bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Respiratory health inequality starts early: The impact of social determinants on the aetiology and severity of bronchiolitis in infancy
Authors: Foley David , Best Elspeth , Reid Nicholas , Berry Max (Mary) J
Published: September 2018

Aim

To define the impact of demographics on the incidence, aetiology and clinical course of viral bronchiolitis in infants younger than 2 years of age.

Methods

Retrospective case review of all viral bronchiolitis admissions for patients aged younger than 2 years old from January 1 2014 to 31 December 2015 at Wellington Regional Hospital, New Zealand. Demographic data, second‐hand smoke exposure (SHSE) and presence of predisposing conditions were collected, along with outcome data including use of respiratory support and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. This was compared to background rates calculated from regional census data.

Results

There were 556 admissions included (11% of paediatric medical admissions); 49% tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (84% tested), and 40% of admissions received positive pressure respiratory support and 10% ICU admission. Admission rates ranged from 9.6 to 77 per 1000/year, with higher rates seen in those from areas of high deprivation. Admission rates by deprivation varied according to aetiology. RSV‐positive admission rates increased from 9.7 per 1000/year to 24.6 per 1000/year in the least to most deprived areas, whereas non‐RSV admissions showed even greater disparity, increasing from 10.1 per 1000/year to 37.5 per 1000/year (both P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

This study further reinforces that material deprivation contributes significantly to poor health outcomes that are apparent in infancy. SHSE is a potent risk factor for adverse respiratory outcomes in this patient population. Ongoing efforts to eradicate smoking and reduce material inequality need to continue.
The attitudes of refugee women in Turkey towards family planning
Authors: Alan Dikmen Hacer , Cankaya Seyhan , Dereli Yilmaz Sema
Published: September 2018

Objectives

This study was conducted to determine refugee women's attitudes towards family planning and related factors.

Design and Sample

Designed in descriptive and cross‐sectional type, the study involved 555 voluntary Syrian refugee women in Turkey.

Measures

A questionnaire and the Family Planning Attitude Scale (FPAS) were used. Independent Sample T test, ANOVA test, and Pearson's correlation analysis were used for data analysis.

Results

A significant association was found between the average FPAS scores with educational status, income level, social security, use of FP methods, spousal support for FP, and training for FP in Syria.

Conclusions

It was determined that the attitudes of women towards family planning were at the medium level, nearly half of them used a kind of family planning and received its training, and that their attitudes towards family planning were affected by their and their husband's educational level, their income level, the availability of social security, the type of family planning, the utilization of family planning, and spousal support. Based on our study findings, refugee women and their partners/husbands should be informed on FP and their attitudes towards and the barriers against FP should be investigated by further studies.
Revisiting the governance of privacy: Contemporary policy instruments in global perspective
Authors: Bennett Colin J. , Raab Charles D.
Published: September 2018

The repertoire of policy instruments within a particular policy sector varies by jurisdiction; some “tools of government” are associated with particular administrative and regulatory traditions and political cultures. It is less clear how the instruments associated with a particular policy sector may change over time, as economic, social, and technological conditions evolve. In the early 2000s, we surveyed and analyzed the global repertoire of policy instruments deployed to protect personal data. In this article, we explore how those instruments have changed as a result of 15 years of social, economic and technological transformations, during which the issue has assumed a far higher global profile, as one of the central policy questions associated with modern networked communications. We review the contemporary range of transnational, regulatory, self‐regulatory, and technical instruments according to the same framework, and conclude that the types of policy instrument have remained relatively stable, even though they are now deployed on a global scale. While the labels remain the same, however, the conceptual foundations for their legitimation and justification are shifting as greater emphases on accountability, risk, ethics, and the social/political value of privacy have gained purchase. Our analysis demonstrates both continuity and change within the governance of privacy, and displays how we would have tackled the same research project today. As a broader case study of regulation, it highlights the importance of going beyond technical and instrumental labels. Change or stability of policy instruments does not take place in isolation from the wider conceptualizations that shape their meaning, purpose, and effect.
A critical review of the (un)conscious basis for system‐supporting attitudes of the disadvantaged
Authors: Owuamalam Chuma Kevin , Rubin Mark , Spears Russell
Published: September 2018

Is support for societal systems amongst the disadvantaged driven by an (un)conscious system justification motive that is independent from self‐interests? System justification theory (SJT) is unique in its affirmative answer to this question. SJT proposes (a) that support for societal systems operates in the service of maintaining the status quo, (b) that the evidence for this system justification motive lies with the fact that members of disadvantaged groups (un)consciously support societal systems that are detrimental to their interests, and (c) that these processes are most apparent when group interests are weak. The present article reviews emerging evidence for these propositions and concludes that (a) an unconscious manifestation of system justification is unlikely based on SJT's “strong” dissonance‐based predictions, which assumes that competing group and system motives are cognitively salient, and (b) a conscious system justification motive is also unlikely amongst the disadvantaged when group interests are weak. In addition, we suggest ways in which to explain system justification effects amongst the disadvantaged without recourse to an (un)conscious system justification motive.
Gender Wage Gap Trends Among Information Science Workers*
Authors: Courey Gabriel , Heywood John S.
Published: September 2018

Objective

We test whether increasing gender earning differences are associated with the surprising decline in the share of women working in information science (IS).

