bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recovery of myocardial mechanics in Kawasaki disease demonstrated by speckle tracking and tissue Doppler methods
Authors: Azak Emine , Cetin Ibrahim Ilker , Gursu Hazım A. , Kibar Ayse Esin , Surucu Murat , Orgun Ali , Pamuk Utku
Published: December 2017

Aim

To investigate myocardial deformation and function during treatment for Kawasaki disease (KD) in children.

Methods

We performed speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in 15 children with KD and 15 healthy children during treatment for KD. STE was performed for longitudinal and circumferential strain (S) and strain rate (SR) at the left ventricle (LV) and for longitudinal S and SR at the right ventricle (RV). TDI was performed at the base of interventricular septum (IVS), LV, and RV.

Results

Among TDI parameters, Em and ejection time (ET) at IVS, ET at LV and ET at RV obtained obtained before treatment were significantly lower in patients with KD compared to controls. After treatment, in spite of improvements, ET at IVS and ET at RV remained significantly lower in patients with KD compared to controls. Left ventricular global longitudinal and circumferential S and SR values obtained before treatment were significantly lower in patients with KD compared to controls. Left ventricular S and SR values were found to be increased after treatment. However, left ventricular global circumferential S value remained significantly lower in patients with KD compared to controls. There were no significant differences in right ventricular global longitudinal S and SR values between patients and controls before treatment.

Conclusion

During acute phase, patients with KD have reduced global left ventricular S and SR which may be more sensitive indicators of myocardial inflammation. This study showed gradual improvements in left ventricular myocardial function during treatment for KD.
A call for prevention and early intervention in obsessive‐compulsive disorder
Authors: Brakoulias Vlasios , Perkes Iain E. , Tsalamanios Emmanouil
Published: December 2017

Background

Evidence suggests that many people with obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) have subclinical symptoms years before the development of their disorder and that early treatment may reduce its severity.

Aim

To explore prevention and early intervention strategies for OCD.

Methods

A narrative literature review was conducted.

Results

The literature in relation to the prevention of OCD is sparse. Genetic and environmental factors appear to be relevant to the aetiology of OCD, for example, the observation that hoarding symptoms and contamination/cleaning symptoms are more likely to also be present in first‐degree relatives. Psychoeducation and the reduction of family accommodation, that is the act of parents, siblings or partners accommodating to the high‐risk individual’s requests to comply with their compulsions, are promising areas for prevention and early intervention in high‐risk groups. Tertiary prevention has also been limited by an inadequate number of trained clinicians to deliver evidence‐based treatments.

Conclusions

Much more research is needed in relation to the prevention of OCD. There is limited scope for primary prevention with respect to biological aetiological factors, but there is potential for strategies addressing environmental factors (eg, family factors). The effectiveness of psychoeducation for parents with OCD as a primary prevention strategy for OCD in their children requires scientific evaluation. Improving access to effective treatments for OCD would also improve tertiary prevention.
Intestinal and hepatic contributions to the pharmacokinetic interaction between gamithromycin and rifampicin after single‐dose and multiple‐dose administration in healthy foals
Authors: Berlin S. , Wallstabe S. , Scheuch E. , Oswald S. , Hasan M. , Wegner D. , Grube M. , Venner M. , Ullrich A. , Siegmund W.
Published: December 2017

Background

Standard treatment of foals with severe abscessing lung infection caused byRhodococcus equiusing rifampicin and a macrolide antibiotic can be compromised by extensive inhibition and/or induction of drug metabolising enzymes (e.g. CYP3A4) and transport proteins (e.g. P‐glycoprotein), as has been shown for rifampicin and clarithromycin. The combination of rifampicin with the new, poorly metabolised gamithromycin, a long‐acting analogue of azithromycin and tulathromycin with lower pharmacokinetic interaction potential, might be a suitable alternative.

Objectives

To evaluate the pharmacokinetic interactions and pulmonary distribution of rifampicin and gamithromycin in healthy foals, and to investigate the cellular uptake of gamithromycin in vitro.

Study design

Controlled, four‐period, consecutive, single‐dose and multiple‐dose study.

Methods

Pharmacokinetics and lung distribution of rifampicin (10 mg/kg) and gamithromycin (6 mg/kg) were measured in nine healthy foals using LC‐MS/MS. Enzyme induction was confirmed using the 4β‐OH‐cholesterol/cholesterol ratio. Affinity of gamithromycin to drug transport proteins was evaluated in vitro using equine hepatocytes and MDCKII‐cells stably transfected with human OATP1B1, OATP1B3 and OATP2B1.

Results

Rifampicin significantly (P<0.05) increased the plasma exposure of gamithromycin (16.2 ± 4.77 vs. 8.57 ± 3.10 μg × h/mL) by decreasing the total body clearance. Otherwise, gamithromycin significantly lowered plasma exposure of single‐ and multiple‐dose rifampicin (83.8 ± 35.3 and 112 ± 43.1 vs. 164 ± 96.7 μg × h/mL) without a change in metabolic ratio and half‐life. Gamithromycin was identified as an inhibitor of human OATP1B1, OATP1B3 and OATP2B1 and as a substrate of OATP2B1. In addition, it was extracted by equine hepatocytes via a mechanism which could be inhibited by rifampicin.

