bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coverage analysis for moving relay enabled cellular networks
Authors: Xu Xiaodong , Zhang Yi , Tao Xiaofeng
Published: August 2016

Moving relays (MRs) have been proposed as a promising technology to improve the coverage performance of vehicular users. However, how MRs can influence non‐vehicular users is not yet studied. Using stochastic geometry, statistical analyses on the coverage performance of non‐vehicular users in the MR enabled cellular networks are made. An analytical framework for analysing downlink signal‐to‐interference ratio under the presence of MRs is developed. Based on the proposed framework, tractable expressions for coverage probability of non‐vehicular users connecting to MRs and macro base stations are derived, respectively. Simulation results verify the derived expressions. These analytical results show that non‐vehicular users can also improve their coverage performance by the MRs.
Flexible and overall reliability analysis of hybrid AC–DC microgrid among various distributed energy resource expansion scenarios
Authors: Teimourzadeh Baboli Payam
Published: August 2016

In this study, different impacts of distributed energy resources (DERs) expansion scenarios on the flexible reliability (FR) and overall reliability (OR) indices of hybrid AC–DC microgrid have been investigated. A procedure for calculating the FR and OR indices is introduced. Then, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to reveal the impacts of DER expansion on the OR and FR indices. It has been shown that some DER technologies may improve the OR indices, but impose some negative impacts on FR indices or vice versa. Indeed, OR and FR indices are highly dependent on the type and capacity of each DER technology and the topology of the microgrid. The results of this study show that each DER technology has a unique impact on OR and FR indices and variation of the capacity of each DER technology reveals a specific trend in changing the OR and FR indices.
Automatic generation control using disrupted oppositional based gravitational search algorithm optimised sliding mode controller under deregulated environment
Authors: Dahiya Preeti , Sharma Veena , Naresh Ram
Published: August 2016

A disrupted oppositional based gravitational search algorithm (DOGSA) tuned sliding mode controller (SMC) is proposed in this study for the solution of automatic generation control of interconnected multi‐area power system under deregulated environment. The novelty of the control scheme is established by performing the sensitivity analysis under different conditions such as variation of the system load, turbine time constant, governor time constant and tie‐line power coefficient. The dynamic response of the system under consideration is also studied and analysed in the presence of non‐linear constraints namely generation rate constraint with reheat steam turbine, governor deadband and time delay during signal processing. Further, in order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed DOGSA tuning over the genetic algorithm and differential evolution tuned schemes reported in the literature, it is also employed to tune the integral (I), proportional‐integral (PI), integral‐derivative (ID) and proportional integral derivative (PID) controllers. Moreover, the performance of the optimised SMC scheme is also compared with I, PI, ID and PID controllers. The comparative results reveal that SMC scheme tuned using DOGSA gives better results than the conventional controllers.
Hybrid control of aggregated thermostatically controlled loads: step rule, parameter optimisation, parallel and cascade structures
Authors: Ma Kai , Yuan Chenliang , Liu Zhixin , Yang Jie , Guan Xinping
Published: August 2016

This study proposes hybrid control strategies for aggregated thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) in order to provide ancillary service. The on/off control strategy and the setpoint‐regulation strategy are two typical control strategies. In order to reduce the tracking errors of the two control strategies, two improved methods were developed. The first method dispatches the aggregated loads to the automatic generation control signal following a step rule based on the state of charge. The second method optimises the controller parameters of the setpoint‐regulation strategy by the Powell optimisation algorithm. Based on these two improved methods, the hybrid control strategies with parallel and cascade control structures were established by dividing the TCLs into two clusters, and the optimal allocations of the loads, the reference signal and the tracking error between the two clusters were obtained by the particle swarm optimisation algorithm. The simulation results demonstrate that the hybrid control strategies can reduce the errors in load following.
Multi‐objective optimal power flow considering the system transient stability
Authors: Abido Mohamed Ali , Waqar Ahmed Muhammad
Published: August 2016

This study presents a new formulation for optimal power flow (OPF) to enhance the overall transient stability of the power system in addition to the traditional fuel cost minimisation. To overcome the shortcomings of the traditional formulation, this study formulates OPF as a true multi‐objective optimisation problem. One objective is to operate the system economically within the system physical bounds. The other objective is to withstand severe contingencies by enhancing the system transient stability. To overcome the inconsistency and sub optimality problems, strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm is developed for solving multi‐objective OPF (MOOPF) problem. Time domain simulations (TDSs) are employed for handling transient stability problem that knocks out the numerical inaccuracy and convergence problems. To speed up the transient stability assessment, a hybrid stability classifier is developed that combines TDS and transient energy function methods. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy, two standard test systems have been considered. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach to solve the MOOPF and enhance greatly the system transient stability. The results also show the superiority of the proposed approach compared with those reported in the literature.
Miniaturised quadrature hybrid coupler using modified T‐shaped transmission line for wide‐range harmonic suppression
Authors: Phani Kumar Kanaparthi V , Karthikeyan S.S.
Published: August 2016

