bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Transmission of a novel sonotubometry acoustic click stimulus in healthy and patulous eustachian tube subjects: A retrospective case -control study
Authors: Pyne Justin M. , Amoako-Tuffour Yaw , Earle Guy , McIntyre Graham , Butler Michael B. , Bance Manohar 
Published: June 2017

Background Eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction can be very difficult to diagnose accurately. Our aim is to determine whether a newly developed sonotubometric test using clicks can reliably detect ET opening during swallowing in normal ET subjects, and patulous ET (PET) in subjects with ET dysfunction. Methods Sixteen subjects (19 normal ET ears and 6 PET ears) were individually placed in a sound-isolated audiometry booth and subjected to a 1000Hz click train stimulus, played through the nose. PET subjects were identified through the ET clinic at our institution, while healthy subjects were recruited. Transmission through the ET was recorded by a microphone in the ear ipsilateral to the presenting nostril, during no swallow and swallow states, and this was used to compute a power ratio (power in the frequency range of interest to the whole frequency range). The power transmission ratio both before and after the swallow was averaged, and represented the baseline (BaseR). The power transmission ratio during swallow represented the peak (PeakR). The same process was repeated in the absence of a stimulus to account for swallowing noise. Wilcoxon rank rum tests were performed to determine statistical significance. Results It was found that for healthy ET patients, the median difference between the PeakR and BaseR was 0.51 ( p = 0.004). For the PET patients in this study, the median difference between the PeakR and the BaseR was 3.30 ( p = 0.041). Comparing the baseline between groups revealed that PET patients had a median BaseR 1.05 higher than healthy ET patients. PET patients had a median PeakR of 3.84 higher than healthy ET patients. Both were deemed to be statistically significant ( p = 0.003, p = 0.003 respectively). A significant difference was found between median PeakR for the stimulus and no-stimulus condition for the healthy ET group (0.59, p < 0.001) and for the PET group (4.39, p = 0.031), indicating that it was unlikely that swallowing noise caused false positive results. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that a novel click stimulus is capable of detecting ET opening during swallowing in healthy patients as well as highlighting PET in diseased subjects.
Evidence that differentiation-inducing factor-1 controls chemotaxis and cell differentiation, at least in part, via mitochondria inD. discoideum
Authors: Kubohara Yuzuru , Kikuchi Haruhisa , Nguyen Van Hai , Kuwayama Hidekazu , Oshima Yoshiteru 
Published: June 2017

ABSTRACTDifferentiation-inducing factor-1 [1-(3,5-dichloro-2,6-dihydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)hexan-1-one (DIF-1)] is an important regulator of cell differentiation and chemotaxis in the development of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. However, the entire signaling pathways downstream of DIF-1 remain to be elucidated. To characterize DIF-1 and its potential receptor(s), we synthesized two fluorescent derivatives of DIF-1, boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-conjugated DIF-1 (DIF-1-BODIPY) and nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBD)-conjugated DIF-1 (DIF-1-NBD), and investigated their biological activities and cellular localization. DIF-1-BODIPY (5 µM) and DIF-1 (2 nM) induced stalk cell differentiation in the DIF-deficient strain HM44 in the presence of cyclic adenosine monosphosphate (cAMP), whereas DIF-1-NBD (5 µM) hardly induced stalk cell differentiation under the same conditions. Microscopic analyses revealed that the biologically active derivative, DIF-1-BODIPY, was incorporated by stalk cells at late stages of differentiation and was localized to mitochondria. The mitochondrial uncouplers carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), at 25–50 nM, and dinitrophenol (DNP), at 2.5–5 µM, induced partial stalk cell differentiation in HM44 in the presence of cAMP. DIF-1-BODIPY (1–2 µM) and DIF-1 (10 nM), as well as CCCP and DNP, suppressed chemotaxis in the wild-type strain Ax2 in shallow cAMP gradients. These results suggest that DIF-1-BODIPY and DIF-1 induce stalk cell differentiation and modulate chemotaxis, at least in part, by disturbing mitochondrial activity.
Patient waiting time in the outpatient clinic at a central surgical hospital of Vietnam: Implications for resource allocation
Authors: Tran Tho Dinh , Nguyen Uy Van , Minh Nong Vuong , Tran Bach Xuan 
Published: June 2017

