bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dispersed Ottoman unified-field tile panels
Authors: Denny Walter B.
Published: August 2018

Η οθωμανική κεραμική και τα πλακίδια του Ιζνι'κ υπήρξαν συλλεκτικά αντικείμενα για τους Ευρωπαίους ήδη από την εποχή της κατασκευής τους, τον 16ο και τον πρώιμο 17ο αιώνα. Η πολιτική αστάθεια, οι πόλεμοι και οι φυσικές καταστροφές που επικράτησαν στην ευρύτερη περιοχή κατά τα τέλη του 19ου και τον πρώιμο 20ό αιώνα χρονικά συνέπεσαν με την κορύφωση του συλλεκτικού ενδιαφέροντος, με αποτέλεσμα μεγάλες ποσότητες από πλακίδια που επένδυαν οθωμανικά κτίρια να καταλήξουν στη Δύση. Ορισμένα απ' αυτά έφεραν όμοια μοτίβα σε κάθε πλακίδιο, σχηματίζοντας μια ευρύτερη σύνθεση με επαναλαμβανόμενο σχέδιο. Σε άλλες περιπτώσεις, το βασικό μοτίβο διαμορφωνόταν πάνω σε τέσσερα πλακίδια που αποτελούσαν τη μονάδα του επαναλαμβανόμενου διακόσμου. Ακόμα μεγαλύτερο ενδιαφέρον παρουσιάζουν τα αυτόνομα τετράγωνα πλακίδια (με ύφος γύρω στα 27 εκ.) ή ομάδες τους, που αποτελούσαν τμήματα μεγαλύτερης σύνθεσης για την επένδυση τοίχων, που συχνά ξεπερνούσε τα 2 μ. σε ύφος. Πολλές φορές είναι δύσκολο να εντοπιστεί η προέλευση αυτών των πλακιδίων, που σήμερα φυλάσσονται στις συλλογές διάφορων μουσείων στην Ευρώπη και την Αμερική. Με τη βοήθεια όμως της ψηφιακής φωτογραφίας, είναι δυνατόν τα πλακίδια να επανασυναρμολογηθούν και να αποκατασταθεί η αρχική ενοποιημένη σύνθεση. Πλακίδια από δύο τέτοιες μεγάλες συνθέσεις —τα οποία ξεχωρίζουν επειδή είναι ψηλότερα και στενότερα από τα περισσότερα που βρέθηκαν in situ- εντοπίστηκαν στο Μουσείο Μπενάκη, το Μουσείο Γκιουλμπεκιάν στη Λισσαβόνα, το Μουσείο Εφαρμοσμένων Τεχνών στη Βιέννη, στο Μουσείο Βικτωρίας και Αλβέρτου στο Λονδίνο καθώς και στο Μητροπολιτικό Μουσείο της Νέας Υόρκης. Μέσω μιας πρώτης ψηφιακής αποκατάστασης εξήχθει το συμπέρασμα ότι πρόκειται για δύο ίδιες συνθέσεις με 17 πλακάκια σε ύφος και ασυνήθιστες παραστάσεις οθωμανικού τρούλου στην κορυφή κάθε σύνθεσης. Οι ειδικοί στο Μουσείο Ισλαμικών Τεχνών του Μουσείου Μπενάκη κατάφεραν —σε συνεργασία με άλλα ιδρύματα και με μόνιμους δανεισμούς πλακιδίων ή υψηλής πιστότητας αντίγραφα- να αποκαταστήσουν τις δύο συνθέσεις που τοποθετήθηκαν στη νέα έκθεση στο Μουσείο Μπενάκη. Οι συνθέσεις αυτές, που πιθανότατα χρονολογούνται γύρω στο 1570, κατασκευάστηκαν για το μεγάλο θερινό ανάκτορο στην Αδριανούπολη επί Σελίμ Β' (βασ. 1566-1574).
Γυάλινα μετάλλια με θρησκευτικές παραστάσεις στη Βυζαντινή Συλλογή του Μουσείου Μπενάκη: τεχνική μελέτη
Authors: Κοτζαμάνη Δέσποινα
Published: August 2018

Δεν διατίθεται περίληψη.
Το χρυσό αγαλμάτιο Αφροδίτης: ζητήματα γνησιότητας
Authors: Αλούπη Ελένη , Ζαχαρίας Νίκος , Καρύδας Ανδρέας-Γερμανός
Published: August 2018

Δεν διατίθεται περίληψη.
Motivation and experiences of role transition in spousal caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Killner Lauren , Soundy Andrew
Published: August 2018

Background:

Review-based research is required to understand the spousal experiences and role transitions needed when care-giving for patients with multiple sclerosis. The aim of this study was to meet this need by undertaking a synthesis of qualitative research from the experiences of spouses of people with multiple sclerosis.

Methods:

A qualitative thematic synthesis was undertaken in three stages: a systematic search of the literature; critical appraisal of included studies; and synthesis of data using an a priori framework.

Findings:

A total of 10 studies with 120 spousal caregivers were included. Three major themes were identified: motivation for care, role transition and relationship changes.