In this study, a novel modified T‐shaped transmission line, comprised of a transmission line centre tapped with open stub and parallel open stubs is proposed to reduce the size and suppress the unwanted harmonics of branch line coupler (BLC), to a great extent. The low impedance open‐stub limitation of traditional T‐shaped unit is rectified by the proposed unit for extended harmonic suppression of BLC. Besides, the 35.35 and 50 Ω quarter wavelength transmission lines of the BLC are reduced to 39.6° and 37.8°, respectively. Lossless transmission line model analysis is used to derive the design equations and graphs. To validate the proposed approach, a prototype operating at 0.9 GHz is fabricated. The proposed BLC size is 74% smaller than the conventional one and exhibits a wide‐range harmonic suppression of up to at least eighth harmonic.
Wireless images transmission over OFDMA systems: investigation and evaluation
Authors: Al‐Kamali Faisal S. , Abdo Abdullah Qasem
Published: August 2016

The orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system is a well‐known system, which has recently become a preferred choice for wireless communications. This is attributed to its advantages such as the use of frequency‐domain equalisers. The issue of the wireless images transmission over the coded and the uncoded OFDMA systems is investigated and evaluated for different wireless channels, different modulation schemes and different subcarriers mapping schemes. Experimental results show that efficient wireless images transmission over OFDMA systems is possible even for mobile channel. Results also show that the coded interleaved OFDMA system provides better performance than the localised OFDMA system, regardless of the wireless channel or the modulation scheme used.
Measurement of helium-like and hydrogen-like argon spectra using double-crystal X-ray spectrometers on EAST
Authors: Lyu B. , Chen J. , Hu R. J. , Wang F. D. , Li Y. Y. , Fu J. , Shen Y. C. , Bitter M. , Hill K. W. , Delgado-Aparicio L. F. , Pablant N. , Lee S. G. , Ye M. Y. , Shi Y. J. , Wan B. N.
Published: August 2016

A two-crystal assembly was deployed on the tangential X-ray crystal spectrometer to measure both helium-like and hydrogen-like spectra on EAST. High-quality helium-like and hydrogen-like spectra were observed simultaneously for the first time on one detector for a wide range of plasma parameters. Profiles of line-integrated core ion temperatures inferred from two spectra were consistent. Since tungsten was adopted as the upper divertor material, one tungsten line (W XLIV at 4.017 Å) on the short-wavelength side of the Lyman-α line (Lα1) was identified for typical USN discharges, which was diffracted by a He-like crystal (2d = 4.913 Å). Another possible Fe XXV line (1.85 Å) was observed to be located on the long-wavelength side of resonance line (w), which was diffracted from a H-like crystal (2d = 4.5622 Å) on the second order. Be-like argon lines were also observable that fill the detector space between the He-like and H-like spectra.
Development of a krypton-doped gas symmetry capsule platform for x-ray spectroscopy of implosion cores on the NIF
Authors: Ma T. , Chen H. , Patel P. K. , Schneider M. B. , Barrios M. A. , Casey D. T. , Chung H.-K. , Hammel B. A. , Berzak Hopkins L. F. , Jarrott L. C. , Khan S. F. , Lahmann B. , Nora R. , Rosenberg M. J. , Pak A. , Regan S. P. , Scott H. A. , Sio H. , Spears B. K. , Weber C. R.
Published: August 2016

The electron temperature at stagnation of an ICF implosion can be measured from the emission spectrum of high-energy x-rays that pass through the cold material surrounding the hot stagnating core. Here we describe a platform developed on the National Ignition Facility where trace levels of a mid-Z dopant (krypton) are added to the fuel gas of a symcap (symmetry surrogate) implosion to allow for the use of x-ray spectroscopy of the krypton line emission.
Theory of a beam-driven plasma antenna
Authors: Timofeev I. V. , Volchok E. P. , Annenkov V. V.
Published: August 2016

In this paper, we propose a theory describing generation of electromagnetic waves in a thin beam-plasma system with a characteristic transverse size comparable with the radiation wavelength. In fact, a thin plasma column with a longitudinal density modulation works like a plasma antenna in which an electron beam can excite a superluminal wave of electric current. It has previously been shown that, if the period of this modulation coincides with the wavelength of the most unstable beam-driven mode, radiation at a frequency slightly below the plasma frequency is emitted transversely to the plasma column and generated in thin boundary layers. For the plasma thickness comparable with the skin-depth, generation of the terahertz radiation can reach high efficiency (∼10%) in such a scheme, but the absolute power of this radiation cannot be increased by increasing the transverse plasma size. In this paper, we study whether the power of such an antenna can be increased in the regime of oblique emission when the magnetized plasma is transparent to the radiated electromagnetic waves and the whole plasma volume may be involved in their generation.
Characteristics, sexual practices and sexually transmissible infections diagnoses of men who have sex with men and use non-occupational HIV post-exposure prophylaxis in Victoria, Australia
Authors: Ong Jason J. , Landika Andre , Fairley Christopher K. , Bradshaw Catriona , Chen Marcus , Read Tim R. H. , Chow Eric P. F.
Published: August 2016

