bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Quantitative Release Assessment for the Noncommercial Movement of Companion Animals: Risk of Rabies Reintroduction to the United Kingdom
Authors: Goddard A. D. , Donaldson N. M. , Horton D. L. , Kosmider R. , Kelly L. A. , Sayers A. R. , Breed A. C. , Freuling C. M. , Müller T. , Shaw S. E. , Hallgren G. , Fooks A. R. , Snary E. L.
Published: April 2012

In 2004, the European Union (EU) implemented a pet movement policy (referred to here as the EUPMP) under EU regulation 998/2003. The United Kingdom (UK) was granted a temporary derogation from the policy until December 2011 and instead has in place its own Pet Movement Policy (Pet Travel Scheme (PETS)). A quantitative risk assessment (QRA) was developed to estimate the risk of rabies introduction to the UK under both schemes to quantify any change in the risk of rabies introduction should the UK harmonize with the EU policy. Assuming 100 % compliance with the regulations, moving to the EUPMP was predicted to increase the annual risk of rabies introduction to the UK by approximately 60‐fold, from 7.79 × 10−5 (5.90 × 10−5, 1.06 × 10−4) under the current scheme to 4.79 × 10−3 (4.05 × 10−3, 5.65 × 10−3) under the EUPMP. This corresponds to a decrease from 13,272 (9,408, 16,940) to 211 (177, 247) years between rabies introductions. The risks associated with both the schemes were predicted to increase when less than 100 % compliance was assumed, with the current scheme of PETS and quarantine being shown to be particularly sensitive to noncompliance. The results of this risk assessment, along with other evidence, formed a scientific evidence base to inform policy decision with respect to companion animal movement.
Who Doesn't ValueEnglish? Debunking Myths AboutMexican Immigrants’ Attitudes Toward theEnglish Language*
Authors: Dowling Julie A. , Ellison Christopher G. , Leal David L.
Published: April 2012

Objective

In recent years, immigration has become a central focus of political scrutiny. Much of the negativity directed toward the largelyMexican immigrant population asserts that they do not wish to learnEnglish and acclimate to the dominant culture of theUnitedStates. Very little research, however, has explored howMexican immigrants orMexicanAmericans assess the value ofEnglish proficiency.

Methods

Utilizing the Survey ofTexas Adults, we examine attitudes regarding the importance ofEnglish. We explore the attitudes ofMexican‐origin persons compared to other racial/ethnic groups, as well as explore within‐group differences based on citizenship, nativity, and language use.

Results

Our findings reveal the high importance thatSpanish speakers, as well as many non‐U.S. citizenMexican immigrants, place onEnglish proficiency. Furthermore, the results indicate thatSpanish speakers are actually most likely to stress the importance ofEnglish.

Conclusions

Our research contradicts accounts of the largelySpanish‐speakingMexican immigrant population as not valuing theEnglish language. In so doing, our work contributes to larger scholarly efforts to better understand immigrants in general andMexican immigrants in particular.
How Religious Communities Affect Political Participation Among Latinos*
Authors: Djupe Paul A. , Neiheisel Jacob R.
Published: April 2012

Objective

We revisit several longstanding controversies in the study of how religion affects political participation among Latinos, examining the influence of religious affiliation, church attendance, and involvement in the “ancillary” activities of the church on three types of participation: voting, community problem solving, and contacting public officials.

Methods

Data from the 2001 U.S. Congregational Life Survey and hierarchical methods are used to test a comprehensive model of religious influence.

Results

We find that involvement in church small groups and other church‐based activities that take place outside of the sanctuary hall consistently affect all political activities. Importantly, performing a leadership role within the church, or taking part in some other skill‐building activity only affects our nonelectoral form of participation for Latinos, but boosts participation across the board in the full sample.

Conclusions

Our study lends some much‐needed empirical confirmation to associational theories of political participation, but also sounds a note of caution about the universal applicability of such theories.
America's Shifting Color Line? Reexamining Determinants of Latino Racial Self‐Identification*
Authors: Stokes‐Brown Atiya Kai
Published: April 2012

Objectives

Latinos are the nation's largest minority group and will double in size by 2050. Their size coupled with the fact that Latinos do not constitute a separate race raises questions about Latinos’ incorporation into the U.S. racial hierarchy. This article explores patterns of Latino racial identity formation, examining the determinants of racial identity.

Methods

Using the 2006 Latino National Survey, I estimate multinomial logit and ordered probit models of identification choices.

Results

Latino racial identity is strongly associated with several factors, including socioeconomic status, measures of perceived discrimination and commonality, and measures of acculturation/assimilation. Most Latinos have a broader, more complex understanding of race. Furthermore, some Latinos do believe that they occupy a unique position in the racial hierarchy.

Conclusions

The results suggest that the color line W. E. DuBois argued has long divided our nation may eventually shift.
The Voting Rights Act, Legislative Elections, and Southern Partisan Change: Conversion or Competition*
Authors: Forgette Richard , Garner Andrew , Winkle John
Published: April 2012

Objective

Has the shift from a one‐party Democratic South to an (increasingly) Republican South been marked by partisan conversion or partisan competition of legislative district seats? That is, as Democratic incumbents retired, did the districts switch from uncontested Democratic incumbents to uncontested Republican seats (conversion), or did the two parties contest the district after the period of Democratic retirement (competition)?

