bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Linda Babcock: Go‐getter and Do‐gooder
Authors: Bazerman Max H. , Bohnet Iris , Bowles Hannah Riley , Loewenstein George
Published: April 2018

In this tribute to the 2007 recipient of the winner of the Jeffrey Z. Rubin Theory‐To‐Practice Award from the International Association for Conflict Management (IACM), we celebrate Linda Babcock's contributions to diverse lines of research, her tireless and effective efforts to put the insights of her research into practice, and at a personal level, the impact she has had on each of our lives. Innovative ideas and novel methods have been the hallmarks of Linda's research on diverse topics: the impact of self‐serving conceptions of fairness on negotiations, the labor supply behavior of cab drivers, the impact of damage caps on settlements, the propensity of men and women to initiate negotiations, and the readiness of each gender to volunteer for, and work on, “nonpromotable tasks.” Linda won this award, however, not only for her path‐breaking academic research, but for her interest in and ability to convert it into actionable initiatives. From founding the Program for Research and Outreach on Gender Equity in Society (PROGRESS), whose mission is to develop tools to teach women and girls how to harness the power of negotiation, to her leadership of the Carnegie Mellon Leadership and Negotiation Academy for Women, Linda shows how academics can play a leading role in translating theory into practice.
Role of lactoferrin and lactoferrin‐derived peptides in oral and maxillofacial diseases
Authors: Velliyagounder K , Bahdila D , Pawar S , Fine DH
Published: April 2018

The oral cavity harbors different taxonomic groups, the evolutionary coexistence of which develops the oral ecosystem. These resident microorganisms can alter the balance between the physiologic and pathologic conditions that affect the host, both locally and systemically. This highly sophisticated nature of the oral cavity poses a significant therapeutic challenge. Numerous human and animal studies have been conducted to potentiate the efficacy and competence of current treatments of pathologic conditions as well as to develop novel therapeutic modalities. One of these studies is the use of the potent antimicrobial agent lactoferrin (LF), which was originally derived from the host immune system. LF is an 80‐kDa glycoprotein that has a free iron sequestration mechanism with evident antimicrobial, anti‐tumor, and immunomodulatory properties. A wide range of active peptides have been isolated from the N‐terminal region of LF, which possess antimicrobial activities. In this review, we discuss the role of LF and LF‐derived peptides under a heterogeneous group of oral and maxillofacial conditions, including bacterial, fungal, viral infections; head and neck cancers; xerostomia; and implantology‐bone‐related manifestations.
Analysis of tofu‐related traits by a bench‐scale tofu production method and their relationship with agronomic traits in European soybean
Authors: Kurasch Alena K. , Hahn Volker , Miersch Martin , Bachteler Kristina , Würschum Tobias
Published: April 2018

European tofu manufacturers are becoming more and more interested in locally grown soybeans. A prerequisite for the development of European tofu cultivars is to improve our understanding of how the environment and genetics affect soymilk and tofu quality, as well as how quality and agronomic traits are correlated. This study was based on 215 recombinant inbred lines derived from two populations and grown at three locations that were evaluated for tofu traits in a bench‐scale tofu laboratory. The heritabilities of most of the evaluated tofu traits were moderately high with h2 > 0.6. We observed significant genotypic variance components, but an even stronger contribution of the location. The network analysis of the evaluated traits was population‐dependent; however, the tofu traits were not associated with any of the agronomic traits. Collectively, our results indicate the potential to improve tofu‐related traits in European soybean. The bench‐scale tofu production method provides a valuable tool to test soybean lines in breeding programmes; however, the method needs to be further improved and automated to minimize errors due to the laboratory staff.
Yield stability studies of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) under rhizobia inoculation in the savanna region of Nigeria
Authors: Tolorunse Kehinde D. , Gana Andrew S. , Bala Abdullahi , Sangodele Emmanuel A.
Published: April 2018

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) production is expanding into temperate and tropical environments. Yield stability studies under rhizobia inoculation were investigated in 24 soybean genotypes over two successive growing seasons at three agro‐ecological zone of Nigeria, during the 2015–2016 rainy seasons. Treatments were arranged in a split‐plot design and replicated three times. Treatments were 24 soybean genotypes and three levels of rhizobia inoculation. Results indicated that the variation of genotypes and inoculation on percentage emergence, height, number of leaves, number of branches per plant, total biomass yield, above‐ground biomass and seed yield was significant (p = .05). The effects of genotypes (G), environment (E) and G × E interactions on seed yield were also significant. Two soybean genotypes (TGx 1989‐45F and TGx 1990‐110FN) were identified as the most promising in relation to yield stability. Of the three locations, Abuja produced the least interaction effects followed by Igabi and may be most appropriate environments for large‐scale soybean production. Appropriate inoculation of soybean with inoculants (LegumeFix and or NoduMax) should be encouraged in farmer's field.
Pyoderma gangrenosum in an infant: A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Crouse Lauren , McShane Diana , Morrell Dean S. , Wu Eveline Y.
Published: April 2018

