bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Too many covariates and too few cases? – a comparative study
Authors: Chen Qingxia , Nian Hui , Zhu Yuwei , Talbot H. Keipp , Griffin Marie R. , Harrell Frank E.
Published: June 2016

Prior research indicates that 10–15 cases or controls, whichever fewer, are required per parameter to reliably estimate regression coefficients in multivariable logistic regression models. This condition may be difficult to meet even in a well‐designed study when the number of potential confounders is large, the outcome is rare, and/or interactions are of interest. Various propensity score approaches have been implemented when the exposure is binary. Recent work on shrinkage approaches like lasso were motivated by the critical need to develop methods for the p >> n situation, where p is the number of parameters and n is the sample size. Those methods, however, have been less frequently used when p≈n, and in this situation, there is no guidance on choosing among regular logistic regression models, propensity score methods, and shrinkage approaches. To fill this gap, we conducted extensive simulations mimicking our motivating clinical data, estimating vaccine effectiveness for preventing influenza hospitalizations in the 2011–2012 influenza season. Ridge regression and penalized logistic regression models that penalize all but the coefficient of the exposure may be considered in these types of studies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Kampo patterns and radiology in children receiving choreito for hemorrhagic cystitis after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Kawashima Nozomu , Sekiya Yuko , Narita Atsushi , Kamei Michi , Muramatsu Hideki , Nishio Nobuhiro , Hama Asahito , Ito Yoshinori , Takahashi Yoshiyuki , Kojima Seiji
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACT

Aim

Choreito reduces the disease burden of hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, but the underlying Kampo mechanism has not yet been clarified. To obtain pathophysiological insights, the present study evaluated changes in Kampo patterns and genitourinary imaging during choreito treatment.

Methods

Ten consecutive children with late‐onset HC after stem cell transplantation were treated with choreito. Kampo patterns and computed tomography (CT) before and after choreito treatment were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Ten children with a median age of 9.7 years (range, 5.4–14 years) were diagnosed with late‐onset HC; 9 had BK virus and 1 had adenovirus. The median duration from the beginning of choreito intake to complete resolution was 12 days (range, 4–28 days). All 10 children fulfilled the Kampo pattern of Bladder damp–heat at diagnosis; all had heat and/or hardness in the lower abdomen, and 8 children had a slippery pulse. CT was obtained in 4 of the 10 children at the time of diagnosis, all of which showed bladder wall thickening and perivesical inflammation. After choreito treatment for a median of 26 days (range, 8–40 days), none of the children had any sign of damp–heat, which coincided with the disappearance of perivesical inflammation, as confirmed on CT.

Conclusion

Lower abdominal heat/hardness with a slippery pulse may reflect damp–heat accumulation in the lower energizer, causing HC. Improvement in these examinations can be used as a surrogate response marker in choreito treatment for HC, which should be confirmed in future prospective studies.
Effect of maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene on polypropylene/recycled acrylonitrile butadiene rubber/empty fruit bunch composite
Authors: Ragunathan Santiagoo , Nurul S. Othman , Abdillahi K. Mohamed , Ismail Hanafi
Published: June 2016

The effect of maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene (PP‐g‐MAH) as a compatibilizer on the properties of polypropylene (PP)/recycled acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBRr)/empty fruit bunch (EFB) composites were studied. The composites were melt mixed using a heated two roll mill at 180°C and a speed of 15 rpm with six different compositions (100/0/10, 80/20/10, 70/30/10, 60/40/10, 50/50/10, 40/60/10 phr). The effects of PP‐g‐MAH on mechanical, morphological and chemical properties of the PP/NBRr/EFB composites were examined. The PP‐g‐MAH compatibilized composites have higher tensile values compare to uncompatibilized composites. Scanning electron microscopy showed better adhesion between EFB and PP/NBRr matrices in the presence of PP‐g‐MAH. Better interaction was formed between EFB and PP/NBRr matrices via C‐O‐C ester bonds as indicated by FTIR analysis. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 24:275–280, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers
The changing water cycle: hydroclimatic extremes in the British Isles
Authors: Burt T.P. , Howden N.J.K. , Worrall F.
Published: June 2016

This focus article is concerned with long‐term changes in hydroclimatic extremes across the British Isles. The combination of short records, poor data quality, nonstationarity, and other methodological constraints is a major obstacle to the attribution of change. Given the interaction of drivers, notably hydroclimate and land use, linking cause and effect can be difficult, especially where records are short. This focus article emphasizes the particular value of long hydrological records in seeking to understand the scale of change currently affecting British and Irish river basins. Homogeneous records of precipitation and river flow are used to explore long‐term changes and to establish linkage with large‐scale atmospheric drivers. Using very long records allows subtle, underlying trends to be detected within noisy records; since most records of river flow are only a few decades long, very long precipitation records are used to provide a context and evidence of century‐scale monotonic trends. Analysis of flow extremes in the British Isles shows a clear linkage with indices of large‐scale atmospheric circulation; relatively simply indices of weather type and atmospheric circulation provide a good level of explanation. At the longest timescales, there has been important variation in precipitation: a monotonic increase in winter, not seen in summer where interdecadal variability is the dominant pattern. With one exception, significant trends in summer are negative, including in the uplands; this unexpected result deserves further consideration across the British Isles. WIREs Water 2016, 3:854–870. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1169

