bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrochemical Measurements of Glucose Using a Micro Flow‐Through Immobilized Enzyme Reactor
Authors: Cerqueira Marcos Rodrigues Facchini , Angnes Lucio , Matos Renato Camargo
Published: February 2017

A new fast, cheap and efficient epoxy‐amine immobilized enzyme reactor (IMER) is demonstrated. Polyethyleneimine (PEI) was used as the curing agent of an epoxy resin (bisphenol‐A diglycidyl ether (BADGE)) in order to introduce a high number of reactive –NH2 groups at the substrate. A ratio mixture of 3:2 PEI:BADGE (w/w) was shown to be the most suitable for curing, taking into account the number of immobilization sites and the resistance of the material towards channeling. Electrochemical measurements made by a three electrode system, adapted at the IMER, showed that the Km value for immobilized glucose oxidase (GOx) was half the value commonly reported for GOx immobilized at PEI derived substrates. The IMER response decreased by around 41 % after one week of intense usage. Even so, the remaining activity was sufficient for quantifications of approximately 0.1 mmol L−1, merely requiring a new calibration of the reactor before its utilization. The developed system was applied to D‐glucose quantification of beverage samples, requiring an injection volume of only 10 μL and a flow rate of 150 μL min−1 (almost 60 samples per hour). Low detection and quantification limits (1.94 and 5.89 μmol L−1, respectively) and a wide linear range (from 8 μmol L−1 to 2 mmol L−1) were also found, which are useful characteristics for quality control analysis.
Association between high expression of phosphorylated Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin and improved survival in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma
Authors: Ouyang Dai‐qiao , Liang Li‐zhong , Ke Zun‐fu , Zheng Guang‐sen , Weng De‐sheng , Yang Wei‐fa , Su Yu‐xiong , Liao Gui‐qing
Published: February 2017

Background

Previous genomic studies revealed phosphotidylinositol‐3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway mutation in human salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). No validation of its prognostic value has been reported.

Methods

P‐Akt, pan‐Akt, phosphorylated‐mammalian target of rapamycin (p‐mTOR), PI3K, and insulin‐like growth factor‐1 receptor beta (IGF‐1Rβ) were detected on 120 salivary gland ACC/adjacent salivary gland pairs immunohistochemically and were correlated with clinicopathological data.

Results

Expression of cytoplasmic and nuclear p‐Akt, cytoplasmic p‐mTOR, nuclear pan‐Akt, and nuclear IGF‐1Rβ were higher in ACC than in adjacent salivary glands. P‐Akt, p‐mTOR, PI3K, and IGF‐1Rβ expression were correlated with one another in both cytoplasm and nucleus. Low p‐mTOR expression in both subcellular compartments was associated with locoregional recurrence, poor disease‐free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). Low nuclear p‐Akt (Ser473) and p‐mTOR expression were independent predictors for poor OS and DFS, respectively.

Conclusion

High level of Akt/mTOR activation in ACC is correlated with a significantly improved survival. P‐mTOR and nuclear p‐Akt are prognostic biomarkers of salivary gland ACC. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 1145–1154, 2017
Changes in pectin characteristics during the ripening of jujube fruit
Authors: Ding Shenghua , Wang Rongrong , Shan Yang , Li Gaoyang , Ou Shiyi
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND

Pectin is related to fruit maturation and loss of flesh firmness. In this research, changes in pectin characteristics, including pectin content, neutral sugar composition, molecular weight (Mw) distribution and degree of methylesterification (DM), in six different growth stages (S1 to S6) of jujube fruit were assessed.

RESULTS

The growth of jujube fruit corresponded to an increase in water‐soluble pectin (WSP) and a decrease in sodium carbonate‐soluble pectin (SSP). The chelate‐soluble pectin (CSP) content reached a maximum level at S3 but decreased significantly from S3 to S4. Arabinose proved to be the principal branched neutral monosaccharide in pectin during growth and was lost from WSP, CSP and SSP in S4 to S6. The ratios of (arabinose + galactose)/rhamnose indicated that the branched chains of WSP, CSP and SSP degraded in S2, S3 and S4 respectively. SSP depolymerized from S2 and increased as jujube fruit ripened. By contrast, WSP depolymerized throughout ripening. The DM of pectins ranged from 45.38 to 92.21%. Among the obtained DMs, the lowest was observed in WSP from ripened jujube fruit (S6).

