bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consistent shifts in pollinator‐relevant floral coloration along Rocky Mountain elevation gradients
Authors: Gray Michelle , Stansberry Marcus J. , Lynn Joshua S. , Williams Charles F. , White Thomas E. , Whitney Kenneth D.
Published: February 2018

Floral colour is a fundamental signal that shapes plant–pollinator interactions. Despite theoretical reasons why floral colours might shift in representation along biotic and abiotic gradients, few studies have examined community‐level shifts in colour, and even fewer significant patterns have been detected.

We examined floral colour on six replicated transects spanning 1,300 m in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado,USA. Along these transects, there is a hypothesized shift from bee‐dominated to fly‐dominated pollination with increasing elevation. The reflectance of flowers of 110 forb and shrub species was measured using a spectrophotometer, and was used to estimate three components of colour (hue, saturation and brightness) in relevant pollinator visual spaces. Percent cover data were collected from 67 sites and used to obtain community‐weighted mean (cwm) estimates of floral colour.

We found strong patterns of elevational change in floral colour. Reflectancecwmof shorter wavelengths (UVBthrough human blue, 300–500 nm) generally decreased linearly with elevation, while reflectancecwmof longer wavelengths (human green through red, 500–700 nm) showed hump‐shaped patterns with highest reflectance at intermediate elevations. With respect to pollinators, saturationcwmincreased significantly with elevation in both bee and fly visual spaces, while brightness contrastcwmshowed a hump‐shaped pattern in bee space and a decline with elevation in fly visual space. For hue, cover of species perceived as bee‐blue declined with elevation, while cover of bee‐UV‐green species showed a hump‐shaped pattern. In comparison, we detected no elevational shifts in floral hues as perceived by flies.

Synthesis. Hue patterns are consistent with the hypothesis that bee pollinators have shaped the geography of floral colour. The roles of fly pollinators and of abiotic drivers are more difficult to infer, although the drop in floral brightness at high elevations is consistent with predictions that low temperatures and more intense ultraviolet radiation should favour increased pigment concentrations there. Our results indicate that floral colour can be dynamic yet predictable across the landscape, a pattern that provides opportunities to tease apart the ecological and evolutionary drivers of this important plant trait.
Host genetic variation strongly influences the microbiome structure and function in fungal fruiting‐bodies
Authors: Pent Mari , Hiltunen Markus , Põldmaa Kadri , Furneaux Brendan , Hildebrand Falk , Johannesson Hanna , Ryberg Martin , Bahram Mohammad
Published: February 2018

Despite increasing knowledge on host‐associated microbiomes, little is known about mechanisms underlying fungus‐microbiome interactions. This study aimed to examine the relative importance of host genetic, geographic and environmental variations in structuring fungus‐associated microbiomes. We analyzed the taxonomic composition and function of microbiomes inhabiting fungal fruiting‐bodies in relation to host genetic variation, soil pH and geographic distance between samples. For this, we sequenced the metagenomes of 40 fruiting‐bodies collected from six fairy rings (i.e., genets) of a saprotrophic fungus Marasmius oreades. Our analyses revealed that fine genetic variations between host fungi could strongly affect their associated microbiome, explaining, respectively, 25% and 37% of the variation in microbiome structure and function, whereas geographic distance and soil pH remained of secondary importance. These results, together with the smaller genome size of fungi compared to other eukaryotes, suggest that fruiting‐bodies are suitable for further genome‐centric studies on host–microbiome interactions.
Analysing barriers to service improvement using a multi‐level theory of innovation: the case of glaucoma outpatient clinics
Authors: Turner Simon , Vasilakis Christos , Utley Martin , Foster Paul , Kotecha Aachal , Fulop Naomi J.
Published: February 2018

The development and implementation of innovation by healthcare providers is understood as a multi‐determinant and multi‐level process. Theories at different analytical levels (i.e. micro and organisational) are needed to capture the processes that influence innovation by providers. This article combines a micro theory of innovation, actor‐network theory, with organisational level processes using the ‘resource based view of the firm’. It examines the influence of, and interplay between, innovation‐seeking teams (micro) and underlying organisational capabilities (meso) during innovation processes. We used ethnographic methods to study service innovations in relation to ophthalmology services run by a specialist EnglishNHSTrust at multiple locations. Operational research techniques were used to support the ethnographic methods by mapping the care process in the existing and redesigned clinics. Deficiencies in organisational capabilities for supporting innovation were identified, including manager‐clinician relations and organisation‐wide resources. The article concludes that actor‐network theory can be combined with the resource‐based view to highlight the influence of organisational capabilities on the management of innovation. Equally, actor‐network theory helps to address the lack of theory in the resource‐based view on the micro practices of implementing change.
The economy of smiles: affect, labour and the contemporary deserving poor
Authors: Gerrard Jessica
Published: February 2018

