bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dimension reduction in conformational analysis: a two-rotor mathematical model of amino acid diamide conformational potential energy surface
Authors: Villar John Justine S. , Valdez Adrian Roy L. , Setiadi David H. , Fiser Béla , Viskolcz Béla , Csizmadia Imre G. , Rágyanszki Anita
Published: June 2017

The conformational potential energy surface (PES) of a molecule provides insights into the relative stability of the possible foldamers. However, the time and space complexity of electronic structure calculations, commonly used to generate PES, increases exponentially with an increasing number of atoms. The use of mathematical functions to model the topology of conformational PES is an alternative to more computer-intensive quantum chemical calculations, but the choice and complexity of functions used are crucial in achieving more accurate results. This paper presents a method to illustrate the topology of amino acid diamide PESs through a linear combination of a Fourier series and a mixture of Gaussian functions. Results yield a significantly small error, with an average RMSE of 4.9946 kJ mol−1 for all fits, which suggest that these functions may be used to represent the topology of the PESs, with around twofold order of magnitude decrease in computational time, with respect to DFT electronic structure calculations. This study ultimately aims to provide a foundation for a framework on building polypeptide PES from individual amino acid PESs.
The effects of inbreeding on sperm morphometry of captive-bred endangered mammals
Authors: Lawrence M. , Mastromonaco G. , Goodrowe K. , Santymire R.M. , Waddell W. , Schulte-Hostedde A.I.
Published: June 2017

Captive breeding is used for the conservation of endangered species, but inbreeding can result when a small number of founders are used to establish populations. Inbreeding can reduce the proportion of normal sperm in an ejaculate, but may also have effects on sperm size and shape (morphometry). We investigated the effects of inbreeding on sperm morphometry of black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes (Audubon and Bachman, 1851)) and red wolves (Canis rufus Audubon and Bachman, 1851) from captive breeding programs to determine if more inbred males produced sperm of poor quality (bulky head, small midpiece, short tail). We measured sperm head length, head width, midpiece length, midpiece width, and tail length on 10 sperm from each male of both species. A negative relationship between variation in sperm tail length and inbreeding coefficient (f) was found in black-footed ferret, suggesting that more inbred individuals will have reduced genetic and phenotypic variation. Analyses indicated a negative relationship between sperm head width and f and a positive relationship between sperm tail length and f in red wolf, suggesting that more inbred male red wolves could have faster sperm. These results indicate that inbreeding affects functionally important aspects of sperm morphometry, but that these effects may not be entirely negative.
Availability Improvement Method for Repairable Systems Using Modified Ant Colony Optimisation
Authors: Mahani Ali , Farahmand Ebrahim , Sheikhpour Saiede , Taheri Nooshin
Published: June 2017

Reliability is deemed as an important issue in many broad applications, e.g., telecommunication systems, electric power systems, computation and parallel processing systems. In order to reach efficient performance and reliable/available design, we need to optimize the cost and reliability/availability of the proposed designs. The main contribution of this paper is to address the optimum model for repairable component with series-parallel structure using redundancy allocation problem (RAP). In this regard, two novel modified Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), are defined. In order to improve availability, ACOs employ visibility and pheromone update to optimize the RAP. The proposed methodology includes single objective to maximize the availability of case study system with two constraints-weight and cost of components. Hence, three meta-heuristic algorithms, i.e., ACO, Genetic algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) are applied to find the optimum structure. Finally, the simulation results of all the proposed meta-heuristic algorithms are compared. The comparison reveals that the modified ACO (MACO) provides the maximum availability among all the other meta-heuristic algorithms.
Genome Evolution of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes
Authors: Kikuchi Taisei , Eves-van den Akker Sebastian , Jones John T.
Published: June 2017

Plant parasitism has evolved independently on at least four separate occasions in the phylum Nematoda. The application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) to plant-parasitic nematodes has allowed a wide range of genome- or transcriptome-level comparisons, and these have identified genome adaptations that enable parasitism of plants. Current genome data suggest that horizontal gene transfer, gene family expansions, evolution of new genes that mediate interactions with the host, and parasitism-specific gene regulation are important adaptations that allow nematodes to parasitize plants. Sequencing of a larger number of nematode genomes, including plant parasites that show different modes of parasitism or that have evolved in currently unsampled clades, and using free-living taxa as comparators would allow more detailed analysis and a better understanding of the organization of key genes within the genomes. This would facilitate a more complete understanding of the way in which parasitism has shaped the genomes of plant-parasitic nematodes.
Tick Tock: Circadian Regulation of Plant Innate Immunity
Authors: Lu Hua , McClung C. Robertson , Zhang Chong
Published: June 2017

