bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrical stimulation delays reinnervation in denervated rat muscle
Authors: Pinheiro‐Dardis Clara M. , Erbereli Bruna T. , Gigo‐Benato Davilene , Castro Paula A.T.S. , Russo Thiago L.
Published: January 2017

Introduction

It is not clear if electrical stimulation (ES) can affect muscle reinnervation. This study aimed to verify if ES affects neuromuscular recovery after nerve crush injury in rats.

Methods

Denervated muscles were electrically stimulated daily for 6 or 14 days. Neuromuscular performance and excitability, and muscle morphology were determined. Muscle trophism markers (atrogin‐1, MuRF‐1, and myoD), as well as neuromuscular junction (NMJ) organization (muscle‐specific receptor tyrosine kinase [MuSK], cytoplasmic protein downstream of kinase‐7 [Dok‐7], nicotinic ACh receptor [nAChR], and neural cell adhesion molecule [N‐CAM]) were assessed.

Results

ES impaired neuromuscular recovery at day 14 postdenervation. Muscle hypoexcitability was accentuated by ES at 6 and 14 days postdenervation. Although ES reduced the accumulation of atrogin‐1, MuRF1, and myoD mRNAs, it increased muscle atrophy. Gene expression of MuSK, Dok‐7, nAChR, and the content of N‐CAM protein were altered by ES.

Discussion

ES can delay the reinnervation process by modulating factors related to NMJ stability and organization, and inducing dysfunction, hypoexcitability, and muscle atrophy. Muscle Nerve 56: E108–E118, 2017
Steady‐state analytical solutions of flow and deformation coupling due to a point sink within a finite fluid‐saturated poroelastic layer
Authors: Li P. , Wang K. , Fang G. , Lu D.
Published: January 2017

An exact steady‐state closed‐form solution is presented for coupled flow and deformation of an axisymmetric isotropic homogeneous fluid‐saturated poroelastic layer with a finite radius due to a point sink. The hydromechanical behavior of the poroelastic layer is governed by Biot's consolidation theory. Boundary conditions on the lateral surface are specifically chosen to match the appropriate finite Hankel transforms and simplify the transforms of the governing equations. Ordinary differential equations in the transformed domain are solved, and then the analytical solutions in the physical space for the pore pressure and the displacements are finally obtained by using finite Hankel inversions. The analytical solutions at some special locations such as the top and bottom surfaces, lateral surface, and the symmetrical axis are given and analyzed. And a case study for the consolidation of a water‐saturated soft clay layer due to pumping is conducted. The analytical solution is verified against the finite element solution. Meanwhile, an analysis of coupled hydromechanical behavior is carried out herein. The presented analytical solution is an exact solution to the practical poroelastic problem within an axisymmetric finite layer. It can provide us a better understanding of the poroelastic behavior of the finite layer due to fluid extraction. Besides, it can be applied to calibrate numerical schemes of axisymmetric poroelasticity within finite domains. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DEM–FEM analysis of soil failure process via the separate edge coupling method
Authors: Tu F. , Ling D. , Hu C. , Zhang R.
Published: January 2017

The concurrent multiscale method, which couples the discrete element method (DEM) for predicting the local micro‐scale evolution of the soil particle skeleton with the finite element method (FEM) for estimating the remaining macro‐scale continuum deformation, is a versatile tool for modeling the failure process of soil masses. This paper presents the separate edge coupling method, which is degenerated from the generalized bridging domain method and is good at eliminating spurious reflections that are induced by coupling models of different scales, to capture the granular behavior in the domain of interest and to coarsen the mesh to save computational cost in the remaining domain. Cundall non‐viscous damping was used as numerical damping to dissipate the kinetic energy for simulating static failure problems. The proposed coupled DEM–FEM scheme was adopted to model the wave propagation in a 1D steel bar, a soil slope because of the effect of a shallow foundation and a plane‐strain cone penetration test (CPT). The numerical results show that the separate edge coupling method is effective when it is adopted for a problem with Cundall non‐viscous damping; it qualitatively reproduces the failure process of the soil masses and is consistent with the full micro‐scale discrete element model. Stress discontinuity is found in the coupling domain. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluating Public Charity Websites
Authors: Kirk Kristin , Abrahams Alan S.
Published: January 2017

In this study, we explore nonprofit website development by applying two different types of website assessment tools to US charity websites. One instrument is theoretically based in nonprofit tendencies; the other is a commercial automated service. The results of these evaluation tools are further analyzed to determine whether the instruments are sufficiently independent for evaluation of nonprofit websites. The results illuminate differences in the assessment tools, finding them to be complementary. Each method offers different insights into website development deficiencies and avenues for improvement.
Does diet mediate associations of volume and bouts of sedentary time with cardiometabolic health indicators in adolescents?
Authors: Fletcher Elly A. , Carson Valerie , McNaughton Sarah A. , Dunstan David W. , Healy Genevieve N. , Salmon Jo
Published: January 2017

Objective

Examine the mediating role of diet in the relationship between volume and duration of sedentary time with cardiometabolic health in adolescents.

