bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Real-Time Feedback Using a Smartwatch on the Clinical Behavior of Novice Student Clinicians
Authors: Scott Courtney G. , Becker Trina M. , Simpson Kenneth O.
Published: December 2017

The use of computer monitors to provide technology-based written feedback during clinical sessions, referred to as “bug-in-the-eye” (BITi) feedback, recently emerged in the literature with preliminary evidence to support its effectiveness (Carmel, Villatte, Rosenthal, Chalker & Comtois, 2015; Weck et al., 2016). This investigation employed a single-subject, sequential A-B design with two participants to observe the effects of implementing BITi feedback using a smartwatch on the clinical behavior of student clinicians (SCs). Baseline and treatment data on the stimulus-response-consequence (S-R-C) contingency completion rates of SCs were collected using 10 minute segments of recorded therapy sessions. All participants were students enrolled in a clinical practicum experience in a communication disorders and sciences (CDS) program. A celeration line, descriptive statistics, and stability band were used to analyze the data by slope, trend, and variability. Results demonstrated a significant correlative relationship between BITi feedback with a smartwatch and an increase in positive clinical behaviors. Based on qualitative interviews and exit rating scales, SCs reported BITi feedback was noninvasive and minimally distracting. Preliminary evidence suggests BITi feedback with a smartwatch may be an effective tool for providing real-time clinical feedback.
On the practical estimation of unknown inputs for polytopic LTI systems
Authors: Torres Zúñiga Ixbalank , Vargas Alejandro , Moreno Jaime A.
Published: December 2017

Reconstruction of unknown inputs is an important issue in real‐time monitoring when they cannot be directly measured. This study proposes a coupled robust observer to estimate both the state vector and the unknown input of uncertain linear and time invariant (LTI) systems. A Luenberger observer is first considered to estimate the state vector and then, a super‐twisting observer uses the precedent estimations to reconstruct the unknown input. Two semi‐definite optimisation problems are proposed to compute the observer gains. The feasibility of the strategy is illustrated by the two examples, one of them a non‐linear biological system.
Compensation method for distorted planar array antennas based on structural–electromagnetic coupling and fast Fourier transform
Authors: Wang Congsi , Wang Yan , Zhou Jinzhu , Wang Meng , Zhong Jianfeng , Duan Baoyan
Published: December 2017

Complex operating environment could introduce serious degradation to the electromagnetic performance of active phased array antenna in both the main lobe and sidelobe areas. The effective compensation techniques become the key for antenna to perform in reliable service condition. Therefore, a method combined coupled structural‐electromagnetic model with two‐dimensional fast Fourier transform for compensation is presented. A compensation calculation model of the excitation current for planar array is established accordingly, quantitatively expressing the relationship between the excitation current compensation and the structure error. The adjustment quantities of excitation amplitude and phase can be quickly obtained and implemented to recover a high‐quality pattern from a distorted antenna in both the main lobe and sidelobe areas. Lastly, the simulation of the space‐based array antenna is illustrated to compensate its property under the impact of space environment and heat power from its electric devices. Furthermore, an experiment platform of an X‐band active phased array antenna with elements is built and tested for the electromagnetic performance compensation. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method can guarantee the performance of the service antenna quickly and effectively in the whole observation area.
Improved local time‐stepping algorithm for leap‐frog discontinuous Galerkin time‐domain method
Authors: Cui Xuewu , Yang Feng , Gao Min
Published: December 2017

The discontinuous Galerkin time‐domain (DGTD) method is now very popular for the solution of Maxwell's equations. Owing to the ability to deal with various types and shapes, and possibly locally refined meshes, it handles easily complicated geometries and remains globally explicit with easy parallelisation and extension to high orders of accuracy. However, the limitation of the stability of the method, related to the smallest elements in the mesh, requires the construction of local time‐stepping algorithm. An improved local time‐stepping algorithm of the explicit leap‐frog DGTD method is proposed. The monostatic and bistatic radar cross section of several typical targets (a dielectric sphere, a perfect electric conductor almond, and a simplified missile) is calculated by the proposed algorithm. The simulated results show that although the entire solution relative error calculated by the proposed method has a slight increase compared with that of the previous scheme, the computational efficiency of the explicit leap‐frog DGTD method is greatly improved. Meanwhile, the proposed algorithm does not require any additional storage. Compared to the improvement of the computational efficiency, this slight increase of the relative error can be absolutely acceptable.
A New, Simple, and General Synthesis of N-Oxides of Iodopyridines and Iodoquinolines via the Diazotization–Iodination of Heterocyclic Amino N-Oxides in the Presence of p-Toluenesulfonic Acid in Water
Authors: Krasnokutskaya Elena , Chudinov Alexey , Filimonov Victor
Published: December 2017

The diazotization of a series of N-oxides of aminopyridines and aminoquinolines under the action of sodium nitrite in the presence of KI and p-TsOH in water at room temperature leads to the formation of the corresponding N-oxides of iodopyridines and iodoquinolines in high yields. The method has a general character and can be used for the preparation of 3-, 2-, and 4- N-oxides of iodopyridines.
Nachwuchs in der Nervenheilkunde: berufswunschprägende Faktoren in Psychiatrie, Neurologie und Psychosomatik
Authors: Lange-Kasch Susanne , Wirkner Janine , Kasch Richard , Freyberger Harald , Fleßa Steffen , Merk Harry , Klauer Thomas
Published: December 2017

Ziel der Studie Studierende mit Spezialisierungspräferenz für eines von 3 nervenheilkundlichen Fächern wurden im Hinblick auf ihre Motivation zum Medizinstudium retrospektiv verglichen.

