bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The determination of n-pentane solubility and diffusivity in styrene–methyl methacrylate copolymers via designed apparatus
Authors: Azimi Hamid Reza , Rezaei Mostafa
Published: June 2016

In this work, styrene–methyl methacrylate copolymer particles were synthesized by suspension polymerization process with different copolymer compositions. A system was designed to measure the solubility and diffusivity of n-pentane in the synthesized copolymers. The designed system consisted of the self-sealing cell equipped to the pressure and temperature controllers. The synthesized copolymer particles were impregnated by n-pentane and their expansion were recorded visually. Furthermore, the solubility and diffusivity of n-pentane in copolymer particles were measured by the same apparatus. The effect of different foaming conditions on the solubility and diffusivity of n-pentane in the samples were examined. It was concluded that the sorption pressure and temperature have contradictory effects on the solubility and diffusivity of n-pentane in styrene–methyl methacrylate copolymers at different sorption pressures. It was concluded that with methyl methacrylate content increment in copolymer, the diffusivity and dissolved n-pentane content in copolymer were reduced.
Imprisoned by Empathy
Authors: Brown Tony N. , Bell Mary Laske , Patterson Evelyn J.
Published: June 2016

The stress process model predicts that current incarceration of a family member should damage the health status of the inmate’s relatives. We address this prediction with data from the National Survey of American Life, focusing exclusively on African American men ( n = 1,168). In survey-adjusted generalized linear models, we find that familial incarceration increases psychological distress, but its effect attenuates ostensibly after controlling for other chronic strains. Familial incarceration remains statistically insignificant with the introduction of mastery and family emotional support and their respective interactions with familial incarceration. However, a statistical interaction between familial incarceration and former incarceration reveals that levels of psychological distress are significantly higher among never-incarcerated respondents whose family members are incarcerated but significantly lower among formerly incarcerated respondents whose family members are incarcerated. We conclude that familial incarceration’s influence on black men’s mental health status may be more complex than extant theory predicts.
Sorting it out: bedding particle size and nesting material processing method affect nest complexity
Authors: Robinson-Junker Amy , Morin Amelia , Pritchett-Corning Kathleen , Gaskill Brianna N
Published: June 2016

As part of routine husbandry, an increasing number of laboratory mice receive nesting material in addition to standard bedding material in their cages. Nesting material improves health outcomes and physiological performance in mice that receive it. Providing usable nesting material uniformly and efficiently to various strains of mice remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to determine how bedding particle size, method of nesting material delivery, and processing of the nesting material before delivery affected nest building in mice of strong (BALB/cAnNCrl) and weak (C3H/HeNCrl) gathering abilities. Our data suggest that processing nesting material through a grinder in conjunction with bedding material, although convenient for provision of bedding with nesting material ‘built-in’, negatively affects the integrity of the nesting material and subsequent nest-building outcomes. We also found that C3H mice, previously thought to be poor nest builders, built similarly scored nests to those of BALB/c mice when provided with unprocessed nesting material. This was true even when nesting material was mixed into the bedding substrate. We also observed that when nesting material was mixed into the bedding substrate, mice of both strains would sort their bedding by particle size more often than if it were not mixed in. Our findings support the utility of the practice of distributing nesting material mixed in with bedding substrate, but not that of processing the nesting material with the bedding in order to mix them.
Escapes From Correctional Custody
Authors: Peterson Bryce Elling , Fera Adam , Mellow Jeff
Published: June 2016

Despite a shared interest in escapes from correctional custody by policy makers, facility administrators, media, and the public, there is a dearth of empirical research on this event. Our study synthesizes prior research, distinguishing between inmate-, incident-, and facility-level variables. We introduce the Correctional Incident Database, which employs a novel approach for collecting escape data. Finally, we describe a sample of 611 inmates involved in 503 escape incidents from 398 facilities. Our findings indicate that escapes from jail are a frequent, yet overlooked, phenomenon. The results also challenge the (mis)perception that escapes are often sensational and violent events.
A novel approach for developing high thermal conductive artificial leather by utilizing smart electronic materials
Authors: Yang Chenxiao , Wang Jingping , Li Li
Published: June 2016

Nowadays, artificial leather is an important commodity in daily life, especially in the fields of apparels, stationery and furniture. However, due to the maturity of producing technology and market segmentation, the industry trends to be saturated. Leather product manufacturers face intense competition and increasing production costs to survive on feeble profits. Thus, everyone is seeking a solution to break this predicament. Thanks to technical advancement and diversified intelligent electronics, a promising market opportunity has emerged that looks for innovative functional leather. This leather can exhibit high thermal conductivity and act as an essential component of electronic outside packages to prevent over-heating.

