bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Evaluator's Fatigue and Level of Expertise on the Global and Analytical Evaluation of Preclinical Tooth Preparation
Authors: Al Amri Mohammad D. , Sherfudhin Haneef R. , Habib Syed R.
Published: November 2016

Purpose

To investigate the effects of evaluator fatigue and level of expertise on the grading of preclinical tooth crown preparations, by global and analytical methods of evaluation.

Materials and Methods

The study had a double‐blind design. Two faculty members, each with more than 10 years of clinical and teaching experience, and two demonstrators with no teaching experience evaluated tooth preparations on maxillary central incisors and mandibular first molars. As a test of the effect of fatigue, preparations were globally (subjective grading) and analytically (criteria‐based grading) graded on day 1 (after evaluators had been on duty continuously for 8 hours) and day 2 (in the morning after evaluators had sufficient sleep). Evaluators worked under the same circumstances and did not communicate with each other. The assigned textbooks were used to develop the criteria for grading (rubric) and the predefined exclusion criteria. Grades were recorded and statistically analyzed using statistical software. The paired‐sample t‐test and Mann‐Whitney U test were used for multiple comparisons. Level of significance was set at p ˂ 0.05.

Results

An inconsistency in preclinical tooth preparation evaluation was found to exist by both global and analytical methods. Junior faculty tended to award higher grades than senior faculty did. Furthermore, higher grades were scored by the analytical method. More clinical and academic experience did not guarantee intra‐ and interexaminer reliability. Younger faculty appeared to tolerate fatigue better than older faculty. Likewise, global evaluation appeared to be more influenced by fatigue than was the analytical method.

Conclusion

There were variations in grading, with no consistently preferred grading method. Evaluator performance after continuous 8‐hour duty had no significant effect on preclinical tooth preparation evaluation. Level of expertise did not affect preclinical evaluation regardless of the grading method used.
Phylogenetic analysis of full‐length, early infection, hepatitis C virus genomes among people with intravenous drug use: the InC3 Study
Authors: Rodrigo C. , Eltahla A. A. , Bull R. A. , Luciani F. , Grebely J. , Dore G. J. , Applegate T. , Page K. , Bruneau J. , Morris M. D. , Cox A. L. , Osburn W. , Kim A. Y. , Shoukry N. H. , Lauer G. M. , Maher L. , Schinkel J. , Prins M. , Hellard M. , Lloyd A. R. ,   the InC Collaborative
Published: November 2016

Cross‐continental phylogenetic analysis is important to understand subtle molecular differences of currently circulating hepatitis C virus (HCV) subtypes. Existence of such differences can be crucial in pursuing a universal hepatitis C vaccine. We characterized molecular epidemiology of early HCV infections identified across nine cohorts [North America (n=4), Australia (n=4) and Europe (n=1)] in the International Collaborative of Incident HIV and Hepatitis C in Injecting Cohorts (InC3). One hundred and ninety‐two full‐length HCV genomes were amplified from plasma of incident infections and subjected to next generation sequencing to establish the largest cross‐continental, full‐length acute HCV genomic data set available to date. Genomes from the most common subtypes (1a: n=94, 2b: n=15 and 3a: n=68) were used in phylogenetic analysis. Using full genome trees, 78 sequences (44%) were found to lie within 29 phylogenetic clusters/pairs defined on the basis of molecular similarity of consensus sequences. Of these, 26 each had exclusively Australian or North American sequences indicating a strong geographical bias for molecular similarity. On further analysis of behavioural and demographic associations, binary logistic regression analysis showed that older age and non‐Caucasian ethnicity were significantly associated with clustering. HCV probably evolves in micro‐epidemics within geographically isolated communities.
“What Guarantees Do We Have?” Legal Tolls and Persistent Impunity for Feminicide in Guatemala
Authors: Walsh Shannon Drysdale , Menjívar Cecilia
Published: November 2016

Guatemala has one of the highest levels of killings of women and impunity for violence against women in the world. Despite laws created to protect women, Guatemala, like other countries, generally fails at implementation. This article examines justice system obstacles in contemporary Guatemala to processing cases of feminicide—killings of women because they are women in a context of impunity—comparing two recent feminicide cases. It argues that the sociopolitical context in Guatemala, including structural violence, widespread poverty, inequality, corruption, and normalization of gender violence against women, generates penalties, or “legal tolls,” that are imposed on victims' families and contribute to impunity through undermining victims' attempts to navigate the justice system. The analysis focuses on the tolls of fear and time: the need to overcome fear of retaliation and the extraordinary time and effort it takes to do so in a corrupt and broken system.
Different thermal preferences for brooding and larval dispersal of two neighboring shrimps in deep‐sea hydrothermal vent fields
Authors: Watanabe Hiromi , Yahagi Takuya , Nagai Yukiko , Seo MiHye , Kojima Shigeaki , Ishibashi Jun‐ichiro , Yamamoto Hiroyuki , Fujikura Katsunori , Mitarai Satoshi , Toyofuku Takashi
Published: November 2016

