bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Randomized, Double‐blind, Placebo‐controlled Clinical Trial Examining the Effects of Green Tea Extract on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity and Quality of Life
Authors: Shamekhi Z. , Amani R. , Habibagahi Z. , Namjoyan F. , Ghadiri Ata , Saki Malehi A.
Published: June 2017

Antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory benefit of green tea (Camellia sinensis) in autoimmune disease has been proven in recent studies. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of green tea on disease activity and quality of life in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. A randomized controlled trial on subjects with lupus was conducted, and 68 patients in the age range of 39.1 ± 10.3 years and body mass index of 25.7 ± 5.21 kg/m2 completed the 12‐week study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of intervention (1000 mg green tea extract, two capsules/day) and control (1000 mg of starch, two capsules/day). Main outcome measure, systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity, was assessed by the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index at the first and after 3 months of intervention. In addition, patient's quality of life was evaluated by short form of quality‐of‐life questionnaire at baseline and after 3 months. Green tea extract supplementation significantly reduced disease activity in lupus patients (p < 0.004); in addition, it significantly increased the vitality (p < 0.006) and general health (p < 0.01). This study showed that daily consumption of green tea extracts for 12 weeks improves the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity as well as some aspects of quality of life. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Parametrization of solar spectral irradiance between 300 and 1100 nm for photovoltaic devices
Authors: Sun Zhian , Liu Aixia , Shi Guoping , Huang He
Published: June 2017

Most solar cells use the solar irradiance at a spectral region between 300 and 1100 nm to generate electricity. We refer to this irradiance as a cell band irradiance (CBI). However, solar energy power systems use the global horizontal irradiance (GHI) to manage the electricity generation rather than the CBI. This is because the CBI is generally not available from either observation or radiation modelling. We conduct a theoretical investigation to show that the ratio of the CBI to GHI varies significantly with atmospheric conditions, which means that using the GHI to manage the electricity generation will introduce a large uncertainty. In this article, we develop a parametrization of irradiance ratio as a function of water vapour, solar zenith angle, aerosol and cloud optical depth, which can be used to convert the GHI to the CBI used by solar cells. We further evaluate this parametrization using the high spectral resolution Rotating Shadowband Spectroradiometer (RSS) data measured at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site of the US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) programme. The results show that the parametrization is reasonably accurate in both clear‐ and all‐sky conditions. The relative mean biases for the estimated clear‐sky GHI and CBI are 1.50 and −0.44%, respectively. The relative r.m.s. differences are 7.38 and 7.68%. The relative mean biases for the estimated all‐sky GHI and CBI are −4.25 and −3.31%, and the relative r.m.s. differences are 16.04 and 18.48%, respectively.
Characterization of rapid extraction protocols for high‐throughput metabolomics
Authors: Gehrke Sarah , Reisz Julie A. , Nemkov Travis , Hansen Kirk C. , D'Alessandro Angelo
Published: June 2017

Rationale

In the last five years, high‐throughput metabolomics has significantly advanced scientific research and holds the potential to promote strides in the fields of clinical metabolomics and personalized medicine. While innovations in the field of flow‐injection mass spectrometry and three‐minute metabolomics methods now allow investigators to process hundreds to thousands of samples per day, time‐sensitive clinical applications, particularly in the emergency department, are limited by a lack of rapid extraction methods.

Methods

Here we characterized the efficacy of fast liquid–liquid extractions for characterization of hydrophilic compounds through ultra‐high‐pressure liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Internal stable‐isotope‐labeled standards were used to quantitatively characterize markers of energy and oxidative metabolism in human whole blood, plasma and red blood cells – three common matrices of clinical relevance.

Results

For all the tested matrices, vortexing time (4–60 min) did not significantly affect extraction yields for the tested hydrophilic metabolites. Coefficients of variations <<20% for all tested compounds, except for the redox‐sensitive metabolite cystine (accumulating over time). Internal standards and second extractions confirmed recoveries >80% for all tested metabolites, except for basic amino acids and polyamines, which showed reproducible yields ranging from 50 to 75%. Global profiling and absolute quantitation of 24 metabolites revealed similarities between the plasma and red blood cell metabolomes.

Conclusions

Rapid extraction (~4 min) of hydrophilic compounds is a viable and potentially automatable strategy to perform quantitative analysis of whole blood, plasma and red blood cells for research or clinical applications.
Development of a Household Sustainable Consumption Index and Its Application to EU‐28
Authors: Bartolj Tjaša , Murovec Nika , Slabe‐Erker Renata
Published: June 2017

