bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Steady‐state pattern electroretinogram and short‐duration transient visual evoked potentials in glaucomatous and healthy eyes
Authors: Amarasekera Dilru C , Resende Arthur F , Waisbourd Michael , Puri Sanjeev , Moster Marlene R , Hark Lisa A , Katz L Jay , Fudemberg Scott J , Mantravadi Anand V
Published: June 2017

Importance

This study evaluates two rapid electrophysiological glaucoma diagnostic tests that may add a functional perspective to glaucoma diagnosis.

Background

This study aimed to determine the ability of two office‐based electrophysiological diagnostic tests, steady‐state pattern electroretinogram and short‐duration transient visual evoked potentials, to discern between glaucomatous and healthy eyes.

Design

This is a cross‐sectional study in a hospital setting.

Participants

Forty‐one patients with glaucoma and 41 healthy volunteers participated in the study.

Methods

Steady‐state pattern electroretinogram and short‐duration transient visual evoked potential testing was conducted in glaucomatous and healthy eyes. A 64‐bar‐size stimulus with both a low‐contrast and high‐contrast setting was used to compare steady‐state pattern electroretinogram parameters in both groups. A low‐contrast and high‐contrast checkerboard stimulus was used to measure short‐duration transient visual evoked potential parameters in both groups.

Main Outcome Measures

Steady‐state pattern electroretinogram parameters compared were MagnitudeD, MagnitudeD/Magnitude ratio, and the signal‐to‐noise ratio. Short‐duration transient visual evoked potential parameters compared were amplitude and latency.

Results

MagnitudeD was significantly lower in glaucoma patients when using a low‐contrast (P = 0.001) and high‐contrast (P < 0.001) 64‐bar‐size steady‐state pattern electroretinogram stimulus. MagnitudeD/Magnitude ratio and SNR were significantly lower in the glaucoma group when using a high‐contrast 64‐bar‐size stimulus (P < 0.001 and P = 0.010, respectively). Short‐duration transient visual evoked potential amplitude and latency were not significantly different between the two groups.

Conclusions and relevance

Steady‐state pattern electroretinogram was effectively able to discern between glaucomatous and healthy eyes. Steady‐state pattern electroretinogram may thus have a role as a clinically useful electrophysiological diagnostic tool.
Understanding the autonomic nervous system in cerebral palsy
Authors: Dan Bernard
Published: June 2017

Video Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STUeprhGoSw&feature=youtu.be
HISTORY GOES WALKABOUT
Authors: GALLOIS WILLIAM
Published: June 2017

Could the methods of history—and not just its objects of study—be decolonized? This essay explores analogous areas of cultural production, such as painting, to determine how historians might begin to produce work that lies outside the Western, Euro‐Christian imaginary. It focuses on the case of Australia and the means by which Aboriginal artists have reanimated and recalibrated traditional forms of knowledge, offering new bases for thinking about the history and temporalities of Australia. The work of the painter Tim Johnson is then presented as an example for history in his demonstration of the ways in which indigenous methods and ways of seeing the world can be deployed by Others. The ethical, theoretical, and practical challenges that accompany such work are detailed, alongside a historiographical account of the way in which these discussions mesh with seminal debates in postcolonialism, subaltern studies, and settler colonialism as they relate to historical theory. Drawing on recent work in History and Theory, the article asks: what might be the consequences for history were it not to develop a meaningful “global turn,” arguing that a critical moment has been reached in which modes of understanding the world that come from outside the West need to be incorporated into historians’ repertoires for thinking and making.
THE POLITICS OF DESPAIR AND THE CALLING OF HISTORY
Authors: SETH SUMAN
Published: June 2017

What happens to history as a set of practices and intellectual protocols when the assumed subject of our historical narratives is not a product of the European Enlightenment? Such has been the question motivating much of Dipesh Chakrabarty's work for almost thirty years. This essay offers a largely chronological account of Chakrabarty's major works. It begins with his first book, published in 1989, which provided a culturalist account of working‐class history in Bengal. It then tracks his movement in the early 1990s toward a position positing radical disjuncture and even incommensurability between the worlds of Indian subalterns and Western moderns, and his subsequent attempts to soften and blur precisely this kind of disjuncture. Meditating on the problems posed by the experiences of subjects who did not live within the time of history led him to answer in the affirmative the question of whether there are experiences of the past that history could not capture. Soon thereafter, however, he drew back from the most extensive articulation of this claim, suggesting that the experiences of the non‐Enlightenment subject could function as a positive resource and not merely as the source of a profound and destabilizing critique. I argue here that this solution to the problem of incommensurability is not entirely satisfactory, for it relies implicitly on precisely the kinds of argumentative asymmetries of which his earlier analysis taught us to be wary. Chakrabarty himself, meanwhile, has continued to step further away from the radicalism of the early 1990s; his most recent book may be read as a defense of rationalist history in the face of contemporary threats posed by the rise of a politics of identity in India.
Beyond Diversity Ventriloquism: HowMujer TIs Transing Inclusion in Bogotá
Authors: Martínez Juliana
Published: June 2017