Temperature is an important factor affecting the distributions and life‐history traits of marine animals. Deep‐sea hydrothermal vents are suitable environments to examine ecologic differences related to temperature, due to the steep temperature gradients around the vents. Rearing experiments under various temperature conditions (5–30 °C) at atmospheric pressure demonstrated a difference in thermal effects on egg hatching and larva in two co‐occurring, vent‐associated alvinocaridid shrimps – the peripherally distributed Alvinocaris longirostris and the centrally distributed Shinkaicaris leurokolos. The duration before hatching became shorter as temperature increased, while the maximum hatching rate occurred at higher temperatures in S. leurokolos (10–20 °C) than in A. longirostris (10 °C). Hatched larvae of both species were negatively buoyant, and larva with normal abdominal length could actively swim and stay suspended in the mid‐ or surface water layers of the culture plates under our experimental conditions. However, no larvae settled or metamorphosed into juveniles under the rearing conditions used in this study. Larvae with shortened abdomens occurred under most of the experimental conditions, although they were less frequent at 10 °C in A. longirostris and 20 °C in S. leurokolos. The maximum survival periods at these temperatures were 88 days in A. longirostris and 30 days in S. leurokolos. These characteristics may cause differences in the distributional ranges of the two species. The present results indicate that temperature is an important factor controlling life‐history traits of vent shrimps.
Influence of wave climate on architecture and landscape characteristics of Posidonia oceanica meadows
Authors: Pace Matthew , Borg Joseph A. , Galdies Charles , Malhotra Amit
Published: November 2016

Seagrass meadow characteristics, including distribution, shape, size and within‐meadow architectural features, may be influenced by various physical factors, including hydrodynamic forces. However, such influences have hardly been assessed for meadows of the ecologically important and endemic Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica. The distribution of P. oceanica meadows at five sites in the Maltese Islands was mapped to a depth of c. 15 m using a combination of aerial photography and SCUBA diving surveys. Estimates of wind‐generated wave energy and energy attenuated by depth were computed using the hydrodynamic model WEMo (Wave Exposure Model). Metrics for P. oceanica landscape features were calculated using FRAGSTATS for replicate 2500 m2 subsamples taken from the seagrass habitat maps in order to explore the influence of wave dynamics at the landscape scale. Data on within‐meadow architectural attributes were collected from five sites and analysed for relationships with wave energy. The results indicate that landscape and architectural features of P. oceanica meadows located within the 6–11 m depth range are significantly influenced by wave climate. Posidonia oceanica meadows tend to be patchier and have low overall cover, more complex patch shapes and reduced within‐patch architectural complexity along a wave exposure gradient from low to high energy. The findings from the present study provide new insight into the influence of hydrodynamic factors on the natural dynamism of P. oceanica meadow landscape and architecture, which has implications for the conservation and management of the habitat.
Structural analysis of endothelial projections from mesenteric arteries
Authors: Maarouf Nadia , Sancho Maria , Fürstenhaupt Tobias , Tran Cam Ha , Welsh Donald G.
Published: November 2016

Objective

Endothelial and smooth muscle cells must communicate with one another to regulate arterial diameter. A key structure driving heterocellular communication is the endothelial projection, a thin extension that crosses the internal elastic lamina (IEL) making contact with smooth muscle. This study sought to define the precise structural composition of endothelial projections in the mesenteric circulation.

Methods

Third‐ and fourth‐order mesenteric arteries from hamster were prepared for electron microscopy. Electron tomographic approaches were used to generate 3‐D compositional models of endothelial projections.

Results

Endothelial projections were categorized based upon their proximity to smooth muscle or how many projections projected through an IEL hole. Irrespective of the initial categorization, endothelial projections were largely devoid of organelles except for sparse membranous structures observed near the tip, close to potential smooth muscle contact sites. Unexpectedly, it was the base of projections which were rich with organelles including the endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, vesicles, caveolae, and mitochondria.

Conclusions

Electron tomographic techniques suggest that the base of endothelial projections is likely a dynamic site for signal regulation and contractile control. As projections are largely devoid of membranous organelles, their principal function appears to ensure electrical contact between the two cell layers.
Generics, Covert Structure and Logical Form
Authors: Sterken Rachel Katharine
Published: November 2016

The standard view amongst philosophers of language and linguists is that the logical form of generics is quantificational and contains a covert, unpronounced quantifier expression Gen. Recently, some theorists have begun to question the standard view and rekindle the competing proposal, that generics are a species of kind‐predication. These theorists offer some forceful objections to the standard view, and new strategies for dealing with the abundance of linguistic evidence in favour of the standard view. I respond to these objections and show that their strategies fail. I offer a novel argument in favour of the standard view that I call the binder argument. The upshot of this argument is that if one rejects the existence of Gen, then one is committed to rejecting the existence of covert structure in general (including domain variables and implicit argument places).
Motivating the Relevance Approach to Conditionals
Authors: Skovgaard‐Olsen Niels
Published: November 2016

