bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Swedish P‐CAT: modification and exploration of psychometric properties of two different versions
Authors: Selan Denis , Jakobsson Ulf , Condelius Anna
Published: August 2016

The aim of this study was to further investigate the psychometric properties (with focus on construct validity and scale function) of the Swedish version of the Person‐centred Care Assessment Tool (P‐CAT) in a sample consisting of staff working in elderly care units (N = 142). The aim was also to further develop and psychometrically test a modified, noncontext‐specific version of the instrument (mP‐CAT) in a sample consisting of staff working in primary health care or within home care for older people (N = 182). Principal component analysis with varimax rotation initially suggested a three‐factor solution for the P‐CAT, explaining 55.96% of variance. Item 13 solely represented one factor wherefore this solution was rejected. A final 2‐factor solution, without item 13, had a cumulative explained variance of 50.03%. All communalities were satisfactory (>0.3), and alpha values for both first factor (items 1–6, 11) and second factor (items 7–10, 12) were found to be acceptable. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation suggested a final 2‐factor solution for the mP‐CAT explaining 46.15% of the total variance with communalities ranging from 0.263 to 0.712. Cronbach's α for both factors was found to be acceptable (>0.7). This study suggests a 2‐factor structure for the P‐CAT and an exclusion of item 13. The results indicated that the modified noncontext‐specific version, mP‐CAT, seems to be a valid measure. Further psychometric testing of the mP‐CAT is however needed in order to establish the instrument's validity and reliability in various contexts.
Association between hepatitis B co‐infection and elevated liver stiffness among HIV‐infected adults in Lusaka, Zambia
Authors: Vinikoor Michael J. , Mulenga Lloyd , Siyunda Alice , Musukuma Kalo , Chilengi Roma , Moore Carolyn Bolton , Chi Benjamin H. , Davies Mary‐Ann , Egger Matthias , Wandeler Gilles ,   International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS in Southern Africa (IeDEA‐SA)
Published: August 2016

Objective

To describe liver disease epidemiology among HIV‐infected individuals in Zambia.

Methods

We recruited HIV‐infected adults (≥18 years) at antiretroviral therapy initiation at two facilities in Lusaka. Using vibration controlled transient elastography, we assessed liver stiffness, a surrogate for fibrosis/cirrhosis, and analysed liver stiffness measurements (LSM) according to established thresholds (>7.0 kPa for significant fibrosis and >11.0 kPa for cirrhosis). All participants underwent standardised screening for potential causes of liver disease including chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus co‐infection, herbal medicine, and alcohol use. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with elevated liver stiffness.

Results

Among 798 HIV‐infected patients, 651 had a valid LSM (median age, 34 years; 53% female). HBV co‐infection (12%) and alcohol use disorders (41%) were common and hepatitis C virus co‐infection (<1%) was rare. According to LSM, 75 (12%) had significant fibrosis and 13 (2%) had cirrhosis. In multivariable analysis, HBV co‐infection as well as male sex, increased age and WHO clinical stage 3 or 4 were independently associated with LSM >7.0 kPa (all P < 0.05). HBV co‐infection was the only independent risk factor for LSM >11.0 kPa. Among HIV–HBV patients, those with elevated ALT and HBV viral load were more likely to have significant liver fibrosis than patients with normal markers of HBV activity.

Conclusions

HBV co‐infection was the most important risk factor for liver fibrosis and cirrhosis and should be diagnosed early in HIV care to optimise treatment outcomes.
Histone acetyltransferase general control non‐repressed protein 5 (GCN5) affects the fatty acid composition of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds by acetylating fatty acid desaturase3 (FAD3)
Authors: Wang Tianya , Xing Jiewen , Liu Xinye , Liu Zhenshan , Yao Yingyin , Hu Zhaorong , Peng Huiru , Xin Mingming , Zhou Dao‐Xiu , Zhang Yirong , Ni Zhongfu
Published: August 2016

Seed oils are important natural resources used in the processing and preparation of food. Histone modifications represent key epigenetic mechanisms that regulate gene expression, plant growth and development. However, histone modification events during fatty acid (FA) biosynthesis are not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that a mutation of the histone acetyltransferase GCN5 can decrease the ratio of α‐linolenic acid (ALA) to linoleic acid (LA) in seed oil. Using RNA‐Seq and ChIP assays, we identified FAD3, LACS2, LPP3 and PLAIIIβ as the targets of GCN5. Notably, the GCN5‐dependent H3K9/14 acetylation of FAD3 determined the expression levels of FAD3 in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds, and the ratio of ALA/LA in the gcn5 mutant was rescued to the wild‐type levels through the overexpression of FAD3. The results of this study indicated that GCN5 modulated FA biosynthesis by affecting the acetylation levels of FAD3. We provide evidence that histone acetylation is involved in FA biosynthesis in Arabidopsis seeds and might contribute to the optimization of the nutritional structure of edible oils through epigenetic engineering.
Prospective pilot study to detect dogs with non food‐induced canine atopic dermatitis using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Bruet Vincent , Dumon Henri , Bourdeau Patrick , Desfontis Jean‐Claude , Martin Lucile
Published: August 2016

Background

The diagnosis of canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) remains challenging due to the lack of a simple biomarker or metabolic profile. In human medicine, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is an analytical technique used for several diseases. It requires a small amount of sample and allows the identification of structural moieties of biomolecules on the basis of their infrared absorption, with limited sample pretreatment.

