bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The influence of oxygen concentration on the extracellular matrix production of human nucleus pulposus cells during isolation‐expansion process
Authors: Yang Shu‐Hua , Hu Ming‐Hsiao , Lo Wan‐Yu , Sun Yuan‐Hui , Wu Chang‐Chin , Yang Kai‐Chiang
Published: January 2017

Nucleus pulposus (NP) cells locate in the center of avascular intervertebral discs, and thus have presumably adapted to a hypoxic environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influences of hypoxic condition, during isolation‐expansion of human NP cells, on the cellular proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis in later three‐dimensional cultures. Human NP tissues were obtained from patients who underwent lumbar disc surgeries. Immediately after retrieval, NP tissues from each patient were divided into two aliquots for in vitro cultivation either under classical normoxic (21% O2) or hypoxic (3.5% O2) condition. After isolation‐expansion processes, microtissues of NP cells were formed and the analysis was performed after one‐week culture. Experiments of pretreatment with TGF‐β1 or lovastatin were designed to investigate if the isolation‐expansion conditions affect the responsiveness to later exogenous treatments. Hypoxic isolation‐expansion stimulated NP cell proliferation during monolayer culture. Hypoxia also upregulated mRNA levels of SOX9 and HIF‐1α but downregulated type X collagen as well as improved aggrecan and type II collagen synthesis. Although TGF‐β1 had no substantial effect, lovastatin pretreatment showed a greater enhancement on type II collagen expression in hypoxic group. Normoxia negatively affected the biochemical composition of regenerated ECM attributable to downregulation of SOX9 and HIF‐1α, while hypoxia enhanced cellular proliferation, improved matrix production, and maintained a functional phenotype of NP cells. Hypoxic isolation‐expansion of human NP cells is important to achieve better regenerative cells for later cultivation or cell transplantation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 1575–1582, 2017.
Evaluation of gas–liquid mass transfer in gas‐induced stirred tank reactor using electrical resistance tomography
Authors: Abdullah Bawadi , Adesina Adesoji A
Published: January 2017

BACKGROUND

A gas‐entrainment impeller is attractive for multiphase reactive systems such as Fischer–Tropsch reaction and deep liquid‐phase oxidation of organics with the possibility of low gas conversion per pass, enhancement of mixing performance and better inter‐phase mass transfer compared with conventional impellers.

RESULTS

Tomograms obtained from ERT measurement reveal that the conductivity of a gas–water system changes as a function of impeller Reynolds number, ReI. The global gas holdup profile behaviour with ReI exhibited a sigmoid character which was adequately captured by ϵG = ϵG,0 + ϵG,max(1 − exp(−τglReI)). The parity plot showed strong linearity between model predicted and experimental data. The radial gas holdup profiles showed an upward parabolic trend with higher gas holdup values for gas‐entrainment impeller systems than the conventional 4‐blade impeller. To assess the efficiency of power consumption, the mass transfer coefficient, kLa, for a gas–liquid system in a stirred tank reactor was correlated as a function of dimensionless combination of power number and gas holdup; where α is the bubble collision frequency (s−1) and β is the gas‐inducing enhancement factor.

CONCLUSION

Three different regimes of volumetric mass transfer coefficient were identified in the stirred tank reactor for each case. Overall, the combination of qualitative and quantitative analyses of ERT along with dissolved oxygen concentration permitted an insightful analysis of the self‐gas inducing impeller as a superior mixing technology for potential industrial applications involving gas–liquid operations. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Mean‐strain 10‐node tetrahedron with energy‐sampling stabilization for nonlinear deformation
Authors: Pakravan A. , Krysl P.
Published: January 2017

A mean‐strain 10‐node tetrahedral element is developed for the solution of geometrically nonlinear solid mechanics problems using the concept of energy‐sampling stabilization. A uniform‐strain tetrahedron for applications to linear elasticity was recently described. The formulation as extended here is able to solve large‐strain hyperelasticity. The present 10‐node tetrahedron is composed of several four‐node linear tetrahedral elements, four tetrahedra in the corners, and four tetrahedra that tile the central octahedron in three possible sets of four‐node tetrahedra, corresponding to three different choices for the internal diagonal. We formulate a mean‐strain element with stabilization energy evaluated on the four corner tetrahedra, which is shown to guarantee consistency and stability. The stabilization energy is expressed through a stored‐energy function, and contact with input parameters in the small‐strain regime is made. The neo‐Hookean model is used to formulate the stabilization energy. As for small‐strain elasticity, the stabilization parameters are determined by actual material properties and geometry of a tetrahedra without any user input. The numerical tests demonstrate that the present element performs well for solid, shell, and nearly incompressible structures. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A stochastic maximum principle for processes driven by G‐Brownian motion and applications to finance
Authors: Sun Zhongyang , Zhang Xin , Guo Junyi
Published: January 2017

On the basis of the theory of stochastic differential equations on a sublinear expectation space
, we develop a stochastic maximum principle for a general stochastic optimal control problem, where the controlled state process is a stochastic differential equation driven by G‐Brownian motion. Furthermore, under some convexity assumptions, we obtain sufficient conditions for the optimality of the maximum in terms of the
‐function. Finally, applications of the stochastic maximum principle to the mean‐variance portfolio selection problem in the financial market with ambiguous volatility is discussed.
Prenatal genetic diagnosis of Costello syndrome in a male fetus with recurrent HRAS mutation p.Gly12Ser
Authors: Hague Jennifer , Hackett Gerald , Acerini Carlo , Park Soo‐Mi
Published: January 2017

What's Already Known About This Topic?

