The model-free method we use is an algebraic generalization of the method reported in Appl. Opt. 44, 3153 (2005).APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.44.003153 The optical anisotropy of substrates of sapphire, 4H-SiC, and 6H-SiC single crystals is measured for illustration.
Dispersion correction for optical coherence tomography by the stepped detection algorithm in the fractional Fourier domain
Authors: Liu Di , Ge Chuanbin , Xin Yi , Li Qin , Tao Ran
Published: February 2020

Dispersion in optical coherence tomography (OCT) leads to a series of wavelength-dependent phase distortions, which cause degradation of axial resolution. Due to the lack of prior information or the complexity of an exhaustive search calculation, all-depth dispersion suppression can hardly be realized in practical cases, especially for high-speed processing and irregular-structure samples. This paper explores the understanding of the depth-dependent dispersion in the fractional Fourier domain (FRFD) and addresses a new method for dispersion correction based on the FRFD stepped detection algorithm that is able to adaptively compensate the dispersion at all depths of the sample. For the detection of each dispersion component, a coarse search followed by a localized fine search is presented in our algorithm to reduce the calculation complexity with high accuracy guaranteed. A signal separation method utilizing FRFD filtering is also designed to avoid the interference between the dispersion from different depths of the sample, which allows all-depth dispersion correction. The proposed algorithm is verified to be effective through the stratified media of ZnSe. The application of the proposed algorithm in OCT imaging of onion and human coronary artery also demonstrates the feasibility of our algorithm for dispersion correction in bio-tissues.
Optically enriched and guided dynamics of active skyrmions
Authors: Sohn Hayley R. O. , Liu Changda D. , Voinescu Robert , Chen Zezhang , Smalyukh Ivan I.
Published: February 2020

Light provides a powerful means of controlling physical behavior of materials but is rarely used to power and guide active matter systems. We demonstrate optical control of liquid crystalline topological solitons dubbed “skyrmions”, which recently emerged as highly reconfigurable inanimate active particles capable of exhibiting emergent collective behaviors like schooling. Because of a chiral nematic liquid crystal’s natural tendency to twist and its facile response to electric fields and light, it serves as a testbed for dynamic control of skyrmions and other active particles. Using ambient-intensity unstructured light, we demonstrate large-scale multifaceted reconfigurations and unjamming of collective skyrmion motions powered by oscillating electric fields and guided by optically-induced obstacles and patterned illumination.
High power femtosecond semiconductor lasers based on saw-toothed master-oscillator power-amplifier system with compressed ASE
Authors: Wang Yanjing , Zhang Xin , Tong Cunzhu , Wang Lijie , Shu Shili , Tian Sicong , Wang Lijun
Published: February 2020

High power femtosecond semiconductor laser based on saw-toothed taper mode-locked laser and amplifier was demonstrated with compressed amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). The external-cavity mode-locked taper laser generated the clean optical pulses without any sub-pulse components. A semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) with tilted taper waveguide and saw-toothed edge reduced evidently the ASE background. The saw-tooth microstructures were optimized and it was found that the saw-tooth of right-right angled triangle showed the best effect. The ratio of the maximum intensity to background radiation was increased by 21.9% and the power was increased by 30.5% due to the saw-tooth microstructure in the SOA. The pulse duration of 495 fs and a peak power over 1.5 kW with repetition rate of 579 MHz were realized after a double-pass grating compressor.
Optical phase of inhomogeneous Jones matrices: retardance and ortho-transmission states
Authors: Gutiérrez-Vega Julio C.
Published: February 2020

We determine the optical phase

ψ

(dynamic and geometric) introduced by a system described by an inhomogeneous Jones matrix. We show that there are two possible scenarios: (a)

ψ

has a finite range of

ψ
∈
[

ψ

min

,

ψ

max

]

. We calculate both limits and their corresponding polarization states analytically. (b)

ψ

spans the full range of

ψ
∈
(
−
π
,
π
]

. This scenario leads to the existence of two input polarization states whose output states are orthogonal. We call these states ortho-transmission states (OTSs) and find them analytically. We study the inverse problem of designing an optical system with OTSs given by the user.
The use of Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle in perfection of fracture liaison service work
Authors: Belova Ksenia Y. , Ershova Olga B.
Published: February 2020

Background: Secondary fracture prevention services (FLS) have been established around the world during several last years. However, due to the differences of medical care organization in different regions, it is difficult to offer a unified approach of the structure and separate components of such services, which could be used everywhere. It is recommended to apply the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle to evaluate the FLS in the institution.
Aim: To study the application of the PDSA cycle in the optimization of FLS working in Yaroslavl.
Materials and methods: We evaluated the effectiveness of FLS organization which was created in the Emergency medical care hospital n.a. N. V. Solovyov at two stages of its development: at the first stage we worked using the principle by referral of a traumatologist, at the second stage we used a dedicated coordinator. We used the questionnaire Best Practice framework for assessment. We also used PDSA cycle to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of FLS organization.
Results: At the stage by referral of a traumatologist we revealed problems with patients identification, timing of assessment after a fracture, low frequency of initiation of osteoporosis therapy, lack of a falls prevention system and problems with a database. After the analysis and revealing shortcomings weve made several changes in the organization of our FLS. First of all we introduced a dedicated coordinator-nurse in the staff of FLS.The following analysis showed that significant improvements had been made in all revealed directions. The following application of the PDSA cycle again identified several issues of FLS organization requiring improvement.
Conclusion: Thus, the use of the PDSA cycle during the organization of FLS is a tool of effective control and establishment of an effective care system for patients with low-energy fractures.