Background
Non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (NPEP) is available to people with a potential risk for HIV exposure within the preceding 72 h. We sought to determine if men who have sex with men (MSM) and receive NPEP had a significantly different risk profile (before the preceding 72 h) from MSM not receiving NPEP. If this is the case, NPEP consultations may act as a cue for also discussing pre-exposure prophylaxis. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis to compare the demographic characteristics, sexual practices and clinical diagnoses of MSM who were NPEP users and those who were non-NPEP users attending Melbourne Sexual Health Centre from January 2008 to December 2014. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the association between NPEP use and risk practices. Generalised estimating equations were used to adjust for within-individual correlations related to multiple visits of the same individual. Results: Of the 40 395 MSM consultations included in the study, 1776 consultations (4%) were related to NPEP prescription. NPEP prescribing was associated with ever having injected drugs (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4–2.3), sex with males only (AOR 1.9, 95% CI: 1.6–2.3), more than three male partners in the past 3 months (AOR 1.5, 95% CI: 1.4–1.7) and inconsistent condom use with these partners within the past 3 months (AOR 2.1, 95% CI: 1.9–2.4). Sex workers (AOR 0.6, 95% CI: 0.3–0.9), and men reporting sex overseas within the past 12 months (AOR 0.7, 95% CI: 0.6–0.8) were less likely to receive NPEP. MSM who used NPEP were more likely to test positive for any sexually transmissible infection (AOR 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0–1.4). Conclusions: MSM receiving NPEP generally had a higher risk profile than MSM not requesting NPEP, indicating that NPEP was used by MSM at higher risk for HIV. Therefore, consultations for NPEP may be an opportune time for also discussing pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV.
Notch-mediated lateral inhibition regulates proneural wave propagation when combined with EGF-mediated reaction diffusion
Authors: Sato Makoto , Yasugi Tetsuo , Minami Yoshiaki , Miura Takashi , Nagayama Masaharu
Published: August 2016

Significance

Notch-mediated lateral inhibition regulates binary cell fate choice, resulting in salt and pepper patterns during various developmental processes. The wave of differentiation in the
Drosophila
visual center accompanies Notch activity that is propagated without the formation of a salt and pepper pattern, implying that Notch does not regulate lateral inhibition during this process. In this study, by combining mathematical modeling and genetic analysis, we showed that Notch-mediated lateral inhibition is implemented within the proneural wave. The combination of Notch-mediated lateral inhibition and EGF-mediated reaction diffusion enables a function of Notch signaling that regulates propagation of the wave of differentiation.
Lysine methylation represses p53 activity in teratocarcinoma cancer cells
Authors: Zhu Jiajun , Dou Zhixun , Sammons Morgan A. , Levine Arnold J. , Berger Shelley L.
Published: August 2016

Significance

Cancer progression typically involves inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor. In testicular teratocarcinoma, there exist unusually high protein levels of wild-type p53, but strikingly, without normal activation of genes up-regulated by p53, such as cell cycle arrest and DNA repair pathways. This suggests that posttranslational mechanisms, such as protein modification, may repress activity of the high levels of wild-type p53. Our findings demonstrate an important role in teratocarcinoma of previously characterized repressive p53 methylation, which down-regulates normal p53 activation functions. The results suggest the potential for novel approaches to reactivate wild-type p53 in teratocarcinoma via therapeutic inhibition of the methyltransferase enzymes that modify p53, which could be similarly appropriate for treatment of other cancers expressing high levels of wild-type p53.
Metallurgical characterisations of CMSX-4 vacuum-brazed with BNi-2 and BNi-9
Authors: Riggs B. , Alexandrov B. , Benatar A. , Xu R.
Published: August 2016

High temperature brazing of nickel-based superalloys often produces joints containing hard, brittle micro-constituents that can be detrimental to mechanical properties and challenging to characterise consistently. In this study, techniques including low angle micro-sectioning, image analysis with ImageJ and electron probe micro-analysis were used to determine the composition, hardness and dispersion parameters of phases in single crystal superalloy CMSX-4, vacuum furnace brazed with BNi-2 and BNi-9 filler metals (FMs). Both FMs produced similar joints with hard centreline eutectic phases, a soft isothermally solidified zone and boron diffusion-affected zone in the CMSX-4. The volume fraction, particle size distribution and inter-particle spacing data generated will provide a framework for future metallurgical characterisations and assist in the development of microstructure–mechanical property relationships.
Investigation on the mechanism of steel/steel solid-state bonding at low temperatures
Authors: Pongmorakot K. , Nambu S. , Shibuta Y. , Koseki T.
Published: August 2016

The solid-state bonding of ultralow-carbon steels was conducted by hot pressing and subsequent isothermal holding at low temperatures ranging from 873 to 923 K. The evolution of the interfacial strength was found to consist of two stages; the first stage, where the increase in interfacial strength is rapid and significant, and the second stage, where the increase is gradual. The evolution of strength in the first stage primarily takes place in contact regions produced by hot pressing. In the second stage, on the contrary, the evolution seems to result from the increase in the contact regions due to the shrinkage of voids. A molecular dynamics simulation was performed to clarify the atomic behaviour at the interface during the first stage. The results revealed that the disordered atomic arrangement caused by compression was rearranged with increasing isothermal holding time, leading to improved coherency between the contact regions and increased interfacial strength.
Contextualizing the “Black Box”
Authors: Dumas Tao L.
Published: August 2016

