bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hypermetabolism and impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation in mesenteric arteries of type 2 diabetes mellitus db/db mice
Authors: Arildsen Lene , Andersen Jens Velde , Waagepetersen Helle Soenderby , Nissen Jakob Borre Dahl , Sheykhzade Majid
Published: July 2019

Besides being a metabolic disease, diabetes is considered a vascular disease as many of the complications relate to vascular pathologies. The aim of this study was to investigate how vascular tone and reactivity and vascular cell metabolism were affected in type 2 diabetes mellitus and whether β-hydroxybutyrate could have a positive effect as alternative energy substrate. Isolated mesenteric arteries of db/db and control mice were incubated in media containing [U-13C]glucose or [U-13C]β-hydroxybutyrate, and tissue extracts were analysed by mass spectrometry. Functional characterization was performed by wire myography to assess vasodilation and vasocontraction. Hypermetabolism of glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate was observed for mesenteric arteries of db/db mice; however, hypermetabolism was significant only with β-hydroxybutyrate as energy substrate. The functional characterization showed impaired endothelial-dependent vasodilation in mesenteric arteries of the db/db mice, whereas the contractility was unaffected. This study provides evidence that the endothelial cells are impaired, whereas the vascular smooth muscle cells are more robust and seemed less affected in the db/db mouse. Furthermore, the results indicate that hypermetabolism of energy substrates may be due to adaptive changes in the mesenteric arteries.
Effects of injection pressure and impingement distance on flat-wall impinging spray flame and its heat flux under diesel engine-like condition
Authors: Mahmud Rizal , Kurisu Toru , Nishida Keiya , Ogata Yoichi , Kanzaki Jun , Akgol Onur
Published: July 2019

Heat loss is one of the main causes of energy losses in modern direct injection diesel engines. This heat loss of the engine occurs during combustion, mainly due to the heat transfer between the impinging spray flame and the piston cavity wall. It is of more critical in small size engines. In order to decrease heat transfer, we need to examine the phenomenon of heat transfer through the combustion chamber walls more fully. To achieve this, we investigated the effects of flame impingement on transient heat flux to the wall. By using a constant volume vessel with a fixed impingement wall, the surface heat flux of the wall at the locations of spray flame impingement was measured with three thin film thermocouple heat flux sensors. The combined effect of impingement distance and injection pressure on the heat transfer was investigated parametrically. The results showed that an increase of injection pressure with longer impinging distance led to an increase in the heat transfer coefficient, which had a dominant effect on local heat flux compared with local temperature distribution. Moreover, we confirmed that the relation between Nusselt number and Reynolds number is a useful measure for describing the heat transfer phenomena in diesel combustion.
Convergence in the Practice of Legal Aid to Improve Access to Justice
Authors: Sood Saurabh
Published: July 2019

This essay locates legal aid as an opportunity to realize the need to improve access to justice in India by converging state and non-state practices of legal aid. Its relevance is argued through the socialism-inspired welfare mandate of the Indian state and well-established constitutional prescription to promote equality of opportunity. In doing so, it asks whether increase in access to justice for the marginalized sections in the society can be achieved through the convergence of the legal service authorities, law schools and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) wherein convergence has been defined as the joint effort of the above-mentioned actors to conduct an event/programme or any activity that falls under the purview of legal aid. To generate evidence on the same, I employ the text analysis technique on data obtained from the quarterly publication of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) called Nyayadeep. Results show that such convergence is a possibility within the current policy framework. The geographical spread of converging activities is highly concentrated, with a reported increase in collaborative engagement in 2016 from 2015. Public legal education is found to be the most frequently occurring theme on which convergence occurs. This exploratory work addresses the critical gap of literature on the nature of interaction between policy actors in the domain of practice of legal aid and highlights research needs that may inform further work on the topic.
Shaping Public Opinion and Community Mobilisation: The Role of Urdu Language Media in India
Authors: Hashmi Fahad
Published: July 2019

Considering the role played by Rashtria Sahara, an Urdu daily newspaper that took recourse to the democratic practice of questioning and challenging the hegemonic formation of the maligned image of Islam and the faith community vis-à-vis terrorism in the discursive arena, that is, the public sphere, this article tries to understand the role of the Urdu language media in shaping the public opinion and mobilising people from within the community. To this end, first, the article seeks to comprehend the present configuration of the Indian public sphere keeping in view its colonial origin. Moreover, the ‘othering’ of Muslims in postcolonial India that has colonial roots, too, has been understood through the idea of ‘interior frontiers’. Second, the role and practices of the Indian state towards Muslims have been taken into account. And, the final section analyses strategies that were put to use by the newspaper to contest the hegemonic formation, which paved the way for social movement to emerge.
Small horse pulls big cart in the scalar struggles of competing administrations in Anhui Province, China
Authors: Jiang Yanpeng , Waley Paul
Published: July 2019

