bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Entrepreneurial behaviour among catholic Christians in Plateau State-Nigeria
Authors: Dakung Reuel Johnmark , Soemunti Tsenba Wummen
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop an entrepreneurial behaviour model of both quantitative and qualitative factors that are relevant in influencing the entrepreneurial behaviour (self-employment) of catholic Christians in Plateau State-Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The study followed a cross sectional (one shot) design. Also, a descriptive survey with a mixed methods and triangulation focus constitutes the study’s research design. A methodological paradigm triangulation concurrently was carried out where both qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection was employed. Valid research instruments (questionnaire and interview) were utilised to conduct the survey on 302 catholic Christians. Frequency distribution and Structural Equation Model (SEM) through the aid of IBM SPSS AMOS software version 22 were used to analyse and test the hypotheses formulated.

Findings

It was established that catholicpreneurship (innovation) has a strong and positive relationship with entrepreneurial behaviour. The catholicpreneurship (innovation) factor accounts for an estimate of r=0.327, **p<0.01; significant at 0.000 in our model.

Research limitations/implications

The study is only restricted to Jos and Bukuru areas of Plateau State – Nigeria. Further research could be conducted to cover all the seventeen (17) LGAs of the state. Furthermore, the study employed the cross-sectional approach. A longitudinal approach should be employed to study the trend over a period of at least two years. Finally, the four (4) factors identified in influencing/triggering entrepreneurship behaviour may not be sufficient enough in explaining the phenomenon. Hence, there are other factors that may contribute in influencing entrepreneurship behaviour of the catholic Christians that were not part of this study.

Practical implications

This study indicates a number of implications for the church and policy makers. Since entrepreneurship is crucial to economic growth and self-employment, it is pertinent for the church to intensify initiatives in encouraging the spirit of Catholicpreneurship (innovation) among Christians in Plateau State and Nigeria at large. Hence, the church should promote entrepreneurship (sponsor training/classes for its members. With diverse programmes offered by the government to encourage entrepreneurship, the church has a wide range of opportunities to cash on when trying to set up ventures.

Originality/value

This paper is the first in Nigeria (Africa) to test empirically the relationships between catholicpreneurship (innovation), attitude, perceived behavioural control, intention and entrepreneurship behaviour among catholic Christians.
Wedding paradoxes: individualized conformity and the ‘perfect day’
Authors: Carter Julia , Duncan Simon
Published: April 2016

Marriage rates in twenty-first-century Britain are historically low, divorce and separation are historically high, and marriage is no longer generally seen as necessary for legitimate sexual relationships, long-term partnership or even parenting. Yet at the same time weddings have become more prominent, both as social aspiration and as popular culture. But why have a wedding, especially an ornate, expensive and time-consuming wedding, when there appears to be little social need to do so? Similarly, weddings have never been more free from cultural norms and official control – so why do these supposedly unique and deeply personal events usually replay the same assumed traditions? We draw from a small qualitative sample of 15 interviews with white, heterosexual celebrants to address these questions. While existing accounts posit weddings as a social display of success, emphasizing distinction, and manipulation by a powerful wedding industry, we argue that weddings involve celebrants necessarily adapting from, and re-serving, tradition as a process of bricolage. This shapes the four major discourses interviewees used to give meanings to their weddings: the project of the couple, relationality, re-traditionalization and romanticized consumption. At the same time many couples did not want to be distinctively unique, but rather distinctively normal. This is what we call ‘individualized conformity’.
Key factors that influence households’ tree planting behaviour
Authors: Kulindwa Yusuph J.
Published: April 2016

Despite a decrease in indigenous forests and a growing demand for tree products in developing countries, tree planting activities are not considerably expanding in Tanzania. In this paper, we analyse factors that influence households’ tree planting behaviour, as well as the number of trees planted. Coast and Morogoro regions in the east of Tanzania were selected as the case, and data was gathered from 202 households in 11 villages in these regions where tree planting programmes have been or still are active. A Heckman model is used to analyse the factors that drive tree planting behaviour. Results indicate that households get wood energy from forest reserves (57%), in addition to their own planted trees (9.1%). Emperical findings show that the most important factors have significantly positive effects on households’ tree planting behaviour, as well as the extent to which it was implemented. These factors include households’ land sizes, households’ awareness of tree planting programmes, tree planting for wood energy, and the age of the head of the household. The right/freedom to harvest and transport tree products, households’ attitudes towards tree planting, and family size have significantly negative effects on households’ tree planting behaviour. This paper is perhaps the first comprehensive study to analyse the factors that influence households’ tree planting behaviour in Tanzania, and it uncovers results that are useful, even for other developing countries with similar conditions.
A Comprehensive Overview of the Risks and Benefits of Coffee Consumption
Authors: Pourshahidi L. Kirsty , Navarini Luciano , Petracco Marino , Strain J.J.
Published: April 2016

