bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pension Enhancements and the Retention of Public Employees
Authors: Koedel Cory , Xiang P. Brett
Published: May 2016

The authors use data from workers in the largest public-sector occupation in the United States—teaching—to examine the effect of pension enhancements on employee retention. Specifically, they study a 1999 enhancement to the benefit formula for public school teachers in St. Louis, Missouri, that resulted in an immediate and dramatic increase in their incentives to remain in covered employment. To identify the effect of the enhancement on teacher retention, the analysis leverages the fact that the strength of the incentive increase varied across the workforce depending on how far teachers were from retirement eligibility when it was enacted. The results indicate that the St. Louis enhancement—which was structurally similar to enhancements that were enacted in other public pension plans across the United States in the late 1990s and early 2000s—was not a cost-effective way to increase employee retention.
Does Exercise Reduce Aggressive Feelings? An Experiment Examining the Influence of Movement Type and Social Task Conditions on Testiness and Anger Reduction
Authors: Pels Fabian , Kleinert Jens
Published: May 2016

In the present study, it was assumed that a decrease in aggressive feelings is stronger with movements that are unlike aggressive actions compared with those that are similar to aggressive actions. Furthermore, cooperative exercise tasks were expected to lead to lower aggressive feelings compared with competitive tasks. After undergoing an induction of aggressive feelings, 60 participants were randomly assigned to one of six experimental treatment groups, each differing in “movement type” (rowing and combat exercise) and “social task condition” (cooperation, competition, and individualization). A significant reduction of aggressive feelings was only found for participants exercising individually in the rowing condition compared with the individual combat exercise condition. There were no sole effects of “movement type” and “social task condition.”
Psychometric Validation of a Moroccan Version of the 22‐Item Sino‐Nasal Outcome Test
Authors: Adnane Choaib , Adouly Taoufik , Oubahmane Tarek , Zouak Abdelhay , Rouadi Sami , Abada Reda Lah , Roubal Mohamed , Mahtar Mohamed
Published: May 2016

Objective

The objective of this study paper was to culturally adapt and validate the 22‐item Sino‐Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT‐22) questionnaire for Moroccan Arabic speaking patients.

Study Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Tertiary referral center; Ibn Rochd University Hospital, Casablanca, Morocco.

Subjects and Methods

The SNOT‐22 was conducted in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) undergoing sinonasal surgery and in healthy volunteers, from January 2012 to December 2013. It was translated into Moroccan Arabic language. To evaluate this questionnaire, internal consistency, test‐retest reliability, responsiveness to treatment, and validity were analyzed.

Results

Preoperative SNOT‐22 scores were completed by 88 patients. Six‐month postoperative SNOT‐22 scores were available for 74 patients. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the SNOT‐22 was 0.968, indicating high internal consistency. The test‐retest reliability coefficient was 0.993, indicating high reliability when administering the instrument on repeated occasions. The Moroccan version of the SNOT‐22 was able to highly discriminate between patients with CRS and group of healthy volunteers (P <. 0001). There was a statistically significant reduction in patient reported SNOT‐22 scores at 6 months after surgery (P <. 0001).

Conclusion

The present study has found the Moroccan version of SNOT‐22 to be valid and easy to use with good reliability, validity, and responsiveness. It can be used to measure the impact of CRS on the patient’s quality of life and may also be used to evaluate CRS treatment.
Temporality, sovereignty, and imperialism: When is imperialism?
Authors: Mueller Justin
Published: May 2016

Scholars of modern imperialism have conventionally defined it in clear contrast against the ostensibly legitimate rule of the sovereign territorial state. From this conventional perspective, the theoretical distinctiveness of imperialism as a phenomenon appears in juxtaposition against normal sovereign state rule and effectively ‘begins’ at the transgressions of state power beyond some accepted space of normalized sovereign dominion. While the spatial and temporal dimensions of sovereignty have been well explored and the spatial distinctiveness of imperialism has mirrored that of sovereignty, the temporality of imperialism has not been as carefully considered. While the problems of what imperialism ‘is’ and what it ‘does’ have been thoroughly examined, ‘when’ imperialism is has not. This article aims to correct this by offering a critique of the conventional temporality of imperialism and its subjection to a spatial ideology, and instead articulating a critical temporality of imperialism that avoids some of the conventional conception’s limitations, especially that of naturalizing state rule and its claims to legitimacy.
Social participation in online news usage in Europe and its underlying causes: Individual versus structural factors
Authors: Hoelig Sascha
Published: May 2016

European countries show greatly differing patterns of active participation in their news usage, such as sharing, liking or commenting on articles. While there are many more Internet users actively participating in southern Europe, the population with online access in central and northern Europe is rather restrained. The reasons for these differences cannot be found in the individual characteristics of age, formal education or news interest. Rather, the lack of performance of traditional media institutions may encourage citizens to participate actively. The unfulfilled tasks and functions of the media seem to be compensated in this way. Additionally, an online population that is characterized by early adopters, as is the case in countries with low Internet penetration rates, is significantly more active than a more heterogeneous online population in countries with a higher penetration rate.
Shoulder orthoses for the prevention and reduction of hemiplegic shoulder pain and subluxation: systematic review
Authors: Nadler M , Pauls MMH
Published: May 2016

Objectives:

To determine whether shoulder orthoses prevent or reduce gleno-humeral subluxation and hemiplegic shoulder pain.