This paper examines the affective dimensions of new forms of informal entrepreneurial work carried out in spaces of unemployment. Situating the analysis within contemporary scholarship on deservingness and on affect and labour, I shed light on the forms of entrepreneurial labour that rely upon affect‐driven economies of exchange underpinned by moral judgements of deservingness, value and worth. In particular, this paper draws on a multi‐city (Melbourne, London, San Francisco) study of homeless street press sellers (The Big Issue and Street Sheet) to explore the ways in which contemporary practices of charity and care are carried out through individualized market‐place exchanges. Sellers’ accounts of their work reveal how smiling and being (or looking) happy is a performative expectation that must be managed in the face of poverty and precarity.
Explaining New Models of Global Voluntary Regulation: What Can Organisational Studies Contribute?
Authors: Marx Axel , Wouters Jan
Published: February 2018

Global governance in its myriad forms and actor constellations has decisively demonstrated the potential for rule‐making above the nation state to be liberated from the ‘iron cage’ of traditional intergovernmental forums and multilateral bureaucracy. To further investigate an increasingly complex global reality, we propose drawing on organisational theories and methods for penetrating the internal dynamics of global governance processes and outcomes. This article begins by mapping out the current use of organisational theories in global governance research. It then turns to exploring the potential for other areas of organisational theory and conceptual development to shed light on the governance dynamics and performance of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS), a significant site of transnational rule‐making and experimentation by private actors. We highlight a paradigmatic shift from ‘arms‐length’ to ‘embedded’ models ofVSSmonitoring and regulation, reflected in new modes of engagement and interaction between rule‐makers and rule‐takers. This new generation of embeddedVSSgovernance is distinguishable by enhanced information provision, learning and knowledge creation. The implications of embedded governance forVSSmonitoring and performance are explored with reference to the experience of the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF).
Breaking the Cycle of Gridlock
Authors: Hale Thomas , Held David
Published: February 2018

There is a growing gap between the need for effective global governance and the ability of intergovernmental institutions to provide it. In Gridlock: Why Multilateralism Is Failing when We Need It Most, published in 2013, we argued that self‐reinforcing interdependence, rooted in the extraordinary success of the post‐war multilateral order, has created a range of ‘second‐order problems’ that are threatening to undermine our ability to engage in further global cooperation. As we show in this article, gridlock is itself reinforcing and structurally embedded in global politics. The corrosive effect of unmanaged globalization on domestic politics is provoking anti‐global backlashes that further erode the capacity of intergovernmental institutions to provide solutions to global problems. It is possible, however, to detect a number of significant counter‐trends and exceptions to global governance dysfunction. We set out seven pathways ‘through’ and ‘beyond’ gridlock, explain their significance, and provide examples of how these pathways can effect positive change. While none of these pathways alone offer a silver bullet, they all highlight possible ways of moving towards a more resilient, adaptive, and innovative global governance arrangement.
The Limits and Opportunities of Regional Solidarity: Exploring Refugee Resettlement in Brazil and Chile
Authors: Vera Espinoza Marcia
Published: February 2018

This paper explores the implementation and experience of refugee resettlement in Brazil and Chile by focusing on the main limits and opportunities of regional ‘solidarity’, the principle on which the programme is based. By analysing how the notion of solidarity is understood in the context of resettlement in Latin America, I review the programme at two levels. First, at the regional level, I focus on the programmes in both Brazil and Chile, to assess resettlement as an instrument of international cooperation and responsibility sharing. At the local level, I look at refugees’ residency status and access to rights. I focus here on the resettlement of Colombian and Palestinian refugees in both countries. Exploring resettlement through the lens of solidarity, allows us to understand the nuances and multiple dimensions of resettlement. This is timely, as countries of the Southern Cone of Latin America are identified as ‘emerging resettlement countries’ and expected to increase their resettlement intake. The findings discussed in this paper show that resettlement should aim for a complementary understanding of solidarity in order to improve the quality of the programme, as well as expanding its scope and capacity.
Haloperidol for delirium in critically ill patients – protocol for a systematic review
Authors: Barbateskovic M. , Kraus S. R. , Collet M. O. , Mathiesen O. , Jakobsen J. C. , Perner A. , Wetterslev J.
Published: February 2018

Background

In the intensive care unit, the prevalence of delirium is high. Delirium has been associated with morbidity and mortality including more ventilator days, longer intensive care unit stay, increased long‐term mortality, and cognitive impairment. Thus, the burden of delirium for patients, relatives, and societies is considerable. The objective of this systematic review was to critically access the evidence of randomised clinical trials on the effects of haloperidol vs. placebo or any other agents for delirium in critically ill patients.

Methods

We will search for randomised clinical trials in the following databases: Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index, BIOSIS, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, and Allied and Complementary Medicine Database. Two authors will independently screen and select references for inclusion using Covidence, extract data and assess the methodological quality of the included randomised clinical trials using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Any disagreement will be resolved by consensus. We will analyse the extracted data using Review Manager, STATA 15, and Trial Sequential.

