bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Applying data mining on customer relationship management system for leisure coffee‐shop industry: a case study in Taiwan
Authors: Chiang Wen‐Yu
Published: February 2013

The objective of this research is to identify high‐value markets by using the data mining technologies and a new model. The well‐known Fuzzy C‐Means algorithm is applied to process the market segmentation of the customer benefit market; and a new model [based on ‘Recency–Frequency–Monetary’ (RFM) model] is applied to process customer value markets for leisure coffee‐shop industry. The results show the relationships between the two types of markets (benefit and customer value), which are presented by fuzzy and nonfuzzy association rules. These rules can be applied to customer relationship management systems for obtaining useful and high‐value markets. The results can help leisure coffee‐shop industry to acquire knowledge of customers, and to identify the explicit customer values for marketing plans. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Application Areas > Business and Industry
Seeking a Balance Between the Statistical and Scientific Elements in Psychometrics
Authors: Wilson Mark
Published: February 2013

In this paper, I will review some aspects of psychometric projects that I have been involved in, emphasizing the nature of the work of the psychometricians involved, especially the balance between the statistical and scientific elements of that work. The intent is to seek to understand where psychometrics, as a discipline, has been and where it might be headed, in part at least, by considering one particular journey (my own). In contemplating this, I also look to psychometrics journals to see how psychometricians represent themselves to themselves, and in a complementary way, look to substantive journals to see how psychometrics is represented there (or perhaps, not represented, as the case may be). I present a series of questions in order to consider the issue of what are the appropriate foci of the psychometric discipline. As an example, I present one recent project at the end, where the roles of the psychometricians and the substantive researchers have had to become intertwined in order to make satisfactory progress. In the conclusion I discuss the consequences of such a view for the future of psychometrics.
Clinical Issues—March 2013
Authors: Denholm Bonnie , Spruce Lisa
Published: February 2013

This Month

Repackaging medication from single‐dose vials

Key words: medication, medication repackaging, single‐dose vials, reuse, medication shortages, reducing waste.

Caring for surgical patients who have subdermal implants

Key words: subdermal implants, transdermal implants, microdermal implants, piercings, body art, surgical positioning, electrosurgery.

Personal protective equipment requirements for the care of patients with methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Key words: methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), contact precautions, standard precautions.
A Comparison of Warming Interventions on the Temperatures of Inpatients Undergoing Colorectal Surgery
Authors: Nicholson Martha
Published: February 2013

This study compared the effects of two different warming interventions in the preoperative setting on the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative temperatures of patients undergoing colorectal surgery in an inpatient setting. The study was performed to determine whether prewarming patients for at least 30 minutes would result in postoperative temperatures of 36° C (96.8° F) or higher within 15 minutes of their arrival in the postanesthesia care unit. The results indicated that prewarming devices did not result in reduced proportions of patients who subsequently experienced hypothermia. One reason may be that all the patients were warmed with a forced‐air warming device before induction in the OR. Our study does not recommend a specific intervention for a prewarming strategy but indicates that prewarming may contribute to normothermia in the immediate postoperative period.
Spectral Feature Extraction Based on the DCPCA Method
Authors: YUDE BU , JINGCHANG PAN , BIN JIANG , FUQIANG CHEN , PENG WEI
Published: February 2013

In this paper, a new sparse principal component analysis (SPCA) method, called DCPCA (sparse PCA using a difference convex program), is introduced as a spectral feature extraction technique in astronomical data processing. Using this method, we successfully derive the feature lines from the spectra of cataclysmic variables. We then apply this algorithm to get the first 11 sparse principal components and use the support vector machine (SVM) to classify. The results show that the proposed method is comparable with traditional methods such as PCA+SVM.
Silicon absorption and excretion is independent of age and sex in adults
Authors: Jugdaohsingh Ravin , Sripanyakorn Supannee , Powell Jonathan J.
Published: February 2013

Host factors influencing the absorption and excretion of Si are poorly understood, although previous murine and human studies have suggested that age, sex and oestrogen status may affect Si metabolism and thus function. Here, serum and urine samples were collected from twenty-six healthy adults at baseline and over a 6 h period following ingestion of 17·4 mg Si (orthosilicic acid) and analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Fasting baseline serum and urinary Si concentrations were marginally higher in older adults (51–66 years old) compared with young adults (20–47 years old); however, there was no difference in the absorption of Si into serum (overall profile, rate of Si appearance, peak concentration and time to peak) between the different adult groups. The rate of elimination of Si from serum did not significantly differ with age or sex, although serum concentration at 6 h was higher in older adults and significantly correlated with age (r 0·5; P= 0·01). There were, however, no significant differences in the excretion of Si into urine (a proxy for overall uptake) between the groups, averaging approximately 45 %. Oestradiol levels did not correlate with any of the above measures of Si. Thus, overall, host age and sex did not appear to markedly influence Si absorption or excretion in human adults and no correlations were found with serum oestradiol status. The marginally higher baseline and 6 h post-dose Si levels in older adults may reflect modestly impaired renal function and/or the loss of Si from connective tissues with ageing.
BRUNN–MINKOWSKI TYPE INEQUALITIES FOR Lp MOMENT BODIES
Authors: ZHU BAOCHENG , LI NI , ZHOU JIAZU
Published: February 2013