Data sources:

OVID SP, MEDLINE, AMED, CINAHL, PEDro and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.

Review methods:

We included: randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials, controlled before and after studies and observational studies. Two reviewers independently screened, critically appraised papers using the PEDro tool, and extracted data. A descriptive synthesis was performed as there were insufficient data for meta-analysis.

Results:

Eight studies were included, totalling 186 participants: One randomised controlled trial with 41 participants, one quasi-randomised with 14 participants, one before and after controlled study with 40 participants and five observational studies with 91 participants met the inclusion criteria. Findings suggest that applying an orthosis to an already subluxed shoulder immediately reduced vertical subluxation on X-ray but improvements were not maintained when orthosis was removed. Orthoses with both proximal and distal attachments improved shoulder pain in the majority of stroke patients when worn for four weeks (starting several days or weeks post-stroke). There was no increase in adverse effects of contracture, spasticity or hand oedema when compared to no orthosis. Orthoses were generally well-tolerated and most patients rated the orthosis as comfortable to wear.

Conclusion:

Observational studies suggest that orthoses reduce vertical subluxation whilst in-situ. Available evidence from heterogeneous studies after stroke suggests that orthoses may reduce pain and are well-tolerated with prolonged use. No studies have tested whether subluxation and pain can be prevented by immediate post-stroke application of orthoses.
Demystifying the Courtroom
Authors: Frederickson Reese
Published: May 2016

When veterinary pathologists testify as expert witnesses in animal cruelty trials, they may find themselves in an intimidating and unfamiliar environment. The legal rules are clouded in mystery, the lawyers dwell on mundane details, and the witness’s words are extracted with precision by a verbal scalpel. An unprepared expert witness can feel ungrounded and stripped of confidence. The goal of this article is to lift the veil of mystery and give the veterinary pathologist the tools to be a knowledgeable and confident expert witness before and during testimony. This article discusses the types of expert witnesses, disclosure requirements and the importance of a good report, the legal basics of expert testimony, and how to be an effective expert witness. The article references Minnesota law; however, the laws are similar in most jurisdictions and based on the same constitutional requirements, and the concepts presented are applicable in nearly every courtroom.1
Harmful Effects of Leukocyte-Rich Platelet-Rich Plasma on Rabbit Tendon Stem Cells In Vitro
Authors: Zhang Lei , Chen Shuo , Chang Peng , Bao Nirong , Yang Chao , Ti Yufan , Zhou Liwu , Zhao Jianning
Published: May 2016

Background:

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is now widely used as a promising treatment for patients with tendinopathy. However, the efficacy of PRP treatment for tendinopathy is controversial mainly because of inconsistent results from human clinical trials and particularly because the concentration and effect of leukocytes in PRP remain largely unknown.

Hypothesis:

Leukocyte-rich PRP (L-PRP) inhibits growth factor release, decreases proliferation, and induces nontenocyte differentiation of tendon stem cells (TSCs); increases catabolic cytokine concentrations; and causes inflammation and apoptosis. Thus, L-PRP has a detrimental effect on tendon stem/progenitor cells, which impairs injured tendon healing.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Pure PRP (P-PRP) and L-PRP were prepared from the same individual rabbit blood, and platelet numbers in each PRP product were adjusted to reach the same level. The leukocyte level in L-PRP was 4 and 8 times higher than those in whole blood and P-PRP, respectively. The growth factors in both P-PRP and L-PRP were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. The morphology, stemness, proliferation, and differentiation of TSCs grown in L-PRP and P-PRP were examined by microscopy, immunocytochemistry, population doubling time, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and histological analysis.

Results:

L-PRP produced lower levels of growth factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)–β1, and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), than did P-PRP. TSC proliferation was significantly decreased in L-PRP in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, TSCs cultured in P-PRP produced more collagen and formed tendon-like tissue; however, TSCs grown in L-PRP differentiated into nontenocytes and produced more inflammatory factors such as membrane-associated prostaglandin synthase (mPGES) and interleukin (IL)–1β. Moreover, L-PRP was associated with increased apoptosis.

Conclusion:

L-PRP has harmful effects on TSCs.

