bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) be an indicator of effective rehabilitation interventions in schizophrenia?
Authors: Markiewicz Renata , Kozioł Małgorzata , Olajossy Marcin , Masiak Jolanta
Published: October 2017

Coraz więcej dowodów wskazuje, że neurotropowy czynnik pochodzenia mózgowego BDNF (ang. brain derived neurotrophic factor) to najbardziej rozpowszechniona neurotrofina w układzie nerwowym, która odgrywa ważną rolę jako wskaźnik skutecznie realizowanej rehabilitacji wobec osób z rozpoznaniem schizofrenii. Obecnie, w oparciu o nowoczesną diagnostykę laboratoryjną i aparaturową możliwe jest diagnozowanie deficytów, które wpływają na poziom funkcjonowania chorych, a na ich podstawie ustalanie indywidualnego programu readaptacyjnego, uwzględniającego różne formy terapii, w różnych środowiskach. W oparciu o przegląd dostępnego piśmiennictwa w pracy zaprezentowano dotychczasowe wyniki badań analizujących związek pomiędzy wybranymi oddziaływaniami rehabilitacyjnymi stosowanymi u pacjentów z rozpoznaniem schizofrenii, a zmianami stężenia BDNF - związku pomiędzy poziomem BDNF z aktywnością fizyczną oraz z terapią EEG Biofeedback. Badania dotyczące zastosowania prezentowanej metody wydają się wskazywać na użyteczność czynnika BDNF w ocenie skuteczności realizowanych oddziaływań rehabilitacyjnych w tej grupie chorych. Zmiany w stężeniu czynnika neurotropowego mogą być wskaźnikiem synergizmu ośrodkowego i obwodowego układu nerwowego, a wysokie stężenia BDNF uwarunkowane aktywnością fizyczną oraz neuromodulacyjnym efektem terapii EEG Biofeedback mogą wskazywać na ich skuteczność. Wykorzystanie różnych metod neurorehabilitacyjnych może poprawić funkcjonowanie społeczne osób chorych na schizofrenię. Traktowanie BDNF jako biologicznego wskaźnika tych procesów może być interesującą hipotezą.
El turismo de cruceros en Uruguay: determinantes socioeconómicos y comportamentales del gasto en los puertos de desembarco
Authors: Bellani Alicia , Brida Juan Gabriel , Lanzilotta Bibiana
Published: October 2017

En Uruguay, como ocurre en otros países latinoamericanos, el turismo de cruceros ha aumentado su importancia como generador de divisas. Con el objetivo de contribuir a la planificación de los programas turísticos e intensificar dicha tendencia, en este trabajo se analizan los distintos determinantes del gasto de cruceristas en los puertos de desembarco de Punta del Este y Montevideo. Las estimaciones de modelos de selección de Heckman sobre las encuestas de los años 2010 a 2014 muestran que son algunas pocas características las que determinan el nivel de gasto: la nacionalidad, viajar en grupo, visitar Montevideo y, particularmente, el grado de satisfacción con el viaje. Este patrón no ha experimentado variaciones significativas en el periodo de análisis.
Winter brings that sluggish feeling
Authors: Neville Sarah
Published: October 2017

Those who work in the foundation stage sector have a duty to teach core British values and what better way to do so than through activities focusing on animals and hibernation.
Latest developments
Authors: Forrest Helen
Published: October 2017

Send your letters, news stories or latest developments to: The Editor, Child Care, St Jude's Church, Dulwich Road, Herne Hill, London, SE24 0PB email: childcare@markallengroup.com
Research roundup: October 2017
Authors: Murray Joy , Lally Sheila , Odd Dawn
Published: October 2017

In this section, a range of brief synopses of recently published articles that may be of interest to health visitors is presented. The aim of this roundup is to provide an overview, rather than a detailed summary, of the research papers selected. Should you wish to look at any of the papers in more detail, a full reference is provided.
The Grenfell Tower fire: a devastated community demands answers
Authors: Moffat Polly
Published: October 2017

The world woke one morning this summer to news of a west London tower block fire so enormous that the number of lives it has claimed is still unknown. What is clearer, writes Polly Moffat, is evidence of previous warnings from concerned residents.
Examining the literature on mental health outcomes of disorganised attachment in children
Authors: Skibniewski-Woods Diana
Published: October 2017

Developing an understanding of the potential consequences for children of disorganised attachment is thought to be significant to practitioners This articles reviews the literature on the theory of mental health outcomes for children who display disorganised attachment behaviours. The complex relationships between biochemical, neurological and behavioural systems in relation to attachment are discussed. A connection in the literature between some children with disorganised attachment who receive a diagnosis of conditions such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder, and later progression into adult diagnosis of personality, anxiety and major depressive disorders was found. Disorganised attachments are considered to lead to a higher risk of developing dissociative symptoms and psychopathology in later life.
A qualitative study to explore health visitors' perceptions of listening visits
Authors: Morgan Michelle
Published: October 2017

