bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Robust node‐to‐node consensus of linear multiagent systems with directed switching topologies subject to uncertain pinning communications
Authors: Wang Peijun , Yu Wenwu , Yu Xinghuo
Published: November 2017

This paper is focused on the node‐to‐node consensus problem of multiagent systems consisting of general linear node dynamics under directed switching topologies. Specifically, it is assumed that the multiagent systems under consideration have 2 layers, ie, leader layer and follower layer. When uncertainties on the pinning links between the 2 layers exist, the coordination goal is to present some robust control laws, which are distributed such that the states of each follower asymptotically converge to those of its corresponding leader. By using tools from M‐matrix theory and multiple Lyapunov methods, some sufficient criteria are derived to achieve this goal. Finally, 2 simulation examples are performed to validate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Influence of Phosphidation on CoSe2 Catalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Bose Ranjith , Kim Tae‐Hyun , Koh Beomsoo , Jung Chi‐Young , Yi Sung Chul
Published: November 2017

The development of highly active and earth‐abundant electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is essential for hydrogen based energy technologies. Recently, cobalt chalcogenides and phosphides have been extensively investigated as a promising class of non‐precious electrocatalyst for HER because of its high catalytic activity. Here, we have grown a novel and efficient cobalt selenide|cobalt phosphide (CoSe2|CoP) based HER catalyst on carbon fiber paper (CFP) through a facile conversion of CoSe2 nanostructures into a hybrid CoSe2|CoP by phosphidation. Phosphorus compositions in the CoSe2|CoP nanosheets are controllable by adjusting the time duration of phosphidation viz., 15, 30 and 60 min. The catalyst CoSe2|CoP/CFP in acidic media at 30 min showed higher catalytic activity with low overpotential (η) of 140 mV at 10 mA/cm2 and a Tafel slope of 42 mV/dec than parent CoSe2/CFP (η ‐ 219 mV at 10 mA/cm2; Tafel slope ‐ 44 mV/dec) and CoP/CFP (η ‐ 168 mV at 10 mA/cm2; Tafel slope ‐ 86 mV/dec). The improved HER activity of CoSe2|CoP is attributed to the formation of the hybrid nanosheets and the synergistic effect between CoP and CoSe2. Moreover, the surface morphology of CoSe2|CoP at 30 min catalyst plays a significant role in electron transportation. Thus, the present work opens a new potential way to design and develop novel hybrid HER electrocatalysts based on CoSe2|CoP as an efficient energy conversion system through their composition and structural morphology.
3D Printing of Flexible Electronic Devices
Authors: Yang Hui , Leow Wan Ru , Chen Xiaodong
Published: November 2017

Compared to traditional , simple, planar or tubular flexible devices fabricated by spin‐coating, casting, or extrusion, 3D‐printed flexible electronic devices possess complicated geometries with precisely prescribed microarchitectures and excellent mechanical properties for satisfying all kinds of individual requirements. However, the full utilization of 3D‐printing technology to realize 3D‐printed flexible electronic devices remains limited by the flexibility and conductivity of 3D‐printing materials. To achieve 3D‐printed flexible electronic devices, the flexibility of 3D‐printed flexible devices and functionalization of conductive materials or hard silicon‐based electronic devices are combined. These 3D‐printed flexible electronic devices can be applied widely in the fields of personal wearable devices, prosthetic organs for the disabled, and human–computer interfaces. To further promote the rapid advent of 3D‐printed flexible electronic devices, the recent strategies and future developmental directions of fabricating these complex electronic devices are discussed here.
Using Leadership Competencies to Develop Talents into Strengths
Authors: Seemiller Corey
Published: November 2017

This chapter describes how to use a leadership competency approach to help students develop their five signature themes from the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment into strengths.
Chlorination of Phosphane Selenides
Authors: Upmann Daniel , Jones Peter G.
Published: November 2017

The 31P NMR data for the compound iPrtBu2PSe2Cl2 are corrected.
Introduction to the Handbook of Life Course Health Development
Authors: Halfon Neal , Forrest Christopher B. , Lerner Richard M. , Faustman Elaine M. , Tullis Ericka , Son John
Published: November 2017

