bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thin endometrium transcriptome analysis reveals a potential mechanism of implantation failure
Authors: Maekawa Ryo , Taketani Toshiaki , Mihara Yumiko , Sato Shun , Okada Maki , Tamura Isao , Jozaki Kosuke , Kajimura Takuya , Asada Hiromi , Tamura Hiroshi , Takasaki Akihisa , Sugino Norihiro
Published: April 2017

Aim

Although a thin endometrium has been well recognized as a critical factor in implantation failure, little information is available regarding the molecular mechanisms. The present study investigated these mechanisms by using genome‐wide mRNA expression analysis.

Methods

Thin and normal endometrial tissue was obtained from a total of six women during the mid‐luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The transcriptomes were analyzed with a microarray. Differentially expressed genes were classified according to Gene Ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways.

Results

The study identified 318 up‐regulated genes and 322 down‐regulated genes in the thin endometrium, compared to the control endometrium. The GO and KEGG pathway analyses indicated that the thin endometrium possessed aberrantly activated immunity and natural killer cell cytotoxicity that was accompanied by an increased number of inflammatory cytokines, such as IFN‐γ. Various genes that were related to metabolism and anti‐oxidative stress were down‐regulated in the thin endometrium.

Conclusion

Implantation failure in the thin endometrium appears to be associated with an aberrantly activated inflammatory environment and aberrantly decreased response to oxidative stress.
Fluorene Derivatives with Multi‐addressable Properties: Synthesis, Characterization, and Reactivity
Authors: El‐Sayed Refat , Althagafi Ismail I. , Ahmed Saleh A.
Published: April 2017

A series of novel fluorene derivatives were synthesized from the target compound N‐octadecyl‐9‐oxo‐9H‐fluorene‐4‐carboxamide (3), which led to new functionalized five‐ and six‐membered heterocyclic derivatives via reaction with various reagents. The synthesized compounds were allowed to react with propylene oxide to afford unique surface‐active properties. The chemical structures of the newly synthesized compounds were elucidated and confirmed by spectroscopic and analytical tools. The synthesized compounds have good surface activity and the biological degradation of these fluorene‐based surfactants was greater than 96% after 7 days.
Coil Interpenetration, Segment Aggregation and Adsorption of PEG at Water/Air Interface
Authors: Rego A. C. B. , de Melo J. F. , Neto A. O. Wanderley , Fonseca J. L. C.
Published: April 2017

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), both as an oligomer and as a high molecular weight polymer, has been used as a surfactant active component in many applications, in its pure and unmodified structure, or as a block segment within more complex structures. Apart from assuming helical or coil conformations it may also undergo aggregation, depending on the solvent. In this work, we characterized the aggregation of PEG in water using surface tensiometry and turbidimetry. Aggregation was characterized by a non‐persistent surface tension plateau at higher PEG contents and confirmed by turbidimetry, which was correlated to the derivative of osmotic pressure in relation to concentration. One can divide a surface tension‐concentration curve into two regions, delimited by a characteristic concentration: one following a Langmuir adsorption isotherm (starting from a plateau equal to pure water surface tension) ending in a second plateau, and a second one (beginning at this plateau) following a Freundlich isotherm. The calculated surface excess for PEG segment adsorption was consistent with segment aggregation, indicating more two characteristic concentrations correlated to this occurrence. A total of three characteristic mer concentrations were found (6.2 × 10−7, 6 × 10−6, and 2 × 10−4mol L−1) and related to PEG segment aggregation states.
Acute Radial Neuropathy at the Spiral Groove Following Massage: A Case Presentation
Authors: Hsu Po‐Cheng , Chiu Jan‐Wei , Chou Chen‐Liang , Wang Jia‐Chi
Published: April 2017

Massage‐related nerve injury is an uncommon, rarely reported complication. We report an unusual case of radial nerve neuropathy at the spiral groove in a 58‐year‐old woman that resulted from a single episode of deep tissue massage. Although the spiral groove is known as the most common site implicated in radial nerve neuropathy, to our knowledge, there have not previously been any reports of massage‐related spiral groove radial nerve neuropathy. Electrodiagnostic and ultrasound examinations were used to localize the nerve lesion at the spiral groove and also to provide prognostic evaluation. Serial follow‐ups demonstrated concomitant improvement in clinical symptoms and electrodiagnostic parameters. A near‐total recovery was achieved after 6 months. This case presentation aims to increase awareness and early recognition of massage‐related nerve injuries.

Level of Evidence

V
Self‐Reported Health and Safety Awareness Improves Prediction of Level of Care Needs in Veterans Discharged From a Postacute Unit
Authors: Stelmokas Julija , Bieliauskas Linas A. , Kitchen Andren Katherine A. , Hogikyan Robert , Alexander Neil B.
Published: April 2017

Objectives

To evaluate the differential value of a self‐reported health and safety awareness measure relative to other medical, psychosocial, and cognitive factors in predicting level of care (LOC) needs after hospital discharge.

Design

Retrospective medical record review.

