bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electron–positron pair production near the Galactic Centre and the 511 keV emission line
Authors: Chan Man Ho
Published: December 2015

Recent observations indicate that a high production rate of positrons (strong 511 keV line) and a significant amount of excess GeV gamma-ray exist in our Galactic bulge. The latter issue can be explained by ∼40 GeV dark matter annihilation through $b \bar{b}$ channel while the former one remains a mystery. On the other hand, recent studies reveal that a large amount of high-density gas might exist near the Galactic Centre million years ago to account for the young, massive stars extending from 0.04–7 pc. In this Letter, I propose a new scenario and show that the 40 GeV dark matter annihilation model can also explain the required positron production rate (511 keV line) in the bulge due to the existence of the high-density gas cloud near the supermassive black hole long time ago.
Salivary Cortisol Profiles of Children with Hearing Loss
Authors: Bess Fred H. , Gustafson Samantha J. , Corbett Blythe A. , Lambert E. Warren , Camarata Stephen M. , Hornsby Benjamin W. Y.
Published: December 2015

Objectives:

It has long been speculated that effortful listening places children with hearing loss at risk for fatigue. School-age children with hearing loss experiencing cumulative stress and listening fatigue on a daily basis might undergo dysregulation of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity resulting in elevated or flattened cortisol profiles. The purpose of this study was to examine whether school-age children with hearing loss show different diurnal salivary cortisol patterns than children with normal hearing.

Design:

Participants included 32 children with mild to moderate hearing loss (14 males; 18 females) and 28 children with normal hearing (19 males; 9 females) ranging in age from 6 to 12 years. Saliva samples were obtained six times per day on two separate school days. Cortisol levels were measured by mass spectrometric detection after liquid–liquid extraction. Salivary cortisol levels between children with hearing loss and children with no hearing loss over the course of the day were examined with hierarchical linear modeling using mixed model statistical analysis. Between-group comparisons were also computed for the area under the curve, an analytical approach for calculating overall cortisol secretion throughout the day.

Results:

Significant differences in the cortisol awakening response (CAR) were observed between children with hearing loss and children with normal hearing; however, no differences were observed between the two groups subsequent to the cortisol awakening response (60-min postawakening, 10:00 A.M., 2:00 P.M., and 8:00 P.M.). Compared with children with normal hearing, children with hearing loss displayed elevated cortisol levels at awakening and a reduced growth in cortisol secretion from awakening to 30-min postawakening. No significant differences in overall cortisol secretion throughout the day were found between groups (area under the curve). Finally, cortisol levels increased with increasing age for children with hearing loss but not for children with normal hearing.

Conclusions:

Results of this preliminary study indicate a possible dysregulation in HPA axis activity in children with hearing loss characterized by elevated salivary cortisol levels at awakening and a diminished increase in cortisol from awakening to 30-min postawakening. The pattern of elevated cortisol levels at awakening is consistent with some studies on adults with burnout, a condition characterized by fatigue, loss of energy, and poor coping skills. These findings support the idea that children with hearing loss may experience increased vigilance and need to mobilize energy promptly in preparation for the new day.
Creating a National Provider Identifier (NPI) to Unique Physician Identification Number (UPIN) Crosswalk for Medicare Data
Authors: Parsons Helen M. , Enewold Lindsey R. , Banks Robert , Barrett Michael J. , Warren Joan L.
Published: December 2015

Introduction:

Many health services researchers are interested in assessing long term, individual physician treatment patterns, particularly for cancer care. In 2007, Medicare changed the physician identifier used on billed services from the Unique Physician Identification Number (UPIN) to the National Provider Identifier (NPI), precluding the ability to use Medicare claims data to evaluate individual physician treatment patterns across this transition period.

Methods:

Using the 2007–2008 carrier (physician) claims from the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registry-Medicare data and Medicare’s NPI and UPIN Directories, we created a crosswalk that paired physician NPIs included in SEER-Medicare data with UPINs. We evaluated the ability to identify an NPI-UPIN match by physician sex and specialty.

Results:

We identified 470,313 unique NPIs in the 2007–2008 SEER-Medicare carrier claims and found a UPIN match for 90.1% of these NPIs (n=423,842) based on 3 approaches: (1) NPI and UPIN coreported on the SEER-Medicare claims; (2) UPINs reported on the NPI Directory; or (3) a name match between the NPI and UPIN Directories. A total of 46.6% (n=219,315) of NPIs matched to the same UPIN across all 3 approaches, 34.1% (n=160,277) agreed across 2 approaches, and 9.4% (n=44,250) had a match identified by 1 approach only. NPIs were paired to UPINs less frequently for women and primary care physicians compared with other specialists.