Costello syndrome is a rare multisystem disorder, which is usually diagnosed by postnatal findings including macrosomia, significant failure to thrive, developmental and intellectual disability, coarse facial features, cardiac and skin abnormalities and short stature as well as a susceptibility to childhood and adult malignancy. Prenatal genetic diagnosis of this condition is very rare, and the diagnosis is most commonly established in childhood.

What Does This Study Add?

We report a case of a prenatal molecular confirmation of Costello syndrome in the second trimester of pregnancy. The clinical diagnosis was first suspected on fetal ultrasonographic features including unilateral ventriculomegaly, polyhydramnios, macrocephaly and macrosomia with relatively shortened long bones.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in the medical literature of prenatal diagnosis of Costello syndrome involving the recurrent HRAS missense mutation p.Gly12Ser. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Photopolymerization kinetics in and of self‐assembling lyotropic liquid crystal templates
Authors: Worthington Kristan S. , Baguenard Céline , Forney Bradley S. , Guymon C. Allan
Published: January 2017

Photopolymerization in and of lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) template phases shows great promise for generating nanostructure in organic polymers. Interestingly, the order imposed on the polymerization system in LLCs significantly alters polymerization kinetics. The rate of polymerization of hydrophilic monomers increases with increasing LLC order, primarily due to monomer/polymer association with surfactant and the resulting decrease of growing polymer chain diffusion. Conversely, as LLC order increases, hydrophobic monomers become less segregated as nonpolar volume increases, which decreases polymerization rate. The efficiency of initiators is also dependent on LLC template order, further contributing to polymerization rate changes. When reactive surfactants are used, LLC mesophase, location of reactive group, and aliphatic tail length also affect polymerization kinetics. Overall, these photopolymerization kinetics directly relate to the segregation behavior and local order of reactive groups and thus can be used to probe nanostructure evolution, facilitating understanding and control of ultimate polymer nanostructure. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017, 55, 471–489
Nanosize carbon products formed in microwave discharge in liquid alkanes
Authors: Averin Konstantin A. , Lebedev Yuri A. , Shchegolikhin Alexander N. , Yablokov Michael Yu.
Published: January 2017

Carbon‐containing nanosize solid‐state phase have been produced in the atmospheric pressure microwave (MW) plasma ignited in the gas bubbles in liquid alkanes CnH2n+2 (n = 7, 8, 10, 15, 16). Gas bubbles are generated by flow of argon. According to SEM data, the solid‐state products are represented by particles having dimensions in the range of 100–200 nm. Raman spectra of the sooty‐like unpurified solid products permit to categorize them as sp3+sp2 mixed forms of carbon comprising mainly an “damaged grapheme” along with a “few‐layer” graphite nanoparticles. NMR spectra of the solid products show strong aromatization and formation of various unsaturated molecular fragments. FTIR‐ATR spectra indicate that the carbonaceous nanoparticles are contaminated with minor amounts of different hydrocarbon residues and oxidized species.
Host differentiation and variability of Orobanche crenata populations from legume species in Morocco as revealed by cross‐infestation and molecular analysis
Authors: Ennami Mounia , Briache Fatima Zahra , Gaboun Fatima , Abdelwahd Rabha , Ghaouti Lamiae , Belqadi Loubna , Westwood James , Mentag Rachid
Published: January 2017

BACKGROUND

Orobanche crenata represents a major biotic constraint to production of faba bean and lentil in Morocco. While this parasitic plant attacks both of these crops, the extent to which Orobanche biotypes specialise in parasitising specific crops is unknown. To address this question, we studied O. crenata that grew on different hosts and quantified their host specificity to faba bean and lentil. The virulence of O. crenata populations on each host was investigated through field trials, pot and Petri dishes assays. Genetic diversity of the parasite populations was also assessed through molecular analyses.

RESULTS

The two legume species showed distinct patterns of specificity. Faba bean was more susceptible to both O. crenata populations, while the specificity for lentil by lentil‐grown O. crenata was evident at the final stage of the parasite life cycle as shown by correspondence factorial analyses. Considerable internal variation (81%) within O. crenata populations parasitising both legume species was observed by molecular analyses, but significant divergence (19%; Ø = 0.189; P = 0.010) among the populations was detected.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that O. crenata can adapt to specific host species, which is important knowledge when developing integrated pest management practices for parasitic weed control. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Evolution of imidacloprid resistance in Myzus persicae in Greece and susceptibility data for spirotetramat
Authors: Voudouris Costas Ch , Williamson Martin S , Skouras Panagiotis J , Kati Amalia N , Sahinoglou Anastasia J , Margaritopoulos John T
Published: January 2017

BACKGROUND

Myzus persicae s.l. is a major crop pest globally and has evolved resistance to a range of insecticide classes making it increasingly difficult to control in some areas. Here we compare bioassay monitoring data for two important compounds, imidacloprid and spirotetramat, on field samples/clones collected in Greece.

