bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pre-eclampsia: Pathophysiology, screening and prophylaxis
Authors: Moncrieff Gill
Published: May 2018

Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder that can significantly alter maternal physiology and result in a considerable threat to maternal and fetal health. Although many of the mechanisms involved in its pathophysiology have been elucidated, significant knowledge gaps remain. Perhaps as a result, there is no known treatment for the condition, and birth is the only known cure. The optimal timing of birth can present a difficult decision in the face of maternal or fetal demise; therefore maternal and fetal condition must be monitored and stabilised with the aim of prolonging pregnancy until this time is evident, or until birth becomes necessary. Intervention involves screening pregnant women with the aim of initiating aspirin prophylaxis for those deemed to be at increased risk. This article discusses the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in pre-eclampsia, factors that may impact on pathophysiology, controversies around screening, and the mechanism of aspirin prophylaxis.
Restorative supervision for student midwives: The professional midwifery advocate in the classroom
Authors: Power Alison , Thomas Cheryl
Published: May 2018

Women and their families are entitled to high quality, safe and effective maternity care, yet reports have identified failings in areas of care such as risk assessment and care planning. As a result, there have been fundamental changes in the way midwives are regulated in the UK. With these changes came the development of a new model for midwifery clinical supervision, aligned to the aims of the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to provide a high quality service, delivered by resilient, highly valued, well-supported midwives. This article will consider the role of a Professional Midwifery Advocate in a university setting to explore how the early introduction of the role and implementation of group-based restorative supervision may positively impact on student midwives' training, reduce attrition rates, encourage the development of resilience and foster an ethos of peer support.
Flexibility for independent midwives
Authors: Elliot Becky
Published: May 2018

A new working model has been launched by Private Midwives to make it more affordable for self-employed midwives to work. Becky Elliot, who joined the scheme this year, explains more
Small Animal Review
Authors: Tennant Bryn
Published: May 2018

Introduction:

A novel strain of canine bocavirus, a member of the Parvoviridae family, was identified in a litter of puppies that died from acute dyspnoea and haemoptysis. The virus was identified in several tissues, suggesting haematogenous spread, with active replication evident in the intestinal epithelium. However, no direct link between infection and death was determined.
Minimising complications in soft tissue surgery — recent advances
Authors: Charlesworth Tim
Published: May 2018

It is inevitable that all surgeons will encounter complications. Surgical training has traditionally focused on refinement of technical skills in an attempt to reduce the severity and frequency of these complications. There is a growing body of evidence, however, that core ‘non-technical skills’ (NTS) are equally essential to surgical teams. This article will discuss how these NTS can be applied to veterinary surgery in order to reduce both patient morbidity and mortality.
The Analytic Network Process: Astronomy, Icebergs, and Big Box Stores
Authors: Cooper Orrin
Published: May 2018

The Analytic Network Process (ANP) is a disruptive technology that has had significant impacts in the field of decision-making. By drawing on an analogy to the field of astronomy we can see that even with all that has been developed we must avoid the illusion of thinking that the field is mature and fully discovered. The ANP has many parallels to icebergs from what portion is visible to the value of providing relevant warning products. One of the most important contributions going forward will be the discovery of the more complex and hidden relationships and tests that ANP decision makers can use to test their models. These discoveries will improve both the reputation of the ANP and decision maker’s confidence in their models. Without these discoveries, the ANP runs the risk of becoming like a big box retail store.
There is still time to submit papers to ISAHP 2018!
Authors: Rokou Elena
Published: May 2018

The International Symposium on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (ISAHP) for Decision Making brings together researchers, academics, students and other users of AHP/ANP to share their research and experiences in decision making. In this article the highlights of the upcoming conference are presented.
Robotics in urology
Authors: McGuinness Luke A , Prasad Rai Bhavan
Published: May 2018

Twenty years after it was introduced, robotic surgery has become more commonplace in urology – we examine its current uses and controversies
‘Reconstructing Ourselves’ – An arts and research project improving patient experience
Authors: Thimbleby Prue , Wright Sarah , Solomon Rhian
Published: May 2018

‘Reconstructing Ourselves’ was an eighteen-month arts project that brought together a visual artist, a storyteller and a qualitative researcher. The team worked with women undergoing complex breast reconstruction and facilitated them to tell their stories through video, textiles and photography as well as directly to their doctors through narrative recordings played during their consultations. This article focuses on the narrative recordings which were the subject of the research question: Can pre-recording what patients want to say before they go into the consultation room improve the patient experience of the consultation? The article describes the methodology and key thematic findings from twenty women who played their recorded narratives directly to their doctors. The response and feedback given by all participants in this study overwhelmingly confirmed that pre-recording what patients want to say, and playing it as part of the consultation, improved the patient experience of the consultation.
El papel de los planes de igualdad en la implantación de medidas de igualdad efectiva en las empresas
Authors: Sierra Hernáiz Elisa
Published: May 2018