Method

We analyze all state legislative elections since 1967 to explain southern partisan change. We report rates of uncontested legislative elections, and we model candidate entry in southern and nonsouthern legislative elections.

Results

Our findings support the conversion hypothesis implying that southern legislative districts are increasingly polarized along partisan and racial lines.

Conclusions

Despite growing partisan parity within the southern electorate, southern state legislatures are increasingly composed of uncontested white Republicans and uncontested black Democrats. We discuss the implications of party‐based, racial polarization for the ongoing constitutional debate regarding the Voting Rights Act's Section 5.
Antiarrhythmic Effects of Vasostatin‐1 in a Canine Model of Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: STAVRAKIS STAVROS , SCHERLAG BENJAMIN J. , FAN YOUQI , LIU YU , LIU QIMING , MAO JUN , CAI HENG , LAZZARA RALPH , PO SUNNY S.
Published: April 2012

Antiarrhythmic Effects of Vasostatin‐1. Background: We examined the antiarrhythmic effects of vasostatin‐1, a recently identified cardioregulatory peptide, in canine models of atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods and Results: In 13 pentobarbital‐anesthetized dogs bilateral thoracotomies allowed the attachment of multielectrode catheters to superior and inferior pulmonary veins and atrial appendages (AA). Rapid atrial pacing (RAP) was maintained for 6  hours. Each hour, programmed stimulation was performed to determine the window of vulnerability (WOV), a measure of AF inducibility, at all sites. During the last 3  hours, vasostatin‐1, 33  nM, was injected into the anterior right (AR) ganglionated plexus (GP) and inferior right (IR) GP every 30  minutes (n = 6). Seven dogs underwent 6  hours of RAP only (controls). At baseline, acetylcholine, 100  mM, was applied on the right AA and AF duration was recorded before and after injection of vasostatin‐1, 33  nM, into the ARGP and IRGP. In separate experiments (n = 8), voltage–sinus rate response curves (surrogate for GP function) were constructed by applying high‐frequency stimulation to the ARGP with incremental voltages with or without vasostatin‐1. Vasostatin‐1 significantly decreased the duration of acetylcholine‐induced AF (11.0 ± 4.1 vs 5.5 ± 2.6 min, P = 0.02). The cumulative WOV (the sum of individual WOVs) significantly increased (P < 0.0001) during the first 3  hours and decreased toward baseline in the presence of vasostatin‐1 (P < 0.0001). Cumulative WOV in controls steadily increased. Vasostatin‐1 blunted the slowing of sinus rate with increasing stimulation voltage of ARGP.

Conclusions: Vasostatin‐1 suppresses AF inducibility, likely by inhibiting GP function. These data may provide new insights into the role of peptide neuromodulators for AF therapy. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23, pp. 771‐777, July 2012)
Contact sensitization to tree moss (Evernia furfuracea extract, INCI) is heterogeneous
Authors: Uter Wolfgang , Schmidt Erich , Lessmann Holger , Schnuch Axel
Published: April 2012

Background.
Evernia prunastri (oak moss) and Evernia furfuracea (tree moss) are lichens from which natural extracts are obtained.

Objectives. To identify possible subgroups of E. furfuracea‐sensitized patients according to whether these are allergic to lichen components or to contaminants.

Methods. A retrospective analysis was performed of surveillance data collected by the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (www.ivkd.org) in 2003–2010 with oak moss absolute (1% pet.), tree moss absolute (1% pet.), and colophonium (colophony, 20% pet.).

Results. In total, 3030 patients had been tested with all three allergens. Positive reactions to E. furfuracea were observed in 6.37%, to E. prunastri in 5.71%, and to colophonium in 4.82%. Concordance between positive reactions to E. prunastri and E. furfuracea was good only in patients not co‐sensitized to colophonium (Cohen's κ = 0.681, 95% confidence interval 0.615‐0.746). Moreover, E. furfuracea‐sensitized patients showed (strong or extreme) concomitant reactions to colophonium significantly more often if not co‐sensitized to E. prunastri.

Conclusions. Two subgroups of E. furfuracea‐sensitized patients are identifiable: (i) those with sensitization to (oxidized) resin acids, as indicated by positive patch test reactions also to colophonium, and (ii) those non‐sensitized to resin acids, but sensitized to common constituents of E. prunastri and E. furfuracea.
Relative frequency function models for species distribution modeling
Authors: Loehle Craig
Published: April 2012

A new approach to habitat distribution modeling is presented and tested with data on North American plants. The relative frequency function (RFF) algorithm compares the relative frequencies of a species’ sample points to that of random points or absence points on the landscape to compute a frequency ratio. The relative frequency ratio r is smoothed across the range of values using moving, overlapping windows. The ratio of frequencies at a sample point for each variable is used to compute the geometric mean score for all data with non‐missing values. Variables are added using a forward stepwise method. Confidence intervals are computed with bootstrap resampling. The method was tested with artificial and species habitat and geographic range data. The RFF method in all cases gave results comparable to other methods tested. For the species with good geographic range maps, the results were consistent with known biogeography.

