bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Time diversity evaluation for attenuation mitigation method using attenuation data in Thailand and Japan
Authors: Chodkaveekityada Peeramed , Fukuchi Hajime
Published: June 2016

In order to support future satellite broadcasting and communication in the Ka band and above, the time diversity method provides a novel attenuation mitigation technique for maintaining satellite service availability at levels between 99.9 and 99.99%. In this paper, the time diversity method is analyzed using various time delays from between 1 min and 1 h in an effort to mitigate convective rain attenuation by using various beacon signal transmission delays. For comparison purposes, receiver beacon data from Japan and Thailand are presented to highlight tropical and non‐tropical zone regional differences, and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) R P.618‐12 standard is used for scaling up the Thaicom beacon frequencies from 12.57 and 12.59 GHz in the Ku band to 19.45 GHz, which is the Ka band frequency used by Japan's communication satellite (CS) beacon. We found that the time diversity method is very useful for mitigating the effects of rain attenuation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Combined Near Infrared Photothermal Therapy and Chemotherapy Using Gold Nanoshells Coated Liposomes to Enhance Antitumor Effect
Authors: Luo Liyao , Bian Yanhong , Liu Yanping , Zhang Xuwu , Wang Meili , Xing Shanshan , Li Lei , Gao Dawei
Published: June 2016

Novel antitumor system based on the targeting photothermal and pH‐responsive nanocarriers, gold nanoshells coated oleanolic acid liposomes mediating by chitosan (GNOLs), is designed and synthesized for the first time. The GNOLs present spherical and uniform size (172.03 nm) with zeta potential (20.7 ± 0.4 mV), which are more easily accumulated in tumor. Meanwhile, the GNOLs exhibit a slow and controlled release of oleanolic acid at pH 7.4, as well as a rapid release at pH 5.5, which is beneficial for tumor‐targeting drug release. Under near infrared (NIR) irradiation, hyperthermia can be generated by activated gold nanoshells to perform photothermal therapy effect, which triggers drug release from the carriers by activating the gel to liquid crystalline phase transition of the liposomes. Moreover, the NIR assisting drug release can be easily and selectively activated locally due to the spatially and real‐timely controllable property of light. The experimental results also verify that the GNOLs with NIR irradiation achieve more ideal antitumor effects than other oleanolic acid formulations in vitro and in vivo. Hence, the drug delivery system exhibits a great potential in chemo‐photothermal antitumor therapy.
Sustainable Consumption Behavior in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Conceptual Framework
Authors: Ukenna Stephen I. , Nkamnebe Anayo D.
Published: June 2016

This paper develops a conceptual framework for investigating the adoption patterns, inhibitors, and facilitators (PIF) of sustainable consumption in sub‐Sahara African (SSA) settings. Literature evidence shows paucity of empirical studies on sustainable consumption from SSA, which partly explains lack of suitable conceptual framework to guide research in this area. Also, the existing frameworks, which were developed outside SSA may not be suitable for constructing sustainable consumption behavior in SSA because of its peculiarities. The key significance of this article is the potential of providing future researchers in this area with a framework to guide and manage their studies. As a conceptual article, insight was drawn from a plethora of scholarly articles in the domain of sustainable consumption and related areas. The framework is built on four key constructs—adoption patterns, inhibitors, facilitators (PIF), and intention. As a guide for studies from the SSA, the article includes an empirical section, which provides preliminary empirical validation for the proposed PIF conceptual framework based on a pilot test. The result from the pilot study, using structural equation modeling (SEM), led to positing the PIF Sustainable Consumption model, thus giving support for the PIF Conceptual Framework, which this article puts forward. In addition, the proposed PIF conceptual framework is capable of providing insight for crafting sustainability‐related policies. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Zoo visitor perceptions, attitudes, and conservation intent after viewing African elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Authors: Hacker Charlotte E. , Miller Lance J.
Published: June 2016

Elephants in the wild face several conservation issues. With the rebranding of zoos as conservation and education pioneers, they have the ability to both educate and inspire guests to action. The purpose of this research was to analyze visitor perceptions and attitudes toward elephant conservation and outcomes post‐exhibit visit. A one‐page survey was randomly administered to assess perceptions of elephant behavior, attitudes about elephant conservation, and intended conservation‐related outcomes from September 2013 to January 2014. Principle component analysis identified three major components: concern for elephants in zoos, importance of elephants in the wild, and modification of nature. Visitors who scored highly on conservation intent were those with positive attitudes towards elephants in the wild and negative attitudes regarding the modification of nature. The greatest changes in conservation intent were a result of a self‐reported up‐close encounter and the ability to witness active behaviors. Providing guests with the opportunity to witness or experience such occurrences may aid in a more successful delivery of the zoo's conservation message. Further research into guest emotions and affective states in relation to viewing elephants in a zoological institution would provide greater insight into improving the guest experience and helping zoos meet their conservation mission. Zoo Biol. 35:355–361, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Chiral enantioresolution of cathinone derivatives present in “legal highs”, and enantioselectivity evaluation on cytotoxicity of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV)
Authors: Silva Bárbara , Fernandes Carla , Tiritan Maria Elizabeth , Pinto Madalena M.M. , Valente Maria João , Carvalho Márcia , de Pinho Paula Guedes , Remião Fernando
Published: June 2016

