bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced effect of a plasma‐irradiated titanium substrate on the photocatalytic activity of a TiO2 film
Authors: Zhu Wei‐Kun , Kalathiparambil Kishor K. , Sun Zhi‐Guang , Liu Chen‐Yang , Zhu Ai‐Min , Ruzic David N.
Published: March 2018

To improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 film, Ti substrates are irradiated by He ions with different incident ion energy, temperature, and fluence. Anatase TiO2 films are then coated on the plasma‐irradiated substrates via chemical vapor deposition followed by calcination. Photocurrent tests and photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of formaldehyde are used to assess photocatalytic performance. The optimal plasma‐irradiated samples showed a four times higher photocurrent and a three fold increase in the rate constant of the PCO reaction compared to the TiO2 coated, untreated control sample. It is found that the enhanced photocatalytic activity and photocurrent are related to the changes of Ti crystal structure and surface morphology through plasma irradiation.
SPIN2: Predicting sequence profiles from protein structures using deep neural networks
Authors: O'Connell James , Li Zhixiu , Hanson Jack , Heffernan Rhys , Lyons James , Paliwal Kuldip , Dehzangi Abdollah , Yang Yuedong , Zhou Yaoqi
Published: March 2018

Designing protein sequences that can fold into a given structure is a well‐known inverse protein‐folding problem. One important characteristic to attain for a protein design program is the ability to recover wild‐type sequences given their native backbone structures. The highest average sequence identity accuracy achieved by current protein‐design programs in this problem is around 30%, achieved by our previous system, SPIN. SPIN is a program that predicts sequences compatible with a provided structure using a neural network with fragment‐based local and energy‐based nonlocal profiles. Our new model, SPIN2, uses a deep neural network and additional structural features to improve on SPIN. SPIN2 achieves over 34% in sequence recovery in 10‐fold cross‐validation and independent tests, a 4% improvement over the previous version. The sequence profiles generated from SPIN2 are expected to be useful for improving existing fold recognition and protein design techniques. SPIN2 is available at http://sparks-lab.org.
Temperature Dependence of the Pyroelectric Coefficient of AlScN Thin Films
Authors: Kurz Nicolas , Lu Yuan , Kirste Lutz , Reusch Markus , Žukauskaitė Agnė , Lebedev Vadim , Ambacher Oliver
Published: March 2018

The piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of aluminum nitride (AlN) can be further enhanced by alloying AlN with scandium nitride (ScN). However, while the pyroelectric effect can strongly affect the performance of electroacoustic devices such as surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators, the pyroelectric properties of aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN) and their thermal dependence are not well known. In this work, the crystallographic, microstructural, and pyroelectric properties of 900 nm thick pyroelectric Al1−xScxN thin films (x = 0 to 0.3) are investigated. All films have wurtzite‐type crystal structure and are highly c‐axis oriented. The pyroelectric coefficient in the temperature range of 20–80 °C is determined by measuring the generated current as a function of sinusoidal temperature excitation. The effective pyroelectric coefficient of AlScN increases by approximately 85% in the investigated composition range. Moreover, no temperature dependence of the effective pyroelectric coefficient is observed for all samples. The increase of the effective pyroelectric coefficient is explained qualitatively by considering the contribution of primary and secondary pyroelectric effect as well as the substrate clamping.
Beating‐heart registration for organ‐mounted robots
Authors: Wood Nathan A. , Schwartzman David , Passineau Michael J. , Moraca Robert J. , Zenati Marco A. , Riviere Cameron N.
Published: March 2018

Background

Organ‐mounted robots address the problem of beating‐heart surgery by adhering to the heart, passively providing a platform that approaches zero relative motion. Because of the quasi‐periodic deformation of the heart due to heartbeat and respiration, registration must address not only spatial registration but also temporal registration.

Methods

Motion data were collected in the porcine model in vivo (N = 6). Fourier series models of heart motion were developed. By comparing registrations generated using an iterative closest‐point approach at different phases of respiration, the phase corresponding to minimum registration distance is identified.

Results

The spatiotemporal registration technique presented here reduces registration error by an average of 4.2 mm over the 6 trials, in comparison with a more simplistic static registration that merely averages out the physiological motion.

Conclusions

An empirical metric for spatiotemporal registration of organ‐mounted robots is defined and demonstrated using data from animal models in vivo.
Skills in demand for ICT and statistical occupations: Evidence from web‐based job vacancies
Authors: Lovaglio Pietro Giorgio , Cesarini Mirko , Mercorio Fabio , Mezzanzanica Mario
Published: March 2018

Online job portals collecting web vacancies have become important media for job demand and supply matching. They also represent a growing research area for the application of analytical methods to study the labour market using innovative data sources. This paper analyses Italian web job vacancies scraped from several types of Italian web job portals between June and September 2015. After describing how the occupations associated with each web vacancy (classification up to level 4) were identified and the related skills retrieved in texts using mixed supervised and unsupervised text mining approaches, we focused on job vacancies related to ICT and statistical positions.

