bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Simple Protocol for immunoglobulin G Purification from Camel “Camelus dromedarius” Serum
Authors: Shawki Asmaa , Abd El-Baky Nawal , Ahmed Mohammed , Linjawi Mustafa H. , Aljaddawi Abdullah A. , Redwan Elrashdy M. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe present study aimed to describe and standardize a simple and efficient protocol for purification of camel IgG from serum, which can be applied for Camilidae antibody production in research laboratories, the preindustrial stage. Camel serum IgG was separated with caprylic acid and ammonium sulfate, then the effect of four variables studied: caprylic acid concentration, pH, stirring time, and stirring intensity. Camel IgG prepared by standardized caprylic acid fractionation method for camel serum was compared with commercial anti-sera products. Camel IgG purification from undiluted sera using caprylic acid at concentration of 8% v/v gave the best results. Purification at different pH values using caprylic acid at 8% v/v revealed that pH 5.5 was optimal. Investigating purification at different stirring time intervals using 8% v/v caprylic acid at pH 5.5 demonstrated that stirring for 90 min gave the optimum results. Finally, studying purification at different stirring intensities using 8% v/v caprylic acid at pH 5.5 for 90 min, the best stirring intensity was at 450 rpm. Overall, the results suggest that caprylic acid purification of camel serum IgG is more effective and safe than ammonium sulfate method in simplicity, purity, and lower non-IgG proteins in the final preparation with lower protein aggregates.
Can somatosensory electrical stimulation relieve spasticity in post-stroke patients? A TMS pilot study
Authors: Peres André Salles Cunha , Souza Victor Hugo , Catunda João Marcos Yamasaki , Mazzeto-Betti Kelley Cristine , Santos-Pontelli Taiza Elaine Grespan , Vargas Claudia Domingues , Baffa Oswaldo , de Araújo Draulio Barros , Pontes-Neto Octávio Marques , Leite João Pereira , Garcia Marco Antonio Cavalcanti 
Published: May 2017

AbstractEvidence suggests that somatosensory electrical stimulation (SES) may decrease the degree of spasticity from neural drives, although there is no agreement between corticospinal modulation and the level of spasticity. Thus, stroke patients and healthy subjects were submitted to SES (3 Hz) for 30′ on the impaired and dominant forearms, respectively. Motor evoked potentials induced by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation were collected from two forearm muscles before and after SES. The passive resistance of the wrist joint was measured with an isokinetic system. We found no evidence of an acute carry-over effect of SES on the degree of spasticity.
The Role of Social Media in Corporate Reputation Management – The Results of the Polish Enterprises
Authors: Szwajca Danuta 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe exponential growth of the Internet and social media (SM) in the recent years has contributed to changing the communication environment in which stakeholders as their users may post and distribute their opinions about the company and its products. This generates a number of potential threats to the image and reputation of both people and organizations. Companies cannot ignore this fact and should use SM not only as an additional communication marketing channel but also in a broader context - as a tool to build and protect their reputation. This article aims to identify the extent and directions of the use of SM in the activities of companies operating on the Polish market in the area of reputation management. The results of research showed that Polish companies recognize the potential of SM and try to apply them in their marketing efforts. In the approach to the SM as a communication channel, the traditional way of thinking dominates, in which they are treated as just another promotional tool used by two departments: marketing and public relations (PR). This way of using SM is not integrated and does not allow effective building and protecting reputation in the Internet environment. To achieve this goal, the following research methods were used: critical analysis of literature and analysis of secondary sources in a form of report from the research conducted by various national and foreign research centers.
Hypermobility and Uncanny Praxis in Robert Lepage and Ex Machina’s Devised Solo Work
Authors: Reynolds James 
Published: May 2017

