bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parameters for Validating a Hospital Pneumatic Tube System
Authors: Farnsworth Christopher W , Webber Daniel M , Krekeler James A , Budelier Melissa M , Bartlett Nancy L , Gronowski Ann M
Published: February 2019

BACKGROUND

Pneumatic tube systems (PTSs) provide rapid transport of patient blood samples, but physical stress of PTS transport can damage blood cells and alter test results. Despite this knowledge, there is limited information on how to validate a hospital PTS.

METHODS

We compared 2 accelerometers and evaluated multiple PTS routes. Variabilities in PTS forces over the same routes were assessed. Response curves that demonstrate the relationship between the number and magnitude of accelerations on plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LD), hemolysis index, and potassium in PTS-transported blood from volunteers were generated. Extrapolations from these relationships were used to predict PTS routes that may be prone to false laboratory results. Historical data and prospective patient studies were compared with predicted effects.

RESULTS

The maximum recorded g-force was 10g for the smartphone and 22g for the data logger. There was considerable day-to-day variation in the magnitude of accelerations (CV, 4%–39%) within a single route. The linear relationship between LD and accelerations within the PTS revealed 2 PTS routes predicted to increase LD by ≥20%. The predicted increase in LD was similar to that observed in patient results when using that PTS route.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospital PTSs can be validated by documenting the relationship between the concentrations of analytes in plasma, such as LD, with PTS forces recorded by 3-axis accelerometers. Implementation of this method for PTS validation is relatively inexpensive, simple, and robust.
Lone heroes, outsiders, rebels and social ecologies: Insights from three case studies of young citizens in action
Authors: Walsh Lucas L. , Black Rosalyn
Published: February 2019

Young people are frequently constructed in education policy discourses as not only active but transformative citizens who are expected to produce social and/or political change. Young people may embrace the individualized image of the active citizen while feeling the pressure of working within established structures and systems and of navigating the deficit discourses of youth that sometimes attend these. They may also acknowledge the role of key organizations and mentors in shaping their capacity to influence change, and yet still see themselves to some degree as lone hero actors, even as outsiders or rebels. This article draws on three Australian case studies to consider the role of NGOs and local government organizations in supporting young people’s capacity to influence change. It considers the importance of what we have called the social ecologies of influence, their relational and geographic dimensions, and how they enable young people’s resilience and efficacy as active citizens.
Student council and student leadership training in Hong Kong primary schools
Authors: Chong Eric King-Man , Timothy Yuen Wai Wa , Wing Leung Yan
Published: February 2019

This article demonstrates how a Hong Kong primary school enlists students (aged 6 to 12 years) in school governance by having a student council and by creating a supportive learning context, including building a supportive ethos and offering training for student leaders. The significance of this study lies in its reporting of a successful case of a student council in a primary school and the impacts on the civic qualities of the students involved. This is an attempt at investigating: the educational impacts of a student council in a primary school setting in a Chinese context; and the collaboration between schools, teachers and a service provider in nurturing a school ethos and context favourable for student engagement. This study argues that although primary school students are young, they are able to speak up and act as office bearers in a student council in an effective way. They can contribute towards school governance by conveying informed views on school matters. A supportive school context consisting of favourable attitudes taken up by school parties, namely the school governing board, principal, teachers and students, is crucial. Hopefully, the study can shed light to the international communities on the nurturing of citizens through active participation in school community at an early age to have the competence to know, think, act, reflect and care in a new political environment marked by uncertainty and increasing political polarization.
Assessment of the CLASlite forest monitoring system in detecting disturbance from selective logging in the Selva Maya, Mexico
Authors: Hernández-Gómez Irving , Cerdán Carlos , Navarro-Martínez Angélica , Vázquez-Luna Dinora , Armenta-Montero Samaria , Ellis Edward
Published: February 2019

Detecting and monitoring forest disturbance from selective logging is necessary to develop effective strategies and polices that conserve tropical forests and mitigate climate change. We assessed the potential of using the remote sensing tool, CLASlite forest monitoring system, to detect disturbance from timber harvesting in four community forests () of the Selva Maya on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Selective logging impacts (e.g. felling gaps, skid trails, logging roads and log landings) were mapped using GPS in the 2014 annual cutting areas (ACAs) of each ejido. We processed and analyzed two pre-harvest Landsat images (2001 and 2013) and one post-harvest image (November 2014) with the CLASlite system, producing maps of degraded, deforested and unlogged areas in each ACA. Based on reference points of disturbed (felling and skidding), deforested (log landings and roads) and unlogged areas in each ACA, we applied accuracy assessments which showed very low overall accuracies (<19.1%). Selective logging impacts, mainly from log landings and new logging road construction, were detected in only one ejido which had the highest logging intensity (7 m ha).ejidos3â1
A Life Less Damnable
Authors: Roberts Jack
Published: February 2019

