bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transforming a Course to Blended Learning for Student Engagement
Authors: Downing Charles E. , Spears Julia , Holtz Michaela
Published: December 2014

The rising costs of higher education, along with the learning styles and needs of modern students, are changing the instructional landscape. Students of today do less and less well in the “lecture only” format, and staffing this format with live faculty is extremely expensive. MOOCs and other technology-heavy options are low cost but quite impersonal. Blended instruction has promise, with the ultimate goal of cost-efficient student engagement. This paper reports on a major course transformation to achieve student engagement in a large, formerly lecture-only course. The resulting blended-learning course features clickers, web-based operationalization of students helping students, media-rich interactive online materials, event credit, and newly added student-produced video tutorials. Results show that the addition of the student-produced video tutorials increased the student engagement in the course.
Beta2-Adrenergic Receptor Gene Polymorphisms in Egyptian Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Toraih Eman , Hussein Mohammad H. , Badran Dahlia I.
Published: December 2014

Background. Beta2-adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) gene polymorphisms, Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the association of these two polymorphisms with the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in the Egyptian population.Methods. Blood samples were collected from 68 MI patients and 75 healthy controls. They were assessed for the presence of cardiovascular risk factors and genotyped for the Arg16Gly (rs1042713) and Gln27Glu (rs1042714) polymorphisms using allelic-discrimination polymerase chain reaction.Results. There is no significant difference in genotype and allele frequencies at codon 16 between MI patients and controls (P=0.919). However, at codon 27, MI risk was higher in Gln27homozygous participants than in Glu27carriers (P=0.045). The haplotype frequency distribution showed significant difference among cases and controls (P=0.002); homozygotes for Gly16/Gln27haplotype were more susceptible to MI than Gly16/Glu27carriers. Patients with Arg16/Gln27haplotype had higher serum total cholesterol levels (P<0.05) and lower frequency of diabetes in MI patients (P<0.01). However, both Glu27genotypes and haplotype showed lower frequency of hypertension (P<0.001).Conclusions. Our findings suggested that theADRB2gene polymorphisms may play an important role in susceptibility of MI among Egyptian population.
Phosphoglycerate Dehydrogenase: Potential Therapeutic Target and Putative Metabolic Oncogene
Authors: Zogg Cheryl K.
Published: December 2014

Exemplified by cancer cells’ preference for glycolysis, for example, the Warburg effect, altered metabolism in tumorigenesis has emerged as an important aspect of cancer in the past 10–20 years. Whether due to changes in regulatory tumor suppressors/oncogenes or by acting as metabolic oncogenes themselves, enzymes involved in the complex network of metabolic pathways are being studied to understand their role and assess their utility as therapeutic targets. Conversion of glycolytic intermediate 3-phosphoglycerate into phosphohydroxypyruvate by the enzyme phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH)—a rate-limiting step in the conversion of 3-phosphoglycerate to serine—represents one such mechanism. Forgotten since classic animal studies in the 1980s, the role of PHGDH as a potential therapeutic target and putative metabolic oncogene has recently reemerged following publication of two prominent papers near-simultaneously in 2011. Since that time, numerous studies and a host of metabolic explanations have been put forward in an attempt to understand the results observed. In this paper, I review the historic progression of our understanding of the role of PHGDH in cancer from the early work by Snell through its reemergence and rise to prominence, culminating in an assessment of subsequent work and what it means for the future of PHGDH.
Strong Law of Large Numbers for Hidden Markov Chains Indexed by an Infinite Tree with Uniformly Bounded Degrees
Authors: Huang Huilin
Published: December 2014

We study strong limit theorems for hidden Markov chains fields indexed by an infinite tree with uniformly bounded degrees. We mainly establish the strong law of large numbers for hidden Markov chains fields indexed by an infinite tree with uniformly bounded degrees and give the strong limit law of the conditional sample entropy rate.
A Comparative Study to Evaluate the Educational Impact of E-Learning Tools on Griffith University Pharmacy Students’ Level of Understanding Using Bloom’s and SOLO Taxonomies
Authors: Karaksha Abdullah , Grant Gary , Nirthanan S. Niru , Davey Andrew K. , Anoopkumar-Dukie Shailendra
Published: December 2014

Objectives. To design a series of e-learning tools within the framework of a defined educational pedagogy to complement the conventional pharmacology curriculum at Griffith University and evaluate the impact of this strategy on student level of understanding through taxonomic classification of student final exam answers.Methods. A series of 148 e-learning tools was designed for 3rd year undergraduate pharmacy students and incorporated into their curriculum during 2012. The educational benefits of the e-learning tools were evaluated by analyses of student level of understanding (by SOLO taxonomy) at the final exams between the control group (standard curricula) in 2011 and the intervention group (standard curricula + e-learning tools) in 2012.Results. Backward linear regression analysis demonstratedGPAto be the most significant predictor of level of understanding, while theinterventiongroup was a highly significant predictor for greater level of understanding in semester two.Conclusion. E-learning tools appeared to significantly improve student level of understanding as scored by the SOLO taxonomy when students engaged highly with the tools.
LINAC Radiosurgery in the Management of Parasagittal Meningiomas
Authors: Hadelsberg Uri , Nissim Uzi , Cohen Zvi R. , Spiegelmann Roberto
Published: December 2014

