bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
BicGO: a new biclustering algorithm based on global optimization
Authors: Li Guojun , Su Zhengchang
Published: September 2018

Recognizing complicated biclusters submerged in large scale datasets (matrix) has been being a highly challenging problem. We introduce a biclustering algorithm BicGO consisting of two separate strategies which can be selectively used by users. The BicGO which was developed based on global optimization can be implemented by iteratively answering if a real number belongs to a given interval. Tested on various simulated datasets in which most complicated and most general trend-preserved biclusters were submerged, BicGO almost always extracted all the actual bicluters with accuracy close to 100%, while on real datasets, it also achieved an incredible superiority over all the salient tools compared in this article. As far as we know, the BicGO is the first tool capable of identifying any complicated (e.g., constant, shift, scale, shift-scale, order-preserved, trend-preserved, etc), any shapes (narrow or broad) of biclusters with overlaps allowed. In addition, it is also highly parsimonious in the usage of computing resources. The BicGO is available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/hsj3j96rekoks5n/BicGO.zip?dl=0 for free download.
Genetic Circuits to Detect Nanomaterial Triggered Toxicity through Engineered Heat Shock Response Mechanism
Authors: Saltepe Behide , Haciosmanoğlu Nedim , Şafak Şeker Urartu Özgür
Published: September 2018

Biocompatibility assessment of nanomaterials has been of great interest due to their potential toxicity. However, conventional biocompatibility tests are short of providing a fast toxicity report. We developed a whole cell based biosensor to track biocompatibility of nanomaterials with the aim of providing fast feedback for engineering nanomaterials with lower toxicity levels. We have engineered promoters of four heat shock response proteins. As an initial design a reporter coding gene was cloned to downstream of the promoter regions selected. Initial results indicated that native HSP promoter regions were not very promising to generate signals with low background signals. Introducing riboregulators to native promoters eliminated unwanted background signal almost entirely. Unfortunately, this approach also leads a decrease in expected sensor signal. Thus, a repression based genetic circuit, inspired from HSP mechanism ofMycobacterium tuberculosiswas constructed. These genetic circuits can report the toxicity of Quantum Dot nanoparticles in one hour with high precision. Our designed nanoparticle toxicity sensors can provide quick reports which can lower the demand for additional experiments with more complex organisms.
The influence of cyclic tensile strain on multi-compartment collagen-GAG scaffolds for tendon-bone junction regeneration
Authors: Grier William K. , Han Chang Raul A. Sun , Ramsey Matthew D. , Harley Brendan A.C.
Published: September 2018

Orthopedic injuries often occur at the interface between soft tissues and bone. The tendon-bone junction (TBJ) is a classic example of such an interface. Current clinical strategies for TBJ injuries prioritize mechanical reattachment over regeneration of the native interface, resulting in poor outcomes. The need to promote regenerative healing of spatially-graded tissues inspires our effort to develop new tissue engineering technologies that replicate features of the spatially-graded extracellular matrix and strain profiles across the native TBJ. We recently described a biphasic collagen-glycosaminoglycan (CG) scaffold containing distinct compartment with divergent mineral content and structural alignment (isotropic vs. anisotropic) linked by a continuous interface zone to mimic structural and compositional features of the native TBJ. Here, we report application of physiologically relevant levels of cyclic tensile strain (CTS) to the scaffold via a bioreactor leads to non-uniform strain profiles across the spatially-graded scaffold. Further, combinations of CTS and matrix structural features promote rapid, spatially-distinct differentiation profiles of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) down multiple osteotendinous lineages. CTS preferentially upregulates MSC activity and tenogenic differentiation in the anisotropic region of the scaffold. Further, there are no negative effects of CTS on MSC osteogenic potential in the mineralized region previously shown to promote robust bone regeneration. Together, this work demonstrates a tissue engineering approach that couples instructive biomaterials with physiological stimuli as a mean to promote regenerative healing of orthopedic interfaces.
Transcripts from multicopy gene families localizing to mouse Y long arm encode piRNAs and proteins
Authors: Jesudasan Rachel A , Mishra Kankadeb , Annapurna Pranatharthi , Chaturvedi Anurag , Praveena Nissankararao M , Alex Jomini L , Karunanithi Sivarajan , Reddy Hemakumar M
Published: September 2018

Heterochromatic long arm of mouse Y chromosome harbors the multicopy species-specific sequencesSsty, Sly, Asty,andOrlythat are transcribed in testis. Of theseSstyandSlygenes encode proteins – yet all the copies of these RNAs are not translated. Using bioinformatic approaches, small RNA northern blots and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we demonstrate here that these multicopy gene families from mouse Y-long arm generate piRNAs predominantly in testis. Thus, we identified a piRNA cluster on mouse Y chromosome and also unraveled the dual role of Y-chromosome-encoded transcripts to act as primary transcripts of piRNAs in addition to their role as protein-coding RNAs.

