bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using the Mus musculus hybrid zone to assess covariation and genetic architecture of limb bone lengths
Authors: Škrabar Neva , Turner Leslie M. , Pallares Luisa F. , Harr Bettina , Tautz Diethard
Published: March 2018

Two subspecies of the house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus and Mus musculus musculus, meet in a narrow contact zone across Europe. Mice in the hybrid zone are highly admixed, representing the full range of mixed ancestry from the two subspecies. Given the distinct morphologies of these subspecies, these natural hybrids can be used for genomewide association mapping at sufficiently high resolution to directly infer candidate genes. We focus here on limb bone length differences, which is of special interest for understanding the evolution of developmentally correlated traits. We used 172 first‐generation descendants of wild‐caught mice from the hybrid zone to measure the length of stylopod (humerus/femur), zeugopod (ulna/tibia) and autopod (metacarpal/metatarsal) elements in skeletal CT scans. We find phenotypic covariation between limb elements in the hybrids similar to patterns previously described in Mus musculus domesticus inbred strains, suggesting that the hybrid genotypes do not influence the covariation pattern in a major way. Mapping was performed using 143,592 SNPs and identified several genomic regions associated with length differences in each bone. Bone length was found to be highly polygenic. None of the candidate regions include the canonical genes known to control embryonic limb development. Instead, we are able to identify candidate genes with known roles in osteoblast differentiation and bone structure determination, as well as recently evolved genes of, as yet, unknown function.
Oxysterol‐binding protein‐related protein 2 is not essential for Phytophthora sojae based on CRISPR/Cas9 deletions
Authors: Miao Jianqiang , Li Xiuhuan , Lin Dong , Liu Xili , Tyler Brett M.
Published: March 2018

Oxysterol‐binding protein (OSBP)‐related proteins (ORPs) are a large conserved family of lipid transfer proteins in eukaryotes. In oomycetes, some ORPs are the target of the novel oomycide oxathiapiprolin. By searching the Phytophthora sojae genome database, two ORP proteins, PsORP1 (Protein ID: 558498) and PsORP2 (Protein ID: 470921), were found. Here, we investigated the biological function of PsORP2. The expression level of PsORP2 was higher in germinated cysts and late infection than in other developmental stages. However, deletion of PsORP2 using CRISPR/Cas9 had no significant effect on sporangia production, zoospore production, cyst germination, oospore production, virulence or oxathiapiprolin sensitivity. PsORP1 also was not upregulated in ΔPsORP2 transformants. Collectively, our studies demonstrate that PsORP2 is not an essential protein for development or virulence in P. sojae under the conditions we tested.
Accruals Quality, Stock Return Seasonality, and the Cost of Equity Capital: International Evidence
Authors: Zhang Lijuan , Wilson Mark
Published: March 2018

Mashruwala and Mashruwala (2011) argue that inconsistent earlier findings regarding whether accruals quality (AQ) is priced in equity markets (Core, Guay, and Verdi 2008; Kim and Qi 2010) may be explained by seasonality in returns deriving from tax‐loss selling. Finding no evidence of annual AQ premia for U.S. firms, Mashruwala and Mashruwala report that significant monthly premia concentrate in January, with the remainder of the year demonstrating negative or insignificant returns to AQ and attribute this strong seasonality to tax‐loss selling by investors, rather than information risk. However, the end of the tax year for U.S. investors coincides with the calendar year and the financial year for the majority of firms, which may suggest alternative explanations for seasonal variation in returns. We extend Mashruwala and Mashruwala's study, using an international sample including countries where incentives for tax‐loss selling exist, but in which the standard tax and financial years differ (Japan and the United Kingdom), and where the tax and financial years conclude in a month other than December (Australia), as well as employing a longer U.S. sample. We find some evidence of an AQ premium in the United States, which although dominated by January returns, remains significant annually. However, these findings are sensitive to the inclusion of low price stocks and the choice of asset pricing test. In Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia we document consistent evidence that an AQ premium exists on average throughout the year, and in samples excluding the first month of the tax year. The sensitivity of our U.S. results to the January period may reflect the conflation of numerous seasonal influences on returns, not all of which necessarily reflect mispricing.
Macroscopic analysis of the bead assemblage from the South Arabian port of Sumhuram, Oman (seasons 2000–2013)
Authors: Lischi Silvia
Published: March 2018

The city of Sumhuram (300 BC–AD 500) is the most important pre‐Islamic settlement in Dhofar, southern Oman. Since the time of its discovery it was evident that its commercial vocation placed it within a complex system of exchange between India and the Mediterranean. Sumhuram was a key site of the kingdom of Hadramawt, built in a place that was geographically strategic to control the most important Indian Ocean trade routes. The importance of the site made the bead assemblage exceptionally rich in materials, technologies used in the production, and provenance. The study of the relationship between materials and shapes, necessary for the creation of a specific typology, has revealed a number of trends. These, in connection with the reference stratigraphy have, in some cases, enabled the identification of differences on a chronological basis. Furthermore, it is possible to detect different uses of materials in different areas of the city. The variety of imported products (raw materials and products) once again underlines the importance of this city‐port in the international maritime trade and its strong connections with India.
Drivers of research impact: evidence from the top three finance journals
Authors: Dang Chongyu , Li Zhichuan (Frank)
Published: March 2018

