bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Testing the feasibility of a value‐added model of school quality in a low‐income country
Authors: Crawfurd Lee , Elks Phil
Published: February 2018

Value‐added models (VAMS) are commonly used in high‐income countries for measuring the quality of teachers and schools, on the grounds that they are a fairer reflection of true quality than simple average test scores, as they account for differences in student intake. Not accounting for student's prior test scores can give a misleading impression of school quality. In this article, we adapt the current VAM of secondary school quality to the Ugandan context, and test its robustness. Using official test score data from Uganda, we test the robustness of the model to a range of different empirical specifications, including sensitivity to the inclusion of controls for student socioeconomic status. We find that the model is robust to a variety of different specifications and control variables. The VAM is low cost and has the potential to provide a clearer signal to parents, teachers, schools, and policy‐makers about how much learning is actually happening in different schools. This approach could be carried out at low cost in a wide range of low‐income countries that have similar testing regimes.
Rebalancing and Regional Economic Performance: Northern Ireland in A Nordic Mirror
Authors: Brownlow Graham , Birnie Esmond
Published: February 2018

Northern Ireland has been characterised as having an excessively large public sector. This characterisation has led some to explain poor regional economic performance in terms of ‘crowding out’. This diagnosis has been used to justify a policy of ‘rebalancing’ and the region copying its southern neighbour's lower rate of corporation tax. The experience of large public sectors in the Nordic economies seems however to suggest that higher public spending is not necessarily damaging. This argument is examined critically. Rodrik's comparative institutional analysis indicates that in the Nordics a large public sector was the result of building a successful tradable private sector rather than its cause. In terms of the possible ‘economic dividend’ from devolution we suggest that a Hayekian insight is better: no ‘silver bullets’ exist.
Role of poor sleep in determining distress in caregivers of individuals with early psychosis
Authors: Smith Lindsay M. , Onwumere Juliana , Craig Thomas , Kuipers Elizabeth
Published: February 2018

Aim

Looking after someone in the early stages of psychosis can have a negative impact on caregivers, but there is little clarity about which interventions, if any, caregivers should be offered. This study investigated sleep disturbances in early psychosis caregivers and the relationship between their sleep quality and distress.

Method

In all, 79 caregivers of patients with a recent first episode of psychosis completed self‐report measures including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the RAND 36‐item Health Survey 1.0 (SF‐36) and the Experiences of Caregiving Inventory (ECI).

Results

All caregivers were living with their relatives with psychosis and had been providing support since the onset of illness (mean duration = 92.5 weeks, SD = 84.0); 60% (47/79) obtained a global PSQI score that exceeded the established cut‐off score for clinically significant sleep problems (>5). Low “sleep duration” and “sleep disturbances” contributed the most to elevated PSQI scores, with 17.7% of participants reporting regular wakening at night due to “stress” or “worries.” When predicting psychological distress (SF‐36) from negative appraisals of caregiving (ECI) and poor sleep (PSQI), a significant unadjusted regression model was obtained, F(2,73) = 29.440, P = .000, R2 of .447. An estimation of the indirect effect of negative thoughts about caregiving on mental distress through poor sleep was also significant (ab = −.05, 95% CI [−.09, −.02], PM = .39).

Conclusion

Caregivers of people with psychosis may have significant problems with sleep, which relates to distress and negative appraisals about caregiving. Health services need to ask caregivers directly about such issues and consider offering brief interventions to improve sleep quality.
Prediction of deleterious mutations in coding regions of mammals with transfer learning
Authors: Plekhanova Elena , Nuzhdin Sergey V. , Utkin Lev V. , Samsonova Maria G.
Published: February 2018

The genomes of mammals contain thousands of deleterious mutations. It is important to be able to recognize them with high precision. In conservation biology, the small size of fragmented populations results in accumulation of damaging variants. Preserving animals with less damaged genomes could optimize conservation efforts. In breeding of farm animals, trade‐offs between farm performance versus general fitness might be better avoided if deleterious mutations are well classified. In humans, the problem of such a precise classification has been successfully solved, in large part due to large databases of disease‐causing mutations. However, this kind of information is very limited for other mammals. Here, we propose to better use information available on human mutations to enable classification of damaging mutations in other mammalian species. Specifically, we apply transfer learning—machine learning methods—improving small dataset for solving a focal problem (recognizing damaging mutations in our companion and farm animals) due to the use of much large datasets available for solving a related problem (recognizing damaging mutations in humans). We validate our tools using mouse and dog annotated datasets and obtain significantly better results in companion to the SIFT classifier. Then, we apply them to predict deleterious mutations in cattle genomewide dataset.
Turning natural adaptations to oncogenic factors into an ally in the war against cancer
Authors: Vittecoq Marion , Giraudeau Mathieu , Sepp Tuul , Marcogliese David J. , Klaassen Marcel , Renaud François , Ujvari Beata , Thomas Frédéric
Published: February 2018

