bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Loss of DNA polymerase β induces cellular senescence
Authors: Ahmed Aqila A. , Smoczer Cristine , Pace Brianna , Patterson David , Cress Cabelof Diane
Published: July 2018

We aim to establish that accelerated aging and premature cellular senescence seen in individuals with Down syndrome is related to reduced DNA polymeraseβ. We report here that primary fibroblasts from Down syndrome individuals exhibit greater SA‐β‐gal staining (fourfold increase, P < 0.001), increased p16 transcript abundance (threefold increase, P < 0.01), and reduced HMGB1 nuclear localization (1.5‐fold lower, P < 0.01). We also find that DNA polymerase β expression is significantly reduced in Down syndrome primary fibroblasts (53% decline, P < 0.01). To evaluate whether DNA polymerase β might be causative in senescence induction, we evaluated the impact of murine DNA polymerase β nullizygosity on senescence. We find that unexposed DNA polymerase β ‐null primary fibroblasts exhibit a robust increase in the number of senescent cells compared to wild‐type (11‐fold, P < 0.001), demonstrating that loss DNA polymerase β is sufficient to induce senescence. We also see an additional increase in response to hydroxyurea (threefold greater than WT‐HU, P < 0.05). These data demonstrate that loss of DNA polymerase β is sufficient to induce senescence. Additionally, we report a significant induction in spontaneous DNA double strand breaks in DNA polymerase β null MEFs (fivefold increase from wild‐type, P < 0.0001). Our findings strongly suggest that DNA polymerase β is causative in senescence induction, reasonably pointing to DNA polymerase β as a likely factor driving the premature senescence in Down syndrome. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 59:603–612, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A discrete forcing method dedicated to moving bodies in two‐phase flow
Authors: Benguigui W. , Doradoux A. , Lavieville J. , Mimouni S. , Longatte E.
Published: July 2018

The numerical simulation of interaction between structures and two‐phase flows is a major concern for many industrial applications. To address this challenge, the motion of structures has to be tracked accurately. In this work, a discrete forcing method based on a porous medium approach is proposed to follow a nondeformable rigid body with an imposed velocity by using a finite‐volume Navier‐Stokes solver code dedicated to multiphase flows and based on a two‐fluid approach. To deal with the action reaction principle at the solid wall interfaces in a conservative way, a porosity is introduced allowing to locate the solid and insuring no diffusion of the fluid‐structure interface. The volumetric fraction equilibrium is adapted to this novelty. Mass and momentum balance equations are formulated on a fixed Cartesian grid. Interface tracking is addressed in detail going from the definition of the porosity to the changes in the discretization of the momentum balance equation. This so‐called time‐ and space‐dependent porosity method is then validated by using analytical and elementary test cases.
IMPACT OF REFLECTIVE SUPERVISION ON EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTIONISTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF SELF‐EFFICACY, JOB SATISFACTION, AND JOB STRESS
Authors: Frosch Cynthia A. , Varwani Zubeda , Mitchell Julia , Caraccioli Celia , Willoughby Matthew
Published: July 2018

Despite widespread recognition of the importance of reflective practice in the field of infant mental health, little quantitative research exists regarding the impact of reflective supervision on professionals’ self‐efficacy, job satisfaction, and work‐related stress. Thirty‐three early childhood interventionists received approximately 9 months of reflective supervision and completed pre‐ and post‐assessments of their job‐related stress and self‐efficacy using a modified version of the Reflective Supervision Self‐Efficacy Scales for Supervisees (S. Shea, S. Goldberg, & D.J. Weatherston, 2012). At the post‐assessment, participants also rated their overall experience of reflective supervision. Reported self‐efficacy increased significantly from pre‐ to post‐assessment, and participants reported a positive overall impact of reflective supervision with respect to a variety of indices, such as job satisfaction, professional development, and the ability to cope with job‐related stress. These results provide necessary quantitative data demonstrating a positive impact of reflective supervision on early childhood professionals and suggest the value of reflective supervision for supporting workforce development.
Contextualizing the Concept of Intersectionality: Layered Identities of African American Women and Gay Men in the Black Church
Authors: Heard Harvey Courtney C. C. , Ricard Richard J.
Published: July 2018

The multicultural concept of intersectionality is applied to understanding the challenges that are often faced by African American women and gay men in the traditional Black church. This article highlights the complexities of addressing the counseling needs of individuals with layered identities, particularly sexual orientation, gender, and religious ideology. Implications for multicultural pedagogy and assisting African American clients with intersecting identity issues are discussed.

