bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetic sex assignment in wild populations using genotyping‐by‐sequencing data: A statistical threshold approach
Authors: Stovall William R. , Taylor Helen R. , Black Michael , Grosser Stefanie , Rutherford Kim , Gemmell Neil J.
Published: February 2018

Establishing the sex of individuals in wild systems can be challenging and often requires genetic testing. Genotyping‐by‐sequencing (GBS) and other reduced‐representation DNA sequencing (RRS) protocols (e.g., RADseq, ddRAD) have enabled the analysis of genetic data on an unprecedented scale. Here, we present a novel approach for the discovery and statistical validation of sex‐specific loci in GBS data sets. We used GBS to genotype 166 New Zealand fur seals (NZFS, Arctocephalus forsteri) of known sex. We retained monomorphic loci as potential sex‐specific markers in the locus discovery phase. We then used (i) a sex‐specific locus threshold (SSLT) to identify significantly male‐specific loci within our data set; and (ii) a significant sex‐assignment threshold (SSAT) to confidently assign sex in silico the presence or absence of significantly male‐specific loci to individuals in our data set treated as unknowns (98.9% accuracy for females; 95.8% for males, estimated via cross‐validation). Furthermore, we assigned sex to 86 individuals of true unknown sex using our SSAT and assessed the effect of SSLT adjustments on these assignments. From 90 verified sex‐specific loci, we developed a panel of three sex‐specific PCR primers that we used to ascertain sex independently of our GBS data, which we show amplify reliably in at least two other pinniped species. Using monomorphic loci normally discarded from large SNP data sets is an effective way to identify robust sex‐linked markers for nonmodel species. Our novel pipeline can be used to identify and statistically validate monomorphic and polymorphic sex‐specific markers across a range of species and RRS data sets.
Contested Global Governance
Authors: Zürn Michael
Published: February 2018

This article aims to contribute to the third generation of global governance research by unfolding the concept of a global governance system consisting of normative principles and patterns of authority relationships and legitimation. The goal is to formulate a positive theory that goes beyond the negative descriptions of global governance as post‐internationalist and helps to move global governance beyond its embryonic state. The major theoretical claim is that the features of the current global governance system have endogenously produced the politicization and counter‐institutionalization of international authorities. Internal tensions of the system fuel legitimation problems and demands for change, which in the end lead – in some cases – to the decline of global governance arrangements or – in other cases – to its deepening via appropriate institutional responses.
The Role of SAARC and EU in Managing Refugees in South Asia and Beyond: Potential for North‐South Cooperation
Authors: Ahmed Zahid Shahab
Published: February 2018

South Asia hosts more than three million refugees. However, with Europe and the Middle East preoccupied with their own crises, less attention has been paid to South Asia. Due to conflicts in Afghanistan and Myanmar, South Asia continues to host refugees from both within and outside the region. Afghan refugees also form the second largest refugee group after the Syrians in Europe. It is argued in the article that since South Asia hosts so many refugees who would otherwise travel elsewhere, especially Europe, it is key to the balancing‐act that characterises the current global refugee regime. It is therefore important to think of options through which the host countries of South Asia can be supported. In this context, this article argues the need for North‐South cooperation through greater engagement between the EU and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to address protracted refugee situations. Despite criticism on its performance, the importance of SAARC cannot be ignored. This article proposes policy recommendations for SAARC‐EU cooperation.
The palaeoeconomic history of Aboriginal migration
Authors: Butlin N.G.
Published: February 2018

Aboriginal migration from South East Asia is the beginning of Austrahan economic history. Prehistorians have tended to focus on means to sea travel rather than opportunity and motive to migrate. American and Australian measures of sea depth contours throw new light on possible migration paths and the conditions that might have prompted Aboriginal ancestors to move through island SE Asia to Australia. Interpretation of the data depends on a reconsideration of palaeodemography and the introduction of some economic and historical analysis. Several scenarios suggest possible conditions influencing trends and fluctuations in Aboriginal migration over the past 60,000 years.
The development of ecommists’ policy advice in New Zealand, 1930–34: with particular reference to Belshaw’s contribution
Authors: Endres A.M.
Published: February 2018

Policy–makers initially followed early Canterbury School prescriptions that favoured immediate budget balance and the rapid deflation of internal prices and wages. The 1932 Economic Committee formed a consensus favouring a policy package which had originally been formulated by Copland and Belshaw, and which included, inter alia, the gradual achievement of budget balance and the adjustment of external prices through exchange rate devaluation. A conservative Treasury line propounded by Park and Murphy emphasized sole reliance on deflationary measures but fell out of favour after 1933. Fisher’s long–run perspective did not appeal to policy–makers concerned with an immediate economic crisis.
Patenting and the supply of inventive ideas in colonial Australia: evidence from Victorian patent data
Authors: Magee Gary B.
Published: February 2018

