bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Extracellular Matrix Determines Biomechanical Properties of Chondrospheres during Their Maturation In Vitro
Authors: Omelyanenko Nikolai P. , Karalkin Pavel A. , Bulanova Elena A. , Koudan Elizaveta V. , Parfenov Vladislav A. , Rodionov Sergei A. , Knyazeva Alisa D. , Kasyanov Vladimir A. , Babichenko Igor I. , Chkadua Tamara Z. , Khesuani Yusef D. , Gryadunova Anna A. , Mironov Vladimir A.
Published: September 2018

Objective

Chondrospheres represent a variant of tissue spheroids biofabricated from chondrocytes. They are already being used in clinical trials for cartilage repair; however, their biomechanical properties have not been systematically investigated yet. The aim of our study was to characterize chondrospheres in long-term in vitro culture conditions for morphometric changes, biomechanical integrity, and their fusion and spreading kinetics.

Results

It has been demonstrated that the increase in chondrospheres secant modulus of elasticity is strongly associated with the synthesis and accumulation of extracellular matrix. Additionally, significant interplay has been found between biomechanical properties of tissue spheroids and their fusion kinetics in contrast to their spreading kinetics.

Conclusions

Extracellular matrix is one of the main structural determinants of chondrospheres biomechanical properties during chondrogenic maturation in vitro. The estimation of tissue spheroids’ physical behavior in vitro prior to operative treatment can be used to predict and potentially control fusogenic self-assembly process after implantation in vivo.
Arthroscopic Meniscopexy for the Treatment of Nontraumatic Osteochondritis Dissecans in the Knee Joint of Adult Patients
Authors: Blanke Fabian , Feitenhansl Andreas , Haenle Maximilian , Vogt Stephan
Published: September 2018

Objective

The etiology of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is still uncertain. Recently, it has been hypothesized that instability of the anterior horn of the meniscus is an important cause for the development of a nontraumatic OCD in adolescents with good results after surgical stabilization. This case series aims to evaluate the treatment results after meniscus stabilization in adults with nontraumatic OCD.

Design

Ten patients with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-confirmed OCD of the knee joint, meniscal instability, and closed epiphyseal plates were enrolled in this study. The instable meniscus was stabilized by direct suturing of the anterior horn of the meniscus. MRI examinations were performed preoperative and 6 and 12 months postoperative. The OCD was classified arthroscopically according to Guhl and according to Hughes in the MRI. The overall knee function was evaluated by the Lysholm score before treatment and 12 months postoperative.

Results

Four women and 6 men with a mean age of 20.6 ± 1.9 years were included in this study. Preoperatively 60% of the patients showed a grade II or III lesion arthroscopically and 70% a grade III or IVa lesion in the MRI examination. After arthroscopic meniscus stabilization the Lysholm score increased in average from 48.1 ± 14.12 before treatment to 97.5 ± 3.1 postoperative. At final follow-up after 12 months, an improvement of the OCD in the MRI could be demonstrated in all patients (100%). In 80% of the patients a complete healing of the OCD could be noted.

Conclusion

The clinical concept of an instable anterior horn of the meniscus as a cause for the development of a nontraumatic OCD seems to be transferable to adults and arthroscopic stabilization can lead to a sufficient healing of this knee pathology.
Rethinking How We Think About Cognitive Interventions for Depression: An Example From Research on Second-Language Acquisition
Authors: Haeffel Gerald J. , Kaschak Michael P.
Published: September 2018

One of the primary goals of cognitive therapy for depression is to teach an individual a new, more adaptive way of thinking about stressful life experiences. We argue that this process of supplanting a deeply engrained way of negative thinking with a more adaptive style of thinking is similar to learning a second language. The purpose of this article was to use a second-language acquisition framework to evaluate the strategies typically used in cognitive therapy for changing depressogenic cognitive patterns and to propose new strategies that may make the therapy more effective.
Budesonide/formoterol MDI with co-suspension delivery technology in COPD: the TELOS study
Authors: Ferguson Gary T. , Papi Alberto , Anzueto Antonio , Kerwin Edward M. , Cappelletti Christy , Duncan Elizabeth A. , Nyberg Jack , Dorinsky Paul
Published: September 2018

TELOS compared budesonide (BD)/formoterol fumarate dihydrate (FF) metered dose inhaler (BFF MDI), formulated using innovative co-suspension delivery technology that enables consistent aerosol performance, with its monocomponents and budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate dry powder inhaler (DPI) in patients with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), without a requirement for an exacerbation history.

In this phase III, double-blind, parallel-group, 24-week study (NCT02766608), patients were randomised to BFF MDI 320/10 µg (n=664), BFF MDI 160/10 µg (n=649), FF MDI 10 µg (n=648), BD MDI 320 µg (n=209) or open-label budesonide/formoterol DPI 400/12 µg (n=219). Primary end-points were change from baseline in morning pre-dose trough forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and FEV1area under the curve from 0–4 h (AUC0–4). Time to first and rate of moderate/severe exacerbations were assessed.

BFF MDI 320/10 µg improved pre-dose trough FEV1versusFF MDI (least squares mean (LSM) 39 mL; p=0.0018), and BFF MDI 320/10 µg and 160/10 µg improved FEV1AUC0–4versusBD MDI (LSM 173 mL and 157 mL, respectively; both p<0.0001) at week 24. BFF MDI 320/10 µg and 160/10 µg improved time to first and rate of moderate/severe exacerbationsversusFF MDI. Treatments were well tolerated, with pneumonia incidence ranging from 0.5–1.4%.

