bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tracking the behavior of Maillard browning in lysine/arginine–sugar model systems under high hydrostatic pressure
Authors: Ma Xiao‐juan , Gao Jin‐yan , Tong Ping , Li Xin , Chen Hong‐bing
Published: April 2017

BACKGROUND

High‐pressure processing is gaining popularity in the food industry. However, its effect on the Maillard reaction during high‐pressure‐assisted pasteurization and sterilization is not well documented. This study aimed to investigate the effects of high hydrostatic pressure on the Maillard reaction during these processes using amino acid (lysine or arginine)–sugar (glucose or fructose) solution models.

RESULTS

High pressure retarded the intermediate and final stages of the Maillard reaction in the lysine–sugar model. For the lysine–glucose model, the degradation rate of Amadori compounds was decelerated, while acceleration was observed in the arginine–sugar model. Increased temperature not only accelerated the Maillard reaction over time but also formed fluorescent compounds with different emission wavelengths. Lysine reacted with the sugars more readily than arginine under the same conditions. In addition, it was easier for lysine to react with glucose, whereas arginine reacted more readily with fructose under high pressure.

CONCLUSION

High pressure exerts different effects on lysine–sugar and arginine–sugar models. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Magnetically guided capsule endoscopy
Authors: Shamsudhin Naveen , Zverev Vladimir I. , Keller Henrik , Pane Salvador , Egolf Peter W. , Nelson Bradley J. , Tishin Alexander M.
Published: April 2017

Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is a powerful tool for medical screening and diagnosis, where a small capsule is swallowed and moved by means of natural peristalsis and gravity through the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The camera‐integrated capsule allows for visualization of the small intestine, a region which was previously inaccessible to classical flexible endoscopy. As a diagnostic tool, it allows to localize the sources of bleedings in the middle part of the gastrointestinal tract and to identify diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease), polyposis syndrome, and tumors. The screening and diagnostic efficacy of the WCE, especially in the stomach region, is hampered by a variety of technical challenges like the lack of active capsular position and orientation control. Therapeutic functionality is absent in most commercial capsules, due to constraints in capsular volume and energy storage. The possibility of using body‐exogenous magnetic fields to guide, orient, power, and operate the capsule and its mechanisms has led to increasing research in Magnetically Guided Capsule Endoscopy (MGCE). This work shortly reviews the history and state‐of‐art in WCE technology. It highlights the magnetic technologies for advancing diagnostic and therapeutic functionalities of WCE. Not restricting itself to the GI tract, the review further investigates the technological developments in magnetically guided microrobots that can navigate through the various air‐ and fluid‐filled lumina and cavities in the body for minimally invasive medicine.
Infection‐related mortality in Hispanic and non‐Hispanic children with cancer
Authors: Smits‐Seemann Rochelle R. , Pettit Jacob , Li Hongyan , Kirchhoff Anne C. , Fluchel Mark N.
Published: April 2017

Background

Hispanic children with cancer experience poorer survival than their White counterparts. Infection is a known cause of cancer‐related mortality; however, little is known about the risk of infection‐related death among Hispanic children with cancer. We examine the association of Hispanic ethnicity with infection‐related mortality and life‐threatening events among children with cancer.

Procedure

For a cohort of all pediatric cancer patients diagnosed from 1986 to 2012 and treated at a single tertiary care center, we obtained national death records to determine all‐cause mortality and infection‐related mortality, as well as intensive care unit (ICU) admissions as a surrogate for life‐threatening events. Cox proportional hazard models assessed all‐cause mortality and infection‐related mortality using ethnicity as the main independent variable. ICU admission rates were modeled using a zero‐inflated Poisson regression model. Models were adjusted for gender, diagnosis year, age, residential location, and diagnosis.

Results

Of 6,198 patients, 741 (12%) were Hispanic. Mean follow‐up was 11 years (SD = 8.04). There were 1,205 deaths, with 193 attributable to infection. Differences in all‐cause mortality between Hispanic and non‐Hispanic patients did not reach significance (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.96–1.36). However, Hispanic patients were 68% (HR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.16–2.43) more likely to have an infection‐related cause of death. Hispanic ethnicity was statistically associated with a higher rate of ICU admissions (rate ratio = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.12–1.56).

Conclusion

Hispanic pediatric cancer patients were more likely to have an infection‐related death and higher rates of ICU admissions than non‐Hispanic patients. Infection may be an overlooked contributor to poorer outcomes among Hispanic patients.
Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia with t(1;19)/TCF3‐PBX1 in Taiwan
Authors: Yen Hsiu‐Ju , Chen Shih‐Hsiang , Chang Tsung‐Yen , Yang Chao‐Ping , Lin Dong‐Tsamn , Hung Iou‐Jih , Lin Kai‐Hsin , Chen Jiann‐Shiuh , Hsiao Chih‐Cheng , Chang Tai‐Tsung , Chang Te‐Kao , Peng Ching‐Tien , Lin Ming‐Tsan , Jaing Tang‐Her , Liu Hsi‐Che , Jou Shiann‐Tarng , Lu Meng‐Yao , Cheng Chao‐Neng , Sheen Jiunn‐Ming , Chiou Shyh‐Shin , Hung Giun‐Yi , Wu Kang‐Hsi , Yeh Ting‐Chi , Wang Shih‐Chung , Chen Rong‐Long , Chang Hsiu‐Hao , Yang Yung‐Li , Chen Shu‐Huey , Cheng Shin‐Nan , Chang Yu‐Hsiang , Chen Bow‐Wen , Hsieh Yuh‐Lin , Huang Fang‐Liang , Ho Wan‐Ling , Wang Jinn‐Li , Chang Chia‐Yau , Chao Yu‐Hua , Lin Pei‐Chin , Chen Yu‐Chieh , Liao Yu‐Mei , Lin Tung‐Huei , Shih Lee‐Yung , Liang Der‐Cherng
Published: April 2017

