bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
UNCLESEX MACHINA: FAMILIAL EPIPHANY IN EURIPIDES’ELECTRA
Authors: Andújar Rosa
Published: December 2016

At the close of Euripides’Electra, the Dioscuri suddenly appear ‘on high’ to their distraught niece and nephew, who have just killed their mother, the divine twins’ mortal sister. This is in fact the second longest extantdeus ex machina(after the final scene inHippolytus), and the only scene in which a tragedian attempts to resolve directly the aftermath of the matricide. In this article, I argue that Castor's and Polydeuces’ sudden apparition to Orestes and Electra constitutes a specialised point of intersection between the mortal and immortal realms in Greek tragedy: familial epiphany, an appearance by a god who has an especially intimate relationship with those on stage. Euripides’ focus on the familial divine as a category accentuates various contradictions inherent to both ancient Greek theology and dramaturgy. The Dioscuri are a living paradox, ambiguously traversing the space between dead heroes and gods, managing at the same time to occupy both. They oscillate uniquely between the mortal and immortal worlds, as different sources assign different fathers to each brother, and others speak of each one possessing divinity on alternate days. As I propose, the epiphany of these ambiguous brothers crystallises the problem of the gods’ physical presence in drama. Tragedy is the arena in which gods burst suddenly into the mortal realm, decisively and irrevocably altering human action. The physical divine thus tends to be both marginal and directorial, tasked with reining in the plot or directing its future course. The appearance of the familial divine, on the other hand, can in fact obscure the resolution and future direction of a play, undermining the authority of the tragic gods. In the specific case ofElectra, I contend that the involvement of the Dioscuri, who are Electra's and Orestes’ maternal uncles, produces a sense of claustrophobia at the close of the play, which simultaneously denies the resolution that is expected from adeus ex machinawhile also revealing the pessimistic nature of what is typically considered a reassuringly ‘domestic’ and character driven drama.
Fast Estimation of Ideal Points with Massive Data
Authors: IMAI KOSUKE , LO JAMES , OLMSTED JONATHAN
Published: December 2016

Estimation of ideological positions among voters, legislators, and other actors is central to many subfields of political science. Recent applications include large data sets of various types including roll calls, surveys, and textual and social media data. To overcome the resulting computational challenges, we propose fast estimation methods for ideal points with massive data. We derive the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithms to estimate the standard ideal point model with binary, ordinal, and continuous outcome variables. We then extend this methodology to dynamic and hierarchical ideal point models by developing variational EM algorithms for approximate inference. We demonstrate the computational efficiency and scalability of our methodology through a variety of real and simulated data. In cases where a standard Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm would require several days to compute ideal points, the proposed algorithm can produce essentially identical estimates within minutes. Open-source software is available for implementing the proposed methods.
The Historical Origins of Territorial Disputes
Authors: ABRAMSON SCOTT F. , CARTER DAVID B.
Published: December 2016

Given the abundance of evidence that disputed territory matters, we know remarkably little about the origins of territorial claims. We argue that the presence of competing historical border precedents is central to the emergence of territorial claims. We outline why precedents provide opportunity to make claims and provide two possible explanations for why leaders have incentive to claim along precedents. One possibility is consistent with the conventional wisdom that incentive derives from territorial characteristics such as natural resources or strategic significance. A second and more novel explanation is that the persistent coordination effects of historical boundaries provide the incentive to draw claims along them. We use new data on the location of historical boundaries from the peace of Westphalia until the start of the French Revolution to show that historical border precedents drive the emergence of territorial claims after the Congress of Vienna and that persistent coordination effects provide incentive to dispute historical precedents.
Turnout, Status, and Identity: Mobilizing Latinos to Vote with Group Appeals
Authors: VALENZUELA ALI A. , MICHELSON MELISSA R.
Published: December 2016

The rise of micro-targeting in American elections raises new questions about the effects of identity-based mobilization strategies. In this article, we bring together theories of expressive voting with literature on racial and ethnic identification to argue that prior studies, which have found either weak or null effects of identity messages targeting minority groups, have missed a crucial moderating variable—identity strength—that varies across both individuals and communities. Identity appeals can have powerful effects on turnout, but only when they target politicized identities to which individuals hold strong prior attachments. Using two innovative GOTV field experiments that rely on publicly available data as a proxy for identity strength, we show that the effects of both ethnic and national identity appeals among Latinos in California and Texas are conditional on the strength of those identities in different communities and among different Latino subgroups.
Constitutions Unentrenched: Toward an Alternative Theory of Constitutional Design
Authors: VERSTEEG MILA , ZACKIN EMILY
Published: December 2016

