bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adiponectin levels predict prediabetes risk: the Pathobiology of Prediabetes in A Biracial Cohort (POP-ABC) study
Authors: Jiang Yunna , Owei Ibiye , Wan Jim , Ebenibo Sotonte , Dagogo-Jack Samuel
Published: March 2016

Background

Adiponectin levels display ethnic disparities, and are inversely associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, the association of adiponectin with prediabetes risk in diverse populations has not been well-studied. Here, we assessed baseline adiponectin levels in relation to incident prediabetes in a longitudinal biracial cohort.

Research design and methods

The Pathobiology of Prediabetes in A Biracial Cohort study followed non-diabetic offspring of parents with T2DM for the occurrence of prediabetes, defined as impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance. Assessments at enrollment and during follow-up included a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test, anthropometry, biochemistries (including fasting insulin and adiponectin levels), insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the contribution of adiponectin to risk of progression to prediabetes.

Results

Among the 333 study participants (mean (SD) age 44.2 (10.6) year), 151(45.3%) were white and 182 (54.8%) were black. During approximately 5.5 (mean 2.62) years of follow-up, 110 participants (33%) progressed to prediabetes (N=100) or T2DM (N=10), and 223 participants (67%) were non-progressors. The mean cohort adiponectin level was 9.41+5.30 μg/mL (range 3.1–45.8 μg/mL); values were higher in women than men (10.3+5.67 μg/mL vs 7.27+3.41 μg/mL, p<0.0001) and in white than black offspring (10.7+5.44 μg/mL vs 8.34+4.95 μg/mL, p<0.0001). Adiponectin levels correlated inversely with adiposity and glycemia, and positively with insulin sensitivity and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Baseline adiponectin strongly predicted incident prediabetes: the HR for prediabetes per 1 SD (approximately 5 μg/mL) higher baseline adiponectin was 0.48 (95% CI 0.27 to 0.86, p=0.013).

Conclusions

Among healthy white and black adults with parental history of T2DM, adiponectin level is a powerful risk marker of incident prediabetes. Thus, the well-known association of adiponectin with diabetes risk is evident at a much earlier stage in pathogenesis, during transition from normoglycemia to prediabetes.
Expanding access to high-cost medicines through the E2 access program in Thailand: effects on utilisation, health outcomes and cost using an interrupted time-series analysis
Authors: Sruamsiri Rosarin , Wagner Anita K , Ross-Degnan Dennis , Lu Christine Y , Dhippayom Teerapon , Ngorsuraches Surachat , Chaiyakunapruk Nathorn
Published: March 2016

Objective

In 2008, the Thai government introduced the ‘high-cost medicines E2 access program’ as a part of the National List of Essential Medicines to increase patient access to medicines, improve clinical outcomes and make medicines more affordable. Our objective was to examine whether the ‘high-cost medicines E2 access program’ achieved its goals.

Design

Interrupted time-series design study.

Setting

3 tertiary hospitals in different regions of Thailand, January 2006 to December 2012.

Participants

Patients with target acute and chronic disease diagnoses who newly met E2 program criteria for selected study medicines.

Intervention

High-cost medicines E2 access program.

Main outcomes measures

Level and trend changes over time in the proportions of eligible patients who received the indicated E2 medicines and who improved clinically, as well as in costs of treatment.

Results

A total of 2024 patients were included in utilisation analyses and 1375 patients with selected acute diseases contributed to analyses of clinical outcome. After 1 year of the E2 program implementation, the percentage of eligible patients receiving the indicated E2 program medicines increased significantly (relative change 12.7% (95% CI 4.4% to 21.0%), especially among those insured by the government's universal coverage scheme (relative change 19.9% (95% CI 9.5% to 30.5%)). The increase in the proportion of clinically improved patients with acute conditions was not significant (relative change 6.2% (95% CI −1.9% to 15.1%)). Quarterly healthcare costs per patient dropped significantly (relative change −13.5% (95% CI −26.9% to −1.7%)).

Conclusions

In the study hospitals, the E2 access program seems to have facilitated patient access to specialty medicines, may have contributed to improved health outcomes, and decreased treatment costs. Routine monitoring is needed to assess effects of expanding the programme, including effects on quality of care and financial sustainability.
Antiplatelet regimens in the long-term secondary prevention of transient ischaemic attack and ischaemic stroke: an updated network meta-analysis
Authors: Niu Peng-Peng , Guo Zhen-Ni , Jin Hang , Xing Ying-Qi , Yang Yi
Published: March 2016

Objective

To examine the comparative efficacy and safety of different antiplatelet regimens in patients with prior non-cardioembolic ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack.

Design

Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Data sources

As on 31 March 2015, all randomised controlled trials that investigated the effects of antiplatelet agents in the long-term (≥3 months) secondary prevention of non-cardioembolic transient ischaemic attack or ischaemic stroke were searched and identified.

Outcome measures

The primary outcome measure of efficacy was serious vascular events (non-fatal stroke, non-fatal myocardial infarction and vascular death). The outcome measure of safety was any bleeding.

