bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Model vs. playback experiments: The impact of sensory mode on predator‐specific escape responses in saki monkeys
Authors: Adams Dara B. , Kitchen Dawn M.
Published: January 2020

Although experimentally simulating predator presence helps improve sample sizes in studies of free‐ranging animals, few studies have examined whether auditory playbacks and visual models produce similar results. Additionally, it is unclear if anti‐predator strategies are specific to predator hunting styles in understudied Neotropical pitheciid primates, limiting what we can generalize about this phenomenon across this taxonomic order. We conducted predator simulation experiments to assess whether wild Rylands' bald‐faced saki monkeys (Pithecia rylandsi) recognize predators based solely on acoustic cues, exhibit predator‐specific responses to different predator types, and vary responses to presentations in different sensory modes. In our playback experiments, sakis had weak responses to non‐predator control vocalizations compared to jaguar growls and harpy eagle shrieks. In most predator playbacks, subjects' first glance corresponded to the direction from which simulated predators would typically attack (above vs. below). However, although sakis exhibited appropriate movement responses to harpy playbacks (i.e., descending canopy), they exhibited no clear movement patterns when presented with jaguar playbacks. In contrast, jaguar model experiments consistently elicited fast approaches, mobbing‐style responses, and long alarm calling bouts. Thus, if we had relied on playbacks alone, we might have concluded that sakis have only generalized responses to terrestrial ambush predators. In fact, in all variables measured (e.g., latency, number of calls, and response duration), models of both predator species elicited stronger reactions than playbacks. Results indicate that bald‐faced sakis can identify predators based solely on vocalizations, but do not exhibit predator‐specific escape responses to terrestrial predators based on acoustic cues alone. The differential response to playbacks and models calls into question the reliability of using acoustic‐only stimuli to assess the specificity of anti‐predator behavior to predator hunting styles in some primate species.
Patterns of environmental variance across environments and traits in domestic cattle
Authors: Schou Mads F. , Kristensen Torsten N. , Hoffmann Ary A.
Published: January 2020

The variance in phenotypic trait values is a product of environmental and genetic variation. The sensitivity of traits to environmental variation has a genetic component and is likely to be under selection. However, there are few studies investigating the evolution of this sensitivity, in part due to the challenges of estimating the environmental variance. The livestock literature provides a wealth of studies that accurately partition components of phenotypic variance, including the environmental variance, in well‐defined environments. These studies involve breeds that have been under strong selection on mean phenotype in optimal environments for many generations, and therefore represent an opportunity to study the potential evolution of trait sensitivity to environmental conditions. Here, we use literature on domestic cattle to examine the evolution of micro‐environmental variance (CVR—the coefficient of residual variance) by testing for differences in expression of CVR in animals from the same breed reared in different environments. Traits that have been under strong selection did not follow a null expectation of an increase in CVR in heterogenous environments (e.g., grazing), a pattern that may reflect evolution of increased uniformity in heterogeneous environments. When comparing CVR across environments of different levels of optimality, here measured by trait mean, we found a reduction in CVR in the more optimal environments for both life history and growth traits. Selection aimed at increasing trait means in livestock breeds typically occurs in the more optimal environments, and we therefore suspect that the decreased CVR is a consequence of evolution of the expression of micro‐environmental variance in this environment. Our results highlight the heterogeneity in micro‐environmental variance across environments and point to possible connections to the intensity of selection on trait means.
The development of safe and effective rehabilitation protocols for horses
Authors: Haussler K. K. , King M. R. , Peck K. , Adair H. S.
Published: January 2020

Rehabilitation has become an important aspect of equine practice. Unfortunately, there is limited knowledge or awareness of the general principles and methods used to develop safe and effective rehabilitation programmes. By following a few basic principles, appropriate rehabilitation programmes can be developed for individual horses with a wide range of injuries and sources of musculoskeletal pain or dysfunction. This article provides an outline of general guidelines to help practitioners interested in developing rehabilitation programmes or working with sports medicine and rehabilitation experts to provide the best possible treatment for individual horses with injuries at different stages of healing.
Highlighting Healthy Options in a Food Pantry Setting: A Pilot Study
Authors: Grabow Kaitlin N. , Schumacher Julie , Banning Jennifer , Barnes Jennifer L.
Published: January 2020

Food pantries are an important resource for the food insecure. The purpose of this study was to generate pilot data on effects of rearranging a food pantry on consumer food choices. Two pantries in Illinois participated in the study: a control pantry and the other pantry rearranged to highlight healthier foods. Consumer selections were compared. Patrons at the intervention pantry chose more fresh fruits and vegetables, canned vegetables, nuts, and dairy products; these items met the healthy criteria that had been established prior to the intervention. This study suggests that an intervention that was free and relatively easy to manage could improve food selections among food pantry patrons. This has the potential of leading to improved dietary intake among the food insecure.
The relative importance of biotic and abiotic determinants of temporal occupancy for avian species in North America
Authors: Snell Taylor Sara , Umbanhowar James , Hurlbert Allen H.
Published: January 2020

Aim

We examined the relative importance of competitor abundance and environmental variables in determining the species distributions of 175 bird species across North America. Unlike previous studies, which tend to model distributions in terms of presence and absence, we take advantage of a geographically extensive dataset of community time series to model the temporal occupancy of species at sites throughout their expected range.

