bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Value of third‐trimester cerebroplacental ratio and uterine artery Doppler indices as predictors of stillbirth and perinatal loss
Authors: Khalil A. , Morales‐Roselló J. , Townsend R. , Morlando M. , Papageorghiou A. , Bhide A. , Thilaganathan B.
Published: September 2015

Objective

Placental insufficiency contributes to the risk of stillbirth. Cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) is an emerging marker of placental insufficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of third‐trimester fetal CPR, uterine artery (UtA) Doppler and estimated fetal weight (EFW) with stillbirth and perinatal death.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study including 2812 women with a singleton pregnancy who underwent an ultrasound scan in the third trimester. EFWs were converted into centiles, and Doppler indices (UtA and CPR) were converted into multiples of the median (MoM), adjusting for gestational age. Regression analysis was performed to identify, and adjust for, potential confounders, and receiver–operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the predictive value.

Results

When adjusting for EFW centile and UtA mean pulsatility index (UtA‐PI) MoM, CPR‐MoM remained an independent predictor of stillbirth (odds ratio (OR) = 0.003 (95% CI, 0.00–0.11), P = 0.003) and perinatal mortality (OR = 0.001 (95% CI, 0.00–0.03), P < 0.001). UtA‐PI ≥ 1.5 MoM was significantly associated with low CPR‐MoM, even after adjusting for EFW centile (OR = 5.22 (95% CI, 3.88–7.04), P < 0.001) or small‐for‐gestational age (SGA; OR = 4.73 (95% CI, 3.49–6.41), P < 0.001). These associations remained significant, even when excluding pregnancies with SGA or including only cases in which Doppler indices were recorded at term (P < 0.01). For prediction of stillbirth, the area under the ROC curve, using a combination of these three parameters, was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.77–0.99) with a sensitivity of 66.7%, specificity of 92.1%, positive likelihood ratio (LR) of 8.46 and negative LR of 0.36.

Conclusions

Third‐trimester CPR is an independent predictor of stillbirth and perinatal mortality. The role of UtA Doppler, CPR and EFW in assessing risk of adverse pregnancy outcome should be evaluated prospectively. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Noncoding RNA control of cellular senescence
Authors: Abdelmohsen Kotb , Gorospe Myriam
Published: September 2015

Senescent cells accumulate in normal tissues with advancing age and arise by long‐term culture of primary cells. Senescence develops following exposure to a range of stress‐causing agents and broadly influences the physiology and pathology of tissues, organs, and systems in the body. While many proteins are known to control senescence, numerous noncoding (nc)RNAs are also found to promote or repress the senescent phenotype. Here, we review the regulatory ncRNAs (primarily microRNAs and lncRNAs) identified to‐date as key modulators of senescence. We highlight the major senescent pathways (p53/p21 and pRB/p16), as well as the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype (SASP) and other senescence‐associated events governed by ncRNAs, and discuss the importance of understanding comprehensively the ncRNAs implicated in cell senescence. WIREs RNA 2015, 6:615–629. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1297

This article is categorized under:

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

Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs

RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Development
Synthesis of the First Homoleptic Trisilaallyl Chloride: ­3‐Chloro‐1, 1,2, 3,3‐pentakis(2′,4′,6′‐triisopropylphenyl)trisil‐1‐ene
Authors: Abersfelder Kai , Zhao Hui , White Andrew J. P. , Praesang Carsten , Scheschkewitz David
Published: September 2015

Unsaturated silicon compounds are valuable building blocks for the synthesis of molecules with novel silicon‐based structural motifs with potential applications in materials chemistry. The difficulties associated with the transfer of the Si=Si moiety to promising substrates can be explained by the lack of suitably functionalized derivatives. Herein we report the synthesis and full characterization of the first homoleptic trisilaallyl chloride R2Si = Si(R)–Si(Cl)R2 (R = 2, 4,6‐triisopropylphenyl) by an unprecedented nucleophilic substitution at a central silicon atom under retention of an adjacent Si=Si double bond. Attempts to reductively generate the corresponding allylic anion led to the cleavage of the Si–Si single bond and isolation of the Et2O solvate of the corresponding disilenide.
Synthesis of New Dipyrido‐Annulated N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes with Aryl Substituents
Authors: Maeta Naoto , Yamamoto Junki , Fuku‐en Shin‐ichi , Shang Rong , Yamamoto Yohsuke
Published: September 2015

4,8‐Aryl‐substituted 2,10‐di‐tert‐butyldipyrido[1,2‐c;2′,1′‐e]‐imidazolium salts were synthesized from a newly prepared dibromo‐precursor by use of Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling. The corresponding carbenes were generated from the imidazolium salts by deprotonation. The trifluoromethyl‐substituted derivative (10a) was trapped by AuCl(SMe2) to give an N‐heterocyclic carbene‐coordinated gold(I) complex (12a), in which the central AuI atom is well protected by the aryl‐substituents of the NHC ligand.
Prevention of Esophageal Stricture After Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection: A Systematic Review
Authors: Yu Jiang‐Ping , Liu Yong‐Jun , Tao Ya‐Li , Ruan Rong‐Wei , Cui Zhao , Zhu Shu‐Wen , Shi Wang
Published: September 2015

Background

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is rapidly becoming a favored method for removing early esophageal cancer, but the residual defects can be complicated with strictures that require repeated endoscopic balloon dilatation. Measures for preventing the post‐ESD strictures have been sought. We conducted a systematic review of recent studies to evaluate these methods.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, and Google Scholar until November 30, 2014. Included studies were prospective and retrospective one‐ and two‐arm studies. All studies had to include at least on preventive method for post‐ESD stricture. Thirteen studies were included in the review.