Analysis

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of the evidence, we will create a ‘Summary of Findings’ table containing our primary and secondary outcomes using the GRADE assessment.

Discussion

Our ambition with this systematic review is to provide reliable and powered evidence to better inform decision makers on the use of or future trials with haloperidol for the management of delirium in critically ill patients.
A new look at the New South Wales Corps, 1790–1810
Authors: Statham Pamela
Published: February 2018

This paper shows the New South Wales Corps as a changing entity with a considerable impact on the New South Wales economy until 1810. Findings include the large number of men (1,645) who served in New South Wales, while the total population was less than 5,000, and the importance of the Corps as a source of free settlers in the period before free immigration. Convicts were recruited locally and as a group outweighed arrivals from the Savoy Military Prison, cited in the past as the bad element in the Corps. The Corps contained a reasonably high proportion of skilled men who contributed formally and informally to the colony’s productivity both before and after discharge. The study shows that the officer group was relatively stable before 1800 but that turnover was fairly high thereafter. Finally it is shown that the influence of the New South Wales Corps did not cease with its recall, for well over half the regiment remained in the colony, some seventy–one as settlers and 356 as troops under Macquarie’s command — including a special Veteran Corps.
Reinterpreting the convict labour market
Authors: Nicholas Stephen
Published: February 2018

The convicts transported to NSW between 1817 and 1840 were young, fit, highly literate and brought occupational skills which were broadly representative of the British and Irish working classes. In the colonial labour market where convicts were coerced, more labour was forthcoming and at a lower wage than in a free labour market. The assignment of convict labour in the colony was efficient; skilled urban and construction tradesmen were employed in the same jobs in NSW as they had held in Britain. Domestic servants and unskilled urban workers whose skills were not suited to the needs of the colony experienced job restructuring. The organization of convict workers into teams and gangs in Australia was similar to the way work was organized in free labour Britain, and a mbc of incentives and rewards characterized the extraction of work from convicts. The human capital of the transportees and the labour system within which they worked help to explain the rapid growth of the colonial economy before 1840.
Victorian’s economy in the long run
Authors: Sinclair W. A.
Published: February 2018

Annual estimates of the GDP of Victoria for the period 1861–1976/77 are here presented and used as a basis for an analysis of Victoria’s long–run economic growth. Victoria is represented as having fallen behind the per capita GDP of Australia as a whole in the 1870s but to have out–paced the national growth rate from the early twentieth century until the late 1950s. The changing importance of natural resources and of the scope for manufacturing development are seen as the basis for an explanation of the Victorian divergence. The article carries the implication of a need for regional disaggregation in the analysis of Australian economic growth.
New Zealand’s Economic Relations With Japan in the 1950s
Authors: Singleton John
Published: February 2018

New Zealand’s special economic relationship with Britain was brought into question during the 1950s. The subsidization of British farmers, and the dumping of foreign food surpluses in the UK, made New Zealand’s traditional market seem increasingly insecure. Wellington responded by seeking supplementary outlets, and in 1958 a commercial treaty was signed between New Zealand and Japan, despite the alarm of British manufacturers. New Zealand’s trade with Japan grew after 1958, although it failed to grow as quickly as trade between Australia and Japan. The Japanese were reluctant to import many animal products. This article explains the process by which Japan and New Zealand arrived at a compromise, which enabled trade to develop without seriously damaging the interests of protected groups in either country.
The Real Structural Imbalance and Fiscal Stance in Australia During the Interwar Years
Authors: Abbott Malcolm J.
Published: February 2018

By using the concept of the constant employment budget balance and changes in real public debt it is possible to determine the size of the public sector’s real structural budget imbalances during the interwar period. In doing so the budget deficit of the public sector during the depression is shown to have been much larger than indicated by previous estimates of the nominal budget imbalance, and indicates that the fiscal stance of the government was expansionary during the worst year of the Great Depression rather than contractionary.
A targeted genotyping approach enhances identification of variants in taste receptor and appetite/reward genes of potential functional importance for obesity‐related porcine traits
Authors: Cirera S. , Clop A. , Jacobsen M. J. , Guerin M. , Lesnik P. , Jørgensen C. B. , Fredholm M. , Karlskov‐Mortensen P.
Published: February 2018

