bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A consensus definition and rating scale for minimalist shoes
Authors: Esculier Jean‐Francois , Dubois Blaise , Dionne Clermont E. , Leblond Jean , Roy Jean‐Sébastien
Published: August 2015

Background

While minimalist running shoes may have an influence on running biomechanics and on the incidence of overuse injuries, the term “minimalist” is currently used without standardisation. The objectives of this study were to reach a consensus on a standard definition of minimalist running shoes, and to develop and validate a rating scale that could be used to determine the degree of minimalism of running shoes, the Minimalist Index (MI).

Methods

For this modified Delphi study, 42 experts from 11 countries completed four electronic questionnaires on an optimal definition of minimalist shoes and on elements to include within the MI. Once MI was developed following consensus, 85 participants subjectively ranked randomly assigned footwear models from the most to the least minimalist and rated their degree of minimalism using visual analog scales (VAS), before evaluating the same footwear models using MI. A subsample of thirty participants reassessed the same shoes on another occasion. Construct validity and inter‐ and intra‐rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICC]; Gwet's AC1) of MI were evaluated.

Results

The following definition of minimalist shoes was agreed upon by 95 % of participants: “Footwear providing minimal interference with the natural movement of the foot due to its high flexibility, low heel to toe drop, weight and stack height, and the absence of motion control and stability devices”. Characteristics to be included in MI were weight, flexibility, heel to toe drop, stack height and motion control/stability devices, each subscale carrying equal weighing (20 %) on final score. Total MI score was highly correlated with VAS (r = 0.91). A significant rank effect (p < 0.001) confirmed the MI's discriminative validity. Excellent intra‐ and inter‐rater reliability was found for total MI score (ICC = 0.84‐0.99) and for weight, stack height, heel to toe drop and flexibility subscales (AC1 = 0.82‐0.99), while good inter‐rater reliability was found for technologies (AC1 = 0.73).

Conclusion

This standardised definition of minimalist shoes developed by an international panel of experts will improve future research on minimalist shoes and clinical recommendations. MI's adequate validity and reliability will allow distinguishing running shoes based on their degree of minimalism, and may help to decrease injuries related to footwear transition.
Mathematical programming for the sum of two convex functions with applications to lasso problem, split feasibility problems, and image deblurring problem
Authors: Chuang Chih Sheng , Yu Zenn-Tsun , Lin Lai-Jiu
Published: August 2015

In this paper, two iteration processes are used to find the solutions of the mathematical programming for the sum of two convex functions. In infinite Hilbert space, we establish two strong convergence theorems as regards this problem. As applications of our results, we give strong convergence theorems as regards the split feasibility problem with modified CQ method, strong convergence theorem as regards the lasso problem, and strong convergence theorems for the mathematical programming with a modified proximal point algorithm and a modified gradient-projection method in the infinite dimensional Hilbert space. We also apply our result on the lasso problem to the image deblurring problem. Some numerical examples are given to demonstrate our results. The main result of this paper entails a unified study of many types of optimization problems. Our algorithms to solve these problems are different from any results in the literature. Some results of this paper are original and some results of this paper improve, extend, and unify comparable results in existence in the literature.
Comorbidity Burden at Dialysis Initiation and Mortality: A Cohort Study
Authors: Gomez Alwyn T , Kiberd Bryce A , Royston J Patrick , Alfaadhel Talal , Soroka Steven D , Hemmelgarn Brenda R , Tennankore Karthik K
Published: August 2015

Background:

A high level of comorbidity at dialysis initiation is associated with an increased risk of death. However, contemporary assessments of the validity and prognostic value of comorbidity indices are lacking.

Objectives:

To assess the validity of two comorbidity indices and to determine if a high degree of comorbidity is associated with mortality among dialysis patients.

Design:

Cohort study.

Setting:

QEII Health Sciences Centre (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada).

Patients:

Incident, chronic dialysis patients between 01 Jan 2006 and 01 Jul 2013.

Measurements:

Exposure: The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and End-Stage Renal Disease Comorbidity Index (ESRD-CI) were used to classify individual comorbid conditions into an overall score. Comorbidities were classified using patient charts and electronic records. Outcome: All-cause mortality. Confounders: Patient demographics, dialysis access, cause of ESRD and baseline laboratory data.

Methods:

Regression coefficients were estimated on the CCI and ESRD-CI. Discrimination for death was assessed using Harrell's c-index. Adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate relative hazards and 95 % confidence intervals for each category of the CCI and ESRD-CI.

Results:

The cohort consisted of 771 ESRD patients from 01 Jan 2006 to 01 Jul 2013. Most were male (62 %) and Caucasian (91 %). The cohort had a high proportion of diabetes (48 %), history of previous myocardial infarction (31 %) and heart failure (22 %). Regression coefficients on the CCI and ESRD-CI were 0.55 and 0.52, respectively. The c-index, for the prediction of death, was 0.61 for the CCI and 0.63 for the ESRD-CI. ESRD-CI scores of 4, 5 and ≥6 were associated with a similar mortality risk (adjusted relative hazard of 1.95, 1.89 and 1.99, respectively). There was a small increased mortality risk for CCI scores of 4, 5 and ≥6 (adjusted relative hazard of 1.86, 2.38 and 2.71, respectively).

Limitations:

Classification of comorbidities for each patient was determined by clinical impression.