CONCLUSION

The content, neutral sugar composition, DM and Mw distribution of pectins changed markedly as jujube fruit ripened. Jujube fruit could be a promising alternative source of pectins in terms of maturation degree. WSP from S6 and CSP from S1 or S2 could be used as gelling agents in low‐sugar‐containing products because of their low methoxyl pectin contents. WSP from S1 could also be applied as a thickener or emulsifier owing to its high Mw distribution. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Simultaneous determination of seven nitrogen‐containing phenyl ethers in cosmetics by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry and dispersive solid‐phase extraction
Authors: Huang Jiale , Zhou Langjun , Xun Zhiqing , Wang Qiang , Lin Senyu , Guo Xindong , Cai Yongtong
Published: February 2017

An analytical method was established for the simultaneous determination of seven nitrogen‐containing phenyl ethers (2‐anisidine, 3‐anisidine, 4‐anisidine, 2‐nitroanisole, 3‐nitroanisole, 4‐nitroanisole, and 3,3'‐dimethoxybenzidine) in cosmetics by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry in this work. The samples were extracted with ethyl acetate and purified with primary secondary amine during the dispersed solid‐phase extraction. The analytes were separated by a DB‐17MS column and detected in the electron ionization mode of mass spectrometry in the selected ions monitoring mode. The extraction solvent, purification adsorbents, and chromatographic column behavior were optimized. The results indicated that the seven analytes show good linear relationship (R2 > 0.9965) in the concentrations of 5.0–5000 μg/L. The quantitation limits of the method ranged from 19.0 to 84.8 μg/kg. The recovery rates of seven analytes were in the range of 72.6–114% with the relative standard deviations of 1.1–7.5%. Real sample analyses showed that this accurate and precise method could be appropriate for simultaneous determination of seven nitrogen‐containing phenyl ethers in cosmetics.
Effect of chemical passivation treatment on pitting corrosion resistance of AISI 410 and 17–4 PH stainless steels
Authors: dos Santos A. G. , Biehl L. V. , Antonini L. M.
Published: February 2017

The susceptibility of stainless steels to pitting corrosion is an essential characteristic of these alloys, since this kind of phenomenon may affect the mechanical integrity of the material and consequently cause unexpected failures. In order to avoid or minimize this localized corrosion process it is possible to enhance the protective capacity of the passive layer from the stainless steels and one of the methods to obtain this result is the chemical passivation treatment. In this context, the effect of the passivation treatment with nitric acid on pitting corrosion resistance of the AISI 410 and 17–4 PH stainless steels in chloride containing media is investigated. For this, two surface conditions are studied for each material: ground and chemically passivated. The corrosion behavior is evaluated by cyclic polarization tests in 0.6 M NaCl and the morphology of pitting corrosion is characterized by optical microscopy. According to the results, the applied surface treatment causes an improvement on the pitting corrosion resistance of both stainless steels, and the greatest increase on pitting potential is obtained to the 17–4 PH stainless steel.
Development of green composites of poly (vinyl alcohol) reinforced with microcrystalline cellulose derived from sago seed shells
Authors: Naduparambath Subair , Sreejith M. P. , Jinitha T. V. , Shaniba V. , Aparna K. B. , Purushothaman E.
Published: February 2017

Reinforcing poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with biopolymers like microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) provides interesting route for the preparation of green composites. In this study, PVA and MCC from sago seed shell in different weight% were prepared by intense sonication followed by solution casting into glass plate. Composites were prepared by adding 1, 2 and 3 weight% of MCC, which were characterized using FTIR, ATR‐FTIR, XRD, TGA, DSC, SEM, AFM, UV‐Vis, and mechanical testing. Particle size distribution of used MCC was analyzed by DLS. ATR‐FTIR spectra reveal the incorporation of MCC into the polymer matrix through hydrogen bonding. XRD pattern shows the decrease in relative intensity compared to PVA film and broadening of peaks at different MCC concentrations. DSC analysis reveals the variations in the glass transition temperature. In addition to lowering in melting temperature, changes in shape and area are attributed to the different degrees of crystallinity due to the existence of polymer‐polymer interactions between PVA and MCC. The results obtained from ATR‐FTIR, XRD and DSC substantiate each other. TGA results reveal the increased thermal stability compared to the PVA film. The SEM analysis shows the uniform distribution for lower loading, which is further supported by AFM. UV‐Visible spectra reveal the good transparency of prepared films. Mechanical testing was also performed, in which 1 weight% gained tensile strength. The TGA and mechanical testing results showed that MCC as reinforcement in PVA film can improve thermal and mechanical strength. DLS measurements show that the particle size of MCC is >100 nm. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:3033–3039, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers
Effect of Bonding Agent on the Mechanical Properties of GAP High‐Energy Propellant
Authors: Deng Jingke , Wang Xiaoqing , Li Guoping , Luo Yunjun
Published: February 2017

Three kinds of bonding agent were chosen to improve the mechanical properties of GAP high‐energy composite propellant based on GAP, BuNENA, HMX, AP, and Al. These bonding agents are N,N′‐bis(2‐hydroxyethyl) dimethylhydantoin and 1,3,5‐trisubstituted isocyanurates (BA1), cyano‐hydroxylated amines (BA2), and hyperbranched polyether with terminal groups substituted by hydroxyl, cyano and ester functional groups (BA3). To study the interaction between bonding agents and oxidizers, the effect of coating by bonding agents on the characteristic absorption peaks of AP and HMX were first studied by infrared spectroscopy. Then the effect of bonding agents on the adhesion work between oxidizers and binder system were determined. The results showed that BA2 has the strongest interaction with AP, whereas BA1 and BA3 have relatively strong interaction with HMX. The AP grain coated by BA2 has the strongest adhesion work to the binder system, and there is not much difference in the values of adhesion work towards binder system of three coated HMX grains. At last the three bonding agents were added to GAP propellant, which has a theoretical specific impulse of 276.03 s. When the three kinds of bonding agent was used alone, the sense of “dewetting” in propellant was relieved but still existed. The combination of BA2 to BA1 or BA3 improved the adhesions between oxidizers and binder system effectively, and the mechanical properties of GAP propellant reached to δm=0.69 MPa, ϵb=32.7 %.
Influence of Anvil Properties on RDX Thin Layer Ignition Behavior
Authors: Yakaboski Otmar , Kumar Ashok V.
Published: February 2017

