bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rethinking the ICC Framework: Transformation and Telecollaboration
Authors: Bohinski Chesla Ann , Leventhal Yumei
Published: September 2015

This task‐based study, designed with Helm and Guth's (2010) Telecollaboration 2.0 framework in mind, qualitatively investigated a telecollaborative exchange. Two second language (L2) Spanish participants and three L2 English participants carried out a six‐week e‐mail exchange that centered on specific holidays, giving researchers an opportunity to study participants' intercultural communicative competence (ICC) (Byram, 1997) and how participants critically analyzed and discussed cultural aspects of an L2 language (Klein & Solem, 2008). Participants' exchanges revealed the following: (1) each participant's thoughts on his/her partner's culture as was perceived through L2 instruction, (2) each partner's reaction to perceptions and insight to cultural reality, and (3) sharing of personal anecdotes. Patterns in exchanges were analyzed using NVivo 10 software with a data‐driven, hybrid analytical approach. Thematic categories were created from the data and used to code the e‐mail exchanges and subsequently correlated to Helm and Guth's (2010) framework. Results indicated that participants using a Web 1.0 resource experienced transformation through the telecollaboration. Researchers concluded that more nuanced categories were needed to assess ICC to understand the intricacies of online collaborative exchanges. Researchers believed that Web 1.0, in the absence of Web 2.0, remained a valuable venue for telecollaboration.
Interactive effects of elevation, species richness and extreme climatic events on plant–pollinator networks
Authors: Hoiss Bernhard , Krauss Jochen , Steffan‐Dewenter Ingolf
Published: September 2015

Plant–pollinator interactions are essential for the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, but are increasingly affected by global change. The risks to such mutualistic interactions from increasing temperature and more frequent extreme climatic events such as drought or advanced snow melt are assumed to depend on network specialization, species richness, local climate and associated parameters such as the amplitude of extreme events. Even though elevational gradients provide valuable model systems for climate change and are accompanied by changes in species richness, responses of plant–pollinator networks to climatic extreme events under different environmental and biotic conditions are currently unknown. Here, we show that elevational climatic gradients, species richness and experimentally simulated extreme events interactively change the structure of mutualistic networks in alpine grasslands. We found that the degree of specialization in plant–pollinator networks (H2′) decreased with elevation. Nonetheless, network specialization increased after advanced snow melt at high elevations, whereas changes in network specialization after drought were most pronounced at sites with low species richness. Thus, changes in network specialization after extreme climatic events depended on climatic context and were buffered by high species richness. In our experiment, only generalized plant–pollinator networks changed in their degree of specialization after climatic extreme events. This indicates that contrary to our assumptions, network generalization may not always foster stability of mutualistic interaction networks.
Food and bioenergy: reviewing the potential of dual‐purpose wheat crops
Authors: Townsend Toby J. , Sparkes Debbie L. , Wilson Paul
Published: September 2015

Within the bioenergy debate, the ‘food vs. fuel’ controversy quickly replaced enthusiasm for biofuels derived from first‐generation feedstocks. Second‐generation biofuels offer an opportunity to produce fuels from dedicated energy crops, waste materials or coproducts such as cereal straw. Wheat represents one of the most widely grown arable crops around the world, with wheat straw, a potential source of biofuel feedstock. Wheat straw currently has limited economic value; hence, wheat cultivars have been bred for increased grain yield; however, with the development of second‐generation biofuel production, utilization of straw biomass provides the potential for ‘food and fuel’. Reviewing the evidence for the development of dual‐purpose wheat cultivars optimized for food grain and straw biomass production, we present a holistic assessment of a potential ideotype for a dual‐purpose cultivar (DPC). An ideal DPC would be characterized by high grain and straw yields, high straw digestibility (i.e. biofuel yield potential) and good lodging resistance. Considerable variation in these traits exists among current wheat cultivars, facilitating the selection of improved individual traits; however, increasing straw yield and digestibility could potentially have negative trade‐off impacts on grain yield and lodging resistance, reducing the feasibility of a single ideotype. Adoption of alternative management practices could potentially increase straw yield and digestibility, albeit these practices are also associated with potential trade‐offs among cultivar traits. Benefits from using DPCs include reduced logistics costs along the biofuel feedstock supply chain, but practical barriers to differential pricing for straw digestibility traits are likely to reduce the financial incentive to farmers for growing higher ‘biofuel‐quality’ straw cultivars. Further research is required to explore the relationships among the ideotype traits to quantify potential DPC benefits; this will help to determine whether stakeholders along the bioenergy feedstock supply chain will invest in the development of DPCs that provide food and fuel potential.
Evaluation of recoverable energy potential from enhanced geothermal systems: a sensitivity analysis in a poro‐thermo‐elastic framework
Authors: Gholizadeh Doonechaly N. , Abdel Azim R. , Rahman S. S.
Published: September 2015