The principal aim of this paper is to describe these jobs in terms of the required skills that have emerged in the labour market from a demand perspective and to identify those skills that best distinguish statisticians from other ICT occupations. Hence, several machine learning techniques were used to assess those skills that best distinguish occupation codes from other job groups.

After quality control and removal of duplications, the scraping collected more than 110,000 job advertisements: nearly 6,200 were classified as ICT or statistical positions (largely dominated by software developers). The data indicate that high‐level statisticians have superior and heterogeneous professional backgrounds, linked to theoretical statistics, where analytic skills are more relevant than computing skills. Many soft and management‐oriented skills were also called for, which are missing among lower level statisticians, who are restricted to more technical jobs oriented towards general computing and informatics.
Mathematical Modeling of Argon Bubbling Effects on Fluid Flow Patterns of Liquid Steel in a Slab Mold
Authors: Ávila‐Ortiz Yesenia , Morales Rodolfo Morales‐Dávila , Cedillo‐Hernández Valentín , Delgado‐Pureco Juan
Published: March 2018

A multiphase model to simulate the experimental results of a full‐scale, water‐air model of two‐phase flows is reported here to study liquid steel–argon flows in slab molds. The objective of this work is to define an operating interval of gas load or gas volume fraction in the nozzle to maintain double roll flow patterns in the mold. A gas‐load threshold (upper boundary in this operating interval) exists where further increases of this operating variable do not change anymore the flow patterns of the liquid phase for a given liquid throughput. A correction factor is defined to scale‐up the flow dynamics of a single bubble in the liquid to a swarm of bubbles which helps to predict the existence of this gas‐load threshold. The mathematical simulations, using this multiphase model, predict very well the existence and applicability of this correction factor.
Higgs and superparticle mass predictions from the landscape
Authors: Baer Howard , Barger Vernon , Serce Hasan , Sinha Kuver
Published: March 2018

Abstract

Predictions for the scale of SUSY breaking from the string landscape go back at least a decade to the work of Denef and Douglas on the statistics of flux vacua. The assumption that an assortment of SUSY breaking F and D terms are present in the hidden sector, and their values are uniformly distributed in the landscape of D = 4, N = 1 effective supergravity models, leads to the expectation that the landscape pulls towards large values of soft terms favored by a power law behavior P(m
soft) ∼ m
soft

n

. On the other hand, similar to Weinberg’s prediction of the cosmological constant, one can assume an anthropic selection of weak scales not too far from the measured value characterized by m

W,Z,h
∼ 100 GeV. Working within a fertile patch of gravity-mediated low energy effective theories where the superpotential μ term is ≪ m
3/2, as occurs in models such as radiative breaking of Peccei-Quinn symmetry, this biases statistical distributions on the landscape by a cutoff on the parameter ΔEW, which measures fine-tuning in the m

Z
-μ mass relation. The combined effect of statistical and anthropic pulls turns out to favor low energy phenomenology that is more or less agnostic to UV physics. While a uniform selection n = 0 of soft terms produces too low a value for m

h
, taking n = 1 and 2 produce most probabilistically m

h
∼ 125 GeV for negative trilinear terms. For n ≥ 1, there is a pull towards split generations with

$$ {m}_{\tilde{q},\tilde{\ell}}\left(1,2\right)\sim 10-30 $$

m

q
˜

,

ℓ
˜

1
2

∼
10
−
30

TeV whilst

$$ {m}_{{\tilde{t}}_1}\sim 1-2\ \mathrm{T}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V} $$

m

t
˜

1

∼
1
−
2

T
e
V

. The most probable gluino mass comes in at ∼ 3 − 4 TeV — apparently beyond the reach of HL-LHC (although the required quasi-degenerate higgsinos should still be within reach). We comment on consequences for SUSY collider and dark matter searches.
Clinical characteristics and genetic backgrounds of Japanese patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome
Authors: Fujisawa Madoka , Kato Hideki , Yoshida Yoko , Usui Tomoko , Takata Munenori , Fujimoto Mika , Wada Hideo , Uchida Yumiko , Kokame Koichi , Matsumoto Masanori , Fujimura Yoshihiro , Miyata Toshiyuki , Nangaku Masaomi
Published: March 2018

Background

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is caused by complement overactivation, and its presentation and prognosis differ according to the underlying molecular defects. The aim of this study was to characterize the genetic backgrounds of aHUS patients in Japan and to elucidate the associations between their genetic backgrounds, clinical findings, and outcomes.

Methods

We conducted a nationwide epidemiological survey of clinically diagnosed aHUS patients and examined 118 patients enrolled from 1998 to 2016 in Japan. We screened variants of seven genes related to complement and coagulation, as well as positivity for anti-CFH antibodies, and assessed clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, and clinical course.

Results

The most frequent genetic abnormalities were in C3 (31%) and the frequency of CFH variants was relatively low (10%) compared to Western countries. The predominant variant in this cohort was C3 p.I1157T (23%), which was related to favorable outcomes despite frequent relapses. A total of 72% of patients received plasma therapy, while 42% were treated with eculizumab. The prognosis of Japanese aHUS patients was relatively favorable, with a total mortality rate of 5.4% and a renal mortality rate of 15%.

