bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enhanced anti-tumor immune responses and delay of tumor development in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 mice immunized with an immunostimulatory peptide in poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles
Authors: Campbell Diahnn F , Saenz Rebecca , Bharati Ila S , Seible Daniel , Zhang Liangfang , Esener Sadik , Messmer Bradley , Larsson Marie , Messmer Davorka 
Published: March 2015

Abstract
Introduction
Cancer vaccines have the potential to induce curative anti-tumor immune responses and better adjuvants may improve vaccine efficacy. We have previously shown that Hp91, a peptide derived from the B box domain in high-mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1), acts as a potent immune adjuvant.

Method
In this study, Hp91 was tested as part of a therapeutic vaccine against human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer.

Results
Free peptide did not significantly augment immune responses but, when delivered in poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles (PLGA-NPs), robust activation of dendritic cells (DCs) and increased activation of HER2-specific T cells was observed in vitro. Vaccination of HER2/neu transgenic mice, a mouse breast cancer model that closely mimics the immune modulation and tolerance in some breast cancer patients, with Hp91-loaded PLGA-NPs enhanced the activation of HER2-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses, delayed tumor development, and prolonged survival.

Conclusions
Taken together these findings demonstrate that the delivery of the immunostimulatory peptide Hp91 inside PLGA-NPs enhances the potency of the peptide and efficacy of a breast cancer vaccine.
Nasogastric feeding for stroke patients: practice and education
Authors: Mahoney Catherine , Rowat Anne , Macmillan Maureen , Dennis Martin 
Published: March 2015

Background and aims: Dysphagia is common after stroke, so feeding through a nasogastric (NG) tube may be necessary. These tubes are frequently dislodged, causing interruption to feeding and hydration, and potential aspiration of feed or fluids into the lungs. Interventions to prevent this may include taping tubes to the face; the application of hand mittens or bandaging patients' hands; inserting the NG tube into the nostril on the stroke-affected side; and nasal bridles. The aims of this survey were to investigate the management of NG feeding for stroke patients, including current tube confirmation and securing techniques, and associated nurse education. This was part of a three-phased sequential mixed-methods study. This paper reports on the second quantitative phase. Methods: A quantitative postal survey, based on initial qualitative findings, was sent to registered nurses (n=528) from the National Stroke Nurses Forum and Scottish Stroke Nurses Forum, in addition to registered nurses working on stroke units within the local health board. Results: The overall response rate was 59% (n=314/528). Tape was the most commonly used method for securing tube position, followed by inserting the tube on the stroke-affected side. Hand mittens were used more frequently than the nasal bridle; bandaging hands was reported once. Taping was considered to be more acceptable and safer than hand mittens or the nasal bridle, but less effective. Training in inserting NG feeding tubes was received by 56% (n=176/314). Methods used for confirming tube position included aspiration and X-ray. Provision of training in confirmation techniques varied. Conclusions: This study shows that the management of NG feeding for dysphagic stroke patients requires standardisation, as does the education for nurses to ensure that this intervention is carried out safely, effectively and acceptably.
The role of UK district nurses in providing care for adult patients with a terminal diagnosis: a meta-ethnography
Authors: Offen John 
Published: March 2015

Aim: To explore the role of UK district nurses in providing care for adult patients with a terminal diagnosis by reviewing qualitative research. Design: Meta-ethnography was used to conduct the synthesis. Data sources: CINAHL, MEDLINE and British Nursing Index (BNI) were searched comprehensively for primary research relating to the role of UK district nurses in palliative care. Review methods: The abstracts and titles of 700 papers were screened against inclusion criteria, of these 97 full papers were appraised. Some 24 studies reported in 25 papers were selected for inclusion in the synthesis. Findings: In total, five key themes were identified: valuing the role; practical role; relationships with patients and families; providing psychological support; and role uncertainty. Further synthesis yielded two ‘lines of argument’. The concept of the ‘expert friend’ argues that the atypical relationship district nurses cultivate with patients underpins district nurses’ provision of palliative care and profoundly influences the nature of psychological support given. Secondly, the concept of ‘threat and opportunity’ encapsulates the threat district nurses can feel to their traditional role in palliative care through changing health and social policy, while recognising the benefits that access to specialist knowledge and better training can bring. Conclusion: The findings have implications for understanding the motivators and barriers experienced by district nurses delivering palliative care in a time of unprecedented change to community health services.
Palliative approach education for rural nurses and health-care workers: a mixed-method study
Authors: Pesut Barbara , Potter Gail , Stajduhar Kelli , Sawatzky Richard , McLeod Barbara , Drabot Karly 
Published: March 2015