This article is categorized under:

Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change

Science of Water > Water Extremes
Prenatal Testing for Adult‐Onset Conditions: the Position of the National Society of Genetic Counselors
Authors: Hercher Laura , Uhlmann Wendy R. , Hoffman Erin P. , Gustafson Shanna , Chen Kelly M. ,   the Public Policy Committee of NSGC
Published: June 2016

Advances in genetic testing and the availability of such testing in pregnancy allows prospective parents to test their future child for adult‐onset conditions. This ability raises several complex ethical issues. Prospective parents have reproductive rights to obtain information about their fetus. This information may or may not alter pregnancy management. These rights can be in conflict with the rights of the future individual, who will be denied the right to elect or decline testing. This paper highlights the complexity of these issues, details discussions that went into the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) Public Policy Task Force's development of the Prenatal testing for Adult‐Onset Conditions position statement adopted in November 2014, and cites relevant literature on this topic through December 2015. Issues addressed include parental rights and autonomy, rights of the future child, the right not to know, possible adverse effects on childhood and the need for genetic counseling. This paper will serve as a reference to genetic counselors and healthcare professionals when faced with this situation in clinical practice.
Reflecting on the journey: Mechanisms in narrative persuasion
Authors: Hamby Anne , Brinberg David , Daniloski Kim
Published: July 2016

Recent work demonstrates that narratives persuade via mechanisms distinct from other persuasive message formats. The present work draws from the discourse processing and communication literature to introduce a construct of retrospective reflection as an additional mediator in narrative persuasion. Retrospective reflection represents self or other‐relevant memories evoked by transportation into a story, which corroborates and extends story‐implied beliefs into the reader's world. The reported studies indicate that retrospective reflection is distinct from transportation, mediates the relationship between transportation and various persuasion‐related outcomes, and predicts these outcomes beyond transportation. The current work also examines the influence of personal relevance (Study 2) and cognitive load (Study 3) to better understand the role of retrospective reflection in narrative persuasion.
Special reduction: a usage-based approach
Authors: BYBEE JOAN , FILE-MURIEL RICHARD J. , NAPOLEÃO DE SOUZA RICARDO
Published: June 2016

abstract

‘Special reduction’ refers to instances of extreme phonetic reduction which is restricted to particular words or phrases, usually grammaticalizing constructions (going to> [gə̃ɾ̃ə̃]), greetings (hifromhow are you), discourse markers (Spanisho sea>sa), or other sequences that are often used together. On the basis of data from English, Brazilian Portuguese, and Colombian Spanish, we argue that special reduction is based on the general phonetic tendencies in the language, but that these tendencies are carried to an extreme where word sequences are used with high frequency and become chunked, allowing formerly stressed syllables to lose stress and reduce. The data also show that special reduction takes place gradually over time, and reflects general patterns of change seen in the history of the language. In fact, in some examples, special reduction presages more general sound changes that occur later. We argue that the gradual phonetic changes that accumulate for particular words or phrases, eventually changing them dramatically, requires an exemplar model for the phonological representation of words and phrases, which is updated continually as sequences are used and affected by reductive phonetic processes.
Stable isotopes, niche partitioning and the paucity of elasmosaur remains in the Maastrichtian type area
Authors: Schulp Anne S. , Janssen Renée , van Baal Remy R. , Jagt John W.M. , Mulder Eric W.A. , Vonhof Hubert B.
Published: June 2016

Remains of elasmosaurid plesiosaurs are exceedingly rare in the type-Maastrichtian strata (Late Cretaceous, southeast Netherlands and northeast Belgium), in stark contrast to relatively common skeletal remains of mosasaurs. Here, we present an analysis of δ13C stable isotope values for tooth enamel of two elasmosaur teeth from the type Maastrichtian. The δ13C signal is a proxy for foraging area, trophic level and diving behaviour, the net value of which in these rare elasmosaurs turns out to be not noticeably different from that for the much commoner mosasaurs in the type Maastrichtian. Therefore, the rarity of elasmosaurs in the area probably reflects a primary near-absence of such reptiles during the latest Cretaceous, rather than a taphonomic artefact.
Gauging the earth
Authors: Mahony John D.
Published: June 2016

In an earlier note by W. J. A. Colman [1], the reader was treated to an interesting discussion concerning a BBC programme about the earth's radius in the context of endeavours to determine it by an 11th century Persian mathematician, Al-Biruni. At the same time a modem but approximate formula that might not have been available to the ancients was proposed for the radius and, following that account, it is the purpose here to explore just how accurately one might determine the earth's radius using this formula together with a simple measurement apparatus (not a sophisticated astrolabe) that might be constructed from materials found in the garage of any DIY handyman, or indeed, in the laboratory of any school science department. A schematic for the configuration of an observer P at a height h above the earth (of radius R) where the deflection angle to the horizon is denoted by θ, is shown in Figure 1. Also shown in the figure is a ‘sighting tube’ of length L about which more will be said later.
Γ2 (½)is more than just π
Authors: Moreno Samuel G. , García-Caballero Esther M.
Published: June 2016

