bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stock market undervaluation of resource redeployability
Authors: Sakhartov Arkadiy V.
Published: January 2018

Research Summary: Stock market undervaluation of resources was often assumed to have strategic implications. Such undervaluation lets firms buy resources relatively cheaply, but it can also constrain resource deployment. This article shows that the option to redeploy a firm's resources to a new business can be undervalued in stock markets when investors face ambiguity about that option due to uniqueness of redeployment. The developed formal model derives conditions under which stock markets undervalue resources. Those conditions are summarized with an empirical operationalization that can be tested with a broad range of strategic implications. Besides, the model provides a more complete account of resource redeployability by demonstrating the redeployability paradox. The paradox highlights that some determinants of redeployability enhance undervaluation, while simultaneously increasing objective value of redeployable resources.

Managerial Summary: Stock markets can systematically undervalue resources. On the one hand, such undervaluation creates a profitable opportunity for a firm that needs some resources for its growth and compares the option to buy stock in another firm, whose resource are undervalued, with the option to build those resources internally. On the other hand, such undervaluation poses limits to resource deployment strategies of the undervalued firm. When does such undervaluation occur? This study highlights one possible source for undervaluation, ambiguity that is faced by stock market investors about the option to redeploy a firm's resources to a new business. The study specifies conditions under which stock markets are more likely to undervalue resources. The understanding of those conditions can guide managers toward strategic opportunities.
Concise Review: Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Models of Retinitis Pigmentosa
Authors: Artero Castro Ana , Lukovic Dunja , Jendelova Pavla , Erceg Slaven
Published: January 2018

Hereditary retinal dystrophies, specifically retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are clinically and genetically heterogeneous diseases affecting primarily retinal cells and retinal pigment epithelial cells with blindness as a final outcome. Understanding the pathogenicity behind these diseases has been largely precluded by the unavailability of affected tissue from patients, large genetic heterogeneity and animal models that do not faithfully represent some human diseases. A landmark discovery of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) permitted the derivation of patient-specific cells. These cells have unlimited self-renewing capacity and the ability to differentiate into RP-affected cell types, allowing the studies of disease mechanism, drug discovery, and cell replacement therapies, both as individual cell types and organoid cultures. Together with precise genome editing, the patient specific hiPSC technology offers novel strategies for targeting the pathogenic mutations and design therapies toward retinal dystrophies. This study summarizes current hiPSC-based RP models and highlights key achievements and challenges of these cellular models, as well as questions that still remain unanswered.
Associating weather societies across Europe, Part 2
Authors: Morin René , Wieringa Jon
Published: January 2018

A number of societies of meteorologists from separate European nations decided in 1997 to establish a European Meteorological Society (EMS) for dealing with matters which would be practical to handle on a European scale. They decided to make the EMS a lightweight dome organisation, neither ruled top‐down by the international dome nor organised bottom‐up by individual members. Its structure is in between – a society of societies with a small secretariat, facilitating cooperation between national societies for matters such as conferences and accreditation. Development of this unusual but effective international scientific network alongside vested top‐down interests was an instructive challenge.
Flooding threshold rainfall events in Bermuda
Authors: Johnston Michael C. , Guishard Mark P. , Peñate Irene , Currie Ian D.
Published: January 2018

Recently, much media attention has been drawn to the relatively frequent ‘nuisance’ flooding of urban low‐lying and poor drainage areas in Bermuda. This flooding results in traffic disruptions and loss of business, with only minor property damage. More significant flooding with property inundations is relatively rare. Efforts were made to reduce the incidence of flooding in low‐lying areas of Pembroke Parish through the construction of a canal in the 1800s. However, recent urbanisation and inadequate maintenance have reduced both its drainage capacity and efficiency. There is currently no formal warning system in place for flooding in Bermuda. The results of this study may serve as the context for the development of such a system.

Recent heavy rain and flooding in January 2017 further motivates an examination of the rainfall record for trends and variability in daily rainfall accumulations. A conservative catalogue of flood reports can be constructed from anecdotal reports of flooding for the last decade. The flood catalogue events are related to daily rainfall amounts to develop a threshold daily rainfall for flood events, determined to be on average 39.3mm of rain. This threshold was used as a basis for examination of the historical record of daily rainfall for the period 1949–2016, in order to assess return frequencies of flood‐inducing rainfall events. A return period of approximately 2 months was calculated for the threshold daily rainfall accumulation. Although there are increasing trends apparent in the daily rainfall accumulations and counts of days on which rain was recorded (‘rain days’) since 1949, they are not statistically significant.
Harnessing the power of data to support community‐based research
Authors: Keller Sallie , Shipp Stephanie , Korkmaz Gizem , Molfino Emily , Goldstein Joshua , Lancaster Vicki , Pires Bianica , Higdon David , Chen Daniel , Schroeder Aaron
Published: January 2018

