bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oral and Dental Changes of Dyskeratosis Congenita: A Case Report with Literature Review
Authors: Serindere Gozde
Published: August 2018

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is an uncommon disease characterized by nail dystrophy, cutaneous hyperpigmentation, leukoplakia, pancytopenia, and malignant transformation. There can be some oral and dental changes such as oral leukoplakia, increase in tooth decay, hypodontia, thinning of enamel layer, aggressive periodontitis, intraoral brown pigmentation, missing tooth, taurodontism, and blunted roots. Most of cases belong to dermatology or pediatrics department. There are few reports about dentistry. The aim of this report is to lay emphasis on this fatal syndrome among dentists about the multisystem findings and oro-dental changes. Thus, this information may aid dentists in early diagnosis. A case of 21-year-old male diagnosed with DC is reported.
How Long Does It Take for Patients to Complete PROMIS Scores? An Assessment of PROMIS CAT Questionnaires Administered at an Ambulatory Sports Medicine Clinic
Authors: Kadri Omar , Jildeh Toufic R. , Meldau Jason E. , Blanchett Jacob , Borowsky Peter , Muh Stephanie , Moutzouros Vasilios , Makhni Eric C.
Published: August 2018

Background:

Challenges exist in routinely collecting patient-reported outcomes (PROs) from patients at a busy ambulatory clinic. A number of validated Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) subdomains allow for efficient PRO administration.

Purpose:

To determine the time to completion (TTC) of 3 PROMIS computer adaptive test (CAT) scores. CAT questionnaires were administered at the ambulatory clinic with the following PROMIS subdomains: Pain Interference (PI), Depression, and Physical Function for lower extremity (PF) or for upper extremity (UE). The secondary purpose was to determine the influence of patient demographic factors on TTC.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Patients were recruited from 3 fellowship-trained upper extremity and sports medicine orthopaedic surgery clinics. PROMIS CAT questionnaires were administered to consecutive patients during the study period (July 2017–September 2017). The start and completion times of each CAT were recorded. The primary outcome of interest was TTC of the questionnaires. Patients were stratified into age quartiles to determine the impact of age on TTC. Patient demographic information, such as sex, race, and ethnicity, was determined retroactively.

Results:

A total of 1178 questionnaire sets consisting of 3658 individual PROMIS forms were analyzed. The mean TTC was 3.29 minutes for all 4 forms in aggregate, with PROMIS PI, PF, UE, and Depression taking on average 1.05, 0.74, 0.96, and 0.57 minutes to complete, respectively. Patients from the oldest age quartile (mean ± SD, 70.3 ± 7.5 years) had a statistically significant longer TTC as compared with the second quartile (41.2 ± 4.7 years) (3.70 vs 2.87 minutes; P < .05). Asian patients had the longest PROMIS PF TTC, while white patients completed PF with the shortest TTC (1.28 vs 0.68 minutes; P < .05). Patients of unstated ethnicity had a longer TTC for PF as compared with their Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic/Latino counterparts (0.91 vs 0.30 and 0.70 minutes; P < .05).

Conclusion:

PROMIS CAT forms are efficient tools for collecting patient-reported outcomes in the ambulatory orthopaedic surgery clinic. Older patients, Asian patients, and patients of unstated ethnicity took longer to complete the forms.
Exploring the Relevance of Cultural Resource Management: A Case Study of Kalaripayattu
Authors: Vinodan A. , Meera S.
Published: August 2018

Kalari is the Malayalam (language spoken in Kerala) word for a special kind of gymnasium, where the martial art known as Kalaripayattu is practised based on the idea of a sound mind in the sound body. It is one of the most ancient and comprehensive art form of India rather the world, because it has an excellent system of physical training, effective self-defence techniques, both armed and unarmed, training for excellent flexibility for physical and mental strength and is based on the Dravidian culture of India. Kalaripayattu is considered as the basis for all martial arts. This martial art has been practised on the basis of a scientific system of medicine called Kalarichikilsa ( Kalari-related treatment). This article investigates the potential of cultural heritage resources from a supply and demand perspective, as cultural resource management is the need of the hour to preserve and commercialize cultural and heritage resources. The study reveals that cultural heritage resources like Kalaripayattu could become a unique selling proposition of Indian tourism market, provided these resources are protected, preserved and encouraged through effective promotion strategies in various target markets.
Severity of diabetic retinopathy at the first ophthalmological examination in the Lebanese population
Authors: Harb Walid , Harb Georges , Chamoun Nabil , Kanbar Anthony , Harb Marc , Chanbour Wassef
Published: August 2018

Aim:

To determine the percentage and stage of diabetic retinopathy at the first ophthalmological examination after the patient’s diagnosis with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods:

A retrospective descriptive study was conducted at ‘Clinique du Levant’ hospital between 2006 and 2016. A total of 484 randomly selected patients were included. Data were collected and analyzed for selected variables (sex, age, sources of referral, and duration of diabetes).

