bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lymphoma Remissions Caused by Anti-CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Are Associated With High Serum Interleukin-15 Levels
Authors: Kochenderfer James N. , Somerville Robert P.T. , Lu Tangying , Shi Victoria , Bot Adrian , Rossi John , Xue Allen , Goff Stephanie L. , Yang James C. , Sherry Richard M. , Klebanoff Christopher A. , Kammula Udai S. , Sherman Marika , Perez Arianne , Yuan Constance M. , Feldman Tatyana , Friedberg Jonathan W. , Roschewski Mark J. , Feldman Steven A. , McIntyre Lori , Toomey Mary Ann , Rosenberg Steven A.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

T cells genetically modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) targeting CD19 (CAR-19) have potent activity against acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but fewer results supporting treatment of lymphoma with CAR-19 T cells have been published. Patients with lymphoma that is chemotherapy refractory or relapsed after autologous stem-cell transplantation have a grim prognosis, and new treatments for these patients are clearly needed. Chemotherapy administered before adoptive T-cell transfer has been shown to enhance the antimalignancy activity of adoptively transferred T cells.

Patients and Methods

We treated 22 patients with advanced-stage lymphoma in a clinical trial of CAR-19 T cells preceded by low-dose chemotherapy. Nineteen patients had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, two patients had follicular lymphoma, and one patient had mantle cell lymphoma. Patients received a single dose of CAR-19 T cells 2 days after a low-dose chemotherapy conditioning regimen of cyclophosphamide plus fludarabine.

Results

The overall remission rate was 73% with 55% complete remissions and 18% partial remissions. Eleven of 12 complete remissions are ongoing. Fifty-five percent of patients had grade 3 or 4 neurologic toxicities that completely resolved. The low-dose chemotherapy conditioning regimen depleted blood lymphocytes and increased serum interleukin-15 (IL-15). Patients who achieved a remission had a median peak blood CAR+ cell level of 98/μL and those who did not achieve a remission had a median peak blood CAR+ cell level of 15/μL ( P = .027). High serum IL-15 levels were associated with high peak blood CAR+ cell levels ( P = .001) and remissions of lymphoma ( P < .001).

Conclusion

CAR-19 T cells preceded by low-dose chemotherapy induced remission of advanced-stage lymphoma, and high serum IL-15 levels were associated with the effectiveness of this treatment regimen. CAR-19 T cells will likely become an important treatment for patients with relapsed lymphoma.
Investigating Associations Between Health-Related Quality of Life and Endocrine Therapy Underuse in Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Authors: Pinheiro Laura C. , Wheeler Stephanie B. , Reeder-Hayes Katherine E. , Samuel Cleo A. , Olshan Andrew F. , Reeve Bryce B.
Published: March 2017

Purpose:

Endocrine therapy (ET) underuse puts women at increased risk for breast cancer (BC) recurrence. Our objective was to determine if health-related quality of life (HRQOL) subgroups were associated with underuse.

Methods:

Data came from the third phase of the Carolina Breast Cancer Study. We included 1,599 women with hormone receptor–positive BC age 20 to 74 years. HRQOL was measured, on average, 5 months postdiagnosis. Subgroups were derived using latent profile (LP) analysis. Underuse was defined as not initiating or adhering to ET by 36 months postdiagnosis. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated adjusted odds ratios (ORs) between HRQOL LPs and underuse. The best HRQOL LP was the reference. Chemotherapy- and race-stratified models were estimated, separately.

Results:

Initiation analyses included 953 women who had not begun ET by their 5-month survey. Of these, 154 never initiated ET. Adherence analyses included 1,114 ET initiators, of whom 211 were nonadherent. HRQOL was not significantly associated with noninitiation, except among nonchemotherapy users, with membership in the poorest LP associated with increased odds of noninitiation (adjusted OR, 5.5; 95% CI, 1.7 to 17.4). Membership in the poorest LPs was associated with nonadherence (LP1: adjusted OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.2 to 4.0 and LP2: adjusted OR,1.9; 95% CI, 1.1 to 3.6). Membership in the poorest LP was associated with nonadherence among nonchemotherapy users (adjusted OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2 to 5.1).

Conclusion:

Our results suggest women with poor HRQOL during active treatment may be at increased risk for ET underuse. Focusing on HRQOL, a modifiable factor, may improve targeting of future interventions early in the BC continuum to improve ET initiation and adherence and prevent BC recurrence.
Mild Cognitive Impairment and Exposure to General Anesthesia for Surgeries and Procedures: A Population-Based Case–Control Study
Authors: Sprung Juraj , Roberts Rosebud O. , Knopman David S. , Price Lauren L. , Schulz Hunter P. , Tatsuyama Christie L. , Weingarten Toby N. , Schroeder Darrell R. , Hanson Andrew C. , Petersen Ronald C. , Warner David O.
Published: March 2017

BACKGROUND:

To examine whether exposure to general anesthesia for procedures at age ≥40 years is associated with prevalent mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the elderly.