Discussion:

National Cancer Institute has created a crosswalk resource available to researchers that links NPIs and UPINs based on the SEER-Medicare data. In addition, the documented process could be used to create other NPI-UPIN crosswalks using data beyond SEER-Medicare.
Tension tests on mammalian collagen fibrils
Authors: Liu Yehe , Ballarini Roberto , Eppell Steven J.
Published: December 2015

A brief overview of isolated collagen fibril mechanics testing is followed by presentation of the first results testing fibrils isolated from load-bearing mammalian tendons using a microelectromechanical systems platform. The
in vitro
modulus (326 ± 112 MPa) and fracture stress (71 ± 23 MPa) are shown to be lower than previously measured on fibrils extracted from sea cucumber dermis and tested with the same technique. Scanning electron microscope images show the fibrils can fail with a mechanism that involves circumferential rupture, whereas the core of the fibril stays at least partially intact.
Maintenance of phenotypic diversity within a set of virulence encoding genes of the malaria parasite
Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Holding Thomas , Recker Mario
Published: December 2015

Infection by the human malaria parasite
Plasmodium falciparum
results in a broad spectrum of clinical outcomes, ranging from severe and potentially life-threatening malaria to asymptomatic carriage. In a process of naturally acquired immunity, individuals living in malaria-endemic regions build up a level of clinical protection, which attenuates infection severity in an exposure-dependent manner. Underlying this shift in the immunoepidemiology as well as the observed range in malaria pathogenesis is the
var
multigene family and the phenotypic diversity embedded within. The
var
gene-encoded surface proteins
Plasmodium falciparum
erythrocyte membrane protein 1 mediate variant-specific binding of infected red blood cells to a diverse set of host receptors that has been linked to specific disease manifestations, including cerebral and pregnancy-associated malaria. Here, we show that cross-reactive immune responses, which minimize the within-host benefit of each additionally expressed gene during infection, can cause selection for maximum phenotypic diversity at the genome level. We further show that differential functional constraints on protein diversification stably maintain uneven ratios between phenotypic groups, in line with empirical observation. Our results thus suggest that the maintenance of phenotypic diversity within
P. falciparum
is driven by an evolutionary trade-off that optimizes between within-host parasite fitness and between-host selection pressure.
Impacts of feeding less food-competing feedstuffs to livestock on global food system sustainability
Authors: Schader Christian , Muller Adrian , Scialabba Nadia El-Hage , Hecht Judith , Isensee Anne , Erb Karl-Heinz , Smith Pete , Makkar Harinder P. S. , Klocke Peter , Leiber Florian , Schwegler Patrizia , Stolze Matthias , Niggli Urs
Published: December 2015

Increasing efficiency in livestock production and reducing the share of animal products in human consumption are two strategies to curb the adverse environmental impacts of the livestock sector. Here, we explore the room for sustainable livestock production by modelling the impacts and constraints of a third strategy in which livestock feed components that compete with direct human food crop production are reduced. Thus, in the outmost scenario, animals are fed only from grassland and by-products from food production. We show that this strategy could provide sufficient food (equal amounts of human-digestible energy and a similar protein/calorie ratio as in the reference scenario for 2050) and reduce environmental impacts compared with the reference scenario (in the most extreme case of zero human-edible concentrate feed: greenhouse gas emissions −18%; arable land occupation −26%, N-surplus −46%; P-surplus −40%; non-renewable energy use −36%, pesticide use intensity −22%, freshwater use −21%, soil erosion potential −12%). These results occur despite the fact that environmental efficiency of livestock production is reduced compared with the reference scenario, which is the consequence of the grassland-based feed for ruminants and the less optimal feeding rations based on by-products for non-ruminants. This apparent contradiction results from considerable reductions of animal products in human diets (protein intake
per capita
from livestock products reduced by 71%). We show that such a strategy focusing on feed components which do not compete with direct human food consumption offers a viable complement to strategies focusing on increased efficiency in production or reduced shares of animal products in consumption.
A single microphone noise reduction algorithm based on the detection and reconstruction of spectro-temporal features
Authors: Lee Tyler , Theunissen Frédéric
Published: December 2015

Animals throughout the animal kingdom excel at extracting individual sounds from competing background sounds, yet current state-of-the-art signal processing algorithms struggle to process speech in the presence of even modest background noise. Recent psychophysical experiments in humans and electrophysiological recordings in animal models suggest that the brain is adapted to process sounds within the restricted domain of spectro-temporal modulations found in natural sounds. Here, we describe a novel single microphone noise reduction algorithm called spectro-temporal detection–reconstruction (STDR) that relies on an artificial neural network trained to detect, extract and reconstruct the spectro-temporal features found in speech. STDR can significantly reduce the level of the background noise while preserving the foreground speech quality and improving estimates of speech intelligibility. In addition, by leveraging the strong temporal correlations present in speech, the STDR algorithm can also operate on predictions of upcoming speech features, retaining similar performance levels while minimizing inherent throughput delays. STDR performs better than a competing state-of-the-art algorithm for a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios and has the potential for real-time applications such as hearing aids and automatic speech recognition.
Equivalent plastic strain gradient plasticity with grain boundary hardening and comparison to discrete dislocation dynamics
Authors: Bayerschen E. , Stricker M. , Wulfinghoff S. , Weygand D. , Böhlke T.
Published: December 2015