El concepto multicultural de interseccionalidad se aplica a la comprensión de los problemas afrontados con frecuencia por mujeres afroamericanas y hombres gays afroamericanos en la iglesia negra tradicional. Este artículo destaca las complejidades de abordar las necesidades en consejería de individuos con identidades estratificadas, especialmente respecto a orientación sexual, sexo e ideología religiosa. Se discuten las implicaciones para la pedagogía multicultural y para la asistencia a clientes afroamericanos con problemas de identidades interseccionales.
Net value of farmland ecosystem services in China
Authors: Cao Shixiong , Zhang Junze , Liu Yujie , Yu Zhongqi , Liu Xu
Published: July 2018

Farmland ecosystems are one of the most important landscapes in the world and provide many important ecosystem services for humans. However, most methods of calculating the value of ecosystem services (VES) for these ecosystems have neglected the costs of providing these services or have only considered direct costs. As a result, they have led to the adoption of uneconomical or suboptimal land use and environmental conservation strategies. Because it is increasingly necessary to identify approaches that will produce net benefits both for humans and for the environment that supports us, it is necessary to accurately account for these costs. In this paper, we propose a method for assessing the net value of ecosystem services (NES) for farmland ecosystems, which accounts for both direct and indirect costs, and apply this approach to agriculture in China to provide an improved basis for farmland management. We found that the NES of Chinese farmland decreased from 4.2 × 1012 RMB in 1952 to 3.7 × 1012 RMB in 2014 (1RMB=0.1628USD), in part due to reductions in the area of agricultural land. In addition, the NES in 2014 equaled only 47.4% of the VES, and this percentage would be even lower if more costs could be quantified. Because the direct and indirect costs differ among China's regions, the magnitude of this decrease also varies regionally. To protect China's food security and ecological health, the government will need to adjust farmland management in ways that account for these regional differences to ensure that both humans and our environment benefit.
Increased access to nearby green–blue areas associated with greater metropolitan population well‐being
Authors: Goldenberg Romain , Kalantari Zahra , Destouni Georgia
Published: July 2018

Numerous cities in the world have to handle and support increasing populations, with questions remaining concerning good planning strategies for their growth and development. Among these questions, access to nature for urban residents has been the subject of increased scrutiny in recent years. We here propose and apply a generally applicable new approach to quantitatively investigate the role of close access to natural or nature‐based green–blue areas for the well‐being of urban populations. A key novel aspect of this approach is to use income level as a measure of people's ability to choose their nearby living environment such that it provides them with the highest affordable level of well‐being. Based on this measure, we concretely investigate possible trends in local green–blue area access with increasing local income level in the case‐study example of the Stockholm Metropolitan region in Sweden. For this regional case, we find clear relationships between income level (and related degree of nationality homogeneity) and share of natural/nature‐based green–blue areas and man‐made grey areas within walksheds of different population segments. The results point at the importance of maintaining and restoring nearby natural and nature‐based green–blue areas as key solutions for increased well‐being of urban populations and call for further testing and comparative investigations of local‐scale associations between socio‐economic descriptors and physical environment in other parts of the world.
Catch and release: Hyporheic retention and mineralization of N‐fixing Nostoc sustains downstream microbial mat biomass in two polar desert streams
Authors: Kohler Tyler J. , Stanish Lee F. , Liptzin Daniel , Barrett John E. , McKnight Diane M.
Published: July 2018

Much work has been performed to investigate controls on nitrogen (N) uptake in streams, yet the fate of assimilated N is comparatively poorly resolved. Here, we use in‐stream fixed N as an isotopic tracer to study the fate of assimilated N in glacial meltwater streams. We characterized δ15N signatures of Oscillatorean, Chlorophyte, and N‐fixing Nostoc mats over the lengths of two streams, and transported particulate organic matter (POM) in one. POM was isotopically most similar to Nostoc, which always had values near the atmospheric standard (δ15N ≅ 0‰), suggesting N‐fixation. Other mat types were depleted upstream, and became progressively enriched downstream (plateauing at δ15N ≅ 0‰), indicating a shift in N source. These results collectively show that Nostoc‐derived N is mobilized, mineralized, and increasingly assimilated downstream as more depleted glacier‐derived N is exhausted, demonstrating the importance of organic matter processing to balancing elemental budgets, and improving our understanding of nutrient cycling in lotic environments.
Competition and managerial autonomy
Authors: Ruzzier Christian A.
Published: July 2018

I formalize and challenge the idea that competition forces managers to make better choices, thus favoring managerial autonomy in decision making. If managers care about keeping their position or avoiding interference, and they can make strategic choices that affect both expected firm profits and their riskiness, even if competition at first pushes the manager towards profit maximization, further increases in competition might lead him to take excessive risks. To curb this possibility, the principal owner optimally reduces the degree of autonomy granted to the manager. Hence, higher levels of managerial autonomy are more likely for intermediate levels of competition.
Attenuation profile matching: An accurate and scan parameter‐robust measurement method for small airway dimensions in low‐dose CT scans
Authors: Yang Zepa , Jin Hyeongmin , Kim Jong Hyo
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The dimensions of small airways with an internal diameter of less than 2–3 mm are important biomarkers for the evaluation of pulmonary diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The resolution limitations of CT systems, however, have remained a barrier to be of use for determining the small airway dimensions. We present a novel approach, called the attenuation profile matching (APM) method, which allows for the accurate determination of the small airway dimension while being robust to varying CT scan parameters.

