bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The timing of female genital mutilation and the role of contralateral palpal insertions in the spider
Cyclosa argenteoalba
Authors: Nakata Kensuke
Published: November 2017

Some male spiders exhibit female genital mutilation behaviour (FGM) by removing the female genital appendage (scape) to control the mating frequency of females. Female spiders have two, i.e. right and left, genital openings connected with separate spermathecae into which males transfer sperm successively using one pedipalp (secondary genitalia) at a time. Thus, males must complete at least two palpal insertions to fill both spermathecae, before FGM. The present study examined whether (i) scape removal is only associated with the second palpal insertion (one-action hypothesis) or (ii) two contralateral palpal insertions facilitate FGM, with each insertion cutting the basal part of the scape halfway (two-actions hypothesis). Experiments in which females were replaced after a male had made the first insertion did not support the one-action hypothesis, because scapes remained intact after the newly introduced virgin females received their first palpal insertion, which was the second insertion by the males. In comparison, mating experiments using two half-eunuchs (i.e. one of the palps of each male had been manually removed, forcing them to fill female spermatheca on one side only) supported the two-actions hypothesis. FGM was more frequent in females that received two contralateral palpal insertions than in females that received ipsilateral insertions.
Modelling the emergence of rodent filial huddling from physiological huddling
Authors: Wilson Stuart P.
Published: November 2017

Huddling behaviour in neonatal rodents reduces the metabolic costs of physiological thermoregulation. However, animals continue to huddle into adulthood, at ambient temperatures where they are able to sustain a basal metabolism in isolation from the huddle. This ‘filial huddling’ in older animals is known to be guided by olfactory rather than thermal cues. The present study aimed to test whether thermally rewarding contacts between young mice, experienced when thermogenesis in brown adipose fat tissue (BAT) is highest, could give rise to olfactory preferences that persist as filial huddling interactions in adults. To this end, a simple model was constructed to fit existing data on the development of mouse thermal physiology and behaviour. The form of the model that emerged yields a remarkable explanation for filial huddling; associative learning maintains huddling into adulthood via processes that reduce thermodynamic entropy from BAT metabolism and increase information about social ordering among littermates.
An instability of the standard model of cosmology creates the anomalous acceleration without dark energy
Authors: Smoller Joel , Temple Blake , Vogler Zeke
Published: November 2017

We identify the condition for smoothness at the centre of spherically symmetric solutions of Einstein’s original equations without the cosmological constant or dark energy. We use this to derive a universal phase portrait which describes general, smooth, spherically symmetric solutions near the centre of symmetry when the pressurep=0. In this phase portrait, the criticalk=0 Friedmann space–time appears as a saddle rest point which is unstable to spherical perturbations. This raises the question as to whether the Friedmann space–time is observable by redshift versus luminosity measurements looking outwards from any point. The unstable manifold of the saddle rest point corresponding to Friedmann describes the evolution of local uniformly expanding space–times whose accelerations closely mimic the effects of dark energy. A unique simple wave perturbation from the radiation epoch is shown to trigger the instability, match the accelerations of dark energy up to second order and distinguish the theory from dark energy at third order. In this sense, anomalous accelerations are not only consistent with Einstein’s original theory of general relativity, but are a prediction of it without the cosmological constant or dark energy.
Geometric description of a discrete power function associated with the sixth Painlevé equation
Authors: Joshi Nalini , Kajiwara Kenji , Masuda Tetsu , Nakazono Nobutaka , Shi Yang
Published: November 2017

In this paper, we consider the discrete power function associated with the sixth Painlevé equation. This function is a special solution of the so-called cross-ratio equation with a similarity constraint. We show in this paper that this system is embedded in a cubic lattice with

W
~

(
3

A
1

(
1
)

)

symmetry. By constructing the action of

W
~

(
3

A
1

(
1
)

)

as a subgroup of

W
~

(

D
4

(
1
)

)

, i.e. the symmetry group of
P
VI
, we show how to relate

W
~

(

D
4

(
1
)

)

to the symmetry group of the lattice. Moreover, by using translations in

W
~

(
3

A
1

(
1
)

)

, we explain the odd–even structure appearing in previously known explicit formulae in terms of the
τ
function.
The grasshopper problem
Authors: Goulko Olga , Kent Adrian
Published: November 2017

