bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organocatalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Six‐Membered Carbocycle‐Based Spiro Compounds
Authors: Xie Xin , Huang Wei , Peng Cheng , Han Bo
Published: August 2017

Well‐developed asymmetric organocatalysis has been widely incorporated in various cascade/tandem sequences, providing a simple access to structurally complex target molecules in a highly stereoselective fashion, including spirocyclic compounds. Among all types of spirocyclic skeletons, those containing a six‐membered carbocyclic ring are recognized as an important core framework with up to six consecutive stereogenic centers and this motif is commonly found in many natural products, biologically active molecules and lead compounds. This review describes the asymmetric synthesis of spirocyclic compounds containing six‐membered carbocycles using small organic molecules as catalysts.

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How quickly do publications get read? The evolution of mendeley reader counts for new articles
Authors: Maflahi Nabeil , Thelwall Mike
Published: August 2017

Within science, citation counts are widely used to estimate research impact but publication delays mean that they are not useful for recent research. This gap can be filled by Mendeley reader counts, which are valuable early impact indicators for academic articles because they appear before citations and correlate strongly with them. Nevertheless, it is not known how Mendeley readership counts accumulate within the year of publication, and so it is unclear how soon they can be used. In response, this paper reports a longitudinal weekly study of the Mendeley readers of articles in 6 library and information science journals from 2016. The results suggest that Mendeley readers accrue from when articles are first available online and continue to steadily build. For journals with large publication delays, articles can already have substantial numbers of readers by their publication date. Thus, Mendeley reader counts may even be useful as early impact indicators for articles before they have been officially published in a journal issue. If field normalized indicators are needed, then these can be generated when journal issues are published using the online first date.
A Gold‐Nanoparticle‐Based SERS Reporter that Rolls on DNA Origami Templates
Authors: Liu Bing , Ren Shaokang , Xing Yikang , Teng Nan , Wang Jun , Zhu Dan , Su Shao , Peng Hongzhen , Wang Lihua , Wang Lianhui , Chao Jie
Published: August 2017

Plasmonic nanostructures with distinct spatial configuration and geometry are of considerable significance because of their desired optical response. These optical responses have close relationship with the inter‐particle parameters in plasmonic nanostructures. However, the precise control of the consecutive variation of these parameters remains a formidable challenge. Here, we demonstrate a gold nanoparticle (AuNP) ‐based plasmonic nano‐reporter, in which a AuNP performs as a walker to stepwise roll directionally and progressively on DNA origami. Using another AuNP as a stator, the rolling of the AuNP reporter could generate the inter‐particle distance variation, which would be monitored by surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Our method opens up a door to develop an optical reporter that monitors inter‐particle variations in plasmonic nanostructures.
A national survey of nurse training: Confidence and competence in educating patients commencing methotrexate therapy
Authors: Robinson Sandra , Hassell Andrew , Ryan Sarah , Adams Nicola , Walker David
Published: August 2017

Introduction

Methotrexate is routinely used to treat active disease in inflammatory arthritis. There have previously been patient safety concerns associated with methotrexate usage in practice. Most patients commencing methotrexate treatment are seen by the rheumatology nurse, to receive education (often referred to as drug counselling) on this agent prior to starting treatment. Yet, there are no recommended criteria regarding education or experience to ensure minimum competence of the rheumatology nurse. The objectives of the present survey were, firstly, to identify the relevant training experience of rheumatology nurses who provide methotrexate education and, secondly, to explore their confidence and competence in undertaking this role.

Method

A national electronic survey of rheumatology nurses, identified via the Royal College of Nursing Rheumatology Forum, national meetings and personal contacts, in order to access nurses who counsel patients on methotrexate, was carried out.

Results

A total of 104 nurses completed the survey. Reported training was highly variable, ranging from very little to having undertaken MSc courses. Knowledge of the drug was rated as the most important requirement. Confidence was largely very good and was reported to develop with experience, with 80% of participants reporting being confident after 1 year in the role. A small number of participants (four) indicated that they were ‘not at all confident’. Aspects of competence and knowledge were assessed using questions on clinical situations; knowledge appeared to be good, with the exception of a question on shingles. Confidence correlated with knowledge (r = 0.21; p = 0.05), amount of training (r = 0.24; p = 0.03) and most strongly with time in the role (r = 0.74; p = 0.00001). The amount of training correlated with confidence but not with knowledge. All participants used written information, often using more than one source, with 87% of participants favouring the Arthritis Research UK information leaflet on methotrexate.