METHODS:

A case–control study nested within a population-based cohort. Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents, aged 70–91 years, underwent baseline evaluations that included the Clinical Dementia Rating scale, a neurologic evaluation, and neuropsychologic testing. Individuals identified with MCI (cases) at enrollment were matched 1:2 on age, sex, education, and apolipoprotein genotype with participants who were cognitively normal at the time of the index visit. Medical records from age 40 years until the index visit were reviewed to determine exposures to general anesthesia. Conditional logistic regression, taking into account the matched set study design and adjusting for MCI risk factors, was used to assess whether exposure to anesthesia after the age of 40 years was associated with prevalent MCI.

RESULTS:

A total of 387 Mayo Clinic Study of Aging participants (219 males, 168 females) were diagnosed with MCI at enrollment with mean age of 81 ± 5 years. Exposure to general anesthesia after the age of 40 years was not significantly associated with prevalent MCI when analyzed as a dichotomous variable (any versus none, adjusted odds ratio, 0.97 [95% confidence interval, 0.68–1.40]) or the number of exposures (odds ratio, 1.13 [0.74–1.72], 0.81 [0.53–1.22], and 1.03 [0.67–1.58] for 1, 2–3, and ≥4 exposures, respectively, with no exposure as the reference). Similar results were obtained for exposure to anesthesia after the age of 60 years and during 5, 10, and 20 years before the first visit.

CONCLUSIONS:

Exposure to general anesthesia for procedures at age ≥40 years was not associated with prevalent MCI in the elderly.
Visualizing endoderm cell populations and their dynamics in the mouse embryo with aHex-tdTomatoreporter
Authors: Wu Tao , Hadjantonakis Anna-Katerina , Nowotschin Sonja
Published: March 2017

Live imaging is the requisite tool for studying cell behaviors driving embryonic development and tissue formation. Genetically-encoded reporters expressed under cell type-specific cis-regulatory elements that drive fluorescent protein expression at sufficient levels for visualization in living specimens have become indispensable for these studies. Increasingly dual-color (red-green) imaging is used for studying the coordinate behaviors if two cell populations of interest, identifying and characterizing subsets of within broader cell populations or subcellular features. Many reporters have been generated using green fluorescent protein (GFP) due to its brightness and developmental neutrality. To compliment the large cohort of available GFP reporters that label cellular populations in early mouse embryos, we have generated a red fluorescent protein (RFP)-based transgenic reporter using the red fluorescent tdTomato protein driven by cis-regulatory elements from the mouse Hex locus. The Hex-tdTomato reporter predominantly labels endodermal cells. It is the first RFP reporter of the distal visceral endoderm (DVE)/anterior visceral endoderm (AVE), a migratory population within the early post-implantation embryo. It also labels cells of the definitive endoderm (DE), which emerges at gastrulation. Dual-color visualization of these different early endodermal populations will provide a detailed understanding of the cellular behaviors driving key morphogenetic events involving the endoderm.
Distinct roles of neuroepithelial-like and radial glia-like progenitor cells in cerebellar regeneration
Authors: Kaslin Jan , Kroehne Volker , Ganz Julia , Hans Stefan , Brand Michael
Published: March 2017

Zebrafish can regenerate after brain injury, and the regenerative process is driven by resident stem cells. Stem cells are heterogeneous in the vertebrate brain, but the significance of having heterogeneous stem cells in regeneration is not understood. Limited availability of specific stem cells might impair the regeneration of particular cell lineages. We studied regeneration of the adult zebrafish cerebellum, which contains two major stem and progenitor cell types: ventricular zone and neuroepithelial cells. Using conditional lineage tracing we demonstrate that cerebellar regeneration depends on the availability of specific stem cells. Radial glia-like cells are thought to be the predominant stem cell type in homeostasis and after injury. However, we find that radial glia-like cells play a minor role in adult cerebellar neurogenesis and in recovery after injury. Instead, we find that neuroepithelial cells are the predominant stem cell type supporting cerebellar regeneration after injury. Zebrafish are able to regenerate many, but not all, cell types in the cerebellum, which emphasizes the need to understand the contribution of different adult neural stem and progenitor cell subtypes in the vertebrate central nervous system.
IP3R mediated Ca2+ release regulates protein metabolism inDrosophilaneuroendocrine cells: implications for development under nutrient stress
Authors: Megha Megha , Hasan Gaiti
Published: March 2017

Successful completion of animal development is fundamentally reliant on nutritional cues. Adaptations for surviving nutritional loss are coordinated in part by neural circuits. As neuropeptides secreted by neuroendocrine (NE) cells critically modulate neural circuits, we investigated NE cell function during development under nutrient stress. Starved Drosophila larvae exhibited reduced pupariation, if either insulin signaling or IP3/Ca2+ signaling, were down-regulated in NE cells. Moreover, an IP3R (Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor) loss-of-function mutant displayed reduced protein synthesis, which was rescued by over-expression of either InR (insulin receptor) or IP3R in NE cells of the mutant, suggesting that the two signaling pathways may be functionally compensatory. Furthermore, cultured IP3R mutant NE cells, but not neurons, exhibited reduced protein translation. Thus cell-specific regulation of protein synthesis by IP3R in NE cells influences protein metabolism. We propose that this regulation helps developing animals survive poor nutritional conditions.
Organoids: a Special Issue
Authors: Little Melissa H.
Published: March 2017