In 2013 the mayor's office of Bogotá organized the first everMujer T. The event, originally conceived as a beauty pageant, generated considerable controversy. Unexpectedly, however, most of the criticism came not from conservative groups, but from well‐known cisgender feminist scholars who criticized the event from a traditional gender perspective. A heated debate about the needs, challenges, desires, and opportunities of trans women continued during the weeks prior to the event. The discussion played out through blogs, social media, and private and public conversations. Nevertheless, although there was much talk about transwomen, there was little room for their voices. This article argues that because of the actors involved, the dynamics and content of the conversations, and the changes that took place in its aftermath,Mujer T2013 highlights how trans people's bodies, expressions—whether related to gender, culture, or politics—and self‐determination processes are intensely policed and contested, even by those whose explicit intent is to support and celebrate them. Therefore, understanding the dynamics of what happened aroundMujer T2013 has important lessons for the development of trans‐inclusive policies and initiatives, feminist scholarship and practice, and institutional and societal change.
A Call for Healing: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Historical Trauma in Filipina/o/x American Activist Organizations
Authors: Hanna Karen B.
Published: June 2017

I argue that for those who migrate to other countries for economic survival and political asylum, historical trauma wounds across geographical space. Using the work of David Eng and Nadine Naber on queer and feminist diasporas, I contend that homogeneous discourses of Filipino nationalism simplify and erase transphobia, homophobia, and heterosexism, giving rise to intergenerational conflict and the passing‐on of trauma among activists in the United States. Focusing on Filipina/o/x American activist organizations, I center intergenerational conflict among leaders, highlighting transphobic and homophobic struggles that commonly arise in cisgender women majority spaces. I contextualize these struggles, linking them to traumas inherited through legacies of colonialism, feudalism, imperialism, hetero‐patriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy. I inquire: how does historical and personal trauma merge and shape activist relationships and conflict, and what are activists doing to disrupt and work through historical trauma? I advocate for a decolonizing approach for “acting out” and “working through” trauma and healing collectively. By exploring conflict in organizations shaped by dominant Filipino nationalist ideologies, I resist romantic notions of the diaspora. Revealing the ways that dominant Filipino nationalism perpetuates a simultaneous erasure of nonnormative histories and bodies and epistemological and interpersonal violence among activists, I reject homogeneous conceptions of nationalism and open up possibilities for decolonial organizing praxis.
Silence, Silencing, and (In)Visibility: The Geopolitics of Tehran's Silent Protests
Authors: Ranjbar A. Marie
Published: June 2017

This article examines the use of silent protests to resist state denial and appropriation of activist narratives. Drawing from feminist literary studies, I conceptualize silence as a pluralistic, multifaceted, and multi‐sited force. Through an analysis of several modalities of silence employed during Iran's 2009 election protests, I explore tensions between acts of silencing and silence as an act of dissent. I argue that silent protest is both an effect of—and resistance against—geopolitical conditions that subject Iranian citizens to state silencing. In this article, I examine: (i) the geopolitical conditions that enabled the silencing of Iranian citizens; (ii) meanings and interpretations of silent protests within Iran and internationally; (iii) the relationship among embodiment, scale, and visibility of Iranian protesters. I conclude with thoughts on reading silences across borders, while questioning the efficacy of silent protests in places considered geostrategically insignificant to the international community.
Four Women of Egypt: Memory, Geopolitics, and the Egyptian Women's Movement during the Nasser and Sadat Eras
Authors: Salem Sara
Published: June 2017

This article addresses the Egyptian women's movement of the 1950s–1970s through a recent film entitledFour Women of Egypt, which focuses on the lives of four prominent Egyptian women active in the movement during that period. Using the concept of political memory, the article traces some of the major debates within the women's movement throughout this era. By focusing on the ways in which these women conceptualize the geopolitical, I show that the twin concepts of imperialism and capitalism were central to the ways in which they understood gender. The result was a complex understanding of how gender intersected with Egypt's position within a broader global system of imperial capitalism. Following the transition in the 1970s to an open‐market economy, the women's movement shifted away from critiques of imperialism and capitalism. This shift can be understood Primarily in terms of geopolitics, specifically the rise of neoliberalism in Egypt. New neoliberal policies had dramatic effects on the women's movement, showing why both the rise and fall of the movement must be contextualized geopolitically and transnationally.
Experimental evidence for optimal hedgerow cutting regimes for Brown hairstreak butterflies
Authors: Staley Joanna T. , Botham Marc S. , Amy Sam R. , Hulmes Sarah , Pywell Richard F.
Published: June 2017

The Brown hairstreak butterfly has declined in range and abundance over the past 50 years, leading to designated conservation status in several European countries including England and Wales. The Brown hairstreak's decline has been linked to changes in hedgerow management, based on mortality of eggs over winter and female oviposition preferences.