En el presente trabajo se estudia el papel desempeñado por los Planes de igualdadcomo instrumentos del principio de igualdad sustancial para superar los efectosde la brecha de género, que se manifiesta en todos los ámbitos de la relación laboraly que tanto dificulta la verdadera igualdad de oportunidades entre trabajadores ytrabajadoras. Para ello, se analiza su contenido con una perspectiva crítica, teniendoen cuenta que ya han pasado diez años desde la aprobación de la Ley Orgánicade Igualdad, para, a posteriori, proponer posibles medidas de actuación para que losPlanes de igualdad sean un instrumento eficaz para la consecución de los objetivosprevistos en dicha norma y no se conviertan en meras declaraciones de principios oestablezcan medidas no conectadas con la realidad para la que están pensados.
La conciliación de responsabilidades: estado de la cuestión a la luz de la propuesta de la Directiva de la Comisión Europea del 26 de abril de 2017
Authors: Ballester Pastor María Amparo
Published: May 2018

En el trabajo se realiza un análisis crítico de la normativa española y de laUnión Europea sobre conciliación de responsabilidades a la luz de la propuesta deDirectiva recientemente presentada por la Comisión Europea en 2017. En el segundoapartado, después de la introducción, se analizan las sentencias del TJUE y delTC más relevantes, se exponen argumentos doctrinales y se concluye en la necesidadde reforzar la conexión entre conciliación de responsabilidades y discriminación porrazón de sexo. En el tercer apartado se analiza el permiso de paternidad en la propuestade directiva de 2017 y se compara con el actual permiso de paternidad existenteen España. En el cuarto apartado se presenta una reflexión crítica sustentadaen la necesidad de reforzar los mecanismos de adaptación del trabajo y de fomento dela corresponsabilidad. En el último apartado se exponen las dificultades todavía existentespara garantizar una adecuada protección frente al despido por razones vinculadasal cuidado de dependientes.
La evolución de las pensiones de jubilación y viudedad desde la perspectiva de género.
Authors: Blázquez Agudo Eva María
Published: May 2018

En general, las beneficiarias de las pensiones de viudedad son mujeres, mientrasque los beneficiarios de las pensiones de jubilación son hombres. Esta situaciónobedece a un antiguo reparto de roles familiares en el que el hombre salía a trabajarfuera de casa, mientras la mujer se quedaba cuidado de la familia. Ahora la inserciónde la mujer en el mercado laboral está introduciendo nuevos elementos que debentenerse en cuenta en la regulación de las pensiones. Es preciso poner remedio alas pérdidas de cotizaciones provocadas por necesidades de conciliación y a la brechasalarial que sufren las mujeres, ya que ambas situaciones van a influir negativamenteen la consecución de la pensión de jubilación futura. Por otra parte, la pensión deviudedad ha perdido su fundamento de proteger a las mujeres que se quedaban en elhogar cuidando de su familia, de modo que es preciso replantearse su contenido.
In Their Own Words…
Authors: (GAATW) Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women
Published: May 2018

The Editors approached service providers members of the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) with a request to speak to people who are using their services and ask them about the difficulties they are currently facing, their hopes for the future, or anything else they want to share with the journal audience. The responses below were translated by the service providers or GAATW staff and have been edited only for clarity.
Dilemmas in Rescue and Reintegration: A critical assessment of India’s policies for children trafficked for labour exploitation
Authors: Donger Elizabeth , Bhabha Jacqueline
Published: May 2018

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the Indian government’s efforts to combat pervasive child trafficking for labour exploitation through rescue and reintegration of affected children. It evaluates the extensive policy and legal frameworks against on-the-ground realities in the states of Bihar and Rajasthan, using empirical findings from a qualitative study carried out by the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights at Harvard University. The results demonstrate that current practices fail to adhere to human rights norms or protect rescued children from risk of future exploitation. They underscore important challenges in the rescue and reintegration of trafficked children, and call into question the singular focus on this category of post-harm response over preventative interventions. The findings point to a critical need for future research, sustained multi-stakeholder discussion and concrete reforms.
Notes from the Editors, May 2018
Authors: The Editors -
Published: May 2018

buy this issueThe neoliberal restructuring of U.S. higher education is widely recognized, but nonetheless treated superficially and piecemeal in most left analyses, with little critical understanding of its inner political-economic logic. It is here that American observers have the most to learn from their British counterparts.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.
Giant Metastatic Liver Tumor of Unknown Primary Origin: Thoracic Autopsy Solves the Mystery
Authors: Mitselou Antigony , Papadatos Stamatis S. , Tsoultsidou Savvina , Fragkouli Kleio , Mitsis Michail , Vougiouklakis Theodoros , Galani Vasiliki
Published: May 2018

A 59-year-old male patient was hospitalized in the Internal Medicine Department for investigation of hepatic metastases from an unknown primary neoplasm. During the hospitalization the patient died from acute myocardial infarction. The autopsy revealed a 8.2 kilograms (kg) liver that was diffusely infiltrated by whitish metastatic masses. No other tumor was detected, apart from a 2.5 centimeters (cm) pulmonary nodule next to the right intermediate bronchus that was histologically compatible with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Despite the fact that hepatic metastases from SCLCs are common, diffuse metastatic hepatomegaly from a malignant pulmonary nodule are rarely seen. Given that the most common cause of malignancy-related death is lung cancer, early diagnosis and appropriate management of pulmonary nodules is of paramount importance.
Prognostic implications of detectable cardiac troponin I below the 99th percentile in patients admitted to an emergency department without acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Bardají Alfredo , Bonet Gil , Carrasquer Anna , González-del Hoyo Maribel , Domínguez Fernando , Sánchez Rafael , Boqué Carme , Cediel Germán
Published: May 2018

