bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An iterative biased‐randomized heuristic for the fleet size and mix vehicle‐routing problem with backhauls
Authors: Belloso Javier , Juan Angel A. , Faulin Javier 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThis paper analyzes the fleet mixed vehicle‐routing problem with backhauls, a rich and realistic variant of the popular vehicle‐routing problem in which both delivery and pick‐up customers are served from a central depot using a heterogeneous and configurable fleet of vehicles. After a literature review on the issue and a detailed description of the problem, a solution based on a multistart biased‐randomized heuristic is proposed. Our algorithm uses an iterative method that relies on solving a series of smaller instances of the homogeneous‐fleet version of the problem and then using these subsolutions as partial solutions for the original heterogeneous instance. In order to better guide the exploration of the solutions space, the algorithm employs several biased‐randomized processes: a first one for selecting a vehicle type; a second one for sorting the savings list; and a third one to define the number of routes that must be selected from the homogenous‐fleet subsolution. The computational experiments show that our approach is competitive and able to provide 20 new best‐known solutions for a 36‐instance benchmark recently proposed in the literature.
Local governments' efficiency: a systematic literature review—part II
Authors: Narbón‐Perpiñá Isabel , De Witte Kristof 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe efficient management of the available resources in local governments has been a topic of high interest in the field of public sector. We provide an extensive and comprehensive review of the existing literature on local governments' efficiency from a global point of view, covering all articles from 1990 to August 2016. This paper is the second of two. It covers the aspects related to local governments' efficiency measurement along with its determinants, that is, taking into account the effect of environmental variables over efficiency. First, we describe which techniques have been used to incorporate environmental variables in the context of local governments. Second, we provide a classification for the determinants used and summarize their impact on efficiency. Finally, we discuss some operative directions and considerations for further research in the field.
Melatonin may exert a protective role against drought stress in maize
Authors: Fleta‐Soriano E. , Díaz L. , Bonet E. , Munné‐Bosch S. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractMelatonin (N‐acetyl‐5methoxytryptamine) is an amphiphilic low‐molecular‐weight compound found in evolutionary distant living organisms, from bacteria to mammals. It can be synthesized by plants and acts as a potent antioxidant and/or a regulator of plant growth and development. Here, we investigated the role of melatonin in plant response to drought stress and recovery in maize (Zea mays L.) plants, with an emphasis on its possible photoprotective and antioxidant role and/or signalling function in relation to the stress‐related phytohormones, abscisic acid, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. Results show a positive correlation between endogenous contents of melatonin and photoprotection, as indicated by the maximum efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry (Fv/Fm ratio), which was confirmed further by exogenous application of melatonin during recovery from drought stress. Melatonin applications during drought recovery improved the Fv/Fm ratio in maize plants exposed to a subsequent drought stress. Furthermore, endogenous contents of melatonin positively correlated with those of stress‐related phytohormones, particularly with those of salicylic acid, although exogenous application of melatonin did not alter the contents of these defence compounds. It is concluded that melatonin can exert a defensive role in maize plants exposed to drought stress, particularly improving the efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry.
Effects of water vapor on the oxidation and the fracture strength of SiC layer in TRISO fuel particles
Authors: Cao Fangcheng , Hao Wei , Wang Xin , Guo Fangwei , Zhao Xiaofeng , Rohbeck Nadia , Xiao Ping 
Published: February 2017

AbstractSteam oxidation of silicon carbide (SiC) layer in nuclear fuel particles were performed in flowing argon‐water vapor mixture with a total pressure of 1 bar at 1173‐1673 K. Both the phase composition and the microstructure of the oxide scale on the SiC layer varied with the oxidation temperature. Reaction rates of water vapor with the SiC layer were determined by measuring the oxide scale thickness. It was found that the oxidation of SiC layer follows the parabolic law. The activation energy was calculated to be 103±11 kJ/mol. It is proposed that the rate determine step of the oxidation is the diffusion of water vapor molecules in the oxide scale. The fracture strength of SiC shell after steam oxidation was evaluated using a crush test. The fracture strength decreased with the increase in the oxidation temperature due to the thinning of the SiC layer.
Improving vision awareness in autism services: Evaluation of a dedicated education programme for support practitioners
Authors: Long Joseph J. , Butchart Maggie , Brown Michael , Bain Janice , McMillan Anne , Karatzias Thanos 
Published: February 2017

BackgroundThe research reported here sought to evaluate whether a dedicated education programme in vision awareness improved the knowledge and skills of autism support practitioners in identifying visual impairment in autistic people with intellectual disabilities and providing better support to those individuals identified as visually impaired.MethodsResearchers undertook a mixed methods evaluation. A survey questionnaire was devised and administered before and after training and focus groups were undertaken in order to gain qualitative data relating how practitioners implemented their learning in practice.ResultsKnowledge confidence and practice confidence scores of participants were significantly improved by the programme, which maintained its impact one year on. Practitioners reported increased access to optometry, changes to support practice and improvements to service environments as a result of the training.ConclusionAutism support practitioners’ skills in identifying and supporting people with visual impairments were demonstrably enhanced through dedicated vision training.