The purpose of this paper is to present the construction of the Household Sustainable Consumption Index (HSCI). The index is based on existing data from reputable institutions, which allows us to form a broad perspective on all three aspects of sustainability for 28 EU countries for the years 2005 and 2010. HSCI is a composite index developed in line with statistical principles using parallel analysis to select the appropriate number of factors, and factor analysis for calculation of weights. In both years, HSCI rankings have placed Scandinavian and Benelux countries at the top of the table, while Baltic countries, Romania and Bulgaria have been placed at the bottom. The explanatory power of HSCI is confirmed by linking the index to GDP per capita. The analysis brings a novel and first statistically developed tool to empirically simultaneously follow the changes in household sustainable consumption. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
Information‐adaptive clinical trials with selective recruitment and binary outcomes
Authors: Barrett James E.
Published: June 2017

Selective recruitment designs preferentially recruit individuals who are estimated to be statistically informative onto a clinical trial. Individuals who are expected to contribute less information have a lower probability of recruitment. Furthermore, in an information‐adaptive design, recruits are allocated to treatment arms in a manner that maximises information gain. The informativeness of an individual depends on their covariate (or biomarker) values, and how information is defined is a critical element of information‐adaptive designs. In this paper, we define and evaluate four different methods for quantifying statistical information. Using both experimental data and numerical simulations, we show that selective recruitment designs can offer a substantial increase in statistical power compared with randomised designs. In trials without selective recruitment, we find that allocating individuals to treatment arms according to information‐adaptive protocols also leads to an increase in statistical power. Consequently, selective recruitment designs can potentially achieve successful trials using fewer recruits thereby offering economic and ethical advantages. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Software process models vs descriptions: What do practitioners use and need?
Authors: Diebold P. , Scherr S.A.
Published: June 2017

It is commonly known that software or system development processes are very important for getting a high‐quality product. Such processes can be described in many different ways, from textual documents to existing modeling notations. Before dealing with the overall goal of improving the description of development processes, this paper evaluates the current state of practice regarding process descriptions and reasons for that. A major focus is on the degree of formality. Based on an interview guideline, a series of 12 interviews was conducted in German companies of different sizes. The results were analyzed to come up with the current usage of and need for software process models or descriptions. In general, our results confirm the literature statement that in industrial practice the majority of processes descriptions are detailed but rather focus on informal descriptions than formal notations or models. Nevertheless, they use semiformal process descriptions containing different graphical, table‐based, or structured‐text elements for representation. It is interesting that even if companies do not want to use formal models; they would like to have their advantages and even often have the detailed information necessary for formal models. Overall, our findings provide evidence on the state of practice regarding usage of process descriptions and models and show the need for future work in this area.
Mode‐matching analysis of a spit‐circular cavity resonator for measurement of the dielectric constant for film on a substrate
Authors: Shibata Kouji , Kobayashi Masaki
Published: June 2017

In this paper, we apply the mode‐matching technique (eigenmode expansion) to formulate an analytical model for a split cylindrical cavity resonator with a thick ceramic film layer sandwiched between two‐layer alumina substrates. We then compute the resonant frequencies with the TE011 mode with an eigenvalue problem approach using the model formula. The quality factor (Q‐factor) of the resonator is also calculated by applying the perturbation method to the analytical model. The validity of the proposed analytical technique is confirmed by applying this method to the estimation of permittivity of thick films as an inverse problem. Ceramic films (2 µm thickness) were synthesized using a chemical solution method onto 200‐µm‐thick, 50‐mm‐diameter alumina substrates. The complex permittivity of the films was then determined using the TE011 mode split cylindrical cavity resonator in the 10‐GHz band. The extent of the edge effect at a sample insertion space was evaluated by comparing the estimated results through TE wave analysis using the mode‐matching method when the transverse resonance technique and the perturbation method were applied to calculate the resonant frequency and the dielectric Q‐factor. The results obtained indicate that a difference of 0.153% in the permittivity of the alumina substrate causes differences of 6.10 and 3.75% in the measured permittivity and loss tangent, respectively, of 2‐µm‐thick ceramic film with a permittivity of ∼50. Differences in permittivity and loss tangent were more pronounced with thinner films. It was also confirmed that the estimated results for permittivity and the loss tangent values of these ceramic films were affected by the estimated permittivity value of the alumina substrate. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Measurement of psychophysical quantities of air‐flow stimulus
Authors: Takahashi Haruka , Bando Shizuka , Oiwa Kosuke , Nozawa Akio , Ishikawa Tomoharu , Mitsui Minoru
Published: June 2017

Broadband audio devices appear to give a deeper sense of realism as an air field by making one feel the vibration of the air through the entire body. The application of the new media of information transfer and content of sense presentation is expected to reproduce this air field. The purpose of this study was to create a completely new sense with the air‐flow stimulus, termed ‘air‐sensation’. In this study, we measured psychophysical quantities to clarify the sense properties of air‐sensation. Consequently, it was revealed that sense properties vary with the properties of signal waveform, stimulus‐presentation site, and stimulus‐presentation order. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
QoS metrics modeling and analysis for neighborhood area network in smart grid applications
Authors: Le Ngoc Thien , Benjapolakul Watit
Published: June 2017