Main limitations

Influence of gamithromycin on pulmonary distribution of rifampicin was not evaluated.

Conclusion

The plasma exposure of gamithromycin is significantly increased by co‐administration of rifampicin which is most likely caused by inhibition of hepatic elimination.
Couple Relationship Standards and Migration: Comparing Hong Kong Chinese with Australian Chinese
Authors: Halford W. Kim , Leung Patrick , Hung‐Cheung Chan , Chau‐Wan Lau , Hiew Danika , van de Vijver Fons J. R.
Published: December 2017

Rates of international migration are increasing, which raises the question of how migration might influence couple relationship standards and impact on the standards of migrants forming intercultural relationships. We compared relationship standards in n = 286 Chinese living in Hong Kong, China, with standards in n = 401 Chinese migrants to a Western country (Australia) by administering the Chinese‐Western Intercultural Couple Standards Scale (CWICSS). We also compared these two groups to n = 312 Westerners living in Australia. We first tested the structural invariance of the CWICSS across the three samples with a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. There was marginal but acceptable fit of a model of two positively correlated latent factors: Couple Bond (with four indicators, such as demonstration of love and caring) and Family Responsibility (also with four indicators, such as extended family relations and preserving face). Within the limitations of the study, results suggest migration is associated predominantly with differences in women's, but not men's, relationship standards. Migrant Chinese women show alignment of Couple Bond standards with Western standards, and divergence of Family Responsibility standards from Western standards. Discussion focused on how migration and intercultural relationship experiences might differentially influence various domains of relationship standards, gender differences in migration effects on standards, and the implications for working with culturally diverse couples.
Family Science as Translational Science: A History of the Discipline
Authors: Hamon Raeann R. , Smith Suzanne R.
Published: December 2017

Family science has been a translational science since its inception. The history of family science began with an interdisciplinary group of scholars who came together to explore the complex nature of families during the discovery phase, paying particular attention to applying information to resolve family challenges. In the pioneering stage, family professionals struggled with naming the discipline and assembled professional groups that collected and applied information to benefit families. In the maturing stage, disciplinary leaders deemed that family science met the criteria of a bona fide discipline and the field's identity became more pronounced, with a great deal of translational work occurring. During the current stage, evaluation and innovation, family science professionals need to assess programs and practices to refine and better articulate and distinguish the field. This historical account accentuates the central importance of the translational nature of family science to the discipline's identity.
Prevalence of fluoroquinolone‐resistant rectal flora in patients undergoing transrectal ultrasound‐guided prostate needle biopsy: A prospective multicenter study
Authors: Chung Ho Seok , Hwang Eu Chang , Yu Ho Song , Jung Seung Il , Lee Sun Ju , Lim Dong Hoon , Cho Won Jin , Choe Hyun Sop , Lee Seung‐Ju , Park Sung Woon
Published: December 2017

Objectives

To estimate the prevalence of fluoroquinolone‐resistant rectal flora in patients undergoing transrectal ultrasound‐guided prostate needle biopsy and to identify the high‐risk groups.

Methods

From January 2015 to March 2016, rectal swabs of 557 men who underwent transrectal ultrasound‐guided prostate needle biopsy were obtained from five institutions. Clinical variables, including demographics, rectal swab culture results and infectious complications, were evaluated. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to identify the risk factors for fluoroquinolone resistance of rectal flora and infectious complications.

Results

The incidence of fluoroquinolone‐resistant and extended‐spectrum beta‐lactamase production was 48.1 and 11.8%, respectively. The most common fluoroquinolone‐resistant bacteria was Escherichia coli (81% of total fluoroquinolone‐resistant bacteria, 39% of total rectal flora), and 16 (2.9%) patients had infectious complications. Univariable and multivariable analysis of clinical parameters affecting fluoroquinolone resistance showed no factor associated with fluoroquinolone resistance of rectal flora. The clinical parameter related to infectious complications after prostate biopsy was a history of operation within 6 months (relative risk 6.60; 95% confidence interval 1.99–21.8, P = 0.002).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that a risk‐based approach by history taking cannot predict antibiotic resistance of rectal flora, and physicians should consider targeted antibiotic prophylaxis or extended antibiotic prophylaxis for Korean patients undergoing transrectal ultrasound‐guided prostate biopsy because of high antibiotic resistance of rectal flora.
Should I stay or should I go now? Exploring Polish women's returns “home”
Authors: Duda‐Mikulin Eva A.
Published: December 2017

At a time when there are more people on the move than ever before, it is pivotal to explore people's motivations and experiences of return migration. Whilst motivations for migration are comparatively well explored, return migrants' experiences are less well‐known and migrants' gender is rarely considered. This article addresses these gaps. It is based on qualitative research and in‐depth interviews with 32 Polish women: 16 migrants and 16 return migrants. Considered through the lens of agency and structure, this research uncovers how fluid the process of migration has become; migration motivations and patterns are blurred and interlinked with one another while classic migration theories seem outdated. The study uses an “intersection of motivations” to show how inseparable migration‐related motivations have become. This article contributes to the growing literature on East–West return migration and highlights women as migrants and the gendered nature of their mobility.
Quality of Life of Afghan Immigrants in Tehran city
Authors: Mansourian Hossein , Rajaei Seyed Abbas
Published: December 2017