Background: At present, there is no general agreement for the best approach to parasagittal meningiomas. Invasion of the superior sagittal sinus is frequent and responsible for relatively high recurrence rates following conventional microsurgery. Radiosurgery has the potential to treat less accessible portions of these tumors, and its application in this pathology is increasing either as a primary or a complementary therapeutic tool. Objective: To evaluate our results with LINAC radiosurgery for the treatment of parasagittal meningiomas. Methods: The patient cohort consisted of 74 patients treated for parasagittal meningioma by LINAC radiosurgery at our institution's Radiosurgery Unit during a 15-year period. Women accounted for 61% of patients. Thirteen patients (18%) underwent radiosurgery as the primary treatment for their meningioma. Results: The overall actuarial control rate was 90.6% at a mean follow-up of 49 months. In 17 patients (22.9%), there was no volumetric change. Fifty patients (67.5%) showed tumor shrinkage ranging from 15 to 80% of the original mass. In 7 patients, tumor recurrence was observed at an average time of 42.2 months after radiosurgery. All the patients with previously untreated tumors were controlled. Symptomatic transient peritumoral edema developed in 5 patients (6.7%) at a mean of 6.4 months after radiosurgery. Three patients complained of protracted headaches after treatment. Conclusions: LINAC radiosurgery was highly effective for the treatment of parasagittal meningiomas in this series. For small to medium-sized meningiomas with clear invasion of the sinusal lumen, radiosurgery is a reasonable option as a first-line treatment. Either alone or combined with conventional surgery, radiosurgery may improve the control rate for parasagittal meningiomas. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel
Kisspeptin and Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neuronal Excitability: Molecular Mechanisms Driven by 17β-Estradiol
Authors: Rønnekleiv Oline K. , Zhang Chunguang , Bosch Martha A. , Kelly Martin J.
Published: December 2014

Kisspeptin is a neuropeptide that signals via a Gαq-coupled receptor, GPR54, in gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons and is essential for pubertal maturation and fertility. Kisspeptin depolarizes and excites GnRH neurons primarily through the activation of canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) channels and the inhibition of K+ channels. The gonadal steroid 17β-estradiol (E2) upregulates not only kisspeptin (Kiss1) mRNA but also increases the excitability of the rostral forebrain Kiss1 neurons. In addition, a primary postsynaptic action of E2 on GnRH neurons is to upregulate the expression of channel transcripts that orchestrate the downstream signaling of kisspeptin in GnRH neurons. These include not only TRPC4 channels but also low-voltage-activated T-type calcium channels and high-voltage-activated L-, N- and R-type calcium channel transcripts. Moreover, E2 has direct membrane-initiated actions to alter the excitability of GnRH neurons by enhancing ATP-sensitive potassium channel activity, which is critical for maintaining GnRH neurons in a hyperpolarized state for the recruitment of T-type calcium channels that are important for burst firing. Therefore, E2 modulates the excitability of GnRH neurons as well as of Kiss1 neurons by altering the expression and/or function of ion channels; moreover, kisspeptin provides critical excitatory input to GnRH neurons to facilitate burst firing activity and peptide release.
Brain-Targeted Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Overexpression Attenuates Neurogenic Hypertension by Inhibiting Cyclooxygenase-Mediated Inflammation
Authors: Sriramula Srinivas , Xia Huijing , Xu Ping , Lazartigues Eric
Published: December 2014

Overactivity of the renin–angiotensin system, oxidative stress, and cyclooxygenases (COX) in the brain are implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension. We previously reported that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) overexpression in the brain attenuates the development of deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension, a neurogenic hypertension model with enhanced brain renin–angiotensin system and sympathetic activity. To elucidate the mechanisms involved, we investigated whether oxidative stress, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling and cyclooxygenase (COX) activation in the brain are modulated by ACE2 in neurogenic hypertension. Deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension significantly increased expression of Nox-2 (+61±5%), Nox-4 (+50±13%), and nitrotyrosine (+89±32%) and reduced activity of the antioxidant enzymes, catalase (−29±4%) and superoxide dismutase (−31±7%), indicating increased oxidative stress in the brain of nontransgenic mice. This increased oxidative stress was attenuated in transgenic mice overexpressing ACE2 in the brain. Deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt–induced reduction of neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression (−26±7%) and phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase/total endothelial nitric oxide synthase (−30±3%), and enhanced phosphorylation of protein kinase B and extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 in the paraventricular nucleus, were reversed by ACE2 overexpression. In addition, ACE2 overexpression blunted the hypertension-mediated increase in gene and protein expression of COX-1 and COX-2 in the paraventricular nucleus. Furthermore, gene silencing of either COX-1 or COX-2 in the brain, reduced microglial activation and accompanied neuroinflammation, ultimately attenuating Deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension. Together, these data provide evidence that brain ACE2 overexpression reduces oxidative stress and COX-mediated neuroinflammation, improves antioxidant and nitric oxide signaling, and thereby attenuates the development of neurogenic hypertension.
Declining Rates of Fatal and Nonfatal Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Epidemiological Trends in Australia
Authors: Gattellari Melina , Goumas Chris , Worthington John
Published: December 2014

