bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sensory system development influences the ontogeny of trace eyeblink conditioning
Authors: Goldsberry Mary E. , Freeman John H.
Published: August 2016

The developmental emergence of delay eyeblink conditioning (EBC) is dependent on the development of the sensory system stimulated by the conditioned stimulus (CS). However, trace EBC has traditionally been believed to be dependent on the development of forebrain structures, such as the hippocampus. If hippocampal development alone is limiting the developmental emergence of trace EBC, then using an earlier developing sensory modality should not affect the rate or asymptote of conditioning. The goal of the current study was to investigate whether using a vibration CS would facilitate the ontogeny of trace EBC relative to an auditory CS. Rat pups received six sessions of trace EBC or unpaired training using either a tone or vibration CS on postnatal day (P) 17–18, 21–22, or 24–25. Training with a vibration CS resulted in rapid conditioning as early as P17‐18, whereas training with a tone CS did not result in rapid conditioning until after P17‐18. The results suggest that the ontogeny of trace EBC depends, at least in part, on sensory system development.
Pudendal nerve entrapment leading to avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): A case report
Authors: Tsai Karen , Singh Deepan , Pinkhasov Aaron
Published: August 2016

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a diagnosis in diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders‐5 (DSM‐5) manifested by persistent failure to meet nutritional and/or energy needs. Pudendal nerve entrapment (PNE) often causes pelvic discomfort in addition to constipation and painful bowel movements. Current literature on ARFID is sparse and focuses on the pediatric and adolescent population. No association between PNE and ARFID has been described. We present a case of ARFID in an adult male with PNE resulting from subsequent scarring from testicular cancer surgery. The patient's gastrointestinal symptoms due to PNE caused significant food avoidance and restriction subsequently leading to severe malnourishment. Clinicians should be aware that distressing gastrointestinal symptoms arising from a secondary disease process such as PNE might lead to dietary restriction and food aversion. More research is needed for proper screening, detection, and treatment of ARFID. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50:84–87)
Species traits and environmental characteristics together regulate ant‐associated biodiversity
Authors: Campbell Kaitlin U. , Crist Thomas O.
Published: August 2016

Host‐associated organisms (e.g., parasites, commensals, and mutualists) may rely on their hosts for only a portion of their life cycle. The life‐history traits and physiology of hosts are well‐known determinants of the biodiversity of their associated organisms. The environmental context may strongly influence this interaction, but the relative roles of host traits and the environment are poorly known for host‐associated communities. We studied the roles of host traits and environmental characteristics affecting ant‐associated mites in semi‐natural constructed grasslands in agricultural landscapes of the Midwest USA. Mites are frequently found in ant nests and also riding on ants in a commensal dispersal relationship known as phoresy. During nonphoretic stages of their development, ant‐associated mites rely on soil or nest resources, which may vary depending on host traits and the environmental context of the colony. We hypothesized that mite diversity is determined by availability of suitable host ant species, soil detrital resources and texture, and habitat disturbance. Results showed that that large‐bodied and widely distributed ant species within grasslands support the most diverse mite assemblages. Mite richness and abundance were predicted by overall ant richness and grassland area, but host traits and environmental predictors varied among ant hosts: mites associated with Aphaenogaster rudis depended on litter depth, while Myrmica americana associates were predicted by host frequency and grassland age. Multivariate ordinations of mite community composition constructed with host ant species as predictors demonstrated host specialization at both the ant species and genus levels, while ordinations with environmental variables showed that ant richness, soil texture, and grassland age also contributed to mite community structure. Our results demonstrate that large‐bodied, locally abundant, and cosmopolitan ant species are especially important regulators of phoretic mite diversity and that their role as hosts is also dependent on the context of the interaction, especially soil resources, texture, site age, and area.
Ecological niche modeling for conservation planning of an endemic snail in the verge of becoming a pest in cardamom plantations in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot
Authors: Sen Sandeep , Shivaprakash Kadukothanahally Nagaraju , Aravind Neelavara A. , Ravikanth Gudasalamani , Dayanandan Selvadurai
Published: August 2016

Conservation managers and policy makers are often confronted with a challenging dilemma of devising suitable strategies to maintain agricultural productivity while conserving endemic species that at the early stages of becoming pests of agricultural crops. Identification of environmental factors conducive to species range expansion for forecasting species distribution patterns will play a central role in devising management strategies to minimize the conflict between the agricultural productivity and biodiversity conservation. Here, we present results of a study that predicts the distribution of Indrella ampulla, a snail endemic to the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, which is becoming a pest in cardamom (Ellettaria cardamomum) plantations. We determined the distribution patterns and niche overlap between I. ampulla and Ellettaria cardamomum using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) niche modeling techniques under current and future (2020–2080) climatic scenarios. The results showed that climatic (precipitation of coldest quarter and isothermality) and soil (cation exchange capacity of soil [CEC]) parameters are major factors that determine the distribution of I. ampulla in Western Ghats. The model predicted cardamom cultivation areas in southern Western Ghats are highly sensitive to invasion of I. ampulla under both present and future climatic conditions. While the land area in the central Western Ghats is predicted to become unsuitable for I. ampulla and Ellettaria cardamomum in future, we found 71% of the Western Ghats land area is suitable for Ellettaria cardamomum cultivation and 45% suitable for I. ampulla, with an overlap of 35% between two species. The resulting distribution maps are invaluable for policy makers and conservation managers to design and implement management strategies minimizing the conflicts to sustain agricultural productivity while maintaining biodiversity in the region.
Synthesis, Properties, and Functionalization of Nonsymmetric 8‐MethylthioBODIPYs
Authors: de J. Gómez‐Infante Antonio , Bañuelos Jorge , Valois‐Escamilla Ismael , Cruz‐Cruz David , Prieto‐Montero Ruth , López‐Arbeloa Iñigo , Arbeloa Teresa , Peña‐Cabrera Eduardo
Published: August 2016

