bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dietary Fiber Intake and Endometrial Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Chen Kangning , Zhao Qianyu , Li Xiaofan , Zhao Jing , Li Peiqin , Lin Shuchun , Wang Hongwei , Zang Jiajie , Xiao Ying , Xu Wanghong , Chen Fuxue , Gao Ying
Published: July 2018

Epidemiological studies are inconclusive regarding the association between dietary fiber intake and endometrial cancer risk. Thus, we aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to clarify the association between dietary fiber and endometrial cancer risk. We searched the PubMed and ISI Web databases for relevant studies through March 2018. The association between dietary fiber and endometrial cancer risk was evaluated by conducting a meta-analysis including 3 cohort and 12 case–control studies. A significant negative association was observed between total dietary fiber intake and endometrial cancer risk in 11 case–control studies (odds ratios (OR) 0.76, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64–0.89, I2 = 35.2%, p = 0.117), but a marginal positive association was observed in three cohort studies (relative risk (RR) 1.22, 95% CI: 1.00–1.49, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.995). Particularly, a negative association was observed in North America (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.59–0.83, I2 = 8.9%, p = 0.362). In addition, a positive association was observed in cereal fiber (RR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.03–1.52, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.530, 3 cohort studies) and a negative association was observed in vegetable fiber (OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.58–0.94, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.445, 3 case–control studies). In conclusion, negative associations with endometrial cancer risk were observed for higher total dietary fiber intake and higher vegetable fiber intake in the case–control studies. However, results from the cohort studies suggested positive relationships of higher total fiber intake and higher cereal fiber intake with endometrial cancer risk.
Effects of a High-Protein Diet Including Whole Eggs on Muscle Composition and Indices of Cardiometabolic Health and Systemic Inflammation in Older Adults with Overweight or Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Wright Christian S. , Zhou Jing , Sayer R. Drew , Kim Jung Eun , Campbell Wayne W.
Published: July 2018

Age-related increases in intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) impair muscle quality, decrease functional capacity, and promote several cardiometabolic and inflammatory disorders. Whether these age-related alterations in muscle composition improve by consuming a high-protein (HP) diet with whole eggs are unclear. This parallel-design, randomized-controlled trial assessed the effects of a 12-week eucaloric HP diet with three whole eggs per day (1.4 g protein kg−1 day−1) versus a normal-protein diet void of eggs (NP, 0.8 g protein kg−1 day−1) on muscle composition (IMAT), cardiometabolic health, and systemic inflammation in older adults with overweight or obesity (12 men and 10 women; age 70 ± 5 years, BMI 31.3 ± 3.2 kg/m2, mean ± SD). No changes in muscle composition were observed over time, independent of protein intake. Total body weight was reduced in both groups (−3.3 ± 1.2%) and lean mass was preserved only with the HP diet. LDL concentration and hip circumference decreased only with the NP diet, while MCP-1 and HsCRP concentrations increased over time in both groups. A HP diet with whole eggs promotes lean mass retention with modest weight loss, but does not positively influence muscle composition, cardiometabolic health or systemic inflammation, compared to a NP diet void of eggs.
Development of Vitamin D Toxicity from Overcorrection of Vitamin D Deficiency: A Review of Case Reports
Authors: Galior Kornelia , Grebe Stefan , Singh Ravinder
Published: July 2018

Over the past two decades, vitamin D level measurements have become some of the most frequently ordered tests in the laboratory. This increase is due to a growing awareness of widespread vitamin D deficiency and scientific data suggesting the beneficial effects of vitamin D in various diseases. A literature search was carried out in PubMed for cases reporting vitamin D intoxication and overdose. Thirteen articles were included in this review. Intoxication was severe in the reported cases. Patients presented with serum vitamin D concentrations ranging between 150 and 1220 ng/mL and serum calcium concentrations between 11.1 and 23.1 mg/dL. Most of the reported patients showed symptoms of vitamin D toxicity such as vomiting, dehydration, pain, and loss of appetite. The underlying causes included manufacturing errors, overdosing by patients or prescribers, and combinations of these factors. Our literature search highlights the fact that even though vitamin D intoxication is rare, it does occur and therefore patients and prescribers should be more cognizant of the potential dangers of vitamin D overdose.
Alterations in Expression and Function of ABC Family Transporters at Blood-Brain Barrier under Liver Failure and Their Clinical Significances
Authors: Fan Yilin , Liu Xiaodong
Published: July 2018