Background

In childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), t(1;19)(q23;p13.3) with TCF3‐PBX1 fusion is one of the most frequent translocations. Historically, it has been associated with poor prognosis. Intensive treatment, however, has improved its outcome. We determined the outcome of children with this genotype treated with contemporary intensive chemotherapy in Taiwan.

Procedure

In Taiwan Pediatric Oncology Group 2002 ALL studies, genotypes were determined by cytogenetic analysis and/or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay. Based on presenting features, immunophenotype and genotype, patients were assigned to one of the three risk groups: standard risk (SR), high risk (HR), or very high risk (VHR). The patients with t(1;19)/TCF3‐PBX1 were treated in the HR arm receiving more intensive chemotherapy. The outcomes of patients with t(1;19)/TCF3‐PBX1 were compared to that of patients with other subtypes of B‐precursor ALL (B‐ALL).

Results

Of the 1,129 patients with B‐ALL, 64 (5.7%) had t(1;19)/TCF3‐PBX1; 51 of whom were treated in the HR arm, but 11 were treated in the VHR and 2 in the SR arm because of physician's preference. As a group, 64 patients with t(1;19)/TCF3‐PBX1 had similar 5‐year event‐free survival (83.3 ± 4.8%) as those with TEL‐AML1 (85.2 ± 3.4%, P = 0.984) or those with hyperdiploidy >50 (84.0 ± 3.1%, P = 0.748). The cumulative risk of any (isolated plus combined) central nervous system relapse among patients with t(1;19)/TCF3‐PBX1 (8.7 ± 3.8%) tended to be higher than that of patients with TEL‐AML1 (5.8 ± 2.3%, P = 0.749) or those with hyperdiploidy (4.1 ± 1.8%, P = 0.135), albeit the differences did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions

With contemporary intensive chemotherapy, children with t(1;19)/TCF3‐PBX1 fared as well as those with favorable genotypes (TEL‐AML1 or hyperdiploidy).
Early and late adverse effects of radioiodine for pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer
Authors: Albano Domenico , Bertagna Francesco , Panarotto Maria Beatrice , Giubbini Raffaele
Published: April 2017

Background

Radioiodine‐131 (I131) therapy for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is generally a safe and effective treatment, but it has some potential side effects, which have been well described in adults but less analyzed in children. Our aim was to describe early and late adverse events of radioactive I131 in pediatric patients.

Methods

All consecutive patients ≤18 years treated for DTC in the period 1980–2015 were retrospectively analyzed for early and late side effects of radioiodine. Early side effects include nausea/emesis, radiation thyroiditis, sialadenitis, dry mouth, and transient bone marrow (BM) suppression. Late complications include permanent salivary gland dysfunction, permanent BM suppression, pulmonary fibrosis, second cancers, and fertility problems.

Results

One hundred five pediatric patients were treated with I131 for DTC in our department for a total amount of 302 radioiodine treatments. In total, 127 early complications were recorded: 44 episodes of nausea/emesis; 30 sialoadenitis, 24 thyroiditis, 18 dry mouth, and 11 transient BM suppression. Early side effects were correlated with the amount of radioactivity administered in any treatment. Twelve children developed ≥1 late complication for a total of 20 complications: two permanent salivary gland dysfunction, four permanent BM suppression, five pulmonary fibrosis, four second malignancies, and five fertility alterations. Late events, except fertility alterations, were correlated with the number of therapies and cumulative activities of I131.

Conclusions

In conclusion, early side effects of I131 are associated with the amount of administrated activities of each treatment, while the late effects are correlated with the number of treatments and cumulative activities of radioiodine, except for fertility problems.
Individual Differences in the Resistance to Social Change and Acceptance of Inequality Predict System Legitimacy Differently Depending on the Social Structure
Authors: Brandt Mark J. , Reyna Christine
Published: April 2017

We propose that individual differences in the resistance to social change and the acceptance of inequality can have divergent effects on legitimacy depending on the context. This possibility was tested in a sample of 27 European countries ( N = 144 367) and across four experiments (total N = 475). Individual differences in the resistance to social change were related to higher levels of perceived legitimacy no matter the level of inequality of the society. Conversely, individual differences in the acceptance of inequality were related to higher levels of perceived legitimacy in unequal societies, but either a relationship near zero or the opposite relationship was found in more equal societies. These studies highlight the importance of distinguishing between individual differences that make up political ideology, especially when making predictions in diverse settings. © 2017 The Authors. European Journal of Personality published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Association of Personality Psychology
Does the Internet Encourage Political Participation? Use of an Online Platform by Members of a German Political Party
Authors: Gerl Katharina , Marschall Stefan , Wilker Nadja
Published: April 2017

