bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acoustic emission monitoring for bond integrity evaluation of reinforced concrete under pull-out tests
Authors: Abouhussien Ahmed A , Hassan Assem AA
Published: November 2016

This article presents the results of an experimental investigation on the application of acoustic emission technique for monitoring the steel-to-concrete bond integrity of reinforced concrete structures. A series of direct pull-out tests were performed on 54 reinforced concrete unconfined prism samples with variable rebar diameter (10, 20, and 35 mm), embedded length (50, 100, and 200 mm), and concrete cover (20, 30, and 40 mm). The samples were tested under incrementally increasing monotonic loading while being continuously monitored via attached acoustic emission sensors. These sensors were utilized to acquire different acoustic emission signal parameters emitted throughout the tests until failure. Also, an acoustic emission intensity analysis was implemented on acoustic emission signal strength data to quantify the damage resulting from loss of bond in all tested specimens. This analysis employed the signal strength of all recorded acoustic emission hits to develop two additional parameters: historic index ( H ( t)) and severity ( Sr). The results of bond behavior, mode of failure, and free end slip were compared with the recorded acoustic emission data. The results showed that the cumulative number of hits, cumulative signal strength, H ( t), and Sr had a good correlation with different stages of bond damage from de-bonding/micro-cracking until bond splitting failure and bar slippage, which caused cover cracking or delamination. The analysis of cumulative signal strength and H ( t) curves enabled early identification of two progressive stages of bond degradation (micro-cracking and macro-cracking) and recognized the various modes of failure of the tested specimens. The variations of bar diameter, concrete cover, and embedded length yielded significant impacts on both the bond behavior and acoustic emission activities. The results also presented developed intensity classification charts, based on H ( t) and Sr, to assess the bond integrity and to quantify the bond deterioration (micro-cracking, macro-cracking, and rebar slip) in reinforced concrete structures.
The moving global Everest: A new challenge to global ideal theory as a necessary compass
Authors: Nili Shmuel
Published: November 2016

I present a new challenge to the Rawlsian insistence on ideal theory as a compass orienting concrete policy choices. My challenge, focusing on global politics, consists of three claims. First, I contend that our global ideal can become more ambitious over time. Second, I argue that Rawlsian ideal theory’s level of ambition might change because of concrete policy choices, responding to moral failures which can be identified and resolved without ideal theory. Third, I argue that we currently face such potentially transformative choices. I conclude that these choices are analytically prior to, rather than derivative from, global ideal theory.
Democracy: Trap, Tragedy or Crisis?
Authors: Hobson Christopher
Published: November 2016

A quarter of a century after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the confidence once surrounding liberal democracy has been replaced with increasing concerns over its health. Reflecting this change of mood, there has been a proliferation of books examining whether democracy may be in crisis. This review surveys some of these recent contributions, which are united by a much more pessimistic tone. As these books detail, democracy now confronts major problems in essentially every sphere, with changes in the economic realm arguably being the most consequential. Rather than theorising more expansive forms of democracy, the challenge increasingly seems to be one of holding onto what we already have.

Brown W (2015) Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s Stealth Revolution. New York: Zone books. Coggan P (2013) The Last Vote: The Threats to Western Democracy. London: Allen Lane. Dunn J (2013) Breaking Democracy’s Spell. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Johnston S (2015) American Dionysia: Violence, Tragedy, and Democratic Politics. New York: Cambridge University Press. Kurlantzick J (2013) Democracy in Retreat: The Revolt of the Middle Class and the Worldwide Decline of Representative Government. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Mair P (2013) Ruling the Void: The Hollowing of Western Democracy. London: Verso. Runciman D (2013) The Confidence Trap: A History of Democracy in Crisis from World War I to the Present. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
“What’s Cooking?”: Qualitative Evaluation of a Head Start Parent–Child Pilot Cooking Program
Authors: Miller M. Elizabeth , Kaesberg Julia L. , Thompson Victoria B. , Wyand Rachel A.
Published: November 2016

Providing access to nutritious foods is crucial for low-income populations, but increasing nutrition-related skills and attitudes such as food preparation, feeding practices, and positive perceptions around healthy foods to establish sustainable behavior change are paramount for the development of healthy lifestyles. This qualitative study was designed to evaluate the What’s Cooking pilot program. A total of 15 participants were recruited from two Head Start schools through flyers, text messages, and e-mails. Two focus group sessions were audiotaped to obtain information related to the program implementation and perceived outcomes and behavior change. Recordings of the sessions were transcribed and analyzed using constant comparative analysis. Resulting themes included children’s asking behavior for healthy foods, family connection, parent comfort in cooking, and development of child attitude, knowledge, and skills. The qualitative analysis provided foundational information for the development of a framework for other nutrition program providers to understand the role of the child in a cooking class as a mediator for lifestyle change. The What’s Cooking program increased the implementation of sustainable food practices and healthy nutrition behaviors through educating families on how to involve their children in positive mealtime practices.
Do Anti-Union Policies Increase Inequality? Evidence from State Adoption of Right-to-Work Laws
Authors: Kogan Vladimir
Published: November 2016