One of the least studied aspects of Australian economic history is technological change. This article addresses the subject by using patent statistics from nineteenth–century Victoria to examine the determinants of the supply of inventive ideas in the late colonial era. Such an examination indicates that, while both demand– and supply–side features clearly had roles to play in influencing the volume of ideas that emerged, it was the expansion and diversification of Australian markets in the latter half of the century that was most important. These findings also suggest that development and introduction of new technological ideas in pre–Federation Australia were predominantly economic activities shaped by local considerations.
Contracting: The Queensland Housing Commission Experience, 1945–1957
Authors: Hollander Robyn
Published: February 2018

The practice of public sector contracting has a long history in Australia. The analysis of the experience of one agency, the Queensland Housing Commission (QHC), highlights the role of market conditions in shaping outcomes. The building industry had been severely disrupted by World War II and the demand for accommodation far exceeded supply. The QHC found it difficult to secure the services of builders and was forced to move away from competitive tendering. In these circumstances, it was forced to depend on the contract to protect its interests. However, the contracts between the QHC and its contractors did not accommodate all contingencies and failure carried economic and political costs for the Queensland Government.
Managers, Workers, and Industrial Welfarism: Management Strategies at ER&S and The Sulphide Corporation, 1895–1929
Authors: Eklund Erik
Published: February 2018

This article is a comparative analysis of the labour management strategies of two base metal refineries: the Electrolytic Refining and Smelting Company of Australia (ER&S), Port Kembla, and the Sulphide Corporation, Cockle Creek. During the period 1895–1930 both companies adopted aspects of an industrial welfarist strategy but at different times and in different forms. ER&S developed a broad-ranging industrial welfarism that included workplace and community-based initiatives such as cooperative stores and benefit funds. Long-term financial security, inaccessibility to outside labour, and interest in North American developments propelled ER&S‘s interest in welfarism. The Sulphide Corporation was less interested in such long-term strategies. The smelter at Cockle Creek was more marginal to the Corporation‘s business and had less secure markets. The British-owned company was also influenced by a dominant British tradition of management that was less interventionist and less experimental. However, following major economic and political reorganization of the industry brought about by the onset of war in 1914 the Corporation slowly came around to ‘on the job‘ welfarism by 1919. A comparison of these two firms can isolate the specific and general factors that account for this management diversity. Furthermore, it highlights how particular management styles such as industrial welfarism had implications beyond the workplace to the towns and communities where workers lived.
The Western Mining Corporation–Hanna/Homestake Joint Venture: Game Theory and Inter–Organizational Cooperation
Authors: Boyce Gordon
Published: February 2018

In 1962, Western Mining Corporation along with M. A. Hanna and the Homestake Mining Company formed a joint venture to explore and develop iron ore deposits in Western Australia. The partners successfully developed one ore field, but failed to build an enduring business relationship. The paper uses game theory to examine joint venture dynamics. It finds that the partners could not transform a Prisoners’ Dilemma scenario into a coordination game because they failed to establish effective communication methods and an appropriate balance between contractual specification and latitude for ex post adjustment. The case reveals additional factors – differences in the size, local presence, and substitution possibilities of the players – that should be incorporated into game theory.
What are the organismic elements of vegetation science?
Authors: Berg Christian , Ewald Jörg , Berg Gabriele , Hobohm Carsten
Published: February 2018

The recent inclusion of communities of planktonic algae and microbial crusts into the system of European vegetation types is critically discussed. It is argued that formal vegetation classification should be limited to plant taxa represented by macroscopic individuals within a plot, including all vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, charophyta and macrophytic chlorophyta, rhodophyta or phaeophyta. In the interest of comparability and methodological stringency, all microscopic algae and all prokaryotes, including cyanobacteria, and the habitats dominated by such microorganisms (e.g. plankton, biofilms and crusts), should be excluded from vegetation classification.
Marketing medicines: charting the rise of modern therapeutics through a systematic review of adverts in UK medical journals (1950–1980)
Authors: Green A. Richard , Haddad Peter M. , Aronson Jeffrey K.
Published: February 2018

Aims

To examine how pharmaceutical products that were first marketed between 1950 and 1980 were promoted to physicians through advertisements and briefly review advertising regulations and accuracy of the advertisements in the light of modern knowledge.

Methods

We systematically reviewed advertisements promoting drugs for specific therapeutic areas, namely central nervous system disorders (anxiety and sleep disorders, depression, psychoses, and Parkinson's disease), respiratory disorders, cardiovascular disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders. We examined about 800 issues of the British Medical Journal (1950–1980) and about 150 issues of World Medicine (1965–1984).