Many living organisms on Earth have evolved the ability to integrate environmental and internal signals to determine time and thereafter adjust appropriately their metabolism, physiology, and behavior. The circadian clock is the endogenous timekeeper critical for multiple biological processes in many organisms. A growing body of evidence supports the importance of the circadian clock for plant health. Plants activate timed defense with various strategies to anticipate daily attacks of pathogens and pests and to modulate responses to specific invaders in a time-of-day-dependent manner (gating). Pathogen infection is also known to reciprocally modulate clock activity. Such a cross talk likely reflects the adaptive nature of plants to coordinate limited resources for growth, development, and defense. This review summarizes recent progress in circadian regulation of plant innate immunity with a focus on the molecular events linking the circadian clock and defense. More and better knowledge of clock-defense cross talk could help to improve disease resistance and productivity in economically important crops.
An Enhanced Dynamic User Optimal Passenger Flow Assignment Model for Metro Networks
Authors: Pan Hanchuan , Liu Zhigang , Hu Hua
Published: June 2017

By considering the difference between a car driver’s route choice behavior on the road and a passenger’s route choice behavior in urban rail transit (URT), this paper proposes an enhanced Dynamic User Optimal (DUO) passenger flow assignment model for metro networks. To capture realistic URT phenomena, the model has integrated the train operation disturbance constraint. Real passenger and train data are used to verify the proposed model and algorithm. The results indicate that the DUO-based model is more suitable for describing passenger route choice behavior under uncertain conditions compared to a static model. Moreover, this paper found that passengers under oversaturated conditions are more sensitive to train operation disturbances compared to undersaturated passengers.
Deformation Behavior between Hydraulic and Natural Fractures Using Fully Coupled Hydromechanical Model with XFEM
Authors: Liu Fei , Luo Zhifeng , Sang Yu , Zhao Liqiang , Zhou Changlin
Published: June 2017

There has been a growing consensus that preexisting natural fractures play an important role during stimulation. A novel fully coupled hydromechanical model using extended finite element method is proposed. This directly coupled scheme avoids the cumbersome process during calculating the fluid pressure in complicated fracture networks and translating into an equivalent nodal force. Numerical examples are presented to simulate the hydraulic fracture propagation paths for simultaneous multifracture treatments with properly using the stress shadow effects for horizontal wells and to reveal the deformation response and interaction mechanism between hydraulic induced fracture and nonintersected natural fractures at orthotropic and nonorthotropic angles. With the stress shadow effects, the induced hydraulic flexural fracture deflecting to wellbore rather than transverse fracture would be formed during the progress of simultaneous fracturing for a horizontal well. The coupled hydromechanical simulation reveals that the adjacent section to the intersection is opened and the others are closed for orthogonal natural fracture, while the nonorthogonal natural fracture is activated near the intersection firstly and along the whole section with increasing perturbed stresses. The results imply that the induced hydraulic fracture tends to cross orthotropic natural fracture, while it is prior to being arrested by the nonorthotropic natural fracture.
New Hydroxycinnamic Acid Esters as Novel 5-Lipoxygenase Inhibitors That Affect Leukotriene Biosynthesis
Authors: Boudreau Luc H. , Lassalle-Claux Grégoire , Cormier Marc , Blanchard Sébastien , Doucet Marco S. , Surette Marc E. , Touaibia Mohamed
Published: June 2017

Leukotrienes are inflammatory mediators that actively participate in the inflammatory response and host defense against pathogens. However, leukotrienes also participate in chronic inflammatory diseases. 5-lipoxygenase is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of leukotrienes and is thus a validated therapeutic target. As of today, zileuton remains the only clinically approved 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor; however, its use has been limited due to severe side effects in some patients. Hence, the search for a better 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor continues. In this study, we investigated structural analogues of caffeic acid phenethyl ester, a naturally-occurring 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor, in an attempt to enhance the inhibitory activity against 5-lipoxygenase and determine structure-activity relationships. These compounds were investigated for their ability to attenuate the biosynthesis of leukotrienes. Compounds 13 and 19, phenpropyl and diphenylethyl esters, exhibited significantly enhanced inhibitory activity when compared to the reference molecules caffeic acid phenethyl ester and zileuton.
Estimating Safety Effects of Green-Man Countdown Devices at Signalized Pedestrian Crosswalk Based on Cellular Automata
Authors: Chai Chen , Shi Xiupeng , Wong Yiik Diew
Published: June 2017

Safety effects of Green-Man Countdown Device (GMCD) at signalized pedestrian crosswalks are evaluated. Pedestrian behavior at GMCD and non-GMCD crosswalks is observed and analyzed. A microsimulation model is developed based on field observations to estimate safety performance. Simulation outputs allow analysts to assess the impacts of GMCD at various conditions with different geometric layout, traffic and pedestrian volumes, and the green time. According to simulation results, it is found that the safety impact of GMCD is affected by traffic condition as well as different time duration within green-man signal phase. In general, GMCD increases average walking velocity, especially during the last few seconds. The installation of GMCD improves safety performance generally, especially at more crowded crossings. Conflict severity is increased during last 10 s after GMCD installation. Findings from this study suggest that the current practice, which is to install GMCD at more crowded crosswalks or near the school zone, is effective. Moreover, at crosswalks with GMCD, longer all red signal phase is suggested to improve pedestrian safety during intergreen period.
Chk1 Promotes DNA Damage Response Bypass following Oxidative Stress in a Model of Hydrogen Peroxide‐Associated Ulcerative Colitis through JNK Inactivation and Chromatin Binding
Authors: Reissig Kathrin , Silver Andrew , Hartig Roland , Schinlauer Antje , Walluscheck Diana , Guenther Thomas , Siedentopf Sandra , Ross Jochen , Vo Diep-Khanh , Roessner Albert , Poehlmann-Nitsche Angela
Published: June 2017