Methods

Adolescents (12‐19 years) participating in the 2003/04 and 2005/06 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were examined. Cardiometabolic health indicators were body mass index z‐scores (zBMI) (n = 1,797) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) (n = 812). An ActiGraph hip‐worn accelerometer was used to derive total sedentary time and usual sedentary bout duration. Dietary intake was assessed using two 24‐hour dietary recalls. Mediation analyses were conducted to examine five dietary mediators [total energy intake, discretionary foods, sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSB), fruits and vegetables, and dietary quality] of the relationship between total sedentary time and usual sedentary bout duration with zBMI and MetS.

Results

Total sedentary time was inversely associated with zBMI (β = −1.33; 95% CI −2.53 to −0.13) but attenuated after adjusting for moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity. No significant associations were observed between usual sedentary bout duration with zBMI or either sedentary measure with MetS. None of the five dietary variables mediated any of the relationships examined.

Conclusions

Further studies are needed to explore associations of specific time periods (e.g., after school) and bout durations with both cardiometabolic health indicators and dietary behaviors.
Design of simultaneous static output feedback low‐gain H∞ controllers for a collection of time‐delay system
Authors: Wu Jenq‐Lang , Chang Yuan‐Chang , Chen Song‐Shyong
Published: January 2017

This paper considers the design of simultaneous static output feedback controllers for a finite collection of time‐delay linear systems. By solving a minimization problem, we try to find an output feedback low‐gain controller such that all resultant closed‐loop time‐delay systems are internally stable and satisfy a prespecified H∞‐norm requirement. Based on the barrier method, necessary conditions for local optimum of the minimization problem are derived. An example is given for illustration.
Implementing guidelines: Proposed definitions of neuropsychology services in pediatric oncology
Authors: Baum Katherine T. , Powell Stephanie K. , Jacobson Lisa A. , Gragert Marsha N. , Janzen Laura A. , Paltin Iris , Rey‐Casserly Celiane M. , Wilkening Greta N.
Published: January 2017

Several organizations have published guidelines for the neuropsychological care of survivors of childhood cancer. However, there is limited consensus in how these guidelines are applied. The model of neuropsychology service delivery is further complicated by the variable terminology used to describe recommended services. In an important first step to translate published guidelines into clinical practice, this paper proposes definitions for specific neuropsychological processes and services, with the goal of facilitating consistency across sites to foster future clinical program development and to clarify clinical practice guidelines.
Family estimates of risk for neurocognitive late effects following pediatric cancer: From diagnosis through the first three years of survivorship
Authors: Shultz Emily L. , Lehmann Vicky , Rausch Joseph R. , Keim Madelaine C. , Winning Adrien M. , Olshefski Randal S. , Vannatta Kathryn A. , Compas Bruce E. , Gerhardt Cynthia A.
Published: January 2017

Background

Families often express a need for additional information about neurocognitive late effects (NCLE) after a pediatric cancer diagnosis. Therefore, we examined: (i) differences in parent, child, and oncologist estimates of risk for NCLE; (ii) whether the estimates of parents and/or children change over time; and (iii) whether estimates are different for children treated with central nervous system (CNS) directed therapies.

Procedure

Mothers, fathers, and children (initial age: 5–17, self‐report: >10) from 258 families reported their perceived likelihood of the child developing “thinking/learning problems” on a visual analog scale (0–100%) at 2 months (T1), 1 year (T2), and 3 years (T3) following cancer diagnosis/relapse. Oncologists estimated the likelihood of NCLE at T1. Children were separated into groups based on CNS‐directed treatment (n = 137; neurosurgery, intrathecal chemotherapy, and/or craniospinal radiation) or no CNS treatment.

Results

Mother, father, and child estimates of risk for NCLE were similar to oncologists and to one another around diagnosis (T1). Although there were no significant mean differences, a considerable subset of family members either underestimated their child's risk for NCLE (>40%) or overestimated the risk for NCLE (20%) in comparison to oncologists. At T2 and T3, the estimates of mothers were significantly higher than children. Linear growth curves indicated that mothers’ estimates for children with CNS‐directed treatment significantly increased throughout the first 3 years of survivorship.

Conclusions

Considering that accurate understanding of NCLE is essential to seeking appropriate assessment and intervention, healthcare providers should focus on implementing family‐based education early in treatment and throughout survivorship care.
Enolesters as chain end‐functionalizing agents for the living ring opening metathesis polymerization
Authors: Liu Peng , Yasir Mohammad , Kurzen Helena , Hanik Nils , Schäfer Mark , Kilbinger Andreas F. M.
Published: January 2017

Functional enolethers have previously been used to introduce functional end groups at the chain end of ruthenium carbene complex initiated living ring opening metathesis polymers. Here, we investigated whether the weaker π‐donating enolesters could equally be used in regio selective reactions with ruthenium carbene complexes and thus as polymer end‐functionalization reagents. Enolesters such as vinyl acetate, butenyl acetate, 3‐(4‐(tert‐butoxy)phenyl)propenyl acetate and 6‐(((benzyloxy)carbonyl)amino)hex‐1‐en‐1‐yl acetate were used as living ROMP terminating agents. All gave the expected end groups proving that enolesters are synthetically easily accessible targets for living ROMP end‐functionalization. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017, 55, 2983–2990
Robust control of nonlinear semi‐strict feedback systems using finite‐time disturbance observers
Authors: Yang Zi‐Jiang
Published: January 2017