Background:The aim of this mixed-method study was to evaluate the outcomes of an educational intervention in a palliative approach for rural nurses and health-care workers (HCWs) using a team-based method.Methods:Pre- and post-test measures using the Palliative Care Nursing Self-Competence (PCSNC) scale and the Self-Perceived Palliative Care Knowledge instrument were used to evaluate learning outcomes. Participant post-test scores were also compared to normative provincial data.Findings:At post-test, HCWs showed statistically significant improvements across 7 of 10 domains in self-perceived competence and 6 of 12 domains in self-perceived knowledge; all scores were equivalent to or better than provincial normative data. Nurses’ self-perceived knowledge showed statistically significant improvements in 3 of 12 domains; all post-test scores were equivalent to provincial normative data. Qualitative data indicated improvements in familiarity with the resources available for palliative care and in communication among the nursing team.Conclusion:An educational intervention can improve the competence and knowledge of rural HCWs and nurses in a palliative approach.
Transforming Public Health Systems: Using Data to Drive Organizational Capacity for
Quality Improvement and Efficiency
Authors: Steinwachs Donald 
Published: March 2015

Introduction: This paper examines the organization, services, and priorities of
public health agencies and their capacity to be learning public health systems (LPHS).
An LPHS uses data to measure population health and health risks and to evaluate its
services and programs, and then integrates its own research with advances in scientific
knowledge to innovate and improve its efficiency and effectiveness.Public Health
Agencies and Impact for LPHS: Public health agencies’ (PHA) organizational
characteristics vary across states, as does their funding per capita. Variations in
organization, services provided, and expenditures per capita may reflect variations in
community needs or may be associated with unmet needs. The status of legal statutes
defining responsibilities and authorities and their relationships to other public and
private agencies also vary. Little information is available on the efficiency and
effectiveness of state and local PHAs, in part due to a lack of information
infrastructure to capture uniform data on services provided. There are almost no data on
the relationship of quality of services, staff performance, and resources to population
health outcomes. By building a capacity to collect and analyze data on population health
within and across communities, and by becoming a continuous learning PHA, the allocation
of resources can more closely match population health needs and improve health outcomes.
Accreditation of every PHA is an important first step toward becoming a learning
PHA.Conclusions: Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR) is beginning to
shed light on some of these issues, particularly by investigating variation across PHAs.
As this emerging discipline grows, there is a need to enhance the collection and use of
data in support of building organized, effective, and efficient LPHSs with the PHA
capacity to continually improve the public’s health.
Effects of Ultrasonic Motor Stator Teeth Height on Start Reliability
Authors: Zheng Wei , Zhou Jing-Liang , Ruan Yu-Zhen 
Published: March 2015

Abstract
As a new type of motor, the traveling wave type rotary ultrasonic motors (TRUM) have a wide range of applications. However, the friction between stator and rotor leads to its poor start reliability, which retards the progress of application of ultrasonic motors. Sometimes TRUMs which are widely used cannot start after storage. Height of tooth of the ultrasonic motor’s stator is one of the factors affecting TRUM’s start stabilizing. In this paper, combined with the ultrasonic motor running mechanism, the factors that affect TRUM’s start reliability are studied. Model of ultrasonic motor stator tooth height is analyzed by finite element analysis (FEA). Five TRUMs with different tooth heights are fabricated and measured. A TRUM with 1.85 mm tooth height can start properly in humidity 90%, but ultrasonic motors with 1.8–1.9 mm tooth height cannot start properly under the same conditions.
Trends Of Change Regarding Poverty In The Republic Of Serbia In The Period 2006-2010
Authors: Grujić Biljana , Roljević Svetlana , Kljajić Nataša 
Published: March 2015

Abstract
The purpose of the study was to assess poverty in Serbia in the period 2006-2010. This paper analyzes the percentage of the poor by: type of neighborhood, regional distribution, household type, age, involvement of children and adults, level of education and socio - economic status of the household. The following methods of descriptive statistics were applied: the average value of the appearance, the interval of variation, standard deviation, coefficient of variation and the rate of change. It points to the differences in the values of consumer units denominated in RSD, which is used as a threshold for determining the percentage of the poor population. The research results indicate that the poorest are multi-member households and adults at the age of 19-24.
A Power Factor Corrected SMPS with Improved Power Quality for Welding Applications
Authors: Narula Swati , Singh Bhim , Bhuvaneswari G. , Pandey Rahul 
Published: March 2015