This study presents application of an efficient approach to simulate fluid flow and heat transfer in naturally fractured geothermal reservoirs. Fluid flow is simulated by combining single continuum and discrete fracture approaches. The local thermal nonequilibrium approach is used to simulate heat transfer by conduction in the rock matrix and convection (including conduction) in the fluid. Fluid flow and heat transfer models are integrated within a coupled poro‐thermo‐elastic framework. The developed model is used to evaluate the long‐term response of a geothermal reservoir with specific boundary conditions and injection/production schedule. A comparative study and a sensitivity analysis are carried out to evaluate the capability of the integrated approach and understand the degree by which different reservoir parameters affect thermal depletion of Soultz geothermal reservoir, respectively. Also observed, there exists an optimum fracture permeability after which the reservoir stimulation does not change the recovery factor significantly. Estimation of fluid temperature by the assumption of local thermal nonequilibrium heat transfer between the fracture fluid and the rock matrix gives fluid temperature of about 3°C less than that of estimated by thermal equilibrium heat transfer at early stage of hot water production.
Temporal variations in stump pressure and assessment of images obtained from cone‐beam computed tomography during balloon‐occluded transarterial chemoembolization
Authors: Kakuta Akihisa , Shibutani Koichi , Ono Shuichi , Miura Hiroyuki , Tsushima Fumiyasu , Kakehata Shinya , Basaki Kiyoshi , Fujita Hiromasa , Seino Hiroko , Fujita Tamaki , Takai Yoshihiro
Published: September 2015

Aim

Balloon‐occluded transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (B‐TACE) was used to show the optimized duration of balloon occlusion to start injection of lipiodol in order to maximize lipiodol deposition in the nodule, and to reveal the endpoint of lipiodol injection.

Methods

Of 29 consecutive patients who underwent balloon‐occluded TACE between November 2013 and February 2014, we were able to measure stump pressure for 219 nodules in 27 patients. Tumors were counted, measured and could be visually assessed in 20 of these patients at 26 sites. Tumors with multiple feeders were found in eight patients. Arterial blood pressure was measured before, immediately after and 5 min after balloon occlusion prior to intra‐arterial injection, as well as before and after balloon deflation after intra‐arterial injection. Images were assessed qualitatively by two radiologists as well as quantitatively by calculating the contrast‐to‐noise ratio.

Results

We found no significant difference in pressure between immediately after and 5 min after balloon occlusion. Mean stump pressure before balloon deflation after intra‐arterial injection was 70.4 mmHg. We observed a significant increase in qualitative scores after balloon occlusion (P < 0.001), and the mean score in the third‐order branch was significantly higher than that in the first‐order branch (P = 0.048).

Conclusion

Our results indicate that intra‐arterial injection can be started at any time after balloon occlusion and that 70 mmHg may be considered as a possible indicator of the end‐point for arterial injection.
Are posts necessary for the restoration of root filled teeth with limited tissue loss? A structured review of laboratory and clinical studies
Authors: Aurélio I. L. , Fraga S. , Rippe M. P. , Valandro L. F.
Published: September 2015

Guidelines for post placement are lacking in respect of the amount of tooth structure, particularly in cases in which ≥50% of coronal structure is preserved. The aim of this review was to provide evidence‐based principles for the use of posts in the restoration of root filled teeth with limited tissue loss. A literature search of laboratory and clinical studies published between 2000 and 2014 was conducted in PubMed. Included studies contained at least one study group with root filled teeth restored without a post, presented at least one group with root filled teeth with limited tissue loss, and, in the case of laboratory studies, performed mechanical cycling prior to a fracture resistance test. Based on the evidence from laboratory studies, root filled premolars and molars with limited tissue loss can be restored without posts, particularly when total coverage is planned. However, when no cusp protection is provided, post placement appears to be beneficial in premolars. Evidence regarding the best restoration option for root filled incisors with limited tissue loss remains controversial. When total coverage is intended, reconstruction seems to be successfully performed by restoration with composite. However, some reports consider that post insertion increases fracture loads. The review of clinical studies demonstrated that survival of teeth with substantial tooth tissue is not influenced by the use of posts. Exceptions were found when only premolars were investigated; in these cases, post placement was associated with greater survival rates in crowned teeth and fewer root fractures in teeth without cusp protection.
Oxidation of SiCf/SiC‐HfB2 Composites under Laser Heating
Authors: Carney Carmen , Leslie Clifford , Jones Eric
Published: September 2015

Ceramic matrix composites with SylramicTM and CG NicalonTM SiC fibers and SiC‐HfB2 matrices derived from a combination of polymer‐derived SiC ceramic and HfB2 particulate slurries were prepared. The composites were tested for oxidation resistance by laser heating at 2 MW/m2 to achieve temperatures near 1600°C. The oxidation resistance was compared between uncoated CG NicalonTM and BN‐coated SylramicTM fiber‐based composites. Oxidation resulted in precipitated nano‐sized HfO2 independent of the fibers and fiber coatings.
Pockels Coefficients in Multicomponent Oxide Glasses
Authors: Ryan Colin , Dragic Peter , Furtick Joshua , Kucera Courtney J. , Stolen Roger , Ballato John
Published: September 2015

