bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Challenges for Social‐Change Organizing in Rural Areas
Authors: Stephens Maura
Published: May 2016

Corporate criminality and corporate welfare proliferate, and their victims mount. Rural inhabitants, human and nonhuman, are among those most affected. Rural areas are particularly affected by chemical contamination, fossil fuel exploitation, the absence of coverage of relevant local issues by the media, marginalization by governments, and the loss of cherished places and ways of life. There has never been a greater need for collective opposition to the forces undermining rural life. But conditions make it especially difficult, with growing poverty, dwindling and aging populations, lack of transit, unreliable, spotty telecommunications, and other obstacles. These factors and others are used to illustrate why ramped‐up activism is essential to protect the rights of rural residents, the natural environment, and the farmlands that feed the majority of the U.S. population.
Functional Self‐Assembled Peptide Nanofibers for Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell Encapsulation and Regeneration in Nucleus Pulposus
Authors: Wu Yaohong , Jia Zhiwei , Liu Longgang , Zhao Yachao , Li Hao , Wang Chaofeng , Tao Hui , Tang Yong , He Qing , Ruan Dike
Published: May 2016

Low back pain (LBP) is mainly caused by intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Recent studies have demonstrated that the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can regenerate regions that have undergone degeneration, and the regenerative effect can be enhanced by using a hydrogel carrier. This article describes an injectable functional hydrogel system manufactured by combining RADA16‐I and RADA‐KPSS (RADA‐KPSS was manufactured by conjugating a bioactive motif derived from BMP‐7 [KPSS] onto the C terminal of RADA16‐I) at a volume ratio of 1:1. This hydrogel system can enhance the proliferation, differentiation, and chemotactic migration of BMSCs. In addition, the encapsulation of BMSCs with this system maintains cell viability for a long period after transplantation into an ex vivo cultured disc model. In conclusion, KPSS‐conjugated RADKPS is an ideal encapsulation system for BMSCs in intervertebral disc (IVD) regeneration.
Successful use of intravitreal ranibizumab injection and combined treatment in the management of Coats' disease
Authors: Yang Qiong , Wei Wenbin , Shi Xuehui , Yang Lihong
Published: May 2016

Purpose

To observe the efficacy of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) combined with another ablative therapy, such as laser photocoagulation, for Coats' disease.

Methods

Patients younger than 16 years of age who were diagnosed with Coats' disease were included in this study. They were treated with IVR (0.5 mg, monthly in the first 3 months) as an initial treatment, which was combined with another ablative therapy, such as laser photocoagulation or cryotherapy, as needed. The main data evaluation and outcome measurements included best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) before and after treatment, fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), the number of treatment sessions, and ocular and systemic side‐effects during follow‐up.

Results

Seventeen patients were included in this study; the average age was 7.9 ± 3.8 years, and the average follow‐up time was 9.7 ± 3.3 months. The mean number of IVR treatments was 3.9 ± 1.0. Sixteen patients (94.1%) needed another treatment. Eleven patients (64.7%) were stable at the final follow‐up. The BCVA at the last follow‐up was significantly improved compared to baseline (p < 0.001). Telangiectasia regression was found in all patients. Partial and total retinal attached was found in 14 patients (82.4%), and exudate resolution was found in eight patients (47.1%). There were no severe ocular or systemic side‐effects during the follow‐up period.

Conclusion

Intravitreal ranibizumab combined with other ablative therapies as an initial treatment is an effective and safe treatment approach for Coats' disease that may improve the visual acuity and reduce the subretinal fluid, exudates and telangiectasia.
Ethnicity and Religion in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina
Authors: RANOCCHIARI DARIO , CALABRESI GLORIA
Published: May 2016

Moving between historic reconstruction and ethnographic data, this article analyses the close relationship existing between memory, religion and ethnicity in the case of the Raizal people of the islands of San Andrés and Providencia (in Colombia's Western Caribbean). The dual colonial history of the islands and the peculiar modalities of the emergence of Creole society there, which is closely related to the establishment of the Baptist Church in a context of relative isolation, contributed decisively to defining the current political demands of the Raizal ethnic movements.
Behavioural synchronization of large‐scale animal movements – disperse alone, but migrate together?
Authors: Cote Julien , Bocedi Greta , Debeffe Lucie , Chudzińska Magda E. , Weigang Helene C. , Dytham Calvin , Gonzalez Georges , Matthysen Erik , Travis Justin , Baguette Michel , Hewison A. J. Mark
Published: May 2016