Recently, planning and designing of smart‐grid (SG) neighborhood area network (NAN) communication architecture has drawn wide attention of researchers. In order to establish an SG NAN scheme satisfying the requirement, a quality of service (QoS) metric is a critical demand. However, there are few studies on the implementation of an efficient QoS metric model. In this paper, we propose an innovative QoS metric model for SG NAN design. By exploring the natural characteristics of SG messages in many applications, we choose the reliability and latency of a message as the most important criteria and implement the QoS curve for evaluating the performance of any candidate communication scheme. In addition, we present the evaluation model for QoS metrics of multiple SG services in NAN. Compared to other existing QoS methods, our model is easy to use and helps to reduce the time and cost in the planning and designing of a NAN for SG. Simulation and analysis results indicate good agreement with our proposed QoS model. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Performance evaluation of a QoS‐aware error control scheme for multiple‐WBAN environment
Authors: Takabayashi Kento , Karvonen Heikki , Paso Tuomas , Tanaka Hirokazu , Sugimoto Chika , Kohno Ryuji
Published: June 2017

This paper presents a comprehensive performance evaluation of an error control scheme using decomposable codes while satisfying quality of service (QoS) requirements in a multiple‐wireless body area network (WBAN) environment. Our QoS control scheme comprises a multiplexing layer and decomposable error control coding used to adapt the communication parameters and satisfy the different performance requirements of different types of WBAN data traffic. Using mathematical analysis and simulations, it has been shown in previous studies that this method has a better residual bit error ratio (RBER) and throughput performance than that of an IEEE 802.15.6‐based solution. The energy efficiency of the proposed method was recently evaluated for an additive white Gaussian noise case. In this work, this performance evaluation IS complemented by simulating the RBER performance under a defined worst case scenario. The energy efficiency is compared with that of the IEEE 802.15.6 solution using a realistic WBAN channel model and accounting for the interference from neighboring WBANs. Results from the previous studies and the new results are given to provide a complete description of the performance of our method. The results demonstrate that an error control scheme based on decomposable codes satisfies the QoS requirements of different data types and provides a more flexible and energy efficient QoS control than that of the IEEE 802.15.6 solution. The scheme is also shown to guarantee communication performance in the worst case scenario, whereas the IEEE 802.15.6 solution fails to do so. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Optimal offering and allocation policies for wind power in energy and reserve markets
Authors: Soares Tiago , Jensen Tue V. , Mazzi Nicolò , Pinson Pierre , Morais Hugo
Published: June 2017

Proliferation of wind power generation is increasingly making this power source an important asset in designs of energy and reserve markets. Intuitively, wind power producers will require the development of new offering strategies that maximize the expected profit in both energy and reserve markets while fulfilling the market rules and its operational limits. In this paper, we implement and exploit the controllability of the proportional control strategy. This strategy allows the splitting of potentially available wind power generation in energy and reserve markets. In addition, we take advantage of better forecast information from the different day‐ahead and balancing stages, allowing different shares of energy and reserve in both stages. Under these assumptions, different mathematical methods able to deal with the uncertain nature of wind power generation, namely, stochastic programming, with McCormick relaxation and piecewise linear decision rules are adapted and tested aiming to maximize the expected revenue for participating in both energy and reserve markets, while accounting for estimated balancing costs for failing to provide energy and reserve. A set of numerical examples, as well as a case study based on real data, allow the analysis and evaluation of the performance and behavior of such techniques.

An important conclusion is that the use of the proposed approaches offers a degree of freedom in terms of minimizing balancing costs for the wind power producer strategically to participate in both energy and reserve markets. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dynamic intransitive noninterference revisited
Authors: Eggert Sebastian , van der Meyden Ron
Published: June 2017

The paper studies dynamic information flow security policies in an automaton-based model. Two semantic interpretations of such policies are developed, both of which generalize the notion of TA-security [van der Meyden ESORICS 2007] for static intransitive noninterference policies. One of the interpretations focuses on information flows permitted by policy edges, the other focuses on prohibitions implied by absence of policy edges. In general, the two interpretations differ, but necessary and sufficient conditions are identified for the two interpretations to be equivalent. Sound and complete proof techniques are developed for both interpretations. Two applications of the theory are presented. The first is a general result showing that access control mechanisms are able to enforce a dynamic information flow policy. The second is a simple capability system motivated by the Flume operating system.
Using multiple metaphors and multimodalities as a semiotic resource when teaching year 2 students computational strategies
Authors: Mildenhall Paula , Sherriff Barbara
Published: June 2017

Recent research indicates that using multimodal learning experiences can be effective in teaching mathematics. Using a social semiotic lens within a participationist framework, this paper reports on a professional learning collaboration with a primary school teacher designed to explore the use of metaphors and modalities in mathematics instruction. This video case study was conducted in a year 2 classroom over two terms, with the focus on building children’s understanding of computational strategies. The findings revealed that the teacher was able to successfully plan both multimodal and multiple metaphor learning experiences that acted as semiotic resources to support the children’s understanding of abstract mathematics. The study also led to implications for teaching when using multiple metaphors and multimodalities.
Beyond the revolving door: Advocacy behavior and social distance to financial regulators
Authors: Young Kevin L. , Marple Tim , Heilman James
Published: June 2017

