bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Epicardial Adipose Tissue in Patients of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus by Echocardiography and its Correlation with Intimal Medial Thickness of Carotid Artery
Authors: Wang Zihang , Zhang Yuhong , Liu Weiwei , Su Benli
Published: May 2017

The present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of echocardiography in measuring the thickness of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) of the patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its correlation with the intimal-medial thickness of the carotid artery (cIMT) to investigate the relationship between EAT and cIMT. 68 patients of T2DM were enrolled and were divided into 2 groups: group of T2DM with duration≤10 years (35 cases) and group of T2DM with duration>10 years (33 cases). And 30 healthy subjects were enrolled as the control group. The thickness of EAT and cIMT were measured by echocardiography and high-frequency ultrasonography. The thickness of EAT and IMT of the carotid artery of 2 type 2 diabetic groups (duration≤10 years and>10 years) were significantly higher than that of the control group (all p<0.05), and the thickness of EAT and cIMT of the group of T2DM with duration>10 years were significantly higher than that of the group of T2DM with duration≤10 years (p<0.05). In univariate analysis, the thickness of EAT was positively and significantly associated with age (r=0.412, p<0.05), BMI (r=0.566, p<0.05), waist circumference (r=0.475, p<0.05), LDL (r=0.425, p<0.05), TG (r=0.496, p<0.05), duration of diabetes (r=0.384, p<0.05) and cIMT (r=0.456, p<0.05). In multiple stepwise regression analyses, age, BMI and IMT of carotid artery were appeared to be significantly associated with EAT (p<0.05 for all). In conclusion, routine screening of EAT and cIMT by ultrasonography in type 2 diabetic patients helps us to predict cardiovascular risks and prevent further development of cardiovascular complications.
Does Vitamin D Status Correlate with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Adults with Growth Hormone Deficiency?
Authors: Uzunova Ivayla , Kirilov Georgi , Zacharieva Sabina , Zlatareva Naydenka , Kalinov Krasimir
Published: May 2017

Apart from being individually associated with cardiometabolic health, 25(OH)D and IGF-1 interplay with a positive correlation between them, which raises questions about the role of vitamin D for the adverse cardiovascular (CV) risk profile in hyposomatotropism. Thus, we aimed to investigate vitamin D status in GH deficiency (GHD) and the association between 25(OH)D and metabolic syndrome (MetS), its components, and other surrogate markers of CV risk. A total of 129 GHD adults (childhood-onset GHD, 41.9%) underwent blood testing (glucose, insulin, lipid profile, uric acid); blood pressure, anthropometric and bioelectrical-impedance measurements. Other CV risk markers were examined in a subsample of the initial population – hsCRP, adiponectin, and asymmetric dimethylarginine (n=88); carotid intima-media thickness (n=44). Total serum 25(OH)D, measured by electro-chemiluminescence binding assay, was used for vitamin D status assessment (adequate,≥30 ng/ml; insufficient, 20–29.9 ng/ml; deficient,<20 ng/ml). Data demonstrated high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in GHD (deficiency 79.1%; insufficiency 14.7%), with lower 25(OH)D among adult-onset GHD subjects (14.0±7.2 vs. 16.8±8.0 ng/ml, p=0.039) and patients with MetS (11.8±4.5 vs. 16.3±8.1 ng/ml, p<0.0001). 25(OH)D correlated negatively and weakly with BMI, waist circumference, percent body fat, visceral fat area, and systolic BP. Regardless of whether vitamin D is a cause or a consequence of these metabolic abnormalities, 25(OH)D testing in hyposomatotropism is advisable. Normalization of vitamin D status is not proven to improve CV outcomes in general population, but it might have favorable effects in GHD, as its benefits might be restricted to patients with both low 25(OH)D and certain risk factors.
Explicit relationship between electrical and topological degradation of polymer-supported metal films subjected to mechanical loading
Authors: Glushko O. , Kraker P. , Cordill M. J.
Published: May 2017

For a comprehensive characterization of mechanical reliability of metallization layers on polymer substrates, both electrical and mechanical degradation should be taken into account. Although it is evident that cracking of a conductive film should lead to electrical degradation, the quantitative relationship between the growth of electric resistance and parameters of the induced crack pattern has remained thus far unexplored. With the help of finite element modelling, we were able to find an explicit and concise expression which shows that electrical resistance grows with the fourth order of the crack length and second order of the areal crack density. The discovered relationship was verified by comparison with the experimental results of tensile testing of polymer-supported thin metal films. The presented model is independent of the length scale and can be applied to films with different thicknesses as long as Ohm's law is valid. It is demonstrated that the linear crack density is an ambiguous parameter, which does not properly capture the development of a crack pattern. For the unambiguous characterization of the intensity of a crack pattern, a universal dimensionless factor is proposed. The presented results show that there is a wide range of possible crack patterns which do not lead to electrical failure of a conductive film that can be used for the failure-free design of flexible electronic devices.
Combination volumetric and gravimetric sorption instrument for high accuracy measurements of methane adsorption
Authors: Burress Jacob , Bethea Donald , Troub Brandon
Published: May 2017

