bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetics of tiludronate in horses: A field population study
Authors: Popot M. A. , Jacobs M. , Garcia P. , Loup B. , Guyonnet J. , Toutain P. L. , Bailly‐Chouriberry L. , Bonnaire Y.
Published: December 2017

Background

Tiludronate is a bisphosphonate drug marketed to treat different bone conditions in horses.

Objectives

The goal of this study was to measure the plasma concentrations of tiludronate in a population of race and sport horses under field conditions, and using pharmacokinetic population modelling, to estimate detection times for doping control.

Study design

Prospective cohort.

Methods

This study was conducted under field conditions on 39 race or sport horses diagnosed with bone conditions based on a lameness examination and treated with tiludronate. Each horse received 1 mg/kg of tiludronate (Tildren®) intravenously (i.v.). Blood samples (from 1 to 4 per horse with a total of 93 samples) were collected around 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 days after tiludronate administration. Tiludronate was quantified by HPLC/ESI‐MSn. Tiludronate concentrations were analysed using nonlinear mixed‐effects modelling (population approach). Monte Carlo simulations were then used to compute a prediction interval to estimate the corresponding quantile of horses predicted to have concentrations below some potential screening limits.

Results

This study highlighted pharmacokinetic differences between healthy experimental horses and the population of horses being treated in the field as well as the effect of level of training on plasma tiludronate. Different detection times were computed corresponding to different possible screening limits.

Main limitations

The number of horses in each group was limited, and the specific disease being treated with tiludronate is unknown.

Conclusions

This population pharmacokinetic study on tiludronate will enable racing and other sports authorities to provide a detection time reflecting field conditions for the medication control of tiludronate. More generally, our study design and the data modelling serve as an example of how to generate detection times directly from the target horse population rather than from experimental horses.
Age Differences in the Effects of Frugality and Materialism on Subjective Well‐Being in Korea
Authors: Sung Young‐Ae
Published: December 2017

Economic downturns and environmental concerns have aroused consumer educators’ interests in limiting excessive consumption. Frugality and materialism are consumer values associated with excessive consumption. Consumer education focusing on those values will be more persuasive if it helps to increase consumers’ well‐being. From this perspective, this study examined the effects of frugality and materialism on consumers’ subjective well‐being and assumed that those effects differ according to consumers’ ages. Using regression analysis with data collected from 719 individuals in Korea, it was found that frugality positively affected consumers’ well‐being while materialism negatively affected it, and the relative effects of frugality and materialism differed among age groups.
A comparison of fatigue crack growth performance of two aerospace grade aluminium alloys reinforced with bonded crack retarders
Authors: Syed A.K. , Zhang X. , Fitzpatrick M.E.
Published: December 2017

To improve the fail‐safety performance of integral metallic structures, the bonded crack retarder concept has been developed in recent years. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the effectiveness of bonded crack retarder on fatigue crack growth life in two aerospace aluminium alloys: 2624‐T351 and 7085‐T7651. M(T) specimens bonded with a pair of straps made of GLARE fibre‐metal laminate were tested under the constant amplitude load. Although the bonded crack retarders increased the crack growth life in both alloys, the magnitude of life improvement is very different between them. Compared to unreinforced specimens, application of crack retarders has resulted in 90% increase in fatigue life in AA7085, but only 27% increase in AA2624. The significant difference in fatigue life improvement is owing to the material's intrinsic fatigue crack growth rate property, ie, the Paris law constants C and n. Value of n for AA7085 is 1.8 times higher than that for AA2624. Therefore, AA7085 is much more sensitive to reductions in the effective stress intensity factor brought by the crack retarders, hence better life improvement.
Peak season plant activity shift towards spring is reflected by increasing carbon uptake by extratropical ecosystems
Authors: Gonsamo Alemu , Chen Jing M. , Ooi Ying W.
Published: December 2017

Climate change is lengthening the growing season of the Northern Hemisphere extratropical terrestrial ecosystems, but little is known regarding the timing and dynamics of the peak season of plant activity. Here, we use 34‐year satellite normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) observations and atmospheric CO2 concentration and δ13C isotope measurements at Point Barrow (Alaska, USA, 71°N) to study the dynamics of the peak of season (POS) of plant activity. Averaged across extratropical (>23°N) non‐evergreen‐dominated pixels, NDVI data show that the POS has advanced by 1.2 ± 0.6 days per decade in response to the spring‐ward shifts of the start (1.0 ± 0.8 days per decade) and end (1.5 ± 1.0 days per decade) of peak activity, and the earlier onset of the start of growing season (1.4 ± 0.8 days per decade), while POS maximum NDVI value increased by 7.8 ± 1.8% for 1982–2015. Similarly, the peak day of carbon uptake, based on calculations from atmospheric CO2 concentration and δ13C data, is advancing by 2.5 ± 2.6 and 4.3 ± 2.9 days per decade, respectively. POS maximum NDVI value shows strong negative relationships (p < .01) with the earlier onset of the start of growing season and POS days. Given that the maximum solar irradiance and day length occur before the average POS day, the earlier occurrence of peak plant activity results in increased plant productivity. Both the advancing POS day and increasing POS vegetation greenness are consistent with the shifting peak productivity towards spring and the increasing annual maximum values of gross and net ecosystem productivity simulated by coupled Earth system models. Our results further indicate that the decline in autumn NDVI is contributing the most to the overall browning of the northern high latitudes (>50°N) since 2011. The spring‐ward shift of peak season plant activity is expected to disrupt the synchrony of biotic interaction and exert strong biophysical feedbacks on climate by modifying the surface albedo and energy budget.
A unified materials approach to mitigating optical nonlinearities in optical fiber. III. Canonical examples and materials road map
Authors: Cavillon Maxime , Kucera Courtney , Hawkins Thomas , Dawson Jay , Dragic Peter D. , Ballato John
Published: December 2017