Conclusions:

The CCI and ESRD-CI have a limited ability to discriminate mortality risk for incident dialysis patients. Acknowledging the frequency with which they are used, this study emphasizes the need to re-examine the usefulness of previously derived comorbidity indices in contemporary dialysis cohorts.
Clinical Course of Oxaliplatin-Induced Neuropathy: Results From the Randomized Phase III Trial N08CB (Alliance)
Authors: Pachman Deirdre R. , Qin Rui , Seisler Drew K. , Smith Ellen M.L. , Beutler Andreas S. , Ta Lauren E. , Lafky Jacqueline M. , Wagner-Johnston Nina D. , Ruddy Kathryn J. , Dakhil Shaker , Staff Nathan P. , Grothey Axel , Loprinzi Charles L.
Published: August 2015

Purpose

Given that the clinical course of oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy is not well defined, the current study was performed to better understand clinical parameters associated with its presentation.

Methods

Acute and chronic neuropathy was evaluated in patients receiving adjuvant FOLFOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) on study N08CB (North Central Cancer Treatment Group, Alliance). Acute neuropathy was assessed by having patients complete daily questionnaires for 6 days with each cycle of FOLFOX. Before each dose of FOLFOX and as long as 18 months after chemotherapy cessation, chronic neurotoxicity was assessed with use of the 20-item, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality-of-life questionnaire for patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Results

Three hundred eight (89%) of the 346 patients had at least one symptom of acute neuropathy with the first cycle of FOLFOX; these symptoms included sensitivity to touching cold items (71%), sensitivity to swallowing cold items (71%), throat discomfort (63%), or muscle cramps (42%). Acute symptoms peaked at day 3 and improved, although they did not always resolve completely between treatments. These symptoms were about twice as severe in cycles 2 through 12 as they were in cycle 1. For chronic neurotoxicity, tingling was the most severe symptom, followed by numbness and then pain. During chemotherapy, symptoms in the hands were more prominent than they were in the feet; by 18 months, symptoms were more severe in the feet than they were in the hands. Patients with more severe acute neuropathy during the first cycle of therapy experienced more chronic sensory neurotoxicity (P < .0001).

Conclusion

Acute oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy symptoms do not always completely resolve between treatment cycles and are only half as severe on the first cycle as compared with subsequent cycles. There is a correlation between the severities of acute and chronic neuropathies.
Randomized, Double-Blind Phase II Trial With Prospective Classification by ATM Protein Level to Evaluate the Efficacy and Tolerability of Olaparib Plus Paclitaxel in Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Gastric Cancer
Authors: Bang Yung-Jue , Im Seock-Ah , Lee Keun-Wook , Cho Jae Yong , Song Eun-Kee , Lee Kyung Hee , Kim Yeul Hong , Park Joon Oh , Chun Hoo Geun , Zang Dae Young , Fielding Anitra , Rowbottom Jacqui , Hodgson Darren , O'Connor Mark J. , Yin Xiaolu , Kim Woo Ho
Published: August 2015

Purpose

Gastric cancer cell lines, particularly those with low levels of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), a key activator of DNA damage response, are sensitive to the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor olaparib. We compared the efficacy of olaparib plus paclitaxel (olaparib/paclitaxel) with paclitaxel alone in patients with recurrent or metastatic gastric cancer and assessed whether low ATM expression is predictive of improved clinical outcome for olaparib/paclitaxel.

Patients and Methods

In this phase II, double-blind study (Study 39; NCT01063517), patients were randomly assigned to oral olaparib 100 mg twice per day (tablets) plus paclitaxel (80 mg/m2 per day intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15 of every 28-day cycle) or placebo plus paclitaxel (placebo/paclitaxel), followed by maintenance monotherapy with olaparib (200 mg twice per day) or placebo. The study population was enriched to 50% for patients with low or undetectable ATM levels (ATMlow). Primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS).

Results

One hundred twenty-three of 124 randomly assigned patients received treatment (olaparib/paclitaxel, n = 61; placebo/paclitaxel, n = 62). The screening prevalence of ATMlow patients was 14%. Olaparib/paclitaxel did not lead to a significant improvement in PFS versus placebo/paclitaxel (overall population: hazard ratio [HR], 0.80; median PFS, 3.91 v 3.55 months, respectively; ATMlow population: HR, 0.74; median PFS, 5.29 v 3.68 months, respectively). However, olaparib/paclitaxel significantly improved overall survival (OS) versus placebo/paclitaxel in both the overall population (HR, 0.56; 80% CI, 0.41 to 0.75; P = .005; median OS, 13.1 v 8.3 months, respectively) and the ATMlow population (HR, 0.35; 80% CI, 0.22 to 0.56; P = .002; median OS, not reached v 8.2 months, respectively). Olaparib/paclitaxel was generally well tolerated, with no unexpected safety findings.

Conclusion

Olaparib/paclitaxel is active in the treatment of patients with metastatic gastric cancer, with a greater OS benefit in ATMlow patients. A phase III trial in this setting is under way.
Immune-Related Adverse Events, Need for Systemic Immunosuppression, and Effects on Survival and Time to Treatment Failure in Patients With Melanoma Treated With Ipilimumab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Authors: Horvat Troy Z. , Adel Nelly G. , Dang Thu-Oanh , Momtaz Parisa , Postow Michael A. , Callahan Margaret K. , Carvajal Richard D. , Dickson Mark A. , D'Angelo Sandra P. , Woo Kaitlin M. , Panageas Katherine S. , Wolchok Jedd D. , Chapman Paul B.
Published: August 2015

Purpose

Ipilimumab is a standard treatment for metastatic melanoma, but immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are common and can be severe. We reviewed our large, contemporary experience with ipilimumab treatment outside of clinical trials to determine the frequency of use of systemic corticosteroid or anti-tumor necrosis factor α (anti-TNFα) therapy and the effect of these therapies on overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure (TTF).