HIGHLIGHTS

First report of a cluster of piRNAs on a mammalian Y chromosome

Report of primary transcripts of piRNAs

These piRNAs putatively regulate autosomal genes expressed in mouse testis Ssty and Sly genes code for proteins as well as generate piRNAs
Predicting Aquatic Development and Mortality Rates of Aedes Aegypti
Authors: Zapletal Josef , Gupta Himanshu , Erraguntla Madhav , Adelman Zach N. , Myles Kevin M. , Lawley Mark A.
Published: September 2018

Mosquito-borne pathogens continue to be a significant burden within human populations, with Aedes aegypti continuing to spread dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus throughout the world. Using data from a previously conducted study, a linear regression model was constructed to predict the aquatic development rates based on the average temperature, temperature fluctuation range, and larval density. Additional experiments were conducted with different parameters of average temperature and larval density to validate the model. Using a paired t-test, the model predictions were compared to experimental data and showed that the prediction models were not significantly different for average pupation rate, adult emergence rate, and juvenile mortality rate. The models developed will be useful for modeling and estimating the number of Aedes aegypti in the environment under different temperature, diurnal temperature variations, and larval densities.

Author Summary

Using experimental data from experiments conducted on Aedes aegypti, we formulated regression models to predict pupation, adult emergence, and juvenile mortality rates based on average temperature, temperature fluctuation range, and larval density. The prediction models produced were shown to account for high levels of variation within the data. Validation was performed by comparing omitted data sets to the predictions generated by our models. Our results show that the models produce results that are not significantly different from the experimental results and are capable of predicting aquatic development rates of Ae. aegypti.
Vertex collisions in 3-periodic nets of genus 4
Authors: Moreira de Oliveira Jr Montauban , Andrade Geovane Matheus Lemes , da Silva Eliel Roger , Eon Jean-Guillaume
Published: September 2018

Unstable nets, by definition, display vertex collisions in any barycentric representation, among which are approximate models for the associated crystal structures. This means that different vertex lattices happen to superimpose when every vertex of a periodic net is located at the centre of gravity of its first neighbours. Non-crystallographic nets are known to be unstable, but crystallographic nets can also be unstable and general conditions for instability are not known. Moreover, examples of unstable nets are still scarce. This article presents a systematic analysis of unstable 3-periodic nets of genus 4, satisfying the restrictions that, in a suitable basis, (i) their labelled quotient graph contains a spanning tree with zero voltage and (ii) voltage coordinates belong to the set {−1, 0, 1}. These nets have been defined by a unique circuit of null voltage in the quotient graph. They have been characterized through a shortest path between colliding vertices. The quotient graph and the nature of the net obtained after identification of colliding vertices, if known, are also provided. The complete list of the respective unstable nets, with a detailed description of the results, can be found in the supporting information.
Reframing construction within the built environment sector
Authors: de Valence Gerard
Published: September 2018

Purpose

Official statistics on the output of the construction industry capture on-site activities of contractors and sub-contractors; however, the role of the industry linking suppliers of materials, machinery, products, services and other inputs is also widely recognised. These two views have been called broad and narrow, with the narrow industry defined as on-site work and the broad industry as the supply chain of materials, products and assemblies, and professional services. An argument is made for using the term “built environment sector” (BES) for the broad industry definition of construction. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Construction industry statistics capture the on-site activities of contractors and sub-contractors. This paper reviews research that adds to construction output the contributions of suppliers of materials, machinery and equipment, products and components, professional services and other inputs required to deliver the buildings and structures that make up the built environment.

Findings

The same term, “construction”, has been used in a number of ways in different definitional studies of the narrow and broad industry. The term that best encompasses the large number and range of participants in the creation and maintenance of the built environment, from suppliers to end users, is the BES.

Research limitations/implications

Construction economics makes an important contribution to researching the macroeconomic role of the BES. There is also a special role for construction economics in researching both the boundaries of the BES and the data available on the industries that contribute to the BES.

Practical implications

Measuring the BES would improve the understanding of its macroeconomic role and significance.

Social implications

Measuring the BES would contribute to city policies and urban planning.

Originality/value

The paper proposes a new approach to defining and measuring the industries that contribute to the production, maintenance and management of the built environment. It introduces a new name for the combination of those industries.
Digitising psychiatry? Sociotechnical expectations, performative nominalism and biomedical virtue in (digital) psychiatric praxis
Authors: Pickersgill Martyn
Published: September 2018