Background

A recent systematic review of epidemiological studies reported intracerebral hemorrhage (
ICH
) incidence and mortality as unchanged over time; however, comparisons between studies conducted in different health services obscure assessment of trends. We explored trends in
ICH
rates in a large, representative population in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state (≈7.3 million).

Methods and Results

Adult hospitalizations with a principal
ICH
diagnosis from 2001 to 2009 were linked to death registrations through to June 30, 2010. Trends for overall, fatal, and nonfatal
ICH
rates within 30 days and fatal rates for 30‐day survivors at 365 days were calculated. There were 11 332
ICH
patient admissions meeting eligibility criteria, yielding a crude hospitalization rate of 25.2 per 100 000 (age‐standardized rate: 17.2). Age‐ and sex‐adjusted overall rates significantly declined by an average of 1.6% per year (
P
=0.03). Fatal
ICH
declined by an average of 2.6% per year (
P
=0.004). For 30‐day survivors, a nonsignificant decline of 2.3% per year in fatal
ICH
at 365 days was estimated (
P
=0.17). Male sex and birth in the Oceania region and Asia were associated with an increased
ICH
risk, although this depended on age. Approximately 12% of
ICH
admissions would be prevented if the socioeconomic circumstances of the population equated with those of the least disadvantaged.

Conclusions

Overall and fatal
ICH
rates have fallen in this large Australian population. Improvements in cardiovascular prevention and acute care may explain declining rates. There was no evidence of an increase in devastated survivors because the longer term mortality of 30‐day survivors has not increased over time.
Palestinians to Citizens
Authors: Khalil Asem
Published: December 2014

In this paper, I first argue that, since the British mandate, citizenship regulations in Palestine contributed to dispossession of the rights of Palestinians, thus laying the seeds of the Palestinian refugee problem and its eventual consolidation. I then argue that citizenship regulations in host countries were exclusionary towards refugees in general, and Palestinians in particular, making it impossible for Palestinians to integrate in host societies. The so-called “Arab Spring” did not bring about any change in that sense. Finally, I argue that the narrative of statehood, although often separated from that of the “right of return”, constitutes but one narrative, and one from a completely different angle than the narrative of a “right of return”, where the ‘just solution’ creates the possibility of establishing a homeland for Palestinians where they, and in particular the stateless refugees, can be converted into full citizens. What was part of the problem for refugees is presented as part of the solution. This discussion is very important in today’s Palestine, which was just recently accepted by the un General Assembly as a non-member observer state. The importance of that move is the official Palestinian insistence on the need for a state on the 1967 borders, and the willingness to accept the formula of a two-state solution. Discussion related to citizenship and refugee status, and the right of return, are all back at the center of political and legal discussions.
Tuaregs and Citizenship
Authors: Perrin Delphine
Published: December 2014

The paper questions the widespread perception according to which Tuaregs’ relationship to citizenship would be characterized by hostility, skepticism or indifference, a perception which is often applied to transnational minorities, in particular when they are associated to a mobility culture and/or a remote territory. It focuses on both mobile and sedentary Tuaregs from Niger and Mali in their various and complex relationship to state membership, which spans legally from statelessness to multiple citizenship, and practically from semi-passive attitudes toward the state to active assimilation. The paper shows how new forms of belonging, including belonging to the state(s), have emerged among Tuaregs together with the reconfiguration of territorial and community bonds, and seeks to assess the impact of some variables, such as mobility and territorial localization, on individual and collective attitudes towards citizenship.
Nationality and Citizenship in the “New Sudan”
Authors: Jok Jok Madut
Published: December 2014

When South Sudan separated from Sudan in 2011, the two countries faced difficult issues related to the division of assets, security of the borders, sharing of oil resources, and the transition from a history of acrimony to coexistence and harmony. But one of the most daunting matters presented by separation was the question of nationality and citizenship. This paper explores the concept of citizenship, what the constitutions of the two countries stipulate about how it is acquired or lost, and whether the constitutional stipulation dovetails with how citizenship is granted or denied by the two states. The paper shows that belonging to a physical entity by birth, which many respondents thought would suffice as the foundation for legal citizenship, has left many people in the two Sudans and across Africa exposed to arbitrary citizenship decisions by both governments that are based on how state authorities perceive that decision to serve a particular agenda. The paper concludes that, despite the wrangling over citizenship and nationality between the governments of the two countries, the social and family connections that have been forged over many generations between North and South Sudanese, especially those living in the 12 border states, will be more important in determining population movement across borders than any rigid policies the governments might put in place.
Representing the Nation Horizontally and Vertically
Authors: Ciavolella Riccardo
Published: December 2014

