bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermal performance and optimized thickness of active shape-stabilized PCM boards for side-wall cooling and under-floor heating system
Authors: Zhou Yuekuan , Zheng Siqian , Chen Hao , Zhang Guoqiang
Published: October 2016

Phase change materials (PCMs) have the potential to maintain thermal comfort of occupants while reducing the energy consumption due to their high energy storage capacity. In this paper, thermal performance of active heat conduction–enhanced shape-stabilized phase change material (HCE-SSPCM) encapsulated boards, fitted with active hot/chilled water pipes were investigated for side-wall cooling and for incorporation in an under-floor heating system. Numerical model based on finite difference method was developed to study the effect of HCE-SSPCM on annual heating/cooling energy consumption saving and indoor air relative temperature fluctuation rate reduction. Our study shows that there exists an optimal location for HCE-SSPCM according to thermal resistance value of each layer and ambient conditions. The recommended thickness and thermal conductivity of HCE-SSPCM wallboard were 30–60 mm and 1–1.5 W·m−1·K−1. Compared to the room without HCE-SSPCM boards, the maximum annual heating energy consumption saving would be 16.2%. Indoor air relative temperature fluctuation rate for heating would be reduced by 41.3%. The maximum annual cooling energy consumption saving would be 4.53%. Indoor air relative temperature fluctuation rate for cooling would be reduced by 56.2%. Our research provided scientific evidences for application of PCMs to reduce energy consumption in residential buildings without sacrificing indoor thermal comfort.
Negotiating knowledge claims: Students’ assertions in classroom interactions
Authors: Skarbø Solem Marit
Published: October 2016

This study examines interactional sequences in which students make assertions about topic-relevant matters in classroom interactions. Using a Conversation Analytical approach, I show how the students’ knowledge claims lead to negotiations of sequential and epistemic rights to make such claims. Through these negotiations, the students upgrade their epistemic stance by repeating or backing their claims with accounts and providing evidence of them. The teachers’ acceptance or rejection of the students’ initiatives displays an orientation to the sequential and topical relevance of the information provided by the students. This study contributes to a better understanding of student initiatives in the classroom, a topic that until now has received scarce attention. Additionally, it contributes knowledge about the negotiation of epistemic authority in relation to assertions and their responses, which may have more general implications for the study of talk-in-interaction.
Audiovisual infotainment in European news: A comparative content analysis of Dutch, Spanish, and Irish television news programs
Authors: Alencar Amanda , Kruikemeier Sanne
Published: October 2016

This study investigates to what extent audiovisual infotainment features can be found in the narrative structure of television news in three European countries. Content analysis included a sample of 639 news reports aired in the first 3 weeks of September 2013, in six prime-time TV news broadcasts of Ireland, Spain, and the Netherlands. It was found that Spain and Ireland included more technical features of infotainment in television news compared to the Netherlands. Also, the use of infotainment techniques is more often present in commercial, than in public broadcasting. Finally, the findings indicate no clear pattern of the use of infotainment techniques across news topics as coded in this study.
Moral conventions in food consumption and their relationship to consumers’ social background
Authors: Stamer Naja Buono
Published: October 2016

The purpose of this article is to examine how social background influences the way people evaluate and justify their food consumption. Theoretically, the article combines Bourdieu’s theory of class-based practices with Boltanski and Thévenot’s theory of situated judgement in order to better understand how social class and moral values are connected. Empirically, the article analyses how social class might constrain or enable certain types of justification for food consumption. Using quantitative data on Danish food consumers’ attitudes to food, shopping and cooking, together with information on their social background, the analysis investigates the relation between consumers’ use of five orders of worth (Civic, Industrial, Inspired, Domestic and Health, and Market) and their cultural, economic and social capital as well as socio-demographic background. The main results are that four of the orders of worth (Civic, Industrial, Inspired and Market) are strongly related to consumers’ cultural capital, and to some extent social capital, but not to economic capital. Other background variables such as age and gender also influence which consumers adhere to different food evaluation criteria. The results support the notion that plural moralities are at play in food consumption, especially within groups with high cultural capital.
Undergraduate Internship Supervision in Psychology Departments: Use of Experiential Learning Best Practices
Authors: Bailey Sarah F. , Barber Larissa K. , Nelson Videl L.
Published: October 2016

This study examined trends in how psychology internships are supervised compared to current experiential learning best practices in the literature. We sent a brief online survey to relevant contact persons for colleges/universities with psychology departments throughout the United States ( n = 149 responded). Overall, the majority of institutions offered academic credit for internships through letter grading and had one faculty member supervising all psychology interns. The top three academic requirements for internship courses included: completing a reflection paper; completing a work diary; and individual meetings with the faculty supervisor. Although these practices promote experiential learning, one opportunity for improvement is promoting students’ professional development. Psychology departments can use these findings to inform their institution’s internship course design.
Reality is interface: Two motion capture case studies of human–machine collaboration in high-skill domains
Authors: Bard Joshua David , Blackwood David , Sekhar Nidhi , Smith Brian
Published: October 2016