Conclusions:

The findings present a variety of motivations among spousal caregivers, and report both positive and negative experiences of transition and relationship change. These findings have important implications for healthcare professionals who work closely with caregivers in practice.
Teachers’ Perceptions of Innovative Learning Model toward Critical Thinking Ability
Authors: Munawaroh Hamdah , Sudiyanto Sudiyanto , Riyadi Riyadi
Published: August 2018

The aim of this study is to investigate teachers’ perceptions about the importance of learning innovation toward critical thinking ability in learning mathematics. The subjects in this study are the teachers and the students of grade Vin Al-Islam 6 Al-Fajar, Muhammadiyah 23 and Cokroaminoto Islamic Elementary School Surakarta. The research method used in this research is qualitative case study. The problem in the research is the students' mathematics score is low that is seen from the results of the daily test’s students which showed 85% get grades below the minimal mastery criteria there is 60. The analysis technique used is triangulation. Validation used is qualitative descriptive. Based on the results of interviews to a number of teachers who teach mathematics in the fifth-grade in Pasarkliwon sub-district, it can be concluded that students' critical thinking ability in mathematics is low so that it is required innovative learning model used by the teachers.
Experimental and Atomic Modeling of the Adsorption of Acid Azo Dye 57 to Sepiolite
Authors: Karataş Deniz , Senol-Arslan Dilek , Ozdemir Orhan
Published: August 2018

Sepiolite is a hydrated magnesium silicate with a microporous and mesoporous structure. The fibrous morphology and the alternating blocks and tunnels along the fiber direction of sepiolite make it an ideal material to sequester a variety of organic and inorganic contaminants. The adsorption of various surfactants by organo sepiolites have been experimentally investigated. How this hydrophobic material adsorbs dye molecules at the atomic level, however, is a great mystery. For this reason, the present study focused on the adsorption of acid azo 57 dye molecules to modified sepiolite. For this purpose, the amenability of sepiolite to remove the anionic textile dye (acid azo red dye 57) was first studied in detail. Additionally, a typical cationic surfactant, hexadecyltrimethylammonium Br (HTAB), was used to modify sepiolite to increase the adsorption capacity. Zeta potential measurements on the sepiolite and the HTAB modified sepiolite were also carried out. Moreover, Density Functional Theory (DFT) studies were performed to understand the mechanism of the adsorption of dye molecules to natural and modified sepiolite surfaces. On the basis of the experimental studies, three general systems were theoretically examined: (i) HTAB molecules on sepiolite basal surfaces to represent four Si tetrahedra, (ii) neutral or charged acid azo red dye 57 molecules on sepiolite basal surfaces to represent four Si tetrahedra, and (iii) HTAB on the surface of neutral or charged acid azo red dye 57 molecules as a substrate. The results clearly indicated good agreement between the experimental studies and the theoretical computational DFT studies. For example, the double layer structure found in experimental studies was also demonstrated in DFT studies and confirmed increased adsorption in the presence of acid azo dye 57.
Desire for Sterilization Reversal Among U.S. Females: Increasing Inequalities by Educational Level
Authors: Eeckhaut Mieke C.W. , Sweeney Megan M. , Feng Lei
Published: August 2018

CONTEXT

For decades, high reliance on female sterilization in the United States has been accompanied by a high level of desire for sterilization reversal, and less‐educated women have been more likely than better educated women to use the method and desire a reversal. Little is known about how levels of and educational differentials in such desire have changed in recent decades.

METHODS

Data from 4,147 women who reported being sterile from a tubal sterilization in the 1995, 2002 and 2006–2010 waves of the National Survey of Family Growth were analyzed using chi‐square and Wald tests and binary logistic regression analyses. Predicted probabilities were calculated to determine the likelihood of desire for procedure reversal by wave and educational level.

RESULTS

The prevalence of desire for sterilization reversal rose by 41%, from 18% in 1995 to 23% in 2002 and 25% in 2006–2010. Overall, women with a bachelor's degree were less likely than those who had not finished high school to desire a reversal (odds ratio, 0.2), and this educational differential was larger in 2006–2010 than in earlier waves. Predicted probabilities indicate that 9% of sterilized women with less than a high school education and 8% of those with a bachelor's degree expressed a desire for procedure reversal in 1995, as did 15% and 3%, respectively, in 2006–2010.

CONCLUSION

Future research should consider how insurance coverage of all methods under the Affordable Care Act may affect use of sterilization and desire for reversal.
Biochemical Diagnosis of Chromaffin Cell Tumors in Patients at High and Low Risk of Disease: Plasma versus Urinary Free or Deconjugated O-Methylated Catecholamine Metabolites
Authors: Eisenhofer Graeme , Prejbisz Aleksander , Peitzsch Mirko , Pamporaki Christina , Masjkur Jimmy , Rogowski-Lehmann Natalie , Langton Katharina , Tsourdi Elena , Pęczkowska Mariola , Fliedner Stephanie , Deutschbein Timo , Megerle Felix , Timmers Henri J L M , Sinnott Richard , Beuschlein Felix , Fassnacht Martin , Januszewicz Andrzej , Lenders Jacques W M
Published: August 2018

BACKGROUND

Measurements of plasma or urinary metanephrines are recommended for diagnosis of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL). What test offers optimal diagnostic accuracy for patients at high and low risk of disease, whether urinary free metanephrines offer advantages over deconjugated metanephrines, and what advantages are offered by including methoxytyramine in panels all remain unclear.