Jack Roberts’s detective novel is set in Szeged, in the South of Hungary in 2000 and it represents the symbiosis of political and personal life in post-Communist Hungary in a university context. When the retired professor of history dies, the question of motive is this: was the crime committed because of political or personal reasons, and the reconstruction of the crime follows up both agendas in minute detail. The text relies on the framework of the hard-boiled detective novel to expose a difficult moral dilemma of manipulation and being manipulated through tightly composed psychological close-ups worthy of a Modernist novel. This mix of features results in a very much regional but at the same time philosophical novel.
Eradication Efficacy of Modified Dual Therapy Compared with Bismuth-Containing Quadruple Therapy as a First-Line Treatment of Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Yang Jing , Zhang Yi , Fan Ling , Zhu Yang-Jie , Wang Ting-Yi , Wang Xing-Wei , Chen Dong-Feng , Lan Chun-Hui
Published: February 2019

OBJECTIVES:

This study assessed the effectiveness, adverse events, patient adherence, and costs of modified dual therapy compared with bismuth-containing quadruple therapy for treating Helicobacter pylori infection in Chinese patients. We also sought to determine whether modified dual therapy could be used as an alternative first-line treatment for H. pylori infection.

METHODS:

A total of 232 H. pylori-infected, treatment-naive patients were enrolled in this open-label, randomized controlled clinical trial. Patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups: the 14-day modified dual therapy group and the bismuth-containing quadruple therapy group. Eradication rates, drug-related adverse events, patient compliance, and drug costs were compared between the 2 groups.

RESULTS:

The modified dual therapy group achieved eradication rates of 87.9%, 91.1%, and 91.1% as determined by the intention-to-treat, per-protocol, and modified intention-to-treat analyses, respectively. The eradication rates were similar compared with the bismuth-containing quadruple therapy group: 89.7%, 91.2%, and 90.4%. In addition, modified dual therapy ameliorated variations in the CYP2C19, IL-1B-511, and H. pylori VacA genotypes. There were no significant differences in the compliance rates between the 2 groups. The modified dual therapy group exhibited significantly less overall side effects compared with the bismuth-containing quadruple therapy group (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the cost of medications in the modified dual therapy was lower compared with that in the bismuth-containing quadruple therapy.

CONCLUSIONS:

Modified dual therapy at high dose and administration frequency is equally effective and safer and less costly compared with bismuth-containing quadruple therapy.
Toxoplasmosis caprina en la provincia de Salta
Authors: DODERO Ana Mariela , BERTONI Emiliano A. , CORTEZ Héctor S. , SALATIN Antonio O. , MARTINEZ-ALMUDEVAR Fabián , GOS María L. , SUAREZ Víctor H.
Published: February 2019

La toxoplasmosis, causada por Toxoplasma gondii, es una zoonosis que produce pérdidas reproductivas en rumiantes. Este trabajo caracterizó la presencia indirecta, a través de anticuerpos, de la enfermedad en caprinos de la provincia de Salta a través de una encuesta en 39 unidades productoras (UP). Se tomaron muestras biológicas para el diagnóstico de enfermedades en la que fue incluida toxoplasmosis. En un análisis el promedio provincial de UP con animales positivos fue del 79,49% y la seroprevalencia media de los hatos fue 19,09% con valores entre 2,8 y 78,13% siendo más frecuentes valores menores del 20%. Se detectaron UP positivas en toda la provincia con los siguientes promedios de UP con animales positivos: Chaco Salteño (CS)=84,62%, Quebradas Áridas (QA)=72,72%, Valles Templados (VT)=80,00%. La seroprevalencia en los hatos osciló entre CS=3,50-20,00%, QA=2,80-42,00% y VT=6,25-78,13%, encontrándose anticuerpos contra T. gondii presentes en todas ecorregiones evaluadas de la provincia de Salta.
POTENTIAL OF BIG DATA FOR PRO-ACTIVE PARTICIPATORY LAND USE PLANNING
Authors: De Vries Walter Timo
Published: February 2019

The presence of (spatial) big data presumes that citizens can more actively collect and analyse data for their own land use goals. This article evaluates that claim. Given that land use planning heavily depends on participation and citizens’ own contributions the core question is whether and how (spatial) big data can enhance and/or complement current land use planning endeavours. The article starts by defining and conceptualising the various phases and objectives of land use planning. This is needed to verify where citizen participation can play a crucial role and where bottom-up influence can actually emerge.  The article is fundamentally explorative. It relies on evaluating existing websites and documentation which conceptualise (spatial) big data and smart application, with a particular emphasis on ‘smart people’. A number of specific cases are explored in order to verify how and in which type of land use planning activity citizens are actively.  The evaluation indicates that many the smart applications making use of big data are still largely driven by conventional hierarchical governance structures. The choice of data and associated analytics are still largely confined and the opportunities whereby the designs of the new and alternative land use options by citizens are accepted or adopted is still limited. The take-home message is that adoption of big data for the purpose of empowering citizens is still limited. There probably needs to be more exemplary projects and various forms of capacity development and exploratory pilots before the full potential of (spatial) big data can be employed for bottom-up land use planning.
Von Negation zu Domänensubtraktion
Authors: Witzenhausen Elisabeth
Published: February 2019