Volumes of data are generated at every moment as we go through the paces of our daily lives. Many of these data flows are routinely captured through administrative records, social media, and surveys. Historically, agencies at different levels of government have been responsible for curating and reporting statistics about our social, economic, and health conditions associated with these data flows. Recently, the U.S. government has proposed the use of data derived from administrative records at the federal level to support social policy and program evaluation. Why not consider parallel activities at state and local levels? Harnessing local data sources and integrating them with state and federal sources will provide timelier and more geographically specific analyses to support local insights and policy development. Leveraging community‐based participatory research, researchers and civic leaders can work together to identify the questions and execute rigorous, yet flexible, processes for building local sustainable community learning cultures based on data‐driven discovery. In the process of conducting research with local civic leaders, we have observed that issues can be classified into 3 categories: locating and describing a population within a community; estimating a statistic and a measure of variability; and evaluating a program, policy, or procedure. Through a series of case studies, this paper demonstrates the unexpected value in liberating and repurposing local data.

This article is categorized under:

Applications of Computational Statistics > Organizations and Publications
Looking at the integration of nations through the lens of the merger of populations: Preliminary superadditivity and impossibility results
Authors: Stark Oded
Published: January 2018

This paper looks at the integration of regions and nations through the prism of the merger of populations. The paper employs a particular index of social dismay. It presents examples of two of the main results arising from the study of the merger of two populations: that the social dismay of an integrated population is greater than the sum of the social dismay of the constituent populations when apart, and that a self-contained, non-publicly financed policy aimed at retaining the levels of wellbeing of individuals at their pre-merger magnitudes cannot be implemented: there is not enough of a gain to compensate for the loss.
The effects of immigration on wages: An application of the structural skill-cell approach
Authors: Gerfin Michael , Kaiser Boris
Published: January 2018

This paper investigates how recent immigration inflows from 2002 to 2008 have affected wages in Switzerland. This period is of particular interest as it marks the time during which the bilateral agreement with the EU on the free cross-border movement of workers has been effective. Since different types of workers are likely to be unevenly affected by recent immigration inflows, we follow the “structural skill-cell approach” as for example employed by Borjas(2003) and Ottavianoand Peri(2008). This paper provides two main contributions. First, we estimate empirically the elasticities of substitution between different types of workers in Switzerland. Our results suggest that natives and immigrants are imperfect substitutes. Regarding different skill levels, the estimates indicate that workers are imperfect substitutes across broad education groups and across different experience groups. Second, the estimated elasticities of substitution are used to simulate the impact on domestic wages using the actual immigration inflows from 2002 to 2008. For the long run, the simulations produce some notable distributional consequences across different types of workers: While previous immigrants incur wage losses (−1.6%), native workers are not negatively affected on average (+0.4%). In the short run, immigration has a negative macroeconomic effect on the average wage, which, however, gradually dies out in the process of capital adjustment.
Lay First Responder Training in Eastern Uganda: Leveraging Transportation Infrastructure to Build an Effective Prehospital Emergency Care Training Program
Authors: Delaney Peter G. , Bamuleke Richard , Lee Yang Jae
Published: January 2018

Background

Though road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a major cause of mortality in East Africa, few countries have emergency medical services. The aim was to create a sustainable and efficient prehospital lay first responder program, creating a system with lay first responders spread through the 53 motorcycle taxi stages of Iganga Municipality.

Methods

One hundred and fifty‐four motorcycle taxi riders were taught a first aid curriculum in partnership with a local Red Cross first aid trainer and provided with a first aid kit following WHO guidelines for basic first aid. Pre‐ and post‐survey tests measured first aid knowledge improvement over the course. Post‐implementation incident report forms were collected from lay first responders after each patient encounter over 6 months. Follow‐up interviews were conducted with 110 of 154 trainees, 9 months post‐training.

Results

Improvement was measured across all five major first aid categories: bleeding control (56.9 vs. 79.7%), scene management (37.6 vs. 59.5%), airway and breathing (43.4 vs. 51.6%), recovery position (13.1 vs. 43.4%), and victim transport (88.2 vs. 94.3%). From the incident report findings, first responders treated 250 victims (82.8% RTI related) and encountered 24 deaths (9.6% of victims). Of the first aid skills, bleeding control and bandaging was used most often (55.2% of encounters). Lay first responders provided transport in 48.3% of encounters. Of 110 lay first responders surveyed, 70 of 76 who had used at least one skill felt “confident” in the care they provided.

Conclusion

A prehospital care system composed of lay first responders can be developed leveraging existing transport organizations, offering a scalable alternative for LMICs, demonstrating usefulness in practice and measurable educational improvements in trauma skills for non‐clinical lay responders.
Singular substitutions of constant length
Authors: BERLINKOV ARTEMI , SOLOMYAK BORIS
Published: January 2018

We consider primitive aperiodic substitutions of constant length $q$ and prove that, in order to have a Lebesgue component in the spectrum of the associated dynamical system, it is necessary that one of the eigenvalues of the substitution matrix equals $\sqrt{q}$ in absolute value. The proof is based on results of Queffélec combined with estimates of the local dimension of the spectral measure at zero.
Characteristics of turbulent boundary layers over smooth surfaces with spanwise heterogeneities
Authors: Medjnoun T. , Vanderwel C. , Ganapathisubramani B.
Published: January 2018