Summary: This Editorial provides an overview of the entire contents of the Special Issue, highlighting some of the important findings and major themes therein.
Wnt proteins synergize to activate β-catenin signaling
Authors: Alok Anshula , Lei Zhengdeng , Jagannathan N. Suhas , Kaur Simran , Harmston Nathan , Rozen Steven G. , Tucker-Kellogg Lisa , Virshup David M.
Published: March 2017

Wnt ligands are involved in diverse signaling pathways that are active during development, maintenance of tissue homeostasis and in various disease states. While signaling regulated by individual Wnts has been extensively studied, Wnts are rarely expressed alone, and the consequences of Wnt gene co-expression are not well understood. Here, we studied the effect of co-expression of Wnts on the β-catenin signaling pathway. While some Wnts are deemed ‘non-canonical’ due to their limited ability to activate β-catenin when expressed alone, unexpectedly, we find that multiple Wnt combinations can synergistically activate β-catenin signaling in multiple cell types. WNT1- and WNT7B-mediated synergistic Wnt signaling requires FZD5, FZD8 and LRP6, as well as the WNT7B co-receptors GPR124 (also known as ADGRA2) and RECK. Unexpectedly, this synergistic signaling occurs downstream of β-catenin stabilization, and is correlated with increased lysine acetylation of β-catenin. Wnt synergy provides a general mechanism to confer increased combinatorial control over this important regulatory pathway.
Natura: Carbono Neutro
Authors: Berardi Patrícia , Monzoni Neto Mario Prestes
Published: March 2017

Em 2005, a Natura buscou entender a questão das mudanças climáticas, com foco mais preciso no aquecimento global e em como este poderia ter impactos nos seus negócios. Quais seriam os riscos e oportunidades que o aquecimento global poderia trazer para a empresa? Buscou informação e benchmarks, dentro e fora do seu segmento de atuação, e concluiu pela adoção de uma total neutralização das emissões vinculadas ao processo produtivo de toda a cadeia. Isto colocou a Natura em uma posição de destaque, não só no seu segmento de atuação, mas até mesmo no panorama internacional.
Casos de ensino em Administração: links úteis
Authors: GVcasos Redação
Published: March 2017

O texto indica alguns dos principais sites, brasileiros e internacionais, com informações sobre o uso de casos de ensino em Administração.
Como narrar um caso para ensino
Authors: Roesch Sylvia Maria Azevedo
Published: March 2017

Para que um caso seja bom, é fundamental que ele seja bem contado. Como construir a narrativa? Que formato dar ao texto? O artigo aborda estas questões a fim de orientar os interessados em redigir casos.
O que não é um caso
Authors: Bandeira de Mello Rodrigo
Published: March 2017

Enquanto há uma variedade de definições sobre o que é um caso para ensino, a definição do que não é um caso parece ser mais precisa.
O que eu avalio, hoje, quando me pedem um parecer sobre um caso de ensino
Authors: Avrichir Ilan
Published: March 2017

Algumas considerações sobre o que se espera de um caso de ensino, em especial para que gere boas discussões em sala de aula.
Transplantion of autologous cells of stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissue in severe local radiation injuries of skin caused by x-ray
Authors: Бушманов  , Bushmanov Andrey , Самойлов  , Samoylov Alyeksandr , Добрынина  , Dobrynina O. , Лырщикова  , Lyrshchikova A. , Дешевой  , Deshevoy Yu. , Насонова  , Nasonova T. , Лебедев  , Lebedev V. , Мороз  , Moroz B.
Published: March 2017

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of autologous cells of stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissue in severe local radiation skin injuries after the

exposure of rats to X-rays.

Material and methods: Experiments were performed on Wistar rats, weighing 200–230 g. Rats were exposed locally in iliolumbar region using X-ray

machine LNC-268 (RAP 100-10) at a dose of 110 Gy (30 kV tube voltage, current 6.1 mA, thick Al filter 0.1 mm), dose rate: 17.34 Gy/min. Area of the

irradiation field was 8.2–8.5 cm2. Transplantation of autologous cells of stromal vascular fraction (SVFC) of adipose tissue was carried out on 21st or 35th

days after irradiation. SVFC isolation was performed by means of enzymatic treatment of adipose tissue. SVFC suspension was administered subcutaneously

at a dose of 1×106 cells per injection around the radiation ulcers.The severity of radiation damage to the skin and the effects of cellular therapy were evaluated

in the dynamics of clinical manifestations, with the help of plane geometry and pathomorphometry.

Results: It was found that by the 17–25th day after irradiation radiation ulcers were formedon rat skin. In the control group of animalsulcers persisted

throughout the observation period of more than 3 months. The area of ulcers was 1,87 ± 0,35 cm2 and 1.52 ± 0.24 cm2 at 83th and 90th days after irradiation,

respectively. In animals of the experimental group, with autologous stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissue, was significant decrease in ulceration the

area in comparison to control animals. In 80 % of the rats treated with SVFC on 21st day after exposure, to the 90th day after irradiation complete healing

of ulcers occurred with the formation of atrophic scar at the site of radiation injuries. These clinical observations and planimetric were correlated with the

results of histomorphometry.