The accurate measurement of adsorbed gas up to high pressures (∼100 bars) is critical for the development of new materials for adsorbed gas storage. The typical Sievert-type volumetric method introduces accumulating errors that can become large at maximum pressures. Alternatively, gravimetric methods employing microbalances require careful buoyancy corrections. In this paper, we present a combination gravimetric and volumetric system for methane sorption measurements on samples between ∼0.5 and 1 g. The gravimetric method described requires no buoyancy corrections. The tandem use of the gravimetric method allows for a check on the highest uncertainty volumetric measurements. The sources and proper calculation of uncertainties are discussed. Results from methane measurements on activated carbon MSC-30 and metal-organic framework HKUST-1 are compared across methods and within the literature.
Electron affinity and excited states of methylglyoxal
Authors: Dauletyarov Yerbolat , Dixon Andrew R. , Wallace Adam A. , Sanov Andrei
Published: May 2017

Using photoelectron imaging spectroscopy, we characterized the anion of methylglyoxal (X2A″ electronic state) and three lowest electronic states of the neutral methylglyoxal molecule: the closed-shell singlet ground state (X1A′), the lowest triplet state (a3A″), and the open-shell singlet state (A1A″). The adiabatic electron affinity (EA) of the ground state, EA(X1A′) = 0.87(1) eV, spectroscopically determined for the first time, compares to 1.10(2) eV for unsubstituted glyoxal. The EAs (adiabatic attachment energies) of two excited states of methylglyoxal were also determined: EA(a3A″) = 3.27(2) eV and EA(A1A″) = 3.614(9) eV. The photodetachment of the anion to each of these two states produces the neutral species near the respective structural equilibria; hence, the a3A″ ← X2A″ and A1A″ ← X2A″ photodetachment transitions are dominated by intense peaks at their respective origins. The lowest-energy photodetachment transition, on the other hand, involves significant geometry relaxation in the X1A′ state, which corresponds to a 60° internal rotation of the methyl group, compared to the anion structure. Accordingly, the X1A′ ← X2A″ transition is characterized as a broad, congested band, whose vertical detachment energy, VDE = 1.20(4) eV, significantly exceeds the adiabatic EA. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with the ab initio predictions using several equation-of-motion methodologies, combined with coupled-cluster theory.
The relationship between gas fill density and hohlraum drive performance at the National Ignition Facility
Authors: Hall G. N. , Jones O. S. , Strozzi D. J. , Moody J. D. , Turnbull D. , Ralph J. , Michel P. A. , Hohenberger M. , Moore A. S. , Landen O. L. , Divol L. , Bradley D. K. , Hinkel D. E. , Mackinnon A. J. , Town R. P. J. , Meezan N. B. , Berzak Hopkins L. , Izumi N.
Published: May 2017

Indirect drive inertial confinement fusion experiments were conducted at the National Ignition Facility to investigate the performance of the hohlraum drive as a function of hohlraum gas fill density by imploding high-density-carbon capsules using a 2-shock laser pulse. Measurements characterized the backscatter behavior, the production of hot electrons, the motion and brightness of the laser spots on the hohlraum wall, and the efficiency of the hohlraum x-ray drive as a function of gas fill density ρgf between 0.03 mg/cc (“near vacuum”) and 1.6 mg/cc. For hohlraums with ρgf up to 0.85 mg/cc, very little stimulated Raman backscatter (SRS) was observed. For higher ρgf, significant SRS was produced and was observed to occur during the rise to peak laser power and throughout the main pulse. The efficiency with which laser energy absorbed by the hohlraum is converted into drive energy was measured to be the same for ρgf ≥ 0.6 mg/cc once the laser reached peak power. However, for the near vacuum case, the absorbed energy was converted to drive energy more efficiently throughout the pulse and maintained an efficiency ∼10% higher than the gas filled hohlraums throughout the main pulse.
Magnetic and magnetotransport properties of ThCr2Si2-type Ce2O2Bi composed of conducting Bi2− square net and magnetic Ce−O layer
Authors: Shibata Shunsuke , Sei Ryosuke , Fukumura Tomoteru , Hasegawa Tetsuya
Published: May 2017

ThCr2Si2-type Ce2O2Bi epitaxial thin films were grown by recently developed multilayer solid phase epitaxy. The ionic state of Ce was confirmed to be 3+ by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, corresponding to the electronic configuration of [Xe]4f1. Electrical resistivity showed the nonmonotonic temperature dependence with a sharp resistivity maximum, concomitant with a magnetization kink at 10 K, suggesting antiferromagnetic transition. In addition, magnetoresistance showed a large angular-dependent magnetoresistance. These results imply that carrier transport in the Bi2− square net could be influenced by magnetic ordering in the Ce−O layer owing to its unique layered structure [Bi2−/(Ce2O2)2+], particularly in the form of epitaxial thin films.
Boron-10 nanoparticles filled silicon trenches for thermal neutron detection application
Authors: Wu Jia-Woei , Weltz Adam , Koirala Machhindra , Lu James J.-Q. , Dahal Rajendra , Danon Yaron , Bhat Ishwara B.
Published: May 2017