Political parties can play a crucial role in linking citizen preferences to political decision making, but have been criticized for not accomplishing this task. In an attempt to address this linkage problem and enhance policy representation, political parties have recently opened up their decision‐making processes and promoted online participation among their members and supporters; for example, by establishing online platforms that allow citizens and party members to discuss policy issues and generate policy proposals. However, in most instances, participation is low. Drawing on the case of the German Green Party and applying three well‐established models of offline political participation, the article examines why only some party members and supporters use these channels to communicate their preferences. Comparing users and nonusers, we conclude that socioeconomic resources or attitudes alone cannot explain differences in participation. Instead, participation is motivated by process‐related and ideological incentives.
Reactivity of fatty acid methyl esters under atmospheric pressure plasma jet exposure: An experimental and theoretical study
Authors: Martini Luca Matteo , Maranzana Andrea , Tonachini Glauco , Bortolotti Giulia , Scapinello Marco , Scotoni Mario , Guella Graziano , Dilecce Giorgio , Tosi Paolo
Published: April 2017

We have investigated the treatment of a mixture of fatty acid methyl esters by an RF‐plasma jet with He‐H2O and He‐O2 gas feed. We have measured the concentration of the hydroxyl radical in the jet by laser induced fluorescence, looking for correlation with the lipid reactivity. We have detected four product families, whose yields increase with the OH exposure: volatile products, polymerization products, reduced chains, and oxidized chains. Theoretical calculations give insights on the radical attack to the lipid chain and show that none of the products can be attributed exclusively to reactions with OH. Therefore, the observed reactant conversion as function of the OH exposure must be interpreted as a qualitative relationship with the total amount of radical species present in the plasma jet.

PACS: 52.80.Tn, 82.33.Xj, 31.15.E‐.
On the synergistic effect of inorganic/inorganic barrier layers: An ellipsometric porosimetry investigation
Authors: Aghaee Morteza , Perrotta Alberto , Starostin Sergey A. , de Vries Hindrik W. , van de Sanden Mauritius C. M. (Richard) , Kessels Wilhelmus M. M. (Erwin) , Creatore Mariadriana
Published: April 2017

In this paper, plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposited SiO2 layers capped by an ultra‐thin plasma‐assisted atomic layer deposited Al2O3 over‐layer are analyzed by means of ellipsometric porosimetry (EP). In a very recent contribution, we have shown that the combination of the two layers provided excellent intrinsic moisture permeation barrier performance down to the 10−5–10−6 g · day−1 · m−2 regime. The present paper therefore addresses the microstructural changes which the SiO2 layers undergo upon Al2O3 deposition, as monitored by ellipsometric porosimetry (EP). It was found that the Al2O3 deposition primarily affects the relative content of open pores with d > 0.3 nm (water as probe) and d > 0.42 nm (ethanol as probe) from 5.35 to 2.81% and from 2.50 to 0.32%, respectively.
Experimentally determined edge orientation of triangular crystals of hexagonal boron nitride
Authors: Mohsin Ali , Cross Nicholas G. , Liu Lei , Liu Peizhi , Duscher Gerd , Gu Gong
Published: April 2017

This work demonstrates a method to directly determine edge orientations of three‐fold symmetric two‐dimensional crystals in real space, without resolving the edge structure. In an annular dark‐field scanning transmission electron microscope, the orientation of an edge is derived from the overall edge direction recorded at a low magnification and the crystal orientation revealed by atomic resolution, element‐contrast imaging at a high magnification. By applying this method, the edge orientation of equilateral triangle‐shaped hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) crystals grown by chemical vapor deposition on Cu is experimentally determined for the first time. The experimentally determined nitrogen‐terminated zigzag edges validate the kinetic theory of h‐BN crystal growth, which is a useful case study of the growth of 2D crystals lacking inversion symmetry.
Eigenvalue confinement and spectral gap for random simplicial complexes
Authors: Knowles Antti , Rosenthal Ron
Published: April 2017

We consider the adjacency operator of the Linial‐Meshulam model for random simplicial complexes on n vertices, where each d‐cell is added independently with probability p to the complete ‐skeleton. Under the assumption , we prove that the spectral gap between the smallest eigenvalues and the remaining eigenvalues is with high probability. This estimate follows from a more general result on eigenvalue confinement. In addition, we prove that the global distribution of the eigenvalues is asymptotically given by the semicircle law. The main ingredient of the proof is a Füredi‐Komlós‐type argument for random simplicial complexes, which may be regarded as sparse random matrix models with dependent entries. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 51, 506–537, 2017
Tip110 Deletion Impaired Embryonic and Stem Cell Development Involving Downregulation of Stem Cell Factors Nanog, Oct4, and Sox2
Authors: Whitmill Amanda , Liu Ying , Timani Khalid Amine , Niu Yinghua , He Johnny J.
Published: April 2017