Recently, great interest has been focused on synthetic cathinones since their consumption has increased exponentially. All synthetic cathinones exist as chiral molecules; the biological and/or toxicological properties of cathinones generally differ according to the enantiomers in human body. In this study, a chiral liquid chromatography method was developed to separate and determine the enantiomeric ratio of synthetic cathinones present in “legal highs” acquired in old smart shops or over the Internet. All the synthetic cathinones were efficiently enantio-separated with α and Rs ranging from 1.24 to 3.62 and from 1.24 to 10.52, respectively, using polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases. All synthetic cathinones, with the exception of 4-methylethcathinone (4-MEC), were present in the commercialized “legal highs” in an enantiomeric proportion of 50:50. One of the studied chiral compounds was 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), one of the most consumed cathinone derivative worldwide. Our research group has recently reported its hepatotoxicity in the racemic form. Thus, the analytical enantioresolution of the MDPV was scaled up to multi-milligram using a semi-preparative amylose tris-3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate column (20 cm × 7.0 mm ID, 7 µm particle size). Both enantiomers were isolated with high enantiomeric purity (enantiomeric excess > 99 %). The toxicity of S-(−)-MDPV and R-(+)-MDPV was evaluated, for the first time, using primary cultures of rat hepatocytes. It was also possible to verify that MDPV enantiomers showed hepatotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner, but displayed no enantioselective toxicity in this cell culture model.
Youth experiences with multiple types of prejudice‐based harassment
Authors: Bucchianeri Michaela M. , Gower Amy L. , McMorris Barbara J. , Eisenberg Marla E.
Published: June 2016

Despite prejudice‐based harassment's associations with serious physical and mental health risks, research examining multiple forms of harassment among children/adolescents is lacking. This study documents the prevalence of prejudice‐based harassment (i.e., harassment on the basis of gender, race/ethnicity, weight or physical appearance, sexual orientation, and disability status) among a large, statewide, school‐based Midwestern U.S. sample of 162,034 adolescents. Weight‐/appearance‐based harassment was most prevalent among both girls (25.3%) and boys (19.8%). Adolescents from certain vulnerable groups experienced higher rates of multiple types of harassment, even when controlling for other sociodemographic characteristics. Prejudice‐based harassment experiences are prevalent among adolescent girls and boys. Differential rates of each type of harassment are reported across groups within the corresponding sociodemographic status (e.g., white female adolescents report a significantly lower rate of race‐based harassment (4.8%), as compared to Native American (18.6%), mixed/other race (18.9%), Hispanic/Latina (21.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (24.2%), or Black/African American (24.8%) female adolescents); but a pattern of cross‐harassment also is evident, such that differences in prevalence of each harassment type emerge across a variety of statuses (e.g., disability‐based harassment was statistically significantly higher among discordant heterosexual (12.7%), gay (13.0%), bisexual (15.3%), and unsure (15.3%) male adolescents than among heterosexual male (7.2%) adolescents). Adolescents from specific sociodemographic groups are particularly vulnerable to certain types of harassment.
Long-term antipsychotic use and its association with outcomes in schizophrenia – the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966
Authors: Moilanen J.M. , Haapea M. , Jääskeläinen E. , Veijola J.M. , Isohanni M.K. , Koponen H.J. , Miettunen J.
Published: June 2016

Background

Due to the paucity of previous studies, we wanted to elucidate the pharmacoepidemiology of antipsychotics in schizophrenia in a general population sample, and the association between long-term antipsychotic use and outcomes.

Methods

The sample included 53 schizophrenia subjects from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 with at least ten years of follow-up (mean 18.6 years since illness onset). Data on lifetime medication and outcomes (remission, Clinical Global Impression [CGI], Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale [SOFAS]) were collected from medical records, interviews, and national registers.

Results

During the first two years 22 (42%), between two to five years 17 (32%), and between five to ten years 14 (26%) subjects had used antipsychotics less than half of the time. Drug-free periods became rarer during the follow-up. The mean lifetime daily dose of antipsychotics was 319 mg in chlorpromazine equivalents. A high lifetime average and cumulative dose and antipsychotic polypharmacy were associated with a poorer outcome in all measures, whereas having no drug-free periods was associated with a better SOFAS score and a low proportion of time on antipsychotics with a better CGI score.

Conclusions

In our population-based sample, the use of antipsychotics increased during the first five years of illness and was relatively stable after that. Our results suggest that both low dose and proportion of use, and having no drug-free periods, are associated with better outcomes, which concords with current treatment recommendations and algorithms. High long-term doses and polypharmacy may relate to poor outcomes.
Videoconferencing in psychiatry, a meta-analysis of assessment and treatment
Authors: Drago A. , Winding T.N. , Antypa N.
Published: June 2016

Context

Videoconferencing in psychiatry allows psychiatric counseling to be dealt remotely. A number of human randomised clinical trials (RCTs) on this topic were conducted but not systematically analysed since 2005.