Location

North America.

Time period

2001–2015.

Major taxa studied

One hundred and seventy‐five bird species.

Methods

We calculated variation in temporal occupancy across species’ geographic ranges and used variance partitioning and Bayesian hierarchical models to evaluate the relative importance of (a) the abundance of potential competitors and (b) the environment (elevation, temperature, precipitation, vegetation index) for determining temporal occupancy. We also created a null model to test whether designated competitor species predicted variation in temporal occupancy better than non‐competitor species.

Results

On average, the environment explained more variance in temporal occupancy than competitor abundance, but this varied by species. For certain species, competitor abundance explained more variance than the environment. Migrant species with smaller range sizes and greater range overlap with competitors had a higher proportion of variance explained by competitor abundance than the environment. The abundance of competitor species had a stronger effect on focal species temporal occupancy than non‐competitor species in the null model.

Main conclusions

Temporal occupancy represents an underutilized method for describing species distributions that is complementary to presence/absence or abundance. Geographic variation in temporal occupancy was explained by both biotic and abiotic drivers, and abiotic drivers explained more variation in temporal occupancy than abundance on average. Species traits also play a role in determining whether variation in temporal occupancy is best explained by biotic or abiotic drivers. The results of our study can improve species distribution models, particularly by accounting for competitive interactions.
Evolutionary constraints and adaptation shape the size and colour of rain forest fruits and flowers at continental scale
Authors: Delmas Chloé E. L. , Kooyman Robert M. , Rossetto Maurizio
Published: January 2020

Aim

Large‐scale patterns in flower and fruit traits provide crucial insights into selection processes and the evolutionary history of plant lineages. To isolate and identify the role of selective pressures, including different plant–animal interactions and the factors driving trait evolution, we investigated the convergence and divergence between flower and fruit traits in shared environments.

Location

Australia to Southeast Asia.

Time period

Eocene (c. 45 Ma) to present.

Major taxa studied

Woody angiosperm rain forest species (2,248 species, 133 families).

Methods

Using a continental‐scale data set for all woody angiosperm species in the Australian rain forest (1,816 free‐standing and 432 climbing species), we compared the colour and size of fleshy fruits and flowers in relationship to life‐form (trees/shrubs and vines), species biogeographical histories and origins (Sunda versus Sahul) and bioregional distributions.

Results

Fleshy fruits in the Australian rain forest are mostly small, with a diversity of colours (<30 mm; 81%), and the flowers are mostly small (<10 mm; 65%) and whitish (c. 80%). Compared with trees and shrubs, climbing species showed a higher proportion of red fleshy fruits and large coloured flowers. Small whitish flowers were dominant across lineages from different biogeographical origins (Sunda and Sahul) and geographical regions, and both small and large fleshy fruits retained a range of disperser‐attractant colours.

Main conclusions

Continental‐scale size and colour characteristics of flowers and fleshy fruits differed despite sharing environments with similar abiotic selective pressures through time. Plant–animal interactions, including pollination and dispersal, are likely to mediate different evolutionary outcomes for plant traits and reflect both adaptation and evolutionary constraints.
Association of long‐term care needs, approaching death and age with medical and long‐term care expenditures in the last year of life: An analysis of insurance claims data
Authors: Mori Hiroko , Ishizaki Tatsuro , Takahashi Ryutaro
Published: January 2020

Aim

This study aimed to examine whether long‐term care needs, approaching death and age were associated with the use of medical and long‐term care resources (care/service use and expenditures) in the last year of life among older Japanese individuals.

Methods

Using data on insurance claims and death certificates, we described the use of medical and long‐term care resources in the last year of life by residents of Soma City in Japan aged ≥65 years who died between September 2006 and October 2009. Using a generalized estimating equation, we examined whether long‐term care needs, approaching death and age were associated with resource use during each 3‐month period in the last year of life.

Results

Resource use in medical and long‐term care among 882 non‐survivors and 8504 survivors were analyzed. Analyses for the non‐survivors showed statistically significant associations between: (i) severe long‐term care needs and greater service use in outpatient care, higher expenditures for outpatient care and higher expenditures for in‐home/facility services; (ii) approaching death and greater use in both inpatient care and facility services; and (iii) being aged 65–74 years and greater service use in outpatient/in‐hospital care and in‐home/facility services, higher expenditures in outpatient/inpatient care, and lower expenditures for in‐home/facility services.