We study the characteristics of all published papers in the top three finance journals (JF, JFE and RFS), and how these paper characteristics affect the number of citations in Google Scholar and the Web of Science database. First, we find the characteristics in the universalist perspective remain constant while the characteristics in the constructivist and presentation perspectives increase over time. Second, some characteristics are significantly different between the high‐impact and the low‐impact papers. Third, paper quality, research method, journal placement and paper age are the most important drivers. Last, different drivers play different roles in different journals.
Randomised double‐blind comparison of bolus phenylephrine or ephedrine for treatment of hypotension in women with pre‐eclampsia undergoing caesarean section
Authors: Mohta M. , Duggal S. , Chilkoti G. T.
Published: March 2018

Treatment of post‐spinal hypotension during caesarean section assumes special concern in pre‐eclamptic patients due to a compromised fetoplacental circulation and increased risk of placental hypoperfusion. Phenylephrine and ephedrine are the most commonly used vasopressors, although the best choice is still not clear. We studied 80 pre‐eclamptic women with a singleton pregnancy who underwent caesarean section with spinal anaesthesia, and who developed hypotension defined as a decrease in systolic arterial pressure ≥ 20% from baseline or absolute value < 100 mmHg. Women were randomly allocated to receive phenylephrine 50 μg or ephedrine 4 mg boluses for treatment of hypotension. Blood pressure changes following vasopressor administration were similar in both groups, but heart rate remained higher after ephedrine at all time‐points. The primary outcome measure of umbilical artery pH was 7.26 (0.11) in the phenylephrine group and 7.25 (0.09) in the ephedrine group (p = 0.86). The incidence of neonatal acidosis (umbilical artery pH < 7.20) was 9 (22.5%) in the phenylephrine group and 11 (27.5%) in the ephedrine group (p = 0.80). Other secondary outcome measures were comparable. In conclusion, phenylephrine 50 μg and ephedrine 4 mg, administered as intravenous boluses to treat post‐spinal hypotension during caesarean section in pre‐eclamptic patients, resulted in similar fetal acid‐base values, were equally effective in treating hypotension and were associated with good maternal and neonatal outcome.
Visual complaints of patients with glaucoma and controls under optimal and extreme luminance conditions
Authors: Bierings Ronald A. J. M. , van Sonderen Frideric L. P. , Jansonius Nomdo M.
Published: March 2018

Purpose

To determine (i) whether, compared to controls, visual complaints of glaucoma patients are more pronounced under extreme luminance conditions than in the optimal luminance condition and (ii) whether complaints belonging to different extreme luminance conditions are associated.

Methods

We developed a luminance‐specific questionnaire and sent it to 221 glaucoma patients (response rate 81%); controls (182) were primarily their spouses. Median (interquartile range) mean deviation of the visual field of the patients’ better eye was −4.5 (−10.7 to −1.9) dB. Questions were addressing visual performance under five luminance conditions: presumed optimal (outdoor on a cloudy day), low, high, sudden decrease and sudden increase. We compared percentages of patients and controls who reported visual complaints while performing activities under different luminance conditions.

Results

Percentages of patients and controls with visual complaints were 4 versus 0% (p = 0.02) for optimal luminance and 48 versus 6% (p < 0.001), 22 versus 1% (p < 0.001), 32 versus 1% (p < 0.001) and 25 versus 3% (p < 0.001) for low, high, sudden decrease and sudden increase in luminance. Within the group of glaucoma patients, the frequency of complaints increased significantly with increasing disease severity at a Bonferroni‐corrected p value of 0.003 for all but one (p = 0.005) luminance‐specific questions that addressed extreme luminance conditions.

Conclusion

The concept of (early stage) glaucoma as an asymptomatic disease is only valid with optimal luminance. Differences in visual complaints between glaucoma patients and controls are greater under extreme luminance conditions, especially in the dark. The fact that the cases were aware of their diagnosis could have induced bias.
Childhood death rates declined in Sweden from 2000 to 2014 but deaths from external causes were not always investigated
Authors: Otterman Gabriel , Lahne Klara , Arkema Elizabeth V. , Lucas Steven , Janson Staffan , Hellström‐Westas Lena
Published: March 2018

Aim

Countries that conduct systematic child death reviews report a high proportion of modifiable characteristics among deaths from external causes, and this study examined the trends in Sweden.

Methods

We analysed individual‐level data on external, ill‐defined and unknown causes from the Swedish cause of death register from 2000 to 2014, and mortality rates were estimated for children under the age of one and for those aged 1–14 and 15–17 years.

Results

Child deaths from all causes were 7914, and 2006 (25%) were from external, ill‐defined and unknown causes: 610 (30%) were infants, 692 (34%) were 1–14 and 704 (35%) were 15–17. The annual average was 134 cases (range 99–156) during the study period. Mortality rates from external, ill‐defined and unknown causes in children under 18 fell 19%, from 7.4 to 6.0 per 100 000 population. A sizeable number of infant deaths (8.0%) were registered without a death certificate during the study period, but these counts were lower in children aged 1–14 (1.3%) and 15–17 (0.9%).

