bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of entropy on the nucleation of cavitation bubbles in water under tension
Authors: Menzl Georg , Dellago Christoph
Published: October 2016

Water can exist in a metastable liquid state under tension for long times before the system relaxes into the vapor via cavitation, i.e., bubble nucleation. Microscopic information on the cavitation process can be extracted from experimental data by the use of the nucleation theorem, which relates measured cavitation rates to the size of the critical bubble. To apply the nucleation theorem to experiments performed along an isochoric path, for instance, in cavitation experiments in mineral inclusions, knowledge of the bubble entropy is required. Using computer simulations, we compute the entropy of bubbles in water as a function of their volume over a wide range of tensions from free energy calculations. We find that the bubble entropy is an important contribution to the free energy that significantly lowers the barrier to bubble nucleation, thereby facilitating cavitation. Furthermore, the bubble entropy per surface area depends on the curvature of the liquid–vapor interface, decreasing approximately linearly with its mean curvature over the studied range of bubble volumes. At room temperature, the entropy of a flat liquid–vapor interface at ambient pressure is very similar to that of critical bubbles over a wide range of tensions, which justifies the use of the former as an approximation when interpreting data from experiments. Based on our simulation results, we obtain an estimate for the volume of the critical bubble from experimentally measured cavitation rates.
Asymmetric drift instability of magnetosonic waves in anisotropic plasmas
Authors: Bashir M. F. , Chen Lunjin
Published: October 2016

The general dispersion relation of obliquely propagating magneto-sonic (MS) waves for the inhomogeneous and anisotropic plasmas is analyzed including the effect of wave-particle interaction. The numerical analysis is performed without expanding both the plasma dispersion and the modified Bessel functions to highlight the effects of density inhomogeneity and the temperature anisotropy. The obtained results are compared with the recent work [Naim et al., Phys. Plasmas 22, 062117 (2015)], where only drift mode near the magnetosonic frequency is investigated. In our paper, we additionally analyzed two related modes depicting that the drift effect leads to an asymmetric behavior in the dispersion properties of drift MS waves. The possible application to the solar coronal heating problem has also been discussed.
An electro-active polymer based lens module for dynamically varying focal system
Authors: Yun Sungryul , Park Suntak , Nam Saekwang , Park Bongje , Park Seung Koo , Mun Seongcheol , Lim Jeong Mook , Kyung Ki-Uk
Published: October 2016

We demonstrate a polymer-based active-lens module allowing a dynamic focus controllable optical system with a wide tunable range. The active-lens module is composed of parallelized two active-lenses with a convex and a concave shaped hemispherical lens structure, respectively. Under operation with dynamic input voltage signals, each active-lens produces translational movement bi-directionally responding to a hybrid driving force that is a combination of an electro-active response of a thin dielectric elastomer membrane and an electro-static attraction force. Since the proposed active lens module widely modulates a gap-distance between lens-elements, an optical system based on the active-lens module provides widely-variable focusing for selective imaging of objects in arbitrary position.
Enhancement of thermospin effect in ZGNRs via p-n co-doping on edge
Authors: Pan Ting-Ting , Wang Xue-Feng , Zhai Ming-Xing , Liu Yu-Shen , Wu Jian-Chun , Xu Chen
Published: October 2016

Electronic and thermoelectric properties are studied for ferromagnetic zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs) co-doped by a pair of boron and nitrogen atoms on one edge. In case of the 1st nearest neighbor co-doping, the two dopants are partly neutralized by each other and the corresponding impurity states approach to the Fermi energy symmetrically from high and low energies. As a result, the electronic properties are effectively manipulated and the conductances of different spin show opposite behaviours. Over a large range from zero temperature to higher-than-room temperature, the system shows a strong spin thermopower with a spin Seebeck coefficient much bigger than the charge one. These findings suggest that doped ZGNRs can be promising materials for spintronic and thermospintronic devices.
Polarization characteristics of electroluminescence and net modal gain in highly stacked InAs/GaAs quantum-dot laser devices
Authors: Suwa Masaya , Andachi Takaya , Kaizu Toshiyuki , Harada Yukihiro , Kita Takashi
Published: October 2016

We studied the polarization anisotropy of electroluminescence (EL) and net modal gain characteristics of laser device structures containing 40 stacked InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) layers. The electronic coupling between the closely stacked QDs enhanced the transverse-magnetic (TM) polarization component owing to the heavy- and light-hole mixing. Thereby, the [110]-waveguide devices exhibited a laser oscillation of not only the transverse-electric (TE) but also the TM component. Laser oscillation occurred at 1137 nm from the first excited state for the 300-μm-long cavity, while it occurred at 1167 nm from the ground state for the 1000-μm-long cavity. The polarization anisotropy of the EL intensity strongly depended on the injection current density. The polarized EL intensity was almost isotropic at low injection current density. As the injection current density was increased, the TE component was gradually enhanced, which resulted in a markedly TE-dominant anisotropy above the threshold current density for laser oscillation. The net modal gains evaluated using the Hakki-Paoli method also exhibited a TE-enhanced characteristic with increasing injection current density. As the EL spectra of the TE component have an inhomogeneous broadening narrower than that of the TM component, the TE-mode intensity is likely to be enhanced by the concentration of the injected carriers.
Half-metallicity in highly L21-ordered CoFeCrAl thin films
Authors: Jin Y. , Kharel P. , Valloppilly S. R. , Li X.-Z. , Kim D. R. , Zhao G. J. , Chen T. Y. , Choudhary R. , Kashyap A. , Skomski R. , Sellmyer D. J.
Published: October 2016