This paper, Part III in the Trilogy (Ballato, Cavillon, Dragic, 2018; Dragic, Cavillon, Ballato, et al., 2018a,b), provides a road map for the development of simple core/clad optical fibers whose enhanced performance—in particular, marked reductions in optical nonlinearities—is achieved materially and not through the more conventional present routes of geometrically complex fiber design. More specifically, the material properties that give rise to Brillouin, Raman and Rayleigh scattering, transverse mode instabilities (TMI), and n2‐mediated nonlinear effects are compiled and results on a wide range of optical fibers are discussed with a focus on trends in performance with glass composition. Furthermore, optical power scaling estimations as well as binary and ternary property diagrams associated with Rayleigh scattering, the Brillouin gain coefficient (BGC) and the thermo‐optic coefficient (dn/dT) are developed and employed to graphically represent general trends with composition along with compositional targets for a single intrinsically low nonlinearity, silica‐based optical fiber that can achieve the power scaling goals of future high energy fiber laser applications. A foundational finding of this work is that the high‐silica content optical fibers fabricated using conventional chemical vapor deposition methods will not suffice to meet the power scaling demands of future high‐power and high‐energy fiber lasers.
Variable neighborhood search based approaches to a vehicle scheduling problem in agriculture
Authors: Anokić Ana , Stanimirović Zorica , Davidović Tatjana , Stakić Đorđe
Published: December 2017

A vehicle scheduling problem (VSP) that arises from sugar beet transportation within minimum working time under the set of constraints reflecting a real‐life situation is considered. A mixed integer quadratically constrained programming (MIQCP) model of the considered VSP and reformulation to a mixed integer linear program (MILP) are proposed and used within the framework of Lingo 17 solver, producing optimal solutions only for small‐sized problem instances. Two variants of the variable neighborhood search (VNS) metaheuristic—basic VNS (BVNS) and skewed VNS (SVNS) are designed to efficiently deal with large‐sized problem instances. The proposed VNS approaches are evaluated and compared against Lingo 17 and each other on the set of real‐life and generated problem instances. Computational results show that both BVNS and SVNS reach all known optimal solutions on small‐sized instances and are comparable on medium‐ and large‐sized instances. In general, SVNS significantly outperforms BVNS in terms of running times.
Geographic patterns of song variation in four species of Malurus fairy‐wrens
Authors: Yandell David D. , Hochachka Wesley M. , Pruett-Jones Stephen , Webster Michael S. , Greig Emma I.
Published: December 2017

Geographic variation in song is widespread among birds, particularly in species that learn vocalizations. The relationship between geographic distance and song variation is likely related to the degree of isolation between populations. To assess this effect of geographic isolation on song divergence, we examined patterns of geographic song variation in four species of Australian fairy‐wrens (Malurus), two with suspected histories of geographic isolation and two without. Song variation in all four species was consistent with patterns of isolation by distance, and allopatric subspecies in two species were more divergent in song than predicted by distance alone. Each species’ pattern was unique, and some interspecific variation could not be explained by geographic distance. These results indicate that patterns of geographic variation can be influenced by more than geographic distance and historical isolation alone. We suggest that morphological constraints, environmental influences, and sexual selection may all contribute to the variation observed for each species.
Associations between air pollution, climate factors and outpatient visits for eczema in West China Hospital, Chengdu, south‐western China: a time series analysis
Authors: Li A. , Fan L. , Xie L. , Ren Y. , Li L.
Published: December 2017

Background

Eczema is one of the most common inflammatory dermatoses that can be provoked as a result of external and internal factors. With dense population and rapid economic development of China, air pollution is still a serious problem and the prevalence of eczema has been elevating.

Objective

To determine the association and lagged effects between environmental factors and the outpatient visits for eczema.

Methods

Data of daily outpatient visits for eczema at the clinics of dermatology in West China Hospital within the last 5 years were collected. Data of environmental factors of Chengdu during the same period, including temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and air pollutants concentrations like sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particular matter (PM10), were gathered. The distributed lag nonlinear model was used to statistically examine the relationship between eczema and environmental factors and their lagged effects.