This article retraces the parallel and contrasting developments of state formation and of citizenship in Mauritania, recasting the reflection on postcolonial and anthropological debates on citizenship and state and civil society. In this perspective, cultural, ethnic and even “racial” differences – such as the Arabs/Africans or White/Black peoples dichotomies – have alternatively been considered as a social resource for consolidating a postcolonial nation or a threat to social harmony and to political development. The article deconstructs both of these positions in order to show their common features in their tendency to reduce state and civil society relationships to a matter of “horizontal” interactions between social groups. The hypothesis is that these visions have historically played a depoliticizing role, hiding the “vertical” dimension of relationships between hegemonic governing elites and social groups that are economically and socially fragmented, hierarchized, and even discriminated against. The article proceeds in three steps. First, it shows the way in which issues of identity are highly sensitive in contemporary Mauritania, relying particularly on a recent case of ethnic discrimination during a census campaign. It then retraces the evolution of political and intellectual debates on identities in Mauritanian society, putting them in perspective with the evolution of political power or of the political interests and views of social and political actors. Finally, it relies on historical and ethnographic records about a particular social group (a pastoral Fulani lineage), which does not fit into usual ethnic categories and dichotomies, and by that ultimately shows the political value of discourses on identity.
Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment
Authors: VIJAYAKUMAR S. P. , DINESH K. P. , PRABHU MRUGANK V. , SHANKER KARTIK
Published: December 2014

Bush frogs of the genus Raorchestes are distributed mainly in the Western Ghats Escarpment of Peninsular India. The inventory of species in this genus is incomplete and there is ambiguity in the systematic status of species recognized by morphological criteria. To address the dual problem of taxon sampling and systematic uncertainty in bush frogs, we used a large-scale spatial sampling design, explicitly incorporating the geographic and ecological heterogeneity of the Western Ghats. We then used a hierarchical multi-criteria approach by combining mitochondrial phylogeny, genetic distance, geographic range, morphology and advertisement call to delimit bush frog lineages. Our analyses revealed the existence of a large number of new lineages with varying levels of genetic divergence. Here, we provide diagnoses and descriptions for nine lineages that exhibit divergence across multiple axes. The discovery of new lineages that exhibit high divergence across wide ranges of elevation and across the major massifs highlights the large gaps in historical sampling. These discoveries underscore the significance of addressing inadequate knowledge of species distribution, namely the “Wallacean shortfall”, in addressing the problem of taxon sampling and unknown diversity in tropical hotspots. A biogeographically informed sampling and analytical approach was critical in detecting and delineating lineages in a consistent manner across the genus. Through increased taxon sampling, we were also able to discern a number of well-supported sub-clades that were either unresolved or absent in earlier phylogenetic reconstructions and identify a number of shallow divergent lineages which require further examination for assessment of their taxonomic status.
A revision of the genus Bombyciella Draudt, 1950, with description of a new species and a new genus (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae: Xyleninae)
Authors: SALDAITIS AIDAS , BENEDEK BALÁZS , BEHOUNEK GOTTFRIED , STÜNING DIETER
Published: December 2014

The small Noctuidae genus Bombyciella Draudt, 1950, is revised, based on type-material of its only two known species, Bombyciella talpa Draudt, 1950 and Bombyciella sericea Draudt, 1950. Bombyciella antra sp. n. from southwest China is described as a new species close to B. talpa, the type-species of Bombyciella. B. sericea is found to be different in most characters, not congeneric with B. talpa, and most closely related to the genus Euplexia Stephens and Chandata Moore. Therefore a new genus, Maxiana gen. n., is described for its inclusion. These genera belong to two different tribus in the subfamily Xyleninae, Xylenini (Bombyciella) and Phlogophorini (Maxiana gen. n.). The systematic placement within the two subfamilies is also discussed. Lectotypes for B. talpa and B. sericea are designated.
Torneuma penaensis sp. n. from the Algarve, Portugal (Coleoptera, Curculionidae)
Authors: GERMANN CHRISTOPH , BRAUNERT CARLO
Published: December 2014

A new species of the genus Torneuma Wollaston, 1860 is described from the Algarve region in Portugal. It is the third species of the genus known from Portugal besides T. longipenne Pic, 1910 and T. serpentinum Stüben, 2007.
Three new species in the leafhopper genus Angustuma (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Evacanthinae) from Thailand
Authors: WANG YANG , ZHANG YALIN
Published: December 2014

The genus Angustuma Xing & Li, 2013 of the subfamily Evacanthinae is recorded from Thailand for the first time. Three new species, Angustuma basinigra sp. nov., Angustuma flavinigra sp. nov. and Angustuma flavimacula sp. nov., are described and illustrated. Their diagnostic characteristics are compared with close relatives. A key to all known species of Angustuma is provided.
Gulf Stream Dynamics along the Southeastern U.S. Seaboard
Authors: Gula Jonathan , Molemaker M. Jeroen , McWilliams James C.
Published: December 2014