Findings on both the health benefits and the potentially harmful effects of coffee consumption have been contradictory. However, the general scientific consensus is that moderate, regular coffee drinking by healthy individuals is either essentially benign or mildly beneficial.  Results and generalizations are complicated by a number of factors, including differences in age, gender, health status, type of coffee preparation, serving size, and source of coffee. Coffee may have potential health benefits and risks, but causality cannot be established for either with the research currently available as these are largely based on observational data.  This review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the risks and benefits of coffee consumption on health outcomes.  A systematic search (search terms: “coffee” OR “coffee adj3” [consum* or intake* or drink*]) of the literature (from 1970; humans; in English) using the electronic databases “OVID,” “CINAHL,” and “Web of Knowledge” returned 12405 results. Duplicates were removed, studies were screened (based on inclusion/exclusion criteria), and the remaining eligible studies (n = 1277) were used to collate an exhaustive list of the potential health benefits and risks of coffee consumption, which were grouped and are discussed with regard to major diseases/conditions (mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and metabolic/liver/neurological disorders), at‐risk/vulnerable groups, and specific coffee constituents. This qualitative assessment has shown that the health benefits (or null effects) clearly outweigh the risks of moderate coffee consumption in adult consumers for the majority of health outcomes considered. Results from this research may aid further qualitative and quantitative deterministic risk–benefit assessments of coffee consumption.
Hurdle Effect of Antimicrobial Activity Achieved by Time Differential Releasing of Nisin and Chitosan Hydrolysates from Bacterial Cellulose
Authors: Hsiao Hui‐Ling , Lin Shih‐Bin , Chen Li‐Chen , Chen Hui‐Huang
Published: April 2016

We investigated the combined antimicrobial effect of nisin and chitosan hydrolysates (CHs) by regulating the antimicrobial reaction order of substances due to differential releasing rate from hydroxypropylmethylcellulose‐modified bacterial cellulose (HBC). The minimum inhibitory concentration of nisin against Staphylococcus aureus and that of CHs against Escherichia coli were 6 IU and 200 μg/mL, respectively. Hurdle and additive effects in antimicrobial tests were observed when nisin was used 6 h before CH treatment against S. aureus; similar effects were observed when CH was used before nisin treatment against E. coli. Simultaneously combined treatment of nisin and CHs exhibited the low antimicrobial effect. HBC was then selected as the carrier for the controlled release of nisin and CHs. A 90% inhibition in the growth of S. aureus and E. coli was achieved when 30 IU‐nisin‐containing HBC and 62.5 μg/mL‐CH‐containing HBC were used simultaneously. The controlled release of nisin and CHs by using HBC minimized the interaction between nisin and CHs as well as increased the number of microbial targets.
The influence of exercise load with and without different levels of blood flow restriction on acute changes in muscle thickness and lactate
Authors: Loenneke Jeremy P. , Kim Daeyeol , Fahs Christopher A. , Thiebaud Robert S. , Abe Takashi , Larson Rebecca D. , Bemben Debra A. , Bemben Michael G.
Published: April 2016

The aim of this study was to compare exercise with and without different degrees of blood flow restriction (BFR) on acute changes in muscle thickness (MTH) and whole blood lactate (WBL). Forty participants were assigned to Experiment 1, 2 or 3. Each experiment completed protocols differing by pressure, load and/or volume. MTH and WBL were measured pre and postexercise. The acute changes in MTH appear be maximized at 30% one repetition maximum (1RM) with BFR, although the difference between 20% 1RM and 30% 1RM at the lateral site was small (0·1 versus 0·2 cm, P = 0·09). Increasing the exercise load from 20% to 30% 1RM with BFR produces clear changes in WBL (3·7 versus 5·5 mmol l−1, P<0·001). The acute changes in MTH and WBL for 30% 1RM in combination with BFR were similar to that observed with 70% 1RM and 20 and 30% to failure, albeit at a lower exercise volume. These findings may have implications for designing future studies as it suggest that exercise load (to a point) may have a greater influence on acute changes in MTH and metabolic accumulation than the applied relative pressure.
Predicting unemployment: Occupational aspiration–achievement discrepancy as a risk factor in Norwegian young adults
Authors: Gjerustad Cay
Published: April 2016

Research on risk of unemployment has focused primarily on the importance of individual assets, such as level of education achieved and personal characteristics. This study investigated whether a discrepancy between current occupational position and occupational aspirations predicts unemployment. Achieving occupational aspirations may be highly important for young people in Western societies. The analyses were conducted using longitudinal survey data linked to register data on 1,681 Norwegian young adults. The results showed that being in an occupation with lower status than the occupation to which one aspires significantly predicts the risk of later unemployment. The findings accord with research suggesting that a mismatch between employees’ subjective expectations and their actual job situation has negative consequences. For example, failure to acquire a job that matches one's expectations may lead to unemployment either through proactive behaviour, such as quitting a current job to find a new one, or through giving up, such as withdrawing from work.
A method to quantify and visualize femoral head intraosseous arteries by micro‐CT
Authors: Qiu Xing , Shi Xiaotian , Ouyang Jun , Xu Dachuan , Zhao Dewei
Published: April 2016