This article explores hybrid digital/physical workflows in the building trades, a high-skill domain where human dexterity and craft can be augmented by the precision and repeatability of digital design and fabrication tools. In particular, the article highlights two projects where historic construction techniques were extended through live motion capture of human gesture, information-rich visualization projected in the space of fabrication and custom robotic tooling to generate free-form running moulds. The first case study explores decorative plastering techniques and an augmented workflow where designers and craftspeople can quickly explore patterns through freehand sketch, test ideas with shaded previews and seamlessly produce physical parts using robotic collaborators. The second case study reimagines a roman vaulting technique that used terracotta bottles as part of an interlocking masonry system. Motion capture is used to place building elements precisely in material arrays with real-time visual feedback guiding the hand-held placement of each bottle. These case studies serve to underscore the emerging importance of reality capture in the design and construction of the built environment. Increasingly, the algorithmic power of computational tools and the nuances of human skill can be combined in hybrid design and fabrication workflows.
Pro-environmental Purchasing Behavior of Consumers
Authors: Onel Naz
Published: October 2016

This study aims to examine the value of personal norms in addition to the theory of planned behavior (TPB) variables (i.e., attitude toward behavior, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention) in explaining consumers’ pro-environmental purchasing behavior. The hypotheses and model were formulated and tested with structural equation modeling using the data from 281 consumers who are active members of a U.S.-based recycling company. Model fit statistics indicate a good fit of empirical data and model structure for pro-environmental purchasing behavior. The findings suggest that while personal and subjective norms, attitudes toward behavior, and intention explain consumers’ pro-environmental purchasing behavior, perceived behavioral control does not have any power in explaining behavior-related intention. Policy makers and marketing professionals are advised to adopt various social and sustainability marketing strategies that focus on communicating different normative aspects of purchasing decisions to promote pro-environmental consumer behaviors. The normative concerns covered in the environmental behavior studies are mostly limited to “subjective norms” as represented in the TPB, which has been widely adopted in the behavioral studies. By extending the TPB with “personal norms,” this study contributes to the better explanation of environmentally relevant purchase behaviors of consumers.
Optimization of process parameters in the high-speed milling of titanium alloy TB17 for surface integrity by the Taguchi-Grey relational analysis method
Authors: Du Shunyao , Chen Minghe , Xie Lansheng , Zhu Zhishou , Wang Xinnan
Published: October 2016

TB17 is an ultra-high-strength titanium alloy, a material typically difficult to machine. The surface quality and integrity of titanium alloy TB17 are poor after machining, which can seriously affect its service performance and restrict its fields of application. Therefore, the optimization of high-speed milling process parameters for the new ultra-high-strength titanium alloy TB17 was investigated based on multiple performance characteristics, including surface roughness, surface microhardness, and surface residual stress. The Taguchi method with grey relational analysis was utilized for the experiments. Additionally, analysis of variance was employed to evaluate the most influential factors for surface integrity in the high-speed milling of titanium alloy TB17. The results of the analysis using the Taguchi-Grey relational analysis method indicate that the preferred combination of high-speed milling process parameters are as follows: the cutting fluid condition of H-1 fine grinding fluid, using a milling speed of 100 m/min, a feed per tooth of 0.02 mm/z, an axial depth of cut of 1 mm, a radial depth of cut of l.5 mm, a rake angle of 18°, a clearance angle of 12°, and a helix angle of 60°. Moreover, the analysis of variance reveals that milling speed has the greatest effect on the surface integrity in the high-speed milling of the TB17 titanium alloy, and the contribution percentages for each factor are as follows: the cutting fluid condition (3.98%), milling speed (25.89%), feed per tooth (8.96%), axial depth of cut (1.29%), radial depth of cut (13.71%), rake angle (17.17%), clearance angle (6.62%), and helix angle (15.64%).
Development and analysis of a new multi-function heat recovery split air conditioner with parallel refrigerant pipe
Authors: Luo Win-Jet , Kuo Hung-Chuan , Wu Jyun-Yi , Faridah Dini
Published: October 2016

This study developed a heat recovery air conditioner to supply on-demand air conditioning and reclaim waste heat during operation. In addition to the conventional refrigerant pipe, a plate heat exchanger was designed and connected in parallel to the condenser and evaporator. While refrigerant with high pressure and high temperature flows through the plate heat exchanger, the refrigerant flow is cooled down and condensed by cooling water from a water tank, and condensation heat in the exchanger is absorbed by the cooling water and stored in the water tank. In this study, solenoid valves were installed in the pipe to regulate the refrigerant volume in parallel connected pipes based on the tank water temperature by duty control logic. This multi-function heat recovery air conditioner has various operation modes. In summer, the air conditioner not only provides on-demand cooled air to air-conditioned rooms but also reclaims waste condensation heat through the plate heat exchanger. In winter, the air conditioner supplies on-demand heated air to indoor spaces and heats the water tank by simultaneously reclaiming waste condensation heat. According to an experimental operation test, the value of average water heating efficiency (COPh) of this air conditioner can reach 3.77 in the summer operating mode and 1.91 in the winter operating mode.
Structural reliability analysis of multiple limit state functions using multi-input multi-output support vector machine
Authors: Li Hong-Shuang , Zhao An-Long , Tee Kong Fah
Published: October 2016

