bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Adult with a Remnant Urachus Anomaly Diagnosed in the Emergency Department
Authors: Lucerna Alan , Lee James , Espinosa James , Hertz Risha , Scali Victor
Published: August 2018

The urachus is a midline tubular structure that stretches from the apex of the bladder and connects to the umbilicus. Urachal remnants result from incomplete regression of the fetal urachus in infancy. We report the case of a 21-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with purulent drainage from his umbilicus in association with a chronic intermittent “pulling sensation” in the umbilicus and suprapubic areas. An infected urachal remnant was diagnosed and was treated with an oral antibiotic and ultimately with outpatient excision of the remnant. Such cases are rare but have the potential to progress to sepsis. In addition, chronic inflammation can lead to neoplastic transformation (adenocarcinoma). Urachal remnant infections can be considered in adults with umbilical purulent drainage. We propose that the “pulling sensation” described may be a clue to the diagnosis in some patients in which the urachal remnant is attached to the bladder and that the sensation was due to the mechanical connection between the bladder and the umbilicus. The sensation resolved postremoval status of the remnant. This does not appear to have been previously proposed in the literature.
Robust Estimation of the Unbalance of Rotor Systems Based on Sparsity Control of the Residual Model
Authors: Zang Tingpeng , Wen Guangrui , Zhang Zhifen
Published: August 2018

The vibration signals of rotating machinery are frequently disturbed by background noise and external disturbances because of the equipment’s particular working environment. Thus, robustness has become one of the most important problems in identifying the unbalance of rotor systems. Based on the observation that external disturbance of the unbalance response often displays sparsity compared with measured vibration data, we present a new robust method for identifying the unbalance of rotor systems based on model residual sparsity control. The residual model is composed of two parts: one part takes regular measurements of noise, while the other part evaluates the impact of external disturbances. With the help of the sparsity of external disturbances, the unbalance identification is converted into a convex optimization problem and solved by a sparse signal reconstruction algorithm. Experiment results have shown that the proposed method is robust and effective in identifying the unbalance of rotor systems in a complex environment, improving the precision of unbalance estimation and simplifying the balancing process.
Effect of Load Cycling on the Fracture Strength/Mode of Teeth Restored with FRC Posts or a FRC Liner and a Resin Composite
Authors: Gaintantzopoulou Maria D. , Farmakis Eleftherios T. , Eliades George C.
Published: August 2018

The aim of the study was to comparatively evaluate the fracture strength and mode of root canal treated teeth restored with resin composites with and without posts. The lingual cusps of root canal treated first upper premolars (n = 10/group) were removed down to cervical enamel and restored with the following: group A: glass-fiber post (Glassix) followed by a particulate-filled composite resin (PFC, G-aenial posterior, 3 × 2 mm layers); group B: glass-fiber reinforced composite bulk fill liner (EverX posterior, 4 mm layer) with the PFC (2 mm layer). Specimens were immersed in H2O (1 w/37°C), then subjected to load cycling (50 N/0.2 Hz/200k cycles), and fractured under compressive loading. Failure mode was characterized by stereomicroscopy. Statistical analysis was performed by Mann-Whitney (load) and Chi-square (mode) at a = 0.05. No statistically significant differences (p = 0.273) were found in fracture load between median values of groups A (860 N) and B (1059 N). In group A, 60% of the specimens demonstrated catastrophic root fractures and 40% mixed crown fractures (tooth cusp and restoration), whereas in group B, no root fractures were found, and the failure modes were equally distributed between mixed fractures as above and fracture of the buccal cusp. These differences were statistically significant (p = 0.004). The combination of the glass-FRC bulk fill liner with the PFC diminished the catastrophic root fractures induced by FRC posts, at a similar or higher fracture load.
RETRACTED: KMT2C Mutations in Diffuse-Type Gastric Adenocarcinoma Promote Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
Authors: Cho Soo-Jeong , Yoon Changhwan , Lee Jun Ho , Chang Kevin K. , Lin Jian-xian , Kim Young-Ho , Kook Myeong-Cherl , Aksoy Bülent Arman , Park Do Joong , Ashktorab Hassan , Smoot Duane T. , Schultz Nikolaus , Yoon Sam S.
Published: August 2018

Purpose:

Lauren diffuse-type gastric adenocarcinomas (DGAs) are generally genomically stable. We identified lysine (K)-specific methyltransferase 2C (KMT2C) as a frequently mutated gene and examined its role in DGA progression.

Experimental Design:

We performed whole exome sequencing on tumor samples of 27 patients with DGA who underwent gastrectomy. Lysine (K)-specific methyltransferase 2C (KMT2C) was analyzed in DGA cell lines and in patient tumors.