The financial system is governed not just by formal rules but also by social relationships that pervade the elite strata of society. Understanding such dynamics entails understanding complex relational ties between actors, a task that can be facilitated through the use of network analysis. We argue that a latent feature of interest to scholars of the political economy of finance is one of social distance, which is a measurable concept. Using new data from the financial sector, we measure the social distance between a range of financial firms and one key regulator, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), over time to assess whether or not social distance is related to organizations’ advocacy behavior. We find a positive relationship between how close a given organization is to the SEC and how often it engages in advocacy. The result persists when we control for numerous factors related to organizational characteristics, firm size, and when we measure advocacy frequency in different ways.
Civic Participation in a Hybrid Regime: Limited Pluralism in Policymaking and Delivery in Contemporary Russia
Authors: Owen Catherine , Bindman Eleanor
Published: June 2017

This article asks why the Russian government has developed new avenues for public participation in policymaking and delivery and assesses the extent to which these avenues introduce pluralism into these processes. Drawing on 50 interviews with individuals and citizens’ groups involved in either public consultative bodies or socially oriented NGOs, the article demonstrates the government’s desire to harness the knowledge and abilities of citizens and civic groups in place of state departments perceived to be bureaucratic and inefficient, while controlling and curtailing their participation. Arguing that these countervailing tendencies can be conceptualized as limited pluralism, a category elaborated by Juan Linz and Alfred Stepan, we show that citizens and civic groups are able to influence policy outcomes to varying extents using these mechanisms.
THE RED GUARD GENERATION REVISITED
Authors: Wasserstrom Jeffrey
Published: June 2017

People routinely refer to the Cultural Revolution and Mao Zedong as two subjects that are “sensitive” to write and even talk about in today's People's Republic of China (PRC). This is true, but not all “sensitive” events and individuals are created equal—or handled the same way by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). When it comes to the June 4th Massacre, another “sensitive” event, and Liu Xiaobo, another “sensitive” figure, all public and even some relatively private forms of discussion are blocked. The goal is to make them both forgotten, as Louisa Lim argues in her important, aptly titled 2014 Oxford book, The People's Republic of Amnesia: Tiananmen Revisited. The CCP's aim with the Cultural Revolution and Mao, by contrast, is not to blot out but control memory, not stop but steer the direction and constrain the scope of research, discussion, and commemoration. Last year, when the fiftieth anniversary of the first Red Guard rallies passed, there was, tellingly, muted discussion in all parts of the PRC other than Hong Kong but, equally tellingly, not a complete June 4th anniversary style blackout. Mainland bookstores stock novels dealing with the Cultural Revolution but not June 4th, and texts by and biographies of Mao but not Liu. And so on.
Investigation of the Flow and Noise Distribution on a Blower via Integration of Simulation and Experiments
Authors: Kuan Y. D. , Huang J. M. , Wong J. H. , Chen C. Y. , Lee S. M. , Hsu C. N.
Published: June 2017

As the consciousness of energy saving and carbon reduction and comfortable environment is paid increasing attention to, the common objective of various countries with decreasing energy is to develop and popularize high efficiency and low running noise blowers. This study uses CFD to calculate the flow field and performance of a blower and compare with the experimental measurement. The characteristic curve of blower shows that the simulated and experimental values are close to each other, the difference between the values is only 0.4%. This analysis result proofs the CFD package is a highly reliable tool for the future blower design improvement. In addition, this study discusses the noise distribution of blower flow field, the periodic pressure output value calculated by CFD is used in the sound source input of sound pressure field, so as to simulate and analyze the aerodynamic noise reading of the flow field around the blower. The result shows that the simulated value of flow field around the fan has as high as 80.5 dB(A) ∼ 81.5 dB(A) noise level and is agree with measurement (82 dB(A)). The noise level is low but has a sharp noise. According to the numerical results, designer of the blower modify the tongue geometry and remove the sharp noise.
Multilevel social spaces: The network dynamics of organizational fields
Authors: HOLLWAY JAMES , LOMI ALESSANDRO , PALLOTTI FRANCESCA , STADTFELD CHRISTOPH
Published: June 2017

In this paper, we seek to advance an updated concept of social space that integrates the multilayer and dynamic statistical network methods currently at the disposal of social network researchers. We demonstrate the analytic value of the new concept of social space that we propose with the help of an illustrative analysis of an organizational field involving organizations' external and internal decisions that congeal into a multilevel system of action that shapes the space of possibilities for other participants in the field. Through these internal and external decisions, organizations seek certain positions in their social space while simultaneously modifying that social space over time. We conclude by arguing that network researchers' choices of goodness-of-fit statistics should reflect a consideration about the dimensions of social space of most interest to the nodes involved.
Paleoflood records from sinkholes using an example from the Ebro River floodplain, northeastern Spain
Authors: Gutiérrez Francisco , Zarroca Mario , Castañeda Carmen , Carbonel Domingo , Guerrero Jesús , Linares Rogelio , Roqué Carles , Lucha Pedro
Published: June 2017