We assessed Brown hairstreak egg abundance in late winter over 4 years in response to hedgerow management treatments to manipulate the frequency, timing, and the intensity of trimming (reduced intensity resulting in an annual increase of approximately 10 cm in hedge height and width), using a field experiment with a randomised block design.

Hedgerow plots cut every year to a standard height and width had the lowest Brown hairstreak egg abundance; this is the most common hedgerow management outside agri‐environment schemes (AES). Cutting hedgerow plots at a reduced intensity nearly doubled the number of surviving eggs in late winter. Plots cut at a reduced frequency in autumn (once every 3 years), which forms part of current English AES, had 1.3 times more eggs than those cut annually.

Current AES management prescriptions are likely to benefit the Brown hairstreak, but its requirements need to be balanced with those of other taxa in relation to the timing of hedgerow cutting. Cutting hedges at a reduced intensity has previously been shown to benefit the wider Lepidoptera community as well as Brown hairstreak butterflies. Reduced intensity cutting does not currently form part of AES hedgerow prescriptions, but could be considered for inclusion in future schemes.
Mechanical properties and densification behavior of β‐spodumene/anorthite composites
Authors: Naga Salma , El‐Mehalawy Nihal , Awaad Mohamed
Published: June 2017

Although β‐spodumene/anorthite composites are interesting systems, little research work has been done to study their properties. This study aims at investigating the preparation and properties of β‐spodumene/anorthite composites containing β‐spodumene proportions ranging between 10 and 25 mass %. X‐ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) were used to characterize the effect of addition of β‐spodumene on the phase relations, microstructure, and thermal expansion behavior of resultant composites. The results show that the presence of β‐spodumene significantly reduces the porosity and reduces the densification temperature. It reduces thermal expansion and enhances the mechanical properties of anorthite‐containing composites.
Substitution urethroplasty using oral mucosa graft for male anterior urethral stricture disease: Current topics and reviews
Authors: Horiguchi Akio
Published: June 2017

Male anterior urethral stricture is scarring of the subepithelial tissue of the corpus spongiosum that constricts the urethral lumen, decreasing the urinary stream. Its surgical management is a challenging problem, and has changed dramatically in the past several decades. Open surgical repair using grafts or flaps, called substitution urethroplasty, has become the gold standard procedure for anterior urethral strictures that are not amenable to excision and primary anastomosis. Oral mucosa harvested from the inner cheek (buccal mucosa) is an ideal material, and is most commonly used for substitution urethroplasty, and lingual mucosa harvested from the underside of the tongue has recently emerged as an alternative material with equivalent outcome. Onlay augmentation of oral mucosa graft on the ventral side (ventral onlay) or dorsal side (dorsal onlay, Barbagli procedure) has been widely used for bulbar urethral stricture with comparable success rates. In bulbar urethral strictures containing obliterative or nearly obliterative segments, either a two‐sided dorsal plus ventral onlay (Palminteri technique) or a combination of excision and primary anastomosis and onlay augmentation (augmented anastomotic urethroplasty) are the procedures of choice. Most penile urethral strictures can be repaired in a one‐stage procedure either by dorsal inlay with ventral sagittal urethrotomy (Asopa technique) or dorsolateral onlay with one‐sided urethral dissection (Kulkarni technique); however, staged urethroplasty remains the procedure of choice for complex strictures, including strictures associated with genital lichen sclerosus or failed hypospadias. This article presents an overview of substitution urethroplasty using oral mucosa graft, and reviews current topics.
UK Statisticians call for End to Pre-release Access to Official Statistics
Authors: Tarran Brian
Published: June 2017

Royal Statistical Society letter urges political parties to abolish “outdated and unnecessary practice”
Dogger Bank: Weighing the Fog of War
Authors: MacKay Niall , Price Chris , Wood A. Jamie
Published: June 2017

Historical outcomes were at one time only possibilities – but how do we distinguish probable real events from improbable ones? Niall MacKay, Chris Price and A. Jamie Wood use a naval battle of the First World War to explain how Bayesian thinking helps historians reason with the uncertainties of the past
Bursting the Big Data Bubble
Authors: Fong Wai Mun
Published: June 2017

In the financial world, big data is hailed as a potential game changer for predicting stock market performance. But without adequate safeguards, big data analyses may result in spurious correlations, misguided predictions and disappointing returns. By Wai Mun Fong
How Far is it from the Earth to the Sun?
Authors: Salsburg David
Published: June 2017

In an excerpt from his new book, David S. Salsburg explains how errors, blunders and lies have dogged scientific endeavours throughout history, and how statistical methods help manage and minimise these problems
How to Plan and Schedule Conferences with the help of Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Pan Jason , Zou Kelly H. , Yu Ching-Ray , Sun Franklin W. , Carlsson Martin O.
Published: June 2017