Methods

We use representative data to estimate the gender earnings differential from 1995 to 2015 for full‐time, private‐sector IS workers in the United States. We decompose the differential within and across years. Time trends isolate the pattern of the unexplained gender differential.

Results

None of our decompositions or projections reveal increased gender earnings differentials over the sample period. If anything, the unexplained differentials modestly decline.

Conclusion

Despite contentions that the financial treatment of women explains their departure from IS and engineering, we find no evidence of a trend toward larger earnings differentials. Thus, our data argue that the declining share of women in IS likely has its roots elsewhere.
The Trump Transition: Beginning a Distinctive Presidency
Authors: King James D. , Riddlesperger James W.
Published: September 2018

Objective

Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign was unorthodox by any standard. But does an unorthodox campaign result in an administration different from its predecessors?

Methods

We examine the Trump transition to identify similarities with and differences from previous administrations.

Results

Similarities include certain patterns in personnel selections, centralization of policy making, and the role of the vice president. Key differences include fewer high‐ranking officials with prior experience in government, the White House chief of staff lacking policy experience, a higher proportion of nominations being challenged in the Senate, and decrease in gender and ethnic diversity among key appointees.

Conclusion

An unorthodox presidential campaign produced an administration somewhat different but not wholly different from its predecessors.
Minimal infectious dose and dynamics of Babesia microti parasitemia in a murine model
Authors: Bakkour Sonia , Chafets Daniel M. , Wen Li , Muench Marcus O. , Telford Sam R. , Erwin James L. , Levin Andrew E. , Self Deanna , Brès Vanessa , Linnen Jeffrey M. , Lee Tzong‐Hae , Busch Michael P.
Published: September 2018

BACKGROUND

Babesia microti is a parasite that infects red blood cells (RBCs) in mammals. It is transmitted to humans by tick bites, transfusion, organ transplantation, and congenital acquisition. Although the Babesia natural history and seroprevalence in donors have been well described, gaps in knowledge relevant to transfusion remain.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Mice were infected with dilutions of parasitized blood to address the minimal infectious dose and the kinetics of parasitemia by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and of antibodies by enzyme immunoassay.

RESULTS

In immunocompetent DBA/2 mice infected with 100 parasitized RBCs (pRBCs) and in immunodeficient NSG mice infected with 63 pRBCs, parasitemia was detectable in five of five mice each. Peak parasitemia up to 2 × 107 pRBCs/mL at 2 to 3 weeks or 5 × 108 pRBCs/mL at 6 weeks was observed for DBA/2 and NSG mice, respectively. Protracted fluctuating parasitemia was observed for 8 months in DBA/2 mice, whereas NSG mice exhibited a high‐plateau parasitemia. Antibody titers continued to increase until 6 to 18 weeks in DBA/2 mice and remained high through 6 months. This study also investigated the analytical performance of Babesia assays that detect parasite DNA or RNA using a blinded panel. A Babesia assay targeting parasite RNA was approximately 10‐fold more sensitive compared to qPCR targeting DNA.

CONCLUSION

The mice in this study were highly susceptible to Babesia infection using as few as 1 to 2 log pRBCs and maintained chronic parasitemia. If the infectious dose in human transfusion recipients is comparably low, a highly sensitive assay targeting parasite RNA may safeguard the blood supply, particularly before antibody detection.
In vitro evaluation of bovine pericardium after a soft decellularization approach for use in tissue engineering
Authors: Heuschkel Marina Augusto , Leitolis Amanda , Roderjan João Gabriel , Suss Paula Hansen , Luzia César Augusto Oleinik , da Costa Francisco Diniz Affonso , Correa Alejandro , Stimamiglio Marco Augusto
Published: September 2018