A critical mass of research linking early life events, experiences, and exposures with adult health conditions is delineating the developmental origins of many common chronic diseases. This emerging body of life course health development (LCHD) research specifies the complex adaptive processes by which both adversity and opportunity are integrated into developing biobehavioral systems. It is also challenging long-held views about origins and etiology of health and disease. There is a growing momentum among practitioners and policymakers to “connect the dots” between this rapidly expanding evidence base and the related practices and policies that are implemented within the fields of medicine, public health, nursing, mental health, education, urban planning, community development, social welfare, and others. At the same time, there is a strong impetus among LCHD researchers to continue to fill the substantial gaps in our knowledge and to ensure that research findings are appropriately synthesized and translated before being applied in clinical, public health, or public policy contexts. Comprised of 26 chapters that grew out of the 2013 Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Life Course Research Agenda-Setting Meeting that was organized by the MCH Life Course Research Network (LCRN) and funded by Health Resources and Services Administration-Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA-MCHB), this volume assesses what has been learned as the LCHD field has emerged, takes stock of what we know and do not know about how health and disease develop, provides some initial guidance regarding the kinds of interventions and efforts that can be beneficial, and lays the foundation for a research agenda that identifies high-priority areas for basic, clinical, population, and translational investigations in order to strategically target resources and efforts and advance the life course health sciences. In this introductory chapter, we begin by providing a rationale for the publication of this volume, including an historical overview that traces the emergence of the LCHD field and provides evidence of a significant, but as yet incomplete, transformation in how we think about and promote health. We go on to describe the purpose, structure, and content of the volume and examine some of the challenges the evolving field must consider as it adaptively moves forward. Finally, we provide readers with information about each section and chapter in this volume, including the impressive backgrounds of the various experts who contributed substantial amounts of both time and original thinking in their roles as authors.
Pediatric Type 2 Diabetes: Prevention and Treatment Through a Life Course Health Development Framework
Authors: Salsberry Pamela , Tanda Rika , Anderson Sarah E. , Kamboj Manmohan K.
Published: November 2017

Estimates project that one in three US adults may have diabetes in 2050. Until very recently, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was a disease diagnosed in adults, but as the childhood obesity epidemic has spread, the diagnosis of T2DM in adolescents has become more common. Early indicators suggest that the disease may be more severe and more difficult to manage when diagnosed in adolescents. It is projected that adolescents with T2DM will lose approximately 15 years of life. The economic burden of T2DM rises significantly as the years with disease increase. This grim forecast highlights that not only will the disease burden be significant but the economic burden will be high. The risk for developing T2DM begins in utero. Individual health development trajectories build from this starting point, the result of multiple factors that accumulate across time and are the result of biological conditioning during sensitive developmental periods. A major aim of this chapter is to demonstrate that a life course health development approach to pediatric T2DM is critical to a sound national strategy to prevent and treat pediatric T2DM. We review major factors known to influence the development of pediatric T2DM and track these across childhood. While these factors will likely change over the next decade, what will not change is the importance of placing these factors into context and recognizing that T2DM development is highly sensitive to the timing and social structures of multiple environmental exposures. Research recommendations are discussed through a life course lens.
A Life Course Approach to Hearing Health
Authors: Russ Shirley A. , Tremblay Kelly , Halfon Neal , Davis Adrian
Published: November 2017

Challenges to hearing health are a significant public health problem. At least ten million Americans have a hearing loss that interferes with the understanding of normal speech. If lesser degrees of loss are included, the number rises to 28 million. Although there have been considerable advances in understanding the etiology of hearing loss, with genetic causes now thought to account for up to 50% of congenital losses, in many individual cases, the cause of hearing loss remains unknown. This lack of knowledge of the basic pathophysiology of hearing difficulties hampers prevention and treatment efforts. Growing interest in life course theory has led to suggestions that it could prove useful to apply a life course lens to the study of hearing loss, and of hearing health, throughout the life span. In this paper we consider the implications of the Life Course Health Development model for understanding the mechanisms, pathways, and determinants of hearing ability. We consider the implications of early hearing loss for health development over the life course and the factors through the life course that contribute to hearing ability in adult life. We consider the concept not just of hearing loss but of “hearing health” and how to achieve it, the research priorities that are suggested by this review, and the implications for policy and practice.
Using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) in Life Course Health Development Research
Authors: Geller Amanda , Jaeger Kate , Pace Garrett
Published: November 2017

The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) is a nationally representative birth cohort study of approximately 4900 children born in large US cities between 1998 and 2000. Nonmarital childbearing increased dramatically in the second half of the twentieth century, raising questions about the capabilities of unmarried parents, the nature of parental relationships, and their implications for child health development and wellbeing. The FFCWS has become a leading source of information about unmarried parents and their children and about child health development more generally. The study contains biological and social indicators of children’s cognitive health development as well as social determinants of health and children’s broader social environment. This rich measurement, coupled with a longitudinal design and multilevel structure, makes it an ideal resource for life course health development research. This chapter describes the demographic, scholarly, and policy context in which the FFCWS was designed, as well as technical details that will enable new users to use the study effectively. We include details of sampling, data availability, variable structure and content, as well as features of the data that enable it to be used in longitudinal research. Finally, the chapter provides information about resources that will be available in the future and institutional resources available for users of the data.
Early Childhood Health and the Life Course: The State of the Science and Proposed Research Priorities
Authors: Thomas Boyce W. , Hertzman Clyde
Published: November 2017