Middle Low German (MLG) underwent Jespersen’s Cycle, a change in the expression of sentential negation, whereby a preverbal marker ni (stage I) was adjoined by an adverbial niht (stage II) in the transition towards MLG, and was eventually replaced by it (stage III). In this article, I argue that the single preverbal particle ne/en in MLG became a marker of negation which is located syntactically higher, i. e. above the clause boundary, than the clause in which ne/en appears. This analysis is based on a corpus study investigating MLG exceptive clauses (English unless-clauses). Both on semantic and syntactic grounds, it is shown that these clauses can be explained as being complements of an operator that subtracts the proposition in the exceptive clause from the modal domain of a universal quantifier.
Trinität und Heilsgeschichte: Das ›Anegenge‹
Authors: Bauer Eva
Published: February 2019

Up until now, the Early Middle High German text ›Anegenge‹ has been discredited in academic research for various different reasons, including claims that it is merely a bad didactic poem, whose sole purpose is to portray the complete history of salvation. This paper aims to illustrate that the main topic of the poem is not, as has been the common consensus thus far, the history of salvation, but, instead, the Holy Trinity. This allows for a reevaluation of the text.
On properties of output sequence of multi-cyclic generator over direct sum of residue groups modulo 2
Authors: Mezhennaya Natalia M. , Mikhailov Vladimir G.
Published: February 2019

The formula for the frequencies of symbols in the output sequence of multi-cyclic generator over the direct sum of residue groups modulo 2 is obtained. In the case when cells of registers contain independent random values with the uniform distribution the limit joint distribution of the frequencies (as lengths of the registers tend to infinity) is obtained.
Donald Trump, Nationalization, and the 2018 Midterm Elections
Authors: Carson Jamie L. , Hitefield Aaron A.
Published: February 2019

The 2018 midterm elections resulted in record levels of turnout, campaign funding, and the representation of women and minorities in Congress. Moreover, Democrats regained control of the US House of Representatives while Republicans shored up their minimal majority in the Senate. What made such a historic outcome possible? This article examines the candidates, expectations, outcomes, and implications of the 2018 midterm elections. In doing so, it offers an analysis into the primary elections, suggesting that the 2018 midterm results in the House were largely a result of successful nominations of quality Democratic candidates who were able to capitalize on the unpopularity of President Donald Trump despite an otherwise strong national economy. It closes with an in-depth analysis into the implications of the 2018 midterm election on both the incoming 116th Congress as well as the upcoming 2020 Presidential election.
From Fox News to Viral Views: The Influence of Ideological Media in the 2018 Elections
Authors: Grossmann Matt , Hopkins David A.
Published: February 2019

The 2018 elections marked a notable increase in the influence of ideological media over both major American parties. Conservative media sources, led by Fox News Channel, further solidified their power within the Republican Party, maintaining their traditional role of informing and mobilizing Republican voters while extending their reach to become densely integrated with Republican elites, especially President Trump. At the same time, deep antipathy to the Trump presidency among Democratic voters produced a surge in popular demand for overtly liberal media programming and information about the 2018 elections, leading to extensive citizen engagement (especially online) and record grassroots fundraising totals for Democratic candidates. The events of 2018 thus furthered two important long-term trends – the ideological polarization of the parties and the nationalization of American elections – that continue to define our contemporary political era.
Threat, Mobilization, and Latino Voting in the 2018 Election
Authors: Reny Tyler , Wilcox-Archuleta Bryan , Cruz Nichols Vanessa
Published: February 2019

Throughout the 2016 US presidential campaign and the first 2 years of his presidency, Donald Trump has repeatedly dehumanized immigrants in pursuit of more restrictive immigration policies. Despite the common perception that this threat should increase the political mobilization of Latino voters, existing research has yielded mixed findings. In this article, we argue that attention has to be paid to both threatening climate and mobilization. We examine Latino voting in the 2018 midterm election using both aggregate election data from 2014 and 2018 as well as a large 10-week tracking poll (n=2767) of Latinos during the last 2 months of the 2018 election. We show that, compared to 2014, the number of ballots cast by Latinos increased substantially. Using the tracking poll, however, we show that threat alone did not appear to be sufficient to mobilize Latino voters in the 2018 election. It is threat combined with mobilization, rather, that increased Latino voting. We discuss implications for future Latino political participation in the US.
Rate of weight gain as a predictor of readmission in adolescents with eating disorders
Authors: Sebastian Meghna R. , Wiemann Constance M. , Hergenroeder Albert C.
Published: February 2019

Background

Readmission after hospital discharge is common in adolescents with eating disorders. Studies on the association between rapidity of weight gain and readmission are inconsistent. With an emphasis on more rapid weight gain during hospitalization, the effect of this strategy on readmission rates warrants further investigation.

Objective

This project explored the relationship between rate of weight gain during hospitalization and medically necessitated readmissions.

Subjects

Eighty-two patients who: were admitted due to an eating disorder during a 5-year period; achieved weight restoration to ≥84% of ideal body weight (IBW); had a follow-up visit with the adolescent medicine service after discharge; and, had information available on rate of weight gain.

Methods

Data were extracted from medical records. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the effect of rate of weight gain on readmission. The effect of a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis was tested for an interaction.