The Gulf Stream strongly interacts with the topography along the southeastern U.S. seaboard, between the Straits of Florida and Cape Hatteras. The dynamics of the Gulf Stream in this region is investigated with a set of realistic, very high-resolution simulations using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). The mean path is strongly influenced by the topography and in particular the Charleston Bump. There are significant local pressure anomalies and topographic form stresses exerted by the bump that retard the mean flow and steer the mean current pathway seaward. The topography provides, through bottom pressure torque, the positive input of barotropic vorticity necessary to balance the meridional transport of fluid and close the gyre-scale vorticity balance. The effect of the topography on the development of meanders and eddies is studied by computing energy budgets of the eddies and the mean flow. The baroclinic instability is stabilized by the slope everywhere except past the bump. The flow is barotropically unstable, and kinetic energy is converted from the mean flow to the eddies following the Straits of Florida and at the bump with regions of eddy-to-mean conversion in between. There is eddy growth by Reynolds stress and downstream development of the eddies. Interaction of the flow with the topography acts as an external forcing process to localize these oceanic storm tracks. Associated time-averaged eddy fluxes are essential to maintain and reshape the mean current. The pattern of eddy fluxes is interpreted in terms of eddy life cycle, eddy fluxes being directed downgradient in eddy growth regions and upgradient in eddy decay regions.
The More Rain, the Better the Model Performs—The Dependency of Quantitative Precipitation Forecast Skill on Rainfall Amount for Typhoons in Taiwan
Authors: Wang Chung-Chieh
Published: December 2014

A strong dependency of model performance in quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPFs) as measured by scores such as the threat score (TS) on rainfall amount (i.e., the better the model performs when there is more rain), is demonstrated through real-time forecasts by the 2.5-km Cloud-Resolving Storm Simulator (CReSS) for 15 typhoons in Taiwan in 2010–12. Implied simply from the positive correlation between rain-area sizes and scores, this dependency is expected to exist in all regions, models, and rainfall regimes, while for typhoon QPFs in Taiwan it is also attributed to the model’s capability to properly handle (within 72 h) the processes leading to more rain, which are largely controlled by the typhoon’s track, size, structure, and environment, and the island’s topography. Because of this dependency, the performance of model QPFs for extreme events can be assessed accurately only when forecasts targeted for periods of comparable rainfall magnitude are included for averaging. For the most-rainy 24 h of the top-5 typhoons, the 0–24-h QPFs by CReSS have mean TS of 0.67, 0.67, 0.58, 0.51, and 0.32 at thresholds of 25, 50, 130, 200, and 350 mm, and 0.64, 0.57, 0.37, 0.33, and 0.22 from 48–72-h QPFs, respectively, suggesting superior performance even 2–2.5 days in advance. These scores are strikingly high, precisely because Taiwan can receive extreme rainfall from typhoons. For smaller (nonhazardous) events, the mean scores are progressively lower, but also unimportant and less representative statistically. Therefore, it is inappropriate to average scores over multiple forecasts as those for less-rainy periods would contaminate the result for key periods. The implication for forecasters is also discussed.
The Impact of Culture on Creativity
Authors: Chua Roy Y. J. , Roth Yannig , Lemoine Jean-François
Published: December 2014

This paper advances a new theoretical model to understand the effect of culture on creativity in a global context. We theorize that creativity engagement and success depend on the cultural tightness—the extent to which a country is characterized by strong social norms and low tolerance for deviant behaviors—of both an innovator’s country and the audience’s country, as well as the cultural distance between these two countries. Using field data from a global online crowdsourcing platform that organizes creative contests for consumer-product brands, supplemented by interviews with marketing experts, we found that individuals from tight cultures are less likely than counterparts from loose cultures to engage in and succeed at foreign creative tasks; this effect is intensified as the cultural distance between the innovator’s and the audience’s country increases. Additionally, tight cultures are less receptive to foreign creative ideas. But we also found that in certain circumstances—when members of a tight culture do creative work in their own or culturally close countries—cultural tightness can actually promote creativity success. This finding implies that some degree of convergent thinking as engendered by tight cultures could be beneficial for creativity, challenging the dominant view in creativity research that divergent thinking is a prerequisite for creative performance.
A Comparison of Adolescents’ Friendship Networks by Advanced Coursework Participation Status
Authors: Barber Carolyn , Wasson Jillian Woodford
Published: December 2014