Results

Among the studies that used corticosteroids to prevent post‐ESD stricture, we found that (1) injection of triamcinolone acetonide into the esophageal lesion resulted in a substantial reduction in the rate of stricture, and (2) the use of oral prednisolone was associated with a significantly reduced rate of dilatation sessions and stricture. Studies of other preventative measures included more recently developed scaffold‐based and cell‐based tissue‐engineering approaches which seem very promising but require additional rigorously controlled studies to test their effectiveness.

Conclusions

Until a safer and more effective method is developed, our review supports the use of corticosteroids, either through injection or oral route, together with endoscopic dilatation in prevention of post‐ESD strictures.
Evaluating the influence of diet‐related variables on breeding performance and home range behaviour of a top predator
Authors: Lourenço Rui , Delgado Maria del Mar , Campioni Letizia , Korpimäki Erkki , Penteriani Vincenzo
Published: September 2015

Diet composition is linked to reproductive performance directly or indirectly by other life‐history traits, including home range behaviour. The relationships between prey abundance, diet and individual fitness have often been explored. However, these relationships are complex and difficult to disentangle, especially in vertebrate top predators. Here, we present the results of a long‐term study using multi‐model inference procedures to elucidate the influence of diet‐related variables on breeding parameters and home range behaviour of a top predator, the eagle owl Bubo bubo. Superpredation, diet diversity, rat biomass and rabbit mean weight were the most important variables when analysing reproductive parameters, suggesting that less diverse diets with greater rabbit biomass percentage may benefit reproductive performance, whereas rat biomass percentage is apparently associated with greater variation of breeding success. Earlier laying dates seem to be associated with the consumption, on average, of smaller rabbits. On the other hand, edge density was the most relevant factor determining the variation in home range behaviour, with individual characteristics, such as age and sex, also being important. Although the relative importance of the diet‐related variables was generally low, mean weight of alternative prey, diet diversity and rabbit biomass also helped to explain home range parameters. In an optimal foraging context, centred on the abundance of the main prey species, our results suggest that when rabbits are less available eagle owls may increase home range size in order to obtain alternative prey, increasing at the same time their dietary diversity, which may also require higher movement speed.
Serum transferrin carrying the xeno‐tetrasaccharide NeuAc‐Gal‐GlcNAc2 is a biomarker of ALG1‐CDG
Authors: Bengtson Per , Ng Bobby G. , Jaeken Jaak , Matthijs Gert , Freeze Hudson H. , Eklund Erik A.
Published: September 2015

ALG1‐CDG (formerly CDG‐Ik) is a subtype of congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) where the genetic defect disrupts the synthesis of the lipid‐linked oligosaccharide precursor required for N‐glycosylation. The initial step in the investigation for these disorders involves the demonstration of hypoglycosylated serum transferrin (TF). There are no specific biomarkers of this CDG subtype known to date. An LC/MS approach was used to analyze sera from patients with ALG1‐CDG, PMM2‐CDG, suspected CDG, and individuals with alcohol abuse. We show mass spectrometric data combined with data from enzymatic digestions that suggest the presence of a tetrasaccharide consisting of two N‐acetylglucosamines, one galactose, and one sialic acid, appearing on serum TF, is a biomarker of this particular CDG subtype. This is the first time analysis of serum TF can suggest a specific CDG type I subtype and we suggest this tetrasaccharide be used in the clinic to guide the ALG1‐CDG diagnostic process.
Synthesis, Corrosion Inhibition Performance and Biodegradability of Novel Alkyl Hydroxyethyl Imidazoline Salts
Authors: Liu Hongqin , Hu Jun , Zhou Xiaoze , Liu Dan , Xu Baocai , Zhou Yawen
Published: September 2015

New alkyl hydroxyethyl imidazoline salts were synthesized via a high pressure process with imidazoline and dimethyl carbonate, and their chemical structure were confirmed using mass spectral fragmentation and FTIR spectroscopic analysis. In addition, several quaternary ammonium salts with new counterions (formic acid, acetic acid and lactic acid) were also synthesized by ion exchange reaction of methyl carbonate quaternary ammoniums with the corresponding acids. These new compounds reduced the surface tension of water to a minimum value of approximately 27 mN m−1 at a concentration of 8.72 × 10−5 mol L−1. They also show efficient corrosion inhibition performances and could significantly inhibit the corrosion of mild steel in acid solutions. It was also found that the biological degradation of these imidazoline surfactants was greater than 98 % after 7 days.
Activation of 5-HT4 receptors facilitates neurogenesis from transplanted neural stem cells in the anastomotic ileum
Authors: Goto Kei , Kawahara Isao , Inada Hiroyuki , Misawa Hiromi , Kuniyasu Hiroki , Nabekura Junich , Takaki Miyako
Published: September 2015

