bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enabling Public Cameras to Talk to the Public
Authors: Cao Siyuan , Wang He
Published: July 2018

This paper asks: Is it possible for cameras in public areas, say ceiling cameras in a museum, to send personalized messages to people without knowing any addresses of their phones? We define this kind of problem as Private Human Addressing and develop a real-time end-to-end system called PHADE to solve it. Unlike traditional data transmission protocols that need to first learn the destination's address, our cameras rely on viewing user's motion patterns, and use the uniqueness of these patterns as the address for communication. Once receiving the wireless broadcast from the cameras, the user's phone can locally compare the "motion address" of the packet against its own motion sensor data, and accept the packet upon a "good" match.

In addition to requiring no data from users, our system transforms the motion patterns into low-dimensional codes to prevent leakage of user's walking behaviors. Thus, a hacker who collects all the broadcast messages would still not be able to infer the motion patterns of users. Real-world experiments show that PHADE discriminates 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 people with 98%, 95%, 90%, 90%, 87% correctness and about 3 seconds constant delay. Since abundant and accurate information can be extracted from videos, PHADE would find applications in various contexts. Extended to localization system and audio guide, PHADE achieves a median error of 0.19m and 99.7% matching correctness, respectively. PHADE can also deliver messages based on human gestures. There is no need to deploy any extra infrastructures or to require users to rent any dedicated device.
DeActive
Authors: Hossain H. M. Sajjad , Al Haiz Khan MD Abdullah , Roy Nirmalya
Published: July 2018

Deep learning architectures have been applied increasingly in multi-modal problems which has empowered a large number of application domains needing much less human supervision in the process. As unlabeled data are abundant in most of the application domains, deep architectures are getting increasingly popular to extract meaningful information out of these large volume of data. One of the major caveat of these architectures is that the training phase demands both computational time and system resources much higher than shallow learning algorithms and it is posing a difficult challenge for the researchers to implement the architectures in low-power resource constrained devices. In this paper, we propose a deep and active learning enabled activity recognition model, DeActive, which is optimized according to our problem domain and reduce the resource requirements. We incorporate active learning in the process to minimize the human supervision along with the effort needed for compiling ground truth. The DeActive model has been validated using real data traces from a retirement community center (IRB #HP-00064387) and 4 public datasets. Our experimental results show that our model can contribute better accuracy while ensuring less amount of resource usages in reduced time compared to other traditional deep learning approaches in activity recognition.
Effect of quantity and quality of pre-exercise carbohydrate meals on central fatigue
Authors: Khong Teng Keen , Selvanayagam Victor S. , Hamzah Sareena Hanim , Yusof Ashril
Published: July 2018

Both the quantity and quality of pre-exercise carbohydrate (CHO) meals have been shown to improve endurance performance. However, their role in attenuating central fatigue (CF) is inconclusive. The use of neurophysiological techniques, such as voluntary activation (VA) and the central activation ratio (CAR), alongside maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and sustained MVC (sMVC) can provide information on CF. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of isocaloric pre-exercise meals: 1) a high versus low quantity of CHO and 2) a high quantity of CHO with a high versus low glycemic index (GI) on MVC, VA, and CAR following a 90-min run. The high and low quantity of CHO was 1.5 and 0.8 g/kg body wt, respectively, and high and low GI was ~75 and ~40, respectively. Blood insulin, serotonin, tryptophan, and gaseous exchange were also measured. High CHO preserved sMVC, VA, CAR, and serotonin postrunning with greater CHO oxidation and insulin response, whereas in low CHO, greater reductions in sMVC, VA, and CAR were accompanied by higher serotonin and fat oxidation with lower insulin response. These observations indicate central involvements. Meanwhile, high GI CHO better preserved force (sMVC), CAR, and tryptophan with greater CHO oxidation and insulin response compared with low GI. The findings of this study suggest that pre-exercise meals with varying quantity and quality of CHO can have an effect on CF, where greater CHO oxidation and insulin response found in both high CHO and high GI lead to attenuation of CF.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY This paper examined the effects of carbohydrate interventions (high and low: quantity and quality wise) on central activity during prolonged exercise using mainly neurophysiological techniques along with gaseous exchange and blood insulin, serotonin, and tryptophan data.
A Secure Fair Exchange for SMS‐Based Mobile Payment Protocols Based on Symmetric Encryption Algorithms with Formal Verification
Authors: Thammarat Chalee , Kurutach Werasak
Published: July 2018

Information security and fair exchange are essential to creating trust among all the parties participating in any sale transaction. However, implementing them in any mobile commerce is challenging due to the limitation of resources on mobile devices. Numerous m‐commerce protocols that have been proposed so far still lack those two important aspects. In this paper, we propose mobile payment (m‐payment) protocols, a crucial part of m‐commerce, that incorporate both information security and fair exchange while retaining their own lightweight property. To allow convenience of use, the proposed protocols can be implemented on the existing Short Message Service (SMS) infrastructure. Our approach is based on the secure session key generation technique to enhance information security under lightweight conditions and involves a trusted third party to guarantee fair exchange without information disclosure. We have formally proven that our protocols are more effective and efficient than others in terms of fairness, security, and lightweight properties. In addition, the soundness and completeness of the protocols have been analyzed and proven using BAN logic and an automated security protocol proof tool named Scyther.
An Analysis of Skin Prick Tests to Latex and Patch Tests to Rubber Additives and other Causative Factors among Dental Professionals and Students with Contact Dermatoses
Authors: Japundžić Iva , Vodanović Marin , Lugović-Mihić Liborija
Published: July 2018