Results

A total of 36 randomised controlled trials (82 144 patients) were included. Network meta-analysis showed that cilostazol was significantly more effective than clopidogrel (OR 0.77, 95% credible interval 0.60–0.98) and low-dose (75–162 mg daily) aspirin (0.69, 0.55–0.86) in the prevention of serious vascular events. Aspirin (50 mg daily) plus dipyridamole (400 mg daily) and clopidogrel reduced the risk of serious vascular events compared with low-dose aspirin; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Furthermore, low-dose aspirin was as effective as higher daily doses. Cilostazol was associated with a significantly lower bleeding risk than most of the other regimens. Moreover, aspirin plus clopidogrel was associated with significantly more haemorrhagic events than other regimens. Direct comparisons showed similar results as the network meta-analysis.

Conclusions

Cilostazol was significantly more effective than aspirin and clopidogrel alone in the long-term prevention of serious vascular events in patients with prior non-cardioembolic ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack. Cilostazol was associated with a significantly lower bleeding risk than low-dose aspirin (75–162 mg daily) and aspirin (50 mg daily) plus dipyridamole (400 mg daily). Low-dose aspirin was as effective as higher daily doses. However, further large, randomised, controlled, head-to-head trials are needed, especially in non-Asian ethnic groups.
Arrival by ambulance in acute heart failure: insights into the mode of presentation from Acute Studies of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF)
Authors: Ezekowitz Justin A , Podder Mohua , Hernandez Adrian F , Armstrong Paul W , Starling Randall C , O'Connor Christopher M , Califf Robert M
Published: March 2016

Objectives

Limited data exist assessing the relationship between ambulance versus self-presentation and outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (AHF).

Setting

Clinical trial sites in North America.

Participants

1068 patients enrolled in the Acute Studies of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF) trial.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The association between ambulance use and dyspnoea improvement, 30-day mortality or HF rehospitalisation and 180-day mortality.

Results

Of the 1068 patients in the substudy, 832 (78%) self-presented (SP) and 236 (22%) patients presented via ambulance. Patients presenting via ambulance were older, more likely to be female, have a higher ejection fraction but similar natriuretic peptide levels as patients who SP. Patients presenting by ambulance (compared with SP) trended towards more dyspnoea improvement at 6 (p=0.09) and 24 h (p=0.10). The co-primary end point (30-day mortality or HF rehospitalisation) was similar between groups (ambulance 12.2% vs SP 11.4%, p=0.74). Patients who presented by ambulance had a higher 30-day and 180-day mortality rate than those who SP (30-day: 4.3% vs 2.2%, p=0.08; 180-day: 15.1% vs 10.3%, p=0.04). After adjustment for baseline characteristics, patients arriving by ambulance (compared with SP) had a 2-fold high risk of 30-day mortality (OR 2.12, 95% CI 0.94 to 4.79), but no relationship to the composite of 30-day mortality/HF rehospitalisation (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.63).

Conclusions

Among patients with AHF, 30-day and 180-day mortality is 1.5–2 times higher for those with presenting via ambulance compared with patients who self-present. Understanding patient-related and system-related factors of ambulance use for patients with AHF is important.

Trial registration number

NCT00475852.
On the Complexity of Concurrent Multiset Rewriting
Authors: Bertier Marin , Perrin Matthieu , Tedeschi Cédric
Published: March 2016

In this paper, we are interested in the runtime complexity of programs based on multiset rewriting. The motivation behind this work is the study of the complexity of chemistry-inspired programming models, which recently regained momentum due to their adequacy to large autonomous systems. In these models, data are most of the time left unstructured in a container, formally, a multiset. The program to be applied to this multiset is specified as a set of conditioned rules rewriting the multiset. At run time, these rewrite operations are applied concurrently, until no rule can be applied anymore (the set of elements they need cannot be found in the multiset anymore).

A limitation of these models stand in their complexity: each computation step may require a complexity in [Formula: see text] where n denotes the number of elements in the multiset, and k is the size of the subset of elements needed to trigger a given rule. By analogy with chemistry, such elements can be called reactants.

In this paper, we explore the possibility of improving the complexity of searching reactants through a static analysis of the rules' condition. In particular, we give a characterisation of this complexity, by analogy to the subgraph isomorphism problem. Given a rule R, we define its rank rk(R) and its calibre C(R), allowing us to exhibit an algorithm with a complexity in [Formula: see text] for searching reactants, while showing that [Formula: see text] and that [Formula: see text] most of the time.
RECURSIVE ALGORITHMS FOR PRICING DISCRETE VARIANCE OPTIONS AND VOLATILITY SWAPS UNDER TIME-CHANGED LÉVY PROCESSES
Authors: ZHENG WENDONG , YUEN CHI HUNG , KWOK YUE KUEN
Published: March 2016