The distribution of income lies at the intersection of states and markets, both influencing and responding to government policy. Reflecting this reality, increasing research focuses on the political origins of inequality in the United States. However, the literature largely assumes—rather than tests—the political mechanisms thought to affect the income gap. This study provides a timely reassessment of one such mechanism. Leveraging variation in labor laws between states and differences in the timing of adoption of right-to-work (RTW) legislation, I examine one political mechanism blamed by many for contributing to inequality. Using a variety of panel designs, I find little evidence that RTW laws have been a major cause of growing income inequality, pointing to the importance of grounding theoretical arguments about the interrelationships between states and markets in a sound empirical reality.
Proper orthogonal decomposition analysis for two-oscillating grid turbulence with viscoelastic fluids
Authors: Wang Yue , Cai Wei-Hua , Wei Tong-Zhou , Zhang Hong-Na , Wang Lu , Li Feng-Chen
Published: November 2016

In this article, the experiments of two-oscillating grid turbulence with viscoelastic fluids were carried out using particle image velocimetry. Two classical drag-reducing additives with viscoelastic characteristics were chosen: polymer (polyacrylamide) and cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethyl ammonium chloride). In order to investigate the viscoelastic effect on coherent structures, proper orthogonal decomposition was performed to identify coherent structures based on particle image velocimetry data. The results show that the minimum number for eigenmodes required for capturing coherent structures, which contains 90% of total turbulent kinetic energy, is 127, 19, and 117 for the Newtonian fluid case, 25 ppm polyacrylamide solution case, and 25 ppm cetyltrimethyl ammonium chloride solution case at grid oscillating frequency f = 7.5 Hz, respectively. It means that coherent structures can be inhibited due to the addition of polyacrylamide additives but not remarkable in 25 ppm cetyltrimethyl ammonium chloride solution case, in other words, the decrease in flow complexity in 25 ppm polyacrylamide solution case. This phenomenon also appears at grid oscillating frequency f = 5 Hz. However, as cetyltrimethyl ammonium chloride solution concentration increases up to 50 ppm, the cetyltrimethyl ammonium chloride solution case shows similar trends as those in 50 ppm polyacrylamide solution case (the number for eigenmodes required for capturing coherent structures is approximate). Therefore, compared with a channel flow with cetyltrimethyl ammonium chloride solution, there exists the larger critical concentration in two-oscillating grid turbulence to show turbulence suppression effect.
Distributed parallel computing of the recursive eigenvalue search in the context of transfer matrix method for multibody systems
Authors: Gu Junjie , Rui Xiaoting , Chen Gangli , Zhou Qinbo , Yang Haigen
Published: November 2016

The modeling and solving a transcendental eigenvalue problem are important issues in the transfer matrix method for linear multibody systems. Based on the recursive eigenvalue search algorithm for transfer matrix method for linear multibody system, the distributed parallel approach for assembling overall transfer matrix and searching eigenvalues is proposed. This is achieved based on Message Parallel Interface. The influence of the CPU core number as well as the distributed network environment on the final computational time is analyzed through numerical examples of both a non-uniform beam and a multiple launch rocket system. The results indicate that the computational time is significantly reduced by the proposed parallel computing method, so that the computational efficiency on optimization and design of complex multibody systems can be improved.
Simulation and experimental studies of induction heating during the partial upset-extrusion of a nuclear main pipe
Authors: Mao Xinyu , Zhang Lei , Wang Xin , Feng Xiao , Lin Feng
Published: November 2016

As a large, abnormal pipe with branches, the main pipe of an AP1000 nuclear power plant is quite difficult to process integrally. To this end, researchers at Tsinghua University have proposed an integral processing method called partial upset-extrusion, which relies on high-quality online local heating. Induction heating is ideal for this purpose; however, it cannot be directly applied in the partial upset-extruding process without a thorough understanding of the heating pattern of a pipe of the desired type with a prefabricated hole. In this study, the induction heating of such a scaled abnormal pipe during the partial upset-extruding process was investigated numerically and experimentally. A coupled thermal–electromagnetic simulation was performed using the finite element method. It was shown that the prefabricated hole led to local overheating, and that this problem could be solved by placing a lid over the hole. These findings were experimentally verified using thermocouples to acquire the temperature curves of a sample pipe during the heating process. The factors influencing the heating process were further analyzed and optimized numerically. It was shown that the method proposed in this study is suitable for applying online local heating during the integral processing of a nuclear main pipe.
What disability? I am a leader! Understanding leadership in HE from a disability perspective
Authors: Emira Mahmoud , Brewster Stephanie , Duncan Neil , Clifford Angela
Published: November 2016