Conclusions

The present study showed that severe long‐term care needs and approaching death, rather than advancing age, were significantly and independently associated with greater use of resources in both medical and long‐term care services. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 277–284.
Nurturing female leadership skills through peer mentoring role: A study among undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Baroudi Sandra , David Solomon Arulraj
Published: January 2020

Nurturing students’ leadership is a crucial element in the twenty‐first century due to its effects on their personal growth, well‐being and self‐awareness. Peer mentoring programmes promoted students’ confidence levels and provided leadership development opportunities for them. The majority of peer mentoring studies often looked into the positive outcomes of mentoring on mentees rather than on mentors. Through semi‐structured interviews, this study sought to explore the impact of peer mentoring role on female mentors’ personal development and leadership practices in one university in the United Arab Emirates. Most participants viewed the mentoring role as the driving force behind their improved academic, personal development and career‐related skills. The peer mentoring experience offered a great personal and psychosocial support to female mentors. Involvement in peer mentoring enhanced mentors’ well‐being and their attachment to their learning environment. Mentors’ professionalism and sense of responsibility grew, and they gained experiences and skills that may help them in their future career. This study aimed to inspire female students to be future leaders who can positively contribute to their communities. It strengthened arguments for implementing peer mentoring programmes in universities.
Effect of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on the structure and antioxidant activity of bovine serum albumin (BSA)
Authors: Liu Zhi‐Wei , Manzoor Muhammad Faisal , Tan Yi‐Cheng , Inam‐ur‐Raheem Muhammad , Aadil Rana Muhammad
Published: January 2020

This study was aimed to determine the influence of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma with a plasma intensity (20 and 40 kV) and treatment times (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 min) on the physicochemical, structural and antioxidant properties of bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution. In results, the free sulphydryl content, pH and free amino group contents, while carbonyl groups and surface hydrophobicity were increased after the plasma treatment. After plasma treatment, there is also an increase in the DPPH and FRAP assay that was associated with the changes in the structure of the peptides chain. The complementary techniques were employed to identify the protein structural modifications by plasma treatment. These changes were more severe at the most extended treatment duration and plasma intensity. The high energetic and oxidising species carried by plasma may have significant associations on the structural and physical properties of BSA.
Corporate investment and financing with uncertain growth opportunities
Authors: Chen Biao , Yang Jinqiang , Zhang Chuanqian
Published: January 2020

This paper develops a continuous‐time model of a firm's sequential investments. The firm has an option to expand revenue after the initial investment. However, the timing of exercising the growth option depends not only on the underlying cash flows but also on the uncertainty of the growth opportunity. We show that the uncertainty of growth opportunity has a positive effect on the initial investment. In particular, the investment threshold has a nonmonotonic (U‐shaped) relation with the arrival rate of the growth opportunity, in that it starts to decrease and then increase with the arrival rate. The outcome is driven by the tradeoff between benefit and cost of the prospective expansion, and the magnitude of that rests on the level of arrival rate. For optimally levered firm, the financial leverage ratio displays a U‐shaped relation with the arrival rate. It is caused by the interaction between future growth uncertainty and debt overhang problem. Furthermore, we show that the optimal leverage, depending on the level of growth uncertainty, may or may not display inverse relation with the growth size. Our results shed valuable light on the empirical implication of testing the existence of debt overhang.
Comparative analysis on the effect of Z‐plasty versus conventional simple excision for the treatment of sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus: A retrospective randomised clinical study
Authors: Yang Yong‐Ping , Yu Ling‐Yun , Wang Yi‐zhuo , Shi Jian , Li Jian‐Nan , Shang Feng‐Jia , Wu Jiao , Liu Tong‐Jun
Published: January 2020

Sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus is one of common diseases in general department. However, it is characterised, for surgeons, by high post‐surgical recurrence and high incidence of post‐surgical wound complications. Due to that fact, this retrospective randomised clinical study was designed to evaluate the surgical procedure effect of Z‐plasty (ZP), compared with convention simple excision (SE). A total of 67 patients from May 2015 to May 2019 in our department were studied into two groups randomly, the group of ZP and the group of SE. The patients' characteristics, surgical data, hospital length of stay (LOS), and post‐surgery complications were recorded. Statistical approaches were proceed with P‐value analysis. The results are as follows. No significant differences were found between these two groups of the ages, gender distribution, Body Mass Index (BMI), smoking history, diabetes mellitus, and blood hypertension. The estimated blood loss, specimen volume, distance to anus, and drain output on the first day of post‐surgery between the two groups were not statistically significant, either. However, surgical time in the ZP group was longer than that in the SE group (P < .0001). LOS in the ZP group was obviously shorter than that in the SE group (P = .0051). Furthermore, the patients of the ZP group were tending to suffer from fewer post‐surgical complications than the ones of the SE group. In a conclusion, we hold the point view that the surgical procedure of ZP can lead a better outcome than SE because it demonstrated shortened LOS and fewer post‐surgical complications.
Does executive compensation reflect corporate productivity?
Authors: Choi Yoon K.
Published: January 2020

