bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of Content Schema in Reading Comprehension Among Saudi EFL Students: EFL Teachers’ Perspective and Use of Appropriate Classroom Strategies
Authors: Asmari AbdulRahman Al , Javid Choudhary Zahid
Published: March 2018

This empirical survey investigates the perceptions of English language teachers towards the role of content schemata in reading comprehension among Saudi EFL learners. Furthermore, it also attempts to explore the use of appropriate classroom strategies employed by English language teachers to activate content schemata to enhance learners’ reading comprehension. A modified Likert-scale strongly-agree to strongly-disagree questionnaire was administered to 61 male and female EFL faculty from English Language Center (ELC), Taif University to generate data. The findings have reinforced that background knowledge of Saudi EFL learners help them significantly in reading faster with better understanding. It has also been reported that pre-reading strategies of brainstorming, classroom discussions about the topic and questioning are the most favored ones to activate Saudi EFL learners’ background knowledge. It has also been learnt that while-reading strategies of directing the students’ attention to signal words, main idea, important phrases, titles, subtitles and effectively linking the target text to their students’ cultural and social experiences also contribute towards reading comprehension. The findings have also revealed that English language teachers consider low English language proficiency and poor reading skills of Saudi ELF leaners as well as the lack of appropriate teaching aids as the major obstacles in activating the content schemata. Several recommendations have been forwarded which have significant pedagogical implications in materializing much sought-after goal of effective ELT in the KSA by ensuring better reading skills among Saudi EFL learners.
Assessment of Public Schools’ Out-of-School Time Academic Support Programs with Participant-Oriented Evaluation
Authors: Berk Saban
Published: March 2018

Using the participants-oriented approach, this study evaluated public schools’ out-of-school time academic support programs, corresponding to the corrective/enrichment stage of Bloom’s Mastery Learning Model and offered outside formal education’s weekday hours and on weekends. Study participants included 50 principals, 110 teachers, 170 students attending programs, 110 students not attending programs, and 61 parents, all selected through random sampling in a survey-model study in Istanbul, Turkey. Partial findings were the following. According to principals and teachers, programs were sufficiently introduced to target groups. Satisfaction of attending students with the teaching—learning process was sufficient, and students believed program participation increased their success in regular classes. However, program functioning presented some problems. Administrators and teachers think the no-cost programs resulted in lack of interest among students. In addition, problems of materials and transportation have not been completely solved. Similarly, offered classes and lessons’ content organization fall short of expectations. In conclusion, out-of-school time academic support programs play important roles in reducing differences among learning levels based on individual characteristics in collective or formal learning. Still, student needs should be fulfilled, and programs should be maintained. Further studies should be conducted on these programs’ integration into formal education.
Towards a Pedagogy of Humanizing Child Education in Terms of Teacher-Student Interaction
Authors: Shih Yi-Huang
Published: March 2018

By reading and analyzing related studies, this article investigates methods for humanizing child education in terms of teacher-student interaction. It is hoped that this study will allow teachers to understand the essence of child education, to become better educators and humanizing child education, so that students can develop a healthy body and mind and become better citizens in the future. The suggestions are as follows: (1) teachers' instruction must fit each child, (2) it must be understood that all children have their own talents, (3) there must be a connection with the child’s real learning experiences, (4) teaching should pertain to the child's interest, (5) teachers must recognize the child’s nature, (6) oppressive educative relationships between teachers and students must be eliminated, (7) children must be allowed to learn through their own experiences and discoveries and (8) teachers must think in a humanizing way.
Occurrence of insomnia among patients with diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea
Authors: Daniłosio Marek , Wysocki Jarosław , Prus Monika
Published: March 2018

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common problem. Excessive daytime sleepiness raises a suspicion of OSA, which
can be confirmed by polysomnography (PSG). Insomnia, in patients with OSA, often manifests itself as excessive daytime
drowsiness. The incidence of insomnia among patients with OSA differs in different studies. Thus, we investigated
the incidence of insomnia among our patients. We included 120 patients who underwent a workup due to
a suspicion of OSA in the Polysomnography Laboratory, Department of Otolaryngology, Medical University of Warsaw,
Poland. Patients completed the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). All-night PSG was done with 14-channel recordings
(Grass®, USA). The severity of OSA was classified according to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) values. There were 96
patients with OSA and 24 patients without OSA who served as controls (their sleep disorders and daytime drowsiness
were not caused by OSA). The total AIS scores tended to indicate insomnia in the entire sample and in all different
subgroups. The mean AIS score was significantly different between the subgroups differing in the severity of apnea.
The mean AIS score correlated significantly with sleep latency, latent sleep, and N2 latency. The mean AIS score did
not correlate significantly with the AHI. In conclusion, in patients with OSA, insomnia, measured with the AIS, was associated
with the severity of apnea, although this relationship was weak.
Pasini ve Pierini'nin İdyopatik Atrofoderması ile Morfeanın Birlikteliği
Authors: KEMERİZ Funda , GÖNÜL Müzeyyen , GÖKÇE Aysun , ALPER Murat
Published: March 2018