Background:

Detectable troponin below the 99th percentile may reflect an underlying cardiac abnormality which might entail prognostic consequences. This study aimed to investigate the prognosis of patients admitted to an emergency department (ED) with detectable troponin below the 99th percentile reference limit who did not present with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods:

We analysed the clinical data of all consecutive patients admitted to the ED during the years 2012 and 2013 in whom cardiac troponin was requested by the attending clinician (cTnI Ultra Siemens, Advia Centaur). Patients with troponin below the 99th percentile of the reference population (40 ng/L) and who did not have a diagnosis of ACS were selected, and their mortality was evaluated in a 2-year follow-up.

Results:

A total of 2501 patients had a troponin level below the reference limit, with 43.9% of those showing detectable levels (>6 ng/L and <40 ng/L). Patients with detectable levels were elderly and had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular history and more comorbidities. The total mortality in the 2-year follow-up was 12.4% in patients with detectable troponin and 4.5% in patients with undetectable troponin (p<0.001). In the Cox multivariate regression analysis, the detectable troponin was an independent marker of mortality at 2 years (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.07–2.45, p=0.021).

Conclusions:

Detectable troponin I below the 99th percentile is associated with higher mortality risk at 2-year follow-up in patients admitted to the ED who did not present with ACS.
Microwave-assisted synthesis of isoindolinones via Pd-mediated tandem coupling reactions
Authors: Mendoza-Pérez Eduardo , Vázquez Alfredo
Published: May 2018

Palladium (Pd) coupling reactions have become an indispensable tool in modern synthetic organic chemistry. A simple procedure to obtain isoindolinones 7 bearing a quaternary C-atom, featuring a Pd-mediated tandem process, is presented. Readily available iodoamidoacrylate 3 and boronic acids 6 are used as the starting materials.
Fluorescence chemosensor containing 4-methyl-7-coumarinyloxy, acetylhydrazono and N-phenylaza-15-crown-5 moieties for K+ and Ba2+ ions
Authors: Zhang Qiang , Duan Kaifei
Published: May 2018

A new aza-15-crown-5 derivative 1 bearing coumarin and hydrazone moieties was synthesized and characterized. The fluorescent sensing behavior and selectivity of 1 toward different metal ions in ethanol were investigated. There are 4-fold and 2-fold fluorescence enhancements of 1 at λem=406 nm upon addition of five equivalents of K+ and Ba2+, respectively. The fluorescence titration revealed the stoichiometry of 1:1 for 1-K+
1-Ba2+ complexes and the binding constants (lgK
s) of 4.11 for 1-K+ and 3.61 for 1-Ba2+. Compound 1 can be used as a fluorescent chemosensor for K+ and Ba2+ through discriminable photoresponse signals. The calculated detection limits for K+ and Ba2+ are 2.28 μm and 5.21 μm, respectively.
Examination of Innovative High-Throughput Fermentations
Authors: Németh Áron
Published: May 2018

During the investigation of fermentations, issues such as the need for numerous parallel experiments with regard to strain improvement or screening were often met, or in the case of media optimization the need for online measurements to avoid a lack of night-samples was also required. Therefore, several new instruments were introduced to solve one or more of these problems: impedimetric- and reverse-spin-technologies (RST) were compared via fermentation of a well-known species of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, resulting in a diauxic growth curve. To identify the most accurate method, a wellknown mathematical description was fitted to the measured data. Since the initial parameters were considered reliable as they originated from real experiments, during model fitting, the parameters were further fine-tuned, and the less modifications reported the better the system since it produces a growth curve that is more similar to standard bioreactors. According to our study, the impedimetric equipment was more efficient, and could run 40 parallel experiments, but the RST was more flexible.
Sur/South: traducciones culturales y la cuestión de Oriente
Authors: Klengel Susanne
Published: May 2018

El presente trabajo propone reflexionar sobre conceptos que permiten captar las relaciones y entrelazamientos literarios y culturales en el Sur global a partir de su materialidad histórica y su complejidad metodológica. Dos grafismos llaman a una lectura complementaria de las expresiones Sur↓South y Sur/South: desde la historia y desde la teoría. Será reconsiderado el debate sobre el mito de la traducción “transparente” a partir de las teorías de L. Venuti y E. Glissant, y, de manera análoga, se presentará el debate crítico respecto al concepto constructivista del orientalismo, generalizado como figura universal del pensamiento crítico actual. Abogando por una revalorización de agencias y saberes no-hegemónicos, heterodoxos, e incluso “opacos” (según Glissant) que se traducen y negocian entre actores del Sur y entre Occidente y Oriente, el trabajo demuestra, a partir de Prosa del Observatorio de J. Cortázar la puesta en escena de procesos traslatorios poéticamente intrincados entre Occidente y Oriente.
Use of Recycled Mustard Pickle Brine in the Production of Salted Duck Eggs
Authors: Huang Jing-Yao , Fang Tony J.
Published: May 2018

