bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clay Ideas
Authors: Kuijt Ian
Published: June 2017

Beginning around 11,500 years ago, the Neolithic of the Near East encompassed some of the most profound and fundamental innovations in our species’ history. This included the establishment of the earliest sedentary villages, founded by food-producing communities who relied on wild and domesticated plants and animals for subsistence. Major changes were also seen in use of imagery, both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic, in concert with society’s struggle to control new structures of economy, social organization, and symbolism. This chapter explores how Near Eastern Neolithic figurine use changed through time, and considers how competing interpretive frameworks of phallocentrism and Goddess worship present alternative frameworks of understanding broader social meanings within these communities. Moreover, the frequency of objects, the design, and miniaturization of these objects provide insight into how Neolithic people deliberately created ambiguity and anonymity when they crafted anthropomorphic figurines.
Figurines in Prehistoric Mesopotamia
Authors: Campbell Stuart , Daems Aurelie
Published: June 2017

This chapter surveys the figures of prehistoric Mesopotamia, from the Epipalaeolithic to the end of the Ubaid periods (10,000–4000 bp). Figurines take a wide range of forms in different times and places, but there are also marked continuities. As well as discussion of context and breakage, there is also consideration of the modelling or omission of sexual features on figurines. Increasing numbers of figurines during the period probably can be associated with a greater diversity of material culture, and suggests that figurines can be related to changes in other aspects of society, something that is mirrored in the decline of their numbers towards 4000 bp.
Cycladic Figurines
Authors: Renfrew Colin
Published: June 2017

The marble sculptures of the Cycladic early bronze age (c.3200–2000 bc) are reviewed, with the schematic and the more detailed Plastiras and Louros forms of the Grotta-Pelos culture and the canonical folded-arm type of the Keros-Syros culture (some more than 1 m in height) with its five well-defined varieties (Kapsala, Spedos, Dokathismata, Chalandriani, and Koumasa), and the rare musicians and seated figurines. The possibility of specific workshop styles or subvarieties is discussed (and preferred to the hypothesis of potentially identifiable ‘master’ sculptors). The use of the sculptures in houses, in graves, and in the special deposits at the sanctuary at Keros is discussed. The aesthetic esteem in which the sculptures have been held by collectors since the early twentieth century has given rise to looting, the destruction of archaeological context, and the illicit traffic in Cycladic antiquities.
Palaeolithic Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Farbstein Rebecca
Published: June 2017

This chapter discusses the rich archaeological record of Upper Palaeolithic symbolic material culture from sites in Central and Eastern Europe. In particular, it focuses on art and ornaments excavated from sites in Czech Republic, Austria, Ukraine, and Russia. Following a review of some influential and provocative interpretations of the most frequently discussed figurative art, in particular the so-called ‘Venus’ figurines, it proposes new contextual frameworks that facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the diverse records of symbolic material culture, which include large quantities of zoomorphic, non-figurative art, and ornaments which have been the focus of relatively less research to date. Furthermore, it argues for the need for more nuanced approaches to the study of Palaeolithic art, particularly those which recognize that the socially embedded production of art could offer as much insight into these assemblages as the traditional approaches which focus on the iconography or appearance of the most aesthetically striking figurines.
Figurines of Malta
Authors: Malone Caroline , Stoddart Simon
Published: June 2017

Figurative art developed in the Maltese islands during the Neolithic, as part of the Temple Culture that flourished c.3500–2500 bc. Anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines, carved from stone or modelled in terracotta represented, not only a distinct Maltese identity but also significant artistic competence. From very large to very small, the material ranges from objects used in burials to immense statues that decorated temple interiors. Some anthropomorphic figures are dressed, others naked, some obese, others stick-like, and another category associated with mortuary sites is represented lying and sitting on elaborate beds. The figurative art appears to fall into distinct categories of anthropomorphic and domestic creatures, alongside more speculative representations that focus on cold-blooded reptiles and fish, or feathered birds. The potential to interpret this ‘art’ as representative of a layer cosmology is explored within the context of a Neolithic island society.
Mediterranean—Cyprus
Authors: Knox Daisy
Published: June 2017

Prehistoric Cyprus was home to a surprisingly rich and varied corpus of three-dimensional figurative imagery, including anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines and figurative vessels, as well as models of inanimate objects in stone, clay, and copper. Beginning with the rare fragments discovered in Pre-Pottery Neolithic A contexts, Cyprus’ figurine record developed over several millennia into the diverse, island-wide, representative phenomena of the Bronze Age. This chapter explores the most pervasive and ongoing debates concerning the function and significance of these figurines—their use in ritual activities, their relevance to the gender discourse, and their use in the expression of identities. This will be conducted in light of recent theoretical developments in archaeology and, as ever on Cyprus, in the shadow of Aphrodite.
Prehistoric Figurines in Italy
Authors: Skeates Robin
Published: June 2017

