bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hubbub and satire
Authors: Brady Andrea
Published: January 2016

The hubbub is an onomatopoetic term for the Irish war cry, which was also used to describe the sounds of non‐European peoples, English workers and religious nonconformists. This essay traces the history of the hubbub to explore the relation between nonsense and power. It focuses on Barnabe Rich's satirical 1617 pamphlet, The Irish Hubbub, which takes hubbub as a sign of Irish emotional intemperance, the indecorous mixture of affects, and the publicizing of domestic or private grievances, all of which are both faults and useful to the work of satire. If hubbub, like keening, showed the Irish to be bestial and uncivilized, the satire – regarded as the invention of wild, godlike creatures, half‐human and half‐beast – was also a regressive genre, which overturned the civilizing myth of poetry and threatened to turn the satirist into a figure as cruel as those satirized.
When writers gossip: authorial reputation in the literary polemics of the French 1620s*
Authors: Bombart Mathilde
Published: January 2016

This study analyses the formation and dissemination of rumours (personal insults, slander, and ad hominem attacks) in the literary and religious polemics of 1620s France involving François Garasse, Théophile de Viau, and Guez de Balzac. Even though slander is constantly condemned as a threat to society, many writers use it, and accuse others of using it, as a powerful means to discredit an enemy. My principal focus is the medium chosen for the expression of gossip, for while polemical works featuring such gossip base their legitimacy on an oral source, written texts are used to formulate and spread the rumour. This initial analysis leads to a study of how authors restage rumours in their pamphlets while simultaneously disguising the ways in which, behind the scenes, they make use of common political or religious networks. I conclude by showing that the circulation of slander and gossip is based on long‐established relationships between writers, on their similar social experiences, and shared acquaintances. The wide circulation of gossip facilitated by the overlapping of the social milieu and the world of print shows how important it is not to neglect this aspect of literary history.
A Rabelaisian Scotsman in King Cromwell's Court: Sir Thomas Urquhart, the Hartlib circle and the nonsense of a rational language
Authors: McDowell Nicholas
Published: January 2016

The proposals for an artificial, rational language of Thomas Urquhart, laird of Cromarty, are usually seen as an eccentric, peripheral contribution to the debates about language planning of the mid seventeenth century. Yet, as this article shows, Urquhart seems to have composed his language proposals in The Jewel (1652) in direct response to the efforts of Samuel Hartlib and his intellectual network of associates to advance learning at the moment of political and religious reform in the early 1650s, and to have been taken seriously by them. As a prisoner of the Commonwealth after his capture at the Battle of Worcester, Urquhart had urgent personal reasons for impressing those with influence in the new regime. Yet Urquhart was working at the same time on his famously exuberant translation of the first two books of Gargantua and Pantagruel (1653). Urquhart's fascination with the utopian dream of linguistic transparency was undercut by his immersion in Rabelaisian episodes in which the inherent ambivalence and excessiveness of language are repeatedly the stuff of nonsense and satire; it was also shadowed by his own personal and political situation as a royalist prisoner of war in a republican Britain.
Policy Change, Policy Feedback, and Interest Mobilization: The Politics of Nuclear Waste Management
Authors: Nowlin Matthew C.
Published: January 2016

Many of the leading theories of the policy process are aimed at providing insights into the factors that make policy change more (or less) likely. In general, policy change is seen as a result of shifting dynamics within policy subsystems. However, building on theories of policy feedback and interest mobilization, this article examines whether policy change, apart from being an effect of subsystem dynamics, can be a cause of shifting dynamics as latent actors are motivated to participate in the subsystem as a result of policy change. Two hypotheses regarding post‐policy change mobilization are developed and tested using data on participation in congressional hearings concerning the management of nuclear waste. The findings suggest that policy change can activate latent policy actors, specifically those actors that view themselves as “losing” as a result of the policy change. These results point to the need for scholars to examine the potential impacts of post‐policy change dynamics on policy development.
The Outsourcing of Research and Development in Global Markets: Evidence from France
Authors: Jabbour Liza , Zuniga Pluvia
Published: January 2016

The pace of technological change, the increasing need for multidisciplinary competences and the rising costs of innovation have contributed to the global expansion of technological activities, including the international outsourcing of research and development (R&D). This paper shows that firms involved in international outsourcing of R&D are of a particular kind: they are highly outward oriented, more productive and R&D intensive. Furthermore, firms with patents are more intensely involved in this activity. Our results also suggest that the outsourcing of R&D in global markets by French firms is motivated by technology sourcing rather than cost‐saving interests.
Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in Australian dogs
Authors: Shapiro A. J. , Norris J. M. , Heller J. , Brown G. , Malik R. , Bosward K. L.
Published: January 2016