This work introduces for the first time the concept of using sinkholes in fluvial valleys as recorders of past floods. The notion is illustrated through the investigation of a complex sinkhole located in a broad floodplain underlain by salt-bearing Cenozoic evaporites. This active sinkhole comprises a large subsidence depression affecting the floodplain and the edge of a terrace, and a nested collapse sinkhole that used to host a sinkhole pond. A borehole drilled in the buried sinkhole pond revealed an ~7.8-m-thick fill that records around 2700 yr of clayey lacustrine deposition interrupted by three types of detrital facies. Two thick pebble gravel beds have been attributed to major high-competence floods: a paleoflood that occurred in Visigothic times (1537–1311 cal yr BP) and the 1961 Great Ebro River Flood, which is the largest event of the instrumental record. A trench dug in the portion of the terrace affected by subsidence exposed a mid-Holocene slack-water paleoflood deposit. The disadvantages and advantages of sinkholes as archives of past flood histories are discussed.
Modulation of human T-lymphocyte functions by the consumption of carotenoid-rich vegetables
Authors: Watzl Bernhard , Bub Achim , Brandstetter Birgit R. , Rechkemmer Gerhard
Published: June 2017

A human intervention study was conducted to determine the effect of the consumption of carotenoid-rich vegetables on the immune system. Subjects, (twenty-three men), who were non-smokers, were not restricted in their daily diet, except that they had to abstain from fruit and vegetables high in carotenoids throughout the whole study period. The study was divided into four periods, each lasting 2 weeks: weeks 1–2: low-carotenoid period; throughout weeks 3–8: daily consumption of 330 ml tomato juice (40 mg lycopene/d, 1·5 mg β-carotene/d) (weeks 3–4), 330 ml carrot juice (21·6 mg β-carotene/d, 15·7 mg α-carotene/d, 0·5 mg lutein/d) (weeks 5–6), 10 g dried spinach powder (11·3 mg lutein/d, 3·1 mg β-carotene/d) (weeks 7–8). Blood was collected weekly from subjects after a 12 h fast. T-lymphocyte functions were assessed by measuring proliferation and secretion of immunoreactive cytokines. The consumption of a low-carotenoid diet resulted in a significantly reduced proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) cultured with concanavalin A. After 2 weeks of tomato juice consumption and until the end of the intervention period lymphocyte proliferation was not significantly changed compared with proliferation at the end of the depletion period. Secretion of cytokines by T-helper-1-like lymphocytes (interleukin (IL)-2) and by T-helper-2-like lymphocytes (IL-4) was influenced by the dietary intervention. IL-2 and IL-4 secretion values were significantly suppressed after the low-carotenoid diet (P <0·001 and P < 0·05 respectively compared with baseline). Tomato juice consumption significantly enhanced IL-2 (P < 0·001) and IL-4 secretion (P < 0·05) compared with the end of depletion period. After carrot juice and spinach powder consumption the cytokine secretion capacity of PBMC was not significantly different from that at the end of the depletion period. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that a low-carotenoid diet reduces T-lymphocyte functions and addition of tomato juice restores these functions. This modulation could not be explained by changes in the plasma carotenoid concentrations. The active constituents in tomato juice as well as the biological significance of this immunomodulation remain to be determined.
Phospholipid fatty acid composition and protein kinase C activity in the large intestine of rats fed on butter and coconut-oil diets
Authors: Pajari Anne-Maria , Mutanen Marja
Published: June 2017

Protein kinase C (PKC) has been proposed to play an important role in the aetiology of colon cancer. Therefore, we investigated whether the amount and type of saturated fat could affect colonic PKC activity by modifying either mucosal phospholipid fatty acid composition or faecal diacylglycerol production. Male Wistar rats (n13 per group) were fed on diets containing butter or coconut oil at energy levels of 10 % and 43 % for 4 weeks. The control group received a low-fat diet providing 10 % of energy from sunflowerseed oil. PKC activity was higher in the distal than the proximal colon but the quantity or type of fat did not alter PKC activity in either region of the colon. Saturated fats caused moderate changes in the fatty acid composition of caecal phospholipids, which were more obvious in the phosphatidylethanolamine than in the phosphatidylcholine fraction. A significant correlation was found between fatty acid composition of phosphatidylcholine and membrane PKC activity. In particular, there was a positive correlation between the proportion of saturated 14:0 and 18:0 and increased PKC activity while unsaturated 18:2n-6, 20:4n-6 and 16:1n-7 were inversely correlated with PKC activity. No relationship was found between phosphatidylethanolamine fatty acids and PKC activity. Concentration of faecal diacylglycerol was not affected by the diet. Overall the data suggest that diets high in saturated fat may not alter colonic PKC activity to a significant extent.
MODELLING CANOPY RESISTANCE FOR ESTIMATING LATENT HEAT FLUX AT A TEA FIELD IN SOUTH CHINA
Authors: YAN HAOFANG , ZHANG CHUAN , PENG GUANGJIE , DARKO RANSFORD OPOKU , CAI BIN
Published: June 2017

