bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stepped‐care treatment of anxiety and depression in older adults: A narrative review
Authors: Meuldijk Denise , Wuthrich Viviana M.
Published: August 2019

Objective

Stepped care models are a possible solution to address service gaps in the provision of psychological therapies for anxiety and/or depression. The benefits may be particularly relevant for people in rural and remote areas and other under‐serviced and/or hard to reach populations, such as older adults.

Design

Narrative literature review.

Participants

Narrative literature review of the PubMed, Medline, and Psycinfo databases for studies reporting on the results of stepped care psychological interventions for older adults with anxiety and/or depressive symptoms.

Main outcomes

Seventy‐seven papers were identified for evaluation of which nine papers met the study criteria (reporting on four individual trials).

Results

We identified four controlled studies. Three of the four studies found stepped care intervention to be associated with significantly better clinical outcomes and cost‐effectiveness compared to treatment as usual. Studies primarily targeted subthreshold symptoms, mostly in primary care. Various interventions and stepping models were used.

Conclusion

Stepped care has been associated with improved clinical outcomes and costs in older adults, particularly in primary care. There have been no rigorous studies of stepped delivery of psychological interventions to older depressed and anxious adults in alternative settings such as in specialist older adult mental health services or in private clinics. Although the evidence‐base for stepped care interventions is growing, it is not clear what evidence‐based treatment model should be adopted and in what services it could apply. More research is needed. However, the evidence to date is promising and suggests that stepped care approaches are feasible in older adults, and are likely to increase access to high quality interventions for older adults living in rural communities.
Comparison of outcomes of salvage robot‐assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy for post‐primary radiation vs focal therapy
Authors: Onol Fikret Fatih , Bhat Seetharam , Moschovas Marcio , Rogers Travis , Ganapathi Hariharan , Roof Shannon , Rocco Bernardo , Patel Vipul
Published: August 2019

Objectives

To compare salvage robot‐assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) outcomes in patients who underwent radiation and those who underwent focal ablation as primary therapies.

Patients and Methods

We evaluated 126 patients who underwent salvage RALPbetween 2008 and 2018. Of these, 94 (74.6%) received radiation and 32 focal ablation (25.4%) as primary therapy. These groups were compared with regard to clinical, oncological and functional outcomes. Kaplan–Meier curves and regression models were used to identify survival estimations and their predictors.

Results

Before surgery, more patients were potent in the focal ablation group compared to the radiation group (46.9% vs 22.6%; P = 0.013). Peri‐operative characteristics and complication rates were not significantly different between the two groups. Postoperative catheterization duration was shorter in the focal ablation group (mean 10 vs 16 days; P = 0.018). At final pathology, the focal ablation group had higher non‐organ‐confined disease (71% vs 50%; P = 0.042) and positive surgical margin (PSM) rates (43.8% vs 17%; P = 0.004) as compared to the radiation group; however, 5‐year biochemical recurrence (BCR)‐free survival rates were similar (59% vs 56%; P = 0.761). Postoperative 1‐year full (no pads/day) and social (0–1 pad/day) continence rates were significantly higher in the focal ablation as compared to the radiation group (77.3% vs 39.2%, P = 0.002, and 87.5% vs 51.3%, P = 0.002, respectively). Multivariate analyses showed primary focal ablation and nerve‐sparing to be predictors of postoperative continence. Erectile function was preserved in 13% and 27% of preoperatively potent patients in the radiation and focal ablation groups, respectively (P = 0.435). No predictors were identified for postoperative potency.

Conclusions

Radiation was associated with inferior functional outcomes after salvage RALP. Focal therapies were associated with higher non‐organ‐confined disease and PSMrates, with no significant difference in short‐term BCR‐free survival.
Trophic niche changes associated with habitat fragmentation in a Neotropical bat species
Authors: Muñoz‐Lazo Fernando J. J. , Franco‐Trecu Valentina , Naya Daniel E. , Martinelli Luiz A. , Cruz‐Neto Ariovaldo P.
Published: August 2019

Habitat fragmentation could alter ecological traits including species trophic habits. Here, we used carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios to establish differences in isotopic niche width and food resource use between forest fragments and the continuous forest for the phyllostomid frugivorous bat Artibeus lituratus. Using mist nests, we captured bats from two forest fragments and two sites in continuous forest, and sampled from each individual captured three body tissues with contrasting turnover rates (skin, muscle, and liver). Samples were collected between February and March (austral summer) and between August and September (austral winter). In addition, in each sampling site and season we collected potential food resources (fruits and insects) consumed by our A. lituratus. Our findings indicate that A. lituratus had a predominantly omnivorous diet, with high consumption of insects during summer in forest fragments. The increasing consumption of insects in these fragments seems to have led to a wider isotopic niche, in relation to the continuous forest. Because A. lituratus is typically a seed disperser, changes in trophic habits in the forest fragments from frugivory to insectivory may diminish their role in forest regeneration.

Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.
Impact of Service‐Dominant Orientation on the Innovation Performance of Technology Firms: Roles of Knowledge Sharing and Relationship Learning
Authors: Yiu H. L. , Ngai Eric W.T. , Lei Chun Fong
Published: August 2019

Although the adoption of service‐dominant logic contributes to the innovativeness of organizations, the relationship between service‐dominant logic and innovation performance has seldom been empirically investigated. To fill this literature gap, this study used relationship learning theory to examine the effects of service‐dominant orientation (SDO), knowledge sharing, and external network on innovation performance through the mediation of relationship learning in technology firms. The proposed model was tested through a field study conducted in Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. Data from 82 technology firms were used to test the research model.

The results showed that relationship learning mediates the relationships of SDO to innovation performance, knowledge sharing to innovation performance, and external network to innovation performance. The mediation effect confirms that service‐dominant orientated firms have high innovation performance because of the learning from their partner relationships. This research explains that managing the learning from providing services positively influencing innovation of the firm.
Convergence Success and the Middle‐Income Trap
Authors: Lee Jong‐Wha
Published: August 2019

This paper investigates the economic growth experiences of middle‐income economies over the period 1960–2014 focusing on two groups of countries. The “convergence success” group includes middle‐income economies which have graduated to a high‐income status or have achieved rapid convergence progress. When an economy in the “nonsuccess” group experienced growth deceleration and failed to advance to a high‐income status, we defined such episodes as the “middle‐income trap.” We observe no clear pattern that the relative frequency of growth deceleration was higher for upper middle‐income economies, thereby refuting the “middle‐income trap hypothesis.” The probit regressions show that “convergence successes” tend to maintain strong human capital, a high working‐age population ratio, effective rule of law, low‐priced investment goods, and high levels of high‐tech exports and patents. Adding to unfavorable demographic, trade, and technological factors, rapid investment expansion, hasty deregulation, and hurried financial opening could cause the “nonsuccesses” to fall into the middle‐income trap.
Trends of maxillofacial injuries resulting from physical violence in Brazil
Authors: Rodrigues Lorrany Gabriela , Barbosa Kevan Guilherme Nóbrega , Silva Carlos José de Paula , Alencar Gizelton Pereira , D’avila Sérgio , Ferreira Efigênia Ferreira e , Ferreira Raquel Conceição
Published: August 2019

Background/Aim

A large proportion of interpersonal violence results in maxillofacial injuries. The monitoring of maxillofacial injuries in the context of gender violence has been little explored. The aim of this study was to analyze trends in cases of maxillofacial injuries resulting from interpersonal physical violence considering the gender of the victim and perpetrator.

Materials and Methods

A time‐series study was conducted. Data regarding maxillofacial injury cases due to interpersonal physical violence were collected from reports at a forensic institute of a city in northeastern Brazil, between 2008 and 2014 (84 months). Rates of interpersonal physical violence per 100 000 inhabitants were determined for each gender. A negative binomial regression model was used to evaluate trends. The cycle plot was used to investigate the occurrence of seasonality, considering subseries for each month.

Results

A total of 3561 reports were analyzed, revealing higher rates of female victims and male perpetrators throughout the series. There was no indication of seasonality. The annual percentage of injuries involving male victims reduced significantly by 6.8% (P < .001), while injuries involving female victims increased significantly by 4.5% (P = .002). Regarding perpetrators, rates remained constant over time, following the same pattern for both genders.

Conclusions

The data demonstrate greater victimization involving maxillofacial injuries against women perpetrated more often by men, with a trend toward an increase in female victims and a reduction in male victims.
Social environment determines the effect of boldness and activity on survival
Authors: Pearish Simon , Bensky Miles K. , Bell Alison M.
Published: August 2019

Populations of animals are composed of individuals that differ in ecologically relevant behaviors. Building evidence also suggests that individuals occupy different social niches. Here, in a mark–recapture experiment, we show evidence of an interacting effect of behavior and social niche on survival in the wild: Bold individuals had higher survival if they were initially captured in groups, while shy, inactive individuals had higher survival if they were initially captured when alone. These findings provide support for the hypothesis that behavioral type–environment correlations can be favored by natural selection.
The importance of 12R‐lipoxygenase and transglutaminase activities in the hydration‐dependent ex vivo maturation of corneocyte envelopes
Authors: Guneri D. , Voegeli R. , Doppler S. , Zhang C. , Bankousli A. L. , Munday M. R. , Lane M. E. , Rawlings A. V.
Published: August 2019

Background

Terminally differentiated keratinocytes acquire corneocyte protein envelopes (CPE) complexed with corneocyte lipid envelopes (CLE). These two structural components of the corneocyte envelopes (CEs) undergo maturation by gaining in hydrophobicity, rigidity and surface area. Linoleoyl acylceramides are processed by 12R‐lipoxygenase (12R‐LOX) and other enzymes before transglutaminase (TG) attaches ω‐hydroxyceramides to involucrin in the CPE. Concurrently, structural proteins are cross‐linked by TG that has been activated by cathepsin D (CathD).