It is widely accepted that the practice of listening visits by health visitors is considered to be an effective intervention in the management of mild-to-moderate depression. Although the practice of listening visits is well documented, there is a lack of evidence in terms of health visitors' experiences of practising listening visits. This research study explores the experiences of health visitors in facilitating listening visits using a phenomenological approach. Each participant was interviewed on an individual basis using a non-directed approach following which a thematic analysis of the data ensued. All of the eight participants were employed by the same community NHS Trust and had a varying level of experience; however, all acknowledged that they had, at some point, experienced difficulties in facilitating listening visits.
Time to ready ourselves once again for the ‘NHS Winter Crisis’
Authors: Hanley Jane
Published: October 2017

Once the clocks go back our thoughts inevitably turn to the spread of influenza, says Jane Hanley. Her recommendation for health visitors: get to know your enemy.
A guide to working better with the care home's accountant
Authors: Bernstein Adam
Published: October 2017

The accountant is an invaluable resource, taking care of everything from bookkeeping to offering financial advice. In this article, Adam Bernstein gives advice on how the home can make the accountant's job easier, and their services less expensive in turn
CQC's proposed next phase of regulation and place reports
Authors: Frankova Helena
Published: October 2017

Improving local joined-up care is an area of focus of the Care Quality Commission. In this article, Helena Frankova explains what the regulator is proposing, and how these new place reports will help improve overall quality of care
A new debt collection process for care homes owed money
Authors: Bernstein Adam
Published: October 2017

As with any business, care homes need to collect payments if they are to remain open. In this article, Adam Bernstein outlines the new debt collection process that homes must follow, if they feel they are owed money by a resident, or their family
How to … dispose of unwanted prescription medicines
Authors: Ashurst Adrian
Published: October 2017

Out-of-date medication should not be used, and medication should never be recycled between residents. In this article, Adrian Ashurst explains how care home staff can safely dispose of unwanted and unused medication, in keeping with NICE guidelines
Spectrum of Pollen Stored by Melipona mandacaia (Smith, 1863) (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponini) in an Urban Arid Landscape
Authors: Carneiro Neto Thiago Francisco de Souza , Oliveira-Rebouças Patrícia Luiza , Pereira Josineide Edinalva , Duarte Poliana Martins , Santos Maria Herbênia Lima Cruz , Silva Grécia Cavalcanti da , Siqueira Kátia Maria Medeiros de
Published: October 2017

The objective of this study was to identify the species of pollen supplying plants that constitute the trophic niche of Melipona mandacaia in an urban area in the Caatinga domain (a tropical arid landscape). The collection of pollen in the colonies was carried out every 15 days, from October 2014 to September 2015. The pollen was removed directly from the storage pots in three distinct colonies. A total of 24 samples were analyzed and compared with the reference pollen collection, pollen catalogs and specialized literature. For the quantitative analysis, at least 1000 pollen grains per sample were identified. A total of 39 pollen types were identified, distributed in 17 botanical families, being one an indeterminate type. The most represented family was the Fabaceae (n = 16). The most frequent types were Leucaena leucocephala, Mimosa pudica and Melochia sp. There was a significant positive correlation between temperature and the number of pollen types throughout the study. Relative humidity and rainfall were abiotic variables that did not present a significant correlation. The rarefaction curve showed that probably most of the pollen types collected by the bees studied were sampled, since the accumulation curve showed a progressive tendency to stabilization, indicating that there was sample adequacy of the pollen types. The analysis of similarity revealed a high sharing of pollen sources between colonies.
First record of the stingless bee Lestrimelitta rufa (Friese) (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) in NE Brazil and its cleptobiotic behavior
Authors: Mascena Valdenio Mendes , Nogueira David Silva , Silva Celso Moreira , Freitas Breno Magalhães
Published: October 2017

The aim of this study was to expand occurrence records of Lestrimelitta rufa (Friese, 1903) to the Brazilian Northeast and to document the cleptobiotic behavior of this robber species in colonies of Melipona quinquefasciata Lepeletier, 1836. Two attacks were carried out in a meliponary in the county of Barbalha (Ceará, Brazil), where pot and larval food were sacked. Even with direct confrontation between invading and inquiline bees, there was a total loss of one of the attacked nests because robber workers remained insistently in search of resources of these nests during the attacks.
A New Extrafloral Nectary-Bearing Plant Species in the Brazilian Savanna and its Associated Ant Community: Nectary Structure, Nectar Production and Ecological Interactions
Authors: Pires Marcela Saldanha , Calixto Eduardo S , Oliveira Denis C , Del-Claro Kleber
Published: October 2017