We describe a technique for perfusing a barium sulphate suspension into the intraosseous artery. Following the perfusion of abarium sulphate suspension into 14 fresh lower limbs of Chinese cadavers, micro‐CT scanning was applied to digitize, quantify and visualize the intraosseous arteries in the human femoral heads. Then, the femoral heads were removed and subjected to micro‐CT scanning. The data were imported into the amira and mimics programs to reconstruct and quantify the intraosseous arteries. The femoral head intraosseous artery lengths, areas, volumes, and femoral head bone volumes were quantified. The artery densities and artery ratios were calculated and analysed with independent‐samples t‐tests. The intraosseous vasculature volume renderings were displayed as screenshots and videos made with amira. Many intraosseous artery study technologies were compared. The barium sulphate suspension was milky white in colour. The perfusion of the barium sulphate suspension followed by micro‐CT scanning provided a good representation of the intraosseous artery. The femoral head intraosseous artery lengths, areas and volumes, and the femoral head bone volumes were displayed as the . No differences were observed between the left and right femoral head intraosseous arteries in terms of the artery densities or artery ratios. The volume renderings and 3‐D orthogonal projections displayed the overall distributions of the intraosseous arteries. The videos clearly demonstrated the entry sites of the nutrition‐carrying arteries, their courses and branches, and the intraosseous arterial anastomoses. Our technique is the simplest and least time‐consuming method of producing accurate vascular three‐dimensional reconstructions. The perfusion of a barium sulphate suspension into intraosseous arteries combined with micro‐CT scanning can deliver high‐resolution 3‐D digitized data and images of intraosseous arteries. This technique does not require bone decalcification or bone dissection and thus significantly shortens the time required to quantify and display intraosseous arteries. This method provides a simple and rapid technique for quantifying and visualizing human intraosseous arteries.
Pre‐delivery fibrinogen predicts adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes in patients with placental abruption
Authors: Wang Liangcheng , Matsunaga Shigetaka , Mikami Yukiko , Takai Yasushi , Terui Katsuo , Seki Hiroyuki
Published: April 2016

Aim

Placental abruption is a severe obstetric complication of pregnancy that can cause disseminated intravascular coagulation and progress to massive post‐partum hemorrhage. Coagulation disorder due to extreme consumption of fibrinogen is considered the main pathogenesis of disseminated intravascular coagulation in patients with placental abruption. The present study sought to determine if the pre‐delivery fibrinogen level could predict adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes in patients with placental abruption.

Methods

This retrospective medical chart review was conducted in a center for maternal, fetal, and neonatal medicine in Japan with 61 patients with placental abruption. Fibrinogen levels prior to delivery were collected and evaluated for the prediction of maternal and neonatal outcomes. The main outcome measures for maternal outcomes were disseminated intravascular coagulation and hemorrhage, and the main outcome measures for neonatal outcomes were Apgar score at 5 min, umbilical artery pH, and stillbirth.

Results

The receiver–operator curve and multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that fibrinogen significantly predicted overt disseminated intravascular coagulation and the requirement of ≥6 red blood cell units, ≥10 fresh frozen plasma units, and ≥20 fresh frozen plasma units for transfusion. Moderate hemorrhage occurred in 71.5% of patients with a decrease in fibrinogen levels to 155 mg/dL. Fibrinogen could also predict neonatal outcomes. Umbilical artery pH < 7.00 occurred in 77.1% of patients with a decrease in fibrinogen levels to ≤ 250 mg/dL.

Conclusion

Pre‐delivery fibrinogen can predict adverse maternal as well as neonatal outcomes with placental abruption. © 2016 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Rare case of complicated congenital anomalies of female reproductive organs with bilateral undescended ovaries
Authors: Oride Aki , Kanasaki Haruhiko , Ishihara Tomoko , Kyo Satoru
Published: April 2016

Congenital anomalies of the female reproductive organs vary widely and the patients often have no symptoms related to them. We report an exceedingly rare case of complicated anomalies in the Müllerian duct and urogenital sinus. The patient was a 21‐year‐old woman evaluated for infertility, and the examination revealed the presence of a complete septate uterus. We found dual vaginal canals with right incomplete hymenal fenestration when we performed an examination during the patient's menstrual period. Laparoscopic findings showed bilateral undescended ovaries, absent utero‐ovarian ligaments, and partial atresia of the left fallopian tube. We performed hymenotomy of the right vagina, resection of the vaginal septum and salpingostomy of the left fallopian tube. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to describe this complex combination of anomalies in the Müllerian duct and urogenital sinus. This case might provide us with information about the development of the female reproductive organs. © 2016 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Local Gaussian Autocorrelation and Tests for Serial Independence
Authors: Lacal Virginia , TjØstheim Dag
Published: April 2016