Scholars sometimes refer to the civil jury decision-making process as a “black box,” because researchers cannot view juries’ interior workings. However, state institutions structure the environment in which disputes arise and determine the rules courts apply, while environmental factors condition courts’ responses to claims. This article utilizes an original data set of civil jury verdicts in five states to examine the influence of cross-state institutional variation and trial location on courts’ dispute resolution and resource allocation functions. The results indicate that institutions and trial location significantly influence patterns of winners and losers, while case-specific factors predict the amount awarded.
Membrane dynamics of dividing cells imaged by lattice light-sheet microscopy
Authors: Aguet François , Upadhyayula Srigokul , Gaudin Raphaël , Chou Yi-ying , Cocucci Emanuele , He Kangmin , Chen Bi-Chang , Mosaliganti Kishore , Pasham Mithun , Skillern Wesley , Legant Wesley R. , Liu Tsung-Li , Findlay Greg , Marino Eric , Danuser Gaudenz , Megason Sean , Betzig Eric , Kirchhausen Tom
Published: August 2016

Membrane remodeling is an essential part of transferring components to and from the cell surface and membrane-bound organelles and for changes in cell shape, which are particularly critical during cell division. Earlier analyses, based on classical optical live-cell imaging and mostly restricted by technical necessity to the attached bottom surface, showed persistent formation of endocytic clathrin pits and vesicles during mitosis. Taking advantage of the resolution, speed, and noninvasive illumination of the newly developed lattice light-sheet fluorescence microscope, we reexamined their assembly dynamics over the entire cell surface and found that clathrin pits form at a lower rate during late mitosis. Full-cell imaging measurements of cell surface area and volume throughout the cell cycle of single cells in culture and in zebrafish embryos showed that the total surface increased rapidly during the transition from telophase to cytokinesis, whereas cell volume increased slightly in metaphase and was relatively constant during cytokinesis. These applications demonstrate the advantage of lattice light-sheet microscopy and enable a new standard for imaging membrane dynamics in single cells and multicellular assemblies.
Frame the Problem
Authors: Chevallier Arnaud
Published: August 2016

The second chapter, “Frame the problem,” provides tools to understand and define the problem in a constructive way. It proposes ways to identify and focus on the critical issue, as opposed to one of its symptoms or a real-but-less-important issue. The chapter also demonstrates how to describe the resolution process and capture this description in a what card. A key element of this chapter focuses on starting the diagnostic stage. It introduces the concept of a key question: the one overriding question that the problem solver should answer in a given project phase. It explains the attributes of good key questions—type, topic, scope, and phrasing—and provides a technique to develop a good key question. It also explains how to set the key question in an introductory flow that includes a situation and a complication and shows how to capture the vital information about the diagnostic in a why card.
Habitat change: loss, fragmentation, and degradation
Authors: Irwin Mitchell
Published: August 2016

In this chapter, habitat change is broken down into three components: habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and habitat degradation. For each, the nature and extent of the pressure is described, exactly how it threatens primates, and what is known about how primates respond. Theoretical frameworks (e.g. species–area relationships, metapopulation dynamics) that can be useful in modelling primate declines are covered; only when empirical data are used to build and test such frameworks can primate conservation biologists make specific, useful conservation recommendations. In the real world, all three components of habitat change often act synergistically, leaving us with reduced, fragmented, and degraded primate habitat—often it is hard to ascribe primates’ reactions to a particular force. More work is urgently needed, both to understand how habitat change contributes to primate declines (so that conservation practitioners can guide land-use practices and conservation interventions), and to reduce the rate of habitat change itself.
Health Impacts of HIV/AIDS
Authors: Haacker Markus
Published: August 2016

HIV/AIDS is not associated with low levels of economic development to the same extent as diseases like malaria or tuberculosis. However, it stands out as HIV/AIDS is highly concentrated. In terms of the severity of health shocks at the country level recorded since 1950, HIV/AIDS is topped only by two episodes of extreme violence (Rwanda, Cambodia), and has been much more persistent than shocks related to violence or famine. The impact of HIV/AIDS on mortality, though, have declined steeply in recent years across developing countries, reflecting vast improvements in access to treatment. Globally, HIV/AIDS has therefore become a chronic disease (following a similar shift in the most advanced economies). Together with declining HIV incidence (in part a consequences of the HIV/AIDS response), this means that HIV/AIDS is also in transition to becoming a disease affecting mainly older adults.
Early evidence and sources
Authors: Frank-Job Barbara , Selig Maria
Published: August 2016

