bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Change and persistence with failed technological innovation
Authors: Maslach David
Published: December 2014

Organizations learn by reinforcing past actions. When firms experience actions with negative outcomes, they change in response. Any persistence with such actions is said to be suboptimal, attributable to factors such as threat rigidities. This paper theorizes that persistence may sometimes be rational, attributable to the characteristics of feedback. It uses a novel dataset of medical devices to show how organizations learn to search for future novel or incremental innovations based on failure. It finds that firms change innovation activities when novel innovations fail, but persist when incremental innovations fail. These findings support the hypothesis that inferences based on failure from incremental innovations tend to be more robust, leading firms to be more willing to persist when failure occurs. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Human White and Brite Adipogenesis is Supported by MSCA1 and is Impaired by Immune Cells
Authors: Estève David , Boulet Nathalie , Volat Fanny , Zakaroff-Girard Alexia , Ledoux Séverine , Coupaye Muriel , Decaunes Pauline , Belles Chloé , Gaits-Iacovoni Frederique , Iacovoni Jason S. , Rémaury Anne , Castel Benjamin , Ferrara Pascual , Heymes Christophe , Lafontan Max , Bouloumié Anne , Galitzky Jean
Published: December 2014

Obesity-associated inflammation contributes to the development of metabolic diseases. Although brite adipocytes have been shown to ameliorate metabolic parameters in rodents, their origin and differentiation remain to be characterized in humans. Native CD45−/CD34+/CD31− cells have been previously described as human adipocyte progenitors. Using two additional cell surface markers, MSCA1 (tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase) and CD271 (nerve growth factor receptor), we are able to partition the CD45−/CD34+/CD31− cell population into three subsets. We establish serum-free culture conditions without cell expansion to promote either white/brite adipogenesis using rosiglitazone, or bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7), or specifically brite adipogenesis using 3-isobuthyl-1-methylxanthine. We demonstrate that adipogenesis leads to an increase of MSCA1 activity, expression of white/brite adipocyte-related genes, and mitochondriogenesis. Using pharmacological inhibition and gene silencing approaches, we show that MSCA1 activity is required for triglyceride accumulation and for the expression of white/brite-related genes in human cells. Moreover, native immunoselected MSCA1+ cells exhibit brite precursor characteristics and the highest adipogenic potential of the three progenitor subsets. Finally, we provided evidence that MSCA1+ white/brite precursors accumulate with obesity in subcutaneous adipose tissue (sAT), and that local BMP7 and inflammation regulate brite adipogenesis by modulating MSCA1 in human sAT. The accumulation of MSCA1+ white/brite precursors in sAT with obesity may reveal a blockade of their differentiation by immune cells, suggesting that local inflammation contributes to metabolic disorders through impairment of white/brite adipogenesis. Stem Cells  2015;33:1277–1291
Concise Review: Custodians of the Transcriptome: How MicroRNAs Guard Stemness in Squamous Epithelia
Authors: Ning Matthew S. , Andl Thomas
Published: December 2014

At the core of every dynamic epithelium resides a population of carefully regulated stem cells ensuring its maintenance and balance. The complex mammalian epidermis is no exception to this rule. The last decade has delivered a wealth of knowledge regarding the biology of adult stem cells, but questions still remain regarding the intricate details of their function and maintenance. To help address these gaps, we turn to the small, single-stranded RNA molecules known as microRNAs. Since their discovery, microRNAs have provided us with novel insights and ground-breaking impulses to enhance our understanding of the biological sciences. Due to their unique role in post-transcriptional regulation, microRNAs are essential to cutaneous biology as well as the epidermal stem cell. By serving as buffers to balance between epithelial stemness, proliferation, and differentiation, microRNAs play essential roles in the maintenance of cutaneous stem cells and their transition out of the stem cell compartment. Following an updated overview of microRNA biology, we summarize the current knowledge of the role of microRNAs in cutaneous stem cells, focusing on three major players that have dominated the recent literature: miR-205, miR-203, and miR-125b. We then review clinical applications, discussing the potential of microRNAs as therapeutic targets in regenerative and oncological stem cell-based medicine. Stem Cells  2015;33:1047–1054
Risk of Adrenocortical Carcinoma in Adrenal Tumours Greater than 8 cm
Authors: Abdel‐Aziz Tarek Ezzat , Rajeev Parameswaran , Sadler Greg , Weaver Andrew , Mihai Radu
Published: December 2014

Background

Adrenocortical cancer (ACC) is a rare malignancy. In the absence of metastatic disease, the suspicion of ACC is based on size and radiological appearance. The aim of this study was to analyse the long‐term outcome of patients with large adrenal cortical tumours (>8 cm).

Methods

A prospective database recorded clinical, biochemical, operative and histological data on patients operated for cortical adrenal tumours between January 2000 and February 2013. Out of 130 patients operated for cortical adrenal tumours, analysis was restricted to 37 cortical tumours >8 cm.