About 15 years ago, Lutwak and Zhang (E. Lutwak and G. Zhang, Blaschke–Santalo inequalities, J. Differ. Geom. 47 (1997), 1–16) introduced the notion of Lp moment bodies and established important volume inequalities for them, which were recently generalized by Haberl and Schuster (C. Haberl and E. Schuster, General Lp affine isoperimetric inequalities, J. Differ. Geom. 83 (2009), 1–26). In this paper, we establish new Brunn–Minkowski-type inequalities with respect to Blaschke Lp harmonic addition for the quermassintegrals and dual quermassintegrals of Lp moment bodies.
EXAMPLES OF RIGID AND FLEXIBLE SEIFERT FIBRED CONE-MANIFOLDS
Authors: KOLPAKOV ALEXANDER
Published: February 2013

The present paper gives an example of a rigid spherical cone-manifold and that of a flexible one, which are both Seifert fibred.
ON THE VANISHING OF LOCAL HOMOLOGY MODULES
Authors: HATAMKHANI MARZIYEH , DIVAANI-AAZAR KAMRAN
Published: February 2013

Let R be a commutative Noetherian ring, is an ideal of R and M is an R-module. We intend to establish the dual of Grothendieck's Vanishing Theorem for local homology modules. We conjecture that =0 for all i>magRM. We prove this in several cases.
SINGULAR LIMITS FOR 2-DIMENSIONAL ELLIPTIC PROBLEMS INVOLVING EXPONENTIAL NONLINEARITIES WITH SUB-QUADRATIC CONVECTION TERM
Authors: BARAKET SAMI , OUNI TAIEB
Published: February 2013

Let Ω be a bounded domain with smooth boundary in ℝ2, q∈[1,2) and x1, x2,. . .,xm ∈ Ω. In this paper we are concerned with the following type of problem:
\[ -\Delta u-\lambda|\nabla u|^q = \rho^{2}e^{u}, \]
with u = 0 on ∂ Ω. We use some nonlinear domain decomposition method to construct a positive weak solution vρ,λ in Ω, which tends to a singular function at each xi as the parameters ρ and λ tend to 0 independently.
UPPER AND LOWER FREQUENTLY UNIVERSAL SERIES
Authors: PAPACHRISTODOULOS CHRISTOS
Published: February 2013

We introduce the notion of upper and lower frequently universal sequences and see that ‘most’ of the universal approximations are obtained by sets of indices which have upper density 1 and lower density 0. We also show that a class of universal series related to lower density is of first category.
IRREDUCIBLE HARISH CHANDRA MODULES OVER THE DERIVATION ALGEBRAS OF RATIONAL QUANTUM TORI
Authors: LIU GENQIANG , ZHAO KAIMING
Published: February 2013

Let d be a positive integer, q=(qij)d×d be a d×d matrix, ℂq be the quantum torus algebra associated with q. We have the semidirect product Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$=Der(ℂq)⋉Z(ℂq), where Z(ℂq) is the centre of the rational quantum torus algebra ℂq. In this paper, we construct a class of irreducible weight $\mathfrak{g}$-modules $\mathcal{V}$α (V,W) with three parameters: a vector α∈ℂd, an irreducible $\mathfrak{gl}$d-module V and a graded-irreducible $\mathfrak{gl}$N-module W. Then, we show that an irreducible Harish Chandra (uniformaly bounded) $\mathfrak{g}$-module M is isomorphic to $\mathcal{V}$α(V,W) for suitable α, V, W, if the action of Z(ℂq) on M is associative (respectively nonzero).
DESCRIPTION OF SIMPLE MODULES FOR SCHUR SUPERALGEBRA S(2|2)
Authors: GRISHKOV A. N. , MARKO F.
Published: February 2013

The goal of this paper is to describe explicitly simple modules for Schur superalgebra S(2|2) over an algebraically closed field K of characteristic zero or positive characteristic p>2.
Type I tympanoplasty with island chondro-perichondral tragal graft: the preferred technique?
Authors: De Seta E , De Seta D , Covelli E , Viccaro M , Filipo R
Published: February 2013

Objective:

This retrospective, comparative study aimed to assess anatomical and functional results in a group of adults undergoing type I tympanoplasty for subtotal tympanic membrane perforation, using two different types of graft.

Subjects and methods:

The study included 106 patients affected by chronic otitis media, who underwent underlay type I tympanoplasty, 53 using an autologous chondro-perichondral tragal graft and 53 using temporalis fascia. Anatomical and functional outcomes were evaluated over time.

Results:

Audiometric results comparing the cartilage and fascia groups at six months and one year after surgery showed no statistically significant differences. Assessment of anatomical outcomes indicated a greater number of complications in the fascia group.