Results

Correlation analysis showed that eczema outpatient visits were positively correlated with the air pollutants and were negatively correlated with relative humidity. The barometric pressure and wind speed influenced the outpatient visits in association with air pollutants.

Conclusion

This study provides evidence that environmental factors like relative humidity and multiple air pollutants influence the incidence and prevalence of eczema and have lagged effects.
Multilevel Cognitive Diagnosis Models for Assessing Changes in Latent Attributes
Authors: Huang Hung‐Yu
Published: December 2017

Cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs) have been developed to evaluate the mastery status of individuals with respect to a set of defined attributes or skills that are measured through testing. When individuals are repeatedly administered a cognitive diagnosis test, a new class of multilevel CDMs is required to assess the changes in their attributes and simultaneously estimate the model parameters from the different measurements. In this study, the most general CDM of the generalized deterministic input, noisy “and” gate (G‐DINA) model was extended to a multilevel higher order CDM by embedding a multilevel structure into higher order latent traits. A series of simulations based on diverse factors was conducted to assess the quality of the parameter estimation. The results demonstrate that the model parameters can be recovered fairly well and attribute mastery can be precisely estimated if the sample size is large and the test is sufficiently long. The range of the location parameters had opposing effects on the recovery of the item and person parameters. Ignoring the multilevel structure in the data by fitting a single‐level G‐DINA model decreased the attribute classification accuracy and the precision of latent trait estimation. The number of measurement occasions had a substantial impact on latent trait estimation. Satisfactory model and person parameter recoveries could be achieved even when assumptions of the measurement invariance of the model parameters over time were violated. A longitudinal basic ability assessment is outlined to demonstrate the application of the new models.
Rational decision making in medicine: Implications for overuse and underuse
Authors: Djulbegovic Benjamin , Elqayam Shira , Dale William
Published: December 2017

In spite of substantial spending and resource utilization, today's health care remains characterized by poor outcomes, largely due to overuse (overtesting/overtreatment) or underuse (undertesting/undertreatment) of health services. To a significant extent, this is a consequence of low‐quality decision making that appears to violate various rationality criteria. Such suboptimal decision making is considered a leading cause of death and is responsible for more than 80% of health expenses. In this paper, we address the issue of overuse or underuse of health care interventions from the perspective of rational choice theory. We show that what is considered rational under one decision theory may not be considered rational under a different theory. We posit that the questions and concerns regarding both underuse and overuse have to be addressed within a specific theoretical framework. The applicable rationality criterion, and thus the “appropriateness” of health care delivery choices, depends on theory selection that is appropriate to specific clinical situations. We provide a number of illustrations showing how the choice of theoretical framework influences both our policy and individual decision making. We also highlight the practical implications of our analysis for the current efforts to measure the quality of care and link such measurements to the financing of health care services.
Feasibility of Implementation of a Parenting Intervention with Karen Refugees Resettled from Burma
Authors: Ballard Jaime , Wieling Elizabeth , Forgatch Marion
Published: December 2017

Parents and children exposed to war and relocation have high rates of negative relational and mental health outcomes. This study tested the feasibility of implementing an adapted evidence‐based parenting intervention for contexts of trauma and relocation stress. Eleven Karen refugee caregivers from Burma participated in the intervention. Participants and a focal child completed ethnographic interviews as well as structured assessments at baseline and follow‐up. Caregivers reported changes in their teaching, directions, emotional regulation, discipline, and child compliance. Children reported changes in these areas and in positive parent involvement. Caregivers reported higher mental health distress immediately after the intervention, potentially due to increased awareness. Researchers made personalized referrals for counseling services as needed. Children reported a decrease in mental health symptoms.
Survivors of Child Maltreatment and Postpartum Depression: An Integrative Review
Authors: Hutchens Bridget F. , Kearney Joan , Kennedy Holly Powell
Published: December 2017

Introduction

An integrative review was performed to explore the relationship between a maternal history of child maltreatment and subsequent postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms.

Methods

Six electronic databases were used to explore the literature, including PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and Scopus. Studies were included that used victims of child maltreatment as one of the independent variables and PPD symptoms as one of the dependent variables. Studies were excluded if they focused only on women with adult intimate partner violence or women with PPD who were perpetrators of child abuse rather than survivors. The studies were required to be original research, and there was no limit to years or language. The search yielded 589 studies, 16 of which were included in the final sample. These studies were assessed for quality, and a data display matrix was developed to extract the sample, design, methods, operational definitions for independent and dependent variables of interest, major findings with effect sizes, and limitations. Using the data display matrix, the studies’ methods and findings were synthesized for divergent and convergent patterns.

Results

Studies were varied in their designs, samples, and operational definitions of child maltreatment and PPD, and were low to moderate in quality. Results were inconsistent, but a majority suggest a positive association between a maternal history of child maltreatment and subsequent symptoms of PPD.

