bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Manganese and selenium concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid of seriously ill children
Authors: Franěk Tomáš , Kotaška Karel , Průša Richard
Published: February 2017

Background

The homeostasis of essential trace elements such as selenium and manganese may be altered in patients with severe diseases of various etiologies (trauma brain injuries, tumors, leukemias, lymphomas, neurological diseases).

Methods

Concentration of manganese and selenium were determined in cerebrospinal fluid by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry in 50 hospitalized children with various clinical ethiologies including oncological, neurological, and brain related diseases.

Results

The concentrations of manganese in cerebrospinal fluid of children were 0.97±0.67 μg/L. The concentrations of selenium were 13.3±3.5 μg/L. The concentrations were similar as published in adults. The values did not correlated with the age, gender and severity of the disease.

Conclusion

We evaluated values of selenium and manganese in cerebrospinal fluid of seriously diseased children.
Within‐ and between‐session reproducibility of GABA measurements with MR spectroscopy
Authors: Brix Maiken K. , Ersland Lars , Hugdahl Kenneth , Dwyer Gerard E. , Grüner Renate , Noeske Ralph , Beyer Mona K. , Craven Alexander R.
Published: February 2017

Purpose

The reproducibility of the MEGA‐PRESS (MEshcher‐GArwood Point RESolved Spectroscopy) MR spectroscopy sequence for the measurement of gamma‐ aminobutyric acid (GABA) is addressed, focusing on optimizing the number of repetitions at two voxel locations in the human brain and associated possibilities in analysis tools.

Materials and Methods

Two 20‐min MEGA‐PRESS acquisitions were run (echo time = 68 ms, repetition time = 1800 ms, repetitions = 328): one from a 21 mL volume in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and one from a 22 mL volume in the left Broca's area in 21 healthy male volunteers (age 32 years ± 6[SD]). Subjects were scanned twice with identical protocols, 1 week apart. Data were acquired on a 3 Tesla GE Discovery 750 scanner using a 32‐channel head coil. Spectroscopy data were partitioned into shorter epochs, numerically equivalent to scans of progressively increasing duration, and compared both within and between sessions. Three different analysis schemes were applied: (1) Vendor prototype preprocessor, with quantification by LCModel. (2) Pure Gannet pipeline. (3) Preprocessing with Gannet, and quantification with LCModel. The coefficient of variation (CV) were calculated as a measure of reproducibility.

Results

Increasing the number of repetitions showed improvements for within‐ and between‐session reproducibility up to around 218 repetitions. (CV ranging from 4 to 14%). Gannet combined with LCModel approach proved the best method. (CV = 4–5%). Measurements from the ACC area had higher CVs than the Broca area. (CV = 6–14% versus 4–7%).

Conclusion

Measurement in the Broca area yields better reproducibility than the ACC. With appropriate acquisition times and preprocessing tools, measurements from the ACC area are also reliable.

Level of Evidence: 1

Technical Efficacy: Stage 1

J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2017;46:421–430
Medial femur T2 Z‐scores predict the probability of knee structural worsening over 4–8 years: Data from the osteoarthritis initiative
Authors: Joseph Gabby B. , McCulloch Charles E. , Nevitt Michael C. , Gersing Alexandra S. , Schwaiger Benedikt J. , Kretzschmar Martin , Heilmeier Ursula , Link Thomas M.
Published: February 2017

Objective

The purpose of this study was to determine the probability of structural worsening of knee cartilage and whole joint degeneration over 4–8 years based on cartilage T2 Z‐scores at baseline.

Design

Right knees with Kellgren‐Lawrence (KL) grades of 0–2 in 587 participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative were studied. 3T MR images were used to perform baseline cartilage T2 quantification and assess 4‐year changes in cartilage morphology (WORMS scoring) in 5 regions. Changes in joint space narrowing (JSN) and KL were assessed over 8 years. T2 Z‐scores were based on a reference database of knees without morphologic cartilage degeneration at baseline. Odds ratios for, and predicted probabilities of any worsening in WORMS cartilage, JSN and KL grade were obtained from logistic regression models.

Results

A one‐unit increase in the baseline medial femur T2 Z‐score was associated with cartilage worsening in the same region (OR = 1.59; P < 0.0001) and in any region (OR = 1.37; P < 0.0001), and with worsening JSN (OR = 1.82; P < 0.0001) and KL grades (OR = 1.69; P < 0.0001). Predicted probabilities of worsening in knees with a medial femur T2 Z‐score from 2–4 were 38% for medial femur cartilage WORMS, 70% for any cartilage region, 28% for increasing JSN and 31% for increasing KL grade.

Conclusion

Knees with elevated cartilage T2 (especially in the medial femur and those that are 2 to 4 SDs above the mean reference values) are significantly more likely to have structural worsening over 4 to 8 years. Knowing cartilage T2 Z‐scores may aid in targeting prevention efforts at early stages of osteoarthritis.

