bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical and Molecular Cytogenetic Characterization of a de novo Interstitial 1p31.1p31.3 Deletion in a Boy with Moderate Intellectual Disability and Severe Language Impairment
Authors: Tassano Elisa , Gamucci Alessandra , Celle Maria E. , Ronchetto Patrizia , Cuoco Cristina , Gimelli Giorgio
Published: June 2015

Interstitial 1p deletions are rare events. Very few cases of 1p31.1p31.3 deletions characterized by variable phenotypes have been reported. No clear genotype-phenotype correlation has been determined yet. We present a child with a de novo interstitial 1p31.1p31.3 deletion, identified by array CGH, associated with intellectual disability and severe language impairment. The deleted region contains 20 OMIM genes, but we focused on GADD45A (MIM 126335; growth arrest- and DNA damage-inducible gene), LRRC7 (MIM 614453; leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 7), and NEGR1 (MIM 613173; neuronal growth regulator 1). We discuss whether these genes play a role in determining the phenotype of our patient in order to investigate the possibility of a genotype-phenotype correlation.
Erosive Effect of Different Soft Drinks on Enamel Surface in vitro: Application of Stylus Profilometry
Authors: Barac Radomir , Gasic Jovanka , Trutic Natasa , Sunaric Slavica , Popovic Jelena , Djekic Petar , Radenkovic Goran , Mitic Aleksandar
Published: June 2015

Objective: To assess the erosive potential of various soft drinks by measuring initial pH and titratable acidity (TA) and to evaluate enamel surface roughness using different exposure times. Materials and Methods: The initial pH of the soft drinks (group 1: Coca-Cola; group 2: orange juice; group 3: Cedevita; group 4: Guarana, and group 5: strawberry yoghurt) was measured using a pH meter, and TA was measured by titration with NaOH. Enamel samples (n = 96), cut from unerupted human third molars, were randomly assigned to 6 groups: experimental (groups 1-5) and control (filtered saliva). The samples were exposed to 50 ml of soft drinks for 15, 30 and 60 min, 3 times daily, during 10 days. Between immersions, the samples were kept in filtered saliva. Enamel surface roughness was measured by diamond stylus profilometer using the following roughness parameters: Ra, Rq, Rz, and Ry. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, Tukey's post hoc and Student-Newman-Keuls post hoc tests. Results: The pH values of the soft drinks ranged from 2.52 (Guarana) to 4.21 (strawberry yoghurt). Orange juice had the highest TA, requiring 5.70 ml of NaOH to reach pH 7.0, whereas Coca-Cola required only 1.87 ml. Roughness parameters indicated that Coca-Cola had the strongest erosion potential during the 15 min of exposure, while Coca-Cola and orange juice were similar during 30- and 60-min exposures. There were no significant differences related to all exposure times between Guarana and Cedevita. Strawberry yoghurt did not erode the enamel surface regardless of the exposure time. Conclusion: All of the tested soft drinks except yoghurt were erosive. Erosion of the enamel surfaces exposed to Coca-Cola, orange juice, Cedevita, and Guarana was directly proportional to the exposure time.
Molecular Cytogenetic Analysis of Cucumis Wild Species Distributed in Southern Africa: Physical Mapping of 5S and 45S rDNA with DAPI
Authors: Yagi Kouhei , Pawełkowicz Magdalena , Osipowski Paweł , Siedlecka Ewa , Przybecki Zbigniew , Tagashira Norikazu , Hoshi Yoshikazu , Malepszy Stefan , Pląder Wojciech
Published: June 2015

Wild Cucumis species have been divided into Australian/Asian and African groups using morphological and phylogenetic characteristics, and new species have been described recently. No molecular cytogenetic information is available for most of these species. The crossability between 5 southern African Cucumis species (C. africanus, C. anguria, C. myriocarpus, C. zeyheri, and C. heptadactylus) has been reported; however, the evolutionary relationship among them is still unclear. Here, a molecular cytogenetic analysis using FISH with 5S and 45S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was used to investigate these Cucumis species based on sets of rDNA-bearing chromosomes (rch) types I, II and III. The molecular cytogenetic and phylogenetic results suggested that at least 2 steps of chromosomal rearrangements may have occurred during the evolution of tetraploid C. heptadactylus. In step 1, an additional 45S rDNA site was observed in the chromosome (type III). In particular, C. myriocarpus had a variety of rch sets. Our results suggest that chromosomal rearrangements may have occurred in the 45S rDNA sites. We propose that polyploid evolution occurred in step 2. This study provides insights into the chromosomal characteristics of African Cucumis species and contributes to the understanding of chromosomal evolution in this genus.
Anticoagulation strategies for venous thromboembolism: moving towards a personalised approach
Authors: Cohen Alexander , Black Stephen
Published: June 2015

Four non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have now been evaluated in clinical trials, providing new therapeutic options for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Recent position statements call for a move towards tailored recommendations for the treatment of VTE, to better define in whom and under what conditions a particular anticoagulant may improve clinical outcomes. Here we review the phase III data on NOAC trials for the treatment of VTE, assessing the favourability of agents for particular patient subgroups and aetiologies. Where the data permit, individualised risks of recurrent VTE events and bleeding are presented.
Atheroprotective role of C5ar2 deficiency in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice
Authors: Selle Jaco , Asare Yaw , Köhncke Janine , Alampour-Rajabi Setareh , Shagdarsuren Gansuvd , Klos Andreas , Weber Christian , Jankowski Joachim , Shagdarsuren Erdenechimeg
Published: June 2015