The structural, magnetic, and electron-transport properties of Heusler-ordered CoFeCrAl thin films are investigated experimentally and theoretically. The films, sputtered onto MgO and having thicknesses of about 100 nm, exhibit virtually perfect single-crystalline epitaxy and a high degree of L21 chemical order. X-ray diffraction and transmission-electron microscopy show that the structure of the films is essentially of the L21 Heusler type. The films are ferrimagnetic, with a Curie temperature of about 390 K, and a net moment of 2 μB per formula unit. The room temperature resistivity is 175 μΩ cm; the carrier concentration and mobility determined from the low temperature (5 K) measurement are 1.2 × 1018 cm−3 and 33 cm2/V s, respectively. In contrast to the well-investigated Heusler alloys such as Co2(Cr1−xFex)Al, the CoFeCrAl system exhibits two main types of weak residual A2 disorder, namely, Co-Cr disorder and Fe-Cr disorder, the latter conserving half-metallicity. Point-contact Andreev reflection yields a lower bound for the spin polarization, 68% at 1.85 K, but our structural and magnetization analyses suggest that the spin polarization at the Fermi level is probably higher than 90%. The high resistivity, spin polarization, and Curie temperature are encouraging in the context of spin electronics.
Exploring attitudes towards sexting of young people: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Lim Megan S. C. , Vella Alyce M. , Horyniak Danielle R. , Hellard Margaret E.
Published: October 2016

Background
Sexting is a common emerging phenomenon. This study aims to explore young people’s attitudes towards sexting. Methods: Participants (n = 469, age range 15–29 years) were recruited at a music festival and self-completed a questionnaire. Attitudes towards sexting were assessed using a series of seven statements, rated on a five-point Likert scale from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’. Correlates of sexting attitudes were determined using multivariable regression. Results: Forty-six percent of respondents reported ever sexting. Most (88%) agreed ‘It’s risky for a girl to send a naked picture of herself,’ fewer agreed with the statement ‘It’s risky for a boy to send a naked picture of himself’ (77%). Thirty percent agreed that ‘If someone I’d just started seeing sent me a sext I might show it to some friends,’ however, only 14% might do the same with a sext from a boyfriend or girlfriend (this did not differ by sex). More permissive attitudes to sexting were associated with being male, lower sexual health knowledge, inconsistent condom use with casual partners, and higher alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Although the majority of young people surveyed agreed that sexting was risky it was a common practice. Given the potential psychosocial impact of sharing sexts without consent, it was concerning that up to a third of participants indicated they might do so. The findings of this study have implications for informing education on sexting.
Red Scare 2.0
Authors: Fuchs Christian
Published: October 2016

This paper asks: How has Jeremy Corbyn been framed in discourses on Twitter in an ideological manner and how have such ideological discourses been challenged? It uses ideology critique as method for the investigation of tweets mentioning Jeremy Corbyn that were collected during the final phase of the Labour Party’s 2015 leadership election. The analysis shows how user-generated ideology portrays Jeremy Corbyn by creating discourse topics focused on general scapegoating, the economy, foreign politics, culture and authoritarianism.
Assessing soil permeability impacts from irrigation with marginal-quality waters.
Authors: Sposito G. , Oster J. D. , Smith C. J. , Assouline S.
Published: October 2016

Increasing global freshwater scarcity and the demand for food from an expanding world population point to an urgent need to develop treated wastewater (WW) generated by farms and municipalities as an alternative water resource for irrigated agriculture. This approach, however, cannot be successful without an accurate assessment of its potential for causing a serious reduction in soil permeability, as numerous case studies have shown. In addition to sodium, treated WWs can have elevated concentrations of potassium, magnesium and organic carbon, which also may impact soil structure negatively. However, no irrigation water quality guidelines for these constituents exist in order to assess this possibility. This review documents field and laboratory evidence for potassium and magnesium as dispersive cations, as well as the impacts of dissolved organic carbon on exchangeable sodium and soil permeability. In light of the evidence presented, a recently-proposed irrigation water quality parameter, the Cation Ratio of Structural Stability, is evaluated as to its ability to predict potential soil permeability problems arising from exchangeable potassium and magnesium that are not accounted for in standard irrigation water quality criteria. The effect of dissolved organic carbon on this new diagnostic parameter, as well as its incorporation into irrigation water quality criteria, are discussed along with the role that transient-state models having both transport and geochemistry components will play in the continuing development of guidelines for using marginal-quality water in irrigated agriculture.
Performance and physiological effects of different descending strategies for cross‐country mountain biking
Authors: Miller Matthew C. , Macdermid Paul W. , Fink Phil W. , Stannard Stephen R.
Published: October 2016