Hypothesis/Objectives

The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of FTIR.

Animals

Three groups were tested: 21 dogs with non food‐induced CAD (NFICAD), 16 dogs with inflammatory conditions of various origins but without allergic dermatoses (OD) and 10 healthy dogs (H).

Methods

Peripheral blood was collected and spectra were acquired with a FTIR spectrophotometer. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the full wavenumber spectra (4000–600/cm), followed by a Fisher discriminant analysis (DA) to assess the differences between the three groups.

Results

The PCA followed by the DA of whole spectra showed significant differences between the three groups. These results suggest that by using the FTIR method, dogs with NFICAD can be differentiated from healthy dogs and dogs with nonallergic inflammation. There was no overlap between the spectral data of the three groups indicating that NFICAD dogs were correctly segregated from the H and OD groups.

Conclusions

A study on a larger cohort including common pruritic skin diseases is necessary to confirm these initial results and the relevance of this diagnostic technique.
Evaluation of the Impact of Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius Biofilm Formation on Antimicrobial Susceptibility
Authors: Walker Meagan , Singh Ameet , Nazarali Alim , Gibson Thomas W. G. , Rousseau Joyce , Weese J. Scott
Published: August 2016

Objective

To compare the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of four antimicrobials in planktonic vs. biofilm‐associated Staphylococcus pseudintermedius.

Study Design

In vitro study.

Sample Population

78 isolates from dogs colonized or infected with methicillin‐resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP, n=39) or methicillin‐susceptible S. pseudintermedius (MSSP, n=39).

Methods

Agar dilution was used to determine the MIC of amikacin, cefazolin, enrofloxacin, and gentamicin for planktonic bacteria. A modified broth microdilution assay was used to assess the MIC of biofilm‐associated bacteria.

Results

MIC were significantly higher in biofilm‐associated vs. planktonic bacteria for all antimicrobials; amikacin (median MIC: biofilm >2,000 μg/mL vs. planktonic 3 μg/mL, P<.0001), cefazolin (>1,000 vs. 0.5 μg/mL, P<.0001), enrofloxacin (>1,000 vs. 0.25 μg/mL, P<.0001), and gentamicin (>1,000 vs. 0.3 μg/mL, P<.001). For all antimicrobials, there were significant differences in planktonic MIC for MRSP and MSSP (all P<.0001) but no differences between biofilm MIC for MRSP and MSSP (P=.08–1.0).

Conclusion

The MIC for biofilm‐associated S. pseudintermedius are significantly higher than for planktonic bacteria. Standard methods for determining MIC are not appropriate for biofilm‐associated infections. This must be considered when determining treatment regimens for infections that potentially involve biofilms, and further study of methods to control biofilm‐associated infections is needed.
Green Marketing and Benefits to Business
Authors: Durmaz Yakup , Yaşar Hatice Vildan
Published: August 2016

Nowadays, businesses are aware that they cannot carry on without being aware of environmental problems. Businesses have to take environmental aspects of all activities in their business strategies and long-term plans. Those environmental activities and green marketing are started to be taken into consideration by so many businesses. In this study, green marketing is examined.
Differential α‐adrenergic modulation of rapid onset vasodilatation along resistance networks of skeletal muscle in old versus young mice
Authors: Sinkler Shenghua Y. , Fernando Charmain A. , Segal Steven S.
Published: August 2016

Key points

Rapid onset vasodilatation (ROV) initiates functional hyperaemia upon skeletal muscle contraction and is attenuated during ageing via α‐adrenoreceptor (αAR) stimulation, but it is unknown where this effect predominates in resistance networks.

In gluteus maximus muscles of young (4 months) and old (24 months) male C57BL/6 mice, tetanic contraction while observing feed arteries and arterioles initiated ROV, which increased with contraction duration, peaked later in upstream versus downstream vessel branches and was attenuated throughout networks with advanced age.

With no effect on muscle force production, inhibiting αARs improved ROV in old mice while activating αARs attenuated ROV in young mice.

Modulating ROV through αARs was greater in upstream feed arteries and arterioles compared to downstream arterioles, with α2ARs more effective than α1ARs.

ROV is coordinated along resistance networks and modulated differentially between young and old mice via αARs; with advanced age, attenuated dilatation of upstream branches will restrict muscle blood flow.

