bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DIC-hole drilling method for in-situ residual stress measurement
Authors: Peng Yang , Zhao Jun , Chen Lan-shu , Dong Jun
Published: March 2019

Residual stress measurement carries an important significance in ensuring safety and reliability of steel structures. In order to simplify the measurement procedure and enhance flexibility of the conventional hole drilling method to adopt in in-situ residual stress measurement, digital image correlation (DIC) is applied to measure the displacement field caused by the localized stress relief associated due to hole drilling. It is referred to as DIC-hole drilling method. The residual stress theoretical expressions of the DIC-hole drilling method are discussed. The requirements of drilling device, camera and lens are determined by accounting for the accuracy of the in-situ residual stress measurement. A benchmark experiment by using steel beam specimens is developed to verify the feasibility and reliability of DIC-hole drilling method. Test data are compared with theoretical calculations and FEM results. The comparison indicates the DIC-hole drilling method has enough accuracy for the in-situ residual stress measurement. The displacement field in the regions centred at 2 to 2.5 times drilling hole radius far from the hole is proposed for the accurate residual stress measurement.
Fragility analysis of the self-centering prestressed concrete frame with web friction devices
Authors: Song Lianglong , Shi Xin , Guo Tong , Zhu Pengfei
Published: March 2019

A novel self-centering prestressed concrete (SCPC) beam-column connection with web friction devices has been recently proposed for moment-resisting concrete frames. This paper presents the fragility analysis results of a SC concrete frame and a conventional reinforce concrete (RC) frame at various performance levels. Three performance limit states (i.e., Immediate Occupancy, Life Safety and Collapse Prevention limit states) are defined based on the peak story drift ratio and two other performance limit states (i.e., Re-centering and Repairable limit states) are defined based on the residual story drift ratio. Statistical analyses of the seismic demands reveal that the SC frame reduces the softening and dispersion of the residual story drift behavior. Fragility curves indicate that the SC frame experiences much smaller residual deformations and shows considerable reduction in the median fragility and probability of exceedance for the residual drift-related performance levels, as compared with the conventional RC frame.
Study on elastic deformation calculation method of a composite-metal hybrid assembling stringed truss bridge
Authors: Zeng Zigang , Chen Li , Zhao Dong , Haifeng Mao , Dongdong Zhang , Qilin Zhao
Published: March 2019

A composite-metal hybrid assembling stringed truss bridge which based on pre-tightened tooth connection can make full use of the strength of the FRP fiber in the direction of the fiber, and is of higher bearing capacity than the FRP truss bridges with traditional adhesive or bolt connection. However, whether the calculation method of FRP truss bridge with traditional bondingor bolt connection is suitable for this new type of bridge needs to be researched because of the difference on the structural form and connection mode. In order to obtain the suitable method of this kind of bridge, a new method for calculating live load deformation which consider the influence of end of the steel bar sleeve of rod stiffness was established in this paper; the deformation experiment of truss bridge was carried out. The experiment and calculation results show: compared with the calculation method of the live load deformation of the traditional FRP truss bridge, the calculation method of live load deformation considering the effect of the steel sleeve on the end of the rod is in good agreement with the live load deformation obtained by the experiment; the calculation method of inelastic deflection has also been verified by the experimental results.
Experimental study on heat transfer of concrete at high temperatures under hygrothermal environment
Authors: Tu Min , Deng Jun , Wang Yi
Published: March 2019

Safety of concrete structures could be threatened under fire exposure, especially for structures under hygrothermal environment. Existing studies have shown that concrete contains large amount of moisture could induce spalling failure and the temperature is a critical parameter for the damage. However, until now, the study for heat transfer of concrete with different saturation degree remains limited. In this paper, the temperature increase of concrete specimens with different saturation degree is experimentally studied. Results show that the temperature increase rate could be affected by the moisture content significantly, especially for the cases under higher temperatures. The test results could be significant for our future fire damage simulation of concrete structures under hygrothermal environment.
Stress and Deformation Property of Geomembrane Surface Barrier for High Rock-fill Dam
Authors: Wu Haimin , Zhang Zhen , Shu Yiming
Published: March 2019

Based on the direct shear test results of interface between a composite geomembrane and cushion material, nonlinear elastic, perfectly plastic model was used to describe the interface behaviors. The interface model was incorporated into the Geogrid element of a fast Lagrange analysis of continua in three dimensions (FLAC3D) procedure through a user-defined program in the FISH. Then a geomembrane surfaced rock-fill dam on thick pervious foundation was numerically analyzed using the incorporated model. The numerical results showed that only small tension deformation can be found in the most area of geomembrane on the dam surface. However, large tension deformation of geomembrane appeared close to the anchorage in the peripheral zone of the barrier. The anchorage structure of geomembrane in this area should be carefully designed to avoid tension failure of geomembrane.
Study on stress simulation of concrete floor on transversely isotropic equivalent pile foundation during construction period
Authors: Yuan Min , Qiang Sheng , Hu Minjie , Zhang Yedong , Wang Hongdan
Published: March 2019