Results

There were 31 (84 %) ACCs and 6 (16 %) benign adenomas (p < 0.01). The most common presentation was that of an abdominal mass [17 (55 %) vs. 3 (50 %), ACC vs. benign, respectively]. There was no difference in size between stage II and stage III–IV tumours; however, there was a trend for tumours to be heavier in advanced stages (920 ± 756 vs. 1,435 ± 1,022 g, p = 0.08, stage II vs. stage III–IV, respectively). No mortality was observed in patients with benign tumours during a median follow‐up of 70 months (range 36–99 months). Mortality in the ACC group occurred in 17/31 (55 %) patients. Mitotane was administered in 12 (71 %) patients with stage III–IV ACCs with a 5‐year survival rate 25 % compared to 20 % in patients who did not receive Mitotane. In stage II ACC, eight (57 %) patients received Mitotane with a 50 % mortality at 5 years.

Conclusions

The high incidence of ACC in cortical tumours >8 cm underlines the need for adequate surgical resection via open surgery aiming to avoid local recurrence. Beyond surgery, the impact of other therapies is not fully characterised and the efficacy of adjuvant Mitotane treatment is yet to be proven.
Social vulnerability in three high-poverty climate change hot spots: What does the climate change literature tell us?
Authors: Tucker Josephine , Daoud Mona , Oates Naomi , Few Roger , Conway Declan , Mtisi Sobona , Matheson Shirley
Published: December 2014

This paper reviews the state of knowledge on social vulnerability to climate change in three hot spots (deltas, semi-arid regions and snowpack- or glacier-fed river basins) in Africa, Central Asia and South Asia, using elements of systematic review methods. Social vulnerability is defined as a dynamic state of societies comprising exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. We examine whether the hot spots have specific characteristics that tend to increase or decrease social vulnerability, consider suitable scales of analysis for understanding vulnerability, and explore the conceptions of vulnerability adopted in the climate change literature and the nature of the insights this generates. Finally, we identify knowledge gaps in this literature. All three hot spots are characterized by high levels of natural resource dependence, with increasing environmental degradation. They also exhibit unequal policies and patterns of development, which benefit certain segments of society while making others more vulnerable. Vulnerability is driven by multiple factors operating at different scales; however, characterization of cross-scalar interactions is poorly developed in the majority of studies reviewed. Most studies are either large scale, such as broad comparisons of vulnerability across countries, or local, documenting community-level processes. Detailed understanding of the interactions between climate change impacts on natural systems, and socio-economic trajectories, including adaptation, also emerges as a knowledge gap.
Teachers’ curricular choices when teaching histories of oppressed people: Capturing the U.S. Civil Rights Movement
Authors: Swalwell Katy , Pellegrino Anthony M. , View Jenice L.
Published: December 2014

This paper investigates what choices teachers made and what rationales they offered related to the inclusion and exclusion of primary source photographs for a hypothetical unit about the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in order to better understand teachers’ curricular decision-making as it relates to representing the histories of oppressed people. Elementary and secondary social studies/history teachers from three different in-service and pre-service cohorts ( n=62) selected and discarded images from a bank of 25 famous and lesser-known photographs. Their decisions and explanations were coded for emergent themes. Findings reveal that these teachers tended to be guided by criteria both technical (how they might teach using a particular photograph) and philosophical (why they might teach about a particular photograph), with narrow definitions of what they deemed relevant and appropriate for their students. Their choices constructed a sanitized narrative of the Civil Rights Movement that largely avoided a discussion of racism.
Attraction ofCallosobruchus maculatus(F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) to four varieties ofLathyrus sativusL. seed volatiles
Authors: Adhikary P. , Mukherjee A. , Barik A.
Published: December 2014

Callosobruchus maculatus(F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) is an important stored grain pest ofLathyrus sativusL. (Leguminosae), commonly known as khesari, in India, Bangladesh and Ethiopia. Volatiles were collected from four varieties, i.e., Bio L 212 Ratan, Nirmal B-1, WBK-14-7 and WBK-13-1 of uninfested khesari seeds, and subsequently identified and quantified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry and gas chromatography flame ionization detector analyses, respectively. A total of 23 volatiles were identified in the four varieties of khesari seeds. In Bio L 212 Ratan and WBK-13-1 seeds, nonanal was the most abundant followed by farnesyl acetone; whereas farnesyl acetone was predominant followed by nonanal in Nirmal B-1 and WBK-14-7 khesari seeds. The olfactory responses of femaleC. maculatustoward volatile blends from four varieties of khesari seeds, and individual synthetic compounds and their combinations were examined through Y-shaped glass tube olfactometer bioassays.Callosobruchus maculatusshowed significant preference for the whole volatile blends from Bio L 212 Ratan seeds compared to whole volatile blends from other three varieties. The insect exhibited attraction to five individual synthetic compounds, 3-octanone, 3-octanol, linalool oxide, 1-octanol and nonanal. A synthetic blend of 448, 390, 1182, 659 and 8114 ng/20 μl methylene chloride of 3-octanone, 3-octanol, linalool oxide, 1-octanol and nonanal, respectively, was most attractive toC. maculatus, and this combination might be used for insect pest management program such as baited traps.
Similar hats on similar heads: uniformity and alienation at the Rat Pack's Summit Conference of Cool
Authors: Calvert Dave
Published: December 2014