The output tracking controller design problem is dealt with for a class of nonlinear semi‐strict feedback systems in the presence of mismatched nonlinear uncertainties, external disturbances, and uncertain nonlinear virtual control coefficients of the subsystems. The controller is designed in a backstepping manner, and to avoid the shortcoming of ‘explosion of terms’, the dynamic surface control technique that employs a group of first‐order low‐pass filters is adopted. At each step of the virtual controller design, a robust feedback controller employing some effective nonlinear damping terms is designed to guarantee input‐to‐state practical stable property of the corresponding subsystem, so that the system states remain in the feasible domain. The virtual controller is enhanced by a finite‐time disturbance observer that estimates the disturbance term in a finite‐time. The properties of the composite control system are analyzed theoretically. Furthermore, by exploiting the cascaded structure of the control system, a simplified robust controller is proposed where only the first subsystem employs a disturbance observer. The performance of the proposed methods is confirmed by numerical examples. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Can Engaging in Science Practices Promote Deep Understanding of Them?
Authors: KUHN DEANNA , ARVIDSSON TOI SIN , LESPERANCE ROSIANE , CORPREW RAINIKKA
Published: January 2017

It is now widely accepted, and indeed emphasized in the Next Generation Science Standards, that science education should encompass scientific practice as well as science content. By participating in an intellectual community engaged in the broad range of activities that constitute scientific inquiry, rather than simply mastering isolated science procedures, it is hoped students will come to better understand and appreciate the norms, goals, and values that govern the conduct of science. We put this expectation to empirical test by engaging a secondary school science class in an extended problem‐based activity that included design of investigations, multivariable causal analysis, and argumentation. Compared to students in a nonparticipating control group, in delayed assessments involving new content, participating students showed more advanced investigation, analysis, and argumentation skills, but also superior epistemological understanding regarding science as entailing the evaluation of claims in relation to available evidence.
Geographic, Network, and Competitor Social Cues: Evidence from U.S. Venture Capitalists Internationalization Decisions
Authors: Vedula Siddharth , Matusik Sharon F.
Published: January 2017

Research summary

We examine how social cues drive strategic decision making under uncertainty, specifically in the context of U.S. VC firms’ first internationalization decisions. We compare the relative impacts of cues from: (a) geographically proximal firms, (b) syndicate partners, and (c) VCs investing in the same industries as the focal firm. Over the 23‐year period from 1990 to 2012, we find that cues from geographically proximal peers are important, while syndicate partner actions play a significant but smaller role in driving focal firm internationalization decisions. Analogous, firm‐specific experience in the form of nonlocal (but domestic) investing attenuates the effect of geographically proximal peers. Our findings have important implications on how the nature of information from social cues affects imitation decisions.

Managerial summary

The U.S. venture capital industry has globalized rapidly over the past two decades, but the decision to invest abroad is still a highly uncertain one, particularly for firms with no prior global experience. We examine the extent to which such initial internationalization decisions are driven by social cues, comparing the relative impacts of social cues from: (a) geographically proximal firms, (b) syndicate partners, and (c) VCs investing in the same industries as the focal firm. We find that the foreign investment decisions of geographically proximal peers have the strongest impact, while syndicate partner actions play a smaller role. The impacts of geographically proximal peers are also weaker for firms that have analogous experience, in the form of nonlocal (but domestic) investing. Copyright © 2017 Strategic Management Society
The addition of acid treated carbon nanotube on the interfacial adhesion of carbon fiber reinforced UHMWPE composite
Authors: Qiujun Liao , Feng He , Ming Yang , Di Yang
Published: January 2017

Carbon fiber reinforced Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (CF/UHMWPE) composites have been filled with acid treated carbon nanotube to enhance the adhesion. According to the modification, the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of composites has been greatly improved. Dynamic wetting method, XPS and SEM are used to examine the microscopic properties of resultant composites. The enhanced ILSS is attributed to the CNT interlock, which improves the wetting between carbon fibers and resins. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multifunctional Inorganic Nanocomposite of Fe3O4@SiO2@Ru(BiPy)2(BPC) for DNA Recognition
Authors: Rao Kandibanda Srinivasa , Narasimha Gundeboina , Manorama Sunkara V.
Published: January 2017

