bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Negative Assimilation: How Immigrants Experience Economic Mobility in Japan
Authors: Takenaka Ayumi , Nakamuro Makiko , Ishida Kenji
Published: February 2015

This paper examines the economic mobility of foreign migrants in Japan. In a country that is largely regarded as homogeneous and closed to outsiders, how and to what extent do immigrants achieve economic success? A survey conducted by the authors revealed that the conventional assimilationist perspective does not fully explain immigrants’ economic success in Japan. Migrants from the West experience what Chiswick and Miller (2011) refer to as “negative assimilation.” That is, their earnings decline over time in Japan. While negative assimilation was not clearly observed among immigrants from neighboring Asian countries, wages among them did not increase with the length of their stay in Japan. For both groups, the skills they brought from abroad were found to be largely accountable for their economic success, while locally specific human capital, such as education acquired in the host society, did not contribute to their earnings.
Native Friends and Host Country Identification among Adolescent Immigrants in Germany: The Role of Ethnic Boundaries
Authors: Schulz Benjamin , Leszczensky Lars
Published: February 2015

Many studies find that high shares of native friends are positively related to immigrant youths’ identification with the host country. By examining various immigrant groups together, these studies imply that having native friends matters in the same way for the national identification in different immigrant groups. In contrast, we argue that the extent to which having native friends affects immigrants’ national identification depends on both immigrant group characteristics and the receiving context, especially on ethnic boundaries and related group differences in perceived discrimination and the compatibility of ethnic and national identities. Analyses based on data from the National Educational Panel Study in Germany that are representative of 15-year-old adolescents in secondary schools indeed reveal pronounced group differences: While national identification of ethnic German repatriates as well as of adolescents of former Yugoslavian and Southern European origin is related to the share of native friends, as hypothesized, we do not find this association for immigrants of Turkish and Polish origin. Our finding underlines the importance of theoretically as well as empirically accounting for group differences.
Dawkins is Dead: Long Live Evolution!
Authors: Cunningham Conor
Published: February 2015

What the late Stephen J Gould baptized ultra-Darwinism is
anti-evolutionary. In so being, it leads to the undermining of science,
rationality, and, lastly, to ethical nihilism, wherein any notion of
humanism is impossible, and this for one simple reason – there is now no
such thing as a human. In addition, we argue that ultra-Darwinism is a
progeny of crass philosophical dualism, and this leads it to despise matter
and the material world, even though, paradoxically, it espouses materialism.
We conclude that the theory of evolution invalidates
ultra-Darwinism.
Regulation of Phosphor's Color Gamut Area Using Mesoporous Silicate Source—A New Paradigm for the Solid‐State Lighting Segment
Authors: Gandhi Sakthivel , Thandavan Kavitha , Kwon Bong‐Joon , Woo Hyun‐Joo , Shin Dong Soo , Yi Soung Soo , Jeong Jung Hyun , Jang Kiwan
Published: February 2015

The inception of phosphors provoked the need of highly efficient lighting sources for the conceivable next generation applications. In this regards, a striking characteristic material namely the mesoporous silica (MPS) and their series that are quite distinct to each other in their physical properties have been synthesized by adopting a cooperative self‐assemble strategy. Utilizing it, the development of high‐performance Sr1−xCa1−yEux+ySiO4 phosphor was traversed using a simple wet‐solid phase process. Systematic investigations on morphological, structural, and few other physical properties were carried out. The derived results are intriguing with a crystal clear alteration in the phosphor morphology when MPS has been used as a silicate source. Subsequent luminescence studies displayed its efficient yellow‐emitting property covering the red spectral components, along with good thermal luminescence stability. Perhaps, the designed prototype LEDs yielded a color correlation temperature (CCT) < 5000 K and color rendering index (CRI) > 80. Therefore, it directs the way for the fabrication of potential warm white LEDs with a long‐lived emission efficacy and high thermal luminescence stability.
Structural Evolution and Multiferroics in Sr‐Doped Bi7Fe1.5Co1.5Ti3O21 Ceramics
Authors: Wang Jianlin , Li Lin , Peng Ranran , Fu Zhengping , Liu Min , Lu Yalin
Published: February 2015

The ceramics with the composition of SrxBi7−xFe1.5Co1.5Ti3O21−δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1, SBFCT) were prepared by a citrate–nitrate combustion method, and the phase evolution with an increasing Sr content was investigated. Pure Aurivillius phase SBFCT with a layer number of n = 6 was obtained when x ≤ 0.25, and then the structure collapsed to 5 layers for x = 0.50, then alternating 4 and 5 layers for x = 0.75, and finally 4 layers for x = 1.00. Meanwhile, secondary phase Sr1−mBimFe1−iCoiO3−γ appeared when x > 0.25, which is antiferromagnetic (AFM) and with low resistivity. Enhanced ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties were observed from single phase SBFCTs at the room temperature, and the ferromagnetic transition temperature (Tc) increases with the Sr doping level x in the single phase range. The remnant magnetization (2Mr) is 2.27 emu/g and the remnant polarization (2Pr) is 2.89 μC/cm2 at an applied electric field of 100 kV/cm for the x = 0.25 sample.
Understanding the reasons why Chinese older people do not wish to tell their life stories
Authors: Chan Engle A. , Lai Claudia K.Y.
Published: February 2015

Aim

To explore the reasons why older Chinese people decline to tell their life stories.