Determination of canopy resistance (rc) is necessary for accurate estimating hourly latent heat flux (LET), using the Penman–Monteith (PM) model for tea crop. In this study, a non-linear relationship between rc and climatic resistance (r*) was obtained for tea plants based on micro-meteorological data and LET from the end of 2014 to the beginning of 2016 in southern China. The proposed rc model was integrated to the PM method and compared with measured LET using a Bowen ratio energy balance method. The root mean square error (RMSE) and the index of agreement (d) were calculated for assessing the accuracy of the proposed rc model. RMSE and d values for rc and LET were 167.4 s m−1 and 29.7 W m−2 and 0.93 and 0.99, respectively. As compared to data from a single season, the rc sub-model based on data from different seasons was more reliable for estimating LET of tea field when integrated to the PM model.
Finding quantum effects in strong classical potentials
Authors: Hegelich B. Manuel , Labun Lance , Labun Ou Z.
Published: June 2017

The long-standing challenge to describing charged particle dynamics in strong classical electromagnetic fields is how to incorporate classical radiation, classical radiation reaction and quantized photon emission into a consistent unified framework. The current, semiclassical methods to describe the dynamics of quantum particles in strong classical fields also provide the theoretical framework for fundamental questions in gravity and hadron–hadron collisions, including Hawking radiation, cosmological particle production and thermalization of particles created in heavy-ion collisions. However, as we show, these methods break down for highly relativistic particles propagating in strong fields. They must therefore be improved and adapted for the description of laser–plasma experiments that typically involve the acceleration of electrons. Theory developed from quantum electrodynamics, together with dedicated experimental efforts, offer the best controllable context to establish a robust, experimentally validated foundation for the fundamental theory of quantum effects in strong classical potentials.
Electron inertia and quasi-neutrality in the Weibel instability
Authors: Camporeale Enrico , Tronci Cesare
Published: June 2017

While electron kinetic effects are well known to be of fundamental importance in several situations, the electron mean-flow inertia is often neglected when length scales below the electron skin depth become irrelevant. This has led to the formulation of different reduced models, where electron inertia terms are discarded while retaining some or all kinetic effects. Upon considering general full-orbit particle trajectories, this paper compares the dispersion relations emerging from such models in the case of the Weibel instability. As a result, the question of how length scales below the electron skin depth can be neglected in a kinetic treatment emerges as an unsolved problem, since all current theories suffer from drawbacks of different nature. Alternatively, we discuss fully kinetic theories that remove all these drawbacks by restricting to frequencies well below the plasma frequency of both ions and electrons. By giving up on the length scale restrictions appearing in previous works, these models are obtained by assuming quasi-neutrality in the full Vlasov–Maxwell system.
A ‘metric’ semi-Lagrangian Vlasov–Poisson solver
Authors: Colombi Stéphane , Alard Christophe
Published: June 2017

We propose a new semi-Lagrangian Vlasov–Poisson solver. It employs metric elements to follow locally the flow and its deformation, allowing one to find quickly and accurately the initial phase-space position $\boldsymbol{Q}(\boldsymbol{P})$ of any test particle $\boldsymbol{P}$, by expanding at second order the geometry of the motion in the vicinity of the closest element. It is thus possible to reconstruct accurately the phase-space distribution function at any time $t$ and position $\boldsymbol{P}$ by proper interpolation of initial conditions, following Liouville theorem. When distortion of the elements of metric becomes too large, it is necessary to create new initial conditions along with isotropic elements and repeat the procedure again until next resampling. To speed up the process, interpolation of the phase-space distribution is performed at second order during the transport phase, while third-order splines are used at the moments of remapping. We also show how to compute accurately the region of influence of each element of metric with the proper percolation scheme. The algorithm is tested here in the framework of one-dimensional gravitational dynamics but is implemented in such a way that it can be extended easily to four- or six-dimensional phase space. It can also be trivially generalised to plasmas.
The science of sensual pleasure according to a Buddhist monk: Ju Mipam's contribution tokāmaśāstraliterature in Tibet
Authors: Jacoby Sarah H.
Published: June 2017

