bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preferential dewetting of gold thin films on single walled carbon nanotubes to produce nanogap electrodes
Authors: Kim Taewoo , Im Hyeongwook , Kang Tae June , Kim Yong Hyup
Published: May 2016

Based on the preferential dewetting behavior of Au films on SWNTs, a novel fabrication process is devised to provide nanogap electrodes.
The cognitive and rhetorical role of term variation and its contribution to knowledge construction in research articles
Authors: Fernández-Silva Sabela
Published: May 2016

This study explored the behaviour and functions of term variation in research articles in order to better understand the process of knowledge construction within texts. A semantic analysis of term variation in 19 Spanish-language psychology research articles was carried out. Variants were classified according to the semantic distance from the base term. Analysis revealed that term variation provides information about the concept’s content and its relationships with other concepts within the conceptual structure. Furthermore, an examination of the distribution of term variants across text sections revealed three rhetorical functions of term variation: a naming function, present in the title, abstract and keyword sections; an explanatory function, in the introduction and discussion sections; and a particularizing function, in the method and results sections. This analysis confirmed that intratextual term variation plays a cognitive and rhetorical function in research articles, helping to construct and transfer knowledge within the text and to realize the communicative purposes of the genre.
Belonging ‘In Itself’ and Aristotle’s Theory of Demonstration
Authors: Bronstein David
Published: May 2016

This chapter begins by discussing Aristotle’s account in Posterior Analytics 1.4 of two ways in which an attribute P can belong ‘in itself’ to a subject S. In the first (‘in itself1’), P is (part of) the essence of S. In the second (‘in itself2’), S is part of the essence of P. The chapter then distinguishes between two models of demonstration. In a Model 1 demonstration, the middle term signifies the essence of the item signified by the minor (subject) term (and the attribute demonstrated is an ‘in itself accident’ of the subject). In a Model 2 demonstration, the middle term signifies the essence of the item signified by the major (attribute) term (and the attribute demonstrated belongs ‘in itself2’ to the subject). The chapter concludes with a discussion of how Aristotle might have integrated the two models of demonstration into a single coherent account of scientific explanation.
Cause, Essence, and Definition
Authors: Bronstein David
Published: May 2016

This chapter examines an important distinction Aristotle makes in the Posterior Analytics between the sort of cause that is ‘the same’ and the sort of cause that is ‘different’. It argues that a cause is either the same as or different from the essence of the thing of which it is the cause. It further argues that all and only demonstrable attributes have causes that are different and that all and only subject-kinds have causes that are the same. The chapter concludes with a discussion of Aristotle’s account of the different types of definition in Posterior Analytics 2.10, focusing in particular on nominal accounts
The Origin and Aim of APo 2.19
Authors: Bronstein David
Published: May 2016

This chapter closely examines the last and most famous chapter of the Posterior Analytics: 2.19. It argues, against the standard view, that Aristotle’s aim is not to explain the whole route we must traverse in order to reach nous of first principles. His aim is rather to argue, against Plato, that the route begins in perception. Aristotle’s account of our acquisition of nous of first principles is found earlier in Posterior Analytics 2, in his account of definitional inquiry. The chapter also argues that in 2.19 Aristotle does not claim that induction is the way we learn first principles; rather, he claims that induction is the way we learn the preliminary accounts we rely on when we begin searching for them. The chapter also discusses the role of perception, memory, and experience in learning preliminary accounts.
Conclusion
Authors: Bronstein David
Published: May 2016

The main argument of the book is briefly summarized, with emphasis on the Socratic Picture of the order of inquiry and Aristotle’s account of how we acquire nous of the first principles of a science.
Preamble
Authors: Ladd Mark
Published: May 2016

Chapter 1 introduces material which is developed in later chapters as the main substance of the book. It includes discussions of the atomic nature of matter, states of matter, crystalline and amorphous solids, isomorphism and polymorphism, solid-state transitions and liquid crystals. An outline of bonding in covalent, molecular, ionic, metallic and hydrogen-bonded solids is provided, together with a classification of solids in terms of these sub-divisions.
Molecular Compounds
Authors: Ladd Mark
Published: May 2016

This chapter considers electric moments and the interactions between ions, dipoles and quadrupoles, often referred to collectively as van der Waals forces. The Langevin function is derived and polarization of chemical species treated in terms of states of matter and applied electric field frequency. Intermolecular potentials and the structure of liquids are discussed. The structural and physical characteristics of molecular compounds are treated in detail, and the classification of compounds, as outlined in Chapter 1, is extended. A classification of organic structures in the solid state is given and enhanced by numerous stereoscopic illustrations.
Mozambique
Authors: Arndt Channing , Jones E. Samuel , Tarp Finn
Published: May 2016