In the concrete pouring process of large pumping stations, the pile foundation plays an important role in supporting the upper structures, and also has a certain constraint on the concrete floor. In the numerical simulation calculation of construction period, to simplify the pre-processing, the volume ratio method is sometimes applied to regard the pile and surrounding soil foundation as the equivalent pile foundation, while the anisotropy of pile foundation is ignored, which will result in large calculation error of the horizontal stress of the concrete floor. Aiming at this problem, the anisotropy theory of materials is adopted in this paper to simulate the temperature field and stress field of the concrete floor both on non-equivalent pile foundation and equivalent pile foundation during construction period after compiling corresponding calculation program. The results show that when the ratio α of the horizontal elastic modulus to the vertical elastic modulus of equivalent pile foundation is about 1/20, the calculation result of the transversely isotropic equivalent pile foundation is approximately equal to the calculation result of the non-equivalent pile foundation (exact solution). It may provide some reference to similar engineering numerical simulation.
Vision-based Deformation Measurement for Pile-soil Testing
Authors: Zhou Kun , Chen Linhua , Yu Shanshan
Published: March 2019

Image measurement technology has been widely used in monitoring the deformation of the soil field around the pile with its advantages of no damage, no contact, full-field measurement, no added quality and high sensitivity. But there are few researches on image-based bearing deformation measurement of the pile. Through an indoor pile-soil semi-model test, the rigid body displacement and load-bearing deformation of a new type of prefabricated steel tube pile foundation under horizontal load was measured based on image features. In this study, the concept of optical extensometer is first applied to the measurement of local average strain of a non-uniform deformed structure. Based on an improved feature point tracking algorithm SURF-BRISK, non-contact measurement of tiny strain of pile body is realized. In addition, based on DIC technology, this study also obtained the progressive development of displacement field of soil around pile. The above work fully reflects the non-contact convenience and full-field richness of the optical measurement method compared with the traditional measurement method.
Experimental Research on Fuel Oil Corrosion Resistance of Asphalt Mixtures
Authors: Qiang LI , Zhuoyu Zhang , Ke LI
Published: March 2019

Asphalt mixtures were immersed in the fuel oil to study the oil corrosion resistance. The mechanical performance of asphalt mixtures in the oil was evaluated by the observation, mass loss measurement, Marshall stability test and splitting strength test. Effects of immersion time, binder types, and anti-oil corrosion additive content were analyzed. It is found that there is the evident stripping after immersing the mixture in the oil. The stability test and strength significantly decrease. Using the anti-oil corrosion additive can effectively improve the mechanical performance of asphalt mixtures in the oil. It still can satisfy the criteria after immersing for 7 days. Finally, the optimum anti-oil corrosion additive content of 0.4% is recommended.
Patient Blood Management: präoperative Anämie und Fälle aus der Anämieambulanz
Authors: Westphal Sabine , Isik Sabine , Choorapoikayil Suma , Füllenbach Christoph , Zacharowski Kai , Meybohm Patrick
Published: March 2019

Die präoperative Anämie ist ein unabhängiger Risikofaktor für eine erhöhte Morbidität und Mortalität. Sie ist einer der stärksten Prädiktoren für die Gabe von Erythrozytenkonzentraten. Das Patient Blood Management hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, eine präoperative Anämie möglichst früh zu diagnostizieren und zu therapieren, um den Patienten zu optimieren und den Bedarf an vermeidbaren Blutprodukten zu reduzieren.
Vitamin B12 in Schwangerschaft und
Stillzeit
Authors: Halbach Bettina
Published: March 2019

Berichten Schwangere und Stillende über ungewöhnlich großen Appetit auf sauren
Hering oder auf ein großes Stück Käse, könnte ihr Körper einen Bedarf an Vitamin
B12 signalisieren. Was bei der Ernährungsberatung zu beachten
ist, zeigt dieser Beitrag – auch bei vegetarischer/veganer Lebensweise.
Athletic Training and Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Coelho Sara , Silva Filipe , Silva Joana , António Natália
Published: March 2019

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an inherited cardiomyopathy characterized by ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death in the young and in competitive athletes. The deleterious role of exercise in the natural history of ARVC is clear. Even in the absence of a demonstrated arrhythmogenic substrate, family history or mutations of ARVC, intense physical exercise may in some individuals lead to the development of right ventricular dysfunction and arrhythmogenicity. This led to question the benignity of some adaptive features of the athlete's heart. In fact, there is an overlap between typical aspects of the athlete's heart and pathological changes described in ARVC, being challenging to distinguish the two conditions. The aim of this review is to highlight the aspects that help to distinguish between athlete's heart and ARVC, to review the major findings on exams helping in the differential diagnosis and to determine the implications on eligibility for leisure and competitive sports.
„Bei Dir pieptʼs wohl!“
Authors: Keuthage Winfried , Lettmann Melanie
Published: March 2019

Noch vor einigen Jahren konnte keiner ahnen, wie rasant die Technik in der
Diabetesbehandlung fortschreiten wird. Die mindestens 4-malige blutige Messung
bei Menschen mit intensivierter Insulintherapie oder Insulinpumpentherapie war
obligat, und ohne diese regelmäßige Kontrolle war es nicht möglich, eine
zufriedenstellende Stoffwechsellage zu erreichen.
Lebensstil und Gewichtszunahme in der
Schwangerschaft
Authors: Günther Julia , Hoffmann Julia , Spies Monika , Hauner Hans
Published: March 2019