We introduce and physically motivate the following problem in geometric combinatorics, originally inspired by analysing Bell inequalities. A grasshopper lands at a random point on a planar lawn of area 1. It then jumps once, a fixed distanced, in a random direction. What shape should the lawn be to maximize the chance that the grasshopper remains on the lawn after jumping? We show that, perhaps surprisingly, a disc-shaped lawn is not optimal for anyd>0. We investigate further by introducing a spin model whose ground state corresponds to the solution of a discrete version of the grasshopper problem. Simulated annealing and parallel tempering searches are consistent with the hypothesis that, ford<π−1/2, the optimal lawn resembles a cogwheel withncogs, where the integernis close toπ(arcsin⁡(πd/2))−1. We find transitions to other shapes ford≳π−1/2.
Spatial memory shapes density dependence in population dynamics
Authors: Riotte-Lambert Louise , Benhamou Simon , Bonenfant Christophe , Chamaillé-Jammes Simon
Published: November 2017

Most population dynamics studies assume that individuals use space uniformly, and thus mix well spatially. In numerous species, however, individuals do not move randomly, but use spatial memory to visit renewable resource patches repeatedly. To understand the extent to which memory-based foraging movement may affect density-dependent population dynamics through its impact on competition, we developed a spatially explicit, individual-based movement model where reproduction and death are functions of foraging efficiency. We compared the dynamics of populations of with- and without-memory individuals. We showed that memory-based movement leads to a higher population size at equilibrium, to a higher depletion of the environment, to a marked discrepancy between the global (i.e. measured at the population level) and local (i.e. measured at the individual level) intensities of competition, and to a nonlinear density dependence. These results call for a deeper investigation of the impact of individual movement strategies and cognitive abilities on population dynamics.
Growth of urban farm employment in Tamil Nadu
Authors: Anthony Balu
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the structure of employment in the most urbanized state in India during the period 1983-2010. The paper also analyses the determinants of growth of farm employment in urban areas in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper compares trends in employment in Tamil Nadu with that of the country as a whole. In order to see whether there is evidence of Lewisian labor transfer, the study examines labor transfer between sectors and percentage distribution of workers in the rural and urban areas.

Findings

The paper finds that employment in the entire non-agricultural sector slowed down in 2009-2010 compared to 2004-05 in Tamil Nadu. The share of employment in primary sector in urban areas increased more sharply, experiencing slow economic transformation in the post-reform years. The analysis reveals that rapid rural-urban transformation could be one reason for more people in the primary sector in urban areas.

Research limitations/implications

Studying the employment structure at the district level, for which analyzing the district-level data collected and published by state’s Bureau of Economics and Statistics is required, would be helpful to discern a deeper influence of urbanization on structure of employment.

Practical implications

The results suggest that the issue needs further examination with analysis of the district-level data. Policy reforms should, therefore, be suitably oriented toward tapping the employment potential of both unorganized and organized segments in manufacturing, trade and services sectors. It is also necessary to ensure robust economic growth that creates decent jobs for all young educated people in the state.

Originality/value

The study explains the domination of farm employment in urban Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is considered to be the most urbanized state in India. The reason for an increase in the share of primary sector employment in urban areas of Tamil Nadu is due to high urbanization in the post-reform periods.
Nocebo effects from negative product information: when information hurts, paying money could heal
Authors: Mukherjee Sumitava , Sahay Arvind
Published: November 2017

Purpose

This research aimed to find whether information about a product can give rise to negative perceptions even in inert situations (nocebo effects), and to understand how price levels impact such judgments.

Design/methodology/approach

In all experiments, participants were exposed to negative product information in the form of potential side-effects. In an initial study, a higher non-discounted versus a discounted price frame was presented for a health drink after customers were exposed to negative aspects. Then, in experiment 1, price (high vs low) and exposure to information (no information vs negative information) was manipulated for skin creams where participants physically evaluated the cream. In experiment 2, price was manipulated at three levels (low, high, discounted) orthogonally with product information (no negative information vs with negative information) to get a more nuanced understanding.

Findings

In the initial study, after exposure to negative information, the non-discounted group had more positive ratings for the drink. Study 1 showed that reading about negative information resulted in a nocebo effect on perception of dryness (side-effect). Moreover, when no information was presented, perception of dryness by low and high price groups were similar but in the face of negative information, perception of dryness by low-price group was more pronounced compared to a high-price group. Study 2 conceptually replicated the effect and also confirmed that not only discounts (commonly linked with product quality), but absolute price levels also show a similar effect.

Practical implications

Nocebo effects have been rarely documented in consumer research. This research showed how simply reading generically about potential side effects gives rise to nocebo effects. In addition, even though marketers might find it tempting to lower prices when there is negative information about certain product categories, such an action could backfire.