We report on a drop‐impact protocol that arrests sample radial flow to isolate how anvil properties influence ignition in a thin layer of RDX powder. To eliminate sliding friction as a probable heating mechanism, flow arrestment was provided by a waxed weighing paper that shielded the RDX layer from direct contact with the impact surfaces. RDX reaction sensitivity under bare and shielded conditions for the standard O1 hardened steel anvil was compared with that for two deformable anvil types: 1018 steel and C110 copper. Profilometer measurements of anvil deformation and paper impressions quantified anvil plastic work and final radial flow displacement. Post‐test particle analyses correlated particle size distribution to ignition results. Experiments indicated that the impact energy absorbed by the anvils was varied and inhibited ignition accordingly. For the standard anvil, ignition was not inhibited under flow arrestment, suggesting that significant radial sliding or flow is not essential for thin layer ignition.
Pattern‐based prognostic methodology for condition‐based maintenance using selected and weighted survival curves
Authors: Ragab Ahmed , Yacout Soumaya , Ouali Mohamed‐Salah , Osman Hany
Published: February 2017

This paper proposes a pattern‐based prognostic methodology that combines logical analysis of data (LAD) as an event‐driven diagnostic technique, and Kaplan–Meier (KM) estimator as a time‐driven technique. LAD captures the effect of the instantaneous conditions on the health state of a monitored system, while KM estimates the baseline reliability curve that reflects the effect of aging, based on the observed historical failure times. LAD is used to generate a set of patterns from the observed values of covariates that represent the operating conditions and condition indicators. A pattern selection procedure is carried out to select the set of significant patterns from all the generated patterns. A survival curve is estimated, for each subset of observations covered by each selected pattern. A weight that reflects the coverage of each pattern is assigned to its survival curve. Given a recently collected observation, the survival curve of a monitored system is updated on the basis of the patterns covering that observation. The updated curve is then used to predict the remaining useful life of the monitored system. The proposed methodology is validated using a common dataset in prognostics: the turbofan degradation dataset that is available at NASA prognostic repository. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Integrating trans‐abdominal ultrasonography with fecal steroid metabolite monitoring to accurately diagnose pregnancy and predict the timing of parturition in the red panda (Ailurus fulgens styani)
Authors: Curry Erin , Browning Lissa J. , Reinhart Paul , Roth Terri L.
Published: February 2017

Red pandas (Ailurus fulgens styani) exhibit a variable gestation length and may experience a pseudopregnancy indistinguishable from true pregnancy; therefore, it is not possible to deduce an individual's true pregnancy status and parturition date based on breeding dates or fecal progesterone excretion patterns alone. The goal of this study was to evaluate the use of transabdominal ultrasonography for pregnancy diagnosis in red pandas. Two to three females were monitored over 4 consecutive years, generating a total of seven profiles (four pregnancies, two pseudopregnancies, and one lost pregnancy). Fecal samples were collected and assayed for progesterone (P4) and estrogen conjugate (EC) to characterize patterns associated with breeding activity and parturition events. Animals were trained for voluntary transabdominal ultrasound and examinations were performed weekly. Breeding behaviors and fecal EC data suggest that the estrus cycle of this species is 11–12 days in length. Fecal steroid metabolite analyses also revealed that neither P4 nor EC concentrations were suitable indicators of pregnancy in this species; however, a secondary increase in P4 occurred 69–71 days prior to parturition in all pregnant females, presumably coinciding with embryo implantation. Using ultrasonography, embryos were detected as early as 62 days post‐breeding/50 days pre‐partum and serial measurements of uterine lumen diameter were documented throughout four pregnancies. Advances in reproductive diagnostics, such as the implementation of ultrasonography, may facilitate improved husbandry of pregnant females and allow for the accurate prediction of parturition.
Is Phenomenal Consciousness a Complex Structure?
Authors: Stieg Chuck
Published: February 2017

Evolutionary explanations of psychological phenomena have become widespread. This paper examines a recent attempt by Nichols and Grantham (2000) to circumvent the problem of epiphenomenalism in establishing the selective status of consciousness. Nichols and Grantham (2000) argue that a case can be made for the view that consciousness is an adaptation based on its complexity. I set out this argument and argue that it fails to establish that phenomenal consciousness is a complex system. It is suggested that the goal of establishing consciousness as an adaptation may be better served by rejecting the distinction between access consciousness and phenomenal consciousness.
An Infantilism of the Intellectually and Spiritually Matured Personality: Soaring and Precipice
Authors: Rotenberg Vadim S.
Published: February 2017

