bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lived Experiences From the Perspective of Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: DePape Anne-Marie , Lindsay Sally
Published: May 2015

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) includes deficits in social communication and repetitive behavior. Secondhand accounts from parents suggest that ASD affects many aspects of life. However, little is known about this disorder from first-person perspective. This meta-synthesis examines children, adolescents, and adults with ASD to understand their experiences across multiple areas of life and how these experiences vary according to their developmental stage. A thematic synthesis integrating qualitative evidence was undertaken where 10 electronic databases were searched. Thirty-three articles met the inclusion criteria ( n = 318 individuals) and were examined by two reviewers using a constant comparative approach. Four themes emerged: perception of self, interactions with others, experiences at school, and factors related to employment. Our findings can inform client-centered policies and practices involving individuals with ASD. Our findings can also help to identify gaps in research with first-person narratives from children and adolescents with ASD under-represented in the current literature.
Using a Constant Time Delay Procedure to Teach Support Personnel to Use a Simultaneous Prompting Procedure
Authors: Britton Nicole Scott , Collins Belva C. , Ault Melinda Jones , Bausch Margaret E.
Published: May 2015

Within the context of a multiple baseline design, the researchers in this investigation used a constant time delay (CTD) procedure to teach two classroom support personnel (i.e., paraprofessional, peer tutor) to use a simultaneous prompting (SP) procedure when teaching a high school student with a moderate intellectual disability to (a) identify words from science core content, (b) identify words from social studies core content, (c) make Kool-Aid, and (d) alphabetize last names by their first letters. The classroom teacher implemented the CTD procedure with a high degree of fidelity, the paraprofessional and the peer tutor implemented the SP procedure with high levels of fidelity, and the student increased his ability to perform the targeted skills.
Using a Changing-Criterion Design to Evaluate the Effects of Check-In/Check-Out With Goal Modification
Authors: McDaniel Sara C. , Bruhn Allison L.
Published: May 2015

Check-in/check-out (CICO) is a Tier 2 behavioral intervention that has demonstrated effectiveness for students with challenging behavior in a variety of educational settings. Existing research has focused primarily on testing the intervention’s effectiveness and the role of behavioral function in moderating response to intervention. Only a handful of studies have included examinations of different procedures for fading CICO to promote maintained behavioral change. These have included decreasing the frequency of teacher feedback, using a mystery motivator to thin the schedule of reinforcement, and increasing goal contingencies over time. In this study, two middle school females with conduct problems were identified for participation in CICO with goal modification. During intervention, the first modification entailed setting the CICO card goal for each participant based on averages obtained on the CICO card during baseline rather than the commonly used 80% goal. Then, predetermined decision rules about how to modify subsequent goals were executed according to student progress. Effects on student behavior were evaluated using a changing-criterion with withdrawal design, and scores on the CICO card improved and classroom problem behavior decreased for both participants. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.
An Evaluation of a Self-Management Intervention to Increase On-Task Behavior With Individuals Diagnosed With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Slattery Lindsey , Crosland Kimberly , Iovannone Rose
Published: May 2015

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent disorders in school-age children. Children with ADHD often have difficulty at school and at home. Medication is a common treatment for children with ADHD; however, it has been shown to be more effective when combined with behavioral interventions. Self-management has extensive research support showing its effectiveness for children with ADHD primarily in academic settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact a self-management intervention would have on the on-task behavior of children during various routines, both academic and nonacademic, in the home setting. Participants were trained to use a self-management intervention. In addition, parents were trained to conduct accuracy checks on their child’s performance as well as deliver feedback and rewards. All three participants showed an increase in on-task behavior following the implementation of the self-management intervention; two of the three participants’ on-task behavior maintained high, stable levels as the self-management schedule was faded. One participant’s on-task behavior did not maintain high levels and therefore required implementation of a self-management plus reinforcement for on-task behavior condition to reestablish high, stable levels of on-task behavior. For one participant, the duration of the targeted routine increased. Current limitations are discussed, and recommendations for future research in this area are provided.
The sociality of public space broadcasting during media events
Authors: Widholm Andreas
Published: May 2015

In the last decade, large public screens and globally organized public viewing areas (PVAs) have become increasingly significant elements of media events, expanding the possibilities for mass audiences to collectively watch events together in real time. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in connection with the British Royal wedding (2011) and the London Olympics (2012), this article explores the ‘sociality’ of public space broadcasting, focusing on interactions and performances of identity by people gathered for collective viewing in the city centres of London, Birmingham and Manchester. The analysis shows that public space broadcasting mobilizes a variety of social identities and performances, spanning from ‘relaxed’ forms of engagement to more fannish articulations of nationality, cosmopolitan hybridity and spectacle participation. Geographical location and structural embedding strategies clearly impinge on public performances within PVAs. The article concludes that the degree of commercialization and presence of journalists and other media professionals are particularly central external drivers of performativity in connection with public consumption of media events.
Acute ischaemic stroke patients – direct admission to a specialist centre or initial treatment in a local hospital? A systematic review
Authors: Pickering Alastair , Harnan Susan , Cooper Katy , Sutton Anthea , Mason Suzanne , Nicholl Jon
Published: May 2015

Objectives

To assess the clinical effectiveness, in acute ischaemic stroke patients, of bypassing non-specialist centres in preference for a specialist stroke centre to receive the time-critical intervention of thrombolysis.