This chapter critically reviews the nature of early textual evidence and metalinguistic sources for the emergence of the Romance languages, including social variation in (late/medieval) Latin; the methods of internal and comparative reconstruction; the emergence of early vernacular textual traditions (including scriptae and koinés) and their relationship to medieval Latin textual practices; and the contribution of sociohistorical investigations to our understanding of the relationship between Latin and the emergent vernaculars in the Romània. Specific topics dealt with include: ‘pathways’ to vernacular writing traditions; in-scripturation (inserting Romance utterances in Latin texts); in-scripturalization (pragmatic texts in professional contexts, and discourse traditions and cultural memory); writing without focused norms; pragmatic and sociolinguistic recontextualization.
Romanian, Istro-Romanian, Megleno-Romanian, and Aromanian
Authors: Maiden Martin
Published: August 2016

This chapter covers history and major dialects divisions; vowels; consonants; prosody and syllable structure; orthography and writing systems; forms and functions of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs; inflectional morphology of nouns and verbs; patterns of allomorphy; nominal inflection ; case- and number-marking; gender, gender-marking, the ‘neuter’; vocative; morphology of personal pronouns; clitics and their collocation; address pronouns and related phenomena; demonstratives and articles; forms and functions of verbs; inflection classes; tense, mood, person, and number; synthetic and periphrastic forms; aspect-marking in Istro-Romanian and other sub-Danubian dialects; Megleno-Romanian evidentials; non-finite forms and their functions: past participles, supines, gerunds, infinitives; ‘feminization’ of the non-finite; derivational morphology; comparatives and superlatives; syntax of the noun phrase; adjective position; possessive constructions and ‘possessive’ article al;  word order in the sentence; negation; interrogation; subordination and complementizers; infinitives vs subjunctives in subordinate clauses; relative clauses; causatives; object marking; coordinators; adverb position.
Dalmatian
Authors: Maiden Martin
Published: August 2016

After a brief outline of the principal episodes in the external history of this now extinct branch of Romance (including some observations on the medieval Ragusan variety, and the possible influence of Venetan varieties), the chapter surveys the principal aspects of the phonology, morphology, and syntax of the various attested varieties of Dalmatian, notably Vegliote as revealed by its last speaker, Tuone Udaina (Antonio Udina). It particularly discusses the dramatic and unusual development of the Vegliote verb morphology, including the collapse of morphological tense distinctions and the special development of future tense forms.
Southern Gallo-Romance (Occitan)
Authors: Oliviéri Michèle , Sauzet Patrick
Published: August 2016

After a brief outline of the principal episodes in the external history, the chapter surveys the principal aspects of phonology, morphology and syntax of Occitan (including Gascon and other southern Gallo-Romance dialects). Specific topics dealt with include: geography, history, and dialect areas; vowel system (stressed vowels; diphthongs; unstressed vowels); consonant system; syllabic structure; syllable templates; syllable structure and sentence phonetics; stress; nominal morphology (gender, number, case), adjectives; pronouns and determiners; derivational morphology; verb morphology (verb classes, person marking, verb stems); tenses formed on the present indicative stem; infinitive and future and conditional; preterite and forms built on the preterite; present subjunctive; syntax of ssubject clitics; constituent order; subject inversion; topicalization and focalization; enunciatives; subordination and the complementizer que; alternative subordination types; object clitics; negation; agreement; sequences of mood and tenses.
Lexical stability and shared lexicon
Authors: Dworkin Steven N.
Published: August 2016

This chapter surveys some of the most important issues in Romance lexical stability and shared lexicon. It covers semantic fields, numerals, kinship terminology; colour terms; body parts; calendar terms; animal names; Latinisms. Specific topics dealt with include: pan-Romance survivals and shared lexicon; nouns in DÉRom list; adjectives in DéRom list; lexical stability, shared lexicon, and semantic fields (numerals, kinship terminology, colour terms, body parts, calendar terms, domestic and wild animals), relic words, Latinisms.
Clausal complementation
Authors: Ledgeway Adam
Published: August 2016

The main goal of this chapter is to provide a descriptive and critical overview of the some of the most striking and interesting problems and questions related to issues in Romance complementation and its development from Latin, covering such as areas as finite and non-finite complementation; loss of accusative with infinitive construction; distribution of full, reduced and VP clausal complements and their differing structural and semantic interpretations (such as clitic climbing and auxiliary selection); control (obligatory and non-obligatory control); restructuring; distribution and syntax of personal and inflected infinitives; avoidance of infinitive in southern Italo-Romance dialects and Daco-Romanian and competition with finite structures; dual complementizer systems; recomplementation; paratactic complementation (including asyndeton, ac-coordination and et-coordination).
Relative clauses
Authors: Stark Elisabeth
Published: August 2016

The main goal of this chapter is to provide a descriptive and critical overview of the some of the most striking and interesting problems and questions related to issues in Romance relative clause formation, covering such areas as the distribution of relativizers, including pronouns, zero forms (gapping), particles and complementizers (agreeing or uninflected); the use of resumptive pronouns and its stylistic status; diachronic shifts up and down the Accessibility Hierarchy; formal distinctions in marking the restrictive vs non-restrictive distinction; stylistic and register variation. Specific topics dealt with include: paradigms of relativizers across Romance; development of relativizers in different Romance varieties; gap and resumptive pronoun strategies.
Association of alcohol consumption with the risk of stomach cancer in a Japanese population: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Tamura Takashi , Wada Keiko , Tsuji Michiko , Konishi Kie , Kawachi Toshiaki , Hori Akihiro , Tanabashi Shinobu , Matsushita Shogen , Tokimitsu Naoki , Nagata Chisato
Published: August 2016