RESULTS

A total of 122 aphid samples/clones from central and northern Greece were examined in dose–response bioassays with imidacloprid. There was an overall increase in the level of resistance (resistance factor = 15–40) within tobacco‐collected samples from 78.7% in 2007 to 86.7% in 2015. The corresponding frequencies for peach samples were 13.3% and 6.7%. These results were confounded however by the first identification of the R81T target mutation in Greece during 2015 (4.3% as heterozygotes in peach) and 2016 (21.3% as heterozygotes in peach). No resistance to spirotetramat was found at the 60 clones collected in 2015.

CONCLUSION

Resistance to imidacloprid is continuing to increase within Greek M. persicae s.l. populations and the situation is likely to deteriorate further with the recent identification of the R81T resistance mutation. Resistance to spirotetramat has not been found and is therefore a good alternative to neonicotinoids for resistance management. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Investigating the effect of design patterns on energy consumption
Authors: Feitosa Daniel , Alders Rutger , Ampatzoglou Apostolos , Avgeriou Paris , Nakagawa Elisa Yumi
Published: January 2017

Gang of Four (GoF) patterns are well‐known best practices for the design of object‐oriented systems. In this paper, we aim at empirically assessing their relationship to energy consumption, ie, a performance indicator that has recently attracted the attention of both researchers and practitioners. To achieve this goal, we investigate pattern‐participating methods (ie, those that play a role within the pattern) and compare their energy consumption to the consumption of functionally equivalent alternative (nonpattern) solutions. We obtained the alternative solution by refactoring the pattern instances using well‐known transformations (eg, replace polymorphism with conditional statements). The comparison is performed on 169 methods of 2 GoF patterns (namely, State/Strategy and Template Method), retrieved from 2 well‐known open source projects. The results suggest that for the majority of cases the alternative design excels in terms of energy consumption. However, in some cases (eg, when the method is large in size or invokes many methods) the pattern solution presents similar or lower energy consumption. The outcome of our study can be useful to both researchers and practitioners, because we: (1) provide evidence on a possible negative effect of GoF patterns, and (2) can provide guidance on which cases the use of the pattern is not hurting energy consumption.
The geometrically nonlinear Cosserat micropolar shear–stretch energy. Part II: Non‐classical energy‐minimizing microrotations in 3D and their computational validation***
Authors: Fischle Andreas , Neff Patrizio
Published: January 2017

In any geometrically nonlinear, isotropic and quadratic Cosserat micropolar extended continuum model formulated in the deformation gradient field and the microrotation field , the shear–stretch energy is necessarily of the form
urn:x-wiley:00442267:media:zamm201600030:zamm201600030-math-0003We aim at the derivation of closed form expressions for the minimizers of in SO(3), i.e., for the set of optimal Cosserat microrotations in dimension , as a function of . In a previous contribution (Part I), we have first shown that, for all , the full range of weights and can be reduced to either a classical or a non‐classical limit case. We have then derived the associated closed form expressions for the optimal planar rotations in SO(2) and proved their global optimality. In the present contribution (Part II), we characterize the non‐classical optimal rotations in dimension . After a lift of the minimization problem to the unit quaternions, the Euler–Lagrange equations can be symbolically solved by the computer algebra system Mathematica. Among the symbolic expressions for the critical points, we single out two candidates which we analyze and for which we can computationally validate their global optimality by Monte Carlo statistical sampling of SO(3). Geometrically, our proposed optimal Cosserat rotations act in the plane of maximal stretch. Our previously obtained explicit formulae for planar optimal Cosserat rotations in SO(2) reveal themselves as a simple special case. Further, we derive the associated reduced energy levels of the Cosserat shear–stretch energy and criteria for the existence of non‐classical optimal rotations.
Introduction to Computable General Equilibrium Models
Authors: Burfisher Mary E.
Published: January 2017

This book provides an accessible, undergraduate-level introduction to computable general equilibrium (CGE) models, a class of model that has come to play an important role in government policy decisions. The book uses a graphical approach to explain the economic theory that underlies a CGE model, and provides results from simple, small-scale CGE models to illustrate the links between theory and model outcomes. The book includes eleven guided, hands-on exercises that introduce modeling techniques that are applied to real-world economic problems. Students will learn how to integrate their separate fields of economic study into a comprehensive, general equilibrium perspective as they develop their skills as producers or consumers of CGE-based analysis.
Feasibility of common bibliometrics in evaluating translational science
Authors: Schneider M. , Kane C. M. , Rainwater J. , Guerrero L. , Tong G. , Desai S. R. , Trochim W.
Published: January 2017

Introduction

A pilot study by 6 Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) explored how bibliometrics can be used to assess research influence.