Conclusions

The common occurrence of genotype C3, especially the p.I1157T variant was the characteristic of the genetic backgrounds of Japanese aHUS patients that differed from those of Caucasian patients. In addition, the favorable prognosis of patients with the unique C3 p.I1157T variant indicates that understanding the clinical characteristics of individual gene alterations is important for predicting prognosis and determining therapeutic strategies in aHUS.
Crypsis hypothesis as an explanation for evolution of impermeable coats in seeds is anecdotal
Authors: Jaganathan Ganesh K.
Published: March 2018

Impermeable seed/fruit coat, i.e. physical dormancy (PY) occurring in seeds of many genera of 19 angiosperm plant families has been traditionally viewed as a form of dormancy that regulates germination timing. However, this view was recently challenged by an alternative explanation claiming that the impermeable seed coat evolved as a coping mechanism to escape predators, i.e. crypsis hypothesis. Here, I wish to call for more careful attention on crypsis as an evolutionary factor because (1) information of volatile compounds is not known in PY families except Fabaceace; (2) impermeability is not induced until the moisture content of the seeds drops below species‐specific threshold suggesting that drying determines development of impermeable seed coats; (3) the crypsis hypothesis does not explain the year‐to‐year or between site variations in proportions of impermeable seeds produced by plants; and (4) dry seeds of species from non‐PY families also do not emit volatile compounds, and do not develop impermeable seed coats. For these reasons, it appears crypsis might be an exaptation, i.e., a trait that performs a function for which it was not originally evolved. Based on the available evidence, it is suggested that climate drying might have resulted in evolution of impermeable seed coats.
Editorial
Authors: Barrett Steve
Published: March 2018

Korea is hitting the general news headlines these days in both positive and negative ways – I'm thinking Winter Olympics and North Korea's nuclear threat – but in fuel cell terms South Korea is a major player.
Rotor wake interactions with an obstacle on the ground
Authors: Pickles D.J. , Green R.B , Giuni M.
Published: March 2018

An investigation of the flow around an obstacle positioned within the wake of a rotor is described. A flow visualisation survey was performed using a smoke wand and particle image velocimetry, and surface pressure measurements on the obstacle were taken. The flow patterns were strongly dependent upon the rotor height above the ground and obstacle, and the relative position of the obstacle and rotor axis. High positive and suction pressures were measured on the obstacle surfaces, and these were unsteady in response to the passage of the vortex driven rotor wake over the surfaces. Integrated surface forces are of the order of the rotor thrust, and unsteady pressure information shows local unsteady loading of the same order as the mean loading. Rotor blade-tip vortex trajectories are responsible for the generation of these forces.
Vying for a Man Seat: Gender Quotas and Sustainable Representation in Africa
Authors: Edgell Amanda B.
Published: March 2018

This article explores the impact of gender quotas on sustainable representation in Africa. Sustainable representation is broadly defined as viable and substantial political representation secured for the long run. The research draws on evidence from cross-national election data and two case studies, Uganda and Kenya, which demonstrate that women rarely exceed the minimum thresholds set by gender quotas. This suggests that these quotas may have a ceiling effect on women’s representation. For gender quotas to generate long-term representational outcomes, they must be designed to account for other characteristics of the electoral context that affect women’s participation outside the quota mandate.
INTRAHOUSEHOLD DISTRIBUTION IN MIGRANT-SENDING FAMILIES
Authors: Mangiavacchi Lucia , Perali Federico , Piccoli Luca
Published: March 2018

This paper studies the distribution of resources within families with migrant member abroad. We derive a complete collective demand system with individual Engel effects for male and female adults and children, and the respective share of resources. The focus is on migrant-sending families in Albania, where gender and inter-generational inequalities are relevant social issues. The results show that the female share of resources is substantially lower with respect to an equal distribution and do not benefit from father’s migration. Children have a larger share of resources and benefit from their fathers migration, when women maintain control over family decisions and when the proportion of female children is larger (at the detriment of women).
MARRIAGE PAYMENTS AND WOMEN'S BARGAINING POWER IN RURAL BANGLADESH
Authors: Mansoor Nazia
Published: March 2018

This study examines the postmarriage bargaining power of women—specifically, their decision-making power with regard to fertility—vis-à-vis imbalances in matching in the marriage market. Applying a multinomial logit model to data on rural Bangladesh for 1998/99, the study gauges women's relative empowerment: (i) at the time of marriage (measured by the bride price as a share of total marriage payments) and (ii) postmarriage (measured by women's use of the contraceptive pill). The empirical findings reveal that a higher bride price (as a share of total household marriage payments) has three main outcomes: it increases the predicted probability of women (i) using the contraceptive pill, (ii) spacing births further apart, and (iii) choosing to have fewer children.
MOTHER SINGLEHOOD AT FIRST BIRTH AND MORTALITY RISKS OF FIRST- AND LATER-BORN CHILDREN: THE CASE OF SENEGAL
Authors: Guilbert Nathalie , Marazyan Karine
Published: March 2018