This paper reports on the use of 10B nano/microparticles in order to fill microstructures of deep trenches fabricated in n-type Si (110) bulk wafers for the development of solid-state thermal neutron detectors. The high aspect-ratio trenches were fabricated in the wafer by wet etching, with a trench width of 3.5 to 6 μm and a maximum depth of 120 μm. Boron was diffused at a temperature of ∼1000 °C in order to convert the entirety of the delicate Si microstructures into a p+-n junction diode. The deep trenches of the diode were completely filled with 10B nanoparticles using a simple room-temperature process involving the pumping and venting of a vacuum chamber containing the etched wafer with 10B nanoparticles atop. The simple filling process was reproduced consistently, and the best 2.5 × 2.5 mm2 device demonstrated an intrinsic thermal neutron (En < 0.5 eV) detection efficiency of 32.2 ± 1.5% under a self-biased condition. This result is promising as it demonstrates a complete, low-cost fabrication process for the development of efficient thermal neutron detectors.
Research on dynamical behavior of virtual anode in hollow cathode discharge
Authors: Zhang Jia , Liu Xiaotao , Zhang Qiaogen
Published: May 2017

In this paper, the dynamical characteristics of the virtual anode during the hollow cathode have been studied. The formation time of the virtual anode near the anode increases with the decrease in the pressure, gap distance, and aperture diameter. The average speed of the virtual anode moving from the cathode to the anode increases with the increase in the pressure, gap distance, and aperture diameter. The influences of these parameters on the delay and the breakdown voltages of the hollow cathode discharge are similar. The delay and breakdown voltages are affected by changing the collision probability and number of the collision ionization in different conditions.
Physical mechanism of surface roughening on the radial core-shell nanowire heterostructure with alloy shell
Authors: Cao Yuanyuan , Diao Dongfeng
Published: May 2017

We proposed a quantitative thermodynamic theory to address the physical process of surface roughening during the epitaxial growth of core-shell NW with alloy layer. The surface roughening origins from the transformation of the Frank-van der Merwe (FM) mode to the Stranski-Krastanow (SK) mode. In addition to the radius of NW core, the composition and thickness of alloy shell could determine the growth behaviors due to their modulation to the strain. The established theoretical model not only explains the surface roughening caused by the alloy shell layer, but also provides a new way to control the growth of core-shell NW.
On chip two-photon metabolic imaging for drug toxicity testing
Authors: Yu Fang , Zhuo Shuangmu , Qu Yinghua , Choudhury Deepak , Wang Zhiping , Iliescu Ciprian , Yu Hanry
Published: May 2017

We have developed a microfluidic system suitable to be incorporated with a metabolic imaging method to monitor the drug response of cells cultured on a chip. The cells were perfusion-cultured to mimic the blood flow in vivo. Label-free optical measurements and imaging of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide fluorescence intensity and morphological changes were evaluated non-invasively. Drug responses calculated using redox ratio imaging were compared with the drug toxicity testing results obtained with a traditional well-plate system. We found that our method can accurately monitor the cell viability and drug response and that the IC50 value obtained from imaging analysis was sensitive and comparable with a commonly used cell viability assay: MTS (3–(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)–5–(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2–(4-sulfo-phenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) assay. Our method could serve as a fast, non-invasive, and reliable way for drug screening and toxicity testing as well as enabling real-time monitoring of in vitro cultured cells.
Perennial ryegrass breeding and the scaling issue: a review of system experiments investigating milk production and profit differences among cultivars
Authors: Hendriks Stacey J. , Donaghy Daniel J. , Cranston Lydia M. , Edwards Grant R. , Chapman David F.
Published: May 2017

Results of studies designed to determine whether or not differences measured among perennial ryegrass cultivars in small-plot studies translate into differences in milk production and profit in dairy whole-system studies were reviewed. Only three experiments were identified that met the criteria for fully self-contained systems repeated over multiple years required to account for annual feed supply–demand balance, its interaction with animal intake and production, and the influence of inter-annual climate variability on these processes. Collectively, these studies provide evidence of improvement in animal production, associated with genetic gains from ryegrass breeding, albeit through shifts in factors such as heading date (as it affects herbage quality and grazing efficiency) and host plant by endophyte interactions, rather than through gains in dry-matter yield. The latter remains unresolved, despite substantial evidence for gains from small-plot trials of dry-matter yield increases in the order of 0.5% per annum. These studies also highlighted the number of factors that have to be taken into account in the design and conduct of such studies, including gaining clarity about the size of the differences that can be expected and ensuring sufficient statistical power. Implementing objective management rules that allow cultivars to express their potential and capture differences through the grazing animal will ensure sufficient measurement intensity to enable differences (if observed) in milk production and profit to be explained. This should guard against confounding factors such as the differential effects of insect pests on plant performance, and consequent changes in pasture botanical composition mediated by ryegrass endophyte strains. Despite these difficulties, more experiments of this type are required to quantify and, ultimately, increase the value being delivered by ryegrass breeding to pasture-based dairy production systems in temperate regions. Therefore, there is a need for whole-system studies to be undertaken to provide valuable new information and give farmers the confidence to invest in the use of new cultivars.
Is the Counterweight Program a feasible and acceptable option for structured weight management delivered by practice nurses in Australia? A mixed-methods study
Authors: Gray Jodi , Hoon Elizabeth A. , Afzali Hossein Haji Ali , Spooner Catherine , Harris Mark F. , Karnon Jonathan
Published: May 2017