Methodik Mit dem Ziel der Identifikation früher Bedingungen von Spezialisierungspräferenzen wurde eine deutschlandweite Online-Befragung an 9079 Medizinstudierenden durchgeführt. Die Angaben der 669 Studierenden mit nervenheilkundlicher Präferenz wurden varianzanalytisch ausgewertet.

Ergebnisse Angehende Neurologen wurden vergleichsweise stärker von inhaltlichen Interessen am Fach Medizin und den Naturwissenschaften, weniger jedoch von Aspekten der Lebensführung motiviert. Hingegen spielten bei der Spezialisierungspräferenz für die psychologischen Fächer der Wunsch, aktiv Hilfe zu leisten, und die eigene Krankheitsanamnese eine wichtigere Rolle.

Schlussfolgerung Die aufgezeigten Motive zeigen thematische Richtungen auf, die bei der fachspezifischen Werbung um Nachwuchs verfolgt werden können.
Testdiagnostik in der PPmP
Authors: Brähler Elmar , Zenger Markus
Published: December 2017

Bei der PPmP werden seit längerer Zeit sehr viele testdiagnostische Beiträge eingereicht. Ein Grund hierfür ist sicherlich, dass es für testdiagnostische deutschsprachige Manuskripte nur sehr wenige Zeitschriften gibt, die in Frage kommen. So gibt es als spezialisierte Zeitschrift eigentlich nur noch die Diagnostica. Die PPmP-Schriftleitung hat versucht, das Überangebot von testdiagnostischen Manuskripten zu kanalisieren, in dem sie eine Rubrik für testdiagnostische Verfahren eingerichtet hat. Dennoch werden außerhalb der Rubrik noch sehr viele Manuskripte angeboten, die sich mit testdiagnostischen Verfahren beschäftigen.

Trotz aller Bedenken gegenüber einer Testlastigkeit unserer Zeitschrift gibt es durchaus gewichtige Gründe dafür, testdiagnostischen Manuskripten in der PPmP ausreichend Raum zu gewähren.
Determination of Acid and Neutral Cannabinoids in Extracts of Different Strains of Cannabis sativa Using GC-FID
Authors: Ibrahim Elsayed , Gul Waseem , Gul Shahbaz , Stamper Brandon , Hadad Ghada , Abdel Salam Randa , Ibrahim Amany , Ahmed Safwat , Chandra Suman , Lata Hemant , Radwan Mohamed , ElSohly Mahmoud
Published: December 2017

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) is an annual herbaceous plant that belongs to the family Cannabaceae. Trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the two major phytocannabinoids accounting for over 40% of the cannabis plant extracts, depending on the variety. At the University of Mississippi, different strains of C. sativa, with different concentration ratios of CBD and Δ9-THC, have been tissue cultured via micropropagation and cultivated. A GC-FID method has been developed and validated for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of acid and neutral cannabinoids in C. sativa extracts. The method involves trimethyl silyl derivatization of the extracts. These cannabinoids include tetrahydrocannabivarian, CBD, cannabichromene, trans-Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol, Δ9-THC, cannabigerol, cannabinol, cannabidiolic acid, cannabigerolic acid, and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid-A. The concentration-response relationship of the method indicated a linear relationship between the concentration and peak area ratio with R2 > 0.999 for all 10 cannabinoids. The precision and accuracy of the method were found to be ≤ 15% and ± 5%, respectively. The limit of detection range was 0.11 – 0.19 µg/mL, and the limit of quantitation was 0.34 – 0.56 µg/mL for all 10 cannabinoids. The developed method is simple, sensitive, reproducible, and suitable for the detection and quantitation of acidic and neutral cannabinoids in different extracts of cannabis varieties. The method was applied to the analysis of these cannabinoids in different parts of the micropropagated cannabis plants (buds, leaves, roots, and stems).
Structural and functional characterisation of two novel durum wheat annexin genes in response to abiotic stress
Authors: Harbaoui Marwa , Ben Saad Rania , Ben Halima Nihed , Choura Mouna , Brini Faiçal
Published: December 2017