Background: Patient waiting time is considered as a crucial parameter in the assessment of healthcare quality and patients’ satisfaction towards healthcare services. Data concerning this has remained limited in Vietnam. Thus, this study aims to assess patient waiting time in the outpatient clinic in Viet Duc Hospital (Hanoi, Vietnam) in order to enable stakeholders to inform evidence-based interventions to improve the quality of healthcare services. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2014 to June 2015 in the outpatient clinic at Viet Duc Hospital. Waiting time stratified by years (2014 and 2015), months of the year, weekdays, and hours of the day were extracted from Hospital Management software and carefully calculated. Stata 12.0 was employed to analyze data, including the average time (M± SD), frequencies and percentage (%). Results: There was a total of 137,881 patients involved in the study. The average waiting time from registration to preliminary diagnosis in 2014 was 50.41 minutes, and in 2015 was 42.05 minutes. A longer waiting time was recorded in the morning and in those having health insurance. Conclusions: Our results provided evidence that despite the decrease of waiting time from 2014 to 2015, waiting time was much higher among patients having health insurance compared to their counterparts. The findings suggest that human resources promotion and distribution should be emphasized in outpatient clinics and health insurance-related administrative procedures should be simplified.
CASAS: Cancer Survival Analysis Suite, a web based application
Authors: Rupji Manali , Zhang Xinyan , Kowalski Jeanne 
Published: June 2017

We present CASAS, a shiny R based tool for interactive survival analysis and visualization of results. The tool provides a web-based one stop shop to perform the following types of survival analysis: quantile, landmark and competing risks, in addition to standard survival analysis. The interface makes it easy to perform such survival analyses and obtain results using the interactive Kaplan-Meier and cumulative incidence plots. Univariate analysis can be performed on one or several user specified variable(s) simultaneously, the results of which are displayed in a single table that includes log rank p-values and hazard ratios along with their significance. For several quantile survival analyses from multiple cancer types, a single summary grid is constructed. The CASAS package has been implemented in R and is available via http://shinygispa.winship.emory.edu/CASAS/. The developmental repository is available at https://github.com/manalirupji/CASAS/.
Properties of Thermally Treated Granular Montmorillonite-Palygorskite Adsorbent (GMPA) and Use to Remove Pb2+ and Cu2+ from Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Lin Shaohua , Zhou Tingting , Yin Shenshen 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe adsorption properties of clay minerals (e.g. montmorillonite and palygorskite) have been improved through chemical treatment methods. However, the addition of extra chemicals is often not friendly to the environment and powdered clay-mineral adsorbents are inconvenient for some applications. To overcome these drawbacks in the present study, granular montmorillonite-palygorskite adsorbents (GMPA) were successfully prepared using Na-alginate and thermal treatments to improve heavy metal removal from water. The properties of GMPA samples under different calcination temperatures were examined using thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and specific surface area (BET). The results indicated that loss of mass by GMPA relative to the untreated montmorillonite-palygorskite was due to the loss of water, adsorbed Na-alginate, and mineral decomposition during thermal treatment. Changes in the morphology and crystallinity were significant at calcination temperatures from 500°C to 1000°C. The layered morphology totally disappeared after calcination at 1000°C, while transformation of the montmorillonite and palygorskite to a non-crystalline material was almost complete at 800°C and new crystalline phases appeared. Calcination temperature had a significant influence on the specific surface areas and pore volumes of GMPA. Both the changes in texture and chemical structure affected Pb2+ and Cu2+ removal. The GMPA sample produced at a 600°C calcination temperature was the most promising adsorbent for heavy metal removal from water.
Cardiac Troponins and Their Prognostic Importance in Patients with Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome and Renal Dysfunction
Authors: Eggers Kai M , Lindahl Bertil , Carrero Juan J , Evans Marie , Szummer Karolina , Jernberg Tomas 
Published: June 2017