Objects

A meta-analysis was undertaken to test the hypothesis of non-inferiority of remote psychiatric counseling, including both assessment and treatment, compared to face-to-face setting. Focus of research was the general psychiatric approach, which includes pharmacotherapy, counseling and some not specific psychotherapeutic techniques such as listening, reformulation and clarification among others. Specific forms of psychotherapies were not included in this analysis.

Design

RCTs including ≥ 10 subjects per arm were identified in Medline, the Cochrane Library, Embase and the reference list of single papers. A random-effect and a mixed-effect model served for test the hypothesis under analysis.

Results

Twenty-six RCTs were included in the analysis, involving 765 (assessment) and 1585 patients (efficacy). The non-inferiority of remote psychiatric counseling was reported both for assessment and treatment. Heterogeneity could not be excluded for assessment, but was excluded for treatment while taking into account clinical and study related variables (P-values = 0.003 and 0.06, respectively).

Conclusion

High levels of consistency between remote and in vivo psychiatric assessment is reported. Efficacy of remote psychiatric counseling was shown to be not inferior compared to in vivo settings. Heterogeneity could not be excluded for assessment, and further analyses are mandatory. The presence of multiple diagnoses included in the analysis was a limit of the present investigation.
Temporal and Spatial Patterns in Utilization of Mental Health Services During and After Hurricane Sandy: Emergency Department and Inpatient Hospitalizations in New York City
Authors: He Fangtao Tony , Lundy De La Cruz Nneka , Olson Donald , Lim Sungwoo , Levanon Seligson Amber , Hall Gerod , Jessup Jillian , Gwynn Charon
Published: June 2016

Objective

Hurricane Sandy made landfall on October 29, 2012, causing a coastal storm surge and extensive flooding, which led to the closure of several health care facilities in New York City (NYC) and prolonged interruptions in service delivery. The impact on mental health–related emergency department (ED) and inpatient hospital service utilization was studied.

Methods

Data came from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System. We obtained mental health–related data among NYC residents from 2010 to 2013. Patients were grouped into 5 geographic areas, including service areas of closed hospitals, the Hurricane Sandy evaluation zone, and all of NYC. The Farrington method was used to detect increases in ED visits and hospitalizations for the post-Sandy period.

Results

Open hospitals experienced a substantial increase in psychiatric ED visits from patients living in the service areas of closed hospitals. This surge in psychiatric ED visits persisted for 4 to 6 months after Hurricane Sandy. However, the increase in psychiatric hospitalizations was observed for 1 to 3 months.

Conclusions

Several NYC hospitals received a substantially larger number of ED patients from service areas of closed hospitals after Hurricane Sandy, unlike other hospitals that experienced a decrease. Because of potential surges in the number of psychiatric ED visits, resource allocation to hospitals should be considered. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:512–517)
Personal Protective Equipment for Infectious Disease Preparedness: A Human Factors Evaluation
Authors: Herlihey Tracey A. , Gelmi Stefano , Flewwelling Christopher J. , Hall Trevor N. T. , Bañez Carleene , Morita Plinio P. , Beverley Paul , Cafazzo Joseph A. , Hota Susy
Published: June 2016

OBJECTIVE

To identify issues during donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) for infectious diseases and to inform PPE procurement criteria and design.

DESIGN

A mixed methods approach was used. Usability testing assessed the appropriateness, potential for errors, and ease of use of various combinations of PPE. A qualitative constructivist approach was used to analyze participant feedback.

SETTING

Four academic health sciences centers: 2 adult hospitals, 1 trauma center, and 1 pediatric hospital, in Toronto, Canada.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants (n=82) were representative of the potential users of PPE within Western healthcare institutions.

RESULTS

None of the tested combinations provided a complete solution for PPE. Environmental factors, such as anteroom layout, and the design of protocols and instructional material were also found to impact safety. The study identified the need to design PPE as a complete system, rather than mixing and matching components.

CONCLUSIONS

Healthcare institutions are encouraged to use human factors methods to identify risk and failure points with the usage of their selected PPE, and to modify on the basis of iterative evaluations with representative end users. Manufacturers of PPE should consider usability when designing the next generation of PPE.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2016;37:1022–1028
Psychicones: Visual Traces of the Soul in Late Nineteenth-Century Fluidic Photography
Authors: Pethes Nicolas
Published: June 2016

The article discusses attempts to visualise the soul on photographic plates at the end of the nineteenth century, as conducted by the French physician Hippolyte Baraduc in Paris. Although Baraduc refers to earlier experiments on fluidic photography in his book onThe Human Soul(1896) and is usually mentioned as a precursor to parapsychological thought photography of the twentieth century, his work is presented as a genuine attempt at photographic soul-catching. Rather than producing mimetic representations of thoughts and imaginations, Baraduc claims to present the vital radiation of the psyche itself and therefore calls the images he producespsychicones.

