bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel two‐dimensional correlation coefficient for assessing associations in time series data
Authors: Dikbaş Fatih
Published: January 2017

ABSTRACT

The widely used Pearson's correlation coefficient calculated for assessing the linear relationship between two variables might produce misleading results especially in the comparison of periodic variables. A single correlation coefficient provides a measure of the overall dependence structure and generally might not be sufficient for assessing local differences between the variables (e.g. associations between each individual year might vary in hydrologic series). The reason for this deficiency is the consideration of the averages of the whole series while ignoring the variations of the local averages (e.g. annual averages or long year averages of months) throughout the observations. This study presents a two‐dimensional horizontal (row wise) and vertical (column wise) correlation calculation approach where the compared series are considered as two‐dimensional matrices in which each row represents a sub‐period (e.g. one calendar year of the precipitation data) of the investigated time series data. The method applies a normalization procedure by considering the averages of all rows (namely local averages) for calculating the horizontal correlation and the averages of all columns for calculating the vertical correlation instead of considering the averages of the whole matrices. This enables a separate determination of the degree of relationships between the rows and columns of the compared data matrices by using the horizontal and vertical variance and covariance values that constitute the base of the two‐dimensional correlation. The method is applied on 14 different linearly varying hypothetical matrices, 6 matrices for testing the influence of seasonal and inter‐annual variations and the monthly total precipitation records of 6 stations in southwest Turkey. The results have shown that the developed correlation approach assesses the two‐dimensional behaviour of time series data like precipitation and provides a measure which enables separate assessment of the contributions from the seasonal cycle vs. inter‐annual variability in the association between two time series.
Effect of black cumin seeds on growth performance, nutrient utilization, immunity, gut health and nitrogen excretion in broiler chickens
Authors: Kumar Pawan , Patra Amlan Kumar , Mandal Guru Prasad , Samanta Indranil , Pradhan Saktipada
Published: January 2017

BACKGROUND

Use of antibiotic growth promoters (AB) as feed additives in broiler chickens poses risks due to cross‐resistance amongst pathogens and residues in tissues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of black cumin seeds (BCS) as a natural growth promoter in chickens on nutrient utilization, intestinal microbiota and morphology, immunity, antioxidant status, protein deposition in muscles and nitrogen excretion.

RESULTS

Broiler chickens were fed BCS at 0, 5, 10 and 20 g kg−1 diet. Body weight gain tended to increase (P = 0.10) and daily feed intake increased quadratically with increasing concentrations of BCS in the diets. Supplementation of BCS resulted in a tendency to decrease feed conversion efficiency on days 28–42. Metabolizability of nutrients increased linearly with increasing doses of BCS. Protein deposition in thigh and breast muscles was increased and nitrogen excretion was reduced by BCS and AB compared with the control (CON). Intestinal morphology in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum was not generally affected by BCS. Counts of total bacteria, Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus spp. and Clostridium spp. were not affected by BCS and AB compared with CON, but Salmonella spp. decreased linearly (P = 0.05) with increasing doses of BCS. Antibody titers against Newcastle disease virus on day 35 increased quadratically (P < 0.001) with increasing doses of BCS. Concentrations of glucose and triglyceride in blood were not affected by BCS. Concentrations of cholesterol decreased linearly while the concentration of total protein increased linearly with increasing doses of BCS.

CONCLUSION

The use of dietary BCS may improve growth performance, immunity and nutrient utilization in broiler chickens. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
A Polymer Interfacial Modifier Synthesized by Living Anionic Polymerization: Incorporation of Inorganic Blocks to Chain Ends
Authors: Yamamoto Kentaro , Hirai Tomoyasu , Oda Yukari , Kawaguchi Daisuke , Matsuno Hisao , Tanaka Keiji
Published: January 2017

As a polymer interfacial modifier, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) terminated with elemental blocks of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) has been exploited through the phenomenon of preferential segregation in PMMA films. The modifier synthesized by living anionic polymerization using a bifunctional initiator is segregated at the surface in the mixture of PMMA due to a “buoy” effect of the POSS blocks. This further results in the surface wettability of PMMA being regulated on the basis of the amount of the modifier fed into the matrix. Finally, it is shown that the amount of the modifier in the PMMA films affects the cell proliferation behavior via the wettability.

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DNA base excision repair genetic risk scores, oxidative balance, and incident, sporadic colorectal adenoma
Authors: Wang Tengteng , Goodman Michael , Sun Yan V. , Thyagarajan Bharat , Gross Myron , Bostick Roberd M.
Published: January 2017