For a fixed positive integer m, factorial m is defined by

The problem of finding a formula extending the factorial m! to positive real values of m was posed by D. Bernoulli and C. Goldbach and solved by Euler. In his letter of 13 October 1729 to Goldbach [1], Euler defined a function (which we denote as Γ (x + 1)) by means of

and showed that Γ (m + 1) = m! for positive integers m. After that, Euler found representations for the so-called gamma function (1) in terms of either an infinite product or an improper integral. We refer the reader to the classical (and short) treatise [2] for a brief introduction and main properties of the gamma function.
Derangement revisited
Authors: Sofair Isaac
Published: June 2016

In [1], the following theorem is stated and proved as Proposition XXXII, using the Principle of Inclusion and Exclusion:

The number of ways of deranging a series of n terms so that no term may be followed by the term which originally followed it is

(Note that the conventional definition of a derangement of a series of terms is an arrangement such that no term occupies its original position. However, the usage in this paper allows some terms to remain in their original positions.) This may most easily be visualised by considering a string of n distinct characters, abc … n say. This string has a sequence of n − 1 pairs of consecutive characters, namely, ab, bc, … mn. This article derives three theorems that can be deduced from the above theorem. The first theorem determines the number of permutations of a character string that are free from a random subset comprising a given number m of the n − 1 pairs, but contain all the remaining pairs. The second theorem sums the results of the first theorem for m, m + 1, …, n − 1 pairs.
A simple series representation for Apéry's constant
Authors: Melville John
Published: June 2016

Apéry's constant is the value of ζ (3) where ζ is the Riemann zeta function. Thus

This constant arises in certain mathematical and physical contexts (in physics for example ζ (3) arises naturally in the computation of the electron's gyromagnetic ratio using quantum electrodynamics) and has attracted a great deal of interest, not least the fact that it was proved to be irrational by the French mathematician Roger é and named after him. See [1,2].

Numerous series representations have been obtained for ζ (3) many of which are rather complicated [3]. é used one such series in his irrationality proof. It is not known whether ζ (3) is transcendental, a question whose resolution might be helped by a study of an appropriate series representation of ζ (3).
On the largest outscribed equilateral triangle
Authors: Dong Fengming , Zhao Dongsheng , Ho Weng Kin
Published: June 2016

Given two triangles ΔABC and ΔDEF, if each side of ΔDEF contains a vertex of ΔABC, then we call ΔDEF an outscribed triangle of ΔABC. Given ΔABC, let ΦΔABC be the set of all outscribed equilateral triangles of ΔABC. Clearly ΦΔABC is non-empty. In the following we will determine the area of the largest member of ΦΔABC when each angle of ΔABC is smaller than 120° and show that this largest member can be constructed by ruler and compass from ΔABC. The corresponding problem on quadrilaterals has been considered in [1].
Quotient polynomials with positive coefficients
Authors: Villarino Mark B.
Published: June 2016

In a recent paper [1] Michael Hirschhorn and the present author had to prove that the polynomial

is positive for all integers n ≥ 4. We did so by writing down the identity

Since all the coefficients of the quotient polynomial are positive as well as the remainder, this shows by inspection that f(n) > 0 for n ≥ 5 and computing f(4) = 12025 completes the proof. This example illustrates a useful and efficient method for proving that polynomials have strictly positive values for all real numbers exceeding a given one. We leamed this method from a paper by Chen [2], (see [3] and the references cited there), and we have subsequently used it in our own researches [1,4].

We also conjectured in [1] that the theoretical basis of the method is a true theorem and the present paper is dedicated to proving this conjecture.

Theorem 1: Let f(x) be a polynomial with real coefficients whose leading coefficient is positive and with at least one positive root x = a. Then there exists an x = b ≥ a such that

where f(b), and all the coefficients of the quotient polynomial g(x), are non-negative.
The perfect cipher
Authors: Lewand Robert Edward
Published: June 2016

The history of cryptography is punctuated by the invention of clever systems to encipher messages and, sometime later, equally clever systems for cryptanalysing the enciphered messages to determine their meaning. Most enciphering schemes of any worth enjoy a relatively lengthy period of prominence before sufficiently determined cryptanalysts undermine their security by figuring out how to attack them. In response, cryptographers devise new and improved schemes and then the cycle repeats. Cryptographers have learned from history that it is dangerous to declare any enciphering scheme unbreakable; at best they are considered to be very secure. But there is one scheme, a scheme that has been around since 1917, that truly is unbreakable. It is the perfect cipher.
Some remarkable integrals derived from a simple algebraic identity
Authors: Jameson Graham J. O. , Jameson Timothy P.
Published: June 2016

The identity in question really is simple: it says, for u ≠ −1,

We describe two types of definite integral that look quite formidable, but dissolve into a much simpler form by an application of (1) in a way that seems almost magical.