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge, the link between observable nocebo effects and its link with pricing actions is a novel research thread. We were able to show a nocebo effect on product perception after reading about negative information and also find that a higher price can mitigate the nocebo effect to some extent.
Social enterprise in Antebellum America: the case of Nashoba (1824-1829)
Authors: Murphy Patrick J. , Smothers Jack , Novicevic Milorad M. , Humphreys John H. , Roberts Foster B. , Kornetskyy Artem
Published: November 2017

Purpose

This paper examines the case of Nashoba, a Tennessee-based social enterprise founded in 1824 by Scottish immigrant Frances Wright. The Nashoba venture intended to diminish the institution of slavery in the USA through entrepreneurial activity over its five years of operation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study methodology entailed mining primary source data from Wright’s letters; communications with her cofounders and contemporaries; and documentations of enterprise operations. The authors examined these data using social enterprise theory with a focus on personal identity and time-laden empirical aspects not captured by traditional methodologies.

Findings

The social enterprise concept of a single, self-sustaining model generating more than one denomination of value in a blended form has a deeper history than the literature acknowledges. As an entrepreneur, Wright made strategic decisions in a context of supply-side and demand-side threats to the venture. The social enterprise engaged injustice by going beyond market and state contexts to generate impact in the realms of institutions and non-excludable public goods.

Research limitations/implications

This study generates two formal implications for the development of new research questions in social enterprise studies. The first implication addresses the relation between social entrepreneurs and their constituencies. The second implication pertains to the effects of macro-level education, awareness and politics on social enterprise performance and impact. The implications herald new insights in social enterprise, such as the limits of moral conviction and the importance of social disruption.

Originality/value

This paper broadens the current understanding of how social enterprises redress unjust and unethical institutions. It also contributes new insights into social enterprise launch and growth based on shared values within communities and coordinated strategic intentions across communities.
Risk time framing for wellbeing in older people: a multi-national appreciative inquiry
Authors: Clarke Charlotte Laura , Titterton Mike , Wilcockson Jane , Reed Jane , Moyle Wendy , Klein Barbara , Marais Sandra , Cook Glenda
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the experience of older people and their sense of developing wellbeing, including consideration of the strategies they employ to respond to perceived risk.

Design/methodology/approach

An Appreciative Inquiry study was used, which collected data with 58 participants in focus group and individual interviews. Interviews focussed on ways in which older people in South Africa, Australia, Germany and the UK understand and seek to maintain wellbeing.

Findings

The changing time horizons of older people lead to perceptions of risk and concerns that embrace societal as well as individual concerns. Often, this leads to a sense of societal responsibility and desire for social change, which is frustrated by a perceived exclusion from participation in society.

Social implications

In mental health practice and education, it is imperative to embrace the shift from ageist concerns (with later life viewed as risky and tragic in itself) towards a greater sensitivity for older people’s resilience, the strategies they deploy to maintain this, and their desire for more control and respect for their potential to contribute to society.

Originality/value

Variation in time horizons leads to changes in temporal accounting, which may be under-utilised by society. Consequently, societies may not recognise and support the resilience of older people to the detriment of older people as individuals and to the wider society.
Changing perspectives in the face of the decolonisation of knowledge at South African public universities
Authors: Baron Philip
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The legacy of colonisation and apartheid in South Africa has resulted in a radical challenge to the public universities. The successful #FeesMustFall campaign that took place in 2015 accentuated several aspects of post-apartheid transformation that have not been adequately attended to. The public universities are now faced with meeting the needs of students and interested parties who would like to see transformation at various levels, in particular, the decolonisation of knowledge. This paper aims to present an approach to address the decolonisation of knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

Shifting universities’ approach to teaching and learning is a challenging endeavour, especially as it entails an embrace of previously ignored worldviews. Taking a metaphoric approach, an analysis of this problem is presented in systemic terms from a family therapy approach adhering to second-order cybernetics. A solution to bridging the disconnect between the participants in the decolonisation of knowledge in a South African context is presented.

Findings

Early successes were attained on the back of a therapeutic approach to meeting the needs of students who took part in curriculum and policy changes. The findings suggest that for a transformation to take place, all the participants in the university should acknowledge that the problem (which may have different forms) is a shared one and that decolonisation requires the participants to learn about other participants in the system. Reflecting on historical narratives and its present status quo from the epistemology of the directly affected parties is suggested as an indispensable step that should occur prior to the implementation of any solutions. Without the reflection process, the other members of the system may not understand the context and reasoning for the decolonisation, resulting in friction and fear, in turn mitigating the decolonisation process.

Research limitations/implications

Methods of empathetically engaging people who have been discriminated against is important in the goal of restoring equality and social justice. Family therapy is presented as a vehicle for communal dialogue in a therapeutic empathetic context. This approach has value in many settings other than in the education arena.

Social implications

Legacies of apartheid are still in effect in the South African public university system. Decolonising knowledge is one topic that may address social justice which helps to diffuse social tension and subsequent protest action.