AbstractBACKGROUNDCardiac troponin (cTn) is important for risk assessment in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS). cTn concentrations may, however, be affected by renal dysfunction, and the clinical importance of this interrelation is not well established. We investigated the association between cTnT and cTnI (measured with conventional assays and a more sensitive assay) with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and also assessed the ability of cTn to predict the 1-year all-cause mortality.METHODSThis retrospective registry-based study used data from 309454 admissions to Swedish coronary care units. cTn associations with eGFR and mortality were assessed using different regression models and by calculating multivariable-adjusted c-statistics.RESULTScTnT concentrations exhibited stronger associations with eGFR than cTnI concentrations (conventional cTnT assay: β = −0.113; more sensitive cTnT assay: β= −0.186; pooled conventional cTnI assays: β = −0.098). Overall, cTnT provided greater prognostic accuracy than cTnI. This was most evident in non-ACS patients with normal or mildly reduced eGFR when using the more sensitive assay. Despite higher mortality rates, no consistent increases in the c-statistics of cTn were seen with severely reduced eGFR irrespective of the presence of ACS or non-ACS.CONCLUSIONScTnT concentrations exhibited stronger associations with reduced eGFR than cTnI concentrations in patients admitted because of suspected ACS. cTnT, particularly when measured using the more sensitive assay, also tended to be a stronger prognosticator. However, the relative significance of the obtained results must be considered in the context of the severity of renal dysfunction and whether ACS is present.
Hubungan antara Kecepatan dan Kondisi Geometrik Jalan yang Berpotensi Menyebabkan Kecelakaan Lalu Lintas pada Tikungan
Authors: Purwanto Djoko , Kusuma Indriastuti Amelia , Hari Basuki Kami 
Published: June 2017

To date, the traffic accident number on hairpin curve is still quite high. This is exacerbated by speeding driving behaviour of some road users.This research aims to identify the factors that cause traffic accidents and drivers’ behaviour at the curve; to review curve geometric design; and to develop a relationship among speed, curve geometric condition and the accident at the curve. This study simply reviewed three hairpin curves that were prone to be blackspots in Batang. The dominant factors that cause accidents were human error and road condition. The driver’s speeding behaviour was indicated by the speed that was lessen when entering and increase when leaving the curve. There were speed variations among vehicles in research location that could increase the number of accident. The results of the geometric review showed that the radius of all curves evaluated did not meet the standard, i.e. less than the minimum radius. Another result of this study was relationships among speed, geometric condition and accident number, as shown by the following formula: Speed = 0.095 Radius + 42.889, No. of accident = - 0.785 Radius + 0.008 Speed - 284.301, and EAN = 0.028 Speed - 1108.689.
Studi Karakteristik Campuran Aspal Beton Lapis Aus (AC-WC) Menggunakan Aspal Penetrasi 60/70 dengan Penambahan Lateks
Authors: Thanaya I Nyoman Arya , Puranto I Gusti Raka , Nugraha I Nyoman Sapta 
Published: June 2017

Asphalt on pavement in long term may undergo hardening, so it needs addition of additive that can make it remain flexible. This experiment tried to produce asphalt concrete wearing course (AC-WC) using asphalt penetration 60/70 with the addition of latex, with aim to know the characteristic of AC-WC mix at the optimum of asphalt content with addition of latex in variation of 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10% of the total binder. Latex was initially mixed with the asphalt, then the aggregates were proportioned based on ideal grading. The samples were produced in hotmix process. The density of latex was found 0.977 with dry rubber content of 61.95%. The optimum of asphalt content that was 5.7%, where all Marshall characteristics were met. It was chosen the mix with 4% latex by total binder where all properties of asphalt binder were still met. It was obtained that the Stability value was 1439.26 kg (≥ 800 kg), Flow 3.84 mm (2-4 mm), Marshall Quotient 379.66 kg / mm (≥ 250 kg / mm), VIM 4.437% (3-5%), VMA 15.280% (≥ 15%), VFB 70.961 (≥ 65%). The mixture that contains latex had better resistance to deformation under dynamic creep loading at 40 °C.
Looping‐out mechanism for resolution of replicative stress at telomeres
Authors: Zhang Tianpeng , Zhang Zepeng , Li Feng , Hu Qian , Liu Haiying , Tang Mengfan , Ma Wenbin , Huang Junjiu , Songyang Zhou , Rong Yikang , Zhang Shichuan , Chen Benjamin PC , Zhao Yong 
Published: June 2017

