bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reducing environmental uncertainty: How high performance work systems moderate the resource dependence‐firm performance relationship
Authors: Bendickson Josh , Gur Furkan A. , Taylor Erik C.
Published: November 2016

Firm performance is a major concern for all organizations and involves a multitude of antecedents. Reducing environmental uncertainty and dependency through the use of strategic actions in the resource dependency theory (RDT) framework and enhancing work practices through high performance work systems (HPWS) lead to higher levels of firm performance. We reveal the interconnectivity between RDT and HPWS and develop propositions as to how components of HPWS positively moderate the relationship between firm performance and the environmental uncertainty‐reducing strategic actions proposed by RDT such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, boards of directors, political action, and executive succession. Copyright © 2016 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DNA methylation changes in Mexican children exposed to arsenic from two historic mining areas in San Luis potosí
Authors: Alegría‐Torres Jorge Alejandro , Carrizales‐Yánez Leticia , Díaz‐Barriga Fernando , Rosso‐Camacho Fernando , Motta Valeria , Tarantini Letizia , Bollati Valentina
Published: November 2016

Arsenic is a carcinogen and epimutagen that threatens the health of exposed populations worldwide. In this study, we examined the methylation status of Alu and long interspersed nucleotide elements (LINE‐1) and their association with levels of urinary arsenic in 84 Mexican children between 6 and 12 years old from two historic mining areas in the State of San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Urinary arsenic levels were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and DNA methylation analysis was performed in peripheral blood leukocytes by bisulfite‐pyrosequencing. The geometric mean of urinary arsenic was 26.44 µg/g Cr (range 1.93–139.35). No significant differences in urinary arsenic or methylation patterns due to gender were observed. A positive correlation was found between urinary arsenic and the mean percentage of methylated cytosines in Alu sequences (Spearman correlation coefficient r = 0.532, P < 0.001), and a trend of LINE‐1 hypomethylation was also observed (Spearman correlation coefficient r = −0.232, P = 0.038) after adjustment for sex and age. A linear regression model showed an association with log‐normalized urinary arsenic for Alu (β = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.67; 1.43, P < 0.001) and LINE‐1 (β = −0.703, 95% CI: −1.36; −0.38, P = 0.038). Despite the low‐level arsenic exposure, a subtle epigenetic imbalance measured as DNA methylation was detected in the leukocytes of Mexican children living in two historic mining areas. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 57:717–723, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An anisotropic and inhomogeneous hidden Markov model for the classification of water quality spatio‐temporal series on a national scale: The case of Scotland
Authors: Spezia Luigi , Brewer Mark J. , Birkel Christian
Published: November 2016

This work presents a case study about the evaluation of the water quality dynamics in each of the 56 major catchments in Scotland, for a period of 10 years. Data are obtained by monthly sampling of water contaminants, in order to monitor discharges from the land to the sea. We are interested in the multivariate time series of ammonia, nitrate, and phosphorus. The time series may present issues that make their analysis complex: non‐linearity, non‐normality, weak dependency, seasonality, and missing values. The goals of this work are the classification of the observations into a small set of homogeneous groups representing ordered categories of pollution, the detection of change‐points, and the modeling of data heterogeneity. These aims are pursued by developing a novel spatio‐temporal hidden Markov model, whose hierarchical structure was motivated by the data set to study: the observations are displayed on a cylindrical lattice and driven by an anisotropic and inhomogeneous hidden Markov random field. As a result, four hidden states were selected, showing that catchments could be grouped spatially, with a strong relationship with the dominating land use. This method represents a useful tool for water managers to have a nationwide picture in combination of temporal dynamics.
Numerical computation of a large‐scale jet fire of high‐pressure hydrogen in process plant
Authors: Jang Chang Bong , Jung Seungho
Published: November 2016

Due to numerous hazardous chemicals to handle, the process plant industry has a higher risk of fire, explosion, and toxic release than other industries. Reviewing the accidents at process plants in the past, it is clear that fire accidents occur with the highest frequency, leading this study to consider accidental fire scenarios at process plants. For the scenario of an incident, a jet fire involving a massive amount of hydrogen gas to be processed or delivered at the process plant has been selected. The analysis of incident outcome resulting from the hydrogen jet fire has been implemented through the computational fluid dynamics simulation methodology Kameleon FireEx. Based on the outcome of this simulation, the consequences of a jet fire with high temperature and heat radiation are analyzed and evaluated. In addition, the results from Phast ver. 7.11 simulation for the same scenario are presented for comparison and further validation.
Emotional functioning, ADHD symptoms, and peer problems: A longitudinal investigation of children age 6–9.5 years
Authors: Thorell Lisa B. , Sjöwall Douglas , Diamatopoulou Sofia , Rydell Ann‐Margret , Bohlin Gunilla
Published: November 2016