Digital artefacts and infrastructures have been presented as ever more urgent and necessary for mental health research and practice. Telepsychiatry, mHealth, and now digital psychiatry have been promoted in this regard, among other endeavours. Smartphone apps have formed a particular focus of promissory statements regarding the improvement of epistemic and clinical work in psychiatry. This article contextualises and historicises some of these developments. In doing so, I show how purportedly novel fields have been constituted in part through practices of ‘performative nominalism’ (whereby articulations of a neologism in relation to established and recent developments participate in producing the referent of the new term). Central to this has been implicit and explicit extolment of what I term biomedical virtues in public‐facing and professionally orientated discourse. I document how emphases on various virtues have shifted with the attention of psychiatry to different digital modalities, culminating with knowledge‐production in mental health as one significant focus.
Confronting the Costs of its Past Success: Revisiting Taiwan's Post‐authoritarian Political and Economic Development
Authors: Clark Cal , Tan Alexander C. , Ho Karl
Published: September 2018

The evolution of Taiwan's political economy seems paradoxical. From the 1960s to 1980s, Taiwan went through economic transformations that have been called an “economic miracle.” This was followed by a successful democratic transition from the late 1980s to mid‐1990s that might be considered a “political miracle.” In the early 1990s, Taiwan could be regarded as a success story and a model for developing nations. Yet, Taiwan was soon to “enter troubled waters” marked by growing conflict and threat from China (PRC), fears about the “hollowing out” of its previously vaunted economy, and vicious polarization and gridlock in its domestic politics. We argue that many of the challenges facing Taiwan derive from unanticipated and unintended costs of its previous successes. In particular, what worked to promote successful economic and political development at one point later became counterproductive in the changed circumstances created by the country's rapid developmental trajectory. Our basic research questions, hence, are whether the challenges currently facing Taiwan's political economy can be explained by the country's past pattern of development and, if so, whether these linkages appear to be connected to success or failures in Taiwan's history.
A new molecular multiplex IgE assay for the diagnosis of pollen allergy in Mediterranean countries: A validation study
Authors: Di Fraia Marco , Arasi Stefania , Castelli Sveva , Dramburg Stephanie , Potapova Ekaterina , Villalta Danilo , Tripodi Salvatore , Sfika Ifigenia , Zicari Anna Maria , Villella Valeria , Perna Serena , Travaglini Alessandro , Verardo Pier Luigi , Matricardi Paolo Maria
Published: September 2018

Background

The identification of the primary sensitizing pollen is difficult in Southern European patients with Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis (SAR) if sensitized to various pollen sources with overlapping seasonality. A more precise diagnosis is obtained by IgE assays to allergen molecules, currently available as singleplex or microarrays.

Objectives

To test the analytical performance of a multi‐parameter immunoblot molecular “Pollen Test” specifically designed to test IgE antibodies to pollen extracts and molecules clinically relevant in Southern Europe.

Methods

Sera were obtained from 101 children and 98 adults with SAR and tested with a customized multiplex immunoblot assay (EUROLINE Southern European Pollen Profile [ESEP]; EUROIMMUN AG, Luebeck, Germany) containing a comprehensive panel of allergen extracts and molecules. ESEP's outcomes were then compared in selected sera (ESEP positive to negative = 2:1) with those of singleplex IgE assays (ImmunoCAP; ThermoFisher Scientific, Uppsala, Sweden). For each of the examined reagents, qualitative (sensitivity, specificity, accuracy), semi‐quantitative (classes) and quantitative (Spearman's rank correlation, Bland‐Altmann plots) comparisons were performed.

Results

Compared to ImmunoCAP, cumulative ESEP's sensitivity and specificity were 87% (95% CI 84%‐90%) and 88% (83%‐93%) for extracts and 99% (98%‐100%) and 87% (83%‐91%) for molecules. Cohen's kappa coefficients (κC) ranged for extracts from 0.18 (Pellitory) to 0.50 (Cypress) and for molecules from 0.21 (Ole e 1) to 0.68 (Phl p 7). The quantitative outcomes of the two diagnostic tests were highly correlated, with Spearman's rank correlation coefficients always exceeding 0.80. Bland‐Altmann plots showed a tendency of ESEP to overestimate serum specific IgE levels, when compared to ImmunoCAP.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

Sensitivity and specificity of ESEP in testing serum IgE antibodies against pollen allergen extracts and molecules, in Italian patients with SAR, both exceeded 85%. The advantages and limitations of a multiplex customized immunoblot assay, in the routine clinical use of molecular diagnostics in Southern European pollen allergic patients, deserve to be tested.
Gender equality in 4‐ to 5‐year‐old preschoolers’ early numerical competencies
Authors: Bakker Merel , Torbeyns Joke , Wijns Nore , Verschaffel Lieven , De Smedt Bert
Published: September 2018