AbstractRepetitive DNA is prone to replication fork stalling, which can lead to genome instability. Here, we find that replication fork stalling at telomeres leads to the formation of t‐circle‐tails, a new extrachromosomal structure that consists of circular telomeric DNA with a single‐stranded tail. Structurally, the t‐circle‐tail resembles cyclized leading or lagging replication intermediates that are excised from the genome by topoisomerase II‐mediated cleavage. We also show that the DNA damage repair machinery NHEJ is required for the formation of t‐circle‐tails and for the resolution of stalled replication forks, suggesting that NHEJ, which is normally constitutively suppressed at telomeres, is activated in the context of replication stress. Inhibition of NHEJ or knockout of DNA‐PKcs impairs telomere replication, leading to multiple‐telomere sites (MTS) and telomere shortening. Collectively, our results support a “looping‐out” mechanism, in which the stalled replication fork is cut out and cyclized to form t‐circle‐tails, and broken DNA is religated. The telomere loss induced by replication stress may serve as a new factor that drives replicative senescence and cell aging.
Cis- and Trans-regulatory Effects on Gene Expression in a Natural Population of Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Osada Naoki , Miyagi Ryutaro , Takahashi Aya 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
Cis- and trans-regulatory mutations are important contributors to transcriptome evolution. Quantifying their relative contributions to intraspecific variation in gene expression is essential for understanding the population genetic processes that underlie evolutionary changes in gene expression. Here, we have examined this issue by quantifying genome-wide, allele-specific expression (ASE) variation using a crossing scheme that produces F1 hybrids between 18 different Drosophila melanogaster strains sampled from the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel and a reference strain from another population. Head and body samples from F1 adult females were subjected to RNA sequencing and the subsequent ASE quantification. Cis- and trans-regulatory effects on expression variation were estimated from these data. A higher proportion of genes showed significant cis-regulatory variation (∼28%) than those that showed significant trans-regulatory variation (∼9%). The sizes of cis-regulatory effects on expression variation were 1.98 and 1.88 times larger than trans-regulatory effects in heads and bodies, respectively. A generalized linear model analysis revealed that both cis- and trans-regulated expression variation was strongly associated with nonsynonymous nucleotide diversity and tissue specificity. Interestingly, trans-regulated variation showed a negative correlation with local recombination rate. Also, our analysis on proximal transposable element (TE) insertions suggested that they affect transcription levels of ovary-expressed genes more pronouncedly than genes not expressed in the ovary, possibly due to defense mechanisms against TE mobility in the germline. Collectively, our detailed quantification of ASE variations from a natural population has revealed a number of new relationships between genomic factors and the effects of cis- and trans-regulatory factors on expression variation.
EL MODELO DE FRANQUICIA COMO ESTRATEGIA PARA EL POSICIONAMIENTO DE LAS PYMES DEL SECTOR RESTAURANT-BAR EN SINALOA
Authors: Morales-Avila Myrna Cristina 
Published: June 2017

La presente investigación se realizó en la ciudad de Culiacán, Sinaloa, durante el periodo comprendido de 2015 a 2016, su objeto de estudio son las pequeñas y medianas empresas (PYMES) del giro restaurant-bar; compara el modelo de negocios que utilizan las empresas del mismo sector con modelos de franquicias,esto es, para resolver la problemática a la que se afronta este tipo de negocios en cuanto a las fallas operativas con las que se manejan y a su poca permanencia en el mercado en el que se desarrollan.
CHINA Y SU IMPACTO EN LA INTEGRACIÓN COMERCIAL DE LA ASOCIACIÓN DE NACIONES DEL SUDESTE ASIÁTICO (ASEAN)
Authors: Díaz-González José Andrés , Vega-Quesada Orlando 
Published: June 2017

El presente artículo analiza el proceso de integración comercial de los países miembros de la Asociación de Naciones del Sudeste Asiático (ASEAN). Si bien la integración política de estos países está bastante consolidada, una revisión dedistintos indicadores económicos y comerciales muestra una débil integración comercial. Al observar el efecto de la política comercial de China en Asia, se constata que este ayuda a fortalecer la integración comercial de la ASEAN; sin embargo, no lo hace en suficiente medida para poder considerar que existe una integración completa en este aspecto.
A EDUCAÇÃO PROFISSIONAL E TECNOLÓGICA NA MODALIDADE A DISTÂNCIA: HISTÓRIA, BASES LEGAIS E CURSOS NESSA MODALIDADE DE ENSINO
Authors: Silva Hellen Camila , Costa Maria Luisa Furlan 
Published: June 2017