METHODS

A population of 2056 patients with suspected PPGLs underwent prospective screening for disease using mass spectrometric-based measurements of plasma free, urinary deconjugated, and urinary free metanephrines and methoxytyramine. PPGLs were confirmed in 236 patients and were excluded in others on follow-up evaluation.

RESULTS

Measurements of plasma free metabolites offered higher (P < 0.01) diagnostic sensitivity (97.9%) than urinary free (93.4%) and deconjugated (92.9%) metabolites at identical specificities for plasma and urinary free metabolites (94.2%) but at a lower (P < 0.005) specificity for deconjugated metabolites (92.1%). The addition of methoxytyramine offered little value for urinary panels but provided higher (P < 0.005) diagnostic performance for plasma measurements than either urinary panel according to areas under ROC curves (0.991 vs 0.972 and 0.964). Diagnostic performance of urinary and plasma tests was similar for patients at low risk of disease, whereas plasma measurements were superior to both urinary panels for high-risk patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Diagnosis of PPGLs using plasma or urinary free metabolites provides advantages of fewer false-positive results compared with commonly measured deconjugated metabolites. The plasma panel offers better diagnostic performance than either urinary panel for patients at high risk of disease and, with appropriate preanalytics, provides the test of choice. Measurements of methoxytyramine in urine show limited diagnostic utility compared with plasma.
Learning to weave for the luxury Indian and global fashion industries: The Handloom School, Maheshwar
Authors: Clifford Ruth
Published: August 2018

This article will draw upon ongoing research into design and business education for traditional artisans in India. It will focus specifically on the use of traditional crafts in the luxury Indian fashion industry, which has grown significantly in the last three decades, alongside one of the Ph.D. case studies – The Handloom School (THS) in Maheshwar, a small sari-weaving town in Madhya Pradesh state. The charitable organization WomenWeave was founded by Sally Holkar in 2003 to generate sustainable employment for women in Maheshwar and the surrounding region. While Maheshwar is known for its silk, cotton and zari (metallic yarn) fabrics and saris, WomenWeave started producing khadi (hand-spun, hand-woven yarn), which has been popular in high-end Indian and global fashion markets. THS is a recent initiative of WomenWeave, and teaches weavers from different parts of India business, design, IT and communication skills with a view to enabling them to start their own businesses and generate more sustainable livelihoods in their respective regions. Students also learn new weaving skills and multi-treddle techniques, and are encouraged to weave fabrics with more complex textures, patterns and colours than what they are used to, based on WomenWeave’s success with such fabrics. The school is in its early stages and the curriculum is continuously being revised and adapted. My recent ethnographic fieldwork in Maheshwar and other weaving regions in India has involved learning about the experiences of some of the students and graduates of THS, as well as the faculty, directors and administrative staff, over the past three years. This article will draw upon these experiences, while presenting some of the challenges the school is facing amidst a broad and lively debate on craft in India within the development, anthropological, design history and material culture discourses. I will address a number of questions such as: how can traditional craft meet the needs of the high-end fashion industry? How is education impacting ‘artisan’ and ‘designer’ collaborations and challenging the definition of these roles? Who owns traditional and other designs, and whose identity is expressed in the final product? It also explores how weavers are combining their traditional weaving skills gained in the home, along with institutionalized learning of business and design concepts; and to what extent education enables weavers to create products attuned to a contemporary market.
Communicating sustainability: Curating the ‘Making it Real’ installation, Trinity Leeds
Authors: McCreesh Natalie C. , Jones Christopher R. , McIntosh Alex , Storey Helen
Published: August 2018

With growing drives towards greater sustainability within the retail sector and growing requirement to conform to existing and emerging legislation, companies from ostensibly disparate sectors face the common challenge of encouraging the reduced consumption of saleable products, while simultaneously maintaining financial prosperity. Initially focused on knowledge exchange between the energy and water utilities and fashion retailers, TRANSFER (Trading Approaches to Nurturing Sustainable consumption in Fashion and Energy Retail) is now working together with a diverse group of large and SME (small- and medium-sized enterprises) retailers from a number of sectors, with the aim of successfully addressing this paradox. Combining the experiences of our commercial partners with academic expertise from a team of psychologists, fashion and management experts from the University of Sheffield and University of the Arts, London, TRANSFER is also investigating how efforts to promote sustainable consumption within retail are received and responded to by consumers. In fulfilling the project aims we hope to foster a more complete understanding of how retail sector initiatives can be successfully designed and implemented in order to have a positive impact on both retailers and their customers. This article provides a summary of the TRANSFER ‘Making it Real’ installation, held at Trinity Leeds shopping centre, (February 2015). This innovative, interactive exhibition was conceived of and developed upon the basis of discussions held with TRANSFER partners at a commercial partner workshop held in April 2014. TRANSFER is a knowledge exchange project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Retail Sector Initiative 2013 (ES/L005204/1).
Mahatma Gandhi and the model of fashion education, activism and system(s) in India
Authors: Bhatt Asit
Published: August 2018