Results

Advertising material was minimally regulated until the mid‐1970s. Many drugs were marketed with little preclinical or clinical knowledge and some with the expectation that prescribers would obtain further data. The peak of advertising occurred in parallel with the surge in the release of novel drugs during the 1960s, but declined markedly after the mid‐1970s. Advertisements generally contained little useful prescribing information. The period we investigated saw the release of many novel pharmaceuticals in the therapeutic areas we examined, and many (or their class successors) still play important therapeutic roles, including benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, phenothiazines, levodopa, selective and non‐selective β‐adrenoceptor antagonists, thiazide diuretics, β‐adrenoceptor agonists, and histamine H2 receptor antagonists.

Conclusions

Advertising pharmaceuticals in the BMJ and World Medicine in 1950–1980 was poorly regulated and often lacked rigour. However, advertisements were gradually modified in the light of increasing clinical pharmacological knowledge, and they reflect an exciting period for the introduction of many drugs that continue to be of benefit today.
Fostering caring relationships: Suggestions to rethink liberal perspectives on the ethics of newborn screening
Authors: van der Burg Simone , Oerlemans Anke
Published: February 2018

Newborn screening (NBS) involves the collection of blood from the heel of a newborn baby and testing it for a list of rare and inheritable disorders. New biochemical screening technologies led to expansions of NBS programs in the first decade of the 21st century. It is expected that they will in time be replaced by genetic sequencing technologies. These developments have raised a lot of ethical debate. We reviewed the ethical literature on NBS, analyzed the issues and values that emerged, and paid particular interest to the type of impacts authors think NBS should have on the lives of children and their families. Our review shows that most authors keep their ethical reflection confined to policy decisions, about for instance (a) the purpose of the program, and (b) its voluntary or mandatory nature. While some authors show appreciation of how NBS information empowers parents to care for their (diseased) children, most authors consider these aspects to be ‘private’ and leave their evaluation up to parents themselves. While this division of moral labor fits with the liberal conviction to leave individuals free to decide how they want to live their private lives, it also silences the ethical debate about these issues. Given the present and future capacity of NBS to offer an abundance of health‐related information, we argue that there is good reason to develop a more substantive perspective to whether and how NBS can contribute to parents’ good care for children.
An Alternative Robust Estimator of Average Treatment Effect in Causal Inference
Authors: Liu Jianxuan , Ma Yanyuan , Wang Lan
Published: February 2018

The problem of estimating the average treatment effects is important when evaluating the effectiveness of medical treatments or social intervention policies. Most of the existing methods for estimating the average treatment effect rely on some parametric assumptions about the propensity score model or the outcome regression model one way or the other. In reality, both models are prone to misspecification, which can have undue influence on the estimated average treatment effect. We propose an alternative robust approach to estimating the average treatment effect based on observational data in the challenging situation when neither a plausible parametric outcome model nor a reliable parametric propensity score model is available. Our estimator can be considered as a robust extension of the popular class of propensity score weighted estimators. This approach has the advantage of being robust, flexible, data adaptive, and it can handle many covariates simultaneously. Adopting a dimension reduction approach, we estimate the propensity score weights semiparametrically by using a non-parametric link function to relate the treatment assignment indicator to a low-dimensional structure of the covariates which are formed typically by several linear combinations of the covariates. We develop a class of consistent estimators for the average treatment effect and study their theoretical properties. We demonstrate the robust performance of the estimators on simulated data and a real data example of investigating the effect of maternal smoking on babies’ birth weight.
Tropical tree species diversity in a mountain system in southern Mexico: local and regional patterns and determinant factors
Authors: Martínez‐Camilo Rubén , González‐Espinosa Mario , Ramírez‐Marcial Neptalí , Cayuela Luis , Pérez‐Farrera Miguel Ángel
Published: February 2018

Mechanisms explaining patterns of biodiversity along elevation gradients in tropical mountain systems remain controversial. We use a set of climatic, topographic, and soil variables encompassing regional, landscape, and local‐level spatial scales to explain the spatial variation of tree species diversity in the Sierra Madre of Chiapas, Mexico. We sampled 128 circular plots (0.1‐ha each) in four elevational bands along four elevation gradients or transects encompassing 100–2200 m. A total of 12,533 trees belonging to 444 species were recorded. Diversity patterns along the elevation gradient and the explanatory power of independent variables were dependent on spatial scale (regional vs transect) and functional group (total vs late‐successional or pioneer species). Diversity of all species and late‐successional species (1 – proportion of pioneer species) showed a constant pattern at the regional and transect scales, with low predictive power of climatic variables and/or elevation. A linear decrease in either number or proportion of pioneer species diversity was observed with increasing elevation, which was correlated with temperature, rainfall, and human disturbance trends. Total species diversity showed an increase with rainfall of the warmest quarter, indicating a regional‐level limiting effect of seasonality (drought duration). Yet the explanatory power of climatic and topographic variables was higher at the individual transect level than at the regional scale, suggesting the parallel but differential influence of evolutionary and geological history factors on diversification not so far studied to explain elevation patterns of species diversity in tropical mountain systems.
Resource use and food preferences in understory ant communities along a complete elevational gradient in Papua New Guinea
Authors: Orivel Jérôme , Klimes Petr , Novotny Vojtech , Leponce Maurice
Published: February 2018

