bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human Leukocyte Antigen Class I and II Knockout Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell–Derived Cells: Universal Donor for Cell Therapy
Authors: Mattapally Saidulu , Pawlik Kevin M. , Fast Vladimir G. , Zumaquero Esther , Lund Frances E. , Randall Troy D. , Townes Tim M. , Zhang Jianyi
Published: November 2018

Background

We aim to generate a line of “universal donor” human induced pluripotent stem cells (hi
PSC
s) that are nonimmunogenic and, therefore, can be used to derive cell products suitable for allogeneic transplantation.

Methods and Results

hi
PSC
s carrying knockout mutations for 2 key components (β2 microglobulin and class
II
major histocompatibility class transactivator) of major histocompatibility complexes I and
II
(ie, human leukocyte antigen [HLA] I/
II
knockout hi
PSC
s) were generated using the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9) gene‐editing system and differentiated into cardiomyocytes. Pluripotency‐gene expression and telomerase activity in wild‐type (
WT
) and
HLAI
/
II
knockout hi
PSC
s, cardiomyocyte marker expression in
WT
and
HLAI
/
II
knockout hi
PSC
‐derived cardiomyocytes, and assessments of electrophysiological properties (eg, conduction velocity, action‐potential and calcium transient half‐decay times, and calcium transient increase times) in spheroid‐fusions composed of
WT
and
HLAI
/
II
knockout cardiomyocytes, were similar. However, the rates of T‐cell activation before (≈21%) and after (≈24%) exposure to
HLAI
/
II
knockout hi
PSC
‐derived cardiomyocytes were nearly indistinguishable and dramatically lower than after exposure to
WT
hi
PSC
‐derived cardiomyocytes (≈75%), and when
WT
and
HLAI
/
II
knockout hi
PSC
‐derived cardiomyocyte spheroids were cultured with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, the
WT
hi
PSC
‐derived cardiomyocyte spheroids were smaller and displayed contractile irregularities. Finally, expression of
HLA
‐E and
HLA
‐F was inhibited in
HLAI
/
II
knockout cardiomyocyte spheroids after coculture with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, although
HLA
‐G was not inhibited; these results are consistent with the essential role of class II major histocompatibility class transactivator in transcriptional activation of the
HLA
‐E and HLA‐F genes, but not the
HLA
‐G gene. Expression of
HLA
‐G is known to inhibit natural killer cell recognition and killing of cells that lack other HLAs.

Conclusions

HLAI
/
II
knockout hi
PSC
s can be differentiated into cardiomyocytes that induce little or no activity in human immune cells and, consequently, are suitable for allogeneic transplantation.
Postablation Atrial Fibrillation Burden and Patient Activity Level: Insights From the DISCERN AF Study
Authors: Proietti Riccardo , Birnie David , Ziegler Paul D. , Wells George A. , Verma Atul
Published: November 2018

Background

Recent evidence shows an association between the level of physical activity and cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in patients with atrial fibrillation (
AF
). We sought to assess the impact of
AF
daily burden on the activity level of the patient who underwent pulmonary vein isolation.

Methods and Results

Patients enrolled in the
DISCERN AF
(Discerning Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Episodes Pre and Post Radiofrequency Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation) study all had insertable cardiac monitors, which provided the daily burden of atrial tachycardia and atrial fibrillation (
AT
/
AF
) and a corresponding activity level. A total of 44 341 daily
AT
/
AF
burden points were collected from 50 patients with an average of 887 observations for every patient, with <5 minutes of
AT
/
AF
reported on 82.6% of days. The daily burden of
AT
/
AF
after ablation ranged between 0 and 1440 minutes. The minimum and maximum daily activity was 0 and 600 minutes per day, respectively. A significant inverse association was detected between activity levels and
AF
burden (
P
<0.001; 95%
confidence interval,
0.01–0.04). The daily activity starts progressively decreasing after 500 minutes of
AF
and considerably drops after 1000 minutes. The association between activity level and burden of
AT
/
AF
was still statistically significant after adjustment for clinical variables (
P
=0.02; 95%
confidence interval,
−003 to 0.04).

Conclusions

Daily activity level correlates with daily
AT
/
AF
burden in patients who underwent
AF
ablation. The daily activity started decreasing after a daily burden of 500 minutes of
AF
and greatly drops after 1000 minutes. Therefore, the amount of
AT
/
AF
burden that may impact the activity level seems to be related to hours and not minutes of arrhythmias.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier:
NCT
00745706.
Modeling road mortality hotspots of Eastern Hermann’s tortoise in Romania
Authors: Iosif Ruben , Iosif Ruben , Rozylowicz Laurenţiu , Iosif Ruben , Rozylowicz Laurenţiu , Popescu Viorel Dan
Published: November 2018

