bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Balancing exploration and exploitation in memetic algorithms: A learning automata approach
Authors: Rezapoor Mirsaleh Mehdi , Meybodi Mohammad Reza
Published: October 2017

One of the problems with traditional genetic algorithms (GAs) is premature convergence, which makes them incapable of finding good solutions to the problem. The memetic algorithm (MA) is an extension of the GA. It uses a local search method to either accelerate the discovery of good solutions, for which evolution alone would take too long to discover, or reach solutions that would otherwise be unreachable by evolution or a local search method alone. In this paper, we introduce a new algorithm based on learning automata (LAs) and an MA, and we refer to it as LA‐MA. This algorithm is composed of 2 parts: a genetic section and a memetic section. Evolution is performed in the genetic section, and local search is performed in the memetic section. The basic idea of LA‐MA is to use LAs during the process of searching for solutions in order to create a balance between exploration performed by evolution and exploitation performed by local search. For this purpose, we present a criterion for the estimation of success of the local search at each generation. This criterion is used to calculate the probability of applying the local search to each chromosome. We show that in practice, the proposed probabilistic measure can be estimated reliably. On the basis of the relationship between the genetic section and the memetic section, 3 versions of LA‐MA are introduced. LLA‐MA behaves according to the Lamarckian learning model, BLA‐MA behaves according to the Baldwinian learning model, and HLA‐MA behaves according to both the Baldwinian and Lamarckian learning models. To evaluate the efficiency of these algorithms, they have been used to solve the graph isomorphism problem. The results of computer experimentations have shown that all the proposed algorithms outperform the existing algorithms in terms of quality of solution and rate of convergence.
Encouraging State Governments to Protect and Restore Forests Using Ecological Fiscal Transfers: India's Tax Revenue Distribution Reform
Authors: Busch Jonah , Mukherjee Anit
Published: October 2017

In February 2014, India's 14th Finance Commission added forest cover to the formula that determines the amount of tax revenue the central government distributes annually to each of India's 29 states. The Government of India estimates that from 2015 to 2019 it will distribute $6.9–$12 billion per year to states in proportion to their 2013 forest cover, amounting to around $174–$303 per hectare of forest per year. Assuming that contemporary forest cover will remain an element of the formula beyond 2020, Indian states now have a sizeable new fiscal incentive to protect and restore forests, contributing to the achievement of India's climate goals. India's tax revenue distribution reform creates the world's first ecological fiscal transfers (EFTs) for forest cover, and a potential model for other countries. In this article, we discuss the origin of India's EFTs and their potential effects. In a simple preliminary analysis, we do not yet observe that the EFTs have increased forest cover across states, consistent with our hypothesis that 1 to 2 years of operation is too soon for the reform to have had an effect. This means there remains substantial scope for state governments to protect and restore forests as an investment in future state revenues.
Shareholder Coordination, Information Diffusion and Stock Returns
Authors: Pantzalis Christos , Wang Bin
Published: October 2017

We show that the quality of information‐sharing networks linking firms’ institutional investors has stock return predictability implications. We find that firms with high shareholder coordination experience less local comovement and less post‐earnings announcement drift, consistent with the notion that information‐sharing networks facilitate information diffusion and improve stock price efficiency. In support of the view that coordination acts as an information diffusion channel, we document that the stock return performance of firms with high shareholder coordination leads that of firms with low shareholder coordination.
Passive Institutional Ownership, R2 Trends, and Price Informativeness
Authors: DeLisle R. Jared , French Dan W. , Schutte Maria Gabriela
Published: October 2017

A distinctive trend in the capital markets over the past two decades is the rise in equity ownership of passive financial institutions. We propose that this rise has a negative effect on price informativeness. By not trading around firm‐specific news, passive investors reduce the firm‐specific component of total volatility and increase stock correlations. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that the growth in passive institutional ownership is robustly associated with the growth in market model R2s of individual stocks since the early 1990s. Additionally, we find a negative relation between passive ownership and earnings predictability, an informativeness proxy.
Tailored versus Mass Produced: Portfolio Managers Concurrently Managing Separately Managed Accounts and Mutual Funds
Authors: Chen Fan , Chen Li‐Wen , Johnson Hardy , Sardarli Sabuhi
Published: October 2017

Using a matched sample of separately managed accounts (SMAs) and mutual funds (MFs) with the same portfolio manager and investment style, we find that concurrently managed MFs consistently underperform their SMA counterparts and generate more negative return gaps. Fund characteristics and liquidity betas fail to fully explain the underperformance. An event‐study analysis finds that the weights placed into top (bottom)‐performing stocks increase for existing SMAs (MFs) and negative return gaps increase for the MFs after the onset of concurrent management. We find that higher compensation collected by SMA fund managers are associated with more unseen managerial actions which positively contribute to the SMA return gap. Our results suggest that when managers concurrently manage both SMAs and MFs, they favor SMA performance over their MF performance.
Tipping point in plant–fungal interactions under severe drought causes abrupt rise in peatland ecosystem respiration
Authors: Jassey Vincent E. J. , Reczuga Monika K. , Zielińska Małgorzata , Słowińska Sandra , Robroek Bjorn J. M. , Mariotte Pierre , Seppey Christophe V. W. , Lara Enrique , Barabach Jan , Słowiński Michał , Bragazza Luca , Chojnicki Bogdan H. , Lamentowicz Mariusz , Mitchell Edward A. D. , Buttler Alexandre
Published: October 2017