Numerical competencies acquired in preschool are foundational and predictive for children's later mathematical development. It remains to be determined whether there are gender differences in these early numerical competencies which could explain the often‐reported gender differences in later mathematics and STEM‐related abilities. Using a Bayesian approach, we quantified the evidence in favor of the alternative hypothesis of gender differences versus the null hypothesis of gender equality. Participants were 402 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children attending preschool in Flanders (Belgium). Children were selected via stratified cluster sampling to represent the full range of socioeconomic backgrounds. All children completed eight numerical tasks (verbal counting, object counting, numeral recognition, symbolic comparison, nonsymbolic comparison, nonverbal calculation, number order, dot enumeration). Results supported the gender equality hypothesis, and this evidence was substantial for seven of the eight numerical tasks. Preschoolers’ early numerical competencies are characterized by gender equality. They probably do not explain later‐reported gender differences.
Bodily communions: An eschatological proposal for addressing the Christian body problem
Authors: MacDougall Scott
Published: September 2018

This article is a programmatic proposal for providing a theological and existential (experiential and practical) framework for addressing the problem of the body in Christianity, specifically by examining the body against its eschatological horizon. It outlines the character of the problem, specifies an eschatological approach for addressing it, and begins to unfold a number of topics regarding embodiment that have new salience when apprehended in eschatological terms. It concludes by providing a preliminary agenda for carrying such a project forward.
From body to body: A post‐gender politics for the cosmic homo1
Authors: Pedersen Else Marie Wiberg
Published: September 2018

This article engages in establishing some common ground, some human and humane politics for the global Luther, in contradistinction to the focus in much recent scholarship on difference/s as an almost hegemonic way of understanding human life. The aim is to move beyond feminist, poststructuralist, and postcolonial theories to a post‐gender politics by employing Judith Butler's concepts of performativity and “abject” bodies. Homo, the human being, will be the hermeneutical key for examining Luther's understanding of God's creation and incarnation as well as of baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the church. The aim is that of searching out Luther's differing performances of body, from the carnal body of the incarnate Christ and the human body to the spiritual body of church and community, and how these matter, materialize and intersect in the body of Christ as one body/homo.
Luther's body language: Re‐membering the reformer1
Authors: Stortz Martha E.
Published: September 2018

Martin Luther's Reformation is too often taken as a head trip, and theologians analyze the reformer's theology by looking at the great doctrines he launched, like the doctrine of justification by grace through faith, and the Reformation solas—by faith alone, sola fide; by grace alone, sola gratia; by scripture alone, sola scriptura; and Christ alone, solus Christus. But theology comes out of hands‐on experience, and Luther's is no exception. Each of those great doctrines was attached to concrete situations and actual bodies in motion. I look at Luther's theology in the context of three bodies, his experience with his own body, with the body of Christ, and with the body politic. Then, I pose to Luther's body language a very Lutheran question: “What does this mean?” For us. Today.
The courage to be: Paul Tillich's existentialist theology of the cross in relation to Martin Luther
Authors: Jennings Brach S.
Published: September 2018

Paul Tillich is a traditionally rooted, yet progressive, theologian and philosopher who sought to bring the Christian message to the predicament of existential meaninglessness faced by modern people. The present article addresses a scholarly gap by emphasizing Tillich's use of Martin Luther's theology of the cross, in order to demonstrate Tillich's theological relevance for today from a Lutheran lens.
In search of miracles
Authors: Stjerna Kirsi
Published: September 2018

The movie The Third Miracle invites theological reflection on miracles, sainthood, and faith. A movie filled with Lutheran themes of unmerited grace and blessings of the ordinary life, the story line follows a Catholic priest tasked with exploring the authenticity of reported miracles associated with a lay woman and a bleeding statue. Faith and miracles are shown in their ordinariness, easily missed without the eye of faith, and sainthood is juxtaposed with the expected and unexpected vis‐à‐vis motherhood.
Timings for HbA1c testing in people with diabetes are associated with incentive payments: an analysis of UK primary care data
Authors: Hirst J. A. , Farmer A. J. , Smith M. C. , Stevens R. J.
Published: September 2018

Aims

Guidelines recommend testing HbA1c every 3–6 months in people with diabetes. In the United Kingdom (UK), primary care clinics are financially incentivized to monitor HbA1c at least annually and report proportions of patients meeting targets on 31 March. We explored the hypothesis that this reporting deadline may be associated with over‐frequent or delayed HbA1c testing.

Methods

This analysis used HbA1c results from 100 000 people with diabetes during 2005–2014 in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink UK primary care database. Logistic regression was used to explore whether the four months prior to the deadline for quality reporting (December to March) or individual's previous HbA1c were aligned with retesting HbA1c within 60 days or > 1 year from the previous test, and identify other factors associated with the timing of HbA1c testing.

Results

Retesting HbA1c within 60 days or > 1 year was more common in December to March compared with other months of the year (odds ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.04–1.08 for retesting within 60 days). Those with higher HbA1c were more likely to have a repeat test within 60 days and less likely to have a repeat test > 1 year from the previous test.

