bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variants at the
APOE/C1/C2/C4
Locus Modulate Cholesterol Efflux Capacity Independently of High‐Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol
Authors: Low‐Kam Cécile , Rhainds David , Lo Ken Sin , Barhdadi Amina , Boulé Marie , Alem Sonia , Pedneault‐Gagnon Valérie , Rhéaume Eric , Dubé Marie‐Pierre , Busseuil David , Hegele Robert A. , Lettre Guillaume , Tardif Jean‐Claude
Published: September 2018

Background

Macrophage cholesterol efflux to high‐density lipoproteins (
HDLs
) is the first step of reverse cholesterol transport. The cholesterol efflux capacity (
CEC
) of
HDL
particles is a protective risk factor for coronary artery disease independent of
HDL
cholesterol levels. Using a genome‐wide association study approach, we aimed to identify pathways that regulate
CEC
in humans.

Methods and Results

We measured
CEC
in 5293 French Canadians. We tested the genetic association between 4
CEC
measures and genotypes at >9 million common autosomal
DNA
sequence variants. These analyses yielded 10 genome‐wide significant signals (
P
<6.25×10
−9
) representing 7 loci. Five of these loci harbor genes with important roles in lipid biology (

CETP

,

LIPC

,

LPL

,

APOA
1/C3/A4/A5

,

and
APOE

/C1/C2/C4
). Except for the

APOE
/C1/C2/C4

variant (
rs141622900
,
P

nonadjusted

=1.0×10
−11
;
P

adjusted

=8.8×10
−9
), the association signals disappear when correcting for
HDL
cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The additional 2 significant signals were near the

PPP
1
CB
/
PLB
1

and

RBFOX
3/
ENPP
7

genes. In secondary analyses, we considered candidate functional variants for 58 genes implicated in
HDL
biology, as well as 239 variants associated with blood lipid levels and/or coronary artery disease risk by
genome‐wide association study
. These analyses identified 27 significant
CEC
associations, implicating 5 additional loci (

GCKR

,

LIPG

,

PLTP

,

PPARA

, and

TRIB
1

).

Conclusions

Our
genome‐wide association study
identified common genetic variation at the

APOE
/C1/C2/C4

locus as a major determinant of
CEC
that acts largely independently of
HDL
cholesterol. We predict that
HDL
‐based therapies aiming at increasing
CEC
will be modulated by changes in the expression of apolipoproteins in this gene cluster.
Adaptive Gaussian Process Approximation for Bayesian Inference with Expensive Likelihood Functions
Authors: Wang Hongqiao , Li Jinglai
Published: September 2018

We consider Bayesian inference problems with computationally intensive likelihood functions. We propose a Gaussian process (GP)–based method to approximate the joint distribution of the unknown parameters and the data, built on recent work (Kandasamy, Schneider, & Póczos, 2015 ). In particular, we write the joint density approximately as a product of an approximate posterior density and an exponentiated GP surrogate. We then provide an adaptive algorithm to construct such an approximation, where an active learning method is used to choose the design points. With numerical examples, we illustrate that the proposed method has competitive performance against existing approaches for Bayesian computation.
Circuit Polarity Effect of Cortical Connectivity, Activity, and Memory
Authors: Baram Yoram
Published: September 2018

Experimental constraints have traditionally implied separate studies of different cortical functions, such as memory and sensory-motor control. Yet certain cortical modalities, while repeatedly observed and reported, have not been clearly identified with one cortical function or another. Specifically, while neuronal membrane and synapse polarities with respect to a certain potential value have been attracting considerable interest in recent years, the purposes of such polarities have largely remained a subject for speculation and debate. Formally identifying these polarities as on-off neuronal polarity gates, we analytically show that cortical circuit structure, behavior, and memory are all governed by the combined potent effect of these gates, which we collectively term circuit polarity. Employing widely accepted and biologically validated firing rate and plasticity paradigms, we show that circuit polarity is mathematically embedded in the corresponding models. Moreover, we show that the firing rate dynamics implied by these models are driven by ongoing circuit polarity gating dynamics. Furthermore, circuit polarity is shown to segregate cortical circuits into internally synchronous, externally asynchronous subcircuits, defining their firing rate modes in accordance with different cortical tasks. In contrast to the Hebbian paradigm, which is shown to be susceptible to mutual neuronal interference in the face of asynchrony, circuit polarity is shown to block such interference. Noting convergence of synaptic weights, we show that circuit polarity holds the key to cortical memory, having a segregated capacity linear in the number of neurons. While memory concealment is implied by complete neuronal silencing, memory is restored by reactivating the original circuit polarity. Finally, we show that incomplete deterioration or restoration of circuit polarity results in memory modification, which may be associated with partial or false recall, or novel innovation.
Robust Closed-Loop Control of a Cursor in a Person with Tetraplegia using Gaussian Process Regression
Authors: Brandman David M. , Burkhart Michael C. , Kelemen Jessica , Franco Brian , Harrison Matthew T. , Hochberg Leigh R.
Published: September 2018