Objectives

The primary aim of this work was to demonstrate the impact of relative humidity (RH) during ex vivo CE maturation. Low, optimal and high RH were selected to investigate the effect of protease inhibitors (PIs) on CE maturation and TG activity; in addition, 12R‐LOX and CathD activity were measured at optimal RH. Finally, the effect of glycerol on ex vivo CE maturation was tested at low, optimal and high RH.

Methods

The first and ninth tape strip of photo‐exposed (PE) cheek and photo‐protected (PP) post‐auricular sites of healthy volunteers were selected. Ex vivo CE maturation was assessed via the relative CE maturity (RCEM) approach based on CE rigidity and hydrophobicity. The second and eighth tapes were exposed to RH in the presence of inhibitors.

Results

Irrespective of tape stripping depth, CEs from PE samples attained CE rigidity to the same extent as mature CEs from the PP site, but such improvement was lacking for CE hydrophobicity. 70% RH was optimal for ex vivo CE maturation. The inhibition of 12R‐LOX activity resulted in enhanced CE rigidity which was reduced by the TG inhibitor. CE hydrophobicity remained unchanged during ex vivo maturation in the presence of TG or 12R‐LOX inhibition. CE hydrophobicity was enhanced in the presence of glycerol at 44% RH and 100% RH but not at 70% RH. Furthermore, TG activity was significantly diminished at 100% RH compared to the commercial inhibitor LDN‐27219. However, a protease inhibitor mix reversed the negative effect of overhydration.

Conclusion

The study adds to the understanding of the roles of 12R‐LOX and TG activity in CE maturation and gives further insight into the effect of glycerol on the SC.
Thermal expansion mechanism of cordierite with titanium or germanium doping based on ab initio molecular dynamics simulation
Authors: Bai Shandan , Nakata Hiroya
Published: August 2019

A unique feature of cordierite is the negative thermal expansion of its c‐axis, while the a‐ and b‐axes show positive thermal expansion behavior. The thermal expansion mechanism of cordierite has been investigated in many theoretical studies, but the effect of Ti or Ge doping has not yet been studied theoretically. Here, we investigate the thermal expansion behavior of Ti‐ and Ge‐doped cordierite by ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulation. The computational cost of AIMD simulation for cordierite doped with Ti or Ge is challenging due to the many different configurations of crystal models. We overcame this computational difficulty by separating the respective models into groups with identical symmetry, then we performed MD simulation for each different symmetry crystal model. To understand the mechanism of the negative thermal expansion of the c‐axis, we investigated the changes in all the bond lengths and angles. We found that the negative thermal expansion of the c‐axis is coupled with the increase in the O–Al–O angle and the shrinkage of the O–Si–O angle at the T1 site in cordierite, which suggests the rotation of the six‐membered ring. This study provides insight into the mechanism of thermal expansion of cordierite with Ti and Ge doping. Moreover, the approach presented here can be generally applied to investigate the thermal expansion behavior of other ceramic materials within reasonable accuracy and computational cost.
Distributions of mammals in Southeast Asia: The role of the legacy of climate and species body mass
Authors: Radchuk Viktoriia , Kramer‐Schadt Stephanie , Fickel Joerns , Wilting Andreas
Published: August 2019

Aim

Current species distributions are shaped by present and past biotic and abiotic factors. Here, we assessed whether abiotic factors (habitat availability) in combination with past connectivity and a biotic factor (body mass) can explain the unique distribution pattern of Southeast Asian mammals, which are separated by the enigmatic biogeographic transition zone, the Isthmus of Kra (IoK), for which no strong geophysical barrier exists.

Location

Southeast Asia.

Taxon

Mammals.

Methods

We projected habitat suitability for 125 mammal species using climate data for the present period and for two historic periods: mid‐Holocene (6 ka) and last glacial maximum (LGM 21 ka). Next, we employed a phylogenetic linear model to assess how present species distributions were affected by the suitability of areas in these different periods, habitat connectivity during LGM and species body mass.

Results

Our results show that cooler climate during LGM provided suitable habitat south of IoK for species presently distributed north of IoK (in mainland Indochina). However, the potentially suitable habitat for these Indochinese species did not stretch very far southwards onto the exposed Sunda Shelf. Instead, we found that the emerged landmasses connecting Borneo and Sumatra provided suitable habitat for forest dependent Sundaic species. We show that for species whose current distribution ranges are mainly located in Indochina, the area of the distribution range that is located south of IoK is explained by the suitability of habitat in the past and present in combination with the species body mass.

Main conclusions

We demonstrate that a strong geophysical barrier may not be necessary for maintaining a biogeographic transition zone for mammals, but that instead a combination of abiotic and biotic factors may suffice.
Predictors of longer‐term development of expressive language in two independent longitudinal cohorts of language‐delayed preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Bal Vanessa H. , Fok Megan , Lord Catherine , Smith Isabel M. , Mirenda Pat , Szatmari Peter , Vaillancourt Tracy , Volden Joanne , Waddell Charlotte , Zwaigenbaum Lonnie , Bennett Terry , Duku Eric , Elsabbagh Mayada , Georgiades Stelios , Ungar Wendy J. , Zaidman‐Zait Anat
Published: August 2019

Background

Studies estimate that 30% of individuals with autism are minimally verbal. Understanding what factors predict longer‐term expressive development in children with language delays is critical to inform identification and treatment of those at‐risk for persistent language impairments. The present study examined predictors of expressive language development in language‐delayed preschoolers followed through later school‐age and young adulthood.