By 2015, there were more than two million Afghan immigrants, both legal and illegal, living in Iran. Although, over the recent years, there has been a growing interest among social scientists, policymakers and national and international institutes in investigation of the quality of life (QoL) of immigrants, research on the QoL of Afghan immigrants in Iran is still in its infancy. The present article aims to study the QoL of Afghan immigrants in Iran and identify its influential dimensions and factors. This study relies on a perception survey of 347 Afghan households in Tehran city. Based on the 5‐point Likert Scale, the mean of overall life satisfaction of the Afghan immigrants was found as 3.22, which shows satisfactory QoL of Afghan immigrants in Iran. The highest level of satisfaction, with a mean value of 3.96, is related to public transport access followed by satisfaction in social relations with friends, relatives and fellow immigrants living in Iran, and access to cultural centres such as the mosque, library, and cinema. The lowest level of satisfaction, with a mean value of 1.90, was seen at border services like entry and exit from Iran, followed by the Iranian government policy towards Afghan refugees, and saving abilities. In addition, the most important predictors of immigrants' QoL include indicators of health, security, work status, and income, which are closely interrelated with the main reasons for Afghans' immigration to Iran. After immigration to Iran, the QoL status of the immigrants has improved significantly, especially in the fields of security and education; nevertheless, their employment in jobs with low skill and income, along with the decrease in the economic growth of Iran over the recent years, have caused problems for the economic and financial status of the immigrants. The results and findings of this study will be useful for designing and implementing plans and policies necessary to improve QoL of Afghan immigrants in Iran.
Groundwater flooding in a river‐connected alluvial aquifer
Authors: Abboud J.M. , Ryan M.C. , Osborn G.D.
Published: December 2017

Groundwater flooding can occur when the water table rises due to (a) recharge to (or decreased abstraction from) aquifers with low storativity or (b) propagation of the rising river stages into permeable, river‐connected alluvial aquifers. The latter type was significant in 2013 in Alberta. A survey of 189 homes along the Elbow River in Calgary examined the basement flooding water characteristics and the initial route of floodwater entry. In homes where the initial route of entry was known, 88% were initially flooded by groundwater, and 12% reported exclusively groundwater flooding. Basement floor elevation was correlated with the severity of flooding (R2 = .61). Of the 19 surveyed homes located outside of the 100‐year overland flood zone, 47% were flooded by groundwater, indicating that groundwater flooding reaches beyond overland water‐flooded areas. Hydrogeological modelling demonstrated that propagation of increased river stage into the aquifer could reasonably have caused the observed groundwater flooding. Groundwater flood resilience strategies could include (a) monitoring groundwater levels in flood‐prone areas to differentiate sewer backup from groundwater flooding via wastewater collection systems and to provide groundwater flooding warnings, (b) specifying minimum home basement elevation with respect to river stages for specified flood return intervals, and (c) appropriate home construction.
Association of body mass index and weight gain patterns with albumin excretion in pregnancy
Authors: Tulmaç Özlem B. , Dağ Zeynep Ö. , Erdoğan Funda , Sayan Cemile D. , Sağsöz Nevin
Published: December 2017

Aim

We examined body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) patterns of pregnant women and investigated the impact of these factors on the urinary albumin‐creatinine ratio (ACR) during pregnancy.

Methods

The data of 163 women whose basal BMI and ACR were measured during the first trimester were used in this study. Body weight alone between 12–16 weeks and body weight together with ACR after 37 weeks of gestation were measured.

Results

Overall, 46% of women were overweight or obese, 60.7% had excessive weight gain and 16.6% had inadequate weight gain. Only 22.7% of women gained weight within the recommended range. There was no difference in weight gain patterns with respect to BMI. ACR during the third trimester was significantly higher than during the first trimester (7.08 [0.00–1180.90] mg/g vs 4.73 [0.00–275.00] mg/g, respectively; P = 0.001). The ACR of obese women was higher than in normal weight subjects during the third trimester (16.79 mg/g [0.01–1180.90] vs 8.07 mg/g [0.10–402.14] respectively; adjusted P = 0.015). Both ACR change and third trimester ACR were weakly but significantly correlated with basal BMI (r: 0.228 P: 0.003 and r: 0.301 P < 0.001, respectively) but not with GWG or GWG rate. Basal BMI was not associated with first‐trimester ACR.

Conclusion

Obesity is associated with an increase in urinary albumin excretion during the course of pregnancy. Distinction of this relationship during pregnancy offers an opportunity for further research on pathophysiological mechanisms. The alarmingly high rate of non‐compliance with IOM guidelines in pregnant women is a concern. Prompt measures for counseling of women before and during pregnancy in order to maintain healthy weight are needed.
A Cross‐Cultural Comparison of U.S. and Japanese Trainees’ Emotion‐Recognition Ability
Authors: Hutchison Ashley , Gerstein Lawrence , Kasai Makiko
Published: December 2017