Intracortical brain computer interfaces can enable individuals with paralysis to control external devices through voluntarily modulated brain activity. Decoding quality has been previously shown to degrade with signal nonstationarities—specifically, the changes in the statistics of the data between training and testing data sets. This includes changes to the neural tuning profiles and baseline shifts in firing rates of recorded neurons, as well as nonphysiological noise. While progress has been made toward providing long-term user control via decoder recalibration, relatively little work has been dedicated to making the decoding algorithm more resilient to signal nonstationarities. Here, we describe how principled kernel selection with gaussian process regression can be used within a Bayesian filtering framework to mitigate the effects of commonly encountered nonstationarities. Given a supervised training set of (neural features, intention to move in a direction)-pairs, we use gaussian process regression to predict the intention given the neural data. We apply kernel embedding for each neural feature with the standard radial basis function. The multiple kernels are then summed together across each neural dimension, which allows the kernel to effectively ignore large differences that occur only in a single feature. The summed kernel is used for real-time predictions of the posterior mean and variance under a gaussian process framework. The predictions are then filtered using the discriminative Kalman filter to produce an estimate of the neural intention given the history of neural data. We refer to the multiple kernel approach combined with the discriminative Kalman filter as the MK-DKF. We found that the MK-DKF decoder was more resilient to nonstationarities frequently encountered in-real world settings yet provided similar performance to the currently used Kalman decoder. These results demonstrate a method by which neural decoding can be made more resistant to nonstationarities.
Unconscious Biases in Neural Populations Coding Multiple Stimuli
Authors: Keemink Sander W. , Tailor Dharmesh V. , van Rossum Mark C. W.
Published: September 2018

Throughout the nervous system, information is commonly coded in activity distributed over populations of neurons. In idealized situations where a single, continuous stimulus is encoded in a homogeneous population code, the value of the encoded stimulus can be read out without bias. However, in many situations, multiple stimuli are simultaneously present; for example, multiple motion patterns might overlap. Here we find that when multiple stimuli that overlap in their neural representation are simultaneously encoded in the population, biases in the read-out emerge. Although the bias disappears in the absence of noise, the bias is remarkably persistent at low noise levels. The bias can be reduced by competitive encoding schemes or by employing complex decoders. To study the origin of the bias, we develop a novel general framework based on gaussian processes that allows an accurate calculation of the estimate distributions of maximum likelihood decoders, and reveals that the distribution of estimates is bimodal for overlapping stimuli. The results have implications for neural coding and behavioral experiments on, for instance, overlapping motion patterns.
Tensor Representation of Topographically Organized Semantic Spaces
Authors: Pomi Andrés , Mizraji Eduardo , Lin Juan
Published: September 2018

Human brains seem to represent categories of objects and actions as locations in a continuous semantic space across the cortical surface that reflects the similarity among categories. This vision of the semantic organization of information in the brain, suggested by recent experimental findings, is in harmony with the well-known topographically organized somatotopic, retinotopic, and tonotopic maps in the cerebral cortex. Here we show that these topographies can be operationally represented with context-dependent associative memories. In these models, the input vectors and, eventually also, the associated output vectors are multiplied by context vectors via the Kronecker tensor product, which allows a spatial organization of memories. Input and output tensor contexts localize matrices of semantic categories into a neural layer or slice and, at the same time, direct the flow of information arriving at the layer to a specific address, and then forward the output information toward the corresponding targets. Given a neural topographic pattern, the tensor representation will place a set of associative matrix memories within a topographic regionalized host matrix in such way that they reproduce the empirical pattern of patches in the actual neural layer. Progressive approximations to this goal are accomplished by avoiding excessive overlap of memories or the existence of empty regions within the host matrix.
A mixed-modeling framework for analyzing multitask whole-brain network data
Authors: Simpson Sean L. , Bahrami Mohsen , Laurienti Paul J.
Published: September 2018

The emerging area of brain network analysis considers the brain as a system, providing profound insight into links between system-level properties and health outcomes. Network science has facilitated these analyses and our understanding of how the brain is organized. While network science has catalyzed a paradigmatic shift in neuroscience, methods for statistically analyzing networks have lagged behind. To address this for cross-sectional network data, we developed a mixed-modeling framework that enables quantifying the relationship between phenotype and connectivity patterns, predicting connectivity structure based on phenotype, simulating networks to gain a better understanding of topological variability, and thresholding individual networks leveraging group information. Here we extend this comprehensive approach to enable studying system-level brain properties across multiple tasks. We focus on rest-to-task network changes, but this extension is equally applicable to the assessment of network changes for any repeated task paradigm. Our approach allows (a) assessing population network differences in changes between tasks, and how these changes relate to health outcomes; (b) assessing individual variability in network differences in changes between tasks, and how this variability relates to health outcomes; and (c) deriving more accurate and precise estimates of the relationships between phenotype and health outcomes within a given task.
Revenue Farming Reconsidered: Tenurial Rights and Tenurial Duties in Early Modern India, ca. 1556-1818
Authors: Sheth Sudev
Published: September 2018