Conclusion:

Functional results indicate the validity of the cartilage tympanoplasty, while anatomical results indicate a slightly better outcome in terms of graft re-perforation and retraction, compared with temporalis fascia at one-year follow up. These results suggest that the cartilage technique is preferable for type I tympanoplasty.
‘Some more reliable than others’: Image management, donor perceptions and the Global War on Terror in East African diplomacy
Authors: Fisher Jonathan
Published: February 2013

This article explores the role of perceptions in donor-African relations and the extent to which donor ‘images’ of African governments can be managed by these same governments to their advantage. The article focuses on donor views of ‘reliability’ in the Global War on Terror (GWOT) and compares differing international perceptions of Kenya and Uganda through this lens. Arguing that donors have an exaggerated sense of Ugandan ‘compliance’ or reliability and Kenyan unreliability in fighting terrorism, it explains this by examining the two governments’ international ‘image management’ strategies, or lack thereof. The analysis contends that Uganda's success at promoting itself as a major donor ally in the GWOT, compared with Kenya's general reluctance to do the same, has played a significant role in building and bolstering these differing donor perceptions. This, the article suggests, raises important questions about the nature of African agency in the international system.
Prostitution or partnership? Wifestyles in Tanzanian artisanal gold-mining settlements
Authors: Bryceson Deborah Fahy , Jønsson Jesper Bosse , Verbrugge Hannelore
Published: February 2013

Tanzania, along with several other African countries, is experiencing a national mining boom, which has prompted hundreds of thousands of men and women to migrate to mineral-rich locations. At these sites, relationships between the sexes defy the sexual norms of the surrounding countryside to embrace new relational amalgams of polygamy, monogamy and promiscuity. This article challenges the assumption that female prostitution is widespread. Using interview data with women migrants, we delineate six ‘wifestyles’, namely sexual-cum-conjugal relationships between men and women that vary in their degree of sexual and material commitment. In contrast to bridewealth payments, which involved elders formalising marriages through negotiations over reproductive access to women, sexual negotiations and relations in mining settlements involve men and women making liaisons and co-habitation arrangements directly between each other without third-party intervention. Economic interdependence may evolve thereafter with the possibility of women, as well as men, offering material support to their sex partners.
‘Dreams don't come true in Eritrea’: anomie and family disintegration due to the structural militarisation of society
Authors: Hirt Nicole , Mohammad Abdulkader Saleh
Published: February 2013

This article analyses contemporary Eritrea's acute crisis within the framework of the theory of anomie. It is based on the hypothesis that militarisation, forced labour, mass exodus and family disintegration can be interpreted as the consequences of two incompatible norm and value systems: the collectivist, nationalistic and militaristic worldview of the former liberation front and ruling party People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), and the traditional cultural system of Eritrea's society. In 2002 the regime introduced an unlimited ‘development campaign’, thereby forcing large parts of the society to live as conscripts and perform unpaid labour. This has caused a mass exodus of young people and a rapid process of family disintegration. The article is based on empirical fieldwork and evaluates the ongoing developments which have led to rapid economic decline and the destabilisation of the entire fabric of society.
Twenty-one new species of Pyrenula from South America, with a note on over-mature ascospores
Authors: APTROOT André , SIPMAN Harrie J. M. , CÁCERES Marcela Eugenia da Silva
Published: February 2013

Twenty-three species of Pyrenula from Latin America are treated here. Several species show characters that were not previously reported in the genus and are rare or new to lichenized fungi, viz. yellow, orange or red (KOH+ green) oil inspersion in the hymenium, yellow oil in young ascospores or longitudinal ridges on the ascospore wall. Two taxonomically significant types of over-mature spores are illustrated. The following new species are described: Pyrenula aggregataspistea Aptroot & M. Cáceres, P. aurantioinspersa Aptroot & Sipman, P. cornutispora Aptroot & M. Cáceres, P. flavoinspersa Aptroot & Sipman, P. guyanensis Sipman & Aptroot, P. infraleucotrypa Aptroot & M. Cáceres, P. inframamillana Aptroot & M. Cáceres, P. infrastroidea Aptroot & Sipman, P. maritima Sipman & Aptroot, P. mattickiana Sipman & Aptroot, P. minoides Aptroot & Sipman, P. monospora Aptroot & Sipman, P. paraminarum Aptroot & M. Cáceres, P. perfecta Aptroot & Sipman, P. plicata Sipman & Aptroot, P. rubroinspersa Aptroot & Sipman, P. rubronitidula Aptroot & M. Cáceres, P. rubrostigma Aptroot & M. Cáceres, P. tetraspora Aptroot & Sipman, P. triangularis Aptroot & Sipman, P. viridipyrgilla Aptroot & M. Cáceres. Pyrenula seminuda (Müll. Arg.) Sipman & Aptroot is a new combination.
A SHORT NOTE ON THE THOM–BOARDMAN SYMBOLS OF DIFFERENTIABLE MAPS
Authors: WANG YULAN , LIN JIAYUAN , GE MAORONG
Published: February 2013

It is well known that Thom–Boardman symbols are realized by nonincreasing sequences of nonnegative integers. A natural question is whether the converse is also true. In this paper we answer this question affirmatively, that is, for any nonincreasing sequence of nonnegative integers, there is at least one map-germ with the prescribed sequence as its Thom–Boardman symbol.
AN IDENTIFICATION THEOREM FOR GROUPS WITH SOCLE PSU
Authors: PARKER CHRIS , STROTH GERNOT
Published: February 2013