The traditional and most used measure for serial dependence in a time series is the autocorrelation function. This measure gives a complete characterization of dependence for a Gaussian time series, but it often fails for nonlinear time series models as, for instance, the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model (GARCH), where it is zero for all lags. The autocorrelation function is an example of aglobalmeasure of dependence. The purpose of this article is to apply to time series a well‐definedlocalmeasure of serial dependence called the local Gaussian autocorrelation. It generally works well also for nonlinear models, and it can distinguish between positive and negative dependence. We use this measure to construct a test of independence based on the bootstrap technique. This procedure requires the choice of a bandwidth parameter that is calculated using a cross validation algorithm. To ensure the validity of the test, asymptotic properties are derived for the test functional and for the bootstrap procedure, together with a study of its power for different models. We compare the proposed test with one based on the ordinary autocorrelation and with one based on the Brownian distance correlation. The new test performs well. Finally, there are also two empirical examples.
Beta‐hydroxybutyrate Concentrations in Dogs with Acute Pancreatitis and Without Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Hurrell F.E. , Drobatz K.J. , Hess R.S.
Published: April 2016

Background

β‐hydroxybutyrate (BOHB) concentrations have not been quantified in dogs with acute pancreatitis (AP).

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigateBOHBconcentrations in dogs withAP.

Animals

A total of 154 client‐owned dogs withoutDM.

Methods

Prospective clinical study. Dogs were enrolled into 1 of 3 groups:AP, sick without anAPdiagnosis, or fasted. Dogs were diagnosed withAP(44) if they had vomiting or anorexia, and either ultrasonographic findings consistent withAPor increased pancreatic lipase. Sick dogs withoutAP(68) had vomiting or anorexia but a diagnosis ofAPwas either not suspected or was excluded based on ultrasonographic findings or a normal pancreatic lipase. Dogs without anorexia or vomiting that were fasted for over 10 hours for a procedure were also enrolled (42).BOHBwas measured on whole blood with a portable ketone meter. The Kruskal‐Wallis test was performed to compareBOHBin the 3 groups. Pair‐wise comparisons were performed using the Mann‐Whitney test and Bonferroni correctedP‐values are reported.

Results

MedianBOHBconcentration was significantly higher in dogs withAP(0.3 mmol/L, range 0–2.9 mmol/L) compared to sick dogs withoutAP(0.20 mmol/L, range 0–0.9 mmol/L,P= .007) and fasted dogs (0.1 mmol/L, range 0–0.4 mmol/L,P= .0001). MedianBOHBconcentration was significantly higher in sick dogs withoutAPcompared to fasted dogs (P= .0002).

Conclusions and clinical importance

In dogs withoutDM,BOHBis significantly higher in dogs withAPcompared to other dogs. The diagnostic utility of this finding remains to be investigated.
Bayesian Networks‐Based Probabilistic Safety Analysis for Railway Lines
Authors: Castillo Enrique , Grande Zacarías , Calviño Aida
Published: April 2016

A Bayesian network model is developed, in which all the items or elements encountered when travelling a railway line, such as terrain, infrastructure, light signals, speed limit signs, curves, switches, tunnels, viaducts, rolling stock, and any other element related to its safety are reproduced. Due to the importance of human error in safety, especial attention is given to modeling the driver behavior variables and their time evolution. The sets of conditional probabilities of variables given their parents, which permits quantifying the Bayesian network joint probability, are given by means of closed formulas, which allow us to identify the particular contribution of each variable and facilitate a sensitivity analysis. The probabilities of incidents affecting safety are calculated so that a probabilistic safety assessment of the line can be done and its most critical elements can be identified and sorted by importance. This permits improving the line safety and saving time and money in the maintenance program by concentrating on the most critical elements. To reduce the complexity of the problem, an original method is given that permits dividing the Bayesian network in to small parts such that the complexity of the problem becomes linear in the number of items and subnetworks. This is crucial to deal with real lines in which the number of variables can be measured in thousands. In addition, when an accident occurs the Bayesian network allows us to identify its causes by means of a backward inference process. The case of the real Palencia–Santander line is commented on and some examples of how the model works are discussed.
Egocentric Content
Authors: Field Hartry
Published: April 2016

The paper distinguishes two approaches to understanding the representational content of sentences and intentional states, and its role in describing people, predicting and explaining their behavior, and so forth. It sets forth the case for one of these approaches, the “egocentric” one, initially on the basis of its ability to explain the near‐indefeasibility of ascriptions of content to our own terms (“‘dogs’ as I use it means dogs”), but more generally on the basis of its providing an attractive overall picture of the descriptive and explanatory role of representational content. In doing this, the paper relates the egocentric view to an “immanent” or “deflationary” view of reference and truth conditions, and also to the view of reference‐talk and truth‐talk as anaphoric devices. It discusses the indeterminacy of content ascriptions to those in communities with radically different theories, a phenomenon that is unsurprising on the egocentric approach, and connects this to the thesis of the normativity of meaning. (It does all this in rather broad brush: many strands of the egocentric account will be familiar, and are the subject of familiar controversies; the point of the paper is less to address these controversies individually than to tie the strands together into what is hoped to be an appealing package.)
Glucocorticoids and erythropoietin in chronic lung disease of prematurity: Proliferative potential in lung fibroblast and epithelial cells exposed to tracheal aspirates
Authors: Ohnishi Satoshi , Ichiba Hiroyuki , Saito Mika , Hamazaki Takashi , Matsumura Hisako , Shintaku Haruo
Published: April 2016

Background

We investigated the effects of glucocorticoids, erythropoietin (EPO) and spironolactone (SPL) n human fetal lung fibroblasts and human alveolar epithelial cells exposed to tracheal aspirate fluid (TAF) from extremely premature infants with chronic lung disease (CLD), characterized by fibrosis and changes in the alveolar epithelium.