An orally administered serotonin-4 (5-HT4) receptor agonist, mosapride citrate (MOS), promotes enteric neurogenesis in anastomoses after gut surgery. We performed gut surgery and transplanted 2 × 105 neural stem cells (NSCs) from the embryonic central nervous system after marking them with the cell linker, PKH26. We found that neurons differentiated from transplanted NSCs (PKH [+]) and newborn enteric neurons differentiated from mobilized (host) NSCs (YFP [+]) in the deep granulation tissue of the anastomotic ileum. MOS significantly increased the number of PKH (+) and YFP (+) neurons by 2.5-fold (P < 0.005) (n = 4). The distribution patterns of PKH (+) neurons and YFP (+) neurons were similar along the depth of the anastomosis. A 5-HT4 receptor antagonist, SB-207266, abolished these effects of MOS (n = 4). Our results indicate that neurogenesis from transplanted NSCs is potentiated by activation of 5-HT4 receptors. Thus, a combination of drug administration and cell transplantation could be more beneficial than cell transplantation alone in treating Hirschsprung’s disease and related disorders.
Trajectories of Behavioural Disturbances Across Dementia Types
Authors: Linds Alexandra B. , Kirstein Alana B. , Freedman Morris , Verhoeff Nicolaas P.L.G. , Wolf Uri , Chow Tiffany W.
Published: September 2015

Objective: To replicate a previous finding that the trajectory of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) shifts in the sixth year of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). We evaluated longitudinal tracking with both the Frontal Behavioural Inventory (FBI) and NPI, comparing bvFTD against other dementias.Methods: Chart reviews over two to five years for patients with bvFTD (n=30), primary progressive aphasia (PPA, n=13) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD, n=118) at an urban Canadian tertiary clinic specializing in dementia. Linear regressions of the longitudinal data tested predictors of annualized rates of change (ROC) in NPI and FBI total and subscales for apathy and disinhibition among dementia groups. Results: The mode of the overall sample for the most advanced duration of illness observed was 5 years, with the median at 7 years. We did not find a crescendo-decrescendo pattern in scores although, for bvFTD and AD, high initial scores correlated with ensuing downward ROCs on the NPI and FBI. Educational level showed an influence on disinhibition ROCs. The FBI was no more revealing than the NPI for apathy and disinhibition scores in these dementias. Conclusions: A cognitive reserve effect on behavioural disturbance was supported but it may take longer than our 4 years of observing the clinical sample to record inflection points in the behavioural and psychiatric symptoms seen in bvFTD. The current data only imply that both apathy and disinhibition will diminish over the course of dementia.
Disaster-Related Injury Management: High Prevalence of Wound Infection After Super Typhoon Haiyan
Authors: Kim Yong Won , Kim Seong Yeop , Kim Hoon , Ahn Moo Eob , Lee Kang Hyun , Hong Eun Seok
Published: September 2015

Background

After Super Typhoon Haiyan, a category 5 tropical cyclone, insufficient resources were available for medical management. Many patients in the Philippines were wounded as a result of the disaster. We examined the prevalence, risk factors, and consequences of disaster-related wounds and wound infection in the post-disaster period.

Methods

We performed a retrospective review of consecutive patients admitted to a Korean Disaster Relief Team clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital, Tacloban City, Republic of Philippines, between December 9 and 13, 2013. Traumatic injury patients were included; patients not exhibiting a wound were excluded.

Results

Of the 160 patients enrolled in the study, 71 (44.4%) had infected wounds. There were no significant differences in the age, sex, past medical history, wound site, wound depth, injury mechanism, or inducer of injury between the uninfected and infected groups. In the univariate analysis, a foreign-body-contaminated wound, a chronic wound, elapsed time from injury to medical contact, an inadequately cared for wound, and need for subsequent wound management were associated with wound infection (P<0.05). The multivariate analysis revealed that foreign body contamination and having an inadequately cared for wound were associated with wound infection (odds ratio [OR]: 10.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.59-28.56; OR: 3.51, 95% CI: 1.07-11.51, respectively).

Conclusion

In the post-disaster situation, many wound infections required definitive care. Wound infection was associated with inadequately cared for wounds and foreign-body-contaminated wounds. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:28–33)
Innovative Analysis of the Sequenced Patterns of Vancomycin-ResistantEnterococciStrains to Determine Clonal Transmission in a Hospital Setting
Authors: Chemaly Roy F. , Ghantoji Shashank S. , Huber Thomas , Raad Issam I. , Jinadatha Chetan , Stibich Mark
Published: September 2015

Isolates from patients who acquired vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) were examined for the frequency of genetically indistinguishable strains on leukemia and stem cell transplant units at a major cancer center for 1 year. A total of 14 strains recurred, primarily on the same floor and in the same service unit an average of 49 days apart.

Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol.2015;36(12):1461–1463
On the mechanism of the Gent–McWilliams instability of a columnar vortex in stratified rotating fluids
Authors: Yim Eunok , Billant Paul
Published: September 2015

In stably stratified and rotating fluids, an axisymmetric columnar vortex can be unstable to a special instability with an azimuthal wavenumber $m=1$ which bends and slices the vortex into pancake vortices (Gent & McWilliams Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dyn., vol. 35 (1–4), 1986, pp. 209–233). This bending instability, called the ‘Gent–McWilliams instability’ herein, is distinct from the shear, centrifugal or radiative instabilities. The goals of the paper are to better understand the origin and properties of this instability and to explain why it operates only in stratified rotating fluids. Both numerical and asymptotic stability analyses of several velocity profiles have been performed for wide ranges of Froude number $\mathit{Fr}_{h}={\it\Omega}_{0}/N$ and Rossby number $\mathit{Ro}=2{\it\Omega}_{0}/f$, where ${\it\Omega}_{0}$ is the angular velocity on the vortex axis, $N$ the Brunt–Väisälä frequency and $f$ the Coriolis parameter. Numerical analyses restricted to the centrifugally stable range show that the maximum growth rate of the Gent–McWilliams instability increases with $\mathit{Ro}$ and is independent of $\mathit{Fr}_{h}$ for $\mathit{Fr}_{h}\leqslant 1$. In contrast, when $\mathit{Fr}_{h}>1$, the maximum growth rate decreases dramatically with $\mathit{Fr}_{h}$. Long axial wavelength asymptotic analyses for isolated vortices prove that the Gent–McWilliams instability is due to the destabilization of the long-wavelength bending mode by a critical layer at the radius $r_{c}$ where the angular velocity ${\it\Omega}$ is equal to the frequency ${\it\omega}$: ${\it\Omega}(r_{c})={\it\omega}$. A necessary and sufficient instability condition valid for long wavelengths, finite Rossby number and $\mathit{Fr}_{h}\leqslant 1$ is that the derivative of the vertical vorticity of the basic vortex is positive at $r_{c}$: ${\it\zeta}^{\prime }(r_{c})>0$. Such a critical layer $r_{c}$ exists for finite Rossby and Froude numbers because the real part of the frequency of the long-wavelength bending mode is positive instead of being negative as in a homogeneous non-rotating fluid ($\mathit{Ro}=\mathit{Fr}_{h}=\infty$). When $\mathit{Fr}_{h}>1$, the instability condition ${\it\zeta}^{\prime }(r_{c})>0$ is necessary but not sufficient because the destabilizing effect of the critical layer $r_{c}$ is strongly reduced by a second stabilizing critical layer $r_{c2}$ existing at the radius where the angular velocity is equal to the Brunt–Väisälä frequency. For non-isolated vortices, numerical results show that only finite axial wavenumbers are unstable to the Gent–McWilliams instability.
Laminar separation bubble development on an airfoil emitting tonal noise
Authors: Pröbsting S. , Yarusevych S.
Published: September 2015

The subject of this experimental study is the feedback effects due to tonal noise emission in a laminar separation bubble (LSB) formed on the suction side of an airfoil in low Reynolds number flows. Experiments were performed on a NACA 0012 airfoil for a range of chord-based Reynolds numbers $0.65\times 10^{5}\leqslant \mathit{Re}_{c}\leqslant 4.5\times 10^{5}$ at angle of attack ${\it\alpha}=2^{\circ }$, where laminar boundary layer separation is encountered on both sides of the airfoil. Simultaneous time-resolved, two-component particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements, unsteady surface pressure and far-field acoustic pressure measurements were employed to characterize flow development and acoustic emissions. Amplification of disturbances in separated shear layers on both the suction and pressure sides of the airfoil leads to shear layer roll-up and shedding of vortices from separation bubbles. When the vortices do not break up upstream of the trailing edge, the passage of these structures over the trailing edge generates tonal noise. Acoustic feedback between the trailing edge noise source and the upstream separation bubble narrows the frequency band of amplified disturbances, effectively locking onto a particular frequency. Acoustic excitation further results in notable changes to the overall separation bubble characteristics. Roll-up vortices forming on the pressure side, where the bubble is located closer to the trailing edge, are shown to define the characteristic frequency of pressure fluctuations, thereby affecting the disturbance spectrum on the suction side. However, when the bubble on the pressure side is suppressed via boundary layer tripping, a weaker feedback effect is also observed on the suction side. The results give a detailed quantitative description of the observed phenomenon and provide a new outlook on the role of coherent structures in separation bubble dynamics and trailing edge noise generation.
On velocity gradient dynamics and turbulent structure
Authors: Lawson J. M. , Dawson J. R.
Published: September 2015