Method

For generating the synthetic attenuation profiles of an airway, we acquired and employed the point spread functions of a CT system by calculating its convolution with numerical airway models with varying wall thicknesses. The dimensions of a given airway were determined as per the numerical model yielding minimum error between the measured and the synthetic attenuation profiles across the airway.

Results

In a phantom study with airway tubes, the APM method proved to be highly accurate in determining airway wall dimensions. The measurement error for the smallest tube (0.6 mm thickness, 3 mm diameter) was merely 0.02 mm (3.3%) in wall thickness and 0.17 mm (5.6%) in lumen diameter. In a pilot clinical test, the APM method was able to distinguish the airway wall thicknesses of COPD cases (1.16 ± 0.23 mm) from those of normal subjects (0.6 ± 0.18 mm), while the measurements using the full width at half maximum method substantially overlapped (1.45 ± 0.32 mm vs. 1.28 ± 0.30 mm, respectively) and were barely distinguishable from each other.

Conclusion

Our proposed APM method has the potential to overcome the resolution limitations of current CT systems and accurately determine the small airway dimensions in COPD patients.
CRISPR–Cas9‐mediated mutation revealed BSPH2 protein is dispensable for male fertility
Authors: Eskandari‐Shahraki Marzieh , Prud’homme Bruno , Manjunath Puttaswamy
Published: July 2018

Members of the Binder of SPerm (BSP) superfamily have been identified in both human and mouse epididymis. These proteins are known to bind sperm membrane and promote sperm capacitation. Studies suggest that BSPH2 might play a different role in sperm functions from its counterparts; however, the role of BSPH2 remains mainly unexplored. To investigate whether the absence of one member of the BSP family could affect fertility, mice lacking Bsph2 expression were generated using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) associated 9 (Cas9) technology. Knockout (KO) male mice were mated with wild‐type (WT) females, and the number and weight of the pups were determined. Sperm motility in WT and KO was assessed using sperm class analyzer (SCA). Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was used for protein identification. Fertility analysis of null Bsph2 mice did not reveal any phenotype. No differences were noticed on average litter size or average pup weight. Normal testis weight and morphology were observed in Bsph2+/− and Bsph2−/− compared to the WT. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed that Bsph1 messenger RNA expression was increased in mutant mice, whereas LC–MS/MS analysis displayed no increase in protein expression level. Taken together, we show the existence of redundant function for murine BSPH2 and the lack of BSPH2 itself does not lead to sterility.
Tracheostomy in children: Epidemiology and clinical outcomes
Authors: Sanders Catherine D. , Guimbellot Jennifer S. , Muhlebach Marianne S. , Lin Feng‐Chang , Gilligan Peter , Esther Charles R.
Published: July 2018

Background

Tracheotomy is performed in children for a variety of indications, but can place them at increased risk of lower airway infection with pathogenic organisms. While prior studies have identified Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus as the most common lower airway pathogens in children with tracheostomies, little is known about the clinical implications of chronic growth of pathogens.

Methods

The North Carolina Children's Airway Center database was utilized to identify all pediatric patients with tracheostomy from 2007 to 2012; these data were cross‐referenced to a microbiology database of all tracheostomy cultures. Data on hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions, and length‐of‐stay were abstracted from the medical record and analyzed using multivariate methods.

Results

We identified 185 children with tracheostomy, of whom chronic bacterial growth status could be defined in 69. P aeruginosa was a common pathogen isolated from tracheostomy cultures, with 49% (91/185) of patients growing this organism at least once. P aeruginosa combined with other gram‐negative rods were isolated in 63% (116/185) of subjects at least once. Those who chronically grew gram‐negative rods had significantly more hospitalizations, longer total lengths‐of‐stay, and longer intensive care unit lengths‐of‐stay than those who did not. These differences remained significant when data were normalized to account for number of available cultures.

Conclusion

These data suggest that clinical outcomes may be worse in children with tracheostomies who chronically grow gram‐negative rods. Our findings may help guide clinicians in managing children with tracheostomies, though further studies are needed to establish best practice guidelines in these patients.
Revealing the Cooperative Chemistry of the Organic Cation in the Methylammonium Lead Triiodide Perovskite Semiconductor System
Authors: Varadwaj Arpita , Varadwaj Pradeep R. , Yamashita Koichi
Published: July 2018

Methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI3) is a highly valued material for solar cell photovoltaic technology. MAPbI3is generally understood as a joint involvement of an organic cation CH3NH3+with an inorganic anion PbI3–through electrostatics. There have, however, been many controversial discussions in the literature concerning the role of the organic cation in the rationale design. Given that the physical chemistry of this material is in its infancy, in this study, density functional theory calculations for [MAPbI3]n(n=1–15) in zero‐ and one‐dimensions were performed with PBE (Perdew‐Burke‐Ernzerhof) functional. Results indicated that the low‐temperature orthorhombic geometry of the MAPbI3system, which is most stable in the solid state, is likely to be stable in the gas phase. It was found that the organic cation plays a significant role as an additive for the 1D growth of MAPbI3. This is an attribute that can be extended to understand the experimentally determined geometrical architectures of the same system in 3D. Our results suggest that the large‐scale supramolecular emergence of MAPbI3can be realized as the consequence of the phenomenon of nonadditive cooperative binding, which is revealed to be strongly synergistic. All these results were obtained by exploiting the equilibrium geometries, intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions, energy landscapes, and electronic and orbital properties (dipole moment, polarizability, and HOMO–LUMO gap,etc.) of the aforesaid perovskite cluster systems in 0D and 1D.
Influence of a Π‐Conjugated Bridging Ligand in Light‐Emitting Electrochemical Cells (LEECs)
Authors: Bideh Babak Nemati , Shahroosvand Hashem
Published: July 2018