Originality/value

Family therapy as an approach to decolonisation of knowledge and as an approach to appeasing social tension in the educational context is unique.
Independent professionals and the potential for HRM innovation
Authors: McKeown Tui , Cochrane Robyn
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine “black box” links between HRM innovations and organizational performance by investigating the perspective of a workforce often excluded from the HR realm. Professional Independent Contractors (IPros) play a vital role in achieving workforce flexibility and innovation. While the use of such arrangements has been examined often using a compliance-oriented lens, the authors explore the value of adding a commitment aspect.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 375 IPros working in Australian organizations completed an online questionnaire distributed by a national business support services provider.

Findings

Results show organizational support significantly predicted work engagement and affective commitment. Self-efficacy, age and gender were also significant predictors.

Research limitations/implications

The cross-sectional nature of this study and reliance on self-reported data limit the reliability of the findings. In addition, the findings may be specific to the Australian labor market.

Practical implications

The study present the views of a difficult to reach population and the findings suggest by adopting an innovative hybrid commitment-compliance HR configuration, practitioners may positively increase desirable contractor outcomes.

Social implications

Concerns that organizational imperatives for efficiency, quality and high performance will be compromised by considering the human side of non-employee work arrangements are not supported. Indeed, as previously outlined, much of the concern with the employee/non-employee dichotomy is legally based and an artefact of a system of labor law that in many settings has failed to move with the times.

Originality/value

Few investigations of the impact of high commitment HRM practices have incorporated the perspective of professional, non-employees. While IPros are recipients of compliance focused contractor management practices, carefully integrated commitment-based HRM aspects have the potential to deliver positive outcomes for both individuals and organizations.
Opening the black box
Authors: Plimmer Geoff , Bryson Jane , Teo Stephen T.T.
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how HIWS may shape organisational capabilities, in particular organisational ambidexterity (OA) – the ability to be both adaptable to the wider world, and internally aligned so that existing resources are used well. Given the demands on public agencies to manage conflicting objectives, and to do more with less in increasingly complex environments, this paper improves our understanding of how HIWS can contribute to public sector performance. The paper sheds light inside the black box of the HIWS/organisational performance link.

Design/methodology/approach

This multi-level quantitative study is based on a survey of 2,123 supervisory staff, and 9,496 non-supervisory employees in 56 government organisations.

Findings

The study identifies two paths to organisational performance. The first is a direct HIWS performance link. The second is a double mediation model from HIWS to organisational systems, to OA and then performance.

Practical implications

A focus on developing HIWS provides an alternative means to public sector performance, than restructuring or other performative activities.

Originality/value

This is one of the few studies that explore how HIWS can develop collective as well as individual capabilities. Studies in the public sector are particularly rare.
Accelerated micro particle swarm optimization for the solution of nonlinear model predictive control
Authors: Merabti Halim , Belarbi Khaled
Published: November 2017

Purpose

Rapid solution methods are still a challenge for difficult optimization problems among them those arising in nonlinear model predictive control. The particle swarm optimization algorithm has shown its potential for the solution of some problems with an acceptable computation time. In this paper, we use an accelerated version of PSO for the solution of simple and multiobjective nonlinear MBPC for unmanned vehicles (mobile robots and quadcopter) for tracking trajectories and obstacle avoidance. The AµPSO-NMPC was applied to control a LEGO mobile robot for the tracking of a trajectory without and with obstacles avoidance one.

Design/methodology/approach

The accelerated PSO and the NMPC are used to control unmanned vehicles for tracking trajectories and obstacle avoidance.

Findings

The results of the experiments are very promising and show that AµPSO can be considered as an alternative to the classical solution methods.

Originality/value

The computation time is less than 0.02 ms using an Intel Core i7 with 8GB of RAM.
The emancipation of women’s fertility
Authors: Marsh Michael
Published: November 2017

Deputy Editor‐in‐Chief, Dr Michael Marsh, discusses his top articles from this issue in an audio podcast available at: https://soundcloud.com/bjog/December-editors-choice-2017.
Democracy and the demand for government redistribution: A survey analysis
Authors: MIDTBØ TOR
Published: November 2017

This article uses survey data to study the impact of democracy on the demand by poor citizens for government redistribution. Taking the well‐known Meltzer‐Richard theory as the point of departure, three arguments are presented as to why such a demand should be stronger in democracies than in autocracies: in democracies low‐income groups are: (1) exposed to elections that can make a policy difference: (2) better informed about the income distribution; and (3) better equipped to process such information. The argument receives empirical support in a Bayesian multilevel analysis which combines 188 World Values Surveys with cross‐sectional and longitudinal macro data from 80 countries.
Foodways and the Archaeology of Colonial Contact: Rethinking the Western Zhou Expansion in Shandong
Authors: Jaffe Yitzchak , Wei Qiaowei , Zhao Yichao
Published: November 2017