The gradient crystal plasticity framework of Wulfinghoff
et al.
(Wulfinghoff
et al.
2013
Int. J. Plasticity
51, 33–46. (
doi:10.1016/j.ijplas.2013.07.001
)), incorporating an equivalent plastic strain
γ
eq
and grain boundary (GB) yielding, is extended with GB hardening. By comparison to averaged results from many discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) simulations of an aluminium-type tricrystal under tensile loading, the new hardening parameter of the continuum model is calibrated. Although the GBs in the discrete simulations are impenetrable, an infinite GB yield strength, corresponding to microhard GB conditions, is not applicable in the continuum model. A combination of a finite GB yield strength with an isotropic bulk Voce hardening relation alone also fails to model the plastic strain profiles obtained by DDD. Instead, a finite GB yield strength in combination with GB hardening depending on the equivalent plastic strain at the GBs is shown to give a better agreement to DDD results. The differences in the plastic strain profiles obtained in DDD simulations by using different orientations of the central grain could not be captured. This indicates that the misorientation-dependent elastic interaction of dislocations reaching over the GBs should also be included in the continuum model.
The exponential Lie series for continuous semimartingales
Authors: Ebrahimi-Fard Kurusch , Malham Simon J. A. , Patras Frederic , Wiese Anke
Published: December 2015

We consider stochastic differential systems driven by continuous semimartingales and governed by non-commuting vector fields. We prove that the logarithm of the flowmap is an exponential Lie series. This relies on a natural change of basis to vector fields for the associated quadratic covariation processes, analogous to Stratonovich corrections. The flowmap can then be expanded as a series in compositional powers of vector fields and the logarithm of the flowmap can thus be expanded in the Lie algebra of vector fields. Further, we give a direct explicit proof of the corresponding Chen–Strichartz formula which provides an explicit formula for the Lie series coefficients. Such exponential Lie series are important in the development of strong Lie group integration schemes that ensure approximate solutions themselves lie in any homogeneous manifold on which the solution evolves.
DNA methylation changes induced by long and short photoperiods inNasonia
Authors: Pegoraro Mirko , Bafna Akanksha , Davies Nathaniel J. , Shuker David M. , Tauber Eran
Published: December 2015

Many organisms monitor the annual change in day length and use this information for the timing of their seasonal response. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying photoperiodic timing are largely unknown. The waspNasonia vitripennisis an emerging model organism that exhibits a strong photoperiodic response: Short autumnal days experienced by females lead to the induction of developmental arrest (diapause) in their progeny, allowing winter survival of the larvae. How femaleNasoniacontrol the developmental trajectory of their offspring is unclear. Here, we took advantage of the recent discovery that DNA methylation is pervasive inNasoniaand tested its role in photoperiodism. We used reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) to profile DNA methylation in adult female wasps subjected to different photoperiods and identified substantial differential methylation at the single base level. We also show that knocking downDNA methyltransferase 1a (Dnmt1a),Dnmt3, or blocking DNA methylation pharmacologically, largely disrupts the photoperiodic diapause response of the wasps. To our knowledge, this is the first example for a role of DNA methylation in insect photoperiodic timing.
A model of pilgrimage tourism: process, interface, people and sequence
Authors: Padin Carmen , Svensson Goran , Wood Greg
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine the elements of the main process of pilgrimage tourism (PT), occurring between pilgrims, hikers and tourists along a trail towards a holy site. PT is defined as a process consisting of three sub-processes over time and across contexts: pre-process, main process and post-process.

Design/methodology/approach

– Explores the core reasons for PT through active participation and observation.

Findings

– This study reveals different layers, levels, views, approaches and perspectives involved in people-based processes. The study attempts to conceptualize the elements involved between people committed and dedicated to PT.

Research limitations/implications

– The introduced model of PT stresses the processes and interfaces involved over time and across contexts between people, with the same or different sequences. There is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous research that explores and describes the processes and interaction between pilgrims, hikers and tourists.

Practical implications

– The ultimate experience at an individual level differs, depending upon the outcome of the PT-elements of the model of PT (i.e. processes, interfaces, people and sequences).

Social implications

– From a social science perspective, the research examines the motives of different traveller types and looks at their different perspectives of being involved with the same physical activity of travel. The study emphasises that we can be involved in the same physical activity, but embrace it with different levels of personal and emotional engagement.

Originality/value

– A conceptualized model of PT containing four elements (process, interface, people and sequence) – all of which offer a foundation for structuring and assessing empirical research, and provide additional insights and knowledge into the dynamics and complexity involved specifically in a people-based process consisting of interfaces and sequences when travelling.
Boundary emergence in inter-organizational innovation
Authors: Smith Pernille
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– Inter-organizational innovation is becoming an attractive development form in view of the complexity of many of today’s innovations. However, inter-organizational innovation does not often lead to the desired results. To understand this paradoxical situation, the purpose of this paper is to examine a high-novelty R & D collaboration between multiple organizations with focus on the occurrence of knowledge boundaries and their underlying mechanisms.

Design/methodology/approach

– The analysis is based on a grounded longitudinal study of an inter-organizational R & D team. Participant observation data, interviews, and document data have been collected over three years.

Findings

– The study identified six different knowledge boundaries characterized by processes of sensemaking, strategizing, and group identification. These three processes were all rooted in continuous attempts at the individual level to reduce uncertainty, and the findings therefore highlight the unexpected consequences of uncertainty reduction. Uncertainty reduction through sensemaking, strategizing, and group identification may reduce the uncertainty at the individual level but also provoke the emergence of knowledge boundaries at the team level, thereby impeding knowledge exchange. Furthermore, the knowledge integration literature highlights that knowledge boundaries are relational, but the identification of a cognitive boundary indicates that some problems are so complex that a knowledge boundary is delimited to the single individual.