Road-associated mortality can lead to local declines of wildlife populations, and management agencies are actively implementing mitigation measures, especially focused on potential road mortality hotspots. In this study we used a spatially-explicit simulation modeling approach to estimate the hotspots of road mortality for the Eastern Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni boettgeri) within its distribution range in Romania. Using a field experiment, we first evaluated velocities while crossing roads. Adult male tortoises moved faster than females (3.98 m/min vs. 2.51 m/min) which led to higher individual probabilities for females being killed on high-traffic roads (0.61 for females vs. 0.44 for males at traffic levels of 7000 vehicles/day). Both males and females had similar road mortality probabilities for traffic levels <1000 and >35 000 vehicles/day. Our spatially explicit model suggests that, within the entire Romanian distributional range, the tortoises have an overall risk of road mortality 1.6%, which may have a negative impact on tortoise populations. Using the Getis-Ord Gi statistic, we identified road mortality hotspots with mortality rates of 5-30%, in areas bisected by high-traffic national and European-level roads. Our research is timely in that many low-traffic roads are predicted to have increased traffic associated with tourism activities, thus increasing the overall risk of mortality. We suggest that mitigation measures such as signage and roadside fences associated with underpasses have the potential to limit road mortality of this threatened species within predicted current mortality hotspots.
Species-specific escape behaviour in grasshoppers
Authors: Butler Eric M.
Published: November 2018

A number of vertebrate species have been shown to flee at species-specific distances when approached by a predator but data on invertebrate escape behaviour are few. Grasshoppers are visually-orienting invertebrates that switch between walking when undisturbed to flying or jumping to flee from predators, thereby allowing the beginning and end of an escape attempt to be clearly defined. I studied the approach distances, escape distances, and angles of escape of nine sympatric species of acridid grasshoppers. Both approach distance and escape distance were correlated with each other and differed among species. Angle of escape showed no discernible trends. Within species some variation in escape behaviour was seen among sexes and colour morphs. The variation in escape behaviour among species was correlated with phylogeny but not with body size.
Meloidogyne paranaensis and M. exigua alter coffee physiology
Authors: Goulart Roseli dos R. , Terra Willian C. , Salgado Sônia M. de L. , Alves José D. , Campos Vicente P. , Fatobene Bárbhara J. dos R. , Marchiori Paulo E.R. , de Souza Simone R. , Oliveira Rosângela D’A. de L.
Published: November 2018

Root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp., cause great losses to coffee crops in Brazil and worldwide. However, little is known about the physiological changes that these pathogens induce in coffee plants. The present work aimed to compare the physiological variables of coffee seedlings (Coffea arabica ‘Catuaí Vermelho IAC 144’) infected with Meloidogyne paranaensis or M. exigua with healthy coffee plants. Nematode-infected plants showed reductions in height and starch content in roots compared to healthy plants. In addition, the infected plants had a reduction in transpiration, stomatal conductance and CO2 concentration. However, only the coffee seedlings infected with M. paranaensis showed reduction in the rate of photosynthesis. Nematode-infected plants had lower leaf contents of P, K, Mn and Fe when compared to healthy plants. However, only coffee seedlings parasitised by M. paranaensis exhibited lower levels of Ca in the leaves. Therefore, M. paranaensis and M. exigua, with emphasis on M. paranaensis, alter the normal coffee seedling physiology.
Giving Children’s Views “Due Weight” in Medical Law
Authors: Alderson Priscilla
Published: November 2018

Article 12 with its concern to give “due weight” to children’s views involves potential contradictions between human rights to self-determination and children’s rights. A set of conditions in Article 12 turns rights into highly qualified permissions that can transfer agency and control from children onto adults. These are further complicated by reports by the un Committee on the Rights of the Child and others that position children’s best interests against their expressed views, and by contrasting standards set by national laws and guidance. Theories about children’s rights in medical law differ from actual practice in reported cases, which are influenced by long-standing theories about childhood in philosophy and psychology that disregard realities in children’s lives. Barriers to due respect for children’s views in medical law and practice that need to be addressed are summarised.
Why Children have Rights: Children Rights in Janusz Korczak’s Education Philosophy
Authors: Shner Moshe
Published: November 2018

Children are a weak part of society. They suffer injustice, their voice is unheard, their property is not theirs and they depend on adults in all aspects of their life. Even today, children are victims of war crimes, street violence, sexual abuse, hard labour, lack of proper education and insufficient life conditions. Their rights remain an unfulfilled promise.

We claim that children have rights, but what does it mean? Of course, we love our children, the challenge is not to define what we gracefully give but what children’s rights are, regardless of our own feelings? How can we substantiate the claim that children have rights? The legacy of Janusz Korczak, world-known children’s rights advocate (1878–1942), may help us in this task.

Korczak’s education legacy portrays a cluster of inspiring ideas: children are not people-in-the-making, but human beings here-and-now, they deserve our respect and respect implies ultimate rights. Korczak was not only a theoretician, but also an educationalist in practice who structured his children’s houses as democratic communities, directed by a children’s parliament, court, newspaper and other community common spaces of discussion and learning.

A major question remains: how we connect Korczak’s fragmented and isolated educational ideas and practices, each one inspiring and powerful on its own, into one integrated worldview? Can we connect all the dots into a meaningful picture that substantiates the claim that children have unconditional rights as human beings and not only as an arbitrary gesture of the adults? This study suggests that all of Korczak’s ideas and practices fit into the context of Greek philosophy and Korczak appears as a modern Stoic.