Five new nonsymmetric BODIPY dyes based on the Biellmann methodology [NSBBs (nonsymmetrical Biellmann BODIPYs)] were prepared by condensation of pairs of different pyrroles with thiophosgene. Treatment of the resulting thioketones with MeI and BF3·Et2O/TEA yielded a wide range of products in a simple manner, with selective alkylation of each pyrrole of the indacene core and with controlled functionalization at the meso position. A comprehensive combined photophysical and computational study has been conducted to determine the impact of the alkylation pattern, as well as the role of the conformational freedom and electron coupling of 8‐phenyl and 8‐methylthio groups on the spectroscopic signatures of BODIPYs. The results and conclusions reached are compared with those for previously reported related analogues. We intend to provide key structural guidelines with regard to the factors that trigger the fluorescence responses and spectral shifts of multifunctional fluorophores of this family.
Integrating Quarterly Data into a Dynamic Factor Model of US Monthly GDP
Authors: Vlavonou Firmin , Gordon Stephen
Published: August 2016

This paper develops and estimates a dynamic factor model in which estimates for unobserved monthly US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are consistent with observed quarterly data. In contrast to existing approaches, the quarterly averages of our monthly estimates are exactly equal to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) quarterly estimates. The relationship between our monthly estimates and the quarterly data is therefore the same as the relationship between quarterly and annual data.

The study makes use of Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo and data augmentation techniques to simulate values for the logarithms on monthly US GDP. The imposition of the exact linear quarterly constraint produces a non‐standard distribution, necessitating the implementation of a Metropolis simulation step in the estimation.

Our methodology can be easily generalized to cases where the variable of interest is monthly GDP and in such a way that the final results incorporate the statistical uncertainty associated with the monthly GDP estimates. We provide an example by incorporating our monthly estimates into a Markov switching model of the US business cycle. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Educational privilege: The role of school context in the development just world beliefs among Brazilian adolescents
Authors: Thomas Kendra J. , Napolitano Patricia H.
Published: August 2016

The purpose of this study is to understand the development of Brazilian adolescents' justice perceptions across different contexts of educational privilege. Past research has found that, in adolescence, the belief in a just world (BJW) differentiates between personal and general and declines. However, prior research has not included adolescents from various socioeconomic statuses, samples in Latin America, or focused on the role of the educational context on the developmental trajectory. Participants were 385 adolescents from 3 schools (private, public and military) in Southern Brazil between 9th and 11th grade. Students completed the personal and general BJW survey. Results revealed a significant interaction of school and grade level of adolescents' personal BJW. Contrary to previous research, personal and general BJW was not always lower in higher grades. Among privileged educational contexts, data indicated that personal BJW may even increase, with the decrease notable in the lower resourced school. In contrast, general BJW was relatively consistent across all Brazilian adolescents. Results provide important insight into the role that privilege and education play across adolescents' development of BJW. This research questions the generalizability of previous studies on the development of BJW and indicates that the trajectory may be dependent upon educational and cultural context.
SOD2 and Sirt3 Control Osteoclastogenesis by Regulating Mitochondrial ROS
Authors: Kim Haemin , Lee Yong Deok , Kim Hyung Joon , Lee Zang Hee , Kim Hong-Hee
Published: August 2016