Nurse-led weight management programs, like the Counterweight Program in the United Kingdom, may offer a way for Australian general practices to provide weight management support to adults who are overweight or obese. During Counterweight, nurses provide patients with six fortnightly education sessions and three follow-up sessions to support weight maintenance. This study examined the feasibility, acceptability and perceived value of the Counterweight Program in the Australian primary care setting using a mixed-methods approach. Six practice nurses, from three general practices, were trained and subsidised to deliver the program. Of the 65 patients enrolled, 75% (n=49) completed the six education sessions. General practitioners and practice nurses reported that the training and resource materials were useful, the program fitted into general practices with minimal disruption and the additional workload was manageable. Patients reported that the program created a sense of accountability and provided a safe space to learn about weight management. Overall, Counterweight was perceived as feasible, acceptable and valuable by Australian practice staff and patients. The key challenge for future implementation will be identifying adequate and sustainable funding. An application to publically fund Counterweight under the Medicare Benefits Schedule would require stronger evidence of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in Australia.
Jurassic primates, immobile ducks and other oddities: a reply to Heads’ review of The Monkey’s Voyage
Authors: de Queiroz Alan
Published: May 2017

In The Monkey’s Voyage, I focused on the issue of disjunct distributions, and, in particular, on the burgeoning support from molecular-dating studies for long-distance dispersal over vicariance as the most reasonable explanation for many (but by no means all) distributions broken up by oceans. Michael Heads’ assessment of the book is founded on his long-standing belief, following Croizat, that long-distance dispersal is an insignificant process and, therefore, that disjunctions are virtually always attributable to vicariance. In holding to these notions, Heads offered a series of unsound arguments. In particular, to preserve an ‘all-vicariance’ perspective, he presented a distorted view of the nature of long-distance dispersal, misrepresented current applications of fossil calibrations in molecular-dating studies, ignored methodological biases in such studies that often favour vicariance hypotheses, repeatedly invoked irrelevant geological reconstructions, and, most strikingly, showed a cavalier approach to evolutionary timelines by pushing the origins of many groups back to unreasonably ancient ages. The result was a succession of implausible histories for particular taxa and areas, including the notions that the Hawaiian biota is almost entirely derived from ancient (often Mesozoic) central Pacific metapopulations, that the disjunctions of extremely mobile organisms such as ducks rarely, if ever, result from long-distance dispersal, and that primates were widespread 120 million years before their first appearance in the fossil record. In contrast to Heads’ perspective, a central message of The Monkey’s Voyage is that explanations for disjunct distributions should be evaluated on the basis of diverse kinds of evidence, without strong a priori assumptions about the relative likelihoods of long-distance dispersal and vicariance.
On the distribution of some interactive/conclusive discourse markers in Plato’s Theaetetus
Authors: Tronci Liana
Published: May 2017

This paper focuses on the Greek particles ára, oukoûn, oûn and toínun in Plato’s Theaetetus and investigates them at the syntactic-pragmatic interface. Traditionally, these particles are regarded as semantically equivalent, because they express consequence or indicate a conclusion. However, they do not appear to be interchangeable within the speech turns of dialogues. I will show that (a) the distribution of the particles in turn-takings is due to different speech acts, which are reflected in different sentence types (questions, statements, etc.) and correlate with different verbal moods (imperative, subjunctive, etc.) and deictic categories (tense and person); (b) with respect to discourse cohesion, the four particles split into three classes: ára and oûn are relevant for the representational level, oukoûn for the presentational one and toínun for the interactional one.
Ancient Greek adversative particles in contrast
Authors: Allan Rutger J.
Published: May 2017

Ancient Greek is a language which abounds in discourse particles showing a wide range of functions. This paper aims at analyzing the semantic differences between the most frequent adversative particles in Greek: allá, kaítoi, méntoi and mé:n. Drawing on a number of functionally and cognitively-oriented theoretical approaches to pragmatics, I will argue that these particles can best be analyzed as polysemous networks of semantic extensions resulting from the semanticization of contextually evoked pragmatic inferences. I will also argue that the semantic distinction between the various adversative particles can be insightfully described in terms of discourse-pragmatic notions such as common ground, topos, discourse act and move.
Contextualizing translation decisions in legal system-bound and international multilingual contexts
Authors: Halimi Sonia Asmahène
Published: May 2017