Conclusion

Childhood deaths showed a sustained decline from 2000 to 2014 in Sweden and a quarter were from external, ill‐defined or unknown causes. Systematic, interagency death reviews could yield information that could prevent future deaths.
On the Positive Side of Avoidance Motivation: An Increase in Avoidance Motivation Reduces Procrastination among Students
Authors: Schödl Michal M. , Raz Aharon , Kluger Avraham N.
Published: March 2018

People who procrastinate often pay a heavy price in terms of illness, stress, and poor performance. Because procrastination has harmful consequences, we predicted that avoidance motivation, a self‐regulation system that protects people from harm, would also protect them against procrastination. We hypothesised that avoidance motivation reduces procrastination, despite the known destructive effects avoidance motivation has on thriving. In Study 1, students high in chronic‐avoidance motivation had the lowest dropout rates from a bonus‐granting longitudinal study. In Study 2, avoidance motivation was negatively related to delay in submitting a term paper, when controlling for chronic procrastination, self‐efficacy, impulsiveness, and age. In Study 3, an experimental manipulation of avoidance motivation reduced procrastination three times, but only once significantly. In Study 4, manipulations of both avoidance motivation and approach motivation, relative to a control motivation, using a within‐subjects design, indicated that the avoidance manipulation reduced procrastination in submitting subsequent reading reports, whereas the approach manipulation did not. We subjected all our results to a meta‐analysis that indicated that avoidance motivation had a significant preventive effect on procrastination. We conclude that avoidance motivation can reduce procrastination, and suggest that our avoidance‐manipulation techniques could be applied across a variety of organisational and educational settings.
Impacts of perianal disease and faecal incontinence on quality of life and employment in 1092 patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Vollebregt P. F. , van Bodegraven A. A. , Markus‐de Kwaadsteniet T. M. L. , van der Horst D. , Felt‐Bersma R. J. F.
Published: March 2018

Background

Patient reported outcomes regarding perianal disease and faecal incontinence in the community‐based inflammatory bowel disease population are poorly described.

Aims

To determine the impacts of perianal disease and faecal incontinence on quality of life and employment in inflammatory bowel disease patients.

Methods

For this cross‐sectional study, a comprehensive survey was sent out to members of the Dutch National Crohn's and Colitis patient organisation. Validated questionnaires regarding faecal incontinence and active perianal disease were used to estimate its prevalence's. The effect on the quality of life (36‐Item Short Form Survey) and on employment status (multivariate binary regression analysis) was assessed in this inflammatory bowel disease population.

Results

A total number of 1092 returned questionnaires (58% responders) were used for analysis; 750 respondents (69%) were female; mean age was 47 years (IQR 35‐59). In 621 patients (57%) Crohn's disease, in 422 (39%) ulcerative colitis and in 49 (4%) patients unclassifiable inflammatory bowel disease was self‐reported. The 114 patients (10%) with a stoma were excluded for continence related analyses. Faecal incontinence was reported in 555 patients (57%), was comparable between the different inflammatory bowel disease diagnoses and affected all 36‐Item Short Form Survey subscales adversely (incontinence vs continence: Physical functioning 75 vs 84, P < 0.0001; Limitations due to physical health 49 vs 63, P < 0.0001; Limitations due to emotional problems 49 vs 64, P < 0.0001; Energy/fatigue 47 vs 53, P < 0.0001; Emotional well‐being 71 vs 74, P = 0.005; Social functioning 63 vs 73, P < 0.0001; Pain 66 vs 75, P < 0.0001; General health 41 vs 48, P < 0.0001). Active perianal disease was reported in 39% Crohn's disease, 16% ulcerative colitis (84% fissures) and 20% unclassifiable inflammatory bowel disease patients. Faecal incontinence was more common in patients with perianal disease (67% vs 53%, P = 0.003). When correcting for age, disease duration, inflammatory bowel disease‐related surgery and faecal incontinence, active perianal disease was independently affecting employment (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.50–0.91; P = 0.01).

Conclusions

Faecal incontinence and perianal disease are quality of life determining factors. Faecal incontinence needs more attention among clinicians, and development of new (drug) therapies needs to be focussed on perianal disease.
Full covariate modelling approach in population pharmacokinetics: understanding the underlying hypothesis tests and implications of multiplicity
Authors: Xu Xu Steven , Yuan Min , Zhu Hao , Yang Yaning , Wang Hui , Zhou Honghui , Xu Jinfeng , Zhang Liping , Pinheiro Jose
Published: March 2018

Aims

To clarify the hypothesis tests associated with the full covariate modelling (FCM) approach in population pharmacokinetic analysis, investigate the potential impact of multiplicity in population pharmacokinetic analysis, and evaluate simultaneous confidence intervals (SCI) as an approach to control multiplicity.

Methods

Clinical trial simulations were performed using a simple one‐compartment pharmacokinetic model. Different numbers of covariates, sample sizes, effect sizes of covariates, and correlations among covariates were explored. The false positive rate (FPR) and power were evaluated.