Fe3O4@SiO2@Ru(2,2’bipyridine/BiPy)2(2,2’ bipyridine‐4,4’dicarboxylic acid/BPC) nanocomposite has been designed, synthesized and demonstrated for its application as a sensor for DNA recognition. The Fe3O4@SiO2@Ru(BiPy)2(BPC) nanocomposite was characterized at every stage of the synthesis by FT‐IR, VSM, SEM to confirm the composite formation. In the sensing phenomenon Fe3O4@SiO2@Ru(BiPy)2(BPC) nanocomposite covalently bonded with DNA, that was confirmed by absorption and fluorescence titrations. Agarose gel electrophoresis experiment supported our claim that the carboxylic group in the inorganic nanocomposite plays an important role in the DNA detection. The spectral overlap between the DNA‐conjugated inorganic nanocomposites and free inorganic nanocomposite in the emission spectra was explained by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). This nanosensor would be useful to detect the location and interaction of DNA in cellular structures.
Aromaticity, the Hückel 4 n+2 Rule and Magnetic Current
Authors: Zhao Lili , Grande‐Aztatzi Rafael , Foroutan‐Nejad Cina , Ugalde Jesus M. , Frenking Gernot
Published: January 2017

Quantum chemical calculations using density functional theory and correlatedab initiomethods of the 10 π‐electron systems (N6H6)2+and C2N4H6show that the planar forms are no minima on the potential energy surfaces. The twisted ring structures of the two species are energy minima, but acyclic isomers are much lower in energy. The planar geometries sustain strong diamagnetic ring current comparable with that of benzene. In contrast, the calculated multicenter normalized Giambiagi electron delocalization index INGsuggests that π‐delocalization in planar (N6H6)2+and C2N4H6is much weaker than in benzene. Since aromaticity is synonymous for a particular stability of cyclic delocalized systems, it may be stated that calculation or measurement of magnetic chemical shifts due to induced ring currents is not a reliable method to ascertain the aromatic character of a molecule. Aromatic compounds exhibit ring current induced magnetic shielding, but the reverse conclusion that ring current induced magnetic shielding identifies aromaticity is not justified. Furthermore, the 4n+2 rule as indicator of aromatic stabilization should only be used in conjunction with the ring size; the nature of the occupied π orbitals must always be examined.
Hybrid AFM for Nanoscale Physicochemical Characterization: Recent Development and Emerging Applications
Authors: Fu Wanyi , Zhang Wen
Published: January 2017

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has evolved to be one of the most powerful tools for the characterization of material surfaces especially at the nanoscale. Recent development of AFM has incorporated a suite of analytical techniques including surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique and infrared (IR) spectroscopy to further reveal chemical composition and map the chemical distribution. This incorporation not only elevates the functionality of AFM but also increases the resolution limitation of conventional IR and Raman spectroscopy. Despite the rapid development of such hybrid AFM techniques, many unique features, principles, applications, potential pitfalls or artifacts are not well known to the community. This review systematically summarizes the recent relevant literature on hybrid AFM principles and applications. It focuses specially on AFM‐IR and AFM‐Raman techniques. Various applications in different research fields are critically reviewed and discussed, highlighting the potentials of these hybrid AFM techniques. Here, the major drawbacks and limitations of these two hybrid AFM techniques are presented. The intentions of this article are to shed new light on the future research and achieve improvements in stability and reliability of the measurements.
Surface Coating Constraint Induced Anisotropic Swelling of Silicon in Si–Void@SiOx Nanowire Anode for Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Liu Qian , Cui Zhe , Zou Rujia , Zhang Jianhua , Xu Kaibing , Hu Junqing
Published: January 2017

Here a simple and an environmentally friendly approach is developed for the fabrication of Si–void@SiOx nanowires of a high‐capacity Li‐ion anode material. The outer surface of the robust SiOx backbone and the inside void structure in Si–void@SiOx nanowires appropriately suppress the volume expansion and lead to anisotropic swelling morphologies of Si nanowires during lithiation/delithiation, which is first demonstrated by the in situ lithiation process. Remarkably, the Si–void@SiOx nanowire electrode exhibits excellent overall lithium‐storage performance, including high specific capacity, high rate property, and excellent cycling stability. A reversible capacity of 1981 mAh g−1 is obtained in the fourth cycle, and the capacity is maintained at 2197 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at a current density of 0.5 C. The outstanding overall properties of the Si–void@SiOx nanowire composite make it a promising anode material of lithium‐ion batteries for the power‐intensive energy storage applications.
Characterizing half‐a‐degree difference: a review of methods for identifying regional climate responses to global warming targets
Authors: James Rachel , Washington Richard , Schleussner Carl‐Friedrich , Rogelj Joeri , Conway Declan
Published: January 2017

The Paris Agreement long‐term global temperature goal refers to two global warming levels: well below 2°C and 1.5°C above preindustrial. Regional climate signals at specific global warming levels, and especially the differences between 1.5°C and 2°C, are not well constrained, however. In particular, methodological challenges related to the assessment of such differences have received limited attention. This article reviews alternative approaches for identifying regional climate signals associated with global temperature limits, and evaluates the extent to which they constitute a sound basis for impacts analysis. Four methods are outlined, including comparing data from different greenhouse gas scenarios, sub‐selecting climate models based on global temperature response, pattern scaling, and extracting anomalies at the time of each global temperature increment. These methods have rarely been applied to compare 2°C with 1.5°C, but some demonstrate potential avenues for useful research. Nevertheless, there are methodological challenges associated with the use of existing climate model experiments, which are generally designed to model responses to different levels of greenhouse gas forcing, rather than to model climate responses to a specific level of forcing that targets a given level of global temperature change. Novel approaches may be required to address policy questions, in particular: to differentiate between half degree warming increments while accounting for different sources of uncertainty; to examine mechanisms of regional climate change including the potential for nonlinear responses; and to explore the relevance of time‐lagged processes in the climate system and declining emissions, and the resulting sensitivity to alternative mitigation pathways. WIREs Clim Change 2017, 8:e457. doi: 10.1002/wcc.457