Methods

Evaluators from 6 institutions shared data on publications (4202 total) they supported, and conducted a combined analysis with state-of-the-art tools. This paper presents selected results based on the tools from 2 widely used vendors for bibliometrics: Thomson Reuters and Elsevier.

Results

Both vendors located a high percentage of publications within their proprietary databases (>90%) and provided similar but not equivalent bibliometrics for estimating productivity (number of publications) and influence (citation rates, percentage of papers in the top 10% of citations, observed citations relative to expected citations). A recently available bibliometric from the National Institutes of Health Office of Portfolio Analysis, examined after the initial analysis, showed tremendous potential for use in the CTSA context.

Conclusion

Despite challenges in making cross-CTSA comparisons, bibliometrics can enhance our understanding of the value of CTSA-supported clinical and translational research.
Deep learning in fluid dynamics
Authors: Kutz J. Nathan
Published: January 2017

It was only a matter of time before deep neural networks (DNNs) – deep learning – made their mark in turbulence modelling, or more broadly, in the general area of high-dimensional, complex dynamical systems. In the last decade, DNNs have become a dominant data mining tool for big data applications. Although neural networks have been applied previously to complex fluid flows, the article featured here (Ling et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 807, 2016, pp. 155–166) is the first to apply a true DNN architecture, specifically to Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes turbulence models. As one often expects with modern DNNs, performance gains are achieved over competing state-of-the-art methods, suggesting that DNNs may play a critically enabling role in the future of modelling complex flows.
Modelling steady shear flows of Newtonian liquids with non-Newtonian interfaces
Authors: Underhill Patrick T. , Hirsa Amir H. , Lopez Juan M.
Published: January 2017

In countless biological and technological processes, the flow of Newtonian liquids with a non-Newtonian interface is a common occurrence, such as in monomolecular films in ‘solid’ phases atop of aqueous bulk fluid. There is a lack of models that can predict the flow under conditions different from those used to measure the rheological response of the interface. Here, we present a model which describes interfacial hydrodynamics, including two-way coupling to a bulk Newtonian fluid described by the Navier–Stokes equations, that allows for shear-thinning response of the interface. The model includes a constitutive equation for the interface under steady shear that takes the Newtonian functional form but where the surface shear viscosity is generalized to be a function of the local shear rate. In the limit of a highly viscous interface, the interfacial hydrodynamics is decoupled from the bulk flow and the model can be solved analytically. This provides not only insight into the flow but also a means to validate the numerical technique for solving the two-way coupled problem. The numerical results of the coupled problem shed new light on existing experimental results on steadily sheared monolayers of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), the primary constituent of lung surfactant and the bilayers of mammalian cell walls. For low packing density DPPC monolayers, a Newtonian shear-independent surface shear viscosity model can reproduce the interfacial flows, but at high packing density, the shear-thinning properties of the new model presented here are needed.
Performance of a Novel PMMA Polymer Imaging Bundle for Field Acquisition and Wavefront Sensing
Authors: Richards S. N. , Leon-Saval S. , Goodwin M. , Zheng J. , Lawrence J. S. , Bryant J. J. , Bland-Hawthorn J. , Norris B. , Cvetojevic N. , Argyros A.
Published: January 2017

Imaging bundles provide a convenient way to translate a spatially coherent image, yet conventional imaging bundles made from silica fibre optics typically remain expensive with large losses due to poor filling factors (~40%). We present the characterisation of a novel polymer imaging bundle made from poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) that is considerably cheaper and a better alternative to silica imaging bundles over short distances (~1 m; from the middle to the edge of a telescope’s focal plane). The large increase in filling factor (92% for the polymer imaging bundle) outweighs the large increase in optical attenuation from using PMMA (1 dB/m) instead of silica (10−3dB/m). We present and discuss current and possible future multi-object applications of the polymer imaging bundle in the context of astronomical instrumentation including: field acquisition, guiding, wavefront sensing, narrow-band imaging, aperture masking, and speckle imaging. The use of PMMA limits its use in low-light applications (e.g., imaging of galaxies); however, it is possible to fabricate polymer imaging bundles from a range of polymers that are better suited to the desired science.
Ancient salt-mining in Austria
Authors: Megaw Vincent , Morgan Graham , Stöllner Thomas
Published: January 2017

Above Hallein, 14 km south of Salzburg and at 800 m above sea level, the spa village of Heilbad Dürrnberg clusters around what until recently was a centre of commercial salt production. Its prehistoric roots overlapped with the hey-day of the well-known Hallstatt site, 40 km east. From c. 750-150 BC a community of perhaps 200 provided the labour force for the mines. It was clearly dangerous work; in 1573 and again in 1616 there are contemporary records of the discovery of the wellpreserved bodies of Iron Age miners while on the Dürrnberg as again at Hallstatt there are indications of serious landslides. As in historic times, the miners probably worked part-time only, in spring and autumn tending their pigs and cattle and pasture land. The wealth of this small settlement is clearly evidenced by the clusters of graves which surrounded the various rectangular houses.
Renewed investigations at the Folsom Palaeoindian type site
Authors: Meltzer David J.
Published: January 2017