This paper considers the nightclub shows of the Rat Pack, focussing particularly on The Summit performances at the Sands Hotel, Las Vegas, in 1960. Featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, these shows encompassed musical, comic and dance routines, drawing on the experiences each member had in live vaudeville performance. The discussion outlines these individual histories, and draws attention to a shared fascination with impersonation, which forms an explicit and implicit part of the act, as the performers’ stage personas are already emulatory. In addition to the influence of vaudeville, the construction of the Rat Pack also draws on the structures of blackface minstrelsy, with the interactions of the five members being patterned on a fluid variant of the interlocutor–endmen relationships. The interweaving of these influences and performance styles underpins a dominant concern of the troupe, as the comic material frequently negotiates the racial, national and religious identities of the individual performers. In particular, this deals with their shared status of having immigrant ancestry, a status which I term as being ‘hyphenated-American’, suspended between historical, public and aspirational identities.
A 6-year follow-up study of adult patients with congenitally corrected transposition
Authors: Koželj Mirta , Cvijić Marta , Berden Pavel , Podnar Tomaž
Published: December 2014

The aims of this study were to assess the development of heart failure in patients with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries in a medium-term follow-up, to identify the impact of tricuspid regurgitation on the development of heart failure, and to determine the most reliable marker for its identification. The prospective 6-year follow-up study included 19 adult patients. All patients were evaluated clinically by the determination of N-terminal pro-hormone brain natriuretic peptide levels, exercise stress testing, echocardiography magnetic resonance, or CT. Among them, two patients died of heart failure. There was a decline in exercise capacity and systolic systemic ventricular function (p=0.011). Systemic ventricular ejection fraction decreased (48.3±13.7 versus 42.7±12.7%, p=0.001). Tissue Doppler imaging showed a decline in peak tricuspid systolic annular velocity (10.3±2.0 versus 8.3±2.5 cm/second, p=0.032) and peak tricuspid early diastolic annular velocity (14.6±4.3 versus 12.0±4.5 cm/second, p=0.048). The tricuspid regurgitation did not increase significantly. N-terminal pro-hormone brain natriuretic peptide levels increased (127.0 ng/L(82.3–305.8) versus 226.0 ng/L(112.5–753.0), p=0.022). Progressive exercise intolerance in congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries appears to be driven mainly by a progression in systemic right ventricular dysfunction. Tricuspid regurgitation is likely to play a role, especially in patients with structural abnormalities of the tricuspid valve – Ebstein anomaly. The N-terminal pro-hormone brain natriuretic peptide levels and tissue Doppler parameters appear sensitive in detecting changes over time and may guide management.
Opera Production and Civic Musical Life in 1870s Montreal
Authors: Thompson Brian C.
Published: December 2014

This article explores the origins and productions of the Société Canadienne d'Opérette et d'Opéra de Montréal, a short-lived opera company active in the late 1870s. Headed by Calixa Lavallée and Frantz Jehin Prume, the Société was established in part as a result of a decree that forbade the use mixed choirs throughout the archdiocese, and consequently made obsolete Lavallée's choir at Saint-Jacques Church. Following the success of their first production, Lavallée and Prume realized that the company might be used as a stepping-stone to the creation of a government-funded music school, modelled on the Paris Conservatoire. This article explores the social and political context in which the Société was created, and details the staging and reception of its productions of Gounod's Jeanne d'Arc and Boieldieu's La Dame blanche. In selecting these works for performance, the organizers responded to demands and constraints of a society accustomed to popular entertainment from the US and under pressure from the conservative and influential Catholic Church. They were works that were feasible to produce and likely to be successful in a city whose population was divided by religion, language and cultural traditions.
Noble Savage/Indigène sauvage: Staging First Nations in Early Canadian opera
Authors: Ingraham Mary I.
Published: December 2014

This research engages the ways composers and librettists in early Canada constructed the roles of First Nations Peoples in two staged dramatic musical works: Clappé and Dixon's Canada's Welcome from 1879 and Vézina, Villandray and Fleur's Le fétiche from 1912. My exploration begins from a desire to cultivate an historiography of First Nations musical archetypes that extends beyond viewing representations as stereotypes to explore how they are used intertextually to reflect social and political realities in early Canada. The extent of play with indigenous traditions in each of these works belies their creators’ intentions to underscore contemporary beliefs in the civilizing power of colonization. And while Clappé and Dixon's work might now be interesting primarily as upper class entertainment, Vézina, Villandray and Fleur's exemplifies the evolution of Canadian culture through a more complex use of intertextual relationships. In Canada's Welcome, Clappé reserves his most nuanced musical representations for the European immigrants on stage; Vézina performs similar homogenizing musical acts but contrasts the French in grand operatic expression and the Iroquois with more extensive use of stereotypical markers to create distinctions within his Western art music setting. The most overt expressions of Otherness in these works are therefore largely carried by the texts, mediated through their encoding of the tropes of the fairness and acceptance of a tolerant civilization.
FROM GREENWICH VILLAGE TO HOLLYWOOD: THE LITERARY APPRENTICESHIP OF SONYA LEVIEN
Authors: Rosenbloom Nancy J.
Published: December 2014