Results:

KMT2C was the most frequently mutated gene (11 of 27 tumors [41%]). KMT2C expression by immunohistochemistry in tumors from 135 patients with DGA undergoing gastrectomy inversely correlated with more advanced tumor stage (P = 0.023) and worse overall survival (P = 0.017). KMT2C shRNA knockdown in non-transformed HFE-145 gastric epithelial cells promoted epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as demonstrated by increased expression of EMT-related proteins N-cadherin and Slug. Migration and invasion in gastric epithelial cells following KMT2C knockdown increased by 47- to 88-fold. In the DGA cell lines MKN-45 and SNU-668, which have lost KMT2C expression, KMT2C re-expression decreased expression of EMT-related proteins, reduced cell migration by 52% to 60%, and reduced cell invasion by 50% to 74%. Flank xenografts derived from KMT2C-expressing DGA organoids, compared with wild-type organoids, grew more slowly and lost their infiltrative leading edge. EMT can lead to the acquisition of cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotypes. KMT2C re-expression in DGA cell lines reduced spheroid formation by 77% to 78% and reversed CSC resistance to chemotherapy via promotion of DNA damage and apoptosis.

Conclusions:

KMT2C is frequently mutated in certain populations with DGA. KMT2C loss in DGA promotes EMT and is associated with worse overall survival.
A Clinical and Molecular Phase II Trial of Oral ENMD-2076 in Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma (OCCC): A Study of the Princess Margaret Phase II Consortium
Authors: Lheureux Stephanie , Tinker Anna , Clarke Blaise , Ghatage Prafull , Welch Stephen , Weberpals Johanne I. , Dhani Neesha C. , Butler Marcus O. , Tonkin Katia , Tan Qian , Tan David S.P. , Brooks Kelly , Ramsahai Janelle , Wang Lisa , Pham Nhu-An , Shaw Patricia A. , Tsao Ming S. , Garg Swati , Stockley Tracey , Oza Amit M.
Published: August 2018

Purpose:

Patients with recurrent ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) have limited effective options due to chemoresistance. A phase II study was designed to assess the activity of ENMD-2076, an oral multitarget kinase selective against Aurora A and VEGFR.

Patients and Methods:

This multicenter phase II study included patients with recurrent OCCC who received prior platinum-based chemotherapy. Primary endpoints were objective response and 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) rates. Correlative analyses include ARID1A and PTEN expression by IHC and gene sequencing with a targeted custom capture next-generation sequencing panel.

Results:

Forty patients were enrolled with a median age of 54, of which 38 patients were evaluable. ENMD-2076 was well tolerated with main related grade 3 toxicities being hypertension (28%), proteinuria (10%), and diarrhea (10%). Best response was partial response for 3 patients (1 unconfirmed) and stable disease for 26 patients. The overall 6-month PFS rate was 22% and differed according to ARID1A expression (ARIDIA− vs. ARID1A+; 33% vs. 12%, P = 0.023). PTEN-positive expression was observed in 20 of 36 patients, and there was no correlation with outcome. Median PFS in patients with PI3KCA wild-type versus PI3KCA-mutated group was 5 versus 3.7 months (P = 0.049). Molecular profiling showed variants in PI3KCA (27%), ARID1A (26%), and TP53 (7%). The patient with the longest treatment duration (22 months) was PTEN wild-type, diploid PTEN with putative biallelic inactivation of ARID1A.

Conclusions:

Single-agent ENMD-2076 did not meet the preset bar for efficacy. Loss of ARID1A correlated with better PFS on ENMD-2076 and warrants further investigation as a potential predictive biomarker.
A Membrane-Targeted Peptide Inhibiting PtxA of Phosphotransferase System Blocks Streptococcus mutans
Authors: Xiang Shao-Wen , Shao Jun , He Jian , Wu Xin-Yu , Xu Xiao-Hu , Zhao Wang-Hong
Published: August 2018

Streptococcus mutans, the primary cause of dental caries, takes up carbohydrates through the phosphoenolpyruvate sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS). This study aimed to identify a novel membrane-targeted antimicrobial peptide (AMP) that could also target the L-ascorbate-specific PtxA component of the S. mutans PTS system. C10-KKWW was identified and selected using virtual screening of a lipopeptide library, a minimum inhibiting concentration (MIC) assay, cytotoxicity assays and a hemolysis assay. Surface plasmon resonance confirmed that C10-KKWW had a high binding affinity for PtxA. Combining with scanning electron microscopy and cell permeability assay, it was shown that the effects of C10-KKWW could be attributed to both membrane and PtxA. Wild type (WT) S. mutans, a ptxA deletion mutant (ΔptxA), and a mutant-complemented strain (CptxA), were cultured consistently in brain heart infusion (BHI) medium, tryptone-vitamin medium supplemented with 15 mM L-ascorbate (TVL), or for 5 h in BHI supplemented with 7.4 mM sodium L-ascorbate. Compared to ∆ptxA, in WT S. mutans and CptxA, C10-KKWW had a stronger MIC (3.9 μg/mL), and distinctively decreased biofilm viability. The extracellular concentrations of L-ascorbate/sodium L-ascorbate were not changed before and after WT treated with C10-KKWW. L-ascorbate-induced operon genes, or other PTS genes, were significantly suppressed by C10-KKWW. In conclusion, C10-KKWW has been developed; it acts through interaction with the bacterial membrane and interferes with L-ascorbate translocation to inhibit S. mutans growth and eradicate its biofilm. C10-KKWW may be especially effective at optimal oral ascorbate levels. A combination of C10-KKWW with sodium L-ascorbate might also be a novel strategy for dental caries treatment.
Pulsatility Index as a Novel Parameter for Perfusion in Mouse Model of Hindlimb Ischemia
Authors: Xu Hairong , Lu Shan , Ding Lexi , Lyu Liangkun , Ma Zejun , Lu Qiulun
Published: August 2018