The role of dogs in the transmission of Coxiella burnetii to humans is uncertain, and extensive seroprevalence studies of dogs have not been previously conducted in Australia. This study determined C. burnetii exposure in four diverse canine subpopulations by adapting, verifying and comparing an indirect immunofluoresence assay (IFA) and an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) used to detect anti‐C. burnetii antibodies in humans. Canine serum samples (n = 1223) were tested with IFA from four subpopulations [breeding establishments; household pets; free‐roaming dogs in Aboriginal communities; shelter dogs]. The proportions of seropositive dogs were as follows: breeding (7/309, 2.3%), household pets (10/328, 3%), Aboriginal communities (21/321, 6.5%) and shelters (5/265, 1.9%). Dogs from Aboriginal communities were 2.8 times (CI 1.5–5.1; P < 0.001) more likely to be seropositive than dogs from other populations. The ELISA was used on 86 of 1223 sera tested with IFA, and a Cohen's Kappa coefficient of 0.60 (CI 0.43–0.78) indicated good agreement between the two assays. This study has established that Australian dogs within all four subpopulations have been exposed to C. burnetii and that a higher seroprevalence was observed amongst free‐roaming dogs associated with Aboriginal communities. As C. burnetii recrudesces during pregnancy and birth products contain the highest concentration of organism, individuals assisting at the time of parturition, those handling pups shortly after birth as well as those residing in the vicinity of whelping dogs are potentially at risk of developing Q fever. However, the identification of active antigen shed in excreta from seropositive dogs is required in order to accurately define and quantify the public health risk.
In situ measurements of the oblique incidence sound absorption coefficient for finite sized absorbers
Authors: Ottink Marco , Brunskog Jonas , Jeong Cheol-Ho , Fernandez-Grande Efren , Trojgaard Per , Tiana-Roig Elisabet
Published: January 2016

Absorption coefficients are mostly measured in reverberation rooms or with impedance tubes. Since these methods are only suitable for measuring the random incidence and the normal incidence absorption coefficient, there exists an increasing need for absorption coefficient measurement of finite absorbers at oblique incidence in situ. Due to the edge diffraction effect, oblique incidence methods considering an infinite sample fail to measure the absorption coefficient at large incidence angles of finite samples. This paper aims for the development of a measurement method that accounts for the finiteness of the absorber. A sound field model, which accounts for scattering from the finite absorber edges, assuming plane wave incidence is derived. A significant influence of the finiteness on the radiation impedance and the corresponding absorption coefficient is found. A finite surface method, which combines microphone array measurements over a finite sample with the sound field model in an inverse manner, is proposed. Besides, a temporal subtraction method, a microphone array method, impedance tube measurements, and an equivalent fluid model are used for validation. The finite surface method gives promising agreement with theory, especially at near grazing incidence. Thus, the finite surface method is proposed for further measurements at large incidence angles.
Atmospheric noise of a breaking tidal bore
Authors: Chanson Hubert
Published: January 2016

A tidal bore is a surge of waters propagating upstream in an estuary as the tidal flow turns to rising and the flood tide propagates into a funnel-shaped system. Large tidal bores have a marked breaking roller. The sounds generated by breaking tidal bores were herein investigated in the field (Qiantang River) and in laboratory. The sound pressure record showed two dominant periods, with some similarity with an earlier study [Chanson (2009). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125(6), 3561–3568]. The two distinct phases were the incoming tidal bore when the sound amplitude increased with the approaching bore, and the passage of the tidal bore in front of the microphone when loud and powerful noises were heard. The dominant frequency ranged from 57 to 131 Hz in the Qiantang River bore. A comparison between laboratory and prototype tidal bores illustrated both common features and differences. The low pitch sound of the breaking bore had a dominant frequency close to the collective oscillations of bubble clouds, which could be modeled with a bubble cloud model using a transverse dimension of the bore roller. The findings suggest that this model might be over simplistic in the case of a powerful breaking bore, like that of the Qiantang River.
Optimized
In Vitro
Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing Method for Small-Colony Variant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Precit Mimi R. , Wolter Daniel J. , Griffith Adam , Emerson Julia , Burns Jane L. , Hoffman Lucas R.
Published: January 2016

Staphylococcus aureus
small-colony variants (SCVs) emerge frequently during chronic infections and are often associated with worse disease outcomes. There are no standardized methods for SCV antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) due to poor growth and reversion to normal-colony (NC) phenotypes on standard media. We sought to identify reproducible methods for AST of
S. aureus
SCVs and to determine whether SCV susceptibilities can be predicted on the basis of treatment history, SCV biochemical type (auxotrophy), or the susceptibilities of isogenic NC coisolates. We tested the growth and stability of SCV isolates on 11 agar media, selecting for AST 2 media that yielded optimal SCV growth and the lowest rates of reversion to NC phenotypes. We then performed disk diffusion AST on 86
S. aureus
SCVs and 28 isogenic NCs and Etest for a subset of 26 SCVs and 24 isogenic NCs. Growth and reversion were optimal on brain heart infusion agar and Mueller-Hinton agar supplemented with compounds for which most clinical SCVs are auxotrophic: hemin, menadione, and thymidine. SCVs were typically nonsusceptible to either trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or aminoglycosides, in accordance with the auxotrophy type. In contrast, SCVs were variably nonsusceptible to fluoroquinolones, macrolides, lincosamides, fusidic acid, and rifampin;
mecA
-positive SCVs were invariably resistant to cefoxitin. All isolates (both SCVs and NCs) were susceptible to quinupristin-dalfopristin, vancomycin, minocycline, linezolid, chloramphenicol, and tigecycline. Analysis of SCV auxotrophy type, isogenic NC antibiograms, and antibiotic treatment history had limited utility in predicting SCV susceptibilities. With clinical correlation, this AST method and these results may prove useful in directing treatment for SCV infections.
Ultrafiltration and Microarray for Detection of Microbial Source Tracking Marker and Pathogen Genes in Riverine and Marine Systems
Authors: Li Xiang , Harwood Valerie J. , Nayak Bina , Weidhaas Jennifer L.
Published: January 2016