The article first discusses the difference between this method of soul photography and other kinds of occult media technologies of the time, emphasising the significance of its non-mimetic, abstract character: since the soul itself was considered an abstract entity, abstract traces seemed all the more convincing to the contemporary audience. Secondly, the article shows how the technological agency of photography allowed Baraduc’spsychiconesto be tied into related discourses in medicine and psychology. Insofar as the photographic plates displayed actual visual traces, Baraduc and his followers no longer considered hallucinations illusionary and pathological but emphasised the physical reality and normality of imagination. Yet, the greatest influence of soul photography was not on science but on art. As the third part of the paper argues, the abstract shapes on Baraduc’s plates provided inspiration for contemporary avant-garde aesthetics, for example, Kandinsky’s abstract paintings and the random streams of consciousness in surrealistic literature.
A Determinant Identity Implying the Lagrange–Good Inversion Formula
Authors: Huang Jianfeng , Ma Xinrong
Published: June 2016

In this paper a determinant identity is established, from which a simple proof of the multivariate Lagrange–Good inversion formula follows directly. Further discussion on a discrete analogue of the Lagrange–Good inversion formula is also presented.
Schur Multipliers of Cartan Pairs
Authors: Levene R. H. , Spronk N. , Todorov I. G. , Turowska L.
Published: June 2016

We define the Schur multipliers of a separable von Neumann algebrawith Cartan maximal abelian self-adjoint algebra, generalizing the classical Schur multipliers of(ℓ2). We characterize these as the normal-bimodule maps on. Ifcontains a direct summand isomorphic to the hyperfinite II1factor, then we show that the Schur multipliers arising from the extended Haagerup tensor product⊗ehare strictly contained in the algebra of all Schur multipliers.
Fischer Decomposition and Cauchy–Kovalevskaya Extension in Fractional Clifford Analysis: The Riemann–Liouville Case
Authors: Vieira N.
Published: June 2016

In this paper we present the basic tools of a fractional function theory in higher dimensions by means of a fractional correspondence to the Weyl relations via fractional Riemann–Liouville derivatives. A Fischer decomposition, Almansi decomposition, fractional Euler and Gamma operators, monogenic projection, and basic fractional homogeneous powers are constructed. Moreover, we establish the fractional Cauchy–Kovalevskaya extension (FCK extension) theorem for fractional monogenic functions defined on ℝd. Based on this extension principle, fractional Fueter polynomials, forming a basis of the space of fractional spherical monogenics, i.e. fractional homogeneous polynomials, are introduced. We study the connection between the FCK extension of functions of the formxPland the classical Gegenbauer polynomials. Finally, we present an example of an FCK extension.
Symbolic Powers of Monomial Ideals
Authors: Cooper Susan M. , Embree Robert J. D. , Hà Huy Tài , Hoefel Andrew H.
Published: June 2016

We investigate symbolic and regular powers of monomial ideals. For a square-free monomial ideal I ⊆ 𝕜[x0, … , xn] we show that for all positive integers m, t and r, where e is the big-height of I and . This captures two conjectures (r = 1 and r = e): one of Harbourne and Huneke, and one of Bocci et al. We also introduce the symbolic polyhedron of a monomial ideal and use this to explore symbolic powers of non-square-free monomial ideals.
Dürer's magic tesseract
Authors: Sudbery Anthony
Published: June 2016

Albrecht Dürer's mysterious engraving Melencolia I (Figure 1) has always intrigued both art critics and mathematicians. Among art critics, according to Campbell Dodgson [1], “The literature on the Melancholia is more extensive than that on any other engraving by Dürer” (he adds “the statement would probably remain true if the last two words were omitted”). Mathematicians, if disconcerted by the association between mathematics and melancholy, have been fascinated by the objects appearing in the print, such as the polyhedron occurring on the left of the engraving and—the subject of this note—the magic square in the upper right-hand corner (Figure 2).
Brain mechanisms of anxiety's effects on cognitive control in major depressive disorder
Authors: Jones N. P. , Chase H. W. , Fournier J. C.
Published: June 2016

Background

Adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) demonstrate increased susceptibility to interfering effects of anxiety on cognitive control; although under certain conditions adults with MDD are able to compensate for these effects. The brain mechanisms that may facilitate the ability to compensate for anxiety either via the recruitment of additional cognitive resources or via the regulation of interference from anxiety remain largely unknown. To clarify these mechanisms, we examined the effects of anxiety on brain activity and amygdala–prefrontal functional connectivity in adults diagnosed with MDD.

Method

A total of 22 unmedicated adults with MDD and 18 healthy controls (HCs) performed the Tower of London task under conditions designed to induce anxiety, while undergoing a functional magnetic resonance imaging assessment.

