bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Evaluation of the Central Nervous System Medication Use and Frailty among Residents of Aged Care Homes in Malaysia
Authors: Hasan Syed Shahzad , Kow Chia Siang , Thiruchelvam Kaeshaelya , Chong David Weng Kwai , Ahmed Syed Imran
Published: September 2017

Background/Aims: Old age and institutionalization in care homes are associated with increased use of risk medications affecting the central nervous system (CNS). This study evaluated medication utilization and appropriateness; and assessed frailty among residents of Malaysian aged care homes. Methods: The subjects of this study included 202 elderly (≥65 years) residents of 17 aged care homes in suburban peninsular Malaysia. Frailty was measured using the Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI) score and independence in daily living was measured as KATZ activity of daily living score. Medication appropriateness was assessed using the Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI) and 2015 Beers' criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication (PIM). Results: CNS medications constituted about 16% of the total, with an average of 0.8 ± 1.1 medications per resident, which reduced to 0.5 ± 0.8 medications after 3 months. Frailty (154/202) and polypharmacy (90/202) were highly prevalent in study subjects. Subjects on CNS medications had significantly higher GFI score (7.1 vs. 5.9; p = 0.031), polypharmacy (57.8 vs. 35.3%; p = 0.002), number of PIMs (0.9 vs. 0.2; p = 0.001), and mean summed MAI score (3.6 vs. 2.6; p = 0.015) than subjects not on CNS medications. Medication number was also significantly correlated with GFI (r = 0.194; p = 0.006) and KATZ (r = 0.141; p = 0.046) scores. Conclusion: Frailty and polypharmacy were highly prevalent among aged care home subjects taking CNS medications. These findings support the notion that periodic regular medication review should improve the overall use of medications in elderly patients.
Discourse Structure in Machine Translation Evaluation
Authors: Joty Shafiq , Guzmán Francisco , Màrquez Lluís , Nakov Preslav
Published: September 2017

In this article, we explore the potential of using sentence-level discourse structure for machine translation evaluation. We first design discourse-aware similarity measures, which use all-subtree kernels to compare discourse parse trees in accordance with the Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST). Then, we show that a simple linear combination with these measures can help improve various existing machine translation evaluation metrics regarding correlation with human judgments both at the segment level and at the system level. This suggests that discourse information is complementary to the information used by many of the existing evaluation metrics, and thus it could be taken into account when developing richer evaluation metrics, such as the WMT-14 winning combined metric DiscoTKparty. We also provide a detailed analysis of the relevance of various discourse elements and relations from the RST parse trees for machine translation evaluation. In particular, we show that (i) all aspects of the RST tree are relevant, (ii) nuclearity is more useful than relation type, and (iii) the similarity of the translation RST tree to the reference RST tree is positively correlated with translation quality.
Familiarity Speeds Up Visual Short-term Memory Consolidation: Electrophysiological Evidence from Contralateral Delay Activities
Authors: Xie Weizhen , Zhang Weiwei
Published: September 2017

To test how preexisting long-term memory influences visual STM, this study takes advantage of individual differences in participants' prior familiarity with Pokémon characters and uses an ERP component, the contralateral delay activity (CDA), to assess whether observers' prior stimulus familiarity affects STM consolidation and storage capacity. In two change detection experiments, consolidation speed, as indexed by CDA fractional area latency and/or early-window (500–800 msec) amplitude, was significantly associated with individual differences in Pokémon familiarity. In contrast, the number of remembered Pokémon stimuli, as indexed by Cowan's K and late-window (1500–2000 msec) CDA amplitude, was significantly associated with individual differences in Pokémon familiarity when STM consolidation was incomplete because of a short presentation of Pokémon stimuli (500 msec, Experiment 2), but not when STM consolidation was allowed to complete given sufficient encoding time (1000 msec, Experiment 1). Similar findings were obtained in between-group analyses when participants were separated into high-familiarity and low-familiarity groups based on their Pokémon familiarity ratings. Together, these results suggest that stimulus familiarity, as a proxy for the strength of preexisting long-term memory, primarily speeds up STM consolidation, which may subsequently lead to an increase in the number of remembered stimuli if consolidation is incomplete. These findings thus highlight the importance of research assessing how effects on representations (e.g., STM capacity) are in general related to (or even caused by) effects on processes (e.g., STM consolidation) in cognition.
Description of the first new species of Leuctridae (Plecoptera) from Jiangsu Province of China
Authors: CHEN ZHI-TENG , DU YU-ZHOU
Published: September 2017

The first new species of Leuctridae (Plecoptera) from Jiangsu Province of eastern coastal China, Rhopalopsole vespertilio sp. nov. is described and illustrated. The new species belongs to the R. magnicerca species group and is distinguished by the bat-like shaped central plate of tergum 10, by the medially narrowed subtrapezoidal transverse bars, and by the upcurved hook formed by the small epiproct. The new species is compared with similar taxa.
Thermodynamic Retrieval in Rapidly Rotating Vortices from Multiple-Doppler Radar Data
Authors: Foerster Annette M. , Bell Michael M.
Published: September 2017