HIV-1 Tat-interacting protein of 110 kDa, Tip110, plays important roles in multiple biological processes. In this study, we aimed to characterize the function of Tip110 in embryonic development. Transgenic mice lacking expression of a functional Tip110 gene (Tip110–/–) died post-implantation, and Tip110–/– embryos exhibited developmental arrest between 8.5 and 9.5 days post coitum. However, in vitro cultures of Tip110–/–embryos showed that Tip110 loss did not impair embryo growth from the zygote to the blastocyst. Extended in vitro cultures of Tip110–/– blastocysts showed that Tip110 loss impaired both blastocyst outgrowth and self-renewal and survival of blastocyst-derived embryonic stem cells. Microarray analysis of Tip110–/– embryonic stem cells revealed that Tip110 loss altered differentiation, pluripotency, and cycling of embryonic stem cells and was associated with downregulation of several major stem cell factors including Nanog, Oct4, and Sox2 through a complex network of signaling pathways. Taken together, these findings document for the first time the lethal effects of complete loss of Tip110 on mammalian embryonic development and suggest that Tip110 is an important regulator of not only embryonic development but also stem cell factors.
Population trends in prenatal detection of transposition of great arteries: impact of obstetric screening ultrasound guidelines
Authors: Ravi P. , Mills L. , Fruitman D. , Savard W. , Colen T. , Khoo N. , Serrano‐Lomelin J. , Hornberger L. K.
Published: April 2017

Objectives

Dextro‐transposition of the great arteries (d‐TGA) is one of the most common critical neonatal heart defects, with a low detection rate antenatally. We sought to evaluate trends in the prenatal detection of d‐TGA with or without ventricular septal defect (VSD) in Alberta over the past 13 years, examining the potential impact of ultrasound guidelines incorporating screening of cardiac outflow tracts, updated in 2009–2010 and in 2013, and factors affecting detection of the condition.

Methods

All fetuses and neonates with d‐TGA, with or without VSD, encountered between 2003 and 2015 in the province of Alberta, were identified retrospectively. Clinical records including obstetric ultrasound reports were reviewed. Pregnancy outcome, common referral indications and associated maternal and fetal pathology in affected pregnancies were assessed.

Results

From 2003 to 2015, 127 cases with d‐TGA were encountered in Alberta, of which 47 (37%) were detected prenatally. Prenatal detection improved over the study period, from 14% in 2003–2010, to 50% in 2011–2013, and to 77% in 2014–2015. Of the 47 fetuses with a prenatal diagnosis of d‐TGA, an indication for fetal echocardiography included abnormal or poorly visualized cardiac outflows with normal four‐chamber view in 46 (98%). Comorbidities were identified in 12 mothers, only five of which represented an additional reason for fetal echocardiography referral, and four fetuses had extracardiac pathology.

Conclusion

Substantial improvement in the prenatal detection of d‐TGA has been observed in Alberta over the past few years, owing to improved screening of cardiac outflow tracts on routine obstetric ultrasound examination in otherwise healthy pregnancies, and has been temporally associated with updated obstetric ultrasound guidelines suggesting that these contributed to optimized screening of affected pregnancies. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Location or insolation: the importance of siting in emissions mitigation from solar photovoltaics
Authors: Johnson Jeremiah X.
Published: April 2017

Achieving environmental benefits is often a primary motivation for integrating renewable energy into the grid. The magnitude of generation from a solar power project is influenced by the solar resource quality, but locations with high insolation do not necessarily yield the greatest emission reduction benefits. This study simulates the power system response to 10 identical solar projects in different regions across the United States, selected to represent a wide range of solar resource quality and power grid configurations. The power grid mix is often a key determinant in offsetting CO2
, SO2
, and NOx
emissions, illustrating how lower‐quality solar resources can be more effective than sunnier sites at emissions mitigation when one considers characteristics of the power grid. The analysis shows a strong relationship between emissions mitigation and the share of offset generation that is coal‐fired. The strongest correlation is shown for CO2
; the presence or absence of emissions control equipment and the sulfur content of the coal complicates the relationship of SO2
and NOx
. The emissions intensity of offset generation is insensitive to whether the solar project is fixed tilt or single‐axis tracking. When seeking to mitigate power sector emissions, the impacts of solar design considerations on the temporal profile of generation are less important than the overall amount of generation and the location of interconnection. Public policies that target only the magnitude of generation from renewables (e.g., many Renewable Portfolio Standards) or the installed cost (e.g., the Investment Tax Credit) will likely lead to suboptimal emissions mitigation. WIREs Energy Environ 2017, 6:e249. doi: 10.1002/wene.249

This article is categorized under:

Photovoltaics > Climate and Environment

Energy and Development > Systems and Infrastructure
Risorgimento
Authors: Riall Lucy
Published: April 2017

A provocative and readable examination of this defining and controversial moment in modern Italian history
Enhanced butyric acid tolerance and production by Class I heat shock protein-overproducing Clostridium tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755
Authors: Suo Yukai , Luo Sheng , Zhang Yanan , Liao Zhengping , Wang Jufang
Published: April 2017