Setting

Community living center postacute care (CLC‐PAC) unit at a Veterans Affairs hospital.

Participants

A total of 175 veterans admitted to the Veterans Affairs hospital or directly to the CLC‐PAC from home.

Methods

Cognitive status was assessed with the Mini‐Mental State Examination, Digit Span Backward subtest, Trail Making Test (Part B), and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test‐Revised. Self‐report of health and safety awareness was measured with the Independent Living Scales Health and Safety (ILS‐HS) subscale. Additional demographic and admission‐related variables were coded, along with medical comorbidity, with the Charlson Comorbidity Index and depression using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision Depression Checklist.

Main Outcome Measurements

Increased level of care was collected from social work and occupational therapy notes and defined as increased assistance with activities of daily living or nursing home placement comparing prehospitalization with CLC‐PAC discharge.

Results

A total of 19% (n = 34) of residents required increased LOC on CLC‐PAC discharge. The ILS‐HS was a significant predictor of increased LOC above and beyond age and Mini Mental Status Examination score; for each standard deviation decrease in ILS‐HS, there was an increased likelihood of greater LOC (odds ratio 0. 54, 95% confidence interval 0.35‐0.83). Other neuropsychological tests (memory, executive functioning) did not significantly improve the model.

Conclusions

The inclusion of the ILS‐HS to a standard cognitive screen (Mini Mental Status Examination) can improve prediction of increased LOC. Although select aspects of memory and executive functioning independently contribute to increased LOC prediction, the ILS‐HS likely measures a unique aspect of cognitive functioning that may be specific to discharge planning needs in CLC‐PAC residents.

Level of Evidence

II
Restor(y)ing the ‘fierce green fire’: animal agency, wolf conservation and environmental memory in Yellowstone National Park
Authors: JONES KAREN R.
Published: April 2017

This paper tracks human–animal entanglements through one particular species,Canis lupus, the wolf, with a view to exploring how this contested predator might be used to unpack normative assumptions about wildlife science, conservation practice and storytelling. The focus of attention here is on Yellowstone National Park and the century-long struggle to eradicate and then restore the wolf based on the shifting rubrics of science and environmental ethics. The ‘wild heart’ of North America and a centre of scientific and popular environmental mythology, Yellowstone presents a useful terrain (both material and contextual) in which to theorize the wolf as an environmental agent and explore its special provenance within an evolving narrative of ecological science. More specifically, the landmark story of restor(y)ation that played out in the national park serves to illuminate the complex web of temporality, narrative and memory that frames our configurations of animal agency. Wiped out in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and ruminated on in the interwar period, the wolf was returned to ancestral haunts in the 1990s (to great fanfare) as a charismatic poster animal for environmental consciousness and a vital ‘missing link’ in the psychological and biotic fabric of the landscape. Ornamented with what conservationist Aldo Leopold famously called a ‘fierce green fire’, the wolf became a carrier animal for Yellowstone's environmental memory, transporting with it the fates of other threatened species and the promise of an enlightened Ecological Age. Beneath this teleological tale of expanding biological knowledge and ethical awakening lies a convoluted (and interesting) story that reveals the sinuous connections between the material and the imagined animal as well as the challenges and the complexities of reading non-human traces.
Practise Patterns and Perceptions of Chest Health Care Providers on Electronic Cigarette Use: An In-Depth Discussion and Report of Survey Results
Authors: Baldassarri Stephen R. , Chupp Geoffrey L. , Leone Frank T. , Warren Graham W. , Toll Benjamin A.
Published: April 2017

Introduction: The emergence of electronic cigarettes (ECs) has become a growing phenomenon that has sharply split opinion among the public health community, physicians, and lawmakers.

Aims: We sought to determine chest physician perceptions regarding ECs.

Methods: We conducted a web-based survey of 18,000 American College of Chest Physician (CHEST) members to determine health care provider experiences with EC users and to characterise provider perceptions regarding ECs.

Results/Findings: There were 994 respondents. Eighty-eight per cent reported that patients had asked their opinion of ECs, and 31% reported EC use among at least 10% of their patients. More disagreed than agreed (41% vs. 21%) that patients could improve their health by switching from tobacco smoking to daily EC use. Respondents were split on whether ECs promote tobacco cessation (32% agree vs. 33% disagree).

Conclusions: Current perceptions of ECs are variable among providers. More than 1/3 of respondents felt that EC's could be used for smoking cessation for smokers who failed prior quit attempts with approved therapies. However, many respondents were not convinced that ECs will reduce harms from tobacco use. There is an urgent need to generate additional high quality scientific data regarding ECs to inform chest physicians, health professionals, and the general public.
Back for good: melodrama and the returning soldier in post-war Italian cinema
Authors: O’Rawe Catherine
Published: April 2017

Italian neorealism is conventionally read as the authoritative cinematic chronicle of Italy’s experience of the Second World War and the Resistance. However, this article argues that viewing this period of Italian cinema solely through the lens of neorealism has obscured the importance of the affective charge of melodrama in constituting an alternative ethics of representation in the late 1940s and early 1950s in Italy, one that worked via an appeal to the emotions. It posits that the traumas of Fascism, war, occupation, and Resistance were worked through by Italian cinema after the war in a range of genres and modes, principally melodrama.