Methods

Systematic review and meta-analysis using: MEDLINE; MEDLINE In-Process; EMBASE; CINAHL; Cochrane Library including Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane CENTRAL Controlled Trials Register, DARE, NHS EED and HTA databases. Studies were included if they compared acute ischaemic stroke patients directly triaged to a specialist centre versus those initially triaged to a non-specialist centre with some or all later transferred to a specialist centre. Studies were excluded if they compared patients ever treated in a specialist centre versus those never treated in such a centre, since the aim was to assess the optimum initial triage route rather than the optimum location for overall management. The assumption being, based on previous research, that management in a specialist centre leads to better patient outcomes.

Results

Fourteen studies investigating 2790 patients were identified. Studies comparing commencement of thrombolysis in non-specialist centres versus the specialist centres (n=1394) showed no significant difference in unadjusted mortality (OR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.61–1.30) or morbidity (favourable modified Rankin Score, n = 899) (OR = 1.16; 95% CI = 0.85–1.59) among thrombolysed patients. In studies where thrombolysis could only be administered in a specialist centre, data for patients arriving within the therapeutic window (n = 140) revealed significantly higher mortality for those initially admitted to a non-specialist centre compared to directly admitted to a specialist centre (OR = 6.62; 95% CI = 2.60–16.82); morbidity data also favoured direct admission to a specialist centre, although not consistently.

Conclusions

For ischaemic stroke patients, the location of initial thrombolysis treatment does not affect outcomes. However, if thrombolysis is only available at a specialist centre, outcomes are considerably better for those patients admitted directly. However, these conclusions are based on poor quality data with small sample populations, significant heterogeneity and subject to confounding.
The role of demographic and socio-cultural factors in Australia’s successful multicultural society: How Australia is not Europe
Authors: Bouma Gary D
Published: May 2015

Religious diversity and social cohesion have long been seen to be at odds with each other. Classical sociology, grounded in the Westphalian solution to religious conflict in Europe presumed that a single religion was necessary for social cohesion. The issue of religious diversity and social cohesion has come to the fore as once religiously monochrome societies have become diverse through migration and, to a lesser degree, conversion. While European nations question the possibility of multicultural and multi-faith societies living in productive harmony, Australia offers an example of a successful multicultural and multi-faith society. Australia has produced a multicultural society through a policy of social inclusion and mutual respect, in contrast to European policies which produce separate community development. This cross-national comparative study reveals demographic and socio-cultural differences that are likely to explain some of the comparative success of Australia in producing social inclusion and avoiding the ‘othering’ of religious minorities, especially of Muslims. Australia has a particular demographic that features multiple substantial minority religious communities living in ways that promote daily encounters among people of different backgrounds.
Analytics and continentals: Divided by nature but united by praxis?
Authors: Floyd Jonathan
Published: May 2015

This article makes four claims. First, that the analytic/Continental split in political theory stems from an unarticulated disagreement about human nature, with analytics believing we have an innate set of mostly compatible moral and political inclinations, and Continentals seeing such things as alterable products of historical contingency. Second, that we would do better to talk of Continental-political-theory versus Rawlsian-political-philosophy, given that the former avoids arguments over principles, whilst the latter leaves genuine analytic philosophy behind. Third, that Continentals suffer from a lack of such arguments, even by their own lights, whilst Rawlsians suffer from inconsistencies within the thought-patterns (e.g. conflicting intuitions and judgements) on which their principles depend. Fourth, that there is an alternative method – ‘normative behaviourism’ – that at least tries to move beyond the problems of both approaches, whilst sharing an idea of ‘praxis’ with the first, and an idea of deriving-principles-from-existing-judgements with the second.
Influence of renovascular hypertension on the distribution of vasoactive intestinal peptide in the stomach and heart of rats
Authors: Kasacka Irena , Piotrowska Żaneta , Janiuk Izabela
Published: May 2015

Arterial hypertension is associated with serious dysfunction of the cardiovascular system and digestive system. Given the relevant role of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in the regulation of digestion process, control of blood pressure and heart rate as well as cardio- and gastro-protective character of the peptide, it appeared worthwhile to undertake the research aimed at immunohistochemical identification and evaluation of VIP-positive structures in the pylorus and heart of hypertensive rats. Up to now, this issue has not been investigated. The experimental model of hypertension in rats according to Goldblatt (two-kidney one clip model of hypertension) was used in the study. The experimental material (pylorus and heart) was collected in the sixth week of the study. VIP-containing structures were evaluated using immunohistochemical and morphometric methods. The analysis of the results showed a significant increase in the number of immunoreactive VIP structures and in the intensity of immunohistochemical staining in the stomach and in the heart of hypertensive rats. Our findings indicate that VIP is an important regulator of cardiovascular and digestive system in physiological and pathological conditions. However, to better understand the exact role of VIP in hypertension further studies need to be carried out.
Diversity in the Large-Scale Pole of Literary Production: An Analysis of Publishers’ Lists and the Dutch Literary Space, 2000–2009
Authors: Franssen Thomas
Published: May 2015

