bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Conditions in Tennis-Teaching Professionals
Authors: Colberg Ricardo E. , Aune Kyle T. , Propst Matthew S.
Published: October 2016

Background:

Tennis-teaching professionals represent a significant proportion of all avid tennis players worldwide, with 15,000 belonging to the largest professional organization, the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA). However, there is no epidemiologic study to date reporting the prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions in these tennis-teaching professionals.

Purpose:

To investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions in tennis-teaching professionals following the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) guidelines for epidemiologic studies.

Study Design:

Descriptive epidemiology study.

Methods:

Electronic surveys were distributed to 13,500 American members of the USPTA. The prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions was calculated.

Results:

A total of 1176 USPTA members completed the survey. Most participants reported teaching more than 5 days per week and more than 2 hours per day. The prevalence of musculoskeletal injury secondary to teaching tennis was 42%. The most affected area was the lower extremities (43% of all injuries) followed by the upper extremities (37%). The most commonly injured structures were muscles or tendons (36% of all injuries) and joints or ligaments (28%). The majority of injuries did not cause participants to miss more than 24 hours of teaching (57%).

Conclusion:

This is the first epidemiologic study on the occupational risk of musculoskeletal injuries and conditions in tennis-teaching professionals. Tennis-teaching professionals have a significant risk of musculoskeletal injuries or conditions related to their occupation. The prevalence of injury is consistent with previously published studies of injury prevalence among other tennis-playing populations. The proportions of upper and lower extremity injuries were fairly equitable.
Factors Associated With Pneumonia Among Overweight and Obese Under-Five Children in an Urban Hospital of a Developing Country
Authors: Shahunja K. M. , Ahmed Tahmeed , Hossain Md. Iqbal , Das Sumon Kumar , Faruque Abu Syeed Golam , Islam Md. Munirul , Shahid Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayeem Bin , Das Jui , Sarker Mohammad Habibur Rahman , Chisti Mohammod Jobayer
Published: October 2016

To our knowledge, there are no data on the role of overweight and obesity in childhood pneumonia. We sought to determine that impact of overweight and obesity in such children. In this retrospective chart analysis, we enrolled hospitalized children aged 6 to 59 months in the Dhaka Hospital of the icddr,b, Bangladesh (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh), from January 2010 to June 2014. Children with pneumonia having overweight and obesity (body mass index Z score [BMIZ] >2.00) constituted cases (n = 25), and those who had pneumonia without overweight and obesity (BMIZ −2.00 to 2.00) constituted controls (n = 75). Controls were 3-fold of the cases and were randomly selected. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data of the cases and the controls were compared. The cases more often had diarrhea and dehydration (36% vs 12%, P = .013), hypoxemia (SpO2 < 90% in room air; 28% vs 7%, P = .009) on admission, and required to change antibiotics (32% vs 11%, P = .023) during hospitalization compared to the controls. However, in logistic regression analysis the cases were independently associated with diarrhea ( P < .001) and hypoxemia ( P = .024) on admission. Our data suggest that overweight and obesity in children with pneumonia is prone to be associated with hypoxemia on admission, which may guide clinicians in promptly managing pneumonia in order to evade its ramification in such children. However, future research with larger samples is imperative to consolidate or refute our observation.
The EMT regulator ZEB2 is a novel dependency of human and murine acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Li Hubo , Mar Brenton G. , Zhang Huadi , Puram Rishi V. , Vazquez Francisca , Weir Barbara A. , Hahn William C. , Ebert Benjamin , Pellman David
Published: October 2016

Key Points

ZEB2 is a top hit of 2 short hairpin RNA screens for novel AML dependencies. ZEB2 regulates differentiation in AML.
Roar: detecting alternative polyadenylation with standard mRNA sequencing libraries
Authors: Grassi Elena , Mariella Elisa , Lembo Antonio , Molineris Ivan , Provero Paolo
Published: October 2016

Background

Post-transcriptional regulation is a complex mechanism that plays a central role in defining multiple cellular identities starting from a common genome. Modifications in the length of 3’UTRs have been found to play an important role in this context, since alternative 3’ UTRs could lead to differences for example in regulation by microRNAs and cellular localization of the transcripts thus altering their fate.

Results

We propose a strategy to identify the genes undergoing regulation of 3’ UTR length using RNA sequencing data obtained from standard libraries, thus widely applicable to data originally obtained to perform classical differential expression analyses. We decided to exploit previously annotated APA sites from public databases, in contrast with other approaches recently proposed in which the location of the APA site is inferred from the data together with the relative abundance of the isoforms.

We demonstrate the reliability of our method by comparing it to the results of other microarray based or specific RNA-seq libraries methods and show that using APA sites databases results in higher sensitivity compared to de novo site prediction approach.