T his article highlights a gap between a great deal of constitutional theory and a great deal of the practice of democratic constitution-making. Drawing on data from democratic national and state constitutions, we challenge the consensus among constitutional theorists that a central purpose of constitutionalism is the entrenchment (the fortification against future change) of broad principles. The empirical reality is that the majority of democratic constitutions today are subject to frequent revision, and are therefore ill-equipped to facilitate the entrenchment of their contents. To explore the logic of these unentrenched documents, we identify the historical periods in which different geographic regions moved away from highly entrenched constitutions, and we examine the political contexts of these transformations. We find that, in each context, constitution-makers were attempting to limit the discretion of constitutional interpreters and implementers by drafting highly specific texts and by updating them in response to continually changing circumstances.
Does Paying Politicians More Promote Economic Diversity in Legislatures?
Authors: CARNES NICHOLAS , HANSEN ERIC R.
Published: December 2016

If politicians in the United States were paid better, would more middle- and working-class people become politicians? Reformers often argue that the low salaries paid in state and local governments make holding office economically infeasible for lower-income citizens and contribute to the enduring numerical under-representation of the working class in our political institutions. Of course, raising politicians’ salaries could also make political office more attractive to affluent professionals, increasing competition for office and ultimately discouraging lower-income citizens from running and winning. In this article, we test these hypotheses using data on the salaries and economic backgrounds of state legislators. Contrary to the notion that paying politicians more promotes economic diversity, we find that the descriptive representation of the working class is the same or worse in states that pay legislators higher salaries. These findings have important implications for research on descriptive representation, political compensation, and political inequality.
Enlarged vestibular aqueducts and other inner-ear abnormalities in patients with Down syndrome
Authors: Clark C M , Patel H H , Kanekar S G , Isildak H
Published: December 2016

Background:

Histopathological anomalies of inner-ear structures in individuals with Down syndrome have been well documented; however, few studies have examined the radiological features.

Methods:

A retrospective study was conducted of temporal bone computed tomography images in 38 individuals (75 ears) with Down syndrome to evaluate the prevalence of inner-ear abnormalities and assess vestibular aqueduct widths.

Results:

Inner-ear anomalies were identified in 20 of the 38 individuals (52.6 per cent). Seven of the 75 temporal bones (9.3 per cent) were found to have higher than previously reported. A dilated internal auditory canal and vestibule were more common among the present study group, while prior studies have demonstrated internal auditory canal stenosis and decreased vestibule size.

Conclusion:

Down syndrome patients exhibit a high prevalence of dysplastic inner-ear features that confer substantial risk of sensorineural hearing loss. Computed tomography is a useful screening aid to detect inner-ear abnormalities, particularly enlarged vestibular aqueducts, which cause preventable sensorineural hearing loss in this population.
Artisanal fishing and the franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) in Southern Brazil: ethnoecology from the fishing practice
Authors: Zappes Camilah Antunes , Gama Renata Montalvão , Domit Camila , Gatts Carlos Eduardo Novo , Di Beneditto Ana Paula Madeira
Published: December 2016

This study aimed to describe the ethnoecology of the franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) using the traditional knowledge of artisanal fishermen in the villages of Peças Island (VPI) and Superagui Island (VSI) in the World Heritage listed Paranaguá Estuarine Complex, Brazil. Between March and September 2012, 90 fishermen were interviewed (VPI – 40; VSI – 50) using a semi-structured questionnaire. Using Fuzzy logic (MATLAB 7.6) it was verified the species is easily recognized by body size, colour and occurrence area (VPI – 87.5%; VSI – 38.0%). Fishermen most frequently identified adults and young franciscanas in groups of two to five individuals (VPI – 40.0%; VSI – 58.0%). Adults were sighted throughout the year, while the young were restricted to summer and winter. Five common behavioural ethno categories were described: ‘eat’ (VPI – N = 15; VSI – N = 1); ‘float/sink/dive’ (VPI – N = 34; VSI – N = 12); ‘breathe’ (VPI – N = 11; VSI – N = 5); ‘mothers surrounding the shoal, play caught up and the youth captures’ (suggesting care parental related with feeding of infant) (VPI – N = 1; VSI – N = 2); and ‘to play’ (VPI – N = 6; VSI – N = 1). The information from the fishermen highlights the use of the area by franciscana for feeding and reproduction and these data are comparable with the literature. These results extend the knowledge about the species in an area of ecological interest and the traditional knowledge, but also illustrate the benefits of engaging fishermen to promote collaboration in scientific and management processes.
What about family in European old-age security systems? The complexity of institutional individualisation
Authors: FRERICKS PATRICIA , HÖPPNER JULIA
Published: December 2016

European welfare states used to be based on the principle of the family. Since the 1990s, however, ‘individual responsibility’ has been promoted, which fundamentally alters the traditional welfare-institutional framing of the family and the corresponding construction of the social citizen. One policy field that has been heavily influenced by this development is old-age security. The literature assumes a convergence towards institutional individualisation. We show this however to be incorrect. We empirically analyse and classify welfare-institutional change in old-age security with regard to individualisation. An innovative methodological approach for institutional analysis allows a nuanced identification of the welfare-institutional trends towards individualisation of the social citizen above pension age both within and between welfare states. We conclude that there has been no general and no partial convergence towards individualisation. Instead, on average, family elements in old-age security have either increased or persisted. Also, our analysis suggests that welfare-institutional change with regard to family is far from being a linear process and in part even displays contradictions.
PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES IN RARE LYSOSOMAL STORAGE DISEASES: KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS AND A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROTOCOL
Authors: Miller Patricia A. , Mulla Sohail M. , Adams-Webber Thomasin , Sivji Yasmin , Guyatt Gordon H. , Johnston Bradley C.
Published: December 2016