Friendships serve as a source of support and as a context for developing social competence. Although advanced coursework may provide a unique context for the development of friendships, more research is needed to explore exactly what differences exist. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and the Adolescent Health and Academic Achievement Study, we compared the friendship networks of students taking advanced mathematics and English coursework to those of similar nonparticipants. Groups were compared on the number of sent or received nominations based on students’ listings of friends, the presence and reciprocation of best friendships, and friends’ academic engagement and diversity. Controlling for background, advanced coursework participants had larger networks and more engaged friends than did nonparticipants. Small differences in age heterogeneity and in the likelihood of reciprocal best friendships with female friends were found in English course-taking. Participants’ networks were also somewhat less racially diverse.
Optimization via simulation of catchment basin management using a discrete-event approach
Authors: Santucci J F , Capocchi L
Published: December 2014

This paper deals with discrete-event simulation-based optimization of a catchment basin management. The integration of optimization techniques into modeling and simulation relies on the evolution of the studied model using decisions based on previous simulation results. Three different categories of optimization via simulation methods can be found in the literature: ranking-and-selection methods, discrete and continuous optimization via simulation methods. In this paper, we explain how an iterative process allows us to integrate continuous optimization via simulation algorithms into a discrete-event simulation in order to optimize the management of a catchment basin. We have performed a comparison between optimization methods belonging to the three categories of optimization via simulation methods when they are applied to the management of a catchment basin. An analysis of the comparison allows us to point out the benefits of continuous optimization via simulation methods compared with rank-and-selection and discrete optimization via simulation methods in the case of the optimization of a catchment basin management.
Adaptive behaviour in urban space: Residential mobility in response to social distance
Authors: Musterd Sako , van Gent Wouter PC , Das Marjolijn , Latten Jan
Published: December 2014

The social relationship between an individual and their residential environment is shaped by a range of housing market rules and regulations, by residential choice and by constraints. This paper elaborates on that relationship by focusing on the distance between an individual’s (and his/her household) social position and the social position of the neighbourhood of residence. Through the analysis of large-scale longitudinal register data for each resident in the four largest cities of the Netherlands, we studied the relations mentioned, as well as the residential moves triggered by such relations, as well as the outcome effects on individual-neighbourhood relations in the destination neighbourhoods. We found that the larger the social distance (positive or negative) between an individual and the median social position of their residential neighbourhood, the higher the odds that the individual would move from that neighbourhood. Those individuals that moved tended to select destination neighbourhoods that reduced their social distance. Our findings offer new input for debates and policies relating to de-segregation and social mixing.
The effects of motor and intellectual functions on the effectiveness of comprehensive rehabilitation in young children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Zhang Hongbo , Zhang Bo , Jia Feiyong , Liang Dong , Li Haibo , Chen Yinbo , Yang Libin , Ge Pengfei , Liang Jianmin
Published: December 2014

Objective

To determine the effects of motor and intellectual functions on the effectiveness of comprehensive rehabilitation (CR) in young children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Methods

This longitudinal cohort study recruited paediatric patients with a confirmed diagnosis of CP. Baseline gross motor function was classified using the Gross Motor Function Classification System. Baseline intellectual level was evaluated using the Developmental Quotient (DQ) via the Gesell Development Scale. Children underwent CR for 3 months and then their motor and intellectual functions were assessed using the Gross Motor Function Measure, Fine Motor Function Measure and DQ. The changes from baseline were calculated.

Results

Forty-eight children with CP were recruited to this study. Greater improvements in motor function were associated with a lower baseline level of intellectual impairment. Motor and intellectual function in children with CP was significantly improved when treatment was started before 12 months of age.

Conclusion

There might be a close and reciprocal relationship between the baseline levels of impairment of motor and intellectual function with regard to the effectiveness of CR. Early intervention is important to gain a good outcome in children with CP.
Beyond Parasitism
Authors: Hiemstra S. , Harkema L. , Wiersma L. C. M. , Keesler R. I.
Published: December 2014

The liver can be an indicator of the health of an individual or of a group, which can be especially important to identify agents that can cause disease in multiple species. To better characterize hepatic lesions in stranded harbor porpoises ( Phocoena phocoena), we analyzed the livers from 39 porpoises that stranded along the Dutch coast between December 2008 and December 2012. The animals were selected because they had either gross or histologic liver lesions with minimal autolysis and no evidence of trematode ( Campula oblonga) infection. The most common finding was a chronic hepatitis (22/39, 56.4%) that was often associated with significant disease reported in another organ system (18/22, 81.8%), of which 14 had chronic systemic disease. One case of chronic hepatitis was so severe as to mimic lymphoma, which could only be differentiated with immunohistochemistry. The other common lesions were lipidosis (11/39, 28.2%) and acute hepatitis (6/39, 15.4%), often in combination with mild chronic changes. Overall, although there were no consistent trends in etiology for the hepatic lesions, lipidosis was associated with starvation (8/11, 72.7%) and acute disease, and acute hepatitis was associated with bacterial infections and sepsis (6/6, 100%).
Investigations on pressure and thickness profiles in carbon fiber-reinforced polymers during vacuum assisted resin transfer molding
Authors: Arulappan C , Duraisamy A , Adhikari D , Gururaja S
Published: December 2014

