bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health Claims and Methodological Controversy in Nutrition Science
Authors: Todt Oliver , Luján José Luis
Published: January 2017

This article analyzes the debate about data acquisition and assessment in health claims regulation by identifying the underlying controversies on methodological choice. Regulation in the European Union imposes the need for a scientific substantiation of all health claims (claims about a relationship between consumption of certain food ingredients and positive health effects). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the method that generally is considered to provide the highest quality data for decision making in claims regulation because they allow for establishing cause–effect relationships. The latter are demanded in European regulatory practice for authorization of a claim. This requirement has contributed to a debate about the advantages and limitations of the RCT methodology in nutrition research and regulation. Our analysis identifies five types of tensions that underlie the controversy, with respect to evidence, cognitive values, standards of proof, future lines of research, as well as expert judgment. We conclude that there is a direct and mutual interaction between methodological decisions in nutrition science, and different strategies in health claims regulation. The latter have social and public health consequences because not only may they affect the European market for functional foods, as well as concomitant consumption patterns, but also the generation of future regulation‐relevant evidence in nutrition.
The DC1‐domain protein VACUOLELESS GAMETOPHYTES is essential for development of female and male gametophytes in Arabidopsis
Authors: D'Ippólito Sebastián , Arias Leonardo Agustín , Casalongué Claudia Anahí , Pagnussat Gabriela Carolina , Fiol Diego Fernando
Published: January 2017

In this work we identified VACUOLELESS GAMETOPHYTES (VLG) as a DC1 domain‐containing protein present in the endomembrane system and essential for development of both female and male gametophytes. VLG was originally annotated as a gene coding for a protein of unknown function containing DC1 domains. DC1 domains are cysteine‐ and histidine‐rich zinc finger domains found exclusively in the plant kingdom that have been named on the basis of similarity with the C1 domain present in protein kinase C (PKC). In Arabidopsis, both male and female gametophytes are characterized by the formation of a large vacuole early in development; this is absent in vlg mutant plants. As a consequence, development is arrested in embryo sacs and pollen grains at the first mitotic division. VLG is specifically located in multivesicular bodies or pre‐vacuolar compartments, and our results suggest that vesicular fusion is affected in the mutants, disrupting vacuole formation. Supporting this idea, AtPVA12 – a member of the SNARE vesicle‐associated protein family and previously related to a sterol‐binding protein, was identified as a VLG interactor. A role for VLG is proposed mediating vesicular fusion in plants as part of the sterol trafficking machinery required for vacuole biogenesis in plants.
Reviewer Acknowledgements
Authors: Young James
Published: January 2017

International Journal of Social Science Studies (IJSSS) would like to acknowledge the following reviewers for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Many authors, regardless of whether IJSSS publishes their work, appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the reviewers. Their comments and suggestions were of great help to the authors in improving the quality of their papers. Each of the reviewers listed below returned at least one review for this issue.Reviewers for Volume 5, Number 2 Abdul Azim Akhtar, Institute of Objective Studies, IndiaAgboola O. Paul, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, MalaysiaAnastasia Panagakos, Cosumnes River College, USAAntónio Calha, Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, PortugalBegoña Montero-Fleta, Universitat Politécnica de València, SpainE.Ozan Aksoz, Anadolu University, TurkeyEmanuele Achino, C. D. T. O., ItalyHenry Poduthas, West Texas A&M University, USAJehu Onyekwere Nnaji, University of Naples II, Italy and Globe Visions Network, ItalyK. O. Aramide, The Polytechnic Ibadan, NigeriaKatja Eman, Univerza v Mariboru, SloveniaLaura Diaconu Maxim, "Alexandru Ioan Cuza University" of Iasi, RomaniaLuigia Simona Sica, University of Naples “Federico II”, ItalyMałgorzata Haładewicz, Opole University of Technology, PolandRasa Poceviciene, Siauliai University, LithuaniaRaymond Chan, City University of Hong Kong, Hong KongSandro Serpa, University of the Azores, Portugal     James YoungEditorial AssistantOn behalf of,The Editorial Board of International Journal of Social Science StudiesRedfame Publishing9450 SW Gemini Dr. #99416Beaverton, OR 97008, USAURL: http://ijsss.redfame.com
The Impact of Guiding Materials on Students’ Conceptual Understanding: The Case of "What Is the Earth's Crust Composed of?"
Authors: Çoruhlu Tülay Şenel , Nas Sibel Er
Published: January 2017

The aim of this research is to determine the effect of the use of guidance material based on the 5E model on students’ conceptual understanding of a topic entitled "What is the earth’s crust composed of?”. The sample consists of 40 students from the 5th grade (experimental group 20, control group 20). A concept test, a drawing test, and semi-structured interview questions were used for data collection. In the experiment group, guidance material prepared according to the 5E model was used; the control group was conducted using the existing textbook. Student responses were examined in terms of the following categories: complete understanding, partial understanding, alternative concept, no response or irrelevant responses. The quantitative data obtained from the experimental and the control groups were compared by using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Content analysis was used to analyze students’ drawings. In conclusion, it was determined that the guidance materials developed according to 5E model have a positive effect (U=76.00, p<.05) on students' conceptual understanding about the topic entitled "What is the earth’s crust composed of?”.
Optimizing the location-allocation problem of pharmacy warehouses: A case study in Gaziantep
Authors: Özceylan Eren , Uslu Ayşenur , Erbaş Mehmet , Çetinkaya Cihan , İşleyen Selçuk Kürşat
Published: January 2017