This paper investigates the extent to which being born to a single mother affects a child’s survival rate in Senegal, a context where girls’ premarital sexual relationships are still widely stigmatized. It also examines whether any negative effect persists up to affecting the survival rate of children of higher birth order born after the mother has married. Using data from Demographic and Health Survey, we find that the mortality rate is higher for first-born boys, but not for first-born daughters, whose mother was single at the time of their birth, and lower for second-born children whose sister, but not brother, was born out of wedlock. The latter effect is actually driven by children from older cohorts of women. Therefore, strategies to mitigate the negative consequences of the stigma associated with a premarital birth seem to exist but vary with the gender of the child born premarital in Senegal. In addition, persisting negative effects appear to have decreased over time. Potential channels through which boys born from a single mother are at a higher risk of death in the country are discussed. Overall, our findings indicate that social programs targeting single mothers, especially when they gave birth to a boy, would help avoiding dramatic events as the death of a child.
Minimality for actions of abelian semigroups on compact spaces with a free interval
Authors: DIRBÁK MATÚŠ , HRIC ROMAN , MALIČKÝ PETER , SNOHA L’UBOMÍR , ŠPITALSKÝ VLADIMÍR
Published: March 2018

We study minimality for continuous actions of abelian semigroups on compact Hausdorff spaces with a free interval. First, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for such a space to admit a minimal action of a given abelian semigroup. Further, for actions of abelian semigroups we provide a trichotomy for the topological structure of minimal sets intersecting a free interval.
In Defense of HARKing
Authors: Vancouver Jeffrey B.
Published: March 2018

Science is a complex task. It involves the creation and dissemination of knowledge. The creation of knowledge requires identifying and abstracting patterns (i.e., identifying phenomena and theorizing about the processes that bring it about), as well as systematically observing to better see and quantify the patterns (e.g., effect size estimating) or assess the validity of the abstractions used to explain the patterns (i.e., theory testing). To help (a) hone in on what observations would be useful and (b) communicate what the patterns mean, we are encouraged to develop and report hypotheses. That is, strategically, hypotheses facilitate the planning of data collection by helping the researcher understand what patterns need to be observed to assess the merit of an explanation. Meanwhile, tactically, hypotheses help focus the audience on the crucial patterns needed to answer a question or test a theory. When the strategic hypotheses are not supported, it raises a question regarding what to do tactically. Depending on the result (i.e., different direction; null), one might construct a hypothesis to facilitate dissemination without reporting this post hoc construction or remove mention of a hypothesis altogether. This practice is called HARKing (i.e., hypothesizing after results are known). HARKing has been so disparaged as to be considered a “detrimental research practice” (Grand et al., 2018, p. 6). As such, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology's (SIOP) Robust and Reliability Science task force appears to be recommending that HARKing not be taught by educators, encouraged by reviewers or editors, or practiced by authors. I do not agree with those recommendations, and I elaborate on my position below.
Who Is the Wolf and Who Is the Sheep? Toward a More Nuanced Understanding of Workplace Incivility
Authors: Köhler Tine , González-Morales M. Gloria , Sojo Victor E. , Olsen Jesse E.
Published: March 2018

Cortina, Rabelo, and Holland's (2018) perspective on studying victimization in organizations is a welcome contribution to workplace aggression research. We share their believe that considering a perpetrator predation paradigm may advance and proliferate research on issues related to gender harassment, bullying, mobbing, and other explicitly overt forms of victimization where the intent to harm is supposedly clear. However, we propose that, if blindly adopted, neither the dominant victim precipitation paradigm nor the suggested perpetrator predation paradigm will improve research on incivility or other more covert and indirect forms of victimization. In fact, we suggest in our commentary that both models may be counterproductive for understanding and remedying incivility in organizations.
Research Framing, Victim Blaming: Toward an Empirical Examination of Victim Precipitation and Perpetrator Predation Paradigms
Authors: Caleo Suzette
Published: March 2018

Cortina, Rabelo, and Holland (2018) make a compelling case for shifting away from a victim precipitation perspective in industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology. In addition to noting that victim precipitation potentially violates ethical principles, the authors suggest that such paradigms shape attributions of blame and implications for practice within organizations. This commentary builds upon the ideas discussed in the focal article by encouraging I-O psychologists to collect data on the extent to which victim precipitation appears in the field and experimentally examine how and why the paradigms we use to explain workplace mistreatment might affect attitudes and behavior.
Breaking down the lithification bias: the effect of preferential sampling of larger specimens on the estimate of species richness, evenness, and average specimen size
Authors: Hawkins Andrew D. , Kowalewski Michał , Xiao Shuhai
Published: March 2018