The aim of the present study was to investigate the interplay between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and emotional functioning in relation to peer problems. Parent ratings of ADHD symptoms and regulation/reactivity with regard to four emotions (anger, sadness, fear, and happiness/exuberance) at age six were investigated in relation to sociometric peer nominations 3 years later in a non‐clinical sample (n = 91). Reactivity and regulation were only modestly correlated, and these two aspects of emotional functioning did not show the same relation to peer problems. The main finding was that, it was primarily children with high levels of ADHD symptoms in combination with either high dysregulation or low reactivity with regard to happiness/exuberance who received many negative peer nominations. In addition, high levels of ADHD symptoms in combination with high reactivity with regard to anger were associated with nominations of physical aggression. The modest relation between reactivity and regulation emphasizes the importance of separating these two constructs. The fact that it was primarily happiness/exuberance, as opposed to negative emotions, that was associated with negative peer nominations suggests that future studies are needed to clarify the role of specific emotions in relation to the functional impairments associated with ADHD symptoms.

Highlights

The present study aimed to investigate the interplay between ADHD symptoms and emotional functioning in relation to peer problems using a longitudinal design (age 6–9 years).

Ratings of ADHD symptoms and emotional functioning were investigated in relation to sociometric peer nominations and results showed that it was primarily children with high levels of ADHD symptoms in combination with either high dysregulation or low reactivity with regard to happiness/exuberance who received many negative peer nominations.

The fact that it was primarily happiness/exuberance, as opposed to negative emotions, that was associated with negative peer nominations suggests that future studies are needed to clarify the role of specific emotions in relation to the functional impairments associated with ADHD symptoms.
Comparison of the efficacy of endoscopic tympanoplasty and microscopic tympanoplasty: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Tseng Chih‐Chieh , Lai Ming‐Tang , Wu Chia‐Che , Yuan Sheng‐Po , Ding Yi‐Fang
Published: November 2016

Objectives

Microscopic tympanoplasty has been the standard surgery for repairing perforated tympanic membranes since the 1950s, but endoscopic tympanoplasty has been increasingly practiced since the late 1990s. In this study, we compared the efficacies of endoscopic and microscopic tympanoplasty.

Data Sources

PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, and the Clinical Trial Register.

Review Methods

We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis statement. We included clinical studies that compared the efficacies of endoscopic and microscopic tympanoplasty. We assessed the risk of bias and calculated the pooled relative risk (RR) estimates with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

We identified four studies (involving 266 patients in total) that met the inclusion criteria. The pooled tympanic membrane closure rates and hearing results of endoscopic and microscopic tympanoplasty were comparable (85.1% vs. 86.4%, respectively; RR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.85 to 1.11; I2 = 0) (mean difference of improvements of air‐bone gaps: −2.73; 95% CI: −6.73 to 1.28; I2 = 80%). The pooled canalplasty rate of endoscopic tympanoplasty was significantly lower than that of microscopic tympanoplasty. Patients receiving endoscopic tympanoplasty had a more desirable cosmetic result than did those receiving microscopic tympanoplasty.

Conclusions

Our up‐to‐date review evidences the comparable tympanic membrane closure rates and hearing results for endoscopic and microscopic tympanoplasty. Patients receiving endoscopic tympanoplasty have a lower canalplasty rate and more desirable cosmetic result than do those receiving microscopic tympanoplasty. Laryngoscope, 127:1890–1896, 2017
Defining the hidden evidence in autism research. Forty per cent of rigorously designed clinical trials remain unpublished ‐ a cross‐sectional analysis
Authors: Mechler Konstantin , Hoffmann Georg F. , Dittmann Ralf W. , Ries Markus
Published: November 2016

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have a prevalence of up to 2.7% and show significant rates of comorbidities. Pharmacological treatment can be difficult. New treatment options are needed, several are currently under investigation. Publication bias presents a major problem in current clinical research. This study was designed to quantify publication bias in rigorously designed ASD research. The database at ClinicalTrials.gov was searched for all completed randomized controlled clinical trials investigating interventions in ASD and their results made public. If results could neither be retrieved through search of the database, nor of scientific databases nor by enquiries of the responsible parties or sponsors listed, a trial was defined as not published. The search delivered N = 30 (60%) trials were published, N = 20 (40%) remained unpublished, N = 2,421 (59%) patients were enrolled in the published trials, N = 1,664 (41%) patients in the unpublished trials, time to publication was 21.4 months [standard deviation (SD) = 18.48; range = −5 to 80 months]. Results of N = 22 trials were available through ClinicalTrials.gov. Characteristics of published compared to unpublished trials did not show apparent differences. The majority of trials investigated drugs. The results emphasize the serious issue of publication bias. The large proportion of unpublished results precludes valuable information and has the potential to distort evidence for treatment approaches in ASD.
A new statistical model for the Day Reconstruction Method
Authors: Lee Paul H. , Tse Andy C.Y. , Lee Ka Yiu
Published: November 2016