Thermodynamic retrievals can derive pressure and temperature information from kinematic measurements in regions where no in situ observations are available. This study presents a new retrieval technique called SAMURAI-TR (Spline Analysis at Mesoscale Utilizing Radar and Aircraft Instrumentation–Thermodynamic Retrieval) that derives three-dimensional fields of pressure and density potential temperature from multiple-Doppler radar data using a variational approach. SAMURAI-TR advances existing methods by 1) allowing for a horizontal variation in the reference-state definition and 2) representing the retrieved quantities of pressure and temperature as three-dimensional functions consisting of a series of finite-element cubic B-splines. The first advancement enables the retrieval to explicitly account for the large radial gradient of the mean thermodynamic state in tropical cyclones and other rapidly rotating vortices. The second advancement allows for specification of the three-dimensional pressure and temperature gradients as pseudo-observations from Doppler-derived winds, effectively linking the vertical levels without the use of the thermodynamic equation or a microphysical closure. The retrieval uses only the horizontal and vertical momentum equations, their derivatives, and low-pass filters. The accuracy and sensitivity of the retrieval are assessed using a WRF simulation of a tropical cyclone. SAMURAI-TR has good accuracy compared to prior techniques and retrieves pressure to within 0.25 hPa and temperature to within 0.7 K RMSE. The application of the method to real data is demonstrated using multiple-Doppler data from Hurricane Rita (2005).
The Effect of a Backpack Hip Strap on Energy Expenditure While Walking
Authors: Pigman Jamie , Sullivan William , Leigh Steven , Hosick Peter A.
Published: September 2017

Objective

To examine the effect of backpack hip strap use on walking energy expenditure while carrying a loaded backpack.

Background

Previous studies have demonstrated that energy cost increases as the mass of the load carried increases. However, few investigations have focused on backpack carriage design.

Methods

Fifteen young, healthy, male subjects walked at a self-selected pace for 10 minutes in two backpack loading conditions: with a hip strap (strapped) and without a hip strap (nonstrapped). Oxygen consumption (VO2), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and heart rate (HR) were monitored throughout each 10-minute trial. Change scores from the 4th to 10th minute were calculated for each variable. A t test was used to evaluate the difference between conditions for each variable.

Results

The changes in VO2 (–0.62 ± 0.40 vs. 0.33 ± 0.23, p = .04) and RPE (1 ± 0.25 vs. 2 ± 0.21, p < .01) from the 4th to the 10th minute were different for the strapped versus nonstrapped condition. There was no difference in the change in RER (0.04 ± 0.01 vs. 0.03 ± 0.01, p > .05) or HR (3.53 ± 0.93 vs. 4.07 ± 1.39, p > .05) for the strapped versus unstrapped condition.

Conclusions

Wearing a hip strap reduced the energy expenditure and perceived exertion in as little as 10 minutes of walking compared to the nonstrapped condition. Future work should consider the effect of a hip strap on these variables while hiking for extended periods.

Application

Wearing a hip strap may increase the comfort and reduce the energy required of wearing a backpack. This is useful information for backpack designers, military personnel, and recreational hikers.
Bonding to CAD-CAM Composites: An Interfacial Fracture Toughness Approach
Authors: Eldafrawy M. , Ebroin M.G. , Gailly P.A. , Nguyen J.-F. , Sadoun M.J. , Mainjot A.K.
Published: September 2017

The objective of this study was to evaluate the interfacial fracture toughness (IFT) of composite cement with dispersed filler (DF) versus polymer-infiltrated ceramic network (PICN) computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) composite blocks after 2 different surface pretreatments using the notchless triangular prism (NTP) test. Two DFs (Cerasmart [CRT] and Lava Ultimate [LVA]), 2 PICNs (Enamic [ENA] and experimental PICN [EXP]), and e.max CAD lithium disilicate glass-ceramic (EMX, control) prism samples were bonded to their counterparts with Variolink Esthetic DC composite cement after either hydrofluoric acid etching (HF) or gritblasting (GR). Both procedures were followed by silanization. All samples ( n = 30 per group) were thermocycled (10,000 cycles) and tested for their IFT in a water bath at 36°C. Moreover, representative samples from each group were subjected to a developed interfacial area ratio (Sdr) measurement by profilometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization. EXP-HF gave the highest IFT (1.85 ± 0.39 MPa·m1/2), followed by EMX-HF and ENA-HF, while CRT-HF gave the lowest (0.15 ± 0.22 MPa·m1/2). PICNs gave significantly better results with HF, and DF showed better results with GR. A 2-way analysis of variance indicated that there were significantly higher IFT and Sdr for PICNs than for DF. A positive correlation ( r² = 0.872) was found between IFT and Sdr. SEM characterization showed the specific microstructure of the surface of etched PICNs, indicating the presence of a retentive polymer-based honeycomb structure. Etching of the typical double-network microstructure of PICNs causes an important increase in the Sdr and IFT, while DF should be gritblasted. DF exhibited significantly lower Sdr and IFT values than PICNs. The present results show the important influence of the material class and surface texture, and consequently the micromechanical bond, on the adhesive interface performance of CAD-CAM composites.
Saliva-Derived Commensal and Pathogenic Biofilms in a Human Gingiva Model
Authors: Buskermolen J.K. , Janus M.M. , Roffel S. , Krom B.P. , Gibbs S.
Published: September 2017