AbstractSince their first performances in 1994, Robert Lepage and Ex Machina have engaged continuously with mobility by staging characters displaced physically or emotionally from home. Consequently, their narratives experiment with the relationship between onstage and offstage worlds, and inevitably produce un-homely, uncanny effects. These features underpin the hyper-mobility of their theatre, which is further articulated by material and aesthetic practices of mobility, including touring, marketing, and animated scenography. Although this hyper-mobility exploits the theatrical potential of the uncanny, this does not result in an alienating, depoliticised theatre practice. Rather, a complex reading of mobility is generated – particularly in relation to the idea of the city – by the intertwining of an aesthetic of active space with ideas and images of both spatial and social mobility. This reading creates a picture of a hyper-mobile theatre practice with vital, contemporary relevance. It also produces a new description of Lepage’s spatial aesthetic, enables his work to be re-positioned within a particular category of post-modern performance, and characterises Lepage and Ex Machina’s praxis positively.
Theatre Without Walls: The National Theatre of Scotland
Authors: Reid Trish 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe National Theatre of Scotland (NTS), which began producing work early in 2006, is a building-less theatre company which produces work in collaboration with a range of national and international partners. This article explores the ways in which mobility has been central to the conception and operation of the NTS throughout its first decade. In addition to an extensive commitment to touring, the company has made a feature of producing work in collaboration with local artists and communities across Scotland from Shetland in the far north to Dumfries in the south. The article focuses on the company’s inaugural
The Immobility of Power in British Political Theatre after 2000: Absurdist Dystopias
Authors: Tönnies Merle 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe paper focuses on the twenty-first-century resurgence of political concerns in British theatre, in the traditional (post-1950s) sense of criticising the unequal distribution of power in society. A key approach combines the seemingly incompatible genre characteristics of dystopia and the Theatre of the Absurd to foreground immobility, and two representative cases of such absurdist dystopias are studied in detail: Mark Ravenhill'sMobility is denied in a number of respects in these works: In contrast to earlier political theatre in Britain, the unjust hierarchies are not portrayed as changeable, and audiences are pointedly not supposed to be ‘moved’ by any clear-cut messages either. Moreover, the system representatives and their domestic relationships are shown to become increasingly static through the corrupting force of power, both literally and metaphorically. On the whole, these curiously abstract representations result in claustrophobic scenes, which can have profound indirect effects on the spectators. As the plays also allude to the developments in political discourse from New Labour onwards, the pervasive immobility on stage can at the same time be read as obliquely mocking the recurrent insistence on ‘change’ in the rhetoric of all major parties in Britain.
A Simple Model Allowing Modification of the Effect of a Randomized Intervention by Post-Randomization Variables
Authors: Faerber Jennifer A. , Joffe Marshall M. , Small Dylan S. , Zhang Rongmei , Brown Gregory K. , Ten Have Thomas R. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractWe address several questions relating to the use of standard regression and Structural Nested Mean Model (SNMM) approach (e. g., Ten Have et al. 2007) to analyze post-randomization effect modifiers of the intent-to-treat effect of a randomized intervention on a subsequent outcome, which has not been well examined. We show through simulations that the SNMM performs better with respect to bias of estimates of the intervention and interaction effects than does the corresponding standard interaction approach when the baseline intervention is randomized and the post-randomization factors are subject to confounding, and even when there is no association between the intervention and effect modifier. However, causal inference under the SNMM makes untestable assumptions that the causal contrasts do not vary across observed levels of the intervention and post-randomization factor. In addition, the precision of the SNMM-based estimators depends on the effect of the randomized intervention on the post-randomization factor varying across baseline covariate combinations. These issues and methods are illustrated with the application of the standard and causal methods to a randomized cognitive therapy (CT) trial, for which there is a conceptual model of negative cognitive styles or distortions impacted by CT but then in turn modifying the effect of CT on subsequent suicide ideation and social problem solving outcomes.
Are We Really Helping Them? – The Needs of Tort Victims in Mass Litigation Environments
Authors: van Doorn Karlijn , Dybus Charles 
Published: May 2017

