bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The nature of the therapeutic alliance between nurses and consumers with Anorexia Nervosa in the inpatient setting: A mixed‐methods study
Authors: Zugai Joel S. , Stein‐Parbury Jane , Roche Michael
Published: July 2017

Aims and objectives

To develop a greater understanding of the nature of the inpatient therapeutic alliance between nurses and consumers with Anorexia Nervosa (AN).

Background

Consumers with AN value interpersonal relationships with nurses, finding these relationships meaningful and therapeutic. It is established that the therapeutic alliance enhances outcomes for consumers with AN. However, establishing the therapeutic alliance in the inpatient setting is considered challenging.

Design

This study employed a two‐phase mixed‐method explanatory sequential design. An initial quantitative survey, phase one, was followed by the collection and analysis of qualitative data, phase two.

Methods

Phase one employed validated survey instruments, measuring the perceived degree of therapeutic alliance and elements of ward milieu. Phase two involved semi‐structured interviews that focused on therapeutic relationships between nurses and consumers, with specific exploration of the results from phase one. Data collection commenced May 2014 and concluded February 2015.

Results

The therapeutic alliance involved interpersonal engagement and a balanced application of authority. In a therapeutic alliance, nurses cared for consumers with interpersonal finesse, whilst maintaining clear distinction between the consumer as an individual and AN as an illness. Nurses also developed a therapeutic alliance by occupying their position of power with consistent yet individualised expectations and by maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.

Conclusions

The therapeutic alliance between nurses and consumers with AN is not developed through negotiation of equal partners. Rather, the therapeutic alliance is dependent on nurses' capacity to maintain their position of power, whilst demonstrating their trustworthiness to the consumer. In trusting nurses, consumers felt safer in investing in a new concept of well‐being.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

By understanding the nature of the therapeutic alliance as it is described in this study, nurses have an enhanced capacity to develop effective therapeutic alliances with consumers. A maternalistic nursing style emerged as a viable approach.
A qualitative study of factors in nurses' and physicians' decision‐making related to family presence during resuscitation
Authors: Twibell Renee , Siela Debra , Riwitis Cheryl , Neal Alexis , Waters Nicole
Published: July 2017

Aims and objectives

To explore the similarities and differences in factors that influence nurses' and physicians' decision‐making related to family presence during resuscitation.

Background

Despite the growing acceptance of family presence during resuscitation worldwide, healthcare professionals continue to debate the risks and benefits of family presence. As many hospitals lack a policy to guide family presence during resuscitation, decisions are negotiated by resuscitation teams, families and patients in crisis situations. Research has not clarified the factors that influence the decision‐making processes of nurses and physicians related to inviting family presence. This is the first study to elicit written data from healthcare professionals to explicate factors in decision‐making about family presence.

Design

Qualitative exploratory‐descriptive.

Methods

Convenience samples of registered nurses (n = 325) and acute care physicians (n = 193) from a Midwestern hospital in the United States of America handwrote responses to open‐ended questions about family presence. Through thematic analysis, decision‐making factors for physicians and nurses were identified and compared.

Results

Physicians and nurses evaluated three similar factors and four differing factors when deciding to invite family presence during resuscitation. Furthermore, nurses and physicians weighted the factors differently. Physicians weighted most heavily the family's potential to disrupt life‐saving efforts and compromise patient care and then the family's knowledge about resuscitations. Nurses heavily weighted the potential for the family to be traumatised, the potential for the family to disrupt the resuscitation, and possible family benefit.

Conclusions

Nurses and physicians considered both similar and different factors when deciding to invite family presence. Physicians focused on the patient primarily, while nurses focused on the patient, family and resuscitation team.

Relevance to clinical practice

Knowledge of factors that influence the decision‐making of interprofessional colleagues can improve collaboration and communication in crisis events of family presence during resuscitation.
Parental Incarceration and the Transition to Adulthood
Authors: Turney Kristin , Lanuza Yader R.
Published: July 2017

The growing literature on the intergenerational consequences of incarceration generally neglects to consider how paternal and maternal incarceration structures offspring's transition to adulthood, a fundamental life course stage that has become increasingly unequal. In this article, the authors use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to explore the relationship between parental incarceration and both subjective (e.g., respondent feels older compared to others his or her age) and behavioral (e.g., respondent is a parent) indicators of adulthood transitions among respondents younger than age 24 (N = 10,937). The results suggest that both paternal and maternal incarceration is positively associated with the number of subjective and behavioral adulthood transitions. The results also suggest that parental incarceration is associated with some individual indicators, especially subjective indicators, of adulthood. Taken together, these findings highlight that the high incarceration rate in the United States has transformative intergenerational consequences.
The Social Movement Turn in Law
Authors: Cummings Scott L.
Published: July 2017