His Stoicism gives ground to the idea of children’s dignity and children’s rights as an immediate outcome of this dignity. In the infinity of the cosmos, there is no hierarchy of being. In this context, children have rights like any other human being.
The Eurasian Economic Union: An eu-Inspired Legal Order and Its Limits
Authors: Karliuk Maksim
Published: November 2018

The Eurasian Economic Union (eaeu) is a regional organization for economic integration in the post-Soviet space. Following the limited success of previous integration attempts, the organization aims to pursue deeper integration, borrowing features from the European Union. The eaeu has at its disposal a complex system of elements that make up a newly emerged legal order. This paper analyzes how these elements compare to those of the eu in order to determine how the legal changes that accompanied the creation of the eaeu affect its functioning and whether its legal order can be considered efficient compared to that of the eu. This article argues that the eaeu lags behind the eu both in terms of the autonomy of its legal order and in its ability to ensure the effective functioning of the organization. The eaeu’s supranational features are limited, as it relies predominantly on intergovernmental elements with a view to preserving the interests of all of its member states.
Development of Soviet Federalism from Lenin to Gorbachev: Major Characteristics and Reasons for Failure
Authors: Kembayev Zhenis
Published: November 2018

This article aims at examining different stages of the development of Soviet federalism, distinguishing its major principles and characteristics and identifying the reasons for its failure. In doing so, it explains the Marxist background to the emergence of Soviet federalism and the vision of Lenin, the architect of the Soviet state, of building a federation as a transitory phase towards achieving proletarian unitarism. The article provides a background to the Constitutions of the ussr of 1924, 1936 and 1977 paying particular attention to the key terms of the federal structure and also the views of the respective subsequent Soviet leaders, Stalin, Khrushchev, and Brezhnev, on the development of Soviet federalism. Further, it demonstrates the course of the constitutional reforms conducted by Gorbachev that eventually resulted in the collapse of the ussr. Finally, it draws some conclusions summarizing and demonstrating the major features of Soviet federalism and explaining why it failed.
Revision of the Western Nearctic Androprosopa (Diptera: Thaumaleidae) and descriptions of three new species
Authors: Pivar Robert J. , Moulton John K. , Sinclair Bradley J.
Published: November 2018

The western Nearctic fauna of Androprosopa Mik is revised to include twenty-five species, three of which are new to science. Descriptions of the adult males of A. apache Pivar & Moulton sp.n., A. arnaudi Pivar sp.n. and A. rainierensis Pivar & Sinclair sp.n. are presented. Redescriptions of all remaining western Nearctic species are provided, as well as genitalic illustrations and updated distribution maps for each species. A diagnostic key to males of western Nearctic species of Androprosopa is offered. Species groups based on morphology are discussed.
Perilous Empathy on the Early Modern Frontier
Authors: Prince Kathryn
Published: November 2018

The captivity narratives produced in New England in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries are rich and complex sources in which to discover early modern attitudes towards empathy. Contemporary scholars including Sara Ahmed and Carolyn Pedwell have argued that empathy can be problematic, reifying and reproducing various forms of injustice under the guise of fellow feeling. On the early modern North American frontier, empathy was understood as problematic for other reasons, an undesirable response to both the captors and the captive that was often diverted, displaced, or denied in captivity narratives. By situating the captivity narratives of Hannah Swarton, Hannah Dustan, Mary Rowlandson and Elizabeth Hanson within their initial cultural contexts and contemporary theories of empathy and emotions, this essay contributes to an alternative history of empathy.
A New Late Cretaceous (Coniacian-Maastrichtian) Javelinoxylon Wood From Chihuahua, Mexico
Authors: Estrada-Ruiz Emilio , Martínez-Cabrera Hugo I.
Published: November 2018

We describe a new fossil wood from the San Carlos Formation (Coniacian- Maastrichtian) in Chihuahua, northern Mexico. This Malvaceae s.l. wood is diffuse porous, vessels are solitary and in radial multiples, simple perforation plates, small alternate intervessel pits, vessel-ray parenchyma pits that are rounded with reduced borders, septate and nonseptate fibers, homocellular and heterocellular rays, and storied rays and vessel elements. These features support its inclusion within the genus Javelinoxylon, Malvaceae s.l., which occurs in other Upper Cretaceous localities in northern Mexico (Olmos Formation) and Texas (Aguja and Javelina Formations). This San Carlos fossil wood is the earliest occurrence of storied structure in the fossil record and the earliest angiosperm record for the State of Chihuahua, Mexico.
Within-Stem Water Distribution in Living Trees Of Some Conifers
Authors: Nakada Ryogo
Published: November 2018

Water distributions within living stems of 11 species from three conifer families were observed with soft X-ray photography. The moisture contents at breast height of the trees were also measured. In all but one case, sapwood was almost saturated with free water. Intermediate wood, which was a narrow white band located between the sapwood and heartwood, was generally common in species with coloured heartwood. In heartwood, water distribution varied not only among species, but also within species, and even within a stem. In seven of the 11 species investigated, well-developed wetwood (the phenomenon of free water accumulated in heartwood) was observed. The frequent presence of wetwood led to the conclusion that it was a common feature in some groups of conifers. It is suggested that the view that wetwood is an abnormal feature may be incorrect because so far wetwood surveys have only focused on a few species that are important for forestry, e.g., hard pines. An extensive survey of many specimens belonging to various species is required to understand the mechanism of wetwood development.
Orientalism Writes Back: Discourses of ‘Chinese’ DissemiNationalism in Transnational Martial Arts Films
Authors: Chan Shao-yi
Published: November 2018