Brazilian Savanna stands out for the large number of species with extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) with high morphological diversity. In Smilax polyantha (Smilacaceae), the base of the petiole showed a slight secretion and great visitation by ants suggesting the presence of an EFN. In this way, we aimed to determine the ant community associated with this plant, as well as to identify and characterize this unsuspected structure and determine the phenology and liquid production of this tissue. The study was carried out in a Cerrado area, in Uberlândia, Brazil. Ten individuals were used for the anatomical analysis and histochemical tests and the EFNs secretory activity was monitored, being categorized into active and non-active EFN. In addition, the volume and sucrose concentration were determined from three nectaries of ten individuals, and individuals of ants found foraging on these nectary were collected, day and night. Results showed a large amount of extrafloral nectar secretion and the EFN tissue is composed of a few cell layers that showed positive reactions for proteins and reducing sugars. We recorded a significantly correlation between percentage of EFNs activity and abundance of ants. The secretory activity is concentrated in September and ten ant species, of five subfamilies, were identified foraging on the EFNs.
Floral Resource Partitioning between Centris (Heterocentris) analis (Fabricius, 1804) and Centris (Heterocentris) terminata Smith, 1874 (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Centridini), in an Urban Fragment of the Atlantic Forest
Authors: Lima Reinanda , Ferreira-Caliman Maria , Dórea Marcos Da Costa , Garcia Caroline Tito , Dos Santos Francisco De Assis Ribeiro , Oliveira Favízia Freitas , Garófalo Carlos Alberto
Published: October 2017

The knowledge on plant species used for the collection of floral resources is crucial to understanding interactions between plants and bees. The aim of the present study was to identify floral resources used by Centris analis and Centris terminata to provision brood cells and determine the niche breadth and overlap of these two species in a fragment of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. This study was conducted at the Universidade Federal da Bahia and Parque Zoobotânico Getúlio Vargas, both of which are located in urban areas of the city of Salvador in the state of Bahia. Twelve and eight pollen types were identified in C. analis and C. terminata nests, respectively. The most frequent pollen types were from species of Malpighiaceae and Fabaceae. A larger trophic niche breadth was found in the Parque Zoobotânico Getúlio Vargas for C. analis and in the Universidade Federal da Bahia for C. terminata. Pianka’s index demonstrated trophic niche overlap between C. analis and C. terminata, which was greater in the Parque Zoobotânico Getúlio Vargas. This study is the first to provide data on plants used as food sources by species of the genus Centris in a fragment of the Atlantic Forest situated within urban areas.
Seasonal Patterns of the Foraging Ecology of Myrmelachista arthuri Forel, 1903 (Formicidae: Formicinae)
Authors: Castro Gustavo Henrique , Kayano Débora Yumi , Souza Rodrigo Fernando , Hilsdorf Alexandre Wagner , Feitosa Rodrigo Machado , Morini Maria Santina
Published: October 2017

Temporal dynamics of foraging activity, diet and habitat are key to understanding the bioecology of ants. These patterns are poorly studied in many Neotropical species, such as those belonging to genus Myrmelachista. In the present work, we investigate the foraging behavior and diet of M. arthuri and describe aspects of their food-searching behavior. We recorded the dynamics of workers exiting and entering nests built in the stems of native Atlantic forest trees during the cold/dry and warm/wet seasons. Food items carried by workers were also counted and identified. Myrmelachista arthuri foraged throughout the day, but worker activity became more intense as temperature increased and moisture declined, regardless of the season, and especially in the afternoon. This species had a generalist diet: 92% of the food items were live or dead arthropods or their remains, and a small proportion consisted of plant materials, such as seeds. Arthropod fragments, mostly of M. arthuri workers, represented the largest proportion of the diet, followed by whole Collembola individuals. Food items did not vary between seasons, the number of items was higher in the cold/dry season. The results of this work contribute to the understanding of M. arthuri biology, especially related to foraging dynamics.
Use of Metabolomics in Improving Assessment of Dietary Intake
Authors: Guasch-Ferré Marta , Bhupathiraju Shilpa N , Hu Frank B
Published: October 2017

BACKGROUND

Nutritional metabolomics is rapidly evolving to integrate nutrition with complex metabolomics data to discover new biomarkers of nutritional exposure and status.

CONTENT

The purpose of this review is to provide a broad overview of the measurement techniques, study designs, and statistical approaches used in nutrition metabolomics, as well as to describe the current knowledge from epidemiologic studies identifying metabolite profiles associated with the intake of individual nutrients, foods, and dietary patterns.

A wide range of technologies, databases, and computational tools are available to integrate nutritional metabolomics with dietary and phenotypic information. Biomarkers identified with the use of high-throughput metabolomics techniques include amino acids, acylcarnitines, carbohydrates, bile acids, purine and pyrimidine metabolites, and lipid classes. The most extensively studied food groups include fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, bread, whole grain cereals, nuts, wine, coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate. We identified 16 studies that evaluated metabolite signatures associated with dietary patterns. Dietary patterns examined included vegetarian and lactovegetarian diets, omnivorous diet, Western dietary patterns, prudent dietary patterns, Nordic diet, and Mediterranean diet. Although many metabolite biomarkers of individual foods and dietary patterns have been identified, those biomarkers may not be sensitive or specific to dietary intakes. Some biomarkers represent short-term intakes rather than long-term dietary habits. Nonetheless, nutritional metabolomics holds promise for the development of a robust and unbiased strategy for measuring diet. Still, this technology is intended to be complementary, rather than a replacement, to traditional well-validated dietary assessment methods such as food frequency questionnaires that can measure usual diet, the most relevant exposure in nutritional epidemiologic studies.
The lost treasure of Paidia
Authors: Pitruzzella Salvo
Published: October 2017