Ecosystems are increasingly prone to climate extremes, such as drought, with long‐lasting effects on both plant and soil communities and, subsequently, on carbon (C) cycling. However, recent studies underlined the strong variability in ecosystem's response to droughts, raising the issue of nonlinear responses in plant and soil communities. The conundrum is what causes ecosystems to shift in response to drought. Here, we investigated the response of plant and soil fungi to drought of different intensities using a water table gradient in peatlands—a major C sink ecosystem. Using moving window structural equation models, we show that substantial changes in ecosystem respiration, plant and soil fungal communities occurred when the water level fell below a tipping point of −24 cm. As a corollary, ecosystem respiration was the greatest when graminoids and saprotrophic fungi became prevalent as a response to the extreme drought. Graminoids indirectly influenced fungal functional composition and soil enzyme activities through their direct effect on dissolved organic matter quality, while saprotrophic fungi directly influenced soil enzyme activities. In turn, increasing enzyme activities promoted ecosystem respiration. We show that functional transitions in ecosystem respiration critically depend on the degree of response of graminoids and saprotrophic fungi to drought. Our results represent a major advance in understanding the nonlinear nature of ecosystem properties to drought and pave the way towards a truly mechanistic understanding of the effects of drought on ecosystem processes.
Species‐genotypic parameters of the CROPGRO Perennial Forage Model: Implications for comparison of three tropical pasture grasses
Authors: Pequeno D. N. L. , Pedreira C. G. S. , Boote K. J. , Alderman P. D. , Faria A. F. G.
Published: October 2017

Brachiaria and Cynodon are two of the most important pasture grasses worldwide. Computer model simulations can be used to study pasture species growth and physiological aspects to identify gaps of knowledge for genetic improvement and management strategies. The objective of this research was to compare the performance relative to calibrated parameters of the CROPGRO‐Perennial Forage Model (CROPGRO‐PFM) for simulating three different species (“Marandu” palisadegrass, “Convert HD 364®” brachiariagrass and “Tifton 85” bermudagrass) grown under similar management. The field experiment consisted of two harvest frequencies, 28 and 42 days, under irrigated and rainfed conditions. Data used to calibrate the model included regular forage harvests, plant‐part composition, leaf photosynthesis, leaf area index, light interception and plant nitrogen concentration. The simulation of biomass production of the three grasses presented d‐statistic values higher than 0.80, RMSE ranging from 313 to 619 kg/ha and ratio observed/simulated ranging 0.968 to 1.027. Harvest frequency treatments of 28 and 42 days were well simulated by the model. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the most influential parameters needed for model calibration and to contrast the grasses, showing that the differences among the three grasses are mostly driven by plant‐part composition and assimilate partitioning among plant organs.
Water and power: Reintegrating the state into the study of Egyptian irrigation
Authors: Haug Brendan
Published: October 2017

The study of irrigation in ancient Egypt has swung between two poles. Early environmental‐determinist scholarship stressed the imperative of state control while the most recent work denies the state any significant role and instead emphasizes the agency of local communities. This article briefly explores the historiography of Egyptian irrigation, critiquing both its colonialist roots and the extreme reaction against colonialist preconceptions that marks current scholarship. A case study of Roman state coordination is then presented as an argument for reintegrating the state into the history of Egyptian water management.
Estimated depth of apatite and collagen degradation in human dentine by sequential exposure to sodium hypochlorite and EDTA: a quantitative FTIR study
Authors: Ramírez‐Bommer C. , Gulabivala K. , Ng Y.‐L. , Young A.
Published: October 2017

Aim

To characterize chemical degradation of the principal constituents of dentine after exposure to NaOCl and EDTA using Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR–FTIR).

Methodology

Ground dentine particles, from extracted permanent human molars, were passed through sieves of 38 to 1 000 μm to provide six size ranges. Portions (250 mg) of each size range were reacted with 5 mL of 2.5% NaOCl for 2‐10 min; or 17% EDTA for 5‐1440 min. Powders larger than 75 μm were also sequentially exposed to NaOCl/EDTA/NaOCl each for 10 min. All experiments were repeated five times. Reacted and unreacted powders were washed and dried. Particles larger than 75 μm were then reground. FTIR spectra of unground and reground reacted particles enabled assessment of particle surface versus bulk chemistry, respectively, plus estimation of reaction depth. Changes in the ratio of the 1 640 cm−1 collagen: 1 010 cm−1 phosphate peak height or its inverse were obtained. These were used to estimate surface and bulk fraction reacted and thus depth to which collagen or phosphate was reduced following immersion in NaOCl or EDTA, respectively. The data were analysed descriptively.