Dysregulation of c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) activation promoted DNA damage response bypass and tumorigenesis in our model of hydrogen peroxide‐associated ulcerative colitis (UC) and in patients with quiescent UC (QUC), UC‐related dysplasia, and UC‐related carcinoma (UC‐CRC), thereby adapting to oxidative stress. In the UC model, we have observed features of oncogenic transformation: increased proliferation, undetected DNA damage, and apoptosis resistance. Here, we show that Chk1 was downregulated but activated in the acute and quiescent chronic phases. In both phases, Chk1 was linked to DNA damage response bypass by suppressing JNK activation following oxidative stress, promoting cell cycle progression despite DNA damage. Simultaneously, activated Chk1 was bound to chromatin. This triggered histone acetylation and the binding of histone acetyltransferases and transcription factors to chromatin. Thus, chromatin‐immobilized activated Chk1 executed a dual function by suppressing DNA damage response and simultaneously inducing chromatin modulation. This caused undetected DNA damage and increased cellular proliferation through failure to transmit the appropriate DNA damage signal. Findings in vitro were corroborated by chromatin accumulation of activated Chk1, Ac‐H3, Ac‐H4, and c‐Jun in active UC (AUC) in vivo. Targeting chromatin‐bound Chk1, GCN5, PCAF, and p300/CBP could be a novel therapeutic strategy to prevent UC‐related tumor progression.
Da hibridização à regionalização: a publicidade contemporânea
Authors: Viana Pablo Moreno Fernandes
Published: June 2017

O texto apresenta uma resenha da obra Idiossioncrasias publicitárias, do pesquisador Rogério Covaleski. A obra discute a publicidade contemporânea e suas novas possibilidades comunicativas, num contexto de hibridização, bem como traz apontamentos sobre a publicidade pernambucana e aspectos identitários.
Dez vezes sem juros: uma análise dos mecanismos de persuasão utilizados na publicidade de varejo
Authors: Melim Mauricio José , Melim José Maria
Published: June 2017

Este trabalho oferece um ensaio analítico acerca da persuasão em publicidade. O arcabouço teórico utilizado conjuga conceitos de psicologia social e semiótica, e o alvo da análise é um típico anúncio de varejo. Busca-se nele identificar a presença de certos mecanismos psicológicos de persuasão e, em seguida, descrever o modo como esses mecanismos estão materializados no anúncio, sob a forma de signos figurativos, linguísticos e plásticos.
A semiótica líquida do pinguim: um mergulho na análise triádica do @pontofrio
Authors: Mello Andrea Olympio de
Published: June 2017

Análise semiótica feita a partir da tríade peirceana do case brasileiro de retail digital da empresa Ponto Frio na rede social digital Twitter em busca das estratégias sígnicas utilizadas pela marca.
Structural covariance networks across the life span, from 6 to 94 years of age
Authors: DuPre Elizabeth , Spreng R. Nathan
Published: June 2017

Structural covariance examines covariation of gray matter morphology between brain regions and across individuals. Despite significant interest in the influence of age on structural covariance patterns, no study to date has provided a complete life span perspective—bridging childhood with early, middle, and late adulthood—on the development of structural covariance networks. Here, we investigate the life span trajectories of structural covariance in six canonical neurocognitive networks: default, dorsal attention, frontoparietal control, somatomotor, ventral attention, and visual. By combining data from five open-access data sources, we examine the structural covariance trajectories of these networks from 6 to 94 years of age in a sample of 1,580 participants. Using partial least squares, we show that structural covariance patterns across the life span exhibit two significant, age-dependent trends. The first trend is a stable pattern whose integrity declines over the life span. The second trend is an inverted-U that differentiates young adulthood from other age groups. Hub regions, including posterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula, appear particularly influential in the expression of this second age-dependent trend. Overall, our results suggest that structural covariance provides a reliable definition of neurocognitive networks across the life span and reveal both shared and network-specific trajectories.
Securing the Future of the European Court of Human Rights in the Face of uk Opposition
Authors: Brayson Kimberley
Published: June 2017

This article highlights transnational consequences for access to justice of political posturing by national governments in respect of the European Convention on Human Rights (echr). It charts the uk context preceding the adoption of Protocol 15, which inserts the concepts of subsidiarity and the margin of appreciation into the echr preamble. The article argues that whilst this was an attempt to curb the European Court of Human Rights’ (ECtHR) powers, this proved limited in effect, as the court is too well established as a Supreme Court for Europe in the cosmopolitan legal order of the echr. The political-legal interplay which is the genesis of the echr system means that political manoeuvring from national governments is inevitable, but not fatal to its existence. However, the legitimacy of the ECtHR is secured only through political concessions, which act to expel surplus subjects from echr protection. The article concludes that the legitimacy of the ECtHR is therefore secured at the cost of individuals whose rights are worth less than the future of the court.
Completing the Institutional Mechanism of the Arab Human Rights System
Authors: Magliveras Konstantinos D
Published: June 2017