Liver failure is often associated with hepatic encephalopathy, due to dyshomeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). Under physiological conditions, the CNS homeostasis is precisely regulated by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB consists of brain microvessel endothelial cells connected with a junctional complex by the adherens junctions and tight junctions. Its main function is to maintain brain homoeostasis via limiting the entry of drugs/toxins to brain. The brain microvessel endothelial cells are characterized by minimal pinocytotic activity, absent fenestrations, and highly expressions of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family transporters (such as P-glycoprotein, breast cancer resistance protein and multidrug resistance-associated proteins). These ABC transporters prevent brain from toxin accumulation by pumping toxins out of brain. Accumulating evidences demonstrates that liver failure diseases altered the expression and function of ABC transporters at The BBB, indicating that the alterations subsequently affect drugs’ brain distribution and CNS activity/neurotoxicity. ABC transporters also mediate the transport of endogenous substrates across the BBB, inferring that ABC transporters are also implicated in some physiological processes and the development of hepatic encephalopathy. This paper focuses on the alteration in the BBB permeability, the expression and function of ABC transporters at the BBB under liver failure status and their clinical significances.
Pharmacists Becoming Physicians: For Better or Worse?
Authors: Yeung Eugene Y. H.
Published: July 2018

Physicians and pharmacists nowadays are often described as adversaries rather than members of the same team. Some pharmacists apply to medical school later in their careers, and experience obstacles during the transition process. This article details interviews with two physician–pharmacists, who each have a past pharmacist license and current physician license. The respondents described the limitations of pharmacists’ scope of practice as their main reasons to pursue a medical career. However, the respondents enjoy applying their pharmacy knowledge and experience to improve their medical practice. They do not feel pharmacy seniors and medical recruiters are supportive towards their chase for medical careers. The respondents noted the importance of peer-reviewed articles to promote pharmacist involvement in patient care and collaboration between physicians and pharmacists. Conflicts between physicians and pharmacists tend to happen because of their different focuses on patient care. The respondents do not see themselves having an edge over other medical school applicants, and noted that recruiters could negatively view their pharmacy experience. The respondents believe that physician–pharmacists are catalysts to foster collaboration between physicians and pharmacists, because they clearly understand the role of each profession. Nevertheless, the respondents feel that physicians and pharmacists are generally lukewarm towards pharmacists transitioning into physicians.
Coupling of Defect Modes in Cholesteric Liquid Crystals Separated by Isotropic Polymeric Layers
Authors: Gao Shaohua , Zhai Yanzi , Zhang Xinzheng , Song Xiao , Wang Jiayi , Drevensek-Olenik Irena , Rupp Romano A. , Xu Jingjun
Published: July 2018

Cholesteric liquid crystal structures with multiple isotropic defect layers exhibit localized optical modes (defect modes). Coupling effects between these modes were simulated using the finite difference time domain method. Analogous to the well-known result of the tight-binding approximation in solid state physics, splitting of the defect modes takes place, as soon as the structure contains more than one defect layer. The dispersion relation of the mini-bands forming within the photonic band gap of the structure is calculated numerically. The structures might have promising applications for multiwavelength filters and low-threshold lasers.
Coupling of Charge Regulation and Conformational Equilibria in Linear Weak Polyelectrolytes: Treatment of Long-Range Interactions via Effective Short-Ranged and pH-Dependent Interaction Parameters
Authors: Blanco Pablo M. , Madurga Sergio , Mas Francesc , Garcés Josep L.
Published: July 2018

The classical Rotational Isomeric State (RIS) model, originally proposed by Flory, has been used to rationalize a wide range of physicochemical properties of neutral polymers. However, many weak polyelectrolytes of interest are able to regulate their charge depending on the conformational state of the bonds. Recently, it has been shown that the RIS model can be coupled with the Site Binding (SB) model, for which the ionizable sites can adopt two states: protonated or deprotonated. The resulting combined scheme, the SBRIS model, allows for analyzing ionization and conformational equilibria on the same foot. In the present work, this approach is extended to include pH-dependent electrostatic Long-Range (LR) interactions, ubiquitous in weak polyelectrolytes at moderate and low ionic strengths. With this aim, the original LR interactions are taken into account by defining effective Short-Range (SR) and pH-dependent parameters, such as effective microscopic protonation constants and rotational bond energies. The new parameters are systematically calculated using variational methods. The machinery of statistical mechanics for SR interactions, including the powerful and fast transfer matrix methods, can then be applied. The resulting technique, which we will refer to as the Local Effective Interaction Parameters (LEIP) method, is illustrated with a minimal model of a flexible linear polyelectrolyte containing only one type of rotating bond. LEIP reproduces very well the pH dependence of the degree of protonation and bond probabilities obtained by semi-grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations, where LR interactions are explicitly taken into account. The reduction in the computational time in several orders of magnitude suggests that the LEIP technique could be useful in a range of areas involving linear weak polyelectrolytes, allowing direct fitting of the relevant physical parameters to the experimental quantities.
Preparation of Nafion/Polycation Layer-by-Layer Films for Adsorption and Release of Insulin
Authors: Yoshida Kentaro , Sato Katsuhiko , Ono Tetsuya , Dairaku Takenori , Kashiwagi Yoshitomo
Published: July 2018