Conclusions

We implemented the algorithm in a Bioconductor package to facilitate its broad usage in the scientific community. The ability of this approach to detect shortening from libraries with a number of reads comparable to that needed for differential expression analyses makes it useful for investigating if alternative polyadenylation is relevant in a certain biological process without requiring specific experimental assays.
Review of “CiteSpace: A Practical Guide For Mapping Scientific Literature” by Chaomei Chen
Authors: Niazi Muaz A.
Published: October 2016

Book details

Chen, C

CiteSpace: A Practical Guide for Mapping Scientific Literature

Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers; 2016.

169 pages; ISBN print: 978-1-53610-280-2; eBook: 978-1-53610-295-6

Prices for both editions

Softcover price: $73.80

eBook price: $82.00

Book page: http://cluster.ischool.drexel.edu/~cchen/citespace/books/
Yeast cells reveal the misfolding and the cellular mislocalization of the human BRCA1 protein
Authors: Thouvenot Pierre , Fourrière Lou , Dardillac Elodie , Ben Yamin Barbara , Lescure Aurianne , Lejour Vincent , Heiligenstein Xavier , Boulé Jean-Baptiste , Romao Maryse , Raposo-Benedetti Graça , Lopez Bernard S. , Nicolas Alain , Millot Gaël A.
Published: October 2016

Understanding the effect of an ever-growing number of human variants detected by genome sequencing is a medical challenge. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae model has held attention for its capacity to monitor the functional impact of missense mutations found in human genes, including the BRCA1 breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene. When expressed in yeast, the wild-type full-length BRCA1 protein forms a single nuclear aggregate and induces a growth inhibition. Both events are modified by pathogenic mutations of BRCA1. However, the biological processes behind these events in yeast remain to be determined. Here, we show that the BRCA1 nuclear aggregation and the growth inhibition are sensitive to misfolding effects induced by missense mutations. Moreover, misfolding mutations impair the nuclear targeting of BRCA1 in yeast cells and in a human cell line. In conclusion, we establish a connection between misfolding and nuclear transport impairment, and we illustrate that yeast is a suitable model to decipher the effect of misfolding mutations.
A new isoform of Drosophila non-muscle Tropomyosin 1 interacts with Kinesin-1 and functions in oskar mRNA localization
Authors: Veeranan-Karmegam Rajalakshmi , Boggupalli Devi Prasad , Liu Guojun , Gonsalvez Graydon B.
Published: October 2016

Recent studies have revealed that diverse cell types use mRNA localization as a means to establish polarity. Despite the prevalence of this phenomenon, much less is known regarding the mechanism by which mRNAs are localized. The Drosophila melanogaster oocyte provides a useful model for examining the process of mRNA localization. oskar (osk) mRNA is localized at the posterior of the oocyte, thus restricting the expression of Oskar protein to this site. The localization of osk mRNA is microtubule dependent and requires the plus-end-directed motor Kinesin-1. Unlike most Kinesin-1 cargoes, localization of osk mRNA requires the Kinesin heavy chain (Khc) motor subunit, but not the Kinesin light chain (Klc) adaptor. In this report, we demonstrate that a newly discovered isoform of Tropomyosin 1, referred to as Tm1C, directly interacts with Khc and functions in concert with this microtubule motor to localize osk mRNA. Apart from osk mRNA localization, several additional Khc-dependent processes in the oocyte are unaffected upon loss of Tm1C. Our results therefore suggest that the Tm1C–Khc interaction is specific for the osk localization pathway.
Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Associations between subtype and lifetime substance use – a clinical study
Authors: Liebrenz Michael , Gamma Alex , Ivanov Iliyan , Buadze Anna , Eich Dominique
Published: October 2016

ADHD is the one of the most prevalent childhood disorders and has been associated with impairments persisting into adulthood. Specifically, childhood ADHD is an independent clinical risk factor for the development of later substance use disorders (SUD). Moreover, adults who meet diagnostic criteria for ADHD have shown high rates of comorbid SUDs. Few studies, however, have reported on the relationship between ADHD subtypes and SUD in adult samples. The purpose of this study was to characterize a clinical sample of adults with ADHD and to identify possible associations between ADHD subtypes, lifetime substance use, and if ADHD subtypes may be preferentially associated with specific substances of abuse. We recruited 413 adult ADHD patients, performed an evaluation of their ADHD and conducted an interview on their use of psychotropic substances. Complete data was obtained for 349 patients. Lifetime substance abuse or dependence was 26% and occasional use was 57% in this sample. The inattentive subtype was significantly less likely to abuse or be dependent on cocaine than the combined subtype. Our findings underscore the high rate of comorbidity between substance use and ADHD in adults. The more frequent abuse/dependence of cocaine by adult patients with hyperactive-impulsive symptoms should be kept in mind when treating this patient group.
Problems and perspectives of public administration of the russian labor market
Authors: Мурашов  , Murashov S.
Published: October 2016

The article deals with topical issues of state management of labor market in Russia. The analysis identified the problems and prospects of government employment. Some measures in public administration in the field of employment are marked. It is concluded that there are conditions for further expansion of employment in Russia.
Problem field of state regulation of international relations
Authors: Мельников  , Melnikov Aleksey , Бабаянц  , Babayants Nikita
Published: October 2016