Patients and Methods

We reviewed retrospectively the medical records of patients with melanoma who had received treatment between April 2011 and July 2013 with ipilimumab at the standard dose of 3 mg/kg. We collected data on patient demographics, previous and subsequent treatments, number of ipilimumab doses, irAEs and how they were treated, and overall survival.

Results

Of the 298 patients, 254 (85%) experienced an irAE of any grade. Fifty-six patients (19%) discontinued therapy because of an irAE, most commonly diarrhea. Overall, 103 patients (35%) required systemic corticosteroid treatment for an irAE; 29 (10%) also required anti-TNFα therapy. Defining TTF as either starting a new treatment or death, estimated median TTF was 5.7 months. Twelve percent of patients experienced long-term disease control without receiving additional antimelanoma therapy. OS and TTF were not affected by the occurrence of irAEs or the need for systemic corticosteroids.

Conclusion

IrAEs are common in patients treated with ipilimumab. In our experience, approximately one-third of ipilimumab-treated patients required systemic corticosteroids, and almost one-third of those required further immune suppression with anti-TNFα therapy. Practitioners and patients should be prepared to treat irAEs and should understand that such treatment does not affect OS or TTF.
Breast Density and Benign Breast Disease: Risk Assessment to Identify Women at High Risk of Breast Cancer
Authors: Tice Jeffrey A. , Miglioretti Diana L. , Li Chin-Shang , Vachon Celine M. , Gard Charlotte C. , Kerlikowske Karla
Published: August 2015

Purpose

Women with proliferative breast lesions are candidates for primary prevention, but few risk models incorporate benign findings to assess breast cancer risk. We incorporated benign breast disease (BBD) diagnoses into the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) risk model, the only breast cancer risk assessment tool that uses breast density.

Methods

We developed and validated a competing-risk model using 2000 to 2010 SEER data for breast cancer incidence and 2010 vital statistics to adjust for the competing risk of death. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate the relative hazards for age, race/ethnicity, family history of breast cancer, history of breast biopsy, BBD diagnoses, and breast density in the BCSC.

Results

We included 1,135,977 women age 35 to 74 years undergoing mammography with no history of breast cancer; 17% of the women had a prior breast biopsy. During a mean follow-up of 6.9 years, 17,908 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. The BCSC BBD model slightly overpredicted risk (expected-to-observed ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.06) and had modest discriminatory accuracy (area under the receiver operator characteristic curve, 0.665). Among women with proliferative findings, adding BBD to the model increased the proportion of women with an estimated 5-year risk of 3% or higher from 9.3% to 27.8% (P < .001).

Conclusion

The BCSC BBD model accurately estimates women's risk for breast cancer using breast density and BBD diagnoses. Greater numbers of high-risk women eligible for primary prevention after BBD diagnosis are identified using the BCSC BBD model.
A Neutralizing Prolactin Receptor Antibody Whose In Vivo Application Mimics the Phenotype of Female Prolactin Receptor-Deficient Mice
Authors: Otto Christiane , Särnefält Anna , Ljungars Anne , Wolf Siegmund , Rohde-Schulz Beate , Fuchs Iris , Schkoldow Jenny , Mattsson Mikael , Vonk Richardus , Harrenga Axel , Freiberg Christoph
Published: August 2015

The prolactin receptor (PRLR) has been implicated in a variety of physiological processes (lactation, reproduction) and diseases (breast cancer, autoimmune diseases). Prolactin synthesis in the pituitary and extrapituitary sites is regulated by different promoters. Dopamine receptor agonists such as bromocriptine can only interfere with pituitary prolactin synthesis and thus do not induce a complete blockade of PRLR signaling. Here we describe the identification of a human monoclonal antibody 005-C04 that blocks PRLR-mediated signaling at nanomolar concentrations in vitro. In contrast to a negative control antibody, the neutralizing PRLR antibody 005-C04 inhibits signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 phosphorylation in T47D cells and proliferation of BaF3 cells stably expressing murine or human PRLRs in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo application of this new function-blocking PRLR antibody reflects the phenotype of PRLR-deficient mice. After antibody administration female mice become infertile in a reversible manner. In lactating dams, the antibody induces mammary gland involution and negatively interferes with lactation capacity as evidenced by reduced milk protein expression in mammary glands and impaired litter weight gain. Antibody-mediated blockade of the PRLR in vivo stimulates hair regrowth in female mice. Compared with peptide-derived PRLR antagonists, the PRLR antibody 005-C04 exhibits several advantages such as higher potency, noncompetitive inhibition of PRLR signaling, and a longer half-life, which allows its use as a tool compound also in long-term in vivo studies. Therefore, we suggest that this antibody will help to further our understanding of the role of auto- and paracrine PRLR signaling in health and disease.
Return to Tiraboschi: On Italian Literary Canon Formation and National Identity
Authors: Gazzola Giuseppe
Published: August 2015