Conclusions

There was a wide variety of training for this role. Confidence seemed to come with experience, training and knowledge, and took many months to develop. A training package in this area may be helpful. Reassuringly, confidence and knowledge were related.
Advances and challenges in the detection of transcriptome‐wide protein–RNA interactions
Authors: Wheeler Emily C. , Van Nostrand Eric L. , Yeo Gene W.
Published: August 2017

RNA binding proteins (RBPs) play key roles in determining cellular behavior by manipulating the processing of target RNAs. Robust methods are required to detect the numerous binding sites of RBPs across the transcriptome. RNA‐immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (RIP‐seq) and crosslinking followed by immunoprecipitation and sequencing (CLIP‐seq) are state‐of‐the‐art methods used to identify the RNA targets and specific binding sites of RBPs. Historically, CLIP methods have been confounded with challenges such as the requirement for tens of millions of cells per experiment, low RNA yields resulting in libraries that contain a high number of polymerase chain reaction duplicated reads, and technical inconveniences such as radioactive labeling of RNAs. However, recent improvements in the recovery of bound RNAs and the efficiency of converting isolated RNAs into a library for sequencing have enhanced our ability to perform the experiment at scale, from less starting material than has previously been possible, and resulting in high quality datasets for the confident identification of protein binding sites. These, along with additional improvements to protein capture, removal of nonspecific signals, and methods to isolate noncanonical RBP targets have revolutionized the study of RNA processing regulation, and reveal a promising future for mapping the human protein‐RNA regulatory network. WIREs RNA 2018, 9:e1436. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1436

This article is categorized under:

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein–RNA Recognition

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein–RNA Interactions: Functional Implications

RNA Methods > RNA Analyses in Cells
Rising Powers and Peacebuilding: India’s Role in Afghanistan
Authors: Sinha Shakti
Published: August 2017

The gradual economic and political shift towards the Global South, particularly the Indo-Pacific, is also reflected in the increased role of its regional powers in stabilising countries emerging from conflict. Although countries like China and India are accused of using their assistance to take advantage of natural resources, they do not see themselves as donors or exploiters, but as development partners. This chapter uses the case of Afghanistan to examine India’s role in concrete detail to show how it conforms to key traits: no policy conditions, demand-driven and non-interference in the affairs of partner countries. India has been the fifth largest bilateral donor in Afghanistan, and the largest outside the developed countries. This offers a unique opportunity to study the performance of a non-traditional donor in a conflict-affected country.
Thinking Outside the Compound: Turkey’s Approach to Peacebuilding in Somalia
Authors: Sazak Onur , Woods Auveen Elizabeth
Published: August 2017

Turkey’s engagement in Somalia is one of the most visible examples of a rising power’s approach to a conflict-affected country. The “Turkish model” of engagement is characterized by the quick delivery of assistance and programs with Turkish personnel on the ground. It is also noted for its emphasis on soft power attributes such as business interests and cultural affinity such as Turkey’s Muslim identity. This approach is in contrast to other “traditional donors” in Somalia who are often accused of being overly bureaucratic, slow, and isolated, either bunkered in the airport in Mogadishu or providing aid remotely from other neighboring countries. This chapter seeks to shed light on Turkey’s activities in Somalia, particularly its approach to peacebuilding. It draws on interviews with Somalis to explore their perspectives on Turkey’s engagement, while also placing these activities firmly in the context of other external actors in the country and Somalia’s conflict dynamics.
Recent developments in understanding mast seeding in relation to dynamics of carbon and nitrogen resources in temperate trees
Authors: Han Qingmin , Kabeya Daisuke
Published: August 2017

Mast seeding, the synchronous intermittent production of large seed crops in populations of perennial plants, is a widespread and widely studied phenomenon. Economy of scale has been demonstrated to provide the ultimate selection factor driving the evolution of masting, for example, in terms of the predator‐satiation and pollination‐efficiency hypotheses; however, its physiological mechanism is still poorly understood. The resource budget (RB) model assumes that an individual plant requires more resources to flower and fruit than it gains in a year, and therefore only flowers when a specific threshold amount of stored resources is surpassed. Although the RB models have been well explored theoretically, including for resource depletion and pollen coupling, empirical data to support these assumptions are still disputed. Here, we explore the extent to which the RB model applies to masting tree species, focusing on the dynamics of carbon and nitrogen resources in natural temperate forests. There is little empirical evidence that plants use carbohydrates stored over several years to produce fruits; however, nitrogen stores in temperate trees are more commonly depleted after masting. We review the internal nitrogen cycle including resorption during leaf senescence, storage and remobilization, discussing the effect of masting on these processes. Overall, carbohydrates and nitrogen are clearly involved in the proximate mechanisms driving mast seeding, but the determinant resource seems to be species specific.
Elongation of very Long‐Chain (>C24) Fatty Acids in Clarias gariepinus: Cloning, Functional Characterization and Tissue Expression of elovl4 Elongases
Authors: Oboh Angela , Navarro Juan C. , Tocher Douglas R. , Monroig Oscar
Published: August 2017

