bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of different filler content of ABS–zinc ferrite composites on mechanical, electrical and thermal conductivity by using 3D printing
Authors: Aqzna S. S. , Yeoh C. K. , Idris M. S. , Teh P. L. , bin Hamzah Khairul Amali , Aw Y. Y. , Atiqah T. N.
Published: March 2018

In this paper, the composites were prepared to improve the mechanical, electrical and thermal properties because 3D printed objects tend to have low structural integrity. The printing process starts by laying down successive layers of molten ABS filament and the filler will disperse onto the layer until the whole specimen was completed. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of fillers content on the mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of ABS–zinc ferrite composites. The mechanical strength of the 3D printed products is usually worse compared with injection molding due to their fragile structure and weakness points between the layers. The additions of filler content at 14 wt% was found to provide a significant improvement in density and tensile properties which gives the highest value of improvement up to 8% and 70% accordingly compared to the pure ABS. Hardness testing result also showed a 117% increase over the unreinforced ABS. The thermal and electrical conductivity increased by 22% and 186% respectively when 14 wt% filler was added to the samples. All the results showed an improvement in terms of mechanical, electrical and thermal properties compared with control ABS specimen due to the presence of zinc ferrite filler. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 24:E217–E229, 2018. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers
Groundwater‐quality hazards of methane leakage from hydrocarbon wells: A review of observational and numerical studies and four testable hypotheses
Authors: Rice Amy K. , Lackey Greg , Proctor James , Singha Kamini
Published: March 2018

Methane leakage from hydrocarbon wells plays an important role in the groundwater‐quality impacts of hydrocarbon development and presents a more likely hazard than hydraulic fracturing or formation fluids. Methane released from contaminated water wells has been linked with combustion risks and degraded water quality. Potentially, methane can serve as a precursor to other fluids associated with hydrocarbon extraction, such as volatile organics. In this review, we surveyed studies relating to contamination of drinking‐water aquifers by methane gas from leaking hydrocarbon wells. Challenges associated with linking methane in groundwater to hydrocarbon extraction are identified, highlighting the need for groundwater‐quality and well‐integrity databases. Science‐based policy recommendations are made, including deeper surface casings and greater cement coverage for wells with deviated wellbores, remediation of faulty abandoned wells, and increased gas‐migration monitoring. We suggest four hypotheses to quantify risks to groundwater quality from methane leakage. First, differentiation between thermogenic methane occurring in groundwater due to natural migration and thermogenic methane present due to hydrocarbon development can be used to alleviate the need for baseline measurements of methane in groundwater. Second, methane newly discovered in freshwater aquifers is unlikely to have originated from leaks beginning decades ago. Third, pertaining to the zone separating methane leakage from groundwater, relative permeability will have a larger impact on plume diameter than heterogeneity in intrinsic permeability. Fourth, thermogenic methane in groundwater will serve as a precursor to benzene, toluene, ethybenzene, and xylene (BTEX) under conditions where methane and BTEX coexist in a hydrocarbon reservoir and leakage is transported primarily in the aqueous phase.

This article is categorized under:

Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water

Science of Water > Water Quality
Facing the urban overheating: Recent developments. Mitigation potential and sensitivity of the main technologies
Authors: Pisello Anna Laura , Saliari Maria , Vasilakopoulou Konstantina , Hadad Shamila , Santamouris Mattheos
Published: March 2018

Urban overheating represents an internationally acknowledged anthropogenic phenomenon related to climate change and to the massive shift of population worldwide toward urban areas, which are increasingly enlarging their size and density. The consequences of this urban warming (i.e., urban heat island) may compromise citizens’ quality of life in urban areas, indoor and outdoor comfort perception, and building energy performance in summer conditions. In this panorama, this review presents recent contributions demonstrating the effectiveness and urgent need of existing mitigation strategies. The same strategies are also comparatively assessed by means of a sensitivity analysis demonstrating their effect with varying climate conditions and urban context. Results of existing studies, validated by the present assessment, aimed at quantitatively investigating the effect of mitigation strategies for reducing building cooling needs and enhancing urban well‐being, thanks to international scientific effort carried out in the last decades. To this aim, the logical flow of the review deals with the main technologies for urban warming mitigation are described, together with the main findings of numerical and experimental research initiatives, demonstrating the field effect of improving pedestrians comfort and urban well‐being all around the world. Then, the mitigation potential of key green, water and cool strategies is critically reviewed, and further scientific and implementation needs are discussed. All the reviewed contributions demonstrate an undeniable technology readiness level for their practical implementation and highlight the true necessity of a shared and synergistic policy effort worldwide.