Abiotic stress results in massive loss of crop productivity throughout the world. Understanding the plant gene regulatory mechanisms involved in stress responses is very important. Annexins are a conserved multigene family of Ca-dependent, phospholipid-binding proteins with suggested functions in response to environmental stresses and signalling during plant growth and development. Annexins function to counteract oxidative stress, maintain cell redox homeostasis and enhance drought tolerance. A full-length cDNA of two genes (TdAnn6 and TdAnn12) encoding annexin proteins were isolated and characterised from Tunisian durum wheat varieties (Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum cv. Mahmoudi). Analyses of the deduced proteins encoded by annexin cDNAs (TdAnn6 and TdAnn12) indicate the presence of the characteristic four repeats of 70–75 amino acids and the motifs proposed to be involved in Ca2+ binding. Gene expression patterns obtained by real-time PCR revealed differential temporal and spatial regulation of the two annexin genes in durum wheat under different abiotic stress conditions such as salt (NaCl 150 mM), osmotic (10% polyethylene glycol 8000), ionic (LiCl 10 mM), oxidative (H2O2), ABA (100 µM), salicylic acid (10 mM), cold (4°C) and heat (37°C) stress. The two annexin genes were not regulated by heavy metal stress (CdCl2 150 µM). Moreover, heterologous expression of TdAnn6 and TdAnn12 in yeast improves its tolerance to abiotic stresses, suggesting annexin’s involvement in theses stress tolerance mechanisms. Taken together, our results show that the two newly isolated wheat annexin might play an active role in modulating plant cell responses to abiotic stress responses.
Locally extremal geodesic loops on a Riemannian manifold
Authors: Flores José
Published: December 2017

This note proves that any locally extremal non-self-conjugate geodesic loop in a Riemannian manifold is a closed geodesic. As a consequence, any complete and non-contractible Riemannian manifold with diverging injectivity radii along diverging sequences and without points conjugate to themselves, possesses a minimizing closed geodesic.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Visual Narrative Illustrations Used to Teach Pathophysiology to Undergraduate Nursing Students
Authors: El Hussein Mohamed , Salyers Vincent , Osuji Joseph
Published: December 2017

Nursing students and nurses often struggle with understanding pathophysiology concepts. Seventy-five students participated in two phases of an exploratory study that evaluated knowledge of pathophysiology concepts when taught using an innovation known as “visual narrative illustrations” (VNIs). Students taught using VNIs performed significantly better on a knowledge posttest and commented that the VNI humor and visual images helped them learn complex concepts. Used in combination with other teaching strategies, VNIs enhanced knowledge and understanding of pathophysiology concepts.
Histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5) regulates neuropathic pain through SRY-related HMG-box 10 (SOX10)-dependent mechanism in mice
Authors: Gu Pan , Pan Zhiqiang , Wang Xiao-Min , Sun Liting , Tai Lydia Wai , Cheung Chi Wai
Published: December 2017

A strong link between histone deacetylases (HDACs) and nociceptive hypersensitivity has been indicated in different pain models. However, the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we discovered that partial sciatic nerve ligation–induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in mice were associated with increased mRNA and protein expressions of HDAC5 (a member of class IIa HDACs) and SRY-related HMG-box 10 (SOX10) in the ipsilateral lumbar dorsal horn. Gene knockdown of spinal HDAC5 or SOX10 attenuated partial sciatic nerve ligation–induced nociceptive hypersensitivity, companied with decrease of spinal neuronal sensitization markers, namely phosphorylated-Erk, phosphorylated-GluN1 (ser896), and c-Fos. Conversely, overexpression of spinal HDAC5 or SOX10 by lentiviruses in naive mice not only induced pain-like behaviors but also increased the expression of these spinal neuronal sensitization markers. Of note, in contrast to its conventional deacetylation effect to silence gene expression, overexpression of HDAC5 not only enhanced SOX10 expression but also induced nociceptive hypersensitivity in naive mice, which were reversed by SOX10 gene knockdown. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation assay further confirmed a novel nonhistone modulation function of HDACs on SOX10 expression, that is, HDAC5 regulates SOX10 by binding to the promoter region of Sox10 gene. In conclusion, this study for the first time demonstrates that HDAC5 regulates spinal neuronal sensitization in neuropathic pain by upregulating modulating SOX10 expression. Thus, interventions that reduce HDAC5/SOX10 expression may represent promising avenues in the treatment of neuropathic pain.
Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Negative Central Nervous System Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis and Its Clinical Characteristics
Authors: Chen Zhihua , Miao Yifeng , Wu Hui , Wang Ran , Zhou Zhiyi , Zhang Shilei , Chen Longtian , Qiu Yongming
Published: December 2017

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis occasionally affecting central nervous system (CNS), and GPA patients with initial CNS symptoms are even rarer, whose diagnosis is further confused by an absence of positive antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody. The authors described the characteristics of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody -negative GPA with CNS onset in a patient and discussed on its management, which may contribute to future diagnosis and treatment of patients with similar conditions.
Efficacy of a Dual-ring Wound Protector for Prevention of Surgical Site Infections After Pancreaticoduodenectomy in Patients With Intrabiliary Stents
Authors: Bressan Alexsander K. , Aubin Jean-Michel , Martel Guillaume , Dixon Elijah , Bathe Oliver F. , Sutherland Francis R. , Balaa Fady , Mimeault Richard , Edwards Janet P. , Grondin Sean C. , Isherwood Susan , Lillemoe Keith D. , Saeed Sara , Ball Chad G.
Published: December 2017

Objective:

To evaluate the efficacy of a dual-ring wound protector for preventing incisional surgical site infection (SSI) among patients with preoperative biliary stents undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD).