BFF MDI improved lung functionversusmonocomponents and exacerbationsversusFF MDI in patients with moderate to very severe COPD.
Zero Degree Everything: An Interview with Tom McCarthy
Authors: Huber Nicholas
Published: September 2018

In this interview, Tom McCarthy considers his relationship to the novel and its history as a form, including the changing conditions of the contemporary literary world that have allowed for his existence within it. He provides a schematic for understanding the various modes of his own work and his interfacing with a set of “displacements” running through and around various “vanguards.” Along the way, he discusses dead media, money, sound, post-Snowden politics as a literary problem, and the financial utility of Finnegans Wake.
The Microeconomic Mode: Survival Games, Life-Interest, and the Reimagination of Sovereignty
Authors: Elliott Jane
Published: September 2018

This essay examines the relationship between dominant trends in contemporary popular aesthetics and the microeconomic imagination of human behavior, which centers on individual allocation of finite resources to self-determined ends. I argue that this way of modeling human action is embodied and interrogated in what I call the microeconomic mode, a ubiquitous twenty-first-century cultural formation defined by a combination of abstraction and extremity. From Cormac McCarthy's The Road to the Hunger Games franchise, this mode represents individuals making life-and-death choices in radically minimal and/or highly codified settings. I focus here on the most prevalent cultural form in the microeconomic mode, the survival game, as manifested in Gillian Flynn's bestselling novel Gone Girl (2013). By examining the novel's use of the survival game as a response to the gamification of life in twenty-first-century capital, I unpack the role that individual interest in self-preservation plays in constituting contemporary political subjectivity. I read this dynamic in relation to the account of the subject of interest offered by Michel Foucault and argue that what I call life-interest should be understood as an emergent form of biopolitical organization, one in which sovereign power operates by compelling individual agential choices in relation to the preservation of life. In conclusion, I turn to the popular “ticking-time-bomb” torture scenario in order to elucidate something of the permeation and power of life-interest in defining the contemporary imagination of sovereignty, domination, and agency.
“The Freedom to See”: Social Relations and Aesthetic Form in The Golden Bowl
Authors: Stasi Paul
Published: September 2018

This article takes up The Golden Bowl in relation to neoliberalism, considered less as a distinct phase of capitalist accumulation than as an intensification of its long-standing internal tendencies. Taking place, as Edith Wharton put it, “in the void,” James's novel stages a seemingly autonomous and self-sustaining pattern of affective engagements that he, nevertheless, demonstrates are supported by a set of economic relations to which his form consistently, but obliquely, gestures. While the Ververs work to turn economics into affect, James uses aesthetic form to force our affective response to the text back onto structure. In this way, James recovers history as a decidedly human project, precisely the understanding of history effaced by neoliberalism's subservience to the logic of capitalist exchange.
Living afterwards: Vietnamese refugee writers Thuy Le and Viet Nguyen
Authors: Tate Trudi
Published: September 2018

This article explores the writing of Vietnamese-American refugee writers Thuy Le and Viet Nguyen. How do their works reflect upon war trauma and loss of home, and on the lives people live afterwards? The article looks at how families share traumatic memories (or not), and at belated understanding of experience.
Iconoclast Artists: Poems from young Texan poets
Authors: Harris Torrina
Published: September 2018

Iconoclast Artists is a non-profit poetry and performance arts programme founded in Houston, Texas in 2014 by Marlon Lizama and Matthew Russell, and expanded this year to include Galveston. The programme is a growing community of young artists that provides unique support and encouragement for hundreds of underserved students within high schools, middle schools and Juvenile Detention centres. With classroom instruction in creative writing and expression, Iconoclast meets with classes every week to provide academic, artistic and social/emotional support.
A place to call home: Journeys of Eliza Fenwick (1766–1840)
Authors: Paul Lissa
Published: September 2018

In tracing the colonial odyssey of Eliza Fenwick (1766–1840) from Great Britain to Upper Canada, I show her as an immigration success. From her literary life in London as the author of Secresy (1795) and several innovative children’s books, she transformed herself, as a single working mother, and later grandmother, into a school owner, a businesswoman. At the heart of my essay is her search for social and financial security, a place to call home. Her extant – mostly unpublished – letters demonstrate that it was in the welcoming space of Upper Canada that she established a future for her descendants. Lissa Paul’s biography of Eliza Fenwick, Eliza Fenwick (1766–1840): A Life Rewritten, will be published by the University of Delaware Press in their Early Modern Feminisms Series, in early 2019.
In conversation: Alejandro Postigo and Naz Yeni
Authors: Postigo Alejandro , Yeni Naz
Published: September 2018

In April 2018, 7 Husbands for Hurmuz (7 Kocalı Hürmüz), a popular musical comedy farce from Turkey, was staged by Arcola Alaturka, a Turkish-speaking theatre group based in East London. This production was performed by migrant actors and musicians with a predominantly migrant audience in mind. A production of 7 Kocalı Hürmüz was included in the Ankara State Theatre’s 2017–18 season, and another large scale production directed and produced by established comedian Müjdat Gezen has, at the time of writing, been selling out in Istanbul.