Dispersal and migration are superficially similar large‐scale movements, but which appear to differ in terms of inter‐individual behavioural synchronization. Seasonal migration is a striking example of coordinated behaviour, enabling animal populations to track spatio‐temporal variation in ecological conditions. By contrast, for dispersal, while social context may influence an individual's emigration and settlement decisions, transience is believed to be mostly a solitary behaviour. Here, we review differences in drivers that may explain why migration appears to be more synchronized than dispersal. We derive the prediction that the contrast in the importance of behavioural synchronization between dispersal and migration is linked to differences in the selection pressures that drive their respective evolution. Although documented examples of collective dispersal are rare, this behaviour may be more common than currently believed, with important consequences for eco‐evolutionary dynamics. Crucially, to date, there is little available theory for predicting when we should expect collective dispersal to evolve, and we also lack empirical data to test predictions across species. By reviewing the state of the art in research on migration and collective movements, we identify how we can harness these advances, both in terms of theory and data collection, to broaden our understanding of synchronized dispersal and its importance in the context of global change.
One‐year results of maxillary overdentures supported by 2 titanium–zirconium implants – implant survival rates and radiographic outcomes
Authors: Zembic Anja , Tahmaseb Ali , Jung Ronald E. , Wismeijer Daniel
Published: May 2016

Objective

To assess implant survival rates and peri‐implant bone loss of 2 titanium–zirconium implants supporting maxillary overdentures at 1 year of loading.

Material and Methods

Twenty maxillary edentulous patients (5 women and 15 men) being dissatisfied with their complete dentures were included. In total, 40 diameter‐reduced titanium–zirconium implants were placed in the anterior maxilla. Local guided bone regeneration (GBR) was allowed if the treatment did not compromise implant stability. Following 3 to 5 months of healing, implant‐supported overdentures were inserted on two ball anchors. Implants and overdentures were assessed at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after implant insertion and 2, 4, and 12 months after insertion of overdentures (baseline). Standardized radiographs were taken at implant loading and 1 year. Implant survival rates and bone loss were the primary outcomes.

Results

Nineteen patients (1 dropout) with 38 implants were evaluated at a mean follow‐up of 1.1 years (range 1.0–1.7 years). One implant failed resulting in an implant survival rate of 97.3%. There was a significant peri‐implant bone loss of the implants at 1 year of function (mean, 0.7 mm, SD = 1.1 mm; median: 0.48 mm, IQR = 0.56 mm).

Conclusions

There was a high 1‐year implant survival rate for edentulous patients receiving 2 maxillary implants and ball anchors as overdenture support. However, several implants exhibited an increased amount of bone loss of more than 2 mm. Overdentures supported by 2 maxillary implants should thus be used with caution as minimally invasive treatment for specific patients encountering problems with their upper dentures until more long‐term data is available.
PD‐L1 expression in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma correlates with risk of metastasis
Authors: Slater Nathaniel A. , Googe Paul B.
Published: May 2016

Background

Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) expression in primary cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma has not been described.

Methods

We reviewed immunohistochemical stained sections of 40 primary and five metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas using antibody to PD‐L1 and classified the staining pattern according to the DAKO tumor proportion score method. We compared the staining results with microscopic staging parameters associated with risk of metastasis including tumor diameter, histologic grade, tumor thickness and perineural invasion.

Results

PD‐L1 expression was present in 4 of 20 low risk tumors (20%), all of which showed low expression. PD‐L1 expression was present in 14 of 20 high risk tumors (70%), 12 of which showed low expression and 2 of which showed high expression, 5 of 5 metastases (100%), with three showing low expression and two showing high expression.

Conclusions

This survey documents PD‐L1 expression in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and shows a positive correlation between the degree PD‐L1 expression and pathologic findings related to risk of metastasis including large diameter, higher histological grade and tumor thickness.
Effect of basal insulin therapy on vascular endothelial function and adipokine profiles in people with Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Makino H. , Tanaka A. , Hosoda H. , Koezuka R. , Tochiya M. , Ohata Y. , Tamanaha T. , Miyamoto Y. , Kangawa K. , Kishimoto I.
Published: May 2016

Aim

To compare the effects of the basal insulin analogues glargine and detemir on endothelial function and adipocytokine levels in people with Type 2 diabetes.

Methods

We studied 32 people with Type 2 diabetes whose blood glucose control was unsatisfactory while receiving only oral hypoglycaemic drugs. Participants were randomized to either insulin glargine or detemir for 24 weeks and then crossed over to the other treatment without a washout period. Flow‐mediated vasodilatation, adipocytokine levels (plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 and leptin/adiponectin ratio), and fasting ghrelin levels were monitored.

Results

HbA1c levels were significantly decreased by both basal insulin therapies. Body weight was significantly increased by glargine but not by detemir. The proportion of flow‐mediated vasodilatation was significantly increased by detemir but not glargine (glargine: from 5.17 ± 0.69 to 5.94 ± 0.83%; detemir: from 4.89 ± 0.78 to 7.92 ± 0.69%). Plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 level was significantly decreased by only detemir (glargine: from 16.4 ± 1.8 to 17.3 ± 2.1; detemir: from 19.2 ± 2.8 to 16.0 ± 1.6 ng/ml). The leptin/adiponectin ratio was significantly increased only by glargine. Acyl ghrelin level was significantly decreased by glargine but not detemir.

Conclusions

These results suggest that the effect on endothelial function and adipocytokine profiles may differ between glargine and detemir in people with diabetes (Trial registration ID: UMIN000004973).
Different clinical prognostic factors are associated with improved glycaemic control: findings from MARCH randomized trial
Authors: Han J. , Yu H. , Tu Y. , Pang J. , Liu F. , Bao Y. , Yang W. , Jia W.
Published: May 2016

Aims

Metformin and acarbose have comparable efficacy as initial therapy for HbA1c reduction in Chinese patients with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. However, not all participants achieved glycaemic control. Our aim was to discover a monotherapy predictor for therapeutic response in Type 2 diabetes on the basis of baseline features.