This article is categorized under:

Energy and Urban Design > Systems and Infrastructure

Concentrating Solar Power > Climate and Environment

Energy Efficiency > Climate and Environment
Renewable energy auctions in sub‐Saharan Africa: Comparing the South African, Ugandan, and Zambian Programs
Authors: Kruger Wikus , Eberhard Anton
Published: March 2018

Sub‐Saharan Africa desperately needs more electricity. Recent years have seen private investment in renewable energy projects breaking through in the region, primarily driven by well‐designed and implemented auction programs. We review three renewable energy auction programs in the region to improve our understanding of the auction design and implementation elements that have enabled this important transition: the South African Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Program (REIPPPP); the GET FiT solar facility in Uganda; and the first round of the Scaling Solar program in Zambia. Our analysis shows that a well‐designed and implemented program that adequately deals with risks for both the procuring authorities and investors is able to deliver good investment and price outcomes in sub‐Saharan Africa.

This article is categorized under:

Photovoltaics > Climate and Environment

Energy Policy and Planning > Climate and Environment

Photovoltaics > Economics and Policy

Energy Policy and Planning > Economics and Policy
Constructing support vector machines with missing data
Authors: Stewart Thomas G. , Zeng Donglin , Wu Michael C.
Published: March 2018

Support vector machine (SVM) classification is a statistical learning method which easily accommodates large numbers of predictors and can discover both linear and nonlinear relationships between the predictors and outcomes. A common challenge is constructing an SVM when the training set includes observations with missing predictor values. In this paper, we identify when missing data can bias an SVM classifier. Because the missing data mechanisms which bias SVMs differ from the traditional framework of missing‐at‐random and missing‐not‐at‐random, we argue for an SVM‐specific framework for understanding missing data. Furthermore, we compare a number of missing data strategies for SVMs in a simulation study and real data example, and we make recommendations for SVM users based on the simulation study.

This article is categorized under:

Applications of Computational Statistics > Computational Mathematics

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Support Vector Machines
Estimation and testing for separable variance–covariance structures
Authors: Dutilleul Pierre
Published: March 2018

The statistical analysis of data for a p‐variate response observed repeatedly on q occasions or of spatiotemporal data recorded at p locations by q times for n individuals may require that constraints be imposed on the modeling of the variance–covariance structure of the underlying process, not because of the repeated‐measures or spatiotemporal nature of the data but because there is not enough data otherwise to estimate the model parameters. Besides stationarity and isotropy, separability is an interesting option for that purpose because it reduces the number of variance‐covariance parameters to estimate, from pq(pq + 1)/2 to the Kronecker product of two matrices with p(p + 1)/2 and q(q + 1)/2 parameters. Originally, in the late 1980s, separability of the variance–covariance structure was assumed. Under this model, combined with the normality assumption on the underlying distribution, novel theoretical developments were thus made. The question of estimation of the parameters of a separable variance–covariance structure, more particularly by maximum likelihood, was raised from the early 1990s on, the question of testing for this structure being effectively addressed several years later. The existence and uniqueness of maximum likelihood estimators for the matrix normal distribution (i.e., the doubly multivariate normal distribution characterized by a simply separable variance–covariance structure) have been and remain questions of interest, as shown by recent results. Below, the reader is guided throughout the field of study of the separable variance–covariance structures as the author provides a fair treatment of the topic, its components, extensions (e.g., double separability), and future perspectives.

This article is categorized under

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Multivariate Analysis

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Analysis of High Dimensional Data

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Modeling Methods and Algorithms
In defense of Pratt's variable importance axioms: A response to Gromping
Authors: Thomas D. Roland , Kwan Ernest , Zumbo Bruno D.
Published: March 2018

In a recent paper Gromping provided a wide‐ranging review of metrics for assessing variable importance in regression analysis. There are, however, several flaws in Gromping's criticism of the well‐known metric attributed to Pratt. Among the metrics she reviewed, Pratt's metric stands out because it is the only one that provides both a theoretically based definition of variable importance, and a simple method of estimation and inference. Our response is an effort to re‐evaluate this unique metric. We give a simplified and abbreviated account of Pratt's original derivation, based on which we address the flaws in Gromping's presentation. We also discuss heuristic interpretations of Pratt's metric, and suggest a new approach for selecting one from among the many available metrics for assessing importance. This approach is intended to supplement that suggested by Gromping. Accordingly, the goal of this response is to help practitioners better understand and choose between available metrics for assessing variable importance.

This article is categorized under:

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Multivariate Analysis

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Exploratory Data Analysis
Structure and resilience of bald eagle roost networks
Authors: Watts Bryan D. , Dyer Rodney J.
Published: March 2018