It is a known fact that basic health care services cannot reach the majority of the population due to poor geographical accessibility. Unless quantitative location-allocation models and geographic information systems (GIS) are used, the final decision may be made on pragmatic considerations which can result far from optimal. In this paper, current and possible (or potential) new locations of pharmacy warehouses in Gaziantep are investigated to provide optimal distribution of hospitals and pharmacies. To do so, first of all, geographic information of 10 current and 10 potential pharmacy warehouses, 231 pharmacies and 29 hospitals are gathered using GIS. Second, a set covering mathematical model is handled to determine coverage capability of current and potential pharmacy warehouses and minimize the number of warehouses to be opened. Finally, P-center and P-median mathematical models are applied to open potential warehouses and to assign pharmacies & hospitals to the opened warehouses so that the total distance and the demand’s longest distance to the source are minimized. Developed integer programming (IP) models and GIS software are compared with on a case study. Computational experiments prove that our approach can find new potential pharmacy warehouses which cover wider areas than current warehouses to service pharmacies and hospitals in the city.
Four-day-follow-up study on the voice monitoring of primary school teachers: Relationships with conversational task and classroom acoustics
Authors: Puglisi Giuseppina Emma , Astolfi Arianna , Cantor Cutiva Lady Catherine , Carullo Alessio
Published: January 2017

The present study has investigated the occupational voice use of 27 female primary school teachers over a four-day-follow-up. Sixty-one working-day voice samples were acquired with two contact sensor-based vocal analyzers in four schools with highly different classroom acoustics. The vocal parameters were compared with a conversational task that the teachers performed before each lesson and with the measured classroom acoustic parameters. The average equivalent sound pressure level at 1 m from the mouth, which refers to the teacher's vocal effort, and the voicing time percentage were 71.2 dB [standard error (SE) 1.0 dB] and 29%, respectively. The teachers' mean voice level and fundamental frequency were significantly higher in the occupational setting than in the conversational one, which is by 5.5 dB (SE 0.5 dB) and 50 Hz (SE 3 Hz), respectively. Higher voice levels were observed for higher background noise levels, at a rate of 0.53 dB/dB, and a tendency of the background noise to increase with increasing reverberation time was observed at a rate of 13 dB/s. An optimal reverberation time of 0.7 s was found to minimize the voice level, since teachers raised their voice at lower and higher reverberation times, the latter presumably due to higher background noise levels.
Draft Genome Sequence of the Acidophilic, Halotolerant, and Iron/Sulfur-Oxidizing Acidihalobacter prosperus DSM 14174 (Strain V6)
Authors: Khaleque Himel Nahreen , Ramsay Joshua P. , Murphy Riley J. T. , Kaksonen Anna H. , Boxall Naomi J. , Watkin Elizabeth L. J.
Published: January 2017

The principal genomic features of
Acidihalobacter prosperus
DSM 14174 (strain V6) are presented here. This is a mesophilic, halotolerant, and iron/sulfur-oxidizing acidophile that was isolated from seawater at Vulcano, Italy. It has potential for use in biomining applications in regions where high salinity exists in the source water and ores.
Pouch pseudoaneurysm: a rare cause of recurrent haemorrhage following ileal pouch-anal anastomosis
Authors: Hatimi Hunaid , Kumar Saket , Chandra Abhijit , Gupta Vishal
Published: January 2017

Bleeding following restorative proctocolectomy for chronic ulcerative colitis is an uncommon complication. Usually bleeding occurs from the ileal pouch-anal anastomotic site in the early postoperative period. Significant pouch bleeding in the late postoperative course is rarely encountered. A mesenteric artery pseudoaneurysm along the ileal pouch staple line may be a cause of late-presenting massive per-rectal bleed. Although a rare phenomenon, it must be considered to be a differential in such a situation.
Selecting patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome for coronary angiography: a nationwide clinical vignette study in the Netherlands
Authors: Engel Josien , Poldervaart Judith M , van der Wulp Ineke , Reitsma Johannes B , de Bruijne Martine C , Bunge Jeroen J H , Cramer Maarten J , Tietge Wouter J , Uijlings Ruben , Wagner Cordula
Published: January 2017

Objective

Cardiac guidelines recommend that the decision to perform coronary angiography (CA) in patients with Non-ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome (NST-ACS) is based on multiple factors. It is, however, unknown how cardiologists weigh these factors in their decision-making. The aim was to investigate the importance of different clinical characteristics, including information derived from risk scores, in the decision-making of Dutch cardiologists regarding performing CA in patients with suspected NST-ACS.

Design

A web-based survey containing clinical vignettes.

Setting and participants

Registered Dutch cardiologists were approached to complete the survey, in which they were asked to indicate whether they would perform CA for 8 vignettes describing 7 clinical factors: age, renal function, known coronary artery disease, persistent chest pain, presence of risk factors, ECG findings and troponin levels. Cardiologists were divided into two groups: group 1 received vignettes ‘without’ a risk score present, while group 2 completed vignettes ‘with’ a risk score present.

