bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Robust Physics‐based Motion Retargeting with Realistic Body Shapes
Authors: Al Borno Mazen , Righetti Ludovic , Black Michael J. , Delp Scott L. , Fiume Eugene , Romero Javier
Published: September 2018

Motion capture is often retargeted to new, and sometimes drastically different, characters. When the characters take on realistic human shapes, however, we become more sensitive to the motion looking right. This means adapting it to be consistent with the physical constraints imposed by different body shapes. We show how to take realistic 3D human shapes, approximate them using a simplified representation, and animate them so that they move realistically using physically‐based retargeting. We develop a novel spacetime optimization approach that learns and robustly adapts physical controllers to new bodies and constraints. The approach automatically adapts the motion of the mocap subject to the body shape of a target subject. This motion respects the physical properties of the new body and every body shape results in a different and appropriate movement. This makes it easy to create a varied set of motions from a single mocap sequence by simply varying the characters. In an interactive environment, successful retargeting requires adapting the motion to unexpected external forces. We achieve robustness to such forces using a novel LQR‐tree formulation. We show that the simulated motions look appropriate to each character's anatomy and their actions are robust to perturbations.
Governing Global Displacement in Austerity Urbanism: The Case of Berlin's Refugee Housing Crisis
Authors: Soederberg Susanne
Published: September 2018

A surge of forcibly displaced migrants into Europe in 2015 culminated in what has been referred to as the ‘refugee crisis’. As the continent's top destination country, Germany has been widely praised for its welcoming culture while heavily criticized for failures of integration. This is particularly true of Berlin — a city that has absorbed the highest number of war refugees in Europe, many of whom remain without stable accommodation. Despite its significance, the scholarship has largely neglected the housing question within the European refugee crisis. The aim of this article is to cast a critical light on the complexities and contradictions glossed over by the refugee crisis trope. Drawing on the Berlin case, the author argues that resettlement initiatives need to be understood against the backdrop of austerity urbanism, particularly its insistence that markets can meet housing demand. By focusing on three types of shelter provisioning for refugees, the article reveals the multifaceted and nuanced ways in which the Berlin government, refugees and grassroots organizations contest, produce and navigate the moving frames of austerity urbanism in search of stable housing.
Acute renal outcomes with sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors: Real‐world data analysis
Authors: Cahn Avivit , Melzer‐Cohen Cheli , Pollack Rena , Chodick Gabriel , Shalev Varda
Published: September 2018

Aim

To assess the possible risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) with the use of sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors (SGLT2‐i) as well as changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), hospitalizations and mortality in a real‐world setting.

Materials and methods

Included in this historical cohort study were patients with type 2 diabetes in a large health organization in Israel who initiated therapy with SGLT2‐i or dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitors (DPP‐4i) during 1 April 2015 to 30 June 2017. We collected data on serum creatinine measurements taken between 180 days prior to and 24 weeks after therapy initiation. Study endpoints included ≥30% reduction in eGFR, hospitalization with AKI, any hospitalization and all‐cause mortality.

Results

Overall 6418 and 5604 patients initiated SGLT2‐i and DPP‐4i, respectively. Baseline mean (SD) eGFR was higher among the SGLT2‐i group compared with the DPP‐4i group (88.3 [17.4] and 82.8 [23.7], respectively) but were similar when stratifying by chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for ≥30% reduction in eGFR with SGLT2‐i versus DPP4‐i was 0.70 (0.49‐1.00) and ORs ranged from 1.97 (0.62‐6.26) to 0.45 (0.21‐0.99) in patients with baseline eGFR 30 to 45 and ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. Risks of AKI (OR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.27‐0.80), hospitalization (OR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.56‐0.78) or all‐cause mortality (OR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.20‐0.95) were lower in patients initiating SGLT2‐i versus DPP‐4i.

Conclusions

This real‐world data analysis supports reassuring findings from previous randomized clinical trials showing no increased AKI risk among SGLT2‐i users. Nevertheless, because of the more prominent decrease in eGFR in patients with moderate CKD, cautious use of SGLT2‐i in patients with reduced eGFR is advised.
An efficient market? Going public in London, 1891–1911
Authors: Fjesme Sturla , Galpin Neal , Moore Lyndon
Published: September 2018

There have been claims that British capital was not well deployed in Victorian Britain. There was, allegedly, a lack of support for new and dynamic companies in comparison to the situation in Germany and the US. We find no evidence to support these claims. The London Stock Exchange welcomed young, old, domestic, and foreign firms. It provided funds to firms in old, existing industries as well as patenting firms in ‘new‐tech’ industries at similar costs of capital. If investors did show a preference for older and foreign firms, it was because those firms offered investors better long‐run performance. In addition, we show some evidence that investors who worked in the same industry and lived close to the firm going public were allotted more shares in high‐quality initial public offerings.
Roles and relationships: On whether social roles ground associative reasons
Authors: Brewer‐Davis Nina
Published: September 2018