The target problem of this article paradoxically dropped out from the vision of professional psychologists although it is actual and even acute. The consideration of this problem is important not only for the practical psychotherapy, but also for the deep and, let us say, philosophical comprehension of the fundamental aspects of personal maturation and of the difference between genders in the process of maturation.
Clinical Contributions to Consciousness Studies
Authors: Mashour George A. , Turner Ashley
Published: February 2017

Consciousness is a multidisciplinary subject of inquiry. The extent of clinical contributions to the field of consciousness studies has yet to be investigated. The goal of this study was to assess the degree of clinically related articles in the literature of consciousness studies through a systematic evaluation. Three journals systematically identified (Consciousness and Cognition, Journal of Consciousness Studies, and Anthropology of Consciousness) were reviewed from the first issue through December 2008. All original articles related to anesthesiology, general clinical medicine, neurology, neuro-surgery, and psychiatry were identified. Of the 1,805 articles reviewed for the three journals, a total of 149 clinically relevant articles were identified; this represented an average contribution of 8% to the total articles. Psychiatry was the discipline most consistently represented in the three journals; neurosurgery was the least represented. There is a relative paucity of clinical articles in the literature of consciousness studies. Clinical perspectives may thus be underrepresented in the field.
Sensory Experiences as Cryptic Symbols of a Multimodal User Interface
Authors: Hoffman Donald D.
Published: February 2017

According to current theories of perception, our visual experiences match or approximate the true properties of an objective physical world. Ecological optics claims this match is direct, unmediated by psychological or computational processes. Computational theories claim that this match is indirect, the result of sophisticated algorithms that instantiate, e.g., the inferential methods of Bayesian estimation. The assumption of all of these theories that there is an objective, i.e., mind independent, physical world has proved incapable, so far, of yielding a scientific theory for the mind-body problem, a scientific theory of the relationship between conscious experiences and the brain. Therefore I explore, instead, the pos-sibility that sensory experiences constitute a multimodal user interface (MuI) between the perceiver and an objective world, an interface useful precisely because it does not match, approximate, or resemble that world. I also explore conscious realism, the ontological claim that the objective world itself is comprised entirely of conscious agents. Together, MUI theory and conscious realism provide a straightforward solution to the mind-body problem, and entail epiphysicalism: physical objects, such as quarks and brains and stars, are constructed by conscious agents, but such physical objects have no causal powers.
Subliminal Afterimages Via Ocular Delayed Luminescence: Transsaccade Stability of the Visual Perception and Color Illusion
Authors: Bókkon István , Vimal Ram L. P.
Published: February 2017

Here, we suggest the existence and possible roles of evanescent nonconscious afterimages in visual saccades and color illusions during normal vision. These suggested functions of subliminal afterimages are based on our previous papers (i) (Bókkon, Vimal et al. 2011, J. Photochem. Photobiol. B) related to visible light induced ocular delayed bioluminescence as a possible origin of negative afterimage and (ii) Wang, Bókkon et al. (Brain Res. 2011)’s experiments that proved the existence of spontaneous and visible light induced delayed ultraweak photon emission from in vitro freshly isolated rat’s whole eye, lens, vitreous humor and retina. We also argue about the existence of rich detailed, subliminal visual short-term memory across saccades in early retinotopic areas. We conclude that if we want to understand the complex visual processes, mere electrical processes are hardly enough for explanations; for that we have to consider the natural photobiophysical processes as elaborated in this article.
Cognitive Distortions During Law Enforcement Shooting
Authors: Novy Marek
Published: February 2017

Nine systematic studies examining law enforcement reactions during shooting accidents have been published. The research shows that during critical incidents the substantial majority of officers experience specific perceptual distortions. Most commonly experienced distortions are visual or aural. Most frequently reported visual distortion is a tunnel vision, which was present in roughly half of the cases. Altered subjective perception of time was found in all studies researching that problem. Distorted memory and dissociation was reported in more forms in particular studies. All studies used very similar methodology where most of the studies used mailed surveys or questionnaires. The sample size of systematic studies examining law enforcement reactions during the shootings is in majority of studies relatively small up to hundred subjects. All the published studies are on descriptive levels and are not connected with theoretical background. Other studies researched dissociation during critical law enforcement incidents. Future ways of cognitive distortions during the research of shooting incidents are discussed.
Cognitive Dysfunction in Diabetic Patients with Special Reference to Age of Onset, Duration and Control of Diabetes
Authors: Mukherjee Priyam , Mazumdar Srijan , Goswami Soumik , Bhowmik Jayeeta , Chakroborty Subhro , Mukhopadhyay Sumanto , Jana Subhendu , Chakraborty Amal , Pal Sandip , Das Shyamal K. , Mukhopadhyay Jotideb
Published: February 2017

