bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integration of Physical Devices into Game-based Virtual Reality
Authors: Zhang Zhou , Zhang Mingshao , Tumkor Serdar , Chang Yizhe , Esche Sven , Chassapis Constantin 
Published: September 2013

Virtual reality (VR) systems have the potential for alleviating the existing constraints on various natural and social resources. Currently, real-time applications of VR systems are hampered by the tediousness of creating virtual environments. Furthermore, todayâ??s VR systems only stimulate the human senses of vision, hearing and â?? to some extent touch â?? which prevents the system users to feel fully immersed in the virtual environment. By integrating real physical devices with virtual environments, the user interactions with such systems can be improved and advanced technologies such as the MS Kinect system could be used to augment the environments themselves. While existing development platforms for VR systems are expensive, game engines provide a more efficient method for integrating VR with physical devices.
In this paper, an efficient approach for integrating virtual environments and physical devices is presented. This approach employs modifications of games that are based on commercially available game engines for implementing the virtual environments in conjunction with the application of Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) for realizing versatile communications between these virtual environments and various application platforms, which in turn can interact with the physical devices outside of the virtual environments. This paper is divided into four sections. In the first section, the motivation for the developments described here is discussed, followed by a description of the method used to integrate virtual environments with physical devices in the second section. In the third section, an interactive and collaborative laboratory environment based on a multi-player computer game engine that is linked to physical experimental setups is presented as an example of a VR system. In the final section, some additional promising applications of the developed platform and the corresponding challenges are briefly introduced.
Sensitivity to Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Males, Smokers, and Non-adenocarcinoma Lung Cancer in Patients with EGFR Mutations
Authors: Zeng Zhu , Chen Hua-jun , Yan Hong-hong , Yang Jin-ji , Zhang Xu-chao , Wu Yi-long 
Published: September 2013

Introduction The demographical/clinical characteristics of being Asian, having an adenocarcinoma, being female, and being a “never-smoker” are regarded as favorable predictors for epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with unknown EGFR gene status. In this study, we examined the effects of the supposedly unfavorable clinical variables in EGFR-mutant patients. Method In total, 159 EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients' clinical features were correlated with progression-free survival (PFS), response rate (RR), and overall survival (OS). Multivariate analysis of clinical characteristics was performed using the Cox and logistic regression methods. Result There were 90 females (56.6%), 112 never-smokers (70.4%), and 153 patients with adenocarcinomas (96.2%). All patients were treated with EGFR-TKI, and 52.8% received TKI in a first-line setting. The median PFS of patients receiving first-line TKI was similar, regardless of gender (males vs females: 9.1 vs 9.7 months, p=0.793), smoking status (never-smokers vs smokers: 9.9 vs 9.1 months, p=0.570), or histology (adenocarcinoma vs non-adenocarcinoma: 9.7 vs 9.2 months, p=0.644). OS curves of first-line TKI-treated patients were also not associated with gender (p=0.722), smoking status (p=0.579), or histology (p=0.480). Similar results of PFS and OS were obtained for patients who received TKI beyond first-line. Multivariate analysis indicated that none of these clinical factors was an independent predictor of survival. Conclusions The supposedly ‘favorable’ clinical factors of female gender, non-smoking status, and adenocarcinoma were not independent predictive factors for PFS or OS in this population of EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients.
Aging Induces Tissue‐Specific Changes in Cholesterol Metabolism in Rat Brain and Liver
Authors: Smiljanic Kosara , Vanmierlo Tim , Djordjevic Aleksandra Mladenovic , Perovic Milka , Loncarevic‐Vasiljkovic Natasa , Tesic Vesna , Rakic Ljubisav , Ruzdijic Sabera , Lutjohann Dieter , Kanazir Selma 
Published: September 2013