The recognition that communal roosts are important elements within the life cycle of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) led to their protection under the “disturb” clause of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The regular roost‐switching movements of bald eagles imply that roosts are part of an interactive network where roosts represent nodes linked by birds moving between them. Network analysis holds promise for informing management decisions by assessing the effect of roost removal on the resilience of the broader network. We tracked nonbreeding bald eagles (n = 56) within the upper Chesapeake Bay (2008–2013), USA, to evaluate roost characteristics and network structure. We used midnight locations (n = 14,464) to assess the use of communal roosts (n = 212) and movement of birds among roosts (n = 2,634) on successive roost nights to evaluate the pattern and strength of connections. We performed a sensitivity analysis to assess the response of the roost network to roost loss. Structure of the roost network approximated that of a scale‐free network where the distribution of connections follows a power law of the form P(k) = Ak−γ and γ = 1.1. Unlike random networks, connections within scale‐free networks are concentrated within a few highly connected nodes (hubs). These hub roosts serve as bridges between large numbers of other roosts, have the shortest travel times to other roosts and greatest overall influence on network functioning. The effect of roost removal on overall network function was directly proportional to the connectivity of the roost being removed. The targeted removal of the majority (>90%) of roosts had very little effect on the network. Network sensitivity was high in response to the loss of roosts within the highest 10% of connectivity. This small (n = 18) subset of roosts makes a disproportionate contribution to network function and the protection of these roosts should be a stated management objective with high priority. Network analysis represents a powerful tool with the potential to inform management decisions. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.
Database for High Throughput Screening Hits (dHITS): a simple tool to retrieve gene specific phenotypes from systematic screens done in yeast
Authors: Chuartzman Silvia G. , Schuldiner Maya
Published: March 2018

In the last decade several collections ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaeyeast strains have been created. In these collections every gene is modified in a similar manner such as by a deletion or the addition of a protein tag. Such libraries have enabled a diversity of systematic screens, giving rise to large amounts of information regarding gene functions. However, often papers describing such screens focus on a single gene or a small set of genes and all other loci affecting the phenotype of choice (‘hits’) are only mentioned in tables that are provided as supplementary material and are often hard to retrieve or search. To help unify and make such data accessible, we have created a Database of High Throughput Screening Hits (dHITS). The dHITS database enables information to be obtained about screens in which genes of interest were found as well as the other genes that came up in that screen – all in a readily accessible and downloadable format. The ability to query large lists of genes at the same time provides a platform to easily analyse hits obtained from transcriptional analyses or other screens. We hope that this platform will serve as a tool to facilitate investigation of protein functions to the yeast community.
The VFH1 (YLL056C) promoter is vanillin‐inducible and enables mRNA translation despite pronounced translation repression caused by severe vanillin stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Nguyen Trinh Thi My , Ishida Yoko , Kato Sae , Iwaki Aya , Izawa Shingo
Published: March 2018

Vanillin, furfural and 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) are representative fermentation inhibitors generated during the pretreatment process of lignocellulosic biomass in bioethanol production. These biomass conversion inhibitors, particularly vanillin, are known to repress translation activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have reported that the mRNAs of ADH7 and BDH2 were efficiently translated under severe vanillin stress despite marked repression of overall protein synthesis. In this study, we found that expression of VFH1 (YLL056C) was also significantly induced at the protein level by severe vanillin stress. Additionally, we demonstrated that the VFH1 promoter enabled the protein synthesis of other genes including GFP and ALD6 under severe vanillin stress. It is known that transcriptional activation of VFH1 is induced by furfural and HMF, and we verified that Vfh1 protein synthesis was also induced by furfural and HMF. The null mutant of VFH1 delayed growth in the presence of vanillin, furfural and HMF, indicating the importance of Vfh1 for sufficient tolerance against these inhibitors. The protein levels of Vfh1 induced by the inhibitors tested were markedly higher than those of Adh7 and Bdh2, suggesting the superior utility of the VFH1 promoter over the ADH7 or BDH2 promoter for breeding optimized yeast strains for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass.
The History and the Current Revival of the Oxo Chemistry of Iron in its Highest Oxidation States: FeVI – FeVIII
Authors: Schmidbaur Hubert
Published: March 2018

The history of the oxo compounds of iron in its highest oxidation states is reviewed and modern activities in this long neglected area of inorganic chemistry are highlighted. The chemistry of ferrates(VI) is the most rapidly advancing branch owing to several potential applications in diverse fields such as environmental chemistry and energy storage. Convenient and high‐yield preparations of ferrates(VI) in high purity are presented, followed by a coverage of the analytical, spectroscopic, and structural characterization in the solid and in solution, with a focus on the stability of these compounds, which had long been under‐estimated. Particular attention has been paid to the fascinating mechanisms that have been proposed for the intriguing “self‐decay” of the [FeO4]2– dianion. Redox processes with inorganic and organic substrates are summarized including fresh and waste water treatment on the one hand and “super‐iron batteries” on the other. Recent advances in the experimental and computational approach to ferrates(VII) [FeO4]– and the elusive “iron tetroxide” [FeO4] are described.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Syndio‐Specific Styrene Polymerization of Pyrrolyl‐Substituted Cyclopentadienyl Scandium Complexes
Authors: Luo Yunjie , Chen Fei , Chen Jue
Published: March 2018

Acid‐base reaction of Sc(CH2C6H4NMe2‐o)3 with 1 equiv. of pyrrolyl‐substituted cyclopentadienyl ligand C4H2Me2NSiMe2C5Me4H in toluene gave the half‐sandwich scandium bis(aminobenzyl) complex (C4H2Me2NSiMe2C5Me4)Sc(CH2C6H4NMe2‐o)2 (2). Amine elimination between Sc[N(SiHMe2)2]3(THF) and one equivalent of C4H2Me2NSiMe2C5Me4H afforded the scandium bis(silylamide) complex (C4Me2H2NSiMe2C5Me4)Sc[(NSiHMe2)2SiMe2](THF) (3). Both scandium complexes 2 and 3 were characterized by elemental analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. 2 and 3 could serve as highly active precursors for styrene polymerization to give syndio‐tactic polystyrene (rrrrrr > 99 %).
From Metallic LnTt (Ln = La, Nd; Tt = Si, Ge, Sn) to Electron‐precise Zintl Phase Hydrides LnTtH
Authors: Werwein Anton , Auer Henry , Kuske Lena , Kohlmann Holger
Published: March 2018