This article is based on the findings of an externally funded, mixed-methods research project conducted at one English university. This small-scale project aimed to examine leadership, barriers to becoming a leader and the support needed to overcome them, from the perspectives of disabled staff. An online questionnaire was sent to all 66 members of staff who had disclosed their disabled status to the university and 22 responses were received. Twelve participants were then interviewed as two focus groups to discuss their views on leadership and its relation to their role. Six more respondents opted for individual face-to-face/telephone interviews. The findings indicated that over half of the respondents were already engaged in ‘formal’ leadership and even more exercised ‘informal’ leadership. This key finding seems to contradict the under-representation of disabled academics in leadership reported in the literature. Despite their engagement in leadership, disabled staff faced several institutional and personal barriers. The findings suggest that having an impairment per se might not necessarily deter disabled staff from exercising leadership. A number of support strategies are recommended to facilitate their participation in (formal) leadership.
The resilient memory of the Spanish Civil War and Francoism
Authors: Díaz Gandasegui Vicente , Barbadillo Griñán Patricia , Díaz Gorfinkiel Magdalena , Paloma Gómez Maria Victoria
Published: November 2016

This article examines the resilient strategies of those people who were politically or ideologically repressed during Francoism. In total, 57 individuals were interviewed in depth in order to establish the strategies that they adopted to overcome adverse situations. The memories of the interviewees not only bring to light the diversity of resources used to face repression, but they also show how their individual strategies of resilience were linked to a collective resilience framework involving a large segment of the population who are still alive or who have handed on their experiences to their descendants. Past memories are consequently connected in the present with the (re)creation of a common identity and the restoration of dignity to the victims, who were classified as criminals in historical and legal archives and also suffered a process of social stigmatization. However, the aim of this article is not to resurrect the conflict in a society that has been ideologically divided for decades nor to transform history, but to cover the existing gaps in the official history. By doing this, it should be possible to strengthen the social and democratic values in a society that needs to build a future that is free from the ideological confrontations of the past.
The role of procurement in performance deviation recovery in large EPC projects
Authors: Micheli Guido JL , Cagno Enrico
Published: November 2016

Within engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies operating large engineering projects by means of their supply chains, procurement plays a key role in project execution. During project execution, deviations from desired performance in terms of time, cost and quality take place. Procurement can contribute considerably to such deviations as well as to reduce or possibly eliminate them. By means of a multiple case study of three best-in-class EPC companies, the article shows that companies use different ways, namely strategy modifications, process modifications and combined modifications, to deal with project deviations.
Management of Distal Tibial Metaphyseal Bone Defects With an Intramedullary Nitinol Scaffold: A Novel Technique
Authors: Ford Samuel E. , Ellington J. Kent
Published: November 2016

Difficult problems that are faced when reconstructing severe pilon fractures include filling metaphyseal defects and supporting an impacted, multifragmented articular surface. Supplements to plate fixation currently available in a surgeon’s armamentarium include cancellous bone autograft, structural bone allograft, demineralized bone matrix, and calcium-based cements. Cancellous autograft possesses limited inherent mechanical stability and is associated with graft site morbidity. Structural allografts incorporate inconsistently and are plagued by late resorption. Demineralized bone matrix also lacks inherent structural stability. Calcium phosphate cements are not rigidly fixed to bone unless fixation is applied from cortical bone or through a plate, which must be taken into consideration when planning fixation. The Conventus DRS (Conventus Orthopaedics, Maple Grove, MN) implant is an expandable nitinol scaffold that takes advantage of the elasticity and shape memory of nitinol alloy. Once deployed and locked, it serves as a stable intramedullary base for fragment-specific periarticular fracture fixation, even in the face of metaphyseal bone loss. Two cases of successful implant use are presented. In both cases, the implant is used to fill a metaphyseal void and provide stable articular support to the distal tibial plafond.

Levels of Evidence: Therapeutic Level V: Case Report, Expert Opinion
The end of ‘small biology’? Some thoughts about biomedicine and big science
Authors: Ratti Emanuele
Published: November 2016

In biology—as in other scientific fields—there is a lively opposition between big and small science projects. In this commentary, I try to contextualize this opposition in the field of biomedicine, and I argue that, at least in this context, big science projects should come first.
Why we need to examine multiple social network sites
Authors: Lampinen Airi
Published: November 2016

The hyper-concentration of research on mainstream social media sites like Facebook and Twitter comes at the cost of lesser emphasis on, if not the exclusion of, other platforms and practices. How might our conceptualizations of social media and social interaction change if we were to explore a wider range of systems to enrich our theorizing? This piece considers three examples of how looking beyond the usual suspects may broaden our understanding of how social media sites play into privacy management, identity work, and interpersonal relationships. I argue that our theorizing of social media and the practices that surround them gains strength from exploring varied sites of study.
Self-narration and double articulation: A study of a WeChat group of Pumi villagers
Authors: Sun Xinru
Published: November 2016

The study focuses on the WeChat usage and WeChat group activities of a group of Pumi youngsters in order to investigate their self-expression and interaction. This is done by adopting methods of online ethnography and offline fieldwork, which explains how the new medium gets involved in their daily lives and is used to construct multiple narrations. In this article, WeChat is regarded to be a kind of self-processed cultural description and practice. Meanwhile, WeChat builds one’s daily life through double articulation as mentioned by Roger Silverstone. Thus, WeChat connects reality and virtual space, interweaves individual minds with ethnic beliefs and achieves a tighter interaction between the inside and the outside of a village.
Preoperative MR staging of cervical carcinoma: are oblique and contrast-enhanced sequences necessary?
Authors: Fridsten Susanne , Hellström Ann-Cathrin , Hellman Kristina , Sundin Anders , Söderén Boel , Blomqvist Lennart
Published: November 2016

Background

As the choice of treatment in patients with cervical carcinoma depends on cancer stage at diagnosis, accurate staging is essential.