Both field and experimental evolution studies have demonstrated that organisms naturally or artificially exposed to environmental oncogenic factors can, sometimes rapidly, evolve specific adaptations to cope with pollutants and their adverse effects on fitness. Although numerous pollutants are mutagenic and carcinogenic, little attention has been given to exploring the extent to which adaptations displayed by organisms living in oncogenic environments could inspire novel cancer treatments, through mimicking the processes allowing these organisms to prevent or limit malignant progression. Building on a substantial knowledge base from the literature, we here present and discuss this progressive and promising research direction, advocating closer collaboration between the fields of medicine, ecology, and evolution in the war against cancer.
Post‐socialist (auto)mobilities: Modernity, freedom and citizenship
Authors: Tuvikene Tauri
Published: February 2018

This paper investigates the intersection of post‐socialism and mobility to not only widen the scope of “new mobilities paradigm” into “off the map” regions but also to highlight new insights for research on mobility by challenging the assumed borders between past and present and between “East” and “West,” as well as those between different mobilities. This paper discusses post‐socialist mobilities via three topics—modernity, freedom and citizenship—which are evident in automobility and beyond. Modernity denotes a mobile “modern age,” with mobility referring to freedom to move—both of which are then tied to the ways in which individuals are governed as citizens. By analysing the constellations of different mobilities vis‐à‐vis shifting power relations between state and citizens, as they are raised in the emerging research on post‐socialist mobilities, the aim of the paper is to stress the many similarities in terms of practices and regulations of mobility across the often‐assumed boundaries between socialist, post‐socialist, and “western” conditions. While the starting point for the paper is changing patterns of automobility and its governing, the paper also makes references to other mobilities.
‘Nowhere else sells bliss like this’: Exploring the emotional labour of soldiers at war
Authors: Godfrey Richard , Brewis Joanna
Published: February 2018

Reading secondary data from military memoirs of recent conflicts through the prism of scholarship on emotional labour, this paper discusses feeling rules fostered by the total institution of military service. The military is a significant context for such analysis, given that it socializes its personnel into mastering the practices and skills of lethal violence for combat operations. It is, moreover, a total institution, and the disculturation new recruits must endure creates fertile ground for the inculcation of a specific emotional regime. Further, unlike most other service occupations, the military is both male‐dominated and highly masculine. The paper also makes a case for using memoirs in the study of emotional labour. Being examples of what we call identity writing, they offer different insights to those we might attain through other methods. Indeed, we argue that memoirs provide a fruitful source for future organization studies research into the emotional regime of the military especially. Third, our discussion expands the concept of emotional labour in that the emotional regime the memoirists index: is not undertaken for a specific group of customers; entails a distinctive range of emotions; and involves the conscious cultivation of gendered communities of coping among soldiers.
How or When Samples Are Collected Affects Measured Arsenic Concentration in New Drinking Water Wells
Authors: Erickson Melinda L. , Malenda Helen F. , Berquist Emily C.
Published: February 2018

Naturally occurring arsenic can adversely affect water quality in geologically diverse aquifers throughout the world. Chronic exposure to arsenic via drinking water is a human health concern due to risks for certain cancers, skin abnormalities, peripheral neuropathy, and other negative health effects. Statewide in Minnesota, USA, 11% of samples from new drinking water wells have arsenic concentrations exceeding 10 μg/L; in certain counties more than 35% of tested samples exceed 10 μg/L arsenic. Since 2008, Minnesota well code has required testing water from new wells for arsenic. Sample collection protocols are not specified in the well code, so among 180 well drillers there is variability in sampling methods, including sample collection point and sample collection timing. This study examines the effect of arsenic sample collection protocols on the variability of measured arsenic concentrations in water from new domestic water supply wells. Study wells were drilled between 2014 and 2016 in three regions of Minnesota that commonly have elevated arsenic concentrations in groundwater. Variability in measured arsenic concentration at a well was reduced when samples were (1) filtered, (2) collected from household plumbing instead of from the drill rig pump, or (3) collected several months after well construction (instead of within 4 weeks of well installation). Particulates and fine aquifer sediments entrained in groundwater samples, or other artifacts of drilling disturbance, can cause undesirable variability in measurements. Establishing regulatory protocols requiring sample filtration and/or collection from household plumbing could improve the reliability of information provided to well owners and to secondary data users.
COMPARING PUBLIC PROCUREMENT AUCTIONS
Authors: Decarolis Francesco
Published: February 2018

This article contrasts two auction formats often used in public procurement: first price auctions with ex post screening of bid responsiveness and average bid auctions (ABAs), in which the bidder closest to the average bid wins. The equilibrium analysis reveals that their ranking is ambiguous in terms of revenues, but the ABA is typically less efficient. Using a data set of Italian public procurement auctions run alternately under the two formats, a structural model of bidding is estimated for the subsample of first price auctions and used to quantify the efficiency loss under counterfactual ABAs.
MULTIATTRIBUTE UTILITY THEORY, INTERTEMPORAL UTILITY, AND CORRELATION AVERSION
Authors: Andersen Steffen , Harrison Glenn W. , Lau Morten I. , Rutström E. Elisabet
Published: February 2018