This essay revisits Edward Said’s famous conception of Orientalism and places it against the context of transnational Chinese cinemas, in particular Hong Kong and Taiwan cinemas, to examine how the concept is unpacked and reconstructed in a way that is often described as ‘self-Orientalism’—the self-exoticising of local fabrics to satiate Western consumers. Focusing on three films, Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle (2004), Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), and Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Assassin (2015), I argue that the act of self-Orientalising, rather than a passive submission to Western spectatorship, has served to rewrite and recode the idea of Chinese nationalism to present an alternative form of nationalism which I call dissemiNationalism and an alternative discourse to the mainland-centric narrative.
Two new genera of the tribe Parahiraciini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Issidae) from China
Authors: ZHANG ZHENG-GUANG , CHEN XIANG-SHENG
Published: November 2018

Two new issid genera of the tribe Parahiraciini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Issidae) are described from China: Paratetricodes gen. nov. and Fusiissus gen. nov. Two new species, Paratetricodes sinensis sp. nov. (China: Guizhou, Guangxi) and Fusiissus frontomaculatus sp. nov. (China: Guizhou), are described and illustrated. The tribe Parahiraciini is discussed briefly. A key to the genera in the tribe Parahiraciini is given.
The Neotropical genus Schistopeltis (Blattaria: Blaberidae, Zetoborinae) with a new species from Colombia
Authors: VÉLEZ ANDRÉS , GUTIÉRREZ ESTEBAN
Published: November 2018

The blaberid genus Schistopeltis Rehn is rediagnosed. Schistopeltis microschistos n. sp. is described and the genus is recorded for the first time from Colombia. A taxonomic key is given to distinguish the new taxon from the previously known species S. peculiaris (from Brazil) and S. lizeri (from Bolivia).
First record of Myotis flavus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from mainland China and a reassessment of its taxonomic status
Authors: JIANG TINGLEI , SUN KEPING , CHOU CHENGHAN , ZHANG ZHENZHEN , FENG JIANG
Published: November 2018

Myotis flavus, a synonym of M. formosus found in Taiwan, is reported for the first time for mainland China. We captured one bat in Jiangxi province in Southeast China and identified the taxon as M. flavus based upon its external, cranial and baculum morphology. The uncorrected cytb sequence divergence between M. flavus from Jiangxi and specimen from Taiwan was only 0.61%, indicating intraspecific divergence. Both, morphological and genetic evidence indicated that the specimen from mainland China was a new locality record of M. flavus. In contrast, M. flavus from Jiangxi and from Taiwan exhibited 15.53–16.67% sequence divergence from samples of M. formosus obtained from locations outside Taiwan, and they were not sister lineages. Therefore M. flavus should be recognized as a species from M. formosus. In addition, the sequence similarity between M. watasei from Taiwan and M. formosus from mainland China and their phylogenetic grouping strongly suggests that M. watasei is a synonym of M. formosus.
Four new species of Desmopachria Babington (Insecta, Coleoptera, Dytiscidae) from the Amazon river floodplain
Authors: BRAGA RAFAEL BENZI , FERREIRA-JR NELSON
Published: November 2018

Four new species of Desmopachria from the Amazon river floodplain (várzea) are described and illustrated, D. manus sp. nov., D. varzeana sp. nov., D. cavia sp. nov. and D. nigrocapitata sp. nov., together with new distributional records of D. balionata Miller, D. draco Miller, D. subnotata Sharp and D. striola Zimmermann for Amazonas and Pará states in Brazil.
The spatial complexity in describing leg surfaces of Hymenoptera (Insecta), the problem and a proposed solution
Authors: AGUIAR ALEXANDRE P. , GIBSON GARY A. P.
Published: November 2018

A significant procedural problem in describing the leg surfaces of Hymenoptera, which has not been explicitly treated in the literature before, is identified and a mitigating solution is proposed. The first accurate, three-dimensional illustrations of the surfaces of the three pairs of legs are also provided to illustrate the problem and the proposed solution. In Hymenoptera, the orientation of the front, middle and hind pairs of legs relative to the body can and often do differ in direction by up to 180º between the front and hind legs. Furthermore, the tibiae and tarsi are usually held at an abrupt angle relative to the femora. Because of this, the terms anterior, posterior, lateral, outer, mesal, inner, dorsal, and ventral, when applied to surfaces of different parts of different legs will frequently refer to non-homologous areas depending on whether the terms are interpreted or used in an anatomic sense or based on the specific direction and orientation of the part of the leg being described (vernacular sense). Authors often use the vernacular interpretation, but we show that such usage makes the terminology on average 53.1% incompatible for the same anatomical surfaces of the femora, tibiae and tarsi of the three sets of legs. To create equivalence between anatomical and vernacular senses, four intuitive vernacular terms are proposed as explanatory or auxiliary terms for the anatomical terms “dorsal”, “ventral” “anterior”, and “posterior”, respectively, kickface, gripface, foreface, and backface. The terms are proposed as auxiliary or explanatory terms and not as substitutes for the anatomical terms.
Certhiasomus, a new genus of woodcreeper (Aves: Passeriformes: Dendrocolaptidae)
Authors: DERRYBERRY ELIZABETH , CLARAMUNT SANTIAGO , CHESSER R. TERRY , ALEIXO ALEXANDRE , CRACRAFT JOEL , MOYLE ROBERT G. , BRUMFIELD ROBB T.
Published: November 2018