Months of conference planning can take mere minutes with a dash of optimisation. By Jason Pan, Kelly H. Zou, Ching-Ray Yu, Franklin W. Sun, and Martin O. Carlsson
Extracellular matrix protein laminin enhances mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) paracrine function through αvβ3/CD61 integrin to reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis
Authors: Peng Kai‐Yen , Liu Yuan‐Hung , Li Yu‐Wei , Yen Betty Linju , Yen Men‐Luh
Published: June 2017

Myocardial ischaemia (MI) results in extensive cardiomyocyte death and reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐induced damage in an organ with little or no regenerative capacity. Although the use of adult bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) has been proposed as a treatment option, the high cell numbers required for clinical use are difficult to achieve with this source of MSCs, and animal studies have produced inconsistent data. We recently demonstrated in small and large animal models of acute MI that the application of human term placenta‐derived multipotent cells (PDMCs), a foetal‐stage MSC, resulted in reversal of cardiac injury with therapeutic efficacy. However, the mechanisms involved are unclear, making it difficult to strategize for therapeutic improvements. We found that PDMCs significantly reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and ROS production through the paracrine factors GRO‐α, HGF and IL‐8. Moreover, culturing PDMCs on plates coated with laminin, an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, resulted in significantly enhanced secretion of all three paracrine factors, which further reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The enhancement of PDMC paracrine function by laminin was mediated through αvβ3 integrin, with involvement of the signalling pathways of JNK, for GRO‐α and IL‐8 secretion, and PI3K/AKT, for HGF secretion. Our results demonstrated the utility of PDMC therapy to reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis through modulation of ECM proteins in in vitro culture systems as a strategy to enhance the therapeutic functions of stem cells.
Differences between time domain and Fourier domain optical coherence tomography in imaging tissues
Authors: GAO W. , WU X.
Published: June 2017

It has been numerously demonstrated that both time domain and Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) can generate high‐resolution depth‐resolved images of living tissues and cells. In this work, we compare the common points and differences between two methods when the continuous and random properties of live tissue are taken into account. It is found that when relationships that exist between the scattered light and tissue structures are taken into account, spectral interference measurements in Fourier domain OCT (FDOCT) is more advantageous than interference fringe envelope measurements in time domain OCT (TDOCT) in the cases where continuous property of tissue is taken into account. It is also demonstrated that when random property of tissue is taken into account FDOCT measures the Fourier transform of the spatial correlation function of the refractive index and speckle phenomena will limit the effective limiting imaging resolution in both TDOCT and FDOCT. Finally, the effective limiting resolution of both TDOCT and FDOCT are given which can be used to estimate the effective limiting resolution in various practical applications.
Pain in chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neurotoxicity
Authors: Marmiroli Paola , Scuteri Arianna , Cornblath David R. , Cavaletti Guido
Published: June 2017

Chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN) is a potentially dose‐limiting side effect of the treatment of several cancers. CIPN is predominantly or exclusively sensory, and it is frequently associated with unpleasant symptoms, overall referred to as “pain.” However, given the markedly different clinical presentation and course of CIPN depending on the antineoplastic drug used, the broad term “pain” in the specific context of CIPN needs to be reconsidered and refined. In fact, a precise identification of the features of CIPN has relevant implication in the design of rational‐based clinical trials and in the selection of possible active drugs.
Temporomandibular dysfunction in adult patients with myotonic dystrophy (DM1)
Authors: Mejersjö C. , Kiliaridis S.
Published: June 2017

Myotonic muscle dystrophy is a systemic disease with early engagement of the facial muscles. Our aim was to study dysfunction of the temporomandibular system in patients with ‘classic’ dystrophia myotonica (DM1) and compare it with TMD patients and healthy controls. The study included 27 referred patients with DM1, 18 women and nine men, aged 30–62 years, and two matched control groups: patients with temporomandibular disorders symptoms (TMD) and healthy controls, both groups were consecutive patients. The patients answered questions regarding facial pain, jaw function and dysfunction. A clinical examination of the temporomandibular system including the occlusion was performed, and the maximum bite force and finger forces were measured. Among the DM1 patients, 33% reported difficulty biting off, and 22% had difficulty chewing, avoiding foods like meat and raw vegetables, and 37% of the DM1 patients scored their pain and discomfort as moderate to fairly severe. Their main complaints were TMJ clicking and locking, difficulty opening wide and tiredness. They had more clinical signs of dysfunction compared with the controls (P < 0·001), but no statistically significant difference to the TMD patients. The maximum bite force in DM1 patients was impaired compared to both the TMD patients and the controls (P < 0·001). Significantly more occlusal interferences were found in DM1 patients and were associated with chewing difficulties (P < 0·001). In conclusion, patients suffering from DM1 had an increased prevalence of TMD symptoms, reported impaired chewing function and had a decreased maximum bite force.
The influence of oral health on patients' food perception: a systematic review
Authors: Batisse C. , Bonnet G. , Eschevins C. , Hennequin M. , Nicolas E.
Published: June 2017