Methods

Data from the MARCH trial were collected, resulting in 698 individuals being available for longitudinal analyses. All participants were divided into subgroups based on successful and unsuccessful achievement of the glycaemic target according to primary endpoints at week 24 (HbA1c < 53 mmol/mol; 7.0%). Logistic regression analysis with stepwise variable selection was performed to assess the independent risk factors for good glycaemic control of monotherapy with metformin or acarbose.

Results

Median HbA1c was 66 ± 1 mmol/mol (8.2 ± 0.07%) in the metformin group at baseline, and 66 ± 1 mmol/mol (8.2 ± 0.07%) in the acarbose group. After 24 weeks of monotherapy, 79.8% of participants in the metformin group achieved glycaemic targets compared with 78.7% of those in the acarbose group. Multivariate regression analysis showed that BMI and fasting blood glucose were significant independent predictors for the maintenance of good glycaemic control in the metformin group, whereas phase I insulin secretion (Insulin/Glucose at 30 min, I30/G30) and duration of diabetes were associated with good glycaemic control in the acarbose group.

Conclusions

For newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes, some clinical features and laboratory parameters are important prognostic factors for predicting drug responsiveness. Participants with a higher BMI and lower fasting blood glucose achieved good glycaemic control when metformin was selected as the initial treatment. Acarbose was best for participants with higher phase I insulin secretion (I30/G30) and shorter duration of Type 2 diabetes.
Relationship between skeletal muscle mass and swallowing function in patients with Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Takagi Daisuke , Hirano Hirohiko , Watanabe Yutaka , Edahiro Ayako , Ohara Yuki , Yoshida Hideyo , Kim Hunkyung , Murakami Kohji , Hironaka Shouji
Published: May 2016

Aim

The present study verified the hypothesis that decreased skeletal muscle in older adults with Alzheimer's disease is related to Alzheimer's disease progression and decreased oral or swallowing function.

Methods

We investigated 232 patients with Alzheimer's disease (31 men, 201 women, average age 85.4 ± 5.9 years) in two regions in Japan. The patients provided basic information (sex and age), and were assessed for skeletal muscle index, dementia severity (clinical dementia rating), activities of daily living, nutritional status, oral status and swallowing function.

Results

Stratification by clinical dementia rating was as follows: clinical dementia rating 0.5:21 patients (9.0%), clinical dementia rating 1:85 patients (36.6%), clinical dementia rating 2:88 patients (37.9%) and clinical dementia rating 3:38 patients (16.3%). Alzheimer's disease severity was significantly related to skeletal muscle index. Logistic regression analysis showed that clinical dementia rating 3 (odds ratio 11.68, 95% confidence interval 4.52–30.20), body mass index < 18.5 (odds ratio 3.18, 95% confidence interval 1.27–8.00), calf circumference <30.5 cm (odds ratio 9.33, 95% confidence interval 2.01–43.27) and poor swallowing function (odds ratio 4.93, 95% confidence interval 1.10–22.04) had a significant effect on decreased skeletal muscle index.

Conclusions

Therefore, decreased skeletal muscle mass in patients with Alzheimer's disease requires strategies to manage swallowing dysfunction. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 17: 402–409.
Clinical features of incidental mild cognitive impairment and dementia in a population‐based study
Authors: Hishikawa Nozomi , Fukui Yusuke , Sato Kota , Yamashita Toru , Ohta Yasuyuki , Abe Koji
Published: May 2016

Aim

The number of people with dementia is rapidly increasing as populations around the world age. It is important to grasp the characteristic features of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) for early detection and prevention of dementia.

Methods

We examined 408 individuals recruited from a health checkup for metabolic syndrome, which comprised three groups: normal (n = 325), MCI (n = 55) and apparent cognitive decline (ACD; n = 28). We compared cognitive/affective functions and exercise/hobby habits with assessments of vascular risk factors and results from computerized touch‐panel tests.

Results

Among the 408 individuals, 93.1% showed normal scores on the Mini‐Mental State Examination, and 6.9% had ACD. Among the normal Mini‐Mental State Examination participants, 14.5% had MCI (13.5% of all participants). The three groups of participants showed significant differences in age, education, systolic blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol level. Even within the normal range, those in the MCI group showed significantly lower cognitive function than those in the normal group. Scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale were greater in the MCI group, and “day–night reversal” was worse in the ACD group. Scores on touch‐panel screening tests were significantly worse in the MCI and ACD groups than in the normal group. Participants showed better cognitive and affective function if they exercised regularly or had hobbies.