Set in a time when a man was permitted more than one wife, the plot of 7 Husbands for Hurmuz is a reversal of this situation: the central character is a woman (Hurmuz) who has married six husbands – none of whom knows about the others – as a way of solving her money problems. She sees each husband on a different day of the week, but mayhem ensues when Hurmuz falls in love with a seventh man, and then all seven turn up to see her on the same day. Farce, slapstick and absurdity combine in a satire, which is also an extension of folk theatre forms relating to specific Asian performance styles – drawing on both ortaoyunu and meddah traditions in Turkey. It can be argued that 7 Husbands for Hurmuz has caused controversy because although the play features an array of strong female characters, it has been perceived as both feminist and anti-feminist.

The following piece is a conversation between Naz Yeni, the director of the Arcola production, and Alejandro Postigo, author and performer of The Copla Musical, a tribute to the anti-Franco Spanish drag artist La Gitana. The Copla Musical explores an intercultural adaptation of the early twentieth-century Spanish folkloric song-form of copla, merged with elements found in Anglo-American musical theatre structures such as book musicals, revues and jukebox shows. Copla ceased to develop during Franco’s regime (1939–1975). Forty years later, The Copla Musical aims to rejuvenate copla interculturally. The show is supported by academic research that questions how to share the Spanish experience of copla with an international audience of diverse cultural backgrounds, and how to introduce copla’s background as a storytelling form, a folkloric genre and a subversive tool beyond the Spanish twentieth-century zeitgeist. The conversation explores the many challenges of translating songs and theatre works from one language to another for a multicultural and multilingual audience.
Simmel et l'approche sociologique de l'environnement
Authors: Boudes Philippe
Published: September 2018

Les travaux de Georg Simmel regorgent de réflexions sur les interactions entre phénomènes naturels et sociaux lesquelles caractérisent la question contemporaine de l’environnement. Est-ce pour autant un pionnier de l’approche sociologique de l’environnement ? Si l’on considère les apports conceptuels du sociologue allemand, notamment à travers son approche des formes sociales, de l’espace mais encore de la nature, il est clair que la pensée de Simmel peut étayer certains développements de la sociologie de l’environnement. D’ailleurs, cet article montre également que Simmel a influencé les deux principaux courants fondateurs de la sociologie de l’environnement, l’écologie humaine étasunienne et la morphologie sociale française. En retraçant l’apport cognitif et socio-historique de Simmel pour la sociologie de l’environnement, on contribue à actualiser les études simmeliennes tout en favorisant l’institutionnalisation de la sociologie de l’environnement.
Georg Simmel’s group expansion
Authors: Saint Bris Eloi
Published: September 2018

Georg Simmel triggers off much more interest among sociological scholars today than he previously did. Therefore I believe an interesting question to ask is: why does Simmel re-earn an academic legitimacy in the current social context? I will here assume that Simmel’s analysis of “group expansion” and “enlarged social circles” can be put together with the notion of “globalization” as a topical explanation of today’s social world. To the purpose of analyzing potential connections, I will mainly focus on the article entitled “Group expansion and the development of Individuality” (Simmel 1971, 251-293) and I will indulge myself in a comparative study between concepts developed by Simmel such as “the transformation of social bonds”, the “collective individuality”, the “individuation of the economic sphere”, and empiric observations on globalization in the 21st century.
Lecture critique. Georg Simmel. L’argent dans la culture moderne
Authors: Barbereau Philippe
Published: September 2018

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Marcus Morgan, Patrick Baert – Conflict in the Academy. A Study in the Sociology of Intellectuals
Authors: Frances Jean
Published: September 2018

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Michel Agier – Anthropologie de la ville
Authors: Daffe Laurie
Published: September 2018

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Juan José Bautista S., ¿Qué significa pensar desde América Latina?: Hacia una racionalidad transmoderna y postcolonial
Authors: Martínez Andrade Luis
Published: September 2018

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Análise da complexidade de processos de negócio de uma organização pública de grande porte do Distrito Federal
Authors: Pereira Mariana Mello , Reis Ana Carla Bittencourt , Firmino Alice Thadeu , Martinovic Letícia do Valle Pires , Borges Nathalia Ferreira
Published: September 2018

As organizações se deparam constantemente com o desafio de gerir seus processos de negócio, o que envolve, dentre outras, atividades de modelagem, de implementação e de monitoramento de processos. A complexidade dos processos é considerada como um fator alvo de melhorias a fim de simplificar a execução dos processos e diminuir suas taxas de erro. Este estudo tem como objetivo a análise da complexidade de processos de uma grande organização pública do Distrito Federal e oferecer aos gestores insumos para apoiar suas decisões. Para tanto, além da utilização de métricas para analisar a complexidade dos processos, realizou-se uma análise estatística a fim de avaliar a viabilidade dos processos em torno do padrão organizacional.
Desdobramentos da tomada de decisão em problemas de substituição de equipamentos por meio de funções contínuas e análise não suave
Authors: Cesca Igor Gimenes
Published: September 2018