AbstractDisturbance of cholesterol homeostasis in the brain is coupled to age‐related brain dysfunction. In the present work, we studied the relationship between aging and cholesterol metabolism in two brain regions, the cortex and hippocampus, as well as in the sera and liver of 6‐, 12‐, 18‐ and 24‐month‐old male Wistar rats. Using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry, we undertook a comparative analysis of the concentrations of cholesterol, its precursors and metabolites, as well as dietary‐derived phytosterols. During aging, the concentrations of the three cholesterol precursors examined (lanosterol, lathosterol and desmosterol) were unchanged in the cortex, except for desmosterol which decreased (44 %) in 18‐month‐old rats. In the hippocampus, aging was associated with a significant reduction in lanosterol and lathosterol concentrations at 24 months (28 and 25 %, respectively), as well as by a significant decrease of desmosterol concentration at 18 and 24 months (36 and 51 %, respectively). In contrast, in the liver we detected age‐induced increases in lanosterol and lathosterol concentrations, and no change in desmosterol concentration. The amounts of these sterols were lower than in the brain regions. In the cortex and hippocampus, desmosterol was the predominant cholesterol precursor. In the liver, lathosterol was the most abundant precursor. This ratio remained stable during aging. The most striking effect of aging observed in our study was a significant decrease in desmosterol concentration in the hippocampus which could reflect age‐related reduced synaptic plasticity, thus representing one of the detrimental effects of advanced age.
Brief report: The Adolescent Child‐to‐Parent Aggression Questionnaire: An examination of aggressions against parents in Spanish adolescents
Authors: Calvete E. , Gamez‐Guadix M. , Orue I. , Gonzalez‐Diez Z. , Lopez de Arroyabe E. , Sampedro R. , Pereira R. , Zubizarreta A. , Borrajo E. 
Published: September 2013

AbstractThe objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire to assess child‐to‐parent aggression in adolescents and to document the extent of the problem. The questionnaire developed in this study, the Child‐to‐Parent Aggression Questionnaire (CPAQ), includes forms of physical and psychological aggression directed at both the mother and the father. It also includes open questions about the reasons for the aggressive acts. The CPAQ was completed by a sample of 2719 adolescents (age range: 13–18 years old, 51.4% girls). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a four‐factor correlated structure (physical aggression against mother, physical aggression against father, psychological aggression against mother, and psychological aggression against father). Psychological and physical aggression against the mother was more frequent than against the father. However, there were no differences with regard to severe forms of aggression. Girls scored significantly higher on all indicators of psychological aggression, including severe psychological aggression. Nevertheless, except for the prevalence of physical aggression against mothers, which was higher in females, there were no significant differences in physical aggression against parents. Finally, the reasons provided by the adolescents for the aggression included both instrumental (e.g., to obtain permission to get home late and to access their computers) and reactive reasons (e.g., anger and self‐defense). These findings highlight the complexity of child‐to‐parent aggression in adolescence.
Content and process priming: A review
Authors: Janiszewski Chris , Wyer Robert S. 
Published: September 2013

AbstractThe last forty years of social science research have produced over 12,000 articles on priming. The range, complexity, and novelty of priming effects are hard to comprehend, let alone explain, using a single model or perspective. In this review, we discuss content priming and process priming effects. We then propose an integrative model that can account for the combined results.
Comparison of Ho:YAG laser and pneumatic lithotripsy in the treatment of impacted ureteral stones: An analysis of risk factors
Authors: Degirmenci Tansu , Gunlusoy Bulent , Kozacioglu Zafer , Arslan Murat , Koras Omer , Arslan Burak , Minareci Suleyman 
Published: September 2013