Experten sind sich einig, dass ein gesunder pränataler Lebensstil besonders
wichtig ist, um gesundheitliche Risiken für Mutter und Kind zu minimieren.
Welche Bedeutung dabei die Gewichtszunahme in der Schwangerschaft hat, inwiefern
sich diese auf das Risiko für Komplikationen wie Schwangerschaftsdiabetes
auswirkt und wie schwangere Frauen ausreichend informiert und unterstützt werden
können, ist Thema dieses Beitrags.
Vigilanzstörung nach ambulanter Narkose bei einer HNO-Operation
Authors: Hachenberg Thomas , Wohlers Christine , Schroeder Heinz-Georg , Schaffartzik Walter
Published: March 2019

Schlichtungsstellen für Arzthaftpflichtfragen bieten Patienten, Ärzten und Versicherern eine Möglichkeit, Arzthaftungsstreitigkeiten außergerichtlich zu klären. In der Rubrik „Fälle der Schlichtungsstelle“ stellen wir abgeschlossene Fälle aus der Schlichtungsstelle für Arzthaftpflichtfragen der norddeutschen Ärztekammern vor.
Psychische Komorbidität bei der juvenilen idiopathischen Arthritis
Authors: Sengler Claudia , Niewerth Martina , Holl Reinhard W. , Kilian Reinhold , Meissner Thomas , Staab Doris , Warschburger Petra , Baumeister Harald , Minden Kirsten
Published: March 2019

Psychische Erkrankungen wie Depression und Angst beginnen häufig im Jugend- und jungen Erwachsenenalter. Heranwachsende mit einer chronischen rheumatischen Erkrankung haben hierfür ein besonderes Risiko. In Untersuchungen zur psychischen Gesundheit gaben in der Regel über 10 % der Jugendlichen mit juveniler idiopathischer Arthritis (JIA) depressive Symptome an. Die frühzeitige Erkennung von psychischen Belastungen ist notwendig, um Betroffenen rechtzeitig adäquate Unterstützung anbieten zu können. Geschieht das nicht, werden Möglichkeiten, die Langzeitprognose und Lebensqualität der Betroffenen zu verbessern, verpasst. Psychische Störungen werden in der klinischen Praxis oft nur am Rande berücksichtigt. Wie groß das Problem unter den bundesweit kinder- und jugendrheumatologisch betreuten Patienten mit JIA ist, wird in diesem Jahr im Rahmen des interdisziplinären Forschungsverbundes COACH untersucht.
Die implizite Selbstregulation am Beispiel des Essverhaltens: Konsequenzen für die Psychotherapie
Authors: Paslakis Georgios , de Zwaan Martina
Published: March 2019

Explizite Prozesse der Selbstregulation sind mit Introspektion und Einsicht verbunden und werden deswegen häufig als mühevoll erlebt, während implizite Prozesse der Steuerung des Selbst automatisiert, schnell und mühelos ablaufen. Allerdings ist Selbstregulation nicht stets entweder explizit oder implizit; alle Varianten zwischen völlig automatisiert bis hin zu völlig kontrolliert sind vorhanden. Implizite Prozesse sind im Vergleich zu expliziten Prozessen enger mit verkörperten, affektnahen -im Gegensatz zu kognitiven, verbalisierbaren- Erfahrungen verbunden, sodass es denkbar ist, dass zur Ermittlung impliziten Erlebens Methoden zum Einsatz kommen, die den Körper miteinbeziehen bzw. den Körper in einen Zustand überführen, in dem die Wahrnehmung impliziten Geschehens ermöglicht werden kann. Zudem besteht in der Psychotherapie die Notwendigkeit für die Implementierung von neurobiologisch begründeten Methoden, die auf einer impliziten, prä-verbalen Ebene ansetzen. Einige Paradigmen dazu, u. a. der sogenannte approach-avoidance task (AAT) zur Erfassung impliziter Handlungsregulation sind bereits in Erprobung. Derartige Paradigmen werden hier am Beispiel der Regulation des Essverhaltens vorgestellt. Bei der vorliegenden Arbeit handelt es sich um eine narrative (qualitative) Übersicht, die das Ziel verfolgt, über Entwicklungen auf dem Gebiet der Forschung zu impliziten Bias und die Entwicklung von neuartigen, noch experimentell eingesetzten Instrumenten im Rahmen künftiger psychotherapeutischer Behandlungen zu informieren. Zu diesem Zweck wurde eine Auswahl von relevanten Studien nach subjektiven Kriterien der Autoren getroffen. Es handelt sich somit nicht um eine lückenlose Darstellung der Studienlage zu impliziten Bias im Sinne eines systematischen Reviews.
Aspekte der Ernährung rund um die Schwangerschaft bei
Adipositas
Authors: Weschenfelder Friederike , Groten Tanja
Published: March 2019

Weltweit steigt die Anzahl an übergewichtigen und adipösen Erwachsenen und
Kindern. Laut WHO hat sich die Prävalenz der Adipositas zwischen 1975 und 2008
weltweit nahezu verdreifacht. In Deutschland waren im Jahr 2016 ca. 23 % der
Menschen adipös und knapp 60 % übergewichtig, davon ein Großteil im
reproduktiven Alter. Laut der deutschen Perinatalerhebung waren 2017 ca. 37 %
der Gebärenden adipös oder übergewichtig 1.
Embryo Culture Conditions and the Epigenome
Authors: Mani Sneha , Mainigi Monica
Published: March 2019

Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) lead to an increased risk for pregnancy complications, congenital abnormalities, and specific imprinting disorders. Epigenetic dysfunction is thought to be one common mechanism which may be affecting these outcomes. The timing of multiple ART interventions overlaps with developmental time periods that are particularly vulnerable to epigenetic change. In vitro embryo culture is known to impact blastocyst development, in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rates, as well as neonatal outcomes. Embryo culture, in contrast to other procedures involved in ART, is obligatory, and has the highest potential for causing alterations in epigenetic reprograming. In this review, we summarize progress that has been made in exploring the effects of embryo culture, culture media, and oxygen tension on epigenetic regulation in the developing embryo. In humans, it is difficult to isolate the role of embryo culture on epigenetic perturbations. Therefore, additional well-controlled animal studies isolating individual exposures are necessary to minimize the epigenetic effects of modifiable factors utilized during ART. Findings from these studies will likely not only improve IVF success rates but also reduce the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes.
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease: The History of the Barker Hypothesis and Assisted Reproductive Technology
Authors: DeCherney Alan , Hill Micah , Carpinello Olivia
Published: March 2019

Since Barker's publication of “The fetal and infant origins of adult disease” in 1990, significant emphasis has been placed on the intrauterine environment and its effect on adult disease. Historical events such as the Dutch Famine and the 1918 Flu Pandemic have provided organic data about the epigenetic changes that can result from famine, infection, and stress. Mechanisms that allow for intrauterine survival may predispose to adult disease states when the fetus enters a world of abundance. As the field of in vitro fertilization (IVF) has developed and evolved, little attention has been paid to subtle yet significant differences in IVF offspring. Offspring of assisted reproductive technology (ART) have been reported to have higher rates of preterm birth, abnormal fetal size, and birth defects. It is clear that epigenetic modifications may begin as early as pre-pregnancy. These differences are likely not attributable to one factor in the IVF process. Each variable likely plays a subtle role in the epigenetic manipulation of the embryo. Thus, moving forward, physicians should practice with heightened determination to follow the long-term outcomes of the offspring of ART in an effort to further modify and perfect the field.
Transitioning from Infertility-Based (ART 1.0) to Elective (ART 2.0) Use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies and the DOHaD Hypothesis: Do We Need to Change Consenting?
Authors: Adeleye Amanda , Rinaudo Paolo
Published: March 2019

The use of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) has increased significantly in recent years. While this is partially due to improved access for infertile patients, another contribution to the growth of ART utilization is represented by individuals without infertility, who electively chose to freeze their gametes and embryos for future use, before ever attempting conception spontaneously. Overall, the safety of ART for parents and children is well described and the risks are modest. However, while long-term health consequences for offspring as postulated by the Developmental Origin of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis are unknown, numerous animal studies suggest a predisposition for chronic diseases like hypertension and glucose intolerance. In this article, we argue that a key difference exists between infertile patients, who need to use ART as the only means to achieve pregnancy, and (likely) fertile patients who elect to use ART techniques as a family planning option. We believe that these two sets of patients are different and their risks–benefit ratios are different. We propose that while all patients should be aware of the risks, patients planning to utilize ART techniques without a diagnosis of infertility should be encouraged to think critically about the additional risks, particularly the “potential” long-term risks that may be imposed from these elective procedures.
Dealing with magnetization effects in EV positioning systems based on periodic magnetic signals
Authors: Martinovic Dean
Published: March 2019

This paper presents the general solution to the accuracy problems in magnetic field based positioning systems needed for inductive charging of electric vehicles. These systems process a periodic magnetic signal emitted by the charging coil for its localization. The amplitude is highly distorted by the ferromagnetic vehicle according to an unknown transformation f. Thus, this paper discusses how f is affected by the magnetization process in the material. It is shown that f is proportional to the incremental permeability μΔ which depends on the non-deterministic operating point on the material’s hysteresis curve. However, in this research the same problem is described for the first time from the perspective of Hopkinson’s law, showing that the hysteresis curve is extremely flattened. As a consequence μ△ has in all possible operating points the same value, meaning that f is reproducible, measurable and depends only on the distance d to the coil. Further, it is deduced that f(d) is a strictly monotonously decreasing function, which enables unambiguous coil detection. Finally, the non-monotonous structure of f close to the coil is discussed, and why it is negligible for positioning.
Avoiding the zero-coercivity anomaly in first order reversal curves: FORC+
Authors: Visscher P. B.
Published: March 2019