The meaning of land revenue farming in Indian history has eluded consensus. Some view it as an administrative aberration indicating weak state control, while others see it as a strategy for consolidating authority. This essay traces the historical development ofiqṭāʻandijārah, two Perso-Arabic terms frequently translated from the sources as ‘revenue farming estate’. I then suggest that existing perspectives do not capture the broader structure and significance of various entitlements to land revenue. Instead, I suggest that entitlements be schematized according to how regularized the right was, whether it was permanent, and how duty-bound the right holder was. In this formulation, revenue farm refers to a complex of rights and duties secured by contract in which a sovereign transferred the temporary exploitation of a holding for rent in advance. It was one of four tenurial complexes under which entitlements fell, the others being estates from bureaucratic assignment, hereditary occupation or possession by grant/gift, and tributary or chieftaincy.
Fluid Histories: Swamps, Law and the Company-State in Colonial Bengal
Authors: Bhattacharyya Debjani
Published: September 2018

The movement of the Hughli River in 1804-5 resulted in the deposition of alluvion along Calcutta’s river banks which unfolded as an ownership crisis for the East India Company. The Company responded by developing new legal categories and administrative language to manage these newly formed lands and thereby fashioning itself as a public agent of Calcutta’s land and landed property. Focusing on specific legal aspects of colonial hydrology that arose in the making of property in these amphibious spaces, the article argues that the soaking ecology of Bengal became a site for productive law-making by creating open-ended possibilities for taking land. It demonstrates how the Company used this new land formation to gradually institute a legal architecture regulating alluvion and dereliction and subsequently subjecting these soaking ecologies to an intricate documentary regime with the aim of disciplining the existing landed property relations in Calcutta. Documenting the haphazard extension and enactment of these new legal doctrines in a mobile landscape illuminates a particular history of the colonial regime of property and the Company-State’s early articulations of a particular type of quasi-eminent domain as a manner of taking land. Pushing a new direction in legal geography, the piece shows how the legal arena became a productive site for geographical knowledge production and legal experimentation in the colony.
The Problem of Property: Local Histories and Political-Economic Categories in British India
Authors: Chakrabarti Upal
Published: September 2018

This essay considers—as an integrated space of discursive practices—disputes over proprietary titles in an obscure locality, debates over the authentic “Indian” proprietary form in British India, and a conceptual recasting of political-economic categories in Britain, over the first half of the nineteenth century. It argues that “property” was produced by this space as a marker of political power/sovereignty, its “indigenous/Indian” form being construed as a field of dispersed, contested, and plural rights. Positing this conceptualization of property as immanent in governance and political economy, this essay questions the dominant historiographic consensus that indigenous social forces aborted all attempts of the Company’s government to introduce a coherent property regime.
Property and Its Rule (in Late Indo-Islamicate and Early Colonial) South Asia: What’s in a Name?
Authors: Chaudhry Faisal
Published: September 2018

This article sets out a framework for understanding two key issues in the history of early modern and modern South Asia. First, it addresses the vexed question of the generalizability of the “Western” concept of property to Indo-Islamicate land systems. Rather than beginning from the idea of ‘Islamic property law/relations’ it proposes that we reconstruct concepts relating to the control of the earth’s material substrate in terms of four modes of idiomizing land in the Islamicate tradition. In light of how the latter reconstruction suggests that (Indo-)Islamicate modes of idiomization focused on the produce of land more than land itself, the article then turns to a second issue. This concerns the similarities and differences between the deontic cultures of rights and responsibilities that characterized early modern polities (both in Mughal India and England) and nineteenth-century ones (like metropolitan Britain’s and that emerging from the East India Company’s so-called rule of property in the subcontinent).
Sovereignty, Property and Land Development: The East India Company in Madras
Authors: Raman Bhavani
Published: September 2018

From the late eighteenth century struggles over untitled and unassessed land in Madras became completely entangled with the East India Company’s efforts to craft its sovereign powers. These lands could not be leached of their social meanings and use and instead, competing ideas of ownership incarnated sovereignty as eviction and the Company as a pre-eminent land developer.
Rural Migrants and Settlement Rights in Early Twentieth-Century Shanxi: A Study of “Class Background Registers”
Authors: Zhang Aiming , Hu Yingze , Noellert Matthew
Published: September 2018

Shanxi experienced a severe population shortage after the late Qing Dingwu famine. The frequent disasters and warfare of the Republican era further increased population movements in north China, and in addition to northeast China, Shanxi became a major destination for migrants. In this period over two million migrants settled in Shanxi. Those that settled in the countryside formed a unique social group of immigrant households. The kinship and territorial bonds of north Chinese villages are well known, and such villages are often considered to have been very insular and xenophobic communities. Migrant households found it difficult to join the village community, and often had no choice but to live precarious lives on the outskirts of villages. Migrant households had to acquire “settlement rights” in the village in order to have any chance of survival and development. But settlement rights could not be achieved overnight; they were not only a matter of time, but also involved certain requirements and favorable circumstances. Through a close examination of “class background registers” compiled during the Four Cleanups movement (1963–1966), this article shows how migrant households in late Qing and Republican China used famine as an opportunity to gradually acquire settlement rights. On the one hand, migrants used wage labor, tenancy, and credit to form dependent relations through land with resident households. On the other hand, they used social relations, adoption, and uxorilocal marriage to form kinship relations with resident households. Compared to south China, where village settlement rights emphasized recognition of common ancestry, settlement rights in north China villages emphasized common lived experience. This difference is an important factor in explaining rural social formation and development in north China.
Origins of the Leftist Deviation in the Movement for Rent and Interest Reduction in the Shanxi Base Area
Authors: Wang Zhifeng
Published: September 2018