Pasini ve Pierini’nin İdiyopatik Atrofoderması (PPİA) nadir

görülen etyolojisi bilinmeyen bir dermal atrofi tipidir. Lezyonlar tek ya da

birden fazla oval ya da yuvarlak, simetrik , deriden hafif çökük, keskin

sınırlı plaklar şeklindedir. Çoğunlukla sırtta lokalize olan lezyonlar

sonrasında göğüs ve abdominal bölgede de ortaya çıkabilmektedir. Lezyonların

boyutu 1-20 cm arasında değişebilmektedir ve lezyonlar zaman içerisinde yavaşça

genişler. Hastaların çoğu kadın olup, genelde ikinci-üçüncü dekatlarda

görülmektedir. Nadiren PPİA ve morfea bir arada görülebilir.

Bu makalede sırtında asemptomatik çökük kahverengi leke ile

polikliniğimize başvuran, klinik ve histopatolojik bulgularla PPİA ve morfea

tanısı konulan 27 yaşında bayan hasta sunulmaktadır.
The Martial Virtues
Authors: Chapa Joseph O. ,   Department of Philosophy, Florida State University
Published: March 2018

In this article, I ask whether the martial virtues can serve as a role morality for soldiers. In it I compare three role morality theories and ask, according to each, whether the role of ‘soldier’ is the kind of role that generates a role morality. I conclude that the cultivation of the martial virtues may be a necessary condition for martial morality, but it is not a sufficient one. Finally, I present a positive account of a role morality for soldiers that creates the space for crucial, if not traditionally martial, virtues such as respect for human life and human dignity.
Information Literacy and Instruction: Trustworthiness: What Are We Teaching?
Authors: Grassian Esther
Published: March 2018

Is the concept of trustworthiness new? The Oxford English Dictionary dates the first use of trust in English to 1225 and trustworthiness to 1662.1 Trustworthiness takes many forms, as does proof of whether or not something or someone deserves our trust. We license, certificate, credential, elect, and grant degrees to people who meet specified criteria, some more rigorous than others. As methods of communication have expanded, we have seen an enormous increase in first-hand reports (textual and visual) and opinions (signed and anonymous) in addition to more traditional reporting and documentation. We highly value trustworthiness in people, in government,2 and in “objects,” virtual and physical. Yet, a recent Pew study found that trust in government declined from a high of 72 percent in 1990 to a low of 36 percent in 2016. Between 1973 and 2016, trust in the Supreme Court declined from 45 percent to 36 percent, trust in public schools declined from 58 percent to 30 percent, and trust in “media” (newspapers and television news) declined from a combined 39 percent to 21 percent for newspapers and 20 percent for television news. These Pew survey results indicate a steep decline in trust in various entities for a range of 64 to 80 percent of respondents.3
Amplify Your Impact: Marketing Libraries in an Era of “Fake News”
Authors: Eva Nicole , Shea Erin
Published: March 2018

In keeping with this month’s theme of trustworthy information, the editors of this column have written about the ways that libraries have capitalized on the currency of this topic to market themselves and their information literacy programs.—Editors
Readers' Advisory: Bias in Readers' Advisory Services
Authors: Tarulli Laurel
Published: March 2018

Last week, while reading through the posts on one of our professional Listservs, a query came across asking for recommendations. This colleague indicated that she had been asked to make available weekly a collection of timely news articles to keep her community informed on politics and current events; however, as a self-proclaimed strong left-wing liberal, she has no knowledge of conservative resources. This gave me pause. As people, we have our viewpoints, opinions, and political leanings, but should our personal preferences have such a profound influence on our users that, up until now, this colleague didn’t realize or concern herself with the fact that she had been providing reading suggestions that reflected her world view, and not necessarily that of the entire community? Indeed, as informational professionals, shouldn’t we strive to know all of the available resources and viewpoints, even if we choose to seek only one perspective in our personal lives?
A Reference for That: Reference in the Age of Disinformation
Authors: Sosulski Nicolette Warisse , Tyckoson David A.
Published: March 2018

It was my regular How to Be a (Re)Search Ninja class, a combination workshop I do once a month on search skills and information literacy. I was in the part about “websites you can trust,” and my brain came to a screeching halt. This was a group that had been more involved and engaged than those in some offerings of the class, and I could tell that they were soaking in everything I could tell them. Usually at this point I talk about government websites— www.bls.gov, www.nih.gov, www.nlm.gov, www.medlineplus.gov, www.noaa.gov, www.epa.gov, www.nps.gov, etc.—and how they can be a great source for pure, factual information. It was at this point that I froze.
Habits of Mind in an Uncertain Information World
Authors: Gibson Craig , Jacobson Trudi E.
Published: March 2018