Este artigo, de cunho bibliográfico, é resultado parcial da dissertação de mestrado na linha de pesquisa de História e Historiografia da Educação do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), que teve como objeto de estudo a Educação Profissional e Tecnológica na modalidade a distância. Esta proposta de estudo objetiva discorrer sobre os aspectos históricos e legais da educação profissional e tecnológica a distância, além de apresentar o desenvolvimento dos cursos dessa modalidade de ensino em algumas instituições, como o Instituto Monitor, o Instituto Universal Brasileiro, o Telecurso e a Rede e-TEC, demonstrando a importância dessas práticas de ensino e aprendizagem. Destacamos que a modalidade de educação a distância tem conquistado, nas últimas décadas, um enfoque de destaque no centro das atenções pedagógicas, uma vez que torna possível o acesso de indivíduos que sem ela não teriam condições de frequentar salas de aula presenciais para buscar formação. Assim, a Educação Profissional e Tecnológica na modalidade a distância configura-se como uma estratégia de expansão do ensino que possibilita a formação dos sujeitos ao longo da vida.
O CAMINHO DOS PROFESSORES NA EDUCAÇÃO PROFISSIONAL: percepções sobre o sentido do trabalho e do trabalho docente
Authors: Santos Maria Gerusa , Morais João Kaio Cavalcante , Brandão Pollyanna Araújo 
Published: June 2017

O presente artigo é resultado de uma pesquisa realizada durante a disciplina de Formação Docente para Educação Profissional (EP) do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Profissional do Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (PPGEP/IFRN). A pesquisa de caráter qualitativo teve por objetivo analisar os conceitos de trabalho e trabalho docente de professores que atuam na EP. Foram realizadas entrevistas com professores da área de formação técnica de duas instituições de ensino profissionalizante do município de Natal/RN. Para sistematizar a coleta de dados, utilizamos o instrumento de Análise de Conteúdos de Bardin (2011). Após a análise dos dados, identificamos que os professores concebiam o trabalho docente de forma distinta de outros tipos de trabalho, todavia, não conseguiram sinalizar quais saberes eram específicos da prática docente. Para a realização da referida pesquisa, entre os autores que fundamentaram o referencial teórico, podemos destacar: Antunes (2013), Ciavatta (2012), Marx (1980), Moura (2013), Ramos (2014) e Saviani (2003).
A EDUCAÇÃO PROFISSIONAL NA REDE FEDERAL DE EDUCAÇÃO TECNOLÓGICA SOB O ENFOQUE DO TRABALHO NA ORGANIZAÇÃO TAYLORISTA/FORDISTA
Authors: Baracho Maria das Graças , Ramos Maria da Conceição , Cabral Neto Antônio 
Published: June 2017

O presente artigo tem por objetivo fazer uma reflexão acerca da formação profissional a ser empreendida em escola técnica tendo, como categoria base de análise o trabalho na sua organização taylorista fordista. Trata-se de um estudo bibliográfico e conta com o apoio teórico de diversos autores, sobressaindo-se ainda Frigotto(1984), Machado(1982), Fonseca(1961), Singer(1987). Partiu-se da análise do trabalho no Brasil a partir do século XX, enfatizando os anos de 1940 em diante, início da industrialização no respectivo país; nesse contexto, analisa-se o papel da escola industrial e técnica em face das exigências do capital. Conclui-se, portanto, que o papel dessa escola, ao assumir as nomenclaturas de escolas industrial e técnica, diante da organização do trabalho nos moldes da grande indústria (base técnica eletromecânica), em que a produção se dá em grande escala, decompondo-se em uma multiplicidade de tarefas que se encomendam a diferentes trabalhadores, a formação profissional expressa pela arquitetura curricular se apresenta calcada em especialidades de diversos ramos da produção e nesse sentido intensifica-se a desqualificação do trabalhador e amplia-se o processo de especialização.