Purpose

To compare three different combinations of magnetic resonance (MR) sequences for preoperative staging.

Material and Methods

Fifty-seven consecutive patients with biopsy proven cervical carcinoma underwent MR imaging (MRI) staging followed by primary surgical treatment. Thirty-two of 57 patients had had a cone biopsy prior to MRI. Three MR pulse sequence combinations were retrospectively reviewed by two experienced radiologists. The first imaging protocol consisted of pre-contrast sagittal and transverse images (protocol A), the second protocol included additionally oblique high-resolution T2-weighted (T2W) MR images of the cervix (protocol A+B), and the third included also contrast-enhanced sequences (protocol A+B+C). The imaging findings in the three steps (A, A+B, A+B+C) were recorded. The TNM stage was used for comparison between preoperative imaging and histopathology. Histopathology, together with surgical findings, served as gold standard.

Results

In 4/57 (7%) patients, the MR assessment of tumor stage (mrT) was altered when oblique sequences were added to the standard two plane imaging protocol (A+B). The mrT stage was altered in 1/57 (2%) patient when contrast-enhanced sequences were added to standard and oblique sequences (protocol A+B+C). The correlation between visible tumor on MRI and presence of tumor in the resected specimen did not change by adding oblique or contrast-enhanced images.

Conclusion

It is not necessary to perform oblique and contrast-enhanced sequences in small cervical carcinomas, i.e. without parametrial invasion. To avoid erroneous interpretation, information on previous cone biopsy is essential.
Poor Quality of Sleep in Foster Children Relates to Maltreatment and Placement Conditions
Authors: Dubois-Comtois Karine , Cyr Chantal , Pennestri Marie-Hélène , Godbout Roger
Published: November 2016

This exploratory study investigated child sleep in a sample of maltreated children living in foster care and examined its associations with placement conditions and history of maltreatment. Participants included 25 foster children and their foster caregiver. Children were on average 60.24 months of age ( SD = 18.70). Foster mothers completed questionnaires assessing parenting stress and quality of child sleep while maltreatment/placement history was retrieved from children Child Protection Services (CPS) records. Shorter nocturnal sleep duration and parasomnias were related to placement at a younger age. The non-restorative sleep index was significantly related to time spent in the foster home and parenting stress and marginally related to number of placements and sexual abuse and neglect. Poor sleep was associated with past experience of sexual abuse and neglect and parenting stress. No relationships were found between sleep characteristics and past experiences of physical abuse or type of foster family. These findings provide an opportunity to uncover how foster children experiences are related to sleep disturbances.
Organizational Creativity in Japanese National Research Institutions
Authors: Kato-Nitta Naoko , Maeda Tadahiko
Published: November 2016

The effects of environmental or individual internal factors on organizational creativity are well documented, but the mediating mechanisms of intrinsic motivation that explain the linkages between such effects remain unclear. Questionnaires completed by scientists at Japanese national research institutions were statistically analyzed by using structural equation modeling for teams ( n = 65) and individuals ( n = 420), and the results showed that the two variables associated with intrinsic motivation mediated the work environment and creative performance at both the individual and team levels. In revealing the similarities and differences between the team and individual measurements, the results showed that the psychological aspects of intrinsic motivation (job satisfaction), supervision, and communication are relatively significant for teams and that the behavioral aspects of intrinsic motivation (research activity), communication, and involvement are key for individuals. Furthermore, both levels of analysis showed that “Western-style” meetings are detractors for intrinsic motivation. The implications for organizational creativity theory and research management are ultimately discussed.
Positioning Analysis of Filipino Family Narratives in the Context of Prisoner Reintegration
Authors: Bertulfo Donald Jay , Canoy Nico , Celeste Michael Angelo
Published: November 2016

Prisoner reintegration may be viewed as a crisis situation that may lead to a period of instability within the family. Existing researches in this area remain focused on the individual perspective of ex-offenders rather than the experiences of receiving families back in their households. In this study, we aim to examine the reintegration experiences of the family as a group from an initial state of chaos to equilibrium upon the reentry of an incarcerated parent. Using a sample of 12 interviews of family members left behind by incarcerated fathers, three major storylines relating to the family’s struggle for moral re-ascendancy in the context of parental reintegration are identified: othering, rehabilitation, and restoration. We explain the interlocking emotional, discursive, and material forms of labor embedded in the process of prisoner reintegration. Policy implications on social and institutional aid to the families of reintegrating fathers are also discussed.
A Reflection on the Aesthetics of Indian Music, With Special Reference to Hindustani Raga-Sangita
Authors: Pudaruth Santosh Kumar
Published: November 2016