This article analyses the structure of the Dutch literary space through an analysis of 215 publishers’ lists of Dutch fiction and poetry publishers. Examining the ways in which publishers include different genre-language combinations on their lists offers a novel way to understand the structure of literary spaces. Earlier research has mainly seen analyses of the organisational field and the practices of actors, and until now has neglected the publishers’ lists of publishing houses. This neglect is critical as it has simplified ideas about what publishing houses actually publish on the different poles of contemporary literary fields. My analysis of the Dutch literary space shows that, besides small poetry publishers, all other publishers – in terms of their publishers’ lists – are part of the large-scale pole of literary production, but that this large-scale pole is much more diverse and complex than conceptualised in earlier research.
To lose one’s home in the world: The injustice of immigrant detention
Authors: French Craig
Published: May 2015

Forced outside of the system of modern nation-states into a regime of detention and deportation, immigrant detainees suffer an injustice that is not easily or adequately captured by the familiar vocabulary offered by contemporary liberalism. In this article, I propose an alternative strategy for articulating the kinds of injustice that these individuals suffer. I argue that the idea of metaphysical homelessness—a notion that I recover through a reading of the work of Martin Heidegger—offers a useful theoretical lens with which to identify the kinds of harms perpetrated against immigrant detainees. Purged from the polis and shuttled instead into the realm of police, they are deprived of a home in the world. This strategy is deployed as part of what I call a politics of crisis containment, a kind of politics that ensues when states find themselves confronted by troublesome individuals whose presence is deemed a threat to the existence of the community.
Precipitation characteristics during isothermal γ to α transformation and resultant hardness in low carbon vanadium–titanium bearing steel
Authors: Chen J. , Lv M. Y. , Tang S. , Liu Z. Y. , Wang G. D.
Published: May 2015

The effects of isothermal holding time on precipitation behaviour and resultant hardness were investigated in detail. Of particular note, with prolonged isothermal holding time at 650, 700 and 750° C, the hardness peak moves to a higher value, nearly remains unchanged, and to a lower value, respectively. It has been demonstrated that the nanometer–sized particles can nucleate at migrating γ/α interface for both rapid or slow transformation kinetics, and the changes in hardness are mainly related to precipitation behaviour. Regardless of isothermal holding time, the hardness increases as the transformation temperature decreases due to particle size and particle spacing refinement.
Anti-CCL2: building a reservoir or opening the floodgates to metastasis?
Authors: Hitchcock Jessica R , Watson Christine J
Published: May 2015

Neutralisation of macrophage chemoattractant C-C chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) has shown reduced metastasis and enhanced survival in numerous experimental models of tumorigenesis. However, important new findings reported in Nature by Momo Bentires-Alj’s laboratory demonstrate that withdrawal of anti-CCL2 treatment accelerates lung metastasis and death in mice. The study highlights the need to consider longer term consequences of therapeutic intervention of metastatic disease, especially with regard to transient interference with the tumour microenvironment.
Split-alignment of genomes finds orthologies more accurately
Authors: Frith Martin C , Kawaguchi Risa
Published: May 2015

We present a new pair-wise genome alignment method, based on a simple concept of finding an optimal set of local alignments. It gains accuracy by not masking repeats, and by using a statistical model to quantify the (un)ambiguity of each alignment part. Compared to previous animal genome alignments, it aligns thousands of locations differently and with much higher similarity, strongly suggesting that the previous alignments are non-orthologous. The previous methods suffer from an overly-strong assumption of long un-rearranged blocks. The new alignments should help find interesting and unusual features, such as fast-evolving elements and micro-rearrangements, which are confounded by alignment errors.
The utility of human fallopian tube mucosa as a novel source of multipotent stem cells for the treatment of autologous reproductive tract injury
Authors: Wang Jiaojiao , Zhao Yong , Wu Xiaoyun , Yin Shande , Chuai Yunhai , Wang Aiming
Published: May 2015

Introduction

Fallopian tube, which is normally discarded in surgical procedures, has proven to be a source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with increasing evidence. However, fallopian tube mucosa, which can be acquired via non-invasive procedures, is a previously unknown source of MSCs. In the present study, we explored the existence of MSCs in the human fallopian tube mucosa and also compared multipotent stem cells derived from fallopian tubes and fallopian tube mucosa according to their biological characteristics and therapeutic potential for treatment of autologous reproductive tract injury.