To win support from all social groups in rural China after the inception of Japan’s full-scale invasion, the CCP introduced the program of “rent and interest reduction” in place of its original radical land policy. Nevertheless, the “25-percent rent reduction” did not have much appeal to owner-cultivators in Shanxi province, where land ownership was dispersed and tenancy not predominant. Money-lending activities largely vanished after the implementation of “reduction of interest rates to 15 percent.” As a result, the Border Region Government had to raise the ceiling on interest rates. Later, to win support of owner-cultivators who had long paid only taxes rather than rents, the CCP modified its policy by confiscating and redistributing the land, houses, and other properties of landlords and rich peasants under the pretext of “Settling Old Accounts” during the struggles against corruption, local bullies, unregistered land, and pro-Japanese collaborators. This, in conjunction with the worsening shortage of resources, the radical mindset, and the vested interests of grassroots cadres, led to the emergence of leftist deviations.
Catalogue of the primary types of marine molluscan taxa described by Tommaso Allery Di Maria, Marquis of Monterosato, deposited in the Museo Civico di Zoologia, Roma
Authors: APPOLLONI MASSIMO , SMRIGLIO CARLO , AMATI BRUNO , LUGLIÈ LORENZO , NOFRONI ITALO , TRINGALI LIONELLO P. , MARIOTTINI PAOLO , OLIVERIO MARCO
Published: September 2018

We have compiled a complete list of new marine molluscan taxa introduced by Tommaso Allery Di Maria, Marquis of Monterosato (1841–1927). The dates of publication of every single work have been checked against available evidence, and an updated bibliography is also presented. Finally, the type material of all marine taxa expected to be in the collection Monterosato (presently preserved in the Museo Civico di Zoologia in Rome) has been searched in the main collection, and all retrieved specimens have been catalogued. A large majority of the material has been found, representative specimens of each taxon have been illustrated, and remarks on nomenclature and taxonomy have been provided yielding 42 new synonymies, 46 nominal taxa rediscovered, and 6 new combinations.
New state and host records for Agromyzidae (Diptera) in the United States, with the description of thirty new species
Authors: EISEMAN CHARLES S. , LONSDALE OWEN
Published: September 2018

We present rearing records of Agromyzidae (Diptera) from five years of collecting throughout the United States. We review host and distribution data, and describe leaf mines, for 93 species, plus 28 others that could not be confidently identified in the absence of male specimens. We report 147 new host species records, including the first rearing records for Agromyza bispinata Spencer, A. diversa Johnson, A. parca Spencer, A. pudica Spencer, A. vockerothi Spencer, Calycomyza michiganensis Steyskal, Ophiomyia congregata (Malloch), and Phytomyza aldrichi Spencer. Phytomyza anemones Hering and (tentatively identified) Cerodontha (Dizygomyza) iraeos (Robineau-Desvoidy) are new to North America; Agromyza albitarsis Meigen, Amauromyza shepherdiae Sehgal, Aulagromyza populicola (Walker), Liriomyza orilliensis Spencer, Phytomyza linnaeae (Griffiths), P. solidaginivora Spencer, and P. solidaginophaga Sehgal are new to the USA. We also present confirmed USA records for Calycomyza menthae Spencer (previous records were based only on leaf mines), Ophiomyia maura (Meigen) (reported from the USA in older literature but deleted from the fauna in the most recent revision (Spencer & Steyskal 1986)), and Phytomyza astotinensis Griffiths and P. thalictrivora Spencer (previously only tentatively recorded from the USA). We provide 111 additional new state records. We describe the following 30 new species: Agromyza fission, A. soka, Melanagromyza palmeri, Ophiomyia euthamiae, O. mimuli, O. parda, Calycomyza artemisivora, C. avira, C. eupatoriphaga, C. vogelmanni, Cerodontha (Dizygomyza) edithae, Cer. (D.) feldmani, Liriomyza ivorcutleri, L. valerianivora, Phytomyza actaeivora, P. aesculi, P. confusa, P. doellingeriae, P. erigeronis, P. hatfieldae, P. hydrophyllivora, P. palmeri, P. palustris, P. sempervirentis, P. tarnwoodensis, P. tigris, P. triangularidis, P. vancouveriella, P. verbenae, and P. ziziae.
Morphological revision of the Subgroup 1 Fauchald, 1970 of Marphysa de Quatrefages, 1865 (Eunicidae: Polychaeta)
Authors: MOLINA-ACEVEDO ISABEL C.
Published: September 2018