Objectives:To investigate the use, challenges and opportunities associated with using patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in studies with patients with rare lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs), we conducted interviews with researchers and health technology assessment (HTA) experts, and developed the methods for a systematic review of the literature. The purpose of the review is to identify the psychometrically sound generic and disease-specific PROs used in studies with patients with five LSDs of interest: Fabry, Gaucher (Type I), Niemann-Pick (Type B) and Pompe diseases, and mucopolysaccharidosis (Types I and II).

Methods:Researchers and HTA experts who responded to an email invitation participated in a telephone interview. We used qualitative content analysis to analyze the anonymized transcripts. We conducted a comprehensive literature search for studies that used PROs to investigate burden of disease or to assess the impact of interventions across the five LSDs of interest.

Results:Interviews with seven researchers and six HTA experts representing eight countries revealed five themes. These were: (i) the importance of using psychometrically sound PROs in studies with rare diseases, (ii) the paucity of disease-specific PROs, (iii) the importance of having PRO data for economic analyses, (iv) practical and psychometric limitations of existing PROs, and (v) suggestions for new PROs. The systematic review has been completed.

Conclusions:The interviews highlight current challenges and opportunities experienced by researchers and HTA experts involved in work with rare LSDs. The ongoing systematic review will highlight the experience, opportunities, and limitations of PROs in LSDs and provide suggestions for future research.
X-ray powder diffraction data for Ethyl (Z)-2-chloro-2-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)hydrazin-1-ylidene]acetate, C11H13ClN2O3
Authors: Wang Qing , Hou Quan , Kui Zhang Yong , Li Suo Zi , Li Hui
Published: December 2016

X-ray powder diffraction data, unit-cell parameters, and space group for Ethyl (Z)-2-chloro-2-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)hydrazin-1-ylidene]acetate, C11H13ClN2O3, are reported [a = 13.308(4) Å, b = 9.908(5) Å, c = 4.753(4) Å, α = 90°, β = 91.510(8)°, γ = 90°, unit-cell volume V = 626.64 Å3, Z = 2, ρcal = 1.361 g cm−3, and space group P21]. All measured lines were indexed and are consistent with the P21 space group. No detectable impurities were observed.
Serological and genomic evidence of Rift Valley fever virus during inter-epidemic periods in Mauritania
Authors: RISSMANN M. , EIDEN M. , EL MAMY B. O. , ISSELMOU K. , DOUMBIA B. , ZIEGLER U. , HOMEIER-BACHMANN T. , YAHYA B. , GROSCHUP M. H.
Published: December 2016

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emerging pathogen of major concern throughout Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, affecting both livestock and humans. In the past recurrent epidemics were reported in Mauritania and studies focused on the analysis of samples from affected populations during acute outbreaks. To verify characteristics and presence of RVFV during non-epidemic periods we implemented a multi-stage serological and molecular analysis. Serum samples of small ruminants, cattle and camels were obtained from Mauritania during an inter-epidemic period in 2012–2013. This paper presents a comparative analysis of potential variations and shifts of antibody presence and the capability of inter-epidemic infections in Mauritanian livestock. We observed distinct serological differences between tested species (seroprevalence: small ruminants 3·8%, cattle 15·4%, camels 32·0%). In one single bovine from Nouakchott, a recent RVF infection could be identified by the simultaneous detection of IgM antibodies and viral RNA. This study indicates the occurrence of a low-level enzootic RVFV circulation in livestock in Mauritania. Moreover, results indicate that small ruminants can preferably act as sentinels for RVF surveillance.
Efficiency of slaughterhouse surveillance for the detection of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in Northern Ireland
Authors: PASCUAL-LINAZA A. V. , GORDON A. W. , STRINGER L. A. , MENZIES F. D.
Published: December 2016

Post-mortem examination continues to play an important surveillance role in the bovine tuberculosis (bTB) eradication programme in Northern Ireland. It is estimated that 18–28% of new bTB herd breakdowns are disclosed by the detection of bTB lesions in animals routinely slaughtered. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of different slaughterhouses in Northern Ireland in detecting bTB-lesioned animals at routine slaughter (LRS) and to apply the findings to maximize the sensitivity of bTB slaughterhouse surveillance. Univariate statistical analysis on cattle slaughtered in Northern Ireland during 2011–2013 revealed that the risk of LRS disclosure varied between slaughterhouses, ranging from 0·08% to 0·54%. Furthermore, the risk of confirmation of these LRS as bTB varied between slaughterhouses, ranging from 57·9% to 72·4%. Logistic regression modelling of selected risk factors found that the risk of LRS disclosure increased with age, and was higher in purchased animals, during winter months, in animals coming from high bTB incidence areas and in animals slaughtered from herds with a bTB restriction in the last 2–3 years. Adjusting for these selected factors, the risk of LRS disclosure and bTB confirmation changed very little from the univariable analysis, suggesting that differences in disclosure risks between slaughterhouses were likely to be due to factors related to the slaughterhouses, rather than to the risk status of the animals presented. Examination of procedures within these slaughterhouses is recommended to identify ways that could increase the sensitivity of their bTB surveillance.
Clearinghouse loan certificates as interbank loans in the United States, 1860–1913
Authors: Hoag Christopher
Published: December 2016