Prominent fashion educators, namely Lidewij Edelkoort and Jose Teunissen, have time and again pointed towards the crisis of a fast-fashion system marked by the rapid and excessive production–consumption patterns that manifest a throwaway society within the vast cultural wastelands. As Edelkoort has pointed out in her manifesto ‘Anti_Fashion’ (2015), it may sound quite ironic but we still educate our young people to become catwalk designers and unique individuals. However, our society demands exchange, new economy and working together in teams as well as groups. Pedagogy, in this precise sense apropos to the fast-fashion system, is indeed based upon a flat ontological ground or singular identity, which resembles a vast agricultural field protected by the scarecrow in order to harvest only a particular type of crop. What is required is a type of wilderness – an ecosystem; an interdependent as well as symbiotic relationship among the heterogeneous groups of individuals to realize life’s capacity to flourish and maximize its true potential. Here, the question is this: in what ways does fashion education play an active role in inculcating the values of cooperative, collaborative, correlative and collective modes of production–consumption within contemporary fashion system(s)? This article argues that the Gandhian model has great potential in articulating possibilities that are quite timely and crucial in relation to the present discourse on fashion system(s). The Gandhian model encompasses Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of ecology, work, crafts, education and fashion. The article suggests that the Gandhian model is subversive in nature and does inculcate the values of cooperative, collaborative, correlative and collective modes of production–consumption whilst facilitating a spirit of activism in order to imagine fashion outside the purview of industrial and post-industrial capitalism. Here, the dialectics of the life (praxis) versus mechanization (techne) appear to be an obvious trap, which the article avoids by developing a kind of dialogical framework – a relationship to the environment quite radically different than that of humanism and anthropocentrism.
Industry insight: Conscious consumption
Authors: Schultz-Clark Ophelia
Published: August 2018

These days, purchasing almost anything can be a veritable minefield: are these carrots organic? Is my eyeliner cruelty free? Can I afford to pay a little extra for a plant-based washing up liquid? The struggle is more than real – it is necessary. It shows that we are engaging with the all-too real problem of global warming, rather than burying our heads in the sand. For this reason, it is important we keep the environment in mind when we are making everyday choices, such as in our clothing. Whether you are a consumer, designer or manufacturer, it is important to include waste reduction in the goals of your efforts in the fashion industry. In this article, I will be sharing my views on why you should make the switch from mainstream to sustainable fashion and telling you a little bit about our brand, Madia & Matilda.
Can our clothes impact our well-being?
Authors: Olivia John Zoë
Published: August 2018

We have all been there: we put on an outfit, one we wore the previous week or previous day, and it just does not feel right. You look in the mirror and it does not work, the computer inside your head screams out: ‘YOUR IDENTITY HAS BEEN COMPROMISED’. As silly as this may seem, it is a familiar – and well-documented – story; we dress ourselves to reflect how we want to be perceived (Woodward 2007) and to reflect our identity. This might change on a daily basis: we might be cool and casual on a Monday and sharp as a point on Tuesday, but research shows wearing something that does not reflect how you feel can actually have a negative impact on your sense of well-being.
Cheyenne Odyssey: Representing Removal in an Educational Video Game
Authors: Gish Hill Christina
Published: August 2018

This articles reflects on the process of creating digital media in collaboration with Native communities, using the example of Cheyenne Odyssey, a game from Mission US, to argue that such media can illuminate the perspectives of Indigenous peoples for a wide audience while also creating digital repositories for both visual and narrative forms of knowledge. This game takes on the difficult challenge of portraying very sensitive moments of US history to middle school-age children. The game walks the player through the Battle of Little Big Horn, the forced removal of the Northern Cheyenne people, their harrowing journey home again, and even the massacre of Dull Knife’s band at Fort Robinson. The creators of the game brought Cheyenne perspectives to the process by consulting Northern Cheyenne elders, historians, and even school children, as well as archival materials, and scholars of Cheyenne history, including the author. This multifaceted collaboration resulted in a game that presented Cheyenne history in a way that reflected Cheyenne values while providing non-Cheyenne people with an accessible narrative that, nevertheless, disrupts the familiar history of westward expansion in the United States. At the same time, the game makes new a history familiar to every Cheyenne by presenting it in a fresh medium that captivates young people. The public nature of this online game empowers Cheyenne people to take pride in their own historical narratives.
Books and Media Received
Authors: Jackson Jason Baird
Published: August 2018

This item is a listing of scholarly works submitted to the editorial office for possible review.
Multi-DOF compensation of piezoelectric actuators with recursive databases
Authors: Schindlbeck Christopher , Pape Christian , Reithmeier Eduard
Published: August 2018

Piezoelectric actuators are subject to nonlinear effects when voltage-driven in open-loop control. In particular, hysteresis and creep effects are dominating nonlinearities that significantly deteriorate performance in tracking control scenarios. In this paper, we present an online compensator suitable for piezoelectric actuators that is based on the modified Prandtl-Ishlinskii model and utilizes recursive databases for the compensation of nonlinearities. The compensator scheme is furthermore extended to systems with more than one degree of freedom (DOF) such as Cartesian manipulators by employing a decoupling control design to mitigate inherent cross-coupling disturbances. In order to validate our theoretical derivations, experiments are conducted with coupled trajectories on a commercial 3-DOF micro-positioning unit driven by piezoelectric actuators.
First report of Chlamydia psittaci seroprevalence in black-headed gulls (Larus ridibundus) at Dianchi Lake, China
Authors: Chang Hua , Han Jiangqiang , Yang Yan , Duan Gang , Zou Fengcai , Xiang Xun , Dai Feiyan
Published: August 2018