A common theory of associative reasons is that they attach to a social role, and when an individual identifies with that role, she acquires the attached reasons. I argue that associative reasons are different in kind from those provided by social roles. Social roles are self‐referential rather than interpersonal. That is, role reasons apply to someone depending on whether or how the individual inhabits her role, rather than whether or how she participates in a relationship with another individual. A justification of associative reasons should start from a theory of relationships' normative significance, such as its shared history. Finally, I give a brief account of the normative significance of shared history, psychological connectedness. Shared history matters in virtue of the connectedness it produces between people.
Activation of the innate immune system is evident throughout epileptogenesis and is associated with blood‐brain barrier dysfunction and seizure progression
Authors: Broekaart Diede W. M. , Anink Jasper J. , Baayen Johannes C. , Idema Sander , de Vries Helga E. , Aronica Eleonora , Gorter Jan A. , van Vliet Erwin A.
Published: September 2018

Objective

Because brain inflammation may contribute to the pathophysiology of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), we investigated the expression of various inflammatory markers of the innate and adaptive immune system in the epileptogenic human and rat hippocampus in relation to seizure activity and blood‐brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry was performed using various immune cell markers (for microglia, monocytes, macrophages, T lymphocytes, and dendritic cells) on hippocampal sections of drug‐resistantTLEpatients and patients who died after status epilepticus. The expression of these markers was also studied in the electrical post–status epilepticus rat model forTLE, during the acute, latent, and chronic epileptic phase.BBBdysfunction was assessed using albumin immunohistochemistry and theBBBtracer fluorescein.

Results

Monocyte infiltration, microglia, and perivascular macrophage activation were persistently increased in both epileptogenic human and rat hippocampus, whereas T lymphocytes and dendritic cells were not or were scarcely detected. In addition to this, increased expression of C‐C motif ligand 2 (CCL2) and osteopontin was observed. In humans, the expression ofCD68 andCCL2 was related to the duration of epilepsy and type of pathology. In rats, the expression ofCD68,CCL2, and the perivascular macrophage markerCD163 was related to the duration of the initial insult and to the number of spontaneous seizures. Interestingly, the number ofCD163‐positive perivascular macrophages was also positively correlated toBBBdysfunction in chronic epileptic rats.

Significance

These data suggest a proepileptogenic role for monocytes/macrophages and other cells of the innate immune response, possibly via increasedBBBleakage, and indicate that T cells and dendritic cells, which are closely associated with the adaptive immune response, are only sparsely infiltrated during epileptogenesis in the electrical post–status epilepticus rat model. Future studies should reveal the relative importance of these immune cells and whether specific manipulation can modify or prevent epileptogenesis.
Plant–pollinator interactions over time: Pollen metabarcoding from bees in a historic collection
Authors: Gous Annemarie , Swanevelder Dirk Z. H. , Eardley Connal D. , Willows‐Munro Sandi
Published: September 2018

Pollination is a key component in agricultural food production and ecosystem maintenance, with plant–pollinator interactions an important research theme in ecological and evolutionary studies. Natural history collections provide unique access to samples collected at different spatial and temporal scales. Identification of the plant origins of pollen trapped on the bodies of pollinators in these collections provides insight into historic plant communities and pollinators’ preferred floral taxa. In this study, pollen was sampled from Megachile venusta Smith bees from the National Collection of Insects, South Africa, spanning 93 years. Three barcode regions, the internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2) and ribulose‐1,5‐biphosphate carboxylase (rbcL), were sequenced from mixed pollen samples using a next‐generation sequencing approach (MiSeq, Illumina). Sequenced reads were compared to sequence reference databases that were generated by extracting sequence and taxonomic data from GenBank. ITS1 and ITS2 were amplified successfully across all (or most) samples, while rbcL performed inconsistently. Age of sample had no impact on sequencing success. Plant classification was more informative using ITS2 than ITS1 barcode data. This study also highlights the need for comprehensive reference databases as limited local plant sequence representation in reference databases resulted in higher‐level taxon classifications being more confidently interpreted. The results showed that small, insect‐carried pollen samples from historic bee specimens collected from as early as 1914 can be used to obtain pollen metabarcodes. DNA metabarcoding of mixed origin pollen samples provided a faster, more accurate method of determining pollen provenance, without the need for expert palynologists. The use of historic collections to sample pollen directly from pollinators provided additional value to these collections. Sampling pollen from historic collections can potentially provide the spatial and temporal scales for investigations into changes in plant community structure or pollinator floral choice in the face of global climate change.
Structural basis for the pathogenesis of Campylobacter jejuni Hcp1, a structural and effector protein of the Type VI Secretion System
Authors: Noreen Zobia , Jobichen Chacko , Abbasi Rashda , Seetharaman Jayaraman , Sivaraman J. , Bokhari Habib
Published: September 2018

The Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) provides enhanced virulence to Campylobacter jejuni and has been associated with a high incidence of bloody diarrhea. The hemolysin‐coregulated protein (Hcp)—the hallmark of the T6SS—can act as a structural and effector protein. Unlike other T6SS‐harboring bacteria, which possess multiple Hcp proteins each performing different functions, C. jejuni possesses only one Hcp protein, and its structural and functional role has not been elucidated previously. Here, we report the structure and functional studies of Hcp from C. jejuni. We found similarities between the hexameric ring structure of Hcp‐Cj and that of Hcp3 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Through functional studies, we showed two roles for Hcp‐Cj that is, in cytotoxicity toward HepG2 cells and in biofilm formation in C. jejuni. In structure‐based mutational analyses, we showed that an Arg‐to‐Ala mutation at position 30 within the extended loop results in a significant decrease in cytotoxicity, suggesting a role for this loop in binding to the host cell. However, this mutation does not affect its biofilm formation function. Collectively, this study supports the dual role of Hcp‐Cj as a structural and effector protein in C. jejuni.
Long‐term change in bioconstruction potential of Maldivian coral reefs following extreme climate anomalies
Authors: Montefalcone Monica , Morri Carla , Bianchi Carlo Nike
Published: September 2018

Global climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme heat anomalies and consequent mass coral bleaching events. Long‐term dynamics of hard coral cover, bioconstruction potential, carbonate deposition, and reef accretion was monitored over a 20‐year period on Maldivian coral reefs in order to investigate the effects of high‐temperature anomalies on coral reef accretion and their recovery potential. Changes experienced by shallow reefs between 1997 and 2017 were evaluated by considering five different bioconstructional guilds and the BioConstruction Potential index (BCP), a proxy for the constructional capacity of reefs. Abnormally high temperatures in 1998 and 2016 led to severe coral bleaching and consequent mortality, especially of the primary builders. Renewed carbonate deposition was not documented until 2–3 years after the bleaching, and 6–9 years passed until constratal (i.e., low relief) growth was achieved. Finally, 14–16 years were required to reach accretion rates high enough to ensure superstratal (i.e., high relief) growth. Coral mortality in the Maldives during the 2016 bleaching event was lower than in 1998, and the initial recovery was faster and occurred via a different trajectory than in 1998. Rising levels of anthropogenic carbon emissions are predicted to accelerate sea level rise and trigger severe coral bleaching events at least twice per decade, a frequency that will (a) prevent coral recovery, (b) nullify reef accretion, and consequently, (c) result in the drowning of Maldivian reefs under the worst climate projections.
Combustion synthesis and characterization of Sr3Al2O6
Authors: Barbosa Willams T. , Nascimento Imarally V. S. R. , Garcia‐Carrodeguas Raúl , Fook Marcus V. L. , Rodríguez Miguel A.
Published: September 2018

In this paper, the synthesis by solution combustion (SCS) of tri‐strontium aluminates (Sr3Al2O6), using different fuel amounts, has been studied. The main objective was to understand the effect of the amount of fuel on phase formation, yield and purity of the product using urea as fuel. The combustion temperatures of each reaction were followed by digital pyrometry. Phase compositions were determined by X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The microstructural characteristics during the SCS process were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The specific surface area was calculated with the BET model from adsorption data. The results showed that the Sr3Al2O6 was the main phase obtained in all syntheses. This aluminate with high content of Sr is considered attractive for use in applications requiring radiopacity as biomaterials for dental and bone repair. The maximum measured temperature during synthesis, with excess fuel, was approximately 987°C. It was higher than that obtained in the case of using stoichiometric amounts of fuel which was 762°C. The product obtained in this second case had a submicrometer structure, with highly crystalline particles and a specific surface of 0.21 m2/g. It was higher than that obtained with excess of fuel (0.07 m2/g).
Mechanism for broadening and enhancing Nd3+ emission in zinc aluminophosphate laser glass by addition of Bi2O3
Authors: Wang Yafei , Cao Jiangkun , Li Xiaoman , Li Jingming , Tan Linling , Xu Shanhui , Peng Mingying
Published: September 2018

Nd3+‐doped phosphate laser glasses have been attracting much attention and widespread investigation due to their high solubility of rare earth (RE) ions, excellent spectroscopic properties, and large damage threshold. However, the narrow NIR emission bandwidth (less than 30 nm) of these Nd3+‐doped phosphate glasses limits their further application toward ultrahigh power field and efficient fiber laser in new region. Here, we demonstrate the broadening and enhancing of Nd3+ NIR emission in laser glass of zinc aluminophosphate through tuning the glass structure and covalency of Nd‐O bond without limiting the radiative properties of Nd3+. The maximum bandwidth of 1.05 μm emission is broadened to 50 nm, which is comparable to that of Nd3+‐doped aluminate laser glasses. Simultaneously, the lifetime of 4F3/2 level is elongated nearly by two times. Structural and optical properties of prepared glasses were discussed systematically to reveal the mechanism. Detailed analysis on optical spectra and glass structure indicates that the bandwidth is affected by not only the covalency of Nd‐O but also the compactness of glass structure. Our results could enrich our understanding about the relationship between local glass structure and luminescence behaviors of active centers, and may be helpful in designing new RE‐doped laser glass systems.
Small mammal species richness is directly linked to regional productivity, but decoupled from food resources, abundance, or habitat complexity
Authors: McCain Christy M. , King Sarah R. B. , Szewczyk Tim , Beck Jan
Published: September 2018