Both types, or at least special cases of them, have been mathematical folklore for a long time. For example, case (10) below appears in [1, p. 262], published in 1922 (we are grateful to Donald Kershaw for showing us this example). However, they do not seem to figure in most books on calculus except possibly tucked away as an exercise The comprehensive survey [2] mentions the second type on p. 253, but only as a lemma on the way to an identity the authors call the ‘master formula’ We come back to this formula later, but only after describing a number of other more immediate applications.
Revisiting the sliding ladder
Authors: De Subhranil
Published: June 2016

A uniform ladder leaning against a wall, or sliding down against a wall, is a familiar theme in introductory mechanics and calculus courses, made popular in recent years by several papers pertaining to its various intriguing aspects and important limitations. This configuration is particularly well-known in the context of static equilibrium where the friction exerted by the floor keeps the ladder from sliding [1]. The situation involving the ladder sliding down instead of being static is a staple topic of calculus courses, although usually only from a geometric point of view. The physics of the sliding ladder was addressed in [2, 3, 4], none of which took friction into consideration. In the present work we study in detail a situation involving a ladder sliding between a rough wall and a frictionless floor. This is a situation where in spite of the presence of friction the ladder is still destined to slide down, no matter how large the friction coefficient between the wall and the ladder is. As we will establish in this paper, in spite of the friction present, the ladder must always be speeding up while sliding down, until it breaks off the wall at some critical angle.
A footnote to the theory of double integrals
Authors: Pla Juan
Published: June 2016

The probability integral theorem, which states that

is on the record for having enticed numerous mathematicians to find alternative proofs for it, over a period of more than two centuries, till recent times (for a few recent references see [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]). The most popular demonstration (attributed to the French mathematician Poisson; see [11], in references of [12]), the one found in almost all textbooks, relies on the double integral

(taken over the upper-right quarter of the Cartesian plane) obtained by squaring the probability integral. By resorting to polar coordinates and writing down the above integral as:

the value of the probability integral is obtained by taking the square root of the result on the right-hand side of this latter relation.
Beyond domes, umbrellas and tents
Authors: Figueiredo Vera L. X. , Mello Margarida P. , Santos Sandra A.
Published: June 2016

Do the following objects shown on the cover belong together?

We will argue that they do bear a certain kinship, sharing the common gene of cylindrical intersection. In fact, we hope this essay will awaken in the reader the ability to discern several other members of this family in the world around him or her.

Cylinder intersection is used widely in construction. Beautiful examples abound in old world architecture, for instance the famous Florence cathedral in Figure 1.
Triumphs and Tribulations in Teaching
Authors: Ransom Peter
Published: June 2016

Good morning and thank you for coming to listen to my Presidential Address. You have been listening to Meat Loaf’s Bat out of Hell and for those of you who are used to seeing me in various costumes I apologise for not appearing as Batman on a Batbike, but I know my limits (like .

The illustration on the front cover of the Gazette is a bit of a turkey. It comes from an old mathematics exercise book by Henry Smith who started it in 1843 and appears just before he does some examples on the single rule of three direct in vulgar fractions. I wonder how long it took him to do it, but there has surely been some implicit mathematics done in managing to get the wording arranged fairly equally around a circle! The rest of the exercise book is very neatly presented and illustrated, though without any indication that the work has been marked in a summative or formative way. Hence it would not meet today’s standards.
If everyone wanted girls more boys might be born
Authors: Christian Helen , Trustrum Brian
Published: June 2016

In the July 2011 Gazette Paseau [1] considers a population in which each birth is an independent event with probability g of being a girl and b of being a boy (b + g = 1). He supposes that, due to a preference for girls, all couples stop after producing k girls, where k is an integer greater or equal to 1. Each new birth will, even after some couples have stopped producing, still have the probability g of being a girl and b of being a boy. Paseau correctly states and shows that this will mean that the ratio

Expected number of girl births : Expected number of boy births is g : b.

So it is the same as if all couples stopped randomly. Paseau was showing that this result was a consequence of the ratio g : b always being the same for all families.

However in humans the ratio g : b is not always the same. The ratio g : b can vary significantly with many variables between couples, which influence either the ratio at conception or the subsequent implantation and survival of male or female foetuses to birth. For example, mothers whose menstrual cycles have a short follicular phase (normally days 1-14 of the 28-day cycle) tend to produce boys [2], resulting in a smaller g : b ratio. Also the timing of insemination within the menstrual cycle is associated with the gender outcome such that insemination early or late in the fertile period means that the offspring is more likely to be male; if insemination occurs in the middle it is more likely to be female [3]. It is therefore likely that changes in parental hormone concentrations during the fertile period can affect the sexes of the children [4].
Vieta’s product for pi from the Archimedean algorithm
Authors: Osler Thomas J. , Waterpeace Sky
Published: June 2016

In this paper we show how to derive Vieta’s famous product of nested radicals for π [1] from the Archimedean iterative algorithm for π, [2, 3]. Only simple algebraic manipulations are needed.