Results:

In total, 119 (24.6%) patients had diabetic retinopathy. Among them, 43 had proliferative diabetic retinopathy (8.9%). About 16.7% of the included patients had macular edema, which was severe in 6.2%. The average age of patients was 62.1 years with an average of 8.3 years of diabetes. About 55% were men, while 45% were women. The patients with no referral source presented 8.9 years after the onset of diabetes, whereas patients referred by general practitioners and secondary medical professionals presented after 5.8 and 5 years, respectively ( p < 0.05), but they represented only 23.2% of diabetics. Women presented earlier than men (7.3 versus 9.1 years; p = 0.012). About 82.6% were symptomatic, 44.1% had a visual impairment on Snellen charts that was severe in 11.2%. Also, 37.8% of the patients had a visually significant cataract. The duration of diabetes was the only dependent variable, p < 0.0001. The average age, sources of referral, and sex were not related to the severity of retinopathy.

Conclusion:

Diabetics with a more severe diabetic retinopathy are presenting late to the ophthalmology clinics. There is a need to promote outreach programs for people with diabetes for early detection of diabetic retinopathy in Lebanon.
Reflectivity blurring in subsurface extended image gathers
Authors: Thomson Colin J. , Fletcher Robin P. , Kitchenside Philip W. , Hobro James
Published: August 2018

We explain how a reverse time migration (RTM) subsurface extended-image gather (EIG) relates to the reflection function for a finite-contrast interface via a blurring function. For a plane interface between locally homogeneous media, the reflection function contains the plane-wave reflection coefficients, and so we determine how the EIG relates to amplitude versus angle. The EIG and reflection function are multidimensional; hence, the blurring function in their linear relationship is higher dimensional. We explain how it may be computed and show that it describes spatial blurring and blurring over angle of the plane-wave reflection coefficients. We determine explicitly how a slant stack of the EIG at one slowness depends on the plane-wave coefficients at nearby slownesses. This angle blurring stems from the spatial nonstationarity of the blurring function, so it should be the most significant where the illumination changes most rapidly in space. To evaluate the theory, we use finite-difference modeling in the Sigsbee 2a model to generate synthetic survey data, RTM EIGs, blurring functions, and modeled gathers for a deep reflector. Two example image points are chosen. One has good illumination, with blurring over the angle less than 5°. The other point is just under the salt body, with poorer illumination and angle blurring of almost 10°. The description and examples are for two dimensions, but the extension to three dimensions is conceptually straightforward, as is an interface that dips relative to the EIG datum level. The computational cost of blurring functions implies their targeted use for the foreseeable future, for example, in reservoir characterization. The extension to elasticity and more-complicated scatterers is also foreseeable, and we emphasize the separation of the overburden and survey-geometry blurring effects from target properties.
Understanding depression in type 2 diabetes: a biological approach in observational studies
Authors: van Sloten Thomas , Schram Miranda
Published: August 2018

Depression is twice as common in type 2 diabetes as in the general population and is associated with adverse health outcomes. Growing evidence suggest that type 2 diabetes and depression share biological mechanisms. This brief commentary discusses current understanding of shared biological pathways, focussing on hyperglycaemia, (micro)vascular dysfunction, and low-grade inflammation. Although there is accumulating evidence that these pathways are involved in the link between type 2 diabetes and depression, direct evidence of their temporal associations is lacking because of a paucity of longitudinal studies that focus on the pathobiology of both type 2 diabetes and depression.
Aloe barbadensis Miller leaf exudate is a potential treatment for bovine mastitis
Authors: Fiordalisi Samira de Aquino Leite , Honorato Luciana Aparecida , Kuhnen Shirley
Published: August 2018

Background: Aloe barbadensis Miller is a well-known phytotherapeutic, and parts of its leaves are used for a wide range of medicinal purposes. This study seeks to assess the in vitro antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects of leaf exudate (LE) from A. barbadensis leaves against Staphylococcus aureus and MAC-T bovine mammary epithelial cells.

Methods: Seasonal LE samples were collected, and the effect on total phenolic and aloin contents was determined. Antimicrobial activity of LE was evaluated using the broth microdilution method, and toxicity to MAC-T cells was determined by MTT assay.

Results: Samples collected during different seasons of the year showed a seasonal effect on the chemical profile of LE (P<0.05). However, despite these chemical variations, we found no differences in antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. For all studied samples, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 1,000 µg/ml. Furthermore, we found an elevated cytotoxic effect of LE on MAC-T cells with a significant reduction in cellular viability at 7.8 µg/ml (P<0.05) and an IC50 of 91.89 µg/ml.

Conclusions: Despite the antimicrobial effects of LE, the high toxicity for MAC-T cells suggests that it is unsuitable for intramammary use, but does have potential as a topical antimicrobial.
Recursive module extraction using Louvain and PageRank
Authors: Perrin Dimitri , Zuccon Guido
Published: August 2018

Biological networks are highly modular and contain a large number of clusters, which are often associated with a specific biological function or disease. Identifying these clusters, or modules, is therefore valuable, but it is not trivial. In this article we propose a recursive method based on the Louvain algorithm for community detection and the PageRank algorithm for authoritativeness weighting in networks. PageRank is used to initialise the weights of nodes in the biological network; the Louvain algorithm with the Newman-Girvan criterion for modularity is then applied to the network to identify modules. Any identified module with more than k nodes is further processed by recursively applying PageRank and Louvain, until no module contains more than k nodes (where k is a parameter of the method, no greater than 100). This method is evaluated on a heterogeneous set of six biological networks from the Disease Module Identification DREAM Challenge. Empirical findings suggest that the method is effective in identifying a large number of significant modules, although with substantial variability across restarts of the method.
Development of innovative alliances in the economy of the Crimea
Authors: КИРИЛЬЧУК Светлана , KIRILCHUK Svetlana , НАЛИВАЙЧЕНКО Екатерина , NALIVAYCHENKO Ekaterina , Ежакова Наталья , Ezhakova Natal'ya , Амельченко Тамара , Amel'chenko Tamara , Танцюра Максим , Tancyura Maksim , Ольховая Галина , Ol'hovaya Galina , Дементьев Михаил , Dementev Mihail , Артюхова Инга , Artyuhova Inga , Яковенко Анатолий , Yakovenko Anatoliy
Published: August 2018