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are an indispensable element of cellular signal transduction in various cell types, including bone cells. In particular, osteoclasts (OCs), cells specialized for bone resorption, utilize ROS as second messengers during receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced differentiation and activation. In addition, because of the high energy demands of bone-resorbing activity, OCs contain large amounts of mitochondria, the source of the majority of total ROS. In this study, we focused on the regulation of ROS generated from mitochondria during osteoclastogenesis. We observed that the level of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), an enzyme responsible for reducing superoxide radicals in mitochondria, was increased by RANKL. siRNA-mediated knockdown (KD) of SOD2 increased ROS levels and enhanced OC differentiation. Conversely, overexpression of SOD2 reduced osteoclastogenesis by decreasing ROS levels. Moreover, we found that NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin 3 (Sirt3), an activator of SOD2 in mitochondria, was induced by RANKL. Sirt3-targeted siRNA decreased SOD2 activity by reducing deacetylation of lysine 68 of SOD2, leading to increased osteoclastogenesis. Furthermore, in vivo KD of SOD2 or Sirt3 in ICR mouse calvariae decreased bone volume and increased OC surface, supporting the results of in vitro experiments. Taken together, our findings demonstrate for the first time to our knowledge that the regulation of mitochondrial ROS by SOD2 and Sirt3 plays an important role in fine-tuning the OC differentiation program. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Loss of Type I Collagen Telopeptide Lysyl Hydroxylation Causes Musculoskeletal Abnormalities in a Zebrafish Model of Bruck Syndrome
Authors: Gistelinck Charlotte , Witten Paul Eckhard , Huysseune Ann , Symoens Sofie , Malfait Fransiska , Larionova Daria , Simoens Pascal , Dierick Manuel , Van Hoorebeke Luc , De Paepe Anne , Kwon Ronald Y , Weis MaryAnn , Eyre David R , Willaert Andy , Coucke Paul J
Published: August 2016

Bruck syndrome (BS) is a disorder characterized by joint flexion contractures and skeletal dysplasia that shows strong clinical overlap with the brittle bone disease osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). BS is caused by biallelic mutations in either the FKBP10 or the PLOD2 gene. PLOD2 encodes the lysyl hydroxylase 2 (LH2) enzyme, which is responsible for the hydroxylation of lysine residues in fibrillar collagen telopeptides. This hydroxylation directs crosslinking of collagen fibrils in the extracellular matrix, which is necessary to provide stability and tensile integrity to the collagen fibrils. To further elucidate the function of LH2 in vertebrate skeletal development, we created a zebrafish model harboring a homozygous plod2 nonsense mutation resulting in reduced telopeptide hydroxylation and crosslinking of bone type I collagen. Adult plod2 mutants present with a shortened body axis and severe skeletal abnormalities with evidence of bone fragility and fractures. The vertebral column of plod2 mutants is short and scoliotic with compressed vertebrae that show excessive bone formation at the vertebral end plates, and increased tissue mineral density in the vertebral centra. The muscle fibers of mutant zebrafish have a reduced diameter near the horizontal myoseptum. The endomysium, a layer of connective tissue ensheathing the individual muscle fibers, is enlarged. Transmission electron microscopy of mutant vertebral bone shows type I collagen fibrils that are less organized with loss of the typical plywood-like structure. In conclusion, plod2 mutant zebrafish show molecular and tissue abnormalities in the musculoskeletal system that are concordant with clinical findings in BS patients. Therefore, the plod2 zebrafish mutant is a promising model for the elucidation of the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms leading to BS and the development of novel therapeutic avenues in this syndrome. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Explicitly correlated frequency‐independent second‐order green's function for accurate ionization energies
Authors: Ohnishi Yu‐ya , Ten‐no Seiichiro
Published: August 2016

Explicitly correlated second‐order Green's function (GF2‐F12) is presented and applied to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), oligothiophene, and porphyrins. GF2 suffers from slow convergence of orbital expansions as in the ordinary post Hartree–Fock methods in ab initio theory, albeit the method is capable of providing quantitatively accurate ionization energies (IE) near the complete basis set limit. This feature is significantly mitigated by introducing F12 terms of explicitly correlated electronic structure theory. It is demonstrated that GF2‐F12 presents accurate IE with augmented triple‐zeta quality of basis sets. The errors from experimental results are typically less than 0.15 eV for PAHs. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
CYP2C9 Genotype‐Dependent Warfarin Pharmacokinetics: Impact of CYP2C9 Genotype on R‐ and S‐Warfarin and Their Oxidative Metabolites
Authors: Flora Darcy R. , Rettie Allan E. , Brundage Richard C. , Tracy Timothy S.
Published: August 2016

Multiple factors can impact warfarin therapy, including genetic variations in the drug‐metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9). Compared with individuals with the wild‐type allele, CYP2C9*1, carriers of the common *3 variant have significantly impaired CYP2C9 metabolism. Genetic variations in CYP2C9, the primary enzyme governing the metabolic clearance of the more potent S‐enantiomer of the racemic anticoagulant warfarin, may impact warfarin–drug interactions. To establish a baseline for such studies, plasma and urine concentrations of R‐ and S‐warfarin and 10 warfarin metabolites were monitored for up to 360 hours following a 10‐mg warfarin dose in healthy subjects with 4 different CYP2C9 genotypes: CYP2C9*1/*1 (n = 8), CYP2C9*1/*3 (n = 9), CYP2C9*2/*3 (n = 3), and CYP2C9*3/*3 (n = 4). Plasma clearance of S‐warfarin, but not R‐warfarin, decreased multiexponentially and in a CYP2C9 gene‐dependent manner: 56%, 70%, and 75% for CYP2C9*1/*3, CYP2C9*2/*3, and CYP2C9*3/*3 genotypes, respectively, compared with CYP2C9*1/*1, resulting in pronounced differences in the S:R ratio that identified warfarin‐sensitive genotypes. CYP2C9 was the primary P450 enzyme contributing to S‐warfarin metabolism and a minor contributor to R‐warfarin metabolism. In the presence of a defective CYP2C9 allele, switching of warfarin metabolism to other oxidative pathways and P450 enzymes for the metabolic elimination of S‐warfarin was not observed. The 10‐hydroxywarfarin metabolites, whose detailed pharmacokinetics are reported for the first time, exhibited a prolonged half‐life with no evidence of renal excretion and displayed elimination rate‐limited kinetics. Understanding the impact of CYP2C9 genetics on warfarin pharmacokinetics lays the foundation for future genotype‐dependent warfarin–drug interaction studies.
N‐glycosylation proteomic characterization and cross‐species comparison of milk fat globule membrane proteins from mammals
Authors: Yang Yongxin , Zheng Nan , Wang Weiyu , Zhao Xiaowei , Zhang Yangdong , Han Rongwei , Ma Lu , Zhao Shengguo , Li Songli , Guo Tongjun , Zang Changjiang , Wang Jiaqi
Published: August 2016