The analysis showed that the increase of efficiency of implementation of the state national policy prevents problematic aspects of organizational, legal, informational nature. Therefore, in conditions of modern federalism institutional system should be aimed at the formation of feedback mechanisms, adequate to understanding of the problems of the regions at the federal level in international sphere. Science and social validity of legislation should help to reduce the risk of administrative errors and to improve the effec-tiveness of the decisions.
Legal status of personality and the institute of citizenship of the european union
Authors: Макуев  , Makuyev Ruman
Published: October 2016

Problematic aspects of the legal status of the personality and its most important element - the institution of citizenship are considered. The standards of the Treaties are widely used: Treaty on the European Union, Treaty on the functioning of the European Union and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
Evaluability assessments as part of an approach to supporting healthy weight
Authors: Spencer Sarah , Gadsby Erica , Ogilvie Jayne , Elliott Scott
Published: October 2016

Evaluability assessment (EA) is a low-cost pre-evaluation activity that can make the best use of limited evaluation resources by improving both the quality and usefulness of evaluations, and the quality and effectiveness of the programmes being evaluated. We conducted seven EAs as part of an evaluation of Medway Council's Supporting Healthy Weight services. This article describes the processes we went through, outlines some of the lessons learned, and shares the benefits of such an approach. We created logic models using programme information and interviews with the Supporting Healthy Weight team. We examined differences between the intended programme and the actual programme, and identified key issues and changes made during implementation. This allowed us to speculate about whether the programme was likely to reach the target audience and achieve the desired impact. From this we identified key information needs and priority evaluation questions. The EAs allowed Medway's public health team to prioritise which programmes needed to be fully evaluated as well as how, why and when. This enabled more cost-effective targeting of limited evaluation resources. The EAs culminated in recommendations for programme improvement, data improvement and capacity strengthening that will have an impact across the whole suite of healthy weight services.
Biomarkers for Clinical Decision-Making in the Management of Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Giannitsis Evangelos , Katus Hugo A
Published: October 2016

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with high all-cause and PE-related mortality and requires individualized management. After confirmation of PE, a refined risk stratification is particularly warranted among normotensive patients. Previous prognostic models favored combinations of echocardiography or computed tomography suggestive of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction together with biomarkers of RV dysfunction (natriuretic peptides) or myocardial injury (cardiac troponins) to identify candidates for thrombolysis or embolectomy. In contrast, current predictive models using clinical scores such as the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (PESI) or its simplified version (sPESI) rather seek to identify patients, not only those at higher risk requiring observation for early detection of hemodynamic decompensation, and the need for initiation of rescue reperfusion therapy, but also those at low risk qualifying for early discharge and outpatient treatment. Almost all prediction models advocate the additional measurement of biomarkers along with imaging of RV dysfunction as part of a comprehensive algorithm.

CONTENT

The following mini-review will provide an updated overview on the individual components of different algorithms with a particular focus on guideline-recommended and new, less-established biomarkers for risk stratification, and how biomarkers should be implemented and interpreted.

Ideally, biomarkers should be part of a comprehensive risk stratification algorithm used together with clinical risk scores as a basis, and/or imaging. For this purpose, cardiac troponins, including high-sensitivity troponin generations, natriuretic peptides, and h-FABP (heart-type fatty acid–binding protein) are currently recommended in guidelines. There is emerging evidence for several novel biomarkers that require further validation before being applied in clinical practice.
Evolving scenarios of organic matter concentration in alto Tietê basin by mathematical modeling
Authors: Montovani Camila Pereira , Poletti Elaine Cristina Catapani
Published: October 2016

The water bodies has been suffering with the pollution caused by the disposal of domestic and industrial sewage. The problem is relate, mainly, to the organic matter and scenarios without appropriate treatments become a major problem for the health of society and the environment. Thereby, the present study evaluated the evolutionary framework of the concentration of organic matter in the Tietê river, via mathematical modeling, through values of biochemical oxygen demand. The Tietê river is located in the sub-basin of the Alto Tietê in UGRHI 6, characterized as one of the most polluted rivers in the world and receives large inputs of pollutants by the large number of industries and inhabitants of the region. The model used is based on a system of difference equations and presents, through computer simulations, results that promote relevant discussions in terms of river pollution and indicate that existing discharges, linked to the lack of treatment, act as precursor agent of the quality of the watershed classification and the high levels of pollution in several parts.
Hidrogeoquímica das águas subterrâneas no município de Lençóis, Bahia, Brasil
Authors: Mattos Jonatas Batista , Cruz Manoel Jerônimo Moreira , De Paula Francisco Carlos Fernandes
Published: October 2016