Systematic experiments have been carried out by monitoring the in-situ pressure and thickness profiles for three different configurations, viz., flat plate, flat plate with a central circular hole, and an L-section using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. The effect of anisotropy on resin flow has been quantified by considering uni-directional carbon fiber preforms with 0° and 90° orientation to the flow direction for each configuration. A quasi-isotropic [45°/0°/−45°/90°]S layup has also been included for flat plate case. Additionally, the study has been extended to understand the effect of using high permeability medium for each configuration. Fluid pressure profiles and thickness variation profiles have been obtained using an array of pressure sensors and linear variable differential transformers for each configuration. Experimental data reveal that anisotropy (due to changing fiber orientations), configuration, and gravity significantly change fluid pressure and displacement fields obtained during VARTM.
Reversing the Effects of Antiplatelet Agents in the Setting of Intracranial Hemorrhage
Authors: Jaben Elizabeth A. , Mulay Sudhanshu B. , Stubbs James R.
Published: December 2014

Patients are increasingly being prescribed antiplatelet agents (APAs) for a growing number of medical and surgical conditions. These agents are associated with an increased risk of hemorrhage, including intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). In the setting of warfarin use and ICH, strategies to reverse the drug effects have improved outcomes. No such strategy exists for APAs, and these patients continue to have poor posthemorrhage outcomes. One strategy is the use of platelet transfusions to provide functional, circulating platelets. Studies have shown mixed results regarding the benefit of this practice. Other strategies include the use of desmopressin and recombinant factor VIIa. More studies are necessary to delineate the effectiveness of the various strategies.
Excavation of critical resource node for quality control of multi-variety mixed production shopfloor based on complex network property
Authors: Ai-ming Xu , Jian-min Gao , Kun Chen
Published: December 2014

The complexity of multi-variety mixed production mode makes it difficult to find out the critical points to guide the quality control and improvement activities of the shopfloor. To excavate these critical nodes, a complex network analyze method is proposed in this article. A quality control network of multi-variety mixed production is constructed based on directed weighted network using unqualified batches’ manufacturing information. In order to evaluate the critical degree of a manufacturing resource node of quality control network, this article proposes a QCD-NodeRank indicator and an evaluation method based on improvement of PageRank method. This critical degree evaluation method reflects the connection relationship of manufacturing resource nodes and considers the quality situation of them. The manufacturing resource node with high QCD-NodeRank values is considered to be the critical one. Then, a hierarchical clustering method is introduced to evaluate the critical nodes for quality control. Finally, an example is provided to illustrate the proposed approach.
An approach to modelling the impact of prehistoric farming on Holocene landscape phosphorus dynamics
Authors: Boyle John F , Chiverrell Richard C , Davies Heather , Alderson Danielle M
Published: December 2014

The lake sediment phosphorus (P) record at Hatch Mere (Cheshire, UK) is investigated to assess the role of human activity in modifying Holocene landscape P export dynamics, and to develop an approach to incorporating this effect into a pre-existing long-term, large-scale landscape model of natural P export. Analysis of the lake sediment record shows that the catchment P yield is low and constant prior to ca. 6000 BP, but then increases up to the present day. This increase occurs in steps that coincide with the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Medieval periods, and the first half of the 20th century, consistent with an anthropogenic cause. Such an interpretation is supported by close correlation of the P export flux with the estimated regional population density. We demonstrate that the effect of human activity on landscape P dynamics can be incorporated into the existing P export model by scaling the soil secondary P leakage rate coefficient to population density. The findings of this study suggest that lake sediment P accumulation rate data may provide a novel method for estimating prehistoric local population density. Additionally, we show that the pre-Neolithic landscape P export was low, and we reject the widely held view that Hatch Mere is naturally eutrophic.
Spatial and temporal distributions of major tree taxa in eastern continental Asia during the last 22,000 years
Authors: Cao Xianyong , Herzschuh Ulrike , Ni Jian , Zhao Yan , Böhmer Thomas
Published: December 2014

This study investigates the spatial and temporal distributions of 14 key arboreal taxa and their driving forces during the last 22,000 calendar years before ad 1950 (kyr BP) using a taxonomically harmonized and temporally standardized fossil pollen dataset with a 500-year resolution from the eastern part of continental Asia. Logistic regression was used to estimate pollen abundance thresholds for vegetation occurrence (presence or dominance), based on modern pollen data and present ranges of 14 taxa in China. Our investigation reveals marked changes in spatial and temporal distributions of the major arboreal taxa. The thermophilous ( Castanea, Castanopsis, Cyclobalanopsis, Fagus, Pterocarya) and eurythermal ( Juglans, Quercus, Tilia, Ulmus) broadleaved tree taxa were restricted to the current tropical or subtropical areas of China during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and spread northward since c. 14.5 kyr BP. Betula and conifer taxa ( Abies, Picea, Pinus), in contrast, retained a wider distribution during the LGM and showed no distinct expansion direction during the Late Glacial. Since the late mid-Holocene, the abundance but not the spatial extent of most trees decreased. The changes in spatial and temporal distributions for the 14 taxa are a reflection of climate changes, in particular monsoonal moisture, and, in the late Holocene, human impact. The post-LGM expansion patterns in eastern continental China seem to be different from those reported for Europe and North America, for example, the westward spread for eurythermal broadleaved taxa.
Late Holocene environmental change in arctic western Siberia
Authors: Self Angela E , Jones Vivienne J , Brooks Steve J
Published: December 2014