The Folsom site (New Mexico, USA) is justly famous as the place where in 1927 four decades of sometimes bitter controversy came to an end, when it was finally demonstrated humans had been in the New World since the Pleistocene (Meltzer 1993). Folsom became the type site for the Palaeoindian period and distinctive fluted projectile point that bears its name (see Hofman 1999). Yet, as the excavations done in the 1920s by the Colorado (now Denver) and American Museums of Natural History focused initially on the recovery of Bison antiquus skeletons suitable for museum display, and latterly on documenting the association of projectile points with those bison remains, many fundamental questions of interest about the site’s stratigraphic, environmental and archaeological context were left unanswered (and often not asked).
Taiwan, Neolithic seafaring and Austronesian origins
Authors: Rolett Barry V. , Chen Wei-Chun , Sinton John M.
Published: January 2017

New evidence for the movement of Neolithic basalt adzes across the Taiwan Strait may indicate the beginnings of regular Austronesian voyaging. This seafaring tradition culminated in the Polynesian colonization of the Pacific.
Eneolithic horse exploitation in the Eurasian steppes: diet, ritual and riding
Authors: Anthony David W. , Brown Dorcas R.
Published: January 2017

The symbolism of the horse in Eneolithic society is explored in this paper. Recent excavations in the Eurasian steppes demonstrate the importance of horses before domestication and horse riding became common; showing they were eaten, exploited and revered.
Education is what's left: some thoughts on introductory archaeology
Authors: Fagan Brian
Published: January 2017

In over 30 years of graduate and undergraduate teaching, I have taught everything from large introductory offerings with an audience of 300, to advanced undergraduate seminars, even a graduate course for two people on writing about archaeology. In all these years, I am struck by two constants: the general enthusiasm of my students for archaeology and their startling lack of ability to think for themselves and be intellectually self-reliant, something found in every academic discipline. These same 30 years have encompassed a period of remarkable change in archaeology-new theoretical paradigms, the increasing emphasis on stewardship and management, startling and sometimes dramatic discoveries, and a quantum jump in our ability to extract fine-grained information from the archaeological record. Yet, every winter, when I step into the classroom to address another audience of impressionable undergraduates, I find everything is the same. The expectations of my colleagues and students, the university regulations surrounding testing and scoring, the questions students ask, even the distinctive aroma in the classroom on a wet day.
Ceramics, seeds and culinary change in prehistoric India
Authors: Fuller Dorian Q
Published: January 2017

Cuisine, argues the author, is like language – it can be adopted, adapted or modified through time. The evidence from actual words for food is also used, together with seed assemblages and types of pottery to chronicle changing food cultures in Neolithic and later India. While some new food ideas (like African millets) were incorporated into existing agricultural practice as substitute crops, others such as the horsegram and mungbean appear to have moved from south to north with their pots (and probably the appropriate recipes) as a social as well as a dietary innovation.
Ice-cores, sediments and civilisation collapse: a cautionary tale from Lake Titicaca
Authors: Calaway Michael J.
Published: January 2017

The temptation to equate environmental change with archaeologically observed events is always with us, and matching a climatic downturn with civilisation collapse is perhaps more attractive then ever. The archaeologically observed collapse of the Tiwanaku civilisation in the twelfth century AD has been specifically related to a prolonged drought which would have affected the people’s ability to produce food. However, a careful scrutiny of the data from ice cores and lake sediments persuades the author that no such drought can be inferred: the evidence for climatic change is of quite a different scale and order to the archaeological changes and cannot be used as an explanation of social events.
Principal determinants of species and functional diversity of carabid beetle assemblages during succession at post-industrial sites
Authors: Sipos J. , Hodecek J. , Kuras T. , Dolny A.
Published: January 2017

Although ecological succession is one of the principal focuses of recent restoration ecology research, it is still unclear which factors drive this process and positively influence species richness and functional diversity. In this study we sought to elucidate how species traits and functional diversity change during forest succession, and to identify important factors that determine the species in the observed assemblages. We analyzed species richness and functional diversity of ground beetle assemblages in relation to succession on post-industrial localities after habitat deterioration caused by spoil deposition. We selected ground beetles as they are known to be sensitive to landscape changes (with a large range of responses), and their taxonomy and ecology are generally well-known. Ground beetles were sampled on the spoil heaps during the last 30 years when spontaneous succession occurred. To calculate functional diversity, we used traits related to habitat and trophic niche, i.e. food specialization, wing morphology, trophic level, and bio-indication value. Ground beetle species were found to be distributed non-randomly in the assemblages in the late phase of succession. Ordination analyses revealed that the ground beetle assemblage was significantly associated with the proportion of forested area. Environmental heterogeneity generated assemblages that contained over-dispersed species traits. Our findings indicated that environmental conditions at late successional stages supported less mobile carnivorous species. Overall, we conclude that the decline in species richness and functional diversity in the middle of the studied succession gradient indicated that the assemblages of open habitats had been replaced by species typical of forest ecosystems.
Heteroplasmy due to coexistence of mtCOI haplotypes from different lineages of theThrips tabacicryptic species group
Authors: Gawande S.J. , Anandhan S. , Ingle A.A. , Jacobson Alana , Asokan R.
Published: January 2017