An experimental investigation of a turbulent boundary-layer flow over a heterogeneous surface is carried out to examine the mean flow and turbulence characteristics, and to document the variation of skin friction that might affect the applicability of traditional scaling and similarity laws. The heterogeneity is imposed along the spanwise direction and consists of streamwise-aligned smooth raised strips whose spanwise spacing $S$ is comparable to the boundary-layer thickness ($S/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}=O(1)$). Single-point velocity measurements alongside direct skin-friction measurements are used to examine the validity of Townsend’s similarity hypothesis. The skin-friction coefficients reveal that the drag of the heterogeneous surface increased up to 35 % compared to a smooth wall, while velocity measurements reveal the existence of a log layer but with a zero-plane displacement and a roughness function that vary across the spanwise direction. Lack of collapse in the outer region of the mean velocity and variance profiles is attributed to the secondary flows induced by the heterogeneous surfaces. Additionally, the lack of similarity also extends to the spectra across all scales in the near-wall region with a gradual collapse at small wavelengths for increasing $S$. This suggests that the effect of surface heterogeneity is not necessarily felt at the smaller scales other than to reorganise their presence through turbulent transport.
Institutionalization of athletic conferences for wage comparison in collective bargaining in High Schools in the US: A natural experiment
Authors: Park Heejoon
Published: January 2018

Social comparison plays an important role in collective bargaining. However, due to self-serving bias, the bargaining parties rarely agree on appropriate referents. In this respect, Wisconsin teachers’ collective bargaining provides an intriguing case because there is consensus on an appropriate comparison group: the schools’ athletic conferences. The purpose of this study is to examine whether the use of athletic conferences as referents is institutionalized beyond their technical merits. Using conference realignment as a natural experiment, this paper shows that when the bargaining parties experienced conference realignment, they changed their comparison groups. Because this realignment can be regarded as exogenous to collective bargaining, such changes in comparison groups are unlikely to be accounted for by technical factors, thus providing support for institutional theory.
Reconstructing geographic range-size dynamics from fossil data
Authors: Darroch Simon A. F. , Saupe Erin E.
Published: January 2018

Ecologists and paleontologists alike are increasingly using the fossil record as a spatial data set, in particular to study the dynamics and distribution of geographic range sizes among fossil taxa. However, no attempts have been made to establish how accurately range sizes and range-size dynamics can be preserved. Two fundamental questions are: Can common paleo range-size reconstruction methods accurately reproduce known species’ ranges from locality (i.e., point) data? And, are some reconstruction methods more reliable than others? Here, we develop a methodological framework for testing the accuracy of commonly used paleo range-size reconstruction methods (maximum latitudinal range, maximum great-circle distance, convex hull, and alpha convex hull) in different extinction-related biogeographic scenarios. We use the current distribution of surface water bodies as a proxy for “preservable area,” in which to test the performance of the four methods. We find that maximum great-circle distance and convex-hull methods most reliably capture changes in range size at low numbers of fossil sites, whereas convex hull performs best at predicting the distribution of “victims” and “survivors” in hypothetical extinction scenarios. Our results suggest that macroevolutionary and macroecological patterns in the relatively recent past can be studied reliably using only a few fossil occurrence sites. The accuracy of range-size reconstruction undoubtedly changes through time with the distribution and area of fossiliferous sediments; however, our approach provides the opportunity to systematically calibrate the quality of the spatial fossil record in specific environments and time intervals, and to delineate the conditions under which paleobiologists can reconstruct paleobiogeographical, macroecological, and macroevolutionary patterns over critical intervals in Earth history.
Probing the Baryon Cycle of Galaxies with SPICA Mid- and Far-Infrared Observations
Authors: van der Tak F. F. S. , Madden S. C. , Roelfsema P. , Armus L. , Baes M. , Bernard-Salas J. , Bolatto A. , Bontemps S. , Bot C. , Bradford C. M. , Braine J. , Ciesla L. , Clements D. , Cormier D. , Fernández-Ontiveros J. A. , Galliano F. , Giard M. , Gomez H. , González-Alfonso E. , Herpin F. , Johnstone D. , Jones A. , Kaneda H. , Kemper F. , Lebouteiller V. , De Looze I. , Matsuura M. , Nakagawa T. , Onaka T. , Pérez-González P. , Shipman R. , Spinoglio L.
Published: January 2018