Methods

Cells isolated from human fallopian tubes and fallopian tube mucosa were expanded and characterised by flow cytometry. The proliferative capacity of both cell types was measured by performing colony-forming unit-fibroblast and Cell Counting Kit-8 assays. Both cell types underwent in vitro adipogenic, chondrogenic, and osteogenic differentiation. The expression of osteocyte-, adipocyte-, and chondrocyte-related genes in the differentiated cell lineages was assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The secretion of growth factors and immunomodulatory cytokines by both cell types were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

Results

We found that MSCs existed in the fallopian tube mucosa. The comparison between human fallopian tube MSCs (hFTMSCs) and human fallopian tube mucosa MSCs (hFMMSCs) showed that hFTMSCs had a stronger proliferative capacity and shorter duplication time than hFMMSCs. Both cell types could be differentiated into adipocytes, osteoblasts, or chondrocytes in vitro. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that hFTMSCs displayed increased expression of osteogenic-specific genes compared with hFMMSCs, but the two types of cells showed no significant increase in the mRNA expression of adipogenic-specific or chondrogenic-specific genes. hFMMSCs and hFTMSCs robustly produced a variety of growth factors and immunomodulatory cytokines.

Conclusions

Human fallopian tube mucosa is a novel source of multipotent cells. hFMMSCs demonstrated stronger proliferative capacity and superior secretion of growth factors and immunomodulatory cytokines than hFTMSCs, making the former a better source of stem cells for the treatment of autologous reproductive tract injury. Compared with fallopian tube, fallopian tube mucosa has more wide-ranging applications and can be used to carry out autologous transplantation.
Regulation of miR-24, miR-30b, and miR-142-3p during macrophage and dendritic cell differentiation potentiates innate immunity
Authors: Fordham Jezrom B , Naqvi Afsar R , Nares Salvador
Published: May 2015

miRNAs are ubiquitous regulators of human biology. Parallel profiling of in vitro monocyte-to-Mφ and monocyte-to-DC differentiation revealed static, convergent, and divergent expression of miRNA. Bioinformatic and network analysis of differentially expressed miRNAs implicated miR-24, miR-30b, and miR-142-3p as negative regulators of intracellular signaling pathways, triggered not only by differentiation factors (M-CSF/GM-CSF/IL-4) but also from PRRs. Manipulation of miR-24, miR-30b, and miR-142-3p expression during the differentiation of mD-Mφ and mD-DC differentiation had minimal impact on the acquisition of phenotype but significantly abrogated the ability of these cells to mount inflammatory responses to pathogen-associated stimuli. Forced expression of these miRNAs, which are down-regulated during differentiation, inhibited release of inflammatory cytokines [TNF-α, IL-12(p40), IL-6] upon stimulation with LPS. Functional analysis revealed overlapping mechanisms of inhibition, including surface expression of TLR4/CD14/MD-1 and intracellular PKCα/NF-κB activation. Potential intermediary targets of the TLR4-NF-κB axis included members of the PI3K and MAPK families and PKC isoforms. These results demonstrate the requirement of miR-24, miR-30b, and miR-142-3p down-regulation for the generation of fully functional Mφs and DCs.
Differential expression of mannose-6-phosphate receptor regulates T cell contraction
Authors: Ahmed Khawaja Ashfaque , Wang Lu , Griebel Philip , Mousseau Darrell D , Xiang Jim
Published: May 2015

CD8+ T cells provide protection against pathogens and cancer. After encountering a pathogenic antigen, CD8+ T cells undergo a triphasic program of rapid proliferation, contraction, and memory formation. Most (∼90–95%) CD8+ T cells die after vigorous proliferation in the T cell contraction phase, yet the mechanism that triggers apoptotic T cell death remains elusive. This study tested the hypothesis that differential cell-surface expression of M6PR, a multifunctional receptor that regulates lysozyme biogenesis, but also uptakes apoptosis-inducing serine-protease Gzm-B, critically determines life vs. death decisions in T cells. We demonstrate that M6PR-expression on CD8+ T cell surfaces is dynamically regulated during LmOVA bacterial infection. Notably, time-lapse, confocal microscopy and flow cytometry confirms that M6PRlow effectors, but not M6PRhigh effectors, escape Gzm-B lethal-hit derived from CD4+25+ Treg cells. Adoptive cotransfer of M6PRlow effectors and M6PRhigh effectors sorted from LmOVA-infected, congenic mice at the peak of CD8+ T cell response, reveals that M6PRlow effectors with the CD8+ T cell memory precursor phenotype preferentially survive the CD8+ T cell contraction and differentiate into functional, long-lasting memory CD8+ T cells. Taken together, our data provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that selective M6PR down-regulation has a critical role in CD8+ T cell survival, and our findings have implications for efficient vaccine design and immunotherapy.
The voltage-gated proton channel Hv1/VSOP inhibits neutrophil granule release
Authors: Okochi Yoshifumi , Aratani Yasuaki , Adissu Hibret A , Miyawaki Nana , Sasaki Mari , Suzuki Kazuo , Okamura Yasushi
Published: May 2015