This study aims to develop a high thermal conductive artificial leather (HTCAL). It incorporates smart electronic textile material (conductive yarn) into traditional artificial leather production through modifying the material and structure of its base layer. The result showed that the thermal conductivity of HTCAL was improved by 19.6% and, when wearing directly, a significant temperature gap between skin and the inner side of the leather occurred, which could offer a comfort cool feeling when worn in summer. This approach is a breakthrough to seize a new opportunity and offer an advancing direction. Further, this HTCAL can free the industry from periodical demand restriction, that is, seasonal limitation, and broaden product research and development into more fields. Thus, this approach can not only improve manufacturers' competitiveness and break them out of the current predicament, but also it creates new business opportunities.
Isolated tubercular hypoglossal nerve paralysis
Authors: Thakur JS , Verma Naina , Mohindroo Shobha , Azad Ramesh K , Mohindroo NK
Published: June 2016

Hypoglossal nerve palsy is not an uncommon neurological finding but primary nasopharyngeal tuberculosis (TB) presenting as hypoglossal nerve palsy is very rare. A 31-year-old woman presented with headache and progressive tongue deviation towards the right side. Diagnostic nasal endoscopy revealed soft tissue mass lesion on the posterior wall of nasopharynx while MRI revealed isointense tumour in nasopharynx with normal hypoglossal nerve and brain. Histopathological examination found TB. We discuss the clinical challenges and possible pathogenesis of this rare clinical entity.
Using Configural Frequency Analysis as a Person-centered Analytic Approach with Categorical Data
Authors: Stemmler Mark , Heine Jörg-Henrik
Published: June 2016

Configural frequency analysis and log-linear modeling are presented as person-centered analytic approaches for the analysis of categorical or categorized data in multi-way contingency tables. Person-centered developmental psychology, based on the holistic interactionistic perspective of the Stockholm working group around David Magnusson and Lars Bergman, is briefly revisited. According to person-centered theory, systems or individuals are seen as a whole and as inseparable units; individuals are embedded and strongly interconnected with their context; the individual and the environment influence each other, and the individual is seen as an active agent or producer of his or her own development. Four models of configural frequency analysis are presented: (1) First-order configural frequency analysis, which is basically the analysis of a main effects log-linear model; (2) prediction configural frequency analysis, which defines one or more dependent variables; (3) two-group configural frequency analysis, which proposes that there is no association between discrimination variables and group membership; and (4) functional configural frequency analysis, which allows us to blank out certain outlier cells in order to test for the quasi-independence of the rest of the cross-table. The use of the open source R-package confreq for computational analysis is demonstrated. The advantages, as well as the limitations, of configural frequency analysis are discussed.
Understanding the structure of children’s emotion-regulation strategies
Authors: Callear Angela , Harvey Shane Trevor , Bimler David
Published: June 2016

Emotion regulation is a central feature in human emotional development. However, measures based on children’s observable emotion regulation behaviors are largely absent. An inventory of children’s emotion regulation strategies was developed from current measures and four focus group discussions with experts in child behavior and emotion. From there, a 103-item inventory of observable emotion regulation strategies was developed. Multidimensional scaling was used to elicit and analyze similarity data, generated by participants with lay and expert knowledge in children’s emotion regulation engaging in a series of objective sorting tasks. This created a type of “collective working model” which reflects the internal structure of the item collection. The resulting framework provides a model that overlays current theoretical models, allows these models to be discussed and expanded, and the resultant Children’s Emotion Regulation Inventory (ChERI) carries potential usefulness for research or clinical applications.
The Florentine Archives in Transition: Government, Warfare and Communication (1289–1530 ca.)
Authors: Guidi Andrea
Published: June 2016

A turning point in European administrative and documentary practices was traditionally associated, most famously by Robert-Henri Bautier, with the monarchies of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. By summarizing previous research in this field, as well as by using both published and unpublished sources, this article intends to underline an earlier process of transition connected to the development of significant new techniques for the production and preservation of documents in Renaissance Italian city-states. Focusing on the important case of Florence, the administrative uses of records connected to government, diplomacy and military needs will be discussed, and evidence will be provided that such documentary practices accelerated significantly during the so-called Italian Wars (from 1494 onwards). A particular reason of interest for Florence at this time is that a major role in the production and storage of a large quantity of state papers was played by Niccolò Machiavelli, one of the outstanding political thinkers of the age. This was especially true in connection to the new militia which he himself created in 1506. By stressing the role of information management and the importance of correspondence networks at a time of war and crisis, this article also contributes to recent scholarship which has focused on the growth of public records relating to diplomacy in Italy during the second half of the fifteenth century, as well as to a recent field of historiography which has lately gained importance: namely the ‘documentary history of institutions’.
On the interplay of manufacturing engineering education and e-learning
Authors: Ullah AMM Sharif
Published: June 2016