Selecting and using an appropriate structural reliability method is critical for the success of structural reliability analysis and reliability-based design optimization. However, most of existing structural reliability methods are developed and designed for a single limit state function and few methods can be used to simultaneously handle multiple limit state functions in a structural system when the failure probability of each limit state function is of interest, for example, in a reliability-based design optimization loop. This article presents a new method for structural reliability analysis with multiple limit state functions using support vector machine technique. A sole support vector machine surrogate model for all limit state functions is constructed by a multi-input multi-output support vector machine algorithm. Furthermore, this multi-input multi-output support vector machine surrogate model for all limit state functions is only trained from one data set with one calculation process, instead of constructing a series of standard support vector machine models which has one output only. Combining the multi-input multi-output support vector machine surrogate model with direct Monte Carlo simulation, the failure probability of the structural system as well as the failure probability of each limit state function corresponding to a failure mode in the structural system can be estimated. Two examples are used to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the presented method.
A numerical investigation of the effects of blade’s geometric parameters on the power consumption of the twin-blade planetary mixer
Authors: Liang Jian , Zhan Xiaobin , Yang Yili , Li Xiwen , Shi Tielin
Published: October 2016

Blades act as key components for twin-blade planetary mixer; their geometric parameters (blade–blade clearance and helical angle) and two different rotating modes (counter-rotating mode and co-rotating mode) were investigated numerically via commercial software ANSYS Fluent 14.5 to reveal the effects on the power or torque consumption. The results indicate that decreasing the blade–blade clearance or increasing the helical angle increases the power consumption of the twin-blade planetary mixer. The proportionality constant of power curves depends on the geometry of the blades.
Research on the mechanism of spray cooling of H-beam after rolling
Authors: Qin Qin , Li Xiaolong , Zang Yong , Wu Diping
Published: October 2016

In order to reduce temperature difference between the web and flange of the H-beam and in the height direction of the web, the spray cooling technology has been proposed to control the temperature difference when the H-beam left the finishing rolling mill. An experiment of spray cooling for a heated plate has been performed, and this cooling process has been simulated using the computational fluid dynamics software Fluent. The re-normalization group k–ε model has been adopted in this study to simulate turbulence model with discrete phase method. And the temperature fields of the simulated are compared with those of the experiment to verify the correctness of the simulation method. Moreover, a three-dimensional of 1/2 H-beam spray cooling model has also been established. In order to obtain a better cooling effect, the angle between the nozzle center outside the R angle and the inner surface of the flange is defined as 45° and the distance between them is defined as 140 mm. The working pressure of the nozzle, the mean droplet size, and the water flow rate are also suggested to be 0.25 MPa, 150 µm, and 16 L/min, respectively. The recommended nozzle interval in the rolling direction is 300 mm to uniform the temperature distribution along the length direction. The temperature difference between the web and flange of the H-beam and the temperature difference in the height direction are decreased 234°C and 71.8°C, respectively.
Women, soap opera and new generations of feminists
Authors: Geraghty Christine , Weissmann Elke
Published: October 2016

At a time when television (TV) studies was still an emerging subject, the soap opera attracted a number of high-profile studies, largely conducted by feminists, that also set the agenda for TV studies as a whole. While the soap opera no longer finds the same level of attention, the scholarship of that time remains important to the work of feminist TV researchers of different generations. In this dossier, five researchers, three of them emerging and two of them mid-career, reflect on the importance of the scholarship to their own work and careers, how their own work expands on it and what it tells us about problems that feminist TV scholarship might encounter tomorrow.
A Value Analysis of Lean Processes in Target Value Design and Integrated Project Delivery
Authors: Nanda Upali , K. Rybkowski Zofia , Pati Sipra , Nejati Adeleh
Published: October 2016

Objective:

To investigate what key stakeholders consider to be the advantages and the opportunities for improvement in using lean thinking and tools in the integrated project delivery (IPD) process.

Method:

A detailed literature review was followed by case study of a Lean-IPD project. Interviews with members of the project leadership team, focus groups with the integrated team as well as the design team, and an online survey of all stakeholders were conducted.

Analysis:

Statistical analysis and thematic content analysis were used to analyze the data, followed by a plus–delta analysis.