Background

Promoting the telling of life stories by older people, as part of healthy ageing, may develop their sense of unity and meaning in life. However, not all older adults seem to review their past and tell others about it. Understanding is lacking about how ‘healthy’ older adults experience the meanings of not telling.

Design

A descriptive phenomenology with Giorgi's analysis.

Methods

Data were collected from June 2010–August 2011 through unstructured individual interviews. A potential sample of 36 older people were identified through convenience sampling from 17 daycare and senior centres, of whom 19 participated in this study.

Results

Our findings suggest that the reasons why these older people declined to tell their life stories relate to an understanding of the self and to the perception that the older people had of their audience's response and their family's support. Older people seemed to be naturally inclined to reminiscence, but their accumulated personal and interpersonal experiences might have caused them to feel disinclined to talk about what they no longer considered to be important.

Conclusion

An understanding about the tension existing in cultural/generational narratives of the older people may help health professionals to provide them with a supportive environment for their continuous construction of social identities. This may contribute to their better social health. Equally important is to provide an opportunity for them to share their stories and engage in family and cross‐generational dialogues.
Effect of housing relocation and neighborhood environment on adolescent mental and behavioral health
Authors: Byck Gayle R. , Bolland John , Dick Danielle , Swann Gregory , Henry David , Mustanski Brian
Published: February 2015

Background

This study examined whether relocating from a high‐poverty neighborhood to a lower poverty neighborhood as part of a federal housing relocation program (HOPE VI; Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere) had effects on adolescent mental and behavioral health compared to adolescents consistently living in lower poverty neighborhoods.

Methods

Sociodemographic, risk behavior, and neighborhood data were collected from 592 low‐income, primarily African‐American adolescents and their primary caregivers. Structured psychiatric interviews were conducted with adolescents. Prerelocation neighborhood, demographic, and risk behavior data were also included. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was used to test associations between neighborhood variables and risk outcomes. HLM was used to test whether the effect of neighborhood relocation and neighborhood characteristics might explain differences in sexual risk taking, substance use, and mental health outcomes.

Results

Adolescents who relocated of HOPE VI neighborhoods (n = 158) fared worse than control group participants (n = 429) on most self‐reported mental health outcomes. The addition of subjective neighborhood measures generally did not substantively change these results.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that moving from a high‐poverty neighborhood to a somewhat lower poverty neighborhood is not associated with better mental health and risk behavior outcomes in adolescents. The continued effects of having grown up in a high‐poverty neighborhood, the small improvements in their new neighborhoods, the comparatively short length of time they lived in their new neighborhood, and/or the stress of moving appears to worsen most of the mental health outcomes of HOPE VI compared to control group participants who consistently lived in the lower poverty neighborhoods.
TCInvestigator: automated calculation of mineral mode and composition contours for thermocalc pseudosections
Authors: Pearce M. A. , White A. J. R. , Gazley M. F.
Published: February 2015

Forward thermodynamic modelling is a commonly used tool for examining the thermobarometric history of a rock. Such models are being applied to a widening range of rock types using increasingly complex model systems. A useful aspect of phase equilibria modelling using pseudosections is the ability to calculate the modal abundance and compositions of phases, in addition to overall phase relations. However, calculating and plotting such data with thermocalc, a popular modelling program, is time consuming. In this article, we provide the methods and a description of a Matlab® computer program, TCInvestigator, which uses thermocalc 3.40 to automatically contour pre‐calculated pressure–temperature pseudosections with modal abundance and mineral composition parameters. The ability to calculate, plot and visualize these parameters automatically and rapidly, allows for a more in‐depth investigation into the metamorphic evolution of a rock. Data can be contoured for all minerals that are present in all fields on the pseudosection, rather than a selection of fields or phases that are a priori considered relevant. Examples of contoured pseudosections for pelitic and greywacke bulk compositions are presented, along with accompanying data sets, to illustrate the applications of this program. The software and example files are available from the CSIRO Data Access Portal at the following address: doi:10.4225/08/54C99E2D47150.
Ophthalmic diseases and disorders in free‐ranging rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) of Shivalik hill area of Himachal Pradesh, Northern India
Authors: Kumar Vipin , Sankhyan Varun , Thakur Anil
Published: February 2015

Background

The studies on ophthalmic diseases and disorders in a population of rhesus macaques, in particular with free‐ranging macaques, are limited mainly by the difficulty in capturing animals and obtaining samples.

Methods

From October 2011 to 2013, prevalence of various ophthalmic affections was recorded and analyzed on the basis of sex, age‐group, and disease condition both in urban and peri‐urban free‐ranging rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) from various locations in Shivalik hill areas of Himachal Pradesh in northern India, as a part of clinical health examination.

