bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Extending the Concept of Ethnocracy: Exploring the Debate in the Baltic Context
Authors: Agarin Timofey 
Published: December 2016

The advance of liberal understanding of democracy with its interest in and constrained ability to interfere with citizens’ identities made cases of ethnocracy rare over the past decades. Over the past 25 years, Baltic politics and societies have experienced considerable change, however, as I demonstrate, considerable debate persists around the issues central to the argument about ethnocracy in the region. In the context, when discussing the central role played by state institutions in negotiating conflicts between groups over access to scarce resources of the state, it is central to see minorities as being in both the inferior numerical position as well as in symbolically more disadvantageous place: If we see democratic politics for what they are as majoritarian politics, and if we see these as taking place in the context of state institutions designed to uphold the ethnic majority dominance, then any kind of liberal democratic politics would be a good candidate for ethnocracy.
Measuring OVOCs and VOCs by PTR-MS in an urban roadside microenvironment of Hong Kong: relative humidity and temperature dependence, and field intercomparisons
Authors: Cui Long , Zhang Zhou , Huang Yu , Lee Shun Cheng , Blake Donald Ray , Ho Kin Fai , Wang Bei , Gao Yuan , Wang Xin Ming , Louie Peter Kwok Keung 
Published: December 2016

Abstract. Volatile organic compound (VOC) control is an important issue of air quality management in Hong Kong because ozone formation is generally VOC limited. Several oxygenated volatile organic compound (OVOC) and VOC measurement techniques – namely, (1) offline 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) cartridge sampling followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis; (2) online gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detection (FID); and (3) offline canister sampling followed by GC with mass spectrometer detection (MSD), FID, and electron capture detection (ECD) – were applied during this study. For the first time, the proton transfer reaction–mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) technique was also introduced to measured OVOCs and VOCs in an urban roadside area of Hong Kong. The integrated effect of ambient relative humidity (RH) and temperature (T) on formaldehyde measurements by PTR-MS was explored in this study. A Poly 2-D regression was found to be the best nonlinear surface simulation (r  =  0.97) of the experimental reaction rate coefficient ratio, ambient RH, and T for formaldehyde measurement. This correction method was found to be better than correcting formaldehyde concentrations directly via the absolute humidity of inlet sample, based on a 2-year field sampling campaign at Mong Kok (MK) in Hong Kong. For OVOC species, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, and MEK showed good agreements between PTR-MS and DNPH-HPLC with slopes of 1.00, 1.10, 0.76, and 0.88, respectively, and correlation coefficients of 0.79, 0.75, 0.60, and 0.93, respectively. Overall, fair agreements were found between PTR-MS and online GC-FID for benzene (slope  =  1.23, r  =  0.95), toluene (slope  =  1.01, r  =  0.96) and C2-benzenes (slope  =  1.02, r  =  0.96) after correcting benzene and C2-benzenes levels which could be affected by fragments formed from ethylbenzene. For the intercomparisons between PTR-MS and offline canister measurements by GC-MSD/FID/ECD, benzene showed good agreement, with a slope of 1.05 (r  =  0.62), though PTR-MS had lower values for toluene and C2-benzenes with slopes of 0.78 (r  =  0.96) and 0.67 (r  =  0.92), respectively. All in all, the PTR-MS instrument is suitable for OVOC and VOC measurements in urban roadside areas.
A THz semiconductor hybrid plasmonic waveguide with fabrication-error tolerance
Authors: Eldlio Mohamed , Ma Youqiao , Che Franklin , Maeda Hiroshi , Cada Michael 
Published: December 2016