We propose robust numerical algorithms for pricing variance options and volatility swaps on discrete realized variance under general time-changed Lévy processes. Since analytic pricing formulas of these derivatives are not available, some of the earlier pricing methods use the quadratic variation approximation for the discrete realized variance. While this approximation works quite well for long-maturity options on discrete realized variance, numerical accuracy deteriorates for options with low frequency of monitoring or short maturity. To circumvent these shortcomings, we construct numerical algorithms that rely on the computation of the Laplace transform of the discrete realized variance under time-changed Lévy processes. We adopt the randomization of the Laplace transform of the discrete log return with a standard normal random variable and develop a recursive quadrature algorithm to compute the Laplace transform of the discrete realized variance. Our pricing approach is rather computationally efficient when compared with the Monte Carlo simulation and works particularly well for discrete realized variance and volatility derivatives with low frequency of monitoring or short maturity. The pricing behaviors of variance options and volatility swaps under various time-changed Lévy processes are also investigated.
TRAJECTORY-BASED MODELS, ARBITRAGE AND CONTINUITY
Authors: ALVAREZ ALEXANDER , FERRANDO SEBASTIAN E.
Published: March 2016

In a nonprobabilistic setting, we prove general trajectory-based models to have no free lunch with vanishing risk. The main ingredient is a local continuity requirement on the final portfolio value considered as a functional on the trajectory space. This is shown to be a natural assumption by establishing that a large class of practical trading strategies, defined by means of trajectory-based stopping times, give rise to locally continuous functionals. The theory is applied to two specific trajectory models of practical interest. The established results are then used to derive no free lunch results for nonsemimartingale stochastic models.
A New China-U.S. Tango
Authors: Yuqun Shao
Published: March 2016

The China-U.S. relationship is the most important major power relationship in the 21st century. That this relationship can remain strategically stable and embrace further positive development is not only in the interests of themselves, but also of the whole international community. In other words, the relationship has gone far beyond the bilateral level to have increasingly significant implications for the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large. Currently, China and the U.S. are actively engaging each other in framing a new regional order in the Asia-Pacific, dealing with a series of global governance as well as geostrategic issues. During this process, some new challenges in their bilateral relationship are outstanding, including their ever more intense competition for a new world order, difficulty for their deepening cooperation on the new strategic basis of global governance, and their deficient security cooperation in the global arena. Facing these new challenges, both countries need to strive to manage their relationship more prudently and flexibly in order to keep it on the right track.
Thermal conductivity and diffusivity estimations for shallow geothermal systems
Authors: Busby Jon
Published: March 2016

Horizontal closed-loop ground collectors for ground source heat pumps are located within the soil and the top of the underlying superficial deposits. Estimating thermal properties for this zone is difficult as it is heterogeneous and is subject to seasonal water content variations. Soil thermal diffusivity values have been calculated at 56 sites using temperature data from UK Met Office weather stations. The technique utilizes the decrease in amplitude and increase in phase shift with depth of a transmitted heat pulse in the ground, the magnitudes of which are determined by thermal diffusivity. The weather stations are located throughout Great Britain and incorporate different soil types. The apparent thermal diffusivities derived from seasonal temperature cycles spanning several years generate seasonally averaged site-specific estimates that can be considered alongside diffusivity values determined in the laboratory or obtained by point measurements using field needle probes. Associated thermal conductivities have been estimated from the thermal diffusivities from knowledge of soil texture. Median thermal conductivities for the sand, loam and clay soil types have been estimated as 1.56, 1.15 and 1.81 W m
−1
 K
−1
respectively with corresponding thermal diffusivities of 0.9961 × 10
−6
, 0.7173 × 10
−6
and 1.0295 × 10
−6
 m
2
 s
−1
respectively.
A Real-Time Audit Mechanism Based on the Compression Technique
Authors: Li Shing-Han , Yen David C. , Chuang Ying-Ping
Published: March 2016

Log management and log auditing have become increasingly crucial for enterprises in this era of information and technology explosion. The log analysis technique is useful for discovering possible problems in business processes and preventing illegal-intrusion attempts and data-tampering attacks. Because of the complexity of the dynamically changing environment, auditing a tremendous number of data is a challenging issue. We provide a real-time audit mechanism to improve the aforementioned problems in log auditing. This mechanism was developed based on the Lempel-Ziv-Welch (LZW) compression technique to facilitate effective compression and provide reliable auditing log entries. The mechanism can be used to predict unusual activities when compressing the log data according to pre-defined auditing rules. Auditors using real-time and continuous monitoring can perceive instantly the most likely anomalies or exceptions that could cause problems. We also designed a user interface that allows auditors to define the various compression and audit parameters, using real log cases in the experiment to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of this proposed audit mechanism. In summary, this mechanism changes the log access method and improves the efficiency of log analysis. This mechanism greatly simplifies auditing so that auditors must only trace the sources and causes of the problems related to the detected anomalies. This greatly reduces the processing time of analytical audit procedures and the manual checking time, and improves the log audit efficiency.
Dynamic online computerized neuropsychological testing system
Authors: Smith Sean-Ryan
Published: March 2016