Recent literature has given attention to the effect of CEO‐specific productivity on the structure of CEO compensation. Our paper instead focuses on the effect of a different productivity factor—which we call “corporate productivity”—on CEO compensation. In particular, we show that corporate productivity affects the trade‐off between incentive and risk in a non‐monotonic fashion, which the literature has not yet recognized. Using various empirical proxies for corporate productivity, we show that our results are consistent with the non‐monotonic relation and thus contribute to the debates in the incentive‐risk trade‐off literature. Second, our findings also contribute to the internal capital market literature by exploring the relation between the structure of CEO compensation and excess value.
Iron metabolism and type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta‐analysis and systematic review
Authors: Liu Jingfang , Li Qingxiu , Yang Yaxian , Ma Lihua
Published: January 2020

Aims/Introduction

Iron metabolism can directly or indirectly affect the occurrence and development of type 2 diabetes. This meta‐analysis and systematic review aimed to analyze the association between serum iron metabolism indicators and type 2 diabetes.

Materials and Methods

The databases PubMed and Embase were searched for studies on the correlations between serum iron metabolism indicators (iron, ferritin, transferrin, hepcidin and soluble transferrin receptor) and type 2 diabetes since January 2006. Relevant data were extracted from the included studies, and meta‐analysis was carried out.

Results

A total of 12 case–control and cohort studies were analyzed. Of the 12 studies, 11 described the correlation between serum ferritin levels and type 2 diabetes. The median and high serum ferritin concentrations were significantly associated with the risks of type 2 diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08–1.33 and OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.29–1.59, respectively). However, the low concentration was not correlated with the risk of type 2 diabetes (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.89–1.11). No significant association was observed between serum soluble transferrin receptor and type 2 diabetes, whereas the soluble transferrin receptor‐to‐ferritin ratio was significantly inversely related to the risk of type 2 diabetes in the median and high ratio subgroups (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.51, 0.99 and OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.45–0.95).

Conclusions

The elevated serum ferritin was one of the risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and soluble transferrin receptor‐to‐ferritin ratio was inversely related to the risk of type 2 diabetes. A systematic review showed that serum transferrin and hepcidin might be directly or indirectly related to the development of diabetes.
Re‐assessing the validity of the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire (MSQ): Two new scales for moral deliberation and paternalism
Authors: Kuilman Luppo , Jansen Gerard J. , Mulder Laetitia B. , Middel Berrie , Roodbol Petrie F.
Published: January 2020

Rationale, aims, and objectives

The current study and previous research have called the six‐component model of Lützen's 30‐item Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire (MSQ) into question. For this reason, we re‐examined the construct validity of this instrument.

Methods

In this cross‐sectional study, which was based on a convenience sample of Dutch nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), we tested the validity of MSQ items using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA, respectively).

Results

The EFA revealed a two‐component model, which was then tested as a target model with CFA and was found to have good model fit. Some items were correlated with two uncorrelated latent constructs, which we labelled as “paternalistic” and “deliberate” attitudes towards patients.

Conclusions

As in previous studies, the analyses in the current study, which was conducted among PAs and NPs, did not reveal six dimensions for the 30 items. Two new latent dimensions of moral sensitivity were psychometrically tested and confirmed. These two components relate to studies investigating ethical behaviour, and they can be used to describe the moral climate in healthcare organizations. The scales are indicators of the extent to which health professionals behave in a deliberate (sensitive) or paternalistic (insensitive) manner towards the opinions of patients within the context of medical decision‐making.
Anti‐aging and brightening effects of a topical treatment containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract: A split‐face, randomized controlled trial
Authors: Rattanawiwatpong Pattarawan , Wanitphakdeedecha Rungsima , Bumrungpert Akkarach , Maiprasert Mart
Published: January 2020

Background

Skin aging has many manifestations such as wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and dryness. Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, especially ultraviolet light‐induced oxidative radicals, contribute to the etiology of aging. Human skin requires both water‐ and lipid‐soluble nutrient components, including hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidants. Vitamins C and E have important protective effects in the aging process and require exogenous supply. Raspberry leaf extracts contain botanical actives that have the potential to hydrating and moisturizing skin. Topical products with these ingredients may therefore combine to provide improved anti‐aging effects over single ingredients.

Objectives

To evaluate the anti‐aging and brightening effects of an encapsulated serum containing vitamin C (20% w/w), vitamin E, and European raspberry (Rubus idaeus) leaf cell culture extract.