In September 2014, the Member States of the League of Arab States approved the Statute of the Arab Court of Human Rights finalising a 20-year process to put in place a human rights protection mechanism which resembles mechanisms operating in other regions. This article examines the defunct Arab Charter on Human Rights of 1994, the revised Human Rights Charter of 2004 as well as the mandate and the activities of the Arab Human Rights Committee. It then explains the drafting of the Court’s Statute, analyses the salient features of its Statute, which was concluded independently of the 2004 Charter, and makes pertinent comparisons with the European, Inter-American and African regional mechanisms.
Arts, Censorship and the Greek Law
Authors: Polymenopoulou Eleni
Published: June 2017

The article discusses the Greek legal framework concerning artistic freedom and highlights the discrepancy between international human rights standards and the Greek practice as exemplified by a variety of incidents of censorship. Focusing on specific features of the Greek constitution and the national laws on obscenity and hate speech, the article examines the practice of censorship on the grounds of either blasphemy or offence to public morals and national values. At the same time it underscores the exponential rise in hate crimes, including against artists, as exemplified by the murder of young rapper Fyssas in 2014. It argues that the practice of seizure of publications, along with the lack of effective legal framework that combats hate speech, have both significantly contributed to raising self-censorship among artists and maintaining the culture of vexatious jurisdiction from which Greece suffers.
“‘More fun than the locals’: Cultural Differences and Natural Resources”
Authors: Rolls Mitchell
Published: June 2017

In the latter half of the 1990s there was a long-running but unreported conflict over use of a coastal rock platform on the Central Coast of New South Wales, just to the north of Sydney. This multifaceted dispute was between poor Korean Australians from the inner suburbs of Sydney and locals. The source of this conflict was the manner in which the rock platform was being used, how its resources were exploited and the type of social life that accompanied these activities. Different peoples brought different understandings to the rock platform, and they acted in accordance with those understandings.

For many older settler Australians, and for the diminishing number of those ‘on the land’, the essence of what it is to be Australian is found outside of urban environments. Colloquially referred to as ‘the bush’, this can mean virtually any rural, remote, regional, or non-urban setting. For those living in cities, and for more recent immigrants to Australia, national parks are one site that provides ready access to ‘the bush’. As with the coastal rock platform, different peoples bring different understandings to their encounters with national parks and ‘the bush’, and their use of these places changes accordingly.

This paper begins with a description of the rock platform incident, before moving on to discuss the response of different immigrant groups to national parks and other open public spaces.
From Literary Orphans to Award-winning Authorship: Serbian Migrant Writers in Australia
Authors: Kampmark Nataša
Published: June 2017

Focusing on literary careers of individual writers, this paper traces the trajectory of Serbian migrant writing in Australia from its beginnings after World War ii until the present, arguing that this writing has progressively evolved from being part of a doubly neglected ghetto-like literary community to becoming a fully integrated, award-winning authorship. Each new wave of migrants is viewed as a link in the chain of evolution triggered by migration understood as a change of place. In the case of migrant writers and writers of non-Anglo-Celtic background in Australia, the advantages gained by migration include the access to a large bilingual cultural pool, a doubly informed vision and interpretation of the world, and the privileged position of a mediator between two cultures.
Senses of an Ending
Authors: Bús Éva
Published: June 2017

It is possible to read Peter Carey’s short story, Concerning the Greek Tyrant, as an adaptation of one of the first grand achievements of the occidental storytelling tradition: The Iliad. When creating one of his “what–if”
1
stories from the raw material of the various myths of the Trojan War, Carey turns the Homeric story on its head, simultaneously challenging concepts central to the latest theories of narrative fiction, such as the question of narrative sequence, shifts in the narrative perspective, the representation of temporal experience, and the technique of metanarrative. When uprooting the myth of the Trojan war from the “lost order of time” and making it a story of “the here and now”,
2
Carey joins an almost three-thousand-year-long tradition while breaking away from it simultaneously. The paper aims to examine a manifest duality of the textual actions
3
in Concerning the Greek Tyrant. Its historical plot
4
appears to be a realistic adaptation of a few of the closing events of the war as reconstructed from a variety of sources on the one hand, and a narrative of how Homer suffers from writer’s block on the other. On the linguistic level of narration, however, the text is permeated by irony, a mastertrope (Burke 1945) whose dialectic nature further enhances the aforementioned duality, and helps the various dimensions of the text reflect and comment on each other.
On the resurrection of Persicaria puritanorum (Polygonaceae)
Authors: KIM SANG-TAE , DONOGHUE MICHAEL J. , SULTAN SONIA E.
Published: June 2017

