bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Von Willebrand Factor: Multimeric Structure and Functional Activity in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation With and Without Oral Anticoagulation
Authors: Lopez-Castaneda Sandra , Valencia-Hernández Ignacio , Arean Carlos , Godínez-Hernández Daniel , Viveros-Sandoval Martha Eva
Published: June 2017

von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a multimeric glycoprotein present in blood plasma. It is synthesized in megakaryocytes and endothelial cells, secreted into circulation in the form of high-molecular-weight multimers (HMWMs), and cleaved into shorter, less active multimers by ADAMTS13. It is essential for platelet adhesion and aggregation. Previous studies have investigated the relationship between vWF levels and thromboembolic events with little regard to vWF multimeric structure. Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) exhibit higher plasma vWF and lower ADAMTS13 levels. One hundred seven patients with AF, 51 anticoagulated and 56 nonanticoagulated, were eligible for the study. Plasma samples were analyzed for vWF antigen, vWF activity, and ADAMTS13; vWF multimers were analyzed by Western blot in 1% to 1.3% sodium dodecyl sulfate agarose gel electrophoresis. Patients with AF without oral anticoagulation (OAC) had significantly higher vWF plasma levels (154.00 [75-201] UI/dL) and vWF activity (60.00% [20%-210%]) compared to patients with OAC (133.50 [90-192] UI/dL, P = <.001; 50.00% [20%-160%], P = .02). Both were specially decreased in patients treated with acenocumarin. Patients without OAC also showed lower ADAMTS13 levels and presence of vWF HMWMs. Patients with AF show higher plasma levels and vWF activity. Moreover, treatment with traditional OAC (acenocumarin) significantly reduced vWF levels. Patients without OAC might have an increased risk of thrombotic events showing lower ADAMTS13 and higher vWF levels. Patients with stroke had higher plasma levels, vWF activity, and HMWMs. Our study suggests that increased vWF levels and presence of HMWMs could be related to cerebrovascular disease and may represent useful biomarkers for stroke in AF.
Relationship (A)Symmetries and Violence: Comparing Intimates and NonPartners
Authors: Griffiths Elizabeth , Yule Carolyn , Gartner Rosemary
Published: June 2017

Violence between social equals differs in character from violence between persons in asymmetrical relationships. Specifically, issues of contention motivating violence vary by the relative status of opponents, such that violence over symbolic issues is more common between symmetrical than asymmetrical opponents. Recent studies have substantiated these predictions in nonpartner relationships. Using data from interviews of incarcerated women, this study explores how intimate partner violence compares with violence between nonpartner opponents. We find that intimate partner violence is more likely to involve symbolic issues compared with violence between all kinds of nonpartner opponents. Consequently, intimate partnerships might be viewed as hypersymmetrical.
Teaching to the Golem: A Pedagogical Intra-Action
Authors: Tanner Samuel Jaye
Published: June 2017

This article considers the pedagogical nature of an intra-action involving the author, his high school student’s final project in an English class (a golem), and his school administrators. The author relies on narrative scholarship to both tell and interpret a story of his experience as a high school English and drama teacher, to illustrate the process, the product, and the result of an intra-action that emerged from his nontraditional literacy teaching practices concerning the plays Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and No Exit. Ultimately, he argues that educators—both teachers and administrators—should be more receptive of emergent, improvisational literacy teaching and learning, and careful in their participation with co-constituted intra-actions that come from such approaches to literacy pedagogy.
An Endeavour for Autonomy
Authors: Andersson Vogel Maria
Published: June 2017

In discussion of troubled adolescent girls, their mental health often is in focus and a discourse constructing girls as vulnerable victims therefore dominates Swedish social services and secure care. This article is an investigation of how the girls themselves are navigating the discursive terrain where understandings of troubled adolescent girls in secure care are regulated. The results show that even though the girls’ stories show considerable similarities with what is previously known about troubled adolescent girls, their understandings of their lived experiences differ. The girls resist the dominating discourses that view them as victims by emphasizing their autonomy and own responsibility. However, in trying to distance themselves from devaluing interpretations, they take an attitude that ultimately obstructs their possibilities of getting help, since it inevitably puts them in opposition to the care system.
In Suspension: Standing on Archaeology
Authors: McCarthy Christine
Published: June 2017

Glass floors require the trading of architectural intuition for faith in the invisible as structural. They heighten the awareness of standing above something; the refraction of glass, conveying a jewel-like preciousness; its reflections, momentary glimpses of solidity. In many in situ archaeological sites, glass floors reveal the gaps between body, weight, and archaeological feature; an awareness of the destructive power of gravity threatening the object of archaeology below. Standing on this “solid” air conveys supernatural levitation, but, at height, can also instil a disconcerting and visceral fear because the floor cannot be seen. The article examines architectural instances of glass, specifically in sites of art, tourism, and archaeology, and predominantly in floors, which suspend occupants above, or at least confuse the relationships between floor, feet, and standing. It is particularly interested in the difficulties of assuming that glass provides an uncomplicated visual relationship between viewers and in situ archaeology.
The Book of Joshua in Recent Research
Authors: Dozeman Thomas B.
Published: June 2017