By focusing on the figure of the returning soldier orreduce, and the films’ representation of a return to domestic disruption, the article examines how this domestic or romantic disruption stands in for what cannot be narrated, which is the ideological chaos of the Fascist and post-Fascist period. The article argues that the disturbance caused by thereduceto familial relations speaks to the Italian struggle to come to terms with aspects of its repressed war experience, particularly that of the Italian soldiers imprisoned abroad.
KIC 7385478: An Eclipsing Binary with a γ Doradus Component
Authors: Özdarcan Orkun , Dal Hasan Ali
Published: April 2017

We present spectroscopic and photometric analysis of the eclipsing binary KIC 7385478. We find that the system is formed by F1V + K4III–IV components. Combining results from analysis of spectroscopic data and Kepler photometry, we calculate masses and radii of the primary and the secondary components as M1 = 1.71 ± 0.08 M⊙, M2 = 0.37 ± 0.04 M⊙ and R1 = 1.59 ± 0.03 R⊙, R2 = 1.90 ± 0.03 R⊙, respectively. Position of the primary component in HR diagram is in the region of γ Doradus type pulsators and residuals from light curve modelling exhibit additional light variation with a dominant period of ~ 0.5 d. These are clear evidences of the γ Doradus type pulsations on the primary component. We also observe occasional increase in amplitude of the residuals, where the orbital period becomes the most dominant period. These may be attributed to the cool star activity originating from the secondary component.
LIBERALISM, LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM, AND POLITICAL EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN AND BRITISH INDIA, 1880–1886
Authors: WEINSTEIN BENJAMIN
Published: April 2017

This article attempts to shed new light on the character of late Victorian Liberalism by investigating its political priorities in British India. It takes as its particular focus the debates which raged between 1881 and 1883 over the Government of India Resolution on Local Self-Government. Along with the Ilbert Bill, the Resolution comprised the centrepiece of the marquis of Ripon's self-consciously Liberal programme for dismantling Lytton's Raj. When analysed in conjunction with contemporaneous Liberal discourse on English local government reform, the debates surrounding the Resolution help to clarify many of the central principles of late Victorian Liberalism. In particular, these debates emphasize the profound importance of local government reform to what one might call the Liberal project. Beyond its utility in effecting retrenchment, efficiency, and ‘sound finance’, local government reform was valued by Liberals as the best and safest means of effecting ‘political education’ among populations, in both Britain and India, with increasingly strong claims to inclusion within the body politic.
Gender as stylistic bricolage: Transmasculine voices and the relationship between fundamental frequency and /s/
Authors: Zimman Lal
Published: April 2017

Despite the importance of gender differences in the voice, sociolinguists have not paid sufficient attention to the sociolinguistic processes through which phonetic resources are mobilized in the construction of a gendered voice. This article argues that gender differences in the voice—including those influenced by physiology—are best understood as elements of sociolinguistic style rather than static properties. With a focus on transgender speakers in the early stages of masculinizing hormone therapy, the analysis demonstrates the complex interrelationship of the gendered meanings attributable to characteristics like fundamental frequency and /s/. Trans speakers challenge systems for categorizing voices as female or male, which assume that different aspects of the gendered voice will pattern together in normative ways. Yet a voice's gender is not a unidimensional feature, but a cluster of features that take on meaning only in context with one another, leaving them open for recombination and change through stylistic bricolage. (Transgender, style, gender, voice, pitch, sibilants)
A safe area search and map building algorithm for a wheeled mobile robot in complex unknown cluttered environments
Authors: Savkin Andrey V. , Li Hang
Published: April 2017

In this paper, a safe map building and area search algorithm for a mobile robot in a closed unknown environment with obstacles is presented. A range finder sensor is used to detect the environment. The objective is to perform a complete search of the environment and build a complete map of it while avoiding collision with the obstacles. The developed robot navigation algorithm is randomized. It is proved that with probability 1 the robot completes its task in a finite time. Computer simulations and experiments with a real Pioneer-3DX robot confirm the performance of the proposed method.
OPTIMUM ENERGY FOR ENERGY PACKET NETWORKS
Authors: Yin Yonghua
Published: April 2017

The concept of Energy Packet Network (EPN) proposed by Gelenbe, is a new framework for modeling power grids that takes distributed energy generation such as renewable energy sources into consideration, and which contributes to modeling the smart grid. Based on G-network theory, this paper presents a simplified model of EPN and formulates energy-distribution as an optimization problem. We analyze it theoretically, and detail its optimal solutions. In addition to using existing optimization algorithms, a heuristic algorithm is proposed to solve for EPN optimization. The optimal solutions and efficacy of the algorithm are illustrated with numerical experiments. Further, we present an EPN with disconnections and a similar optimization problem is investigated. Optimal solutions are presented, and numerical results using the analytic optimal solutions, random solutions, a cooperative particle swarm optimizer and a heuristic algorithm illustrate the power of different approaches for solving energy-distribution problems using the EPN formalism.
On the tree-likeness of hyperbolic spaces
Authors: HAMANN MATTHIAS
Published: April 2017