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a neutrophilic dermatosis that is rare in infancy, with only 20 cases reported in the literature. We present a case of infantile pyoderma gangrenosum refractory to topical steroids, tacrolimus, and dapsone as well as systemic steroids and infliximab that is currently well controlled with the addition of oral tacrolimus. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the effective, safe use of oral tacrolimus in combination with infliximab for infantile pyoderma gangrenosum. We review all current cases of infantile pyoderma gangrenosum, as well as tacrolimus and its role in the treatment of this condition.
Atypical aluminium patch tests in children with persistent itching postvaccinal nodules
Authors: Raison‐Peyron Nadia , Genillier‐Foin Nathalie , Bessis Didier , Milpied Brigitte
Published: April 2018

Persistent itching nodules related to aluminium‐adsorbed vaccines are well known in children with frequent positive patch tests to aluminium when tested. We report two cases of children with persistent postvaccination nodules who presented with atypical eruptions after aluminium patch tests.
Bibbidi bobbidi bald: Two “hairowing” tales of Princess Package hairstyles
Authors: Zimmerman Bree , Ivars Marta , Cordoro Kelly M.
Published: April 2018

We present cases of localized alopecia on the vertex scalp of two girls after elaborate professional hairstyling marketed as the “Princess Package” at a major U.S. theme park. Localized alopecia followed pain, erythema, and delayed crusting due to necrosis of the scalp. The majority of the affected alopecic areas had evidence of regrowth at interval follow‐up, but small areas of scarring alopecia remained. We propose that these cases represent a type of alopecia caused by a combination of pressure ischemia and acute traction alopecia.
Seed dispersal in the mycoheterotrophic orchid Yoania japonica: Further evidence for endozoochory by camel crickets
Authors: Suetsugu K.
Published: April 2018

Although orthopterans are rarely considered to be effective seed dispersal agents, the large flightless crickets known as ‘weta’ have been suggested to function as ecological replacements for small mammals in New Zealand, where such mammals are absent. In addition, a recent study reported that camel crickets mediate seed dispersal of several heterotrophic plants, including Yoania amagiensis in Japan.

I investigated the seed dispersal mechanism of Yoania japonica because the fruit morphology is similar to Y. amagiensis. Specifically, I aimed to determine whether Y. japonica fruits are consumed by camel crickets and, if so, whether the seeds defecated by camel crickets remains intact, by checking seed viability with TTC staining, and whether germination rate is different between seeds collected directly from fruits and defecated seeds by comparing in situ seed germinability.

The present study provides evidence that camel crickets function as seed dispersal agents of Y. japonica. Camel crickets were important consumers of Y. japonica fruits, and a substantial portion of the consumed seeds remained viable after passing through the digestive tract. In situ seed germination experiments revealed that the seeds defecated by camel crickets actually germinated in the field. In addition, the germination rate of defecated seeds was even higher than that of intact seeds, although the difference was not significant.

Taken together with recent reports of insect‐mediated endozoochory, such a seed dispersal system may be common in plants with fleshy indehiscent fruits and small seeds, even in locations where other seed dispersal agents are present.
Does Policy Learning Meet the Standards of an Analytical Framework of the Policy Process?
Authors: Dunlop Claire A. , Radaelli Claudio M.
Published: April 2018

Reference to policy learning is commonplace in the public policy literature but the question of whether it qualifies as an analytical framework applicable to the policy process has yet to be systematically addressed. We therefore appraise learning as analytical framework in relation to four standards: assumptions and micro‐foundations, conceptual apparatus, observable implications, normative applications. We find that policy learning meets the four standards, although its theoretical leverage varies across them. Since we are not aware of theories of the policy process that meet all of these standards all the time, we conclude that policy learning fares reasonably well and it's worth investing intellectual resources in this field.
Biblical and ancient Near Eastern law
Authors: Barmash Pamela
Published: April 2018

Biblical law has had a profound influence on Western culture, but it must be understood in its historical context. It arose in the context of the tradition of Mesopotamian law, where scribes exhibited their flair for justice by writing statutes on a repertoire of traditional cases, of which the most outstanding example is the Laws of Hammurabi. Rarely did legal texts explicitly discuss legal principles. Three collections of formal legal statutes are found in the Hebrew Bible. The Book of the Covenant is most like Mesopotamian law in dealing with disputes arising in an agrarian society. The priestly law consists of two sources, the priestly source that aims at protecting the welfare of the people by the performance of sacred rituals and the Holiness source that seeks to sanctify the everyday activities of the people. Deuteronomy aims at ritual and social reforms. Among the most debated issues in scholarship today is biblical law's view of women.
Export performance of developing countries: Does landlockedness matter?
Authors: Paudel Ramesh C. , Cooray Arusha
Published: April 2018