By introducing a new π‐conjugated bridging ligand, the electroluminescence metrics of light‐emitting electrochemical cell (LEEC) based on their ruthenium phenanthroimidazole complexes were dramatically improved with respect to its non‐conjugated bridging ligand, achieving a decrease of turn‐on voltage from 3.1 to 2.5 V as well as a long red shift to near infrared region in electroluminescence spectrum. Moreover, the addition of aromaticity into the bridging ligand make the increasing of the external quantum efficiency (EQE) from 0.68% to 0.89% as well as lifetime (t1/2) of electroluminescence emission from 1140 to 1171 (s). Obtained results indicated the exclusive position of bridging ligand to enhance the electroluminescence properties of emitters which that has not been investigated in details to date.
Supramolecular Self‐Assembly of Ionic Discotic Liquid Crystalline Dimer with DNA at Interfaces
Authors: Mallik Samapika , Nayak Alpana , Daschakraborty Snehasis , Kumar Sandeep , Suresh Kattera A.
Published: July 2018

Nanoarchitectonics through ionic self‐assembly at interfaces is an attractive approach to obtain advanced functional materials. Here, a novel discotic dimer‐DNA complex hybrid system has been investigated at air‐water and air‐solid interfaces. The ionic discotic liquid crystalline dimer consisted of two triphenylene cores linked via alkyl spacer with a imidazolium moiety. At air‐water interface, the dimer formed a stable monolayer with a reversible collapse. The surface manometry results suggested that the condensed phase of the monolayer consisted of molecules arranged in an edge‐on conformation. To understand the folding behavior of the molecules, DFT calculations were carried out which showed that the quantum chemically optimized folded‐form of the molecule was electronically more stable than its unfolded‐form. Upon adding DNA to the subphase, a complex monolayer was formed with enhanced stability as was indicated by increased collapse pressure and decreased limiting area. Importantly, this complexation enabled an efficient and stable multilayer formation on silicon substrates with layers as many as 40. Since both DNA and discotic dimer molecules share common properties of one‐dimensional charge transport with compatible structures, this complex film could serve as a model system for organic electronics.
Silk Cocoon as Counter ‐ Electrode Substrate in Dye ‐ Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Sudhakar Vediappan , Das Chayanika , Krishnamoorthy Kothandam
Published: July 2018

Electrodes are vital components of energy conversion devices such as dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The widely used electrodes consist of fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) and platinum. We were interested in identifying a substrate that is available from natural resources and exhibit performance comparable to that of Pt coated FTO (Pt‐FTO). Silk fibers are naturally available and they are mechanically stable. The woven silk fibers are known as silk cocoons (SCs) that structurally resemble widely used carbon paper electrodes. To impart conductivity to the insulating SCs, metal film was coated by an electroless metal plating procedure using polyphenols from green tea. The metal coated SCs were conformaly coated with a conjugated polymer and these electrodes were used as flexible electrodes in DSSCs. The flexible electrode based DSSCs exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 7.2% which is comparable to that of the DSSCs with rigid Pt‐FTO based devices (7.4%).
Single‐Cell Nanometric Coating Towards Whole‐Cell‐Based Biodevices and Biosensors
Authors: Dai Bing , Wang Lei , Wang Yan , Yu Guangbin , Huang Xin
Published: July 2018

Living cells with different coatings, like polyelectrolytes, biomolecules, metal nanoparticles or oxides, have more functions compared with the original state, which would be beneficial to many potential applications. Amongst these applications, whole‐cell biosensors/devices are commonly used for high‐throughput disease diagnosis, detection of toxicities, biomedical imaging, environmental monitoring or microbial fuel cells. As a key factor of the fabrication of whole cell biosensors/devices, the techniques for cell immobilization and cell viability have obvious influence on the sensitivity, stability and reproducibility. Cell coatings not only can be helpful to maintain the cell viability, but also can offer multifunction to facilitate the cell immobilization or orientation in the construction of biosensors/devices. Therefore, in this review, we are going to discuss various coating methods and materials, with the focus on their applications in the whole‐cell based biosensors and bio‐devices.
A Critical Review on Colorimetric and Fluorescent Probes for the Sensing of Analytes via Relay Recognition from the year 2012–17
Authors: Suganya Sivalingam , Naha Sanay , Velmathi Sivan
Published: July 2018

