bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Screening feature modules and pathways in glioma using EgoNet
Authors: He Li , Song Xian-Xu , Wang Mei , Zhang Ben-Zhuo 
Published: October 2017

AbstractBackgroundTo investigate differential egonetwork modules and pathways in glioma using EgoNet algorithm.MethodologyBased on microarray data, EgoNet algorithm mainly comprised three stages: construction of differential co-expression network (DCN); EgoNet algorithm used to identify candidate ego-network modules based on the increased classification accuracy; statistical significance for candidate modules using random permutation testing. After that, pathway enrichment analysis for differential ego-network modules was implemented to illuminate the biological processes.ResultsWe obtained 109 ego genes. From every ego gene, we progressively grew the ego-networks by levels; we extracted 109 ego-networks and the mean node size in an ego-network was 6. By setting the classification accuracy threshold at 0.90 and the count of nodes in an ego-network module at 10, we extracted 8 candidate ego-network modules. After random permutation test with 1000 times, 5 modules including module 59, 72, 78, 86, and 90 were identified to be significant. Of note, the genes of module 90 and 86 were enriched in the pathway of resolution of sister chromatid cohesion and mitotic prometaphase, respectively.ConclusionThe identified modules and their corresponding ego genes might be beneficial in revealing the pathology underlying glioma and give insight for future research of glioma.
Strain Stimulations with Different Intensities on Fibroblast Viability and Protein Expression
Authors: Jia Ying , Zhang Junmei , Chen Bo , Luo Minghong , Cheng Weiyin , Wang Yalin , Liu Juan , Yang Hua 
Published: October 2017

AbstractBackgroundMechanical stimulation via acupuncture and tuina massage triggers various cell responses. This study aims to understand these cellular bio-physical mechanisms by investigating the effect of different stimulation intensities on cell viability and protein expression.MethodologyConnective tissue fibroblasts were cultured in vitro. Three varying intensities of mechanical strain stimulation were applied to the cells, either once or three times and compared with non-stimulated controls. Changes in fibroblast viability and fibroblast protein expression were observed.ResultsStrain stimulation intensity significantly increased fibroblast cell survival rate (p<0.01) to effectively improve cell viability. Moreover, the combined influence of both the strain stimulation intensity and number of stimulations on the fibroblast survival rate significantly differed (p<0.05). Strain intensity also significantly altered fibroblast protein expression between the three groups (p<0.0001). Cluster analysis showed that the medium-intensity strain stimulation posed the maximum influence on protein expression.ConclusionThe difference in cell viability and protein expression of the connective tissue fibroblast during the in vitro strain process reveals the cytobiological mechanism of basic medicinal mechanical stimulation.
Association between Caveolin-1 expression and pathophysiological progression of femoral nerves in diabetic foot amputation patients
Authors: Ding Min , Zhu Xianjun , Ye Lei , Wang Meijun , Cui Yuantao , Xu Jun , Li Xuemei , Feng Shuhong , Yu Demin , Wang Penghua 
Published: October 2017

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the pathological changes of femoral nerves and the levels of caveolin-1 in diabetic foot amputation patients with neuropathy, and evaluate the association between caveolin-1 and neuropathy development.MethodThirty seven diabetic foot amputation patients were consecutively recruited from inpatients of Tianjin Metabolic Diseases Hospital between Jan 2003 and Nov 2005. Symptoms and signs of neuropathy, and scores of Toronto Clinical Scoring System (TCSS) were recorded. The nerve conduction velocity and HbA1c were measured. Femoral nerves were obtained 2-3 minutes after amputation. HE, Masson staining and transmission electron microscopy were used for pathological observation. Immunohistochemistry was used to observe changes of axons and count of nerve fiber density (NFD) and detect the levels of caveolin-1.ResultsHE, Masson and transmission electron microscopy showed nerve fibers were asymmetrical, the degenerated axons part had stronger staining and typical demyelinating changes. Stepwise regression models showed that HbA1c and NFD were the independent factors of caveolin-1 (F=45.090, p<0.001, R2=0.790) expression, and Caveolin-1, diabetes duration were independent factors of NFD (F=27.911, p<0.001, R2=0.691).ConclusionCaveolin-1 may be one of the key factors related to pathophysiological progression of femoral nerves in diabetic foot amputation patients.
Modelling and experimental investigation of waste tyre pyrolysis process in a laboratory reactor
Authors: Rudniak Leszek , Machniewski Piotr M. 
Published: October 2017