Research on the book of Joshua is developing significantly in a variety of different areas. The review summarizes current scholarship in six distinct methodological approaches: (1) textual criticism; (2) composition and literary context; (3) history, archaeology and geography; (4) violence, genocide and conquest; (5) literary and ideological studies; and (6) reception history. The article will conclude with a brief summary of recent collected studies and commentaries on Joshua. The focus of interpretation will be the last ten years supplementing Greenspoon (2005).
The Rabbinic God and Mediaeval Judaism
Authors: Weiss Dov
Published: June 2017

From the earliest stages of Wissenschaft des Judentums, scholars of Judaism typically read statements about God in the classical sources of Judaism with a mediaeval philosophical lens. By doing so, they sought to demonstrate the essential unity and continuity between rabbinic Judaism, later mediaeval Jewish philosophy and modern Judaism. In the late 1980s, the Maimonidean hold on rabbinic scholarship began to crack when the ‘revisionist school’ sought to drive a wedge between rabbinic Judaism, on the one hand, and Maimonidean Judaism, on the other hand, by highlighting the deep continuities and links between rabbinic Judaism and mediaeval Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah). The revisionist scholars regarded rabbinic Judaism as a pre-cursor to mediaeval Kabbalah rather than mediaeval Jewish philosophy. This article provides the history of scholarship on these two methods of reading rabbinic texts and then proposes that scholars adopt a third method. That is, building on the work of recent scholarship, we should confront theological rabbinic texts on their own terms, without the guiding hand of either mediaeval Jewish framework.
Desperation and Service in the Bail Industry
Authors: Page Joshua
Published: June 2017

In a cutthroat business, bail bond agents leverage their clients’ unmet needs for information and support to get a leg up on the competition. Service is entwined with aggressive, even predatory profit-seeking.
Durkheim’s “Suicide” in the Zombie Apocalypse
Authors: Mueller Anna S. , Abrutyn Seth , Osborne Melissa
Published: June 2017

Hypothesizing the end of functional society by reading Durkheim and watching “The Walking Dead,” three scholars consider how low social integration and low moral regulation shape suicide risk at the group level.
D is for Disaster
Authors: Wells Kathryn , Haney Timothy J.
Published: June 2017

Kathryn Wells and Timothy J. Haney on a subgenre of children’s literature.
The Politics of Trans Identities
Authors: Szelényi Iván
Published: June 2017

Iván Szelényi reviews Rogers Brubaker’s Trans.
Raising the Visibility of Gender-Nonconformists
Authors: Risman Barbara
Published: June 2017

Barbara Risman on National Geographic’s “Gender Revolution.”
Unpacking Rumination and Executive Control: A Network Perspective
Authors: Bernstein Emily E. , Heeren Alexandre , McNally Richard J.
Published: June 2017

Rumination is a common and problematic feature of depression and related disorders. It may reflect impairments in executive control. In this project, we used network analysis to explore the conceptualization of rumination in terms of impoverished top-down executive control. A total of 91 participants completed laboratory tasks of executive control, underwent a stressor, and reported on their level of rumination. We computed a regularized partial correlation network, relative importance network, and directed acyclic graph to estimate the functional relations among aspects of rumination and executive control. Results highlighted the centrality of self-criticism in the network. Perseverative thinking (e.g., brooding) predicted poor executive control, which in turn related to greater self-criticism. These complementary network perspectives suggest that multinode loops could be at play. This new approach to visualizing rumination may offer a more informative view of the interplay between problematic cognitive and affective processes, as well as ways of integrating self-report and behavioral variables.
Genetic and Environmental Associations Between Procrastination and Internalizing/Externalizing Psychopathology
Authors: Gustavson Daniel E. , du Pont Alta , Hatoum Alexander S. , Rhee Soo Hyun , Kremen William S. , Hewitt John K. , Friedman Naomi P.
Published: June 2017

Recent work on procrastination has begun to unravel the genetic and environmental correlates of this problematic behavior. However, little is known about how strongly procrastination is associated with internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, and the extent to which shared genetic/environmental factors or relevant personality constructs (e.g., fear of failure, impulsivity, and neuroticism) can inform the structure of these associations. The current study examined data from 764 young adult twins who completed questionnaires assessing procrastination and personality and structured interviews regarding psychopathology symptoms. Results indicated that procrastination was positively correlated with both internalizing and externalizing latent variables and that these correlations were driven by shared genetic influences. Moreover, the association between procrastination and internalizing was accounted for by fear of failure and neuroticism, whereas the association between procrastination and externalizing was primarily explained by impulsivity. The role of procrastination in psychopathology is discussed using a framework that highlights common and broadband-specific variance.
Toward a Functional View of the p Factor in Psychopathology
Authors: Carver Charles S. , Johnson Sheri L. , Timpano Kiara R.
Published: June 2017