LnTt (Ln = La, Nd; Tt = Si, Ge, Sn) compounds crystallize in the CrB‐ or the FeB‐structure type with 1∞[Tt2–]‐polyanionic zigzag chains and can be rationalized as Ln3+Tt2–e–. They take up hydrogen at gas pressures from 10 to 160 bar and temperatures up to 750 K. The hydrides LnTtH1–x (0.04 ≤ x ≤ 0.39) crystallize either in a hydrogen filled CrB‐structure type (ZrNiH type, C‐phase, Cmcm: LaSiD0.92(1), LaGeD0.88(1), NdSiD, NdGeD0.95(1), LaSnHx) or in a hydrogen filled FeB‐structure type (LaGeH type, P‐phase, Pnma: LaSiD0.61(3), LaGeD0.96(4), NdSiD0.88(6)). In both cases, hydrogen atoms partially fill tetrahedral Ln4 voids as proven by neutron powder diffraction. While CrB‐structure type LnTt reacts to C‐phase only, FeB‐structure type LnTt hydrogenates to mixtures of C‐ (major phase) and P‐type hydrides. Electronic structure calculations reveal the depopulation of Ln‐d states, which cause the metallic conductivity in LnTt to be the main electronic effect upon hydrogenation. They further suggest Zintl phase hydrides LnTtH to be still poor metallic conductors with a pseudo bandgap at the Fermi level. The hydrogenation reaction from LnTt to LnTtH may thus be regarded as an incomplete metal to semiconductor transition.
Holographic non-equilibrium heating
Authors: Ageev D. S. , Aref’eva I. Ya.
Published: March 2018

Abstract

We study the holographic entanglement entropy evolution after a global sharp quench of thermal state. After the quench, the system comes to equilibrium and the temperature increases fromTitoTf. Holographic dual of this process is provided by an injection of a thin shell of matter in the black hole background. The quantitative characteristics of the evolution depend substantially on the size of the initial black hole. We show that characteristic regimes during non-equilibrium heating do not depend on the initial temperature and are the same as in thermalization. Namely these regimes are pre-local-equilibration quadratic growth, linear growth and saturation regimes of the time evolution of the holographic entanglement entropy. We study the initial temperature dependence of quantitative characteristics of these regimes and find that the critical exponents do not depend on the temperature, meanwhile the prefactors are the functions on the temperature.
Je ne suis pas Catherine Deneuve. Reflections on contemporary debates about sexual self-determination in Italy
Authors: Hajek Andrea
Published: March 2018

Italian summary

Questo articolo offre uno sguardo attuale sui discorsi pubblici intorno al tema della sessualità. Partendo dallo scandolo sessuale che ha travolto il produttore cintematografico Harvey Weinstein nel 2017, l’articolo mette al centro le polemiche sul femminismo contemporaneo e sull’idea di autodeterminazione e libertà sessuale, che lo scandalo accese nel contesto italiano.
‘The pictures I really dislike are those where the girls are naked!’ Postfeminist norms of female sexual embodiment in contemporary Italian digital culture
Authors: Mainardi Arianna
Published: March 2018

This article engages with the postfeminist debate on girls’ sexuality in contemporary Italy. The huge popularity among adolescents of social network sites (SNSs), which involve a vast mobilisation of personal images, has given rise to new concerns and a moralising gender panic about girls’ sexuality. Drawing on critical girls’ studies, and based on the outputs of a qualitative research project, the article discusses the gender discourses that emerge from Italian girls’ digital practices on SNSs, with specific reference to girls’ online self-representation through posting and sharing photos on Facebook and other SNSs. The article explores how sexual regulation works among girls in the digital context by analysing the postfeminist norms of female sexual embodiment in contemporary Italian digital culture. In doing so, the article hopes to contribute to the transnational academic debate in media and cultural studies by showing the discursive and visual conditions of possibility which shape girls’ digital sexual subjectivity on social network sites.
Global Competition and Brexit
Authors: COLANTONE ITALO , STANIG PIERO
Published: March 2018

We show that support for the Leave option in the Brexit referendum was systematically higher in regions hit harder by economic globalization. We focus on the shock of surging imports from China over the past three decades as a structural driver of divergence in economic performance across U.K. regions. An IV approach supports a causal interpretation of our finding. We claim that the effect is driven by the displacement determined by globalization in the absence of effective compensation of its losers. Neither overall stocks nor inflows of immigrants in a region are associated with higher support for the Leave option. A positive association only emerges when focusing on immigrants from EU accession countries. The analysis of individual data suggests that voters respond to the import shock in a sociotropic way, as individuals tend to react to the general economic situation of their region, regardless of their specific condition.
Candidate Sexual Orientation Didn't Matter (in the Way You Might Think) in the 2015 UK General Election
Authors: MAGNI GABRIELE , REYNOLDS ANDREW
Published: March 2018