The value of reflectance confocal microscopy in diagnosis of flat pigmented facial lesions: a prospective study
Authors: Wurm E. , Pellacani G. , Longo C. , Soyer H.P. , Gonzalez S. , Hofmann‐Wellenhof R. , Ahlgrimm‐Siess V. , Guitera P. , Sinz C. , Kittler H. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBackgroundFlat pigmented facial lesions are difficult to diagnose even with dermatoscopy. It is controversial how additional information obtained by in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) impacts the diagnosis and management.ObjectiveTo examine what in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy of flat pigmented facial lesions adds to clinical examination using dermatoscopy including digital dermatoscopic monitoring.MethodsWe prospectively collected 70 cases of flat pigmented facial lesions and recorded diagnoses and management decisions by experts based on direct clinical examination aided by dermatoscopy including digital dermatoscopic monitoring and by remote experts who reviewed the corresponding confocal images. The expert confocal readers were blinded to the clinical and dermatoscopic appearance of the lesion.ResultsThe sensitivity of dermatoscopy plus digital dermatoscopic monitoring was 95.0% (95% CI 75.13% to 99.87%) and the specificity was 84.0% (95% CI 70.89% to 92.83%). The sensitivity of RCM was 95.0% (95% CI 75.13% to 99.87%) and the specificity was 82.0% (95% CI 68.56% to 91.42%).ConclusionAlthough most flat pigmented facial lesions can be managed by clinical examination and dermatoscopy alone, confocal microscopy is a useful adjunct in selected lesions. If RCM is not correlated with clinical and dermatoscopic information, there is risk of overdiagnosis of actinic keratosis, however.
Evaluation of repellents for the redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, vector of the laurel wilt pathogen
Authors: Hughes M. A. , Martini X. , Kuhns E. , Colee J. , Mafra‐Neto A. , Stelinski L. L. , Smith J. A. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, is the vector of the laurel wilt disease fungal pathogen, Raffaelea lauricola. Since the vector's initial detection in the USA in the early 2000s, laurel wilt has killed millions of redbay, Persea borbonia, trees and other members of the plant family Lauraceae. To protect host trees from beetle attack and laurel wilt infection, we tested the efficacy of host‐ and non‐host‐derived and commercial compounds as X. glabratus repellents in field experiments. In our first trial, the major constituents of the non‐host tree, longleaf pine, Pinus palustris, and SPLAT Verb (verbenone 10%) were paired with manuka oil attractants and beetle captures were counted. Verbenone and a 1 : 1 blend of myrcene and camphene were intermediate to both the manuka positive and blank negative controls. Subsequently, we tested different blends of methyl salicylate (MeSA), a host defence and signalling compound, and verbenone in SPLAT dispensers using freshly cut redbay bolts as an attractant. All treatments reduced X. glabratus captures and boring holes as compared to the redbay (‐) repellent positive control; however, SPLAT Verb and SPLAT MeSA‐Verb (5% each) achieved the highest repellency, with results comparable to that of the non‐host (laurel oak). These trials establish that host‐derived and commercially available repellent compounds can reduce X. glabratus attacks and therefore have potential as part of an integrated management strategy against laurel wilt and its vector.
Expression pattern and ligand‐binding properties of odorant‐binding protein 13 from Monochamus alternatus hope
Authors: Li N. , Sun X. , Wang M.‐Q. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractOdorant‐binding proteins (OBPs) are believed to play an important role in olfactory recognition. In this study, expression pattern and fluorescence binding characteristics of MaltOBP13 from the Japanese pine sawyer beetle, Monochamus alternatus Hope, were investigated via qPCR analysis of MaltOBP13 mRNA level and binding assay of MaltOBP13 and ligands. qPCR monitoring indicated MaltOBP13 mainly expressed in newly emerged males, particularly highly expressed in the last abdominal segment of males, and the expression level was significantly higher in 13‐day‐old mated adults than those of other stages. To further understand the function of the MaltOBP13 protein in odorant reception, the binding affinity of recombinant MaltOBP13 to ligands was tested by fluorescence binding assays with N‐phenyl‐1‐naphthylamine as a fluorescent probe. The results of this assay indicated that MaltOBP13 exhibited a high binding affinity for pine volatiles and binding capacity was higher in acidic conditions than in neutral environment, indicating a possible role in finding host plants.