The response of Clostridium tyrobutyricum to butyric acid stress involves various stress-related genes, and therefore overexpression of stress-related genes can improve butyric acid tolerance and yield. Class I heat shock proteins (HSPs) play an important role in the process of protecting bacteria from sudden changes of extracellular stress by assisting protein folding correctly. The results of quantitative real-time PCR indicated that the Class I HSGs grpE, dnaK, dnaJ, groEL, groES, and htpG were significantly upregulated under butyric acid stress, especially the dnaK and groE operons. Overexpression of groESL and htpG could significantly improve the tolerance of C. tyrobutyricum to butyric acid, while overexpression of dnaK and dnaJ showed negative effects on butyric acid tolerance. Acid production was also significantly promoted by increased GroESL expression levels; the final butyric acid and acetic acid concentrations were 28.2 and 38% higher for C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755/groESL than for the wild-type strain. In addition, when fed-batch fermentation was carried out using cell immobilization in a fibrous-bed bioreactor, the butyric acid yield produced by C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755/groESL reached 52.2 g/L, much higher than that for the control. The improved butyric acid yield is probably attributable to the high GroES and GroEL levels, which can stabilize the biosynthetic machinery of C. tyrobutyricum under extracellular butyric acid stress.
The dissuasive effect of U.S. political influence on Chinese FDI during the “Going Global” policy era
Authors: Duanmu Jing-Lin , Urdinez Francisco
Published: April 2017

Building on the growing debate on political determinants of foreign direct investment, we investigate the relationship between U.S. political influence and the global distribution of China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). Using country-level and firm-level datasets of China's greenfield investment, we find strong evidence that Chinese state controlled firms strategically reduce investment in host countries under significant political influence of the United States. Our results are robust to alternative specification and two falsification tests. The findings suggest that the Chinese government uses FDI as a way of economic diplomacy.
Testing the Benefits of Cognitive Training vs. Cognitive Stimulation in Mild Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Authors: Tsantali E. , Economidis D. , Rigopoulou S.
Published: April 2017

Purpose: To undertake a randomised controlled trial to test the benefits of cognitive training (CT) vs. cognitive stimulation (CS) on general cognitive function and memory in mild Alzheimer's disease (mAD).

Method: A consecutive series of 55 mAD outpatients was randomly allocated to one of the three conditions, namely two experimental interventions (CT and CS; 17 participants each) and a control dementia (no intervention) group (CD; 21 participants). Participants in the experimental conditions received a 4-month individual intervention programme.

Results: The participants in the CT condition demonstrated a large improvement in general cognitive state with moderate gains in areas of memory targeted by the intervention (semantic memory, naming and retrieval ability) 12 months after baseline measurement compared to the other two conditions. In addition, CT seemed to generalise the other cognitive abilities that were not directly targeted with small gains noted in other domains of cognition (prospective memory, face recognition, name a person) compared to CS and CD. Participants in both the CS and CD conditions showed significant general cognitive decline, even though CS was found to ameliorate the trajectory of this decline.
Spiralling liquid jets: verifiable mathematical framework, trajectories and peristaltic waves
Authors: Shikhmurzaev Yulii D. , Sisoev Grigori M.
Published: April 2017

The dynamics of a jet of an inviscid incompressible liquid spiralling out under the action of centrifugal forces is considered with both gravity and the surface tension taken into account. This problem is of direct relevance to a number of industrial applications, ranging from the spinning disc atomization process to nanofibre formation. The mathematical description of the flow by necessity requires the use of a local curvilinear non-orthogonal coordinate system centred around the jet’s baseline, and we present the general formulation of the problem without assuming that the jet is slender. To circumvent the inconvenience inherent in the non-orthogonality of the local coordinate system, the orthonormal Frenet basis is used in parallel with the local non-orthogonal basis, and the equation of motion, with the velocity considered with respect to the local coordinate system, is projected onto the Frenet basis. The variation of the latter along the baseline is then described by the Frenet equations which naturally brings the baseline’s curvature and torsion into the equations of motion. This technique allows one to handle different line-based non-orthogonal curvilinear coordinate systems in a straightforward and mathematically transparent way. An analysis of the slender-jet approximation that follows the general formulation shows how a set of ordinary differential equations describing the jet’s trajectory can be derived in two cases: $\mathit{We}=O(1)$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}\mathit{We}=O(1)$ as $\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}\rightarrow 0$, where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}$ is the ratio of characteristic length scales across and along the jet and $\mathit{We}$ is the Weber number. A one-dimensional model for the propagation of nonlinear peristaltic disturbances along the jet is derived in each of these cases. A critical review of the work published on this topic is presented showing where errors typically occur and how to identify and avoid them.
Stratigraphy, paleomagnetism, and cosmogenic-isotope burial ages of fossil-bearing strata within Riverbluff Cave, Greene County, Missouri
Authors: Rovey Charles W. , Balco Greg , Forir Matt , Kean William F.
Published: April 2017

Riverbluff Cave, in Greene County, Missouri, is a short single passage between the James River and its direct tributary, Ward Branch. Before stream incision the cave functioned as a spillway/piracy between the two streams during high-discharge events and accumulated a sequence of stratified fluvial sediments within the cave. Five cosmogenic-nuclide burial ages for these sediments range from 0.984 to 0.570 Ma. These ages are consistent with both the stratigraphic order of the samples and the inferred position of the Matuyama/Brunhes paleomagnetic boundary. These ages indicate that sandy channel-facies deposits derived from Ward Branch entrances began to accumulate within the cave as early as 0.984±0.065 Ma. This facies is capped by highly fossiliferous gravel beds dated at 0.658±0.065 Ma, which contain abundant mammoth bones (possibly Mammuthus trogontherii) and other vertebrates. The high concentration implies that this deposit may record some type of mass-mortality event. By 0.570±0.072 Ma, all Ward Branch entrances had been abandoned because of incision, and a laminated red clay derived from backflow from flooding along the James River capped the older channel sediments.
‘A very diadem of light’: exhibitions in Victorian London, the Parliamentary light and the shaping of the Trinity House lighthouses
Authors: COURTNEY STEPHEN
Published: April 2017