Results

The FPR for the FCM approach dramatically increases with number of covariates. The chance of incorrectly selecting ≥1 seemingly clinically relevant covariates can be increased from 5% to a 40–70% range for 10–20 covariates. The SCI approach may provide appropriate control of the family‐wise FPR, allowing more appropriate decision making. As a result, the power detecting real effects without incorrectly identifying non‐existing effects can be greatly improved by the SCI approach compared to the approach in current practice. The performance of the SCI approach is driven by the ratio of sample size to number of covariates. The FPR can be controlled at 5% and 10% using the SCI approach when the ratio was ≥20 and 10, respectively.

Conclusion

The FCM approach still lies within the framework of statistical testing, and therefore multiplicity is an issue for this approach. It is imperative to consider multiplicity reporting and adjustments in FCM modelling practice to ensure more appropriate decision making.
CD169‐positive sinus macrophages in the lymph nodes determine bladder cancer prognosis
Authors: Asano Touko , Ohnishi Koji , Shiota Takuya , Motoshima Takanobu , Sugiyama Yutaka , Yatsuda Junji , Kamba Tomomi , Ishizaka Kazuhiro , Komohara Yoshihiro
Published: March 2018

CD169+ macrophages are suggested to play a pivotal role in establishing anti‐tumor immunity. They capture dead tumor cell‐associated antigens and transfer their information to lymphocsytes, including CD8+ T cells, which is important for successful tumor suppression. This study aimed to determine the prognostic significance of CD169+ macrophages residing in the tumor‐draining lymph nodes from cases of bladder cancer. In this retrospective study, 44 bladder cancer patients who received radical cystectomy were examined. The abundance of CD169+ macrophages in the regional lymph nodes and the number of CD8+ T cells in the primary tumor were investigated by immunohistochemistry. A CD169 score was calculated based on the intensity of CD169 staining and the proportion of CD169+ macrophages, and the scores were compared to the patients’ clinicopathological parameters. A high CD169 score was significantly associated with low T stage and with a high number of CD8+ T cells infiltrating into the tumor. The group with high CD169 expression had significantly longer cancer‐specific survival than the group with low CD169 expression (5‐year cancer‐specific survival rate: 83.3% vs 31.3%). In a multivariate analysis, the CD169 score was identified as a strong and independent favorable prognostic factor for cancer‐specific survival. Our findings suggest that CD169+ macrophages in the lymph nodes enhance anti‐tumor immunity by expanding CD8+ T cells in bladder cancer. The CD169 score may serve as a novel marker for the evaluation of bladder cancer prognosis.
Complex association patterns for inflammatory mediators in induced sputum from subjects with asthma
Authors: Hastie A. T. , Steele C. , Dunaway C. W. , Moore W. C. , Rector B. M. , Ampleford E. , Li H. , Denlinger L. C. , Jarjour N. , Meyers D. A. , Bleecker E. R. ,   NHLBI Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP)
Published: March 2018

Background

The release of various inflammatory mediators into the bronchial lumen is thought to reflect both the type and degree of airway inflammation, eosinophilic Th2, and Th9, or neutrophilic Th1, and Th17, in patients with asthma.

Aims

We investigated whether cytokines and chemokines differed in sputum from subjects with more severe compared with milder asthma and whether unbiased factor analysis of cytokine and chemokine groupings indicates specific inflammatory pathways.

Methods

Cell‐free supernatants from induced sputum were obtained from subjects with a broad range of asthma severity (n = 158) and assessed using Milliplex® Cytokines/Chemokine kits I, II and III, measuring 75 individual proteins. Each cytokine, chemokine or growth factor concentration was examined for differences between asthma severity groups, for association with leucocyte counts, and by factor analysis.

Results

Severe asthma subjects had 9 increased and 4 decreased proteins compared to mild asthma subjects and fewer differences compared to moderate asthma. Twenty‐six mediators were significantly associated with an increasing single leucocyte type: 16 with neutrophils (3 interleukins [IL], 3 CC chemokines, 4 CXC chemokines, 4 growth factors, TNF‐α and CX3CL1/Fractalkine); 5 with lymphocytes (IL‐7, IL‐16, IL‐23, IFN‐α2 and CCL4/MIP1β); IL‐15 and CCL15/MIP1δ with macrophages; IL‐5 with eosinophils; and IL‐4 and TNFSF10/TRAIL with airway epithelial cells. Factor analysis grouped 43 cytokines, chemokines and growth factors which had no missing data onto the first 10 factors, containing mixes of Th1, Th2, Th9 and Th17 inflammatory and anti‐inflammatory proteins.

Conclusions

Sputum cytokines, chemokines and growth factors were increased in severe asthma, primarily with increased neutrophils. Factor analysis identified complex inflammatory protein interactions, suggesting airway inflammation in asthma is characterized by overlapping immune pathways. Thus, focus on a single specific inflammatory mediator or pathway may limit understanding the complexity of inflammation underlying airway changes in asthma and selection of appropriate therapy.
Hashimoto's thyroiditis with elevated serum IgG4 concentrations is not equivalent to IgG4 Hashimoto's thyroiditis
Authors: Yu Yang , Yu Nan , Lu Guizhi , Li Ting , Zhang Yang , Zhang Jing , Gao Ying , Gao Yanming , Guo Xiaohui
Published: March 2018

Background

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) with serum IgG4 concentrations greater than 135 mg/dL can be diagnosed as elevated serum IgG4 HT. HT can also be classified into IgG4 HT and non‐IgG4 HT based on an immunohistochemistry analysis of IgG4. The aim of our study was to determine the relationship between elevated serum IgG4 HT and IgG4 HT.