Convenient assumptions about qualitative properties of the intertemporal utility function have generated counterintuitive implications for the relationship between atemporal risk aversion and the intertemporal elasticity of substitution. If the intertemporal utility function is additively separable, then the latter two concepts are the inverse of each other. We review a theoretical specification with a long lineage in the literature on multi‐attribute utility and use this theoretical structure to guide the design of a series of experiments that allow us to identify and estimate intertemporal correlation aversion. Our results show that subjects are correlation averse over lotteries with intertemporal income profiles.
Nash equilibria of games when players’ preferences are quasi‐transitive
Authors: Basu Kaushik , Pattanaik Prasanta K.
Published: February 2018

Much of game theory is founded on the assumption that individual players are endowed with preferences that can be represented by a real‐valued utility function. However, in reality human preferences are often not transitive. This is especially true for the indifference relation, which can lead an individual to make a series of choices which in their totality would be viewed by the same individual as erroneous. There is a substantial literature that raises intricate questions about individual liberty and the role of government intervention in such contexts. The aim of this paper is not to go into these ethical matters but to provide a formal structure for such analysis by characterizing games where individual preferences are quasi‐transitive. The paper identifies a set of axioms which are sufficient for the existence of Nash equilibria in such “games.”
Choice via grouping procedures
Authors: Matsuki Jun , Tadenuma Koichi
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we consider a natural procedure of decision‐making, the grouping choice methods, which leads to a kind of bounded rational choice. In this procedure a decision‐maker first divides the set of available alternatives into some groups and in each group she chooses the best element (winner) for her preference relation. Then, among the winners in the first round, she selects the best one as her final choice. We characterize grouping choice methods in three different ways. First, we show that a choice function is a grouping choice method if and only if it is a rational shortlist method (Manzini and Mariotti ) in which the first rationale is transitive. Second, grouping choice methods are axiomatically characterized by means of a new axiom called elimination, in addition to two well‐known axioms, expansion and weak WARP (Manzini and Mariotti ). Third, grouping choice methods are also characterized by a weak version of path independence.
Ferroelectric properties of Li‐doped BaTiO3 ceramics
Authors: Lou Qiwei , Shi Xue , Ruan Xuezheng , Zeng Jiangtao , Man Zhenyong , Zheng Liaoying , Park Chul Hong , Li Guorong
Published: February 2018

We prepared 3 kinds of Li+‐doped BaTiO3 ceramics by the solid‐state reaction method: (i) (Ba1−xLix)TiO3−x/2 having A‐site Li+, (ii) Ba(Ti1−xLix)O3−3x/2 having B‐site Li+, and (iii) x/2 Li2CO3+BaTiO3 mixed one, for which we investigated the stable site of Li. The density of all prepared ceramics is above 95%. The results show that the lattice structure, the grain size, and the electric properties of Li+‐doped BaTiO3 ceramics are dependent on Li+ site. According to the increase in Li content, the cell volume of Ba1−xLixTiO3−x/2 decreases, but that of BaTi1−xLixO3−3x/2 increases. That of x/2Li2CO3+BaTiO3 decreases by the small addition of Li, but increases by the large addition of Li. All Li+‐doped ceramics show antiferroelectric‐like double hysteresis loops. The shape of loops and the dielectric properties are also dependent on the Li site. We suggest that the role of oxygen vacancy accompanied by the Li‐doping is important. By comparison with the results of 3 type ceramics, it is concluded that at x/2Li2CO3+BaTiO3 ceramics, the Li+ prefers to favorably substitute Ba2+ at A site for the low concentration of Li but its location was changed to Ti4+ site for the high concentration of Li.
Tunable emission color of Li2SrSiO4:Tb3+ due to cross‐relaxation process and optical thermometry investigation
Authors: Zhou Xiao , Jiang Sha , Xiang Guotao , Tang Xiao , Luo Xiaobing , Li Li , Zhou Xianju
Published: February 2018

A series of Li2SrSiO4:xTb3+ (0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, 2%, 4%, and 6%) phosphors were prepared by conventional solid‐state reaction. It was found that this silicate phosphor has a wide excitation band at near‐ultraviolet region (230‐300 nm) due to spin‐allowed 4f 8→4f75d1 transitions of Tb3+ ions, with the exact position dependent on the crystal field of the lattice. The cross‐relaxation process originating from 5D3→5D4 and 7F6→7F0 happened between different Tb3+ ions. It leads to the luminescence color of Li2SrSiO4: xTb3+ tuning from blue to green just by controlling Tb3+ concentrations. Furthermore, concentration quenching mechanism, energy migration type, cross‐relaxation rate and efficiency, are discussed in detail. Finally, optical thermometry properties were investigated via temperature‐dependent emission spectra. The results show that low‐concentration‐doped sample (Li2SrSiO4:0.4%Tb3+) shows remarkable optical thermometry based on fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) between the blue and green emission of Tb3+ ions, whereas the high‐concentration‐doped sample (Li2SrSiO4:4%Tb3+) demonstrates small emission intensity loss. It illustrates that terbium‐doped silicate phosphor is a multifunctional material with potential application for display field and optical thermometry.
Early laser intervention to reduce scar formation – a systematic review
Authors: Karmisholt K.E. , Haerskjold A. , Karlsmark T. , Waibel J. , Paasch U. , Haedersdal M.
Published: February 2018