Landlockedness imposes additional costs on trade and reduces international competitiveness. This paper examines the determinants of export performance in developing countries, within a comparative perspective of landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and non‐landlocked developing countries, by using a standard gravity modeling framework. The study covers data from 1995 to 2015. The results suggest that despite recent trade policy reforms, the overall export performance of LLDCs is lower than that of non‐landlocked developing countries due to the inherent additional trade costs associated with landlockedness. The conventional wisdom that export performance is aided by economic openness also applies to LLDCs, but distance‐related trade costs have a greater negative impact on exports from LLDCs than on other developing countries. The immediate trade policy challenge for LLDCs is therefore to create a more trade‐friendly environment by lowering tariffs, reforming exchange rates and entering into regional trade agreements.
Mortality and nursing home placement of dementia patients in rural and urban areas: a cohort study from the Swedish Dementia Registry
Authors: Roheger Mandy , Zupanic Eva , Kåreholt Ingemar , Religa Dorota , Kalbe Elke , Eriksdotter Maria , Garcia‐Ptacek Sara
Published: April 2018

Background

Life in rural and urban areas differs in regard to social support and health care. Our aim was to examine the association between nursing home placement and survival of patients with dementia living in urban vs. rural areas.

Methods

We performed a longitudinal cohort study of patients with dementia at time of diagnosis (n = 58 154) and at first follow‐up (n = 21 522) including patients registered from 2007 through 2014 in the Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem). Descriptive statistics are shown. Odds ratios with 95% CI are presented for nursing home placement and hazard ratios for survival analysis.

Results

In age‐ and sex‐adjusted analyses, patients living in urban areas were more likely to be in nursing homes at the time of dementia diagnosis than patients in rural areas (1.49, 95% CI: 1.29–1.73). However, there were no differences in rural vs urban areas in either survival after dementia diagnosis (urban: 0.99, 0.95‐1.04, intermediate: 1.00, 0.96–1.04), or nursing home placement at first follow‐up (urban: 1.00, 0.88–1.13; intermediate: 0.95, 0.85–1.06).

Conclusion

Persons with dementia living in rural areas are less likely to live in a nursing home than their urban counterparts at the time of dementia diagnosis, but these differences disappear by the time of first follow‐up. Differences in access to nursing homes between urban and rural settings could explain these findings. Results should be considered in the future healthcare decisions to ensure equality of health care across rural and urban areas.
Modelling uncertainty and response styles in ordinal data
Authors: Simone Rosaria , Tutz Gerhard
Published: April 2018

Mixture models for ordinal responses in the tradition of cub  models use the uniform distribution to account for uncertainty of respondents. A model is proposed that uses more flexible distributions in the uncertainty component: the discretized Beta distribution allows to account for response styles, in particular the preference for middle or extreme categories. The proposal is compared with traditional cub  models in simulation studies and its use is illustrated by two applications.
The truth about the effective dimension
Authors: Eilers Paul H. C.
Published: April 2018

The effective dimension of a model is a useful measure of its complexity. In linear models, the trace of the so‐called hat matrix is a convenient choice. It has strong links to variance estimation in mixed models, and it suggests straightforward partial effective dimensions for additive model components. Efron (2004) casts doubt on the trace of the hat matrix and advocates an alternative definition of the effective dimension, based on a covariance formula. Unfortunately, he uses the robust lowess smoother, which is strongly nonlinear. This blurs the issue and invalidates his conclusions. I show that the problems disappear if a linear smoother is being used. The computation of the trace of the hat matrix is much more efficient than using the covariance formula, which needs bootstrapping.
Relative error prediction in nonparametric deconvolution regression model
Authors: Thiam Baba
Published: April 2018

In this paper, we studied an alternative estimator of the regression function when the covariates are observed with error. It is based on the minimization of the relative mean squared error. We obtain expressions for its asymptotic bias and variance together with an asymptotic normality result. Our technique is illustrated on simulation studies. Numerical results suggest that the studied estimator can lead to tangible improvements in prediction over the usual kernel deconvolution regression estimator, particularly in the presence of several outliers in the dataset.
Statistical modelling of cell movement
Authors: Giurghita Diana , Husmeier Dirk
Published: April 2018

Collective cell movement affects vital biological processes in the human organism such as wound healing, immune response, and cancer metastasis. A better understanding of the mechanisms driving cell movement is then essential for the advancement of medical treatments. In this paper, we demonstrate how the unscented Kalman filter, a technique used extensively in engineering in the context of filtering, can be applied to estimate random or directed cell movement. Our proposed model, formulated using stochastic differential equations, is fitted on data describing the movement of Dictyostelium cells, an amoeba routinely used as a proxy for eukaryotic cell movement.
The sparse method of simulated quantiles: An application to portfolio optimization
Authors: Stolfi Paola , Bernardi Mauro , Petrella Lea
Published: April 2018

The sparse multivariate method of simulated quantiles (S‐MMSQ) is applied to solve a portfolio optimization problem under value‐at‐risk constraints where the joint returns follow a multivariate skew‐elliptical stable distribution. The S‐MMSQ is a simulation‐based method that is particularly useful for making parametric inference in some pathological situations where the maximum likelihood estimator is difficult to compute. The method estimates parameters by minimizing the distance between quantile‐based statistics evaluated on true and synthetic data, simulated from the postulated model, penalized by adding the smoothly clipped absolute deviation ℓ1‐penalty in order to achieve sparsity. The S‐MMSQ aims to efficiently handle the problem of estimating large‐dimensional distributions with intractable likelihood, such as the stable distributions that have been widely applied in finance to model financial returns.
Abundance and depth stratification of soil arthropods as influenced by tillage regimes in a sandy loam soil
Authors: Xin X. L. , Yang W. L. , Zhu Q. G. , Zhang X. F. , Zhu A. N. , Zhang J. B.
Published: April 2018