Methods

Fibroblasts and epithelial cells (FHs 738Lu and A549, respectively) were treated with different concentrations of hydrocortisone (HDC), dexamethasone (DEX), betamethasone (BET), SPL, and EPO in the absence or presence of TAF from infants with CLD (gestational age, 25.3 ± 0.8 weeks; birthweight, 658 ± 77 g; postnatal age, 0–28 days) and assayed for proliferation.

Results

Exposure to TAF resulted in a concentration‐dependent proliferation of fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Proliferation of TAF‐exposed fibroblasts was suppressed most significantly by 100 μmol/L DEX (21%, P = 0.046) and 300 mIU/mL EPO (18%, P = 0.02) and promoted most significantly by 0.4 μmol/L HDC (10%, P = 0.04). Epithelial proliferation was promoted by 4 μmol/L HDC (15%, P = 0.04), 10 μmol/L DEX (53%, P < 0.01), 0.2 μmol/L BET (56%, P < 0.01), and 300 mIU/mL EPO (35%, P < 0.01) in the presence of TAF. Treatment with glucocorticoids alone did not significantly affect fibroblast proliferation.

Conclusions

Glucocorticoids and EPO reduced fibroproliferation while promoting epithelial cell growth in vitro within certain dose ranges. Appropriate doses of glucocorticoids and EPO may be useful in the prevention and resolution of CLD in extremely premature infants.
Unemployment, Wage Inequality and International Factor Movement in the Presence of Agricultural Dualism
Authors: Li Xiaochun , Xu Yuanting
Published: April 2016

This paper investigates how the international factor movements affect the unemployment and skilled–unskilled wage inequality with the existence of a modern agricultural sector. Our research has the new feature that we not only consider that the rural labor migrates to the urban sector but also to the modern agricultural sector. The main conclusions are that the unskilled labor outflow certainly decreases the wage inequality and unemployment rate and the influences that skilled labor movement and capital inflow have on wage inequality and unemployment rate are dependent on the factor intensity between the urban and modern agricultural sectors.
The Changing Relationship between Banking Crises and Capital Inflows
Authors: Rastovski Jason
Published: April 2016

Different types of capital inflows have varied effects when predicting banking crises in emerging and developing economies, and these relationships have meaningfully changed over time. In a sample of 29 developing and emerging economies over the period 1976–1991 increases in short‐term debt inflows raised the probability of a banking crisis while increases in inflows for long‐term borrowing by the private sector had the opposite effect. Conversely, over the period 1992–2007 increases in inflows for long‐term borrowing by the private sector and for equity investment both increased the probability of a banking crisis. The findings suggest distinct optimal capital account liberalization policies between the two periods.
A Test for Hysteresis in International Trade
Authors: Denadai Ricardo , Teles Vladimir K.
Published: April 2016

The article suggests a new test for strong hysteresis, that is, at the macro level, in international trade. The variables that capture the effects of hysteresis are based on a theoretical model with calibrations using a state–space model to determine the parameters for each point in time. These variables are then applied to a cointegration test with breaks, where it is possible to verify whether the hysteresis effect is essential in determining the long‐term equilibrium.
The Effect of Terrorist Incidents on Capital Flows
Authors: Filer Randall K. , Stanišić Dragana
Published: April 2016

Previous work has shown that terrorism has significant negative impact on countries' economies. We explore this relationship in more detail. Using an unbalanced panel of more than 160 countries for up to 25 years and the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) we show a decrease in foreign direct investment (FDI) as a consequence of terrorism. We also find evidence that FDI flows are more sensitive to terrorism than either portfolio investments or external debt flows. Finally, we test the hypothesis that terrorism has negative spill‐over effects on FDI flows into neighboring countries and find evidence that cultural, but not geographical, closeness matters.
The Exporter Wage Premium Reconsidered—Destinations, Distances and Linked Employer–Employee Data
Authors: Schmillen Achim
Published: April 2016

This study uses detailed, reliable and up‐to‐date linked employer–employee data that take account of both the demand and the supply side of the labor market to challenge the conventional wisdom of a universal exporter wage premium. It investigates whether for German establishments an exporter wage premium can be found irrespective of export destination and the distance between export origin and destination. As expected, it finds that exporters generally pay higher wages than non‐exporters, but it also shows that only exporting to certain countries is associated with a wage premium. Moreover, such a premium exists only for establishments that ship goods over a relatively long distance.
Estimation of High Dimensional Mean Regression in the Absence of Symmetry and Light Tail Assumptions
Authors: Fan Jianqing , Li Quefeng , Wang Yuyan
Published: April 2016