Method

Both thyroid tissues and serum samples stored before pathological examination from 93 patients with HT were collected. The serum levels of IgG, IgG4, TgAb IgG, TgAb IgG4, TPOAb IgG and TPOAb IgG4 were measured by ELISAs. The expression levels of IgG4, IgG and TGF‐β1 in thyroid tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry.

Results

Patients with HT were divided into two groups: elevated serum IgG4 HT (n = 12) and nonelevated serum IgG4 HT (n = 81). Hypothyroidism was found in 5 of 12 cases (41.7%) in the elevated serum IgG4 HT group and 10 of 81 cases (12.3%) in the nonelevated serum IgG4 HT group (P = .023). Serologically, there were no significant differences in the levels of TgAb IgG, TPOAb IgG, TgAb IgG4 and TPOAb IgG4 between the two groups, and the expression of TGF‐β1 in thyroid tissues was not significantly different between the groups. Most importantly, the frequency of patients who satisfied the criteria for IgG4 HT diagnosis was comparable (25% vs 20.9%, P = .756).

Conclusions

The measurement of serum IgG4 allows the identification of patients with HT closely associated with hypothyroidism. However, our study demonstrated that elevated serum IgG4 HT is not equivalent to IgG4 HT.
Public Art for an Inclusive City: Producers and Publics on the Social Potentials and Problems of Flagship Vis‐à‐Vis Community Art
Authors: ZEBRACKI MARTIN , DE BEKKER DIRK
Published: March 2018

This article engages with socio‐spatial theory on the “trialectic” between the physical, social, and spatial to examine the roles and uses of flagship vis‐à‐vis community art as experienced by both producers and publics. It presents a comparative case study on the Hieronymus Bosch Statue, a flagship artwork, and The Four Seasons, a community artwork, in the Dutch mid‐sized city of Den Bosch. This study critically juxtaposes everyday experiences of producers and publics with regard to the city's self‐declared long‐term ambition to move towards a socially inclusive cultural policy. Insights are drawn from a mixed‐method approach involving: discourse analysis of policy documents; in situ observations; questionnaires amongst publics; and in‐depth interviews with a key cultural policymaker, a landscape architect, an artist, representatives of a neighborhood committee, and residents. The article identifies common grounds and differences between and among “common sense” in (hegemonic) policy discourse, and everyday experiences, regarding the potentials and problems of social engagement with flagship vis‐à‐vis community art. In addition to examining these public art types, the article concludes with a discussion of the field of tension between urban public art's “mere aesthetics” and its “deeper matters” of engendering social inclusion. This study can be of use for both scholars and practitioners concerned with citizen participation in urban arts and cultural contexts more widely.
Putting the Public in Public Art: An Ethnographic Approach to Two Temporary Art Installations
Authors: RADICE MARTHA
Published: March 2018

Temporary public art installations are an increasingly common sight in industrialized cities. This reflects local government and civic organizations’ interest in the potential social and economic benefits of art, as well as artists and curators’ interest in engaging “the public.” Yet little systematic social‐scientific attention is paid to the ways that public art, once installed, affects its site, and the ways that people interact with it. How can these artworks be understood as “public”? What kinds of urban publics do they produce? Approaching these questions as an urban anthropologist, I analyze ethnographic material from two pieces. One of these pieces was Kim Morgan's 2006 work Time Transit, a mixed‐media installation on an operational city bus in Regina, Saskatchewan, which invited passengers to co‐produce the art via text messages. The other piece was Situated Cinema–created by Tom Evans, Craig Rodmore, and Will Vachon in 2012–a demountable micro‐cinema that moved to different sites in Winnipeg, Manitoba, projecting short experimental films about cities. Analysis of the 3,960 text messages sent during Time Transit and interviews and observations conducted at Situated Cinema shows that each installation intervened in the socio‐spatial dialectic of its sites in original and sometimes unanticipated ways. Moreover, each produced and mediated public dialogue in a distinct sense and to different degrees. I conclude by reflecting on what an ethnographic approach can reveal about the publicness of public art—and what it might leave out.
Avoiding game‐tree pathology in 2‐player adversarial search
Authors: Zuckerman Inon , Wilson Brandon , Nau Dana S.
Published: March 2018

Adversarial search, or game‐tree search, is a technique for analyzing an adversarial game to determine what moves a player should make in order to win a game. Until recently, lookahead pathology (in which deeper game‐tree search results in worse play) has been thought to be quite rare. We provide an analysis that shows that every game should have some sections that are locally pathological, assuming that both players can potentially win the game.