Abstract
A mathematical model of waste tyre pyrolysis process is developed in this work. Tyre material decomposition based on a simplified reaction mechanism leads to main product lumps: noncondensable (gas), condensable (pyrolytic oil) and solid (char). The model takes into account kinetics of heat and mass transfer in the grain of the shredded rubber material as well as surrounding gas phase. The main reaction routes were modelled as the pseudo-first order reactions with a rate constant calculated from the Arrhenius type equation using literature values of activation energy determined for main tyre constituents based on TG/DTG measurements and tuned pre-exponential parameter values obtained by fitting theoretical predictions to the experimental results obtained in our laboratory reactor. The model was implemented within the CFD software (ANSYS Fluent). The results of numerical simulation of the pyrolysis process revealed non-uniformity of sample’s porosity and temperature. The simulation predictions were in satisfactory agreement with the experimentally measured mass loss of the tyre sample during pyrolysis process investigated in a laboratory reactor.
Application of new chemical test reactions to study mass transfer from shrinking droplets and micromixing in the rotor-stator mixer
Authors: Bałdyga Jerzy , Kotowicz Michał 
Published: October 2017

Abstract
A pair of fast competitive reactions, neutralization and 2,2-dimetoxypropane (DMP) hydrolysis, has been applied do study mass transfer and micromixing in a T 50 Ultra-Turrax® - IKA rotor-stator device. In experiments the dispersed organic phase containing p-Toluenesulfonic acid (pTsOH) dissolved in diisopropyl ether, whereas the continuous phase was represented by the aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, 2,2-dimetoxypropane (DMP) and ethanol. During mixing a fast mass transfer of a solute (pTsOH) from organic phase droplets, which were shrinking due to fast dissolution of the organic solvent, was followed by micromixing and chemical reactions in the continuous phase. Measured hydrolysis yields were applied to express effects of mixing on the course of chemical reactions. Modeling was based on application of models describing drop breakup, mass transfer in the liquid-liquid system and micromixing. Combined effects of mass transfer and drop breakage on drop population were expressed using the population balance equations. The model has been used to interpret experimental results, in particular to identify the efficiency of mixing.
The morphosyntax of proper names: An overview
Authors: Schlücker Barbara , Ackermann Tanja 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the topics and recent developments in the research on the morphosyntax of proper names. The article reflects on the ways in which and the reasons why proper names may be morphosyntactically different from common nouns. It argues that the distinction between proper names and proper nouns is essential for the discussion of the topic, and it shows that there are considerable differences regarding morphological and syntactic properties both among the various name classes as well as cross-linguistically. In the second part of the paper, selected aspects dealt with in the recent literature are discussed in more detail, including those on the morphological and syntactic properties of proper names and proper nouns, and the specific morphosyntactic constructions proper names and proper nouns can occur in.
Stand density management and blue carbon stock of monospecific mangrove plantation in Bohol, Philippines
Authors: Gevaña Dixon T. , Camacho Leni D. , Camacho Sofronio C. 
Published: October 2017

Abstract
Blue carbon pertains to carbon stock that is stored by marine ecosystems including mangrove forest. Density and blue carbon stock assessment was conducted covering mature Rhizophora stylosa Griff. plantations in Bohol, Philippines. Three stand types were assessed: thinned mature stand (0.34 tree m−2 at 55 years old; 35 ha); non-thinned mature stand (1.2 tree m−2 at 55 years old; 20 ha) and young stand (2.6 tree m−2 at 20 years old; 150 ha). These plantations were initially established with a plant spacing of 0.5 m × 0.5 m. Non-destructive plot sampling technique was used to account biomass and carbon stocks of trees and sediments. Five (5) sample plots measuring 200 m2 were allocated for each stand type. Results showed that the total carbon stock of plantations amassed to 64.5 ktC or 236.6 ktCO2e. More than half (at least 54%) of this stock is imbedded in sediment. Individual accounts showed that carbon stock was largest in non-thinned stand with 435.2 tC ha−1, followed by thinned stand (408.5 tC ha−1) and young stand (276.8 tC ha−1). There was no significant difference between thinned and non-thinned mature stands carbon stocks. Such finding suggested the potential of having thinning intervention. Following the self-thinning rule of 1.1 to 1.3 tree m−2, the local community can harvest as much as 423 trees ha−1 yr−1 for 35 years starting at the plantation age of 20 years. Further, the additional carbon stock between the ages 20 to 55 years could reach about 580 tCO2e ha−1 with an economic value of USD 2,962 ha−1. With this potential benefits, it is recommended that Banacon Island should pursue a carbon offset project for its plantations.
Brand Communication in a Digitalized World
Authors: Kecskes Robert 
Published: October 2017