We identify the groups ${\text{PSU} }_{6} (2)$, ${\text{PSU} }_{6} (2){: }2$, ${\text{PSU} }_{6} (2){: }3$ and $\text{Aut} ({\text{PSU} }_{6} (2))$ from the structure of the centralizer of an element of order three.
Association of perinatal factors and school performance in primary school Chilean children
Authors: Villarroel L. , Karzulovic L. , Manzi J. , Eriksson J. G. , Mardones F.
Published: February 2013

The associations between school performance and cognitive abilities with birth characteristics have mostly been studied without taking into consideration the effects of gestational age (GA). Our aim was to study the association between prenatal growth and cognitive function in term-born Chilean school children. A cohort of over 200,000 term-born fourth graders who took the regular national test for school performance was studied. Outcome parameters were language and mathematics test scores in relation to prenatal growth. A total of 256,040 subjects took the test and 220,940 were included in the final study sample. Prenatal growth was modestly, but significantly, associated with school performance. Adjusted β coefficients for 1 cm increase in birth length were 1.28 and 0.77 for mathematics and language, respectively; the corresponding values for 100 g increase in birth weight were 0.59 and 0.34, respectively. Increased GA was associated with lower test scores. Adjusted β coefficients for the birth measurements generally had a lower strength of association than those of socio-economic factors. However, the confounders most strongly associated with educational achievements were socio-economic factors, known to be associated with birth size. Lower socio-economic status is known to negatively influence both prenatal growth and cognitive function, supporting the overall importance of prenatal growth in relation to cognitive outcomes.
Reduction in code blocking using scattered vacant codes for orthogonal variable spreading factor‐based wideband code division multiple access networks
Authors: Saini Davinder , Sharma Neeru
Published: February 2013

3G and beyond wideband code division multiple access networks use orthogonal variable spreading factor (OVSF) codes to handle multimedia traffic. OVSF codes suffer from the limitation of code blocking, which leads to new call blocking. Scattered vacant codes in the OVSF code tree are the main cause of code blocking. This study proposes compact single code and multicode assignment schemes to reduce code blocking. The vacant codes used for incoming calls are the ones surrounded by a minimum number of consecutive vacant codes. Furthermore, finding consecutive vacant codes at the leaves of the tree is sufficient to find the consecutive vacant codes for all other layers. Handling non‐quantised rates with a single code assignment produces wastage of code capacity, which is avoided with the use of a multicode assignment. Multicode usage facility along with the use of vacant codes from the minimum consecutive vacant code groups results in minimum code blocking. Two categories of the multicode assignment schemes are considered: the first one uses the least number of codes and is suitable for rake limited OVSF system, and the second scheme uses maximum number of codes to reduce code blocking significantly.
Joint iterative decoding for LDPC‐coded multi‐relay cooperation with receive multi‐antenna in the destination
Authors: Tang Lei , Yang Fengfan , Zhang Shunwai , Xu Hongjun
Published: February 2013

This study proposes an low density party check (LDPC)‐coded multi‐relay cooperation with receive multi‐antenna in the destination over a Rayleigh‐fading channel, where maximal ratio combining and belief propagation algorithm (BP)‐based joint iterative decoding based on the introduced multi‐layer Tanner graph are effectively designed to detect and decode the corrupted received sequence at the destination. The overall code rate from the destination is derived mathematically in relation to all the constituent LDPC codes employed by source and multiple relays. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation show that the proposed approach can well combine diversity and coding gains, which consequently result in significant advantage over the conventional cooperations under the same conditions.
Robust collaborative spectrum sensing in the presence of deleterious users
Authors: Arshad Kamran , Moessner Klaus
Published: February 2013

Collaborative spectrum sensing has attracted significant research attention in the last few years and is widely accepted as a viable approach to improve spectrum sensing reliability. Fusing data from multiple opportunistic users (OUs) in order to produce reliable sensing results implies a reliance on the OU to provide correct information. In the presence of malfunctioning or selfish users, performance of collaborative spectrum sensing deteriorates significantly. In this study, the authors propose mechanisms for the detection and suppression of such deleterious OUs (DOUs) for hard and soft decision fusion. More specifically, a credibility‐based mechanism for hard decision fusion using a hard decision combining beta reputation (HDC‐BR) system is introduced. The authors proposed method does not require knowledge of the total number of deleterious users in advance. In HDC‐BR, the fusion centre assigns and updates weights to each user's decisions based on an individual user credibility score, which is calculated using the BR system. The presence of DOUs in soft decision‐based collaborative spectrum sensing has even more adverse effects on system performance. The authors also propose a scheme for the case of soft decision fusion to detect and eliminate falsified user observations at the fusion centre using a modified Grubbs test; they refer to it as soft‐decision combining‐modified Grubbs (SDC‐MG). They compare the performance of the proposed methods with malicious user detection schemes proposed in the literature as well as with the case where no DOU suppression scheme is implemented, and conclude that SDC‐MG performs much better than HDC‐BR in a low signal‐to‐noise ratio regime.
“But I’m attracted to women”
Authors: Thorne Lisa
Published: February 2013