With its various layers of territorial administration, China provides a picture of the intricacies of scalar practices designed to enhance the competitive position of local governments. In this paper, we examine one arena of scalar competition, a fourth-tier city in Anhui Province that struggles to maintain its authority over its component parts. We focus on contests that play themselves out both vertically and horizontally over prestige projects and territory that can enhance revenue and fill coffers, noting their intensity and complexity. We argue that scalar arrangements in China have at least two distinctive features: they are bound into an all-encompassing system of hierarchical ranks, which covers not only territorial administrations but also all party and state institutions and officials; and the competition they engender is first and foremost related to position within this hierarchy. We discuss the scalar struggles of territorial administrations in terms of flux and fixity, the flux induced by intense competition and the hierarchical fixity sought by the central state. We conclude by arguing that these processes diverge from conventional analyses that explain state reterritorialisation as a response to capital flows.
Adjudicating infrastructure: Treaties, territories, hydropolitics
Authors: Akhter Majed
Published: July 2019

In 2013, an international Court of Arbitration delivered a two-part decision on the legality of the Kishenganga Hydro-Electric Plant, located in the internationally disputed territory of Kashmir. The court was convened under procedures detailed in the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, a landmark international water treaty between Pakistan and India mediated by the World Bank in the 1950s. The Kishenganga case is part of the ongoing hydropolitical competition between Pakistan and India over the use of Indus waters and the development of new infrastructures on the river system. This paper draws on critical water geography and geopolitical theory to guide a close, critical, and contextual reading of competing interpretations of the purpose and objective of the Indus Waters Treaty made during the Kishenganga case. It argues that two specific geopolitical imperatives powerfully shaped the legal strategies of state elites: downstream territorialism and basin developmentalism. Pakistani lawyers drew on the treaty negotiation archives to argue that its primary objective and purpose was the protection of vulnerable downstream territories. Indian lawyers, however, drew on the text of the treaty and the archives to argue the primary objective was the maximum economic development of the Indus Basin. I also discuss the relationship of these imperatives with David Harvey’s influential understanding of capitalist states acting under the dual pressures of the “territorial” and “capitalist” imperatives. By analyzing how geopolitical imperatives shape strategies of treaty interpretation, the paper develops a legal and geopolitical contribution to critical water geography. The paper also makes a methodological contribution by demonstrating how treaty negotiation archives represent a rich and underutilized resource for hydropolitical analysis.
Incidence and risk factors of transfusion reactions in postpartum blood transfusions
Authors: Thurn Lars , Wikman Agneta , Westgren Magnus , Lindqvist Pelle G.
Published: July 2019

Postpartum hemorrhages with blood transfusions are increasing in many high-resource countries. Currently, up to 3% of all women receive blood transfusion postpartum. Most blood transfusions are safe and, in many cases, are lifesaving, but there are significant concerns about adverse reactions. Pregnancy is associated with higher levels of leukocyte antibodies and has a modulating effect on the immune system. Our objective was to investigate whether blood transfusions postpartum are accompanied by an increased risk for transfusion reactions (TRs) compared with transfusions given to nonpregnant women. We included all women who gave birth in Stockholm County, Sweden between 1990 and 2011. Data from the Swedish National Birth Registry were linked to the Stockholm Transfusion Database and included information on blood components administered and whether a TR occurred in women who received blood transfusions postpartum. Background controls were nonpregnant women who received blood transfusions during the study period. The study cohort consisted of 517 854 women. Of these, 12 183 (2.4%) received a blood transfusion. We identified 96 events involving a TR postpartum, giving a prevalence of 79 per 10 000 compared with 40 per 10 000 among nonpregnant women (odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.6-2.5). Preeclampsia was the single most important risk factor for TRs (odds ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-2.6). We conclude that special care should be taken when women with preeclampsia are considered for blood transfusion postpartum, because our findings indicate that pregnancy is associated with an increased risk for TRs.
Overcoming the challenges of a shallow-water sparse wide-azimuth survey to improve deep reservoir imaging in the East China Sea
Authors: Wei Yun , Chen Hua , Hu Senqing , Deng Peipei , Xiao Yongdeng , Poonamalli Srujan , To Robert , Zhou Joe , Sun Jason , Yao Gang , Jiang Yu
Published: July 2019

A new broadband wide-azimuth towed-streamer (WATS) survey was acquired to better resolve reservoir compartments in a shallow-water region of the East China Sea. To offset the shortcomings of narrow-azimuth acquisition along the strike direction, two vessels were added side-by-side as additional source vessels to form the WATS acquisition geometry for this survey. This WATS acquisition was much sparser than typical WATS surveys used in deepwater environments due to its one-sided configuration. The combination of sparse acquisition, shallow water, and deep targets set the challenge of how to optimally reveal the potential of side-gun data to improve the final image. Three-dimensional effects and severe aliasing in the crossline direction pose significant challenges for side-gun data processing. We present a comprehensive workflow to resolve these challenges consisting of 3D deghosting, 3D model-based water-layer demultiple, 3D surface-related multiple elimination, and 4D regularization for sparse and shallow-water wide-azimuth data. A tilted orthorhombic velocity model is built with better constraints from the wide-azimuth data, leading to improved fault positioning and imaging. Side-gun data clearly enhance the final target reservoir image and tie better with well data due to improved illumination. A new channel is discovered based on interpretation from the inverted VP/VS, explaining the previous incorrect prediction for one failed well that was drilled into a thinner and shallower channel unconnected to the main reservoir. An analysis of the impact of side-gun data from different offsets and azimuths shows that better azimuthal distribution within middle offset ranges had a more significant impact than far offsets in the final image of this survey. This information provides valuable reference in similar geologic conditions for future acquisition designs.
An integrated seismic study of a shale reservoir in the Sichuan Basin, onshore China
Authors: Li Min Feng (David) , Johnston Rodney , Sutherland Fiona , Qiu Jian , Huang Ping , An Hui
Published: July 2019