The ability of laser treatment to affect wound healing and subsequently minimize scar formation has been investigated in recent years. However, no systematic review links these clinical trials. The aim of this study was to systematically review and evaluate clinical evidence for early laser intervention to reduce scar formation in studies where laser treatment was introduced less than 3 months after wounding. We searched PubMed using relevant keywords in June 2017. Titles, abstracts and articles were sorted according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Methodological quality was evaluated according to Cochrane Collaborations risk‐of‐bias assessment guideline by two independent authors. Twenty‐five articles met the inclusion criteria. In total, 22 of 25 studies were controlled studies, and 17 of 25 studies compared laser treatment vs. untreated control scars. The following laser devices have been investigated: pulsed dye laser (PDL), potassium‐titanyl‐phosphate (KTP) laser, fractional erbium:glass 1540 nm/1550 nm, fractional/full ablation erbium‐doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Er:YAG) laser or fractional CO2 laser. Eighteen studies applied laser treatments 2–4 times with 2‐ to 8‐week intervals, while seven studies applied only one laser treatment. Follow‐up time ranged from 1 to 12 months with 18 studies using a follow‐up time ≤3 months. In general, laser‐treated wounds and scars showed benefit from laser intervention, though not always reaching significance. Significant scar improvement was found in three of four studies using laser treatment in inflammation phase, in six of 16 studies with laser initiated in the proliferation phase and in two of five studies in the remodelling phase. High risk of bias was found in randomization and allocation concealment, and low risk of bias with regard to blinding of outcome assessment and lost to follow‐up. In conclusion, laser intervention when introduced in inflammation, proliferation or remodelling phase has the potential to reduce cutaneous scar formation. Further, high‐quality studies are needed before standard protocols can be implemented in clinical practice.
The role of performance appraisals in motivating employees
Authors: Kamphorst Jurjen J.A. , Swank Otto H.
Published: February 2018

Workers' rewards and career perspectives often depend on how their supervisors perceive their performance. However, evaluating a worker's performance is often difficult. We develop a model in which a worker is uncertain about his own performance and about his supervisor's ability to assess him. The supervisor gives the worker a performance appraisal aiming to affect both the worker's self‐perception and his own credibility in assessing the performance. We examine how performance appraisals affect the worker's future performance. Our model's predictions are consistent with empirical findings. Supervisors give, on average, “too” positive appraisals, and both positive and negative feedback can (de)motivate workers.
Comparing Asset Pricing Models
Authors: BARILLAS FRANCISCO , SHANKEN JAY
Published: February 2018

A Bayesian asset pricing test is derived that is easily computed in closed form from the standard F‐statistic. Given a set of candidate traded factors, we develop a related test procedure that permits the computation of model probabilities for the collection of all possible pricing models that are based on subsets of the given factors. We find that the recent models of Hou, Xue, and Zhang (2015a, 2015b) and Fama and French (2015, 2016) are dominated by a variety of models that include a momentum factor, along with value and profitability factors that are updated monthly.
Morphological diversity and phylogeny of the diatom genus Entomoneis (Bacillariophyta) in marine plankton: six new species from the Adriatic Sea
Authors: Mejdandžić Maja , Bosak Sunčica , Nakov Teofil , Ruck Elizabeth , Orlić Sandi , Gligora Udovič Marija , Peharec Štefanić Petra , Špoljarić Igor , Mršić Gordan , Ljubešić Zrinka
Published: February 2018

The diatom genus Entomoneis is known from the benthos and plankton of marine, brackish, and freshwaters. Entomoneis includes diatoms with a bilobate keel elevated above the valve surface, a sigmoid canal raphe, and numerous girdle bands. Owing mostly to the scarcity of molecular data for a diverse set of species, the phylogeny of Entomoneis has not been investigated in depth. The few previous studies that included Entomoneis were focused on broader questions and the available data were from a small number of either unidentified Entomoneis or well‐known species (e.g., E. paludosa). Since the first description of new species combining both molecular and morphological characters (E. tenera), we have continued to cultivate and investigate Entomoneis in the plankton of the Adriatic Sea. Combined multigene phylogeny (SSU rDNA sequences, rbcL, and psbC genes) and morphological observations (LM, SEM and TEM) revealed six new Entomoneis species supported by phylogenetic and morphological data: E. pusilla, E. gracilis, E. vilicicii, E. infula, E. adriatica, and E. umbratica. The most important morphological features for species delineation were cell shape, the degree and mode of torsion, valve apices, the appearance and structure of the transition between keel and valve body, the ultrastructure and the shape of the girdle bands, and the arrangement and density of perforations along the valve and valvocopulae. Our results highlight the underappreciated diversity of Entomoneis and call for a more in‐depth morphological and molecular investigation of this genus especially in planktonic habitats.
The use of a combination of instrumental methods to assess change in sensory crispness during storage of a “Honeycrisp” apple breeding family
Authors: Chang Hsueh‐Yuan , Vickers Zata M. , Tong Cindy B. S.
Published: February 2018