Results

Surface collagen fraction declined by ~40% within 2 min of NaOCl exposure, and plateaued at ~60% between 6‐10 min. Bulk spectra showed average depth of collagen loss at 10 min was 16 ± 13 μm. Ten minute EDTA exposure caused ~60% loss of surface phosphate. Average depth of phosphate loss was 19 ± 12 μm and 89 ± 43 μm after 10 and 1 440 min EDTA immersion, respectively. Sequential NaOCl/EDTA immersion yielded a 62 ± 28 μm thick phosphate‐depleted surface. Sequential NaOCl/EDTA/NaOCl treatment resulted in approximately 85 μm of collagen loss.

Conclusions

Data revealed the sequential depletion of collagen by NaOCl and apatite by EDTA in dentine, simultaneously exposing the other moieties. Alternate exposure to NaOCl and EDTA therefore enhances the depth of erosion.
A unified materials approach to mitigating optical nonlinearities in optical fiber. II. B. The optical fiber, material additivity and the nonlinear coefficients
Authors: Dragic Peter D. , Cavillon Maxime , Ballato Arthur , Ballato John
Published: October 2017

The purpose of this paper, Part IIB in the trilogy [Int J Appl Glass Sci. 2018 (not available); Int J Appl Glass Sci. 2018 (not available); Int J Appl Glass Sci. 2018 (not available)], is to describe the continuum models employed to deduce the effects of differential thermal expansion in the clad optical fiber in addition to the nonlinear optical behaviors at high intensities of light. In this continuation of Part IIA, more of the state‐of‐the‐art in W‐S‐based continuum material models are reviewed here with specific examples provided based on canonical material systems suggested from the findings of Part I and treated in detail in Part III. Part IIB pays particular attention to the optical fiber and its nonlinearities.
Clinically indicated replacement versus routine replacement of peripheral venous catheters in adults: A nonblinded, cluster‐randomized trial in China
Authors: Xu Lichun , Hu Yan , Huang Xiaojin , Fu Jianguo , Zhang Jinhui
Published: October 2017

Aim

The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety of clinically indicated peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVC) replacement intervals.

Background

Peripheral intravenous catheters are used internationally, including in China where PIVCs are routinely replaced every 72 to 96 hours. Despite some recent international evidence showing such routine replacement is unnecessary, developing countries such as China have no supporting data.

Method

This cluster‐randomized trial was conducted between December 2 and December 31, 2013, in 10 internal medicine wards and 10 surgery wards at a tertiary referral teaching hospital in Xiamen, China. Patients were randomly divided into an experimental group (PIVCs were replaced only when clinical indications appeared) and a control group (PIVCs were routinely changed every 72‐96 hours). Per‐protocol analysis and intention‐to‐treat analysis were used to analyse the data. Primary end point was the incidence of phlebitis.

Results

This study analysed the data of 1198 patients (553 patients in the experimental group and 645 patients in the control group). There were no catheter‐related bloodstream infections or local infections in the 2 groups. The 2 groups showed no statistically significant differences in the incidence of phlebitis, catheter occlusion, infiltration, and accidental removal.

Conclusions

Clinically indicated PIVC replacement is feasible, and it may reduce nursing staff workload and patient discomfort.
The antiviral effects of RSV fusion inhibitor, MDT‐637, on clinical isolates, vs its achievable concentrations in the human respiratory tract and comparison to ribavirin
Authors: Kim Young‐In , Pareek Rajat , Murphy Ryan , Harrison Lisa , Farrell Eric , Cook Robert , DeVincenzo John
Published: October 2017

Background

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) viral load and disease severity associate, and the timing of viral load and disease run in parallel. An antiviral must be broadly effective against the natural spectrum of RSV genotypes and must attain concentrations capable of inhibiting viral replication within the human respiratory tract.

Objectives

We evaluated a novel RSV fusion inhibitor, MDT‐637, and compared it with ribavirin for therapeutic effect in vitro to identify relative therapeutic doses achievable in humans.

Method

MDT‐637 and ribavirin were co‐incubated with RSV in HEp‐2 cells. Quantitative PCR assessed viral concentrations; 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were compared to achievable human MDT‐637 and ribavirin peak and trough concentrations.

Results and conclusions

The IC50 for MDT‐637 and ribavirin (against RSV‐A Long) was 1.42 and 16 973 ng/mL, respectively. The ratio of achievable peak respiratory secretion concentration to IC50 was 6041‐fold for MDT‐637 and 25‐fold for aerosolized ribavirin. The ratio of trough concentration to IC50 was 1481‐fold for MDT‐637 and 3.29‐fold for aerosolized ribavirin. Maximal peak and trough levels of oral or intravenous ribavirin were significantly lower than their IC50s. We also measured MDT‐637 IC50s in 3 lab strains and 4 clinical strains. The IC50s ranged from 0.36 to 3.4 ng/mL. Achievable human MDT‐637 concentrations in respiratory secretions exceed the IC50s by factors from hundreds to thousands of times greater than does ribavirin. Furthermore, MDT‐637 has broad in vitro antiviral activity on clinical strains of different RSV genotypes and clades. Together, these data imply that MDT‐637 may produce a superior clinical effect compared to ribavirin on natural RSV infections.
Examining the use of status quo bias perspective in IS research: need for re‐conceptualizing and incorporating biases
Authors: Lee Kyootai , Joshi Kailash
Published: October 2017