Chlamydiosis is an important zoonosis which can transmit from birds to humans, and investigation first reported the seroprevalence of Chlamydia psittaci in black-headed gulls (Larus ridibundus) at the Dianchi Lake, China. A total of 1029 serum samples collected from black-headed gulls between 2012-2015 were analyzed. The gulls were randomly caught and blood collected at Dianchi Lake, China. All the samples were analyzed for the presence of antibodies to C. psittaci by indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA). In this survey, the total infection rate was 11.86% (122/1029). The results of the present survey documented the existence of relatively high C. psittaci seroprevalence in black-headed gulls, which have a potential risk to the wild bird health and human health. Comprehensive practical control approaches and measures should be executed.
Managing inappropriate utilization of laboratory resources
Authors: Cadamuro Janne , Ibarz Mercedes , Cornes Michael , Nybo Mads , Haschke-Becher Elisabeth , von Meyer Alexander , Lippi Giuseppe , Simundic Ana-Maria
Published: August 2018

Background

The inappropriate use of laboratory resources, due to excessive number of tests not really necessary for patient care or by failure to order the appropriate diagnostic test, may lead to wrong, missed or delayed diagnosis, thus potentially jeopardizing patient safety. It is estimated that 5–95% of tests are currently used inappropriately, depending on the appropriateness criteria, thus significantly contributing to the potential of generating medical errors, the third leading cause of death in the US.

Content

In this review, we discuss the reasons as well as the medical and financial consequences of inappropriate utilization of laboratory tests. We then provide demand management (DM) tools as a means for overcoming this issue and also discuss their benefits, challenges, limitations and requirements for successful implementation.

Summary and outlook

When based on current evidence, adapted to local conditions and developed in close collaboration with clinicians, DM is a reasonable strategy for progressing toward better management of over- and underuse of laboratory resources.
Impacts of International Migration on Socio-Economic Development in Bangladesh
Authors: Sarker Masud , Islam Shahidul
Published: August 2018

International migration has positive impacts on socio-economic development in Bangladesh. Using secondary data, this paper explores the impacts of remittances on socio-economic development in Bangladesh. The article reveals that remittance has significant impacts on Bangladesh economy and socio-economic development, for example, reducing the poverty, increasing the household expenditure, saving, leading to maintain the quality of life as well as gender equality. Therefore, the government should take necessary steps to fostering international migration as a national strategy for economic development of Bangladesh.
Identification of Delamination in Composite Beams using the Fractal Dimension-Based Damage Identification Algorithm
Authors: Katunin Andrzej , Zuba Michał
Published: August 2018

Damage detection and identification is one of the most important tasks of proper operation of technical objects and structures. It is, therefore, essential to develop efficient and sensitive methods of early damage detection. Delamination is the type of damage occurring in laminated composites that is one of the most dangerous and most difficult to detect. In this paper, the computational study was performed on the numerical data of the modal shapes of laminated composite beams with simulated delaminations in order to detect them using a fractal dimension-based approach. The obtained results allowed for improvement of detection accuracy as compared to previously applied wavelet-based approach. An additional benefit was decreasing the computational time. Basing on the obtained results it is reasonable to consider the presented approach as a promising alternative to currently applied signal processing methods used for supporting non-destructive testing of structures.
Understanding the effect of weathering on adhesive bonds for wood composites using digital image correlation (DIC)
Authors: McKinley Paige , Sinha Arijit , Kamke Frederick A.
Published: August 2018

The quality of wood composites is dependent on the bondlines’ performance and their moisture resistance. The effect of moisture intrusion into bondlines is the focus of this study. The strain profile in the bondline during loading was investigated and the effects of weathering on the bondline were quantified by digital image correlation (DIC), while load deflection data were collected from lap-shear tests (LShTs). A total of 75 LShTs were evaluated including four different adhesive types with Douglas-fir wood, out of which 39 served as controls and 36 as substrates for weathering. The effect of weathering on failure load was not statistically significant. Only the bonded surface and adhesive type have significant effects on failure load, as well as the three-way interaction between the bonded surface, adhesive, and weathering, as revealed by three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The average effective shear moduli for the weathered samples were significantly lower than those for the control samples.
High Speed Radio over Fiber System for Wireless Local Area Networks by Incorporating Alternate Mark Inversion Scheme
Authors: Sharma Abhishek , Chauhan Priyanka
Published: August 2018

Radio over fiber (RoF) technique has revolutionized communication industry with its high data transmission rate and ability to carry the radio signal with speed of light. It finds its application in wireless local area networks (WLANs) due to easy of deployment and low cost. This paper utilizes alternate mark inversion (AMI) technique in wave length division multiplexing (WDM) scheme to further enhance data carrying capacity of the system. It is observed that proposed AMI-WDM scheme is better technique for providing high data rates and is confirmed via SNR, Q factor and eye diagrams.
Long-term thyroid disorders in pediatric survivors of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation after chemotherapy-only conditioning
Authors: Cima Luminita N. , Martin Sorina C. , Lambrescu Ioana M. , Stejereanu Lavinia , Zaharia Cristina , Colita Anca , Fica Simona
Published: August 2018

Background:

Thyroid dysfunction (TD) was usually described in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients who were given total body irradiation (TBI) in the conditioning regimen. Because previous studies have reported discrepant results regarding the presence of long-term thyroid complications in HSCT survivors following chemotherapy-only conditioning, we investigated the frequency of thyroid abnormalities in a series of children treated with HSCT for different disorders without TBI as part of the conditioning protocol.