This article is categorized under:

Assessing Impacts of Climate Change > Scenario Development and Application
mRNA localization as a rheostat to regulate subcellular gene expression
Authors: Kejiou Nevraj S. , Palazzo Alexander F.
Published: January 2017

It is currently believed that certain messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are localized to distinct subcellular regions to efficiently target their encoded proteins. However, this simplistic model does not explain why in certain scenarios mRNA localization is dispensable for proper protein distribution. In other cases, mRNA localization is accompanied by translational silencing and degradation by the localization machinery. Here we propose that in certain scenarios mRNAs are localized so that they can either be stabilized and translated, or silenced and degraded, in response to the needs of the subcellular locale. In these cases, the localized mRNA, and its cadre of associated factors, act as a rheostat that regulates protein production and/or mRNA stability in response to the needs of its immediate subcellular environment. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1416. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1416

This article is categorized under:

Translation > Translation Regulation

RNA Export and Localization > RNA Localization

RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Turnover/Surveillance Mechanisms
Improvement of the ammonia assimilation for enhancing l-arginine production of Corynebacterium crenatum
Authors: Guo Jing , Man Zaiwei , Rao Zhiming , Xu Meijuan , Yang Taowei , Zhang Xian , Xu Zhenghong
Published: January 2017

There are four nitrogen atoms in l-arginine molecule and the nitrogen content is 32.1%. By now, metabolic engineering for l-arginine production strain improvement was focused on carbon flux optimization. In previous work, we obtained an l-arginine-producing Corynebacterium crenatum SDNN403 (ARG) through screening and mutation breeding. In this paper, a strain engineering strategy focusing on nitrogen supply and ammonium assimilation for l-arginine production was performed. Firstly, the effects of nitrogen atom donor (l-glutamate, l-glutamine and l-aspartate) addition on l-arginine production of ARG were studied, and the addition of l-glutamine and l-aspartate was beneficial for l-arginine production. Then, the glutamine synthetase gene glnA and aspartase gene aspA from E. coli were overexpressed in ARG for increasing the l-glutamine and l-aspartate synthesis, and the l-arginine production was effectively increased. In addition, the l-glutamate supply re-emerged as a limiting factor for l-arginine biosynthesis. Finally, the glutamate dehydrogenase gene gdh was co-overexpressed for further enhancement of l-arginine production. The final strain could produce 53.2 g l−1 of l-arginine, which was increased by 41.5% compared to ARG in fed-batch fermentation.
Personalisierte Medizin bei soliden Tumoren
Authors: Kast Karin , Arnold Norbert
Published: January 2017

Ein personalisierter Therapieansatz wird in der Behandlung solider Tumore seit Entdeckung der Hormonabhängigkeit von Mammakarzinomen verfolgt. Die verbesserten technischen Möglichkeiten, einen Tumor über die Organzugehörigkeit und den histopathologischen Befund hinaus zu charakterisieren, bringen neue Therapiemöglichkeiten hervor. Im Folgenden werden bereits existierende gezielte Therapieansätze und Resistenzmechanismen beschrieben. Neben einer Erläuterung der praktischen Anwendung der neuen Techniken wie Genexpressionsprofile und die Untersuchung von Tumormaterial auf somatische Mutationen in einer Vielzahl von Genen wird auch der neuen Entwicklung einer Therapie auf der Basis von Keimbahnmutationen in den GenenBRCA1undBRCA2mit dem PARP-Inhibitor Olaparib Rechnung getragen und ein Ausblick auf zukünftige Entwicklungen wie Liquid Biopsy erbracht.
Women and men farmer perceptions of economic and health benefits of orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) in Phalombe and Chikwawa districts in Malawi
Authors: Mudege Netsayi N. , Mayanja Sarah , Muzhingi Tawanda
Published: January 2017

Based on a qualitative study conducted in Chikwawa and Phalombe in Malawi, this paper looks at farmers perceived economic, health and social benefits of production, commercialization and consumption of orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP). Findings demonstrate that perceived health and economic benefits were key determinants in adoption of OFSP varieties. Men and women are receptive to health and nutrition based promotion messages. Health benefits included increased energy to work, for sex, improved health, general wellbeing and cognitive development for children. Economic benefits included ability to invest income from selling of OFSP roots and vines in housing, purchase of livestock, food, and land. Income from OFSP enabled farmers to diversify into other cash crops. Women also mentioned increasing self-esteem due to increased incomes since they no longer needed to ask for money from their husbands to buy household consumables. However, men and women did not have equal access to and control of economic benefits and therefore women could not invest in large assets like cattle, land and agriculture equipment which could contribute to food security and are important to moving out of poverty. Interventions to increase farmer incomes should be designed in ways that allow women to actively participate and benefit. Since livestock are a key investment option and also contribute to food security and diversification, options for making sweet potato based silage for animal feed would be an important intervention especially for vines that would otherwise go to waste due to lack of markets.
Language Contact in Europe
Authors: Drinka Bridget
Published: January 2017