Results

Of patients 20.7% required readmission. The median rate of weight gain was 118.6 g/day [interquartile range (IQR) = 91.8–150.8]. There was a 1.8 times [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.9–3.6, p = 0.087] greater odds of readmission with each increase in weight gain quartile after adjusting for potential confounders. Patients in the lowest rate of weight gain quartile and no psychiatric co-morbidity had a significantly lower predicted probability of readmission (25.1%) compared to those with a psychiatric comorbidity and in the highest quartile of rate of weight gain (48.4%).

Conclusion

Patients with eating disorders who have rapid inpatient weight gain and psychiatric co-morbidities may be at increased risk for readmission.
On the Gevrey ultradifferentiability of weak solutions of an abstract evolution equation with a scalar type spectral operator of orders less than one
Authors: Markin Marat V.
Published: February 2019

It is shown that, if all weak solutions of the evolution equation

$$\begin{array}{}
\displaystyle y'(t)=Ay(t),\, t\ge 0,
\end{array} $$

with a scalar type spectral operator A in a complex Banach space are Gevrey ultradifferentiable of orders less than one, then the operator A is necessarily bounded.
Arithmetical properties of double Möbius-Bernoulli numbers
Authors: Bayad Abdelmejid , Kim Daeyeoul , Li Yan
Published: February 2019

Given positive integers n, n′ and k, we investigate the Möbius-Bernoulli numbers Mk(n), double Möbius-Bernoulli numbers Mk(n,n′), and Möbius-Bernoulli polynomials Mk(n)(x). We find new identities involving double Möbius-Bernoulli, Barnes-Bernoulli numbers and Dedekind sums. In part of this paper, the Möbius-Bernoulli polynomials Mk(n)(x), can be interpreted as critical values of the following Dirichlet type L-function

$$\begin{array}{}
\displaystyle L_{HM}(s;n,x):=\sum_{d|n} \sum_{m= 0}^\infty \frac{\mu(d)}{(md+x)^s} \, \, \text{(for Re} (s) \gt 1),
\end{array} $$

which has analytic continuation to the whole s-complex plane, where μ is the Möbius function.
Short-term steam treatment of MFC gel with and without water-soluble cellulose derivative
Authors: Hiltunen Salla , Heiskanen Isto , Backfolk Kaj
Published: February 2019

Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) with and without added CMC was exposed to short-term dynamic thermal treatment using a steam jet cooker. The effects of the elevated temperature (130 °C, ∼3 bar) and shear forces on the rheology, crystallinity index, UV/VIS adsorption and water retention were measured. Jet cooking increased the viscosity and gel strength of the MFC and MFC/CMC mixture but with CMC alone a slight decrease in viscosity was observed. The water retention capacity and crystalline indices of the MFC were not greatly affected by the short-term thermal treatment and shear forces, although a slight increase in the UV/VIS absorbance was observed.
Die Regelungen zu institutionellen Investoren, Vermögensverwaltern und Stimmrechtsberatern im Referentenentwurf eines Gesetzes zur Umsetzung der zweiten Aktionärsrechterichtlinie (ARUG II)
Authors: Tröger Tobias
Published: February 2019

Der vorliegende Beitrat setzt sich kritisch mit den im RefE ARUG II vorgeschlagenen, einschlägigen Neuregelung auseinander. Die Erfolgsaussichten des im Rahmen der neu zu schaffenden Regelungen für institutionelle Investoren und Vermögensverwalter verfolgten, auch international einflussreichen Stewardship-Ansatzes erscheinen vor dem Hintergrund der Wettbewerbsstruktur der Branche und der daraus resultierenden Anreize für die regelunterworfenen Akteure zweifelhaft. Die Umsetzung, die primär auf eine engere Anbindung des Verhaltens der Investmentintermediäre mit den (langfristigen) Interessen der Endbegünstigten abzielt, kann in Einzelaspekten noch verbessert werden und sollte jedenfalls nicht im AktG erfolgen. Dies gilt auch für die nicht die Stimmrechtsvertretung betreffenden Publizitätspflichten von Stimmrechtsberatern, die auf eine Interessenparallelisierung innerhalb des Geschäftsbesorgungsverhältnisses mit institutionellen Anteilseignern abzielen.
Exercise Programming for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Authors: Cormier Tom
Published: February 2019

NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS THE MOST COMMON LIVER DISEASE IN THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD DUE TO A WESTERN DIET AND A DECREASE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. WEIGHT LOSS AND EXERCISE IMPROVE THE FATTY LIVER AND ASSOCIATED COMORBIDITIES; HOWEVER, PROGRAMMING IS HIGHLY INDIVIDUALIZED CONSIDERING ITS HIGH PREVALENCE, AND THEREFORE, SEVERAL PROGRAMMING OPTIONS CAN BE CONSIDERED. A VIDEO ABSTRACT DESCRIBING THIS ARTICLE CAN BE FOUND IN SUPPLEMENTAL DIGITAL CONTENT 1 (SEE VIDEO, HTTP://LINKS.LWW.COM/SCJ/A253).
Barriers to the Uptake of Off-Grid Solar Lighting Products in Bihar
Authors: Pai Sandeep , Carr-Wilson Savannah
Published: February 2019