We describe an integrated seismic evaluation for the Longmaxi shale gas potential in the central part of the Sichuan Basin, onshore China, which benefits from innovations in high-density 3D seismic, borehole-based vertical seismic profiling (VSP), and passive seismic recording for microseismic monitoring. The geology of the basin has a complex history that creates several geophysical challenges, including strong multiple contamination and the requirement for high-resolution data to enable detailed structural and stratigraphic mapping. For the 3D surveys, we adopted a new wide-azimuth and high-density acquisition design. A large part of the processing was devoted to noise removal, optimizing surface-consistent processes including deconvolution, and thorough testing of data-driven internal multiple attenuation. Prestack depth imaging is important for accurate geosteering of long horizontal trajectories within a narrow target window, and our resulting images in depth provide a more planar target structure than with (more routine) time imaging. The more planar true structure was confirmed by drilling. For the borehole seismic calibration, vibroseis was used as the VSP source in preference to the standard use of explosives. This resulted in greater consistency of the waveforms and better amplitude and timing of events with which to constrain the 3D seismic processing and imaging. Surface microseismic monitoring of the stimulation was achieved using a new and bespoke design. The detected microseismic activity helped support and optimize the real-time fracture operations, mitigate casing deformation, obtain in-situ stress fields, and understand the control of preexisting geologic features. The innovations in surface seismic, VSP, and microseismic, along with the integration of other disciplines, contributed to the project's overall success.
Correlation Between MYCN Gene Status and MYCN Protein Expression in Neuroblastoma: A Pilot Study To Propose the Use of MYCN Immunohistochemistry in Limited-Resource Areas
Authors: Santiago Teresa , Tarek Nidale , Boulos Fouad , Hayes Caleb , Jeha Sima , Raimondi Susana , Rodriguez-Galindo Carlos
Published: July 2019

PURPOSE

The most significant adverse risk factor for neuroblastoma (NB) is MYCN gene amplification, which strongly associates with high-risk disease. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is considered the best method to evaluate MYCN gene status. However, it requires a laboratory that can perform highly complex testing, specialized personnel, and costly reagents. Herein, we aimed to investigate the feasibility of using immunohistochemistry (IHC) to detect MYCN protein expression in lieu of FISH, a strategy potentially useful in areas with limited resources.

METHODS

A pilot cohort of 78 patients with NB, including 34 of Middle Eastern descent (MED) who had a higher prevalence of MYCN gene amplification (44.11%) and 44 of North American descent (NAD), nine (20.45%) of whom had MYCN amplification, was evaluated with IHC for MYCN protein. Correlations of FISH results and protein expression are presented.

RESULTS

A positive correlation between MYCN gene amplification and protein expression by IHC was seen in 22 (91.66%) of the 24 MYCN-amplified NB cases—14 (93.33%) of 15 patients of MED and eight (88.88%) of nine patients of NAD. Agreement between negative FISH and negative IHC results was noted in 18 (94.73%) patients of MED and 34 (97.14%) patients of NAD. Two cases had weak protein expression but no gene amplification (MED: n = 1; 5.0%; NAD: n = 1; 2.9%).

CONCLUSION

An excellent overall correlation between MYCN gene status by FISH and MYCN protein expression by IHC was confirmed. MYCN IHC in NB with reflexing to FISH in equivocal cases is potentially useful in a limited-resource setting. Evaluation of effectiveness using a larger cohort and optimization to perform MYCN IHC manually is needed.
Cancer-Specific Thresholds Adjust for Whole Exome Sequencing–Based Tumor Mutational Burden Distribution
Authors: Fernandez Evan M. , Eng Kenneth , Beg Shaham , Beltran Himisha , Faltas Bishoy M. , Mosquera Juan Miguel , Nanus David M. , Pisapia David J. , Rao Rema A. , Robinson Brian D. , Rubin Mark A. , Elemento Olivier , Sboner Andrea , Shah Manish A. , Song Wei
Published: July 2019

PURPOSE

To understand the clinical context of tumor mutational burden (TMB) when comparing a pan-cancer threshold and a cancer-specific threshold.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using whole exome sequencing data from primary tumors in The Cancer Genome Atlas (n = 3,534) and advanced and/or metastatic tumors from Weill Cornell Medicine Advanced (n = 696), TMB status was determined using a pan-cancer and cancer-specific threshold. Survival curves, number of samples classified as TMB high, and predicted neoantigens were used to evaluate the differences between thresholds.

RESULTS

The distribution of TMB varied dramatically among cancer types. A cancer-specific threshold was able to adjust for the different TMB distributions, whereas the pan-cancer threshold was often too stringent. The dynamic nature of the cancer-specific threshold resulted in more tumors being classified as TMB high compared with the static pan-cancer threshold. In addition, no significant difference in survival outcomes was found with the cancer-specific threshold compared with the pan-cancer threshold. Furthermore, the cancer-specific threshold maintained higher predicted neoantigen load for the TMB-high samples compared with the TMB-low samples, even when the threshold was lower than the pan-cancer threshold.