Kim & Kankanhalli introduced status quo bias perspective (SQBP) to help understand information systems (hereinafter IS) users' resistance behaviour. Since then, scholars have widely referred to the theoretical perspective to understand user resistance to and adoption of new IS and information and communication technologies (hereinafter ICT). However, our analysis found that while adopting SQBP, researchers focused primarily on rational cost‐and‐benefit analysis, rather than on the fundamental tenet of SQBP that highlights ‘bias’ in users' decision‐making on account of their cognitive limitations that lead to bounded rationality. In addition, some of the key constructs used in SQBP were not properly interpreted or were oversimplified in their operationalization. This research note aims to provide guidance for utilizing and analysing SQBP and its constructs for future IS user resistance/adoption research. Because SQBP provides unique insights into ‘bias’ in human decision‐making in its presentation of bounded rationality, accurate interpretation of its concepts and their investigation can help better understand the different sources of user resistance derived from the status quo bias during new IS and ICT implementation. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
An explorative study on the validity of various definitions of a 2·2°C temperature threshold as warning signal for impending diabetic foot ulceration
Authors: Wijlens Anke M , Holloway Samantha , Bus Sicco A , van Netten Jaap J
Published: October 2017

Home monitoring of skin temperature is effective to prevent diabetic foot ulceration. We explored the validity of various definitions for the >2·2°C left‐to‐right threshold used as a warning signal for impending ulceration. Twenty patients with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy monitored their skin temperature with an infrared thermometer at the plantar hallux, metatarsal heads, midfoot and heel four times a day for 6 consecutive days. Environmental temperature and walking activity were monitored and associated with foot temperature. The average temperature difference between feet was 0·65°C. At single locations, a left‐to‐right temperature difference of >2·2°C was found 245 times (8·5% of measurements). Confirmation of these above‐threshold readings on the following day was found seven times (0·3%). Corrected for individual left‐to‐right mean foot temperature differences, this reduced to four (0·2%). No ulcers developed in the week after monitoring. Left‐to‐right foot temperature differences were not significantly correlated with walking activity, environmental temperature or time of day. The >2·2°C left‐to‐right foot temperature threshold for impending ulceration is not valid as single measurement, but validity improves to acceptable levels when an above‐threshold temperature difference is confirmed the following day and further improves with individual correction. The threshold is independent of time of day, environmental temperature and walking activity.
From Outsiders to Insiders: A Civil Society Perspective on EU Financial Reforms
Authors: Kastner Lisa
Published: October 2017

This article examines the role of non‐financial interest groups in EU financial regulatory decision‐making. While regulatory capture theories clearly helped identify the causes for the incrementality in spite of the major shock the 2008 crisis had caused, this article will consider a range of regulatory policy initiatives that do not neatly conform with this theory. I examine the extent to which non‐financial groups are able to have their preferences met in the making of three different consumer policies: the Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD), stricter regulations of retail investment products (PRIPs/KID) and the reform of EU level supervisory structures. By employing a process‐tracing approach based on qualitative interviews to analyze political responses to the 2008 financial crisis, the article demonstrates that newly mobilized groups could translate key advocacy goals into policy by deploying counter‐expertise and co‐operating with policy‐makers in some cases but not in others.
Reproductive isolation between sympatric Anguilla japonica and Anguilla marmorata
Authors: Chow S. , Kurogi H. , Yamamoto T. , Tomoda T. , Mochioka N. , Shirotori F. , Yoshinaga T. , Ambe D. , Okazaki M. , Nagai S. , Yanagimoto T.
Published: October 2017

Species‐specific restriction fragment length polymorphism in the intron of the androgen receptor gene (ar5) was found in glass to silver‐stage individuals of Anguilla japonica (n = 51) and A. marmorata (n = 21). The sequence analysis of 16S rDNA from 328 anguillid leptocephali collected in the North Equatorial Current of the western North Pacific Ocean revealed the specimens to be A. japonica (n = 194), A. marmorata (n = 128), A. bicolor pacifica (n = 5) and A. luzonensis (n = 1). All leptocephali of A. japonica and A. marmorata were monomorphic and did not share an allele at the ar5 locus, indicating that the two species are reproductively isolated.
Into the Great Unknown Our Patients Go
Authors: Gundersen Elizabeth C. , Sehgal Mandi M. , Ouslander Joseph G.
Published: October 2017

This editorial comments on the article by Gadbois et al. and Burke et al.
Procedural learning across the lifespan: A systematic review with implications for atypical development
Authors: Zwart Fenny S. , Vissers Constance Th. W. M. , Kessels Roy P. C. , Maes Joseph H. R.
Published: October 2017