Neutrophil granule exocytosis is crucial for host defense and inflammation. Neutrophils contain 4 types of granules, the exocytotic release of which is differentially regulated. This exocytosis is known to be driven by diverse mediators, including calcium and nucleotides, but the precise molecular mechanism remains largely unknown. We show in the present study that voltage-gated proton (Hv) channels are necessary for the proper release of azurophilic granules in neutrophils. On activation of NADPH oxidase by PMA and IgG, neutrophils derived from Hvcn1 gene knockout mouse exhibited greater secretion of MPO and elastase than WT cells. In contrast, release of LTF enriched in specific granules was not enhanced in these cells. The excess release of azurophilic granules in Hv1/VSOP-deficient neutrophils was suppressed by inhibiting NADPH oxidase activity and, in part, by valinomycin, a potassium ionophore. In addition, Hv1/VSOP-deficient mice exhibited more severe lung inflammation after intranasal Candida albicans infection than WT mice. These findings suggest that the Hv channel acts to specifically dampen the release of azurophilic granules through, in part, the suppression of increased positive charges at the plasma membrane accompanied by the activation of NADPH oxidase in neutrophils.
Evidence for a Putative Circadian Kiss-Clock in the Hypothalamic AVPV in Female Mice
Authors: Chassard David , Bur Isabelle , Poirel Vincent-Joseph , Mendoza Jorge , Simonneaux Valérie
Published: May 2015

The kisspeptin (Kp) neurons in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) are essential for the preovulatory LH surge, which is gated by circulating estradiol (E2) and the time of day. We investigated whether AVPV Kp neurons in intact female mice may be the site in which both E2 and daily signals are integrated and whether these neurons may host a circadian oscillator involved in the timed LH surge. In the afternoon of proestrous day, Kp immunoreactivity displayed a marked and transient decrease 2 hours before the LH surge. In contrast, Kp content was stable throughout the day of diestrus, when LH levels are constantly low. AVPV Kp neurons expressed the clock protein period 1 (PER1) with a daily rhythm that is phase delayed compared with the PER1 rhythm measured in the main clock of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). PER1 rhythm in the AVPV, but not in the SCN, exhibited a significant phase delay of 2.8 hours in diestrus as compared with proestrus. Isolated Kp-expressing AVPV explants from PER2::LUCIFERASE mice displayed sustained circadian oscillations of bioluminescence with a circadian period (23.2 h) significantly shorter than that of SCN explants (24.5 h). Furthermore, in AVPV explants incubated with E2 (10 nM to 1 μM), the circadian period was lengthened by 1 hour, whereas the SCN clock remained unaltered. In conclusion, these findings indicate that AVPV Kp neurons display an E2-dependent daily rhythm, which may possibly be driven by an intrinsic circadian clock acting in combination with the SCN timing signal.
Project Reality TV: Preshow Special
Authors: Joyrich Lynne , Kavka Misha , Weber Brenda R.
Published: May 2015

This introduction to the special issue “Project Reality TV” interrogates, while also playing with, some of TV's forms and conventions, particularly those of the “preshow special” and the interview format. Borrowing from this format, it explores key issues around the appeal of reality television and the reasons for approaching it from a scholarly perspective, particularly that of feminist media studies. This version of the studio Q&A format, honed into a subgenre by reality TV itself, is designed to elicit not only interest but knowledge—in this case, regarding what we see as some of the most significant questions facing studies of reality television, especially the specific studies dealing with health, housewives, “hot bodies,” and “hoochie mamas” that are included in “Project Reality TV.”
Reality Moms, Real Monsters: Transmediated Continuity, Reality Celebrity, and the Female Grotesque
Authors: Jones Jennifer Lynn , Weber Brenda R.
Published: May 2015

This article examines the fame-hungry reality celebrity mother as a template for a new form of the female grotesque emerging within the postmillennial mediascape. Using a model of transmediation, the article argues that understanding this figure requires analyzing not only television but also online media and print and digital tabloids and the audience discourses involved with them. It further argues that transmediation incorporates gender and sexuality as well as media. In this, the body also functions as a medium, simultaneously grounded in materiality and dispersed in ambivalent representations and interpretations across the mediascape. Due to its combinatory nature and gendered valences, we call this concept the transmediated grotesque. We build this discussion around three reality celebrity case studies: Kate Gosselin, star of TLC's Jon and Kate Plus 8 (2007–11) and Kate Plus 8 (2011) and contestant on ABC's Dancing with the Stars (2005–); Kris Jenner, matriarch “momager” of the Kardashian family and star of E!’s Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007–); and Farrah Abraham, star of MTV's 16 and Pregnant (2009–) and Teen Mom (2009–12) and participant on VH1’s Couples Therapy (2012–). In each case, fame corresponds with scandal and with the vilification of these women across media as “publicity whores” who will resort to anything to perpetuate their celebrity.
Dynamic digestive physiology of a female reproductive organ in a polyandrous butterfly
Authors: Plakke Melissa S. , Deutsch Aaron B. , Meslin Camille , Clark Nathan L. , Morehouse Nathan I.
Published: May 2015