We also modify the minimax algorithm to recognize local pathologies in arbitrary games and cut off search accordingly (shallower search is more effective than deeper search when local pathologies occur). We show experimentally that our modified search procedure avoids local pathologies and consequently provides improved performance, in terms of decision accuracy, when compared with the minimax algorithm. In addition, we provide an experimental evaluation on the African game of Kalah, which shows the improved performances of our suggested error‐minimizing minimax algorithm when there is a large degree of pathology.
Cognitive agents and machine learning by example: Representation with conceptual graphs
Authors: Gkiokas Alexandros , Cristea Alexandra I.
Published: March 2018

As machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence progress, more complex tasks can be addressed, quite often by cascading or combining existing models and technologies, known as the bottom‐up design. Some of those tasks are addressed by agents, which attempt to simulate or emulate higher cognitive abilities that cover a broad range of functions; hence, those agents are named cognitive agents. We formulate, implement, and evaluate such a cognitive agent, which combines learning by example with ML. The mechanisms, algorithms, and theories to be merged when training a cognitive agent to read and learn how to represent knowledge have not, to the best of our knowledge, been defined by the current state‐of‐the‐art research. The task of learning to represent knowledge is known as semantic parsing, and we demonstrate that it is an ability that may be attained by cognitive agents using ML, and the knowledge acquired can be represented by using conceptual graphs. By doing so, we create a cognitive agent that simulates properties of “learning by example,” while performing semantic parsing with good accuracy. Due to the unique and unconventional design of this agent, we first present the model and then gauge its performance, showcasing its strengths and weaknesses.
Multimodality, interactivity, and crowdsourcing for document transcription
Authors: Granell Emilio , Romero Verónica , Martínez‐Hinarejos Carlos D.
Published: March 2018

Knowledge mining from documents usually use document engineering techniques that allow the user to access the information contained in documents of interest. In this framework, transcription may provide efficient access to the contents of handwritten documents. Manual transcription is a time‐consuming task that can be sped up by using different mechanisms. A first possibility is employing state‐of‐the‐art handwritten text recognition systems to obtain an initial draft transcription that can be manually amended. A second option is employing crowdsourcing to obtain a massive but not error‐free draft transcription. In this case, when collaborators employ mobile devices, speech dictation can be used as a transcription source, and speech and handwritten text recognition can be fused to provide a better draft transcription, which can be amended with even less effort. A final option is using interactive assistive frameworks, where the automatic system that provides the draft transcription and the transcriber cooperate to generate the final transcription. The novel contributions presented in this work include the study of the data fusion on a multimodal crowdsourcing framework and its integration with an interactive system. The use of the proposed solutions reduces the required transcription effort and optimizes the overall performance and usability, allowing for a better transcription process.
Comparison of computer colour matching of water‐based and solvent‐based reverse micellar dyeing of cotton fibre
Authors: Tang Alan Y.L. , Wang Yanming , Lee Cheng Hao , Kan Chi‐wai
Published: March 2018

In this study, cotton fabrics were dyed with reactive dyes in conventional water‐based and solvent‐based reverse micellar dyeing systems. In solvent‐based dyeing, heptane replaced water as the medium. Three commercially available reactive dyes with the primary colours of red, blue and yellow were used. Dyeing with different dye concentrations was conducted to establish calibration dyeing databases for computer colour matching (CCM). Colours produced by mixing known concentrations of primary colours were used as standard samples for CCM. Different colour difference formulae were used for predicting dye concentrations in the standard samples from CCM. Results revealed that the predicted concentrations were statistically related to the known concentrations for both dyeing methods. This indicates that the solvent‐based reverse micellar dyeing method can achieve colour matching as good as the conventional water‐based dyeing system, and that a large amount of water can be saved.
Food colorants: their past, present and future
Authors: Coultate Tom , Blackburn Richard S.
Published: March 2018

Whether we are purchasing fresh vegetables from a market stall, ready meals from the supermarket, eating at home or in a five‐star restaurant, we use colour to tell us what to expect in terms of taste, nutrition and safety. This review considers the techniques that have, over the years, been employed to modify the colour of our food, and the interactions of these techniques with issues of safety and nutrition. The demand for brightly coloured food resulted in the incorporation of some questionable inorganic and organic chemistry being used in food products. A limited number of synthetic dyes are still used in food today, but health concerns and the consumer‐driven demand for natural colorants has brought about a change in the way food is coloured. The proliferation of products with labels that state they contain “No artificial colours” on supermarket shelves suggests that the future of azo dyes and their various derivatives is strictly limited. Nature produces an abundance of colours and many of these are extracted and used as natural food colorants; however, they are subject to application limitations and stability problems. Significant research by academia and industry into methods to stabilise and expand the application possibilities for the various approved natural food colorants is ongoing, but most developments that food colour manufacturers proclaim are enhanced vehicles for delivering established natural pigments into food products.
High mobility group box transcription factor 1 (HBP1) from Lampetra japonica affects cell cycle regulation
Authors: Song Xiaoping , Gao Xingxing , Lu Jiali , Liang Hongfang , Su Peng , Li Qingwei , Pang Yue
Published: March 2018