Background/Aims: In clinical settings, the pulsatility index (PI) has become a widely used tool for monitoring obstetrics or other vascular diseases. It is based on the maximum Doppler shift waveform derived from ultrasonography. However, it remains unclear whether the PI levels are correctly predicted from the perfusion in mouse model of hindlimb ischemia. Methods: To explore the relationship between PI and perfusion, we generated a unilateral hindlimb ischemia model in 8-week-old C57BL/6 male mice by ligation of the right common iliac artery and femoral artery. These mice were monitored with laser Doppler perfusion imaging (LDPI) and an ultrasound system (Vevo2100). Vessel densities in ischemic skeletal muscles were measured with vWF staining, which functions as a marker for endothelial cells. In order to further verify PI evaluation in other conditions, we performed therapeutic experiments using hindlimb ischemic mouse with PBS or FGF2 treatment. Results: In the mouse model of hindlimb ischemia, the PI levels were continuously elevated and were accompanied by an increased ratio of perfusion to blood flow. 1 and 4 weeks after ischemia, the densities of vWF staining were correlated with PI values. Moreover, the PI index exactly reflected the perfusion in hindlimb ischemic mice after FGF2 treatment, while it indicated the condition of angiogenesis after therapeutic treatment based on the association between PI values and the number of vWF-positive stained cells in muscles. Conclusion: This study confirms the utility of a noninvasive and reproducible ultrasound index for a rapid evaluation of perfusion and blood recovery after hindlimb ischemia in vivo. PI, as one stable and comparable parameter, is correlated with angiogenesis in hindlimb ischemic mouse. Moreover, PI can exactly reflect perfusion and angiogenesis in therapeutic hindlimb ischemic mouse models. This study suggested that PI can serve as a novel index for relatively reproducible and repeatable blood flow recovery in the evaluation of emerging ischemic therapies and disease development in mouse models of hindlimb ischemia.
Nontumorous Portal Vein Thrombosis in Liver Cirrhosis: Possible Role of β-Blockers
Authors: Giannitrapani Lydia , Granà Walter , Licata Anna , Schiavone Cosima , Montalto Giuseppe , Soresi Maurizio
Published: August 2018

Objective: Nonselective β-blockers (NSBB) are used in liver cirrhosis (LC) to prevent variceal bleeding because they decrease portal pressure. A main risk factor for the development of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in LC is decreased portal vein inflow velocity. The aim of our study was to examine retrospectively the incidence of PVT and its correlation with the use of β-blockers in a cohort of LC patients. Subjects and Methods: Data from 230 LC patients (90% Child-Pugh class A), who had been followed up for at least 5 years, were reviewed. The diagnosis of PVT was made by ultrasound. The presence of PVT was evaluated with multiple logistic regression analysis where the independent variables were those significant in the univariate analysis. Results: The prevalence of PVT at baseline was 4.5%, and the incidence was 4.3% at 5 years; among the subjects taking β blockers, 46.4% were taking NSBB. A total of 19 PVT cases were found. Grade of esophageal varices (p < 0.01), PLT (p < 0.003), INR (p < 0.03), spleen diameter (p < 0.001) and PLT/spleen ratio (p < 0.0005) were significantly associated with PVT. The use of NSBB indicated a higher risk of PVT compared to selective β-blockers (SBB) (p < 0.05). In logistic regression analysis only the grade of esophageal varices was significant (p < 0.02). Univariate analysis of patients taking β-blockers showed an association of PVT with grade of esophageal varices (p < 0.01), CP class (p < 0.02), AST (p < 0.03), ALT and albumin (p < 0.02), PLT count and PLT/LD (p < 0.03), longitudinal diameter of the spleen (p < 0.005), ascites (p < 0.05), portal vein (p < 0.0001) and NSBB (OR 8.1; 95% CI 1.7–38.8). Conclusion: NSBB seem to play a role in PV thrombogenesis. Further studies are needed, especially in decompensated LC patients.
Neo-Mandaic in Early Mandaean Colophons. Part 1: Linguistic Features
Authors: Morgenstern Matthew
Published: August 2018

Neo-Mandaic [NM] is a direct descendant of a dialect very close to its classical predecessor. By the time the earliest surviving Mandaean manuscripts were copied, spoken Mandaic already showed many of the developments that distinguish the modern vernaculars from the classical language. This article, the first of two, identifies those features. The second article presents the texts and a brief assessment of the sources of change.
Description of the advertisement calls of four species of Amazophrynella (Anura:Bufonidae)
Authors: ROJAS ROMMEL R. , DE CARVALHO VINICIUS TADEU , ÁVILA ROBSON W. , KAWASHITA-RIBEIRO RICARDO A. , HRBEK TOMAS , GORDO MARCELO
Published: August 2018