Clinical Relevance:

This study revealed the direct effects of different compositions of PRP on TSCs and provided basic scientific data to help understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the efficacy of PRP treatment in clinical use.
Malignant Melanoma of the Nail Apparatus
Authors: Romano Ryan C. , Shon Wonwoo , Sukov William R.
Published: May 2016

Background. Malignant melanoma of the nail apparatus is exceedingly rare. Increasingly, genetic studies have been employed to aid in distinguishing between malignant melanoma and benign melanocytic nevi. Methods. Archived nail apparatus melanomas were analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using probes targeting the genes at 6p25 (RREB1), 11q13 (CCND1), 8q24.1 (MYC), 6q23 (MYB), 9p21 (CDKN2A) and the centromeres of chromosomes 8 (D8Z2) and 6 (D6Z1). The results were correlated with clinical and demographic information. Results. Mean patient age was 57.8 years (range 23-92 years). In all, 5 of 7 (71%) cases involved the upper extremity digits. RREB1 gain was seen in all cases. CCND1 gain was seen in 6 of 7 (86%) cases, 3 of which were amplified. MYB loss and MYC gain were both seen in 5 of 7 (71%) cases. Homozygous loss of CDKN2A was not observed in any case. Two of 7 (28.6%) patients had lymph node metastasis and died of widely metastatic disease. These 2 patients harbored the most genetic aberrations: gains of RREB1, CCND1, and MYC, and MYB loss. Both benign melanocytic nevi controls showed normal FISH results. Conclusions. RREB1 and CCND1 gains are common in nail apparatus melanoma as in most melanomas, and an increased number of genetic aberrations may be associated with a poorer prognosis, though the limited number of cases precludes definitive correlation. FISH appears to be a useful adjunct in the diagnosis of nail apparatus melanomas and improves diagnostic confidence even in the setting of unambiguous histomorphology.
Implementing Dynamic Assessments in Psychotherapy
Authors: Hopwood Christopher J. , Thomas Katherine M. , Luo Xiaochen , Bernard Nicola , Lin Yanli , Levendosky Alytia A.
Published: May 2016

In this article, we organize multimethod, multitimescale data around the interpersonal situation, a conceptual framework that can be used to integrate personality, psychopathology, and psychotherapy constructs in order to guide the assessment of clinical dynamics. We first describe the key variables of the interpersonal situation model and articulate methods for assessing those variables as they manifest (a) across different levels of personality, (b) across situations, and (c) within situations. We next use a case to demonstrate how to assess aspects of the interpersonal situation in a manner that enhances case conceptualization and facilitates the evaluation of clinical hypotheses. We also use this case to highlight challenges and decisions involved in implementing dynamic assessment in psychotherapy. We conclude by outlining areas in need of further exploration toward a more sophisticated approach to clinical practice that involves the routine assessment of dynamic processes.
Damage detection in multi-wire cables using guided ultrasonic waves
Authors: Schaal Christoph , Bischoff Stefan , Gaul Lothar
Published: May 2016

Structural Health Monitoring systems are developed to cost-efficiently prevent failure of mechanical and civil structures, and to predict the structure’s residual life. In this work, a damage detection algorithm based on the Hilbert transform of the recorded signals from induced guided ultrasonic waves is presented. By means of this algorithm, damage localization in multi-wire cables is performed through a time-of-flight analysis of the wave packets. The algorithm is fully automated and distinguishes between wave packets from different waves independently. Its applicability is analyzed for laboratory experiments on a single cylindrical wire and on multi-wire cables. As an additional damage indicator, second harmonic waves are evaluated. Furthermore, the possibility to perform damage identification by evaluating the waves’ amplitudes is analyzed. The amplitudes are compared with reference data from a novel hybrid finite-boundary element method.
The Two Opposing Effects of Judicial Elections on Legitimacy Perceptions
Authors: Woodson Benjamin
Published: May 2016

Judicial elections have two opposing effects on legitimacy perceptions for state supreme courts. Elections not only provide a boost to legitimacy through the chance to hold officials accountable but also involve campaign activity that decreases legitimacy perceptions. This article examines these two opposing effects using a nationally representative survey that includes items assessing diffuse support for state supreme courts. It uses multiple indicators to differentiate between states with highly active election systems involving large amounts of campaign activity and states with less active elections systems that involve little campaign activity. The results from the survey show that the legitimacy of elected courts is higher than appointed courts but only in states with little election activity. In states with high amounts of election activity, the legitimacy of elected courts is lower than appointed courts.
Mastering wellness: LGBT people’s understanding of wellbeing through interest sharing
Authors: Ceatha Nerilee
Published: May 2016

The wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people has generated considerable research interest over 30 years. An alternative perspective to the consensus of increased LGBT mental health risk is put forward in light of research with general populations on social wellbeing through community involvement. This qualitative research is aligned with emergent research trends problematising the dominant ‘at risk’ representation. Through 10 in-depth interviews with 11 LGBT people living in Ireland involved in physical, creative and social activities, within and outside LGBT communities, this study explored the relationship between LGBT wellbeing and interest sharing. The theme of ‘mastering wellness’ emerged from the personal narratives, emphasising participants’ agency regarding their wellbeing. Participants’ openness in discussing mental health contrasts with the Irish population. Respondents generally understood that anyone may experience periods of mental ill-health and equally experience times of wellbeing. This suggests potentially stigmatised communities simultaneously challenge the stigmatising representation of LGBT identities and mental health and binary constructs of normal/abnormal. The implications of this study underscore the need for nursing policy and practice initiatives promoting wellbeing within and beyond LGBT communities.
Adolescence and ClockTime: Two modern concepts intertwined, revisited, reconsidered
Authors: Saul Roger
Published: May 2016