Discussion

Child maltreatment and PPD are complex issues that require careful screening by women's health care providers and clearly defined operational definitions in future research. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.
A Digital Approach to Retrofitting a Post and Core Restoration to an Existing Crown
Authors: Lee Ju‐Hyoung
Published: December 2017

One problem that may arise in full‐coverage restorations is clinical crown fracture. Fracture of an endodontically treated and crowned tooth in the esthetic zone may be embarrassing to both the patient and clinician. If a completely sound margin and at least 2 mm of coronal structure remain, a fractured tooth may possibly be retreated by a repair. Several methods have been introduced to reproduce the original contour of the tooth for retrofitting an existing crown. If an existing crown is used as a template, excessive core material may remain over the margin, as loading the proper amount of core material is difficult, and making vent holes on the existing crown is not feasible. This article presents a repair technique to reuse an existing crown with computer‐aided design and computer‐aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology. By using a milled poly(methylmethacrylate) matrix, the mentioned limitations are eliminated, and the original contour of the tooth can be effectively restored with minimal intervention. As an existing crown is reused, the issues of additional time and cost for repreparation, reimpression, and new crown are eliminated.
Benthic flattened cells of the phylogenetically related marine dinoflagellates Protoceratium reticulatum and Ceratocorys mariaovidiorum (Gonyaulacales): a new type of cyst?
Authors: Salgado Pablo , Fraga Santiago , Rodríguez Francisco , Bravo Isabel
Published: December 2017

A planktonic‐benthic relationship has been described for many dinoflagellate species as part of their ecological strategy to overcome highly variable aquatic environments. Here, the phylogenetically and morphologically related marine dinoflagellates Protoceratium reticulatum and Ceratocorys mariaovidiorum were studied in relation to an unknown benthic life form. In vivo and fixed samples from cultures were analyzed in detail by light and scanning electron microscopy. In both species, a cell type with a morphology different from that of vegetative cells was observed in cultures grown until stationary phase. This cell type was always benthic, swimming sporadically only when it was disturbed. Its main feature included a strong dorsoventral compression. These cells originated from vegetative cells whose protoplasm underwent a progressive flattening, resulting in a gradual detachment of the reticulate and thick thecal plates and the formation of very thin non‐reticulated new plates with pores. When returned to fresh full‐strength medium, the cells recovered their spherical vegetative‐like morphology, including new reticulated thick plates and subsequent cell divisions. The kinetics of flattened cell formation showed that in both species, this cell type increased exponentially until the onset of the culture stationary phase and then decreased. The results of this study are discussed in the context of the planktonic–benthic coupling in dinoflagellate life cycles, including those newly appreciated to be well adapted to the benthic environment.
Moniliophthora roreri, causal agent of cacao frosty pod rot
Authors: Bailey Bryan A. , Evans Harry C. , Phillips‐Mora Wilbert , Ali Shahin S. , Meinhardt Lyndel W.
Published: December 2017

Taxonomy: Moniliophthora roreri (Cif.) H.C. Evans et al. ; Phylum Basidiomycota; Class Agaricomycetes; Order Agaricales; Family Marasmiaceae; Genus Moniliophthora.

Biology: Moniliophthora roreri attacks Theobroma and Herrania species causing frosty pod rot. Theobroma cacao (cacao) is the host of major economic concern. Moniliophthora roreri is a hemibiotroph with a long biotrophic phase (45–90 days). Spore masses, of apparent asexual origin, are produced on the pod surface after initiation of the necrotrophic phase. Spores are spread by wind, rain and human activity. Symptoms of the biotrophic phase can include necrotic flecks and, in some cases, pod malformation, but pods otherwise remain asymptomatic.

Relationship to Moniliophthora perniciosa: Moniliophthora roreri and Moniliophthora perniciosa, causal agent of witches’ broom disease of cacao, are closely related. Their genomes are similar, including many of the genes they carry which are considered to be important in the disease process. Moniliophthora perniciosa, also a hemibiotroph, has a typical basidiomycete lifestyle and morphology, forming clamp connections and producing mushrooms. Basidiospores infect meristematic tissues including flower cushions, stem tips and pods. Moniliophthora roreri does not form clamp connections or mushrooms and infects pods only. Both pathogens are limited to the Western Hemisphere and are a threat to cacao production around the world.

Agronomic importance: Disease losses caused by frosty pod rot can reach 90% and result in field abandonment. Moniliophthora roreri remains in the invasive phase in the Western Hemisphere, not having reached Brazil, some islands within the Caribbean and a few specific regions within otherwise invaded countries.