Rapid onset vasodilatation (ROV) in skeletal muscle is attenuated during advanced age via α‐adrenoreceptor (αAR) activation, but it is unknown where such effects predominate in the resistance vasculature. Studying the gluteus maximus muscle (GM) of anaesthetized young (4 months) and old (24 months) male C57BL/6 mice, we tested the hypothesis that attenuation of ROV during advanced age is most effective in proximal branches of microvascular resistance networks. Diameters of a feed artery (FA) and first‐ (1A), second‐ (2A) and third‐ (3A) order arterioles were studied in response to single tetanic contractions (100 Hz, 100–1000 ms). ROV began within 1 s and peaked sooner in 2A and 3A (∼3 s) than in 1A or FA (∼4 s). Relative amplitudes of dilatation increased with contraction duration and with vessel branch order (FA<1A<2A<3A). In old mice, attenuation of ROV was greater in FA and 1A compared to 2A and 3A. With no effect on muscle force production, inhibiting αARs (phentolamine; 10−6 m) improved ROV in FA and 1A of old mice while subthreshold stimulation of αARs in young mice (noradrenaline; 10−9 m) depressed ROV most effectively in FA and 1A. In young mice, stimulating α1ARs (phenylephrine; 10−7 m) and α2ARs (UK 14304; 10−7 m) attenuated ROV primarily in FA. In old mice, inhibiting α2ARs (rauwolscine; 10−7 m) restored ROV more effectively in FA and 1A than did inhibiting α1ARs (prazosin; 10−8 m). We conclude that, with temporal and spatial coordination along resistance networks, attenuation of ROV with advanced age is most effective in proximal branches via constitutive activation of α2ARs.
The INV24 test set: how well do quantum-chemical methods describe inversion and racemization barriers?
Authors: Goerigk Lars , Sharma Rahul
Published: August 2016

For years, there has been ongoing interest in experimentally and theoretically understanding inversion and racemization processes. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no computational study that systematically investigated how well low-level quantum-chemical methods predict inversion barriers. Herein, we provide an answer to this question and we present the INV24 benchmark set of 24 high-level, ab initio inversion barriers. INV24 covers inversion in triatomics, in pyramidal molecules, in one cyclic system, and in various helical and bowl-shaped compounds. Our results indicate that previously applied DFT approximations combined with small basis sets are not reliable enough and that at least a triple-ζ basis is needed for meaningful results. Moreover, we show that intramolecular London dispersion influences the barriers by 2 kcal/mol or more and that dispersion corrections should always be applied to DFT results. With our analysis of 34 DFT approximations, we can reproduce the well-known Jacob’s Ladder scheme with (meta-)generalized-gradient-approximation methods underestimating barriers and global-hybrid DFT functionals performing better. Range-separated hybrids or Minnesota-type hybrids are not particularly superior to more conventional methods, such as B3LYP-D3. The by far best results are achieved with dispersion-corrected double hybrids, which give results below the chemical accuracy target of 1 kcal/mol. They also outperform wave-function second-order perturbation theory approaches and we recommend using them whenever possible. Given that our systematic study of INV24 is the first of its kind, our findings have the potential to change common practice in this field and they will guide future investigations of inversion processes.
Improving escape panel selectivity in Nephrops-directed fisheries by actively stimulating fish behavior
Authors: Krag Ludvig A. , Herrmann Bent , Feekings Jordan , Lund Henrik S. , Karlsen Junita D.
Published: August 2016

The efficiency of escape panels inserted in trawls relies on fish actively attempting to escape through them. However, several studies indicate that most fish drift towards the aft end of the trawl, passing the escape panel through which they easily could have escaped, without making contact with it. To increase the efficiency of such panels, the contact probability needs to be improved. In this study, we investigate to what extent the efficiency of escape panels can be improved by actively stimulating the escape behaviour of fish. The performance of two identical panel sections was compared in a twin-trawl system, one with and one without a stimulation device. A new coupled analysis method was used to explicitly quantify the improvements in contact probability and release efficiency for the escape panel. The results demonstrate that by actively stimulating escape behaviour, the contact probability and release efficiency for cod (Gadus morhua) can be significantly improved without effecting the catch of Nephrops (Nephrops norvegicus).
Global versus local — Mach’s principle versus the equivalence principle
Authors: Singleton Douglas , Wilburn Steve
Published: August 2016

The equivalence principle is the conceptual basis for general relativity. In contrast, Mach’s principle, although said to have been influential on Einstein in his formulation of general relativity, has not been shown to be central to the structure of general relativity. In this paper, we suggest that the quantum effects of Hawking and Unruh radiation are a manifestation of a thermal Mach’s principle, where the local thermodynamic properties of the system are determined by the nonlocal structure of the quantum fields which determine the vacuum of a given spacetime. By comparing Hawking and Unruh temperatures for the same local acceleration we find a violation of the Einstein elevator version of the equivalence principle, which vanishes in the limit that the horizon is approached.
Surprises with nonrelativistic naturalness
Authors: Hořava Petr
Published: August 2016

We explore the landscape of technical naturalness for nonrelativistic systems, finding surprises which challenge and enrich our relativistic intuition already in the simplest case of a single scalar field. While the immediate applications are expected in condensed matter and perhaps in cosmology, the study is motivated by the leading puzzles of fundamental physics involving gravity: the cosmological constant problem and the Higgs mass hierarchy problem.
Cosmological degeneracy versus cosmography: A cosmographic dark energy model
Authors: Luongo Orlando , Pisani Giovanni Battista , Troisi Antonio
Published: August 2016