The monograph is devoted to developing innovative alliances of subjects of economic activities of industry, agricultural complex, tourist industry, the business sector and others, in the economy of the Crimea. Special attention is paid to the transformation of the economic mechanisms of innovation activity of enterprises in the context of globalization, information economy, corporate social responsibility, the prospects of the formation of technological platforms in the Republic of Crimea and the basics of the development of modern tourism industry in conditions of necessity of forming innovative alliances all make up the infrastructure of the region's economy.
Neighborhood environmental characteristics and sedentary behavior in later life: the EpiFloripa Study
Authors: Claudino Budal Arins Gabriel , Elane da Silva dos Santos Carla , Weber Corseuil Giehl Maruí , Bertoldo Benedetti Tânia Rosane , De Oliveira Cesar , D’Orsi Eleonora , Ricardo Rech Cassiano
Published: August 2018

Little is known about the relationship between perceived environmental characteristics and sedentary behavior (SB) using accelerometry in older adults. e aim of this study was to investigate the association between perceived neighborhood environmental characteristics and SB using accelerometry in 423 older adults from Florianopolis, Brazil. e time spent in SB was measured by an accelerometer (Actigraph-GT3X and GT3X+) for seven days and it was defined as < 100 counts per minute. Neighborhood characteristics were assessed using the 17-item of the A-NEWS scale. Linear regression was used to examine the association between perceived neighborhood environmental characteristics and SB. The results showed that older adults spent about 631.9 minutes/day in SB which corresponds to 66% of their waking time/day. Men who reported “access to shops” (β = -66.87; 95%CI: -113.80; -19.66), “access to services” (β = -65.65; 95%CI: -118.63; -12.61), “access to food shops” (β = -78.38; 95%CI: -123.79; -32.93) and “access to bus stop” (β = -66.69; 95%CI: -110.32; -22.95) spent over one hour less in SB. In women, lower SB was associated to easier “access to clubs and gyms” (β = -24.57; 95%CI: -48.13; -0.89) and “access to open spaces gyms” (β = -31.67 95%CI: -58.80; -4.21). These findings indicate that better access and greater diversity of places in the neighborhood environment could be an important factor to reduce SB in older Brazilian adults.
Pattern of sedentary behavior in brazilian adolescents
Authors: Ramos Drielly Elvira , Bueno Maria Raquel de Oliveira , Vignadelli Lidyane Zambrin , Werneck André Oliveira , Ronque Enio Ricardo Vaz , Coelho-E-Silva Manoel João , Romanzini Marcelo
Published: August 2018

The present study objectively measured the pattern of sedentary behavior among schoolchildren from a city in southern Brazil. A probabilistic sample composed of 394 adolescents was selected from ten public schools in the city of Londrina/PR. The cut-point of 720 counts.min-1 for the vector magnitude from the ActiGraph accelerometer was used to estimate the total sedentary time, bouts (1-4 min, 5-9 min, 10-14 min, 15-29 min, and ≥ 30 min), and breaks during the week, on weekdays and at weekends, as well as at school and out of school. Adolescents spent about 10 hours per day in sedentary behavior. Total sedentary time in bouts was 50% (278 from 535 minutes) in short bouts. Adolescents demonstrated greater time in shorter bouts (< 10 minutes) within the school period and longer time in extended bouts (≥ 15 minutes) outside school (p < 0.05). Sex and socioeconomic status had no effect on sedentary time regarding bouts and number of breaks. Thus, Brazilian adolescents present high levels of sedentary time, especially during time outside school.
4′,6-Diamidino-2-Phenylindole Distinctly Labels Tau Deposits
Authors: Li Chengyu , Takahashi Tetsuya , Shrestha Tejashwi , Kinoshita Eiji , Matsubara Tomoyasu , Matsumoto Masayasu , Maruyama Hirofumi
Published: August 2018

Tau deposits have distinct biochemical characteristics and vary morphologically based on identification with tau antibodies and several chemical dyes. Here, we report 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-positivity of tau deposits. Furthermore, we investigated the cause for this positivity. DAPI was positive in 3R/4R (3-repeat/4-repeat) tau deposits in Alzheimer’s disease, myotonic dystrophy, and neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation, and in 4R tau deposits in corticobasal degeneration, but negative in 4R tau deposits in frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism-17 and progressive supranuclear palsy. The peak emission wavelength of DAPI after binding to a tau deposit was similar to that after binding to a nucleus. This DAPI-positivity was conspicuous at the optimum concentration of 2 μg/ml. DAPI-positivity was diminished after formic acid treatment, but preserved after nucleic acid elimination and phosphate moiety blocking. Our results suggest that staining with 2 μg/ml DAPI is a common but useful tool to differentially detect tau deposits in various tauopathies.
Sport statt Spiel.
Authors: Cantin-Brault Antoine
Published: August 2018