Lithification, the transition of unconsolidated sediments to fully indurated rocks, can potentially bias estimates of species richness, evenness, and body size distribution derived from fossil assemblages. Fossil collections made from well-indurated rocks consistently exhibit lower species richness, lower evenness, and larger average specimen size relative to collections made from unconsolidated sediments, even when collections are drawn from the same assemblage. This phenomenon is known as “lithification bias.” While the bias itself has been demonstrated empirically, much less attention has been paid to its causes. Proposed causes include taphonomic processes (e.g., destruction of small specimens during early diagenesis) and methodological differences (e.g., sieving vs. counting specimens on outcrops, bedding surfaces, or mechanically split surfaces). Here we investigate the potential effects of preferential intersection that could also result in a methodologically related bias: the preferential sampling of larger specimens relative to smaller ones when fossils are counted on rock surfaces. We used an analogue model to simulate preferential intersection (fossil collection via splitting fossiliferous rocks) and compare the results with a random-draw model that approximates the effects of sieving. The model was parameterized using nine different combinations of species abundance and species size distributions. The results show that, with rare exceptions, species richness is 5–23% lower, evenness 5–25% lower, and average specimen size 24–150% larger in preferential-intersection than in random-draw simulations. We conclude that preferential intersection can impose a significant bias independent of other mechanisms (e.g., preferential destruction of smaller specimens during diagenetic or sampling processes), that the magnitude of this bias is partially dependent on the species abundance and size distributions, and that this bias alone does not fully account for empirically observed lithification bias on species richness (i.e., other sources of bias are also at work).
A multidisciplinary study of ecosystem evolution through early Pleistocene climate change from the marine Arda River section, Italy
Authors: Crippa Gaia , Baucon Andrea , Felletti Fabrizio , Raineri Gianluca , Scarponi Daniele
Published: March 2018

The Arda River marine succession (Italy) is an excellent site to apply an integrated approach to paleoenvironmental reconstructions, combining the results of sedimentology, body fossil paleontology, and ichnology to unravel the sedimentary evolution of a complex marine setting in the frame of early Pleistocene climate change and tectonic activity. The succession represents a subaqueous extension of a fluvial system, originated during phases of advance of fan deltas affected by high-density flows triggered by river floods, and overlain by continental conglomerates, indicating a relative sea level fall and the establishment of a continental environment. An overall regressive trend is observed through the section, from prodelta to delta front and intertidal settings. The hydrodynamic energy and the sedimentation rate are not constant through the section, but they are influenced by hyperpycnal flows, whose sediments were mainly supplied by an increase in Apennine uplift and erosion, especially after 1.80 Ma. The Arda section documents the same evolutionary history of coeval successions in the Paleo-Adriatic region, as well as the climatic changes of the early Pleistocene. The different approaches used complement quite well one another, giving strength and robustness to the obtained results.
Selective Recruitment or Voter Neglect? Race, Place, and Voter Mobilization in 2016
Authors: Ramírez Ricardo , Solano Romelia , Wilcox-Archuleta Bryan
Published: March 2018

This paper takes up the question of who asks racial-ethnic minority voters to vote, relative to white voters? We examine more closely the targeted mobilization strategies in the 2016 Presidential election cycle and highlight the roles of race, demographic context, and mobilization source on patterns of reported mobilization. Utilizing the 2016 Collaborative Multi-Racial Post-Election Survey we model the impact of demographic profiles on the probability of mobilization by white mobilizers and compare that to mobilization by minorities. Our analysis suggests that even when controlling for battleground context and likely voter characteristics, minority voters are neglected, but this is contingent on the racial demographics of those doing the mobilizing. These findings shed light on the discrepancy of turnout across racial and ethnic groups in the United States
The Coming of Iron
Authors: Wainwright G. A.
Published: March 2018

Inquiry immediately makes it clear that man must first have come to know iron through meteorites. Except for the great masses at Ovifak in Greenland, which are outside the question, iron from earthly sources is not known to occur in the native state. It does, however, occur in metallic form in meteorites (FIG. 2) and is the only metal to do so. In this form it may be found in solid lumps of metal weighing as much as 50 tons (Bacubirito), 36½ tons (Ahnighito), or 15⅔ tons (Chupaderos). But of course most of it occurs in much more manageable sizes—in pieces as large as a man’s head, a hen's egg, a pea, or only as dust. But all meteorites are not solid iron, Very many are a mixture of iron and stone (FIGS. 1, 3) or what is to all intents and purposes merely stone (FIG. 4), and so useless to man as a source of iron. All meteorites fall into one of these three classes.
Association of energy and protein intakes with length of stay, readmission and mortality in hospitalised patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Ingadottir Arora R. , Beck Anne M. , Baldwin Christine , Weekes C. Elizabeth , Geirsdottir Olof G. , Ramel Alfons , Gislason Thorarinn , Gunnarsdottir Ingibjorg
Published: March 2018