This study investigated the ability of non‐Hispanic White U.S. counseling psychology trainees and Japanese clinical psychology trainees to recognize facially expressed emotions. Researchers proposed that an in‐group advantage for emotion recognition would occur, women would have higher emotion‐recognition accuracy than men, and participants would vary in their emotion‐intensity ratings. Sixty White U.S. students and 60 Japanese students viewed photographs of non‐Hispanic White U.S. and Japanese individuals expressing emotions and completed a survey assessing emotion‐recognition ability and emotion‐intensity ratings. Two four‐way mixed‐factor analyses of variance were performed, examining effects of participant nationality/race, participant gender, poser nationality/race, and poser gender on emotion‐recognition accuracy scores and intensity ratings. Results did not support the in‐group advantage hypothesis, rather, U.S. participants had higher accuracy rates than Japanese trainees overall. No gender differences in accuracy were found. However, respondents varied in their intensity ratings across gender and nationality. Implications for training applied psychology students and for future research are presented.
Externalities From Driving Luxury Cars
Authors: Park Sojung Carol , Han Sangeun
Published: December 2017

Driving luxury cars creates negative externalities. Driving a luxury car increases property damage liability insurance costs for all drivers due to the striking differences in repair costs of luxury cars and nonluxury cars in Korea. In this study, we estimate the externalities related to auto accidents involving luxury cars by running a two‐part model using unbalanced individual‐level panel data on insurance claims and characteristics of the insured party. We find evidence of negative externalities in all of our results. To be specific, a 1 percent increase in luxury cars raises the property damage liability costs by 1.9–2.6 percent per claim. The estimated nationwide increase in the cost of liability due to driving of luxury cars in Korea is USD 139–196 million per year. This cost is shared by all drivers nationwide.
Demonstrating the Intensive Benefit to the Local Implementation of a Statewide Building Code
Authors: Czajkowski Jeffrey , Simmons Kevin M. , Done James M.
Published: December 2017

Ultimately, risk reduction from the implementation of building codes is due to not only the extent of the code as it applies to new construction, but also to the intensity of local adoption and enforcement. It is normally an open question as to how well a code is maintained and enforced at the local level, even for a relatively strong adopted statewide code such as the Florida Building Code. We test the importance of the intensity of building code implementation at the local level for reducing Florida windstorm losses by utilizing Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS®) rating data. BCEGS ratings provide a joint assessment of local building code effectiveness in terms of the strength of the adopted codes in addition to how well these adopted codes are enforced. We find that both components provide value in reducing windstorm losses in Florida, with the extent of the statewide code being the dominant effect reducing losses on the order of 72 percent. Although not as substantial in terms of its loss reduction magnitude, intensively implementing building codes at the local level by ensuring codes are properly administered and enforced at this scale provides additional loss reduction value on the order of 15–25 percent. Understanding the relative value of these two implementation components is important to better inform building code policy and enforcement efforts given continuously updated codes.
Optimal tariffs with inframarginal exporters
Authors: Sharma Rishi R.
Published: December 2017

This paper shows that an importing country can have an incentive to impose a tariff to extract rents earned by foreign exporters even in a perfectly competitive setting. To demonstrate this, I develop a new model of international trade that incorporates fixed costs of exporting and firm heterogeneity within a perfectly competitive framework. In this setting, despite the fact that there are no preexisting distortions, the optimal tariff is positive even for a small country with no world market power. In the limit, as either firm heterogeneity or the fixed costs of exporting vanish, the optimal tariff approaches zero.
Social Transfer Benefits and Retirement Decisions: Evidence from South Africa
Authors: Muchiri Steve , Garen John
Published: December 2017

Population aging poses a new challenge to the fiscal sustainability of social security programs around the globe. As life expectancy increases, among other reasons, many governments in developed countries have begun to reform key features of their programs, such as increasing the eligibility age for access to social benefits. However, as in the case of South Africa, some opt to decrease the eligibility age for access to such pension benefits. The South African old age pension, which is one of the most expansive cash transfers in developing countries, puts a significant monthly cash transfer in the hands of its recipients. This cash transfer is conditioned on age and a means test that is very generous to most South Africans. In this paper, we seek to understand the impact of such an increase in non‐labour income on the labour force participation of older men by exploiting a phased‐in reduction in pension eligibility age. We estimate that, at the median predicted market wage, pension age‐eligibility reduces the probability of labour force participation by approximately 9.85% points for single males and 15.45% points for married males.
Coronary and carotid atherosclerosis in asymptomatic male marathon runners
Authors: Burgstahler C. , Cipowicz H. , Thomas C. , Schabel C. , Mangold S. , Ketelsen D. , Claussen C. D. , Niess A. M. , Tsiflikas I.
Published: December 2017

The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of carotid ultrasound (CU) to predict coronary atherosclerosis in asymptomatic male marathon runners. A total of 49 male marathon runners older than 45 years (mean age 53.3 ± 7.2 years, range 45‐74 years) received CU and cardiac CT angiography (CTA) including calcium scoring (CS). Results of CU and CTA were classified binary: 1. Absence of atherosclerosis and 2. Presence of atherosclerosis. The extent of atherosclerosis was not primary end point of the study. Mean PROCAM score was 2.3% (SD 2.2, range 0.44%‐12.34%). One person had to be excluded from analysis (one missing CT‐scan). From the remaining 48 marathon runners, 17 (35.4%) had carotid atherosclerosis and 22 (45.8%) coronary atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis in either exam was diagnosed in 27/48 (56.3%) marathon runners. Diagnostic accuracy of CU to predict coronary atherosclerosis was: sensitivity 54.55% (95% CI 32.2‐75.6), specificity 80.8% (CI 60.6‐93.4), positive predictive value 70.6 (CI 44.1‐89.9), negative predictive value 67.7 (CI 48.6‐83.3) with a positive likelihood ratio of 2.84 (CI 1.18‐6.82) and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.56 (CI 0.34‐0.92). Coronary and/or carotid atherosclerosis can be detected in more than 50% of male marathon runners aged older than 45 years. The diagnostic value of carotid ultrasound to predict coronary atherosclerosis is low but higher than the accuracy of rest‐ or stress‐ECG. As outcome studies in sportsmen are still missing, the routine evaluation of the carotid arteries by ultrasound or even cardiac CT cannot be recommended at present. Furthermore, the incidence of atherosclerosis by our method in normal population is not known.
Potential of citric acid to alter pH and metal uptake in reeds in acid mine drainage solutions
Authors: Guo Lin , Cutright Teresa J.
Published: December 2017