Like in any other heteronomous art-forms, the practitioners of Indian music and dance ( Bharatiya Sangita) aim at expressing emotions and creating the aesthetic or the “beautiful.” Indian thinkers and musicologists have gone a step further in declaring that Indian classical music ( Raga-Sangita) is the most appropriate means for attaining aesthetic experience and delight, and the most suitable pathway, if not, downright, short-cut, toward self-realization or realization of the Ultimate Reality or Truth. Thus, aesthetics and spirituality make up the very woof and warp of the Indian arts, in general, and Raga-Sangita, in particular. Raga-Sangita is, thus, considered a spiritual exercise ( nada sadhana) to attain salvation ( moksha) through sound. This conceptual article reflects upon and sheds light on the Theory of Rasa, as propounded in Indian Aesthetics, and attempts to make an assessment of it in relation to Hindustani Raga-Sangita. Through this theory, the author examines and explains the different causes leading to an aesthetic experience, referred to as “out-of-this-world” ( alaukika). In doing so, he also brings to light the possible pitfalls which both the performer and the listener should avoid.
From Forbidden Fruit to the Goose That Lays Golden Eggs
Authors: Kang Soo K. , O’Leary Joseph , Miller Jeffrey
Published: November 2016

Often compared with the Gold Rush, the marijuana industry is already a multibillion-dollar phenomenon and is expected to generate 22 billion dollars in sales in the United States by 2020. Two years have passed since the legalization of recreational marijuana begun in Colorado. This unprecedented change has created numerous business opportunities as well as legal and operational challenges for the hospitality and tourism industry. This article explores the legalization of recreational marijuana in terms of the tourism industry in Colorado and identifies several challenges found in the current marijuana-related literature in the context of hospitality and tourism research. We also present several research areas that could help hospitality and tourism researchers explore and contribute to the body of knowledge of this emerging market by using Colorado as a focal point. Future research on marijuana tourism is of great importance in that the rapid rise of this niche market creates the pressing challenges and promising opportunities for destinations. Such knowledge will only increase in importance as marijuana tourism continues to evolve as a special interest tourism segment.
An emergent coastal polity: The Konkan Coast under the Silaharas (tenth to thirteenth centuries AD)
Authors: Chakarvarti Ranabir
Published: November 2016

The Silahara Kingdom established on the Konkan coast (tenth to thirteenth centuries) has left behind a number of inscriptions, which, together with other data, enable us to explore its economic base. The article argues that though the coastal strip was subject to much maritime activity, it was the growth of agriculture and coconut production which provided the main sources of revenue for the polity.
Religion, the ‘riot’ of 1807 in Delhi, and anti-Company sentiment
Authors: Farooqui Amar
Published: November 2016

The East India Company’s occupation of Delhi in 1803 created a new situation at the seat of the Mughal court, where the citizens had to treat with an alien government and its native instruments though formally they were still subjects of the Mughal emperor seated in the Red Fort. It is this situation, not so much any religious or communal issue, which explains the riot of 1807 directed against Harsukh Rai, a banker and major agent of the Company.
The Impact of Revised Discharge Instructions on Patient Satisfaction
Authors: Waniga Heather Markey , Gerke Travis , Shoemaker Alena , Bourgoine Derek , Eamranond Pracha
Published: November 2016

Introduction:

The impact of discharge instructions on a patient’s experience is not fully understood. This research explored whether nurse- and physician-generated discharge instructions had a positive effect on patient perceptions regarding their discharge experience.

Methods:

We compared Press Ganey discharge-related patient satisfaction scores for the year prior to and the year subsequent to implementing revised discharge instructions for all patients admitted to a 180-bed community-based hospital.

Results:

Following the implementation of our revised discharge instructions, patient satisfaction significantly improved (84.7% vs 83%, P < .01). Patients responded that they felt ready for discharge (86.6% vs 84.9%, P = .01) and were satisfied with instructions for home care (87.8% vs 85.3%, P < .01).