The aim is to motivate theoretically a relevance approach to (indicative) conditionals in a comparative discussion of the main alternatives. In particular, it will be argued that a relevance approach to conditionals is better motivated than the suppositional theory currently enjoying wide endorsement. In the course of this discussion, an argument will be presented for why failures of the epistemic relevance of the antecedent for the consequent should be counted as genuine semantic defects (as opposed to be relegated to pragmatics). Furthermore, strategies for dealing with compositionality and the perceived objective purport of indicative conditionals will be put forward.
Embodied Conceivability: How to Keep the Phenomenal Concept Strategy Grounded
Authors: Dove Guy , Elpidorou Andreas
Published: November 2016

The Phenomenal Concept Strategy (PCS) offers the physicalist perhaps the most promising means of explaining why the connection between mental facts and physical facts appears to be contingent even though it is not. In this article, we show that the large body of evidence suggesting that our concepts are often embodied and grounded in sensorimotor systems speaks against standard forms of thePCS. We argue, nevertheless, that it is possible to formulate a novel version of thePCSthat is thoroughly in keeping with embodied cognition, focuses on features of physical concepts, and succeeds in explaining the appearance of contingency.
Compensating for delayed hatching reduces offspring immune response and increases life‐history costs
Authors: Murillo‐Rincón Andrea P. , Laurila Anssi , Orizaola Germán
Published: November 2016

Organisms are exposed to multiple sources of stress in nature. When confronted with a stressful period affecting growth and development, compensatory responses allow the restoration of individual fitness, providing an important buffering mechanism against climatic and other environmental variability. However, tradeoffs between increased growth/development and other physiological traits are predicted to prevent these high growth and development rates from becoming constitutive. Here, we investigated how compensatory responses in growth and development affect immune responses. By using low temperature to stop embryonic development, we exposed moor frogRana arvalistadpoles to two levels of time‐constraints: non‐delayed hatching and 12‐day delayed hatching. In a common garden experiment, we recorded larval growth and development, as well as their immune response, measured as the inflammatory reaction after the injection of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). Tadpoles originating from delayed hatching treatments had a lower immune response to PHA challenge than those from the non‐delayed hatching treatment. In general, tadpoles from the delayed hatching treatment reached metamorphosis faster and at a smaller size than control tadpoles. However, immune‐challenged tadpoles were not able to accelerate their development in response to delayed hatching. Our results indicate that 1) the innate immune response can be reduced in organisms undergoing compensatory developmental responses in growth and development and 2) compensatory capacity can be reduced when organisms are immunologically challenged. These dual findings reveal the complexity of handling multiple stressors and highlight the importance of examining the costs and limits of mounting an immune response in the context of increasing phenological instability ascribed to climate change.
The Modulating Effects of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy on Myocardial Metabolism in Heart Failure
Authors: XU YI‐ZHOU , CHEN CHAO‐FENG , CHEN BIN , GAO XIAO‐FEI , HUA WEI , CHA YONG‐MEI , DZEJA PETRAS P.
Published: November 2016

Heart failure (HF) is associated with changes in cardiac substrate utilization and energy metabolism, including a decline in high‐energy phosphate content, mitochondrial dysfunction, and phosphotransfer enzyme deficiency. A shift toward glucose metabolism was noted in the end stage of HF in animals, although HF in humans may not be associated with a shift toward predominant glucose utilization. Deficiencies of micronutrients are well‐established causes of cardiomyopathy. Correction of these deficits can improve heart function. The genes governing the energy metabolism were predominantly underexpressed in nonischemic cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy but were overexpressed in ischemic cardiomyopathy. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been proven to increase cardiac efficiency without increasing myocardial oxygen consumption. Altered myocardial metabolism is normalized by CRT to improve ventricular function.
Effect of Significant Weight Change on Inappropriate Implantable Cardioverter‐Defibrillator Therapy
Authors: DAIMEE USAMA A. , BITON YITSCHAK , AKTAS MEHMET K. , ZANNAD FAIEZ , KLEIN HELMUT , SZEPIETOWSKA BARBARA , MCNITT SCOTT , POLONSKY BRONISLAVA , WANG PAUL J. , ZAREBA WOJCIECH , MOSS ARTHUR J. , KUTYIFA VALENTINA
Published: November 2016

Background

Weight loss has been associated with adverse outcomes among heart failure (HF) patients, including those receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT‐D). The effect of significant weight change on inappropriate implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) therapy among CRT‐D patients is not well understood.

Methods

We evaluated the impact of significant weight change at 1 year on subsequent inappropriate ICD therapy during follow‐up among 993 CRT‐D patients enrolled in the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial‐Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy. Patients were divided into three subgroups based on weight change at 1 year after enrollment: weight loss (weight loss ≥ 5%), weight gain (weight gain ≥ 5%), and stable weight (weight loss and weight gain < 5%). The primary end point was inappropriate ICD therapy. Secondary end point included inappropriate ICD therapy related to supraventricular arrhythmias (SVAs).

Results

There were 102 (10.3%) patients who experienced weight loss, 689 (69.4%) whose weight was stable, and 202 (20.3%) who gained weight at 1 year. Patients with weight loss had increased risk of subsequent inappropriate ICD therapy relative to patients with stable weight (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39–3.98, P = 0.001) or weight gain (HR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.18–4.38, P = 0.014). Furthermore, patients losing weight were at greater risk of subsequent inappropriate ICD therapy related to SVAs when compared to patients with stable weight (HR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.18–3.95, P = 0.013) or weight gain (HR = 2.02, 95% CI: 0.95–4.29, P = 0.068).