Different tillage regimes can change soil micro‐environmental characteristics, which may influence the distribution and abundance of soil arthropods. In this study, soil arthropods and soil properties under a winter wheat–summer maize cropping system were investigated in different tillage regimes over four seasons at two depths. The tillage treatments included conventional tillage (CT), tillage once a year (T1), tillage every two years (T2) and no‐tillage (NT). The results showed that the primary taxa of soil arthropod were Acarina (65.8%), Collembola (28.5%), Diplura (1.4%) and Coleoptera (1%) over the whole sampling period. The total arthropod density was influenced by tillage treatments and season of sampling. Values for CT plots were significantly greater than those for the NT plots in autumn and spring. In contrast, the Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H’) and the evenness index (J) were relatively higher in CT treatment. The Acarina/Collembola (A/C) ratio was significantly smaller in NT treatment for some sampling seasons as mites were more sensitive to tillage practices. The QBS‐ar index did not show a clear pattern among treatments in this study. Soil arthropods notably showed seasonal variation in depth stratification. Relative to CT, the total soil arthropods in the NT plots tended to concentrate in the upper layer due to soil compaction in the lower layer. The climate conditions and soil physical properties were the main factors affecting the soil arthropod distribution and composition, as the soil chemical and microbial properties did not differ significantly among all tillage treatments.
Frontiers in Residential Segregation: Understanding Neighbourhood Boundaries and Their Impacts
Authors: Dean Nema , Dong Guanpeng , Piekut Aneta , Pryce Gwilym
Published: April 2018

‘Social frontiers’ – places of sharp difference in social/ethnic characteristics between neighbouring communities – have largely been overlooked in quantitative research. Advancing this nascent field first requires a way of identifying social frontiers in a robust way. Such frontiers may be ‘open’ – an area may contrast sharply with a neighbourhood in one direction, but blend smoothly into adjacent neighbourhoods in other directions. This poses some formidable methodological challenges, particularly when computing inference for the existence of a social frontier, an important goal if one is to distinguish true frontiers from random variation. We develop a new approach using Bayesian spatial statistical methods that permit asymmetries in spatial effects and allow for spatial autocorrelation in the data. We illustrate our method using data on Sheffield and find clear evidence of ‘open’ frontiers. Permutations tests and Poisson regressions with fixed effects reveal compelling evidence that social frontiers are associated with higher rates of crime.
A taxonomy of quality assessment methods for volunteered and crowdsourced geographic information
Authors: Degrossi Lívia Castro , Porto de Albuquerque João , Santos Rocha Roberto dos , Zipf Alexander
Published: April 2018

The growing use of crowdsourced geographic information (CGI) has prompted the employment of several methods for assessing information quality, which are aimed at addressing concerns on the lack of quality of the information provided by non‐experts. In this work, we propose a taxonomy of methods for assessing the quality of CGI when no reference data are available, which is likely to be the most common situation in practice. Our taxonomy includes 11 quality assessment methods that were identified by means of a systematic literature review. These methods are described in detail, including their main characteristics and limitations. This taxonomy not only provides a systematic and comprehensive account of the existing set of methods for CGI quality assessment, but also enables researchers working on the quality of CGI in various sources (e.g., social media, crowd sensing, collaborative mapping) to learn from each other, thus opening up avenues for future work that combines and extends existing methods into new application areas and domains.
Regimen durability in HIV‐infected children and adolescents initiating first‐line antiretroviral therapy in a large public sector HIV cohort in South Africa
Authors: Bonawitz Rachael , Brennan Alana T. , Long Lawrence , Heeren Timothy , Maskew Mhairi , Sanne Ian , Fox Matthew P.
Published: April 2018

Introduction

In April 2010, tenofovir and abacavir replaced stavudine in public sector first‐line antiretroviral therapy (ART) for children under 20 years old in South Africa. The association of both abacavir and tenofovir with fewer side effects and toxicities compared to stavudine could translate to increased durability of tenofovir or abacavir‐based regimens. We evaluated changes over time in regimen durability for paediatric patients 3–19 years of age at eight public sector clinics in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Methods

Cohort analysis of treatment‐naïve, non‐pregnant paediatric patients from 3 to 19 years old initiated on ART between April 2004 and December 2013. First‐line ART regimens before April 2010 consisted of stavudine or zidovudine with lamivudine and either efavirenz or nevirapine. Tenofovir and/or abacavir was substituted for stavudine after April 2010 in first‐line ART. We evaluated the frequency and type of single‐drug substitutions, treatment interruptions and switches to second‐line therapy. Fine and Gray competing risk regression models were used to evaluate the association of antiretroviral drug type with single‐drug substitutions, treatment interruptions and second‐line switches in the first 24 months on treatment.