This comprehensive new work provides extensive evidence for the essential role of language contact as a primary trigger for change. Unique in breadth, it traces the spread of the periphrastic perfect across Europe over the last 2,500 years, illustrating at each stage the micro-responses of speakers and communities to macro-historical pressures. Among the key forces claimed to be responsible for normative innovations in both eastern and western Europe is 'roofing' - the superstratal influence of Greek and Latin on languages under the influence of Greek Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism respectively. The author provides a new interpretation of the notion of 'sprachbund', presenting the model of a three-dimensional stratified convergence zone, and applies this model to her analysis of the have and be perfects within the Charlemagne sprachbund. The book also tackles broader theoretical issues, for example, demonstrating that the perfect tense should not be viewed as a universal category.
Imagined Societies
Authors: Schinkel Willem
Published: January 2017

In many countries in Western Europe, the demand for immigrant integration has inevitably raised questions about the 'societies' into which immigrants are asked to integrate. Imagined Societies critically intervenes in debates on immigrant integration and multiculturalism in Western Europe. Schinkel argues that the term 'multiculturalism' is not used primarily to describe a type of policy or political philosophy in countries such as the Netherlands, France, Germany or Belgium, but rather as a rhetorical device that promotes demands for 'integration'. He analyses how such demands are ways of imagining the very idea of a 'host society' as 'modern', 'secular' and 'enlightened'. Starting from debates in social theory on social imaginaries, and drawing on public debates on citizenship, secularism and sexuality, and on the social science of measuring immigrant integration, this book presents a highly original study of immigrant integration that challenges our understanding of the concept of society.
A Report of the Efforts of the Veterans Health Administration National Antimicrobial Stewardship Initiative
Authors: Kelly Allison A. , Jones Makoto M. , Echevarria Kelly L. , Kralovic Stephen M. , Samore Matthew H. , Goetz Matthew B. , Madaras-Kelly Karl J. , Simbartl Loretta A. , Morreale Anthony P. , Neuhauser Melinda M. , Roselle Gary A.
Published: January 2017

OBJECTIVE

To detail the activities of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Antimicrobial Stewardship Initiative and evaluate outcomes of the program.

DESIGN

Observational analysis.

SETTING

The VHA is a large integrated healthcare system serving approximately 6 million individuals annually at more than 140 medical facilities.

METHODS

Utilization of nationally developed resources, proportional distribution of antibiotics, changes in stewardship practices and patient safety measures were reported. In addition, inpatient antimicrobial use was evaluated before and after implementation of national stewardship activities.

RESULTS

Nationally developed stewardship resources were well utilized, and many stewardship practices significantly increased, including development of written stewardship policies at 92% of facilities by 2015 (P<.05). While the proportional distribution of antibiotics did not change, inpatient antibiotic use significantly decreased after VHA Antimicrobial Stewardship Initiative activities began (P<.0001). A 12% decrease in antibiotic use was noted overall. The VHA has also noted significantly declining use of antimicrobials prescribed for resistant Gram-negative organisms, including carbapenems, as well as declining hospital readmission and mortality rates. Concurrently, the VHA reported decreasing rates of Clostridium difficile infection.

CONCLUSIONS

The VHA National Antimicrobial Stewardship Initiative includes continuing education, disease-specific guidelines, and development of example policies in addition to other highly utilized resources. While no specific ideal level of antimicrobial utilization has been established, the VHA has shown that improving antimicrobial usage in a large healthcare system may be achieved through national guidance and resources with local implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:513–520
Media Framing and Partisan Identity: The Case of Immigration Coverage and White Macropartisanship
Authors: Abrajano Marisa A. , Hajnal Zoltan , Hassell Hans J. G.
Published: January 2017

Laboratory studies frequently find that framing changes individual issue positions. But few real-world studies have demonstrated framing induced shifts in aggregate political opinions, let alone political identities. One explanation for these divergent findings is that the competitive nature of most real-world political debates presents multiple frames that cancel each other out. We assess this proposition and the extent of real-world framing by focusing on the issue of immigration, which has been framed in largely negative terms by the media. Specifically, we assess the connection betweenNew York Timescoverage of immigration and aggregate white partisanship over the last three decades. We find that negative framing on immigration is associated with shifts toward the Republican Party—the Party linked with anti-immigrant positions. This suggests that under the right circumstances, framing can alter core political predispositions and shape the partisan balance of power.
Association between dietary fat intake and insulin resistance in Chinese child twins
Authors: Huang Tao , Beaty Terri , Li Ji , Liu Huijuan , Zhao Wei , Wang Youfa
Published: January 2017