In vitro models that closely mimic human host-microbiome interactions can be a powerful screening tool for antimicrobials and will hold great potential for drug validation and discovery. The aim of this study was to develop an organotypic oral mucosa model that could be exposed to in vitro cultured commensal and pathogenic biofilms in a standardized and scalable manner. The oral mucosa model consisted of a tissue-engineered human gingiva equivalent containing a multilayered differentiated gingiva epithelium (keratinocytes) grown on a collagen hydrogel, containing gingiva fibroblasts, which represented the lamina propria. Keratinocyte and fibroblast telomerase reverse transcriptase–immortalized cell lines were used to overcome the limitations of isolating cells from small biopsies when scalable culture experiments were required. The oral biofilms were grown under defined conditions from human saliva to represent 3 distinct phenotypes: commensal, gingivitis, and cariogenic. The in vitro grown biofilms contained physiologic numbers of bacterial species, averaging >70 operational taxonomic units, including 20 differentiating operational taxonomic units. When the biofilms were applied topically to the gingiva equivalents for 24 h, the gingiva epithelium increased its expression of elafin, a protease inhibitor and antimicrobial protein. This increased elafin expression was observed as a response to all 3 biofilm types, commensal as well as pathogenic (gingivitis and cariogenic). Biofilm exposure also increased secretion of the antimicrobial cytokine CCL20 and inflammatory cytokines IL-6, CXCL8, and CCL2 from gingiva equivalents. This inflammatory response was far greater after commensal biofilm exposure than after pathogenic biofilm exposure. These results show that pathogenic oral biofilms have early immune evasion properties as compared with commensal oral biofilms. The novel host-microbiome model provides an ideal tool for future investigations of gingiva responses to commensal and pathogenic biofilms and for testing novel therapeutics.
Ninety-day Local Tolerability and Toxicity Study of ND0612, a Novel Formulation of Levodopa/Carbidopa, Administered by Subcutaneous Continuous Infusion in Minipigs
Authors: Ramot Yuval , Nyska Abraham , Maronpot Robert R. , Shaltiel-Karyo Ronit , Tsarfati Yonit , Manno Rosa Anna , Sacco Giuseppe , Yacoby-Zeevi Oron
Published: September 2017

A 90-day study in Göttingen minipigs was conducted to test the local tolerability and systemic toxicity of ND0612, a novel aqueous solution of carbidopa (CD)/levodopa (LD) intended for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease by continuous subcutaneous administration using a discrete infusion pump. To evaluate tissue site reactions, we used a unique study design involving multiple infusion sites to evaluate the effect of dose per site (270/63, 360/45, and 360/84 mg LD/CD), volume of infusion per site (4.5 and 6 ml per site), formulation concentration (60/14 and 60/7.5 mg/ml LD/CD), daily rate of infusion per site (240 μl/hr for16 hr and 80 μl/hr for 8 hr, 320 μl/hr for 16 hr and 100 μl/hr for 8 hr, or 750 μl/hr for 8 hr), frequency (once every 5, 10, 15, or 20 days), and number of infusions (4, 6, or 9) to the same infusion site. No systemic adverse effects were observed. Histopathological changes at infusion sites started with localized minimal necrosis and acute inflammation that progressed to subacute and chronic inflammatory and reparative changes with evidence of progressive recovery following the final infusion. None of the infusion site effects were judged to be adverse, and clinical exposures to ND0612 are not expected to result in adverse responses.
Assessing internal household relationships and site use
Authors: Ewonus Paul A
Published: September 2017

Zooarchaeological analysis is employed to determine the nature of social relationships within a Pacific Northwest Coast post-and-beam house dated to c. AD 200–650. Evaluation of faunal distribution patterns indicates that House 2 at the Dionisio Point site was occupied by a social group characterized by relative equality, rather than marked status differences. This provides an alternative, with a shift in emphasis, to initial interpretations. The implications include a House 2 household consisted of comparatively egalitarian, likely multi-lineage families that were members of an aggregate village. In the context of regional village settlement, these findings support the interpretation of site inhabitation focused on early spring to summer. The Dionisio Point data reflect the variation in Northwest Coast household composition. For studies of social organization within large households in other periods and places, the indication is that variability may exist but remain hidden from view until several sources of material evidence become available.
Mechanisms underlying metabolic disturbances associated with psychosis and antipsychotic drug treatment
Authors: Reynolds Gavin P , McGowan Olga O
Published: September 2017