Originality/value

– Most research on knowledge boundaries has focussed on the elimination of knowledge boundaries through boundary objects and boundary spanners, but only little attention has been given to the underlying mechanisms of boundary emergence and dynamics. In this paper, it is argued that to efficiently manage knowledge boundaries, an understanding of their underlying mechanisms is needed.
What makes an “innovation champion”?
Authors: Sergeeva Natalya
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore how an “innovation champion” identity is formulated in the context of UK construction sector. A conceptual model of “innovation champion” themes is derived from the literature on social identity and then validated through empirical research.

Design/methodology/approach

– In total, 30 semi-structured interviews have been conducted with UK construction sector practitioners. The sample was composed active participants within the Constructing Excellence – the UK construction sector’s network-type organisation for driving innovation.

Findings

– Practitioners socially constructed “innovation champion” identities through narratives about “self” or others. While some practitioners saw themselves as “innovation champions”, many others recognised CEOs as such. “Innovation champions” are commonly recognised as key individuals who promote innovations across businesses.

Practical implications

– Socially constructed identities are seen important to strategic decisions and future actions. The potential contribution to practice is to help current and new generations of practitioners to learn about how to be or become “innovation champions”.

Social implications

– The concept of social identity presents opportunities to enrich our understanding of the “innovation champion” label can stimulate people’s reflections on who they are and what they do.

Originality/value

– The present paper has extended upon prior research and theory by exploring the ways practitioners perceive themselves or others as “innovation champions”. While this research has focused on the UK construction sector, the findings are potentially useful for other sectors where “innovation champion” labels are commonly used.
The Slow Economic Growth in Algeria: A Comparative Study with Respect to South Korea
Authors: Bouznit Mohammed , Ferfera Mohamed Yassine , del P. Pablo‐Romero María
Published: December 2015

The slow growth of Algeria is analyzed in this paper, by comparing the economic growth between Algeria and South Korea, over the period from 1970 to 2010. Both countries were nearly at the same development level at the beginning of the 1960s. Nevertheless, the South Korean economy was ranked 15th in the world in 2010, while Algeria remained underdeveloped. The results obtained show that human capital and physical capital cause the economic growth in the two countries under study. However, the elasticities of productivity with respect to human and physical capital are higher in South Korea. Human capital elasticity in South Korea is two and a half times higher, whereas the physical capital elasticity is twice as high.
Caractéristiques et déterminants du chômage des jeunes au Cameroun: le rôle prépondérant du diplôme et du sexe
Authors: Njifen Issofou
Published: December 2015

Paradoxalement, le diplôme ne préserve pas les jeunes du chômage qui touche plus les femmes que les hommes sur le marché du travail au Cameroun. A la lumière de ce fait stylisé, l'objectif de cet article est d'analyser les déterminants du chômage des jeunes. En faisant bon usage des micro‐données de la deuxième enquête sur l'emploi et le secteur informel, cette étude va au‐delà de l'analyse logistique simple en adoptant des techniques de décomposition de Blinder et Oaxaca pour analyser les déterminants de l'écart de chômage selon le genre et le diplôme. Les résultats révèlent notamment le rôle déterminant du niveau d'instruction, du sexe féminin et du milieu de résidence dans l'aggravation du chômage des jeunes au Cameroun. Toutefois, l'analyse infirme l'hypothèse de discrimination du genre à l'embauche quand les différences de productivité entre les diplômés et les non diplômés, les avantages liés au diplôme ainsi que les désavantages associés au non diplôme expliquent les disparités de chômage entre ces deux derniers groupes. Ces principaux résultats débouchent sur quelques recommandations de politiques en faveur de la promotion de l'emploi des jeunes.
Provincializing Critical Urban Theory: Extending the Ecosystem of Possibilities
Authors: Leitner Helga , Sheppard Eric
Published: December 2015

Advocating a provincialization of critical urban theory, we seek to move beyond current polarizations and disputes over the basis of urban theory, creating space to take seriously the possibility that no single theory suffices to account for the variegated nature of urbanization and cities across the world. Such provincialization requires a serious engagement with both mainstream and critical Anglophone urban theory, challenging the seeming naturalness of knowledge claims through rigorous theoretical and empirical scrutiny from the standpoint of peripheral perspectives located outside the core. This entails recognizing the existence of a shifting ecosystem of critical urban theories, putting these into even‐handed critical conversation with one another. The collective resilience of urban theory will be dependent upon ongoing engagement across such diversity. At the heart of such an ecosystem are shifts in practice, seeking a new comparative analytic that destabilizes the universalism of the dominant norm, against which all other exemplars are to be compared, with the imperative of taking the field seriously.
Effects of landscape and management on ground‐dwelling insect assemblages of farmland in Jeju Island, Korea
Authors: Choe Lak Jung , Cho Kwang Jin , Choi Soon Kun , Lee Seung Hyun , Kim Min Kyeong , Bang Hea Son , Eo Jinu , Kim Myung Hyun
Published: December 2015