AbstractThe aim was to compare pneumatic and holmium:yttrium‐aluminum‐garnet laser in the treatment of impacted ureteral stones with different locations and to identify the risk factors for complications. Between March 2005 and November 2012, a total of 230 patients underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy for impacted stones. Of the patients, 117 had pneumatic and 113 had laser lithotripsy for the fragmentation of the stones. Treatment outcomes based on evidence of being stone free were evaluated. Preoperative, operative, and postoperative follow‐up findings were analyzed and compared. There was a difference between the two groups according to overall stone clearance rate (93.8% vs. 80.3%, p = 0.002). There was no statistically significant difference for distal location between the laser and pneumatic groups (96.8% vs. 91.7%, p = 0.288). For 10 patients with intrarenally migrated stones who were managed with flexible ureterorenoscopy in the same session, laser lithotripsy was more successful than pneumatic for proximal ureteral stone (94.4% vs. 67.9%, p = 0.007). The overall complication rate was 26.1%. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (29% vs. 23%, p = 0.296). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the proximal location was a statistically significant parameter for the occurrence of complications in both groups (p = 0.001 for PL, p = 0.004 for laser). The pneumatic and holmium:yttrium‐aluminum‐garnet laser lithotripsy are effective in the treatment of distal impacted stones. Both treatments with semirigid ureteroscopy are acceptable for proximal impacted ureteral stones, but holmium laser lithotripsy has an advantage of use with flexible ureteroscope for intrarenally migrated stone.
Plasma microRNAs predicting clinical outcome in metastatic colorectal cancer patients receiving first‐line oxaliplatin‐based treatment
Authors: Kjersem J.B. , Ikdahl T. , Lingjaerde O.C. , Guren T. , Tveit K.M. , Kure E.H. 
Published: September 2013

The conventional first‐line chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) consists of fluorouracil (5‐FU) in combination with either oxaliplatin or irinotecan. We have explored microRNAs (miRNAs) in plasma as potential predictive markers to oxaliplatin‐based chemotherapy. The expression of 742 miRNAs was examined in plasma samples from 24 mCRC patients (12 responders and 12 non‐responders) before onset and after four cycles of 5‐FU/oxaliplatin. The top differentially expressed miRNAs between responders and non‐responders were selected for further analysis in a validation cohort of 150 patients. In the validation cohort, there was a significant overrepresentation of miRNAs with higher mean expression in the non‐responder group than in the responder group before treatment (p < 0.002). Moreover, we found three miRNAs (miR‐106a, miR‐484, and miR‐130b) to be significantly differentially expressed before treatment (p = 0.008, 0.008, and 0.008, respectively). All three miRNAs were upregulated in non‐responders. High expression of miR‐27b, miR‐148a, and miR‐326 were associated with decreased progression‐free survival (Hazard ratios (HR) of 1.4 (95% CI 1.1–1.8, p = 0.004), 1.3 (95% CI 1.1–1.6, p = 0.007), and 1.4 (95% CI 1.1–1.8, p = 0.008), respectively). miR‐326 was also associated with decreased overall survival (HR 1.5 (95% CI 1.1–2.0, p = 0.003)). There were no significantly differentially expressed miRNAs in association with clinical outcome after four cycles of chemotherapy. The present study demonstrates that plasma miRNAs analyzed before treatment may serve as non‐invasive markers predicting outcome in mCRC patients treated with 5‐FU and oxaliplatin‐based chemotherapy.
Value-based Competition: the Role of Outcome Measurement
Authors: Deerberg-Wittram Jens , Guth Clemens , Porter Michael E. 
Published: September 2013

Summary
The starting point to any real progress in health care is comprehensive measurement of outcomes. Outcomes should be measured for each medical condition. Rather than focusing on single procedures or specialties, outcome sets must cover any treatment option and the full care cycle, from diagnostics to treatment to rehabilitation covering both inpatient and outpatient care. Risk adjustment for individual patient circumstances is also essential to compare outcomes across patients and across time.
The ‘Thracian’ pottery of South-East Europe: a contribution to the discussion on the handmade pottery traditions of the historical period
Authors: Papadopoulos Stratis 
Published: September 2013