Thin films were prepared using layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of Nafion (NAF) and polycations such as poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI), and poly(diallydimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA). Insulin was then adsorbed on the NAF-polycation LbL films by immersion in an insulin solution. The NAF-polycation LbL films were characterized using a quartz crystal microbalance and an atomic force microscope. The release of insulin from the LbL films was characterized using UV-visible adsorption spectroscopy and fluorescence emission spectroscopy. The greatest amount of insulin was adsorbed on the NAF-PAH LbL film. The amount of insulin adsorbed on the (NAF/PAH)5NAF LbL films by immersion in a 1 mg mL−1 insulin solution at pH 7.4 was 61.8 µg cm−2. The amount of insulin released from the LbL films was higher when immersed in insulin solutions at pH 2.0 and pH 9.0 than at pH 7.4. Therefore, NAF-polycations could be employed as insulin delivery LbL films under mild conditions and as an insulin release control system according to pH change.
Alternatives for Chemical and Biochemical Lignin Valorization: Hot Topics from a Bibliometric Analysis of the Research Published During the 2000–2016 Period
Authors: Abejón Ricardo , Pérez-Acebo Heriberto , Clavijo Leonardo
Published: July 2018

A complete bibliometric analysis of the Scopus database was performed to identify the research trends related to lignin valorization from 2000 to 2016. The results from this analysis revealed an exponentially increasing number of publications and a high relevance of interdisciplinary collaboration. The simultaneous valorization of the three main components of lignocellulosic biomass (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) has been revealed as a key aspect and optimal pretreatment is required for the subsequent lignin valorization. Research covers the determination of the lignin structure, isolation, and characterization; depolymerization by thermal and thermochemical methods; chemical, biochemical and biological conversion of depolymerized lignin; and lignin applications. Most methods for lignin depolymerization are focused on the selective cleavage of the β-O-4 linkage. Although many depolymerization methods have been developed, depolymerization with sodium hydroxide is the dominant process at industrial scale. Oxidative conversion of lignin is the most used method for the chemical lignin upgrading. Lignin uses can be classified according to its structure into lignin-derived aromatic compounds, lignin-derived carbon materials and lignin-derived polymeric materials. There are many advances in all approaches, but lignin-derived polymeric materials appear as a promising option.
Sustainability Impact Assessment of Increased Plastic Recycling and Future Pathways of Plastic Waste Management in Sweden
Authors: Milios Leonidas , Esmailzadeh Davani Aida , Yu Yi
Published: July 2018

Plastic is a versatile material that has contributed to numerous product innovations and convenience in everyday life. However, plastic production is growing at an alarming rate, and so has the generation of plastic waste. Unsound waste management results in plastic leakage to the environment with multiple adverse effects to ecosystems. Incineration of plastic waste produces excessive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while plastic as a material is consumed and cannot be used again as a resource within a circular economy framework. For this reason, the European Union (EU) takes measures to increase plastic recycling, introducing higher targets for recycling in its revised waste legislation. Sweden follows suit, prioritising actions for improving the management of plastic waste. In this contribution, three scenarios of future plastic waste management are analysed for their sustainability impacts by 2030. The analysis is enabled by a plastic waste management flow model that calculates environmental, economic, and social impacts. The indicators used in the model to describe the impacts in each axis of sustainability are (1) GHG emissions, (2) monetary costs and benefits, and (3) number of jobs created. The results indicate several trade-offs between the different scenarios and between the different sustainability aspects of future plastic waste management, with their strengths and weaknesses duly discussed. Concluding, the most promising and sustainable future scenario for plastic waste management in Sweden includes high targets for recycling—in line with EU targets—and a gradual phase-out of plastic incineration as a waste management option.
Resources of Jewish Culture: A Case Study of Two Talmud Teachers
Authors: Hassenfeld Ziva R.
Published: July 2018

This article offers a conceptual framework for understanding the diversity of pedagogies found in Talmud classrooms. It looks at how two different Orthodox Talmud teachers responded to an academic article about constructivist learning practices in the context of a professional development program. The case study presented in this article helps to illuminate Lev Vygotsky’s theory of learning. Ultimately, this article argues that whether Jewish studies teachers are open or resistant to constructivist learning practices depends less on their particular theory of teaching and learning than on their understanding of Jewish culture.
Viability and Feasibility of Constrained Kinematic Control of Manipulators
Authors: Faroni Marco , Beschi Manuel , Pedrocchi Nicola , Visioli Antonio
Published: July 2018

Recent advances in planning and control of robot manipulators make an increasing use of optimization-based techniques, such as model predictive control. In this framework, ensuring the feasibility of the online optimal control problem is a key issue. In the case of manipulators with bounded joint positions, velocities, and accelerations, feasibility can be guaranteed by limiting the set of admissible velocities and positions to a viable set. However, this results in the imposition of nonlinear optimization constraints. In this paper, we analyze the feasibility of the optimal control problem and we propose a method to construct a viable convex polyhedral that ensures feasibility of the optimal control problem by means of a given number of linear constraints. Experimental and numerical results on an industrial manipulator show the validity of the proposed approach.
Evaluation of Satellite-Based Soil Moisture Products over Four Different Continental In-Situ Measurements
Authors: Liu Yangxiaoyue , Yang Yaping , Yue Xiafang
Published: July 2018