In conventional FORC (First Order Reversal Curve) analysis of a magnetic system, reversible and low-coercivity irreversible materials are treated as being qualitatively different: the FORC distribution shows low-coercivity materials but completely hides reversible (zero-coercivity) ones. This distinction is artificial – as the coercivity approaches zero, the physical properties of an irreversible material change smoothly into those of a reversible material. We have developed a method (called FORC+, implemented in free software at http://MagVis.org) for displaying the reversible properties of a system (a reversible switching-field distribution, R-SFD) together with the irreversible ones (the usual FORC distribution), so that there is no sudden discontinuity in the display when the coercivity becomes zero. We will define a “FORC+ dataset” to include the usual FORC distribution, the R-SFD, the saturation magnetization, and what we will call the “lost hysteron distribution” (LHD) such that no information is lost – the original FORC curves can be exactly recovered from the FORC+ dataset. We also give an example of the application of FORC+ to real data – it uses a novel complementary-color display that minimizes the need for smoothing. In systems which switch suddenly (thus having sharp structures in the FORC distribution) direct display of un-smoothed raw data allows visualization of sharp structures that would be washed out in a conventional smoothed FORC display.
Quantitative analysis of unconsciousness in extremely low frequency-inducing flickering light sensation
Authors: Nakagawa Hidenori , Ueno Shoogo
Published: March 2019

A flickering light sensation induced by the extremely low frequency stimulus to retina is known as the one and only phenomenon that the human body can vividly perceive with a biological effect with the use of very weak magnetic fields. Because the flicker sensation can be made visible by direct stimulus to retina, deliberations for details in the retinal receptivity of the sensation are of great importance. In this paper, we examined the several flows of retinal capacities with the extremely low frequency-inducing flicker, employing a functional brain-imaging technique as well as an original human reliability test equipped with spot-detections at irregular intervals. In the results of our functional brain-imaging analyses, the occipital hemodynamics corresponding to the spot-detections were enhanced noticeably when compared with a control experiment. On the other hand, the error rates in the correct spot-detections at the threshold for the flicker perception were significantly poorer in most of eight subjects. The error rates at 80% of the threshold were decreased in no more than five among the subjects; of particular note is, the rates at 70% of the threshold were maintained in two of them. Our experimental results support the fact that extremely low frequency stimuli can reveal definite subliminal effects – – human error, unconsciousness, synaptic plasticity, etc. – – to the human visual perceptions.
Kinetics and mechanism of abiotic decomposition of malodorous dimethyl disulfide under dark, oxic conditions
Authors: Buchshtav Tamir , Amrani Alon , Kamyshny Jr Alexey
Published: March 2019

Environmental contextDimethyl disulfide, a malodorous product of decomposing organic matter, can severely compromise the quality of drinking water. We studied the abiotic decomposition of dimethyl disulfide in aqueous solutions under dark, oxygenated conditions and found that the half-life varied from thousands to hundreds of thousands of years. The results indicate that in natural aquatic systems the decomposition of dimethyl disulfide is governed by other chemical, photochemical and microbial processes. AbstractThe presence of malodorous dimethyl polysulfides (DMPSs) has been documented in limnic systems as well as in tap water distribution systems. These compounds compromise the quality of drinking water. In this work, we studied kinetics and mechanisms of the decomposition reactions of the most abundant and stable DMPS, dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), in aqueous solutions in the presence of oxygen and absence of light. It was found that DMDS reacts with a hydroxyl ion and its decomposition leads to the formation of methyl mercaptan and other products. The decomposition reaction is of the first order with respect to both the concentration of DMDS and the activity of the hydroxyl ion, with an activation energy of 90±8kJmol−1. The half-life of DMDS under abiotic, dark, oxic conditions was observed to vary from thousands to hundreds of thousands of years depending on the pH and temperature. These results indicate that DMDS is decomposed by other chemical, photochemical and microbially-mediated pathways.
“A beautiful woman sitting in the dark”
Authors: Delgado Luchner Carmen
Published: March 2019

This ethnographic study of the Master’s in Conference Interpreting at the University of Nairobi aims to link interpreter training to the linguistic make-up of Kenyan society and the constraints of public higher education in Africa. It is the first comprehensive study of interpreter training in Kenya, and shows the limits of replicating pedagogical approaches that have been tried and tested in Europe in a different environment. Based on the findings, I recommend a widening of the scope of training to include conference, court and community interpreting. It is argued that this would improve the sustainability and relevance of interpreter training in Africa.
ESL learners’ intra-speaker variability in producing American English tense and lax vowels
Authors: Smith Bruce L. , Johnson Eric , Hayes-Harb Rachel
Published: March 2019

Nonnative (L2) English learners are often assumed to exhibit greater speech production variability than native
(L1) speakers; however, support for this assumption is primarily limited to secondary observations rather than having been the
specific focus of empirical investigations. The present study examined intra-speaker variability associated with L2 English
learners’ tense and lax vowel productions to determine whether they showed comparable or greater intra-speaker variability than
native English speakers. First and second formants of three tense/lax vowel pairs were measured, and Coefficient of Variation was
calculated for 10 native speakers of American English and 30 nonnative speakers. The L2 speakers’ vowel formants were found to be
native-like approximately half of the time. Whether their formants were native-like or not, however, they seldom showed greater
intra-speaker variability than the L1 speakers.
ASR-based dictation practice for second language pronunciation improvement
Authors: McCrocklin Shannon
Published: March 2019