Abstract
This paper presents the analysis, design and implementation of a power factor corrected Arc Welding Power Supply (AWPS) with a boost converter at the front end and three full-bridge (FB) converters connected in parallel at the load end. The modular arrangement of the FB converters offers several meritorious features like usage of power devices with comparatively lower voltage and current ratings, ease of power expandability, easy maintenance, etc. The boost converter operates in continuous conduction mode minimizing the input current ripple and leading to the lowest RMS current thereby improving the input power quality. Individual control loops are designed for each power stage. A dual loop control scheme is employed to incorporate over-current limit on the proposed AWPS which ensures excellent weld bead quality. The proposed AWPS is implemented to validate its performance over a wide range of line/load variations. Test results confirm its fast parametrical response to load and source voltage variations and over-current protection leading to improved welding performance and weld bead quality. The system is found to perform extremely well with very low input current THD and unity power factor, adhering to international power quality norms.
Integrating task planning, execution and monitoring for a domestic service robot
Authors: Shpieva Elizaveta , Awaad Iman 
Published: March 2015

Abstract
Embodied artificial agents operating in dynamic, real-world environments need architectures that support the special requirements that exist for them. Architectures are not always designed from scratch and the system then implemented all at once, but rather, a step-wise integration of components is often made to increase functionality. In order to increase flexibility and robustness, a task planner was integrated into an existing architecture and the planning process was coupled with the pre-existing execution and the basic monitoring processes. This involved the conversion of monolithic SMACH scenario scripts (state-machine execution scripts) into modular states that can be called dynamically based on the plan that was generated by the planning process. The procedural knowledge encoded in such state machines was used to model the planning domain for two RoboCup@Home scenarios on a Care-O-Bot 3 robot. This was done for the JSHOP2 hierarchical task network (HTN) planner. A component which iterates through a generated plan and calls the appropriate SMACH states was implemented, thus enabling the scenarios. Crucially, individual monitoring actions which enable the robot to monitor the execution of the actions were designed and included, thus providing additional robustness.
Model-driven software systems engineering in robotics: Covering the complete life-cycle of a robot
Authors: Schlegel Christian , Lotz Alex , Lutz Matthias , Stampfer Dennis , Inglés-Romero Juan F. , Vicente-Chicote Cristina 
Published: March 2015

Abstract
Robotic systems are complex, software intensive and heterogeneous composite systems. Software systems engineering and system
integration is still a major challenge in robotics. We describe how component based software engineering (CBSE), model-driven software development (MDSD) and
domain-specific languages (DSLs) for variability management complement each other in addressing the robotics software challenge. We outline how these approaches
pave the way towards a software business ecosystem in robotics. We put a focus onto challenges still being considered as open and worth being addressed next.
Female Labor Force Participation in Iran: A Structural Analysis
Authors: Majbouri Mahdi 
Published: March 2015

AbstractLow female labor force participation (FLFP) rate in Iran, at the time that women’s education has been rising and their fertility rates have been falling, has remained a puzzle. By estimating elasticities of participation and hours with respect to wages (the extensive and intensive margins), this paper tries to shed some light on this puzzle. Using a structural estimation and controlling for selection, it depicts that the elasticity of women’s participation in the labor force with respect to wages is quite large, especially for married women. Based on this, one may argue that women’s participation is very sensitive to wages. But this is not consistent with the stylized facts about FLFP in Iran. The plausible implication of such elasticities, however, is that non-participating women have potential wages close to the wages of those who participate. Therefore, lower potential wages cannot be the factor that strongly dissuades women from participation. Instead, anticipated factors, such as labor market institutions and preferences, could be the underlying force hindering women from participation. The low FLFP rate can be explained better in light of these findings. The implications for policy and research are discussed.
Saussure's équivalence sémiologique in the case study of Czech sonants
Authors: Haładewicz-Grzelak Małgorzata 
Published: March 2015