Does sexual orientation and gender identity matter at election time? While previous literature has explored the effect of candidate gender and ethnicity on electoral results, this is the first study to quantitatively investigate the impact of sexual orientation. We build an original dataset combining individual-level data on more than 3,000 candidates in the 2015 UK election with sociodemographic indicators at the constituency level. In addition to sexual orientation and other demographic characteristics, we include candidate education, political experience, and campaign spending. We find that LGBT candidates generally do not have a negative impact on party vote share. Even in more conservative environments, LGBT candidates perform at least as well as their straight counterparts. This work is important to understand the consequences of descriptive representation and, relatedly, how rapid social change happens.
Geochronological and geochemical studies of the OIB-type Baiyanghe dolerites: implications for the existence of a mantle plume in northern West Junggar (NW China)
Authors: MIAO XIU-QUAN , ZHANG XIN , ZHANG HUI , WANG JIN-RONG , LIU ZHENG , LI CHENG-ZE , SHI QIANG , LI RUN-WU , HUANG YAO-SHEN , MA QUAN-ZHENG
Published: March 2018

In this paper, zircon U–Pb geochronology, major and trace elements, and Sr–Nd isotope geochemistry of the Baiyanghe dolerites in northern West Junggar of NW China are presented. The U–Pb dating of zircons from the dolerites yielded ages of 272.2±4 Ma and 276.7±6.2 Ma, which indicate the emplacement times. The dolerites are characterized by minor variations in SiO2(46.89 to 49.07 wt%), high contents of Al2O3(13.60 to 13.92 wt%) and total Fe2O3(11.14 to 11.70 wt%), and low contents of MgO (2.67 to 3.64 wt%) and total alkalis (Na2O+K2O, 5.1 to 5.97 wt%, K2O/Na2O = 0.37–0.94), which indicate affinities to metaluminous tholeiite basalt. The REE pattern ((La/Sm)N= 2.25–2.34, (La/Yb)N= 7.42–8.36), V–Ti/1000 and 50*Zr–Ti/50–Sm discrimination diagrams show that these rocks are OIB-type. The high contents of Zr and Ti indicate a within-plate tectonic setting, and samples plot in the ‘plume source’ field shown on the Dy/Yb(N)versus Ce/Yb(N)diagram. The positive εNd(t) values (+7.09 to +7.48), high initial87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70442 to 0.70682) and depletions of Nb and Ta elements in the samples can be explained by the involvement of subducted sediments. In summary, it is possible that the Baiyanghe dolerites were derived from an OIB-like mantle source and associated with a mantle plume tectonic setting. Therefore, our samples provide the youngest evidence for the existence of a mantle plume, which may provide new insights into the Late Palaeozoic tectonic setting of West Junggar.
Postwar Pines: The Military and the Expansion of State Forests in Post-Imjin Korea, 1598–1684
Authors: Lee John S.
Published: March 2018

This article explains why the Chosŏn government and the military in particular expanded state control over forests in the seventeenth century and analyzes the implications of forest administration in a preindustrial polity. From 1592 to 1598, the Chosŏn dynasty suffered invasions from Japan that displaced much of the Korean population and devastated the economy and environment. The crucial role of the navy during the war, along with a dire postwar situation, heightened government anxieties about deforestation and timber scarcity. Thus, in the seventeenth century, the Chosŏn government expanded administration over forests, particularly pine forests, across the coasts and islands of southwestern Korea. The key vehicle for the expansion was the military. Due to wartime and postwar exigencies, the military became the late Chosŏn state's primary organ for management of wood resources for state purposes. Furthermore, the growth of pine-centric state forests and shifts in military priorities would significantly reshape Korean ecologies.
Survey Research in the Arab World: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Benstead Lindsay J.
Published: March 2018

Survey research has expanded in the Arab world since the 1980s. The Arab Spring marked a watershed when surveying became possible in Tunisia and Libya, and researchers added additional questions needed to answer theoretical and policy questions. Almost every Arab country now is included in the Arab Barometer or World Values Survey. Yet, some scholars express the view that the Arab survey context is more challenging than that of other regions or that respondents will not answer honestly, due to authoritarianism. I argue that this position reflects biases that assume “Arab exceptionalism” more than fair and objective assessments of data quality. Based on cross-national data analysis, I found evidence of systematically missing data in all regions and political regimes globally. These challenges and the increasing openness of some Arab countries to survey research should spur studies on the data-collection process in the Middle East and beyond.
Using US Senate Delegations from the Same State as Paired Comparisons: Evidence for a Reagan Realignment
Authors: Brunell Thomas L. , Grofman Bernard
Published: March 2018