The Day Reconstruction Method (DRM) is a method to measure one's subjective affective status by soliciting information in a questionnaire about the previous day's activities. We developed a new model to examine the association of daily activities, the friendliness of interacting partners, and time‐of‐day on net affect scores among 10,377 adults participating in the World Health Organization's Study on global ageing and adult health (SAGE). A multilevel regression was fitted and the time‐of‐day effect was modeled by restricted cubic spline. The net affect score was a serpentine curve; stable from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., increased from 7 a.m. to 12 noon, and became stable onwards. Participants had the highest net affect scores during religious activities (0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44, 0.53), and they enjoyed leisure activities, exercising, and household responsibilities more than work. Compared with events that lacked interacting partners, activities with very friendly interacting partners were associated with higher net affect scores (0.21, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.22), but events with slightly friendly interacting partners, slightly irritating or very irritating partners had lower net affect scores. To conclude, researchers using DRM for assessing well‐being status across time should include the type of activities and the friendliness of the interacting partners.
Using Calendula officinalis as a floral resource to enhance aphid and thrips suppression by the flower bug Orius sauteri (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae)
Authors: Zhao Jing , Guo Xiaojun , Tan Xiaoling , Desneux Nicolas , Zappala Lucia , Zhang Fan , Wang Su
Published: November 2016

BACKGROUND

The flower bug Orius sauteri (Poppius) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) is widely used as a biocontrol agent against thrips and aphids infesting greenhouse vegetables in Asia. The survival and oviposition of such predators, as well as the biocontrol services they provide, may be enhanced by adding extra floral resources to the crops. In the present study we investigated the effects of the plant Calendula officinalis L., used as a floral resource, for promoting the control of Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) by O. sauteri under laboratory and greenhouse conditions.

RESULTS

Results showed that the presence of C. officinalis enhanced aphid and thrips suppression via an increased O. sauteri population growth. The predator populations responded positively to the addition of C. officinalis in the system, and they also varied as a function of the temperatures tested under laboratory conditions. In a similar way, predator populations varied among seasons, with the highest densities recorded in May in the greenhouse.

CONCLUSION

C. officinalis can be used to increase available resources for natural enemies used in agricultural crops, notably in greenhouses. This study also provides evidence that increasing floral resources can enhance pest suppression provided by O. sauteri. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
Assignment of sugar arrangement in branched steviol glycosides using electrospray ionization quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Perera Wilmer H. , Avula Bharathi , Khan Ikhlas A. , McChesney James D.
Published: November 2016

Rationale

Steviol glycosides with an ent‐kaurene core are being used in the Food Industry as non‐caloric sweeteners. These compounds are chemically similar in terms of sugar types and sugar arrangements. In order to assign sugar positions, we describe herein the dissociation pattern for steviol glycosides under varying collision energies.

Methods

Steviol glycosides (1 mg/mL, 2 μL) were automatically injected into the mass spectrometer by direct infusion using a 100‐well tray autosampler. The mass spectrometric analysis was performed using a quadrupole time‐of‐flight (QTOF) tandem mass spectrometer (model #G6530A; Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA, USA) equipped with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source with Jet Stream technology.

Results

Dissociation of several natural and prepared steviol glycosides was carefully studied by ESI‐QTOF‐MS/MS using a range of collision energies: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 eV. This procedure allowed us to establish the dissociation pattern for steviol glycosides, and thus the sugar arrangement in the branched oligosaccharide portion linked at position C‐13 of steviol, and also infer the sugar arrangement at C‐19.

Conclusions

Those steviol glycosides with a monosaccharide or less hindered disaccharides at position C‐19 are cleaved at low collision energy (10 eV) while highly hindered disaccharides and trisaccharides are cleaved at 40 eV. However, sugars attached at C‐13 cleave at highest collision energies in the following order: the C‐3 sugar, followed by the C‐2 sugar and finally the sugar directly linked at C‐13. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On l1 stability of switched positive singular systems with time‐varying delay
Authors: Li Shuo , Lin Hai
Published: November 2016

This paper investigates the problem of exponential stability and l1‐gain performance analysis for a class of discrete‐time switched positive singular systems with time‐varying delay. Firstly, a necessary and sufficient condition of positivity for the system is established by using the singular value decomposition method. Then by constructing an appropriate co‐positive Lyapunov functional and using the average dwell time scheme, we develop a sufficient delay‐dependent condition and identify a class of switching signals for the switched positive singular system to be exponentially stable and meet a prescribed l1‐gain performance level under the switching signal. Based on this condition, the decay rate of the system can be tuned and the optimal system performance level can be determined by solving a convex optimization problem. All of the criteria obtained in this paper are presented in terms of linear programming, which suggests a good scalability and applicability to high dimensional systems. Finally, a numerical example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Posttranscriptional coordination of splicing and miRNA biogenesis in plants
Authors: Stepien Agata , Knop Katarzyna , Dolata Jakub , Taube Michal , Bajczyk Mateusz , Barciszewska‐Pacak Maria , Pacak Andrzej , Jarmolowski Artur , Szweykowska‐Kulinska Zofia
Published: November 2016