Results

During the easy condition, the MDD group demonstrated equivalent planning accuracy, longer planning times, elevated amygdala activity and left rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) hyperactivity relative to HCs. Anxiety mediated observed group differences in planning times, as well as differences in amygdala activation, which subsequently mediated observed differences in RLPFC activation. During the easy condition, the MDD group also demonstrated increased negative amygdala–dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) connectivity which correlated with improved planning accuracy. During the hard condition, HCs demonstrated greater DLPFC activation and stronger negative amygdala–DLPFC connectivity, which was unrelated to planning accuracy.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that persons with MDD compensate for anxiety-related limbic activation during low-load cognitive tasks by recruiting additional RLPFC activation and through increased inhibitory amygdala–DLPFC communication. Targeting these neural mechanisms directly may improve cognitive functioning in MDD.
WEAK DIFFUSION LIMITS OF DYNAMIC CONDITIONAL CORRELATION MODELS
Authors: Hafner Christian M. , Laurent Sebastien , Violante Francesco
Published: June 2016

The properties of dynamic conditional correlation (DCC) models, introduced more than a decade ago, are still not entirely known. This paper fills one of the gaps by deriving weak diffusion limits of a modified version of the classical DCC model. The limiting system of stochastic differential equations is characterized by a diffusion matrix of reduced rank. The degeneracy is due to perfect collinearity between the innovations of the volatility and correlation dynamics. For the special case of constant conditional correlations, a nondegenerate diffusion limit can be obtained. Alternative sets of conditions are considered for the rate of convergence of the parameters, obtaining time-varying but deterministic variances and/or correlations. A Monte Carlo experiment confirms that the often used quasi-approximate maximum likelihood (QAML) method to estimate the diffusion parameters is inconsistent for any fixed frequency, but that it may provide reasonable approximations for sufficiently large frequencies and sample sizes.
Inferring community assembly processes from trait diversity across environmental gradients
Authors: Shen Yong , Yu Shi-Xiao , Lian Ju-Yu , Shen Hao , Cao Hong-Lin , Lu Huan-Ping , Ye Wan-Hui
Published: June 2016

Environmental filtering and competitive interactions are important ecological processes in community assembly. The contribution of the two processes to community assembly can be evaluated by shifts in functional diversity patterns. We examined the correlations between functional diversity of six traits (leaf chlorophyll concentration, dry matter content, size, specific leaf area, thickness and wood density) and environmental gradients (topography and soil) for 92 species in the 20-ha Dinghushan forest plot in China. A partial Mantel test showed that most of the community-weighted mean trait values changed with terrain convexity and soil fertility, which implied that environmental filtering was occurring. Functional diversity of many traits significantly increased with increasing terrain convexity and soil fertility, which was associated with increased light and below-ground resources respectively. These results suggest that co-occurring species are functionally convergent in regions of strong abiotic stress under the environmental filtering, but functionally divergent in more benign environments due to resource partitioning and competitive interactions. Single-trait diversity and multivariate functional diversity had different relationships with environmental factors, indicating that traits were related to different niche axes, and associated with different ecological processes, which demonstrated the importance of focusing niche axes in traits selection. Between 9% and 41% of variation in functional diversity of different traits was explained by environmental factors in stepwise multiple regression models. Terrain convexity and soil fertility were the best predictors of functional diversity, which contributed 30.5% and 29.0% of total R2to the model. These provided essential evidence that different environmental factors had distinguishing impacts on regulating diversity of traits.
Plant–microbe interactions along a gradient of soil fertility in tropical dry forest
Authors: Waring Bonnie G. , Gei Maria G. , Rosenthal Lisa , Powers Jennifer S.
Published: June 2016

Theoretical models predict that plant interactions with free-living soil microbes, pathogens and fungal symbionts are regulated by nutrient availability. Working along a steep natural gradient of soil fertility in a Costa Rican tropical dry forest, we examined how soil nutrients affect plant–microbe interactions using two complementary approaches. First, we measured mycorrhizal colonization of roots and soil P availability in 18 permanent plots spanning the soil fertility gradient. We measured root production, root colonization by mycorrhizal fungi, phosphatase activity and Bray P in each of 144 soil cores. Next, in a full-factorial manipulation of soil type and microbial community origin, tree seedlings ofAlbizia guachapeleandSwietenia macrophyllawere grown in sterilized high-, intermediate- and low-fertility soils paired with microbial inoculum from each soil type. Seedling growth, biomass allocation and root colonization by mycorrhizas were quantified after 2 mo. In the field, root colonization by mycorrhizal fungi was unrelated to soil phosphorus across a five-fold gradient of P availability. In the shadehouse, inoculation with soil microbes had either neutral or positive effects on plant growth, suggesting that positive effects of mycorrhizal symbionts outweighed negative effects of soil pathogens. The presence of soil microbes had a greater effect on plant biomass than variation in soil nutrient concentrations (although both effects were modest), and plant responses to mycorrhizal inoculation were not dependent on soil nutrients. Taken together, our results emphasize that soil microbial communities can influence plant growth and morphology independently of soil fertility.
ON GENERALIZED CUMULATIVE ENTROPIES
Authors: Kayal Suchandan
Published: June 2016