Ours is a fraught time. We see blaring headlines about stolen elections, the questioning of scientific findings and of the scientific method itself, of mutual incomprehension across political and cultural divides, of accepted norms upended, of governing processes questioned, and of facts themselves—facts comporting with reality—doubted. The swirling cacophony of competing viewpoints, perspectives, agendas, and “facts,” accelerated by a saturating and saturated media environment, challenges anyone seeking a firm ground for reasoned debate, reflection, and discussion—and anyone commited to teaching and scholarship. As a profession with ancient and honorable roots, including exposing uncomfortable truths, teaching requires a ground of reliable factuality, a foundation for debate, discussion, and improvement, no matter the level of education, the subject, or the method of instruction.
Revitalizing Scholarly Reference for Digital Research Requires a Redoubled Commitment to Quality and Community
Authors: Zucca Damon
Published: March 2018

Basic research faces significant challenges due to the staggering proliferation of information and misinformation online. High-quality reference works can help to address this challenge. In this paper, the author uses the example of the scholarly reference program at Oxford University Press to show how reference works can support emerging digital research needs and to argue that close collaborative engagement from the academic community is essential for ensuring the quality and authority online scholarly reference resources.
Cutting through the Fog: Government Information, Librarians, and the Forty-Fifth Presidency
Authors: Flynn Kian A. , Hartnett Cassandra J.
Published: March 2018

The presidential election of 2016 and the ensuing forty-fifth presidential administration have been marked by an increasingly polarized electorate, concerns about “fake news,” and a greater use of social media. President Trump and his administration have utilized the increased disintermediation of information consumption by communicating directly to the public and going around the “experts.” These phenomena raise issues for government information librarians concerned with the production, distribution, consumption, and preservation of government information, and impact the public’s understanding of—and trust in—government information. The government information issues we see today are not entirely new, as past governmental obfuscation has been well documented, but confronting these issues in the twenty-first century poses unique challenges. Fortunately, individuals, institutions, and libraries across the country are responding to this unique moment with a host of innovative solutions that promise to keep Americans informed in these turbulent times. Current engagement around these issues is reflected in educational programming at universities and public libraries, citizen actions such as the Data Rescue movement, and hybrid projects such as the End of Term Archive. The Government Publishing Office (GPO) is due for modernization, and statutory reform of 44 U.S.C., chapter 19, is being debated by the Committee on House Administration, library associations, and the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) community. To meet the long-term needs of our users, librarians should advocate for the strengthening of existing structures for federal information such as the FDLP, LOCKSS-USDOCS, and the Hathi Trust Digital Library. Future initiatives must ensure that official legal processes remain in place to protect government information, while leaving room for creative nongovernmental collaborations as well.
Book Review: So You Want to Be an Academic Library Director
Authors: Hawthorne Pat
Published: March 2018

This volume comprises thirteen reflective essays by library leaders offering perspectives on their personal experiences and lessons learned regarding academic library management. Editor Colleen S. Harris notes in the very brief preface: “To complement the formal research on academic library director characteristics, I have recruited library directors to write essays reflecting on various aspects of their work as library directors.” Although she alludes to research studies regarding the knowledge, skills, and characteristics of successful managers and leaders, none of the chapters cite any such studies, and the book unfortunately lacks a substantive introductory chapter to complement and provide context for the essays by presenting relevant research findings. It almost seems as though the intent was to provide a more thorough introduction to this literature and the studies, but somehow that introductory chapter did not make it into the volume.
Book Review: Summer Matters: Making All Learning Count
Authors: Schwartz Jessica Hilbun
Published: March 2018

With the help of the Museum of Science and Industry, the Chicago Public Library now offers young patrons the opportunity to participate in an innovative summer program called Rahm’s Readers Summer Learning Challenge. The program uses the principles of STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and design thinking to encourage the development of twenty-first-century skills. In Summer Matters: Making All Learning Count, Elizabeth M. McChesney of the Chicago Public Library and Bryan W. Wunar of the Museum of Science and Industry explain why and how they created their Summer Learning Challenge, and how readers can implement similar programs at their libraries.
Book Review: The American Political Party System: A Reference Handbook
Authors: Edscorn Steven R.
Published: March 2018

The American Political Party System: A Reference Handbook brings together readable, informative essays about the formation and influence of and controversies surrounding political parties in the United States; profiles of significant people and organizations; responsibly argued opinion essays from a variety of perspectives; and important primary-source documents and data. Major sections include “Background and History,” “Problems, Controversies, and Solutions,” “Perspectives,” “Profiles,” and “Data and Documents.” Examples of subsections and entries include “The Transformative Election of McKinley and the Progressive Era, 1896–1932,” “Structural Barriers or Impediments to Third-Party Candidates,” “Make America Great Again PAC,” “MoveOn.org,” “David Koch (1935–),” “Harry Reid (1939),” “Jill Stein (1950–),” “Donald Trump’s Proposed Immigration Policies,” “Election Results, 2016 Presidential Vote, by Select Group Categories,” and “Millard Fillmore’s Speech, June 26, 1856, on American Party Principles.”
Book Review: Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Documentary and Reference Guide
Authors: Wexelbaum Rachel
Published: March 2018