This study aimed to point out the hydrogeochemistry groundwater in the municipality of Lençóis, State of Bahia, to classify them according to the content and types of dissolved salts. To this, twenty sampling points were listed in the groundwater in aquifers formed by metasediments, detritical covers and limestones, with the purpose of analyze the following parameters: electrical conductivity, temperature, pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, HCO3, PO4, SO4, Cl-, NO3, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe3+, Mn4+, Sr2+ and Ba2+. The results showed that the groundwater in the municipality of Lençóis are distributed into two zones with different hydrogeochemistry, one of the largest controlled by geological clastic metasedimentary rocks typologies (sandstones, quartzites, conglomeratics, detritical covers) where the process of water-rock interaction allows occur little quantity salt water, slightly acidic, sweet, soft and predominantly sulfated sodic. The other zone is controlled by chemical metasedimentary rocks (limestones) as well as bicarbonates, where they occur hard water, slightly alkaline, sweets and sulfated calcic and mixed. The levels of metals and elements nitrate, phosphate and sulfate presented themselves generally at low concentrations, with some deviations detected in points of the urban area.
O SURGIMENTO DO SENTIMENTO DE INFÂNCIA NO BRASIL E O CUIDADO COM AS CRIANÇAS
Authors: Nogueira Ione Da Silva Cunha
Published: October 2016

O cuidado com crianças e adolescentes tem se apresentado como um movimento que é fruto de anos de luta e conscientização. No Brasil essa luta ainda é constante, especialmente no que se refere ao cuidado com a criança em desvantagem social, pois esta, além das dificuldades provenientes do fato de ser criança, enfrenta também as de diferença de classe. A pesquisa bibliográfica de abordagem dialética tem como objetivo compreender por meio de um estudo histórico, que se restringiu aos séculos XIX e XX, o desenvolvimento do sentimento de infância na realidade brasileira e o desenrolar desse sentimento e do reconhecimento de direitos de crianças e adolescentes até os dias atuais. Pretende ainda perceber em que medida o alcance desses direitos é realmente universal ou se destina apenas à parte dessa população. Apesar dos avanços alcançados em relação ao reconhecimento de direitos de crianças e adolescentes, muito ainda é preciso ser feito, especialmente no que diz respeito à criança em desvantagem social.
Idyll and Industry: Rethinking the Environmental History of Grand Pré, Nova Scotia
Authors: Campbell Claire
Published: October 2016

In June 2012, UNESCO named the landscape of Grand Pré, Nova Scotia, a World Heritage Site, as ‘exceptional testimony to a traditional farming settlement created in the seventeenth century by the Acadians in a coastal zone with tides that are among the highest in the world’. Grand Pré is the gateway to the Annapolis Valley, a rare stretch of favourable soils and climate in a largely unarable province. From the early nineteenth century onward, ambitions to make the Valley ‘the Orchard of the Empire’ resulted in some of the most intensive rural development in Atlantic Canada. This transformed the physical, ecological and economic landscape of Nova Scotia profoundly, and became central to its sense of place in the global community. Its fields and orchards also inspired a second industry: tourism, promoting, ironically, a decidedly non-industrial picture of blithe fertility and prosperity. In recent decades, both agriculture and tourism in the region have created a new idyll, one that grafts the language of sustainability onto the pastoral image of apple blossoms, and so successfully draws attention away from the ecological costs and economic health of agriculture in the region. With its focus on pre-industrial Acadian settlement, historical commemoration at Grand Pré has the very real effect of affirming the possibility of local and sustainable agriculture in the area today. But the pré is also part of another history, another set of agricultural practices that followed the Acadians and that still frame most agricultural production in Nova Scotia. This essay offers a second public narrative for Grand Pré, one that treats the site as part of the Annapolis Valley as well as l’ancienne Acadie, part of an industrial landscape as well as an idyllic one. It is only by recognizing both histories that we can really appreciate the realities of modern agriculture and the need for sustainable alternatives.
The Multiple Deindustrializations of Canada’s Maritime Provinces and the Evaluation of Heritage-Related Urban Regeneration11 For valuable comments on an earlier version of this essay, the authors wish to thank Donald J. Savoie and the participants at the Swansea Conference organized by the Canadian Studies in Wales Group on Regeneration, Heritage and Cultural Identity: Trans-Atlantic Perspectives, June 2013.
Authors: Reid Jane H. , Reid John G.
Published: October 2016

The Maritime provinces of Canada share with many other nations the experience of nineteenth-century industrialization and twentieth-century deindustrialization. For deindustrialized areas, the social and environmental pressures imposed by deindustrialization are frequently held to be open to mitigation through urban regeneration projects that seek to build on existing cultural heritage and ultimately enable communities to thrive in both cultural and economic terms. In the Maritime provinces, however, two factors have greatly complicated the emergence of effective urban regeneration. One is the historical complexity of both industrialization and deindustrialization in the region, while the other is the critical weakness of evaluation criteria for defining success in urban regeneration and thus assessing the effectiveness of regeneration projects. Without advocating the adoption of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ model, and recognizing the complexity – even intractability – of the ‘wicked problems’ that attend any regeneration project, this essay will argue that historical and policy-related analysis can be combined to generate a regional approach to urban regeneration and its evaluation, which will take account of the need to maintain existing cultural integrity and to support processes of policy learning and social learning.
Divulgación: Inicio de la optimización del sistema de transporte ferroviario en el amba
Authors: Mas María Magdalena
Published: October 2016