The present study uses the notion of frames as a model of concept representation to map the investigation process in three criminal justice realities: the Algerian, Egyptian and French Criminal Procedure. Specifically, the mapping of the investigating process is carried out with the aim of examining conceptual variations when national laws interact with one another and highlighting problems of contextualization in translation. The study shows that, when considering legal translation from an international perspective, all instances of reciprocal connection between laws and international multilingual legal communication should be examined in order to present relevant contextual variables in translation. This approach brings to light specificities at the procedural level that the legal translator and legal expert must be aware of in determining the translation situation, if conceptual inaccuracies, terminological discrepancies and awkward calques are to be avoided.
Morphology and properties of Mg2Si and Mg2(SixSn1−x) reinforcements in magnesium alloys
Authors: Wang Ying , Guo Xuefeng , Yang Wenpeng , Zhang Jianxin
Published: May 2017

In this paper, the effects of Sr, Sb, Sr+Sb and Sn on Mg2Si reinforcement phases in an Mg–Al–Zn–Si alloy are studied, and the structures and characteristics of Mg2(Si xSn1− x) phases are analysed with first-principle calculations. The results show that the coarse eutectic Mg2Si can be refined by modifying processes with Sr, Sb, and their combination. When alloying with Sn, a new reinforcement phase Mg2(Si xSn1− x) forms by a substitution reaction, instead of Mg2Si. Calculations indicate that Mg2(Si xSn1− x) has a certain percentage of covalent bonds, which ensure it has sufficient hardness to act as a reinforcement phase. Calculated results for physical parameters, such as the bulk modulus and shear modulus, indicate that an Mg2(Si xSn1− x) intermetallic exhibits greater ductility than Mg2Si.

Highlights

The coarse eutectic Mg2Si can be refined by modifying processes. A new phase Mg2(Si xSn1− x) forms by substitution reaction during solidification. Mg2(Si xSn1− x) has certain covalent bound percentage. Mg2(Si xSn1− x) has better plasticity than that of Mg2Si.
A scholar, colleague and friend
Authors: Lobuts John
Published: May 2017

The unique personality known as the Abilene Paradox man. A man who lived and breathed stories and story telling, the likes of “Swatting Flies and Telling Lies.”
Effects of valent image-based secondary tasks on verbal working memory
Authors: Morgan Phillip L , Williams Craig , Ings Fay M , Hughes Nia C
Published: May 2017

Two experiments examined if exposure to emotionally valent image-based secondary tasks introduced at different points of a free recall working memory (WM) task impair memory performance. Images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) varied in the degree of negative or positive valance (mild, moderate, strong) and were positioned at low, moderate and high WM load points with participants rating them based upon perceived valence. As predicted, and based on previous research and theory, the higher the degree of negative (Experiment 1) and positive (Experiment 2) valence and the higher the WM load when a secondary task was introduced, the greater the impairment to recall. Secondary task images with strong negative valance were more disruptive than negative images with lower valence at moderate and high WM load task points involving encoding and/or rehearsal of primary task words (Experiment 1). This was not the case for secondary tasks involving positive images (Experiment 2), although participant valence ratings for positive IAPS images classified as moderate and strong were in fact very similar. Implications are discussed in relation to research and theory on task interruption and attentional narrowing and literature concerning the effects of emotive stimuli on cognition.
Truncating mutations of SPAST associated with hereditary spastic paraplegia indicate greater accumulation and toxicity of the M1 isoform of spastin
Authors: Solowska Joanna M. , Rao Anand N. , Baas Peter W.
Published: May 2017

The SPAST gene, which produces two isoforms (M1 and M87) of the microtubule-severing protein spastin, is the chief gene mutated in hereditary spastic paraplegia. Haploinsufficiency is a popular explanation for the disease, in part because most of the >200 pathogenic mutations of the gene are truncating and expected to produce only vanishingly small amounts of shortened proteins. Here we studied two such mutations, N184X and S245X, and our results suggest another possibility. We found that the truncated M1 proteins can accumulate to notably higher levels than their truncated M87 or wild-type counterparts. Reminiscent of our earlier studies on a pathogenic mutation that generates full-length M1 and M87 proteins, truncated M1 was notably more detrimental to neurite outgrowth than truncated M87, and this was true for both N184X and S245X. The greater toxicity and tendency to accumulate suggest that, over time, truncated M1 could damage the corticospinal tracts of human patients. Curiously, the N184X mutation triggers the reinitiation of translation at a third start codon in SPAST, resulting in synthesis of a novel M187 spastin isoform that is able to sever microtubules. Thus microtubule severing may not be as reduced as previously assumed in the case of that mutation.
Robust reduced-rank regression
Authors: She Y. , Chen K.
Published: May 2017

In high-dimensional multivariate regression problems, enforcing low rank in the coefficient matrix offers effective dimension reduction, which greatly facilitates parameter estimation and model interpretation. However, commonly used reduced-rank methods are sensitive to data corruption, as the low-rank dependence structure between response variables and predictors is easily distorted by outliers. We propose a robust reduced-rank regression approach for joint modelling and outlier detection. The problem is formulated as a regularized multivariate regression with a sparse mean-shift parameterization, which generalizes and unifies some popular robust multivariate methods. An efficient thresholding-based iterative procedure is developed for optimization. We show that the algorithm is guaranteed to converge and that the coordinatewise minimum point produced is statistically accurate under regularity conditions. Our theoretical investigations focus on non-asymptotic robust analysis, demonstrating that joint rank reduction and outlier detection leads to improved prediction accuracy. In particular, we show that redescending ψ-functions can essentially attain the minimax optimal error rate, and in some less challenging problems convex regularization guarantees the same low error rate. The performance of the proposed method is examined through simulation studies and real-data examples.
Chirality, extended magnetohydrodynamics statistics and topological constraints for solar wind turbulence
Authors: Zhu Jian-Zhou
Published: May 2017