Conclusions

We have found that retesting HbA1c within 60 days and > 1 year from the previous test was more common in December to March compared with the other months of the year. This work suggests that both practice‐centred administrative factors and patient‐centred considerations may be influencing diabetes care in the UK.
Treatment gap for convulsive status epilepticus in resource‐poor countries
Authors: Lee Byungin ,   the Asian Status Epilepticus Survey Group
Published: September 2018

The magnitude of the treatment gap (TG) for convulsive status epilepticus (CSE) in resource‐poor countries is unknown. Hospital‐based cohort studies from developing countries revealed that the management of CSE was usually suboptimal due to lack of advanced diagnostic and treatment facilities, significant delay in patient's presentation at hospital, and shortages of essential antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). However, there were no significant differences in the proportion of refractory status epilepticus, short‐term mortalities, and morbidities of CSE between the developed and the developing countries. Therefore, the presence of significant TG for CSE in developing countries is still an assumption without evidence. We conducted an expert survey in Asia for potential sources of TG. Experts from 16 Asian countries responded to the questionnaire. An injectable form of diazepam was available in all 16 countries even at the primary care level, but intravenous lorazepam was available only in four countries. Second‐line AEDs were widely available at tertiary care hospitals, but not at primary care hospitals. Lack of second‐line AEDs at primary care hospitals, significant delay in patient transportation to the hospital, shortages of intensive care unit facilities, and absence of trained physicians were important contributing factors to TG in Asia.
Prison Governors as Policymakers,PhroneticPractices as Enacted Knowledge
Authors: DUBOIS CHRISTOPHE
Published: September 2018

In the last 15 years, Belgian prisons have been characterised by an increase of managerial and legal regulations. Building on an empirical account of prison governors’ work practices and bureaucratic working context, this article shows how the rise of policy inscriptions paradoxically leads to a sharper need of prison governors for practical knowledge. Drawing on four years of qualitative research with 40 Belgian prison governors, the article illustrates how they define ‘ethical dilemmas’ – that is, uncertain and ambiguous events – and reach a particular decision. Two analytical concepts are used in that respect. First, the concept of ‘phronetic practices’ (Nonaka and Takeuchi 2011) relates to the practical knowledge used to make decisions in uncertain and ambiguous situations. Second, the concept of ‘enacted knowledge’ (Freeman and Sturdy 2015) enlightens how such decisions contribute to shaping prison policy, organisations, and administration. In that perspective, this article proposes to recognise the ethics of prison governors conceived as policymakers.
Optimal lesion size index to prevent conduction gap during pulmonary vein isolation
Authors: Kanamori Naomi , Kato Takeshi , Sakagami Satoru , Saeki Takahiro , Kato Chieko , Kawai Keiichi , Chikata Akio , Takashima Shin‐ichiro , Murai Hisayoshi , Usui Soichiro , Furusho Hiroshi , Kaneko Shuichi , Takamura Masayuki
Published: September 2018

Introduction

A novel real‐time lesion size index (LSI) that incorporates contact force (CF), time, and power has been developed for safe and effective catheter ablation. The optimal LSI was evaluated to eliminate gap formation during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI).

Methods and Results

Consecutive patients were enrolled, who underwent their first PVI using a fiber‐optic CF‐sensing catheter for atrial fibrillation between December 2016 and October 2017. The CF parameters, force‐time integral (FTI), and LSI for 3095 ablation points in 34 patients were evaluated. The FTI and LSI in the lesions with gaps or dormant conduction (gaps/DC) were significantly lower than those in the lesion without gaps/DC (FTI: 140.5 ± 54.5 and 232.4 ± 121.4 g s, P < 0.0001; LSI: 4.0 ± 0.6 and 4.7 ± 0.9, P < 0.0001, respectively). On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal LSI threshold was 4.05 (sensitivity, 63.4%; specificity, 76.3%). The LSI of <5.25 predicted a gap or DC with a high sensitivity (sensitivity, 97.6%; specificity, 25.7%). In the posterior wall, which was 37% thinner than the nonposterior wall, a lower LSI of <3.95 showed a relatively high sensitivity (92.3%) and specificity (65.6%).

Conclusions

The LSI can be used to predict gaps/DC during the PVI procedure. An LSI of 5.2 may be a suitable target for effective lesion formation. An LSI of 4.0 may be acceptable in the posterior wall, especially in areas adjacent to the esophagus.
QRS morphology shift following catheter ablation of idiopathic outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias: Prevalence, mapping features, and ablation outcomes
Authors: Shirai Yasuhiro , Liang Jackson J. , Garcia Fermin C. , Supple Gregory E. , Callans David J. , Zado Erica S. , Marchlinski Francis E. , Santangeli Pasquale
Published: September 2018

Introduction

In patients with monomorphic idiopathic outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias (OT‐VAs), catheter ablation (CA) at the earliest activation site can result in a shift in QRS morphology indicating a change in the activation patterns. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, mapping features, and ablation outcomes of OT‐VAs displaying a QRS morphology shift following CA.