Reproductive traits experience high levels of selection because of their direct ties to fitness, often resulting in rapid adaptive evolution. Much of the work in this area has focused on male reproductive traits. However, a more comprehensive understanding of female reproductive adaptations and their relationship to male characters is crucial to uncover the relative roles of sexual cooperation and conflict in driving co-evolutionary dynamics between the sexes. We focus on the physiology of a complex female reproductive adaptation in butterflies and moths: a stomach-like organ in the female reproductive tract called the bursa copulatrix that digests the male ejaculate (spermatophore). Little is known about how the bursa digests the spermatophore. We characterized bursa proteolytic capacity in relation to female state in the polyandrous butterfly Pieris rapae. We found that the virgin bursa exhibits extremely high levels of proteolytic activity. Furthermore, in virgin females, bursal proteolytic capacity increases with time since eclosion and ambient temperature, but is not sensitive to the pre-mating social environment. Post copulation, bursal proteolytic activity decreases rapidly before rebounding toward the end of a mating cycle, suggesting active female regulation of proteolysis and/or potential quenching of proteolysis by male ejaculate constituents. Using transcriptomic and proteomic approaches, we report identities for nine proteases actively transcribed by bursal tissue and/or expressed in the bursal lumen that may contribute to observed bursal proteolysis. We discuss how these dynamic physiological characteristics may function as female adaptations resulting from sexual conflict over female remating rate in this polyandrous butterfly.
Photocatalytic Activity of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Linked on Chemically Reduced Graphene Oxide through Mussel-inspired Chemistry
Authors: Oh Chang Eun , Park Young Ho , Kim Sungmin , Lim Donggun , Park Sung Young , In Insik
Published: May 2015

Mussel-inspired linking of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles on chemically reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was successfully attempted to provide novel hybrid photocatalysts accomplishing enhanced and recyclable photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue as a model compound for environmental pollutants under either ultraviolet or even visible light.
Cavity-promoted Diels–Alder Reactions of Unsubstituted Naphthalene: Fine Reactivity Tuning by Cavity Shrinkage
Authors: Fang Yu , Murase Takashi , Fujita Makoto
Published: May 2015

By finely tuning the cavity volume of a coordination cage, the Diels–Alder reactivity of aromatic compounds was enhanced. Even unsubstituted naphthalene could be made to undergo the Diels–Alder reaction with N-tert-butylmaleimide, with perfectly controlled syn-selectivity. M6L4 cages with standard and contracted cavities had opposite effects on the reaction: the former favored larger Diels–Alder substrates, whereas the latter favored smaller ones.
Controlled Synthesis of BiVO4 Submicrospheres and Their Photocatalytic Properties
Authors: Gao Xingxing , Xu Hongbo , Yu Jianglong , Wang Jian
Published: May 2015

An ethylene glycol/water (EG/H2O) system has been designed to synthesize monoclinic BiVO4 submicrospheres through a mild dodecylamine-assisted hydrothermal method. The results show that the crystal phase of the synthesized product can be tuned by changing the volume ratio of EG/H2O. Moreover, the effects of dodecylamine on the morphologies of the obtained products were also discussed. The photocatalytic activities of samples were evaluated on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation (λ > 400 nm). The results indicated that BiVO4 submicrospheres exhibited better photocatalytic activities than peanut-shaped BiVO4.
Contribution of two conserved histidines to the dual activity of archaeal RNA guide-dependent and -independent pseudouridine synthase Cbf5
Authors: Tillault Anne-Sophie , Fourmann Jean-Baptiste , Loegler Christine , Wieden Hans-Joachim , Kothe Ute , Charpentier Bruno
Published: May 2015

In all organisms, several distinct stand-alone pseudouridine synthase (PUS) family enzymes are expressed to isomerize uridine into pseudouridine (Ψ) by specific recognition of RNAs. In addition, Ψs are generated in Archaea and Eukaryotes by PUS enzymes which are organized as ribonucleoprotein particles (RNP)—the box H/ACA s/snoRNPs. For this modification system, a unique TruB-like catalytic PUS subunit is associated with various RNA guides which specifically target and secure substrate RNAs by base-pairing. The archaeal Cbf5 PUS displays the special feature of exhibiting both RNA guide-dependent and -independent activities. Structures of substrate-bound TruB and H/ACA sRNP revealed the importance of histidines in positioning the target uridine in the active site. To analyze the respective role of H60 and H77, we have generated variants carrying alanine substitutions at these positions. The impact of the mutations was analyzed for unguided modifications U55 in tRNA and U2603 in 23S rRNA, and for activity of the box H/ACA Pab91 sRNP enzyme. H77 (H43 in TruB), but not H60, appeared to be crucial for the RNA guide-independent activity. In contrast to earlier suggestions, H60 was found to be noncritical for the activity of the H/ACA sRNP, but contributes together with H77 to the full activity of H/ACA sRNPs. The data suggest that a similar catalytic process was conserved in the two divergent pseudouridylation systems.
ORCID for funders: Who’s who - and what are they doing? - ORCID IDs as identifiers for researchers and flexible article based classifications to understand the collective researcher portfolio
Authors: Herzog Christian , Radford Giles
Published: May 2015

For science funders, ORCID provides a persistent identifier that distinguishes one researcher from the others, and can facilitate workflows in grant submission, career tracking, and research impact(s).  It makes life easier for the researcher – they can update their information in ORCID and make his/her past publications available to a funder as an ongoing service by just allowing this access as a one-time agreement. With these newly launched persistent tokens, researchers can grant a funder the right to update their grant record on ORCID once awarded – the metadata goes on an automatic roundtrip – effortless for the researcher, but the researcher stays in control, and can remove this right at any stage.