Granite‐derived soils are widespread in the farmland of Korea in general. In contrast, Jeju Island has mainly volcanic ash soils. Soils and weather condition in Jeju Island created a unique agricultural system. We identified the features of ground‐dwelling insects in farmlands of Jeju Island. This study was conducted in four areas (Samdal‐ri and Susan‐ri in Seogwipo city, and Dongmyeong‐ri and Suwon‐ri in Jeju city) in Jeju Island, Korea. Field surveys were carried out twice in summer (June) and autumn (September) in 2013. Ground‐dwelling insects were sampled quantitatively by using pitfall traps. As a result, in total 3322 individuals, 137 species, 48 families and 8 orders were investigated in farmlands of Jeju Island. Especially, members of Coleoptera and Hymenoptera accounted for a large proportion of ground‐dwelling insect communities. The numbers of species and individuals for major taxonomic groups showed significant regional and seasonal differences. This study implied that the seasonal and regional differences of ground‐dwelling insect communities were affected by surrounding land use patterns, life history patterns of each taxonomic group and farmland management.
Predicting Streambed Sediment and Water Column Escherichia coli Levels at Watershed Scale
Authors: Pandey Pramod K. , Soupir Michelle L. , Ikenberry Charles D. , Rehmann Chris R.
Published: December 2015

A sub‐model for the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is developed to predict Escherichia coli levels in the streambed sediment as well as in the water column. New formulations to estimate the levels of E. coli in streambed sediment and the water column are derived. These equations include calculations of E. coli resuspension from the streambed sediment to the water column, E. coli deposition from the water column to the streambed sediment, E. coli growth in the streambed sediment and the water column, and instream E. coli routing. These formulations were programmed in FORTRAN and integrated into SWAT. The modified SWAT model was applied to Squaw Creek Watershed, Iowa, to predict E. coli levels in the stream. Escherichia coli concentrations in the streambed sediment and the water column were monitored extensively in this watershed, and observations were used to verify the model predictions. The model proposed here can predict E. coli concentrations in streambed sediment as well as in the water column. Approximately 58% of the predictions of E. coli levels in the bed sediment were within 1 order of magnitude from the observed value, and in the water column 83% of the predictions of E. coli levels were within 1 order of magnitude. Results suggest that the proposed model will help predictions of instream bacterial contamination.
Using positron emission tomography (PET) response criteria in solid tumours (PERCIST) 1.0 for evaluation of 2′‐deoxy‐2′‐[18F] fluoro‐D‐glucose‐PET/CT scans to predict survival early during treatment of locally advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
Authors: Fledelius Joan , Khalil Azza Ahmed , Hjorthaug Karin , Frøkiær Jørgen
Published: December 2015

Introduction

The demand for early‐response evaluation with 2′‐deoxy‐2′‐[18F] fluoro‐D‐glucose (F‐18‐FDG) positron emission tomography combined with whole body CT (PET/CT) is rapidly growing. This study was initiated to evaluate the applicability of the PET response criteria in solid tumours (PERCIST 1.0) for response evaluation.

Methods

We performed a retrospective study of 21 patients with locally advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), who had undergone both a baseline and a follow‐up F‐18‐FDG‐PET/CT scan during their treatments. The scans were performed at our institution in the period September 2009 and March 2011 and were analysed visually and according to PERCIST 1.0 by one board‐certified nuclear medicine physician. The response was compared with overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS). The variation in key parameters affecting the F‐18‐FDG uptake was assessed.

Results

A kappa of 0.94 corresponding to an almost perfect agreement was found for the comparison of the visual evaluation with PERCIST. Patients with partial metabolic response and stable metabolic disease (as evaluated by PERCIST 1.0) had statistically significant longer median time to progression: 8.4 months (confidence interval (CI) 5.1–11.8 months) as compared with 2.7 months (CI 0–5.6 months) in patients classified with progression. The variation in uptake time between baseline and follow‐up scans was more than the recommended 15 min in 48% of patients.

Conclusions

PERCIST 1.0 is readily implementable and highly comparable with visual evaluation of response using early F‐18‐FDG‐PET/CT scanning for locally advanced NSCLC patients. In spite of variations in parameters affecting F‐18‐FDG uptake, evaluation of F‐18‐FDG‐PET/CT during treatment with PERCIST 1.0 is shown to separate non‐responders from responders, each with statistically significant differences in both OS and PFS.
“In the Corridors of Power”: How the Animal Movement Changed Australian Politics, 1979–1991
Authors: Villanueva Gonzalo
Published: December 2015

Foreshadowed by the anti‐war cause, women's and gay liberation struggles, and the conservation movement, and inspired by Peter Singer's 1975 book Animal Liberation, a fresh wave of animal activism emerged in Australia in the mid‐seventies. In the struggle for animal rights, campaigners used a range of methods, but what characterised the eighties was their lobbying. They engaged politicians, built alliances, and participated in the state. By doing so, they changed Australian politics: they extended the political agenda; influenced public policy; and reshaped the state bureaucracy to include new avenues for addressing animal protection. At the same time, their outcomes were limited, sometimes founded on compromise and failure. The property status of animals was a fundamental constraint that produced differentiated and contradictory policy outcomes. The degree to which the animal movement succeeded in reducing animal suffering is a contentious matter that divides minimalist and maximalist accounts. Ultimately, however, animal advocates were instrumental in advancing the basic animal protection framework evident in Australia today.
Peer Rejection and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms: Reciprocal Relations Through Ages 4, 6, and 8
Authors: Stenseng Frode , Belsky Jay , Skalicka Vera , Wichstrøm Lars
Published: December 2015