Global, near-real-time satellite-based soil moisture (SM) datasets have been developed over recent decades. However, there has been a lack of comparison among different passing times, retrieving algorithms, and sensors between SM products over various regions. In this study, we assessed seven types of SM products (AMSR_A, AMSR_D, ECV_A, ECV_C, ECV_P, SMOS_A, and SMOS_D) over four different continental in-situ networks in North America, the Tibetan Plateau, Western Europe, and Southeastern Australia. Bias, R, root mean square error (RMSE), unbiased root mean square difference (ubRMSD), anomalies, and anomalies R were calculated to explore the agreement between satellite-based SM and in-situ measurements. Taylor diagrams were drawn for an inter-comparison. The results showed that (1) ECV_C was superior both in characterizing the SM temporal variation tendency and absolute value, while ECV_A produced numerous abnormal values over all validation regions. ECV_P was able to basically express the SM variation tendency, except for a few overestimations and underestimations. (2) The ascending data (AMSR_A, SMOS_A) generally outperformed the corresponding descending data (AMSR_D, SMOS_D). (3) AMSR exceeded SMOS in terms of the coefficient of correlation. (4) The validation result of SMOS_D over the NAN and OZN networks was unsatisfactory, with a rather poor correlation for both original data and anomalies.
Economic Impact of Development Initiatives on Low-Income Households in Kelantan, Malaysia
Authors: Mustapa Wan Nurulasiah binti Wan , Al Mamun Abdullah , Ibrahim Mohamed Dahlan
Published: July 2018

To improve the socio-economic condition of low-income households, underlying organizations offer a variety of products and services such as access to working capital and training programs. This study examined the impact of access to working capital and training programs on household income and economic vulnerability among participants of AIM, TEKUN, and LKIM in Kelantan, Malaysia. Adopting a cross-sectional design, data were collected randomly from 450 micro-entrepreneurs living in seven districts in Kelantan. The finding revealed that the total amount of economic loan received, length of the programs participation, and number of hours spent on training programs had a positive effect on household income in order to decrease the level of economic vulnerability. The finding provided useful information for policies development that prioritizes poverty eradication among low-income households who were vulnerable to weak economic situation.
Point-of-Sale Specific Willingness to Pay for Quality-Differentiated Beef
Authors: Lim Kar , Vassalos Michael , Reed Michael
Published: July 2018

Despite the growing interest of producers and consumers toward grass-fed, local, and organic beef, the supply chain for these products to reach consumers is not always clear-cut. Among the available options are direct-to-consumers and the conventional food supply chain. Although consumers may pay a premium for beef differentiated by quality attributes, the willingness to pay (WTP) difference across point-of-sales is unclear. In this study, we contrast the WTPs for conventional, grass-fed, local, and organic beef by brick-and-mortar supermarkets (B&Ms), farmers’ markets, and via online stores. We conduct a choice experiment with a nationwide online sample of American consumers. The findings indicate that compared to B&Ms, more consumers are reluctant to purchase beef from farmers’ markets and online outlets. Moreover, the WTP for quality-differentiated attributes varies significantly by the point-of-sales. For most consumers, the downside of online or farmers’ markets outweighs the upside of the quality-differentiated attributes sold in those venues.
Does Analyst Coverage Enhance Firms’ Corporate Social Performance? Evidence from Korea
Authors: Chun Hong-Min , Shin Sang-Yi
Published: July 2018

This paper examines the association between analyst coverage and corporate social performance, using comprehensive donation expense data from Korea. Following analyst “investor recognition view”, analyst coverage might be the one of the key determinants of firms’ CSP to higher firms’ reputational capital. The empirical results suggest that analyst coverage is, on average, positively associated with corporate social performance (CSP) and that this positive association is more pronounced in a non-chaebol (i.e., non-large industrial conglomerate) sample. Further this result is consistent with a battery of robustness tests, such as alternative use of CSP, interaction analysis, two-stage least square regression (2SLS) and alternative use of analyst coverage. This paper goes beyond prior literature using audited donation expense and chaebol data, this paper shows that analysts could partially provide information to enhance firms’ reputations and thus their reputational capital by attending to CSP which would be regarded as pertinent firms’ sustainability. Furthermore, this tendency is more pronounced in relatively lower-reputation firms, such as non-chaebol ones in Korea. Mainstream literature on CSR is conducted within the context of developed countries, such as the U.S. or the U.K., leaving the empirical question as to whether such results apply to other developing countries such as Korea. So, using unique corporate giving data, this paper investigate analyst coverage might enhance firms’ CSP even in a relatively poor information environment such as Korea.
Spatial Distribution Pattern of the Headquarters of Listed Firms in China
Authors: Zhang Ling , Zhang Hui , Yang Hao
Published: July 2018