Sonya Levien (1888–1960) achieved a modicum of fame and fortune by writing stories and screenplays for Hollywood studios beginning in 1922 and ending only with her death. Her remarkable story began as the daughter of the immigrant working class and represents a narrative that took her from Greenwich Village to Hollywood. This essay explores her coming of age during the 1910s and, consequently, the process through which America invited those at the fringes to join in defining its national and civic creed. Herein lays the significance of Sonya Levien to an understanding of progressivism. By bridging the divides that separated Americans into groups defined by gender, class, ethnicity, and even politics, Levien engaged a number of the major issues of her day.
Dynamic Assessment: the Spanish Version of the Application of Cognitive Functions Scale
Authors: Mata Sara , Dolores Calero M.
Published: December 2014

For the last 30 years, the sphere of educational assessment has been giving consideration to methodology that would focus on the processes more than on the final results obtained. Dynamic Assessment has appeared within this context, making it possible to assess a child’s ability to improve on a certain task after receiving mediated training. One of the techniques developed to assess the learning potential of preschoolers is the Application of Cognitive Functions Scale (ACFS: Lidz & Jepsen, 2003). The objective of this study was to verify the criterion validity of the Spanish version of the ACFS which was applied to 87 children in the second year of preschool, at which time a learning potential index was obtained for each child. Two years later, the children were reassessed with respect to intelligence, metacognition and scholastic aptitudes. Results showed that learning potential presented evidences of predictive validity regarding to the progression showed on the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test’s (K-BIT: Kaufman & Kauffman, 1994) matrices subtest (p= .04, η2= .04) and on the evaluation subtest of the metacognition questionnaire (p= .02, η2= .05). Results also showed significant differences between groups on the visual-perceptive aptitude subtest (p= .01) in favor of the children classified as learners.
Fabrication of novel chemosensors composed of rhodamine derivative for the detection of ferric ion and mechanism studies on the interaction between sensor and ferric ion
Authors: Shi Dongjian , Ni Ming , Luo Jing , Akashi Mitsuru , Liu Xiaoya , Chen Mingqing
Published: December 2014

This paper presents the design and preparation of novel fluorescence chemosensors for detection ferric ions based on rhodamine derivatives, and studies on the recognition mechanisms and interaction between probes and metal ions.
Hierarchical layered double hydroxide nanocomposites: structure, synthesis and applications
Authors: Gu Zi , Atherton John James , Xu Zhi Ping
Published: December 2014

Layered double hydroxide (LDH)-based nanocomposites, constructed by interacting LDH nanoparticles with other nanomaterials (e.g. silica nanoparticles and magnetic nanoparticles) or polymeric molecules (e.g. proteins), are an emerging yet active area in healthcare, environmental remediation, energy conversion and storage.
Correction: All-solid-state Z-scheme system arrays of Fe2V4O13/RGO/CdS for visible light-driving photocatalytic CO2 reduction into renewable hydrocarbon fuel
Authors: Li Ping , Zhou Yong , Li Haijin , Xu Qinfeng , Meng Xianguang , Wang Xiaoyong , Xiao Min , Zou Zhigang
Published: December 2014

Correction for ‘All-solid-state Z-scheme system arrays of Fe2V4O13/RGO/CdS for visible light-driving photocatalytic CO2 reduction into renewable hydrocarbon fuel’ by Ping Li et al., Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 800–803.
Self-assembly of SnO2 quantum dots into hierarchically ordered structures assisted by oriented attachment
Authors: Zhuang Zanyong , Xue Xiaogang , Lin Zhang
Published: December 2014

Taking SnO2 quantum dots with random orientation as a precursor, NaOH induces self-assembly of SnO2 dots to form the nanowires, side-by-side attachment of which generates hierarchically ordered structures.
Towards understanding the design of dual-modal MR/fluorescent probes to sense zinc ions
Authors: Rivas Charlotte , Stasiuk Graeme J. , Sae-Heng Myra , J. Long Nicholas
Published: December 2014

A series of new gadolinium complexes have been synthesised to test the design of dual-modal probes that can display a change in fluorescence or relaxivity response upon zinc binding. By an iterative change in parameters of the probes, the compounds give insight into the design protocols required for successful imaging of zinc ions.
An unprecedented 3D POM–MOF based on (7,8)-connected twin Wells–Dawson clusters: synthesis, structure, electrocatalytic and photocatalytic properties
Authors: Li Shaobin , Zhang Li , O'Halloran Kevin P. , Ma Huiyuan , Pang Haijun
Published: December 2014

The first (7,8)-connected POM–MOF has been obtained, representing the highest connected POMs to any mixed-connected POM–MOF and a unique structure that contains organic–inorganic and all-inorganic networks.
Four linear CuII3 subunit-based coordination polymers with various inter-subunit connections, spin ground-states and intra-/inter-subunit magnetic couplings
Authors: Yang En-Cui , Liu Zhong-Yi , Chen Si-Hang , Su Yan-Hong , Zhang Yan-Yan , Zhao Xiao-Jun
Published: December 2014

Four 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole-based complexes, including three bent chains and one pillared-layer framework, were reported, which exhibit various linear CuII3 subunits, inter-subunit connections, spin ground-states and magnetic couplings.
Diastereoselective recognition of α-mannoside by hemicryptophane receptors
Authors: Schmitt Aline , Chatelet Bastien , Padula Daniele , Di Bari Lorenzo , Dutasta Jean-Pierre , Martinez Alexandre
Published: December 2014