Heteroplasmy is the existence of multiple mitochondrial DNA haplotypes within the cell. Although the number of reports of heteroplasmy is increasing for arthropods, the occurrence, number of variants, and origins are not well studied. In this research, the occurrence of heteroplasmy was investigated inThrips tabaci, a putative species complex whose lineages can be distinguished by their mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. The results from this study showed that heteroplasmy was due to the occurrence of mitochondrial cytochrome oxydase I (mtCOI) haplotypes from two differentT. tabacilineages. An assay using flow cytometry and quantitative real-time PCR was then used to quantify the per cell copy number of the two mtCOI haplotypes present in individuals exhibiting heteroplasmy from nine geographically distant populations in India. All of theT. tabaciindividuals in this study were found to exhibit heteroplasmy, and in every individual the per cell copy number of mtCOI from lineage 3 comprised 75–98% of the haplotypes detected and was variable among individuals tested. There was no evidence to suggest that the presense of lineage-specific haplotypes was due to nuclear introgression; however, further studies are needed to investigate nuclear introgression and paternal leakage during rare interbreeding between individuals from lineages 2 and 3.
Sit, step, sweat: longitudinal associations between physical activity patterns, anxiety and depression
Authors: Hiles S. A. , Lamers F. , Milaneschi Y. , Penninx B. W. J. H.
Published: January 2017

Background

Physical inactivity has been identified as a risk factor for depression and, less often, as a long-term consequence of depression. Underexplored is whether similar bi-directional longitudinal relationships are observed for anxiety disorders, particularly in relation to three distinct indicators of activity levels – sports participation, general physical activity and sedentary behavior.

Method

Participants were from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA; N = 2932, 18–65 years old; 57% current anxiety or depressive disorder, 21% remitted disorder, 22% healthy controls). At baseline, 2, 4, and 6 years, participants completed a diagnostic interview and self-report questionnaires assessing psychopathology symptom severity, physical activity indicators, and sociodemographic and health covariates.

Results

Consistently across assessment waves, people with anxiety and/or depressive disorders had lower sports participation and general physical activity compared to healthy controls. Greater anxiety or depressive symptoms were associated with lower activity according to all three indicators. Over time, a diagnosis or greater symptom severity at one assessment was associated with poorer sports participation and general physical activity 2 years later. In the opposite direction, only low sports participation was associated with greater symptom severity and increased odds of disorder onset 2 years later. Stronger effects were observed for chronicity, with lower activity according to all indicators increasing the odds of disorder chronicity after 2 years.

Conclusions

Over time, there seems to a mutually reinforcing, bidirectional relationship between psychopathology and lower physical activity, particularly low sports participation. People with anxiety are as adversely affected as those with depression.
A pilot randomized controlled trial of time-intensive cognitive–behaviour therapy for postpartum obsessive–compulsive disorder: effects on maternal symptoms, mother–infant interactions and attachment
Authors: Challacombe F. L. , Salkovskis P. M. , Woolgar M. , Wilkinson E. L. , Read J. , Acheson R.
Published: January 2017

Background

There is increasing recognition that perinatal anxiety disorders are both common and potentially serious for mother and child. Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) can be triggered or exacerbated in the postpartum period, with mothers reporting significant effects on parenting tasks. However, there is little evidence concerning their effective treatment or the impact of successful treatment on parenting.

Method

A total of 34 mothers with OCD and a baby of 6 months old were randomized into either time-intensive cognitive–behaviour therapy (iCBT) or treatment as usual (TAU). iCBT took place after randomization at 6 months postpartum and was completed by 9 months. Maternal symptomatology, sensitivity in mother–infant interactions and parenting were assessed at baseline and reassessed at 12 months postpartum. At 12 months attachment was also assessed using Ainsworth's Strange Situation Procedure. A healthy control group of mothers and infants (n = 37) underwent the same assessments as a benchmark.

Results

iCBT was successful in ameliorating maternal symptoms of OCD (controlled effect size = 1.31–1.90). However, mother–infant interactions were unchanged by treatment and remained less sensitive in both OCD groups than a healthy control group. The distribution of attachment categories was similar across both clinical groups and healthy controls with approximately 72% classified as secure in each group.