Taste receptors (TASRs) and appetite and reward (AR) mechanisms influence eating behaviour, which in turn affects food intake and risk of obesity. In a previous study, we used next generation sequencing to identify potentially functional mutations in TASR and AR genes and found indications for genetic associations between identified variants and growth and fat deposition in a subgroup of animals (n = 38) from the UNIK resource pig population. This population was created for studying obesity and obesity‐related diseases. In the present study we validated results from our previous study by investigating genetic associations between 24 selected single nucleotide variants in TASR and AR gene variants and 35 phenotypes describing obesity and metabolism in the entire UNIK population (n = 564). Fifteen variants showed significant association with specific obesity‐related phenotypes after Bonferroni correction. Six of the 15 genes, namely SIM1, FOS, TAS2R4, TAS2R9, MCHR2 and LEPR, showed good correlation between known biological function and associated phenotype. We verified a genetic association between potentially functional variants in TASR/AR genes and growth/obesity and conclude that the combination of identification of potentially functional variants by next generation sequencing followed by targeted genotyping and association studies is a powerful and cost‐effective approach for increasing the power of genetic association studies.
Long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids decline rapidly in milk from mothers delivering extremely preterm indicating the need for supplementation
Authors: Nilsson Anders K. , Löfqvist Chatarina , Najm Svetlana , Hellgren Gunnel , Sävman Karin , Andersson Mats X. , Smith Lois E. H. , Hellström Ann
Published: February 2018

Aim

Our aim was to perform an in‐depth analysis of the composition of fatty acids in milk from mothers delivering extremely preterm babies. We investigated longitudinal changes in milk fatty acid profiles and the relationship between several types of fatty acids, including omega‐3 and omega‐6.

Methods

Milk samples were collected at three stages of lactation from 78 mothers who delivered at less than 28 weeks of pregnancy at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden, from April 2013 to September 2015. Fatty acid composition was analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.

Results

A reduction in long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) was observed during the lactation period. The concentrations of arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid declined from medians of 0.34 to 0.22 mol% and 0.29 to 0.15 mol%, respectively, between postnatal day 7 and a postmenstrual age of 40 weeks. Strong correlations were found between the intermediates of several classes of fatty acids, including omega‐3, omega‐6 and omega‐9.

Conclusion

A rapid reduction in LCPUFA content in the mother's milk during the lactation period emphasises the importance of fatty acid supplementation to infants born extremely preterm, at least during the period corresponding to the third trimester, when rapid development of the brain and adipose tissue requires high levels of LCPUFAs.
Development of Versatile Human In Vitro Vascularized Adipose Tissue Model with Serum‐Free Angiogenesis and Natural Adipogenesis Induction
Authors: Huttala Outi , Palmroth Maaria , Hemminki Pauliina , Toimela Tarja , Heinonen Tuula , Ylikomi Timo , Sarkanen Jertta‐Riina
Published: February 2018

Many adipose tissue‐related diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, are worldwide epidemics. For studying these diseases, relevant human cell models are needed. In this study, we developed a vascularized adipose tissue model where human adipose stromal cells and human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells were cocultured with natural adipogenic and defined serum‐free angiogenic media for 14 days. Several different protocols were compared to each other. The protocols varied in cell numbers and plating sequences. Lipid accumulation was studied with AdipoRed reagent, relative cell number with WST‐1 reagent, gene expression of glut4, leptin, aP2, adiponectin, PPARγ and PPARγ2 with RT‐qPCR. Secretion of adiponectin, leptin and aP2 was analysed with ELISA. The immunostained vascular network was imaged with Cell‐IQ and area quantified using ImageJ. In this study, both angiogenesis and adipogenesis were successfully induced. Protocols produced strong lipid accumulation, good vascular network formation and induced adipocyte‐specific protein secretion and expression of studied adipocyte genes. Results showed that cell numbers and cell plating sequences are important factors when aiming at in vitro standardized tissue model. Presence of mature vasculature appeared leads to faster the maturation of adipocytes judged by the lipid accumulation and gene expression results. The developed vascularized adipose tissue model is simple to use, easily modifiable to suit various applications and as such, a promising new tool for adipose tissue research when, for example, studying the effect of different cell types on adipose tissue function or for mechanistic studies.
Cognitive control under stressful conditions in transitional age youth with bipolar disorder: Diagnostic and sleep‐related differences in fronto‐limbic activation patterns
Authors: Soehner Adriane M , Goldstein Tina R , Gratzmiller Sarah M , Phillips Mary L , Franzen Peter L
Published: February 2018

Objectives

Adults with bipolar disorder (BD) display aberrant activation in fronto‐limbic neural circuitry during cognitive control. However, fronto‐limbic response to cognitive control, and factors destabilizing this circuitry, remain under‐studied during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood in BD. Sleep patterns are disturbed in BD, undergo change in adolescence, and support brain function. Among transitional age youth, BD diagnosis and sleep (duration and variability) were tested as predictors of fronto‐limbic response to a stressful cognitive control task.

Methods

Two groups of youth (13‐22 years old) participated: 15 with BD type I, II or not otherwise specified (NOS) [BD; age 18.1 ± 2.7 years (mean ± standard deviation, SD); 17 female] and 25 healthy controls [CTL; age 19.4 ± 2.7 years (mean ± SD); 17 female]. Sleep was monitored with actigraphy for at least 1 week prior to an adaptive multi‐source interference functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm (a Stroop‐like cognitive interference task). Group status and sleep duration (average and intra‐individual variability) were examined as predictors of activation in response to incongruent>congruent trials within the bilateral amygdala, anterior cingulate (ACC), ventrolateral prefrontal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortical regions of interest.