Fifteen species of Marphysa classified in the Subgroup 1 Fauchald (1970) were reviewed and evaluated in a morphological analysis of the subgroup. It was found that 13 of these have a characteristic morphological pattern distinct from that of Marphysa sensu stricto; as a consequence, a new genus is proposed, Paucibranchia n. gen. This new genus includes the species that have branchiae restricted to a few chaetigers in the anterior region, maxillae I with a rounded falcal arch and outer edge with a straight base plus a curvature in the basal inner edge, dorsal cirri longer in the branchial region and in media-posterior region as long or longer than pre-branchial chaetigers, and the postchaetal lobe in the branchial region well developed, elongated. Paucibranchia n. gen. includes six new species (P. andresi n. sp., P. carrerai n. sp., P. gathofi n. sp., P. gilberti n. sp., P. miroi n. sp. and P. patriciae n. sp.), two species not formally named, and other 13 species previously included in Marphysa (P. adenensis (Gravier, 1900) n. comb., P. bellii (Audouin & Milne-Edwards, 1833) n. comb., P. cinari (Kurt-Sahin, 2014) n. comb., P. conferta (Moore, 1911) n. comb., P. disjuncta (Hartman, 1961) n. comb., P. fallax (Marion & Bobretzky, 1875) n. comb., P. gemmata (Mohammad, 1973) n. comb., P. kinbergi (McIntosh, 1910) n. comb., P. oculata (Treadwell, 1921) n. comb., P. purcellana (Willey, 1904) n. comb., P. sinensis (Monro, 1934) n. comb., P. stragula (Grube, 1878) n. comb., P. totospinata (Lu & Fauchald, 1998) n. comb.). One species previously classified in the subgroup, Marphysa striata (Kinberg, 1865), was considered indeterminate. Finally, some statistical analyses on size dependent features and an identification key for species of the new genus were included.
State of the Climate in 2017
Authors: Hartfield Gail , Blunden Jessica , Arndt Derek S.
Published: September 2018

Editor’s note: For easy download the posted pdf of the State of the Climate for 2018 is a low-resolution file. A high-resolution copy of the report is available by clicking here. Please be patient as it may take a few minutes for the high-resolution file to download.
Waking from Mao’s Dream: Communist Ideological Imprinting and the Internationalization of Entrepreneurial Ventures in China
Authors: Marquis Christopher , Qiao Kunyuan
Published: September 2018

We theorize how an ideological imprint—ideology formed through past events—serves as an information filter that persistently affects individuals’ decision making and how subsequent behaviors of the imprinter—the entity that established the imprint—may alter it. We test our model with a longitudinal dataset of Chinese private entrepreneurs from 1993 to 2012, investigating the influence of a founder’s communist ideological imprint, which characterizes foreign capitalism as evil, and subsequent dynamics introduced by the imprinter—the Communist Party–led government of China—on two internationalization strategies that deal with foreign investors and markets: firms’ efforts to attract foreign capital and to expand globally. Our findings show that Chinese entrepreneurs’ communist ideological imprint negatively affects the internationalization of their ventures, while available and credible information contradicting communism—coming from the government directly, government-created industry social networks for entrepreneurs, or observing governmental support of internationalization—weakens the influence of the imprint. Our study contributes to a better understanding of imprinting and its decay, the effects of corporate decision makers’ political ideology, and the internationalization of firms.
Flow Activities as a Route to Living Well With Less
Authors: Isham Amy , Gatersleben Birgitta , Jackson Tim
Published: September 2018

Research suggests that the excessive focus on the acquisition of material goods promoted by our consumer society may be detrimental to well-being. Current Western lifestyles, which promote unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, therefore risk failing to bring citizens the happiness they seek. Csikszentmihalyi suggested that engaging in challenging, flow-conducive activities is a means by which individuals can improve well-being without substantially affecting the environment. In this article, we test this proposal by examining data concerning the daily experiences and well-being of 500 U.S. families. We show that individuals who experience stronger characteristics of flow in their leisure activities tend to have greater momentary well-being, whereas those experiencing flow more frequently report greater retrospective well-being. Moreover, a small negative relationship was found between an activity’s flow score and its environmental impact. The analysis allows us to identify a specific group of high-flow, low–environmental impact activities.
Are Students With Disabilities Accessing the Curriculum? A Meta-Analysis of the Reading Achievement Gap Between Students With and Without Disabilities
Authors: Gilmour Allison F. , Fuchs Douglas , Wehby Joseph H.
Published: September 2018

Federal policies have aimed to improve access to grade-level curriculum for students with disabilities (SWD). Current conceptualizations of access posit that it is evidenced by students’ academic outcomes. In a meta-analysis of 180 effect sizes from 23 studies, we examined access as outcomes by estimating the size of the gap in reading achievement between students with and without disabilities. Findings indicated that SWDs performed 1.17 standard deviations, or more than 3 years, below typically developing peers. The reading gap varied by disability label but not by other student and assessment characteristics. We discuss implications for access to grade-level curriculum and potential reasons for why the achievement gap is so large despite existing policies.
Vigilance Tasks: Unpleasant, Mentally Demanding, and Stressful Even When Time Flies
Authors: Dillard Michael B. , Warm Joel S. , Funke Gregory J. , Nelson W. Todd , Finomore Victor S. , McClernon Christopher K. , Eggemeier F. Thomas , Tripp Lloyd D. , Funke Matthew E.
Published: September 2018

Objective:

To determine whether perceived time progression (PTP) moderates participants’ negative reactions to vigilance tasks.