The Arab-Israeli conflict continues to spark confusion, emotion, and anger in educational environments. Tension around these topics remains so high that strict ground rules and active arbitration remedies exist for those who wish to edit the Wikipedia articles for Israel, Palestine, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. As events progress in these regions, these Wikipedia articles experience a flurry of activity as editors around the world work to update and improve their content. This is the downfall of any traditionally published encyclopedia; once published, it becomes a snapshot in time, a historical artifact, as opposed to a living document that captures past, present, and future tense. The other disadvantage of traditionally published encyclopedias is that editors often give subject experts a template and writing guidelines for the entries that can make the subject expert look incompetent. Dr. Priscilla Roberts’s “documentary and reference guide” to the Arab-Israeli conflict, for this reason, has strengths and weaknesses.
Book Review: Encyclopedia of Cyber Warfare
Authors: Davis Evan
Published: March 2018

Great Britain was once the global power because it ruled the waves, but Germany ruled below the waves, and it almost won both world wars. Now the United States is the global power, but could the airwaves be our undoing?
Book Review: Freedom of Speech: Documents Decoded
Authors: Hurley Joseph A.
Published: March 2018

David L. Hudson’s Freedom of Speech: Documents Decoded is another addition to the ABC-CLIO Documents Decoded series. Hudson, a prolific author of American legal issues, demonstrates his breadth of knowledge of the history of free speech in the United States in this volume. The Documents Decoded series volumes represent a new type of encyclopedia in which primary-source documents constitute the main texts. These primary-source documents are coupled with annotations by the authors that provide illuminating contextual information and situate the documents within broader events of the time. Hudson’s Freedom of Speech follows this format and focuses largely on federal legal cases, but it also includes important speeches that either addressed freedom of speech or represented national tests to the limits of freedom of speech.
Book Review: Freedom of Speech: Reflections in Art and Popular Culture
Authors: Whatley Edward
Published: March 2018

For a country that prides itself on the freedoms it bestows on its citizens, the United States has a surprisingly extensive history of censorship. As Patricia L. Dooley’s Freedom of Speech: Reflections in Art and Popular Culture demonstrates, the arts and pop culture have long been favored targets of censors. Sometimes the censors are private citizens or organizations acting as self-appointed guardians of morality. More ominously, they sometimes are government entities intent on controlling the dissemination and consumption of creative products.
Book Review: Modern Conflict in the Greater Middle East
Authors: Moffitt Sally
Published: March 2018

Modern Conflict in the Greater Middle East, edited by Spencer C. Tucker, dates modern conflicts between and among twenty-two countries from the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire beginning in 1918 to when the book went to press in 2016, with no end in sight for the civil war in Syria, much less for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Linked by religious and cultural affinities, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the North African countries of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia are included as part of a lately considered greater Middle East, as are Cyprus, Iran, and Turkey. A brief overview of the historical events out of which the geopolitical greater Middle East emerged sets the stage for the seemingly intractable modern conflict of the volume’s title.
Book Review: The Use and Abuse of Police Power in America: Historical Milestones and Current Controversies
Authors: Babirad Amanda
Published: March 2018

This reference book is a timely encyclopedia that captures some of the most recent and critical events that involved law enforcement, as well as a number of historically significant milestones in the relationship between law enforcement and citizens in the United States. This book is a quick reference that is structured in a way to give researchers an easy-to-use timeline of events, technological advances, changes in the law, and debates and incidents with police that have infiltrated everyday life and the news.
Book Review: Tweeting to Freedom: An Encyclopedia of Citizen Protests and Uprisings Around the World
Authors: Pritting Shannon
Published: March 2018

Professors Jim Willis (Azusa Pacific University) and Anthony R. Fellow (California State University at Fullerton) edited the affordable and relevant single-volume Tweeting to Freedom: An Encyclopedia of Citizen Protests and Uprisings Around the World. The extensive teaching and research experience of Willis and Fellow is evident in the instructive and informative writing throughout. A major consideration with a reference work on a topic as quickly evolving as social media is how quickly the text will become outdated. The focus on providing context for social media movements will serve to keep the content in Tweeting to Freedom relevant, especially as the memory of the reasons for protests gets shorter and shorter. The analysis will be useful even when the examples are inevitably no longer current; however, there are many timely examples, such as references to the 2016 US presidential election.
La désignation officielle de Vanier comme « le quartier francophone d’Ottawa » : sujet de discorde au sein de la minorité linguistique de la capitale canadienne
Authors: Benali Kenza
Published: March 2018