Data subject to heavy-tailed errors are commonly encountered in various scientific fields. To address this problem, procedures based on quantile regression and least absolute deviation regression have been developed in recent years. These methods essentially estimate the conditional median (or quantile) function. They can be very different from the conditional mean functions, especially when distributions are asymmetric and heteroscedastic. How can we efficiently estimate the mean regression functions in ultrahigh dimensional settings with existence of only the second moment? To solve this problem, we propose a penalized Huber loss with diverging parameter to reduce biases created by the traditional Huber loss. Such a penalized robust approximate (RA) quadratic loss will be called the RA lasso. In the ultrahigh dimensional setting, where the dimensionality can grow exponentially with the sample size, our results reveal that the RA lasso estimator produces a consistent estimator at the same rate as the optimal rate under the light tail situation. We further study the computational convergence of the RA lasso and show that the composite gradient descent algorithm indeed produces a solution that admits the same optimal rate after sufficient iterations. As a by-product, we also establish the concentration inequality for estimating the population mean when there is only the second moment. We compare the RA lasso with other regularized robust estimators based on quantile regression and least absolute deviation regression. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate the satisfactory finite sample performance of the RA lasso.
Non-Parametric Spatial Models for Clustered Ordered Periodontal Data
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Dipankar , Canale Antonio
Published: April 2016

Clinical attachment level is regarded as the most popular measure to assess periodontal disease (PD). These probed tooth site level measures are usually rounded and recorded as whole numbers (in millimetres) producing clustered (site measures within a mouth) error prone ordinal responses representing some ordering of the underlying PD progression. In addition, it is hypothesized that PD progression can be spatially referenced, i.e. proximal tooth sites share similar PD status in comparison with sites that are distantly located. We develop a Bayesian multivariate probit framework for these ordinal responses where the cut point parameters linking the observed ordinal clinical attachment levels to the latent underlying disease process can be fixed in advance. The latent spatial association characterizing conditional independence under Gaussian graphs is introduced via a non-parametric Bayesian approach motivated by the probit stick breaking process, where the components of the stick breaking weights follow a multivariate Gaussian density with the precision matrix distributed as G-Wishart. This yields a computationally simple, yet robust and flexible, framework to capture the latent disease status leading to a natural clustering of tooth sites and subjects with similar PD status (beyond spatial clustering), and improved parameter estimation through sharing of information. Both simulation studies and application to a motivating PD data set reveal the advantages of considering this flexible non-parametric ordinal framework over other alternatives.
Similarity-Based Semilocal Estimation of Post-Processing Models
Authors: Lerch Sebastian , Baran Sándor
Published: April 2016

Weather forecasts are typically given in the form of forecast ensembles obtained from multiple runs of numerical weather prediction models with varying initial conditions and physics parameterizations. Such ensemble predictions tend to be biased and underdispersive and thus require statistical post-processing. In the ensemble model output statistics approach, a probabilistic forecast is given by a single parametric distribution with parameters depending on the ensemble members. The paper proposes two semilocal methods for estimating the ensemble model output statistics coefficients where the training data for a specific observation station are augmented with corresponding forecast cases from stations with similar characteristics. Similarities between stations are determined by using either distance functions or clustering based on various features of the climatology, forecast errors and locations of the observation stations. In a case-study on wind speed over Europe with forecasts from the ‘Grand limited area model ensemble prediction system’, the similarity-based semilocal models proposed show significant improvement in predictive performance compared with standard regional and local estimation methods. They further allow for estimating complex models without numerical stability issues and are computationally more efficient than local parameter estimation.
Dislodgement of a right atrial thrombus and subsequent pulmonary thromboembolism following tracheal stent deployment in a dog
Authors: Preston Ayla R. , Sullivan Lauren A.
Published: April 2016

Objective

To report the management of a dog that required 2 treatments with mechanical ventilation; firstly for severe tracheal collapse and secondly following deployment of a nitinol tracheal stent that immediately preceded a nonoxygen responsive pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE), suspected to have originated from the right atrium.

Case Summary

A 9‐year‐old female spayed Shetland Sheepdog was presented for management of a gallbladder mucocoele. Pertinent history included iatrogenic hyperadrenocorticism and tracheal collapse. The dog became clinical for tracheal collapse following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Thoracic radiographs revealed moderate to severe tracheal collapse at the level of the thoracic inlet. Arterial blood gas was consistent with hypoventilation and mechanical ventilation was instituted. Given the severity of tracheal collapse, self‐expanding nitinol tracheal stent placement was elected. Immediately following tracheal stent placement, the dog developed nonoxygen responsive hypoxemia requiring mechanical ventilation. Additional diagnostic tests revealed changes consistent with a PTE and a large thrombus in the right atrium. The dog was humanely euthanized.

New or Unique Information Provided

Dislodgement of a preexisting atrial thrombus has not been described as a complication following tracheal stent deployment. Additionally, although PTE is frequently considered to be oxygen responsive, it may not be if the embolism is severe enough.
The Association Between Self‐Management Barriers and Self‐Efficacy in Chinese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: The Mediating Role of Appraisal
Authors: Cheng Li , Sit Janet W.H. , Leung Doris Y.P. , Li Xiaomei
Published: April 2016

Background

Patients with higher levels of self‐management barriers are more likely to exhibit a lower level of self‐efficacy. However, the theoretically meaningful mechanisms underlying the association between the two variables have not yet been established.