Disease management: The disease can be managed by a combination of cultural (for example, maintenance of tree height and removal of infected pods) and chemical methods. These methods benefit from regional application, but can be cost prohibitive. Breeding for disease resistance offers the greatest potential for frosty pod rot management and new tolerant materials are becoming available.
Do Past Perceptions Shape Future Behaviors? Subjective Value and Behavior Styles in a Multi‐Round Negotiation
Authors: Lu Wenxue , Ren Wenhui , Guo Wenqian
Published: December 2017

This study examines how negotiation subjective value (SV)—relationship SV, process SV, instrumental SV, and self‐SV—in a previous round affects negotiation behavior styles—integrating, compromising, obliging, avoiding, and dominating—in the next round through two studies. Study 1 asked the respondents to complete a questionnaire based on a recalled multi‐round negotiation, and 169 samples were valid. In Study 2, 205 participants totally filled out the questionnaire after a simulated negotiation. Both results point out as follows: (a) relationship SV positively relates to all five negotiation styles, and its relationship with integrating, compromising, obliging, and avoiding styles is strongest among four branches of SV; (b) process SV is only positively related to integrating; (c) instrumental SV negatively relates to uncooperative styles—avoiding and dominating—and the relationship with dominating style is strongest; (d) self‐SV relates to both integrating and dominating which looks like incompatible. We finally discuss the implications, limitations, and future research.
A convergent outcome: small genomes in mangroves
Authors: Gaut Brandon S.
Published: December 2017

This article is a Commentary on Lyu et al., 217: 428–438.
Parainfluenza virus type 3 outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit
Authors: Maeda Hajime , Haneda Kentaro , Honda Yoshinobu
Published: December 2017

Parainfluenza virus (PIV) is a respiratory pathogen in young children and is second only to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) as a cause of lower respiratory tract infection. PIV type 3 (PIV3) is the most severe. Herein we describe an outbreak of PIV3 in three infants in a neonatal intensive care unit. They were diagnosed on virus culture from pharyngeal swabs. We prevented the spread of the virus using standard infection control procedures and isolation of the symptomatic infants. One infant had severe chronic lung disease and was complicated with recurrent wheezing for a long time. Because RSV and PIV have many structural, pathogenic, epidemiologic, and clinical similarities, we speculate that PIV infection causes recurrent wheezing, as observed with RSV infection. Therefore, physicians must consider recurrent wheezing at the time of treatment of PIV infection early in life.
Survival times with and without tube feeding in patients with dementia or psychiatric diseases in Japan
Authors: Takayama Keiko , Hirayama Keisuke , Hirao Akihiko , Kondo Keiko , Hayashi Hideki , Kadota Koichi , Asaba Hiroyuki , Ishizu Hideki , Nakata Kenji , Kurisu Kairi , Oshima Etsuko , Yokota Osamu , Yamada Norihito , Terada Seishi
Published: December 2017

Background

It is widely supposed that there has been no evidence of increased survival in patients with advanced dementia receiving enteral tube feeding. However, more than a few studies have reported no harmful outcome from tube feeding in dementia patients compared to in patients without dementia.

Methods

This was a retrospective study. Nine psychiatric hospitals in Okayama Prefecture participated in this survey. All inpatients fulfilling the entry criteria were evaluated. All subjects suffered from difficulty with oral intake. Attending physicians thought that the patients could not live without long‐term artificial nutrition. The physicians decided whether to make use of long‐term artificial nutrition between January 2012 and December 2014.

Results

We evaluated 185 patients. Their mean age was 76.6 ± 11.4 years. Of all subjects, patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (n = 78) formed the biggest group, schizophrenia patients (n = 44) the second, and those with vascular dementia (n = 30) the third. The median survival times were 711 days for patients with tube feeding and 61 days for patients without tube feeding. In a comparison different types of tube feeding, median survival times were 611 days for patients with a nasogastric tube and more than 1000 days for those with a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube.

Conclusion

Patients with tube feeding survived longer than those without tube feeding, even among dementia patients. This study suggests that enteral nutrition for patients with dementia prolongs survival. Additionally, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube feeding may be safer than nasogastric tube feeding among patients in psychiatric hospitals.
The Impact of Notions of Nationalism on Women's Rights in Egypt
Authors: Shahin Magda , El‐Ghazaly Yasmeen
Published: December 2017

This article examines the history of women's status in Egypt in relation to notions of nationalism and culture. This unique relationship is reflected in the evolution of Egypt's constitution and its legal implications, regardless of whether those in authority tend towards ‘Islamist’ or ‘secular’ political objectives. Efforts to confront the challenges Egyptian women face in their everyday lives to establish their sphere of action in public space can never be archaic – Egypt's longstanding history of discrimination against women necessitates continued resistance. One way to challenge this culture of discrimination is by examining the question of national identity in Egypt and deconstructing the rift it provokes between genders through religious dogmatism based on patriarchal norms.
Expression and What Is Expressed
Authors: O'Sullivan Michael
Published: December 2017

How do we become aware of the properties or states that are expressed by gestures, utterances, and facial expressions? This paper argues that expression raises peculiar problems, distinct from those of property perception in general. It argues against some current accounts of awareness of expressed states, before proposing an account which appeals to the notion of empathy. Finally, it situates the proposed account within current discussions of expression in the philosophy of music.
Gender Equity in Science: The Global Context
Authors: Hanson Sandra L. , Sykes Mary , Pena Luis Berneth
Published: December 2017