Pathogen identification and microbial source tracking (MST) to identify sources of fecal pollution improve evaluation of water quality. They contribute to improved assessment of human health risks and remediation of pollution sources. An MST microarray was used to simultaneously detect genes for multiple pathogens and indicators of fecal pollution in freshwater, marine water, sewage-contaminated freshwater and marine water, and treated wastewater. Dead-end ultrafiltration (DEUF) was used to concentrate organisms from water samples, yielding a recovery efficiency of >95% for
Escherichia coli
and human polyomavirus. Whole-genome amplification (WGA) increased gene copies from ultrafiltered samples and increased the sensitivity of the microarray. Viruses (adenovirus, bocavirus, hepatitis A virus, and human polyomaviruses) were detected in sewage-contaminated samples. Pathogens such as
Legionella pneumophila
,
Shigella flexneri
, and
Campylobacter fetus
were detected along with genes conferring resistance to aminoglycosides, beta-lactams, and tetracycline. Nonmetric dimensional analysis of MST marker genes grouped sewage-spiked freshwater and marine samples with sewage and apart from other fecal sources. The sensitivity (percent true positives) of the microarray probes for gene targets anticipated in sewage was 51 to 57% and was lower than the specificity (percent true negatives; 79 to 81%). A linear relationship between gene copies determined by quantitative PCR and microarray fluorescence was found, indicating the semiquantitative nature of the MST microarray. These results indicate that ultrafiltration coupled with WGA provides sufficient nucleic acids for detection of viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and antibiotic resistance genes by the microarray in applications ranging from beach monitoring to risk assessment.
Enantioselective Synthesis of Vicinal (
R
,
R
)-Diols by Saccharomyces cerevisiae Butanediol Dehydrogenase
Authors: Calam Eduard , González-Roca Eva , Fernández M. Rosario , Dequin Sylvie , Parés Xavier , Virgili Albert , Biosca Josep A.
Published: January 2016

Butanediol dehydrogenase (Bdh1p) from
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
belongs to the superfamily of the medium-chain dehydrogenases and reductases and converts reversibly
R
-acetoin and
S
-acetoin to (2
R
,3
R
)-2,3-butanediol and
meso
-2,3-butanediol, respectively. It is specific for NAD(H) as a coenzyme, and it is the main enzyme involved in the last metabolic step leading to (2
R
,3
R
)-2,3-butanediol in yeast. In this study, we have used the activity of Bdh1p in different forms—purified enzyme, yeast extracts, permeabilized yeast cells, and as a fusion protein (with yeast formate dehydrogenase, Fdh1p)—to transform several vicinal diketones to the corresponding diols. We have also developed a new variant of the
delitto perfetto
methodology to place
BDH1
under the control of the
GAL1
promoter, resulting in a yeast strain that overexpresses butanediol dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase activities in the presence of galactose and regenerates NADH in the presence of formate. While the use of purified Bdh1p allows the synthesis of enantiopure (2
R
,3
R
)-2,3-butanediol, (2
R
,3
R
)-2,3-pentanediol, (2
R
,3
R
)-2,3-hexanediol, and (3
R
,4
R
)-3,4-hexanediol, the use of the engineered strain (as an extract or as permeabilized cells) yields mixtures of the diols. The production of pure diol stereoisomers has also been achieved by means of a chimeric fusion protein combining Fdh1p and Bdh1p. Finally, we have determined the selectivity of Bdh1p toward the oxidation/reduction of the hydroxyl/ketone groups from (2
R
,3
R
)-2,3-pentanediol/2,3-pentanedione and (2
R
,3
R
)-2,3-hexanediol/2,3-hexanedione. In conclusion, Bdh1p is an enzyme with biotechnological interest that can be used to synthesize chiral building blocks. A scheme of the favored pathway with the corresponding intermediates is proposed for the Bdh1p reaction.
Genomic Comparison of Two O111:H
−
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Isolates from a Historic Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome Outbreak in Australia
Authors: McAllister Lauren J. , Bent Stephen J. , Petty Nicola K. , Skippington Elizabeth , Beatson Scott A. , Paton James C. , Paton Adrienne W.
Published: January 2016