Results

129 (of 946) cardiologists responded. In both groups, elevated troponin levels and typical ischaemic changes (p<0.001) made cardiologists decide more often to perform CA. Severe renal dysfunction (p<0.001) made cardiologists more hesitant to decide on CA. Age and risk score could not be assessed independently, as these factors were strongly associated. Inspecting the factors together showed, for example, that cardiologists were more hesitant to perform CA in elderly patients with high-risk scores than in younger patients with intermediate risk scores.

Conclusions

When deciding to perform in-hospital CA (≤72 hours after patient admission) in patients with suspected NST-ACS, cardiologists tend to rely mostly on troponin levels, ECG changes and renal function. Future research should focus on why CA is less often recommended in patients with severe renal dysfunction, and in elderly patients with high-risk scores. In addition, the impact of age and risk score on decision-making should be further investigated.
Collagenous panenteritis: a rare cause of chronic diarrhoea
Authors: Singh Sandev , Loo Larry Ee Juan , Watters Christopher , Ahmed Suhail
Published: January 2017

Collagenous panenteritis is a rare inflammatory condition that causes profound diarrhoea and weight loss. There has only been a handful of cases reported in the literature. We report this rare case and the diagnostic difficulties encountered in securing the diagnosis. A 59-year-old woman presented with an 8-month history of diarrhoea and weight loss on a background of a family history of coeliac disease. Her presentation was complicated with acute kidney injury secondary to prerenal losses. Repeated gastroscopies and colonoscopies along with biopsies were inconclusive. It was not until histology of biopsies taken at endoscopies were reviewed that a diagnosis of collagenous panenteritis was secured. Her management revolved around combination of budesonide, gluten-free diet and antidiarrhoeals, which has achieved clinical remission.
Training mid-career internists to perform high-quality colonoscopy: a pilot training programme to meet increasing demands for colonoscopy
Authors: Shah-Ghassemzadeh Nicole K , Jackson Christian S , Juma David , Strong Richard M
Published: January 2017

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the USA. Despite a recent rise in CRC screening there remains an increasing demand for colonoscopy, yet a limited supply of gastroenterologists who can meet this need.

Objective

To determine if a mid-career general internist (GIN) could be trained to perform high-quality colonoscopes via an intensive training programme.

Design

A GIN trained 2–3 days/week, 4–5 hours/day, for 7 months with an experienced gastroenterologist. Their independent performance was then compared with that of a gastroenterology attending (GA), with and without a gastroenterology fellow (GF).

Main measures

The primary outcome was to compare caecal intubation rates, adenoma detection rates (ADRs), interval CRC rates and complications between the three groups.

Key results

989 patients were initially included in the study, and 818 were included in the final analysis. Caecal intubation rates were 95%, 94% and 93% for the GIN, GA+GF and GA, respectively (p=0.31). The overall polyp detection rates were 68%, 39% and 44% among the GIN, GA+GF and GA, respectively (p<0.0001). The ADRs were 56%, 33% and 34% for the GIN, GA+GF and GA, respectively (p<0.0001). Three complications occurred, all within the GA group. No interval cancers were diagnosed within a 5-year surveillance period, across all three groups.

Conclusions

The GIN attained high success rates in all quality measures. Training mid-career GINs to perform high-quality screening colonoscopes, through a standardised curriculum, may be a reasonable approach to address the growing demand for colonoscopists.
Applying community health principles to veterinary practice
Authors: Hohn E. , Nell A.
Published: January 2017

Primary healthcare is the preferred approach to addressing human health problems and reducing the costs of healthcare in communities. Erwin Hohn and Adi Nell believe that these principles should also be applied to animal healthcare systems.
Balancing parenthood and practice
Authors: Crowe Carolyne
Published: January 2017

Women now account for 76 per cent of new veterinary undergraduate intakes and feminisation of the profession has long been a topic for discussion and debate. Many vets want greater commitment to family life and better work‐life balance. Carolyne Crowe outlines some new information and online support that's available for all veterinary professionals
Optical properties of wedge-shaped quantum dots under Rashba spin–orbit interaction
Authors: Khordad R.
Published: January 2017

In the present paper, the optical properties of a GaAs wedge-shaped quantum dot (QD) under the effect of Rashba spin–orbit interaction (SOI) are theoretically studied. For this purpose, we have used analytical expressions for optical properties obtained by the compact-density matrix formalism. The dependence of the optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes on the strength of Rashba SOI for different angles and different radii of wedge-shaped QD has been studied. According to the obtained results, it is found that (i) the Rashba SOI does not have considerable effects on the refractive index changes maxima. (ii) The total absorption coefficient is increased and shifted towards higher energies with considering the Rashba SOI. (iii) The influence of Rashba SOI on the optical properties depends on the parameters such as apex angle and radius of the wedge-shaped QD.
Validity of SU(3) in the 0p1f shell
Authors: Strottman D. D.
Published: January 2017