Elevational gradients provide an interesting opportunity for studying the effect of climatic drivers over short distances on the various facets of biodiversity. It is globally assumed that the decrease in species richness with increasing elevation follows mainly the decrease in ecosystem productivity, but studies on functional diversity still remain limited. Here, we investigated how resource use and food preferences by both individual ant species and communities foraging in the understory vary with elevation along a complete elevational gradient (200 to 3200 m asl). Five bait types reflecting some of the main ecosystem processes in which ants are involved were tested: mutualism (sucrose and melezitose), predation (live termites), and detritivory (crushed insects and chicken feces). The observed monotonic decrease in both species richness and occurrences with elevation increase was accompanied by changes in some of the tested ecosystem processes. Such variations can be explained by resource availability and/or resource limitation: Predation and bird feces removal decreased with increasing elevation possibly reflecting a decline in species able to use these resources, while insect detritivory and nectarivory were most probably driven by resource limitation (or absence of limitation), as their relative use did not change along the gradient. Consequently, resource attractiveness (i.e., food preferences at the species level) appears as an important factor in driving community structuring in ants together with the abiotic environmental conditions.
An Exception to Mental Simulation: No Evidence for Embodied Odor Language
Authors: Speed Laura J. , Majid Asifa
Published: February 2018

Do we mentally simulate olfactory information? We investigated mental simulation of odors and sounds in two experiments. Participants retained a word while they smelled an odor or heard a sound, then rated odor/sound intensity and recalled the word. Later odor/sound recognition was also tested, and pleasantness and familiarity judgments were collected. Word recall was slower when the sound and sound‐word mismatched (e.g., bee sound with the wordtyphoon). Sound recognition was higher when sounds were paired with a match or near‐match word (e.g., bee sound withbeeorbuzzer). This indicates sound‐words are mentally simulated. However, using the same paradigm no memory effects were observed for odor. Instead it appears odor‐words only affect lexical‐semantic representations, demonstrated by higher ratings of odor intensity and pleasantness when an odor was paired with a match or near‐match word (e.g., peach odor withpeachormango). These results suggest fundamental differences in how odor and sound‐words are represented.
Cell‐fate determination in Myxococcus xanthus development: Network dynamics and novel predictions
Authors: Arias Del Angel Juan A. , Escalante Ana E. , Martínez‐Castilla León Patricio , Benítez Mariana
Published: February 2018

Myxococcus xanthus is a myxobacterium that exhibits aggregation and cellular differentiation during the formation of fruiting bodies. Therefore, it has become a valuable model system to study the transition to multicellularity via cell aggregation. Although there is a vast set of experimental information for the development on M. xanthus, the dynamics behind cell‐fate determination in this organism's development remain unclear. We integrate the currently available evidence in a mathematical network model that allows to test the set of molecular elements and regulatory interactions that are sufficient to account for the specification of the cell types that are observed in fruiting body formation. Besides providing a dynamic mechanism for cell‐fate determination in the transition to multicellular aggregates of M. xanthus, this model enables the postulation of specific mechanisms behind some experimental observations for which no explanations have been provided, as well as new regulatory interactions that can be experimentally tested. Finally, this model constitutes a formal basis on which the continuously emerging data for this system can be integrated and interpreted.
Quality of life in Down syndrome: a matter of perspective
Authors: Newton Richard
Published: February 2018

This commentary is on the original article by Shields et al. on pages 402–408 of this issue.
Practical knowledge and the subjectivity of truth inKant andKierkegaard:The cover of skepticism
Authors: Nisenbaum Karin
Published: February 2018

Kant developed a distinctive method of philosophical argumentation, the method of transcendental argumentation, which continues to have contemporary philosophical promise. Yet there is considerable disagreement among Kant's interpreters concerning the aim of transcendental arguments. On ambitious interpretations, transcendental arguments aim to establish certain necessary features of the world from the conditions of our thinking about or experiencing the world; they areworld‐directed. On modest interpretations, transcendental arguments aim to show that certain beliefs have a special status that renders them invulnerable to skeptical doubts; they arebelief‐directed. This paper brings Kierkegaard's thesis of the “subjectivity of truth” to bear on these questions concerning the aim of transcendental arguments. I focus on Kant's argument for the postulate of God's existence in hisCritique of Practical Reasonand show that Kierkegaard's thesis of the subjectivity of truth can help us construe the argument asbothbelief and world directed. Yet I also argue that Kierkegaard's thesis of the subjectivity of truth can help us understand the source of our dissatisfaction with Kant's transcendental arguments: It can help us understand that dissatisfaction as an expression of what Stanley Cavell calls the “cover of skepticism,” the conversion of metaphysical finitude into intellectual lack.
Paediatric acute disseminated encephalomyelitis followed by optic neuritis: disease course, treatment response and outcome
Authors: Wong Y. Y. M. , Hacohen Y. , Armangue T. , Wassmer E. , Verhelst H. , Hemingway C. , van Pelt E. D. , Catsman‐Berrevoets C. E. , Hintzen R. Q. , Deiva K. , Lim M. J. , Rostásy K. , Neuteboom R. F.
Published: February 2018

Background and purpose

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis followed by optic neuritis (ADEM‐ON) is a rare demyelinating syndrome that is different from multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. The aim of this study was to describe the disease course, treatment response and outcome of children with ADEM‐ON.