In this work, a corrected model for the additivity of the Pockels coefficients in multicomponent oxide glasses is derived. Given some material deformation, changes in density and electronic polarizability are known to be the dominant factors in the photoelastic effect. A trend of Pockels coefficients decreasing with increasing bond ionicity is postulated. This is discussed and shown to be due to the balancing of the relative changes in density and in polarization based on the bond strength and directionality. Alkali silicate data taken from the literature, shown to oppose the observed trends, is analyzed and compared to alkaline earth silicate data. The opposing trend is shown to be due to the bonding of the modifier ions. The alkali ions, associated with a single nonbridging oxygen (NBO), yield an increased relative density change and a decreased relative change in polarization. The alkaline earth ions, being associated with two NBOs, as expected experience significant density and polarizability changes that are more spatially distributed. Greater insights into the structural and chemical origins of the Pockels coefficient in multicomponent oxide glasses will enable the development of new optical fibers for high energy laser applications where photoelasticity‐influenced parasitic effects such as stimulated Brillouin scattering are mitigated.
What is going on when nothing is going on? Exploring the role of the consumer in shaping waiting situations
Authors: Pàmies Maria del Mar , Ryan Gerard , Valverde Mireia
Published: September 2015

Research on waiting in services focuses mainly on the role of companies in waiting situations. Much of the existing research envisages the consumer as a passive victim of the delays caused by companies. This article redresses the imbalance in research on waiting by exploring the role of consumers in waiting situations. A qualitative methodology is used, involving data collection through in‐depth interviews and personal diaries, to facilitate an in‐depth analysis of consumers’ waiting experiences. Additionally, a holistic approach is employed with a view to examining the ‘whole’ waiting experience rather than individual or isolated aspects of waiting. The main finding of the study is that consumers play an active and deliberate role in waiting situations. This is the first study to empirically identify the behaviours and initiatives undertaken by consumers when forced to wait for services. The results suggest that consumers play an active role in organising and reducing the real or perceived waiting time. They actively seek information on the length and causes of the wait. And, on occasions, the consumer may also be the cause of the wait or may even increase the delay by their actions. In contrast to most of the existing research on the topic of waiting, this study adopt a qualitative, in‐depth approach, with a multicultural sample, and a focus on the consumer whose role in waiting has previously been overlooked.
Enhancement of glucose production from maltodextrin hydrolysis by optimisation of saccharification process using mixed enzymes involving novel pullulanase
Authors: Zhao Weichao , Nie Yao , Mu Xiaoqing , Zhang Rongzhen , Xu Yan
Published: September 2015

Pullulanase is important to enhance the production and quality of glucose from starch hydrolysis by mixed enzymatic saccharification. To improve glucose production, it would be necessary to manipulate the enzymatic saccharification process and conditions. For enzymatic saccharification involving the newly identified recombinant pullulanase, glucose, maltose and isomaltose were detected, and glucose was the main product from maltodextrin hydrolysis, with the dextrose equivalent value over 99.5%. During the saccharification process, there would be a balance between glucose and disaccharides due to enzymatic hydrolysis and its reverse reaction. With the optimised ratio of glucoamylase to pullulanase (50:1) and dry maltodextrin concentration (20%, w/w), the glucose content (DX) around 99% was obtained with the space‐time yield of 6 mg g−1·h. After optimisation by orthogonal design and response surface methodology, the DX value of 99.35% was achieved with enzyme loading 75 U g−1 at 55 °C and pH 4.5 for 36 h.
Two‐year analysis for predicting renal function and contralateral hypertrophy after robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy: A three‐dimensional segmentation technology study
Authors: Kim Dae Keun , Jang Yujin , Lee Jaeseon , Hong Helen , Kim Ki Hong , Shin Tae Young , Jung Dae Chul , Choi Young Deuk , Rha Koon Ho
Published: September 2015

Objectives

To analyze long‐term changes in both kidneys, and to predict renal function and contralateral hypertrophy after robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy.

Methods

A total of 62 patients underwent robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy, and renal parenchymal volume was calculated using three‐dimensional semi‐automatic segmentation technology. Patients were evaluated within 1 month preoperatively, and postoperatively at 6 months, 1 year and continued up to 2‐year follow up. Linear regression models were used to identify the factors predicting variables that correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate changes and contralateral hypertrophy 2 years after robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy.

Results

The median global estimated glomerular filtration rate changes were −10.4%, −11.9%, and −2.4% at 6 months, 1 and 2 years post‐robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy, respectively. The ipsilateral kidney median parenchymal volume changes were −24%, −24.4%, and −21% at 6 months, 1 and 2 years post‐robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy, respectively. The contralateral renal volume changes were 2.3%, 9.6% and 12.9%, respectively. On multivariable linear analysis, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate was the best predictive factor for global estimated glomerular filtration rate change on 2 years post‐robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy (B −0.452; 95% confidence interval −0.84 to −0.14; P = 0.021), whereas the parenchymal volume loss rate (B −0.43; 95% confidence interval −0.89 to −0.15; P = 0.017) and tumor size (B 5.154; 95% confidence interval −0.11 to 9.98; P = 0.041) were the significant predictive factors for the degree of contralateral renal hypertrophy on 2 years post‐robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy.