This essay traces the interrelationship between Italian literary canon formation and constructions of national identity in the literary histories of Girolamo Tiraboschi and Francesco De Sanctis. It examines both the ruptures and the continuities between eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literary historiography, analyzing the political, teleological agenda of De Sanctis’s Storia della letteratura italiana (1870–71) while revealing the equally powerful theoretical underpinnings of Tiraboschi’s vision of the Italian canon. Tiraboschi’s own Storia della letteratura italiana (1772–82; rev. and exp. 1789–94), because of its precise geographic grounding of literary phenomena, its conceptual proximity to what is now considered cultural studies, and its attention to minority writers, represents a more compelling model for contemporary Italian literary historiography than De Sanctis’s, which was developed for and in a different nationalist context.
East Indian, West Indian: Colored Cosmopolitanism, World Literature, and the Dual Autobiography of Cedric Dover and Claude McKay
Authors: Slate Nico
Published: August 2015

Published in June 1951 under the title East Indian, West Indian, the hybrid autobiography of the Jamaican poet Claude McKay and the Calcutta-born Eurasian scholar Cedric Dover aimed to provide, in Dover’s words, “a practical expression of coloured unity.” Dover attempted to color world literature by crafting a transnational literary canon grounded in the idea of colored solidarity and explicitly opposed to racism and imperialism. His commitment to colored cosmopolitanism led him, however, to a stale ventriloquism that was itself a form of colonization. Claiming dominion over McKay’s memories of his childhood and of his native Jamaica, Dover failed to uphold not only the most rudimentary principles of scholarship but his own best intentions. East Indian, West Indian offers a distinctive vantage on the history of “world literature” and on the challenge of reconciling two of the most significant concepts in contemporary scholarship: the subaltern and the transnational.
A Complex Contemporaneity: Caribbean Visual Relations
Authors: Stephens Michelle
Published: August 2015

This assessment of Leon Wainwright's recent monograph, Timed Out: Art and the Transnational Caribbean (2011), focuses on the temporal dimensions of Caribbean art production and reception, including the reception of Caribbean art in the United Kingdom and United States as being “out of time” and behind the pace of modernity. In contrast, Wainwright's text argues for an understanding of Caribbean art as reflecting the immediacy of a Caribbean present, with its particular relation to the circulation of Caribbean works and artists between home and diaspora.
“Da pa' lo' do' ”: Rita Indiana's Queer, Racialized Dominicanness
Authors: Jaime Karen
Published: August 2015

This essay attends to José E. Muñoz's influence on hispanophone Caribbean studies through the work of Dominican lesbian performance artist Rita Indiana. Jaime argues that in the music video “Da pa' lo' do',” or “There Is Enough for Both,” Indiana uses Muñoz's theory of disidentification to critique the prevalent narrative in the Dominican Republic that positions Haiti as the black other against which a “white” Dominican nationalism is created. Attending to Indiana's appropriation of the moniker La Montra, or female monster, alongside her usage of drag and black-/brownface in order to reimagine the historical relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the author ultimately argues that Indiana signals a move toward a different way of being in the Dominican Republic, one in which the literal and figurative borders are porous enough to allow for the queer, for the female, for the black, and for the other to coexist.
El Caribe on the Horizon: José Esteban Muñoz and the Commitment to Futurity
Authors: Ruiz Sandra
Published: August 2015

This essay traces José Esteban Muñoz's critical contributions to Caribbean studies. By paying particular attention to his commitment to futurity, Ruiz suggests that the hispanophone Caribe's “all-overness,” its subjectivity on the move, is at the heart of Muñoz's critical vision of temporality. Through readings of the revolutionary performances of excess by Carmelita Tropicana, La Lupe, and Dolores “Lolita” Lebrón Sotomayor, the author explores the relationship between aesthetics and politics and the potential of anticolonial horizons.
An interview with Caroline Dean
Authors: Vicente Catarina
Published: August 2015

Caroline Dean is a plant biologist based at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK. She helped to establish Arabidopsis as a model plant organism, and has worked for many years on the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate vernalisation, the process by which plants accelerate their flowering after periods of prolonged cold. We met Caroline at the recent Spring Meeting of the British Society for Developmental Biology. We asked her about her career, her thoughts on the plant field and being awarded this year's FEBS EMBO Women in Science Award.
Universal and domain-specific sequences in 23S–28S ribosomal RNA identified by computational phylogenetics
Authors: Doris Stephen M. , Smith Deborah R. , Beamesderfer Julia N. , Raphael Benjamin J. , Nathanson Judith A. , Gerbi Susan A.
Published: August 2015

Comparative analysis of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences has elucidated phylogenetic relationships. However, this powerful approach has not been fully exploited to address ribosome function. Here we identify stretches of evolutionarily conserved sequences, which correspond with regions of high functional importance. For this, we developed a structurally aligned database, FLORA (full-lengthorganismalrRNAalignment) to identify highly conserved nucleotide elements (CNEs) in 23S–28S rRNA from each phylogenetic domain (Eukarya, Bacteria, and Archaea). Universal CNEs (uCNEs) are conserved in sequence and structural position in all three domains. Those in regions known to be essential for translation validate our approach. Importantly, some uCNEs reside in areas of unknown function, thus identifying novel sequences of likely great importance. In contrast to uCNEs, domain-specific CNEs (dsCNEs) are conserved in just one phylogenetic domain. This is the first report of conserved sequence elements in rRNA that are domain-specific; they are largely a eukaryotic phenomenon. The locations of the eukaryotic dsCNEs within the structure of the ribosome suggest they may function in nascent polypeptide transit through the ribosome tunnel and in tRNA exit from the ribosome. Our findings provide insights and a resource for ribosome function studies.
GOsummaries: an R Package for Visual Functional Annotation of Experimental Data
Authors: Kolde Raivo , Vilo Jaak
Published: August 2015