Play is one of the main roots of drama therapy, and many of drama therapy’s therapeutic features can be found in an embryonic way in children’s play. This article is an enquiry into the deeper nature of play. It starts from the fascinating attempts of Johan Huizinga and Roger Caillois to define play, and, with an aid from William Blake’s visionary philosophy, it tries to sound out its complexity, in order to arrive to the emergent concepts of attunement and intersubjectivity, which are relevant to play, but also to drama therapy’s theory and practice.
Rasa: Exploring the influence of Indian performance theory in drama therapy
Authors: Sajnani Nisha , Gopalakrishna Maitri
Published: October 2017

The theory and practice of rasa, as prescribed by the Nāṭyasāstra and expressed within numerous performance art traditions, offers theoretical and practical possibilities for the field of drama therapy. The authors present the concept of rasa and related concepts, describe a workshop that explored two practices inspired by the rasa system, and include feedback from participants. Further research is needed on the use of rasic approaches to increase emotional literacy, affect regulation and empathy.
I don’t feel naked: The use of embodied supervision to examine the impact of patient clothing on clinical countertransference on an inpatient psychiatry unit
Authors: Trottier Dana George , Hilt Lisa
Published: October 2017

This arts-based research study explores the impact of patient clothing on clinician countertransference in the context of an acute inpatient psychiatric unit. A drama therapy intern and drama therapy supervisor used costuming, photography and embodied supervision to reflect on the role of clothing in this context. The outcomes suggest that clothing can be considered as costumes in this context, that patient clothing does influence how clinicians feel and think about patients, and that clothing carries multiple meanings in the context of inpatient psychiatry. Embodied supervision was also useful in examining countertransference in general, increasing empathy towards patients, and illuminating the complexity within the triadic relationship of patient, therapist and supervisor.
Performance Review
Authors: Mayor Christine
Published: October 2017

Ghosts in the classroom: Ms. B’s 4th Grade Classroom: A Performance of ALIVE, Seattle, USA (2016)
Book Review
Authors: Landers Fred
Published: October 2017

Routledge International Handbook of Dramatherapy, Sue Jennings and Clive Holmwood (eds) (2016) 1st ed., New York, NY: Routledge, 396 pp., ISBN: 9781138829725, h/bk, $202.80; ISBN: 9781315728537, e/bk, $192.00
Imigração e Tráfico de Pessoas: “7 Ligações Perigosas”
Authors: Guia Maria João
Published: October 2017

O crime de tráfico de pessoas sofreu sucessivas alterações desde que foi estatuído. O século xxi ficou marcado pela emergência de novos crimes ou de diferentes formas de práticas já existentes. Estas, por decisões político-criminais, passaram a constituir crime ou foram alterados os seus pressupostos por forma a ficarem adaptados à realidade que a evolução do tempo exigiu. Neste artigo, referir-me-ei a sete ideias que perpassam sobre o crime de tráfico de pessoas, que o ligam, frequentemente, à imigração e que podem ajudar a compreender ou desmistificar (pre)conceitos ou conceções com outras realidades que podem ser consideradas perigosas.
Tráfico de Seres Humanos: um acontecimento traumático. Da prevenção à intervenção em rede: Que papel para os serviços de saúde?
Authors: Redondo João
Published: October 2017

Tráfico de seres humanos e violência. Impacto na saúde mental das vítimas. Como pensar a intervenção? Da perspectiva ecológica à intervenção em rede. Que papel para os serviços de saúde?
Tráfico de crianças para fins de exploração da mendicidade: contextualização do problema, (algumas) medidas de protecção das vítimas e lacunas do sistema português
Authors: Medina Ângela
Published: October 2017

A transposição de diversos instrumentos de direito internacional e europeu para o ordenamento jurídico português levou à recente criminalização da mendicidade forçada infantil, passando a mesma a ser punida como tráfico de pessoas. Pretendemos aqui prestar o nosso contributo para o conhecimento deste fenómeno em Portugal, mediante a análise de algumas das suas causas e origens, assim como de algumas medidas de protecção que a legislação nacional consagra para as crianças traficadas, centrando-se na sua aplicação e eficácia.
A frequência do tema “tráfico de pessoas” em dissertações de mestrado e teses de doutoramento disponibilizadas no Estudo Geral da UC (2006-2016)
Authors: Pinto Rooney Figueiredo , Valente Isabel Maria Freitas , Guia Maria João
Published: October 2017