The federal government of India and the state government of Bihar, India’s least electrified state, have always focused on grid expansion to bring power to those living without grid access. However, grid expansion has been slow. In Bihar, 83% of people still live without electricity, relying on dangerous kerosene lamps to light their homes. In the 1980s, an alternative—a market for solar home systems and solar lanterns—started to develop in Bihar. Yet, this market has failed to thrive, despite three decades of intervention by the government and activity by private companies. Today, fewer than 4.2% of unelectrified Bihar households use a solar lighting product. Based on interviews with key stakeholders, this case study found that the biggest obstacle to market growth is the government kerosene subsidy, which halves the price of kerosene, and makes people less interested in solar lighting products. Lack of company financing, product quality issues, lack of customer awareness of the benefits of solar, and another counterproductive government subsidy for solar products are other challenges that hamper market growth. Interviewees also identified factors promoting the growth of the sector, including the large unmet electricity demand and unreliable electricity supply, and dropping solar prices. Overall, there is significant potential for market growth if strategies are developed by key stakeholders to help overcome the challenges identified in this case study, and build on the factors promoting the sector’s growth. Most importantly, the government needs to re-think their subsidy policies and adopt a stance to encourage market forces.
Balancing Environmental Remediation, Environmental Justice, and Health Disparities: the Case of Lake Apopka, Florida
Authors: Saville Anne , Adams Alison
Published: February 2019

Agricultural production in the United States provides numerous economic contributions from the national scale to the local, providing farmworker and laborer jobs for hundreds of thousands of people [1]. Unfortunately, conventional agricultural operations are often associated with pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, which can cause environmental degradation and health problems. Large-scale conventional agriculture is often using pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer intensive, and these chemicals may contaminate natural environments, harming wildlife, and degrading water quality. When contamination incidents occur, government agencies and non-profit organizations respond in various ways, including environmental remediation. These efforts can be successful in restoring water quality and improving biodiversity. But, what happens when clean-up efforts are able to improve the physical environment but do not address human health? We use the case of Lake Apopka, Florida, to analyze a case of agricultural contamination that resulted in damage to the environment and the health of the farmworkers who were exposed to these harmful chemicals. Our analysis explores how government agencies and non-profit organizations were successful in their conservation efforts, but failed to help the farmworkers and other people who were sick as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals. We conclude with recommendations for policy makers and environmentalists to better address and include marginalized or vulnerable communities in environmental remediation projects.
Interplay between the androgen receptor signaling axis and microRNAs in prostate cancer
Authors: Fernandes Rayzel C , Hickey Theresa E , Tilley Wayne D , Selth Luke A
Published: February 2019

The androgen receptor (AR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that drives prostate cancer. Since therapies that target the AR are the mainstay treatment for men with metastatic disease, it is essential to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying oncogenic AR signaling in the prostate. miRNAs are small, non-coding regulators of gene expression that play a key role in prostate cancer and are increasingly recognized as targets or modulators of the AR signaling axis. In this review, we examine the regulation of AR signaling by miRNAs and vice versa and discuss how this interplay influences prostate cancer growth, metastasis and resistance to therapy. Finally, we explore the potential clinical applications of miRNAs implicated in the regulation of AR signaling in this prevalent hormone-driven disease.
The transient cortical zone in the adrenal gland: the mystery of the adrenal X-zone
Authors: Huang Chen-Che Jeff , Kang Yuan
Published: February 2019

The X-zone is a transient cortical region enriched in eosinophilic cells located in the cortical–medullary boundary of the mouse adrenal gland. Similar to the X-zone, the fetal zone in human adrenals is also a transient cortical compartment, comprising the majority of the human fetal adrenal gland. During adrenal development, fetal cortical cells are gradually replaced by newly formed adult cortical cells that develop into outer definitive zones. In mice, the regression of this fetal cell population is sexually dimorphic. Many mouse models with mutations associated with endocrine factors have been reported with X-zone phenotypes. Increasing findings indicate that the cell fate of this aged cell population of the adrenal cortex can be manipulated by many hormonal and nonhormonal factors. This review summarizes the current knowledge of this transient adrenocortical zone with an emphasis on genes and signaling pathways that affect X-zone cells.
Evolution of the Highly Repetitive PEVK Region of Titin Across Mammals
Authors: Muenzen Kathleen , Monroy Jenna , Finseth Findley R
Published: February 2019