The rise of social movements in US legal scholarship is a current response to an age-old problem in progressive legal thought: harnessing law for social change while maintaining a distinction between law and politics. This problem erupted in controversy around the civil rights–era concept of legal liberalism defined by activist courts and lawyers pursuing political reform through law. Contemporary legal scholars have responded by building on social science to develop a new concept—movement liberalism—that assigns leadership of transformative change to social movements to preserve conventional roles for courts and lawyers. Movement liberalism aims to achieve the lost promise of progressive reform, while avoiding critiques of legal activism that have divided scholars for a half-century. Yet rather than resolving the law-politics problem, movement liberalism reproduces long-standing debates, carrying forward critical visions of law that it seeks to transcend.
MybA, a transcription factor involved in conidiation and conidial viability of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus
Authors: Valsecchi Isabel , Sarikaya‐Bayram Özlem , Wong Sak Hoi Joanne , Muszkieta Laetitia , Gibbons John , Prevost Marie‐Christine , Mallet Adeline , Krijnse‐Locker Jacomina , Ibrahim‐Granet Oumaima , Mouyna Isabelle , Carr Paul , Bromley Michael , Aimanianda Vishukumar , Yu Jae‐Hyuk , Rokas Antonis , Braus Gerhard H , Saveanu Cosmin , Bayram Özgür , Latgé Jean Paul
Published: July 2017

Aspergillus fumigatus, a ubiquitous human fungal pathogen, produces asexual spores (conidia), which are the main mode of propagation, survival and infection of this human pathogen. In this study, we present the molecular characterization of a novel regulator of conidiogenesis and conidial survival called MybA because the predicted protein contains a Myb DNA binding motif. Cellular localization of the MybA::Gfp fusion and immunoprecipitation of the MybA::Gfp or MybA::3xHa protein showed that MybA is localized to the nucleus. RNA sequencing data and a uidA reporter assay indicated that the MybA protein functions upstream of wetA, vosA and velB, the key regulators involved in conidial maturation. The deletion of mybA resulted in a very significant reduction in the number and viability of conidia. As a consequence, the ΔmybA strain has a reduced virulence in an experimental murine model of aspergillosis. RNA‐sequencing and biochemical studies of the ΔmybA strain suggested that MybA protein controls the expression of enzymes involved in trehalose biosynthesis as well as other cell wall and membrane‐associated proteins and ROS scavenging enzymes. In summary, MybA protein is a new key regulator of conidiogenesis and conidial maturation and survival, and plays a crucial role in propagation and virulence of A. fumigatus.
The association between childcare arrangements and risk of overweight and obesity in childhood: a systematic review
Authors: Black L. , Matvienko‐Sikar K. , Kearney P.M.
Published: July 2017

Over 80% of preschool‐aged children experience non‐parental childcare. Childcare type has the potential to influence weight outcomes, but its impact on childhood overweight/obesity is not well established. This review aims to (i) systematically evaluate the effects of childcare type on childhood overweight/obesity risk and (ii) investigate the impact of childcare intensity and age at commencement. Five electronic databases were searched for observational studies quantifying an association between childcare type ≤5 years and weight outcomes <18 years. Twenty‐four studies were included (n = 127,529 children). Thirteen studies reported increased risk of overweight/obesity in children attending informal care (n = 9) or centre care (n = 4) vs. parental care. Seven studies reported decreased risk of overweight/obesity for children in centre vs. ‘non‐centre’ care (parental and informal). Four studies reported no association between informal or centre care and overweight/obesity. Early (<3 years) informal care, especially by a relative, was associated with increased risk of overweight/obesity. Higher intensity childcare, especially when commenced early (<1 year), increased overweight/obesity risk. Later (≥3 years) centre care was associated with decreased risk of overweight/obesity. Early informal care, earlier commencement age and higher intensity represent a risk for childhood obesity. Exploration of the obesogenic aspects of these contexts is essential to inform preventative measures.
Strategies for Improving Measurement Models for Secondary Data in Public Administration Research: Illustrations from the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey
Authors: Somers Mark John
Published: July 2017

This article builds on Fernandez et al.'s 2015 review of Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) research by focusing on two unexplored areas: measurement models and measurement quality. Employing the notion of an auxiliary measurement theory as an organizing framework, the author assesses the use of FEVS survey items to operationalize theoretical constructs and procedures in order to establish their psychometric quality. Results indicate that there is considerable variability in how FEVS items have been used to measure theoretical constructs, which is expressed as high levels of overlap across FEVS‐derived scales. Inconsistency in the assessment of measurement quality is evident as well, with a bias toward convergent validity. Three cautionary tales are presented to demonstrate the fragility of FEVS data when used with a compromised auxiliary measurement theory. The article concludes with recommendations for future FEVS studies.
DO PREFERENCES FOR AMENITIES DIFFER AMONG HOME BUYERS? A HEDONIC PRICE APPROACH
Authors: de Araujo Pedro , Cheng Kate
Published: July 2017