The RFF method is particularly well‐suited to irregularly shaped distributions and can classify sample points even when the data contain missing values. The method is extremely simple to use and comes with a free software tool, does not require a large sample size, does not require absence data, and is more interpretable and portable than certain other methods.
Functional heterogeneity in a plant–frugivore assemblage enhances seed dispersal resilience to habitat loss
Authors: García Daniel , Martínez Daniel , Herrera José M. , Morales Juan M.
Published: April 2012

The ability of ecosystems to maintain their functions after disturbance (ecological resilience) depends on heterogeneity in the functional capabilities among species within assemblages. Functional heterogeneity may affect resilience by determining multiplicity between species in the provision of functions (redundancy) and complementarity between species in their ability to respond to disturbances (response diversity), but also by promoting the maintenance of biological information that enables ecosystems to reorganize themselves (ecological memory). Here, we assess the role of the components of the functional heterogeneity of a plant–frugivore assemblage on the resilience of seed dispersal to habitat loss. For three years, we quantified the distributions of fruits, frugivorous thrushes (Turdus spp.) and dispersed seeds, as well as frugivore diet and movement, along a gradient of forest cover in N Spain. The abundances and the spatial distributions of fruits and birds varied between years. The different thrushes showed similar diets but differed in spatial behavior and response to habitat loss, suggesting the occurrence of both functional redundancy and response diversity. Forest cover and fruit availability affected the spatial distribution of the whole frugivore assemblage. Fruit tracking was stronger in years when fruits were scarcer but more widespread across the whole fragmented landscape, entailing larger proportions of seeds dispersed to areas of low forest cover and open microhabitats. Rather than depending on redundancy and/or response diversity, seed dispersal resilience mostly emerged from the ecological memory conferred by the inter‐annual variability in fruit production and the ability of thrushes to track fruit resources across the fragmented landscape. Ecological memory also derived from the interaction of plants and frugivores as source organisms (trees in undisturbed forest), mobile links (birds able to disperse seeds into the disturbed habitat), and biological legacies (remnant trees and small forest patches offering scattered fruit resources across the landscape).
Expression of MMPs and TIMP‐1 in smoker and nonsmoker chronic periodontitis patients before and after periodontal treatment
Authors: Mouzakiti E. , Pepelassi E. , Fanourakis G. , Markopoulou C. , Tseleni‐Balafouta S. , Vrotsos I.
Published: April 2012

Mouzakiti E, Pepelassi E, Fanourakis G, Markopoulou C, Tseleni‐Balafouta S, Vrotsos I. Expression of MMPs and TIMP‐1 in smoker and nonsmoker chronic periodontitis patients before and after periodontal treatment. J Periodont Res 2012; 47: 532–542. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Background and Objective:  Nonsurgical periodontal treatment controls periodontal inflammation. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) are implicated both in the destruction and in the healing of periodontal tissues. The aim of the present study was to compare the mRNA expression of MMP‐1, ‐3, ‐8, ‐9 and ‐13 and TIMP‐1 in chronic periodontitis before and after initial periodontal treatment.

Material and Methods:  Ninety gingival samples were harvested from 30 patients with chronic periodontitis (15 nonsmokers and 15 smokers) before and after nonsurgical treatment and from 30 periodontally healthy control subjects (15 nonsmokers and 15 smokers). Clinical parameters were assessed before and after treatment. Total RNA was isolated, and mRNA expression of MMPs and TIMP‐1 was assessed by RT‐PCR.

Results:  Periodontal treatment significantly increased TIMP‐1 expression and decreased the ratios of MMPs/TIMP‐1. Post‐treatment, nonsmokers with periodontitis had significantly higher MMP‐8 and TIMP‐1 expression than healthy nonsmokers, and smokers with periodontitis had significantly higher MMP‐13 and TIMP‐1 expressions than healthy smokers. Post‐treatment, smokers had significantly higher TIMP‐1 expression and lower MMP‐8/TIMP‐1 ratio than nonsmokers. Post‐treatment, there was no correlation among MMPs, and the expression of MMPs and TIMP‐1 was not correlated with clinical measurements.

Conclusion:  Periodontal treatment increased TIMP‐1 expression and decreased the ratios of MMPs/TIMP‐1 in chronic periodontitis. The post‐treatment increase in TIMP‐1 expression was higher for smokers. The TIMP‐1 expression was higher post‐treatment than in health. Post‐treatment, MMP‐8 expression was higher in nonsmokers with periodontitis than in healthy nonsmokers, whereas MMP‐13 expression was higher in smokers with periodontitis than in healthy smokers.
Melatonin suppresses doxorubicin‐induced premature senescence of A549 lung cancer cells by ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction
Authors: Song Naree , Kim Ae Jeong , Kim Hyun‐Ju , Jee Hye Jin , Kim Minjee , Yoo Young Hyun , Yun Jeanho
Published: April 2012