Conclusion: Transplantation autologous SVFC of adipose tissue contributes to accelerate the healing of radiation ulcers after local x-ray exposure in the

experiment, indicating that the prospects of using adipose tissue cell products for the treatment of severe local radiation injuries.
Radiation Risk of Incidence of Hypertensia among Russian Recovery Operation Workers of the Chernobyl Accident
Authors: Щукина  , Shchukina N. , Власов  , Vlasov O. , Кочергина  , Kochergina E. , Корело  , Korelo A. , Туманов  , Tumanov K. , Карпенко  , Karpenko S. , Кащеев  , Kashcheev V. , Максютов  , Maksyutov M. , Чекин  , Chekin S. , Иванов  , Ivanov V. , Ловачев  , Lovachev S.
Published: March 2017

Purpose: The main purpose of the research is to define the group of radiation risk (GRR) on the incidence of hypertension among Russian recovery operation workers of the Chernobyl accident (liquidators).

Material and methods: The object of research is the cohort of the Russian liquidators with the known individual doses of external gamma exposure of all body. Definition of GRR on incidence of hypertension is based on assessment of excess relative radiation risk (ERR) and relative radiation risk (RR) in the observed cohort of 106 thousand liquidators, having average accumulated dose of external gamma exposure of all body of 0.11 Gy and the maximum individual doses about 1 Gy.

Results: From 1986 to 2012 in this cohort 57112 cases of hypertension have been diagnosed, basically – essential (primary) hypertension (39.2 %) and hypertensive heart disease (53.8 %). The statistically significant ERR of incidence of hypertension was observed only for liquidators who entered the Chernobyl zone of recovery operations within the first year after the accident (before 26.04.1987): ERR/Gy = 0.26 with 95 % CI (0.12; 0.41), p < 0.001. For other liquidators no significant associations between the explosion dose and the incidence of hypertension were revealed. For nonparametric estimates of RR in dose groups (relative to the control group with doses < 0.05 Gy) the statistically significant radiation risk was observed only for the dose group over 0,25 Gy: RR = 1.07 at 95 % of CI (1.02; 1.12), p = 0.023. GRR on incidence of hypertension equal to 4 % of the number of the studied cohort of liquidators: 4515 persons with accumulated doses of 0.25 Gy and higher, arrived to the Chernobyl area within the first year after the accident. In GRR 2597 cases of diseases of hypertension were diagnosed; statistically significant (p = 0.023) assessment of RR is equal 1.07, with 95 % a confidential interval (1.02; 1.12) and an average dose 0.297 Gy. During observation from 1986 to 2012 6.5 % of cases of diseases of hypertension (170 cases) in GRR can be related to radiation-caused ones. GRR for the beginning of 2013 consisted of 2919 persons 1909 of whom had already had diagnoses of hypertension (125 – radiation caused). Since 2013 for lifetime in GRR from 43 to 66 cases of diseases of hypertension which can be related to radiation-caused are expected.

Conclusion: As hypertension is the risk factor for many circulatory diseases, address prevention and treatment of hypertension in GRR in the first years after radiation accidents could reduce the radiation-caused loss healthy years of participants of elimination of such accidents.
When More Selection Is Worse
Authors: Denrell Jerker , Liu Chengwei , Le Mens Gaël
Published: March 2017

We demonstrate a paradox of selection: the average level of skill among the survivors of selection may initially increase but eventually decrease. This result occurs in a simple model in which performance is not frequency dependent, there are no delayed effects, and skill is unrelated to risk-taking. The performance of an agent in any given period equals a skill component plus a noise term. We show that the average skill of survivors eventually decreases when the noise terms in consecutive periods are dependent and drawn from a distribution with a “long” tail—a sub-class of heavy-tailed distributions. This result occurs because only agents with extremely high level of performance survive many periods, and extreme performance is not diagnostic of high skill when the noise term is drawn from a long-tailed distribution.
The garden is full of minibeasts
Authors: Neville Sarah
Published: March 2017

Spring is the season when the world starts coming alive once more, and when the sun's heat and longer days encourage the wonders of nature to reappear, especially the bugs.
L is for our powerful Lungs…
Authors: Hammond Paula , Lillie Stephen
Published: March 2017

This month, we continue our series that takes the form of an extended alphabetical adventure around the body, helping children to get to know themselves a little better.
Science: enquiry and observation
Authors: Sargent Marianne
Published: March 2017

This is the first in a series of extracts from Developing Early Science Skills Outdoors, which will provide a snapshot of ideas for providing children with opportunities to learn outside.
Therapeutic hypothermia in cardiac arrest
Authors: Hart Lindsay , Newton Paul
Published: March 2017

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) following cardiac arrest is commonplace in many hospitals. It is thought to improve survival rates and offer neuroprotective benefits. However, its use in the pre-hospital arena is still uncertain. The objective of this literature review is to collect and consider evidence and address these uncertainties with a view to offering recommendations for practice. A systematic search was undertaken, and from the literature reviewed, there was no unanimous evidence that pre-hospital TH improves patient survival or neurological outcomes. It is clear that all of the different modes of initiating TH that were evaluated were effective in reducing patient temperature on arrival at hospital.
Incidence of Neutropenia in Veterans Receiving Lung Cancer Chemotherapy: A
Comparison of Administrative Coding and Electronic Laboratory Data
Authors: Knerr Sarah , Hu Elaine , Zeliadt Steven
Published: March 2017