CONCLUSION

TMB is determined within the context of cancer type, metastatic state, and disease stage. Compared with a pan-cancer threshold, a cancer-specific threshold classifies more patients as TMB high while maintaining clinical outcomes that are not significantly different. Furthermore, the cancer-specific threshold identifies patients with a high number of predicted neoantigens. Because of the potential impact in the care of patients with cancer, TMB status should be determined in a cancer-specific manner.
The Non-modern Crisis of the Modern University
Authors: Thayer Willy , Collingwood-Selby Elizabeth , McGlazer Ramsey
Published: July 2019

This article offers a synthesis of the book La crisis no moderna de la universidad moderna and reconsiders many of its main claims, without, however, rehearsing the conceptual history that the book develops. These claims bear on several non-modern crises, crises affecting (1) the modern conflict between knowledge and thought; (2) the modern dispute between the superior, technical faculties and the inferior, critical faculty; (3) the university understood as the original source of ends-driven research, on the one hand, and open-ended, unconditional research, on the other; (4) the modern categories used to understand the university; (5) the university community defined as an organic unity of knowledges; and (6) the autonomy, the untimeliness, the philosophy of history, the enthusiastic mission, and the epic narrative of the modern university. In the Chilean context, these crises coincided with the military dictatorship (1973–90), which carried out a juridical and constitutional transition that was also a transformation of the university. No longer defined as a state-administered institution guided by the developmentalist goal of ensuring the nation's progress, the university became a corporate institution that instead seeks to protect the revenues of multinational corporations. Indeed, the university belongs to these corporations. Effected by the dictatorship, this transition was legally reinforced, naturalized, and supported by post-dictatorship forms of democratic governmentality.
El nuevo giro neoliberal en Argentina
Authors: Catanzaro Gisela , Stegmayer María
Published: July 2019

Este artículo interroga las reconfiguraciones del neoliberalismo a partir del análisis de nuevas formas de interpelación ideológica en Argentina. Focalizando en la discursividad pública hoy dominante, el trabajo hipotetiza la existencia de un vínculo indisociable—y un funcionamiento simultáneo—entre los componentes “punitivistas” de dicha interpelación y aquellos otros que, solo en apariencia contrapuestos a los primeros, exaltan el componente emprendedorista de la potencia del individuo y su llamado “amigable” a una vida en común plena y reconciliada. Teniendo en cuenta el carácter bifronte, omnipotente, moralizante y sacrificial de esta nueva “comunidad de emprendedores/castigadores,” el recorrido propuesto se centra en los modos singulares en que se declina dicho entrelazamiento en la actual coyuntura, establece diferencias respecto de otras inflexiones y figuras ideológicas de “lo neoliberal” en la Argentina reciente, y busca comprender las consecuencias ético-políticas que este tipo específico de interpelación comporta al nivel de la subjetividad.
Crises: Equilibrium Shifts and Large Shocks
Authors: Morris Stephen , Yildiz Muhamet
Published: July 2019

We study the informational events that trigger equilibrium shifts in coordination games with incomplete information. Assuming that the distribution of the changes in fundamentals has fat tails, we show that majority play shifts either if fundamentals reach a critical threshold or if there are large common shocks, even before the threshold is reached. The fat-tail assumption matters because it implies that large shocks make players more unsure about whether their payoffs are higher than others. This feature is crucial for large shocks to matter. (JEL C72, C73, D83)
Effect of different short term synchronization protocols on estrus and fertility in non-pregnant ewes during the breeding season
Authors: DURSUN Ş
Published: July 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of different short term synchronization protocols on estrus and pregnancy rates in merino ewes that had not become pregnant after at least three matings during the breeding season. Three different protocols were used as follows: Group I: Ewes (n=30) were inserted intravaginal progesterone sponge (florogestan asetate; 30 mg) for 6 days plus PGF2α (125 μg, i.m.) at the time of sponge removal, Group II: Ewes (40) were treated same as in group 1 plus eCG (250 IU, i.m.) at time of sponge removal, and Group III: Ewes (n=38) were only injected with PGF2α at the same time with the ewes in the other two groups. Estrus was detected by rams (n=4), 24 hours after PGF2α and ewes detected in estrus were mated. Ten rams were used for mating. Pregnancy was diagnosed 60 days after mating by ultrasonography. Estrus, conception and pregnancy rates were: for Group I 100%, 73.3% and 73.3%, for Group II 92.5%, 89.2% and 82.5% and for Group III 81.6%, 100% and 81%. In Group III, pregnancy loss after pregnancy diagnosis was significantly higher (35.4%) compared with the other groups (Group I: 13.6% and Group II: 15%).
Assessment of the efficacy of routine vaccination on the magnitude of Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in Kafrelsheikh governorate, Delta Region, Egypt
Authors: AL-HOSARY A. A. , EL-TANOBY A. , OREIBY A. F. , HEGAZY Y. M. , KHALEEL ABD-ELGHAFFAR S.
Published: July 2019