Methods

Children using single words or less on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) at approximately 3 years old were drawn from the Early Diagnosis (EDX) and Pathways in ASD longitudinal cohorts. Age‐3 predictors of Age‐19 ADOS language level were identified using Classification and Regression Trees (CART) in the EDX sample. Linear mixed models examined the effects of CART‐identified predictors on Vineland expressive communication (VExp) trajectories from Age‐3 to Age‐19. The same linear mixed models were examined in the Pathways sample, identifying predictors of VExp from ages 3 to 10.5 years.

Results

Significantly delayed fine motor skills (T‐score < 20) was the strongest CART predictor of Age‐19 language. In the linear mixed models, time, Age‐3 fine motor skills and initiation of joint attention (IJA) predicted VExp trajectories in the EDX sample, even when controlling for Age‐3 visual receptive abilities. In the Pathways sample, time and Age‐3 fine motor skills were significant predictors of VExp trajectories; IJA and cognitive skills were not significant predictors.

Conclusions

Marked deficits in fine motor skills may be a salient proxy marker for identifying language‐delayed children with ASD who are at risk for persistent language impairments. This finding adds to the literature demonstrating a relation between motor and language development in ASD. Investigating individual skill areas (e.g., fine motor and nonverbal problem‐solving skills), rather than broader indices of developmental level (e.g., nonverbal IQ) may provide important cues to understanding longer‐term language outcomes that can be targeted in early intervention.
Neuroprotection and immunomodulation of progesterone in the gut of a mouse model of Parkinson's disease
Authors: Jarras Hend , Bourque Mélanie , Poirier Andrée‐Anne , Morissette Marc , Coulombe Katherine , Di Paolo Thérèse , Soulet Denis
Published: August 2019

Gastrointestinal symptoms appear in Parkinson's disease patients many years before motor symptoms, suggesting the implication of dopaminergic neurones of the gut myenteric plexus. Inflammation is also known to be increased in PD. We previously reported neuroprotection with progesterone in the brain of mice lesioned with 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and hypothesised that it also has neuroprotective and immunomodulatory activities in the gut. To test this hypothesis, we investigated progesterone administered to adult male C57BL/6 mice for 10 days and treated with MPTP on day 5. In an additional experiment, progesterone was administered for 5 days following MPTP treatment. Ilea were collected on day 10 of treatment and microdissected to isolate the myenteric plexus. Dopaminergic neurones were reduced by approximately 60% and pro‐inflammatory macrophages were increased by approximately 50% in MPTP mice compared to intact controls. These changes were completely prevented by progesterone administered before and after MPTP treatment and were normalised by 8 mg kg‐1 progesterone administered after MPTP. In the brain of MPTP mice, brain‐derived neurotrophic peptide (BDNF) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were associated with progesterone neuroprotection. In the myenteric plexus, increased BDNF levels compared to controls were measured in MPTP mice treated with 8 mg kg‐1 progesterone started post MPTP, whereas GFAP levels remained unchanged. In conclusion, the results obtained in the present study show neuroprotective and anti‐inflammatory effects of progesterone in the myenteric plexus of MPTP mice that are similar to our previous findings in the brain. Progesterone is non‐feminising and could be used for both men and women in the pre‐symptomatic stages of the disease.
Ontologies and ontological methods in linguistics
Authors: Schalley Andrea C.
Published: August 2019

In the last decade, linguists have started to develop and make use of ontologies, encouraged by the progress made in areas such as Artificial Intelligence and the Semantic Web. This paper gives an overview of notions and dimensions of “ontology” and of ontologies for and in linguistics. It discusses building blocks, design aspects, and capabilities of formal ontologies and provides some implementation pointers. The focus of this paper, however, is on linguistic research and what a modelling framework based on ontologies has to offer. Accordingly, the paper does not aim at providing an overview of specific models for computational processing. To illustrate the issues at hand, an example scenario from linguistic typology is selected instead, where the aim of describing the world's languages is approached through ontologies.
Preschoolers' Associations Between Space and Numbers Can Be Biased by Surface Area
Authors: Dolscheid Sarah , Verlage Heiko
Published: August 2019