The statistics of the velocity gradient tensor $\unicode[STIX]{x1D63C}=\boldsymbol{{\rm\nabla}}\boldsymbol{u}$, which embody the fine scales of turbulence, are influenced by turbulent ‘structure’. Whilst velocity gradient statistics and dynamics have been well characterised, the connection between structure and dynamics has largely focused on rotation-dominated flow and relied upon data from numerical simulation alone. Using numerical and spatially resolved experimental datasets of homogeneous turbulence, the role of structure is examined for all local (incompressible) flow topologies characterisable by $\unicode[STIX]{x1D63C}$. Structures are studied through the footprints they leave in conditional averages of the $Q=-\text{Tr}(\unicode[STIX]{x1D63C}^{2})/2$ field, pertinent to non-local strain production, obtained using two complementary conditional averaging techniques. The first, stochastic estimation, approximates the $Q$ field conditioned upon $\unicode[STIX]{x1D63C}$ and educes quantitatively similar structure in both datasets, dissimilar to that of random Gaussian velocity fields. Moreover, it strongly resembles a promising model for velocity gradient dynamics recently proposed by Wilczek & Meneveau (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 756, 2014, pp. 191–225), but is derived under a less restrictive premise, with explicitly determined closure coefficients. The second technique examines true conditional averages of the $Q$ field, which is used to validate the stochastic estimation and provide insights towards the model’s refinement. Jointly, these approaches confirm that vortex tubes are the predominant feature of rotation-dominated regions and additionally show that shear layer structures are active in strain-dominated regions. In both cases, kinematic features of these structures explain alignment statistics of the pressure Hessian eigenvectors and why local and non-local strain production act in opposition to each other.
Casting a wider performance net: The role of entrepreneurial orientation in boosting overall firm stakeholder value
Authors: Shahzad Ali M , Wales William J , Sharfman Mark P , Stein Christopher M
Published: September 2015

This study offers a broader perspective on the effects of entrepreneurial orientation beyond its well-established implications for firm financial performance. Herein, it is suggested that through higher firm innovativeness, risk taking, and proactiveness entrepreneurial orientation contributes to an increase in the overall value accrued by the firm’s base of stakeholders. In doing so, we offer a broader perspective on the significance of an entrepreneurial orientation strategic posture for increasing stakeholder value beyond simply the financial value captured by firm shareholding stakeholders. Results from a comprehensive sample of 1,015 public US corporations indicate significant relationships between the three core dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (innovativeness, risk taking, proactiveness) and stakeholder value, suggesting that how organizations behave entrepreneurially plays an important role in the firms generation of stakeholder value.
Systematic review of the effect of processing of whole-grain oat cereals on glycaemic response
Authors: Tosh Susan M. , Chu YiFang
Published: September 2015

Whole-grain oats have been identified as a type of food that blunts blood glucose increase after a meal. However, processing of oats changes the physical characteristics of the grain, which may influence human glycaemic response. Therefore, the effect of different processes on acute postprandial glycaemic response, quantified using glycaemic index (GI) measurements, was investigated in a systematic review. A review of the literature identified twenty publications containing fifty-six individual tests. An additional seventeen unpublished tests were found in an online database. Of the seventy-two measurements included in the review, two were for steel-cut oats, eleven for large-flake oats, seven for quick-cooking (small flake) oats, nine for instant oatmeal and twenty-eight for muesli or granola. One granola measurement was identified as an outlier and was removed from the statistical analysis. In all, fifteen clinical tests were reported for rolled oat porridge that did not specify the type of oats used, and thus the effect of processing could not be assessed. Steel-cut oats (GI=55 (se 2·5)), large-flake oats (GI=53 (se 2·0)) and muesli and granola (GI=56 (se 1·7)) elicited low to medium glycaemic response. Quick-cooking oats and instant oatmeal produced significantly higher glycaemic response (GI=71 (se 2·7) and 75 (se 2·8), respectively) than did muesli and granola or large-flake oatmeal porridge. The analysis establishes that differences in processing protocols and cooking practices modify the glycaemic response to foods made with whole-grain oats. Smaller particle size and increased starch gelatinisation appear to increase the glycaemic response.
AUGUSTINE ON THE DANGERS OF FRIENDSHIP
Authors: Nawar Tamer
Published: September 2015

The philosophers of antiquity had much to say about the place of friendship in the good life and its role in helping us live virtuously. Augustine is unusual in giving substantial attention to the dangers of friendship and its potential to serve as an obstacle (rather than an aid) to virtue. Despite the originality of Augustine's thought on this topic, this area of his thinking has received little attention. This paper will show how Augustine, especially in the early books of the Confessiones, carefully examines the potential of friendship to lead us astray. In particular, friendships may prove an impediment to virtue by: derailing our practical reasoning (rather than aiding it); fostering vices (rather than virtues); and misdirecting our love. Augustine's investigation of the murky depths of friendship shows an original philosopher and keen observer of the human condition at work.
The First ‘General Chapter’ of Benedictine Abbots (1131) Reconsidered
Authors: VANDERPUTTEN STEVEN
Published: September 2015

This paper reconsiders the first ‘General Chapter’ of Benedictine abbots (late 1131). To explain the timing and circumstances of this event, previous scholarship mostly referred to the influence of the Cistercians on reformist groups within ‘traditional’ monasticism. A closer look at the primary evidence reveals how the first General Chapter needs to be framed against the activities of overlapping coalitions of ecclesiastical and secular agents pursuing various political, ideological and institutional interests. It also allows the causes of the ensuing dispute with the Cluniacs to be established more securely, and provides new insights into contemporary usages of statutes and the semantics of the word ‘ordo’.
Genetic evidence extends the known distribution of Octopus insularis to the mid-Atlantic islands Ascension and St Helena
Authors: Amor Michael D. , Laptikhovsky Vladimir , Norman Mark D. , Strugnell Jan M.
Published: September 2015