Atherogenic processes and vascular remodelling after arterial injury are controlled and driven by a plethora of factors amongst which the activation of the complement system is pivotal. Recently, we reported a clear correlation between high expressions of the second receptor for complement anaphylatoxin C5a, the C5a receptor-like 2 (C5L2, C5aR2), with high pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in advanced human atherosclerotic plaques. This prompted us to speculate that C5aR2 might have a functional role in atherosclerosis. We, therefore, investigated the role of C5aR2 in atherosclerosis and vascular remodelling. Here, we demonstrate that C5ar2 deletion, in atherosclerosis-prone mice, attenuates atherosclerotic as well as neointimal plaque formation, reduces macrophages and CD3+ T cells and induces features of plaque stability, as analysed by histomorphometry and quantitative immunohistochemistry. As a possible underlying mechanism, C5ar2-deficient plaques showed significantly reduced expression of C5a receptor (C5ar1), Tnf-α as well as Vcam-1, as determined by qPCR and quantitative immunohistochemistry. In addition, in vitro mechanistic studies revealed a reduction of these pro-inflammatory and pro-atherosclerotic mediators in C5ar2-deficient macrophages. Finally, blocking C5ar1 with antagonist JPE1375, in C5ar2-/-/Apoe-/- mice, led to a further reduction in neointimal plaque formation with reduced inflammation. In conclusion, C5ar2 deficiency attenuates atherosclerosis and neointimal plaque formation after arterial injury. This identifies C5aR2 as a promising target to reduce atherosclerosis and restenosis after vascular interventions.

The review process for this paper was fully handled by Gregory Y. H. Lip, Editor in Chief.
Elasmopus alkhiranensis sp. nov., a new species of amphipod (Senticaudata, Maeridae) from the Persian Gulf
Authors: MYERS ALAN , MOMTAZI FARZANEH
Published: June 2015

A new species, Elasmopus alkhiranensis allied to E. pectenicrus is described from the Persian Gulf. Recent collections identify this species as having a morphological variation previously unreported in Elasmopus.
Rediscovery of Mantellias pubicornis Westwood, 1889, a rare praying mantis from the Amazon (Mantodea, Thespidae, Oligonicinae)
Authors: MALDANER CAROLINE , AGUDELO ANTONIO A. , RAFAEL JOSÉ ALBERTINO
Published: June 2015

Many praying mantis species remain known from type specimens only. The majority of these taxa have vague taxonomic limits, as original descriptions are often very short, making strong emphasis on superficial characters (Rivera 2010). One clear example of this is the Amazonian Mantellias Westwood, 1889, a monotypical genus represented by Mantellias pubicornis Westwood, 1889.
New species of Trimma (Actinopterygii, Gobiidae) from Indonesia, with comments on head papillae nomenclature
Authors: WINTERBOTTOM RICHARD , ERDMANN MARK V.
Published: June 2015

Three new species of the gobiid Trimma are described from Indonesian waters, and a partially reformulated nomenclature for the cephalic sensory papillae of members of this genus is provided. Trimma aturirii possesses two dark oblique stripes on either side of the pupil (blue, edged with red in life, dark brown in preservative), the lower of which continues posteriorly across the dorsal margin of the opercle, with the dorsal half of the body red and the ventral half abruptly white in life. The species has a narrow bony interorbital (≤50% pupil width), a moderate interorbital trench with a slight groove posterodorsal to the eye, no scales on the cheek, opercle or in the predorsal midline, no elongate spines in the first dorsal fin, 9–10 dorsal and 9 anal fin rays, 17–18 (7–11 branched) pectoral fin rays and an unbranched fifth pelvic fin ray. Trimma kardium has a pair of tapering oval red spots which join anteriorly over the anterior region of the hyoid arches, forming an approximate heart-shaped marking on the ventral surface of the head. It has a narrow bony interorbital (≤40% pupil width), a moderate interorbital trench with a slight groove posterodorsal to the eye, 17–18 unbranched pectoral fin rays, 1–5 cycloid scales in the predorsal midline confined to about the middle third of the nape, and a single row of 1–3 cycloid scales along the upper border of the opercle. Trimma trioculatum has a large (slightly greater than pupil diameter in width) round, black, ocellated spot in the first dorsal fin between spines 1 and 5, a second, much smaller black or dark red spot just posterior to the spine of the second dorsal fin and above the basal stripe, a yellow body with a dark purplish or gray head with two distinct red bars across the cheek, no round spots of any colour on the nape, opercle or cheek, a small dark (preserved) or white (alive) spot on the upper pectoral fin base, a narrow bony interorbital (<70% pupil diameter), no elongate spines in the first dorsal fin, 15–16 pectoral fin rays with the middle 4–8 rays branched, a fifth pelvic fin ray with a single dichotomous branch, and 16–17 total gill rakers on the first gill arch.
Retroculus acherontos, a new species of cichlid fish (Teleostei) from the Rio Tocantins basin
Authors: LANDIM MARIA ISABEL , MOREIRA CRISTIANO R. , FIGUEIREDO CARLOS A.
Published: June 2015