We aimed to develop a process for making salted duck eggs using recycled mustard pickle brine. Saturated brine was generated from mustard pickle salt (experimental) or solar salt (control). Mustard pickled egg (MPE) weight slightly decreased and salted egg (SE) weight slightly increased following pickling. For MPE and SE egg yolk (MPEY/SEY), yolk index, NaCl content, total solids, and hardness significantly increased (p < 0.05) during the pickling period, with significantly greater increases (p < 0.05) in yolk index and NaCl content at 28 days for MPEY vs. SEY. MPE and SE egg white (MPEW/SEW) parameters, including albumen index, moisture, pH value, G′, G” and η, decreased significantly (p < 0.05), whereas NaCl content, total solids, and tan δ increased significantly (p < 0.05). Our results showed that mustard pickle brine could be applied in making salted duck eggs, thereby decreasing the disposal of excess brine from food production.
Missing-link conditionals: pragmatically infelicitous or semantically defective?
Authors: Krzyżanowska Karolina , Douven Igor
Published: May 2018

According to virtually all major theories of conditionals, conditionals with a true antecedent and a true consequent are true. Yet conditionals whose antecedent and consequent have nothing to do with each other—so-called missing-link conditionals—strike us as odd, regardless of the truth values of their constituent clauses. Most theorists attribute this apparent oddness to pragmatics, but on a recent proposal, it rather betokens a semantic defect. Research in experimental pragmatics suggests that people can be more or less sensitive to pragmatic cues and may be inclined to differing degrees to evaluate a true sentence carrying a false implicature as false. We report the results of an empirical study that investigated whether people’s sensitivity to false implicatures is associated with how they tend to evaluate missing-link conditionals with true clauses. These results shed light on the question of whether missing-link conditionals are best seen as pragmatically infelicitous or rather as semantically defective.
The Concept of Risk Tolerability Matrix Determination for Aeronautical Data and Information Chain
Authors: Dudek Ewa , Kozłowski Michał
Published: May 2018

This article is a continuation of the Authors’ study on the ways to ensure the quality and safety of aeronautical data and information in the entire process (considered as the supply chain) of those data and information creation, collection, processing and publication. In its content attention was paid to air traffic proactive safety management aa well as the need to manage identified incompatibilities. The risk assessment and tolerability matrices arising from ICAO specifications were presented, and then on their bases, the concept of such matrices determination for aeronautical data and information chain was developed. In addition, the criteria for consequences’/effects’ of incompatibilities appearance assessment related strictly to air transport were elaborated. In the summary directions for further analysis were pointed out, leading to carrying out a full risk assessment analysis of the discussed chain with the use of the FMEA method.
The Simulation of the Use of Personal Protective Equipment in Investigation of Smart ID Card System Efficiency
Authors: Dźwiarek Marek , Strawiński Tomasz , Łempiński Tomasz , Światowski Maciej
Published: May 2018

Developed in the company TENVIRK Sp z o.o. system called SMARTD ID CARD advantages of location and time registration systems. The data obtained in this system allow you to, among other, monitoring whether employees consistently use personal protective equipment. The purpose of the research was to verify the effectiveness of mechanisms to detect whether the man used personal protection. To this end, simulates a human movement using the robot. Comparison of the Pearson, Kendall’s Tau, Spearman’s and BiSerial correlation detection algorithms have been done. Test results confirmed that the system is highly effective in detecting the use of personal protective equipment.
Reliability Analysis of a Type B Power Supply Used in a Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
Authors: Siergiejczyk Mirosław , Pędzierska Małgorzata , Rosiński Adam
Published: May 2018

One of the electrical security systems used to protect critical infrastructure facilities is the intrusion detection system. Its purpose is to increase the safety level for the persons and property within the protected facility. The paper presents consideration regarding the reliability analysis of a type B power supply used in an intrusion detection system. This takes into account the guidelines regarding the analysed power supply system included in the standard “PN-EN 50131-1:2009: Alarm systems - Intrusion detection systems - Part 1: System requirements”. Next, a reliability analysis was performed, which enables the determination of the readiness indicator value. The conduction of further analyses of IDS power supply systems, though of distributed structures, is planned in subsequent studies regarding this issue.
Impact of Frame Architecture on Road Traffic Safety Management
Authors: Szewczyk Sylwia , Siergiejczyk Mirosław , Krzykowska Karolina
Published: May 2018

The article presents issues associated with ITS and their influence on the safety and efficiency of road traffic. Each system to be implemented at a specified location is thoroughly analysed and defined. The architecture defining process utilised the FRAME architecture based on an example of a service concerning the transfer of information on environmental conditions.
Graves’ disease following allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe aplastic anemia: case report and literature review
Authors: Paketçi Ahu , Demir Korcan , Tüfekçi Özlem , Acar Sezer , Abacı Ayhan , Yılmaz Şebnem , Böber Ece
Published: May 2018

Background:

Similar autoimmune processes (defective T-cell function) take place during the pathogenesis of aplastic anemia (AA) and Graves’ disease (GD). Antithyroid drugs used for the management of GD may induce AA and GD may occur following treatment of severe aplastic anemia (SAA).