Recent molecular studies have proved beneficial in providing taxonomic resolution within the Octopus vulgaris species complex, therefore aiding in the appropriate management of this high value global fisheries resource. This study used the mitochondrial ‘barcode of life’ gene Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (COI) to investigate the identity of shallow-water benthic octopuses in the mid-Atlantic Ocean and their relationship to members of the Octopus vulgaris species complex. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic inference placed individuals collected from two tropical islands, Ascension and St Helena, into a highly supported monophyletic clade with the North Brazilian species O. insularis (BS = 81, PP = 1), extending the known distribution of O. insularis to Ascension and St Helena Islands. Octopus vulgaris and two other member species of the O. vulgaris species complex, O. tetricus and O. cf. tetricus formed a highly supported monophyletic clade (BS = 99, PP = 1). Interspecific distances between the O. mimus group (O. mimus, O. bimaculoides, O. maya and O. insularis) and the O. vulgaris species group (O. vulgaris, O. tetricus and O. cf. tetricus) ranged from 14.7–26.0%, and an estimated date of divergence suggests these groups diverged from a common ancestor between 19.0 and 40.9 million years ago.
In silicoADME/T modelling for rational drug design
Authors: Wang Yulan , Xing Jing , Xu Yuan , Zhou Nannan , Peng Jianlong , Xiong Zhaoping , Liu Xian , Luo Xiaomin , Luo Cheng , Chen Kaixian , Zheng Mingyue , Jiang Hualiang
Published: September 2015

In recent decades,in silicoabsorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME), and toxicity (T) modelling as a tool for rational drug design has received considerable attention from pharmaceutical scientists, and various ADME/T-related prediction models have been reported. The high-throughput and low-cost nature of these models permits a more streamlined drug development process in which the identification of hits or their structural optimization can be guided based on a parallel investigation of bioavailability and safety, along with activity. However, the effectiveness of these tools is highly dependent on their capacity to cope with needs at different stages, e.g. their use in candidate selection has been limited due to their lack of the required predictability. For some events or endpoints involving more complex mechanisms, the currentin silicoapproaches still need further improvement. In this review, we will briefly introduce the development ofin silicomodels for some physicochemical parameters, ADME properties and toxicity evaluation, with an emphasis on the modelling approaches thereof, their application in drug discovery, and the potential merits or deficiencies of these models. Finally, the outlook for future ADME/T modelling based on big data analysis and systems sciences will be discussed.
IDENTIFICATION AND INFERENCE ON REGRESSIONS WITH MISSING COVARIATE DATA
Authors: Aucejo Esteban M. , Bugni Federico A. , Hotz V. Joseph
Published: September 2015

This paper examines the problem of identification and inference on a conditional moment condition model with missing data, with special focus on the case when the conditioning covariates are missing. We impose no assumption on the distribution of the missing data and we confront the missing data problem by using a worst case scenario approach.

We characterize the sharp identified set and argue that this set is usually too complex to compute or to use for inference. Given this difficulty, we consider the construction of outer identified sets (i.e. supersets of the identified set) that are easier to compute and can still characterize the parameter of interest. Two different outer identification strategies are proposed. Both of these strategies are shown to have nontrivial identifying power and are relatively easy to use and combine for inferential purposes.
Crystal structures and enhancement of photoluminescence intensities by effective doping for lithium tantalate phosphors
Authors: Ichioka Hiroaki , Furuya Shohei , Asaka Toru , Nakano Hiromi , Fukuda Koichiro
Published: September 2015

Crystal structures of (Li0.925Eu3+0.025)TaO3, (Li0.968Eu3+0.032)(Ta0.81Ti0.19)O2.937, (Li0.967Sm3+0.033)(Ta0.89Ti0.11)O2.978, and (Li0.950Sm3+0.033Mg0.017)(Ta0.89Ti0.11)O2.987were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction. The initial structural parameters, taken from those of the isomorphous compound (Li0.977Eu3+0.023)(Ta0.89Ti0.11)O2.968(space groupR3candZ= 6), were refined by the Rietveld method. A pattern-fitting method based on the maximum-entropy method was subsequently used to determine the three-dimensional electron-density distributions (EDDs) that are free from the structural bias. We confirmed that the EDDs are in accord with the resulting structural models, each of which was composed of the [(Ta, Ti)O6] octahedron and [(Li, Eu, Sm, Mg)O12] polyhedron. We compared these polyhedra and found that the prominent difference among these compounds was the centroid-to-(Li, Eu, Sm, Mg) distance (eccentricity) of [(Li, Eu, Sm, Mg)O12]. The high correlation was demonstrated between the magnitude of eccentricity and photoluminescence intensity under near ultraviolet excitation.
Landscape, Agriculture and the Rural Economy of Hockley, Essex, 1840–1916
Authors: MURRAY STEPHEN
Published: September 2015