Level of Evidence: 2

Technical Efficacy: Stage 3

J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;46:1128–1136.
Variations and changes of annual precipitation in Central Asia over the last century
Authors: Hu Zengyun , Zhou Qiming , Chen Xi , Qian Cheng , Wang Shanshan , Li Jianfeng
Published: February 2017

This study examines the temporal variations and spatial distributions of annual precipitation over Central Asia during the periods of 1901–2013, 1951–2013, and 1979–2013 using the latest version of Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) full data reanalysis version 7 (GPCC V7) data set. The linear trend and multiperiods of the precipitation over the entire region and plain and mountainous area separately are analysed by linear least square method and ensemble empirical mode decomposition method. An overall increasing trend [0.66 mm (10 years)−1] is found for the entire region during 1901–2013, which is smaller than that of 1951–2013. The regional annual precipitation exhibits multi‐decadal variations, with a sharp decline during 1901–1944, followed by an increase until 1980s, and a fluctuation thereafter. During 1979–2013, the mountainous area shows a greater increasing trend than the entire region. Furthermore, the regional annual precipitation has exhibited high‐frequency variations with 3‐year and 6‐year quasiperiods and a low‐frequency variation with 28‐year quasiperiods. In terms of the spatial distribution, increasing trend in the annual precipitation is found in Xinjiang and decreasing trends appear over the five countries of Central Asia during 1951–2013. Empirical orthogonal function results show that the mountainous area is the large variability centre of the annual precipitation. The dominant mode of interannual variability in Central Asia annual precipitation is related to El Niño‐Southern Oscillation, which explains about 17% of the interannual variance during 1951–2013. The results of this study describe the long‐term variation in the annual precipitation over Central Asia as well as its relationship with some key climate indices in great detail, which will benefit the understanding and the prediction of the climate variations in this region.
Stent placement prior to initiation of chemotherapy in patients with obstructive, nonoperative left sided tumors is associated with fewer stomas
Authors: Suárez Javier , Marín Gabriel , Vera Ruth , Colibaseanu Dorin , Vila Juan J. , Ciga Miguel A. , Oronoz Begoña
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND AND OBJETIVES

Due to the potential risks associated with stent placement, European Society Gastrointestinal Endoscopy does not recommend prophylactic insertion of stents in patients without symptoms. The aim was to compare complication rates, need of surgery, colostomy formation, and survival between stent placement prior to start of chemotherapy (SEMS group) and upfront ChT (ChT group) in patients with endoscopically non‐transverable metastatic left‐sided colorectal cancer.

METHODS

Gender, age, CEA, tumor location, sites of metastatic disease, peritoneal involvement, liver involvement, and angiogenesis inhibitors administration, were recorded. Complication rates, need of surgery, stoma creation, and survival were compared between both groups by univariate and multivariate test. Complications of SEMS placement in both groups were compared.

RESULTS

We studied 75 men and 40 women, with a mean age of 66.3 years. Overall complication and perforation rates were similar but patients in the ChT group had a significant higher need of surgery and subsequent stoma creation. Perforation after SEMS placement rates were higher in patients receiving ChT than in patients without ChT. Survival was related to peritoneal carcinomatosis and administration of biological agents.

CONCLUSIONS

SEMS placement prior to ChT administration dismissed the need of subsequent surgery and decreased the rates of permanent stoma formation.
Pulsed metall inert gas (MIG) welding and its effects on the microstructure and element distribution of an aluminum matrix reinforced with SiC composite material
Authors: Uluköy A.
Published: February 2017

This study aims to demonstrate the effects of pulsed current on the welding pool and fusion zone microstructures of the aluminum 2014 alloy matrix composite material reinforced with 14 and 20 vol% SiC particles. A programmable synergic controlled MIG welding machine with pulsed power supply was used. One hundred Ampere and 120 Ampere pulsed current values were used to determine the effect of heat input on microstructures. A 1 mm diameter SG‐AlSi5 wire was used as filler material. The microstructures were studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and the phase analyses were performed via X‐ray diffraction analyzer (XRD). The study showed that increasing the SiC rate has a greater effect on the formation of Al4C3 phase than increasing the heat input values. Al4C3 formation was not formed as a needle‐like structure.
Wholegrain oat diet changes the expression of genes associated with intestinal bile acid transport
Authors: Andersson Kristina E. , Chawade Aakash , Thuresson Narda , Rascon Ana , Öste Rickard , Sterner Olov , Olsson Olof , Hellstrand Per
Published: February 2017

Scope

The molecular mechanisms underlying the cholesterol‐lowering properties of oats are only partly known. To study possible pathways involved, we investigated gene expressions in the liver and small intestine of mice fed oats.

Method and results

Cholesterol and bile acids were analyzed in plasma and feces from LDL‐receptor deficient (LDLr−/−) mice fed Western diet with wholegrain oats. A transcriptome analysis of mRNA from liver and jejunum was performed together with quantitative RT‐PCR. Oat‐fed mice had lower levels of plasma lipids and increased levels of bile acids and cholesterol in feces compared with controls. Two hundred thirty nine genes in jejunum and 25 genes in liver were differentially expressed (FDR corrected p < 0.05). The most affected biological process in jejunum was lipid biosynthesis and regulation. The apical sodium‐dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT, Slc10a) and the intracellular bile acid binding protein (Fabp6) were both upregulated, whereas small heterodimer partner‐1 (Shp‐1) and apolipoprotein CII (Apoc2) were downregulated.