Phragmites australis (common reed) is often used to treat acid mine drainage (AMD) sites contaminated with high concentrations of heavy metals and low pH. This study investigated the effects of different levels (low 0.34 g/L, middle 17.86 g/L and high 33.62 g/L) of the biodegradable chelator citric acid (CA) on pH change, metal (i.e. Fe, Al and Mn) accumulation and translocation in reeds cultured in aqueous AMD contaminated media for 4 and 12 weeks. The results indicated that CA inhibited further deceases in AMD pH as well as increased Fe and Mn accumulation in both belowground and above ground tissues of reeds. As expected, increasing CA dosage and treatment time increased metal accumulation in plants. By 12 weeks, 0.18 ± 0.01 mg Mn/g, 56.78 ± 7.63 mg Fe/g and 0.60 ± 0.01 mg Al/g were accumulated in roots; while 0.06 ± 0.01 mg Mn/g; 6.38 ± 0.06 mg Fe/g; and 0.19 ± 0.01 mg Al/g were sequestered in stems of reeds treated with 33.62 g/L CA. Further research is needed to study the application of CA to enhance the phytoremediation efficiency of AMD contaminated field.
APIGENIN INCREASES CISPLATIN INHIBITORY EFFECTS ON THE TELOMERASE ACTIVITY OF TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER CELLS
Authors: A. Aziz Noorfaiza , Froemming Gabriele Ruth Anisah , Sheikh Abdul Kadir Siti Hamimah , Ibahim Mohammad Johari
Published: December 2017

Inhibition of telomerase activity has emerged as a promising strategy to combat cancer cells, especially ones with no specific molecular targets such as triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Cisplatin, a chemotherapeutic drug, is causing DNA damage while apigenin, a plant-derived antioxidant, induces apoptosis in various cancer cell types. Little is known about their combined ability to inhibit telomerase activity in TNBC cells. In the current study, the effect of cisplatin in combination with apigenin was investigated with regards to telomerase activity and expression of the telomerase catalytic subunit hTERT as well as Heat Shock Protein 90 (Hsp90) and p23 in two types of TNBC (MDA-MB-231; HCC1806) and one non-tumorigenic (MCF10A) epithelial cell line. The results showed that the combined treatment of cisplatin and apigenin significantly down-regulated telomerase activity. The inhibition of telomerase activity was accompanied by a down-regulation of hTERT, Hsp90 and p23 at transcriptional and translational level in both TNBC cells, as compared to control cells. The results of the current study suggest that apigenin and cisplatin synergistically inhibit telomerase activity by downregulating the enzyme’s catalytic subunit. However, the exact roles of Hsp90 and p23 in the regulation of telomerase activity requires further investigation as they seem to be TNBC subtype-specific.
DEVELOPMENT OF SURFACE ROUGHNESS PREDICTION MODEL FOR HARD TURNING ON AISI D2 STEEL USING CUBIC BORON NITRIDE INSERT
Authors: Mohruni Amrifan Saladin , Yanis Muhammad , Kurniawan Edwin
Published: December 2017

Hard turning is an alternative to traditional grinding in the manufacturing industry for hardened ferrous alloy material above 45 HRC. Hard turning has advantages such as lower equipment cost, shorter setup time, fewer process steps, greater part geometry flexibility and elimination of cutting fluid. In this study, the effect of cutting speed and feed rate on surface roughness in hard turning was experimentally investigated. AISI D2 steel workpiece (62 HRC) was machined with Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) insert under dry machining. A 2k-factorial design with 4 centre points as an initial design of experiment (DOE) and a central composite design (CCD) as augmented design were used in developing the empirical mathematical models. They were employed for analysing the significant machining parameters. The results show that the surface roughness value decreased (smoother) with increasing cutting speed. In contrary, surface roughness value increased significantly when the feed rate increased. Optimum cutting speed and feed rate condition in this experiment was 105 m/min and 0.10 mm/rev respectively with surface roughness value was 0.267 µm. Further investigation revealed that the second order model is a valid surface roughness model, while the linear model cannot be used as a predicted model due to its lack of fit significance.
INVESTIGATING THE INFLUENCE OF STEEL SURFACE ROUGHNESS AND MULTIPLE CFRP LAYERS ON THE BONDING BEHAVIOUR OF A SINGLE-STRAP JOINT
Authors: W. Al-Zand Ahmed , Wan Badruzzaman Wan Hamidon
Published: December 2017