Glycosylation of proteins has been implicated in various biological functions and has received much attention; however, glycoprotein components and inter‐species complexity have not yet been elucidated fully in milk proteins. N‐linked glycosylation sites and glycoproteins in milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) fractions were investigated by combining N‐glycosylated peptides enrichment and high‐accuracy Q Exactive identification, to map the N‐glycoproteome profiles in Holstein and Jersey cows, buffaloes, yaks, goats, camels, horses, and humans. A total of 399 N‐glycoproteins with 677 glycosylation sites were identified in the MFGM fractions of the studied mammals. Most glycosylation sites in humans were classified as known and those in the other studied mammals as unknown, according to Swiss‐Prot annotations. Functionally, most of the identified glycoproteins were associated with the ‘response to stimulus’ GO category. N‐glycosylated protein components of MFGM fractions from Holstein and Jersey cows, buffaloes, yaks, and goats were more similar to each other compared with those of camels, horses and human. The findings increased the number of known N‐glycosylation sites in the milk from dairy animal species, revealed the complexity of the MFGM glycoproteome, and provided useful information to further explore the mechanism of MFGM glycoproteins biosynthesis among the studied mammals.
RGS14 regulates the lifetime of Gα‐GTP signaling but does not prolong Gβγ signaling following receptor activation in live cells
Authors: Brown Nicole E. , Lambert Nevin A. , Hepler John R.
Published: August 2016

RGS14 is a multifunctional scaffolding protein possessing two distinct G protein interaction sites including a regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) domain that acts as a GTPase activating protein (GAP) to deactivate Gαi/o‐GTP proteins, and a G protein regulatory (GPR) motif that binds inactive Gαi1/3‐GDP proteins independent of Gβγ. GPR interactions with Gαi recruit RGS14 to the plasma membrane to interact with Gαi‐linked GPCRs and regulate Gαi signaling. While RGS14 actions on Gα proteins are well characterized, consequent effects on Gβγ signaling remain unknown. Conventional RGS proteins act as dedicated GAPs to deactivate Gα and Gβγ signaling following receptor activation. RGS14 may do the same or, alternatively, may coordinate its actions to deactivate Gα‐GTP with the RGS domain and then capture the same Gα‐GDP via its GPR motif to prevent heterotrimer reassociation and prolong Gβγ signaling. To test this idea, we compared the regulation of G protein activation and deactivation kinetics by a conventional RGS protein, RGS4, and RGS14 in response to GPCR agonist/antagonist treatment utilizing bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET). Co‐expression of either RGS4 or RGS14 inhibited the release of free Gβγ after agonist stimulation and increased the deactivation rate of Gα, consistent with their roles as GTPase activating proteins (GAPs). Overexpression of inactive Gαi1 to recruit RGS14 to the plasma membrane did not alter RGS14′s capacity to act as a GAP for a second Gαo protein. These results demonstrate the role of RGS14 as a dedicated GAP and suggest that the G protein regulatory (GPR) motif functions independently of the RGS domain and is silent in regulating GAP activity in a cellular context.
Hybrid perovskite as substituent of indium and gallium in light emitting diodes
Authors: Palma Alessandro Lorenzo , Cinà Lucio , Busby Yan , Marsella Andrea , Agresti Antonio , Pescetelli Sara , Pireaux Jean‐Jacques , Carlo Aldo Di
Published: August 2016

Solution‐processed hybrid bromide perovskite light‐emitting‐diodes (PLEDs) represent an attractive alternative to the conventional critical raw materials (CRMs) based green LEDs. In this work, we report the development and characterization of PLEDs fabricated using a mesostructured layout. We adapted and refined deposition techniques typically employed in perovskite based solar cells (PSCs) fabrication to obtain a smooth perovskite layer. The fabricated mesostructured PLEDs measured under full operative conditions showed a remarkably narrow emission spectrum, even lower than what typically obtained by nitride or phosphide green LEDs based on CRMs. An enhancement in mesoscopic PLEDs performance can be achieved optimizing the smoothness of the mesoporous layer and the thickness of the perovskite active material. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Rapid determination of bacterial aminoglycoside resistance in environmental samples using membrane electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Fan Liusheng , Ke Ming , Yuan Min , Pu Ji , Li Juan , Lu Jinxing , Xu Jianguo , Zhang Mei , Xu Wei
Published: August 2016

Rationale

Antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria is becoming a global public health problem, such as aminoglycoside resistance encoded by the armA gene. Although many methods have been reported, rapid analysis of environmental samples is still challenging.