O problema de substituição de equipamentos é analisado tradicionalmente por duas metodologias discretas: programação dinâmica e indicadores de fluxo de caixa. Constatou-se que essas metodologias não conseguem verificar se (i) o momento ótimo de substituição de equipamentos é único e (ii) se existiria algum ativo físico que não precisasse ser substituído, isto é, um equipamento sem momento ótimo de substituição do ponto de vista econômico. Sendo assim, os autores utilizaram neste trabalho uma abordagem com funções contínuas para resolver esse tipo de problema. No processo de estabelecê-las, chegou-se em funções não diferenciáveis (no sentido clássico). Logo, foi utilizada uma análise não suave para modelagem. Pelos resultados obtidos é possível afirmar que de fato o momento ótimo de substituição é único. Além disso, também verificou-se que pode existir equipamentos sem momento ótimo para substituição. Mais ainda, também foi viável formular um modelo para calcular o momento ótimo de substituição de equipamentos por função contínua, conforme são dados os custos de manutenção, o valor de aquisição, a taxa de desvalorização e a taxa de desconto.
Eficiência energética: programas estratégicos e tecnologias inovadoras em países selecionados
Authors: Silveira Franco da , Machado Filipe Molinar , Ruppenthal Janis Elisa , Romano Leonardo Nabaes , Costa Marcela Avelina Bataghin , Doeler Rebeca de Faria
Published: September 2018

A eficiência energética é amplamente aceita como uma das estratégias utilizadas atualmente para reduzir o consumo de energia e as emissões de Gases de Efeito Estufa (GEE). Para promover a eficiência energética é necessário desenvolver políticas ambientais que fomentem tecnologias inovadoras. Nesse contexto, a pesquisa tem como objetivo apresentar um comparativo geral em países selecionados na área de eficiência energética, a fim de propor aspectos relevantes para melhorar o caso brasileiro. Assim, um mapeamento sistemático foi conduzido juntamente com uma análise em patentes com o propósito de fornecer uma visão geral da área. Foram avaliados 34 estudos resultantes da aplicação do fluxo metodológico determinado. Como resultado, a pesquisa demonstrou aplicações de estratégias de programas na área de eficiência energética em países selecionados que podem ser consolidadas no Brasil em parcerias do setor privado e público para possibilitar melhorias do uso de energia, sem contabilizar as vantagens ambientais. Além disso, o progresso e a evolução de tecnologias em diferentes setores econômicos do Brasil e informações de documentos de patentes publicadas em diferentes países foram expostas.
Aplicação de projeto de experimentos para melhorias nos parâmetros de processo de injeção de duas peças produzidas
Authors: Dos Santos Ana Maria Nunes , Ferreira Porto Rosa Ariane , Royer Rogério , Porciuncula Gilson Simões
Published: September 2018

Com um grande número de concorrentes no mercado atual, as empresas precisam buscar por inovações que mantenham a qualidade do seu produto e diminuam o seu custo de produção. O avanço nos processos produtivos aumentou a utilização de materiais plásticos como matéria-prima, que apresentam um preço mais baixo do que materiais metálicos e ainda são resistentes a corrosão. A moldagem por injeção é um método muito utilizado na transformação de plásticos. Por apresentar muitas variáveis, esse tipo de produção precisa ser muito controlada para que as peças finais apresentem a qualidade desejada. Este artigo apresenta um estudo de caso realizado para melhorias nos parâmetros de um processo de injeção de duas peças produzidas em plástico ABS em uma empresa fabricante de produtos médico hospitalares situada na cidade de Pelotas no RS. Na realização do estudo de caso foi elaborado um projeto de experimentos com quatro variáveis do processo de injeção e duas cotas críticas para a montagem do produto final de cada uma das peças.
Análise de desempenho de um corredor brt sob a ótica da velocidade operacional via redes de petri coloridas
Authors: Araújo Katarini Wanini Gonçalves , De Andrade Maurício Oliveira
Published: September 2018

Dada a importância do tempo de viagem para a competitividade e atratividade do transporte público, este trabalho visa apresentar um modelo em redes de Petri coloridas que permita a análise de desempenho de um corredor BRT, em relação à velocidade operacional. Trata-se de uma pesquisa explicativa que busca propor uma nova forma de análise a um fenômeno conhecido. O modelo foi aplicado a um trecho de um corredor BRT, na Região Metropolitana do Recife, para validação. A partir dessa análise foram identificados os pontos críticos da operação e propostas medidas, como a introdução de plataformas de embarque em nível e priorização semafórica, a fim de aumentar a velocidade e a regularidade operacional no trecho. Um modelo com essas medidas implantadas foi simulado e aponta resultados satisfatórios ao possibilitar o aumento a velocidade operacional do corredor. Como conclusão, destaca-se a efetividade da modelagem e simulação em redes de Petri para análise de desempenho de um corredor de BRT e a importância de investigar os elementos de projeto e medidas operacionais que podem contribuir para o aumento da eficiência operacional de um corredor de transporte público.
Proposição de medidas para avaliar o desempenho de operações de armazenagem no fluxo reverso
Authors: Marinho Laiany Rodrigues , Aragão João Paulo Santos , Fontana Marcele Elisa
Published: September 2018