The synthesis and assignment of the absolute configuration of enantiopure hemicryptophane hosts are reported. The new hosts are able to recognize selectively mannoside guests compared to other sugar derivatives such as glucoside or galactoside.
Preassembly-driven ratiometric sensing of H2PO4− anions in organic and aqueous environments
Authors: Gong Wei-tao , Na Duo , Fang Le , Mehdi Hassan , Ning Gui-ling
Published: December 2014

The preassembly phenomenon of R1 facilitates novel ratiometric fluorescence sensing of H2PO4− in organic and aqueous environments.
Influence of a non-dairy probiotic matrix based on wheat bran and soybean meal on lactic acid bacteria growth
Authors: Zhang Ruohua , Wang Miao , Zhou Weilin
Published: December 2014

Wheat bran and soybean meal are rich sources of bioactive compounds that are beneficial in preventing disease and stimulating probiotic growth.
An easy approach for constructing vesicles by using aromatic molecules with β-cyclodextrin
Authors: Li Shangyang , Zhang Lin , Wang Bo , Ma Mingfang , Xing Pengyao , Chu Xiaoxiao , Zhang Yimeng , Hao Aiyou
Published: December 2014

Vesicles were formed in aqueous solution using β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) complexes with a series of ultra-small aromatic molecules.
A robust hydrogen evolution catalyst based on crystalline nickel phosphide nanoflakes on three-dimensional graphene/nickel foam: high performance for electrocatalytic hydrogen production from pH 0–14
Authors: Han Ali , Jin Song , Chen Huanlin , Ji Hengxing , Sun Zijun , Du Pingwu
Published: December 2014

A highly efficient cathode containing 3D Ni2P/graphene layers/nickel foam has been successfully constructed for electrocatalytic H2 evolution reaction (HER).
Conjugated copolymer–photosensitizer molecular hybrids with broadband visible light absorption for efficient light-harvesting and enhanced singlet oxygen generation
Authors: He Rongkun , Hu Ming , Xu Ting , Li Chunxiang , Wu Chuanliu , Guo Xiangqun , Zhao Yibing
Published: December 2014

We have developed conjugated copolymer–photosensitizer molecular hybrids (PFBDBP–IPBP) with a strong, broad (from <400 nm to ∼700 nm) and continuous visible absorption.
Practical Solutions for Executive Function Challenges Created by the Unique Learning Styles of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Authors: Zenko Catherine
Published: December 2014

Effective executive functioning skills are essential for students to thrive in an academic setting. Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have documented weaknesses in executive function, making school a challenge. Armed with the knowledge of what ASD is, how it affects learning, and what social and cognitive skills are required in a classroom setting, school-based SLPs play a key role in creating academic supports for students on the spectrum to be successful. Incorporating both low- and high-tech accommodations and supports that focus on the executive function deficits can help students with ASD reach their academic potential.
Executive Function Situational Awareness Observation Tool
Authors: Ward Sarah , Jacobsen Kristen
Published: December 2014

John, an 8th grader, is dismissed from class and leisurely walks towards his locker while, at the same time, the peers around him are moving quickly towards their own lockers. He tries to catch the attention of his peers, but many just give a quick dismissive smile and hurry to gather their belongings before the bell rings. Once at his locker, John starts to talk eagerly to the boy next to him, but he does not initiate gathering his class materials. The boy is quickly exchanging one set of binders for another and gives John a few head nods that are clearly sending nonverbal signals that he does not want to talk right now because he is focused on arriving to class on time. Regardless, John keeps talking and then the bell rings. He seems almost startled by the bell and shoves one book in his locker before absentmindedly grabbing another book and spiral notebook. With an unhurried pace, he heads to his next class and is the last to arrive. All of the other students have out on their desks a textbook, pencil and composition notebook. John walks to the back of the class, flips through the newest science magazine on the teacher's desk, then sits down and drops his books to the floor. Upon being prompted by the teacher to take out his book, he suddenly realizes he does not have the right book with him.

Class ends at 9:50. At 9:45, students are told they need to get ready to leave class. Sam stays focused on his worksheet and does not notice his classmates getting up and moving about in the class. Peers start putting away laptops and books in the computer cabinet and class locker and begin packing up their personal belongings. Sam did not appear to notice these subtle changes in the pace and movement of the class, and instead, stays focused on his worksheet. The teacher then announces to the class, “2 minute warning to save, finish up and store your materials. Then, take out your grade sheets.” Sam still does not respond. At this point, all the other students are packed up and ready to go and have blue cardstock grade sheets out for the teacher to write on. The teacher cues Sam, “Sam. Pack up please.” Sam still does not respond. The teacher approaches his desk and says, “Sam you are running out of time.” Sam replies, “UhHuh.” However, he does not change his behavior but remains focused on the worksheet, although he is not actually writing on it. All of the students have left the classroom when Sam finally stops working, leaves his worksheet on the desk and walks out of the classroom.
Effect of the mitral valve on diastolic flow patterns
Authors: Seo Jung Hee , Vedula Vijay , Abraham Theodore , Lardo Albert C. , Dawoud Fady , Luo Hongchang , Mittal Rajat
Published: December 2014