Results and conclusion

Ophthalmic diseases were more prevalent in macaques captured from urban settings than those from peri‐urban, and difference between two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.01). Further classification of ophthalmic diseases revealed that traumatic injuries, corneal opacity, and cataract were significantly higher in urban than those in peri‐urban macaque (P < 0.01). Similarly, the ophthalmic disorders among different age‐groups were also found statistically significant (P < 0.01). The effect of sex on ophthalmic disorders was not found significant. Overviewing these results, disturbances in environment, close proximity to humans, and increasing age may lead to ophthalmic occurrences in these free‐range macaques.
Is a VC Partnership Greater Than the Sum of Its Partners?
Authors: EWENS MICHAEL , RHODES‐KROPF MATTHEW
Published: February 2015

This paper investigates whether individual venture capitalists have repeatable investment skill and the extent to which their skill is impacted by the venture capital (VC) firm where they work. We examine a unique data set that tracks the performance of individual venture capitalists' investments over time and as they move between firms. We find evidence of skill and exit style differences even among venture partners investing at the same VC firm at the same time. Furthermore, our estimates suggest the partners' human capital is two to five times more important than the VC firm's organizational capital in explaining performance.
p53 expression in breast cancer predicts tumors with low probability of non‐sentinel nodes infiltration
Authors: Vernet‐Tomás Maria , Baños Nuria , Sabadell Dolors , Corominas Josep‐Maria , Mestre‐Fusco Antoni , Suárez‐Piñera Marina , Carreras Ramon
Published: February 2015

Aim

Several predictive tools of non‐sentinel lymph nodes neoplastic involvement when a positive sentinel lymph node is found have been described. However, molecular factors have been rarely evaluated to build these tools. The aim of this study was to establish which factors predicted non‐sentinel lymph nodes infiltration in our setting, including some molecular factors.

Material and Methods

We carried out a retrospective review of 161 patients with breast cancer and a positive sentinel lymph node who had undergone axillary lymph node dissection, none of whom had received neoadjuvant treatment. Features evaluated as predictive factors for non‐sentinel node positivity were: menopausal status, tumor size, histological subtype, histological grade, lymphovascular invasion, extracapsular invasion, Ki67 index, hormonal receptors, CerbB2 and p53 expression, size of sentinel lymph node metastases and number of sentinel lymph nodes affected.

Results

Tumor size (P = 0.001), size of sentinel lymph node metastases (P = 0.001), lobular invasive carcinoma (P = 0.05) and lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.006) were significantly associated with non‐sentinel lymph node positivity. Tumor p53 positive expression was strongly associated with non‐sentinel lymph node negativity (P = 0.000). In multivariate analysis, all these factors but tumor size maintained their significance. The discrimination power of the model calculated by the area under the receiver–operator curve was 0.811 (95% confidence interval, 0.741–0.880).

Conclusion

p53 expression in breast cancer was highly predictive of non‐sentinel lymph node negativity in our study. New studies should evaluate if it would be useful to add p53 expression to other existing predictive tools.
Simplified Technique for Incorporating a Metal Mesh into Record Bases for Mandibular Implant Overdentures
Authors: Godoy Antonio , Siegel Sharon C.
Published: February 2015

Mandibular implant‐retained overdentures have become the standard of care for patients with mandibular complete edentulism. As part of the treatment, the mandibular implant‐retained overdenture may require a metal mesh framework to be incorporated to strengthen the denture and avoid fracture of the prosthesis. Integrating the metal mesh framework as part of the acrylic record base and wax occlusion rim before the jaw relation procedure will avoid the distortion of the record base and will minimize the chances of processing errors. A simplified method to incorporate the mesh into the record base and occlusion rim is presented in this technique article.
Meanings of caring for people who self‐harm as disclosed in narratives of dialectical behaviour therapy professionals
Authors: Lindgren B.‐M. , Hällgren Graneheim U.
Published: February 2015

Accessible summary

This paper adds a phenomenological hermeneutic perspective on meanings of caring for adult people who self‐harm as disclosed in narratives of dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)‐trained professionals.

This paper shows that providing DBT care for people who self‐harm means embarking an unpredictable journey, sometimes lonely, but also often together with the person who self‐harm and with the DBT team.

This paper emphasizes professionals' benefits of the tools and structure offered by DBT; however, the text points to the importance of the genuine meeting, including confirmation, as a prerequisite to recovery.

This paper suggests that further research might focus on the meanings of genuine meetings and their organizational prerequisites.