This paper explores gender equity in science education and occupations in a global context. Research on the development of all science talent is critical given the importance of diversity for science and the increased demand for well-trained technical workers, scientists, and engineers. Although women are under-represented in most science systems around the world, some countries have been more successful in creating gender equity than others. We use cross-national data from multiple sources to examine gender equity in science at various points in the science pipeline. We also focus on patterns of equity in science across diverse political and socio-economic settings. Findings show gender inequity in science education and (especially) occupations worldwide. Countries where women are doing the best on early science indicators do not tend to include the United States and Scandinavian countries. They also are not limited to countries with higher GNP per capita or higher percent women in Parliament.  GNP and percent women in Parliament are better predictors of gender access later in the pipeline. Given these geographic patterns, we provide recommendations and a sample map for using a spatial approach to examining gender equity in science in a global context.
Caracterización de las anomalías congénitas desde la inclusión en el sistema de vigilancia Sivigila en Colombia, 2010-2013
Authors: García Acero Mary , Plata Silvia
Published: December 2017

Introducción: las anomalías congénitas son una alteración estructural o funcional con impacto en la morbilidad-mortalidad infantil y la discapacidad mundial. Las estrategias orientadas a disminuir su impacto las respaldan sistemas de vigilancia. En Colombia, desde el 2010 se incluyó el formato de notificación de anomalías congénitas en el Sistema de Vigilancia (Sivigila). Objetivo: caracterizar epidemiológicamente la notificación del evento desde su inclusión. Materiales y métodos: análisis descriptivo de los eventos notificados entre enero de 2010 y diciembre de 2013. Resultados: se encontró una prevalencia de malformaciones del 0,35 % en Colombia durante el periodo analizado. Las anomalías congénitas con mayor notificación fueron las del sistema nervioso central y las anomalías de extremidades. Conclusiones: la prevalencia notificada para malformaciones congénitas en Colombia es baja. La baja tasa de notificación de anomalías congénitas evidencia la necesidad de realizar capacitaciones para mejorar esta notificación, tener un registro más cercano a la realidad de la población y así poder tomar decisiones para el beneficio de la población y en la generación de conocimiento en este tema. 
Caracterización matemática de dinámicas cardiacas neonatales normales a partir de la teoría de la probabilidad
Authors: Rodriguez Javier , Bertolotto Ana Maria , Ospina Olga
Published: December 2017

Introducción: la dinámica cardiaca se ha evaluado desde teorías físico-matemáticas como la probabilidad y los sistemas dinámicos, lo que ha permitido desarrollar diagnósticos y predicciones de aplicación clínica. Objetivo: medir la probabilidad de distribuciones de frecuencias cardiacas (FC) neonatales normales, para hacer una caracterización matemática, objetiva y reproducible. Metodología: se analizaron diez dinámicas normales mediante registros continuos y holters, tomando los máximos y mínimos de FC por hora durante 21 horas. Se generaron rangos de 5 lat/min, y se estableció cuántas frecuencias pertenecen a cada rango. Se analizaron las distribuciones obtenidas en el espacio de probabilidades para las frecuencias cardiacas, en busca de características matemáticas de normalidad para la dinámica cardiaca neonatal. Resultados: las probabilidades de los rangos evaluados variaron entre 0,02272 y 0,2826; y en tres de los rangos, todas las dinámicas presentaron probabilidad mínima o cero. Conclusiones: se desarrolló una caracterización general de la dinámica cardiaca neonatal normal, objetiva y reproducible. 
Complete Genome Sequence of a
Papaya ringspot virus
Isolate from South Korea That Infects
Cucurbita pepo
Authors: Baek Dasom , Igori Davaajargal , Lim Seungmo , Hwang Un Sun , Choi Eung Kyoo , Moon Jae Sun
Published: December 2017

The complete genome sequence of a
Papaya ringspot virus
(PRSV) isolate from South Korea (SK) infecting squash (
Cucurbita pepo
) was obtained using paired-end RNA sequencing. A BLASTn search of the PRSV SK isolate full-genome sequence showed nucleotide sequence identity ranging from 81% to 83% with previously reported PRSV isolates (GenBank accession numbers KX655874 and EF017707).
Complete Genome Sequence of Acetobacter pomorum Oregon-R-modENCODE Strain BDGP5, an Acetic Acid Bacterium Found in the Drosophila melanogaster Gut
Authors: Wan Kenneth H. , Yu Charles , Park Soo , Hammonds Ann S. , Booth Benjamin W. , Celniker Susan E.
Published: December 2017