Conclusion

In mild HF patients receiving CRT‐D, significant weight loss at 1 year is associated with increased risk of subsequent inappropriate ICD therapy, including risk related to SVAs.
Extensive homoeologous genome exchanges in allopolyploid crops revealed by mRNAseq‐based visualization
Authors: He Zhesi , Wang Lihong , Harper Andrea L. , Havlickova Lenka , Pradhan Akshay K. , Parkin Isobel A. P. , Bancroft Ian
Published: November 2016

Polyploidy, the possession of multiple sets of chromosomes, has been a predominant factor in the evolution and success of the angiosperms. Although artificially formed allopolyploids show a high rate of genome rearrangement, the genomes of cultivars and germplasm used for crop breeding were assumed stable and genome structural variation under the artificial selection process of commercial breeding has remained little studied. Here, we show, using a repurposed visualization method based on transcriptome sequence data, that genome structural rearrangement occurs frequently in varieties of three polyploid crops (oilseed rape, mustard rape and bread wheat), meaning that the extent of genome structural variation present in commercial crops is much higher than expected. Exchanges were found to occur most frequently where homoeologous chromosome segments are collinear to telomeres and in material produced as doubled haploids. The new insights into genome structural evolution enable us to reinterpret the results of recent studies and implicate homoeologous exchanges, not deletions, as being responsible for variation controlling important seed quality traits in rapeseed. Having begun to identify the extent of genome structural variation in polyploid crops, we can envisage new strategies for the global challenge of broadening crop genetic diversity and accelerating adaptation, such as the molecular identification and selection of genome deletions or duplications encompassing genes with trait‐controlling dosage effects.
Stable production of cyanophycinase in Nicotiana benthamiana and its functionality to hydrolyse cyanophycin in the murine intestine
Authors: Ponndorf Daniel , Ehmke Sven , Walliser Benjamin , Thoss Kerstin , Unger Christoph , Görs Solvig , Daş Gürbüz , Metges Cornelia C. , Broer Inge , Nausch Henrik
Published: November 2016

Food supplementation with the conditionally essential amino acid arginine (Arg) has been shown to have nutritional benefits. Degradation of cyanophycin (CGP), a peptide polymer used for nitrogen storage by cyanobacteria, requires cyanophycinase (CGPase) and results in the release of β‐aspartic acid (Asp)‐Arg dipeptides. The simultaneous production of CGP and CGPase in plants could be a convenient source of Arg dipeptides. Different variants of the cphB coding region from Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP‐1 were transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Translation and enzyme stability were optimized to produce high amounts of active CGPase. Protein stability was increased by the translational fusion of CGPase to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) or to the transit peptide of the small subunit of RuBisCO for peptide production in the chloroplasts. Studies in mice showed that plant‐expressed CGP fed in combination with plant‐made CGPase was hydrolysed in the intestine, and high levels of ß‐Asp‐Arg dipeptides were found in plasma, demonstrating dipeptide absorption. However, the lack of an increase in Asp and Arg or its metabolite ornithine in plasma suggests that Arg from CGP was not bioavailable in this mouse group. Intestinal degradation of CGP by CGPase led to low intestinal CGP content 4 h after consumption, but after ingestion of CGP alone, high CGP concentrations remained in the large intestine; this indicated that intact CGP was transported from the small to the large intestine and that CGP was resistant to colonic microbes.
Epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and genetic etiology of neonatal diabetes in Japan
Authors: Nagashima Kazuaki , Tanaka Daisuke , Inagaki Nobuya
Published: November 2016

Neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) is a rare but potentially devastating metabolic disorder, with a reported incidence of one per 300 000–500 000 births generally, and hyperglycemia develops within the first 6 months of life. NDM is classified into two categories clinically. One is transient NDM (TNDM), in which insulin secretion is spontaneously recovered by several months of age, but sometimes recurs later, and the other is permanent NDM (PNDM), requiring lifelong medication. Recent molecular analysis of NDM identified at least 12 genetic abnormalities: chromosome 6q24, KCNJ11, ABCC8, INS, FOXP3, GCK, IPF1, PTF1A, EIF2AK3, GLUT2, HNF1β, and GLIS3. Of these, imprinting defects on chromosome 6q24 and the KCNJ11 mutation have been recognized as the major causes of TNDM and PNDM, respectively, in Caucasian subjects. Although the pathogenesis and epidemiology of NDM in Japan seem to be clinically distinct, they are still unclear. In this review, we summarize the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and genetic etiology in Japanese patients with NDM compared with the data on Caucasian patients.
Perceptions of Survivorship Care among Latina Women with Breast Cancer in Los Angeles County
Authors: Tisnado Diana M. , Mendez‐Luck Carolyn , Metz Jenifer , Peirce Katelynn , Montaño Brian
Published: November 2016

Objectives

Cancer “survivorship” is a distinct and important aspect of the cancer experience. More research is needed about survivorship care in underserved populations such as Latinas. This study examined issues of breast cancer survivorship care among Latinas to understand their experiences and needs, to inform the design of future programs.