Loss of crispness in apple fruit during storage reduces the fruit's fresh sensation and consumer acceptance. Apple varieties that maintain crispness thus have higher potential for longer‐term consumer appeal. To efficiently phenotype crispness, several instrumental methods have been tested, but variable results were obtained when different apple varieties were assayed. To extend these studies, we assessed the extent to which instrumental measurements correlate to and predict sensory crispness, with a focus on crispness maintenance. We used an apple breeding family derived from a cross between “Honeycrisp” and “MN1764,” which segregates for crispness maintenance. Three types of instrumental measurements (puncture, snapping, and mechanical‐acoustic tests) and sensory evaluation were performed on fruit at harvest and after 8 weeks of cold storage. Overall, 20 genotypes from the family and the 2 parents were characterized by 19 force and acoustic measures. In general, crispness was more related to force than to acoustic measures. Force linear distance and maximum force as measured by the mechanical‐acoustic test were best correlated with sensory crispness and change in crispness, respectively. The correlations varied by apple genotype. The best multiple linear regression model to predict change in sensory crispness between harvest and storage of fruit of this breeding family incorporated both force and acoustic measures.

Practical applications

This work compared the abilities of instrumental tests to predict sensory crispness maintenance of apple fruit. The use of an instrumental method that is highly correlated to sensory crispness evaluation can enhance the efficiency and reduce the cost of measuring crispness for breeding purposes. This study showed that sensory crispness and change in crispness after storage of an apple breeding family were reliably predicted with a combination of instrumental measurements and multiple variable analyses. The strategy potentially can be applied to other apple varieties for more accurate interpretation of crispness maintenance measured instrumentally.
A new natural allotriploid, Lycoris × hubeiensis hybr. nov. (Amaryllidaceae), identified by morphological, karyological and molecular data
Authors: Meng Wei‐Qi , Zheng Lu , Shao Jian‐Wen , Zhou Shou‐Biao , Liu Kun
Published: February 2018

A new natural hybrid, Lycoris × hubeiensis K. Liu, is confirmed and described based on morphological, karyological and molecular data. The new natural hybrid displays remarkable morphological differences relative to the putative parents L. radiata (2n = 22 = 22A) and L. aurea (2n = 14 = 8m + 6T), and has a karyotype of 3n = 29 = 4m + 22A + 3T. Two chloroplast intergenic regions of ndhF‐rpl32R and rpl32F‐trnL were sequenced with three haplotypes found in the three taxa. The putative hybrid and L. radiata shared the same haplotype (H1), while L. aurea had two other haplotypes (H2 and H3). Combined with the morphological, karyological and molecular data, we conclude that the hybrid is an allotriploid with L. radiata being the maternal parent offering an unreduced gamete and L. aurea being the male parent.
Virtue, affection, and the social good: The moral philosophy of Catharine Trotter Cockburn and the Bluestockings
Authors: Sheridan Patricia
Published: February 2018

This paper explores the intellectual relationship between three eighteenth century women thinkers: Catharine Trotter Cockburn, and the Bluestockings Elizabeth Carter and Catherine Talbot. All three share a virtue‐ethical approach according to which human happiness depends on the harmonization of our essentially rational and sociable natures. The affinity between the Bluestockings and Cockburn, I show, illuminates important new avenues for thinking about the Bluestockings as philosophers in their own right and for thinking about the feminist dimensions of Cockburn's morality. Further, their shared moral outlook sheds interesting light on the burgeoning feminism of the eighteenth century and the contributions of Cockburn and the Bluestockings to a new and growing discourse about women and their social and political role.
“Food ethics I: Food production and food justice”
Authors: Barnhill Anne , Doggett Tyler
Published: February 2018

This piece surveys recent work on the ethics of food production and distribution, paying closest attention to animal agriculture, plant agriculture, food justice, and food sovereignty.
The conceptual critique of innateness
Authors: Linquist Stefan
Published: February 2018

It is widely recognized that the innate versus acquired distinction is a false dichotomy. Yet many scientists continue to describe certain traits as “innate” and take this to imply that those traits are not acquired, or “unlearned.” This article asks what cognitive role, if any, the concept of innateness should play in the psychological and behavioural sciences. I consider three arguments for eliminating innateness from scientific discourse. First, the classification of a trait as innate is thought to discourage empirical research into its developmental origin. Second, this concept lumps together a number of different biological properties that ought to be treated as distinct. Third, innateness is associated with the outmoded folk biological theory of essentialism. In response to these objections, I consider two attempts to revise the concept of innateness which aim to make it more suitable for scientific explanation and research. One proposal is that innateness can be defined in terms of the biological property of environmental canalization. On this view, a trait is innate to the extent that it is developmentally buffered against a range of different environments. Another proposal is that innateness serves as an explanatory primitive for cognitive science. This view holds that there exist a sharp boundary between psychological and biological explanations and that to identify a trait as innate means that it falls into the latter explanatory domain. This essay ends with some questions for future research.
Evidence for Reverse Hoogsteen Hairpin Intermediates in the Photocrosslinking of Human Telomeric DNA Sequences
Authors: Lu Chen , Smith‐Carpenter Jillian E. , Taylor John‐Stephen A.
Published: February 2018