Elongation of very long‐chain fatty acid 4 (Elovl4) proteins participate in the biosynthesis of very long‐chain (>C24) saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (FA). Previous studies have shown that fish possess two different forms of Elovl4, termed Elovl4a and Elovl4b. The present study aimed to characterize both molecularly and functionally two elovl4 cDNA from the African catfish Clarias gariepinus. The results confirmed that C. gariepinus possessed two elovl4‐like elongases with high homology to two previously characterized Elovl4 from Danio rerio, and thus they were termed accordingly as Elovl4a and Elovl4b. The C. gariepinus Elovl4a and Elovl4b have open reading frames (ORF) of 945 and 915 base pairs, respectively, encoding putative proteins of 314 and 304 amino acids, respectively. Functional characterization in yeast showed both Elovl4 enzymes have activity towards all the PUFA substrates assayed (18:4n‐3, 18:3n‐6, 20:5n‐3, 20:4n‐6, 22:5n‐3, 22:4n‐6 and 22:6n‐3), producing elongated products of up to C36. Moreover, the C. gariepinus Elovl4a and Elovl4b were able to elongate very long‐chain saturated FA (VLC‐SFA) as denoted by increased levels of 28:0 and longer FA in yeast transformed with elovl4 ORF compared to control yeast. These results confirmed that C. gariepinus Elovl4 play important roles in the biosynthesis of very long‐chain FA. Tissue distribution analysis of elovl4 mRNAs showed both genes were widely expressed in all tissues analyzed, with high expression of elovl4a in pituitary and brain, whereas female gonad and pituitary had the highest expression levels for elovl4b.
Linkage disequilibrium based association mapping of micronutrients in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): a collection of Jammu & Kashmir, India
Authors: Mahajan Reetika , Zargar Sajad Majeed , Salgotra R. K. , Singh Ravinder , Wani Aijaz Ahmad , Nazir Muslima , Sofi Parvaze A.
Published: August 2017

Micronutrient deficiencies are of major concern in human health and plant metabolism. Iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), iodine (I), selenium (Se) are regarded as micronutrients having major impact on human health. More than 50% of populations mainly from developing countries are suffering from one or the other micronutrient malnutrition. Ensuring adequate supply of these micronutrients through diet consisting of staple foods, such as common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is must. Here, we evaluated common bean genotypes that were collected from various regions of Jammu and Kashmir, India for Fe, Zn and protein contents and used SSRs to identify the markers associated with these traits. We found significant variation among genotypes for Fe, Zn and protein contents. Genotype R2 was having 7.22 mg 100 g−1 of Fe content, genotype K15 with 1.93 mg 100 g−1 of Zn content and genotype KS6 with 31.6% of protein content. Diversity study was done using both cluster and structure based approach. Further, association mapping analysis using General Linear Method (GLM) approach was done to identify SSRs associated with accumulation of Fe, Zn and protein. 13 SSRs were identified that significantly (p < 0.05) showed association with Fe, Zn and protein contents in common bean. The markers associated with Fe were located on chromosome no. 2, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10, markers associated with Zn were located on chromosome no. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 whereas only one marker located on chromosome no. 4 was found associated with protein content. These findings will provide potential opportunity to improve Fe and Zn concentrations in common bean, through molecular breeding.
Computational approaches to the in vitro antibacterial activity of Allium hirtifolium Boiss against gentamicin-resistant Escherichia coli: focus on ribosome recycling factor
Authors: Ali Sakar Emad , Chehri Khosrow , Karimi Nasser , Karimi Isaac
Published: August 2017

Persian shallot, Allium hirtifolium Boiss. (AH), is an Iranian native medicinal plant belongs to Alliaceae family. Here, we investigated in vitro antibacterial activity of hydro-alcoholic extract derived from bulbs of AH. We also employed in silico molecular docking to decipher mechanisms of its antibacterial effects. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) against E. coli ATCC 25922 were determined. Molecular docking was performed for major phytochemicals of AH against ribosome recycling factor (RRF). E. coli ATCC 25922 was gentamicin-resistant while AH showed MIC (42 ± 18 μg/ml) and MBC (106 ± 36 μg/ml) against E. coli. In silico results reported all phytochemicals of AH shown acceptable negative binding affinity (kcal/mol) with RRF. In essence, the binding affinities of alliogenin (−11.6), gitogenin (−11.6), kaempferol (−10.2), linoleic acid (−8.4), oleic acid (−8.0), palmitic acid (−7.4), palmitoleic acid (−8.4), quercetin (−10.8), and shallomin (−13.4) with RRF were comparable to that of gentamicin (−12.6). In sum, hydro-alcoholic extract of bulbs of AH could be considered as a commercial phytobiotics if in-depth antibacterial assays employed in future studies. More interestingly, shallomin showed more promising binding affinity with RRF and can be considered as lead molecule for future drug discovery.
The Natural History of Erectile Dysfunction After Prostatic Radiotherapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Gaither Thomas W. , Awad Mohannad A. , Osterberg E. Charles , Murphy Gregory P. , Allen Isabel E. , Chang Albert , Rosen Raymond C. , Breyer Benjamin N.
Published: August 2017

Background

Erectile dysfunction (ED) after treatment for prostate cancer with radiotherapy (RT) is well known, and pooled estimates of ED after RT will provide more accurate patient education.

Aim

To systematically evaluate the natural history of ED in men with previous erectile function after prostate RT and to determine clinical factors associated with ED.

Methods

We performed a review of the PubMed and Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases in April 2016 according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. Identified reports included a measurement of ED before and after prostate RT. Two hundred seventy-eight abstracts were screened and 105 publications met the criteria for inclusion. Only men with known erectile function before RT were included in the analysis.