In the midsummer of 1872 a lighthouse apparatus was installed in the Clock Tower of the House of Commons. The installation served the practical function of communicating at a distance when the House was sitting, but also provided a highly visible symbolic indication of the importance of lighthouse technology to national concerns. Further, the installation served as an experimental space in which rival technological designs, with corresponding visions for the lighthouse system, could compete in public. This article considers nineteenth-century lighthouse technology as a case study in the power and political significance of display. Manufacturers of lighthouse lenses, such as the firm of Chance Brothers, sought to manage interpretations of the lights through the framing of exhibitions and demonstrations; so too did scientific authorities, including Michael Faraday and John Tyndall, both of whom served in the role of scientific adviser to Trinity House, the body responsible for lighthouse management. Particularly notable in this process was the significance of urban, metropolitan display environments in shaping the development of the marine lighthouse system around the nation's periphery.
THE UNFRIENDLY CORCYRAEANS
Authors: Bruzzone Rachel
Published: April 2017

The prominence of the island city of Corcyra in Thucydides’ history of the Peloponnesian War presents a puzzle. It appears in the opening of the work in a conflict with its mother city Corinth (1.24–31), after which representatives of both Corinth and Corcyra deliver speeches at Athens (1.32–44). Further conflict between the two cities follows, with Athens supporting Corcyra (1.45–55). Later on, Thucydides depicts two unusually graphic episodes ofstasisat Corcyra (3.70–85, 4.46–8). This prominence is surprising, given that the historian himself explicitly states that the initial set of events involving the island does not in fact represent the beginning of the war (1.66.1), and that the Corcyreanstasisis not the first in the war, and that, as has been often observed, it is not even particularly remarkable or influential in it. In what follows, I seek to clarify Thucydides’ use of the island first by exploring ancient views of Corcyra's ‘predecessor’, Homer's Phaeacia, and by arguing that perceptions of the mythical place mirror and reinforce beliefs about its successor Corcyra. An interpretation of Phaeacia as a representative of excess luxury, weakness and friendlessness requires an aggressive reading of Homer. As Rose and others have made clear, however, this position is defensible even if not all readers may choose to accede to it. A significant strand of ancient opinion seems to have adopted a similar attitude as well, perhaps projecting a fifth-century prejudice identified by Rusten back onto Corcyra's Homeric forerunner. In the second part of this paper, I argue that this background influences Thucydides’ presentation of Corcyra, and that the historian emphasizes the story of the island in order to illustrate a pattern of extravagant wealth followed by civic collapse that would have been readily recognizable to an ancient audience. The fact that Thucydides’ Corcyra-story traces all the stages of this process, from a nod to Homeric opulence through pre-war selfishness to wartime collapse, effectively explains his conspicuous use of the city.
HERACLES THE PHILOSOPHER (HERODORUS, FR. 14)
Authors: Moore Christopher
Published: April 2017

Among our earliest extant references to the word ‘philosophize’ is an unfamiliar one, from the mythographer Herodorus of Pontic Heraclea, whose son Bryson associated with Plato and Aristotle. A Byzantine compiler quotes Herodorus, probably from his book on Heracles, as saying that his hero ‘philosophized until death’ (φιλοσοφήσας μέχρι θανάτου,FGrHist31 F 14). This is a surprising claim in light of the fifth/fourth-centuryb.c.view of Heracles as long-toiling but not intellectual. Euripides'Licymniuscharacterizes him as ‘unimpressive and unadorned, good to the greatest degree, confined from allsophiain action, unversed in talking’ (φαῦλον ἄκομψον, τὰ μέγιστ᾽ ἀγαθόν, | πᾶσαν ἐν ἔργῳ περιτεμνόμενον | σοφίαν, λέσχης ἀτρίβωνα, fr. 473TGF). Heracles is thus explicitly distinguished from those who strive for dialectical understanding or theoretical knowledge.
OPTIMAL PLANNING OF COCOA CLONAL SELECTION PROGRAMMES–CORRIGENDUM
Authors: OWUSU-ANSAH F. , CURNOW R. N. , ADU-AMPOMAH Y.
Published: April 2017

We regret that the computer program used to generate the simulations of the examples presented in Owusu-Ansah, Curnow and Adu-Ampomah, 2013 contained an error. The corrected simulations for trial M2 now show that a single replication of many clones gives slightly higher selection gains than greater replication of fewer clones. The very small advantages of large numbers of years of harvest remain correct. The selection gains from the trials were considerably underestimated and, with the corrected simulations, the expected performance in terms of yield of the selected clones with the right combination of numbers of clones and replicates often exceeded the performance of the best standard clone. The selected clones still underperformed compared with the best standard clone when selection was based on percentage of diseased pods or numbers of healthy pods.
Early Permian radiolarians from the extension of the Sa Kaeo Suture in Cambodia – tectonic implications
Authors: UDCHACHON MONGKOL , THASSANAPAK HATHAITHIP , BURRETT CLIVE
Published: April 2017