High mobility group (HMG) box‐containing protein 1 (HBP1) is a member of the HMG family of chromosomal proteins. Previous studies have shown that human HBP1 exhibits tumor‐suppressor activity. Here, we identified a homologue of HBP1, L‐hbp1, in Lampetra japonica. The L‐hbp1 gene shared high sequence similarity with its homologues in jawed vertebrates, as shown by bioinformatics analyses. L‐hbp1 contains a 1,584‐bp open reading frame that encodes 527 amino acids. A pAdenox‐L‐HBP1 plasmid was constructed and transfected successfully in Raji cells, as revealed by real‐time PCR. The overexpression of L‐HBP1 reduced cell growth rates, inhibited G1 phase progression, decreased cyclin D1 and c‐Myc protein expression, and increased p53 protein expression. Western blot and immunohistochemical assays showed that L‐HBP1 was primarily distributed in the heart, kidney, gill and liver of lamprey. Cell cycle analysis revealed that decreased L‐HBP1 expression in HBP1 morpholino oligonucleotide‐transfected lamprey cells resulted in a decreased fraction of cells in the G1 phase and corresponding increases in the S and G2/M phases. Additionally, treatment of lamprey cardiac cells with pharmacological inhibitors of p38 MAP kinase released the cells from G1 arrest. Together, these results indicated that HBP1 expression in lamprey was correlated with the onset of mitotic arrest in these cells, which have implications for cell cycle regulation.
The coevolution of juvenile play–fighting and adult competition
Authors: Cenni Camilla , Fawcett Tim W.
Published: March 2018

Although play–fighting is widespread among juvenile mammals, its adaptive significance remains unclear. It has been proposed that play is beneficial for developing skills to improve success in adult contests (motor‐training hypothesis), but the links between juvenile play–fighting and adult aggression are complex and not well understood. In this theoretical study, we investigate the coevolution between juvenile play–fighting and adult aggression using evolutionary computer simulations. We consider a simple life history with two sequential stages: a juvenile phase in which individuals play–fight with other juveniles to develop their fighting skills; and an adult phase in which individuals engage in potentially aggressive contests over access to resources and ultimately mating opportunities, leading to reproductive success. The simulations track genetic evolution in key traits affecting adult contests, such as the level of aggression, as well as juvenile investment in play–fighting, capturing the coevolutionary feedbacks between juvenile and adult decisions. We find that coevolution leads to one of two outcomes: a high‐play, high‐aggression situation with highly aggressive adult contests preceded by a prolonged period of juvenile play–fighting to improve fighting ability, or a low‐play, low‐aggression situation in which adult contests are resolved without fighting and there is minimal investment in play–fighting before individuals mature. Which of these outcomes is favoured depends on the mortality costs and on the type of societal structure: societies with strong reproductive skew, favouring monopolization of resources, show high levels of adult aggression and high investment in juvenile play–fighting, whereas societies with low reproductive skew have both low adult aggression and low levels of play–fighting. A review of empirical evidence, particularly in the primate genus Macaca, highlights some limitations of our model and suggests that other, complementary functional explanations are needed to account for the full range of competitive and cooperative forms of play–fighting. Our study illustrates the power of evolutionary simulations to shed light on the long‐standing puzzle of animal play.
Multi‐agent modelling and simulation of graph‐based predator–prey dynamic systems: A BDI approach
Authors: Bădică Amelia , Bădică Costin , Ivanović Mirjana , Dănciulescu Daniela
Published: March 2018

We propose a new framework based on Belief‐Desire‐Intention multi‐agent systems for the macroscopic modelling and simulation of continuous dynamic systems. The main idea is to break down the target system model into a collection of autonomous and loosely coupled interacting components endowed with clean message‐based interfaces and local intelligence. Each component is then mapped to a Belief‐Desire‐Intention agent that captures its state as a set of logical facts and its behavioural patterns as a set of plans. The system model can be described as a multi‐agent programme that is specified using the state‐of‐the‐art Jason agent‐oriented programming language. The approach is evaluated by considering a generalized graph‐based model of predator–prey systems. Our approach supports the configuration of the multi‐agent model with various differential equations integration methods, as required by the specific problem.
The Partners for Change Outcome Management System: A Both/And System for Collaborative Practice
Authors: Sparks Jacqueline A. , Duncan Barry L.
Published: March 2018

Systematic client feedback (SCF) is increasingly employed in mental health services worldwide. While research supports its efficacy over treatment as usual, clinicians, especially those who highly value relational practices, may be concerned that routine data collection detracts from clinical process. This article describes one SCF system, the Partners for Change Outcome Management System (PCOMS), along a normative (standardized measurement) to communicative (conversational) continuum, highlighting PCOMS’ origins in everyday clinical practice. The authors contend that PCOMS represents “both/and,” providing a valid signal of client progress while facilitating communicative process particularly prized by family therapists steeped in relational traditions. The article discusses application of PCOMS in systemic practice and describes how it actualizes time‐honored family therapy approaches. The importance of giving voice to individualized client experience is emphasized.
Family and Child Outcomes 2 Years After a Transition to Parenthood Intervention
Authors: Jones Damon E. , Feinberg Mark E. , Hostetler Michelle L. , Roettger Michael E. , Paul Ian M. , Ehrenthal Deborah B.
Published: March 2018

Objective

To examine the impact of Family Foundations, a transition‐to‐parenting intervention, on parent and child outcomes 2 years after birth.