Amazophrynella comprises 11 small bufonid species with a pan-Amazonian distribution (Fouquet et al. 2012a, b; Rojas et al. 2016, Rojas et al. 2018). All species inhabit the forest leaf litter, breed in seasonal puddles and are diurnally and nocturnally active (Fouquet et al. 2012b; Rojas et al. 2014; 2015; 2016). Until now only one nominal species, A. javierbustamantei, and two putative lineages—A. moisesii (Rio Yuyapichis, Peru) and A. siona (Santa Cecilia, Ecuador)—had their advertisement calls formally described (Duellman 1978; Schlüter 1981; Rojas et al. 2016). Herein, we described for the first time the advertisement calls from additional four species of Amazophrynella.
Citizens and Condemnation: Strategic Uses of International Human Rights Pressure in Authoritarian States
Authors: Gruffydd-Jones Jamie J.
Published: August 2018

Governments with strict control over the information that their citizens hear from foreign sources are regular targets of human rights pressure, but we know little about how this information matters in the domestic realm. I argue that authoritarian regimes strategically pass on certain types of external pressure to their public to “internationalize” human rights violations, making citizens view human rights in terms of defending their nation internationally rather than in terms of individual violations, and making them more likely to be satisfied with their government’s behavior. I find strong support for this model through statistical analysis of Chinese state media reports of external human rights pressure and a survey experiment on Chinese citizens’ responses to pressure on women’s rights. This analysis demonstrates that authoritarian regimes may be able to manipulate international human rights diplomacy to help them retain the support of their population while suppressing their human rights.
The Role of Employees’ Work Patterns and Office Type Fit (and Misfit) in the Relationships Between Employee Well-Being and Performance
Authors: Soriano Aida , W. Kozusznik Malgorzata , Peiró José M. , Mateo Carolina
Published: August 2018

Nearly half of workers agree that their workspace is unsuitable for their work tasks. Furthermore, it is assumed that happy workers often perform better than unhappy ones. Nevertheless, due to the effect of the emotional-cognitive processes, the misfit between employees’ office type and their work patterns (complexity and interactivity) may hamper this relationship between well-being and performance. This diary study on 83 office workers ( n = 603 time points) combines information about work patterns identified by using cluster analysis with Neufert’s office type classification. Results show that the work pattern–office type (mis)fit moderates the relationship between well-being and performance. The “fit” group shows four out of six positive associations: flow and positive emotions with in-role performance, and positive emotions and activity worthwhileness with extra-role performance. The “misfit” group shows only one out of six positive associations. Thus, the office environment–work pattern fit has a relationship to in-role and extra-role performance.
Legitimacy and the Life Course: An Age-graded Examination of Changes in Legitimacy Attitudes over Time
Authors: McLean Kyle , Wolfe Scott E. , Pratt Travis C.
Published: August 2018

Objectives:

A body of literature has demonstrated that the perceived legitimacy of legal authorities is an important predictor of criminal offending. Criminal offending is itself age-graded and good explanations of offending should offer some insight for how it changes as individuals age. This article attempts to address this gap by developing and testing seven hypotheses regarding how legitimacy changes over time.

Method:

Using panel data from the Pathways to Desistance study, a latent growth model (LGM) for legitimacy examines how evaluations of legitimacy change from adolescence to emerging adulthood as well as what factors influence this change.

Results:

During the period individuals were involved in the study, the LGM revealed that perceptions of legitimacy increase as individuals progress through adolescence before stabilizing in emerging adulthood. Several theoretical factors were related to individuals’ legitimacy evaluations including parental evaluations of legitimacy, family support, emotionality, and self-control. Most importantly, perceptions of procedural justice were found to be related to legitimacy, but this relationship weakened as individuals aged.

Conclusions:

Evaluations of the legitimacy of legal authorities are, in fact, age-graded. Criminologists should continue to explore the sources of legitimacy evaluations in further developing legitimacy as an important theory of criminal behavior.
Political Leaders and Public Engagement: The Hidden World of Informal Elite–Citizen Interaction
Authors: Hendriks Carolyn M , Lees-Marshment Jennifer
Published: August 2018

To date, practical and scholarly work on participatory and deliberative governance has focused on supply-side issues such as how to engage citizens in public policy. Yet little is known about the demand for public engagement, particularly from those authorised to make collective decisions. This article empirically examines how political leaders view and value public input. It draws on 51 in-depth interviews with senior national ministers from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. The interviews reveal that leaders value public input because it informs their decisions, connects them to everyday people and ‘tests’ advice from other sources. Their support for participatory governing is, however, qualified; they find formal consultation processes too staged and antagonistic to produce constructive interactions. Instead leaders prefer informal, spontaneous conversations with individual citizens. This hidden world of informal elite–citizen interaction has implications for the design and democratic aspirations of public engagement.
Long-Term Recidivism Studies Show That Desistance Is the Norm
Authors: Hanson R. Karl
Published: August 2018