The fact that two senators are elected from each state offers the potential for natural paired comparisons. In particular, examining historical and geographic patterns in terms of changes in the number of divided US Senate delegations (i.e., states whose two senators are of different parties) is a useful route to testing competing models of American politics, including theories of split-ticket voting, party polarization, and realignment. Brunell and Grofman (1998) used divided Senate delegations to indirectly examine evidence for realignment. We hypothesized that a partisan realignment will necessarily lead to a cyclical pattern in the number of divided Senate delegations. We predicted that the number of divided Senate delegations at the state level would decline after 1996 because we conjectured that there had been a realignment cusp around 1980. We tested this prediction with data from 1952–2016 and our prediction was confirmed.
The Metacognitive Anger Processing (MAP) Scale – Validation in a Mixed Clinical and a Forensic In-Patient Sample
Authors: Moeller Stine Bjerrum , Bech Per
Published: March 2018

Background:The metacognitive approach by Wells and colleagues has gained empirical support with a broad range of symptoms. The Metacognitive Anger Processing (MAP) scale was developed to provide a metacognitive measure on anger (Moeller, 2016). In the preliminary validation, three components were identified (positive beliefs, negative beliefs and rumination) to be positively correlated with the anger.Aims:To validate the MAP in a sample of mixed clinical patients (n= 88) and a sample of male forensic patients (n= 54).Method:The MAP was administered together with measures of metacognition, anger, rumination, anxiety and depressive symptoms.Results:The MAP showed acceptable scalability and excellent reliability. Convergent validity was evidenced using the general metacognitive measure (MCQ-30), and concurrent validity was supported using two different anger measures (STAXI-2 and NAS).Conclusions:The MAP has promising potential to assess anger regulation problems by providing a framework on angry rumination as well as the belief structures that proposedly drive the selection of this maladaptive processing strategy as suggested in the metacognitive model. These findings may have implications for clinical interventions. For example, conducting functional analyses on anger rumination could increase the understanding of dysregulated anger processing and lead to new interventions focused on shifting thinking style.
Therapeutic Lies in Dementia Care: Should Psychologists Teach Others to be Person-Centred Liars?
Authors: James Ian A. , Caiazza Roberta
Published: March 2018

Background:Therapeutic lies are frequently used communication strategies, often employed when the person with dementia does not share the same reality as the carer (James and Jackman, 2017; Tuckett 2004; Blum, 1994). Their use is complex and controversial, and a number of protocols have been produced to guide their usage (Mental Health Foundation, 2016).Aims:The study examined clinicians’ perspective on using therapeutic lies in their daily practice and their roles in encouraging the proper use of such a communication strategy.Method:This project sampled the views of clinicians, mainly psychologists, before and after attending a workshop on communication in dementia care; they were asked whether psychologists should have a role in teaching others to lie more effectively.Results:It was found that following a comprehensive discussion on the use of lies, the clinicians recognized they lied more than they had originally thought, and were also significantly more supportive of having a role in teaching others to lie effectively.Conclusions:Clinicians, mainly psychologists, increased their support in the use of therapeutic lying. They considered others would benefit from the psychologists giving supervision in how to lie effectively.
Executive Dysfunction and Depression in Pediatric Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: The Contribution of Hippocampal Sclerosis and Psychosocial Factors
Authors: Schraegle William A. , Nussbaum Nancy L. , Titus Jeffrey B.
Published: March 2018

Objectives: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) has been identified as a risk factor for increased depression features in children and adolescents; however, less is known regarding specific neurocognitive predictors of depression in this population above and beyond seizure-specific and sociodemographic factors. Methods: The study included 62 patients with TLE (64% male) aged 8 to 16 years (M=12.62; SD=2.26) who underwent comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. Results: Correlation analyses revealed significant association between patient depression and WCST Total Perseverations, BRIEF Behavioral Regulation Index (BRI) and family stress. Perseverative errors on the WCST and the BRI were found to significantly predict depression features in youth with TLE. Patient performance on WCST was also found to fully mediate the significant relationship between hippocampal sclerosis (HS) and depression in pediatric TLE. Finally, logistic regression indicated HS in the presence of TLE was associated with a four-fold risk of clinically significant depression ratings. Conclusions: The current findings offer strong support for the relationship between executive function (EF) and depression in pediatric TLE. Also, as HS is not modifiable, these findings suggest EF intervention may be a potential modality for improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in youth with TLE. (JINS, 2018, 24, 606–616)
TH variation in Hong Kong English
Authors: HANSEN EDWARDS JETTE G.
Published: March 2018