Abstract:  Melatonin is an indolamine that is synthesized in the pineal gland and shows a wide range of physiological functions. Although the anti‐aging properties of melatonin have been reported in a senescence‐accelerated mouse model, whether melatonin modulates cellular senescence has not been determined. In this study, we examined the effect of melatonin on anticancer drug‐induced cellular premature senescence. We found that the doxorubicin (DOX)‐induced senescence of A549 human lung cancer cells and IMR90 normal lung cells was substantially inhibited by cotreatment with melatonin in a dose‐dependent manner. Mechanistically, the DOX‐induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and the decrease in cyclinB and cdc2 expression were not affected by melatonin. However, the DOX‐induced increase in intracellular levels of ROS, which is necessary for premature senescence, was completely abolished upon melatonin cotreatment. In addition, the reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential that occurs upon DOX treatment was inhibited by melatonin. An aberrant increase in mitochondrial respiration was also significantly suppressed by melatonin, indicating that melatonin ameliorates the mitochondrial dysfunction induced by DOX treatment. The treatment of A549 cells with luzindole, a potent inhibitor of melatonin receptors, failed to prevent the effects of melatonin treatment on mitochondrial functions and premature senescence in cells also treated with DOX; this suggests that melatonin suppresses DOX‐induced senescence in a melatonin receptor‐independent manner. Together, these results reveal that melatonin has an inhibitory effect of melatonin on premature senescence at the cellular level and that melatonin protects A549 cells from DOX‐induced senescence. Thus, melatonin might have the therapeutic potential to prevent the side effects of anticancer drug therapy.
When were the First Olympics?
Authors: Christesen Paul
Published: April 2012

The date of the first-ever Olympic Games seems unimpeachable. But recent analysis shows that it is nothing more than a statistical approximation – one of the earliest ever made. The approximator – our proto-statistician – was Hippias of Elis. Before statisticians claim him as one of their own, they should know that he fudged his data. Paul Christesen tells all.
Development of cerebral sulci and gyri in ferrets (Mustela putorius)
Authors: Sawada Kazuhiko , Watanabe Misaki
Published: April 2012

The present study aimed to clarify sulcation and gyration patterns in the developing cerebrum of ferrets. While the brain weight and fronto‐occipital length of the cerebral hemisphere reached a plateau by postnatal day (PD) 42, the cerebral width reached a plateau at the rostral region by PD 21, and subsequently at the caudal region by PD 42. The ferret cerebrum already showed a convoluted surface with indentations of coronal and rostral suprasylvian sulci on PD 4. The presylvian and cruciate sulci emerged by PD 10, resulting in convolutions of gyri in the rostral half of the cerebrum. The caudal half of the cerebrum was infolded by the emergence of the pseudosylvian sulcus and the rhinal fissure by PD 10, and the caudal suprasylvian and lateral sulci by PD 21. The emergence of those sulci allowed a gyration in the caudal half of the cerebrum. Sexual differences in sulcation were detected by a more distinct convolution of the visual cortex in males than in females on PD 90. Those results, therefore, suggest that the ferret cerebrum experiences cortical maturation with sulcation and gyration in a rostrocaudal gradient manner. The present paper provides neuroanatomic references for normal development of cerebral sulci and gyri in both sexes of ferrets.
Presence of the functional CASPASE‐12 allele in Indian subpopulations
Authors: Yavari M. , Brinkley G. , Klapstein K. D. , Hartwig W. C. , Rao R. , Hermel E.
Published: April 2012

Most humans lack a functional CASP12 gene, with the nonfunctional variant (CASP12p1), found in 100% of the Caucasian and east Asian population, and in approximately 80% of people of African descent. However, 20% of Africans carry an intact allele of CASP12, which produces a full‐length pro‐enzyme and increases the risk of sepsis. We examined CASP12 allele distribution in persons from central and southern Asia and found that CASP12 was significantly present in members of the Dravidian language group, particularly in persons from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
An intervention to change the approach to colorectal cancer screening in primary care
Authors: Spruce Lisa R. , Sanford Julie Tanner
Published: April 2012

Abstract  Purpose: The purpose of this project was to increase colorectal cancer screening (CRC) rates in the state of Nevada. Research has shown that there are several interventions for providers to use to increase CRC screening rates in practice. The Nevada Colon Cancer Partnership (NCCP) has created a toolkit to assist providers to implement these interventions in practice.

Data Sources: Research has repeatedly shown that CRC screening has a great impact on the morbidity and mortality of CRC. Studies have shown that a fecal occult blood test can detect 60–85% of CRCs and a colonoscopy with polyp removal can reduce mortality by 60–90%. Multiple studies have shown that a provider's recommendation is the most consistently influential factor in cancer screening. Furthermore, offering patients a choice and encouraging active participation in health care decision making has proven to increase CRC screening rates.

Conclusions: The NCCP has collaborated with the American Cancer Society to create a web based toolkit for use by providers to change practice and screen all eligible patients for CRC. The toolkit is designed to encourage providers to decrease the morbidity and mortality of CRC and other cancers. The toolkit is useful to facilitate efforts of office‐based clinicians to reduce disparities by applying screening guidelines on a universal basis to the age‐appropriate population. A team approach to screening is encouraged to promote an opportunistic or global approach to assure all eligible patients are reached.