Retroculus acherontos is described from the Rio Tocantins basin, Brazil. It is distinguished from all congeners by the presence of a nuchal hump in large specimens, an irregular black blotch located on the middle of the anterior soft dorsal-fin rays, fewer pectoral-fin rays (15–16), a deeper body, a convex ventral profile, a more transversely convex ventral surface of the body, and by chest scales similar in size to the scales on the side. An expanded diagnosis for the genus Retroculus is provided.
A fifth species of the genus Euparkerella (Griffths, 1959), the advertisement calls of E. robusta Izecksohn, 1988 and E. tridactyla Izecksohn, 1988, and a key for the Euparkerella species (Anura: Brachycephaloidea: Craugastoridae)
Authors: HEPP FÁBIO , CARVALHO-E-SILVA SERGIO P. DE , CARVALHO-E-SILVA ANA M.P. TELLES DE , FOLLY MANUELLA
Published: June 2015

A new species of the anuran genus Euparkerella is described from a rainforest area in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. Morphologically, the species resembles E. brasiliensis and E. cochranae, but differs from them in acoustic features. Relative to its congeners, the new species is characterized by: (1) medium size; (2) slender body; (3) narrow head; (4) long Finger IV, Toes I and V; (5) tubercles of the hand and foot protuberant; (6) duration of advertisement call longer than three seconds; (7) pulse-section rate slower than two sections/second; and (8) exhibiting pulse clusters. The advertisement calls of E. robusta and E. tridactyla are described and a key based on morphological and acoustic characters is presented for species in the genus.
New taxa and new records in Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from the state of Bahia (Brazil) and notes on Meridiotroctes (Acanthoderini)
Authors: MARTINS UBIRAJARA R. , GALILEO MARIA HELENA M. , SANTOS-SILVA ANTONIO
Published: June 2015

Twelve new species and two new genera are described from Bahia (Brazil): Ectenessa aurantiaca (Ectenessini); Stizocera lingafelteri (Elaphidiini); Raglicia monnei (Graciliini), new genus and species; Tobipuranga aspera (Heteropsini); Cicatrion unicolor, and Pygmodeon obscurum (Neoibidionini); Neophygopoda agdae (Rhinotragini); Arapari bellus (Trachyderini), new genus and species; Meridiotroctes obliquus (Acanthoderini); Melzerella inopinata (Aerenicini); Ceiupaba poranga, and Desmiphora (Desmiphora) nascimentoi (Desmiphorini). Notes on Meridiotroctes Martins & Galileo, 2007 and Cosmisoma brullei (Mulsant, 1862) are provided. Forty-eight species are recorded for the first time for Bahia (Brazil) including four species which are recorded for the first time for Brazil.
A revision of the genus Morophagoides Petersen (Lepidoptera, Tineidae)
from Japan
Authors: OSADA YOHEI , SAKAI MAKOTO , HIROWATARI TOSHIYA
Published: June 2015

Taxonomy of the Japanese species of the genus Morophagoides Petersen, 1957 is revised. Previously four species, namely Morophagoides ussuriensis (Caradja, 1920), M. moriutii Robinson, 1986, M. occidentalis Osada, Yoshimatsu, Sakai and Hirowatari, 2014 and M. meridianus Osada, Yoshimatsu, Sakai and Hirowatari, 2014 were recognized for the Japanese fauna. In the present study, four new species, M. breviculus sp. nov., M. robinsoni sp. nov., M. aquilonis sp. nov. and M. yakuensis sp. nov., from Japan are described based on adult characters. The potential synapomorphy of this widely distributed genus is proposed. In addition, the distribution pattern of the genus in Japan is discussed.
New data on Himalayan Lesteva Latreille, 1797 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae) with description of a new species from Nepal
Authors: SHAVRIN ALEXEY V.
Published: June 2015

Lesteva (s.str.) hartmanni sp. n. (Nepal: Gandaki Province, Manaslu Mts.), L. (s.str.) brevipennis Cameron, 1941 and L. (s.str.) torrentum Cameron, 1924 are (re-) described and illustrated. New records of L. (s.str.) championi Lohse, 1982, L. (s.str.) jaegeri Shavrin, 2012 and a modified identification key to the species of Lesteva Latreille, 1797 of Nepal are provided. L. brevipennis is recorded from Pakistan for the first time.
New records of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) from Colombia
Authors: CASTRO-HUERTAS VALENTINA , SCHWERTNER CRISTIANO F. , FERNÁNDEZ FERNANDO
Published: June 2015