The SPICA mid- and far-infrared telescope will address fundamental issues in our understanding of star formation and ISM physics in galaxies. A particular hallmark of SPICA is the outstanding sensitivity enabled by the cold telescope, optimised detectors, and wide instantaneous bandwidth throughout the mid- and far-infrared. The spectroscopic, imaging, and polarimetric observations that SPICA will be able to collect will help in clarifying the complex physical mechanisms which underlie the baryon cycle of galaxies. In particular, (i) the access to a large suite of atomic and ionic fine-structure lines for large samples of galaxies will shed light on the origin of the observed spread in star-formation rates within and between galaxies, (ii) observations of HD rotational lines (out to ~10 Mpc) and fine structure lines such as [C ii] 158 μm (out to ~100 Mpc) will clarify the main reservoirs of interstellar matter in galaxies, including phases where CO does not emit, (iii) far-infrared spectroscopy of dust and ice features will address uncertainties in the mass and composition of dust in galaxies, and the contributions of supernovae to the interstellar dust budget will be quantified by photometry and monitoring of supernova remnants in nearby galaxies, (iv) observations of far-infrared cooling lines such as [O i] 63 μm from star-forming molecular clouds in our Galaxy will evaluate the importance of shocks to dissipate turbulent energy. The paper concludes with requirements for the telescope and instruments, and recommendations for the observing strategy.
Violence, Empathy and Altruism: Evidence from the Ivorian Refugee Crisis in Liberia
Authors: Hartman Alexandra C. , Morse Benjamin S.
Published: January 2018

In regions plagued by reoccurring periods of war, violence and displacement, how does past exposure to violence affect altruism toward members of different ethnic or religious groups? Drawing on theories of empathy-driven altruism in psychology, this article proposes that violence can increase individuals’ capacity to empathize with others, and that empathy born of violence can in turn motivate helping behavior across group boundaries. This hypothesis is tested using data on the hosting behavior of roughly 1,500 Liberians during the 2010–11 Ivorian refugee crisis in eastern Liberia, a region with a long history of cross-border, inter-ethnic violence. Consistent with its theoretical predictions, the study finds that those who experienced violence during the Liberian civil war host greater numbers of refugees, exhibit stronger preferences for distressed refugees and less bias against outgroup refugees, and host a higher proportion of non-coethnic, non-coreligious and distressed refugees. These findings suggest that violence does not necessarily lead to greater antagonism toward outgroups, as is often assumed, and that in some circumstances it can actually promote inter-group co-operation.
Mitochondrial DNA suggests cryptic speciation in Prodiplosis longifila Gagné (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) associated with geographic distance and host specialization
Authors: Duque-Gamboa D.N. , Castillo-Cárdenas M.F. , Hernández L.M. , Guzmán Y.C. , Manzano M.R. , Toro-Perea N.
Published: January 2018

Prodiplosis longifila is reported as a pest of a wide range of species cultivated in America, including citrus, solanaceous species and asparagus. This species has different behavioural traits that are primarily centred on the oviposition habit and the feeding of larvae, which can change depending on the host. However, scarce information is available on population studies and the natural history of this insect, and uncertainty exists about the taxonomic identity and the geographic distribution of this species. The main objective was to perform a phylogenetic and genetic study of P. longifila populations and to define whether the North American and South American populations belong to the same species or whether a differentiation process had occurred due to geographic distance. A second objective was to determine whether this species showed genetic differentiation by host specialization in South America. The phylogenetic and population analyses based on DNA barcodes (cytochrome oxidase I gene) and a region of the ribosomal DNA (ITS2) revealed divergent clades attributable to geographic distance and host specificity. The North American and South American P. longifila insects were confirmed to be genetically distinct, and the genetic distances exceeded the values expected for intraspecific variation. In South America, the population analysis of P. longifila from tomato, sweet pepper (Solanaceae), Tahiti lime and key lime (Rutaceae) hosts evidenced high genetic differentiation between populations associated with different hosts and an absence of gene flow between these groups, suggesting the corresponding formation of cryptic species.
Mineralization of Luziyuan Pb–Zn skarn deposit, Baoshan, Yunnan Province, SW China: evidence from petrography, fluid inclusions and stable isotopes
Authors: YANG YU-LONG , YE LIN , BAO TAN , GAO WEI , LI ZHEN-LI
Published: January 2018

The Luziyuan Pb–Zn skarn deposit, located in the Baoshan–Narong–Dongzhi block metallogenic belt in SW China, is hosted by marble and slate in the upper Cambrian Shahechang Formation. Three skarn zones have been identified from the surface (1495 m above sea level (asl)) to a depth of 1220 m asl: zone 1 consists of chlorite–actinolite–calcite–quartz, zone 2 of rhodonite–actinolite–fluorite–quartz–calcite, and zone 3 contains garnet–rhodonite–actinolite–fluorite–quartz–calcite. The deposit formed in four distinct mineralization stages: an early anhydrous skarn (garnet, rhodonite and bustamite) stage (Stage 1), a hydrous skarn (actinolite and chlorite) stage (Stage 2), an early quartz (coarse barren quartz veins) stage (Stage 3) and a late sulphide-forming (fine sulphide-bearing quartz veins) stage (Stage 4). The Stage 1 skarn-forming fluid temperature was at least 500 °C according to the geothermometer with rhodonite/bustamite trace elements measured by laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). A decrease in ore fluid temperatures with time is consistent with the decreases in the δ18Ofluid and δDfluid values from Stage 3 to 4. This trend suggests that the ore fluid was mainly derived from magmatic water and mixed with large amounts of meteoric water during mineralization. The δ34S values of Stage 4 chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena are similar to those of an Ordovician gypsum layer, and together with the high-salinity fluids in Stage 4 indicate the dissolution of evaporites in the Luziyuan region. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the Luziyuan deposit is a distal Pb–Zn skarn deposit that formed in response to multi-stage alteration associated with a combination of magmatic water and meteoric water.
Brazilian Labour History in Global Context: Some Introductory Notes
Authors: Fontes Paulo , Fortes Alexandre , Mayer David
Published: January 2018