This article examines the local economy of a parish in south-east Essex during a period when economic, social and technological factors were transforming rural Britain. Record linkages are used to construct a microhistory of Hockley to analyse the exploitation of the landscape and rural livelihoods. Agricultural and occupational change reflected many national economic and social influences, but there are also counter examples to regional patterns of farming practice and large scale agrarian capitalist landownership. The agricultural depression of c.1875–96 effected a shift from arable to livestock farming and the development of market gardening facilitated by the railway. A reduction in agricultural employment opportunities, and the absence of a cottage industry for women, led to a significant out-migration of working-age people. The microhistory demonstrates that local factors, such as access to a tidal river, the timing of the arrival of the railway, the availability of brick-making clay and new trades provided livelihood opportunities and influenced the structure and operation of the rural economy.
Getting On, Getting Out, and Going Places: Education, Opportunity, and Social Mobility in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Rural New Zealand
Authors: LEE HOWARD , LEE GREGORY
Published: September 2015

This article does not purport to provide an exhaustive overview of the history of rural high school education in New Zealand. Such information can be readily obtained from a number of existing historical studies in education. Rather, it seeks to identify and analyse the complex ways whereby those associated most closely with these schools, the students, teachers, and parents, steadfastly and successfully resisted the determined and repeated efforts of the Department of Education, its Directors, and successive Ministers of Education to introduce and popularise a highly ‘practical’, non-academic, agriculturally oriented curriculum in New Zealand's rural (district) high schools on the grounds of education and social efficiency. What becomes abundantly clear is that the educational demands and expectations of rural communities were markedly different from the official discourse. Rural communities expected, and sought access to, the same high status knowledge and highly prized public school examinations that offered ambitious urban youth the opportunity to gain enhanced economic, geographical, social, and vocational mobility. Consequently, the elevated status of traditional academic subjects meant that preparation for examinations came to dominate, and quickly overshadow, the curriculum offerings of the district high schools and this persisted for more than a century.
The Collection of the Qurʾān in the Early Shīʿite Discourse: The traditions ascribed to the fifth Imām Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad al-Bāqir
Authors: KARA SEYFEDDIN
Published: September 2015

In the introduction to his article, entitled “The Murder of Ibn abī l-Ḥuqayq: On the Origin and Reliability of SomeMaghāzīReports”, Harald Motzki summarises “special biases” by which western scholars deal with the Muslim sources concerning the life of the Prophet. For Motzki, one of the most important biases held against the Muslim sources is that “The background is theological, in that the traditions tried to create a specific theology of history, or in that the Muslims simply tended to put a halo around the founder of their religion”.2
Associations between cruciferous vegetable intake and selected biomarkers among women scheduled for breast biopsies
Authors: Zhang Zhenzhen , Atwell Lauren L , Farris Paige E , Ho Emily , Shannon Jackilen
Published: September 2015

Objective

To examine the relationship between dietary cruciferous vegetable intake and selected tumour biomarkers for histone acetylation (H3K9ac, H3K18ac, HDAC3 and HDAC6), proliferation (Ki-67) and cell-cycle regulation (p21) from breast tissue.

Design

The study used baseline data of women recruited to participate in a clinical trial of sulforaphane supplement. Dietary cruciferous vegetable intake was collected through a validated Arizona Cruciferous Vegetable Intake Questionnaire. Breast tissue was obtained from biopsy samples. Spearman correlations were calculated between intake of specific cruciferous vegetables and biomarkers. Tissue biomarkers were log2-transformed to obtain approximate normality. Linear regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between cruciferous vegetable intake and biomarkers adjusting for age and use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. False discovery rate (FDR) was used to account for multiple comparisons.

Setting

Clinical trial baseline.

Subjects

Fifty-four women who had abnormal mammogram findings and were scheduled for breast biopsy.

Results

Mean intake of total cruciferous vegetables from all food sources was 81·7 (sd57·3) g/d. Mean urinary total sulforaphane metabolites was 0·08 (sd0·07) µm/mmcreatinine. Total cruciferous vegetable intake was inversely associated with Ki-67 protein expression in breast ductal carcinomain situ(DCIS) tissue (β=−0·004;se=0·001; FDRqvalue=0·03), but not in benign or invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) tissue. No association was found for other biomarkers measured (HDAC3, HDAC6, H3K9, H3K18 and p21) in all tissues examined (benign, DCIS and IDC).

Conclusions

The present study sought to provide additional evidence for the potential role of sulforaphane in histone acetylation and cell proliferation. Here, we report that total cruciferous vegetable intake is associated with decreased cell proliferation in breast DCIS tissue.
Longitudinal analysis of maize diversity in Yucatan, Mexico: influence of agro-ecological factors on landraces conservation and modern variety introduction
Authors: Fenzi Marianna , Jarvis Devra I. , Arias Reyes Luis Manuel , Latournerie Moreno Luis , Tuxill John
Published: September 2015

Transformations that farmers bring to their traditional farming systems and their impacts on the conservation and evolution of maize varieties over a 12-year period are investigated using a longitudinal analysis. Despite the increased introduction and supply of improved maize variety seeds in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, over the last 12 years farmers continue to maintain a substantial amount of traditional maize variety diversity. Even with the increased availability of hybrid seeds, farmers in the community of Yaxcaba on average plant more than three quarters of their milpa fields to traditional maize varieties, with the latter one fourth predominately planted to a locally improved varietyNal Xoy, a farm cross of a traditional variety and an improved variety. We observed a significant reduction in yellow –x-Nuuk nal, a long-cycle traditional landrace, paralleled by an increase in short- and intermediate-cycle locally adapted improved maize varieties. We found great differences in the distribution of maize varieties by soil type, with modern varieties being targeted for the rarer, deeper and fine-grained soils, while traditional varieties predominate on the more prevalent stony and thin soils. Our results provide a picture in which most traditional maize varieties in Yaxcaba continue to be maintained by farmers, coexisting with locally adapted improved varieties on the same landscape, and allowing the continued evolution of maize populations.
Occurrence of shortfin mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810, off Turkey's coast
Authors: Kabasakal Hakan
Published: September 2015