Results:

(1) Learning is a large, implicit benefit of Lean-IPD that is not currently captured by any success metric; (2) the cardboard mock-up was the most successful lean strategy; (3) although a collaborative project, the level of influence of different stakeholder groups was perceived to be different by different stakeholders; (4) overall, Lean-IPD was rated as better than traditional design–bid–build methods; and (5) opportunities for improvement reported were increase in accurate cost estimating, more efficient use of time, perception of imbalance of control/influence, and need for facilitation (which represents different points of view).

Conclusion:

While lean tools and an IPD method are preferred to traditional design–bid–build methods, the perception of different stakeholders varies and more work needs to be done to allow a truly shared decision-making model. Learning was identified as one of the biggest advantages.
Long-term clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock due to acute pump failure
Authors: Kawaji Tetsuma , Shiomi Hiroki , Morimoto Takeshi , Furukawa Yutaka , Nakagawa Yoshihisa , Kadota Kazushige , Ando Kenji , Mizoguchi Tetsu , Abe Mitsuru , Takahashi Mamoru , Kimura Takeshi ,   on behalf of the CREDO-Kyoto AMI investigators
Published: October 2016

Background:

Cardiogenic shock remained the leading cause of death in ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients even in the primary percutaneous coronary intervention era.

Methods:

Among 3942 STEMI patients with primary percutaneous coronary intervention within 24 h after symptom-onset in the Coronary Revascularization Demonstrating Outcome Study in Kyoto acute myocardial infarction registry, the study population of the current analysis consisted of 466 STEMI patients who were complicated by cardiogenic shock due to acute pump failure.

Results:

The cumulative incidence of all-cause death of cardiogenic shock due to acute pump failure was 25.4% at 30 days, 38.7% at one year, and 51.4% at five years. Cumulative five-year incidence of all-cause death in patients with left main coronary artery culprit lesion was extremely high (left main coronary artery: 70.4%, left anterior descending artery: 52.5%, left circumflex artery: 50.6%, and right coronary artery; 44.3%, respectively, log-rank p<0.001). The cumulative five-year incidence of all-cause death in patients with onset-to-balloon time ⩽3 h as well as those with door-to-balloon time ⩽90 min were significantly lower than those without (43.3% versus 55.5%, log-rank p=0.008, and 44.9% versus 55.8%, log-rank p=0.003, respectively). After adjusting for confounders, onset-to-balloon time ⩽3 h and door-to-balloon time ⩽90 min were independently associated with lower long-term risk for all-cause death (hazard ratio: 0.69, 95% confidence interval: 0.49–0.96, p=0.03, and hazard ratio: 0.73, 95% confidence interval: 0.53–0.98, p=0.04, respectively).

Conclusions:

The long-term mortality of STEMI patients complicated by cardiogenic shock due to acute pump failure remains high even in the current clinical practice. In this high-risk category of patients, shorter onset-to-balloon and door-to-balloon time were associated with significantly lower long-term risk for mortality.
CHA2DS2-VASc risk factors as predictors of stroke after acute coronary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Guerra Federico , Scappini Lorena , Maolo Alessandro , Campo Gianluca , Pavasini Rita , Shkoza Matilda , Capucci Alessandro
Published: October 2016

Background:

Stroke is a rare but serious complication of acute coronary syndrome. At present, no specific score exists to identify patients at higher risk. The aim of the present study is to test whether each clinical variable included in the CHA2DS2-VASc score retains its predictive value in patients with recent acute coronary syndrome, irrespective of atrial fibrillation.

Methods:

The meta-analysis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. All clinical trials and observational studies presenting data on the association between stroke/transient ischemic attack incidence and at least one CHA2DS2-VASc item in patients with a recent acute coronary syndrome were considered in the analysis. Atrial fibrillation diagnosis was also considered.

Results:

The whole cohort included 558,193 patients of which 7108 (1.3%) had an acute stroke and/or transient ischemic attack during follow-up (median nine months; 1st–3rd quartile 1–12 months). Age and previous stroke had the highest odds ratios (odds ratio 2.60; 95% confidence interval 2.21–3.06 and odds ratio 2.74; 95% confidence interval 2.19–3.42 respectively), in accordance with the two-point value given in the CHA2DS2-VASc score. All other factors were positively associated with stroke, although with lower odds ratios. Atrial fibrillation, while present in only 11.2% of the population, confirmed its association with an increased risk of stroke and/or transient ischemic attack (odds ratio 2.04; 95% confidence interval 1.71–2.44).