Complexities of using an SU(4) and SU(3) basis in the [Formula: see text] shell are discussed. SU(3) representations are detailed for 2–5 particles. Earlier calculations by McGrory are discussed with the view of using the SU(3) model to describe multi-particle multi-hole states.
A Robust and Versatile Multi-View Learning Framework for the Detection of Deviant Business Process Instances
Authors: Cuzzocrea Alfredo , Folino Francesco , Guarascio Massimo , Pontieri Luigi
Published: January 2017

Increasing attention has been paid to the detection and analysis of “deviant” instances of a business process that are connected with some kind of “hidden” undesired behavior (e.g. frauds and faults). In particular, several recent works faced the problem of inducing a binary classification model (here named deviance detection model ) that can discriminate between deviant traces and normal ones, based on a set of historical log traces (labeled as either deviant or normal). Current solutions rely on applying standard classifier-induction methods to a feature-based representation of the given traces, where the features include sequence-based patterns extracted from the corresponding sequences of activities. However, there is no consensus on which kinds of patterns are the most suitable for such a task. On the other hand, mixing multiple pattern families together may produce a heterogenous, redundant and sparse representation of the traces that likely leads to poor deviance detection models. In this paper, we propose an ensemble-learning method for solving this problem, where multiple base classifiers are trained on different feature-based views of the log (each obtained by mapping the traces onto a distinguished collection of patterns). A stacking procedure is used to combine the discovered base models into an overall probabilistic model that associates any new trace with an estimate of the probability that it reflects a deviant process instance. This helps the analyst prioritize the inspection of the cases that are more likely to be deviant. The method also takes advantage of all nonstructural data available in the log, and employs a resampling mechanism to deal with the rarity of deviances in the training log. It has been conceived as the core of a comprehensive framework for detecting and analyzing business process deviances. The framework supports the analyst to investigate suspect deviances, and provides some feedback to the learning method for improving the accuracy of the discovered deviance detection models. Tests on several real-life datasets proved the validity of the approach, as concerns its capability to discover an accurate deviance detection model, and to effectively exploit new (originally unlabeled) traces via active learning and self-training mechanisms.
Stability and Error Analysis for the First-Order Euler Implicit/Explicit Scheme for the 3D MHD Equations
Authors: Yang Jinjin , He Yinnian
Published: January 2017

This paper focuses on the stability and convergence analysis of the first-order Euler implicit/explicit scheme based on mixed finite element approximation for three-dimensional (3D) time-dependent MHD equations. Firstly, for initial data [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], the regularity results of the continuous solution [Formula: see text] and the spatial semi-discretization solution [Formula: see text] are obtained, and [Formula: see text]-error estimate of [Formula: see text] is deduced by using the negative norm technique. Next, through the use of mathematic induction, the [Formula: see text]-stability of the fully discrete first-order scheme is proved under the stability condition depending on the smoothness of initial data. Here, the stability condition is [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is some positive constant. Then, under the stability condition, the optimal [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] error estimate of the fully discrete solution [Formula: see text] and optimal [Formula: see text]-error estimate of the fully discrete solution [Formula: see text] are established by using the parabolic dual argument.
Fine-Tuning an Algorithm for Semantic Document Clustering Using a Similarity Graph
Authors: Stanchev Lubomir
Published: January 2017

In this article, we examine an algorithm for document clustering using a similarity graph. The graph stores words and common phrases from the English language as nodes and it can be used to compute the degree of semantic similarity between any two phrases. One application of the similarity graph is semantic document clustering, that is, grouping documents based on the meaning of the words in them. Since our algorithm for semantic document clustering relies on multiple parameters, we examine how fine-tuning these values affects the quality of the result. Specifically, we use the Reuters-21578 benchmark, which contains [Formula: see text] newswire stories that are grouped in 82 categories using human judgment. We apply the k-means clustering algorithm to group the documents using a similarity metric that is based on keywords matching and one that uses the similarity graph. We evaluate the results of the clustering algorithms using multiple metrics, such as precision, recall, f-score, entropy, and purity.
Conjugation-invariant norms on the commutator subgroup of the infinite braid group
Authors: Kimura Mitsuaki
Published: January 2017

In this paper, we give another proof of the result of Brandenbursky and Kȩdra which says that the commutator subgroup of the infinite braid group admits stably unbounded norms. Moreover, we observe that the norms which we construct are equivalent to the bi-invariant word norm studied by Brandenbursky and Kȩdra.
Belief Propagation Guided Decimation Fails on Random Formulas
Authors: Coja-Oghlan Amin
Published: January 2017