This study chose 4667 listed firms with headquarters in China as the research objects. The spatial aggregations of headquarters in sub-periods and subsectors were investigated based on prefecture-level cities using Global Moran’s I statistic, the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic, and kernel density estimation. The spatial association and frequent patterns of headquarters belonging to different sectors were analyzed using the Apriori algorithm. The results showed the following: (1) Most headquarters of listed firms agglomerate around megacities and concentrate in the coastal regions. (2) Many prefer that headquarters be located in an area within a 5 km radius, forming the pivotal local industry cluster. (3) Industrial, information technology, and consumer discretionary firms show a higher degree of agglomeration than materials and health care firms. Materials and consumer discretionary industries have a stronger spillover effect on surrounding cities compared to industrial, information technology, and health care firms. (4) Service industries show a strong spatial association with other sectors at all distance thresholds and frequent items. These results can provide a reference for future considerations of headquarters locations, industrial development, and the reshaping of urban networks.
A Rice Mapping Method Based on Time-Series Landsat Data for the Extraction of Growth Period Characteristics
Authors: Liao Jing , Hu Yueming , Zhang Hongliang , Liu Luo , Liu Zhenhua , Tan Zhengxi , Wang Guangxing
Published: July 2018

The rapid and accurate acquisition of rice cultivation information is very important for the management and assessment of rice agriculture and for research on food security, the use of agricultural water resources, and greenhouse gas emissions. Rice mapping methods based on phenology have been widely used but further studies are needed to clearly quantify the rice characteristics during the growth cycle. This paper selected the area where rice agriculture has undergone tremendous changes as the observation object. The rice areas were mapped in three time periods during the period from 1993 to 2016 by combining the characteristics of the harvested areas, flooded areas, and the time interval when harvesting and flooding occurred. An error matrix was used to determine the mapping accuracy. After exclusion of clouds and cloud shadows, the overall accuracy of the paddy fields was higher than 90% (90.5% and 93.5% in period 1 and period 3, respectively). Mixed pixels, image quality, and image acquisition time are important factors affecting the accuracy of rice mapping. The rapid economic development led to an adjustment of people’s diets and presumably this is the main reason why rice cultivation is no longer the main agricultural production activity in the study area.
Special Regulation of Isolated Power Systems: The Canary Islands, Spain
Authors: Uche-Soria Manuel , Rodríguez-Monroy Carlos
Published: July 2018

As non-mainland territories, the Canary Islands represent isolated electricity systems with their own peculiarities, derived mainly from their location. They are therefore subject to a special regulatory framework governing their electricity supply activities. These systems are less stable, in terms of both electrical energy generation and its transport infrastructures, because their site limitations require production to rely on a small number of plants, multiplying the problems that arise from potential grid or generator failures. This means that power generation costs in isolated groups of islands have been intrinsically higher than those on the mainland, above all in terms of fuel, given their greater dependence on fossil fuels. These costs also have a different structure, wherein variable costs prevail over fixed costs. The entry into force of Royal Decree 738/2015 defines a new method to determine the price of demand, generation, and additional costs. In addition, it creates a new virtual market for each isolated system (or subsystem), which takes into account the prices of the mainland, moving year, and generation costs. This implies a reduction in the volatility of the electricity market in these territories (lower risk) because part of the purchase price is already known. In this regard, the Canary Islands’ subsystem that has experienced the greatest increase in generation costs is the island El Hierro, since, in systems where there is a wider diversification in the generation methods, there is also a greater variation in monthly prices—that is, greater uncertainty. The aim of this study is to analyze the operation of the Canary Islands’ electricity market and the configuration of its dispatch pool. The wind-pumped hydropower station on El Hierro is described as a specific case study to illustrate the impact of the new regulatory framework.
Board Governance and Sustainability Disclosure: A Cross-Sectional Study of Singapore-Listed Companies
Authors: Hu Meibo , Loh Lawrence
Published: July 2018

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between board governance and sustainability disclosure in Singapore. Regression analysis is performed using cross-sectional data of Singapore-listed companies to examine the relationship between sustainability disclosure and various board governance factors, including board capacity, board independence, and board incentive. The findings show the presence of significant associations between board governance and sustainability disclosure. In terms of board capacity, companies with larger board sizes and a higher number of board meetings are more likely to practice sustainability reporting, and their reporting qualities are higher. For board independence, the percentage of independent directors positively impacts the firm’s reporting probability and quality on sustainability in Singapore. For board incentives, the practice of long-term incentives for executive directors can significantly improve both the probability and quality of sustainability reporting. The study adds to the literature on corporate governance and sustainability disclosure. It provides empirical evidence and guidance for firms and policy-makers in Singapore and beyond on how sustainability disclosure can be improved through robust board governance.
Evaluating Sampling Designs for Demersal Fish Communities
Authors: Zhao Jing , Cao Jie , Tian Siquan , Chen Yong , Zhang Shouyu
Published: July 2018