O Estudo Geral é o repositório digital da Universidade de Coimbra. Ligado ao SIBUC, permite uma maior visibilidade da produção científica da de seus investigadores. Este artigo tem por principal objetivo verificar a frequência do tema “Tráfico de Pessoas” em Dissertações de Mestrado e teses de Doutoramento depositadas no Estudo Geral entre 2006 e 2016. Assim, pretende responder às perguntas de investigação: 1. Qual a frequência do tema “Tráfico de Pessoas” em Dissertações de Mestrado e Teses de Doutoramento depositadas no Estudo Geral da UC entre 2006 e 2016?; 2. O que é possível inferir acerca do interesse científico pelo tema a partir das frequências de Dissertações de Mestrado e Teses de Doutoramento depositadas no Estudo Geral? Adotando uma abordagem quantitativa quanto ao tipo/método, explicativa quanto aos objetivos e descritiva quanto aos procedimentos, procedeu-se a pesquisa da frequência do tema tráfico de pessoas, em Dissertações de Mestrado e Teses de Doutoramento (2006-2016). Como resultado verificou -se um número reduzido de trabalhos, foram consultados o catálogo da BGUC e RCAAP, os quais também apresentaram poucos trabalhos, indicando um baixo interesse pelo tema.
The analysis of the concept of vulnerability on the International legal framework on Human Trade
Authors: Pascoal Rafaela Hilário
Published: October 2017

The establishment of the Trafficking1 and the Smuggling Protocol2 has brought to the surface the importance of the concept of vulnerability. However, the Protocols have not given a precise definition to the concept of vulnerability, in order to perceive a practical application on legal grounds. In 2005, the Council of Europe tries to delimit the definition’s gap of such concept, through the Convention of Warsaw3, giving a more exact definition of the concept. The present article intends to analyse the evolution and the application of this concept on the international legal framework on Human trafficking and Smuggling of migrants.
Efficacy of the surgical management of amiodarone-induced thyroiditis.
Authors: Dickfos Marilla , Franz Robert
Published: October 2017

Цель. Амиодарон, относящийся к антиаритмическим препаратам III класса, является жизненно важным лекарством, однако он способен провоцировать развитие амиодарон-индуцированного тиреоидита (АИТ) – редкого, но сложного и угрожающего жизни побочного эффекта. АИТ может вызвать серьезную сердечную дисфункцию и привести к сердечной недостаточности. Заболевание обычно поддается медикаментозному лечению, но небольшая группа пациентов не отвечает на терапию, и у них функция сердечно-сосудистой системы продолжает ухудшаться. Больным из этой группы обычно выполняют тотальную тиреоидэктомию. Без хирургического удаления щитовидной железы состояние пациентов ухудшается; смертность среди непрооперированных пациентов достигает 30–50%. Целью данного исследования был поиск признаков, которые бы позволили более точно определить момент, когда пациента следует направлять на операцию, а также оценка эффективности этого метода лечения.
Методы. Нами был проведен ретроспективный анализ серии случаев АИТ у пациентов, которым была выполнена тотальная тиреоидэктомия с целью лечения АИТ в период с 1998 по 2015 г., что было необходимо для оценки эффективности такой терапии, а также показаний для нее.
Результаты. Мы наблюдали быстрое и значительное снижение уровня Т4 после операции. Симптомы заболевания, как правило, исчезали после операции. Однако каких-либо четких показателей того, как долго следует проводить медикаментозную терапию, в рамках данной когорты больных нами выявлено не было.
Заключение. Врачам следует рассматривать хирургическое вмешательство как действенный и эффективный способ лечения амиодарон-индуцированного тиреотоксикоза. Тем не менее остается неясным, когда следует направлять пациентов на это лечение. При лечении этих сложных пациентов следует применять индивидуальный подход.
Boundary rectifiability and elliptic operators with W
1,1 coefficients
Authors: Toro Tatiana , Zhao Zihui
Published: October 2017

We consider second-order divergence form elliptic operators with

W

1
,
1

{W^{1,1}}

coefficients, in a uniform domain Ω with Ahlfors regular boundary. We show that the

A
∞

{A_{\infty}}

property of the elliptic measure associated to any such operator implies that Ω is a set of locally finite perimeter whose boundary,

∂
⁡
Ω

{\partial\Omega}

, is rectifiable.
As a corollary we show that for this type of operators, absolute continuity of the surface measure with respect to the elliptic measure is enough to guarantee rectifiability of the boundary.
In the case that the coefficients are continuous we obtain additional information about Ω.
Validation of a novel biomechanical test bench for the knee joint with six degrees of freedom
Authors: Heinrichs Christian H. , Knierzinger Dominik , Stofferin Hannes , Schmoelz Werner
Published: October 2017

A novel biomechanical test bench has been developed for in-vitro evaluation of the knee joint. The test bench allows the kinematics of the knee joint to be studied in all six degrees of freedom. Flexion-extension knee movements are induced by quadriceps and hamstring muscle forces simulated by five pneumatic cylinders. The kinematics of the knee and the actively applied muscle forces are measured simultaneously. The aim of this study was to validate the sensitivity and reproducibility of this novel test bench. Four fresh frozen human knees were tested three times, each with seven flexion-extension cycles between 5° and 60°. After the native knees had been tested, the posterior cruciate ligament and then the lateral collateral ligament were dissected. The injured knees were tested in identical conditions [3×(7×5°–60°)] in order to evaluate whether the test bench is capable of detecting differences in knee kinematics between a native state and an injured one. With regard to reproducibility, the novel test bench showed almost perfect agreement for each specimen and for all states and flexion angles. In comparison with the native knees, the injured knees showed significant differences in knee kinematics. This validated novel test bench will make it possible to investigate various knee pathologies, as well as current and newly developed treatment options.
A decomposition theorem for locally compact groups
Authors: Basu Sanjib , Dutta Krishnendu
Published: October 2017