Abstract
The way in which we communicate is changing radically. In the analog world, promotional communication was consumed rather passively. In today’s digital age, consumers have become more active. Especially, the younger consumer generation - referred to as iBrains- are increasingly spreading their own product experiences across digital channels into the virtual world. Stimulus-response communication still has its place, but must be supplemented with interactive offers that enable a dialogue with consumers. Diverse communication channels must be utilized - analog as well as digital - in order to reach the young target groups. As consumers tend to be “always on”, they use different communication channels simultaneously, leading to continuous partial attention. Therefore, not only new channels are necessary but the entire communication style and design need to be adapted. It is not enough to simply make contact. Instead of thinking about shortening the message, creativity should be put into creatively combining different building blocks of communication.
Distributed Generation Units as Ancillary Services Providers in a Pre Smart Grid Environment
Authors: Donadel Clainer Bravin , Fardin Jussara Farias , Encarnação Lucas Frizera 
Published: October 2017

AbstractNowadays, ancillary services in electrical distribution networks (e. g. voltage support and reactive power control), usually provided by capacitor banks, start to be performed by distributed generation units (DGs). In this way, several papers have been studying the use of DGs as reactive power providers, and the power electronic/market regulation involved in this new scenario. However, the authors commonly consider a full implementation of Smart Grid philosophy, i. e., there are appropriate communications between DGs and distribution network operator (DNO)’s control centers, but it is not a close reality in many developing countries, due to high costs involved in their implementation. Therefore, this paper proposes a new method in order to use DGs as ancillary services providers in a short and medium-term (called in the literature Pre Smart Grid), in which there are not effective communications between DGs and control centers of DNOs. The proposed method uses a non-uniform DGs distribution, obtained from local atlas of wind, solar, hydraulic and biomass power. The methodology presented accurate results when compared with a PSO-based method, widely used to solve optimization problems, but needs a complete Smart Grid philosophy implementation to work.
A Novel Bearing Fault Diagnosis Method Based on LMD and Wavelet Packet Energy Entropy
Authors: Li Xiumei , Liu Yong , Zhao Huimin , Deng Wu , Sun Yannan 
Published: October 2017

AbstractRolling element bearings faults may lead to fatal breakdown of machines. Therefore, it is significant to be study bearings diagnosis, and the vibration-based methods have received intensive study because vibration signals collected from bearings carry rich information on machine health conditions, and it is possible to obtain vitalcharacteristic information from the vibration signals through using signal processing techniques. This paper proposes a novel vibration-based diagnosis method about bearing faults, first, a new pattern recognition method is proposed to diagnose bearing faults through using the interval value of the spectral peak frequency in the frequency domain; second, vibration signals of different parts faults of the bearings will be processed by different algorithm for precisely extracting the fault characteristics; and third, in order to extract transient characteristics from a noisy signal, the filter need to be developed and to further improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), band pass filter is designed based on the PSD of vibration signals in this paper. The vibration signals collected from rolling element bearings are used to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method, andthe results verify the effectiveness of the method in extracting fault characteristics and diagnosing faults of rolling element bearings.
Asymmetric Shocks in the Euro Area: Convergence or Divergence?
Authors: Rosati Dariusz K. 
Published: October 2017

Abstract
The degree of structural divergence in the Euro Area is examined on the basis of the frequency and distribution of observed asymmetric shocks over the period 1996–2015. An asymmetric shock is defined as an opposite sign difference between the deviation of an individual country’s GDP growth rate from a trend and the deviation of the EA-wide GDP growth rate from a trend. Two measures of asymmetric shocks are introduced, one based on exponential trend values and another on moving-average trend values. Geographical distribution of observed (“revealed”) shocks shows that EA member countries differ in terms of structural convergence, with a higher number of asymmetric shocks in countries that joined the EA at a later date. The distribution of asymmetric shocks over time shows two peaks in the number of shocks around 2002 and 2011, but no clear tendency towards more divergence is detected. As actual data may not provide a full picture of asymmetric shocks (given that countries with sufficient fiscal space could have neutralized their negative impact on GDP growth rates) a hypothesis on the existence of “non-revealed” negative asymmetric shocks is examined. Testing for correlation between public debt levels and GDP growth rate deviations confirms the existence of “non-revealed” asymmetric shocks in low-debt countries. In general, the observed differences in the number of asymmetric shocks in EA member countries (and their increases over time) may actually reflect different fiscal policy reactions in individual countries as well as the impact of financial and debt crises, and are not necessarily an indication of widening structural divergence across the EA.
Trademark dilution: comparing the effects of blurring and tarnishment cases over brand equity
Authors: Macías Washington , Cerviño Julio 
Published: October 2017