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) predicts poor peer relationships. What remains unclear is whether poor peer relationships affect ADHD symptomatology. Hence, reciprocal effects of peer rejection and ADHD symptoms were examined in a community sample of 962 Norwegian children at ages 4, 6, and 8. Results showed that ADHD symptoms at age 4 predicted more peer rejection at age 6, and that peer rejection at age 4 predicted more symptoms at age 6. However, when conducting analyses on ADHD subtypes, hyperactivity–impulsivity and inattentiveness symptoms were adversely affected by peer rejection at ages 6 and 8, whereas peer rejection was unaffected by such symptoms, indicating that the effect of peer rejection on ADHD symptoms was most robust. Mediational relation were also identified.
Right Ventricular Function Is Associated with Left Ventricular Stroke Volume in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis and Preserved Ejection Fraction
Authors: Charlton George T. , Slomka Teresa , Wu Wen‐Chih , Choudhary Gaurav
Published: December 2015

Background

A subset of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) have lower stroke volumes and valve gradients despite a normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), referred to as paradoxical low‐flow AS (PLF AS). However, the role of right ventricular (RV) function in patients with severe AS and preserved LVEF is not known. We hypothesized that right ventricular function is associated with left ventricular stroke volume in patients with severe AS and preserved LVEF.

Methods

From an echocardiographic database, we retrospectively identified 102 patients with an indexed aortic valve area ≤0.6 cm2/m2 and LVEF ≥ 50%. We used univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis to assess the association between aortic valve stroke volume index (SVi) and right ventricular systolic function as measured by tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and by right ventricular fractional area change (FAC).

Results

Our population was 98% male with mean age 77.4 ± 9.3 years and mean SVi of 36.1 ± 7.9 mL/m2. Forty‐four patients (43%) met criteria for PLF AS. TAPSE and FAC were positively associated with SVi in both univariate and multivariate regression analysis after correcting for left ventricular variables (β coefficient – TAPSE (cm): 4.59 ± 1.3, P = 0.001; FAC (%): 0.19 ± 0.08, P = 0.014). Additionally, PLF AS patients had significantly lower mean TAPSE and lower mean FAC when compared dichotomously to normal flow AS patients (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Right ventricular systolic function assessed by TAPSE and FAC is significantly related to aortic valve flow in patients with severe AS and preserved LVEF.
Severity of white matter hyperintensities in older adults aged in their mid 80s and its relationship with hemodynamic and cardiac parameters
Authors: Todoroki Kikue , Ikeya Yoshimori , Fukui Sayato , Yanagimachi Noriharu , Okazaki Takashi , Tanaka Chiharu , Tanaka Etsuro , Shizuma Toru , Fukuyama Naoto , Mori Hidezo
Published: December 2015

Aim

In the present study, we analyzed the severity of white matter hyperintensities detected on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in older Japanese adults who were aged in their mid 80s, and examined its relationships with the clinical parameters.

Methods

To identify factors related to the severity of white matter hyperintensities in 33 older adult attendees of our outpatient clinic and 17 older adults living in a group home, we carried out logistic regression analyses and/or correlation analyses.

Results

Cognitive function and activities of daily living were significantly correlated with the severity of white matter hyperintensities. Multivariate analysis identified activities of daily living, but not cognitive function, as being independently associated with the severity of white matter hyperintensities. Several hemodynamic and cardiac parameters, including diastolic blood pressure, hemoglobin, serum level of N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide, cardiothoracic ratio on the chest X‐ray, severity of supraventricular arrhythmias on a Holter electrocardiogram and serum levels of docosahexaenoic acid, were significantly correlated with the severity of white matter hyperintensities. In contrast, the serum cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin value and systolic blood pressure were not correlated with the severity of white matter hyperintensities.

Conclusions

The severity of white matter hyperintensities detected on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in older Japanese patients aged in their mid 80s was significantly correlated with activities of daily living, hemodynamic and cardiac parameters, and the serum level of docosahexaenoic acid. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15 (Suppl. 1): 66–73.
Disease causing homozygous variants in the human hairless gene
Authors: Mehmood Sabba , Jan Abid , Raza Syed Irfan , Ahmad Farooq , Younus Muhammad , Irfanullah  , Shahi Shamim , Ayub Muhammad , Khan Saadullah , Ahmad Wasim
Published: December 2015

Background

Atrichia with papular lesions (APL) is a rare irreversible form of complete hair loss inherited in autosomal recessive manner. Hair loss is often followed by the appearance of multiple keratin‐filled cysts or papules on exterior parts of the body. This phenotype results due to mutations in the human hairless gene (HR) mapped on chromosome 8p21.3. The present study was aimed to search for disease‐causing sequence variants in the HR gene in five consanguineous families exhibiting features of APL.

Methods

Linkage in five Pakistani lineal consanguineous families, displaying features of APL, was tested using microsatellite markers flanking the HR gene on chromosome 8p21.3. After constructing the haplotypes, variants in the gene HR were searched by dideoxy‐chain termination sequencing.