Background:

Vigilance tasks are rated by participants to be unenjoyable and as having high levels of workload and stress. Based on the adage, “You are having fun when time flies,” we tested the possibility that accelerating PTP might reduce these negative experiences.

Method:

Two studies were performed, involving a long 30-min and a short 12-min vigil. We manipulated participants’ PTP by creating a mismatch between their expectations about how long they would perform the task and the actual time that they were engaged.

Results:

PTP was significantly faster for participants who were led to expect that the vigilance task would last longer than it did relative to those led to expect that task duration would be shorter than it actually was and for controls for whom task duration was equal to the expected duration. However, accelerating PTP had no effect in either experiment on undesirable reactions to the vigilance tasks. Participants uniformly rated both tasks as unenjoyable, as having a high level of workload, and as stressful. Apparently, vigilance isn’t fun even when time flies.

Conclusion:

Our findings greatly underscore the depth to which negative subjective reactions are embedded in the nature of vigilance tasks and therefore that these tasks can have potentially serious costs to participants in terms of health, safety, and productivity.

Application:

These costs must be considered at the operational level.
Book Review: Vinod Rai, Not Just an Accountant: The Diary of the Nation’s Conscience Keeper
Authors: Singh M.P.
Published: September 2018

Vinod Rai, Not Just an Accountant: The Diary of the Nation’s Conscience Keeper. New Delhi: Rupa Publications India, 2014, XVI, 267 pp., ₹500.
Displacements of the pipe system caused by a transient phenomenon using the dynamic forces measured in the laboratory
Authors: Malesińska Agnieszka , Rogulski Mariusz , Puntorieri Pierfabrizio , Barbaro Giuseppe , Kowalska Beata
Published: September 2018

Background:

When transporting liquids, in particularly over long distances, dynamic forces in the system can present a risk. The larger the system size, and the greater the pressure, the more harmful the impact is of such forces. Water is transported in this way for domestic, industrial, and fire-fighting purposes. One of the impulses of dynamic force application may be the transition of the pressure wave in the water hammer.

Methods:

In this paper, the results of measured dynamic forces and associated displacements recorded on the model caused by transient flow conditions are presented. For measured forces, the displacements of the pipe were also calculated by using the oscillation motion equations. Force measurements and displacement analyses were carried out in laboratory on the model of a simple fire protection system equipped with three nozzles.

Results and Conclusions:

The measurement results and calculations were used to calibrate a mathematical model created using MATLAB software.
Calculation of the inductance of conductive nonmagnetic conductors by means of finite element method simulations
Authors: Riba Jordi-Roger , Capelli Francesca
Published: September 2018

This article analyzes the inductance of different conductive nonmagnetic conductors’ configurations under alternating current supply. The inductance is a key design parameter in tracks of electronic devices, power transmission and distribution systems, and lightning, grounding, and bonding systems. Inductance highly relies on the problem geometry, and under AC supply, it is also influenced by skin and proximity effects. The inductance significantly determines voltage drop in conductors, thus increasing reactive power consumption and limiting conductors’ ampacity. Although this is an important topic, it is seldom studied in detail in undergraduate and even in graduate physics and engineering studies. To this end, this paper compares the results provided by existing closed formulas for simple conductors’ configurations with those attained through two-dimensional finite element method simulations. Finite element method based simulations are increasingly being incorporated in the syllabuses of graduate and undergraduate courses due to their accurate solutions and flexibility, since finite element method models can be applied in a wide range of electrical frequencies and configurations, some of which do not have an analytical solution. The finite element method based approach presented in this paper has been found a valuable complement to the lectures and assignments in electricity courses for engineering students.
Cora Du Bois’ Brief Stint With the World Health Organization (1950–1951): Right Time, Wrong Place
Authors: Litsios Socrates
Published: September 2018

Brock Chisholm, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the early 1950s, was heard to say that “one cultural anthropologist [Cora Du Bois] was worth one hundred malaria teams.” Paul Russell, the leading malariologist at the time, responded (privately in his diary) that Chisholm’s remark was the sort that “one might expect from a psychiatrist planning a world health program.” George Foster reported that Du Bois “was completely disgusted with” her stay at WHO. “They never asked her to do anything. She never followed up.” Chisholm was not the only one who appreciated her contribution to the work of WHO; other WHO programs and offices would have welcomed her contribution. However, by operating out of WHO’s South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), she found herself isolated with little chance of her work being reviewed favorably, i.e., the “wrong place.”
Meeting the needs of unaccompanied children in Greece
Authors: Buchanan Ann , Kallinikaki Theano
Published: September 2018