Aims of this study was to determine the relationship between diabetes and cognitive impairment is respect of the age of onset and duration of diabetes, other complication of diabetes mellitus and effect of short term glycemic control on cognitive impairment. In the clinical study 50 diabetic patients were examined clinically for evidence of cognitive dysfunction by “Kolkata Cognitive Screening Battery”. The scores were compared with the normative data on global cognitive functioning in a population within an urban Indian context. Those having cognitive impairment, follow up was done for six months with adequate anti-diabetic drugs to control their blood sugar strictly (HbA1C <7%). Those who had adequate blood sugar control were again interviewed similarly. The scores were compared with previous values. Results show that cognitive dysfunction was associated with diabetes. Recognition, fluency and immediate memory were most commonly affected. Calculation was least affected. No significant correlation found between cognitive decline with either duration or age of onset of diabetes. The cognitive decline appeared to be reversible as improvement of some mental faculties after strict blood sugar control. In conclusion we have found that cognitive decline was associated with diabetes but not directly related to the duration and age of onset of diabetes. On the other hand, control of diabetes lead to improvement of cognitive function.
Specific Phobia: Flight
Authors: Laker Matthew
Published: February 2017

The practice of air travel holds a unique place in modern human life. With the continually shrinking and interconnected world, full global mobility becomes increasingly important for a fully functional life for continually increasing numbers of people. However, while prevalence estimates vary it is undeniable that the fear of flying affects a very large number of people with consequences that are personal, professional, and aggregate economical. Although effective treatments do exist, the disorder’s high prevalence in both clinical and sub-clinical forms, “diagnostic trickiness”, and requirement for time consuming treatments make the disorder Aviophobia a continuing challenge.
Hostility and Anger in Patients Dependent on Different Psychoactive Drugs
Authors: Ilyuk Ruslan D. , Gromyco Dmitry I. , Kiselev Alexei S. , Torban Mikhail N. , Krupitsky Evgeny M.
Published: February 2017

We assessed 311 participants with dependence on opioids, stimulants, alcohol, polysubstance dependence, and a control group with no dependence using clinical structured interview, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). Our study results demonstrated that in all groups of dependent participants anger, verbal, physical and indirect aggression are significantly higher than in control group. We found that severity and forms of aggressive behaviour in dependent patients are correlated with the type of substance abused; aggressive behaviour appeared to be correlated with the characteristics of anger. Higher level of aggressiveness, anger and irritation were in groups of polysubstance and stimulant abusers. We also found specific predictors of anger and aggression for groups of subjects dependent on different drugs.
The Mystery Known as Depression
Authors: Janov Arthur
Published: February 2017

This opinion article presents the result of years of observation of depressive patients. It is a report on their treatment while undergoing a feeling therapy that deals with reliving past imprinted trauma in context of new research in neurology and biology. The underlying premise is that early traumatic events, including the time in the womb and at birth, leave an imprint aided by epigenetic methylation that endures and comes to dominate our lives. It later accounts for serious ailments and the imprint plays a role in our behavior, interests and attitudes. Through a feeling psychotherapy that allows patients to relive their traumatic history might be possible to found a way to make profound changes in depression.
Are Educated Better in Cognition than Their Ancestors? An Indian Flynn Effect Study
Authors: Nehra Ashima , Sreenivas Vishnubhatla , Kaur Harsimarpreet , Chopra Sakshi , Bajpai Swati
Published: February 2017

Flynn Effect (FE) deals with the issue of how the general scores of a population change over time. The existing cognitive test was developed in 1976 and since then there have been a lot of modernization and technological changes in the country. Hence, the objective was to study the possible FE with respect to cognition in the country. A sample of 142 people was assessed in 1976 to make norms on Post Graduate Institute- Memory Scale (PGI-MS). To compare these results the present study included 140 consenting subjects in 2013 almost in the forth decade after the first study. PGIMS is an original and one of the most popular tests of cognition in India, developed by Dwarka Pershad & N.N.Wig. It measures the cognitive ability, even with the illiterate population. Comparison of the age related norms (1976 and 2013) after 37 years shows that there was FE seen in the age group 20–29 years in the domains of attention and concentration (p=0.04), delayed recall (p=0.001) and recognition (p=0.05). 30–39 years age group also shows the evidence of FE in retention for dissimilar pairs i.e. ability for new learning ability (p=0.001). Finally, in the age group of 40–49 years there was FE seen in immediate recall (p=0.0007) and retention for similar pairs i.e. ability for simple memory (p=0.01). Whereas there was no FE seen in ages between 50–69 years i.e. amongst the senior citizens. Results show there is a shift in the cognition to a higher continuum. The conclusions made on the cognitive abilities for persons between 20 to 49 years, on the bases of age old norms, is an underestimate of their present abilities. On the basis of this study it can be inferred that, there is a change in cognitive abilities over generations, as Flynn (2012) stated, human beings are not getting smarter they are just being more modern. Hence, there is a need to revise the available norms of the test, across all the ages and education level, for assessing the cognitive functioning to make them more valid and reliable for clinical and research purposes.
Deep Brain Stimulation in Schizophrenia
Authors: Kuhn Jens , Bodatsch Mitja , Sturm Volker , Lenartz Doris , Klosterkötter Joachim , Uhlhaas Peter J. , Winter Christine , Gruendler Theo O. J.
Published: February 2017