Methods

Fifty female volunteers aged 30‐65 years were allocated one capsule of serum for topical application on one side of the face for 2 months, in addition to self‐use of facial skin products. Both test (treated) and contralateral (untreated) sides were dermatologically assessed after 4 and 8 weeks. Skin color (melanin index), elasticity, radiance, moisture, and water evaporation were measured by Mexameter MX18®, Cutometer®, Glossymeter GL200®, Corneometer CM825®, and Tewameter TM300® instruments, respectively (Courage + Khazaka Electronic GmbH). Skin microtopography parameters, smoothness (SEsm), roughness (SEr), scaliness (SEsc), and wrinkles (SEw), were measured by Visioscan® VC98 USB (Courage + Khazaka Electronic GmbH), and gross lifting effects were measured by VECTRA® H1 (Canfield Scientific), and adverse reactions and satisfaction were also assessed.

Results

Skin color, elasticity, and radiance were significantly improved. The smoothness, scaliness, and wrinkles were also revealed significant improvement. Mild adverse reactions were tingling and tightness.

Conclusions

The vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract serum has anti‐aging and brightening effects of skin.
Regulation of breast cancer resistance protein and P-glycoprotein by ezrin, radixin and moesin in lung, intestinal and renal cancer cell lines
Authors: Yano Kentaro , Okabe Chiaki , Fujii Kenta , Kato Yuko , Ogihara Takuo
Published: January 2020

Objectives

Ezrin (Ezr), radixin (Rdx) and moesin (Msn) (ERM) proteins anchor other proteins to the cell membrane, serving to regulate their localization and function. Here, we examined whether ERM proteins functionally regulate breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) and P-glycoprotein in cell lines derived from lung, intestinal and renal cancers.

Methods

ERM proteins were each silenced with appropriate siRNA. BCRP and P-gp functions were evaluated by means of efflux and uptake assays using 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38) and rhodamine123 (Rho123) as specific substrates, respectively, in non-small cell lung cancer HCC827 cells, intestinal cancer Caco-2 cells and renal cancer Caki-1 cells.

Key findings

In HCC827 cells, the efflux rates of SN-38 and Rho123 were significantly decreased by knockdown of Ezr or Msn, but not Rdx. However, BCRP function was unaffected by Ezr or Rdx knockdown in Caco-2 cells, which do not express Msn. In Caki-1 cells, Rdx knockdown increased the intracellular SN-38 concentration, while knockdown of Ezr or Msn had no effect.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that regulation of BCRP and P-gp functions by ERM proteins is organ-specific. Thus, if the appropriate ERM protein(s) are functionally suppressed, accumulation of BCRP or P-gp substrates in lung, intestine or kidney cancer tissue might be specifically increased.
Stable Strategies for Personal Development
Authors: Stoner Ian
Published: January 2020

In her short story “Stable Strategies for Middle Management,” Eileen Gunn imagines a future in which Margaret, an office worker, seeks radical genetic enhancements intended to help her secure the middle‐management job she wants. One source of the story’s tension and dark humor is dramatic irony: readers can see that the enhancements Margaret buys stand little chance of making her life go better for her; enhancing is, for Margaret, probably a prudential mistake. This paper argues that our positions in the real world are sufficiently similar to Margaret’s position in Gunn’s fictional world that we should take this story seriously as grounding an argument from analogy for the conclusion that radical genetic enhancements are, for us, probably a prudential mistake. The paper then defends this method. When the question at hand is one of speculative ethics, there is no method better fit to the purpose than argument from analogy to speculative fiction.
Implementation of a flexible visiting policy in intensive care unit: A randomized clinical trial
Authors: Akbari Reihane , Karimi Moonaghi Hossein , Mazloum Seyed Reza , Bagheri Moghaddam Ahmad
Published: January 2020

Background

Visitation is one of the most critical needs of patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Clinicians should enable a more flexible visitation policy to prevent the adverse effects of a restricted approach.

Aim and objectives

This study aimed at investigating the relationship between increasing visitation time and patients' physiological parameters in intensive units. Additionally, nurses' beliefs and attitudes towards visiting is examined in this research.

Design

Parallel randomized clinical trial.

Methods

This study was conducted in four general medical ICUs in Iran. In total, 60 patients and 57 nurses participated in this study. The patients' physiological parameters were measured at particular times in both groups. Moreover, the nurses responded to the questionnaire on beliefs and attitudes towards visitation in intensive units before and after the intervention.

Results

Among all the physiological parameters, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate had a significant decrease within the normal range 10 and 30 minutes after visiting in the intervention group (P < .05), and nurses' beliefs and attitudes score were at the middle of the survey scoring range (0‐120). However, no significant difference was found between nurses' belief and attitude score and intervention in any groups (P > .05).

Conclusion

The findings indicate that increasing visitation times can lead to a positive effect on the stability and balance of patients' physiological parameters.