The protein titin plays a key role in vertebrate muscle where it acts like a giant molecular spring. Despite its importance and conservation over vertebrate evolution, a lack of high quality annotations in non-model species makes comparative evolutionary studies of titin challenging. The PEVK region of titin—named for its high proportion of Pro-Glu-Val-Lys amino acids—is particularly difficult to annotate due to its abundance of alternatively spliced isoforms and short, highly repetitive exons. To understand PEVK evolution across mammals, we developed a bioinformatics tool, PEVK_Finder, to annotate PEVK exons from genomic sequences of titin and applied it to a diverse set of mammals. PEVK_Finder consistently outperforms standard annotation tools across a broad range of conditions and improves annotations of the PEVK region in non-model mammalian species. We find that the PEVK region can be divided into two subregions (PEVK-N, PEVK-C) with distinct patterns of evolutionary constraint and divergence. The bipartite nature of the PEVK region has implications for titin diversification. In the PEVK-N region, certain exons are conserved and may be essential, but natural selection also acts on particular codons. In the PEVK-C, exons are more homogenous and length variation of the PEVK region may provide the raw material for evolutionary adaptation in titin function. The PEVK-C region can be further divided into a highly repetitive region (PEVK-CA) and one that is more variable (PEVK-CB). Taken together, we find that the very complexity that makes titin a challenge for annotation tools may also promote evolutionary adaptation.
Construction and Mediation of the â€œOtherâ€ in Community-Engaged Scholarship: The Importance of Not-Knowing
Authors: Kajner Tania
Published: February 2019

In this paper I share and analyze a subset of findings from a qualitative research study on community-engaged scholarship in Canada. I explore how engaged scholars participating in the study conceptualize community in their engagement experiences. I suggest that in articulating their work, participants depict the contradictory tensions of constructing community as an Other in a way that reflects the dominant European legacy of colonial relations while at the same time leaning towards forms of interaction that are decolonial and challenge this model of colonial relations. This leaning is important and, as I will argue, needs to be nurtured if engagement in Canada is going to escape the pragmatic instrumentalism that marks much of engaged scholarship and if Canadian scholars are going to relate to partners in truly reciprocal and equitable ways.Â
Generalized Uncertainty Principle in Quantum Cosmology for the Maximally Symmetric Space
Authors: Kuzmichev V. E. , Kuzmichev V. V.
Published: February 2019

The new uncertainty relation is derived in the context of the canonical quantum theory with gravity in the case of the maximally symmetric space. This relation establishes a connection between fluctuations of the quantities, which determine the intrinsic and extrinsic curvatures of the spacelike hypersurface in spacetime and introduces the uncertainty principle for quantum gravitational systems. The generalized time-energy uncertainty relation taking gravity into account gravity is proposed. It is shown that known Unruh’s uncertainty relation follows, as a particular case, from the new uncertainty relation. As an example, the sizes of fluctuations of the scale factor and its conjugate momentum are calculated within an exactly solvable model. All known modifications of the uncertainty principle deduced previously from different approaches in the theory of gravity and the string theory are obtained as particular cases of the proposed general expression.
Features of Radiation-Defect Annealing in n-Ge Single Crystals Irradiated with High-Energy Electrons
Authors: Luniov S. V. , Zimych A. I. , Khvyshchun M. V. , Maslyuk V. T. , Megela I. G.
Published: February 2019

The isothermal annealing of n-Ge single crystals irradiated with 10-MeV electrons to the fluence Φ = 5 × 1015 cm−2 has been studied. On the basis of the measured temperature dependences of the Hall constant and by solving the electroneutrality equations, the concentrations of radiation-induced defects (A-centers) in irradiated n-Ge single crystals are calculated both before and after the annealing. An anomalous increase of the Hall constant is found, when the irradiated n-Ge single crystals were annealed at Tan = 403 K for up to 3 h. The annealing at the temperature Tan = 393 K for 1 h gave rise to the np conversion in the researched crystals. The revealed effects can be explained by the concentration growth of A-centers owing to the generation of vacancies at the annealing of disordered crystal regions.
Temperature Dependence of Raman-Active Modes of TlIn(0.95Se0.05)2 Single Crystals
Authors: Gomonnai O. O. , Ludemann M. , Gomonnai A. V. , Roman I. Yu. , Slivka A. G. , Zahn D. R. T.
Published: February 2019

The unpolarized Raman spectra of TlIn(S0.95Se0.05)2 single crystals in the frequency interval 16–340 cm−1 are studied in the temperature interval 30 ≤ T ≤ 293 K. The Raman spectra are analyzed by a multipeak simulation using Lorentzian contours. The temperature behavior of the vibrational band parameters (half-width, intensity, and frequency) is studied with the emphasis on the temperature range, where changes related to phase transformations are revealed.
Centrality Dependences of Characteristics of Negative Pions in π− +12C Interactions at 40 GeV/c
Authors: Olimov Kh. K. , Olimov K. , Tojimamatov Sh. D. , Olimov A. K. , Bozorov E. Kh. , Lutpullaev S. L. , Kanokova Sh. Z. , Aliev M. , Fazilov M. , Yuldashev B. S.
Published: February 2019