This chapter begins with an assertion that, beyond the cultural traditions that affirm childhood as a period of special and lasting importance, a new science of child development reveals an influence of the early years throughout the life course. Through processes of “biological embedding,” early developmental experiences and exposures become neurobiologically instantiated in the brain and genome, thereby affecting trajectories of health and development for the remainder of life. The socioeconomic maldistribution of exposures to adversities and misfortune allots a disproportionate share of physical and mental morbidities to those growing up in conditions of poverty and disadvantage. These outcomes now appear related to epigenetic interactions between aspects of allelic variation-based vulnerability and the assaultive or supportive conditions of early life. Future research should thus address how epigenetic regulation of gene expression is linked to the neurobiological processes underpinning developmental psychopathology and other maladaptive outcomes. Richer understanding of how early environments can amplify or diminish the impacts of adversity exposure will provide new insights to guide the construction of novel, effective, and early interventions.
Pregnancy Characteristics and Women’s Cardiovascular Health
Authors: Fraser Abigail , Catov Janet M. , Lawlor Deborah A. , Rich-Edwards Janet W.
Published: November 2017

Growing evidence indicates that women with a history of common pregnancy complications, including fetal growth restriction and preterm delivery (often combined as low birth weight), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and gestational diabetes are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease later in life. Here we review the associations of parity and these four pregnancy complications with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and the role of cardiovascular risk factors before, during, and after pregnancy complications in explaining these associations. We explore the implications of these findings for research in life course health science and policy intended to avoid or mitigate these pregnancy-related effects. Findings suggest consistent and often strong associations of pregnancy complications with latent and future cardiovascular disease. Many pregnancy complications appear to be preceded by subclinical vascular and metabolic dysfunction, suggesting that the complications may be useful markers of latent high-risk cardiovascular trajectories. Pregnancy complications may be useful in identifying high-risk women, at a relatively early stage in their life course for screening, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women.
Structure constants of operators on the Wilson loop from integrability
Authors: Kim Minkyoo , Kiryu Naoki
Published: November 2017

Abstract

We study structure constants of local operators inserted on the Wilson loop in

$$ \mathcal{N}=4 $$

N
=
4

super Yang-Mills theory. We conjecture the finite coupling expression of the structure constant which is interpreted as one hexagon with three mirror edges contracted by the boundary states. This is consistent with a holographic description of the correlator as the cubic open string vertex which consists of one hexagonal patch and three boundaries. We check its validity at the weak coupling where the asymptotic expression reduces to the summation over all possible ways of changing the signs of magnon momenta in the hexagon form factor. For this purpose, we compute the structure constants in the SU(2) sector at tree level using the correspondence between operators on the Wilson loop and the open spin chain. The result is nicely matched with our conjecture at the weak coupling regime.
Permutation orbifolds and chaos
Authors: Belin Alexandre
Published: November 2017

Abstract

We study out-of-time-ordered correlation functions in permutation orbifolds at large central charge. We show that they do not decay at late times for arbitrary choices of low-dimension operators, indicating that permutation orbifolds are non-chaotic theories. This is in agreement with the fact they are free discrete gauge theories and should be integrable rather than chaotic. We comment on the early-time behaviour of the correlators as well as the deformation to strong coupling.
Early Seizure Prophylaxis in Traumatic Brain Injuries Revisited: A Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Khor Desmond , Wu Jinglan , Hong Quanqiu , Benjamin Elizabeth , Xiao Shuiming , Inaba Kenji , Demetriades Demetrios
Published: November 2017

Introduction

Pharmacological prophylaxis for early seizures following traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a recommendation in the Brain Trauma Foundation Guidelines. However, several studies have challenged the efficacy and safety of this practice, resulting in varied practice across centers around the world. The purpose of the present study was to compare the incidence of early clinical seizures following TBI, between two large centers, a US Center that practises routine seizure prophylaxis and a Chinese Center that does not use seizure prophylaxis following TBI.

Patients and methods

This was a prospective observational study including an urban level I trauma center in the USA and a large hospital in Shenzhen, China. At the US Center, all patients received seizure prophylaxis with levetiracetam. At the Chinese Center, no seizure prophylaxis was given. All patients with blunt TBI and positive computed tomography findings for epidural hematoma, subdural hematoma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage or diffuse axonal injury were included. Patients who died within 24 h of admission were excluded. The study population was monitored daily for clinical seizures for the first 7 post‐injury days. Data collected included demographics, mechanism of injury, vital signs upon arrival, injury severity and emergency interventions. Primary outcome was the incidence of early seizures, defined as those occurring within 7 days of injury.