Ausgehend von der einst möglichen Beschreibung des Skateboardings als einer Kunstform skizziert der Beitrag den längst fortgeschrittenen dialektischen Prozess der Versportlichung dieser Praktik, der mit der Vereinnahmung durch die Olympischen Spiele seinen vorläufigen Endpunkt erreichen wird. Unter Bezugnahme auf die von Jean-Paul Sartre entfaltete existentialistische Denkfigur, dass die Existenz der Essenz vorausgeht und die Skaterinnen bzw. Skater dies spüren, wird die Auffassung vertreten, dass das Skateboarding aktuell Gefahr läuft, die letzten Reste seiner Autonomie zu verspielen.
Sozialraum Hochhaus
Authors: Althaus Eveline
Published: August 2018

Die Großwohnbauten, die während des Baubooms der 1960er- und 1970er-Jahre die schweizerische Siedlungslandschaft grundlegend veränderten, sind im Laufe der Jahre zunehmend in Verruf geraten. Doch wie gestalten sich - jenseits der weit verbreiteten Klischees - die Lebenswirklichkeiten in diesem Baubestand? Eveline Althaus richtet den Blick auf die Nachbarschaften von Hochhaussiedlungen in der Schweiz. Anhand von Hausbiografien untersucht sie die sozialräumlichen Dynamiken und beleuchtet, wie Vielfalt und Differenz im Wohnumfeld erfahren und (re-)produziert werden. Dadurch eröffnet sie neue Perspektiven auf den Umgang mit diesem gebauten Erbe und Formen des Zusammenlebens in heterogener werdenden Settings.
Poetik
Authors: Geisenhanslüke Achim
Published: August 2018

Seit der Antike ist die Poetik als eigenständiger Bereich des Nachdenkens über sprachliche Kunstwerke fest etabliert. Ausgehend von Gorgias, Platon und Aristoteles entwickelt Achim Geisenhanslükes Einführung in die Poetik ihre Theoriegeschichte, die unter Einbeziehung der rhetorischen Tradition von Cicero, Quintilian und Horaz bis zu Kant, Hölderlin und die Gegenwart reicht. Die Poetik erscheint in diesem Zusammenhang als eine Vermittlung zwischen den unterschiedlichen Ansprüchen der Philosophie und der Rhetorik, die bis in moderne Literaturtheorien hineingewirkt hat. Das Buch ist auch in Studium und Lehre einsetzbar, insbesondere im Bereich der Literaturwissenschaft, aber auch der Philosophie.
TÜRKİYE’DE UYGULANMAKTA OLAN HEKİM MESLEKİ SORUMLULUK SİGORTALARINA YÖNELİK BİR ARAŞTIRMA
Authors: KERÇ Elif , Akpınar Özgür
Published: August 2018

Ülkemizde sorumluluk sigortaları branşında ağırlıklı üretim kara
araçlarına bağlı sorumluluk sigortalarındadır. Kanun koyucu toplumun
ihtiyaçlarını da göz önünde bulundurarak çeşitli alanlarda zorunlu sorumluluk
sigortası uygulamalarını başlatmıştır. Bu durum sorumluluk sigortaları alanında
ürün çeşitliliğinin artmasını sağlamıştır. Hekim mesleki sorumluluk sigortaları
da bu kapsamdaki sigorta türlerinden biridir. Dünyada tarihi eskiye dayanan
hekim mesleki sorumluluk sigortaları, ülkemizde 2010 yılında zorunlu tutulmaya
başlamıştır. Yıllar içinde teminat tutarlarında değişiklik olsa da primlerde
değişiklik yapılmamıştır. Biriken dava sayıları ve tazminat tutarları ile
başlarda kar etmekte olan bu sigorta ürünü, zarar eder hale gelmiştir. Çalışmamızda
zorunlu hekim mesleki sorumluluk sigortalarının geldiği son durum incelenmek
istenmiştir. Ülkemizdeki uygulamaları, zorunlu tutulan poliçe ile ilgili üretim
ve hasar verileri incelenmiştir. Saha çalışması yapılarak, hekimlerin görüşleri
alınmış, sigorta ve sorumluluk bilinçleri tespit edilmeye çalışılmıştır.
Çalıştıkları kurum, mesleki deneyim süreleri ve uzmanlıklarına göre sigorta
yaklaşımları ölçülmüştür. Analizler, hekimlerin mesleki sorumluluk sigortasının
gerekliliğine inandıklarını, daha çok bilgi sahibi olmaları gerektiğini ve bu
sigorta ürününün gelişmesine ihtiyaç duyduklarını göstermiştir. Görüşlerinin
olumlu olduğunu bir miktar şüphe duysalar da sigortanın varlığının kendilerini
rahatlattığını beyan etmişlerdir. Bu sigorta türünün yaşayabilmesi için uygun
prim ve teminat içeriğine sahip olması gerekmektedir. Hekimler sigorta içeriği
hakkında bilgilendirilmeli, dava süreçlerinde hekimler kanuni yetkililer,
meslek odaları ve sigorta şirketleri ortak çalışmalıdır.
Novel molecular and cell biological insights into function of rice α-amylase
Authors: Mitsui Toshiaki , Ochiai Akihito , Yamakawa Hiromoto , Kaneko Kentaro , Kitajima-Koga Aya , Baslam Marouane
Published: August 2018