Results

The BD group displayed greater right amygdala activation than the CTL group. Average sleep duration and rostroventral ACC (rvACC) activity were negatively associated in the CTL group, but exhibited a quadratic relationship in the BD group such that short and long sleep were related to greater rvACC activation. Sleep duration variability and dorsal ACC activity were negatively associated in the BD group, and unrelated in the CTL group. Findings remained significant after controlling for age, sex, and mood symptoms.

Conclusions

Subjects with BD displayed a hyper‐limbic response during cognitive control, and sleep was a source of variability in ACC engagement. Stabilizing sleep may be one avenue for improving cognitive control in BD.
Effectiveness of maintenance therapy of lithium vs other mood stabilizers in monotherapy and in combinations: a systematic review of evidence from observational studies
Authors: Kessing Lars Vedel , Bauer Michael , Nolen Willem A , Severus Emanuel , Goodwin Guy M , Geddes John
Published: February 2018

Objectives

For the first time to present a systematic review of observational studies on the efficiency of lithium monotherapy in comparison with other maintenance mood stabilizers in monotherapy and in combination.

Methods

As part of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) Task Force on Lithium Treatment, we undertook a systematic literature search of non‐randomized controlled observational studies on (i) lithium monotherapy vs treatment with another maintenance mood stabilizer in monotherapy and (ii) lithium in combination with other mood stabilizers vs monotherapy.

Results

In eight out of nine identified studies including a total of < 14 000 patients, maintenance lithium monotherapy was associated with improved outcome compared with another mood stabilizer in monotherapy, including valproate, lamotrigine, olanzapine, quetiapine, unspecified anticonvulsants, carbamazepine/lamotrigine, unspecified atypical antipsychotics and unspecified antipsychotics. Among the four identified studies including a total of > 4000 patients comparing maintenance combination therapy with maintenance monotherapy, a few combination therapies were found to be superior to monotherapy in some analyses, but many were not.

Conclusions

The results show the superiority in real life of lithium monotherapy compared with monotherapy with other maintenance mood stabilizers. The four largest register‐based studies largely addressed confounding, but, as ever, residual confounding cannot be excluded. Nevertheless, the observational findings substantially add to the findings from randomized controlled trials, whose designs often limit the validity of comparison between medicines.
Genetic polymorphisms associated with circadian rhythm dysregulation provide new perspectives on bipolar disorder
Authors: Oliveira Thomaz , Marinho Victor , Carvalho Valécia , Magalhães Francisco , Rocha Kaline , Ayres Carla , Teixeira Silmar , Nunes Monara , Bastos Victor Hugo , Pinto Giovanny R
Published: February 2018

Objectives

The objective of this study was to present a broad view of how genetic polymorphisms in genes that control the rhythmicity and function of circadian rhythm may influence the etiology, pathophysiology and treatment of bipolar disorder (BD).

Methods

A bibliographic search was performed to identify and select papers reporting studies on variations in circadian genes and BD. A search of Medline, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science was carried out to review the literature.

Results

Several studies provide evidence of contributions of variations in circadian genes to disease etiology, pathophysiological variations and lithium drug response. Dysfunction of the sleep‐wake cycle, an important brain function regulator, is indicated as the primary means by which circadian gene variations act in mood disorders.

Conclusions

Investigations of the effects of circadian genes have suggested that the chronotype offers hope for guiding and improving management of patients with BD. However, BD is a disease of a complex nature and presents multiple endophenotypes determined by different associations between genetics and the environment. Thus, new genomic studies to delimit variations that may help improve the clinical condition of these patients are extremely important.
Olfactory processing in bipolar disorder, major depression, and anxiety
Authors: Kamath Vidyulata , Paksarian Diana , Cui Lihong , Moberg Paul J , Turetsky Bruce I , Merikangas Kathleen R
Published: February 2018

Objectives

Although olfactory abnormalities are well established in schizophrenia, considerably less work has examined olfactory performance in other neuropsychiatric conditions. In the current study, we examined odor identification, odor discrimination, detection threshold, and odor hedonic processing performance in individuals with bipolar I disorder (n = 43; n = 13 with psychotic features), bipolar II disorder (n = 48), major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 134), anxiety (n = 48), and no mental disorder (n = 72) who participated in a community‐based family study.

Methods

Best estimate DSM‐IV diagnoses were based on in‐depth personal interviews as well as interviews with family members. Olfactory tests were administered during an in‐person clinical visit and were compared using robust linear regression adjusting for age, sex, and psychiatric medication use, as well as nicotine use when necessary.

Results

Compared to controls, odor identification performance was lower among individuals with MDD (b = −1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −2.50, −0.24) and bipolar I disorder (b = −1.79, 95% CI: −3.51, −0.67). Among the latter group, performance was only reduced among those with psychotic features (b = −3.49, 95% CI: −6.33, −0.65), particularly for pleasant odors (b = −1.46, 95% CI: −2.51, −0.42). Those with MDD showed lower identification accuracy for neutral odors (b = −0.63, 95% CI: −1.20, −0.06). Performances on measures of odor discrimination and detection threshold did not differ by diagnostic group.