The current study examines patterns of TH variation in Hong Kong English (HKE). In particular, it examines patterns in the realization of the voiceless interdental fricative /θ/ as the voiceless labiodental fricative [f],2a process known as TH-fronting, as well as realization of the voiceless of TH as [s]. Previous research on HKE (Bolton & Kwok 1990; Hung 2000; Deterdinget al.2008; Setteret al.2010) has established that TH-fronting is a variable phenomenon in HKE, with both intra- and inter-speaker variation, though no research to date has examined the social and linguistic constraints that govern this phenomenon in HKE. The current study also examines the realization of TH as [s], which has not been documented in previous research on HKE, but was found to be a variant of TH in the current study. This article thus examines the social (defined here as non-linguistic constraints such as gender, medium of instruction and proficiency) and linguistic (syllable position, linguistic environment, stress) factors which impact the realization of TH in HKE and whether these factors differ for the realization of TH as [f] or [s].
Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Panic Disorder Severity Scale
Authors: Fuste Gideoni , Gil María Ángeles , López-Solà Clara , Rosado Silvia , Bonillo Albert , Pailhez Guillem , Bulbena Antoni , Pérez Víctor , Fullana Miguel A.
Published: March 2018

The Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) is a well-established measure of panic symptoms but few data exist on this instrument in non north-American samples. Our main goal was to assess the psychometric properties (internal consistency, test re-test reliability, inter-rater reliability, convergent and divergent validity) and the factor structure of the Spanish version. Ninety-four patients with a main diagnosis of panic disorder were assessed with the Spanish version of PDSS, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index–3 (ASI-3), the Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) the PDSS self-rating form and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity scale (CGI). The Spanish PDSS showed acceptable internal consistency (α = .74), excellent test-retest (total score and items 1–6: α > .58,p< .01) and inter-rater reliability (most intraclass correlation coefficient values for the total score were > .90) and medium to large convergent validity (r= .68, 95% CI [.54, .79],p< .01;r= .80, 95% CI [.70, .87],p< .01;r= .48, 95% CI [.28, .67],p< .01; BAI, PAS and ASI–3 total scores respectively). Data on divergent validity (BDI-II total score: r= .52, 95% CI [.34, .67],p< .01) suggest some need for refinement of the PDSS. The confirmatory factor analysis suggested a two-factor modified model for the scale (nested χ2= 14.01,df= 12,p< .001). The Spanish PDSS has similar psychometric properties as the previous versions and is a useful instrument to assess panic symptoms in clinical settings in Spanish-speaking populations.
Court of Blood: Treason and Terror under Paraguay's Francisco Solano López
Authors: Whigham Thomas
Published: March 2018

Treason during wartime inspires some of the worst features in the human character. Not only does the traitor besmirch his own reputation in the eyes of his countrymen, but those near him are frequently polluted by association. Worst of all, the desire for vengeance that is unleashed through treasonous acts frequently brings excesses that dwarf the original crime. It is for this reason that magistrates and systems of law in Western democracies have traditionally tried to leech the passion out of individual cases of treason as they attempt to render equitable and just decisions.
Conservation genetics and demographic analysis of the endangered cycad species Cycas megacarpa and the impacts of past habitat fragmentation
Authors: James Heather E. , Forster Paul I. , Lamont Robert W. , Shapcott Alison
Published: March 2018

The limited seed dispersal range of cycads, longevity of individuals, including a long juvenile phase, coupled with dioecy, suggest that the impacts of habitat fragmentation are not straightforward. Cycas megacarpa K.D. Hill. is an endangered cycad that occurs in a highly fragmented landscape derived from past agricultural land clearing. Current threats continue to be land clearing for both urban and rural developments and major infrastructure development for coal seam gas. This study investigated the effect fragmentation has had on C. megacarpa populations across its entire range. Twelve microsatellite loci were developed with next generation sequencing and used to analyse 992 samples from 33 populations. Geographic information system (GIS) analysis of the total reduction in suitable regional ecosystem (RE) habitat in Queensland revealed a 69% loss between 1960s pre-clearing records and 2009 with only 29% of remaining habitat occurring in protected areas. Populations are highly variable with many small populations, and there is evidence of possible declining recruitment of seedlings. The relatively low proportion of adult sized plants that reproduce synchronously promotes outcrossing; however, there is some evidence that reduced population sizes may lead to inbreeding. Genetic diversity is not correlated with population size but it is weakly correlated with isolation. There is evidence of considerable historic gene flow among populations and little genetic differentiation among broad geographic regions. The results show genetic clustering and are consistent with hypotheses that C. megacarpa existed as a set of metapopulations historically linked by gene flow. This has maintained diversity in small populations but suggests that fragmentation that increases population isolation has and will continue to reduce the species viability. The persistence of adult cycads through multiple generations may allow rare alleles to remain within populations over a longer period of time.
Grain mineral density of bread and durum wheat landraces from geochemically diverse native soils
Authors: Vázquez José Francisco , Chacón Efraín Antonio , Carrillo José María , Benavente Elena
Published: March 2018