We prove that, under certain restrictions, every locally compact group equipped with a nonzero, σ-finite, regular left Haar measure can be decomposed into two small sets, one of which is small in the sense of measure and the other is small in the sense of category, and all such decompositions originate from a generalised notion of a Lebesgue point.
Incidentally, such class of topological groups for which this happens turns out to be metrisable.
We also observe an interesting connection between Luzin sets in such spaces and decompositions of the above type.
Investigation of Optical Microring Resonator Based on Surface Plasmon Polariton
Authors: Kaur Lovepreet , Dewra Sanjeev
Published: October 2017

This article presents the architecture of optical microring resonator based on surface plasmon polaritons using different profile materials like silicon (Si), silver (Ag) and gold (Au). It is observed that 3.53e-005 w/m, 6.92e-005 w/m, 7.05e-005 w/m received optical powers are achieved in silicon (Si), silver (Ag) and gold (Au) profile materials, respectively, of optical microring resonator at 0.1 w/m minimum input transmission power for 1.55 μm input transmission wavelength. The result shows that the silicon profile is best for designing the optical microring resonator in terms of received optical power.
Secular trends in height, weight and body mass index of primary school children in Turkey between 1993 and 2016
Authors: Topçu Seda , Şimşek Orhon Filiz , Ulukol Betül , Başkan Sevgi
Published: October 2017

Background:

The aim of the study was to analyze the secular trends in height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of children in a Turkish primary school in a 23-year time interval.

Methods:

The height, weight and BMI of 1099 children between 7 and 15 years old were measured. Data were compared to those of children of the same ages from previous measurements carried out in 1993 (867 children) and in 2003 (1214 children) in the same school. The changes in weight, height and BMI were determined and analyzed statistically.

Results:

Weight increments between 7.7 and 16.2 kg/23 years and height increments between 1.1 and 8.3 cm/23 years were observed in boys. For girls, weight increments between 6.5 and 13.4 kg/23 years and height increments between 1.3 and 7.2 cm/23 years were indicated. Usually, there were significant height increments between 1993 and 2016 in both genders. However, there were no significant differences in height between 2003 and 2016 for all age groups. Furthermore, there were significant differences in BMI measurements in all age and gender groups between 1993 and 2016.

Conclusions:

The secular ascending trend in height seems to stop between 2003 and 2016; however, increments in weight and mean BMI tend to continue in Turkish primary school children and adolescents.
Wie man eine Platonstelle deutet: Exegetische Strukturen im Mittelplatonismus
Authors: Petrucci Federico M.
Published: October 2017

In this paper I analyse the most important pieces of evidence concerning the structure of Middle Platonist exegesis (passages from Diogenes Laertius, Taurus of Beirut, the anonymousCommentary on the Theaetetus, Longinus). At first sight these sources seem to present a two-step structure in Middle Platonist exegesis, i. e. a structure which would be quite similar to the Neoplatonic λέξις–θεωρία model. I shall argue, however, that this is not the case: such a structure could be ascribed (in different arrangements) to school exegetical praxis, but it was not applied in Middle Platonist exegetical writings, which were not bound to specific stylistic patterns.
Denn dies ist mir viel wert, Kriton ...
Authors: Kersten Markus
Published: October 2017

The paper concerns the textual form of the sentenceCrit.48e4. A return to the transmitted infinitive πεῖσαι is proposed; at the same time, it is demonstrated that the sentence is thereby ambiguous. Yet, it can be shown that this ambiguousness does not render the passage meaningless. In fact, the transmitted text is interpretively extremely rich, because with the indefinite infinitive a central problem of the dialogue, the demand ‘to convince or obey’, is accentuated in a distinctive way, namely in respect of the personal relation of the two philosophising friends. For the dramatic effect of the dialogue this passage is of great importance.
Location Privacy for Rank-based Geo-Query Systems
Authors: Eltarjaman Wisam , Dewri Rinku , Thurimella Ramakrishna
Published: October 2017

The mobile eco-system is driven by an increasing number of location-aware applications. Consequently, a number of location privacy models have been proposed to prevent the unwanted inference of sensitive information from location traces. A primary focus in these models is to ensure that a privacy mechanism can indeed retrieve results that are geographically the closest. However, geo-query results are, in most cases, ranked using a combination of distance and importance data, thereby producing a result landscape that is periodically flat and not always dictated by distance. A privacy model that does not exploit this structure of geo-query results may enforce weaker levels of location privacy. Towards this end, we explore a formal location privacy principle designed to capture arbitrary similarity between locations, be it distance, or the number of objects common in their result sets. We propose a composite privacy mechanism that performs probabilistic cloaking and exponentially weighted sampling to provide coarse grain location hiding within a tunable area, and finer privacy guarantees under the principle inside this area. We present extensive empirical evidence to supplement claims on the effectiveness of the approach, along with comparative results to assert the stronger privacy guarantees.
To Permit or Not to Permit, That is the Usability Question: Crowdsourcing Mobile Apps’ Privacy Permission Settings
Authors: Ismail Qatrunnada , Ahmed Tousif , Caine Kelly , Kapadia Apu , Reiter Michael
Published: October 2017

Millions of apps available to smartphone owners request various permissions to resources on the devices including sensitive data such as location and contact information. Disabling permissions for sensitive resources could improve privacy but can also impact the usability of apps in ways users may not be able to predict. We study an efficient approach that ascertains the impact of disabling permissions on the usability of apps through large-scale, crowdsourced user testing with the ultimate goal of making recommendations to users about which permissions can be disabled for improved privacy without sacrificing usability.