Conclusions

iCBT is an effective intervention for postpartum OCD. Sensitive parenting interactions are affected by the presence of postpartum OCD and this is not improved by successful treatment of OCD symptoms. However, the overall attachment bond appears to be unaffected. Longitudinal studies are needed to explore the impact of postpartum OCD as the child develops.
EDUCATING THE NATION: II. UNIVERSITIES
Authors: Mandler Peter
Published: January 2017

This paper continues the argument made in ‘Educating the Nation: I. Schools’, that democratic demand for ever widening access to education was the principal driver for expansion in the second half of the twentieth century. Demand for higher education was not as universalistic or egalitarian as demand for secondary schooling; nevertheless, it was pressing, especially from the late 1950s, and ultimately irresistible, enshrined in the ‘Robbins principle’ that higher education should be available to all qualified by ability and attainment. The paper tracks the fortunes of the Robbins principle from an initial period of rapid growth, through a mysterious period of sagging demand in the 1970s and 1980s, to the resumption of very rapid growth from the late 1980s. It remains the guiding light of higher-education policy today, though in very altered circumstances where the price is paid ultimately more by beneficiaries than from the public purse.
The role of arousal in predictive coding
Authors: Ferreira-Santos Fernando
Published: January 2017

Within a predictive coding approach, the arousal/norepinephrine effects described by the GANE (glutamate amplifies noradrenergic effects) model seem to modulate the precision attributed to prediction errors, favoring the selective updating of predictive models with larger prediction errors. However, to explain how arousal effects are triggered, it is likely that different kinds of prediction errors (including interoceptive/affective) need to be considered.
Adaptive memory systems for remembering the salient and the seemingly mundane
Authors: Ritchey Maureen , Murty Vishnu P. , Dunsmoor Joseph E.
Published: January 2017

In an adaptive memory system, events should be prioritized in memory based on their own significance, as well as the significance of preceding or following events. Here we argue that tag-and-capture models complement the GANE (glutamate amplifies noradrenergic effects) model by describing a mechanism that supports the transfer of memory benefits from one event to the next.
Attention alters predictive processing
Authors: Clark Andy
Published: January 2017

Firestone & Scholl (F&S) bracket many attentional effects as “peripheral,” altering the inputs to a cognitive process without altering the processing itself. By way of contrast, I highlight an emerging class of neurocomputational models that imply profound, pervasive, nonperipheral influences of attention on perception. This transforms the landscape for empirical debates concerning possible top-down effects on perception.
Gaining knowledge mediates changes in perception (without differences in attention): A case for perceptual learning
Authors: Emberson Lauren L.
Published: January 2017

Firestone & Scholl (F&S) assert that perceptual learning is not a top-down effect, because experience-mediated changes arise from familiarity with the features of the object through simple repetition and not knowledge about the environment. Emberson and Amso (2012) provide a clear example of perceptual learning that bypasses the authors' “pitfalls” and in which knowledge, not repeated experience, results in changes in perception.
Oh the irony: Perceptual stability is important for action
Authors: Durgin Frank H.
Published: January 2017

I review experiments in which drinking a sugarless drink causes some participants who have low blood sugar from fasting to give lower slant estimates. Ironically, this only occurs to the extent that they believe that they have received sugar and that the sugar was meant to make the hill look shallower; those who received sugar showed no similar effect. These findings support the hypothesis that low blood sugar causes greater participant cooperation – which, in combination with other experimental details, can lead participants to make judgments that can either seem to support the effort hypothesis or contradict it. I also emphasize the importance of perceptual stability in the perception of spatial layout.
Crossmodal processing and sensory substitution: Is “seeing” with sound and touch a form of perception or cognition?
Authors: Esenkaya Tayfun , Proulx Michael J.
Published: January 2017

The brain has evolved in this multisensory context to perceive the world in an integrated fashion. Although there are good reasons to be skeptical of the influence of cognition on perception, here we argue that the study of sensory substitution devices might reveal that perception and cognition are not necessarily distinct, but rather continuous aspects of our information processing capacities.
Tweaking the concepts of perception and cognition
Authors: Block Ned
Published: January 2017

One approach to the issue of a joint in nature between perception and cognition is to investigate whether the concepts of perception and cognition can be tweaked to avoid direct, content-specific effects of cognition on perception.
Challenging Assumptions: What Do We Need to Address in Our Disaster Risk Reduction Efforts?
Authors: Codreanu Tudor A. , Ngo Hanh , Robertson Andrew , Celenza Antonio
Published: January 2017

Introduction

Specific knowledge and skills are required, especially in the first 72 hours post-disaster, to bridge the time gap until essential services are restored and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) can focus on individuals’ needs. This study explores disaster knowledge and preparedness in the first 72 hours as a function of the individual’s engagement in discussions about disasters, and several other factors (both at personal and community/country level), as well as the entities/organizations perceived by the individual as being responsible for disaster risk reduction (DRR) education.

Methods

A prospective, cross-sectional survey of 3,829 final-year high-school students was conducted in nine countries with different levels of disaster risk and economic development. Regression analyses examined the relationship between a 72-hour disaster preparedness composite outcome (ability to make water safe for drinking, knowledge of water potability, home evacuation skill, and improvising a safe room) and a series of independent predictors.