Implications for Practice: As healthcare reform continues to evolve, Nurse Practitioners (NPs) will assume much of the primary care needs of our country. A preventive care model is an important aspect of the future of healthcare. NPs are in a perfect position to change the health of patients in a global way. The strategies and tools presented in this toolkit are designed to improve preventive care and assist the NP in assuring that every eligible patient receives the screening tests they need.
Minimal residual disease detection defined as the malignant fraction of the total primitive stem cell compartment offers additional prognostic information in acute myeloid leukaemia
Authors: TERWIJN M. , KELDER A. , SNEL A. N. , RUTTEN A. P. , SCHOLTEN W. J. , OUSSOREN Y. J. M. , Van De LOOSDRECHT A. A. , ZWEEGMAN S. , OSSENKOPPELE G. J. , SCHUURHUIS G. J.
Published: April 2012

Introduction:  Immunophenotypic detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in bone marrow (BM) of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients is of high prognostic relevance. Standard MRD percentage is assessed as a percentage of total white blood cells (WBCs) and is therefore highly dependent on WBC count. Peripheral blood (PB) contains more than five times lower MRD percentages. Therefore, PB in BM aspirates cause dilution of the MRD cells, possibly leading to false‐negative results for BM MRD. The latter is avoided when relating the fraction of malignant primitive cells, identified by aberrant marker expression [aberrant primitive cells (aPC)], to the total population of primitive cells. Such a fraction may in addition reflect an important biological parameter.

Methods:  As this approach is thus independent of WBC count and the total size of the primitive compartment, we investigated the role of aPC fractions on overall and relapse‐free survival (RFS) in 98 patients with AML under the age of 60.

Results:  We show that this approach identifies MRD‐negative (as defined by % of WBC) but aPC‐positive (as defined by % of primitive cells) patients with poor outcome after both first and second induction cycle of chemotherapy.

Conclusion:  As a result, in cases with a primitive marker present, RFS is best predicted when combining standard MRD percentage with aPC fractions.
Predictors of Right Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Compensated and Decompensated Heart Failure
Authors: Guglin Maya , Win Cho Mya , Darbinyan Nellie , Wu Yougui
Published: April 2012

©2012 Wiley Periodicals Inc.

Current understanding of the mechanisms of right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction in heart failure (HF) is limited. The authors analyzed a limited access dataset from the Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness (ESCAPE) provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). RV systolic function was measured by echocardiography at baseline and at 3‐month follow‐up using fractional area change. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed with linear regression. Of 433 patients enrolled in the ESCAPE trial, 190 had RV systolic function measured at baseline (decompensated HF) and 147 had it measured at 3‐month follow‐up. On both occasions, parameters of congestion were associated with RV systolic function. Interestingly, lower hematocrit level was also associated with better RV systolic function. In multivariate analysis, only wedge pressure remained a statistically significant predictor of RV dysfunction. In summary, cardiac diastolic pressures and corresponding echocardiographic parameters, as well as hematocrit level, predicted RV systolic function in both compensated and decompensated systolic HF.
Natural selection in utero induced by mass layoffs: the hCG evidence
Authors: Catalano Ralph , Margerison‐Zilko Claire , Goldman‐Mellor Sidra , Pearl Michelle , Anderson Elizabeth , Saxton Katherine , Bruckner Tim , Subbaraman Meenakshi , Goodman Julia , Epstein Mollie , Currier Robert , Kharrazi Martin
Published: April 2012

Evolutionary theory, when coupled with research from epidemiology, demography, and population endocrinology, suggests that contracting economies affect the fitness and health of human populations via natural selection in utero. We know, for example, that fetal death increases more among males than females when the economy unexpectedly contracts; that unexpected economic contraction predicts low secondary sex ratios; and that males from low sex ratio birth cohorts live, on average, longer than those from high sex ratio cohorts. We also know that low levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (i.e., hCG) measured in the serum of pregnant women predict fetal death. We do not, however, know whether male survivors of conception cohorts subjected to contracting economies exhibit, as theory predicts, higher hCG than those from other cohorts. We show, in 71 monthly conception cohorts including nearly two million California births, that they do. We thereby add to the literature suggesting that the economy, a phenomenon over which we collectively exercise at least some control, affects population health. Our findings imply that the effect arises via natural selection – a mechanism we largely ignore when attempting to explain, or alter, how collective choice affects our biology.
Patterns of co‐occurrence of stream insects and an examination of a causal mechanism: ecological checkerboard or habitat checkerboard?
Authors: McCREADIE JOHN W. , BEDWELL CHRISTOPHER R.
Published: April 2012

Abstract.  1. Non‐random patterns of species co‐occurrences among habitats and the underlying mechanisms responsible for these patterns are fundamental to ecological research. Fewer co‐occurrences than expected from a random null model are often interpreted as indicating that communities are structured by negative biotic interactions (ecological checkerboards) or by abiotic factors (habitat checkerboards). The difficulty has often been determining the dominant causative mechanism(s) behind these patterns.

2. In the current study, we examine patterns of insect co‐occurrence in 23 low‐gradient, sandy‐bottom coastal streams of the Gulf of Mexico. Focusing our attention on five commonly collected orders in these sites, we ask two fundamental questions about the community: (i) Are patterns of insect co‐occurrence non‐random? (ii) If these patterns are non‐random, are they consistent with the expectations of a community structured largely by abiotic conditions, biotic conditions (e.g. species interaction) or both?