This chapter assesses whether Mozambique’s poverty reduction is on- or off-track, or temporarily sidelined. A series of shocks, especially the fuel and food price crisis of 2008, combined with poor productivity growth in agriculture and a weather shock, undermined progress in measured consumption poverty. These shocks exposed persistent weaknesses in development strategies. Perspectives from 2009 to the present are less clear due to a lack of comprehensive data on how the fruits of continued rapid economic growth are being distributed. Nevertheless, recent economic and social trends, which draw from the available information base, provide some forward-looking perspectives. Mozambique has the potential to achieve rapid and broad-based economic and social progress with key reforms, as well as peace and stability.
Poverty, Inequality, and Prices in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Authors: Leibbrandt Murray , Finn Arden , Oosthuizen Morné
Published: May 2016

Post-apartheid poverty and inequality trends have been the subject of intensive analysis, yet relatively little attention has been devoted to the impact of differential price movements on the measurement of poverty and inequality. This chapter aims to tell the story of the evolution of both money-metric and non-money-metric poverty and inequality in post-apartheid South Africa, and to assess the effect of prices on this story. Without accounting for price changes, a consensus narrative emerges of falling income poverty and income inequality remaining stubbornly high. Asset and multidimensional poverty indices show stronger declines in poverty and a decline in inequality. Price changes are shown to be anti-poor and to worsen inequality in the latter half of the 2000s. Thus, these price changes dampen measured improvements in poverty and inequality. The prices of food, electricity, water, and transport are shown to be particularly influential in these results.
Poetry after the Revolution
Authors: Pearson Roger
Published: May 2016

This chapter considers how other writers of the immediate post-revolutionary period viewed the function of poetry within this newly polarized political landscape. On the Left Staël’s initial scepticism about verse poetry is shared by Constant and Senancour, but each contributes to the emerging figure of the lyric poet as lawgiver: the former by his emphasis on the importance of religious sentiment to human fulfilment, the latter by the creation in Oberman of the writer as a secular mouthpiece for the poetry of nature. On the Right De Maistre and Bonald seek with Chateaubriand to make poetry the new instrument of a Catholic and monarchist Restoration. Together with Ballanche and La Harpe they allege a divine rather than human origin for language and argue that poetry—as this ‘original language’—is the means to a recovery of divine truth as manifest in David’s Hebrew Psalms, which now require a Christian equivalent.
Re-Viewing Routines through a Pragmatist Lens
Authors: Simpson Barbara , Lorino Philippe
Published: May 2016

The practice-based view that currently dominates the routines literature is based on an ostensive-performative duality. However, from the perspective of process philosophy, this duality, or at least the manner in which it is applied, presents four key obstacles to a more processual theorization of routines. This chapter offers an alternative approach that builds on Pragmatist philosophy, especially the ideas of John Dewey and George Herbert Mead, which inform a performative rather than a representational approach to understanding ordinary everyday actions. The argument provides an account of the social and temporal situatedness of human conduct in terms of the interrelated processes of habit, inquiry, and conversational trans-actions.
The Role of Artifacts in Establishing Connectivity Within Professional Routines
Authors: Jarzabkowski Paula , Bednarek Rebecca , Spee Paul
Published: May 2016

This chapter focuses on the critical role of artifacts within the cycles of action through which routines are performed. Conceptualizing actors and artifact as entangled in action, it offers a multi-layered approach to the study of routines. The chapter also advances the theorizing of professional routines that stretch across organizations. Drawing on a global ethnography of the reinsurance industry, the authors demonstrate how professional knowledge is performed in such routines. They develop a processual framework that shows how the professional routine unfolds within three connected layers of entangled actions, actors, and artifacts: connecting with the profession; connecting with individual work; and connecting with collective work. The authors address the context of reinsurance, specifically examining the role of the rating sheet in the entanglement of action, actor, and artifact in performing the “deal appraisal routine” that is central to the profession of underwriting.
When “Good” is Not Good Enough
Authors: Aggerholm Helle Kryger , Asmuß Birte
Published: May 2016

The chapter explores some of the performative resources available to individual actors when discursively creating and sustaining a certain organizational routine, namely performance appraisal interviews (PAIs). By looking at one substantial and recurrent micro-level activity in PAIs, namely the evaluation of employee performance, this chapter pursues a better understanding of the relationship between social interaction and the negotiation of power in micro-level routines on the one hand and the performance of larger organizational routines on the other. The study indicates that interactional micro-level routines are not power neutral. Due to the internal power dynamics of organizational routines, performative and ostensive aspects cannot be separated, given that both elements function as interactional resources for the participants in accomplishing the actions at stake. Although language and its effects have been acknowledged as important objects of study in organizational routines, the study highlights the constitutive role of language and interaction for organizational routines.
Dynamic In-capabilities
Authors: Swan Jacky , Robertson Maxine , Newell Sue
Published: May 2016