Let Φ be a uniformly distributed random
k
-SAT formula with
n
variables and
m
clauses. Nonconstructive arguments show that Φ is satisfiable for clause/variable ratios
m
/
n
⩽
r

k
− SAT

∼ 2
k
ln 2 with high probability. Yet no efficient algorithm is known to find a satisfying assignment beyond
m
/
n
∼ 2

k

ln (
k
)/
k
with a nonvanishing probability. On the basis of deep but nonrigorous statistical mechanics ideas, a message passing algorithm called
Belief Propagation Guided Decimation
has been put forward (Mézard, Parisi, Zecchina: Science 2002; Braunstein, Mézard, Zecchina: Random Struc. Algorithm 2005). Experiments suggested that the algorithm might succeed for densities very close to
r

k
− SAT

for
k
= 3, 4, 5 (Kroc, Sabharwal, Selman: SAC 2009). Furnishing the first rigorous analysis of this algorithm on a nontrivial input distribution, in the present article we show that Belief Propagation Guided Decimation fails to solve random
k
-SAT formulas already for
m
/
n
=
O
(2

k

/
k
), almost a factor of
k
below the satisfiability threshold
r

k
− SAT

. Indeed, the proof refutes a key hypothesis on which Belief Propagation Guided Decimation hinges for such
m
/
n
.
Are Sponsored Links Effective? Investigating the Impact of Trust in Search Engine Advertising
Authors: Lu Yan , Chau Michael , Chau Patrick Y. K.
Published: January 2017

As information on the Internet grows exponentially, online users primarily rely on search engines (SEs) to locate e-commerce sites for online shopping. To generate revenue while providing free service to users, SE companies offer sponsored link (SL) placements to e-commerce sites that want to appear in the first SE results page. However, the lack of users’ trust in SE advertising indicates that SEs should utilize strategies to project trustworthiness on this mechanism. Despite these insights, the role of users’ trust in the operation of SE advertising is still an unexplored territory. To address this issue, a theoretical model was synthesized from the social psychology literature, the marketing literature, and the trust literature to investigate the factors that may pose impacts on the effectiveness of SE advertising by influencing users’ perception of both cognitive and emotional trust. A laboratory experiment was conducted. The findings document the importance of incorporating emotional components of trust in the study of online communication by showing that emotional dimension of trust is different from and complementary to cognitive trust in facilitating online communication. The findings also provide valuable implications for practitioners to design and provide more effective SLs that can benefit all parties involved.
Impact of Medical TV Shows on Preprocedural Fear of Surgical In-House Patients
Authors: Witzel Kai , Koch Horst J. , Kaminski Cornelia
Published: January 2017

Background and Hypotheses: The growing number of medical television series and the increasing amount of time people spend watching TV will have an influence on what they expect from their treatment in a hospital. We suspect that reality as presented in the media and the actual reality of hospitals are not always conceived of as two different worlds. Many medical TV shows present dramatic, life-threatening operations much more often than they occur in reality. Patients who frequently watch such shows might be induced to believe that even routine operations are often dangerous, which could result in higher levels of fear before such an operation. We suspect then that there is a significant relation between preoperative levels of fear and TV viewing habits. Methods: A standardized questionnaire was used to interview 162 in-house patients who had come to the hospital for an elective standard operation in a German hospital. They were interviewed 1-2 days prior to operation and shortly before discharge from hospital. The questions aimed at their social situation, their TV viewing habits with special consideration of medical TV shows, and the patients' preprocedural fear. Results: The links between levels of education, age, and gender on the one hand, and viewing habits on the other, which have been shown in cultivation research, are supported by our findings. Approximately 50% reported a relevant anxiety level above 4 (on a scale of 0-10). There is a significant association between levels of fear and TV viewing habits. Thirteen subjects (8%) indicated that they suffered the highest imaginable degree of fear, all of them frequent watchers of medical TV shows. Frequent viewers of medical TV shows were definitely more scared than all other patients (p = 0.039). The preoperative level of fear was highest in the age group of under 40 years and significantly lower (p = 0.0042) in the age group of over 70 years. Conclusion: The assumed effects of cultivation with in-house patients caused by watching TV series could be shown to be statistically significant. Watching medical TV shows increases the patients' preoperative fear.
Nesting Ecology of a Small Montane Population of the Nigerian/Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) in Nigeria
Authors: Dutton Paul , Moltchanova Elena , Chapman Hazel
Published: January 2017

Understanding nest site choice by chimpanzees has implications for ecology, anthropology, and in the collection of census data, yet it remains controversial. Here we provide the first information on environmental factors affecting nest site choice in a montane population of the rare and relatively understudied Nigerian/Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) in Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve, Nigeria. The forest is small, isolated, and visited by researchers, community members, and hunters. We also tested the hypothesis that people (researchers) walking along forest trails collecting data on a regular basis since 2005 will have changed nesting behaviour in the vicinity of the trails. Along the trails searched for nests, the chimpanzees used a subset of 35 (28.5%) of all available tree species. The top 5 nest tree species represented 16% of all non-nest tree species. The nest trees were on steeper than average slopes and the trees themselves were shorter and had a smaller DBH (diameter at breast height) than trees without nests. We found no evidence to suggest a change in nesting behaviour along trails compared with off trails; however, the average nest height today is considerably higher than it was in 2004, which may indicate a change in behaviour across the whole forest.
The Effect of Homoeologous Meiotic Pairing in Tetraploid Hordeum bulbosum L. × H. vulgare L. Hybrids on Alien Introgressions in Offspring
Authors: Scholz Margret , Pendinen Galina
Published: January 2017