Background: Dental workers often experience unwanted allergic and nonallergic skin reactions resulting in different contact dermatoses (e.g., contact urticaria, irritant and allergic contact dermatitis) that are often attributed to rubber gloves. Objective: To examine allergic and nonallergic contact dermatoses by different methods amongst dental professionals and dental students, more specifically, reactions to natural rubber latex (NRL), rubber additives, and other causative factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study we surveyed a total of 444 subjects (dentists, assistants, technicians, and students); 200 agreed to be tested to latex by the standard skin prick test (SPT) and prick-by-prick test, of whom 107 were patch tested to rubber additives (mercapto mix, thiuram mix, carba mix, and N-isopropyl-N-phenyl-4-phenylenediamine [IPPD]). Results: Skin lesions appeared significantly more frequently with longer work experience (p = 0.002; V = 0.181), frequent glove changes (p < 0.001; V = 0.310), and hand washing (p < 0.001; V = 0.263), and in subjects with a history of allergies (atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and others) (p < 0.001; V = 0.183). Positive SPTs to latex occurred in 14/200 subjects (7%), of whom 5/14 subjects (35.7%) were also positive in prick-by-prick tests. Patch tests were positive in 5/104 subjects (4.8%) (mercapto mix 1%, thiuram mix 1.9%, and carba mix 1.9%). Conclusion: Only a small number of our subjects were allergic to latex (7%) or rubber additives (4.8%). Thus, self-reported contact dermatoses (during NRL product use) in dental professionals and students are not commonly caused by allergies to latex and rubber additives, as is often assumed, but by other factors.
Apigenin Retards Atherogenesis by Promoting ABCA1-Mediated Cholesterol Efflux and Suppressing Inflammation
Authors: Ren Kun , Jiang Ting , Zhou Hui-Fang , Liang Yin , Zhao Guo-Jun
Published: July 2018

Background/Aims: The development of atherosclerosis is accompanied by escalating inflammation and lipid accumulation within blood vessel walls. ABCA1 plays a crucial role in mediating cholesterol efflux from macrophages, which protects against atherogenesis. This research was designed to explore the effects and underlying mechanisms of apigenin (4’, 5, 7-trihydroxyflavone) on ABCA1-mediated cellular cholesterol efflux and LPS-stimulated inflammation in RAW264.7 macrophages and apoE-/- mice. Methods: Expression of genes or proteins was examined by RT-PCR or western blot analysis. Liquid scintillation counting was used to detect percent cholesterol efflux. Cellular cholesterol content was measured using HPLC assay. The secretion levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were quantified by ELISA assay. Atherosclerotic lesion sizes were determined with Oil Red O staining. The contents of macrophages and smooth muscle cells in atherosclerotic lesion were evaluated using immunohistochemistry. Plasma TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C levels in apoE-/- mice were evaluated using commercial test kits. Results: Apigenin potently increased ABCA1 expression through miR-33 repression in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Treatment with apigenin significantly increased ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux, and reduced TC, FC and CE levels in macrophage-derived foam cells. In LPS-treated macrophages, the expression levels of TLR-4, MyD88 and p-IκB-α as well as nuclear NF-κB p65 were decreased by the addition of apigenin. Moreover, apigenin markedly decreased secretion levels of several pro-inflammatory cytokines. Lastly, in LPS-challenged apoE-/- mice, apigenin administration augmented ABCA1 expression, decreased the contents of macrophages and smooth muscle cells in atherosclerotic lesion, reduced miR-33, TLR-4, and NF-κB p65 levels, improved plasma lipid profile and relieved inflammation, which results in less atherosclerotic lesion size. Conclusions: Taken together, these results suggest that apigenin may attenuate atherogenesis through up-regulating ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux and inhibiting inflammation.
Seven Steps to Control of Corruption: The Road Map
Authors: Mungiu-Pippidi Alina
Published: July 2018

After a comprehensive test of today's anticorruption toolkit, it seems that the few tools that do work are effective only in contexts where domestic agency exists. Therefore, the time has come to draft a comprehensive road map to inform evidence-based anticorruption efforts. This essay recommends that international donors join domestic civil societies in pursuing a common long-term strategy and action plan to build national public integrity and ethical universalism. In other words, this essay proposes that coordination among donors should be added as a specific precondition for improving governance in the WHO's Millennium Development Goals. This essay offers a basic tool for diagnosing the rule governing allocation of public resources in a given country, recommends some fact-based change indicators to follow, and outlines a plan to identify the human agency with a vested interest in changing the status quo. In the end, the essay argues that anticorruption interventions must be designed to empower such agency on the basis of a joint strategy to reduce opportunities for and increase constraints on corruption, and recommends that experts exclude entirely the tools that do not work in a given national context.
Fighting Systemic Corruption: The Indirect Strategy
Authors: Rothstein Bo
Published: July 2018