Associations of individual base excision repair (BER) genotypes with colorectal adenoma risk are unclear, but likely modest. However, genetic risk scores (GRS) that aggregate information from multiple genetic variants might be useful for assessing genetic predisposition to colorectal adenoma. We analyzed data pooled from three colonoscopy‐based case‐control studies of incident, sporadic colorectal adenoma (n = 488 cases, 604 controls) that collected blood for genotyping and extensive dietary and other data. We randomly split our population sample into training samples (half of the participants) and validation samples (the remaining participants) 10 times. Associations of 65 individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 15 BER genes were assessed in the training samples and used to combine information from multiple risk variants into a BER GRS among the validation samples using unweighted and weighted methods. We also combined 15 extrinsic exposures with known pro‐ or antioxidant properties into an oxidative balance score (OBS). Associations of the BER GRS with colorectal adenoma, overall and jointly with the OBS, were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. The odds ratio for those in the highest relative to the lowest tertile of the weighted BER GRS was 2.07 (95% confidence interval, 1.26‐3.40; ptrend = 0.01). Relative to those with both a low GRS and a high (more antioxidant) OBS, the estimated direct association for those with both a high BER GRS and a low OBS was stronger than for those in other GRS/OBS categories. Our findings suggest that BER genotypes collectively may be associated with incident sporadic colorectal adenomas.
Two‐stage spectral preconditioners for iterative eigensolvers
Authors: Bergamaschi Luca , Martínez Ángeles
Published: January 2017

In this paper, we present preconditioning techniques to accelerate the convergence of Krylov solvers at each step of an Inexact Newton's method for the computation of the leftmost eigenpairs of large and sparse symmetric positive definite matrices arising in large‐scale scientific computations. We propose a two‐stage spectral preconditioning strategy: The first stage produces a very rough approximation of a number of the leftmost eigenvectors. The second stage uses these approximations as starting vectors and also to construct the tuned preconditioner from an initial inverse approximation of the coefficient matrix, as proposed by Martínez. In the framework of the Implicitly Restarted Lanczos method. The action of this spectral preconditioner results in clustering a number of the eigenvalues of the preconditioned matrices close to one. We also study the combination of this approach with a BFGS‐style updating of the proposed spectral preconditioner as described by Bergamaschi and Martínez. Extensive numerical testing on a set of representative large SPD matrices gives evidence of the acceleration provided by these spectral preconditioners.
Hemoglobin C trait accentuates erythrocyte dehydration in hereditary xerocytosis
Authors: Yang Elizabeth , Voelkel Erin B. , Lezon‐Geyda Kimberly , Schulz Vincent P. , Gallagher Patrick G.
Published: January 2017

A 17‐year‐old male presented with acute hemolysis with stomatocytosis, elevated mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and osmotic gradient ektacytometry consistent with marked erythrocyte dehydration. Erythrocytes from both parents also demonstrated evidence of dehydration with elevated MCHC and abnormal ektacytometry, but neither to the degree of the patient. Genetic studies revealed the patient had hereditary xerocytosis (HX) due to a novel PIEZO1 mutation inherited from his mother and hemoglobin C (HbC) trait inherited from his father. HbC trait accentuated the erythrocyte dehydration of HX. Coinheritance of interrelated disorders and/or modifier alleles should be considered whenever severe erythrocyte dehydration is observed.
An investigation of the key parameters for predicting PV soiling losses
Authors: Micheli Leonardo , Muller Matthew
Published: January 2017

One hundred and two environmental and meteorological parameters have been investigated and compared with the performance of 20 soiling stations installed in the USA, in order to determine their ability to predict the soiling losses occurring on PV systems. The results of this investigation showed that the annual average of the daily mean particulate matter values recorded by monitoring stations deployed near the PV systems are the best soiling predictors, with coefficients of determination (R2) as high as 0.82. The precipitation pattern was also found to be relevant: among the different meteorological parameters, the average length of dry periods had the best correlation with the soiling ratio. A preliminary investigation of two‐variable regressions was attempted and resulted in an adjusted R2 of 0.90 when a combination of PM2.5 and a binary classification for the average length of the dry period was introduced. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Palladium on carbon‐catalyzed direct C—H arylation polycondensation of 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene with various dibromoarenes
Authors: Kojima Yoshihisa , Hayashi Shotaro , Koizumi Toshio
Published: January 2017

We have demonstrated a direct arylation polycondensation of 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene with 2,7‐dibromo‐9,9‐dioctylfluorene using palladium on carbon (Pd/C) as a catalyst. Pd/C is a low‐cost solid‐supported palladium catalyst, giving one of the effective catalytic systems for direct arylation. The Pd/C‐catalyzed direct arylation polycondensation with acetic acid/potassium carbonate in N,N‐dimethylacetamide furnished a high molecular weight π‐conjugated alternating copolymer of EDOT‐fluorene (Mn = 89,300, Mw/Mn = 3.27) in high yield. The polycondensation of EDOT with various dibromoarenes was also achieved, giving EDOT‐carbazole, EDOT‐dialylamine, and EDOT‐bithiophene polymers. Optical and electrochemical properties of the polymers were also discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016, 55, 1183–1188
Thermocapillary approaches to the deliberate patterning of polymers
Authors: Singer Jonathan Phillip
Published: January 2017