3. Using a series of null models, we found a strong pattern of negative co‐occurrence (segregation) for both genera and species when all stream sites were considered. When we partially controlled for the influence of abiotic conditions by examining a subset of streams with similar abiotic conditions, both species and genera showed a very significant pattern of aggregation. These results therefore suggest that abiotic conditions act as a strong filter, influencing the patterns of co‐occurrence for both genera and species.

4. Comparisons of co‐occurrence patterns between the species‐level and genus‐level analyses suggested similar degrees of segregation. Thus, no compelling evidence of competition influencing insect distributions among streams was found.
The influence of conservation field margins in intensively managed grazing land on communities of five arthropod trophic groups
Authors: ANDERSON ANNETTE , CARNUS TIM , HELDEN ALVIN J. , SHERIDAN HELEN , PURVIS GORDON
Published: April 2012

Abstract. 1. Arthropods, a major component of functional biodiversity within agro‐ecosystems, contribute to sustainability through processes including nutrient cycling and pest control. Extensively managed field margins can help protect this functional biodiversity by providing habitat for beneficial species.

2. This 2 year study investigated the relative benefits of grassland field margin treatments (Fenced only, Rotavated, and Reseeded (with a grass and wildflower mixture)) on the abundance and taxon richness of five arthropod trophic groups (detritivores, herbivores, predators, parasitoids and hyperparasitoids) from the orders Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera and Araneae.

3. The taxon richness and abundance of all trophic groups (with the exception of herbivore abundance) was greater in fenced field margin treatments than in the adjacent grazed field, particularly by the final sampling occasion. However, there were seasonal differences, with abundance and taxon richness generally greater in August than in June. Only detritivores and herbivores responded to the individual fenced field margin treatments. The botanically more species rich, rotavated and reseeded treatments, had greater detritivore and herbivore richness and abundance than the fenced only treatments.

4. Community structure analysis indicated that the grazed (within) field and fenced field margins had two distinct communities for all trophic groups, demonstrating the conservation value of the margins within intensively managed agricultural grasslands.

5. The current Irish agri‐environment scheme requires fencing of field margins. Our results highlight how this relatively simple measure can benefit arthropod conservation and functional biodiversity. This may in turn benefit farm productivity through potentially improved nutrient cycling and natural pest control.
Short Selling and Intraday Price Pressures
Authors: Shkilko Andriy , Van Ness Bonnie , Van Ness Robert
Published: April 2012

We study episodes of significant intraday downward price pressures in individual stocks and find that price declines during such episodes are driven mainly by liquidity demanding nonshort volume. Although short sellers during these price pressure episodes are also active and somewhat exacerbate the magnitude of price declines, their influence on prices is secondary to that of nonshort sellers. As such, our findings are inconsistent with the recently reignited allegations of systematic trading abuses caused solely by short sellers and might shed light on the debate regarding the need to reinstitute short selling restrictions.
Credit Contagion Channels: Market Microstructure Evidence from Lehman Brothers’ Bankruptcy
Authors: Chakrabarty Bidisha , Zhang Gaiyan
Published: April 2012

Immediately after Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy, many firms disclosed their financial exposure (or lack thereof) to Lehman. This offers a clean setting to test two credit contagion channels through which a financial firm's bankruptcy can affect other firms—“counterparty risk” and “information transmission” channels. Using market microstructure variables to measure the various dimensions of contagion effects, we provide robust evidence supporting the significance of counterparty risk. Firms with exposure to Lehman suffered more severe negative effects—wider bid‐ask spread, higher price impact, greater information asymmetry, and greater selling pressure—than unexposed firms. We find mixed evidence regarding the information transmission hypothesis.
Sub‐inhibitory concentrations of different pharmaceutical products affect the meta‐transcriptome of river biofilm communities cultivated in rotating annular reactors
Authors: Yergeau Etienne , Sanschagrin Sylvie , Waiser Marley J. , Lawrence John R. , Greer Charles W.
Published: April 2012

Surface waters worldwide are contaminated by pharmaceutical products that are released into the environment from wastewater treatment plants. Here, we hypothesize that pharmaceutical products have effects on organisms as well as genes related to nutrient cycling in complex microbial communities. To test this hypothesis, biofilms were grown in reactors and subjected low concentrations of three antibiotics [erythromycin, ER, sulfamethoxazole, SL and sulfamethazine, SN) and a lipid regulator (gemfibrozil, GM). Total community RNA was extracted and sequenced together with PCR amplicons of the 16S rRNA gene using 454 pyrosequencing. Exposure to pharmaceutical products resulted in very little change in bacterial community composition at the phylum level based on 16S rRNA gene amplicons, even though some genera were significantly affected. In contrast, large shifts were observed in the active community composition based on taxonomic affiliations of mRNA sequences. Consequently, expression of gene categories related to N, P and C cycling were strongly affected by the presence of pharmaceutical products, with each treatment having specific effects. These results indicate that low pharmaceutical product concentrations rapidly provoke a variety of functional shifts in river bacterial communities. In the longer term these shifts in gene expression and microbial activity could lead to a disruption of important ecosystem processes like nutrient cycling.
Living‐donor liver transplantation for autoimmune hepatitis and autoimmune hepatitis–primary biliary cirrhosis overlap syndrome
Authors: Yamashiki Noriyo , Sugawara Yasuhiko , Tamura Sumihito , Kaneko Junichi , Takazawa Yutaka , Aoki Taku , Hasegawa Kiyoshi , Sakamoto Yoshihiro , Koike Kazuhiko , Kokudo Norihiro
Published: April 2012

Aim:  Recurrent autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) following liver transplantation has been reported in 20–30% of cases, mainly of Western populations. The aim of this study was to review our experience of living‐donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in Japanese patients with AIH.