An overview is provided of anthropomorphic figurines in peninsular Italy and Sicily between the Palaeolithic and Copper Age. Some updated patterns in the data and contextual interpretations of the production, use, and deposition of figurines are presented. For the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic figurines, we can think about the performative nature of their manufacture, handling, inspection, and deposition at key residential sites, and about their symbolic significance as representations of pregnant women’s bodies. In the Neolithic and early Copper Age the focus shifts from the belly and breasts to the head and breasts, sometimes elaborated by hairstyles, necklaces, abstract symbols, and colour. The large number and variety of forms give the impression of localized production, usages, and understandings. In addition to domestic use, from the Middle Neolithic onwards, figurines were also handled, displayed, and deposited more purposefully at cemeteries and in other ritual contexts.
(In)Efficient Breach of Contract
Authors: Markovits Daniel , Schwartz Alan
Published: June 2017

Chapter 2 considers the debate over efficient breach theory. It suggests that the dispute between the supporters and critics of efficient breach theory rests on a false premise: efficient breaches exist. Rather, if contract terms are efficient, then breaches cannot be because a breach is the failure to comply with a contract term. Courts suppose that sophisticated parties write efficient terms so the relevant question is interpretive: what contract did the parties write? Thus, if the contract required the promisor to trade a specified item (Contract A), then the failure to deliver the item would be a breach; but if the contract required the promisor either to trade the item or to transfer to the promisee his expectation (Contract B), then the failure to trade the item would not be a breach. But the failure either to trade or to transfer would be. And neither breach would be efficient.
Economics of Intellectual Property Law
Authors: Merges Robert P.
Published: June 2017

This chapter analyzes the second wave of the economic study of intellectual property (IP) law. This second wave is characterized by two primary features: increasing methodological diversity and sophistication and an emphasis on contextualization—understanding how IP law is embedded in larger social and economic systems, and how IP interacts with other aspects of those systems to foster innovative ideas and economic growth. The chapter first discuss the many ways that second-wave scholarship seeks to show how IP rights are embedded in broader economic contexts, and thus diverges from first-wave research, which tended to focus exclusively on IP rights as the central determinants of economic activity. Next, it considers the many different methodologies being deployed to study issues in the economics of IP rights—from large-scale empirical work to surveys to interviews to experimental research.
Banking and Financial Regulation
Authors: Schwarcz Steven L.
Published: June 2017

This chapter focuses on the universal principles of banking and financial regulation. Banking and financial regulation is needed to protect the financial system, which provides functions essential to economic development. Traditionally, financial regulation focused on banking because banks historically have aggregated moneys (primarily by taking deposits from customers) and then allocated those monies (by making loans to borrowers). Traditional financial regulation is geared toward ensuring that deposit-taking banks can continue to perform these functions efficiently. In recent years, however, shadow banking has begun to overtake traditional banking. Financial regulation has two overall goals: to ensure that the components of the financial system—firms and markets—can efficiently perform their underlying economic functions, and to ensure the financial system’s ability to itself function as a network within which those components can operate.
Economics of Bankruptcy
Authors: White Michelle J.
Published: June 2017

This chapter presents a review bankruptcy law. It examines whether and when the law encourages debtors and creditors to behave economically efficient ways, both before and after they are in financial distress. It also considers how bankruptcy law could be changed to improve economic efficiency. The discussion abstracts from individual countries’ bankruptcy laws in order to focus on common features of bankruptcy. However, because much of the literature on economic effects of bankruptcy law is US-based, the discussion often focuses on US bankruptcy law in particular. The chapter first examines corporate bankruptcy and then turns to personal and small business bankruptcy.
Estimating Pain- and-Suffering Damages
Authors: Avraham Ronen
Published: June 2017

This chapter argues that the best solution for dealing with the high cost of administrating pain-and-suffering damages and the alleged variation in horizontal quality is to reduce the cost of administration and increasing uniformity, rather than limiting plaintiffs’ recoveries. The best way to accomplish this is by simplifying ways to estimate pain-and-suffering losses. The chapter surveys a number of solutions discussed in the literature on how to simplify the estimation of pain-and-suffering damages to cut administrative costs. The goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of the task of estimating the loss more than to recommend any specific path to it.
Calculating Machine
Authors: Jones Matthew L.
Published: June 2017

This chapter sketches the challenges Leibniz faced in building a calculating machine for arithmetic, especially his struggle to coordinate with skilled artisans, surveys his philosophical remarks about such machines and the practical knowledge needed to make them, and recounts the eighteenth-century legacy of his failure to produce a machine understood to be adequately functional.
Politics, Imagination, and Desire in the Work of Fulke Greville
Authors: Sierhuis Freya
Published: June 2017