Having and sharing data is one aspect – but being able to understand true researcher activity is another – and even more challenging is to understand research activity in the aggregate.  What are hundreds or thousands of researchers doing?  Often a standard search will only answer or provide insights into a slice of the data.  Research classification systems - like the Fields of Research (FOR) - provide sufficient aggregation, but these normally require manual tagging and curation of all the documents in a dataset. However, by using machine learning to automate tagging, it becomes possible to answer the ‘what’ question easily. This ‘article-based classification’ is realized using Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology.

 With Dimensions, a portfolio analysis tool for research funders these capabilities are combined for research funders: allowing the researcher to provide controlled access to their ORCID profile and a solution environment for flexible article based classification, providing immediate access to analytical information on the researcher and institutional level – answering the questions ‘who is who’ and ‘what are they doing’?
Modern Primary School’s Sound Space Organization
Authors: Лаптева  , Lapteva V.
Published: May 2015

Questions related to organization of sound space as essential party of modern primary school’s developmental environment are offered for

discussion in this paper. The important role of music in educational and cognitive process is justified. Features related to teachers’ training and

professional development in Kursk State University and Kursk Education Development Institute and allowing provide teachers’ competence at

the expedient organization of junior schoolchildren training’s sound environment are revealed.
Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TIPS) Technology Application in Subject Domain “World Around”
Authors: Трушникова  , Trushnikova E.
Published: May 2015

Possibilities for use of Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TIPS) elements at "World around" lessons are revealed in this paper. This learning technology use’s positive influence on development of thinking, imagination, ingenuity and other intellectual qualities of junior schoolchild is justified.
Factors influencing evidence-based practice for community nurses
Authors: Baird Lisa M Garland , Miller Tess
Published: May 2015

Factors influencing the development of evidence-based nursing practice (EBNP) were examined in Prince Edward Island, Canada. An adapted electronic questionnaire was distributed to practicing registered nurses and nurse practitioners (n=68). An analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between nurses' clinical practice setting and the EBNP scale. Significant differences were also found between age and education level when compared with the EBNP subscales where novice nurses were less likely to rely on experience and intuition, and expert nurses with a higher level of education reported being more skilful at synthesising and applying information from research findings into their nursing practice.
Understanding the Code: working in partnership
Authors: Griffith Richard
Published: May 2015

In his continuing series looking at the law underpinning the standards set out in the revised Code ( NMC, 2015 ), Richard Griffith considers standard 2, which requires district nurses to work in partnership with the people in their care. Although the right to self-determination and the requirement for consent has been a legal principle in health care for over 100 years, its emphasis has been on providing a defence for health professionals rather than promoting partnership in the district nurse–patient relationship. Recent developments in policy and law have begun to herald a change in emphasis from ‘health professional knows best’ to a more patient-focused approach to decisions about care and treatment.
Cows' milk allergy in infants
Authors: clarke Sue
Published: May 2015

Cows' milk allergy is an immune-mediated reaction to the proteins in cows' milk, which may be IgE-mediated or non-IgE-mediated. An allergy-focused clinical history is the key to making a diagnosis. IgE-mediated allergy can be investigated by skin-prick tests or blood tests. There are no tests available for non-IgE-mediated cows' milk allergy. Avoidance of cows' milk is the most important aspect of management. Breastfed babies should continue to breastfeed with cows' milk exclusion in the mother's diet; formula-fed babies will need specialist formulas. The majority of children will eventually outgrow cows' milk allergy. This paper will focus on the identification and management of the different types of cows' milk allergy.
Anti-racist social work in a ‘post-race society’? Interrogating the amorphous ‘other’
Authors: Rajan-Rankin Sweta
Published: May 2015

Anti-racist social work is at a crossroads: while on the one hand, racial binaries such as black/white, us/other and slave/master can be useful political tools to understand institutional racism, current contexts of multiculturalism raise questions about the continued relevance of race as a category for analysis. ‘Newer’ forms of racialised identities are emerging that need to be incorporated into a broader conceptualisation of non-colour-based race theory. In this article, these contradictions are explicated through a phenomenological study of embodied reflections on race, ethnicity and self-identity among social work students. Frantz Fanon’s ‘fact of blackness’ provides an epistemic guide to this phenomenological study, providing a multi-layered examination of social work students’ experiential accounts of their embodied identities, their colour, race, blackness, whiteness and sexuality and what this means for self-identity. Tentative student discourses provide powerful insights into the urgent need for a radical turn in (re)locating culture and race studies in the social work curriculum.
2 - Variable AQCQ - Functional equation
Authors: Arunkuma M. , Hema Latha S. , Sathya E.
Published: May 2015