As the average overall life expectancy for individuals in the U.S. continues to increase along with the aging baby boomers, so too does the need for accessible healthcare solutions. It is reported that aging is one of the greatest known risk factors for the onset of cognitive impairment (CI), such as Alzheimer's disease. For individuals with more severe forms of CI, the inability to effectively perform mental tasks required for independent daily living can severely limit one's functionality. Traditional solutions for early detection of cognitive decline and impairment can be inaccessible, expensive, and time consuming. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to develop a dynamic online computerized neuropsychological testing system capable of rapidly tracking an individual's cognitive performance throughout the user's daily or weekly schedule in a way that is the least intrusive. By utilizing embedded microsensors within tablet devices, the proposed system will capture ambient and behavioral data pertinent to the real-world contexts and times of testing. Such sensor data has the potential to compliment psychometric results by providing insight into the contextual factors relevant to the user's testing efficacy and performance. In addition, the investigation into the accessibility issues faced by older adults will lead to improved neuropsychological testing interfaces.
Reflections on the first man vs. machine no-limit Texas hold 'em competition
Authors: Ganzfried Sam
Published: March 2016

The first ever human vs. computer no-limit Texas hold 'em competition took place from April 24--May 8, 2015 at River's Casino in Pittsburgh, PA. In this article I present my thoughts on the competition design, agent architecture, and lessons learned.
Algorithms as mechanisms
Authors: Dütting Paul , Kesselheim Thomas , Tardos Éva
Published: March 2016

We show that algorithms that follow the relax-and-round paradigm translate approximation guarantees into Price of Anarchy guarantees, provided that the rounding is oblivious and the relaxation is smooth. We use this meta result to obtain simple, near-optimal mechanisms for a broad range of optimization problems such as combinatorial auctions, the maximum traveling salesman problem, and packing integer programs. In each case the resulting mechanism matches or beats the performance guarantees of known mechanisms.
Hour of code
Authors: Doyle Maureen
Published: March 2016

The "Hour of Code" was held this year during CS Education week, December 7--13, 2015 and over 198 thousand hour of code events were registered at code.org. Below is a sampling of activities that were done by our SIGCSE members.
ITiCSE 2016 preview
Authors: Clear Alison , Cuadros-Vargas Ernesto
Published: March 2016

We are pleased to welcome ITiCSE 2016, the 21st Annual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, to Peru. The program of the conference will consist of keynote lectures, paper sessions, panels, working groups, tips and techniques, courseware demonstrations, posters, and exhibits.
ICER 2016 preview
Authors: Sheard Judy , Dorn Brian , Chinn Donald , Tenenburg Josh
Published: March 2016

You are warmly invited to the twelfth annual ACM International Computing Education Research (ICER) conference which will be held in Melbourne, Australia, 9-11 September 2016. A Doctoral Consortium will be held prior to the conference on 8 September. Melbourne is a vibrant, multicultural city situated on the southern coast of Australia. The city is an interesting mix of old and new, with extensive parklands, shopping arcades and many historic attractions.

ICER provides a forum for presenting and publishing high-quality research in computing education. At ICER 2016 we will continue the traditional ICER single-track format which is designed to encourage authors and audience to engage in lively discussion about each work presented. We offer a range of submission categories that allow for different types of participation, supporting work at different levels ranging from formative work to a completed research study.
Cervical Cancer Stem Cells Selectively Overexpress HPV Oncoprotein E6 that Controls Stemness and Self-Renewal through Upregulation of HES1
Authors: Tyagi Abhishek , Vishnoi Kanchan , Mahata Sutapa , Verma Gaurav , Srivastava Yogesh , Masaldan Shashank , Roy Bal Gangadhar , Bharti Alok C. , Das Bhudev C.
Published: March 2016

Purpose: Perturbation of keratinocyte differentiation by E6/E7 oncoproteins of high-risk human papillomaviruses that drive oncogenic transformation of cells in squamocolumnar junction of the uterine cervix may confer “stem-cell like” characteristics. However, the crosstalk between E6/E7 and stem cell signaling during cervical carcinogenesis is not well understood. We therefore examined the role of viral oncoproteins in stem cell signaling and maintenance of stemness in cervical cancer.

Experimental Design: Isolation and enrichment of cervical cancer stem–like cells (CaCxSLCs) was done from cervical primary tumors and cancer cell lines by novel sequential gating using a set of functional and phenotypic markers (ABCG2, CD49f, CD71, CD133) in defined conditioned media for assessing sphere formation and expression of self-renewal and stemness markers by FACS, confocal microscopy, and qRT-PCR. Differential expression level and DNA-binding activity of Notch1 and its downstream targets in CaCxSLCs as well as silencing of HPVE6/Hes1 by siRNA was evaluated by gel retardation assay, FACS, immunoblotting, and qRT-PCR followed by in silico and in vivo xenograft analysis.