Inside any proper hyperbolic geodesic spaceXwe construct a rooted topological${\mathbb R}$-treeTthat reflects the geometry ofXin the following sense. All rays inTare quasi-geodesic inX. Every geodesic ray inXlies eventually close to a ray ofT. The embedding ofTinXextends continuously to their boundaries in a finite-to-one way, the number of boundary points ofTmapping to a given boundary point ofXbeing bounded if the (Assouad) dimension of the boundary ofXis finite.
The Losing Media? An Empirical Study of Defamation Litigation in China
Authors: He Xin , Lin Fen
Published: April 2017

Following a well-established research tradition on court decisions, this study analyses 524 defamation cases in China from 1993 to 2013, explores the media's success possibilities, and investigates the role of party capacity, political influence and the medium effect. Contrary to the existing assertions, we find that the media are not necessarily losing. On average, from 1993 to 2013, the success rate of news media in Chinese defamation courts was 42 per cent, and this rate has been increasing since 2005. We also find that government officials and Party organs had consistent advantages in court, while ordinary plaintiffs, magazines and websites had less success. The medium of the media (i.e. print, broadcast, internet) makes a difference, as do the government policies governing the media. In addition, local protectionism exists, but it is less rampant than expected. These findings compel us to rethink the dynamics among the media, the courts and the state, and their implications on China's institutional resilience.
Context-Aware Adaptive Multipath Compensation Based on Channel Pattern Recognition for GNSS Receivers
Authors: Sokhandan Negin , Ziedan Nesreen , Broumandan Ali , Lachapelle Gérard
Published: April 2017

The possibility of identifying the type of multipath environment and receiver motion (e.g. pedestrian, vehicular) using pattern recognition approaches based on multipath parameters is investigated. This allows the receiver to adjust its tracking strategy and optimally tune its tracking parameters to mitigate code multipath effects. A Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification method with a modified Gaussian kernel is applied in this approach. A set of temporal and spectral features is extracted from the correlation samples of the received signals in different environments to train the classifier. The latter is then used in the structure of stochastic gradient-based adaptive multipath compensation and tracking techniques to tune the signal tracking parameters based on the environment and receiver motion. Simulation and real data measurements using Galileo E1B/C signals are performed to assess the validity of the proposed environment identification approaches and to evaluate the impact of the proposed context-based receiver parameter tuning techniques on tracking performance in multipath environments. Test results showed that the proposed classifiers have an accuracy between 86% and 92%, and the tracking performance improved by about 15%.
Adaptive management for the sustainable exploitation of lagoon resources in remote islands: lessons from a massive El Niño-induced giant clam bleaching event in the Tuamotu atolls (French Polynesia)
Authors: ANDRÉFOUËT SERGE , VAN WYNSBERGE SIMON , KABBADJ LINA , WABNITZ COLETTE C.C. , MENKES CHRISTOPHE , TAMATA THIERRY , PAHUATINI MICHEL , TETAIREKIE IOTEFA , TEAKA IOSUA , SCHA TEIKI AH , TEAKA TAIHOPU , REMOISSENET GEORGES
Published: April 2017

Small-scale mariculture of high-value species for trade in remote islands can offer valuable alternative livelihoods to local communities. The endangered giant clam speciesTridacna maximais naturally abundant in some atolls in French Polynesia (FP) and has been the focus of commercial mariculture activities since 2012. Shortly after spat collectors became operational in two atoll lagoons, FP rose to become one of the main exporters of giant clams for the aquarium trade. However, this activity has been threatened recently by a mass clam-bleaching event triggered by the 2015–2016 El Niño. This study reviews the roles that international (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and national regulatory frameworks play in the development of this activity in a small island context, and how they can indirectly promote better science and monitoring in order to inform adaptive management strategies. The links between the nine main groups of stakeholders show the necessary adaptation measures required to mitigate climate-driven mortalities. While this case study remains specific to giant clam farming in FP, general lessons are provided that could help in mitigating economic impacts from climate-related events on other islands.
Civil society in search of a state: Dublin 1898–1922
Authors: WALLACE CIARÁN
Published: April 2017

A municipal boundary dispute between Dublin's nationalist city council and its independent unionist suburbs in the early twentieth century was symptomatic of a much deeper disagreement over national identity within the United Kingdom. Considering urban councils as the link between the state and local civil society (or subscriber democracy), and using theories proposed by Graeme Morton, R.J. Morris and Norton E. Long, along with illustrative contrasts from municipal behaviour in Edinburgh, this article examines these relationships in Edwardian Dublin. It argues that the modernization of Irish municipal government in 1898 empowered Dublin in unforeseen ways. By amplifying existing divergent identities, and providing a platform for the nascent Irish state, municipal government reforms contributed significantly to the break-up of the UK in 1922.
A Complex Interplay: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Severe Health Anxiety in Addison's Disease to Reduce Emergency Department Admissions
Authors: Daniels Jo , Sheils Elizabeth
Published: April 2017