This article summarizes the situation of unaccompanied child (UAC) refugees in Greece in 2017/2018. It notes the number and characteristics of these children, the challenging situation in responding to their needs in a country where many native children are living in poverty and deprivation following the EU austerity measures. This article also outlines the legal obligations and EU directives for looking after UACs. Finally, it summarizes the challenges for social workers on the ground of responding to the rights of the incoming UACs. Selected examples are presented with reference to the priorities under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989.
A model of paternal protection in the context of political violence: Insights from the occupied Palestinian territories
Authors: Akesson Bree , Bogossian Aline , Gokani Ravi
Published: September 2018

There is little research that explores how fathers protect their children in the context of political violence. Drawing upon exploratory qualitative research with 18 Palestinian families, this article proposes a model of paternal protection composed of three dimensions: (1) method of protection (how fathers protect their children), (2) focus of protection (what fathers protect their children from), and (3) locus of protection (where fathers locate the mechanisms of protection). The model contributes to a greater awareness and understanding of the daily challenges facing fathers and suggests ways that social work practice and policy can support fathers in settings of adversity.
The Envelope and the Halo: Reading Susanna Allegorically
Authors: Grillo Jennie
Published: September 2018

The tale of Susanna in the Greek versions of the book of Daniel has its roots in allegorical readings of Hebrew Scripture, and the church has read the story of Susanna both as an allegory of the church and of Christ. The allegorical treatment of Susanna as the church is the most acceptable to modern criticism, since it preserves the narrative coherence of the book; but the more fragmentary, piecemeal allegory of Susanna as Christ was compelling in antiquity, especially in visual interpretations. This essay explores how allegorical readings of Susanna as a Christ figure capture an essential part of the reader’s visual, non-sequential experience of the text and provides a satisfying and meaningful image for Christians.
Test Review No. 10: Arizona Articulation Proficiency Scale (Revised)
Authors: Proger Barton B.
Published: September 2018

Ages 3 to 11; copyright 1970; AAPS; 3 regular picture test scores: consonants, vowels, total (3 optional sentence test scores: consonants, vowels, and total); individually administered; hand scored; 1 form (1970, 4 pages); manual (1970, 13 pages); Kit (1 set of picture test cards, package of 25 protocol booklets, pad of 25 survey test forms, and manual), $17.50; set of picture test cards, $6.50; packages of 25 protocol booklets (1 package, $6.50; 2–19 packages, $4.50 each; 20 packages or more, $4.00 each); pads of 100 survey test forms (1 pad, $12.50; 2–19 pads, $8.75 each; 20 pads or more, $7.50 each); manual, $3.50; untimed administration (typically 10 to 15 minutes); test author: Janet Barker Fudala; publisher: Western Psychological Services, 12031 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90025 (telephone 1-213-478-6730 or 1-213-473-7732).
Test Review No. 12: Balthazar Scales of Adaptive Behavior: Section 1
Authors: Proger Barton B.
Published: September 2018

Profoundly and severely mentally retarded; copyright 1971; BSAB-1; 8 scores: dependent feeding, finger foods, spoon usage, fork usage, drinking, total eating scale, total dressing scale, and total toileting scale; individual observation and informant interview; hand-scored; 1 form (1971, 7 pages); supervisor's manual (1971, 68 pages); rater's manual (1971, 64 pages); training manual (1971, 28 pages); specimen set (1 supervisor's manual, 1 rater's manual, 1 scoring form, and 1 training manual), $7.25; supervisor's manual, $3.00; rater's manual, $2.25; scoring form $0.50; training manual, $1.50; no test administration time estimates given; test author: Earl E. Balthazar; publisher: Research Press Company, 2612 North Mattis Avenue, Champaign, III. 61820 (telephone 1-217-352-3273); test review and prices relate to specimen set received June 1972.
For a Sociology of Aadhaar
Authors: Chamuah Angelina
Published: September 2018

This companion piece to Reetika Khera’s account above is an attempt to situate some of the key aspects of the Aadhaar debate within a sociological field of enquiry, looking into just how and in what ways a sociologist might contribute to the study of India’s Aadhaar.
Reasonable Accommodation to Mental Health Disabilities at Work: Legal Constructs and Practical Applications
Authors: Kaufmann Caroline L.
Published: September 2018

Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to workers with physical and mental health disabilities. The linking of physical and mental illnesses under a common mandate confuses many employers and their legal advisors. Mental illnesses usually manifest themselves through behavior, and the accommodations required involve adjustments in scheduling, supervision, and interpersonal relationships on the job. This paper presents case studies in reasonable accommodation to workers with schizophrenia. The most common accommodation is flexible scheduling to allow for psychiatric treatment during work hours. Second most common is adaptations of the interpersonal environment to protect the worker's privacy and reduce stress. Cases of successful and unsuccessful outcomes to the accommodation process indicate that some functional limitations cannot be accommodated.