Biological studies have provided confirmation of alcohol-related carcinogenesis in the stomach, but the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of stomach cancer remains controversial. We aimed to investigate whether quantitative alcohol intake is associated with the risk of stomach cancer in a large prospective cohort study among a Japanese population. Study participants included 30 714 participants (14 171 men and 16 543 women) aged 35 years or older, who were enrolled in the Takayama study launched on 1 September 1992. Alcohol consumption was assessed quantitatively using a validated food frequency questionnaire. According to alcohol intake (g/day), male participants were classified into quartile groups: Q1, Q2, Q3, or Q4. Female participants were classified into three groups: nondrinkers, and drinkers below or above the median alcohol level. We estimated the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for stomach cancer adjusted for age, smoking, BMI, education, total energy intake, salt intake, physical activity, and medical history of diabetes mellitus for each alcohol intake group using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. By the end of March 2008, a total of 678 participants had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. For men, the multivariate-adjusted HRs of stomach cancer for Q2, Q3, and Q4 relative to Q1 were 1.39 (95% CI: 1.07–1.81), 1.35 (95% CI: 1.02–1.79), and 1.38 (95% CI: 1.02–1.87), respectively. In women, no associations were observed. These data suggest that alcohol consumption could be associated with an increased risk of stomach cancer among Japanese men.
Prostate cancer incidence and mortality in Portugal: trends, projections and regional differences
Authors: Pina Francisco , Castro Clara , Ferro Ana , Bento Maria J. , Lunet Nuno
Published: August 2016

There is a large geographical variability in prostate cancer incidence and mortality trends, mostly because of heterogeneity in control efforts across regions. We aimed to describe the time trends in prostate cancer incidence and mortality in Portugal, overall and by region, and to estimate the number of incident cases and deaths in 2020. The number of cases and incidence rates in 1998–2009 were collected from the Regional Cancer Registries. The number of deaths and mortality rates were obtained from the WHO mortality database (1988–2003 and 2007–2013) and Statistics Portugal (2004–2006; 1991–2013 by region). JoinPoint analyses were used to identify significant changes in trends in age-standardized incidence and mortality rates. Incidence and mortality predictions for 2020 were performed using Poisson regression models and population projections provided by Statistics Portugal. In Portugal, prostate cancer incidence has been increasing since 1998 (1.8%/year), with the exception of the North Region, with a decrease since 2006 (−3.2%/year). An overall mortality decline has been observed since 1997 (−2.2%/year), although there were two patterns of mortality variation at the regional level: one with an inflection point or significant variation in the rates and the other without significant variation. If these trends are maintained, ∼8600 incident cases and 1700 deaths may be expected to occur in Portugal in 2020. Despite the overall increasing incidence and decreasing mortality, there is a large heterogeneity across regions. Future studies should address regional differences in the trends of prostate specific antigen screening and in the effective management of prostate cancer.
Metabolic disorders and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a case–control study in Italy
Authors: Zucchetto Antonella , Taborelli Martina , Bosetti Cristina , Montella Maurizio , La Vecchia Carlo , Franchin Gianni , Libra Massimo , Serraino Diego , Polesel Jerry
Published: August 2016

The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between metabolic disorders and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, considering different histological subtypes. Between 1992 and 2008, we carried out a multicentre case–control study in Italy. One-hundred and ninety-seven White patients with histologically confirmed nasopharyngeal carcinoma were enrolled as cases. The control group included 592 cancer-free patients, frequency matched by study centre, area of residence, sex, age and period of interview. Odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI), for nasopharyngeal carcinoma according to obesity and self-reported history of other metabolic disorders, were calculated through logistic regression models adjusted for matching variables and tobacco smoking and drinking habits. Obesity (OR=1.44; 95% CI: 0.88–2.36), diabetes mellitus (OR=0.91; 95% CI: 0.42–1.98), hypertension (OR=0.79; 95% CI: 0.48–1.32), hypercholesterolaemia (OR=1.41; 95% CI: 0.84–2.35) and metabolic syndrome (i.e. at least three among the four previously cited metabolic disorders; OR=1.11; 95% CI: 0.86–1.43) were not significantly associated with the overall risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. However, the associations observed for diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolaemia and metabolic syndrome were stronger among differentiated nasopharyngeal carcinomas than among undifferentiated ones. In particular, 21.7% of differentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma cases and 7.8% of controls reported a history of metabolic syndrome (OR=3.37; 95% CI: 1.05–10.81). The results of the study indicated no overall association between metabolic disorders and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Nonetheless, although the small sample size calls for caution in interpretation, metabolic disorders could increase the risk of differentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma. This finding further supports a different aetiology of the two histological subtypes.
Wise Choices: Nutrition and Exercise for Older Adults
Authors: Turk Melanie T. , Elci Okan U. , Resick Lenore K. , Kalarchian Melissa A.
Published: August 2016