In this paper, we aim to explore meanings of caring for adult people who self‐harm as described in the narratives of professionals trained in dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). We conducted narrative interviews with nine professionals working in aDBTteam and used a phenomenological hermeneutical method to analyse their narratives. Our comprehensive understanding cast the caring relationship as an unpredictable journey, in which the professionals were guides or companions who aimed to walk side‐by‐side with the person who self‐harms, prove to be trustworthy, and keep on track. They sometimes saw the journey as lonely and sometimes as a joint endeavour. Our analysis was informed byMartinBuber's writings on the ‘genuine meeting’ and confirmation. The professionals emphasized the importance of the tools and structure offered byDBT; however, the text points to the importance of the genuine meeting, including confirmation, as a prerequisite to recovery. Mental health nurses need opportunities for continuous training and counselling.
Dynamic Spectral Analysis of Jagged Mechanical Signatures of a Brittle Puffed Snack
Authors: Sanahuja Solange , Briesen Heiko
Published: February 2015

The instrumental evaluation of crispiness and crunchiness of dry and wet cellular foods is challenging. Available texture analysis methods do not always reliably predict sensory analysis results. Temporal sensory integration is suspected to be a key factor in the perception of crispiness and crunchiness. Thus, short‐time Fourier transform, continuous wavelet transform and Hilbert–Huang transform are proposed and applied as dynamic alternatives for analyzing multifracture events. The resulting time–frequency–magnitude spectra graphically show the degree of similarity between the samples. These representations contribute to an understanding of the dynamics of airy foods' jagged mechanical signatures, as demonstrated on corn starch extrudates. In most cases, they finally permit the recognition or discrimination of similarities and differences in the degree of brittleness, corresponding to a specific production process and water content. The analytical techniques should help to determine relevant and objective characteristics that correlate with sensory studies.

Practical Applications

Short‐time Fourier transform, continuous wavelet transform and Hilbert–Huang transform help to understand the physical processes and the temporal evolution of the breakage behavior of foods. They are powerful tools for analyzing jagged mechanical and acoustic food signatures. Each method offers a different perspective, thereby enabling the exploration of unforeseen characteristics that could lead to better predictions of sensory‐felt crispiness and crunchiness. A food's dynamic fingerprint helps in recognition of similar products that belong to the same family, despite natural individuality, and aids the discrimination between different products. After relating classified food samples to their structure and consumer preferences, food structure design and quality control can be improved. The methods can be applied to multidisciplinary food texture studies that examine air‐conducted crushing sounds, bone‐conducted vibrations, dampening effects of muscles and fatty tissues, or chewing muscle and neural activities. This manuscript intends to make modern techniques of signal analysis more accessible to food scientists.
A high‐throughput screen for ligand binding reveals the specificities of three amino acid chemoreceptors from Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae
Authors: McKellar James L. O. , Minnell Jordan J. , Gerth Monica L.
Published: February 2015

Chemoreceptors play a central role in chemotaxis, allowing bacteria to detect chemical gradients and bias their swimming behavior in order to navigate toward favorable environments. The genome of the kiwifruit pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) strain NZ‐V13 encodes 43 predicted chemoreceptors, none of which has been characterized. We developed a high‐throughput fluorescence‐based thermal shift assay for identifying the signal molecules that are recognized by a given chemoreceptor ligand binding domain (LBD). Using this assay, we characterized the ligand binding profiles of three Psa homologs of the P. aeruginosa PAO1 amino acid chemoreceptors PctA, PctB and PctC. Each recombinant LBD was screened against 95 potential ligands. The three Psa homologs, named pscA, pscB and pscC (Psa chemoreceptors A, B and C) bound 3, 10 and 3 amino acids respectively. In each case, their binding profiles were distinct from their P. aeruginosa PAO1 homologs. Notably, Psa PscA‐LBD only bound the acidic amino acids l‐aspartate, d‐aspartate and l‐glutamate, whereas P. aeruginosa PctA‐LBD binds all of the l‐proteinogenic amino acids except for l‐aspartate and l‐glutamate. A combination of homology modeling, site‐directed mutagenesis and functional screening identified a single amino acid residue in the Psa PscA‐LBD (Ala146) that is critically important for determining its narrow specificity.
Threshold levels of generalist predation determine consumer response to resource pulses
Authors: Levi Taal , Kilpatrick A. Marm , Barfield Michael , Holt Robert D. , Mangel Marc , Wilmers Christopher C.
Published: February 2015

Many ecological systems are characterized by brief periods of increased resource availability called resource pulses. Empirical studies suggest that some populations of primary consumers grow rapidly in response to resource pulses, but others instead remain at low abundance despite increases in resource availability. Previous theory suggests that the lack of increase in primary consumers might be due to predators, which can respond to increased prey density both numerically, by increasing their own population, and functionally, by killing prey at a faster rate. The complexity of potential population responses to resource pulses can be assessed with simulations, but analytical conditions determining when one observes qualitatively distinct dynamics have yet to be identified. Here we use a graphical method based on a bifurcation diagram to derive the conditions leading to qualitatively distinct steady state and transient prey population dynamics as levels of predation (abundance and diversity) vary. When predation thresholds are crossed, consumer populations respond numerically to increases in their resources and provide a secondary resource pulse to their predators and parasites. These community dynamics have broad implications for the impact of changing predator communities on insect and rodent population outbreaks, which are economically and epidemiologically important.
Community‐level effects of rapid experimental warming and consumer loss outweigh effects of rapid ocean acidification
Authors: Eklöf Johan S. , Havenhand Jonathan N. , Alsterberg Christian , Gamfeldt Lars
Published: February 2015