Aim

Species richness is often strongly correlated with climate. The most commonly invoked mechanism for this climate‐richness relationship is the more‐individuals‐hypothesis (MIH), which predicts a cascading positive influence of climate on plant productivity, food resources, total number of individuals, and species richness. We test for a climate‐richness relationship and an underlying MIH mechanism, as well as testing competing hypotheses including positive effects of habitat diversity and heterogeneity, and the species‐area effect.

Location

Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA: two elevational gradients in the Front Range and San Juan Mountains.

Methods

We conducted standardized small mammal surveys at 32 sites to assess diversity and population sizes. We estimated vegetative and arthropod food resources as well as various aspects of habitat structure by sampling 20 vegetation plots and 40 pitfall traps per site. Temperature, precipitation and net primary productivity (NPP) were assessed along each gradient. Regressions and structural equation modelling were used to test competing diversity hypotheses and mechanistic links predicted by the MIH.

Results

We detected 3,922 individuals of 37 small mammal species. Mammal species richness peaked at intermediate elevations, as did productivity, whereas temperature decreased and precipitation increased with elevation. We detected strong support for a productivity‐richness relationship, but no support for the MIH mechanism. Food and mammal population sizes were unrelated to NPP or mammal species richness. Furthermore, mammal richness was unrelated to habitat diversity, habitat heterogeneity, or elevational area.

Main conclusions

Sites with high productivity contain high mammal species richness, but a mechanism other than a contemporary MIH underlies the productivity–diversity relationship. Possibly a mechanism based on evolutionary climatic affiliations. Protection of productive localities and mid‐elevations are the most critical for preserving small mammal richness, but may be decoupled from trends in population sizes, food resources, or habitat structure.
Resistance to commonly used insecticides in Asian citrus psyllid: Stability and relationship to gene expression
Authors: Chen Xue Dong , Gill Torrence A. , Ashfaq Muhammad , Pelz‐Stelinski Kirsten S. , Stelinski Lukasz L.
Published: September 2018

Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), adults were collected from eight citrus groves across central Florida, and the level of insecticide resistance to ten insecticides was measured using a bottle bioassay. The gene expression of five cytochrome P450 CYP4 (CYP4C67, CYP4DA1, CYP4DB1, CYP4G70 and CYP4C68) and three glutathione S‐transferase (GSTD1, GSTE2 and GSTE1) genes was characterized in seven field populations of D. citri and compared with a laboratory population. Additionally, we reared four neonicotinoid insecticide resistant field populations in the laboratory and observed susceptibility changes without exposure to insecticides over multiple generations. The eight field populations of D. citri adults showed no and very low levels of resistance (RR = 1 and 2–10) to dimethoate, chlorprifos, carbaryl, fenpropathrin, bifenthrin, flupyradifurone and spinetoram. Very low to low resistance was found to imidacloprid and cyantraniliprole (RR = 2–10 and RR = 10–20). Moderate to high resistance was found for thiamethoxam (RR = 20–50 and RR = 50–100). The CYP4G70 and CYP4C68 genes were expressed at a higher level in field populations as compared with the laboratory population. Also the Davenport, Florida field population exhibited higher expression of all target genes compared to the laboratory population. Susceptibility to imidacloprid and thiamethoxam increased by 6.62‐ and 6.42‐fold, respectively, compared to the levels initially observed in the field over six generations of breeding without exposure. These results indicate that insecticide resistance may reverse in the field if insecticide selection pressure is removed from the spray schedule or with use of a rotational scheme with insecticides of different modes of action. Also, the results support use of insecticide resistance survey program combined with effective rotation for integrated insecticide resistance management of D. citri where huanglongbing (HLB) management includes vector suppression with insecticides.
Papilla reconstruction: Interdisciplinary consideration for clinical success
Authors: Carnio João , Carnio Anna Tereza
Published: September 2018

One of the most difficult achievements in the periodontal therapy is the reconstruction of interdental papilla that has been lost by periodontal disease. The poor esthetic appearance caused by the “black triangle,” especially in the maxillary anterior region has been a concern for both patients and professionals. However, when the papilla destruction is followed by loss of contact point, the use of different specialties is usually necessary to restore the interproximal embrasure.

This clinical case report describes an interdisciplinary (periodontic‐orthodontic‐restorative) approach for the treatment of a patient with severe case of papilla destruction in an esthetic zone. The patient's esthetic expectations for the anterior maxilla were met through phase I treatment, including the surgical reconstruction of the papillary complex and the orthodontic movement to restore the contact point. However, after the initial treatment was successfully concluded, the long‐term stability of the result was compromised as the intercommunication among the specialists was not coordinated.