Conclusions

Collectively, these findings indicate that odor identification difficulties may exist in mood disorders, especially when psychotic features are present. In contrast, the global olfactory dysfunction observed in schizophrenia may not be a feature of other neuropsychiatric conditions.
Toward A Diagnostic Toolkit for Linear Models with Gaussian-Process Distributed Random Effects
Authors: Bose Maitreyee , Hodges James S. , Banerjee Sudipto
Published: February 2018

Gaussian processes (GPs) are widely used as distributions of random effects in linear mixed models, which are fit using the restricted likelihood or the closely related Bayesian analysis. This article addresses two problems. First, we propose tools for understanding how data determine estimates in these models, using a spectral basis approximation to the GP under which the restricted likelihood is formally identical to the likelihood for a gamma-errors GLM with identity link. Second, to examine the data's support for a covariate and to understand how adding that covariate moves variation in the outcome y out of the GP and error parts of the fit, we apply a linear-model diagnostic, the added variable plot (AVP), both to the original observations and to projections of the data onto the spectral basis functions. The spectral- and observation-domain AVPs estimate the same coefficient for a covariate but emphasize low- and high-frequency data features respectively and thus highlight the covariate's effect on the GP and error parts of the fit, respectively. The spectral approximation applies to data observed on a regular grid; for data observed at irregular locations, we propose smoothing the data to a grid before applying our methods. The methods are illustrated using the forest-biomass data of Finley et al. (2008).
Lexical Predictability During Natural Reading: Effects of Surprisal and Entropy Reduction
Authors: Lowder Matthew W. , Choi Wonil , Ferreira Fernanda , Henderson John M.
Published: February 2018

What are the effects of word‐by‐word predictability on sentence processing times during the natural reading of a text? Although information complexity metrics such as surprisal and entropy reduction have been useful in addressing this question, these metrics tend to be estimated using computational language models, which require some degree of commitment to a particular theory of language processing. Taking a different approach, this study implemented a large‐scale cumulative cloze task to collect word‐by‐word predictability data for 40 passages and compute surprisal and entropy reduction values in a theory‐neutral manner. A separate group of participants read the same texts while their eye movements were recorded. Results showed that increases in surprisal and entropy reduction were both associated with increases in reading times. Furthermore, these effects did not depend on the global difficulty of the text. The findings suggest that surprisal and entropy reduction independently contribute to variation in reading times, as these metrics seem to capture different aspects of lexical predictability.
Safety of direct oral anticoagulants vs warfarin in patients with chronic liver disease and atrial fibrillation
Authors: Goriacko Pavel , Veltri Keith T.
Published: February 2018

Background

A complication of chronic liver disease (CLD) is the abnormality of coagulation. In clinical practice, this increased risk of bleeding has not been identified as a protective factor against stroke or systemic embolism associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). The objective of this study was to assess the safety of direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) agents vs warfarin in CLD patients with AF.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with CLD and AF initiated on oral anticoagulants. Rates of all‐cause bleeding were compared between warfarin and DOAC agents. Secondary endpoints included rates of major bleeding and other risk factors for bleeding on anticoagulant therapy.

Results

The all‐cause bleeding rates were similar between the groups, with 8.4% per year in the DOAC (n = 75) group and 8.8% in warfarin (n = 158) group (HR 0.9, 95% CI 0.4‐1.8). No significant difference was noted in the rate of major bleeding. In the multivariable model, higher MELD‐XI score and previous bleed were risk factors associated with increased bleeding.

Conclusion

No significant differences in bleeding rates were noted in patients treated with warfarin and DOAC agents. Further studies evaluating DOAC agents are needed to better understand the optimal anticoagulation strategy in setting of CLD.
On behalf of controversial view agnosticism
Authors: Carter J. Adam
Published: February 2018

Controversial view agnosticism (CVA) is the thesis that we are rationally obligated to withhold judgment about a large portion of our beliefs in controversial subject areas, such as philosophy, religion, morality, and politics. Given that one's social identity is in no small part of a function of one's positive commitments in controversial areas, CVA has unsurprisingly been regarded as objectionably “spineless.” That said, CVA seems like an unavoidable consequence of a prominent view in the epistemology of disagreement—conformism—according to which the rational response to discovering that someone you identify as an epistemic peer or expert aboutpdisagrees with you vis‐à‐vispis to withhold judgment. This paper proposes a novel way to maintain the core conciliatory insight without devolving into an agnosticism that is objectionably spineless. The approach offered takes as a starting point the observation that—for reasons that will be made clear—the contemporary debate has bypassed the issue of the reasonableness of maintaining, rather than giving up, representational statesweakerthan belief in controversial areas. The new position developed and defended here explores this overlooked space; what results is a kind of controversial view agnosticism that is compatible with the kinds of commitments that are integral to social identity.
Diabetes and intracerebral hemorrhage: baseline characteristics and mortality
Authors: Liebkind R. , Gordin D. , Strbian D. , Meretoja A. , Thorn L. M. , Hägg‐Holmberg S. , Forsblom C. , Tatlisumak T. , Groop P.‐H. , Putaala J.
Published: February 2018