In this work, we use cosmography to alleviate the degeneracy among cosmological models, proposing a way to parametrize matter and dark energy in terms of cosmokinematics quantities. The recipe of using cosmography allows to expand observable quantities in Taylor series and to directly compare those expansions with data. The strategy involves the expansions of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], up to the second-order around [Formula: see text]. This includes additional cosmographic parameters which are fixed by current values of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. We therefore propose a fully self-consistent parametrization of the total energy density driving the late-time universe speed up. This stratagem does not remove all the degeneracy but enables one to pass from the model-dependent couple of coefficients, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], to model-independent quantities determined from cosmography. Afterwards, we describe a feasible cosmographic dark energy model, in which matter is fixed whereas dark energy evolves by means of the cosmographic series. Our technique provides robust constraints on cosmokinematic parameters, permitting one to separately bound matter from dark energy densities. Our cosmographic dark energy model turns out to be one parameter only, but differently from the lambda cold dark matter ([Formula: see text]CDM) paradigm, it does not contain ansatz on the dark energy form. In addition, we even determine the free parameter of our model in suitable [Formula: see text] intervals through Monte Carlo analyses based on the Metropolis algorithm. We compare our results with the standard concordance model and we find that our treatment seems to indicate that dark energy slightly evolves in time, reducing to a pure cosmological constant only as [Formula: see text].
Accelerated Thomas Solver for (Quasi-)Block-Tridiagonal Linear Algebraic Equation Systems, Using SSE/AVX Instruction Sets for Vectorizing Dense Block Operations
Authors: Barnaś Dawid , Bieniasz Lesław K.
Published: August 2016

Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) and Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) are additional processor instruction sets available in contemporary personal computers, designed for vectorized floating point calculations. Unfortunately, in order to utilize the advantages of these instructions, one cannot rely on automatic options of high level language compilers. Instead, handwritten assembly language or intrinsic function call insertions are necessary. By using this idea an accelerated C[Formula: see text] code is devised, for solving (quasi-) block-tridiagonal linear algebraic equation systems by means of an extended Thomas algorithm. Speedups reaching 3.5 and 3 (relative to C[Formula: see text] without using SSE/AVX) are demonstrated for single and double precision calculations, respectively.
Effect of Electromagnetic Treatment on Fatigue Resistance of 2011 Aluminum Alloy
Authors: Mohin M. A. , Toofanny H. , Babutskyi A. , Lewis A. , Xu Y. G.
Published: August 2016

Beneficial effects of the electromagnetic treatment on fatigue resistance were reported on several engineering alloys. These could be linked to the dislocation activity and the rearrangement of the crystal structure of the material under the electromagnetic field (EMF), resulting in delayed crack initiation. This paper presents an experimental study on the effect of pulsed electromagnetic treatment on the fatigue resistance of 2011 aluminum alloy. Circular cantilever specimens with loads at their ends were tested on rotating fatigue machine SM1090. Fatigue lives of treated and untreated specimens were analyzed and compared systematically. It has been found that the effect of the pulsed electromagnetic treatment on the fatigue resistance is dependent on the intensity of the pulsed EMF and the number of the treatment applied. Clear beneficial effect of the pulsed electromagnetic treatment on the fatigue resistance of the aluminum alloys has been observed, demonstrating a potential new technique to industries for fatigue life extension.
Finite length spectra of random surfaces and their dependence on genus
Authors: Petri Bram
Published: August 2016

The main goal of this paper is to understand how the length spectrum of a random surface depends on its genus. Here a random surface means a surface obtained by randomly gluing together an even number of triangles carrying a fixed metric.

Given suitable restrictions on the genus of the surface, we consider the number of appearances of fixed finite sets of combinatorial types of curves. Of any such set we determine the asymptotics of the probability distribution. It turns out that these distributions are independent of the genus in an appropriate sense.

As an application of our results we study the probability distribution of the systole of random surfaces in a hyperbolic and a more general Riemannian setting. In the hyperbolic setting we are able to determine the limit of the probability distribution for the number of triangles tending to infinity and in the Riemannian setting we derive bounds.
All NIRspec Needs is HST/WFC3 Pre-Imaging? The Use of Milky Way Stars in WFC3 Imaging to Register NIRspec MSA Observations
Authors: Holwerda B. W. , Bouwens R. J. , Trenti M. , Kenworthy M. A.
Published: August 2016

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be an exquisite new near-infrared observatory with imaging and multi-object spectroscopy through ESA’s NIRspec instrument with its unique Micro-Shutter Array (MSA), allowing for slits to be positioned on astronomical targets by opening specific [Formula: see text]-wide micro shutter doors. To ensure proper Target Acquisition (TA), the on-sky position of the MSA needs to be verified before spectroscopic observations start. An onboard centroiding program registers the position of pre-identified guide stars in a TA image, a short pre-spectroscopy exposure without dispersion (image mode) through the MSA with all shutters open. The outstanding issue is the availability of Galactic stars in the right luminosity range for TA relative to typical high redshift targets. We explore this here using the stars and [Formula: see text] candidate galaxies identified in the source extractor catalogs of Brightest of Reionizing Galaxies survey (BoRG[z8]), a pure-parallel program with Hubble Space Telescope Wide-Field Camera 3. We find that (a) a single WFC3 field contains enough Galactic stars to satisfy the NIRspec astrometry requirement (20 milli-arcseconds), provided its and the NIRspec TA’s are [Formula: see text] AB in WFC3 [Formula: see text], (b) a single WFC3 image can therefore serve as the pre-image if need be, (c) a WFC3 mosaic and accompanying TA image satisfy the astrometry requirement at [Formula: see text] AB mag in WFC3 [Formula: see text], (d) no specific Galactic latitude requires deeper TA imaging due to a lack of Galactic stars, and (e) a depth of [Formula: see text] AB mag in WFC3 [Formula: see text] is needed if a guide star in the same MSA quadrant as a target is required. We take the example of a BoRG identified [Formula: see text] candidate galaxy and require a Galactic star within 20[Formula: see text] of it. In this case, a depth of 25.5 AB in [Formula: see text] is required (with [Formula: see text]97% confidence).
New directions in sustainable computing
Authors: Raghavan Barath
Published: August 2016