Outcome

ED after RT of the prostate.

Results

In total, 17,057 men underwent brachytherapy (65%), 8,166 men underwent external-beam RT (31%), and 1,046 men underwent both (4%). Seven common instruments were used to measure ED, including 23 different cutoffs for ED. The Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) was used in 31 studies (30%). Pooled estimates of SHIM-confirmed ED (score <10–17) suggested the prevalence of ED after RT is 34% of men (95% CI = 0.29–0.39) at 1 year and 57% (95% CI = 0.53–0.61) at 5.5 years. Compared with brachytherapy, studies of the two types of radiation increased the proportion of new-onset ED found by 12.3% of studies (95% CI = 2.3–22.4). For every 10% who were lost to follow-up, the proportion of ED reported increased by 2.3% (95% CI = 0.03–4.7).

Clinical Implications

ED is common regardless of RT modality and increases during each year of follow-up. Using the SHIM, ED is found in approximately 50% patients at 5 years.

Strengths and Limitations

The strengths of this systematic review include strict inclusion criteria of studies that measured baseline erectile function, no evidence for large effect size bias, and a large number of studies, which allow for modeling techniques. However, all data included in this analysis were observational, which leaves the possibility that residual confounding factors increase the rates of ED.

Conclusion

Definitions and measurements of ED after RT vary considerably in published series and could account for variability in the prevalence of reported ED. Loss to follow-up in studies could bias the results to overestimate ED.
Egypt and the Struggle for Power in Sudan
Authors: Ginat Rami
Published: August 2017

For decades, the doctrine of the 'Unity of the Nile Valley' united Egyptians of a variety of political and nationalist backgrounds. Many Egyptians regarded Sudan as an integral part of their homeland, and therefore battled to rid the entire Nile Valley of British imperialism and unite its inhabitants under the Egyptian crown. Here, Rami Ginat provides a vital and important revised account of the history of Egypt's colonialist struggle and their efforts to prove categorically that the Nile Valley constituted a single territorial unit. These were clustered around several dominant theoretical layers: history, geography, economy, culture and ethnography. This book, for both Middle Eastern and African historians, uses a mixture of Arabic and English sources to critically examine the central stages in the historical development of Egypt's doctrine, concentrating on the defining decade (1943–1953) that first witnessed both the pinnacle of the doctrine's struggle and the subsequent shattering of a consensual nationalist dream.
Between Fragmentation and Democracy
Authors: Benvenisti Eyal , Downs George W.
Published: August 2017

Between Fragmentation and Democracy explores the phenomenon of the fragmentation of international law and global governance following the proliferation of international institutions with overlapping jurisdictions and ambiguous boundaries. The authors argue that this problem has the potential to sabotage the evolution of a more democratic and egalitarian system and identify the structural reasons for the failure of global institutions to protect the interests of politically weaker constituencies. This book offers a comprehensive understanding of how new global sources of democratic deficits increasingly deprive individuals and collectives of the capacity to protect their interests and shape their opportunities. It also considers the role of the courts in mitigating the effects of globalization and the struggle to define and redefine institutions and entitlements. This book is an important resource for scholars of international law and international politics, as well as for public lawyers, political scientists, and those interested in judicial reform.
Civil Society and Memory in Postwar Germany
Authors: Wüstenberg Jenny
Published: August 2017

Blending history and social science, this book tracks the role of social movements in shaping German public memory and values since 1945. Drawn from extensive original research, it offers a fresh perspective on the evolution of German democracy through civic confrontation with the violence of its past. Told through the stories of memory activists, the study upends some of the conventional wisdom about modern German political history. An analysis of the decades-long struggle over memory and democracy shows how grassroots actors challenged and then took over public institutions of memorialization. In the process, confrontation of the Holocaust has been pushed to the centre of political culture. In unified Germany, memory politics have shifted again, as activists from East Germany have brought attention to the crimes of the East German state. This book delivers a novel and important contribution to scholarship about postwar Germany and the wider study of memory politics.
Conservation Choices in the Face of Sea-Level Rise: A Case Study on Marsh Migration from Phippsburg, Maine
Authors: Dissanayake Sahan T. M. , Hennessey Meagan K.
Published: August 2017

We analyze the benefits of incorporating climate change into land conservation decisions using wetland migration under rising sea-levels as a case study. We use a simple and inexpensive decision method, a knapsack algorithm implemented in Excel, with (1) simulation data to show that ignoring sea-level rise predictions lead to suboptimal outcomes, and (2) an application to land conservation in Phippsburg, Maine to show the real-world applicability. The simulation shows an 11-percent to almost 30-percent gain in increased benefits when accounting for sea-level rise. The results highlight that it is possible to, and important to, incorporate sea-level rise into conservation planning.
How Global is the Common Law? A Comparative Study of Asian Common Law Systems – Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore
Authors: NG Kwai Hang , JACOBSON Brynna
Published: August 2017