Conclusions

Incidental MCI and ACD had prevalences of 13.5% and 6.9%, respectively, in the population‐based study. Participants with these conditions showed cognitive/affective decline and impairment on computerized touch‐panel tests in relation to vascular risk factors and exercise/hobbies. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 722–729.
Sex differences in attachment to spouses among older Japanese couples
Authors: Yokoyama Katsunori , Shirakawa Kazutoyo , Hirao Tomohiro , Nakatsu Morihito , Yoda Takeshi , Suzuki Hiromi , Okabe Yugo , Shirakami Gotaro
Published: May 2016

Aim

Attachment among older adults can partially explain sex differences in bereavement outcomes, but there is currently little evidence regarding this. The aim was to quantify sex differences in the proportion of spouses as attachment figures among older couples.

Methods

We carried out a secondary analysis of cross‐sectional questionnaire survey data. The dataset included information about 5137 respondents aged 65 years or older in Kanonji and Mitoyo, two rural cities in Kagawa prefecture, Japan; those who were never married or were widowed or divorced were excluded. The questionnaire asked participants whom they most want to be close by when they die (this person was defined as an “attachment figure”), and compared the proportion of older people of each sex who named their spouse. We used multiple logistic regression analyses to examine the independent association of sex with the proportion of spouses as attachment figures.

Results

Of the 2513 male respondents, 1494 (59.5%) answered “spouse.” Of the 2624 female respondents, 904 (34.5%) answered “spouse.” Multiple logistic regression analyses adjusted for age, live‐in children, annual income, participation in community activities, presence of a long‐term primary care doctor, anxiety about death and preferences for place of death showed that men had a higher probability of attachment to spouses than women (odds ratio 2.83, 95% confidence interval 2.43–3.31).

Conclusions

Spouses are more likely to be attachment figures for men than for women. The present study supports the theory that sex differences in attachment might partially explain the differences in the bereavement effect between sexes among older people. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 834‐838.
Performance of search strategies to retrieve systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy from the Cochrane Library
Authors: Huang Yuansheng , Yang Zhirong , Wang Jing , Zhuo Lin , Li Zhixia , Zhan Siyan
Published: May 2016

Aim

To compare the performance of search strategies to retrieve systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy from The Cochrane Library.

Methods

Databases of Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Cochrane Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects in the Cochrane Library were searched for systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy published between 2008 and 2012 through nine search strategies. Each strategy consists of one group or combination of groups of searching filters about diagnostic test accuracy. Four groups of diagnostic filters were used. The strategy combing all the filters was used as the reference to determine the sensitivity, precision, and the sensitivity × precision product for another eight strategies.

Results

The reference strategy retrieved 8029 records, of which 832 were eligible. The strategy only composed of MeSH terms about “accuracy measures” achieved the highest values in both precision (69.71%) and product (52.45%) with a moderate sensitivity (75.24%). The combination of MeSH terms and free text words about “accuracy measures” contributed little to increasing the sensitivity. Strategies composed of filters about “diagnosis” had similar sensitivity but lower precision and product to those composed of filters about “accuracy measures.” MeSH term “exp‘diagnosis’” achieved the lowest precision (9.78%) and product (7.91%), while its hyponym retrieved only half the number of records at the expense of missing 53 target articles. The precision was negatively correlated with sensitivities among the nine strategies.

Conclusions

Compared to the filters about “diagnosis,” the filters about “accuracy measures” achieved similar sensitivities but higher precision. When combining both terms, sensitivity of the strategy was enhanced obviously. The combination of MeSH terms and free text words about the same concept seemed to be meaningless for enhancing sensitivity.
The prevalence and risk factors of the metabolic syndrome in inpatients with intellectual disability
Authors: Room B. , Timmermans O. , Roodbol P.
Published: May 2016

Background

The aim of this study is to explore the prevalence and influencing factors of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) and behavioural problems in a Dutch special healthcare institution.

Methods

This observational study was conducted from medical records of physical examinations, laboratory results, medication (history), ethnicity and length of stay, as well as from questionnaires about lifestyle and smoking habits. MetS was defined by using the criteria of the 2009 consensus guidelines. The questions in this study were about the prevalence of MetS over a 1‐year period and exploration of the differences between the people with and without MetS to determine the factors associated with it.

Results

The overall prevalence of MetS in the selected population of people with IDs and behavioural problems was 46%. The factors ‘use of conventional antipsychotics’, ‘age’, and a ‘ low nutrition score’ increased the risk of developing MetS. Together, these variables determine 19% of the variance in the incidence of MetS.

Conclusions

The study indicates a firm prevalence of MetS in a vulnerable population, whereby a minority of contributing factors was determined. Professionals should be particularly alert during the provision of antipsychotics, diet and exercise habits to prevent MetS when treating people with IDs and behavioural problems, and further studies are needed to explore the factors that contribute to the nascence and prevalence of MetS.
Cathepsin K expression is increased in oral lichen planus
Authors: Siponen Maria , Bitu Carolina Cavalcante , Al‐Samadi Ahmed , Nieminen Pentti , Salo Tuula
Published: May 2016

Background

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is an idiopathic T‐cell‐mediated mucosal inflammatory disease. Cathepsin K (Cat K) is one of the lysosomal cysteine proteases. It is involved in many pathological conditions, including osteoporosis and cancer. The expression and role of Cat K in OLP are unknown.