The increase in cardiovascular disease and reduced life expectancy in schizophrenia likely relate to an increased prevalence of metabolic disturbances. Such metabolic risk factors in schizophrenia may result from both symptom-related effects and aetiological factors. However, a major contributory factor is that of treatment with antipsychotic drugs. These drugs differ in effects on body weight; the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood and may vary between drugs, but may include actions at receptors associated with the hypothalamic control of food intake. Evidence supports 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2C and dopamine D2 receptor antagonism as well as antagonism at histamine H1 and muscarinic M3 receptors. These M3 receptors may also mediate the effects of some drugs on glucose regulation. Several antipsychotics showing little propensity for weight gain, such as aripiprazole, have protective pharmacological mechanisms, rather than just the absence of a hyperphagic effect. In addition to drug differences, there is large individual variation in antipsychotic drug-induced weight gain. This pharmacogenetic association reflects genetic variation in several drug targets, including the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2C, as well as genes involved in obesity and metabolic disturbances. Thus predictive genetic testing for drug-induced weight gain would represents a first step towards personalised medicine addressing this severe and problematic iatrogenic disease.
Automated Solutions for Crowd Size Estimation
Authors: Aziz Muhammad Waqar , Naeem Farhan , Alizai Muhammad Hamad , Khan Khan Bahadar
Published: September 2017

The crowd phenomenon frequently occurs in dense urban living environments. Crowd counting or estimation helps to develop management strategies such as designing safe public places and evacuation plan for emergencies. These strategies are different depending upon the type of event such as political and public demonstrations, sports, and religious events. However, estimating the number of people in crowds at closed or open environments is quite challenging because of the dynamics involved in the process. In addition, crowd estimation itself poses challenges due to randomness in crowd behavior, motion, and an area’s geometric specifications. Crowd behavior as well as the area parameters is studied before suggesting any possible technological solution for managing a crowd. This article presents a theoretical understanding of the major crowd size estimation approaches that cannot be achieved through the study of existing survey papers in this area, because the existing survey papers focus on particular technologies/specific areas with no or brief description of the involved steps. Besides, this article also highlights the strength and weakness of crowd size estimation solutions and their possible applications. It is, therefore, believed that the provided information would assist in developing an intelligent system for crowd management.
What Regulation, Who Pays? Public Attitudes to Charity Regulation in England and Wales
Authors: Hogg Eddy
Published: September 2017

Funding for England and Wales’ Charity Commission has been cut by 48% between 2007 and 2016, affecting its ability to deliver its core regulatory functions. Conversations around what charity regulation should look like and how it should be funded have, therefore, gained momentum. These debates, however, are not limited to England and Wales, and in this article, we contribute to them by exploring public attitudes to these questions, presenting the findings of four focus groups. We find that although public knowledge of charity regulation is low, people are, nonetheless, clear that charities should be regulated. There is no clear preferred method of funding a charity regulator and a significant amount of complexity and nuance in public attitudes. People trust charities, but this can be eroded if they do not have confidence in how they operate. A visibly effective regulator supporting and supported by charities is central to maintaining trust.
Vibration reduction optimization of the mistuned bladed disk considering the prestress
Authors: Zhang Hongyuan , Yuan Huiqun , Yang Wenjun , Zhao Tianyu
Published: September 2017

Ignoring the effect of prestress can increase the gap between the actual results and research results, which is not conducive to improve the vibration localization of bladed disk system and the finite element calculation. To improve the vibration localization and computational efficiency, the prestressed component mode synthesis method (PCMSM) was adopted to establish the finite element reduced-order model considering prepress. Since the main calculation precision of the prestressed component mode synthesis method was the mode truncation number, calculation was made to the eigenfrequency of different mode truncations; the contrast and analysis were made to the calculation result of blisk model, minimum mode truncation number under the above calculation precision was obtained, and freedom of the model was greatly reduced. The finite element reduced-order model was collocated to make an analysis of the vibration response characteristics of mistuned bladed disk. From the aforementioned analysis, the maximum amplitude of mistuned bladed disk was not only associated with the mistuning value of blade but also related to the frequency of adjacent blade; on the basis of such a rule, the finite element reduced-order model was adopted to raise an optimization algorithm for the blade vibration reduction and arrangement. Results have revealed that the optimization algorithm has made an adequate consideration of both model precision and calculation speed. The maximum dimensionless amplitude of blade vibration under three mistuning patterns and upon optimization is greatly reduced by 32.8%, 30.1%, and 28%. The localization factor of blade vibration under three mistuning patterns and upon optimization is greatly reduced by 64%, 68.5%, and 57.2%. The optimization algorithm based on the prestressed component mode synthesis method gets the optimization value by not more than 15 iterations. The optimization algorithm has greatly reduced the amplitude of the blade and obviously dampened vibration localization of the bladed disk system.
How Men Experience Sexual Shame: The Development and Validation of the Male Sexual Shame Scale
Authors: Gordon Aqualus M.
Published: September 2017