Results

Three hundred and ninety‐eight (15.3%) single‐drug substitutions, 187 (7.2%) treatment interruptions and 86 (3.3%) switches to second‐line therapy occurred among 2602 paediatric patients over 24‐months on ART. Overall, the rate of single‐drug substitutions started to increase in 2009, peaked in 2011 at 25% and then declined to 10% in 2013, well after the integration of tenofovir into paediatric regimens; no patients over the age of 3 were initiated on abacavir for first‐line therapy. Competing risk regression models showed patients on zidovudine or stavudine had upwards of a fivefold increase in single‐drug substitution vs. patients initiated on tenofovir in the first 24 months on ART. Older adolescents also had a two‐ to threefold increase in treatment interruptions and switches to second‐line therapy compared to younger patients in the first 24 months on ART.

Conclusions

The decline in single‐drug substitutions is associated with the introduction of tenofovir. Tenofovir use could improve regimen durability and treatment outcomes in resource‐limited settings.
Late sampling for automated culture to extend the platelet shelf life to 5 days in Germany
Authors: Vollmer Tanja , Dabisch‐Ruthe Mareike , Weinstock Melanie , Knabbe Cornelius , Dreier Jens
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND

Bacterial contamination of platelet concentrates (PCs) is still a major challenge in transfusion medicine. Different methodologic concepts and screening strategies have been developed and investigated concerning their usability. We evaluated the feasibility of BacT/ALERT automated culture (BacT/A, bioMérieux) with late sampling after 3 days at the earliest.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Twenty‐four bacterial strains isolated from PCs and six relevant strains from reference stocks were spiked into apheresis‐derived PCs (10‐60 colony‐forming units [CFU]/bag). Sampling was performed after 3 days, and bacterial detection was investigated using the two detection methods (BacT/A and BactiFlow [BF], bioMérieux). The maximum time‐to‐result of BacT/A was set to less than 12 hours.

RESULTS

All medium‐ or high‐pathogenic strains are capable of proliferating to high titers, and 100% of contaminated samples were detected by BF and BacT/A (6 to ≤12 h incubation); lower detection rates of BacT/A were obtained within 6 hours of incubation (≤6 h: 76.2‐93.4%). The majority of low‐pathogenic isolates are also capable of growing in PCs (89.7%), showing a detection rate of 74.3% for BF versus 54.3% for BacT/A (6 to ≤12 h incubation). BacT/A failed to detect bacteria within 6 hours of incubation. Certainly, a small number of strains did not grow under PC storage conditions and were detectable by BacT/A only with increased detection times.

CONCLUSIONS

Late sampling after 3 days at the earliest, combined with reduced BacT/A incubation following the negative‐to‐date concept, offer an alternative opportunity to extend the shelf life of PCs from 4 to 5 days in Germany. The sensitivity of BacT/A with late sampling is nearly comparable to BF; the time‐to‐result is considerably longer.
Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry analysis of 36 blood group alleles among 396 Thai samples reveals region‐specific variants
Authors: Jongruamklang Philaiphon , Gassner Christoph , Meyer Stefan , Kummasook Aksarakorn , Darlison Marion , Boonlum Chayanun , Chanta Surin , Frey Beat M. , Olsson Martin L. , Storry Jill R.
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND

Blood group phenotype variation has been attributed to potential resistance to pathogen invasion. Variation was mapped in blood donors from Lampang (northern region) and Saraburi (central region), Thailand, where malaria is endemic. The previously unknown blood group allele profiles were characterized and the data were correlated with phenotypes. The high incidence of the Vel‐negative phenotype previously reported in Thais was investigated.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

DNA from 396 blood donors was analyzed by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization–time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Outliers were investigated by serology and DNA sequencing. Allele discrimination assays for SMIM1 rs1175550A/G and ACKR1 rs118062001C/T were performed and correlated with antigen expression.

RESULTS

All samples were phenotyped for Rh, MNS, and K. Genotyping/phenotyping for RhD, K, and S/s showed 100% concordance. Investigation of three RHCE outliers revealed an e‐variant antigen encoded by RHCE*02.22. Screening for rs147357308 (RHCE c.667T) revealed a frequency of 3.3%. MN typing discrepancies in 41 samples revealed glycophorin variants, of which 40 of 41 were due to Mia. Nine samples (2.3%) were heterozygous for FY*01W.01 (c.265C > T), and six samples (1.5%) were heterozygous for JK*02N.01. All samples were wildtype SMIM1 homozygotes with 97% homozygosity for rs1175550A.