Phylogenetic analysis of the family Dendrocolaptidae (Aves: Passeriformes) indicates that the two species traditionally placed in the genus Deconychura are not sister taxa. Certhiasomus, a new genus of woodcreeper, is described for one of these species, C. stictolaemus.
Additional notes on Orthalicidae from the Chimantá massif, Venezuelan Guayana, with descriptions of new species of Plekocheilus Guilding, 1828 (Mollusca: Gastropoda)
Authors: BREURE ABRAHAM S. H. , SCHLÖGL JAN
Published: November 2018

Two new species are described from Venezuelan Guayana, Chimantá massif: Plekocheilus (P.) vlceki and P. (Eurytus) breweri. Some remarks are made on the ecology of the latter species in relation to birds. Finally some notes on conservation issues are made, highlighting possible threats by climate change.
Two new species of Aegopsis Burmeister, 1847 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) from the central Brazilian Cerrado
Authors: SOBRAL RAFAEL , GROSSI PASCHOAL C. , DE MORAIS JOSÉ W.
Published: November 2018

Two new species of Aegopsis Burmeister, 1847 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Agaocephalini), Aegopsis diceratops Sobral & Grossi new species and Aegopsis vazdemelloi Sobral & Grossi new species, are described and illustrated based on specimens collected in Cerrado habitat in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso. The new species are similar to A. bolboceridus (Thomson, 1860). A redescription of A. bolboceridus is provided along with remarks comparing characters among these three species. A distribution map and a male and female key to the species in the genus are provided.
A Numerical Sensitivity Analysis of Soil Moisture Feedback on Convective Precipitation
Authors: Koukoula Marika , Nikolopoulos Efthymios I. , Kushta Jonilda , Bartsotas Nikolaos S. , Kallos George , Anagnostou Emmanouil N.
Published: November 2018

Of the boundary conditions that affect the simulation of convective precipitation, soil moisture is one of the most important. In this study, we explore the impact of the soil moisture on convective precipitation, and factors affecting it, through an extensive numerical experiment based on four convective precipitation events that caused moderate to severe flooding in the Gard region of southern France. High-spatial-resolution (1 km) weather simulations were performed using the integrated atmospheric model Regional Atmospheric Modeling System/Integrated Community Limited Area Modeling System (RAMS/ICLAMS). The experimental framework included comparative analysis of five simulation scenarios for each event, in which we varied the magnitude and spatial distribution of the initial volumetric water content using realistic soil moisture fields with different spatial resolution. We used precipitation and surface soil moisture from radar and satellite sensors as references for the comparison of the sensitivity tests. Our results elucidate the complexity of the relationship between soil moisture and convective precipitation, showing that the control of soil water content on partitioning land surface heat fluxes has significant impacts on convective precipitation. Additionally, it is shown how different soil moisture conditions affect the modeled microphysical structure of the clouds, which translates into further changes in the magnitude and distribution of precipitation.
QBO Influence on MJO Amplitude over the Maritime Continent: Physical Mechanisms and Seasonality
Authors: Densmore Casey R. , Sanabia Elizabeth R. , Barrett Bradford S.
Published: November 2018

The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is stratified by stratospheric zonal wind direction and height into four phase pairs [easterly midstratospheric winds (QBOEM), easterly lower-stratospheric winds, westerly midstratospheric winds (QBOWM), and westerly lower-stratospheric winds] using an empirical orthogonal function analysis of daily stratospheric (100–10 hPa) zonal wind data during 1980–2017. Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) events in which the MJO convective envelope moved eastward across the Maritime Continent (MC) during 1980–2017 are identified using the Real-time Multivariate MJO (RMM) index and the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) MJO index (OMI). Comparison of RMM amplitudes by the QBO phase pair over the MC (RMM phases 4 and 5) reveals that boreal winter MJO events have the strongest amplitudes during QBOEM and the weakest amplitudes during QBOWM, which is consistent with QBO-driven differences in upper-tropospheric lower-stratospheric (UTLS) static stability. Additionally, boreal winter RMM events over the MC strengthen during QBOEM and weaken during QBOWM. In the OMI, those amplitude changes generally shift eastward to the eastern MC and western Pacific Ocean, which may result from differences in RMM and OMI index methodologies. During boreal summer, as the northeastward-propagating boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) becomes the dominant mode of intraseasonal variability, these relationships are reversed. Zonal differences in UTLS stability anomalies are consistent with amplitude changes of eastward-propagating MJO events across the MC during boreal winter, and meridional stability differences are consistent with amplitude changes of northeastward-propagating BSISO events during boreal summer. Results remain consistent when stratifying by neutral ENSO phase.
The Role of Parental Status and Involvement in Sentence Length Decisions: A Comparison of Men and Women Sentenced to Prison
Authors: Tasca Melinda , Cho Ahram , Spohn Cassia , Rodriguez Nancy
Published: November 2018