Functional characterisation of gene lists using Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis is a common approach in computational biology, since many analysis methods end up with a list of genes as a result. Often there can be hundreds of functional terms that are significantly associated with a single list of genes and proper interpretation of such results can be a challenging endeavour. There are methods to visualise and aid the interpretation of these results, but most of them are limited to the results associated with one list of genes. However, in practice the number of gene lists can be considerably higher and common tools are not effective in such situations.

We introduce a novel R package, 'GOsummaries' that visualises the GO enrichment results as concise word clouds that can be combined together if the number of gene lists is larger. By also adding the graphs of corresponding raw experimental data, GOsummaries can create informative summary plots for various analyses such as differential expression or clustering. The case studies show that the GOsummaries plots allow rapid functional characterisation of complex sets of gene lists. The GOsummaries approach is particularly effective for Principal Component Analysis (PCA).

By adding functional annotation to the principal components, GOsummaries improves  significantly the interpretability of PCA results. The GOsummaries layout for PCA can be effective even in situations where we cannot directly apply the GO analysis. For example, in case of metabolomics or metagenomics data it is possible to show the features with significant associations to the components instead of GO terms.  

The GOsummaries package is available under GPL-2 licence at Bioconductor (http://www.bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/GOsummaries.html).
Phylogenetic reconstruction of Asperula sect. Cynanchicae (Rubiaceae) reveals a mosaic of evolutionary histories
Authors: Gargiulo Roberta , Guacchio Emanuele Del , Caputo Paolo
Published: August 2015

In the present study, we attempt to reconstruct the phylogeny of Asperula sect. Cynanchicae (Rubiaceae: Rubieae), using both nuclear and chloroplast DNA markers. We test different methodological approaches to clarify relationships and to hypothesize divergence times for the section. The inferred phylogenetic hypothesis shows that sect. Cynanchicae is eastern Mediterranean to western Asian in origin and that a clear East/West split occurred early in the diversification of the section. Several species are not sharply separated and, from a morphological point of view, clear synapomorphies are lacking. Informal groups previously described (such as “ser. Palaeomediterraneae”) are often artificial. Asperula aristata and A. cynanchica, the two most widespread species of the section, turned out to be non‐monophyletic. According to our results, they were probably involved in the origin and/or in the diversification of various extant members of the section. The evolution of A. sect. Cynanchicae has been shaped by a succession of events, among which incorporation of extraneous genomes by genetically aggressive species, progenitor‐derivative speciation and hybridization, played a major role.
Information Disclosure and the Diffusion of Information Security Attacks
Authors: Mitra Sabyasachi , Ransbotham Sam
Published: August 2015

With the nearly instantaneous dissemination of information in the modern era, policies regarding the disclosure of sensitive information have become the focus of significant discussion in several contexts. The fundamental debate centers on trade-offs inherent in disclosing information that society needs, but that can also be used for nefarious purposes. Using information security as a research context, our empirical study examines the adoption of software vulnerabilities by a population of attackers. We compare attacks based on software vulnerabilities disclosed through full-disclosure and limited-disclosure mechanisms. We find that full disclosure accelerates the diffusion of attacks, increases the penetration of attacks within the target population, and increases the risk of first attack after the vulnerability is reported. Interestingly, the effect of full disclosure is greater during periods when there are more overall vulnerabilities reported, indicating that attackers may strategically focus on busy periods when the effort of security professionals is spread across many vulnerabilities. Although the aggregate volume of attacks remains unaffected by full disclosure, attacks occur earlier in the life cycle of the vulnerability. Building off our theoretical insights, we discuss the implications of our findings in more general contexts.
Book Review
Authors: Chao Shi-yan
Published: August 2015

Hou Hsiao-hsien, Richard I. Suchenski (ed.) (2014) New York and Vienna: Columbia University Press and Österreichisches Filmmuseum, 269 pp., ISBN: 9783901644580, p/bk, £22.50
Alternative locality: Geopolitics and cultural identity in Ann Hui’s A Simple Life
Authors: Li Han
Published: August 2015

Ann Hui’s A Simple Life became a box office sensation in 2012 and a favourite of the critics. Responding to both the mainland film industry’s hegemonic development and the production of ‘authentic Hong Kong cinema’ over the past decade, A Simple Life sheds light on the efforts of Hong Kong film-makers to explore an alternative local identity following the first decade of Chinese rule. This article situates A Simple Life amidst the Hong Kong film industry’s massive migration to Mainland China, and demonstrates the paradoxes embedded in producing and promoting ‘authentic Hong Kong cinema’. It also conducts a close reading of Ann Hui’s unique cinematic language in this work and argues that A Simple Life, though carrying pronounced Hong Kong cultural indicators, reveals awareness of the constructed nature of the ‘authenticity’ in its peer works. Overall, by situating A Simple Life in the broader and significant transformation of the Chinese film industry this article explores how Hui’s film offers an alternative imagination of Hong Kong local identity in the new millennium.
A ‘narrow world, strewn withprohibitions’: Chang Cheh’sThe Assassin and the 1967Hong Kong riots
Authors: White Luke
Published: August 2015