This article introduces the main topics and intellectual concerns behind this Special Issue about Brazilian labour history in global context. Over the last two decades, Brazilian labour history has become an important reference point for the international debate about a renewed labour and working-class history. It has greatly broadened its conceptual scope by integrating issues of gender, race, and ethnicity and has moved towards studying the whole gamut of labour relations in Brazil’s history. Furthermore it has taken new perspectives on the history of movements. As background to this Special Issue, this introduction embeds current Brazilian labour historiography in its development as a field and in the country’s broader political and social history. Presenting the contributions, we highlight their connections with current debates in Global Labour History.
Effects of nitrogen application and supplemental irrigation on canopy temperature and photosynthetic characteristics in winter wheat
Authors: Yang D. Q. , Dong W. H. , Luo Y. L. , Song W. T. , Cai T. , Li Y. , Yin Y. P. , Wang Z. L.
Published: January 2018

Nitrogen (N) application and irrigation to winter wheat may decrease leaf temperature and enhance photosynthesis: as a result, more photosynthates will be allocated to the grains, resulting in higher grain yields. To investigate this hypothesis, a 2-year field study was conducted with three levels of N fertilizer application (no fertilizer, N0; 240 kg N/ha, N1; 360 kg N/ha, N2) and two different water regimes (rainfed with no irrigation, R; irrigation at the over-wintering, stem elongation and grain filling stages, W). The results show that both N application and supplemental irrigation significantly increased grain yield with increases in both grain number/m2and the 1000-grain weight, viz., WN2>WN1>WN0>RN2>RN1>RN0. In addition, application of N under both water regimes significantly increased flag leaf area, above-ground biomass and single stem productivity and decreased leaf temperature, which led to an increase in net photosynthesis rates and ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase activity. Moreover, analysis of the chlorophyll α fluorescence transient showed that N fertilizer application and supplemental irrigation significantly increased electron donor and acceptor performance of the photosystem II reaction centre.
MULTILATERAL LOANS, BANKING FINANCE, AND THE MARTÍNEZ DE HOZ PLAN IN ARGENTINA, 1976-1981
Authors: García Heras Raúl
Published: January 2018

This article examines Argentine relations with multilateral agencies and bankers during the first years of the last military dictatorship. It begins with an overview of relations and the external situation before the rise of the military and why a new economic team sought and restored Argentine credit standing. There follows a review of how links with the U.S. Treasury and international institutions lost significance and how cross-country financial intermediation, carried out mainly by leading state banks, gave foreign bankers a key role in the financing of Argentina’s foreign exchange needs. It also emphasises explicit and underlying motivations in the behaviour and policies of all actors involved and offers an evaluation of former Minister Martínez de Hoz’s efforts to justify these policies in the early 1980s.
Phase-aligned Dual-frequency Constant Envelope Multiplexing Technique for GNSS Signals
Authors: Zhou Zhihui , Tang Zuping , Wei Jiaolong , Xia Xuan , Yan Tao
Published: January 2018

In the new generation of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), dual-frequency constant envelope multiplexing is widely desired and is becoming an important subject in signal design. Considerable work has been devoted to multiplexing for the Alternative Binary Offset Carrier (AltBOC)-like signal model, for which each sideband consists of two or fewer signal components. In this paper, a phase-aligned dual-frequency constant envelope multiplexing technique is proposed for a general dual-frequency signal model. This multiplexing technique can be used to combine two constant-envelope-modulated signals in two sidebands into a composite signal with a constant envelope, where the constant-envelope-modulated signal in each sideband consists of an arbitrary number of signal components with an arbitrary power ratio and phase relationship among the signal components. A Lookup Table (LUT)-based signal generation method is also proposed, for which the required driving clock rate of the signal generator can be flexibly adjusted to meet the requirements of the satellite payload. Applications for the AltBOC-like signal model and a general dual-frequency signal model in the Beidou B1 band validate the flexibility and high multiplexing efficiency of our method. Specifically, AltBOC is a special case of the proposed method.
Prevalence of transmitted drug resistance among HIV-1 treatment-naive patients in Beijing
Authors: Song Y.X. , Xin R.L. , Li Z.C. , Yu H.W. , Lun W.H. , Ye J. , Liu A. , Li A.X. , Li J.W. , Ye J.Z. , Hao M.Q. , Lu H.Y. , Sun L.J.
Published: January 2018