Before the founding of the Federal Reserve, bank clearinghouse associations served as an emergency lending facility during the National Bank Era (1863–1913). This article clarifies the operation of clearinghouse loan certificates during panic periods. If clearinghouse loan certificates do not circulate among the general public, then they bear similarities to interbank loans among clearinghouse member banks. In general, the central clearinghouse organization does not act alone as a lender of last resort to make loans from the central clearinghouse to individual member banks.
Prevalence of overweight, obesity, underweight and normal weight in French youth from 2009 to 2013
Authors: Vanhelst Jérémy , Baudelet Jean-Benoît , Fardy Paul S , Béghin Laurent , Mikulovic Jacques , Ulmer Zékya
Published: December 2016

Objective

To determine the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity in French youth from 2009 to 2013 and to determine if there are differences in weight categories according to socio-economic status.

Design

Cross-sectional study performed in different regions of France. Physical measures included weight, height and BMI. Underweight, overweight and obesity were defined according to age- and sex-specific BMI cut-off points from the International Obesity Task Force.

Setting

France.

Subjects

Children and adolescents (n 9670; 4836 boys, 4834 girls) from the French national BOUGE Program between 2009 and 2013.

Results

The prevalence of obesity was higher in boys than girls (P<0·05). In contrast, underweight was more prevalent in girls (P<0·05). Although there were no significant changes in overweight or underweight boys or girls from 2009 to 2013, there was a significant increase in obesity in boys and girls (P<0·05) during the same time period. The prevalence of underweight increased in girls from 12·0 to 16·7 % (P >0·05) and remained unchanged in boys (7·1–7·3 %) between 2009 and 2013. Overweight and obesity were higher in low socio-economic families (P<0·0001).

Conclusions

Findings suggest that the prevalence of overweight was stable although high in French children and adolescents, while the prevalence of obesity increased significantly. Changes in underweight, although not significant, were high in girls and merit further attention. Improving public health interventions, especially in high-risk low socio-economic populations, may help to modify the behaviour that contributes to underweight, overweight and obesity in young boys and girls.
Embedded Legal Information Professionals: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Wilson Peter , Anderson Cosmo
Published: December 2016

‘Embedded librarianship’ has been on the rise in the legal sector since the early 2000s, but what is it and why has it become so popular? This article, written by Peter Wilson and Cosmo Anderson, aims to open up the wider conversations around embedded librarianship through a combination of the authors' practical experience and original research of librarians in UK and Irish law firms.
Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals
Authors: Hoffman Marci
Published: December 2016

Marci Hoffman, General Editor of the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals, reports on how this major multilingual legal index handles its content, and how it is developing in the electronic era.*
SLS/BIALL Academic Law Library Survey 2014/2015
Authors: Gee David
Published: December 2016

This is the latest report analysing the results of the Society of Legal Scholars and BIALL Survey. It has been written by David Gee, Deputy Librarian at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London.
Social Media Objectives and Challenges for Law Libraries: a Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Intahchomphoo Channarong , Jeske Margo , Landriault Emily
Published: December 2016

The purpose of this paper is to examine the scholarly peer-reviewed publications relating to social media objectives and challenges of law libraries. The methodology is that of a systematic literature review. The studies included in this literature review shows that the social media objectives of law libraries are: promoting and marketing resources and services, supporting legal research teaching and tutorials and providing reference services. Secondly, law libraries face some challenges with their social media usage regarding the quality and scope of content, technological difficulties and online privacy.
Money Talks: Discourse, Networks, and Structure in Militant Organizations
Authors: Parkinson Sarah E.
Published: December 2016

Scholarship on militant organizations and rebel movements emphasizes the effects of fragmentation and disunity on military and political outcomes. Yet this scholarship’s focus on formal, durable, and externally observable aspects of organizational structure omits the social practices that constitute, reinforce, and reproduce intra-group schisms. How do intra-organizational divisions calcify into permanent cleavages? What processes reproduce factions over time? Using the case of Fatah in Lebanon, I argue that informal discursive practices—e.g., gossip, jokes, complaints, storytelling—contribute to the maintenance and reproduction of intra-organizational factions. Specifically, I focus on how networks of meaning-laden, money-centric discourse structure relations among militants who identify as being “Old Fatah.” I demonstrate that while these practices frequently originate in the organizational realm, cadres subsequently reproduce them within kinship, marriage, and friendship networks. This “money talk” between age cohorts within the quotidian realm connects younger members of Fatah to older cadres through collective practices and conceptions of organizational membership. These practices both exemplify an intra-organizational schism and constitute, in part, the faction called Old Fatah. Examining how symbolic practice comprises social structure thus provides important insight into the politics of organizations such as militant groups, social movements, and political parties.
Cycling across Political Science Research
Authors: Hibbing John R.
Published: December 2016