This article engages the intersecting sociologies of adolescence and time, two concepts that in their modern, universalized iterations are born of a proximate historical moment. It suggests that conceptual studies of being young – in this case, studies of adolescence, but also, broadly conceived, of childhood and youth – can be deepened through inquiry into the definitional orthodoxies of time. Brought about in large part by the new temporal relations of subjectivity, sociality and community endemic to life online, new approaches to the scholarship of time have of late blossomed in cultural studies. The article asks, Can new orientations to time – that concept so foundational to definitional notions of adolescence – complicate contemporary understandings about what it means to be young? And can new orientations to time re-energize scholarship focused on documenting the various terms by which adolescence takes form as a social construction, particularly as global imperatives to managerialize and over-determine young people’s lives intensify?
Explaining Immigrant Health Service Utilization
Authors: Yang Philip Q. , Hwang Shann Hwa
Published: May 2016

Although there is no paucity of theoretical frameworks for explaining people’s health service utilization (HSU), theoretical frameworks designed to account for variations in immigrants’ HSU remain underdeveloped. Building on influential theories or models for explaining HSU and especially Andersen’s widely used health behavior model, this article proposes a theoretical framework for explaining disparities in immigrant HSU. The proposed framework explains disparities in immigrant HSU by the health care need, resources, and predisposing factors of immigrants, and macrostructural/contextual conditions at both the general and immigrant-specific levels, as well as the mediating relationships among some of these factors. It is believed that this new framework can offer a fuller understanding of the determination process of immigrant HSU.
Process-based approach to modeling recurrent-event data explicated on the basis of occurrences of tooth losses in two different prosthetic treatment concepts
Authors: Diebner Hans H. , Marré Birgit , Roeder Ingo , Walter Michael H.
Published: May 2016

Background

In studies comparing different prosthetic treatment concepts the repeated loss of teeth was chosen as the primary outcome. The resulting data appear to represent a data structure of recurrent events. However, the application of an existing method for recurrent events is far from straightforward. Often only the first event or the final state is analyzed using Kaplan–Meier survival statistics, thereby giving a great deal of information away.

Methods

The paper presents a strategy for the analysis of recurrent data using a previously published study on the influence of different prosthetic treatment concepts for the shortened dental arch on tooth loss. A method based on cumulative sample history functions of recurrent events was adjusted for tooth loss. The shapes of these cumulative functions suggest a time dependency of the recurrence rate. To keep the model as simple as possible, a tripartite Poisson process (which assumes piecewise time-independent rates) was fitted to the cumulative mean functions stratified by treatment.

Results

Within the middle interval of the three-phasic process, the treatment effects differ significantly, which is interpreted as a delay of tooth loss due to the use of one type of prosthesis (fixed) compared with the other (removable).

Conclusions

An analysis based on cumulative history functions is based on process, therefore, temporally changing characteristics are better captured than in methods for survival analyses. The presented approach offers useful new insight into the temporal behavior of ongoing tooth loss after prosthetic treatment.

Trial registration

The trial has been registered at controlled-trials.com under ISRCTN97265367 (registration date 4 April 2008).
Novel skin chamber for rat ischemic flap studies in regenerative wound repair
Authors: Hsueh Yuan-Yu , Wang Duo-Hsiang , Huang Tzu-Chieh , Chang Ya-Ju , Shao Wei-Chi , Tuan Tai-Lan , Hughes Michael W. , Wu Chia-Ching
Published: May 2016

Background

In plastic surgery, skin flap is an important approach to reconstructive wound repairs. The rat dorsal skin flap is a clinically relevant and popular animal model to investigate and evaluate flap survival and necrosis. Nonetheless, flap survival is often unstable with unpredictable outcomes, regardless of previous attempts at design modification.

Methods & Results

In the present study, we report a novel flap chamber that provides stable and reproducible outcomes by separating the dorsal skin flap from its surrounding skin by in situ immobilization. The flap chamber blocks circulation that disturbs flap ischemia from both basal and lateral sides of the flap tissue. Demarcation of skin necrosis is macroscopically evident on the flap and supported by distinct changes in histological architecture under microscopic examination. The utility of the novel skin flap chamber is further proven by applying it to the examination of flap survival in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats with an increase in skin necrosis. The flap chamber also affords size modifications where a narrower flap chamber increases ischemia and provides manipulable therapeutic windows for studying cell therapies. Accordingly, intradermal injection of endothelial cells 3 days before flap ischemia significantly increases the survival of skin flaps.