In pronunciation learning, there is a need for resources and tools that help students monitor their speech or provide feedback on errors. While researchers have seen ASR-based technologies as potential tools, little attention has been paid to dictation programs, which have been criticized for low levels of recognition, but offer advantages such as accessibility and flexibility. This study examines two groups of learners in a pronunciation workshop: CONV, which had fully face-to-face instruction, and HYBRID, which had half of the instruction face-to-face and half using the computer, practicing production using a dictation program, Windows Speech Recognition. Results show that both groups improved from pre- to post-test and that there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. Results indicate that dictation programs may be useful as a complement to face-to-face pronunciation teaching, especially if in-class time for pronunciation teaching is limited.
Correction timing
Authors: Saeli Hooman
Published: March 2019

The current study set out to investigate the effects of oral corrective feedback (OCF) and examine the impact of correction timing on lexical stress and sentence intonation accuracy in a Persian context. The data was collected from a sample of upper-intermediate EFL students (N = 61). Immediate teacher-explicit OCF, delayed teacher-explicit OCF, and a control group were randomly assigned to three classes. A list of 50 new words, contextualized in 50 statements/questions, were utilized to measure any possible gains. Analysis of post-test results confirmed that the teacher immediate OCF (n = 20) and teacher delayed OCF (n = 20) classes outperformed the control group (n = 21). Post-hoc analysis revealed that the treatment groups were not significantly different in lexical stress accuracy gains. In contrast, the immediate group had significantly higher gains than the delayed one in sentence intonation accuracy.
Mediated receptive multilingualism
Authors: Branets Anna , Bahtina Daria , Verschik Anna
Published: March 2019

This article introduces and defines the concept of mediated receptive multilingualism as a mode
of multilingual communication which eases understanding between typologically distant languages through the medium of a language
closely related to the target. In an experimental setting, Estonians without previous exposure to Ukrainian were quite successful
in understanding Ukrainian texts via their knowledge of Russian. As expected, they made use of various language-specific elements
to improve intelligibility, such as linguistic similarities between Russian and Ukrainian. However, a number of extra-linguistic
factors were detected as influential predictors of success, especially metalinguistic awareness, exposure to Russian, exposure to
various registers, experience with multilingual situations, learnability, and attitudes towards Ukrainian. These findings contest
a static take on multilingual potential and point out the emergent nature of competencies and practices that become relevant in
multilingual settings. Unconventional communicative modes – like mediated receptive multilingualism – may activate linguistic and
sociolinguistic resources needed for establishing understanding in novel and potentially challenging communicative settings.
TheAtlas of the Languages of Iran(ALI): A Research Overview
Authors: Anonby Erik , Taheri-Ardali Mortaza , Hayes Amos
Published: March 2019

There have been a number of important efforts to map out the languages of Iran, but until now no language atlas, or even a comprehensive and detailed country-level language map, has been produced. One of the recent initiatives which aims to fill this gap is the onlineAtlas of the Languages of Iran(ALI) (http://iranatlas.net). This article delineates objectives of the ALI research programme, atlas architecture, research methodology, and preliminary results that have been generated. Specific topics of interest are the structure and content of the linguistic data questionnaire; the handling of contrasting perspectives about the status of “languages” and “dialects” through a flexible multi-dimensional classification web; and the role of ongoing comparisons between language distribution assessments and hard linguistic data.
Existence and uniqueness for anisotropic and crystalline mean curvature flows
Authors: Chambolle Antonin , Morini Massimiliano , Novaga Matteo , Ponsiglione Marcello
Published: March 2019

An existence and uniqueness result, up to fattening, for crystalline mean curvature flows with forcing and arbitrary (convex) mobilities, is proven. This is achieved by introducing a new notion of solution to the corresponding level set formulation. Such solutions satisfy a comparison principle and stability properties with respect to the approximation by suitably regularized problems. The results are valid in any dimension and for arbitrary, possibly unbounded, initial closed sets. The approach accounts for the possible presence of a time-dependent bounded forcing term, with spatial Lipschitz continuity. As a result of our analysis, we deduce the convergence of a minimizing movement scheme proposed by Almgren, Taylor, and Wang (1993) to a unique (up to fattening) “flat flow” in the case of general, including crystalline, anisotropies, solving a long-standing open question.
Small time asymptotics for Brownian motion with singular drift
Authors: Chen Zhen-Qing , Fang Shizan , Zhang Tusheng
Published: March 2019

We establish a small time large deviation principle and a Varadhan type asymptotics for Brownian motion with singular drift on

R

d

\mathbb {R}^d

with

d
≥
3

d\geq 3

whose infinitesimal generator is

1
2

Δ
+
μ
⋅
∇

\frac 12 \Delta + \mu \cdot \nabla

, where each

μ
i

\mu _i

of

μ
=
(

μ
1

,
…
,

μ
d

)

\mu = (\mu _1, \ldots , \mu _d)

is a measure in some suitable Kato class.
Comparison of the Bergman kernel and the Carathéodory–Eisenman volume
Authors: Nikolov Nikolai , Thomas Pascal
Published: March 2019

It is proved that for any domain in

C

n

\mathbb {C}^n

the Carathéodory–Eisenman volume is comparable with the volume of the indicatrix of the Carathéodory metric up to small/large constants depending only on

n
.

n.