Conclusions

Preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate significantly affects post‐robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy renal function. Renal mass size and renal parenchyma volume loss correlates with compensatory hypertrophy of the contralateral kidney. Contralateral hypertrophy of the renal parenchyma compensates for the functional loss of the ipsilateral kidney.
Response to an Exercise Intervention for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Preliminary Study of Processes of Change
Authors: Romain Ahmed Jerome , Bernard Paquito , Galvez Marina , Caudroit Johan
Published: September 2015

Based on the transtheoretical model, this study aimed to examine if the variability of physical activity (PA) level between subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D) exposed to the same exercise intervention could be explained by the number and type of processes of change (POC) used. Twenty‐eight patients completed measures of POC and PA level at baseline and 3 months later at the issue of the intervention. The results suggested that patients, who increased their PA level after 3 months, raised their number of POC activated and used both types of POC contrary to participants whose PA level decreased. These preliminary results help to further understand the psychological processes involved in the variability of responses to an intervention among T2D patients.
Effect of the Glass Structure on Emission of Rare‐Earth‐Doped Borate Glasses
Authors: Jiao Qing , Li Ge , Zhou Dacheng , Qiu Jianbei
Published: September 2015

A series of glasses composed of xB2O3–8Al2O3‐(90−x)Na2O–R2O3 (x = 65, 70, 75, 80, 85; R = Dy3+, Tb3+, Sm3+) were prepared through melt‐quenching. Structural evolution was induced by varying the glass composition. Increasing the glass network former B2O3 enhanced the luminescence of rare‐earth ions, as observed in the emission spectra. The mechanism of the glass structural evolution was investigated by the NMR spectra analysis. The dispersant effect of the glass structure was believed to promote the better distribution of the rare‐earth ions in the matrix and reduced the concentration quenching between them. The relationship between the glass structure and its optical properties was established.
Improved Blue‐Emitting AlN:Eu2+ Phosphors by Alloying with GaN
Authors: Yin Liang‐Jun , Chen Guo‐Zhang , Zhou Zheng‐Yang , Jian Xian , Xu Bao , He Ji‐Hua , Tang Hui , Luan Chun‐Hong , Xu Xin , van Ommen J. Ruud , (Bert) Hintzen Hubertus T.
Published: September 2015

A method is designed to improve the luminescence of AlN‐based phosphors by tuning the band structure and crystal structure due to alloying with GaN. The pure (Al,Ga)N:Eu phosphors were initially prepared by gas‐phase reaction in an NH3 atmosphere. GaN alloying was used to expand the crystal lattice of AlN due to Ga3+ substituting for smaller Al3+ ions, making dissolution of Eu2+ easier. The dissolution of Ga in the AlN lattice was proven by the result of the Rietveld refinement and the increase in lattice parameters with increasing Ga content. To introduce other energy states mixing with the 5d states of Eu2+, Ga doping was also used to tune the band structure of AlN by acting on Eu2+ ions. The theoretical result was analyzed using the Cambridge Sequential Total Energy Package (CASTEP). According to the calculated total and atom resolved partial density of states, it was observed that the Ga 5p states contribute a large portion to the corresponding Eu2+ absorption band in (Al,Ga)N:Eu phosphors. As a consequence, an enhanced emission intensity at 470 nm and a high quantum efficiency for excitation at 330 nm was obtained despite of stronger thermal quenching of the (Al,Ga)N:Eu phosphors compared with AlN:Eu.
Biogeographical variation in the potential effectiveness of prescribed fire in south‐eastern Australia
Authors: Price Owen F. , Penman Trent D. , Bradstock Ross A. , Boer Matthias M. , Clarke Hamish
Published: September 2015

Aim

Prescribed fire is a common land management for reducing risks from unplanned fires. However, the universality of such effectiveness remains uncertain due to biogeographical variation in fuel types, climatic influences and fire regimes. Here, we explore biogeographical patterns in the effectiveness of prescribed fire by calculating leverage (the reduction in unplanned area burnt resulting from recent previous area burnt) across south‐eastern Australia over a 25 year period.

Location

The 30 bioregions of south‐eastern Australia.

Methods

We quantified leverage in each bioregion from fire records from 1975–2009, controlling for variation in annual weather. We also identified potential drivers of variation in leverage by relating the bioregional leverage values to measures of fuel type and growth, climate, and weather extremes.

Results

Leverage was inferred in four bioregions while in the other 26 bioregions no leverage was detected or prescribed fire had the opposite effect (fire‐follows‐fire). Leverage occurred in the forested eastern section of the study area, where rainfall, fuel load and fire activity is high and fire weather is mild. In all bioregions, weather was a stronger predictor than past‐fire extent of area burnt in a particular year.

Main conclusions

Our analysis of leverage shows that the effectiveness of prescribed fire varies regionally in predictable ways, which means that fuel management strategies applied in one region are not necessarily applicable in another. In most bioregions prescribed burning is likely to have very little effect on subsequent extent of unplanned fire, and even in regions where leverage occurs, large areas of treatment are required to substantially reduce the area burned by unplanned fire.
Attributing forest responses to global‐change drivers: limited evidence of aCO2‐fertilization effect in Iberian pine growth
Authors: Camarero J. Julio , Gazol Antonio , Tardif Jacques C. , Conciatori France
Published: September 2015

Aim

Forest responses to global‐change drivers such as rising atmosphericCO2concentrations (Ca), warming temperatures and increased aridification will depend on tree species and site characteristics. We aim to determine if risingCaenhances growth of coexisting pine species along broad ecological gradients in a drought‐prone area.