Conclusions:

All risk factors included in the CHA2DS2-VASc score are associated with stroke/ transient ischemic attack in patients with recent acute coronary syndrome, and retain similar odds ratios to what already seen in atrial fibrillation. The utility of CHA2DS2-VASc score for risk stratification of stroke in patients with acute coronary syndrome remains to be determined.
Panorama of media contact behaviours of present-day urban dwellers: Descriptions and analysis based on diary reports
Authors: Yu Guoming
Published: October 2016

As Internet, particularly mobile Internet, is playing a more and more critical and trend-leading role in connecting key social elements and restructuring social life, users are shifting from their passive role in the past to an increasingly dominant position, playing a pivotal and decisive role. With the vigorous support of CVSC Sofres Media, the Research Center of Journalism and Social Development of Renmin University of China conducted a major research programme on ‘The Status of Media Contact and Use by Chinese Urban Dwellers in the Age of Mobile Internet’ from five aspects. A panorama of contact between present-day urban dwellers and media is finally demonstrated. The research results have significant cognitive value in terms of grasping the status of media use and communication among modern urban Internet users.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Modern Obstetrics: A Survey of the Central Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists Members
Authors: Babbar Shilpa , Williams Karen B. , Maulik Dev
Published: October 2016

The use of complementary and alternative medicine during pregnancy is currently on the rise. A validated survey was conducted at the Central Association of Obstetrician and Gynecologists annual meeting to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of general obstetricians and gynecologists and maternal-fetal medicine specialists in America. We obtained 128 responses: 73 electronically (57%) and 55 via the paper survey (43%). Forty-five percent reported personally using complementary and alternative medicine and 9% of women respondents used complementary and alternative medicine during pregnancy. Overall, 62% had advised their patients to utilize some form of complementary and alternative medicine in pregnancy. Biofeedback, massage therapy, meditation, and yoga were considered the most effective modalities in pregnancy (median [semi-interquartile range] = 2 [0.5]). Maternal-fetal medicine specialists were significantly more likely to disagree on the use of complementary and alternative medicine for risk reduction of preterm birth compared to obstetricians and gynecologists ( P = .03). As the use of complementary and alternative medicine continues to rise in reproductive-age women, obstetricians will play an integral role in incorporating complementary and alternative medicine use with conventional medicine.
Generalized Joint Laxity and Ligament Injuries in High School–Aged Female Volleyball Players in Japan
Authors: Sueyoshi Ted , Emoto Gen , Yuasa Tomoki
Published: October 2016

Background:

Generalized joint laxity has been linked to ligamentous injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament tear and ankle sprain.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The purpose of this study was to investigate generalized joint laxity and incidence of ligament injuries in high school–aged female volleyball players. It was hypothesized that volleyball players with a past history of sprains would have increased generalized joint laxity compared with those without any history and that athletes with multiple sprains would demonstrate with a higher generalized joint laxity score than those who had only 1 sprain.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Forty-seven subjects were tested for generalized joint laxity using the Beighton and Horan Joint Mobility Index (BHJMI). They were categorized into 2 groups based on the presence of past ligament injury: injury group (IG) and noninjury group (NG). The IG group was further divided into 2 groups based on whether they had a single ligamentous injury (IGS) or multiple injuries (IGM) in the past to study whether there was any difference in scores between the subgroups. The collected data were analyzed statistically with 1-way analysis of variance.

Results:

Subjects in the IG group scored significantly higher on the BHJMI than those in the NG group. The mean score for the IG group was 2.40 ± 1.42, as opposed to 1.24 ± 1.09 for the NG group ( P = .006). Eleven subjects in the IG group had suffered multiple injuries or recurrent injuries (IGM) and scored significantly higher than the remaining 19 individuals in the IG group, who had only sustained a single injury (IGS). The mean BHJMI scores were 3.18 ± 1.47 and 1.95 ± 1.22 for IGM and IGS, respectively ( P = .02).

Conclusion:

Female athletes with a high generalized joint laxity score may be more prone to ligament injury and potentially to recurrent ligament injuries.
Nonshared Environmental Influences on Academic Achievement at Age 16
Authors: Asbury Kathryn , Moran Nicola , Plomin Robert
Published: October 2016

Twin studies find ~20% of the variance in achievement in public examinations taken at age 16 in the United Kingdom can be explained by experiences not shared within families. Nonshared environmental (NSE) influences, including measurement error, explain why monozygotic (MZ) twins differ from each other. Such influences work independently of genetic effects and may represent strong candidates for intervention. This study aimed to generate hypotheses about what these NSE factors might be. Perceptions of within-pair differences were gathered from n = 497 pairs of MZ twins and their parents, and telephone interviews were conducted with n = 56 families reporting different General Certificate of Secondary Education grades. “Environmental” explanations related to teacher quality, teacher–pupil relationships, and ability grouping. Families also explained discordance in terms of effort, interest, ability, and personality.
Boolean regulatory network reconstruction using literature based knowledge with a genetic algorithm optimization method
Authors: Dorier Julien , Crespo Isaac , Niknejad Anne , Liechti Robin , Ebeling Martin , Xenarios Ioannis
Published: October 2016

Background

Prior knowledge networks (PKNs) provide a framework for the development of computational biological models, including Boolean models of regulatory networks which are the focus of this work. PKNs are created by a painstaking process of literature curation, and generally describe all relevant regulatory interactions identified using a variety of experimental conditions and systems, such as specific cell types or tissues. Certain of these regulatory interactions may not occur in all biological contexts of interest, and their presence may dramatically change the dynamical behaviour of the resulting computational model, hindering the elucidation of the underlying mechanisms and reducing the usefulness of model predictions. Methods are therefore required to generate optimized contextual network models from generic PKNs.