The phenomenon of thermocapillarity, the response of fluids to thermal gradients due to thermal alteration of their surface tension, was first reported over a century ago. Since then, research has focused generally on either the fundamentals or mitigation of this effect during the processing of materials. Only in the past two decades has the deliberate use of thermocapillary forces for the patterning of polymers been actively pursued, either for the ordering of internal structure or the introduction of topographic features. This review seeks to highlight this work and to identify directions for further investigation. In particular, while thermocapillary forces are often inextricably bound to other mechanisms, there are emerging directions in the deliberate coupling of forces to improve the capabilities of each mechanism. Further, the applications of thermocapillary patterning to polymer‐nanoparticle composites has recently provided another promising route to active architectures. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017, 55, 1649–1668
Aluminum‐Based Plasmonic Photocatalysis
Authors: Chen Yan , Xin Xin , Zhang Nan , Xu Yi‐Jun
Published: January 2017

Studies on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of noble metals (mainly gold and silver) regarding solar‐driven photocatalysis have been attracting enormous interests over the past two decades. As research on LSPR continues to expand, recently, aluminum (Al) with respect to plasmonic enhanced photocatalysis beyond such noble metals has attracted considerable attention. Al as an abundant and relatively inexpensive metal holds great promise for plasmonic photocatalysis with outstanding light‐harvesting capacity and performance in virtue of its unique optical characteristics. Herein, a short review is given on the related basics of LSPR, and the key factors including the size, shape, and oxide formation of Al nanostructures, which significantly influence the optical response of Al. In particular, photocatalytic applications in artificial photoredox processes with regard to plasmonic Al are outlined. In addition, some perspectives on the opportunity and challenge for future development of this research field are offered.
The 3‐nitro‐2‐pyridinesulfenyl group: synthesis and applications to peptide chemistry
Authors: Rentier Cédric , Fukumoto Kentarou , Taguchi Akihiro , Hayashi Yoshio
Published: January 2017

The 3‐nitro‐2‐pyridinesulfenyl chloride, commonly abbreviated as Npys‐Cl, was among the first stable heterocyclic sulfenyl halides to be isolated. After its discovery, the Npys group was widely used as a protecting group for the amines, alcohols and thiols. Herein, we have reviewed some of the aspects of the Npys‐Cl moiety, and its most promising recent uses are summarized, from the stability of the Npys protection of amines, hydroxyls and thiols and removal conditions for potential applications in peptide synthesis, to one of its most successful applications for the formation of mixed disulfides. Indeed, Npys protects thiols and acts as an activator for disulfide bond formation, thereby facilitating thiol/disulfide exchange to the corresponding disulfides. The selectivity and mild reaction conditions opened up a wide range of applications in chemical biology as well. Finally, some of the most recent developments regarding the synthesis and applications of solid‐phase Npys derivatives are discussed. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimized syntheses of Fmoc azido amino acids for the preparation of azidopeptides
Authors: Pícha Jan , Buděšínský Miloš , Macháčková Kateřina , Collinsová Michaela , Jiráček Jiří
Published: January 2017

The rise of CuI‐catalyzed click chemistry has initiated an increased demand for azido and alkyne derivatives of amino acid as precursors for the synthesis of clicked peptides. However, the use of azido and alkyne amino acids in peptide chemistry is complicated by their high cost. For this reason, we investigated the possibility of the in‐house preparation of a set of five Fmoc azido amino acids: β‐azido l‐alanine and d‐alanine, γ‐azido l‐homoalanine, δ‐azido l‐ornithine and ω‐azido l‐lysine. We investigated several reaction pathways described in the literature, suggested several improvements and proposed several alternative routes for the synthesis of these compounds in high purity. Here, we demonstrate that multigram quantities of these Fmoc azido amino acids can be prepared within a week or two and at user‐friendly costs. We also incorporated these azido amino acids into several model tripeptides, and we observed the formation of a new elimination product of the azido moiety upon conditions of prolonged couplings with 2‐(1H‐benzotriazol‐1‐yl)‐1,1,3,3‐tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate/DIPEA. We hope that our detailed synthetic protocols will inspire some peptide chemists to prepare these Fmoc azido acids in their laboratories and will assist them in avoiding the too extensive costs of azidopeptide syntheses.

Experimental procedures and/or analytical data for compounds 3–5, 20, 25, 26, 30 and 43–47 are provided in the supporting information. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Peptide Science published by European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Three molecular forms of atrial natriuretic peptides: quantitative analysis and biological characterization
Authors: Nagai‐Okatani Chiaki , Kangawa Kenji , Minamino Naoto
Published: January 2017