This study investigated the performance‐related feasibility and physiological benefits of purposefully eliminating propulsive work while descending in mountain biking and compared values to those measured during road descending. Participants cycled uphill on a road at race pace before descending over three conditions (off‐road pedalling; off‐road coasting; road coasting). Relatively low power output during off‐road pedalling was associated with a greater oxygen uptake (p < .01) when compared with off‐road coasting despite no difference in vibration exposure (p > .05). Importantly, pedalling did not invoke a performance benefit (p > .05) on the descent used in this study. Significantly greater heart rate and oxygen uptake (both p < .01) were observed between road and off‐road descending, likely caused by the increase in terrain‐induced vibrations (p < .01) experienced between the bicycle and rider. Results indicate that reducing propulsive work during descending can improve recovery without being disadvantageous to performance. Similarly, the vibrations experienced during road descending are relatively low, and further reduce oxygen cost. In an effort to increase efficiency, it is recommended that mountain bike athletes focus on skills to increase descending speed without the addition of pedalling, and that equipment be used to decrease vibrations nearer to those seen on the road.
A Case Study of the Progressive Era Librarian Edith Guerrier: The Public Library, Social Reform, ‘New Women’, and Urban Immigrant Girls
Authors: Bausman Margaret
Published: October 2016

This paper investigates the intertwined evolution of librarianship and social welfare work during the Progressive Era (1900–1920) via a case study of the librarian Edith Guerrier (1870–1958). From 1898 through 1917, Guerrier worked in the immigrant community of Boston's North End. She established a programme of girls' reading groups that provided access to core elements of a progressive liberal arts education. The most notable of these was the Saturday Evening Girls (SEG). Concurrently, Guerrier established the Paul Revere Pottery, a retail art pottery studio run by the young women of the SEG. Using Guerrier's varied career as a starting point, this paper explores the role of the ‘new woman’ as an agent of social change versus social control, progressive library programmes and their promotion of reading material, and issues of acculturation, cultural plurality, and personal agency among immigrant girls and young women.
From the Far East to the Far West. Portuguese Discourse on Translation: A case study of Camilo Pessanha
Authors: Pinto Marta Pacheco
Published: October 2016

The history of translation is a site of memory that gathers testimonies of various kinds, from texts to images, from translated literature to statements reflecting on translation praxis. In Portugal, the existing anthologies of comments on translation into Portuguese are heavily dependent on a Eurocentric view of Portuguese literary and translation history, and rather neglect or elide the discourses of those who translate(d) lesser known literatures, particularly those written in non-Western languages, as is the case of Chinese and Japanese. The present article conceptualizes a project that seeks to put together a collection of meta-discourses by translation agents working with languages and textual traditions other than Western. The aim of such a project is to delocalize Portugal’s history of translation by offering a corpus that testifies to the long-term cultural transfers between two geographical extremes: the Far East, which here refers exclusively to China and Japan, and the Far West, which is where I position Portugal from the viewpoint of the Far East. This anthology of texts about a Far Eastern geocultural periphery in translation would be an important bibliographical source for historical research necessary to (re)think, (re)write, and (re)map the Portuguese tradition of translation. The kinds of text to be anthologized are illustrated on the basis of a case study: the preface by the Portuguese symbolist poet Camilo Pessanha (1867–1926) to his direct translation from Chinese into Portuguese of eight elegies from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), which was published in Macau in 1914. The article is thus divided into three parts: the first part provides an historical overview of the translation flows between the Far West and the Far East; the second part sketches the structure of a representative anthology of voices translating from East Asian languages; and the third part analyses Pessanha’s statements on his poetry translations and literariness of Chinese language.
Translating otherness: images of a Chinese city
Authors: Heijns Audrey
Published: October 2016

This article investigates the way Western configurations of Eastern identities are formed. It focusses on how Western encounters in the East are represented in the West and what role translation plays in this process. It probes the representation of those cultural practices and encounters that are particularly prominent in the literary genre of travel writing. Here, three Dutch accounts of travels to Guangzhou (China) from the late nineteenth century will be compared, and their methods of translation will be analyzed. The examples show that a different style of translation can result in a different image of the city and that the travel accounts under investigation possess varying degrees of Orientalizing and appropriative style, even though the three writers follow more or less the same itinerary. It appears that they are not merely providing a representation of the Other, but, in fact, are merging the Other with the Self. Ultimately, the degree of merging the Other with the Self depends on the style of translation and each of these styles is defining for the configuration of identity, which, from a Western view, makes the East appear inferior, superior or universally equal.
Feels like home: homing of mature large-bodied fish following translocation from a power-station canal
Authors: Taylor Matthew D. , Payne Nicholas L. , Becker Alistair , Lowry Michael B.
Published: October 2016