Chang Cheh is one of the most influential directors in Hong Kong martial arts cinema, and his film Da cike/The Assassin is a significant work produced at a key moment both in Chang’s early career and in the development of the increasingly violent 1960s swordplay (wuxia) genre that led ultimately to the appearance of the kungfu film in the 1970s. The Assassin was made during the Leftist Riots of 1967, a ‘watershed’ in Hong Kong’s modern history. In order to understand the changing fantasies of violence in Chang’s wuxia cinema during this period, this article makes a close reading of The Assassin in relation to the 1967 riots and through Frantz Fanon’s account of the effects of violence on the colonial subject. It argues for a close relationship between Chang’s cinematic violence and the real-world political violence which was erupting at the moment of its production and first reception.
Hybridization, appropriation and identity: Moving images of Singapore artists Ho Tzu Nyen and Ming Wong
Authors: Teo Phyllis
Published: August 2015

While increased emphasis on experimentation has seen more contemporary Asian artists incorporating time-based elements in their artistic practice, studies of the relationship between film and visual arts have only been sporadic. Drawing upon the film installations of Singaporean visual artists Ho Tzu Nyen and Ming Wong, this article looks into the methodological and theoretical intersections of art and film in their practice. Ho and Wong are recognized for their wide-ranging artistic approaches, blending disparate genres into interdisciplinary installations. Forms of the moving image are utilized as an alternative mode of cinema, a tendency that provides for a more multifaceted study of filmic representations. Advocating a more fluid approach in the understanding of spectatorial position, both artists have produced a visual and experiential language in their work that enables viewers to develop a new consciousness about their environment and themselves.
A INFLUÊNCIA DA PERCEPÇÃO DA QUALIDADE PARA A GESTÃO DE EVENTOS TURÍSTICOS: O CASO DO 26º FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE BALONISMO DE TORRES (RS) - BRASIL
Authors: Silva Maria Emília Martins da , Gonçalves Gilberto Da Rosa
Published: August 2015

A qualidade requerida na prestação de serviços constitui característica disseminada no turismo, pois a demanda turística torna-se cada vez mais exigente e diversificada, prezando pela qualidade e pelo conforto ambiental dos locais frequentados, com expectativas de vivenciar uma experiência aprazível. Assim, o estudo analisa a percepção da qualidade do visitante sobre o 26º Festival Internacional de Balonismo de Torres (RS). A abordagem metodológica foi a quantitativa, apoiando-se na survey descritiva para a coleta de dados, conjugada à tabulação simples para suas análises. A investigação realizou-se entre abril e julho de 2014, com 221 visitantes. Os resultados demonstraram a relevância da pesquisa de percepção, atribuída ao processo cognitivo dos participantes, pela sua capacidade de indicar gap´s relativos ao atendimento, à infraestrutura, à logística e aos outros aspectos relativos ao evento, assim como evidenciar soluções para alavancar a qualidade. Os principais resultados indicaram que os entrevistados perceberam a qualidade dos serviços, classificando-os de mediano a bom. A expectativa sobre o evento foi apontada como satisfatória por 95% dos entrevistados. As categorias ‘publicidade e promoção do evento’ e ‘acessibilidade’ foram as que demonstraram piores avaliações. Palavras-chave: Serviços turísticos. Qualidade. Experiência turística.
ORIGENS, EVOLUÇÃO E TENDÊNCIAS DO SETOR HOTELEIRO DE BALNEÁRIO CAMBORIÚ/SC
Authors: Do Amaral Pereira Raquel Maria Fontes
Published: August 2015

O presente artigo analisa as origens, a evolução e as tendências da rede hoteleira do Balneário Camboriú, associadas à expansão urbana e turística na faixa litorânea catarinense. A área objeto de estudo compreende o espaço urbano de Balneário Camboriú/SC, um dos maiores destinos turísticos do Sul do Brasil, cuja organização espacial definida ao longo de diferentes períodos tem passado por um acelerado processo de transformação imposto, inicialmente, pela ampliação do número de veranistas, seguido pelo crescimento dos fluxos turísticos. O método de abordagem apoia-se no materialismo histórico-dialético, recorrendo fundamentalmente ao paradigma de formação socioespacial que favorece a identificação das “múltiplas determinações” responsáveis pela caracterização de realidades concretas, bem como na consideração do papel da pequena produção mercantil para explicar a dinâmica socioeconômica das áreas coloniais do Sul do Brasil. O texto discute as iniciativas pioneiras e as principais características da rede de hotéis relacionadas às diferentes etapas de expansão da cidade, bem como a sua relação com o contexto estadual e nacional, levantando as permanências e as transformações do setor, assim como as determinações locais, regionais, nacionais e mundiais, responsáveis por sua dinâmica atual. Palavras-chaves: Balneário Camboriú. Setor Hoteleiro. Origens, evolução e tendências.
Development of a listening and speaking achievement test for primary school 2nd grade English course
Authors: Özüdoğru Fatma , Adıgüzel Oktay Cem
Published: August 2015