Design and Sample

Six English‐ and six Spanish‐language focus groups were conducted, with a nonprobability sample. About 74 Latinas who varied in terms of characteristics including stage, time since diagnosis, and English proficiency were recruited through support groups, health fairs, and promotoras.

Measures

A semi‐structured question guide was used to examine experiences with follow‐up care, barriers, and meaning associated with breast cancer survivorship.

Results

Results indicate numerous gaps and unmet needs in Latinas' survivorship care experiences, including problems with finances, continuity of care, unmet needs for information, and symptom management. Participants identified sources of support including patient navigators, and assigned both positive and negative meanings to survivorship.

Conclusions

This research lays a foundation for future work to develop interventions addressing Latina breast cancer survivors' unmet needs. Recommendations include enhancing peer and professional support services for patients, family, and caregivers. Further work is also needed to promote the implementation of survivorship care plans.
On the presence and immunoregulatory functions of extracellular microRNAs in the trematode Fasciola hepatica
Authors: Fromm B. , Ovchinnikov V. , Høye E. , Bernal D. , Hackenberg M. , Marcilla A.
Published: November 2016

Liver flukes represent a paraphyletic group of endoparasitic flatworms that significantly affect man either indirectly due to economic damage on livestock or directly as pathogens. A range of studies have focussed on how these macroscopic organisms can evade the immune system and live inside a hostile environment such as the mammalian liver and bile ducts. Recently, microRNAs, a class of short noncoding gene regulators, have been proposed as likely candidates to play roles in this scenario. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key players in development and pathogenicity and are highly conserved between metazoans: identical miRNAs can be found in flatworms and mammalians. Interestingly, miRNAs are enriched in extracellular vesicles (EVs) which are secreted by most cells. EVs constitute an important mode of parasite/host interaction, and recent data illustrate that miRNAs play a vital part. We have demonstrated the presence of miRNAs in the EVs of the trematode species Dicrocoelium dendriticum and Fasciola hepatica (Fhe) and identified potential immune‐regulatory miRNAs with targets in the host. After our initial identification of miRNAs expressed by F. hepatica, an assembled genome and additional miRNA data became available. This has enabled us to update the known complement of miRNAs in EVs and speculate on potential immune‐regulatory functions that we review here.
Canine reproductive ultrasound examination for predicting future sperm quality
Authors: England GCW , Bright L , Pritchard B , Bowen IM , de Souza MB , Silva LDM , Moxon R
Published: November 2016

Contents

The reproductive potential of male animals is commonly evaluated using a breeding soundness examination incorporating B‐mode ultrasound examination of the testes and recently Doppler ultrasound examination of the testicular arteries. These techniques may detect testicular normality or pathology, and while some measured parameters are associated with semen quality at the time of ultrasound examination, few studies have investigated the relationship with future semen quality. We hypothesized that B‐mode and Doppler ultrasound measurements would correlate with future semen quality. Within two studies, we investigated the relationship between ultrasound measured testicular volume, testicular echogenicity, testicular homogeneity, subjective assessment of the testicular parenchyma, testicular artery resistance index, and pulsatility index with subsequent semen quality. Fifty‐five normal fertile dogs of which 29 had stable semen quality and 26 had a subsequent decline in semen quality were examined during a 6‐month period commencing 62 days after the ultrasound examination. Statistical analysis showed that no ultrasound parameters were predictive of future total sperm output or percentage live normal sperm. However, mean testicular echogenicity was positively related to future sperm motility (t = 2.202, p = .039). We conclude that quantitative ultrasound assessment of the appearance of the testicular parenchyma has potential for the evaluation of future semen quality in dogs.
Viability and growth of feline preantral follicles in vitro cultured with insulin growth factor and epidermal growth factor supplemented medium
Authors: Alves AE , Padilha‐Nakaghi LC , Pires‐Butler EA , Apparicio M , Silva NAM , Motheo TF , Vicente WRR , Luvoni GC
Published: November 2016

Contents

In vitro culture of ovarian preantral follicles has emerged as a reproductive technology aimed at obtaining large amount of oocytes for in vitro embryo production. The addition of growth factors (GF) in the in vitro culture of preantral follicles of different species has provided superior results of follicular development, antrum formation and proliferation of granulosa cells. However, there are only few reports regarding the use of these factors on feline preantral follicle in vitro culture. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a combination of IGF‐1 and EGF on in vitro viability and growth of preantral follicles and enclosed oocytes collected from domestic cats. A total of 64 follicles characterized by multilayer granulosa cells were isolated and individually cultured for 6 days (T6) in minimum essential medium supplemented with IGF‐1+ EGF (100 ng/ml each) or without (control). A higher percentage of follicles were viable after culture with GF than without, and an increase in size when IGF‐1+ EGF were added to the medium (170 ± 32.4 μm (T0) vs. 201 ± 22.3 μm (T6); p < .05) was observed. An increase in the diameter was also observed in follicles cultured without GF, but this increase was only 8.3% compared to 15.4% of those cultured with GF (p < .05). No differences were found in the diameter of oocytes contained in follicles cultured in the non‐supplemented or supplemented media (107.9 ± 11.8 μm (T0) vs. 113.2 ± 15.6 μm (T6); p > .05). These data suggest that the addition of IGF‐1 and EGF to the culture medium promotes the in vitro development of preantral follicles of cats.
Retained fertilizing capability in cryopreserved feline spermatozoa
Authors: Chatdarong K
Published: November 2016