This chapter identifies the routines enacted in complex innovation processes, specifically during drug development projects. Routines performed locally are nested in an organizational ecology constituted by multiple stakeholders, and in an innovation process characterized by “unknowability.” Drawing from an extensive study of innovation projects in biotechnology firms, the authors identify strategic routines—protecting, evolving, and resourcing the science—that are enacted across organizations in order to develop new therapeutics, and three performative “guesswork” routines enacted within these firms—hedging, compressing, and reprioritizing. These routines reflect the influence of other organizations in the ecology—investors and potential investors, who demand to see swift progress and positive outcomes, and regulatory authorities that prescribe drug development as a linear process. This fosters a regime whereby guesswork routines at the project level simultaneously acquiesce to institutional pressures within the project ecology to demonstrate progress, yet may practically hinder the innovation process.
New DNA coalescent models and old population genetics software†
Authors: Grant W. Stewart , Árnason Einar , Eldon Bjarki
Published: May 2016

The analyses of often large amounts of field and laboratory data depend on computer programs to generate descriptive statistics and to test hypotheses. The algorithms in these programs are often complex and can be understood only with advanced training in mathematics and programming, topics that are beyond the capabilities of most fisheries biologists and empirical population geneticists. The backward looking Kingman coalescent model, based on the classic forward-looking Wright–Fisher model of genetic change, is used in many genetics software programs to generate null distributions against which to test hypotheses. An article in this issue by Niwa et al. shows that the assumption of bifurcations at nodes in the Kingman coalescent model is inappropriate for highly fecund Japanese sardines, which have type III life histories. Species with this life history pattern are better modelled with multiple mergers at the nodes of a coalescent gene genealogy. However, only a few software programs allow analysis with multiple-merger coalescent models. This parameter misspecification produces demographic reconstructions that reach too far into the past and greatly overestimates genetically effective population sizes (the number of individuals actually contributing to the next generation). The results of Niwa et al. underline the need to understand the assumptions and model parameters in the software programs used to analyse DNA sequences.
Which Anesthesia Regimen Is Best to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality in Lung Surgery?
Authors: Beck-Schimmer Beatrice , Bonvini John M. , Braun Julia , Seeberger Manfred , Neff Thomas A. , Risch Tobias J. , Stüber Frank , Vogt Andreas , Weder Walter , Schneiter Didier , Filipovic Miodrag , Puhan Milo
Published: May 2016

Background

One-lung ventilation during thoracic surgery is associated with hypoxia–reoxygenation injury in the deflated and subsequently reventilated lung. Numerous studies have reported volatile anesthesia–induced attenuation of inflammatory responses in such scenarios. If the effect also extends to clinical outcome is yet undetermined. We hypothesized that volatile anesthesia is superior to intravenous anesthesia regarding postoperative complications.

Methods

Five centers in Switzerland participated in the randomized controlled trial. Patients scheduled for lung surgery with one-lung ventilation were randomly assigned to one of two parallel arms to receive either propofol or desflurane as general anesthetic. Patients and surgeons were blinded to group allocation. Time to occurrence of the first major complication according to the Clavien-Dindo score was defined as primary (during hospitalization) or secondary (6-month follow-up) endpoint. Cox regression models were used with adjustment for prestratification variables and age.

Results

Of 767 screened patients, 460 were randomized and analyzed (n = 230 for each arm). Demographics, disease and intraoperative characteristics were comparable in both groups. Incidence of major complications during hospitalization was 16.5% in the propofol and 13.0% in the desflurane groups (hazard ratio for desflurane vs. propofol, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.46 to 1.22; P = 0.24). Incidence of major complications within 6 months from surgery was 40.4% in the propofol and 39.6% in the desflurane groups (hazard ratio for desflurane vs. propofol, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.71 to 1.28; P = 0.71).

Conclusions

This is the first multicenter randomized controlled trial addressing the effect of volatile versus intravenous anesthetics on major complications after lung surgery. No difference between the two anesthesia regimens was evident.
Corneal Thickness Profile Changes After Femtosecond LASIK for Hyperopia
Authors: Li Tao , Zhou Xiaodong , Chen Zhi , Zhou Xingtao
Published: May 2016

Purpose:

To compare changes in the corneal thickness profile before and 6 months after femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for hyperopia.

Methods:

In a prospective noncomparative case series study, 24 eyes of 20 hyperopic patients undergoing femtosecond LASIK were examined preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. Corneal profile was measured using Pentacam HR device. Paired t test was used to compare preoperative and postoperative values. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between the central corneal thickness changes and attempted spherical equivalent refraction (SER).

Results:

The mean uncorrected distance visual acuity significantly improved after surgery (P<0.001). Significant differences in central, midperipheral, ablative annular, and peripheral corneal thicknesses were observed from preoperatively to 6 months postoperatively (all P<0.001). There was no significant correlation between the changes in the central corneal thickness and attempted SER (P=0.23).

Conclusions:

The corneal thicknesses across the whole ablation zone including central corneal thickness, significantly decrease postoperatively compared with preoperatively.
Factors Associated With 7-Day Rehospitalization After Heart Failure Admission
Authors: Eastwood Cathy A. , Quan Hude , Howlett Jonathan G. , King-Shier Kathryn M.
Published: May 2016

Background:

Rehospitalizations within 7 days after discharge may reflect the quality of hospital care.

Objective:

We examined factors associated with 7-day readmissions after discharge for heart failure (HF).