In this research, it is aimed to develop an achievement test focusing on listening and speaking skills in order to reveal the realization of the objectives set forth for students studying primary school 2nd grade English teaching curriculum. For validity purposes of the draft achievement test, three foreign language field experts and three 2nd grade English teachers were consulted and the number of items in the achievement test was determined and then item discrimination and item difficulty analyses were carried out. The listening part of the achievement test was applied to 202 students and the speaking part was applied to 125 2nd grade students in the spring semester of 2013-2014 academic years. The final listening test included 20 items after 18 items were excluded after analysis and 2 easy items were also excluded for grading easiness. For the speaking part, only 4 items were left out after item difficulty analysis and 1 item was excluded for grading easiness, so 20 items were included in the final speaking test. KR-20 value of the test was examined for the internal consistency and it was found that the listening test had .70 reliability and the speaking test had .81 reliability, which are adequate.
Influence Of Thermal Treatment On Relaxor Properties Of BaBi2Nb2O9 Ceramics
Authors: Adamczyk M. , Pilch M. , Pawełczyk M.
Published: August 2015

In the hereby paper the implications of thermal modification of BaBi2Nb2O9 ceramics in high vacuum (5×10−11 bar) at a temperature equal of 1173K are widely discussed. The mentioned modification caused changes in the ions concentration (confirmed by EDS and XPS analysis) and as a consequence an influence on the value of the unit cell parameters as well as on the dielectric and relaxor properties of described ceramics. The obtained results of EDS and XPS analysis of the sample before and after thermal treatment revealed bismuth ions diffusion to the surface of the sample (which was expected) and an almost complete the lack of barium ions on the modified surface. The comparison of EDS and XPS analysis results, suggested that they penetrated the interior of the sample and embedded into the crystal structure in place of bismuth. The hypothesis is in good agreement with the results of X-ray diffraction – the volume of the unit cell had an insignificant increase. The changes in the ions concentration influenced, also in a distinct manner, the dielectric and relaxor properties as well as on the shape of temperature characteristic of thermal stimulated depolarization current observed in BBN ceramics.
Double Step Sintering Behavior Of 316L Nanoparticle Dispersed Micro-Sphere Powder
Authors: Jeon Byoungjun , Sohn Seong Ho , Lee Wonsik , Han Chulwoong , Kim Young Do , Choi Hanshin
Published: August 2015

316L stainless steel is a well-established engineering material and lots of components are fabricated by either ingot metallurgy or powder metallurgy. From the viewpoints of material properties and process versatility, powder metallurgy has been widely applied in industries. Generally, stainless steel powders are prepared by atomization processes and powder characteristics, compaction ability, and sinterability are quite different according to the powder preparation process. In the present study, a nanoparticle dispersed micro-sphere powder is synthesized by pulse wire explosion of 316L stainless steel wire in order to facilitate compaction ability and sintering ability. Nanoparticles which are deposited on the surface of micro-powder are advantageous for a rigid die compaction while spherical micro-powder is not to be compacted. Additionally, double step sintering behavior is observed for the powder in the dilatometry of cylindrical compact body. Earlier shrinkage peak comes from the sintering of nanoparticle and later one results from the micro-powder sintering. Microstructure as well as phase composition of the sintered body is investigated.
Synthesis And Characterization Of SiO2, SnO2 And TiO2 Metal Oxide Shells Covering Cu2O Particles
Authors: Yu Ri , Yun Jiyeon , Kim Yoojin
Published: August 2015

In this work is described a means of improving the chemical stability of Cu2O@SiO2, Cu2O@SnO2 and Cu2O@TiO2 materials. The SiO2, SnO2 and TiO2 coated samples were stable from pH 3 to pH 10 for up to seven days. To determine the stability of the coated nanoparticles, and their colloidal solutions under acidic and basic conditions, colloidal nanoparticle solutions with various pH values were prepared and monitored over time. Details of the effect of variations in pH on the phase stability of core-shell type Cu2O were characterized using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.
Fabrication And Mechanical Properties Of A Nanostructured Complex Aluminum Alloy By Three-Layer Stack Accumulative Roll-Bonding
Authors: Lee S.-H. , Lee S.R.
Published: August 2015

A multi-layered complex aluminum alloy was successfully fabricated by three-layer stack accumulative roll bonding(ARB) process. The ARB using AA1050 and AA5052 alloy sheets was performed up to 7 cycles at ambient temperature without lubrication. The specimen processed by the ARB showed a multi-layer aluminum alloy sheet in which two aluminum alloys are alternately stacked. The grain size of the specimen decreased with the number of ARB cycles, became about 350nm in diameter after 7cycles. The tensile strength increased with the number of ARB cycles, after 6c it reached 281MPa which is about twice higher than that of the starting material. The microstructures and mechanical properties of a three-layer AA1050/AA5052 alloy fabricated by the ARB were compared to those of the conventional ARB-processed material.
Recovery Of Valuable Metals In Tin-Based Anodic Slimes By Carbothermic Reaction
Authors: Han Chulwoong , Kim Young-Min , Son Seong Ho , Choi Hanshin , Kim Tae Bum , Kim Yong Hwan
Published: August 2015