This article compares three common law jurisdictions in Asia – Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. By studying the use of foreign citations in the reported opinions of these jurisdictions, we show that they have acquired a judicial character that is distinctively outward-looking and global. The variety and range of foreign citations suggest that the phenomenon cannot be fully explained as a matter of colonial legacy. The article further discusses the ways in which the use of foreign case citations serve as a means for legal and professional enrichment.
Disaster Mental Health Services Review of Care for Older Persons After Disasters
Authors: Gibson Allison , Walsh Jessica , Brown Lisa M.
Published: August 2017

As older persons make up an ever greater proportion of the world’s population, a range of concerns are being voiced by policy-makers, program managers, and care providers about best or optimal practices for serving this population’s needs during all stages of disasters. Given that age-related vulnerabilities are common in late life, this article describes existing systems of care in the United States for the provision of disaster mental health services. Second, it evaluates the evidence for disaster treatment interventions with this subgroup of the population. Third, it synthesizes the findings of recent studies focusing on screening, assessment, and treatment approaches. To advance our current system of care and to adequately respond to the mental health needs of older persons, it is advantageous to periodically review progress, identify current gaps and unmet needs, and describe opportunities for improvement. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018; 12: 366–372)
IT'S OK TO MAKE MISTAKES: AGAINST THE FIXED POINT THESIS
Authors: Field Claire
Published: August 2017

Can we make mistakes about what rationality requires? A natural answer is that we can, since it is a platitude that rational belief does not require truth; it is possible for a belief to be rational and mistaken, and this holds for any subject matter at all. However, the platitude causes trouble when applied to rationality itself. The possibility of rational mistakes about what rationality requires generates a puzzle. When combined with two further plausible claims – the enkratic principle, and the claim that rational requirements apply universally – we get the result that rationality generates inconsistent requirements. One popular and attractive solution to the puzzle denies that it is possible to make rational mistakes about what rationality requires. I show why (contra Titelbaum (2015b), and Littlejohn (2015)) this solution is doomed to fail.
Internet and mobile technologies: addressing the mental health of trauma survivors in less resourced communities
Authors: Ruzek J. I. , Yeager C. M.
Published: August 2017

Internet and mobile technologies offer potentially critical ways of delivering mental health support in low-resource settings. Much evidence indicates an enormous negative impact of mental health problems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and many of these problems are caused, or worsened, by exposure to wars, conflicts, natural and human-caused disasters, and other traumatic events. Though specific mental health treatments have been found to be efficacious and cost-effective for low-resource settings, most individuals living in these areas do not have access to them. Low-intensity task-sharing interventions will help, but there is a limit to the scalability and sustainability of human resources in these settings. To address the needs of trauma survivors, it will be important to develop and implement Internet and mobile technology resources to help reduce the scarcity, inequity, and inefficiency of current mental health services in LMICs. Mobile and Internet resources are experiencing a rapid growth in LMICs and can help address time, stigma, and cost barriers and connect those who have been socially isolated by traumatic events. This review discusses current research in technological interventions in low-resource settings and outlines key issues and future challenges and opportunities. Though formidable challenges exist for large-scale deployment of mobile and Internet mental health technologies, work to date indicates that these technologies are indeed feasible to develop, evaluate, and deliver to those in need of mental health services, and that they can be effective.
Partnering Against Poverty: Fighting POSH Bias Through Increased Interdisciplinary Research and Practice
Authors: Ahmed Shujaat , Hoffman Ashley J. , Mullins Morrie , Sywulak Laura
Published: August 2017

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology is indeed moving forward in its involvement in humanitarian concerns (Berry et al., 2011), but as Gloss, Carr, Reichman, Abdul-Nasiru, and Oestereich (2017) point out, I-O psychologists tend to focus less on those of low income and the informal economy and more on working professionals in the formal economy (POSH). We propose (a) additional reasons for why the POSH bias may undermine science, (b) more solutions to benefit the impoverished, and (c) a broader conceptualization of humanitarian work psychology (HWP).
Employee Work Ethic in Nine Nonindustrialized Contexts: Some Surprising Non-POSH Findings
Authors: de Voogt Alex , Lang Jonas W. B.
Published: August 2017

Gross, Carr, Reichman, Abdul-Nasiru, and Oestereich's (2017) article argues that industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology has a limited perspective that rarely goes beyond the specific professional populations in formal economies of high-income countries—a perspective they refer to as a POSH perspective. This valuable criticism should also eschew the notion that workers in nonindustrialized countries are necessarily different.
On the Mystery (or Myth) of Challenging Principles and Methods of Validity Generalization (VG) Based on Fragmentary Knowledge and Improper or Outdated Practices of VG
Authors: Oh In-Sue , Roth Philip L.
Published: August 2017

In their focal article, Tett, Hundley, and Christiansen (2017) stated in multiple places that if there are good reasons to expect moderating effect(s), the application of an overall validity generalization (VG) analysis (meta-analysis) is “moot,” “irrelevant,” “minimally useful,” and “a misrepresentation of the data.” They used multiple examples and, in particular, a hypothetical example about the relationship between agreeableness and job performance. Four noteworthy problems with the above statements, other similar statements elsewhere in Tett et al.’s article, and their underlying assumptions are discussed below along with alternative perspectives.
Retrospective voting in the Italian 2013 election: a sub-national perspective
Authors: Giuliani Marco
Published: August 2017