We replicate and significantly extend previous analysis that showed the promise of a crowdsourcing approach where crowd workers test and report back on various configurations of an app. Through a large, between-subjects user experiment, our work provides insight into the impact of removing permissions within and across different apps (our participants tested three apps: Facebook Messenger (N=218), Instagram (N=227), and Twitter (N=110)). We study the impact of removing various permissions within and across apps, and we discover that it is possible to increase user privacy by disabling app permissions while also maintaining app usability.
Expectation-Maximization Tensor Factorization for Practical Location Privacy Attacks
Authors: Murakami Takao
Published: October 2017

Location privacy attacks based on a Markov chain model have been widely studied to de-anonymize or de-obfuscate mobility traces. An adversary can perform various kinds of location privacy attacks using a personalized transition matrix, which is trained for each target user. However, the amount of training data available to the adversary can be very small, since many users do not disclose much location information in their daily lives. In addition, many locations can be missing from the training traces, since many users do not disclose their locations continuously but rather sporadically. In this paper, we show that the Markov chain model can be a threat even in this realistic situation. Specifically, we focus on a training phase (i.e. mobility profile building phase) and propose Expectation-Maximization Tensor Factorization (EMTF), which alternates between computing a distribution of missing locations (E-step) and computing personalized transition matrices via tensor factorization (M-step). Since the time complexity of EMTF is exponential in the number of missing locations, we propose two approximate learning methods, one of which uses the Viterbi algorithm while the other uses the Forward Filtering Backward Sampling (FFBS) algorithm. We apply our learning methods to a de-anonymization attack and a localization attack, and evaluate them using three real datasets. The results show that our learning methods significantly outperform a random guess, even when there is only one training trace composed of 10 locations per user, and each location is missing with probability 80% (i.e. even when users hardly disclose two temporally-continuous locations).
Bayes, not Naïve: Security Bounds on Website Fingerprinting Defenses
Authors: Cherubin Giovanni
Published: October 2017

Website Fingerprinting (WF) attacks raise major concerns about users’ privacy. They employ Machine Learning (ML) techniques to allow a local passive adversary to uncover the Web browsing behavior of a user, even if she browses through an encrypted tunnel (e.g. Tor, VPN). Numerous defenses have been proposed in the past; however, it is typically difficult to have formal guarantees on their security, which is most often evaluated empirically against state-of-the-art attacks. In this paper, we present a practical method to derive security bounds for any WF defense, where the bounds depend on a chosen feature set. This result derives from reducing WF attacks to an ML classification task, where we can determine the smallest achievable error (the Bayes error). Such error can be estimated in practice, and is a lower bound for a WF adversary, for any classification algorithm he may use. Our work has two main consequences: i) it allows determining the security of WF defenses, in a black-box manner, with respect to the state-of-the-art feature set and ii) it favors shifting the focus of future WF research to identifying optimal feature sets. The generality of this approach further suggests that the method could be used to define security bounds for other ML-based attacks.
Photosensitization of peptides and proteins by pterin derivatives
Authors: Dantola Maria Laura , Reid Lara O. , Castaño Carolina , Lorente Carolina , Oliveros Esther , Thomas Andrés H.
Published: October 2017

Proteins are one of the preferential targets of the photosensitized damaging effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on biological system. Pterins belong to a family of heterocyclic compounds, which are widespread in living systems and participate in relevant biological functions. In pathological conditions, such as vitiligo, oxidized pterins accumulate in the white skin patches of patients suffering this depigmentation disorder. It is known that pterins are able to photosensitize damage in nucleotides and DNA by type I (electron transfer) and type II (singlet oxygen) mechanisms. Recently, it has been demonstrated that proteins and its components may also be damaged when solutions containing both proteins and pterin are exposed to UV-A radiation. Therefore, given the biological and medical relevance of the photosensitizing properties of these molecules, we present in this article an overview of the capability of different pterin derivatives to photoinduce damage in proteins present in the skin, focusing our attention on the chemical modifications of tyrosine and tryptophan residues.
A digital Jewish history?
Authors: Smiatacz Carmen
Published: October 2017