This systematic review aimed to investigate procedural learning across the lifespan in typical and atypical development. Procedural learning is essential for the development of everyday skills, including language and communication skills. Although procedural learning efficiency has been extensively studied, there is no consensus yet on potential procedural learning changes during development and ageing. Currently, three conflicting models regarding this trajectory exist: (1) a model of age invariance; (2a) a model with a peak in young adulthood; and (2b) a model with a plateau in childhood followed by a decline. The aims of this study were (1) to investigate this debate on procedural learning across the lifespan by systematically reviewing evidence for each model from studies using the serial reaction time task; and (2) to review procedural learning in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and specific language impairment (SLI), two developmental disorders characterized by deficits in communication skills, in the light of these models. Our findings on typical development strongly support a model of age‐related changes (Model 2a or 2b) and show that mixed findings regarding the developmental trajectory during childhood can be explained by methodological differences across studies. Applying these conclusions to systematic reviews of studies of ASD and SLI makes it clear that there is a strong need for the inclusion of multiple age groups in these clinical studies to model procedural learning in atypical development. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed. Future research should focus on the role of declarative learning in both typical and atypical development.
Recent Trends in Baccalaureate‐Prepared Registered Nurses in U.S. Acute Care Hospital Units, 2004–2013: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Ma Chenjuan , Garrard Lili , He Jianghua
Published: October 2017

Purpose

To examine the trends in baccalaureate (bachelor of science in nursing)–prepared registered nurses (BSN RNs) in U.S. acute care hospital units and to project the growth in the number of BSN RNs by 2020.

Design

This is a longitudinal study using the Registered Nurse Education Indicators data (2004–2013) from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators.

Methods

The level of BSN RNs in each unit was operationalized as the proportion of nurses holding a baccalaureate degree or higher among all the nurses in a unit. Our sample included 12,194 unit‐years from 2,126 units of six cohorts in 377 U.S. acute care hospitals. A hierarchical linear regression model was used to examine the trends in BSN RNs and to project future growth in the number of BSN RNs when controlling for hospital and unit characteristics and considering repeated measures in units over time and clustering of units within hospitals.

Results

The proportion of BSN RNs in U.S. acute care hospital units increased from 44% in 2004 to 57% in 2013 (a 30% increase); when combining all cohorts, this rate increased from 44% in 2009 to 51% in 2013. On average, the proportion of BSN RNs in a unit increased by 1.3% annually before 2010 and by 1.9% each year from 2010 on. The percentage of units having at least 80% of their nurses with a baccalaureate degree or higher increased from 3% in 2009 to 7% in 2013. Based on the current trends, 64% of the nurses working in a hospital unit will have a baccalaureate degree by 2020, and 22% of the units will reach the 80% goal by 2020.

Conclusions

There was a significant increase in the proportion of BSN RNs in U.S. acute care hospital units over the past decade, particularly after 2010. However, given the current trends, it is unlikely that the goal of 80% nurses with a baccalaureate degree will be achieved by 2020.

Clinical Relevance

The U.S. nursing workforce is under educational transformation in order to meet the increasing healthcare needs. To help accelerate this transformation, further advocacy, commitment, and investment are needed from all healthcare stakeholders (e.g., policymakers, executives and managers of healthcare facilities, nursing schools, etc.).
A new practical classification for spatial distribution and morphology of human hair: Ahmad'sLGMAclassification
Authors: Ahmad Muhammad
Published: October 2017

Background

The human hair is a complex structure with a diversity within itself. There is a wide variation in distribution and spatial arrangement of hairs.

Methods

The current classification was developed on the basis of high‐resolution photographs of adult human scalp.

Results

On the observation, the new classification consisted of 4 categories.

Conclusions

It will help the hair restoration surgeons and dermatologists to identify the various pattern and also to help in deciding the appropriate size of the punch in FUE.
Mechanism of in-vitro inhibition of UGT1A1 by paritaprevir
Authors: Alam Novera , Angeli Mia G , Greenblatt David J
Published: October 2017

Objectives

The direct-acting protease inhibitor paritaprevir is a new pharmaco-logic option available for treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV). Paritaprevir is reported to inhibit human UGT 1A1, but the mechanism of inhibition and its possible clinical consequences are not established. Our objective was to evaluate the in-vitro metabolic interaction between paritaprevir and the oral contraceptive steroid ethinyl estradiol (EE), a UGT 1A1 substrate.

Methods

Enzyme kinetic parameters were determined using human liver microsomes for the biotransformation of EE to its glucuronide metabolites, and the potency and mechanism of inhibition by paritaprevir. Probenecid was used as a reference inhibitor for purposes of assay validation.

Key findings

The underlying pattern of EE kinetics was complex, with evidence of substrate inhibition. The in-vitro inhibition constant (Ki) value for paritaprevir vs EE on average was 20 μm and was consistent with a competitive inhibition mechanism. The ratio of in-vivo maximum plasma concentration of paritaprevir to in-vitro Ki was <0.1.