Evidence indicates the existence of a superordinate factor of general psychopathology, which has been termed p. Among the issues raised by this discovery is whether this factor has substantive meaning or not. This article suggests a functional interpretation of the p factor, based in part on a family of dual process models, in which an associative system and a deliberative system compete for influence over action. The associative system is frequently said to be impulsively responsive to emotions. We hypothesize that this impulsive responsivity to emotion underlies the p factor. One benefit of this view is to use the same underlying process variable to account for both internalizing and externalizing vulnerabilities as well as aspects of thought disorder. Evidence is reviewed linking impulsive reactivity to emotion to the p factor and (separately) to internalizing, externalizing, and thought-disorder symptoms. Alternative interpretations are considered.
Large Compressive Pseudomeningocele Causing Early Major Neurologic Deficit After Spinal Surgery
Authors: Raudenbush Brandon L. , Molinari Andrew , Molinari Robert W.
Published: June 2017

Study Design:

Retrospective review.

Objectives:

Large compressive pseudomeningocele causing a major neurologic deficit is a very rare complication that is not well described in the existing literature.

Methods:

Institutional review board consent was obtained to study 2552 consecutive extradural spinal surgical cases performed by a single senior spinal surgeon during a 10-year period. The surgeon’s database for the decade was retrospectively reviewed and 3 cases involving postoperative major neurologic deficits caused by large compressive pseudomeningocele were identified.

Results:

The incidence of postoperative compressive pseudomeningocele causing major neurologic deficit was 0.12% (3/2552) per decade of spinal surgery with approximately 1.3% of cases incurring incidental durotomy. Average age of the patients was 57 years (range 45-78). One patient had posterior cervical spine surgery, and 2 patients had posterior lumbar surgery. All 3 patients had intraoperative incidental durotomy repaired during their index procedure. Large compressive pseudomeningocele causing major neurologic deficit occurred in the early 2-week postoperative period in all patients and was clearly identified on postoperative magnetic resonance imaging. All 3 patients were treated with emergent decompression and repair of the dural defect. All patients recovered neurologic function after revision surgery.

Conclusions:

Incidental durotomy and repair causing a large compressive pseudomeningocele after spine surgery is a rare and potentially devastating event. Early postoperative magnetic resonance imaging assists in the diagnosis. Emergent decompression combined with revision dural repair surgery may result in improved outcomes. Surgeons should be cognizant of this rare cause of early postoperative major neurologic deficit in patients who had previous dural repair.
Project RED Impacts Patient Experience
Authors: Cancino Ramon S , Manasseh Chris , Kwong Lana , Mitchell Suzanne E , Martin Jessica , Jack Brian W
Published: June 2017

Background:

Hospitalized patients are frequently unprepared to care for themselves after discharge often leading to unplanned hospital readmission. One strategy to reduce readmission rates is improving the quality of patient education and preparation before hospital discharge. The ReEngineered Discharge (RED) is a standardized hospital-based program designed to provide patients and caregivers the information they need to continue care at home.

Objectives:

We sought to study the impact of the RED intervention on posthospitalization adult patient experience scores in an urban academic safety-net hospital.

Methods:

We conducted a descriptive study of a pilot program that compared posthospitalization survey responses to the Press Ganey survey item “Instructions were given about how to care for yourself at home.” We compared the survey results for 3 groups of adult patients: those receiving the RED program, those receiving a standard discharge on the same hospital unit, and those receiving a standard discharge on other hospital units.

Results:

A greater percentage of adult patients who received the RED discharge program rated the quality of their discharge as “very good” as compared to those receiving a standard discharge on the same hospital unit and those receiving a standard discharge on other hospital units (61%, 35%, and 41%, respectively, P = .0001).

Conclusion:

Delivery of a standardized hospital discharge program resulted in a larger proportion of top-box “very good” responses on a Press Ganey posthospitalization survey. Future research should examine whether hospital-based transition programs can sustain improvement in patient experience measures and whether these improvements can be observed in other patient populations.
Preclinical and Clinical Evidence of DNA Methylation Changes in Response to Trauma and Chronic Stress
Authors: Matosin Natalie , Cruceanu Cristiana , Binder Elisabeth B.
Published: June 2017

Exposure to chronic stress, either repeated severe acute or moderate sustained stress, is one of the strongest risk factors for the development of psychopathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Chronic stress is linked with several lasting biological consequences, particularly to the stress endocrine system but also affecting intermediate phenotypes such as brain structure and function, immune function, and behavior. Although genetic predisposition confers a proportion of the risk, the most relevant molecular mechanisms determining those susceptible and resilient to the effects of stress and trauma may be epigenetic. Epigenetics refers to the mechanisms that regulate genomic information by dynamically changing the patterns of transcription and translation of genes. Mounting evidence from preclinical rodent and clinical population studies strongly support that epigenetic modifications can occur in response to traumatic and chronic stress. Here, we discuss this literature examining stress-induced epigenetic changes in preclinical models and clinical cohorts of stress and trauma occurring early in life or in adulthood. We highlight that a complex relationship between the timing of environmental stressors and genetic predispositions likely mediate the response to chronic stress over time, and that a better understanding of epigenetic changes is needed by further investigations in longitudinal and postmortem brain clinical cohorts.
Hagfish slime exudate stabilization and its effect on slime formation and functionality
Authors: Böni L. J. , Zurflüh R. , Widmer M. , Fischer P. , Windhab E. J. , Rühs P. A. , Kuster S.
Published: June 2017