Pericardial membrane derived from bovine heart tissues is a promising source of material for use in tissue‐engineering applications. However, tissue processing is required for its use in humans due to the presence of animal antigens. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the structural integrity and biocompatibility of the bovine pericardium (BP) after a soft decellularization process with a 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution, with the aim to remove xenoantigens and preserve extracellular matrix (ECM) bioactivity. The decellularization process promoted a mean reduction of 77% of the amount of DNA in the samples in which cell nuclei staining was undetectable. The ECM content was maintained as mostly preserved after decellularization as well as its biomechanical properties. In addition, the decellularization protocol has proven to be efficient in removing the xenoantigen alpha‐gal, which is responsible for immune rejection. The decellularized BP was noncytotoxic in vitro and allowed human adipose‐derived stem cell (hASC) adhesion. Finally, after 7 days in culture, the tissue scaffold became repopulated by hASCs, and after 30 days, the ECM protein pro‐collagen I was seen in the scaffold. Together, these characteristics indicated that soft BP decellularization with 0.1% SDS solution allows the acquirement of a bioactive scaffold suitable for cell repopulation and potentially useful for regenerative medicine.
Mental Well-Being Predictivity of Personal Meaning Profile in Various Age Groups
Authors: Demirbaş-Çelik Nur
Published: September 2018

The purpose of this research is to examine which factors of personal meaning profile explain mental well-being in different age stage. Although personal meaning has many different definitions, this research approaches it in seven factors; achievement, relationship, religion, self-transcendence, self-acceptance, intimacy, and fair treatment. The participants in this study were 410 (226 female, 184 male) representing three separate groups (Adolescents, emerging adults, and adults). Whether Personal meaning and mental well-being varied based on age was analyzed via ANOVA. Personal Meaning’s predictability of mental well-being was analyzed via multiple regression analysis. First, the mental well-being productivity of personal meaning in the whole group was examined. According to the examination, it was found that all factors except for religion explain mental wellbeing. These factors account for 54% of the variance. Secondly, multiple regression analysis was done for the personal meaning factors for each group. According to results: Achievement, relationship, and self-transcendence in adolescents; achievement, self-transcendence, self-acceptance, intimacy, and fair treatment in emerging adults; and intimacy, self-transcendence, self-acceptance and fair treatment in adults were significant predictors mental well-being. These factors account for 43% of total variance in adolescent, 65% in emerging adults, and 42% in adults.
Instructional Effects of Syntactic Parsing on Chinese College Students’ EFL Reading Rates
Authors: Chen Xiaokan , Li Hongmei , Gui Min
Published: September 2018

Foreign language reading serves as the fundamental channel for foreign language acquisition and for information gathering. However, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners are generally slow in their reading rates. A number of approaches have been proposed to improve reading rates of EFL learners, underpinned by learning theories. From an information processing perspective, building automaticity in lower-level processes is necessary to allow readers to allocate more cognitive resources for higher-level processes. Given the importance of reading rate and the scarcity of related research, the present study intends to explore the relationship between Chinese college students’ syntactic parsing ability and their EFL reading rates, and investigate the effects of syntactic parsing instruction on their EFL reading rates. A total of 87 freshmen from two intact classes participated in the present study. They were divided into an experimental group (43) and a control group (44). The experimental group received a 12-week instruction on syntactic parsing ability. A pretest-posttest design was employed to explore the participants’ development of syntactic parsing ability and their reading rates. After the training period, a semi-structured interview was conducted among 10 participants of the experimental to explore their attitudes towards the syntactic parsing ability instruction. Two major findings were revealed. First, there was a close relationship between syntactic parsing and reading rate. Second, syntactic parsing instruction may have positive effects on some students’ reading rates in the experimental group. Responses in the interview indicated that the participants held positive attitudes towards the syntactic parsing ability training.
Chemical vapor deposition of magnetic iron-cobalt alloy thin films: Use of ammonia to stabilize growth from carbonyl precursors
Authors: Zhang Pengyi , Zhang Zhejun , Abelson John R. , Girolami Gregory S.
Published: September 2018

In previous work, it was demonstrated that FexCo(1−x) alloy thin films with near ideal magnetic properties can be grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) from the precursors Fe(CO)5 and Co2(CO)8; previous attempts to grow such films by CVD, using these or other precursors, had not been able to afford high saturation magnetization. However, it was found that the morphology and composition were extremely sensitive to small variations in the deposition temperature and the precursor partial pressures. In a second work, it was showed that the CVD of pure iron films from Fe(CO)5 is subject to a self-poisoning effect in which the growth surface accumulates carbon, which causes the growth rate to decline progressively to zero. Then it was shown that the poisoning effect can be eliminated by adding a coflow of NH3 during CVD, which does not introduce measurable quantities of nitrogen into the film. In the current work, the authors return to the compositional instabilities in FexCo(1−x) alloy growth and show that, as seen for pure Fe growth, these instabilities can be as attributed to a surface poisoning effect involving dissociative chemisorption of carbon monoxide. It was found that a coflow of ammonia, which inhibits CO adsorption, enables the growth of FexCo(1−x) films over a wide temperature window with highly reproducible morphology and stoichiometry. Alloys that were grown under the NH3 coflow with suitable compositions (x ∼ 0.6) achieve near ideal values of the saturation magnetization.
Perspective: Nonequilibrium dynamics of localized and delocalized excitons in colloidal quantum dot solids
Authors: Lee Elizabeth M. Y. , Tisdale William A. , Willard Adam P.
Published: September 2018