Contents

Sperm cryopreservation offers a long‐term preservation of male genetic materials for future assisted reproductive technologies. However, dramatic changes in temperature during freezing and thawing injure sperm cells. While motility is essential for AI and membrane integrity is crucial for in vitro fertilization (IVF), sperm DNA integrity is a common index of fertilizing capability required for AI, IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). In endangered felids died unexpectedly, attempts have been made to recover as many DNA intact spermatozoa as possible from epididymis and testis to increase the opportunity to produce offspring in future. Although sperm from caudal epididymis has shown retained fertilizing capability after freezing and thawing (27.3% conception rate after unilateral intrauterine insemination), sperm recovery from the corpus epididymis has been suggested as an alternative to increase the amount of preserved genetic materials. To improve epididymal sperm quality, pre‐treatment with single‐layer centrifugation resulted in selection of sperm cells with intact DNA while post‐thaw treatment with extracellular ATP incubation promoted the blastocyst rate. Cold storage of domestic cat testis for 7 days at 4°C demonstrated <1% of sperm cells with fragmented DNA. Moreover, isolated testicular sperm cells, stored for 7 days at 4°C, produced after ICSI poorer percentages of cleavage, morula and blastocyst than the fresh control. In wild felids, a death‐to‐necropsy time of 2 hr after a jungle cat (Felis chaus) aged 10 years died during anaesthesia plus another necropsy‐to‐sperm recovery time of 25 hr has been reported to yield the post‐thawed testicular sperm with 22.2% intact DNA. In summary, the chromatin structure of feline ejaculated and epididymal sperm seems to be tolerated to cold storage and cryopreservation; thus, fertilizing capability is well protected. In contrast, the cat testicular sperm DNA is generally damaged through the cryopreservation.
Flexible Labor Regulations and Informality in Egypt
Authors: Wahba Jackline , Assaad Ragui
Published: November 2016

Do more flexible labor market regulations reduce informal employment in formal firms? This paper examines the effects of changes in labor regulations on the incidence of formal employment. Using the case of Egypt, we study the effects of the introduction of more flexible labor regulations in 2003 on the probability that non‐contractual workers will be granted a formal employment contract. To identify the effect of the law and control for potential confounding factors, we use a difference‐in‐difference estimator that measures the difference in the pre‐ and post‐law probability of obtaining a formal contract across a treatment group of non‐contractual workers initially employed in formal firms and a comparison group of non‐contractual workers initially employed in informal firms. The latter serve as a useful comparison group since informal firms are unlikely to formalize as a result of the law, so that the only way their workers can become formal is to move to another firm. Our findings show that the passage of the new labor law did in fact increase the probability of transitioning to formal employment for non‐contractual workers employed in formal firms by about 3–3.5 percentage points, or the equivalent of at least a fifth of informal workers in formal firms.
Maximum Likelihood Estimation for Linear Gaussian Covariance Models
Authors: Zwiernik Piotr , Uhler Caroline , Richards Donald
Published: November 2016

We study parameter estimation in linear Gaussian covariance models, which are p-dimensional Gaussian models with linear constraints on the covariance matrix. Maximum likelihood estimation for this class of models leads to a non-convex optimization problem which typically has many local maxima. Using recent results on the asymptotic distribution of extreme eigenvalues of the Wishart distribution, we provide sufficient conditions for any hill climbing method to converge to the global maximum. Although we are primarily interested in the case in which n ≫ p, the proofs of our results utilize large sample asymptotic theory under the scheme n/p → γ > 1. Remarkably, our numerical simulations indicate that our results remain valid for p as small as 2. An important consequence of this analysis is that, for sample sizes n≃14p, maximum likelihood estimation for linear Gaussian covariance models behaves as if it were a convex optimization problem.
Do Debit Cards Decrease Cash Demand?: Causal Inference and Sensitivity Analysis Using Principal Stratification
Authors: Mercatanti Andrea , Li Fan
Published: November 2016

It has been argued that the use of debit cards may modify cash holding behaviour, as debit card holders may either withdraw cash from automated teller machines or purchase items by using point-of-sale devices at retailers. Within the Rubin causal model, we investigate the causal effects of the use of debit cards on the cash inventories held by households by using data from the Italy Survey of Household Income and Wealth. We adopt the principal stratification approach to incorporate the share of debit card holders who do not use this payment instrument. We use a regression model with the propensity score as the single predictor to adjust for the imbalance in observed covariates. We further develop a sensitivity analysis approach to assess the sensitivity of the proposed model to violation of the key unconfoundedness assumption. Our empirical results suggest statistically significant negative effects of debit cards on the household cash level in Italy.
‘Contested State‐craft’ on the Frontiers of the Indian Nation: ‘Hills–Valley Divide’ and the Genealogy of Kuki Ethnic Nationalism in Manipur
Authors: Kipgen Ngamjahao , Roy Chowdhury Arnab
Published: November 2016