I extensively agree with Lieberman’s main argument and especially with his recommendations to graduate students and journal editors, which come at a critical time for our discipline’s development and future relevance. However, I depart from Lieberman on two issues. First, I argue that the research cycle is circular, and not teleological as Lieberman implies. For instance, randomized control trial (RCT) studies could be the start (and not the end) of a research cycle that leads to more descriptive and qualitative analysis in order to improve our understanding of causality. Second, I believe that the size of effects in RCT studies does matter, among other reasons because small effects might be symptoms of defective conceptualization of the main research problem.
Response to Symposium Reviewers
Authors: Lieberman Evan S.
Published: December 2016

This response to Prof. Lieberman’s essay questions its analogy between “biomedical research” and the academic discipline of political science. Focused on the disanalogy of scope and scale between the two, it takes issue not with the “criterial framework” he offers, but with the quality of argumentation that leads us there. Supplementing the essay’s impressionistic account of editorial practice with evidence drawn from the New England Journal of Medicine and the publishing history of APSA journals since the 1960s, I suggest that the issue here is not simply editorial virtue and professional norms, but differences in the material and institutional bases of the journals’ alternative publication models.
Reflections on Political Theory and the Humanities in the Global Age
Authors: Mitchell Joshua
Published: December 2016

Has the uneasy marriage between political theory and political science reached the point where a divorce is now necessary? I consider here the gradual decline of political theory after its post-World War II heyday and its growing self-enclosure in the face of global events that call out for the deeper sort of inquiry that political theory can offer. Drawing on examples from both the Middle East and America, I turn next to a number of institutional considerations that help us understand why this has happened. These institutional challenges pale, however, next to the challenge the hermeneutics of suspicion poses in the twenty-first century to a world increasingly exhausted by the liberal and anti-modern tropes, and in need of constructive understandings of how to go forward. I conclude with the suggestion that political theory and the humanities are better situated within a domain called comparative canonical inquiry.
A Discussion of Dawn Langan Teele’s Field Experiments and Their Critics: Essays on the Uses and Abuses of Experimentation in the Social Sciences
Authors: Brady Henry E.
Published: December 2016

Experimental approaches to political science research have become increasingly prominent in the discipline. Experimental research is regularly featured in some of the discipline’s top journals, and indeed in 2014 a new Journal of Experimental Political Science was created, published by Cambridge University Press. At the same time, there are disagreements among political scientists about the limits of experimental research, the ethical challenges associated with this research, and the general model of social scientific inquiry underlying much experimental research. Field Experiments and Their Critics: Essays on the Uses and Abuses of Experimentation in the Social Sciences, edited by Dawn Langan Teele (Yale University Press 2015), brings together many interesting perspectives on these issues. And so we have invited a number of political scientists to comment on the book, the issues it raises, and the more general question of “the uses and abuses of experimentation in the social sciences.”
A Discussion of Dawn Langan Teele’s Field Experiments and Their Critics: Essays on the Uses and Abuses of Experimentation in the Social Sciences
Authors: Krupnikov Yanna
Published: December 2016

Experimental approaches to political science research have become increasingly prominent in the discipline. Experimental research is regularly featured in some of the discipline’s top journals, and indeed in 2014 a new Journal of Experimental Political Science was created, published by Cambridge University Press. At the same time, there are disagreements among political scientists about the limits of experimental research, the ethical challenges associated with this research, and the general model of social scientific inquiry underlying much experimental research. Field Experiments and Their Critics: Essays on the Uses and Abuses of Experimentation in the Social Sciences, edited by Dawn Langan Teele (Yale University Press 2015), brings together many interesting perspectives on these issues. And so we have invited a number of political scientists to comment on the book, the issues it raises, and the more general question of “the uses and abuses of experimentation in the social sciences.”
A Discussion of Dawn Langan Teele’s Field Experiments and Their Critics: Essays on the Uses and Abuses of Experimentation in the Social Sciences
Authors: Preece Jessica Robinson
Published: December 2016

Experimental approaches to political science research have become increasingly prominent in the discipline. Experimental research is regularly featured in some of the discipline’s top journals, and indeed in 2014 a new Journal of Experimental Political Science was created, published by Cambridge University Press. At the same time, there are disagreements among political scientists about the limits of experimental research, the ethical challenges associated with this research, and the general model of social scientific inquiry underlying much experimental research. Field Experiments and Their Critics: Essays on the Uses and Abuses of Experimentation in the Social Sciences, edited by Dawn Langan Teele (Yale University Press 2015), brings together many interesting perspectives on these issues. And so we have invited a number of political scientists to comment on the book, the issues it raises, and the more general question of “the uses and abuses of experimentation in the social sciences.”
A Discussion of Josiah Ober’s The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece
Authors: Acemoglu Daron , Robinson James A. , Weingast Barry R.
Published: December 2016