The pairing behaviour of the individual chromosome arms of Hordeum vulgare (Hv) with their homoeologous arms of H. bulbosum (Hb) at metaphase I of meiosis in tetraploid Hb × Hv hybrids and the frequencies of recombined Hv chromosome arms in selfed offspring were studied on differentially visualized chromosomes after fluorescent in situ hybridisation. The frequencies of paired Hv-Hb arms in the F2 and F3 hybrids were correlated with the frequencies of recombined Hv chromosomes in progenies. Self-generation of hybrids, the number of Hv and Hb chromosomes, and the number of recombined Hv chromosomes of the hybrids strongly influenced the Hv-Hb pairing frequency in meiosis. Within the offspring of F2 and F3 hybrids both Hv plants and hybrids were detected. In contrast, all progenies of the F4 hybrid were hybrids which exhibited centromere misdivisions. The highest frequencies of homoeologous pairing in hybrids and most recombinants were obtained for the barley chromosome 1HL. Recombinants for 4HL, 5HS, 6HS, and 7HS were rarely found. Meiotic pairing and recombinants involving chromosome 1HS were never observed. The results of this study demonstrate that fertile tetraploid interspecific hybrids with a high intergenomic pairing at meiosis are valuable basic material for introgression breeding in barley.
Lack of Diuretic Efficiency (but Not Low Diuresis) Early in An Acutely Decompensated Heart Failure Episode Is Associated with Increased 180-Day Mortality
Authors: Ferreira João Pedro , Girerd Nicolas , Bettencourt Medeiros Pedro , Bento Ricardo Miguel , Almeida Tiago , Rola Alexandre , Zannad Faiez , Rossignol Patrick , Aragão Irene
Published: January 2017

Introduction: The assessment of the amount of urine produced by the dose of administered diuretic has been proposed as the main signal of interest in diuretic responsiveness - diuretic efficiency (DE). The main aim of our study is to determine if a low DE is associated with 180-day all-cause mortality (ACM). Methods: During a 3-year period, we retrospectively studied patients with acutely decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and respiratory insufficiency admitted to the emergency room of a tertiary university hospital in Porto, Portugal. A total of 170 patients (age 76.2 ± 10.3 years) were included. The outcome of ACM occurred in 43 (25.3%) patients during the 180-day follow-up period. DE was evaluated for a maximum of 3 h after emergency room admission. The lowest DE was defined as ≤140 mL of diuresis per 40 mg of furosemide equivalents. Results: No significant differences in age, comorbidities, baseline HF symptoms, or disease-modifying medication were found between the lowest and highest DE groups. The lowest DE group had higher blood urea and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) levels (41.3 ± 24.5 vs. 56.7 ± 23.2 mL/min/1.73 m2, p < 0.001). The patients with the lowest DE had significantly higher rates of ACM during the 180-day follow-up, even after adjustment for other clinically relevant variables: hazard ratio (HR) [95% CI] = 2.31 [1.16-4.58], p = 0.016. The lowest diuresis (≤300 mL) and the highest intravenous furosemide dose (>80 mg) alone were not significantly associated with the outcome. After adjustment for N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide, the association between the lowest DE and the outcome lost strength (HR [95% CI] = 1.53 [0.75-3.13], p = 0.240). Conclusion: A low DE (≤140 mL/40 mg of furosemide) in the first 3 h after an ADHF episode was associated with increased mid-term mortality rates.
Recurrent Multiple Squamous Cell Carcinomas on the Scalp in a Patient with Juvenile Dermatomyositis
Authors: Sato Yota , Fujimura Taku , Kambayashi Yumi , Tsukada Akira , Hidaka Takanori , Tanita Kayo , Haga Takahiro , Hashimoto Akira , Aiba Setsuya
Published: January 2017

Both long-term administration of immunosuppressive agents and chronic inflammatory conditions, such as autoimmune disease, could be risk factors for the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). In this report, we present a case of recurrent multiple cSCC on the scalp in a patient with juvenile dermatomyositis who had been administered cyclosporine and Predonine since she was a 1-year-old infant. Interestingly, immunohistochemical staining revealed IL-17-producing cells adjacent to IL-17R-expressing atypical keratinocytes. Our present case suggested that IL-17/IL-17R signaling might contribute to the carcinogenesis of cSCC.
PEP-1-GRX-1 Modulates Matrix Metalloproteinase-13 and Nitric Oxide Expression of Human Articular Chondrocytes
Authors: Hwang Hyun Sook , Park In Young , Kim Hyun Ah , Choi Soo Young
Published: January 2017