Case presentation:

Clinical and laboratory investigations were performed for an 11-year-and-2-month-old girl who was referred for bilateral exophthalmus and abnormal thyroid function tests. She had been diagnosed as having severe acquired AA at the age of 8 years and had been treated with allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from her healthy human leukocyte antigen-matched sibling donor. Clinical examination revealed a weight of 32.6 kg (−0.88 standard deviation [SD] score); height, 145.7 cm (−0.14 SD score); body mass index 15.5 kg/m2 (−1.01 SD score); heart rate, 110/min; blood pressure, 128/74 mmHg; bilateral exophthalmos and an enlarged thyroid gland. The laboratory workup showed hemoglobin of 11.1 g/dL; white blood cells, 7500/mL; platelets, 172,000/mL; free thyroxine (FT4), 4.80 ng/dL (normal, 0.5–1.51); free triiodothyronine (FT3), 17.7 pg/mL (normal, 2.5–3.9); thyrotropin (TSH), 0.015 mIU/mL (normal, 0.38–5.3); antithyroglobulin peroxidase (TPO) antibody, 61.7 IU/mL (normal, 0–9); antithyroglobulin (TG) antibody, <0.9 IU/mL (normal, 0–4) and thyrotropin (TSH) receptor antibodies 14 U/L (normal, 0–1). Doppler ultrasonography showed diffuse enlargement of the thyroid gland and increased vascularity. She was treated with methimazole (0.6 mg/kg/day). L-thyroxine treatment was also needed (50 μg/day). Thrombocytopenia developed during follow-up. A thyroidectomy was performed for definitive treatment at the 14th month of treatment.

Conclusions:

The association of hyperthyroidism and AA in the pediatric age group is rare. The long-term use of antithyroid drugs and radioactive iodine should be avoided due to their hematologic toxic side effects.
The Oxidant–Antioxidant Equilibrium in the Blood of People with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss After the First Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Session – A Preliminary Study
Authors: Paprocki Jarosław , Pawłowska Marta , Sutkowy Paweł , Piechocki Jacek , Woźniak Alina
Published: May 2018

The activity of selected antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in erythrocytes, and the concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in blood plasma and erythrocytes, were determined in people subjected to hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy due to sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Venous blood samples were taken immediately before entering the hyperbaric chamber and 5 min after leaving it. In the study group, two age subgroups were distinguished: group I consisting of subjects under 35 and group II consisting of subjects over 50. The obtained values were analysed statistically using Student’s t-test. Differences were considered as statistically significant at p < 0.05. A statistically significant decrease in the CAT activity was shown 5 min after leaving the hyperbaric chamber in pooled subjects (p < 0.01) and group I (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a statistically significant decrease in the erythrocyte TBARS concentration was observed in group II (p < 0.05). It was demonstrated that a single exposure to hyperbaric oxygen affects the oxidant-antioxidant equilibrium as evidenced by, e.g., a statistically significant decrease in the activity of catalase in erythrocytes. It is possible that the antioxidant response to HBO depends on the age of subjects.
Morphological characterization, thermal, and mechanical properties of compatibilized high density polyethylene/polystyrene/organobentonite ternary nanocomposites
Authors: Yahiaoui Farida , Bensebia Ouahida , Hadj-Hamou Assia Siham
Published: May 2018

Composite materials made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polystyrene (PS) were successfully prepared in different HDPE/PS weight ratios, by melt mixing 3 wt% of bentonite clay organically modified with hexadecyl ammonium chloride (organo-modified bentonite, OBT). The structure and morphology of these composites were examined by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Morphological changes between the composite and the constituent materials were observed. The decrease in PS (or HDPE) particle size in HDPE/PS 70/30 (or 30/70) that blend after the OBT addition reflects a clear improvement in the HDPE/PS blend compatibility. The effect of OBT on the thermal and mechanical properties was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and tensile measurements. The main results show a decrease in the HDPE crystallinity in the composite matrices, which reaches 25% for HDPE/PS/OBT 29/68/3 composite, also an improvement of the thermal stability, as evidenced by the higher T
onset values, and finally a reinforcement of the tensile properties as compared to the unfilled blends. Indeed, a significant enhancement of the tensile modulus (~130%) is observed for the 68/29/3 composite matrix as compared to the 70/30 unfilled blend.
An Empirical Analysis of Traceability in the Monero Blockchain
Authors: Möser Malte , Soska Kyle , Heilman Ethan , Lee Kevin , Heffan Henry , Srivastava Shashvat , Hogan Kyle , Hennessey Jason , Miller Andrew , Narayanan Arvind , Christin Nicolas
Published: May 2018

Monero is a privacy-centric cryptocurrency that allows users to obscure their transactions by including chaff coins, called “mixins,” along with the actual coins they spend. In this paper, we empirically evaluate two weaknesses in Monero’s mixin sampling strategy. First, about 62% of transaction inputs with one or more mixins are vulnerable to “chain-reaction” analysis - that is, the real input can be deduced by elimination. Second, Monero mixins are sampled in such a way that they can be easily distinguished from the real coins by their age distribution; in short, the real input is usually the “newest” input. We estimate that this heuristic can be used to guess the real input with 80% accuracy over all transactions with 1 or more mixins. Next, we turn to the Monero ecosystem and study the importance of mining pools and the former anonymous marketplace AlphaBay on the transaction volume. We find that after removing mining pool activity, there remains a large amount of potentially privacy-sensitive transactions that are affected by these weaknesses. We propose and evaluate two countermeasures that can improve the privacy of future transactions.
Grammatical change in borderlands Spanish: A variationist analysis of copula variation and progressive expansion in a South Texas bilingual enclave community
Authors: Carter Phillip M. , Wolford Tonya E.
Published: May 2018