This article examines a number of the key political and philosophical questions in the poetry, drama, and philosophical treatises of Fulke Greville, first Lord Brooke (1554–1628), arguing that the philosophical complexity and linguistic obscurity for which Greville’s style is known offer an appropriate tool for the examination of some of his enduring intellectual preoccupations: the paradoxes of political power and the rise and fall of empires, examined in the choruses of his Ottoman closet drama Mustapha; and the examination of the mechanisms of idolatry and spiritual servitude that link the erotic poetry of the lyric sequence Caelica to the treatises on monarchy and religion. A Dedication to Sir Philip Sidney, Greville’s biography of his long-deceased friend, by contrast, offers a different perspective on political life and freedom, one that is constructed on Sidney’s exemplarity and modeled on the ethics of friendship.
Magnetic entropy as a gating mechanism for magnetogenetic ion channels
Authors: Duret Guillaume , Polali Sruthi , Anderson Erin D. , Martin Bell A. , Tzouanas Constantine N. , Avants Benjamin W. , Robinson Jacob T.
Published: June 2017

Magnetically sensitive ion channels would allow researchers to better study how specific brain cells affect behavior in freely moving animals; however, recent reports of “magnetogenetic” ion channels have been questioned because known biophysical mechanisms cannot explain experimental observations. Here we show that magnetic fields can produce a change in the magnetic entropy of biogenic nanoparticles, which in turn may generate sufficient heat to gate temperature-sensitive ion channels. This magnetocaloric effect provides a rational approach for developing future magnetogenetic channels.
ELMER v.2: An R/Bioconductor package to reconstruct gene regulatory networks from DNA methylation and transcriptome profiles
Authors: Silva Tiago C , Coetzee Simon G , Yao Lijing , Gull Nicole , Hazelett Dennis J , Noushmehr Houtan , Lin De-Chen , Berman Benjamin P
Published: June 2017

Motivation

DNA methylation has been used to identify functional changes at transcriptional enhancers and other cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) in tumors and other disease tissues. Our R/Bioconductor packageELMER(Enhancer Linking by Methylation/Expression Relationships) provides a systematic approach that reconstructs altered gene regulatory networks (GRNs) by combining enhancer methylation and gene expression data derived from the same sample set.

Results

We present a completely revised version 2 ofELMERthat provides numerous new features including an optional web-based interface and a new Supervised Analysis mode to use pre-defined sample groupings. We show that this approach can identify GRNs associated with many new Master Regulators includingKLF5in breast cancer.

Availability

ELMERv.2 is available as an R/Bioconductor package athttp://bioconductor.org/packages/ELMER/
GADD45α regulates cell proliferation and DNA repair of BRL-3A cells that treated by FZD/UVC via P38, JNK, CDC2/CCNB1, AKT and MTOR pathways
Authors: Yang Xianguang , Zhu Lin , Zhao Weiming , He Chuncui , Li Shuaihong , Xu Cunshuan
Published: June 2017

GADD45α is a stress-induced gene activated by a variety of stress stimuli, including ultraviolet and ionizing radiation, and involved in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, maintenance, genomic stability, DNA repair and immune response. However, the effects and regulatory mechanism of GADD45α on proliferation, apoptosis and DNA damage repair of hepatocytes in liver regeneration remains unclear. In this study overexpression of GADD45α significantly inhibited the cell viability, proliferation, the number of cells in G1 and S phases, and of furazolidone (FZD) or UVC induced apoptosis of BRL-3A cells and decreased the inhibition of FZD/UVC on the viability, proliferation of BRL-3A cells, while increased the number of cells in G2/M phase of BRL-3A cells and FZD/UVC induced S phase arrest. Downregulated GADD45α induced the viability, proliferation, the number of cells in S and G2/M phases and the inhibition of FZD/UVC on the viability, proliferation of BRL-3A cells increased, while decreased apoptosis, the number of cells in G1 phases of BRL-3A cells and FZD/UVC induced S phase arrest. The results of qRT-PCR and western blot showed that genes/proteins related to P38MAPK, JNK, CDC2/CCNB1, AKT and MTOR signaling pathways were significantly changed in normal BRL-3A cells. The expression profiles of cell cycle, proliferation and apoptosis related genes/proteins in FZD/UVC treated BRL-3A cells were also detected by qRT-PCR and western blot, and the results indicated that the expression of Myc, Bcl-2, Ccnd1, PCNA, P21, Ccnb1, Caspase3, Caspase8, Caspase9 and Bax have significantly changes.
A new multi-genomic approach for the study of biogeochemical cycles at global scale: the molecular reconstruction of the sulfur cycle
Authors: De Anda Valerie , Zapata-Peñasco Icoquih , Contreras-Moreira Bruno , Poot-Hernandez Augusto Cesar , Eguiarte Luis E. , Souza Valeria
Published: June 2017