Relevance to clinical practice

A more flexible visiting policy can provide a therapeutic environment where not only patients' physiological disorders are minimised as much as possible but also a higher level of patients' health and satisfaction are reached.
Construction of nursing knowledge in commodified contexts: A discussion paper
Authors: Martínez‐Rodríguez Ana , Martínez‐Faneca Laura , Casafont‐Bullich Claudia , Olivé‐Ferrer Maria Carmen
Published: January 2020

This original article outlines a theoretical path and posterior critical analysis regarding two relevant matters in modern nursing: patterns of knowing in nursing and commodification contexts in contemporary health systems. The aim of our manuscript is to examine the development of basic and contextual nursing knowledge in commodified contexts. For this purpose, we outline a discussion and reflexive dialogue based on a literature search and our clinical experience. To lay the foundation for an informed discussion, we conducted a literature search and selected relevant articles in English, Spanish, and Portuguese that included contents on patterns of knowing, commodification, and nursing published from 1978 to 2017. Globalization, commodification, and austerity measures seem to have negative effects on nursing. Work conditions are worsening, deteriorating nurse–patient relationships, and limiting reflection on practice. Nurses must develop knowledge to challenge and participate in institutional organization and public health policies. Development of nursing knowledge may be difficult to achieve in commodified environments. Consequently, therapeutic care relationships, healthcare services, and nurses' own health are compromised. However, by obtaining organizational, sociopolitical, and emancipatory knowledge, nurses can use strategies to adapt to or resist commodified contexts while constructing basic knowledge.
Retracted: Evaluating the immunomodulatory responses of LdODC‐derived MHC Class‐II restricted peptides against VL
Authors: Pandey RajKishor , Dikhit Manas Ranjan , Kumar Avinash , Dehury Budheswar , Pandey Krishna , Topno Roshan Kamal , Das Pradeep , Bimal Sanjiva
Published: January 2020

In a bid to develop a novel immunoprophylactic measure against visceral leishmaniasis (VL), MHC class‐II–restricted epitopes of LdODC were identified by reverse vaccinology approach. Five consensus HLA‐DRB1*0101‐restricted epitopes were screened. The analysis revealed that the set of epitopes was presented by at least 54 diverse MHC class‐II alleles. Based on in silico screening, followed by molecular dynamics simulation, population coverage analysis, and HLA cross‐presentation ability, five best epitopes were evaluated. PBMCs isolated from treated VL subjects, when stimulated with synthetic peptide alone or as a cocktail of peptides, triggered a secretory IFN‐γ, but not the IL‐10 level. Support in this notion came from intracellular cytokine level with a considerable up‐regulated IFN‐γ produced by CD4+ T cells. Also, the enhanced IFN‐γ seemed to be augmented with the activation of macrophages with prominent IL‐12 production. Therefore, it can be concluded that the screened MHC class‐II–restricted epitope hotspots derived from Leishmania ODC can trigger CD4+ T cells, which can skew macrophage functions towards protection. However, a detailed analysis can explore its potentiality as a vaccine candidate.
Generational Replacement and the Impending Transformation of the American Electorate
Authors: Fisher Patrick
Published: January 2020

Contemporary American politics is marked by an unusually substantial generation gap. This has important implications for the future of American politics as an overwhelmingly white and conservative generation, the Silent Generation, is being replaced in the electorate by much more diverse and liberal generations: the Millennial Generation and Generation Z. To project potential partisan changes in the American electorate with generational replacement, simulations were calculated estimating what the electorate may look like, using the 2016 presidential election as a baseline. Hypothesizing the same generational dynamics of vote choice and turnout for 2020 that existed in 2016, with generational replacement alone the national plurality of 2.1 percent for the Democratic candidate increases to 4.8 percent if Generation Z votes the same as Millennials. For elections beyond 2020, the potential partisan swing toward the Democrats based on generational replacement become even much more considerable. By 2032, Millennials and Generation Z combined are projected to consist of almost one‐half of the entire electorate. Even if Generation Z is not distinct from the rest of the electorate politically, given how strongly Democratic the Millennials are, the simulated gain for the Democrats in 2032 is 5 percent; and, if Generation Z becomes as Democratic leaning as Millennials are, the simulated swing toward the Democrats is greater than 7 percent.

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Social identity and perceived income adequacy
Authors: Goel Deepti , Deshpande Ashwini
Published: January 2020

Economists are increasingly interested in subjective well‐being, but the economic literature on perceptions of income adequacy, which is one of the factors that shape subjective well‐being, is little. Our paper fills this lacuna. We utilize nationally representative data on perceptions of amounts considered as remunerative earnings from self‐employment in India and examine how these are earnings shaped by social identity, namely, caste. We also investigate if institutional change such as the introduction of an employment guarantee scheme alters these perceptions. Finally, we examine the relationship between caste identity and actual earnings. We find that caste identity does shape both perceptions of income adequacy and actual earnings: lower‐ranked groups perceive lower amounts as being remunerative and also earn lower amounts. Further, the employment guarantee scheme alters self‐perceptions differentially for different caste groups, but in more nuanced ways than our ex‐ante beliefs.
Effect of conservation agriculture on soil organic and inorganic carbon sequestration and lability: A study from a rice–wheat cropping system on a calcareous soil of the eastern Indo‐Gangetic Plains
Authors: Dey Abir , Dwivedi Brahma Swaroop , Bhattacharyya Ranjan , Datta Siba Prasad , Meena Mahesh Chand , Jat Raj K. , Gupta Raj Kumar , Jat Mangi Lal , Singh Vinod Kumar , Das Debarup , Singh Ravi G.
Published: January 2020