While attention to corruption and anticorruption policies has increased dramatically in research and in policy, the results of many anticorruption and so-called good-governance programs have so far been unimpressive. I argue that this lack of success can be explained by the reliance on a theoretical approach-namely, the “principal-agent theory”-that seriously misconstrues the basic nature of the corruption problem. In this essay, I contend that the theory of collective action is a more fruitful foundation for developing anticorruption policies. I suggest that policy measures based on a collective-action understanding of corruption will be much less direct-and ultimately more effective-than approaches derived from the principal-agent theory. Taking inspiration from military theorist Basil Liddell Hart's “indirect approach” strategy, I argue that decision-makers should focus on policies that change the basic social contract, instead of relying solely on measures that are intended to change incentives for corrupt actors.
Reforming Reform: Revising the Anticorruption Playbook
Authors: Johnston Michael
Published: July 2018

Three decades of anticorruption activism have yielded only indifferent results. It is time to step back and rethink some basic issues. Among them are what the opposite of corruption might look like; our excessive faith in transparency; the distinction between “grand” and “petty” corruption; our reliance on the concept of “political will”; and what the best ways are of measuring corruption and mobilizing civil society. “Best practices” are elusive and do not always transfer well from one setting to the next. However, “better practices” are possible if we understand how corruption arises as a political and social issue, and how well-governed societies got that way. We often turn history upside down, overemphasizing reform from above while neglecting contention from below; and get history backward by mistaking outcomes of contention for the causes of better government. “Deep democratization’ – enabling citizens to demand justice and better government – tailored to contrasting situations and syndromes may yield better long-term results.
Getting to Accountability: A Framework for Planning & Implementing Anticorruption Strategies
Authors: Taylor Matthew M.
Published: July 2018

A key lesson from historical examples of anticorruption successes and failures is that bursts of anticorruption policy seldom develop into lasting shifts in the overall corruption equilibrium if these policies are not embedded in a broader accountability effort. This essay draws on past examples of anticorruption success to develop an accountability framework that can be broadly applied across a number of sectors and contexts. This essay further proposes an iterative, strategic approach that uses the basic structure of this accountability equation to guide anticorruption efforts in order progressively to eliminate bottlenecks to effective accountability.
Corruption & Purity
Authors: Rose-Ackerman Susan
Published: July 2018

Corruption is a complex and contested concept that raises difficult ethical and legal issues at the borderline between individuals’ public and private roles. What is appropriate or required in one role may be inappropriate or even illegal in another. Based on these concepts of role and responsibility, I begin this essay by analyzing three cases that fit comfortably into the “illegal corruption” category: so-called grand and petty corruption and electoral fraud. These categories express widely accepted boundaries at the interface between public power and private wealth. I then discuss more ambiguous cases, such as lobbying and campaign finance, that demand nuanced legal and policy solutions. Responses to both types of behavior must go beyond law enforcement to include the reorganization of government institutions and their relationship to the private sector.
Corruption & Illicit Trade
Authors: Shelley Louise I.
Published: July 2018

Illicit trade in diverse commodities–including drugs, people, natural resources, and counterfeit goods–is a significant component of the global economy. And illicit trade could not be possible without both high- and low-level forms of corruption. Transnational corruption has facilitated the global growth of illicit trade, undermining governance, the economy, health, social order, and sustainability in all regions of the world. This essay explores the convergences of corruption, illicit trade markets, and the legitimate economy, and identifies strategies for combatting them.
The World Needs an International Anti-Corruption Court
Authors: Wolf Mark L.
Published: July 2018

In War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy wrote that “the thoughts that have enormous consequences are always simple.” 1 This essay explains an ambitious idea with enormous consequences that is simple: an International Anti-Corruption Court is needed to diminish the devastating consequences of grand corruption, the abuse of public office for private gain by a nation's leaders. Grand corruption depends on a culture of impunity in countries whose leaders will not permit the enforcement of existing criminal laws against their close colleagues and themselves. An International Anti-Corruption Court would provide a forum to enforce those laws, punish corrupt leaders, and deter and thus diminish grand corruption. The successful prosecution and imprisonment of corrupt leaders would create opportunities for the democratic process to produce successors dedicated to serving their people rather than to enriching themselves.
Preventing Systemic Corruption in Brazil
Authors: Moro Sérgio Fernando
Published: July 2018

This essay describes the Brazilian anticorruption operation known as Operação Lava Jato (“Operation Car Wash”), its findings, and its results based on cases tried up to March 2018. Told from the perspective of the federal judge of the Thirteenth Federal Criminal Court of Curitiba, in whose court most of the Lava Jato cases have been prosecuted, this massive criminal case offers lessons that may be useful to other anticorruption efforts. Preventing systemic corruption is a challenge, but it is a necessary step for the improvement of democracy.
Corruption & State Capture: What Can Citizens Do?
Authors: Bracking Sarah
Published: July 2018