Three series of steel-plate single-strap joints bonded by Carbon-Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets, which are used with an adhesive material, are investigated in this study. Experimental and finite element (FE) analyses using ABAQUS software are employed for this purpose. The main objective of this study is to provide further understanding of the bonding mechanism of strengthened single-strap joints under a pure-tension load. The experimental tests specifically investigated the effects of using multiple CFRP layers with normal/high steel surface roughness on the bonding failure mode, bond-load capacity, and effective bond length. Furthermore, the FE analysis was used to establish the shear stress-slip relationships of the suggested specimens. The results showed that the bond capacity (ultimate bond load) of single-strap joint did not increased much when the CFRP bonding length pass the effective bond length (limit). The bonding capacity (ultimate bond load) of single-strap joint increased only of about 14% when increase d the CFRP layers from two to four. Moreover, the behaviour of the shear stress-slip relationship was not significantly affected by increasing the number of CFRP layers.
PHOTO-FENTON TREATMENT OF SAGO WASTEWATER: RSM OPTIMIZATION AND TOXICITY EVALUATION
Authors: Kanakaraju Devagi , Soon Pang Wong , Wan Abu Bakar Wan Azelee
Published: December 2017

Due to the fact that organic matter in sago wastewater is not effectively removed by current traditional methods, this study was designed to systematically investigate the performance of photo-Fenton treatment. Despite being ratified for its high efficiency in improving wastewater quality, there remains a paucity of evidence on its performance on sago wastewater. Thus, the objective of this study was to optimize the conditions of the photo-Fenton process by employing the response surface methodology (RSM) using the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal as the target parameter. Fenton’s reagent (Fe2+ and H2O2 concentration) and pH were used as the independent variables to be optimized. Under optimum conditions, 90.0% of COD removal efficiency was obtained when the wastewater sample was treated at pH 2.66 in the presence of 4.01 g/L of H2O2and 5.07 g/L Fe2+ion. Despite the high COD removal, the total organic carbon (TOC) removal under the same optimized condition was lower, only 48.0% indicating incomplete mineralization of stable intermediates present in the solution. Toxicity evaluation revealed that the mortality of Artemia salina was less than 50%, which means that the treated sago wastewater can be considered as non-toxic. The regression value (R2> 0.99) of the models indicates a high degree of correlation between the parameters evaluated. The results obtained indicate the feasibility of photo-Fenton treatment to the sago wastewater as an appealing alternative approach.
A FAULT DIAGNOSIS EXPERT SYSTEM FOR WATER COOLED PACKED UNIT
Authors: Nian Tan Chee , Fai Tan Chee , Abdullah Mohd Azman
Published: December 2017

Air conditioning plays an important role in giving maximum comfort working and leisure environment to the occupant as well as to reduce the indoor temperature. This project describes the use of an expert system shell for air conditioning air handling unit. For air handling unit, the services and maintenances of machine are expensive due to heavily dependent on experts. Hence, the main goal of the developed system is to diagnose the problem of air handling unit. With the assistance of expert system, the diagnosis process for air handling unit can be shorten up by 566.5% and standardized compared to the conventional way. The developed system is restricted by the expert’s experiences and knowledge. A case study was conducted to verify the capability of the developed system.
PREDICTING THE RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF BITUMEN-FILLER MASTIC USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK METHODS
Authors: Khamis Nursyahirah , Mat Yazid Muhamad Razuhanafi , Hamim Asmah , P. Rosyidi Sri Atmaja , Md. Yusoff Nur Izzi , Borhan Muhamad Nazri
Published: December 2017

This study was conducted to develop two types of artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict the rheological properties of bitumen-filler mastic in terms of the complex modulus and phase angle. Two types of ANN models were developed namely; (i) a multilayer feed-forward neural network model and (ii) a radial basis function network model. This study was also conducted to evaluate the accuracy of both types of models in predicting the rheological properties of bitumen-filler mastics by means of statistical parameters such as the coefficient of determination (R2), mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) for every developed model. A set of dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) test data was used on a range of the bitumen-filler mastics with three filler types (limestone, cement and grit stone) and two filler concentrations (35 and 65% by mass). Based on the analysis performed, it was found that both models were able to predict the complex modulus and phase angle of bitumen-filler mastics with the average R2 value exceeding 0.98. A comparison between the two types of models showed that the radial basis function network model has a higher accuracy than multilayer feed-forward neural network model with a higher value of R2 and lower value of MAE, MSE and RMSE. It can be concluded that the ANN model can be used as an alternative method to predict the rheological properties of bitumen-filler mastic.
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL BEHAVIOR OF PB, CD, AND ZN RELEASE DURING SHORT TERM LOW INTENSITY RESUSPENSION EVENTS
Authors: Mahamod M. T. , Wan Mohtar W. H. M. , Yusoff S. F. M.
Published: December 2017