Oral food perception depends on somatosensory information that includes taste and can be modified by oral components and/or functions such as mastication. The purpose of this study was to describe the interplay between oral health, mastication and taste. A review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses checklist was conducted on 615 publications found by both PubMed and backward research. Thirty‐one studies have been included. The results showed that the decline in taste ability observed during the healthy ageing process could be potentiated by the deterioration of oral health and poor oral hygiene. Prosthetic treatment could modify taste ability and oral food perception. A palatal covering with removable dentures can have an impact on taste perception which may depend on taste modality. During the mastication sequence, taste is apparently scattered throughout the oral cavity, probably through saliva. The deterioration of masticatory function modifies taste perception. Oral health and oral care should consider factors influencing patients' food perception and relations between taste and mastication. Therefore, dentists may modulate these factors to improve food perception and patients' eating pleasure and quality of life.
Health status of marginalised young people in unstable accommodation
Authors: Klineberg Emily , Vatiliotis Veronica , Kang Melissa , Medlow Sharon , Sullivan Lucinda , Cummings Michael , Pringle Graeme , Steinbeck Katharine
Published: June 2017

Aim

More than 26 000 Australians aged 12–24 years experience homelessness, yet data on the health status of homeless youth remain limited. The aim of this study was to describe the health of young people attending a youth health service in Western Sydney who were experiencing homelessness.

Methods

Retrospective case note review for clients aged 12–25 years attending Youth Health Services in Western Sydney. Extracted data included: homelessness status; demographics; physical health issues; mental health issues; involvement with juvenile justice; and disengagement from education or employment.

Results

Just under half of the 180 clients attending a Youth Health Service in Western Sydney were homeless, and an additional 15 young people who were not currently homeless nominated homelessness as a presenting issue. In comparison with currently domiciled young people, homeless youth were less likely to have a regular general practitioner and more likely to nominate a physical health concern as a presenting issue, although there was no difference between groups in terms of diagnosed mental or physical health conditions. Considered as a whole, the sample showed high rates of acute physical symptoms, physical trauma, psychological distress and self‐harm.

Conclusions

Youth homelessness is associated with risk of both poor physical and mental health. As much of youth homelessness is hidden, health‐care providers need to ensure that they inquire about homelessness status, and have an awareness of potentially complex multi‐morbidities in the physical and mental health of young marginalised people presenting to health services.
Being Watched by Anthropomorphized Objects Affects Charitable Donation in Religious People
Authors: Miyazaki Yuki
Published: June 2017

This study assessed the effect of bottom‐up visual cues—the cues of being watched—from anthropomorphized (face‐like) everyday objects on religious people's prosocial behavior. As religious people are more likely than less‐religious people to perceive faces in everyday objects and as perception of face‐like objects promotes prosociality, it was expected that religious people would become more prosocial when they perceived face‐like objects. To test the hypothesis, the study replicated a past finding in aJapanese sample in which religious people tended to perceive a face in everyday objects. Next, results showed that the decision to donate in religious people (compared to less‐religious people) was increased when a face‐like object was displayed with charitable appeals. This effect was not observed with a non‐face‐like object. The current study indicates that interaction with the surrounding environment plays an important role in motivating prosocial behavior among religious people.
In vitro anti‐LPS dose determination of ketorolac tromethamine and in vivo safety of repeated dosing in healthy horses
Authors: Bianco A. W. , Moore G. E. , Cooper B. R. , Taylor S. D.
Published: June 2017

Flunixin meglumine (FM) is a commonly used Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) in horses, but clinical efficacy is often unsatisfactory. Ketorolac tromethamine (KT) demonstrates superior efficacy compared to other NSAIDs in humans, but its anti‐inflammatory effects have not been investigated in the horse. Safety of repeated dosing of KT has not been evaluated. The first objective was to conduct a dose determination study to verify that a previously described dosage of KT would inhibit Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced eicosanoid production in vitro, and to compare KT effects of this inhibition to those of FM. Then, a randomized crossover study was performed using nine healthy horses to evaluate plasma concentrations of KT and FM following IV administration. Administered dosages of KT and FM were 0.5 mg/kg and 1.1 mg/kg, respectively. Safety following six repeated doses of KT was assessed. Ketorolac tromethamine and FM suppressed LPS‐induced Thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in vitro for up to 12 hr. Intravenous administration produced plasma concentrations of KT and FM similar to previous reports. No adverse effects were observed. A KT dosage of 0.5 mg/kg IV inhibited LPS‐induced eicosanoids in vitro, and repeated dosing for up to 3 days appears safe in healthy horses. Investigation of in vivo anti‐inflammatory and analgesic effects of KT is warranted.
Impact of intramammary tilmicosin infusion as a dry cow therapy
Authors: Mohammadsadegh M.
Published: June 2017