New records of genera and species of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) from Colombia are provided. Two genera are new records for South America: Alathetus and Schraderiellus. Fifteen genera are new record for Colombia: Agaclitus, Boea, Ceratozygum, Euthyrhynchus, Eritrachys, Doesburguedessa, Lopadusa, Marmessulus, Paralincus, Patanius, Peromatus, Phalaecus, Phoeacia, Rio, and Tyrannocoris. Forty-nine species from five subfamiles are recorded for the first time in Colombia. Asopinae: Coryzorhaphis carneolus Erichson, Coryzorhaphis superba Breddin, Euthyrhynchus floridanus (Linnaeus), Podisus sagitta Fabricius, Stiretrus anchorago (Fabricius), Stiretrus cinctellus Germar, Tylospilus peruvianus Horvath, Tyrannocoris nigriceps Thomas. Cyrtocorinae: Ceratozygum horridum (Germar). Discocephalinae: Agaclitus dromedarius Stål, Antiteuchus melanoleucus (Westwood), Antiteuchus sepulcralis (Fabricius), Dinocoris gibbosus (Fallou), Dinocoris variolosus (Linnaeus), Discocephalessa terminalis (Walker), Dryptocephala crenata Ruckes, Dryptocephala dentifrons (Latreille), Eurystethus ovalis Ruckes, Paralcippus dimidiatus (Ruckes), Alathetus rufitarsus Dallas, Eritrachys bituberculata Ruckes, Paralincus bimaculatus (Ruckes), Schraderiellus cinctus (Ruckes), Xynocoris recavus (Garbelotto & Campos). Edessinae: Brachystethus cribus (Fabricius), Brachystethus tricolor Bolívar, Doesburguedessa elongatispina Fernandes and Lopadusa fuscopunctata (Distant). Pentatominae: Banasa fulgida Thomas, Banasa paraexpallescens Thomas, Dichelops divisus (Walker), Dichelops nigrum Bergroth, Euschistus carbonerus Rolston, Mormidea bovilla (Distant), Mormidea triangularis (Walker), Murgantia bifasciata Herrich-Schaeffer, Murgantia violascens (Westwood), Oebalus pugnax (Fabricius), Oebalus ypsilon-griseus (DeGeer), Odmalea concolor (Walker), Patanius vittatus Rolston, Proxys albopunctulatus (Palisot), Proxys punctulatus (Palisot), Rhyncholepta grandicallosa Bergroth, Rio insularis Ruckes, Roferta marginalis (Herrich-Schäffer), Serdia concolor Ruckes, Sibaria armata (Dallas) and Taurocerus achilles (Stål). These new records for Colombia are importanst for the understanding of the distributional range of the genera and species involved.
“I Want to Go Home”
Authors: Scharp Kristina M. , Paxman Christina G. , Thomas Lindsey J.
Published: June 2015

Almost everyone experiences homesickness at some point in their life, regardless of their age. Given the deleterious outcomes associated with homesickness, this study explores what homesick individuals miss about their homes, what their homes mean to them, and how individuals seek support when they are homesick. Thirty-four in-depth interviews were collected, and results from a content analysis indicate that there are 12 distinct content areas that individuals miss about their homes. Results suggest that activities (100%), family (97%), feelings (100%), and places (97%) are the most salient for homesick individuals. Furthermore, a thematic analysis reveals that “home” is generally synonymous with a comfortable and safe environment. Although the majority of participants reported that they did not seek social support when they were homesick, those who sought support did so both directly and indirectly. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Popular vs. elite democratic structures and international peace
Authors: Joshi Devin K , Maloy J S , Peterson Timothy M
Published: June 2015

Structural theories of international peace among democratic regimes have relied on two distinct explanatory logics: democratic institutions may cause a state’s foreign policy to tend toward peace by exposing policymaking elites to pressure from ordinary citizens (the popular logic) or to pressure from other governmental agencies (the elite logic). These logics are often conflated in scholarly studies of war and peace, but we attempt to isolate the popular logic for empirical testing by developing a novel measure of institutionalized popular influence, the Institutional Democracy Index (IDI). Whereas previous usage of the Polity index to operationalize democratic structures has succeeded in testing the elite logic more than the popular logic, we use the IDI to analyze long-established democracies’ involvement in international conflict between 1961 and 2001. What we find are significant differences within the family of democratic regimes that point to a monadic structural explanation of peace: more popular democracies are less warlike with respect to all other regimes, not just other democracies. By capturing variance among democratic regimes in their structures of inclusion (especially formal rules pertaining to voter access, electoral formulae, and cameral structures), the IDI enables us to observe crucial differences between the conflict propensities of more popular and more elite types of democracy.
Predictors of Airway Intervention in Angiotensin‐Converting Enzyme Inhibitor–Induced Angioedema
Authors: Kieu Monica Chau Q. , Bangiyev John N. , Thottam Prasad John , Levy Phillip D.
Published: June 2015

Objectives

Identify factors associated with angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor–induced angioedema (AIIA), including (1) time of presentation, (2) clinical symptoms, and (3) anatomical regions in the head and neck, that may indicate need for airway intervention.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Three university tertiary care hospitals.

Subjects and Methods

Medical records of adult patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) diagnosed with AIIA within a 3‐year period were reviewed. Time at presentation, presenting symptoms, physical examination findings, treatment, length of hospitalization, and outcomes were examined. Univariate analysis was performed.

Results

311 patients were diagnosed with AIIA and evaluated with flexible laryngoscopy by an otolaryngologist. Patients requiring airway intervention most often presented within 4 hours of onset. Dysphagia, dysphonia, drooling, respiratory distress, and globus sensation were associated with airway intervention (χ2 range, 9.1‐47.1). Patients with edema of the face, lower lip, and upper lip were at low risk for airway intervention (odds ratio = 0.4, 0.3, and 0.4, respectively; all P values <.05), while those with involvement of the tongue, soft palate, vallecula, aryepiglottic folds, and true vocal cords were associated with highest risk (odds ratio = 11.1, 12.3, 9.9, 8.5, and 33.5, respectively; all P values <. 001).