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is primarily produced in the heart tissue and plays a pivotal role in maintaining cardiovascular homeostasis in endocrine and autocrine/paracrine systems and has clinical applications as a biomarker and a therapeutic agent for cardiac diseases. ANP is synthesized by atrial cardiomyocytes as a preprohormone that is processed by a signal peptidase and stored in secretory granules as a prohormone. Subsequent proteolytic processing of ANP by corin during the secretion process results in a bioactive form consisting of 28 amino acid residues. Mechanical stretch of the atrial wall and multiple humoral factors directly stimulates the transcription and secretion of ANP. Secreted ANP elicits natriuretic and diuretic effects via cyclic guanosine monophosphate produced through binding to the guanylyl cyclase‐A/natriuretic peptide receptor‐A. Circulating ANP is subjected to rapid clearance by a natriuretic peptide receptor‐C‐mediated mechanism and proteolytic degradation by neutral endopeptidase. In humans, ANP is present as three endogenous molecular forms: bioactive α‐ANP, a homodimer of α‐ANP designated as β‐ANP, and an ANP precursor designated as proANP (also referred to as γ‐ANP). The proANP and especially β‐ANP, as minor forms in circulation, are notably increased in patients with cardiac diseases, suggesting the utility of monitoring the pathophysiological conditions that result in abnormal proANP processing that cannot be monitored by inactive N‐terminal proANP‐related fragments. Emerging plate‐based sandwich immunoassays for individual quantitation of the three ANP forms enables evaluation of diagnostic implications and net ANP bioactivity. This new tool may provide further understanding in the pathophysiology of cardiac diseases. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DS6: anticandidal, antibiofilm peptide against Candida tropicalis and exhibit synergy with commercial drug
Authors: Singh Kusum , Shekhar Shashank , Yadav Yudhishthir , Xess Immaculata , Dey Sharmistha
Published: January 2017

Antifungal peptides have gained interest as therapeutic agents in recent years because of increased multidrug resistance against present antifungal drugs. This study designed, synthesized and characterized antifungal activity of a small peptide analogue, DS6. This peptide was designed using the template from the N‐terminal part of the antifungal protein, Aspergillus giganteous. DS6 inhibited Candida tropicalis (ATCC 13803), as well as its clinical isolates. DS6 was found to be a fungicidal, killing the fungus very rapidly. DS6 is also non‐toxic to human cells. Synergistic interactions of DS6 with amphotericin B and fluconazole were also evident. DS6 is membrane lytic and exhibits antibiofilm activity against C. tropicalis. In conclusion, DS6 may have utility as an alternative antifungal therapy for C. tropicalis. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Application of a customized 3D printed reduction aid after external fixation of the femur and tibia: Technical note
Authors: Omar Mohamed , Zeller Alexander‐Nicolai , Gellrich Nils‐Claudius , Rana Majeed , Krettek Christian , Liodakis Emannouil
Published: January 2017

Background

To construct a fracture‐specific reduction aid by means of virtual reduction technology and 3D printing to reduce malreduced, externally fixed, long bone fractures.

Technique

Following application of an external fixator to a malreduced long bone fracture, we performed postoperative computed tomography to visualise the fragments and their position relative to Schanz screws. DICOM data were transferred to 3D planning software, and the fracture was then virtually reduced. Subsequently, a reduction aid was designed to cover the Schanz screws in such a way that it would maintain the position of the new fragments. Following 3D printing, the solid reduction aid could be applied onto the Schanz screws. The reduction aid fit only in the reduced position of the fracture, thus maintaining correct bone alignment.

Conclusion

Our reduction technique can be applied during the temporary external fixation period on the preexisting external fixator or as a reduction aid during definitive treatment.
Aligning Coordination Class Theory With a New Context: Applying a Theory of Individual Learning to Group Learning
Authors: BARTH‐COHEN LAUREN A. , WITTMANN MICHAEL C.
Published: January 2017

This article presents an empirical analysis of conceptual difficulties encountered and ways students made progress in learning at both individual and group levels in a classroom environment in which the students used an embodied modeling activity to make sense of a specific scientific scenario. The theoretical framework, coordination class theory, has primarily been used to capture individual learning in interview settings, and here it is applied to analytically capture both individual and group learning in a complex classroom environment. Classrooms of ninth‐grade earth science students used the position of their bodies to model a specific scientific concept, the steady‐state energy of the earth. The students encountered difficulties aligning their understanding of the scientific concept with the models. Subsequently, they changed their models in specific ways that better aligned their understanding of the scientific concept with their newly modified model. The theory is utilized to describe learning by both individuals and the group in this classroom environment and shows how a single student's contribution can dramatically affect the model and subsequent learning. Implications suggest new ways in which the theory may be useful for designing learning environments.
Sizing clinical trials when comparing bivariate time‐to‐event outcomes
Authors: Sugimoto Tomoyuki , Hamasaki Toshimitsu , Evans Scott R. , Sozu Takashi
Published: January 2017

Clinical trials with multiple primary time‐to‐event outcomes are common. Use of multiple endpoints creates challenges in the evaluation of power and the calculation of sample size during trial design particularly for time‐to‐event outcomes. We present methods for calculating the power and sample size for randomized superiority clinical trials with two correlated time‐to‐event outcomes. We do this for independent and dependent censoring for three censoring scenarios: (i) the two events are non‐fatal; (ii) one event is fatal (semi‐competing risk); and (iii) both are fatal (competing risk). We derive the bivariate log‐rank test in all three censoring scenarios and investigate the behavior of power and the required sample sizes. Separate evaluations are conducted for two inferential goals, evaluation of whether the test intervention is superior to the control on: (1) all of the endpoints (multiple co‐primary) or (2) at least one endpoint (multiple primary). Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Carbohydrate‐BasedSafe Fuel Gel with Significant Self–healing Property
Authors: Pal Kumar Bhaskar , Mukhopadhyay Balaram
Published: January 2017