Method

A rapid analytical method was developed in this study to determine bacterial aminoglycoside resistance using membrane electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (MESI‐MS). Precursor/product‐ion pairs of ArmA unique peptides were detected with minimal sample preparation. Standard peptides were synthesized and used for developing and validating the methodology, and then the method was verified by both ArmA positive and ArmA negative simulated environmental samples.

Results

A rapid method for determination of bacterial aminoglycoside resistance was developed using MESI‐MS/MS. The bacterial cultural time was optimized to 2 hours, and the precision, accuracy and recovery of this method were investigated. The peptide IHSSTNER (IR‐8) unique to ArmA in simulated environmental samples can be successfully identified within 3 hours.

Conclusions

The novel assay offered a rapid method to determine bacterial aminoglycoside resistance with high sensitivity, accuracy and precision in simulated environmental samples. This method could also be applied to identify other drug‐resistance proteins in clinical/environmental samples. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Why Are Home Literacy Environment and Children's Reading Skills Associated? What Parental Skills Reveal
Authors: van Bergen Elsje , van Zuijen Titia , Bishop Dorothy , de Jong Peter F.
Published: August 2016

Associations between home literacy environment and children's reading ability are often assumed to reflect a direct influence. However, heritability could account for the association between parent and child literacy‐related measures. We used data from 101 mother/father/child triads to consider the extent to which associations between home literacy and children's reading fluency could be accounted for by parental reading fluency. Although home literacy correlated significantly with children's reading, no variable predicted significant variance after allowing for parental reading, except the number of books in the home. By incorporating measures of heritable parental traits into studies investigating home environment effects, we can start to identify which variables are correlates of parental traits and which might play a causal role in fostering children's development.
Context matters: Diversity's short‐ and long‐term effects in fortune's “best companies to work for”
Authors: Julian Scott D. , Ofori‐Dankwa Joseph C.
Published: August 2016

Research summary: Previous research has examined the racial diversity‐productivity relationship in corporations with an evident high commitment to minority programs, Fortune's “Best Companies for Minorities.” To assess generalizability, we replicate this research using a different context of high organizational‐employee value congruence, Fortune's “Best Companies to Work For.” We are not able to find evidence for the curvilinear relationships previously found, but do uncover a linear negative relationship between racial diversity and short‐run performance.

Managerial summary: Using Fortune's “Best Companies for Minorities,” previous research found that racial diversity affected both firm productivity and Tobin's q. To see if we could find these results in a different group of firms, we replicate this research using a sample drawn from Fortune's “Best Companies to Work For.” The former sample is distinguished by high commitment to minority programs, while the one used here stresses high congruence of values between the organization and all its employees. We are unable to replicate the relationships previously found, however, but do find that increasing racial diversity had a negative effect on firm productivity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Envisioning REDD+ in a post‐Paris era: between evolving expectations and current practice
Authors: Turnhout Esther , Gupta Aarti , Weatherley‐Singh Janice , Vijge Marjanneke J. , de Koning Jessica , Visseren‐Hamakers Ingrid J. , Herold Martin , Lederer Markus
Published: August 2016

From its advent in 2005 within global climate change negotiations, reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and other forest‐related activities (so‐called REDD+) has been experimented with in developing country contexts for over a decade now, with a wide array of expectations coming to be associated with it. Three consecutive conceptualizations are identifiable: carbon‐centered, where REDD+ is primarily a climate mitigation strategy; co‐benefits‐centered, where REDD+ becomes a triple win solution for climate, biodiversity and communities; and landscape‐centered, where REDD+ activities are embedded in integrated sustainable land‐use approaches. In assessing such evolving expectations against existing REDD+ experiences, a mixed picture emerges. Some expectations, specifically relating to forest carbon financing, are not being adequately met, while others, notably the delivery of co‐benefits, hold out more promise. Yet this also highlights a potential paradox facing REDD+. While there is growing recognition that co‐benefit generation is key, and that piece‐meal, forest‐carbon focused REDD+ interventions are unlikely to address the complex causes of tropical forest loss, forest carbon is still being foregrounded in measuring and reporting on REDD+ performance, and in generating results‐based payments (even as these aspects remain challenging). This implies, however, that the future of REDD+ may lie not in one conceptualization coming to dominate, but rather in co‐existence of heterogeneous practices. REDD+ may end up as a patchwork of projects and practices with different foci and financing mechanisms. Although this cannot prevent trade‐offs, such a heterodox REDD+ may provide building blocks for the polycentric governance of the world's remaining tropical forests. WIREs Clim Change 2017, 8:e425. doi: 10.1002/wcc.425