Despite the great advances in microbial ecology and the explosion of high throughput sequencing, our ability to understand and integrate the global biogeochemical cycles is still limited. Here we propose a novel approach to summarize the complexity of the Sulfur cycle based on the minimum ecosystem concept, the microbial mat model and the relative entropy of protein domains involved in S-metabolism. This methodology produces a single value, called the Sulfur Score (SS), which informs about the specific S-related molecular machinery. After curating an inventory of microorganisms, pathways and genes taking part in this cycle, we benchmark the performance of the SS on a collection of 2,107 non-redundant RefSeq genomes, 900 metagenomes from MG-RAST and 35 metagenomes analyzed for the first time. We find that the SS is able to correctly classify microorganisms known to be involved in the S-cycle, yielding an Area Under the ROC Curve of 0.985. Moreover, when sorting environments the top-scoring metagenomes were hydrothermal vents, microbial mats and deep-sea sediments, among others. This methodology can be generalized to the analysis of other biogeochemical cycles or processes. Provided that an inventory of relevant pathways and microorganisms can be compiled, entropy-based scores could be used to detect environmental patterns and informative samples in multi-genomic scale.
Exosomes from Nef expressing monocytic cells restrict HIV-1 replication in infected cells through the assembly of stress granules
Authors: Ansari Mohammad Yunus , Imam Hasan , Kumar Nishant , Ahmed Zulfazal , Jameel Shahid
Published: June 2017

Exosomes are membranous vesicles secreted from almost all types of cells, carry proteins and nucleic acids and function as vehicles for intercellular communication. Cells infected with HIV-1 or expressing the viral Nef protein secrete more exosomes than uninfected cells or those not expressing this protein. We used stably transfected, Nef-expressing U937 human monocytic cells and exosomes purified from these cells to study their effects on HIV-1 infected and uninfected CD4+ T-cells. The Nef exosomes inhibited virus production from HIV-1 infected CD4+ T-cells, but caused activation induced cell death in uninfected bystander cells. Mutations in its conserved Arginine residues and in the secretion-modification-region failed to secrete Nef into exosomes. Cell lines expressing these mutant Nef proteins did not deliver it to the target CD4+ T-cells, and exosomes prepared from these mutant Nef-expressing cells also did not inhibit virus production. Nef exosomes inhibited virus production by inducing the assembly of stress granules in HIV-1 infected cells, which sequestered increased amounts of gag mRNA. This is a novel mechanism wherein we show the effects of exosomes on the assembly of stress granules and viral translational repression.
Network video technology
Authors: Kembro Joakim Hans , Danielsson Veronica , Smajli Granit
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how modern network video technology could be used to improve different warehouse types and operations and how barriers may prevent its implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory multiple-case study with nine case companies was conducted, including on-site visits, interviews, questionnaires and a workshop.

Findings

The authors identified 12 video applications that could improve warehouse operations by making them safer, faster, more transparent and more reliable than they are at present. The authors found that video applications complemented existing information technology and offered a new dimension that provided the real-time analysis of different activities in warehouse operations. The main barriers to implementing video technology included uncertain return on investment, staff integrity, union restrictions and integration with other systems.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes to the literature by exploring how information technology could be used to improve warehouse operations and by developing a classification matrix that outlines the video applications that suit the warehouse type and operation. Building on the contingency theory, the authors also described a conceptual framework for guiding future relevant research on warehousing.

Practical implications

Video technology provides an opportunity to improve efficiency and cut costs in warehouse operations, which could contribute to increasing the competitiveness of the company and the supply chain. However, several barriers must be overcome to enable its implementation. Furthermore, competing technologies, such as augmented reality and the internet of things, are being developed in parallel.

Social implications

The identified video applications could help to increase safety, sustainability and traceability in warehouse operations and, potentially, across the entire supply chain.

Originality/value

This research is the first to explore the potential of introducing video applications to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of various warehouse types and operations.
Urban consolidation centres: retail stores’ demands for UCC services
Authors: Johansson Henrik , Björklund Maria
Published: June 2017

Purpose

Urban consolidation centres (UCCs) are often conceived to improve services in retail stores and potentially reduce costs. However, few studies have examined how retail stores perceive the services a UCC could provide. The purpose of this paper is to explore retail stores’ potential demands for different services that a UCC could provide in order to foster the development and implementation of UCC solutions aimed towards more economically feasible business models.

Design/methodology/approach

Structured interviews were conducted with employees at 72 retail stores. Qualitative, as well as quantitative analyses, were conducted to identify the potential demands of the retail stores.