Drawing on scholars like Scott and Suan, it can be argued that a ‘hills–valley divide’ has prevailed in Manipur from the colonial period. The Kuki tribes who inhabit Manipur's hilly regions are underdeveloped compared to the politically and economically powerful Meiteis who inhabit its valleys. The postcolonial central and state government policies have failed to respond to local problems, which have created a regional imbalance and have sharpened the hills–valley divide. The Kukis have undergone many resulting economic hardships and have become further alienated and marginalized. To highlight uneven development and Kuki tribal minority marginalization, we refer to key ‘development’ indicators – administration, employment, poverty, health, and infrastructure – and analyse the Kuki quest for tribal identity and demand for an ethnic homeland in postcolonial India, by tracing the genealogy of their identity formation from archives, extant historiography, and ethnographic fieldwork.
The power of prospection: mental contrasting and behavior change
Authors: Oettingen Gabriele , Reininger Klaus Michael
Published: November 2016

People often immerse themselves in dreams and fantasies about a desired future. Though such future fantasies are pleasant, they do not necessarily lead to the effort required to attain the desired future. Indeed, the more positively people fantasize about their desired futures, the less effort they invest and the less successful they are in realizing these futures. However, when fantasies about a desired future are complemented with a clear sense of reality, people find the direction and energy needed to realize their fantasies. We review Fantasy Realization Theory, which explicates these ideas and led to the discovery of mental contrasting future and reality, a self‐regulation strategy of behavior change. Mental contrasting helps people figure out what they really want and wisely select, commit to, and actively pursue prioritized wishes while constructively dealing with setbacks. It helps them live a rewarding life through work, play, health, and relationships.
An innovative GPS trajectory data based model for geographic recommendation service
Authors: Zou Zhiqiang , Yu Zhe , Cao Kai
Published: November 2016

Geographic services based on GPS trajectory data, such as location prediction and recommender services, have received increasing attention because of their potential social and commercial benefits. In this study, a Geographic Service Recommender Model (GSRM) is proposed, which loosely comprises three essential steps. Firstly, location sequences are obtained through a clustering operation on GPS locations. To improve efficiency, a programming model with a distributed algorithm is employed to accelerate the clustering. Secondly, in order to mine spatial and temporal information from the cluster trajectory, an algorithm (MiningMP) is designed. Last but not least, the next possible location to which the user will travel is predicted. An integrated framework of GSRM could then be constructed and provide the appropriate geographic recommendation service by considering location sequences as well as other related semantic information. Experiments were conducted based on real GPS trajectories from Microsoft Research Asia (182 users within a period of five years). The experimental results clearly demonstrate that our proposed GSRM model is effective and efficient at predicting locations and can provide users with personalized smart recommendation services in the following possible position with excellent performance in scalability, adaptability, and quality of service.
Hippocampal subareas arranged in the dorsoventral axis modulate cardiac baroreflex function in a site‐dependent manner in rats
Authors: Ferreira‐Junior Nilson Carlos , Lagatta Davi Campos , Fabri Denise Resende , Alves Fernando Henrique Ferrari , Corrêa Fernando Morgan Aguiar , Resstel Leonardo Barbosa Moraes
Published: November 2016

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Classically, areas of the brainstem are involved in the cardiac baroreceptor reflex. However, forebrain areas, such as the hippocampus, may also modulate the cardiac baroreflex function.

What is the main finding and its importance?

According to the hippocampal subarea recruited dorsoventrally, the baroreflex function can be either facilitated or inhibited. These results are according to the new topographical division proposed for the hippocampus, i.e. it can be divided into functionally and anatomically different regions along its dorsoventral axis.

From a neuroanatomical point of view, we may split the hippocampal formation into the dorsal (DH) and ventral hippocampus (VH). Although the basic intrinsic circuitry of the hippocampus seems to be maintained throughout its longitudinal axis, dorsal and ventral portions connect differently with cortical and subcortical areas and express different gene patterns, being functionally distinct. Differential stimulation of the DH or VH can evoke either an increase or a decrease in blood pressure, heart rate and sympathetic activity. However, to the best of our knowledge, specific involvement of the hippocampus and its different subareas in the baroreflex function remains to be investigated. In the present work, therefore, we evaluated the involvement of hippocampal subareas arranged on the dorsoventral axis in cardiac baroreflex modulation. Our results suggest that inhibition of hippocampal subareas by CoCl2, a calcium‐dependent synaptic neurotransmission blocker, differentially affects baroreflex sensitivity; administration of CoCl2 into the DH increased cardiac baroreflex function, whereas it diminished cardiac baroreflex function when administered into the VH. In contrast, administration of CoCl2 into intermediate portions of the hippocampus did not affect the baroreflex response. Our findings suggest that the hippocampus influences baroreflex function according to the hippocampal subarea recruited dorsoventrally.
Declining performance of master athletes: silhouettes of the trajectory of healthy human ageing?
Authors: Lazarus Norman R. , Harridge Stephen D. R.
Published: November 2016