A reconnaissance survey of part of western Cambodia has found quarries in and near the town of Pailin containing chert, basalt, volcaniclastic rocks, gabbro and serpentinite. Abandoned quarries contain chert and basalt clasts in a volcaniclastic matrix and may constitute a mélange. A new, recently active, quarry contains these rock units in close and coherent contact but they lack the serpentinitic matrix of the Thung Kabin Mélange of eastern Thailand. The rock units are in close contact and may best be described collectively as a dismembered ophiolite. The mélange–ophiolite association constitutes a 3 km wide, 20 km long E–W belt separating a northern 200 km2 block of the mainly amphibolitic Pailin Crystalline Complex from a southern area of Triassic submarine fan siliciclastic rocks. The cherts yield the first documented radiolarian fauna from Cambodia and include a moderately well-preserved Asselian–Sakmarian age fauna consisting of Pseudoalbaillella sakmarensis, Pseudoalbaillella scalprata morphotype scalprata, Pseudoalbaillella sp. cf. P. simplex, Pseudoalbaillella u-forma morphotype II, Pseudoalbaillella sp. cf. P. elegans, Pseudoalbaillella sp. cf. P. lomentaria, Albaillella sp., Pseudoalbaillella spp., Trilonche? sp., Latentifistularia gen. et sp. indet. and Entactinaria gen. et sp. indet. The Pailin ophiolitic rocks, mélange and volcanic rocks occur within a generally E–W-trending belt, which suggests that the Sa Kaeo Suture does not extend southeastwards paralleling the Thai–Cambodian border, nor extend under the Cardamom Mountains but, rather, extends eastwards into Cambodia and possibly then turns southwards along the strike of the Pursat–Kampot Fold Belt.
Individual Investors’ Dividend Taxes and Corporate Payout Policies
Authors: Li Oliver Zhen , Liu Hang , Ni Chenkai , Ye Kangtao
Published: April 2017

The 2012 Dividend Tax Reform in China ties individual investors’ dividend tax rates to the length of their shareholding period. We find that firms facing a reduction (increase) in their individual investors’ dividend tax rates are more (less) likely to increase dividend payout. Such an effect is concentrated in firms where incentives of controlling shareholders and minority shareholders are aligned. Furthermore, investors respond to this tax law change by reducing trading activities before the cum-dividend day and successfully lower their dividend tax penalty. Overall, our evidence enhances the notion that individual investors’ tax profiles shape firms’ payout policies.
Evidence that polygenic risk for psychotic disorder is expressed in the domain of neurodevelopment, emotion regulation and attribution of salience
Authors: van Os J. , van der Steen Y. , Islam Md. A. , Gülöksüz S. , Rutten B. P. , Simons C. J. ,   GROUP Investigators
Published: April 2017

Background

The liability-threshold model of psychosis risk predicts stronger phenotypic manifestation of the polygenic risk score (PRS) in the healthy relatives of patients, as compared with healthy comparison subjects.

Methods

First-degree relatives of patients with psychotic disorder (871 siblings and 812 parents) and healthy comparison subjects (n= 523) were interviewed three times in 6 years. Repeated measures of two psychosis phenotypes, the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE; self-report – subscales of positive, negative and depressive symptoms) and the Structured Interview for Schizotypy – Revised (SIS-R; clinical interview – subscales of positive and negative schizotypy), were examined for association with PRS. Interview-based lifetime rate of depressive and manic episodes were also examined, as was association with repeated measures of intelligence quotient (IQ).

Results

In the relatives, PRS was associated with CAPE/SIS-R total score (respectively,B= 0.12, 95% CI 0.02–0.22 andB= 0.11, 95% CI 0.02–0.20), the SIS-R positive subscale (B= 0.16, 95% CI 0.04–0.28), the CAPE depression subscale (B= 0.21, 95% CI 0.07–0.34), any lifetime affective episode (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.04–9.3), but not with IQ (B= −1.8, 95% CI −8.0 to 4.4). In the controls, similar associations were apparent between PRS on the one hand and SIS-R total score, SIS-R positive, SIS-R negative, any lifetime affective episode and, in contrast, lower IQ (B= −8.5, 95% CI −15.5 to −1.6).

Conclusions

In non-ill people, polygenic risk for psychotic disorder is expressed pleiotropically in the domain of neurodevelopment, emotion regulation and attribution of salience. In subjects at elevated genetic risk, emerging expression of neurodevelopmental alterations may create floor effects, obscuring genetic associations.
Comparison of neural substrates of temporal discounting between youth with autism spectrum disorder and with obsessive-compulsive disorder
Authors: Carlisi C. O. , Norman L. , Murphy C. M. , Christakou A. , Chantiluke K. , Giampietro V. , Simmons A. , Brammer M. , Murphy D. G. ,   MRC AIMS consortium, Mataix-Cols D. , Rubia K.
Published: April 2017

Background

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) share abnormalities in hot executive functions such as reward-based decision-making, as measured in the temporal discounting task (TD). No studies, however, have directly compared these disorders to investigate common/distinct neural profiles underlying such abnormalities. We wanted to test whether reward-based decision-making is a shared transdiagnostic feature of both disorders with similar neurofunctional substrates or whether it is a shared phenotype with disorder-differential neurofunctional underpinnings.