Findings

The authors have provided arguments why retail stores might be interested in UCC services, and thereby potentially pay for them. Improved customer service to stores’ customers might not be a valid argument. The authors point to the cost aspect: stores expend resources that a UCC could provide in a more cost-efficient manner.

Research limitations/implications

The findings contradict previous studies to some extent, as it indicates that a UCC may actually not enhance customer service in retail stores. Instead, the findings point to the importance of considering the potential advantages according to economies of scale that are facilitated by UCC services.

Practical implications

Taking the perspective of the stores is important in order to identify arguments for why they should pay for the services provided by a UCC.

Social implications

Financially viable UCC solutions are needed in order for the initiatives to be maintained and thereby provide a long-term decrease in the environmental and social footprints caused by urban freight.

Originality/value

This study answers the call for research addressing retailers’ perspective in urban logistics, as it takes a demand-driven perspective of the development of UCC services. Furthermore, by highlighting services requested by retail stores, it can guide the financing of UCC initiatives, an aspect that has been lacking.
Longer and heavier road freight vehicles in Sweden
Authors: Pålsson Henrik , Winslott Hiselius Lena , Wandel Sten , Khan Jamil , Adell Emeli
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The Swedish government is likely to implement longer and heavier road freight vehicles, so-called high-capacity vehicles (HCVs), in the near future. The purpose of this paper is to analysis the expected effects on the whole transport system regarding tonne-kilometres, vehicle-kilometres on road, CO2 and socio-economics with three possible implementation strategies (HCVs on all roads, a designated road network and a designated road network with a kilometre-based truck charge) and two vehicle types (74 t/25.25 m and 74 t/34 m).

Design/methodology/approach

Calculations are based on two well-established scenarios for transport development in Sweden. Changes per tonne-kilometre are modelled for ten product groups with considerations taken to their transport networks. Socio-economic effects are analysed using the net present value rating method over a 40-year period.

Findings

The study shows the increase in demand for transport and the modal shift, from rail and sea to road, in terms of tonne-kilometres, vehicle-kilometres and CO2 emissions for three implementation strategies of HCVs in two scenarios. All implementation strategies show a positive social net-benefit with the introduction of HCVs.

Research limitations/implications

The results reveal potential benefits to the implementation of HCVs. The results are limited by possible over/under-estimations of effects considered in the calculations, due to uncertainties and assumptions.

Practical implications

The results highlight expected levels of modal shift and induced transport for different HCV implementation strategies and how they depend on transport and climate policies and the expected growth of tonne-kilometres.

Originality/value

The calculations consider socio-economic effects, particularly from increased CO2 emissions due to modal shift and induced traffic, which is lacking in previous studies. To balance conflicting economic and environmental goals, the findings indicate that the implementation of HCVs could be accompanied by other policy measures. The findings are based on the Swedish context, but the model can be adapted to other countries or regions and to study other freight transport reforms.
Compensation of top brass, corporate governance and performance of the Indian family firms – an empirical study
Authors: Saravanan Palanisamy , Srikanth Maram , Avabruth Suhas M.
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The objective of this study is to understand the linkages among executive compensation, corporate governance and performance of the Indian family and non-family firms. Further, the study also analyzes the level of shareholding pattern of the Indian family firms on their performance and the executive compensation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have collected panel data of the companies listed on the National Stock Exchange of India Limited. The data set consists of 284 companies (both family and non-family) for the period 2005–2014. The authors have made use of a dynamic panel data model with generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation to formulate the hypotheses and used fixed-effects regression model to check the robustness of our findings.

Findings

The authors find support for the agency theory, stewardship theory and resource dependence theory in the paper. Specifically, variables related to executive compensation, corporate governance (board size, proportion of independent directors on board, chief executive officers duality and other directorships held by the executive directors outside the company), firm performance (Tobin’s Q), leverage and shareholding pattern of the family are significant in this study.

Practical implications

The study has practical implications for all stakeholders of the family and non-family firms, especially in the emerging market economies. It can be used as a reference guide by various other stakeholders of the family firms,viz.,customers, educators, tax authorities, government and society.

Originality/value

The authors confirm that their research is original and provides valuable insights on the Indian family firms. The authors study cross-holding of directorships, inter alia, in the Indian family business groups. As most of the previous studies in the Indian context ignored this important aspect, this study is unique in nature.
CSR and turnover intentions: examining the underlying psychological mechanisms
Authors: Chaudhary Richa
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of employees’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions on their turnover intentions. It strives to understand the underlying psychological mechanisms by proposing and testing mediation and moderation hypotheses. Specifically, employee engagement was examined as mediator and gender, belief in the importance of CSR and CSR awareness were examined as moderators of the proposed relationship between CSR and turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The target population for the study consisted of junior, middle and senior business professionals from both public and private sector manufacturing and service firms operating in India. The data were collected with the help of self-administered questionnaires via both personal visits to the organizations and internet-based questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the study hypotheses.