Enterohemorrhagic
Escherichia coli
(EHEC) is an important cause of diarrhea and hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) worldwide. Australia's worst outbreak of HUS occurred in Adelaide in 1995 and was one of the first major HUS outbreaks attributed to a non-O157 Shiga-toxigenic
E. coli
(STEC) strain. Molecular analyses conducted at the time suggested that the outbreak was caused by an O111:H
−
clone, with strains from later in the outbreak harboring an extra copy of the genes encoding the potent Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2). Two decades later, we have used next-generation sequencing to compare two isolates from early and late in this important outbreak. We analyzed genetic content, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and prophage insertion sites; for the latter, we demonstrate how paired-end sequence data can be leveraged to identify such insertion sites. The two strains are genetically identical except for six SNP differences and the presence of not one but two additional Stx2-converting prophages in the later isolate. Isolates from later in the outbreak were associated with higher levels of morbidity, suggesting that the presence of the additional Stx2-converting prophages is significant in terms of the virulence of this clone.
Therapeutic Role of Interleukin 22 in Experimental Intra-abdominal Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection in Mice
Authors: Zheng Mingquan , Horne William , McAleer Jeremy P. , Pociask Derek , Eddens Taylor , Good Misty , Gao Bin , Kolls Jay K.
Published: January 2016

Interleukin 22 (IL-22) is an IL-10-related cytokine produced by T helper 17 (Th17) cells and other immune cells that signals via IL-22 receptor alpha 1 (IL-22Ra1), which is expressed on epithelial tissues, as well as hepatocytes. IL-22 has been shown to have hepatoprotective effects that are mediated by signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling. However, it is unclear whether IL-22 can directly regulate antimicrobial programs in the liver. To test this hypothesis, hepatocyte-specific IL-22Ra1 knockout (
Il22Ra1
Hep−/−
) and Stat3 knockout (
Stat3

Hep
−/−

) mice were generated and subjected to intra-abdominal infection with
Klebsiella pneumoniae
, which results in liver injury and necrosis. We found that overexpression of IL-22 or therapeutic administration of recombinant IL-22 (rIL-22), given 2 h postinfection, significantly reduced the bacterial burden in both the liver and spleen. The antimicrobial activity of rIL-22 required hepatic
Il22Ra1
and
Stat3
. Serum from rIL-22-treated mice showed potent bacteriostatic activity against
K. pneumoniae
, which was dependent on lipocalin 2 (LCN2). However,
in vivo
, rIL-22-induced antimicrobial activity was only partially reduced in LCN2-deficient mice. We found that rIL-22 also induced serum amyloid A2 (SAA2) and that SAA2 had anti-
K. pneumoniae
bactericidal activity
in vitro
. These results demonstrate that IL-22, through IL-22Ra1 and STAT3 singling, can induce intrinsic antimicrobial activity in the liver, which is due in part to LCN2 and SAA2. Therefore, IL-22 may be a useful adjunct in treating hepatic and intra-abdominal infections.
Processing of Nonconjugative Resistance Plasmids by Conjugation Nicking Enzyme of Staphylococci
Authors: Pollet Rebecca M. , Ingle James D. , Hymes Jeff P. , Eakes Thomas C. , Eto Karina Yui , Kwong Stephen M. , Ramsay Joshua P. , Firth Neville , Redinbo Matthew R.
Published: January 2016

Antimicrobial resistance in
Staphylococcus aureus
presents an increasing threat to human health. This resistance is often encoded on mobile plasmids, such as pSK41; however, the mechanism of transfer of these plasmids is not well understood. In this study, we first examine key protein-DNA interactions formed by the relaxase enzyme, NES, which initiates and terminates the transfer of the multidrug resistance plasmid pSK41. Two loops on the NES protein, hairpin loops 1 and 2, form extensive contacts with the DNA hairpin formed at the
oriT
region of pSK41, and here we establish that these contacts are essential for proper DNA cleavage and religation by the full 665-residue NES protein
in vitro
. Second, pSK156 and pCA347 are nonconjugative
Staphylococcus aureus
plasmids that contain sequences similar to the
oriT
region of pSK41 but differ in the sequence predicted to form a DNA hairpin. We show that pSK41-encoded NES is able to bind, cleave, and religate the
oriT
sequences of these nonconjugative plasmids
in vitro
. Although pSK41 could mobilize a coresident plasmid harboring its cognate
oriT
, it was unable to mobilize plasmids containing the pSK156 and pCA347 variant
oriT
mimics, suggesting that an accessory protein like that previously shown to confer specificity in the pWBG749 system may also be involved in transmission of plasmids containing a pSK41-like
oriT
. These data indicate that the conjugative relaxase in
trans
mechanism recently described for the pWBG749 family of plasmids also applies to the pSK41 family of plasmids, further heightening the potential significance of this mechanism in the horizontal transfer of staphylococcal plasmids.

IMPORTANCE
Understanding the mechanism of antimicrobial resistance transfer in bacteria such as
Staphylococcus aureus
is an important step toward potentially slowing the spread of antimicrobial-resistant infections. This work establishes protein-DNA interactions essential for the transfer of the
Staphylococcus aureus
multiresistance plasmid pSK41 by its relaxase, NES. This enzyme also processed variant
oriT
-like sequences found on numerous plasmids previously considered nontransmissible, suggesting that in conjunction with an uncharacterized accessory protein, these plasmids may be transferred horizontally via a relaxase in
trans
mechanism. These findings have important implications for our understanding of staphylococcal resistance plasmid evolution.
Bloom's syndrome in an Indian man in the UK
Authors: Vekaria Rajni , Bhatt Ree'Thee , Saravanan Ponnusamy , de Boer Richard C
Published: January 2016