AbstractIn the area of mass litigation, little is known about the needs of the individual victim and to what extent these needs are satisfied through the system of collective redress. Are we really helping tort victims through procedures of mass litigation? In response to this question we conducted two studies that focused on the needs of the individual victim in mass litigation contexts. The main results and valuable insights from these studies are presented and compared in this article. We conclude that although the damages have derived from vastly different origins, it is remarkable that some of the needs are rather comparable. Money is not the only need of victims. Sometimes it is not even the primary reason for victims to litigate. Both groups of victims express the need for recognition, taking responsibility, prevention, and information. Moreover, we have found that these victims experience feelings of solidarity, have altruistic needs in multiple forms, and could experience an overwhelming feeling of empowerment in joining a mass litigation process.
The zero gravity curve and surface and radii for geostationary and geosynchronous satellite orbits
Authors: Sjöberg L.E. , Grafarend E.W. , Joud M.S.S. 
Published: May 2017

Abstract
A geosynchronous satellite orbits the Earth along a constant longitude. A special case is the geostationary satellite that is located at a constant position above the equator. The ideal position of a geostationary satellite is at the level of zero gravity, i.e. at the geocentric radius where the gravitational force of the Earth equals the centrifugal force. These forces must be compensated for several perturbing forces, in particular for the lunisolar tides. Considering that the gravity field of the Earth varies not only radially but also laterally, this study focuses on the variations of zero gravity not only on the equator (for geostationary satellites) but also for various latitudes. It is found that the radius of a geostationary satellite deviates from its mean value of 42164.2 km only within ±2 m, mainly due to the spherical harmonic coefficient J22, which is related with the equatorial flattening of the Earth. Away from the equator the zero gravity surface deviates from the ideal radius of a geosynchronous satellite, and more so for higher latitudes. While the radius of the former surface increases towards infinity towards the poles, the latter decreases about 520 m from the equator to the pole. Tidal effects vary these radii within ±2.3 km.
Demand forecasting and information platform in tourism
Authors: Li Yue , Jiang Qi-Jie 
Published: May 2017

AbstractInformation asymmetry and the bullwhip effect have been serious problems in the tourism supply chain. Based on platform theory, this paper established a mathematical model to explore the inner mechanism of a platform’s influence on stakeholders’ ability to forecast demand in tourism. Results showed that the variance of stakeholders’ demand predictions with a platform was smaller than the variance without a platform, which meant that a platform would improve predictions of demand for stakeholders. The higher information-processing ability of the platform also had other effects on demand forecasting. Research on the inner logic of the platform’s influence on stakeholders has important theoretical and realistic value. This area is worthy of further study.
Local kernel nonparametric discriminant analysis for adaptive extraction of complex structures
Authors: Li Quanbao , Wei Fajie , Zhou Shenghan 
Published: May 2017

Abstract
The linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is one of popular means for linear feature extraction. It usually performs well when the global data structure is consistent with the local data structure. Other frequently-used approaches of feature extraction usually require linear, independence, or large sample condition. However, in real world applications, these assumptions are not always satisfied or cannot be tested. In this paper, we introduce an adaptive method, local kernel nonparametric discriminant analysis (LKNDA), which integrates conventional discriminant analysis with nonparametric statistics. LKNDA is adept in identifying both complex nonlinear structures and the ad hoc rule. Six simulation cases demonstrate that LKNDA have both parametric and nonparametric algorithm advantages and higher classification accuracy. Quartic unilateral kernel function may provide better robustness of prediction than other functions. LKNDA gives an alternative solution for discriminant cases of complex nonlinear feature extraction or unknown feature extraction. At last, the application of LKNDA in the complex feature extraction of financial market activities is proposed.
City traffic flow breakdown prediction based on fuzzy rough set
Authors: Yang Xu , Da-wei Hu , Bing Su , Duo-jia Zhang 
Published: May 2017