Conclusions

Whole oats attenuated responses typically induced by high‐fat diet. Increased expression of genes for intestinal bile acid uptake following oat consumption suggests retention in the gut lumen rather than decreased uptake capacity as cause for the increased bile acid excretion and the concomitant reduction of plasma cholesterol.
Spatiotemporal microstructural white matter changes in diffusion tensor imaging after transient focal ischemic stroke in rats
Authors: Jung Won‐Beom , Han Yong Hee , Chung Julius Juhyun , Chae Sun Young , Lee Sung Hoon , Im Geun Ho , Cha JiHoon , Lee Jung Hee
Published: February 2017

Structural reorganization in white matter (WM) after stroke is a potential contributor to substitute or to newly establish the functional field on the injured brain in nature. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an imaging modality that can be used to evaluate damage and recovery within the brain. This method of imaging allows for in vivo assessment of the restricted movements of water molecules in WM and provides a detailed look at structural connectivity in the brain. For longitudinal DTI studies after a stroke, the conventional region of interest method and voxel‐based analysis are highly dependent on the user‐hypothesis and parameter settings for implementation. In contrast, tract‐based spatial statistics (TBSS) allows for reliable voxel‐wise analysis via the projection of diffusion‐derived parameters onto an alignment‐invariant WM skeleton. In this study, spatiotemporal WM changes were examined with DTI‐derived parameters (fractional anisotropy, FA; mean diffusivity, MD; axial diffusivity, DA; radial diffusivity, RD) using TBSS 2 h to 6 weeks after experimental focal ischemic stroke in rats (N = 6). FA values remained unchanged 2–4 h after the stroke, followed by a continuous decrease in the ipsilesional hemisphere from 24 h to 2 weeks post‐stroke and gradual recovery from the ipsilesional corpus callosum to the external capsule until 6 weeks post‐stroke. In particular, the fibers in these areas were extended toward the striatum of the ischemic boundary region at 6 weeks on tractography. The alterations of the other parameters in the ipsilesional hemisphere showed patterns of a decrease at the early stage, a subsequent pseudo‐normalization of MD and DA, a rapid reduction of RD, and a progressive increase in MD, DA and RD with a decreased extent in the injured area at later stages. The findings of this study may reflect the ongoing processes on tissue damage and spontaneous recovery after stroke.
Early mixed chimerism‐based preemptive immunotherapy in children undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute leukemia
Authors: Horn Biljana , Wahlstrom Justin T. , Melton Alexis , Liou Angela , Ouachee‐Chardin Marie , Sunkersett Gauri , Willert Jennifer , Hwang Jimmy , Expose‐Spencer Jueleah , Cowan Mort C. , Facchino Janelle , Dvorak Christopher C.
Published: February 2017

This retrospective analysis comprises 10‐year experience with early posttransplant mixed chimerism‐based preemptive intervention. Out of 104 patients, 51 received preemptive immunotherapy. Their outcomes were similar to patients achieving full donor chimerism spontaneously. Among patients receiving intervention, 5‐year event‐free survival was identical in patients with and without pretransplant residual disease, respectively (68% [95% confidence interval (CI) 38–98%] vs. 69% [95% CI 54–85%] log–rank = 0.4). In patients who received preemptive immunotherapy, chimerism status and residual disease prior to transplant were no longer predictors of poor outcome; however, 41% of the patients with residual disease prior to transplant relapsed early and did not benefit from this strategy.
The clinical significance of equivocal findings on spinal MRI in children with medulloblastoma
Authors: Bennett Julie , Ashmawy Ramy , Ramaswamy Vijay , Stephens Derek , Bouffet Eric , Laperriere Normand , Taylor Michael , Shroff Manohar , Bartels Ute
Published: February 2017

Background

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor of childhood, with cerebrospinal fluid spread the most common site of metastasis. Currently, children diagnosed with MB and evidence of spinal metastasis are treated with an increased dose of craniospinal radiation (CSI). This report reviewed equivocal abnormalities including nerve root clumping, linear vascular enhancement, nerve root enhancement and/or other vague findings on spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to elucidate their prognostic significance and aid in risk stratification.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study identified children (≥3 years) diagnosed with MB between 1988 and 2012. Children treated with upfront CSI were included, and staging spine MRI must have been done preoperatively or within 72 hr of primary tumor resection. Initial MRI of the spine was assessed by two independent reviewers blinded to outcome to evaluate for equivocal findings. Survival analysis was done to determine impact on prognosis.

Results

One hundred of 157 patients were eligible for the analysis. Equivocal findings were identified in 48 (48%) patients, with MRI done preoperatively in 45 (94%) patients. Analysis by subgroup identified a higher proportion of equivocal findings in the sonic hedgehog (SHH) subgroup (P = 0.007). Five‐year overall survival (OS) in children with equivocal findings compared to those with normal MRI was not different, 80 vs. 84.8% respectively, while OS in M3 patients was worse at 54.7% (P = 0.02).