Designing an effective sensor molecule for the selective detection of analyte with dual sensitivity is an innovative approach and is expected to offer huge biological and environmental benefits. Contrary to other sensing process, the reversible recognition of two different analytes while varying the binding sites and signaling subunits is entirely a new concept as the metal ion present in the ensemble can be easily displaced in the presence of ionic or neutral analytes. A reversible strategy can also be employed in the simultaneous recognition and identification of two different analytes with the aid of highly selective and sensitive chemosensors. This review gives an overview of the recent inventions (from 2012 to 2017) in the field of colorimetric and fluorescent receptors towards the detection of two analytes via a relay recognition process. A special emphasis is placed on different mechanisms associated with the sensing process assisted by fluorescence induced receptors which will help to design an effective sensor system for the selective detection of anions or amino acids or metal ions.
Structure‐Activity Relationships for Poly(phenylene)vinylene Derivatives as Antibacterial Agents
Authors: Tolosa Juan , Serrano de las Heras Gemma , Carrión Blanca , Segura Tomás , Páez Paulina L. , de Lera‐Garrido Fernando J. , Rodríguez‐López Julián , García‐Martínez Joaquín C.
Published: July 2018

A series of poly(phenylene)vinylene (PPV) derivatives with different geometries and peripheral functional groups have been synthesized by Horner‐Wadsworth‐Emmons reaction. Compounds bearing carboxylic acid or quaternary ammonium functional groups prepared by this metal‐free protocol were weakly active against both Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria, which is in contrast to previously reported results. The activity of polyanionic derivatives was higher for Gram‐negative bacteria and showed bacteriostatic behavior, whereas polycationic derivatives were clearly more active against Gram‐positive bacteria and behaved as bactericidal agents. The spatial disposition of the active groups seems to play a key role, with the highest activity observed for a C3v geometry. The presence of quaternary ammonium functional groups also facilitated the internalization of the molecules into the bacteria. Levels of cytotoxicity similar to that of the solvent were obtained for most compounds against COS‐1 and VERO cells.
Circulating Tumor Cell Phenotyping via High‐Throughput Acoustic Separation
Authors: Wu Mengxi , Huang Po‐Hsun , Zhang Rui , Mao Zhangming , Chen Chuyi , Kemeny Gabor , Li Peng , Lee Adrian V. , Gyanchandani Rekha , Armstrong Andrew J. , Dao Ming , Suresh Subra , Huang Tony Jun
Published: July 2018

The study of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) offers pathways to develop new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers that benefit cancer treatments. In order to fully exploit and interpret the information provided by CTCs, the development of a platform is reported that integrates acoustics and microfluidics to isolate rare CTCs from peripheral blood in high throughput while preserving their structural, biological, and functional integrity. Cancer cells are first isolated from leukocytes with a throughput of 7.5 mL h−1, achieving a recovery rate of at least 86% while maintaining the cells' ability to proliferate. High‐throughput acoustic separation enables statistical analysis of isolated CTCs from prostate cancer patients to be performed to determine their size distribution and phenotypic heterogeneity for a range of biomarkers, including the visualization of CTCs with a loss of expression for the prostate specific membrane antigen. The method also enables the isolation of even rarer, but clinically important, CTC clusters.
A multiswarm for composite SaaS placement optimization based on PSO
Authors: Chainbi W. , Sassi E.
Published: July 2018

Recently, the demand for software as a service (SaaS) has witnessed an increasing interest, which has raised many challenges for SaaS management. One of these challenges is to deliver a high performance composite SaaS for users while optimizing the resources used. In this paper, we focus on the problem of SaaS placement. This problem occurs in the deployment of SaaS components in Cloud. It deals with the way a composite SaaS should be placed in a Cloud by the Cloud's provider such that its performance is optimal based on its estimated execution time. Previous work, including metaheuristic methods and particle swarm optimization, focuses on resolving the problem in a static environment. Moreover, in a Cloud data center, the workloads of applications and resources capacities keep changing over time, and the environment is dynamic, so the solution found for the initial placement may need to be reconfigured to maintain the SaaS performance and to optimize the resource used. As multiswarm technique has attracted increasing attention during the last decade, in this paper, we propose a new placement solution based on such technique enhanced with a cooperative learning strategy to cope with the dynamic aspect of the Cloud.
Hypoxic Preconditioning of Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Subsequent Spheroid Formation Accelerates Repair of Segmental Bone Defects
Authors: Ho Steve S. , Hung Ben P. , Heyrani Nasser , Lee Mark A. , Leach J. Kent
Published: July 2018