Results

A total of 522 patients were included in the analysis: 272 patients at the US Center who received seizure prophylaxis and 250 patients at the Chinese Center who did not receive prophylaxis. Overall, 3.7% of patients who received seizure prophylaxis developed early seizures, compared to 2.8% of patients who did not receive any prophylaxis (p = 0.573). Decompressive craniectomy was associated with the highest incidence of early seizure (9.2%). In this subgroup, the seizure rate was 10.4% in the prophylaxis group and 7.1% in the no‐prophylaxis group (p = 0.738). Patients with admission GCS < 9 had an overall early seizure incidence of 7.0%: 4.3% in the prophylaxis group and 14.3% in the no‐prophylaxis group (p = 0.062). Analysis of the subgroup with isolated blunt TBI showed an incidence of early seizures of 3.4% in the prophylaxis group versus 2.4% in the no‐prophylaxis group (p = 0.593). Further analyses of outcomes according to head AIS 3, 4 and 5 showed no significant difference in the seizure rate between the two groups: head AIS 3: 6.1% in the prophylaxis group versus 2.6% in the no‐prophylaxis group, p = 0.329; head AIS 4: 0 versus 2.7%, p = 0.302; head AIS 5: 8.7 versus 4.0%, p = 0.601.

Conclusions

The present study failed to show any benefit of routine early seizure prophylaxis following blunt TBI. This practice should be reexamined in a large randomized clinical study.
Expressing ‘the structure of’ in homotopy type theory
Authors: Corfield David
Published: November 2017

As a new foundational language for mathematics with its very different idea as to the status of logic, we should expect homotopy type theory to shed new light on some of the problems of philosophy which have been treated by logic. In this article, definite description, and in particular its employment within mathematics, is formulated within the type theory. Homotopy type theory has been proposed as an inherently structuralist foundational language for mathematics. Using the new formulation of definite descriptions, opportunities to express ‘the structure of’ within homotopy type theory are explored, and it is shown there is little or no need for this expression.
Assessing usefulness and researcher satisfaction with consent form templates
Authors: Larson Elaine L. , Teller Alan , Aguirre Alejandra N. , Jackson Jhia , Meyer Dodi
Published: November 2017

Introduction

We aimed to improve the research consenting process by developing and evaluating simplified consent forms.

Methods

Four templates written at the eighth-tenth grade reading level were developed and trialed by a group of experts in clinical research, health literacy, national regulatory requirements, and end users. Researchers from protocols which had received expedited review were surveyed at 2 time points regarding their use and assessment of the templates.

Results

At baseline 18/86 (20.9%) responding researchers had heard of the templates and 5 (5.8%) reported that they had used them; 2 years later, 54.2% (32/59) had heard of the templates and 87.5% (28/32) had used them (p<0.001).

Conclusions

Consent form templates may be one mechanism to improve patient comprehension of research protocols as well as efficiency of the review process, but require considerable time for development and implementation, and one key to their success is involvement and support from the IRB and technical staff.
Variation in the Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4) gene affects milk traits in dairy cows
Authors: Zhou Huitong , Cheng Long , Gong Hua , Byun Seung O. , Edwards Grant R. , Hickford Jon G. H.
Published: November 2017

The objective of this Research Communication was to use polymerase chain reaction-single stranded conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis to investigate a region of the bovine TLR4 gene (TLR4) in pasture-fed New Zealand (NZ) Holstein-Friesian × Jersey (HF × J) cross dairy cows and to determine whether gene variation was associated with milk production traits. Genetic variation was observed, with two variants (A and B) containing a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (c.2021C/T) that was non-synonymous and putatively results in a p.Thr674Ile substitution in the transmembrane/cytoplasmic domain of TLR4. Variant A was associated with higher milk yields, but lower milk fat percentages, whereas B was associated with lower milk yields, but higher fat and protein percentages. Cows of genotype AA produced more milk than AB or BB cows, but the milk produced by AA cows contained less fat than AB or BB cows.
Does forest management and researchers’ presence reduce hunting and forest exploitation by local communities in Tsitongambarika, south-east Madagascar?
Authors: Campera Marco , Phelps Megan , Besnard Fiona , Balestri Michela , Eppley Timothy M. , Nijman Vincent , Donati Giuseppe
Published: November 2017

Hunting of wildlife is one of the major threats to biodiversity. For effective conservation programmes in countries where hunting and shifting agriculture are the main sources of subsistence, forest management should aim to reduce hunting pressure and forest exploitation. The presence of researchers has been promoted as one of the main ways to mitigate anthropogenic pressures on wildlife populations. Our aim was to test whether local management and the establishment of a research station had a role in decreasing forest exploitation by local people living adjacent to a recently protected area in south-east Madagascar. We interviewed local people from nine villages at various distances from the recently established research station of Ampasy, in the northernmost portion of the Tsitongambarika Protected Area, to explore how people use the forest, with a particular focus on hunting. We also performed transect surveys to estimate snare and lemur encounter rates before local forest management began, at the establishment of the research station, and 1 year after. The impact of local communities on the forest seems to have decreased since the beginning of forest management, with a further decrease since the establishment of the research station. Participants from villages not involved in the local management were more reluctant to declare their illegal activities. We conclude that a combination of local management and related activities (e.g. installation of a research station) can assist in temporarily reducing forest exploitation by local communities; however, community needs and conservation plans should be integrated to maintain long-term benefits.
Child temperament and teacher relationship interactively predict cortisol expression: The prism of classroom climate
Authors: Roubinov Danielle S. , Hagan Melissa J. , Boyce W. Thomas , Essex Marilyn J. , Bush Nicole R.
Published: November 2017