Methods

Twenty‐five oral mucosal specimens diagnosed histopathologically as OLP and fourteen healthy controls (HC) were used to study the immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of Cat K. Colocalization of Cat K with CD1a, Melan‐A, CD68, CD45, mast cell tryptase (MCT), and Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) 4 and 9 were studied using double IHC and/or immunofluorescence (IF) staining. Expression of Cat K was also evaluated in OLP tissue samples before and after topical tacrolimus treatment.

Results

Cat K was expressed in a higher percentage of cells in the epithelial zone, and the staining intensity was stronger in the stroma in OLP compared to controls (P < 0.001). In OLP, Cat K was present mostly in melanocytes and macrophages and sporadically in basal keratinocytes, endothelial cells, and extracellularly. Cat K was found also in some fibroblasts in HC and OLP samples. Coexpression of Cat K and TLRs 4 and 9 was seen in some dendritic cells (presumably melanocytes) and macrophages. In OLP, tacrolimus treatment reduced the expression of Cat K in the epithelium but increased it in the stroma.

Conclusions

These results suggest that Cat K is involved in the pathogenesis of OLP. Cat K possibly takes part in the modulation of matrix molecules and cellular receptors.
Mutant swarms of a totivirus‐like entities are present in the red macroalga Chondrus crispus and have been partially transferred to the nuclear genome
Authors: Rousvoal Sylvie , Bouyer Betty , López‐Cristoffanini Camilo , Boyen Catherine , Collén Jonas
Published: May 2016

Chondrus crispus Stackhouse (Gigartinales) is a red seaweed found on North Atlantic rocky shores. Electrophoresis of RNA extracts showed a prominent band with a size of around 6,000 bp. Sequencing of the band revealed several sequences with similarity to totiviruses, double‐stranded RNA viruses that normally infect fungi. This virus‐like entity was named C. crispus virus (CcV). It should probably be regarded as an extreme viral quasispecies or a mutant swarm since low identity (<65%) was found between sequences. Totiviruses typically code for two genes: one capsid gene (gag) and one RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase gene (pol) with a pseudoknot structure between the genes. Both the genes and the intergenic structures were found in the CcV sequences. A nonidentical gag gene was also found in the nuclear genome of C. crispus, with associated expressed sequence tags (EST) and upstream regulatory features. The gene was presumably horizontally transferred from the virus to the alga. Similar dsRNA bands were seen in extracts from different life cycle stages of C. crispus and from all geographic locations tested. In addition, similar bands were also observed in RNA extractions from other red algae; however, the significance of this apparently widespread phenomenon is unknown. Neither phenotype caused by the infection nor any virus particles or capsid proteins were identified; thus, the presence of viral particles has not been validated. These findings increase the known host range of totiviruses to include marine red algae.
Genetic diversity of Saccharina latissima (Phaeophyceae) along a salinity gradient in the North Sea–Baltic Sea transition zone
Authors: Møller Nielsen Mette , Paulino Cristina , Neiva João , Krause‐Jensen Dorte , Bruhn Annette , Serrão Ester A.
Published: May 2016

The North Sea–Baltic Sea transition zone constitutes a boundary area for the kelp species Saccharina latissima due to a strong salinity gradient operating in the area. Furthermore, the existence of S. latissima there, along Danish waters, is fairly patchy as hard bottom is scarce. In this study, patterns of genetic diversity of S. latissima populations were evaluated along the salinity gradient area of Danish waters (here designated brackish) and were compared to reference sites (here designated marine) outside the gradient area, using microsatellite markers. The results showed that the S. latissima populations were structured into two clusters corresponding to brackish versus marine sites, and that gene flow was reduced both between clusters and between populations within clusters. In addition, results provided empirical evidence that marginal populations of S. latissima in the salinity gradient area exhibited a distinct genetic structure when compared to marine ones. Brackish populations were less diverse, more related, and showed increased differentiation over distance compared to marine populations. The isolation of the brackish S. latissima populations within the salinity gradient area of Danish waters in conjunction with their general low genetic diversity makes these populations vulnerable to ongoing environmental and climate change, predicted to result in declining salinity in the Baltic Sea area that may alter the future distribution and performance of S. latissima in the area.
Situational Trust: How Disadvantaged Mothers Reconceive Legal Cynicism
Authors: Bell Monica C.
Published: May 2016

Research has shown that legal cynicism is pervasive among residents of poor, black neighborhoods. However, controlling for crime rates, these residents call police at higher rates than whites and residents of middle-class neighborhoods, and ethnographic research suggests that mothers in particular sometimes exact social control over partners and children through police notification. Given these findings, how might researchers better understand how legal cynicism and occasional reliance on police fit together? Drawing on interviews with poor African-American mothers in Washington, DC, this article develops an alternative conception of cultural orientations about law: situational trust. This concept emphasizes micro-level dynamism in cultural conceptions of the police, expanding the literature on police trust by emphasizing situational contingency. Mothers deploy at least four alternative strategies that produce moments of trust: officer exceptionalism, domain specificity, therapeutic consequences, and institutional navigation. These strategies shed light on the contextual meanings of safety and legitimacy.
Reclaiming the Power to Punish: Legislating and Administrating the California Supermax, 1982–1989
Authors: Reiter Keramet
Published: May 2016