Methods and Results

We retrospectively analyzed 446 patients with monomorphic OT‐VAs. A QRS morphology shift following CA was observed in 17 (4%) patients. Initially, the earliest activation site was within the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) in one (6%) patient, the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) in 10 (59%) patients (left coronary cusp/right coronary cusp junction in seven patients and LVOT endocardium in three patients), and within the distal coronary venous system in six (35%) patients. The VA was suppressed in all 17 patients, but VA recurrence with a different QRS morphology was observed after a waiting period. The recurrent VA was remapped in all patients and was eliminated targeting the new earliest site in 15 (88%) cases. In 11 of 15 successful cases, the ablation site for the recurrent VA shifted to an anatomical structure distinct from but adjacent to the initial site. In the remaining four patients, the recurrent VA was eliminated within the same anatomical structure.

Conclusions

In patients with idiopathic OT‐VAs, a QRS morphology shift following CA can be observed in 4% of the cases. In these cases, detailed remapping is necessary since the successful ablation site for the VAs with altered QRS morphology shifts to different anatomical structures in most patients.
Relative Placement: The Best Answer for Our Foster Care System
Authors: Edwards Leonard
Published: September 2018

This article briefly traces the history of the placement of children out of their homes because of parental abuse or neglect. The preference for relative placement is a recent occurrence. The advantages of relative placement instead of foster or group care are summarized as well as the disadvantages. Relative placement rates across the country are about 32%. Several jurisdictions have much higher placement rates including Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Los Angeles, California, is experimenting with social work practices that have produced over 80% relative placement rates during the past year. How both of these jurisdictions accomplish high relative placement rates is described in detail. Judges should persuade their own social service agencies to adopt these practices.
Treatment for in‐stent restenosis requiring rotational atherectomy
Authors: Hachinohe Daisuke , Kashima Yoshifumi , Hirata Kazuya , Kanno Daitaro , Kobayashi Ken , Kaneko Umihiko , Sugie Takuro , Tadano Yutaka , Watanabe Tomohiko , Shitan Hidemasa , Haraguchi Takuya , Enomoto Morio , Sato Katsuhiko , Fujita Tsutomu
Published: September 2018

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients with in‐stent restenosis (ISR) who underwent rotablation (RA) followed by balloon angioplasty (BA), drug‐eluting stent (DES) implantation, or drug‐coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty.

Background

Interventional treatment of ISR is occasionally challenging. Despite the availability of various percutaneous treatments, the optimal solution remains unclear.

Methods and Results

A total of 200 patients with ISR who underwent RA were retrospectively identified from our institutional database. Clinical outcomes at 12 months and independent predictors of target lesion revascularization (TLR) were assessed. Of patients, 90, 55, and 55 underwent BA, DES implantation, and DCB angioplasty, respectively. The incidence of all‐cause death, cardiac death, and hospitalization due to heart failure was low in all groups. Moreover, no definite stent thrombosis was observed in the three groups. The TLR rate of BA, DES implantation, and DCB angioplasty following RA for ISR were 40.7%, 35.0%, and 27.3%, respectively. The adjusted outcomes for TLR using the inverse probability of treatment weighting method based on propensity scores indicated that DCB angioplasty following RA was superior to BA after RA. Intraprocedural complications, which could be successfully managed with interventional treatment, were identified in only three cases.

Conclusions

TLR at 12 months is dismal. RA is not effective for ISR requiring RA. In unfavorable settings, DCB angioplasty following RA is the most effective treatment option in patients with ISR requiring debulking strategy.
Do Administrative Traditions Matter for Climate Change Adaptation Policy? A Comparative Analysis of 32 High‐Income Countries
Authors: Biesbroek Robbert , Lesnikowski Alexandra , Ford James D. , Berrang‐Ford Lea , Vink Martinus
Published: September 2018

Although governments are developing and implementing policies to adapt to the impacts of climate change, it remains unclear which factors shape how states are developing these policies. This paper aims to assess whether or not administrative traditions matter for the formation of national climate change adaptation policy in 32 high‐income countries. We operationalize administrative traditions based on five structural criteria: vertical dispersion of authority, horizontal coordination, interest mediation between state‐society, role of public administrator, and how ideas enter bureaucracy. We construct a unique adaptation policy dataset that includes 32 high‐income countries to test seven hypotheses. Our results indicate that countries’ adaptation policies align to some extent with their administrative structure, particularly dispersion of authority and horizontal coordination. However, we find limited evidence that other public bureaucracy factors are related to national adaptation policy. We conclude that administrative traditions matter, but that their influence should not be overestimated.
Heterogeneity in childbirth related fear or anxiety
Authors: Rondung Elisabet , Ekdahl Johanna , Hildingsson Ingegerd , Rubertsson Christine , Sundin Örjan
Published: September 2018