Entry into kindergarten is a developmental milestone that children may differentially experience as stressful, with implications for variability in neurobiological functioning. Guided by the goodness-of-fit framework, this study tested the hypothesis that kindergarten children's (N= 338) daily cortisol would be affected by the “match” or “mismatch” between children's temperament and qualities of the classroom relational context. The robustness of these associations was also explored among a separate sample of children in third grade (N= 165). Results among kindergarten children showed negative affectivity and overcontrolled temperament were positively related to cortisol expression within classrooms characterized by lower levels of teacher motivational support, but there was no relation between temperament and cortisol when motivational support was higher. Among third-grade children, negative affectivity was marginally positively related to cortisol at lower levels of teacher–child closeness and unrelated at higher levels of teacher–child closeness. Findings suggest children's cortisol expression depends on the extent to which specific temperamental characteristics “fit” within the relational and contextual qualities of the classroom environment, particularly as children navigate the new roles and relationships that emerge during the transition to formal schooling. Developmentally informed neurobiological research in classrooms may contribute to tailored programmatic efforts to support children's school adjustment.
The association between early life stress and prefrontal cortex activation during implicit emotion regulation is moderated by sex in early adolescence
Authors: Colich Natalie L. , Williams Eileen S. , Ho Tiffany C. , King Lucy S. , Humphreys Kathryn L. , Price Alexandria N. , Ordaz Sarah J. , Gotlib Ian H.
Published: November 2017

Early life stress (ELS) is a significant risk factor for the emergence of internalizing problems in adolescence. Beginning in adolescence, females are twice as likely as males to experience internalizing disorders. The present study was designed to examine sex differences in the association between ELS and internalizing problems in early pubertal adolescents, and whether and how corticolimbic function and connectivity may underlie these associations. Fifty-nine early pubertal males and 78 early pubertal females, ages 9–13 years (all Tanner Stage 3 or below) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging as they performed an emotion label task that robustly interrogates corticolimbic function. Participants were also interviewed about their experience of ELS. Females exhibited a positive association between ELS and internalizing problems, whereas males exhibited no such association. Whole-brain and amygdala region of interest analyses indicated that whereas females exhibited a positive association between ELS and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during implicit emotion regulation, males showed no such association. Activation in these regions was positively associated with internalizing problems in females but not males; however, activation in these regions did not mediate the association between ELS and internalizing problems. Finally, both boys and girls exhibited an association between ELS and increased negative connectivity between the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and bilateral amygdala. Using a carefully characterized sample of early pubertal adolescents, the current study highlights important sex differences in the development of corticolimbic circuitry during a critical period of brain development. These sex differences may play a significant role in subsequent risk for internalizing problems.
The Application of Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) in Ancient Dental Calculus for the Reconstruction of Human Habits
Authors: Fialová Dana , Skoupý Radim , Drozdová Eva , Paták Aleš , Piňos Jakub , Šín Lukáš , Beňuš Radoslav , Klíma Bohuslav
Published: November 2017

The great potential of scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) is in detection of unusual chemical elements included in ancient human dental calculus to verify hypotheses about life and burial habits of historic populations and individuals. Elemental spectra were performed from archeological samples of three chosen individuals from different time periods. The unusual presence of magnesium, aluminum, and silicon in the first sample could confirm the hypothesis of high degree of dental abrasion caused by particles from grinding stones in flour. In the second sample, presence of copper could confirm that bronze jewelery could lie near the buried body. The elemental composition of the third sample with the presence of lead and copper confirms the origin of individual to Napoleonic Wars because the damage to his teeth could be explained by the systematic utilization of the teeth for the opening of paper cartridges (a charge with a dose of gunpowder and a bullet), which were used during the 18th and the 19th century AD. All these results contribute to the reconstruction of life (first and third individual) and burial (second individual) habits of historic populations and individuals.
BI-LEVEL PROGRAMMING APPROACH TO OPTIMAL STRATEGY FOR VENDOR-MANAGED INVENTORY PROBLEMS UNDER RANDOM DEMAND
Authors: LI YINXUE , WAN ZHONG , LIU JINGJING
Published: November 2017