Given South Africa's recent history of corrupt state capture, the country faces two possible futures: a further decline into spoils politics or a return to an improved constitutional democracy. This essay argues that the latter is more likely in the long run, but is by no means guaranteed. Achieving such a future requires public administrators, citizens, the private sector, and top lawmakers to insist on a public-focused social order. This essay suggests that a coalition of anticorruption agents must be built across the public and private sectors, and that this effort will be successful to the extent that it can link people across traditional class and race divides.
Strategies for Advancing Anticorruption Reform in Nigeria
Authors: Suberu Rotimi T.
Published: July 2018

A vast literature documenting the structural embeddedness, grotesque scale, and devastating consequences of political corruption in Nigeria threatens to overshadow the tenacity of the country's anti-corruption “wars,” the recent gains in controlling electoral corruption, the development of a robust national discourse about improving the effectiveness of anticorruption reform, and the crystallization of potentially viable legislative and constitutional reform agendas for promoting good governance. Especially remarkable was the 2015 election of opposition presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari, who ran on an anticorruption platform. Drawing lessons from those national anticorruption struggles, this essay distills several interrelated steps by which reformist political leaders and activist civil society organizations might advance anticorruption reform in Nigeria and, potentially, elsewhere. These strategies involve depoliticizing key oversight institutions, curbing presidential and gubernatorial discretionary powers, restructuring patronage-based fiscal federalism, expanding and entrenching current transparency laws, and promoting participatory constitutionalism.
Combating Corruption in Asian Countries: Learning from Success & Failure
Authors: Quah Jon S.T.
Published: July 2018

With widespread corruption in many Asian countries, Singapore and Hong Kong SAR have proved exceptions: their governments’ strong political will and reliance on single “Type A” anticorruption agencies (ACAs) have effectively and impartially enforced anticorruption laws. By contrast, the governments in China, India, and the Philippines have failed to minimize corruption due to weak political will and reliance on multiple ineffective and poorly resourced “Type B” ACAs. This essay draws on the experiences of these five countries to identify four lessons for policy-makers to enhance the effectiveness of their ACAs.
How Not to Fight Corruption: Lessons from China
Authors: Pei Minxin
Published: July 2018

The most effective anticorruption strategies combine prevention and enforcement. Yet the political payoffs are greater for enforcement-centered strategies, even though they often fail to achieve durable objectives. Autocratic regimes with endemic corruption thus tend to prefer enforcement-centered anticorruption strategies: they are easier to contain, while prevention-centered strategies risk undermining the rulers’ bases of power. This explains why the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has consistently favored an enforcement-centered anticorruption strategy. However, an overemphasis on enforcement, in the Chinese political context at least, has resulted in the politicization of anticorruption efforts and a lack of sustainability of such efforts.
Accomplishing Anticorruption: Propositions & Methods
Authors: Rotberg Robert I.
Published: July 2018

The insidious practice of corruption cripples institutions, consumes communities, and cuts deeply into the very structure of people's lives. It destroys nations and saps their moral fiber. Corruption is invasive and unforgiving, degrading governance, distorting and criminalizing national priorities, and privileging acquisitive rent-seeking, patrimonial theft, and personal gains over concern for the commonweal. It also costs an estimated $1 trillion annually - roughly a loss of 2 percent of global GDP - and disproportionally affects the most needy countries and their peoples. This opening essay shows that these baleful results need not occur: the battle against corrupt practices can be won, as it has been in several contemporary countries and throughout history. Ethical universalism can replace particularism. Since collective behavioral patterns and existing forms of political culture need to be altered, anticorruption endeavors must be guided from the apex of society. Consummate political will makes a critical difference. Anticorruption successes are hard-won and difficult to sustain. This essay and this special issue show what can and must be done.
The Problem of Monopolies & Corporate Public Corruption
Authors: Teachout Zephyr
Published: July 2018

Defining corruption as the exercise of public power for private, selfish ends, many theorists have argued that individuals can be corrupt even if their actions are legal. This essay explores the knotty question of when legal corporate action is corrupt. It argues that when corporations exercise public power, either through monopolistic control of a market or through campaign contributions and support of governmental actors, they are subject to the same responsibilities of anyone who exercises public power. Therefore, as a theoretical matter, we should call corporations corrupt when they exercise public power selfishly, in a way that puts their own interests over the public's interests. Because they make legal corporate corruption less likely, global anticorruption campaigns should therefore emphasize antimonopoly laws and campaign finance laws.
Chroma Stability of WOLED with High-Voltage
Authors: Liu Hongbo , Wang Lizhong , Song Mingxing , Li Shumei
Published: July 2018

Multilayer chroma stability of white OLEDs was realized with blue dye DPVBi and red dye DCJTB doped as luminescence layer. The blue dye doping concentration was kept at 6%, at the same time the red dye was reduced from 4%, 2%, 1% to 0.5%. The device color coordinates (CIE) were adjusted
from (0.58, 0.42) to (0.31, 0.32), achieving the white light emission. A stable white emission for forward bias voltage changes from 6 to 17 V has been achieved. Its maximum luminance was 15030 cd/m2 at 17 V, and the maximum current efficiency was 4.65 cd/A at 9 V. We contributed
the main reason of chroma stability to the complete energy transfer from CBP to DCJTB and the incomplete energy transfer between DPVBi and DCJTB by analyzing the spectrum and characteristic of the device so its performance was enhanced.
Outstanding Performance of Novel Magnetic Beads for Efficient Purification of His-Tagged Proteins
Authors: Xu Hongpan , Sun Tingting , Huang Yuanfu , Song Lian , Li Zhiyang , Wang Wei
Published: July 2018