AbstractIn “Réflections inédites de Saussure sur les phonèmes” (1973: 287–295), Roman Jakobson mentions an untitled manuscript, described as “étude phonetique.” In it, Saussure provides an interesting equation: phonème = valeur sémiologique. The equation stresses the purely semiological aspect of the phoneme and will serve as a focal point for the analysis carried out in this paper. The discussion will also explore two other related concepts introduced in the manuscript and in the only book Saussure ever published,This study attempts to draw implications for a semiotic theory of phonology based on acoustic cues found in a case study of consonant / liquid / consonant (CLC/#) clusters that occur as congeners in two cognate Slavic languages: Polish and Czech. Apart from the semiological insights of Saussure, the study's analytical perspective also builds on the semiotic oeuvre of Roman Jakobson and Boris Uspiensky (Tartu semiotics). The Tartu notion of cultural text is a sort of time center, or a groove for the discussion. The empirical section analyzes a corpus of recordings of CLC clusters in various languages collected by the author, treating particular spectrograms as cultural texts in the Tartu understanding of the term: as visual data generated by a particular speech community.
Multimodality in Canadian print advertising: Different functional connections between headlines and visual texts of advertisements in English and French consumer magazines
Authors: Lick Erhard 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe aim of this study was to reveal whether French and English Canadian print advertisements show different functional connections between headlines and visuals. For that purpose, a content analysis was conducted on advertisements drawn from two Canadian women's magazines. As theoretical construct, Rentel's (2005) typology of logical-semantic connections between visuals and headlines of advertisements was chosen. The results showed that the strategies of visual-verbal analogy and hyperbole were used more frequently in the French than in the English advertisements analyzed. Hence, French advertisements appear to stimulate a higher level of cognitive elaboration on the part of the recipients.
Chasing the myth: A Harley-Davidson story(telling)
Authors: Trendafilov Dimitar 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThis article demonstrates a socio-semiotic problem – whether one brand could replace, substitute or supplement identity. It describes the postmodern situation in which the traditional meta-narratives need to be reinforced or even replaced by more adequate and resonating stories and it points out the place of “legendary” brands in it. The latter are based on cultural preconditions and their power should be reinforced by advertising. The cultural background of Harley-Davidson and its communication gives us a chance to take a deeper look at its storytelling process which attracts so many consumers. A couple of analyses and illustrations clarify its “DNA structure.”
Color, shape, and sound: A proposed system of music notation
Authors: Wong Mitchell , Danesi Marcel 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThis article presents a system of music notation that uses a combination of colors and shapes to represent sound. This system may present advantages over the traditional system of music notation, as its symbols are inherently related to the musical information that they communicate. The present article explains the basic workings of the system. It then describes an ethnographic study in which the system was used to teach music literacy to a group of elementary school music students. It concludes with the implications that such a system might have in the spheres of music performance and music education.
On the characteristics of verbal irony
Authors: Bailin Alan 
Published: March 2015

AbstractDuring the last forty years there have been a number of attempts to understand verbal irony in relation to specific kinds of speech acts (negating, echoing, pretending, alluding). This article argues that these theories can account for certain subsets of ironic phenomena but not others precisely because of their focus on substantive kinds of speech acts rather than more general relational semiotic properties. The article proposes two conditions based on relational semiotic properties. These conditions, it is argued, allow for a unified account of ironic phenomena and a better understanding of irony in relation to other tropes.
Communicology and human conduct: An essay dedicated to Max
Authors: Catt Isaac E. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThis paper examines habits, and particularly habitus as the locus of semiotic constraints and artful practices comprising human conduct. The disciplinary contexts of communication in semiotics and semiotics in communication are contrasted. Winfried Nöth's recent take on C. S. Peirce and habits is interpreted from the perspective of semiotic phenomenology. Culture is argued to be the threshold of the human world, and habits are a key to understanding human conduct in that distinctive Umwelt. John Dewey's rendering of Peirce on habits is further extended with Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical construction of the habitus. Habitus accounts for the mediation of culture and person in the communication matrix. The argument is for a new disciplinary habit in communicology, the science of embodied discourse, which bridges semiotics and communication with focus on the experience of communication.
Otherness as a paradigm in anthropology
Authors: Leistle Bernhard 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe article proposes to take seriously the notion of otherness in anthropology and to assign it paradigmatic function for the discipline. Building on phenomenological philosophy, in particular Merleau-Ponty and Waldenfels, the Other is approached as alien, as something that essentially eludes the orders of self and culture, while at the same time challenging them. The article then discusses several ways in which this altered understanding of otherness might productively inform anthropology as the “science of the culturally Other.” Ethnographic representation, cultural and ritual orders, and social events are conceptualized in exemplary fashion as responses to an alien demand.
A memorable thirteen-word sentence
Authors: Tsohatzidis Savas L. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe most distinctive, and probably the most striking, assumption of Donald Davidson's well known ‘paratactic’ analysis of the logical form of saying ascriptions is that the “that”-clause that, in such an ascription, specifies the content of the ascribed act of saying, is neither syntactically nor semantically part of the sentence effecting the ascription. The present paper identifies a neglected problem that this assumption engenders for the Davidsonian analysis. The problem arises in connection with instances of saying ascriptions that are both self-verifying and self-referential, and consists in the fact that, given the Davidsonian assumption, these ascriptions must be assigned logical forms that misrepresent their logically relevant properties.