Climate change and consumer loss simultaneously affect marine ecosystems, but we have limited understanding of the relative importance of these factors and the interactions between them. Moreover, effects of environmental change are mediated by organism traits or life histories, which determine their sensitivity. Yet, trait‐based analyses have rarely been used to understand the effects of climate change, especially in the marine environment. Here we used a five‐week mesocosm experiment to assess the single and interactive effects of 1) rapid ocean warming, 2) rapid ocean acidification, and 3) simulated consumer loss, on the diversity and composition of macrofauna communities in eelgrass Zostera marina beds. Experimental warming (ambient versus + 3.2°C) and loss of a key consumer (the omnivorous crustacean, Gammarus locusta) both increased macrofauna richness and abundance, and altered overall species trait distributions and life history composition. Warming and consumer‐loss favored poorly defended epifaunal crustaceans (tube‐building amphipods), and species that brood their offspring. We suggest these organisms were favored because warming and consumer‐loss caused increased metabolism, food supply and, potentially, settling substrate, and lowered predation pressure from the omnivorous G. locusta. Importantly, we found no single, or interactive, effects of the rapid ocean acidification (ambient versus −0.35 pH units). We suggest this result reflects natural variability in the native habitat and, potentially, the short duration of the experiment: organisms in these communities routinely experience rapid diurnal pH fluctuations that exceed the mean ocean acidification predicted for the coming century (and used in our experiments). In summary, our study indicates that macrofauna in shallow vegetated ecosystems will be significantly more affected by rapid warming and consumer diversity loss than by rapid ocean acidification.
Local variation in plant quality influences large‐scale population dynamics
Authors: Riolo Maria A. , Rohani Pejman , Hunter Mark D.
Published: February 2015

Spatial variation in ecological systems can arise both as a consequence of variation in the quality and availability of resources and as an emergent property of spatially structured interactions. We used a spatially explicit model to simulate populations of herbivore hosts and their parasitoids in landscapes with different levels of variance in plant patch quality and different spatial arrangements of high‐ and low‐quality plant patches.

We found that even small variation in patch quality at a fine spatial scale decreased overall herbivore populations, as parasitoid populations on low‐quality plant patches were subsidized by those from high‐quality neighbors. On landscapes with large, homogeneous regions of high‐ and low‐quality plant patches, herbivore populations increased with variation in patch quality.

Overall, our results demonstrate that local variation in resource quality profoundly influences global population dynamics. In particular, fine‐scale variation in plant patch quality enhanced biological control of herbivores by parasitoids, suggesting that adding back plant genetic variation into perennial production systems may enhance the biological control of herbivores by their natural enemies.
Facultative and non‐facultative sex ratio adjustments in a dimorphic bird species
Authors: Santoro Simone , Green Andy J. , Speakman John R. , Figuerola Jordi
Published: February 2015

If parental allocation to each offspring sex has the same cost/benefit ratio, Fisher's hypothesis predicts a sex ratio biased towards the cheaper sex. However, in dimorphic birds there is little evidence for this, especially at hatching. We investigated the pre‐fledgling 1) sex ratio, 2) body condition and 3) sex‐differential mortality in a population of the glossy ibis Plegadis falcinellus, in southern Spain between 2001 and 2011. We defined two age groups for the period between hatching and fledging. We also compared pre‐fledgling with the autumn sex ratio. Metabolic rates were estimated by the doubly labeled water (DLW) technique to establish that sons (the bigger sex) were 18% more energy demanding than daughters, and to compute the predicted Fisher's sex ratio (0.465). As population size increased between years, body condition decreased in both sexes, and mortality increased more for daughters than sons prior to fledging. At the same time, the proportion of males among chicks close to fledging increased (average sex ratio: 0.606) while the proportion close to hatching decreased (average sex ratio: 0.434, in line with Fisher's prediction). Furthermore, the proportions of males at fledging and the following autumn were negatively correlated across years. We suggest that, as population density increased and conditions worsened the larger sex had relatively higher survival. These differences in survival produce a shift from a facultative female‐biased sex ratio at hatching into a non‐facultative male‐biased sex ratio of fledglings. Additionally, the excess of males at fledging was counterbalanced by sex‐related dispersal during the autumn. Overall, glossy ibis sex ratio is a product of a combination of facultative and non‐facultative adjustments triggered by environmental conditions, driven by rapid population growth, and mediated by highly interrelated life‐history traits such as body condition, mortality, and dispersal.
Optimal predator management for mountain sheep conservation depends on the strength of mesopredator release
Authors: Prugh Laura R. , Arthur Stephen M.
Published: February 2015