Abstract
In this letter, a novel waveguide based on semiconductor THz hybrid surface plasmon polariton (STHSPP) is proposed and numerically analyzed. The structure under study can confine light in the ultradeep-subwavelength region (ranging from λ2/360 to λ2/156) with a large propagation length ranging from 374 to 506 µm. Compared with a conventional hybrid SPP (HSPP) waveguide without a ridge, our proposed structure with the same propagation length has a much higher mode confinement with a one order of magnitude smaller normalized mode area.
Risk factors for in-hospital mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting in patients 80 years old or older: a retrospective case-series study
Authors: Piątek Jacek , Kędziora Anna , Konstanty-Kalandyk Janusz , Kiełbasa Grzegorz , Olszewska Marta , Song Bryan HyoChan , Wierzbicki Karol , Milaniak Irena , Darocha Tomasz , Sobczyk Dorota , Kapelak Bogusław 
Published: December 2016

Background
Age remains a significant and unmodifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and an increasing number of patients older than 80 years of age undergo Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG). Old age is also an independent risk factor for postoperative complications. The aim of this study is to describe the population of patients 80 years of age or older who underwent CABG procedure and to assess the mortality rate and risk factors for in-hospital mortality.

Methods
A retrospective case-series study analyzing 388 consecutive patients aged 80 years of age or older who underwent isolated CABG procedure between 2010 and 2014 in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Transplantology, John Paul II Hospital, Krakow.

Results
In-hospital mortality stood at 7%, compared to 3.4% for all isolated CABG procedures at our Institution. In an univariate logistic regression analysis, risk factors for in-hospital mortality were as follows: NYHA class (p = 0.005, OR 1.95, 95% CI [1.23–3.1]), prolonged mechanical ventilation (p < 0.001, OR 7.08, 95% CI [2.47–20.3]), rethoracotomy (p = 0.04, OR 3.31, 95% CI [1.04–10.6]), duration of the procedure and ECC (for every 10 min p = 0.01, OR 1.01, 95% CI [1.0–1.01]; p = 0.03, OR 1.01, 95% CI [1.0–1.02], respectively), PRBC, FFP, and PLT transfusion (for every unit transfused p = 0.004, OR 1.42, 95% CI [1.12–1.8]; p = 0.002, OR 1.55, 95% CI [1.18–2.04]; p = 0.009, OR 1.93, 95% CI [1.18–3.14], respectively). Higher LVEF (p = 0.02, OR 0.97, 95% CI [0.94–0.99]) and LIMA graft implantation (p = 0.04, OR 0.36, 95% CI [0.13–0.98) decreased the in-hospital mortality. Death before discharge was more often observed in patients with multiple risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (0–2 –5.7%; 3–7.4%, 4–26.6%; p = 0.03).

Conclusions
Older age is associated with higher in-hospital mortality after isolated CABG at our Institution. Risk stratification scores and individualized risk evaluation, centered on comorbidities, NYHA class and left ventricular function, should be assessed in all cases. Whenever suitable, LIMA grafts should be used. Prolonged procedure and ECC time worsen the short-term outcome. Elderly individuals should be closely monitored postoperatively and the care should be focused on excessive blood loss and respiratory failure.
A methodology for the design of experiments in computational intelligence with multiple regression models
Authors: Fernandez-Lozano Carlos , Gestal Marcos , Munteanu Cristian R. , Dorado Julian , Pazos Alejandro 
Published: December 2016

The design of experiments and the validation of the results achieved with them are vital in any research study. This paper focuses on the use of different Machine Learning approaches for regression tasks in the field of Computational Intelligence and especially on a correct comparison between the different results provided for different methods, as those techniques are complex systems that require further study to be fully understood. A methodology commonly accepted in Computational intelligence is implemented in an R package called RRegrs. This package includes ten simple and complex regression models to carry out predictive modeling using Machine Learning and well-known regression algorithms. The framework for experimental design presented herein is evaluated and validated against RRegrs. Our results are different for three out of five state-of-the-art simple datasets and it can be stated that the selection of the best model according to our proposal is statistically significant and relevant. It is of relevance to use a statistical approach to indicate whether the differences are statistically significant using this kind of algorithms. Furthermore, our results with three real complex datasets report different best models than with the previously published methodology. Our final goal is to provide a complete methodology for the use of different steps in order to compare the results obtained in Computational Intelligence problems, as well as from other fields, such as for bioinformatics, cheminformatics, etc., given that our proposal is open and modifiable.
Grassland productivity in response to nutrient additions and herbivory is scale-dependent
Authors: Smithwick Erica A.H. , Baldwin Douglas C. , Naithani Kusum J. 
Published: December 2016