Methods

Children of <18 years of age were identified from six countries of the EU Paediatric Demyelinating Disease Consortium. Patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for ADEM followed by at least one ON. Anti‐myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies were tested in all patients.

Results

In this study of 17 patients (nine boys) with ADEM‐ON, anti‐myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies were identified in 16 patients. Age at onset was 6.1 years (interquartile range, 5.1–9.2 years). Twelve patients received oral prednisolone and 10 received maintenance immunosuppression (e.g. azathioprine, intravenous immunoglobulins, Rituximab). During a follow‐up of 5.3 years (interquartile range, 1.8–10.2 years), 54 relapses occurred with a median of 3 relapses per patient (range, 1–9 per patient). Patients relapsed on all treatments but no relapses occurred on a prednisolone dose >10 mg/day. Visual and cognitive residual deficits were common in this group.

Conclusions

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis followed by optic neuritis is an anti‐MOG antibody‐associated relapsing disorder that can have a heterogeneous disease course. Patients were refractory for maintenance immunosuppression and appeared to be corticosteroid‐dependent. Further international collaborations are now required to unify guidelines in this difficult‐to‐manage group of patients.
Increased neuronal synchrony prepares mesial temporal networks for seizures of neocortical origin
Authors: Misra Amrit , Long Xianda , Sperling Michael R. , Sharan Ashwini D. , Moxon Karen A.
Published: February 2018

Objective

To gain understanding of the neuronal mechanisms underlying regional seizure spread, the impact of regional synchrony between seizure focus and downstream networks on neuronal activity during the transition to seizure in those downstream networks was assessed.

Methods

Seven patients undergoing diagnostic intracranial electroencephalographic studies for surgical resection of epileptogenic regions were implanted with subdural clinical electrodes into the cortex (site of seizure initiation) and mesial temporal lobe (MTL) structures (downstream) as well as microwires into MTL. Neural activity was recorded (24/7) in parallel with the clinical intracranial electroencephalogram recordings for the duration of the patient's diagnostic stay. Changes in (1) regional synchrony (ie, coherence) between the presumptive neocortical seizure focus and MTL, (2) local synchrony between MTL neurons and their local field potential, and (3) neuronal firing rates within MTL in the time leading up to seizure were examined to study the mechanisms underlying seizure spread.

Results

In seizures of neocortical origin, an increase in regional synchrony preceded the spread of seizures into MTL (predominantly hippocampal). Within frequencies similar to those of regional synchrony, MTL networks showed an increase in unit‐field coherence and a decrease in neuronal firing rate, specifically for inhibitory interneuron populations but not pyramidal cell populations.

Significance

These results suggest a mechanism of spreading seizures whereby the seizure focus first synchronizes local field potentials in downstream networks to the seizure activity. This change in local field coherence modifies the activity of interneuron populations in these downstream networks, which leads to the attenuation of interneuronal firing rate, effectively shutting down local interneuron populations prior to the spread of seizure. Therefore, regional synchrony may influence the failure of downstream interneurons to prevent the spread of the seizures during generalization.
The political morality of convergence in contract
Authors: Bagchi Aditi
Published: February 2018

One of the most interesting recent developments in contract law has been an academic and political effort to integrate private law. The proposed Common European Sales Law was ultimately withdrawn, and a series of setbacks, including the British referendum to exit the EU, has recast the politics of convergence. But it remains an objective for many European scholars. This essay considers the wisdom of convergence on a single law of transactions from the perspective of philosophical contract theory.