α-Amylases have been of interest in diverse fields for many years because of their importance in basic biology, agriculture, and industry. Starch hydrolysis in plants has been studied extensively in germinating cereal seeds. It is generally accepted that α-amylases are secretory enzymes with a pivotal role in the breakdown of starch reserves in the endosperm. Intriguingly, however, recent investigations reveal that some α-amylases degrade starch in the plastids of living cells. The recent solving of the crystal structure of rice AmyI-1 isoform shows that the binding pocket of starch binding site 1 situated outside of the active site cleft interacts with the substances other than oligosaccharides. These findings provided novel insights into structural and cell biological aspects of α-amylase functions in intracellular transport, organelle targeting, and organ-specific actions. Under global warming, abnormal high temperatures during rice grain filling increase grain chalkiness, resulting in yield loss. Intensive “omics” analyses of developing caryopses and mature grains grown under heat stress showed the downregulation of starch synthesis enzymes and the upregulation of α-amylases. Transgenic studies using ectopic overexpression and suppression of α-amylase revealed that α-amylase is a key factor in grain chalkiness. Here we discuss unique new functions of α-amylase in rice cells.
Recovery of small-scale infiltration and erosion after wildfires
Authors: Larson-Nash Sierra S. , Robichaud Peter R. , Pierson Fredrick B. , Moffet Corey A. , Williams C. Jason , Spaeth Kenneth E. , Brown Robert E. , Lewis Sarah A.
Published: August 2018

Wildfires naturally occur worldwide, however the potential disruption to ecosystem services from subsequent post-fire flooding and erosion often necessitates a response from land managers. The impact of high severity wildfire on infiltration and interrill erosion responses was evaluated for five years after the 2003 Hot Creek Fire in Idaho, USA. Relative infiltration from mini-disk tension infiltrometers (MDI) was compared to rainfall simulation measurements on small burned and control plots. Vegetation recovery was slow due to the severity of the fire, with median cover of 6-8% on burned sites after 5 years. Consequently, interrill sediment yields remained significantly higher on the burned sites (329-1200 g m-2) compared to the unburned sites (3-35 g m-2) in year 5. Total infiltration on the burned plots increased during the study period, yet were persistently lower compared to the control plots. Relative infiltration measurements made at the soil surface, and 1- and 3-cm depths were significantly correlated to non-steady state total infiltration values taken in the first 10 minutes of the hour-long rainfall simulations. Significant correlations were found at the 1-cm (ρ = 0.4-0.6) and 3-cm (ρ = 0.3-0.6) depths (most p-values <0.001), and somewhat weaker correlations at the soil surface (ρ = 0.2-0.4) (p-values <0.05 and up). Soil water repellency is often stronger below the soil surface after severe wildfire, and likely contributes to the reduced infiltration. These results suggest that relative infiltration measurements at shallow depths may be useful to estimate potential infiltration during a short-duration high-intensity storm and could be used as an input for post-fire erosion models.
Improving the positional accuracy of drainage networks extracted from Global Digital Elevation Models using OpenstreetMap data
Authors: Monteiro Elisabete S.V. , Fonte Cidália C. , de Lima João L.M.P.
Published: August 2018

Drainage networks allow the extraction of topographic parameters that are useful for basins characterization and necessary for hydrologic modelling. One way to obtain drainage networks is by their extraction from Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). However, it is common that no freely available DEMs at regional or national level exist. One way to overcome this situation is to use the available free Global Digital Elevation Models (GDEMs). However, these datasets have relatively low spatial resolutions, 30 and 90 meters for ASTER and SRTM, respectively, and it has been shown that their accuracy is relatively low in several regions (e.g., Kääb, 2005; Mukul et al., 2017). In this study a methodology is presented to improve the positional accuracy of the drainage networks extracted from the GDEMs using crowdsourced data available in the collaborative project OpenStreetMap (OSM). In this approach only free and global datasets are used, enabling its application to any location of the world. The methodology uses elevation points derived from the GDEMs and the water lines extracted from the collaborative project OSM to generate new DEMs, from which new water lines are obtained. The methodology is applied to two study areas and the positional accuracy of the used data and the obtained results are assessed using reference data.
Detection of Anomalous Noise Events for Real-Time Road-Traffic Noise Mapping: The Dynamap’s project case study
Authors: Alías Francesc , Alsina-Pagès Rosa Ma , Orga Ferran , Socoró Joan Claudi
Published: August 2018

Environmental noise is increasing year after year, especially in urban and suburban areas. Besides annoyance, environmental noise also causes harmful health effects on people. The Environmental Noise Directive 2002/49/EC (END) is the main instrument of the European Union to identify and combat noise pollution, followed by the CNOSSOS-EU methodological framework. In compliance with the END legislation, the European Member States are required to publish noise maps and action plans every five years. The emergence of Wireless Acoustic Sensor Networks (WASNs) have changed the paradigm to address the END regulatory requirements, allowing the dynamic ubiquitous measurement of environmental noise pollution. Following the END, the LIFE DYNAMAP project aims to develop a WASN-based low-cost noise mapping system to monitor the acoustic impact of road infrastructures in real time. Those acoustic events unrelated to regular traffic noise should be removed from the equivalent noise level calculations to avoid biasing the noise map generation. This work describes the different approaches developed within the DYNAMAP project to implement an Anomalous Noise Event Detector on the low-cost sensors of the network, considering both synthetic and real-life acoustic data.Moreover, the paper reflects on several open challenges, discussing how to tackle them for the future deployment of WASN-based noise monitoring systems in real-life operating conditions.
Gas flow regimes judgement in nanoporous media by digital core analysis
Authors: Song Wenhui , Liu Hua , Wang Weihong , Zhao Jianlin , Sun Hai , Wang Dongying , Li Yang , Yao Jun
Published: August 2018