Low energy and protein intakes have been associated with an increased risk of malnutrition in outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to assess the energy and protein intakes of hospitalised COPD patients according to nutritional risk status and requirements, and the relative contribution from meals, snacks, drinks and oral nutritional supplements (ONS), and to examine whether either energy or protein intake predicts outcomes. Subjects were COPD patients (n 99) admitted to Landspitali University Hospital in 1 year (March 2015–March 2016). Patients were screened for nutritional risk using a validated screening tool, and energy and protein intake for 3 d, 1–5 d after admission to the hospital, was estimated using a validated plate diagram sheet. The percentage of patients reaching energy and protein intake ≥75 % of requirements was on average 59 and 37 %, respectively. Malnourished patients consumed less at mealtimes and more from ONS than lower-risk patients, resulting in no difference in total energy and protein intakes between groups. No clear associations between energy or protein intake and outcomes were found, although the association between energy intake, as percentage of requirement, and mortality at 12 months of follow-up was of borderline significance (OR 0·12; 95 % CI 0·01, 1·15; P=0·066). Energy and protein intakes during hospitalisation in the study population failed to meet requirements. Further studies are needed on how to increase energy and protein intakes during hospitalisation and after discharge and to assess whether higher intake in relation to requirement of hospitalised COPD patients results in better outcomes.
Medium-chain TAG improve intestinal integrity by suppressing toll-like receptor 4, nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain proteins and necroptosis signalling in weanling piglets challenged with lipopolysaccharide
Authors: Xu Xiao , Chen Shaokui , Wang Haibo , Tu Zhixiao , Wang Shuhui , Wang Xiuying , Zhu Huiling , Wang Chunwei , Zhu Jiadong , Liu Yulan
Published: March 2018

This study was conducted to evaluate whether medium-chain TAG (MCT) could alleviate Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal injury by regulating intestinal epithelial inflammatory response, as well as necroptosis. A total of twenty-four weanling piglets were randomly allotted to one of four treatments in a 2×2 factorial arrangement including diet type (5 % maize oil v. 4 % MCT+1 % maize oil) and immune stress (saline v. E. coli LPS). The piglets were fed diets containing maize oil or MCT for 21 d. On 21 d, piglets were injected intraperitoneally with saline or LPS. The blood and intestinal samples were collected at 4 h post injection. Supplementation with MCT improved intestinal morphology, digestive and barrier function, indicated by increased jejunal villus height, increased jejunal and ileal disaccharidases (sucrase and maltase) activities, as well as enhanced protein expression of claudin-1. Furthermore, the protein expression of heat-shock protein 70 in jejunum and the concentration of TNF-α in plasma were reduced in the piglets fed diets supplemented with MCT. In addition, MCT down-regulated the mRNA expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain proteins (NOD) signalling-related genes in jejunum and ileum. Finally, MCT inhibited jejunal and ileal enterocyte necroptosis indicated by suppressed mRNA expression of the receptor-interacting protein 3 and mixed-lineage kinase domain-like protein. These results indicate that MCT supplementation may be closely related to inhibition of TLR4, NOD and necroptosis signalling pathways and concomitant improvement of intestinal integrity under an inflammatory condition.
INDIVIDUAL- AND COMMUNITY-LEVEL
DETERMINANTS OF ANTENATAL HIV TESTING IN
ZIMBABWE
Authors: Gazimbi Martin Marufu , Magadi Monica Akinyi
Published: March 2018

This study contributes to the dialogue on the
prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission
(PMTCT) through the use of HIV and antenatal care
(ANC) integrated services. The determinants of
antenatal HIV testing in Zimbabwe were explored.
Multilevel logistic regression models were applied
to data for 8471 women from 406 clusters who gave
birth in the 5 years preceding Zimbabwe Demographic
and Health Surveys conducted in 2005/6 and 2010/11.
The uptake of antenatal HIV testing was found to be
determined by a wide range of individual-level
factors relating to women’s economic and demographic
status, as well as HIV-related factors, including
HIV awareness and stigma within the community.
Important individual-level enabling and perceived
need factors included high socioeconomic status, not
having observed HIV-related stigma and knowledge of
HIV status (based on a previous HIV test), such that
these groups of individuals had a significantly
higher likelihood of being tested for HIV during
pregnancy than their counterparts of lower
socioeconomic status, and who had observed
HIV-related stigma or did not know their HIV status.
The results further revealed that community HIV
awareness is important for improving antenatal HIV
testing, while stigma is associated with reduced
testing uptake. Most contextual community-level
factors were not found to have much effect on the
uptake of antenatal HIV testing. Therefore, policies
should focus on individual-level predisposing and
enabling factors to improve the uptake of antenatal
HIV testing in Zimbabwe.
The mirage of ‘Arabrew’: Ideologies for understanding Arabic-Hebrew contact
Authors: Hawker Nancy
Published: March 2018

‘Arabrew’ denotes a mixture of the languages that index two nations known for their seemingly intractable conflict. It is supposedly spoken by Palestinians and other Arabs who are citizens of Israel. Evidence from the field gathered in 2015 shows some codeswitching, especially inter-sentential, and borrowing, mostly of nouns for specialist terminology, and of a few discourse markers. This does not support the claim that a new variety has emerged, yet the debate around it channels concerns about nonlinguistic issues relating to the political economy of Israel and to anxieties about Israeli-Palestinian relations. This debate invokes ideologies, including language ideologies, of nationalism, colonialism, liberalism, and more, that are identifiably linked to the historical and material contexts. The study uses critical discourse analysis and contact linguistics to outline the articulation between distinctions of national identity, socioeconomic class, the way people speak, and the way this speech is ideologically received. (Arabic, Hebrew, codeswitching, ideology)*
NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY OF HEALTH KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION INITIATIVES IN UGANDA
Authors: Basaza Robert , Kinegyere Alison , Mutatina Boniface , Sewankambo Nelson
Published: March 2018

Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide evidence about the design and implementation of policies for advancing the sustainability of knowledge translation (KT) initiatives and policies in Uganda's health system.