Methods:

We compared thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxine, total triiodothyronine (TT3), anti-peroxidase (TPO Ab) and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies and thyroid volume z-score in 28 HSCT survivors and 16 healthy subjects matched for age and sex.

Results:

HSCT recipients had a higher frequency of TD and thyroid complications in total, including TD and euthyroid Hashimoto thyroiditis, compared to the control group. Patients transplanted for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) were more likely to develop a thyroid complication compared to patients with non-malignant hematologic diseases and leukemia patients. BEAM (carmustine, etoposide, citarabin and melphalan) conditioning compared to busulfan (Bu) and fludarabine (Flu)-based regimens and autologous compared to allogenic grafting were associated with a higher prevalence of TD in our study. HSCT survivors had higher mean serum TT3 levels. A multivariate analysis revealed that autologous (auto)-HSCT recipients had higher mean serum titers of TPO Ab compared to allogenic (allo)-HSCT recipients and controls and the mean thyroid volume z-score was significantly higher in controls compared to auto-/allo-HSCT survivors.

Conclusions:

We identified a 35.7% prevalence of thyroid abnormalities, emphasizing the need for a long-term surveillance of thyroid function and morphology even in this group of patients who were not exposed to TBI.
Challenges in data storage and data management in a clinical diagnostic setting
Authors: Eck Sebastian H.
Published: August 2018

The implementation of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in a clinical diagnostic setting opens vast opportunities through the ability to sequence all genes contributing to a certain morbidity simultaneously at a cost and speed that is superior to traditional sequencing approaches. On the other hand, the practical implementation of NGS in a clinical diagnostic setting involves a variety of new challenges, which need to be overcome. Among these are the generation, analysis and storage of unprecedented amounts of data, strict control of sequencing performance, validation of results, interpretation of detected variants and reporting. In the following sections, key aspects of data management and integration will be discussed. In particular, issues of data storage, data analysis using in-house IT infrastructure vs. data analysis employing cloud computing and the need for data integration from different sources will be covered.
Catalytic properties of plate-like cadmium oxide nanoparticles in removal of sulfathiazole with anticancer activity
Authors: Hoseini Leila , Bagheri Azar
Published: August 2018

The study of the interaction of drugs with DNA is very exciting and significant not only for understanding the mechanism of the interaction but also for the design of new drugs. Here, we report the results of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectroscopy studies to determine the external binding modes of sulfathiazole (STZ), and the binding constant and stability of the STZ-DNA complex in aqueous solution. The results of absorption spectra showed that the interaction of STZ-DNA is weak because there is only a hyperchromic effect. A hyperchromic effect reflects the corresponding changes of DNA in its conformation and structure after the drug-DNA interaction has occurred. Spectroscopic evidence revealed that STZ binds DNA with an overall binding constant of K (STZ-DNA)=0.42×103
m
−1. FT-IR spectroscopy showed that the complexation of STZ with DNA occurred via A-T and PO2 groups. Nano cadmium hydroxide has been synthesized using hexamine as the template at room temperature. Then, this nano cadmium hydroxide recrystallizes into nano cadmium oxide (CdO) at 400°C for 2 h. The product was characterized by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The presence of drugs in aquatic media has emerged in the last decade as a new environmental risk. The other aim of this study was to investigate the degradation of the STZ antibiotic by nanosized CdO under ultraviolet irradiation. Various experimental parameters, such as initial CdO concentration, initial pH, and reaction times, were investigated. According to the results, this method has a good performance in the removal of STZ.
Sol-Gel Derived Cds Nanocrystalline Thin Films: Optical and Photoconduction Properties
Authors: Khan Ziaul Raza , Munirah  , Aziz Anver , Khan Mohd. Shahid
Published: August 2018

High-quality CdS nanocrystalline thin films were grown by sol-gel spin coating method at different solution temperatures on glass substrates. As-deposited films exhibited nanocrystalline phase with hexagonal wurtzite structure and showed good adhesion and smooth surface morphology. It was clearly observed that the crystallinity of the thin films improved with the increase in solution temperature. Crystallites sizes of the films also increased and were found to be in the range of 10 mm to 17 nm. The influence of the growth mechanism on the band and sub-band gap absorption of the films was investigated using UV-Vis and photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS). The band gap values were calculated in the range of 2.52 eV to 2.75 eV. The band gap decreased up to 9 % with the increase in solution temperature from 45 °C to 75 °C. Absorption coefficients estimated by PDS signal showed the significant absorption in low photon energy region of 1.5 eV to 2.0 eV. The dark and illuminated I-V characteristics revealed that the films were highly photosensitive. The results demonstrated the potential applications of sol-gel grown CdS nanocrystalline thin films as photoconductors and optical switches.
Exploration of donor effect on electron injection and photovoltaic properties of chalcone derivatives
Authors: Irfan Ahmad
Published: August 2018