Results

Haplotype analysis established linkage in all five families to the HR gene located on chromosome 8p.21.3. Subsequently, sequencing HR identified a novel homozygous nonsense variant (c.2541G>A, p.Trp847*) in one and previously reported two pathogenic variants (p.Cys690*, p.Pro1157Arg) in the other four families.

Conclusion

Mutations identified extend the spectrum of mutations in the HR gene resulting in APL. Characterizing the clinical spectrum resulting from the disease‐causing homozygous variants in the HR gene will direct clinical care of the family members.
The combination of nifedipine and propranolol in the management of patients with angina pectoris.
Authors: Tweddel AC , Beattie JM , Murray RG , Hutton I
Published: December 2015

1 A double‐blind cross over study was carried out to assess the effects of the combination of nifedipine and propranolol in 25 patients with chronic stable angina pectoris at beta‐adrenoceptor blockade. 2 Efficacy was judged objectively by a standardized exercise protocol using a bicycle ergometer and subjectively by patient assessment of anginal attack rate. 3 The combination of nifedipine and propranolol was shown to be effective with an increase in exercise time to angina and an increase in physical work capacity expressed in terms of calculated maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max). There was an associated reduction in anginal attack rate. 4 The synergistic effect was even more pronounced after reduction in propranolol dosage to 50% of the beta‐adrenoceptor blocking dose, reflecting the myocardial depressant effects of beta‐adrenoceptor blocking drugs in these patients with coronary heart disease, some of whom had poor left ventricular function.
Über den Geschmackssinn des Huhns. VI. Über angeborene Formvorlieben bei Hühnern
Authors: Engelmann Carlheinrich
Published: December 2015

An Zwerghuhnküken, die völlig körnerfrei aufgezogen worden waren, suchte ich festzustellen, ob ihre Nahrungsauswahl allein auf erworbener Erfahrung beruht, wie man wohl oft annahm, oder ob ein angeborenes Schema, etwa „der” optimalen Körnerart, nachweisbar ist.

Bei Darbietung natürlicher festgeleimter Getreide‐ und Erbsenarten verachteten die Hühner die Erbsen völlig und bevorzugten weitaus die Körner. Roggen war um ein Geringes beliebter als Weizen (umgekehrt wie beim erwachsenen Huhn, das, durch Verzehren, mit den Körnerarten vertraut war).

Wurden gemalte Kornbilder auf Deckeln über gleich beköderten Schälchen geboten, so zogen die Küken auch diesmal die Weizenform der Erbsenform vor. In gewissen Fällen traten zum optischen Reiz der Bild‐form als die Wahl mitbestimmende Faktoren Ortsbindungen hinzu, wie Linksstrebigkeit und Erinnerung an den Ort der Erstwahl im vorangegangenen Versuch.

Von künstlichen aufgeleimten Körnern in einer Größenserie bevorzugten die Küken, solange sie noch keine Körner zu fressen bekommen hatten (Erbsenversuch), diejenigen Größenklassen, die fuUr sie besonders leicht verzehrbar erscheinen mochten. Hatten sie jedoch bereits vorher Körner gefressen (Weizenversuche), so wählten sie die Größenklasse, die der Größe der beliebtesten verzehrten Getreideart entsprach.

Bei Darbietung verschiedener Größen aufgemalter Weizen‐ und Erbsen‐bilder erwies sich der von den Bildern ausgehende optische Reiz als zu schwach, um das Verhalten der Hühner zu bestimmen. Die Küken bevor‐zugren die am Rande der Unterlage befindlichen Gruppen.

Als die Küken zum ersten Male lose, verzehrbare Körner sahen, gingen sie zunächst vorzugsweise zum Roggen. Nach wenigen Versuchen schlug ihre Wahl zum Weizen um, den sie zuletzt ausschließlich annahmen. Die Erbsen lehnten sie völlig ab.

Vor zwei Haufen von Weizen und Roggen verhielten sich die Küken wie die Erwachsenen: sie bevorzugten den Weizen.

Angeboren ist demnach, soweit bisher festgestellt, allein die Vorliebe für längliche Form. Vorwiegend taktile Erfahrungen, nach Maßgabe der Eignung zu leichtem Verzehr, kleiden dies anfangs recht leere Schema mit offenbar zahlreichen bis ins einzelne festgelegten Merkmalen aus.
Multiple Copulations in the Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus)
Authors: Wirtz Peter
Published: December 2015

At Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya, waterbuck females regularly allowed several copulations per oestrus period. 91% of all females remained with the same male for all copulations observed. Multiple copulations of a male with the same female are predicted to be more likely in populations where there is a possibility of a second male copulating with the same female during the oestrus period.