Findings

The study results suggest a significant influence of employees’ CSR perceptions on their turnover intentions. Additionally, the study delineates the role of employee engagement in understanding the potential of a firm’s involvement in CSR activities in influencing employee attitudes and behaviour at work. Interestingly, significant gender variations were observed in the proposed set of relationships. Belief in the importance of CSR and CSR awareness were also found to significantly moderate the relationship between CSR and turnover intentions.

Practical implications

By providing persuasive evidence on tangible business benefits of CSR initiatives, this study addresses the concerns of corporate managers to prove the business potential and value engendered by their CSR efforts.

Originality/value

The study makes a novel contribution by not only examining the direct association between the CSR and turnover intentions, but also by going a step ahead to unfurl the underlying psychological mechanisms for better understanding of the relationships.
Flexibility in the duration of parental care: Female leopards prioritise cub survival over reproductive output
Authors: Balme Guy A. , Robinson Hugh S. , Pitman Ross T. , Hunter Luke T. B.
Published: June 2017

Deciding when to terminate care of offspring is a key consideration for parents. Prolonging care may increase fitness of current offspring, but it can also reduce opportunities for future reproduction. Despite its evolutionary importance, few studies have explored the optimal duration of parental care, particularly among large carnivores.

We used a 40‐year dataset to assess the trade‐offs associated with the length of maternal care in leopards in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa. We compared the costs imposed by care on the survival and residual reproductive value of leopard mothers against the benefits derived from maternal care in terms of increased offspring survival, recruitment and reproduction. We also examined the demographic and ecological factors affecting the duration of care in the light of five explanatory hypotheses: litter size, sex allocation, resource limitation, timing of independence and terminal investment.

Duration of care exhibited by female leopards varied markedly, from 9 to 35 months. Mothers did not appear to suffer any short‐ or long‐term survival costs from caring for cubs, but extending care reduced the number of litters that mothers could produce during their lifetimes. Interestingly, the duration of care did not appear to affect the post‐independence survival or reproductive success of offspring (although it may have indirectly affected offspring survival by influencing dispersal distance). However, results from generalised linear mixed models showed that mothers prolonged care during periods of prey scarcity, supporting the resource limitation hypothesis. Female leopards also cared for sons longer than daughters, in line with the sex‐allocation hypothesis.

Cub survival is an important determinant of the lifetime reproductive success in leopards. By buffering offspring against environmental perturbation without jeopardising their own survivorship, female leopards apparently “hedge their bets” with current offspring rather than gamble on future offspring which have a small probability of surviving.

In many species, parents put their own needs before that of their offspring. Leopard mothers appear sensitive to their offspring's demands, and adjust levels of care accordingly.
Lianas reduce community‐level canopy tree reproduction in a Panamanian forest
Authors: García León María M. , Martínez Izquierdo Laura , Mello Felipe Nery Arantes , Powers Jennifer S. , Schnitzer Stefan A.
Published: June 2017

Lianas are a key component of tropical forests, where they compete intensely with trees, reducing tree recruitment, growth and survival. One of the most important potential outcomes of liana competition is the reduction of tree reproduction; however, no previous study has experimentally determined the effects of lianas on tree reproduction beyond a single tree species.

We used a large‐scale liana removal experiment to quantify the effect of lianas on community‐level canopy and understorey tree and palm reproduction. In 2011, we removed lianas from eight 6,400‐m2plots (eight plots served as controls) and surveyed understorey tree reproduction in 2012, canopy tree and palm reproduction in 2013, and a second census of all plants in 2016.

We found that lianas significantly reduced canopy tree community flowering and fruiting after liana removal. Two years after liana removal, the number of canopy trees with fruits was 173% higher, fruiting individuals had 50% more of their canopy covered by fruits and the number of tree species with fruits was 169% higher than in control plots where lianas were present. Five years after liana removal, the number of canopy trees with fruits was 150% higher, fruiting individuals had 31% more of their canopy covered by fruits and the number of tree species with fruits was 109% higher than in unmanipulated control plots.

Liana removal had only a slight positive effect on palms and on understorey tree flower and fruit production, even though understorey light levels had increased 20% following liana cutting.

Synthesis. Our findings provide the first experimental demonstration that competition from lianas significantly reduces community‐level canopy tree reproduction. Reduced reproduction increases canopy tree seed and dispersal limitations, and may interfere with deterministic mechanisms thought to maintain tropical canopy tree species diversity, as well as reduce food availability to many animal species. Because lianas are increasing in abundance in many neotropical forests, the effects of lianas on tree reproduction will likely increase, and if the effects of lianas on tree reproduction vary with tree species identity, lianas ultimately could have a destabilizing effect on both tree and animal population dynamics.
Accuracy of combinations of visual inspection using acetic acid or lugol iodine to detect cervical precancer: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Catarino R , Schäfer S , Vassilakos P , Petignat P , Arbyn M
Published: June 2017

Background

Visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid (VIA) or with Lugol's iodine (VILI) have been evaluated for cervical cancer screening in developing countries.