La nomination des lieux ou les refontes toponymiques, de par leur dimension éminemment politique, sont souvent source de controverses. Les contextes multiculturels et multilingues, où les tensions identitaires sont souvent exacerbées, se présentent comme des terrains d’observation privilégiés. C’est le cas du Canada, où le champ toponymique est fortement marqué par la rivalité entre trois communautés linguistiques (anglaise, française, autochtone). Si ces conflits toponymiques intercommunautaires ont largement été investis par la recherche, on compte, en revanche, très peu d’études sur les tensions intracommunautaires. Cet article propose d’explorer ce type de conflit inhabituel à travers la controverse qu’a suscité le projet de désignation officielle d’un « quartier francophone » à Ottawa et qui a largement polarisé la minorité linguistique de la capitale.
Langue et tourisme culturel en Nouvelle-Écosse : les retombées d’un congrès mondial acadien
Authors: LeBlanc Mélanie
Published: March 2018

Cet article cherche à montrer comment la communauté acadienne néoécossaise a su profiter de la tenue du 3e Congrès mondial acadien (CMA) en 2004, en Nouvelle-Écosse, pour démontrer son potentiel économique et ainsi faire avancer des dossiers prioritaires pour son développement politique, socioéconomique et culturel. En prenant comme point de départ la Baie Sainte-Marie, l’une des régions hôtesses du CMA, il montrera de plus comment les préparatifs à l’événement ont participé à valoriser l’usage du français dans le développement d’une industrie touristique mettant à l’avant-scène l’authenticité linguistique. Dans cette industrie, l’acadjonne – ensemble de pratiques linguistiques par lesquelles s’identifie une grande partie de la communauté de la Baie Sainte-Marie – devient une marque d’authenticité par excellence, mais gagne également en légitimité devant les francophones de l’extérieur. Le travail s’appuie sur un terrain ethnographique mené en trois étapes entre 1999 et 2004, et particulièrement sur l’analyse d’entretiens interactifs auprès d’acteurs sociaux de la Baie Sainte-Marie, de membres du conseil d’administration du 3e CMA et des principaux organismes appuyant l’industrie du tourisme acadien.
The influence of rater training on inter-rater reliability when using the rat grimace scale
Authors: Zhang Emily , Leung Vivian , Pang Daniel SJ
Published: March 2018

Background. Rodent grimace scales facilitate evaluation of the affective component of pain and can identify a range of acute pain levels. Reported rater training in the use of these scales varies considerably and may contribute to observed variability in inter-rater reliability. This study evaluated the effect of training on inter-rater reliability with the Rat Grimace Scale (RGS). Methods. Two training sets, of 42 and 150 images, were prepared from several acute pain models. Four trainee raters, with no previous experience with the RGS, progressed through 2 rounds of training, first scoring 42 images (S1) followed by 150 images (S2a). After each round, trainees reviewed the RGS and any problematic images with an experienced rater. The 150 images were re-scored in a final round (S2b). Inter-rater reliability was evaluated using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and ICCs compared with a Feldt test. Results. Inter-rater reliability increased from moderate (ICC 0.58 [95%CI: 0.43-0.72]) to very good (ICC 0.85 [0.81-0.88]) between S1 and S2b (p < 0.01) with a significant increase also observed between S2a and S2b (p < 0.01). The ICCs for individual action units orbital tightening, ears and nose/cheek also improved from S1 to S2b (p < 0.01). The action units with the highest and lowest ICCs at S2b were orbital tightening (0.84 [0.80-0.87]) and whiskers (0.63 [0.57-0.70]), respectively. In comparison to an experienced rater the ICCs for all trainees improved, ranging from 0.88 to 0.91 at S2b. Discussion. Training improves inter-rater reliability between trainees, with an associated reduction in 95%CI. Additionally, training resulted in improved inter-rater reliability alongside an experienced rater. Training improves the scoring of individual action units though scoring of whiskers is more difficult that other sites. Conclusion. The beneficial effects of training potentially reduce data variability and improve experimental animal welfare.
Characterization of epibenthic community structure in the Beaufort Sea area
Authors: de Montety Laure , Archambault Philippe , Majewski Andrew R , Grant Cindy , Reist James D
Published: March 2018

The Canadian Arctic is facing new issues with increased marine traffic, exploration and exploitation of resources. Knowledge of the environment is needed to address these issues. Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducted a survey during summers 2012 to 2014 in the Canadian Beaufort Sea and the Amundsen Gulf. The “BREA-MFP” Beaufort Regional Environmental Assessment-Marine Fish Project” objective was to improve knowledge of the composition of fish communities and their habitats in offshore waters of the Beaufort Sea and the Amundsen Gulf. As an important part of the fish habitat and diet, the epibenthos was sampled to characterize and improve the knowledge of epibenthic community structure (diversity and abundance) in these areas. The benthos is ideal as an ecological indicator index because organisms are sessile, highly diverse, and long-lived. Moreover, environmental factors such as organic matter content, benthic Chla, and sediment grain size are known to influence the benthic community composition. Collected data are used to establish baselines for epibenthic diversity, abundances, and community compositions, and for comparisons among regions (Beaufort Sea, Amundsen Gulf) and gradients (nearshore-offshore depth, East-West). Furthermore, the study highlighted new occurrences of species for the area indicating additional studies are needed to assess benthic biodiversity in this area.
A spike sorting toolbox for up to thousands of electrodes validated with ground truth recordings in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Yger Pierre , Spampinato Giulia LB , Esposito Elric , Lefebvre Baptiste , Deny Stéphane , Gardella Christophe , Stimberg Marcel , Jetter Florian , Zeck Guenther , Picaud Serge , Duebel Jens , Marre Olivier
Published: March 2018