This article examines how increasingly punitive prison conditions, epitomized by the birth and spread of the supermax prison, developed in the United States. This analysis builds on a growing literature about the “new punitiveness” of U.S. punishment policy and its global proliferation. This article shifts the focus away from the policies that have led to increasing rates of incarceration, however, and toward the policies that have shaped the conditions of incarceration. Drawing on archival research and more than 30 oral history interviews with key informants, I examine the administrative and legislative processes that underwrote the supermax innovation in California in the 1980s. During California's late twentieth-century prison-building spree, prison administrators deployed multiple rhetorics of risk to extend their control over conditions of confinement in state prisons. As the state invested billions of dollars in prison building initiatives, legislators, who were focused primarily on building prisons faster, ceded authority over prison design and conditions to prison administrators. In the end, rather than implementing legislative policy, prison administrators initiated their own policies, institutionalizing a new form of “supermax” confinement, pushing at the limits of constitutionally acceptable practices.
A Lab Experiment on Committee Hearings: Preferences, Power, and a Quest for Information
Authors: Park Ju Yeon
Published: May 2016

In principle, committees hold hearings to gather and provide information to their principals, but some hearings are characterized as political showcases. This article investigates conditions that moderate committee members' incentives to hold an informative hearing by presenting a game‐theoretic model and a lab experiment. Specifically, it studies when committees hold hearings and which types of hearing they hold by varying policy preferences of committee members and the principal and political gains from posturing. Findings provide new insights to how preferences and power distribution affect individuals' incentives to be informed when they make decisions as members of a committee in many contexts.
Milking the myth: innovation funding in theory and practice
Authors: Macdonald Stuart
Published: May 2016

The history of Silicon Valley was re‐invented in the early 1980s to suit contemporary requirements to portray innovation as less a product of circumstance than the culmination of managed process. Stanford University was cast as the source of the information required for innovation and Silicon Valley as its science park. This is myth, and myth can be a powerful weapon. Being based on faith rather than reason, myth is invulnerable to attack by logic. This article looks at recent exploitation of this Silicon Valley myth in support of a UK government programme to fund universities in recognition of their contribution to the innovation of local firms. Adherence to the myth was essential to securing funding, and proved an obstacle to the contribution the universities might have made to innovation.
On the Exact Region Determined by Kendall's τ and Spearman's ρ
Authors: Schreyer Manuela , Paulin Roland , Trutschnig Wolfgang
Published: May 2016

Using properties of shuffles of copulas and tools from combinatorics we solve the open question about the exact region Ω determined by all possible values of Kendall's τ and Spearman's ρ. In particular, we prove that the well-known inequality established by Durbin and Stuart in 1951 is not sharp outside a countable set, give a simple analytic characterization of Ω in terms of a continuous, strictly increasing piecewise concave function and show that Ω is compact and simply connected, but not convex. The results also show that for each (x, y) ∈ Ω there are mutually completely dependent random variables X and Y whose τ- and ρ-values coincide with x and y respectively.
LIFE‐VALUE NARRATIVES AND THE IMPACT OF ASTROBIOLOGY ON CHRISTIAN ETHICS
Authors: Mix Lucas John
Published: May 2016

“Pale Blue Dot” and “Anthropocene” are common tropes in astrobiology and often appear in ethical arguments. Both support a decentering of human life relative to biological life in terms of value. This article introduces a typology of life‐value narratives: hierarchical narratives with human life above other life and holistic narratives with human life among other life. Astrobiology, through the two tropes, supports holistic narratives, but this should not be viewed as opposed to Christianity. Rather, Christian scriptures provide seeds of both hierarchical and holistic narratives, each of which may flourish in different environments. By attending to which aspects of human life are valued—or disvalued—relative to biological life, we can better understand how life‐concepts do work in ethics, anthropology, and soteriology in secular as well as theological contexts.
Experimental Study of Horizontal Bubble Plume With Computational Fluid Dynamics Benchmarking
Authors: Chen Shao-Wen , Macke Christopher , Hibiki Takashi , Ishii Mamoru , Liu Yang , Ju Peng , Sharma Subash , Kondo Yoshiyuki , Kawamizu Tsutomu , Yoshimoto Takashi , Kagawa Seiji , Tanimoto Koichi
Published: May 2016

In order to study the two-phase flow behaviors of a horizontal bubble plume in a tank, experimental tests along with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were carried out in this paper. An experimental facility was designed and constructed which allows air–water bubble jet being injected horizontally into a water tank by three-parallel injector nozzles with different gas and liquid superficial velocities (〈jg〉in = 2.7–5.7 m/s and 〈jf〉in = 1.8–3.4 m/s). Two sizes of injector nozzles (D = 0.053 m and 0.035 m) were tested to examine the injector size effect. Important parameters including void fraction, fluid velocity, bubble Sauter mean diameter, and their distributions in the tank were measured and analyzed. In addition to the experimental work, selected flow conditions were simulated with ANSYS CFX 13.0. Compared with the experimental data, the present CFD simulation can predict the general trends of void and flow distributions and the recirculation fluid velocity with an accuracy of ±30%. The present CFD simulation methodology has been validated by the experimental results and can be applied to bubble plume analyses and design.
Ocean ambient sound south of Bermuda and Panama Canal traffic
Authors: Širović Ana , Hildebrand John A. , McDonald Mark A.
Published: May 2016