AbstractTrademark dilution is, in a general sense, a reduction in brand equity due to the unauthorized use of the trademark by third parties (junior brands). Although there are two types of dilution, blurring and tarnishment, existing academic empirical evidence only relates to blurring cases, showing its damage to some variables related to brand associations in consumers’ minds. Literature also shows the moderating role of the similarity between junior brands, but this evidence is not complete unless presumable tarnishment cases are analyzed. This paper compares the effect of two types of junior brands over strength of associations and brand equity of famous trademarks. An experimental approach was applied with a sample of 372 undergraduate students, users of two famous convenience brands. Junior brands use identical or similar famous brand names in different product categories, offering a continuous of similarity levels, so the moderating effect of this variable is analyzed. Results show that: (i) dependent variables are reinforced when junior brands are perceived as very similar, and diluted above some degree of dissimilarity; (ii) dilution increases the more dissimilar the junior brand. However, although they have a high degree of dissimilarity, cases of presumable tarnishment, might not always produce dilution. Besides, they suggest that the effect induced by similarity is not linear. These findings are discussed through the lenses of marketing and psychology theories. The study represents a contribution to the field, providing evidence not only from blurring cases, but also from supposed tarnishing imitators, comparing their effects and showing the limited moderating effect of similarity. The boundary conditions of similarity effects in trademark dilution literature have not been discussed previously. Finally, main implications for managers are highlighted, given the negative effects that trademark dilution may entail at firm level.
Investigating the construct validity of quality measures influencing online shopping in a South African context
Authors: Hung-Joubert Yu-ting 
Published: October 2017

AbstractOnline shopping has become popular over the years and is a widely used way to purchase goods and services. For online retailers to succeed, it is important that they have a quality website to attract and retain customers. The aim of this study was to investigate the construct validity of three respective measurement instruments related to website quality factors, namely; system, information and service quality factors, which may influence consumers within the online shopping environment in a South African context. Primary data was collected through self-administered questionnaires. The demographic and online shopping profile of the sample are presented and followed by confirmatory and exploratory factors analyses on the three instruments. The confirmatory factor analysis found poor fit for the original hypothesised models for each of the scales; further exploratory factor analyses revealed slightly different dimensionalities underlying the scales, yet these were still somewhat aligned with the theoretical framework from which the original scales were derived. Despite this, the study provides a platform for future revision of the scales and future research into website quality factors within the online shopping environment in a South African context.
Strategies for developing knowledge economy in Romania
Authors: Hadad Shahrazad 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe present paper delves into the specifics of knowledge economy with a particular focus on Romania. In the first part, it identifies knowledge economy characteristics and pillars and it analyses them as compared to levels exhibited by countries in the European Union. In the second part it argues for the strategies that could be used for enhancing knowledge economy in Romania. In order to do so we used the Delphi method and we identified 25 experts in the knowledge economy/management field coming from internationally renowned companies, universities and ministries located in Romania, to whom we sent invitations for participating in our Delphi survey that lasted one month. Out of the 25 experts, 10 answered positively and during the research we had an attrition rate of 90%. The experts delivered their opinions on the measures to be adopted in order to increase education and learning, ICT and innovation as building blocks of knowledge economy. Findings reveals that knowledge economy can be developed by adopting measures such as: devising a governmental program that will sustain the development of knowledge repositories at the level of technological clusters, industry associations and other professional organizations by providing financial assistance for hardware acquisition and software development in order to facilitate knowledge transfer; Governmental program for the financial support of schools’ investments in hardware and educational software and the training of staff for the use of ITC in teaching and learning, etc.
The growth poles and the lagging regions of Romania – a county level approach for 2015 –
Authors: Strat Vasile Alecsandru , Stefan Cristian 
Published: October 2017

AbstractIn nowadays European context the challenges started from the severe disparities among countries, regions and socio-economic groups are increasing the pressure on both national and EU level authorities, leading to the conclusion that the current socio-economic systems have reached their limits. Thus, the social market economy (SME), “third path” which mixes the purely liberal market economy with the social economic model might be one viable solution. Historically, the model corresponds to the real economic policy of the German Federal Republic after the 1950s, thus it is sometimes called Rhine capitalism. Such a model might be both the solution for national-level European economies and for the entire Union and thus, for a successful implementation a two-step approach should be considered appropriate. Thereby, in the first stage an SME might be implemented at national level in as many as possible EU member states and in the second phase a SME might be created at the level of EU by aggregating the smaller national SMEs. Due to the fact that in a SME the weaker geographical regions and industries are encouraged so that “fair” distribution of wellbeing is reached, it is highly probable that such a socio-economic model might be the appropriate alternative to fuel a sustainable growth of the Romanian economy. Using county level data, from the National Institute of Statistics and from the National Office of the Trade Register, for the year 2015, and an aggregated index, we show that the Romanian economy is highly polarized with a few growth poles (islands) and a large number of underdeveloped units. Thus, it becomes obvious that these important disparities will hinder a future sustainable development and by consequence a clear “road-map” represented by the SME model might prove to be a viable solution for the Romanian economy.