A 17-year-old Indian man was diagnosed with Bloom's syndrome at the age of 3 years. This is the first reported case of Bloom's in an Indian from the UK and the third case report from the British Isles. Bloom's is typically characterised by short stature, photosensitivity, telangiectatic erythema, learning difficulties, immunodeficiency and malignancy. He was born below the 0.4th centile and failed to gain weight as an infant. He presented in clinic with short stature, prominent facial features and hyperpigmented skin patches, which are all defining characteristics of Bloom's syndrome. Other case reports have documented early neoplasms, photosensitivity and learning difficulties in these patients; however, our patient is different, and currently attends a mainstream college, demonstrating little difficulty in coping with the work. To date, he has not presented with any malignancy or characteristic malar rash.
Genetic predisposition resulting in sinusoidal obstruction syndrome in a patient with resected sigmoid cancer on adjuvant oxaliplatin
Authors: Koo Si Xuan , Chan Sock Hoai , Ngeow Joanne
Published: January 2016

A Chinese man who had undergone a curative high anterior resection for sigmoid cancer was administrated XELOX (capecitabine and oxaliplatin) as postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. He subsequently developed sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) that resolved on discontinuation of XELOX treatment. Genetic evaluation determined that he had theGSTT1-null andGSTM1-null genotype, known to be an independent risk factor for developing oxaliplatin-induced SOS.
Electrocardiographic abnormalities in elite high school athletes: comparison to adolescent hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Thompson Alex J , Cannon Bryan C , Wackel Philip L , Horner Justin M , Ackerman Michael J , O'Leary Patrick W , Eidem Benjamin W , Johnson Jonathan N
Published: January 2016

Background

In athletes, ECG changes from physiological cardiac remodelling are common but can overlap with findings from a pathological disorder. We compared ECG findings in a group of elite high school athletes to a cohort of adolescents with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

Methods/results

We prospectively performed 15-lead ECGs and echocardiograms in 147 elite high school athletes. Student-athlete ECGs were compared in blinded fashion to ECGs of 148 adolescents with HCM of similar age and ethnicity. Standard ECG hypertrophy criteria and established expert opinion guidelines (European Society of Cardiology, ESC and Seattle criteria) were analysed. All student-athletes had normal echocardiograms. Overall, 77/147 (52%) of student-athletes met standard ECG criteria for ventricular hypertrophy compared to 126/148 (85%) adolescents with HCM (p<0.0001). There were 112/148 (76%) adolescents with HCM who had pathological Q-waves, T-wave inversion and/or ST-segment depression compared to 1/147 (1%) athletes (p<0.0001). Most patients with HCM (84%, 124/148) had ≥1 abnormal ECG finding(s) according to Seattle criteria, compared to 1% of student-athletes (2/147). Similarly, 130/148 (88%) patients with HCM met group-2 ESC criteria (abnormal), compared to 36/147 (24%) student-athletes (p<0.0001).

Conclusions

Over 50% of elite high school athletes with echocardiographically confirmed normal hearts satisfied standard voltage criteria for ventricular hypertrophy. Pathological Q-waves, T-wave inversion or ST-segment depression were most helpful in distinguishing adolescents with HCM from normals. Both ESC and Seattle criteria successfully stratified the student-athlete and HCM cohorts, however each had a false-negative rate >10% for the HCM cohort. The Seattle criteria demonstrated a significantly lower false-positive rate (1%) than the ESC criteria (24%).
Understanding pathways to breast cancer diagnosis among women in the Western Cape Province, South Africa: a qualitative study
Authors: Moodley Jennifer , Cairncross Lydia , Naiker Thurandrie , Momberg Mariette
Published: January 2016

Objectives

The aim of this study was to explore and understand women's pathways to breast cancer diagnosis and factors influencing this journey.

Design and setting

Indepth interviews were conducted with clients at a tertiary level breast cancer clinic in Cape Town, South Africa. A thematic analysis was performed underpinned by the theoretical concepts of the Model of Pathways to Treatment framework.

Participants

20 women were interviewed within 1 week of being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Results

The average time between discovery of bodily changes to breast cancer diagnosis was 8.5 months. Deficits in breast self-awareness and knowledge of breast cancer symptoms delayed women's interpretation of bodily changes as being abnormal. All women first noticed breast lumps; however, many did not perceive it as abnormal until additional symptoms were present. General good health, attribution of symptoms to ageing, and past benign breast disease resulted in women being complacent about bodily changes. Disclosure to family members served as a trigger to seek healthcare. The initial type of primary level care services women accessed was influenced by perceptions of care each service provided, finances, structural factors, and personal safety related to the physical location of services.

Conclusions

Symptom appraisal and interpretation contributed significantly to delayed presentation. To improve timely diagnosis of breast cancer, interventions that increase women's confidence in detecting breast changes, improve knowledge of breast cancer symptoms, address myths, and encourage prompt help-seeking behaviour are required.
Patient involvement in decision-making: a cross-sectional study in a Malaysian primary care clinic
Authors: Ambigapathy Ranjini , Chia Yook Chin , Ng Chirk Jenn
Published: January 2016

Objective

Shared decision-making has been advocated as a useful model for patient management. In developing Asian countries such as Malaysia, there is a common belief that patients prefer a passive role in clinical consultation. As such, the objective of this study was to determine Malaysian patients’ role preference in decision-making and the associated factors.