In recent years, multielectrode arrays and large silicon probes have been developed to record simultaneously between hundreds and thousands of electrodes packed with a high density. However, they require novel methods to extract the spiking activity of large ensembles of neurons. Here, we developed a new toolbox to sort spikes from these large-scale extracellular data. To validate our method, we performed simultaneous extracellular and loose patch recordings in rodents to obtain ‘ground truth’ data, where the solution to this sorting problem is known for one cell. The performance of our algorithm was always close to the best expected performance, over a broad range of signal-to-noise ratios, in vitro and in vivo. The algorithm is entirely parallelized and has been successfully tested on recordings with up to 4225 electrodes. Our toolbox thus offers a generic solution to sort accurately spikes for up to thousands of electrodes.
Squeezing water from a stone: high-throughput sequencing from a 145-year old holotype resolves (barely) a cryptic species problem in flying lizards
Authors: McGuire Jimmy A. , Cotoras Darko D. , O’Connell Brendan , Lawalata Shobi Z.S. , Wang-Claypool Cynthia Y. , Stubbs Alexander , Huang Xiaoting , Wogan Guinevere O.U. , Hykin Sarah M. , Reilly Sean B. , Bi Ke , Riyanto Awal , Arida Evy , Smith Lydia L. , Milne Heather , Streicher Jeffrey W. , Iskandar Djoko T.
Published: March 2018

We used Massively Parallel High-Throughput Sequencing to obtain genetic data from a 145-year old holotype specimen of the flying lizard,Draco cristatellus. Obtaining genetic data from this holotype was necessary to resolve an otherwise intractable taxonomic problem involving the status of this species relative to closely related sympatricDracospecies that cannot otherwise be distinguished from one another on the basis of museum specimens. Initial analyses suggested that the DNA present in the holotype sample was so degraded as to be unusable for sequencing. However, we used a specialized extraction procedure developed for highly degraded ancient DNA samples and MiSeq shotgun sequencing to obtain just enough low-coverage mitochondrial DNA (721 base pairs) to conclusively resolve the species status of the holotype as well as a second known specimen of this species. The holotype was prepared before the advent of formalin-fixation and therefore was most likely originally fixed with ethanol and never exposed to formalin. Whereas conventional wisdom suggests that formalin-fixed samples should be the most challenging for DNA sequencing, we propose that evaporation during long-term alcohol storage and consequent water-exposure may subject older ethanol-fixed museum specimens to hydrolytic damage. If so, this may pose an even greater challenge for sequencing efforts involving historical samples.
Conserving relics from ancient underground worlds: assessing the influence of cave and landscape features on obligate iron cave dwellers from the Eastern Amazon
Authors: Jaffé Rodolfo , Prous Xavier , Calux Allan , Gastauer Markus , Nicacio Gilberto , Zampaulo Robson , Souza-Filho Pedro W.M. , Oliveira Guilherme , Brandi Iuri V. , Siqueira José O.
Published: March 2018

The degradation of subterranean habitats is believed to represent a serious threat for the conservation of obligate subterranean dwellers (troglobites), many of which are short-range endemics. However, while the factors influencing cave biodiversity remain largely unknown, the influence of the surrounding landscape and patterns of subterranean connectivity of terrestrial troglobitic communities have never been systematically assessed. Using spatial statistics to analyze the most comprehensive speleological database yet available for tropical caves, we first assess the influence of iron cave characteristics and the surrounding landscape on troglobitic communities from the Eastern Amazon. We then determine the spatial pattern of troglobitic community composition, species richness, phylogenetic diversity, and the occurrence of frequent troglobitic species, and finally quantify how different landscape features influence the connectivity between caves. Our results reveal the key importance of habitat amount, guano, water, lithology, geomorphology, and elevation in shaping iron cave troglobitic communities. While mining within 250 m from the caves influenced species composition, increasing agricultural land cover within 50 m from the caves reduced species richness and phylogenetic diversity. Troglobitic species composition, species richness, phylogenetic diversity, and the occurrence of frequent troglobites showed spatial autocorrelation for up to 40 km. Finally, our results suggest that the conservation of cave clusters should be prioritized, as geographic distance was the main factor determining connectivity between troglobitic communities. Overall, our work sheds important light onto one of the most overlooked terrestrial ecosystems, and highlights the need to shift conservation efforts from individual caves to subterranean habitats as a whole.
Medición de la experiencia del turista en Quito
Authors: Matovelle Pablo Aníbal Torres , Baez Simone
Published: March 2018