Various photovoltaic parameters, i.e., electron injection (ΔGinject.), electronic coupling constants (|VRP|), light harvesting efficiencies (LHE), band alignment and electronic properties of five chalcone derivatives were studied by density functional theory (DFT) and time domain. The light was also shed on the effect of different electron donating groups and their strength intensity on the electronic and charge transfer properties. The balanced hole and electron reorganization energies for Comp 4 showed that it might have better ambipolar charge transfer in nature. The strong electron donating group(s) usually enhance(s) the ΔGinject. and |VRP| of chalcones as -N(CH3)2 > OCH3 > OH. Additionally, ΔGinject. and |VRP| of various substituted chalcone derivatives have been observed as trimethoxy > dimethoxy > monomethoxy. The greater electron donating ability of substituents is also favorable for the staggered band alignment. The superior ΔGinject. of all the studied chalcones than of the referenced compounds disclosed that the prior compounds would be proficient photovoltaic materials.
Principles and advancements of air gap membrane distillation
Authors: Kalla Sarita , Upadhyaya Sushant , Singh Kailash
Published: August 2018

In recent years, membrane distillation (MD) has evidently emerged as one of the promising separation processes, with increasing areas of application including but not limited to desalination, pharmaceutical and textile wastewater purification, food processing, concentration of aqueous solution, breaking azeotropic mixtures, and extraction of volatile organic compounds. Primarily, MD has been categorized on the basis of vapor collection and condensation arrangement methods. Among the various categories, air gap membrane distillation (AGMD), in which an air gap is maintained across the membrane and the cooling plate, turns out to be an important and efficient process. Lately, AGMD has received significant attention of researchers around the world which motivates the present work. This paper aims to review the work done so far concerning the AGMD in order to provide a holistic view that covers the principles and applications of AGMD, effect of process parameters, membrane parameters, mathematical modeling, fouling, temperature and concentration polarization, types of membrane module, energy consumption, recent developments in AGMD process, cost estimation, and heat integration with AGMD. To the best of our knowledge, the present work is the first attempt to exhaustively review the AGMD process.
Current Status of Coronary Atherectomy
Authors: Mahmoud Ahmad A. , Mahmoud Ahmed N. , Elgendy Akram Y. , Anderson R. David
Published: August 2018

There are several techniques for performing coronary atherosclerotic plaque modification, known as atherectomy. Historically, clinical trials show mostly equivalence between various coronary atherectomy techniques, balloon angioplasty, and percutaneous coronary stenting. In the last several years the use of a given atherectomy technique has been mostly as a means of facilitating stent delivery in vessels that are heavily calcified. No clinical trials have shown superiority of any atherectomy method over more standard techniques of percutaneous coronary intervention. This review begins with a discussion of directional atherectomy, which is no longer available. The rotational atherectomy technique and its clinical trial data are presented. Orbital atherectomy is then discussed in detail, including the relevant clinical trials. Finally, laser atherectomy techniques are reviewed, and the pertinent trial data are presented. Lastly, future directions are detailed.
Controversy About a High-Risk and Innovative Fetal Cardiac Intervention
Authors: Edwards Lindsay Atherton , Justino Henri , Morris Shaine A. ,   Katie and John, Rychik Jack , Feudtner Chris , Lantos John D.
Published: August 2018

A 20-week-old fetus was diagnosed with critical pulmonary valve stenosis. Given the ultrasound findings, the outcome was difficult to predict. The fetal cardiologists discussed the possibility of a pulmonary valvuloplasty (an experimental procedure) with the parents, wherein the fetal right ventricle would be punctured with a long 18G needle, and through it, a wire advanced across the pulmonary valve, allowing for balloon dilation of the valve. The experimental procedure had been performed at a handful of centers. There were some reports of success. The parents sought an opinion at one of the referral centers that had tried the procedure. The doctors there recommended against it. The doctors at the original center were unsure whether they should try the procedure. The parents wanted it. In this ethics rounds, doctors and the parents discuss the arguments for and against a high-risk, innovative in utero procedure.
Preventable Adverse Drug Events Among Inpatients: A Systematic Review
Authors: Gates Peter J. , Meyerson Sophie A. , Baysari Melissa T. , Lehmann Christopher U. , Westbrook Johanna I.
Published: August 2018

CONTEXT:

Patient harm resulting from medication errors drives prevention efforts, yet harm associated with medication errors in children has not been systematically reviewed.

OBJECTIVE:

To review the incidence and severity of preventable adverse drug events (pADEs) resulting from medication errors in pediatric inpatient settings.

DATA SOURCES:

Data sources included Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medline, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Embase.

STUDY SELECTION:

Selected studies were published between January 2000 and December 2017, written in the English language, and measured pADEs among pediatric hospital inpatients by chart review or direct observation.

DATA EXTRACTION:

Data extracted were medication error and harm definitions, pADE incidence and severity rates, items required for quality assessment, and sample details.

RESULTS:

Twenty-two studies were included. For children in general pediatric wards, incidence was at 0 to 17 pADEs per 1000 patient days or 1.3% of medication errors (of any type) compared with 0 to 29 pADEs per 1000 patient days or 1.5% of medication errors in ICUs. Hospital-wide studies contained reports of up to 74 pADEs per 1000 patient days or 2.6% of medication errors. The severity of pADEs was mainly minor.

LIMITATIONS:

Limited literature on the severity of pADEs is available. Additional study will better illuminate differences among hospital wards and among those with or without health information technology.