Background: Addison's disease (AD) is a rare chronic illness caused by adrenocortical insufficiency. Due to the pivotal role of the regulating hormone cortisol in AD, there is a common symptom overlap between the presentation of anxiety and adrenal crisis. Previous literature has identified the prevalence of anxiety in endocrinological disorders, however there is a paucity of research examining the complex interplay between AD and anxiety. Aims: This paper describes a single case study of a patient with severe health anxiety and co-morbid AD. The aims of the study were to establish if standard cognitive behavioural therapy for health anxiety in AD can lead to a reduction in psychological distress, and whether this approach is an effective intervention for the reduction of Emergency Department admissions. Method: A single case design was used, with pre- and post-measures of health anxiety, general anxiety and depression. Data on Emergency Department admissions prior to and following treatment were used to assess change in this domain. Results: Reliable and clinically significant reductions were seen across all measures, from severe to sub-clinical levels. There was a complete amelioration of Emergency Department admissions in the 12 months following completion of treatment. Conclusions: This preliminary study provides a sound rationale for further research into AD complicated by anxiety. Findings support the clinical utility of the cognitive behavioural therapy model for complex presentations of AD, offering a potential treatment option where anxiety is elevated and interfering with self-management and leading to high levels of health service use.
The Relationship between Obsessive Compulsive Personality and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Treatment Outcomes: Predictive Utility and Clinically Significant Change
Authors: Sadri Shalane K. , McEvoy Peter M. , Egan Sarah J. , Kane Robert T. , Rees Clare S. , Anderson Rebecca A.
Published: April 2017

Background: The evidence regarding whether co-morbid obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is associated with treatment outcomes in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is mixed, with some research indicating that OCPD is associated with poorer response, and some showing that it is associated with improved response. Aims: We sought to explore the role of OCPD diagnosis and the personality domain of conscientiousness on treatment outcomes for exposure and response prevention for OCD. Method: The impact of co-morbid OCPD and conscientiousness on treatment outcomes was examined in a clinical sample of 46 participants with OCD. Results: OCPD diagnosis and scores on conscientiousness were not associated with poorer post-treatment OCD severity, as indexed by Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) scores, although the relative sample size of OCPD was small and thus generalizability is limited. Conclusion: This study found no evidence that OCPD or conscientiousness were associated with treatment outcomes for OCD. Further research with larger clinical samples is required.
Do the most skillful managers herd?
Authors: ALDA MERCEDES
Published: April 2017

This paper analyzes whether herding and skillful managers may coexist. When herding appears, managers tend to present poor timing abilities; however, a weak herding level (a result commonly found in pension funds) may evidence a mixed scenario, where some managers develop skills, and others follow the herd. Additionally, when informational cascades emerge, some managers may act as leaders, anticipating others’ movements. Nonetheless, this anticipatory skill does not mean that leaders also anticipate market movements and present timing skills. Our results show herding and inter-temporal herding in a sample of Spanish pension funds, though the imitation behavior is not strong. We also find evidence of a mixed scenario, in which some non-herding managers present timing skills, while herding funds are not able to develop these abilities. Finally, we find successful timing for certain leaders, showing that the anticipation of others’ movements does not show real timing abilities.
ARITHMÉTICITÉ DE SOUS-GROUPES D’UN PRODUIT DE GROUPES DE RANG
Authors: Miquel Sébastien
Published: April 2017

Dans un produit $G$ d’au moins deux groupes simples réels de rang $1$, on montre qu’un sous-groupe discret Zariski-dense, intersectant le radical unipotent d’un sous-groupe parabolique minimal de $G$ en un réseau $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FA}$ est nécessairement un réseau arithmétique de $G$. Certaines hypothèses naturelles sur $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FA}$ sont nécessaires pour éviter des contre-exemples qui apparaissent trivialement du fait que le résultat est faux pour un groupe simple.
Does being a foreigner shape judicial behaviour? Evidence from the Constitutional Court of Andorra, 1993–2016
Authors: GAROUPA NUNO
Published: April 2017

Different personal attributes have been considered to account for judicial policy preferences around the world: ideology, age, gender, race, religion, language and professional background. The appointment of foreign judges is a particularly rare characteristic since most countries do not entertain such a possibility. We use the specific case of the Constitutional Court of Andorra to test the extent to which foreign-appointed judges make a difference, and particularly whether they are more or less inclined to favour local petitioners. An empirical analysis of the entire population of abstract review cases in the period 1993–2016 does not indicate a strong statistical effect.
What approach to property rights?
Authors: MÉNARD CLAUDE
Published: April 2017