Results

Respondents from countries with lower economic development were significantly better prepared for the first 72 hours post-disaster than those from developed countries (OR=767.45; CI=13.75-48,822.94;P=.001). While several independent predictors showed a significant main effect, combined disaster risk education (DRE) efforts, as a partnership between school and local government, had the best predictive value (OR=3.52; CI=1.48-8.41;P=.005).

Conclusions

Disaster preparedness in final-year high-school students is significantly better in developing countries. Further improvement requires a convergent effort in aligning the most effective educational policies and actions to best address the individual’s and the community needs.

CodreanuTA,NgoH,RobertsonA,CelenzaA.Challenging assumptions: what do we need to address in our disaster risk reduction efforts?Prehosp Disaster Med.2017;32(2):134–147.
Identifying domains of quality of life in children with cancer undergoing palliative care: A qualitative study with professionals
Authors: Avoine-Blondin Josianne , Parent Véronique , Lahaye Magali , Humbert Nago , Duval Michel , Sultan Serge
Published: January 2017

Objective:

The goal of pediatric palliative care (PPC) is to maintain the quality of life (QoL) of children whose lives are threatened. However, there are sparse scientific data on the domains of QoL in this particular context, and no measurement strategies are available. The present study aims to describe the domains of QoL in the context of PPC in oncology, according to the perceptions of professional caregivers.

Method:

Semistructured interviews were conducted with a random sample of 20 professional caregivers from the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Le Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine (Montréal, Canada). The caregivers were asked about their perceptions about the QoL of the children they have cared for in this context. The data were analyzed using inductive thematic content analysis.

Results:

The analysis allowed us to identify seven domains of QoL: “physical comfort,” “alleviation of psychological suffering,” “fun and the present moment,” “sense of control,” “feeling valued and appreciated,” “feeling that life goes on,” and “meaningful social relationships.”

Significance of Results:

Caregivers recount the regard that should be accorded to maintaining well-being and a sense of fun, as well as fostering the child's abilities, taking account of the progression of the disease, and to fulfilling his or her needs, especially social ones. Our results also demonstrate that all domains were positively referred to by professional caregivers. The data from our study will lead to better assessment of QoL according to the trajectory of a child with advanced cancer while undergoing PPC.
ARTICULATING STATUS IN ANCIENT GREECE: STATUS (IN)CONSISTENCY AS A NEW APPROACH
Authors: Davies P. A.
Published: January 2017

Current descriptions of social status in the Greek world are strongly influenced by the works of Moses I. Finley and G. E. M. de Ste. Croix, whose models were grounded in the sociologies of Weber and Marx. This article outlines a new paradigm for social status based on a model from the social sciences, commonly described as status (in)consistency. The article demonstrates the descriptive and interpretive usefulness of this approach using two case studies: social status and social mobility in classical Lakedaimonian society; and the lives and status of Pasion of Acharnai and his son Apollodoros.
The Reform of the EU Legislation on GMOs: A Journey to an Unknown Destination?
Authors: Poli Sara
Published: January 2017

The recently enacted Directive 2015/412 is a long waited piece of legislation. This legislation introduces a new provision in Directive 2001/18, Art. 26 b, which gives Member States the regulatory freedom to decide whether genetically modified organisms (“GMOs”) should be cultivated or not in their territory. One month after the publication of this act in the Official Journal of the EU, the Commission issued a Communication in which it illustrates further legislative changes to the legislation on genetically modified food and feed (“GM food and feed”). On the same day, the Commission has tabled a proposal for a Regulation, amending Regulation 1829/2003 (the “proposed reform of GM food and feed”) that envisages the possibility for the Member States to restrict or prohibit the use of GM food and feed on their territory. The proposed act is described as a complement to Directive 2015/412 and is inspired by the same principles.
Archaean zircons in Miocene oceanic hotspot rocks establish ancient continental crust beneath Mauritius
Authors: Ashwal Lewis D. , Wiedenbeck Michael , Torsvik Trond H.
Published: January 2017

A fragment of continental crust has been postulated to underlie the young plume-related lavas of the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius based on the recovery of Proterozoic zircons from basaltic beach sands. Here we document the first U–Pb zircon ages recovered directly from 5.7 Ma Mauritian trachytic rocks. We identified concordant Archaean xenocrystic zircons ranging in age between 2.5 and 3.0 Ga within a trachyte plug that crosscuts Older Series plume-related basalts of Mauritius. Our results demonstrate the existence of ancient continental crust beneath Mauritius; based on the entire spectrum of U–Pb ages for old Mauritian zircons, we demonstrate that this ancient crust is of central-east Madagascar affinity, which is presently located ∼700 km west of Mauritius. This makes possible a detailed reconstruction of Mauritius and other Mauritian continental fragments, which once formed part of the ancient nucleus of Madagascar and southern India.