This study investigates variation in the grammatical system of Spanish in the speech of three generations of Mexican Americans living in a community in South Texas, United States, characterized by high levels of bilingualism and long-term, sustained contact between languages. Two variables are studied using quantitative methods: (1) the extension of the copula verb estar into domains traditionally confined to ser and (2) the expansion of progressive forms at the expense of the simple present. The data reported here suggest changes-in-progress that appear to be accelerated by the linguistic and sociocultural conditions of the community including, especially, lack of access to formal education in Spanish. The sociolinguistic patterning for these variables is compared to patterning for the same variables reported in the literature in both monolingual communities in Spain and Latin America and bilingual communities in the United States.
The intonation of Chota Valley Spanish: Contact-induced phenomena at the discourse-phonology interface
Authors: Rao Rajiv , Sessarego Sandro
Published: May 2018

This study offers a prosodic analysis of broad focus declarative sentences in Chota Valley Spanish (CVS), an Afro-Hispanic dialect of Ecuador. Findings indicate that its phonological inventory of pitch accents and phrase boundary tones appears to be significantly simplified in comparison to what has been reported for other native, non-contact varieties of Spanish. In particular, we observe a strong tendency in CVS toward duplicating nuclear and prenuclear pitch accents, as well as phrase boundary tones. We analyze these results in terms of contact-induced phenomena related to a process of first language acquisition of advanced second language acquisition strategies, which appear to be hampered by processability constraints applying at the discourse-phonology interface. The study’s implications are discussed with respect to the debate concerning the origins of this dialect and several other Afro-Hispanic Languages of the Americas.
Interplay Between the Immunohistochemical Expression of P53 and the Proliferation Index in the Keratinocyte Tumors of the Skin
Authors: Rakocevic Milena , Jovicic Biljana Popovska , Jocic Tomislav , Matic Stevan , Azanjac Goran , Jovicic Nemanja , Stankovic Vesna , Jancic Snezana
Published: May 2018

P53 is important for cell cycle regulation, and its overexpression is seen in malignant tumors. We examined correlation between p53 expression and cell proliferation, and its role in the pathogenesis of keratinocyte skin tumors. We used biopsies from patients with squamous cell carcinoma, actinic keratosis and keratoacanthoma. We examined crosssections stained with HE and using anti-cytokeratin, antip53 and anti-Ki67 antibodies.

Expression of p53 is found in 87, 85% of SCC, in 83. 3% of AK and 13. 4% KA. The high index of p53 expression was higher in SCC and AK compared to KA. We also observed a positive correlation between the expression of p53 and localization of the tumors. The largest proportion of subjects with AK and SCC has a high index of p53 expression on photoexposed region. We also observed that p53 expression correlates with age whereby in AK p53 expression increases with age. The high index of proliferation is most frequent in SCC and KA. Also at AK we found a strong correlation between a moderate proliferation index and tumor localization in photoexposed region. Between the proliferation index and p53 expression we observed a significant positive correlation only in SCC.

Proliferation index and the expression of p53 are useful for the differentiation of precursor keratinocyte lesions and skin carcinoma. High p53 expression has been associated with the aging and significantly correlates with the exposure to UV radiation in SCC and AK. High expression of p53 in AK and SCC supports the importance of this oncoprotein in carcinogenesis of the skin.
Think again: volatility asymmetry and volatility persistence
Authors: Baur Dirk G. , Dimpfl Thomas
Published: May 2018

We use a leveraged quantile heterogeneous autoregressive model of realized volatility to illustrate that volatility persistence and the asymmetric “leverage” effect are high volatility phenomena. More specifically, we find that (i) low volatility is not persistent, but high volatility all the more, even featuring properties of explosive processes; and (ii) asymmetry of volatility is only a high volatility phenomenon and there is no asymmetry in low volatility regimes. Our results turn out to be robust to the choice of the realized variance estimator, in particular with respect to jumps. The analysis illustrates that quantile regression can provide information that is hidden in commonly used GARCH or realized volatility models. The quantile regression results can also be linked to the weak empirical evidence of the leverage effect and the volatility feedback effect.
EPRB Gedankenexperiment and Entanglement with Classical Light Waves
Authors: Rashkovskiy Sergey A.
Published: May 2018

In this article we show that results similar to those of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Bohm (EPRB) Gedankenexperiment and entanglement of photons can be obtained using weak classical light waves if we take into account the discrete (atomic) structure of the detectors and a specific nature of the light-atom interaction. We show that the CHSH (Clauser, Horne, Shimony, and Holt) criterion in the EPRB Gedankenexperiment with classical light waves can exceed not only the maximum value S
HV

=2 that is predicted by the local hidden-variable theories but also the maximum value

S

Q
M

=
2

2

\({S_{QM}} = 2\sqrt 2 \)

predicted by quantum mechanics.
Consumer Citizenship: Instant Noodles in India
Authors: Baviskar Amita
Published: May 2018