Prior studies estimating the impact of amenity accessibility on residential property prices have largely treated housing as a homogenous commodity; however, there is strong evidence that differentiation in metropolitan housing submarkets matters. Using a hedonic pricing approach and controlling for spatial effects, this paper examines the preferences of house and apartment buyers regarding amenity accessibility in Brooklyn, New York, between 2008 and 2013. Amenity preferences between the two types of homebuyers are indeed different. The marginal implicit value of accessibility to cultural amenities is greater to apartment than house buyers, while the marginal implicit value of workplace amenity accessibility is greater to house than apartment buyers. The results illustrate the importance of differentiating housing submarkets when estimating these impacts. Urban policy‐makers and real estate developers can use these results to inform land use planning in metropolitan areas aimed at further increasing residential property values.
Climate‐induced migration: Exploring local perspectives in Kiribati
Authors: Allgood Lacey , McNamara Karen E.
Published: July 2017

A number of studies have indicated that the long term habitability of Kiribati, a low‐lying country in the central tropical Pacific Ocean, is tenuous given the impacts of climate change, particularly sea level rise. In an effort to plan for the resultant challenges ahead, a number of national policies and programs have surfaced to reduce the impact of localized changes on people's livelihoods. This study explores how local community members (n = 60) have taken it upon themselves to respond to the impacts of climate change by utilizing a number of different strategies. The results highlight that: first, respondents consider climate change to be the most concerning issue for sustaining their livelihoods; second, respondents have built physical defences, relocated temporarily or permanently, and sought government assistance to adapt to localized climate‐related impacts; and third, the majority of respondents indicated that they would migrate as a long term strategy to respond to the future impacts of climate change.
Third‐Party State Domestic Politics and Conflict Management During Interventions into Civil Conflicts*
Authors: Linebarger Christopher , Enterline Andrew J. , Liebel Steven R.
Published: July 2017

Objective

When do third‐party states engaged in military support of civil war governments resort to conflict management, such as negotiation or mediation, with rebels? Current research underemphasizes the role of third‐party state domestic conditions as precipitating the resort to conflict management. To do so, we formulate two explanations linking third‐party state domestic politics to conflict management with rebels: (1) gambling for resurrection, in which a weak third‐party state leader eschews conflict management in the pursuit of a victory that will rehabilitate his or her political survival; and (2) cutting losses, in which a weak third‐party leader resorts to conflict management to reduce the domestic political costs associated with continued fighting.

Method

We identify a sample of 32 civil conflicts during the 1960–2004 period in which a third‐party state deploys troops to defend a central government against a rebellion. We code the timing of negotiation and mediation offers between the third‐party and the rebels. We then rely on third‐party state economic conditions as a barometer of the political survival that shapes the third‐party's resort to conflict management.

Results

A logit analysis supports the cutting losses expectation that third‐party states seek conflict management when political survival at home is at risk.

Conclusion

The analysis underscores the necessity of incorporating the domestic politics of third‐party states in studies of interventions into civil wars and conflict management attempts therein.
Thirteen novel canine dog leukocyte antigen‐88 alleles identified by sequence‐based typing
Authors: Venkataraman G. M. , Kennedy L. J. , Little M.‐T. E. , Graves S. S. , Harkey M. A. , Torok‐Storb B. J. , Storb R.
Published: July 2017

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes in mammals include highly polymorphic class I and class II genes that are critical for donor‐recipient matching for transplantation. Dogs have served as an effective, directly translatable model for stem/progenitor cell transplantation. Previous analyses of MHC class I genes in dogs point to a single highly polymorphic gene, dog leukocyte antigen (DLA)‐88, as an important factor in the success or failure of hematopoietic stem cell transplants. Fifty‐nine DLA‐88 alleles have been identified and reported so far. Here, we extend this list by presenting 13 novel DLA‐88 alleles found in domestic dogs.
Design and optimization of a power supply unit for low profile LCD/LED TVs
Authors: Acar Vural Revna , Demirel İbrahim , Erkmen Burcu
Published: July 2017

The ongoing demand for smaller and lighter power supplies is driving the motivation to increase power density while maintaining a robust design compatible with international harmonic standards. Transformer design is a major challenge for low profile and high power density TV power cards. In addition to these, for electromagnetic interference standard and for providing efficient thermal management for heat emission, it is required to minimize EMI noise. In this study, by taking these stated criteria into consideration, a TV power card has been designed, which has 220W output power and can be used in low profile televisions. Proposed power card will meet desired critical parameters such as surface area and output power of the referenced card which has 13.5mm height, the heat, and power consumption at standby mode. Moreover, it is designed with 10mm height limit without any engraving on PCB in a way that it will meet International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) current harmonic standard to which TVs are subjected. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed power supply with 10mm height has 34% higher power density with respect to its counterpart having 13.5 mm height.
Effect of F0 contours on top-down repair of interrupted speech
Authors: Clarke Jeanne , Kazanoğlu Deniz , Başkent Deniz , Gaudrain Etienne
Published: July 2017