Many pregnant women experience fear, worry or anxiety relating to the upcoming childbirth. The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to investigate possible subgroups in a sample of 206 pregnant women (mean age 29.4 years), reporting fear of birth in mid‐pregnancy. Comparisons were made between nulliparous and parous women. In a series of cluster analyses, validated psychological instruments were used to cluster women based on their psychological profiles. A five‐cluster solution was suggested, with the clusters characterized by: overall low symptom load, general high symptom load, medium symptom load with high performance‐based self‐esteem, blood‐ and injection phobic anxiety, and specific anxiety symptoms. Nulliparous women were more likely to report clinically relevant levels of blood‐ and injection phobia (OR = 2.57, 95% CI 1.09–6.01), while parous women more often reported previous negative experiences in health care (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.09–3.39) or previous trauma (OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.58–5.32). The results indicate that women reporting fear of birth are a heterogeneous group. In order to individualize treatment, psychological characteristics may be of greater importance than parity in identifying relevant subgroups.
Are the Sanctified Becoming the Pornified? Religious Conservatism, Commitment, and Pornography Use, 1984–2016*
Authors: Perry Samuel L. , Schleifer Cyrus
Published: September 2018

Objectives

Americans are generally increasing in their pornography viewership. While devout, theologically conservative Christians have been among the most ardent opponents to pornography's dissemination and use historically, there is a growing—but thus far untested—assumption that they too are following this same trend. This study examines (1) whether committed or conservative Christians are increasing in rates of porn viewership similar to other Americans and (2) when potential religious divergences in porn viewership started.

Methods

We fit a series of binary logistic regression models using data from the 1984–2016 General Social Surveys.

Results

Holding other variables constant, American evangelicals are indeed increasing in their reported porn viewership at rates identical to other Americans. Frequent church attendees and biblical literalists, however, show a divergent trend, with both remaining constant in their reported porn viewership across time. Analyses also show clear cutoff points for the divergence starting in the mid‐1990s, roughly when Internet pornography became available.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that, all else being equal, Americans who merely identify with conservative Christianity are indeed increasing in their porn viewership, but among the most faithful and theologically conservative Americans, they are no more likely to report viewing pornography than they were over 30 years ago.
Domain swap between two type‐II metacaspases defines key elements for their biochemical properties
Authors: Fortin Jianqiao , Lam Eric
Published: September 2018

Type‐II metacaspases are conserved cysteine proteases found in eukaryotes with oxygenic photosynthesis, including green plants and some algae, such as Chlamydomonas and Volvox. Genetic and biochemical studies showed that some members in this protease family could be involved in oxidative stress‐induced cell death in higher plants, but their regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. Biochemically, two distinct classes of type‐II metacaspases are exemplified by AtMC4 and AtMC9 from Arabidopsis, with AtMC4 activation dependent on calcium under neutral pH, whereas AtMC9 is active only under mildly acidic pH, regardless of the availability of calcium. Here, we constructed all six possible combinations between the p20, linker, and p10 domains from AtMC4 and AtMC9. Our results show that calcium stimulation of AtMC4 activity is associated with essential amino acids located in its p20 domain. In contrast, the acidic pH optimum trait is lost from AtMC9 if one or two of its domains are replaced by that from AtMC4, suggesting that multiple interactions between domains in AtMC9 may be responsible for this property. Consistent with this, we found conserved ‘signature’ residues in each of the three domains that distinguish AtMC4‐ and AtMC9‐like classes of metacaspases. Tracing the origin of the AtMC9 class, we found evidence for its appearance between lycophytes and gymnosperms, coincident with the evolution of more complex root archetypes in terrestrial plants. Our work suggests that the distinctive properties of the AtMC9‐like protease could be associated with special cellular physiology in the roots of gymnosperms and angiosperms that are distinct from lycophytes.
Nonlinear Adaptive Magneto-Thermal Analysis at Bushing Regions of a Transformers Cover Using Finite Difference Method
Authors: Zia Zahedi Mohammad , Iskender I.
Published: September 2018

In this study, losses analysis at bushing regions of a transformer covers is done using finite difference method (FDM), considering that FDM being more flexible to deal with the nonlinear constitutive law and easier to be implemented than finite element (FE) and analytical methods. The analysis is performed based on a 2-level adaptive mesh solution of Maxwell equations and Ohm law at the cross section area in the axial symmetry page of a steel disk, taking account the nonlinear magnetic permeability of the steel. The losses density obtained, as a heat source, is imported into an alternating direction implicit (ADI) approach of heat conduction equation. Therefore, a finite difference (FD) solution algorithm for magneto-thermal analysis on cover plate is obtained by combination of adaptive mesh refinement and ADI-FDM, which improves the accuracy and decreases the computational time without losing accuracy. The reliability of the proposed technique is confirmed by experimental and FE method (FEM) results, considering the temperature distribution of the cover. The comparison of the results with those obtained from FEM and experiments shows the efficiency and capability of the method.
Experimental Performance Evaluation of Tubular Manifold Heat Exchanger
Authors: Ansab Ali Muhammad , Khan Tariq S. , Al Hajri Ebrahim , Khasawneh Fadi
Published: September 2018