The essay proceeds by disaggregating the rights at stake in contract law. It characterises the formal right to contract and describes its moral impetus as one that should underwrite contract law in all states, especially liberal states. But the essay argues that the legitimate contours of the formal right are contingent on tenets of political culture that vary across Member States. Similarly, substantive regulation of contract is morally compulsory and serves universal interests; the essay takes regulation of permissible work and remuneration for work as examples. But the rules and standards that best advance those moral interests depend on economic facts specific to individual political communities. The essay concludes by arguing that contract law is a poor tool by which to accelerate political and economic convergence.
Economic freedom and economic rights: Direction, significance and ideology
Authors: Harding Christopher
Published: February 2018

The discussion here takes stock of and analyses the way in which ideas of economic freedom and basic economic rights have evolved during the last half century to generate legal discourse and legal action, and with what effect, with particular reference to Europe as a site for such developments. It is necessary to probe the understanding and purpose of such ‘rights talk’ and also to set the discourse in relevant ideological contexts. For the purpose of this exercise, a broad distinction is drawn between two major categories of economic right. The first category may be broadly described as ‘integration rights’—entrepreneurial in character, forward‐looking and opportunistic in a historical context of supranational integration and trade liberalisation. The second category, in contrast, may be termed ‘vulnerability rights’; these are more protective in character, and serve to enhance the opportunities of the economically disadvantaged, those sections of the population at risk of social exclusion and poverty. An assessment is made, on the one hand, of the achievement of the movement to exploit integration rights, and on the other hand, the prospect for the mobilisation and assertion of vulnerability rights in the wake of governmental policies of austerity.
Harvesting changes mating behaviour in European lobster
Authors: Sørdalen Tonje K. , Halvorsen Kim T. , Harrison Hugo B. , Ellis Charlie D. , Vøllestad Leif Asbjørn , Knutsen Halvor , Moland Even , Olsen Esben M.
Published: February 2018

Removing individuals from a wild population can affect the availability of prospective mates and the outcome of competitive interactions, with subsequent effects on mating patterns and sexual selection. Consequently, the rate of harvest‐induced evolution is predicted to be strongly dependent on the strength and dynamics of sexual selection, yet there is limited empirical knowledge on the interplay between selective harvesting and the mating systems of exploited species. In this study, we used genetic parentage assignment to compare mating patterns of the highly valued and overexploited European lobster (Homarus gammarus) in a designated lobster reserve and nearby fished area in southern Norway. In the area open to fishing, the fishery is regulated by a closed season, a minimum legal size and a ban on the harvest of egg‐bearing females. Due to the differences in size and sex‐specific fishing mortality between the two areas, males and females are of approximately equal average size in the fished area, whereas males tend to be larger in the reserve. Our results show that females would mate with males larger than their own body size, but the relative size difference was significantly larger in the reserve. Sexual selection acted positively on both body size and claw size in males in the reserve, while it was nonsignificant in fished areas. This strongly suggests that size truncation of males by fishing reduces the variability of traits that sexual selection acts upon. If fisheries continue to target large individuals (particularly males) with higher relative reproductive success, the weakening of sexual selection will likely accelerate fisheries‐induced evolution towards smaller body size.
Stepping stones to isolation: Impacts of a changing climate on the connectivity of fragmented fish populations
Authors: Young Emma F. , Tysklind Niklas , Meredith Michael P. , de Bruyn Mark , Belchier Mark , Murphy Eugene J. , Carvalho Gary R.
Published: February 2018

In the marine environment, understanding the biophysical mechanisms that drive variability in larval dispersal and population connectivity is essential for estimating the potential impacts of climate change on the resilience and genetic structure of populations. Species whose populations are small, isolated and discontinuous in distribution will differ fundamentally in their response and resilience to environmental stress, compared with species that are broadly distributed, abundant and frequently exchange conspecifics. Here, we use an individual‐based modelling approach, combined with a population genetics projection model, to consider the impacts of a warming climate on the population connectivity of two contrasting Antarctic fish species, Notothenia rossii and Champsocephalus gunnari. Focussing on the Scotia Sea region, sea surface temperatures are predicted to increase significantly by the end of the 21st century, resulting in reduced planktonic duration and increased egg and larval mortality. With shorter planktonic durations, the results of our study predict reduced dispersal of both species across the Scotia Sea, from Antarctic Peninsula sites to islands in the north and east, and increased dispersal among neighbouring sites, such as around the Antarctic Peninsula. Increased mortality modified the magnitude of population connectivity but had little effect on the overall patterns. Whilst the predicted changes in connectivity had little impact on the projected regional population genetic structure of N. rossii, which remained broadly genetically homogeneous within distances of ~1,500 km, the genetic isolation of C. gunnari populations in the northern Scotia Sea was predicted to increase with rising sea temperatures. Our study highlights the potential for increased isolation of island populations in a warming world, with implications for the resilience of populations and their ability to adapt to ongoing environmental change, a matter of high relevance to fisheries and ecosystem‐level management.
Epidemiology of fractures: The role of kick injuries in equine fractures
Authors: Donati B. , Fürst A. E. , Hässig M. , Jackson M. A.
Published: February 2018

Background

Fractures occur commonly in equids and often are associated with complications and a poor outcome. There are no reports on the epidemiology of fractures in a heterogeneous equine population.

Objectives

To study the epidemiology of fractures in a heterogeneous equine population, focusing on differences between fractures resulting from a kick and fractures, resulting from other causes and investigating predictors for recovery.

Study design

Retrospective case series.