This paper examines the understudied and stigmatized sexual category of “bisexuality” as it emerges in the discourse of bisexuals at a California university. Building on the concepts of performance and “doing” identity presented by Butler (2006 [1990]), Goffman (1990 [1959]), and West and Zimmerman (1987), an outline is offered for how bisexuals, who are made invisible by the hetero/homo binary, may build an intelligible social performance of their identity and sexuality. Utilizing methods from within sociocultural linguistics (i.e., “the broad interdisciplinary field concerned with the intersection of language, culture, and society” [Bucholtz & Hall 2005: 586]), this paper uses ethnographic observations and video-recorded social interaction in order to analyze how bisexuality is performed in social contexts, with a focus on its performance in discourse. The paper closes with a critique of the ways that normativity operates alongside efforts at social resistance and an exploration of the relationship between different layers of sexuality.
Like the breathability of air
Authors: Haselager Willem F.G.
Published: February 2013

I present experimental and computational research, inspired by the perspective of Embodied Embedded Cognition, concerning various aspects of language as supporting Everett’s interactionist view of language. Based on earlier and ongoing work, I briefly illustrate the contribution of the environment to the systematicity displayed in linguistic performance, the importance of joint attention for the development of a shared vocabulary, the role of (limited) traveling for language diversification, the function of perspective taking in social communication, and the bodily nature of understanding of meaning.
Linguistic fire and human cognitive powers
Authors: Cowley Stephen J.
Published: February 2013

To view language as a cultural tool challenges much of what claims to be linguistic science while opening up a new people-centred linguistics. On this view, how we speak, think and act depends on, not just brains (or minds), but also cultural traditions. Yet, Everett is conservative: like others trained in distributional analysis, he reifies ‘words’. Though rejecting inner languages and grammatical universals, he ascribes mental reality to a lexicon. Reliant as he is on transcriptions, he takes the cognitivist view that brains represent word-forms. By contrast, in radical embodied cognitive theory, bodily dynamics themselves act as cues to meaning. Linguistic exostructures resemble tools that constrain how people concert acting-perceiving bodies. The result is unending renewal of verbal structures: like artefacts and institutions, they function to sustain a species-specific cultural ecology. As Ross (2007) argues, ecological extensions make human cognition hypersocial. When we link verbal patterns with lived experience, we communicate and cognise by fitting action/perception to cultural practices that anchor human meaning making.
Disordered semantic activation in disorganized discourse in schizophrenia: a new pragma‐linguistic tool for structure and meaning reconstruction
Authors: Hella Pertti , Niemi Jussi , Hintikka Jukka , Otsa Lidia , Tirkkonen Jani‐Matti , Koponen Hannu
Published: February 2013

Background

Disorganized speech, manifested as derailment, tangentiality, incoherence and loss of goal, occurs commonly in schizophrenia. Studies of language processing have demonstrated that semantic activation in schizophrenia is often disordered and, moreover, the ability to use contextual cues is impaired.

Aims

To reconstruct the origins and most plausible intended meanings of disorganized discourse sequences in a clinical interview with a patient with thought‐disordered schizophrenia.

Methods & Procedures

We assessed the so‐called pragmatic felicity of every turn using a novel tool called the Overall Comprehensibility of Turn (OCT) Scale. In addition to felicity analysis, all topics and referents of turns were registered. Three most disorganized discourse sequences from the transcribed interview were chosen for the thematic and semantic analysis, in which we attempted to reconstruct the structure and meaning of those sequences utilizing (1) the notion of discourse model extending up to contextual background knowledge, (2) the (re)occurrence of topical items, together with (3) the knowledge from findings of disordered semantic activation in schizophrenia.

Outcomes & Results

The linguistic analyses showed that the disrupted sequences were characterized by (1) unexpected, seemingly irrelevant topic intrusion, (2) pragmatically inappropriate chain of topic extensions, and (3) fuzzy reference together with disturbed ordering of propositions. The underlying causes seemed to be, respectively, (1) long‐term semantic activation of topics, which popped out sporadically along the conversation, (2) overreliance on lexical–semantic associations, and (3) the inability to sequence the utterances and link them together using explicit or implicit bridging assumptions necessary to a coherent and cohesive message. All scrutinized passages violated the expectations of the addressee in on‐line conversation. However, the post‐hoc analysis showed that they contained items which were relevant to the global topic.

Conclusions & Implications

Latent sources, motivations and even meanings, at least to some extent, of seemingly disorganized utterances can become analysable through linguistic analyses. The results suggest that continuity in the treatment is essential, because a practitioner who shares background knowledge with the patient has better opportunities to capture the relevance of the superficially disorganized utterances. Moreover, especially the most disorganized sequences should warrant thorough attention because they can convey, beneath their unexpected or obscure surface structure, items which are psychologically important to the patient. The results of this study should be taken into account in the training of interactional skills of professionals who work with schizophrenia patients.
Phytopathogen type III effectors as probes of biological systems
Authors: Lee Amy Huei‐Yi , Middleton Maggie A. , Guttman David S. , Desveaux Darrell
Published: February 2013