A importância da logística reversa vem crescendo nos últimos anos, motivada dentre outros fatores, pelas exigências legais e pela oportunidade de melhorar a imagem da empresa e valorizar a sua marca. O canal reverso se caracteriza pela existência de diversas atividades, desde a coleta do material a ser retornado até a destinação ou disposição final do mesmo. Neste sentido, a armazenagem aparece como um elo fundamental no desenvolvimento das operações na logística reversa. A fim de garantir a eficiência das operações de armazenagem é importante realizar medições de desempenho adequadas. Dessa forma, esse trabalho tem por objetivo propor medidas de avaliação de desempenho das operações internas de armazenagem do canal reverso, através de um estudo de caso em uma empresa do setor de distribuição de bebidas. Para atender ao objeto proposto, fez-se uso da metodologia de mapa cognitivo. Por meio deste trabalho, a empresa objeto de estudo será capaz de avaliar o desempenho de suas operações reversas de armazenagem através de métricas que retratam a realidade de seus processos.
Produção enxuta em operações de serviços: uma revisão sistemática
Authors: Brito Taíse Camara , Karla Oliveira Regis Tatyana , Santos Luciano Costa , Gohr Cláudia Fabiana , Sarmento Marcella Crispim
Published: September 2018

Este trabalho teve o objetivo de levantar a produção científica relevante sobre a aplicação da produção enxuta em operações de serviços, permitindo identificar lacunas de pesquisa a partir da análise crítica da literatura. Para isso, foram escolhidas as bases de dados Web of Knowledge e Scielo e, após definir os termos de busca e aplicar os filtros de seleção, obteve-se um portfólio de 51 artigos. Constatou-se que o setor de saúde responde pela grande maioria de aplicações práticas e que o estudo de caso tem sido o método de pesquisa mais utilizado nos trabalhos empíricos. Também foi observado que, embora o conceito de produção enxuta seja aceito e disseminado em algumas operações de serviços, a utilização de ferramentas da produção enxuta ainda é muito reduzida. Mesmo considerando os casos de sucesso, poucas evidências têm sido relatadas sobre os limites da aplicabilidade da produção enxuta em operações de serviços.
Análise e proposta de melhorias para a satisfação dos discentes em relação aos momentos verdade em uma universidade pública
Authors: Carneiro Mariana Pereira , De Farias Oliveira Cardoso Brenda , Da Silva Moreira Ludmylla , Cristiano Silva Melo André
Published: September 2018

O setor de prestação de serviços está fortemente presente no dia a dia dos usuários, tendo uma significativa participação na economia do país. As universidades possuem papel fundamental para o desenvolvimento socioeconômico, já que são responsáveis pela formação de novos profissionais e, por isso, necessitam ter qualidade em relação aos serviços prestados pelos envolvidos (docentes, técnicos e gestores), e entender a percepção da qualidade dos serviços por parte dos clientes (discentes). Dessa forma, o trabalho objetivou avaliar a qualidade dos serviços prestados pelo campus de uma universidade pública, a partir do nível de satisfação dos clientes, em relação aos momentos verdade identificados. O estudo apresentado tem uma abordagem qualitativa, utilizando como método de pesquisa o estudo de caso. Após a análise dos resultados, identificou-se que a maioria das insatisfações dos alunos está relacionada aos bens facilitadores de serviços, como disponibilidade de livros e internet. A pesquisa proporcionou conhecimento sobre as causas das insatisfações dos alunos e oportunidades de melhoria, para garantir a qualidade dos serviços prestados. Também contribuiu para preencher uma lacuna da literatura sobre o uso dos momentos verdade na avaliação da qualidade dos serviços em universidades.
Open Educational Resources’ impact and outcomes: The essence of OpenKnowledge and its social contribution
Authors: Mengual-Andrés Santiago , Payá-Rico Andrés
Published: September 2018

This article identifies the main social contributions of Open Educational Resources (OERs), their impact and the results of several initiatives related to them. Based on a theoretical and reflexive framework, we analyze the evolution of business models around OERs, their contribution to open knowledge and the common educational policies related to this phenomenon. Finally, we point out the new horizons and models of knowledge based on OERs. Design/methodology/approach: This study utilizes a theoretical and conceptual framework based on references coming from journals with an impact factor, complemented with quotes by important authors and OER representatives. The review offers a conceptual and applied overview regarding the business models around OERs, their contribution to open knowledge and their impact on current society. Because the study is not empirical, the authors justify their statements on existing scientific literature with high academic impact. Practical implications include knowledge about the OER phenomenon, its social contributions, and the economic models established around it.
Os serious games e os regimes de sensibilidade: Paradoxos do uso de jogos na formação humana
Authors: Lages e Silva Rodrigo , Bulla Gabriela da Silva , Da Silva Leandro Paz , Lucena Julia de Campos
Published: September 2018

Pensamos as implicações de jogos digitais em políticas de formação não escolares através da utilização de serious games, analisando dois jogos - Ayiti: the cost of life e Sara: A Meaningful Journey Part One. Inicialmente, debatemos a relação entre jogo e aprendizagem, enfatizando os aspectos interacionais e cognitivos aportados pelos jogos digitais e pela interface do computador pessoal em rede no recrutamento de uma experiência imersiva, de acordo com a teoria da aprendizagem de Maturana e Varela. Na sequência, interrogamos o conceito de serious gamee seu uso como estratégia conscientizadora no âmbito das políticas de formação humana. Ao final, refletimos sobre os aspectos ético-políticos relacionados ao design e ao conteúdo dos jogos digitais em tela.
Rancangan Desain Produk Setrika Pegas Menggunakan Metode Kano
Authors: Nurjannah Anisa , Purnomo Hari
Published: September 2018