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease causes a serious economic impact on livestock production and trading. FMD is an endemic disease in Egypt and a national control program that depends on routine obligatory vaccination of all ruminant species is being followed for disease control. A nation-wide epidemic of FMD was commenced in early 2015 and typical clinical signs of the disease were observed even in vaccinated animals. The morbidity and case fatality rates were high enough to be investigated. In the current study, non-vaccinated and vaccinated animals of different sex and ages were examined to evaluate the efficacy of FMD different vaccines used in Egypt. Clinical, post-mortem and serological examinations were used to confirm the infection, while the molecular investigation was applied to identify the serotype responsible for this epidemic. The incidence rate and the attributable proportion (fraction) of FMD cases which could be avoided by vaccination and vaccine efficacy were calculated. The obtained results confirmed the infection with FMD virus (FMDV) serotype O in both non-vaccinated and vaccinated animals. The incidence of FMD was 86.67% among non-vaccinated animals, while it was ranged from 15% to 31.8% among vaccinated animals according to the type of vaccine used. The attributable fraction was 73.9% and the efficacy of the three used vaccines was 63.3%, 76.92% and 82.25% for Tri-Aphthovac, VSVRI and Meriel vaccines, respectively. In conclusion, vaccination in Egypt is able to minimize the magnitude of outbreaks caused by the same serotype found in the vaccine but was not able to prevent the infection and eliminate the disease. The highest vaccination efficacy was found in Mid-aged animals and male cattle.
Methylsulfonylmethane alone or in combination with thiocolchicoside modulate autoimmune disease in rats with adjuvant arthritis
Authors: AKRAMAS L. , LEONAVIČIENĖ L. , BRADŪNAITĖ R. , VAITKIENĖ D. , VASILIAUSKAS V. , DUMALAKIENĖ I. , ZABULYTĖ D. , NORMANTIENĖ T. , JONAUSKIENĖ I.
Published: July 2019

Many active anti-arthritic natural substances are revealed into the past years. The aim of study was to assess the combined efficacy of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) with thiocolchicoside (Th) (compound MTh) and MSM alone against adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) in rats. In the first experiment 30 rats and in the second - 21 ratswere randomly divided into 6 groups: I gr. - AA + MSM (77 mg/kg), II and V gr. - AA + diclofenac (DF), III and VI gr. - the control AA groups without treatment, IV gr. - MTh (38 mg/kg). DF (1 mg/kg) in both experiments was used as a reference drug. 6 rats were as the healthy control group. AA rats were treated from day 0 to 17. All preparations were suspended in 0.5 ml of 1℅ starch gel and injected orally 5 days a week. Body weight and joint swelling were monitored 3 times a week. Development of polyarthritis, blood indices, pro-/antioxidant activity and pro-inflammatory cytokines in blood serum, and histopathology of the liver and paw were assessed at the end of experiment. MSM significantly decreased joint swelling on days 3 and 13. MTh in twice lower dose more markedly suppressed joint swelling and also significantly reduced the changes in soft periarticular tissues, synovium and cartilage as compared to the control AA group. Both preparations alleviated infiltration with inflammatory cells and synovial proliferation, as well as protected cartilage destruction and decreased pannus formation. MSM and MTh improved the blood indices and insignificantly suppressed IL-17. They markedly decreased the level of malondialdehyde (MDA). Some anti-oxidant activity of preparations was also confirmed. No toxic effects on the liver were revealed. MSM and MTh attenuated the development of AA in rats. Combination therapy was more effective than single MSM and required the twice lower doses to receive the beneficial anti-arthritic effect. Both preparations could be the potential preventive or therapeutic candidates for the treatment of autoimmune processes in combination with other drugs.
MPA-IBM Project SAFER: Sense-Making Analytics for Maritime Event Recognition
Authors: Yeo Gavin , Lim Shiau Hong , Wynter Laura , Hassan Hifaz
Published: July 2019

The authors describe Project SAFER, which they established to conceptualize, develop, and test new analytics-based technologies to enhance port operations and cater to the increasing growth in vessel traffic in Singapore.
Editorial: The 12th Rothkopf Rankings
Authors: Gorman Michael F.
Published: July 2019

The author, Michael F. Gorman, presents the 12th ranking of universities according to their contributions to the operations research practice literature, thus continuing and expanding on the original work of Michael H. Rothkopf, Ronald Fricker, and Gorman’s 11th Rothkopf rankings.
Learning in Repeated Auctions with Budgets: Regret Minimization and Equilibrium
Authors: Balseiro Santiago R. , Gur Yonatan
Published: July 2019

In online advertising markets, advertisers often purchase ad placements through bidding in repeated auctions based on realized viewer information. We study how budget-constrained advertisers may compete in such sequential auctions in the presence of uncertainty about future bidding opportunities and competition. We formulate this problem as a sequential game of incomplete information, in which bidders know neither their own valuation distribution nor the budgets and valuation distributions of their competitors. We introduce a family of practical bidding strategies we refer to as adaptive pacing strategies, in which advertisers adjust their bids according to the sample path of expenditures they exhibit, and analyze the performance of these strategies in different competitive settings. We establish the asymptotic optimality of these strategies when competitors’ bids are independent and identically distributed over auctions, but also when competing bids are arbitrary. When all the bidders adopt these strategies, we establish the convergence of the induced dynamics and characterize a regime (well motivated in the context of online advertising markets) under which these strategies constitute an approximate Nash equilibrium in dynamic strategies: the benefit from unilaterally deviating to other strategies, including ones with access to complete information, becomes negligible as the number of auctions and competitors grows large. This establishes a connection between regret minimization and market stability, by which advertisers can essentially follow approximate equilibrium bidding strategies that also ensure the best performance that can be guaranteed off equilibrium.