To optimise patients’ outcomes and gain insight into transmitted drug resistance (TDR) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 treatment-naive patients in Beijing, the prevalence of TDR was assessed. Demographic and clinical data of 1241 treatment-naive patients diagnosed between April 2014 and February 2015 were collected. TDR was defined using the Stanford University HIV drug resistance mutations database. The risk factors were evaluated by multi-logistic regression analysis. Among 932 successfully amplified cases, most were male (96.78%) and infected through men having sex with men (91.74%). Genotype were CRF01_AE (56.44%), B (20.60%), CRF07_BC (19.96%), C (1.61%) and other genotypes (1.39%). The overall prevalence of TDR was 6.12%. Most frequent mutations occurred in non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) (3.11%), followed by protease inhibitors (PIs) (2.25%) and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) (1.32%). Furthermore, HIV-1 genotype was associated with high risk of resistance, in which genotype C and other genotype may have higher risk for resistance. The prevalence among treatment-naive patients in Beijing was low. Resistance to NNRTIs was higher than with PIs or NRTIs. Continuous monitoring of regional levels of HIV-1 TDRs would contribute to improve treatment outcomes and prevent failures.
Food choices to meet nutrient recommendations for the adult Brazilian population based on the linear programming approach
Authors: dos Santos Quenia , Sichieri Rosely , Darmon Nicole , Maillot Matthieu , Verly-Junior Eliseu
Published: January 2018

Objective

To identify optimal food choices that meet nutritional recommendations to reduce prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes.

Design

Linear programming was used to obtain an optimized diet with sixty-eight foods with the least difference from the observed population mean dietary intake while meeting a set of nutritional goals that included reduction in the prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes to ≤20 %.

Setting

Brazil.

Subjects

Participants (men and women, n 25 324) aged 20 years or more from the first National Dietary Survey (NDS) 2008–2009.

Results

Feasible solution to the model was not found when all constraints were imposed; infeasible nutrients were Ca, vitamins D and E, Mg, Zn, fibre, linolenic acid, monounsaturated fat and Na. Feasible solution was obtained after relaxing the nutritional constraints for these limiting nutrients by including a deviation variable in the model. Estimated prevalence of nutrient inadequacy was reduced by 60–70 % for most nutrients, and mean saturated and trans-fat decreased in the optimized diet meeting the model constraints. Optimized diet was characterized by increases especially in fruits (+92 g), beans (+64 g), vegetables (+43 g), milk (+12 g), fish and seafood (+15 g) and whole cereals (+14 g), and reductions of sugar-sweetened beverages (−90 g), rice (−63 g), snacks (−14 g), red meat (−13 g) and processed meat (−9·7 g).

Conclusion

Linear programming is a unique tool to identify which changes in the current diet can increase nutrient intake and place the population at lower risk of nutrient inadequacy. Reaching nutritional adequacy for all nutrients would require major dietary changes in the Brazilian diet.
Interstellar communication. I. Maximized data rate for lightweight space-probes
Authors: Hippke Michael
Published: January 2018

Recent technological advances could make interstellar travel possible, using ultra-lightweight sails pushed by lasers or solar photon pressure, at speeds of a few per cent the speed of light. Obtaining remote observational data from such probes is not trivial because of their minimal instrumentation (gram scale) and large distances (pc). We derive the optimal communication scheme to maximize the data rate between a remote probe and home-base. The framework requires coronagraphic suppression of the stellar background at the level of 10−9 within a few tenths of an arcsecond of the bright star. Our work includes models for the loss of photons from diffraction, technological limitations, interstellar extinction and atmospheric transmission. Major noise sources are atmospheric, zodiacal, stellar and instrumental. We examine the maximum capacity using the ‘Holevo bound’ which gives an upper limit to the amount of information (bits) that can be encoded through a quantum state (photons), which is a few bits per photon for optimistic signal and noise levels. This allows for data rates of the order of bits per second per Watt from a transmitter of size 1 m at a distance of α Centauri (1.3 pc) to an earth-based large receiving telescope (E-ELT, 39 m). The optimal wavelength for this distance is 300 nm (space-based receiver) to 400 nm (earth-based) and increases with distance, due to extinction, to a maximum of ≈ 3 μm to the centre of the Galaxy at 8 kpc.
Pensions: the impact of migrations and cross-border workers in a small open economy
Authors: LABOURÉ MARION
Published: January 2018

The pension system brings challenges in many high-income countries. While the system was set up at the time of economic growth, policymakers are facing both economic slowdown and aging population. Moreover, there is an incentive mis-match between short to medium term popularity and re-election versus taking necessary decisions to affect long-term sustainability of the system. In a small open economy, the situation is further accentuated by high volatility driven by migrations and cross-borders workers. This paper aims to address the policymakers’ challenges and develops an innovative model, whose main contribution is the way it reflects the cross-border workers’ contribution and impact. Therefore, it allows to not only assess the state liabilities, but also the evolution of the age pyramid with a significant portion of new migrants and cross-border workers, considering the high volatility of workers. It also provides an approach to analyze issues at stake and remove decision biases faced by politicians through policy options and their impact under various economic scenarios. With the model in hand, we analyze three different scenarios for the future evolution of Luxembourg's pension system. In all three scenarios, the results reflect a significant imbalance of the pension system over time (to 2060), going from 1.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) surplus in the best scenario to 14.2% of GDP deficit in the worst scenario. The probability of this worst scenario is related with a worsening of the economic situation, with job destruction and a drop in economic growth impacting cross-border commuters and net migrations.
Blockchains and the economic institutions of capitalism
Authors: DAVIDSON SINCLAIR , DE FILIPPI PRIMAVERA , POTTS JASON
Published: January 2018