Drawing upon familial paternalism theory, this study explores the effects of parental status and involvement on prison sentence length among men and women. To carry out this research, we relied on a combination of official and self-report data on 919 offenders sentenced to prison in Arizona. Results revealed that parents were not sentenced significantly differently from offenders without children; although women and mothers were punished more severely than their male counterparts. In addition, mothers who lived with their children before arrest received shorter prison terms than mothers who were uninvolved in their lives. Parental involvement was not a significant predictor of fathers’ prison sentences, however. This study illuminates the complex interplay between parenthood, gender, and sentencing.
A potential brain zone perceiving a comfortable fabric pressure touch
Authors: Yuan Jie , Yu Weidong , Wang Qicai , Xu Changliang , Chen Kemin , Zhang Zhongwei , Li Yi
Published: November 2018

The present study was carried out with a new approach to evaluating the comfort of fabric contact pressure. Functional magnetic resonance imaging technology was conducted to monitor brain response when a comfortable fabric contact pressure, according to the subjective evaluation, was applied to the skin surface of the lower human chest. After a strict method of calibration with a family-wise error check analysis, the study we performed revealed the right secondary somatosensory cortex appeared prominently positively activated under a comfortable fabric pressure state. This suggested the secondary somatosensory cortex brain region, particularly the right secondary somatosensory cortex, was probably the characteristic brain region for fabric comfort perception. A reasonable explanation was that proper contact pressure facilitated the serial information flow from the primary somatosensory cortex to the secondary somatosensory cortex, and comfortable touch stimulated the firing of A-beta afferent nerves.
Associations Between Social Connectedness, Emotional Well-Being, and Self-Rated Health Among Older Adults: Difference by Relationship Status
Authors: Ermer Ashley E. , Proulx Christine M.
Published: November 2018

The present study investigates the association between social connectedness (i.e., social network characteristics, family and friend support, and social ties with neighbors), emotional well-being, and self-rated health and whether these associations differ based on respondents’ relationship status among adults aged 62 and older. A series of multigroup generalized structural equation models (GSEMs) were conducted using data from the National Social, Health, and Aging Project. Social connectedness items were mostly positively associated with emotional well-being and self-rated health, and several of these associations are stronger for older adults who are unpartnered versus those who are cohabiting or married. Cohabiting and married individuals do not appear to have the same associations between social network size, friend support, and emotional well-being compared to unpartnered older adults. The present study lends support for how a variety of social supports are vital for older adults and their well-being.
Class Background, Reception Context, and Intergenerational Mobility: A Record Linkage and Surname Analysis of the Children of Irish Immigrants
Authors: Connor Dylan Shane
Published: November 2018

Proponents of restrictive immigration policies often claim that families arriving with fewer skills and resources will struggle economically. This claim is challenging to test as lower-skilled migrants also tend to face greater discrimination, exclusion, and obstacles in the United States. I use unique multigenerational data on Irish Americans in the early-twentieth century, before and after migration, to directly study how the economic origins of Irish families and the reception context they faced in the United States affected economic attainment in the second generation. This analysis finds weak associations between economic background in Ireland and second-generation earnings in the United States. The schooling context and ethnic communities of settlement locations in the United States, in contrast, have strong effects on the second generation. These findings indicate that the experiences of immigrant families in the United States may be more important for second-generation attainment than the skills and resources brought from the origin country in the immigrant generation.
Mechanical Properties and Microstructural Collagen Alignment of the Ulnar Collateral Ligament During Dynamic Loading
Authors: Smith Matthew V. , Castile Ryan M. , Brophy Robert H. , Dewan Ashvin , Bernholt David , Lake Spencer P.
Published: November 2018

Background:

The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) microstructural organization and collagen fiber realignment in response to load are unknown.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The purpose was to describe the real-time microstructural collagen changes in the anterior bundle (AB) and posterior bundle (PB) of the UCL with tensile load. It was hypothesized that the UCL AB is stronger and stiffer with more highly aligned collagen during loading when compared with the UCL PB.

Study Design:

Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods:

The AB and PB from 34 fresh cadaveric specimens were longitudinally sectioned to allow uniform light passage for quantitative polarized light imaging. Specimens were secured to a tensile test machine and underwent cyclic preconditioning, a ramp-and-hold stress-relaxation test, and a quasi-static ramp to failure. A division-of-focal-plane polarization camera captured real-time pixelwise microstructural data of each sample during stress-relaxation and at the zero, transition, and linear points of the stress-strain curve. The SD of the angle of polarization determined the deviation of the average direction of collagen fibers in the tissue, while the average degree of linear polarization evaluated the strength of collagen alignment in those directions. Since the data were nonnormally distributed, the median ± interquartile range are presented.

Results:

The AB has larger elastic moduli than the PB ( P < .0001) in the toe region (median, 2.73 MPa [interquartile range, 1.1-5.6 MPa] vs 0.65 MPa [0.44-1.5 MPa]) and the linear region (13.77 MPa [4.8-40.7 MPa] vs 1.96 MPa [0.58-9.3 MPa]). The AB demonstrated larger stress values, stronger collagen alignment, and more uniform collagen organization during stress-relaxation. PB collagen fibers were more disorganized than the AB during the zero ( P = .046), transitional ( P = .011), and linear ( P = .007) regions of the stress-strain curve. Both UCL bundles exhibited very small changes in collagen alignment (SD of the angle of polarization) with load.