Design

A cross-sectional study.

Setting

Study was conducted at an urban primary care clinic in Malaysia in 2012.

Participants

Patients aged >21 years were chosen using systematic random sampling.

Methods

Consenting patients answered a self-administered questionnaire, which included demographic data and their preferred and actual role before and after consultation. Doctors were asked to determine patients’ role preference. The Control Preference Scale was used to assess patients’ role preference.

Primary outcome

Prevalence of patients’ preferred role in decision-making.

Secondary outcomes

(1) Actual role played by the patient in decision-making. (2) Sociodemographic factors associated with patients’ preferred role in decision-making. (3) Doctors’ perception of patients’ involvement in decision-making.

Results

The response rate was 95.1% (470/494). Shared decision-making was preferred by 51.9% of patients, followed by passive (26.3%) and active (21.8%) roles in decision-making. Higher household income was significantly associated with autonomous role preference (p=0.018). Doctors’ perception did not concur with patients’ preferred role. Among patients whom doctors perceived to prefer a passive role, 73.5% preferred an autonomous role (p=0.900, κ=0.006).

Conclusions

The majority of patients attending the primary care clinic preferred and played an autonomous role in decision-making. Doctors underestimated patients’ preference to play an autonomous role.
Harnessing information from injury narratives in the ‘big data’ era: understanding and applying machine learning for injury surveillance
Authors: Vallmuur Kirsten , Marucci-Wellman Helen R , Taylor Jennifer A , Lehto Mark , Corns Helen L , Smith Gordon S
Published: January 2016

Objective

Vast amounts of injury narratives are collected daily and are available electronically in real time and have great potential for use in injury surveillance and evaluation. Machine learning algorithms have been developed to assist in identifying cases and classifying mechanisms leading to injury in a much timelier manner than is possible when relying on manual coding of narratives. The aim of this paper is to describe the background, growth, value, challenges and future directions of machine learning as applied to injury surveillance.

Methods

This paper reviews key aspects of machine learning using injury narratives, providing a case study to demonstrate an application to an established human-machine learning approach.

Results

The range of applications and utility of narrative text has increased greatly with advancements in computing techniques over time. Practical and feasible methods exist for semiautomatic classification of injury narratives which are accurate, efficient and meaningful. The human-machine learning approach described in the case study achieved high sensitivity and PPV and reduced the need for human coding to less than a third of cases in one large occupational injury database.

Conclusions

The last 20 years have seen a dramatic change in the potential for technological advancements in injury surveillance. Machine learning of ‘big injury narrative data’ opens up many possibilities for expanded sources of data which can provide more comprehensive, ongoing and timely surveillance to inform future injury prevention policy and practice.
Influence of zinc on bacterial populations and their proteolytic enzyme activities in freshwater environments: a cross-site comparison
Authors: Rasmussen Lauren , Olapade Ola A.
Published: January 2016

Temporal responses of indigenous bacterial populations and proteolytic enzyme (i.e., aminopeptidase) activities in the bacterioplankton assemblages from 3 separate freshwater environments were examined after exposure to various zinc (Zn) concentrations under controlled microcosm conditions. Zn concentrations (ranging from 0 to 10 μmol/L) were added to water samples collected from the Kalamazoo River, Rice Creek, and Huron River and examined for bacterial abundance and aminopeptidase activities at various time intervals over a 48 h incubation period in the dark. The results showed that the Zn concentrations did not significantly influence total bacterial counts directly; however, aminopeptidase activities varied significantly to increasing zinc treatments over time. Also, analysis of variance and linear regression analyses revealed significant positive relationships between bacterial numbers and their hydrolytic enzyme activities, suggesting that both probably co-vary with increasing Zn concentrations in aquatic systems. The results from this study serve as additional evidence of the ecological role of Zn as an extracellular peptidase cofactor on the dynamics of bacterial assemblages in aquatic environments.
On the Number of Linear Finite Transducers
Authors: Amorim Ivone , Machiavelo António , Reis Rogério
Published: January 2016

The notion of linear finite transducer (LFT) plays a crucial role in some cryptographic systems. However, as far as we know, no study was ever conducted to count and enumerate these transducers, which is essential to verify if the size of the key space, of the aforementioned systems, is large enough to prevent an exhaustive search attack. In this work we present a way to estimate the number and percentage of injective equivalence classes by introducing a canonical form for LFTs and a procedure to test LFTs equivalence.
Cascading failure in scale-free networks with tunable clustering
Authors: Zhang Xue-Jun , Gu Bo , Guan Xiang-Min , Zhu Yan-Bo , Lv Ren-Li
Published: January 2016

Cascading failure is ubiquitous in many networked infrastructure systems, such as power grids, Internet and air transportation systems. In this paper, we extend the cascading failure model to a scale-free network with tunable clustering and focus on the effect of clustering coefficient on system robustness. It is found that the network robustness undergoes a nonmonotonic transition with the increment of clustering coefficient: both highly and lowly clustered networks are fragile under the intentional attack, and the network with moderate clustering coefficient can better resist the spread of cascading. We then provide an extensive explanation for this constructive phenomenon via the microscopic point of view and quantitative analysis. Our work can be useful to the design and optimization of infrastructure systems.
An Autonomous Clock Gating Technique in Finite State Machines Based on Registers Partitioning
Authors: Nag Abhishek , Pradhan Sambhu Nath
Published: January 2016