People associate numbers and horizontal space. This association has been demonstrated by the so‐called SNARC (Spatial‐Numerical Association of Response Codes)‐effect, with Western participants responding faster to larger numbers with their right hand and vice versa for smaller numbers. SNARC‐like effects have also been reported for preschoolers. However, it remains unclear whether children's SNARC‐effects are exclusively based on number or whether nonnumerical factors such as surface area can also play a role. To address this question, we asked children to compare quantities in a nonsymbolic number comparison task. On half of the trials, the larger set took up more total surface area (congruent trials), and on the other half, the smaller number had more surface area (incongruent trials). We obtained a significant interaction of SNARC‐like effects and congruency. SNARC‐effects were only observed for congruent trials, demonstrating that preschoolers' spatial‐numerical associations can be affected by nonnumerical magnitude.
The importance of variation in offspring body size for stability in cannibalistic populations
Authors: Ohlberger Jan , Langangen Øystein , Winfield Ian J. , Vindenes Yngvild
Published: August 2019

Animals exhibit remarkable intraspecific variation in phenotypic traits such as body size. Understanding how such trait variation affects population and ecosystem dynamics is critically important, because future environmental change and human impacts are expected to alter phenotypic trait distributions. In species with seasonal reproduction, offspring size variation within cohorts is ubiquitous, yet we know little about its implications for population stability. In addition, long‐term monitoring data indicate that changes in offspring size variation occur at ecologically relevant time scales. Here, we study the consequences of changing offspring size variation by developing and analysing an integral projection model (IPM). Our model accounts for size‐dependent cannibalism as well as additional density regulation occurring during the first year. The model is parameterized using literature values and long‐term monitoring data for pike Esox lucius, a common fish predator in temperate freshwater ecosystems, but the general model structure applies to a wide range of size‐structured organisms. Our analyses demonstrate that a wide size distribution of offspring promotes stable dynamics, whereas narrow distributions can be destabilizing because cannibalism increases the annual variation in mean offspring mortality. Our results indicate that the stabilizing effect of offspring size variation is likely an important property of size‐structured organisms with seasonal reproduction and cannibalistic behaviour. This work highlights the importance of intracohort trait variation and describes how variation in body size can shape the dynamics of animal populations.
Intelligently Taking Out Universal Screws and Nail Caps After Spine Internal Fixation
Authors: Zhang Ye , Sun Ming‐Ju
Published: August 2019

The purpose of this study was to present a surgical technique for taking out universal screw and nail caps which were difficult to removed. We used a variety of industrial hex wrenches, dental drills, and other equipment to take out internal hex nuts with different specifications (32 pieces) and universal screws (15 pieces) in 28 patients. A total of 32 nuts were taken out, 3 of which were polished by the industrial drill. A total of 17 were spun by hand, 2 were spun by locking pliers, 10 were turned by “I” type screwdriver, and 3 were turned by bone blade. A total of 15 screws were taken out, 9 of which were removed with a wrench and the other 6 by means of locking pliers after re‐fixing with a truncated titanium rod. The novel technique is simple and provides a solution following failure of a supporting device.
Halotropism requires phospholipase Dζ1‐mediated modulation of cellular polarity of auxin transport carriers
Authors: Korver Ruud A. , van den Berg Thea , Meyer A. Jessica , Galvan‐Ampudia Carlos S. , ten Tusscher Kirsten H.W.J. , Testerink Christa
Published: August 2019

Endocytosis and relocalization of auxin carriers represent important mechanisms for adaptive plant growth and developmental responses. Both root gravitropism and halotropism have been shown to be dependent on relocalization of auxin transporters. Following their homology to mammalian phospholipase Ds (PLDs), plant PLDζ‐type enzymes are likely candidates to regulate auxin carrier endocytosis. We investigated root tropic responses for an Arabidopsis pldζ1‐KO mutant and its effect on the dynamics of two auxin transporters during salt stress, that is, PIN2 and AUX1. We found altered root growth and halotropic and gravitropic responses in the absence of PLDζ1 and report a role for PLDζ1 in the polar localization of PIN2. Additionally, irrespective of the genetic background, salt stress induced changes in AUX1 polarity. Utilizing our previous computational model, we found that these novel salt‐induced AUX1 changes contribute to halotropic auxin asymmetry. We also report the formation of “osmotic stress‐induced membrane structures.” These large membrane structures are formed at the plasma membrane shortly after NaCl or sorbitol treatment and have a prolonged presence in a pldζ1 mutant. Taken together, these results show a crucial role for PLDζ1 in both ionic and osmotic stress‐induced auxin carrier dynamics during salt stress.
Deep learning: A philosophical introduction
Authors: Buckner Cameron
Published: August 2019

Deep learning is currently the most prominent and widely successful method in artificial intelligence. Despite having played an active role in earlier artificial intelligence and neural network research, philosophers have been largely silent on this technology so far. This is remarkable, given that deep learning neural networks have blown past predicted upper limits on artificial intelligence performance—recognizing complex objects in natural photographs and defeating world champions in strategy games as complex as Go and chess—yet there remains no universally accepted explanation as to why they work so well. This article provides an introduction to these networks as well as an opinionated guidebook on the philosophical significance of their structure and achievements. It argues that deep learning neural networks differ importantly in their structure and mathematical properties from the shallower neural networks that were the subject of so much philosophical reflection in the 1980s and 1990s. The article then explores several different explanations for their success and ends by proposing three areas of inquiry that would benefit from future engagement by philosophers of mind and science.
Why the Confucians had no concept of race (Part II): Cultural difference, environment, and achievement
Authors: Xiang Shuchen
Published: August 2019