Fish translocation is a common method of conservation and fisheries enhancement. Monitoring post-translocation movements and migration provides useful information to inform translocation strategies. Three species of large-bodied fish (Yellowfin Bream Acanthopagrus australis, Luderick Girella tricuspidata, and Tarwhine Rhabdosargus sarba) impounded in a cooling water canal at a power station were translocated into the adjacent estuary (Lake Macquarie, New South Wales). Translocated fish were tagged with acoustic tags (n = 34) equipped with accelerometer sensors (providing a relative measure of fish activity) and released on either an artificial reef or a natural reef. In addition, 8 free-ranging Yellowfin Bream were captured and tagged on the artificial reef. Fish were tracked throughout Lake Macquarie on a dispersed array of 18 VemcoVR2W receivers, and on the artificial reef using a VR4-UWM Vemco Positioning System, for up to 11 months. Yellowfin Bream and Luderick rapidly migrated back to the power station, whereas Tarwhine remained near the release location. Translocated Yellowfin Bream showed divergent behavioural patterns to free-ranging Yellowfin Bream on the artificial reef, with much higher activity levels, elevated nocturnal activity, and different patterns of habitat usage, possibly reflecting divergent foraging behaviour. This study presents a rare example of non-natal homing to an artificial habitat in several large-bodied marine fish species. The role of low frequency sound in the homing of translocated fish, and factors contributing to the observed behavioural patterns are discussed. The presence of a homing signal which can facilitate return migration may decrease the efficacy of translocation efforts for adult marine fishes; however, these responses are species-specific and will require evaluation on a case-by-case basis.
Local tumor control and DNA-PK activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes in prostate cancer patients receiving radiotherapy
Authors: Someya Masanori , Hasegawa Tomokazu , Hori Masakazu , Matsumoto Yoshihisa , Nakata Kensei , Masumori Naoya , Sakata Koh-ichi
Published: October 2016

Repair of DNA damage is critical for genomic stability, and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) has an important role in repairing double-strand breaks. We examined whether the DNA-PK activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) was related to biochemical (prostate-specific antigen: PSA) relapse and radiation toxicity in prostate cancer patients who have received radiotherapy. A total of 69 patients with localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate participated in this study. Peripheral blood was collected 2 years or later after radiotherapy and centrifuged, then DNA-PK activity was measured by a filter binding assay. The high DNA-PK activity group had a significantly higher PSA relapse–free survival rate than the low DNA-PK activity group. The 10-year PSA relapse–free survival was 87.0% in the high DNA-PK activity group, whereas it was 52.7% in the low DNA-PK activity group. Multivariate analysis showed the Gleason score and the level of DNA-PK activity were significant predictors of PSA relapse after radiotherapy. In addition, the low DNA-PK activity group tended to have a higher incidence of Grade 1–2 urinary toxicity than the high DNA-PK activity group. Prostate cancer patients with low DNA-PK activity had a higher rate of PSA relapse and a higher incidence of urinary toxicity. DNA-PK activity in PBLs might be a useful marker for predicting PSA relapse and urinary toxicity, possibly contributing to personalized treatment of prostate cancer.
Green Tea Polyphenol Epigallocatechin-3-gallate–Alleviated Coxsackievirus B3–induced Myocarditis Through Inhibiting Viral Replication but Not Through Inhibiting Inflammatory Responses
Authors: He Xiran , Gao Bo , Zhou Lei , Xiong Sidong
Published: October 2016

Viral myocarditis, which is mainly caused by coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), affects about 5%–20% of the world population and still lacks efficient treatments. Green tea, a tonic and healthful beverage that was originated in ancient China, has been receiving considerable attention for its protective effect on cardiovascular diseases in recent years. In the present investigation, we aimed to explore the effect of green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on CVB3-induced myocarditis and its underlying mechanism. Our study showed that EGCG could alleviate CVB3-induced myocarditis as evidenced by less cardiac injury and higher survival rate. Furthermore, we found that EGCG failed to downregulate the expression of inflammatory cytokines but could significantly inhibit the replication of CVB3. Furthermore, we found that EGCG treatment could downregulate the protein expression level of coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor, the major receptor for CVB3 to infect cardiac myocytes. In conclusion, our data indicated that EGCG could ameliorate CVB3-induced myocarditis through inhibiting viral replication, which might provide a potential novel therapeutic strategy for viral myocarditis.
Nasofacial Destruction Due to Rhinoscleroma and Review of Other Causes
Authors: Beverido Luis G. , Musenge Kabanda Mary , Nanjappa Sowmya , Ebersole Russell , Greene John N.
Published: October 2016

Facial destruction is a process that can result in not only devastating physical changes but also significant psychological and emotional distress.Klebsiella rhinoscleromatisis noted to cause a chronic granulomatous inflammatory reaction called rhinoscleroma. It is seen worldwide exclusively in tropical and subtropical areas of underdeveloped countries associated with poor hygiene. It is thought that, because the United States has had a recent increase in immigration, the incidence of these infections will also increase. We present a case of biopsy-confirmed rhinoscleroma to increase the awareness of this long forgotten infection and discuss other causes that present similarly.
Micafungin Therapy for Symptomatic Candiduria in Hospitalized Patients
Authors: McMorris Tressa E. , Smith Winter J. , Kupiec Katherine , Salvaggio Michelle , Skrepnek Grant H. , Abraham Leni , Resendez Stephanie
Published: October 2016

Background

Fluconazole is the drug of choice for candiduria requiring treatment; however, it may not be optimal in some cases because of resistance, drug interactions, or adverse effects. Case reports and retrospective analyses suggest that echinocandins may be effective in treating candiduria and Candida urinary tract infections, despite low urinary concentrations. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of echinocandins for the treatment of Candida urinary tract infections in hospitalized patients.