Conclusions

Paritaprevir is an in-vitro inhibitor of UGT 1A1. However, the in-vitro Ki value relative to maximum clinical plasma concentrations is below the threshold to trigger a recommendation for pharmacokinetic drug interaction studies.
Tests for the Equality of Two Processes' Spectral Densities with Unequal Lengths Using Wavelet Methods
Authors: Li Linyuan , Lu Kewei
Published: October 2017

Testing procedures for assessing whether two stationary and independent linear processes with unequal lengths have the same spectral densities or same auto‐covariance functions are investigated. New test statistics are proposed based on the difference of the two wavelet‐based estimates of the two spectral densities. The asymptotic normal distributions of the empirical wavelet coefficients are derived based on Bartlett type approximation of a quadratic form with dependent variables by the corresponding quadratic form with independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) random variables. The limit distributions of the proposed test statistics are derived from those asymptotic results, and they asymptotically follow known chi‐square distributions. The advantage of those new procedures is that those test statistics are constructed very simply and can be used for two time series with arbitrary lengths. The performance of those new tests is compared with some recent test statistics, with respect to their exact levels and powers. Simulation studies show that our proposed tests are very comparable to the current tests.
A Simple Test for White Noise in Functional Time Series
Authors: Bagchi Pramita , Characiejus Vaidotas , Dette Holger
Published: October 2017

We propose a new procedure for white noise testing of a functional time series. Our approach is based on an explicit representation of the L2‐distance between the spectral density operator and its best (L2‐)approximation by a spectral density operator corresponding to a white noise process. The estimation of this distance can be easily accomplished by sums of periodogram kernels, and it is shown that an appropriately standardized version of the estimator is asymptotically normal distributed under the null hypothesis (of functional white noise) and under the alternative. As a consequence, we obtain a very simple test (using the quantiles of the normal distribution) for the hypothesis of a white noise functional process. In particular, the test does not require either the estimation of a long‐run variance (including a fourth order cumulant) or resampling procedures to calculate critical values. Moreover, in contrast to all other methods proposed in the literature, our approach also allows testing for ‘relevant’ deviations from white noise and constructing confidence intervals for a measure that measures the discrepancy of the underlying process from a functional white noise process.
Mechanisms of resistance in the rice cultivar Manikpukha to the rice stem nematode Ditylenchus angustus
Authors: Khanam Shakhina , Bauters Lander , Singh Richard Raj , Verbeek Ruben , Haeck Ashley , Sultan Saeed M. D. , Demeestere Kristof , Kyndt Tina , Gheysen Godelieve
Published: October 2017

The incompatible interaction between the rice cultivar Manikpukha and the rice stem nematode Ditylenchus angustus has been reported recently. This research focuses on the underlying mechanisms of resistance in Manikpukha. Invasion, post‐infection development and reproduction of D. angustus were compared in compatible and incompatible interactions to identify the stage in which resistance occurs. The results indicate that resistance in Manikpukha is associated with reduced development and reproduction, implying that resistance acts post‐invasion. We studied the possible involvement of three classical defence hormones, salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET), in response to infection in a compatible interaction using biosynthesis/signalling‐deficient transgenic rice lines. All three hormones appear to have an influence on the basal defence of Nipponbare against the stem nematode. Although hormone application increases basal defences, expression studies and hormone analyses after nematode infection in Manikpukha did not show a clear involvement of the hormone defense pathways for SA, ET and JA. However, it seems that OsPAL1 plays a pivotal role in resistance, indicating that the phenylpropanoid pathway and its products might be key players in the incompatible interaction. Lignin measurement showed that, although basal levels are similar, Manikpukha had a significantly higher lignin content on nematode infection, whereas it was decreased in the susceptible cultivar. The results presented here show that SA, ET and JA are involved in basal defences, but the resistance of Manikpukha against D. angustus probably relies on products of the phenylpropanoid pathway.
Pollen tube growth and guidance: Occam's razor sharpened on a molecular arabinogalactan glycoprotein Rosetta Stone
Authors: Lamport Derek T. A. , Tan Li , Held Michael A. , Kieliszewski Marcia J.
Published: October 2017

Occam's Razor suggests a new model of pollen tube tip growth based on a novel Hechtian oscillator that integrates a periplasmic arabinogalactan glycoprotein–calcium (AGP‐Ca2+) capacitor with tip‐localized AGPs as the source of tip‐focussed cytosolic Ca2+oscillations: Hechtian adhesion between the plasma membrane and the cell wall of the growing tip acts as a piconewton force transducer that couples the internal stress of a rapidly growing wall to the plasma membrane. Such Hechtian transduction opens stretch‐activated Ca2+ channels and activates H+‐ATPase proton pump efflux that dissociates periplasmic AGP‐Ca2+ resulting in a Ca2+ influx that activates exocytosis of wall precursors. Thus, a highly simplified pectic primary cell wall regulates its own synthesis by a Hechtian growth oscillator that regulates overall tip growth. By analogy with the three cryptic inscriptions of the classical Rosetta Stone, the Hechtian Hypothesis translates classical AGP function as a Ca2+ capacitor, pollen tube guide and wall plasticizer into a simple but widely applicable model of tip growth. Even wider ramifications of the Hechtian oscillator may implicate AGPs in osmosensing or gravisensing and other tropisms, leading us yet further towards the Holy Grail of plant growth.
A case of anaplastic lymphoma kinase‐positive renal cell carcinoma coincident with Hodgkin lymphoma
Authors: Oyama Yuzo , Nishida Haruto , Kusaba Takahiro , Kadowaki Hiroko , Arakane Motoki , Daa Tsutomu , Watanabe Dai , Akita Yasuyuki , Sato Fuminori , Mimata Hiromitsu , Yokoyama Shigeo
Published: October 2017