Methods:  Among 375 adult (age ≥18 years) LDLT performed at our center between 1996 and 2010, 16 (4.2%) were for patients with AIH (n = 12) or AIH–primary biliary cirrhosis overlap syndrome (n = 4). The patient and donor characteristics and post‐transplantation course were reviewed.

Results:  All recipients were female with a median age of 48 years (range, 21–58). Low‐dose methylprednisolone and calcineurin inhibitors were continued in all patients. Acute cellular rejection occurred in 10 (63%), which was more frequent than in our overall series of 28.5% (107/375 cases). Overall survival rate was 81.2% at 5 years. At the end of the follow up (median, 6.0 years [range, 0.1–9.6]), 13 patients were alive with normal liver function tests (aspartate transaminase, 18 ± 5 IU/mL; alanine transaminase, 16 ± 8 IU/mL). None of the survivors exhibited liver function test results suspicious for recurrent AIH, which might indicate liver biopsy.

Conclusion:  Survival after LDLT for AIH and overlap syndrome was excellent and there was no evidence of clinical recurrence. The recurrence rate of AIH after liver transplantation may differ among countries, and requires further investigation.
Remembering and Disremembering in Africa
Authors: Waliaula Ken Walibora
Published: April 2012

Abstract   In remembering the attainment of political emancipation, post‐independence African countries have learned to narrate the official national narrative and to forget other stories. Commemoration of the nation’s past almost always goes hand in hand with officially decreed national amnesia. Therefore, the story of the nation has to be narrated and remembered by forgetting certain aspects of the colonial past. By implication the dual act of remembering and forgetting sets the pattern for how the postcolonial African nation narrates itself in the postcolonial moment. Focusing on Kenya as an example, this paper argues that the national commemoration of political emancipation from colonial rule tends to silence narratives of opposition and political incarceration that emerge in the postcolonial moment. The outcome is a remembering‐and‐forgetting battle that has implications for how diverse individuals conceive of themselves collectively as a nation and how they forge or fail to forge a coherent collective memory.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art as an Adjunct of Factory: Richard F. Bach and the Resolution Between Gilman’s Temple and Dana’s Department Store
Authors: Guglielmo Antoniette M.
Published: April 2012

Abstract   This article examines the metaphors used by museum leaders in the early twentieth century. Richard F. Bach’s metaphor for the Metropolitan Museum of Art as an adjunct of factory is positioned as a philosophical resolution between those of two prominent contemporaries: Benjamin Ives Gilman’s metaphor of the art museum as a temple and John Cotton Dana’s metaphor of the museum as a department store, which are often viewed by historians in a dichotomy of unresolved tension. While examining differences in institutional agendas suggested by these metaphors, this article illuminates the common goal among them: Museums explicitly saw themselves as serving an essential role in American society to refine public taste and the aesthetic sophistication of their audiences. A close analysis of the metaphors reveals three historical models that offered varying visitor experiences for exercising good taste.
Art and National Identity: Some Museums in Prague
Authors: Carrier David
Published: April 2012

In histories of the art museum, Prague has only a minor place. Yet at one crucial early moment, Prague played an important role in what we might call the prehistory of European public museums. There is a close link between art museums and nationalism. One necessary condition for being a country, it might be said, is that its people have a distinctive artistic tradition and therefore reason to build a museum in which to house it. What, then, is the relationship between Prague’s art museums and the identity of the Czech people?
Determination and Stability Analysis of Equilibrium Configurations of Objects Suspended From Multiple Aerial Robots
Authors: Jiang Qimi , Kumar Vijay
Published: April 2012

This work addresses the problem for determining the position and orientation of objects suspended with n cables from n aerial robots. This is actually the direct kinematics problem of the 3D cable system. First, the problem is formulated based on the static equilibrium condition. Then, an analytic algorithm based on resultant elimination is proposed to determine all possible equilibrium configurations of the planar 4-bar linkage. As the nonlinear system can be reduced to a polynomial equation in one unknown with a degree 8, this algorithm is more efficient than numerical search algorithms. Considering that the motion of a 3D cable system in its vertical planes of symmetry can be regarded as the motion of an equivalent planar 4-bar linkage, the proposed algorithm is used to solve the direct kinematics problem of objects suspended from multiple aerial robots. Case studies with three to six robots are conducted for demonstration. Then, approaches for stability analysis based on Hessian matrix are developed, and the stability of obtained equilibrium configurations is analyzed. Finally, experiments are conducted for validation.
Commutation Sparking Image Monitoring for DC Motor
Authors: Hu Fei , He Qingbo , Wang Jianping , Liu Zhigang , Kong Fanrang
Published: April 2012