Effective interventions for older adults are needed to address lifestyle behaviors linked to chronic illnesses. We implemented a 12-week group behavioral intervention for 118 racially diverse older adults at 6 community-based senior centers to improve eating and physical activity. Assessments were completed pre- and postintervention, with 85.6% retention. We documented increases in fruit, vegetable, and whole grain intake; pace of walking; number of city blocks walked; daily steps walked; functional mobility; and self-rated general health (P < .05). Findings indicate that a relatively low-intensity lifestyle intervention can effectively be implemented for community-dwelling older adults. Further development of this approach is warranted.
Do the Features, Amenities, and Quality of Physical Activity Resources Differ Between City and County Areas of a Large Rural Region?
Authors: Hill Jennie L. , Waters Clarice N. , Kolivras Korine N. , Estabrooks Paul A. , Zoellner Jamie M.
Published: August 2016

The goal of this work was to provide a community-academic partnership with actionable information for physical activity (PA) for a rural health-disparate region. Identified PA outlets were audited and combined with survey data for 813 residents in the region. Less than a third of sampled residents (28%) met PA recommendations, with low perceptions of safety for PA. PA resource outlets in rural areas had higher numbers of incivilities. On the basis of our findings, 4 actionable strategies are recommended: shared-use agreements, reducing incivilities, addressing issues related to safety from traffic, and increasing the number of PA resources in rural areas.
Gallstones in childhood: etiology, clinical features, and prognosis
Authors: Serdaroglu Filiz , Koca Yavuz S. , Saltik Fatma , Koca Tugba , Dereci Selim , Akcam Mustafa , Akcam Fusun Z.
Published: August 2016

Aim

The aim of this study was to determine demographic and clinical features in children diagnosed with gallstones, risk factors for gallstone formation, the effectiveness of ursodeoxycholic acid therapy, and the course of the disease.

Materials and methods

Patients aged 0–18 years were followed up for at least 6 months after the diagnosis of gallstones with ultrasonography and were evaluated retrospectively. Patients were evaluated with respect to age, sex, presenting symptoms, BMI, facilitating factors, accompanying diseases, family history of gallstones, history of ceftriaxone use, laboratory tests, ultrasonography findings and follow-up, and therapeutic approaches and results.

Results

The study was completed with 70 patients. Thirty-nine (55.7%) patients were females. The mean age of the patients was 9.3±5.29 (0.3–18) years. The mean age among females was statistically significantly higher than that among males (P=0.007).

No risk factor for stone formation was encountered in 50% of cases, whereas a family history of gallstones was present in 17.1%. Use of ceftriaxone was present in 8.6% of cases, total parenteral nutrition in 10%, obesity in 5.7%, hereditary spherocytosis in 4.3%, and Down’s syndrome in 4.3%. The probability of dissolution of stones was 3.6 times higher in patients with stone sizes up to 5 mm [odds ratio (OR): 3.65,P=0.020], 3.9 times higher in those aged younger than 2 years (OR: 3.92,P=0.021), and 13.9 times higher in those with a single stone (OR: 13.97,P=0.003).

Conclusion

Our findings show that unknown causes are still prevalent in stone formation and that ursodeoxycholic acid exerts no effect on stone dissolution; however, diagnosis at younger than 2 years of age, a single stone, and small size of stone are factors affecting dissolution.
Correction of Iron Deficiency Anemia With Intravenous Iron Sucrose in Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Danko Istvan , Weidkamp Marcy
Published: August 2016

Objectives:

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is common in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affecting their cognitive development and school performance. Oral iron supplementation has serious limitations including poor adherence and iron malabsorption related to chronic inflammation. Our objective was to evaluate the feasibility of periodic intravenous (IV) iron treatments for correction of IDA in children with IBD.

Methods:

This prospective study was conducted in 24 children with IBD treated with infliximab (IFX). Participants received 3 mg/kg (maximum 200 mg) IV iron sucrose (IS) after IFX treatments if they were iron deficient according to criteria: ferritin <30 ng/mL or transferrin saturation (TSAT) <20% with normal C‐reactive protein (CRP), or ferritin <100 ng/mL and TSAT <20% with elevated CRP. They continued to receive IV IS with each IFX treatment until 2 consecutive laboratories showed no evidence of iron deficiency. Hematology and iron indices obtained during the study were compared with historic controls from the same patients.

Results:

Mean ferritin, TSAT, and hemoglobin (Hb) (±SE) rose from 21.9 (±3.2) to 48.8 (±6.3) ng/mL (P = 0.0004), 13.2 (±1.8) to 23.6 (±2.6)%, (P = 0.0009) and 11.4 (±0.3) to 12.7 (±0.3) g/dL, (P = 0.006) respectively. The proportion of patients with normal mean ferritin, TSAT, and Hb rose from 33% to 75% (P = 0.002), 21% to 63% (P = 0.006), and 25% to 79% (P = 0.0002), respectively. There were no adverse reactions.