Background: The protein transduction domain (PTD) enables therapeutic proteins to directly penetrate the membranes of cells and tissues, and has been increasingly utilized. Glutaredoxin-1 (GRX-1) is an endogenous antioxidant enzyme involved in the cellular redox homeostasis system. In this study, we investigated whether PEP-1-GRX-1, a fusion protein of GRX-1 and PEP-1 peptide, a PTD, could suppress catabolic responses in primary human articular chondrocytes and a mouse carrageenan-induced paw edema model. Methods: Human articular chondrocytes were isolated enzymatically from articular cartilage and cultured in a monolayer. The transduction efficiency of PEP-1-GRX-1 into articular chondrocytes was measured by western blot and immunohistochemistry. The effects of PEP-1-GRX-1 on matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and catabolic factor expression in interleukin (IL)-1β- and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated chondrocytes were analyzed by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blot. The effect of PEP-1-GRX1 on the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor kappa-light chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling pathway were also analyzed by western blot. Finally, the inhibitory effect of PEP-1-GRX-1 on MMP-13 production was measured in vivo in a mouse carrageenan-induced paw edema model. Results: PEP-1-GRX-1 significantly penetrated into human chondrocytes and mouse cartilage, whereas GRX-1 did not. PEP-1-GRX-1 significantly suppressed MMP-13 expression and nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-stimulated chondrocytes, and NO production in IL-1β-stimulated chondrocytes, compared with GRX-1. In addition, PEP-1-GRX-1 decreased IL-1β- and LPS-induced activation of MAPK and NF-κB. In the mouse model of carrageenan-induced paw edema, PEP-1-GRX-1 significantly suppressed carrageenan-induced MMP-13 production as well as paw edema. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that PEP-1-GRX-1 can be transduced efficiently in vitro and in vivo into human chondrocytes and mouse cartilage tissue and downregulate catabolic responses in chondrocytes by inhibiting the MAPK and NF-κB pathway. PEP-1-GRX-1 thus has the potential to reduce catabolic responses in chondrocytes and cartilage.
GRPW-MuS: Geographic Routing to Multiple Sinks in Connected Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Sabri Yassine
Published: January 2017

Multiple sinks routing is envisioned as a possible solution to the bottleneck research problem in Wireless Sensor Networ ks (WSN). In addition to focusing on minimizing the energy consumption in a WSN, it is also equally impor tant to design routing protocols that fair ly and evenly distr ibute the networ k traffic; in order to prolong the networ k life time and improve its scalability.In this paper we present an enhancement to the GRPW algor ithm for wireless sensor networ ks. Perfor mance of GRPW algor ithm algor ithm depends heavily on single sink position , we propose a protocol called GRPW-MuS ( Geographic Routing to Multiple Sinks in connected wireless sensor networ ks) based on Multiple Static Sinks, we modified the existing sink location pr ivacy protection scheme by dividing nodes in the networ k containing multiple sink into different levels in which real packets are forwarded to sink belong to corresponding logical levels and the inter mediate node generating fake packets and sending it to fake sinks. Using OMNET++ simulation and the MiXiM framewor k, it is shown that proposed protocol significantly improves the robustness and adapts to rapid topological changes with multiple mobile sinks, while efficiently reducing the communication overhead and the energy consumption.
Performance Evaluation of A Multi-Sensor System Using Fixed Point DSP For Water Leak Detection
Authors: Benyettou Loutfi
Published: January 2017

DSPs (Digital Processors Signal) are processors specifically designed for digital signals processing. The fixed-point DSPs are processors operating in integer arithmetic whose characteristics are often limited but not less powerful with respect to floating-point DSPs. In this article, it is a question of checking the performances provided by the fixed-point DSP, the TMS320C541. This one is used in a detection and remote locating system ensuring a control of water leaks on the pipes. The acoustic correlation technique used as means of detection of these leaks represents the key element of the suggested system. In fact the DSP which deals the acquisition and processing of the signals emanating from the leaks. The had aim consists in initially to confirm the choice of such a processor for such an application. A simulation study to evaluate its performances as regards of computational accuracy and computing speed is carried out. A floating-point DSP of last generation, more accurate and faster, taken as reference element, is used for this purpose.
Model for Estimating Above Ground Biomass of Reclamation Forest using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Authors: Wahyuni Sri , Surati Jaya I Nengah , Puspaningsih Nining
Published: January 2017

Among various stand parameters, the density of biomass volume is oftenly used as an indicator on evaluating the forest growth succes. The forest reclamation, which is intended to restore the land cover by revegetation process, the evaluation of biomass content has been a critical issue. Forest reclamation is expected to restore the land function to a proper state that might give better environment as well as productivity. In this study the authors develop a method for estimating above ground biomass (AGB), particularly in the ex open-pit coal mining area of PT. Bukit Asam Tbk using remotely-sended data taken from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and developed using the least squares method. The main objective of this study is to develop a mathematical model of biomass estimation using UAV imagery having 10-cm spatial resolution. The study found that the best model of biomass estimation is: AGB(ton/ha)=0.2377Ci1.3688 with the correlation coefficient of 0.844, mean deviation of 2.29, aggregate deviation of -0.023, bias of 0.98, and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 1.784 and mean deviation (MD) < 10% while Ci. This research concluded that UAV imagery could be used to estimate above ground biomass accurately.
VMM based Secured Virtualization in Cloud-Computing
Authors: Chandana Kumari P. ILA , Laxmi S. Swarajya , Rekha B. , Pravallika B. , Chaitanya G. , Umar Syed , Mohammed Abdul Azeem
Published: January 2017

Cloud computing, utility computing, the future will be the main IT field. The government and companies are realizing that foreigners can clearly increase the cloud with minimal costs and maximum flexibility in the plant or existing equipment. But the clouds to ensure user privacy and digital asset management challenge in cloud client. Protection must always contain a performance. The complex is a sure way to end the occupation of the problem, the study suggests two Ebionitism security architecture. The movement and different approaches to health and safety and the level of the best things for their security costs hyper-visor layer to a reduction in order to avoid false alarms
Mining Top-K Click Stream Sequences Patterns
Authors: Haj Ali MEHDI , Zhu Qun-Xiong , He Yan-Lin
Published: January 2017