The collision centrality dependences of the mean multiplicities and kinematical characteristics of negative pions produced in п−+12C collisions at 40 GeV/с are investigated. It is obtained that the average values of the partial inelasticity coefficients of negative pions (without “leading” pions) do not depend on the п−+12C collision centrality. It is shown that the normalized transverse momentum distributions, as well as the average values of the transverse momentum of negative pions, do not depend within the uncertainties on the п−+12C collision centrality. The average value of the emission angle of the negative pions was found to increase with the п−+12C collision centrality. The comparison of the normalized emission angle distributions of the negative pions in the peripheral and central п−+12C collisions at 40 GeV/с supported the assumption that such an increase in the average emission angle is likely due to an increase in the number of binary collisions and multiple rescatterings with the п−+12C collision centrality. The obtained experimental findings are reproduced qualitatively well by the Modified FRITIOF model calculations.
Aminoglycoside resistance determinants in multiresistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates from Turkish and Syrian patients
Authors: Cirit Osman Sezer , Fernández-Martínez Marta , Yayla Buket , Martínez-Martínez Luis
Published: February 2019

Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are frequently found resistance to aminoglycosides in Turkey. The aim of this study was to investigate aminoglycoside resistance in clinical isolates of E. coli and K. pneumoniae from Turkey using both phenotypic and genotypic methods and screening for the prevalence of gene coding for common aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AMEs) and 16S rRNA methylase genes. A total of 88 consecutive, non-duplicated E. coli (n = 65) and K. pneumoniae (n = 23) isolates showing resistance or intermediate resistance to amikacin and/or gentamicin were collected between October 2013 and May 2015 from clinical samples received at Gaziantep Dr. Ersin Arslan Training and Research Hospital. Seventeen isolates were obtained from Syrian patients. Isolates resistant to any of the two aminoglycosides were tested by PCR for seven AME genes, and 22 isolates with amikacin MIC ≥16 mg/L were also tested for 16S rRNA methylase genes. In E. coli isolates, the most frequent genes were aac(6′)-Ib (50 strains; 76.9%) and aac(3)-IIa (40 strains; 70.7%), followed by aph(3′)-Ia (5 strains; 7.6%) and ant(2″)-Ia (2 strains; 3.1%). Among the 23 resistant K. pneumoniae isolates, the most prevalent gene was aac(3′)-IIa (87.0%) followed by aac(6′)-Ib (73.9%) and aph(3′)-Ia (8.6%). The rmtC gene was detected in one K. pneumoniae isolate. Resistance to aminoglycosides in clinical isolates of E. coli and K. pneumoniae from our center is predominantly caused by AAC(6′)-Ib and AAC(3)-II enzymes, while the occurrence of 16S rRNA methylases is so far limited.
Antibiotic resistance, virulence and genetic diversity of Klebsiella pneumoniae in community- and hospital-acquired urinary tract infections in Iran
Authors: Eghbalpoor Fatemeh , Habibi Mehri , Azizi Omid , Asadi Karam Mohammad Reza , Bouzari Saeid
Published: February 2019

Klebsiella pneumoniae is among the most important causes of urinary tract infection (UTI). The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and correlation of antibiotic resistance with virulence characteristics and genetic diversity in K. pneumoniae isolated from UTIs in Iran. Phenotypic tests and antibiotic susceptibility were carried out on the isolates. Detection of the virulence and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes was performed by polymerase chain reaction. Pulsed-ﬁeld gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used for exploring the genomic relatedness. Hemolysin, biofilm, and hypermucoviscosity formation were observed in 87.1%, 86.4%, and 12.1% of isolates, respectively. The antibiotic resistance rate of K. pneumoniae isolates ranged from 12.1% for meropenem to 100% for amoxicillin. The prevalence of virulence genes ranged from 1.4% for cnf-1 to 100% for mrkD, fimH, kpn, and entB genes. In this study, 91.7%, 33.3%, and 4.2% of phenotypically ESBL-producers were positive for blaCTX-M, blaTEM, and blaSHV genes, respectively. An association was observed between the presence of traT, fyuA, or cnf-1 genes with antibiotic resistance. Two clone types were obtained by PFGE that indicate different K. pneumoniae clones in community- and hospital-acquired UTIs. The findings of this study are valuable in development of treatment strategies against UTIs in Iran.
First record of the Short-tailed Pipefish, Microphis brachyurus lineatus (Kaup, 1856) (Syngnathidae, Nerophinae), for Suriname
Authors: Moritz Timo , Thieme Philipp , You Kenneth Wan Tong , Mol Jan
Published: February 2019

The occurrence of the pipefish Microphis brachyurus (Bleecker, 1854) in Suriname is reported here for the first time. The records include 3 specimens from the lower Suriname River at Overbridge, collected from a reach in the river with fresh water, without brackish tidal influence and dense aquatic and flooded shore vegetation.
In transition
Authors: Tarabochia Sandra , Madden Shannon
Published: February 2019

This article investigates the learning trajectories of graduate students and early career faculty - a group we refer to as emerging scholars. Taking a developmental perspective, our mixed-methods study employs surveys and interviews to understand emerging scholars' writing needs and experiences. This research is significant because although literature suggests emerging scholars struggle with new writing practices, perceptions, and identities, researchers rarely take a developmental perspective on the learning needs of emerging scholars, which ultimately limits access to the educational enterprise and perpetuates a gatekeeping culture in higher education. Further, no studies that we know of consider graduate student and faculty writers' needs in relation to one another. In this article, we present an innovative method for cross-analyzing data from these two groups in ways that reveal recurring/diverging features of lifelong writing development. Our preliminary findings reveal connections and variations in the needs and experiences of these two groups that could inform pedagogy, programming, and institutional policy geared toward graduate student and faculty writers. Finally, we discuss methodological implications for studying groups of writers with proximate developmental relationships and explain how future applications of our method will contribute to research on writing development across the lifespan.
Writing development and education standards in cross-national perspective
Authors: Jeffery Jill V. , Elf Nikolaj , Skar Gustaf Bernhard , Wilcox Kristen Campbell
Published: February 2019