A criminal history record is a valid indicator of the propensity for rule violation, and such records are rightly used in applied decision making both within and outside of the criminal justice system (e.g., employment screening). A criminal conviction, however, is a time dependent risk factor. During the past decade, researchers have examined desistance using statistical models of residual hazards. These studies find that after about 10 years offense-free (5 years for juveniles), the risk presented by most individuals with a criminal record is not meaningfully different from that of the general population. Similar time-free effects are found for both sexual and nonsexual offenses. Given that desistance is almost inevitable, record retention and access policies need to carefully consider the consequences of decisions being based on old records with little information value.
How Do Prior Ties Affect Learning by Hiring?
Authors: Tandon Vivek , Ertug Gokhan , Carnabuci Gianluca
Published: August 2018

Research has shown that hiring R&D scientists from competitors fosters organizational learning. We examine whether hiring scientists who have many collaborative ties with the hiring firm prior to the mobility event produces different learning outcomes than hiring scientists who have few or no such ties. We theorize that prior ties reduce explorative learning and increase exploitative learning. Namely, we posit that prior ties lead the hiring firm to focus on that part of a new hire’s knowledge with which they are already familiar and that they help appropriate the new hire’s newly generated knowledge. At the same time, prior ties induce new hires to search locally within the hiring firm’s knowledge base and to produce more incremental, lower-impact innovations. Using data on R&D scientists’ mobility in the Electronics and Electrical Goods industry, we find broad support for our hypotheses. Our results extend our theoretical understanding of learning-by-hiring processes and bear practical managerial implications.
Social Entrepreneurship Research: Past Achievements and Future Promises
Authors: Saebi Tina , Foss Nicolai J. , Linder Stefan
Published: August 2018

The past decade has witnessed a surge of research interest in social entrepreneurship (SE). This has resulted in important insights concerning the role of SE in fostering inclusive growth and institutional change. However, the rapid growth of SE research, the emerging nature of the literature, and the fact that SE builds on different disciplines and fields (e.g., entrepreneurship, sociology, economics, ethics) have led to a rather fragmented literature without dominant frameworks. This situation risks leading to a duplication of efforts and hampers cumulative knowledge growth. Drawing on 395 peer-reviewed articles on SE, we (1) identify gaps in SE research on three levels of analysis (i.e., individual, organizational, institutional), (2) proffer an integrative multistage, multilevel framework, and (3) discuss promising avenues for further research on SE.
Recurrent sternal thymoma after thymectomy by video-assisted thoracic surgery
Authors: Matsuoka Shunichiro , Kondo Ryoichi , Ishii Keiko
Published: August 2018

An 81-year-old man underwent thymectomy by video-assisted thoracic surgery for a mediastinal tumor. The pathological diagnosis was Masaoka stage II type B3 thymoma. Thirty-six months later, he presented with a growing mass on his anterior chest wall. Computed tomography showed a lobulated tumor in the sternum with bone destruction. Positron-emission tomography-computed tomography showed a maximal standardized uptake of 12.3 in the tumor. Core needle biopsy confirmed a metastatic sternal tumor from a type B3 thymoma. We partially resected the sternum and reconstructed the defect using an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene sheet. The patient has remained recurrence-free for 3 years after the second surgery.
Does the superdiversity label stick? Configurations of ethnic diversity in Dutch class rooms
Authors: Siebers Hans
Published: August 2018

Superdiversity has become a popular term to depict the societal impact of migration in Europe, but does its heuristic value justify its popularity? The term superdiversity seems to be important to many scholars, but is it relevant to the lived experiences and applicable to the reality of migrants and non-migrants in societal institutions like education? This article aims to assess this heuristic value by applying superdiversity’s connotations to findings of 125 interviews with students and teachers of a Dutch university of applied sciences. The two different configurations of diversity found, i.e. commonplace diversity and essentialist diversity, question superdiversity’s heuristic value. First, students do not experience diversity as something exciting or ‘super’ or positive, as superdiversity authors suggest. Their main concerns, i.e. to enjoy education and to construct their identities in line with institutional demands, are not covered by the notion of superdiversity. Second, key descriptive meanings associated with superdiversity do not make sense to these configurations of diversity, i.e. discarding the ethno-focal lens and expectations of more or new and multilayered complexity. Findings point to conviviality, creolization, ethnic boundaries and groupism, not to superdiversity.
Towards a Macromarketing and Consumer Culture Theory Intersection: Participatory and Deliberative Methodologies
Authors: Saatcioglu Bige , Corus Canan
Published: August 2018

This article provides a discussion on the use of an alternative paradigm towards a cross-fertilization of CCT and macromarketing. Researchers at the intersection of CCT and macromarketing can benefit from both research traditions’ relative strength: the deep sociocultural focus of CCT and the structural lens of Macromarketing. To facilitate this dialogue, the authors propose an innovative and inclusive approach to research design and data collection. More specifically, the action research paradigm that is driven by an agenda for an egalitarian participation into the social sphere, a multidimensional wellbeing, and a reflexive social change is introduced. The discussion on an action research-driven research design and methodology also builds upon the key insights of Macromarketing and CCT traditions and offers a detailed framework for researchers who wish to bring an alternative and fresh look into a CCT/Macromarketing alliance.
Learning to reconstruct 3D structures for occupancy mapping from depth and color information
Authors: Guizilini Vitor , Ramos Fabio
Published: August 2018