Conclusion:

The AB of the UCL is stiffer and stronger, with more strongly aligned and more uniformly oriented collagen fibers, than the PB. The small changes in collagen alignment indicate that the UCL response to load is due more to its static collagen organization than to dynamic changes in collagen alignment.

Clinical Relevance:

The UCL collagen organization may explain its susceptibility to injury with repetitive valgus loads.
Barriers and Facilitators to Food Policy Development in Fiji
Authors: Latu Catherine , Moodie Marj , Coriakula Jeremaia , Waqa Gade , Snowdon Wendy , Bell Colin
Published: November 2018

Introduction:

Policy interventions can encourage healthier dietary choices and help prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Consequently, governments are seeking to develop and implement food-related policies, but little research on food-related policies is available to guide policy development.

Objective:

This study aims to provide an in-depth examination of barriers and facilitators to food-related policy development in Fiji.

Method:

Case studies were undertaken on 7 food-related policies that were recommended for action in 2010. Data were collected in 2015 through 20 key informant interviews with purposely selected officers from relevant government ministries, consumer advocacy groups, and academia as well through document reviews. The interview data were analyzed thematically.

Results:

Findings were categorized into major themes: leadership, nature of the policy and political environment, and collaboration within and across sectors. Barriers included leaders not being supportive of progressing policy, the content of the policy influencing its adoption, and a lack of consultation with relevant stakeholders. Facilitators included certain leaders’ commitment to driving the policy combined with the support of government at time of deliberation. Good collaboration between government sectors and other stakeholders also facilitated policy endorsement.

Conclusion:

Attention to leadership, collaboration, policy content, and political environment is likely to enhance the process of developing and implementing food policies targeting NCD prevention in Fiji.
A Fraction Sense Intervention for Sixth Graders With or At Risk for Mathematics Difficulties
Authors: Dyson Nancy I. , Jordan Nancy C. , Rodrigues Jessica , Barbieri Christina , Rinne Luke
Published: November 2018

The efficacy of a research-based fraction sense intervention for sixth graders with or at risk for mathematics difficulties ( N = 52) was examined. The intervention aimed to build understanding of fraction magnitudes on the number line. Key concepts were taught with a narrow range of denominators to develop deep understanding. The intervention was centered on a visual number line in the meaningful context of a color run race. Students were randomly assigned to the fraction sense intervention ( n = 25) or a business-as-usual control group ( n = 27). Students in the intervention condition received 21 lessons in small groups (45 min each) during their regular mathematics intervention period. Students in the intervention group performed significantly better than those in the control group on a measure of fraction number line estimation and a more general measure of fraction concepts, both at immediate posttest and delayed posttest, with large effect sizes; lesser effects were shown for fraction arithmetic.
A Comparison of Alpha-Adrenergics (Anticholinesterases) in the Treatment of Eyelid Ptosis After Botulinum Toxin A Administration to the Glabellar Region: A Case Study
Authors: Buono Cynthia A. , Mandell-Brown Mark
Published: November 2018

In 2013, there were over 9.5 million nonsurgical cosmetic procedures performed; of these, over 3.7 million were botulinum toxin A injections. Treatment of dynamic facial rhytides with botulinum toxin, in particular the glabellar region, is not without complication. One of the complications of botulinum toxin A injection is paralysis of neighboring muscles to the target muscle(s) of the treatment area such as levator muscles yielding upper eyelid ptosis. Treatment of upper eyelid ptosis with phenylephrine 2.5% ophthalmic solution at 1 drop to the affected left eye every 8 hours versus apraclonidine 0.5% ophthalmic solution at 1 drop to the affected eye every 8 hours was evaluated. Both apraclonidine and phenylephrine are alpha-adrenergic agonists, more specifically apraclonidine is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist and thus stimulates the Müller’s muscle providing temporary relief of the upper eyelid ptosis. To decrease the risk of an adverse event of upper eyelid ptosis, it is important to avoid crossing the midpupillary line and to stay 1 cm above the eyebrow. Our experience in the treatment of upper eyelid ptosis with the combination of apraclonidine 0.5% and phenylephrine 2.5% yielded improvement of the adverse event. These findings are similar to those reported by Sharma and Shocker; however, in the current case study discussed, a lesser percentage ophthalmic solution achieved satisfactory results.
Comorbid Depression and Substance Abuse in Domestic Homicide: Missed Opportunities in the Assessment and Management of Mental Illness in Perpetrators
Authors: Oliver Casey L. , Jaffe Peter G.
Published: November 2018