We report a case of ALK‐positive renal cell carcinoma coincident with Hodgkin lymphoma. The patient was a 19 year‐old‐girl without sickle cell trait. The right renal tumor was discovered concomitantly with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). After chemotherapy for HL, right nephrectomy was performed. Microscopically, the tumor showed a solid and focally pseudo‐papillary growth pattern studded with tubular structures. Most tumor cells were small bland eosinophilic cells, but rhabdoid cells, vacuolated cells, pleomorphic multinucleated giant cells were also admixed. The variety of growth patterns and cell features led us to speculate a possibility of ALK‐positive renal cell carcinoma (ALK + RCC). ALK was immunohistochemically positive, and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis detected a split signal of the ALK gene. We examined previously reported partner genes (STRN, TPM3, VCL and EML4) by RT‐PCR, but fusion gene was not detected. RCC showing solid or cribriform growth patterns with vacuolated cells with intracytoplamic lumina, rhabdoid cells, and mucus production indicates the possibility of ALK + RCC.
Fighting the Past: Perceptions of Control, Historical Misperceptions, and Corrective Information in the Israeli‐Palestinian Conflict
Authors: Nyhan Brendan , Zeitzoff Thomas
Published: October 2017

What makes people deny wrongdoing that their group has inflicted on others? Prior research argues that refusing to acknowledge past misbehavior contributes to intergroup conflict, making historical misinformation important to understand and address. In particular, feeling a lack of control may make people more vulnerable to these misperceptions—a claim we test in a preregistered survey experiment examining beliefs about the Palestinian exodus during the creation of the state of Israel. Consistent with expectations, Jewish Israelis who were asked to recall an event in which they lacked control were more vulnerable to arguments (incorrectly) denying any Jewish responsibility for the exodus. By contrast, corrective information successfully reduced misperceptions regardless of feelings of control. However, corrections had no effect on attitudes toward the outgroup or support for the peace process, which suggests that historical misperceptions may be more of a symptom of intergroup conflict than a cause of its persistence.
Soil amendments promote denitrification in restored wetlands
Authors: Yao Si Qi , Groffman Peter M. , Alewell Christine , Ballantine Kate
Published: October 2017

Wetlands perform important ecosystem functions, including improvement of water quality through the process of denitrification. To offset the negative environmental impact of replacing wetlands with agriculture and development, the United States has a policy requiring that losses in wetland area are compensated for through wetland restoration elsewhere. However, these restored wetlands may require decades to achieve functional equivalency to natural wetlands. We evaluated the efficacy of using carbon amendments during restoration to promote denitrification potential in four restored wetlands in central New York State, United States. The amendments were straw, topsoil, and biochar, chosen to range along a gradient of carbon lability. Soil samples collected 6 years after restoration were analyzed for denitrification potential and associated soil properties, including soil carbon and nitrogen, pH, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, carbon lability, and potential net nitrogen mineralization and nitrification. Compared to unamended control plots, denitrification potential was approximately 3 times higher in straw‐amended plots, 8 times higher in topsoil‐amended plots, and 11 times higher in biochar‐amended plots. Denitrification potential positively correlated with both soil organic carbon and microbial biomass nitrogen, suggesting that the use of soil amendments in restorations can help stimulate the development of denitrification potential by facilitating the suite of carbon and nitrogen cycling processes that underlie this function. However, denitrification potential in a nearby natural reference wetland was at least 50 times higher than it was in the restored wetland plots, highlighting the limitations of using wetland restoration to compensate for the loss of natural wetlands.
Flower visitor communities are similar on remnant and reconstructed tallgrass prairies despite forb community differences
Authors: Denning Kathy R. , Foster Bryan L.
Published: October 2017

One common goal of habitat restoration and reconstruction is to reinstate the biodiversity found at intact reference sites. However, few researchers have examined whether these practices reinstate communities of flower‐visiting insects. This is unfortunate, as anthropogenically mediated declines in flower visitors, including bees (the primary pollinators for most terrestrial ecosystems), beetles, flies, and butterflies, have been reported worldwide. Biodiversity declines may be especially severe in North America's tallgrass prairie, a once‐vast grassland that has experienced severe destruction and degradation due to agricultural conversion. As such, we assessed the structure of forb and flower‐visiting insect communities as a whole and two subsets of the flower visitor community—bees and phytophagous beetles—across five tallgrass prairie remnants and five reconstructed prairies (former crop fields) in Kansas from 2013 to 2015. Remnant prairies had significantly higher forb diversity and differed significantly in forb composition, compared to reconstructed prairies. Despite the dissimilarities in forb community structure, there were no differences in flower visitor diversity or abundance between remnants and reconstructed prairies. However, when considered separately, bee communities exhibited significantly greater variability in composition on reconstructed prairies, likely due to the abundance of generalist bee species visiting non‐native legumes at two reconstructed prairies. Our work provides evidence that prairie habitat reconstruction is a valuable tool for reestablishing flower‐visiting insect communities and also emphasizes the considerable role that non‐native species may play in structuring grassland plant–bee interactions.
Does remote monitoring change OSA management and CPAP adherence?
Authors: Pépin Jean L. , Tamisier Renaud , Hwang Dennis , Mereddy Suresh , Parthasarathy Sairam
Published: October 2017