Cell-based approaches for musculoskeletal tissue repair are limited by poor cell survival and engraftment. Short-term hypoxic preconditioning of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can prolong cell viability in vivo, while the aggregation of MSCs into spheroids increases cell survival, trophic factor secretion, and tissue formation in vivo. We hypothesized that preconditioning MSCs in hypoxic culture before spheroid formation would increase cell viability, proangiogenic potential, and resultant bone repair compared with that of individual MSCs. Human MSCs were preconditioned in 1% O2 in monolayer culture for 3 days (PC3) or kept in ambient air (PC0), formed into spheroids of increasing cell density, and then entrapped in alginate hydrogels. Hypoxia-preconditioned MSC spheroids were more resistant to apoptosis than ambient air controls and this response correlated with duration of hypoxia exposure. Spheroids of the highest cell density exhibited the greatest osteogenic potential in vitro and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion was greatest in PC3 spheroids. PC3 spheroids were then transplanted into rat critical-sized femoral segmental defects to evaluate their potential for bone healing. Spheroid-containing gels induced significantly more bone healing compared with gels containing preconditioned individual MSCs or acellular gels. These data demonstrate that hypoxic preconditioning represents a simple approach for enhancing the therapeutic potential of MSC spheroids when used for bone healing.
Discrimination, Bullying and Harassment in Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Huang Yeqian , Chua Terence C. , Saw Robyn P. M. , Young Christopher J.
Published: July 2018

Background

In 2015, the public media in Australia reported a series of life stories of victims who had been subjected to inappropriate behaviors in their surgical careers, bringing the profession into disrepute. Currently, limited data are available in the medical literature on discrimination, bullying and harassment (DBH) in surgery. This significant information gap prompted a systematic review to compile relevant information about DBH in surgical practice and training, in particular, its prevalence and impact.

Methods

A literature search was conducted using the MEDLINE, EMBASE and PubMed databases (May 1929–October 2017). Studies identified were appraised with standard selection criteria. Data points were extracted, and meta‐analysis was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses.

Results

Eight studies, comprising 5934 participants, were examined. Discrimination occurred in a pooled estimate of 22.4% [95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 14.0–33.9%]. One of the papers reported the prevalence of bullying using two methods including Revised Negative Acts Questionnaire and a definition by Einarsen. Pooled estimate of incidence rate was thus 37.7% (95% CI = 34.0–41.5%) and 40.3% (95% CI = 34.7–46.2%), respectively. In terms of harassment, pooled prevalence was 31.2% (95% CI = 10.0–65.0%).

Conclusions

DBH is a significant issue in surgery. The true incidence of these issues may remain underestimated. Actions are being taken by professional bodies to create a positive culture in surgery. The effectiveness of these strategies is yet to be determined. More studies are warranted to investigate the magnitude of these issues given their psychological impact, and more importantly to monitor the effectiveness of current measures.
Gambling Disorder in Male Violent Offenders in the Prison System: Psychiatric and Substance-Related Comorbidity
Authors: Widinghoff Carolina , Berge Jonas , Wallinius Märta , Billstedt Eva , Hofvander Björn , Håkansson Anders
Published: July 2018

Gambling disorder is an addiction that can cause major suffering, and some populations seem to be more vulnerable than others. Offender populations have a remarkably high prevalence of gambling problems and they are also over-represented in a number of diagnoses related to gambling disorder, like substance use disorders and antisocial personality disorder. Yet, there are few studies investigating gambling disorder prevalence and related psychiatric comorbidity in this group. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of, and association between, gambling disorder and other psychiatric diagnoses in a sample of young, male violent offenders. Two hundred and sixty-four male offenders, all serving sentences for violent crimes (recruited between 2010 and 2012) participated in this study and went through comprehensive psychiatric evaluation, including assessment for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Edition criteria. Sixteen percent of the participants met criteria for gambling disorder. Antisocial personality disorder, cannabis, cocaine and anabolic steroids abuse were significantly more common among participants with gambling disorder. The gambling disorder group also showed significantly lower educational attainment. Cocaine abuse and failure to graduate elementary and middle school in expected time were independently associated with gambling disorder in a regression analysis. This study confirms the previously described high prevalence of gambling disorder in offenders. The psychiatric comorbidity was high and the problems had started early, with lower educational attainment in the gambling disorder group. The findings stress the importance of increased awareness of gambling problems among convicted offenders and of gambling research on young people with delinquent behavior. There is a need of more research to investigate this further, in order to develop preventive strategies and treatment.
Designing for social experiences with and within autonomous vehicles – exploring methodological directions
Authors: Strömberg Helena , Pettersson Ingrid , Andersson Jonas , Rydström Annie , Dey Debargha , Klingegård Maria , Forlizzi Jodi
Published: July 2018

The introduction of autonomous vehicles (autonomous vehicles) will reshape the many social interactions that are part of traffic today. In order for autonomous vehicles to become successfully integrated, the social interactions surrounding them need to be purposefully designed. To ensure success and save development efforts, design methods that explore social aspects in early design phases are needed to provide conceptual directions before committing to concrete solutions. This paper contributes an exploration of methods for addressing the social aspects of autonomous vehicles in three key areas: the vehicle as a social entity in traffic, co-experience within the vehicle and the user–vehicle relationship. The methods explored include Wizard of Oz, small-scale scenarios, design metaphors, enactment and peer-to-peer interviews. These were applied in a workshop setting with 18 participants from academia and industry. The methods provided interesting design seeds, however with differing effectiveness. The most promising methods enabled flexible idea exploration, but in a contextualized and concrete manner through tangible objects and enactment to stage future use situations. Further, combinations of methods that enable a shift between social perspectives were preferred. Wizard of Oz and small-scale scenarios were found fruitful as collaboration basis for multidisciplinary teams, by establishing a united understanding of the problem at hand.
Citizen Duty and the Ethical Power of Communities: Mixed-Method Evidence from East Asia
Authors: Hur Aram
Published: July 2018