Methods:

Using a matched pair case-control design, we examined health records for sociodemographic, clinical, and health system factors for patients with a primary diagnosis of HF (ICD-10 I50) discharged alive from all acute care hospitals in Calgary, Alberta, from 2004 to 2012. Logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with 7-day all-cause readmission.

Results:

We included 382 patients, or 191 in matched pairs, with 41% of readmissions due to HF. Frailty (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41–3.76) and attending physician as specialist (aOR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.32–3.42) were associated with increased likelihood of readmission. Reduced likelihood of readmission was associated with documented instructions for follow-up with a family physician within 1 week of discharge (aOR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.36–0.88). All 3 factors were easily abstracted from all patient records, including frailty, which was defined as all 3 of age older than 75 years, 3 or more comorbid conditions, and requiring assistance with activities of daily living.

Conclusion:

Very early readmission to hospital after HF admission is associated with 3 factors that may be easily identified in patient records.
A Retrospective Observational Case Series of Low-Flow Venovenous Extracorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal Use in Patients with Respiratory Failure
Authors: Moss Caroline E. , Galtrey Eleanor J. , Camporota Luigi , Meadows Chris , Gillon Stuart , Ioannou Nicholas , Barrett Nicholas A.
Published: May 2016

We aimed to describe the use of venovenous extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCO2R) in patients with hypercapnic respiratory failure. We performed a retrospective case note review of patients admitted to our tertiary regional intensive care unit and commenced on ECCO2R from August 2013 to February 2015. Fourteen patients received ECCO2R. Demographic data, physiologic data (including pH and partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood [PaCO2]) when starting ECCO2R (t = 0), at 4 hourly intervals for the first 24 hours, then at 24 hour intervals until cessation of ECCO2R, and overall outcome were recorded. Patients are reported separately depending on whether the indication for ECCO2R was an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n = 5), or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and persisting hypercapnoea (n = 9). Patients were managed with ECCO2R (Hemolung, ALung Inc, Pittsburgh, PA). Median duration of ECCO2R was 5 days. Four complications related to ECCO2R were reported, none resulting in serious adverse outcomes. Ten patients were discharged from intensive care unit (ICU) alive. A statistically significant improvement in pH (p = 0.012) was demonstrated. Our observational series of ECCO2R shows that this technique can be safely used to achieve therapeutic goals in patients requiring lung protection, and in COPD, in line with current publications in this area.
Illuminating Uveitis: Metagenomic Deep Sequencing Identifies Common and Rare Pathogens
Authors: Doan Thuy , Wilson Michael R. , Crawford Emily D. , Chow Eric D. , Khan Lillian M. , Knopp Kristeene A , Xia Dongxiang , Hacker Jill K. , Stewart Jay M. , Gonzales John A. , Acharya Nisha R. , DeRisi Joseph L.
Published: May 2016

Background

Ocular infections remain a major cause of blindness and morbidity worldwide. While prognosis is dependent on the timing and accuracy of diagnosis, the etiology remains elusive in ~ 50% of presumed infectious uveitis cases.1,2We aimed to determine if unbiased metagenomic deep sequencing (MDS) can accurately detect pathogens in intraocular fluid samples of patients with uveitis.

Methods

This is a proof-of-concept study, in which intraocular fluid samples were obtained from 5 subjects with known diagnoses, and one subject with bilateral chronic uveitis without a known etiology. Samples were subjected to MDS, and results were compared with conventional diagnostic tests. Pathogens were identified using a rapid computational pipeline to analyze the non-host sequences obtained from MDS.

Findings

Unbiased MDS of intraocular fluid produced results concordant with known diagnoses in subjects with (n=4) and without (n=1) uveitis. Rubella virus (RV) was identified in one case of chronic bilateral idiopathic uveitis. The subject’s strain was most closely related to a German RV strain isolated in 1992, one year before he developed a fever and rash while living in Germany.

Interpretation

MDS can identify fungi, parasites, and DNA and RNA viruses in minute volumes of intraocular fluid samples. The identification of chronic intraocular RV infection highlights the eye’s role as a long-term pathogen reservoir, which has implications for virus eradication and emerging global epidemics.
Choroidal thickness does not predict visual acuity in young high myopes
Authors: Gupta Preeti , Cheung Carol Y. , Saw Seang‐Mei , Koh Victor , Tan Mellisa , Yang Adeline , Zhao Paul , Cheung Chui Ming Gemmy , Wong Tien Yin , Cheng Ching‐Yu
Published: May 2016

Purpose

To investigate the influence of choroidal thickness (CT) on visual acuity (VA) in young persons with extremely high myopia.

Methods

We conducted a case–control study of young men with extremely high myopia and controls with emmetropia recruited from a mandatory medical eye review for employment purposes. Retinal and choroidal imaging was performed using enhanced depth imaging (EDI) spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT).