Three hundred subclinically infected quarters of 259 Holstein cows infected with gram‐positive bacteria were selected via quota sampling based on the California Mastitis Test (CMT) result and were divided randomly and equally into treatment and test groups. Quarters of test group (n = 150 in 128 cows) were treated with an intramammary infusion of tilmicosin, and quarters of the control group (n = 150 in 131 cows) were treated with cloxacillin as a traditional intramammary infusion of dry cow (DC) ointment. Cows with more than one infected quarter were randomly assigned to the same group, and adjacent quarters were treated the same. The milk samples of all quarters were obtained, and bacterial cultures and somatic cell count (SCC) were tested before dry cow therapy (DCT) (50 ± 15 days before parturition), and finally on day 2 of the next lactation. Results have shown that total bacteriological cure rates on day 2 of the next lactation were 45% and 78%, (p = .01), new infection rates were 43.3% and 56.6%, and SCC was (6.732 × 105 ± 3.124 × 105) and (5.025 × 105 ± 2.935 × 105), (p > .05) in test and control groups, respectively. Tilmicosin had less effect on reducing IMI due to Corynebacterium bovis, and had no effect on Streptococcus agalactiae, but had a potent effect against Staphylococcus aureus. It was concluded that tilmicosin alone should not be infused as an alternative to conventional dry cow therapy. However, it had a significant effect against S. aureus, and the potential of tilmicosin to treat S. aureus IMI should be confirmed in further studies.
Screening of duplicated loci reveals hidden divergence patterns in a complex salmonid genome
Authors: Limborg Morten T. , Larson Wesley A. , Seeb Lisa W. , Seeb James E.
Published: June 2017

A whole‐genome duplication (WGD) doubles the entire genomic content of a species and is thought to have catalysed adaptive radiation in some polyploid‐origin lineages. However, little is known about general consequences of a WGD because gene duplicates (i.e., paralogs) are commonly filtered in genomic studies; such filtering may remove substantial portions of the genome in data sets from polyploid‐origin species. We demonstrate a new method that enables genome‐wide scans for signatures of selection at both nonduplicated and duplicated loci by taking locus‐specific copy number into account. We apply this method to RAD sequence data from different ecotypes of a polyploid‐origin salmonid (Oncorhynchus nerka) and reveal signatures of divergent selection that would have been missed if duplicated loci were filtered. We also find conserved signatures of elevated divergence at pairs of homeologous chromosomes with residual tetrasomic inheritance, suggesting that joint evolution of some nondiverged gene duplicates may affect the adaptive potential of these genes. These findings illustrate that including duplicated loci in genomic analyses enables novel insights into the evolutionary consequences of WGDs and local segmental gene duplications.
Eight‐year follow‐up in pediatric living donor kidney recipients receiving alemtuzumab induction
Authors: Kaabak Michael M. , Babenko Nadeen N. , Shapiro Ron , Maschan Alexey A. , Zokoev Allan K. , Schekaturov Stanislav V. , Vyunkova Julia N. , Dymova Olga V.
Published: June 2017

Recipient lymphocytes are crucial for direct and indirect pathways of allorecognition. We proposed that the administration of alemtuzumab several weeks pretransplantation could eradicate peripheral lymphatic cells and promote donor‐specific acceptance. This was a single‐center, retrospective review of 101 consecutive living donor kidney transplantations in pediatric patients (age 7 months—18 years), performed between September 2006 and April 2010. IS protocol included two 30 mg doses of alemtuzumab: The first was given 12‐29 days prior to transplantation, and the second at the time of transplantation. Maintenance IS was based on combination of low‐dose CNI and mycophenolate, with steroids tapered over the first 5 days post‐transplantation. Patients were followed for 7.8±1.3 years, and protocol biopsies were taken 1 month, 1, 3, and 5 years post‐transplant. The Kaplan‐Meier 8‐year patient and graft survival rates in the cyclosporine‐treated patients were 82.0±7.3% and 71.6±7.3, and in the tacrolimus‐treated patients were 97.2±5.4 and 83.8±6.0%. Biopsy‐proven acute rejection developed in 35% of cyclosporine‐treated patients and in 8% of tacrolimus‐treated patients. Alemtuzumab pretreatment prior to LRD kidney transplantation, followed by maintenance immunosuppression with tacrolimus and MMF, is associated with reasonable long‐term results in pediatric patients.
Support for Policies on Entrepreneurship and Self‐Employment among Parties and Coalition Governments
Authors: Debus Marc , Tosun Jale , Maxeiner Marcel
Published: June 2017

We argue that political parties take not only the economic conditions into account when developing a position on entrepreneurship and self‐employment but also consider the “heritage” of a socialist state, which can influence the preferences of voters regarding this issue area. We test our hypotheses on the basis of an analysis of election manifestos and coalition agreements. We focus on the German case since unification allows for comparing electorates socialized in a market economy in the West German states and in a socialist economy in East Germany by holding the institutional setting constant. The results support our hypotheses that growing economic problems increase the saliency of entrepreneurship and self‐employment and that differences between parties exist: Christian democratic and liberal parties emphasize entrepreneurship and self‐employment in their manifestos more than green or socialist parties. In addition, governments including Christian democratic and liberals agree on more market‐liberal policies in coalition agreements compared to left‐wing governments.