Results: CaCxSLCs showed spheroid-forming ability, expressed self-renewal and stemness markers Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, Lrig1, and CD133, and selectively overexpressed E6 and HES1 transcripts in both cervical primary tumors and cancer cell lines. The enriched CaCxSLCs were highly tumorigenic and did recapitulate primary tumor histology in nude mice. siRNA silencing of HPVE6 or Hes1 abolished sphere formation, downregulated AP-1-STAT3 signaling, and induced redifferentiation.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest the possible mechanism by which HPVE6 potentially regulate and maintain stem-like cancer cells through Hes1. Clin Cancer Res; 22(16); 4170–84. ©2016 AACR.
Counterpoint: Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Targets Are Not Needed in Lipid Treatment Guidelines
Authors: Robinson Jennifer G. , Ray Kausik
Published: March 2016

On the basis of accumulating evidence, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) treat-to-goal approaches no longer seem to be the best way to optimize lipid-modifying therapy to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). The potential for a net ASCVD risk reduction benefit is a more individualized approach to clinical decision making and may better inform patient preferences. However, risk estimation tools will need to be developed to facilitate more personalized CVD risk estimation in statin-treated patients. In the meantime, LDL-C thresholds rather than targets may aid in determining which patients might benefit from additional LDL-C–lowering therapy beyond statins.
Observationally and Genetically High YKL-40 and Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in the General Population
Authors: Kjaergaard Alisa D. , Johansen Julia S. , Bojesen Stig E. , Nordestgaard Børge G.
Published: March 2016

Objective—

High baseline YKL-40 is associated with later development of ischemic stroke, but not with myocardial infarction. Whether high YKL-40 levels are associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolism is presently unknown. We tested the hypothesis that observationally and genetically high YKL-40 is associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolism in the general population.

Approach and Results—

Cohort and Mendelian randomization studies in 96 110 individuals from the Danish general population, with measured plasma levels of YKL-40 (N=21 647) and
CHI3L1
rs4950928 genotype (N=94 579). From 1977 to 2013, 1489 individuals developed pulmonary embolism, 2647 developed deep vein thrombosis, and 3750 developed venous thromboembolism (pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis). For the 91% to 100% versus 0% to 33% YKL-40 percentile category, the multifactorially adjusted hazard ratio was 2.38 (95% confidence interval, 1.25–4.55) for pulmonary embolism, 1.98 (1.09–3.59) for deep vein thrombosis, and 2.13 (1.35–3.35) for venous thromboembolism. Compared with rs4950928 GG homozygosity, presence of C-allele was associated with a doubling (CG) or tripling (CC) in YKL-40 levels, but not with risk of venous thromboembolism. A doubling in YKL-40 was associated with a multifactorially adjusted observational hazard ratio for pulmonary embolism of 1.17 (1.00–1.38) and a genetic odds ratio of 0.97 (0.76–1.23). Corresponding risk estimates were 1.28 (1.12–1.47) observationally and 1.11 (0.91–1.35) genetically for deep vein thrombosis and 1.23 (1.10–1.38) observationally and 1.08 (0.92–1.27) genetically for venous thromboembolism.

Conclusions—

High YKL-40 levels were associated with a 2-fold increased risk of venous thromboembolism, but the association was not causal.
Determining the Number of Ischemic Strokes Potentially Eligible for Endovascular Thrombectomy
Authors: Chia Nicholas H. , Leyden James M. , Newbury Jonathan , Jannes Jim , Kleinig Timothy J.
Published: March 2016

Background and Purpose—

Endovascular thrombectomy (ET) is standard-of-care for ischemic stroke patients with large vessel occlusion, but estimates of potentially eligible patients from population-based studies have not been published. Such data are urgently needed to rationally plan hyperacute services. Retrospective analysis determined the incidence of ET-eligible ischemic strokes in a comprehensive population-based stroke study (Adelaide, Australia 2009–2010).

Methods—

Stroke patients were stratified via a prespecified eligibility algorithm derived from recent ET trials comprising stroke subtype, pathogenesis, severity, premorbid modified Rankin Score, presentation delay, large vessel occlusion, and target mismatch penumbra. Recognizing centers may interpret recent ET trials either loosely or rigidly; 2 eligibility algorithms were applied: restrictive (key criteria modified Rankin Scale score 0–1, presentation delay <3.5 hours, and target mismatch penumbra) and permissive (modified Rankin Scale score 0–3 and presentation delay <5 hours).

Results—

In a population of 148 027 people, 318 strokes occurred in the 1-year study period (crude attack rate 215 [192–240] per 100 000 person-years). The number of ischemic strokes eligible by restrictive criteria was 17/258 (7%; 95% confidence intervals 4%–10%) and by permissive criteria, an additional 16 were identified, total 33/258 (13%; 95% confidence intervals 9%–18%). Two of 17 patients (and 6/33 permissive patients) had thrombolysis contraindications. Using the restrictive algorithm, there were 11 (95% confidence intervals 4–18) potential ET cases per 100 000 person-years or 22 (95% confidence intervals 13–31) using the permissive algorithm.

Conclusions—

In this cohort, ≈7% of ischemic strokes were potentially eligible for ET (13% with permissive criteria). In similar populations, the permissive criteria predict that ≤22 strokes per 100 000 person-years may be eligible for ET.
Post-Hellenistic Philosophy, Neoplatonism, and the Doxastic Turn in Religion: Continuities and Ruptures in Ancient Reflections on Religion
Authors: Lankila Tuomo
Published: March 2016

This article is inspired by Peter Van Nuffelen’s comparison between post-Hellenistic philosophy and Neoplatonism. The article defends the thesis of a fundamental break between ancient religions and new universal religions which became prevalent at the end of late antiquity. This break concerns not only fundamental doctrines but also the principles of how religious communities were constituted. There was a shift from the world of practice-oriented and reciprocally recognizing cults to the world of exclusive theocracies whose mindset emphasizes doctrinal confession. Some seeds of such a “doxastic turn” are to be seen in the post-Hellenistic philosophy and especially in the dogmatic tendencies of Middle Platonism. Thus, there is an observable route from the post-Hellenistic thought towards late ancient universal religions.