In the past decade sustainable computing has emerged as a subject that touches many subfields of computing research. While even in its early years "sustainable computing" comprised a number of fundamentally different types of research, new efforts promise to widen its definition further still. Here I briefly describe some of the flavors of sustainable computing work and argue for further exploration of some of the new approaches that have recently emerged.
Reproductive Tourism: Through the Anthropological “Reproscope”
Authors: Nahman Michal Rachel
Published: August 2016

This review analyzes the emerging literature on reproductive tourism through a metaphorical “reproscope,” focusing largely on cross-border egg donation and surrogacy as the prime areas of contemporary anthropological investigation. While acknowledging that reproductive travel is not new, this article recognizes that there has been an increased volume of such travel over the past couple of decades. It provides an overview of the major areas of anthropological investigation into these transnational phenomena, globalization, stratification, exploitation, race, nationalism, religion, biopower, and bioethics. I propose that these areas of investigation may provide key indications about the preoccupations of anthropology today. Namely, what kind of discipline does anthropology imagine itself to be?
The Galaxy in Context: Structural, Kinematic, and Integrated Properties
Authors: Bland-Hawthorn Joss , Gerhard Ortwin
Published: August 2016

Our Galaxy, the Milky Way, is a benchmark for understanding disk galaxies. It is the only galaxy whose formation history can be studied using the full distribution of stars from faint dwarfs to supergiants. The oldest components provide us with unique insight into how galaxies form and evolve over billions of years. The Galaxy is a luminous (L⋆) barred spiral with a central box/peanut bulge, a dominant disk, and a diffuse stellar halo. Based on global properties, it falls in the sparsely populated “green valley” region of the galaxy color-magnitude diagram. Here we review the key integrated, structural and kinematic parameters of the Galaxy, and point to uncertainties as well as directions for future progress. Galactic studies will continue to play a fundamental role far into the future because there are measurements that can only be made in the near field and much of contemporary astrophysics depends on such observations.
Genotypes, Networks, Phenotypes: Moving Toward Plant Systems Genetics
Authors: Ogura Takehiko , Busch Wolfgang
Published: August 2016

One of the central goals in biology is to understand how and how much of the phenotype of an organism is encoded in its genome. Although many genes that are crucial for organismal processes have been identified, much less is known about the genetic bases underlying quantitative phenotypic differences in natural populations. We discuss the fundamental gap between the large body of knowledge generated over the past decades by experimental genetics in the laboratory and what is needed to understand the genotype-to-phenotype problem on a broader scale. We argue that systems genetics, a combination of systems biology and the study of natural variation using quantitative genetics, will help to address this problem. We present major advances in these two mostly disconnected areas that have increased our understanding of the developmental processes of flowering time control and root growth. We conclude by illustrating and discussing the efforts that have been made toward systems genetics specifically in plants.
Savings After Retirement: A Survey
Authors: De Nardi Mariacristina , French Eric , Jones John Bailey
Published: August 2016

The saving patterns of retired US households pose a challenge to the basic life-cycle model of saving. The observed patterns of out-of-pocket medical expenses, which rise quickly with age and income during retirement, and heterogeneous life span risk can explain a significant portion of US saving during retirement. However, more work is needed to distinguish these precautionary saving motives from other motives, such as the desire to leave bequests. Progress toward disentangling these motivations has been made by matching other features of the data, such as public and private insurance choices. An improved understanding of whether intended bequests left to children and spouses are due to altruism, risk sharing, exchange motivations, or a combination of these factors is an important direction for future research.
Paternalism and Energy Efficiency: An Overview
Authors: Allcott Hunt
Published: August 2016

This article provides an overview of the application of behavioral public economics to energy efficiency. I document policy makers' arguments for “paternalistic” energy efficiency policies, formalize with a simple model of misoptimizing consumers, review and critique empirical evidence, and suggest future research directions. Although empirical results suggest that policies to address imperfect information and internalities may increase welfare in some cases, some existing policies may be mistargeted or miscalibrated.
A Feature Selection Approach Based on Interclass and Intraclass Relative Contributions of Terms
Authors: Zhou Hongfang , Guo Jie , Wang Yinghui , Zhao Minghua
Published: August 2016

Feature selection plays a critical role in text categorization. During feature selecting, high-frequency terms and the interclass and intraclass relative contributions of terms all have significant effects on classification results. So we put forward a feature selection approach, IIRCT, based on interclass and intraclass relative contributions of terms in the paper. In our proposed algorithm, three critical factors, which are term frequency and the interclass relative contribution and the intraclass relative contribution of terms, are all considered synthetically. Finally, experiments are made with the help of kNN classifier. And the corresponding results on 20 NewsGroup and SougouCS corpora show that IIRCT algorithm achieves better performance than DF,t-Test, and CMFS algorithms.
The Diagnosis of Iliac Bone Destruction in Children: 22 Cases from Two Centres
Authors: Sun Xiangshui , Lou Yue , Wang Xiaodong
Published: August 2016