We unite the one-flow-dominated-state argument with the one-chiral-sector-dominated-state argument to form a non-linear extended-magnetohydrodynamics theory for the solar wind turbulence. Local minimal-energy rapid relaxation with topological/generalised-helicity constraints may work to reconcile strong and weak turbulence with consistent Alfvenicity and chirality features. The hodograph extracted from the data showing polarization characteristics with certain periods/frequencies can indicate non-linear nearly uni-chiral modes, not necessarily linear waves.
Transarterial Onyx Embolization of Intracranial Dural Fistulas: A Prospective Cohort, Systematic Review, and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Sadeh-Gonike Udi , Magand Nicolas , Armoiry Xavier , Riva Roberto , Labeyrie Paul Emile , Lamy Bernadette , Lukaszewicz Anne-Claire , Lehot Jean-Jacques , Turjman Francis , Gory Benjamin
Published: May 2017

BACKGROUND

Onyx is important embolic material in the endovascular treatment of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF). However, its impact on DAVF occlusion rates, morbidity, mortality, and complication rates is not fully examined.

OBJECTIVE

To improve understanding of safety and effectiveness profiles associated with transarterial endovascular treatment using Onyx for intracranial DAVF

METHODS

We analyzed data from our prospective clinical registry and conducted a systematic review of all previous transarterial embolization studies using Onyx published between January 2005 and December 2015 in MEDLINE and EMBASE.

RESULTS

In the prospective study, 41 transarterial procedures were performed in 33 consecutive patients harboring 36 DAVFs. Complete initial exclusion was obtained in 32 of 36 (88.9%) fistulas; 31 fistulas were followed up showing 4 (12.9%) recurrences. Procedure-related morbidity and mortality were 3% and 0%, respectively. The literature review identified 19 studies involving a total of 425 patients with 463 DAVFs. Meta-analysis, including our registry data, showed an initial complete occlusion rate of 82% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 74%, 88%; I2
, 70.6%), and recurrence rate at midterm of 2% (95% CI: 0%, 5%; I2
, 21.5%). Pooled postoperative neurological deficit, procedure-related morbidity, and mortality rates were 4% (95% CI: 2%, 6%; I2
, 0%), 3% (95% CI: 1%, 5%; I2
, 0%), and 0%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis suggests that transarterial embolization with Onyx is a safe treatment modality for DAVFs. Although Onyx showed a low recurrence rate at midterm, the long-term risk is poorly addressed in our study and should warrant a longer follow-up.
Predictors of Treatment Response and Survival Outcomes in Meningioma Recurrence with Atypical or Anaplastic Histology
Authors: Chohan Muhammad O , Ryan Christopher T , Singh Ranjodh , Lanning Ryan M , Reiner Anne S , Rosenblum Marc K , Tabar Viviane , Gutin Philip H
Published: May 2017

BACKGROUND

Recurrence rates for atypical and anaplastic meningiomas range between 9% and 50% after gross total resection and between 36% and 83% after subtotal resection. Optimal treatment of recurrent meningiomas exhibiting atypical/anaplastic histology is complicated because they are often refractory to both surgery and radiation.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate clinical determinants of recurrence and treatment-specific outcomes in patients with recurrent meningiomas exhibiting atypical/anaplastic histology at our institution.

METHODS

A cohort study was conducted using clinical data of all patients treated for meningiomas with atypical/anaplastic histology at first recurrence between January 1985 and July 2014 at a tertiary cancer center. Predictors of second recurrence were analyzed using competing risks regression models.

RESULTS

Nine hundred eighteen patients with meningioma were screened, of whom 60 (55% female) had recurrent disease with atypical/anaplastic histology at a median age of 58.1 yr at diagnosis. The median follow-up from the time of first recurrence was 36.7 mo, with 32 (53%) patients alive at last follow-up. There was no effect of extent of resection at first recurrence on time to a subsequent recurrence. Inclusion of radiation as primary or adjuvant therapy at first recurrence reduced the risk of progression or subsequent recurrence compared to surgery alone (P = .07).