Increasing soil carbon (C) in arable soils is an important strategy to achieve sustainable yields and mitigate climate change. We investigated changes in soil organic and inorganic carbon (SOC and SIC) under conservation agriculture (CA) in a calcareous soil of the eastern Indo‐Gangetic Plains of India. The treatments were as follows: conventional‐till rice and wheat (CT‐CT), CT rice and zero‐till wheat (CT‐ZT), ZT direct seeded rice (DSR) and CT wheat (ZT‐CT), ZTDSR and ZT wheat without crop residue retention (ZT‐ZT), ZT‐ZT with residue (ZT‐ZT+R), and DSR and wheat both on permanent beds with residue (PB‐PB+R). The ZT‐ZT+R had the highest total SOC in both 0–15 and 15–30 cm soil layers (20% and 40% higher (p < .05) than CT‐CT, respectively), whereas total SIC decreased by 11% and 15% in the respective layers under ZT‐ZT+R compared with CT‐CT. Non‐labile SOC was the largest pool, followed by very labile, labile and less labile SOC. The benefits of ZT and residue retention were greatest for very labile SOC, which showed a significant (p < .05) increase (~50%) under ZT‐ZT+R compared with CT‐CT. The ZT‐ZT+R sequestered ~2 Mg ha−1 total SOC in the 0–15 cm soil layer in 6 years, where CT registered significant losses. Thus, the adoption of CA should be recommended in calcareous soils, for C sequestration, and also as a reclamation technique.
The pragmatic nativisation of pauses in Asian Englishes
Authors: Revis Melanie , Bernaisch Tobias
Published: January 2020

Studies within the world Englishes paradigm have furnished detailed descriptions of numerous lexical, morphological and syntactic features. Although laudable exceptions exist, pragmatics as well as the concept of pragmatic nativisation have so far been largely neglected in world Englishes – particularly from an empirical angle. The present paper investigates pauses – more specifically the choice between filled (for example, uh, uhm) and unfilled pauses (that is, silence) – in two South Asian Englishes, Indian and Sri Lankan English, in comparison to the culturally distinct British English. Central research questions include: (a) are there variety‐specific differences in the use of filled/unfilled pauses; (b) which additional factors determine the choice between filled and unfilled pauses; and (c) what implications do the results have for the notion of pragmatic nativisation?
Coupling Effects of Sloshing and Barge Motion in Variable Bathymetry
Authors: Su Yan
Published: January 2020

Two partially filled tanks fixed on rectangular barge floating in variable bathymetry is studied based on the linearized potential theory in the frequency domain. The internal sloshing motion is simulated by linearized superposition of natural sloshing modes. The motion of barge is solved by matching eigenfunctions expansion in the external fluid domain. The computational model is verified by experimental results. Coupling sway and roll motions of floating body with different filling levels are compared. The effects of both inclined bottom with different slopes and hump-shaped bottom with different heights are analyzed. Viewing from the results, coupling sway and roll motions of floating body are significantly affected by the shapes of bottoms.
Optimization of Aerodynamic Parameters of an Elliptical-Bladed Savonius Wind Rotor Using Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithms
Authors: Alom Nur , Das Ranjan , Saha Ujjwal K.
Published: January 2020

The Savonius wind rotor, a drag-based machine, despite having lesser efficiency has got several advantages such as low price, easy installation, better starting capability independency to wind direction. In order to enhance the performance of such rotor, several design modifications have been built by changing the geometric parameters such as overlap ratio, aspect ratio, tip speed ratio, number of rotor blades and effect of shaft and end plates. Apart from the various geometric parameters, several rotor blades and augmentation techniques has evolved to improve the performance of the Savonius rotor. This has been achieved by using a host of numerical and experimental methods. In the present investigation, the multi-objective genetic algorithms have been used to optimize the incoming velocity, and the torque and lift coefficient for a novel elliptical-bladed profile for maximizing the rotor power coefficient. The multi-physics solver ANSYS direct optimization technique has been used to implement the genetic algorithms. The results obtained from the genetic algorithms have been compared with the established results under identical conditions.
A Differential Evolution-Based Inverse Method to Optimize Blade Configurations in Elliptical-Bladed Savonius Wind Turbines
Authors: Alom Nur , Das Ranjan , Saha Ujjwal K.
Published: January 2020