Methods

Age and IQ-matched boys with ASD (N= 20), with OCD (N= 20) and 20 healthy controls, performed an individually-adjusted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) TD task. Brain activation and performance were compared between groups.

Results

Boys with ASD showed greater choice-impulsivity than OCD and control boys. Whole-brain between-group comparison revealed shared reductions in ASD and OCD relative to control boys for delayed-immediate choices in right ventromedial/lateral orbitofrontal cortex extending into medial/inferior prefrontal cortex, and in cerebellum, posterior cingulate and precuneus. For immediate-delayed choices, patients relative to controls showed reduced activation in anterior cingulate/ventromedial prefrontal cortex reaching into left caudate, which, at a trend level, was more decreased in ASD than OCD patients, and in bilateral temporal and inferior parietal regions.

Conclusions

This first fMRI comparison between youth with ASD and with OCD, using a reward-based decision-making task, shows predominantly shared neurofunctional abnormalities during TD in key ventromedial, orbital- and inferior fronto-striatal, temporo-parietal and cerebellar regions of temporal foresight and reward processing, suggesting trans-diagnostic neurofunctional deficits.
CURRENT IMPLEMENTATION OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT IN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN SLOVENIA
Authors: Prevolnik Rupel Valentina
Published: April 2017

Objectives: The objective of this study was to analyze and present the current state of the implementation of health technology assessment (HTA) in Slovenia, identify its advantages and challenges, as well as potential improvements and developments.

Methods: The HTA structure and processes were analyzed and comprehensively described according to relevant literature, official documents, and experiences of the author.

Results: The important steps in the development and implementation of an HTA system are presented through eight key elements: capacity building; HTA funding; HTA legislation and organizational structure; the scope of HTA implementation; decision criteria; quality, timelines, and transparency of HTA implementation; use of local data; and international collaboration. Based on the current situation, possible further developments are presented.

Conclusions: Currently, there is no systematic HTA in Slovenia; however, some basic use of HTA principles can be found in the decision making. The biggest deficiency in the HTA field is the lack of knowledge and systematic implementation. Legislation and guidelines for study appraisals are needed at decision-making levels. HTA principles across health technologies need to be unified along with a central HTA coordination office being set up to lead and establish priorities for HTA work.
DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT IN ROMANIA
Authors: Scintee Silvia Gabriela , Ciutan Marius
Published: April 2017

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe and analyze the introduction of health technology (HTA) in Romania.

Methods: Based on a review of the literature and legislative documents and personal experiences and observations, the authors describe, evaluate, and explain the background and evolution of the HTA system.

Results: Initiatives to introduce HTA in Romania date from the early 1990s, but real steps were taken only in 2012 when the European Union Directive 2011/24/ on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border health care had to be passed into Romanian law.

The main developments consist of: the establishment of a national competent authority, the development of a methodology for the rapid assessment of drugs, setting HTA as the main tool for compiling the list of medicines to be covered by the NHIF, and capacity building initiatives. One early result of HTA implementation was an updated list of reimbursed drugs, allowing Romanian patients access to new, innovative medicines.

Conclusions: In Romania, HTA become an issue for all stakeholders: decision makers are interested in cost-containment, patients in obtaining the best care, and producers in receiving acceptable reimbursement remains on the health policy agenda. Further steps are envisaged, especially for international collaboration, which is considered an important factor for HTA development in Romania.
DOSAGE AND DURATION OF ETANERCEPT THERAPY FOR ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: A META-ANALYSIS
Authors: Lee Heeyoung , Jung Younjoo , Song Seungyeon , Lee Jihyung , Shim Hyunjun , Kang Wonku , Kim Eunyoung
Published: April 2017

Objectives: We conducted a meta-analysis of recently published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to identify the most effective and safe etanercept dosing regimen and duration of therapy for the treatment of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods: We systematically reviewed PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for RCTs. The proportion of patients attaining 20 percent improvement (according to the Spondyloarthritis International Society response criteria [ASAS 20]) was evaluated as a primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included 50 percent increase in the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI 50) used for evaluating efficacy, as well as the BASDAI/Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) scores and adverse events.

Results: ASAS 20 indicated that the efficacy of etanercept did not differ amongst dosing regimens (25 mg twice-weekly versus 50 mg once-weekly: relative risk [RR], 2.18, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.78–2.67 versus RR, 2.00, 95 percent CI, 1.70–2.37). The ASAS 20 reported subgroup differences among treatment durations of less than 12 weeks (RR, 2.70; 95 percent CI, 2.09–3.49); 12 weeks (RR, 1.74; 95 percent CI, 1.37–2.22); and more than 12 weeks (RR, 2.56; 95 percent CI, 1.88–3.48). Other outcomes included BASDAI, BASDAI 50, and BASFI. Drug safety differed according to the treatment regimen and duration.

Conclusion: Our meta-analysis found that there was no significant efficacy difference between 50 mg once-weekly and 25 mg twice-weekly dosing for the treatment of AS, and a dosing duration of less than 12 weeks was more effective for treating AS patients.