Methods and analysis:

This study was a parallel, dual-arm, double-blind randomized controlled trial. Adult patients with a biliary stent undergoing elective PD at 2 tertiary care institutions were included (February 2013 to May 2016). Patients were randomly assigned to receive a surgical dual-ring wound protector or no wound protector, and also the current standard of care. The main outcome measure was incisional SSI, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, within 30 days of the index operation.

Results:

A total of 107 patients were recruited (mean age 67.2 years; standard deviation 12.9; 65% male). No significant differences were identified between the intervention and control groups (age, sex, body mass index, preoperative comorbidities, American Society of Anesthesiologists class, prestent cholangitis). There was a significant reduction in the incidence of incisional SSI in the wound protector group (21.1% vs 44.0%; relative risk reduction 52%; P = 0.010). Patients with completed PD also displayed a decrease in incisional SSI with use of the wound protector compared with those palliated surgically (27.3% vs 48.7%; P = 0.04). Multivariate analysis did not identify any significant modifying factor relationships (estimated blood loss, duration of surgery, hospital site, etc.) (P > 0.05).

Conclusion:

Among adult patients with intrabiliary stents, the use of a dual-ring wound protector during PD significantly reduces the risk of incisional SSI.
Cognitive bias modification for facial interpretation: a randomized controlled trial of transfer to self-report and cognitive measures in a healthy sample
Authors: Peters S. E. , Lumsden J. , Peh O. H. , Penton-Voak I. S. , Munafò M. R. , Robinson O. J.
Published: December 2017

Cognitive bias modification is a potential low-intensity intervention for mood disorders, but previous studies have shown mixed success. This study explored whether facial interpretation bias modification (FIBM), a similar paradigm designed to shift emotional interpretation (and/or perception) of faces would transfer to: (i) self-reported symptoms and (ii) a battery of cognitive tasks. In a preregistered, double-blind randomized controlled trial, healthy participants received eight online sessions of FIBM (
N
 = 52) or eight sham sessions (
N
 = 52). While we replicate that FIBM successfully shifts ambiguous facial expression interpretation in the intervention group, this failed to transfer to the majority of self-report or cognitive measures. There was, however, weak, inconclusive evidence of transfer to a self-report measure of stress, a cognitive measure of anhedonia, and evidence that results were moderated by trait anxiety (whereby transference was greatest in those with higher baseline symptoms). We discuss the need for work in both larger and clinical samples, while urging caution that these FIBM training effects may not transfer to clinically relevant domains.
Dispersing hydrophobic natural colourant β-carotene in shellac particles for enhanced stability and tunable colour
Authors: Chen Dong , Zhao Chun-Xia , Lagoin Camille , Hai Mingtan , Arriaga Laura R. , Koehler Stephan , Abbaspourrad Alireza , Weitz David A.
Published: December 2017

Colour is one of the most important visual attributes of food and is directly related to the perception of food quality. The interest in natural colourants, especially β-carotene that not only imparts colour but also has well-documented health benefits, has triggered the research and development of different protocols designed to entrap these hydrophobic natural molecules to improve their stability against oxidation. Here, we report a versatile microfluidic approach that uses single emulsion droplets as templates to prepare microparticles loaded with natural colourants. The solution of β-carotene and shellac in the solvent is emulsified by microfluidics into droplets. Upon solvent diffusion, β-carotene and shellac co-precipitates, forming solid microparticles of β-carotene dispersed in the shellac polymer matrix. We substantially improve the stability of β-carotene that is protected from oxidation by the polymer matrix and achieve different colour appearances by loading particles with different β-carotene concentrations. These particles demonstrate great promise for practical use in natural food colouring.
Synthesis and hydrogenation application of Pt–Pd bimetallic nanocatalysts stabilized by macrocycle-modified dendrimer
Authors: Jin Zhijun , Xiao Haiyan , Zhou Wei , Zhang Dongqiao , Peng Xiaohong
Published: December 2017

Different generations of poly(propylene imine) (G

n

-PPI) terminated with N-containing 15-membered triolefinic macrocycle (G

n

M) (
n
 = 2, 3, 4, 5) were prepared. The bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts G

n

M-(Pt

x

/Pd

10−
x

) (
x
 = 0, 3, 5, 7, 10) were prepared by the synchronous ligand-exchange reaction between G

n

M and the complexes of Pt(PPh
3
)
4
and Pd(PPh
3
)
4
. The structure and catalytic properties of G

n

M-(Pt

x

/Pd

10−
x

) were characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,
1
H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The novel bimetallic Pd–Pt nanoparticle catalysts stabilized by dendrimers (DSNs) present higher catalytic activities for the hydrogenation of dimeric acid (DA) than that of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR). It can be concluded that bimetallic Pd–Pt DSNs possess alloying and synergistic electronic effects on account of the hydrogenation degree (HD) of DA and NBR. Furthermore, the HD of DA and NBR shows a remarkable decrease with the incremental generations (
n
) of G

n

M-(Pt
3
/Pd
7
) (
n
 = 2, 3, 4, 5).
A novel luminescent ionic trinuclear Cu3I2 cluster cuprous complex supported by a P^N ligand: synthesis, structure characterization, properties and TD–DFT calculations
Authors: Zhu Qiu-Meng , Song Li , Chai Wen-Xiang , Shen Hang-Yan , Wei Qin-Hua , Qin Lai-Shun
Published: December 2017