Bacterial phytopathogens utilize a myriad of virulence factors to modulate their plant hosts in order to promote successful pathogenesis. One potent virulence strategy is to inject these virulence proteins into plant cells via the type III secretion system. Characterizing the host targets and the molecular mechanisms of type III secreted proteins, known as effectors, has illuminated our understanding of eukaryotic cell biology. As a result, these effectors can serve as molecular probes to aid in our understanding of plant cellular processes, such as immune signalling, vesicle trafficking, cytoskeleton stability and transcriptional regulation. Furthermore, given that effectors directly and specifically interact with their targets within plant cells, these virulence proteins have enormous biotechnological potential for manipulating eukaryotic systems.
High‐resolution melting analysis for bird sexing: a successful approach to molecular sex identification using different biological samples
Authors: Morinha Francisco , Travassos Paulo , Seixas Fernanda , Santos Nuno , Sargo Roberto , Sousa Luís , Magalhães Paula , Cabral João A. , Bastos Estela
Published: February 2013

High‐resolution melting (HRM) analysis is a very attractive and flexible advanced post‐PCR method with high sensitivity/specificity for simple, fast and cost‐effective genotyping based on the detection of specific melting profiles of PCR products. Next generation real‐time PCR systems, along with improved saturating DNA‐binding dyes, enable the direct acquisition of HRM data after quantitative PCR. Melting behaviour is particularly influenced by the length, nucleotide sequence and GC content of the amplicons. This method is expanding rapidly in several research areas such as human genetics, reproductive biology, microbiology and ecology/conservation of wild populations. Here we have developed a successful HRM protocol for avian sex identification based on the amplification of sex‐specific CHD1 fragments. The melting curve patterns allowed efficient sexual differentiation of 111 samples analysed (plucked feathers, muscle tissues, blood and oral cavity epithelial cells) of 14 bird species. In addition, we sequenced the amplified regions of the CHD1 gene and demonstrated the usefulness of this strategy for the genotype discrimination of various amplicons (CHD1Z and CHD1W), which have small size differences, ranging from 2 bp to 44 bp. The established methodology clearly revealed the advantages (e.g. closed‐tube system, high sensitivity and rapidity) of a simple HRM assay for accurate sex differentiation of the species under study. The requirements, strengths and limitations of the method are addressed to provide a simple guide for its application in the field of molecular sexing of birds. The high sensitivity and resolution relative to previous real‐time PCR methods makes HRM analysis an excellent approach for improving advanced molecular methods for bird sexing.
Suggestive evidence for association between L‐type voltage‐gated calcium channel (CACNA1C) gene haplotypes and bipolar disorder in Latinos: a family‐based association study
Authors: Gonzalez Suzanne , Xu Chun , Ramirez Mercedes , Zavala Juan , Armas Regina , Contreras Salvador A , Contreras Javier , Dassori Albana , Leach Robin J , Flores Deborah , Jerez Alvaro , Raventós Henriette , Ontiveros Alfonso , Nicolini Humberto , Escamilla Michael
Published: February 2013

Objectives:  Through recent genome‐wide association studies (GWASs), several groups have reported significant association between variants in the calcium channel, voltage‐dependent, L‐type, alpha 1C subunit (CACNA1C) and bipolar disorder (BP) in European and European‐American cohorts. We performed a family‐based association study to determine whether CACNA1C is associated with BP in the Latino population.

Methods:  This study included 913 individuals from 215 Latino pedigrees recruited from the USA, Mexico, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. The Illumina GoldenGate Genotyping Assay was used to genotype 58 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that spanned a 602.9‐kb region encompassing the CACNA1C gene including two SNPs (rs7297582 and rs1006737) previously shown to associate with BP. Individual SNP and haplotype association analyses were performed using Family‐Based Association Test (version 2.0.3) and Haploview (version 4.2) software.

Results:  An eight‐locus haplotype block that included these two markers showed significant association with BP (global marker permuted p = 0.0018) in the Latino population. For individual SNPs, this sample had insufficient power (10%) to detect associations with SNPs with minor effect (odds ratio = 1.15).

Conclusions:  Although we were not able to replicate findings of association between individual CACNA1C SNPs rs7297582 and rs1006737 and BP, we were able to replicate the GWAS signal reported for CACNA1C through a haplotype analysis that encompassed these previously reported significant SNPs. These results provide additional evidence that CACNA1C is associated with BP and provides the first evidence that variations in this gene might play a role in the pathogenesis of this disorder in the Latino population.
Sociodemographic and clinical features of bipolar disorder patients misdiagnosed with major depressive disorder in China
Authors: Xiang Yu‐Tao , Zhang Ling , Wang Gang , Hu Chen , Ungvari Gabor S , Dickerson Faith B , Kilbourne Amy M , Si Tian‐Mei , Fang Yi‐Ru , Lu Zheng , Yang Hai‐Chen , Lai Kelly YC , Lee Edwin HM , Hu Jian , Chen Zhi‐Yu , Huang Yi , Sun Jing , Wang Xiao‐Ping , Li Hui‐Chun , Zhang Jin‐Bei , Chiu Helen FK
Published: February 2013

Objectives

Bipolar disorder (BD) is frequently misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder (MDD), which may lead to inappropriate treatment and poor outcomes. This study aimed to compare demographic and clinical features between patients with MDD and those with BD, but being misdiagnosed as MDD, in China.