The Putorana Plateau, western Siberia, situated on the boundary of the Atlantic and continental Siberian climate provinces, is sensitive to shifts in atmospheric circulation. Three lakes on an altitudinal transect were studied using chironomid subfossils to provide the first estimates of late Holocene climate in this remote, poorly studied region of Arctic Russia. The analysis of sediment cores from three closely located lakes is rare in palaeoenvironmental studies and enables the role of other environmental variables, which may be a potential source of error in palaeoclimatic reconstructions, to be assessed. The chironomid-based reconstructions suggest a more maritime climate c. 3400 cal. BP with July temperatures c. 1.5°C warmer than present which cooled rapidly by c. 2°C, with a more continental climate between 3200 and 2600 cal. BP. These trends are similar in timing and scale to other northern hemisphere records. The recent chironomid records from all three lakes show pronounced faunal changes over the last 50 years probably directly or indirectly because of climate-driven changes in catchment hydrology. This is particularly evident in the recent record from an open lake within a large wetland habitat, which appears relatively insensitive to changes in July air temperatures.
The role of human-induced fire and sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) cultivation on the long-term landscape dynamics of the southern Swiss Alps
Authors: Morales-Molino César , Vescovi Elisa , Krebs Patrik , Carlevaro Eva , Kaltenrieder Petra , Conedera Marco , Tinner Willy , Colombaroli Daniele
Published: December 2014

Changes in fire occurrence during the last decades in the southern Swiss Alps make knowledge on fire history essential to understand future evolution of the ecosystem composition and functioning. In this context, palaeoecology provides useful insights into processes operating at decadal-to-millennial time scales, such as the response of plant communities to intensified fire disturbances during periods of cultural change. We provide a high-resolution macroscopic charcoal and pollen series from Guèr, a well-dated peat sequence at mid-elevation (832 m.a.s.l.) in southern Switzerland, where the presence of local settlements is documented since the late Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Quantitative fire reconstruction shows that fire activity sharply increased from the Neolithic period (1–3 episodes/1000 year) to the late Bronze and Iron Age (7–9 episodes/1000 year), leading to extensive clearance of the former mixed deciduous forest ( Alnus glutinosa, Betula, deciduous Quercus). The increase in anthropogenic pollen indicators (e.g. Cerealia-type, Plantago lanceolata) together with macroscopic charcoal suggests anthropogenic rather than climatic forcing as the main cause of the observed vegetation shift. Fire and controlled burning were extensively used during the late Roman Times and early Middle Ages to promote the introduction and establishment of chestnut ( Castanea sativa) stands, which provided an important wood and food supply. Fire occurrence declined markedly (from 9 to 5–6 episodes/1000 year) during late Middle Ages because of fire suppression, biomass removal by human population, and landscape fragmentation. Land-abandonment during the last decades allowed forest to partly re-expand (mainly Alnus glutinosa, Betula) and fire frequency to increase.
Older people’s experiences of their free will in nursing homes
Authors: Tuominen Leena , Leino-Kilpi Helena , Suhonen Riitta
Published: December 2014

Background:

Older people in institutional care should be allowed to live a meaningful life in a home-like environment consistent with their own free will. Research on actualisation of older people’s own free will in nursing home context is scarce.

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to describe older people’s experiences of free will, its actualisation, promoters and barriers in nursing homes to improve the ethical quality of care.

Research design:

Fifteen cognitively intact older people over 65 years in four nursing homes in Southern Finland were interviewed. Giorgi’s phenomenological method expanded by Perttula was used to analyse the data.

Ethical considerations:

Chief administrators of each nursing home gave permission to conduct the study. Informants’ written informed consent was gained.

Findings:

Older people described free will as action consistent with their own mind, opportunity to determine own personal matters and holding on to their rights. Own free will was actualised in having control of bedtime, dressing, privacy and social life with relatives. Own free will was not actualised in receiving help when needed, having an impact on meals, hygiene, free movement, meaningful action and social life. Promoters included older people’s attitudes, behaviour, health, physical functioning as well as nurses’ ethical conduct. Barriers were nurses’ unethical attitudes, institution rules, distracting behaviour of other residents, older people’s attitudes, physical frailty and dependency.

Discussion:

Promoting factors of the actualisation of own free will need to be encouraged. Barriers can be influenced by educating nursing staff in client-orientated approach and influencing attitudes of both nurses and older people.

Conclusion:

Results may benefit ethical education and promote the ethical quality of older people’s care practice and management.