Top-down repair of interrupted speech can be influenced by bottom-up acoustic cues such as voice pitch (F0). This study aims to investigate the role of the dynamic information of pitch, i.e., F0 contours, in top-down repair of speech. Intelligibility of sentences interrupted with silence or noise was measured in five F0 contour conditions (inverted, flat, original, exaggerated with a factor of 1.5 and 1.75). The main hypothesis was that manipulating F0 contours would impair linking successive segments of interrupted speech and thus negatively affect top-down repair. Intelligibility of interrupted speech was impaired only by misleading dynamic information (inverted F0 contours). The top-down repair of interrupted speech was not affected by any F0 contours manipulation.
Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopaenia associated with maternal HLA antibodies
Authors: Wendel Kristina , Akkök Çiğdem Akalin , Kutzsche Stefan
Published: July 2017

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopaenia (NAIT) generally results from platelet opsonisation by maternal antibodies against fetal platelet antigens inherited from the infant’s father. Newborn monochorionic twins presented with petechial haemorrhages at 10 hours of life, along with severe thrombocytopaenia. Despite the initial treatment with platelet transfusions and intravenous immunoglobulin, they both had persistent thrombocytopaenia during their first 45 days of life. Class I human leucocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies with broad specificity against several HLA-B antigens were detected in the maternal serum. Weak antibodies against HLA-B57 and HLA-B58 in sera from both twins supported NAIT as the most likely diagnosis. Platelet transfusion requirements of the twins lasted for 7 weeks. Transfusion of HLA-matched platelet concentrates was more efficacious to manage thrombocytopaenia compared with platelet concentrates from random donors. Platelet genotyping and determination of HLA antibody specificity are needed to select compatible platelet units to expedite safe recovery from thrombocytopaenia in NAIT.
Synchronous urinary bladder metastasis of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Bansal Devanshu , Singh Prabhjot , Nayak Brusabhanu , Kaushal Seema
Published: July 2017

Urinary bladder metastasis in patients with renal cell carcinoma is rare and until now <70 cases have been documented in literature. Majority of these reported cases were histologically clear cell variant of renal cell carcinoma. Urinary bladder metastasis of chromophobe variant of renal cell carcinoma is extremely rare and is limited to only isolated case reports. We present here a case of a man aged 24 years who was diagnosed to have a left renal mass and right renal calculi on evaluation for complaints of left-sided abdominal pain and was incidentally detected to have suspicious bladder lesions during cystoscopy. Postoperative histopathology from the renal mass as well as the urinary bladder lesions showed chromophobe variant of renal cell carcinoma. The patient did not develop any recurrence on follow-up.
Farrell valve relieves bloating in gastrostomy patient
Authors: Phippen Alison , Brennan Elaine , Ealing John , Kay Samantha , Waterman David
Published: July 2017

Dysphagia and weight loss are experienced by up to 80% of patients with motor neuron disease (MND). Enteral tube feeding can benefit these patients but side effects including fullness, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation are frequent and can lead to non-compliance. Changes in feed formulation, regimens and the use of prokinetic medication can help symptoms. We describe a case where the use of gastric pressure relief bags during enteral feeding improved symptoms of bloating in a hospice inpatient with MND. Symptoms recurred when these were not used, which were only partially relieved by manual venting of the gastrostomy tube. We suggest that this simple, non-pharmacological approach to bloating may provide opportunities for symptom relief in the palliative care setting.
Saccharomyces cerevisiaedisplays an increased growth rate and an extended replicative lifespan when grown under respiratory conditions in the presence of bacteria
Authors: Kirchman Paul A. , Van Zee Nicholas
Published: July 2017

Individual cells of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have a limited replicative potential, referred to as the replicative lifespan. We have found that both the growth rate and average replicative lifespan of S. cerevisiae cells are greatly increased in the presence of a variety of bacteria. The growth and lifespan effects are not observable when yeast are allowed to ferment glucose but are only notable on solid media when yeast are forced to respire due to the lack of a fermentable carbon source. Growth near strains of Escherichia coli containing deletions of genes needed for the production of compounds used for quorum sensing or for the production of the siderophore enterobactin also still induced the lifespan extension in yeast. Furthermore, the bacterially induced increases in growth rate and lifespan occur even across gaps in the growth medium, indicating that the bacteria are influencing the yeast through the action of a volatile compound.
Protective effects of a green tea polyphenol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, against sevoflurane-induced neuronal apoptosis involve regulation of CREB/BDNF/TrkB and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathways in neonatal mice
Authors: Ding Mei-li , Ma Hui , Man Yi-gang , LV Hong-yan
Published: July 2017