The importance of writing ability for academic and career advancement is increasingly a focus of education research and policy globally. In response to concerns regarding students' writing competence, policymakers and curriculum designers have begun placing more emphasis on writing in nationwide academic standards. However, given the complexity of writing as a cognitively dynamic and socioculturally situated activity, representing the development of writing competence in standards that vary by grade level is challenging, and little is known regarding how educational systems vary in approaching this challenge. In response to calls for more worldwide writing research, we undertake a cross-national examination of writing standards with the aim of informing policymakers, those involved in the research and development of writing standards, and researchers interested in writing development, by comparing how three educational systems (in Denmark, Norway, and the US) have represented writing development in curricular standards. To that end, we ask: (1) How do the three educational systems variously frame writing development in grade-level distinctions for writing standards? (2) How do the developmental pathways implicated in these grade-level distinctions relate to theory and research on writing competence and its development?
Predictive Assessment of Operator's Hand Trajectory with the Copying Type of Control for Solution of the Inverse Dynamic Problem
Authors: Petrenko Viacheslav , Tebueva Fariza , Gurchinsky Mikhail , Antonov Vladimir , Pavlov Andrey
Published: February 2019

The most important task of modern robotics is the development of robots to perform the work in potentially dangerous fields which can cause the risk to human health. Currently robotic systems can not become a full replacement for man for solving complex problems in a dynamic environment despite an active development of artificial intelligence technologies.

The robots that implement the copying type of control or the so-called virtual presence of the operator are the most advanced for use in the nearest future. The principle of copying control is based on the motion capture of the remote operator and the formation of control signals for the robot’s drives. A tracking system or systems based on movement planning can be used to control the drives. The tracking systems are simpler, but systems based on motion planning allow to achieve more smooth motion and less wear on the parts of the control object. An artificial delay between the movements of the operator and the control object for necessary data collection  is used  to implement the control-based motion planning.

The aim of research is a reduction of delay, which appears when controlling the anthropomorphic manipulator drives based on the solution of the inverse dynamic problem, when real time copying type of control is used . For motion path planning it is proposed to use forecast values of the generalized coordinates for manipulator. Based on the measured values of the generalized coordinates of the operator's hand, time series are formed and their prediction is performed. Predictive values of generalized coordinates are used in planning the anthropomorphic manipulator trajectory and solving the inverse dynamic problem. Prediction is based on linear regression with relatively low computational complexity, which is an important criterion for the system operation in the real time operation mode. The developed mathematical apparatus, based on prediction parameters and maximum permissible accelerations of the manipulator drives, allows to find a theoretical estimate of error values limits for planning the operator's hand trajectory using the proposed approach for specific tasks. The adequacy of the maximum theoretical value of the prediction error, as well as the prospects of the proposed approach for testing in practice is confirmed by the software simulation in Matlab environment.
Indirect Control of Oscillations: Elements of Theory
Authors: Chernyshev Vladimir , Savin Leonid , Fominova Olga
Published: February 2019

A brief review of the main research areas in the field of controlled vibration protection systems is given. It is shown that Vibration systems with indirect control processes of oscillations allow with a minimum expenditure of energy to ensure programmable switching parameters and structures, in which the dissipative restoring and inertial forces generated on the basis of active impact. Within synthesis of indirect control the chains of new auxiliary mathematical constructs for finding optimal synthesizing functions of the elastic-damping units parameters control are obtained. It enabled to separate a base model with intermittent damping and base model with impulse trap. As a result of the study, based on the harmonic balance method, the dynamic properties of the basic model with intermittent damping, calculation formulas are obtained for determining the parameters of the compensation effect and calculating the dynamic coefficient. It is established that, with an optimal sequence of damping switching, the resonant phenomena are eliminated, and the transient processes decay within one period of the kinematic perturbation. The basic model with a pulse trap imitates the limiting variant of intermittent damping and realizes the process of superimposing constraining bonds, the sequence and duration of which are new variables essentially increasing controllability. And for indirect pulse control, there exicts a certain minimum of power consumption independent of the achieved effect of vibration protection. A regulated increase in the duration of the application of the restraining coupling in the low-frequency region and a decrease in this duration in the high-frequency region provides a monotonically decreasing dependence on the dynamic coefficients over the entire frequency range. An example of a solution to the optimization problem of controlling the damping process for a basic model of a vibration isolation system is considered. It is established that intermittent damping is an indispensable feature of the optimality of the vibration isolation system: the damper switches on when the sign of the object's speed has changed and turns off when the object's displacement sign has changed.