Methods

This was a 5-year, retrospective evaluation of patients treated with micafungin for Candida urinary tract infections (symptomatic) or asymptomatic candiduria with qualifying conditions (pregnancy, neutropenia, recent urologic procedure). The primary outcome was clinical success, defined as symptom resolution (symptomatic patients) or urine sterilization (asymptomatic patients) by the end of treatment. Secondary outcomes included urine sterilization in all patients and time to symptom resolution.

Results

A total of 302 patients with candiduria received micafungin during the study period. Of these, 97 met the inclusion criteria; however, 83 were excluded. Fourteen patients were included in the case series. Twelve patients (85.7%) were symptomatic, and 2 (14.3%) were asymptomatic with neutropenia. Ten patients (71.4%) achieved the primary outcome of symptom resolution or urine sterilization by the end of treatment. Six patients (42.9%) had urine sterilization by the end of therapy; however, a follow-up urine culture was not performed in the remaining 8 patients. Median time to symptom resolution was 4 days.

Conclusions

In some clinical settings, micafungin may be an effective therapy for Candida urinary tract infections in hospitalized patients.
Using Simulation to Teach Responses to Lateral Violence
Authors: Sanner-Stiehr Ericka
Published: October 2016

Lateral violence among nurses persists as a pervasive problem in health care, contributing to detrimental individual and organizational consequences. Nurse educators can prepare students to respond effectively to lateral violence before they graduate and enter the workplace, where it is likely to be encountered. Simulation provides an effective platform for delivering this type of student-centered education. This article presents step-by-step guidelines for educators to integrate lateral violence response training into simulations in prelicensure nursing education.
Occult Pericardial Tamponade Presenting With Altered Mental Status
Authors: Arciniegas Rodriguez Silvana , Zitek Tony , Sterett Richard , Nelson David G.
Published: October 2016

In the pediatric population, cardiac tamponade may present with altered mental status without any clear signs of trauma. Bedside ultrasound is essential to the early diagnosis of this condition. We describe the case of a 5-year-old boy who sustained a potentially fatal, unrecognized trauma to his chest resulting in cardiac tamponade.
Acute Outcomes of Isolated Pneumocephali in Children After Minor Blunt Head Trauma
Authors: Blanchard Ashley , Cabrera Keven I. , Kuppermann Nathan , Dayan Peter S.
Published: October 2016

Objectives

We aimed to determine the prevalence of and adverse outcomes caused by pneumocephali in children with minor blunt head trauma who had no other intracranial injuries (ie, isolated pneumocephali).

Methods

We conducted a secondary analysis of a public use dataset from a multicenter prospective study of pediatric minor head trauma. We included children younger than 18 years with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores of 14 or 15 and non-trivial mechanisms of injury who had cranial computed tomographies obtained. Patients with isolated pneumocephali were those without other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) but could have non-depressed or basilar skull fractures (BSFs). We defined adverse outcomes as death, need for neurosurgery, or intubation more than 24 hours for TBI.

Results

Pneumocephali occurred in 148 (1.0%; 95% confidence interval, 0.8%–1.2%) of 14,983 patients; 54 (36.5%) of 148 were isolated. Of these 54 patients, 42 (77.8%) had associated BSFs (7 of whom also had linear skull fractures) and 8 (14.8%) had associated linear skull fractures without BSFs; 4 patients (7.4%) had no fractures. Thirty-three patients (61.1%) had both GCS scores of 15 and no other signs of altered mental status. All patients with isolated pneumocephali and available descriptive data (n = 26) had small-sized pneumocephali. There were no deaths, neurosurgical interventions, or intubations for more than 24 hours for TBI (95% confidence interval for any of the outcomes, 0%–7.9%) in the 54 patients with isolated pneumocephali.

Conclusions

Children with isolated pneumocephali and GCS scores of 14 or 15 after minor blunt head trauma are unlikely to have adverse clinical outcomes.
Investigation of Nerve Conduction Studies of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Cases With Different Risk Factors: An Electrodiagnostic Study
Authors: Solmaz Volkan , Yavuz Selçuk , İnanır Ahmet , Aksoy Dürdane , Pektaş Elmas , Tekataş Aslan , Kurt Semiha G.
Published: October 2016

Purpose:

The aim of this study was to determine whether there are electrodiagnostic differences between carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) patients with diabetes mellitus, CTS + hypothyroidism (HT), CTS + fibromyalgia syndrome, CTS + rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and idiopathic CTS cases, by comparing nerve conduction studies.