Luminescent cuprous complexes are an important class of coordination compounds due to their relative abundance, low cost and ability to display excellent luminescence. The title ionic trinuclear Cu3I2 complex, tris[μ2-diphenyl(pyridin-2-yl)phosphane-κ2
P:N]di-μ3-iodido-tricopper(I)(3 Cu—Cu) hexafluoridophosphate, [Cu3I2(C39H32NP)3]PF6, conventionally abbreviated as [Cu3I2(Ph2PPy)3]PF6, is described. Each CuI atom is coordinated by two μ3-iodide ligands and by a P and an N atom from two Ph2PPy ligands, giving rise to a CuI2PN tetrahedral coordination geometry about each CuI centre. The electronic absorption and photoluminescence properties of this trinuclear cluster have been studied on as-synthesized samples, which had been examined previously by powder X-ray diffraction. A detailed time-dependent density functional theory (TD–DFT) study was carried out and showed a green emission derived from a halide-to-ligand charge transfer and metal-to-ligand charge transfer 3(X+M)LCT excited state.
In-line stereo-camera assisted robotic spot welding quality control system
Authors: Deniz Cengiz , Cakir Mustafa
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to design a robotic inline measurement system for spot welding quality control to achieve process requirement without any operator during the manufacturing flow.

Design/methodology/approach

A robot manipulator carries a stereo-camera and an ultrasonic control probe. The center position of the spot welding point is determined by evaluating the results of the edge, gradient and symmetry approaches from the methods proposed up to now in the literature to increase reliability. The center position of the spot welding point, determined in the camera reference plane, is transferred to the robot base plane coordinates with the hand–eye calibration proposed in this manuscript. Weld quality is checked by the ultrasonic test probe located at the spot welding point.

Findings

While operators can only control welding quality, the developed station can also evaluate the quality based on geometric accuracy by processing the deviation of the position of the spot welding points. The proposed calibration method and the results of other methods in the literature are presented in this study by comparing it with synthetic data in simulations and in practical application.

Research limitations/implications

The quality control is performed not only for the spot welding made with robots but also for the manual welds as well. Because of vision configuration, and reliability issues, maximum allowable offset by the correct spot position is limited to 20 mm to position the manipulator for testing. The installation and pretest works of the developed robotic welding quality control station are completed in the Body Shop Area of Ford Otosan factory in Kocaeli/Turkey. The results of the robotic control process are monitored by the quality assurance team. Integration of automation with the production line will be completed and an inline measurement will be done.

Originality value

In this paper, a new hand–eye calibration method based on simple and closed-form analytical solutions has been presented. The objective function is defined as reducing the deviation in the point projection, rather than reducing the error in the calibration equation. To increase reliability, combining the results of existing centering algorithms for the detection of the strongly deformed spot welding spot center, although it is normally in a circular form, has been suggested.
Computational and experimental study on dynamics behavior of a bionic underwater robot with multi-flexible caudal fins
Authors: Xie Ou , Li Boquan , Yan Qin
Published: December 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a novel type of bionic underwater robot (BUR) with multi-flexible caudal fins. With the coordinate movement of multi-caudal fins, BUR will combine the undulation propulsion mode of carangiform fish and jet propulsion mode of jellyfish together organically. The use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and experimental method helps to reveal the effect of caudal fin stiffness and motion parameters on its hydrodynamic forces.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the prototype of BUR was given by mimicking the shape and propulsion mechanism of both carangiform fish and jellyfish. Besides, the kinematics models in both undulation and jet propulsion modes were established. Then, the effects of caudal fin stiffness on its hydrodynamic forces were investigated based on the CFD method. Finally, an experimental set-up was developed to test and verify the effects of the caudal fin stiffness on its hydrodynamic forces under different caudal fin actuation frequency and amplitude.

Findings

The results of this paper demonstrate that BUR with multi-flexible caudal fins combines the hydrodynamic characteristics of undulation and jet propulsion modes. In addition, the caudal fin with medium stiffness can generate larger thrust force and reduce the reactive power.

Practical implications

This paper implies that robotic fish can be equipped with both undulation and jet propulsion modes to optimize the swimming performance in the future.

Originality/value

This paper provides a BUR with multi-propulsion modes, which has the merits of high propulsion efficiency, high acceleration performance and overcome the head shaken problem effectively.
Halal risk mitigation in the Australian–Indonesian red meat supply chain
Authors: Maman Ujang , Mahbubi Akhmad , Jie Ferry
Published: December 2017

Purpose

This study aims to identify halal risk events, halal risk agents, measure halal risk level and formulate the halal risk control model (mitigation) in all stages in the beef supply chain from Australia to Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

This research combines qualitative and quantitative method. It elaborates nine variables as the Halal Control Point: halal animal, animal welfare, stunning, knife, slaughter person, slaughter method, invocation, packaging, labeling and halal meat. This study uses house of risk, a model for proactive supply chain risk.