Comparisons of current and historic ocean ambient noise levels are rare, especially in the North Atlantic. Recent (2013–2014) monthly patterns in ocean ambient sound south of Bermuda were compared to those recorded at the same location in 1966. Additionally, trends in ocean traffic, in particular, Panama Canal traffic, over this time were also investigated. One year of ocean ambient noise measurements were collected in 1966 using cabled, omnidirectional hydrophones at the U.S. Navy Tudor Hill Laboratory in Bermuda, and repeat measurements were collected at the same location from June 2013–May 2014 using a High-frequency Acoustic Recording Package. Average monthly pressure spectrum levels at 44 Hz increased 2.8 ± 0.8 dB from 1966 to 2013, indicating an average increase of 0.6 dB/decade. This low level of increase may be due to topographic shielding at this site, limiting it to only southern exposure, and the limit in the number of ship transits through the Panama Canal, which did not change substantially during this time. The impending expansion of the Canal, which will enable the transit of larger ships at twice the current rate, is likely to lead to a substantial increase in ocean ambient sound at this location in the near future.
The reduction of gunshot noise and auditory risk through the use of firearm suppressors
Authors: Murphy William J. , Stewart Michael , Flamme Gregory A. , Tasko Stephen M. , Lankford James E. , Meinke Deanna K.
Published: May 2016

Law enforcement, security, and military personnel train with small-caliber firearms that present a significant risk of noise induced hearing loss for the operator and range instructors. Measurements of three rifles and one pistol equipped with suppressors were conducted at an outdoor firing range using subsonic and supersonic ammunition. Suppressed and unsuppressed recordings were analyzed. Microphones were located to the left of the muzzle, to the right and left of the shooter’s head, and one meter behind the shooter’s head at the nominal instructor’s position. Recordings were collected with a National Instruments PXI 1082 chassis with an NI 4499 data acquisition board at a 200 kHz sampling rate. Analysis of the peak sound pressure levels (dB SPL) and 8-h equivalent A-weighted energy (LAeq8) were conducted. The suppressors reduced the peak between 15 and 25 dB SPL and the LAeq8 between 8 and 28 dB. Reduced noise levels at the source will reduce auditory risk but do not necessarily eliminate the need for hearing protection. An outdoor noise propagation model based on ISO 17201-1 will be used to investigate the effect of suppressors to reduce noise in surrounding communities.
Modeling and experimental validation of an evanescent wavefield using a wavenumber integration method
Authors: Plotnick Daniel , Marston Philip L.
Published: May 2016

When sound is incident on the boundary between two media, where the first medium has a lower sound speed than the second (such as sound in water incident on some sediments), a critical angle exists. If the incident angle is below this critical angle an evanescent wavefield is formed in the second medium. Experimental work measured the structure of such a wavefield at an oil-water interface insonified by an appropriately oriented transducer, where the region of interest is not in the transducer far-field [Osterhoudt et al., IEEE J. Ocean. Eng. 33, 397–404 (2008)]. Several features of note within the wavefield were observed. This work attempts to model those observations using wavenumber integration techniques. In the incident plane wave approximation, the evanescent wavefield is vertically phase-locked and the characteristic exponential spatial decay is constant across the wavefield. However, the contribution of many wavenumber components across the region of interest is key to understanding the wavefield structure seen in experiments. This model will be compared to the experimental results, and the details of phase, amplitude, and the overall wavefield structure discussed. An improved approximation of the transducer orientation used in experiments may also be inferred from these results. [Work supported by ONR.]
Infants' ability to separate concurrent vowels based on voice characteristics
Authors: Werner Lynne , Oster Monika
Published: May 2016

The ability to use voice characteristics to identify a target vowel in the presence of competing vowels was assessed in normal hearing 3- and 7-month-old infants and adults. Listeners heard two trains of simultaneously presented vowels, one spoken by a male, the other spoken by a female. The nine vowels were 400 ms in duration, with 1200 ms between vowels, presented at a level of 70 dB SPL. Listeners learned to respond when a target vowel was spoken by a target talker, but to neither other vowels or the target vowel spoken by the non-target talker. Each age group was able to respond selectively on target trials, with d' > 1; the response rates to no-target and probe trials were not different at any age. However, only about 40% of infants achieved at least 80% responses on target trials with no more than 20% responses on no-target trials, and only about half of those infants also achieved no more than 20% responses on probe trials within up to 40 trials. Thus, infants as young appear to be able separate speech sounds on the basis of voice characteristics. However, few infants achieve a high level of performance in this task.
Measuring vowel percepts in human listeners with behavioral response-triggered averaging
Authors: Brimijoin W. Owen , Tilbury Emily , Akeroyd Michael A. , Porr Bernd
Published: May 2016