Methods

A total of 1487 patients diagnosed with MDD were consecutively evaluated in 13 psychiatric hospitals or psychiatric units of general hospitals nationwide in China. The patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure. The Mini‐International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was used to establish DSM‐IV diagnoses, and identify patients with MDD and those with BD, but being misdiagnosed with MDD.

Results

The proportions of BD (all types), bipolar I disorder (BD‐I), and bipolar II disorder (BD‐II) misdiagnosed as MDD in clinical practice were 20.8%, 7.9%, and 12.8%, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that compared to MDD patients, BD‐I was characterized by more atypical depressive features (increased appetite, increased sleep, and weight gain) [odds ratio (OR) = 2.0, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2–3.2], more psychotic symptoms (OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3–3.5), more lifetime depressive episodes (OR = 1.1, 95% CI: 1.1–1.2), and earlier age of onset (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.9–0.99); BD‐II was characterized by more psychotic symptoms (OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.4–3.1) and earlier age of onset (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.9–0.97). In addition, compared to BD‐II patients, BD‐I patients were characterized by more frequent depressive episodes per year (OR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.5–6.6).

Conclusions

Depressive episodes in the context of BD‐I and BD‐II, among those who were misclassified as MDD, present some different clinical features compared to MDD. This finding should be taken into account in guiding diagnostic practices in China.
Targeting of acute myeloid leukaemia by cytokine‐induced killer cells redirected with a novel CD123‐specific chimeric antigen receptor
Authors: Tettamanti Sarah , Marin Virna , Pizzitola Irene , Magnani Chiara F. , Giordano Attianese Greta M. P. , Cribioli Elisabetta , Maltese Francesca , Galimberti Stefania , Lopez Angel F. , Biondi Andrea , Bonnet Dominique , Biagi Ettore
Published: February 2013

Current therapeutic regimens for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) are still associated with high rates of relapse. Immunotherapy with T‐cells genetically modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) represents an innovative approach. Here we investigated the targeting of the interleukin three receptor alpha (IL3RA; CD123) molecule, which is overexpressed on AML bulk population, CD34+ leukaemia progenitors, and leukaemia stem cells (LSC) compared to normal haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), and whose overexpression is associated with poor prognosis. Cytokine‐induced killer (CIK) cells were transduced with SFG‐retroviral‐vector encoding an anti‐CD123 CAR. Transduced cells were able to strongly kill CD123+ cell lines, as well as primary AML blasts. Interestingly, secondary colony experiments demonstrated that anti‐CD123.CAR preserved in vitro HSPCs, in contrast to a previously generated anti‐CD33.CAR, while keeping an identical cytotoxicity profile towards AML. Furthermore, limited killing of normal monocytes and CD123‐low‐expressing endothelial cells was noted, thus indicating a low toxicity profile of the anti‐CD123.CAR. Taken together, our results indicate that CD123‐specific CARs strongly enhance anti‐AML CIK functions, while sparing HSPCs and normal low‐expressing antigen cells, paving the way to develop novel immunotherapy approaches for AML treatment.
Touching Up Mental Rotation: Effects of Manual Experience on 6‐Month‐Old Infants’ Mental Object Rotation
Authors: Möhring Wenke , Frick Andrea
Published: February 2013

In this study, 6‐month‐olds' ability to mentally rotate objects was investigated using the violation‐of‐expectation paradigm. Forty infants watched an asymmetric object being moved straight down behind an occluder. When the occluder was lowered, it revealed the original object (possible) or its mirror image (impossible) in one of five orientations. Whereas half of the infants were allowed to manually explore the object prior to testing, the other half was only allowed to observe the object. Results showed that infants with prior hands‐on experience looked significantly longer at the mirror image, while infants with observational experience did not discriminate between test events. These findings demonstrate that 6‐month‐olds' mental rotations benefit from manual exploration, highlighting the importance of motor experience for cognitive performance.
MACROECONOMIC POLICY REFORMS AND PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH IN AFRICAN AGRICULTURE
Authors: OJEDE ANDREW , MUGERA AMIN , SEO DAIGYO
Published: February 2013

This article employs a two‐stage procedure to investigate the impact of macroeconomic policy reforms on the agricultural productivity growth of 33 African countries from 1981 to 2001. In the first stage, we measure agricultural productivity using a nonparametric Malmquist productivity index. In the second stage, we build a generalized method of moments (GMM) model with a measure of structural adjustment program (SAP) intensity as a key instrument for macroeconomic policy reforms. We also control for the effects of globalization, civil violence, level of development of physical and financial infrastructure, and other economic variables as well as natural resource factors that directly affect agricultural productivity. Our results indicate a strong positive correlation between the extent of SAP intensity and agricultural productivity, suggesting that the macroeconomic policy reforms improved agricultural productivity growth in the sample countries. (JELE6, O13, O41)
THE ECONOMIC EFFECT OF BANNING SMOKING IN WISCONSIN'S BARS AND RESTAURANTS
Authors: GLONEK JOSHUA
Published: February 2013