Sediment as the largest storage and resources of heavy metal plays an important role in the metal remobilisation and release. Continuous particulate matter in suspension increased the level and mobility of metals, of which poses a serious problem particularly to aquatic organisms. The purpose of this research is to investigate the fate and amount of contaminant released through sediment resuspension by using particle entrainment simulator (PES) with low turbulence intensity. The heavy metal release from sediment mixture of sand/silt/clay with percentage of 90/5/5, respectively was studied. In particular, the research paid attention to the contaminant release at the early resuspension stage (i.e. within 3 hr resuspension) by reviewing the metal releases of Zn, Cd and Pb in water column at five elevations from the bed of PES. Results showed that the concentration of remobilised heavy metal during resuspension event for Cd, Zn and Pb was in ranged of 0.034 to 0.139 mg/L, 0.014 to 0.071 mg/L and 0.007 to 0.029 mg/L respectively. The affinities of heavy metal release discussed in this study was Cd > Zn > Pb. Concentrations of the heavy metal fluctuated within the water column and have the lowest values at near bed. The highest concentration observed for Cd and Zn was at one integral length scale from the sediment bed and at t = 120 mins. Even at low turbulence intensity, the heavy metal release was still observed and is significant to the water quality.
Actitudes hacia el consumo de alcohol y consumo de alcohol en estudiantes de enfermería
Authors: Telumbre Terrero Juan Yovani , Esparza Almanza Santiaga Enriqueta , Alonso Castillo Bertha Alicia , Alonso Castillo María Teresa de Jesús
Published: December 2017

Objetivo: Determinar la relación de las actitudes hacia el consumo de alcohol y el consumo de alcohol en estudiantes de enfermería. Método: Estudio descriptivo correlacional. El muestreo fue censal con una muestra de 166 participantes de un programa de la Licenciatura en Enfermería de dos universidades privadas de Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. Se utilizó la Escala de Actitudes hacia el Consumo de Alcohol y el Cuestionario de Identificación de Trastornos debidos al Consumo de Alcohol. Resultados: Se identificó que el 83,1 % de los estudiantes de enfermería han consumido alcohol alguna vez en la vida, el 73,5 % lo ha hecho en el último año y el 33,7 % señaló haber consumido en los últimos siete días. Las actitudes positivas hacia el consumo de alcohol se relacionaron positiva y significativamente con el consumo sensato (rs = 0,401; p = 0,001), con el consumo dependiente (rs = 0,263; p = 0,001) y con el consumo dañino de alcohol (rs = 0,219; p = 0,016). Conclusión: Los hallazgos muestran la necesidad de diseñar y desarrollar intervenciones de enfermería para prevenir el consumo de alcohol y otras drogas y fomentar el desarrollo de habilidades para resistir el consumo de alcohol.
Protección ambiental en los mecanismos de apoyo financiero a la generación de energía verde y el derecho de la Unión Europea, el asunto Alands Vindkraft
Authors: Muriel-Ciceri José Hernán
Published: December 2017

La protección del medio ambiente y la simultánea consolidación del desarrollo sostenible en el mercado son realizables y constituyen parte de la cimentación del derecho europeo. Este derecho resalta su viabilidad, en el ámbito de los mecanismos financieros de apoyo a la producción de energía renovable como acciones frente al cambio climático. La armonía de estos mecanismos, previstos, por ejemplo, en la Directiva 2009/28CE y su adopción por los Estados miembro de la Unión Europea con la libre circulación de mercancías, es analizada por el Tribunal de Justicia en el asunto Ålands Vindkraft AB contra Energimyndigheten, (C-573/12). El Tribunal resalta en este caso, el cómo la compatibilidad del clima, la producción de energía verde y el desarrollo del mercado son una necesidad. En este ámbito, la Comisión Europea plantea al Parlamento y el Consejo, un marco de trabajo y un paquete de medidas, que conjuntamente desde sus funciones, concretarán en concordancia con los postulados del derecho europeo. 
La Protection Internationale des Personnes Deplacées à L’interieur de Leur Propre Pays
Authors: Arenas-Peralta Laura
Published: December 2017

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo proponer un análisis del régimen de protección internacional de las personas desplazadas internamente. Aunque dichas personas son, en principio, únicamente responsabilidad del país del cual son nacionales, algunos instrumentos internacionales han sido creados para tratar su situación. El presente estudio analítico se divide en dos grandes partes. En un primer momento, encontramos instrumentos internacionales que a pesar de no ser vinculantes para los Estados, han adquirido una importancia especial, tal es el caso de los Principios rectores del derecho internacional sobre el desplazamiento forzado. De otra parte, a nivel tanto regional como nacional se han desarrollado instrumentos vinculantes sobre el desplazamiento. Aquí, se presenta un análisis de los aportes hechos por el continente africano, a  nivel regional, en la materia  y por Colombia en el plano nacional. 
El positivismo de Kelsen y Hart en el derecho internacional contemporáneo: una mirada crítica
Authors: Urueña-Sánchez Mario Iván
Published: December 2017

El presente artículo de investigación busca analizar los principales aspectos de las teorías del derecho internacional de Hans Kelsen y Herbert Hart desde una perspectiva crítica. Para lograr este objetivo, se realiza una investigación documental basada en un análisis de contenido de la obra directa de los autores, de otros autores que revalúan esta obra y de exponentes de la teoría crítica del derecho internacional y de las relaciones internacionales. Para el análisis propuesto, se escinden los planos epistemológico y normativo de las teorías citadas, lo que arroja como conclusión que hay una mayor sintonía entre las teorías positivistas y las críticas en lo que respecta al plano normativo mientras que en el epistemológico hay una fuerte discrepancia, particularmente con el positivismo metodológico de Kelsen
Solving the assignment of customers to trucks and visiting days in a periodic routing real-world case
Authors: Duque Correa Andres Felipe , Baldoquín de la Peña María Gulnara
Published: December 2017