Location

Iberian Range, Spain.

Methods

We sampled 557 trees of five pine species encompassing a wide climatic gradient and measured their radial growth. We used nonlinear flexible statistics (generalized additive mixed models) to characterize growth trends and relate them toCa, temperature and water balance.

Results

The sites most responsive to the growing‐season water balance were dominated byPinus pinasterandPinus nigraat low elevations, whereas those most responsive to temperatures were high‐elevationPinus sylvestrisandPinus uncinatastands. From 1950 onwards, most sites and species showed decreasing radial growth trends. Growth trends were coherent with aCO2‐related fertilization effect only in oneP. sylvestrissite.

Main conclusions

We found little evidence of growth stimulation of Iberian pine forests due to risingCa. The results indicated that any positive effect of aCa‐induced growth increase was unlikely to reverse or cancel out the drought‐driven trends of reduced growth in most Mediterranean pine forests. Further assessments ofCO2‐fertilization effects on forest growth should be carried out in sites where climatic stressors such as drought do not override the effects of risingCaon forest growth.
Research trends in biogeography
Authors: Ladle Richard J. , Malhado Ana C. M. , Correia Ricardo A. , dos Santos Jhonatan Guedes , Santos Ana M. C.
Published: September 2015

In a recent editorial, Whittaker (2014,Journal of Biogeography,41, 1–5) suggested that biogeography is in the process of adopting a ‘big science’ model, characterized by increasing levels of individual specialization and international collaboration. Using network analysis based on co‐authored articles and bibliometrics, we trace this transformation, identifying where biogeographical knowledge is produced and how the global biogeography community is connected. Our data reveal dramatic increases in biogeographical research over the last 30 years, with a trend of increasing diversity of countries and institutions. Moreover, an analysis of keywords suggests that the widening availability of molecular phylogenies and the ubiquitous threat of climate change are increasingly driving biogeographical research agendas. These trends are associated with diverse social and technological forces, notably advances in communication technology and the increasing availability and quality of biogeographical data.
Within‐river genetic connectivity patterns reflect contrasting geomorphology
Authors: Waters Jonathan M. , Craw Dave , Burridge Christopher P. , Kennedy Martyn , King Tania M. , Wallis Graham P.
Published: September 2015

Aim

To test the hypothesis that geomorphological features, shaped by underlying geology, can influence within‐river connectivity patterns in freshwater‐limited fishes.

Location

Rivers draining the eastern flanks of the Southern Alps in South Island, New Zealand.

Methods

We analyse up to 1624 bp of mtDNA from 499 ‘flathead’ Galaxias specimens from 145 localities across 14 different river systems. Variation among sampling sites within systems is characterized using ϕ statistics.

Results

Although similar levels of DNA sequence variation were detected in all rivers sampled, spatial partitioning of this variation was significantly greater within schist (n = 5; mean ϕST = 0.696) than within greywacke (n = 10; mean ϕST = 0.268) rivers.

Main conclusions

Population connectivity can be strongly influenced by underlying geology, leading to profound differences in the connectivity, phylogeography and diversity of riverine species.
Rapid Mapping of Right Atrial Tachycardia Using a New Multielectrode Basket Catheter
Authors: OKUBO KENJI , KUWAHARA TAISHI , TAKAGI KATSUMASA , TAKIGAWA MASATERU , NAKAJIMA JUN , WATARI YUJI , NAKASHIMA EMIKO , YAMAO KAZUYA , FUJINO TADASHI , TSUTSUI HIROYUKI , TAKAHASHI ATSUSHI
Published: September 2015

Basket Catheter for Mapping Atrial Tachycardia

Introduction

The mapping of atrial tachycardia (AT) can often be challenging and time‐consuming, especially in patients with ATs that develop following cardiac surgery or are concomitant with atrial fibrillation. Recently, a new multielectrode basket catheter (MBC) has become available; we hypothesized that the MBC could be utilized to diagnose AT circuits.

Methods and Results

This study included 51 consecutive patients undergoing catheter ablation of clinically documented right‐sided ATs (including 17 cases following cardiac surgery). Using a NavX system, 2 activation maps of the ATs were created, one using the new MBC (32 mm, 31 poles) and the other using a circular catheter. The time needed to complete the activation maps and the points acquired with both mapping catheters were compared. In all 64 ATs, including 34 non‐cavotricuspid isthmus‐dependent ATs, the AT activation maps created by both catheters were essentially identical. The number of points acquired to complete the activation maps did not differ significantly between the MBC and the circular catheter (387 [285–511] vs. 374 [269–533], P = 0.19), but the mapping time was significantly shorter using the MBC (4.0 [3.0–6.0] minutes vs. 8.0 [6.5–10.0] minutes, P < 0.0001). Inadvertent mechanical AT termination (n = 6) was observed only during mapping with the circular catheter.