Large predators often suppress ungulate population growth, but they may also suppress the abundance of smaller predators that prey on neonatal ungulates. Antagonistic interactions among predators may therefore need to be integrated into predator–prey models to effectively manage ungulate–predator systems. We present a modeling framework that examines the net impact of interacting predators on the population growth rate of shared prey, using interactions among wolvesCanis lupus, coyotesCanis latransand Dall sheepOvis dalli dallias a case study. Wolf control is currently employed on approximately 16 million ha in Alaska to increase the abundance of ungulates for human harvest. We hypothesized that the positive effects of wolf control on Dall sheep population growth could be counteracted by increased levels of predation by coyotes. Coyotes and Dall sheep adult females (ewes) and lambs were radiocollared in the Alaska Range from 1999–2005 to estimate fecundity, age‐specific survival rates, and causes of mortality in an area without wolf control. We used stage‐structured population models to simulate the net effect of wolf control on Dall sheep population growth (λ). Our models accounted for stage‐specific predation rates by wolves and coyotes, compensatory mortality, and the potential release of coyote populations due to wolf control. Wolves were the main predators of ewes, coyotes were the main predators of lambs, and wolves were the main source of mortality for coyotes. Population models predicted that wolf control could increase sheep λ by 4% per year in the absence of mesopredator release. However, if wolf control released coyote populations, our models predicted that sheep λ could decrease by up to 3% per year. These results highlight the importance of integrating antagonistic interactions among predators into predator–prey models, because the net effect of predator management on shared prey can depend critically on the strength of mesopredator release.
Correlation of Scar in Cardiac MRI and High‐Resolution Contact Mapping of Left Ventricle in a Chronic Infarct Model
Authors: THAJUDEEN ANEES , JACKMAN WARREN M. , STEWART BRIAN , COKIC IVAN , NAKAGAWA HIROSHI , SHEHATA MICHAEL , AMORN ALLEN M. , KALI AVINASH , LIU EZH , HARLEV DORON , BENNETT NATHAN , DHARMAKUMAR ROHAN , CHUGH SUMEET S. , WANG XUNZHANG
Published: February 2015

Background

Endocardial mapping for scars and abnormal electrograms forms the most essential component of ventricular tachycardia ablation. The utility of ultra‐high resolution mapping of ventricular scar was assessed using a multielectrode contact mapping system in a chronic canine infarct model.

Methods

Chronic infarcts were created in five anesthetized dogs by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. Late gadolinium‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (LGE MRI) was obtained 4.9 ± 0.9 months after infarction, with three‐dimensional (3D) gadolinium enhancement signal intensity maps at 1‐mm and 5‐mm depths from the endocardium. Ultra‐high resolution electroanatomical maps were created using a novel mapping system (Rhythmia Mapping System, Rhythmia Medical/Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA, USA) Rhythmia Medical, Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA, USA with an 8.5F catheter with mini‐basket electrode array (64 tiny electrodes, 2.5‐mm spacing, center‐to‐center).

Results

The maps contained 7,754 ± 1,960 electrograms per animal with a mean resolution of 2.8 ± 0.6 mm. Low bipolar voltage (<2 mV) correlated closely with scar on the LGE MRI and the 3D signal intensity map (1‐mm depth). The scar areas between the MRI signal intensity map and electroanatomic map matched at 87.7% of sites. Bipolar and unipolar voltages, compared in 592 electrograms from four MRI‐defined scar types (endocardial scar, epicardial scar, mottled transmural scar, and dense transmural scar) as well as normal tissue, were significantly different. A unipolar voltage of <13 mV correlated with transmural extension of scar in MRI. Electrograms exhibiting isolated late potentials (ILPs) were manually annotated and ILP maps were created showing ILP location and timing. ILPs were identified in 203 ± 159 electrograms per dog (within low‐voltage areas) and ILP maps showed gradation in timing of ILPs at different locations in the scar.

Conclusions

Ultra‐high resolution contact electroanatomical mapping accurately localizes ventricular scar and abnormal myocardial tissue in this chronic canine infarct model. The high fidelity electrograms provided clear identification of the very low amplitude ILPs within the scar tissue and has the potential to quickly identify targets for ablation.
Better innovate than compromise: A novel hepatic outflow reconstruction technique in pediatric living donor liver transplantation
Authors: Cherian P. Thomas , Mishra Ashish K. , Bangaari Ashish , Kota Venugopal , Sathyanarayanan Mohan , Raya Ravichandra , Rela Mohamed
Published: February 2015

Pediatric LDLT using donors with unfavorable vascular anatomy is challenging in terms of donor safety, and complexity of reconstruction in the recipient. We describe an innovative technique of hepatic venous outflow reconstruction involving the recipient RHV, in the presence of a rudimentary RHV in the donor. The postoperative course of the donor and recipient was uneventful with satisfactory venous outflow in both. This technique avoided the use of prosthetic material, an important consideration given the recipient age and requirement for growth. This shows that donors previously considered unsuitable for donation can be utilized safely as long as principles of vascular anastomosis are adhered to. Moreover, it highlights that innovation is sometimes necessary to avoid compromise in donor safety.
Late Recognition of Unintended Pregnancies
Authors: Ayoola Adejoke B.
Published: February 2015

Objective

Late recognition of pregnancy and unintended pregnancy has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and admission to neonatal care. This study examined the factors associated with late recognition of pregnancy among women reporting unintended pregnancy.