This article is categorized under:

Climate and Development > Social Justice and the Politics of Development

Policy and Governance > Multilevel and Transnational Climate Change Governance
Discontinuity of the Bowel Following Damage Control Operation Revisited: A Multi‐institutional Study
Authors: Talving Peep , Chouliaras Konstantinos , Eastman Alexander , Lauerman Margaret , Teixeira Pedro G. , DuBose Joseph , Minei Joseph , Scalea Thomas , Demetriades Demetrios
Published: August 2016

Background

Discontinuity of the bowel following intestinal injury and resection is a common practice in damage control procedures for severe abdominal trauma. However, there are concerns that complete occlusion of the bowel, especially in the presence of hypotension or edema that may result in ischemic bowel changes or increase bacterial or toxin translocation.

Methods

This was a retrospective study from three Level‐1 trauma centers. Included were trauma patients who required bowel resection and damage control. The study population was stratified into two groups based on the management for bowel injury: bowel discontinuity versus primary anastomosis. Outcomes included anastomotic leak, organ space infection, bowel ischemia, and mortality.

Results

A total of 167 cases were included. In 84 cases, continuity of the bowel was established, and in 83, the bowel was left in discontinuity. The epidemiological, admission, and intraoperative physiological characteristics, the abdominal Abbreviated Injury Scale, type of intra‐abdominal injury, and transfusion requirements were similar in the two study groups. The mortality was 8.3 % in the continuity group and 16.9 % for the discontinuity group (p = 0.096). On the crude bivariate and adjusted regression analyses, there was a higher rate of bowel ischemia at the take‐back operation in the discontinuity group (p = 0.003 for the crude and p = 0.034 for the adjusted). The organ space infection and anastomotic leak rate were not significantly different between the study groups.

Conclusions

Discontinuity of the bowel following damage control operation is associated with a higher risk of bowel ischemia than in patients with anastomosis. Further prospective observational and randomized studies are warranted.

Level of evidence

III.
Acute Appendicitis: A Weak Concordance Between Perioperative Diagnosis, Pathology and Peritoneal Fluid Cultivation
Authors: Tind Sofie , Qvist Niels
Published: August 2016

Background

The classification of acute appendicitis (AA) into various grades is not consistent, partly because it is not clear whether the perioperative or the histological findings should be the foundation of the classification. When comparing results from the literature on the frequency and treatment of AA it is important that the classifications are consistent. Furthermore, in the clinical settings, incorrect classification might lead to over diagnosing and a prolonged antibiotic treatment. The aim of our study was to investigate the concordance between perioperative diagnosis made by the surgeon and the histological findings of the removed appendix and furthermore compare this to the results from cultivation of peritoneal fluid aspirated perioperatively.

Methods

A prospective observational cohort study including patients (≥15 years of age) undergoing appendectomy.

Results

A total of 131 patients were included. In 116 (89 %) of these cases, appendicitis was confirmed histological. There was low concordance between the perioperative and histological diagnoses, varying from 16 to 76 % depending on grade of AA. Only 44 % of the patients receiving antibiotics postoperatively had a positive peritoneal fluid cultivation.

Conclusion

There was a low concordance in clinical and histopathological diagnoses of the different grades of appendicitis. Perioperative cultivation of the peritoneal fluid as a standard should be further examined. The potential could be a reduced postoperative antibiotic use.

Clinicaltrials.gov

Registration no.: NCT02304653.
Wave modulation: the geometry, kinematics, and dynamics of surface-wave packets
Authors: Pizzo N. E. , Melville W. Kendall
Published: August 2016

We examine the geometry, kinematics, and dynamics of weakly nonlinear narrow-banded deep-water wave packets governed by the modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation (Dysthe, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A., vol. 369, 1979, pp. 105–114; MNLSE). A new derivation of the spatial MNLSE, by a direct application of Whitham’s method, elucidates its variational structure. Using this formalism, we derive a set of conserved quantities and moment evolution equations. Next, by examining the MNLSE in the limit of vanishing linear dispersion, analytic solutions can be found. These solutions then serve as trial functions, which when substituted into the moment evolution equations form a closed set of equations, allowing for a qualitative and quantitative examination of the MNLSE without resorting to numerically solving the full equation. To examine the theory we consider initially symmetric, chirped and unchirped wave packets, chosen to induce wave focusing and steepening. By employing the ansatz for the trial function discussed above, we predict, a priori, the evolution of the packet. It is found that the speed of wave packets governed by the MNLSE depends on their amplitude, and in particular wave groups speed up as they focus. Next, we characterize the asymmetric growth of the wave envelope, and explain the steepening of the forward face of the initially symmetric wave packet. As the packet focuses, its variance decreases, as does the chirp of the signal. These theoretical results are then compared with the numerical predictions of the MNLSE, and agreement for small values of fetch is found. Finally, we discuss the results in the context of existing theoretical, numerical and laboratory studies.
Middle Paleocene uplift of the Brabant Massif from central Belgium up to the southeast coast of England
Authors: DECKERS JEF , MATTHIJS JOHAN
Published: August 2016