This article addresses the interplay of e-learning (through the Internet) and manufacturing engineering education (at the undergraduate level). As is the case in other engineering programs, e-learning in manufacturing engineering must harmonize the aspects of near-future employment needs, academic discipline-based learning, and outcome-oriented learning. Thus, a procedure is presented for preparing the e-learning contents using the Internet-embedded concept maps. Examples are cited whenever necessary to make the description as clear as possible. Numerical results that show the students’ learning behaviors are also reported, providing more insights into the effectiveness of the proposed concept map-based e-learning approach for educating the undergraduate students with the knowledge of manufacturing engineering. Because there is no unique, preferable solution for developing e-learning content, this study may help other engineering programs beyond manufacturing engineering to develop systems for implementing the e-learning in a befitting manner (i.e. integrating the aspects of near-future employment needs, academic discipline-based learning, and outcome-oriented learning).
Field Inter-Rater Reliability of the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised
Authors: Ismail Ghena , Looman Jan
Published: June 2016

Strong inter-rater reliability has been established for the Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R), specifically by examiners in research contexts. However, there is less support for inter-reliability in applied settings. This study examined archival data that included a sample of sex offenders ( n = 178) who entered federal custody between 1992 and 1998. The offenders were assessed using the PCL-R on two occasions. The first assessment occurred at Millhaven Institution, the intake unit for federally incarcerated offenders in the province of Ontario. The second assessment took place upon inmates’ transfer to the Regional Treatment Center, which admits federal inmates with intense psychological and psychiatric needs. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated for item, total, factor, and facet scores. The ICC absolute agreement for the PCL-R total and factor scores from raters across both settings was slightly better than what has been previously reported by Hare. Results of this study show that the reliability of PCL-R scores in field settings can be comparable to those in research settings. Authors conclude by highlighting the importance of training, consultation, considering different scores for a given item, following the guidelines of the manual in addition to considering measures that enhance neutrality and reliability of findings in the criminal justice system.
Urban farming in the North American metropolis: Rethinking work and distance in alternative food networks
Authors: Mincyte Diana , Dobernig Karin
Published: June 2016

This article examines the role of manual work in bridging the distance between production and consumption in alternative food networks, particularly in urban farming. Scholars and public commentators often draw on Marxian theories of alienation to suggest that manual work constitutes a key strategy for reconnecting production and consumption, and overcoming the ecological rift between natural processes and modern, agro-industrial production. Focusing on urban farming, this article complicates the picture of unalienated, decommodified labor and points to continuous negotiations between experiences of re-embedding in the community and the environment, and the on-going commodification of the farming experience. We argue that urban farms function as sites of “experiential production” where farm managers stage work experiences for the volunteers and where visitors build new socialities, reconnect to nature, and accrue social and cultural capital in the context of a global economy that offers limited work opportunities for a generation of highly educated college graduates. Relying on ethnographic fieldwork and 40 semi-structured interviews with employed urban farmers and regular volunteers in metropolitan areas of the Northeastern United States as well as the examination of online and print materials, our analysis highlights the contradictory ways in which manual work in alternative food networks indeed counters alienation, while also reproducing consumer society institutions and reinforcing the core values defining neoliberalism such as productivity and self-improvement.
Default and naive diversification heuristics in annuity choice
Authors: Bateman Hazel , Eckert Christine , Iskhakov Fedor , Louviere Jordan , Satchell Stephen , Thorp Susan
Published: June 2016

Retirement income stream products are difficult for consumers to choose because of their high perceived risk, irreversibility, high expenditure, little opportunity for social learning and distant consequences. Prior literature is unclear about consumers’ use of heuristics in decumulation decisions or whether sociodemographics can help identify vulnerable consumers. In the context of Australia’s retirement income arrangements, we examine choices of life annuities and phased withdrawal products, and identify use of default options and the diversification (1/ n or 50:50) heuristic using a novel finite mixture modelling approach. The innovative feature of this approach is that it captures the very specific allocation pattern associated with choices based on deterministic decision rules, namely pronounced spikes at the locations of the particular heuristics with little mass in their surroundings. We show that more than 30% of decumulation choices rely on these two heuristics, and that cognitive and product knowledge limitations contribute to using such heuristics. The results have implications for public policy on decumulation of retirement savings, regulation of product disclosures and providers of annuity and phased withdrawal products. More generally, our model has the potential to provide better understanding of the use of heuristics in consumer decisions.
Design of a composite roll for twin-roll casting of Mg-AZ31
Authors: Park Jong-Jin
Published: June 2016