Conclusion

A higher proportion of equivocal findings was identified in the SHH subgroup. This institutional retrospective review demonstrates equivocal findings are common, not associated with decreased OS and should not prompt increased dose of CSI.
Prevention of chemotherapy‐induced vomiting in children receiving multiple‐day cisplatin chemotherapy: A hospital‐based, retrospective cohort study
Authors: Kishimoto Kenji , Kawasaki Keiichiro , Saito Atsuro , Kozaki Aiko , Ishida Toshiaki , Hasegawa Daiichiro , Kosaka Yoshiyuki
Published: February 2017

Background

Optimal prevention of chemotherapy‐induced vomiting (CIV) has not been established for patients receiving cisplatin in divided doses. The aim of this study was to describe the incidence and risk factors of CIV in children who received multiple‐day cisplatin chemotherapy.

Procedure

A total of 24 consecutive pediatric patients (age 0–19 years) who received multiple‐day cisplatin chemotherapy in our hospital were enrolled. Patients with relapsed disease or primary intracranial tumor and those who received concurrent radiation therapy were excluded. The number of chemotherapy cycles reviewed was 107, with a median of five per patient. All patients received granisetron. Dexamethasone and NK‐1 receptor antagonists (NK1RA) were used as additional antiemetics for prophylaxis of CIV.

Results

CIV was observed in 22 of 24 (92%) patients, and 61 of 107 (57%) cycles. Patients who developed CIV had a higher incidence of other chemotherapy‐related adverse events (87 vs. 41%, P < 0.001). The incidence of CIV was lower in patients administered with NK1RA than those without (32 vs. 68%, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression identified age less than or equal to 2 years (odds ratio [OR] = 0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.10–0.63) and administration of NK1RA (OR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.06–0.43) as independent factors for CIV.

Conclusions

These results suggest that NK1RA is crucial to reduce CIV in children who receive multiple‐day cisplatin chemotherapy.
Avoidance of Maternal Cell Contamination and Overgrowth in Isolating Fetal Chorionic Villi Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Term Placenta
Authors: Sardesai Varda S. , Shafiee Abbas , Fisk Nicholas M. , Pelekanos Rebecca A.
Published: February 2017

Human placenta is rich in mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC), with their origin widely presumed fetal. Cultured placental MSCs are confounded by a high frequency of maternal cell contamination. Our recent systematic review concluded that only a small minority of placental MSC publications report fetal/maternal origin, and failed to discern a specific methodology for isolation of fetal MSC from term villi. We determined isolation conditions to yield fetal and separately maternal MSC during ex vivo expansion from human term placenta. MSCs were isolated via a range of methods in combination; selection from various chorionic regions, different commercial media, mononuclear cell digest and/or explant culture. Fetal and maternal cell identities were quantitated in gender-discordant pregnancies by XY chromosome fluorescence in situ hybridization. We first demonstrated reproducible maternal cell contamination in MSC cultures from all chorionic anatomical locations tested. Cultures in standard media rapidly became composed entirely of maternal cells despite isolation from fetal villi. To isolate pure fetal cells, we validated a novel isolation procedure comprising focal dissection from the cotyledonary core, collagenase/dispase digestion and explant culture in endothelial growth media that selected, and provided a proliferative environment, for fetal MSC. Comparison of MSC populations within the same placenta confirmed fetal to be smaller, more osteogenic and proliferative than maternal MSC. We conclude that in standard media, fetal chorionic villi-derived MSC (CV-MSC) do not grow readily, whereas maternal MSC proliferate to result in maternal overgrowth during culture. Instead, fetal CV-MSCs require isolation under specific conditions, which has implications for clinical trials using placental MSC.
Agonisme et antagonisme
Authors: Rey Anne-Lise
Published: February 2017

Cet article propose de concevoir le dissensus moins comme le constat d'un désaccord irréductible que comme le point de départ d'un processus visant à élaborer un territoire épistémique commun. Dans le travail argumentatif de confrontation des désaccords, il ne s'agit pas d'identifier le dispositif qui conduit à un accord via la délibération rationnelle. Il s'agit plutôt de comprendre comment le dissensus permet de construire des communautés plurielles. Il discute certains textes de philosophie politique (Habermas, Mouffe, etc.), où semble centrale la question de l'accord comme horizon d'attente des confrontations argumentatives. L'article utilise cette hypothèse pour analyser la diffusion de la dynamique de Leibniz dans sa correspondance avec De Vol der. Cette analyse permet de montrer que le dissensus n'est pas un obstacle mais le socle à partir duquel de multiples diffusions sont possibles.
De la controverse aux règles de la méthode de discussion: la métamorphose pascalienne de la dispute sur le vide
Authors: Pécharman Martine
Published: February 2017

L'opuscule de Pascal Expériences nouvelles touchant le 1'ide donne le schéma d'une démonstration physique visant à mettre un ternie aux controverses entre plénistes et vacuistes. La forme traditionnelle de la dispute avec laquelle Pascal veut rompre se trouve cependant réactivée par Étienne Noël, qui reprend à son compte des objections plénistes que les Expériences nouvelles n'envisagent comme possibles que pour mieux les invalider. Les lettres de Pascal Au très révérend père Noël et A Monsieur Le Pailleur pennettent au contraire de délimiter un autre champ disputationnel que celui auquel Noël obéit. Pascal subordonne la dispute à la reconnaissance de principes épistémologiques communs: la discussion antithétique sur Je vide doit être contrôlée par des critères méthodologiques acceptés par tous. Contre la figure de la dispute savante, Pascal définit ainsi un modèle radicalement nouveau: la dispute scientifique.
Comment termine-t-on les querelles? à propos du duel
Authors: Tadié Alexis
Published: February 2017