Conclusion

In patients with right‐sided ATs, the use of an MBC could save mapping time.
Sex without sex chromosomes: genetic architecture of multiple loci independently segregating to determine sex ratios in the copepod Tigriopus californicus
Authors: Alexander H. J. , Richardson J. M. L. , Edmands S. , Anholt B. R.
Published: September 2015

Sex‐determining systems are remarkably diverse and may evolve rapidly. Polygenic sex‐determination systems are predicted to be transient and evolutionarily unstable, yet examples have been reported across a range of taxa. Here, we provide the first direct evidence of polygenic sex determination in Tigriopus californicus, a harpacticoid copepod with no heteromorphic sex chromosomes. Using genetically distinct inbred lines selected for male‐ and female‐biased clutches, we generated a genetic map with 39 SNPs across 12 chromosomes. Quantitative trait locus mapping of sex ratio phenotype (the proportion of male offspring produced by an F2 female) in four F2 families revealed six independently segregating quantitative trait loci on five separate chromosomes, explaining 19% of the variation in sex ratios. The sex ratio phenotype varied among loci across chromosomes in both direction and magnitude, with the strongest phenotypic effects on chromosome 10 moderated to some degree by loci on four other chromosomes. For a given locus, sex ratio phenotype varied in magnitude for individuals derived from different dam lines. These data, together with the environmental factors known to contribute to sex determination, characterize the underlying complexity and potential lability of sex determination, and confirm the polygenic architecture of sex determination in T. californicus.
A Stepwise Test Characteristic Curve Method to Detect Item Parameter Drift
Authors: Guo Rui , Zheng Yi , Chang Hua‐Hua
Published: September 2015

An important assumption of item response theory is item parameter invariance. Sometimes, however, item parameters are not invariant across different test administrations due to factors other than sampling error; this phenomenon is termed item parameter drift. Several methods have been developed to detect drifted items. However, most of the existing methods were designed to detect drifts in individual items, which may not be adequate for test characteristic curve–based linking or equating. One example is the item response theory–based true score equating, whose goal is to generate a conversion table to relate number‐correct scores on two forms based on their test characteristic curves. This article introduces a stepwise test characteristic curve method to detect item parameter drift iteratively based on test characteristic curves without needing to set any predetermined critical values. Comparisons are made between the proposed method and two existing methods under the three‐parameter logistic item response model through simulation and real data analysis. Results show that the proposed method produces a small difference in test characteristic curves between administrations, an accurate conversion table, and a good classification of drifted and nondrifted items and at the same time keeps a large amount of linking items.
The Effect of Differential Motivation on IRT Linking
Authors: Mittelhaëuser Marie‐Anne , Béguin Anton A. , Sijtsma Klaas
Published: September 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether simulated differential motivation between the stakes for operational tests and anchor items produces an invalid linking result if the Rasch model is used to link the operational tests. This was done for an external anchor design and a variation of a pretest design. The study also investigated whether a constrained mixture Rasch model could identify latent classes in such a way that one latent class represented high‐stakes responding while the other represented low‐stakes responding. The results indicated that for an external anchor design, the Rasch linking result was only biased when the motivation level differed between the subpopulations to which the anchor items were administered. However, the mixture Rasch model did not identify the classes representing low‐stakes and high‐stakes responding. When a pretest design was used to link the operational tests by means of a Rasch model, the linking result was found to be biased in each condition. Bias increased as percentage of students showing low‐stakes responding to the anchor items increased. The mixture Rasch model only identified the classes representing low‐stakes and high‐stakes responding under a limited number of conditions.
Gross, histological and ultrastructural morphology of the aglomerular kidney in the lined seahorse Hippocampus erectus
Authors: Fogelson S. B. , Yanong R. P. E. , Kane A. , Teal C. N. , Berzins I. K. , Smith S. A. , Brown C. , Camus A.
Published: September 2015

Histologic evaluation of the renal system in the lined seahorse Hippocampus erectus reveals a cranial kidney with low to moderate cellularity, composed of a central dorsal aorta, endothelial lined capillary sinusoids, haematopoietic tissue, fine fibrovascular stroma, ganglia and no nephrons. In comparison, the caudal kidney is moderately to highly cellular with numerous highly convoluted epithelial lined tubules separated by interlacing haematopoietic tissue, no glomeruli, fine fibrovascular stroma, numerous capillary sinusoids, corpuscles of Stannius and clusters of endocrine cells adjacent to large calibre vessels. Ultrastructural evaluation of the renal tubules reveals minimal variability of the tubule epithelium throughout the length of the nephron and the majority of tubules are characterized by epithelial cells with few apical microvilli, elaborate basal membrane infolding, rare electron dense granules and abundant supporting collagenous matrix.
Using Outcome Measurement to Promote Continuous Quality Improvement for Children in Foster Care
Authors: Flango Victor E. , Gatowski Sophia , Sydow Nora E.
Published: September 2015

Continuous Quality Improvement is the term used to measure progress toward achieving safety, permanency, and well‐being for children in foster care. This report highlights the results of a 2014 survey conducted by the National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues asking states to identify how they are using performance measures to improve the lives of children in care, which measures are being used, whether the newly‐created well‐being measures are being integrated into the original set of court performance measures, and how performance measures are being used to support Continuous Quality Improvement. Although there is much more to do, the number of performance measures being used, the number of states sharing data between courts and child welfare agencies, and the number of documented examples of improvement in lives of abuse and neglected children are all encouraging signs.
Effects of Electrical Pretreatments on the Yield and Quality Characteristics of Red Bell Pepper Puree
Authors: Rayman Ergün Ahsen , Bozkir Hamza , Taştan Özge , Baysal Taner
Published: September 2015