Conclusions:

Periodic IV IS is safe and effective for routine management of IDA in children with IBD.
Faecal Calprotectin in Treated and Untreated Children With Coeliac Disease and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Authors: Biskou Olga , Gardner‐Medwin Janet , Mackinder Mary , Bertz Martin , Clark Clare , Svolos Vaios , Russell Richard K. , Edwards Christine A. , McGrogan Paraic , Gerasimidis Konstantinos
Published: August 2016

The present study aimed to provide evidence on whether children at risk of gastrointestinal inflammation have increased measurements of faecal calprotectin (FC). FC was measured in 232 children; 55 children (n = 11 treatment naïve) with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), 63 with coeliac disease (CD); 17 with new diagnosis before and after treatment on gluten‐free diet and 114 controls. None of the treatment‐naive children with JIA had raised FC. Four JIA patients on treatment had a raised FC but in all cases a repeat test was normal. In newly diagnosed patients with CD, the median (interquartile range) FC was higher 36.4 (26–61) than that in controls 25.0 (23–41) mg/kg (P = 0.045) but this significantly decreased 25 (25–25) mg/kg (P = 0.012) after 6 months on gluten‐free diet. Random measurements of FC are not raised in children with JIA or CD. A significant elevation of FC in these groups is not explained by their diagnosis and therefore needs further investigation.
Retrospective PCR-based species identification of Leishmania in two patients with visceral leishmaniasis in Serbia
Authors: Dakić Zorica , Nielsen Henrik Vedel , Pavlović Milorad , Poluga Jasmina , Stevanović Goran , Lavadinović Lidija , Milošević Branko , Pelemiš Mijomir , Urošević Aleksandar , Jovanović Snežana , Stensvold Christen Rune
Published: August 2016

Introduction:

Retrospective molecular identification of Leishmania parasites in two patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) previously treated in Serbia was carried out. DNA was isolated from unstained bone marrow smears (BMSs) kept for 11 and 8 years. Genus-specific real-time PCR was combined with conventional PCR and sequencing for detection and species identification.

Case presentation:

In 2003, a 40-year-old Serbian male was admitted to the Clinical Centre of Serbia (CCS) with fever, sweating, fatigue and splenomegaly, which developed over a period of 7 weeks. He had frequently travelled around Europe. VL was confirmed by microscopy of Giemsa-stained BMS. Treatment by pentavalent antimonials was successfully completed. Two years later, the patient developed post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis. Treatment resulted in symptom resolution. Later on, Leishmania infantum was identified as the causative agent of the VL by sequencing of the ITS (internal transcribed spacer) region; mixed Leishmania spp. infection could not be excluded. In 2006, a 33-year-old female from Vojvodina, Serbia, with pre-existing diabetes mellitus and chronic meningoencephalitis and a history of frequent visits to the Montenegrin seacoast, was admitted to the CCS with fever, pancytopenia and moderate hepatosplenomegaly. A stained BMS revealed abundant Leishmania amastigotes. Indirect haemagglutination analysis was positive with a titre of 1 : 2048, and a rapid dipstick rK39 test was also positive. Treatment by liposomal amphotericin B was successful; however, shortly after, the patient developed neural infection and pneumonia and died. The causative agent was identified as L. infantum.

Conclusion:

Molecular diagnosis of VL and species delineation using DNA from unstained BMSs stored for several years is possible.
Observation of a re-entrant phase transition in the molecular complex tris(μ2-3,5-diisopropyl-1,2,4-triazolato-κ2N1:N2)trigold(I) under high pressure
Authors: Woodall Christopher H. , Christensen Jeppe , Skelton Jonathan M. , Hatcher Lauren E. , Parlett Andrew , Raithby Paul R. , Walsh Aron , Parker Stephen C. , Beavers Christine M. , Teat Simon J. , Intissar Mourad , Reber Christian , Allan David R.
Published: August 2016

We report a molecular crystal that exhibits four successive phase transitions under hydrostatic pressure, driven by aurophilic interactions, with the ground-state structure re-emerging at high pressure. The effect of pressure on two polytypes of tris(μ2-3,5-diisopropyl-1,2,4-triazolato-κ2N1:N2)trigold(I) (denoted Form-I and Form-II) has been analysed using luminescence spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and first-principles computation. A unique phase behaviour was observed in Form-I, with a complex sequence of phase transitions between 1 and 3.5 GPa. The ambientC2/cmother cell transforms to aP21/nphase above 1 GPa, followed by aP21/aphase above 2 GPa and a large-volumeC2/csupercell at 2.70 GPa, with the previously observedP21/nphase then reappearing at higher pressure. The observation of crystallographically identical low- and high-pressureP21/nphases makes this a rare example of a re-entrant phase transformation. The phase behaviour has been characterized using detailed crystallographic theory and modelling, and rationalized in terms of molecular structural distortions. The dramatic changes in conformation are correlated with shifts of the luminescence maxima, from a band maximum at 14040 cm−1at 2.40 GPa, decreasing steeply to 13550 cm−1at 3 GPa. A similar study of Form-II displays more conventional crystallographic behaviour, indicating that the complex behaviour observed in Form-I is likely to be a direct consequence of the differences in crystal packing between the two polytypes.