Methods

Data of all equids presented to the Equine Department, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich between 1990 and 2014 and diagnosed with a fracture were reviewed and those with a known cause were included in this study. Mann–Whitney and chi‐squared tests were used to compare recovery rates of fractures resulting from a kick and fractures resulting from other causes, and a logistic regression was carried out for multivariate analysis of the most important factors affecting recovery.

Results

Here, 1144 cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of all fractures (with a known cause), 43.6% were the result of a kick from another equid. Kicks often produced open fractures (44.7%) that involved bones of the limbs (85.6%). Overall recovery was 70.1%. Logistic regression showed that high‐grade lameness accompanying the fracture and severe comminution negatively affected recovery.

Main limitations

The equids in this study were drawn from a referred population, which likely precluded the inclusion of both minor fractures and catastrophic fractures that necessitated immediate euthanasia. Moreover, many cases were excluded because the cause of the fracture could not be determined from the patient record.

Conclusions

Kicks are the most common cause of fractures in a heterogeneous equine population and measures to reduce the incidence of kicks are necessary in group‐housing systems.
Ratcheting in pressurized pipes and equipment: A review on affecting parameters, modelling, safety codes, and challenges
Authors: Varvani‐Farahani A. , Nayebi A.
Published: February 2018

The current study has attempted to comprehensively review ratcheting response of materials involving various influential parameters such as loading spectra, thermal cycles, stress levels, stress raisers, strain rate, and visco‐plasticity and material types with a focus on pressurized pipes and equipment. The mechanism of deformation, types, and the rate of progress over stages of ratcheting were discussed. Safety design codes and procedures were highlighted for reliable design of pressurized pipes against progressive ratcheting and to safeguard the system against catastrophic failure at which both mechanical and thermal ratcheting were integrated. Boundaries and demarcation of ratcheting‐shakedown zones developed based on Bree's diagram were employed to assess plastic deformation accumulation over stress cycles. Shakedown and ratcheting boundaries were discussed through methods developed on the basis of Melan's theorem over last few decades. Ratcheting response of materials was reviewed through descriptions of parametric models and kinematic hardening rules involving various variables and parameters. Interaction of ratcheting with creep and low‐cycle fatigue has promoted progressive damage in materials. Pressurized pipes subjected to thermal cycles and external bending cycles were evaluated by numerical solutions along with kinematic hardening rules to assess ratcheting over stress cycles.
Optical, spectroscopic, and thermo‐optical properties of Nd2O3‐doped CaBAl glasses
Authors: Dias Julieth D. M. , Melo Glauco H. A. , Paz Edson C. , Lodi Thiago A. , Barboza Marcio J. , Steimacher Alysson , Pedrochi Franciana
Published: February 2018

The Nd3+‐doped CaO‐Al2O–B2O3‐CaF2 glasses were prepared by melt‐quenching technique and their optical, spectroscopic, and thermo‐optical properties were studied. The density and refractive index showed an increase with addition of Nd2O3 at the expense of CaO. The electronic polarizability increases with Nd2O3 concentration due to the increase in NBO. The absorption spectra present characteristic bands of Nd3+ transitions from the ground state 4I9/2 to the various excited states. The luminescence spectra show Nd3+ emission at ~880 nm (4F3/2 → 4 I9/2) and ~1064 nm (4F3/2 → 4 I11/2), which increases with Nd2O3 up to 3 wt%. The experimental lifetime decreases when Nd2O3 content increases, mainly due to the nonradiative processes of direct energy transfer between Nd3+ ions (cross relaxation). Results of thermal coefficient of optical path length (dS/dT) for the CaBAl glasses did not present significant changes with Nd2O3 concentration. These with values are comparable to the Fused Silica, and lower than the values measured for the CAS and LSCAS glasses. The results point out this glass system as a good candidate to be used in the development of photonics devices.
The reliability and validity of automated tools for examining variation in syntactic complexity across genres
Authors: Polio Charlene , Yoon Hyung‐Jo
Published: February 2018

This study investigates two automated systems, the L2 syntactic complexity analyzer (SCA) and Coh‐Metrix, for their analysis of English syntactic complexity as a way to capture variation across two genres. The purpose of the paper is to partially replicate previous studies that have found complexity differences between narrative and argumentative essays while also evaluating two automated tools that can be used for analysing variation in other contexts. We first test the reliability of SCA and Coh‐Metrix by comparing their results with the hand‐coded results of 30 essays. We then examine the two systems' ability to detect genre effects on syntactic complexity using 162 essays (narrative and argumentative) written by 81 ESL students. Results indicate that the majority of measures from the two systems are reliable, but some measures were not transparent and consistent. Additionally, both SCA and Coh‐Metrix measures show higher syntactic complexity in the argumentative essays than the narratives, confirming both the findings of previous research and that both tools may be valid for studying variation in complexity. Findings are discussed in terms of the motivation for genre differences.
ABO and Rh blood group genotypes in a cohort of Saudi stem cell donors
Authors: Alzahrani M. , Jawdat D. , Alaskar A. , Cereb N. , Hajeer A. H.
Published: February 2018