Dietary fat intake is correlated with increased insulin resistance (IR). However, it is unknown whether gene–diet interaction modulates the association. This study estimated heritability of IR measures and the related genetic correlations with fat intake, and tested whether dietary fat intake modifies the genetic influence on type 2 diabetes (T2D)-related traits in Chinese child twins. We included 622 twins aged 7–15 years (n 311 pairs, 162 monozygotic (MZ), 149 dizygotic (DZ)) from south-eastern China. Dietary factors were measured using FFQ. Structural equation models were fit using Mx statistical package. The intra-class correlation coefficients for all traits related to T2D were higher for MZ twins than for DZ twins. Dietary fat and fasting serum insulin (additive genetic correlation (rA) 0·20; 95 % CI 0·08, 0·43), glucose (rA 0·12; 95 % CI 0·01, 0·40), homoeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (Homa-IR) (rA 0·22; 95 % CI 0·10, 0·50) and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (Quicki) (rA −0·22; 95 % CI −0·40, 0·04) showed strong genetic correlations. Heritabilities of dietary fat intake, fasting glucose and insulin were estimated to be 52, 70 and 70 %, respectively. More than 70 % of the phenotypic correlations between dietary fat and insulin, glucose, Homa-IR and the Quicki index appeared to be mediated by shared genetic influence. Dietary fat significantly modified additive genetic effects on these quantitative traits associated with T2D. Analysis of Chinese twins yielded high estimates of heritability of dietary fat intake and IR. Genetic factors appear to contribute to a high proportion of the variance for both insulin sensitivity and IR. Dietary fat intake modifies the genetic influence on blood levels of insulin and glucose, Homa-IR and the Quicki index.
Imperial but Not Colonial: Archival Truths, British India, and the Case of the “Naughty” Tibetans
Authors: McGranahan Carole
Published: January 2017

What truths are available in imperial archives for non-colonial subjects? Tibet was never colonized by the British, and yet was drawn into the British imperial domain in ways that impacted both political history and historiography. In the 1940s, Tibetan intellectual Rapga Pangdatsang based his Tibetan Improvement Party in Kalimpong, India where he soon ran afoul of colonial officials who thought he was a Chinese spy. By drawing on multiple archival, ethnographic, and historic sources, I show how the story of Rapga Pangdatsang and the first Tibetan political party enables a recalibrating of both Tibetan and British imperial history. It also opens up a consideration of empire beyond the colonial, and speaks more broadly to a consideration of the non-colonial as a thus-far overlooked aspect of empire.
Visas, Jokes, and Contraband: Citizenship and Sovereignty at the Mexico–U.S. Border
Authors: Yeh Rihan
Published: January 2017

This article explores citizenship and sovereignty at the Mexico–U.S. border through jokes told about and around checkpoint encounters—most centrally, those staged at the main port of entry connecting Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego, California. In Tijuana, I argue, U.S. state recognition validates the proper, middle-class citizenship of Mexicans resident in Mexico. Attitudes towards the United States, however, remain ambivalent. I begin by exploring the checkpoint jokes of drug-traffickers as represented in severalnarcocorridos(popular ballads about drug-trafficking). Though this music is disapproved of by most people invested in U.S. state recognition, I show next how middle-class jokes build on the trope of the trickster-trafficker to parry state interpellation. The jokes work as performative arguments where people begin to articulate the tensions that constitute citizenship and sovereignty at the border. Finally, I examine the consular interview for the U.S. Border Crossing Card, a key site knitting together U.S. and Mexican regimes of citizenship. Folk theories of how the interview works anticipate the jokes' bald thematization of duplicity, explaining why middle-class people would turn to jokes that frame them as traffickers. Understood in the context of the BCC interview, middle-class checkpoint jokes reveal Mexican citizenship as embedded in an international system organized not by principles of authentic identity, but by ambivalence, contradiction, and undecidability.
Is Charles Taylor (Still) a Weak Ontologist?
Authors: MEIJER MICHIEL
Published: January 2017

In this paper, I critically discuss Charles Taylor’s employment of the concept of ontology by shining a spotlight on a shift in emphasis from an anthropocentric to a non-anthropocentric viewpoint in his more recent writings on ontology. I also argue that Stephen White’s characterization of Taylor’s ‘weak’ ontology, while revealing, only partly explains Taylor’s position, as White’s interpretation leaves no room for the metaphysical thrust in Taylor’s thought. Drawing attention to a Taylor left out of White’s Taylor, I ultimately seek to show why Taylor’s distinctive mode of argumentation is not consonant with White’s weak-ontological approach.
Sea level drop, palaeoenvironmental change and related biotic responses across Guadalupian–Lopingian boundary in southwest, North and Central Iran
Authors: AREFIFARD SAKINEH
Published: January 2017