CONCLUSIONS

Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization–time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry is an efficient method for rapid routine genotyping and investigation of outliers identified novel variation among our samples. The expected high prevalence of the Mi(a+) phenotype was observed from both regions. Of potential clinical relevance in a region where transfusion‐dependent thalassemia is common, we identified two RHCE*02 alleles known to encode an e‐variant antigen.
International competition, returns to skill and labour market adjustment
Authors: Falvey Rod , Greenaway David , Silva Joana
Published: April 2018

Does increased import competition lead to higher returns to skill within an industry and, therefore, to greater incentives for skill acquisition? Does it also induce skill upgrading by the industry's existing workforce? To answer these questions, we follow individual workers across skills/occupations, firms and industries using a longitudinal matched employer–employee data set covering virtually all workers and firms in Portugal over the 1986–2000 period. To identify the effects of international competition, we use two exogenous measures at the industry level. First, a quasi‐natural experiment based on the strong appreciation of the Portuguese currency in 1989–92 period and pre‐existing differences in trade exposure across industries in a differences‐in‐differences estimation. Second, source‐weighted real exchange rates defined at the industry level. Based on both empirical strategies, and on two different skill definitions, we show that international competition increases returns to skill and induces skill/occupation upgrading within an industry.
A life's work on trade and development
Authors: Greenaway David , Morrissey Oliver
Published: April 2018

This paper reflects on the career contributions of Professor Chris Milner to the literature on international trade and economic development. As such, it not only provides an overview of a life's work, but also sets the context for the nine papers which follow. All of these were specially written for this Special Issue of The World Economy, and all relate to different areas that Professor Milner worked in.
Linguistic equilibrium with local and world languages: Challenges of globalisation
Authors: Davydov Denis , Shapoval Alexander , Weber Shlomo
Published: April 2018

In this paper we introduce a model of a society with two distinct linguistic groups, each consisting of heterogeneous individuals speaking their native language. There is also a world language so that every individual is faced with four learning choices: to study the other local language only, to study the world language only, to study both, and to refrain from studying either language. We examine the Nash equilibiria of that game determined by communicative benefits (Selten & Pool), and address inefficiency of the equilibrium. We then show that government subsidies for language learning could serve as welfare‐enhancing policies. Finally, we analyze the three‐language policy, certain variants of which have been adopted in multilingual countries or regions.
Harmonisation and globalisation of intellectual property culture
Authors: Naghavi Alireza , Prarolo Giovanni
Published: April 2018

This paper explores the relationship between the two sides of intellectual property culture in an international context, namely the harmonisation of its protection and the globalisation of its creation. To this end, we explore the role of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection in the recent surge in the internationalisation of patents that originates from the newly emerging economies. The aim is to capture the outreach of the Northern intellectual property culture to the South and the South–North globalisation of the resulting intellectual property that emerges in the South. Global bilateral patent data are used to investigate the location specificity of IPR enforcement for the emergence of this phenomenon. We find that the harmonisation of IPR protection encourages foreign‐patenting activities of Southern innovators. Our findings suggest that a global convergence of IPR protection can stimulate the production and the internationalisation of intellectual property in the South. As the North and the South grow closer in terms of levels of development, a harmonised institutional structure becomes more adequate as they increasingly share similar markets.
Exporting creative and cultural products: Birthplace diversity matters!
Authors: Orefice Gianluca , Santoni Gianluca
Published: April 2018

This paper analyses the effect of birthplace diversity on exports of creative and cultural goods, for 19 OECD countries, over the period 1990–2010. By matching UNESCO's creative and cultural exports classification to trade and migration data, we find a strong positive effect of birthplace diversity on the export of creative products. In particular, a 10% increase in the birthplace diversity index implies a 4% increase in creative goods exports. These results are robust across several specifications and shed light on a potential new channel through which migrants can contribute to the host country's export performance. It is interesting to note that only diversity of secondary and tertiary educated immigrants contributes to an increase in exports of creative and cultural goods. An instrumental variables approach addresses the potential endogeneity problems and confirms our results.
A novel herpesvirus associated with chronic superficial keratitis and proliferative conjunctivitis in a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)
Authors: Gleeson Molly D. , Moore Bret A. , Edwards Sydney G. , Stevens Sarah , Childress April L. , Wellehan James F.X. , Robertson Jessica , Murphy Christopher J. , Hawkins Michelle G. , Paul‐Murphy Joanne
Published: April 2018

An adult great‐horned owl (Bubo virginianus; GHOW) presented with a history of recurrent corneal ulceration of the right eye (OD). Findings included ulcerative superficial keratitis, proliferative conjunctivitis, and iris pigmentary changes. The ulcer was initially nonresponsive to medical therapy, but showed rapid and appropriate healing following diamond burr debridement. Proliferative conjunctivitis markedly improved following topical antiviral therapy with cidofovir 1%, interferon alpha 2B ophthalmic solutions, and oral l‐lysine. Histopathologic evaluation of a conjunctival biopsy revealed epithelial features suspicious for viral cytopathic changes and intranuclear structures suspicious for viral inclusions, suggestive of a possible viral‐induced papillomatous conjunctivitis. A novel alphaherpesvirus, referred to as Strigid Herpesvirus 1 (StrHV1), was identified using PCR and gene sequencing. This case represents a new clinical manifestation of a previously unreported herpesvirus in the GHOW. Identification of the herpes virus was critical to administration of appropriate therapy and resolution of the conjunctivitis, and corneal epithelial debridement promoted resolution of the chronic corneal epithelial defect.
Factors affecting publication in peer‐reviewed journals of abstracts presented from 2008 to 2012 ACVO meetings
Authors: Bentley Ellison , Koester Megan , Bdolah‐Abram Tali , Yair Nadav , Ofri Ron
Published: April 2018

Purpose

To examine variables that affect publication of ACVO meeting abstracts in peer‐reviewed journals and compare results to ECVO publication rate (PR).