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol in green tea, is an effective antioxidant and possesses neuroprotective effects. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) are crucial for neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. In this study, we aimed to assess the protective effects of EGCG against sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity in neonatal mice. Distinct groups of C57BL/6 mice were given EGCG (25, 50, or 75 mg/kg body weight) from postnatal day 3 (P3) to P21 and were subjected to sevoflurane (3%; 6 h) exposure on P7. EGCG significantly inhibited sevoflurane-induced neuroapoptosis as determined by Fluoro-Jade B staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL). Increased levels of cleaved caspase-3, downregulated Bad and Bax, and significantly enhanced Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, xIAP, c-IAP-1, and survivin expression were observed. EGCG induced activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway as evidenced by increased Akt, phospho-Akt, GSK-3β, phospho-GSK-3β, and mTORc1 levels. Sevoflurane-mediated downregulation of cAMP/CREB and BDNF/TrkB signalling was inhibited by EGCG. Reverse transcription PCR analysis revealed enhanced BDNF and TrkB mRNA levels upon EGCG administration. Improved performance of mice in Morris water maze tests suggested enhanced learning and memory. The study indicates that EGCG was able to effectively inhibit sevoflurane-induced neurodegeneration and improve learning and memory retention of mice via activation of CREB/BDNF/TrkB–PI3K/Akt signalling.
Derivation of the Hartree equation for compound Bose gases in the mean field limit
Authors: Anapolitanos Ioannis , Hott Michael , Hundertmark Dirk
Published: July 2017

We consider mixtures of Bose gases of different species. We prove that in the mean field limit and under suitable conditions on the initial condition, a system composed of two Bose species can be effectively described by a system of coupled Hartree equations. Moreover, we derive quantitative bounds on the rates of convergence of the reduced density matrices in Sobolev trace norms. We treat both the non-relativistic case in the presence of an external magnetic field [Formula: see text] and the semi-relativistic case.
Existence and asymptotic stability of stationary waves for symmetric hyperbolic–parabolic systems in half-line
Authors: Nakamura Tohru , Nishibata Shinya
Published: July 2017

In this paper, we consider a one-dimensional half-space problem for a system of viscous conservation laws which is deduced to a symmetric hyperbolic–parabolic system under assuming that the system has a strictly convex entropy function. We firstly prove existence of a stationary solution by assuming that a boundary strength is sufficiently small. The existence of the stationary solution is characterized by the number of negative characteristics. In the case where one characteristic speed is zero at spatial asymptotic state [Formula: see text], we assume that the characteristic field corresponding to the characteristic speed 0 is genuinely nonlinear in order to show existence of a degenerate stationary solution with the aid of a center manifold theory. We next prove that the stationary solution is time asymptotically stable under a smallness assumption on an initial perturbation in the Sobolev space. The key to proof is to derive the uniform a priori estimates by using the energy method, where the stability condition of Shizuta–Kawashima type plays an essential role.
THE MECHANICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ASSESSMENT OF INTERMEDIATE STENOSIS SEVERITY EXPLAINED THROUGH FRACTIONAL FLOW RESERVE
Authors: GOVINDARAJU KALIMUTHU , VISWANATHAN GIRISH N , BADRUDDIN IRFAN ANJUM , WELDEMARIAM SIRAK AREGAWI , GEBREHIWOT WOLDU ZINA , KAMANGAR SARFARAZ
Published: July 2017

Assessment of intermediate coronary lesions with diameter stenosis of 40% to 70% severity is being a challenge for cardiologist to identify potentially ischemic stenosis for revascularization and nonculprit stenosis which can be deferred from stenting. An invasive coronary angiography and intravascular ultrasound provide anatomic information of stenosis severity whereas an invasive fractional flow reserve index (FFR) provides the functional significance of the stenosis severity. The measurement of functional significance of stenosis severity minimizes the procedural complications such as coronary dissection, in stent restenosis etc. rather than anatomical significance measure. The FFR cutoff value of [Formula: see text]0.8 is used to distinguish ischemic and nonischemic stenosis. The FFR is clinically well validated even though it is influenced by the mechanical factors such as hyperemic flow and guide wire insertion. In recent times, noninvasive coronary computed tomography (CCTA) modality has become popular in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. The CCTA permits the assessment of cross-sectional parameters such as minimum lumen area and lumen diameter, lesion length and plaque morphology. However, the CCTA provides limited information on the functional significance of stenotic lesions as compared to FFR. The purpose of this review is to discuss the mechanical factors influencing the invasive FFR while assessing the functional significance of intermediate stenosis severity. In addition, the hidden mechanical factors influencing the noninvasive CCTA assessment of stenosis severity will be discussed from the critical information obtained from FFR which could be beneficial for the clinician particularly in the assessment of intermediate stenosis severity.
Geomechanical and petrophysical properties of mudrocks: introduction
Authors: Rutter Ernest , Mecklenburgh Julian , Taylor Kevin
Published: July 2017