Pengembangan  fitur-fitur  setrika  listrik  terus  dilakukan  guna  meningkatkan  kepuasan  konsumen. Penelitian  ini  bertujuan  untuk  mendesain  produk  setrika  listrik  berdasar  fitur-fitur  yang  sesuai  dengan keinginan dan kepuasan penggunanya. Fitur-fitur yang diinginkan diketahui dari wawancara dan menjadi dasar  perbaikan  desain  setrika  listrik  yang  telah  beredar  di  pasaran.  Output  dari  tahapan  Voice  of Customers ini kemudian dianalisa untuk dicari tingkat kepentingan tiap fitur menggunakan Metode Kano. Hasil  pengolahan  dengan  Metode  Kano  menunjukkan  enam  fitur,  dengan  kategori  tingkat  kepuasan berupa  attractive  dan  one-dimentional,  yang  sangat  perlu  untuk  dikembangkan.  Fitur-fitur  tersebut adalah: aman, gagang nyaman dipegang, tahan lama, ringan, kesesuaian warna, serta hemat listrik.
Defining reference intervals for a serum growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) assay in a Caucasian population and its potential utility in diabetic kidney disease (DKD)
Authors: Hamon Siobhan M. , Griffin Tomás P. , Islam Md Nahidul , Wall Deirdre , Griffin Matthew D. , O’Shea Paula M.
Published: September 2018

Background:

Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), a stress responsive cytokine, is a promising biomarker of renal functional decline in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). This study aimed primarily to establish normative data and secondarily to evaluate the potential utility of GDF-15 in DKD using Roche Diagnostics electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) in an Irish Caucasian population.

Methods:

Following informed consent, 188 healthy volunteers and 128 participants with diabetes (72 with and 56 without DKD) were recruited to a cross-sectional study. Baseline demographics, anthropometric measurements and laboratory measurements were recorded. Blood for GDF-15 measurement was collected into plain specimen tubes kept at room temperature and processed (centrifugation, separation of serum, freezing at −80 °C) within 1 h of phlebotomy pending batch analyses. Reference intervals were determined using the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles for serum GDF-15 concentration.

Results:

Of 188 healthy participants, 63 failed to meet study inclusion criteria. The reference interval for serum GDF-15 was 399 ng/L (90% confidence interval [CI]: 399–399) – 1335 ng/L (90% CI: 1152–1445). Receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curve analysis for DKD determined the area under the ROC curve to be 0.931 (95% CI: 0.893–0.959; p<0.001). The optimum GDF-15 cutoff for predicting DKD was >1136 ng/L providing a diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 94.4% and 79%, respectively, and positive likelihood ratio of 4.5:1 (95% CI: 3.4–6.0).

Conclusions:

The reference interval for serum GDF-15 in a healthy Irish Caucasian population using Roche Diagnostics ECLIA was established and a preliminary determination of the potential of GDF-15 as a screening test for DKD was made. Further prospective validation with a larger DKD cohort will be required before the cutoff presented here is recommended for clinical use.
A patient focused relationship for specialists in laboratory medicine
Authors: Watson Ian D.
Published: September 2018

Technological change is driving individualized healthcare delivery including laboratory medicine. Ensuring patients gain from their empowerment it is essential that they access data that enables them to utilize reliable information. The potential difficulties of comprehension, information retention and imperfect modes of communication can significantly impair utilization of information by patients. Support for understanding and decision-making needs to be clinically competent and integrated within the healthcare team. Specialists in laboratory medicine are well placed to undertake such a role, the issues around this are explored and proposals for better direct engagement with patients made.
Simulation of Carbon Isotope Excursion Events at the Permian-Triassic Boundary Based on GEOCARB
Authors: Zhong Y. J. , Huang K. K. , Lan Y. F. , Chen A. Q.
Published: September 2018

The biggest Phanerozoic mass extinctionoccurred at the Permian-Triassic boundary and resulted in the loss of about 95% or more of all marine species. For quite some time, many kinds of abnormal environmental events were adopted to explain the abnormal reduction of carbon isotope at the Permian-Triassic boundary, however there still has not been a unified opinion. In this paper, based on the carbon cycle balance model of the earth under a long-period scale, the contributions of possible cataclysm events at the Permian-Triassic boundary to the carbon isotope records in carbonates were quantitatively simulated. The results proved that a single event, such as volcanism, terrestrial ecosystem collapse or another factor, was not strong enough to lead to the negative bias of carbon isotope at the Permian-Triassic boundary. Even though the release of methane hydrate can result in a comparably large negative excursion of inorganic carbon, this explanation becomes unsuitable when both the shifting Permian-Triassic boundary and the fluctuation record of other inorganic carbon isotopes in the early Triassic as a whole are considered. Therefore, it is suggested that the dynamic equilibrium between inorganic carbon reserves and organic carbon reserves was possibly disturbed by a superimposed effect of multiple events.
Benefits of computed tomography in reducing mortality in emergency medicine
Authors: Imai Shinya , Akahane Manabu , Konishi Yuto , Imamura Tomoaki
Published: September 2018

Performing accurate diagnosis using computed tomography (CT) in emergency medicine may reduce mortality rates in various diseases. In this observational, correlational and cross-sectional study, we conducted multiple regression analyses to investigate the relationship between CT utilization rates and mortality. In addition, we estimated the annual net profits from CT to show the profitability of introducing a CT system in each Japanese prefecture.