In his rich contribution, Arruñada (2017) debates what institutions are needed to enforce complex ‘sequential’ transactions embedded in interdependent private contracts, and more specifically discusses the conditions of their efficiency when it comes to transferring property. Beyond acknowledging the importance of this issue and the very stimulating and often counterintuitive ideas developed in the paper, this short note challenges some of the positions adopted by Arruñada, particularly regarding the relevance of ‘The problem of social cost’ (Coase, 1960) for dealing with this issue. It also raises questions about the institutional, hybrid arrangement advocated as the solution for dealing with sequential transactions.
Taking an intersectional approach to define latent classes of socioeconomic status, ethnicity and migration status for psychiatric epidemiological research
Authors: Goodwin L. , Gazard B. , Aschan L. , MacCrimmon S. , Hotopf M. , Hatch S. L.
Published: April 2017

Aims.

Inequalities in mental health are well documented using individual social statuses such as socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity and migration status. However, few studies have taken an intersectional approach to investigate inequalities in mental health using latent class analysis (LCA). This study will examine the association between multiple indicator classes of social identity with common mental disorder (CMD).

Methods.

Data on CMD symptoms were assessed in a diverse inner London sample of 1052 participants in the second wave of the South East London Community Health study. LCA was used to define classes of social identity using multiple indicators of SES, ethnicity and migration status. Adjusted associations between CMD and both individual indicators and multiple indicators of social identity are presented.

Results.

LCA identified six groups that were differentiated by varying levels of privilege and disadvantage based on multiple SES indicators. This intersectional approach highlighted nuanced differences in odds of CMD, with the economically inactive group with multiple levels of disadvantage most likely to have a CMD. Adding ethnicity and migration status further differentiated between groups. The migrant, economically inactive and White British, economically inactive classes both had increased odds of CMD.

Conclusions.

This is the first study to examine the intersections of SES, ethnicity and migration status with CMD using LCA. Results showed that both the migrant, economically inactive and the White British, economically inactive classes had a similarly high prevalence of CMD. Findings suggest that LCA is a useful methodology for investigating health inequalities by intersectional identities.
Peace of Mind, Academic Motivation, and Academic Achievement in Filipino High School Students
Authors: Datu Jesus Alfonso D.
Published: April 2017

Recent literature has recognized the advantageous role of low-arousal positive affect such as feelings of peacefulness and internal harmony in collectivist cultures. However, limited research has explored the benefits of low-arousal affective states in the educational setting. The current study examined the link of peace of mind (PoM) to academic motivation (i.e., amotivation, controlled motivation, and autonomous motivation) and academic achievement among 525 Filipino high school students. Findings revealed that PoM was positively associated with academic achievement β = .16, p < .05, autonomous motivation β = .48, p < .001, and controlled motivation β = .25, p < .01. As expected, PoM was negatively related to amotivation β = –.19, p < .05, and autonomous motivation was positively associated with academic achievement β = .52, p < .01. Furthermore, the results of bias-corrected bootstrap analyses at 95% confidence interval based on 5,000 bootstrapped resamples demonstrated that peace of mind had an indirect influence on academic achievement through the mediating effects of autonomous motivation. In terms of the effect sizes, the findings showed that PoM explained about 1% to 18% of the variance in academic achievement and motivation. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are elucidated.
Genetic Influence on Accessory Navicular Bone in the Foot: A Korean Twin and Family Study
Authors: Cheong In Yae , Kang Hyo Jeong , Ko Hyeonyoung , Sung Joohon , Song Yun-Mi , Hwang Ji Hye
Published: April 2017

An accessory navicular bone (AN) is the most common accessory ossicle in the foot. The presence of an AN bone can trigger various foot problems, such as posterior tibial tendon pathology, flattening of the medial longitudinal arch, and medial foot pain. Despite the clinical influence of presence of an AN in foot disease, the research regarding its inheritance is still insufficient. A total of 135 pairs of monozygotic (MZ) twins, 25 pairs of dizygotic (DZ) twins, and 676 singletons from families were enrolled in order to estimate genetic influences on AN. After confirmation of zygosity and family relationship with a tandem repeat marker kit and questionnaires, the presence and type of the AN was classified through bilateral feet radiographic examination. The heritability of an AN was estimated using quantitative genetic analysis based on a variance decomposition model considering various types of family relationships: father–offspring pair, mother–offspring pair, and pooled DZ twin and sibling pairs. As a result, approximately 40.96% of the participants in this study had an AN in either foot, with type II being the most common type. The heritability for the presence of any type of an AN in any foot was estimated as 0.88 (95% CI [0.82, 0.94]) after adjusting for age and sex. Specifically, type II AN showed the highest heritability of 0.82 (95% CI [0.71–0.93]). The high heritability of an AN found in this large twin and family study suggests that an AN is determined by the substantial influence of genetic factor.
Effect of post-hospital discharge telephonic intervention on hospital readmissions in a privately insured population in Australia
Authors: Hamar G. Brent , Coberley Carter , Pope James E. , Cottrill Andrew , Verrall Scott , Larkin Shaun , Rula Elizabeth Y.
Published: April 2017