Mudstones (shales) are of particular importance as the source rocks for oil and gas, and increasingly so as the reservoirs for unconventional hydrocarbons. They are also the most common sedimentary rocks on Earth, and, hence, are frequently encountered in excavations and foundations for buildings. These factors point to a pressing need to develop an increased fundamental understanding of their geomechanical and petrophysical properties. The mineral content of mudstones has a dominant effect on their mechanical properties. Presence of clay minerals within them results in plasticity and ductility that can pose particular engineering challenges, but swelling clays in particular can lead to serious problems of mechanical stability of boreholes and in construction. Good hydraulic fracture performance is linked to brittleness and high elastic moduli. This in turn is favoured by high silica or carbonate content and diagenetic cementation. Permeability to fluids depends on the interconnectivity of storage pores through orientated crack networks. New advances in imaging technologies are permitting very-high-resolution three-dimensional imaging down to the nanometre scale. Such studies will eventually lead to technological advances that exploit more effectively these enigmatic rocks.
WISeR
Authors: Bianchini Devis , Antonellis Valeria De , Melchiori Michele
Published: July 2017

Mashups are agile applications that aggregate RESTful services, developed by third parties, whose functions are exposed as Web Application Program Interfaces (APIs) within public repositories. From mashups developers’ viewpoint, Web API search may benefit from selection criteria that combine several dimensions used to describe the APIs, such as categories, tags, and technical features (e.g., protocols and data formats). Nevertheless, other dimensions might be fruitfully exploited to support Web API search. Among them, past API usage experiences by other developers may be used to suggest the right APIs for a target application. Past experiences might emerge from the co-occurrence of Web APIs in the same mashups. Ratings assigned by developers after using the Web APIs to create their own mashups or after using mashups developed by others can be considered as well. This article aims to advance the current state of the art for Web API search and ranking from mashups developers’ point of view, by addressing two key issues: multi-dimensional modeling and multi-dimensional framework for selection. The model for Web API characterization embraces multiple descriptive dimensions, by considering several public repositories, that focus on different and only partially overlapping dimensions. The proposed Web API selection framework, called WISeR (Web apI Search and Ranking), is based on functions devoted to developers to exploit the multi-dimensional descriptions, in order to enhance the identification of candidate Web APIs to be proposed, according to the given requirements. Furthermore, WISeR adapts to changes that occur during the Web API selection and mashup development, by revising the dimensional attributes in order to conform to developers’ preferences and constraints. We also present an experimental evaluation of the framework.
Apriori Rule--Based In-App Ad Selection Online Algorithm for Improving Supply-Side Platform Revenues
Authors: Mukherjee Anik , Sundarraj R. P. , Dutta Kaushik
Published: July 2017

Today, smartphone-based in-app advertisement forms a substantial portion of the online advertising market. In-app publishers go through ad-space aggregators known as Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs), who, in turn, act as intermediaries for ad-agency aggregators known as demand-side platforms. The SSPs face the twin issue of making ad placement decisions within an order of milliseconds, even though their revenue streams can be optimized only by a careful selection of ads that elicit appropriate user responses regarding impressions, clicks, and conversions. This article considers the SSP's perspective and presents an online algorithm that balances these two issues. Our experimental results indicate that the decision-making time generally ranges between 20 ms and 50 ms and accuracy from 1% to 10%. Further, we conduct statistical analysis comparing the theoretical complexity of the online algorithm with its empirical performance. Empirically, we observe that the time is directly proportional to the number of incoming ads and the number of online rules.
Cognitive flexibility and undergraduate physiology students: increasing advanced knowledge acquisition within an ill-structured domain
Authors: Rhodes Ashley E. , Rozell Timothy G.
Published: July 2017

Cognitive flexibility is defined as the ability to assimilate previously learned information and concepts to generate novel solutions to new problems. This skill is crucial for success within ill-structured domains such as biology, physiology, and medicine, where many concepts are simultaneously required for understanding a complex problem, yet the problem consists of patterns or combinations of concepts that are not consistently used or needed across all examples. To succeed within ill-structured domains, a student must possess a certain level of cognitive flexibility: rigid thought processes and prepackaged informational retrieval schemes relying on rote memorization will not suffice. In this study, we assessed the cognitive flexibility of undergraduate physiology students using a validated instrument entitled Student’s Approaches to Learning (SAL). The SAL evaluates how deeply and in what way information is processed, as well as the investment of time and mental energy that a student is willing to expend by measuring constructs such as elaboration and memorization. Our results indicate that students who rely primarily on memorization when learning new information have a smaller knowledge base about physiological concepts, as measured by a prior knowledge assessment and unit exams. However, students who rely primarily on elaboration when learning new information have a more well-developed knowledge base about physiological concepts, which is displayed by higher scores on a prior knowledge assessment and increased performance on unit exams. Thus students with increased elaboration skills possibly possess a higher level of cognitive flexibility and are more likely to succeed within ill-structured domains.
Correlation between Formic Acid Oxidation and Oxide Species on Pt(Bi)/GC and Pt/GC Electrode through the Effect of Forward Potential Scan Limit
Authors: Lović Jelena D.
Published: July 2017