Background

Couples transitioning to parenthood face many stressors and challenges that are not typically addressed through commonly available childbirth preparatory classes. The Family Foundations program was designed for couples expecting their first child and addresses family stressors related to coparenting, parenting, and mental health.

Method

The recruited sample of 399 couples expecting their first child were randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. Data were obtained through home observation and parent surveys before and after intervention.

Results

Intent‐to‐treat analyses indicated effects on several targeted domains including coparenting, parenting, and relationship quality, as well as on child sleep habits and internalizing behavior problems at 2 years of age. Effects for several outcomes were larger for those couples at greater risk based on pretest‐observed negative dyadic communication styles.

Conclusion

Longer‐term impact found here on parent and child outcomes provides new evidence of the effectiveness of this program for first‐time parents.

Implications

Programs directed toward broader issues related to aspects of coparenting, parenting, and mental health have the potential to have longer‐term positive impact on the couples and the developing child.
Mapping Aquifer Systems with Airborne Electromagnetics in the Central Valley of California
Authors: Knight Rosemary , Smith Ryan , Asch Ted , Abraham Jared , Cannia Jim , Viezzoli Andrea , Fogg Graham
Published: March 2018

The passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in California has highlighted a need for cost‐effective ways to acquire the data used in building conceptual models of the aquifer systems in the Central Valley of California. One approach would be the regional implementation of the airborne electromagnetic (AEM) method. We acquired 104 line‐kilometers of data in the Tulare Irrigation District, in the Central Valley, to determine the depth of investigation (DOI) of the AEM method, given the abundance of electrically conductive clays, and to assess the usefulness of the method for mapping the hydrostratigraphy. The data were high quality providing, through inversion of the data, models displaying the variation in electrical resistivity to a depth of approximately 500 m. In order to transform the resistivity models to interpreted sections displaying lithology, we established the relationship between resistivity and lithology using collocated lithology logs (from drillers' logs) and AEM data. We modeled the AEM response and employed a bootstrapping approach to solve for the range of values in the resistivity model corresponding to sand and gravel, mixed coarse and fine, and clay in the unsaturated and saturated regions. The comparison between the resulting interpretation and an existing cross section demonstrates that AEM can be an effective method for mapping the large‐scale hydrostratigraphy of aquifer systems in the Central Valley. The methods employed and developed in this study have widespread application in the use of the AEM method for groundwater management in similar geologic settings.
TEXTS ON THE MOVE: TEXTUALITY AND HISTORICITY REVISITED
Authors: ASDAL KRISTIN , JORDHEIM HELGE
Published: March 2018

The last time texts were brought onto the general theoretical and methodological agenda of the human and social sciences, they were reintroduced into history in terms of an indefinite set of indefinitely complex contexts, which gave every text a specific date and location in a network of other texts and events. A couple of decades later, however, a more prominent feature of texts seems to be that they are permanently on the move: they circulate, have effects on other things, change and transform realities, and are at the same time themselves translated and modified. In the literature exploring the textuality of history, these dimensions have been under‐theorized and often ignored. To meet this challenge, we need to develop concepts and approaches that enable us to place the mobility of texts as well as their mobilizing force at the center of our current historical concerns. In this article we will explore what the consequences of this move could be, and what resources are already at hand in different scholarly traditions. Exploring the entanglements between actor‐network theory (ANT in the version of Bruno Latour), on the one hand, and literary criticism, linguistics, and book history, on the other, enables us to focus on how texts move and how they move others. We will proceed in this essay by identifying three decisive moments in twentieth‐ and twenty‐first‐century textual scholarship, often conceptualized as “turns,” which are linked to the works of three path‐breaking authors and which at the same time represent three different stages or forms of textuality: the linguistic turn (Saussure), the turn to writing (Derrida), and the turn to print (Eisenstein). Our discussions of these three moments and forms of textuality aim at uncovering how they also represent seminal moments in Bruno Latour's development of the theoretical and methodological complex now referred to as ANT.
Thermoluminscence characteristics and dosimetric parameters of Nd+3 doped alkali borosilicate glass
Authors: Soliman Hala A. , Salama Elsayed
Published: March 2018

Alkali‐borosilicate glass samples doped with 0.04‐0.7 mol % of neodymium oxide (20SiO2‐(50‐x) H3BO3‐20Na2CO3‐10ZnO‐xNd2O3) have been prepared by the melt quenching method. Thermoluminescence (TL) properties such as: dose–response, thermal fading, minimum detectable dose, and reproducibility of the gamma irradiated samples were investigated. Kinetic and trapping parameters such as trap depth, kinetic order, and frequency factor were studied by using the glow curve shape, initial rise and computerized glow curve de‐convolution (GCDC) methods. Among the studied concentrations, the obtained results showed that alkali‐borosilicate glass doped with 0.15 mol % neodymium oxide is the most sensitive one. This glass composition has a good linear TL gamma dose–response over a wide dose range of 0.5‐1000 Gy, as well as low fading and excellent reproducibility. These obtained features recommend the new prepared glass for many radiation detection applications.