Findings

The main mitigation strategies to guarantee the halal beef status in the abattoir is the obligation of vendor or the factory to issue a written manual of stunning tool. The priority of halal risk mitigation strategies for the retailing to avoid the meat contamination is the need of a halal policy for transporter’s companies and supermarkets.

Research limitations/implications

Every actor must be strongly committed to the application of halal risk mitigation strategies and every chain must be implemented in the halal assurance system.

Originality/value

This model will be a good reference for halal meat auditing and reference for halal meat import procurement policy.
Identifying high-value airlines customers for strategies of online marketing systems
Authors: Chiang Wen-Yu
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to discover valuable customers for enterprises. The international market of Taiwan airlines can be enhanced; thus, this study aims at Taiwan’s airline market as a research area.

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses data mining technologies with a proposed model to analyse airline customer values for big data online marketing systems, such as customer relationship management (CRM) system. The research applied supervised apriori algorithm, socio-economic variables and a proposed model to discover the rules/markets.

Findings

The results show that eight markets were discovered and three association rules were established for business systems of airlines.

Originality/value

The valuable travellers/markets can be discovered by this research. By collecting shoppers’ transactional data, global online CRM and point of sales (POS) systems can be big data marketing systems. The research framework can be easily applied in online CRM/POS or big data marketing systems for international airlines; however, it is for other global businesses as well.
Dermoscopic features distinctive for extraocular sebaceous carcinoma
Authors: Horimoto Kohei , Kato Junji , Sumikawa Yasuyuki , Hida Tokimasa , Kamiya Takafumi , Sato Sayuri , Takahashi Hitomi , Sawada Masahide , Yamashita Toshiharu , Uhara Hisashi
Published: December 2017

We examined dermoscopic features of three cases of extraocular sebaceous carcinoma and reviewed the literatures. The yellowish structures, polymorphous vessels and ulceration were common findings in our cases and all cases of the previous reports. The appearance of whitish‐pink areas has not been described previously. Our results suggested that the combination of four dermoscopic features, whitish‐pink areas, yellowish structures, polymorphous vessels and ulceration might be distinctive in extraocular sebaceous carcinoma.
Long‐term administration of oral macrolides for acne treatment increases macrolide‐resistant Propionibacterium acnes
Authors: Nakase Keisuke , Okamoto Yuhei , Aoki Sae , Noguchi Norihisa
Published: December 2017

Macrolide‐resistant Propionibacterium acnes are frequently isolated from patients with acne vulgaris, and the most resistant isolates (>90% resistance) have the 23S rRNA mutation. An increase in resistant P. acnes with this mutation is thought to be caused by the inappropriate use of antimicrobials. Therefore, we studied the mutation frequency of macrolide resistance in P. acnes in vitro. When P. acnes mutants were exposed to clarithromycin after being incubated in broth without antimicrobials, resistant mutants with the 23S rRNA mutation were not isolated. However, the mutants were obtained at the frequency of 10−6 after being pre‐incubated with 0.03 μg/mL of antimicrobials. This is the estimated epidermal concentration of clarithromycin after p.o. administration. The resistant mutants had the 23S rRNA mutations A2058G, A2059G and C2611G. When pre‐incubated with clarithromycin, C2611G mutants which showed resistance to clarithromycin were obtained 32.1% more often than pre‐incubated with clindamycin (P < 0.01). By contrast, when pre‐incubated with clindamycin, A2058G mutants, which show high‐level resistance to both clarithromycin and clindamycin, were more frequently obtained than pre‐incubated with clarithromycin (87.5%, P < 0.01). No difference in the isolation rate of A2059G mutants, which show high‐level resistance to macrolides but low‐level resistance to clindamycin, was found with either treatment. These results indicate the possibility that long‐term use of oral macrolides for acne treatment facilitate the increase of macrolide‐resistant P. acnes.
Microdata: a critical source for policy evaluation
Authors: Poppe Krijn , Vrolijk Hans
Published: December 2017

The FLINT project (Farm Level Indicators for New Topics in policy evaluation) was aimed at testing the feasibility of collecting data on the sustainability performance of farms through the European Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). The project defined a list of sustainability themes based on an assessment of policy needs, the existing literature and a review of national initiatives to measure sustainability. Data were collected in nine Member States (Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain) from 1,100 farms of different types. Although some problems were encountered, mainly due to the initial pilot project character of FLINT, we conclude that data collection is feasible, whatever the way a Member State has organised its data collection for FADN. The FLINT project has investigated options for upscaling the results from 9 to 28 Member States to create a representative panel with farm‐level sustainability data. This leads to the conclusion that the most attractive option is to reduce the current FADN sample in order to provide the sustainability data that are urgently needed for improved policy evaluation. This could be done without sacrificing information on other important indicators, such as income from farming.
Romantic electricity: Fields and currents in recent research
Authors: Fairclough Mary
Published: December 2017