The Archimedean iterative algorithm for calculating π uses a method involving the two equations:

and

In using this algorithm, we start with a circle of diameter 1. Imagine two regular polygons each with the same number of sides, circumscribed and inscribed to this circle. The larger one has perimeter a0, the smaller has perimeter b0. Since the perimeter of the circle is π we have b0 < π < a0. Now consider regular polygons with twice the number of sides that circumscribe and inscribe the circle and call their perimeters a1 and b1 respectively. These can be calculated from (1) and (2). Continuing in this way we generate the perimeters of inscribed and circumscribed regular polygons, and in each case the number of sides is twice the sides of the previous polygon. Clearly the sequence {an} approaches π from above and {bn} approaches π from below.
Fingers find Fermat’s factorisation most probable
Authors: Baumback Randall
Published: June 2016

“I know my ones. I know my twos. I know my threes… Ah, the finger man.” An unforgettable exchange between a defiant, remedial student, and a confident, driven math teacher in the movie Stand and Deliver [1]. This back-and-forth exchange presented a teachable moment for the determined teacher giving way to a class presentation of the finger manipulation for multiplying by nine, a technique familiar to most every elementary school student in the U.S. Little did I know this simple idea would lead to the heuristic thinking outlined in the sequence of topics below connecting Fermat and finger multiplication.
Marathi of a Single Type: The demise of the Modi script
Authors: SOHONI PUSHKAR
Published: June 2016

While the debates about the use of a single script for rendering the Marathi language became relevant only after the advent of printing, the fast-changing social and political landscapes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries lent their own weight to the discourse. The debates about the writing system became the venue for various competing social forces and political movements. The issues of region, caste, class, and religion—the core of today's identity politics—were all embroiled in this debate, as were both the British colonial and Indian nationalist governments. In just 150 years, Balbodh (a variant of Devanagari) emerged as the sole script for the Marathi language. At least three different arguments were used to dismiss the Modi script. The first was about printing types, and the legibility and economy of Devanagari. By the end of the nineteenth century, the social empowerment of the literati and administrative convenience were the reasons given for abolishing Modi. In the twentieth century, British resistance to nationalist efforts in western India, and then a fear of regionalism under the new nationalist independent republic, ensured that a single script able to be used for both Hindi and Sanskrit would be officially sanctioned for Marathi.
The role of travel in enhancing life satisfaction among Chinese older adults in Hong Kong
Authors: BAI XUE , HUNG KAM , LAI DANIEL W. L.
Published: June 2016

Life satisfaction is an important indicator of wellbeing and successful ageing, while boosting life satisfaction in later life has long been a policy and service challenge. Based on a questionnaire survey with 415 Chinese older adults aged 60 years and over in Hong Kong, this study examined how older adults' travel motivations influenced their travel actions and how the travel affected their life satisfaction using structural equation modelling. A proposed ‘travel motivation–action–life satisfaction’ model showed an acceptable fit with the data. It was found that travel motivations stimulated older adults' travel actions, while their travels further contributed to greater life satisfaction. The findings of this study indicated the need for improved knowledge and understanding of older adults' travel preferences and requirements, and highlight the importance of enhancing awareness among professionals and service providers about the benefit of travelling in enhancing life satisfaction of older adults.
Push recovery of a quadruped robot on challenging terrains
Authors: Khorram Mahdi , Moosavian S. Ali A.
Published: June 2016

Legged robots may become unstable when subjected to unexpected disturbances such as external pushes and environmental irregularities mostly while moving on natural terrains. To enhance the mobility performance, legged robots should be able to keep or restore their balanced configuration when a sudden disturbance is exerted. The aim of this article is to design a controller for a quadruped robot to restore its balanced configuration despite exerting external pushes. This is achieved based on developing a full-dynamics model of the robot moving over even and uneven terrains. The proposed controller is based on a PD module which calculates the required accelerations for restoring the robot equilibrium. However, these accelerations may make the robot unstable and also cause the slippage of stance feet. Therefore, an optimization algorithm is used to compute the maximum admissible accelerations. The constraints of the optimization problem are the conditions which guarantee the robot stability and the stance feet slippage avoidance. The optimization algorithm is transformed into a linear constrained least-squares problem to be solved in real-time. The main contributions of this article are the development of a push recovery algorithm for quadruped robots and also the introduction of an appropriate condition which guarantees the stability of the robot even on uneven terrains. This stability condition is developed based on a full-dynamics model of the robot. The proposed algorithm is applied on an 18-DOF quadruped robot when the robot is standing over both even and uneven terrains. The obtained results show that the robot can successfully restore its balanced configuration by precise adjustment of the position and orientation of its main body while a massive external disturbance is exerted.
‘Stop Putting Words in my Mouth!’: Undermining the Binary between the Actual and the Fictional
Authors: Krüger Lida
Published: June 2016

The distinction between fictionality and actuality takes on a special significance in the theatre, which contains two frames simultaneously: a fictional and an actual. Although the presence of these frames is integral to performance, the demarcation between them often becomes blurred. Both Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing (1982) and Sam Holcroft's Edgar and Annabel (2011) problematize the relationship between an actor and the character that he or she portrays. While Stoppard's characters sometimes indulge in fictional portrayals, Holcroft's embody additional characters out of a sense of duty and commitment to a political cause. Although the stakes of keeping the illusion in place are seemingly much higher in Holcroft's play, both suggest that the blurring of the line between the actual and the fictional is not only inevitable, but also potentially dangerous. Lida Krüger is a senior lecturer in English Studies at the University of South Africa, Pretoria. Her current research interests include fictionality in theatre, the position of the audience in performance, and theatre archiving.
Multilocus sequence typing and CTX-M characterization of ESBL-producingE. coli: a prospective single-centre study in Lower Saxony, Germany
Authors: GERHOLD G. , SCHULZE M. H. , GROSS U. , BOHNE W.
Published: June 2016