It is well-known that elliptical-bladed Savonius wind turbine yields relatively better performance than conventionally used semicircular-bladed turbines. This is mainly due to lesser tip loss and delayed flow separation that allow the elliptical turbine to acquire higher rotational speeds than semicircular turbine under a given wind load. In this work, an experimentally-validated inverse analysis is done to determine the optimum blade configurations involving the chord length, turbine height, aspect ratio, and the necessary overlap ratio to derive a required power and torque from elliptical-bladed Savonius wind turbines. Due to obvious advantages of evolutionary metaheuristic optimizers in general, here differential evolution (DE) search algorithm is used to solve the inverse problem through a least-squares minimization of the relevant objective function. The objective function is further subjected to feasible bounds of the unknown design variables. The effects of blockage corrections are duly considered and the variations of the design variables along with the objective function are studied over a range of iterations of the DE algorithm. Through comprehensive analysis, it is highlighted from the present study that for harvesting a given performance, rotor swept area can be reduced by 6.25% with respect to the available experimental data under identical operating conditions of the wind turbine. Multiple blade configurations can be acquired, all of which invariably satisfy the required performance criterion. This study also highlights that amongst various dimensional parameters, turbine height and aspect ratio play more prominent role than chord length and overlap ratio and the blade chord influences only the torque but not markedly the power. The results obtained from the present work are proposed to facilitate the concerned designer to explore various feasible blade designs and determine the suitable one, thereby avoiding valuable time elapsed in repetitive fabrication and testing of various designs.
Modelling, Analysis and Flight Testing of a Military Turbofan Engine Under Windmilling Conditions
Authors: Balaji Budharaju , Om Prakash Raj N. , Padwale Mahesh P. , Ravishankar G. P.
Published: January 2020

Flight testing of a military low bypass turbofan engine involves multitudes of tests to ensure the Engine - Aircraft compatibility across the flight envelope. One of the safety critical tests is to conduct In-Flight restart of the engine. Detailed planning and careful execution is mandated for a single engine aircraft. Accurate modelling of sub-idle performance characteristics of the engine during windmilling conditions enables better prediction of engine behavior during in-Flight shutdown and restart. Typically, Engine manufacturer provides a Performance Cycle Deck (PCD) to predict and assess the performance of the engine across the flight envelope for all throttle positions. However, the PCD does not include sub-idle behavior. The present work focusses on developing a torque based engine behavior model which enables prediction of time dependent fan and compressor characteristics during sub-idle operations. The proposed model is divided into two parts. The first part deals with deceleration characteristics during engine shut-off and spool down, and the second part deals with the acceleration characteristics during spooling up and engine restart. In-flight spool-down (a quick relight without windmilling) restart data obtained through flight tests was used to validate the present model. The model is intended to be used for future flight tests which include windmill restarts under various operating conditions. The model is expected to accurately predict the correlation between aircraft speed and engine windmilling rotor speeds for arriving at a windmill restart envelope for the aircraft.
Performance Evaluation of a Gas and Steam Turbine Based Cogeneration Plant: A Case Study
Authors: Gogoi Tapan Kr. , Gautam Uddipta
Published: January 2020

In this study, performance of a combined power and cogeneration plant is evaluated. The plant is basically the captive power plant (CPP) of Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), located in Golaghat district of Assam, India. The plant consists of a gas turbine (GT) plant as topping and a steam turbine (ST) plant as bottoming cycle. In the CPP, there was also provision for extracting steam from the ST at two different points for process heating in the refinery. CPP operational data regarding pressure, temperature and mass flow rates were collected from the refinery. It was observed that although the performance related data (the GT and ST power outputs) were available but the air flow rate (AFR) of the GT plant was not known. Therefore, this study aimed first at estimating the unknown AFR using an inverse method for which a differential evolution (DE) based optimization algorithm was used. Next, it was attempted to estimate both the AFR and fuel flow rate (FFR) simultaneously assuming that suppose the FFR is also not known. The objective was to find out better combinations of FFR and AFR over the base case corresponding to the single parameter (only AFR) estimation. The performance of the CPP was evaluated with the estimated AFR corresponding to the base case and also with the one of best FFR/AFR combination out of 25 such combinations obtained from simultaneous estimation. For the base case, the overall energy and exergy efficiency of the CPP were found to be 15.39% and 15.37% respectively. However, if the process heating is also taken into consideration, then these efficiencies in cogeneration mode increase to 21.04% and 21.0%. But with the selected best FFR/AFR combination obtained from simultaneous estimation, the overall energy efficiencies of the combined and the cogeneration plant could be improved from 15.39% to 17.68% and from 21.04% to 24.16% respectively. This has also reduced the total plant irreversibility from 183.729 MW to 152.955 MW. It was found that the maximum exergy destruction occurs in the combustion chamber (58.62%) of the GT plant followed by the utility boiler (29.37%) and heat recovery steam generator (3.76%). The results confirmed lower efficiencies for the plant indicating opportunities for further performance improvement particularly in the GT plant. NRL must go for other performance diagnostic tests which might give some actionable recommendations for restoring the lost performance. In the conclusions, other possible causes of low performances are discussed and necessary recommendations have been provided.