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, single‐stranded, noncoding RNAs that play a crucial role in basic physiological and morphological processes and in response to various stresses in eukaryotic organisms. However, the miRNA biogenesis, which is based on the action of complex protein machinery, varies between plants and animals, with the differences largely concerning the location of the process, the protein composition of the microprocessor, the mechanism of miRNA action on mRNA target, and the miRNA gene (MIR) structure. Roughly half of known Arabidopsis MIRs contain introns, and 29 miRNAs are encoded within the introns of host genes. Selection of alternative transcription start sites, alternative splice sites (SSs), and polyadenylation sites has been identified within miRNA primary transcripts (pri‐miRNAs), and such variety is essential for the production and fine‐tuning of miRNA levels. For example, the posttranscriptional processing of intron‐containing pri‐miRNAs involves the action of additional RNA metabolism machineries, such as the spliceosome and polyadenylation machinery, and to a large extent is based on direct communication between SERRATE (one of the core components of the plant microprocessor) and U1 snRNP auxiliary proteins. Moreover, the position of the miRNA stem–loop structure relative to the closest active 5′SS is essential for the miRNA production efficiency. Indeed, it is highly probable that this pre‐miRNA location affects recruitment of the microprocessor to pri‐miRNAs and therefore influences miRNA maturation and target mRNA regulation. Such complicated crosstalk between several machineries is important for a proper miRNA‐connected response to biotic and abiotic stresses, ensuring plant survival in a changing environment. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1403. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1403

This article is categorized under:

RNA Evolution and Genomics > RNA and Ribonucleoprotein Evolution
A Computable Solution to Partee’s Temperature Puzzle
Authors: Liefke Kristina , Sanders Sam
Published: November 2016

This paper presents a computable solution to Partee’s temperature puzzle which uses one of the standard tools of mathematics and the exact sciences: countable approximation. Our solution improves upon the standard Montagovian solution to the puzzle (i) by providing computable natural language interpretations for this solution, (ii) by lowering the complexity of the types in the puzzle’s interpretation, and (iii) by acknowledging the role of linguistic and communicative context in this interpretation. These improvements are made possible by interpreting natural language in a model that is inspired by the Kleene-Kreisel model of countable-continuous functionals. In this model, continuous functionals are represented by lower-type objects, called the associates of these functionals, which only contain countable information.
Non-crossing Tree Realizations of Ordered Degree Sequences
Authors: Méhats Laurent , Straßburger Lutz
Published: November 2016

We investigate the enumeration of non-crossing tree realizations of integer sequences, and we consider a special case in four parameters, that can be seen as a four-dimensional tetrahedron that generalizes Pascal’s triangle and the Catalan numbers. This work is motivated by the study of ambiguities in categorial grammars.
Automatic Concepts and Automata-Theoretic Semantics for the Full Lambek Calculus
Authors: Wurm Christian
Published: November 2016

We introduce a new semantics for the (full) Lambek calculus, which is based on an automata-theoretic construction. This automata-theoretic semantics combines languages and relations via closure operators which are based on automaton transitions. We establish the strong completeness of this semantics for the full Lambek calculus via an isomorphism theorem for the syntactic concepts lattice of a language and a construction for the universal automaton recognizing the same language. Automata-theoretic semantics is interesting because it connects two important semantics of the Lambek calculus, namely the relational and the language-theoretic. At the same time, it establishes a strong relation between two canonical constructions over a given language, namely its syntactic concept lattice and its universal automaton.
Categorial Dependency Grammars with Iterated Sequences
Authors: Béchet Denis , Foret Annie
Published: November 2016

Some dependency treebanks use special sequences of dependencies where main arguments are mixed with separators. Classical Categorial Dependency Grammars (CDG) do not allow this construction because iterative dependency types only introduce the iterations of the same dependency. An extension of CDG is defined here that introduces a new construction for repeatable sequences of one or several dependency names. The learnability properties of the extended CDG when grammars are infered from a dependency treebank is also studied. It leads to the definition of new classes of grammars that are learnable in the limit from dependency structures.
Implementing Variable Vectors in a CCG Parser
Authors: Bekki Daisuke , Kawazoe Ai
Published: November 2016

This article addresses problems that arise from the use of category variables $${\varvec{T}}$$

T

in combinatory categorial grammars (CCGs), in particular, that they require extension of semantic languages with variable vectors in a form such as $$\lambda \overline{x}.M$$

λ

x
¯

.
M

or $$M\overline{x}$$

M

x
¯

. As a solution to such problems, we introduce a technique for implementing variable vectors within the context of lightblue, a Japanese CCG parser implemented within the Haskell programming language with a dependent type semantics (DTS) representation.
Genetic Counseling for Couples Seeking Noninvasive Prenatal Testing in Japan: Experiences of Pregnant Women and their Partners
Authors: Watanabe Motoko , Matsuo Mari , Ogawa Masaki , Uchiyama Toshitaka , Shimizu Satoru , Iwasaki Naoko , Yamauchi Akemi , Urano Mari , Numabe Hironao , Saito Kayoko
Published: November 2016