Blockchains are a new digital technology that combines peer-to-peer network computing and cryptography to create an immutable decentralised public ledger. Where the ledger records money, a blockchain is a cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin; but ledger entries can record any data structure, including property titles, identity and certification, contracts, and so on. We argue that the economics of blockchains extend beyond analysis of a new general purpose technology and its disruptive Schumpeterian consequences to the broader idea that blockchains are an institutional technology. We consider several examples of blockchain-based economic coordination and governance. We claim that blockchains are an instance of institutional evolution.
Herbicidal and Seed Dormancy Induction Activity of Fermentation Residual Vinasse
Authors: Leon Ramon G. , van der Laat Rocio
Published: January 2018

Vinasse, a liquid fermentation residual of bio-ethanol production that also contains solid particles in suspension, is commonly used as a soil amendment. Previous studies reported vinasse reduced seed germination and seedling establishment, suggesting herbicidal activity. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine whether vinasse herbicidal activity is present in the liquid or solid phase, and whether it affects plants during seed early germination (i.e., imbibition), late germination (i.e., embryo growth and radicle protrusion), or seedling growth. Most of the herbicidal activity was associated with the liquid phase, and for most species, seed viability was predominantly affected after the imbibition phase. Susceptibility to vinasse was species dependent. Lettuce (Lactuca sativaL.) germination was <8% when seeds were imbibed and germinated in vinasse solutions or imbibed in water and germinated in vinasse. Conversely, imbibing lettuce seeds in vinasse solutions and germinating them in water did not change their germination in comparison with seeds imbibed and germinated in water (>80% germination). Wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) and sicklepod [Senna obtusifolia(L.) H. S. Irwin & Barneby] germination decreased 10% and 35% when seeds were imbibed and germinated in vinasse, respectively, while Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeriS. Watson) and southern crabgrass [Digitaria ciliaris(Retz.) Koeler] germination decreased >90%. All evaluated species reduced radicle growth as vinasse concentration increased. Filtered liquid vinasse with reduced concentration of salt and ionic compounds inhibited radicle growth similarly to unfiltered vinasse, indicating that the herbicidal activity was not due to osmotic effects and was likely present in the organic liquid phase.Amaranthus palmeri,S. obtusifolia, andD. ciliarisincreased the proportion of dormant seed more than 2-fold when they were imbibed or imbibed and germinated in vinasse solutions. Vinasse might be useful for weed management to reduce germinable weed seedbanks by increasing seedling mortality and seed dormancy either by properly timing of its application as a soil amendment or by purifying herbicidal compounds and using them directly for weed control.
Preserving a 45-Year Record of Sunspots
Authors: Underwood Emily
Published: January 2018

Maps reveal how the Sun’s magnetic field evolves through solar cycles.
Human colorectal cancer-derived mesenchymal stem cells promote colorectal cancer progression through IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling
Authors: Zhang Xiaochao , Hu Fayong , Li Geng , Li Guodong , Yang Xi , Liu Liang , Zhang Rongsheng , Zhang Bixiang , Feng Yongdong
Published: January 2018

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported to localize in colorectal carcinomas, and participate in the formation of the tumor microenvironment. They have recently been isolated from colorectal cancer tissues, and are implicated in the growth, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells. However, the roles and detailed mechanisms associated with human colorectal cancer-derived MSCs (CC-MSCs) have not been fully addressed. In this study, we found that CC-MSCs increased the migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells and promoted the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro. We also found that CC-MSCs enhanced the growth and metastasis of colorectal cancer in vivo. Mechanistically, we determined that interleukin-6 (IL-6) was the most highly expressed cytokine in the CC-MSC conditioned medium, and promoted the progression of colorectal cancer cells through IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling, which activated PI3K/AKT signaling. We used anti-IL-6 antibody to target IL-6. Collectively, these results reveal that the IL-6 secreted by CC-MSCs enhances the progression of colorectal cancer cells through IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling, and could provide a novel therapeutic or preventive target.
Mixed pyruvate labeling enables backbone resonance assignment of large proteins using a single experiment
Authors: Robson Scott A. , Takeuchi Koh , Boeszoermenyi Andras , Coote Paul W. , Dubey Abhinav , Hyberts Sven , Wagner Gerhard , Arthanari Haribabu
Published: January 2018