Objective The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of telephone support after hospital discharge to reduce early hospital readmission among members of the disease management program My Health Guardian (MHG) offered by the Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia (HCF). Methods A quasi-experimental retrospective design compared 28-day readmissions of patients with chronic disease between two groups: (1) a treatment group, consisting of MHG program members who participated in a hospital discharge (HODI) call; and (2) a comparison group of non-participating MHG members. Study groups were matched for age, gender, length of stay, index admission diagnoses and prior MHG program exposure. Adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRR) and odds ratios (OR) were estimated using zero-inflated negative binomial and logistic regression models respectively. Results The treatment group exhibited a 29% lower incidence of 28-day readmissions than the comparison group (adjusted IRR 0.71; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59–0.86). The odds of treatment group members being readmitted at least once within 28 days of discharge were 25% lower than the odds for comparison members (adjusted OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.63–0.89). Reduction in readmission incidence was estimated to avoid A$713 730 in cost. Conclusions The HODI program post-discharge telephonic support to patients recently discharged from a hospital effectively reduced the incidence and odds of hospital 28-day readmission in a diseased population. What is known about the topic? High readmission rates are a recognised problem in Australia and contribute to the over 600 000 potentially preventable hospitalisations per year. What does this paper add? The present study is the first study of a scalable intervention delivered to an Australian population with a wide variety of conditions for the purpose of reducing readmissions. The intervention reduced 28-day readmission incidence by 29%. What are the implications for practitioners? The significant and sizable effect of the intervention support the delivery of telephonic support after hospital discharge as a scalable approach to reduce readmissions.
Pannexin channels increase propidium iodide permeability in frozen–thawed dog spermatozoa
Authors: Torres J. L. , Palomino J. , Moreno R. D. , De los Reyes M.
Published: April 2017

Pannexins (Panx) are proteins that form functional single membrane channels, but they have not yet been described in dogs. The aim of the present study was to detect Panx1, Panx2 and Panx3 in frozen–thawed dog spermatozoa using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence analyses, evaluating the relationship of these proteins with propidium iodide (PI) in frozen–thawed spermatozoa. Fresh and frozen–thawed dog spermatozoa from eight dogs were preincubated with 3 μM PI with or without 15 μM carbenoxolone (CBX) or 1 mM probenecid (PBD), two Panx channel inhibitors, and then incubated with rabbit anti-Panx1, anti-Panx2 and anti-Panx3 antibodies (1 : 200). Panx immunolocalisation was assessed by fluorescence microscopy. Flow cytometry data were evaluated by analysis of variance. All three Panx proteins were found in dog spermatozoa: Panx1 was mostly localised to the acrosomal and equatorial segment, Panx2 was found in the posterior region of the head and tail and Panx3 was localised to the equatorial and posterior head segment. The percentage of PI-positive cells determined by flow cytometry was reduced (P < 0.05) in the presence of Panx inhibitors. These results show that Panx proteins are present in dog spermatozoa and increase PI permeability in frozen–thawed dog sperm, suggesting that the percentage of PI-positive spermatozoa used as an indicator of non-viable cells may lead to overestimation of non-viable cells.
Differential effects of high and low glucose concentrations during lipolysis-like conditions on bovine in vitro oocyte quality, metabolism and subsequent embryo development
Authors: De Bie J. , Marei W. F. A. , Maillo V. , Jordaens L. , Gutierrez-Adan A. , Bols P. E. J. , Leroy J. L. M. R.
Published: April 2017

Lipolytic metabolic conditions are traditionally associated with elevated non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations, but may also be accompanied by hyperglycaemia in obesity or by hypoglycaemia during a negative energy balance status. Elevated NEFA concentrations disrupt oocyte and embryo development and quality, but little is known about whether the effects of lipolytic conditions on oocyte developmental competence are modulated by glucose availability. To answer this, bovine cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) were matured under different conditions: physiological NEFA (72 µM) and normal glucose (5.5 mM), pathophysiologically high NEFA (420 µM) and normal glucose, high NEFA and high glucose (9.9 mM), high NEFA and low glucose (2.8 mM). Developmental potential, cumulus expansion and metabolism of COCs exposed to high NEFA and low glucose were affected to a greater extent compared with COCs matured under high NEFA and high glucose conditions. High NEFA and high glucose conditions caused a moderate increase in oocyte reactive oxygen species compared with their high NEFA and low glucose or control counterparts. Blastocyst metabolism and the transcriptome of metabolic and oxidative stress-related genes were not affected. However, both lipolytic conditions associated with hyper- or hypoglycaemia led to surviving embryos of reduced quality with regards to apoptosis and blastomere allocation.
Differences in the utilisation of active power in squat and countermovement jumps
Authors: Ferraro Damián , Fábrica Gabriel
Published: April 2017