The recent advent of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) has had a significant impact in the field of prenatal testing. Although reports on pregnant women who used NIPT have accumulated, little is known about the experiences of their male partners. In this study, we assessed the experiences of couples who were expecting a child and undergoing NIPT, with a focus on both the pregnant women and their partners. Questionnaires were administered to 282 participants focusing on their specific experiences at three time points: after pre‐test counseling (first visit), when undergoing NIPT (second visit), and when results were received (third visit). Responses were analyzed to assess the differences between pregnant women and their partners. We found that more partners selected “family” as their first information source about NIPT and “my partner” as the first person to request NIPT than did pregnant women (35.6 vs. 5.9 %; p < 0.001 and 19.3 vs.1.5 %; p < 0.001). However, pregnant women more often consulted others including family and friends until undergoing NIPT than their partners (89.1 vs. 54.6 %; p < 0.001). Our findings suggest that it is important to encourage male partners to be actively involved in the NIPT decision‐making process. Differences between pregnant women and their partners should be seriously considered when providing genetic counseling.
Surface Tension and Viscosity of the Ni-Based Superalloys LEK94 and CMSX-10 Measured by the Oscillating Drop Method on Board a Parabolic Flight
Authors: Wunderlich Rainer K. , Fecht Hans-Jörg , Lohöfer Georg
Published: November 2016

The surface tension and viscosity of the Ni-based superalloys LEK94 and CMSX-10 were measured by the oscillating drop method in a containerless electromagnetic processing device on board a parabolic flight airplane. Surface oscillations were recorded by 150 and 200 Hz frame rate digital cameras positioned in two perpendicular directions and by the inductive coupling between the oscillating sample surface and the oscillating circuit of the radio frequency heating and positioning generator. The surface tension as a function of temperature of LEK94 and CMSX-10 was obtained as σ(T) = 1.73 − 4.51 × 10−4 [T—1656 K (1383 °C)] Nm−1 and σ(T) = 1.71 − 5.80 × 10−4 [(T—1683 K (1410 °C)] Nm−1, respectively. The viscosity at the liquidus temperatures as 9.8 and 7.8 mPa.s, respectively. In addition, some basic thermophysical properties such as solidus and liquidus temperatures, densities at room temperature, and thermal expansion in the solid phase are reported.
Omgaan met somberheid op oudere leeftijd: een kwalitatieve studie
Authors: Von Faber Margaret , Van der Weele Gerda M. , Van der Geest Geertje , Blom Jeanet W. , Van der Zouwe Nicolette , Reis Ria , Van der Mast Roos C. , Gussekloo Jacobijn
Published: November 2016

BackgroundTo gain new insights for support for older people with low mood, we explored the perceptions of ‘screenpositive’ older peopleon underlying causes and possible solutions.Design and methodWe conducted two in-depth interviews with 38 participants (≥77 years) who screened positive for depressive symptoms ingeneral practice. To investigate the influence of the presence of complex health problems, we included 19 persons with and19 without complex problems. Complex problems were defined as a combination of functional, somatic, psychological orsocial problems.ResultsAll participants used several cognitive, social or practical coping strategies. Four patterns emerged: mastery, acceptance,ambivalence, and need for support. Some participants, especially those with complex problems, were ambivalent aboutpossible interventions.ConclusionMost older participants perceived their coping strategies as sufficient. General practitioners can support self-management byexploring the (effectiveness of) personal coping strategies, providing information, elaborating on perceptions of risks anddiscussing alternative options with older persons.
Polyphasic taxonomy ofAspergillussectionCervini
Authors: Chen A.J. , Varga J. , Frisvad J.C. , Jiang X.Z. , Samson R.A.
Published: November 2016

Species belonging toAspergillussectionCerviniare characterised by radiate or short columnar, fawn coloured, uniseriate conidial heads. The morphology of the taxa in this section is very similar and isolates assigned to these species are frequently misidentified. In this study, a polyphasic approach was applied using morphological characters, extrolite data, temperature profiles and partialBenA,CaMandRPB2sequences to examine the relationships within this section. Based on this taxonomic approach the sectionCerviniis resolved in ten species including six new species:A. acidohumus,A. christenseniae,A. novoguineensis,A. subnutans,A. transcarpathicusandA. wisconsinensis. A dichotomous key for the identification is provided.
Determinants of fire activity during the last 3500 yr at a wildland—urban interface, Alberta, Canada
Authors: Davis Emma L. , Mustaphi Colin J. Courtney , Gall Amber , Pisaric Michael F.J. , Vermaire Jesse C. , Moser Katrina A.
Published: November 2016