Foodways, as powerful social practices influencing the demarcation and maintenance of group identity, provide an important element for the study and inspection of cases of colonial culture contact in the archaeological record. Even as archaeologists engage with theoretical perspectives that highlight nuanced frameworks of colonial contact, poor data sets often result in only the most basic utilizations of postcolonial theoretical perspectives. By looking at archaeological assemblages through the lens of foodways, seemingly mute archaeological artifacts—principally, ceramics—can be studied to reveal community foodways reflected in specific local utilizations and their role in the creation of a foodway habitus. Focusing on the entanglements of artifacts in locally specific community practices, the impact and results of colonial contact on the foodway habitus can be revealed. Illustrating our argument is a case study from Bronze Age China, where the study of ceramics as evidence of foodways reveals a new understanding of the Western Zhou (1050–771 BCE) colonial expansion. Rather than view specific vessel types and styles as perfectly corresponding to group identity, cooking and serving vessels should be investigated to uncover the idiosyncratic preferences of the communities who used them, and through them their ancient foodway habitus. [foodways, social identity, colonial contact, ancient China]
Reviewing and addressing the link between mass media and the increase in obesity among European children: The European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) and The European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG) consensus statement
Authors: Mazur Artur , Caroli Margherita , Radziewicz‐Winnicki Igor , Nowicka Paulina , Weghuber Daniel , Neubauer David , Dembiński Łukasz , Crawley Francis P. , White Martin , Hadjipanayis Adamos
Published: November 2017

This study reviewed the link between social media and the growing epidemic of childhood obesity in Europe. A task force from the European Academy of Paediatrics and the European Childhood Obesity Group searched published literature and developed a consensus statement. It found that there was evidence of a strong link between obesity levels across European countries and childhood media exposure and that parents and society needed a better understanding of the influence of social media on dietary habits. Conclusion. Health policies in Europe must take account of the range of social media influences that promote the development of childhood obesity.
Thermal sensitivity of a Neotropical amphibian (Engystomops pustulosus) and its vulnerability to climate change
Authors: Oyamaguchi Hilton M. , Vo Pacific , Grewal Kiran , Do Robert , Erwin Eugene , Jeong Narin , Tse Katherine , Chen Chantelle , Miyake Morgan , Lin Alice , Gridi‐Papp Marcos
Published: November 2017

A species’ thermal sensitivity and its exposure to climate variation are key components in the prediction of its vulnerability to climate change. We tested the thermal sensitivity of a tropical amphibian that lives in a mild constant climate in which the thermal tolerance range is expected to closely match the experienced environmental temperature. The air temperature that this species is exposed to varies between 21.9 and 31.6°C with an annual mean of 27.2°C. We estimated the microhabitat water temperature variation under vegetation shade, which buffers the temperature by 1.8°C in relation to that of the air, and with open canopy, where the water was 1.9°C warmer than the air temperature. With broods of tadpoles split into five treatments (15°C, 21°C, 28°C, 31°C, and 33°C), we estimated the critical thermal maximum (CTMax) and critical thermal minimum (CTMin) after at least 7 days of acclimation. Both CTMax (42.3°C) and CTMin (11.8°C) were more extreme than the temperature range estimated for the field. We estimated the optimum temperature (To = 28.8°C) and the thermal performance breadth (range: 23.3–34.1°C) based on growth rate (g/day). The animals were able to acclimate more extensively to cold than to warm temperatures. These performance curve traits closely matched the air temperature. The estimated vulnerability varied according to the microhabitat prediction model used. The combination of tadpole data on thermal sensitivity and macro‐ and microhabitat variation provides a necessary framework to understand the effects of climate change on tropical amphibians.
Putting Confucian Ethics to the Test: The Role of Empirical Inquiry in Comparative Ethics
Authors: Cline Erin M.
Published: November 2017

This essay presents a case study of how normative and descriptive approaches to comparative religious ethics, as well as textual and empirical approaches, can be mutually enriching. Taking early Confucian ethical views on the centrality of parent‐child relationships in childhood moral development as an example, I examine how empirical evidence can be brought to bear on certain dimensions of traditional ethical views in order to deepen our appreciation for them and help us to see how their insights might be applied in a contemporary setting. I also show how empirical evidence can sometimes serve as a helpful guide in further developing, refining, and amending certain dimensions of traditional ethical views. I illustrate the value of this approach by examining several aspects of Confucian views on infancy, childhood, parent‐child relationships, and moral cultivation in relation to attachment theory.
PhotochemCAD 3: Diverse Modules for Photophysical Calculations with Multiple Spectral Databases
Authors: Taniguchi Masahiko , Du Hai , Lindsey Jonathan S.
Published: November 2017