How can we teach Jewish history in a modern and effective way? In Hamburg, Germany, a school project called Geschichtomat tries to find an answer to that question. With the help of digital media, students explore their Jewish neighbourhood. This one-of-a-kind German program permits students to experience the Jewish past and present life in their hometown. During the project, students explore their neighbourhood to understand its historical figures, places, and events. This way they engage with Jewish life. Under the supervision of experts in the disciplines of history and media education, the students will: research, perform interviews with cultural authorities and contemporary witnesses, visit museums and archives, shoot and cut films, edit photos and write accompanying texts. Finally, their contributions are uploaded to the geschichtomat.de website. Little by little a digital map of Jewish life from the perspective of teenagers will take shape.
γ-product of white noise space and applications
Authors: Horrigue Samah
Published: October 2017

In this paper, we define and give some characteristic properties of γ-product in white noise space, which is the generalization of the Wick product.
Existence and uniqueness of solutions are proved for a certain class of ordinary differential equations for the Fock space.
A variational approach for predicting initiation of matrix cracking and induced delamination in symmetric composite laminates under in-plane loading
Authors: Taghavi Larijani Seyed Siamak , Farrokhabadi Amin
Published: October 2017

This paper discusses the formation of matrix cracking and induced delaminations in a

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laminate subject to arbitrary in-plane loading using a variational approach. To this end, the effects of delaminations coming from the tips of transverse cracks in the middle sublaminates are considered to specify the critical crack density points and finally understand which modes of damage are prospects for various lay-ups in the presence of transverse cracks as well as induced delamination. After deriving a very good approximation of the principle of minimum complementary energy by considering complex equations, the stress fields are provided. In this analysis, a unit cell in the ply level of a composite laminate containing both matrix cracking and delamination is considered. Then, the values of the admissible stresses and compliance of cracked laminate are employed to evaluate the energy release rate of each mentioned damage mode. Eventually, the graphs for different lay-ups in such symmetric laminate are drawn, which indicate important points for designers in practical applications. Afterwards, the effects of thickness on the dislocation of critical crack density points are checked. It can be emphasized that the current approach opens a new insight for perceiving the composites’ structural behavior in vulnerable positions.
Optimization of the PDMS/biochar nanocomposite membranes using the response surface methodology
Authors: Lan Yongqiang , Yan Ning , Wang Weihong
Published: October 2017

To improve the separation performance of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/bark biochar (BB) nanocomposite membranes used for alcohol/water separation, the preparation conditions of these composite membranes were analyzed and optimized. In this study, we investigated the following preparation parameters: the BB pyrolysis temperature, the weight ratio of the silane coupling agent (KH-550) to bark biochar (BB), and the BB loading amount. The regression equations were established between these three preparation parameters and the final pervaporation (PV) performance characteristics of the composite membranes. The membranes performed the best under the following optimal preparation conditions: a BB pyrolysis temperature of 407°C; a silane coupling reagent/BB weight ratio of 0.86, and a BB loading amount of 3.36 wt%. According to the results of the regression analysis, a maximum permeation flux of 221.2 g·m−2·h−1 and a maximum selective factor of 21.3 was obtained when the feed temperature for the 5 wt% alcohol solution was set at 40°C.
Resistance of Castanea Clones to Phytophthora Cinnamomi: Testing and Genetic Control
Authors: Miranda-Fontaíña M. E. , Fernández-López J. , Vettraino A. M. , Vannini A.
Published: October 2017

The resistance of chestnut clones to Phytophthora cinnamomi was evaluated by a soil inoculation experiment under controlled environmental conditions, as well as by excised and intact stem tests. One-year-old plants of fifty different clones were inoculated with two isolates of Phytophthora cinnamomi and evaluated fourteen weeks after inoculation. There were significant differences among clones for all root and collar rot variables. There were significant differences for isolates of P. cinnamomi but only for the collar rot variables. A total of 84% of plants grown in infested soil showed symptoms of root rot but only 50% of the plants with root rot, showed also had collar rot. The roots of resistant clones were able to confine the colonization, in roots and from roots to collar. Percentage circumference of collar rot was the best indicator or descriptor of sensitivity, a 50% of clones were resistant or highly resistant clones, with respectively less than 20% and than 10% circumference of collar rot. Percentage of survival of plants is not sufficient to indicate resistance to the pathogen, as mortality may be affected by environmental conditions or by other pathogens. The clonal heritability of collar rot variables ranged between 0.54 and 0.71. The plants grown on inoculated soil showed a reduction in growth. The phenotypic and genotypic correlations between soil infestation characteristics and the length of necrosis in both intact and excised stem tests were positive and highly significant and indicated similar resistance rankings of the clones.
Comparing Morphological With Genetic Distances Between Populations: A New Method and its Application to the Prosopis chilensis – P. flexuosa complex
Authors: Verga A. , Gregorius H.-R.
Published: October 2017

The biological units that are the object of management, preservation and improvement for the development of sustainable productive systems in natural areas, need to be differentiated and analyzed. Attending to this need, a new morphological distance is presented in this work. This distance is based on qualitative criteria and is applied to numerical taxonomy studies. The characteristics of this trait allow its comparison with the genetic distance of GREGORIUS (1974). Both parameters are essential tools in basic studies of native species populations. The morphological distance is applied to reveal genetically differentiated units in a swarm of hybrids between closely related species, and this result is compared with the results obtained from the application of traditional methods of numerical taxonomy.