Pond populations in Cape Cod described as Persicaria puritanorum (≡ Polygonum puritanorum) have been treated by recent authors as a synonym of P. maculosa (≡ Polygonum persicaria) based on gross morphology. However, consistent differences in leaf and inflorescence features raise the question as to whether this is an extreme phenotype of P. maculosa, an ecotype of that species, or a distinct taxon. In this study, we analyzed nuclear ITS region and chloroplast matK region DNA sequences from 37 populations of 11 species within section Eupersicaria and counted the chromosome number of individuals from the pond populations in question. We also compared leaf size and shape of plants from these populations with those of the typical P. maculosa plants by measuring selected herbarium specimens. Phylogenetic trees inferred from sequence data indicate a separation of pond populations from P. maculosa suggesting to recover P. puritanorum as a distinct species. Chromosome counts of pond population plants (2n = 60) strongly support this result, and furthermore suggest the possibility of a hybrid polyploid origin of P. puritanorum. A leaf morphological trait (greater relative height of the maximum width point from the leaf base) also supports the separation of pond populations from P. maculosa. P. punctata allied to P. hydropiper in the ITS-based tree, and to pond populations as well as P. hydropiperoides and P. opelousana in the matK-based tree, suggesting the possibility of hybrid origin of P. punctata. Our ITS sequence analyses also reveal distinct two lineages in P. lapathifolia but the chloroplast matK region sequences of P. pensylvanica and two lineages of P. lapathifolia are almost identical suggesting cytoplasmic introgression or allopolyploid speciation sharing the maternal lineage.
Hyptidendron albidum (Lamiaceae, Hyptidinae), a remarkable new species from northern Minas Gerais state, Brazil
Authors: HARLEY RAYMOND MERVYN , ANTAR GUILHERME MEDEIROS
Published: June 2017

Hyptidendron albidum a new and endemic species from Northern Minas Gerais state, Brazil, is here described. This new species is unique due to the morphological combination of its dense indumentum of white dendroid trichomes, covering much of the plant and the inflorescence composed of a unilateral cymose structure. The new species is morphologically similar to H. unilaterale which displays a similar unilateral cymose structure but differs in its indumentum, inflorescence length and leaf morphology. We provide a description, an illustration, a conservation status assessment, a distribution map, and comments on the recognition of this new species.
Social network, recovery attitudes and internal stigma among those with serious mental illness
Authors: Cullen Bernadette AM , Mojtabai Ramin , Bordbar Elahe , Everett Anita , Nugent Katie L , Eaton William W
Published: June 2017

Background:

Social network size and strength is an important determinant of overall health.

Aims:

This study describes the extent and strength of the social network among a sample of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and explores the relationship between an individual’s social network and their experience of internal stigma and recovery attitudes.

Methods:

Over a 2-year period, consecutive new patients with SMI attending two community mental health clinics were recruited and interviewed using a comprehensive battery of assessments including assessment of internalized stigma, recovery attitudes and symptom severity.

Results:

Among the 271 patients interviewed, social network size was small across all diagnostic categories. In adjusted results, the number of friends and support from relatives and friends was significantly related to the personal confidence and hope recovery attitude ( p < .05). The number of relatives and friends and support from relatives was significantly related to internalized stigma ( p < .05). Frequency of contact with relatives or friends was not related to either recovery factors or internalized stigma.

Conclusion:

There is a significant positive relationship between the size and perceived strength of an individual’s social network and internalized stigma and some recovery attitudes. Clinical programs that address any of these factors could potentially improve outcomes for this population.
Commotio cordis: A review
Authors: Menezes Ritesh G , Fatima Huda , Hussain Syed Ather , Ahmed Saba , Singh Pankaj Kumar , Kharoshah Magdy A , Madadin Mohammed , Ram Pradhum , Pant Sadip , Luis Sushil Allen
Published: June 2017

Commotio cordis is an increasingly reported fatal mechano-electric syndrome and is the second most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. It is most commonly associated with a sports-related injury, wherein, there is a high-velocity impact between a projectile and the precordium. By virtue of this impact, malignant arrhythmias consequently develop leading to the individual’s immediate demise, accompanied by a relatively normal post-mortem analysis. The importance of an autopsy remains paramount to exclude other causes of sudden death. With increasing awareness and reporting, survival rates are beginning to improve; however, prevention of the development of this condition remains the best approach for survival.
Multiple creators of knowledge-intensive service networks: A case study of the Pearl River Delta city-region
Authors: Zhang Xu
Published: June 2017