The Italian 2013 election ended the period of bipolarism that characterized the so-called ‘Second Republic’, and paved the way for new parties such as the Five Star Movement. We investigate that election, which took place after the technocratic government led by Mario Monti, through the analytical lenses of the retrospective theory of economic voting applied at the provincial level. Local unemployment rates shape the electoral performances of those parties that were more supportive and sympathetic to the caretaker executive, thus confirming a distinction between incumbent and non-incumbent even in that critical and politically undecided election. We further contribute to the literature on retrospective voting by relaxing the locally untenable assumption of independence among the units. Making use of spatial regression models, we demonstrate the relevance of both the internal and contiguous economies, and their relative impact due to the different size of the provinces.
From 2D to 3D in fluid turbulence: unexpected critical transitions
Authors: Ecke R. E.
Published: August 2017

How do the laws of physics change with changes in spatial dimension? Maybe not at all in some cases, but in important cases, the changes are dramatic. Fluid turbulence – the fluctuating, intermittent and many-degree-of-freedom state of a highly forced fluid – determines the transport of heat, mass and momentum and is ubiquitous in nature, where turbulence is found on spatial scales from microns to millions of kilometres (turbulence in stars) and beyond (galactic events such as supernovae). When the turbulent degrees of freedom are suppressed in one spatial dimension, the resulting turbulent state in two dimensions (2D) is remarkably changed compared with the turbulence in three dimensions (3D) – energy flows to small scales in 3D but towards large scales in 2D. Although this result has been known since the 1960s due to the pioneering work of Kraichnan, Batchelor and Leith, how one transitions between 3D and 2D turbulence has remained remarkably unexplored. For real physical systems, this is a highly significant question with important implications about transport in geophysical systems that determine weather on short time scales and climate on longer scales. Is the transition from 3D to 2D smooth or are there sharp transitions that signal a threshold of the dominance of one type of turbulence over another? Recent results by Benavides & Alexakis (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 822 (2017), pp. 364–385) suggest that the latter may be the case – a surprising and provocative discovery.
“Chinua Achebe’s Beautiful Soul”
Authors: Adkins Alexander
Published: August 2017

This essay revisits Chinua Achebe’s exemplary satire of African disillusionment,No Longer at Ease(1960). Published the year of Nigeria’s official independence from Britain, the novel describes how Obi Okonkwo, a civil servant and colonial subject, tries but fails at the threshold of independence to navigate a Nigerian modernity overrun with cultures of bribery, nepotism, and tribalism. Torn between the moral and financial demands of his rural, traditionalist kin and those of the colony’s urban elite, Obi succumbs to corruption, voicing his downfall and Nigeria’s botched independence through a sardonic self-acquittal. A frustrated idealist betrayed by the high promises of anticolonialism, Obi mirrors a lost generation of African writers and intellectuals, figures the novel satirizes for their self-absolving cynicism.
Evidence for Holocene sea level and climate change from Almenara marsh (western Mediterranean)
Authors: Blázquez Ana M. , Rodríguez-Pérez Ana , Torres Trinidad , Ortiz José E.
Published: August 2017

In the Almenara marsh (western Mediterranean), four cores were analyzed to establish the relationship between the marsh record of the Almenara marshlands and the environmental factors responsible for its evolution during the Holocene. One hundred and eighty-six samples were collected for sedimentologic and paleontological study: 63 for biomarker analysis; 5 for amino acid racemization (AAR) dating; and 5 for 14C dating. Litho and biofacies analyses identified distinct paleoenvironments, with the presence of a marsh environment alternating with inputs of alluvial material and marine sediments. Biomarkers indicated the constant presence of terrestrial (herbaceous) plants, together with a variable development of aquatic macrophytes. During the Holocene transgression, the Almenara marsh was occupied by oligohaline marsh facies with an oscillating water level and peat formation, which was established at the bottom of the record at 7570 cal yr BP and persisted until 3100±780 yr (AAR). Maximum surface flooding occurred at 5480 cal yr BP, registered 450m from the current coastline. At least three peat beds (dated with 14C dating and AAR) correlated with Bond (episode 5900 cal yr BP) and Wanner (episodes 4800–4500 and 3300–3500 cal yr BP) cycles and thus correspond to a regional model that affected the Northern Hemisphere.
Paleoenvironmental context of the early Neanderthals of Poggetti Vecchi for the late middle Pleistocene of Central Italy
Authors: Benvenuti Marco , Bahain Jean-Jacques , Capalbo Chiara , Capretti Chiara , Ciani Francesco , D’Amico Carmine , Esu Daniela , Giachi GIanna , Giuliani Claudia , Gliozzi Elsa , Lazzeri Simona , Macchioni Nicola , Lippi Marta Mariotti , Masini Federico , Mazza Paul Peter A. , Pallecchi Pasquino , Revedin Anna , Savorelli Andrea , Spadi Marco , Sozzi Lorena , Vietti Amina , Voltaggio Mario , Aranguren Biancamaria
Published: August 2017