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has successfully advanced treatment options of putative therapy-resistant neuropsychiatric diseases. Building on this strong foundation more and more mental disorders in the stadium of therapy-resistance are considered as possible indications for DBS. Especially schizophrenia with its associated severe and difficult to treat symptoms is gaining attention. This attention demands critical questions regarding the assumed mechanisms of DBS and its possible influence on the supposed pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Here we synoptically compare current approaches and theories of DBS and discuss the feasibility of DBS in schizophrenia as well as the transferability from other psychiatric disorders successfully treated with DBS. For this we consider recent advances in animal models of schizophrenic symptoms, results regarding the influence of DBS on dopaminergic transmission as well as data concerning neural oscillation and synchronization. In conclusion the use of DBS for some symptoms of schizophrenia seems to be a promising approach, but the lack of a comprehensive theory of the mechanisms of DBS as well as its impact on schizophrenia might void the use of DBS in schizophrenia at this point.
Telomeres in the Brain Cortex of Patients with Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Teyssier Jean-Raymond , Ragot Sylviane , Donzel Anne , Chauvet-Gelinier Jean-Christophe
Published: February 2017

Telomeres are complex structures formed by the end of the DNA molecule at the tip of each chromosomal arm. The repeated (TTAGGG) telomeric sequence progressively shortens during lifespan because it cannot be replicated as somatic cells divide, and is highly susceptible to breakage by free radicals. Critically shortened telomeres activate the genetic program of cell senescence and/or apoptosis. The telomere length measured in peripheral blood leucocytes is considered a reliable marker of biological age, mortality risk and exposure to various pathological conditions, including cardiovascular disease, dementia, and metabolic syndrome. Telomere erosion has been observed in psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia and mood disorders, suggesting an accelerated aging of 10 to 20 years. Whether this peripheral dynamic is reflected by a similar pattern in the brain remains unknown. To address this issue we have measured the telomere length in the occipital DNA cortex of 24 patients with major depressive disorder and 12 controls (donated by the Stanley Research Institute) by a real time quantitative PCR technique. The mean telomere lengths were identical in the depressed and control groups. Thus, although there is consistent evidence for the role of systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in depression, it must be concluded that the cerebral status of telomeres is not affected. This observation raises the issue of the relation between the psychiatric pathological process, and peripheral and central biomarkers.
Knowledge, Science and Death: The Theory of Brain-Sign
Authors: Clapson Philip
Published: February 2017

In today’s paradigmatic climate, the possibility of knowledge, and therefore science, still depends upon our being conscious. However, no scientifically accepted account of consciousness exists. In recent years I have developed the theory of brain-sign which replaces consciousness as a wholly physical neural condition. The first tenet is that the brain is a causal organ, not a knowledge organ. The second is that brain-sign, used in inter-neural communication for uncertain or imprecise collective action, derives at each moment from the causal orientation of the brain. Signs are ubiquitous bio-physical entities. Thus there is no problematic dualism, consciousness and world. We now have two accounts of the brain phenomenon. The first (consciousness) is an inexplicable physical anomaly. The second (brain-sign) belongs in the physical universe, and fulfils a crucial neurobiological function. With brain-sign theory we even ‘discover’ that we do not know we are alive or will die.
Behavioral Attitudes in Different Cultures: Russian-Speaking New Comers vs. Native Israel Citizens
Authors: Rotenberg Vadim S. , Gurwitz Paul , Cholostoy Alexander
Published: February 2017

Groups of Russian-speaking and native Israel citizens (adults and adolescents) were compared according to their behavioral attitudes by using the BASE test— a projective questionnaire for the estimation of behavioral attitudes (search activity, stereotyped activity, chaotic activity and renunciation of search). Native citizens, girls and adult women, displayed a lower level of stereotyped activity and a higher level of chaotic activity in comparison to their Russian-speaking peers. The ratio between search activity and stereotyped activity was higher in native citizens. Authors propose that the difference between groups is determined by the difference in the traditions of growing up in Israel and in former USSR: the conditions for growing up are more free and with less pressure and requirements towards children in Israel. It can decrease an attitude towards the stereotyped behavior and increase not only the tendency towards search activity but also toward chaotic activity thus increasing the longevity of maturation.
Strategies for enhancing research in aging health disparities by mentoring diverse investigators
Authors: Harawa Nina T. , Manson Spero M. , Mangione Carol M. , Penner Louis A. , Norris Keith C. , DeCarli Charles , Scarinci Isabel C. , Zissimopoulos Julie , Buchwald Dedra S. , Hinton Ladson , Pérez-Stable Eliseo J.
Published: February 2017

Introduction

The Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) program was launched in 1997. Its goal is to build infrastructure to improve the well-being of older racial/ethnic minorities by identifying mechanisms to reduce health disparities.