Hagfish produce record breaking amounts of slime when under attack, making it the most dilute hydrogel known to date and a highly interesting material for biomaterial research. The slime forms from a glandular secrete called exudate, which deploys upon contact with seawater. To study the slime formation ex vivo and to characterize its material properties, stabilization of the sensitive slime exudate is crucial. In this study we compared the two main stabilization methods, high osmolarity citrate/PIPES (CP) buffer and immersion in oil and tested the influence of time, temperature, and pH on the stability of the exudate and functionality of the slime. Using water retention measurements to assess slime functionality, we found that CP buffer and oil preserved the exudate within the first five hours without functionality loss. For longer storage times, slime functionality decreased for both stabilization methods whereby the breakdown mechanisms differed. Stabilization in oil likely favored temperature sensitive osmotic-driven swelling and rupture of the mucin vesicles, causing the exudate to gel and clump. Extended storage in CP buffer resulted in an inhibited unraveling of skeins. We suggest that a water soluble protein glue, which mediates skein unraveling in functional skeins denatures and gradually becomes insoluble during storage in CP buffer. The breakdown was accentuated when the pH of the CP buffer was raised from pH 6.7 to pH 8.5, probably caused by increased denaturation of the protein glue or by inferior vesicle stabilization. However, when fresh exudate was mixed into seawater at pH values 6<pH<9, slime functionality was not affected, showing pH insensitivity of the slime formation around a neutral pH. This insight on hagfish exudate stabilization mechanisms will support hagfish slime research at a fundamental level and contribute to resolve the complex mechanisms of skein unraveling and slime formation.
COP9 signalosome subunits protect Capicua from MAPK-dependent and -independent mechanisms of degradation
Authors: Suisse Annabelle , He DanQing , Legent Kevin , Treisman Jessica E.
Published: June 2017

The COP9 signalosome removes Nedd8 modifications from the Cullin subunits of ubiquitin ligase complexes, reducing their activity. Here, we show that mutations in the Drosophila COP9 signalosome subunit 1b (CSN1b) gene increase the activity of ubiquitin ligases that contain Cullin 1. Analysis of CSN1b mutant phenotypes revealed a requirement for the COP9 signalosome to prevent ectopic expression of Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) target genes. It does so by protecting Capicua, a transcriptional repressor of EGFR target genes, from EGFR pathway-dependent ubiquitylation by a Cullin 1/SKP1-related A/Archipelago E3 ligase and subsequent proteasomal degradation. The CSN1b subunit also maintains basal Capicua levels by protecting it from a separate mechanism of degradation that is independent of EGFR signaling. As a suppressor of tumor growth and metastasis, Capicua may be an important target of the COP9 signalosome in cancer.
The tendinopathic Achilles tendon does not remain iso-volumetric upon repeated loading: insights from 3D ultrasound
Authors: Nuri Leila , Obst Steven J. , Newsham-West Richard , Barrett Rod S.
Published: June 2017

Mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy (MAT) alters the normal three-dimensional (3D) morphology of the Achilles tendon (AT) at rest and under a single tensile load. However, how MAT changes the 3D morphology of AT during repeated loading remains unclear. This study compared the AT longitudinal, transverse and volume strains during repeated loading in MAT with those of the contralateral tendon in people with unilateral MAT. Ten adults with unilateral MAT performed 10 successive 25 second submaximal (50%) voluntary isometric plantarflexion contractions with both legs. Freehand 3D ultrasound scans were recorded and used to measure whole AT, free AT, and proximal AT longitudinal strains and free AT cross-sectional area (CSA) and volume strains. The free AT experienced higher longitudinal and CSA strain and reached steady state following a greater number of contractions (5 contractions) in MAT compared to the contralateral tendon (3 contractions). Further, free tendon CSA and volume strained more in MAT than contralateral tendon from the first contraction, whereas free AT longitudinal strain was not greater than the contralateral tendon until the fourth contraction. Volume loss from the tendon core therefore preceded the greater longitudinal strain in MAT. Overall, these findings suggest that the tendinopathic free AT experiences an exaggerated longitudinal and transverse strain response under repeated loading that is underpinned by an altered interaction between solid and fluid tendon matrix components. These alterations are indicative of accentuated poroelasticity and an altered local stress-strain environment within the tendinopathic free tendon matrix, which could affect tendon remodelling via mechanobiological pathways.
The resilience of Philhellenism
Authors: Tolias George
Published: June 2017

This essay aims to survey certain key aspects of philhellenism underpinned by the recent and past bibliography on the issue. By exploring the definitions of the related terms, their origins and their various meanings, the paper underscores the notion of “revival” as a central working concept of philhellenic ideas and activities and explores its transformations, acceptances or rejections in Western Europe and in Greece during the period from 1770 to 1870.
Mining engineers, industrial modernisation and politics in Greece, 1870-1940
Authors: Papastefanaki Leda
Published: June 2017