Methods

Published papers were identified via online searches for abstracts from 2008 to 2012 ACVO/ECVO meetings. Variables analyzed (via Pearson's chi‐Squared test) included the following: oral presentation/poster, type of abstract (clinical/basic science/case report), species, ocular tissue, nationality, funding, first/last/any author a diplomate, resident as first author, and author affiliation (private practice/university).

Results

One hundred and eighty‐six of 577 ACVO abstracts were published within 608 ± 479 days, with 103 published in Veterinary Ophthalmology. Significant factors included the following: nationality of first/last authors (P = .005); English as first language (P < .001); presentation type (P < .001, oral 40% PR, poster 22% PR); type of study (P = .037, clinical study 35% PR, basic science 30% PR, case report 16% PR); resident as first author (P < .001); diplomate as any author except first/last (P < .001); first author affiliation (P = .001, university 37% PR, practice 21% PR); last author affiliation (P = .003, university 36% PR, practice 22% PR); and species (P < .001, horses 53% PR, multiple species 50% PR, cats 35% PR, food animals 31% PR, exotics/wildlife 31% PR, dogs 27% PR, laboratory animals/in vitro 24%). Nonsignificant factors were as follows: diplomate as first/last author, funding, and ocular tissue. Presentation type, resident as first author, university affiliation of first author, and species had the greatest effect on publication probability. For the same period, ECVO PR was 87 of 299, which was not significantly different from ACVO PR (P = .342).

Conclusion

At 32%, ACVO PR for the study years is similar to ECVO PR of 29%.
What are the special issues for young donors?
Authors: Tan H. H. , Alcantara R. M.
Published: April 2018

Blood donation is safe but not completely free of risks. International studies have shown that adverse donor reactions are more common in young, first‐time donors. There are also some concerns that they may be more prone to iron deficiency due to physiological needs and loss due to blood donation. This study aims to discuss these two issues among the young donors. Literatures search from international journals and local studies on donor haemovigilance data and donor deferral statistics of young donors were studied. Vasovagal reaction (VVR) is the most common blood donation‐related adverse reaction. It may occur during process of blood collection or after donor has left the premises. Both physiological and psychological factors may play a part in the development of VVRs. Data from local and international studies have consistently shown that VVRs are inversely correlated with donor age, and young donors are more susceptible to VVR. First‐time donor status, donors with smaller estimated blood volume and low blood pressure are more likely to develop VVR. VVRs may be precipitated by anxiety or fears. Teenagers have higher daily iron requirements for body growth. Young females are even more vulnerable to iron deficiency because of the additional menstrual loss. Low haemoglobin is one of the commonest deferral reasons for young donors. It is essential for blood services to put in more effort in donor educations and measures to ensure that young donors, particularly the first‐time donors, remain in good health.
Intercomparison of three methods to estimate evapotranspiration over temperate meadow in Inner Mongolia: Penman–Monteith, Makkink and Priestley–Taylor equation
Authors: Chen NiNa , Zhang YuShu , Jin ChangJie , Wang AnZhi , Guan DeXin , Tian Li
Published: April 2018

Three methods of calculating evapotranspiration (ET), Penman–Monteith (PM), Makkink (MK) and Priestley–Taylor (PT) equation, were applied to a temperate meadow in Inner Mongolia, China. We compared these methods with eddy covariance (EC) method. The results indicated that a reduction in mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) was achieved for MK and PT methods (45.6–83.0%) when using site‐specific parameters compared with referenced ones, but an increase of 75.9–93.9% for PM method. Intercomparison of three methods through comparison with EC measurements indicated that PT method with site‐specific parameters performed the best to estimate ET, followed by PM method with referenced parameters, and then MK equation with site‐specific parameters (overestimate ET by 8.2, 12.1, 16.5% and 3.4, 12.8, 21.0% respectively for half‐hourly and daily values).
A single day of bed rest, irrespective of energy balance, does not affect skeletal muscle gene expression or insulin sensitivity
Authors: Dirks Marlou L. , Stephens Francis B. , Jackman Sarah R. , Galera Gordo Jesús , Machin David J. , Pulsford Richard M. , van Loon Luc J. C. , Wall Benjamin T.
Published: April 2018

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

What are the initial metabolic and molecular events that underpin bed rest‐induced skeletal muscle deconditioning, and what is the contribution of energy balance?

What is the main finding and its importance?

A single day of bed rest, irrespective of energy balance, did not lead to overt changes in skeletal muscle gene expression or insulin sensitivity. More than 1 day of physical inactivity is required to observe the insulin resistance and robust skeletal muscle transcriptional responses associated with bed rest and consequent alterations in energy balance.