Conclusion

This is the largest patient series to date of AIIA patients evaluated with flexible laryngoscopy. Physicians should be aware of certain risk factors that will require a higher acuity level of care, including (1) presentation within 4 hours of symptom onset, (2) symptoms such as drooling and respiratory distress, (3) and involvement of the tongue, soft palate, and larynx.
Dysregulated Macrophages Are Present in Bleomycin‐Induced Murine Laryngotracheal Stenosis
Authors: Hillel Alexander T. , Samad Idris , Ma Garret , Ding Dacheng , Sadtler Kaitlyn , Powell Jonathan D. , Lane Andrew P. , Horton Maureen R.
Published: June 2015

Objective

To define the inflammatory cell infiltrate preceding fibrosis in a laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS) murine model.

Study Design

Prospective controlled murine study.

Setting

Laboratory.

Subjects and Methods

Chemomechanical injury mice (n = 44) sustained bleomycin‐coated wire‐brush injury to the laryngotracheal complex while mechanical injury controls (n = 42) underwent phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS)–coated wire‐brush injury. Mock surgery controls (n = 34) underwent anterior transcervical tracheal exposure only. Inflammatory and fibrosis protein and gene expression were assessed in each condition. Immunohistochemistry served as a secondary outcome.

Results

In chemomechanical injury mice, there was an upregulation of collagen I (P <. 0001, P <. 0001), Tgf‐β (P =. 0023, P =. 0008), and elastin (P <. 0001, P <. 0001) on day 7; acute inflammatory gene Il1β (P =. 0027, P =. 0008) on day 1; and macrophage gene CD11b (P =. 0026, P =. 0033) on day 1 vs mechanical and mock controls, respectively. M1 marker inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression decreased (P =. 0014) while M2 marker Arg1 (P =. 0002) increased on day 7 compared with mechanical controls. Flow cytometry demonstrated increased macrophages (P =. 0058, day 4) and M1 macrophages (P =. 0148, day 4; P =. 0343, day 7; P =. 0229, day 10) compared to mock controls. There were similarities between chemomechanical and mechanical injury mice with an increase in M2 macrophages at day 10 (P =. 0196).

Conclusions

The bleomycin‐induced LTS mouse model demonstrated increased macrophages involved with the development of fibrosis. Macrophage immunophenotype suggested that dysregulated M2 macrophages have a role in abnormal laryngotracheal wound healing. These data delineate inflammatory cells and signaling pathways in LTS that may potentially be modulated to lessen fibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition.
Social Media and the Politics of Small Data: Post Publication Peer Review and Academic Value
Authors: Blackman Lisa
Published: June 2015

Academics across the sciences and humanities are increasingly being encouraged to use social media as a post-publication strategy to enhance and extend the impact of their articles and books. As well as various measures of social media impact, the turn towards publication outlets which are open access and free to use is contributing to anxieties over where, what and how to publish. This is all the more pernicious given the increasing measures of academic value that govern the academy, and the stresses, strains and hidden injuries that structure academic life. This article will debate these issues and their consequences for the humanities and social sciences by analysing the contours of a recent controversy in academic science publishing, which follows the after-lives of a highly cited journal article. This includes a discussion of the value and status of post-publication peer review, and the politics of open access publishing, of citation and the public communication of science within digital environments and archives.
Task and rater effects in L2 speaking and writing: A synthesis of generalizability studies
Authors: In’nami Yo , Koizumi Rie
Published: June 2015

We addressed Deville and Chalhoub-Deville’s (2006), Schoonen’s (2012), and Xi and Mollaun’s (2006) call for research into the contextual features that are considered related to person-by-task interactions in the framework of generalizability theory in two ways. First, we quantitatively synthesized the generalizability studies to determine the percentage of variation in L2 speaking and L2 writing performance that was accounted for by tasks, raters, and their interaction. Second, we examined the relationships between person-by-task interactions and moderator variables. We used 28 datasets from 21 studies for L2 speaking, and 22 datasets from 17 studies for L2 writing. Across modalities, most of the score variation was explained by examinees’ performance; the interaction effects of tasks or raters were greater than the independent effects of tasks or raters. Task and task-related interaction effects explained a greater percentage of the score variances, than did the rater and rater-related interaction effects. The variances associated with the person-by-task interactions were larger for assessments based on both general and academic contexts, than for those based only on academic contexts. Further, large person-by-task interactions were related to analytic scoring and scoring criteria with task-specific language features. These findings derived from L2 speaking studies indicate that contexts, scoring methods, and scoring criteria might lead to varied performance over tasks. Consequently, this particularly requires us to define constructs carefully.
Journalism and Academic Writing
Authors: Duffy Andrew
Published: June 2015

The similarities between good journalism and academic writing, each based on intellectual curiosity, rigorous research and thoughtful deliberation, advocate for journalism’s inclusion in university tenure schemes. This family resemblance, however, has instead led to a greater regard for their differences, and each prefers to draw boundaries that exclude the other. Yet there is overlap as both journalism based on academic research and populist books by respected academics disseminate scholarly thought to a wider audience. Journalism’s potential contribution to the three pillars of tenure-research, teaching and service signals the need for recognition to be accorded by universities to journalism as academic output.
Accept Journalistic Work as ‘Output’ to Keep the Professional ‘Street Cred’ in Teaching Journalism
Authors: Mason Debra L.
Published: June 2015