Maggi, a brand of instant noodles introduced in India in the late 1980s by Nestlé, is now not only a popular snack, but the favorite comfort food of an entire generation of young urban Indians. What is the secret of Maggi's success? And what does it tell us about taste and desire in a consumer economy in a deeply unequal society? At first glance, the fast-rising consumption of such “industrial foods” seems to be a familiar story about the commodification of diets by multinational corporations. However, this article shows that the success of global capitalism is not a foregone conclusion when it comes up against nationalist politics. At the same time, the popularity of processed foods is a form of “consumer citizenship” as poor and low-caste people who are discriminated against, in part due to their food practices, aspire to eat fetishized commodities that allow them to belong in the modern, affluent world. And, for young people, instant noodles speak to their desire for agency and fun, challenging power relations in the patriarchal family. This article shows how Maggi noodles are a useful device for understanding how industrial foods transform the simmering broth of social relations that is India's cultural landscape.
“Someone Else's Land is Our Garden!”: Risky Labor in Taipei's Indigenous Food Boom
Authors: Sugimoto Tomonori
Published: May 2018

In recent years, Taiwan has seen a surge of interest in the foodways of indigenous Austronesian people. Public and scholarly discourse tends to focus on either indigenous foodways' cultural significance or the healthiness of food items eaten by indigenous people. These two dominant perspectives, however, have obfuscated the issue of labor. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in an urban indigenous community in the Taipei region, this article addresses what I call risky labor behind the maintenance of indigenous foodways today, especially in urban contexts where many indigenous people have settled over the last forty years. It discusses two forms of risky labor: (1) the gendered labor of urban indigenous women who acquire food items by encroaching upon state and private properties and (2) the intellectual labor of urban indigenous people who share knowledge about indigenous foodways with nonindigenous Han Chinese urbanites.
Thinking inside the Cages
Authors: Driedger Michael
Published: May 2018

This essay uses the method of historiographical criticism to reexamine the frameworks used to research the relationship between apocalypse and violence. Its focus is the presentation of Anabaptist rule at Münster in the mid-1530s. New religions scholars and historians alike often cite this case as evidence of how millenarian prophecy can lead believers to violent actions. The essay demonstrates that this view is based largely on anti-Anabaptist and anti-sectarian propaganda that has its origins in the medieval and early modern eras. Partly because of the popularity of Norman Cohn’s The Pursuit of the Millennium (1957), which translated older polemical interpretations of religious outsiders into a modern scholarly form, hostile assumptions about Anabaptist violence have found their way into academic debates today. The essay shows that the distorting effects of these kinds of assumptions are not limited at all to the case of Anabaptist Münster, but in fact shape unhelpfully the way scholars conceptualize more generally the relationship between dissenting “sects” and established “churches.” “Thinking outside the cages” of polemically derived conceptualizations can form the basis for cross-disciplinary research on believers under siege.
Tissue-Specific Functions offem-2/PP2c Phosphatase andfhod-1/formin DuringCaenorhabditis elegansEmbryonic Morphogenesis
Authors: Refai Osama , Smit Ryan B , Votra SarahBeth , Pruyne David , Mains Paul E
Published: May 2018

The cytoskeleton is the basic machinery that drives many morphogenetic events. Elongation of the C. elegans embryo from a spheroid into a long, thin larva initially results from actomyosin contractility, mainly in the lateral epidermal seam cells, while the corresponding dorsal and ventral epidermal cells play a more passive role. This is followed by a later elongation phase involving muscle contraction. Early elongation is mediated by parallel genetic pathways involving LET-502/Rho kinase and MEL-11/MYPT myosin phosphatase in one pathway and FEM-2/PP2c phosphatase and PAK-1/p21 activated kinase in another. While the LET-502/MEL-11 pathway appears to act primarily in the lateral epidermis, here we show that FEM-2 can mediate early elongation when expressed in the dorsal and ventral epidermis. We also investigated the early elongation function of FHOD-1, a member of the formin family of actin nucleators and bundlers. Previous work showed that FHOD-1 acts in the LET-502/MEL-11 branch of the early elongation pathway as well as in muscle for sarcomere organization. Consistent with this, we found that lateral epidermal cell-specific expression of FHOD-1 is sufficient for elongation, and FHOD-1 effects on elongation appear to be independent of its role in muscle. Also, we found that fhod-1 encodes long and short isoforms that differ in the presence of a predicted coiled-coil domain. Based on tissue-specific expression constructions and an isoform-specific CRISPR allele, the two FHOD-1 isoforms show partially specialized epidermal or muscle function. Although fhod-1 shows only impenetrant elongation phenotypes, we were unable to detect redundancy with other C. elegans formin genes.
Whole Genome Sequence and Comparative Genomics Analysis of Multi-drug Resistant Environmental Staphylococcus epidermidis ST59
Authors: Xu Zhen , Misra Raju , Jamrozy Dorota , Paterson Gavin K , Cutler Ronald R , Holmes Mark A , Gharbia Saheer , Mkrtchyan Hermine V
Published: May 2018