Clinical Significance

The treatment plan that involves interdisciplinary teamwork should be followed by an understanding about the principles of the specialties as well the intercommunication among specialists.
Relationship Between Brain Amyloid Deposition and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study from the Multidomain Alzheimer Prevention Trial
Authors: Lilamand Matthieu , Cesari Matteo , Cantet Christelle , Payoux Pierre , Andrieu Sandrine , Vellas Bruno ,   and the MAPT/DSA study group
Published: September 2018

Objectives

To examine the evolution of instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) performance according to the presence of brain amyloid deposition.

Design

Longitudinal analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Setting

Neuroimaging ancillary study from the Multidomain Alzheimer Prevention Trial (MAPT).

Participants

Community‐dwelling individuals aged 70 and older without dementia (N = 269; 60% female, mean age 75±4).

Measurements

Linear mixed models were used to assess the 36‐month evolution of the performance of an IADL questionnaire for primary prevention studies in dementia, the Activity of Daily Living Prevention Instrument (ADL‐PI), according to the presence of amyloid deposition using florbetapir positron emission tomography (PET) (standardized uptake value≥1.17). Additional analyses were also conducted to examine the changes in specific domains of daily functioning with and without adjustment for age, sex, apolipoprotein E, randomization group, and time between baseline and PET examination.

Results

One hundred two (37.9%) participants were amyloid positive. Amyloid‐negative participants had statistically significant improvement in ADL‐PI total score between baseline and 36 months (p=.04). The difference after 3 years between amyloid‐positive and ‐negative participants was not significant (β=–0.95±0.53 at 36 months, p=.08; adjusted models: β=–1.07±0.56, p=.06). Amyloid‐negative participants also improved in memory‐related IADLs (p<.001) throughout the study, unlike amyloid‐positive participants.

Conclusion

Amyloid‐positive and ‐negative older adults are likely to have different trajectories in IADL performance. Future research is needed to better understand the relationship between amyloid plaques and functional limitations.
Periodontal disease susceptible matrilines in the Cayo Santiago Macaca mulatta macaques
Authors: Ebersole Jeffrey L. , Orraca Luis , Kensler Terry B. , Gonzalez‐Martinez Janis , Maldonado Elisabeth , Gonzalez Octavio A.
Published: September 2018

Objective and Background

The expression of periodontitis, including age of onset, extent, and severity is considered to represent an interaction of the individual's oral microbiome and host response to the microbial challenge that is modified by both genetics and environmental factors. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of periodontitis in a population of nonhuman primates, to document features of familial distribution that could reflect heritability and transmission of microbes with enhanced virulence.

Material and Methods

This report presents our findings from evaluation of periodontal disease bone defects in skulls from 569 animals (5‐31 years of age) derived from the skeletons of the rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) of Cayo Santiago derived from eight matrilines over 6‐9 generations. The distance from the base of alveolar bone to the cemento‐enamel junction on 1st/2nd premolars and 1st/2nd molars from all four quadrants was evaluated as a measure of periodontal disease. Additionally, we documented the presence of periodontitis in 79 living descendants within these matrilines.

Results

The results demonstrated an increased extent and severity of periodontitis with aging across all matrilines. Extensive heterogeneity in disease expression was observed among the animals and this was linked to specific periodontitis susceptible matrilines. Moreover, we identified some matrilines in which the members appeared to show some resistance to more severe disease, even with aging.

Conclusion

Linking these disease variations to multigenerational matriarchal family units supported familial susceptibility of periodontitis. This familial disease relationship was reinforced by the distribution of naturally‐occurring periodontitis in the living descendants.
Interactive and sex‐specific life‐history responses ofCulex pipiensmosquito larvae to multiple environmental factors
Authors: Alcalay Y. , Puzhevsky D. , Tsurim I. , Scharf I. , Ovadia O.
Published: September 2018

Spatio‐temporal variation in aquatic habitat characteristics can have important implications for the population and community dynamics of organisms utilizing these habitats. We studied the life‐history responses ofCulex pipienslarvae (Diptera: Culicidae) to multiple environmental factors associated with habitat drying by increasing larval density (directly affecting resource availability), temperature fluctuations (influencing physiological processes), and solute concentration due to evaporation (inducing an environmental stress), using a full‐factorial design. We found that high density led to lower larval survival and to shorter development time. Larvae delayed their metamorphosis in response to fluctuating temperature. We detected inter‐sexual differences in the effects of these two factors on adult body sizes, with high larval density leading to the emergence of smaller females, and fluctuating temperature translating to larger adult males. The two sexes also differed concerning the two‐way interactive effects of different environmental factors on development time and on adult size. Our findings indicate thatC. pipienslarvae respond to multiple environmental factors via phenotypic plasticity, rather than through bet‐hedging. Future studies should account for additional inter‐stage effects, rather than body size, such as adult fecundity, longevity, and dispersal.
Are Women Getting (More) Justice? Malaysia's Sharia Courts in Ethnographic and Historical Perspective
Authors: Peletz Michael G.
Published: September 2018