Results

We included 105 extremely high myopic subjects with spherical equivalent (SE) ‐10 dioptre (D) or worse and 50 emmetropic subjects with SE less than 0.5 D. The mean SE was −11.56 ± 2.04 D (range, −10 to −23 D) for myopic group and 0.14 ± 0.25 D for emmetropic group. The mean age of included myopic and emmetropic subjects was 21.51 ± 1.22 years and 21.96 ± 0.89 years, respectively. In the univariate analysis, subfoveal CT was significantly associated with best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (β = −0.039, p = 0.015). However, in the multiple linear regression analysis, after adjusting for SE and presence of any pathological myopia lesions such as posterior staphyloma, lacquer cracks or chorioretinal atrophy, subfoveal CT was not independently associated with BCVA (p = 0.937).

Conclusion

Extremely high myopic eyes had thinner choroid, but CT was not an independent predictor of VA. Other factors related to myopia are likely responsible for the diminished VA in young extremely high myopic eyes.
Long‐term outcomes of simultaneous guided bone regeneration using native and cross‐linked collagen membranes after 8 years
Authors: Schwarz Frank , Schmucker Andrea , Becker Jürgen
Published: May 2016

Objectives

To assess the clinical outcomes of simultaneous guided bone regeneration using native (CM) and cross‐linked (VN) collagen membranes at 8 years.

Materials and methods

A total of n = 19 patients (19 implants) were available for the analysis. Each subject had received a simultaneous grafting of dehiscence‐type defects using a natural bone mineral (NBM) and a random allocation to either CM and VN membranes (submerged healing of 4 months). Clinical parameters (e.g., bleeding on probing – BOP, probing pocket depth – PD, mucosal recession – MR, clinical attachment level – CAL) were recorded at 8 years after prosthesis installation.

Results

At 8 years, CM and VN groups revealed comparable median BOP, PD, MR and CAL values at both vestibular and oral aspects. From 4 to 8 years (n = 14 patients), median CAL at the vestibular aspect improved in both groups; however, these changes were significantly higher at CM‐treated sites (CM: 0.7 mm vs. VN: 0.5 mm).

Conclusion

The clinical long‐term outcomes at 8 years were comparable in both VN and CM groups.
Transverse lie with prolapsed arm in a female red‐howler monkey (Alouatta guariba clamitans –Cabrera, 1940)
Authors: Daneze Edmilson R. , Penna Beatriz L. , Marcondes Lucas F. , Léga‐Palazzo Elzylene , Magalhães Geórgia M.
Published: May 2016

This study focuses on a case of a red‐howler monkey (Alouatta guariba clamitans) which was found with a fetus in a transverse lie position with a prolapsed arm. The topic of this research is well justified as there are no data on this condition involving this type of non‐human primate in literature. In this study, a red‐howler monkey was observed by locals pulling at her pelvic region for 3 days near a farm. On the third day, the monkey was found lying on the ground at which point she offered no resistance when approached. The environmental police took the monkey to receive medical attention. During the physical examination, it was quickly observed that the monkey was pregnant; the right forelimb of the fetus was exposed from the vulva. An ultrasound revealed a non‐viable fetus, and due to the severe weakness of the mother, we opted for euthanasia. During the necropsy, not only was the fetus found macerated but it was also in a transverse lie position with a prolapsed arm and presented no external or internal injuries consistent with trauma.
Building an Alliance for Biotechnology in Africa
Authors: Schurman Rachel
Published: May 2016

Scholars and activists working from within a political economy perspective often fail to explore the distinct motives, interests and behaviours of powerful actors who appear to be working ‘as one’ on a common agenda. Such is the case in recent analyses of efforts to promote the use of biotechnology in Africa. While the critical literature largely focuses on the attempt to create what Peter Newell calls ‘bio‐hegemony’, the present paper explores the diverse interests and tensions that have to be worked out in order to build such pro‐biotechnology coalitions. I analyse the formation of an organization called the African Agricultural Technology Foundation to show how differences between two major pro‐biotech actors – the Rockefeller Foundation and the agricultural biotechnology industry – were negotiated, so that these actors could work together towards the goal of getting GM technologies used and accepted in Africa. In the process, I reveal the inward projection of power that occurred as the biotech companies effectively determined the structure and terms of this alliance.
Insights into secondary reactions occurring during atmospheric ablation of micrometeoroids
Authors: Court Richard W. , Tan Jonathan
Published: May 2016

Ablation of micrometeoroids during atmospheric entry yields volatile gases such as water, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide, capable of altering atmospheric chemistry and hence the climate and habitability of the planetary surface. While laboratory experiments have revealed the yields of these gases during laboratory simulations of ablation, the reactions responsible for the generation of these gases have remained unclear, with a typical assumption being that species simply undergo thermal decomposition without engaging in more complex chemistry. Here, pyrolysis–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy reveals that mixtures of meteorite‐relevant materials undergo secondary reactions during simulated ablation, with organic matter capable of taking part in carbothermic reduction of iron oxides and sulfates, resulting in yields of volatile gases that differ from those predicted by simple thermal decomposition. Sulfates are most susceptible to carbothermic reduction, producing greater yields of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide at lower temperatures than would be expected from simple thermal decomposition, even when mixed with meteoritically relevant abundances of low‐reactivity Type IV kerogen. Iron oxides were less susceptible, with elevated yields of water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide only occurring when mixed with high abundances of more reactive Type III kerogen. We use these insights to reinterpret previous ablation simulation experiments and to predict the reactions capable of occurring during ablation of carbonaceous micrometeoroids in atmospheres of different compositions.
Psychological trauma after the Great East Japan Earthquake
Authors: Matsumoto Kazunori , Sakuma Atsushi , Ueda Ikki , Nagao Ayami , Takahashi Yoko
Published: May 2016

The Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) struck the northeastern part of Japan on 11 March 2011 and triggered a devastating tsunami, causing widespread destruction along the coast of northeastern Japan. The tsunami also led to an accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Incidents occurring in such major disasters are known to lead to psychological trauma. This paper has summarized English‐language documentation regarding GEJE‐related psychological trauma or post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research thus far has reported the possibility of higher probable PTSD prevalence among residents of the GEJE areas than in the average Japanese population during normal times. At the very least, many people have experienced trauma symptoms at self‐recognition levels 1 year or longer after the disaster. It appears that the percentage of persons with high PTSD risk was higher in regions with radiation‐related impacts than in regions where the main damage was caused by the earthquake and tsunami. Results have not been limited to showing relations between severe exposure to a traumatic event and PTSD symptoms but also show that a variety of factors, including social factors, has been shown to interact with PTSD symptoms. The fact that Japanese society as a whole united against the trauma of the GEJE may have worked to minimize the effects of trauma. To grasp a full picture of the effects of psychological trauma due to the GEJE, further surveys and research are necessary. It will be necessary to continue engagements related to these problems and issues into the future.
Three-Phase Cylinder Model of One-Dimensional Hexagonal Piezoelectric Quasi-Crystal Composites
Authors: Guo Junhong , Pan Ernian
Published: May 2016

A three-phase cylinder model (inclusion/matrix/composite) is proposed and analyzed for one-dimensional (1D) piezoelectric quasi-crystal composites. The exact closed-form solutions of the stresses of the phonon and phason fields and the electric field are derived under far-field antiplane mechanical and in-plane electric loadings via the Laurent expansion technique. Numerical results show that the thickness and material properties of the interphase layer can significantly affect the induced fields in the inclusion and interphase layer. Furthermore, the generalized self-consistent method is applied to predict analytically the effective moduli of the piezoelectric quasi-crystal composites. It is observed from the numerical examples that the effective moduli of piezoelectric quasi-crystal composites are very sensitive to the fiber volume fraction as well as to the individual material properties of the fiber and matrix. By comparing QC/PE with QC1/QC2, PE/QC, and PZT-7/epoxy, we found that using QC as fiber could, in general, enhance the effective properties, a conclusion which is in agreement with the recent experimental results.
Standard Genotyping Overestimates Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis among Immigrants in a Low-Incidence Country
Authors: Stucki David , Ballif Marie , Egger Matthias , Furrer Hansjakob , Altpeter Ekkehardt , Battegay Manuel , Droz Sara , Bruderer Thomas , Coscolla Mireia , Borrell Sonia , Zürcher Kathrin , Janssens Jean-Paul , Calmy Alexandra , Mazza Stalder Jesica , Jaton Katia , Rieder Hans L. , Pfyffer Gaby E. , Siegrist Hans H. , Hoffmann Matthias , Fehr Jan , Dolina Marisa , Frei Reno , Schrenzel Jacques , Böttger Erik C. , Gagneux Sebastien , Fenner Lukas
Published: May 2016

Immigrants from regions with a high incidence of tuberculosis (TB) are a risk group for TB in low-incidence countries such as Switzerland. In a previous analysis of a nationwide collection of 520
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
isolates from 2000 to 2008, we identified 35 clusters comprising 90 patients based on standard genotyping (24-locus mycobacterial interspersed repetitive-unit–variable-number tandem-repeat [MIRU-VNTR] typing and spoligotyping). Here, we used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to revisit these transmission clusters. Genome-based transmission clusters were defined as isolate pairs separated by ≤12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). WGS confirmed 17/35 (49%) MIRU-VNTR typing clusters; the other 18 clusters contained pairs separated by >12 SNPs. Most transmission clusters (3/4) of Swiss-born patients were confirmed by WGS, as opposed to 25% (4/16) of the clusters involving only foreign-born patients. The overall clustering proportion was 17% (90 patients; 95% confidence interval [CI], 14 to 21%) by standard genotyping but only 8% (43 patients; 95% CI, 6 to 11%) by WGS. The clustering proportion was 17% (67/401; 95% CI, 13 to 21%) by standard genotyping and 7% (26/401; 95% CI, 4 to 9%) by WGS among foreign-born patients and 19% (23/119; 95% CI, 13 to 28%) and 14% (17/119; 95% CI, 9 to 22%), respectively, among Swiss-born patients. Using weighted logistic regression, we found weak evidence of an association between birth origin and transmission (adjusted odds ratio of 2.2 and 95% CI of 0.9 to 5.5 comparing Swiss-born patients to others). In conclusion, standard genotyping overestimated recent TB transmission in Switzerland compared to WGS, particularly among immigrants from regions with a high TB incidence, where genetically closely related strains often predominate. We recommend the use of WGS to identify transmission clusters in settings with a low incidence of TB.
Access to primary care and the route of emergency admission to hospital: retrospective analysis of national hospital administrative data
Authors: Cowling Thomas E , Harris Matthew , Watt Hilary , Soljak Michael , Richards Emma , Gunning Elinor , Bottle Alex , Macinko James , Majeed Azeem
Published: May 2016