UVB irradiation of human telomeric d(GGGTTA)3GGG sequences in potassium ion solution crosslinks the first and third TTA segments through anti cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) formation. The photocrosslinking reaction was first proposed to occur through a form 3 two‐tetrad G‐quadruplex in which the lateral four‐nucleotide GTTA loop can interact with an adjacent TTA loop. Curiously, the reaction does not occur with sodium ion, which was explained by the formation of a basket structure which only has three‐nucleotide TTA loops that cannot interact. Sequences known or expected to favor the two‐tetrad basket did not show enhanced photocrosslinking, suggesting that some other structure was the reactive intermediate. Herein, we report that anti CPDs form in human telomeric DNA sequences with lithium ion that is known to disfavor G‐quadruplex formation, as well as with potassium ion when the bases are modified to interfere with G‐quartet formation. We also show that anti CPDs form in sequences containing A's in place of G's that cannot form Hoogsteen hairpins, but can form reverse Hoogsteen hairpins. These results suggest that reverse Hoogsteen hairpins may play a hitherto unrecognized role in the biology and photoreactivity of DNA in telomeres, and possibly in other purine‐rich sequences found in regulatory regions.
Light‐based methods for whole blood bacterial inactivation enabled by a recirculating flow system
Authors: Kim Gwangseong , Karbaschi Mahsa , Cooke Marcus , Gaitas Angelo
Published: February 2018

Light of certain wavelengths can be used to inactivate pathogens. Whole blood is opaque; thus, the penetration of light is reduced. Here, we overcame this limitation using a thin transparent tube that is illuminated from all angles. Three light‐based techniques were evaluated: photodynamic therapy (PDT) using a 660‐nm light and antibody‐photosensitizer conjugates, ultraviolet, and violet light. We observed a reduction of 55–71% of Staphylococcus aureus after 5 h of exposure (starting concentration 107 CFU mL−1) and an 88–97% reduction in methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (starting 104 CFU mL−1). An 83–92% decrease for S. aureus and 98–99.9% decrease for MRSA were observed when combined with an immunocapture approach. Complete blood count with differential analysis did not reveal any significant changes in the blood cell numbers. Genotoxicity studies showed that violet and ultraviolet did not induce any significant level of single strand breaks and alkali labile sites in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In contrast, ultraviolet did induce a very low level of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, a UV damage indicator. PDT generated a significant level of single strand breaks and 8‐oxoGua in these cells. The approaches showed promise for whole blood pathogen inactivation with minimal collateral damage to PBMC.
Communicating useful results from restoration ecology research
Authors: Zedler Joy B.
Published: February 2018

Interactions between restoration ecologists and stakeholders (policy makers and decision makers, volunteers, public supporters) benefit from clear communication of research findings. Given that adaptive management (e.g. learning while restoring) already stresses frequent and effective discourse among researchers and stakeholders, it seems that a new specialty under a new term, “translational ecology,” adds more confusion than clarity. Communicating technical information to nontechnical audiences benefits from simple rules—be clear and concise, retain familiar terms that serve well, and use fewer words.
Multidisciplinary approach in a case of Hand–Schüller–Christian disease with maxillary involvement
Authors: Cazzolla Angela Pia , Testa Nunzio Francesco , Favia Gianfranco , Lacaita Maria Grazia , Ciavarella Domenico , Zhurakivska Khrystyna , Troiano Giuseppe , Lo Muzio Lorenzo
Published: February 2018

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a childhood pathology with a peak of incidence ranging from 1 to 4 years of age, though diagnosis is often made in adult age. LCH is clinically classified into three types: eosinophilic granuloma, Hand–Schuller–Christian disease and Abt–Letterer–Siwe disease. We report a case of Hand–Schüller–Christian disease with diabetes insipidus, skull and maxillary involvement in a 16‐year‐old boy referred to our observation for gradual increase in mobility of the teeth and subsequent gradual loss of the second premolars and the first molars of the upper jaw. Due to the extension of the lesion and the age of the patient, surgery, and chemotherapy was chosen as the more fit treatment according to the current protocol. The clinical and radiological evaluation at the end of the therapy and after 5 years showed complete remission. The absence of relapse has allowed to initiate a fixed orthodontic dental alignment treatment with a good response to orthodontic treatment despite the underlying disease. The present case exemplifies the importance of close multidisciplinary dental and medical collaboration including general dentistry, periodontology, oral medicine, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral radiology, orthodontics and hematology‐oncology for diagnosis, management, treatment monitoring, and decision‐making.
A serious adverse event secondary to rapid intravenous levetiracetam injection in a dog
Authors: Biddick Allison A. , Bacek Lenore M. , Taylor Amanda R.
Published: February 2018

Objective

To describe a serious adverse event as a result of rapid intravenous injection of undiluted levetiracetam in a dog.