It is increasingly recognized that the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), and its associated cardio‐metabolic morbidities make OSA a burden for society. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the gold standard treatment, needs to be used for more than 4 h/night to be effective, but suffers from relatively poor adherence. Furthermore, CPAP is likely to be more effective if combined with lifestyle changes. Thus, the remote telemonitoring (TM) of OSA patients in terms of CPAP use, signalling of device problems, following disease progression, detection of acute events and monitoring of daily physical activity is an attractive option. In the present review, we aim to summarize the recent scientific data on remote TM of OSA patients, and whether it meets expectations. We also look at how patient education and follow‐up via telemedicine is used to improve adherence and we discuss the influence of the profile of the healthcare provider. Then, we consider how TM might be extended to encompass the patient's cardio‐metabolic health in general. Lastly, we explore how TM and the deluge of data it potentially generates could be combined with electronic health records in providing personalized care and multi‐disease management to OSA patients.
Politic sacrifice in Lucrecia y Tarquino
Authors: García‐Bryce Ariadna
Published: October 2017

This paper analyses Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla's comedia, Lucrecia y Tarquino, in relation to the fraught body politics of an absolutist age. Diverging both from the eroticized Lucretias of Renaissance painting and from the antique Roman portrayal of Lucretia's martyrdom as a pathos‐ridden public spectacle that fueled Republican revolution, Rojas's Lucrecia is adapted to a conservative courtly milieu in which corporeal display is ridden with problematic connotations. By combining compelling performance and stringent decorum, Lucrecia embodies the ideals of an epoch marked at once by the recognition that the incitement of truculent emotion is a powerful political tool and by the belief in strict disciplining of the senses. While some have read Lucrecia's embodiment of female modesty as denoting a lack of agency, I show her to be a model of heroic action well suited to the conflicted post‐Machiavellian world where messianic idealism coexists with political pessimism.
Economic Backwardness and Social Tension*
Authors: Brunnschweiler Christa N. , Lujala Päivi
Published: October 2017

We propose that relative economic backwardness contributes to the build‐up of social tension and non‐violent and violent conflict. We test our hypothesis using data on organized mass movements and armed civil conflict. The findings show that greater economic backwardness is consistently linked to a higher probability of onset of violent and especially non‐violent forms of civil unrest. We provide evidence that the relationship is causal in instrumental variables estimations using new instruments, including mailing speeds and telegram charges around 1900. The magnitude of the effect of backwardness on social tension increases in the two‐stage least‐squares estimations.
Impact of nutrition interventions on pediatric mortality and nutrition outcomes in humanitarian emergencies: A systematic review
Authors: Balhara Kamna S. , Silvestri David M. , Tyler Winders W. , Selvam Anand , Kivlehan Sean M. , Becker Torben K. , Levine Adam C. ,   the Global Emergency Medicine Literature Review Group (GEMLR)
Published: October 2017

Objectives

Malnutrition contributes to paediatric morbidity and mortality in disasters and complex emergencies, but summary data describing specific nutritional interventions in these settings are lacking. This systematic review aimed to characterise such interventions and their effects on paediatric mortality, anthropometric measures and serum markers of nutrition.

Methods

A systematic search of OVID MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and relevant grey literature was conducted. We included all randomised controlled trials and observational controlled studies evaluating effectiveness of nutritional intervention(s) on defined health outcomes in children and adolescents (0–18 years) within a disaster or complex emergency. We extracted study characteristics, interventions and outcomes data. Study quality was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria.

Results

A total of 31 studies met inclusion criteria. Most were conducted in Africa (17), during periods of conflict or hunger gaps (14), and evaluated micronutrient supplementation (14) or selective feeding (10). Overall study quality was low, with only two high and four moderate quality studies. High‐ and medium‐quality studies demonstrated positive impact of fortified spreads, ready‐to‐use therapeutic foods, micronutrient supplementation, and food and cash transfers.

Conclusion

In disasters and complex emergencies, high variability and low quality of controlled studies on paediatric malnutrition limit meaningful data aggregation. If existing research gaps are to be addressed, the inherent unpredictability of humanitarian emergencies and ethical considerations regarding controls may warrant a paradigm shift in what constitutes adequate methods. Periodic hunger gaps may offer a generalisable opportunity for robust trials, but consensus on meaningful nutritional endpoints is needed.