Reducing the power dissipation associated with the clock network in a sequential circuit can result in significant dynamic power saving. In this work, an efficient technique of autonomous clock gating (CG) has been proposed for finite state machines (FSMs). The CG logic is based on the idea of dynamically disabling the clock signal to the sequential blocks of the FSM during periods of inactivity. The inactive state is decided by the occurrence of self-loops within the FSM. The proposed gating technique operates at a fine level of granularity and can be generally implemented to any FSMs. A technique of partitioning the registers of the FSM is introduced in this work in order to avoid functional errors and signal losses during gating. The logic of registers partitioning for CG in large FSMs containing few or no self-loops is also presented in this work. The simulation results obtained shows up to 38% (max) dynamic power reduction of the FSM with a little penalty in area. The timing slack associated with the gated and non-gated FSMs is also analyzed for varying clock frequencies. The results indicate a minimal increase in delay after gating. The technique for CG in large FSMs containing few or no self-loops has yield up to 58% (max) power reduction.
Nonlinear Dynamics of a Smooth and Discontinuous Oscillator with Multiple Stability
Authors: Han Yanwei , Cao Qingjie , Ji Jinchen
Published: January 2016

A novel nonlinear oscillator with multiple stabilities is proposed in this paper based on the original SD oscillator [Cao et al., 2006] and the generalized SD oscillator [Han et al., 2012; Cao et al., 2014]. The mathematical model of this system is formulated by using Lagrange equation. Even when all the springs are linear, the system admits strongly irrational nonlinearities due to the geometry configuration. The investigation shows that the nonlinear oscillator exhibits complex equilibrium bifurcations of single-, double-, triple- and quadruple-well properties, and the singular closed orbits of homoclinic, heteroclinic and homo-heteroclinic types as well for both smooth and discontinuous cases. The chaotic behaviors are also presented numerically for the perturbed system under the perturbation of both viscous-damping and external excitation. This oscillator can be extended to a high-order-quasi-zero-stiffness isolator and a nonlinear supporting system for ground vibration test for large-scale structures to achieve the high-static-low-dynamic-stiffness.
Fireflies: New Software for Interactively Exploring Dynamical Systems Using GPU Computing
Authors: Merrison-Hort Robert
Published: January 2016

In nonlinear systems, where explicit analytic solutions usually cannot be found, visualization is a powerful approach which can give insights into the dynamical behavior of models; it is also crucial for teaching this area of mathematics. In this paper, we present new software, Fireflies, which exploits the power of graphical processing unit (GPU) computing to produce spectacular interactive visualizations of arbitrary systems of ordinary differential equations. In contrast to typical phase portraits, Fireflies draws the current position of trajectories (projected onto 2D or 3D space) as single points of light, which move as the system is simulated. Due to the massively parallel nature of GPU hardware, Fireflies is able to simulate millions of trajectories in parallel (even on standard desktop computer hardware), producing “swarms” of particles that move around the screen in real-time according to the equations of the system. Particles that move forwards in time reveal stable attractors (e.g. fixed points and limit cycles), while the option of integrating another group of trajectories backwards in time can reveal unstable objects (repellers). Fireflies allows the user to change the parameters of the system as it is running, in order to see the effect that they have on the dynamics and to observe bifurcations. We demonstrate the capabilities of the software with three examples: a 2D “mean field” model of neuronal activity, the classical Lorenz system, and a 15D model of three interacting biologically realistic neurons.
Can a Pseudo Periodic Orbit Avoid a Catastrophic Transition?
Authors: Ueta Tetsushi , Ito Daisuke , Aihara Kazuyuki
Published: January 2016

We propose a resilient control scheme to avoid catastrophic transitions associated with saddle-node bifurcations of periodic solutions. The conventional feedback control schemes related to controlling chaos can stabilize unstable periodic orbits embedded in strange attractors or suppress bifurcations such as period-doubling and Neimark–Sacker bifurcations whose periodic orbits continue to exist through the bifurcation processes. However, it is impossible to apply these methods directly to a saddle-node bifurcation since the corresponding periodic orbit disappears after such a bifurcation. In this paper, we define a pseudo periodic orbit which can be obtained using transient behavior right after the saddle-node bifurcation, and utilize it as reference data to compose a control input. We consider a pseudo periodic orbit at a saddle-node bifurcation in the Duffing equations as an example, and show its temporary attraction. Then we demonstrate the suppression control of this bifurcation, and show robustness of the control. As a laboratory experiment, a saddle-node bifurcation of limit cycles in the BVP oscillator is explored. A control input generated by a pseudo periodic orbit can restore a stable limit cycle which disappeared after the saddle-node bifurcation.
Exceptional knot homology
Authors: Elliot Ross , Gukov Sergei
Published: January 2016