Conclusions

The novel flap chamber not only may stabilize the skin flap and provide reproducible outcomes that overcome the shortfalls of the traditional ischemic flap but also may afford size modifications that support research designs and test therapeutic approaches to regenerative repair.
“Nigeria Can Do without Such Perverts”
Authors: Pierce Steven
Published: May 2016

Recent political homophobia in Nigeria, including vigilante violence and repressive legislation, is often imagined to be a reaction to outside forces: religious movements like evangelical Christianity and reformist Islam or the spread of Western homosexual identities. This article suggests this is unlikely and that understanding recent patterns of homophobia requires understanding local cultures of same-sex practice and the anxieties underlying political attempts to regulate sexuality. The article also makes some preliminary suggestions for how such an account might be attempted by looking at long-standing contradictions in systems for evaluating sexual morality in northern Nigeria and how those might help inform recent discussions of sexual immorality.
Making India's Democracy
Authors: Shani Ornit
Published: May 2016

Shani's article examines a key aspect of the rupture from colonial rule in the making of independent India, which was critical to its process of democratization. This undertaking was the preparation of the first elections on the basis of universal suffrage. Implementing and planning for the enrollment of almost 174 million people was a staggering bureaucratic undertaking. This article investigates the process of devising the instructions for the preparation of the preliminary draft electoral roll on the basis of adult franchise, in anticipation of the constitution. It suggests that in effect, this process became an all-India administrative exercise in guided democratic political imagination, which diffused the notion of universal franchise within the administrative machinery around the country. This exercise resulted in instituting and operationalizing the procedural aspect of the idea of equality. It also set in motion the creation of a new national polity for India. By contrasting this process with colonial discourses on franchise and preparation of electoral rolls, focusing particularly on the enrollment of women and the attitudes toward other groups at the margins of the franchise, the article explores key changes in the bureaucratic political imagination in the transition from colonial rule to independence.
The Waste-Value Dialectic
Authors: Gidwani Vinay , Maringanti Anant
Published: May 2016

Capitalist value making is underwritten by the production and disposal of waste through a complex, often invisible economy of informal waste recycling. This infra-economy is anchored by nodes that process and circulate variegated forms of waste generated in cities and their adjoining hinterlands. Bholakpur, in the city of Hyderabad, India, is one such place. There are hundreds like it scattered around the country. Even as they perform the double function of reproducing the urban economy while inoculating it from the injurious effects of its own detritus, places like Bholakpur and the people who work and reside there are continuously abjected by civil society's propertied classes, which view them with anxiety and loathing, as a source of crime, nuisance and detriment. Thus, “waste” as concept-matter but also a locus where labor and ecology meet is a neglected but powerful site for a critique of both postcolonial capitalism and contemporary urbanization in countries like India.
Raman Spectroscopic Speciation Analyses and Liquid Structures by High-Energy X-ray Total Scattering and Molecular Dynamics Simulations for N-methylimidazolium-Based Protic Ionic Liquids
Authors: Watanabe Hikari , Doi Hiroyuki , Saito Soshi , Sadakane Koichiro , Fujii Kenta , Kanzaki Ryo , Kameda Yasuo , Umebayashi Yasuhiro
Published: May 2016

Recently, we revealed N-methylimidazole C1Im equimolar mixtures with superacids and strong acids such as trifluoromethanesulfonic acid HTfO (Tf: CF3SO2–), bis-(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide acid HTf2N or trifluoroacetic acid CF3COOH are essentially protic ionic liquids by means of potentiometry of direct pH measurement in such liquids. Here, we demonstrated Raman spectroscopic speciation analysis of [C1hIm+][TfO−] and [C1hIm+][Tf2N−] (C1hIm+: N-methylimidazolium) to elucidate both liquids are spectroscopically protic ionic liquids; much excess ionic species exist in these liquids and the amount of electrically neutral molecular species are practically negligible. In addition, to further insight into the hydrogen bond in the imidazolium-based protic ionic liquids, liquid structure of [C1hIm+][TfO−] were studied by high-energy X-ray total scattering HEXTS experiments with the aid of molecular dynamics simulations. Comparing with the hydrogen bond in [C1hIm+][Tf2N−] previously reported, the hydrogen bond in [C1hIm+][TfO−] is stronger probably due to the narrower negative charge de-localization.
Identification of Selected in vitro-Generated Phase-I Metabolites of the Steroidal Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator MK-0773 for Doping Control Purposes
Authors: Lagojda Andreas , Kuehne Dirk , Krug Oliver , Thomas Andreas , Wigger Tina , Karst Uwe , Schänzer Wilhelm , Thevis Mario
Published: May 2016