Placing of affinity tags at desired position of the proteins has been widely used to facilitate protein separation. One of the most commonly method for protein separation is nickel ion (Ni2+) affinity chromatography. Complex steps and time consuming in nickel ion affinity
chromatography have caused high demand for alternative purification methods that allow direct and rapid separation of His-tagged proteins. In the present study, magnetic core–shell beads enriched with Ni2+-nitrilotriacetate (Ni-NTA) on their surface were prepared in this study
by precipitation polymerization, with a uniform size of about 10 μm. The presented Ni2+ amount was 2.23%, which endowed the spheres with excellent magnetic responsivity and dispersity. We compared the magnetic beads enrichment method and nickel ion affinity chromatography
method for extraction of His-tagged protein sample with different concentrations. The results revealed that, when compared with nickel ion affinity chromatography, extraction efficiency, purity of the extracted protein, and regeneration effort were much higher with the magnetic beads enrichment
method. By using magnetic beads enrichment method, samples could be separated within 20 s, and purified within 1 h, with unlimited flow velocity and sample capacity. In addition, the magnetic beads enrichment method was particularly promising for the separation of His-tagged proteins in less
samples.
A Global Glacial Ocean State Estimate Constrained by Upper-Ocean Temperature Proxies
Authors: Amrhein Daniel E. , Wunsch Carl , Marchal Olivier , Forget Gael
Published: July 2018

We use the method of least squares with Lagrange multipliers to fit an ocean general circulation model to the Multiproxy Approach for the Reconstruction of the Glacial Ocean Surface (MARGO) estimate of near sea surface temperature (NSST) at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; circa 23–19 thousand years ago). Compared to a modern simulation, the resulting global, last-glacial ocean state estimate, which fits the MARGO data within uncertainties in a free-running coupled ocean–sea ice simulation, has global-mean NSSTs that are 2°C lower and greater sea ice extent in all seasons in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Increased brine rejection by sea ice formation in the Southern Ocean contributes to a stronger abyssal stratification set principally by salinity, qualitatively consistent with pore fluid measurements. The upper cell of the glacial Atlantic overturning circulation is deeper and stronger. Dye release experiments show similar distributions of Southern Ocean source waters in the glacial and modern western Atlantic, suggesting that LGM NSST data do not require a major reorganization of abyssal water masses. Outstanding challenges in reconstructing LGM ocean conditions include reducing effects from model biases and finding computationally efficient ways to incorporate abyssal tracers in global circulation inversions. Progress will be aided by the development of coupled ocean–atmosphere–ice inverse models, by improving high-latitude model processes that connect the upper and abyssal oceans, and by the collection of additional paleoclimate observations.
Hydrological Modeling to Evaluate Climate Model Simulations and Their Bias Correction
Authors: Hakala Kirsti , Addor Nans , Seibert Jan
Published: July 2018

Variables simulated by climate models are usually evaluated independently. Yet, climate change impacts often stem from the combined effect of these variables, making the evaluation of intervariable relationships essential. These relationships can be evaluated in a statistical framework (e.g., using correlation coefficients), but this does not test whether complex processes driven by nonlinear relationships are correctly represented. To overcome this limitation, we propose to evaluate climate model simulations in a more process-oriented framework using hydrological modeling. Our modeling chain consists of 12 regional climate models (RCMs) from the Coordinated Downscaling Experiment–European Domain (EURO-CORDEX) forced by five general circulation models (GCMs), eight Swiss catchments, 10 optimized parameter sets for the hydrological model Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV), and one bias correction method [quantile mapping (QM)]. We used seven discharge metrics to explore the representation of different hydrological processes under current climate. Specific combinations of biases in GCM–RCM simulations can lead to significant biases in simulated discharge (e.g., excessive precipitation in the winter months combined with a cold temperature bias). Other biases, such as exaggerated snow accumulation, do not necessarily impact temperature over the historical period to the point where discharge is affected. Our results confirm the importance of bias correction; when all catchments, GCM–RCMs, and discharge metrics were considered, QM improved discharge simulations in the vast majority of all cases. Additionally, we present a ranking of climate models according to their hydrological performance. Ranking GCM–RCMs is most meaningful prior to bias correction since QM reduces differences between GCM–RCM-driven hydrological simulations. Overall, this work introduces a multivariate assessment method of GCM–RCMs, which enables a more process-oriented evaluation of their simulations.
Effect of Assimilating Himawari-8 Atmospheric Motion Vectors on Forecast Errors over East Asia
Authors: Kim Dae-Hui , Kim Hyun Mee
Published: July 2018