Association between gastric cancer and the Kyoto classification of gastritis
Authors: Shichijo Satoki , Hirata Yoshihiro , Niikura Ryota , Hayakawa Yoku , Yamada Atsuo , Koike Kazuhiko 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBackground and AimHistological gastritis is associated with gastric cancer, but its diagnosis requires biopsy. Many classifications of endoscopic gastritis are available, but not all are useful for risk stratification of gastric cancer. The Kyoto Classification of Gastritis was proposed at the 85th Congress of the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society. This cross‐sectional study evaluated the usefulness of the Kyoto Classification of Gastritis for risk stratification of gastric cancer.MethodsFrom August 2013 to September 2014, esophagogastroduodenoscopy was performed and the gastric findings evaluated according to the Kyoto Classification of Gastritis in a total of 4062 patients. The following five endoscopic findings were selected based on previous reports: atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, enlarged folds, nodularity, and diffuse redness.ResultsA total of 3392 patients (1746 [51%] men and 1646 [49%] women) were analyzed. Among them, 107 gastric cancers were diagnosed. Atrophy was found in 2585 (78%) and intestinal metaplasia in 924 (27%). Enlarged folds, nodularity, and diffuse redness were found in 197 (5.8%), 22 (0.6%), and 573 (17%), respectively. In univariate analyses, the severity of atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, diffuse redness, age, and male sex were associated with gastric cancer. In a multivariate analysis, atrophy and male sex were found to be independent risk factors. Younger age and severe atrophy were determined to be associated with diffuse‐type gastric cancer.ConclusionEndoscopic detection of atrophy was associated with the risk of gastric cancer. Thus, patients with severe atrophy should be examined carefully and may require intensive follow‐up.
Segmentation of digitized histological sections for quantification of the muscularized vasculature in the mouse hind limb
Authors: XU YIWEN , PICKERING J. GEOFFREY , NONG ZENGXUAN , WARD AARON D. 
Published: February 2017

SummaryImmunohistochemical tissue staining enhances microvasculature characteristics, including the smooth muscle in the medial layer of the vessel walls that is responsible for regulation of blood flow. The vasculature can be imaged in a comprehensive fashion using whole‐slide scanning. However, since each such image potentially contains hundreds of small vessels, manual vessel delineation and quantification is not practically feasible. In this work, we present a fully automatic segmentation and vasculature quantification algorithm for whole‐slide images. We evaluated its performance on tissue samples drawn from the hind limbs of wild‐type mice, stained for smooth muscle using 3,3'‐Diaminobenzidine (DAB) immunostain. The algorithm was designed to be robust to vessel fragmentation due to staining irregularity, and artefactual staining of nonvessel objects. Colour deconvolution was used to isolate the DAB stain for detection of vessel wall fragments. Complete vessels were reconstructed from the fragments by joining endpoints of topological skeletons. Automatic measures of vessel density, perimeter, wall area and local wall thickness were taken. The segmentation algorithm was validated against manual measures, resulting in a Dice similarity coefficient of 89%. The relationships observed between these measures were as expected from a biological standpoint, providing further reinforcement of the accuracy of this system. This system provides a fully automated and accurate means of measuring the arteriolar and venular morphology of vascular smooth muscle.
Characterization of the μ and P phase precipitates in the CMSX‐4 single crystal superalloy
Authors: DUBIEL B. , INDYKA P. , MOSKALEWICZ T. , KRUK A. , ZUBKO M. , KALEMBA‐REC I. , BERENT K. 
Published: February 2017

SummaryA combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning‐transmission electron microscopy (STEM) using high‐angle annular‐dark‐field (HAADF) imaging, focussed ion beam‐ scanning electron microscopy (FIB‐SEM) tomography, selected area electron diffraction with beam precession (PED), as well as spatially resolved energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), was used to investigate topologically close‐packed (TCP) phases, occurring in the CMSX‐4 superalloy subjected to high temperature annealing and creep deformation. Structural and chemical analyses were performed to identify the TCP phases and provide information concerning the compositional partitioning of elements between them. The results of SEM and FIB‐SEM tomography revealed the presence of merged TCP particles, which were identified by TEM and PED analysis as coprecipitates of the μ and P phases. Inside the TCP particles that were several micrometres in size, platelets of alternating μ and P phases of nanometric width were found. The combination of STEM‐HAADF imaging with spatially resolved EDS and EELS microanalysis allowed determination of the significant partitioning of the constituent elements between the μ and P phases.
Is there an association between verbal school bullying and possible sleep bruxism in adolescents?
Authors: Serra‐Negra J. M. , Pordeus I. A. , Corrêa‐Faria P. , Fulgêncio L. B. , Paiva S. M. , Manfredini D. 