In twin-roll casting, as heat is transferred from melt to rolls, the melt is cooled, solidified and finally rolled to a specific thickness. Therefore, an efficient cooling system for the roll is very important for a stable operation of the process. In the present study, a composite roll with internal cooling channels was designed for twin-roll casting of magnesium alloy AZ31 by considering steady-state heat transfer between objects. The roll consisting of a steel core and a copper alloy sleeve was proposed to be assembled by thermal-shrinkage fitting. The fitting strength was examined by a series of stress analyses at stages of assembly as well as operation. The number of cooling channels and their cross sections were modified accordingly.
Landscape evolution and agro-sylvo-pastoral activities on the Gorgan Plain (NE Iran) in the last 6000 years
Authors: Shumilovskikh Lyudmila S , Hopper Kristen , Djamali Morteza , Ponel Philippe , Demory Franҫois , Rostek Frauke , Tachikawa Kazuyo , Bittmann Felix , Golyeva Alexandra , Guibal Frédéric , Talon Brigitte , Wang Liang-Chi , Nezamabadi Masoud , Bard Edouard , Lahijani Hamid , Nokandeh Jebrael , Omrani Rekavandi Hamid , de Beaulieu Jacques-Louis , Sauer Eberhard , Andrieu-Ponel Valérie
Published: June 2016

The Gorgan Plain (NE Iran) is characterized by fertile soils formed on a loess plateau and is at present primarily exploited for intensive agriculture. However, the timing and intensity of the human impact on the landscape in the past are still unclear. A sediment core, taken from the centre of the eastern Gorgan Plain in the Kongor Lake covering the major part of the Holocene from 6.1 to 0.8 ka (all ages are calibrated before present), has been studied for pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, botanical macroremains, insects, charcoal, geochemistry, biomarkers and magnetism in order to provide new insights into the evolution of the landscape and to estimate the intensity of human activities. The data obtained suggest a dry period between 5.9 and 3.9 ka and an increase in regional humidity afterwards with a maximum between 2.7 and 0.7 ka, during the period of the Persian empires (Achaemenid through Sasanian) and the Islamic era. The eastern part of the Gorgan Plain was characterized by open steppe landscapes during the last 6 ka, which most likely were used for pasture and at least since 2.7 ka for agriculture including arboriculture. The strongest anthropogenic impact on the environment around the Kongor site is documented during the Parthian and Sasanian Empires (200 BC–651 AD) and the Islamic era up to the eve of the Mongol invasion.
Between China and South Asia: A Middle Asian corridor of crop dispersal and agricultural innovation in the Bronze Age
Authors: Stevens Chris J , Murphy Charlene , Roberts Rebecca , Lucas Leilani , Silva Fabio , Fuller Dorian Q
Published: June 2016

The period from the late third millennium BC to the start of the first millennium AD witnesses the first steps towards food globalization in which a significant number of important crops and animals, independently domesticated within China, India, Africa and West Asia, traversed Central Asia greatly increasing Eurasian agricultural diversity. This paper utilizes an archaeobotanical database (AsCAD), to explore evidence for these crop translocations along southern and northern routes of interaction between east and west. To begin, crop translocations from the Near East across India and Central Asia are examined for wheat ( Triticum aestivum) and barley ( Hordeum vulgare) from the eighth to the second millennia BC when they reach China. The case of pulses and flax ( Linum usitatissimum) that only complete this journey in Han times (206 BC–AD 220), often never fully adopted, is also addressed. The discussion then turns to the Chinese millets, Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica, peaches ( Amygdalus persica) and apricots ( Armeniaca vulgaris), tracing their movement from the fifth millennium to the second millennium BC when the Panicum miliaceum reaches Europe and Setaria italica Northern India, with peaches and apricots present in Kashmir and Swat. Finally, the translocation of japonica rice from China to India that gave rise to indica rice is considered, possibly dating to the second millennium BC. The routes these crops travelled include those to the north via the Inner Asia Mountain Corridor, across Middle Asia, where there is good evidence for wheat, barley and the Chinese millets. The case for japonica rice, apricots and peaches is less clear, and the northern route is contrasted with that through northeast India, Tibet and west China. Not all these journeys were synchronous, and this paper highlights the selective long-distance transport of crops as an alternative to demic-diffusion of farmers with a defined crop package.
Perfectionism and time perspectives: An inquiry into the association between perfectionism subtypes and categorical time perspectives
Authors: Lagoutina Yulia
Published: June 2016

The present study investigated the previously unexplored association between the perfectionistic personality dimensions, as defined by the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism, and individual time perspectives. The study tested the relationship between pure self-oriented, pure socially prescribed, mixed and non-perfectionist subtypes and individual time perspectives, using a sample of 129 undergraduate students with a mean age of 19.84 ( SD = 4.60). Participants completed a one-time evaluation using the short versions of the Hewitt and Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scales and of the Zimbardo Time Perspectives Inventory. Following moderated hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the main result was discovering evidence of a close association between present fatalism and perfectionistic subtypes. Furthermore, pure self-oriented perfectionism consistently predicted more adaptive outcomes in terms of time perspectives as compared to non-perfectionism in four out of the five time perspectives, supporting the emerging empirical distinction between adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism. The study’s overall results indicate that pure self-oriented perfectionism may hold more adaptive merit than non-perfectionism in the case of time perspectives and that present fatalism may hold a close association with the perfectionistic variable.
Leventhal’s common-sense model and asthma control: Do illness representations predict success of an asthma rehabilitation?
Authors: Achstetter Lea I , Schultz Konrad , Faller Hermann , Schuler Michael
Published: June 2016