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A Birther and a Truther: The Influence of the Authoritarian Personality on Conspiracy Beliefs
Authors: Richey Sean
Published: June 2017

I find that 10 percent of Americans believe in both “trutherism” and “birtherism.” Even among citizens who say they like Bush or Obama, or are from the same party, many still believe in conspiracies implicating the presidents. It is crucial to understand why so many Americans believe obviously erroneous conspiracies that denigrate a president who otherwise has their support. I predict that the authoritarian personality creates a predisposition to believe in conspiracies based on the tendency of those high in this trait to have greater anxiety and cognitive difficulties with higher order thinking. Using 2012 American National Election Study data, I find a clear and robust relationship between the authoritarian personality and conspiratorial beliefs. In all models, authoritarianism is a chief predictor for a predisposition toward both conspiratorial beliefs. This suggests that psychological propensities are an important explanation of why so many citizens believe in conspiracy theories.

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Daniel N. Osherson. 2012. “.” Politics & Policy 40 (): 1019‐1052. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2012.00394.x/full

Norman, Emma R., and
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Phylogeny, classification and evolution of the water scavenger beetle tribe Hydrobiusini inferred from morphology and molecules (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Hydrophilinae)
Authors: SHORT ANDREW E. Z. , COLE JEFFREY , TOUSSAINT EMMANUEL F. A.
Published: June 2017

The water scavenger beetle tribe Hydrobiusini contains 47 species in eight genera distributed worldwide. Most species of the tribe are aquatic, although several species are known to occur in waterfalls or tree mosses. Some members of the tribe are known to communicate via underwater stridulation. While recent morphological and molecular‐based phylogenies have affirmed the monophyly of the tribe as currently circumscribed, doubts remain about the monophyly of included genera. Here we use morphological and molecular data to infer a species‐level phylogeny of the Hydrobiusini. The monophyly of the tribe is decisively supported, as is the monophyly of most genera. The genus Hydrobius was found to be polyphyletic, and as a result the genus Limnohydrobius stat. rev. is removed from synonymy with Hydrobius, yielding three new combinations: L. melaenus comb.n., L. orientalis comb.n., and L. tumbius comb.n. Recent changes to the species‐level taxonomy of Hydrobius are reviewed. The morphology of the stridulatory apparatus has undergone a single remarkable transformation within the lineage, from a simple, unmodified pars stridens to one that is highly organized and complex. We present an updated key to genera, revised generic diagnoses and a list of the known distributions for all species within the tribe.
Restoring an allocentric reference frame in blind individuals through echolocation
Authors: Vercillo Tiziana , Tonelli Alessia , Goodale Melvyn , Gori Monica
Published: June 2017

Recent psychophysical studies have described task-specific auditory spatial deficits in congenitally blind individuals. We investigated auditory spatial perception in congenitally blind children and adults during different auditory spatial tasks that required the localization of brief auditory stimuli with respect to either external acoustic landmarks (allocentric reference frame) or their own body (egocentric reference frame). Early blind participants successfully represented sound locations with respect to their body. However, they showed relative poor precision when compared to sighted participants during the localization of sound with respect to external auditory landmarks, suggesting that vision is crucial for an allocentric representation of the auditory space. In a separate study, we tested three congenitally blind individuals who used echolocation as a navigational strategy, to assess the benefit of echolocation on auditory spatial perception. Blind echolocators did not show the same impairment in auditory spatial localization reported for blind non-echolocators, but rather proved enhanced precision and accuracy as compared to blind non-echolocators and sighted participants. Our results suggest that echolocation can compensate for the spatial deficit reported in early blind individuals, likely by reactivating an allocentric reference frame needed to shape spatial representations similar to those generated by vision.
Bidirectional sound transport
Authors: Cao Chunxiao , Ren Zhong , Schissler Carl , Manocha Dinesh , Zhou Kun
Published: June 2017

We present a new sound propagation algorithm, Bidirectional Sound Transport (BST), based on bidirectional path tracing. Current state-of-the-art geometric acoustic method handles diffuse reflection by backward path tracing and uses diffuse rain to improve the validity of generated paths. We show that this can be viewed as a special case of bidirectional path tracing. By allowing the connections to be established between any nodes of the subpaths, we are able to improve the sampling quality when sound sources locate near scene objects. This ensures more stable rendering quality and eases ray budget selection. We propose a new metric based on the signal-to-noise (SNR) of the energy response to evaluate the performance of Monte-Carlo path tracing method for sound. Based on the metric, we develop an iterative algorithm to redistribute the samples among bounce numbers according to the statistic characteristics of the sampling of previous frames. We show that the sample redistribution algorithm converges and better balances between early and late reverberation. We evaluate our approach on different benchmarks and demonstrate significant speedup over prior geometric acoustic algorithms. We also discuss clustering algorithms used to improve the scalability for bidirectional sound transport.
Efficient construction of the spatial room impulse response
Authors: Schissler Carl , Stirling Peter , Mehra Ravish
Published: June 2017