Fish communities play an important role in determining the dynamics of marine ecosystems, while the evaluation and formulation of protective measures for these fish communities depends on the quality and quantity of data collected from well-designed sampling programs. The ecological model was used first to predict the distribution of the demersal fish community as the “true” population for the sampling design. Four sampling designs, including simple random sampling, systematic sampling, and stratified sampling with two sampling effort allocations (proportional allocation and Neyman allocation), were compared to evaluate their performance in estimating the richness and biodiversity indices of the demersal fish community. The impacts of two different temperature change scenarios, uniform temperature and non-uniform temperature increase on the performance of the sampling designs, were also evaluated. The proportional allocation yielded the best estimates of fish community richness and biodiversity relative to a synthetic baseline. However, its performance was not always robust relative to the simulated temperature change. When the water temperature changed unevenly, systematic sampling tended to perform the best. Thus, it is important to adjust the strata for a stratified sampling when the habitat experiences large changes. This suggests that we need to carefully evaluate the appropriateness of stratification when temperature change-induced habitat changes are large enough to result in substantial changes in the fish community.
The Spatial Factors of Cultural Identity: A Case Study of the Courtyards in a Historical Residential Area in Beijing
Authors: Cheng Zhifen , Zhou Shangyi , Zhang Baoxiu
Published: July 2018

The issue of identity is very complex and determining the factors influencing cultural identity is a key issue. Several scholars have studied the factors influencing cultural identity. However, relatively little attention has been paid to how spatial factors influence cultural identity. This paper takes a historical and cultural conservation block in Beijing, China, as the research area. This area includes eight lanes and is called Eight Lanes in North Xisi. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that spatial changes in living conditions, layout, size, architectural form, and decoration, etc. in the courtyards led to changes in the traditional culture of the courtyards, which ceased to reflect the original residential culture, which led to a decline in cultural identity. Spatial factors directly affected the residents’ cultural identification with harmonious courtyard culture. This view adds nuance to debates about cultural identity and the factors that influence it. From the perspective of cultural geography and by using structural equation modelling, we draw two main conclusions. First, the smaller proportion of public space (The term “space” as it is used in this paper is based on the understanding of humanistic geographers and refers to physical space; it does not acquire meaning and cultures.) is one main factor affecting residents’ identification with the harmonious residential culture of the case area. Second, the greater population density of the courtyards is another main factor affecting residents’ identification with the area’s harmonious residential culture.
Imbalanced Development and Economic Burden for Urban and Rural Wastewater Treatment in China—Discharge Limit Legislation
Authors: Wang Meishu , Gong Hui
Published: July 2018

Water pollution control is a great challenge for China. Compared with urban regions, the wastewater treatment in rural areas is much undeveloped, which is highly related with the much delayed legislation for rural wastewater. Imbalanced urban-rural development and the economic burden of urban and rural wastewater treatment in China was investigated from the perspective of discharge limit legislation. For now, the national discharge limit for rural wastewater is still vacant, although the national discharge limit for urban wastewater had been released for more than ten years. Recently, local rural wastewater discharge limits from several provinces were released, however, based on quite different principles. Some categories emphasized environmental sensitivity with the discharge limit equal and were more strict than urban standards, while some focused on resource recovery for rural regions with loose discharge limits. This study compared the financial burden between rural and urban regions in 31 provinces under different discharge limit legislation conditions. It was revealed that the resources recovery category discharge principle helped to decrease the financial burden imbalance with a reduced Gini coefficient from 0.37 to 0.17. The reduced economic burden from the implementation of a suitably designed rural discharge limit promoted balancing the rural-urban gap and lowering uncertainties and risk of sustainable rural wastewater treatment. This study also revealed the urgency of rural water legislation and proposed development with a balanced financial burden for urban and rural residents under suitable discharge limits, providing a profound insight for environmental management with a focus on balanced urban-rural development for the policy-makers in developing countries.
How Intellectual Property Management Capability and Network Strategy Affect Open Technological Innovation in the Korean New Information Communications Technology Industry
Authors: Kim So Young , Kim Eungdo
Published: July 2018

This paper analyses factors in open innovation activity in the Korean new information and communications technology (ICT) industry, with a focus on cooperation network strategy and intellectual property (IP) management capability, by applying multiple regression models with data collected from 300 companies within the industry. The results of this analysis suggested that the intensity and variation of a company’s technological cooperation with a new ICT company has a statistically meaningful impact on its innovation. In particular, the impact depended on the type of cooperation network. Though IP management capability was also shown to have an important influence on a new ICT company’s innovation, the impact of specific actions for IP management varied by the specific type of innovation results. This study suggests that new ICT companies need to construct technological innovation networks using multiple external sources and enhance their IP management capability in order to increase their technological innovation performance. The factors influencing technological innovation are elements of open innovation, indicating the open technological innovativeness of the new ICT Industry.
Symmetries, Conserved Properties, Tensor Representations, and Irreducible Forms in Molecular Quantum Electrodynamics
Authors: Andrews David L.
Published: July 2018