Cet article examine le duel à l'époque moderne (XVIe- XVIIIesiècles, jusqu'au début du XIXesiècle) entendu à la fois comme la forme suprême de la querelle, son aboutissement naturel sous certaines conditions, alors qu'il est lui-même objet de controverses vives. Le duel, qui repose sur des lois, réglemente le dissensus en même temps qu'il le porte à son paroxysme. Il peut servir de révélateur de la place du dissensus dans la société, de la façon dont les rapports sociaux prennent acte du désaccord entre les individus et réglementent les façons de le résoudre. Cet article examine la forme du duel comme fin des querelles. Il se porte ensuite sur les controverses autour des duels. Il examine enfin la place du duel dans la littérature, sa fonction poétique et dramatique, afin de souligner les façons dont le texte littéraire participe de cette réflexion sur le duel.
Differential Peer Effects, Student Achievement, and Student Absenteeism: Evidence From a Large-Scale Randomized Experiment
Authors: Eren Ozkan
Published: February 2017

Using data from a well-executed randomized experiment, I examine the effects of gender composition and peer achievement on high school students’ outcomes in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Results show that having a higher proportion of female peers in the classroom improves girls’ math test scores only in less-advanced courses. For male students, the estimated gender peer effects are positive but less precisely estimated. I also find no effect of average classroom achievement on female math test scores. Males, on the other hand, seem to benefit from a higher-achieving classroom. I propose mechanisms relating to lower gender stereotype influences and gender-specific attitudes toward competition as potential explanations for peer effects findings. Finally, having a higher proportion of female students in the classroom decreases student absenteeism among male students but has no impact on female attendance.
Introducing a novel mesh following technique for approximation-free robotic tool path trajectories
Authors: Mineo Carmelo , Pierce Stephen Gareth , Nicholson Pascual Ian , Cooper Ian
Published: February 2017

Modern tools for designing and manufacturing of large components with complex geometries allow more flexible production with reduced cycle times. This is achieved through a combination of traditional subtractive approaches and new additive manufacturing processes. The problem of generating optimum tool-paths to perform specific actions (e.g. part manufacturing or inspection) on curved surface samples, through numerical control machinery or robotic manipulators, will be increasingly encountered. Part variability often precludes using original design CAD data directly for toolpath generation (especially for composite materials), instead surface mapping software is often used to generate tessellated models. However, such models differ from precise analytical models and are often not suitable to be used in current commercially available path-planning software, since they require formats where the geometrical entities are mathematically represented thus introducing approximation errors which propagate into the generated toolpath. This work adopts a fundamentally different approach to such surface mapping and presents a novel Mesh Following Technique (MFT) for the generation of tool-paths directly from tessellated models. The technique does not introduce any approximation and allows smoother and more accurate surface following tool-paths to be generated. The background mathematics to the new MFT algorithm are introduced and the algorithm is validated by testing through an application example. Comparative metrology experiments were undertaken to assess the tracking performance of the MFT algorithms, compared to tool-paths generated through commercial software. It is shown that the MFT tool-paths produced 40% smaller errors and up to 66% lower dispersion around the mean values.

Highlights This work presents a technique for generation of tool-paths from tessellated models. The technique does not introduce approximations to surface following tool-paths. Comparative metrology experiments were carried out to assess the technique. The technique produces smaller errors and lower dispersion around the mean values. The developed method is aligned with the growing use of surface mapping techniques.
Sustainability and Undergraduate Management Curricula: Changes Over a 5-Year Period
Authors: Fisher Josie , Bonn Ingrid
Published: February 2017

Global initiatives and a rapidly expanding academic literature identify the responsibility that universities have to incorporate sustainability education into their curricula. This study had two aims: first, to investigate the extent to which Australian undergraduate management curricula explicitly identified a focus on sustainability and, second, to examine the changes that had occurred between 2009 and 2014. A web-based content analysis was undertaken to gain a snapshot view of the emphasis placed on sustainability in all 40 Australian universities’ business/management courses. Our findings showed that in 2014, three-quarters of the courses identified failed to include even one subject that all students must study that mentioned sustainability. This finding was only marginally different from the 2009 findings, suggesting that there is a long way to go before sustainability education in Australian universities’ undergraduate management curricula could be claimed to be fulfilling the needs of students, businesses, and the broader society.
Electronic Cigarettes: The Perceptions of Pharmacists and Physicians
Authors: McConaha Jamie L. , Grabigel Alana M. , DiLucente Dominick , Lunney Phillip D.
Published: February 2017

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate pharmacists’ and physicians’ perception and knowledge of e-cigarettes, including comfort level in counselling patients on these products. The study also assessed if, and to what extent, patient e-cigarette usage is collected as a marker of tobacco use status.

Methods: Surveys were distributed to community pharmacists and family practice physicians for 3 months, and responses were analysed utilising descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The majority of respondents reported not feeling fully confident on counselling patients about e-cigarettes, and responses revealed gaps in knowledge in both groups. Mixed results were obtained on the inclusion of e-cigarettes in assessment of patient smoking status.