Analysis of world record performances by master athletes suggests an essentially linear decline with age until around the eighth decade after which performance decline accelerates. Because these records are obtained from highly trained individuals they can be viewed as being reflective of the diminution of integrative physiological prowess that occurs solely as a result of ageing, unaffected by the confounding effects of inactivity. It can also be argued that these performance profiles mirror and provide an insight into the trajectory of the physiology of the human ageing process. Here we propose a set point theory that hypothesises that a given threshold of physical activity is needed to age optimally and to maximise the ‘healthspan’. Exercising at levels below the set point will result in ageing being contaminated by the unpredictable and pathological effects of inactivity. Exercise above this threshold stimulates adaptations towards maximising athletic performance, but is unlikely to have further beneficial effects on health. Thus the decades‐long, controlled diminution in athletic performance, should not be seen as a disease process. The ageing process is separate from, and independent of, exercise‐mediated processes that maintain or adapt physiological function. Whether an understanding of these mechanisms will also help uncover mechanisms underpinning the ageing process itself is open to question. However, any model which does not take into account the effects of activity will not adequately describe the inherent ageing process.

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Development of Miniaturized Rubber Muscle Actuator Driven by Gas-Liquid Phase Change
Authors: Kato Tomonori , Sakuragi Kazuki , Cheng Mingzhao , Kakiyama Ryo , Matsunaga Yuta , Ono Manabu
Published: November 2016

The goal of this study is to develop a miniaturized artificial muscle in which a tiny compressor can be installed. Pneumatic actuators, such as pneumatic artificial rubber muscles (PARMs), have been widely used in many industrial and robotic research applications because they are compact and lightweight. However, the compressors driving such actuators are relatively large. To solve this problem, the authors have been researching soft actuators driven by gas-liquid phase changes (GLPCs).

In this study, a fixed chamber containing a constantan heater and fluorocarbon was used to generate pressure instead of a compressor. The pressure generation caused by the GLPC was confirmed, and a PARM contraction experiment was then conducted. Additionally, a PI control system was built to test the step and frequency responses of the actuator. A frequency response of up to 4.0 Hz was determined, and the corner frequency was found to be approximately 1.5 Hz.

The size of the actuator was reduced by removing the chamber and installing the heater in the rubber muscle. A PARM driving experiment was conducted, and the performance of the PARM was evaluated. The miniaturized actuator consumes less power than the original actuator.
A Complete Model of a Two Degree of Freedom Platform Actuated by Three Pneumatic Muscles Elaborated for Control Synthesis
Authors: Bou Saba David , Bideaux Eric , Brun Xavier , Massioni Paolo
Published: November 2016

Pneumatic muscles have a high potential in industrial use, as they provide safety, high power over volume ratio, low price and wide range of pulling effort. Nevertheless, their control is quite hard to achieve due to the non linearity and hysteresis phenomena, plus the uncertainties in their behavior. This paper presents the modeling of a two degree of freedom platform actuated by three pneumatic muscles for control purposes. Three servovalves are used to supply airflow inside the muscles. The innovative concept is the modeling of each component including the static and dynamic muscle behavior. The model of the servovalve consists of a look-up table gathering the three variables: airflow, pressure and voltage applied to the servovalve. In addition, a thermodynamic and a mechanical study of the system complete the model. The result is a complete model design having as input the voltage applied to the three servovalves, and as outputs, the two angles of rotation. Simulated and experimental results permit to validate the complete model for high variation in static and dynamic conditions. These results will be helpful for nonlinear control synthesis.
Potential Energy Recovery System of Hydraulic Hybrid Excavator
Authors: Zhao Pengyu , Chen Yinglong , Zhou Hua
Published: November 2016

For existing hydraulic hybrid excavators, the loss of energy is still too large and the energy recovery efficiency is not high enough. Concerning these issues, a new hydraulic hybrid excavator potential energy recovery system is proposed within this paper. The energy recovery system uses three-chamber cylinders (TCCs) and accumulators to recover the potential energy of mechanical arms and load of the excavator. The TCC consists of three chambers, including chamber with piston rod, chamber without piston rod and counterweight chamber. The counterweight chamber is connected to an accumulator, which provides average load force. The chamber with piston rod and the chamber without piston rod are connected to inlet and outlet of a variable pump respectively, constituting a pump controlled system together. The mathematical models of load, engine, pump, TCC and accumulator were established in this study. According to the mathematical model, the dynamic response was simulated and the dynamic characteristics of each components were analyzed. The parameter matching of accumulator was proposed as well. Besides, the simulation model was built and the simulation result was carried out. From the simulation, the dissipated energy of each cylinder was obtained and compared with the dissipated energy without potential energy recovery system. According to the comparison, the potential energy recovery system can reduce the dissipated energy of variable pumps by around 30∼60%, and reduce the dissipated energy of engine by around 50%.