The engineers who studied in Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and who returned to Greece to work have been seen as bearers of scientific knowledge and the modernising effort. Actually, they were active historical agents contributing with their multiple scientific activities to the process of appropriation of science and technology and industrial modernisation in the specific historical environment. This article aims, through the study of a particular professional group of engineers, the mining engineers, to demonstrate the interaction between scientific and technical professional activities and participation in political and social affairs. For these mining engineers, the technical efficiency and economic growth that industrialisation would bring could not be dissociated from social order and a hierarchical form of social organisation. At the same time, the formation of their professional group, as well as the social organisation that they envisioned, were rooted in gendered and class relations of power.
L’engagement politique des journalistes pendant la seconde moitié du XIXe siècle
Authors: Balta Nassi
Published: June 2017

Le but de cet article est d’ examiner les transformations qui ont lieu au sein de la presse grecque au cours de la deuxième moitié du XIXe siècle et, en particulier, le processus complexe de sa politisation. Par l’ examen du contexte politique, idéologique et institutionnel de l’ époque, et à partir des exemples caractéristiques précis, l’ article vise à examiner le fonctionnement politique de la presse d’ opinion grecque pendant cette période charnière.
The evolution of Greek fauna since classical times
Authors: Sidiropoulos Konstantinos , Polymeni Rosa-Maria , Legakis Anastasios
Published: June 2017

This article concerns the Greek fauna of classical and late antiquity and changes up to the present day. The main sources for the fauna of antiquity are historical, geographical and zoological texts, as well as descriptions from travellers who visited Greece. The study of the texts of classical and late antiquity was based on the following classical authors: Xenophon, Aristotle, Aristophanes Byzantios, Pliny, Dio Chrysostom, Plutarch, Pausanias and Aelian. Some species that were present in the Greek fauna of classical and late antiquity, such as the lion and the leopard, are today extinct in Greece, whereas some other species that are now common, such as the cat, the chicken and the peacock, were introduced about that time or a little earlier from other regions. Some other species that are also common today, such as the wild rabbit and the pheasant, were unknown at that time, as they appeared later in Greece from other areas.
Review of: Maurizio Viroli, How to Choose a Leader: Machiavelli’s Advice to Citizens,
Authors: Katsimitsis Michalis
Published: June 2017

Unlike other leadership books, How to Choose a Leader makes a shift of perspective, giving the point of view of the leader to the people. This is in itself interesting, since we rarely come across such an attempt to “teach” citizens so systematically.
Review of: A. Lymberopoulou and R. Duits (eds), Byzantine Art and Renaissance Europe,
Authors: Albani Jenny
Published: June 2017

The question of cultural relations between the Byzantine East and the Latin West, although not unexplored, is still an open one. Therefore, this book, a collective volume of six studies on various aspects of cultural and artistic interaction between Byzantine and Western European societies from the late twelfth to the late fifteenth century, is welcome.
The application of remote ischemic conditioning in cardiac surgery
Authors: Bosnjak Zeljko J. , Ge Zhi-Dong
Published: June 2017

Perioperative myocardial ischemia and infarction are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality following anesthesia and surgery. The discovery of endogenous cardioprotective mechanisms has led to testing of new methods to protect the human heart. These approaches have included ischemic pre-conditioning, per-conditioning, post-conditioning, and remote conditioning of the myocardium. Pre-conditioning and per-conditioning include brief and repetitive periods of sub-lethal ischemia before and during prolonged ischemia, respectively; and post-conditioning is applied at the onset of reperfusion. Remote ischemic conditioning involves transient, repetitive, non-lethal ischemia and reperfusion in one organ or tissue (remote from the heart) that renders myocardium more resistant to lethal ischemia/reperfusion injury. In healthy, young hearts, many conditioning maneuvers can significantly increase the resistance of the heart against ischemia/reperfusion injury. The large multicenter clinical trials with ischemic remote conditioning have not been proven successful in cardiac surgery thus far. The lack of clinical success is due to underlying risk factors that interfere with remote ischemic conditioning and the use of cardioprotective agents that have activated the endogenous cardioprotective mechanisms prior to remote ischemic conditioning. Future preclinical research using remote ischemic conditioning will need to be conducted using comorbid models.
Effect of PVP on the characteristic of modified membranes made from waste PET bottles for humic acid removal
Authors: Arahman Nasrul , Fahrina Afrillia , Amalia Sastika , Sunarya Rahmat , Mulyati Sri
Published: June 2017