In this study, the effect of assimilating Himawari-8 (HIMA-8) atmospheric motion vectors (AMVs) on forecast errors in East Asia is evaluated using observation system experiments based on the Weather Research and Forecasting Model and three-dimensional variational data assimilation system. The experimental period is from 1 August to 30 September 2015, during which both HIMA-8 and Multifunctional Transport Satellite-2 (MTSAT-2) AMVs exist. The energy-norm forecast error based on the analysis of each experiment as reference was reduced more by replacing MTSAT-2 AMVs with HIMA-8 AMVs than by adding HIMA-8 AMVs to the MTSAT-2 AMVs. When the HIMA-8 AMVs replaced or were added to MTSAT-2 AMVs, the observation impact was reduced, which implies the analysis–forecast system was improved by assimilating HIMA-8 AMVs. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the 500-hPa geopotential height forecasts based on the analysis of each experiment decreases more effectively when the region lacking in upper-air wind observations is reduced by assimilating both MTSAT-2 and HIMA-8 AMVs. When the upper-air radiosonde (SOUND) observations are used as reference, assimilating more HIMA-8 AMVs decreases the forecast error. Based on various measures, the assimilation of HIMA-8 AMVs has a positive effect on the reduction of forecast errors. The effects on the energy-norm forecast error and the RMSE based on SOUND observations are greater when HIMA-8 AMVs replaced MTSAT-2 AMVs. However, the effects on the RMSE of the 500-hPa geopotential height forecasts are greater when both HIMA-8 and MTSAT-2 AMVs were assimilated, which implies potential benefits of assimilating AMVs from several satellites for forecasts over East Asia depending on the choice of measurement.
On the Linkage among Strong Stratospheric Mass Circulation, Stratospheric Sudden Warming, and Cold Weather Events
Authors: Yu Yueyue , Cai Ming , Shi Chunhua , Ren Rongcai
Published: July 2018

It is well established that sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events tend to be accompanied by continental-scale, surface cold-air outbreaks (CAOs) in midlatitudes in boreal winter. However, SSW events occur at most one to two times per winter, whereas CAOs occur three to seven times over each of the North American and Eurasian continents. Using the ERA-Interim dataset for 37 winters (November–March) from 1979 to 2016, we reveal that SSW events correspond to a large-amplitude or long-lasting subset of pulse-like, anomalously strong, stratospheric mass circulation events. The anomalously strong, stratospheric mass circulation events (referred to as PULSE events) occur more than nine times in an average winter. The “displacement” versus “split” types of SSWs tend to correspond to the “wavenumber 1” versus “wavenumber 2” types of PULSEs, though the relationship between split-type SSWs and wavenumber-2-type PULSEs is weaker. Like SSW events, PULSEs also have a close relationship with CAOs. The robust relationship with CAOs still holds for the PULSE events not accompanied by SSW events. Using PULSE events, we determine that more than 70% of CAOs in the 37 winters occur in the week before and after a PULSE event, with a false alarm rate of CAO occurrence of about 25.7%. SSW events, however, are associated with only about 5.7% of CAOs, with a false alarm rate of 21.7%. Therefore, the linkage between individual continental-scale CAOs and PULSE events represents a more generalized relationship between the stratospheric circulation anomalies and surface weather. PULSE signals should also be considered as a potentially useful stratospheric indicator of the occurrence of individual CAO events.
Macitentan reduces progression of TGF-β1-induced pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Bellaye Pierre-Simon , Yanagihara Toyoshi , Granton Elise , Sato Seidai , Shimbori Chiko , Upagupta Chandak , Imani Jewel , Hambly Nathan , Ask Kjetil , Gauldie Jack , Iglarz Marc , Kolb Martin
Published: July 2018

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease with an unknown cause. Two drugs, nintedanib and pirfenidone, have been shown to slow, but not stop, disease progression. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a frequent complication in IPF patients and is associated with poor prognosis. Macitentan is a dual endothelin receptor antagonist that is approved for pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment. We hypothesised that using macitentan to treat animals with pulmonary fibrosis induced by adenoviral vector encoding biologically active transforming growth factor-β1 (AdTGF-β1) would improve the PH caused by chronic lung disease and would limit the progression of fibrosis.

Rats (Sprague Dawley) which received AdTGF-β1 were treated by daily gavage of macitentan (100 mg·kg−1·day−1), pirfenidone (0.5% food admix) or a combination from day 14 to day 28. Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) was measured before the rats were killed, and fibrosis was subsequently evaluated by morphometric measurements and hydroxyproline analysis.

AdTGF-β1 induced pulmonary fibrosis associated with significant PH. Macitentan reduced the increase in PAP and both macitentan and pirfenidone stopped fibrosis progression from day 14 to day 28. Macitentan protected endothelial cells from myofibroblast differentiation and apoptosis whereas pirfenidone only protected against fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation. Both drugs induced apoptosis of differentiated myofibroblastsin vitroandin vivo.

Our results demonstrate that dual endothelin receptor antagonism was effective in both PH and lung fibrosis whereas pirfenidone only affected fibrosis.
Role of (myo)fibroblasts in the development of vascular and connective tissue structure of the C38 colorectal cancer in mice
Authors: Bugyik Edina , Szabó Vanessza , Dezső Katalin , Rókusz András , Szücs Armanda , Nagy Péter , Tóvári József , László Viktória , Döme Balázs , Paku Sándor
Published: July 2018

Background

It remains unclear if the vascular and connective tissue structures of primary and metastatic tumors are intrinsically determined or whether these characteristics are defined by the host tissue. Therefore we examined the microanatomical steps of vasculature and connective tissue development of C38 colon carcinoma in different tissues.