The present work demonstrates the use of manifold microchannel technology in conjunction with conventional macrogeometries to achieve superior performance compared to traditional heat exchangers. A novel tubular manifold heat exchanger is designed using three-dimensional (3D) printed manifold and conventional double enhanced tube. The experiments are performed using water as the working fluid and the manifold side heat transfer coefficient up to 9538 Wm−2K−1 with a low flowrate of 4.25 lpm is achieved with as low pressure drop as 323 Pa. A comparison with respect to thermal hydraulic performance of the results with a plate heat exchanger shows clear advantage of the proposed exchanger. Overall, microscale heat transfer characteristics are obtained by using relatively simple and economical fabrication techniques.
A Numerical Study of Diffusion of Nanoparticles in a Viscous Medium During Solidification
Authors: Rahman Kazi M. , Ruhul Amin M. , Mian Ahsan
Published: September 2018

In the field of additive manufacturing process, laser cladding is widely considered due to its cost effectiveness, small localized heat generation, and full fusion to metals. Introducing nanoparticles with cladding metals produces metal matrix nanocomposites, which in turn improves the material characteristics of the clad layer. The governing equations that control the fluid flow are standard incompressible Navier–Stokes and heat diffusion equation, whereas the Euler–Lagrange approach has been considered for particle tracking. The mathematical formulation for solidification is adopted based on enthalpy porosity method. Liquid titanium has been considered as the initial condition where particle distribution has been assumed uniform throughout the geometry. A numerical model implemented in a commercial software based on control volume method has been developed, which allows to simulate the fluid flow during solidification as well as tracking nanoparticles during this process. A detailed parametric study has been conducted by changing the Marangoni number, convection heat transfer coefficient, constant temperature below the melting point of titanium, and insulated boundary conditions to analyze the behavior of the nanoparticle movement. The influence of increase in Marangoni number results in a higher concentration of nanoparticles in some portions of the geometry and lack of nanoparticles in rest of the geometry. The high concentration of nanoparticles decreases with a decrease in Marangoni number. Furthermore, an increase in the rate of solidification time limits the nanoparticle movement from its original position which results in different distribution patterns with respect to the solidification time.
A Data-Driven Model Predictive Control Approach to Lean NOx Trap Regeneration
Authors: Karimshoushtari Milad , Novara Carlo
Published: September 2018

Lean NOx trap (LNT) is one of the most effective after-treatment technologies used to reduce NOx emissions of diesel engines. One relevant problem in this context is LNT regeneration timing control. This problem is indeed difficult due to the fact that LNTs are highly nonlinear systems, involving complex physical/chemical processes, that are hard to model. In this paper, a novel approach for regeneration timing of LNTs is proposed, allowing us to overcome these issues. This approach, named data-driven model predictive control (D2-MPC), does not require a physical model of the engine/trap system but is based on low-complexity polynomial prediction models, directly identified from data. The regeneration timing is computed through an optimization algorithm, which uses the identified models to predict the LNT behavior. Two D2-MPC strategies are proposed, and tested in a co-simulation study, where the plant is represented by a detailed LNT model, built using the well-known commercial tool AMEsim, and the controller is implemented in matlab/simulink.
Drag and Heat Reduction Mechanism of the Porous Opposing Jet for Variable Blunt Hypersonic Vehicles
Authors: Li Shibin , Huang Wei , Wang Zhenguo , Yan Li
Published: September 2018

Opposing jet, as one of the most practical strategies to achieve the drag and heat reduction, is usually adopted to improve the aerodynamics and the aerothermodynamics of hypersonic vehicles. The porous jet strategy which is suitable for the blunt hypersonic vehicle has been proposed and investigated numerically in this study. The full Navier-Stokes equations and SST k-w turbulence model is used to obtain the flow field properties. The numerical method is validated by the wind tunnel experimental data. This work shows that the porous opposing jet is able to reduce the drag and the aero-heating of blunt hypersonic vehicles. The aerodynamic performance can be improved further by combining the porous jet design with variable blunt methods. When the number of jet orifices (N) is an odd number, the area of Mach disk and the off-distance of shock wave decrease with the increase in N. When N is an even number, the high temperature region will decrease with the increase in N. The drag reduction ratio increases with the increase of jet orifices when N is an odd number. However, the trend is contrary when N is even. Moreover, when N is odd, the effect of drag reduction is better than that when N is even. Considering both factors of the drag reduction and thermal protection, the porous jet design is useful in improving the overall performance of the blunt hypersonic vehicle. The porous jet has three-dimensional effect, so there exists the optimal injection scheme. The three factors (the number, the spacing and the radius of injection orifices) have a multi-objective optimal solution. It is thus then the drag reduction and the heat protection of the porous jet injection has the best performance.