Aunque la experiencia del turista ha sido un tema profundamente estudiado, aún permanece latente la necesidad de aplicar nuevos métodos para su medición desde una perspectiva holística. Esta investigación tiene por objetivo medir la experiencia del turista en Quito mediante el método de evaluaciones sumarias a partir de un set integral de dimensiones e indicadores propuestos en la literatura especializada y su disposición gráfica mediante la matriz de análisis de importancia - desempeño. Para ello se realiza un análisis tanto a nivel descriptivo como inferencial, por medio de los cuales se valida una propuesta teórica de dimensiones e indicadores de la experiencia turística, a la vez que se determina la importancia de las dimensiones y el desempeño percibido en ellas por la demanda, identificando los factores influyentes en la satisfacción del turista. El estudio valida el modelo teórico sometido a contraste empírico y demuestra que la experiencia del turista en Quito es altamente satisfactoria e influenciada por veintiún aspectos clave. Finalmente, la investigación determina que en las dimensiones: unicidad, multisensorialidad, calidad racional y desarrollo personal  se equilibran las expectativas de los turistas con lo obtenido durante su viaje; mientras que las dimensiones: desarrollo relacional y responsabilidad se perciben por debajo de sus expectativas.
Sport tourism: a comparative analysis of residents from Brazil and Hong Kong
Authors: Uvinha Ricardo Ricci , Chan Chung Shing , Man Chuen Kuen , Marafa Lawal M.
Published: March 2018

This paper presents a comparative analysis of residents from Brazilian cities and Hong Kong to an incentive of travelling as sport event tourists. The findings from Hong Kong (n=134) and São Paulo (n=151) reveal their different travel incentives, ability and characteristics in terms of annual and infrequent sport events. When determining interest in a sport event, excitement and safety are of paramount concern to respondents from both territories. As sport event tourism does not automatically flourish and remain sustained after the presence of a mega-event, city governments are recommended to react to the preferences of specific market.
Weak coupling limit of F-theory models with MSSM spectrum and massless U(1)’s
Authors: Mayorga Peña Damián Kaloni , Valandro Roberto
Published: March 2018

Abstract

We consider the Sen limit of several global F-theory compactifications, some of which exhibit an MSSM-like spectrum. We show that these indeed have a consistent limit where they can be viewed as resulting from an intersecting brane configuration in type IIB. We discuss the match of the fluxes and the chiral spectrum in detail. We find that some D5-tadpole canceling gauge fluxes do not lift to harmonic vertical four-form fluxes in the resolved F-theory manifold. We discuss the connection between splitting of curves at weak coupling and remnant discrete symmetries.
Effective description of general extensions of the Standard Model: the complete tree-level dictionary
Authors: de Blas J. , Criado J. C. , Pérez-Victoria M. , Santiago J.
Published: March 2018

Abstract

We compute all the tree-level contributions to the Wilson coefficients of the dimension-six Standard-Model effective theory in ultraviolet completions with general scalar, spinor and vector field content and arbitrary interactions. No assumption about the renormalizability of the high-energy theory is made. This provides a complete ultraviolet/infrared dictionary at the classical level, which can be used to study the low-energy implications of any model of interest, and also to look for explicit completions consistent with low-energy data.
European Psychiatric Association (EPA) guidance on forensic psychiatry: Evidence based assessment and treatment of mentally disordered offenders
Authors: Völlm Birgit A. , Clarke Martin , Herrando Vicenç Tort , Seppänen Allan O. , Gosek Paweł , Heitzman Janusz , Bulten Erik
Published: March 2018

Forensic psychiatry in Europe is a specialty primarily concerned with individuals who have either offended or present a risk of doing so, and who also suffer from a psychiatric condition. These mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) are often cared for in secure psychiatric environments or prisons. In this guidance paper we first present an overview of the field of forensic psychiatry from a European perspective. We then present a review of the literature summarising the evidence on the assessment and treatment of MDOs under the following headings: The forensic psychiatrist as expert witness, risk, treatment settings for mentally disordered offenders, and what works for MDOs. We undertook a rapid review of the literature with search terms related to: forensic psychiatry, review articles, randomised controlled trials and best practice. We searched the Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane library databases from 2000 onwards for adult groups only. We scrutinised publications for additional relevant literature, and searched the websites of relevant professional organisations for policies, statements or guidance of interest. We present the findings of the scientific literature as well as recommendations for best practice drawing additionally from the guidance documents identified. We found that the evidence base for forensic-psychiatric practice is weak though there is some evidence to suggest that psychiatric care produces better outcomes than criminal justice detention only. Practitioners need to follow general psychiatric guidance as well as that for offenders, adapted for the complex needs of this patient group, paying particular attention to long-term detention and ethical issues.
Mind the prevalence rate: overestimating the clinical utility of psychiatric diagnostic classifiers
Authors: Abu-Akel Ahmad , Bousman Chad , Skafidas Efstratios , Pantelis Christos
Published: March 2018