Long-term records of wildfires and their controlling factors are important sources of information for informing land management practices. Here, dendrochronology and lake sediment analyses are used to develop a 3500-yr fire and vegetation history for a montane forest in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The tree-ring record (AD 1771-2012) indicates that this region historically experienced a mixed-severity fire regime, and that effective fire suppression excluded widespread fire events from the study area during the 20th century. A sediment core collected from Little Trefoil Lake, located near the Jasper townsite, is analyzed for subfossil pollen and macroscopic charcoal (>150 μm). When comparing the tree-ring record to the 3500-yr record of sediment-derived fire events, only high-severity fires are represented in the charcoal record. Comparisons between the charcoal record and historical climate and pollen data indicate that climate and vegetation composition have been important controls on the fire regime for most of the last 3500 yr. Although fire frequency is presently within the historical range of variability, the fire return interval of the last 150 yr is longer than expected given modern climate and vegetation conditions, indicating that humans have become the main control on fire activity around Little Trefoil Lake.
American Jewry
Authors: Lederhendler Eli
Published: November 2016

Understanding the history of Jews in America requires a synthesis of over 350 years of documents, social data, literature and journalism, architecture, oratory, and debate, and each time that history is observed, new questions are raised and new perspectives found. This book presents a readable account of that history, with an emphasis on migration patterns, social and religious life, and political and economic affairs. It explains the long-range development of American Jewry as the product of 'many new beginnings' more than a direct evolution leading from early colonial experiments to latter-day social patterns. This book also shows that not all of American Jewish history has occurred on American soil, arguing that Jews, more than most other Americans, persist in assigning crucial importance to international issues. This approach provides a fresh perspective that can open up the practice of minority-history writing, so that the very concepts of minority and majority should not be taken for granted.
Incidence and Outcomes Associated With Infections Caused by Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci in the United States: Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Chiang Hsiu-Yin , Perencevich Eli N. , Nair Rajeshwari , Nelson Richard E. , Samore Matthew , Khader Karim , Chorazy Margaret L. , Herwaldt Loreen A. , Blevins Amy , Ward Melissa A. , Schweizer Marin L.
Published: November 2016

BACKGROUND

Information about the health and economic impact of infections caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) can inform investments in infection prevention and development of novel therapeutics.

OBJECTIVE

To systematically review the incidence of VRE infection in the United States and the clinical and economic outcomes.

METHODS

We searched various databases for US studies published from January 1, 2000, through June 8, 2015, that evaluated incidence, mortality, length of stay, discharge to a long-term care facility, readmission, recurrence, or costs attributable to VRE infections. We included multicenter studies that evaluated incidence and single-center and multicenter studies that evaluated outcomes. We kept studies that did not have a denominator or uninfected controls only if they assessed postinfection length of stay, costs, or recurrence. We performed meta-analysis to pool the mortality data.

RESULTS

Five studies provided incidence data and 13 studies evaluated outcomes or costs. The incidence of VRE infections increased in Atlanta and Detroit but did not increase in national samples. Compared with uninfected controls, VRE infection was associated with increased mortality (pooled odds ratio, 2.55), longer length of stay (3-4.6 days longer or 1.4 times longer), increased risk of discharge to a long-term care facility (2.8- to 6.5-fold) or readmission (2.9-fold), and higher costs ($9,949 higher or 1.6-fold more).

CONCLUSIONS

VRE infection is associated with large attributable burdens, including excess mortality, prolonged in-hospital stay, and increased treatment costs. Multicenter studies that use suitable controls and adjust for time at risk or confounders are needed to estimate the burden of VRE infections.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol.2017;38:203–215
The onset of vortex-induced vibrations of a flexible cylinder at large inclination angle
Authors: Bourguet Rémi , Triantafyllou Michael S.
Published: November 2016

The onset of the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) regime of a flexible cylinder inclined at$80^{\circ }$within a uniform current is studied by means of direct numerical simulations, at Reynolds number$500$based on the body diameter and inflow velocity magnitude. A range of values of the reduced velocity, defined as the inverse of the fundamental natural frequency, is examined in order to capture the emergence of the body responses and explore the concomitant reorganization of the flow and fluid forcing. Additional simulations at normal incidence confirm that the independence principle, which states that the system behaviour is determined by the normal inflow component, does not apply at such large inclination angle. Contrary to the normal incidence case, the free vibrations of the inclined cylinder arise far from the Strouhal frequency, i.e. the vortex shedding frequency downstream of a fixed rigid cylinder. The trace of the stationary body wake is found to persist beyond the vibration onset: the flow may still exhibit an oblique component that relates to the slanted vortex shedding pattern observed in the absence of vibration. This flow component which occurs close to the Strouhal frequency, at a high and incommensurable frequency compared to the vibration frequency, is referred to as Strouhal component; it induces a high-frequency component in fluid forcing. The vibration onset is accompanied by the appearance of novel, low-frequency components of the flow and fluid forcing which are synchronized with body motion. This second dominant flow component, referred to as lock-in component, is characterized by a parallel spatial pattern. The Strouhal and lock-in components of the flow coexist over a range of reduced velocities, with variable contributions, which results in a variety of mixed wake patterns. The transition from oblique to parallel vortex shedding that occurs during the amplification of the structural responses, is driven by the opposite trends of these two component contributions: the decrease of the Strouhal component magnitude associated with the progressive disappearance of the high-frequency force component, and simultaneously, the increase of the lock-in component magnitude, which dominates once the fully developed VIV regime is reached and the flow dynamics is entirely governed by wake–body synchronization.
The effect of Stokes number on particle velocity and concentration distributions in a well-characterised, turbulent, co-flowing two-phase jet
Authors: Lau Timothy C. W. , Nathan Graham J.
Published: November 2016