An important component of the modeling of sound propagation for virtual reality (VR) is the spatialization of the room impulse response (RIR) for directional listeners. This involves convolution of the listener's head-related transfer function (HRTF) with the RIR to generate a spatial room impulse response (SRIR) which can be used to auralize the sound entering the listener's ear canals. Previous approaches tend to evaluate the HRTF for each sound propagation path, though this is too slow for interactive VR latency requirements. We present a new technique for computation of the SRIR that performs the convolution with the HRTF in the spherical harmonic (SH) domain for RIR partitions of a fixed length. The main contribution is a novel perceptually driven metric that adaptively determines the lowest SH order required for each partition to result in no perceptible error in the SRIR. By using lower SH order for some partitions, our technique saves a significant amount of computation and is almost an order of magnitude faster than the previous approach. We compared the subjective impact of this new method to the previous one and observe a strong scene-dependent preference for our technique. As a result, our method is the first that can compute high-quality spatial sound for the entire impulse response fast enough to meet the audio latency requirements of interactive virtual reality applications.
The effect of different acoustical treatment in a classroom
Authors: Nilsson Erling
Published: June 2017

A common room acoustic measure in classrooms and other common public spaces is a suspended sound absorbing ceiling. However, the acoustical condition in the classroom not only depends on the suspended ceiling. The size and shape of the room as well as the properties of building material and the interior fittings and furniture will also affect the room acoustical conditions. Another circumstance is the non-fulfillment of the conditions for the classic diffuse field theory in rooms with absorbent ceiling treatment due to the non-uniform distribution of the absorbing material. This makes the calculation of room acoustic parameters more complex. This paper addresses the effect of different factors that are of importance for the acoustical conditions in a classroom. Outgoing from the unfurnished classroom without suspended ceiling the effect of introducing a suspended ceiling, adding furniture, adding wall panels, as well as extra low frequency absorption will be exemplified based on measurements in a full scale classroom. The room acoustic parameters that are analyzed are the reverberation time T20, the Speech Clarity C50 and the Sound Strength G. A calculation model adapted for the non-diffuse conditions in rooms with ceiling treatment will be briefly mentioned.
Optimal classroom acoustic design with sound absorption and diffusion for the enhancement of speech intelligibility
Authors: Puglisi Giuseppina E. , Bolognesi Filippo , Shtrepi Louena , Warzybok Anna , Kollmeier Birger , Astolfi Arianna
Published: June 2017

Classroom design should be focused on the enhancement of the acoustic comfort for students and teachers. Long reverberation times and excessive noise levels can raise vocal effort and negatively affect speech intelligibility. Recent studies and standards updates have investigated whether acoustic treatment should include both absorbent and diffusive surfaces to account for the teaching and learning premises at the same time; however, studies under realistic conditions for the improvement of existing classrooms acoustics are still needed. In this work, an existing Italian classroom with poor acoustics was considered. Several solutions for treatment were simulated using CATT-Acoustics®, including adjustment of the absorption and scattering coefficients of surfaces differently configured to reach optimal reverberation time, and to increase Speech Transmission Index and Definition, especially for the positions in the furthest raw. The effectiveness of the acoustic treatment was also evaluated in terms of enhancement of speech intelligibility using the Binaural Speech Intelligibility Model (Rennies et al., 2013). Its outcomes are given as speech reception thresholds to yield a fixed level of speech intelligibility. Model predictions indicted an improvement in speech reception thresholds up to 6.8 dB after the acoustic intervention.
Good acoustics for teaching and learning
Authors: Christensson Jonas
Published: June 2017

It is important that classrooms provide good speech intelligibility and speak comfort. Being able to listen without effort is important for learning and we know that poor room acoustics is a burden that impedes learning and affect teachers' voice health. A good classroom is the Swedish forests where we can communicate over long distances without having to raise our voice. I have made several listening tests in forests and also measured the sound reflections in different forests. The results are interesting and I mean that “forest acoustics” should be the goal in terms of acoustic conditions in our schools. Many national sound standards put requirements on room acoustics in classrooms. One requirement is reverberation time, according to ISO 3382-2, and it is often evaluated with T20. Unfortunately, this is a very blunt measure, because we start T20-evaluation first after the sound pressure level dropped 5 dB. This “waiting time” is often quite long and it is a problem because we miss a lot of important information from the early part of the decay curve. Therefore, I mean we have to add C50 according to ISO 3382-1, to control if the room acoustics is good enough for teaching.