From the southern Balkans to the region of Middle Donau, so-called ‘Thracian’ pottery is dominant during the historical period. Its co-existence with wheel-made pottery also has a long history in Aegean Thrace. In the city of Mesembria-Zone, barrel-shaped urns and one-handled cups represent the ‘classical period’ of this tradition. Until now, there was no example of a site in northern Greece with pottery exclusively of this type. This ‘missing link’ has been discovered during excavations at Agios Ioannis in south-cast Thasos. The pottery from the site is completely handmade and can be attributed to a Later Iron Age phase.The absence of interest in this pottery tradition was due to difficulties concerning its identification and dating, but also to the fact that archaeologists were more interested in the definition of the nature of Greek colonies and the clarification of the relationships between settlers and natives. The survival of ‘Thracian’ pottery has been explained up to now through the idea of identifying an artefact type as an indicative element of the ‘culture’ of its producers. In fact, the intra-communal distribution of this pottery does not reveal any special differentiation, and does not appear to be related to only one group of the population, different in terms of race or economic strength. Here, we propose an additional interpretative tool, the ideological significance of this type of pottery for the people of south-east Europe.
Amber in the Mycenaean World
Authors: Beck Curt W. , Harding Anthony , Hughes-Brock Helen 
Published: September 2013

Amber has long been recognized as an important indicator of Mycenaean foreign contacts. Though much has been written, no thorough survey of the topic has yet been undertaken. The chief purpose of this article is to present a corpus, as complete as the authors can make it, of the known Mycenaean amber finds, together with those from adjacent areas.Since the nineteenth century amber objects in Italy and Greece have generally been considered by scholarly opinion to have been imported from the Baltic, and a number of finds, including Schliemann's from the Shaft Graves, were subjected to rudimentary chemical analyses to ‘prove’ this, the criterion being the presence of succinic acid. Navarro in 1925 traced the route the amber was supposed to have taken by charting the distribution of finds in central Europe in the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Dedications by Alkibiades and Thrasyboulos
Authors: Pemberton E. G. 
Published: September 2013

Custom regards such displays as honourable, and they cannot be made without leaving behind them an impression of power. Again, any splendour that I may have exhibited at home in providing choruses or otherwise, is naturally envied by my fellow-citizens, but in the eyes of foreigners has an air of strength … And this is no useless folly, when a man at his own private cost benefits not himself only but his city …So in Thucydides' words Alkibiades spoke in defence of the celebrations of his recent chariot victories, against the charges of extravagance brought by Nikias. The tone and phrasing in his apology underscore the pleonexia of Alkibiades, yet in it there is an echo of the funeral oration of Perikles:Rather, the admiration of the present and succeeding ages will be ours, since we have not left our power without witness … We have forced every sea and land to be the highway of our daring and everywhere, whether for evil or for good, have left imperishable monuments behind us.Perikles may not have been referring specifically to architectural or sculptural monuments, but from the Kerameikos, his audience would have seen the buildings on the Akropolis already associated with his name. One may read into his words disguised justification of his policies, remembering that charges of extravagance were also brought against him.
Some Additional Data on Dissertations in Political Science, 1960 and 1970–72
Authors: Sackmann Peter J. 
Published: September 2013

In the fall '72 issue ofPS, Walfred H. Peterson, Stephen Blank, and William C. Yoels have drawn some interesting data and interpretations from APSA's annual listing of completed political science dissertations. Their focus on data related to Ph.D. output, interest distribution within sub-fields, and “the fate of the Ph.D.” clearly reflect the concern of the advanced scholar who is interested in the general development of the discipline.However, it may not be astonishing that one type of data, that may be of particular interest to the beginning student of political science or the Ph.D. candidate has been neglected. This is the question of how long it actually takes to earn the desired degree.Departmental Ph.D. programs indicate generally that an approximate term of four years is suggested as being necessary but also sufficient for the successful completion of the entire Ph.D. program. A tabulation of data derived from our annual listings, however, easily reveal that — at least in practice — such an approximation is far from reality. As indicated intable I, more than twice that time lies actually on an average between graduation and the successful completion of the dissertation.
Who Eats What, When and Where: A Qualitative Analysis of Gastronomic Behavior in Metropolitan New Orleans
Authors: Chubbuck James H. , Renwick Edward F. 
Published: September 2013