We present an extension of vendor-managed inventory (VMI) problems by considering advertising and pricing policies. Unlike the results available in the literature, the demand is supposed to depend on the retail price and advertising investment policies of the manufacturer and retailers, and is a random variable. Thus, the constructed optimization model for VMI supply chain management is a stochastic bi-level programming problem, where the manufacturer is the upper level decision-maker and the retailers are the lower-level ones. By the expectation method, we first convert the stochastic model into a deterministic mathematical program with complementarity constraints (MPCC). Then, using the partially smoothing technique, the MPCC is transformed into a series of standard smooth optimization subproblems. An algorithm based on gradient information is developed to solve the original model. A sensitivity analysis has been employed to reveal the managerial implications of the constructed model and algorithm: (1) the market parameters of the model generate significant effects on the decision-making of the manufacturer and the retailers, (2) in the VMI mode, much attention should be paid to the holding and shortage costs in the decision-making.
Is being Punished at School an Indicator of Psychosocial Risk?
Authors: Corchado Ana Isabel , Díaz-Aguado Jalón María José , Martínez-Arias Rosario
Published: November 2017

Research carried out in different cultural contexts shows that the use of exclusively coercive disciplinary measures does not improve the behavior of those punished, and may even increase the risks underpinning those behaviors. The aim of this research was to study whether there is a link between repeatedly suffering punishment at school and psychosocial risks in adolescence. A non-experimental design was implemented with selected groups. The participants were 507 adolescents from four groups with different risk levels: in social protection (n= 189); subject to court measures (n= 104); in treatment for drug abuse (n= 25); and comparison group (n= 189). A questionnaire was applied collectively. The variables measured were school punishments, violence, drug consumption and commission of crimes. Themild punishmentsvariable predicted and increased the probability of consumingalcohol, tobacco and cannabisby 34% (95% CI [1.1, 1.5]), and increased the probability of usingillegal drugsby 11% (95% CI [1.11, 1.30]). Tesevere punishmentsvariable increased the probability of usingillegal drugsby 86% (95% CI [1.41, 2.49]) and increased the probability of committing crimes by 40% (95% CI [1.13, 1.73]). School punishments, particularly if severe, stand as a visible indicator of psychosocial risk. Behaviors subjected to punishment should alert us to the need to intervene with individuals who manifest them for which the use of exclusively coercive measures is ineffective. A wider educational intervention is required to help them find their place in school instead of excluding them from it.
iHSD Mill Efficacy on the Seeds of Australian Cropping System Weeds
Authors: Walsh Michael J. , Broster John C. , Powles Stephen B.
Published: November 2017

In Australia, widespread evolution of multi-resistant weed populations has driven the development and adoption of harvest weed seed control (HWSC). However, due to incompatibility of commonly used HWSC systems with highly productive conservation cropping systems, better HWSC systems are in demand. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the integrated Harrington Seed Destructor (iHSD) mill on the seeds of Australia’s major crop weeds during wheat chaff processing. Also examined were the impacts of chaff type and moisture content on weed seed destruction efficacy. Initially, the iHSD mill speed of 3,000 rpm was identified as the most effective at destroying rigid ryegrass seeds present in wheat chaff. Subsequent testing determined that the iHSD mill was highly effective (>95% seed kill) on all Australian crop weeds examined. Rigid ryegrass seed kill was found to be highest for lupin chaff and lowest in barley, with wheat and canola chaff intermediate. Similarly, wheat chaff moisture reduced rigid ryegrass seed kill when moisture level exceeded 12%. The broad potential of the iHSD mill was evident, in that the reductions in efficacy due to wide-ranging differences in chaff type and moisture content were relatively small (≤10%). The results from these studies confirm the high efficacy and widespread suitability of the iHSD for use in Australian crop production systems. Additionally, as this system allows the conservation of all harvest residues, it is the best HWSC technique for conservation cropping systems.
Phosphorylated exogenous alpha-synuclein fibrils exacerbate pathology and induce neuronal dysfunction in mice
Authors: Karampetsou Mantia , Ardah Mustafa T. , Semitekolou Maria , Polissidis Alexia , Samiotaki Martina , Kalomoiri Maria , Majbour Nour , Xanthou Georgina , El-Agnaf Omar M. A. , Vekrellis Kostas
Published: November 2017

Approximately 90% of alpha-synuclein (α-Synuclein) deposited in Lewy bodies is phosphorylated at serine 129 suggesting that the accumulation of phosphorylated α-Synuclein is critical in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. However, in vivo experiments addressing the role of phosphorylated α-Synuclein in the progression of Parkinson’s disease have produced equivocal data. To clarify a role of Ser129 phosphorylation of α-Synuclein in pathology progression we performed stereotaxic injections targeting the mouse striatum with three fibrilar α-Synuclein types: wt-fibrils, phosphorylated S129 fibrils and, phosphorylation incompetent, S129A fibrils. Brain inoculation of all three fibrilar types caused seeding of the endogenous α-Synuclein. However, phosphorylated fibrils triggered the formation of more α-Synuclein inclusions in the Substantia Nigra pars compacta (SNpc), exacerbated pathology in the cortex and caused dopaminergic neuronal loss and fine motor impairment as early as 60 days post injection. Phosphorylated fibril injections also induced early changes in the innate immune response including alterations in macrophage recruitment and IL-10 release. Our study further shows that S129 phosphorylation facilitated α-Synuclein fibril uptake by neurons. Our results highlight the role of phosphorylated fibrilar α-Synuclein in pathology progression in vivo and suggest that targeting phosphorylated α-Synuclein assemblies might be important for delaying inclusion formation.
Neolithic cultivation of water chestnuts (Trapa L.) at Tianluoshan (7000-6300 cal BP), Zhejiang Province, China
Authors: Guo Yi , Wu Rubi , Sun Guoping , Zheng Yunfei , Fuller Benjamin T.
Published: November 2017