Acetobacter pomorum
Oregon-R-modENCODE strain BDGP5 was isolated from
Drosophila melanogaster
for functional host-microbe interaction studies. The complete genome is composed of a single chromosomal circle of 2,848,089 bp, with a G+C content of 53% and three plasmids of 131,455 bp, 19,216 bp, and 9,160 bp.
Sleep Treatment Outcome Predictors (STOP) Pilot Study: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial examining predictors of change of insomnia symptoms and associated traits following cognitive–behavioural therapy for insomnia in an unselected sample
Authors: Denis Dan , Eley Thalia C , Rijsdijk Fruhling , Zavos Helena M S , Keers Robert , Espie Colin A , Luik Annemarie I , Badini Isabella , Derveeuw Sarah , Romero Alvin , Hodsoll John , Gregory Alice M
Published: December 2017

Introduction

Cognitive–behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) leads to insomnia symptom improvements in a substantial proportion of patients. However, not everyone responds well to this treatment, and it is unclear what determines individual differences in response. The broader aim of this work is to examine to what extent response to CBT-I is due to genetic and environmental factors. The purpose of this pilot study is to examine feasibility of a design to test hypotheses focusing on an unselected sample, that is, without selection on insomnia complaints, in order to plan a larger behavioural genetics study where most participants will likely not have an insomnia disorder.

Methods and analysis

A two parallel-group randomised controlled trial is being conducted across three London universities. Female students (minimum age 18 years) enrolled on a psychology programme at one of the three sites were invited to participate. The target number of participants to be recruited is 240. Following baseline assessments, participants were randomly allocated to either the treatment group, where they received weekly sessions of digital CBT-I for 6 weeks, or the control group, where they completed an online puzzle each week for 6 weeks. Follow-up assessments have taken place mid-intervention (3 weeks) and end of intervention (6 weeks). A 6-month follow-up assessment will also occur. Primary outcomes will be assessed using descriptive statistics and effect size estimates for intervention effects. Secondary outcomes will be analysed using multivariate generalised estimating equation models.

Ethics and dissemination

The study received ethical approval from the Research Ethics and Integrity subcommittee, Goldsmiths, University of London (application reference: EA 1305). DNA sample collection for the BioResource received ethical approval from the NRES Committee South Central—Oxford (reference number: 15/SC/0388). The results of this work shall be published in peer-reviewed journals.

Trial registration number

NCT03062891; Results.
Effect of herbal extract granules combined with otilonium bromide on irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Kim Joong Il , Kim Pumsoo , Lee Jin-Hyun , Kim Yoo-Jin , Yang Na-rae , Baeg Myong Ki , Choi Ja Sung , Kim Hye-Jung , Kim Jayoung , Sunwoo Yun-Young , Lee Jung-Han , Ha Hyekyung , Park Tae-Yong
Published: December 2017

Introduction

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), known as a functional and organic gastrointestinal disorder, is a collection of symptoms that occur together and generally include pain or discomfort in the abdomen and changes in bowel movement patterns. Due to the limitations of conventional treatments, alternative IBS treatments are used by many patients worldwide. Samryungbaekchulsan (SRS), a herbal formula, has long been used for alleviating diarrhoea-predominant IBS (D-IBS) in traditional Korean medicine. Otilonium bromide (OB) is an antimuscarinic compound used to relieve spasmodic pain in the gut, especially in IBS. Although herbal formulae and Western drugs are commonly coadministered for various diseases in Korea, few clinical studies have been conducted regarding the synergic effects of these treatments for any disease, including D-IBS.

Methods and analysis

This trial is a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, double-dummy, four-arm, parallel study. After a 2-week preparation period, 80 patients with D-IBS will be randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups consisting of SRS (water extract granules, 5 g/pack, three times a day) with OB (tablet form, one capsule three times a day) or their placebos, with treatment lasting for 8 weeks. Post-treatment follow-up will be conducted 4 weeks after the end of treatment. The primary outcome is the finding obtained using the Subject’s Global Assessment of Relief method. The secondary outcomes are the severity of symptoms related to D-IBS, determined using a 10-point scale, and the change in symptoms.

Ethics and dissemination

This trial has full ethical approval of the Ethics Committee of Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary’s Hospital (IS15MISV0033) and the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (30769). The results of the study will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed journal and/or conference presentations.

Trial protocol version

IS15MISV0033 version 4.0 (25 July 2016).

Trial registration number

KCT0001621(approval date: 10 August 2015).
Decision Support Tool for Supply Chain Configuration Considering New Product Re-Design: An Agent-Based Approach
Authors: Ballouki Imane , Douimi Mohammed , Ouzizi Latifa
Published: December 2017