This study investigates whether illness representations predict changes in asthma control or vice versa. Illness perceptions and asthma control were assessed in N = 113 asthma patients at the begin/end of an inpatient rehabilitation. Bivariate cross-lagged panel analyses showed that the illness representation dimensions Personal control, Consequences, Coherence, and Emotional representation predicted the change in asthma control, but asthma control did not predict illness representations. In multiple regression analyses with covariates, Personal control still predicted the change in asthma control. Illness beliefs assessed at the beginning of an intervention might help to identify patients with lower probability of treatment success.
Mainstreaming social finance: The regulation of the peer-to-peer lending marketplace in the United Kingdom
Authors: Rogers Chris , Clarke Chris
Published: June 2016

The article provides one of the first political economy accounts of the regulation of peer-to-peer (P2P) lending in the United Kingdom, drawing on interviews with platforms representing the vast majority of the market at the beginning of the regulatory process. The article links the regulation of P2P lending with debates about regulatory capture. It challenges conventional understandings of its consequences by showing how the regulation of P2P lending displays characteristics of regulatory capture but appears to have realised several aspects of regulators’ visions for a ‘socially useful finance’, rather than facilitating the kind of rent-seeking behaviour that has been identified in the case of other areas of finance. P2P lending is found to represent one of the latest forms of consumer and small business finance that works towards so-called ‘financial inclusion’, with ambiguous social outcomes that necessitate further critical investigation.
Study of vertical bending vibration behavior of continuous prestressed concrete box girders with corrugated steel webs
Authors: Ji Wei , Deng Lu , Liu Shizhong , Lin Pengzhen
Published: June 2016

Prestressed concrete girders with corrugated steel webs have received considerable attention in the past two decades due to their light self-weight and high prestressing efficiency. Most previous studies were focused on the static behavior of corrugated steel webs and simple beams with corrugated steel webs. The natural frequencies are very important characteristics when evaluating the dynamic responses of a bridge under external loads; however, very few studies have been conducted to investigate the dynamic behavior of full prestressed concrete girders or bridges with corrugated steel webs, and no simple formulas are available for estimating the natural frequencies of prestressed concrete girder bridges with corrugated steel webs. In addition, experimental work on full-scale bridges or scale bridge models is very limited. In this article, formulas for predicting the vertical bending vibration frequencies of prestressed concrete box girders with corrugated steel webs are proposed based on Hamilton’s energy variational principle. A one-tenth scale model is developed for an existing prestressed concrete box-girder bridge with corrugated steel webs. The frequencies predicted by the proposed formulas are compared to the finite element analysis results and also the experimental results from the scale bridge model. Good agreement is achieved between these results, indicating that the proposed formulas can provide a reliable and efficient tool to predict the vertical bending vibration frequencies of prestressed concrete box-girder bridges with corrugated steel webs.
Experimental study and numerical model calibration of full-scale superimposed reinforced concrete walls with I-shaped cross sections
Authors: Chong Xun , Xie Linlin , Ye Xianguo , Jiang Qing , Wang Decai
Published: June 2016

The superimposed reinforced concrete wall in which both the walls and slabs are semi-precast superimposed reinforced concrete components has been widely used to construct high-rise residential buildings in some seismic regions of China. This article aims to investigate the seismic performance and reveal the inherent damage mechanism of this wall. Quasi-static tests of two full-scale superimposed reinforced concrete walls with I-shaped cross sections, consisting of the walls in orthogonal directions and two T-shaped cast-in-place boundary elements, were conducted. Through the test, the behavior of the horizontal joints between the wall panels and the foundation; the behavior of the vertical connections between the wall panels of orthogonal direction; the reliability of the connections between precast and cast-in-place concrete; and the lateral load, deformation, and energy dissipation capacities of the specimens are evaluated. In addition, a refined numerical model based on the multi-spring model was adopted to assess the seismic performance of the superimposed reinforced concrete walls with I-shaped cross sections. The reliability of this model was validated through comparison with the experimental data. This study offers valuable experimental data and numerical model references for future seismic performance assessments of superimposed reinforced concrete wall structures.
Experimental investigation of machining characteristics in rotary ultrasonic machining of quartz ceramic
Authors: Singh Ravi Pratap , Singhal Sandeep
Published: June 2016