Future progress on the creation of wheat cultivars with high grain zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) mineral density will depend on both the availability of suitable donor germplasm and the identification of genes or quantitative trait loci contributing to increase the accumulation of mineral elements in the wheat kernels. Multi-environment field trials were conducted to evaluate the grain Zn, Fe and protein concentration of 32 bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and 20 durum wheat (T. turgidum L. var. durum) landraces locally adapted to soils covering a wide range of pH values and mineral composition. These landraces were selected after a preliminary, small-scale field trial that had analysed 425 Spanish local varieties. Analyses of variance demonstrated a significant effect of genotype on grain composition, and 16 wheat landraces with elevated grain Zn and/or Fe density across the environments were identified. These landraces rich in grain minerals represent valuable primary gene-pool parents for wheat biofortification. No pattern of native soil geochemical characteristics that could help to predict the success in collecting mineral-dense genotypes in a given area was found. Mapping populations derived from some pairs of grain-mineral-rich and -poor genotypes characterised in the study may facilitate the development of molecular markers to assist the selection of superior wheat genotypes.
The transfer of strength and power into the stroke biomechanics of young swimmers over a 34‐week period
Authors: Morais Jorge E. , Silva António J. , Garrido Nuno D. , Marinho Daniel A. , Barbosa Tiago M.
Published: March 2018

The purpose of this study was to learn the interplay between dry‐land strength and conditioning, and stroke biomechanics in young swimmers, during a 34‐week training programme. Twenty‐seven swimmers (overall: 13.33 ± 0.85 years old; 11 boys: 13.5 ± 0.75 years old; 16 girls: 13.2 ± 0.92 years old) competing at regional‐ and national‐level competitions were evaluated. The swimmers were submitted to a specific in‐water and dry‐land strength training over 34 weeks (and evaluated at three time points: pre‐, mid‐, and post‐test; M1, M2, and M3, respectively). The 100‐m freestyle performance was chosen as the main outcome (i.e. dependent variable). The arm span (AS; anthropometrics), throwing velocity (TV; strength), stroke length (SL), and stroke frequency (SF; kinematics) were selected as independent variables. There was a performance enhancement over time (M1 vs. M3: 68.72 ± 5.57 s, 66.23 ± 5.23 s; Δ = −3.77%; 95% CI: −3.98;−3.56) and an overall improvement of the remaining variables. At M1 and M2, all links between variables presented significant effects (p < .001), except the TV–SL and the TV–SF path. At M3, all links between variables presented significant effects (p ≤ .05). Between M1 and M3, the direct effect of the TV to the stroke biomechanics parameters (SL and SF) increased. The model predicted 89%, 88%, and 92% of the performance at M1, M2, and M3, respectively, with a reasonable adjustment (i.e. goodness‐of‐fit M1: χ2/df = 3.82; M2: χ2/df = 3.08; M3: χ2/df = 4.94). These findings show that strength and conditioning parameters have a direct effect on the stroke biomechanics, and the latter one on the swimming performance.
Generalizing biomedical relation classification with neural adversarial domain adaptation
Authors: Rios Anthony , Kavuluru Ramakanth , Lu Zhiyong
Published: March 2018

Motivation

Creating large datasets for biomedical relation classification can be prohibitively expensive. While some datasets have been curated to extract protein–protein and drug–drug interactions (PPIs and DDIs) from text, we are also interested in other interactions including gene–disease and chemical–protein connections. Also, many biomedical researchers have begun to explore ternary relationships. Even when annotated data are available, many datasets used for relation classification are inherently biased. For example, issues such as sample selection bias typically prevent models from generalizing in the wild. To address the problem of cross-corpora generalization, we present a novel adversarial learning algorithm for unsupervised domain adaptation tasks where no labeled data are available in the target domain. Instead, our method takes advantage of unlabeled data to improve biased classifiers through learning domain-invariant features via an adversarial process. Finally, our method is built upon recent advances in neural network (NN) methods.

Results

We experiment by extracting PPIs and DDIs from text. In our experiments, we show domain invariant features can be learned in NNs such that classifiers trained for one interaction type (protein–protein) can be re-purposed to others (drug–drug). We also show that our method can adapt to different source and target pairs of PPI datasets. Compared to prior convolutional and recurrent NN-based relation classification methods without domain adaptation, we achieve improvements as high as 30% in F1-score. Likewise, we show improvements over state-of-the-art adversarial methods.

Availability and implementation

Experimental code is available at https://github.com/bionlproc/adversarial-relation-classification.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Making Britain Work Again: Unemployment and the Remaking of British Social Policy in the Eighties
Authors: Rieger Bernhard
Published: March 2018

Faced with persistently high unemployment in the first half of the 1980s, the Conservative government fundamentally recast the social policies directed at those who were out of work. Rather than regarding them as victims of economic problems beyond their control, Thatcher and her allies came to view the unemployed themselves as an economic problem because they allegedly lacked sufficient motivation to take up paid employment. In response, the government implemented measures that required the unemployed to play a more active role in changing their employment status. In particular, it designed new disciplinarian welfare regulations to force the unemployed onto the labour market irrespective of the incomes that available positions offered. Drawing on the national press, memoirs, parliamentary debates and official archival records, this article explores the motivations behind the gradual implementation of changes in social policy that redefined the social citizenship of millions of Britons by exposing those out work to market mechanisms. In addition to espousing market rationales, Thatcher pursued a culturally conservative project of moral reform that aimed to reinvigorate the virtues of hard work, thrift, and self-dependence. This neoliberal welfare regime had significant material consequences because it intentionally promoted low-wage labour, thereby stoking rising social inequality in Britain in the Eighties.