As one of the most important parameters in evaluating the status of a DC motor, commutation spark has been widely used in condition monitoring and fault diagnosis. A new approach using image processing techniques on the commutation spark has been proposed. Advantageous over other methods using partial spark information, the details about the motor condition can be comprehensively retained and extracted from the sparking images. The sparking images were obtained by the cameras, which were fixed at the certain sites in DC motor beforehand. The images were processed through the sparking image preprocessing, segmentation, enhancement, and feature extraction. Comparing the characteristic parameters of the sparking image with the result of the subjective grading, the relationship between the parameters and the sparking grades had been analyzed to monitor the DC motor. The effectiveness had been demonstrated by application examples.
Robust Initial Matching of Free-Form Objects Represented by Point Clouds
Authors: OuYang Daoshan , Feng Hsi-Yung , A. Jahangir Nimun , Song Hao
Published: April 2012

The problem of best matching two point cloud data sets or, mathematically, identifying the best rigid-body transformation matrix between them, arises in many application areas such as geometric inspection and object recognition. Traditional methods establish the correspondence between the two data sets via the measure of shortest Euclidean distance and rely on an iterative procedure to converge to the solution. The effectiveness of such methods is highly dependent on the initial condition for the numerical iteration. This paper proposes a new robust scheme to automatically generate the needed initial matching condition. The initial matching scheme undertakes the alignment in a global manner and yields a rough match of the data sets. Instead of directly minimizing the distance measure between the data sets, the focus of the initial matching is on the alignment of shape features. This is achieved by evaluating Delaunay pole spheres for the point cloud data sets and analyzing their distributions to map out the intrinsic features of the underlying surface shape. The initial matching result is then fine-tuned by the final matching step via the traditional iterative closest point method. Case studies have been performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed initial matching scheme.
Setup Planning Automation for Six-Axis Wire Electrical Discharge Machining
Authors: Yang Zhi , Wysk Richard A , Joshi Sanjay
Published: April 2012

A modern six-axis wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) system is capable of producing more complex geometries than 2D, 2½D, or ruled surface parts. The rotational axis on a six-axis WEDM system allows a part to be rotated while using a cutting wire to fabricate it. However, limited automation for process planning six-axis WEDM systems requires significant time and effort must be put into process planning. Even with commercially-available computer-aided design (CAD) software, it is difficult to produce process plans for a six-axis WEDM system. Toward automatic development of process plans, a method of determining such setup plans, including the number of setup orientations and rotational axis movements, is presented in this paper. Tangent visibility analysis results presented in our prior research are used to guide the setup, and intermediate coordinate systems are defined in order to classify the tangent visibility results. A greedy algorithm is developed to determine the set of intermediate coordinates and setup orientations for six-axis WEDM.
Dynamic Analysis of Planetary Gears With Bearing Clearance
Authors: Guo Yi , Parker Robert G.
Published: April 2012

This study investigates the dynamics of planetary gears where nonlinearity is induced by bearing clearance. Lumped-parameter and finite element models with bearing clearance, tooth separation, and gear mesh stiffness variation are developed. The harmonic balance method with arc length continuation is applied to the lumped-parameter model to obtain the dynamic response. Solution stability is analyzed using Floquet theory. Rich nonlinear behavior is exhibited, consisting of nonlinear jumps, a hardening effect induced by the transition from no bearing contact to contact, and softening induced by tooth separation. Bearings of the central members (sun, carrier, and ring) impact against the bearing races near resonances, which leads to coexisting solutions in wide speed ranges, grazing bifurcation, and chaos. Secondary Hopf and period-doubling bifurcations are the routes to chaos. Input torque can suppress some of the nonlinear effects caused by bearing clearance.
Optimal Design and Operation of a Solar Energy Receiver and Storage
Authors: Ghobeity Amin , Mitsos Alexander
Published: April 2012

Optimization of design and operation is presented for a solar energy receiver combined with a thermal energy storage. The concentrated solar power on-demand (CSPonD) concept, which can be described, in brief, as a volumetric solar energy receiver system combined with a modified raft thermocline concept, is considered. The CSPonD concept is assumed to be providing heat for a general cogeneration scheme where power production is the main product of the cogeneration. With a constant power production, a secondary process is assumed to consume the process heat from the CSPonD and power cycle. Models are developed for thermal analysis of the energy storage, taking into account hourly and seasonal variations in the solar energy as well as the heliostat field efficiency. Nonlinear programming (NLP) is used for optimization of the design and operation. The sequential method of optimization and a heuristic approach (parallel computing) are implemented using an equation-oriented modeling environment and gradient-based local solvers. A strategy is presented to design and operate the plant, considering the significant seasonal variations in the solar energy. Three case studies are presented. The first one optimizes the design based on a design day and a desired thermal duty. The other two address optimal yearly operation of the plant. The results of the optimization case studies show that (a) the CSPonD concept aids in handling variations (hourly, daily, and seasonal) in solar energy, (b) CSPonD is a promising concept for cogeneration, (c) the mass of salt required in the CSPonD concept is not significantly lower than the salt required in a single-tank thermal energy storage system.