Then the “multi-dimensional Suita conjecture” theorem of Błocki and Zwonek implies a comparable relationship between these volumes and the Bergman kernel.
Soliton solutions to the curve shortening flow on the sphere
Authors: dos Reis Hiuri , Tenenblat Keti
Published: March 2019

It is shown that a curve on the unit sphere is a soliton solution to the curve shortening flow if and only if its geodesic curvature is proportional to the inner product between its tangent vector and a fixed vector of

R

3

\mathbb {R}^3

. Using this characterization, we describe the geometry of such a curve on the sphere, we study its qualitative behavior, and we prove the convergence of the curve to the equator orthogonal to the fixed vector.
TgCep250 is dynamically processed through the division cycle and is essential for structural integrity of the Toxoplasma centrosome
Authors: Chen Chun-Ti , Gubbels Marc-Jan
Published: March 2019

The apicomplexan centrosome has a unique bipartite structure comprising an inner and outer core responsible for the nuclear cycle (mitosis) and budding cycles (cytokinesis), respectively. Although these two cores are always associated, they function independently to facilitate polyploid intermediates in the production of many progeny per replication round. Here, we describe the function of a large coiled-coil protein in Toxoplasma gondii, TgCep250, in connecting the two centrosomal cores and promoting their structural integrity. Throughout the cell cycle, TgCep250 localizes to the inner core but, associated with proteolytic processing, is also present on the outer core during the onset of cell division. In the absence of TgCep250, stray centrosome inner and outer core foci were observed. The detachment between centrosomal inner and outer cores was found in only one of the centrosomes during cell division, indicating distinct states of mother and daughter centrosomes. In mammals, Cep250 processing is required for centrosomal splitting and is mediated by Nek phopsphorylation. However, we show that neither the nonoverlapping spatiotemporal localization of TgNek1 and TgCep250 nor the distinct phenotypes upon their respective depletion support conservation of this mechanism in Toxoplasma. In conclusion, TgCep250 has a tethering function tailored to the unique bipartite centrosome in the Apicomplexa.
ELMOD2 regulates mitochondrial fusion in a mitofusin-dependent manner, downstream of ARL2
Authors: Schiavon Cara R. , Turn Rachel E. , Newman Laura E. , Kahn Richard A.
Published: March 2019

Mitochondria are essential and dynamic organelles undergoing constant fission and fusion. The primary players in mitochondrial morphology (MFN1/2, OPA1, DRP1) have been identified, but their mechanism(s) of regulation are still being elucidated. ARL2 is a regulatory GTPase that has previously been shown to play a role in the regulation of mitochondrial morphology. Here we demonstrate that ELMOD2, an ARL2 GTPase-activating protein (GAP), is necessary for ARL2 to promote mitochondrial elongation. We show that loss of ELMOD2 causes mitochondrial fragmentation and a lower rate of mitochondrial fusion, while ELMOD2 overexpression promotes mitochondrial tubulation and increases the rate of fusion in a mitofusin-dependent manner. We also show that a mutant of ELMOD2 lacking GAP activity is capable of promoting fusion, suggesting that ELMOD2 does not need GAP activity to influence mitochondrial morphology. Finally, we show that ELMOD2, ARL2, Mitofusins 1 and 2, Miros 1 and 2, and mitochondrial phospholipase D (mitoPLD) all localize to discrete, regularly spaced puncta along mitochondria. These results suggest that ELMOD2 is functioning as an effector downstream of ARL2 and upstream of the mitofusins to promote mitochondrial fusion. Our data provide insights into the pathway by which mitochondrial fusion is regulated in the cell.
Associations Between Gun Laws and Suicides
Authors: Ghiani Marco , Hawkins Summer Sherburne , Baum Christopher F
Published: March 2019

We examined the impact of a state gun law environment on suicides overall and within demographic subgroups. We linked 211,766 firearm suicides and 204,625 nonfirearm suicides in the 50 states of the United States for 2005–2015 to the population in each state, year, race/ethnicity, sex, and age, as well as to an index of state-level gun control. Difference-in-differences, zero-inflated, negative-binomial models were used to evaluate the impact of strengthening gun control on firearm and nonfirearm suicides. We subsequently stratified by sex and tested for interactions with race/ethnicity and age. We found 25 states strengthened gun control by an average of 6 points. Such an increase may result in a 3.3% (incidence rate ratio = 0.967; 95% confidence interval: 0.938, 0.996) decrease in firearm suicides. Although no impact on nonfirearm suicides was found overall, interaction models showed an increase in nonfirearm suicides among black men, white women, black women, and older individuals. Strengthening gun control may reduce firearm suicides overall but may increase nonfirearm suicides in some populations. The results indicate stricter gun laws should be advocated for and that additional policies are needed for populations who shifted to nonfirearm suicides.
Subjectively and Objectively Measured Sleep Predict Differing Aspects of Cognitive Functioning in Adults
Authors: Bernstein John P K , DeVito Alyssa , Calamia Matthew
Published: March 2019

Objective

To examine associations between subjectively-reported sleep and objectively-measured sleep (i.e., actigraphy) with different domains of cognitive functioning, and determine whether age may moderate these associations.

Method

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 489 participants (mean age = 45.4 years; SD = 18.8) completed a self-reported sleep measure and one week of actigraphy. Participants also completed a battery of cognitive tests measuring episodic memory, social cognition, executive functioning, and complex cognition (i.e., reasoning, visuospatial, and language abilities).