Water chestnuts (Trapa) are frequently recovered at Neolithic sites along the Lower Yangtze River Valley and have been important components of the diets of prehistoric people. However, little systematic research has been conducted to determine their cultural and dietary importance. Excavations at the Tianluoshan site produced large quantities of well-preserved specimens, which provide an excellent collection for studying morphological changes with time. Using modern wild and domesticated water chestnuts (n = 447) as a reference, we find Neolithic samples (n = 481) at Tianluoshan are similar in shape but smaller in size compared to the domesticated species Trapa bispinosa. In particular, the Tianluoshan water chestnuts have bigger seeds than the wild species Trapa incisa. Further, water chestnuts diachronically increased in size at the Tianluoshan site with significant differences (one-way, ANOVA) observed for length (p = 7.85E-08), height (p = 3.19E-06), thickness (p = 1.2E-13), top diameter (p = 5.04E-08) and bottom diameter (p = 1.75E-05) between layers 7 (6700-6500 cal BP) and 6 (6500–6300 cal BP). These results suggest that water chestnuts were actively selected based on size (big), shape (full fruit, two round horns, wide base, etc.) and were an important non-cereal crop to the agricultural practices at the Tianluoshan site.
Discovery of novel choline acetyltransferase inhibitors using structure-based virtual screening
Authors: Kumar Rajnish , Kumar Amit , Långström Bengt , Darreh-Shori Taher
Published: November 2017

Alzheimer disease and related dementias are major challenges, demanding urgent needs for earliest possible diagnosis to optimize the success rate in finding effective therapeutic interventions. Mounting solid scientific premises point at the core acetylcholine-biosynthesizing cholinergic enzyme, ChAT as a legitimate in vivo target for developing positron emission tomography biomarker for early diagnosis and/or monitoring therapeutic responses in the neurodegenerative dementias. Up-to-date, no PET tracer ligands for ChAT are available. Here we report for the first time a novel hierarchical virtual screening approach on a commercial library of ~300,000 compounds, followed by in vitro screening of the hits by a new High-Throughput ChAT assay. We report detailed pharmacodynamic data for three identified selective novel ChAT ligands with IC50 and K
i
values ranging from ~7 to 26 µM. In addition, several novel selective inhibitors of the acetylcholine-degrading enzymes, AChE and BuChE were identified, with one of the compounds showing an IC50-value of ~6 µM for AChE. In conclusion, this report provides an excellent starting platform for designing and optimizing potent and selective ChAT ligands, with high potential as PET-imaging probe for early diagnosis of AD, and related dementias, such as Down’s syndrome and Lewy body disorders.
Hall conductance for open two-band system beyond rotating-wave approximation
Authors: Zhang W. Q. , Shen H. Z. , Yi X. X.
Published: November 2017

The response of the open two-band system to external fields would in general be different from that of a strictly isolated one. In this paper, we systematically study the Hall conductance of a two-band model under the influence of its environment by treating the system and its environment on equal footing. In order to clarify some well-established conclusions about the Hall conductance, we do not use the rotating wave approximation (RWA) in obtaining an effective Hamiltonian. Specifically, we first derive the ground state of the whole system (the system plus the environment) beyond the RWA, then calculate an analytical expression for Hall conductance of this open system in the ground state. We apply the expression to two examples, including a magnetic semiconductor with Rashba-type spin-orbit coupling and an electron gas on a square two-dimensional lattice. The calculations show that the transition points of topological phase are robust against the environment. Our results suggest a way to the controlling of the whole system response, which has potential applications for condensed matter physics and quantum statistical mechanics.
Avian Influenza H5N6 Viruses Exhibit Differing Pathogenicities and Transmissibilities in Mammals
Authors: Zhao Zongzheng , Guo Zhendong , Zhang Chunmao , Liu Lina , Chen Ligong , Zhang Cheng , Wang Zhongyi , Fu Yingying , Li Jiaming , Shao Huabin , Luo Qingping , Qian Jun , Liu Linna
Published: November 2017