The leaflets of the mitral valve interact with the mitral jet and significantly impact diastolic flow patterns, but the effect of mitral valve morphology and kinematics on diastolic flow and its implications for left ventricular function have not been clearly delineated. In the present study, we employ computational hemodynamic simulations to understand the effect of mitral valve leaflets on diastolic flow. A computational model of the left ventricle is constructed based on a high-resolution contrast computed-tomography scan, and a physiological inspired model of the mitral valve leaflets is synthesized from morphological and echocardiographic data. Simulations are performed with a diode type valve model as well as the physiological mitral valve model in order to delineate the effect of mitral-valve leaflets on the intraventricular flow. The study suggests that a normal physiological mitral valve promotes the formation of a circulatory (or “looped”) flow pattern in the ventricle. The mitral valve leaflets also increase the strength of the apical flow, thereby enhancing apical washout and mixing of ventricular blood. The implications of these findings on ventricular function as well as ventricular flow models are discussed.
Calculation of effective electromagnetic parameters of multi-needle zinc oxide whisker based on equivalent spherical particle and strong fluctuation theory
Authors: Zhao Yu-Chen , Liu Jiang-Fan , Song Zhong-Guo , Xi Xiao-Li
Published: December 2014

Multi-needle zinc oxide whisker (M-ZnOw) includes tetrapod-needle ZnOw (T-ZnOw), flower-shaped ZnOw, and other similar ZnOw architectures. The unique three-dimensional (3D) and multi-needle-shaped structures give the special performance of M-ZnOw, but make it difficult to calculate the effective electromagnetic parameters of M-ZnOw composites. In this paper, based on the equivalent spherical particle and the strong fluctuation theory, three different closed-form expressions are presented to calculate the effective electromagnetic parameters of M-ZnOw composites. To start with, because of the macroscopic isotropic nature of M-ZnOw composites and lossy properties of M-ZnOw itself, an equivalent spherical particle is introduced in the scheme to simplify the unique microscopic structures of M-ZnOw, and the possible limitations of the presented equivalent spherical particle are discussed qualitatively. In addition, different closed-form expressions to calculate the effective electromagnetic parameter are obtained by means of representing the physical situations of conductive network as different correlation functions in the strong fluctuation theory. Finally, the effective permeability of a T-ZnOw/Fe – paraffin composite is calculated by these three expressions in 2–18 GHz frequency range. Very good agreement between the calculated and experimental results on one hand verifies the rationality of presented expressions, and on the other hand indicates that the correlation function plays an important role in improving the performance of the presented expression.
Tunable ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interfacial exchange coupling in perpendicularly magnetized L1-MnGa/Co2FeAl Heusler bilayers
Authors: Ma Q. L. , Mizukami S. , Zhang X. M. , Miyazaki T.
Published: December 2014

In this work, we report a tailorable exchange coupling (Jex) at the Mn62Ga38/Co2FeAl interface, where Mn62Ga38 and Co2FeAl alloys are tetragonal Heusler alloy with high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and typical cubic Heusler alloy with soft magnetism, respectively. As the post annealing temperature (Ta) is lower than 375 °C, the Jex is ferromagnetic with strength controllable from 7.5 to 0.5 erg/cm2. Interestingly, as Ta increases higher than 400 °C, an antiferromagnetic Jex of −5.5 erg/cm2 is observed. The ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic transition is further evidenced by the spin dependent transport property of the magnetic tunnel junctions with Mn62Ga38/Co2FeAl as electrode. Based on structure characterization, the variation of Jex during annealing is discussed.
Metamaterial waveguides with highly controllable negative-permittivity bands
Authors: Kasahara Yoshiaki
Published: December 2014

Metamaterial waveguides based on a concept to generate highly controllable negative-permittivity or permeability bands in the transmission-line (TL) metamaterials are proposed. In this concept, periodic alternation of input impedance of a TL segment (such as with open- or short-circuited end), which can be used to generate multiple negative-permittivity or permeability bands periodically in a frequency domain, is changed by an additional admittance attached at a specific point of the segment. Such segment with the admittance gives a possibility to effectively control separation between two negative-permittivity or permeability bands and the bandwidth, which were originally determined by the periodic alternation of input impedance of the segment. This approach leads to much broader applications of metamaterials such as in multiband wireless communication systems. Enlargement or contraction of band separation and enhancement of bandwidth on negative permittivity bands are experimentally demonstrated in two-dimensional isotropic waveguides at microwave frequencies.
Effect of dietary magnesium supplementation in alleviating stress associated with road transportation in weaned lambs
Authors: Pye J. L. , Doyle R. E. , Friend M. A. , Bhanugopan M. S.
Published: December 2014