Quartz ceramic has been well observed as one of the highly demanded advanced ceramics which is receiving enlarging industrial approbation owing to its excellent and superior properties. However, its fruitful processing with traditional and non-traditional machining methods is still a challenge. The current article has aimed to experimentally investigate the influence of several process variables, namely, spindle speed, feed rate, coolant pressure, and ultrasonic power on machining characteristics of interest, i.e. chipping size, and material removal rate in rotary ultrasonic machining of quartz ceramic. Response surface methodology has been employed to design the experiments and the variance analysis test has also been performed with a view to observe the significance of considered parameters. Microstructure of machined samples has also been evaluated and analyzed using scanning electron microscope. This analysis has revealed and confirmed the presence of dominating brittle fracture that caused removal of material along with the slighter plastic deformation in rotary ultrasonic machining of quartz ceramic. The soundness and competence of the developed mathematical model have been established with test results. The multi-response optimization of machining responses has also been done by utilizing desirability approach, and at optimized parametric setting, the obtained experimental values for material removal rate and chipping size are, 0.6437 mm3/s and 1.3326 mm, respectively, with the combined desirability index value of 0.949.
The Spectrum of Safety-Related Rule Violations
Authors: Brandhorst Sebastian , Kluge Annette
Published: June 2016

In a production context, safety-related rule violations are often associated with rule breaking and unsafe behavior even if violations are not necessarily malevolent. Nevertheless, our past experiments indicated a range of strategies between violation and rule compliance. Based on this finding, different types of rule-related behavior for managing organizations’ goal conflict between safety and productivity are assumed. To deepen the understanding of rule violations, the behavior of 152 participants in a business simulation was analyzed. Participants operated a plant as a production worker for 36 simulated weeks. In each week, they could choose to comply with safety rules or to violate them in order to maximize their salary. A cluster analysis of the 5,472 decisions made on how to operate the plant included the severity of the violations, the number of times participants changed their rule-related strategy, and the extent of failure/success of these strategies. Five clusters of rule-related behavior were extracted: the compliant but ineffective “executor” (15%), the production-optimizing and behavioral variable “optimizer” (13%), the successful and compliant “well behaved” (36%), the notoriously violating “inconvincible” (29%), and the “experimenter” (7%), who does not succeed with various violating strategies.
Social capital in media societies: The impact of media use and media structures on social capital
Authors: Geber Sarah , Scherer Helmut , Hefner Dorothée
Published: June 2016

Social capital refers to the resources inherent in social relationships; it is considered the foundation of economic, political, and social development. To explore the media’s impact on social capital, we analyze the impact of media consumption at the individual level and the effects of media system structures at the national level. Multilevel analyses were computed using individual data from the European Social Survey and national data on media structures. The results indicate that Internet use and informational media use increase social capital. Moreover, societies seem to benefit from open, free, and pluralistic media systems as they support the production of social capital. In sum, we argue for a dissociation from a culturally pessimistic, one-sided point of view when discussing media effects. In today’s societies, media imply potential rather than restrictions.
Australasian Diabetes Data Network
Authors: Clapin Helen , Phelan Helen , Bruns Loren , Sinnott Richard , Colman Peter , Craig Maria , Jones Timothy ,   on behalf of the Australasian Diabetes Data Network (ADDN) Study Group
Published: June 2016

Australasia is a region with a high incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D). There are approximately 140 000 individuals with T1D, and of these 10 000 are children. Although the region covers a huge geographical area, most children with T1D are managed by tertiary academic centers in the major capital cities. Local longitudinal data collection has been in place for several decades in most of these centers, however ongoing national data collection had not been attempted. In 2012, with funding from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Australian Type 1 Clinical Research Network, a national collaboration was formed to provide ongoing longitudinal collection of T1D patient characteristics and outcomes. The initial phase of this collaboration, known as the Australasian Diabetes Data Network or ADDN, was led by the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group (APEG) and thus included only children and adolescents. The next phase, commenced in 2016, will see adult sites added through collaboration with the Australian Diabetes Society (ADS). As most of the initial centers had longitudinal data collection in place the model employed was to establish the transfer and collation of data already collected into a central database. This required the definition of a common data dictionary, ethics and governance procedures and the employment of technology to enable efficient and accurate information transfer and accessibility. The ADDN project received widespread support from the diabetes research community with study investigators representing 20 pediatric centers across the region. The first phase focused on the 5 largest centers and at the end of 2015 these centers were uploading patient data to the ADDN database on a quarterly basis resulting in 5271 patients with 83 506 diabetes visits.
The World Anti-Doping Code: can you have asthma and still be an elite athlete?
Authors: Fitch Ken
Published: June 2016

Key points

The World Anti-Doping Code (the Code) does place some restrictions on prescribing inhaled β2-agonists, but these can be overcome without jeopardising the treatment of elite athletes with asthma.

While the Code permits the use of inhaled glucocorticoids without restriction, oral and intravenous glucocorticoids are prohibited, although a mechanism exists that allows them to be administered for acute severe asthma.

Although asthmatic athletes achieved outstanding sporting success during the 1950s and 1960s before any anti-doping rules existed, since introduction of the Code’s policies on some drugs to manage asthma results at the Olympic Games have revealed that athletes with confirmed asthma/airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) have outperformed their non-asthmatic rivals.