Sequential pattern mining, it  is not just important in data mining field , but  it is the basis of many applications .However, running applications cost time and memory, especially when dealing with dense of the dataset. Setting the proper minimum support threshold is one of the factors that consume more memory and time. However ,  it is difficult for users to get the appropriate patterns, it may present too many sequential patterns  and makes it difficult for users to comprehend the results. The problem becomes worse and worse when dealing with long click stream sequences or huge dataset. As a solution, we developed an efficient algorithm, called TopK (Top-K click stream sequence pattern mining), which employs the output as top-k patterns , K is the most important and relevant frequencies (with a high support) . However ,our algorithm based on pseudo-projection to avoid consuming more time and memory, and uses several efficient search space pruning methods together with BI-Directional Extension. Our extensive study and experiments on real click stream datasets show TopK significantly outperforms the previous algorithms.
Long-Term Biased β-Arrestin Signaling Improves Cardiac Structure and Function in Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Ryba David M. , Li Jieli , Cowan Conrad L. , Russell Brenda , Wolska Beata M. , Solaro R. John
Published: January 2017

Background:

Biased agonism of the angiotensin II receptor is known to promote cardiac contractility. Our laboratory indicated that these effects may be attributable to changes at the level of the myofilaments. However, these signaling mechanisms remain unknown. Because a common finding in dilated cardiomyopathy is a reduction in the myofilament-Ca
2
+
response, we hypothesized that β-arrestin signaling would increase myofilament-Ca
2
+
responsiveness in a model of familial dilated cardiomyopathy and improve cardiac function and morphology.

Methods:

We treated a dilated cardiomyopathy–linked mouse model expressing a mutant tropomyosin (Tm-E54K) for 3 months with either TRV120067, a β-arrestin 2–biased ligand of the angiotensin II receptor, or losartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker. At the end of the treatment protocol, we assessed cardiac function using echocardiography, the myofilament-Ca
2
+
response of detergent-extracted fiber bundles, and used proteomic approaches to understand changes in posttranslational modifications of proteins that may explain functional changes. We also assessed signaling pathways altered in vivo and by using isolated myocytes.

Results:

TRV120067- treated Tm-E54K mice showed improved cardiac structure and function, whereas losartan-treated mice had no improvement. Myofilaments of TRV120067-treated Tm-E54K mice had significantly improved myofilament-Ca
2
+
responsiveness, which was depressed in untreated Tm-E54K mice. We attributed these changes to increased MLC2v and MYPT1/2 phosphorylation seen only in TRV120067-treated mice. We found that the functional changes were attributable to an activation of ERK1/2-RSK3 signaling, mediated through β-arrestin, which may have a novel role in increasing MLC2v phosphorylation through a previously unrecognized interaction of β-arrestin localized to the sarcomere.

Conclusions:

Long-term β-arrestin 2–biased agonism of the angiotensin II receptor may be a viable approach to the treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy by not only preventing maladaptive signaling, but also improving cardiac function by altering the myofilament-Ca
2
+
response via β-arrestin signaling pathways.
The Role of eu Agencies in Fighting Transnational Environmental Crime: New Challenges for Eurojust and Europol
Authors: Mitsilegas Valsamis , Giuffrida Fabio
Published: January 2017

The last decades have witnessed a growing emphasis on the relationship between environmental law and criminal law. Legislation aimed at tackling environmental crime has been adopted at national,eu, and international level and has been gradually evolving over time. These developments notwithstanding, the current legal framework faces a number of challenges in tackling the largely inter-related phenomena of transnational, organised and economic environmental crime. This study of Valsamis Mitsilegas and Fabio Giuffrida addresses these challenges by focusing on the role of the European Union- and more specifically its criminal justice agencies (Europol and Eurojust)- in tackling transnational environmental crime. The study analyses the role of Eurojust and Europol in supporting and coordinating the competent national authorities dealing with investigations and/or prosecutions on transnational environmental crime, and it shows that, for the time being, the full potential of these agencies is not adequately fulfilled with regard to fighting this phenomenon effectively.
Habenaria yookuaaensis (Orchidaceae: Orchidioideae), a new species from Oaxaca, Mexico
Authors: MEJÍA-MARÍN MARÍA ISABEL , ESPEJO-SERNA ADOLFO , LÓPEZ-FERRARI ANA ROSA , JIMÉNEZ-MACHORRO ROLANDO
Published: January 2017

Habenaria yookuaaensis, a new species from the state of Oaxaca, is described and illustrated. The new taxon is part of the H. brevilabiata, H. virens, H. odontopetala, H. strictissima, and H. acalcarata complex, species with which the new entity is compared.
Reaching Conclusions in Forensic Pathology
Authors: Gee D J
Published: January 2017

Conclusions on the results of autopsy examination may be reached on the basis of experience, rather than by a formal process of reasoning. Suggestions are made for developing more precise processes of diagnosis by logical methods.