The process for producing high quality journalism mimics every component necessary to scholarly research—data gathering, theory testing, reviewing previous literature, writing formulas, jurying by colleagues. The very best in journalism most certainly builds knowledge. The intellectual and physical effort to produce substantial journalism varies little from that necessary for scholarly output. This commentary explains why accepting journalistic work as ‘output’ is vital to keeping a faculty with the professional ‘street cred’ for today’s journalism students. Failing to do so is a disservice to our students and it risks producing students without practiced, professional skills.
Journalism Can Establish its Credentials—All it Takes is a Little Research
Authors: Tanner Stephen
Published: June 2015

The critical difference between the academic and journalism research comes at the beginning. While the academic project is subject to scrutiny and approval by university-based ethics committees, the journalistic project is not subject to the same requirements. However, this should not serve to devalue the journalism relative to the academic alternative. For Journalism to establish its research credentials in academe it needs to do a better job at selling itself: at explaining not just what it does, but how it does it.
Journalistic Outputs and Academic Expectations
Authors: Anuar Mustafa K.
Published: June 2015

Academic writing is normally emphasized in institutions of higher learning not only for the primary purpose of building knowledge and enhancing scholarship, but it also constitutes a part of a conscious endeavour to raise the world rankings of these institutions. It is in this very context that journalistic writing, which is considered by some as having less academic rigour compared to academic writing, is often relegated to secondary importance. This commentary, however, argues that well-researched investigative pieces and other forms of extended journalistic writing such as op-eds should be given due recognition by academic institutions. Furthermore, such journalistic writing is especially important and relevant for journalism educators as they have a professional obligation to write extended journalistic pieces for the benefit of fellow academics, students of journalism and the larger community.
Journalism Cannot be Both ‘Subject and Research’ Per Se
Authors: Murthy C.S.H.N.
Published: June 2015

The article argues that the ‘research’ pursued by the journalists cannot be considered as ‘as an output of academic research’ for several reasons. Firstly, as curricular theory of education demands, journalistic content and research must be part of academic study in journalism schools. Secondly, the ‘research output’ found in the investigative stories will not disclose to the readers the variables/hypotheses primarily formulated in the journalistic research, and to what extent they have been found right/wrong by the journalists. Further, the paper, while dealing with the views of a number of former journalists-turned academics, argues that the ‘subjectivity’ of the ‘journalistic output’ is very difficult to eliminate given the organizational structures of Indian media houses and their alignment with the political organizations. The study also raises questions as to why some investigative stories put out by the BBC and The Hindu in the past failed to measure up to the requirements of law to hold the persons concerned guilty. In order to be considered as an ‘output of academic research’ the paper argues that ‘journalism research’ as a ‘practice’ should be highly definitive, qualitative and open to verifiability.
Journalism Educators should Blame Themselves for Creating ‘Bastard’ Problem within the Academy
Authors: Gunaratne Shelton A.
Published: June 2015

This commentary argues that the journalism educators themselves have unilaterally engendered their dukkha by demanding equal academic status for the output of journalism practice and by concealing the fact that journalism studies suffer no such discrimination. It suggests that the solution to the perceived problem might be the adoption of the concept of mindful journalism, which could elevate news from the status of a commodity to that of a social good.
Mortality after distal radial fractures in the Medicare population
Authors: Shauver M. J. , Zhong L. , Chung K. C.
Published: June 2015

The occurrence of a low energy fracture of the distal radius increases the risk for another, more serious fracture, such as a proximal femoral fracture. Early mortality after a proximal femoral fracture has been widely studied, but the association between a distal radial fracture and mortality is unknown. The date of death for all Medicare beneficiaries who sustained an isolated distal radial fracture in 2007 was determined using Medicare Vital Statistics files. The adjusted mortality rate for each age–sex group was calculated and compared with published US mortality tables. Distal radial fractures were not associated with an increased mortality rate. In fact, beneficiaries had a significantly lower mortality rate after distal radial fractures than the general population. This may be related to the injured beneficiaries’ involvement in the healthcare system. Mortality rate did not vary significantly based on time from injury. Our results indicate that any mortality is unlikely to be attributable to the distal radial fracture or its treatment.

Level of Evidence: III
Perspective on the role of Ozurdex (dexamethasone intravitreal implant) in the management of diabetic macular oedema
Authors: Mehta Hemal , Gillies Mark , Fraser-Bell Samantha
Published: June 2015

Diabetic macular oedema (DMO) is the most common cause of visual loss in the working age population. Intravitreal therapy has superseded macular laser as the first-line treatment for the management of centre-involving DMO in most patients. As well as the proven efficacy of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents, phase II and III clinical trials of Ozurdex intravitreal dexamethasone implants for DMO have also demonstrated a mean increase in visual acuity and corresponding mean reduction in central macular thickness, particularly in pseudophakic eyes. Because of the risk of visual loss from cataract, glaucoma and intraocular infection with the use of intravitreal steroids, Ozurdex tends to be reserved for use in patients unresponsive to anti-VEGF therapy for centre-involving DMO. Situations where Ozurdex may be considered a first-line treatment option for eyes with centre-involving DMO include pseudophakia, impending cataract surgery, or in the context of a recent arterial thromboembolic event. Because of their stable pharmacokinetics, Ozurdex slow-release implants may also be considered in vitrectomized eyes.
Occupational Stress Management and Burnout Interventions in Nursing and Their Implications for Healthy Work Environments
Authors: Nowrouzi Behdin , Lightfoot Nancy , Larivière Michael , Carter Lorraine , Rukholm Ellen , Schinke Robert , Belanger-Gardner Diane
Published: June 2015