Huey Long once described himself assui generis. In the galaxy of American cities: New Orleans fits the same description. There is no other place like it — from the mania and madness of Bourbon Street on Mardi Gras, to the unbelievably hot, humid afternoons of late summer dozing on a bene in Jackson Square or watching the sails move in and out of the Lake Ponchartrain haze.New Orleans is a city for the senses. The sight of a worn-out streetcar still clanking along under the oak trees of St. Charles Avenue. The smell of beer and whiskey and urine being washed down in the French Quarter by the 5 a.m. street cleaner. The moaning sound of a clarinet as it reaches out for “Just a Closer Walk With Thee.” And the taste of some of the best restaurant cooking in the country.New Orleans also is a citypar excellenceof politics and politicians. Its political intrigues and range of personalities challenge the imagination. Louisiana has been described as the “westernmost of Arab States,” with New Orleans as its capitol. The zest and intensity with which the game of politics is played even overwhelms the natives from time to time.
Don't Vote for Less Democracy. Don't Send Good Money After Bad. Vote No on the Proposed Constitution
Authors: Herzberg Donald G. 
Published: September 2013

I was a late appointee to the Constitutional Revision Committee, appointed by President Deutsch. Unfortunately, no meeting of the Committee was arranged at a time when I could attend.Had I been able to attend meetings of the Committee, I would have vigorously opposed the proposed Constitution for many reasons. I will mention ONLY ONE; the proposed Constitution sharply reduces the opportunity for members of APSA to participate in important decisions. During the last three years, the Ad Hoc Committee has proposed three amendments to the present Constitution providing for broader participation by the whole membership in the governance of the Association. These amendments gave members an opportunity to vote for officers and Council members in contested elections, to vote on constitutional amendments, and to vote on resolutions. All three amendments were adopted by large majorities. I cannot believe that those who voted for these amendments will vote for a new Constitution that greatly curtails their chance to participate in governing the Association.
Report on Political Science Grant Support from the National Science Foundation
Authors: Wright Gerald C. 
Published: September 2013

The Political Science Program at the National Science Foundation provides support for basic empirical and theoretical research on political institutions and processes. The goal of the program is to facilitate the development of scientific theory and knowledge on political behavior, the operation of political systems, and the actions of governments. The program seeks to meet this goal by supporting research on a very wide range of substantive topics falling under the rubric of politics. As part of its long-range planning, the program attempts to identify areas of intellectual growth for program emphases. In making funding decisions, however, the determining factor is the scientific merit of the proposed work rather than topical or methodological closeness to the major emphases in program plans.Support for basic political science research has been growing at a faster rate than overall NSF support for the social sciences. From fiscal 1977 to 1979 the Political Science Program allocation grew 35 percent compared to a 17 percent increase in the overall funding for the Division of Social and Economic Science.
The Elections, the Economy and Public Opinion: 1984
Authors: Lipset Seymour Martin 
Published: September 2013

Many commentaries on the recent American elections conclude that the United States has taken a long-term move to the right. This shift seemingly began in the late sixties as a reaction to the turmoil occasioned by militant, sometimes violent protest tactics used by the civil rights and antiwar movements, and by the sharp challenge to traditional values encompassed in the changes in family and sex behavior, dress styles, the increased use of drugs, and the like. The Republicans have been victorious in four out of the last five presidential elections, those held from 1968 on. Only one of these, that in 1968, was close, but in that contest a right-wing and racist candidate, George Wallace, received 13 percent. The one election of the five which the Democrats won, that in 1976, was the first one after Richard Nixon's resignation following the Watergate scandal.Yet the conclusion that America has been in a conservative mood for some time is challenged by the results of the races for Congress and state offices and by the findings of the opinion polls. In 1984, in the same election in which Ronald Reagan received 59 percent of the vote, eight percent more than in 1980, his party lost two seats in the Senate and gained only 14 in the much larger House, leaving it behind the Democrats by 252 to 183. The Democrats still hold 34 of the 50 governorships, down by only one. Judged by which party holds most electoral offices, the Democrats remain the majority party.