The PhotochemCAD program, developed over 30 years, is described comprehensively with focus on features of the most recent version (PhotochemCAD 3). The program is equipped with a streamlined user interface and provisions for handling multiple spectral databases. Eight modules enable calculations to be performed on the basis of the spectra in the databases. The calculational modules provide results concerning properties of individual compounds (oscillator strength, transition dipole moment, natural radiative lifetime), interactions of multiple compounds (Förster energy transfer, Dexter energy transfer, analysis of energy transfer among an array of chromophores) and composition of mixtures (multicomponent analysis). Synthetic spectra (blackbody radiator, Gaussian and Lorentzian curves, delta functions) also can be generated. For comparison and calculation, synthetic and experimental spectra can be shifted along both coordinate axes and combined by addition, subtraction and use of multiplicative factors. The core databases (described in the companion paper) have been expanded to 339 compounds for which absorption spectra (including molar absorption coefficient, ε), fluorescence spectra (including fluorescence quantum yield, Φf) and references to the primary literature have been included where available (552 spectra altogether). A database of 31 solar spectra also is included. Each calculational module is described along with illustrative examples.
Differential Perturbation of the Protrotropic Equilibrium of a Biological Photosensitizer within Bile Salt Aggregates of Varying Hydrophobicity: A Fluorimetric Investigation
Authors: Sett Riya , Guchhait Nikhil
Published: November 2017

The present work reveals the binding interactions of a credible cancer cell photosensitizer, harmane (HM), with some selected bile salt aggregates of dissimilar hydrophobicity viz. sodium deoxycholate (NaDC), sodium cholate (NaC) and sodium taurocholate (NaTC). The explicit variation of the prototropic equilibrium of the photosensitizer both in the ground and excited state has been utilized to scrutinize the interaction phenomena. Differential modulation in the prototropic equilibrium of HM in the aforesaid aggregates has been explained on the basis of the structural dissimilarities of the bile salt monomers. The contrived hydrophobic surroundings provided by the aggregates have been reflected on the spectroscopic results, especially in the time‐resolved fluorescence and the rotational dynamical behavior of the molecule of interest. Slow solvent reorientation time with regard to the lifetime of HM proliferated by the red‐edge effect in two specific bile salts namely NaC and NaTC, whereas its absence in NaDC aggregates has also been elucidated on the basis of accessibility of the solvent molecules within the aggregates.
Analysis of Erythemal UVB Dose Received Inside a Car in Valencia, Spain
Authors: Ysasi Gonzalo Gurrea , Giménez Vicente Blanca , Moreno Juan Carlos , Serrano María Antonia
Published: November 2017

Continuous exposures to ultraviolet radiation can lead to harmful effects on human skin. Professional drivers may spend more than 8 h per day inside a vehicle. This study describes an analysis of the UVER (erythemal ultraviolet radiation) received by a driver and passenger inside a vehicle. A three‐door Peugeot 206 was used for the study. VioSpor Blue Line dosimeters (with a response profile close to that of human skin) were used to measure the erythematic dose of UV radiation (able to produce erythema on human skin). Four dosimeters were placed in the driver's position and another four in the passenger's position. Daily irradiance was analyzed for a day in April using PMA radiometers. The measurements were obtained on relatively clear days from February to December 2009 between 9:30 A.M. and 3 P.M. Additionally, a prediction was made of the time required to produce an erythema on the driver's skin. UVER exposure, in some of the driver's positions, exceeds the Exposure Limits given by the International Commission on Non‐Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). Skin protection measures should be taken into account by professional drivers to prevent the harmful effects of UVER radiation.
Gestational Age and Child Development at Age Five in a Population‐Based Cohort of Australian Aboriginal and Non‐Aboriginal Children
Authors: Hanly Mark , Falster Kathleen , Chambers Georgina , Lynch John , Banks Emily , Homaira Nusrat , Brownell Marni , Eades Sandra , Jorm Louisa
Published: November 2017

Background

Preterm birth and developmental vulnerability are more common in Australian Aboriginal compared with non‐Aboriginal children. We quantified how gestational age relates to developmental vulnerability in both populations.

Methods

Perinatal datasets were linked to the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), which collects data on five domains, including physical, social, emotional, language/cognitive, and general knowledge/communication development. We quantified the risk of developmental vulnerability on ≥1 domains at age 5, according to gestational age and Aboriginality, for 97 989 children born in New South Wales, Australia, who started school in 2009 or 2012.