In the present paper, we introduce a generalization of the cumulative entropy proposed by Di Crescenzo and Longobardi [8]. This new notion is related to the lower records and the reversed relevation transform. Dynamic version of the newly proposed measure is considered. Several properties including the effect of linear transformations, a two-dimensional version, a normalized version, bounds, stochastic ordering, etc. are studied for the generalized cumulative entropy (GCE). Similar results are obtained for the dynamic GCE. Various relationships with other functions are derived. A class of distributions is introduced and several properties are studied. Finally, empirical GCE is proposed to estimate the newly proposed information measure.
Three-step Algorithm for Rapid Ambiguity Resolution between Reference Stations within Network RTK
Authors: Shengli Wang , Jian Deng , Jikun Ou , Wenfeng Nie
Published: June 2016

The correct ambiguity resolution between reference stations is the core issue of the whole Network Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) technology. Aimed at long fixed time and low reliability of the low elevation angle satellite ambiguity resolution during the initialisation of the Network RTK system, a three-step algorithm is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the double difference wide-lane ambiguities are fixed on the basis of the Melbourne-Wubbena (MW) method. Secondly, the double difference L1 carrier phase ambiguities of the high elevation angle satellites are fixed rapidly based on the ionosphere-free combination model. Thirdly, the corresponding ambiguities of the satellites with low elevation angles are solved with restrictions from the double difference tropospheric information, which is obtained from observations of the high elevation angle satellites. Based on this algorithm, an overall scheme of the ambiguity resolution during the initialisation process of the Network RTK system is designed. Results from Global Positioning System (GPS)/Globalnaya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (GLONASS) data demonstrate that the three-step algorithm can reduce the ill-posed problems of the observation model effectively. Moreover, the speed and accuracy performances of the ambiguity resolution for the low elevation angle satellites using the proposed algorithm are better than those of the conventional method.
Prevention of secondary household transmission during Shiga toxin-producingEscherichia colioutbreaks
Authors: TOKUDA K. , YAHATA Y. , SUNAGAWA T.
Published: June 2016

Prevention of secondary household transmission of Shiga toxin-producingEscherichia coli(STEC) is important in outbreak settings. We examined factors contributing to secondary household transmission during STEC outbreaks in daycare centres in Japan. Suspected STEC outbreaks in daycare centres were identified by the National Epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Diseases. Questionnaires were sent to local health centres that responded to outbreaks. Secondary household transmission rates were calculated, and factors affecting secondary household transmission rate were analysed by multilevel analysis. The secondary household transmission rates in 16 outbreaks ranged from 0% to 34·4% (median 4·4%). The highest rate (23·0%) was observed in siblings aged 6–9 years, and the infection rate was significantly higher for mothers than for fathers and grandparents (P< 0·05). Using multilevel analysis, the following variables were selected in the best model: information provided face-to-face (vs. letter or telephone) to families of children in daycare centres (at initial response), STEC type and lag time (days) between onset and providing information. Early response and hygiene education by visiting local health centre staff may be effective measures to prevent secondary household transmission in STEC outbreaks. Hygiene education should be emphasized for children aged 6–9 years, as well as for younger children.
Youth temperament, harsh parenting, and variation in the oxytocin receptor gene forecast allostatic load during emerging adulthood
Authors: Brody Gene H. , Yu Tianyi , Barton Allen W. , Miller Gregory E. , Chen Edith
Published: June 2016

An association has been found between receipt of harsh parenting in childhood and adult health problems. However, this research has been principally retrospective, has treated children as passive recipients of parental behavior, and has overlooked individual differences in youth responsivity to harsh parenting. In a 10-year multiple-wave prospective study of African American families, we addressed these issues by focusing on the influence of polymorphisms in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR), variants of which appear to buffer or amplify responses to environmental stress. The participants were 303 youths, with a mean age of 11.2 at the first assessment, and their parents, all of whom were genotyped for variations in the rs53576 (A/G) polymorphism. Teachers rated preadolescent (ages 11 to 13) emotionally intense and distractible temperaments, and adolescents (ages 15 and 16) reported receipt of harsh parenting. Allostatic load was assessed during young adulthood (ages 20 and 21). Difficult preadolescent temperament forecast elevated receipt of harsh parenting in adolescence, and adolescents who experienced harsh parenting evinced high allostatic load during young adulthood. However, these associations emerged only among children and parents who carried A alleles of the OXTR genotype. The results suggest the oxytocin system operates along with temperament and parenting to forecast young adults’ allostatic load.
Homogenization of composite electrets
Authors: AMIRAT YOUCEF , SHELUKHIN VLADIMIR V.
Published: June 2016

We study the two-scale homogenization of the diffraction interfacial condition for the diffusion equation relevant to a composite medium which has a periodic structure. The results are applied to the electric field potential within a dielectric composite body when there is a difference in dielectric permittivity between the composite components in the presence of interfacial static charges. The principal result is that the interfacial charge distribution is equivalent to an apparent bulk charge which can be calculated starting from the composite geometry. We perform the corrector analysis and establish that the corrector terms strongly depend on the interfacial charge.
The efficacy of levomilnacipran ER across symptoms of major depressive disorder: a post hoc analysis of 5 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials
Authors: McIntyre Roger S. , Gommoll Carl , Chen Changzheng , Ruth Adam
Published: June 2016

Objective

A post hoc analysis evaluated the effects of levomilnacipran ER on individual symptoms and symptom domains in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods

Data were pooled from 5 Phase III trials comprising 2598 patients. Effects on depression symptoms were analyzed based on change from baseline in individual Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) item scores. A1dditional evaluations included resolution of individual symptoms (defined as a MADRS item score ≤1 at end of treatment) and concurrent resolution of all 10 MADRS items, all MADRS6 subscale items, and all items included in different symptom clusters (Dysphoria, Retardation, Vegetative Symptoms, Anhedonia).