Iliac bone destruction in children is uncommon and presents various imaging features. Correct diagnosis based on clinical and imaging features is difficult. This research aimed to retrospectively explore the clinical features, imaging, and histopathological diagnosis of children with iliac bone destruction. A total of 22 children with iliac bone destruction were enrolled in this retrospective analysis from two children’s hospitals during July 2007 to April 2015. Clinical features, imaging, and histopathological findings were analysed. The mode of iliac bone destruction, lesion structure, and the relationship between the range of soft tissue mass and cortical destruction were determined based on imaging data. The data were analysed using descriptive methods. Of the iliac bone destruction cases, eight cases were neuroblastoma iliac bone metastasis, seven cases were bone eosinophilic granuloma, two cases were Ewing’s sarcoma, two cases were osteomyelitis, one case was bone cyst, one case was bone fibrous dysplasia, and one case was non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Iliac bone destruction varies widely in children. Metastatic neuroblastoma and eosinophilic granuloma are the most commonly involved childhood tumours.
In SilicoPrediction of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Type-A Receptors Using Novel Machine-Learning-Based SVM and GBDT Approaches
Authors: Liao Zhijun , Huang Yong , Yue Xiaodong , Lu Huijuan , Xuan Ping , Ju Ying
Published: August 2016

Gamma-aminobutyric acid type-A receptors (GABAARs) belong to multisubunit membrane spanning ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs) which act as the principal mediators of rapid inhibitory synaptic transmission in the human brain. Therefore, the category prediction ofGABAARs just from the protein amino acid sequence would be very helpful for the recognition and research of novel receptors. Based on the proteins’ physicochemical properties, amino acids composition and position, aGABAARclassifier was first constructed using a 188-dimensional (188D) algorithm at 90% cd-hit identity and compared with pseudo-amino acid composition (PseAAC) and ProtrWeb web-based algorithms for humanGABAARproteins. Then, four classifiers including gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), random forest (RF), a library for support vector machine (libSVM), and k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) were compared on the dataset at cd-hit 40% low identity. This work obtained the highest correctly classified rate at 96.8% and the highest specificity at 99.29%. But the values of sensitivity, accuracy, and Matthew’s correlation coefficient were a little lower than those of PseAAC and ProtrWeb; GBDT and libSVM can make a little better performance than RF andk-NN at the second dataset. In conclusion, aGABAARclassifier was successfully constructed using only the protein sequence information.
Silica Nanofibers with Immobilized Tetracycline for Wound Dressing
Authors: Lovětinská-Šlamborová Irena , Holý Petr , Exnar Petr , Veverková Ivana
Published: August 2016

Local antibiotic treatment has its justification for superficial infections. The advantage of this treatment is that the antibiotic has effects on bacterial agent directly at the application site. Skin infections which are intended for the local antibiotic treatment are superficial pyoderma, some festering wounds, burns of second and third degree, infected leg ulcers, or decubitus of second and third degree. Tetracyclines are available topical antibiotics with a broad bacterial spectrum. At present, ointments containing tetracycline are also used for the treatment, which rarely can lead to skin sensitization. In this paper, a development of novel nanofibrous material with immobilized tetracycline is presented. Two different methods of immobilized tetracycline quantification onto silica nanofibers are employed. It was proven that the prevailing part of tetracycline was bound weakly by physisorption forces, while the minor part was covalently bound by NH2groups formed by the preceding functionalization. The silica nanofibers with immobilized tetracycline are promising material for wound dressing applications due to its antibacterial activity; it was proved by tests.
Nanoporous Glasses for Nuclear Waste Containment
Authors: Woignier Thierry , Primera Juan , Reynes Jerôme
Published: August 2016

Research is in progress to incorporate nuclear waste in new matrices with high structural stability, resistance to thermal shock, and high chemical durability. Interactions with water are important for materials used as a containment matrix for the radio nuclides. It is indispensable to improve their chemical durability to limit the possible release of radioactive chemical species, if the glass structure is attacked by corrosion. By associating high structural stability and high chemical durability, silica glass optimizes the properties of a suitable host matrix. According to an easy sintering stage, nanoporous glasses such as xerogels, aerogels, and composite gels are alternative ways to synthesize silica glass at relatively low temperatures (≈1,000–1,200°C). Nuclear wastes exist as aqueous salt solutions and we propose using the open pore structure of the nanoporous glass to enable migration of the solution throughout the solid volume. The loaded material is then sintered, thereby trapping the radioactive chemical species. The structure of the sintered materials (glass ceramics) is that of nanocomposites: actinide phases (~100 nm) embedded in a vitreous silica matrix. Our results showed a large improvement in the chemical durability of glass ceramic over conventional nuclear glass.
Preferences of Dental Students towards Teaching Strategies in Two Major Dental Colleges in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Authors: AlHamdan Eman M. , Tulbah Huda I. , AlDuhayan Ghaida A. , AlBedaiwi Lamees S.
Published: August 2016