Simultaneous measurements of particle velocity and concentration (number density) in a series of mono-disperse, two-phase turbulent jets issuing from a long, round pipe into a low velocity co-flow were performed using planar nephelometry and digital particle image velocimetry. The exit Stokes number,$Sk_{D}$, was systematically varied over two orders of magnitude between 0.3 and 22.4, while the Reynolds number was maintained in the turbulent regime ($10\,000\leqslant Re_{D}\leqslant 40\,000$). The mass loading was fixed at$\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}=0.4$, resulting in a flow that is in the two-way coupling regime. The results show that, in contrast to all previous work where a single Stokes number has been used to characterise fluid–particle interactions, the characteristic Stokes number in the axial direction is lower than that for the radial direction. This is attributed to the significantly greater length scales in the axial motions than in the radial ones. It further leads to a preferential response of particles to gas-phase axial velocity fluctuations,$u_{p}^{\prime }$, over radial velocity fluctuations,$v_{p}^{\prime }$. This, in turn, leads to high levels of anisotropy in the particle-phase velocity fluctuations,$u_{p}^{\prime }/v_{p}^{\prime }>1$, throughout the jet, with$u_{p}^{\prime }/v_{p}^{\prime }$increasing as$Sk_{D}$is increased. The results also show that the region within the first few diameters of the exit plane is characterised by a process of particle reorganisation, resulting in significant particle migration to the jet axis for$Sk_{D}\leqslant 2.8$and away from the axis for$Sk_{D}\geqslant 5.6$. This migration, together with particle deceleration along the axis, causes local humps in the centreline concentration whose value can even exceed those at the exit plane.
Physical interpretation of probability density functions of bubble-induced agitation
Authors: Risso Frédéric
Published: November 2016

A stochastic model is presented for the probability density function (p.d.f.) of the liquid velocity fluctuations generated by high-Reynolds-number rising bubbles. It considers three elementary sources of fluctuations: the potential flow disturbance around each bubble; the average bubble wakes, which are assumed to decay exponentially; and the turbulent agitation resulting from the flow instability, which is assumed to be isotropic, homogeneously distributed all over the flow and statistically independent of the two others. The model reproduces well and explains the characteristics of the experimental p.d.f.s: exponential tails, asymmetry of vertical fluctuations and evolution with the gas volume fraction. The model involves twoa prioriunknown parameters: the volume of the wake and the velocity scale of the turbulent agitation. Because some parts of the probability functions depend only on a single contribution, these two parameters can be uniquely and independently determined from experimental p.d.f.s. This defines an objective method to separate the various kinds of fluctuations and allows one to determine the contribution of each of them to the total agitation.
Unmanned aerial vehicles mitigate human–elephant conflict on the borders of Tanzanian Parks: a case study
Authors: Hahn Nathan , Mwakatobe Angela , Konuche Jonathan , de Souza Nadia , Keyyu Julius , Goss Marc , Chang'a Alex , Palminteri Suzanne , Dinerstein Eric , Olson David
Published: November 2016

Protected areas across the range of the African savannah elephantLoxodonta africanaare increasingly being surrounded and isolated by agriculture and human settlements. Conflicts between people and crop-raiding elephants regularly lead to direct reprisals and diminish community support for conservation. We report on field trials in northern Tanzania that employed a new, humane way for wildlife managers to move elephants away from conflict zones, from distances of > 100 m, thereby enhancing the safety of wildlife managers, farmers and elephants. We deployed 10 unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) piloted by five trained teams of wildlife managers in the Tarangire–Manyara and Serengeti ecosystems. Game Scouts deployed the drones opportunistically during crop-raiding events at the peak of the maize ripening period in 2015 and 2016. In 100% of trials (n = 51) elephants responded to the presence of a drone by departing rapidly from crop fields (n = 38) and settlements (n = 13). The cost of five teams responsible for 617 km2in Tarangire–Manyara was estimated to be USD 15,520 for 1 year, and all drones remained operational for the duration of the study. The initial success of this tool warrants further testing of the utility of small unmanned aerial vehicles as part of the toolbox for wildlife managers and communities dealing with high levels of conflict with wildlife.
Defining security in a changing Arctic: helping to prevent an Arctic security dilemma
Authors: Scopelliti Marzia , Conde Pérez Elena
Published: November 2016