Why do citizens choose to comply in democracies, even when coercion is limited? Existing answers focus on contractual trust or expected payoffs. I show that a different pathway exists in the ethical pull of the nation. A large literature in political theory argues that special communities, such as the nation, can instill an ethical obligation to the collective welfare, even in the absence of formal rules. I argue that when the identities of one’s nation and the state are seen as closely linked, this national obligation is politicized towards the state and motivates a sense of citizen duty to comply. Through statistical modeling and a pair of experiments in South Korea versus Taiwan – two otherwise similar democracies that contrast in nation-state linkage – I show that this ethical pathway is likely real and highly contextual. The findings help us better understand the varied bases of citizen compliance in democracies.
Oviposition strategy for superparasitism in the gregarious parasitoidOomyzus sokolowskii(Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)
Authors: Li X. , Li B. , Meng L.
Published: July 2018

Superparasitism is an adaptive strategy in solitary parasitoids, yet insufficient evidence confirms this in gregarious ones. We here ask whether the gregarious parasitoidOomyzus sokolowskiiis able to discriminate in attack and progeny allocation between parasitized and unparasitizedPlutella xylostellalarvae, and how the parasitoid allocates brood size and sex to superparasitized hosts due to some circumstances. We found that female parasitoids preferred unparasitized to parasitized host larvae, and allocated a smaller brood with more males in the later than in the former host. Brood size and sex ratio decreased from superparasitized hosts with a 48 h interval since a previous attack compared with one without an interval; they also declined from the host superparasitized by the parasitoid with oviposition experience compared with one without it. Brood size and sex ratio did not differ between the host superparasitized by the same parasitoid as in the first attack and that by a different one. Our findings suggest thatO. sokolowskiifemales may adjust their oviposition decisions on progeny allocation in response to parasitizedP. xylostellalarvae to maximize their fitness gains from superparasitism.
Equilibrium Price Dynamics of Emission Permits
Authors: Hitzemann Steffen , Uhrig-Homburg Marliese
Published: July 2018

This article presents a stochastic equilibrium model for environmental markets that allows us to study the characteristic properties of emission permit prices induced by the design of today’s cap-and-trade systems. We characterize emission permits as highly nonlinear contingent claims on economy-wide emissions and reveal their hybrid nature between investment and consumption assets. Our model makes predictions about the dynamics and volatility structure of emission permit prices, the forward price curve, and the implications for option pricing in this market. Empirical evidence from existing emissions markets shows that the model explains the stylized facts of emission permit prices and related derivatives.
Mini-Games for Teaching Political Science Methodology
Authors: Asal Victor , Jahanbani Nakissa , Lee Donnett , Ren Jiacheng
Published: July 2018

Students often find lectures on political science methodology difficult to grasp. Based on our success of simulations and games in teaching various political science theories, we created several mini-games to help students gain exposure in engaging ways with aspects of quantitative and qualitative methodology. We use techniques in which students learn through “gimmicks” (Schacht and Stewart 1990; 1992), for which they are the data points that they are studying. We believe that drawing conclusions based on what students do and think empowers them to better understand the sometimes tricky elements of political science methods. Each of the three games described in this article required little to no preparation time. We have used these mini-games in several courses and have received positive feedback from students about their utility. Thus, we are sharing them for more general use.
The Polarizing Effect of the March for Science on Attitudes toward Scientists
Authors: Motta Matthew
Published: July 2018

Americans’ attitudes toward scientists have become more negative in recent years. Although researchers have considered several individual-level factors that might explain this change, little attention has been given to the political actions of scientists themselves. This article considers how March for Science rallies that took place across the United States in late April 2017 influenced Americans’ attitudes toward scientists and the research they produce. An online panel study surveying respondents three days before and two days after the March found that liberals’ and conservatives’ attitudes toward scientists polarized following the March. Liberals’ attitudes toward scientists became more positive whereas conservatives’ attitudes became more negative. However, the March appears to have had little effect on the public’s attitudes about scientific research. In addition to answering questions about the March’s political impact, this research calls attention to the possibility that the political actions of scientists can shape public opinion about them.
How International Is Political Science? Patterns of Submission and Publication in the American Political Science Review
Authors: Breuning Marijke , Feinberg Ayal , Gross Benjamin Isaak , Martinez Melissa , Sharma Ramesh , Ishiyama John
Published: July 2018