Conclusions: Pharmacists and physicians would benefit from further information on e-cigarettes. Due to the increasing popularity, healthcare professionals will be called upon to serve as, care providers and informational resources to patients who use these products. This survey provided a consensus that further steps should be taken to increase product training and information dissemination.
Berber genealogy and the politics of prehistoric archaeology and craniology in French Algeria (1860s–1880s)
Authors: EFFROS BONNIE
Published: February 2017

Following the conquest of Algiers and its surrounding territory by the French army in 1830, officers noted an abundance of standing stones in this region of North Africa. Although they attracted considerably less attention among their cohort than more familiar Roman monuments such as triumphal arches and bridges, these prehistoric remains were similar to formations found in Brittany and other parts of France. The first effort to document these remains occurred in 1863, when Laurent-Charles Féraud, a French army interpreter, recorded thousands of dolmens and stone formations south-west of Constantine. Alleging that these constructions were Gallic, Féraud hypothesized the close affinity of the French, who claimed descent from the ancient Gauls, with the early inhabitants of North Africa. After Féraud's claims met with scepticism among many prehistorians, French scholars argued that these remains were constructed by the ancestors of the Berbers (Kabyles in contemporary parlance), whom they hypothesized had been dominated by a blond race of European origin. Using craniometric statistics of human remains found in the vicinity of the standing stones to propose a genealogy of the Kabyles, French administrators in Algeria thereafter suggested that their mixed origins allowed them to adapt more easily than the Arab population to French colonial governance. This case study at the intersection of prehistoric archaeology, ancient history and craniology exposes how genealogical (and racial) classification made signal contributions to French colonial ideology and policy between the 1860s and 1880s.
Phase mixing importance for both Landau instability and damping
Authors: Santos D. D. A. , Elskens Yves
Published: February 2017

We discuss the self-consistent dynamics of plasmas by means of a Hamiltonian formalism for a system of $N$ near-resonant electrons interacting with a single Langmuir wave. The connection with the Vlasov description is revisited through the numerical calculation of the van Kampen-like eigenfrequencies of the linearized dynamics for many degrees of freedom. Both the exponential-like growth as well as damping of the Langmuir wave are shown to emerge from a phase mixing effect among beam modes, revealing unexpected similarities between the stable and unstable regimes.
Stress and phrasal prominence in tone languages: The case of Southern Vietnamese
Authors: Brunelle Marc
Published: February 2017

There is no consensus on the nature, or even the existence, of Vietnamese word stress. While some authors have proposed that it is morphosyntactically conditioned (Thompson 1963, Thompson 1965, Cao 2003 [1978], Ngô 1984), others have adopted the view that it is consistently word-final (Trần 1967; Nguyễn & Ingram 2006, 2007b; Phạm 2008; Nguyễn 2010) or that it lacks stress altogether (Emeneau 1951). This is due to the elusive nature of word prominence in Vietnamese, and to the small number of studies that tackle the issue experimentally. In this paper, acoustic experiments designed to test previous hypotheses and tease apart possible types of prominence are presented. Southern Vietnamese disyllabic words with various morphosyntactic structures were recorded in controlled environments to test for stress and phrasal effects. Their duration, mean intensity, mean f0, f0 range and formants were then measured to assess word prominence. Results suggest that there is little evidence for word stress in Southern Vietnamese and that reports of final stress can be reinterpreted as phrase-final lengthening. Focus-marking strategies bring no additional evidence for the existence of stress, but they seem to be partly speaker- and tone-specific, which supports results obtained in studies of Northern Vietnamese (Michaud 2005).
New records, potential distribution, and conservation of the Near Threatened cave batNatalus macrourusin Brazil
Authors: Delgado-Jaramillo Mariana , Barbier Eder , Bernard Enrico
Published: February 2017

Species with specific roosting, foraging or breeding requirements are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and degradation. For bats, the availability and environmental condition of caves can be a limiting factor. The cave specialistNatalus macrourus(formerlyNatalus espiritosantensis) is categorized as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List but as Vulnerable in Brazil, based on a projected population reduction and a decline in its area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat. There is a lack of knowledge about the species’ distribution, natural history and ecology, information that is required for conservation. Using new occurrence data and potential distribution modelling we evaluated the distribution ofN. macrourusin Brazil, analysed pressures on and threats to the species, and assessed the species’ conservation needs.Natalus macrourusis positively associated with areas with higher probability of cave occurrence and negatively associated with areas of high variation in mean daily temperature and mean annual rainfall. Areas with high environmental suitability forN. macrouruscorrespond to only 3% of the potential distribution modelled. We estimate that the species has already lost 54% of its natural habitat and that there is < 35% of habitat remaining in areas with high environmental suitability. We calculated that approximately half of the caves in areas with high environmental suitability are < 5 km from mining operations and only 4% of the species’ potential distribution lies within protected areas. Given the strong association ofN. macrouruswith caves, it is important to protect these habitats, and we recommend that caves where the species is present should receive immediate protection.
Good Night and Good Luck: In Search of a Neuroscience Challenge to Criminal Justice
Authors: THOMSEN FREJ KLEM
Published: February 2017