In the decline phase of product lifecycle, industrials need to re-design their products to introduce new functions and/or customers’ new preferences. These changes may not only affect the product’s bill of material, but also its supply chain network. Consequently, new supply chain costs are generated. This paper addresses the problem of supply chain configuration considering new product re-design using a multi-agent system (MAS). The objective of the system is to ensure good collaboration between two different points of view, supply chain partners and product designers, to make better decisions. To model the proposed system, we select the multi-agent system engineering (MaSe) methodology. The MAS framework contains three types of agents, namely, “product design agent” and “supply chain agents” which are fitted with optimization tools. These tools allow costs’ optimization and selection of supply chain means (suppliers, technologies, etc.). Finally, the system contains a “communication agent” acting like a mediator; it facilitates data exchange between designers. To support distributed decision-making, two models of mixed integer linear programming are adopted and implemented within the framework for supply chain optimization. The overall MAS approach was tested in simulation with a case study. The objective of the simulation is to choose among three product alternatives the cheapest one based on its supplying and production costs, under capacity constraints. The MAS was able to find the best product alternative among three alternatives proposed by product design team and select optimal supply chain means. The optimal supply chain contains two suppliers: one machine and one subcontractor to satisfy customer’s demand.
A concurrency-agnostic protocol for multi-paradigm concurrent debugging tools
Authors: Marr Stefan , Torres Lopez Carmen , Aumayr Dominik , Gonzalez Boix Elisa , Mössenböck Hanspeter
Published: December 2017

Today's complex software systems combine high-level concurrency models. Each model is used to solve a specific set of problems. Unfortunately, debuggers support only the low-level notions of threads and shared memory, forcing developers to reason about these notions instead of the high-level concurrency models they chose.

This paper proposes a concurrency-agnostic debugger protocol that decouples the debugger from the concurrency models employed by the target application. As a result, the underlying language runtime can define custom breakpoints, stepping operations, and execution events for each concurrency model it supports, and a debugger can expose them without having to be specifically adapted.

We evaluated the generality of the protocol by applying it to SOMns, a Newspeak implementation, which supports a diversity of concurrency models including communicating sequential processes, communicating event loops, threads and locks, fork/join parallelism, and software transactional memory. We implemented 21 breakpoints and 20 stepping operations for these concurrency models. For none of these, the debugger needed to be changed. Furthermore, we visualize all concurrent interactions independently of a specific concurrency model. To show that tooling for a specific concurrency model is possible, we visualize actor turns and message sends separately.
Metabolic and Endocrine Role of Adipose Tissue During Lactation
Authors: McNamara J.P. , Huber K.
Published: December 2017

The adipose tissue serves an essential role for survival and reproduction in mammals, especially females. It serves primarily as an energy storage organ and is directly linked to the reproductive success of mammals. In wild animals, adipose tissue function is linked to seasonality of the food supply to support fetal growth and milk production. Adipose tissue depots in ruminants and non-ruminants can secrete many signal molecules (adipokines) that act as hormones and as pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The visceral adipose tissue especially appears to be more endocrinologically active than other adipose depots. The endocrine function is important for the overall long-term regulation of energy metabolism and plays an important role in the adaptation to lactation in many mammalian species, including humans. Furthermore, endocrine signals from adipose tissue depots contribute to fertility modulation, immune function, and inflammatory response. Energy homeostasis is modulated by changes in feed intake, insulin sensitivity, and energy expenditure, processes that can be influenced by adipokines in the brain and in peripheral tissues.
A Solid-State Conceptualization of Information Transfer from Gene to Message to Protein
Authors: Kato Masato , McKnight Steven L.
Published: December 2017

In this review, we describe speculative ideas and early stage research concerning the flow of genetic information from the nuclear residence of genes to the disparate, cytoplasmic sites of protein synthesis. We propose that this process of information transfer is meticulously guided by transient structures formed from protein segments of low sequence complexity/intrinsic disorder. These low complexity domains are ubiquitously associated with regulatory proteins that control gene expression and RNA biogenesis, but they are also found in the central channel of nuclear pores, the nexus points of intermediate filament assembly, and the locations of action of other well-studied cellular proteins and pathways. Upon being organized into localized cellular positions via mechanisms utilizing properly folded protein domains, thereby facilitating elevated local concentration, certain low complexity domains adopt cross-β interactions that are both structurally specific and labile to disassembly. These weakly tethered assemblies, we propose, are built to relay the passage of genetic information from one site to another within a cell, ensuring that the process is of extreme fidelity.
Experimental Insights into Ground-State Selection of Quantum XY Pyrochlores
Authors: Hallas Alannah M. , Gaudet Jonathan , Gaulin Bruce D.
Published: December 2017

Extensive experimental investigations of the magnetic structures and excitations in the XY pyrochlores have been carried out over the past decade. Three families of XY pyrochlores have emerged: Yb2B2O7, Er2B2O7, and, most recently, [Formula: see text]Co2F7. In each case, the magnetic cation (either Yb, Er, or Co) exhibits XY anisotropy within the local pyrochlore coordinates, a consequence of crystal field effects. Materials in these families display rich phase behavior and are candidates for exotic ground states, such as quantum spin ice, and exotic ground-state selection via order-by-disorder mechanisms. In this review, we present an experimental summary of the ground-state properties of the XY pyrochlores, including evidence that they are strongly influenced by phase competition. We empirically demonstrate the signatures for phase competition in a frustrated magnet: multiple heat capacity anomalies, suppressed TN or TC, sample- and pressure-dependent ground states, and unconventional spin dynamics.