How international in scope is publishing in political science? Previous studies have shown that the top journals primarily publish work by scholars from the United States and, to a lesser extent, other global-north countries. However, these studies used published content and could not evaluate the impact of the review process on the relative absence of international scholars in journals. This article evaluates patterns of submission and publication by US and international scholars for the American Political Science Review—one of the most selective peer-reviewed journals in the discipline. We found that scholars from the United States and other global-north countries are published approximately in proportion to submissions but that global-south scholars fare less well. We also found that scholars affiliated with prestigious universities are overrepresented, irrespective of geographic location. The article concludes with observations about the implications of these findings for efforts to internationalize the discipline.
Wittgenstein on Solipsism in the 1930s: Private Pains, Private Languages, and Two Uses of ‘I’
Authors: Button Tim
Published: July 2018

In the early-to-mid 1930s, Wittgenstein investigated solipsism via the philosophy of language. In this paper, I want to reopen Wittgenstein's ‘grammatical’ examination of solipsism.

Wittgenstein begins by considering the thesis that only I can feel my pains. Whilst this thesis may tempt us towards solipsism, Wittgenstein points out that this temptation rests on a grammatical confusion concerning the phrase ‘my pains’. In §1, I unpack and vindicate his thinking.

After discussing ‘my pains’, Wittgenstein makes his now famous suggestion that the word ‘I’ has two distinct uses: a subject-use and an object-use. The purpose of Wittgenstein's suggestion has, however, been widely misunderstood. I unpack it in §2, explaining how the subject-use connects with a phenomenological language, and so again tempts us into solipsism. In §§3–4, I consider various stages of Wittgenstein's engagement with this kind of solipsism, culminating in a rejection of solipsism (and of subject-uses of ‘I’) via reflections on private languages.
Metaphysical Optimism
Authors: Rush Penelope
Published: July 2018

This paper seeks to identify and defend an approach to inquiry dubbed ‘metaphysical optimism’, particularly as it is evidenced at crisis points in the fields of physics, mathematics and logic. That the practice of metaphysical optimism at such moments, wherein it has appeared that there is no clear way to proceed or understand where we have arrived, is both reasonable and useful suggests it is to be taken seriously as capable of progressing fields and increasing knowledge. Given this, the paper then looks in more depth at what such an approach involves and why it might be useful both as a methodological approach in general and to help clarify positions along the realism/anti-realism spectrum in philosophy. From here, the paper arrives at a possible argument in defence of the realist attitude to transcendence.
Changing Metaphysics: What Difference does it Make?
Authors: Thomasson Amie L.
Published: July 2018

I have argued elsewhere for a deflationary conception of metaphysics, which takes well-formed metaphysical questions to be answerable using nothing more mysterious than empirical information and descriptive and normative conceptual work. Here I examine the ways in which our practices of metaphysics should change, if we adopt the deflationary reconception of metaphysics. Adopting this approach does not mean abandoning metaphysics, but it does lead to important differences regarding which debates and positions are worth taking seriously. It also requires us to reevaluate which criteria for choosing metaphysical views are appropriate – particularly where debates about existence are concerned.
Words only go so far: Linguistic context affects bilingual word processing
Authors: VAN HELL JANET G.
Published: July 2018

In their keynote paper, Dijkstra, Wahl, Buytenhuijs, van Halem, Al-jibouri, de Korte, and Rekké (2018) present a computational model of bilingual word recognition and translation, Multilink, that integrates and further refines the architecture and processing principles of two influential models of bilingual word processing: the Bilingual Activation Model (BIA/BIA+) and the Revised Hierarchical model (RHM). Unlike the earlier models, Multilink has been implemented as a computational model so its design principles and assumptions can be compared with human processing data in simulation studies – which is an important step forward in model development and refinement. But Multilink also leaves behind an important theoretical advancement that was touched upon in extending BIA to BIA+ (Dijkstra & Van Heuven, 2002): how linguistic context influences word processing. In their presentation of BIA+, Dijkstra and Van Heuven (2002) hypothesized that syntactic and semantic aspects of sentence context may affect the word identification system. Theoretically, this was an important step forward, as none of the bilingual word processing models (and few monolingual word processing models, for that matter) had incorporated linguistic context, and at that time only a handful of empirical studies had examined how linguistic context affects bilingual word processing. However, in the past 15 years a significant body of empirical work has been published that examines how semantic and syntactic information in sentences impacts word processing in bilinguals. These important insights are not incorporated in the Multilink model.
RECIPROCITY RELATIONS FOR A CONDUCTIVE SCATTERER WITH A CHIRAL CORE IN QUASI-STATIC FORM
Authors: ATHANASIADIS C. E. , ATHANASIADOU E. S. , DIMITROULA S.
Published: July 2018

We analyse a scattering problem of electromagnetic waves by a bounded chiral conductive obstacle, which is surrounded by a dielectric, via the quasi-stationary approximation for the Maxwell equations. We prove the reciprocity relations for incident plane and spherical electric waves upon the scatterer. Mixed reciprocity relations have also been proved for a plane wave and a spherical wave. In the case of spherical waves, the point sources are located either inside or outside the scatterer. These relations are used to study the inverse scattering problems.