The goal of this paper is twofold. First, we find a natural home for the double affine Hecke algebras (DAHA) in the physics of BPS states. Second, we introduce new invariants of torus knots and links called hyperpolynomials that address the “problem of negative coefficients” often encountered in DAHA-based approaches to homological invariants of torus knots and links. Furthermore, from the physics of BPS states and the spectra of singularities associated with Landau–Ginzburg potentials, we also describe a rich structure of differentials that act on homological knot invariants for exceptional groups and uniquely determine the latter for torus knots.
Bikei invariants and gauss diagrams for virtual knotted surfaces
Authors: Nelson Sam , Rivera Patricia
Published: January 2016

Marked vertex diagrams provide a combinatorial way to represent knotted surfaces in [Formula: see text]; including virtual crossings allows for a theory of virtual knotted surfaces and virtual cobordisms. Biquandle counting invariants are defined only for marked vertex diagrams representing knotted orientable surfaces; we extend these invariants to all virtual marked vertex diagrams by considering colorings by involutory biquandles, also known as bikei. We introduce a way of representing marked vertex diagrams with Gauss diagrams and use these to characterize orientability.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Sound Wave Propagation in a Gas and Thermo-Acoustic Effects on a Carbon Nanotube
Authors: Ayub Md , Zander Anthony C. , Howard Carl Q. , Huang David M. , Cazzolato Benjamin S.
Published: January 2016

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed to study sound wave propagation in a simple monatomic gas (argon) and the thermo-acoustic effects on a single walled carbon nanotube (CNT). The objective of this study was to understand the acoustic behavior of CNTs in the presence of acoustic waves propagating in gaseous media. A plane sound wave was generated within a rectangular domain by oscillating a solid wall comprising Lennard-Jones (LJ) atoms with the same intermolecular potential as the gas molecules. A CNT was aligned parallel to the direction of the flow at the wall at the opposite end of the domain. Interatomic interactions in the CNT were modeled using the REBO potential. The behavior of the sound wave propagation in argon gas without the CNT was validated by comparison with a previous study. The simulation results show that the thermo-acoustic behavior of CNTs can be simulated accurately using MD and that large-scale MD can be performed in the ultrasonic frequency range. This investigation will contribute to an improved understanding of the acoustic absorption mechanism of these nanoscopic fibers.
An approximation solvability method for nonlocal differential problems in Hilbert spaces
Authors: Benedetti Irene , Van Loi Nguyen , Malaguti Luisa , Obukhovskii Valeri
Published: January 2016

A new approach is developed for the solvability of nonlocal problems in Hilbert spaces associated to nonlinear differential equations. It is based on a joint combination of the degree theory with the approximation solvability method and the bounding functions technique. No compactness or condensivity condition on the nonlinearities is assumed. Some applications of the abstract result to the study of nonlocal problems for integro-differential equations and systems of integro-differential equations are then showed. A generalization of the result by using nonsmooth bounding functions is given.
Néron–Severi group of a general hypersurface
Authors: Di Gennaro Vincenzo , Franco Davide
Published: January 2016

In this paper, we extend the well-known theorem of Lopez concerning the Picard group of the general space projective surface containing a given smooth projective curve, to the intermediate Néron–Severi group of a general hypersurface in any smooth projective variety.
On the mixing properties of piecewise expanding maps under composition with permutations, II: Maps of non-constant orientation
Authors: Byott Nigel P. , Lin Congping , Zhang Yiwei
Published: January 2016

For an integer [Formula: see text], let [Formula: see text] be the partition of the unit interval [Formula: see text] into [Formula: see text] equal subintervals, and let [Formula: see text] be the class of piecewise linear maps on [Formula: see text] with constant slope [Formula: see text] on each element of [Formula: see text]. We investigate the effect on mixing properties when [Formula: see text] is composed with the interval exchange map given by a permutation [Formula: see text] interchanging the [Formula: see text] subintervals of [Formula: see text]. This extends the work in a previous paper [N. P. Byott, M. Holland and Y. Zhang, DCDS 33 (2013) 3365–3390], where we considered only the “stretch-and-fold” map [Formula: see text].
Molecular structure, vibrational spectral assignments (FT-IR and FT-RAMAN), NMR, NBO, HOMO–LUMO and NLO properties of 2-nitroacetophenone based on DFT calculations
Authors: Venkatesh G. , Govindaraju M. , Vennila P. , Kamal C.
Published: January 2016

The FT-IR and FT-Raman analyses of 2-nitro acetophenone (2NAP) have been carried out by density functional theory (DFT) calculations based on B3LYP level with 6-31G*/6-311[Formula: see text]G** basis set. The gauge-independent atomic orbital (GIAO) method has been used to get 1H NMR and [Formula: see text]C NMR chemical shifts. From DFT calculations, various parameters such as atomic charges, HOMO–LUMO energies and Dipole moment have been obtained. The molecular electronic potential (MEP) has also been derived for 2NAP. In order to find the electronic excitation energies, oscillator strength and nature of the respective excited states, the closed-shell singlet calculation has been utilized. MOLVIB program has been employed to calculate total energy distribution (TED) and normal coordinate analysis. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis has also been carried out by DFT calculations with B3LYP/6-311[Formula: see text]G** basis set.