CONCLUSION

Treatment of recurrent meningiomas with atypical/anaplastic histology remains challenging. Our data, from one of the largest cohorts, suggest better tumor control with the addition of radiation and challenges the importance of extent of resection at first recurrence. A multicenter effort is needed to confirm these findings and propose treatment guidelines.
Battles over Abortion and Reproductive Rights
Authors: Staggenborg Suzanne , Skoczylas Marie B.
Published: May 2017

This chapter examines the history of feminist struggles for abortion and reproductive rights in the United States. It analyzes why these issues continue to mobilize participants in opposing movements. Symbolic politics are an important reason for the longevity of the conflict, and issues of abortion and reproduction are connected to concerns about gender and sexuality. Movement/countermovement dynamics also help to keep the conflict alive; when one side wins a victory, the other side gains impetus for mobilization, and the opposing movements follow one another into new arenas. Feminist strategies and frames have continued to adapt to changes in the political and cultural climate. As different constituents organize, including young women and women of color, they contribute new frames and tactics to the struggle for abortion and reproductive rights.
Anti-Feminist, Pro-Life, and Anti-ERA Women
Authors: Schreiber Ronnee
Published: May 2017

For more than a century, women have organized for anti-feminist and conservative causes, including opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and legal abortion. This chapter outlines anti-feminist women’s activism ranging from their opposition to suffrage, to their support for the Ku Klux Klan, to their formation into contemporary national organizations. It examines the fight over the ERA, with special attention paid to the conservative women who opposed it, the tactics they employed, and how racial and class differences among women factored into support for, or opposition to, the amendment’s passage. Finally, an analysis of pro-life women’s activism provides insights into the strategies they use to counter feminist and pro-choice efforts. Talking as women, about women’s interests, enables pro-life groups and actors to tackle pro-choice advocates who have long argued for attention to women’s bodies and lives in reproductive health-care debates.
Identity Politics, Consciousness-Raising, and Visibility Politics
Authors: Whittier Nancy
Published: May 2017

This chapter describes the emergence of consciousness-raising, including differences among women. It then discusses collective identity, explaining the concept and describing activists’ attempts to reconstruct collective identity as women and to determine how to practice their collective identity in daily life. Next, it discusses coming out and other forms of visibility politics, which aim to display collective identity and change conceptualizations of the group and its issues. Finally, the chapter explains the controversies and debates over identity politics and describes some of its contemporary manifestations. “Identity politics” refers to organizing around the specific experience or perspective of a given group and to organizing that has identity visibility as a goal. Identity politics has, from its beginning, grappled with the question of differences within each identity group. For women’s movements, questions of the intersections between gender and race, class, sexuality, and other dimensions have been fundamental.
Language and Its Everyday Revolutionary Potential
Authors: Mallinson Christine
Published: May 2017

Centering on the English language reform movement, this chapter describes three main strategies through which feminists have targeted language, both as an object to reform and a platform for revolution. First, it describes the strategy of challenging man-made language forms, exemplified in debates over masculine generics. Second, it discusses the strategy of creating and institutionalizing egalitarian naming practices in order to reclaim the power to name and define. By tracing such forms as Ms., it becomes evident that even small shifts in language use can contribute to cultural change. Third, it describes the strategy of linguistic disruption, illustrated through such neologisms as herstory and womyn, gender-neutral forms such as singular they, and third-gender forms such as zie and zir. By using language creatively and sometimes radically to reject patriarchal language, respond to gender bias, and empower women, feminist activists and everyday speakers alike can employ linguistic practices to promote equality.
Women, Sports, and Activism
Authors: Cooky Cheryl
Published: May 2017

Unlike other issues that have generated highly visible popular social movements in the United States, gender inequality in sports has not attracted similar levels of attention among U.S. feminist activists. Moreover, sport has not played a significant role in what constitutes the “canon” of feminist writings on activism, and is often overlooked in feminist collections, women’s studies textbooks, and anthologies. This chapter draws upon the scholarship in feminist sport studies to focus on three issues related to women’s activism in sports: sports as a site for women’s advocacy and activism; sports as a site for women’s empowerment; and female athleticism as cultural iconography in discursive articulations of feminist activism and women’s empowerment. The chapter concludes with insights on the potential for intersections between women’s sports advocacy and feminist activism in women’s sports at the turn of the twenty-first century, and offers possible directions for future research.
What Can Political Science Learn from Sociology?
Authors: Moody James
Published: May 2017

This chapter is one of six in this book in which a leading scholar from another field is interviewed about network science. These scholars bring to bear the perspective and experience of their fields, as well as insights about how network science integrates with questions that tend to be of interest to political scientists. They have knowledgeable and unique perspectives on the potential intellectual contributions that political scientists can make using network science approaches.
Trust and Elections
Authors: Hooghe Marc
Published: May 2017

Political trust is closely related to various forms of electoral behavior. First, political trust tends to stimulate voter turnout, as distrusting citizens are less motivated to cast a vote. Second, low levels of political trust have been associated with an anti-incumbent vote and with populist voting. Third, taking part in elections can actually boost levels of political trust, although it is debatable whether this effect is limited to supporters of the winning party in elections. The occurrence of this winner-loser gap, however, seems to depend strongly on specific characteristics of electoral and party systems. Across liberal democracies, processes of electoral dealignment have led to lower levels of voter turnout and a higher vote share for populist parties. To a large extent, it remains to be investigated what causal role political trust plays in these processes.
Dieting and the Eating Disorders
Authors: Stice Eric , Shaw Heather
Published: May 2017