Real-world scenarios contain many structural patterns that, if appropriately extracted and modeled, can be used to reduce problems associated with sensor failure and occlusions while improving planning methods in such tasks as navigation and grasping. This paper devises a novel unsupervised procedure that models 3D structures from unorganized pointclouds as occupancy maps. Our methodology enables the learning of unique and arbitrarily complex features using a variational Bayesian convolutional auto-encoder, which compresses local information into a latent low-dimensional representation and then decodes it back in order to reconstruct the original scene, including color information when available. This reconstructive model is trained on features obtained automatically from a wide variety of scenarios, in order to improve its generalization and interpolative powers. We show that the proposed framework is able to recover partially missing structures and reason over occlusions with high accuracy while maintaining a detailed reconstruction of observed areas. To combine localized feature estimates seamlessly into a single global structure, we employ the Hilbert maps framework, recently proposed as a robust and efficient occupancy mapping technique, and introduce a new kernel for reproducing kernel Hilbert space projection that uses estimates from the reconstructive model. Experimental tests are conducted with large-scale 2D and 3D datasets, using both laser and monocular data, and a study of the impact of various accuracy–speed trade-offs is provided to assess the limits of the proposed methodology.
Microvascular complications of diabetes worsen long-term functional outcomes after acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Li Longling , Li Changqing
Published: August 2018

Objective

This study was performed to evaluate the potential predictors of poor outcomes associated with diabetes-specific microvascular pathologies and to analyze their influence on clinical outcomes by adjusting for other well-known prognostic factors in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Methods

We analyzed 1389 consecutive adult patients with acute ischemic stroke and explored the relationship among clinical characteristics, laboratory measurements, imaging findings, and 6-month functional outcomes.

Results

The final study population comprised 216 patients with both acute ischemic stroke and diabetes mellitus who were followed up for 6 months. A multiple logistic regression analysis of poor outcomes revealed the following independent predictors: leukoaraiosis severity [odds ratio (OR), 7.38; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.40–38.86, per 1-point increase), diabetic nephropathy (OR, 10.66; 95% CI, 1.10–103.43), and the admission National Institutes of Health stroke scale score (OR, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.36–4.92 per 1-point increase). In this model, admission hyperglycemia and intracerebral hemorrhagic transformation were not independent prognostic predictors.

Conclusion

Microvascular complications (such as nephropathy) caused by diabetes mellitus predict an unfavorable clinical outcome after acute ischemic stroke. Diabetic nephropathy may partly affect post-stroke prognosis by means of exacerbating leukoaraiosis.
The content of reablement: Exploring occupational and physiotherapy interventions
Authors: Zingmark Magnus , Evertsson Bodil , Haak Maria
Published: August 2018

Statement of context

Occupational therapists and physiotherapists in a Swedish municipality answered a web-based survey about their reablement interventions.

Critical reflection on practice

There were overlapping areas as well as differences regarding the focus of occupational and physiotherapy interventions. Regarding the duration of interventions, occupational therapy was implemented over a short time span in contrast to physiotherapy, which had a longer duration. Both professions used valid and reliable instruments to a very limited extent.

Implications for practice

If other areas than self-care and mobility are to be addressed within reablement there is a need to critically reflect on the focus, content and duration of reablement interventions. Valid and reliable assessments can be utilised to a greater extent to guide goal-setting, the focus of interventions and to evaluate effects.
Environmental profile of an innovative household biowaste dryer system based on Life Cycle Assessment
Authors: Konstantzos Giorgos E , Malamis Dimitrios , Sotiropoulos Aggelos , Loizidou Maria
Published: August 2018

An alternative approach to biowaste management involves the application of an innovative household dryer for the dehydration of biowaste at source, in order to significantly reduce its mass and volume, and subsequently the collection frequency.

The main objective of this work is to assess the potential impacts of the system under examination, which involves the household dryer use and kerbside collection of the dehydrated residues (biomass), by conducting a Life Cycle Assessment study. The stages considered in the present study include the following: (a) the construction of the household biowaste dryer; (b) the use of the dryer and the collection of dehydrated residues; (c) the end-of-life treatment of the dryer. The results revealed that emissions coming from kerbside collection account for the vast majority of the total emissions from each category examined, apart from Terrestrial Ecotoxicity, where lignite, heavy fuel oil and diesel combustion during electricity production affect mainly this category. The potential impact in Global Warming over 100 years was estimated to be 8.87 kg CO2 eq / t biowaste. The Human Toxicity Potential was 1.86 kg 1,4-DB eq / t biowaste, Terrestrial Ecotoxicity Potential was 0.027 kg 1,4-DB eq / t biowaste, Freshwater Aquatic Ecotoxicity Potential was 0.0126 kg 1,4-DB eq / t biowaste and Marine Aquatic Ecotoxicity Potential was 521.85 kg 1,4-DB eq / t biowaste. Acidification Potential was estimated at 0.035 kg SO2 eq / t biowaste, while Eutrophication Potential was 0.0065 kg PO4— eq / t biowaste. Finally, Photochemical Oxidation Potential was 0.0014 kg C2H4 eq / t biowaste.
Environmental policies for drinks packaging in Georgia: A mini-review of EPR policies with a focus on incentive compatibility
Authors: Wiesmeth Hans , Shavgulidze Nino , Tevzadze Nino
Published: August 2018