This article describes the development and validation of the Male Sexual Shame Scale (MSSS), which was designed to assess the components of sexual shame in men. Data came from two large, diverse, international online samples ( n = 870 and n = 1,082). Factor analysis results evidenced six factors of male sexual shame, which yielded six subscales: Sexual Inexperience Distress, Masturbation/Pornography Remorse, Libido Distain, Body Dissatisfaction, Dystonic Sexual-Actualization, and Sexual Performance Insecurity. An additional three independent subscales emerged that were not indicative of sexual shame: Perceived High Libido, Sexual Harassment Stereotype Threat, and Homoerotic Guardedness. A partial confirmatory factor analysis, discriminant validity analysis, concurrent validity analysis, and reliability analyses supported the MSSS’s theoretical framework. Implications for future research are discussed.
Associations of the ABCA1 and LPL Gene Polymorphisms With Lipid Levels in a Hyperlipidemic Population
Authors: Tao Fang , Weinstock Justin , Venners Scott A. , Cheng Jun , Hsu Yi-Hsiang , Zou Yanfeng , Pan Faming , Jiang Shanqun , Zha Xiangdong , Xu Xiping
Published: September 2017

We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the effects of the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1) I883M and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) HindIII polymorphisms on lipid levels in patients with hyperlipidemia. A total of 533 patients were enrolled. Serum lipid parameters were determined by an automatic biochemistry analyzer. Genotyping of the ABCA1 I883M and LPL HindIII was carried out using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to estimate the associations between serum lipid levels and the genetic polymorphisms. The frequency distribution of the ABCA1 I883M and LPL HindIII polymorphisms did not deviate from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The major finding of our regression analysis showed that neither the ABCA1 I883M nor the LPL HindIII polymorphism was associated with baseline serum lipid levels in the total population. However, among patients with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (ALT ≥ 40 U/L), carriers of the M allele of the ABCA1 gene had lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, alcohol consumption, education level, occupation, and work intensity ( P < .05 for both). A test on interaction terms between the ABCA1 I833M polymorphism and ALT on HDL-C and LDL-C levels also remained significant ( P = .001 and P = .014, respectively). Our data suggest that there are significant interactive effects between ABCA1 I883M and ALT levels on HDL-C and LDL-C levels. However, the LPL HindIII polymorphism did not influence lipid levels.
Battered Wives or Dependent Mothers? Negotiating Familial Ideology in Law
Authors: Kodikara Chulani
Published: September 2017

More than a decade after its passing, Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Domestic Violence Act (PDVA) remains a remedy of last resort for female survivors of intimate partner violence, as there is little support to take on a rights-defined identity as a battered woman both inside and outside the courtroom. However, large numbers of women are accessing the Maintenance Act of 1999 to exit violent relationships without the censure and stigma that attaches to the PDVA. The key to understanding this phenomenon is to consider how familial ideology works in unpredictable ways within the Sri Lankan judicial system. This article examines the reach and different impacts of familial ideology within the judiciary and argues that female survivors of violence navigate this ideology to their own advantage. However, the preference to address violence through the Maintenance Act renders such violence invisible. The price for judicial redress is silence.
Gadobutrol in India—A Comprehensive Review of Safety and Efficacy
Authors: Endrikat Jan , Anzalone Nicoletta
Published: September 2017

Gadobutrol is a gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In India, gadobutrol is approved for MRI of the central nervous system (CNS), liver, kidneys, breast and for MR angiography for patients 2 years and older. The standard dose for all age groups is 0.1 mmol/kg body weight. The safety profile has been demonstrated in 42 clinical phase 2 to 4 studies (>6800 patients), 7 observational studies, and by assessing pharmacovigilance data of 29 million applications. Furthermore, studies in children, adults, and elderly and in patients with impaired liver or kidney function did not show any increased adverse event rate. Diagnostic efficacy was demonstrated in numerous studies and various indications, such as diseases of the CNS, peripheral and supra-aortic vessels, kidneys, liver, and breast.
Numerical optimization of natural gas and diesel dual-fuel combustion for a heavy-duty engine operated at a medium load
Authors: Wu Zhenkuo , Rutland Christopher J , Han Zhiyu
Published: September 2017