This article reports on a literature review of workplace interventions (i.e., creating healthy work environments and improving nurses’ quality of work life [QWL]) aimed at managing occupational stress and burnout for nurses. A literature search was conducted using the keywords nursing, nurses, stress, distress, stress management, burnout, and intervention. All the intervention studies included in this review reported on workplace intervention strategies, mainly individual stress management and burnout interventions. Recommendations are provided to improve nurses’ QWL in health care organizations through workplace health promotion programs so that nurses can be recruited and retained in rural and northern regions of Ontario. These regions have unique human resources needs due to the shortage of nurses working in primary care.
Genomic prediction of genetic merit using LD-based haplotypes in the Nordic Holstein population
Authors: Cuyabano Beatriz CD , Su Guosheng , Lund Mogens S
Published: June 2015

Background

A haplotype approach to genomic prediction using high density data in dairy cattle as an alternative to single-marker methods is presented. With the assumption that haplotypes are in stronger linkage disequilibrium (LD) with quantitative trait loci (QTL) than single markers, this study focuses on the use of haplotype blocks (haploblocks) as explanatory variables for genomic prediction. Haploblocks were built based on the LD between markers, which allowed variable reduction. The haploblocks were then used to predict three economically important traits (milk protein, fertility and mastitis) in the Nordic Holstein population.

Results

The haploblock approach improved prediction accuracy compared with the commonly used individual single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) approach. Furthermore, using an average LD threshold to define the haploblocks (L
D≥0.45 between any two markers) increased the prediction accuracies for all three traits, although the improvement was most significant for milk protein (up to 3.1 % improvement in prediction accuracy, compared with the individual SNP approach). Hotelling’s t-tests were performed, confirming the improvement in prediction accuracy for milk protein. Because the phenotypic values were in the form of de-regressed proofs, the improved accuracy for milk protein may be due to higher reliability of the data for this trait compared with the reliability of the mastitis and fertility data. Comparisons between best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) and Bayesian mixture models also indicated that the Bayesian model produced the most accurate predictions in every scenario for the milk protein trait, and in some scenarios for fertility.

Conclusions

The haploblock approach to genomic prediction is a promising method for genomic selection in animal breeding. Building haploblocks based on LD reduced the number of variables without the loss of information. This method may play an important role in the future genomic prediction involving while genome sequences.
Magnetic In
x
Ga1 - xN nanowires at room temperature using Cu dopant and annealing
Authors: Park Youn Ho , Ha Ryong , Park Tea-Eon , Kim Sung Wook , Seo Dongjea , Choi Heon-Jin
Published: June 2015

Single-crystal, Cu-doped In
x
Ga1 - x
N nanowires were grown on GaN/Al2O3 substrates via a vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism using Ni/Au bi-catalysts. The typical diameter of the Cu:In
x
Ga1 - x
N nanowires was 80 to 150 nm, with a typical length of hundreds of micrometers. The as-grown nanowires exhibited diamagnetism. After annealing, the nanowires exhibited ferromagnetism with saturation magnetic moments higher than 0.8 μB (1 μB × 10-24 Am2) per Cu atom at room temperature by the measurements using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. X-ray absorption and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectra at Cu L
2,3-edges indicated that the doped Cu had a local magnetic moment and that its electronic configuration was mainly 3d
9. It possessed a small trivalent component, and thus, the n-type behavior of electrical property is measured at room temperature.
CZTSe solar cells prepared by electrodeposition of Cu/Sn/Zn stack layer followed by selenization at low Se pressure
Authors: Yao Liyong , Ao Jianping , Jeng Ming-Jer , Bi Jinlian , Gao Shoushuai , He Qing , Zhou Zhiqiang , Sun Guozhong , Sun Yun , Chang Liann-Be , Chen Jian-Wun
Published: June 2015

Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) thin films are prepared by the electrodeposition of stack copper/tin/zinc (Cu/Sn/Zn) precursors, followed by selenization with a tin source at a substrate temperature of 530°C. Three selenization processes were performed herein to study the effects of the source of tin on the quality of CZTSe thin films that are formed at low Se pressure. Much elemental Sn is lost from CZTSe thin films during selenization without a source of tin. The loss of Sn from CZTSe thin films in selenization was suppressed herein using a tin source at 400°C (A2) or 530°C (A3). A copper-poor and zinc-rich CZTSe absorber layer with Cu/Sn, Zn/Sn, Cu/(Zn + Sn), and Zn/(Cu + Zn + Sn) with metallic element ratios of 1.86, 1.24, 0.83, and 0.3, respectively, was obtained in a selenization with a tin source at 530°C. The crystallized CZTSe thin film exhibited an increasingly (112)-preferred orientation at higher tin selenide (SnSe
x
) partial pressure. The lack of any obvious Mo-Se phase-related diffraction peaks in the X-ray diffraction (XRD) diffraction patterns may have arisen from the low Se pressure in the selenization processes. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images reveal a compact surface morphology and a moderate grain size. CZTSe solar cells with an efficiency of 4.81% were produced by the low-cost fabrication process that is elucidated herein.
Statistical characteristics of reset switching in Cu/HfO2/Pt resistive switching memory
Authors: Zhang Meiyun , Long Shibing , Wang Guoming , Liu Ruoyu , Xu Xiaoxin , Li Yang , Xu Dinlin , Liu Qi , Lv Hangbing , Miranda Enrique , Suñé Jordi , Liu Ming
Published: June 2015