Functional differentiation between cities and the characteristics of their inter-urban networks in the emerging knowledge-intensive service economy have attracted extensive attention in urban studies. However, research on urban networks generated by advanced producer services (APS) activities has focused either on the structures of the networks in general or on the patterns created by various service sectors. In comparison, whether advanced services originating from different regions might generate different inter-city networks is less well studied. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative methods, this paper explores how APS firms with headquarters in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), in mainland China or overseas impact the internal urban system and the external relations of the PRD through their business networks. The findings indicate that while cities in the PRD are connected with each other and with other Chinese cities primarily through the business networks of local and national APS firms, the region’s linkages with overseas services centres are shaped predominantly by major international firms from the developed world. The variegated service geographies created by different types of APS firms within and outside China not only reflect the firms’ different development histories, client orientations in specific markets and home regions’ economic conditions, but they are also significantly shaped by China’s unique regulatory environment and complex state–market relations.
Accuracy of predicted haemoglobin concentration on cardiopulmonary bypass in paediatric cardiac surgery: effect of different formulae for estimating patient blood volume
Authors: Redlin Matthias , Boettcher Wolfgang , Dehmel Frank , Cho Mi-Young , Kukucka Marian , Habazettl Helmut
Published: June 2017

Introduction:

When applying a blood-conserving approach in paediatric cardiac surgery with the aim of reducing the transfusion of homologous blood products, the decision to use blood or blood-free priming of the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit is often based on the predicted haemoglobin concentration (Hb) as derived from the pre-CPB Hb, the prime volume and the estimated blood volume. We assessed the accuracy of this approach and whether it may be improved by using more sophisticated methods of estimating the blood volume.

Patients and Methods:

Data from 522 paediatric cardiac surgery patients treated with CPB with blood-free priming in a 2-year period from May 2013 to May 2015 were collected. Inclusion criteria were body weight <15 kg and available Hb data immediately prior to and after the onset of CPB. The Hb on CPB was predicted according to Fick’s principle from the pre-CPB Hb, the prime volume and the patient blood volume. Linear regression analyses and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess the accuracy of the Hb prediction. Different methods to estimate the blood volume were assessed and compared.

Results:

The initial Hb on CPB correlated well with the predicted Hb (R2=0.87, p<0.001). A Bland-Altman plot revealed little bias at 0.07 g/dL and an area of agreement from -1.35 to 1.48 g/dL. More sophisticated methods of estimating blood volume from lean body mass did not improve the Hb prediction, but rather increased bias.

Conclusion:

Hb prediction is reasonably accurate, with the best result obtained with the simplest method of estimating the blood volume at 80 mL/kg body weight. When deciding for or against blood-free priming, caution is necessary when the predicted Hb lies in a range of ± 2 g/dL around the transfusion trigger.
Physical Activity Perceptions in Adolescents: A Qualitative Study Involving Photo Elicitation and Discussion Groups
Authors: Fernández-Prieto Isabel , Canet Olga , Giné-Garriga Maria
Published: June 2017

Adolescence is a key period in life when most of the healthy habits that will affect health during adulthood are established. Numerous interventions based on the acquisition of regular physical activity (PA) in the adolescent population have so far yielded no success, mainly in the long term. Qualitative phenomenological research was used to identify adolescents’ perceived barriers and motivations to regular PA practice, and how they form the concept of PA through thought and action. This study constitutes an explicative design using photo elicitation (PE) and discussion group (DG) techniques to explore different aspects and meanings associated with PA, as well as their perceptions toward PA practice. The study was conducted on adolescents from a randomly selected district in Barcelona (Catalonia), Spain. Through the use of PE, a total of 67 photographs were analyzed. A DG was conducted with a group of 10 teenagers. Input from the DG was examined using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings show that social, familial, and environmental factors become motivational elements for the regular practice of PA. The findings observed relevant aspects linked to general barriers and to particular ones associated with young women. This study also considered implications for future interventions.
Key Strategies for Physical Activity Interventions Among Older Women: Process Evaluation of a Clinical Trial
Authors: Lefler Leanne L. , Jones Sara , Harris Breanna
Published: June 2017

Purpose:

To describe strategies salient to physical activity (PA) initiation and maintenance among older women who participated in a clinical trial that tested a PA intervention.

Design:

A descriptive phenomenological, qualitative design for a process evaluation of a successful clinical trial.

Setting:

Senior primary care clinics associated with a large medical center in a southern state.

Participants:

A total of 20 older women at least 60 years without advanced frailty.

Method:

Purposive sampling using maximum variation technique was used to select participants. A semi-structured interview guide facilitated individual, in-depth interviews lasting 45 to 90 minutes. Narratives were analyzed using content analysis with constant comparison technique to summarize the data.

Results:

Eight African American and 12 white older women with a mean age of 68 from control and intervention arms participated. Five central themes described salient strategies to promote and maintain PA: sensed benefits, motivation, and self-efficacy were central to success, while a reduction in barriers was essential before maintaining PA. The last theme, a life-changing awareness indicated that PA had become a shared value. An explanatory model describing interrelationships is presented.