Im Nakuru Nationalpark, Kenia, duldeten Weibchen des Wasserbocks (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) regelmäßig mehrere Kopulationen während einer Östrusperiode. 91% der Weibchen blieben für alle beobachteten Kopulationen bei demselben Männchen. Es wird vorausgesagt, daß Männchen wahrscheinlicher mehrfach mit dem Weibchen kopulieren, wenn es vorkommen kann, daß auch ein anderes Männchen während derselben Östrusperiode mit dem Weibchen kopuliert.
Prey Capture and Feeding in the Social Spider Anelosimus eximius
Authors: VOLLRATH FRITZ , ROHDE‐ARNDT DOROTHEE
Published: December 2015

Abstract and Summary

Wild colonies of the social spider Anelosimus eximius (Araneae, Theridiidae) appear often to be food‐limited and not all females come to reproduction. Using a limited number of marked females in an artificial colony, set up in the laboratory, this study attempts a first analysis of the participation in prey capture and ingestion. Marked females of the same age and experience were observed during the attack of prey insects, the ensuing transportation of the prey to the retreat, and the feeding session. No correlation was found between the time females spent hunting and the time they spent feeding. Females that laid eggs had fed longer and imbibed more nutrients, but had not hunted more than those females that did not reproduce. These, it is speculated, were denied access to the prey by the reproducing females.
Exploratory Behavior and Stress in the Lizard, Anolis carolinensis
Authors: Greenberg Neil
Published: December 2015

Abstract and Summary

Exploratory behavior and tongue‐flicking in males of the small arboreal iguanid lizard, Anolis carolinensis, were examined under naturalistic environmental conditions (home or novel habitat, and air or foliage movement) and under stress. Two classes of exploratory behavior (site changes and active surveillance) and two types of tongue‐flick (substrate tongue‐touch and air‐lick) occurred at low but consistent levels in home cages. These units of behavior were found to be differentially affected by various conditions associated with behavioral arousal including air movement, novelty, and restraint stress.

4 Komponenten des Erkundungsverhaltens der Eidechse Anolis carolinensis werden beschrieben. Vorstudien galten der Spontaneität des Erkundungsverhaltens im Labor. Bei leichtem Wind in naturnaher Umgebung stieg die Luftleckrate merkbar an. Der Wind wirkte stärker als der visuelle Reiz bewegten Laubes.

Wurden die Versuchstiere in eine neuartige Umgebung gebracht, so nahm das Erkundungsverhalten in alien Komponenten deutlich zu; aber auch dann, wenn die Tiere angefaßt und in ihre Heimumgebung zurückgebracht wurden.

Ein Versuch schränkte die Beweglichkeit der Tiere beim Versetzen ein, um zu prüfen, ob Nebennierenaktivierung (Streß) das Erkundungsverhalten in neuartiger Umgebung beeinflußt. Bei diesen Tieren sanken die Raten aller Komponenten, nur das Luftlecken war entweder erhöht oder blieb gleich. Streß wirkt sich also verschieden auf die beschriebenen Verhaltenskomponenten aus.
Egalitarian Resolution of Social Conflicts: A Study of Pair‐bonded Gulls in Nest Duty and Feeding Contexts
Authors: Hand Judith Latta
Published: December 2015

Abstract and Summary

Four species of gulls (Larus occidentalis, L. livens, L. atricilla, L. novaehollandiae) were studied in captive and free‐living situations to determine which sex of paired gulls is dominant, if either, with respect to pair‐bonded behaviour. Aggression against a mate was rare (all four species). Conflicts during nest reliefs (L. o. occidentalis) or feeding (all four species) were not resolved by dominance but by egalitarian mechanisms: access to the nest was decided on a case‐by‐case basis and food was shared (large items) or acquired on a first‐come‐first‐served basis (small items). Analysis of the use of vocal signals (Head Toss, Mew, and Choking) during nest duty interactions suggests that reduction of signaling occurred when a pair's priorities were most in agreement. Egalitarian conflict resolution is defined and selective factors favoring egalitarian behaviour patterns are proposed.

Um zu bestimmen, welches Geschlecht in Möwenpaaren dominant ist, wurden vier Arten (Larus occidentalis, L. livens, L. atricilla, L. novaehollandiae) auf ihre Paarbindungsverhältnisse untersucht. Aggression gegen den eigenen Geschlechtspartner war bei beiden Geschlechtern selten (alle vier Arten). Möwenpaare lösen Sozialkonflikte bei der Nestablösung (L. occidentalis) oder Fütterung (alle vier Arten) nicht mit Hilfe von Dominanzverhaltensweisen; keiner der Partner läßt dem anderen ständig den Vortritt. Der Zugang zum Nest wird von Fall zu Fall entschieden, und die Nahrung wird entweder geteilt (wenn die Objekte groß sind) oder nach dem Motto “wer zuerst kommt mahlt zuerst” verzehrt (bei kleinen Bissen). Zur Diskussion gestellt werden die möglichen Selektionsfaktoren, die bei verpaarten Möwen den Gebrauch egalitärer Verhaltensmuster zur Lösung von Sozialkonflikten begünstigen.
Disclosure Quality and the Excess Value of Diversification
Authors: BENS DANIEL A. , MONAHAN STEVEN J.
Published: December 2015

For a sample of U.S. firm years from 1980 through 1996 we document a positive association between the excess value of diversification as defined by Berger and Ofek [1995] and security analyst ratings of voluntary disclosure as developed by the Association for Investment Management and Research. We also examine an alternative proxy for disclosure quality that captures the degree of segment disaggregation and document a positive association between this measure and excess value. Our results are robust to controls for firm performance and information environment. Taken together, these phenomena suggest that disclosure plays a monitoring role in disciplining management's investment decisions. However, tests of the association between disclosure and the value of firms' investment spending yield mixed results.