Self-assembled quantum dot (QD) solids are a highly tunable class of materials with a wide range of applications in solid-state electronics and optoelectronic devices. In this perspective, the authors highlight how the presence of microscopic disorder in these materials can influence their macroscopic optoelectronic properties. Specifically, they consider the dynamics of excitons in energetically disordered QD solids using a theoretical model framework for both localized and delocalized excitonic regimes. In both cases, they emphasize the tendency of energetic disorder to promote nonequilibrium relaxation dynamics and discuss how the signatures of these nonequilibrium effects manifest in time-dependent spectral measurements. Moreover, they describe the connection between the microscopic dynamics of excitons within the material and the measurement of material specific parameters, such as emission linewidth broadening and energetic dissipation rate.
Effect of surface treatments on electrical properties of β-Ga2O3
Authors: Yang Jiancheng , Sparks Zachary , Ren Fan , Pearton Stephen J. , Tadjer Marko
Published: September 2018

The effect of various combinations of gaseous (ultraviolet/O3), liquid (HCl, buffered oxide etch, and H2O2), or plasma (CF4 and O2) treatments of the surface of β-Ga2O3 was quantified by current–voltage and capacitance–voltage measurements of rectifier structures. Plasma exposure (13.56 MHz, 24 kW/cm2) always led to significant degradation of the surface, as evidenced by large increases in rectifier reverse current and ideality factor (from 1.01 in control samples to ∼3.8 in plasma exposed samples, indicating additional defect-related carrier transport mechanisms) and lowering of the Schottky barrier height (from 1.21 eV in control samples to 0.75–0.86 eV in plasma exposed samples) and diode rectification ratio, with degraded reverse recovery characteristics. This was true of both CF4 and O2, even though it is known that fluorine incorporation in the near-surface leads to donor compensation and an increase in barrier height. Damage from the plasma exposure was not fully recovered by annealing at 500 °C. The O3 and liquid chemical cleans did lead to reduced reverse current in rectifiers, with no measurable decrease in barrier height, increase in ideality factor, or degradation of reverse recovery characteristics. Surfaces treated in this manner did not significantly change for anneals up to 500 °C; however, the Ni/Au contacts already show degradation after annealing at 350 °C.
An Inductive Thematic Analysis of Male Competitive Figure Skaters’ Experiences of Weight Pressure in Sport
Authors: Voelker Dana K. , Reel Justine J.
Published: September 2018

The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to examine male competitive figure skaters’ experiences of weight pressure in sport. Specifically, male skaters’ perceptions of the ideal skating body, sources of weight pressure in elite figure skating, and the perceived role of their sport in shaping body image, athletic performance, eating, and exercise behaviors were explored. Through a social constructivist lens, an inductive thematic analysis was used to examine the contextual influences of the skating environment. Thirteen male figure skaters ages 16–24 (M = 18.53, SD = 3.33) with an average 10.38 years of skating experience (SD = 4.05) were interviewed. Skaters identified the parameters for the ideal body in skating along with specific weight pressures, body image concerns, and weight management strategies. Similar to female skaters, male skaters perceived that body image affected psychological factors that influence sport performance. Sport psychologists and consultants should be attentive to the skating environment and how specific performance and appearance demands may influence an athlete’s mindset.
Mental Health Services for Canadian University Student-Athletes: An Exploratory Survey
Authors: Giovannetti Sara L. , Robertson Jessica R.G. , Colquhoun Heather L. , Malachowski Cindy K.
Published: September 2018

University student-athletes are equally vulnerable to mental health challenges compared to their non-athlete peers, but they access mental health services with less frequency. This study sought to explore the mental health issues experienced by Canadian student-athletes in order to address the question: how can Canadian universities better meet the mental health needs of student-athletes? An electronic survey was distributed to student-athletes at a large Canadian university. Data from 113 respondents were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Stress and pressure were reported as the most prevalent contributors to mental health issues, and 47% of respondents indicated that there was a time in which they wanted to seek services for their mental health, but chose not to. Respondents identified mental health education for coaches and designating a healthcare professional within the athletic department as beneficial resources. Findings from this study can inform local and national mental health service planning for student-athletes.
Evidence of a low-temperature dynamical transition in concentrated microgels
Authors: Zanatta Marco , Tavagnacco Letizia , Buratti Elena , Bertoldo Monica , Natali Francesca , Chiessi Ester , Orecchini Andrea , Zaccarelli Emanuela
Published: September 2018

The dynamical transition of hydrated proteins also occurs in nonbiological macromolecules, such as colloidal microgels.
Enhanced transport in transistor by tuning transition-metal oxide electronic states interfaced with diamond
Authors: Yin Zongyou , Tordjman Moshe , Lee Youngtack , Vardi Alon , Kalish Rafi , del Alamo Jesús A.
Published: September 2018