Published: February 2017

SummaryThe aim of this study was to determine the association between verbal school bullying and possible sleep bruxism (SB) in adolescents. A case–control study was carried out at the population level by recruiting 13‐ to 15‐year‐old participants among the attendants of schools of Itabira, Brazil. The case group was composed of 103 adolescents with possible SB (i.e. self‐ or parental‐reported), while the control group included 206 adolescents without possible SB. All participants answered a questionnaire on the occurrence of their involvement in verbal school bullying episodes, based on the National School of Health Research (PeNSE) as well as an evaluation of their economic class according to the criteria of the Brazilian Association of Research Companies. Pearson's chi‐square, McNemar test and conditional logistic regression were performed to assess the association between possible SB, verbal school bullying and economic class. There were 134 (43·3%) participants who reported involvement in verbal school bullying episodes as a victim, bully or both. The majority of them were males (90·3%). Adolescents with possible SB were more likely to have been involved in episodes of verbal school bullying (OR: 6·20; 95% CI: 3·67–10·48). Based on these findings, it can be suggested that possible SB in young teenagers is associated with a history of episodes of verbal school bullying.
The Compassionate Treatment of Animals
Authors: Gayley Holly 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe compassionate treatment of animals has been the focal point of speeches and writings by one of the most influential Buddhist cleric‐scholars on the Tibetan plateau today, Khenpo Tsultrim Lodrö of Larung Buddhist Academy. This essay surveys the Khenpo's broad‐based advocacy for animal welfare and details his discrete appeals to nomads in eastern Tibet to forgo selling livestock for slaughter, to eat a vegetarian diet on religious holidays, to relinquish wearing animal fur, to protect wildlife habitat, and to liberate the lives of animals. I focus on the modernist “this worldly” dimension of his advocacy, calling attention to how Tsultrim Lodrö goes beyond traditional scare tactics that emphasize the karmic effects of negative deeds in future lives and instead invokes compassion by attending to the lived experience and suffering of animals. In doing so, the Khenpo positions Buddhism as a civilizing force in order to reform certain Tibetan customs and mitigate the influence of Chinese modernity and state marketization policies. I argue that his strategy of “reverse orientalism” appropriates state civilizational discourse and reverses its terms.
Hope as Grounds for Forgiveness
Authors: Giannini Heidi Chamberlin 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIt is widely assumed that Christianity enjoins its followers to practice universal, unconditional forgiveness. But universal, unconditional forgiveness is regarded by many as morally problematic. Some Christian scholars have denied that Christianity in fact requires universal, unconditional forgiveness, but I believe they are mistaken. In this essay, I show two things: (1) that Christianity does enjoin universal, unconditional forgiveness of a certain sort, and (2) that Christians, and perhaps other theists, are always justified in exercising unconditional forgiveness. Though most philosophers treat forgiveness as grounded in our beliefs about the offender's current state, I argue that we might more fruitfully ground forgiveness in hope for the wrongdoer. Christianity's commitment to the existence of an omnipotent God who is concerned about the moral status of His creatures always justifies such hope and thus always justifies forgiveness.
The Ethics of Price Gouging
Authors: Weiss Shira 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTAn analysis of the contemporary moral debate over price gouging can advance multiple readings of the challenging biblical episode which depicts Jacob's purchase of the birthright. Ethical considerations, such as the maximization of welfare, preservation of choice, and promotion of virtue are evaluated and then applied to the biblical text recounting the sale of Esau's birthright. Did Jacob act ethically in his purchase of ravenous Esau's birthright, or did he seize a propitious opportunity to exploit Esau's predicament? Is Esau responsible for spurning his birthright, or was he misled as he claims Jacob had “supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he has taken away my blessing” (Genesis 27:36)? An ethical analysis of Jacob's and Esau's intentions and actions in the transaction uncovers the Bible's position on the sale and on the larger moral debate.
The virtual dental home: a critique
Authors: Friedman Jay W. , Nash David A. , Mathu‐Muju Kavita R. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe Virtual Dental Home is a concept of the Pacific Center for Special Care of the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco. It is designed to improve access to dental care for underserved populations, specifically children and institutionalized adults. This article describes the development and implementation of the Virtual Dental Home, subsequently critiquing the concept. The criteria for a dental home are not met by the program. It is the equivalent of a traditional public oral health prevention and screening program, with the additional dimension of allowing dental hygienists and assistants to place interim glass ionomer restorations in dental cavities. The critique questions the need to insert a “cloud” dentist into the process. The routine utilization of radiographs is also challenged. The VDH not only lacks the attributes of a dental home, it has not been shown to be as efficient and effective as traditional programs staffed by dental hygienists and dental therapists. The article concludes by describing how programs utilizing dental therapists could address the deficiencies of the Virtual Dental Home, effectively improving access to oral health care for underserved populations.