Ancient Greece has long exercised a powerful hold on the imagination of modern political science. But until fairly recently, this influence has largely been philosophical, related to the origins of many theoretical concepts—including the concept of politics itself—in the ancient world. In The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece, Josiah Ober offers a synoptic and ambitious social theoretical account of the ancient Greek world, the sources of its power, the causes of its decline, and the lessons that can be drawn from this story for contemporary social and political science. We have thus invited a range of political scientists to comment on Ober’s account of classical Greece and its relevance to contemporary political inquiry.
Notorious Ocean Current Is Far Stronger Than Previously Thought
Authors: Underwood Emily
Published: December 2016

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the only ocean current to circle the planet and the largest wind-driven current on Earth. It's also 30% more powerful than scientists realized.
Unifying Ocean Data into One Searchable Set
Authors: Bansal Devika
Published: December 2016

A new system called SeaView integrates data from five online ocean data sets, helping to paint a more detailed picture of the world's oceans.
Lysine-specific demethylase 1 inhibitor rescues the osteogenic ability of mesenchymal stem cells under osteoporotic conditions by modulating H3K4 methylation
Authors: Lv Longwei , Ge Wenshu , Liu Yunsong , Lai Guanyou , Liu Hao , Li Wenyue , Zhou Yongsheng
Published: December 2016

Bone tissue engineering may be hindered by underlying osteoporosis because of a decreased osteogenic ability of autologous seed cells and an unfavorably changed microenvironment in these patients. Epigenetic regulation plays an important role in the developmental origins of osteoporosis; however, few studies have investigated the potential of epigenetic therapy to improve or rescue the osteogenic ability of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) under osteoporotic conditions. Here, we investigated pargyline, an inhibitor of lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), which mainly catalyzes the demethylation of the di- and mono-methylation of H3K4. We demonstrated that 1.5 mmol·L−1 pargyline was the optimal concentration for the osteogenic differentiation of human BMMSCs. Pargyline rescued the osteogenic differentiation ability of mouse BMMSCs under osteoporotic conditions by enhancing the dimethylation level of H3K4 at the promoter regions of osteogenesis-related genes. Moreover, pargyline partially rescued or prevented the osteoporotic conditions in aged or ovariectomized mouse models, respectively. By introducing the concept of epigenetic therapy into the field of osteoporosis, this study demonstrated that LSD1 inhibitors could improve the clinical practice of MSC-based bone tissue engineering and proposes their novel use to treat osteoporosis.
Determination of Fe(iii) using digital images: study of corrosion in steel plates using a polyester laser printed device
Authors: Filho Juliano Passaretti , Gomes Valente Junior Marco Antônio , de Lima Gomes Paulo Clairmont F. , Fugivara Cecílio Sadao , Cardoso Arnaldo Alves
Published: December 2016

The marketing of metals and metal alloys requires strategies for controlling the integrity of these materials.
Facile fabrication of ZSM-5 zeolite hollow spheres for catalytic conversion of methanol to aromatics
Authors: Wang Kai , Dong Mei , Li Junfen , Liu Ping , Zhang Kan , Wang Jianguo , Fan Weibin
Published: December 2016

ZSM-5 hollow spheres have been one-step synthesized and show exceptionally high catalytic stability and aromatics selectivity in the MTA process.
Highly ordered sandwich-type (phthalocyaninato)(porphyrinato) europium double-decker nanotubes and room temperature NO2 sensitive properties
Authors: Zhu Peihua , Wang Yucheng , Ma Pan , Song Feifei , Han Xinyu , Yao Shuncheng , Yang Cheng
Published: December 2016

Nanotubes of compound 2 showed high sensitivity to NO2, revealing that a molecular packing mode can tune gas sensing properties.
One-dimensional complexes extended by unbridged metal–metal bonds based on a HOMO–LUMO interaction at the dz2orbital between platinum and heterometal atoms
Authors: Uemura Kazuhiro
Published: December 2016

Crystal and electronic structures of seventeen heterometallic one-dimensional chain complexes are reviewed and discussed.
In situ formed acetals facilitated direct Michael addition of unactivated ketones
Authors: Koppolu Srinivasa Rao , Balamurugan Rengarajan
Published: December 2016

A facile Michael addition of unactivated ketones under Brønsted acid conditions for the synthesis of 1,5-diketones.
Theranostic hexosomes for cancer treatments: an in vitro study
Authors: Meli Valeri , Caltagirone Claudia , Sinico Chiara , Lai Francesco , Falchi Angela M. , Monduzzi Maura , Obiols-Rabasa Marc , Picci Giacomo , Rosa Antonella , Schmidt Judith , Talmon Yeshayahu , Murgia Sergio
Published: December 2016