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possibility of using recycled polymer (waste polyethylene terephthalate [PET] bottles) as a membrane material. Furthermore, the effect of the addition of a pore-forming agent and preparation conditions was also observed. Methods: Porous polymeric membranes were prepared via thermally induced phase separation by dissolving recycled PET in phenol. PET polymer was obtained from waste plastic bottles as a new source of polymeric material. For original PET membrane, the casting solution was prepared by dissolving of 20wt% PET in phenol solution. For PET modified membrane, a 5 wt% of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was added into polymer solution. The solution was cast onto a glass plate at room temperature followed by evaporation before the solidification process. The membranes formed were characterized in terms of morphology, chemical group, and filtration performance. A humic acid solution was used to identify the permeability and the solute rejection of the membranes. Results: The results showed that the recycled PET from waste plastic bottles was applicable to use as a membrane material for a water treatment process. The maximum flux of 97.0 l/m2.hr was obtained from filtration test using PET membrane. The highest rejection of humic acid in a water sample, which reached up to 75.92%, was obtained using the PET/PVP membrane. Conclusions: The recycled PET from waste bottles was successfully used to prepare porous membrane. The membrane was modified by the addition of PVP as a membrane modifying agent. SEM analysis confirmed that the original PET membrane has a rough and large pore structure. The addition of PVP improved the pore density with a narrow pore structure. The PET/PVP membrane conditioned with evaporation was the best in humic acid rejection.
An improved Plasmodium cynomolgi genome assembly reveals an unexpected methyltransferase gene expansion
Authors: Pasini Erica M , Böhme Ulrike , Rutledge Gavin G. , Voorberg-Van der Wel Annemarie , Sanders Mandy , Berriman Matt , Kocken Clemens HM , Otto Thomas D.
Published: June 2017

Background: Plasmodium cynomolgi, a non-human primate malaria parasite species, has been an important model parasite since its discovery in 1907. Similarities in the biology of P. cynomolgi to the closely related, but less tractable, human malaria parasite P. vivax make it the model parasite of choice for liver biology and vaccine studies pertinent to P. vivax malaria. Molecular and genome-scale studies of P. cynomolgi have relied on the current reference genome sequence, which remains highly fragmented with 1,649 unassigned scaffolds and little representation of the subtelomeres. 

Methods: Using long-read sequence data (Pacific Biosciences SMRT technology), we assembled and annotated a new reference genome sequence, PcyM, sourced from an Indian rhesus monkey. We compare the newly assembled genome sequence with those of several other Plasmodium species, including a re-annotated P. coatneyi assembly.

Results: The new PcyM genome assembly is of significantly higher quality than the existing reference, comprising only 56 pieces, no gaps and an improved average gene length. Detailed manual curation has ensured a comprehensive annotation of the genome with 6,632 genes, nearly 1,000 more than previously attributed to P. cynomolgi. The new assembly also has an improved representation of the subtelomeric regions, which account for nearly 40% of the sequence. Within the subtelomeres, we identified more than 1300 Plasmodium interspersed repeat (pir) genes, as well as a striking expansion of 36 methyltransferase pseudogenes that originated from a single copy on chromosome 9.

Conclusions: The manually curated PcyM reference genome sequence is an important new resource for the malaria research community. The high quality and contiguity of the data have enabled the discovery of a novel expansion of methyltransferase in the subtelomeres, and illustrates the new comparative genomics capabilities that are being unlocked by complete reference genomes.
Incidence of acetabular dysplasia in breech infants following initially normal ultrasound: The effect of variable diagnostic criteria
Authors: Brusalis C. M. , Price C. T. , Sankar W. N.
Published: June 2017

Purpose

This study aimed to determine the incidence of acetabular dysplasia at six months of age in patients with breech presentation and previously normal hip ultrasounds, reporting primary radiographic measurements to allow for comparison with other patient cohorts.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of breech infants with initially normal clinical examinations and hip ultrasounds was performed to determine the rate of subsequent acetabular dysplasia and to characterise the distribution of acetabular index (AI). At approximately six months of age, AI was measured bilaterally on anteroposterior (AP) pelvic radiographs and reported using descriptive statistics.

Results

A total of 94 hips in 47 breech infants were eligible for analysis. All infants demonstrated normal ultrasound findings at a mean age of 6.9 ± 1.7 weeks and returned for follow-up at a mean age of 6.4 ± 0.5 months. On AP pelvic radiographs, mean right hip AI was 25.0°, with an interquartile range (IQR) (25th -75th percentile) of 23° to 27° and mean left hip AI was 25.5°, with an IQR of 22° to 28°. If one applies a single commonly used threshold value for defining dysplasia (AI ≥ 30°), 10/94 hips (10.6%) meet diagnostic criteria. Alternatively, strict adherence to previously established normative AI values stratified by gender and laterality results in 4/94 hips (4.3%) qualifying as significantly dysplastic.

Conclusions

The proportion of breech infants who, despite normal initial ultrasound findings, were diagnosed with dysplasia at six months supports observation of breech-born patients beyond six weeks. Reliance on different threshold values for diagnosing acetabular dysplasia can lead to discrepancies in incidence rates.
A comparison of functional outcome between amputation and extension prosthesis in the treatment of congenital absence of the fibula with severe limb deformity
Authors: Calder P. , Shaw S. , Roberts A. , Tennant S. , Sedki I. , Hanspal R. , Eastwood D.
Published: June 2017

Purpose

Complete fibula absence often presents with significant lower-limb deformity. Parental counselling regarding management is paramount in achieving the optimum functional outcome. Amputation offers a single surgical event with minimal complications. This study compares outcomes with an amputation protocol to those using an extension prosthesis.