The increasing prevalence of extended-spectrumβ-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Gram-negative bacteria is a serious threat for current healthcare settings. In this study we investigated the molecular epidemiology of ESBL-producingE. coliat the University Medical Center Göttingen in Lower Saxony, Germany. AllE. coliisolates with an ESBL phenotype were collected during a 6-month period in 2014. Multilocus sequence typing and CTX-M characterization were performed on 160 isolates. Of the ESBL-producing isolates 95·6% were CTX-M positive. Compared to recent Germany-wide studies, we found CTX-M-1 to occur in higher frequency than CTX-M-15 (44·4%vs.34·4%). CTX-M-14 and CTX-M-27 were detected at 9·4% and 5·0%, respectively. The globally dominant sequence type (ST) 131, which is often associated with CTX-M-15, occurred at a relatively low rate of 24%. Major non-ST131 sequence types were ST101 (5%), ST58 (5%), ST10 (4·4%), ST38 (4·4%), ST410 (3·8%) and ST453 (3·1%). Several of these major sequence types were previously shown to be associated with livestock farming. Together, our study indicates thatE. colilineage distribution in individual healthcare settings can significantly differ from average numbers obtained in nationwide studies.
Theoretical Frameworks in Brazilian Electroacoustic Music
Authors: Velloso Rodrigo Cicchelli , Barros Frederico , Neto Orlando Scarpa , Bezz Cláudio , Ardila Jorge
Published: June 2016

This article is the final stage of seven years of research dedicated to understanding the theoretical backgrounds of Brazilian electroacoustic music in which a significant amount of data was gathered from a series of questionnaires and interviews with Brazilian composers. Our research focuses mainly on the influence of what we have called the historical matrices: musique concrète, elektronische musik and computer music. We were able to determine to some extent how much each of these matrices weigh on the poetic andpoiesisof the Brazilian electroacoustic production. We were also able to shed some light on how (and if) Brazilian composers relate to these matrices aesthetically and if their relation to them is merely technical, as well as trying to understand how clear cut the borders are between these two aspects of musical creation. The concepts ofoppositional culture(Ogbu 1978) andestablished and outsiders(Elias and Scotson 2000) also helped us understand the dynamics between academia and a certain anti-academic stance seen in some composers of the genre. Using these same concepts, we elaborate, in a final note, on some brief comments about a newer generation of composers who, due to various aspects, were filtered out during the early methodological stages.
Neighbourhood variation in the price of soda relative to milk and its association with neighbourhood socio-economic status and race
Authors: Kern David M , Auchincloss Amy H , Ballester Lance S , Robinson Lucy F
Published: June 2016

Objective

Soda consumption is high in the USA, especially among minorities and individuals of lower socio-economic status (SES); this may be due to its affordable price in relation to healthier alternatives. The objective of the present study was to examine geospatial variation in price of milk and soda, and the price of milk relative to soda, by neighbourhood SES and proportion of Hispanic and black individuals.

Design

Retailer soda and milk prices (n 2987; Information Resources, Inc. Academic Data Set 2004–2011) were linked to census block group sociodemographic characteristics (American Community Survey 2005–2009). Linear hierarchical regression models were used to adjust for confounders.

Setting

Large chain supermarkets and superstores (n 1743) in forty-one states and 1694 block groups (USA).

Results

For equivalent fluid ounces, price of soda on average was 62 % lower than milk ($US 0·23 v. $US 0·63 per serving) and there was high dispersion in milk price across geographic areas. After adjustment for confounding, neighbourhoods with a higher concentration of black and Hispanic individuals tended to have lower soda prices and higher milk prices (−$US 0·001 and +$US 0·007 in price per serving, respectively, for a one quintile increase in black/Hispanic population), while soda and milk both became less expensive as SES decreased (–$US 0·002 and −$US 0·015 in serving price per one sd decrease in SES index, respectively).

Conclusions

Neighbourhoods with a higher concentration of blacks and Hispanics may be at greater risk of higher soda consumption due to more affordable prices, in absolute terms and relative to the price of milk.
Major dietary patterns in relation to demographic and socio-economic status and food insecurity in two Iranian ethnic groups living in Urmia, Iran
Authors: Rezazadeh Arezoo , Omidvar Nasrin , Eini-Zinab Hassan , Ghazi-Tabatabaie Mahmoud , Majdzadeh Reza , Ghavamzadeh Saeid , Nouri-Saeidlou Sakineh
Published: June 2016

Objective

To identify major dietary patterns and their association with socio-economic status (SES) and food insecurity in two major ethnic groups living in Urmia, north-west Iran.

Design

A cross-sectional study.