Discussion:

This study finds that a novel discharge instruction set produced by both the nursing and physician staff may improve patient perceptions with the discharge process.
Racial and Ethnic Homogamy and Gendered Time on Core Housework
Authors: Bolzendahl Catherine , Gubernskaya Zoya
Published: November 2016

Racial/ethnic partner homogamy may contribute to gendered patterns in time on housework. To evaluate this, we pool 10 years of data from the American Time Use Survey and examine how time spent on housework varies by racial/ethnic homogamy across racial/ethnic groups and by gender. Interracial partnerships are more gender equitable, due to women spending less time on housework than women in homogamous relationships. Patterns vary by race/ethnicity; homogamy effects are strongest for Hispanic women but are also significant for Asian women. Homogamy has no significant effect among black or white respondents. Descriptive patterns by partner’s race/ethnicity reflect findings on biculturalism.
Extended clinical and genetic spectrum associated with biallelic RTEL1 mutations
Authors: Touzot Fabien , Kermasson Laetitia , Jullien Laurent , Moshous Despina , Ménard Christelle , Ikincioğullari Aydan , Doğu Figen , Sari Sinan , Giacobbi-Milet Vannina , Etzioni Amos , Soulier Jean , Londono-Vallejo Arturo , Fischer Alain , Callebaut Isabelle , de Villartay Jean-Pierre , Leblanc Thierry , Kannengiesser Caroline , Revy Patrick
Published: November 2016

Key Points

Biallelic RTEL1 mutations generate a large clinical spectrum ranging from classical Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson syndrome to isolated aplastic anemia.
High-resolution characterization of geologic structures using the synchrosqueezing transform
Authors: Liu Naihao , Gao Jinghuai , Zhang Zhuosheng , Jiang Xiudi , Lv Qi
Published: November 2016

The main factors responsible for the nonstationarity of seismic signals are the nonstationarity of the geologic structural sequences and the complex pore structure. Time-frequency analysis can identify various frequency components of seismic data and reveal their time-variant features. Choosing a proper time-frequency decomposition algorithm is the key to analyze these nonstationarity signals and reveal the geologic information contained in the seismic data. According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, we cannot obtain the finest time location and the best frequency resolution at the same time, which results in the trade-off between the time resolution and the frequency resolution. For instance, the most commonly used approach is the short-time Fourier transform, in which the predefined window length limits the flexibility to adjust the temporal and spectral resolution at the same time. The continuous wavelet transform (CWT) produces an “adjustable” resolution of time-frequency map using dilation and translation of a basic wavelet. However, the CWT has limitations in dealing with fast varying instantaneous frequencies. The synchrosqueezing transform (SST) can improve the quality and readability of the time-frequency representation. We have developed a high-resolution and effective time-frequency analysis method to characterize geologic bodies contained in the seismic data. We named this method the SST, and the basic wavelet is the three-parameter wavelet (SST-TPW). The TPW is superior in time-frequency resolution than those of the Morlet and Ricker wavelets. Experiments on synthetic and field data determined its validity and effectiveness, which can be used in assisting in oil/gas reservoir identification.
Influence of Premature Mortality on the Link Between Type 2 Diabetes and Hip Fracture: The Fremantle Diabetes Study
Authors: Hamilton Emma , Davis Wendy A. , Bruce David G. , Davis Timothy M. E.
Published: November 2016

Context:

Studies of hip fracture complicating diabetes have not considered the effect of premature mortality.

Objective:

The aim of our study was to determine influence of the competing risk of death on the association between type 2 diabetes and hip fracture.

Design:

The study was designed as a longitudinal observational study.

Setting:

The study setting was an urban community.

Patients:

Participants included 1291 patients with type 2 diabetes (mean age 64.0 years) and 5159 matched residents without diabetes.

Main Outcome Measures:

Primary outcome measures were incident hip fracture hospitalizations and deaths. Hip fracture risk was assessed using proportional hazards and competing risk regression modeling.

Results:

During a mean of 14.1 years of follow-up, the incidence rate ratio for first hip fracture hospitalization in participants with vs without diabetes was 1.33 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05 to 1.68; P = 0.013]. Type 2 diabetes was associated with a cause-specific hazard ratio (csHR) for hip fracture of 1.50 (95% CI, 1.19 to 1.89; P < 0.001) and a subdistribution hazard ratio (sdHR) of 1.21 (95% CI, 0.96 to 1.52; P = 0.11) after adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidities. In patients with diabetes, significant csHRs for incident hip fracture were male sex (protective), body mass index (protective), insulin use, and renal impairment. These variables, with increasing age, also had significant sdHRs.

Conclusions:

The diabetes-associated risk of hip fracture is attenuated after allowing for the competing risk of death. Risk factors for hip fracture in diabetes were those in reported in general population studies plus insulin use.
History and the Idea of Hispanic Caribbean Studies
Authors: Ferrer Ada
Published: November 2016

While Caribbean studies appears to be an established domain of inquiry, it often fails to fully incorporate the islands of the Hispanic Caribbean. Studies of the Hispanic Caribbean, meanwhile, are generally dominated by island-specific work. This essay considers the appeal and limits of the idea of Hispanic Caribbean studies for the historical study of the region. Historically, the Hispanic Caribbean at times included islands and colonies such as Jamaica, Trinidad, and Saint-Domingue. Patterns of migration further complicate the boundaries of the Hispanic Caribbean, as diaspora renders places physically outside the region central to island realities, from economic to affective ones. The essay argues that given the historical impermeability of imperial and national boundaries in the region, a transnational and transimperial approach to the Hispanic Caribbean is required. Finally, it suggests that going beyond national perspectives also includes the study of local histories, reconceived as spaces linked to but not always bound by national narratives.
The effect of temperature adaptation on the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in notothenioid fishes
Authors: Todgham Anne E. , Crombie Timothy A. , Hofmann Gretchen E.
Published: November 2016