Methods: We searched for and reviewed evidence about KT sustainability issues in Uganda, the impacts of options, barriers to implementing these options, and implementation strategies to address such barriers. In instances where the systematic reviews provided limited evidence, these were supplemented with relevant primary studies. Documents such as the government reports and unpublished literature were also included in the search. Key informant interviews and a policy dialogue were conducted, and an expert working group guided the study.

Results: The KT sustainability issues identified were: the absence of a specific unit within the health sector to coordinate and synthesize research; health worker not familiar with KT activities and not often used. Furthermore, Uganda lacks a mechanism to sustain its current national health frameworks or platforms, and does not have a system to ensure the sustained coordination of existing national health KT platforms. The policy options proposed include: (i) the identification of a KT champion; (ii) the establishment of an operational KT framework; (iii) KT capacity building for researchers and research users, as well as policy and decision makers.

Conclusions: The sustainability of KT will be influenced by the prevailing context and concerns within healthcare both in Uganda and internationally. Furthermore, the availability of resources for KT advocacy, communication, and program design will impact on the sustainability of Uganda's KT activities.
Time and Rate of Nicosulfuron Application in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)
Authors: Littlefield Terry A. , Colvin Daniel L. , Brecke Barry J. , McCarty Lambert B.
Published: March 2018

In field experiments conducted near Marianna, Trenton, and Archer, FL in 1990 and 1991, nicosulfuron applied 55 weeks after planting (WAP) at 18, 27, 36, or 54 g ai/ha injured peanut initially. When applied 7 WAP, only the two higher nicosulfuron rates injured peanut more than 10%. By 6 wk after application, crop injury was less than 8% for all treatments, except the highest (54 g/ha) rate. Nicosulfuron applied 5 or 7 WAP at 54 g/ha reduced peanut yield and sound mature kernels.
Influence of Narrow Row/High Population Corn (Zea mays) on Weed Control and Light Transmittance
Authors: Teasdale John R.
Published: March 2018

Field experiments were conducted from 1989 to 1992 to determine whether no-tillage corn grown in 38-cm rows and a 2× population could improve weed control relative to 76-cm rows and 1× population under reduced-herbicide options. A standard treatment including 1.12 kg ai/ha of atrazine plus 2.24 kg ai/ha of metolachlor was compared with a treatment including the same herbicides applied at 25% of the standard rates. Both treatments included 0.56 kg ai/ha of paraquat which controlled annual weeds established at the time of application. Weed control was less in the 25%-herbicide treatment than in the standard treatment in two of four years when corn was grown in 76-cm rows with a l× population. The 25%-herbicide treatment provided weed control and grain yields similar to the standard treatment in each year when corn was grown in 38-cm rows with a 2× population. Weed control was poor and yield was reduced when no herbicides were applied regardless of row spacing or population. The leaf canopy of corn in the 38-cm row/2×-population treatment reduced light transmittance 1 wk earlier than corn in the 76-cm row/1×-population treatment.
Differential Control of Four Amaranthus Species by Six Postemergence Herbicides in Soybean (Glycine max)
Authors: Mayo Christopher M. , Horak Michael J. , Peterson Dallas E. , Boyer John E.
Published: March 2018

Acifluorfen, lactofen, chlorimuron, thifensulfuron, imazethapyr, and imazaquin were evaluated for control of Palmer amaranth, common waterhemp, redroot pigweed, and tumble pigweed at three application timings in field and greenhouse experiments. Results from field studies indicated that most herbicides provided greater than 90% control of common waterhemp, redroot pigweed, and tumble pigweed regardless of time of application. Palmer amaranth was the most difficult species to control, and only thifensulfuron and imazethapyr provided greater than 80% control at all application timings. In the greenhouse experiment, herbicides were applied when pigweeds averaged 10 cm, 20 cm, and 30 cm in height. Results were similar to the field experiment, except that common waterhemp was more difficult to control.
Non-selective and Selective Herbicide Combinations in Stale Seedbed (Glycine max)
Authors: Hydrick David E. , Shaw David R.
Published: March 2018

Field experiments were established in 1991 and 1992 on silty clay and sandy loam soils to evaluate combinations of non-selective and selective herbicides for stale seedbed soybean weed control. Metribuzin PRE controlled sicklepod and pitted morningglory more consistently than other treatments. At 9 wk after planting, antagonism occurred in most cases on sicklepod control when metribuzin was tank-mixed with a non-selective herbicide. Other selective herbicides required addition of a non-selective herbicide at planting to effectively control sicklepod and pitted morningglory. Sicklepod and pitted morningglory control was better with POST selective herbicides when following glufosinate or paraquat than when following glyphosate or SC-0224. In most instances a follow-up POST treatment was needed to maintain weed control from non-selective herbicides applied PRE. Metribuzin and metribuzin plus chlorimuron increased soybean yields when tank-mixed with paraquat compared with yields obtained with paraquat alone.
Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua) Control withXanthomonas campestrispv.poannuain New York State
Authors: Zhou T. , Neal J. C.
Published: March 2018