Abstract
In city traffic management, traffic breakdown is a very important issue, which is defined as a speed drop of a certain amount within a dense traffic situation. In order to predict city traffic flow breakdown accurately, in this paper, we propose a novel city traffic flow breakdown prediction algorithm based on fuzzy rough set. Firstly, we illustrate the city traffic flow breakdown problem, in which three definitions are given, that is, 1) Pre-breakdown flow rate, 2) Rate, density, and speed of the traffic flow breakdown, and 3) Duration of the traffic flow breakdown. Moreover, we define a hazard function to represent the probability of the breakdown ending at a given time point. Secondly, as there are many redundant and irrelevant attributes in city flow breakdown prediction, we propose an attribute reduction algorithm using the fuzzy rough set. Thirdly, we discuss how to predict the city traffic flow breakdown based on attribute reduction and SVM classifier. Finally, experiments are conducted by collecting data from I-405 Freeway, which is located at Irvine, California. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is able to achieve lower average error rate of city traffic flow breakdown prediction.
Research on carbonate reservoir interwell connectivity based on a modified diffusivity filter model
Authors: Wang Wei , Yao Jun , Li Yang , Lv Aimin 
Published: May 2017

Abstract
According to the solution of dual-porosity model, a diffusivity filter model of carbonate reservoir was established, which can effectively illustrate the injection signal attenuation and lag characteristic. The interwell dynamic connectivity inversion model combines a multivariate linear regression (MLR) analysis with a correction coefficient to eliminate the effect of fluctuating bottom-hole pressure (BHP). The modified MLR model was validated by synthetic field with fluctuating BHP. The method was applied to Tahe oilfield which showed that the inversion result was reliable. The interwell dynamic connectivity coefficients could reflect the real interwell connectivity of reservoir. The method is easy to use and proved to be effective in field applications.
Weighing and balancing of principles in cases with rule paradoxes
Authors: Zhu Xinli , Yu Jun 
Published: May 2017

AbstractCases with rule paradox are common in Chinese legal practice. The result of the reasoning process in cases with rule paradox is usually exclusion of the application of the seemingly applicable rules and creation of exceptions to the original rules. Therefore, interpreters have a higher standard to meet in their reasoning. The traditional method of “teleological restriction” is susceptible to the criticism of insufficient reasoning, but the method of principle weighing and balancing can enhance the persuasiveness of the reasoning process. According to the law of competing principles proposed of Alexy, rules are produced after principle weighing and balancing. If we reverse Alexy’s law, any rule can be reduced to principle weighing and balancing. This reversal provides theoretical basis for our method of handling cases with rule paradox, which allows interpreters using sociosemiotic approach to rediscover the missing principles and factual elements in individual cases and to reopen the process of principle weighing and balancing before they make decision.
The Structure of Wittgenstein’s Logical Space
Authors: Pilch Martin 
Published: May 2017

AbstractWittgenstein developed his notion of “logical space” in late 1914 in the second of his wartime notebooks (MS 102). The paper is discussing this development with respect to possible earlier prototypes (Hertz’s “configuration space” and Boltzmann’s “phase space”) and the role logical space plays in the Prototractatus and the Tractatus itself. It is argued that the use is not a mere metaphorical one but can be understood as a concrete mathematical structure given by the logical relationship between truth-arguments, truth-possibilities and truth-conditions. In this perspective the underlying structure is best made visible with the help of three connected representational spaces (called “parameter space”, “state space” and “propositional space”) and the possible mappings between them instead of studying the one logical space directly.On the basis of this analysis a proposal is presented to reconstruct Wittgenstein’s elementary propositions as a certain iterative decision procedure or alternatively as filters connected in series acting on state space.With this understanding the colour-exclusion problem can be fully resolved within the logical framework of the Tractatus.
William Friedman, Geneticist Turned Cryptographer
Authors: Goldman Irwin L 
Published: May 2017