Work on thermal pools at Poggetti Vecchi in Grosseto, Italy, exposed an up to 3-meter-thick succession of seven sedimentary units. Unit 2 in the lower portion of the succession contained vertebrate bones, mostly of the straight-tusked elephant,Palaeoloxodon antiquus, commingled with stone, bone, and wooden tools. Thermal carbonates overlying Unit 2 are radiometrically dated to the latter part of the middle Pleistocene. This time span indicates that early Neanderthals produced the human artifacts from Poggetti Vecchi. The elephant bones belong to seven individuals of different ages. Sedimentary facies analysis and paleoecological evidence suggest a narrow lacustrine-palustrine embayment affected by water-level fluctuations and, at times, by hydrothermal water. Cyclic lake-level variations were predominantly forced by the rapid climatic fluctuations that occurred at Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6–7 transition and throughout the MIS 6. Possibly an abrupt, intense, and protracted cold episode during the onset of MIS 6 led to the sudden death of the elephants, which formed an unexpected food resource for the humans of the area. The Poggetti Vecchi site adds new information on the behavioral plasticity and food procurement strategies that early Neanderthals were able to develop in Italy during the middle to the late Pleistocene transition.
Analysis of pathogenic variants from the ClinVar database in healthy people using next-generation sequencing
Authors: RANČELIS TAUTVYDAS , ARASIMAVIČIUS JUSTAS , AMBROZAITYTĖ LAIMA , KAVALIAUSKIENĖ INGRIDA , DOMARKIENĖ INGRIDA , KARČIAUSKAITĖ DOVILĖ , KUČINSKIENĖ ZITA AUŠRELĖ , KUČINSKAS VAIDUTIS
Published: August 2017

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) became an effective approach for finding novel causative genomic variants of genetic disorders and is increasingly used for diagnostic purposes. Public variant databases that gather data of pathogenic variants are being relied upon as a source for clinical diagnosis. However, research of pathogenic variants using public databases data could be carried out not only in patients, but also in healthy people. This could provide insights into the most common recessive disorders in populations. The study aim was to use NGS and data from the ClinVar database for the identification of pathogenic variants in the exomes of healthy individuals from the Lithuanian population. To achieve this, 96 exomes were sequenced. An average of 42 139 single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and 2306 short INDELs were found in each individual exome. Pooled data of study exomes provided a total of 243 192 unique SNVs and 31 623 unique short INDELs. Three hundred and twenty-one unique SNVs were classified as pathogenic. Comparison of the European data from the 1000 Genomes Project with our data revealed five pathogenic genomic variants that are inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern and that statistically significantly differ from the European population data.
Fair enumeration combinators
Authors: NEW MAX S. , FETSCHER BURKE , FINDLER ROBERT BRUCE , MCCARTHY JAY
Published: August 2017

Enumerations represented as bijections between the natural numbers and elements of some given type have recently garnered interest in property-based testing because of their efficiency and flexibility. There are, however, many ways of defining these bijections, some of which are better than others. This paper offers a new property of enumeration combinators calledfairnessthat identifies enumeration combinators that are better suited to property-based testing. Intuitively, the result of a fair combinator indexes into its argument enumerations equally when constructing its result. For example, extracting thenth element from our enumeration of three-tuples indexes about$\sqrt[3]{n}$elements into each of its components instead of, say, indexing$\sqrt[2]{n}$into one and$\sqrt[4]{n}$into the other two, as you would if a three-tuple were built out of nested pairs. Similarly, extracting thenth element from our enumeration of a three-way union returns an element that is$\frac{n}{3}$into one of the argument enumerators. The paper presents a semantics of enumeration combinators, a theory of fairness, proofs establishing fairness of our new combinators and that some combinations of fair combinators are not fair. We also report on an evaluation of fairness for the purpose of finding bugs in programming-language models. We show that fair enumeration combinators have complementary strengths to an existing, well-tuned ad hoc random generator (better on short time scales and worse on long time scales) and that using unfair combinators is worse across the board.
Household income is associated with food and nutrient intake in Japanese schoolchildren, especially on days without school lunch
Authors: Murayama Nobuko , Ishida Hiromi , Yamamoto Taeko , Hazano Sayaka , Nakanishi Akemi , Arai Yumi , Nozue Miho , Yoshioka Yukiko , Saito Saori , Abe Aya
Published: August 2017

Objective

The present study aimed to examine the association between household income and the intake of foods and nutrients by Japanese schoolchildren, and any differences between days with and without school lunch.

Design

This was a cross-sectional study. Children, with the support of their parents, kept dietary records with photographs for 4 d (2 d with school lunch and 2 d without). The socio-economic status of each family was obtained from a questionnaire completed by the parents.

Setting

Japan.

Subjects

All students in 5th grade (10–11 years old) at nineteen schools in four prefectures and their parents (1447 pairs of students and parents) were invited to take part in the study; 836 pairs of complete data sets were analysed.

Results

The average results of four days of dietary records showed that lower income level was associated with a lower intake of fish/shellfish, green vegetables and sugar at the food group level, a lower intake of protein and several micronutrients, and a higher energy intake from carbohydrates at the nutrient level among the children. These associations between income and food/nutrient intake were not significant on days with school lunches, but were significant on days without school lunch.