Methods:

This research examined electrophysiologic studies of 47 untreated HT + CTS, 47 diabetes mellitus + CTS, 49 RA + CTS, 52 fibromyalgia syndrome + CTS, 50 idiopathic CTS cases, and a healthy control group of 50 individuals (a total of 293 patients and 433 hands with CTS).

Results:

There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of sex and age. There was no significant difference between the CTS groups—in terms of numbers—with mild, moderate, and severe CTS. When the CTS groups were compared with the control group, in all CTS groups on both left and right hands, there was a significant prolongation in median motor latency and median sensory latency (in the 3rd finger); also a significant decrease in median sensory velocity in the 3rd finger. In diabetes mellitus, HT, and RA groups, the median motor amplitudes in both hands were significantly decreased compared with the idiopathic group. There was a moderate significant negative correlation between disease duration and median motor amplitudes (of both right and left sides) in RA (right; P = 0.028, r = 0.761, left; P = 0.041, r = 0.694) and HT groups (right; P = 0.035, r = 0.637, left; P = 0.049, r = 0.697).

Conclusions:

Electrodiagnostic results showed both demyelinating injury and axonal damage in diabetes mellitus, HT, and RA patients with CTS, in these patients during treatment for CTS. Early treatment planning should include the risk factor diseases.
A Saposin deficiency model inDrosophila: lysosomal storage, progressive neurodegeneration, sensory physiological decline and defective calcium homeostasis
Authors: Hindle Samantha J. , Hebbar Sarita , Schwudke Dominik , Elliott Christopher J. , Sweeney Sean T.
Published: October 2016

Saposin deficiency is a childhood neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder (LSD) that can cause premature death within three months of life. Saposins are activator proteins that promote the function of lysosomal hydrolases in the degradation of sphingolipids. There are four saposin proteins in humans, which are encoded by theprosaposingene. Mutations causing an absence of individual saposins or the whole prosaposin gene lead to distinct LSDs due to the storage of different classes of sphingolipids. The pathological events leading to neuronal dysfunction induced by lysosomal storage of sphingolipids are as yet poorly defined. We have generated and characterised aDrosophilamodel of saposin deficiency that shows striking similarities to the human diseases.Drosophila saposin-related(dSap-r) mutants show a reduced longevity, progressive neurodegeneration, lysosomal storage, dramatic swelling of neuronal soma, perturbations in sphingolipid catabolism, and sensory physiological deterioration. We have also revealed a genetic interaction with a calcium exchanger (CalX), suggesting that calcium homeostasis may be altered in saposin deficiency. Together these findings support the use ofdSap-rmutants in advancing our understanding of the cellular pathology implicated in saposin deficiency and related LSDs.
Categorizing Ideas about Systematics: Alternative Trees of Trees, and Related Representations
Authors: Podani János , Morrison David A.
Published: October 2016

This study is an attempt to expand a previous survey by Fisler and Lecointre (FL) for systematizing ideas on the use of the tree metaphor in classification, as expressed by various historically important figures in their writings. FL used a cladistic approach to analyze their data, as employed in biological classification. We supplement this analysis here using several methods of multivariate data exploration, producing a UPGMA dendrogram, a minimum spanning tree, a neighbor joining additive tree, a plexus graph, a phylogenetic network, and two multidimensional scaling ordinations of the same data used by FL. We confirm the validity of many of FL’s smaller clusters of writings, and revealed a new 3-group categorization undetected by the previous study. These three groups largely correspond toClassifiers, who did not consider evolution for historical reasons or on purpose,Non-analytical evolutionists, who recognized evolution but with a more or less naïve attitude towards the temporal change of life, andModelers, with more explicit views on evolutionary processes, often applying objective mathematical tools for exploring the past and present of organismal diversity. Some scientists were difficult to assign to any group unambiguously, including J.W. von Goethe, who takes a unique position in the history of biology, and, to a lesser extent, E. Mayr and G.G. Simpson, the leaders of the gradist school of systematics. We argue that cladistic methods are insufficient by themselves, notably in situations where there are no obvious ancestor-descendant relationships underlying the development of the objects being analyzed.
Two novel lncRNAs discovered in human mitochondrial DNA using PacBio full-length transcriptome data
Authors: Gao Shan , Tian Xiaoxuan , Sun Yu , Wu Zhenfeng , Cheng Zhi , Dong Pengzhi , Zhao Qiang , He Bingjun , Ruan Jishou , Bu Wenjun
Published: October 2016

In this study, we introduced a general framework to use PacBio full-length transcriptome sequencing for the investigation of the fundamental problems in mitochondrial biology,e.g.genome arrangement, heteroplasmy, RNA processing and the regulation of transcription or replication. As a result, we produced the first full-length human mitochondrial transcriptome from the MCF7 cell line based on the PacBio platform and characterized the human mitochondrial transcriptome with more comprehensive and accurate information. The most important finding was two novel lnRNAs hsa-MDL1 and hsa-MDL1AS, which are encoded by the mitochondrial D-loop regions. We propose hsa-MDL1 and hsa-MDL1AS, as the precursors of transcription initiation RNAs (tiRNAs), belong to a novel class of long non-coding RNAs (lnRNAs), which is named as long tiRNAs (ltiRNAs). Based on the mitochondrial RNA processing model, the primary tiRNAs, precursors and mature tiRNAs could be discovered to completely reveal tiRNAs from their origins to functions. The MDL1 and MDL1AS lnRNAs and their regulation mechanisms exist ubiquitously from insects to human.
Assessing Pathogens for Natural versus Laboratory Origins Using Genomic Data and Machine Learning
Authors: Korves Tonia , Garay Christopher , Carleton Heather A. , Sabol Ashley , Trees Eija , Peterson Matthew W.
Published: October 2016