Religious law is commonly understood as deeply conservative and unfriendly to women, even when it is reform oriented and “this-worldly.” This essay challenges that understanding. It does so by engaging the practice and lived entailments of Islamic family law and gender pluralism in Malaysia, based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted since the late 1970s. My research reveals that sharia courts are more timely and flexible in responding to women's claims than in decades past, and that these courts are more inclined to punish husbands who transgress sharia family law bearing on women. In addition, women nowadays have far more access to resources for negotiating marriage, its dissolution, and the aftermath. This is not to say that women and men experience marriage, divorce, or the sharia juridical field as social equals; they do not. But this situation is changing in ways that benefit women as long as they embrace increasingly salient and restrictive codes of obedience and heteronormativity. More broadly, the essay problematizes tensions and oppositions between Islamic law and women's rights that are the subject of considerable scholarly debate and contributes to our understanding of the complex entanglements of religion and law.
A collaborative, mixed‐methods evaluation of a low‐cost, handheld 3D imaging system for child anthropometry
Authors: Conkle Joel , Keirsey Kate , Hughes Ashton , Breiman Jennifer , Ramakrishnan Usha , Suchdev Parminder S. , Martorell Reynaldo
Published: September 2018

3D imaging for body measurements is regularly used for design of garments and ergonomic products. The development of low‐cost 3D scanners provided an opportunity to extend the use of 3D imaging to the health sector. We developed and tested the AutoAnthro System, the first mobile, low‐cost, full‐body, 3D imaging system designed specifically for child anthropometry. This study evaluated the efficiency, invasiveness, and user experience of the AutoAnthro System. We used a mixed‐methods, collaborative approach that included a quantitative time‐motion study and qualitative interviews of anthropometrists. For cooperative children, anthropometrists considered the use of 3D imaging an easy, “streamlined experience,” but with uncooperative children, anthropometrists reported that capturing a good quality scan was out of their control. The mean time to complete a full set of scans was 68 s (standard deviation [SD] 29), compared with 135 s (SD 22) for a set of manual measurements (stature, head circumference, and arm circumference). We observed that crying was more common during manual measurement, and anthropometrist interviews confirmed that 3D imaging was less stressful for children than manual measurement. In a previous publication, we showed the potential of 3D imaging to produce reliable and accurate measurements. In this study, we found that anthropometrists were not ready to abandon manual equipment for 3D scanners because of difficulty in measuring uncooperative children. Revising the AutoAnthro System to address anthropometrists' concerns on capturing good quality scans of uncooperative children should help to facilitate widespread use of 3D imaging for child anthropometry.
MUAC as the sole discharge criterion from community‐based management of severe acute malnutrition in Burkina Faso
Authors: Isanaka Sheila , Hanson Kerstin E. , Frison Severine , Andersen Christopher T. , Cohuet Sandra , Grais Rebecca F.
Published: September 2018

The use of mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurement to screen and determine eligibility for admission to therapeutic feeding programs has been established, but evidence and programmatic experience to inform guidance on the use of MUAC as a discharge criterion is limited. We present results from a large‐scale nutritional program using MUAC for admission and discharge and compare program outcomes and response to treatment when determining eligibility for discharge by proportional weight gain versus discharge by MUAC. The study population included all children admitted to the Ministry of Health therapeutic feeding program supported by Médecins Sans Frontières in northern Burkina Faso from September 2007 to December 2011 (n = 50,841). Recovery was high overall using both discharge criteria, with low risks of death, nonresponse, and transfer to inpatient care and high daily gains in weight, MUAC, weight‐for‐height Z score, and height. When discharge was made by MUAC only, recovery increased, while all adverse program outcomes and length of stay decreased, with increasing MUAC on admission. MUAC‐based programming, where MUAC is integrated into program screening, admission, and discharge, is one of several new approaches that can be used to target resources to the most at‐risk malnourished children and improve program efficiency and coherency. This analysis provides additional programmatic experience on the use of MUAC‐based discharge criterion, but more work may be needed to inform optimal discharge thresholds across settings.
Neutral variation does not predict immunogenetic variation in the European grayling (Thymallus thymallus)—implications for management
Authors: Vanessa Huml J. , Taylor Martin I. , Edwin Harris W. , Sen Robin , Ellis Jonathan S.
Published: September 2018