Methods

Its primary objectives are to mentor faculty in research addressing the health of minority elders and to enhance the diversity of the workforce that conducts elder health research by prioritizing the mentorship of underrepresented diverse scholars.

Results

Through 2015, 12 centers received RCMAR awards and provided pilot research funding and mentorship to 361 scholars, 70% of whom were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. A large majority (85%) of RCMAR scholars from longstanding centers continue in academic research. Another 5% address aging and other health disparities through nonacademic research and leadership roles in public health agencies.

Conclusions

Longitudinal, team-based mentoring, cross-center scholar engagement, and community involvement in scholar development are important contributors to RCMAR’s success.
Impossible by design? Fairness, strategy, and Arrow’s impossibility theorem
Authors: McComb Christopher , Goucher-Lambert Kosa , Cagan Jonathan
Published: February 2017

The design process often requires work by teams, rather than individuals. During team based design it is likely that situations will arise in which individual members of the team have different opinions, yet a group decision must still be made. Unfortunately, Arrow’s impossibility theorem indicates that there is no method for aggregating group preferences that will always satisfy a small number of ‘fair’ conditions. This work seeks to identify methods of combining individual preferences that can come close to satisfying Arrow’s conditions, enabling decisions that are fairer in practice. First, experiential conjoint analysis was used to obtain individual empirical utility functions for drinking mug designs. Each empirical utility function represented individual members who were part of a design team. Then, a number of functions for constructing group preference were analysed using both randomly generated preferences and empirical preferences derived from the experiential conjoint survey. The analysis involved checking each of Arrow’s conditions, as well as assessing the potential impact of strategic voting. Based on the results, methods that should be used to aggregate group preference within a design team in practice were identified and recommended.
‘Don’t mess with my company’: An exploratory study of commitment profiles before and after dramatic external events
Authors: Arciniega Luis M. , Allen Natalie J. , González Luis
Published: February 2017

This panel study, conducted in a large Venezuelan organization, took advantage of a serendipitous opportunity to examine the organizational commitment profiles of employeesbeforeandaftera series of dramatic, and unexpected, political events directed specifically at the organization. Two waves of organizational commitment data were collected, 6 months apart, from a sample of 152 employees. No evidence was found that employees’ continuance commitment to the organization was altered by the events described here. Interestingly, however, both affective and normative commitment increased significantly during the period of the study. Further, employee’s commitment profiles at Wave 2 were more differentiated than they were at Wave 1.
Combining Double Sampling and Bounds to Address Nonignorable Missing Outcomes in Randomized Experiments
Authors: Coppock Alexander , Gerber Alan S. , Green Donald P. , Kern Holger L.
Published: February 2017

Missing outcome data plague many randomized experiments. Common solutions rely on ignorability assumptions that may not be credible in all applications. We propose a method for confronting missing outcome data that makes fairly weak assumptions but can still yield informative bounds on the average treatment effect. Our approach is based on a combination of the double sampling design and nonparametric worst-case bounds. We derive a worst-case bounds estimator under double sampling and provide analytic expressions for variance estimators and confidence intervals. We also propose a method for covariate adjustment using poststratification and a sensitivity analysis for nonignorable missingness. Finally, we illustrate the utility of our approach using Monte Carlo simulations and a placebo-controlled randomized field experiment on the effects of persuasion on social attitudes with survey-based outcome measures.
It’s Not Just What You Have, but Who You Know: Networks, Social Proximity to Elites, and Voting in State and Local Elections
Authors: PIETRYKA MATTHEW T. , DEBATS DONALD A.
Published: February 2017

Individual-level studies of electoral turnout and vote choice have focused largely on personal attributes as explanatory variables. We argue that scholars should also consider the social network in which individuals are embedded, which may influence voting through variation in individuals’ social proximity to elites. Our analysis rests on newly discovered historical records revealing the individual votes of all electors in the 1859 statewide elections in Alexandria, Virginia and the 1874 municipal elections in Newport, Kentucky, paired with archival work identifying the social relations of the cities’ populations. We also replicate our core findings using survey data from a modern municipal election. We show that individuals more socially proximate to elites turn out at a higher rate and individuals more socially proximate to a given political party’s elites vote disproportionately for that party. These results suggest an overlooked social component of voting and provide a rare nineteenth-century test of modern voting theories.
Listening to Modernism: New Books in the History of Sound
Authors: LATHAM CLARA HUNTER
Published: February 2017

The rapid industrialisation and electrification that characterises the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries involved the revolutionary and irreversible technologisation of sound. The ability to send sound great distances, through time and space, amplified the instability of sonic presence both inside and outside the body. Sound reproduction technologies such as gramophone and radio emphasise the questionable materiality of sound. Scholarship in the emerging field of sound studies has tended to focus on sound technologies that emerge in this period, promoting the axiom that the ear epitomises modern sensibility. Even before technological developments revolutionised sound, discourses surrounding the ear anticipated the collapse of scientific certainty that marks the modern age. Developments in sound technology can mask the severing of scientific measurement from musical aesthetics that coincided with the age of recording. If the study of sound in modernity has tended to focus on technological changes and bracket aesthetic questions, it is perhaps because the relationships among the science, technology and aesthetics of sound have not yet been adequately parsed.
Consanguinity and Possession in Varieties of Dutch
Authors: Rooryck Johan , Schoorlemmer Erik
Published: February 2017