This paper argues that Confucianism had an anti‐essentialist conception of selfhood. This understanding of self means that they did not have, and could not have had, a concept of “race” in the sense that one's essence determines one's becoming. In the Confucian canon, the embodiment of cultural norms/performance of culturally appropriate actions defines one's humanness. This account of human agency in becoming human can be seen in the Confucian explanation of moral failure. This assumption of human agency also means that the Confucian understanding of hierarchy is social as opposed to ontological and that differences between people are understood to be a result of culture–custom variation.
Regression-With-Residuals Estimation of Marginal Effects: A Method of Adjusting for Treatment-Induced Confounders That may also be Effect Modifiers
Authors: Wodtke Geoffrey T. , Alaca Zahide , Zhou Xiang
Published: August 2019

When making causal inferences, treatment-induced confounders complicate analyses of time-varying treatment effects. Conditioning on these variables naively to estimate marginal effects may inappropriately block causal pathways and may induce spurious associations between the treatment and the outcome, leading to bias. Although several methods for estimating marginal effects avoid these complications, including inverse probability of treatment weighted estimation of marginal structural models as well as g- and regression-with-residuals estimation of highly constrained structural nested mean models, each suffers from a set of non-trivial limitations, among them an inability to accommodate effect modification. In this study, we adapt the method of regression with residuals to estimate marginal effects with a set of moderately constrained structural nested mean models that easily accommodate several types of treatment-by-confounder interaction. With this approach, the confounders at each time point are first residualized with respect to the observed past, which involves centring them at their estimated means given prior treatments and confounders. The outcome is then regressed on all prior variables, including a set of treatment-by-confounder interaction terms, with these residuals substituted for the untransformed confounders both as ‘main effects’ and as part of any interaction terms. Through a series of simulation experiments and empirical examples, we show that this approach outperforms other methods for estimating the marginal effects of time-varying treatments.
Environmental Justice and Green Schools—Assessing Students and Communities’ Access to Green Schools
Authors: Zhao Shuang , Zhou Shan , Noonan Douglas S.
Published: August 2019

Objective

We investigate equity in the distribution of green schools, what kind of student populations they serve, and what kinds of communities host them.

Methods

Leveraging national school enrollment data (2000–2014), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design data, and communities’ characteristics data from 2010 U.S. Census, we estimate logit models to examine the association between green schools and student and community demographics.

Results

Higher percentages of minorities in both student population and hosting neighborhood are associated with greater likelihood that new schools are green. New schools in more affluent and less educated communities are less likely to be green.

Conclusion

There is a lack of evidence for environmental injustice in students’ and communities’ access to new green schools in the United States. New schools serving lower‐income and minority families and children are more likely to be green, although environmental justice indicators such as education show somewhat “unjust” patterns.
THE SCOPE AND IMPLICATIONS OF MORALS NOT KNOWLEDGE
Authors: Evans John H.
Published: August 2019

I greatly appreciate the opportunity provided by the editor of Zygon to further develop the ideas in my book Morals Not Knowledge: Recasting the Contemporary U.S. Conflict between Religion and Science in conversation with four critical commentaries. It is an honor to have one's work focused upon so intently, and I greatly appreciate the time and effort of the critics. The book was quite intentionally written as a provocation, an attempt at agenda setting, and as a call for changing the thinking of the entire religion and science academic community. In my previous writings I have kept close to the data, allowing myself at best mid‐level conclusions, but this book is a foray into the abstraction and inevitable lack of precision required for high‐level generalization. I hope that it continues to be generative of debate.
A WAY FORWARD FOR SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON SCIENCE AND RELIGION: A REVIEW AND A RIFF
Authors: Ecklund Elaine Howard , Mehta Sharan Kaur , Bolger Daniel
Published: August 2019

John Evans’s new book Morals Not Knowledge pushes scholars to rethink contemporary debates about religion and science by moving past the rhetoric of societal elites to examine the perspectives of everyday Americans, identifying the moral conflicts at the heart of debates. We review Evans’s key contributions while also extending and challenging his arguments, urging consideration of how renewed moral debates might be informed by a broader set of U.S. “publics.” Drawing on empirical research, we highlight four sets of voices that are missing from Evans’s analysis. Specifically, we highlight the voices of racial and ethnic minorities, religious communities (as opposed to individuals), members of minority religious traditions, and everyday religious scientists. Through doing so we offer avenues for future research on these diverse publics that will help facilitate a broader set of better and more informed debates about moral conflict between religious and scientific communities.
Synthesis of carbon self-doped titanium dioxide and its activity in the photocatalytic oxidation of styrene under visible light irradiation
Authors: Alias Siti Hajar , Mohamed Nurul Najidah , Loon Leaw Wai , Chandren Sheela
Published: August 2019