This study investigated the recovery of anodic slimes by carbothermic reaction in the temperature range of 973~1,273K and amount of carbon as a function of time. Tin anodic slime samples were collected from the bottom of the electrolytic cells during the electro-refining of tin. The anodic slimes are consisted of high concentrated tin, silver, copper and lead oxides. The kinetics of reduction were determined by means of the weight-loss measurement technique. In order to understand in detail of carbothermic reaction, thermodynamic calculation was carried out and compared with experiments. From thermodynamic calculation and experiment, it was confirmed that Sn-based anodic slime could be reduced by controlling temperature and amount of carbon. However, any tendency between the reduction temperature and carbon content for the reduction reaction was not observed.
Study On The Electro-Refining Of Tin In Acid Solution From Electronic Waste
Authors: Son Seong Ho , Park Sung Cheol , Kim Jin Hwa , Kim Yong Hwan , Lee Man Seung , Ahn Jae-Woo
Published: August 2015

The tin metal could be retractable from wasted tin scrap, sludge, and wasted electroplated solution hydrometallurgical treatment, and purification process. In order to be used as resource of electronic devices, the retracted crude metal should be purified to the extent of higher than 99.9%. In this study, tin electro-refining process was performed to purify the casted tin crude metal at various experimental conditions: at the current density of 3, 5A/dm2, and in various electrolytes such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and methansulfonic acid. Additional experiment was conducted using Rotating Disk Electrode (RDE) in order to investigate the rate determining step of tin electro-refining process. The current efficiency, 65.6%, was achievable at the condition of current density, 5A/dm2, and in the electrolyte of Hydrochloric acid. During tin electro-refining process, impurity dissolved from tin crude metal into the electrolyte was analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES), and the result showed the concentration of impurity metal gradually increased. Quantitative analysis on casted tin crude metal showed that it consists of tin with 93.9 wt.% and several impurity metals of Ag, Bi, Pb, Cu, and etc. After tin electro-refining process, the purity of tin increased up to 99.985 wt.%.
Fabrication Of Colloidal Clusters Decorated With Dye Molecules For Potential Application As Photonic Molecules
Authors: Cho Y.-S.
Published: August 2015

In this study, colloidal clusters decorated with fluorescent dyes were fabricated by evaporation-driven self-assembly using emulsion droplets as confining geometries. Silica microspheres were synthesized by Stober method followed by the modification with dye molecules through additional surface sol-gel reaction for the formation of thin silica shell. The surface of the resultant dye-doped silica microspheres was modified with hydrophobic silane coupling agent to disperse the particle suspension in organic solvent such as hexane. The fluorescent silica microspheres were self-assembled inside oil-in-water emulsions by evaporation-driven self-assembly for the formation of colloidal clusters, potentially applicable for photonic molecules. The clusters with fluorescent emission were observed using confocal microscope.
Effects Of Process Parameters On Cu Powder Synthesis Yield And Particle Size In A Wet-Chemical Process
Authors: Shin Y.M. , Lee J.-H.
Published: August 2015

This study presents a simple wet-chemical process to prepare several micron-size Cu powders. Moreover, changes in powder synthesis yield and particle size are examined with different solvents, synthesis temperatures, and amounts of reducing agent during the synthesis. As a reducing agent and capping agent, L-ascorbic acid and polyvinyl pyrrolidone were used, respectively. The yields in distilled water or an ethylene glycol (EG)/distilled water mixture were higher than that in EG alone, and the yield increased with increasing temperature owing to a lower Δ Gred value. Increasing the L-ascorbic acid concentration also increased the yield. The Cu powder synthesized in 3 h at 90°C in distilled water with 272.8 mM of L-ascorbic acid showed the lowest average particle size of 2.52 μm, indicating mechanisms of short burst nucleation and reduced growth via the increased reduction rate of Cu ions. It is estimated that the nucleation step was nearly completed within 10 min in this system. The Cu powders synthesized in an ethylene glycol/distilled water mixture presented an average particle size of 3.76 μm and the highest yield of 87.9%.
Synthesis Of SiC/Cu Composite Powders From Polycarbosilane And Cupric Nitrate Trihydrate
Authors: Bang S.-R. , Yim D.-M. , Riu D.-H. , Oh S.-T.
Published: August 2015

SiC/Cu composite powders with the barrier coating of SiC-Al onto SiC powders were synthesized from Al-containing polycarbosilane precursor and Cu-nitrate hydrate. Curing at 200°C and high temperature pyrolysis at 1600°C was used to achieve the crystallization of precursor, forming the SiC-Al coating on the surface of SiC powders. A core-shell structure with the core of SiC and the shell of Cu was constructed by calcination and hydrogen-reduction of Cu nitrate hydrate. XRD and SEM analysis revealed that the β-SiC and 4H-SiC phases were formed on the surface of the initial α-SiC powders. Also, it was observed by EDX mapping that core powders of SiC were homogeneously surrounded with the fine Cu particles on their surface.
Properties Of MgB2/Ga Composites Prepared By Mechanical Alloying
Authors: Yoon K. , Ahn J.-H.
Published: August 2015

In this study, we examined the effect of Ga-doping and mechanical alloying in MgB2 on microstructural and phase evolution. A comparison was made between in-situ and ex-situ processed Mg-B-Ga samples. Densification was markedly improved by ex-situ sintering of ball-milled MgB2+Ga. The Ga-doping and ball-milling prior to sintering resulted in the formation of impurity phases such as MgO, Ga5Mg2 and Ga2O3. Lattice parameter of MgB2 increased with increasing ball-milling duration as well as by Ga-doping.