Following earlier works from our laboratory, further experiments on electrochemical behavior in formic acid oxidation at electrodeposited Pt(Bi)/GC and Pt/GC electrode were performed in order to examine the effect of successive increase of the forward potential scan limit. Correlation between formic acid oxidation and oxide species on Pt(Bi)/GC electrode with increases of forward potential scan limit is based on the dependency of the backward peak potential from backward peak current. The obtained dependency reveals Bi influence for the scan limits up to 0.8 V. Since the Pt(Bi)/GC electrode is composed of Bi core occluded by Pt and Bi-oxide surface layer, the observed behavior is explained through the influence of surface metal oxide on easier formation of OHad species. Nevertheless, the influence of electronic modification of Pt surface atoms by underlying Bi is present and leads to the stronger adsorption of OH on Pt. At higher forward potential scan limits (from 0.8 V), Pt has a dominant role in HCOOH oxidation.
Concurrent Imatinib and Radiation Therapy for Unresectable and Symptomatic Desmoid Tumors
Authors: Moding Everett J. , Million Lynn , Avedian Raffi , Ghanouni Pejman , Kunder Christian , Ganjoo Kristen N.
Published: July 2017

Desmoid tumors are locally aggressive fibroproliferative neoplasms that can lead to pain and dysfunction due to compression of nerves and surrounding structures. Desmoid tumors often progress through medical therapy, and there is frequently a delay of multiple months before radiation can provide symptomatic relief. To achieve more rapid symptomatic relief and tumor regression for unresectable desmoid tumors causing significant morbidity such as brachial plexus impingement with loss of extremity function, we have selectively utilized a combination of imatinib and radiation therapy. Here, we retrospectively review four patients treated with concurrent imatinib and radiation therapy. The treatment was typically tolerated with minimal toxicity though one patient developed avascular necrosis of the irradiated humeral head possibly related to the combined treatment. All the patients treated have had a partial response or stable disease on imaging. Improvement of symptoms was observed in all the treated patients with a median time to relief of 2.5 months after starting radiation therapy. Concurrent radiation and imatinib may represent a viable treatment option for unresectable and symptomatic desmoid tumors where rapid relief is needed to prevent permanent loss of function.
Synthesis, Single Crystal Growth, and Properties of Cobalt Deficient Double Perovskite EuBaCo2−xO6−δ (x = 0–0.1)
Authors: Telegin S. V. , Zuev A. Yu. , Naumov S. V. , Patrakov E. I. , Tsvetkov D. S.
Published: July 2017

The cobalt deficient double perovskites EuBaCo2−xO6−δ with x=0–0.1 were obtained both as powders and as single crystal. Formation of cobalt vacancies in their crystal lattice was shown to be accompanied by the formation of oxygen ones. Chemical lattice strain caused by this cooperative disordering of cobalt and oxygen sublattices was found to be isotropic contrary to that caused by the formation of oxygen vacancies only. Cobalt deficiency was also shown to lead to lowering overall conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of EuBaCo2−xO6−δ double perovskites as a result of simultaneous decrease of charge carriers’ concentration and their mobility as well as number of sites available for electrons and holes transfer. Strong anisotropy of the overall conductivity of the single crystal double perovskites EuBaCo2−xO6−δ was found and explained on the basis of preferential location of oxygen vacancies in the rare-earth-oxygen- (REO-) planes.
Deformation Characteristics of Ultrahigh-Strength Concrete under Unrestrained and Restrained States
Authors: Lee Joo-Ha , Lim Kwang-Mo , Yoo Doo-Yeol , Lim Nam-Hyoung
Published: July 2017

As structures like skyscrapers and long-span bridges become larger, the demand for higher strength of concrete is increasing. However, research on ultrahigh-strength concrete (UHSC) is still in its infancy. In particular, UHSC is known to have a considerably higher level of autogenous shrinkage than normal strength concrete (NSC), and the possibility of cracking at an early age is very high. Therefore, in this study, shrinkage and cracking behavior of high-strength concrete (HSC), very-high-strength concrete (VHSC), and UHSC were evaluated through unrestrained shrinkage test and restrained shrinkage test (ring test). The primary experimental variables are the compressive strength level according to the water-to-binder ratio (W/B), fly ash content, and concrete specimen thickness. The experimental results demonstrated that the drying shrinkage decreased as the W/B ratio and the fly ash replacement ratio increased, and the restraint cracks appeared to be the earliest and most brittle in the UHSC with the smallest W/B. Increased concrete thickness and incorporation of fly ash were observed to inhibit crack initiation effectively.
Primary Angiitis of the Center Nervous System: A Clinical Challenge Diagnosed Postmortem
Authors: Al Share Bayan , Zakaria Ali , Hiner Evan , Iskenderian Ziyad , Warra Nader
Published: July 2017

Primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) is a rare vasculitis involving medium and small blood vessels of the brain, spinal cord, and meninges, without systemic involvement. The diffuse and patchy nature of its pathology is reflected by a wide spectrum of nonspecific clinical symptoms. Diagnosis is challenging due to lack of defined clinical criteria or specific imaging findings. Specific workup should be done only after exclusion of other etiologies, including infectious, neoplastic, toxic, and other vascular etiologies including systemic vasculitis. Given the fact that it is a patchy disease with 25% of the biopsies being falsely negative, treating physician should have a high index of suspicion despite negative initial neurovascular imaging and biopsy results. Once diagnosed, early treatment with immunosuppressive therapy is essential to avoid permanent neurologic damage. Herein, we are reporting a case of 66-year-old female patient who presented with insidious onset right-sided frontal headache. Her hospital course progressively worsened and family decision based on her wishes was to refer her to hospice and comfort care. Despite an extensive workup with advanced imaging techniques, no diagnosis was established until postmortem autopsy and histopathology confirmed primary angiitis of the central nervous system.
Application of Conductive Materials to Asphalt Pavement
Authors: Vo Hai Viet , Park Dae-Wook
Published: July 2017

Snow-melting pavement technique is an advanced preservation method, which can prevent the forming of snow or ice on the pavement surface by increasing the temperature using an embedded heating system. The main scope of this study is to evaluate the impact of conductive additives on the heating efficiency. The electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity were considered to investigate effects of conductive additives, graphite, and carbon fibers on the snow-melting ability of asphalt mixtures. Also, the distribution of the conductive additives within the asphalt concrete body was investigated by microstructural imaging. An actual test was applied to simulate realistic heating for an asphalt concrete mixture. Thermal testing indicated that graphite and carbon fibers improve the snow-melting ability of asphalt mixes and their combination is more effective than when used alone. As observed in the microstructural image, carbon fibers show a long-range connecting effect among graphite conductive clusters and gather in bundles when added excessively. According to the actual test, adding the conductive additives helps improve snow-melting efficiency by shortening processing time and raising the surface temperature.
CuO-Loaded Macroreticular Anion Exchange Hybrid Polymers Obtained via Tetrachlorocuprate(II) Ionic Form
Authors: Kociołek-Balawejder Elżbieta , Stanisławska Ewa , Jacukowicz-Sobala Irena , Ociński Daniel
Published: July 2017

Amberlite IRA900 Cl, the macroreticular, polystyrene/divinylbenzene anion exchanger containing quaternary ammonium groups, was used as the support for copper(II) oxide deposition, and, as a result a new hybrid ion exchanger (HIX) was obtained. The CuO deposit was introduced into the anion exchanger structure in two steps conducted batchwise at ambient temperature. First, the functional groups were transformed from the Cl- into the CuCl42- form, using 5 mol dm−3 NaCl or HCl solution with CuCl2 being added, and then the intermediate product was contacted with NaOH/NaCl solution to precipitate CuO within the polymer beads. A HIX containing as much as 11.5% Cu was obtained. The distribution of the inorganic load within the porous matrix of polymer beads was atypical; CuO was mainly deposited in the outer parts of the beads and only a small amount was in their inner parts. This may be advantageous in some practical applications concerning the removal of harmful admixtures from waters in sorption processes.
Impact of Acetic Acid on the Survival ofL. plantarumupon Microencapsulation by Coaxial Electrospraying
Authors: Gómez-Mascaraque Laura G. , Ambrosio-Martín Jesús , Perez-Masiá Rocío , Lopez-Rubio Amparo
Published: July 2017

In this work, coaxial electrospraying was used for the first time to microencapsulate probiotic bacteria, specificallyLactobacillus plantarum, within edible protein particles with the aim of improving their resistance to in vitro digestion. The developed structures, based on an inner core of whey protein concentrate and an outer layer of gelatin, were obtained in the presence of acetic acid in the outer solution as a requirement for the electrospraying of gelatin. Despite the limited contact of the inner suspension and outer solution during electrospraying, the combination of the high voltage used during electrospraying with the presence of acetic acid was found to have a severe impact on the lactobacilli, not only decreasing initial viability but also negatively affecting the survival of the bacteria during storage and their resistance to different stress conditions, including simulated in vitro digestion.
R Peak Detection Method Using Wavelet Transform and Modified Shannon Energy Envelope
Authors: Park Jeong-Seon , Lee Sang-Woong , Park Unsang
Published: July 2017

Rapid automatic detection of the fiducial points—namely, the P wave, QRS complex, and T wave—is necessary for early detection of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). In this paper, we present an R peak detection method using the wavelet transform (WT) and a modified Shannon energy envelope (SEE) for rapid ECG analysis. The proposed WTSEE algorithm performs a wavelet transform to reduce the size and noise of ECG signals and creates SEE after first-order differentiation and amplitude normalization. Subsequently, the peak energy envelope (PEE) is extracted from the SEE. Then, R peaks are estimated from the PEE, and the estimated peaks are adjusted from the input ECG. Finally, the algorithm generates the final R features by validating R-R intervals and updating the extracted R peaks. The proposed R peak detection method was validated using 48 first-channel ECG records of the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database with a sensitivity of 99.93%, positive predictability of 99.91%, detection error rate of 0.16%, and accuracy of 99.84%. Considering the high detection accuracy and fast processing speed due to the wavelet transform applied before calculating SEE, the proposed method is highly effective for real-time applications in early detection of CVDs.