Results

Significantly greater mean improvements were found on all MADRS items except Reduced Appetite with levomilnacipran ER treatment compared with placebo. Resolution of individual symptoms occurred more frequently with levomilnacipran ER than placebo for each MADRS item (all P<.05), with odds ratios (ORs) ranging from 1.26 to 1.75; resolution of all 10 items was also greater with levomilnacipran ER (OR=1.57; P=.0051). Significant results were found for the MADRS6 subscale (OR=1.73; P<.0001) and each symptom cluster (OR range, 1.39 [Vegetative Symptoms] to 1.84 [Retardation]; all clusters, P<.01).

Conclusion

Adult MDD patients treated with levomilnacipran ER improved across a range of depression symptoms and symptom domains.
The present perfect in Nigerian English
Authors: WERNER VALENTIN , FUCHS ROBERT
Published: June 2016

This article offers an analysis of present perfect (PP) use in Nigerian English (NigE), based on the Nigerian component of theInternational Corpus of English(ICE). First, we analyze variable contexts with the Simple Past (PT; determined by temporally specified contexts) as one of the main competitors of the PP, and thus assess the PP-friendliness of NigE in contrast to other varieties. We further provide an alternative measure of PP-friendliness and test register effects in terms of normalized and relative PP and PT frequencies. Our results indicate an overall reduced PP-friendliness of NigE and show internal variability in terms of PP frequencies in different variable contexts. As regards register effects, NigE does not show less variability of PP frequencies compared to British English (BrE). However, the distribution of the PP across registers in NigE does not follow the British pattern where certain registers are particularly PP-friendly. We discuss potential determining factors of the low frequency of the PP in NigE, and conclude that neither substrate influence nor general learning mechanisms on their own can comprehensively account for it. Instead, we suggest that historical influence from Irish and perhaps (at a later point) American English, in conjunction with general learning mechanisms, may be responsible.
Nutritional disorders in the proposed 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases: feedback from a survey of stakeholders
Authors: de Onis Mercedes , Zeitlhuber Julia , Martínez-Costa Cecilia
Published: June 2016

Objective

To receive stakeholders’ feedback on the new structure of the Nutritional Disorders section of the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11).

Design

A twenty-five-item survey questionnaire on the ICD-11 Nutritional Disorders section was developed and sent out via email. The international online survey investigated participants’ current use of the ICD and their opinion of the new structure being proposed for ICD-11. The LimeSurvey® software was used to conduct the survey. Summary statistical analyses were performed using the survey tool.

Setting

Worldwide.

Subjects

Individuals subscribed to the mailing list of the WHO Department of Nutrition for Health and Development.

Results

Seventy-two participants currently using the ICD, mainly nutritionists, public health professionals and medical doctors, completed the questionnaire (response rate 16 %). Most participants (n 69) reported the proposed new structure will be a useful improvement over ICD-10 and 78 % (n 56) considered that all nutritional disorders encountered in their work were represented. Overall, participants expressed satisfaction with the comprehensiveness, clarity and life cycle approach. Areas identified for improvement before ICD-11 is finalized included adding some missing disorders, more clarity on the transition to new terminology, links to other classifications and actions to address the disorders.

Conclusions

The Nutritional Disorders section being proposed for ICD-11 offers significant improvements compared with ICD-10. The new taxonomy and inclusion of currently missing entities is expected to enhance the classification and health-care professionals’ accurate coding of the full range of nutritional disorders throughout the life cycle.
Nutrition activation and dietary intake disparities among US adults
Authors: Langellier Brent A , Massey Philip M
Published: June 2016

Objective

To introduce the concept ‘nutrition activation’ (the use of health and nutrition information when making food and diet decisions) and to assess the extent to which nutrition activation varies across racial/ethnic groups and explains dietary disparities.

Design

Cross-sectional sample representative of adults in the USA. Primary outcome measures include daily energy intake and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), fast foods and sit-down restaurant foods as determined by two 24 h dietary recalls. We use bivariate statistics and multiple logistic and linear regression analyses to assess racial/ethnic disparities in nutrition activation and food behaviour outcomes.

Setting

USA.

Subjects

Adult participants (n 7825) in the 2007–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Results

Nutrition activation varies across racial/ethnic groups and is a statistically significant predictor of SSB, fast-food and restaurant-food consumption and daily energy intake. Based on the sample distribution, an increase from the 25th to 75th percentile in nutrition activation is associated with a decline of about 377 kJ (90 kcal)/d. Increased nutrition activation is associated with a larger decline in SSB consumption among whites than among blacks and foreign-born Latinos. Fast-food consumption is associated with a larger ‘spike’ in daily energy intake among blacks (+1582 kJ (+378 kcal)/d) than among whites (+678 kJ (+162 kcal)/d).