In this study, natural gas and diesel dual-fuel combustion under a medium load was numerically optimized for a heavy-duty engine using a genetic algorithm optimization approach. This approach employed a micro-genetic algorithm optimization code coupled with an engine computational fluid dynamics code to perform the optimization. Initially, an optimization using premixed natural gas with double direct injection of diesel fueling strategy was conducted using both the stock piston bowl shape and a bathtub shaped piston. Low emissions and moderate combustion with thermal efficiency close to 50% were achieved for both piston configurations by optimizing the premixed natural gas to diesel fuel ratio, exhaust gas recirculation fraction, diesel injection timing, injection pressure, and injection split ratio. Based on this optimum point, a parametric study was performed to understand the effects of the optimization parameters. The results show that high efficiency and clean combustion (indicated thermal efficiency ≥ 45%, NOx ≤ 0.4 g/kW h, peak pressure rise rate ≤ 15 bar/°) can be achieved over a wide range of parameters. The optimized result of a single diesel injection strategy was also evaluated and compared with the double injection strategy. The results indicate that the single injection strategy is also able to yield near 50% thermal efficiency and clean combustion. Compared to the double injection strategy, the single injection strategy shows increased combustion losses due to reduced diesel fuel near the cylinder centerline. In addition, the bathtub shaped piston has lower heat transfer losses relative to the stock piston, leading to improved fuel efficiency. However, the piston shape shows less impact than other parameters on the overall combustion and emission characteristics for both injection strategies.
Improve security of wireless sensor networks through reluctant checksum
Authors: Zhang Qiong , Xiao Jianyu
Published: September 2017

The open wireless channel makes the data prone to being eavesdropped. Current wireless security schemes are designed to protect data through cryptography. But an adversary can still recover the secrets by eavesdropping the frames and performing off-line brute-force attacks. Capturing valid frames is fundamental for such attacks. It is generally accepted that each frame at data link layer is designed to include cyclic redundancy check (CRC) checksum sequence for integrity check. However, frame checksum sequence also helps adversary to capture correct frames and drop corrupted ones, which are fundamental to future off-line attacks. In this article, we argue that from the perspective of wireless security, it is unreasonable to include checksum sequence in data link layer frame without any protection. A reluctant checksum scheme named R-CS is proposed. Based on the inherent characteristic of wireless networks that frame error is inevitable, checksum of frame is protected by accumulated checksum algorithm in R-CS. The checksum of the frame cannot be decoded by any nodes except the receiver. Without checksum, adversaries cannot distinguish error frames from correct ones. R-CS requires little computation and communication resources, which is particularly suitable for resource-limited wireless sensor network. Our experimental results clearly demonstrate that R-CS is feasible for wireless sensor network.
The Labour Status of Professional Football Players in the European Union
Authors: Duval Antoine , van Maren Oskar
Published: September 2017

In 1995, the Bosman ruling granted professional football players the same free movement rights as regular workers. More than 20 years later, the question whether these rights are truly enjoyed still provides for never ending legal and academic debates. An important issue concerns the fact that professional football players are considered workers under national law in most EU Member States, but in some States they are deemed to be self-employed. The choice of one labour status over another has meaningful consequences in terms of social security rights, tax duties, collective labour representation, or more broadly, contractual rights. Such discrepancies at national level lead to two fundamental EU law questions that we aim to address in the present article: Are professional football players subject to the secondary EU legislation applicable to workers when they are in a bogus self-employment relationship: And, can the qualification of football players as self-employed be deemed a restriction on their free movement rights?
Comparisons of health-related and appearance-related smoking risk perceptions and worry on motivation to quit
Authors: Magnan Renee E
Published: September 2017

This research examined main and interactive associations of perceived risk and worry of health and appearance smoking consequences on motivation to quit and the relative importance of each of these. Hierarchical regressions controlling for other measures found that perceived conditional risk and worry of health consequences were associated with motivation to quit; only conditional risk of appearance consequences was associated with motivation to quit. Relative weights analysis indicated that perceived conditional risk of appearance consequences and worry about health consequences were the most important variables in the model. Consideration of appearance consequences may aid in motivating smokers to try quitting.
The president-led peace process and institutional veto players
Authors: Watanabe Aya
Published: September 2017

What makes a negotiated settlement of civil wars so complicated? This question attracts much scholarly attention. Many existing studies focus on information asymmetry and commitment problems when examining civil war termination or duration. These studies tend to assume conflicting parties as unitary, not grasping the dynamic nature within the conflicting party. This article disaggregates government actors, drawing on the ‘veto player’ framework, and examines how political relationships among them affect the peace process, using the Mindanao conflict as a case study. The Philippine case illustrates how government actors influence the peace process, shedding light on a neglected aspect of the government influence on civil war termination.
Promoting Diversity in French Workplaces: Targeting and Signaling Ethnoracial Origin in a Colorblind Context
Authors: Safi Mirna
Published: September 2017

The author analyzes the implementation of diversity policies in France within a traditionally colorblind institutional and cultural context. Using a mixed-method research design, the author focuses on a specific diversity program, gathering qualitative and quantitative data on persons involved in its implementation as well as on its recipients. The author also collects qualitative materials covering institutional actors (governmental services and state agencies) and field actors (associations and economic organizations). The analyses aim to investigate two main questions: (1) What are the population categories targeted by diversity programs, and how are they referred to in the colorblind political and legal context of France? (2) How do the program’s recipients signal categories that make them eligible, and how do they interpret their disadvantage in the job market? The findings highlight the limits of diversity policies in the French colorblind context as they fail to empower both their makers and their recipients.
The prognostic values of the expression of Vimentin, TP53, and Podoplanin in patients with cervical cancer
Authors: Lin Jiaying , Lu Jiaqi , Wang Chao , Xue Xiaohong
Published: September 2017

Purpose

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), TP53, and Podoplanin have been implicated in the tumorigenesis and metastasis of human cancers. Nevertheless, the clinical significance of these markers in cancer patients is still not clear. In this study, we sought to determine the prognostic values of Vimentin, TP53, and Podoplanin in patients with cervical cancer.