This paper was accepted by Noah Gans, stochastic models and simulation.
Testing the Theory of Consumer Discrimination as an Explanation for the Lack of Minority Hiring in Hollywood Films
Authors: Kuppuswamy Venkat , Younkin Peter
Published: July 2019

The underrepresentation of minorities in cultural industries is a widely publicized problem with far-reaching economic and social significance. It is also one of many industries in which employers suggest that the locus of bias is not within the organization but with the consumer. The empirical challenge of relating consumer behavior to employee composition has constrained prior efforts to test their claim and to test the theory of consumer discrimination more broadly. As a result, employers have gradually expanded the scope of the customer discrimination theory from one rooted in direct interaction to include an aversion to simply seeing employees of a different ethnicity. We explore how consumers respond to employee composition by evaluating the performance of films released in the United States as a function of the racial diversity of their cast. We find that films with a single black actor do not differ from those with zero black actors, and that films with multiple black actors in the principal cast actually achieve significantly higher domestic box-office revenues than either. To distinguish between competing explanations for this result, we conduct a vignette-based experiment that allows us to identify a positive influence of diversity on consumers’ assessments of quality, controlling for differences in film or actor appeal. Collectively, these results help discredit one rationale for unequal hiring in cultural industries and also suggest an important qualification to the theory of consumer discrimination: in settings where employee race is visible but the consumer is physically distant, diversity is more profitable than costly.

This paper was accepted by Greta Hsu, organizations.
New species of termite Ceylonitermes paulosus sp. nov. (Blattodea: Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) from Kerala, India

Authors: IPE CHINNU , MATHEW JOBIN
Published: July 2019

The genus Ceylonitermes Holmgren, 1912 represented merely by two species, is endemic to Oriental region. New species of Ceylonitermes, Ceylonitermes paulosus sp. nov. (Blattodea: Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) is described from Kerala, India, based on the characters of soldiers and workers. Morphological measurements of soldiers and workers were given with suitable illustrations. A revised key of the Ceylonitermes was given for better identification. Key words: Ceylonitermes; Kerala; New species; Nasutitermitinae
Diagnostic utility of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in prosthetic joint infection based on MSIS criteria
Authors: Kiran M. , Donnelly T D. , Armstrong C. , Kapoor B. , Kumar G. , Peter V.
Published: July 2019

Aims

Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) and aseptic loosening in total hip arthroplasty (THA) can present with pain and osteolysis. The Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) has provided criteria for the diagnosis of PJI. The aim of our study was to analyze the utility of F18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) CT scan in the preoperative diagnosis of septic loosening in THA, based on the current MSIS definition of prosthetic joint infection.

Patients and Methods

A total of 130 painful unilateral cemented THAs with a mean follow-up of 5.17 years (sd 1.12) were included in this prospective study. The mean patient age was 67.5 years (sd 4.85). Preoperative evaluation with inflammatory markers, aspiration, and an F18 FDG PET scan were performed. Diagnostic utility tests were also performed, based on the MSIS criteria for PJI and three samples positive on culture alone.

Results

The mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and white cell count were 47.83 mm/hr, 25.21 mg/l, and 11.05 × 109/l, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, negative predictive value, and false-positive rate of FDG PET compared with MSIS criteria were 94.87%, 38.46 %, 56.38%, 94.59 %, and 60.21%, respectively. The false-positive rate of FDG PET compared with culture alone was 77.4%.

Conclusion

FDG PET has a definitive role in the preoperative evaluation of suspected PJI. This the first study to evaluate its utility based on MSIS criteria and compare it with microbiology results alone. However, FDG PET has a high false-positive rate. Therefore, we suggest that F18 FDG PET is useful in confirming the absence of infection, but if positive, may not be confirmatory of PJI. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:910–914.
Supracondylar humeral fractures in children: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons appropriate use criteria versus actual management in a teaching hospital
Authors: Yang J. , Wang T. , Tian N.-F. , Yu X.-Bin , Chen H. , Wu Y.-S. , Sun L.-J.
Published: July 2019

Purpose

The objective of this study was to explore whether there were any differences between the theoretical recommendations for children's supracondylar humeral fractures (CSHF) according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) guidelines and the treatments they actually received in our institution.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts and radiographs of all CSHFs at our hospital between January 2015 and December 2018. In all, 301 children meeting our inclusion criteria were identified and evaluated using the AAOS-Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) application for supracondylar humerus fractures. Actual treatment was then compared with the treatment recommended by the AUC.