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a major opportunistic pathogen primarily recovered from device-associated healthcare associated infections (DA-HAIs). Although S. epidermidis and other coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are less virulent than Staphylococcus aureus, these bacteria are an important reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes and resistance-associated mobile genetic elements that can be transferred between staphylococcal species. We report a whole genome sequence of a multidrug resistant S. epidermidis (strain G6_2) representing multilocus sequence type (ST) 59 and isolated from an environmental sampling of a hotel room in London, UK. The genome of S. epidermidis G6_2 comprises of a 2408357 bp chromosome and six plasmids, with an average G+C content of 32%. The strain displayed a multi-drug resistance phenotype which was associated with carriage of 7 antibiotic resistance genes (blaZ, mecA, msrA, mphC, fosB, aacA-aphD, tetK) as well as resistance-conferring mutations in fusA and ileS. Antibiotic resistance genes were located on plasmids and chromosome. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that antibiotic resistance gene composition found in G6_2 was partly preserved across the ST59 lineage.
Anak dan Dunia Pers
Authors: Imamah Ade Irma
Published: May 2018

Children as God's creatures have basic human rights or rights sincebirth, that is guarantee to grow flower completely, whether physical, mental andsocial, and noble character. Therefore it is necessary to safeguard and realize itswelfare by guaranteeing the fulfillment of its rights, so that no human being or anyother party can deprive the child's rights. Trafficking of girls for sexual purposes,hereinafter abbreviated as ESKA (Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children), is avery detrimental action to the individual victims, the family, the community, and is aform of human rights violation, especially on the dignity of the child and thedevelopment of the next generation. Nevertheless, with the increasinglysophisticated and vast technological developments, children are faced with all theconveniences that impact positive and negative possibilities. DOI: 10.15408/sjsbs.v3i2.7858
Mekanisme Penetapan Fatwa Dewan Syariah Nasional Majelis Ulama Indonesia
Authors: Zein Fitriyani
Published: May 2018

Dengan hadirnya lembaga-lembaga keuangan dan bisnis yangberbasis ajaran Islam, maka dibutuhkan berbagai ketentuan hukum Islamsebagai landasan operasional. Berangkat dari realitas tersebut makaaktivitas pengkajian hukum Islam pun dituntut untuk lebih intensif danmendalam. Menurut Ma’ruf Amin, para ulama sekarang ini tidak hanyadituntut harus terus menggali kembali pandangan yang sudah ada dalam fikihmu’amalah klasik, tetapi juga mengembangkannya karena industri keuanganIslam saat ini tumbuh dan berkembang sangat cepat. DOI: 10.15408/sjsbs.v3i3.7861
Implikasi Demokrasi Borjuis Dalam Kehidupan Bernegara
Authors: Yunus Nur Rohim
Published: May 2018

Secara etimologis, kata demokrasi (dari bahasa Yunani) adalahbentukan dari kata demos (rakyat) dan cratos (kekuasaan dankedaulatan). Perpaduan kata demos dan cratein atau cratosmembentuk kata demokrasi yang memiliki pengertian umum sebagaisebuah bentuk pemerintahan rakyat (government of the people)dimana kekuasaan tertinggi terletak ditangan rakyat dan dilakukansecara langsung oleh rakyat atau melalui para wakil mereka melaluimekanisme pemilihan yang berlangsung secara bebas. Secarasubstansial, demokrasi adalah seperti apa yang pernah dikatakan olehAbrahah Lincoln___ suatu pemerintahan dari, oleh, dan untuk rakyat.Menurut Joseph A. Schmiter, demokrasi adalah suatu perencanaaninstitusional untuk mencapai keputusan politik di mana setiap individumemperoleh kekuasaan untuk memutuskan cara perjuangankompetitif atas suara rakyat. DOI: 10.15408/sjsbs.v3i3.7864
Implementation of the Sepsis Risk Calculator at an Academic Birth Hospital
Authors: Dhudasia Miren B. , Mukhopadhyay Sagori , Puopolo Karen M.
Published: May 2018

BACKGROUND:

Multivariate predictive models for estimating the risk of neonatal early-onset sepsis (EOS) are available as a Web-based sepsis risk calculator (SRC) and may reduce the proportion of newborns empirically treated with antibiotics after birth. EOS risk assessment based on such models would require workflow changes at most birth hospitals.

METHODS:

A multidisciplinary team of obstetric, neonatal, and information technology staff at a large, academic, birth hospital collaborated to implement the SRC. The obstetric electronic medical record was modified to provide a link to the SRC. Labor and delivery nurses calculated the sepsis risk at birth and alerted neonatal clinicians for risk estimates ≥0.7 cases per 1000 live births. Subsequent interventions were based on the risk estimate and newborn clinical examination. We compared the proportion of infants born at ≥36 weeks’ gestation with laboratory testing and empirical antibiotics for risk of EOS during the 15-month periods before (n = 5692) and after (n = 6090) implementation. EOS cases were reviewed to assess for safety.

RESULTS:

Empirical antibiotic use among newborns ≤72 hours old declined by 42% (6.3% to 3.7%; relative risk 0.58 [95% confidence interval, 0.50–0.69]), and laboratory testing declined by 82% (26.9% to 4.9%; relative risk 0.18 [95% confidence interval, 0.16–0.21]). The EOS incidence was not different between the study periods, and no safety concerns were identified.

CONCLUSIONS:

The SRC was integrated into the workflow of a large, academic perinatal center, resulting in significant reductions in antibiotics and laboratory testing for EOS and demonstrating the potential for this approach to impact national practice.