Conclusions:

This study suggests key strategies to include in PA interventions with older women. An unexpected finding was that PA became a shared value, an action promoted by the Culture of Health initiative to improve population health and well-being.
Prismatic Village: The Margin at the Center in the Nepali Maoist Revolution
Authors: Paudel Dinesh
Published: June 2017

While the influence of peasant politics and agrarian struggles is growing extraordinarily in Nepal’s political landscape, their historical centrality and leadership in social transformation are undermined. This article demonstrates how the subaltern peasant politics of the 1970s and the subsequent Nepali Maoist revolution of the 1990s inversed the orthodox political imagination of peasants as primitive and pre-political, and argues that villages have always been a locus of political change in Nepal. By exploring the political history of Thabang Village in western Nepal, this article argues for a prismatic approach of studying peasant politics to understand how the structural changes of a particular village can instigate national political transformation. The main argument is that the internal dynamics of a village can enter into an articulated relationship with national political processes, which can swiftly transform the structural importance of the village and its nature of connections to other wider socio-political processes, allowing for unexpected political possibilities such as the Maoist revolution to emerge.
Synthesis and properties of acetylene-terminated isoimide and imide oligomers exhibiting excellent solubility behaviors in low boiling point solvents
Authors: Qu Chunyan , Hou Xiang , Liu Changwei , Wang Dezhi , Xiao Wanbao , Li Liaoliao , Chang Jiaying
Published: June 2017

A series of acetylene-terminated isoimide and imide oligomers were prepared based on 2,3,3′,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride, 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride, 3,4′-oxydianiline, and 1,3-bis(3-aminophenoxy)benzene as monomers. 3-Ethynylaniline was used as an end-capping reagent and trifluoroacetic anhydride served as a dehydrating agent. The main oligomer structures were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the thermal imidization was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry. All uncured isoimide and imide oligomers exhibit excellent solubility characteristics in organic solvents such as N, N-dimethylacetamide and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and most of the oligomers can be dissolved in low boiling point solvents such as acetone and ethyl acetate (more than 45 wt%). In comparison with imide analogs, the isoimide oligomers exhibited an increased solubility in low boiling point solvents which can be attributed to their unique asymmetric structures. The properties of the cured films and adhesives were evaluated by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, as well as tensile shear strength tests of the polymer adhesives. The cured films exhibited extremely high glass transition temperatures ( Tg) of up to 341.6°C and 5% weight loss temperatures ( Td5) of up to 518.2°C in a nitrogen atmosphere. Taken in concert, the results obtained indicate that all cured films featured an excellent thermal stability and a particularly high thermal-oxidative stability. One of these oligomers was selected and formulated to form a thermosetting adhesive for further investigation of the adhesion properties. This was done in an effort to improve the high-temperature performance characteristics of composite materials.
The impact of biological treatments on the anti-dsDNA and anti-nucleosome tests
Authors: Infantino M , Grossi V , Benucci M , Li Gobbi F , Damiani A , Manfredi M
Published: June 2017

Background

Anti-double stranded DNA antibodies are a very heterogeneous group of antibodies, quite specific for systemic lupus erythematosus. Newer technologies, such as addressable laser bead immunoassays (ALBIA), show great potential as a diagnostic application. The production of anti-double stranded DNA antibodies is often encountered in inflammatory arthritis; however, literature reports that the actual onset of drug induced lupus in patients treated with biological drugs is a rare event. False positive results for anti-double stranded DNA and anti-nucleosome antibodies detected in patients with inflammatory arthritis treated with different biologics prompted the investigation of full autoantibody profiles to evaluate each biomarker’s diagnostic performance in systemic lupus erythematosus. The aim of the study was to compare the diagnostic performance of anti-double stranded DNA antibody and anti-nucleosome antibody methods and to evaluate the value of simultaneously measuring anti-double stranded DNA and anti-nucleosome antibodies, along with other anti-nuclear antibody analytes, as biomarkers for systemic lupus erythematosus, using a more appropriate control cohort including inflammatory arthritis patients with a non-clinical drug induced lupus.

Methods

Anti-double stranded DNA and anti-nucleosome antibody levels were evaluated in 247 patient samples: 70 systemic lupus erythematosus, 177 disease controls (including 97 inflammatory arthritis during treatment with different biologics) using the Bio-Rad BioPlex® 2200.

Results

Anti-nucleosome antibodies demonstrated greater clinical sensitivity and specificity than anti-double stranded DNA antibodies. At the manufacturers’ cut-off range, considering the two markers as a single or combined test, the “anti-double stranded DNA test or anti-nucleosome antibodies” was the most sensitive combination (0.400) with the best negative likelihood ratio (0.62) and negative predictive value (0.803).