Design and Sample

A secondary analysis of a population‐based survey, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System of the United States. A total of 143,303 women of childbearing age. Analyses included descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis using logistic regression.

Results

Exactly, 42.4% described their pregnancies as unintended and 28.3% recognized their pregnancies late. Women with unintended pregnancy took longer, 7.2 weeks (99% CI = 7.07–7.24) to recognize their pregnancies compared to 5.2 weeks (99% CI = 5.18–5.27) for women with intended pregnancy. Late recognition of pregnancy was significantly higher among women who were not married (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.29, p < .01), had more arguments with their partners (AOR = 1.08, p < .01), were smokers (AOR = 1.15, p < .01), and belonged to an ethnic minority group.

Conclusions

Public health nurses and other health professionals can promote early recognition of pregnancy among women who are not married, belong to ethnic minority groups, or have more arguments with their husbands or partners.
Fatigue reduces the complexity of knee extensor torque fluctuations during maximal and submaximal intermittent isometric contractions in man
Authors: Pethick Jamie , Winter Samantha L. , Burnley Mark
Published: February 2015

Key points

Healthy physiological systems generate time series possessing complex structures, as seen for example in heart rate variability, respiratory rate and gait.

A loss of complexity in physiological time series has been associated with system dysfunction, and this loss is a characteristic feature of torque output from the ageing neuromuscular system.

We sought to determine the effect of neuromuscular fatigue on the complexity of knee extensor torque output in healthy young humans performing repeated maximal and submaximal contractions.

Fatigue resulted in a substantial loss of knee extensor torque complexity, with the noise in the torque signal becoming increasingly Brownian in character.

Complexity has been associated with system adaptability, and the fatigue‐induced loss of complexity, the physiological origin of which is obscure, may contribute to the inability to sustain physical exercise.

Neuromuscular fatigue increases the amplitude of fluctuations in torque output during isometric contractions, but the effect of fatigue on the temporal structure, or complexity, of these fluctuations is not known. We hypothesised that fatigue would result in a loss of temporal complexity and a change in fractal scaling of the torque signal during isometric knee extensor exercise. Eleven healthy participants performed a maximal test (5 min of intermittent maximal voluntary contractions, MVCs), and a submaximal test (contractions at a target of 40% MVC performed until task failure), each with a 60% duty factor (6 s contraction, 4 s rest). Torque and surface EMG signals were sampled continuously. Complexity and fractal scaling of torque were quantified by calculating approximate entropy (ApEn), sample entropy (SampEn) and the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) scaling exponent α. Fresh submaximal contractions were more complex than maximal contractions (mean ± SEM, submaximal vs. maximal: ApEn 0.65 ± 0.09 vs. 0.15 ± 0.02; SampEn 0.62 ± 0.09 vs. 0.14 ± 0.02; DFA α 1.35 ± 0.04 vs. 1.55 ± 0.03; all P < 0.005). Fatigue reduced the complexity of submaximal contractions (ApEn to 0.24 ± 0.05; SampEn to 0.22 ± 0.04; DFA α to 1.55 ± 0.03; all P < 0.005) and maximal contractions (ApEn to 0.10 ± 0.02; SampEn to 0.10 ± 0.02; DFA α to 1.63 ± 0.02; all P < 0.01). This loss of complexity and shift towards Brownian‐like noise suggests that as well as reducing the capacity to produce torque, fatigue reduces the neuromuscular system's adaptability to external perturbations.
Numerical Analysis of Flow Over the NASA Common Research Model Using the Academic Computational Fluid Dynamics Code Galatea
Authors: Lygidakis Georgios N. , Nikolos Ioannis K.
Published: February 2015

A recently developed academic computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, named Galatea, is used for the computational study of fully turbulent flow over the NASA common research model (CRM) in a wing-body configuration with and without horizontal tail. A brief description of code's methodology is included, while attention is mainly directed toward the accurate and efficient prediction of pressure distribution on wings' surfaces as well as of computation of lift and drag forces against different angles of attack, using an h-refinement approach and a parallel agglomeration multigrid scheme. The obtained numerical results compare close with both the experimental wind tunnel data and those of reference solvers.
Energy Harvesting Using an Array of Granules
Authors: Li Kaiyuan , Rizzo Piervincenzo
Published: February 2015

In the last decade, there has been an increasing attention on the use of highly and weakly nonlinear solitary waves in engineering and physics. These waves can form and travel in nonlinear systems such as one-dimensional chains of particles. One engineering application of solitary waves is the fabrication of acoustic lenses, which are employed in a variety of fields ranging from biomedical imaging and surgery to defense systems and damage detection. In this paper, we propose to couple an acoustic lens to a wafer-type lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducer to harvest energy from the vibration of an object tapping the lens. The lens consists of an ordered array of spherical particles in contact with a polycarbonate material where the nonlinear waves become linear and coalesce ideally into a focal point. The transducer located at the designed focal point converts the mechanical energy carried by the stress waves into electricity to power a load resistor. The performance of the designed harvester is compared to a conventional nonoptimized cantilever beam, and the experimental results show that the power generated with the nonlinear lens has the same order of magnitude of the beam.
Linking Energy Levels in the Circadian Core Body Temperature Cycle to Human Health and Well-Being
Authors: Vincent Wong Kaufui
Published: February 2015