Results

Multiple regression analyses revealed that greater objective sleep quality and longer onset latencies were both associated with better performance on measures of conceptual flexibility. In contrast, subjective sleep quality was not associated with performance in any cognitive domain after accounting for objective sleep variables. Age moderated sleep–cognition relationships in differing ways based on cognitive domain and facet of sleep assessed. For example, whereas poorer subjective sleep quality was associated with poorer complex cognition in younger, but not older adults, poorer objective sleep quality was associated with poorer conceptual flexibility in older, but not younger adults.

Conclusions

Objectively-measured and self-reported sleep are associated with differing aspects of executive functioning, with the latter related to executive functioning broadly and the former associated with conceptual flexibility in particular. Age moderates sleep–cognition relationships differentially depending on the method by which sleep quality and quantity are measured.
Nonparametric generalized fiducial inference for survival functions under censoring
Authors: Cui Y , Hannig J
Published: March 2019

Since the introduction of fiducial inference by Fisher in the 1930s, its application has been largely confined to relatively simple, parametric problems. In this paper, we present what might be the first time fiducial inference is systematically applied to estimation of a nonparametric survival function under right censoring. We find that the resulting fiducial distribution gives rise to surprisingly good statistical procedures applicable to both one-sample and two-sample problems. In particular, we use the fiducial distribution of a survival function to construct pointwise and curvewise confidence intervals for the survival function, and propose tests based on the curvewise confidence interval. We establish a functional Bernstein–von Mises theorem, and perform thorough simulation studies in scenarios with different levels of censoring. The proposed fiducial-based confidence intervals maintain coverage in situations where asymptotic methods often have substantial coverage problems. Furthermore, the average length of the proposed confidence intervals is often shorter than the length of confidence intervals for competing methods that maintain coverage. Finally, the proposed fiducial test is more powerful than various types of log-rank tests and sup log-rank tests in some scenarios. We illustrate the proposed fiducial test by comparing chemotherapy against chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy, using data from the treatment of locally unresectable gastric cancer.
A deep learning model based on sparse auto-encoder for prioritizing cancer-related genes and drug target combinations
Authors: Chang Ji-Wei , Ding Yuduan , Tahir ul Qamar Muhammad , Shen Yin , Gao Junxiang , Chen Ling-Ling
Published: March 2019

Prioritization of cancer-related genes from gene expression profiles and proteomic data is vital to improve the targeted therapies research. Although computational approaches have been complementing high-throughput biological experiments on the understanding of human diseases, it still remains a big challenge to accurately discover cancer-related proteins/genes via automatic learning from large-scale protein/gene expression data and protein–protein interaction data. Most of the existing methods are based on network construction combined with gene expression profiles, which ignore the diversity between normal samples and disease cell lines. In this study, we introduced a deep learning model based on a sparse auto-encoder to learn the specific characteristics of protein interactions in cancer cell lines integrated with protein expression data. The model showed learning ability to identify cancer-related proteins/genes from the input of different protein expression profiles by extracting the characteristics of protein interaction information, which could also predict cancer-related protein combinations. Comparing with other reported methods including differential expression and network-based methods, our model got the highest area under the curve value (>0.8) in predicting cancer-related genes. Our study prioritized ~500 high-confidence cancer-related genes; among these genes, 211 already known cancer drug targets were found, which supported the accuracy of our method. The above results indicated that the proposed auto-encoder model could computationally prioritize candidate proteins/genes involved in cancer and improve the targeted therapies research.
Frailty is independently associated with worse health-related quality of life in chronic kidney disease: a secondary analysis of the Frailty Assessment in Chronic Kidney Disease study
Authors: Nixon Andrew C , Bampouras Theodoros M , Pendleton Neil , Mitra Sandip , Brady Mark E , Dhaygude Ajay P
Published: March 2019

Background

Understanding how frailty affects health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in those with chronic kidney disease (CKD) could assist in the development of management strategies to improve outcomes for this vulnerable patient group. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between frailty and HRQOL in patients with CKD Stages 4 and 5 (G4–5) and those established on haemodialysis (G5D).

Methods

Ninety participants with chronic kidney disease (CKD G4–5D) were recruited between December 2016 and December 2017. Frailty was assessed using the Frailty Phenotype, which included assessments of unintentional weight loss, weakness (handgrip strength), slowness (walking speed), physical activity and self-perceived exhaustion. HRQOL was assessed using the RAND 36-Item Health Survey Version 1.0 (SF-36).

Results

Nineteen (21%) patients were categorized as frail. Frailty, when adjusted for age, gender, dialysis dependence and comorbidity, had a significant effect on five of the eight SF-36 domains: physical functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems, energy/fatigue, social functioning and pain. Regression modelling best explained the variation in the physical functioning domain (adj. R2 = 0.27, P < 0.001), with frailty leading to a 26-point lower score. Exhaustion was the only Frailty Phenotype component that had a significant effect on scores across all SF-36 domains.

Conclusions

Frailty is independently associated with worse HRQOL in patients with CKD G4–5D, with self-perceived exhaustion being the most significant Frailty Phenotype component contributing to HRQOL. Efforts should be made to identify frail patients with CKD so that management strategies can be offered that aim to improve morbidity, mortality and patient-reported outcomes, including HRQOL and fatigue.