Vegetation response to nutrient addition can vary across space, yet studies that explicitly incorporate spatial pattern into experimental approaches are rare. To explore whether there are unique spatial scales (grains) at which grass response to nutrients and herbivory is best expressed, we imposed a large (∼3.75 ha) experiment in a South African coastal grassland ecosystem. In two of six 60 × 60 m grassland plots, we imposed a scaled sampling design in which fertilizer was added in replicated sub-plots (1 × 1 m, 2 × 2 m, and 4 × 4 m). The remaining plots either received no additions or were fertilized evenly across the entire area. Three of the six plots were fenced to exclude herbivory. We calculated empirical semivariograms for all plots one year following nutrient additions to determine whether the scale of grass response (biomass and nutrient concentrations) corresponded to the scale of the sub-plot additions and compared these results to reference plots (unfertilized or unscaled) and to plots with and without herbivory. We compared empirical semivariogram parameters to parameters from semivariograms derived from a set of simulated landscapes (neutral models). Empirical semivariograms showed spatial structure in plots that received multi-scaled nutrient additions, particularly at the 2 × 2 m grain. The level of biomass response was predicted by foliar P concentration and, to a lesser extent, N, with the treatment effect of herbivory having a minimal influence. Neutral models confirmed the length scale of the biomass response and indicated few differences due to herbivory. Overall, we conclude that interpretation of nutrient limitation in grasslands is dependent on the grain used to measure grass response and that herbivory had a secondary effect.
Solid‐State Emission of the Anthracene‐o‐Carborane Dyad from the Twisted‐Intramolecular Charge Transfer in the Crystalline State
Authors: Naito Hirofumi , Nishino Kenta , Morisaki Yasuhiro , Tanaka Kazuo , Chujo Yoshiki 
Published: December 2016

AbstractThe emission process of the o‐carborane dyad with anthracene originating from the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state in the crystalline state is described. The anthracene‐o‐carborane dyad was synthesized and its optical properties were investigated. Initially, the dyad had aggregation‐ and crystallization‐induced emission enhancement (AIEE and CIEE) properties via the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state. Interestingly, the dyad presented the dual‐emissions assigned to both locally excited (LE) and ICT states in solution. From the mechanistic studies and computer calculations, it was indicated that the emission band from the ICT should be attributable to the TICT emission. Surprisingly, even in the crystalline state, the TICT emission was observed. It was proposed from that the compact sphere shape of o‐carborane would allow for rotation even in the condensed state.
Aerobic expression of Vitreoscilla hemoglobin improves the growth performance of CHO‐K1 cells
Authors: Juárez Mariana , González‐De la Rosa Claudia H. , Memún Elisa , Sigala Juan‐Carlos , Lara Alvaro R. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractInefficient carbon metabolism is a relevant issue during the culture of mammalian cells for the production of biopharmaceuticals. Therefore, cell engineering strategies to improve the metabolic and growth performance of cell lines are needed. The expression of Vitreoscilla stercoraria hemoglobin (VHb) has been shown to significantly reduce overflow metabolism and improve the aerobic growth of bacteria. However, the effects of VHb on mammalian cells have been rarely studied. Here, the impact of VHb on growth and lactate accumulation during CHO‐K1 cell culture was investigated. For this purpose, CHO‐K1 cells were transfected with plasmids carrying the vgb or gfp gene to express VHb or green fluorescence protein (GFP), respectively. VHb expression increased the specific growth rate and biomass yields on glucose and glutamine by 60 %, and reduced the amount of lactate produced per cell by 40 %, compared to the GFP‐expression controls. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that VHb is distributed in the cytoplasm and organelles, which support the hypothesis that VHb could serve as an oxygen carrier, enhancing aerobic respiration. These results are useful for the development of better producing cell lines for industrial applications.
Carbon‐Based Materials Used for Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Wu Zhongwei , Song Tao , Sun Baoquan 
Published: December 2016