A method to judge shale gas flow regimes based on digital core analysis is proposed in this work. Firstly, three-dimensional shale digital cores in an anonymous shale formation in the Sichuan Basin are reconstructed by a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm based on two-dimensional Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images. Then a voxel-based method is proposed to calculate the characteristic length of the three-dimensional shale digital core. The Knudsen number for three-dimensional shale digital cores is calculated by the ratio of the molecular mean free path to the characteristic length and is used to judge the flow regimes under different reservoir conditions. The results indicate that shale gas flow regimes are mainly located at the slip flow and transition flow region. Furthermore, adsorption has no obvious influence on the free gas flow regimes. Because adsorption only exists in organic pores, three-dimensional inorganic pores and organic pores in the Haynesville shale formation are reconstructed by a MCMC algorithm based on two-dimensional SEM images. The characteristic lengths of the three-dimensional inorganic pores and three-dimensional organic pores are both calculated and gas flow regimes in organic pores and inorganic pores are judged.
Sozialität von und mit Robotern? Drei soziologische Antworten und eine kommunikationstheoretische Alternative
Authors: Muhle Florian
Published: August 2018

Angesichts aktueller Debatten um die Sozialität von und mit Robotern identifiziert der Beitrag drei Strategien einer Erneuerung und Erweiterung der Sozialtheorie, die darauf zielen, die Gleichsetzung von Sozialem und Menschlichem zu überwinden: erstens die Betrachtung des Sozialen als hybridem Kollektiv menschlicher und nicht-menschlicher Entitäten, zweitens die Betrachtung der Grenzen von Sozialität und Personalität als historisch und kulturell variierendem Deutungsmuster und drittens die Betrachtung von Sozialität in Form eines gradualisierten Kontinuums der Handlungsbeteiligungen menschlicher und nicht-menschlicher Entitäten. Diesen Strategien wird eine kommunikationstheoretische Alternative entgegengestellt, die auf eine Einschränkung des Bereichs des Sozialen zielt. Gerade darum, so die Argumentation, kann die Beteiligung von Robotern an sozialen Prozessen kommunikationstheoretisch in theoretisch konsistenter und methodisch kontrollierter Weise in den Blick genommen werden.
Properties of Damped Cylindrical Solitons in Nonextensive Plasmas
Authors: Abdelwahed Hesham G.
Published: August 2018

Wave properties of damped solitons in a collisional unmagnetised four-component dusty fluid plasma system containing nonextensive distributed electrons, mobile ions and negative-positive dusty grains have been examined. The reductive perturbation (RP) analysis is used under convenient geometrical coordinate transformation; we have derived three-dimensional damped Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (3D-CDKP) equation to study dissipative dust ion acoustic (DIA) mode properties. It is found that the properties of damped cylindrical solitons in nonextensive plasmas in cylindrical coordinates are obtained. The effects of collisional parameters on damped soliton pulse structures are studied. More specifically, the cylindrical geometry with the time on solitary propagation is examined. This investigation may be viable in plasmas of Earth’s mesosphere.
Active Cushing syndrome patients have increased ectopic fat deposition and bone marrow fat content compared to cured patients and healthy subjects: a pilot 1H-MRS study
Authors: Maurice F , Dutour A , Vincentelli C , Abdesselam I , Bernard M , Dufour H , Lefur Y , Graillon T , Kober F , Cristofari P , Jouve E , Pini L , Fernandez R , Chagnaud C , Brue T , Castinetti F , Gaborit B
Published: August 2018

Objective

Glucocorticoid excess is one of the most important causes of bone disorders. Bone marrow fat (BMF) has been identified as a new mediator of bone metabolism. Cushing syndrome (CS) is a main regulator of adipose tissue distribution but its impact on BMF is unknown. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of chronic hypercortisolism on BMF.

Design

This was a cross-sectional study. Seventeen active and 17 cured ACTH-dependent CS patients along with 17 controls (matched with the active group for age and sex) were included.

Methods

The BMF content of the femoral neck and L3 vertebrae were measured by1H-MRS on a 3-Tesla wide-bore magnet. Bone mineral density (BMD) was evaluated in patients using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Results

Active CS patients had higher BMF content both in the femur (82.5 ± 2.6%) and vertebrae (70.1 ± 5.1%) compared to the controls (70.8 ± 3.6%,P = 0.013 and 49.0 ± 3.7%P = 0.005, respectively). In cured CS patients (average remission time of 43 months), BMF content was not different from controls at both sites (72.3 ± 2.9% (femur) and 46.7% ± 5.3% (L3)). BMF content was positively correlated with age, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, triglycerides and visceral adipose tissue in the whole cohort and negatively correlated with BMD values in the CS patients.