Preservation of genetic diversity is critical to successful conservation, and there is increasing demand for the inclusion of ecologically meaningful genetic information in management decisions. Supportive breeding programmes are increasingly implemented to combat declines in many species, yet their effect on adaptive genetic variation is understudied. This is despite the fact that supportive breeding may interfere with natural evolutionary processes. Here, we assessed the performance of neutral and adaptive markers (major histocompatibility complex; MHC) to inform management of European grayling (Thymallus thymallus), which routinely involves supplementation of natural populations with hatchery‐reared fish (stocking). This study is the first to characterize MH II DAA and DAB loci in grayling and to investigate immune genetic variation in relation to management practice in this species. High‐throughput Illumina sequencing of “introduced,” “stocked native” and “non‐stocked native” populations revealed significantly higher levels of allelic richness and heterozygosity for MH markers than microsatellites exclusively in non‐stocked native populations. Likewise, significantly lower differentiation at the MH II than for microsatellites was apparent when considering non‐stocked native populations, but not stocked populations. We developed a simulation model to test the effects of relaxation of selection during the early life stage within captivity. Dependent on the census population size and stocking intensity, there may be long‐term effects of stocking on MH II, but not neutral genetic diversity. This is consistent with our empirical results. This study highlights the necessity for considering adaptive genetic variation in conservation decisions and raises concerns about the efficiency of stocking as a management practice.
Improved lung function at age 6 in children born very preterm and fed extra protein post‐discharge
Authors: Toftlund Line Hedegaard , Agertoft Lone , Halken Susanne , Zachariassen Gitte
Published: September 2018

Background

In very preterm‐born children, alveolar maturation is challenged and lung function is often compromised during childhood. So far, very few studies have focused on type of early nutrition and lung function in children born preterm.

Methods

This study is a 6 years follow‐up of 281 very preterm‐born infants (VPI) with a gestational age (GA) <32 + 0 weeks. Infants breastfed at discharge from hospital were randomized to unfortified (UHM) or fortified (FHM) mother's (human) milk, whereas those not breastfed received a preterm formula (PF). The intervention lasted until 4 months corrected age. At 6 years of age fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), airway resistance and occlusion measurements with reversibility were performed. Data on predisposition to asthma and allergy as well as possible allergic symptoms of the child were obtained with questionnaires.

Results

Outcome data was fully or partially available on 160 (66.9%) of 239 children. This included 49 (30.6%) children fed UHM, 58 (36.3%) fed FHM and 53 (33.1%) fed PF. Successful FeNO measurements were obtained in 119 (74.4%) children and airway resistance measurements in 160. FeNO results were not significantly different between feeding groups. Children fed a protein‐enriched diet (FMH/PF) had the lowest, for example, best, airway resistance; FHM‐fed had lower values than UHM‐fed (P = 0.042) before, and PF‐fed had significantly lower values than UHM‐fed after beta‐2‐agonist inhalation (P = 0.050). The tendency of lower airway resistance when protein enriched were the same in gender‐specific analyses. In SGA children, the same tendency was found between PF‐ and UHM‐fed (P = 0.007 before and P = 0.046 after beta‐2‐agonist inhalation). All values were within reference limits.

Conclusions

Lung function in very preterm‐born children may improve when fed a protein‐enriched nutrition post‐discharge.
Integration of two herbivore‐induced plant volatiles results in synergistic effects on plant defence and resistance
Authors: Hu Lingfei , Ye Meng , Erb Matthias
Published: September 2018

Plants can use induced volatiles to detect herbivore‐ and pathogen‐attacked neighbors and prime their defenses. Several individual volatile priming cues have been identified, but whether plants are able to integrate multiple cues from stress‐related volatile blends remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated how maize plants respond to two herbivore‐induced volatile priming cues with complementary information content, the green leaf volatile (Z)‐3‐hexenyl acetate (HAC) and the aromatic volatile indole. In the absence of herbivory, HAC directly induced defence gene expression, whereas indole had no effect. Upon induction by simulated herbivory, both volatiles increased jasmonate signalling, defence gene expression, and defensive secondary metabolite production and increased plant resistance. Plant resistance to caterpillars was more strongly induced in dual volatile‐exposed plants than plants exposed to single volatiles.. Induced defence levels in dual volatile‐exposed plants were significantly higher than predicted from the added effects of the individual volatiles, with the exception of induced plant volatile production, which showed no increase upon dual‐exposure relative to single exposure. Thus, plants can integrate different volatile cues into strong and specific responses that promote herbivore defence induction and resistance. Integrating multiple volatiles may be beneficial, as volatile blends are more reliable indicators of future stress than single cues.
LinkedIn as a new selection method: Psychometric properties and assessment approach
Authors: Roulin Nicolas , Levashina Julia
Published: September 2018