In the wide realm of applications of quantum electrodynamics, a non-covariant formulation of theory is particularly well suited to describing the interactions of light with molecular matter. The robust framework upon which this formulation is built, fully accounting for the intrinsically quantum nature of both light and the molecular states, enables powerful symmetry principles to be applied. With their origins in the fundamental transformation properties of the electromagnetic field, the application of these principles can readily resolve issues concerning the validity of mechanisms, as well as facilitate the identification of conditions for widely ranging forms of linear and nonlinear optics. Considerations of temporal, structural, and tensorial symmetry offer significant additional advantages in correctly registering chiral forms of interaction. More generally, the implementation of symmetry principles can considerably simplify analysis by reducing the number of independent quantities necessary to relate to experimental results to a minimum. In this account, a variety of such principles are drawn out with reference to applications, including recent advances. Connections are established with parity, duality, angular momentum, continuity equations, conservation laws, chirality, and spectroscopic selection rules. Particular attention is paid to the optical interactions of molecules as they are commonly studied, in fluids and randomly organised media.
Trace Element Concentrations in Drinking Water and Urine among Saharawi Women and Young Children
Authors: Aakre Inger , Henjum Sigrun , Folven Gjengedal Elin Lovise , Risa Haugstad Camilla , Vollset Marie , Moubarak Khalil , Saleh Ahmed Tecber , Alexander Jan , Kjellevold Marian , Molin Marianne
Published: July 2018

Poor water quality has been reported along with a variety of negative health outcomes in the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria. We assessed the concentration of elements in drinking water and urine in refugee women and children. Twenty-four samples of distributed public drinking water were collected, along with urine samples from 77 women and 296 children. Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, we analyzed water and urine for 31 and 10 elements, respectively. In addition, the water samples were analyzed for five anions by ion-exchange chromatography. Data were described according to two areas: zone 1 with purified water and water with naturally better quality, and zone 2 with only partially purified water. Most elements in drinking water had significantly higher concentration in zone 2 compared with zone 1. Sodium, chloride, nitrite, and nitrate were the parameters that exceeded the WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality. Among both women and children, urinary concentration of vanadium, arsenic, selenium, lead, iodine, and uranium exceeded reference values, and most of the elements were significantly higher in zone 2 compared to zone 1. Even though water purification in the Saharawi refugee camps has increased during the last years, some elements are still exceeding the WHO guidelines for drinking water quality. Moreover, urinary exposure of some elements exceeded reference values from the literature. Further effort should be made to improve the water quality among the Saharawi refugees.
The Impact of Uremic Toxins on Cerebrovascular and Cognitive Disorders
Authors: Assem Maryam , Lando Mathilde , Grissi Maria , Kamel Saïd , Massy Ziad A. , Chillon Jean-Marc , Hénaut Lucie
Published: July 2018

Individuals at all stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a higher risk of developing cognitive disorders and dementia. Stroke is also highly prevalent in this population and is associated with a higher risk of neurological deterioration, in-hospital mortality, and poor functional outcomes. Evidence from in vitro studies and in vivo animal experiments suggests that accumulation of uremic toxins may contribute to the pathogenesis of stroke and amplify vascular damage, leading to cognitive disorders and dementia. This review summarizes current evidence on the mechanisms by which uremic toxins may favour the occurrence of cerebrovascular diseases and neurological complications in CKD.
Current Advances in Immunological Studies on the Vespidae Venom Antigen 5: Therapeutic and Prophylaxis to Hypersensitivity Responses
Authors: Bazon Murilo Luiz , Silveira Lais Helena , Simioni Patricia Ucelli , Brochetto-Braga Márcia Regina
Published: July 2018

Although systemic reactions caused by allergenic proteins present in venoms affect a small part of the world population, Hymenoptera stings are among the main causes of immediate hypersensitivity responses, with risk of anaphylactic shock. In the attempt to obtain therapeutic treatments and prophylaxis to hypersensitivity responses, interest in the molecular characterization of these allergens has grown in the scientific community due to the promising results obtained in immunological and clinical studies. The present review provides an update on the knowledge regarding the immune response and the therapeutic potential of Antigen 5 derived from Hymenoptera venom. The results confirm that the identification and topology of epitopes, associated with molecular regions that interact with antibodies, are crucial to the improvement of hypersensitivity diagnostic methods.
RNA Phage Biology in a Metagenomic Era
Authors: Callanan Julie , Stockdale Stephen R. , Shkoporov Andrey , Draper Lorraine A. , Ross R. Paul , Hill Colin
Published: July 2018

The number of novel bacteriophage sequences has expanded significantly as a result of many metagenomic studies of phage populations in diverse environments. Most of these novel sequences bear little or no homology to existing databases (referred to as the “viral dark matter”). Also, these sequences are primarily derived from DNA-encoded bacteriophages (phages) with few RNA phages included. Despite the rapid advancements in high-throughput sequencing, few studies enrich for RNA viruses, i.e., target viral rather than cellular fraction and/or RNA rather than DNA via a reverse transcriptase step, in an attempt to capture the RNA viruses present in a microbial communities. It is timely to compile existing and relevant information about RNA phages to provide an insight into many of their important biological features, which should aid in sequence-based discovery and in their subsequent annotation. Without comprehensive studies, the biological significance of RNA phages has been largely ignored. Future bacteriophage studies should be adapted to ensure they are properly represented in phageomic studies.
Diagnosing heart failure with NT-proBNP point-of-care testing: lower costs and better outcomes. A decision analytic study
Authors: Bugge Christoffer , Sether Erik Magnus , Pahle Andreas , Halvorsen Sigrun , Sonbo Kristiansen Ivar
Published: July 2018

Background

Afflicting 1–2% of the adult population, heart failure (HF) is a condition with considerable morbidity and mortality. While echocardiography may be considered the gold standard diagnostic test, GPs have relied on symptoms and clinical findings in diagnosing the condition.