Backbone resonance assignment is a critical first step in the investigation of proteins by NMR. This is traditionally achieved with a standard set of experiments, most of which are not optimal for large proteins. Of these, HNCA is the most sensitive experiment that provides sequential correlations. However, this experiment suffers from chemical shift degeneracy problems during the assignment procedure. We present a strategy that increases the effective resolution of HNCA and enables near-complete resonance assignment using this single HNCA experiment. We utilize a combination of 2-13C and 3-13C pyruvate as the carbon source for isotope labeling, which suppresses the one bond (1Jαβ) coupling providing enhanced resolution for the Cα resonance and amino acid-specific peak shapes that arise from the residual coupling. Using this approach, we can obtain near-complete (>85%) backbone resonance assignment of a 42 kDa protein using a single HNCA experiment.
Systematic evaluation of levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel patient-responder characteristics
Authors: Standaert David G. , Boyd James T. , Odin Per , Robieson Weining Z. , Zamudio Jorge , Chatamra Krai
Published: January 2018

Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG, carbidopa-levodopa enteral suspension in the United States) is a treatment option for advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with motor fluctuations. The objective of this investigation was to identify the baseline characteristics predictive of treatment response, measured by improvement in motor symptom severity, in advanced PD patients treated with LCIG during a 54-week, open-label phase 3 study. Patients with ≥1 h improvement from baseline in “Off” time were categorized as “Responders”; whereas those with <1 h improvement, any worsening, or no post-baseline assessment were “Non-Responders”. A subgroup of Responders with ≥3 h improvement in “Off” time was also examined; this subgroup was identified as “Robust Responders”. Baseline demographics and disease characteristics were analyzed and their predictive relationship to change from baseline in normalized “Off” time was assessed. Out of the 324 patients included in the analysis, 272 (84.0%) were categorized as Responders and 52 (16.0%) were Non-Responders. A majority of patients (65.7%) had ≥3 h improvement in “Off” time. In general, baseline characteristics were similar between Non-responders, Responders, and the subgroup of Robust Responders. A conditional tree-structured regression analysis identified baseline “Off” time as the only factor that had significant effect on Responder and Robust Responder status. The safety profile of LCIG was similar between patient groups. Overall, this analysis showed that 84% of LCIG-treated advanced PD patients had ≥1 h improvement in “Off” time and the number-needed-to-treat to observe one patient responder was 1.19 patients. Notably, Responders and Robust Responders to LCIG were observed across the range of baseline demographics and clinical characteristics examined.
Interactive effects of compost and pre-planting soil moisture on plant biomass, nutrition and formation of mycorrhizas: a context dependent response
Authors: Ngo H. T. T. , Cavagnaro T. R.
Published: January 2018

We aimed to investigate the combined impacts of compost addition and pre-planting soil moisture conditions, on plant-available nutrients, and subsequent impacts on the biomass, nutrition and formation of AM by two important crop species. A glasshouse study was undertaken in which wheat and tomato plants were grown in compost amended or un-amended soil that was subjected to different moisture regimes prior to planting. The availability of P was strongly influenced by compost addition, but not pre-planting moisture conditions. In contrast, mineral N pools were affected by compost addition and pre-planting soil moisture conditions in complex ways. These changes in nutrient availability affected plant biomass, nutrient uptake and formation of AM. In general, plant performance was better where pre-planting soil moisture conditions were wet or dry, and worse where they involved a wet/dry cycle, and mycorrhizal colonisation was lower where compost was added to the soil. That pre-planting moisture conditions affect the biomass of subsequent crops is an important finding, the potential implications of which are considered here.
Effects of temperature and photosynthetically active radiation on virioplankton decay in the western Pacific Ocean
Authors: Wei Wei , Zhang Rui , Peng Lulu , Liang Yantao , Jiao Nianzhi
Published: January 2018

In this study, we investigated virioplankton decay rates and their responses to changes in temperature and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in the western Pacific Ocean. The mean decay rates for total, high-fluorescence, and low-fluorescence viruses were 1.64 ± 0.21, 2.46 ± 0.43, and 1.57 ± 0.26% h−1, respectively. Higher temperatures and PAR increased viral decay rates, and the increases in the decay rates of low-fluorescence viruses were greater than those of high-fluorescence viruses. Our results revealed that low-fluorescence viruses are more sensitive to warming and increasing PAR than are high-fluorescence viruses, which may be related to differences in their biological characteristics, such as the density of packaged nucleic acid materials. Our study provided experimental evidence for the responses of natural viral communities to changes in global environmental factors (e.g., temperature and solar radiation).
Simultaneous realization of slow and fast acoustic waves using a fractal structure of Koch curve
Authors: Ding Jin , Fan Li , Zhang Shu-yi , Zhang Hui , Yu Wei-wei
Published: January 2018

An acoustic metamaterial based on a fractal structure, the Koch curve, is designed to simultaneously realize slow and fast acoustic waves. Owing to the multiple transmitting paths in the structure resembling the Koch curve, the acoustic waves travelling along different paths interfere with each other. Therefore, slow waves are created on the basis of the resonance of a Koch-curve-shaped loop, and meanwhile, fast waves even with negative group velocities are obtained due to the destructive interference of two acoustic waves with opposite phases. Thus, the transmission of acoustic wave can be freely manipulated with the Koch-curve shaped structure.