Objectives

To assess the diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of visual methods to detect cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2+ (CIN2+) using: (1) VIA alone; (2) VILI alone; (3) co‐testing; and (4) VILI as a triage test of a positive VIA result.

Search strategy

PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched up to May 2016.

Selection criteria

All reports on the accuracy of VIA and VILI, or combinations of VIA/VILI, to detect CIN2+ were identified. Histology and colposcopy when no biopsy was taken were used as the reference standard.

Data collection and analysis

Selected studies were scored on methodological quality, and sensitivity and specificity were computed. Clinical utility was assessed from the positive predictive value (PPV) and the complement of the negative predictive value (cNPV).

Main results

We included 23 studies comprising 101 273 women. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of VILI was 88 and 86%, respectively. VILI was more sensitive, but not less specific, compared with VIA (relative sensitivity = 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 1.06–1.16; relative specificity = 0.98; 95% CI 0.95–1.01). Co‐testing was hardly more sensitive, but significantly less specific, than VILI alone. VILI to triage VIA‐POSITIVE women was not less sensitive, but more specific, compared with VIA alone (relative sensitivity = 0.98, 95% CI 0.96–1.01; relative specificity = 1.04, 95% CI 1.02–1.05). The average PPVs were low (range 11–16%), whereas the cNPV varied between 0.3% (VILI, co‐testing) and 0.6% (triage).

Conclusions

Although imperfect, VILI alone appeared to be the most useful visual screening strategy.

Tweetable abstract

VILI alone seems to be the most useful visual screening test for cervical cancer screening.
Can Appreciative Inquiry increase positive interactions, student self‐advocacy and turn‐taking during IEP meetings?
Authors: Kozik Peter L.
Published: June 2017

This comparative research study in the context of action research documents the effects of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) on positive participant interactions, student turn‐taking and self‐advocacy interactions during IEP meetings that focused on student transition to post‐secondary outcomes. AI was implemented as a written protocol for conducting IEP meetings in one school unit (P) that had been developed from an AI training in a second school unit (E) which also used the protocol. A third unit (C) with neither training nor a protocol to use served as a comparison. 124 IEP meetings in these three units in New York State in the United States were observed and recorded in 10 second increments. Results indicated increases in percentages of positive interactions, student turn‐taking, and of student self‐advocacy in both the AI trained and protocol unit (E) and in the unit using the protocol alone (P) over the comparison unit (C) and over earlier pilot data (P (Pilot)). AI may be an effective consultative and educational process for encouraging some factors that lead to student success in transitioning to college, career, and life beyond graduation from school.
Smartphone and Tablet Applications for Crime Scene Investigation: State of the Art, Typology, and Assessment Criteria
Authors: Baechler Simon , Gélinas Anthony , Tremblay Rémy , Lu Karely , Crispino Frank
Published: June 2017

The use of applications on mobile devices is gradually becoming a new norm in everyday life, and crime scene investigation is unlikely to escape this reality. The article assesses the current state of research and practices by means of literature reviews, semistructured interviews, and a survey conducted among crime scene investigators from Canada and Switzerland. Attempts at finding a particular strategy to guide the development, usage, and evaluation of applications that can assist crime scene investigation prove to be rather challenging. Therefore, the article proposes a typology for these applications, as well as criteria for evaluating their relevance, reliability, and answer to operational requirements. The study of five applications illustrates the evaluation process. Far away from the revolution announced by some stakeholders, it is required to pursue scientific and pragmatic research to set the theoretical foundations that will allow a significant contribution of applications to crime scene investigation.
Fingerprint Change: Not Visible, But Tangible
Authors: Negri Francesca V. , De Giorgi Annamaria , Bozzetti Cecilia , Squadrilli Anna , Petronini Pier Giorgio , Leonardi Francesco , Bisogno Luigi , Garofano Luciano
Published: June 2017