Results

Actual operative management was undertaken in 0/58 (0%) Gartland type I fractures, 61/108 (56.5%) type II fractures and 98/135 (72.6%) type III fractures. Actual nonoperative management was undertaken in 58/58 (100%) Gartland type I fractures, 47/108 (43.5%) type II fractures and 37/135 (27.4%) type III fractures. Surgeon decisions for nonoperative treatment were in agreement with the AUC recommendations 100% of the time, whereas surgeon decisions for surgery matched the AUC recommendations 65.4% of the time. Predictors of actual operative management were age (p =0.003), fracture classification (p =0.000), associated orthopaedic injury requiring surgery (p =0.025) and anterior humeral line (AHL) not intersecting the capitellum (p =0.008).

Conclusion

We found low agreement between actual treatments and the AUC-recommended ‘appropriate’ treatments. The AUC favoured operative intervention more frequently largely on the basis of fracture classification while we emphasized age, fracture classification, associated orthopaedic injury requiring surgery and alignment of the AHL with the capitellum in our operative decision-making process.

Level of evidence

Therapeutic Level II
Pengaruh Infeksi Kecacingan terhadap Kadar Hemoglobin pada Remaja Putri dengan Anemia
Authors: RAHAYU DWI
Published: July 2019

Introduction: Anemia is one of the health problems in Indonesian. The government has launched anemia prevention programs, including for young women, but the prevalence of anemia is still high. Helminth infections can decrease hemoglobin (Hb) levels through gastrointestinal bleeding and decreased food intake. This study aimed to determine the effect of helminth infections on Hb levels in young women.

Methods: This study was an observational analytic study with a case control approach. Research subject involved of 46 students of senior high school in Sukoharjo Regency and were divided into 26 young women with anemia and 20 young women without anemia. Helminth infection was determined using fecal examination. All collected data were analyzed by Chi square test and Independent sample t-test with p<0.05.

Results: The mean of Hb levels in young women with anemia was 10.24±0.92g/dL and the mean of Hb levels in young women without anemia was 13.07±0.44g/dL. 7 young women suffered helminth infection, divided into 2 young women with anemia and 5 young women without anemia. However, there was not statistically significant relationship between helminth infection and anemia (p=0.11). The mean of Hb levels in young women with helminth infection were higher both those who suffered anemia (11.30± 0.56 g /dL) or not (13.08 ± 0.42g /dL) compared with Hb levels in young women without helminth infection (anemia 10.37±1.06g/dL; not anemia 11.34±1.52g/dL).

Conclusion: Helminth infection was not related to the incidence of anemia in young women even though Hb levels in helminth infections were higher compared to Hb levels without helminth infections.
Políticas culturais para um Estado democrático
Authors: Ferreira Juca
Published: July 2019

https://doi.org/10.14195/1647-8622_19_9
Anticancer Activity of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized from Brassia actinophylla Flower Extract
Authors: Subashini K. , Prakash S. , Sujatha V.
Published: July 2019

There are many methods to synthesize metal and metal oxide nanoparticles. In this paper, copper oxide nanoparticles have been synthesized by solution combustion method using Brassia actinophylla i.e. Schefflera actinophylla flower extract belongs to Araliaceae family. The importance of solution combustion is one of the easy and simplest methods for the synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticle. The CuO nanoparticles were synthesized at various temperatures and the characterization has been carried out by UV, FTIR, PXRD, SEM, TEM and EDAX analysis. At lower temperature, the peak was not observed but at 400 ºC, the UV peak was observed at 340 nm. The FTIR peaks observed at 1000-500 cm-1 confirms again the presence of CuO nanoparticles. The monoclinic phase and crystalline structure of nanoparticles were revealed by PXRD pattern, by Scherrer′s method the average crystalline sizes were found to be in the range of 15 to 24 nm. The size and the shape of nanoparticles were confirmed by SEM and TEM reports. The SEM images of nanoparticles show spherical in shape and free from agglomeration. TEM analysis reports the nanoparticle sizes ranging from 2 to 20 nm. The percentage of copper (52 %) and oxygen (26 %) elements were recorded in the EDAX analysis. The study of size and stability of nanoparticles were done by zeta potential values. The antibacterial activity of CuO nanoparticles were carried out against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria's by agar well diffusion method. The MTT assay was performed in order to check the anticancer activity of CuO nanoparticles against HT-29 colon cancer cells.
Growth, Nucleation Kinetics and Structural Studies on L-Valine Piperazinium Single Crystals
Authors: Arunkumar R. , Anburaj D. Benny
Published: July 2019

A single crystal of L-valine piperazinium was grown by slow growth technique. Structural studies confirm the monoclinic structure with space group P21. The solubility curve showing high soluble in water and peak shows positive solubility nature. A tiny nucleation formed at 10 ºC for room temperature process and it gradually increasing with respect process temperature. Induction period revels that time period for nucleation at constant temperature and it absorbed that in (10 ºC) 500 s for room temperature.
The calculated interfacial tension values are greater than one order other amino acid based piperazinium. By using growth parameters bulk L-valine piperazinium crystal were harvested and single crystal XRD confirms that formation of L-valine piperazinium crystals.
Docking, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel
Diketoquinoline Analogues as HIV-1 Integrase Inhibitor
Authors: Deo Kishore D. , Singhvi I.J. , Patil S.R. , Patil Avinash V.
Published: July 2019