Este trabajo intenta indagar en primer lugar sobre las ventajas del sistemade transporte ferroviario urbano de pasajeros desde distintas perspectivas.En segundo lugar se revisa el estado actual del mismo en el Área Metropolitanade Buenos Aires (AMBA). En la sección siguiente se presentanalgunos modelos propuestos para el servicio ferroviario europeo. Luego seintenta hacer una transferencia de los modelos descritos al AMBA y porúltimo se enuncian algunas conclusiones.
COSECHA Y MANEJO DE Copernicia tectorum (Kunth) Mart. PARA USO ARTESANAL EN EL CARIBE COLOMBIANO
Authors: Torres Romero Maria Claudia , Galeano Garces Gloria Amparo , Bernal Rodrigo
Published: October 2016

En este estudio se caracterizaron los sistemas de manejo de Copernicia tectorum en dos localidades de la Región Caribe de Colombia: Plato (Magdalena), y Magangué (Bolívar). También se analizó el impacto de la cosecha de cogollos en la estructura de la población, el número de hojas y la longitud de los cogollos. En Plato sólo se cosechan cogollos de palmas subadultas y adultas, lo que parece no afectar las palmas a nivel individual, ni poblacional. En Magangué se cosechan palmas de las clases juveniles, lo que limita su crecimiento; esto da como resultado palmares con muy pocos adultos, comprometiendo su sostenibilidad, incluso en el corto plazo. El modelo de uso comunitario y de libre acceso a los palmares ha permitido su conservación en Plato; en Magangué, por el contrario, se hizo apropiación individual de la tierra, tanto legal como ilegal, lo que trajo fraccionamiento de la población, tala y restricción de acceso para la cosecha. En Plato el manejo debe enfocarse en detener la tala y la afectación a los complejos cenagosos donde crece la palma. En Magangué se debe controlar la sobreexplotación y favorecer el reclutamiento de las clases juveniles. 
Surface Analysis for Signs of Corrosion of Fixed Orthodontic Appliances Used In Vivo
Authors: Łępicka M. , Grądzka-Dahlke M.
Published: October 2016

The objective was to evaluate and assess the surface quality of fixed orthodontic appliances after intraoral usage for several months. Nine sets of orthodontic brackets by three different manufacturers and twelve archwires differing in chemical composition were analyzed in a scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer for signs of corrosion. Obtained results showed that the majority of the evaluated appliances displayed no traces of corrosion. Machining or casting defects hardly ever act as the origins of corrosion processes. However, some samples displayed signs of corrosion of a galvanic and pitting nature. The authors claim, that despite the surface defects, most of the appliances were able to retain the desired corrosion resistance, although in some cases these flaws could act as the origin of corrosion processes.
The Impact of Transport on International Trade Development
Authors: Pavlović Duško , Radoš Božica
Published: October 2016

International trade implies transport of specific quantity of goods to (frequently) large distances, the success of which depends on the safety and speed of delivery. These are greatly conditioned by the quality of means of transport and infrastructure. This is why international trade development is affected by transport, and the development of means of transport and infrastructure is, to a great extent, influenced by demand for international delivery of various commodities. This paper looks at the interdependence of international trade and transport, showing how transport played a very significant role in international trade development in the past as it does today, commensurate to the role of international trade in the development of carriers and transport infrastructure.
Entrepreneurs and New Communication Technology: Obstacle or Challenge?
Authors: Gujić Martina , Kraljević Radojka , Milun Toni
Published: October 2016

Entrepreneurship represents a certain way of thinking and type of behaviour; it’s a continuous search for new ideas, creativity, proactivity and initiative in achieving goals. A successful promotion of an entrepreneurial idea is achieved through marketing communication with consumers. The purpose of this empirical research was to discover the extent in which entrepreneurs use social networks as a new form of communicating with consumers. A total of 172 companies have given information through a specifically designed questionnaire. Research has shown a difference in the extent of using social networks between domestic and foreign owned companies. Moreover, companies with more educated staff have proven to be more open towards accepting information technology in their business activities. This research hasn’t shown significant statistical differences between different age groups.
Economical Optimization of the Mechanized Longwall Faces with Top Coal Caving Mining, In Horizontal Slices
Authors: Onica Ilie , Mihăilescu Viorel , Andrioni Felicia
Published: October 2016

To increase the economic and technical performances of the Jiu Valley hard coal mines, the top coal caving, in horizontal slices, mining methods (Bourbaki methods) were introduced, adapted to the local geo-mining conditions. This mining was successfully experimented by using classical technology, using the individual supports and coal blasting. In the future, it is planned to adopt the mechanized technology, with frame supports and shearers. The mechanized longwall faces with top coal caving mining, in horizontal slices, of coal seam no. 3 could be efficient only if the sizes of the top coal height and the panel length determine a minimum cost of production. Therefore, the goal of this paper is the optimization of these parameters, from a technical and economic point of view, taking into account the general model of the cost function, at the panel level. For that, it was necessary to make a certain sequence of analysis involving: technological unit establishment, purpose function and optimizing model. Thus, there attaining to the mathematical model of the unit cost, after determination of all the individual calculation articles, regarding the preparatory workings, coal face equipments, materials, energy, workforce, etc. Because of the complexity of the obtained technical and economic model, to determine the optimum sizes of the panel length and top coal height, it was necessary to archive a sensitivity analysis of the unit cost function to the main parameters implied into this mathematical model.
Use of Constraints in the Hierarchical Aggregation Procedure Intramax
Authors: Drobne Samo , Lakner Mitja
Published: October 2016

Background:Intramax is a hierarchical aggregation procedure for dealing with the multi-level specification problem and with the association issue of data set reduction, but it was used as a functional regionalization procedure many times in the past.