CONCLUSIONS:

Medication errors in pediatric settings seldom result in patient harm, and if they do, harm is predominantly of minor severity. Implementing health information technologies was associated with reduced incidence of harm.
EXPERIMENTAL INFECTIONS OF MILKY HEMOLYMPH DISEASE IN SPINY LOBSTER Panulirus homarus
Authors: Sudewi Sudewi , Widiastuti Zeny , Slamet Bejo , Mahardika Ketut
Published: August 2018

Milky hemolymph disease of spiny lobster (MHD-SL) is categorized as the most destructive disease in farming spiny lobster. Therefore, it is required to investigate the routes of milky disease infection in spiny lobster as a basic knowledge in order to prevent milky disease transmission. The aim of the present study was to perform an experimental infection of milky disease in spiny lobster Panulirus homarus. Experimental infection of milky disease was carried out by several modes of infection which were injection, immersion and per os exposure. Injection of each 0.2 mL undiluted and diluted hemolymph from the diseased lobster resulted in a cumulative mortality of 100% at 15 days post-infection (dpi), and 75% at 16 dpi, respectively. Experimental infection through water immersion caused in a cumulative mortality of 50% at 7 dpi. In contrast, no mortality was observed in per os exposure as well as in control groups. Results of this experimental study provided evidence for horizontal transmission of MHD-SL among P. homarus. Histopathological analysis exhibited that there were masses of Rickettsia-like bacteria (RLB) in the connective tissues of the gill, hepatopancreas, gonad, midgut, and muscle tissues of the affected lobsters. Mass of RLB was not only found in the moribund lobsters but also in the surviving lobsters with milky hemolymph appearance.
Study Skills, Social Life and Confidence in Undergraduate Medical Students
Authors: Grafton-Clarke Ciaran , Garner Jayne
Published: August 2018

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Background: The transition into medical education can cause frustration, poor academic performance and disengagement from study. The factors contributing to success require thorough investigation to allow medical education institutions to understand the contextual factors surrounding achievement. This study aims to identify the relationships between educational and wider contextual factors and the impact on academic performance. Methods:A 17-item questionnaire was developed and disseminated throughout a UK-based medical school. The question schedule was constructed from major literature items on study skills, study habits, performance, confidence and local contextual factors. Results:162 respondents across four years of medical education provided information on their living circumstances, familial doctor status, time management (studying, socialising, extra-curricular, and sports), exam confidence and preparedness, perceived ability and commitment to study, study skills and summative examination performance. The headline results include very low engagement in physical activity, significant time-investment in study, low rates of sharing a residence with medical student colleagues, good levels of confidence and low levels of self-perceived preparedness for summative examinations. Discussion: The findings reinforce the importance of confidence building in medical students, and the requirement for study skills development programmes and exceptional medical education learning resources. Finally, it is surprising that a significant proportion of medical students utilise paid-subscription question banks in their preparations, which itself raises questions surrounding resource allocation and equity.
Mechanisms of early ettringite formation in ternary CSA–OPC–anhydrite systems
Authors: Wolf Julian Johannes , Jansen Daniel , Goetz-Neunhoeffer Friedlinde , Neubauer Jürgen
Published: August 2018

Ternary systems on the basis of calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA), ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and anhydrite are known for their rapid setting and hardening properties, which are mainly attributed to the formation of ettringite. Ettringite is the major hydrate phase precipitated in the early stages of hydration in these systems and may be formed by three different main reaction pathways. To investigate the process of these mechanisms, the hydration of four different ternary blends were examined by means of heat flow calorimetry, in situ X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. For the CSA-rich mixes, it was found that hydration in the first 48 h is only subject to the behaviour of ye'elimite and anhydrite dissolution and the resulting formation of ettringite. In the system with the highest OPC proportion, the initial hydration kinetics were found to be more rapid, leading to very high ettringite quantities in the first couple of hours. With the dissolution of the anhydrous OPC phases, more ettringite is formed by the hydration of C3A and the consumption of AH3 stemming from the hydration of ye'elimite and calcium provided by the dissolution of C3S. In the OPC-rich mixes, more than 50% of the formed ettringite can be attributed to this coupled reaction pathway.
Investigation of the anti-inflammatory properties of Calendula nanoemulsion on skin cells
Authors: Kiaei Narges , Hajimohammadi Reza , Hosseini Morteza
Published: August 2018

Essential oils and extracts are used in the medical field, perfumes, cosmetics and food additives. Calendula belongs to a composite family and contains small amounts of volatile essential oils, saponins, and so on. Due to these properties, there is a growing inclination and interest to use this material in the hygiene and cosmetics industry. In this study, the production of nanoemulsions was conducted using Tween 80 and Span 80 as emulsifiers. The optimum operation condition was determined using the design expert method. The obtained results showed that the optimum values of the emulsification process were 9·1, 3·4%, 4·7%, 3 min and 102 nm for hydrophile–lipophile balance (HLB), surfactant concentration, extract concentration, sonication time and nanoemulsion size, respectively. Sonication time and HLB were the main factors in the emulsification process. Also, by applying three samples (3, 5 and 7% of Calendula extract) on albino rats, the authors found that all samples had positive effects for healing and ameliorating the wounds. According to the results, the nanobioemulsion of Calendula extract showed an anti-inflammatory effect on skin cells. Therefore, Calendula nanoemulsion should be proposed to cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries instead of chemical and synthetic nanomaterials.