Neoplatonism’s role in this historical drama is not that of precursor but, rather, it represents a deviation from the main line.
Socrates’ Debt to Asclepius: Physicians and Philosophers with Asclepian Souls in Late Antiquity
Authors: Slaveva-Griffin Svetla
Published: March 2016

This article examines the development of the aspect of health in late Neoplatonic ontology as originated in Proclus and illustrated in Marinus’Life of Proclusand Damascius’Life of Isidore. In light of the steadily growing Neoplatonic interest in the philosophic value of the body and the widely spreading presence of the new and only Savior, Proclus looks closer at the Demiurge’s cosmological activity in the universe to discern its health-instituting nature based upon which he builds a health register distinguishing between Demiurgic and Asclepian health. The former maintains the orderly balance in the universe; the latter restores the individual’s health. Between the two kinds of health extends a healing ontological “chain” unfolding from the Demiurge through Apollo, Asclepius, and the healing heroes, ending in certain individual souls, which are endowed with special healing powers, i.e., Asclepian souls. Two examples of such souls are Proclus himself, as portrayed in his biography by Marinus, and one Iacobus Psychristus, as documented in Damascius’Life of Isidore. The fact that one is a philosopher and the other is a physician captures the symbiotic relation of philosophy and medicine in late antiquity.
Byzantine Visual Culture: Conditions of “Right” Belief and Some Platonic Outlooks
Authors: Karahan Anne
Published: March 2016

Monumental picture programs of Byzantine churches exist within a spatial and liturgical setting of rituals that depend on circumstances that create a distinction from profane to sacred. The core theme is the epic narrative of the holy drama of the incarnated son, i.e., the image of God (eikon tou theou), acknowledged as indivisibly as much human as divine. In a Byzantine religious sense, images of Christ prove the incarnation, yet human salvation depends on faith in the incarnation but also in the transcendent unknowable God. From the perspective of visual culture, the dilemma is that divine nature is, in a religious sense, transcendent and unknowable, beyond words and categorizations, unintelligible, as opposed to human nature, which is intelligible. This article concerns the strategy of Byzantine visual culture to weave together expressible and inexpressible in order to acknowledge “right belief,” without trespassing the theology and mode of thought of the church fathers on the triune mystery of the Christian God and the incarnation. In a Byzantine religious sense, circumscribed by time and space, the human condition is inconsistent with cognition ofwhat God is. Nonetheless, salvation depends on faith inthat God is, a “fact” acknowledged through holy images. Particular theoretical and methodological focus will be on how the three fourth-century Cappadocian fathers and Dionysius the Areopagite, but also Maximus the Confessor discuss God’s unintelligibility but also intelligibility, with some comparative Platonic outlooks.
Al-Ghazālī on the Origins of Ethics
Authors: Kukkonen Taneli
Published: March 2016

In his famous autobiography,The Deliverer from Error, al-Ghazālī reconstructs the way the science of ethics is supposed to have developed. Al-Ghazālī contends that the philosophical ethics taught by the Arabic Aristotelians necessarily depends upon prior revelations handed to religious aspirants of a vaguely Sufi stamp. Al-Ghazālī’s argument is reminiscent of similar ones made in late antiquity; I maintain, however, that for al-Ghazālī the point bears added systematic significance. Given the central position held by the purification of the soul in al-Ghazālī’s conception of true religion, he can hardly admit that the philosophers should have discovered independently any of the philosophical ethics al-Ghazālī himself espouses. It is the supernatural power of prescribed ritual acts that ultimately allows al-Ghazālī to maintain the superiority of religiously predicated ethics.
Fluidity and flexibility of “belonging”
Authors: Lähdesmäki Tuuli , Saresma Tuija , Hiltunen Kaisa , Jäntti Saara , Sääskilahti Nina , Vallius Antti , Ahvenjärvi Kaisa
Published: March 2016

Studies framing “belonging” as a key focus and a central concept of research have increased significantly in the 2000s. This article explores the dimensions of belonging as a scholarly concept. The investigation is based on a qualitative content analysis of articles published in academic journals covering a large number of different disciplines. The article poses and answers the following research questions: How is belonging understood and used in contemporary research? What added value does the concept bring to scholarly discussions? In the analysis, five topoi of conceptualizing belonging – spatiality, intersectionality, multiplicity, materiality, and non-belonging – were identified. After introducing the topoi, the article explores their cross-cutting dimensions, such as the emphasis on the political, emotional, and affective dimensions of belonging, and discusses key observations made from the data, such as the substantial proportion of research on minorities and “vulnerable” people. The analysis of the data suggests that by choosing to use the concept of belonging, scholars seek to emphasize the fluid, unfixed, and processual nature of diverse social and spatial attachments.
Raman Spectroscopy an Option for the Early Detection of Citrus Huanglongbing
Authors: Pérez Moisés Roberto Vallejo , Mendoza María Guadalupe Galindo , Elías Miguel Ghebre Ramírez , González Francisco Javier , Contreras Hugo Ricardo Navarro , Servín Carlos Contreras
Published: March 2016