The body core temperature is a measure of the health and well-being of a person. This temperature seldom varies from the average of 37 °C (98.6 °F) and has been used to gage a person’s wellness at any time. The current work reviews the published health and medical works about this topic, focusing on the effects of hypothermia, especially with respect to neurological issues. The controversy still exists, and the jury is out. A heat transfer researcher’s insight foresees the possible results and calls for more research in the field. In addition, a perspective is provided for a couple of traditional “truths” about related topics that have been challenged in recent times.
Energy is Key to Shape of Commercial Flights in the Future
Authors: Vincent Wong Kaufui
Published: February 2015

Compared to military flight, speed, maneuverability, and stealth are not of foremost importance in consideration for commercial flights planned for the future. Increased laminar flow over the wings, a power source that is renewable and affordable, together with greater passenger safety, seems to be the top design considerations. Manned solar flight, which has already been demonstrated for short hauls, has already succeeded. The success and future of solar-powered flight for the flying public depends on research and development in this area. The inspiration from flight record breakers like Steve Fossett and solar-powered flight pioneers like Piccard and Borschberg should not be underestimated. They have put mechanical and aerospace engineers again at the forefront of the aircraft industry.
RobustH-Infinity Control for a Premium Pricing Model With a Predefined Portfolio Strategy
Authors: Pantelous Athanasios A. , Yang Lin
Published: February 2015

In this paper, the robust H-infinity (H∞) control problem for a premium pricing process is investigated with parameters uncertainty. A previous model is modified by taking into account a predefined risky investment strategy. A robust H∞ control problem for the reserve process is proposed using linear matrix inequality (LMI) criteria. Attention is focused on the design of a state feedback controller such that the resulting closed-loop system is robustly stochastically stable with disturbance attenuation level γ>0. Finally, a numerical example with colorful figures and tables based on the data from the Shanghai Stock Exchange market is provided illustrating clearly the impact of risky investment in the system. The MATLAB LMI Control toolbox is used for the numerical calculations.
2MW Class High Efficiency Gas Turbine IM270 for Co-Generation Plants
Authors: Kobayashi Hideo , Tsugumi Shogo , Yonezawa Yoshio , Imamura Riuzou
Published: February 2015

IHI is developing a new heavy duty gas turbine engine for 2MW class co-generation plants, which is called IM270. This engine is a simple cycle and single-spool gas turbine engine. Target thermal efficiency is the higher level in the same class engines. A dry low NOx combustion system has been developed to clear the strictest emission regulation in Japan. All parts of the IM270 are designed with long life for low maintenance cost. It is planned that the IM270 will be applied to a dual fluid system, emergency generation plant, machine drive engine and so on, as shown in Fig.1.

The development program of IM270 for the co-generation plant is progress. The first prototype engine test has been started. It has been confirmed that the mechanical design and the dry low NOx system are practical. The component tuning test is being executed. On the other hand, the component test is concurrently in progress. The first production engine is being manufactured to execute the endurance test using a co-generation plant at the IHI Kure factory.

This paper provides the conceptual design and status of the IM270 basic engine development program.
A Test Rig for the Realization of Water Recovery in a Steam-Injected Gas Turbine
Authors: Wen Xueyou , Zou Jiguo , Fu Zheng , Yu Shikang , Li Lingbo
Published: February 2015

Steam-injected gas turbines have a multitude of advantages, but they suffer from the inability to recover precious demineralized water. The present paper describes the test conditions and results of steam injection along with an attempt to achieve water recovery, which were obtained through a series of tests conducted on a S1A-02 small-sized industrial gas turbine. A water recovery device incorporating a compact finned spiral plate cooling condenser equipped with filter screens has been designed for the said gas turbine and a 100% water recovery (based on the design point) was attained.
The Reduction of Low Frequency Gas Turbine Exhaust Noise: A Case Study
Authors: Lucas William C. , Hessler George F.
Published: February 2015

A well reported, industry-wide problem with simple cycle peaking gas turbines installed near residences is excessive low frequency airborne noise, sometimes termed “infrasound.” If the noise level is high enough, it can cause perceptible vibration of windows and frame buildings, and provoke an adverse response from the community. Such a situation recently occurred after construction of a four unit GT 11N1 peaking station. A team of specialists and outside consultants was formed to investigate the problem, and a development program found that a thick absorber could be effective against infrasound. This led to the design of a thick panel absorber which was installed at the rear of a 90 degree turn in the exhaust system. Field testing verified that the low frequency noise from the turbine exhaust was reduced by 5.9 and 6.7 dB in the 31.5 and 63 Hz octave bands respectively, and by 5.5 dB(C) overall.