Targeted liquid crystalline nanoparticles with a reverse hexagonal inner structure as diagnostic and therapeutic tools in oncology.
A unique cysteine selective water soluble fluorescent probe operable in multiple sensing cycles for the detection of biogenic cysteine in multicellular living species
Authors: Das Sanju , Sarkar Yeasmin , Majumder Rini , Mukherjee Santanu , Bandyopadhyay Jaya , Ray Ambarish , Parui Partha Pratim
Published: December 2016

A Cys selective water soluble Cu(ii)-Schiff-base fluorescent probe isolated in the solid state exhibits in vitro and in vivo cyclic fluorescence ‘on–off’ response.
Characterization of the cross-linking structures in UV- and EB-cured acrylic copolymer resins using high resolution MALDI-spiral-TOFMS combined with supercritical methanolysis
Authors: Miyazawa Makoto , Iiguni Yoshinori , Ohtani Hajime
Published: December 2016

The cross-linking structures of ultraviolet (UV) and electron beam (EB)-cured acrylic copolymer resins prepared with pentaerithritol triacrylate and 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VP) mixtures were characterized using high resolution MALDI-TOFMS combined with supercritical methanolysis.
Voice-Related Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: A Systematic Review of Instrument Development and Validation
Authors: Francis David O. , Daniero James J. , Hovis Kristen L. , Sathe Nila , Jacobson Barbara , Penson David F. , Feurer Irene D. , McPheeters Melissa L.
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to perform a comprehensive systematic review of the literature on voice-related patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures in adults and to evaluate each instrument for the presence of important measurement properties.

Method

MEDLINE, the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and the Health and Psychosocial Instrument databases were searched using relevant vocabulary terms and key terms related to PRO measures and voice. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed in consultation with an expert panel. Three independent investigators assessed study methodology using criteria developed a priori. Measurement properties were examined and entered into evidence tables.

Results

A total of 3,744 studies assessing voice-related constructs were identified. This list was narrowed to 32 PRO measures on the basis of predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Questionnaire measurement properties varied widely. Important thematic deficiencies were apparent: (a) lack of patient involvement in the item development process, (b) lack of robust construct validity, and (c) lack of clear interpretability and scaling.

Conclusions

PRO measures are a principal means of evaluating treatment effectiveness in voice-related conditions. Despite their prominence, available PRO measures have disparate methodological rigor. Care must be taken to understand the psychometric and measurement properties and the applicability of PRO measures before advocating for their use in clinical or research applications.
The Future is Now: The IMPACT of Regulatory and Health Care Reform on Speech-Language Pathology Practice - Part One
Authors: Knoepfel Erin , Wisely Joanne
Published: December 2016

Throughout Parts 1 and 2 of this article, we will provide the knowledge and insight we have gained over the years, specific to this ever-changing health care arena. We will highlight key events that have shaped the American care delivery system and discuss current actions that lay the foundation for the future of the health care service environment. As professional members of the health care team, our goal is to ensure that we continue to provide high-quality services to those with communication, cognitive-communication, motor speech, voice, and swallowing impairments.
Defining Significant Events for Neonatal and Pediatric Transport: Results of a Combined Delphi and Consensus Meeting Process
Authors: McNally J. , Whyte H. , O'Hearn K. , Foster J. , Parker M. , Dhanani S. , Gunz A.
Published: December 2016

Objective To develop standardized definitions for a list of indicators that represent significant events during pediatric transport, which were previously identified by a national Delphi study.

Methods We designed a three-phase consensus process that applied Delphi methodology to a combination of electronic questionnaires and a live consensus meeting.

Results Thirty-one pediatric transport experts evaluated a total of 59 indicators. Twenty-four indicators represented events or interventions that did not require definition. One indicator was removed from the list. Definitions for the remaining 34 indicators were developed.

Conclusion This standardized indicator list is intended for application to quality improvement and clinical research initiatives.
The Effect of Metacarpophalangeal Joint Hyperextension on Outcomes in the Surgical Treatment of Carpometacarpal Joint Arthritis
Authors: Brogan David , van Hogezand Rose , Babovic Nikola , Carlsen Brian , Kakar Sanjeev
Published: December 2016

Purpose In the surgical treatment of thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint arthritis, the effect of mild preoperative metacarpophalangeal (MCP) hyperextension on postoperative functional outcomes is unknown. We sought to examine outcomes after surgical treatment of CMC arthritis in patients with and without mild preexisting MCP deformity.

Methods A retrospective review was conducted to analyze the functional outcomes of patients treated for CMC arthritis at a single institution from March 1998 to May 2009. All patients were treated with one of two standard CMC arthroplasty procedures—either ligament reconstruction tendon interposition (LRTI) or a Weilby procedure—and none had additional procedures to address MCP hyperextension. Pre- and postoperative assessments included pinch and grip strength, degree of MCP hyperextension, and thumb radial and palmar abduction. A t-test was used to assume unequal variances.