Introduction: The frequency of neutropenia associated with lung cancer
chemotherapy outside of randomized trials is largely unknown because administrative
coding underestimates its prevalence. This study compared International Classification
of Diseases (ICD) diagnosis codes and electronic laboratory results, alone and in
combination, for identifying neutropenia events.Methods: Retrospective cohort study of
718 veterans receiving their first course of chemotherapy for non-small cell lung
cancer. Incidence of neutropenia was assessed using electronic laboratory results and
ICD-9 codes captured in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic medical
records (EMR).Results: A total of 118 of 718 patients (16.4 percent) were identified
with an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) less than 1,000 cells/mm3, while only 49 of 718
patients (6.8 percent) had ICD-9 codes for neutropenia. Using the combination of
laboratory results and diagnosis codes, 136 of 718 patients (18.9 percent) experienced a
neutropenic event. Compared to laboratory results as a gold standard, diagnosis codes
were specific (not present for individuals without a laboratory-documented low ANC), but
not sensitive (missing for many individuals with a low ANC documented in their
laboratory test results).Conclusion: Relying on ICD codes to identify neutropenia in
administrative data likely results in under-reporting. The emerging availability of
electronic laboratory results provides an opportunity to more accurately quantify
patterns of neutropenia, identify individual risk factors, and assess clinical
management practices—including use of colony-stimulating factor prophylaxis—in large
community cohorts.
Ethnicity Recording in Primary Care Computerised Medical Record Systems: An Ontological Approach
Authors: Tippu Zayd , Correa Ana , Liyanage Harshana , Burleigh David , McGovern Andrew , Van Vlymen Jeremy , Jones Simon , De Lusignan Simon
Published: March 2017

Background Ethnicity recording within primary care computerised medical record (CMR) systems is suboptimal, exacerbated by tangled taxonomies within current coding systems.Objective To develop a method for extending ethnicity identification using routinely collected data.Methods We used an ontological method to maximise the reliability and prevalence of ethnicity information in the Royal College of General Practitioner’s Research and Surveillance database. Clinical codes were either directly mapped to ethnicity group or utilised as proxy markers (such as language spoken) from which ethnicity could be inferred. We compared the performance of our method with the recording rates that would be identified by code lists utilised by the UK pay for the performance system, with the help of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF).Results Data from 2,059,453 patients across 110 practices were included. The overall categorisable ethnicity using QOF codes was 36.26% (95% confidence interval (CI): 36.20%–36.33%). This rose to 48.57% (CI:48.50%–48.64%) using the described ethnicity mapping process. Mapping increased across all ethnic groups. The largest increase was seen in the white ethnicity category (30.61%; CI: 30.55%–30.67% to 40.24%; CI: 40.17%–40.30%). The highest relative increase was in the ethnic group categorised as the other (0.04%; CI: 0.03%–0.04% to 0.92%; CI: 0.91%–0.93%).Conclusions This mapping method substantially increases the prevalence of known ethnicity in CMR data and may aid future epidemiological research based on routine data.
Methods of breaking seed dormancy for ornamental passion fruit species
Authors: Marostega Thalita Neves , Da Luz Petterson Baptista , Tavares Armando Reis , Neves Leonarda Grillo , De Paiva Sobrinho Severino
Published: March 2017

The Passiflora L. genus covers a diversity of wild species with ornamental potential, especially due to the intrinsic beauty of its exotic flowers, flowering more than once a year and the lush foliage. However, Passiflora seeds present dormancy complicating seed germination and the establishment of commercial plant production with species with high ornamental potential. This study was conducted to determine the best pre-germination treatments to overcome seed dormancy for Passiflora quadrangularis, P. nitida, P. foetida, P. eichleriana, P. alata, P. cincinnata, P. mucronata, P. micropetala, P. suberosa, P. morifolia and P. tenuifila. The experimental design was completely randomized, with five treatments and four replicates, with 25 seeds per plot. Pre-germination treatments were: seeds soaked in 1,000 mg L- 1 GA3 (gibberellic acid) for 6 hours, seeds soaked in 0.2 % KNO3 (potassium nitrate) for 24 hours, seeds soaked in 1 % KNO3 for 24 hours, partial seedcoat scarification with sandpaper number 120 and control (seeds untreated). Percentage of germination, germination velocity index and radicle length were evaluated for all species. The results showed that GA3 was effective to overcome seed dormancy in P. suberosa (86%), P. morifolia (68 %) and P. tenuifila (54%). KNO3 1% had significant effect on overcoming dormancy in seeds of P. eichleriana (66%) and scarification with sandpaper increased seed germination of P. micropetala (38%).
PENILAIAN KINERJA OBJEK WISATA TAMAN MARGASATWA MANGKANG BERDASARKAN PERSEPSI PENGUNJUNG
Authors: Handayani Siti , Sariffuddin Sariffuddin
Published: March 2017