During the middle Paleocene Laramide phase, several basins in Europe experienced subsidence, while others experienced uplift. Previous studies have shown that during the Laramide phase some basins surrounding the Brabant Massif experienced subsidence into shallow depocentres. This study discusses how the Brabant Massif simultaneously experienced uplift along its WNW–ESE Caledonian structural axis from central Belgium in the east up to the southeast coast of England (Ipswich) in the west. Uplift resulted in erosion of the formerly deposited Chalk Group on top of the axis of the Brabant Massif. The erosion products of the Chalk Group were reworked in the latest Danian to earliest Thanetian deposits that filled the surrounding depocentres. Early to middle Thanetian pulsed marine transgressions caused flooding and deposition across the entire region, including the previously uplifted axis of the Brabant Massif. The depositional thicknesses, however, indicate that the axis of the Brabant Massif remained a relative high up to the middle Thanetian.

Both the geometry and timing of the middle Paleocene vertical surface movements of the Brabant Massif and surrounding areas are very similar to those described for other structural entities in central and northern Europe, despite their often strongly differing Mesozoic tectonic evolutions. We discuss several mechanisms that might have triggered these vertical surface movements, of which lithospheric folding seems the most likely.
On Governmental Regulation of Life Insurance in the United States of America
Authors: Homans Sheppard
Published: August 2016

As the members of the Institute are doubtless aware, government in the United States differs in at least one important particular from that in Great Britain. In the former country all legislation must conform to the requirements of a written Constitution, and such conformity or non-conformity is decided in each case as it arises, without appeal, by a Supreme Court. In the latter country, on the contrary, the validity or otherwise of any Act of Parliament is decided by unwritten traditions and evolutions developed by the growth and experience of centuries. It is not my object or province to discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of the two systems; I merely state the fact which must be clearly kept in view in order to understand the unique position of life insurance in the United States as regards governmental intervention.
On the Mortality of Assured Lives in West Africa
Authors:   A. L.
Published: August 2016

The question of the rate of mortality experienced by residents on the West Coast of Africa, has recently attracted considerable attention among actuaries. And indeed it is one of increasing importance. Partly owing to the growth of the Liverpool trade with the West Coast, partly owing to the spread of European ideas (including that of life assurance) among the natives, the number of proposals to life offices from residents in Africa is each year becoming greater. It is most desirable, therefore, that some attempt should be made as soon as possible to measure the extra risk of residence on the West Coast, and it is with the object of assisting such an attempt that the present note is offered to the readers of the Journal
The Analysis of a Sickness Experience
Authors: Watson Alfred W.
Published: August 2016

The vitality displayed by the English Friendly Societies in face of the competition of the compulsory system of National Health Insurance is such as to justify the allocation to the societies of a reasonable part of the time which the Institute devotes to the study of problems of professional interest; and their claim for a share of our attention is strengthened by the fact that the day of the unqualified “valuer” has nearly passed, and that the work of advising the societies on the actuarial aspects of their relatively complex undertakings is now almost everywhere entrusted to Fellows of the Institute or of the Faculty.
Balanced Incomplete Block Designs Used in the Method of Simulation
Authors: Joseph A. W.
Published: August 2016

The method of simulation, alternatively known as the Monte Carlo method, to which Sidney Benjamin drew our attention is a lazy way of solving problems that could be solved accurately but for the large number of different logical situations that have to be considered. The method traces out what actually happens if the conditions of a problem are observed and if certain unknown events are presumed to occur at random. The solution is taken to be the average of the results of all the experiments. Inevitably, however, this method gives rise to random error. Now certain actuarial problems depend on making assumptions on such things as the mortality to be expected to be experienced by a life or set of lives. It is of little consequence if random error is imposed on top of such assumptions. On the other hand the shape of the probability distributions that the random variables in the problem are to follow may be known exactly. For such a problem the introduction of random error is a blemish that should be made as small as possible. In this note one such problem will be considered. The argument will introduce the subject of balanced incomplete block designs, which, as far as the writer knows, have only once been touched on by an actuary and that over one hundred years ago. The problem is the chance that a Jackpot may be opened at the game of Poker, discussed by Redish and Ross.
Life Assurance in the Former British West Indies.
Authors: de Souza M. M. , Farncombe A.
Published: August 2016

The Caribbean is usually taken to include the number of widely scattered islands in the Caribbean Sea, as well as four neighbouring mainland territories which, for historical reasons, are closely associated with one or other of the island groups. The islands comprise: three Republics—Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic; three former British Colonies which have become independent countries within the Commonwealth during the last ten years, Jamaica (1962), Trinidad and Tobago (1962), and Barbados (1966), and a number of other islands which continue to have some level of dependent relationship with one or other of the ‘metropolitan’ countries including Britain (the Windward and Leeward Islands, the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas); France (Martinique and Guadeloupe), the Netherlands (Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire), and the United States of America (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands). The Mainland Territories include the independent Commonwealth country Guyana (formerly British Guiana and independent since 1966), French Guiana, Surinam (Dutch Guiana), and British Honduras.
A New Method of Valuing Policies in Groups
Authors: Trachtenberg H. L.
Published: August 2016