Objectives:In this paper, we analyse the simultaneous use of three different constraints in the original Intramax procedure, i.e. the contiguity constraint, the higher-inner-flows constraint, and the lower-variation-of-inner-flows constraint.

Methods/Approach:The inclusion of constraints in the Intramax procedure was analysed by a programme code developed in Mathematica 10.3 by the processing time, by intra-regional shares of total flows, by self-containment indexes, by numbers of singleton and isolated regions, by the number of aggregation steps where a combination of constraints was applied, by the number of searching steps until the combination of constraints was satisfied, and by surveying the results geographically.

Results:The use of the contiguity constraint is important only at the beginning of the aggregation procedure; the higher-inner-flows constraint gives singleton regions, and the lower-variation constraint forces the biggest employment centre as an isolated region up to a relatively high level of aggregation.

Conclusions:The original Intramax procedure (without the inclusion of any constraint) gives the most balanced and operative hierarchical sets of functional regions without any singletons or isolated regions.
Pseudoproduction, Pseudocost and Profit Functions in Monopoly from the Dual Perspective
Authors: Vrankić Ilko , Krpan Mira
Published: October 2016

Background: Duality in the microeconomic theory enables us to represent consumers’ preferences and production technology with various dual functions satisfying certain regularity conditions.

Objectives: Since the basis for the application of duality in the microeconomic theory is the price taking behaviour, this paper takes the challenge of applying principles of duality to a monopolistic case where a single producer has an influence on the price which it charges for its product.

Methods/Approach: The standard approach of deriving the profit function for the monopolist from the production function and the defined pseudoproduction function is accompanied by an alternative approach in which the starting point is the pseudocost function. Starting from the derived profit function, the pseudoproduction function and the pseudocost functions are recovered and a version of Hotelling’s lemma is given.

Results: The structure of the profit maximization problem in a monopolistic case was made similar to the structure of the profit maximization problem in the perfectly competitive case and it is shown that all starting functions can be recovered back from derived functions. A version of Hotelling’s lemma is illustrated, which brings us indirectly from the profit function to the supply function.

Conclusions: By introducing the pseudoproduction function in the profit maximization model of a monopolist, the structure of the problem becomes similar to the perfectly competitive case and duality results can be applied. The profit function is derived from the pseudoproduction and the pseudocost function, and all starting functions are recovered back from the derived profit function.
Application of the Nonparametric DEA Meta-frontier Approach with Undesirable Outputs in the Case of EU Regions
Authors: Hančlová Jana , Melecký Lukáš
Published: October 2016

Background: The paper focusses on the efficiency evaluation of the EU-28 NUTS 2 regions production process according to the concept of the Regional Competitiveness Index 2013.

Objectives: Production units are divided into four groups using the factors of regional competitiveness. Production technology also enables reduction of the undesirable outputs (a negative impact on health and long-term unemployment). Based on the analysis of distance of the production units from the efficiency frontiers, a directional output distance function assuming a constant return to scale is used. This approach thus respects the heterogeneity among the groups of regions.

Methods/Approach: The nonparametric meta-frontier Data Envelopment Analysis approach was used in two steps. Firstly, the efficiency evaluation within each group of regions is provided and in the second step the meta-frontier is set down. For the measurement of the gap between the group-frontier and the meta-frontier, the technology gap ratios are provided. The paper also analyses environmental inefficiencies.

Results: The obtained results indicate that a significant improvement of meta-technology ratio holds within the European context.

Conclusions: The combination of empirical findings, with respect to technology gaps and environmental technology gaps, supports the evidence that traditional differences of technological frontiers formation are more significant in comparison to group frontiers constitution.
Point-of-care testing INR: an overview
Authors: Barcellona Doris , Fenu Lara , Marongiu Francesco
Published: October 2016