Almost 40% of murdered women are victims of domestic homicide across the world. However, research has yet to examine comorbid depression and substance abuse in domestic homicide perpetrators, despite comorbid mental health conditions being associated with homicide in the general population. A retrospective case analysis approach was performed using domestic homicide cases that had been reviewed by the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee in Ontario, Canada. Group comparisons were made by compiling cases into groups based on perpetrators with depression and/or substance abuse: a no history of depression and/or substance use group, depression only group, substance abuse only group, and comorbid depression and substance abuse group. Statistical analyses compared groups on number and types of risk factors and service provider contacts. A major finding of the current study was the resounding lack of mental health care and batterer intervention program engagement across groups. Results also indicated that perpetrators with comorbid depression and substance abuse have an elevated number of risk factors for domestic homicide and elevated number of service provider contacts. Furthermore, results indicated that perpetrators with comorbid depression and substance abuse had an increased likelihood of having engaged in hostage-taking behavior and increased likelihood of having contact with mental health and health care providers. The study demonstrates the necessity for future research into the barriers associated with help-seeking by perpetrators, family and friends, as well as the barriers to agency referral and to mental health agencies providing service to perpetrators. It also highlights the need for service providers to take multiple mental health conditions into account when working with perpetrators of domestic homicide. Overall, this study underscores the importance of mental health and domestic violence training for service providers in different sectors. Moreover, it emphasizes the necessity of collaboration among service providers to address both violence-specific and mental health-specific concerns in perpetrators of domestic violence.
The superdominance relation, the positional winner, and more missing links between Borda and Condorcet
Authors: Pérez-Fernández Raúl , De Baets Bernard
Published: November 2018

The field of social choice dates back to the eighteenth century, when Borda and Condorcet started a never-ending discussion about the use of either positional or pairwise information. Three centuries later, after countless axiomatic characterizations of voting rules, impossibility theorems and many other study subjects, researchers still debate whether positional information is really sensitive to manipulation or pairwise information disregards the transitivity of voters’ preferences. In a previous paper, we introduced the notions of supercovering relation and pairwise winner, which resulted in a meeting point for both points of view of the theory of social choice. In this paper, we continue this direction and propose the notions of superdominance relation and positional winner that will prove to be the alter egos of the supercovering relation and the pairwise winner when positional information (rather than pairwise information) is considered. Moreover, we analyse a new interesting choice set: the unsuperdominated set.
Atomic oxygen effects on polymers containing silicon or phosphorus: Mass loss, erosion yield, and surface morphology
Authors: Chunbo Wang , Haifu Jiang , Dongbo Tian , Wei Qin , Chunhai Chen , Xiaogang Zhao , Hongwei Zhou , Daming Wang
Published: November 2018

The differences among polymers containing silicon or phosphorus, 20% polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane polyimide (20%-POSS-PI), 30% polysiloxane- block-polyimides (30%-PSX-PI), poly(siloxane imide) homopolymer (PSX-PI), and arylene ether phosphine oxide homopolymer (P-PPO), on mass loss, erosion yield, and surface morphology were elucidated. The tolerance against atomic oxygen (AO) was improved versus Kapton®H after introducing silicon or phosphorus to the polymers. The relative order of the mass loss was PSX-PI < P-PPO < 20%-POSS-PI < 30%-PSX-PI. In contrast, the erosion yields of 30%-PSX-PI, 20%-POSS-PI, and P-PPO decreased by orders of magnitude (PSX-PI declined by about two orders). The surface of Kapton®H was seriously eroded by AO exhibiting a “carpet-like” shape, and the roughness of the surface of Kapton®H became remarkable as the AO fluence increased. PSX-PI, P-PPO, 20%-POSS-PI, and 30%-PSX-PI at an AO fluence of 5.2 × 1020 atoms/cm2 had different surface morphologies, and the relative order of the surface roughness was PSX-PI < 30%-PSX-PI < 20%-POSS-PI < P-PPO. The 30%-PSX-PI and PSX-PI had minor mass losses and a smooth surface. This kind of material might replace inorganic coatings for applications in low earth orbit.
Characteristics influencing high-risk sexual behaviours in elderly men
Authors: Xiao Gui-Yuan , Peng Bin , Hu Ying , Qu Dou , Lai Min-Qing , Gong Yu , Zhao Feng-Lan , Yi Hong , Jia Yu , Zhou Wei-Kang , Lei Shan-Chuan , Wang Sha-Li , Xia Jing , Lv Deng-Zhi , Geng Shan , Bai Rong-Li , Zhong Xiao-Ni
Published: November 2018

With the objective of investigating the characteristics influencing high-risk sexual behaviours in elderly men (60–74 years of age) in Chongqing, China, a total of 1433 healthy elderly men with sexual intercourse frequencies of one to six times/month who were willing to participate in the questionnaires were studied at four hospitals. We measured serum testosterone levels and performed follow-ups every six months, with a total of 1128 elderly men followed up after two years. We also investigated socio-economic and demographic characteristics (age, education, income, location, marital status and number of marriages), types of sexual partners, age differences with fixed sexual partners, frequency of sexual intercourse, combined basic age-related diseases, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) education, elderly self-care ability and high-risk sexual behaviours (frequency of sexual intercourse and number of sexual partners) using questionnaires. We analysed the influencing factors of high-risk sexual behaviours in elderly men using a univariate analysis, multivariate logistic regression analysis, BP neural network prediction and cluster analysis. Finally, we found that serum total testosterone, age, types of sexual partners, age differences with fixed partners and frequency of sexual intercourse are five factors that influence high-risk sexual behaviours in elderly men.