This research describes the application of portable field Raman spectroscopy combined with a statistical analysis of the resulting spectra, employing principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), in which we determine that this method provides a high degree of reliability in the early detection of Huanglongbing (HLB) on Sweet Orange, disease caused by the bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. Symptomatic and asymptomatic plant samples of Sweet Orange ( Citrus sinensis), Persian Lime ( C. latifolia), and Mexican Lime ( C. aurantifolia) trees were collected from several municipalities, three at Colima State and three at Jalisco State (HLB presence). In addition, Sweet Orange samples were taken from two other Mexican municipalities, one at San Luis Potosí and the other at Veracruz (HLB absent). All samples were analyzed by real-time PCR to determine its phytosanitary condition, and its spectral signatures were obtained with an ID-Raman mini. Spectral anomalies in orange trees HLB-positive, were identified in bands related to carbohydrates (905 cm−1, 1043 cm−1, 1127 cm−1, 1208 cm−1, 1370 cm−1, 1272 cm−1, 1340 cm−1, and 1260–1280 cm−1), amino acids, proteins (815 cm−1, 830 cm−1, 852 cm−1, 918 cm−1, 926 cm−1, 970 cm−1, 1002 cm−1, 1053 cm−1, and 1446 cm−1), and lipids (1734 cm−1, 1736 cm−1, 1738 cm−1, 1745 cm−1, and 1746 cm−1). Moreover, PCA–LDA showed a sensitivity of 86.9 % (percentage of positives, which are correctly identified), a specificity of 91.4 % (percentage of negatives, which are correctly identified), and a precision of 89.2 % (the proportion of all tests that are correct) in discriminating between orange plants HLB-positive and healthy plants. The Raman spectroscopy technique permitted rapid diagnoses, was low-cost, simple, and practical to administer, and produced immediate results. These are essential features for phytosanitary epidemiological surveillance activities that may conduct a targeted selection of highly suspicious trees to undergo molecular DNA analysis.
Assessment of Transition Element Speciation in Glasses Using a Portable Transmission Ultraviolet–Visible–Near-Infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) Spectrometer
Authors: Hunault Myrtille , Lelong Gérald , Gauthier Michel , Gélébart Frédéric , Ismael Saindou , Galoisy Laurence , Bauchau Fanny , Loisel Claudine , Calas Georges
Published: March 2016

A new low-cost experimental setup based on two compact dispersive optical spectrometers has been developed to measure optical absorption transmission spectra over the 350–2500 nm energy range. We demonstrate how near-infrared (NIR) data are essential to identify the coloring species in addition to ultraviolet visible data. After calibration with reference glasses, the use of an original sample stage that maintains the window panel in the vertical position enables the comparison of ancient and modern glasses embedded in a panel from the Sainte-Chapelle of Paris, without any sampling. The spectral resolution enables to observe fine resonances arising in the absorption bands of Cr3+, and the complementary information obtained in the NIR enables to determine the contribution of Fe2+, a key indicator of glassmaking conditions.
Math Interventions for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: King Seth A. , Lemons Christopher J. , Davidson Kimberly A.
Published: March 2016

Educators need evidence-based practices to assist students with disabilities in meeting increasingly rigorous standards in mathematics. Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasingly expected to demonstrate learning of basic and advanced mathematical concepts. This review identifies math intervention studies involving children and adolescents with ASD and describes participant characteristics, methodological features, interventions, target behaviors, and related outcomes. Included studies met the design standards of the What Works Clearinghouse (2014). Studies focused on functional and computational skills for students with a comorbid diagnosis of intellectual disability (ID). Visual analysis confirmed a functional relation between evaluated interventions and mathematics outcomes in 71% of cases. Interventions generally yielded moderate to large effect sizes. Large confidence intervals were obtained across effects. More high-quality research including students with higher-functioning ASD is required to fully address the needs of this population.
Habitual Boredom and Depression: Some Qualitative Differences
Authors: Bargdill Richard W.
Published: March 2016

This article will compare and contrast the author’s theory of Habitual Boredom with a phenomenological account of Unipolar Depression. The habitually bored show more external ambivalence, passive avoidance, and shame, as well as a tendency toward passive hope and identity confusion. The depressed show more internal ambivalence, willful (but futile) determination, and guilt as well as tendency toward hopelessness and identity objectification. The article also discusses some of the experiential similarities and developmental differences between the two phenomenon as well as some aspects of the defensive structure that initially prevents the bored from becoming depressed.
Modeling the coevolution of international and domestic institutions
Authors: Warren T Camber
Published: March 2016