Romantic writings about electricity have proved a fruitful topic for recent scholars of the period, and the study of electrical discourse is a fast‐growing interdisciplinary field. This essay offers a survey of the best work on Romantic electricity, focusing on 2 key areas: the ways in which electricity appears as an image of revolutionary activity, and the use of electric imagery in Romantic poetry as a figure for creativity and vitality. In assessing such recent work, this essay argues for the importance of reading Romantic electrical texts within the context of the material experimental cultures of period. Such historical attention reveals that electrical language is amazingly ubiquitous in the Romantic period, and is used in a variety of ways in literary and political texts. Awareness of this rich body of electrical texts offers scholars opportunities to move beyond assigning electricity a particular political valence, and to investigate the operation of electrical language in the work of a wide range of authors.
An advanced radiometric calibration approach for uncooled thermal cameras
Authors: Lin Dong , Maas Hans‐Gerd , Westfeld Patrick , Budzier Helmut , Gerlach Gerald
Published: December 2017

Uncooled thermal cameras are increasingly used in thermography applications due to their lower cost and size. However, there are two significant limiting constraints which must be taken into consideration in a radiometric calibration before the actual application: (i) temporal non‐uniformity (a temperature‐dependent drift problem); and (ii) spatial non‐uniformity (fixed‐pattern noise – FPN). Conventional temporal non‐uniformity corrections (NUC) take advantage of an internal reference source but such methods are not valid for sequential images when the focal‐plane array (FPA) temperature is changing rapidly. A novel shutterless correction method is proposed to stabilise the camera's response. Moreover, instead of implementing the spatial NUC first, multi‐point correction is leveraged to remove FPN after the temporal NUC. Finally, a Planck curve is applied to convert thermal image values into object temperatures. Experimental results show that the proposed method is more effective for images with rapidly changing FPA temperatures than conventional shutterless methods and traditional shutter‐based methods.
A Potential Tool for the Study of Venous Ulcers: Blood Flow Responses to Load
Authors: Pan Wu , Drost Joshua P. , Roccabianca Sara , Baek Seungik , Bush Tamara Reid
Published: December 2017

Venous ulcers are deep wounds that are located predominantly on the lower leg. They are prone to infection and once healed have a high probability of recurrence. Currently, there are no effective measures to predict and prevent venous ulcers from formation. Hence, the goal of this work was to develop a Windkessel-based model that can be used to identify hemodynamic parameters that change between healthy individuals and those with wounds. Once identified, these parameters have the potential to be used as indicators of when internal conditions change, putting the patient at higher risk for wound formation. In order to achieve this goal, blood flow responses in lower legs were measured experimentally by a laser Doppler perfusion monitor (LDPM) and simulated with a modeling approach. A circuit model was developed on the basis of the Windkessel theory. The hemodynamic parameters were extracted for three groups: legs with ulcers (“wounded”), legs without ulcers but from ulcer patients (“nonwounded”), and legs without vascular disease (“healthy”). The model was executed by two independent operators, and both operators reported significant differences between wounded and healthy legs in localized vascular resistance and compliance. The model successfully replicated the experimental blood flow profile. The global and local vascular resistances and compliance parameters rendered quantifiable differences between a population with venous ulcers and healthy individuals. This work supports that the Windkessel modeling approach has the potential to determine patient specific parameters that can be used to identify when conditions change making venous ulcer formation more likely.
Draft Genome Sequence of Immunobiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus Strain IBL027, a Potential Adjuvant for Mucosal Vaccine Development
Authors: Vizoso-Pinto María Guadalupe , Saavedra Lucila , Hebert Elvira Maria , Raya Tonetti Fernanda , Albarracín Leonardo , Alvarez Susana , Kitazawa Haruki , Villena Julio
Published: December 2017

The genome sequence of the immunomodulatory strain
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
strain IBL027 is described here. The reads were assembled into contigs with a total size 2,898,501 bp. The genome information will be useful for further specific genetic studies of this strain to evaluate its immunomodulatory and biotechnological properties as a vaccine adjuvant.
Complete Genome Sequence of the Kiwifruit Pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae Biovar 5, Originating from Japan
Authors: Poulter Russell , Taiaroa George , Sumpter Nicholas , Stockwell Peter , Butler Margi
Published: December 2017

We present the first complete genome sequence of a copper-resistant biovar 5 strain of a bacterial pathogen of kiwifruit,
Pseudomonas syringae
pv. actinidiae. Comparison with the genome sequence of a copper-sensitive biovar 5 isolate indicates that copper resistance is encoded on a plasmid.
Point-Counterpoint: Piperacillin-Tazobactam Should Be Used To Treat Infections with Extended-Spectrum-Beta-Lactamase-Positive Organisms
Authors: Schuetz Audrey N. , Reyes Sergio , Tamma Pranita D.
Published: December 2017