Objectives.To explore and compare undergraduate dental students’ views and preferences towards various teaching strategies.Methods.A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 345 male and female undergraduate dental students from the two major dental schools in Riyadh (College of Dentistry, King Saud University [KSU], and Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy [RCsDP]). Students’ preferences for various components of the lecture courses were investigated. Descriptive and crosstab analyses were used to compare the students’ preferences for each school and between genders; the chi-square test was used to measure the significance level (P=0.05).Results.The majority of students preferred having the lecture schedule announced in advance. Females preferred morning lectures, whereas male students preferred afternoon lectures. Nearly half of the students thought that attending lectures should be mandatory; most of them were from KSU. Most of the students reported preferring a PowerPoint presentation lecture. The students, particularly female students, also preferred to receive lecture handouts and study materials before the session and to have practical demonstrations after the lecture.Conclusion.Teachers should consider students’ opinions when constructing courses because this feedback would have a positive impact on the teaching environment and students’ performance.
Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Patient with Cocaine Intoxication
Authors: Abu-Abed Abdin Asma , Hamza Muhammad , Khan Muhammad S. , Ahmed Awab
Published: August 2016

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is characterized by elevated anion gap metabolic acidosis, hyperglycemia, and elevated ketones in urine and blood. Hyperglycemia is a key component of DKA; however, a subset of DKA patients can present with near-normal blood glucose, an entity described as “euglycemic DKA.” This rare phenomenon is thought to be due to starvation and food restriction in insulin dependent diabetic patients. Cocaine abuse is considered a trigger for development of DKA. Cocaine also has anorexic effects. We describe an interesting case of euglycemic DKA in a middle-aged diabetic female presenting with elevated anion gap metabolic acidosis, with near-normal blood glucose, in the settings of noncompliance to insulin and cocaine abuse. We have postulated that cocaine abuse was implicated in the pathophysiology of euglycemic DKA in this case. This case highlights complex physiological interplay between type-1 diabetes, noncompliance to insulin, and cocaine abuse leading to DKA, with starvation physiology causing development of euglycemic DKA.
Bioactive Glass Nanoparticles-Loaded Poly(ɛ-caprolactone) Nanofiber as Substrate for ARPE-19 Cells
Authors: Henrique Lima Tadeu , Fernandes-Cunha Gabriella Maria , Jensen Carlos Eduardo de Matos , Oréfice Rodrigo Lambert , Junior Armando da Silva-Cunha , Zhao Min , Behar-Cohen Francine , da Silva Gisele Rodrigues
Published: August 2016

Bioactive glass nanoparticles-loaded poly(ɛ-caprolactone) nanofibers (BIOG PCL nanofibers) were synthesized and evaluated as substrates for ocular cells (ARPE-19). BIOG PCL nanofibers were characterized using SEM, FTIR, and DSC, and thein vitrodegradation profile was also investigated. Thein vitroocular biocompatibility of nanofibers was exploited in Müller glial cells (MIO-M1 cells) and in chorioallantoic membrane (CAM); and the proliferative capacity, cytotoxicity, and functionality were evaluated. Finally, ARPE-19 cells were seeded onto BIOG PCL nanofibers and they were investigated as supports forin vitrocell adhesion and proliferation. SEM images revealed the incorporation of BIOG nanoparticles into PCL nanofibers. Nanoparticles did not induce modifications in the chemical structure and semicrystalline nature of PCL in the nanofiber, as shown by FTIR and DSC. MIO-M1 cells exposed to BIOG PCL nanofibers showed viability, and they were able to proliferate and to express GFAP, indicating cellular functionality. Moreover, nanofibers were well tolerated by CAM. These findings suggested thein vitroocular biocompatibility and absence of toxicity of these nanofibers. Finally, the BIOG nanoparticles modulated the protein adsorption, and, subsequently, ARPE-19 cells adhered and proliferated onto the nanostructured supports, establishing cell-substrate interactions. In conclusion, the biodegradable and biocompatible BIOG PCL nanofibers supported the ARPE-19 cells.
Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome: A Rare Cause of Disappearing HDL Syndrome
Authors: Sriram Swetha , Joshi Avni Y. , Rodriguez Vilmarie , Kumar Seema
Published: August 2016

The term disappearing HDL syndrome refers to development of severe high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) deficiency in noncritically ill patients with previously normal HDL-C and triglyceride levels. Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a disorder of the immune system due to an inability to regulate lymphocyte homeostasis resulting in lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. We describe a 17-year-old boy who was evaluated in the lipid clinic for history of undetectable or low HDL-C and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Past medical history was significant for ALPS IA diagnosed at 10 years of age when he presented with bilateral cervical adenopathy. He was known to have a missense mutation in one allele of the FAS protein extracellular domain consistent with ALPS type 1A. HDL-C and LDL-C levels had been undetectable on multiple occasions, though lipids had not been measured prior to the diagnosis of ALPS. He had been receiving sirolimus for immunosuppression. The HDL-C and LDL-C levels correlated with disease activity and improved to normal levels during times when the activity of ALPS was controlled. This case highlights the importance of considering ALPS as a cause of low HDL-C and LDL-C levels in a child with evidence of lymphoproliferation.
Some Congruence Properties of a Restricted Bipartition Function cN(n)
Authors: Saikia Nipen , Boruah Chayanika
Published: August 2016