For an accommodation to be reasonable, it must meet the needs of the employer as well as the worker. While not all persons with mental health disabilities meet qualifications for jobs in the competitive labor force, many function well with minimal adjustments from an employer.
Dealing with the Problem of “False Memory” in Clinic and Court
Authors: Watkins John G.
Published: September 2018

Memories of child abuse have frequently been uncovered during psychotherapy by clinicians using hypnosis and other procedures. Experimentalists, working in laboratories, have discovered that such memories can be false. Individuals accused of abuse have cited these studies in their defense. Courts are placed in conflict as to whether testimony based on such memories should be admitted into evidence. The controversy is reviewed here, and suggestions are made as to how research might contribute to the retrieval of memories with greater veridicality.
Making Tarasoff Practical for Various Treatment Populations
Authors: Egley Lance C. , Ben-Ari Adital
Published: September 2018

The authors demonstrate through collateral sources that the Tarasoff court may not have had accurate facts concerning what treatment issues were involved. Then they code the leading Tarasoff decisions from the 50 states to determine with which treatment issues and populations the higher courts dealt. While mental illness is the predominant treatment issue, half the cases involve domestic violence, and over one-third involve other crime. These three populations proved to be independent. Sex offenders are a distinct subpopulation whose mental health treatment is not clearly distinguishable from criminal justice goals. Drug and alcohol problems did not appear much more involved in Tarasoff decisions than in the general population. The diversity of populations treated by various professions means a single professional standard for Tarasoff is unlikely. An explicit standard more readily encompasses all treatment populations; however, populations entering treatment for violence are more sensitive to how the standard is defined than are populations entering treatment for other goals. Policymakers need to formulate policies that are practical when treating any of the three major independent treatment populations or sex offenders separately.
Assessment of Criminal-Justice-Related Competencies in Defendants with Mental Retardation
Authors: Appelbaum Kenneth L.
Published: September 2018

Mental retardation can affect trial-related competencies of criminal defendants. This paper provides guidance on detecting mental retardation during forensic evaluations and on how to report findings to the court. Issues related to habilitation of defendants with mental retardation also are addressed.
Freud and the Rule of Law
Authors: Sharone Ofer
Published: September 2018

The Rule of Law is a powerful mass illusion analogous to religion in its psychological origin and function. The illusion consists in the belief that above our human rulers exists a transcendent body of laws, like the American Constitution, that is impersonally and objectively applied by judges and that protects us from our human rulers. Applying Freud's analysis of the religious illusion to the Rule of Law, this paper argues that the Rule of Law serves as an abstract father-substitute that is mediated through judges, much as God is mediated through priests. To achieve social progress Freud urged humanity to free itself of the religious illusion; such progress likewise requires exposition and eradication of the Rule of Law illusion.
Tort liability of the mentally incompetent and their caretakers
Authors: Slovenko Ralph
Published: September 2018

The liability of the mentally ill and their caretakers has become a more frequent legal issue due to the increasing numbers of mentally ill in the community and limited community support systems as well as the increase in litigation generally. The use of lethal weapons and narcotics often give rise to a lethal situation. Most litigated cases of torts of the mentally ill involve issues of insurance coverage.
Posttraumatic stress disorder resulting from war traumas and its forensic-psychiatric meaning
Authors: Goreta Miroslav
Published: September 2018

Twenty-five members of the Croatian army and police were submitted to forensic-psychiatric examination in order to assess their responsibility at the time they committed various criminal acts directly or indirectly connected with the war situation in the Republic of Croatia. Court orders to provide expert opinions on these subjects put special emphasis on the question of the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder and its potential influence on the assessment of responsibility. The study was carried out in the Centre for Forensic Psychiatry of the Psychiatric Hospital Vrapce in Zagreb between October 1991 and March 1993. In addition to the usual diagnostic treatment, and taking into account the operational diagnostic criteria according to the DSM-IH-R, each subject had to undergo psychodynamically oriented analysis aimed at recognizing the unconscious dynamics that made him commit the criminal act and prompted the manner of its commission. On the basis of this investigation, the author gives suggestions for formulating forensic-psychiatric criteria to evaluate the importance of the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder in the assessment of criminal responsibility. These criteria include some specific war situations observed in Croatia that the author finds relevant to the problem discussed in this paper.
Mental commitments: The judicial function—a case perspective
Authors: Lafrance Arthur B.
Published: September 2018

Professor LaFranee served as a circuit judge pro tempore in a number of mental commitment proceedings in Oregon. He then observed several days of proceedings in Maine, for comparison purposes. Here he summarizes many of the Oregon and Maine cases, changing names of respondents, witnesses and attorneys for privacy purposes. This narrative enriches existing literature, which rarely reflects a judge's perspective on mental health. Professor LaFrance's conclusions are important—that a judge is, unfortunately, isolated from other agencies in the mental health system, that resources and personnel are inadequate, that the availability of community resources is important not only in serving the mentally ill but in defining them, and—finally—that existing definitions are overly broad.