Conclusions

Accumulation of BMF is induced by hypercortisolism. In remission patients, BMF reached values of controls. Further studies are needed to determine whether this increase in marrow adiposity in CS is associated with bone loss.
Effect of sodium chloride on oxidative stress biomarkers of the freshwater bivalve Anodonta cygnea
Authors: Pesnya D. S. , Romanovsky A. V. , Klimova Y. S. , Fedorov R. A. , Ivanova E. S.
Published: August 2018

For the first time a study was conducted of the effects of the change in the concentration of sodium chloride in water on the biomarkers of oxidative stress (enzymes: catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), and a marker of peroxidation lipids (LPO) – malonic dialdehyde (MDA)) in the gills of the freshwater mollusc Anodonta cygnea. Adult specimens of A. cygnea of both sexes with a shell length of 70–100 mm were selected for the study, a total of 36 individuals. The molluscs were collected in one of the bays on the southwestern coast of the Volga reaches of the Rybinsk Reservoir (reservoir of the cascade of the upper Volga). The molluscs were kept in the laboratory in aquariums with river water and sand collected from the place of the molluscs' collection. During the experiment, a solution of NaCl 3 g/l in river water was introduced into the container with molluscs. Samples of molluscs’ tissues were taken before application of the saline solution, 40 and 120 min after changing the salt concentration to 3 g/l, and 20 and 60 min after changing the NaCl solution to river water. The change in the concentration of NaCl in water (0–3 g/l) did not affect the content of water-soluble protein in the gills of molluscs during short-term exposure. The change in NaCl concentration in water caused the intensification of LPO processes in the gills of A. cygnea. The change in the activity of the enzymes of the antioxidant system and the increase in the concentration of GSH in A. cygnea gills, indicates their involvement in protecting freshwater molluscs from NaCl-induced oxidative stress. The change in the functioning of the glutathione system may be a compensatory mechanism for changing the NaCl concentration in water. Such biomarkers of oxidative stress as malonic dialdehyde and enzymes of the antioxidant system are sensitive indicators of changes in NaCl concentration in water in freshwater bivalve molluscs, for example A. cygnea.
Comparative morphology and biology of nematodes of genus Heterakis (Nematoda, Heterakidae), parasites of the domestic goose (Anser anser) in Ukraine
Authors: Yevstafyeva V. A. , Melnychuk V. V. , Nikiforova О. V. , Suprunenko К. V. , Korchan L. N. , Lokes-Krupka Т. Р. , Nehrebetskyi I. S. , Korchan N. І.
Published: August 2018

The genus Heterakis Dujardin, 1845 is one of the most widely distributed genera of nematode parasites of domestic and wild birds. Geographically and ecologically predominant species include Heterakis gallinarum Schrank, 1788 and Heterakis dispar Schrank, 1790. Prevalence and occurrence of these nematodes in the domestic goose (Anser anser dom.) depend on their biological and morphological specifics which ensure the highest viability, fast growth and maximum fertility in the host. This study presents the abundance and species composition of nematodes of the genus Heterakis in the domestic goose in Ukraine. Comparative study of morphological and metrical characteristics of H. gallinarum and H. dispar adult females and males is presented. Additional morphometric characteristics are proposed for easier identification of the two species. Stages and periods of embryonic development of H. gallinarum and H. dispar nematodes obtained from domestic geese are established according to morphological and metrical characters. Of the two species, H. dispar is prevalent in domestic geese from Poltava, Kharkiv and Kyiv regions. Abundance index of this species is 9.8 specimens, and intensity of infection index is up to 62 specimens. H. gallinarum is rarer, its abundance index is 1.2 specimens and maximum intensity of infection is 30 specimens. Species-specific morphological differences are more distinct in male nematodes in the size and structure of the spicules, lateral wing-like protrusions of pseudobursas, numbers and position of tail papillae. Additional metrical characteristics differ between H. gallinarum and H. dispar nematodes, allowing us to identify not only adult specimens but also eggs. Embryonic development of both species occurs in four morphologically distinct stages: protoplast, blastomere cleavage, formation of first and second stage larvae. Eggs of H. gallinarum nematodes become infectious in eight days at 27 °С, eggs of H. dispar in four days, their viability in laboratory culture is 84.3 ± 0.58 and 91.3 ± 1.53% respectively.
Biochemical and hematological composition of blood of cattle fed with Chlorella
Authors: Bogdanova A. A. , Flerova E. A.
Published: August 2018