Southern varieties of Dutch use the 1st person plural form of the possessive pronounonsas a marker of consanguinity with proper names, as inons Emma‘Emma, our consanguineous family member’. This use ofons‘our’ has some remarkable properties: It is incompatible with adjectival modification and contrastive stress. These properties are shared with a construction from Standard Dutch: complex prenominals-possessors consisting of the 1st person singular form of the possessive pronoun and a kinship term as inmijn vaders fiets‘my father's bike’. We propose that both these constructions are constructional idioms (Booij 2002), a lexical template with a variable part. This offers a straightforward account of the properties of these constructions.*
Vulnerability of the ‘Entrepreneurial Self’: Analysing the Interplay between Labour Markets and Social Policy
Authors: Caraher Kevin , Reuter Enrico
Published: February 2017

Precarious forms of employment and increased subjectivation have profoundly altered the way in which wage-labour acts as an integrative force in society. At the same time and contributing to these changes, the focus of social policies has undergone a significant transformation, leading to an increased emphasis on individualised activation. Using the concept of vulnerability, the article has three objectives: First, to argue for an understanding of vulnerability that is sensitive to the importance of wage-labour; secondly, to outline how changes in labour markets due to the ongoing crisis of contemporary capitalism create vulnerability and to assess how social policies contribute as well as attempt to respond to these vulnerabilities with ambivalent outcomes; and finally to introduce an analytical approach to explore the interplay between social policy and socio-economic structures in determining the extent and nature of labour-market related vulnerability using the case of self-employment.
Mediation pathways and effects of green structures on respiratory mortality via reducing air pollution
Authors: Shen Yu-Sheng , Lung Shih-Chun Candice
Published: February 2017

Previous studies have shown both health and environmental benefits of green spaces, especially in moderating temperature and reducing air pollution. However, the characteristics of green structures have been overlooked in previous investigations. In addition, the mediation effects of green structures on respiratory mortality have not been assessed. This study explores the potential mediation pathways and effects of green structure characteristics on respiratory mortality through temperature, primary and secondary air pollutants separately using partial least squares model with data from Taiwan. The measurable characteristics of green structure include the largest patch percentage, landscape proportion, aggregation, patch distance, and fragmentation. The results showed that mortality of pneumonia and chronic lower respiratory diseases could be reduced by minimizing fragmentation and increasing the largest patch percentage of green structure, and the mediation effects are mostly through reducing air pollutants rather than temperature. Moreover, a high proportion of but fragmented green spaces would increase secondary air pollutants and enhance health risks; demonstrating the deficiency of traditional greening policy with primary focus on coverage ratio. This is the first research focusing on mediation effects of green structure characteristics on respiratory mortality, revealing that appropriate green structure planning can be a useful complementary strategy in environmental health management.
The Integration of Color-Selective Mechanisms in Symmetry Detection
Authors: Wu Chia-Ching , Chen Chien-Chung
Published: February 2017

We studied how the visual system detects multicolor symmetric patterns by manipulating the number of colors in an image in both isoluminance and luminance conditions. With a two-interval forced choice noise masking paradigm, we presented a noise mask in both intervals of each trial. A vertically symmetric target was randomly presented in one interval while a noise control was presented in the other. The task of the observers was to determine which interval contained the target. The target detection threshold was measured at various noise mask densities, which was found to decrease 1.4- to 2.5-fold as the number of colors in the image went up at median to high noise densities across different conditions. In addition, this color facilitation effect was greater in luminance conditions than in isoluminance conditions. Our data cannot be explained by the probability summation theory or simple signal-to-noise ratio. We therefore propose a computational model that incorporates a linear chromatic symmetry register, a nonlinear transducer response, noise manipulation and a multiple channel decision making process. This model suggests that the increment of the number of colors reduces the interference to the symmetry channels produced by noise, and in turn facilitates symmetry detection.
Modeling Continuous Admixture Using Admixture-Induced Linkage Disequilibrium
Authors: Zhou Ying , Qiu Hongxiang , Xu Shuhua
Published: February 2017

Recent migrations and inter-ethnic mating of long isolated populations have resulted in genetically admixed populations. To understand the complex population admixture process, which is critical to both evolutionary and medical studies, here we used admixture induced linkage disequilibrium (LD) to infer continuous admixture events, which is common for most existing admixed populations. Unlike previous studies, we expanded the typical continuous admixture model to a more general scenario with isolation after a certain duration of continuous gene flow. Based on the new models, we developed a method, CAMer, to infer the admixture history considering continuous and complex demographic process of gene flow between populations. We evaluated the performance of CAMer by computer simulation and further applied our method to real data analysis of a few well-known admixed populations.