There is much debate as to whether or not the passage of no‐smoking laws has adverse consequences for businesses in the hospitality industry. In 2010, the state of Wisconsin implemented a law that banned smoking in all public places. Using a panel of county‐level employment data, I examine the relationship between the implementation of smoking bans in Wisconsin and the subsequent changes in bar and restaurant employment. Using variation in the timing of bans that occurred as a result of four counties that implemented local bans prior to the July 2010 statewide ban, I conduct a difference‐in‐differences analysis to measure the average treatment effect of implementing a smoking ban in Wisconsin. I find that restaurant employment is not affected and that bar employment is significantly reduced as a result of the smoking ban. I also find that counties with higher levels of smoking prevalence see greater reductions in bar employment when a smoking ban is enacted. Back‐of‐the‐envelope estimates suggest that even though there are employment losses, the benefits of the smoking ban outweigh the costs. (JEL L510, D780)
RESTRICTING EMPLOYMENT OF LOW‐PAID IMMIGRANTS: A GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM ASSESSMENT OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE IMPLICATIONS FOR LEGAL U.S. WAGE‐EARNERS
Authors: DIXON PETER B. , RIMMER MAUREEN T. , ROBERTS BRYAN W.
Published: February 2013

This paper builds on earlier work that used a general‐equilibrium model to show that reducing employment of unauthorized immigrants in the United States through a tighter border‐security policy lowers the average income of legal residents. Here we exploit further the detail available in the general‐equilibrium model to look at distributional effects, recognizing that the policy increases wage rates for low‐paid legal workers. We assess the social welfare effect on legal workers using a constant elasticity of substitution social welfare function. We contrast our general‐equilibrium approach to immigration analysis with the more commonly used partial‐equilibrium, econometric approach. (JEL D63, J61, C68)
Long‐Term Effect of Septal or Apical Pacing on Left and Right Ventricular Function after Permanent Pacemaker Implantation
Authors: Chen Ju‐Yi , Tsai Wei‐Chuan , Liu Yen‐Wen , Li Wen‐Huang , Li Yi‐Heng , Tsai Liang‐Miin , Lin Li‐Jen
Published: February 2013

Background

Right ventricular (RV) pacing is associated with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. However, the effects of RV pacing at different sites on both LV and RV function have rarely been studied before. We want to determine whether different RV pacing sites differentially affect LV and RV deformation by using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE).

Methods

The subjects were 73 patients who had undergone dual‐chamber permanent pacemaker implantation and did not have structural heart diseases. LV and RV global longitudinal strains (GLS) were measured using STE to determine subtle changes in LV function. Twenty‐three patients without pacing after pacemaker implantation served as controls; 14 and 36 patients showed apical and septal pacing, respectively.

Results

There were no significant intergroup demographic differences. LV biplane ejection fractions in the septal‐ and apical‐pacing groups were significantly lower than those in the controls. The GLSLV values were similar between the control and septal‐pacing groups, but they were lower in the apical‐pacing group. Multivariate analysis revealed that cumulative pacing loads and apical pacing were independent factors associated with lower GLSLV values. The GLSRV values were similar between the control and apical‐pacing groups; however, they were lower in the septal‐pacing group.

Conclusion

We concluded that patients with septal pacing have significantly higher GLSLV and more modest decreases in GLSRV values than patients with apical pacing. Thus, septal pacing may be not necessarily preferable in patients without significant heart disease undergoing dual‐chamber permanent pacemaker implantation.
Means‐Tested Public Pensions, Portfolio Choice and Decumulation in Retirement*
Authors: Hulley Hardy , Mckibbin Rebecca , Pedersen Andreas , Thorp Susan
Published: February 2013

Age Pension means‐testing buffers retired households against shocks to wealth and may influence decumulation patterns and portfolio allocations. Simulations from a simple model of optimal consumption and allocation strategies for a means‐tested retired household indicate that, relative to benchmark, eligible and near‐eligible households should optimally decumulate faster, and choose more risky portfolios, especially early in retirement. Empirical modelling of a Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia panel of pensioner households confirms a riskier portfolio allocation by wealthier retired households. Poorer pensioner households decumulate at around 5 per cent p.a. on average; however, better‐off households continue to add around 3 per cent p.a. to wealth, even when facing a steeper implicit tax rate on wealth.
Coastal catch transects as a tool for studying global fisheries
Authors: Watson Reg , Pauly Daniel
Published: February 2013

We present a new, intuitive approach for the representation of fisheries catches within profiles perpendicular to coast of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of countries, or of Large Marine Ecosystems (LME). These ‘catch transects’ show where catch is extracted in the water column and near the sea bottom on plots of log‐bathymetry versus log‐distance offshore and thus allow for representation of the catch density of pelagic and benthic fisheries. Hence, they also allow direct visual comparison of the intensity of fishing through time and space. The California Current, North Sea and the South China Sea LMEs and the EEZs of Australia, Canada, Chile, China, India and Thailand are presented as examples, revealing the general intensification and extension of fishing offshore and into the depths over the decades from the 1950s. Catch transects reveal how these trends have accelerated in some areas, but surprisingly have reversed themselves in some others. It is proposed that these catch transects will be particularly useful for communicating the results of large‐scale fisheries studies to a wide spectrum of groups ranging from the fishing industry to the general public.