Method

Thirty-two patients were identified. Nine patients (2 males, 7 females; median age at assessment of 23.5 years) used an extension prosthesis. Twenty-three patients (16  males, 7 females; median age at assessment of eight years) underwent 25 amputations during childhood. Mobility was assessed using SIGAM and K scores. Quality of life was assessed using the PedsQL inventory questionnaire; pain by a verbal severity score.

Results

The 19 Syme and one Boyd amputation in 19 patients were performed early (mean age 15 months). Four Syme and one trans-tibial amputation in four patients took place in older children (mean age 6.6 years). Only two underwent tibial kyphus correction to aid prosthetic fitting. K scores were significantly higher (mean 4 vs 2) and pain scores lower in the amputation group allowing high impact activity compared with community ambulation with an extension prosthesis. The SIGAM and PedsQL scores were all better in the amputation group, but not significantly so.

Conclusion

Childhood amputation for severe limb length inequality and foot deformity in congenital fibula absence offers excellent short-term functional outcome with prosthetic support. The tibial kyphus does not need routine correction and facilitates prosthetic suspension. Accommodative extension prostheses offer reasonable long-term function but outcome scores are lower.
Resistants, stimulants and weaponization: Extreme metal music and empowerment in the Iraqi and Syrian civil conflicts
Authors: Grant Sam
Published: June 2017

Metal music can be a means of artistic expression or an accessory of war. Making its first appearance in Iraq and Syria in the 1980s, it has found function as an agency of power, endurance, anger and abuse. Utilizable by artists, fans and the military of the Mashriq, metal can be used for catharsis, rebellion or torture. This article looks at how the extreme metal subgenres of thrash metal, death metal and black metal have become important inclusions in the Iraqi and Syrian civil conflicts. Integrating original qualitative interview data from local bands, the study shows that metal music can be a source of empowerment for civilians as well as the US military. It also shows that metal can be the only stability some draw from during the continual devastation to their communities and that it can provide passage out of the region in exceptional circumstances.
The Viking raids of England in metal music: From ideology to parody
Authors: La Rocca Francesco
Published: June 2017

This article scrutinizes the rendition of the Viking imagery in metal music by the means of a comparative analysis of two Viking-inspired songs: ‘793 (The Battle of Lindisfarne)’ by the Enslaved, Norwegian Extreme band, and ‘Barbarian’ by The Darkness, the British rockers. Enslaved and The Darkness belong to widely different sub-genres of metal: the first cultivate an intriguing music characterized by Old-School Black Metal sounds blended with elements drawn from progressive rock, and the second are one of the most recognizable retro/heavy acts of the last two decades. Despite their widely different backgrounds, both bands have come up with two songs dealing with a particular aspect of early-Scandinavian history, namely, the Viking raids of Britain which took place in the VIII and IX centuries. It goes without saying that the differences between ‘793’ and ‘Barbarian’ reflect the styles and ideas of their respective composers: the juxtaposition of these contrasting musical and textual renditions of similar historical events (of particular relevance given also the borderline right-winged ideology propagated by Enslaved’s lyrics) will provide an innovative historical take on Viking-themed metal. I am grateful to the two anonymous reviewers from Metal Music Studies for a number of valuable suggestions.
Shredding, tapping and sweeping: Effects of guitar distortion on playability and expressiveness in rock and metal solos
Authors: Herbst Jan-Peter
Published: June 2017

‘Shredding’, the fast and virtuous guitar playing, is a central stylistic element of many rock and metal genres. A recent empirical study reported metal guitar solos having become faster over the last six decades, thus indicating that shredding still is common in metal guitar, as argued in the earlier literature in rock and metal music studies. The present study extends such research by experimentally investigating the effects of distortion on playability, virtuosity and expressiveness based on a multi-methodical analysis from musicology, acoustics and music informatics. The findings contribute to acoustic-based evidence of distortion’s simplifying effect that increases the electric guitar’s potential as a virtuoso solo instrument. Yet, the results also highlight challenges of distorted guitar playing less commonly considered in research, journalism and performance practice. The article closes by advocating greater acknowledgement of the skills required for distorted metal guitar playing.
From DJ to djent-step: Technology and the re-coding of metal music since the 1980s
Authors: Marrington Mark
Published: June 2017

This article considers the ways in which metal has interacted with the aesthetics of electronic music since the 1980s, from its earliest exchanges with hip hop through to recent developments in the djent subgenre. It highlights the persistence of metal’s practitioners in adopting new technologies (including samplers, drum machines and Digital Audio Workstations) and the challenges that this has brought to established ideas of conventional metal music practice. Underlying the discussion is the notion of the ‘code’, a familiar term in metal music studies, which has been employed to articulate ideas of metal’s core musical attributes. In these terms, electronic music’s creative practices can be seen to have facilitated both the deconstruction and re-contextualization of metal’s code, enabling the genre to be re-imagined and ultimately enriched.
‘Spooky action’: Transmission, composition and quantum entanglement
Authors: Connole Edia , Na R.iidr Vordb
Published: June 2017