A series of novel diketoquinoline acid derivatives as potential anti-HIV-1 Integrase inhibitors were docked, synthesized and characterized by IR, NMR , CHN and MS spectral analysis. Many compounds were identified and docked in integrase pocket. The target diketoquinolines were prepared from substituted oxoquinoline-3-carboxylate. In vitro biological evaluation revealed that some of the titled compounds exhibited moderate to good anti-HIV-1 Integrase inhibitory activity in comparison with the reference drugs i.e. raltegravir and nevirapine. The cytotoxicity of most of testing compounds on C8166 were very low, the CC50 value of them were higher than 200 μM, except the few compounds. Compounds 1-5 showed weak anti-HIV-1 activity, its therapeutic index was 457, 531, 583, 869 and 909 respectively. As a positive control drug, Nevirapine has the best anti-HIV-1 activity (EC50 = 0.015-0.016 μM) in vitro and the CC50 of was higher than 200 μM, its therapeutic index was higher 12418.50. In integrase assay compound 6 and 7 showed EC50 value 0.08 μM as compared with standard drug raltegravir.
Facile One-Pot Synthesis of Benzo[h]isoquinolines via Strong Acid Triggered [1,2]-Sigmatropic Rearrangement: A Theoretical and Experimental Studies
Authors: Boitsov V.M. , Knyazev N.A. , Shmakov S.V. , Vyazmin S.Yu. , Nikolaev D.M. , Chakchir O.B. , Stepakov A.V.
Published: July 2019

Benzo[h]isoquinoline scaffold is of interest as a rigid subunit that can be useful for constructing biologically active products. However, no good-yielded synthetic pathway to this ring system has been reported yet. Herein, a facile one-pot synthesis from N-aryl itaconimides and 1,3-diarylisobenzofuran via strong acid triggered skeletal rearrangement reaction is described. Theoretical study for this rearrangement is provided at M11/cc-pVDZ level of theory. Antitumor activity of obtained benzo[h]isoquinoline derivatives against human erythroleukemia K562 cell line was evaluated in vitro by MTS-assay.
Plant Mediated Green Synthesis, Catalytic Activity and
Antibacterial Assay of Silver Nanoparticles
Authors: Reddeppa M. , Reddy R. Chenna Krishna , Sougandhi P. R. , Harini S.S. , Rani T. Shobha
Published: July 2019

Plant mediated green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was carried out with the plant extract of Vitex negundo Linn., a simple method without using harmful chemicals. Herein, a root bark extract is used as reducing and capping agent for synthesizing AgNPs from silver nitrate solution. The characterization of AgNPs were obtained by UV-visible spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results were confirmed the presence of silver nanoparticles with UV-visible absorption peak at
around 433-443 nm and its crystalline nature by XRD analysis. The FTIR spectrum confirmed that the synthesized AgNPs are stabilized and protected by various functional groups of biomolecules in extract. The SEM morphology showed the triangular or spherical shape of AgNPs with the size in the range of 80-100 nm and EDS confirmed the presence of elemental silver in the sample. The catalytic activity of AgNPs was investigated in the synthesis of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazole. Furthermore, antibacterial profile showed that biopotent AgNPs exhibited moderate to good antibacterial activity.
RITUAL KEMATIAN DALAM AGAMA ASLI TORAJA “ALUK TO DOLO” (STUDI ATAS UPACARA KEMATIAN RAMBU SOLOK)
Authors: Ismail Roni
Published: July 2019

Aluk To Dolo merupakan agama asli Suku Toraja yang sejak tahun 1969 mendapatkan status sebagai cabang dari agama Hindu Dharma. Di antara praktik agama Aluk To Dolo yang masih bertahan sampai sekarang adalah upacara kematian “Rambu Solok” dan disebut-sebut sebagai ritual kematian termahal. Orang yang merayakan ritual ini rela menghabiskan ratusan juta bahkan milyaran rupiah. Orang Toraja percaya bahwa ketika seorang mati dan belum diupacarakan Rambu Solok, ia sedang sakit dan diperlakukan layaknya orang hidup seperti disajikan makan dan minum, dan diajak bicara sewaktu-waktu. Orang mati ini baru dimakamkan di batu atau tebing setelah diupacarakan Rambu Solok dengan melakukan korban hewan kerbau dan babi sebanyak mungkin sehingga biayanya sangat mahal sekali. Hal itu berkaitan dengan konsep bekal di alam roh yang bernama “puya”. Semakin banyak “korban”, semakin banyak dan terjamin kehidupannya di “puya”. Puya dipercaya sama persis dengan dunia ini, hanya ia bersifat abadi atau kekal, karenanya diperlukan kebutuhan-kebutuhan hidup seperti di dunia ini. Semua bekal di “puya” ini ditentukan oleh sedikit banyak hewan yang dikorbankan dalam ritual kematian Rambu Solok. Oleh karena itu, masyarakat Toraja yang percaya filosofi Rambu Solok dalam agama Aluk To Dolo ini berusaha sebanyak mungkin mengorbankan hewan-hewan, agar sang jenazah cukup membawa bekal untuk hidup di alam baru “puya”.