We conducted a multiple regression analysis to investigate correlations between CT utilization rates and mortality from each disease adjusted for the population density, number of doctors, as well as transportation time to the medical institution.

The results of multiple regression analysis showed that traffic accident mortality was related to CT utilization rate and population density. Extrinsic death such as mortality due to falling, drowning and asphyxia was related to CT utilization, indicating that CT in emergency medicine reduced mortality. Moreover, the annual net profit from multi-slice CT (MSCT) was estimated as positive.

Our study clearly demonstrates that CT utilization rates relate to a reduction in mortality from accidents, indicating that screening patients with CT in the emergency room has a beneficial effect and reduces mortality. Therefore, CT equipment has a beneficial effect in both emergency medicine and hospital management.
Hyperlocal Language Revalorization in Verona, Italy
Authors: Leone-Pizzighella Andrea
Published: September 2018

In Verona, Northern Italy, a music group is revalorizing a localdialetto(‘dialect’) by putting it to music. By both reviving hundred-year old songs and writing their own music and lyrics, they are widening the cultural reach that this language has and they are finding contemporary ways for people to engage with it. Unlike political groups and their related language activists in the region of Veneto, this music group does not have secessionist ideals or a pan-Veneto rallying cry behind their lyrics. Instead, they are decidedly apolitical and are focused on the hyperlocal dimension of language and musical tradition: like the Slow Food movement and the Km 0 movement, the music group Contrada Lorì makes music with local resources (such as their localdialetto) and local knowledge for a local crowd. This article considers the role ofdialettoin the band’s musical portrayal of place and personhood, and considers the language ideological underpinnings of the group’s quest to balance hyperlocal linguistic authenticity and cosmopolitan innovation through music.
Policy and pedagogical pliability: Enrichment in Võro-language revitalization in Estonia
Authors: Brown Kara D.
Published: September 2018

This article explores policy and pedagogical pliability as strategies for perpetuating and protecting regional languages, like Võro, in the twenty-first century. The concept of pliability, as I develop it in this article, refers to the flexibility and adaptability of policies that are free from prescriptive and strict mandates. By examining this case from Estonia, I posit that the notion of enrichment plays a significant role in shaping the pliability and durability of contemporary Estonian regional-language policy. Whether an intentional or accidental approach on the part of Võro-language supporters, an emphasis on enrichment effectively helps to position the regional-language speakers with the national majority and establish proximity to their political and cultural interests. The data for this analysis were gathered during a diachronic, qualitative yearlong, school-based ethnography of Võro-language teachers in southeastern Estonia in 2001–2002 and 2013–2014. As a result of this ethnographic analysis, I find that enrichment as an ideology carries significant implications across macro and micro levels of language planning for revitalization including contributing to the curtailment of possibilities for long-term legal recognition for the language, perpetuating a classroom emphasis on oral skills over written skills, and emphasizing the arts- and performance-based value of language learning. The article concludes with lessons learned from the pliability of policy and pedagogy for language revitalization efforts elsewhere in Europe and beyond.
Education and Participation in Political Violence: A Look into Non-Linear Associational Patterns
Authors: Saeed Luqman
Published: September 2018

This paper presents empirical evidence for nonlinear relationship between education attainment and participation in political violence. The results are based on unweighted and weighted Probit estimations using a consolidated dataset of 200 militants and representative sample of over 13,000 Pakistanis. The results reveal that likelihood of participation in political violence increases with education attainment. However, the response of education attainment to political violence is diverse and those with education around high school are more likely to engage in political violence than any other level of education. At no level of education, the likelihood for participation in political violence is found to be negative. Hence, while political violence seems to be associated with literacy, there are noteworthy variations in the extent to which literacy affects political violence.
Simultaneous Adaptation of AHP and Fuzzy AHP to Evaluate Outsourcing Service in East and Southeast Asia
Authors: Pham Van Kien , Wong Wing-Keung , Moslehpour Massoud , Musyoki Dennis
Published: September 2018

To sustain a competitive advantage, nowadays more than ever, outsourcing is crucially important for international and domestic firms. However, making the right outsourcing decision is not just a simple task; rather, it is a multiple-factor decision-making issue. This article attempts to aid decision makers in solving such difficult problems. We suggest an outsourcing hierarchy model based on the concept of the analytic hierarchy process with four levels of the most concerned attributes: competitiveness, human resources, business environment, and government policies. With respect to these factors, six typical alternatives in the Southeast Asia region are selected and compared with those in China. We investigate the best outsourcing service destination among these seven typical outsourcing services. Our findings show that China is the optimal outsourcing service destination. Other Southeast Asian nations, such as Vietnam, Thailand, or the Philippines, are emerging as attractive alternative locations. We found that cost competitiveness is the most important attribute. Furthermore, the comparison between the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Fuzzy AHP show some significant differences but lead to similar conclusions. This study bridges the existing gap in the literature to provide decision makers an outsourcing hierarchy model based on the AHP and Fuzzy AHP approach with the most concerned factors.
Study on the Bending Performance of Composite H-Shaped Piles
Authors: Jeong Je-Pyong , Kang Dae-Hung
Published: September 2018