Oral anticoagulant therapies with the anti-vitamin K drugs (AVK), warfarin, acenocoumarol and phenprocoumon, are employed in primary and secondary anti-thrombotic prophylaxis in patients with venous thromboembolism, atrial fibrillation and cardiac mechanical valves. However, a monitoring test such as the International Normalized Ratio (INR) is required. The periodic monitoring of this therapy entails discomfort for the patients. Telemedicine and telecare can provide significant aid in the management of this therapy allowing patients to perform the test at home or anywhere else with a portable device, i.e. point-of-care testing (POCT), and to send the result to a thrombosis (TC) via web. Patients can receive dose adjustment sent back by the TC. The effectiveness of this type of management is equal or superior to the traditional AVK monitoring in terms of hemorrhagic and thrombotic events. Analysis of the costs with a horizon of 10 years reveals that both self-testing and self-management are cost-effective. The aim of this overview is to describe the pros and cons of the use of POCT as an alternative in the monitoring of AVK. In particular, description of the POCT, decentralization, quality of the therapy, safety and costs will be examined.
Criteria for selection of working fluid in low-temperature ORC
Authors: Mikielewicz Dariusz , Mikielewicz Jarosław
Published: October 2016

The economics of an ORC system is strictly linked to thermodynamic properties of the working fluid. A bad choice of working fluid could lead to a less efficient and expensive plant/generation unit. Some selection criteria have been put forward by various authors, incorporating thermodynamic properties, provided in literature but these do not have a general character. In the paper a simple analysis has been carried out which resulted in development of thermodynamic criteria for selection of an appropriate working fluid for subcritical and supercritical cycles. The postulated criteria are expressed in terms of non-dimensional numbers, which are characteristic for different fluids. The efficiency of the cycle is in a close relation to these numbers. The criteria are suitable for initial fluid selection. Such criteria should be used with other ones related to environmental impact, economy, system size, etc. Examples of such criteria have been also presented which may be helpful in rating of heat exchangers, which takes into account both heat transfer and flow resistance of the working fluid.
The Role of Small Towns in a Potential Ecoregion through the Example of Fertő/Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape
Authors: Sallay Ágnes , Mikházi Zsuzsanna , Mátá Klaudia , Fóris Edina Dancsokné , Kovács Krisztina Filepné , Valánszki István , Kollányi László
Published: October 2016

Fertő/Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape, as a transboundary World Heritage Site of Hungary and Austria, possesses unique cultural and natural values. The examined areas can be characterised as meeting places of different cultures. We examined the role of small towns in Fertő/Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape, which play an important role in regional development. In the last 25 years, different levels of cooperation started among the Hungarian and Austrian settlements aiming at nature and cultural heritage protection and tourism development. We formulated suggestions to maintain and strengthen the existing co-operation and relations.
Global Longitudinal Strain and Strain Rate in Type Two Diabetes Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: Relevance to Osteoprotegerin
Authors: Kruzliak Peter , Berezin Alexander , Kremzer Alexander , Samura Tatyana , Benacka Roman , Mozos Ioana , Egom Emmanuel , Rodrigo Luis
Published: October 2016

Background:Biomechanical stress and inflammatory biomarkers relate to global contractility dysfunction; however, adding these biomarkers into a risk model constructed on clinical data does not improve its prediction value in chronic heart failure (CHF).

Aim:The aim of this study was to evaluate whether biomarkers predict declining of left ventricular global contractility function in diabetic patients with ischemia-induced CHF.

Patients and Methods:The study retrospectively evolved 54 diabetic patients who had systolic or diastolic ischemia-induced CHF that was defined as left-ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤45% or 46-55% respectively assessed by quantitative echocardiography and other conventional criteria according to current clinical guidelines. Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging were performed according to a conventional method. Radial, longitudinal, and circumferential strain and strain rate values were obtained by speckle-tracking Imaging analysis of both LV short axis and long axis views. Serum adiponectin, NT-pro brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), osteoprotegerin, and hs- C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined at baseline by ELISA.

Results:We found lower global longitudinal strain and strain rate in diabetic patients with LVEF <45% than these in diabetic patients that did not have LVEF (Р=0.001 for all cases). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that NT-proBNP (r=0.432; P=0.001 and r=0.402; P=0.001, respectively), osteoprotegerin (r=0.422; P=0.001 and r=0.401; P=0.001, respectively), hs-CRP (r=0.408; P=0.001 and r=0.404; P=0.001, respectively) were independently inversely associated with global longitudinal strain and strain rate in CHF patients.

Conclusion:We suggest that osteoprotegerin may be useful in improving the NT-proBNP based model as predictor of decreased global contractility function in diabetic patients with CHF.
First Case of TNF-Receptor-Associated Autoinflammatory Syndrome (TRAPS) in Bulgaria
Authors: Solakov Panayot T.
Published: October 2016

TRAPS is a very rare disease with an estimated prevalence of about one per million.

We present a 53-year-old patient from Bulgaria.

The clinical features of the disease are periodic fever, arthralgia, myalgia, rash, abdominal pain and hepatosplenomegaly. Laboratory studies yield leukocytosis, highly elevated levels of CRP, significantly high ESR. Secondary amyloidosis AA is determined.

The genetic analysis found a heterozygous T>C nucleotide substance (c.250T>C) in exon 3 of TNFRSF1A gene which is associated with ТRAPS (MIM*191190).