Let cN(n) denote the number of bipartitions (λ,μ) of a positive integer n subject to the restriction that each part of μ is divisible by N. In this paper, we prove some congruence properties of the function cN(n) for N=7, 11, and 5l, for any integer l≥1, by employing Ramanujan’s theta-function identities.
High Fat Diet‐Induced Skeletal Muscle Wasting Is Decreased by Mesenchymal Stem Cells Administration: Implications on Oxidative Stress, Ubiquitin Proteasome Pathway Activation, and Myonuclear Apoptosis
Authors: Abrigo Johanna , Rivera Juan Carlos , Aravena Javier , Cabrera Daniel , Simon Felipe , Ezquer Fernando , Ezquer Marcelo , Cabello-Verrugio Claudio
Published: August 2016

Obesity can lead to skeletal muscle atrophy, a pathological condition characterized by the loss of strength and muscle mass. A feature of muscle atrophy is a decrease of myofibrillar proteins as a result of ubiquitin proteasome pathway overactivation, as evidenced by increased expression of the muscle‐specific ubiquitin ligases atrogin‐1 and MuRF‐1. Additionally, other mechanisms are related to muscle wasting, including oxidative stress, myonuclear apoptosis, and autophagy. Stem cells are an emerging therapy in the treatment of chronic diseases such as high fat diet‐induced obesity. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a population of self‐renewable and undifferentiated cells present in the bone marrow and other mesenchymal tissues of adult individuals. The present study is the first to analyze the effects of systemic MSC administration on high fat diet‐induced skeletal muscle atrophy in the tibialis anterior of mice. Treatment with MSCs reduced losses of muscle strength and mass, decreases of fiber diameter and myosin heavy chain protein levels, and fiber type transitions. Underlying these antiatrophic effects, MSC administration also decreased ubiquitin proteasome pathway activation, oxidative stress, and myonuclear apoptosis. These results are the first to indicate that systemically administered MSCs could prevent muscle wasting associated with high fat diet‐induced obesity and diabetes.
Influence of Freeze-Thaw Damage on the Steel Corrosion and Bond-Slip Behavior in the Reinforced Concrete
Authors: Zhu Fangzhi , Ma Zhiming , Zhao Tiejun
Published: August 2016

This paper mainly studies the behavior of steel corrosion in various reinforced concrete under freeze-thaw environment. The influence of thickness of concrete cover is also discussed. Additionally, the bond-slip behavior of the reinforced concrete after suffering the freeze-thaw damage and steel corrosion has also be presented. The results show that the freeze-thaw damage aggravates the steel corrosion in concrete, and the results become more obvious in the concrete after suffering serious freeze-thaw damage. Compared with the ordinary concrete, both air entrained concrete and waterproofing concrete possess better resistance to steel corrosion under the same freeze-thaw environment. Moreover, increasing the thicknesses of concrete cover is also an effective method of improving the resistance to steel corrosion. The bond-slip behavior of reinforced concrete with corroded steel decreases with the increase of freeze-thaw damage, especially for the concrete that suffered high freeze-thaw cycles. Moreover, there exists a good correlation between the parameters of bond-slip and freeze-thaw cycles. The steel corrosion and bond-slip behavior of reinforced concrete should be considered serious under freeze-thaw cycles environment, which significantly impact the durability and safety of concrete structure.
Philinidae, Laonidae and Philinorbidae (Gastropoda: Cephalaspidea: Philinoidea) from the northeastern Pacific Ocean and the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean)
Authors: VALDÉS ÁNGEL , CADIEN DONALD B. , GOSLINER TERRENCE M.
Published: August 2016

Based on morphological data a total of nine native species of Philinidae are recognized from the northeastern Pacific including the Bering Sea and the adjacent Arctic Ocean (Beaufort Sea). Four of them have been previously described: Philine ornatissima Yokoyama, 1927, Philine bakeri Dall, 1919, Philine polystrigma (Dall, 1908), and Philine hemphilli Dall, 1919. Five of them are new and described herein: Philine mcleani sp. nov., Philine baxteri sp. nov., Philine malaquiasi sp. nov., Philine wareni sp. nov., and Philine harrisae sp. nov. These species display a substantial degree of variation in internal and external morphological traits (i.e., presence/absence of gizzard plates, different radular structure and tooth morphology, various reproductive anatomical features) and it is likely that they belong to different clades (genera). However, in the absence of a comprehensive phylogeny for Philine, they are here provisionally regarded as Philine sensu lato. In addition to the nine native species, two introduced species: Philine orientalis A. Adams, 1854 and Philine auriformis Suter, 1909 are here illustrated and compared to the native species to facilitate identification. Finally, two species previously considered members of Philinidae are examined anatomically and confirmed as members of Laonidae, Laona californica (Willett, 1944) and Philinorbidae, Philinorbis albus (Mattox, 1958), based on morphological data.
Review of Afrotropical species of Goetheana Girault (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), with description of a new species
Authors: GUMOVSKY ALEX
Published: August 2016

Three species of Goetheana Girault (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae, Entedoninae) are recorded from the Afrotropical biogeographic realm: G. shakespearei Girault (cosmopolitan), G. incerta Annecke (Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, Senegal) and G. kobzari Gumovsky sp. n. (South Africa, Uganda, Central African Republic). Goetheana incerta is re-described based on its type series, which is discussed. Males of G. shakespearei and G. incerta are easily separated by antennal scape structure, but females barely differ in morphology. New geographical records and a discussion of morphology of Goetheana are also provided.