Case Summary

An 8‐year‐old female spayed Chihuahua was evaluated for cluster seizures and tachypnea. The patient was administered an intravenous dose of undiluted levetiracetam (60 mg/kg) and immediately developed tachycardia, hyperglycemia, hypotension, and a dull mentation. The patient's blood pressure and mentation did not respond to intravenous fluid boluses but improved immediately after administration of epinephrine intravenously. The patient subsequently developed respiratory failure necessitating mechanical ventilation, prior to cardiac arrest. Necropsy examination noted a pulmonary inflammatory cell infiltrate, pulmonary edema, and interstitial pneumonia.

New or Unique Information Provided

This report documents a serious adverse event associated with intravenous levetiracetam administration to a dog.
A Reflection on Sociology of Education
Authors: Serpa Sandro
Published: February 2018

Following an evident scientific strength of Sociology of Education, especially in the macro-analysis of school phenomena and, in a second moment, in the analysis of school as an organisation, is it possible that, currently, there is a reduction in the centrality of the importance ascribed, at various levels, to this scientific area? This preliminary reflection, which is based on a perspective from Portugal, aims to put forward an insight about Sociology of Education, with all the risks that this kind of analysis entails. Conclusions point to the following relevant dimensions of Sociology of Education: its importance in the definition of several sociological paradigms, considering the (greater or lesser) relevance ascribed to the socialisation process; its specific contribution to the sociological understanding of educational phenomena in the training of future sociologists; and, also, its prospective contribution to the development of Educational Sciences, both in the understanding of educational phenomena in their broadest sense and in dialoguing and participating in discussions on the object of Educational Sciences themselves. So as to achieve this ambition, among other factors, it seems essential that Sociology of Education continues to deepen its knowledge about other educational dimensions beyond school and the phenomena directly connected to it, dialoguing, whenever heuristically relevant, with other scientific areas.
Analysis of model for the transmission dynamics of Zika with sterile insect technique
Authors: Danbaba U.A. , Garba S.M.
Published: February 2018

A deterministic model for the transmission dynamics of Zika, that takes into account the aquatic and non-aquatic stages of mosquito development is constructed and rigorously analysed. The model with fraction of male mosquitoes being sterilized assumed direct (human-human) and indirect (human-mosquito-human) transmission. Stability analysis of the equilibria and sensitivity analysis of parameters associated with the computed reproduction number were presented. Numerical simulation were carried out to support the analysis.
Comprehensive Seismic Evaluation of HTTR Against the 2011 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake
Authors: Ono Masato , Iigaki Kazuhiko , Sawahata Hiroaki , Shimazaki Yosuke , Shimizu Atsushi , Inoi Hiroyuki , Kondo Toshinari , Kojima Keidai , Takada Shoji , Sawa Kazuhiro
Published: February 2018

On Mar. 11, 2011, the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake of magnitude 9.0 occurred. When the great earthquake occurred, the high temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR) had been stopped under the periodic inspection and maintenance of equipment and instruments. A comprehensive integrity evaluation was carried out for the HTTR facility because the maximum seismic acceleration observed at the HTTR exceeded the maximum value of design basis earthquake. The concept of comprehensive integrity evaluation is divided into two parts. One is the “visual inspection of equipment and instruments.” The other is the “seismic response analysis” for the building structure, equipment and instruments using the observed earthquake. All equipment and instruments related to operation were inspected in the basic inspection. The integrity of the facilities was confirmed by comparing the inspection results or the numerical results with their evaluation criteria. As the results of inspection of equipment and instruments associated with the seismic response analysis, it was judged that there was no problem for operation of the reactor, because there was no damage and performance deterioration. The integrity of HTTR was also supported by the several operations without reactor power in cold conditions of HTTR in 2011, 2013, and 2015. Additionally, the integrity of control rod guide blocks was also confirmed visually when three control rod guide blocks and six replaceable reflector blocks were taken out from reactor core in order to change neutron startup sources in 2015.
Development of a Knudsen-type matrix coater for sample preparation for mass spectrometry imaging
Authors: Körsgen Martin , Tyler Bonnie J. , Heeger Marcel , Buhl Moritz , Arlinghaus Heinrich F.
Published: February 2018

The use of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is of increasing interest for biological and medical applications due to its ability to provide chemical information on a submicrometer scale. However, the detection of larger biomolecules such as phospholipids and peptides is often inhibited by high fragmentation rates and low ionization efficiencies. One way to increase the secondary ion molecular yield is to chemically modify the surface using the matrix-enhanced SIMS approach, where an organic matrix is placed upon the surface. In this study, a Knudsen cell type matrix coater was developed in order to produce well-defined thicknesses of a matrix on a sample in order to study the effect of these matrix layers on the secondary ions. Using this technique, an order of magnitude enhancement of the useful ion yield for lipids was observed and clear enhancement of image contrast for lipids in brain tissue was demonstrated. The study shows that the layer thickness has a great influence on the emission of secondary ions, and therefore, its precise control is important for optimal yield enhancement.
Conditioned attenuation of auditory brainstem responses in dolphins warned of an intense noise exposure: Temporal and spectral patterns
Authors: Finneran James J.
Published: February 2018