Results

We developed a new approach to generate and optimize Boolean networks, based on a given PKN. Using a genetic algorithm, a model network is built as a sub-network of the PKN and trained against experimental data to reproduce the experimentally observed behaviour in terms of attractors and the transitions that occur between them under specific perturbations. The resulting model network is therefore contextualized to the experimental conditions and constitutes a dynamical Boolean model closer to the observed biological process used to train the model than the original PKN. Such a model can then be interrogated to simulate response under perturbation, to detect stable states and their properties, to get insights into the underlying mechanisms and to generate new testable hypotheses.

Conclusions

Generic PKNs attempt to synthesize knowledge of all interactions occurring in a biological process of interest, irrespective of the specific biological context. This limits their usefulness as a basis for the development of context-specific, predictive dynamical Boolean models. The optimization method presented in this article produces specific, contextualized models from generic PKNs. These contextualized models have improved utility for hypothesis generation and experimental design. The general applicability of this methodological approach makes it suitable for a variety of biological systems and of general interest for biological and medical research. Our method was implemented in the software optimusqual, available online at http://www.vital-it.ch/software/optimusqual/.
Project ECHO: A Telementoring Program for Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment in Low-Resource Settings
Authors: Lopez Melissa S. , Baker Ellen S. , Milbourne Andrea M. , Gowen Rose M. , Rodriguez Ana M. , Lorenzoni Cesaltina , Mwaba Catherine , Msadabwe Susan Citonje , Tavares José Humberto , Fontes-Cintra Georgia , Zucca-Matthes Gustavo , Callegaro-Filho Donato , Ramos-Martin Danielle , Thiago de Carvalho Icaro , Coelho Robson , Marques Renato Moretti , Chulam Thiago , Pontremoli-Salcedo Mila , Nozar Fernanda , Fiol Veronica , Maza Mauricio , Arora Sanjeev , Hawk Ernest T. , Schmeler Kathleen M.
Published: October 2016

Cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates are significantly higher in low- and middle-income countries compared with the United States and other developed countries. This disparity is caused by decreased access to screening, often coupled with low numbers of trained providers offering cancer prevention and treatment services. However, similar disparities are also found in underserved areas of the United States, such as the Texas-Mexico border, where cervical cancer mortality rates are 30% higher than in the rest of Texas. To address these issues, we have adopted the Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) program, a low-cost telementoring model previously proven to be successful in increasing local capacity, improving patient management skills, and ultimately improving patient outcomes in rural and underserved areas. We use the Project ECHO model to educate local providers in the management of cervical dysplasia in a low-resource region of Texas and have adapted it to inform strategies for the management of advanced cervical and breast cancer in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. This innovative approach, using ECHO, is part of a larger strategy to enhance clinical skills and develop collaborative projects between academic centers and partners in low-resource regions.
Free Radical-derived Oxysterols: Novel Adipokines Modulating Adipogenic Differentiation of Adipose Precursor Cells
Authors: Murdolo Giuseppe , Piroddi Marta , Tortoioli Cristina , Bartolini Desirée , Schmelz Martin , Luchetti Francesca , Canonico Barbara , Papa Stefano , Zerbinati Chiara , Iuliano Luigi , Galli Francesco
Published: October 2016

Context:

Increased oxidative stress in adipose tissue emerges as an inducer of obesity-linked insulin resistance. Here we tested whether free-radical derived oxysterols are formed by, and accumulate in, human adipocytes. Moreover, we asked whether increased accumulation of oxysterols characterizes the adipose cells of obese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) (OBT2D) compared with lean, nondiabetic controls (CTRLs). Finally, we studied the effects of the free radical–derived oxysterols on adipogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs).

Main Outcome Measures:

Adipocytes and ASCs were isolated from sc abdominal adipose tissue biopsy in four OBT2D and four CTRL subjects. Oxysterols in adipocytes were detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The cellular and molecular effects of oxysterols were then evaluated on primary cultures of ASCs focusing on cell viability, adipogenic differentiation, and “canonical” WNT and MAPK signaling pathways.