Various surveys suggest LinkedIn is used as a screening and selection tool by many hiring managers. Despite this widespread use, fairly little is known about whether LinkedIn meets established selection criteria, such as reliability, validity, and legality (i.e., no adverse impact). We examine the properties of LinkedIn‐based assessments in two studies. Study 1 shows that raters reach acceptable levels of consistency in their assessments of applicant skills, personality, and cognitive ability. Initial ratings also correlate with subsequent ratings done 1‐year later (i.e., demonstrating temporal stability), with slightly higher correlations when profile updates are taken into account. Initial LinkedIn‐based ratings correlate with self‐reports for more visible skills (leadership, communication, and planning) and personality traits (Extraversion), and for cognitive ability. LinkedIn‐based hiring recommendations are positively associated with indicators of career success. Potential adverse impact is also limited. Profiles that are longer, include a picture, and have more connections are rated more positively. Some of those features are valid cues to applicants’ characteristics (e.g., applicants high on Conscientiousness have longer profiles). In Study 2, we show that an itemized LinkedIn assessment is more effective than a global assessment. Implications of these findings for selection and future research are discussed.
Managing Wind‐Based Electricity Generation in the Presence of Storage and Transmission Capacity
Authors: Zhou Yangfang (Helen) , Scheller‐Wolf Alan , Secomandi Nicola , Smith Stephen
Published: September 2018

We investigate the management of a merchant wind energy farm co‐located with a grid‐level storage facility and connected to a market through a transmission line. We formulate this problem as a Markov decision process (MDP) with stochastic wind speed and electricity prices. Consistent with most deregulated electricity markets, our model allows these prices to be negative. As this feature makes it difficult to characterize any optimal policy of our MDP, we show the optimality of a stage‐ and partial‐state‐dependent‐threshold policy when prices can only be positive. We extend this structure when prices can also be negative to develop heuristic one (H1) that approximately solves a stochastic dynamic program. We then simplify H1 to obtain heuristic two (H2) that relies on a price‐dependent‐threshold policy and derivative‐free deterministic optimization embedded within a Monte Carlo simulation of the random processes of our MDP. We conduct an extensive and data‐calibrated numerical study to assess the performance of these heuristics and variants of known ones against the optimal policy, as well as to quantify the effect of negative prices on the value added by and environmental benefit of storage. We find that (i) H1 computes an optimal policy and on average is about 17 times faster to execute than directly obtaining an optimal policy; (ii) H2 has a near optimal policy (with a 2.86% average optimality gap), exhibits a two orders of magnitude average speed advantage over H1, and outperforms the remaining considered heuristics; (iii) storage brings in more value but its environmental benefit falls as negative electricity prices occur more frequently in our model.
The Brachypodium distachyon UGT Bradi5gUGT03300 confers type II fusarium head blight resistance in wheat
Authors: Gatti M. , Cambon F. , Tassy C. , Macadre C. , Guerard F. , Langin T. , Dufresne M.
Published: September 2018

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by fungi belonging to the Fusarium genus, is a widespread disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and other small‐grain cereal crops. The main causal agent of FHB, Fusarium graminearum, produces mycotoxins mainly belonging to type B trichothecenes, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), that can negatively affect humans, animals and plants. DON detoxification, mainly through glucosylation into DON‐3‐O‐glucose, has been correlated with resistance to FHB. A UDP‐glucosyltransferase from the model cereal species Brachypodium distachyon has been shown to confer resistance both to initial infection and to spike colonization (type I and type II resistances, respectively). Here, the functional characterization of transgenic wheat lines expressing the Bradi5g03300 UGT gene are described. The results show that, following inoculation with the fungal pathogen, these lines exhibit a high level of type II resistance and a strong reduction of mycotoxin content. In contrast, type I resistance was only weakly observed, although previously seen in B. distachyon, suggesting the involvement of additional host‐specific characteristics in type I resistance. This study contributes to the understanding of the functional relationship between DON glucosylation and FHB resistance in wheat.
Distribution and phylodynamics of papaya ringspot virus on Carica papaya in Cuba
Authors: Cabrera Mederos D. , Giolitti F. , Torres C. , Portal O.
Published: September 2018

Orchard and garden papaya crops grown in 47 Cuban municipalities were surveyed from 2008 to 2013, revealing the widespread distribution of papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) in Cuba. Phylodynamic analyses performed with the partial coat protein gene of all Cuban PRSV‐P isolates (34 sequences) and 107 sequences of isolates from the American continent and the Caribbean islands showed a most recent common ancestor in 1942 (95% highest posterior density, HPD 95% = 1911–1967). The substitution rate was estimated to be 7.7 × 10−4 substitutions per site per year (HPD 95% = 4.6 × 10−4 to 1.1 × 10−3), which is equivalent to those detected in other RNA viruses. Demographic reconstruction of PRSV showed that viral diversity increased in the 1985–1990 period, which coincides with the implementation of extensive production practices. Moreover in Cuba, viral dispersion occurred from Mexico and other unknown ancestral locations. The spatiotemporal diffusion analysis proposed Mexico as an ancestral area for the origin of diversification in the American continent and suggests new dispersion events between American and Caribbean isolates. The observed widespread distribution, clear geographic grouping of Cuban isolates, virus growth and genetic diversity provide strong evidence of the PRSV dispersion patterns, which has implications for the control strategies of PRSV.