Carbon self-doped titanium dioxide (C/TiO2) photocatalyst was synthesized by a simple sol-gel method using titanium isopropoxide as both the titanium precursor and carbon source. The effects of calcination temperatures in the range of 300 to 700 °C to the structure and physicochemical properties of the C/TiO2 were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV-visible diffuse reflectance (UV-Vis DR) spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS results proved the presence of self-doped carbon at the interstitial and substitutional lattice of TiO2. The C/TiO2 calcined at 300 and 400 °C (C/TiO2-300 and C/TiO2-400, respectively) showed mesoporous characteristic and large surface area of about 100 m2 g-1. The C/TiO2 photocatalysts were then tested in the photo-oxidation of styrene under visible light irradiation with aqueous hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizing agent. The C/TiO2 photocatalysts were successfully activated under the irradiation of visible light, where C/TiO2-300 and C/TiO2-400 showed the highest total concentration of products (benzaldehyde and styrene oxide) at 1.1 mmol and 1.0 mmol, respectively.For video presentation, kindly please visit this link:
Control of exercise hyperpnoea: Contributions from thin‐fibre skeletal muscle afferents
Authors: Bruce Richard M. , Jolley Caroline , White Michael J.
Published: August 2019

New Findings

What is the topic of this review?

In this review, we examine the evidence for control mechanisms underlying exercise hyperpnoea, giving attention to the feedback from thin‐fibre skeletal muscle afferents, and highlight the frequently conflicting findings and difficulties encountered by researchers using a variety of experimental models.

What advances does it highlight?

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in the role of skeletal muscle afferent involvement, not only as a mechanism of healthy exercise hyperpnoea but also in the manifestation of breathlessness and exercise intolerance in chronic disease.

The ventilatory response to dynamic submaximal exercise is immediate and proportional to metabolic rate, which maintains isocapnia. How these respiratory responses are controlled remains poorly understood, given that the most tightly controlled variable (arterial partial pressure of CO2/H+) provides no error signal for arterial chemoreceptors to trigger reflex increases in ventilation. This review discusses evidence for different postulated control mechanisms, with a focus on the feedback from group III/IV skeletal muscle mechanosensitive and metabosensitive afferents. This concept is attractive, because the stimulation of muscle mechanoreceptors might account for the immediate increase in ventilation at the onset of exercise, and signals from metaboreceptors might be proportional to metabolic rate. A variety of experimental models have been used to establish the contribution of thin‐fibre muscle afferents in ventilatory control during exercise, with equivocal results. The inhibition of afferent feedback via the application of lumbar intrathecal fentanyl during exercise suppresses ventilation, which provides the most compelling supportive evidence to date. However, stimulation of afferent feedback at rest has no consistent effect on respiratory output. However, evidence is emerging for synergistic interactions between muscle afferent feedback and other stimulatory inputs to the central respiratory neuronal pool. These seemingly hyperadditive effects might explain the conflicting findings encountered when using different experimental models. We also discuss the increasing evidence that patients with certain chronic diseases exhibit exaggerated muscle afferent activation during exercise, resulting in enhanced cardiorespiratory responses. This might provide a neural link between the well‐established limb muscle dysfunction and the associated exercise intolerance and exertional dyspnoea, which might offer therapeutic targets for these patients.
Vibration‐induced depression in spinal loop excitability revisited
Authors: Souron Robin , Baudry Stéphane , Millet Guillaume Y. , Lapole Thomas
Published: August 2019

Key points

While it has been well described that prolonged vibration locally applied to a muscle or its tendon (up to 1 h) decreases spinal loop excitability between homonymous Ia afferents and motoneurons, the involved mechanisms are not fully understood.

By combining electrophysiological methods, this study aimed to provide new insights into the mechanisms involved in soleus decreased spinal excitability after prolonged local vibration.

We report that prolonged vibration induces a decrease in motoneuron excitability rather than an increase in presynaptic mechanisms (as commonly hypothesized in the current literature).

The present results may help to design appropriate clinical intervention and could reinforce the interest in vibration as a treatment for spastic patients who are characterized by spinal hyper‐excitability responsible for spasms and long‐lasting reflexes.