Research into developing anabolic agents for various therapeutic purposes has been pursued for decades. As the clinical utility of anabolic–androgenic steroids has been found to be limited because of their lack of tissue selectivity and associated off-target effects, alternative drug entities have been designed and are commonly referred to as selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs). While most of these SARMs are of nonsteroidal structure, the drug candidate MK-0773 comprises a 4-aza-steroidal nucleus. Besides the intended therapeutic use, SARMs have been found to be illicitly distributed and misused as doping agents in sport, necessitating frequently updated doping control analytical assays. As steroidal compounds reportedly undergo considerable metabolic transformations, the phase-I metabolism of MK-0773 was simulated using human liver microsomal (HLM) preparations and electrochemical conversion. Subsequently, major metabolic products were identified and characterized employing liquid chromatography—high-resolution/high-accuracy tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) as well as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. MK-0773 produced numerous phase-I metabolites under the chosen in vitro incubation reactions, mostly resulting from mono- and bisoxygenation of the steroid. HLM yielded at least 10 monooxygenated species, while electrochemistry-based experiments resulted predominantly in three monohydroxylated metabolites. Elemental composition data and product ion mass spectra were generated for these analytes, ESI/APCI measurements corroborated the formation of at least two N-oxygenated metabolites, and NMR data obtained from electrochemistry-derived products supported structures suggested for three monohydroxylated compounds. Hereby, the hydroxylation of the A-ring located N-bound methyl group was found to be of particular intensity. In the absence of controlled elimination studies, the produced information enables the implementation of new target analytes into routine doping controls and expands the focus of anti-doping efforts concerning this new anabolic agent.
Case Report: Whole exome sequencing reveals a novel frameshift deletion mutation p.G2254fs in COL7A1 associated with autosomal recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa
Authors: Karuthedath Vellarikkal Shamsudheen , Jayarajan Rijith , Verma Ankit , Nair Sreelata , Ravi Rowmika , Senthivel Vigneshwar , Sivasubbu Sridhar , Scaria Vinod
Published: May 2016

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa simplex (DEB) is a phenotypically diverse inherited skin fragility disorder. It is majorly manifested by appearance of epidermal bullae upon friction caused either by physical or environmental trauma. The phenotypic manifestations also include appearance of milia, scarring all over the body and nail dystrophy. DEB can be inherited in a recessive or dominant form and the recessive form of DEB (RDEB) is more severe. In the present study, we identify a novel p.G2254fs mutation in COL7A1 gene causing a sporadic case of RDEB by whole exome sequencing (WES). Apart from adding a novel frameshift Collagen VII mutation to the repertoire of known mutations reported in the disease, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a genetically characterized case of DEB from India.
Highlights of the 2nd Bioinformatics Student Symposium by ISCB RSG-UK
Authors: White Benjamen , Fatima Vayani , Fatima Nazeefa , Das Sayoni , Rahman Farzana , Hassan Mehedi
Published: May 2016

Following the success of the 1st Student Symposium by ISCB RSG-UK, a 2nd Student Symposium took place on 7th October 2015 at The Genome Analysis Centre, Norwich, UK. This short report summarizes the main highlights from the 2nd Bioinformatics Student Symposium.
Study on mechanical and microgeometric characteristics of ion-plasma deposited TiN coating on 40Cr steel substrate
Authors: Sadyrin Evgeniy V , Mitrin Boris I. , Krenev Leonid I. , Aizikovich Sergey M.
Published: May 2016

The ion-plasma sprayed titanium nitride (TiN) coating on the prepared 40Cr steel substrate is investigated. A part of the coating surface was covered by the copper foil mask to measure its thickness afterwards. The properties and characteristics of the sample surface microtopography before and after coating deposition are studied by the atomic-force microscopy (AFM). The technique for the high-precision determination of the coating thickness using the results of the AFM scanning of the transition area between the substrate and the coating on the sample surface is described and applied. The calculated uncertainty of the measured value of thickness is significantly less than in other methods. Mechanical properties of the coating are measured by the instrumental indentation method; the significance of an accurate determination of the correct thickness for measuring the coating characteristics by the indentation technique is shown.
Functional techniques for increasing reliability of agricultural machinery
Authors: Simon Denis V.
Published: May 2016

The research objective is to investigate the key reliability man-agement techniques for the agricultural machinery. A servicea-bility strategic management technique is used to study this issue. The analysis allows assessing strengths and weaknesses of the methods used to improve the reliability of products. The reliability management techniques during the current and scheduled repairs, maintenance work, as well as methods based on the queueing theory, are described. The application of each of the techniques at different operational stages contributes to the reliability engineering. Thus, the need for the problem solution to specify a number of theoretical distribution laws is ascertained. It is shown that the routine maintenance and repair timing shall comply with the deadlines to meet the requirements of the technical specifications for the reliability of the equipment in operation.
Simulation of multicentric destruction with regard for inhomogeneous distribution of rated voltage
Authors: Lukyanov Vitaly F. , Assaulenko Semen S.
Published: May 2016

The algorithm simulating the initiation and development of fatigue cracks in the joint weld on the example of the mount of the mobile platform and the supporting cowl of Gottwald NMK 170 EG (63 tons) crane rotator, the destruction of which occurred in 2011 in the territory of “Novorossiysk commercial sea port” OJSC (NCSP), is worked out. The proposed algorithm takes into account the non-uniform weld geometry affecting the value of the stress concentration factor and the uneven distribution of the rated stress related to the joint design features. The modeling process is based on the experimentally established fact that the geometry profile of the junction between the weld and the base metal along the welded joint changes randomly. As a result, the fatigue flaking along the weld lacks any regular pattern. Under the cyclic loading, the development of the destruction is a sequential process of the crack nucleation in different parts of welded joints along the weld, single surface cracks growth under the fracture mechanics laws, nucleation of new cracks, and crack coalescence in the adjoining sections. At the coalescence of the crack edges, the contour profile is changing which leads to increasing the growth rate of the crack depth. In the future, the development of the multicentric destruction continues until the critical crack. The damage accumulation and destruction development rate depends on the uniformity coefficient of the stress concentration along the weld. The implementation of the proposed model allows solving the problems of determining the frequency of node diagnosis and the points with the utmost probability of fatigue cracks initiation, as well as validating the possible methods of structural reinforcement.
Experimental study on solution possibilities of multiextremal optimization problems through heuristic methods
Authors: Neydorf Rudolf A. , Chernogorov Ivan V. , Yarakhmedov Orkhan Takhir , Polyakh Victor V.
Published: May 2016