Setting

All four geographical zones of Urmia city.

Subjects

Participants (n 723; 427 women and 296 men), aged 20–64 years, from two ethnic groups (445 Azeri Turks and 278 Kurds).

Results

Three major dietary patterns were extracted: ‘Traditional High SES’ (THS), ‘Traditional Low SES’ (TLS) and ‘Transitional’. After adjusting for confounders, the THS pattern was positively associated with education level and negatively associated with moderate or severe food insecurity in Azeri Turks; whereas, among Kurds, it was more common in women and positively associated with age. The TLS pattern was more common among men and negatively associated with educational level and all levels of food insecurity in Azeris; while, among Kurds, it was more common among men, positively associated with being married and negatively associated with household income/capita. The ‘Transitional’ pattern was positively associated with being employed and negatively associated with age and all levels of food insecurity in Azeris; while, among Kurds, it was more common among men and negatively associated with age, being married and physical activity level.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that household SES and food insecurity are associated with detrimental dietary patterns and that this effect may be stronger than cultural and ethnic background. These patterns differ by age and gender. Therefore, such characteristics should be considered in planning and formulating diet-related policies and programmes.
Monetary value of self-reported diets and associations with sociodemographic characteristics and dietary intake among Japanese adults: analysis of nationally representative surveys
Authors: Okubo Hitomi , Murakami Kentaro , Sasaki Satoshi
Published: June 2016

Objective

To examine the relationships of monetary value of diets with sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics and dietary intake among Japanese adults.

Design

Cross-sectional study based on two nationally representative surveys: the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions and the National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2013. Dietary intake was assessed by a 1 d semi-weighed household dietary record with information on individual proportion of intakes. Diet cost was estimated by linking dietary data with retail food prices. A wide variety of sociodemographic and lifestyle variables were obtained from the two surveys.

Setting

A random sample of nationally representative households in Japan.

Subjects

Japanese adults aged 20 years or older (n4658).

Results

Lower energy-adjusted diet cost (Japanese yen/4184 kJ) was significantly associated with being younger, having a lower education, less equivalent monthly household expenditure, large household size, less physical activity and living in rented houses. Lower diet cost was associated with a lower intake of pulses, vegetables, fruits, fish, meat and dairy products, and a higher intake of grain, eggs, and fats and oils. At the nutrient level, lower diet cost was associated with a lower intake of protein, alcohol, dietary fibre, cholesterol and all vitamins and minerals examined, and a higher intake of carbohydrate. Diet cost was inversely associated with dietary energy density.

Conclusion

These data suggest that certain low socio-economic subgroups in Japan consume diets of lower monetary value, resulting in a lower quality of food and nutrient intake pattern except for lower sodium, cholesterol and alcohol consumption.
FRAMED CORRESPONDENCES AND THE MILNOR–WITT -THEORY
Authors: Neshitov Alexander
Published: June 2016

Given a field$k$of characteristic zero and$n\geqslant 0$, we prove that$H_{0}(\mathbb{Z}F(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}_{k}^{\bullet },\mathbb{G}_{m}^{\wedge n}))=K_{n}^{MW}(k)$, where$\mathbb{Z}F_{\ast }(k)$is the category of linear framed correspondences of algebraic$k$-varieties, introduced by Garkusha and Panin [The triangulated category of linear framed motives$DM_{fr}^{eff}(k)$, in preparation] (see [Garkusha and Panin, Framed motives of algebraic varieties (after V. Voevodsky), Preprint, 2014,arXiv:1409.4372], § 7 as well), and$K_{\ast }^{MW}(k)$is the Milnor–Witt$K$-theory of the base field$k$.
JOHN STUART MILL: LAW, MORALITY, AND LIBERTY
Authors: JONES H. S.
Published: June 2016

Ever since the resurgence of the sub-discipline in the 1960s, the foremost achievements of the history of political thought have dealt with the early modern period. The classics of the genre—Laslett's edition of Locke, Pocock'sMachiavellian Moment, Skinner'sFoundations—have all dealt with that period, and it is hard to think of any works on the nineteenth century that have quite the same stature. Of all the canonical political thinkers, John Stuart Mill is perhaps the one who has proved resistant to the contextualist method. There is a vast literature on Mill, and many historians have written penetratingly about him—Stefan Collini, William Thomas, Donald Winch—but there has hitherto been no historically grounded study of his thought to rival, say, John Dunn on Locke or Skinner on Hobbes, or even a host of learned monographs. Before Varouxakis's book, no study of Mill had been published in Cambridge University Press's flagship series in intellectual history, Ideas in Context. But all that has changed. In these two works, published more or less concurrently, we have two triumphs for contextualism. They demonstrate in impressive detail just why it matters in reading Mill to get the history right.
Bacteria of leg atheromatous arteries responsible for inflammation
Authors: Olszewski Waldemar Lech , Rutkowska Joanna , Moscicka-Wesolowska Maria , Swoboda-Kopec Ewa , Stelmach Ewa , Zaleska Marzanna , Zagozda Malgorzata
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Background: Ischaemia of the lower limbs is frequently followed by inflammation and, in advanced cases, necrosis of peripheral tissues. Whether this is caused by arterial hypoperfusion only or by the presence of bacteria in the arterial walI as well remains unclear. The aim of the study was to prove the presence and source of bacteria in arterial specimens and evaluate their chemotactic properties resulting in the formation of periarterial cellular infiltrates. Materials and methods: Bacterial culture and testing for 16sRNA were performed in fragments of popliteal artery harvested from amputated limbs. Carotid artery plaques served as controls. Fragments of arteries were transplanted into scid mice to evaluate their chemotactic activity for macrophages. Results: a) higher prevalence of isolates and 16sRNA in atherosclerotic popliteal than carotid arteries, b) high density of plaque and periarterial infiltrates and mRNA level for pro-inflammatory cytokines in popliteal arteries, c) prevalent microbes were Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and Enterococci, d) foot skin and arterial bacterial phenotypes and DNA revealed evident similarities, and e) more intensive mouse macrophage accumulation in popliteal than carotid implants into scid mice. Conclusions: The presence of bacteria in the lower limb arterial wall was documented. They may predispose to inflammation secondary to ischaemic changes.
Modulare Psychotherapie im Kindes- und Jugendalter
Authors: Schmidt Stefanie J. , Schimmelmann Benno G.
Published: June 2016