Conclusions

Nutrition activation is an important but understudied determinant of energy intake and should be explicitly incorporated into obesity prevention interventions, particularly among racial/ethnic minorities.
Diversity in D-genome synthetic hexaploid wheat association panel for seedling emergence traits under salinity stress
Authors: Khan Zeeshan , Qazi Javaria , Rasheed Awais , Mujeeb-Kazi Abdul
Published: June 2016

Seedling emergence is the preliminary factor defining wheat adaptability and stability under salt stress. This study was led to assess the salinity tolerance amongst 226 synthetic hexaploid wheats (SHWs) evaluated against two check cultivars, the tolerant ‘S-24’ and the susceptible ‘PBW-343’ at three sodium chloride treatments (0, 100 and 200 mM). Highly significant and positive correlation was observed between germination % and germination index (r = 0.85), and between seedling height and weight (r = 0.85). All four traits across three treatments were transformed into the salt tolerance trait index and salt tolerance index (STI). STI had significant positive correlation with all four parameters indicating reliability of this index for ranking the tolerance levels. STI-based 20 best performing genotypes were known as being promising candidates for wheat breeding. Local tolerant check was amongst the top three tolerant accessions. Two SHWs, AUS30288 {Croc_1/Aegilops squarrosa (466)} and AUS34444 {Ceta/Ae. squarrosa (872)} outperformed S-24 with STI of 61.8 and 55.7, respectively. SHW with same durum parents were included in tolerant and susceptible categories indicating that tolerance is contributed by the Ae. squarrosa syn. tauschii parent of SHWs. In conclusion, this baseline study revealed that continuous variation in the seedling emergence traits under salt stress is a conduit towards implementing genome-wide association studies. Likewise, new diversity has implications in development of salt tolerance germplasm after genetic dissection permitting unique Ae. squarrosa accessional diversity validation to target SHW donors for breeding.
Deterring Wage Theft: Alt-Labor, State Politics, and the Policy Determinants of Minimum Wage Compliance
Authors: Galvin Daniel J.
Published: June 2016

Can stronger state-level public policies help protect workers from “wage theft?” In recent years, workers' rights groups have responded to policy drift and legislative inaction at the national level by launching campaigns to enact stronger penalties for wage and hour violations at the state level. Many of these campaigns have been legislatively successful and formative for the development of “alt-labor.” But are such policies actually effective in deterring wage theft? Previous scholarship has long concluded that although stronger penalties should theoretically make a difference, in practice, they do not. But by confining the analysis to the admittedly weak national-level regulatory regime, the existing literature has eliminated all variation from the costs side of the equation and overlooked the rich variety of employment laws that exist at the state level. Using an original dataset of state laws, new estimates of minimum wage violations, and difference-in-differences analyses of a dozen recently enacted “wage-theft laws,” I find that stronger penalties can, in fact, serve as an effective deterrent against wage theft, but the structure of the policy matters a great deal, as does its enforcement. The implications for workers' rights and the changing shape of the labor movement are discussed in detail.
The Turn Away from Government and the Need to Revive the Civic Purpose of Higher Education
Authors: Cramer Katherine J.
Published: June 2016

Higher education in the United States has proud roots in the mission to enable people to engage in self-governance. The current political context is pushing us in another direction. I discuss the context in Wisconsin in particular, and use the challenges there as a reason to consider the civic purposes of political science. Rather than allow the political winds to blow us further into elitism, I argue that we should renew our commitment to educating people for citizenship.
A Discussion of Sanford Schram’s The Return of Ordinary Capitalism: Neoliberalism, Precarity, Occupy
Authors: Bertram Eva
Published: June 2016

Sanford Schram’s The Return of Ordinary Capitalism: Neoliberalism, Precarity, Occupy (Oxford University Press, 2015) is an ambitious effort to link together three important political realities of our time: the rise of new forms of neoliberal governance, the associated rise of new forms of social and economic insecurity, and the recent development of organized forms of political resistance symbolized by the figure of “Occupy.” The argument is relevant to all subfields of political science. And so we have invited a range of experts across the discipline to comment on the book and on the broader question the book poses: Are we confronting a new form of capitalism that engenders new forms of politics, and if so, what does this mean for political science?
A Discussion of Sanford Schram’s The Return of Ordinary Capitalism: Neoliberalism, Precarity, Occupy
Authors: D’Amico Daniel , Tomasi John
Published: June 2016

Sanford Schram’s The Return of Ordinary Capitalism: Neoliberalism, Precarity, Occupy (Oxford University Press, 2015) is an ambitious effort to link together three important political realities of our time: the rise of new forms of neoliberal governance, the associated rise of new forms of social and economic insecurity, and the recent development of organized forms of political resistance symbolized by the figure of “Occupy.” The argument is relevant to all subfields of political science. And so we have invited a range of experts across the discipline to comment on the book and on the broader question the book poses: Are we confronting a new form of capitalism that engenders new forms of politics, and if so, what does this mean for political science?