The ABO and rhesus (Rh) blood group antigens are the most frequently studied genetic markers in a large group of people. Blood type frequencies vary in different racial/ethnic groups. Our objective was to investigate the distribution of the ABO and rhesus (Rh) blood groups by molecular typing method in a population of Saudi stem cell donors. Our data indicate that the most common blood group in our population is group O followed by group A then group B, and finally, the least common is group AB.
A comprehensive sintering mechanism for thermal barrier coatings‐Part III: Substrate constraint effect on healing of 2D pores
Authors: Li Guangrong , Yang Guanjun , Li Chengxin , Li Changjiu
Published: February 2018

During thermal exposure, the sintering of the plasma‐sprayed thermal barrier coatings (PS‐TBCs) is highly dependent on the healing of the two‐dimensional (2D) pores (including the inter‐splat pores and the intra‐splat cracks), as reported in the previous Part‐I and Part‐II based on free‐standing coatings. As a further study, this part aims to reveal the effect of substrate constraint on healing behavior of the 2D pores, since the coatings are actually bonded to superalloy substrate during real service. The healing of the 2D pores was quantitatively examined, and the multiscale mechanical properties were determined during the overall thermal exposure. In addition, a structure model was used to quantitatively correlate the evolution of 2D pores with mechanical property. The results of experiments and model prediction show that, different from the two‐stage evolutionary trends in free‐standing coatings, the overall evolution trends of microstructure and property can be divided into 3 stages affected by the substrate constraint. Moreover, the anisotropic healing of the 2D pores reported in free‐standing coatings was enhanced significantly due to the additional stress in coatings resulting from constraint of substrate. This means that the healing of inter‐splat pores became faster and severer. Given that, an outlook on structural tailoring to retard the performance degradation of TBCs was proposed.
The five‐factor model of personality, work stress and professional quality of life in neonatal intensive care unit nurses
Authors: Barr Peter
Published: February 2018

Aims

The study aim was to determine the direct and indirect relations of the five‐factor model of personality traits and work stress with professional quality of life in neonatal nurses.

Background

Neonatal intensive care nursing has positive and negative effects on neonatal nurses’ psychological well‐being. Although individual and situational factors interact to influence professional quality of life, there have been few studies of these relationships in neonatal nurses.

Design

A cross‐sectional study conducted in 2016.

Methods

Self‐report questionnaires were used to measure professional quality of life (burnout, secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction), five‐factor model of personality traits (neuroticism, agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness and openness) and work stress (role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload).

Results

One hundred and forty (34%) of 405 eligible neonatal nurses provided the data. After controlling for work stress, neuroticism and agreeableness were related to burnout, neuroticism was related to secondary traumatic stress, and extraversion was related to compassion satisfaction. Work stress controlled for personality traits was related to burnout and secondary traumatic stress, but not to compassion satisfaction. Neuroticism moderated the effect of work stress on secondary traumatic stress and agreeableness and openness moderated the effect of work stress on compassion satisfaction. Work stress mediated the effect of neuroticism and extraversion on burnout and the effects of extraversion and conscientiousness on compassion satisfaction.

Conclusion

Strategies to reduce work stress may not lessen burnout and secondary traumatic stress or increase compassion satisfaction in neonatal nurses who are prone to high neuroticism, low agreeableness and low extraversion.
Obesity is associated with incident atrial fibrillation independent of gender: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Asad Zain , Abbas Mubasher , Javed Isma , Korantzopoulos Panagiotis , Stavrakis Stavros
Published: February 2018

Background

The prevalence of obesity is increasing among the general population. Obesity is associated with increased risk of several cardiovascular conditions, which in turn may increase the risk for atrial fibrillation (AF). We performed a meta‐analysis of cohort studies that examined the effect of obesity on the incidence of AF. In addition, we examined the effect of obesity on the incidence of AF stratified by gender.

Methods and results

We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for studies evaluating the effect of obesity on AF. Pooled risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random effects model. Sixteen trials involving 587,372 subjects were included in the analysis. Obesity was defined as body mass index >30 kg/m2. AF during follow‐up developed in 5,751 of 91,031 (6.3%) obese subjects and in 15,346 of 496,341 (3.1%) nonobese subjects (RR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.68; P < 0.00001). Based on the pooled estimate across the studies, the effect of obesity on incident AF was similar in men (RR = 1.41, 95% 1.24 to 1.62; P < 0.00001) and women (RR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.97; P < 0.00001).

Conclusion

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of new‐onset AF in susceptible individuals. This effect appears to be consistent in both genders. Further studies are warranted to examine the impact of weight loss interventions on the risk of developing AF.