The underlying idea of this paper is the valuation of the sum assured (S) in groups of t years by multiplying the total sum by a tabulated function α and by a tabulated β.
Damaged Lives and Options
Authors: McCormack P. H.
Published: August 2016

The question whether the number of mixed lives at any age in the ultimate column of a select table can be subdivided into the number of lives still select and the number of damaged lives is a point of considerable interest in the practical use of mortality tables. And it was in connexion with a difference of opinion on this problem that the late Dr. Sprague made his last contribution to actuarial literature. Moreover, this was one of the few discussions in which he was apparently unable to carry conviction that his views were sound.
The Scheme of National Health Insurance considered in relation to the Valuations of Approved Societies as at 31 December 1918
Authors: Harvey P. N.
Published: August 2016

The scheme of National Health Insurance, apart from its general interest to the student of social questions, presents many technical features of special interest to the actuary, and it has been suggested that the completion of the first valuations of approved societies, i.e., the societies administering the monetary benefits of the system, affords an opportunity for discussion of the scientific problems to which these features give rise. With the Government Actuary's consent, I therefore submit in the following paper an examination of some of the more important points of actuarial interest which have emerged in the course of the valuation work. Before approaching the main theme of the paper, however, I have described briefly certain factors, such as the principal alterations made in the financial structure of the scheme by the Act of 1918, a knowledge of which is essential to an understanding of the later part of the paper. These preliminary remarks are placed in Part I, the main subject being dealt with in Part II.
Mortality of Annuitants, 1900–1920. A Report on Graduation and presentation of monetary tables
Authors: Elderton W. Palin , Oakley H. J. P.
Published: August 2016

Although many tables have been graduated in order to study the trend of mortality or express it mathematically, the real object of graduation in practical actuarial work is to provide a sufficiently smooth series of rates of mortality to avoid inconvenience in the calculation of monetary values, particularly perhaps, in the case of joint life functions. The importance of making tables available for practical calculation as soon as possible after the expiration of the period to which the rates of mortality relate necessitates the postponement of any attempt at an extensive mathematical study of the material and we feel that the alternative lies between (1) the use of the rates of mortality already found from the material adjusted as little as is necessary and (2) a Gompertz or Makeham graduation.
Mortality of Europeans in British West and British East Africa
Authors: Raynes H. E.
Published: August 2016

In two previous papers (vol. li, p. 77 and p. 211) an account has been given, of the published work of Newton on the subject of Interpolation by means of formulas of Finite Differences, and references have been made to the important letter which Newton sent on 24 October 1676, to Oldenburg, the Secretary of the Royal Society, with the intention that it should be communicated to Leibnitz. The second paper closed with a quotation from this letter, in which Newton mentions “a method [for the “construction of tables by interpolation] which I had almost “decided to describe here for the use of computers.” It has been my good fortune to discover that Newton had prepared an account of his method for inclusion in the letter and that the draft is preserved in the University Library at Cambridge among the Portsmouth Collection of Books and Papers written by or belonging to Sir Isaac Newton. By the freely granted permission of the Syndicate of the Library, I am able to give a reproduction and transcription of the manuscript, and I have added a translation.
The Actuary in Commerce and Industry
Authors: Phillips E. William
Published: August 2016

In the Presidential Address delivered to the Institute in December 1918, Mr. Geoffrey Marks attempted a comprehensive description of the actuary, and indicated some directions in which his usefulness might be enlarged. It was this portion of the address which attracted the particular attention of the present author, chiefly because at the time the address was delivered he was engaged by a number of large engineering firms upon a statistical problem which had arisen in connection with certain repairing contracts involving payments totalling over one million pounds, a problem incapable of correct solution without the use of knowledge possessed exclusively by the actuary, and presenting, indeed, an almost exact analogy to a valuation for the purpose of amalgamation of a number of Sickness Insurance Societies.
Ordinary Life Office Organization Using a Large-Scale Electronic Computer
Authors: Baker A. C.
Published: August 2016

In a paper on Large-scale Electronic Digital Computing Machines read before the Institute in 1953 (J.I.A. 79, 274) R. L. Michaelson drew the attention of actuaries to the possibilities which existed in a life office for the use of a large-scale electronic digital computer (referred to hereafter as a ‘computer’). Both the paper itself and the discussion which followed emphasized the need for a detailed investigation of the problems involved from the points of view of the life office and the manufacturer.

2. The author of this paper has been privileged to undertake, in close cooperation with a large manufacturer of computers in this country, a detailed investigation of possible life-office organization based on a computer. This paper sets down some of the results of this investigation with particular reference to life offices transacting ordinary as distinct from industrial life assurance.