Electrical treatments, which are among the nonthermal preservation technologies, have been gaining importance with the changes in the preferences of consumers who want high quality foods. In this study, electroplasmolysis (EP) as a pretreatment and microwave (MW) heating as an alternative to traditional heating were used in the production of red pepper puree in order to increase the puree yield and improve the quality characteristics of the puree. The red pepper purees were treated by EP, conventional heating (CH) as the control and also combinations of treatments (EP + MW, EP + CH). The EP application was optimized using response surface methodology. The optimum conditions were found as a voltage gradient of 143 V/cm and a treatment time of 60 s. At this optimum point, the yield was found to be 76.3%. In the combination of the EP and MW groups, the yield increased by 7.56% compared with the control group. The pectin and vitamin C contents increased after the pretreatments when compared to the control group.

Practical Applications

Electrical treatments are used as an alternative to traditional food processing techniques. Electroplasmolysis (EP) application provides an increased permeability of the plant tissues. This benefit can be used in the production of fruit and vegetable juice or puree. Yield is so important especially on the industrial scale. EP and microwave applications increased the yield and also the quality of the red bell pepper puree, and as a result, these methods are useful for food processing technology.
Feeling Like Feminist Frauds: Theorizing Feminist Accountability in Feminist Family Studies Research in a Neoliberal, Postfeminist Context
Authors: Sharp Elizabeth A. , Weaver Shannon E.
Published: September 2015

In this article we name “feelings of fraudulence,” the experience of self‐awareness and self‐questioning that feminist family scholars often encounter in their work. We propose that such feelings arise from attempting to apply abstract feminist principles to specific research practices against the backdrop of social science's positivism, women's studies postmodernism(s), and an overlay of neoliberalism and postfeminism. These feelings of fraudulence should not be dismissed but should be embraced to promote what we theorize as feminist accountability. Using our research projects as sites of analysis, we share dilemmas of accountability in regard to feminist epistemology, agenda, and ethics within the contemporary context. We continue the conversation about feminist‐informed methodological practices and hope to offer other feminist family scholars comfort in responding to the uncertainty they encounter in their own feminist research journeys.
Inquiring Through and With Deleuze: Disrupting Theory and Qualitative Methods in Family Studies
Authors: Hendricks Justin , Koro‐Ljungberg Mirka
Published: September 2015

Qualitative inquiry can provide opportunities to utilize and work with theory in new and interesting ways. In this article we suggest that the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze can change, re‐create, and infiltrate normative notions of family and innovate inquiry and scholarship. We begin by discussing research, theory, and methodology in family studies and the sameness and simulation present in the field. Then we move to briefly situate Deleuze within a historical and theoretical context, and we discuss immanence and difference as ideas that can disrupt and create potential. Specifically, we discuss Deleuze's concepts difference, rhizome, and becoming. Using these and other ideas, we offer some suggestions concerning how these concepts might be applied in qualitative family inquiry.
Drug‐eluting beads versus conventional chemoembolization for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Facciorusso Antonio , Mariani Luigi , Sposito Carlo , Spreafico Carlo , Bongini Marco , Morosi Carlo , Cascella Tommaso , Marchianò Alfonso , Camerini Tiziana , Bhoori Sherrie , Brunero Federica , Barone Michele , Mazzaferro Vincenzo
Published: September 2015

Background and Aim

Solid demonstrations of superior efficacy of drug‐eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization with respect to conventional chemoembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma patients are lacking. The aim of the study was to compare these two techniques in two large cohorts of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Methods

A single center series of 249 early/intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent “on demand” chemoembolization in the period 2007–2011 was analyzed. Overall survival, time to progression, tumor response rate, and safety were compared between 104 patients who underwent conventional chemoembolization and 145 who underwent drug‐eluting beads chemoembolization. Time‐to‐event data were analyzed using the Cox univariate and multivariate regression.

Results

The two cohorts resulted balanced for liver function and tumor stages. Objective response rate was 85.3% after conventional and 74.8% after drug‐eluting beads chemoembolization (P = 0.039), and median time to progression was 17 (95% confidence interval: 14–21) versus 11 months (9–12), respectively (P < 0.001). Treatment regimen was the sole independent predictor of progression at multivariate analysis (hazard ratio = 2.01; 1.45–2.80; P < 0.001). Median survival was 39 (32–47) and 32 (24–39) months in the two groups, respectively (hazard ratio = 1.33; 0.94–1.87; P = 0.10), but conventional chemoembolization was significantly associated with a survival advantage in patients with bilobar neoplasia, portal hypertension and alpha fetoprotein above normal limits. No significant differences in severe adverse events were found.