AbstractOrganometal halide perovskite solar cells have become a superstar in the photovoltaic field over the past few years. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has rapidly been boosted to a high reported value of 22.1 %, which is even better than that of the commercialized multicrystalline silicon solar cells. However, to some extent, the low‐cost and high‐performance photovoltaic technique still suffers from stability and hysteresis issues. Without doubt, carbon‐based materials (e.g., fullerene and its derivatives, graphene‐related materials, carbon nanotubes, carbon paste) have been demonstrated to have positive effects on overcoming the above challenges, in cooperation with the optimizations in perovskite absorber layer, interface, and device structure. In this review, we will first introduce some fundamental principles of PSCs in terms of device structure and carbon‐based materials. Then, the applications of various carbon‐based materials in PSCs will be summarized, which are directly related to the potentiality for exploitation in device performance and stability. Finally, we will draw conclusions and highlight some promising research directions for carbon material‐based PSCs.
Carbon Dioxide Capture with Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents: A New Generation of Sorbents
Authors: Sarmad Shokat , Mikkola Jyri‐Pekka , Ji Xiaoyan 
Published: December 2016

AbstractHigh cost and high energy penalty for CO2 uptake from flue gases are important obstacles in large‐scale industrial applications, and developing efficient technology for CO2 capture from technical and economic points is crucial. Ionic liquids (ILs) show the potential for CO2 separation owing to their inherent advantages, and have been proposed as alternatives to overcome the drawbacks of conventional sorbents. Chemical modification of ILs to improve their performance in CO2 absorption has received more attention. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as a new generation of ILs are considered as more economical alternatives to cope with the deficiencies of high cost and high viscosity of conventional ILs. This Review discusses the potential of functionalized ILs and DESs as CO2 sorbents. Incorporation of CO2‐philic functional groups, such as amine, in cation and/or anion moiety of ILs can promot their absorption capacity. In general, the functionalization of the anion part of ILs is more effective than the cation part. DESs represent favorable solvent properties and are capable of capturing CO2, but the research work is scarce and undeveloped compared to the studies conducted on ILs. It is possible to develop novel DESs with promising absorption capacity. However, more investigation needs to be carried out on the mechanism of CO2 sorption of DESs to clarify how these novel sorbents can be adjusted and fine‐tuned to be best tailored as optimized media for CO2 capture.
Improved multicast routing in MANETs using link stability and route stability
Authors: Singal Gaurav , Laxmi Vijay , Rao Vijay , Todi Swati , Gaur Manoj Singh 
Published: December 2016

SummaryThe growing popularity of multimedia applications and services needs to support several quality of service metrics such as high throughput, low energy, and jitter, which is a challenging task in mobile ad hoc networks. Because of limited bandwidth, energy constraints, dynamic topology, transmission errors, and fluctuating link stability, the links between adjacent nodes are often not reliable and may break because of node mobility. Link breakage initiates the process of rerouting either at the sender node (the node at which the link breaks) or at the source node. In either case, it leads to packet loss, delivery delays, and increased control overheads. Hence, to attain a minimum quality of service, routing protocols must address the dynamic network topology. Uncertain and varying movement of nodes necessitates stability of the links between such nodes. The objective of this paper is to propose 2 protocols, the first based on link stability and the other based on route stability. Link stability identifies a stable link from the available links to the next hop and determines a stable end‐to‐end route. The probability of successful transmission of periodic packets is used as a link stability metric to assess the stable path. Acknowledgment ‐free packets are used to check connectivity in the network. Increased probability of successful transmission implies that the selected link is sustained for longer duration and can deliver packets more reliably or, as a consequence, results in a stable link to deliver a better data rate. With a stable link, there is a reduced possibility of retransmissions, reduced end‐to‐end delay, reduced control overheads, and enhanced data delivery ratio. Selection of the most stable route for data transmission improves the performance. Experimental results from simulations performed on EXata/Cyber v2.0 simulator reveal that our proposed protocols are an improvement over the existing protocols in terms of packet delivery ratio, average end‐to‐end delay, and average route lifetime, even without route optimization with the minor increase in control packets. A case study of the application of proposed protocols is also presented.
Retinal axon guidance at the midline: Chiasmatic misrouting and consequences
Authors: Prieur Delphine S. , Rebsam Alexandra 
Published: December 2016