Zusammenfassung. Die Implementierung evidenzbasierter Psychotherapieprogramme für Kinder und Jugendliche in die klinische Praxis ist bislang nur unzureichend gelungen. Ein wesentlicher Grund dafür ist, dass Patienten im klinischen Versorgungskontext deutlich mehr komorbide Störungen und häufiger wechselnde Therapieziele aufweisen als Patienten im Forschungskontext. Folglich erscheinen modulare Psychotherapieprogramme vielversprechend, da sie eine flexible Anpassung der vorhandenen evidenzbasierten Behandlungsprogramme an die individuellen Therapiebedürfnisse des jeweiligen Patienten erlauben. Da bislang noch keine Übersichtsarbeit zu modularen Therapieansätzen für die Behandlung von Kindern und Jugendlichen vorliegt, wurde eine systematische Literaturrecherche durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse der 15 eingeschlossenen randomisierten klinischen Studien sprechen dafür, dass Kinder und Jugendliche, die modulare Psychotherapie erhielten, im Vergleich zu Kontrollbedingungen nach Therapieende signifikant weniger Symptomatik zeigten und seltener die Diagnosekriterien für das jeweilige Störungsbild erfüllten. Aufgrund der unzureichenden Forschungslage müssen künftige Studien die inkrementelle Wirksamkeit dieser modularen Ansätze sowie die Gültigkeit der ihnen zugrunde liegenden theoretischen Modelle und Entscheidungsalgorithmen untersuchen. Modulare Therapieprogramme könnten einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur Entwicklung und Implementierung einer personalisierten und therapieschulenübergreifenden, evidenzbasierten Psychotherapie für Kinder und Jugendliche leisten.
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
Authors: Briegel Wolfgang
Published: June 2016

Zusammenfassung. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) ist eine speziell für 2- bis 6-jährige Kinder mit Störungen des Sozialverhaltens entwickelte manualisierte Therapieform, für deren Wirksamkeit eine sehr gute Evidenz besteht. PCIT ist außerdem eine evidenzbasierte Intervention bei körperlicher Kindesmisshandlung. Darüber hinaus konnten für PCIT bei Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-/Hyperaktivitätsstörung, Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen, Trennungsangststörungen und depressiven Störungen positive Effekte nachgewiesen werden. Es könnte sich somit zukünftig zum ersten evidenzbasierten transdiagnostischen Therapieansatz für 2- bis 6-jährige Kinder entwickeln. PCIT basiert auf der Bindungstheorie und der Lerntheorie und verbindet spieltherapeutische und verhaltenstherapeutische Ansätze miteinander. Es besteht aus zwei Behandlungsphasen: dem Spieltraining und dem Erziehungstraining. In beiden Phasen werden den Eltern Fertigkeiten vermittelt, die sie unter Live-Anleitung durch den Therapeuten in der Interaktion mit dem Kind einüben. Das Spieltraining dient dem Aufbau bzw. der Konsolidierung einer guten Eltern-Kind-Beziehung und bildet die Basis für das spätere Erziehungstraining. Im Spieltraining lernen die Eltern, dem Kind bei angemessenem Verhalten die Führung zu überlassen. Im Erziehungstraining üben sie hingegen, effektiv die Führung zu übernehmen, wo dies notwendig ist. Die Therapie, die im Mittel etwa 15 bis 20 Sitzungen dauert, kann beendet werden, wenn die Eltern die erlernten Fertigkeiten beherrschen, expansives kindliches Verhalten auf ein eindeutig normales Niveau reduziert ist und die Eltern keinen Bedarf mehr für eine Behandlung sehen.
Novel Technique Finds New Features Under United States
Authors: Cook Terri
Published: June 2016

A new high-fidelity tomography harnesses USArray data to expose a wealth of noteworthy crustal and upper mantle structures, including previously unknown anomalies beneath the Appalachians.