California and Michigan strains ofXanthomonas campestrispv.poannuawere compared as biocontrol agents for the annual and perennial subspecies of annual bluegrass. Additionally, inoculation frequency was evaluated for improved control of the perennial subspecies in New York. The two bacterial strains were similarly virulent to annual bluegrass in both growth chamber and field tests. When inoculated once per week for 4 wk, the annual and perennial subspecies were controlled 92 and 82% in growth chamber tests, but only 11 and 7% in field tests, respectively. Control of established annual bluegrass in the field was improved to a maximum of about 40% by increasing inoculation frequency to three times per wk for 4 wk, but recovery occurred 2 to 5 wk after inoculations were discontinued. Creeping bentgrass was not affected by the bacterium.
Log-Logistic Analysis of Herbicide Dose-Response Relationships
Authors: Seefeldt Steven S. , Jensen Jens Erik , Fuerst E. Patrick
Published: March 2018

Dose-response studies are an important tool in weed science. The use of such studies has become especially prevalent following the widespread development of herbicide resistant weeds. In the past, analyses of dose-response studies have utilized various types of transformations and equations which can be validated with several statistical techniques. Most dose-response analysis methods 1) do not accurately describe data at the extremes of doses and 2) do not provide a proper statistical test for the difference(s) between two or more dose-response curves. Consequently, results of dose-response studies are analyzed and reported in a great variety of ways, and comparison of results among various researchers is not possible. The objective of this paper is to review the principles involved in dose-response research and explain the log-logistic analysis of herbicide dose-response relationships. In this paper the log-logistic model is illustrated using a nonlinear computer analysis of experimental data. The log-logistic model is an appropriate method for analyzing most dose-response studies. This model has been used widely and successfully in weed science for many years in Europe. The log-logistic model possesses several clear advantages over other analysis methods and the authors suggest that it should be widely adopted as a standard herbicide dose-response analysis method.
Response of Selected Weed Species to Postemergence Imazethapyr and Bentazon
Authors: Bauer Troy A. , Renner Karen A. , Penner Donald
Published: March 2018

Imazethapyr and bentazon were applied with petroleum oil adjuvant in a factorial arrangement to weed species in greenhouse and field research to determine if postemergence weed control by imazethapyr was antagonized when bentazon was tank-mixed. Tank-mixing 840 g/ha of bentazon with 13 or 27 g/ha of imazethapyr increased redroot pigweed and eastern black nightshade dry weight as compared to Colby's expected values in the greenhouse. However, weed control was not reduced in field studies. Subsequent greenhouse studies indicated that soil interception and resulting root uptake of imazethapyr increased redroot pigweed control. Bentazon decreased foliar absorption of14C-imazethapyr by 15% and translocation of14C from the treated leaf by more than 50% compared tol4C-imazethapyr applied alone.
Biological Control of Red Alder (Alnus rubra) with the FungusNectria ditissima
Authors: Dorworth Charles E.
Published: March 2018

With few exceptions, north temperate North American weeds are native species that have proliferated following site disturbance. Social pressures are rapidly eroding the availability of essential silvicultural tools such as chemical herbicides and prescribed burning. Biological control with microorganisms in forestry is at an early stage of development. An inoculation strategy involving a fungus pathogen (PFC-082:Nectria ditissimaTul./ALDERKILL™), its formulation for biological control ofAlnus rubraBong. in the form of the PFC-MYCOCHARGE™and a newly devised instrument for bioherbicide delivery into woody stems (PFC-ALDERWAK™) are described. The overall strategy and implements are potentially useful for the delivery of any biological or translocatable material into amenity or orchard trees as well. PFC-082 was the single isolate ofN. ditissimatested that produced 100% infection and incited the formation of red alder cankers longer than 0.5 m in 30 mo when inoculated by the method described herein. Natural infections by this pathogen occur on fewer than 1% of red alder stems in the forest.
Sweet Potato Allelopathic Substance Inhibits Growth of Purple Nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus)
Authors: Peterson J. K. , Harrison H. F.
Published: March 2018

The allelopathic influence of sweet potato cultivar ‘Regal’ on purple nutsedge was compared to the influence on yellow nutsedge under controlled conditions. Purple nutsedge shoot dry weight, total shoot length and tuber numbers were significantly lower than the controls (47, 36, and 19% inhibition, respectively). The influence on the same parameters for yellow nutsedge (35, 21, and 43% inhibition, respectively) were not significantly different from purple nutsedge. Sweet potato shoot dry weight was inhibited by purple and yellow nutsedge by 42% and 45%, respectively. The major allelopathic substance from ‘Regal’ root periderm tissue was isolated and tested in vitro on the two sedges. The I50's for shoot growth, root number, and root length were 118, 62, and 44 μg/ml, respectively, for yellow nutsedge. The I50's for root number and root length were 91 and 85 μg/ml, respectively, for purple nutsedge and the I50for shoot growth could not be calculated.