Results A total of 203 patients were followed for an average of 27.3 months. Patients were divided into two groups: (1) patients without preoperative MCP hyperextension (167 patients) and (2) patients with mild but untreated preoperative MCP hyperextension (≤ 30 degrees; 36 patients). All patients underwent either a Weilby procedure (118 patients) or an LRTI; 85 patients). The main difference between techniques was the use of the abductor pollicis longus tendon as a post to secure the flexor carpi radialis (Weilby) or the use of a bone tunnel in the first metacarpal (LRTI). Analysis of the preoperative data showed no difference in the baseline parameters among both the groups, with the exception of MCP hyperextension. Postoperatively, neither the type of CMC procedure nor the presence of MCP hyperextension demonstrated any significant differences in key pinch, tip pinch, grip strength, and radial or palmar abduction of the thumb between the groups.

Conclusion There were no statistically significant differences in improvement of functional outcomes after surgery when comparing patients without preoperative MCP hyperextension to patients with untreated MCP hyperextension of less than 30 degrees.

Level of Evidence Level III, retrospective comparative study.
A simple proof of convergence to the Hartree dynamics in Sobolev trace norms
Authors: Anapolitanos Ioannis , Hott Michael
Published: December 2016

The derivation of the Hartree equation from many-body systems of Bosons in the mean field limit has been very intensively studied in the last couple of years. However, very few results exist showing convergence of the kth marginal of the N-body density matrix to the projection to the k-fold tensor product of the solution of the Hartree equation in stronger trace norms like the energy trace norm, see the work of Michelangeli and Schlein [Commun. Math. Phys. 311(3), 645–687 (2012)] and Lührmann [J. Math. Phys. 53(2), 022105 (2012)]. This issue is from a physical view point very important. The reason is that one can then approximate expectation values of certain observables of the N-body system by means of the Hartree equation, with relaxation of the very restrictive assumption that the observables are bounded operators. Here we consider the non-relativistic case. We prove, assuming only H1-regularity of the initial data, convergence in the energy trace norm without rates, and convergence in any other weaker Sobolev trace norm with rates. Our proof is simple and uses the functional aN introduced by Pickl [Lett. Math. Phys. 97(2), 151–164 (2011)].
Stereoisomers of hydroxymethanes: Probing structural and spectroscopic features upon substitution
Authors: Toumi I. , Yazidi O. , Jaidane N.-E. , Al Mogren M. Mogren , Francisco J. S. , Hochlaf M.
Published: December 2016

Ab initio studies on CHx(OH)4−x (x = 0-3) polyols are carried out to derive their structural and spectroscopic features. Several stereoisomers (both equilibrium structures and transition states) are found. Some are predicted here for the first time. We determined hence their geometrical parameters, vibrational frequencies, electronic excitation energies for the singlet manifold, and IR spectra. While the IR spectra for all polyols present similar shapes, their UV spectra exhibit however distinct band origin that are specific to each polyol and more interestingly to each diasteroisomer. Stereoelectronic effects are also noticed and discussed. It is suggested that UV spectroscopy is an efficient probe to experimentally identify polyols in mixtures involving polyols.
Quasi-static major and minor strain-stress loops in textured polycrystalline Fe81.6Ga18.4 Galfenol
Authors: Deng Zhangxian , Scheidler Justin J. , Asnani Vivake M. , Dapino Marcelo J.
Published: December 2016

The ΔE effect (Young's modulus variation of magnetostrictive materials) is useful for tunable vibration absorption and stiffness control. The ΔE effect of iron-gallium (Galfenol) has not been fully characterized. In this study, major and minor strain-stress loops were measured under different bias magnetic fields in solid, research grade, ⟨100⟩-oriented, highly-textured polycrystalline Fe81.6Ga18.4 Galfenol. A 1 Hz, constant amplitude compressive stress was applied from −0.5 MPa to −63.3 MPa for major loop responses. Minor loops were generated by simultaneously applying a 4 Hz, 2.88 MPa amplitude sinusoidal stress and different bias stresses ranging from −5.7 MPa to −41.6 MPa in increments of about 7.2 MPa. Bias magnetic fields were applied in two ways, a constant field in the sample obtained using a proportional-integral (PI) controller and a constant current in the excitation coils. The ΔE effect was quantified from major and minor loop measurements. The maximum ΔE effect is 54.84% and 39.01% for constant field and constant current major loops, respectively. For constant field and constant current minor loops, the maximum ΔE effect is 37.90% and 27.46%, respectively. A laminated sample of the same material was tested under constant current conditions. The saturation modulus of this material is 59.54 GPa, or 82.65% of the solid rod's saturation modulus, due in part to the soft adhesive layers. The minimum modulus calculated from major loops is 36.31 GPa, which corresponds to a 39.02% ΔE effect. A new optimization procedure is presented on the basis of an existing discrete energy-averaged model to incorporate measurement uncertainties. The model was optimized to both major and minor loop data; model parameters with 95% confidence intervals are presented.