Background and purpose

Acknowledging the conflicting evidence for diabetes as a predictor of short‐ and long‐term mortality following an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), we compared baseline characteristics and 30‐day and long‐term mortality between patients with and without diabetes after an ICH, paying special attention to differences between type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D) diabetes.

Methods

Patients with a first‐ever ICH were followed for a median of 2.3 years. Adjusting for demographics, comorbidities and documented ICH characteristics increasing mortality after ICH, logistic regression analysis assessed factors associated with case fatality and 1‐year survival among the 30‐day survivors. Diabetes was compared with patients without diabetes in separate models as (i) any diabetes and (ii) T1D or T2D.

Results

Of our 969 patients, 813 (83.9%) had no diabetes, 41 (4.2%) had T1D and 115 (11.9%) had T2D. Compared with patients without diabetes, those with diabetes were younger, more often men and more frequently had hypertension, coronary heart disease and chronic kidney disease, with similar ICH characteristics. Patients with T1D were younger, more often had chronic kidney disease and brainstem ICH, and less often had atrial fibrillation and lobar ICH, than did patients with T2D. Diabetes had no impact on case fatality. Any diabetes (odds ratio, 2.57; 1.19–5.52), T1D (odds ratio, 7.04; 1.14–43.48) and T2D (odds ratio, 2.32; 1.04–5.17) were independently associated with 1‐year mortality.

Conclusions

Patients with ICH with diabetes exhibited a distinct pattern of comorbidities and disease characteristics with specific differences between T1D and T2D. Despite their younger age, T1D seems to carry a substantially higher likelihood of long‐term mortality after an ICH than does T2D.
Negative governmentality through fundamental rights: The far side of the European Convention on Human Rights
Authors: Nasir Muhammad Ali
Published: February 2018

This essay analyses those statements that mention legal norms in negative terms. Specifically, it analyses those statements that define a legal system by mentioning how legal protection does not work and where legal protection ends, and those statements that identify what rights‐holders do not have to with their legally protected free capacities. This essay argues that these statements address a systemic question. It calls such a dynamic as negative governmentality. The argument proceeds in four steps. It introduces the concept of negative governmentality by arguing that the idea of freedom requires both the positive affirmation of moral agency and the constraining of moral agency (Section 2). It then explores how rights constitute freedom by limiting rights or making exceptions to them (Section 3). Later, it analyses how rights‐based norms prevent abuse of rights by holders of rights (Section 4). Finally, it sees how rights‐based norms constrain the legal guarantor of rights, i.e., a state (Section 5). The essay concludes by mentioning the importance of negative governmentality (Section 6).
Ongoing changes in migration phenology and winter residency at Bracken Bat Cave
Authors: Stepanian Phillip M. , Wainwright Charlotte E.
Published: February 2018

Bats play an important role in agroecology and are effective bioindicators of environmental conditions, but little is known about their fundamental migration ecology, much less how these systems are responding to global change. Some of the world's largest bat populations occur during the summer in the south‐central United States, when millions of pregnant females migrate from lower latitudes to give birth in communal maternity colonies. Despite a relatively large volume of research into these colonies, many fundamental questions regarding their abundance—including their intra‐ and interseasonal variability—remain unanswered, and even estimating the size of individual populations has been a long‐running challenge. Overall, monitoring these bat populations at high temporal resolution (e.g., nightly) and across long time spans (e.g., decades) has been impossible. Here, we show 22 continuous years of nightly population counts at Bracken Cave, a large bat colony in south‐central Texas, enabling the first climate‐scale phenological analysis. Using quantitative radar monitoring, we found that spring migration and the summer reproductive cycle have advanced by approximately 2 weeks over the study period. Furthermore, we quantify the ongoing growth of a newly—established overwintering population that indicates a system‐wide response to changing environmental conditions. Our observations reveal behavioral plasticity in bats’ ability to adapt to changing resource availability, and provide the first long‐term quantification of their response to a changing climate. As aerial insectivores, these changes in bat phenology and propensity for overwintering indicate probable shifts in prey availability, with clear implications for pest management across wider regional agrisystems.
Social network analysis: Presenting an underused method for nursing research
Authors: Parnell James Michael , Robinson Jennifer C.
Published: February 2018

Aim

This paper introduces social network analysis as a versatile method with many applications in nursing research.

Background

Social networks have been studied for years in many social science fields. The methods continue to advance but remain unknown to most nursing scholars.

Design

Discussion paper.