This chapter reviews theories and empirical evidence linking dietary restraint to eating pathology. Prospective studies suggest that dieting increases risk for future onset of bulimic pathology, yet experiments indicate that assignment to weight loss and weight maintenance diets reduces eating disorder symptoms. The chapter considers explanations for these inconsistent findings. The analysis suggests that dieting is not a causal risk factor for bulimic pathology but may be a proxy risk factor. It posits that a tendency toward overeating may lead to both dieting and eating pathology. Nonetheless, fasting does increase the reward value of food and appears to increase the likelihood of binge eating, suggesting that eating disorder treatments should promote consuming three healthy meals daily. The chapter proposes studies that should help differentiate dieting behaviors that can be used for healthy weight management versus dieting behaviors that increase risk for eating pathology.
Mood, Emotions, and Eating Disorders
Authors: Vögele Claus , Lutz Annika P.C. , Gibson E. Leigh
Published: May 2017

Mood and emotions are intrinsically involved with eating. This chapter discusses basic mechanisms, findings, and models that help our understanding of the interactions between eating and emotions, in both clinical and nonclinical populations. The finding that negative affect predicts EDs transdiagnostically, and that comorbidity with depressive disorders and anxiety disorders is the norm among patients with EDs suggests that EDs may not necessarily be restricted to domains of eating behavior and body image but may also be associated with significant difficulties in affective functioning. This chapter reviews the evidence relating to the notion that EDs are disturbances of mood regulation, in which regulatory strategies specifically related to eating and the body are used to diminish negative affect associated with food, body image, or stress.
Group-Based Experiences of Discrimination
Authors: Thomas Kecia M. , Plaut Victoria , Volpone Sabrina D. , Brown B. Lindsay , Sleight Robert
Published: May 2017

Group-based disparities in education and training, employment, health, and income persist even though there is growing attention to issues of race, gender, sexuality, and economic class by academics and the public at large. This chapter reviews the contributions made by cognitive psychology, namely social identity theory and social categorization theory, to our understanding of why differences matter. Furthermore, it seeks to provide greater attention to the social and cultural context in which meaning is ascribed and enacted to group differences through turning its focus to issues of privilege, power, and diversity ideologies, which complicate the cognitive dynamics typically explored. It also seeks to understand the experience of marginalization due to group membership through an examination of group-based discrimination through the lenses of identity development theory and subsequently intersectionality.
The Influence of Women’s Mate Value on Intrasexual Competition
Authors: Fisher Maryanne L. , Fernández Ana María
Published: May 2017

In order to engage in assortative mating, people must be accurate in self-assessments of their current worth on the mating market. We argue that people intrinsically know their worth (i.e., mate value), and that this knowledge has far-reaching implications on a variety of behaviors and decisions. Here our focus is on women’s mate value and how it relates to their intrasexual competition for access to, and retention of, romantic partners. We start with a review of definitions and the components of female mate value, discuss mate preferences in relation to assessment of mate value, and then briefly provide a sample of some auxiliary issues, such as how feelings of control over mate value influence one’s well-being. We then turn to female intrasexual competition and specifically review competitive strategy use in relation to mate value. In the last section, we provide areas for further investigation.
Force Dynamics
Authors: Wolff Phillip
Published: May 2017

Force dynamics is an approach to knowledge representation that aims to describe how notions of force, resistance, and tendency enter into the representation of certain kinds of words and concepts. As a theory of causation, it specifies how the concept of cause may be grounded in people’s representations of force and spatial relations. This chapter reviews theories of force dynamics that have recently emerged in the linguistic, psychological, and philosophical literatures. In discussing these theories, it reveals how a force dynamic account of causation is able to account for many of the key phenomena in causal cognition, including the representation of individual causal events, the encoding of causal relations in language, the encoding of causal chains, and causation by omission.
Pseudocontingencies
Authors: Fiedler Klaus , Kutzner Florian
Published: May 2017

In research on causal inference and in related paradigms (conditioning, cue learning, attribution), it has been traditionally taken for granted that the statistical contingency between cause and effect drives the cognitive inference process. However, while a contingency model implies a cognitive algorithm based on joint frequencies (i.e., the cell frequencies of a 2 x 2 contingency table), recent research on pseudocontingencies (PCs) suggests a different mental algorithm that is driven by base rates (i.e., the marginal frequencies of a 2 x 2 table). When the base rates of two variables are skewed in the same way, a positive contingency is inferred. In contrast, a negative contingency is inferred when base rates are skewed in opposite directions. The chapter describes PCs as a resilient cognitive illusion, as a proxy for inferring contingencies in the absence of solid information, and as a smart heuristic that affords valid inferences most of the time.
Causal Explanation
Authors: Lombrozo Tania , Vasilyeva Nadya
Published: May 2017

Explanation and causation are intimately related. Explanations often appeal to causes, and causal claims are often answers to implicit or explicit questions about why or how something occurred. This chapter considers what we can learn about causal reasoning from research on explanation. In particular, it reviews an emerging body of work suggesting that explanatory considerations—such as the simplicity or scope of a causal hypothesis—can systematically influence causal inference and learning. It also discusses proposed distinctions among types of explanations and reviews the effects of each explanation type on causal reasoning and representation. Finally, it considers the relationship between explanations and causal mechanisms and raises important questions for future research.