The aim of this article was to understand how active power is used in squat and countermovement jumps. A simple empirical model comprising a mass, a spring, an active element and a damper, together with an optimisation principle, was used to identify the mechanical factors that maximise performance of jumps without countermovement (squat jumps, SJ) and with countermovement (CMJ). Twelve amateur volleyball players performed SJ from two initial positions and CMJ with two degrees of counterbalancing, while kinematic data were collected (jump height, push‐off duration and position of the centre of mass). The model adjusted well to real data of SJ through all the impulse phase, and slightly less adequately at the end of this phase for CMJ. Nevertheless, it provides a satisfactory explanation for the generation and utilisation of active power for both type of jumps. On average, the estimated power of the active elements, the spring, and the damper were greater in the SJ. Based upon the result obtained with this model, we suggest that active power is best evaluated with SJ. The reason for this is that, during this kind of jump, the elements associated with the damper consume much of the energy produced by the active elements. The participation of the elements that consume the energy generated by the active elements is less in CMJ than in SJ, allowing for a better utilisation of this energy. In this way it is possible to achieve a better performance in CMJ with less active power.
Chemoreceptor pleiotropy facilitates the functional coupling of the synthesis and perception of mating pheromones
Authors: Zelle Kathleen M. , Vernier Cassondra , Leitner Nicole , Liang Xitong , Halloran Sean , Millar Jocelyn G. , Ben-Shahar Yehuda
Published: April 2017

Optimal mating decisions depend on stable signaling systems because any independent changes in either the signal or its perception could carry a fitness cost. However, since the perception and production of specific mating signals are often mediated by different tissues and cell types, the genetic and cellular mechanisms that drive and maintain their coupling on the evolutionary and physiological timescales remain unknown for most animal species. Here, we show that inDrosophila melanogaster, sensory perception and synthesis of an inhibitory mating pheromone is regulated by the action ofGr8a, a member of theGustatory receptorgene family. Particularly,Gr8aacts as a pheromone chemoreceptor in the sensory system of males and females, and, independently regulates pheromone synthesis in the male fat body and oenocytes. These data provide a relatively simple molecular explanation for how genetic coupling allows for the robust and stable flow of social information at the population level.
Data-driven Assessment of Structural Image Quality
Authors: Rosen Adon F. G. , Roalf David R. , Ruparel Kosha , Blake Jason , Seelaus Kevin , Villa Lakshmi P. , Ciric Rastko , Cook Philip A. , Davatzikos Christos , Elliott Mark A. , de La Garza Angel Garcia , Gennatas Efstathios D. , Quarmley Megan , Schmitt J. Eric , Shinohara Russell T. , Tisdall M. Dylan , Craddock R. Cameron , Gur Raquel E. , Gur Ruben C. , Satterthwaite Theodore D.
Published: April 2017

Data quality is increasingly recognized as one of the most important confounding factors in brain imaging research. It is particularly important for studies of brain development, where age is systematically related to in-scanner motion and data quality. Prior work has demonstrated that in-scanner head motion biases estimates of structural neuroimaging measures. However, objective measures of data quality are not available for most structural brain images. Here we sought to identify quantitative measures of data quality for T1-weighted volumes, describe how such measures of quality relate to cortical thickness, and delineate how this in turn may bias inference regarding associations with age in youth. Three highly-trained raters provided manual ratings of 1,840 raw T1-weighted volumes. These images included a training set of 1,065 images from Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (PNC), a test set of 533 images from the PNC, as well as an external test set of 242 adults acquired on a different scanner. Manual ratings were compared to automated quality measures provided by the Preprocessed Connectomes Project’s Quality Assurance Protocol (QAP), as well as FreeSurfer’s Euler number, which summarizes the topological complexity of the reconstructed cortical surface. Results revealed that the Euler number was consistently correlated with manual ratings across samples. Furthermore, the Euler number could be used to identify images scored “unusable” by human raters with a high degree of accuracy (AUC: 0.98-0.99), and outperformed proxy measures from functional timeseries acquired in the same scanning session. The Euler number also was significantly related to cortical thickness in a regionally heterogeneous pattern that was consistent across datasets and replicated prior results. Finally, data quality both inflated and obscured associations with age during adolescence. Taken together, these results indicate that reliable measures of data quality can be automatically derived from T1-weighted volumes, and that failing to control for data quality can systematically bias the results of studies of brain maturation.
Tissue adaptation: implications for gut immunity and tolerance
Authors: Faria Ana M. C. , Reis Bernardo S. , Mucida Daniel
Published: April 2017

Tissue adaptation is an intrinsic component of immune cell development, influencing both resistance to pathogens and tolerance. Chronically stimulated surfaces of the body, in particular the gut mucosa, are the major sites where immune cells traffic and reside. Their adaptation to these environments requires constant discrimination between natural stimulation coming from harmless microbiota and food, and pathogens that need to be cleared. This review will focus on the adaptation of lymphocytes to the gut mucosa, a highly specialized environment that can help us understand the plasticity of leukocytes arriving at various tissue sites and how tissue-related factors operate to shape immune cell fate and function.