We report a multi‐functional low molecular weight organogelator (LMOG) derived from mannose with rational protecting group manipulations. The gelator found to give excellent gelation with various organic solvents and oils at very low concentration. The gel showed excellent self‐healing property and phase‐selectivity in the aqueous‐organic interface. The thermo‐reversible gel exhibited efficient recharge ability up to four cycles of burning and gelation indicating the potential use as safe fuel. The single crystal X‐ray structure of the gelator gave an insight of the supramolecular arrangement that lead to the multifunctional behaviour.
Realization of Quantitative Estimation for Reaction Rate Constants Using only One Physical Parameter for Each Reactant
Authors: Fu Yan‐Hua , Shen Guang‐Bin , Li Yang , Yuan Lin , Li Jun‐Ling , Li Le , Fu An‐Kun , Chen Jin‐Ting , Chen Bao‐Long , Zhu Li , Zhu Xiao‐Qing
Published: January 2017

In this present paper, a new physical parameter (named as thermo‐kinetic parameter) of reactants was defined according to Zhu's kinetic equation, which can be used to quantitatively estimate activation free energy of various chemical reactions. In order to test the actual application of the thermo‐kinetic parameter of reactants, the thermo‐kinetic parameter values of 109 hydrogen atom donors and 109 hydrogen atom acceptors in acetonitrile at 298 K were determined using experimental methods and the rate constants of 5886 hydrogen atom transfer reactions in acetonitrile at 298 K were quantitatively estimated only using the thermo‐kinetic parameter values of the 109 hydrogen atom donors and the 109 hydrogen atom acceptors in acetonitrile at 298 K. The reliabilities of the estimations were verified. Physical meanings and affecting factors of the thermo‐kinetic parameter were elucidated and examined, respectively. The most significant contribution of this paper is to realize the chemists’ dream for a century that the reaction rate constants can be quantitatively estimated using only one physical parameter for each reactant.
Challenges for Sensitive Quantification of Gene Editing “Off‐Target” Activity
Authors: Tsai Shengdar Q.
Published: January 2017

Error rates of current high‐throughput sequencing technologies limit quantification of low‐frequency off‐target gene‐editing activity. The principles of gene editing are introduced and discussed, along with current challenges in targeted quantification and validation of low‐frequency gene‐editing off‐target sites and the detection of mutations with regard to improving current sensitivity limits.
Bridging inquiry‐based science and constructionism: Exploring the alignment between students tinkering with code of computational models and goals of inquiry
Authors: Wagh Aditi , Cook‐Whitt Kate , Wilensky Uri
Published: January 2017

Research on the design of learning environments for K‐12 science education has been informed by two bodies of literature: inquiry‐based science and Constructionism. Inquiry‐based science has emphasized engagement in activities that reflect authentic scientific practices. Constructionism has focused on designing intuitively accessible authoring environments and microworlds that embody the structure of a content domain in program code. Learners build, extend, or explore artifacts to make sense of underlying mechanisms. In this paper, we bridge these bodies of work to argue that interacting with program code of a computational model can facilitate engagement in inquiry‐based science. Tinkering with code involves students playfully manipulating the code of a computational model to generate and pursue goals or questions in the model. We use data from video‐recorded interviews with eleven 10th grade students in which they demonstrate their tinkering explorations with code of models of biological phenomena, and describe related interactions with other students. We analyze these data using a conceptual framework of inquiry‐based science consisting of three components: pursuit of investigations, sense making of investigations, and engagement with a community. We characterize points of alignment between students’ tinkering and these components to argue that tinkering with code underlying computational models facilitated engagement in inquiry‐based science. We also demonstrate how it provided opportunities for disciplinary engagement in two ways: Computational engagement or using code as a representational medium to pursue questions of interest, and conceptual engagement, or coming to notice and explain resulting changes in the modeled phenomenon. More broadly, we argue that the constructionist approach of interacting with and manipulating program code of computational models can facilitate productive forms of engagement with inquiry‐based science. We discuss affordances of interacting with code as a way to engage in inquiry, and provide design recommendations for the adoption of manipulation of code as an inquiry practice. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54:615–641, 2017
A robust biomarker of large‐scale network failure in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Wiepert Daniela A. , Lowe Val J. , Knopman David S. , Boeve Bradley F. , Graff‐Radford Jonathan , Petersen Ronald C. , Jack Clifford R. , Jones David T.
Published: January 2017

Introduction

Biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology have been developed that focus on various levels of brain organization. However, no robust biomarker of large‐scale network failure has been developed. Using the recently introduced cascading network failure model of AD, we developed the network failure quotient (NFQ) as a biomarker of this process.

Methods

We developed and optimized the NFQ using our recently published analyses of task‐free functional magnetic resonance imaging data in clinically normal (n = 43) and AD dementia participants (n = 28) from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. The optimized NFQ (oNFQ) was then validated in a cohort spanning the AD spectrum from the Mayo Clinic (n = 218).