Results

Seven thousand and seventy‐nine children (7%) were Aboriginal. Compared with non‐Aboriginal children, Aboriginal children were more likely to be preterm (5% vs. 9%), and developmentally vulnerable on ≥1 domains (20% vs. 36%). Overall, the proportion of developmentally vulnerable children decreased with increasing gestational age, from 44% at ≤27 weeks to 20% at 40 weeks. Aboriginal children had higher risks than non‐Aboriginal children across the gestational age range, peaking among early term children (risk difference [RD] 19.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 16.3, 21.7; relative risk [RR] 1.91, 95% CI 1.77, 2.06). The relation of gestational age to developmental outcomes was the same in Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal children, and adjustment for socio‐economic disadvantage attenuated the risk differences and risk ratios across the gestational age range.

Conclusions

Although the relation of gestational age to developmental vulnerability was similar in Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal children, Aboriginal children had a higher risk of developmental vulnerability at all gestational ages, which was largely accounted for by socio‐economic disadvantage.
From Citizen to Cytizen. How to Escape from Cyberstates?
Authors: Verstraeten Guido JM , Verstraeten Willem W
Published: November 2017

The Modern Western state is characterized by unmediated individual access to wellness, health, safety and liberal human rights. The Newtonian conception of space and time makes formal room for a discursive public area with the citizen and the public institutes in the margin, while participation and ethical responsibility is a prejudice of good citizenship. It is a necessary condition of consistency and coherence of the nation. To date, global migration and multiculturalism threaten those necessary basic conditions of Western states´ political equilibrium. To challenge the actual global phenomena national states transform into virtual places of fear dominated by cybernetics, digital bureaucracy while citizen’s identity is mirrored by the efficiency and unisexual beauty ideal of cyborgs. The substantive conception of technology is government’s tool box to realize the cyberstate while citizen reduce to “cytizen”.In order to escape from this global grey, we propose a different conception of space and time namely the Leibnizian conception of pluralistic independent participating worlds. Moreover, we modify Leopold’s Land-Ethics by introducing the transpersonal identification claim of Warwick Fox inside the common Land so-called eco-homeland while the care for the foreigner serves as paradigmatic core attitude to all participants of the eco-homeland. So we constitute a common eco-refuge, similar to the ideas of Bookchin´s eco- anarchistic ideas but avoiding his dialectic ideal conception of the Land and its participants.
Study of the fluorescence quenching of 1-hydroxypyrene-3,6,8-trisulfonic acid by single-walled carbon nanotubes
Authors: Castillo John , Cano Herminsul
Published: November 2017

This paper presents a study of the fluorescence quenching of 1-hydroxypyrene-3,6,8-trisulfonic acid (HPTS) in the presence of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) using a fluorescence method. To investigate the quenching mechanism (dynamic or static) of HPTS, Stern-Volmer plots of single walled carbon nanotubes at different temperatures were used. The positive deviation from linearity in Stern-Volmer plots suggests that single walled carbon nanotubes follow a static quenching mechanism evidenced by the formation of a stable ground state complex. The results presented here help us to clarify the quenching mechanism in the interaction of a pyrene derived dye and carbon nanotubes. This study will open new possibilities in the use of the conjugate formed by SWCNTs and HPTS in the fabrication of a
biosensor based on intracellular fluorescent probes.
Work function consideration in vacuum field emission transistor design
Authors: Kim Jiwon , Oh Hyeongwan , Kim Jungsik , Baek Rock-Hyun , Han Jin-Woo , Meyyappan M. , Lee Jeong-Soo
Published: November 2017

Effects of work function engineering on the electrical characteristics of nanoscale gate-all-around (GAA) vacuum field emission transistors (VFETs) is investigated using three dimensional technology computer aided design simulation. A low gate work function can be useful to reduce the threshold voltage suitable for lower power operation. As expected, the lower emitter work function GAA VFETs provide a reduced threshold voltage and an enhanced on-current due to the reduction of electron tunneling barrier height between the emitter and the vacuum channel. Even though a constant threshold voltage behavior has been observed with various collector materials, a higher collector work function can increase the tunneling barrier height nearby the collector side and mitigate carrier generation from the collector to vacuum, resulting in higher on-current with lower gate-leakage current.
Large-scale proteomics identifies MMP-7 as a sentinel of epithelial injury and of biliary atresia
Authors: Lertudomphonwanit Chatmanee , Mourya Reena , Fei Lin , Zhang Yue , Gutta Sridevi , Yang Li , Bove Kevin E. , Shivakumar Pranavkumar , Bezerra Jorge A.
Published: November 2017

Serum MMP-7 is released upon bile duct injury and has high diagnostic performance for biliary atresia.
A Predominant Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Cluster of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates among Asylum Seekers in the Netherlands and Denmark, Deciphered by Whole-Genome Sequencing
Authors: Jajou Rana , de Neeling Albert , Rasmussen Erik Michael , Norman Anders , Mulder Arnout , van Hunen Rianne , de Vries Gerard , Haddad Walid , Anthony Richard , Lillebaek Troels , van der Hoek Wim , van Soolingen Dick
Published: November 2017