This article clarifies what a neuroscience challenge to criminal justice must look like by sketching the basic structure of the argument, gradually filling out the details and illustrating the conditions that must be met for the challenge to work. In the process of doing so it explores influential work by Joshua Greene and Jonathan Cohen, and Stephen Morse respectively, arguing that the former should not be understood to present a version of the challenge, and that the latter's argument against the challenge is unpersuasive. This analysis allows the article to flesh out the challenge, and demonstrate why it is currently non-completeable. However, the article argues that contrary to what is often assumed the burden of proof falls on the defenders of criminal justice, and that they will find meeting it a monumental task.
Improving selection of markers in nutrition research: evaluation of the criteria proposed by the ILSI Europe Marker Validation Initiative
Authors: Calder Philip C. , Boobis Alan , Braun Deborah , Champ Claire L. , Dye Louise , Einöther Suzanne , Greyling Arno , Matthys Christophe , Putz Peter , Wopereis Suzan , Woodside Jayne V. , Antoine Jean-Michel
Published: February 2017

The conduct of high-quality nutrition research requires the selection of appropriate markers as outcomes, for example as indicators of food or nutrient intake, nutritional status, health status or disease risk. Such selection requires detailed knowledge of the markers, and consideration of the factors that may influence their measurement, other than the effects of nutritional change. A framework to guide selection of markers within nutrition research studies would be a valuable tool for researchers. A multidisciplinary Expert Group set out to test criteria designed to aid the evaluation of candidate markers for their usefulness in nutrition research and subsequently to develop a scoring system for markers. The proposed criteria were tested using thirteen markers selected from a broad range of nutrition research fields. The result of this testing was a modified list of criteria and a template for evaluating a potential marker against the criteria. Subsequently, a semi-quantitative system for scoring a marker and an associated template were developed. This system will enable the evaluation and comparison of different candidate markers within the same field of nutrition research in order to identify their relative usefulness. The ranking criteria of proven, strong, medium or low are likely to vary according to research setting, research field and the type of tool used to assess the marker and therefore the considerations for scoring need to be determined in a setting-, field- and tool-specific manner. A database of such markers, their interpretation and range of possible values would be valuable to nutrition researchers.
Modular, higher order cardinality analysis in theory and practice
Authors: SERGEY ILYA , VYTINIOTIS DIMITRIOS , JONES SIMON L. PEYTON , BREITNER JOACHIM
Published: February 2017

Since the mid '80s, compiler writers for functional languages (especially lazy ones) have been writing papers about identifying and exploiting thunks and lambdas that are used only once. However, it has proved difficult to achieve both power and simplicity in practice. In this paper, we describe a new, modular analysis for a higher order language, which is both simple and effective. We prove the analysis sound with respect to a standard call-by-need semantics, and present measurements of its use in a full-scale, state-of-the-art optimising compiler. The analysis finds many single-entry thunks and one-shot lambdas and enables a number of program optimisations. This paper extends our preceding conference publication (Sergeyet al.2014Proceedings of the 41st Annual ACM SIGPLAN-SIGACT Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages (POPL 2014). ACM, pp. 335–348) with proofs, expanded report on evaluation and a detailed examination of the factors causing the loss of precision in the analysis.
Primary Motor Cortex Excitability Is Modulated During the Mental Simulation of Hand Movement
Authors: Hyde Christian , Fuelscher Ian , Lum Jarrad A.G. , Williams Jacqueline , He Jason , Enticott Peter G.
Published: February 2017

Objectives:It is unclear whether the primary motor cortex (PMC) is involved in the mental simulation of movement [i.e., motor imagery (MI)]. The present study aimed to clarify PMC involvement using a highly novel adaptation of the hand laterality task (HLT).Methods:Participants were administered single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the hand area of the left PMC (hPMC) at either 50 ms, 400 ms, or 650 ms post stimulus presentation. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded from the right first dorsal interosseous via electromyography. To avoid the confound of gross motor response, participant response (indicating left or right hand) was recorded via eye tracking. Participants were 22 healthy adults (18 to 36 years), 16 whose behavioral profile on the HLT was consistent with the use of a MI strategy (MI users).Results:hPMC excitability increased significantly during HLT performance for MI users, evidenced by significantly larger right hand MEPs following single-pulse TMS 50 ms, 400 ms, and 650 ms post stimulus presentation relative to baseline. Subsequent analysis showed that hPMC excitability was greater for more complex simulated hand movements, where hand MEPs at 50 ms were larger for biomechanically awkward movements (i.e., hands requiring lateral rotation) compared to simpler movements (i.e., hands requiring medial rotation).Conclusions:These findings provide support for the modulation of PMC excitability during the HLT attributable to MI, and may indicate a role for the PMC during MI. (JINS, 2017,23, 185–193)
Potential in-class strategies to increase children’s vegetable consumption
Authors: Sharp Gemma , Pettigrew Simone , Wright Shannon , Pratt Iain S , Blane Sally , Biagioni Nicole
Published: February 2017

Objective

The Crunch&Sip programme is a school-based nutrition initiative designed to increase the fruit, vegetable and water intakes of primary-school children. In recognition of the notable deficits in children’s vegetable consumption, the present study explored the receptivity of school staff to a realignment of the Crunch&Sip programme to feature a primary focus on vegetable consumption. This involved investigating school staff members’ perceptions of relevant barriers, motivators and facilitators.