Introduction: this work proposes a model, and two heuristic algorithms to assign customers to trucks and visiting days, as a first phase in the solution of a real-world routing problem, which is closely related to the Periodic vehicle routing problem, but a strategic decision of the company imposes the additional constraint that every customer must always be visited by the same truck. Methods: The proposed model aims to group the customers that are visited the same day by the same truck as close as possible. The first proposed heuristic has a constructive stage, and five underlying improvement heuristic, the second one uses an exact linear programming algorithm. Results: The algorithms are evaluated by instances taken from the literature and generated, taking into account the characteristics presented in the real-world case addressed.
Strategic planning of biodiesel supply chain
Authors: García Cáceres Rafael Guillermo
Published: December 2017

Introduction:A stochastic biobjective MIP model for designing the network of biodiesel supply chains is presented. Ultimately intending to support the strategic decisions of stakeholders. The constraints included are: economies of scale, location of facilities, production capacity, raw material supply, product demand, bill of materials and mass balance.Objectives:The model aims to minimize, both, the total cost and environmental impact of five chain echelonsMetodology:The solution procedure resorts to chance constraint and the ε-constraint method to solve the biobjective model.Results:Computational experiments allowed assessing the performance of the solution procedure. The CPU times for the solution of the instances of the problem show very good values.Conclutions:By approaching the modeling of the biodiesel supply chain the current contribution can serve as the basis of future similar works and associated solution procedures, thus facilitating decision-making at different supply chain stages. The current approach can be improved through its modeling and/or through the development of solution procedures that allow its practical use in larger instances of the model. This can be overcome through permanent research lines that include the development of adequate acceleration methods, valid constraints, Benders decomposition, branch and cut, Lagrangian decomposition, Danzing-Wolf decomposition, or heuristics and meta-heuristics.
A Strategy for Prioritizing Electronic Medical Records Using Structured Analysis and Natural Language Processing
Authors: Pomares Quimbaya Alexandra , Gonzalez Rafael A. , Muñoz Oscar , García Olga Milena , Bohorquez Wilson Ricardo
Published: December 2017

Objective: Electronic medical records (EMR) typically contain both structured attributes as well as narrative text. The usefulness of EMR for research and administration is hampered by the difficulty in automatically analyzing their narrative portions. Accordingly, this paper proposes SPIRE, a strategy for prioritizing EMR, using natural language processing in combination with analysis of structured data, in order to identify and rank EMR that match specific queries from clinical researchers and health administrators.
Materials and Methods: The resulting software tool was evaluated technically and validated with three cases (heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and diabetes mellitus) compared against expert obtained results.
Results and Discussion: Our preliminary results show high sensitivity (70%, 82% and 87% respectively) and specificity (85%, 73.7% and 87.5%) in the resulting set of records. The AUC was between 0.84 and 0.9.
Conclusions: SPIRE was successfully implemented and used in the context of a university hospital information system, enabling clinical researchers to obtain prioritized EMR to solve their information needs through collaborative search templates with faster and more accurate results than other existing methods.
Propiocepción: Tratamientos seccionados en pacientes vivos no divisibles / Proprioception: Sectioned Treatments in Non-Divisible Living Patients
Authors: Ruales-Suárez Gerardo
Published: December 2017

RESUMEN. Objetivo: El presente artículo desarrolla un argumento acerca de la indivisibilidad del ser humano y de cómo el individuo permanece en constante movimiento. Asimismo, explica la posturología como la hermenéutica diagnóstica y la propiocepción como la constante fisiológica. Método: La divulgación científica especializada requiere ir más allá de la necesaria evidencia, individual y aislada, para entrar en sinergia con las demás ciencias de la salud. El exceso de información inconexa genera debilidad en las bases del conocimiento. Ahora bien, al recurrir a ellas se pretende interconectarlas con la odontología. La tendencia actual hacia los tratamientos multidisciplinarios e integrales se torna irrelevante cuando lo que falla es el fundamento diagnóstico. Se requiere entonces de comunicación interdisciplinar y de un lenguaje común entre las diferentes especialidades. Conclusiones: Los signos vitales como constantes del movimiento humano y la unión tisular indivisible proporcionan la evidencia de la consecución de la estabilidad corporal como fin terapéutico. La odontología interactúa de manera activa y pasiva en esa búsqueda. La propiocepción es el proceso sensorial clave para encontrar dicha estabilidad.ABSTRACT. Purpose: This article develops an argument about the indivisibility of the human being and how the individual remains in constant movement. In addition, it explains posturology as the diagnostic hermeneutics and proprioception as the physiological constant. Method: Specialized scientific dissemination should to go beyond the necessary individual and isolated evidence, to enter into synergy with the other health sciences. The excess of disjointed information turns weak the bases of knowledge, thus resorting to them seeks to connect them with Dentistry. The current trend towards multidisciplinary and comprehensive treatments becomes irrelevant when diagnostic foundations are failing. Hence, interdisciplinary communication and a common language among specialties are necessary. Conclusions: Vital signs, as constants of human movement, and indivisible tissue blending provide the evidence to achieve body stability as a therapeutic goal. Dentistry interacts actively and passively in this search and proprioception is the key sensory process to find stability.