It appears that years of intensive endurance training can provoke airway injury, AHR and asthma in athletes without any past history of asthma. Although further research is needed, it appears that these consequences of airway injury may abate in some athletes after they have ceased intensive training.

The World Anti-Doping Code (the Code) has not prevented asthmatic individuals from becoming elite athletes. This review examines those sections of the Code that are relevant to respiratory physicians who manage elite and sub-elite athletes with asthma. The restrictions that the Code places or may place on the prescription of drugs to prevent and treat asthma in athletes are discussed. In addition, the means by which respiratory physicians are able to treat their elite asthmatic athlete patients with drugs that are prohibited in sport are outlined, along with some of the pitfalls in such management and how best to prevent or minimise them.
Endurance training: is it bad for you?
Authors: Morici Giuseppe , Gruttad’Auria Claudia I. , Baiamonte Pierpaolo , Mazzuca Emilia , Castrogiovanni Alessandra , Bonsignore Maria R.
Published: June 2016

Educational aims

To illustrate the characteristics of endurance exercise training and its positive effects on health.

To provide an overview on the effects of endurance training on airway cells and bronchial reactivity.

To summarise the current knowledge on respiratory health problems in elite athletes.

Endurance exercise training exerts many positive effects on health, including improved metabol­ism, reduction of cardiovascular risk, and reduced all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Intense endurance exercise causes mild epithelial injury and inflammation in the airways, but does not appear to exert detrimental effects on respiratory health or bronchial reactivity in recreational/non-elite athletes. Conversely, elite athletes of both summer and winter sports show increased susceptibility to development of asthma, possibly related to environmental exposures to allergens or poor conditioning of inspired air, so that a distinct phenotype of “sports asthma” has been proposed to characterise such athletes, who more often practise aquatic and winter sports. Overall, endurance training is good for health but may become deleterious when performed at high intensity or volume.
Draft genome sequence of Fusicladium effusum, cause of pecan scab
Authors: Bock Clive H. , Chen Chunxian , Yu Fahong , Stevenson Katherine L. , Wood Bruce W.
Published: June 2016

Pecan scab, caused by the plant pathogenic fungus Fusicladium effusum, is the most destructive disease of pecan, an important specialty crop cultivated in several regions of the world. Only a few members of the family Venturiaceae (in which the pathogen resides) have been reported sequenced. We report the first draft genome sequence (40.6 Mb) of an isolate F. effusum collected from a pecan tree (cv. Desirable) in central Georgia, in the US. The genome sequence described will be a useful resource for research of the biology and ecology of the pathogen, coevolution with the pecan host, characterization of genes of interest, and development of markers for studies of genetic diversity, genotyping and phylogenetic analysis. The annotation of the genome is described and a phylogenetic analysis is presented.
Galectin-12 inhibits granulocytic differentiation of human NB4 promyelocytic leukemia cells while promoting lipogenesis
Authors: Xue Huiting , Yang Ri-Yao , Tai Guihua , Liu Fu-Tong
Published: June 2016

As a member of the galectin family of animal lectins, galectin-12 is preferentially expressed in adipocytes and leukocytes. In adipocytes, galectin-12 is associated with lipid droplets and regulates lipid metabolism and energy balance, whereas its role in leukocytes is not clear. Analysis of galectin-12 expression in a public data set of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) samples revealed that it is selectively overexpressed in the M3 subtype, which is also known as acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). To investigate the role of galectin-12 in APL cells, we manipulated its expression in the APL cell line, NB4, and measured resultant effects on all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA)–induced granulocytic differentiation. With a doxycycline-inducible gene knockdown system, we found that suppression of galectin-12 promoted ATRA-induced neutrophil differentiation but inhibited lipid droplet formation. Our results indicate that overexpression of galectin-12 contributes to a differentiation block in APL cells, and suppression of galectin-12 facilitates granulocytic differentiation. Furthermore, these data suggest that lipogenesis and other aspects of myeloid differentiation can be differentially regulated. Taken together, these findings suggest that galectin-12 may be a target for treatment of the ATRA-resistant subset of APL.
Effects of alcohol withdrawal on monocyte subset defects in chronic alcohol users
Authors: Donnadieu-Rigole Hélène , Mura Thibault , Portales Pierre , Duroux-Richard Isabelle , Bouthier Martine , Eliaou Jean-Francois , Perney Pascal , Apparailly Florence
Published: June 2016