A major challenge of resistive switching memory (resistive random access memory (RRAM)) for future application is how to reduce the fluctuation of the resistive switching parameters. In this letter, with a statistical methodology, we have systematically analyzed the reset statistics of the conductive bridge random access memory (CBRAM) with a Cu/HfO2/Pt structure which displays bipolar switching property. The experimental observations show that the distributions of the reset voltage (V
reset) and reset current (I
reset) are greatly influenced by the initial on-state resistance (R
on) which is closely related to the size of the conductive filament (CF) before the reset process. The reset voltage increases and the current decreases with the on-state resistance, respectively, according to the scatter plots of the experimental data. Using resistance screening method, the statistical data of the reset voltage and current are decomposed into several ranges and the distributions of them in each range are analyzed by the Weibull model. Both the Weibull slopes of the reset voltage and current are demonstrated to be independent of the on-state resistance which indicates that no CF dissolution occurs before the reset point. The scale factor of the reset voltage increases with on-state resistance while that of the reset current decreases with it. These behaviors are fully in consistency with the thermal dissolution model, which gives an insight on the physical mechanism of the reset switching. Our work has provided an inspiration on effectively reducing the variation of the switching parameters of RRAM devices.
Junctionless ferroelectric field effect transistors based on ultrathin silicon nanomembranes
Authors: Cao Ronggen , Huang Gaoshan , Di Zengfeng , Zhu Guodong , Mei Yongfeng
Published: June 2015

The paper reported the fabrication and operation of nonvolatile ferroelectric field effect transistors (FeFETs) with a top gate and top contact structure. Ultrathin Si nanomembranes without source and drain doping were used as the semiconducting layers whose electrical performance was modulated by the polarization of the ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] thin layer. FeFET devices exhibit both typical output property and obvious bistable operation. The hysteretic transfer characteristic was attributed to the electrical polarization of the ferroelectric layer which could be switched by a high enough gate voltage. FeFET devices demonstrated good memory performance and were expected to be used in both low power integrated circuit and flexible electronics.
A load-aware weighted round-robin algorithm for IEEE 802.16 networks
Authors: Saidu Ibrahim , Subramaniam Shamala , Jaafar Azmi , Zukarnain Zuriati Ahmad
Published: June 2015

The IEEE 802.16 standard was designed to provide quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees for various classes of traffic with diverse QoS requirements. Packet-scheduling algorithms play a critical role in providing such guarantees. Weighted round robin (WRR) is one of the most commonly used scheduling algorithms, because of its simplicity and low computational overhead. However, it suffers from performance degradation under bursty traffic conditions because of the static weights used to determine packet transmissions. We propose a new packet-scheduling discipline for downlink traffic in 802.16 networks to improve performance in such situations. It dynamically determines the weight of each queue in the various classes based on the current traffic characteristics using the static WRR weight at the beginning of each base station round. The goal is not only to reduce the average delay and packet loss but also to improve average throughput. Simulations are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm load-aware weighted round robin (LAWRR), and show that it reduces average delay and packet loss, as well as it improves average throughput compared with WRR. The effectiveness of LAWRR running under fixed buffer sizes is also investigated.
Coincidence point theorems for weak graph preserving multi-valued mapping
Authors: Phon-on Aniruth , Sama-Ae Areeyuth , Makaje Nifatamah , Riyapan Pakwan , Busaman Saofee
Published: June 2015

In this paper, we prove some coincidence and fixed point theorems for a new type of multi-valued weak G-contraction mapping with compact values. The results of this paper extend and generalize several known results from a complete metric space endowed with a graph. Some examples are given to illustrate the usability of our results.

MSC:47H04, 47H10.
On new fixed point results for "Equation missing" -contractive multi-valued mappings onα-complete metric spaces and their consequences
Authors: Kutbi Marwan Amin , Sintunavarat Wutiphol
Published: June 2015

The purpose of this paper is to establish new fixed point results formulti-valued mappings satisfying an "Equation missing"-contractive condition, and viaBianchini-Grandolfi gauge functions, on α-complete metric spaces.Our results unify, generalize, and complement various results from theliterature. We also give examples which support our main result while previousresults in the literature are not applicable. Some of the fixed point results inmetric spaces endowed with an arbitrary binary relation and endowed with a graphare given here to illustrate the usability of the obtained results.

MSC: 47H10, 54H25.
Approximate controllability and optimal controls of fractional evolution systems in abstract spaces
Authors: Qin Haiyong , Liu Jianwei , Zuo Xin , Liu Lishan
Published: June 2015

In this paper, under the assumption that the corresponding linear system is approximately controllable, we obtain the approximate controllability of semilinear fractional evolution systems in Hilbert spaces. The approximate controllability results are proved by means of the Hölder inequality, the Banach contraction mapping principle, and the Schauder fixed point theorem. We also discuss the existence of optimal controls for semilinear fractional controlled systems. Finally, an example is also given to illustrate the applications of the main results.

MSC:26A33, 49J15, 49K27, 93B05, 93C25.