Methods

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analysis were performed to determine the messenger RNA and protein expression levels of Vimentin, TP53, and Podoplanin, respectively, in cervical squamous cell carcinoma and adjacent normal cervical tissues. Additionally, the expression levels of Podoplanin were also measured in 130 cervical cancer patients (FIGO stages Ib1–IIa2) using immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining.

Results

The mRNA expression levels of Vimentin, TP53, and Podoplanin were considerably elevated in cervical cancer tissues, compared with those in the adjacent normal cervical tissues. Additionally, the protein expression levels of Vimentin were closely correlated with the age of onset (P = 0.007), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.007), lymphatic invasion (P = 0.024), disease recurrence (P < 0.001), and the clinical prognosis of patients with cervical cancer (P < 0.001). Our multivariate analysis also suggests that Vimentin is an independent marker for survival in cervical cancer patients. Furthermore, the expression levels of Vimentin are negatively correlated with the proliferation marker Ki67 expression.

Conclusions

Our data show that Vimentin can serve as an independent prognostic marker for cervical cancer patients with primary surgery.

Registration number ChiCTR-TRC-06000236 Registered 15 December 2006
Randomised and non-randomised studies to estimate the effect of community-level public health interventions: definitions and methodological considerations
Authors: Schmidt Wolf-Peter
Published: September 2017

Background

The preferred method to evaluate public health interventions delivered at the level of whole communities is the cluster randomised trial (CRT). The practical limitations of CRTs and the need for alternative methods continue to be debated. There is no consensus on how to classify study designs to evaluate interventions, and how different design features are related to the strength of evidence.

Analysis

This article proposes that most study designs for the evaluation of cluster-level interventions fall into four broad categories: the CRT, the non-randomised cluster trial (NCT), the controlled before-and-after study (CBA), and the before-and-after study without control (BA). A CRT needs to fulfil two basic criteria: (1) the intervention is allocated at random; (2) there are sufficient clusters to allow a statistical between-arm comparison. In a NCT, statistical comparison is made across trial arms as in a CRT, but treatment allocation is not random. The defining feature of a CBA is that intervention and control arms are not compared directly, usually because there are insufficient clusters in each arm to allow a statistical comparison. Rather, baseline and follow-up measures of the outcome of interest are compared in the intervention arm, and separately in the control arm. A BA is a CBA without a control group.

Conclusion

Each design may provide useful or misleading evidence. A precise baseline measurement of the outcome of interest is critical for causal inference in all studies except CRTs. Apart from statistical considerations the exploration of pre/post trends in the outcome allows a more transparent discussion of study weaknesses than is possible in non-randomised studies without a baseline measure.
Medium Access Control (MAC) for Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN): Superframe structure, multiple access technique, taxonomy, and challenges
Authors: Ullah Fasee , Abdullah Abdul Hanan , Kaiwartya Omprakash , Kumar Sushil , Arshad Marina Md.
Published: September 2017

Health monitoring using biomedical sensors has witnessed significant attention in recent past due to the evolution of a new research area in sensor network known as Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs). In WBANs, a number of implantable, wearable, and off-body biomedical sensors are utilized to monitor various vital signs of patient’s body for early detection, and medication of grave diseases. In literature, a number of Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols for WBANs have been suggested for addressing the unique challenges related to reliability, delay, collision and energy in the new research area. The design of MAC protocols is based on multiple access techniques. Understanding the basis of MAC protocol designs for identifying their design objectives in broader perspective, is a quite challenging task. In this context, this paper qualitatively reviews MAC protocols for WBANs. Firstly, 802.15.4 and 802.15.6 based MAC Superframe structures are investigated focusing on design objectives. Secondly, different multiple access techniques such as TDMA, CSMA/CA, Slotted Aloha and Hybrid are explored in terms of design goals. Thirdly, a two-layered taxonomy is presented for MAC protocols. First layer classification is based on multiple access techniques, whereas second layer classification is based on design objectives and characteristics of MAC protocols. Critical and qualitative analysis is carried out for each considered MAC protocol. Comparative study of different MAC protocols is also performed. Finally, some open research challenges in the area are identified with initial research directions.
Narrative Tradition on the Border: Alexander Veselovsky and Narrative Hybridity in the Age of World Literature
Authors: Holland Kate
Published: September 2017