In many countries,
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
isolates are routinely subjected to variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) typing to investigate
M. tuberculosis
transmission. Unexpectedly, cross-border clusters were identified among African refugees in the Netherlands and Denmark, although transmission in those countries was unlikely. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was applied to analyze transmission in depth and to assess the precision of VNTR typing. WGS was applied to 40
M. tuberculosis
isolates from refugees in the Netherlands and Denmark (most of whom were from the Horn of Africa) that shared the exact same VNTR profile. Cluster investigations were undertaken to identify in-country epidemiological links. Combining WGS results for the isolates (all members of the central Asian strain [CAS]/Delhi genotype), from both European countries, an average genetic distance of 80 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (maximum, 153 SNPs) was observed. The few pairs of isolates with confirmed epidemiological links, except for one pair, had a maximum distance of 12 SNPs. WGS divided this refugee cluster into several subclusters of patients from the same country of origin. Although the
M. tuberculosis
cases, mainly originating from African countries, shared the exact same VNTR profile, most were clearly distinguished by WGS. The average genetic distance in this specific VNTR cluster was 2 times greater than that in other VNTR clusters. Thus, identical VNTR profiles did not represent recent direct
M. tuberculosis
transmission for this group of patients. It appears that either these strains from Africa are extremely conserved genetically or there is ongoing transmission of this genotype among refugees on their long migration routes from Africa to Europe.
UDP-4-Keto-6-Deoxyglucose, a Transient Antifungal Metabolite, Weakens the Fungal Cell Wall Partly by Inhibition of UDP-Galactopyranose Mutase
Authors: Ma Liang , Salas Omar , Bowler Kyle , Bar-Peled Maor , Sharon Amir
Published: November 2017

Can accumulation of a normally transient metabolite affect fungal biology? UDP-4-keto-6-deoxyglucose (UDP-KDG) represents an intermediate stage in conversion of UDP-glucose to UDP-rhamnose. Normally, UDP-KDG is not detected in living cells, because it is quickly converted to UDP-rhamnose by the enzyme UDP-4-keto-6-deoxyglucose-3,5-epimerase/-4-reductase (ER). We previously found that deletion of the
er
gene in
Botrytis cinerea
resulted in accumulation of UDP-KDG to levels that were toxic to the fungus due to destabilization of the cell wall. Here we show that these negative effects are at least partly due to inhibition by UDP-KDG of the enzyme UDP-galactopyranose mutase (UGM), which reversibly converts UDP-galactopyranose (UDP-Gal
p
) to UDP-galactofuranose (UDP-Gal
f
). An enzymatic activity assay showed that UDP-KDG inhibits the
B. cinerea
UGM enzyme with a
K

i

of 221.9 µM. Deletion of the
ugm
gene resulted in strains with weakened cell walls and phenotypes that were similar to those of the
er
deletion strain, which accumulates UDP-KDG. Gal
f
residue levels were completely abolished in the Δ
ugm
strain and reduced in the Δ
er
strain, while overexpression of the
ugm
gene in the background of a Δ
er
strain restored Gal
f
levels and alleviated the phenotypes. Collectively, our results show that the antifungal activity of UDP-KDG is due to inhibition of UGM and possibly other nucleotide sugar-modifying enzymes and that the rhamnose metabolic pathway serves as a shunt that prevents accumulation of UDP-KDG to toxic levels. These findings, together with the fact that there is no Gal
f
in mammals, support the possibility of developing UDP-KDG or its derivatives as antifungal drugs.

IMPORTANCE
Nucleotide sugars are donors for the sugars in fungal wall polymers. We showed that production of the minor sugar rhamnose is used primarily to neutralize the toxic intermediate compound UDP-KDG. This surprising finding highlights a completely new role for minor sugars and other secondary metabolites with undetermined function. Furthermore, the toxic potential of predicted transition metabolites that never accumulate in cells under natural conditions are highlighted. We demonstrate that UDP-KDG inhibits the UDP-galactopyranose mutase enzyme, thereby affecting production of Gal
f
, which is one of the components of cell wall glycans. Given the structural similarity, UDP-KDG likely inhibits additional nucleotide sugar-utilizing enzymes, a hypothesis that is also supported by our findings. Our results suggest that UDP-KDG could serve as a template to develop antifungal drugs.
Discrete False-Discovery Rate Improves Identification of Differentially Abundant Microbes
Authors: Jiang Lingjing , Amir Amnon , Morton James T. , Heller Ruth , Arias-Castro Ery , Knight Rob
Published: November 2017

DS-FDR can achieve higher statistical power to detect significant findings in sparse and noisy microbiome data compared to the commonly used Benjamini-Hochberg procedure and other FDR-controlling procedures.