A vowel can be largely defined by the frequencies of its first two formants, but the absolute frequencies for a given vowel vary from talker to talker and utterance to utterance. Given this variability, it is unclear what criteria listeners use to identify vowels. To estimate the vowel features for which people listen, we adapted a noise-based reverse-correlation method from auditory neurophysiological studies and vision research (Gold et al., 1999). Listeners presented with the stimulus, which had a random spectrum with levels in 60 frequency bins changing every 0.5 s, were asked to press a key whenever they heard the vowels [a] or [i:]. Reverse-correlation was used to average the spectrum of the noise prior to each key press, thus estimating the features of the vowels for which the participants were listening. The formant frequencies of these reverse-correlated vowels were similar to those of their respective whispered vowels. The success of this response-triggered technique suggests that it may prove useful for estimating other internal representations, including perceptual phenomena like tinnitus. References: Gold, J., Bennett, P. J., and Sekuler, A. B. (1999). “Identification of band-pass filtered faces and letters by human and ideal observers,” Vis. Res. 39(21), 3537–3560.
Ultrasonic binaural echo perception of object's texture by human echolocation
Authors: Sumiya Miwa , Sarumaru Yuki , Banda Taito , Ashihara Kaoru , Kobayasi Kohta I. , Watanabe Yoshiaki , Hiryu Shizuko
Published: May 2016

Echolocating bats use frequency-modulated (FM) and/or constant-frequency (CF) sound for ultrasonic sensing depending on the situation during flight. We investigated discrimination ability of object’s texture for sighted subjects to understand acoustic clues for texture recognition in human echolocation. FM and CF ultrasonic echoes from six objects with different materials and surface structures were acquired by a 1/7-size miniature dummy head for presentation of 1/7-times pitch converted binaural audible sounds to listeners through headphones. In the results, averaged rate of correct answer in the case of extremely different surface condition (i.e., acrylic board versus artificial grass) was more than 90% while one in the slightly different surface condition (i.e., acrylic board versus foamed polystyrene) was under 40%. Furthermore, the rate of correct answers in the CF sound condition was approximately 13% lower than one in the FM sound condition. The correlation diagram among targets by multidimensional scaling was dispersed more remarkably in the FM sound condition. When the target pair had slightly different surface condition, differences in the notch pattern of amplitude spectra were observed, especially in the FM sound condition. These suggest that FM ultrasonic binaural sound is more effective for slight-different texture perception than CF ultrasonic binaural sound.
Interaural time difference sensitivity with high rate electrical pulse trains in bilateral cochlear implant users
Authors: Kan Alan
Published: May 2016

Interaural time differences (ITDs) are an important cue for obtaining binaural hearing benefits. Bilateral cochlear implant (BiCI) users have shown poor ITD sensitivity when using clinical processors, but have some ITD sensitivity with carefully controlled stimuli presented using synchronized research processors. In BiCI users, low stimulation rates yield best ITD sensitivity, but declines as the stimulation rate increases. However, high rates are typically needed for good speech understanding, which poses a conundrum for maximizing the benefit of BiCIs. Aperiodic high-rate stimulation has been shown to promote ITD sensitivity. However, it is uncertain whether this improvement is due to changes in the loudness level, which may provide an envelope ITD cue. In this study, we tested this hypothesis by measuring ITD just noticeable differences (JNDs) with 4000-Hz electrical pulse trains. Pulse trains either had: (1) constant amplitude and rate; (2) aperiodic timing in the pulses; and (3) aperiodic timing + a random amplitude applied to each pulse. Results have implications in determining whether aperiodic high-rate stimulation can be useful for restoring ITD sensitivity. [Work supported by NIH-NIDCD (R01DC003083 to Ruth Litovsky) and NIH-NICHD (P30HD03352 to the Waisman Center).]
A functional measurement of auditory spatial acuity through aurally aided visual search
Authors: Rothwell Clayton D. , Simpson Brian D. , Romigh Griffin D.
Published: May 2016

Aurally aided visual search (AAVS) uses a spatial audio cue to the location of a visual target in a visual search task (e.g., Perrot et al., 1991), which has shown a reduction in search times when an audio cue is present compared to visual only search. In addition, AAVS has been used to discriminate between the effectiveness of different auditory cues, e.g., free field and virtual (Bolia et al., 1999). This research used an AAVS paradigm in a small frontal region (±27˚ az ±16˚ el) with high spatial resolution. Nine participants searched for and identified a “C” with a 0.13˚ opening on either the left or right among distractor “O”s. Crucially, the visual identification was only possible when the target was in the fovea. The visual set sizes used were: 1 (target only), 6, 12, and 24. Participants experienced three conditions: visual only search, virtual audio with individualized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs), and KEMAR HRTFs. Auditory stimuli were 250-ms bursts of broadband noise. Auditory cues speeded search but individualized and KEMAR HRTFs were not different. Further analysis showed that eccentric elevations tended to be slower with KEMAR. Plans to develop this technique are discussed.