Aim

The aim of this study was to estimate 1-year health outcome and costs of three diagnostic strategies: 1) history and clinical findings ('clinical diagnosis'); 2) clinical diagnosis supplemented with NTproBNP point-of-care test ('POC test') in the GP’s surgery; or (3) in hospital laboratory ('hospital test').

Design & setting

A decision tree model was developed to simulate 1-year patient courses with each strategy in Norway.

Method

Sensitivity and specificity of clinical diagnosis (56% and 68%), and of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide test ([NT-proBNP] 90% and 65%), were based on published literature. The probabilities of referral to hospital were based on a survey of Norwegian GPs (n = 103). The costs were based on various Norwegian fee schedules. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to examine the uncertainty of the results.

Results

The 1-year per person societal costs were €543, €505, and €607 for clinical diagnosis, POC test, and hospital test, respectively. Even though POC entails higher laboratory costs, the total primary care costs were lower because of fewer re-visits with the GP and less use of spirometry. While 38% of patients had a delayed diagnosis with clinical diagnosis, the proportions were 22% with both POC test and hospital test. Results were most sensitive to the probability of use of spirometry.

Conclusion

POC testing results in earlier diagnosis and lower costs than the other diagnostic modalities.
In Atp7b−/− Mice Modeling Wilson’s Disease Liver Repopulation With Bone Marrow-Derived Myofibroblasts or Inflammatory Cells and Not Hepatocytes Is Deleterious
Authors: Sharma Yogeshwar , Liu Jinghua , Kristian Kathleen E. , Follenzi Antonia , Gupta Sanjeev
Published: July 2018

In Wilson’s disease, Atp7b mutations impair copper excretion with liver or brain damage. Healthy transplanted hepatocytes repopulate the liver, excrete copper, and reverse hepatic damage in animal models of Wilson’s disease. In Fah−/−
mice with tyrosinemia and α-1 antitrypsin mutant mice, liver disease is resolved by expansions of healthy hepatocytes derived from transplanted healthy bone marrow stem cells. This potential of stem cells has not been defined for Wilson’s disease. In diseased Atp7b−/−
mice, we reconstituted bone marrow with donor cells expressing green fluorescent protein reporter from healthy transgenic mice. Mature hepatocytes originating from donor bone marrow were identified by immunostaining for green fluorescence protein and bile canalicular marker, dipeptidylpeptidase-4.
Mesenchymal and inflammatory cell markers were used for other cells from donor bone marrow cells. Gene expression, liver tests, and tissues were analyzed for outcomes in Atp7b−/− mice. After bone marrow transplantation in Atp7b−/−
mice, donor-derived hepatocytes containing bile canaliculi appeared within weeks. Despite this maturity, donor-derived hepatocytes neither divided nor expanded. The liver of Atp7b−/− mice was not repopulated by donor-derived hepatocytes: Atp7b
mRNA remained undetectable; liver tests, copper content, and fibrosis actually worsened. Restriction of proliferation in hepatocytes accompanied oxidative DNA damage. By contrast, donor-derived mesenchymal and inflammatory cells extensively proliferated. These contributed to fibrogenesis through
greater expression of inflammatory cytokines. In Wilson’s disease, donor bone marrow-derived cells underwent different fates: hepatocytes failed to proliferate; inflammatory cells proliferated to worsen disease outcomes. This will help guide stem cell therapies for conditions with proinflammatory
or profibrogenic microenvironments.
Spiritourism and Brand Identity Building: The Case of Printemps Des Liqueurs
Authors: Caseau Cornelia
Published: July 2018

Spiritourism is a relatively recent trend in France that refers to tourist-based activities designed to promote regions where spirits are produced. In order to invite spiritourists to experience different companies and their various spirits, the French Liqueurs Trade Union initiated
a collective brand identity campaign, the Printemps des Liqueurs (the Spring of Liqueurs project) in 2005, which has since become one of spiritourism's key events. The aim of this article, based on qualitative research and the study of written documents and websites, is to present
and analyze the particularities of this campaign during which tourists learn about different regions and firms across France, taste the products, and participate in multisensory and memorable experiences. This kind of marketing creates a relationship between professionals and amateurs, and
both the brand image of the Printemps des Liqueurs and the development of spiritourism is enhanced when visitors identify with the firms and the industrial patrimony of the region.