Pathogen genomic data is increasingly important in investigations of infectious disease outbreaks. The objective of this study is to develop methods for using large-scale genomic data to determine the type of the environment an outbreak pathogen came from. Specifically, this study focuses on assessing whether an outbreak strain came from a natural environment or experienced substantial laboratory culturing. The approach uses phylogenetic analyses and machine learning to identify DNA changes that are characteristic of laboratory culturing. The analysis methods include parallelized sequence read alignment, variant identification, phylogenetic tree construction, ancestral state reconstruction, semi-supervised classification, and random forests. These methods were applied to 902Salmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium genomes from the NCBI Sequence Read Archive database. The analyses identified candidate signatures of laboratory culturing that are highly consistent with genes identified in published laboratory passage studies. In particular, the analysis identified mutations inrpoS,hfq,rfbgenes,acrB, andrbsRas strong signatures of laboratory culturing. In leave-one-out cross-validation, the classifier had an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.89 for strains from two laboratory reference sets collected in the 1940’s and 1980’s. The classifier was also used to assess laboratory culturing in foodborne and laboratory acquired outbreak strains closely related to laboratory reference strain serovar Typhimurium 14028. The classifier detected some evidence of laboratory culturing on the phylogeny branch leading to this clade, suggesting all of these strains may have a common ancestor that experienced laboratory culturing. Together, these results suggest that phylogenetic analysis and machine learning could be used to assess whether pathogens collected from patients are naturally occurring or have been extensively cultured in laboratories. The data analysis methods can be applied to any bacterial pathogen species, and could be adapted to assess viral pathogens and other types of source environments.
Augmentation of the step-by-step Energy-Scanning EXAFS beamline BL-09 to continuous-scan EXAFS mode at INDUS-2 SRS
Authors: Poswal Ashwini Kumar , Agrawal Ankur , Poswal Himanshu Kumar , Bhattacharyya Dibyendu , Jha Shambhu Nath , Sahoo Naba Kishore
Published: October 2016

An innovative scheme to carry out continuous-scan X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements similar to quick-EXAFS mode at the Energy-Scanning EXAFS beamline BL-09 at INDUS-2 synchrotron source (Indore, India), which is generally operated in step-by-step scanning mode, is presented. The continuous XAS mode has been implemented by adopting a continuous-scan scheme of the double-crystal monochromator and on-the-fly measurement of incident and transmitted intensities. This enabled a high signal-to-noise ratio to be maintained and the acquisition time was reduced to a few seconds from tens of minutes or hours. The quality of the spectra (signal-to-noise level, resolution and energy calibration) was checked by measuring and analysing XAS spectra of standard metal foils. To demonstrate the energy range covered in a single scan, a continuous-mode XAS spectrum of copper nickel alloy covering both Cu and NiK-edges was recorded. The implementation of continuous-scan XAS mode at BL-09 would expand the use of this beamline inin situtime-resolved XAS studies of various important systems of current technological importance. The feasibility of employing this mode of measurement for time-resolved probing of reaction kinetics has been demonstrated byin situXAS measurement on the growth of Ag nanoparticles from a solution phase.
Methyl 2-phenylquinoline-4-carboxylate
Authors: Mague Joel T. , Akkurt Mehmet , Mohamed Shaaban K. , Al-badrany Khalid A. , Ahmed Ehab A.
Published: October 2016

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C17H13NO2, contains two independent molecules which differ primarily in the rotational orientation of the pendant phenyl group, being conrotatory, with respect to the plane of the quinoline moiety. In the crystal, the molecules form stacks parallel to the b axis through π–π stacking interactions of the heterocyclic rings [shortest inter-centroid distance = 3.5775 (8) Å].
(3Z)-5-Chloro-3-(hydroxyimino)indolin-2-one
Authors: Martins Bianca Barreto , Gervini Vanessa Carratu , Pires Fabricio Carvalho , Bortoluzzi Adailton João , Oliveira Adriano Bof de
Published: October 2016

In the title compound, C8H5ClN2O2 (common name: 5-chloroisatin 3-oxime), the molecular structure deviates slightly from the ideal planarity, with a maximum deviation of 0.0478 (8) Å for the non-H atoms. In the crystal, molecules are linked by N—H...O interactions, building centrosymmetric dimers with graph-set motif R
2
2(8). Additionally, the molecules are connected by pairs of O—H...O interactions into chains along [100] with a C(6) motif. The hydrogen-bonded dimers and chains build a two-dimensional network parallel to (100). The packing also features π–π stacking interactions between benzene rings [centroid–centroid distance = 3.748 (2) Å].
N-[1-Phenyl-2,5-bis(trimethylsilyl)pent-2-en-4-yn-1-yl]aniline
Authors: Burlakov Vladimir V. , Spannenberg Anke , Bogdanov Vyacheslav S. , Andreev Maxim V. , Arndt Perdita , Rosenthal Uwe
Published: October 2016