Results:

7-ketocholesterol (7κ-C) and 7β-hydroxycholesterol were unambiguously detected in adipocytes, which showed higher oxysterol accumulation (P < .01) in OBT2D, as compared with CTRL individuals. Notably, the accumulation of oxysterols in adipocytes was predicted by the adipose cell size of the donor (R2 = 0.582; P < .01). Challenging ASCs with free radical–derived type I (7κ-C) and type II (5,6-Secosterol) oxysterols led to a time- and concentration-dependent decrease of cell viability. Meaningfully, at a non-toxic concentration (1μM), these bioactive lipids hampered adipogenic differentiation of ASCs by sequential activation of WNT/β-catenin, p38-MAPK, ERK1/2, and JNK signaling pathways.

Conclusion:

Free radical–derived oxysterols accumulate in the “diabetic” fat and may act as novel adipokines modulating the adipogenic potential of undifferentiated adipose precursor cells.
Introduction: Worlding Realisms Now
Authors: Goodlad Lauren M. E.
Published: October 2016

Recent critical thought has begun to recognize realist fiction as a transnational medium that responds to capitalist permutations across time and space and, in doing so, is shot through with aesthetic possibility. The essays in this special issue reject the reflex to prejudge realist art based on dated assumptions about the European novel. They expand the category of realism to include examples from the realisms of late Victorian theater; postcolonial fiction from African, Egyptian, and Indian milieus; and photojournalistic experiments wrought in response to revolution in Latin America. What is constant throughout this collection is an insistence on realism's aesthetic flexibility, historical variability, and irreducibility to any single genre, period, technique, or national project. Realist art is both constitutively worlded (in taking the material world for its premise) and worlding (in making new ways of seeing, knowing, thinking, and being palpable to those worlds). After providing a brief survey of realism's critical reception and some postulates for future scholarship, this introduction lays out the arc of the special issue.
The Realist Impulse and the Future of Postcoloniality
Authors: Anjaria Ulka
Published: October 2016

This essay describes a trend in contemporary Third World writing characterized by a “realist impulse.” The realist impulse is a transition in representational mode, style, and/or medium that entails a new textual engagement with the contemporary world, evident in gestures such as stories set in the present rather than the past, the trimming of modernist, metaphorical, and metafictional language for a more stripped-down and less ostensibly self-conscious aesthetics, and/or the claiming of a new political urgency in both nonfiction and fictional writing alike. This impulse is evident in a range of new literary and cultural productions since around 2000 in India and across the Third World and marks the contemporary moment by registering the inadequacy of earlier literary trends in deliberate ways. This essay seeks to illuminate the contours of the realist impulse through readings of two contemporary novelists: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria) and Chetan Bhagat (India). Despite coming from different countries and political positions, both authors break open existing paradigms in postcolonial literature and represent a new imagining of the potential relationship between center and periphery outside those paradigms.
MicroRNA deep sequencing in two adult stem cell populations identifies miR-501 as a novel regulator of myosin heavy chain during muscle regeneration
Authors: Mizbani Amir , Luca Edlira , Rushing Elisabeth J. , Krützfeldt Jan
Published: October 2016

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of skeletal muscle regeneration, but the underlying mechanisms are still incompletely understood. Here, comparative miRNA sequencing analysis of myogenic progenitor cells (MPs) and non-myogenic fibroblast-adipocyte progenitors (FAPs) during cardiotoxin (CTX)-induced muscle injury uncovered miR-501 as a novel muscle-specific miRNA. miR-501 is an intronic miRNA and its expression levels in MPs correlated with its host gene, chloride channel, voltage-sensitive 5 (Clcn5). Pharmacological inhibition of miR-501 dramatically blunted the induction of embryonic myosin heavy chain (MYH3) and, to a lesser extent, adult myosin isoforms during muscle regeneration, and promoted small-diameter neofibers. An unbiased target identification approach in primary myoblasts validated gigaxonin as a target of miR-501 that mimicked the effect of miR-501 inhibition on MYH3 expression. In the mdx mouse model, which models a pathological disease state, not only was miR-501 induced in regenerating skeletal muscle, but also its serum levels were increased, which correlated with the disease state of the animals. Our results suggest that miR-501 plays a key role in adult muscle regeneration and might serve as a novel serum biomarker for the activation of adult muscle stem cells.
A new mode of mitochondrial transport and polarized sorting regulated by Dynein, Milton and Miro
Authors: Melkov Anna , Baskar Raju , Alcalay Yehonatan , Abdu Uri
Published: October 2016

Intrinsic cell microtubule (MT) polarity, together with molecular motors and adaptor proteins, determines mitochondrial polarized targeting and MT-dependent transport. In polarized cells, such as neurons, mitochondrial mobility and transport require the regulation of kinesin and dynein by two adaptor proteins, Milton and Miro. Recently, we found that dynein heavy chain 64C (Dhc64C) is the primary motor protein for both anterograde and retrograde transport of mitochondria in the Drosophila bristle. In this study, we show that a molecular lesion in the Dhc64C allele that reduced bristle mitochondrial velocity generated a variant that acts as a ‘slow’ dynein in an MT-gliding assay, indicating that dynein directly regulates mitochondrial transport. We also showed that in milton-RNAi flies, mitochondrial flux into the bristle shaft, but not velocity, was significantly reduced. Surprisingly, mitochondria retrograde flux, but not net velocity, was significantly decreased in miro-RNAi flies. We thus reveal a new mode of mitochondrial sorting in polarized cell growth, whereby bi-directional mitochondrial transport undertaken exclusively by dynein is regulated by Milton in the anterograde direction and by a Miro-dependent switch to the retrograde direction.
Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy for non-small-cell lung cancer: setup reproducibility with novel arms-down immobilization
Authors: Moore Karen , Paterson Claire , Hicks Jonathan , Harrow Stephen , McJury Mark
Published: October 2016