Hand–foot syndrome, a chemotherapy‐induced cutaneous toxicity, can cause an alteration in fingerprints causing a setback for cancer patients due to the occurrence of false rejections. A colon cancer patient was fingerprinted after not having been able to use fingerprint recognition devices after 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy. The fingerprint images were digitally processed to improve fingerprint definition without altering the papillary design. No evidence of skin toxicity was present. Two months later, the situation returned to normal. The fingerprint evaluation conducted on 15 identification points highlighted the quantitative and qualitative fingerprint alteration details detected after the end of chemotherapy and 2 months later. Fingerprint alteration during chemotherapy has been reported, but to our knowledge, this particular case is the first ever reported without evident clinical signs. Alternative fingerprint identification methods as well as improved biometric identification systems are needed in case of unexpected situations.
Scanning Electron Microscopy–Energy‐Dispersive X‐Ray (SEM/EDX): A Rapid Diagnostic Tool to Aid the Identification of Burnt Bone and Contested Cremains
Authors: Ellingham Sarah T. D. , Thompson Tim J. U. , Islam Meez
Published: June 2017

This study investigates the use of Scanning electron microscopy–energy‐dispersive X‐ray (SEM‐EDX) as a diagnostic tool for the determination of the osseous origin of samples subjected to different temperatures. Sheep (Ovis aries) ribs of two experimental groups (fleshed and defleshed) were burned at temperatures of between 100°C and 1100°C in 100°C increments and subsequently analyzed with theSEM‐EDXto determine the atomic percentage of present elements. Three‐factorANOVAanalysis showed that neither the exposure temperature, nor whether the burning occurred with or without soft tissue present had any significant influence on the bone's overall elemental makeup (p > 0.05). The Ca/P ratio remained in the osseous typical range of between 1.6 and 2.58 in all analyzed samples. This demonstrates that even faced with high temperatures, the overall gross elemental content and atomic percentage of elements in bone remain stable, creating a unique “fingerprint” for osseous material, even after exposure to extreme conditions.
Predischarge Injectable Versus Oral Naltrexone to Improve Postdischarge Treatment Engagement Among Hospitalized Veterans with Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Pilot Proof‐of‐Concept Study
Authors: Busch Angela Christina , Denduluri Meenakshi , Glass Joseph , Hetzel Scott , Gugnani Shalu P. , Gassman Michele , Krahn Dean , Deyo Brienna , Brown Randall
Published: June 2017

Background

Injectable naltrexone for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) has been efficacious in several studies. It has not been (i) compared head‐to‐head with oral naltrexone or (ii) examined in the hospital setting as an intervention that might facilitate treatment attendance after hospital discharge.

Methods

Fifty‐four hospitalized veterans identified as having DSM‐IV‐TR alcohol dependence were randomized to receive (i) a 50 mg oral naltrexone plus a 30‐day prescription or (ii) a 380 mg intramuscular naltrexone injection prior to discharge. Of 113 veteran inpatients deemed eligible based on screening criteria, 54 met final eligibility criteria and were enrolled and randomized. Baseline data included demographics, alcohol consumption, and comorbidity. Measures of treatment initiation and engagement and alcohol consumption were reassessed at 14‐ and 45‐day follow‐ups.

Results

Thirty‐five participants (64.8%) completed the entire study protocol (received a study medication and completed 14‐ and 45‐day follow‐ups). Among those who received a study medication (n = 45), 77.8% completed all follow‐up interviews. This pilot study was not designed to have sufficient statistical power for hypothesis testing, and thus, as expected, there were no significant differences between groups in medication adherence (self‐report of >80% of daily doses taken in oral group; receipt of second injection in the injection group), treatment engagement (at least treatment 3 visits in the 30 days postdischarge, and 2 or more visits per month in each of the 3 months following discharge) or alcohol consumption at 14 or at 45 days (p > 0.05). The median number of drinks among the entire cohort in the 2 weeks prior to hospitalization (128 drinks) was significantly higher than at day 14 (0 drinks, p < 0.001) or day 45 (0 drinks, p < 0.001). Rates of medication adherence were 62% in the oral group and 61% in the injection group.

Conclusions

Results indicate feasibility for larger, more definitive study. Both groups had significant reductions in alcohol consumption over time and high‐treatment engagement rates. Both oral and injectable formulations are feasible to initiate prior to discharge for hospital inpatients identified as having an AUD.
Intergenerational Inequality? Labour, Capital, and Housing Through the Ages
Authors: Christophers Brett
Published: June 2017

This article examines the relevance of generational relations to emerging patterns of inequality in advanced capitalist societies, with a particular focus on inequalities related to housing wealth. At its heart is a critique of the increasingly prevalent argument that generational difference is a crucial axis of inequality today. It argues that while contemporary capitalist societies are certainly characterized by marked inequalities between generations and that the latter are manifested inter alia in housing ownership, understanding such inequalities principally in generational terms is problematic because they reflect deeper, more fundamental, structural inequalities and should therefore be conceptualized as such. The article suggests that the principal significance of generational relations to contemporary inequality dynamics actually concerns economic transfers rather than differences between generations. Within‐family transfers of wealth, especially housing‐related wealth, from older generations to younger ones tend to reproduce pronounced, structurally generated existing patterns of intra‐generational inequality.