The paper investigates various approaches to an environmental policy regarding drinks containers in Georgia. Currently, most of the waste containers are landfilled or pollute the environment through littering, and separate collection and recycling of drinks containers are almost nonexistent.

The Association Agreement with the EU, which entered into force in July 2016, stipulates the development of up-to-date waste management activities in this transition country.

In accordance with the legal framework, this mini-review proposes an EPR policy for Georgia, based on the waste hierarchy. Various approaches for such an EPR policy are reviewed as regards their feasibility for a transition country, but in particular with regard to incentive compatibility: the policy should guide producers and consumers to comply with the regulations. Some cost estimates demonstrate the financial feasibility of the recommended solution. Practical experiences from Austria, Bulgaria, France and Germany provide a European context.
Determinants of ex-combatants’ attitudes toward transitional justice in Colombia
Authors: Daly Sarah Zukerman
Published: August 2018

This article draws on original survey data of 10,951 Colombian ex-paramilitaries to study the determinants of victimizers’ support for transitional justice. Understanding ex-combatants’ attitudes toward victims of the conflict and measures of justice is critical to gaining leverage on when transitional justice is likely to prove effective. The data suggest that former fighters’ views of transitional justice are shaped by the intimacy with which they experience transitional justice: whether they are known to, in close proximity, and accepted by the communities they victimized. Their attitudes are also constrained by the norms of justice in which they have been socialized, and by the extent of the risks to them personally: in judicial terms given their own culpability and in security terms given their vulnerability to retribution. The study has important implications for the prospects of successful transitional justice with the FARC rebels and for the consolidation of peace in Colombia.
Redefining the Neck: A Retrospective Review Utilizing Hyoid Suspension
Authors: Nizam Sami A. , Branman Rhys
Published: August 2018

Neck contouring is one of the most frequent reasons patients seek cervicofacial rhytidectomy. But what makes for aesthetically pleasing youthful neck? Ellenbogen and Karlin described 5 criteria in their 1980 landmark publication, including having a cervicomental angle between 105° and 120° and a visible subhyoid depression. Recent advances in neck anatomy have revealed the existence of ligamentous like structures attaching the skin and platysma to the hyoid. These have been termed the hyoplatysmal ligament (HPL) and cervicomental suspensory angle ligament by different authors. This study was undertaken to determine whether surgically reestablishing the above structures utilizing a hyoid suspension technique resulted in statistically significant changes in cervicomental contour. A retrospective chart review was performed from January 2014 to present. After December 2016, the second author began utilizing a hyoid suspension technique where the inter- and subplatysmal fat was resected and the HPL was reestablished surgically (hyoid suspension). Cases before this date served as controls if a similar neck manipulation was performed without reestablishing the HPL. In total, 104 charts were queried, of which, 21 charts fit inclusion criteria to serve as controls and 20 as the experimental group. Before and after profile pictures were then compared for differences in cervicomental angle utilizing commercially available imaging software (Canfield Mirror, Parsippany, New Jersey). An unpaired Student t test was then performed to determine whether this 2 groups differed significantly utilizing a P value of .05 to denote statistical significance. The mean difference between pre- and postoperative cervicomental angle for the control group was 17.38° with a standard deviation of 8.05°. The mean difference between pre and postoperative cervicomental angle for the experimental group was 28.75° with a standard deviation of 15.52°. The resulting 11.37° difference in cervicomental angle between the 2 groups was found to be statistically significant with a P value of .0051. Our cosmetic surgical and anatomical knowledge continues to progress. Brant first described a ligamentous structure that attaches the platysma to the hyoid. Through biomechanical testing, he noted this ligament to be one of the weakest in the face and neck. Thereafter, in 2016 Yousif et al and Le Lourn separately described similar procedures to attach the platysma to the hyoid, in effect reestablishing this ligament. Utilizing one simple surgical maneuver, the hyoid suspension reestablishes the HPL. This surgically creates an acute cervicomental angle, resulting in less platysmal displacement postoperatively, with virtually no addition to surgical time or morbidity.
Bifunctionally engineered polyethylenimines as efficient DNA carriers and antibacterials against resistant pathogens
Authors: Ahmadi Z , Jha D , Kumar B , Gautam HK , Kumar Pradeep
Published: August 2018