Aims

Informed by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, this study aimed to examine the potential role of diabetes appraisal on the association of self‐management barriers and self‐efficacy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods

This article presents the secondary data analyses of a multicenter, cross‐sectional study. A sample of 346 adults with type 2 diabetes was interviewed, using the Personal Diabetes Questionnaire, the Appraisal of Diabetes scale, the Diabetes Empowerment Scale‐Short Form, and the Summary of Diabetes Self‐Care Activities. Structure equation modeling was performed with 10,000 bootstrap samples using Mplus 7.

Results

The hypothesized model provided a good fit to the data (χ2 = 22.975, df = 33; p = .1144; CFI = 0.989; SRMR = 0.036; RMSEA = 0.042). The mediating effect of diabetes appraisal on the association of self‐management barriers and self‐efficacy was significant (β = ‐0.521; 95% CI: ‐0.865, ‐0.283), explaining 44.82% of the total effect of barriers on self‐efficacy. Significant associations were also detected between diet knowledge and diabetes appraisal (β = 0.148, p = .047).

Linking Evidence to Action

Diabetes appraisal plays a mediating role in the association between self‐management barriers and self‐efficacy in patients with type 2 diabetes. Reflecting on patients’ appraisal of diabetes can help to develop evidence‐based and patient‐centered interventions. Interventions that enhance individuals’ positive appraisal of diabetes have the potential to buffer the negative effects of self‐management barriers on self‐efficacy.
Gradient of learnability in teaching English pronunciation to Korean learners
Authors: Lee Ho-Young , Hwang Hyosung
Published: April 2016

This paper aims to propose a gradient of learnability as a criterion for setting priorities in pronunciation teaching. A total of 40 Korean subjects (mostly aged 12 years) were tested on their discrimination ability of English sounds before and after participating in a high variability phonetic training (HVPT) program for 4 weeks. This study shows highly promising results for pronunciation teaching with the HVPT method. First, lower level learners show greater improvements in phoneme discrimination ability compared to upper level learners. Second, consonants are better discriminated than vowels and greater improvements are seen with consonant contrasts than with vowels that have a lower functional load. Third, many of the sounds with a high functional load have high learnability. Fourth, greater improvements are seen with sounds that are poorly identified before the training than sounds that are well-identified. Fifth, young learners also benefit from the HVPT, much like highly motivated adult learners. A learnability gradient was established on the basis of the phoneme learnability index and the pairwise learnability index. On the basis of the constructed gradient of learnability and the concept of functional load, a set of priorities was provided for teaching English pronunciation to young Korean learners.
Effects of Fundamental Movement Skills Training on Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder
Authors: Yu Jie , Sit Cindy H.P. , Burnett Angus , Capio Catherine M. , Ha Amy S.C. , Huang Wendy Y.J.
Published: April 2016

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of fundamental movement skills (FMS) training on FMS proficiency, self-perceived physical competence (SPC), physical activity (PA), and sleep disturbance in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) compared with children with typical development (TD). A total of 84 children were allocated into either experimental group (DCD[exp], TD[exp]) who received 6 weeks of FMS training or control groups (DCD[con], TD[con]). FMS were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2, whereas PA was monitored using accelerometers. SPC and sleep disturbance were evaluated using questionnaires. Results showed that the DCD[exp] group had significantly higher scores in FMS and SPC compared with the DCD[con] group at posttest. The DCD[exp] group scored lower in sleep disturbance at follow-up when compared with posttest. It is suggested that short-term FMS training is effective in improving FMS and SPC and reducing sleep disturbances for children with DCD.
Pre-transmetalation intermediates in the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction revealed: The missing link
Authors: Thomas Andy A. , Denmark Scott E.
Published: April 2016

Where Pd and B meet in Suzuki coupling

The Suzuki-Miyaura reaction is widely used to form carbon-carbon bonds. It operates by transferring a carbon center from boron to palladium, although the handoff itself happens too quickly to see. Thomas and Denmark have caught sight of the previously elusive intermediate complexes linking palladium to boron through an intervening oxygen. Using low-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, they characterized the intermediate structures just before the carbon transfer event.

Science
, this issue p.
329
Parasites resistant to the antimalarial atovaquone fail to transmit by mosquitoes
Authors: Goodman Christopher D. , Siregar Josephine E. , Mollard Vanessa , Vega-Rodríguez Joel , Syafruddin Din , Matsuoka Hiroyuki , Matsuzaki Motomichi , Toyama Tomoko , Sturm Angelika , Cozijnsen Anton , Jacobs-Lorena Marcelo , Kita Kiyoshi , Marzuki Sangkot , McFadden Geoffrey I.
Published: April 2016

Transmission blocked by drug resistance

Resistance to the antimalarial drug atovaquone might prove to be this parasite's weak spot. Resistance develops rapidly via mutations in the drug's target: the parasite's mitochondrial cytochrome b complex. Goodman
et al.
have discovered that although resistant
Plasmodium berghei
parasites persist in mice, in blood-sucking malarial mosquitoes, the mutations disable female parasites too much for them to reproduce. The human-specific
Plasmodium falciparum
can only be investigated experimentally in mosquitoes, but a similar effect was seen. Thus, atovaquone-resistant parasites cannot be transmitted to another mammal or person.