With recourse to commentarial remarks on the composition of Moévöt’s Voèkrèb I (1994), in this short article we draw on ‘nonlocal’ correlations in quantum physics in an attempt to speculatively account for a creative process Vordb Na R.iidr (previously Vordb Báthor Ecsed: 1991–94; Vordb Dréagvor Uèzréèvb: 1994–2012) calls ‘instinctization’. Engaging the same conceit as Xasthur’s ‘Telepathic with the Deceased’, from the eponymous 2004 album (Moribund Records), the composition of Voèkrèb I forcibly returns us to the otherworldly aspects of a mode of transmission Einstein famously dubbed, ‘spooky action at a distance’ (spukhafte Fernwirkung).
Headbanging in Taiwan
Authors: Hsiang Chiu , de Seta Gabriele
Published: June 2017

Drawing on the authors’ sustained immersion and participation in local music scenes, this short article lays the groundwork for Taiwanese metal music studies. Heavy metal music arrived in Taiwan in the early 1980s through the precarious mediation of daoban [pirated] tapes and foreign television channels and, in the course of three decades, it has moved from a niche and hardly accessible genre to an established ensemble of scenes, subgenres, bands, venues, record labels, booking agencies, distributors, rehearsal spaces and audiences. After sketching a history of metal music in Taiwan in dialogue with a local record distributor, the authors describe how a subgenre such as death metal is practiced, discussed and sustained – through equipment, skills and judgments – during a few hours of a local band’s rehearsal. In light of the history, development and practice of metal music in Taiwan, more research about local bands, audiences and scenes appears urgent and necessary.
Molyneux’s Question in Berkeley’s Theory of Vision
Authors: Loaiza Juan R.
Published: June 2017

I propose a reading of Berkeley's Essay towards a New Theory of Vision in which Molyneux-type questions as thought experiments instead of arguments. First, I present the general argumentative strategy in the NTV, and provide grounds for the traditional reading. Second, I consider some roles of thought experiments, and classify Molyneux-type questions in the NTV as constructive conjectural thought experiments. Third, I argue that (i) there is no distinction between Weak and Strong Heterogeneity theses in the NTV; (ii) that Strong Heterogeneity is the basis of Berkeley's theory; and (iii) that Molyneux-type questions act as illustrations of Strong Heterogeneity.
On a logical argument against the naturalizability of reference
Authors: Bianchi Andrea
Published: June 2017

Is a naturalistic account of reference possible? Here is a simple argument to the effect that it is not: Let R be the relation that allegedly naturalizes reference, and consider the predicate "being an object that does not stand in the relation R to this expression". Call this predicate "P". On the face of it, P is a counterexample to the alleged naturalization, since it appears to refer to all and only those objects that do not stand in the relation R to it. Actually, an argument like this was advanced more than twenty years ago by the late Paolo Casalegno. Although for various reasons it has not been given due attention by the philosophical community, the argument is interesting in its structure and remarkable in its conclusion. In this paper I shall reconstruct it in detail and discuss it. Then, I shall show that the argument fails, since, contrary to what Casalegno claimed, under certain conditions P is paradoxical, hence not a referring expression. My rejection builds on the fundamental distinction between simple and compound expressions, namely on the compositional structure of natural languages. If I am right, whether any attempt at naturalizing reference that takes care of this distinction will succeed remains an open empirical question.
Pluralistic Mechanism
Authors: Wajnerman Paz Abel
Published: June 2017

An argument recently proposed by Chirimuuta (2014) seems to motivate the rejection of the claims that every neurocognitive phenomenon can have a mechanistic explanation and that every neurocognitive explanation is mechanistic. In this paper, I focus on efficient coding models involving the so-called “canonical neural computations” and argue that although they imply some form of pluralism, they are compatible with two mechanistic generalizations: all neurocognitive explanations are (at least in part) mechanistic; and all neurocognitive phenomena that have an explanation have (at least) a purely mechanistic explanation.
The Effectiviness of Promotional Benefit Towards Buying Intention Moderated By The Brain’s Tendency of Consumers
Authors: Stiawan Evan , Rahmat Syah Tantri Yanuar
Published: June 2017

This research’s goal is to measure the influence of promotional benefit towards buying intention moderated the brain’s tendency of consumers. The object of this research is the consumers whom ever bought a mobile phone. The purpose of this research is to find out the consumer’s buying intention when price discount is higher than premium, the influence of price discount and premium toward buying intention which is moderated by the tendency of consumer’s left and right brain. The data analysis method used is ANOVA One Way and General Linear model (GLM). The result of the research shows that premium is more positively evaluated than price discount which is means the consumer tends to re-buy when premium promotion offered is higher that price discount. The group of consumers that get price discount and right brain tendency tend to have a higher buying intention than the group of consumers that get price discount and left brain tendency, also for the group of consumers that get price discount and right brain tendency tend to have a higher buying intention than the group of consumers that get premium and right brain tendency.