There has been a great increase in the number of structural members composed of two or more materials with different stress–strain distributions. This study investigated the bending performance of composite H-shaped piles subjected to bending moments. Load–displacement hysteresis curves were analyzed using limit state analysis, and eight specimens—six composite H-shaped piles made of reinforced concrete and H-shaped steel beams (i.e., composite H-shaped piles) and two conventional H-shaped steel piles—were tested using a loading apparatus. The test results show that the ductility capacity of the composite H-shaped pile is 138 % more than that of the conventional H-shaped steel pile.
Gamma Shielding Properties of Erbium Zinc Tellurite Glass System Using Monte Carlo Method
Authors: Tekin Huseyin Ozan , Singh Vishwanath P. , Altunsoy Elif Ebru , Karahan Mesut , Sayyed M. I. , Erguzel Turker Tekin , Serdaroglu Kasikci Emel , Konuk Muhsin
Published: September 2018

This study aimed to determine the gamma shielding parameters of an Erbium Zinc Tellurite Glass System. The mass attenuation coefficients of Erbium Zinc Tellurite Glass System xEr2O3:20ZnO : (80-x) TeO2 were computed using Monte Carlo simulation at photon energies 20, 30, and 40 keV and 60, 356, 662, 1,173, 1,274, and 1,332 keV. The half-value layer thickness was calculated using the mass attenuation coefficients. The obtained results were compared to standard XCOM data and found comparable. It was found that the erbium zinc tellurite glass with a higher content of erbium is superior shielding material to other glasses. Thus, the validation of a generated Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code System-Extended simulation setup has been provided. It can be concluded that results of the present investigation would be very useful for applications of medical diagnostic and nuclear technology.
Oxygen Isotope Exchange in Proton-Conducting Oxides Based on Lanthanum Scandates
Authors: Farlenkov A. S. , Khodimchuk A. V. , Shevyrev N. A. , Stroeva A. Yu. , Fetisov A. V. , Ananyev M. V.
Published: September 2018

The method of oxygen isotope exchange with the gas phase equilibration have been used to obtain the temperature dependences of the oxygen surface exchange and diffusion coefficients with proton-conducting oxides La1–xSrxScO3–δ (x = 0; 0.04; 0.09) in the temperature range of 600−900°C at oxygen pressure 1.01 kPa. The paper determines that the diffusion and oxygen surface exchange coefficients increase with the increasing of the strontium content in the oxides. We have found out the rates of the individual stages of the oxygen exchange process on the surface of the oxides. It is shown that oxygen incorporation is rate-determining stage of the oxygen exchange on the surface of the undoped oxide, whereas for the strontium-doped oxides La1–xSrxScO3–δ (x = 0; 0.04; 0.09) with increasing of strontium concentration, the difference between the rates of dissociative adsorption and oxygen incorporation decreases so that for the oxide La0,91Sr0,09ScO3–δ the stage of dissociative adsorption of oxygen becomes rate-determining stage. The paper analyzes the possible reasons of these differences in oxygen surface exchange kinetics. Moreover, the paper using the obtained oxygen diffusion coefficients that have been recalculated in the oxygen-ionic conductivities according to the Nernst-Einstein equation performs the contributions of the oxygen-ion and proton components of the total conductivity of oxides La1–xSrxScO3–δ (x = 0; 0.04; 0.09) in the wet reducing atmosphere (pH2O = 2.35 kPa, pO2 = 10−15 Pa). Proton transference numbers are shown to be close to unit in the temperature range of 500–600 °С at the wet hydrogen-containing reducing atmosphere.
The effect of resistance training on the anxiety symptoms and quality of life in elderly people with Parkinson's disease: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Ferreira Renilson Moraes , Alves Wilson Mateus Gomes da Costa , Lima Tiago Alencar de , Alves Thiago Goçalves Gibson , Alves Filho Pedro Artur Madureira , Pimentel Clebson Pantoja , Sousa Evitom Correa , Cortinhas-Alves Erik Artur
Published: September 2018

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess the effects of resistance training on the anxiety symptoms and quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease. Methods: Thirty-five elderly patients were randomly divided into two groups: 17 patients in the control group and 18 in the intervention group. All patients maintained standard pharmacological treatment for Parkinson's disease, but the intervention group participated in a 24-week resistance training program. The anxiety symptoms were assessed through the Beck's Anxiety Inventory, and quality of life by the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire–39. Results: There was a significant reduction in anxiety level and increase in quality of life after 24 weeks of resistance training. Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that resistance training is an effective intervention in the reduction of anxiety symptoms and improves the quality of life in elderly people with Parkinson's disease.
Twenty-five years since the identification of the first SCA gene: history, clinical features and perspectives for SCA1
Authors: Martins Junior Carlos Roberto , Borba Fabrício Castro de , Martinez Alberto Rolim Muro , Rezende Thiago Junqueira Ribeiro de , Cendes Iscia Lopes , Pedroso José Luiz , Barsottini Orlando Graziani Povoas , França Júnior Marcondes Cavalcante
Published: September 2018

ABSTRACT Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of monogenic diseases that share ataxia and autosomal dominant inheritance as the core features. An important proportion of SCAs are caused by CAG trinucleotide repeat expansions in the coding region of different genes. In addition to genetic heterogeneity, clinical features transcend motor symptoms, including cognitive, electrophysiological and imaging aspects. Despite all the progress in the past 25 years, the mechanisms that determine how neuronal death is mediated by these unstable expansions are still unclear. The aim of this article is to review, from an historical point of view, the first CAG-related ataxia to be genetically described: SCA 1.