The presented case of genetic changes and clinical manifestations in the autoinflammatory syndrome TRAPS due to a mutation in the gene encoding the receptor for tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFRSF1A) is the first documented case of the disease reported in Bulgaria.
Monitoring of Frequency and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Pathogens on the Hands of Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Hospital
Authors: Tselebonis Athanasios , Nena Evangelia , Nikolaidis Christos , Konstantinidis Theocharis , Kontogiorgis Christos , Panopoulou Maria , Constantinidis Theodore C.
Published: October 2016

Objective: To monitor microbes, focusing on drug resistance, on the hands of the personnel of four departments of a tertiary hospital (ICU, neonatal unit, internal medicine ward and surgical ward) and explore differences between departments, professions and genders.

Materials and methods: Hand sampling from 125 healthcare employees was conducted followed by isolation, identification and antibiotic resistance profiling of different microbial species.

Results: Staphylococcus spp was the most prevalent microbe (76/125, 60.8%), followed by different Gram-negative pathogens (45.6%). ICU employees had a significant probability to have Gram-negative contamination [OR 3.627 (95% CI 1.220-10.782)], independently of gender or profession. Staphylococcus spp presence was associated with working in the internal medicine ward [OR 6.976 (95% CI 1.767-25.540)] and the surgical ward [OR 5.795 (95% CI 1.586-21.178)]. Staphylococcus spp was more prevalent in males vs. females (81.3% vs. 54.9%, p=0.008) and in medical vs. nursing personnel (76.9% vs. 54.8, p=0.019).

In the majority of Gram-negative isolates (56.1%), at least one multi-drug resistant (MDR) or extensively drug resistant (XDR) strain was isolated. A statistically significant higher prevalence of XDR Gram-negative microbes was found on the hands of nursing personnel (22.2% vs. 2.3% for medical doctors, p=0.014). Only 2 methicillin resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) out of the 12 Staphylococcus aureus positive samples were identified.

Conclusions: Employees in the ICU are more prone to Gram-negative and not to Gram-positive hand contamination. MDR and XDR pathogens are prevalent, and are associated with nursing profession.
Residential preferences in the context of voluntary simple lifestyles: What motivates contemporary Czech simplifiers to reside in the countryside?
Authors: Kala Lukáš , Galčanová Lucie , Pelikán Vojtěch
Published: October 2016

The aim of our paper is to broaden the international discussion on environmentally friendly lifestyles. In most of the previous research, via a survey technique involving the self-nomination of participants, voluntary simplifiers are presented as part of a social movement typically connected with an urban environment. Our paper follows the third wave of longitudinal research conducted in the post-socialist Czech Republic in the years 1992, 2002 and 2015. The data were collected using in-depth interviews combined with observations in 20 voluntary modest households. The biographical style of interview enables us to interpret the sources of the participants’ motivation for relocating to the countryside or staying in the urban environment as they interpret it retrospectively. Four dominant narratives emerged: 1) narrative of distaste for city life, 2) narrative of a nice life, 3) narrative about living in freedom, 4) narrative of a return to roots.
Twenty Statements on Text, Literature, and History
Authors: Fritzsche Peter
Published: October 2016

My contribution is an attempt to put forward the thesis that there is an elective affinity between historical narrative, periodization, and the sense of loss. Modern history frequently functions in a way that produces melancholy in its recognition of loss and its acknowledgement of discontinuity. For this reason, historical narrative fits well with the idea of the nation state, which is an entity which must be constantly shored up and extended across local boundaries to encompass strangers in an anonymous pact of intimacy. Historical narratives of the nation seize the evidence of untimely death (or its threat) in order to make the case for the nation, but they often do so in a melancholic register. Thus I attempt to bring into a provisional conceptual union »history«, »narrative «, and »melancholy«.
Die Größere Hoffnung und die Dynamik des Imaginären. Aichingers Roman in französischer Sprache
Authors: Agnese Barbara
Published: October 2016

Ilse Aichinger’s early reception in France was very sparse although a French translation of Die größere Hoffnung by Marielore Rouveyre was published as early as 1956 by Gallimard. A new French translation by Uta Müller and Denis Denjean was published by Verdier as recently as 2007 in a series dedicated to Austrian and German literature. This translation tries to stay closer to the original and contains an epilogue by Jean-Yves Masson, a specialist for Austrian and comparative literature. In the same year Verdier published a translation of Aichinger’s collected short-stories. These translations may be signs of a relaunch of Aichinger’s reception in France.
Die italienischen Übersetzungen von Ilse Aichingers Roman Die größere Hoffnung
Authors: Oswald Stephan
Published: October 2016

Aichinger’s novel The greater hope was translated into Italian twice, the first time in 1963 and in a new version in 1999. The result, especially in the case of the most recent translation, is disappointing. It is absolutely insufficient, full of inaccuracies as well as mistakes and omissions, indeed to the extent that an Italian reader has difficulty gaining an adequate understanding of the original. Rather than compiling a boring list made out of all the pertinent criticism that could be made, these versions are used here as a basis for a discussion of a variety of typical translation issues such as the rendition of specific stylistic phenomena like alienation or playing with the reader’s expectations, difficulty in translating fact and elements uniquely belonging to a foreign culture, puns, etc.