ABSTRACTThe visual representation of the outside world relies on the appropriate connectivity between the eyes and the brain. Retinal ganglion cells are the sole neurons that send an axon from the retina to the brain, and thus the guidance decisions of retinal axons en route to their targets in the brain shape the neural circuitry that forms the basis of vision. Here, we focus on the choice made by retinal axons to cross or avoid the midline at the optic chiasm. This decision allows each brain hemisphere to receive inputs from both eyes corresponding to the same visual hemifield, and is thus crucial for binocular vision. In achiasmatic conditions, all retinal axons from one eye project to the ipsilateral brain hemisphere. In albinism, abnormal guidance of retinal axons at the optic chiasm leads to a change in the ratio of contralateral and ipsilateral projections with the consequence that each brain hemisphere receives inputs primarily from the contralateral eye instead of an almost equal distribution from both eyes in humans. In both cases, this misrouting of retinal axons leads to reduced visual acuity and poor depth perception. While this defect has been known for decades, mouse genetics have led to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms at play in retinal axon guidance and at the origin of the guidance defect in albinism. In addition, fMRI studies on humans have now confirmed the anatomical and functional consequences of axonal misrouting at the chiasm that were previously only assumed from animal models. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 844–860, 2017
Dynamic changes of serum microRNA‐122‐5p through therapeutic courses indicates amelioration of acute liver injury accompanied by acute cardiac decompensation
Authors: Koyama Satoshi , Kuragaichi Takashi , Sato Yukihito , Kuwabara Yasuhide , Usami Shunsuke , Horie Takahiro , Baba Osamu , Hakuno Daihiko , Nakashima Yasuhiro , Nishino Tomohiro , Nishiga Masataka , Nakao Tetsushi , Arai Hidenori , Kimura Takeshi , Ono Koh 
Published: December 2016

AbstractAimsRecent studies have shown that serum microRNA (miR) abundance is informative for the diagnosis or prognosis of heart failure. However, the dynamics and kinetics of miRs in acute heart failure are largely unknown. Serial measurement and analysis of serum miRs changes in individuals along their therapeutic course could reduce inter‐individual variation and should detect potentially important serum miRs related to disease mechanisms. Based on this concept, we profiled serum miR signatures of blood samples that were obtained sequentially on the day of admission and on hospital Day 7.Methods and resultsThis prospective, observational study included 42 consecutive acute heart failure patients (74 ± 1 years old, 24 male). From admission to Day 7, most of the patients showed clinical improvement. In such a cohort, we detected several fluctuations of serum miRs by two distinct screening methods (quantitative PCR and high‐throughput sequencing). One of these fluctuating serum miRs, miR‐122‐5p, decreased significantly from Day 1 to Day 7 [median arbitrary unit (1st:3rd quantile value); 4.62 [2.39:12.3] to 3.07 [1.67:5.39], P = 0.007]. This fluctuation was significantly correlated with changes in serum liver function markers (estimated coefficient and 95% confidence interval; vs change in aspartate aminotransferase 1.69, 0.890–2.484, P < 0.001 and r = 0.560, vs change in alanine aminotransferase 1.09, 0.406–1.771, P = 0.007 and r = 0.428).ConclusionsThe serum miR signature of patients with acute heart failure might indicate the severity of the disease or patients' response to therapeutic intervention. Notably, serum miR‐122‐5p levels reflect liver damage in this condition.