Objective:

A clinical evaluation of the intrafraction and interfraction setup accuracy of a novel thermoplastic mould immobilization device and patient position in early-stage lung cancer being treated with stereotactic radiotherapy at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, UK.

Methods:

35 patients were immobilized in a novel, arms-down position, with a four-point Klarity™ (Klarity Medical Products, Ohio, US) clear thermoplastic mould fixed to a SinMed (CIVCO Medical solutions, lowa, US) head and neck board. A knee support was also used for patient comfort and support. Pre- and post-treatment kilovoltage cone beam CT (CBCT) images were fused with the planning CT scan to determine intra- and interfraction motion. A total of 175 CBCT scans were analysed in the longitudinal, vertical and lateral directions.

Results:

The mean intrafraction errors were 0.05 ± 0.77 mm (lateral), 0.44 ± 1.2 mm (superior–inferior) and −1.44 ± 1.35 mm (anteroposterior), respectively. Mean composite three-dimensional displacement vector was 2.14 ± 1.2 mm. Interfraction errors were −0.66 ± 2.35 mm (lateral), −0.13 ± 3.11 mm (superior–inferior) and 0.00 ± 2.94 mm (anteroposterior), with three-dimensional vector 4.08 ± 2.73 mm.

Conclusion:

Setup accuracy for lung image-guided stereotactic ablative radiotherapy using a unique immobilization device, where patients have arms by their sides, has been shown to be safe and favourably comparable to other published setup data where more complex and cumbersome devices were utilised. There was no arm toxicity reported and low arm doses.

Advances in knowledge:

We report on the accuracy of a novel patient immobilization device.
Complete analysis of the H5 hemagglutinin and N8 neuraminidase phylogenetic trees reveals that the H5N8 subtype has been produced by multiple reassortment events
Authors: Dalby Andrew R.
Published: October 2016

The analysis of the complete H5 hemagglutinin and H8 neuraminidase phylogenetic trees presented in this paper shows that the H5N8 avian influenza has been generated by multiple reassortment events. The H5N8 strain does not have a single origin and is produced when the H5 hemagglutinin and N8 neuraminidase re-assort from other H5 and N8 containing strains. While it was known that there had been a re-assortment to incorporate the Guangdong H5 hemagglutinin at the start of the Korean outbreak, the results show that there have also been multiple reassortment events amongst the non-Korean sequences.
Achieving Success Key Factors of Complex Product Systems Projects at Different Life Cycle Stages
Authors: ��������  , Artemev Dmitry , ������������  , Grebenshchikova Elena
Published: October 2016

The article contains results of research about key success factors in Complex Product Systemsprojects (CoPS-projects). Results based on survey of major foreign companies� projects managers such as Micron Optics (US), HBM FiberSesning (Portugal), Sylex (Slovakia), OzOptics (USA) and others. The study revealed defining characteristics of successful CoPSprojects, key factors and criteria for determining the success across all life cycle stages. As a result, the article proposes a mechanism of CoPS-project management based on monitoring the success factors at each project stage.
Sociology of the Imagination of International Relations
Authors: Терновая  , Tyernovaya Lyudmila
Published: October 2016

In the book from the standpoint of the sociology of the imagination represented such terms of international relations as national dream, happiness, miracle, freedom, hope etc. Their introduction to the number of categories for evaluating the status of States reflected the profound changes not only in the world order, but also in the interactions of
the most important international factors.
The publication is intended for students and professors of sociology, political science, history, philology, cultural and psychological disciplines, for readers, interested in international processes.
Do Local Capital Market Conditions Affect Consumers’ Borrowing Decisions?
Authors: Butler Alexander W. , Cornaggia Jess , Gurun Umit G.
Published: October 2016

This paper uses detailed data from an online peer-to-peer lending intermediary to test whether local access to finance affects consumers’ willingness to pay for loans. After controlling for local economic conditions and borrower credit quality, we find that borrowers who reside in areas with good access to bank finance request loans with lower interest rates. This effect is stronger for borrowers with poor credit and those seeking small loans, suggesting that local access to finance is more important for marginal borrowers. Overall, our findings shed light on how consumers substitute between alternative sources of finance.

This paper was accepted by Wei Jiang, finance.