Currently, there is an intense pursuit of pathognomonic markers and diagnostic (‘risk-based’) classifiers of psychiatric conditions. Commonly, the epidemiological prevalence of the condition is not factored into the development of these classifiers. By not adjusting for prevalence, classifiers overestimate the potential of their clinical utility. As valid predictive values have critical implications in public health and allocation of resources, development of clinical classifiers should account for the prevalence of psychiatric conditions in both general and high-risk populations. We suggest that classifiers are most likely to be useful when targeting enriched populations.
Politics a “Chilly” Environment for Undergraduate Women in Norway
Authors: Ballen Cissy J. , Lee Dahsol , Rakner Lise , Cotner Sehoya
Published: March 2018

Gender differences in academic performance and attitudes are widespread in male-stereotyped disciplines but rarely are studied in the social sciences. To assess the extent that gender influences the behavior of undergraduate women in political science, participation was analyzed in a large (N = 130) introductory comparative-politics class at the University of Bergen—a large public university in Norway. In the 2016 fall semester, observers documented classroom behaviors of men and women using a protocol that characterizes types of in-class participation. Findings showed that women participate less than expected given their observed numbers in the classroom. After the semester ended, we provided an opportunity for students to describe why they chose to participate and whether they felt that barriers existed in the classroom that prevented them from expressing their opinions. This article characterizes those responses and presents the first study to draw conclusions about the gendered educational experience in political science by integrating these qualitative and quantitative results.
How can we improve the customers’ experience of our life products?
Authors: Barnard C. R. , Francis K. , Hussain T. , Jumanca C. , Zhang A.
Published: March 2018

In the last three decades the life insurance industry was rocked by a series of mis-selling scandals such as endowment mortgage, personal pension and payment protection insurance mis-selling. Regulators have stepped in to try to address the underlying causes and improve customer protection by introducing more stringent regulation targeted at sales practices and remuneration, product design, disclosure and ongoing monitoring together with significantly larger financial penalties for non-compliance. Against this background, the paper considers whether customers understanding of risks and outcomes associated with life insurance products can be further improved and how poor customer outcomes can be avoided in the future. We acknowledge the complexity of these issues, which involve many stakeholders, covering all stages of the product lifecycle and customer journey and being impacted by a constantly changing regulatory landscape. We first review the current regulatory landscape across both the United Kingdom and other jurisdictions, concluding that whilst regulators have acted to improve customer protection, gaps still remain, particularly around the areas of disclosure and consideration of changing customers’ needs throughout product lifetimes. The paper then considers how the current situation could be improved for customers in a cost effective manner. We focus on improvements in disclosure, needs-based selling, ongoing assessment and communication as a means of ensuring that products continue to meet the customers’ needs and risk profile, and on introducing a duty of care which would force financial services firms to act in the best interests of their customers. In this paper we present our preliminary thoughts and recommendations. Some of the recommendations will cost something to implement, and should therefore be supported by cost-benefit analyses that would weigh these costs against the potentially larger benefits to both customers and the insurance industry.
Investigating the viability of a competency-based, qualitative laboratory assessment model in first-year undergraduate chemistry
Authors: Pullen Reyne , Thickett Stuart C. , Bissember Alex C.
Published: March 2018

In chemistry curricula, both the role of the laboratory program and the method of assessment used are subject to scrutiny and debate. The ability to identify clearly defined competencies for the chemistry laboratory program is crucial, given the numerous other disciplines that rely on foundation-level chemistry knowledge and practical skills. In this report, we describe the design, implementation, results, and feedback obtained on a competency-based assessment model recently introduced into the first-year laboratory program at an Australian university. Previously, this laboratory program was assessed via a quantitative, criterion-referenced assessment model. At the core of this new model was a set of competency criteria relating to skills-acquisition, chemical knowledge and application of principles, safety in the laboratory, as well as professionalism and teamwork. By design, these criteria were aligned with the learning outcomes of the course and the degree itself, as well as local accrediting bodies. Qualitative and quantitative feedback from students (and staff) obtained before and after the implementation of this new model suggested this approach provided an enhanced learning experience enabling a greater focus on the acquisition of fundamental laboratory skills and techniques.
Synthesising multiple‐pattern sparse linear array with accurate sidelobe control by the extended reweighted L1‐norm minimisation
Authors: Ma Xinyu , Liu Yanhui , Xu Kai Da , Zhu Chunhui , Liu Qing Huo
Published: March 2018

The problem of synthesising a sparse linear array with multiple patterns is formulated as an extended reweighted ‐norm minimisation with multiple convex constraints. Synthesis results show that the proposed method can find the common sparse element positions with optimised excitations for multiple‐pattern requirements, and the mainlobe, sidelobe as well as nulling region for each pattern can be accurately controlled.