Background

The UK government is pursuing policies to improve primary care access, as many patients visit accident and emergency (A and E) departments after being unable to get suitable general practice appointments. Direct admission to hospital via a general practitioner (GP) averts A and E use, and may reduce total hospital costs. It could also enhance the continuity of information between GPs and hospital doctors, possibly improving healthcare outcomes.

Objective

To determine whether primary care access is associated with the route of emergency admission—via a GP versus via an A and E department.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of national administrative data from English hospitals for 2011–2012. Adults admitted in an emergency (unscheduled) for ≥1 night via a GP or an A and E department formed the study population. The measure of primary care access—the percentage of patients able to get a general practice appointment on their last attempt—was derived from a large, nationally representative patient survey. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate associations, adjusting for patient and admission characteristics.

Results

The analysis included 2 322 112 emergency admissions (81.9% via an A and E department). With a 5 unit increase in the percentage of patients able to get a general practice appointment on their last attempt, the adjusted odds of GP admission (vs A and E admission) was estimated to increase by 15% (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.17). The probability of GP admission if ≥95% of appointment attempts were successful in each general practice was estimated to be 19.6%. This probability reduced to 13.6% when <80% of appointment attempts were successful. This equates to 139 673 fewer GP admissions (456 232 vs 316 559) assuming no change in the total number of admissions. Associations were consistent in direction across geographical regions of England.

Conclusions

Among hospital inpatients admitted as an emergency, patients registered to more accessible general practices were more likely to have been admitted via a GP (vs an A and E department). This furthers evidence suggesting that access to general practice is related to use of emergency hospital services in England. The relative merits of the two admission routes remain unclear.
Mapping the surgery exact sequence for topological manifolds to analysis
Authors: Zenobi Vito Felice
Published: May 2016

In this paper we prove the existence of a natural mapping from the surgery exact sequence for topological manifolds to the analytic surgery exact sequence of Higson and Roe. This generalizes the fundamental result of Higson and Roe, but in the treatment given by Piazza and Schick, from smooth manifolds to topological manifolds. Crucial to our treatment is the Lipschitz signature operator of Teleman.

We also give a generalization to the equivariant setting of the product defined by Siegel in his Ph.D. thesis. Geometric applications are given to stability results for rho classes. We also obtain a proof of the APS delocalized index theorem on odd dimensional manifolds, both for the spin Dirac operator and the signature operator, thus extending to odd dimensions the results of Piazza and Schick. Consequently, we are able to discuss the mapping of the surgery sequence in all dimensions.
Seasonal, Monthly, and Weekly Distributions of NLDN and GLD360 Cloud-to-Ground Lightning
Authors: Holle Ronald L. , Cummins Kenneth L. , Brooks William A.
Published: May 2016

Annual maps of cloud-to-ground lightning flash density have been produced since the deployment of the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN). However, a comprehensive national summary of seasonal, monthly, and weekly lightning across the contiguous United States has not been developed. Cloud-to-ground lightning is not uniformly distributed in time, space, or frequency. Knowledge of these variations is useful for understanding meteorological processes responsible for lightning occurrence, planning outdoor events, anticipating impacts of lightning on power reliability, and relating to severe weather. To address this gap in documentation of lightning occurrence, the variability on seasonal, monthly, and weekly scales is first addressed with NLDN flash data from 2005 to 2014 for the 48 states and adjacent regions. Flash density and the percentage of each season’s portion of the annual total are compiled. In spring, thunderstorms occur most often over southeastern states. Lightning spreads north and west until by June, most areas have lightning. New England, the northern Rockies, most of Canada, and the Florida Peninsula have a small percentage of lightning outside of summer. Arizona and portions of adjacent states have the highest incidence in July and August. Flash densities reduce in September in most regions. This seasonal, monthly, and weekly overview complements a recent study of diurnal variations of flashes to document when and where lightning occurs over the United States. NLDN seasonal maps indicate a summer lightning dominance in the northern and western United States that extends into Canada using data compiled from GLD360 network observations. GLD360 also extends NLDN seasonal maps and percentages into Mexico, the Caribbean, and offshore regions.
Is erythropoietin a worthy candidate for traumatic brain injury or are we heading the wrong way?
Authors: Grasso Giovanni , Alafaci Concetta , Ghezzi Pietro
Published: May 2016

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in the modern society. Although primary prevention is the only strategy that can counteract the primary brain damage, numerous preclinical studies have been accumulated in order to find therapeutic strategies against the secondary damage. In this scenario erythropoietin (EPO) has been shown to be a promising candidate as neuroprotective agent. A recent clinical trial, however, has shown that EPO has not an overall effect on outcomes following TBI thus renewing old concerns.  However, the results of a prespecified sensitivity analysis indicate that the effect of EPO on mortality remains still unclear.