Results

The oNFQ (d = 1.25, 95% confidence interval [1.25, 1.26]) had the highest effect size for differentiating persons with AD dementia from clinically normal participants. The oNFQ measure performed similarly well on the validation Mayo Clinic sample (d = 1.44, 95% confidence interval [1.43, 1.44]). The oNFQ was also associated with other available key biomarkers in the Mayo cohort.

Discussion

This study demonstrates a measure of functional connectivity, based on a cascading network failure model of AD, and was highly successful in identifying AD dementia. A robust biomarker of the large‐scale effects of AD pathophysiology will allow for richer descriptions of the disease process and its modifiers, but is not currently suitable for discriminating clinical diagnostic categories. The large‐scale network level may be one of the earliest manifestations of AD, making this an attractive target for continued biomarker development to be used in prevention trials.
Lessons from seru production on manufacturing competitively in a high cost environment
Authors: Yin Yong , Stecke Kathryn E. , Swink Morgan , Kaku Ikou
Published: January 2017

High capital and labor costs, coupled with high rates of technological and competitive change, present challenges for manufacturers in developed countries, often spurring them to offshore production to low cost sources. However, the electronics industry provides an exception to this trend, where dynamic, high cost conditions have given rise to a new production system – seru – a cellular assembly approach. Seru evolved as an alternative to lean systems approaches, manifesting important differentiated system design choices that appear to offer promise for manufacturing in dynamic, high‐cost markets. This paper reports the results of in‐depth, longitudinal case studies of two electronics giants who have implemented seru. The case studies describe seru's fundamental extensions to, and departures from, lean production, agile production, and group technology‐based cellular manufacturing. We explain how Sony and Canon have applied seru to improve productivity, quality, and flexibility in ways that have enabled them to remain competitive. In addition, our findings elaborate the theory of swift, even flow, with implications for future research of trade‐offs related to production efficiency, responsiveness, and competitiveness in high‐cost, technologically dynamic markets.
What Women Want—An Explorative Study on Women's Attitudes Toward Sexuality Boosting Medication in a Sample of Swiss Women
Authors: Gutsche Melanie , Burri Andrea
Published: January 2017

Introduction

The recent approval of flibanserin to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women has once again fueled the ongoing debate about medicalization of female sexual problems and the necessity of such a drug.

Aim

To investigate women's attitudes toward sexuality-boosting medication (SBM) and the role of factors potentially associated with these attitudes, including sexual functioning, sexual quality of life, relationship satisfaction, and personality, in an exploratory survey.

Methods

A population sample of 159 women 18 to 73 years old (mean = 31.8) participated in this cross-sectional online survey. Study variables were assessed using a combination of validated questionnaires and self-constructed questions.

Main Outcome Measures

Descriptive statistics in the form of proportions and percentages and correlation and moderation analyses.

Results

Sixty-one percent of women were willing to take SBM, mostly to increase orgasm frequency and intensity and sexual desire. Likeliness to take SBM correlated negatively with age (r = −0.24; P < .005) and with levels of arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and sexual satisfaction (P < .05 for all comparisons). Higher relationship satisfaction and conscientiousness moderated the association between willingness to take SBM and desire levels (P < .05 for the two comparisons). For desired properties of SBM, 48.2% of women considered an onset of action of “up to 1 hour” ideal, 41% preferred “less than 15 minutes,” and 66.9% considered a window of action of “an hour” to be ideal.

Conclusion

The demand for a drug to enhance sexual performance in women exists and ideally should target desire and orgasm intensity and frequency. By taking such as drug, women hope to benefit in increased sexual satisfaction and fun with sex. Furthermore, the willingness to take SBM seems to greatly depend on the woman's relationship satisfaction and some personality characteristics.
Injury and Trauma in Bioarchaeology
Authors: Redfern Rebecca C.
Published: January 2017

The remains of past people are a testament to their lived experiences and of the environment in which they lived. Synthesising the latest research, this book critically examines the sources of evidence used to understand and interpret violence in bioarchaeology, exploring the significant light such evidence can shed on past hierarchies, gender roles and life courses. The text draws on a diverse range of social and clinical science research to investigate violence and trauma in the archaeological record, focussing on human remains. It examines injury patterns in different groups as well as the biological, psychological and cultural factors that make us behave violently, how our living environment influences injury and violence, the models used to identify and interpret violence in the past, and how violence is used as a social tool. Drawing on a range of case studies, Redfern explores new research directions that will contribute to nuanced interpretations of past lives.
Institutional Origins of Islamist Political Mobilization
Authors: Mecham Quinn
Published: January 2017