Methods

Tumors produced in mice at five different locations (the cecal wall, skin, liver, lung, and brain) were analyzed using fluorescent immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction.

Results

We found that in the cecal wall, skin, liver, and lung, resident fibroblasts differentiate into collagenous matrix‐producing myofibroblasts at the tumor periphery. These activated fibroblasts together with the produced matrix were incorporated by the tumor. The connective tissue development culminated in the appearance of intratumoral tissue columns (centrally located single microvessels embedded in connective tissue and smooth muscle actin‐expressing myofibroblasts surrounded by basement membrane). Conversely, in the brain (which lacks fibroblasts), C38 metastases only induced the development of vascularized desmoplastic tissue columns when the growing tumor reached the fibroblast‐containing meninges.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that the desmoplastic host tissue response is induced by tumor‐derived fibrogenic molecules acting on host tissue fibroblasts. We concluded that not only the host tissue characteristics but also the tumor‐derived fibrogenic signals determine the vascular and connective tissue structure of tumors.
Randomized Trial of Systemic Therapy After Involved-Field Radiotherapy in Patients With Early-Stage Follicular Lymphoma: TROG 99.03
Authors: MacManus Michael , Fisher Richard , Roos Daniel , O’Brien Peter , Macann Andrew , Davis Sidney , Tsang Richard , Christie David , McClure Bev , Joseph David , Jayamohan Jayasingham , Seymour John F.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is curable by involved-field radiotherapy (IFRT) in < 50% of patients with stage I to II disease. We hypothesized that adding systemic therapy to IFRT would improve long-term progression-free survival (PFS).

Patients and Methods

A multicenter randomized controlled trial enrolled patients with stage I to II low-grade FL after staging computed tomography scans and bone marrow biopsies. 18F-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography (PET) was not mandatory. Patients were randomly assigned to either arm A (30 Gy IFRT alone) or arm B (IFRT plus six cycles of cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisolone [CVP]). From 2006, rituximab was added to arm B (R-CVP).

Results

Between 2000 and 2012, 150 patients were enrolled, 75 per arm. In arm B, 44 patients were allocated to receive CVP and 31 were allocated to receive R-CVP. At randomization, 75% had stage I, the median age was 57 years, 52% were male, and 48% were PET staged. With a median follow-up of 9.6 years (range, 3.1 to 15.8 years), PFS was superior in arm B (hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.95; P = .033). Ten-year PFS rates were 59% (95% CI, 46% to 74%) and 41% (95% CI, 30% to 57%) for arms B and A, respectively. Patients in arm B who received R-CVP had markedly superior PFS compared with contemporaneous patients in arm A (hazard ratio, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.97; P = .045). Fewer involved regions ( P = .047) and PET staging ( P = .056) were associated with better PFS. Histologic transformation occurred in four and 10 patients in arms B and A, respectively ( P = .1). Ten deaths occurred in arm A versus five in arm B, but overall survival was not significantly different ( P = .40; 87% and 95% at 10 years, respectively).

Conclusion

Systemic therapy with R-CVP after IFRT reduced relapse outside radiation fields and significantly improved PFS. IFRT followed by immunochemotherapy is more effective than IFRT in early-stage FL.
Risks of Financing Student's Sports Club
Authors: Алексеева Н. , Alekseeva N.
Published: July 2018

The article shows the role of student sports clubs in the development of Russian sports. Different types of risks faced by sports clubs of higher educational institutions are considered. The characteristics of the risks associated with financing student sport are given. The key methods of managing the risks of financing student sports clubs are considered.
ENTREVISTA: O PROTAGONISMO DE MULHERES NEGRAS NA CIDADE DE RIBEIRÃO PRETO, SP.
Authors: De Oliveira Maria Helena Ramos , Ferreira Adria Maria Bezerra , Santos Maria Elisabeth Rosa dos
Published: July 2018

A entrevista foca duas mulheres líderes em educação, que atuam na organização não governamental Casa da Mulher – Associação de Estudo e Pesquisa de Ribeirão Preto, no estado de São Paulo.  São elas: Adria Maria Bezerra Ferreira, professora aposentada, atual presidenta da Casa da Mulher, professora, sambista e ativista do Movimento Negro. Maria Helena Ramos de Oliveira, artista plástica, mestre em Arte afro-latinoamericana e caribenha pelo Programa de Pós-graduação em Integração da América Latina da Universidade de São Paulo, escritora e poeta. Aos 75 anos de vida, Maria Helena Ramos de Oliveira e Adria Maria Bezerra Ferreira permanecem no cenário cultural de Ribeirão Preto produzindo narrativas, que não se restringem ao contexto local, pois há décadas participam da organização e lutas dos movimentos Negro e o de Mulheres. São educadoras culturais que vivenciam as intersecções de classe, raça-etnia, gênero e principalmente geração, pois participam com a juventude negra da mobilização poética contemporânea nos encontros do Sarau Preto. A entrevistadora é Maria Elisabeth Rosa dos Santos, pedagoga, supervisora da Secretaria Municipal de Educação de Mauá, São Paulo e membro WLE desde 2013, quando representou o Brasil na 4th WLE Conference, em Apam, Gana, África. A conversa aproxima duas cidades do estado de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, conhecida como a California brasileira e Mauá, município da região metropolitana, que recebeu em 2013 o selo de cidade Educadora da UNESCO.
Going digital to expand the Diabetes Prevention Programme
Authors: McGough Ben
Published: July 2018