In recent years, radical changes such as rapid warming and ice retreat have become evident in the Arctic region, as recognised by the scientific community, as well as Arctic and non-Arctic states. Against this background, where the Arctic is accumulating economic importance and geopolitical significance for Arctic states and international stakeholders, the main regional actors have engaged in increased cooperation efforts, which is in contrast to the often invoked talk about an imminent conflict or ‘race for resources in the region’. At the same time, modernisation and expansion of military activities and capabilities have been pursued by several Arctic states. While these measures cannot be exclusively attributed to a militarisation of the Arctic and require further discussion, a misperception of such actions may result in the destabilisation of regional cooperation efforts. Furthermore, when considered in a broader context, possible threats to peaceful coexistence in the Arctic are more likely to arise from the present global situation. For example, the invasion of Ukraine has provoked a partial shift in regional cooperation and an uncontrolled spillover effect of the conflict between Russia and Western countries could disrupt regional stability. Drawing on the perspective of International Relations (IR) literature, and considering the absence of a regional institution devoted to security issues, this article highlights the importance of adopting confidence- and security-building measures among all relevant actors in order to create a forum for the discussion of ‘hard’ security topics, to prevent any destabilising effect on Arctic cooperation and security. Such measures may be promoted within existing fora, primarily the Arctic Council.
Neighborhood deprivation and depression in adult twins: genetics and gene×environment interaction
Authors: Strachan E. , Duncan G. , Horn E. , Turkheimer E.
Published: November 2016

Background

Depression is a significant problem and it is vital to understand its underlying causes and related policy implications. Neighborhood characteristics are implicated in depression but the nature of this association is unclear. Unobserved or unmeasured factors may confound the relationship. This study addresses confounding in a twin study investigating neighborhood-level effects on depression controlling for genetics, common environment, and gene×environment (G × E) interactions.

Method

Data on neighborhood deprivation and depression were gathered from 3155 monozygotic twin pairs and 1275 dizygotic pairs (65.7% female) between 2006 and 2013. The variance for both depression and neighborhood deprivation was decomposed into three components: additive genetic variance (A); shared environmental variance (C); and non-shared environmental variance (E). Depression was then regressed on neighborhood deprivation to test the direct association and whether that association was confounded. We also tested for a G × E interaction in which the heritability of depression was modified by the level of neighborhood deprivation.

Results

Depression and neighborhood deprivation showed evidence of significant A (21.8% and 15.9%, respectively) and C (13.9% and 32.7%, respectively) variance. Depression increased with increasing neighborhood deprivation across all twins (p= 0.009), but this regression was not significant after controlling for A and C variance common to both phenotypes (p= 0.615). The G × E model showed genetic influences on depression increasing with increasing neighborhood deprivation (p< 0.001).

Conclusions

Neighborhood deprivation is an important contributor to depression via increasing the genetic risk. Modifiable pathways that link neighborhoods to depression have been proposed and should serve as targets for intervention and research.
Plant communities and ecosystem processes in a succession-altitude matrix after shifting cultivation in the tropical montane forest zone of northern Borneo
Authors: Fujiki Shogoro , Nishio Shogo , Okada Kei-ichi , Nais Jamili , Kitayama Kanehiro
Published: November 2016

Plant communities and ecosystem processes in seres at multiple altitudes in the tropical montane forest zone of northern Borneo were studied to understand the patterns and mechanisms of the secondary succession after shifting cultivation. A total of 25 stands (and additional three stands) were sampled with stand ages ranging from 2 to 55 y after slash and burn at altitudes between 900 and 1400 m asl. Plant species composition, above-ground biomass (AGB), chemical properties of soils, litter and foliar samples were investigated in each stand. A TWINSPAN analysis classified five plant communities primarily as a sere but with two altitudinal communities in the later successional phase. AGB accumulated steadily at the rate of 2.42 Mg ha−1 y−1 during the succession for the first 55 y due to the ontogenetic development of plants as well as plant community shifts. At the onset of secondary succession, pool of soil NO3-N and soil total P was high probably because burning caused flushes of minerals originating from the burnt plant materials. Pool of soil NO3-N and soil total P decreased with increasing stand age during the succession. Leaf-litter N:P ratios of dominant species significantly increased with increasing stand age suggesting disproportionately greater P deficiency than N deficiency in the later successional phase. It is suggested that tree species shifted to those of greater P-use efficiency during succession in response to decreasing soil P availability. We conclude that the interaction of altitude with the reduction of soil N and P availability was related to the altitudinal split of plant communities in the later phase, while pioneer communities were wide-ranging across altitudes reflecting richer soil nutrients.
Notes on weak units of group-like 1- and 2-stacks
Authors: ALDROVANDI ETTORE , TATAR A. EMIN
Published: November 2016

The weak units of strict monoidal 1- and 2-categories are defined respectively in [15] and [14]. In this paper, we define them for group-like 1- and 2-stacks. We show that they form a contractible Picard 1- and 2-stack, respectively. We give their cohomological description which provides for these stacks a representation by complexes of sheaves of groups. Later, we extend the discussion to the monoidal case. We consider the (2-)substack of cancelable objects of a monoidal 1-(2-)stack. We observe that this (2-)substack is trivially group-like, its weak units are the same as the weak units of the monoidal 1-(2-)stack, and therefore we can recover the contractibility results in [15] and [14] by analysing it.