Of all the myriad aspects of Indian learning to be incorporated into Tibetan Buddhist scholarship, one of the least likely would seem to be the Indian science of sensual pleasure,kāmaśāstra. Even so, we do find traces of Sanskritkāmaśāstratransposed into Tibetan Buddhist idiom. The most innovative example is theTreatise on Passion(’Dod pa'i bstan bcos) written by Ju Mipam Jamyang Namgyel Gyatso (1846–1912). This article investigates the reasons why the polymath monastic scholar Ju Mipam includedkāmaśāstrain his expansive literary output, as well as his sources and influences for doing so. It argues that Mipam's work builds on an intertextuality already apparent in late medieval Sanskrit tantric and kāmaśāstric works, but one that took on new importance in the context of the non-biased outlook (Tib.ris med) that characterized Ju Mipam's nineteenth-century eastern Tibetan milieu.
ASSESSMENT OF UNIVERSAL NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING AND INTERVENTION IN SHANGHAI, CHINA
Authors: Chen Xiuzhi , Yuan Min , Lu Jun , Zhang Qi , Sun Mei , Chang Fengshui
Published: June 2017

Objectives:The aim of this study was to evaluate the universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) and intervention program in Shanghai, China.

Methods:This study included the quantitative analyses of the UNHS-Shanghai database in 2002–12 and qualitative assessment of the program. The Otoacoustic Emissions and the Automated Auditory Brainstem Evoked Responses tests were conducted in screening. The costs and benefits were calculated based on the number of participants in each stage. The short-term and long-term periods were defined as from birth to 15 years of age or to death (82-year-olds), respectively. Sensitivity analyses were conducted.

Results:A total 1,574,380 newborns were included, representing 93.6 percent of all eligible babies in Shanghai during the study period. The prevalence of newborn hearing loss was 1.66‰. The short-term/long-term program costs were ¥488.5 million (US$75.52 million)/¥1.08 billion (US$167.12 million), and the short-term/long-term program benefit was ¥980.1 million (US$151.53 million)/¥8.13 billion (US$1.26 billion). The program benefit was greater than its cost if the proportion of hearing-loss children enrolled in regular schools was no less than 41.4 percent of all hearing impaired children, as well as if the wage growth rate ranged from 3 percent to 8 percent. Qualitative results also suggested that stakeholders strongly supported this program.

Conclusions:The universal newborn hearing screening and intervention program in Shanghai is justified in terms of the resource input in the long run, although there is still room for further improvement with respect to educational rehabilitation and a better infrastructure system.
Selfing and pollen allocation in some Asteraceae
Authors: Heyn C. C. , Snir S.
Published: June 2017

Synopsis

Senecio vernalis and Calendula arvensis (Asteraceae) are two annuals which grow together in mixed populations and flower in Israel soon after the first winter rains. They were found to be potential selfers, without a self-incompatibility system. The average pollen production per floret and per flowering head was compared with the percentage of pollen with a known function or allocation: pollen grains deposited on stigmas, grains remaining in wilted florets, and non-viable pollen—overall totals of 24% in S. vernalis, 36% in C. arvensis. The remaining pollen (76% & 64%) is distributed according to fluctuating ecological factors, biotic (insects, etc.) and abiotic (rain, wind etc.). The outbreeding potential was assessed by study of the flowering phenology of florets and heads and the behaviour of pollinating insects, mainly flies. Considerable differences were found between the two species in most parameters. In both, especially C. arvensis, the probability of foreign pollen (i.e. pollen not from the same head) reaching the stigmas is very small. Pollenovule ratios for heads were found to be comparatively higher than those recorded for flowers with a similar rate of outbreeding. The efficiency of pollen transfer in the capitulum of the Asteraceae and the large investment in pollen are discussed.
Auditory–visual speech perception in three- and four-year-olds and its relationship to perceptual attunement and receptive vocabulary
Authors: ERDENER DOĞU , BURNHAM DENIS
Published: June 2017

Despite the body of research on auditory–visual speech perception in infants and schoolchildren, development in the early childhood period remains relatively uncharted. In this study, English-speaking children between three and four years of age were investigated for: (i) the development of visual speech perception – lip-reading and visual influence in auditory–visual integration; (ii) the development of auditory speech perception and native language perceptual attunement; and (iii) the relationship between these and a language skill relevant at this age, receptive vocabulary. Visual speech perception skills improved even over this relatively short time period. However, regression analyses revealed that vocabulary was predicted by auditory-only speech perception, and native language attunement, but not by visual speech perception ability. The results suggest that, in contrast to infants and schoolchildren, in three- to four-year-olds the relationship between speech perception and language ability is based on auditory and not visual or auditory–visual speech perception ability. Adding these results to existing findings allows elaboration of a more complete account of the developmental course of auditory–visual speech perception.
Parenting a child at home with hypoplastic left heart syndrome: experiences of commitment, of stress, and of love
Authors: Cantwell-Bartl Annie M. , Tibballs James
Published: June 2017

Objective

To evaluate the experiences of parenting a child with hypoplastic left heart syndrome after the child has been discharged home from hospital.

Design

A study of the parents’ experiences using face-to-face interviews and psychometric measures with parents whose child had survived stage surgery.