Review of the available literature and the results of the present study revealed that 17 specimens ofIsurus oxyrinchuswere caught between 1950 and 2013. Nine (52.9%) of these verified 17 catches were recorded after 2000. Catches ofI. oxyrinchusoff Turkey's coast include specimens ranging from new-borns (65 cm total length) to huge adults (585 cm total length). A new-born female caught off the coast of Foça on 19 May 2015 represents the smallest free-swimming specimen ofI. oxyrinchusever recorded in Turkish waters. The occurrence of a new-born shortfin mako shark off Foça's coast provides new evidence to support the possibility of a mating region of lamniform sharks, includingI. oxyrinchus, in the northern Aegean Sea. The seasonal occurrence of both young and adult shortfin mako sharks off Turkey's Aegean and Mediterranean coasts should be monitored to clarify whether the shortfin mako shark is a resident or a vagrant species along the aforementioned coastline.
Study of sand wave migration over five years as observed in two windfarm development areas, and the implications for building on moving substrates in the North Sea
Authors: Games Ken P. , Gordon David I.
Published: September 2015

Sand waves are well known indicators of a mobile seabed. What do we expect of these features in terms of migration rates and seabed scour? We discuss these effects on seabed structures, both for the Oil and Gas and the Windfarm Industries, and consider how these impact on turbines and buried cables. Two case studies are presented. The first concerns a windfarm with a five-year gap between the planning survey and a subsequent cable route and environmental assessment survey. This revealed large-scale movements of sand waves, with the displacement of an isolated feature of 155 m in five years. Secondly, another windfarm development involved a re-survey, again over a five-year period, but after the turbines had been installed. This showed movements of sand waves of ∼50 m in five years. Observations of the scour effects on the turbines are discussed. Both sites revealed the presence of barchans. Whilst these have been extensively studied on land, there are few examples of how they behave in the marine environment. The two case studies presented show that mass transport is potentially much greater than expected and that this has implications for choosing turbine locations, the effect of scour, and the impact these sediment movements are likely to have on power cables.
UHF second order bandpass filters based on miniature two-section SIR coaxial resonators
Authors: Aouidad Hakim , Rius Eric , Favennec Jean-François , Manchec Alexandre , Clavet Yann
Published: September 2015

This paper describes a concept of stepped impedance resonators (SIR) built from two coaxial structures fitted inside one another. The resonator is built out of a succession of two coaxial sections in cascade, where the ground conductor of the first one is the central core of the next, or vice-versa. An advantageous property of SIR is that they allow a substantial reduction in size, while keeping away the first harmonic and without strongly degrading the quality factor. After describing the theoretical behavior of the resonator, we will then present the specific properties of this approach in second order filter, conceived, and realized in the UHF band. With this example, we will also address flexibility and tunability aspects, which are the other potentially useful properties of the structure. Measurements and simulations are presented and discussed. The architecture resembles a set of two Russian dolls that fit inside one another.
Design of a CPW-fed UWB printed antenna with dual notch band using mushroom structure
Authors: Mandal Tapan , Das Santanu
Published: September 2015

A coplanar waveguide-fed planar hexagonal monopole ultra-wideband antenna with dual-band rejection characteristics is proposed in this paper. The desired notch frequencies at 3.5 and 5.5 GHz are realized by incorporating mushroom structures. The input impedance and surface current distributions are used for analysis and explanation of the effects of mushroom cells. The prototype and proposed antennas are fabricated and tested. From the measured results, the proposed antenna provides an operating band of 2.81–14.32 GHz for 2 ≤ voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), while the dual-band stop function is in the frequency bands of 3.3–3.7 GHz and 5.10–5.88 GHz. Moreover, the antenna model also exhibits constant group delay and linear phase in the pass band. The proposed antenna has appreciable gain and efficiency over the whole operating band except the notch bands.
The 2013 Judgment of the ICJ in theTemple of Preah VihearCase and the Protection of World Cultural Heritage Sites in Wartime
Authors: CHECHI Alessandro
Published: September 2015

This paper looks at the Judgment handed down by the International Court of Justice in November 2013 on the interpretation of its 1962 Judgment in theTemple of Preah Vihearcase between Cambodia and Thailand. The primary objective of this paper is to disclose the imperfect account of states’ obligations provided for by the Court. In effect, the ICJ emphasized that Cambodia and Thailand must co-operate pursuant to the World Heritage Convention in the protection of the Temple as a world heritage site of outstanding universal value. Accordingly, the Court obscured the fact that the regime for the protection of cultural heritage in wartime was applicable in this case. This paper first examines the ICJ’s narrow approach and its implications. Next, it brings the focus back into a larger context by analyzing the impact of the ICJ’s jurisprudence on the development of international cultural heritage law.