A novel facile strategy was developed to tune transition-metal oxide electronic states for transistor’s transport enhancement.
Fifteen-minute consultation: Not the whole story—considering children’s spirituality and advance care planning
Authors: Clayton Mark , Aldridge Jan
Published: September 2018

In a society of diverse views, faiths and beliefs, what can paediatric palliative care contribute to our understanding of children’s spirituality? By failing to recognise and respond to their spirituality in this work, we risk missing something of profound importance to children and their families. We overlook their search for wholeness in the absence of cure and fall short of offering truly holistic care. This paper explores how developments in advance care planning and related documentation are addressing these issues. Since children’s spirituality is elusive and rarely explored in practice, it aims to clarify our understanding of it with a variety of examples and contains suggestions for hearing the voice of the child amid the needs of parents and professionals.
Big data and stratified medicine: what does it mean for children?
Authors: Ding Wen Y , Beresford Michael W , Saleem Moin A , Ramanan Athimalaipet V
Published: September 2018

Stratified medicine in paediatrics is increasingly becoming a reality, as our understanding of disease pathogenesis improves and novel treatment targets emerge. We have already seen some success in paediatrics in targeted therapies such as cystic fibrosis for specific cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator variants. With the increased speed and decreased cost of processing and analysing data from rare disease registries, we are increasingly able to use a systems biology approach (including ‘-omics’) to screen across populations for molecules and genes of interest. Improving our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying disease, and how to classify patients according to these will lead the way for targeted therapies for individual patients. This review article will summarise how ‘big data’ and the ‘omics’ are being used and developed, and taking examples from paediatric renal medicine and rheumatology, demonstrate progress being made towards stratified medicine for children.
Effective physician leaders: an appreciative inquiry into their qualities, capabilities and learning approaches
Authors: Savage Mairi , Storkholm Marie Höjriis , Mazzocato Pamela , Savage Carl
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The aim of this study was to explore the qualities and capabilities effective physician leaders attribute to their success in leading change and how they developed these.

Method

The authors interviewed 20 emerging and senior leaders using a semistructured interview guide informed by appreciative inquiry. Data were subjected to an inductive qualitative content analysis to identify themes related to qualities, capabilities and learning approaches.

Results

The qualities identified were clarity of purpose to improve care, endurance, a positive outlook and authenticity. They were considered innate or developed during participants’ upbringing. Capabilities were to ground management in medicine, engage others, catalyse systems by acting on interdependencies and employ a scientific approach to understand problems and measure progress. Capabilities were developed through cross-pollination from a diversity of work experiences, reflection, when education was integrated with practice and when their organisational environment nurtured ambition and learning.

Conclusions

This study reframes current leadership thinking by empirically identifying qualities, capabilities, and learning approaches that can contribute to effective physician leadership. Instead of merely adapting leadership development programmes from other domains, this study suggests there are capabilities unique to effective physician leadership: ground management in medicine and employ a scientific approach to problem identification and solution development. The authors outline practical implications for individuals and organisations to support leader development as a cohesive organisational strategy for learning and change.
Musings in tectonics
Authors: Dewey John F.
Published: September 2018

I outline and discuss my career in the context of the history of structural geology and tectonics, the progressive developments that led to plate tectonics, the people who have encouraged and influenced me, the events that changed my life, my fifty six doctoral students who have taught me so much, and my principal interests in tectonics. I discuss, in particular, nine topics of special current interest: the evolution of Tibet, the geomorphology of the British Isles, transtension, the Precambrian, the complexities of plate boundary evolution, Appalachian–Caledonian evolution, ophiolites, the structure and strength of the lithosphere, and the subducting slab.
Review and synthesis: iron input, biogeochemistry, and ecological approaches in seawater
Authors: Longhini Cybelle Menolli , Sá Fabian , Neto Renato Rodrigues
Published: September 2018