INTRODUCTION

Beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combination antimicrobials (BLBLIs) are among the most controversial classes of antibiotic agents available for the treatment of infections caused by extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Gram-negative bacteria (ESBL-GNR). Piperacillin-tazobactam (PTZ) is one of the most frequently utilized antibiotic agents for empirical Gram-negative bacterial coverage and remains active against a large proportion of ESBL-GNR strains. Furthermore, good antimicrobial stewardship practices encourage the use of carbapenem-sparing treatment regimens for infections due to ESBL-GNR. As rapid diagnostics are increasingly used in the clinical microbiology laboratory and have the capability of detecting CTX-M type or other ESBL resistance mechanisms, this issue continues to be pertinent. Some data imply reduced efficacy of PTZ against ESBLs. Several factors may affect a clinician's choice to use BLBLIs, including the isolate's MIC, the site and severity of infection, and the type of resistance mechanism. These factors are explored in this review of the pros and cons of BLBLI treatment of invasive infections due to ESBL-producing bacteria, as well as how laboratories should report results for BLBLIs for these organisms as they relate to antimicrobial stewardship. In this Point-Counterpoint, Audrey Schuetz provides the pro point of view and Sergio Reyes and Pranita Tamma provide the con, counterpoint view.
FaecalibacteriumGut Colonization Is Accelerated by Presence of Older Siblings
Authors: Laursen Martin Frederik , Laursen Rikke Pilmann , Larnkjær Anni , Mølgaard Christian , Michaelsen Kim F. , Frøkiær Hanne , Bahl Martin Iain , Licht Tine Rask
Published: December 2017

Faecalibacterium prausnitziihas been suggested to constitute a key marker of a healthy gut, yet the factors shaping the colonization of this highly oxygen-sensitive, non-spore-forming species in the intestinal environment remain poorly understood. Here, we provide evidence from three separate infant study populations thatF. prausnitziicolonization in the gut happens during late infancy and is affected by the number of older siblings in the family. We conclude thatFaecalibacteriumacquisition is highly likely to be accelerated by contact between siblings. Bearing in mind the immunoregulatory properties ofF. prausnitziiand the well-established protective effects against allergic disorders related to the presence of older siblings, early colonization of this species may have profound consequences for child health.
Spotting Trip Purposes from Taxi Trajectories
Authors: Wang Pengfei , Liu Guannan , Fu Yanjie , Zhou Yuanchun , Li Jianhui
Published: December 2017

What is the purpose of a trip? What are the unique human mobility patterns and spatial contexts in or near the pickup points and delivery points of trajectories for a specific trip purpose? Many prior studies have modeled human mobility patterns in urban regions; however, these analytics mainly focus on interpreting the semantic meanings of geographic topics at an aggregate level. Given the lack of information about human activities at pick-up and dropoff points, it is challenging to convert the prior studies into effective tools for inferring trip purposes. To address this challenge, in this article, we study large-scale taxi trajectories from an unsupervised perspective in light of the following observations. First, the POI configurations of origin and destination regions closely relate to the urban functionality of these regions and further indicate various human activities. Second, with respect to the functionality of neighborhood environments, trip purposes can be discerned from the transitions between regions with different functionality at particular time periods.

Along these lines, we develop a general probabilistic framework for spotting trip purposes from massive taxi GPS trajectories. Specifically, we first augment the origin and destination regions of trajectories by attaching neighborhood POIs. Then, we introduce a latent factor,
POI Topic
, to represent the mixed functionality of the regions, such that each origin or destination point in the city can be modeled as a mixture over POI Topics. In addition, considering the transitions from origins to destinations at specific time periods, the trip time is generated collaboratively from the pairwise POI Topics at both ends of the O-D pairs, constituting
POI Links
, and hence the trip purpose can be explained semantically by the POI Links. Finally, we present extensive experiments with the real-world data of New York City to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method for spotting trip purposes, and moreover, the model is validated to perform well in predicting the destinations and trip time among all the baseline methods.
ECS
Authors: Swami Shivam , Palangappa Poovaiah M. , Mohanram Kartik
Published: December 2017

Emerging nonvolatile memories (NVMs) suffer from low write endurance, resulting in early cell failures (hard errors), which reduce memory lifetime. It was recognized early on that conventional error-correcting codes (ECCs), which are designed for soft errors, are a poor choice for addressing hard errors in NVMs. This led to the evolution of hard error correction schemes like dynamically replicated memory (DRM), error-correcting pointers (ECPs), SAFER, FREE-p, PAYG, and Zombie memory to improve NVM lifetime. Whereas these approaches made significant inroads in addressing hard errors and low memory lifetime in NVMs, overcoming the challenges of underutilization of error-correcting resources and/or implementation overhead (e.g., codec latency, hardware support) remain areas of active research and development.

This article proposes error-correcting strings (ECSs) as a high-utilization, low-latency solution for hard error correction in single-/multi-/triple-level cell (SLC/MLC/TLC) NVMs. At its core, ECS adopts a base-offset approach to store pointers to the failed memory cells; in this work, base is the address of the first failed cell in a memory block and offsets are the distances between successive failed cells in that memory block. Unlike ECP, which uses fixed-length pointers, ECS uses variable-length offsets to point to the failed cells, thereby realizing more pointers to tolerate more hard errors per memory block. Further, this article proposes eXtended-ECS (XECS), a page-level error correction architecture, which employs dynamic on-demand ECS allocation and opportunistic pattern-based data compression to improve NVM lifetime by 2× over ECP-6 for comparable overhead and negligible impact to system performance. Finally, this article demonstrates that ECS is a drop-in replacement for ECP to extend the lifetime of state-of-the-art ECP-based techniques like PAYG and Zombie memory; ECS is also compatible with MLC/TLC NVMs, where it complements drift-induced soft error reduction techniques like ECC and incomplete data mapping to simultaneously extend NVM lifetime.