In this study, we have designed and developed two series of bifunctional conjugates by tethering polyethylenimine with streptomycin. By varying the amount of streptomycin, conjugates, polyethylenimine-streptomycin, have been synthesized and characterized spectroscopically. Gel electrophoresis assay revealed a slight decrease in the cationic charge density on the conjugates as these retarded the mobility of pDNA at higher w/w ratios. Further, transfection studies showed that both the series of conjugates transfected the mammalian cells efficiently with low-molecular weight polyethylenimine-streptomycin conjugates were more competent (∼9-fold enhancement with respect to native bPEI) exhibiting high cell viability too. Besides, both the series of conjugates displayed excellent antibacterial activity on pathogenic bacteria, even better than native streptomycin on resistant strains. Altogether, these results ensure the promising potential of the projected bifunctional conjugates as safe and efficient gene delivery vectors as well as antibacterials for future biomedical applications.
Nonlinear and Threshold Effects Related to Neighborhood: Implications for Planning and Policy
Authors: Galster George C.
Published: August 2018

Nonlinear and threshold relationships are commonly manifested in neighborhoods, both relating to effects of neighborhoods on residents and causes of neighborhood changes arising from individual mobility and housing investment decisions. These relationships are generated by amalgam of often reinforcing processes related to socialization, gaming, tolerance, contagion, and tolerance. The existence of nonlinear and threshold effects holds powerful implications for planners. Scarce public investment resources must be spatially concentrated, so that they exceed property owners’ reinvestment thresholds. Poverty deconcentration strategies must seek to replace neighborhoods exceeding 40 percent poverty rates with those that have low (less than 15 percent) poverty rates.
Synthesis of poly(arylene ether nitrile) and carboxyl-functionalized poly(arylene ether nitrile) with high thermal stability and their thermal decomposition kinetics
Authors: Wang Huagao , Tang Hailong , Yang Junyi , Li Youbing
Published: August 2018

Poly(arylene ether nitrile)s (PAENs) play an important role in special engineering materials owing to their excellent mechanical strength and superior thermal stability. In this study, PAEN and carboxyl-functionalized poly(arylene ether nitrile) (CPAEN) were successfully synthesized and their thermal parameters were determined through thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry to investigate the thermal decomposition kinetics and thermal stability. The results indicate that both PAEN and CPAEN exhibited high glass transition temperature and initial decomposition temperature. Meanwhile, the effects of the side groups on the thermal stability and the decomposition kinetic parameters of PAEN and CPAEN under nitrogen were discussed systematically. The kinetic parameters of PAEN and CPAEN were determined using the Kissinger and Ozawa methods, respectively. It reveals that the activation energy ( E) values of PAEN obtained using the Kissinger and Ozawa methods were 192.45 and 206.63 kJ/mol, and the corresponding E values of CPAEN were 161.20 and 162.72 kJ/mol, respectively. The thermal decomposition mechanism of PAEN and CPAEN obtained from Coats–Redfern methods goes for F 3 and D 1 models, respectively.
Effects of tool intermittent vibration on helical internal hole processing in electrochemical machining
Authors: Wang Minghuan , Zhang Yaobin , Xu Xufeng , Chen Guoda , Clare Adam T , Ahmed Nuhaize
Published: August 2018

Ribbed holes can serve to increase the efficiency of the heat exchangers and improve the performance of industrial equipment. Increasing demand for small ribbed holes is a key driver in manufacturing technology research. Electrochemical machining has been shown to be a promising method for this. In this paper, an intermittent low-frequency vibration tool is used to demonstrate significant improvement to the geometry of internal ribbed holes. The process stability, material removal rates, and uniformity of features along the flow direction are improved. Firstly, a 3D model of the flow field within the interelectrode gap was developed to calculate and governing flow regime in the interelectrode gap. The simulation demonstrated that the fluid velocity fluctuates periodically and this enhances electrolyte flushing in the interelectrode gap during the machining process. Then, experimental tests for the manufacture of spiral ribs on small holes (Ø1.5 mm and 20–40 mm depth) are also demonstrated with accompanying variation of the tool vibration amplitude and frequency, respectively. Results show that groove depth was most greatly influenced by the vibration amplitude and that better uniformity could be obtained at higher vibration frequencies. The groove depth increased by 15% over nonvibrating control tests with enhanced uniformity.
Nonlinear vibration control of a membrane antenna structure
Authors: Liu Xiang , Cai Guoping , Peng Fujun , Zhang Hua
Published: August 2018

In this paper, the active control of nonlinear vibration of a membrane antenna structure is investigated. Considering the geometric nonlinearity of large amplitude vibration of the membrane, the von Karman type geometrical nonlinear strain–displacement relationship is employed in this paper. Then, a nonlinear dynamic model of the membrane antenna structure is established by using the finite element method. It is assumed that the amplitude of vibration of the structure is relatively small when the controller in on, and then a [Formula: see text] robust controller is developed to control the undesired nonlinear vibration of the membrane antenna structure based on the linearized model of the structure. Active control of both the free vibration and forced vibration of the structure are investigated. Numerical simulations are presented to study the nonlinearity of the large amplitude vibration of the structure and the effectiveness of the presented controller.