The Capitanian to Wuchiapingian deposits in Zagros (southwest Iran), Alborz (North Iran) and Central Iran display important information about the end-Guadalupian extinction. According to lithological characteristics in the studied sections, the Guadalupian–Lopingian boundary (G-LB) interval can be subdivided into three units: the Capitanian unit, the latest Capitanian unit or interval unit (i.e. deposits in the topmost portion of the Capitanian strata) and the Wuchiapingian unit. The G-LB horizon is set at the base of Wuchiapingian deposits based on the first appearance datum (FAD) of the Late Permian diagnostic small foraminifers. The Capitanian unit was deposited subtidally, but the latest Capitanian unit was in the intertidal zone. The Wuchiapingian unit shows the return of subtidal conditions. A remarkable subaerial exposure occurs at the top of the Ruteh Formation, in Alborz, which is a laterite/bauxite horizon followed by continental deposits. The overall facies change in the G-L boundary intervals in the sections under study indicates a sea level drop around the G-LB which was at its lowest level in the Ruteh section. The decline and elimination of shallow marine biota in the G-LB interval took place in two steps in the Zagros and Alborz sections and in one step in Central Iran. These are indicative of the appearance of the stressful environment during the late Capitanian shallowing trend before the G-LB. The sea level drop and regression in the late Capitanian can be considered the major causes of end-Guadalupian extinction in the Iranian sections, but in the Alborz area volcanic activity is another feasible cause of this crisis.
Revisiting Financial Services Sector Transparency through Whistleblowing: The Case of South Africa and Switzerland
Authors: Kawadza Herbert
Published: January 2017

The recent global financial crisis has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of traditional regulation in averting financial crime. Consequently the supervision of financial institutions has been increasingly re-evaluated and such endeavours have resulted in the reregulation of the sector in many jurisdictions. This article argues that, much as these strategies can be said to be laudable, until they emphasize engagement with the people who work in those institutions through making it possible for them to report corporate misconduct, these legislative paradigms will not avail much. As such, this article argues for the increased use of insiders through whistleblowing as a mechanism to support the exposure of illegal activities. By comparing the whistleblowing approaches adopted in South Africa and Switzerland, this article attempts to contribute to the standardization of approaches that can be used to enhance global financial sector transparency and minimize financial crime.
Simulation study of the formation of a non-relativistic pair shock
Authors: Dieckmann M. E. , Bret A.
Published: January 2017

We examine with a particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation the collision of two equally dense clouds of cold pair plasma. The clouds interpenetrate until instabilities set in, which heat up the plasma and trigger the formation of a pair of shocks. The fastest-growing waves at the collision speed $c/5$, where $c$ is the speed of light in vacuum, and low temperature are the electrostatic two-stream mode and the quasi-electrostatic oblique mode. Both waves grow and saturate via the formation of phase space vortices. The strong electric fields of these nonlinear plasma structures provide an efficient means of heating up and compressing the inflowing upstream leptons. The interaction of the hot leptons, which leak back into the upstream region, with the inflowing cool upstream leptons continuously drives electrostatic waves that mediate the shock. These waves heat up the inflowing upstream leptons primarily along the shock normal, which results in an anisotropic velocity distribution in the post-shock region. This distribution gives rise to the Weibel instability. Our simulation shows that even if the shock is mediated by quasi-electrostatic waves, strong magnetowaves will still develop in its downstream region.
Responses of mesozooplankton communities to different anthropogenic activities in a subtropical semi-enclosed bay
Authors: Du Ping , Liao Yi-Bo , Jiang Zhi-Bing , Wang Kai , Zeng Jiang-Ning , Shou Lu , Xu Xiao-Qun , Xu Xu-Dan , Liu Jing-Jing , Huang Wei , Zhang De-Min
Published: January 2017

To evaluate the effects of different anthropogenic activities on zooplankton and the pelagic ecosystem, we conducted seasonal cruises in 2010 to assess spatial heterogeneity among the mesozooplankton communities of Xiangshan Bay, a subtropical semi-enclosed bay in China. The evaluation included five different areas: a kelp farm, an oyster farm, a fish farm, the thermal discharge area of a power plant, and an artificial reef, and we aimed to identify whether anthropogenic activities dominated spatial variation in the mesozooplankton communities. The results demonstrated clear spatial heterogeneity among the mesozooplankton communities of the studied areas, dominantly driven by natural hydrographic properties, except in the area near the thermal discharge outlet of the power station. In the outlet area, thermal shock caused by the discharge influenced the mesozooplankton community by decreasing abundance and biomass throughout the four seasons, even causing a shift in the dominant species near the outlet during summer fromAcartia pacificato eurythermal and warm water taxa. Unique features of the mesozooplankton community in the oyster farm may be due to the combined effects of oyster culture and the natural environment in the branch harbour. However, kelp and fish culture, and the construction of an artificial reef did not exert any obvious influence on the mesozooplankton communities up to 2010, probably because of the small scale of the aquaculture and a time lag in the rehabilitation effects of the artificial reef. Thus, our results suggested that the dominant factors influencing spatial variations of mesozooplankton communities in Xiangshan Bay were still the natural hydrographic properties, but the thermal discharge was an anthropogenic activity that changed the pelagic ecosystem, and should be supervised.