Conditioned reductions in hearing sensitivity were elicited in two bottlenose dolphins by pairing a 10-kHz tone (the conditioned stimulus) with a more intense tone (the unconditioned stimulus) at 20, 40, or 80 kHz. Hearing was assessed via noninvasive measurement of auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) to 20 - to 133-kHz tone bursts presented at randomized intervals from 1 to 3 ms. ABRs within each trial were obtained by averaging the instantaneous electroencephalogram, time-locked to tone burst onsets, over 2- to 3-s time intervals. In initial testing, ABR amplitudes were reduced (relative to baseline values) in one dolphin after the conditioned stimulus, but before the unconditioned stimulus, demonstrating conditioned hearing attenuation. In subsequent testing with both dolphins, ABRs were attenuated throughout the entire 31-s trial. Maximum ABR threshold shifts occurred at and above the unconditioned stimulus frequency and were above 40 dB for some conditions. The results (1) confirm that dolphins can be conditioned to reduce hearing sensitivity when warned of an impending noise exposure, (2) show that hearing attenuation occurs within the cochlea or auditory nerve, and (3) support the hypothesis that toothed whales can “self-mitigate” some effects of noise if warned of an impending exposure.
Exploring Servant Leadership and Needs Satisfaction in the Sport for Development and Peace Context
Authors: Welty Peachey Jon , Burton Laura , Wells Janelle , Chung Mi Ryoung
Published: February 2018

The purpose of this study was to explore how servant leadership influences followers’ work-related needs satisfaction within the sport for development and peace field. We examined whether leaders used and followers perceived aspects of servant leadership, and if so, did servant leadership work to satisfy the basic psychological needs of followers (i.e., autonomy, competence, relatedness). Based on an online survey (n = 76) with followers (employees) and qualitative interviews (n = 14) with both leaders (executive directors and founders) and followers (employees), our results revealed that followers perceived and leaders used aspects of servant leadership in sport for development and peace organizations. Leaders used servant leadership behaviors to set the vision for the organization. In addition, followers’ needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness were met through servant leadership. This study supports use of servant leadership behaviors to satisfy the needs of followers in sport for development and peace organizations.
Optimal information networks: Application for data-driven integrated health in populations
Authors: Servadio Joseph L. , Convertino Matteo
Published: February 2018

Optimized information networks assess integrated city health from big data.
Revealing the detailed path of sequential deposition for metal halide perovskite formation
Authors: Ummadisingu Amita , Grätzel Michael
Published: February 2018

Comprehensive study of perovskite film formation reveals the stages of the reaction and identifies a suitable kinetic model.
CO
2
leakage alters biogeochemical and ecological functions of submarine sands
Authors: Molari Massimiliano , Guilini Katja , Lott Christian , Weber Miriam , de Beer Dirk , Meyer Stefanie , Ramette Alban , Wegener Gunter , Wenzhöfer Frank , Martin Daniel , Cibic Tamara , De Vittor Cinzia , Vanreusel Ann , Boetius Antje
Published: February 2018

CO
2
leakage alters benthic carbon cycling and leads to shifts in the food web and ecological functioning of local communities.
Impaired cohesion and homologous recombination during replicative aging in budding yeast
Authors: Pal Sangita , Postnikoff Spike D. , Chavez Myrriah , Tyler Jessica K.
Published: February 2018

How does the genome become unstable during aging?
The Global Spread of Malaria in a Future, Warmer World
Authors: Rogers David J. , Randolph Sarah E.
Published: February 2018

The frequent warnings that global climate change will allow
falciparum
malaria to spread into northern latitudes, including Europe and large parts of the United States, are based on biological transmission models driven principally by temperature. These models were assessed for their value in predicting present, and therefore future, malaria distribution. In an alternative statistical approach, the recorded present-day global distribution of
falciparum
malaria was used to establish the current multivariate climatic constraints. These results were applied to future climate scenarios to predict future distributions, which showed remarkably few changes, even under the most extreme scenarios.
What can I TIL you? Decoding TCR antigens.
Authors: Henrickson Sarah E.
Published: February 2018

Novel unbiased strategy for identification of peptide antigens bound by tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte T cell receptors.
Flora-ishing guts assist cancer immunotherapies
Authors: Davis Laurie S.
Published: February 2018

Gut bacteria influence patient response to cancer therapy.
Deadly role of chromosomal instability in metastasis
Authors: Chonghaile Tríona Ní
Published: February 2018

Chromosomal instability produces cytosolic micronuclei that rupture and activate a viral response pathway, driving metastasis.
No one is naïve: Young infant’s immunity can dodge Darwinian selection
Authors: Singh Ankur
Published: February 2018

Unlike adults, young infant antibody responses against respiratory syncytial virus are biased toward limited antigenic sites, suggesting a blueprint for future infant and age-specific vaccines.