The work objective is to study a vital task of the multiextremal objects search engine optimization which is much more complicated than monoextremal problems. It is shown that only heuristics is appropriate in achieving this goal. Therefore, three best known and developed search engine optimization techniques are studied: particle swarm method, evolutionary genetic approach, and ant colony algorithm. The analysis is performed in the environment common for all methods of the test research problems of the multiextremal Rastrigin function. It is proved that all these methods are well suited for the multiextremal problem solution. While it is necessary to use proper specific approaches to solving the local extremum detection and identification problem in each of the heuristic algorithms, they all require data clustering. Each method can provide any desired accuracy of the extremum problem solution, and it utilizes an acceptable time resource.
Modeling of three-dimensional elastic strain fields by point-source method
Authors: Knyazev Sergey Yu. , Pustovoyt Victor N. , Shcherbakova Elena E. , Shcherbakov Anton A.
Published: May 2016

The work objective is to investigate the possibility and efficiency of three-dimensional numerical models of the elastic stress fields in the deformed solids. The field point-source method (PSM) designated as the method of fundamental solutions (MFS) in the foreign literature is used to develop these models. The PSM system generation for modeling fields of different physical nature is described. The concept of a point source of the elastic displacement field in the deformed solid is introduced. The research result is a developed PSM equations system that can be applied for solving three-dimensional problems in the elasticity theory, including the classical first and second boundary value problems in the elasticity theory (when either the voltage or bias is set on the boundary), as well as a mixed boundary problem (when on one part of the boundary, the displacement is set, and on the other - the voltage). The PSM properties are studied when solving standard problems, and the Dirichlet problem for a circular domain. The dependences of the numerical solution error on the problem parameters, in particular, on such as the charge number simulating the desired field, the remoteness of the charges from the solution domain boundaries, are obtained. The test problem of calculating the deformation field in the ball domain is solved. Upon the results obtained, the following conclusion is made. In the numerical solution of three-dimensional elasticity problems, a decreasing exponential dependence of the PSM error on the square root of the simulating charge number is observed. This property provides a numerical solution with a very low relative error that implies the PSM application perspectiveness in the numerical solution of the elasticity problems, including three-dimensional problems.
Improving adequacy of mechanical-mathematical model of rotor dynamics on the balancing machine
Authors: Polushkin Oleg A. , Polushkin Oleg O. , Fofana I. Masmoud
Published: May 2016

The work objective is to determine the conditions for improving the operating efficiency of the balancing equipment. The problem is to increase accuracy and to reduce labor intensity of the rotor balancing. A rotor model on the balancing machine considered according to the vibration theory as a dynamic system with two degrees of freedom forms the basis of the research. As a result of the investigations, first, the necessity of applying vector influence coefficient values of the rotor model unbalance in each of the correction planes on the vibrations of the rotor poles on the balancer is proved. Secondly, the technique of their experimental determination is presented. The results obtained can be used to create balancing equipment (balancing machines and balancing sets) of new generation. The study is the development of the modern theory and practice balancing aimed at improving the adequacy of the dynamic rotor model.
Human factor in a safety problem of high-duty welded objects
Authors: Korobtsov Alexander S. , Lukyanov Lukyanov, Vitaly
Published: May 2016

The work goal is to study the human factor role in a safety problem of the ultrasonic testing of high-duty welded objects. The key objective and subjective factors determining the human reliability of the man-machine systems are analyzed. It is shown that subjective factors are divided into three main subgroups: the level of training, individual characteristics and functional state of the human-operator. On the basis of the job specification approach, the most important skills of the ultrasonic testing (UST) operators are determined, and the original training facilities for their purposeful development are worked out. Some modifications of the computerized simulator-examiner for training and the integrated proficiency assessment of the UST operators of the joint welds are developed. Based on the conducted analysis of the individual peculiarities of the personality, it is found that the medicobiologic structure of a person plays a crucial role and determines some basic professionally important qualities for the UST operator occupation. The influence of the functional state of the ultrasonic testing operators on the results of the professional activities is investigated by experiment.
Increase in efficiency of quality and hole-making in glass-reinforced titanium laminate by reducing drilling vibroactivity
Authors: Shevtsov Sergey N. , Sibirskiy Vladimir V. , Chigrinets Evgeny G.
Published: May 2016