The processes involved in the biogeochemical cycle of Fe in the oceans have been intensely discussed in recent decades because this element is limiting to primary productivity in most oceanic regions. From biogeochemical and ecological perspectives, inputs from anthropogenic sources, especially mining activities, may be more representative than natural inputs in coastal areas affected by metal loads from tailings. Here we provide a review of all the stages related to Fe behaviour in marine ecosystems, including Fe input sources, which may be of natural and (or) anthropogenic origin; input rates; chemical speciation; bioavailability; and changes in the phytoplankton community structure. To allow conceptualization of the anthropogenic processes, the collapse of the Fundão tailings dam (southeast Brazil) was used as a case study of one of the worst environmental disasters of the mining industry. From this perspective, the interrelations among the chemical, biological, and ecological components were discussed. Regarding the chemical component, Fe speciation must be determined by the input of several other materials, mainly organic compounds that can be complexed to this element and increase its solubility. From a biological perspective, the biochemical and physiological processes used for the assimilation of this element, such as the reduction in cell membranes and the production of chelating substances (such as siderophores), will also determine the forms of this element present in the water column. On the other hand, the groups that obtain a competitive advantage due to these assimilation strategies must be dominant in the system. Synergistic effects are also expected with other materials such as the inorganic nutrients, organic compounds, and metals that are carried to the coastal region together with Fe. In the specific case of mine tailings, the accumulation of this material in the river banks and bed should cause an increase in Fe input from other sources, such as atmospheric transport and submarine groundwater discharge, as well as river discharge by erosion and transport under increased river flow conditions. The iron fluxes from mining areas to coastal oceans and the effects of these loads to phytoplankton ecological aspects should be investigated.
Doodles on surfaces
Authors: Bartholomew Andrew , Fenn Roger , Kamada Naoko , Kamada Seiichi
Published: September 2018

Doodles were introduced in [R. Fenn and P. Taylor, Introducing doodles, in Topology of Low-Dimensional Manifolds, Lecture Notes in Mathematics, Vol. 722 (Springer, Berlin, 1979), pp. 37–43] but were restricted to embedded circles in the [Formula: see text]-sphere. Khovanov [M. Khovanov, Doodle groups, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 349 (1997) 2297–2315] extended the idea to immersed circles in the [Formula: see text]-sphere. In this paper, we further extend the range of doodles to any closed oriented surface. Uniqueness of minimal representatives is proved, and various examples of doodles are given with their minimal representatives. We also introduce the notion of virtual doodles, and show that there is a natural one-to-one correspondence between doodles on surfaces and virtual doodles on the plane.
Computing with knot quandles
Authors: Ellis Graham , Fragnaud Cédric
Published: September 2018

The number [Formula: see text] of colorings of a knot [Formula: see text] by a finite quandle [Formula: see text] has been used in the literature to distinguish between knot types. In this paper, we suggest a refinement [Formula: see text] to this knot invariant involving any computable functor [Formula: see text] from finitely presented groups to finitely generated abelian groups. We are mainly interested in the functor [Formula: see text] that sends each finitely presented group [Formula: see text] to its abelianization [Formula: see text]. We describe algorithms needed for computing the refined invariant and illustrate implementations that have been made available as part of the HAP package for the GAP system for computational algebra. We use these implementations to investigate the performance of the refined invariant on prime knots with [Formula: see text] crossings.
Loop numbers of knots
Authors: Ernst Claus , Pham Van
Published: September 2018

In the paper, we introduce the concept of loop numbers of knot diagrams and we show that loop numbers are knot invariants for a large family of alternating knots. We also discuss relationships of loop numbers of knots with some classic knot invariants.
Quasi-strongly Gorenstein projective modules
Authors: Hu Kui , Wang Fanggui , Xu Longyu , Zhou Dechuan
Published: September 2018

In this paper, we introduce the class of quasi-strongly Gorenstein projective modules which is a particular subclass of the class of finitely generated Gorenstein projective modules. We also introduce and characterize quasi-strongly Gorenstein semihereditary rings. We call a quasi-strongly Gorenstein semihereditary domain a quasi-SG-Prüfer domain. A Noetherian quasi-SG-Prüfer domain is called a quasi-strongly Gorenstein Dedekind domain. Let [Formula: see text] be a field and [Formula: see text] be an indeterminate over [Formula: see text]. We prove that every ideal of the ring [Formula: see text] is strongly Gorenstein projective. We also show that every ideal of the ring [Formula: see text] (respectively, [Formula: see text]) is strongly Gorenstein projective. These domains are examples of quasi-strongly Gorenstein Dedekind domains.
A PASSIVE STATE SIMULATION OF AN ANAL SPHINCTER USING SIMMECHANICS
Authors: RIOS ATAXCA BLANCA N. , GARCÍA BELTRÁN CARLOS D. , RODRÍGUEZ LELIS JOSÉ M. , OLIVARES PEREGRINO VÍCTOR H. , DE LA CONCHA BERMEJILLO FLORENCIO , CASTRO GÓMEZ LAURA L.
Published: September 2018

Nowadays, different mechanical artificial sphincters can be found implanted in human beings, trying to overcome a deficiency in the performance of the natural one. However, they do not take into account the natural anal sphincter’s (AS) dimensions, and autonomous response; they also lack in basic contraction and relaxation properties. In this paper, by addressing the AS behavior, an AS model designed with Matlab/SimMechanics is shown. The model comprises bodies of concentrated mass interconnected by springs. The mass–spring system is arranged in concentric rings where every concentrated mass is interconnected by a spring. Each spring takes specific stiffness, which varies with length, in accordance to an experimental curve. The system described can be loaded or unloaded, describing then the muscle behavior.