Muslim countries experience wide variation in levels of Islamist political mobilization, including such political activities as protest, voting, and violence. Institutional Origins of Islamist Political Mobilization provides a theory of the institutional origins of Islamist politics, focusing on the development of religious common knowledge, religious entrepreneurship, and coordinating focal points as critical to the success of Islamist activism. Examining Islamist politics in more than 50 countries over four decades, the book illustrates that Islamist political activism varies a great deal, appearing in specific types of institutional contexts. Detailed case studies of Turkey, Algeria, and Senegal demonstrate how diverse contexts yield different types of Islamist politics across the Muslim world.
American Spies
Authors: Granick Jennifer Stisa
Published: January 2017

US intelligence agencies - the eponymous American spies - are exceedingly aggressive, pushing and sometimes bursting through the technological, legal and political boundaries of lawful surveillance. Written for a general audience by a surveillance law expert, this book educates readers about how the reality of modern surveillance differs from popular understanding. Weaving the history of American surveillance - from J. Edgar Hoover through the tragedy of September 11th to the fusion centers and mosque infiltrators of today - the book shows that mass surveillance and democracy are fundamentally incompatible. Granick shows how surveillance law has fallen behind while surveillance technology has given American spies vast new powers. She skillfully guides the reader through proposals for reining in massive surveillance with the ultimate goal of surveillance reform.
How We Think and Learn
Authors: Ormrod Jeanne Ellis
Published: January 2017

Written in a conversational and engaging manner, How We Think and Learn introduces readers to basic principles and research findings regarding human cognition and memory. It also highlights and debunks twenty-eight common misconceptions about thinking, learning, and the brain. Interspersed throughout the book are many short do-it-yourself exercises in which readers can observe key principles in their own thinking and learning. All ten chapters end with concrete recommendations - both for readers' own learning and for teaching and working effectively with others. As an accomplished researcher and writer, Jeanne Ellis Ormrod gives us a book that is not only highly informative but also a delight to read.
Experimental investigation of a helicopter rotor with Gurney flaps
Authors: Gibertini G. , Zanotti A. , Droandi G. , Auteri F. , Crosta G.
Published: January 2017

The present work describes an experimental activity carried out to investigate the performance of Gurney flaps on a helicopter rotor model in hovering. The four blades of the articulated rotor model were equipped with Gurney flaps positioned at 95% of the aerofoil chord, spanning 14% of the rotor radius. The global aerodynamic loads and torque were measured for three Gurney flap configurations characterised by different heights. The global measurements showed an apparent benefit produced by Gurney flaps in terms of rotor performance with respect to the clean blade configuration. Particle image velocimetry surveys were also performed on the blade section at 65% of the rotor radius with and without the Gurney flaps. The local velocity data was used to complete the characterisation of the blade aerodynamic performance through the evaluation of the sectional aerodynamic loads using the the control volume approach.
COMPUTABLE FUNCTORS AND EFFECTIVE INTERPRETABILITY
Authors: HARRISON-TRAINOR MATTHEW , MELNIKOV ALEXANDER , MILLER RUSSELL , MONTALBÁN ANTONIO
Published: January 2017

Our main result is the equivalence of two notions of reducibility between
structures. One is a syntactical notion which is an effective version of
interpretability as in model theory, and the other one is a computational notion
which is a strengthening of the well-known Medvedev reducibility. We extend our
result to effective bi-interpretability and also to effective reductions between
classes of structures.
Dating and Stable Isotope Analysis of Charred Residues from Neolithic Sites in the Primorye, Russian Far East
Authors: Kunikita Dai , Popov Alexander N , Lazin Boris V , Morisaki Kazuki , Matsuzaki Hiroyuki
Published: January 2017

This study attempts to reconstruct food habits through carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotope analysis and C/N analysis of charred residues inside pottery from the Primorye in the Russian Far East (Luzanova Sopka 2, Sergeyevka 1, Boisman 2, and Vetka 2 sites). Dates were obtained that were from the later stages of the Rudnaya culture (6980–6485 BP, 7800–7400 cal BP), proto-Boisman type (6760–6330 BP, 7600–7300 cal BP), Boisman culture (6155–4720 BP, 7100–5400 cal BP), and Vetka culture (6030–5870 BP, 6900–6700 cal BP). There are major differences in the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios between inland sites (δ13C –26.9 to –30.0‰, δ15N 7.6 to 9.3‰) and coastal sites (δ13C –18.1 to –24.2‰, δ15N 9.5 to 14.9‰). The results show that the diet of inland cultures consisted primarily of freshwater fish and terrestrial animals and plants, whereas that of coastal cultures consisted mainly of marine organisms.
The Body of Solidarity: Heritage, Memory, and Materiality in Post-Industrial Italy
Authors: Muehlebach Andrea
Published: January 2017