Data Sources

English language and interpreted literature was searched from Ovid Healthstar, CINAHL, PubMed Central, Scopus and hard copy texts from 1965 ‐ 2017.

Discussion

Social network analysis first emerged in nursing literature in 1995 and appears minimally through present day. To convey the versatility and applicability of social network analysis in nursing, hypothetical scenarios are presented. The scenarios are illustrative of three approaches to social network analysis and include key elements of social network research design.

Implications for Nursing

The methods of social network analysis are underused in nursing research, primarily because they are unknown to most scholars. However, there is methodological flexibility and epistemological versatility capable of supporting quantitative and qualitative research. The analytic techniques of social network analysis can add new insight into many areas of nursing inquiry, especially those influenced by cultural norms. Furthermore, visualization techniques associated with social network analysis can be used to generate new hypotheses.

Conclusion

Social network analysis can potentially uncover findings not accessible through methods commonly used in nursing research. Social networks can be analysed based on individual‐level attributes, whole networks and subgroups within networks. Computations derived from social network analysis may stand alone to answer a research question or incorporated as variables into robust statistical models.
Heterogeneity Among Patent Plaintiffs: An Empirical Analysis of Patent Case Progression, Settlement, and Adjudication
Authors: Cotropia Christopher A. , Kesan Jay P. , Schwartz David L.
Published: February 2018

This article empirically studies current claims that patent trolls, also known as patent assertion entities (PAEs) or non‐practicing entities (NPEs), behave badly in litigation by bringing frivolous patent infringement suits and seeking nuisance fee settlements. The study explores these claims by examining the relationship between the type of patentee‐plaintiffs and litigation outcomes (e.g., settlement, grant of summary judgment, trial, and procedural dispositions), while taking into account, among other factors, the technology of the patents being asserted and the identity of the lawyers and judges. The study finds significant heterogeneity among different patent holder entity types. Individual inventors, failed operating companies, patent holding companies, and large patent aggregators each have distinct litigation strategies largely consistent with their economic posture and incentives. These PAEs appear to litigate differently from each other and from operating companies. Accordingly, to the extent any patent policy reform targets specific patent plaintiff types, such reforms should go beyond the practicing entity versus non‐practicing entity distinction and understand how the proposed legislation would impact more granular and meaningful categories of patent owners.
Outcaste Politics and Organized Crime in Japan: The Effect of Terminating Ethnic Subsidies
Authors: Ramseyer J. Mark , Rasmusen Eric B.
Published: February 2018

In 1969, Japan launched a massive subsidy program for the “burakumin” outcastes. The subsidies attracted the mob, and the higher incomes now available through organized crime attracted many burakumin. Thus, the subsidies gave new support to the tendency many Japanese already had to equate the burakumin with the mob. The government ended the subsidies in 2002. We explore the effect of the termination by merging 30 years of municipality data with a long‐suppressed 1936 census of burakumin neighborhoods. We find that out‐migration from municipalities with more burakumin increased after the end of the program. Apparently, the subsidies restrained young burakumin from joining mainstream society. We also find that despite the end of government‐subsidized amenities, once the subsidies neared their end, real estate prices rose in municipalities with burakumin neighborhoods. With the subsidies gone and the mob in retreat, other Japanese found the formerly burakumin communities increasingly attractive places to live.
Association Between Knee Pain, Impaired Function, and Development of Depressive Symptoms
Authors: Sugai Keiko , Takeda‐Imai Fujimi , Michikawa Takehiro , Nakamura Takahiro , Takebayashi Toru , Nishiwaki Yuji
Published: February 2018

Objectives

To examine the association between knee pain and function and depressive symptoms in older Japanese adults.

Design

Community‐based prospective cohort study.

Setting

Kurabuchi Town, Gumma Prefecture, Japan.

Participants

Individuals aged 65 and older (N = 573; n = 260 men, n = 313 women) without depressive symptoms participated in baseline examinations in 2005 and 2006; 95.6% participated in follow‐up interviews (2007–08).

Measurements

Degree of knee pain and functional impairment was assessed at baseline using a self‐administered questionnaire in Japanese based on an English version of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. The Geriatric Depression Scale was used to identify depressive symptoms in face‐to‐face home‐visit interviews conducted 2 years later, and the association between knee pain and functional impairment and depressive symptoms was assessed using logistic regression.

Results

During the 2‐year follow‐up, 11.9% of participants developed depressive symptoms, and pain and functional impairment were found to be associated with development of these symptoms. Pain at night while in bed (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.4–4.9) and difficulty putting on socks (aOR = 3.7, 95% CI: 1.8–7.5), getting into and out of a car (aOR = 3.4, 95% CI = 1.8–6.5), and taking off socks (aOR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.5–6.5) were found to be most strongly associated with development of depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

Examining elderly people's responses to questions about pain at night and difficulties performing daily activities may be an efficient way of identifying those at high risk of developing depressive symptoms.