Abstract
William Friedman was a geneticist working at Riverbank Laboratories in Illinois. Soon after starting, he became intrigued by one of the lab’s...
William Friedman (1891–1969), trained as a plant geneticist at Cornell University, was employed at Riverbank Laboratories by the eccentric millionaire George Fabyan to work on wheat breeding. Friedman, however, soon became intrigued by and started working on a pet project of Fabyan’s involving the conjecture that Francis Bacon, a polymath known for the study of ciphers, was the real author of Shakespeare’s plays. Thus, beginning in ∼1916, Friedman turned his attention to the so called “Baconian cipher,” and developed decryption techniques that bore similarity to approaches for solving problems in population genetics. His most significant, indeed pathbreaking, work used ideas from genetics and statistics, focusing on analysis of the frequencies of letters in language use. Although he had transitioned from being a geneticist to a cryptographer, his earlier work had resonance in his later pursuits. He soon began working directly for the United States government and produced solutions used to solve complex military ciphers, in particular to break the Japanese Purple code during World War II. Another important legacy of his work was the establishment of the Signal Intelligence Service and eventually the National Security Agency.
Elasto-plastic analysis of functionally graded metal-ceramic beams under mechanical loading
Authors: Kien Nguyen Dinh , Thom Tran Thi , Alexandrov Sergey , Ha Le Thi 
Published: May 2017

The elasto-plastic analysis of functionally graded (FG) metal-ceramic beams under mechanical loading by using the finite element method is presented. A bilinear stress-strain relation with isotropic hardening is assumed for elasto-plastic behaviour of metal, and the effective elasto-plastic properties of the functionally graded material are evaluated by using Tamura-Tomota-Ozawa (TTO) model. A nonlinear beam element based on the classical beam theory is formulated and employed in the analysis. The element employed nonlinear von K\'am\'an strain-displacement relationship is derived by using the neutral surface as reference plane. The layer beam approach, in which the plastic rate equation is solved at Gauss points, is adopted in updating the stress and evaluating the element nodal force vector and tangent stiffness matrix. Numerical examples are given to show the accuracy of the derived formulation and to illustrate the effect of the material distribution and plastic deformation on the behavior of the beams. The formation and propagation of plastic zone during the loading process is also examined and highlighted.
Salivary Colony Stimulating Factor‐1 and Interleukin‐34 in Periodontal Disease
Authors: Martinez G.L. , Majster M. , Bjurshammar N. , Johannsen A. , Figueredo C.M. , Boström E.A. 
Published: May 2017

Background: Colony‐stimulating factor (CSF)‐1 and interleukin (IL)‐34 are macrophage growth factors and regulators of osteoclastogenesis. Their potential involvement in periodontal disease is yet unknown. The aim of this study is to explore the presence of CSF‐1 and IL‐34 in whole saliva in relation to periodontal disease.Methods: Protocol validation was assessed in saliva of healthy donors (n = 21) by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Salivary CSF‐1, IL‐34, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐8, a biomarker candidate of periodontitis, were determined in 48 patients (29 patients with periodontitis, 12 with gingivitis, and seven healthy patients) and related to the following clinical periodontal parameters: bleeding on probing, probing depth, clinical attachment loss, and plaque index. An additional separate group of patients with gingivitis (n = 21) and some of the patients with periodontitis (n = 11) were subjected to non‐surgical periodontal treatment, whereupon changes in salivary CSF‐1, IL‐34, and MMP‐8 levels were determined and related to periodontal outcome.Results: Patients with periodontitis displayed higher CSF‐1 and MMP‐8 levels in saliva compared with healthy patients, and IL‐34 levels were lower. A higher CSF‐1/IL‐34 ratio was observed in patients with periodontitis compared with healthy patients. There was a positive correlation between CSF‐1 and MMP‐8, which both correlated negatively to IL‐34, in patients with gingivitis and periodontitis. Clinical periodontal parameters correlated positively with CSF‐1, MMP‐8, and with the CSF‐1/IL‐34 ratio, and negatively with IL‐34 in patients with periodontitis. After treatment CSF‐1 and MMP‐8 levels decreased together with observed clinical improvement in patients with gingivitis.Conclusion: CSF‐1 and IL‐34 are present in saliva and seem to have complementary roles in periodontal disease: IL‐34 in steady‐state and CSF‐1 in inflammation.