Magnesium (Mg) supplementation has shown to modulate the stress responses to transport in other species. An experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of Mg for alleviating stress associated with road transportation in lambs. Two groups (n = 18 each) of 4-month old male crossbred lambs (24 ± 4.5 kg) were fed a basal diet comprising oaten hay, pellets and barley, that contained 0.17% Mg. One group was supplemented with magnesium oxide, such that dietary Mg was 0.41%. At the end of the 2-week supplementation period, the lambs were transported by road for 8 h. Blood samples were collected before supplementation, 1 h before transport, within 0.5 h post-transport, at 2 h post-transport and 5 days post-transport. Data were analysed using a repeated-measure analysis of variance and linear mixed model with treatment within time interaction. Supplementation with dietary Mg in the form of MgO increased serum Mg concentrations (1.16 mmol/L ± 0.012, compared with 1.09 mmol/L ± 0.013 in the control group; P < 0.05), but had no effect on alleviating stress during transportation. Transport resulted in a significant increase in serum cortisol, which returned to pre-transport levels 2 h after transport. The serum β-hydroxybutyrate was significantly higher 5 days after transport. The post-transport average feed intake and the average daily gain were significantly lower than pre-transport values, suggesting that the stress of transportation resulted in a decrease in feed intake post-transport, which could have implications on liveweight gain of animals after transportation.
Reduced darunavir dose is as effective in maintaining HIV suppression as the standard dose in virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Moltó José , Valle Marta , Ferrer Elena , Domingo Pere , Curran Adrian , Santos José Ramón , Mateo María Gracia , Di Yacovo María Silvana , Miranda Cristina , Podzamczer Daniel , Clotet Bonaventura ,   on behalf of the DRV600 Study Group, Clotet Bonaventura , Coll Josep , Gel Silvia , Llibre Josep Maria , Miranda Cristina , Moltó José , Mothe Beatriz , Negredo Eugenia , Pérez-Álvarez Nuria , Santos José Ramón , Sirera Guillem , DiYacovo María Silvana , Ferrer Elena , Podzamczer Daniel , Rozas Nerea , Vila Antonia , Domingo Pere , Del Mar Gutiérrez María , Mateo Gracia , Valle Marta , Burgos Joaquín , Curran Adrian , Navarro Jordi , Ribera Esteban
Published: December 2014

Objectives

Maximizing ART efficiency is of growing interest. This study assessed the efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics and economics of a darunavir dose-reduction strategy.

Methods

This was a multicentre, randomized, open-label clinical trial in HIV-infected patients with plasma HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL while receiving triple ART including 800 mg of darunavir once daily. Participants were randomized to continue 800 mg of darunavir (DRV800) or to 600 mg of darunavir (DRV600), both once daily. Treatment failure was defined as two consecutive HIV-1 RNA determinations >50 copies/mL or discontinuation of study treatment by week 48. The study was registered at https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu (trial number 2011-006272-39).

Results

Fifty participants were allocated to each arm. The mean (SD) CD4+ T cell count at baseline was 562 (303) cells/mm3 and HIV-1 RNA had been <50 copies/mL for a median (IQR) of 106.9 (43.4–227.9) weeks before enrolment. At week 48 no treatment failure had occurred in 45/50 (90%) DRV600 patients and in 47/50 (94%) DRV800 patients (difference –4%; 95% CI lower limit, –12.9%). When only patients with virological data were considered, that endpoint was met by 45/48 (94%) in the DRV600 arm and 47/49 (96%) in the DRV800 arm (difference –2.2%; 95% CI lower limit, –9.6%). Darunavir exposure was similar in the two arms. The average reduction in annual cost per successfully treated DRV600-arm patient was US$7273.

Conclusions

The efficacy of a darunavir daily dose of 600 mg seemed to be similar to the efficacy of the standard 800 mg dose in virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients on triple ART. This strategy can potentially translate to substantial savings in the cost of care of HIV-infected patients.
Distinguishing oil and water layers by interpreting acoustic logging data with changing well diameters
Authors: Zhang Xueang , Wang Zhuwen
Published: December 2014

During surveys, water layers may interfere with the detection of oil layers. In order to distinguish between oil and water layers, research on the properties of well diameters and oil and water layers and their relation to acoustic logging rules is essential. Using Hudson's crack theory, we simulated oil and water layers with different well diameters or crack parameters (angle and number density). We found that when the well radius increases from 0.03 m to 0.05 m, the variation ratio of compressional wave amplitude for the oil layer is less than that for the water layer. The difference of Stoneley wave amplitude between the crack parameters (angle and number density) is greater in the case of the water layer than in the case of the oil layer. The response sensitivity of wave energy is greater for the water layer than that for the oil layer. When the well radius increases from 0.05 m to 0.14 m, the maximum excitation intensity for oil layer is greater than that for the water layer. We conclude that the propagation of an elastic wave is affected by medium composition and well diameter, and the influence has certain regularity. These results can guide further reservoir logging field exploration work.
Indirect effects of global change accumulate to alter plant diversity but not ecosystem function in alpine tundra
Authors: Farrer Emily C. , Ashton Isabel W. , Spasojevic Marko J. , Fu Shiyang , Gonzalez David J. X. , Suding Katharine N.
Published: December 2014

Environmental change can affect species directly by altering their physical environment and indirectly by altering the abundance of interacting species. A key challenge at the interface of community ecology and conservation biology is to predict how direct and indirect effects combine to influence response in a changing environment. In particular, little is known about how direct and indirect effects on biodiversity develop over time or their potential to influence ecosystem function.