The idea of narrative hybridity was central to the work of the Russian literary theorist Alexander Veselovsky (1838 – 1906), particularly to his unfinished work Historical Poetics. For Veselovsky and the Russian theorists who followed him, including Mikhail Bakhtin and Yuri M. Lotman, the boundary rather than the center is the site of hybridization and thus literary and cultural transformation. This article argues that this model of hybridization on the border can point in the direction of a synthesis between the theoretical impulse of contemporary attempts to conceive of a world literary system, with their scale and their concern with models of circulation, and those of postcolonial criticism and creolization theory, with their focus on hybridization and literary and cultural transformation on the periphery and mistrust of centripetal accounts of literary and cultural history. The article examines how Veselovsky's account of the role of narrative tradition and narrative hybridization on the periphery demonstrates the potential of geographic borderlands and periods of historical transition and borderline genres and is a useful touchstone for the work of scholars arguing for the redefinition of traditional understandings of center and periphery in literary history.
How to Murder a Work of Art: Philology, Historical Poetics, and the Morphological Method
Authors: Maslov Boris
Published: September 2017

Historical Poetics, while in many ways an ally of Russian Formalism, finds itself in an uneasy relationship with the empiricist mode of formalist enquiry inasmuch as the latter is seen as generally inimical to historical contextualization. On the other hand, representatives of both Historical Poetics and the morphological method have at different points been accused of favoring atomizing analysis over aesthetic appreciation. This putative inability to grasp the work of art as a totality is a taint that literary theory inherited from nineteenth-century philology, whose mission was precisely to combine historicization with minute attention to details of verbal texture. By emphasizing their shared philological patrimony, the article argues for a reconciliation between the morphological method and Historical Poetics. The approach to literary forms it puts forward, which detects historical vitality in distinct elements revealed by morphological analysis, takes its inspiration from Alexander Veselovsky's theory of motif and Mikhail Bakhtin's concepts of architectonics and the chronotope.
Two Sides to the Story: Multiple Versions and Post-Postmodernist Epistemology
Authors: Frangipane Nicholas
Published: September 2017

While postmodernist writers often highlighted the problematic nature of using narrative to convey accurate representations of history, many contemporary writers have reoriented their focus, demonstrating that narrative is a valuable system for conveying personal, subjective history. This essay argues that these claims are most visible in “reflexive double narratives,” books that tell two versions of their stories and explain why they have done so. This essay relies on Brian Richardson's term “denarration” from Unnatural Voices and David Herman's conception of “qualia” from Basic Elements of Narrative to reveal that the contemporary novel has reconceived accuracy in a nonliteral way. For post-postmodernists, experiential accuracy is more important than empirical accuracy. The contemporary novel often focuses on revealing what it feels like to be certain characters in certain situations as a way to find a new kind of value in storytelling.
Texture analysis of the developing human brain using customization of a knowledge-based system
Authors: Gentillon Hugues , Stefańczyk Ludomir , Strzelecki Michał , Respondek-Liberska Maria
Published: September 2017

Background:Pattern recognition software originally designed for geospatial and other technical applications could be trained by physicians and used as texture analysis tools for evidence-based practice, in order to improve diagnostic imaging examination during pregnancy.

Methods:Various machine-learning techniques and customized datasets were assessed for training of an integrable knowledge-based system (KBS) to determine a hypothetical methodology for texture classification of closely related anatomical structures in fetal brain magnetic resonance (MR) images. Samples were manually categorized according to the magnetic field of the MRI scanner (i.e., 1.5-tesla [1.5T], 3-tesla [3T]), rotational planes (i.e., coronal, sagittal, and axial), and signal weighting (i.e., spin-lattice, spin-spin, relaxation, and proton density). In the machine-learning sessions, the operator manually selected relevant regions of interest (ROI) in 1.5/3T MR images. Semi-automatic procedures in MaZda/B11 were performed to determine optimal parameter sets for ROI classification. Four classes were defined: ventricles, thalamus, gray matter, and white matter. Various texture analysis methods were tested. The KBS performed automatic data preprocessing and semi-automatic classification of ROI.

Results:After testing 3456 ROI, statistical binary classification revealed that the combination of reduction techniques with linear discriminant algorithms (LDA) or nonlinear discriminant algorithms (NDA) yielded the best scoring in terms of sensitivity (both 100%, 95% CI: 99.79–100), specificity (both 100%, 95% CI: 99.79–100), and Fisher coefficient (≈E+4 and ≈E+5, respectively).

Conclusions:LDA and NDA in MaZda can be useful data mining tools for screening a population of interest subjected to a clinical test.
Lending rate and firms’ investment decisions : Evidence from Ghana
Authors: Amo Joseph , M. Yusif Hadrat
Published: September 2017

This paper has examined the impact of lending rate on firms’ investment decision in Ghana. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) estimation framework was applied to time series data from 1980 to 2011. We found that lending rate has significant negative impact on private investment in both short run and long run in Ghana. It was also found that real GDP has a significant direct impact on private investment in both the short run and the long run periods. Our findings have important implications for investment policy in Ghana.