There is an accumulating body of evidence suggesting that the sub-zero Antarctic marine environment places physiological constraints on protein homeostasis. Levels of ubiquitin (Ub)-conjugated proteins, 20S proteasome activity and mRNA expression of many proteins involved in both the ubiquitin (Ub) tagging of damaged proteins as well as the different complexes of the 26S proteasome were measured to examine whether there is thermal compensation of the Ub-proteasome pathway in Antarctic fishes to better understand the efficiency of the protein degradation machinery in polar species. Both Antarctic (Trematomus bernacchii, Pagothenia borchgrevinki) and non-Antarctic (Notothenia angustata, Bovichtus variegatus) notothenioids were included in this study to investigate the mechanisms of cold adaptation of this pathway in polar species. Overall, there were significant differences in the levels of Ub-conjugated proteins between the Antarctic notothenioids and B. variegatus, with N. angustata possessing levels very similar to the Antarctic fishes. Proteasome activity in the gills of Antarctic fishes demonstrated a high degree of temperature compensation such that activity levels were similar to activities measured in their temperate relatives at ecologically relevant temperatures. A similar level of thermal compensation of proteasome activity was not present in the liver of two Antarctic fishes. Higher gill proteasome activity is likely due in part to higher cellular levels of proteins involved in the Ub-proteasome pathway, as evidenced by high mRNA expression of relevant genes. Reduced activity of the Ub-proteasome pathway does not appear to be the mechanism responsible for elevated levels of denatured proteins in Antarctic fishes, at least in the gills.
Energy Resolved Tandem Mass Spectrometry Experiments for Resolution of Isobaric Compounds: A Case of Cis/Trans Isomerism
Authors: Menicatti Marta , Guandalini Luca , Dei Silvia , Floriddia Elisa , Teodori Elisabetta , Traldi Pietro , Bartolucci Gianluca
Published: November 2016

A series of N-alkanol- N-cyclohexanol amine aryl esters cis/ trans isomers that showed high efficacy to reverse the acquired resistance of cancer cells during chemotherapeutic therapy (MDR mechanism) was studied. These compounds were two 1,4 cyclohexane cis/ trans derivatives (named ELF26A and ELF26B, respectively), and their positional isomers (named ELF34A and ELF34B, respectively) where the aryl-moieties were exchanged. In order to evaluate the behaviour of these compounds during biological tests, a method based on liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS), operating in tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) mode, was developed. A unique chromatographic method suitable to separate the two pairs of cis/ trans isomers was not achieved and the MS/MS experiments of the different compounds was not always able to characterise the different isomers. Therefore, a system of linear equations of deconvolution analysis (LEDA) tool was proposed to determine the relative proportions of individual cis/ trans isomers in the sample. Considering the pharmaceutical interest of the compounds under investigation, the analytical method developed was tested to be effective at the active concentration levels, corresponding to a concentration of ng mL−1 of compound in a processed sample. Precision and accuracy of the LEDA algorithm at three levels of relative concentrations of analytes were checked, i.e. low-level (about 25% in the mixture), mid-level (about 50% in the mixture) and high-level (about 70% in the mixture). Evaluation of performances of the algorithm proved that the accuracy (between 88.3% and 99.9%) and precision (between 2.0% and 3.7%) for simultaneous analysis of the mixtures of the four isomers is feasible. It is worth highlighting that the choice of characteristic product ions and optimal abundance ratios plays an important role in the application of the LEDA approach. Therefore, performing an investigation on the energetics of fragmentation pathway allowed the selection of the better product ions for each analyte in terms of both sensitivity of detection and specificity, i.e. the capability to distinguish between isomeric compounds. Finally, the developed approach was applied to determine the relative proportions of individual cis/ trans isomers in spiked human plasma samples. The results obtained confirm the reliability of the proposed method in biological samples as well.
Efficient in situ detection of mRNAs using the Chlorella virus DNA ligase for padlock probe ligation
Authors: Schneider Nils , Meier Matthias
Published: November 2016

Padlock probes are single-stranded DNA molecules that are circularized upon hybridization to their target sequence by a DNA ligase. In the following, the circulated padlock probes are amplified and detected with fluorescently labeled probes complementary to the amplification product. The hallmark of padlock probe assays is a high detection specificity gained by the ligation reaction. Concomitantly, the ligation reaction is the largest drawback for a quantitative in situ detection of mRNAs due to the low affinities of common DNA or RNA ligases to RNA–DNA duplex strands. Therefore, current protocols require that mRNAs be reverse transcribed to DNA before detection with padlock probes. Recently, it was found that the DNA ligase from Paramecium bursaria Chlorella virus 1 (PBCV-1) is able to efficiently ligate RNA-splinted DNA. Hence, we designed a padlock probe assay for direct in situ detection of mRNAs using the PBCV-1 DNA ligase. Experimental single-cell data were used to optimize and characterize the efficiency of mRNA detection with padlock probes. Our results demonstrate that the PBCV-1 DNA ligase overcomes the efficiency limitation of current protocols for direct in situ mRNA detection, making the PBCV-1 DNA ligase an attractive tool to simplify in situ ligation sequencing applications.
5′-Terminal nucleotide variations in human cytoplasmic tRNAHisGUG and its 5′-halves
Authors: Shigematsu Megumi , Kirino Yohei
Published: November 2016