We studied how nitrogen (N), winter precipitation (snow) and warming influenced diversity and ecosystem function over 6 years in alpine tundra. We used path analyses to partition direct effects of environmental manipulations from indirect effects due to changes in the abundance of two dominant plants. We hypothesize that (i) indirect effects will develop more slowly but will become stronger than direct effects over time and (ii) after 6 years, indirect effects will more strongly influence diversity while direct effects will influence ecosystem function.

Indirect effects of N on diversity were consistently stronger than direct effects and actually developed quickly, prior to direct effects. Direct effects of snow on diversity were detected in year 2 but then subsequently were reversed, while indirect effects were detected in year 4 and grew stronger over time. Overall in year 6, indirect effects were much stronger than direct effects on diversity.

Direct effects predominated for three of four ecosystem functions we measured (productivity, N mineralization, winter N availability). The only indirect effects we found were that N and snow indirectly affected microbial biomass N by influencingGeumabundance. Across all four ecosystem measures, indirect effects were infrequent and weaker than direct effects.

Synthesis. Increasing indirect effects on diversity over time indicate that short‐term experiments or monitoring of natural systems may underestimate the full magnitude of global change effects on plant communities. Moreover, explicitly accounting for changes in dominant plant abundance may be necessary for forecasting plant community response to environmental change. Conversely, weak indirect effects for ecosystem processes suggest that predicting ecosystem function without knowledge of plant responses to global change may be possible.
Exploring the critiques of the social model of disability: the transformative possibility of Arendt's notion of power
Authors: Owens Janine
Published: December 2014

The social model of disability has demonstrated political success for disabled people in society. At the same time, it has been labelled an outdated ideology in need of further development. While the social model of disability has been used successfully for political activism, it has simultaneously created conflict and tensions in disability studies, sociology and the sociology of the body. This article sheds light on the confusion surrounding the social model of disability by discussing the historical emergence of its different forms. It then proceeds to analyse and evaluate key criticisms of the social model of disability. The article then goes on to explore the relevance of different forms of power to the current discourse on disability before proceeding to explore in depth what might be gained from the approach of one particular theorist on power; Hannah Arendt. It suggests that there may be merit in drawing on Arendt and illustrates some of the benefits of a more nuanced idea of a pluralistic body and experiences.
Bank Capital Regulation with Asymmetric Countries
Authors: Eldridge Damien S. , Ryoo Heajin H. , Wieneke Axel
Published: December 2014

When financial markets are global, the impacts of national banking regulations extend beyond national borders. While lax regulatory enforcement improves the profitability of home banks, it also increases loan supply, which in turn reduces the global interest rate spreads. In a two‐country model we show that each regulator's enforcement choice is affected by the relative size of the national financial market. An authority regulating a smaller market has a smaller impact on global interest rates and therefore a stronger incentive to relax regulatory enforcement.
Benefits of a rice mix on glycaemic control in Asian people with type 2 diabetes: A randomised trial
Authors: Zhang Zhuoshi , Kane Jessica , Liu Amy Yee , Venn Bernard J.
Published: December 2014

Aim

The objective of this study was to assist individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) better manage blood glucose control using food. Given that white rice is a commonly consumed staple food for Asian cultures, the aim of this study was to develop a nutritious and easy‐to‐prepare alternative meal using culturally tailored ingredients.

Methods

A ‘rice mix’ comprising 60% white rice and 40% a mix of legumes, nuts and seeds was developed. Eighty‐one participants of Asian ethnicity and with T2D were screened with 13 subjects randomised and given the rice mix or white rice (control) as an evening meal. Blood glucose responses were compared between meals and to the American Diabetes Association guidelines together with responses to satiety and desire‐to‐eat questions.

Results

Over a 3‐hour period following consumption, blood glucose concentrations were 21% (95% CI: 6, 36) lower for the rice mix compared with white rice (P < 0.001). The mean length of time that blood glucose exceeded 10 mmol/L was 30 minutes (95% CI: 6, 54) less; and the maximum glycaemic increment above 10 mmol/L was 1.4 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.3, 2.5) less; for the rice mix compared with the white rice. There was no effect on appetite as satiety was not different between meals, although there was a lesser desire to eat fatty foods after consuming the rice mix (P = 0.02).

Conclusions

The rice mix as an alternative to white rice could be a practical self‐help approach to improve blood glucose control in people with T2D. Using education and culturally tailored ingredients may help overcome barriers to dietary change.
Control–ownership Disparity and Business Performance: A Study of Korean Firms
Authors: Lee Sang Wook , Chun Bong Geul
Published: December 2014

In Korea, there is a large disparity between voting and cash flow rights (control–ownership disparity). Using firm‐level data from Korea for the 2004–2009 period, the present study examines whether control–ownership disparity influenced firm performance. Specifically, the study analyzes whether the effects of control–ownership disparity on firm performance vary according to the type of firm (publicly traded vs private firms) and to the major shareholder's ownership stake (greater than 50 percent vs less than or equal to 50 percent). According to the results, the negative effect of control–ownership disparity on firm performance was weaker for publicly traded firms, and control–ownership disparity had a negative effect on firm performance when the major shareholder's ownership stake exceeded 50 percent.