The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme has had positive results so far. Ben McGough explains the pilot of a digital version of the programme
Ensino de Geografia e crise ambiental: representações das águas nos livros didáticos do 6º ano do Ensino Fundamental (PNLD - 2014)
Authors: Cancellier Mariana Recco
Published: July 2018

O problema com a poluição das águas é mundial, mas não precisamos nos deslocar muito para perceber que na região de Criciúma, mais precisamente na Região Carbonífera, esse problema é grave. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo principal analisar como a disciplina de geografia, através do livro didático do 6º ano do ensino fundamental (PNLD 2014), aborda conceitualmente educação ambiental, rios e bacia hidrográfica considerando a realidade do aluno, problematizando o pensamento geográfico disseminado na educação brasileira. Utilizando do aporte teórico de Capra (1996) com o conceito de “Ecologia Rasa” e “Ecologia Profunda”, Gadotti (2000) Ecopedagogia e (Capra, 2000) Ecoalfabetização, entre outros, o estudo aponta um breve levantamento histórico sobre a disciplina de geografia no contexto educacional e as novas perspectivas para a educação ambiental, consequentemente a preservação dos rios. Os livros didáticos foram nosso objeto de pesquisa, sendo que as quatros maiores coleções em número de exemplares distribuídos no PNLD 2014, sendo estas: Projeto Araribá; Expedições Geográficas; Projeto Telaris e Para Viver Juntos. A análise do livro foi realizada considerando a fundamentação teórica e norteados por um fichamento bibliográfico, considerando pontos de observação como as concepções de natureza explicitada nos capítulos, especialmente nos destinados a temática água/bacia hidrográfica; analise de imagens presente no decorrer do livro que envolvem a temática água/bacia hidrográfica e as atividades propostas. A partir do conjunto destes estudos e análises foi possível perceber que o livro didático, sendo neste trabalho considerado documento histórico, em sua maioria cristalizam o pensamento antropocêntrico e consideram a degradação ambiental como ações pontuais e destituídas de uma motivação/caracterização histórica maior.
O ensino profissional na escola secundária pública portuguesa: Percepções dos seus principais agentes educativos
Authors: Esteves Armando , Branco Maria Luísa Frazão
Published: July 2018

O ensino profissional foi oficialmente introduzido nas Escolas Secundárias Públicas portuguesas em 2004, no âmbito da europeização das políticas educativas nacionais. Esta aposta teve como principais designíos o aumento de mão de obra qualificada e a diversificação da oferta formativa de dupla certificação, colocando vários desafios às escolas. Neste contexto, o presente estudo tem como principal objetivo verificar qual a percepção dos principais atores educativos, onde se incluem os alunos, relativamente aos Cursos Profissionais, quanto à sua importância, qualidade e implementação na Escola Secundária Pública. Para alcançar o objetivo referido, fizemos um estudo descritivo, recorrendo à aplicação de inquéritos por questionário numa Escola Secundária Pública, que tem a particularidade de oferecer Cursos Profissionais desde a sua inclusão na Escola Pública, em 2004. De entre os resultados obtidos, destaca-se, do ponto de vista dos Professores e Direção Executiva, a percepção de que os Cursos Profissionais constituem uma mais valia para a consolidação das metas do Projeto Educativo da escola, reforçando o papel da mesma na formação qualificada de jovens para o mercado de trabalho e no acentuar da sua identidade, assim como na melhoria dos resultados escolares dos alunos. Do ponto de vista dos alunos, é de realçar a forte valorização da natureza prática dos cursos e a sua orientação para o mercado do trabalho, a qualidade do estágio e a promoção do seu sucesso educativo.
Understanding site selection of for-profit educational management organization charter schools
Authors: Lee Jin
Published: July 2018

The rise of for-profit EMOs often becomes evidence of substantial shifts in the governance of education, through which schooling may become privatized and commercialized. This study is designed to understand the economic behavior of for-profit educational management organization charter schools, by focusing on their site selection decisions as a critical factor in making a profit. Using the locations of for-profit EMO charter schools in Michigan, the study examines determinants of the location decision on charter school markets, with the choice set of potential school districts. This research finds changes of the odds ratio in the percentage of for-profit EMO charter schools, logged expenditures per pupil, and in the proportions of African-American populations, populations who have experienced higher education, and unemployed populations. Provided that for-profit EMO charter schools make a site selection decision according to areas with certain characteristics, the spatial disparity of access to charter schools can raise issues concerning unequal educational opportunities.