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are fundamental adapter components of translational machinery. tRNAs can further serve as a source of tRNA-derived noncoding RNAs that play important roles in various biological processes beyond translation. Among all species of tRNAs, tRNAHisGUG has been known to uniquely contain an additional guanosine residue at the −1 position (G−1) of its 5′-end. To analyze this −1 nucleotide in detail, we developed a TaqMan qRT-PCR method that can distinctively quantify human mature cytoplasmic tRNAHisGUG containing G−1, U−1, A−1, or C−1 or lacking the −1 nucleotide (starting from G1). Application of this method to the mature tRNA fraction of BT-474 breast cancer cells revealed the presence of tRNAHisGUG containing U−1 as well as the one containing G−1. Moreover, tRNA lacking the −1 nucleotide was also detected, thus indicating the heterogeneous expression of 5′-tRNAHisGUG variants. A sequence library of sex hormone-induced 5′-tRNA halves (5′-SHOT-RNAs), identified via cP-RNA-seq of a BT-474 small RNA fraction, also demonstrated the expression of 5′-tRNAHisGUG halves containing G−1, U−1, or G1 as 5′-terminal nucleotides. Although the detected 5′-nucleotide species were identical, the relative abundances differed widely between mature tRNA and 5′-half from the same BT-474 cells. The majority of mature tRNAs contained the −1 nucleotide, whereas the majority of 5′-halves lacked this nucleotide, which was biochemically confirmed using a primer extension assay. These results reveal the novel identities of tRNAHisGUG molecules and provide insights into tRNAHisGUG maturation and the regulation of tRNA half production.
Differentially correlated genes in co-expression networks control phenotype transitions
Authors: Thomas Lina D. , Vyshenska Dariia , Shulzhenko Natalia , Yambartsev Anatoly , Morgun Andrey
Published: November 2016

Background: Co-expression networks are a tool widely used for analysis of “Big Data” in biology that can range from transcriptomes to proteomes, metabolomes and more recently even microbiomes. Several methods were proposed to answer biological questions interrogating these networks. Differential co-expression analysis is a recent approach that measures how gene interactions change when a biological system transitions from one state to another. Although the importance of differentially co-expressed genes to identify dysregulated pathways has been noted, their role in gene regulation is not well studied. Herein we investigated differentially co-expressed genes in a relatively simple mono-causal process (B lymphocyte deficiency) and in a complex multi-causal system (cervical cancer).

Methods: Co-expression networks of B cell deficiency (Control and BcKO) were reconstructed using Pearson correlation coefficient for twomus musculusdatasets: B10.A strain (12 normal, 12 BcKO) and BALB/c strain (10 normal, 10 BcKO). Co-expression networks of cervical cancer (normal and cancer) were reconstructed using local partial correlation method for five datasets (total of 64 normal, 148 cancer). Differentially correlated pairs were identified along with the location of their genes in BcKO and in cancer networks. Minimum Shortest Path and Bi-partite Betweenness Centrality where statistically evaluated for differentially co-expressed genes in corresponding networks.   

Results: We show that in B cell deficiency the differentially co-expressed genes are highly enriched with immunoglobulin genes (causal genes). In cancer we found that differentially co-expressed genes act as “bottlenecks” rather than causal drivers with most flows that come from the key driver genes to the peripheral genes passing through differentially co-expressed genes. Usingin vitroknockdown experiments for two out of 14 differentially co-expressed genes found in cervical cancer (FGFR2 and CACYBP), we showed that they play regulatory roles in cancer cell growth.

Conclusion: Identifying differentially co-expressed genes in co-expression networks is an important tool in detecting regulatory genes involved in alterations of phenotype.
Factors influencing export of financial services
Authors: Lindemane Marija , Purins Ilmars , Rutitis Didzis
Published: November 2016

Almost all countries in the world are involved in the world trade of financial services. However, whereas for most countries the export of financial services is only a side result of their foreign economic activities, for some countries it composes a constitutive source of income. The purpose of the current research is to determine the factors that influence the export of financial services thereby explaining the differences in geographic allocation of financial services export throughout the world. For achieving this purpose, such research methodology as analysis of selected literature on financial services, an expert survey, as well as mathematical processing of the obtained research data have been used. The  result of the research has reflected common factors, which according to the financial experts’ opinion have the most significant influence on any country's export of financial services.