Conclusion

In a large series of Western hepatocellular carcinoma patients, drug‐eluting beads chemoembolization with 100–300 µm particles did not seem to improve survival in comparison with conventional chemoembolization, which in turn provided better tumor responses and time to progression.
BCLC stage B is a better designation for single large hepatocellular carcinoma than BCLC stage A
Authors: Jung Young Kul , Jung Chang Ho , Seo Yeon Seok , Kim Ji Hoon , Kim Tae Hyung , Yoo Yang Jae , Kang Seong Hee , Yim Sun Young , Suh Sang Jun , An Hyunggin , Yim Hyung Joon , Yeon Jong Eun , Byun Kwan Soo , Um Soon Ho
Published: September 2015

Background and Aim:

Although the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system is widely used for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) staging, the most appropriate BCLC stage designation for single large HCC (SLHCC, single nodule > 5 cm) remains controversial. This study investigated the prognosis of patients with SLHCC.

Methods:

Patients with newly diagnosed HCCs (BCLC stages A or B) were classified according to tumor burden: group 1, a single nodule > 2 and ≤ 5 cm or two or three nodules ≤ 3 cm; group 2, a single nodule > 5 cm; and group 3, two or three nodules > 3 cm or > 3 nodules. Survival analysis was performed according to tumor stage, treatment type, and Child–Pugh grade.

Results:

A total of 1005 patients were enrolled. Age was 59.3 ± 10.6 years, and 788 patients (78.4%) were men. Groups 1, 2, and 3 consisted of 613 (61.0%), 124 (12.3%), and 268 (26.7%) patients, respectively. HCC treatment included resection in 202 patients (20.1%), radiofrequency ablation ± transarterial chemoembolization in 311 patients (30.9%), and transarterial chemoembolization in 492 patients (49.0%). The median survival time differed significantly according to tumor stage (75.2, 44.9, and 30.3 months in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively; P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that group 2 had significantly worse survival compared with group 1 and similar survival to group 3.

Conclusions:

Patients in group 2 had a worse prognosis than those in group 1 and a similar prognosis to those in group 3. Our results suggest that BCLC stage B is the best stage designation for SLHCC.
Research and Development, Uncertainty, and Analysts’ Forecasts: The Case of IAS 38
Authors: Dinh Tami , Eierle Brigitte , Schultze Wolfgang , Steeger Leif
Published: September 2015

This study analyzes the consequences of the capitalization of development expenditures under IAS 38 on analysts’ earnings forecasts. We use unique hand‐collected data in a sample of highly research and development (R&D)‐intensive German‐listed firms over the period 2000–2007. We find that the capitalization of development costs is significantly associated with both higher individual analysts’ forecast errors and forecast dispersion. This suggests that the increasing complexity surrounding the capitalization of development costs negatively impacts forecast accuracy. However, for firms with high underlying environmental uncertainty, forecast errors are negatively associated with capitalized development expenditures. This indicates that the negative impact of increased complexity on forecast accuracy can be outweighed by the information contained in the signals from capitalized development costs when the underlying environmental uncertainty is high. The findings contribute to the ongoing controversial debate on the accounting for self‐generated intangible assets. Our results provide useful insights on the link between capitalization of development costs, environmental uncertainty, and analysts’ forecasts for accounting academics and practitioners alike.
Regulation of the orexigenic neuropeptide, enkephalin, by PPARδ and fatty acids in neurons of the hypothalamus and forebrain
Authors: Poon Kinning , Alam Mohammad , Karatayev Olga , Barson Jessica R. , Leibowitz Sarah F.
Published: September 2015

Ingestion of a high‐fat diet composed mainly of the saturated fatty acid, palmitic (PA), and the unsaturated fatty acid, oleic (OA), stimulates transcription in the brain of the opioid neuropeptide, enkephalin (ENK), which promotes intake of substances of abuse. To understand possible underlying mechanisms, this study examined the nuclear receptors, peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors (PPARs), and tested in hypothalamic and forebrain neurons from rat embryos whether PPARs regulate endogenous ENK and the fatty acids themselves affect these PPARs and ENK. The first set of experiments demonstrated that knocking down PPARδ, but not PPARα or PPARγ, increased ENK transcription, activation of PPARδ by an agonist decreased ENK levels, and PPARδ neurons coexpressed ENK, suggesting that PPARδ negatively regulates ENK. In the second set of experiments, PA treatment of hypothalamic and forebrain neurons had no effect on PPARδ protein while stimulating ENK mRNA and protein, whereas OA increased both mRNA and protein levels of PPARδ in forebrain neurons while having no effect on ENK mRNA and increasing ENK levels. These findings show that PA has a strong, stimulatory effect on ENK and weak effect on PPARδ protein, whereas OA has a strong stimulatory effect on PPARδ and weak effect on ENK, consistent with the inhibitory effect of PPARδ on ENK. They suggest a function for PPARδ, perhaps protective in nature, in embryonic neurons exposed to fatty acids from a fat‐rich diet and provide evidence for a mechanism contributing to differential effects of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids on neurochemical systems involved in consummatory behavior.

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Our findings show that PPARδ in forebrain and hypothalamic neurons negatively regulates enkephalin (ENK), a peptide known to promote ingestive behavior. This inverse relationship is consistent with our additional findings, that a saturated (palmitic; PA) compared to a monounsaturated fatty acid (oleic; OA) has a strong stimulatory effect on ENK and weak effect on PPARδ. These results suggest that PPARδ protects against the neuronal effects of fatty acids, which differentially affect neurochemical systems involved in ingestive behavior.