Conclusions

Our study confirmed an association between household income and the amount of foods and nutrients consumed by Japanese schoolchildren, and suggested that school lunches play a role in reducing disparities in the diets of children from households with various incomes.
Quality of food choices of Brazilian adolescents according to individual earnings
Authors: Araujo Marina Campos , Cunha Diana Barbosa , Bezerra Ilana Nogueira , de Castro Maria Beatriz Trindade , Sichieri Rosely
Published: August 2017

Objective

To evaluate the quality of food choices according to adolescent individual earnings in Brazil.

Design

Adolescents were classified according to their individual earnings as having or not having spending power for their own expenses. Food records from two non-consecutive days of the Brazilian National Dietary Survey (NDS 2008–2009) were used to estimate food intake. Quality of food choices was based on two approaches: (i) the NOVA classification, which classifies processed and ultra-processed foods and drinks as unhealthy food groups; and (ii) traditional classification, with beans, milk, fruits and vegetables as healthy food groups, and soft drinks, sweets, snacks and crackers classified as unhealthy. We compared mean food intake (g/kJ or ml/kJ) according to per capita household income (tertiles) and adolescent individual earnings, with adolescent earnings adjusted for household income, using multiple linear regression.

Setting

Brazilian households (n 13 569).

Subjects

Adolescents aged 14–18 years (n 3673).

Results

Males without individual earnings had higher per capita household income than those with individual earnings. Household income was associated with all three food groups of the NOVA classification and seven of the eight groups of the traditional classification. However, only beans and snacks were consumed in significantly greater quantities by adolescents with individual earnings compared with those without earnings.

Conclusions

Adolescent individual earnings were not the main driver of food choices; however, per capita household income was associated with food choices. The consumption of both healthy and unhealthy items increased with increasing household income.
Achievements in answer set programming
Authors: LIFSCHITZ VLADIMIR
Published: August 2017

This paper describes an approach to the methodology of answer set programming that can facilitate the design of encodings that are easy to understand and provably correct. Under this approach, after appending a rule or a small group of rules to the emerging program, we include a comment that states what has been “achieved” so far. This strategy allows us to set out our understanding of the design of the program by describing the roles of small parts of the program in a mathematically precise way.
KEYBOARD-DUO ARRANGEMENTS IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY MUSICAL LIFE
Authors: CYPESS REBECCA
Published: August 2017

It is well known that the instrumentation of eighteenth-century chamber music was highly flexible; composers frequently adapted their own works for a variety of instruments, and players often used whatever combinations they had available. One type of arrangement little used today but attested to in both verbal description and musical manuscripts of the period is that of trios and other chamber works adapted for two keyboard instruments. Players often executed such keyboard-duo arrangements on instruments with different mechanisms and timbres – for example, harpsichord and piano together – thus capturing something of the variety of timbres available in a mixed chamber ensemble.

Keyboard duos were often played by members of a single family, or by teachers and students together, a practice that allowed for the construction of a sense of ‘sympathy’ – mutual understanding through shared experience and sentiment – between the players. These players shared common physical gestures at the instruments, which reinforced the emotional content of the music; this fostered the formation of a sympathetic connection even as players retained their individual identities.
Correction: Corrigendum: 14-3-3ζ regulates the mitochondrial respiratory reserve linked to platelet phosphatidylserine exposure and procoagulant function
Authors: Schoenwaelder Simone M. , Darbousset Roxane , Cranmer Susan L. , Ramshaw Hayley S. , Orive Stephanie L. , Sturgeon Sharelle , Yuan Yuping , Yao Yu , Krycer James R. , Woodcock Joanna , Maclean Jessica , Pitson Stuart , Zheng Zhaohua , Henstridge Darren C. , van der Wal Dianne , Gardiner Elizabeth E. , Berndt Michael C. , Andrews Robert K. , James David E. , Lopez Angel F. , Jackson Shaun P.
Published: August 2017

Nature Communications 7: Article number: 12862 (2016); Published: 27 September 2016; Updated: 30 August 2017 In Supplementary Fig. 7 of this Article, graphs presenting 6-PFK kinetics in panel d were inadvertently duplicated from those in panel c. The correct version of Supplementary Fig. 7 appears below as Fig.
Correction: Corrigendum: In situ targeted MRI detection of Helicobacter pylori with stable magnetic graphitic nanocapsules
Authors: Li Yunjie , Hu Xiaoxiao , Ding Ding , Zou Yuxiu , Xu Yiting , Wang Xuewei , Zhang Yin , Chen Long , Chen Zhuo , Tan Weihong
Published: August 2017

Nature Communications 8: Article number: 15653 (2017); Published: 15 June 2017; Updated: 30 August 2017 Supplementary Fig. 4 of this Article contains errors. Supplementary Fig. 4c shows the T2-weighted phantom images in reverse order, and Supplementary Fig. 4d is a duplicate of Fig. 3d. The corrected version of Supplementary Fig.