We researched the influence of the additive Chlorella cultivated in a closed bioreactor under the influence of an electrostatistic field, on the biochemical and hematological parameters of blood in different age groups of cattle. The experiment was conducted on two groups of three month old heifers and two groups of lactating cows in the 7th month of lactation, with 15 individuals in each group; all animals in the groups were given the basic diet. During the 120-day experiment, the experimental group of heifers was fed on a suspension of Chlorella cultivated with the technology using an electrostatic field, in the following amounts: 1–30th day – 1.51 g, 31–60th day – 1.82 g, 61–90th day – 2.01 g, 91–120th day – 2.28 g of dry substance per individual daily; the group of lactating cows during 60 days was given the Chlorella additive to the amount of 6 g of dry substance per individual per day. Over the following 30 days the heifers and lactating cows were kept under observation to determine the “aftereffects” of the Chlorella suspension fodder additive. On the first day of the experiment and after every 30 days, blood was drawn from the animals’ jugular veins for determination of the biochemical and hematological parameters of the blood During the experiment, the experimental groups of heifers and lactating cows were observed to have a strengthened antioxidant system due to increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase, and also to have a strengthened hematopoietic function and intensified metabolic and redox processes. Due to the stimulating effect of the suspension of Chlorella cultivated using the intense technology involving using an electrostatic field on the erythro- and leukopoiesis of different age groups of the cattle, we determined a strengthening of the cellular element of the animals’ immune system. During the following 30 days, the heifers and lactating cows of the experimental groups were observed to exhibit “aftereffects” of the Chlorella suspension additive, namely increases in the values of biochemical, hematological and morphological indicators of the blood in comparison with these indicators for the animals in the control groups. As a result, we concluded that feeding different age groups of cattle with suspension of Chlorella cultivated in the conditions of a closed bioreactor under the influence of an electrostatic field, in the dosage of 155 ml per kg of dry substance of the animals’ diet, contributes to the strengthening of non-specific defence of their organism, forming a potential for increasing the productive indicators and maintenance of the livestock.
Glutathione s-transferase as a marker of oxidative stress in human ejaculated spermatozoa from patients with pathospermia
Authors: Vorobets M. Z. , Fafula R. V. , Besedina A. S. , Onufrovych O. K. , Vorobets D. Z.
Published: August 2018

It is believed that the most common causes of male infertility are impairment of spermatogenesis and sperm functions. Glutathione S-transferases (EC 2.5.1.18) play an important role in sperm physiology, specifically in antioxidant protection against oxidative damage. The catalase decomposition of lipid hydro-peroxides forms as a result of oxidative stress. We used a model of superoxide anion-generating system Fe3+/ascorbate or H2O2-induced stress to study the activity of glutathione s transferase in human ejaculated spermatozoa from patients with pathospermia and products of lipid peroxidation (TBARS) as a marker of oxidative stress. In the present study, dose dependent increase in the level of lipid peroxidation was observed for treatment with Fe3+/ascorbate or H2O2. The TBARS level was higher for sperm cells incubated with superoxide anion-generating system Fe3+/ascorbate than for H2O2. GSTs activity increased in spermatozoa treated with increasing concentration of superoxide anion-generating system Fe3+/ascorbate and H2O. We found that both Fe3+/ascorbate and H2O2 displayed similar inhibitory effects on sperm GSTs activity, however H2O2 at low concentrations activated enzyme activity only in normozoospermic samples, which can be explained as a defence response to oxidative stress. The time course of incubation with 100 μM H2O2 showed a sharp decrease in the enzyme activity during the first 5 min of incubation for both normozoospermic and pathozoospermic men. Preincubation of spermatozoa with GSH completely prevented the ROS-induced inhibition on GSTs only in normozoospermic samples. On the other hand, in pathospermic samples protectory effect of GSH was observed only against non-radical (H2O) radical, but not against radical (superoxide anion-generating system Fe3+/ascorbate) species. The results of our study showed higher oxygen-free radical production, evidenced by increased TBARS level in spermatozoa obtained from infertile men than normozoospermic men. The inhibitory effect of the radical (superoxide anion-generating system Fe3+/ascorbate) species on sperm GSTs activity and products of lipid peroxidation in sperm cells of fertile and infertile men were more expressed compared to non-radical (H2O) species. Our results indicate that estimation of sperm GSTs enzyme assays can be used as a bioindicator for impaired male fertility. The obtained results argue for a biological role of sperm GSTs in susceptibility of spermatozoa to oxidative damage and maintaining sperm antioxidant status.
THE ANALYSIS OF OPERATION MODES OF ENERGY STORES IN AUTONOMOUS HYBRID POWER PLANTS WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES
Authors: Obukhov S. G. , Plotnikov I. A. , Masolov V. G.
Published: August 2018

The paper presents the results of the comparative analysis of operation modes of an autonomous hybrid power complex with/without the energy store. We offere the technique which defines the power characteristics of the main components of a hybrid power complex: the consumers of the electric power, wind power and photo-electric installations (the last ones have been constructed). The paper establishes that, in order to compensate the seasonal fluctuations of power in autonomous power systems with renewable energy resources, the accumulative devices are required, with a capacity of tens of MWh including devices that are capable to provide energy storage with duration about half a year. This allows abandoning the storage devices for smoothing the seasonal fluctuations in the energy balance.

The analysis of operation modes of energy stores has shown that for a stock and delivery of energy on time intervals, lasting several hours, the accumulative devices with rather high values of charging and digit power aren't required. It allows using the lead-acid rechargeable batteries of the deep category for smoothing the daily peaks of surplus and a capacity shortage. Moreover, the analysis of operation modes of energy stores as a part of the hybrid complexes has demonstrated that in charging/digit currents of the energy store the low-frequency and high-frequency pulsations of big amplitude caused by changes of size of output power of the renewable power installations and loading are inevitable. If low-frequency pulsations (the period of tens of minutes) can partially be damped due to the restriction of size of the maximum charging current of rechargeable batteries, then it is essentially impossible to eliminate high-frequency pulsations (the period of tens of seconds) in the power systems with the only store of energy. The paper finds out that the combined energy store having characteristics of the accumulator in the modes of receiving and delivery of power on daily time intervals, and at the same time having properties of the supercondenser in the modes of reception and return of impulses of power on second intervals of time is best suited to requirements of the autonomous power complexes with renewable energy resources.