Setting

Parents were interviewed within the home environment or within the hospital if that was their choice.

Subjects

A total of 29 parents (16 mothers and 13 fathers) of surviving children.

Intervention

A semi-structured face-to-face interview plus psychometric tests (parent demographics, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Impact on Family Scale, and the Psychological Check List – Civilian).

Measurements and main results

The parents’ experience in supporting a child with hypoplastic left heart syndrome is one of stress, of commitment, and of love. Although parents experienced joy in their child, they were also subjected to anxiety with four parents test positive to post-traumatic stress disorder and hypervigilance while monitoring their child’s condition. Parents lived with many difficulties, and demands.
The Importance of Being Human
Authors: Diamond Cora
Published: June 2017

I want to argue for the importance of the notion human being in ethics. Part I of the paper presents two different sorts of argument against treating that notion as important in ethics.

A. Here is an example of the first sort of argument.

What makes us human beings is that we have certain properties, but these properties, making us members of a certain biological species, have no moral relevance. If, on the other hand, we define being human in terms which are not tied to biological classification, if (for example) we treat as the properties which make us human the capacities for reasoning or for self-consciousness, then indeed those capacities may be morally relevant, but if they are morally significant at all, they are significant whether they are the properties of a being who is a member of our species or not. And so it would be better to use a word like ‘person’ to mean a being that has these properties, to bring out the fact that not all human beings have them and that non-human beings conceivably might have them.
Response to McNaughton
Authors: Diamond Cora
Published: June 2017

David McNaughton argues that in footnote 48 of my paper I provide justification for including the severely retarded among those whom we think of as with us in being human. Let me fill in the background to that note.
Real Selves: Persons as a Substantial Kind
Authors: Lowe E. J.
Published: June 2017

Are persons substances or modes? (The terminology may seem archaic, but the issue is a live one.) Two currently dominant views may be characterized as giving the following rival answers to this question. According to the first view, persons are just biological substances. According to the second, persons are psychological modes of substances which, as far as human beings are concerned, happen to be biological substances, but which could in principle be non-biological. There is, however, also a third possible answer, and this is that persons are psychological substances. Such a view is inevitably associated with the name of Descartes, and this helps to explain its current unpopularity, since substantial dualism of his sort is now widely rejected as ‘unscientific’. But one may, as I hope to show, espouse the view that persons are psychological substances without endorsing Cartesianism. This is because one may reject certain features of Descartes's conception of substance. Consequently, one may also espouse a version of substantial dualism which is distinctly non-Cartesian. One may hold that a person, being a psychological substance, is an entity distinct from the biological substance that is (in the human case) his or her body, and yet still be prepared to ascribe corporeal characteristics to this psychological substance. By this account, a human person is to be thought of neither as a non-corporeal mental substance (a Cartesian mind), nor as the product of a mysterious ‘union’ between such a substance and a physical, biological substance (a Cartesian animal body). This is not to deny that the mind—body problem is a serious and difficult one, but it is to imply that there is a version of substantial dualism which does not involve regarding the ‘mind’ as a distinct substance in its own right.
Personal Identity and the Idea of a Human Being
Authors: Madell Geoffrey
Published: June 2017

The central fact about the problem of personal identity is that it is a problem posed by an apparent dichotomy: the dichotomy between the objective, third-person viewpoint on the one hand and the subjective perspective provided by the first-person viewpoint on the other. Everyone understands that the mind/body problem is precisely the problem of what to do about another apparent dichotomy, the duality comprising states of consciousness on the one hand and physical states of the body on the other. By contrast, contemporary discussions of the problem of personal identity generally display little or no recognition of the divide which to my mind is at the heart of the problem. As a consequence, there has been a relentlessly third-personal approach to the issue, and the consequent proposal of solutions which stand no chance at all of working. I think the idea that the problem is to be clarified by an appeal to the idea of a human being is the latest manifestation of this mistaken approach. I am thinking in particular of the claim that what ought to govern our thinking on this issue is the fact that human beings constitute a natural kind, and that standard members of this kind can be said to have some sort of essence. Related to this is the idea that ‘person’, while not itself a natural kind term, is not a notion which can be framed in entire independence of this natural kind.
Imagination and the Sense of Identity
Authors: Hertzberg Lars
Published: June 2017

Most of us, at one time or another, will have been struck by a thought that we might wish to express in the following words: ‘I could have been born in a different time and place, my position in life and all my personal characteristics could have been completely different from what they are; how amazing then that it should have fallen to my lot to live my life, the only life I shall ever live, as this particular individual rather than any other.’ This thought need not derive from a sense that there is anything unusual about one's life; what it expresses, rather, may be the sense that there is something gratuitous or contingent about one's being any particular individual at all. This sense of contingency might be connected with a feeling of gratitude, perhaps of responsibility towards others less fortunate in life; or it might be bound up with envy, or pride, or self-pity, etc.