This paper explores the rise of “industrial heritage” and the forms of memorialization proliferating around it. The site is Sesto San Giovanni, Italy's “City of Factories,” which was also a bastion of communist mobilization and which is now bidding to be recognized on UNESCO's world heritage list. Sesto's bid is an attempt not just to recuperate and reinvigorate the landscape of Sesto's ruined factories and its massive, crumbling machinery, but also to capture and render visible and graspable the traces of what this built environment expressed and left behind—the sentiment of solidarity. I thus argue for an understanding of solidarity not just as an emotion or value, but as a structure of feeling mediated by specific material and corporeal forms, in bodies collectively inhabiting a built environment and rhythmically moving within and out of infrastructures and lived landscapes. Such a materialist conception of solidarity must account for bodies and embodiment, rhythm and refrain, as well as for how certain material forms allow for the generation of proximities, coordination, and likeness across difference. It means thinking of solidarity as an arrangement and assembly of bodies in time and space, and of these bodies and their movement as generative of political feeling and action. Based on ethnographic and archival research in Sesto San Giovanni between 2011 and 2013, I tell the story of the afterlife of a twentieth-century sentiment and its fate in an era that has rendered solidarity precarious.
Street Textuality: Socialism, Masculinity, and Urban Belonging in Tanzania's Pulp Fiction Publishing Industry, 1975–1985
Authors: Callaci Emily
Published: January 2017

From the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s, a network of young urban migrant men created an underground pulp fiction publishing industry in the city of Dar es Salaam. As texts that were produced in the underground economy of a city whose trajectory was increasingly charted outside of formalized planning and investment, these novellas reveal more than their narrative content alone. These texts were active components in the urban social worlds of the young men who produced them. They reveal a mode of urbanism otherwise obscured by narratives of decolonization, in which urban belonging was constituted less by national citizenship than by the construction of social networks, economic connections, and the crafting of reputations. This article argues that pulp fiction novellas of socialist era Dar es Salaam are artifacts of emergent forms of male sociability and mobility. In printing fictional stories about urban life on pilfered paper and ink, and distributing their texts through informal channels, these writers not only described urban communities, reputations, and networks, but also actually created them.
Strategic Delays and Clustering in Hedge Fund Reported Returns
Authors: Aragon George O. , Nanda Vikram
Published: January 2017

We use a novel database to study the timeliness of hedge fund monthly performance disclosures. Managers engage in strategic timing: poor monthly returns are reported with delay, sometimes clustered with stronger subsequent performance, suggestive of “performance smoothing.” We posit that propensity to delay could reveal operational risk and/or poor managerial quality. Consistent with this, a portfolio strategy that buys (sells) funds with historically timely (untimely) reporting delivers 3% annual-style-adjusted returns. Investor flows are lower following reporting delays, although there are potential benefits to managers from delaying reporting when performance is sufficiently poor. We conclude that timely disclosure is an important consideration for hedge fund managers and investors.
Green tides on inter- and subtidal sandy shores: differential impacts on infauna and flatfish
Authors: Quillien N. , Nordström M. C. , Le Bris H. , Bonsdorff E. , Grall J.
Published: January 2017

Beach ecosystems extend from dune to offshore areas along most coasts, and provide essential services that are not provided by any other ecosystem. Indeed, sandy systems contain unique biodiversity and supply nursery and foraging areas for numerous commercially important marine species, such as flatfish. However, these systems are threatened by increasing anthropogenic pressure. Green tides (GT, i.e. accumulations of green opportunistic macroalgae) are a major human-induced threat to marine ecosystems, from inshore to nearshore. This eutrophication process greatly affects both benthic invertebrate communities and flatfish communities, within sheltered and non- or microtidal systems. However, the responses of dynamic open macrotidal sandy systems to eutrophication in the form of macroalgal mats are not yet fully understood. In particular, understanding the effects of GT on two connected biological compartments (infauna and flatfish) within two connected habitats (intertidal and subtidal) is crucial. Here, we set out to assess the influence of several environmental variables, including Ulva biomass, on the variability in infauna and flatfish communities in both the intertidal and the subtidal at four sites impacted or not by GT. In total, 110 biodiversity samples were analysed with classic and novel analytical approaches. Our results demonstrate that the presence of GT specifically impacts intertidal macroinvertebrate communities. However, small effects of GT on subtidal infauna communities, as well as on species-specific flatfish at both intertidal and subtidal, were still detectable. Our findings underline the vulnerability of highly dynamic ecosystems exposed to anthropogenic stress, in particular intertidal sandy shores.
UNIFORM CONVERGENCE RATES OVER MAXIMAL DOMAINS IN STRUCTURAL NONPARAMETRIC COINTEGRATING REGRESSION
Authors: Duffy James A.
Published: January 2017

This paper presents uniform convergence rates for kernel regression estimators, in the setting of a structural nonlinear cointegrating regression model. We generalise the existing literature in three ways. First, the domain to which these rates apply is much wider than the domains that have been considered in the existing literature, and can be chosen so as to contain as large a fraction of the sample as desired in the limit. Second, our results allow the regression disturbance to be serially correlated, and cross-correlated with the regressor; previous work on this problem (of obtaining uniform rates) having been confined entirely to the setting of an exogenous regressor. Third, we permit the bandwidth to be data-dependent, requiring it to satisfy only certain weak asymptotic shrinkage conditions. Our assumptions on the regressor process are consistent with a very broad range of departures from the standard unit root autoregressive model, allowing the regressor to be fractionally integrated, and to have an infinite variance (and even infinite lower-order moments).