Science
, this issue p.
349
Molecular architecture of the inner ring scaffold of the human nuclear pore complex
Authors: Kosinski Jan , Mosalaganti Shyamal , von Appen Alexander , Teimer Roman , DiGuilio Amanda L. , Wan William , Bui Khanh Huy , Hagen Wim J.H. , Briggs John A. G. , Glavy Joseph S. , Hurt Ed , Beck Martin
Published: April 2016

Blueprint for a macromolecular machine

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) consist of around 1000 protein subunits, are embedded in the membrane that surrounds the nucleus, and regulate transport between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Although the overall shape of NPCs is known, the details of this macromolecular complex have been obscure. Now, Lin
et al.
have reconstituted the pore components, determined the interactions between them, and fitted them into a tomographic reconstruction. Kosinski
et al.
have provided an architectural map of the inner ring of the pore.

Science
, this issue pp.
10.1126/science.aaf1015
and
363
Characterization of Influenza Vaccine Hemagglutinin Complexes by Cryo-Electron Microscopy and Image Analyses Reveals Structural Polymorphisms
Authors: McCraw Dustin M. , Gallagher John R. , Harris Audray K.
Published: April 2016

Influenza virus afflicts millions of people worldwide on an annual basis. There is an ever-present risk that animal viruses will cross the species barrier to cause epidemics and pandemics resulting in great morbidity and mortality. Zoonosis outbreaks, such as the H7N9 outbreak, underscore the need to better understand the molecular organization of viral immunogens, such as recombinant influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) proteins, used in influenza virus subunit vaccines in order to optimize vaccine efficacy. Here, using cryo-electron microscopy and image analysis, we show that recombinant H7 HA in vaccines formed macromolecular complexes consisting of variable numbers of HA subunits (range, 6 to 8). In addition, HA complexes were distributed across at least four distinct structural classes (polymorphisms). Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction and molecular modeling indicated that HA was in the prefusion state and suggested that the oligomerization and the structural polymorphisms observed were due to hydrophobic interactions involving the transmembrane regions. These experiments suggest that characterization of the molecular structures of influenza virus HA complexes used in subunit vaccines will lead to better understanding of the differences in vaccine efficacy and to the optimization of subunit vaccines to prevent influenza virus infection.
Deep Sequencing of HIV-1 RNA and DNA in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Baseline Drug Resistance Showed No Indications for Hidden Resistance and Is Biased by Strong Interference of Hypermutation
Authors: Dauwe Kenny , Staelens Delfien , Vancoillie Leen , Mortier Virginie , Verhofstede Chris
Published: April 2016

Deep sequencing of plasma RNA or proviral DNA may be an interesting alternative to population sequencing for the detection of baseline transmitted HIV-1 drug resistance. Using a Roche 454 GS Junior HIV-1 prototype kit, we performed deep sequencing of the HIV-1 protease and reverse transcriptase genes on paired plasma and buffy coat samples from newly diagnosed HIV-1-positive individuals. Selection was based on the outcome of population sequencing and included 12 patients with either a revertant amino acid at codon 215 of the reverse transcriptase or a singleton resistance mutation, 4 patients with multiple resistance mutations, and 4 patients with wild-type virus. Deep sequencing of RNA and DNA detected 6 and 43 mutations, respectively, that were not identified by population sequencing. A subsequently performed hypermutation analysis, however, revealed hypermutation in 61.19% of 3,188 DNA reads with a resistance mutation. The removal of hypermutated reads dropped the number of additional mutations in DNA from 43 to 17. No hypermutation evidence was found in the RNA reads. Five of the 6 additional RNA mutations and all additional DNA mutations, after full exclusion of hypermutation bias, were observed in the 3 individuals with multiple resistance mutations detected by population sequencing. Despite focused selection of patients with T215 revertants or singleton mutations, deep sequencing failed to identify the resistant T215Y/F or M184V or any other resistance mutation, indicating that in most of these cases there is no hidden resistance and that the virus detected at diagnosis by population sequencing is the original infecting variant.
Does Choice Matter? Reference-Based Alignment for Molecular Epidemiology of Tuberculosis
Authors: Lee Robyn S. , Behr Marcel A.
Published: April 2016

When using genome sequencing for molecular epidemiology, short sequence reads are aligned to an arbitrary reference strain to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms. We investigated whether reference genome selection influences epidemiological inferences of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
transmission by aligning sequence reads from 162 closely related lineage 4 (Euro-American) isolates to 7 different genomes. Phylogenetic trees were consistent with use of all but the most divergent genomes, suggesting that reference choice can be based on considerations other than
M. tuberculosis
lineage.