Semarang has a lot of potential for tourism which revealed good performance by increasing the number of tourists every year. Mangkang wildlife park is one of main attractions in Semarang developed with the primary functions of conservation and education through animal breeding attractions, and recreation as a supporting function. The main reasons for visiting zoos were family recreation and seeing many different animals, therefore the zoo environment will affect the perception of visitors. Perception can be measured by visitor satisfaction as one indicator of successfully tourism performance. Nevertheless, there are some problems on the development, management, and implementation of Mangkang wildlife park that affect its performance and makes fluctuations number of visitors every year. This research aims to assess the performance of the Mangkang wildlife park attractions based on visitors perception. The  analytical method used in this study is quantitative method, and using accidental sampling as a sampling techniques with a sample of 100 respondents. Collecting data is both primary and secondary data will be analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis. The performance assessment of Mangkang wildlife park have a GOOD criteria with overall satisfaction value 0.66 or SATISFIED criteria, but the criteria is not exactly can be seen from the result of the performance assessment towards the variation and completeness of animals because most visitors are dissatisfied with the attractions of breeding animals that have poor performance. So most visitors prefer using visits to recreation because demand for the main attractions have not been met. The satisfaction of tourists during visiting to Mangkang wildlife park also influenced by the services excellence/ completely facilities, promotion, and available transportation.
Tourism-themed internet portals – are new media creating a new tourist? A case study of Polish students
Authors: Jażdżewska Iwona , Jagnuszewska Anna
Published: March 2017

Internet media have an influence on many tourism-related issues. This article presents the results of research into the role of tourism-themed portals in the trips taken by Polish university students between 2010 and 2012. The research sought to answer the following questions: whether tourism-related internet media have an influence on the students’ behaviour before, during the trip and when they arrive at their destination; how often they are used by the respondents during their trips; and whether Polish students actively participate in internet media by voicing their opinions. As it appears, internet media serve as one of the “travel companions” for young people. They are used when preparing the trip, the vast majority “take them” with them and check them during the trip, while almost half of them check them on vacation, e.g. to share their experience over the internet.
Electoral behaviour in the Kraków metropolitan area: 1993–2011
Authors: Linkowski Radosław
Published: March 2017

The purpose of the paper is to describe changes in support for the four principal political options (‘right’, ‘left’, ‘liberal’, ‘peasant’) available in the Kraków Metropolitan Area (KMA) in parliamentary elections in the period 1993–2011. The electoral behaviour of the residents of the various KMA zones became increasingly similar in the study period. The political ‘distance’ between the northern commuter zone of the KMA (part of the Russian partition in the 19thc.) and the rest of the KMA, decreased significantly. The suburban zone of Kraków also changed over the course of the study period by becoming significantly similar to the city in terms of voting behaviour. This political change was largely due to substantial social and economic changes in the rural parts of the metropolitan area. Urban areas in the KMA were much more stable in their voting patterns and tended to politically resemble one another much more than rural areas. The city of Kraków and the southern part of its commuter zone – part of the Austrian partition in the 19thc. – were characterized by fewer fluctuations in voting behaviour than the two remaining parts of the KMA.
‘Kicking Sand in the Face of Apartheid’: Segregated Beaches in South Africa
Authors: Rogerson Jayne M.
Published: March 2017

This article makes a contribution to address the overwhelming ‘present-mindedness’ of tourism geography scholarship. Using a range of archival sources an analysis is undertaken of the rise and demise of racial segregation on South Africa’s beaches during the period 1953-1989. The division of beach space along racial lines is an aspect of the implementation of what was termed ‘petty apartheid’. This analysis reveals that the national government’s attempts to legislate the making of beach segregation were uneven and contested in different coastal centres. By the 1980s, however, mounting opposition and resistance to the apartheid state resulted in the crumbling of beach apartheid and the formal desegregation of beach spaces.
Identification of the spatial causes of urban sprawl with the use of land information systems and GIS tools
Authors: Wolny Ada , Dawidowicz Agnieszka , Źróbek Ryszard
Published: March 2017

Urbanization is one of the processes that determine the development of a country or a region, but it has both advantages and side effects. Some of its aspects may lead to unsustainable growth and dispersion of built–up area. The main causes of this process are increases in costs of transportation, infrastructure and nature conservation. There is a threat of uncontrolled spread of development as a result of urbanization processes, particularly in suburban municipalities. It has been requested by many researches that authorities put more interest in avoiding dispersed suburbanization, but they still are looking for better solutions, tools and procedures to solve this problem.