Excessive alcohol consumption has a modulating effect on immune functions that may contribute to decreased immunity and host defense. It is associated with increased intestinal permeability to endotoxins that is normalized after 14 d of abstinence. Whether and how blood monocyte subsets are impaired in patients with an AUD and what their evolution is after alcohol withdrawal are the paper’s objectives. With the use of flow cytometry, blood monocyte subsets were quantified in AUDs before (n = 40) and 2 wk after (n = 33) alcohol withdrawal and compared with HC donors (n = 20). Expression of TLR2 and TLR4 on monocyte subsets was also quantified. Cytokine response of monocytes was monitored following PGN and LPS stimulation. The CD14+CD16− subset was decreased, whereas the CD14dimCD16+ subset was expanded (P < 0.001) in AUD compared with HC. The frequencies of TLR2- and TLR4-expressing monocytes were reduced in AUD compared with HC. Although the basal production of IL-1, IL-6, and TNF by monocytes in AUD was compared with HC, the PGN- and LPS-mediated IL-6 and TNF production was increased in AUD. Frequencies of IL-6-expressing monocytes were higher in AUD than HC. Alcohol withdrawal partially restored the distribution of monocyte subsets and the frequency of IL-6-producing monocytes and increased the frequency of TNF-producing cells in response to LPS and PGN stimulation to levels compared with those in HC. Our findings indicate that chronic alcohol use alters the distribution as well as the phenotypic and functional characteristics of blood monocyte subsets, which are partially restored following 2 wk of alcohol withdrawal.
Combinatorial approach to cancer immunotherapy: strength in numbers
Authors: Vilgelm Anna E , Johnson Douglas B , Richmond Ann
Published: June 2016

Immune-checkpoint blockade therapy with antibodies targeting CTLA-4 and PD-1 has revolutionized melanoma treatment by eliciting responses that can be remarkably durable and is now advancing to other malignancies. However, not all patients respond to immune-checkpoint inhibitors. Extensive preclinical evidence suggests that combining immune-checkpoint inhibitors with other anti-cancer treatments can greatly improve the therapeutic benefit. The first clinical success of the combinatorial approach to cancer immunotherapy was demonstrated using a dual-checkpoint blockade with CTLA-4 and PD-1 inhibitors, which resulted in accelerated FDA approval of this therapeutic regimen. In this review, we discuss the combinations of current and emerging immunotherapeutic agents in clinical and preclinical development and summarize the insights into potential mechanisms of synergistic anti-tumor activity gained from animal studies. These promising combinatorial partners for the immune-checkpoint blockade include therapeutics targeting additional inhibitory receptors of T cells, such as TIM-3, LAG-3, TIGIT, and BTLA, and agonists of T cell costimulatory receptors 4-1BB, OX40, and GITR, as well as agents that promote cancer cell recognition by the immune system, such as tumor vaccines, IDO inhibitors, and agonists of the CD40 receptor of APCs. We also review the therapeutic potential of regimens combining the immune-checkpoint blockade with therapeutic interventions that have been shown to enhance immunogenicity of cancer cells, including oncolytic viruses, RT, epigenetic therapy, and senescence-inducing therapy.
Invited commentary on … Rethinking funding priorities in mental health research
Authors: Bhui Kamaldeep
Published: June 2016

This commentary takes up the notion proposed by Lewis-Fernández and colleagues that we need more balance in research priorities. Specifically, our reliance on neurobiology may be misplaced and likely to be unrewarding unless we ensure that: (a) research with better return for patients and the public is also pursued; (b) research findings are put into practice; and (c) we retain a focus on proportionate investment in service provision. Patient, public and economic perspectives should drive the decision making for better investment, and behaviour change might be better targeted at commissioners and policy makers rather than patients and providers.
Biomedical Mutation Analysis (BMA): A software tool for analyzing mutations associated with antiviral resistance
Authors: Salvatierra Karina , Florez Hector
Published: June 2016

Introduction:Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is considered a major public health problem, with 200 million people infected worldwide. The treatment for HCV chronic infection with pegylated interferon alpha plus ribavirin inhibitors is unspecific; consequently, the treatment is effective in only 50% of patients infected. This has prompted the development of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) that target virus proteins. These DAA have demonstrated a potent effectin vitroandin vivo; however, virus mutations associated with the development of resistance have been described.

Objective: To design and develop an online information system for detecting mutations in amino acids known to be implicated in resistance to DAA.

Materials and methods:    We have used computer applications, technological tools, standard languages, infrastructure systems and algorithms, to analyze positions associated with resistance to DAA for the NS3, NS5A, and NS5B genes of HCV.

Results: We have designed and developed an online information system named Biomedical Mutation Analysis (BMA), which allows users to calculate changes in nucleotide and amino acid sequences for each selected sequence from conventional Sanger and cloning sequencing using a graphical interface.

Conclusion: BMA quickly, easily and effectively analyzes mutations, including complete documentation and examples. Furthermore, the development of different visualization techniques allows proper interpretation and understanding of the results.

The data obtained using BMA will be useful for the assessment and surveillance of HCV resistance to new antivirals, and for the treatment regimens by selecting those DAA to which the virus is not resistant, avoiding unnecessary treatment failures. The software is available at: http://bma.itiud.org.