In the light of these observations, further investigations are needed to resolve doubts on EPO effectiveness in order to provide a more solid base for tailoring conclusive clinical trials.
Learning bodies engaging with art: Staging aesthetic experiences in museum education
Authors: Illeris Helene
Published: May 2016

How can we stimulate encounters between students and artworks that are both sensuous, meaningful and transformational? How can we involve students’ bodies in aesthetic experiences in art museums? Inspired by Richard Shusterman the article focuses on three dimensions of the aesthetic experience: the phenomenological, the semantic and the transformational. Together with Judith Butler’s concepts of performativity and performance, these notions are used to discuss the role of ‘the learning body’ in three case studies carried out in art museums over a ten-year period. The study sheds light on how the concept of aesthetic experience can be used for understanding the pedagogical value of encounters between young people and contemporary art. Another aim is to show how the body as locus for aesthetic experiences can challenge traditional understandings of the learning body and to discuss how to develop performative forms of art education that actively involves students’ bodies.
Transformer species in the flora of the Starobilsk grass-meadow steppe (Ukraine)
Authors: Kucher Oksana O.
Published: May 2016

The results of an investigation of alien species that change the character, condition, form or nature of ecosystems over large areas (transformer species) in the flora of the Starobilsk grass-meadow steppe are presented. The check-list of alien plants includes over 386 species of vascular plants, of which 28 are invasive and 6 are transformer species. In this study, the data on the first records of alien species, their distribution history, ecology, occurrence in different plant communities and degree of naturalization were compiled. The distribution maps of transformer species are provided.
Synthesis of 6-alkylsulfanyl-1,4-dihydropyridines as potential multidrug resistance modulators
Authors: Krauze Aivars , Krasnova Laura , Grinberga Signe , Sokolova Elina , Domracheva Ilona , Shestakova Irina , Duburs Gunars
Published: May 2016

6-Alkylsulfanyl-1,4-dihydropyridines 5 bearing methoxyphenyl groups at various positions have been prepared by three different approaches. Multidrug resistance modulating (P-glycoprotein and multidrug resistance protein-1 inhibition) activity of 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives 5 is comparable to that of verapamil.
Textural features of the beach sediments of Wast Water Lake, Northwest England
Authors: Bala Emilia
Published: May 2016

This study is dedicated to Wast Water Lake (Northwest England, Great Britain) and the character of its beach sediments. The aim of the study is to identify the textural features of the lake’s beach sediments based on two methods. The first is a granulometric analysis and the second a pebble shape analysis according to Zingg (1935) and Sneed & Folk (1958). Both analyses were carried out for all of the lake’s accessible beaches and the cliffs adjacent to them. The transport and deposition history of the examined sediments was identified through field research and laboratory analysis. The results show that the textural features of the sediments at Wast Water are more often typical of a fluvial environment, rather than having been changed by lacustrine water movements.
Buffering of Genetic Regulatory Networks inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Fear Justin M , León-Novelo Luis G , Morse Alison M , Gerken Alison R , Van Lehmann Kjong , Tower John , Nuzhdin Sergey V , McIntyre Lauren M
Published: May 2016

Regulatory variation in gene expression can be described by cis- and trans-genetic components. Here we used RNA-seq data from a population panel of Drosophila melanogaster test crosses to compare allelic imbalance (AI) in female head tissue between mated and virgin flies, an environmental change known to affect transcription. Indeed, 3048 exons (1610 genes) are differentially expressed in this study. A Bayesian model for AI, with an intersection test, controls type I error. There are ∼200 genes with AI exclusively in mated or virgin flies, indicating an environmental component of expression regulation. On average 34% of genes within a cross and 54% of all genes show evidence for genetic regulation of transcription. Nearly all differentially regulated genes are affected in cis, with an average of 63% of expression variation explained by the cis-effects. Trans-effects explain 8% of the variance in AI on average and the interaction between cis and trans explains an average of 11% of the total variance in AI. In both environments cis- and trans-effects are compensatory in their overall effect, with a negative association between cis- and trans-effects in 85% of the exons examined. We hypothesize that the gene expression level perturbed by cis-regulatory mutations is compensated through trans-regulatory mechanisms, e.g., trans and cis by trans-factors buffering cis-mutations. In addition, when AI is detected in both environments, cis-mated, cis-virgin, and trans-mated–trans-virgin estimates are highly concordant with 99% of all exons positively correlated with a median correlation of 0.83 for cis and 0.95 for trans. We conclude that the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) are robust and that trans-buffering explains robustness.