Each element that forms the model of rings is subject to displacements caused by forces of traction and compression, when a radial force is applied from the center towards the inner ring. The springs of the inner ring experience forces of traction, whereas the springs that connect the body of the inner ring with the outer ring perpendicularly are submitted to compression forces.The data used in the proposed model corresponded to dimensions of the humanAS: width, height, rigidity, stress, tension, basically obtaining an initial deformation behavior according to the sphincter in the passive state. The model remained stable with some mechanical oscillations due to the elastic elements; by modifying one of the parameters, the behavior became unstable and unmanageable. It was verified that it is a sensitive model when modifying the initial conditions that the concrete data requires in case of reproducing the sphincter muscle with particular dimensions.
Umbrella inversion and structure of phosphorus-containing compounds: A quantum chemical study
Authors: Al-Otaibi Jamelah S. , El Gogary Tarek M. , El-Demerdash Safinaz H.
Published: September 2018

Ab initio and density functional theory calculations were used to determine structure and inversion barrier at phosphorous (III) for open and cyclic phosphorus-containing compounds. Structures of the investigated systems were compared with the available experimental data. Effects of ring size on the P-inversion barriers in these molecules have been discussed. The largest/smallest inversion barrier was reported for phosphocyclopropene/trivinylphosphine (85.1/21.0 kcal/mol). Inversion rate and half-life time were computed.
Qualitative analysis and simulation of a nonlinear integro-differential system modeling tumor-immune cells competition
Authors: Aylaj Bouchra
Published: September 2018

This paper deals with a qualitative and computational study of a class of integro-differential model, with a nonlinear growth rate. The model is applied to immunology problems, in particular to the competition between tumors and immune system. Our purpose is to take into account the activity transfer processes between cells. The first part of this paper deals with the modeling, while the second part develops the existence and uniqueness of global solutions to the initial boundary value problem related to the application of the model. Finally, numerical simulations are used to illustrate the results obtained for a dynamic of tumor cells contrasted by the immune system.
Top-k User-Defined Vertex Scoring Queries in Edge-Labeled Graph Databases
Authors: Parisi Francesco , Park Noseong , Pugliese Andrea , Subrahmanian V. S.
Published: September 2018

We consider identifying highly ranked vertices in large graph databases such as social networks or the Semantic Web where there are edge labels. There are many applications where users express
scoring queries
against such databases that involve two elements: (i) a set of patterns describing relationships that a vertex of interest to the user must satisfy and (ii) a scoring mechanism in which the user may use properties of the vertex to assign a score to that vertex. We define the concept of a partial pattern map query (partial PM-query), which intuitively allows us to prune partial matchings, and show that finding an optimal partial PM-query is NP-hard. We then propose two algorithms, PScore_LP and PScore_NWST, to find the answer to a scoring (top-
k
) query. In PScore_LP, the optimal partial PM-query is found using a list-oriented pruning method. PScore_NWST leverages node-weighted Steiner trees to quickly compute slightly sub-optimal solutions. We conduct detailed experiments comparing our algorithms with (i) an algorithm (PScore_Base) that computes all answers to the query, evaluates them according to the scoring method, and chooses the top-
k
, and (ii) two Semantic Web query processing systems (Jena and GraphDB). Our algorithms show better performance than PScore_Base and the Semantic Web query processing systems—moreover, PScore_NWST outperforms PScore_LP on large queries and on queries with a tree structure.
A Rule-Based Transducer for Querying Incompletely Aligned Datasets
Authors: Torre-Bastida Ana I. , Bermúdez Jesús , Illarramendi Arantza
Published: September 2018

A growing number of Linked Open Data sources (from diverse provenances and about different domains) that can be freely browsed and searched to find and extract useful information have been made available. However, access to them is difficult for different reasons. This study addresses access issues concerning heterogeneity. It is common for datasets to describe the same or overlapping domains while using different vocabularies. Our study presents a transducer that transforms a SPARQL query suitably expressed in terms of the vocabularies used in a source dataset into another SPARQL query suitably expressed for a target dataset involving different vocabularies. The transformation is based on existing alignments between terms in different datasets. Whenever the transducer is unable to produce a semantically equivalent query because of the scarcity of term alignments, the transducer produces a semantic approximation of the query to avoid returning the empty answer to the user. Transformation across datasets is achieved through the management of a wide range of transformation rules. The feasibility of our proposal has been validated with a prototype implementation that processes queries that appear in well-known benchmarks and SPARQL endpoint logs. Results of the experiments show that the system is quite effective in achieving adequate transformations.
Flow Phenomena in the Inner Ear
Authors: Obrist Dominik
Published: September 2018