Since 2013, highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N6 viruses have emerged in poultry and caused sporadic infections in humans, increasing global concerns regarding their potential as human pandemic threats. Here, we characterized the receptor-binding specificities, pathogenicities and transmissibilities of three H5N6 viruses isolated from poultry in China. The surface genes hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) were closely related to the human-originating strain A/Changsha/1/2014 (H5N6). Phylogenetic analyses showed that the HA genes were clustered in the 2.3.4.4 clade, and the NA genes were derived from H6N6 viruses. These H5N6 viruses bound both α-2,3-linked and α-2,6-linked sialic acid receptors, but they exhibited different pathogenicities in mice. In addition, one virus was fully infective and transmissible by direct contact in guinea pigs. These results highlight the importance of monitoring the continual adaptation of H5N6 viruses in poultry due to their potential threat to human health.
Publisher Correction: Greenhouse and field evaluation of isoxaflutole for weed control in maize in China
Authors: Zhao Ning , Zuo Lan , Li Wei , Guo Wenlei , Liu Weitang , Wang Jinxin
Published: November 2017

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML version of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
Incidence and risk of respiratory tract infection associated with specific drug therapy in pulmonary arterial hypertension: a systematic review
Authors: Gu Zhichun , Zhang Chi , Wei Anhua , Cui Min , Pu Jun , Lin Houwen , Liu Xiaoyan
Published: November 2017

Specific drug therapy has been proven to improve functional capacity and slow disease progression in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), regretfully with the data on the risk of respiratory tract infection (RTI) associated with specific drug therapy being limited. Databases of Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and the ClinicalTrials.gov Website were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that reported the RTI data of PAH-specific drug therapy in patients. The primacy outcome was assessed by employing a fixed-effects model. Totally, 24 trials involving 6307 patients were included in the analysis. PAH-specific drug therapy was not significantly associated with the increased risk of both RTI (19.4% vs. 21.1% RR 1.02, 95%CI 0.92–1.14, P = 0.69) and serious RTI (4.3% vs. 5.0% RR 0.99, 95%CI 0.77–1.26, P = 0.93) compared to placebo. The results were consistent across the key subgroups. No heterogeneity between the studies (I2 = 35.8% for RTI, and I2 = 0.0% for serious RTI) and no publication bias was identified. In conclusion, no significant increase in RTI had been found in PAH-specific drug therapy when compared with placebo. Whereas, RTI in PAH patients is still worthy of clinical attention.
Alanine substitution in cellobiohydrolase provides new insights into substrate threading
Authors: Mitsuzawa Shigenobu , Fukuura Maiko , Shinkawa Satoru , Kimura Keiichi , Furuta Tadaomi
Published: November 2017

The glycoside hydrolase family 7 (GH7) member cellobiohydrolase (CBH) is a key enzyme that degrades crystalline cellulose, an important structural component of plant cell walls. As GH7 CBH is a major component in the enzyme mixture used to degrade biomass into fermentable glucose in biorefineries, enhancing its catalytic activity will significantly impact development in this field. GH7 CBH possesses a catalytic tunnel through which cellulose substrates are threaded and hydrolysed. Despite numerous studies dissecting this processive mechanism, the role of amino acid residues in the tunnel remains not fully understood. Herein, we examined the respective contributions of nine amino acid residues in the catalytic tunnel of GH7 CBH from Talaromyces cellulolyticus by substitution with alanine. As a result, N62A and K203A mutants were found to possess significantly higher cellulase activities than wild type. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the N62 residue interacted strongly with the cellulose substrate, impeding threading, while the N62A mutant allowed cellulose to proceed more smoothly. Furthermore, the W63 residue was observed to facilitate twisting of the cellulose substrate in our simulations. This study helps elucidate cellulose threading and provides insight into biomass hydrolysis.
Simple eco-friendly synthesis of the surfactant free SnS nanocrystal toward the photoelectrochemical cell application
Authors: Huang Xiaoguang , Woo Heechul , Wu Peinian , Hong Hyo Jin , Jung Wan Gil , Kim Bong-Joong , Vanel Jean-Charles , Choi Jin Woo
Published: November 2017

A simple, low cost, non-toxic and eco-friendly pathway for synthesizing efficient sunlight-driven tin sulfide photocatalyst was studied. SnS nanocrystals were prepared by using mechanical method. The bulk SnS was obtained by evaporation of SnS nanocrystal solution. The synthesized samples were characterized by using XRD, SEM, TEM, UV-vis, and Raman analyses. Well crystallized SnS nanocrystals were verified and the electrochemical characterization was also performed under visible light irradiation. The SnS nanocrystals have shown remarkable photocurrent density of 7.6 mA cm−2 under 100 mW cm−2 which is about 10 times larger than that of the bulk SnS under notably stable operation conditions. Furthermore, the SnS nanocrystals presented higher stability than the bulk form. The IPCE(Incident photon to current conversion efficiency) of 9.3% at 420 nm was obtained for SnS nanocrystal photoanode which is strikingly higher than that of bulk SnS, 0.78%. This work suggests that the enhancement of reacting area by using SnS nanocrystal absorbers could give rise to the improvement of photoelectrochemical cell efficiency.