The aim of this article is to demonstrate the important role of spatial information from land information systems in identifying and predicting the causes of the development of dispersed built–up areas. Thanks to GIS instruments local authorities are more likely to preserve spatial order and avoid the side effects of “sprawling”.
“Like a Lamb Ripe for Slaughter”: Female Body, Law and “Domestic” Animals in Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites
Authors: Petković Danijela
Published: March 2017

The subject matter of this paper is the interplay of the female body, law and the technologies of “domestic” animals in the novel Burial Rites (2013), a fictionalised biography of the last woman executed in Iceland. Drawing consistent parallels between the convicted woman and animals - lambs in the “killing pen” in particular - Hannah Kent problematises long-standing human institutions and traditions such as law, death sentence, patriarchy and the (ab)use of animals. Moreover, she demonstrates that “the animal” and “the criminal” are mutually supportive socio-legal constructs realised on the bodies of sentient beings via identical technologies.
“The Meaning of His Life Was Work”: The Construction of Identities in the Oral Narratives of Older Czech Men
Authors: Slabáková Radmila Švaříčková
Published: March 2017

This article explores the ways in which older Czech men construct their masculine identities. Profiting from the personal memories of individuals who witnessed dramatic social changes in 20th century Czechoslovakia, the study draws on eight oral narratives that focus on the period of older men’s youth but also encompass their adult and later lives. The article identifies five recurrent themes through which older men construct their identities and discusses these outcomes in relation to the debate concerning the nature of gender order in the contemporary Czech Republic. It demonstrates the attachment of older men to the patriarchal masculine models of their youth, which are presented as masculine ideals, but also depicts their reservations towards such models. These reservations, however, do not cause older men to argue in favour of greater equality for women.
The State of Gender Inequality in India
Authors: Sumanjeet Singh
Published: March 2017

Despite a high growth rate and plentiful Government measures to encourage gender equality, the gender gap still exists in India. Lack of gender equality not only limits women’s access to resources and opportunities, but also imperils the life prospects of the future generation. In the present article an attempt has been made to examine the problem of gender inequality in India. In this process, the article not only discusses the extent, causes and consequences of the problem, but also suggests policy measures to reduce gender inequality in India.
Masculine and Feminine Insights Into the Fantastic World of Elves: J.R.R. Tolkien’s the Lord of the Rings and Muriel Barbery’s the Life of Elves
Authors: Măcineanu Laura
Published: March 2017

The paper focuses on the fantasy universes created by J.R.R. Tolkien and by the more recent French writer, Muriel Barbery. The two authors excel in their depiction of the elusive world of the elves, each offering a deeply personal vision (a man writer’s and a woman writer’s) of what such magical beings may be like and how they may relate to humankind.
Oblique Water Wave Diffraction by a Step
Authors: Dolai P.
Published: March 2017

This paper is concerned with the problem of diffraction of an obliquely incident surface water wave train on an obstacle in the form of a finite step. Havelock expansions of water wave potentials are used in the mathematical analysis to obtain the physical parameters reflection and transmission coefficients in terms of integrals. Appropriate multi-term Galerkin approximations involving ultraspherical Gegenbauer polynomials are utilized to obtain a very accurate numerical estimate for reflection and transmission coefficients which are depicted graphically. From these figures various interesting results are discussed.
Effect of Rotation in an Orthotropic Elastic Slab
Authors: Santra S. , Lahiri A. , Das N.C.
Published: March 2017

The fundamental equations of the two dimensional generalized thermoelasticity (L-S model) with one relaxation time parameter in orthotropic elastic slab has been considered under effect of rotation. The normal mode analysis is used to the basic equations of motion and heat conduction equation. Finally, the resulting equations are written in the form of a vector-matrix differential equation which is then solved by the eigenvalue approach. The field variables in the space time domain are obtained numerically. The results corresponding to the cases of conventional thermoelasticity CTE), extended thermoelasticity (ETE) and temperature rate dependent thermoelasticity (TRDTE) are compared by means of graphs.
Study of CPM Device used for Rehabilitation and Effective Pain Management Following Knee Alloplasty
Authors: Trochimczuk R. , Kuźmierowski T. , Anchimiuk P.
Published: March 2017

This paper defines the design assumptions for the construction of an original demonstration of a CPM device, based on which a solid virtual model will be created in a CAD software environment. The overall dimensions and other input parameters for the design were determined for the entire patient population according to an anatomical atlas of human measures. The medical and physiotherapeutic community were also consulted with respect to the proposed engineering solutions. The virtual model of the CPM device that will be created will be used for computer simulations of changes in motion parameters as a function of time, accounting for loads and static states. The results obtained from computer simulation will be used to confirm the correctness of the design adopted assumptions and of the accepted structure of the CPM mechanism, and potentially to introduce necessary corrections. They will also provide a basis for the development of a control strategy for the laboratory prototype and for the selection of the strategy of the patient's rehabilitation in the future. This paper will be supplemented with identification of directions of further research.
GMM-based speaker age and gender classification in Czech and Slovak
Authors: Přibil Jiří , Přibilová Anna , Matoušek Jindřich
Published: March 2017

The paper describes an experiment with using the Gaussian mixture models (GMM) for automatic classification of the speaker age and gender. It analyses and compares the influence of different number of mixtures and different types of speech features used for GMM gender/age classification. Dependence of the computational complexity on the number of used mixtures is also analysed. Finally, the GMM classification accuracy is compared with the output of the conventional listening tests. The results of these objective and subjective evaluations are in correspondence.
Simulation of PWM DC-DC converters using eigenvalues and eigenvectors
Authors: Lekić Aleksandra
Published: March 2017