Design

A multi-method approach was adopted that involved four focus groups and a survey (administered in paper and online formats) containing a mixture of open- and closed-ended items.

Setting

Western Australia.

Subjects

Staff from Western Australian schools participated in the focus groups (n37) and survey (n620).

Results

School staff were strongly supportive of modifying the Crunch&Sip programme to focus primarily on children’s vegetable consumption and this was generally considered to be a feasible change to implement. Possible barriers identified included children’s taste preferences and a perceived lack of parental support. Suggested strategies to overcome these barriers were education sessions for parents and children, teachers modelling vegetable consumption for their students and integrating vegetable-related topics into the school curriculum.

Conclusions

School staff are likely to support the introduction of school-based nutrition programmes that specifically encourage the consumption of vegetables. Potential barriers may be overcome through strategies to engage parents and children.
‘FARÒ IL POSSIBILE PER VINCER L'ANIMO DI M.R HANDEL’: SENESINO'S ARRIVAL IN LONDON ANDARSACE'SRHETORIC OF PASSIONS
Authors: BUCCIARELLI MELANIA
Published: February 2017

We often read about the castrato Senesino's arrogant, self-absorbed personality, especially in relation to Handel and his London years. Concerns about Senesino's difficult character spread in London even before his arrival in September 1720. That this preoccupied the singer is shown in his correspondence with Giuseppe Riva, which reveals that Senesino was also apprehensive about working with the composer. Evidence shows that Senesino sought to control his debut through the choice of and involvement in a production of the operaArsace. The selection of a libretto that exploits a subject drawn from British history, the poetic and dramaturgical revisions made by Rolli to the original text from 1715, and the changes and additions to Orlandini's original score all brought Senesino to the fore. That Senesino's voice stood as a strong argument in his rhetorical strategy may not be surprising; the aria type that he chose and the avoidance of ostentatious ornamentation are unexpected, however, and may reveal a more subtle plan of self-fashioning.
In situ generated D‐peptidic nanofibrils as multifaceted apoptotic inducers to target cancer cells
Authors: Du Xuewen , Zhou Jie , Wang Huainin , Shi Junfeng , Kuang Yi , Zeng Wu , Yang Zhimou , Xu Bing
Published: February 2017

Nanofibrils of small molecules, as a new class of biofunctional entities, exhibit emergent properties for controlling cell fates, but the relevant mechanism remains to be elucidated and the in vivo effect has yet to be examined. Here, we show that D-peptide nanofibrils, generated by enzyme-instructed self-assembly (EISA), pleiotropically activate extrinsic death signaling for selectively killing cancer cells. Catalyzed by alkaline phosphatases and formed in situ on cancer cells, D-peptide nanofibrils present autocrine proapoptotic ligands to their cognate receptors in a juxtacrine manner, as well as directly cluster the death receptors. As multifaceted initiators, D-peptide nanofibrils induce apoptosis of cancer cells without harming normal cells in a co-culture, kill multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer cells, boost the activities of anticancer drugs, and inhibit tumor growth in a murine model. Such a supramolecular cellular biochemical process (consisting of reaction, assembly, and binding) for multi-targeting or modulating protein–protein interaction networks ultimately may lead to new ways for combating cancer drug resistance.
Proton tautomerism for strong polarization switching
Authors: Horiuchi Sachio , Kobayashi Kensuke , Kumai Reiji , Ishibashi Shoji
Published: February 2017

Ferroelectrics based on proton tautomerism are promising in low-field and above-room-temperature operations. Here seven organic ferroelectric crystals are examined to search for efficient switching of strong spontaneous polarization on proton tautomerism. Solution-grown crystals exhibit strong pinning of ferroelectric domain walls, but excellent switching performance is awakened by depinning domain walls under thermal annealing and/or repetitive bipolar pulses with a high voltage. Compared with ferroelectric polymers such as polyvinylidefluoride, the optimized polarizations are comparable or stronger in magnitude whereas the coercive fields are two orders of magnitude weaker. The polarization of croconic acid, in particular, breaks its own record for organic systems in increasing from 21 to 30 μC cm−2 and now exceeds those of some commercial ferroelectric materials such as SrBi2Ta2O9 and BaTiO3. Optimization reduces the discrepancy of the spontaneous polarization with the results of the first-principles calculations to less than 15%. The cooperative roles of proton transfer and π-bond switching are discussed by employing the point-charge model and hydrogen-bond geometry.
Correction: Corrigendum: Rapid generation of hypomorphic mutations
Authors: Arthur Laura L. , Chung Joyce J. , Janakirama Preetam , Keefer Kathryn M. , Kolotilin Igor , Pavlovic-Djuranovic Slavica , Chalker Douglas L. , Grbic Vojislava , Green Rachel , Menassa Rima , True Heather L. , Skeath James B. , Djuranovic Sergej
Published: February 2017

Nature Communications 8: Article number: 14112 (2017); Published: 20 January 2017; Updated: 16 February 2017 The original version of this Article contained a typographical error in the spelling of the Author Preetam Janakirama, which was incorrectly given as Preetam Jankirama. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.