A remarkable number of different flow phenomena contribute critically to the proper functioning of the hearing and balance senses, both of which are hosted by the inner ear. This includes quasi-steady and high-frequency Stokes flow, incompressible wave guides, unsteady boundary layers, and fluid–structure interactions between viscous fluids, soft membranes, and hair cell bundles. We present these phenomena, review recent results, and discuss how they relate to the physiology of the vestibular system and the mechanics of hearing. In addition, we study flow phenomena, including gravity-driven particulate flow, magnetohydrodynamics, buoyancy, and steady streaming, that are related to pathologies of the inner ear and relevant to diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.
SERINC5 as a New Restriction Factor for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Murine Leukemia Virus
Authors: Firrito Claudia , Bertelli Cinzia , Vanzo Teresa , Chande Ajit , Pizzato Massimo
Published: September 2018

SERINC genes encode for homologous multipass transmembrane proteins with unknown cellular function, despite being highly conserved across eukaryotes. Among the five SERINC genes found in humans, SERINC5 was shown to act as a powerful inhibitor of retroviruses. It is efficiently incorporated into virions and blocks the penetration of the viral core into target cells, by impairing the fusion process with a yet unclear mechanism. SERINC5 was also found to promote human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) virion neutralization by antibodies, indicating a pleiotropic activity, which remains mostly unexplored. Counteracting factors have emerged independently in at least three retrovirus lineages, underscoring their fundamental importance during retrovirus evolution. Nef and S2 of primate and equine lentiviruses, and glycoGag of gammaretroviruses, act similarly by targeting SERINC5 to endosomes and excluding it from virions. Here, we discuss the features that distinguish SERINC5 from other known restriction factors, delineating a yet unique class of antiviral inhibitors.
Flaviviruses and the Central Nervous System: Revisiting Neuropathological Concepts
Authors: Maximova Olga A. , Pletnev Alexander G.
Published: September 2018

Flaviviruses are major emerging human pathogens on a global scale. Some flaviviruses can infect the central nervous system of the host and therefore are regarded as neurotropic. The most clinically relevant classical neurotropic flaviviruses include Japanese encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, and tick-borne encephalitis virus. In this review, we focus on these flaviviruses and revisit the concepts of flaviviral neurotropism, neuropathogenicity, neuroinvasion, and resultant neuropathogenesis. We attempt to synthesize the current knowledge about interactions between the central nervous system and flaviviruses from the neuroanatomical and neuropathological perspectives and address some misconceptions and controversies. We hope that revisiting these neuropathological concepts will improve the understanding of flaviviral neuroinfections. This, in turn, may provide further guiding foundations for relevant studies of other emerging or geographically expanding flaviviruses with neuropathogenic potential, such as Zika virus and dengue virus, and pave the way for intelligent therapeutic strategies harnessing potentially beneficial, protective host responses to interfere with disease progression and outcome.
Antiviral Approaches for the Treatment of Herpes Simplex Virus Infections in Newborn Infants
Authors: Poole Claudette L. , Kimberlin David W.
Published: September 2018

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections in newborns are associated with severe disease and death. Trials conducted by the Collaborative Antiviral Study Group have established the standard of care for the treatment of neonatal HSV disease with marked improvements in morbidity and mortality. We review the studies that have contributed to our understanding of the epidemiology and clinical course of neonatal HSV disease and discuss the landmark trials that have resulted in safe and effective treatment together with improved diagnostics. Although significant advances have been made, neonatal HSV disease continues to have an unacceptably high mortality rate with significant sequelae in survivors. Further research is urgently needed for prevention.
Probing the influence of the gas diffusion layer on water retention in membrane electrode assemblies via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
Authors: Afsahi Foroughazam , Easton E. Bradley
Published: September 2018

The effect of the relative humidity (RH) of supplied gases on PEM fuel cell performance was monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Two different Nafion®-based membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) were prepared from two commercially available gas diffusion layers (GDLs) based on carbon paper and carbon cloth. By performing EIS measurements under condition where the transmission line model was applicable, both the ionic resistance in catalyst layer (RΣ) and the membrane resistance (Rmem) could be probed. The extent of this impact, however, depends on the GDL substrate properties and the electrode side to which the dry gas was fed. Overall, the carbon paper based MEA provided better fuel cell performance when the dry gas condition was applied, whereas the cloth based MEA revealed better fuel cell performance with fully saturated reactant gases. Moreover, the later one demonstrates a better capability to address the flooding issue at high current density even when symmetric dry gas arrangement (both dry fuel and oxidant gases) was studied. Variation of fuel gas RH at the anode perturb the fuel cell performance less strongly compared with the other arrangements. This implies that with the fully hydrated cathode gas water transport via back diffusion from the cathode to the anode could maintain the hydrated membrane and catalyst layer to some extent. By using this EIS methodology, the interplay of GDL properties and reactant gases RH on PEM fuel cell performance can be more clearly understood.