The initial metabolic and molecular events that underpin disuse‐induced skeletal muscle deconditioning, and the contribution of energy balance, remain to be investigated. Ten young, healthy men (age 25 ± 1 years; body mass index 25.3 ± 0.8 kg·m−2) underwent three 24 h laboratory‐based experimental periods in a randomized, crossover manner: (i) controlled habitual physical activity with an energy‐balanced diet (CON); (ii) strict bed rest with a diet to maintain energy balance (BR‐B); and (iii) strict bed rest with a diet identical to CON, consequently resulting in positive energy balance. Continuous glucose monitoring was performed throughout each visit, with vastus lateralis muscle biopsies and an oral glucose tolerance test performed before and after. In parallel with muscle samples collected from a previous 7 day bed rest study, biopsies were used to examine the expression of genes associated with the regulation of muscle mass and insulin sensitivity. A single day of bed rest, irrespective of energy balance, did not lead to overt changes in whole‐body substrate oxidation, indices of insulin sensitivity [i.e. homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, BR‐B from 2.7 ± 1.7 to 3.1 ± 1.5 (P > 0.05) and Matsuda index, BR‐B from 5.9 ± 3.3 to 5.2 ± 2.9 (P > 0.05)] or 24 h glycaemic control/variability compared with CON. Seven days of bed rest led to ∼30–55% lower expression of genes involved in insulin signalling, lipid storage/oxidation and muscle protein breakdown, whereas no such changes were observed after 1 day of bed rest. In conclusion, more than a single day of physical inactivity is required to observe the insulin resistance and robust skeletal muscle transcriptional responses associated with bed rest and consequent alterations in energy balance.
A class of individual-based models
Authors: Lachowicz Miroslaw
Published: April 2018

We discuss a class of mathematical models of biological systemsВ at microscopic level - i.e. at the level of interacting individuals of a population. The class leads to partially integral stochastic semigroups- [5]. We state general conditions guaranteeing the asymptotic stability.В  In particular under some ratherВ restrictive assumptions we observe that any, even non-factorized, initial probability density tends in the evolution to a factorized equilibrium probability density - [4]. We discuss possible applications of the general theory such as redistribution of individuals - [2], thermal denaturation of DNA [1], and tendon healing process - [3].В [1] M. Debowski, M. Lachowicz, and Z. Szymanska,В Microscopic description of DNA thermal denaturation, to appear.В [2] M. Dolfin, M. Lachowicz, and A. Schadschneider, A microscopic model of redistribution of individuals inside an 'elevator', In Modern Problems in Applied Analysis, P. Drygas and S. Rogosin (Eds.), Bikhauser, Basel (2018), 77--86; DOI: 10.1007/978--3--319--72640-3.[3] G. Dudziuk, M. Lachowicz, H. Leszczynski, and Z. Szymanska, A simple model ofВ collagen remodeling, to appear.[4] M. Lachowicz, A class of microscopic individual models corresponding to the macroscopic logistic growth, Math. Methods Appl. Sci., 2017, on--line, DOI: 10.1002/mma.4680[5] K. Pichor and R. Rudnicki, Continuous Markov semigroups and stability of transportВ equations, J. Math. Analysis Appl. 249, 2000, 668--685, DOI: 10.1006/jmaa.2000.6968
Numerical solutions of a 2D fluid problem coupled to a nonlinear non-local reaction-advection-diffusion problem for cell crawling migration in a discoidal domain
Authors: Etchegaray Christelle , Meunier Nicolas
Published: April 2018

In this work, we present a numerical scheme for the approximate solutions of a 2D crawling cell migration problem. The model, defined on a non-deformable discoidal domain, consists in a Darcy fluid problem coupled with a Poisson problem and a reaction-advection-diffusion problem. Moreover, the advection velocity depends on boundary values, making the problem nonlinear and non local. For a discoidal domain, numerical solutions can be obtained using the finite volume method on the polar formulation of the model. Simulations show that different migration behaviours can be captured.
Compressive Failure of Fiber Composites: A Homogenized, Mesh-Independent Model
Authors: Hasanyan Armanj D. , Waas Anthony M.
Published: April 2018

Micromechanics models of fiber kinking provide insight into the compressive failure mechanism of fiber reinforced composites, but are computationally inefficient in capturing the progressive damage and failure of the material. A homogenized model is desirable for this purpose. Yet, if a proper length scale is not incorporated into the continuum, the resulting implementation becomes mesh dependent when a numerical approach is used for computation. In this paper, a micropolar continuum is discussed to characterize the compressive failure of fiber composites dominated by kinking. Kink banding is an instability associated with a snap-back behavior in the load–displacement response, leading to the formation of a finite region of localized deformation. The challenge in modeling this mode of failure is the inherent geometric and matrix material nonlinearity that must be considered. To overcome the mesh dependency of numerical results, a length scale is naturally introduced when modeling the composite as a micropolar continuum. A new approach is presented to approximate the effective transversely isotropic micropolar constitutive relation of a fiber composite. Using an updated Lagrangian, nonlinear finite element code, previously developed for incorporating the additional rotational degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) of micropolar theory, the simulation of localized deformation in a continuum model, corresponding to fiber kinking, is demonstrated and is found to be comparable with the micromechanics simulation results. Most importantly, the elusive kink band width is a natural outcome of the continuum model.