The work objective is to study the impact of the drill design value and geometrics on the quality of the processed holes, the efficiency, and the machining dynamics of the high-strength polymer composite - fiberglass plastic reinforced by titanium foil. Packs of the reinforcing layers made from the titanium foil or carbon fiber tapes are often used in the highly-loaded polymer composite structures. Processing in several operations and the application of sharp-ground tools provide the required dimensional accuracy, the surface macro- and microgeometry of the hole, and allow avoiding the delamination. The process of drilling fiberglass laminates under different patterns of HSS drills sharpening is studied. The data obtained allow determining the optimum type of instrument and operation mode taking into account the dependence of the high-altitude roughness parameters, the nature and amount of delamination in the entry (exit point) of the drill. The vibroactivity of the drilling process and its relationship with the quality metrics are studied using the computer-aided torque-sensing system. Some proposals for improving the hole-making technology applying to the glass-fiber spars of the main and tail helicopter rotors are developed.
Experimental study on energy dissipation factors of wheelset node oscillations
Authors: Bondarenko Veronika A. , Podust Sergey F.
Published: May 2016

Wheelsets directly subjected to a force impact under the interaction of wheels and rails are intense noisemakers when moving, including overhead cranes and railway rolling stock. Despite the design and functional differences, the calculation of vibroacoustic characteristics can be made from the unified positions. It should be noted that the calculation accuracy of the sound pressure levels and vibrations is in large part determined by the precision of setting the frequency-dependent loss factors of the vibration energy. Theoretical studies of this physical and mechanical value are rather complicated. Therefore, the regression curves obtained on the basis of the mathematical treatment of the experimental coefficient values of the wheelset assembly losses and the approximation dependencies by the exponential polynomials of various degrees should be used for the engineering analysis of the sound pressure levels and vibrations.
PHYTOSANITARY STATE OF CROPS AND WINTER RYE PRODUCTIVITY
Authors: Ахметзянов  , Akhmetzyanov Marsel , Таланов  , Talanov Ivan , Вафина  , Vafina Liliya
Published: May 2016

The article presents the results of studies on the influence of basic soil tillage and nutrition backgrounds to reduce of plants prevalence by root rot and leaf diseases, increasing yield productivity and quality of winter rye grain.
FORMATION OF PROTEIN IN BARLEY GRAIN, CULTIVATED IN TATARSTAN
Authors: Шайтанов  , Shaytanov Oleg , Ланочкина  , Lanochkina Marina , Блохин  , Blokhin Vasiliy , Вильданова  , Vildanova Gulusa , Таланов  , Talanov Ivan , Ганиева  , Ganieva Irina
Published: May 2016

The article presenta the results of studies on the formation of protein in barley grain, cultivated in the Republic of Tatarstan for 1993-2014 years. The varietal differences and the impact of daily mean air temperature on protein accumulation in barley grain were identified.
MOTION EQUATION OF TOOTH BLADE OF SPIRAL-PLATE WORKING UNIT IN SPACE
Authors: Шириязданов  , Shiriyazdanov Rustem , Пикмуллин  , Pikmullin Gennadiy , Юнусов  , Yunusov Rafail , Булгариев  , Bulgariev Gumar
Published: May 2016

The article deals with the spiral-plate working unit, configured with teeth, the cutting edge (blade) of which is made on site (curve) of the logarithmic spiral. Each helix of studied working unit (taking into account properties of a helical surface or a line) is set at an angle and lift the helix has an angle of rotation generator (i.e., the helix angle of twist). In this case, to create the motion equation of any point of the teeth’s motion, the working unit is in the spatial coordinate system 0xyz so that the origin was in his heart.
HARDENING OF BLADE UNITS OF SOIL TILLAGE MACHINES BY METHOD OF ELECTRICAL OF CONTACT CONTINUOUS FLASHING
Authors: Шамсутдинов - , Shamsutdinov Faiz-Rakhman , Пикмуллин  , Pikmullin Gennadiy , Гайнутдинов  , Gaynutdinov Ramil
Published: May 2016

The basic technological parameters of a qualitatively new method of reinforcing blade units of tillers by method of processing electrical contact continuous flashing. We established schemes of technical execution of the strengthening process and obtained analytical dependences, determining the quantitative characteristics of the power consumption of the processing in a wide range of modes of operational and technological processes in their relationship with the thermal properties of processed materials.
MODEL OF RELATIONSHIP OF COLORADO BEETLE DESTRUCTION FULLNESS TO ROTARY SPEED AND HAULM CHOPPER SPEED
Authors: Абдрахманов  , Abdrakhmanov Rinat , Гильфанов  , Gilfanov Rashid , Калимуллин  , Kalimullin Marat
Published: May 2016

The article provides the results of experimental studies on substantiation and assessment of the kinematic mode impact of rotary haulm chopper to the complete destruction of Colorado potato beetle. A technique of mathematical experiment planning theory was used in the experiments. The software in VBA in MS Excel, developed by the authors, was applied for experimental results processing. By constructing a mathematical model, the problem of optimization was solved, and the regime parameters values of haulm chopper was determined, which ensure the maximum percentage of destruction of the Colorado potato beetle.