Conclusion

Anti-nucleosome antibodies are a more sensitive and specific biomarker of systemic lupus erythematosus than anti-double stranded DNA antibodies. Anti-nucleosome antibodies and anti-double stranded DNA antibodies are independent and complementary markers of systemic lupus erythematosus diagnosis and, therefore, are strongly suggested as combined tests (positive predictive value = 0.938). Moreover, the combined use of the two tests may help to overcome the decreased specificity percentage of the anti-double stranded DNA test, when considering an inflammatory arthritis cohort under biological therapies. The ALBIA method for anti-nuclear specificity detection allows a full autoantibody assessment, resulting in a much higher clinical specificity for systemic lupus erythematosus in the presence of ≥3 positive markers and significantly more positive likelihood ratio when ≥2 positive markers are present.
Defatted wheat germ application: Influence on cookies’ properties with regard to its particle size and dough moisture content
Authors: Petrović Jovana , Rakić Dušan , Fišteš Aleksandar , Pajin Biljana , Lončarević Ivana , Tomović Vladimir , Zarić Danica
Published: June 2017

The introduction of agro-food industry by-products rich in bioactive compounds represents major challenge in food industry sector. The influence of wheat germ particle size (<150 µm, 150–1000 µm, and 800–2000 µm), wheat germ content (5, 10, and 15%), and dough moisture content (20, 22, and 24%) on chemical, textural, and sensory characteristics of cookies was investigated using the Box–Behnken experimental design. The substitution of wheat flour with wheat germ increased the protein, fat, mineral, and fiber content of the cookies. The particle size of wheat germ affected the textural properties of cookies. As the particle size of wheat germ increased, the hardness of cookies decreased. The color of the cookie was most influenced by the interaction of dough moisture content and wheat germ particle size. Wheat germ level up to 15% had no significant effect on the sensory characteristics of cookies. A suitable combination of defatted wheat germ level, its particle size, and dough moisture content can improve the nutritional value of cookies, without causing a negative effect on the cookies’ sensory characteristics.
ADHD Is Comorbid to Migraine in Childhood: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Arruda Marco Antônio , Arruda Renato , Guidetti Vincenzo , Bigal Marcelo Eduardo
Published: June 2017

Objective: Recurrent headaches and ADHD are prevalent in the pediatric population. Herein, we assess if ADHD is comorbid to headaches overall, to headache subtypes (e.g., migraine), and to headache frequency. Method: Informed consent and analyzable data were obtained for 5,671 children aged 5 to 12 years (65.9% of the target sample). Parents and teachers were interviewed using validated questionnaires based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5). Relative risks were modeled using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: As contrasted to nonheadache controls, the prevalence of ADHD was significantly higher in children with migraine ( p < .001) but not in those with tension-type headaches. In children with migraine, risk of ADHD increased as a function of headache frequency ( p < .05). Conclusion: Migraine and frequent migraine are comorbid to ADHD. Future studies should focus on the impact of the association on the burden to the children and their families.
Nondestructive evaluation of glass fiber honeycomb sandwich panels using reflective terahertz imaging
Authors: Zhang Jin , Chen Jiandong , Wang Jie , Lang Jinpeng , Zhang Jinbo , Shen Yan , Cui Hong-Liang , Shi Changcheng
Published: June 2017

The glass fiber honeycomb sandwich panel is an efficient structural configuration which has been widely used in several designs related to air, sea, and land transport systems. Terahertz time domain spectroscopy technology is an effective supplementary method for nondestructive evaluation of composites. Terahertz time domain spectroscopy imaging technology in the reflection configuration was employed to detect the defects of glass fiber honeycomb sandwich panels, such as a skin-core debonding and a foreign inclusion. It was shown in systematic experimental investigation that different defects were detected through terahertz imaging based on different parameters, which were obtained by comparing and analyzing the waveforms in time and/or frequency domain between normal and defective regions of the sample.
Anterolateral Popliteal Puncture Technique: A Novel Retrograde Approach for Chronic Femoropopliteal Occlusions
Authors: Tan Michinao , Urasawa Kazushi , Koshida Ryoji , Haraguchi Takuya , Kitani Shunsuke , Igarashi Yasumi , Sato Katsuhiko
Published: June 2017

Purpose: To describe the feasibility and safety of an anterolateral popliteal puncture technique as a retrograde access to chronic total occlusions (CTOs) in the femoropopliteal segment. Methods: Twenty consecutive patients (mean age 75.1±10.9 years; 13 women) with symptomatic femoropopliteal occlusive disease underwent endovascular therapy via a retrograde access using the anterolateral popliteal puncture technique. With the patient supine, the P3 segment of the popliteal artery was accessed with a sheathless technique intended to provide minimally invasive access. Subsequent to a wire rendezvous technique in the CTO, the antegrade guidewire was advanced to the below-the-knee artery. Hemostasis across the P3 segment was secured with balloon inflation alone or combined with thrombin-blood patch (TBP) injection. Results: Both the anterolateral popliteal puncture technique and subsequent revascularization were successful in all patients. Mean hemostasis time for balloon inflation only was 7.73±4.03 vs 4.78±0.78 minutes for balloon inflation with TBP injection. There were no in-hospital deaths or complications, including pseudoaneurysms, arteriovenous fistulas, hematomas, embolic complications, or nerve damage. Conclusion: The anterolateral popliteal puncture technique is useful as an alternative retrograde access vs a conventional transpopliteal approach for CTOs in the femoropopliteal segment if antegrade recanalization has failed. This technique may become one option for retrograde access in patients with severe below-the-knee lesions or with CTOs that extend to the P2 segment of the popliteal artery. Furthermore, this technique has the added benefit of allowing patients to remain in the supine position throughout treatment.