The molecular structure of the title compound, C23H31NSi2, reveals an acyclic conjugated enyne unit as the main feature. The central pent-2-en-4-yl fragment is essentially planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.0492 (7) Å from the mean plane defined by the C—C=C—C[triple-bond]C unit. The dihedral angle between the phenyl rings is 84.44 (5)°.
Influence of weak and strong gyroscopic effects on light aircraft dynamics
Authors: Goraj Zdobyslaw Jan , Cichocka Ewa
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of gyroscopic effects on the dynamic stability and the response of light aircraft to manoeuvres following either a rapid deflection of the control surfaces or wind gust.

Design/methodology/approach

The analyses were conducted for several different mathematical models of aircraft motion, which allowed for the investigation of the relationship between introduced simplifying assumptions and the aircraft response, including non-linear terms in equations of motion expressing the influence of inertial coupling. The analytical and experimental methods (measurements in the wind tunnel for the scaled model and during flight tests of I-31T prototype aircraft) were used.

Findings

It was found that gyroscopic moments are induced mainly by the propeller, and their influence on dynamic stability of a light aircraft is negligible. However, these phenomena in manoeuvring flight investigation should not be excluded, although for general aviation (GA) aircraft, they are not strong. Hence, two types of gyroscopic effects depending on the level of steady flight disturbances were distinguished. The authors differentiated weak gyroscopic effects, corresponding to classical dynamic stability, and strong gyroscopic effects, corresponding to rapid manoeuvres.

Practical implications

Conclusions include some findings on the nature of gyroscopic effects (i.e. sensitivity of flight stability versus turboprop power unit parameters) and practical recommendations for aircraft designers dealing with new configurations of GA aircraft.

Originality/value

The analysis focuses on the assessment of the flight dynamics of light aircraft with a novel, compact, lightweight, fast-rotating turbopropeller engine and strong/weak gyroscopic effects.
Changing market values? Tensions of contradicting public management discourses
Authors: Plotnikof Mie
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address studies of New Public Governance (NPG) as a post-New Public Management (NPM) tendency. Although NPG is considered a contrast to NPM and its market incentives, it argues that the practices emerging in tensions of NPM and NPG discourses indicate not a clear-cut shift away from NPM, but rather changes that combine competition with collaboration and trust.

Design/methodology/approach

It offers a discourse approach to advance the theorizing and empirical unfolding of the tensions of contradicting, yet co-existing discourses of NPM and NPG and their effects in practice. Drawing on a case study from the Danish daycare sector, it investigates local collaborative governance initiatives that develop new quality-management methods.

Findings

The study elucidates how NPM and NPG discourses collide in local practices of public sector management within daycare. It shows that the discursive tensions between such value-laden practices indicate a changing marketization associated with collaboration and trust, yet also competition.

Research limitations/implications

To research it becomes critical to advance theoretical and empirical knowledge on the constitutive effects of such complex discursive tensions in public organizations.

Practical implications

To practice it becomes necessary to acknowledge and handle co-existing, yet contradicting management discourses, and not mistake their opposing values as necessarily distinct, but rather as entangled in practice.

Originality/value

The paper contributes with original findings that shed new light on colliding management discourses in practices and their effects within the public sector area of daycare.
The activating profession: coaching and coercing in the welfare services
Authors: Hagelund Anniken
Published: October 2016

Purpose

Activation policies are key elements of contemporary welfare reform throughout Europe. The purpose of this paper is to explore the consequences of more active and individualised welfare policies for conceptualisations of professionalism and competence in the welfare services.

Design/methodology/approach

The primary data are 25 qualitative interviews with street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) conducted in two local offices in The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV). These data were supplemented by relevant policy documents. A distinction between the authorities discourse of organisational professionalism and the SLBs discourse of occupational professionalism is applied to structure the analysis.

Findings

Efforts to professionalise activation work takes place in the absence of a specific professional knowledge base to guide daily work. The paper explores how relevant competence and skills are defined in such a context, both from the perspective of the authorities and from the front-level workers themselves. A key finding is that such competence tends to be defined in terms of the ability to manage communicative processes and relations. Paradoxically, the active turn in social policy with its emphasis on work and activity seems to entail a competence ideal that is inward looking and psychologised.

Research limitations/implications

The qualitative approach implies limited generalisability in terms of statistical representativity. Furthermore, the results invite closer studies of the practical effects for social security users of the identified patterns.

Practical implications

Policy makers who aim to make welfare services more work orientated should look for ways of increasing SLBs concrete relations with and practical experience from collaboration with employers. This may entail reviewing the practice of outsourcing the implementation of active measures to private actors.

Originality/value

The paper adds to a small literature on the implementation of activation policy in contemporary welfare states.