The mechanisms that can explain the decreased spinal loop excitability in response to prolonged local vibration (LV), as assessed by the H‐reflex, remain to be precisely determined. This study provides new insights into how prolonged Achilles’ tendon LV (30 min, 100 Hz) acutely interacts with the spinal circuitry. The roles of presynaptic inhibition exerted on Ia afferents (Experiment A, n = 15), neurotransmitter release at the synapse level (Experiment B, n = 11) and motoneuron excitability (Experiment C, n = 11) were investigated in soleus. Modulation of presynaptic inhibition was assessed by conditioning the soleus H‐reflex (tibial nerve electrical stimulation) with fibular nerve (D1 inhibition) and femoral nerve (heteronymous facilitation, HF) electrical stimulations. Potential vibration‐induced changes in neurotransmitter depletion at the Ia afferent terminals was assessed through paired stimulations applied over the tibial nerve (HD). Intrinsic motoneuron excitability was assessed with thoracic motor evoked potentials (TMEPs) in response to electrical stimulation over the thoracic spine. Non‐conditioned H‐reflex was depressed by ∼60% after LV (P < 0.001), while D1 and HF H‐reflexes increased by ∼75% after LV (P = 0.03 and 0.06, respectively). In Experiment B, HD remained unchanged after LV (P = 0.80). In Experiment C, TMEPs were reduced by ∼13% after LV (P = 0.01). Overall, presynaptic mechanisms do not seem to be involved in the depression of spinal excitability after LV. It rather seems to rely, at least in part, on a decrease in intrinsic motoneuron excitability. These results may have implications in reducing spinal hyper‐excitability in spastic patients.
Discharge properties of human diaphragm motor units with ageing
Authors: Nguyen D. A. T. , Lewis R. H. C. , Gandevia S. C. , Butler J. E. , Hudson A. L.
Published: August 2019

Key points

Ageing is associated with changes in the respiratory system including in the lungs, rib cage and muscles.

Neural drive to the diaphragm, the principal inspiratory muscle, has been reported to increase during quiet breathing with ageing.

We demonstrated that low‐threshold motor units of the human diaphragm recruited during quiet breathing have similar discharge frequencies across age groups and shorter discharge times in older age.

With ageing, motor unit action potential area increased.

We propose that there are minimal functionally significant changes in the discharge properties of diaphragm motor units with ageing despite remodelling of the motor unit in the periphery.

There are changes in the skeletal, pulmonary and respiratory neuromuscular systems with healthy ageing. During eupnoea, one study has shown relatively higher crural diaphragm electromyographic activity (EMG) in healthy older adults (>51 years) than in younger adults, but these measures may be affected by the normalisation process used. A more direct method to assess neural drive involves the measurement of discharge properties of motor units. Here, to assess age‐related changes in neural drive to the diaphragm during eupnoea, EMG was recorded from the costal diaphragm using a monopolar needle electrode in participants from three age groups (n ≥ 7 each): older (65–80 years); middle‐aged (43–55 years) and young (23–26 years). In each group, 154, 174 and 110 single motor units were discriminated, respectively. A mixed‐effects linear model showed no significant differences between age groups for onset (group mean range 9.5–10.2 Hz), peak (14.1–15.0 Hz) or offset (7.8–8.5 Hz) discharge frequencies during eupnoea. The motor unit recruitment was delayed in the older group (by ∼15% of inspiratory time; p = 0.02 cf. middle‐aged group) and had an earlier offset time (by ∼15% of inspiratory time; p = 0.04 cf. young group). However, the onset of multiunit activity was similar across groups, consistent with no global increase in neural drive to the diaphragm with ageing. The area of diaphragm motor unit potentials was ∼40% larger in the middle‐aged and older groups (P < 0.02), which indicates axonal sprouting and re‐innervation of muscle fibres associated with ageing, even in middle‐aged participants.
mSphere of Influence: Considering Complex Mutational Processes That Shape Microbial Virulence
Authors: Anderson Matthew Zack
Published: August 2019

Matt Anderson works in the field of genetics and infectious disease, with a focus on the human fungal pathogen
Candida albicans
. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how two papers, “Gene Flow Contributes to Diversification of the Major Fungal Pathogen
Candida albicans
” (J. Ropars, C. Maufrais, D. Diogo, M. Marcet-Houben, A. Perin, et al., Nat Commun 9:2253, 2018,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04787-4
) and “Selection of
Candida albicans
Trisomy during Oropharyngeal Infection Results in a Commensal-Like Phenotype” (A. Forche, N. V. Solis, M. Swidergall, R. Thomas, A. Guyer, et al., PLoS Genet 15:e1008137, 2019,
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1008137
), made an impact on him by incorporating less commonly investigated mechanisms of genome evolution into the context of microbial adaptation.
Why do large, deep rivers have low-angle dune beds?
Authors: Kostaschuk Ray A. , Venditti Jeremy G.
Published: August 2019

Dunes are the most common bedform in sand-bedded rivers. Small, high-angle dunes (HADs) dominate in shallow (<2.5 m) flows and have lee sides with steep downstream-facing slipfaces (>24°) and reversed upslope-oriented flow in the separation vortex. In contrast, large, deep (>2.5 m) rivers have low-angle dunes (LADs) with gentle lee-side slipfaces (<24°; often <10°), little or no flow separation, and more-pronounced downslope currents. Avalanches driven primarily by particle interaction maintain slipfaces of HADs. On LADs, excess pore pressures that occur during the failure of thick, loosely packed deposits can produce liquefied avalanches that flow and stop on gentle gradients. As lee-side angles decrease over LADs, downslope currents increase in strength, accelerating avalanches, transporting bedload, and creating smaller, superimposed dunes and uniform concave slopes on the lee side. Nearly a century of research on dunes in shallow laboratory flows has assumed that dune morphodynamics are scale invariant, which is not true.