While much previous research has examined the relationship between interstate military alliances and the structure of domestic regimes, existing findings point in contradictory directions. Some have argued that democracies attract each other as alliance partners, and thereby generate international peace as a consequence of their domestic regime type, while others have argued that the causal relationship is reversed, and that international pacification creates the necessary space for international alliances and domestic democratization. To disentangle this difficult empirical relationship, this article presents an empirically grounded simulation model of the dynamic coevolution of interstate military alliances, international conflict, and domestic democratization, demonstrating a statistical approach which accounts both for the complex interdependencies generated by coevolving multiplex networks of interstate ties and for their reciprocal influence on the coevolution of domestic political regimes, over the period 1920–2000. The results show that international institutions and domestic institutions are mutually constituted, with both ‘selection’ effects and ‘influence’ effects operating simultaneously. In particular, the evidence indicates that states with similar regimes are more prone to ally with each other, mutually democratic dyads are less inclined to engage in militarized disputes, and states that form international alliances with democratic partners are more likely to develop domestic democratic institutions. Tests of out-of-sample predictive accuracy, across multidecade prediction windows, further demonstrate that the coevolutionary model consistently outperforms specifications that ignore coevolutionary effects, in predicting subsequent patterns of military alliances, military conflict, and domestic democratization.
Paving Power
Authors: Grunow Tristan R.
Published: March 2016

This article examines street improvement projects in Tokyo and Seoul as case studies for tracing the active participation of Japanese urban planners in the global flow of urban planning concepts and technologies from the West to Japan, and then from Japan to Asia. Striving to recreate Tokyo as the “greatest capital in East Asia,” Japanese planners in the mid-Meiji Period envisioned improvement projects that, while adapted to meet local needs, exhibited a striking similarity with the primary concerns of contemporary “modern” Western planning ideas. Moreover, Japanese planners acted as transmitters of Western planning as these imported ideas and practices adapted in Tokyo in the 1880s were then exported to Korea along with Japanese imperialism in the early 1900s as planners sought to refashion Seoul as a suitable colonial capital to assert Japanese cultural hegemony. Street improvement projects in both cities provide tangible examples highlighting this technical innovation and conceptual diffusion overseas.
Toward an “Unburnable City”
Authors: Shepherdson-Scott Kari
Published: March 2016

In the late 1930s, during the first years of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), the Japanese government tasked the Home Ministry ( Naimushō) with the promotion of urban civil defense. A critical element in these government media campaigns was the promotion of the “unburnable city” ( moenai toshi), an ideal cityscape that could better withstand the incendiary ravages of aerial bombardment. This article examines the multimedia “unburnable city” campaign in Japan from two perspectives: as part of broader international concerns regarding the effect of aviation technology on modern warfare in the 1930s and as a regional issue that required unique representational strategies to adequately convey the threat of aerial attack not yet experienced in the Japanese homeland. I discuss how memories of the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake and its subsequent fires functioned as a traumatic surrogate to communicate the physical and emotional stakes of civic duty and urban reform to Japanese urbanites mobilizing for “total war.”
Japanese Cities in Global Context
Authors: Hein Carola
Published: March 2016

Japan has been part of a transnational and cross-cultural exchange of planning ideas for many centuries. A comprehensive analysis of exchange between the island nation, its Asian neighbors, and the larger world is still missing, despite the growing interest in the study of transnational and cross-cultural urbanism. The articles in this special section illustrate the multiple ways in which foreign influences have shaped and changed Japanese urban form and in which Japanese practices have influenced the built environment elsewhere. They explore the theoretical, methodological, and practical results of this exchange. Sites discussed are inside Japan, notably Nagasaki and Tokyo, and also in the Japanese colonies (specifically through the lens of Seoul), and also outside Japan, specifically the United States and Europe. This introduction sets up the background and larger context of urban history and planning in Japan, identifies the threads that link the articles, and proposes further directions for research.
The control of the electro-hydraulic shaking table based on dynamic surface adaptive robust control
Authors: Shen Wei , Wang Jun-zheng , Wang Shou-kun
Published: March 2016

The electro-hydraulic shaking table is investigated, in the present paper, to simulate the vibrational working environment of industrial components and equipment. Adaptive robust control can be applied to the shaking table system because electro-hydraulic systems suffer from internal parameter uncertainties and external disturbances. However, the adaptive robust controller design is complicated and has a large computational cost owing to the ‘explosion of terms’ problem. Thus dynamic surface control is applied in the design procedure of adaptive robust controllers to overcome the ‘explosion of terms’ problem. In this work, dynamic surface adaptive robust control is proposed. It simplifies the designed procedure of the controller and decreases its computational cost. Firstly, the structure of a shaking table is formulated and the operation principles of the shaking table, including the hydraulic and control principles, are analysed. A change is made in the mechanical-hydraulic system of the fluid circuit to address the problem of changing the vibration direction. Secondly, a dynamic model of a shaking table is proposed. Based on analysis of this model, the design of a dynamic surface adaptive robust controller for a shaking table is presented so as to improve its performance. Finally, comparative simulations and experiments are carried out. The comparison of performance results with proportional-integral-derivative control verify the correctness of the hydraulic scheme and control principle, as well as the high-performance of the dynamic surface adaptive robust controller. The shaking table achieves a guaranteed dynamical performance and tracking accuracy for the output in the presence of parameter and load uncertainties.