In this paper, a time-domain simulation of the DC-DC converters’ dynamic behavior is described. Corresponding to the state-space model for each possible operation mode of the circuit, an analytic solution is provided. Converter’s regulator is discretized using the pole-zero placement technique based on its Laplace transfer function. An algorithm results in a very accurate simulation due to the exact solution of the circuit’s equations.
Transient and steady state performance analysis of power flow control in a DFIG variable speed wind turbine
Authors: Nwosu Cajethan M. , Oti Stephen E. , Ogbuka Cosmas U.
Published: March 2017

This paper presents transient and steady state performance analysis of power flow control in a 5.0 kW Doubly-Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) Variable Speed Wind Turbine (VSWT) under sub synchronous speed, super synchronous speed and synchronous speed modes of operation. Stator flux orientation is used for the control of the rotor-side converter (RSC) and DFIG whereas the grid (or stator) voltage orientation is the preferred choice for the control of the grid-side converter (GSC). In each of the three speeds modes, power is always supplied to the grid through the stator of the DFIG. The magnitude of net power (stator power plus rotor power) is less than stator power during the sub synchronous speed mode; it is greater than stator power during the super synchronous speed mode while it is equal to the stator power during the synchronous speed mode. In synchronous speed mode, the rotor power is zero indicating that power is neither supplied to the grid from the rotor nor supplied to the rotor from the grid; here the magnitude of net power is equal to stator power. The simulation results thus obtained in a MATLAB/SIMULINK environment laid credence to the controllability of power flow reversal in a DFIG-VSWT through back-to-back power electronic converter.
Application of neural models as controllers in mobile robot velocity control loop
Authors: Cerkala Jakub , Jadlovska Anna
Published: March 2017

This paper presents the application of an inverse neural models used as controllers in comparison to classical PI controllers for velocity tracking control task used in two-wheel, differentially driven mobile robot. The PI controller synthesis is based on linear approximation of actuators with equivalent load. In order to obtain relevant datasets for training of feed-forward multi-layer perceptron based neural network used as neural model, the mathematical model of mobile robot, that combines its kinematic and dynamic properties such as chassis dimensions, center of gravity offset, friction and actuator parameters is used. Neural models are trained off-line to act as an inverse dynamics of DC motors with particular load using data collected in simulation experiment for motor input voltage step changes within bounded operating area. The performances of PI controllers versus inverse neural models in mobile robot internal velocity control loops are demonstrated and compared in simulation experiment of navigation control task for line segment motion in plane.
Performance advantages of CPML over UPML absorbing boundary conditions in FDTD algorithm
Authors: Gvozdic Branko D. , Djurdjevic Dusan Z.
Published: March 2017

Implementation of absorbing boundary condition (ABC) has a very important role in simulation performance and accuracy in finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. The perfectly matched layer (PML) is the most efficient type of ABC. The aim of this paper is to give detailed insight in and discussion of boundary conditions and hence to simplify the choice of PML used for termination of computational domain in FDTD method. In particular, we demonstrate that using the convolutional PML (CPML) has significant advantages in terms of implementation in FDTD method and reducing computer resources than using uniaxial PML (UPML). An extensive number of numerical experiments has been performed and results have shown that CPML is more efficient in electromagnetic waves absorption. Numerical code is prepared, several problems are analyzed and relative error is calculated and presented.
Voltage mode electronically tunable full-wave rectifier
Authors: Petrović Predrag B. , Vesković Milan , Đukić Slobodan
Published: March 2017

The paper presents a new realization of bipolar full-wave rectifier of input sinusoidal signals, employing one MO-CCCII (multiple output current controlled current conveyor), a zero-crossing detector (ZCD), and one resistor connected to fixed potential. The circuit provides the operating frequency up to 10 MHz with increased linearity and precision in processing of input voltage signal, with a very low harmonic distortion. The errors related to the signal processing and errors bound were investigated and provided in the paper. The PSpice simulations are depicted and agree well with the theoretical anticipation. The maximum power consumption of the converter is approximately 2.83 mW, at ±1.2 V supply voltages.
Enhancing MAC performance of DCF protocol for IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs
Authors: Choi Woo-Yong
Published: March 2017

The DCF (Distributed Coordination Function) is the basic MAC (Medium Access Control) protocol of IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs and compatible with various IEEE 802.11 PHY extensions. The performance of the DCF degrades exponentially as the number of nodes participating in the DCF transmission procedure increases. To deal with this problem, we propose a simple, however efficient modification of the DCF by which the performance of the DCF is greatly enhanced.
Reading input flooding versus listening input flooding: Can they boost speaking skill?
Authors: Rashtchi Mojgan , Yousefi Leila Mohammad
Published: March 2017

The present study compared the effects of reading input flooding and listening input flooding techniques on the accuracy and complexity of Iranian EFL learners’ speaking skill. Participants were 66 homogeneous intermediate EFL learners who were randomly divided into three groups of 22: Reading input flooding group, listening input flooding group, and control group. The reading flooded input group was exposed to the numerous examples of the target structures through reading. In the same phase, the listening group was given relatively the same task, through listening. The participants’ monologues in the posttest were separately recorded, and later transcribed and coded in terms of accuracy and complexity through Bygate’s (2001) standard coding system. The results of ANCOVA indicated the outperformance of reading input flooding group. The study also supported the trade-off effects (Skehan, 1998, 2009) between accuracy and complexity.