In this paper, the authors obtain the general solution and generalized Ulam - Hyers stability of a 2 - variable AQCQ functional equation
\begin{align*}
g(x+2y, u+2v)+g(x-2y, u-2v)& = 4[g(x+y, u+v) + g(x-y, u-v)]- 6g(x,u)\notag\\
 &~~+g(2y,2v)+g(-2y,-2v)-4g(y,v)-4g(-y,-v)
\end{align*}
using Hyers direct method. Counter examples for non stability is also discussed.
Procesos Escolares y Eficiencia Interna: ¿Cual es la Relación con el Logro Académico en la Educación Media Superior Mexicana?
Authors: Ramirez-Zambrano Ademir Alfredo , Velasco-Arellanes Francisco Justiniano , Vera-Noriega José Ángel
Published: May 2015

En los países miembros que integran la OCDE, entre ellos México, se considera como importante para el desarrollo económico la mejora de los sistemas educativos. Al respecto,  el logro académico se considera un indicador de la eficacia de las políticas educativas. En el presente estudio se realizó un análisis de las bases de datos que tiene la SEP en SIGEEMS para identificar la relación entre los Procesos Escolares y Eficiencia Interna y su relación con el logro escolar en una muestra de 585 escuelas de educación media superior. Se realizó un modelo estandarizado con análisis de senderos por Máxima Verosimilitud y se encontró que las escuelas donde se están dando casos de deserción se encuentran menores niveles de logro académico, en el sentido de que una mayor cantidad de alumnos se posicionan en niveles de dominio insuficientes en habilidades lectoras y matemáticas. Por el contrario, si hay poca deserción se predicen niveles de dominio buenos y excelentes en habilidades lectoras y matemáticas. Estos resultados en conjunto indican que, para mejorar el sistema educativo de la educación media superior mexicana, la SEP también se debe atender las condiciones de los alumnos que tienden a desertar o que se mantienen en grupos numerosos.
A secure communication using cascade chaotic computing systems on clinical decision support
Authors: Koksal Ahmet Sertol , Er Orhan , Evirgen Hayrettin , Yumusak Nejat
Published: May 2015

Clinical decision support systems (C-DSS) provide supportive tools to the expert for the determination of the disease. Today, many of the support systems, which have been developed for a better and more accurate diagnosis, have reached a dynamic structure due to artificial intelligence techniques. However, in cases when important diagnosis studies should be performed in secret, a secure communication system is required. In this study, secure communication of a DSS is examined through a developed double layer chaotic communication system. The developed communication system consists of four main parts: random number generator, cascade chaotic calculation layer, PCM, and logical mixer layers. Thanks to this system, important patient data created by DSS will be conveyed to the center through a secure communication line.
A multichannel bioimpedance monitor for full-body blood flow monitoring
Authors: Vondra Vlastimil , Jurak Pavel , Viscor Ivo , Halamek Josef , Leinveber Pavel , Matejkova Magdalena , Soukup Ladislav
Published: May 2015

The design, properties, and possible diagnostic contribution of a multichannel bioimpedance monitor (MBM) with three independent current sources are presented in this paper. The simultaneous measurement of bioimpedance at 18 locations (the main part of the body, legs, arms, and neck) provides completely new information, on the basis of which more precise haemodynamic parameters can be obtained. The application of the MBM during various haemodynamic stages, such as resting in a supine position, tilting, exercise stress, and various respiration manoeuvres, is demonstrated. Statistical analysis on a group of 34 healthy volunteers is presented for demonstration of blood flow monitoring by using the proposed method.
Measurement of susceptibility artifacts with histogram-based reference value on magnetic resonance images according to standard ASTM F2119
Authors: Heinrich Andreas , Teichgräber Ulf K. , Güttler Felix V.
Published: May 2015

The standard ASTM F2119 describes a test method for measuring the size of a susceptibility artifact based on the example of a passive implant. A pixel in an image is considered to be a part of an image artifact if the intensity is changed by at least 30% in the presence of a test object, compared to a reference image in which the test object is absent (reference value). The aim of this paper is to simplify and accelerate the test method using a histogram-based reference value.

Four test objects were scanned parallel and perpendicular to the main magnetic field, and the largest susceptibility artifacts were measured using two methods of reference value determination (reference image-based and histogram-based reference value). The results between both methods were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test.

The difference between both reference values was 42.35±23.66. The difference of artifact size was 0.64±0.69 mm. The artifact sizes of both methods did not show significant differences; the p-value of the Mann-Whitney U-test was between 0.710 and 0.521.

A standard-conform method for a rapid, objective, and reproducible evaluation of susceptibility artifacts could be implemented. The result of the histogram-based method does not significantly differ from the ASTM-conform method.
Functional A Posteriori Error Estimates for Parabolic Time-Periodic Boundary Value Problems
Authors: Langer Ulrich , Repin Sergey , Wolfmayr Monika
Published: May 2015

The paper is concerned with
parabolic time-periodic boundary value problems which
are of theoretical interest and arise in different practical
applications. The multiharmonic finite element method is
well adapted to this class of parabolic problems.
We study properties of multiharmonic approximations and derive
guaranteed and fully computable bounds of approximation errors.
For this purpose, we use the functional a posteriori error estimation
techniques earlier introduced by S. Repin.
Numerical tests confirm the efficiency of the
a posteriori error bounds derived.