bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Primary Minerals
Authors: Nanzyo Masami , Kanno Hitoshi
Published: October 2018

This chapter introduces the primary minerals that are relatively common in soils. It first presents the accepted views on the elemental compositions of the Earth’s crust, rocks, and minerals. Soils at the top of the Earth’s crust are also within the rock cycle. Silicate and silica minerals, which constitute more than 90% of the minerals in the Earth’ crust, are outlined. Samples of relatively un-weathered and weathered primary minerals were obtained from new volcanic ash and soils derived from granitic rocks, respectively. Quartz is highly resistant to weathering, whereas biotite in soil is altered in moist climates. The composition of primary minerals in soils is affected by the types of parent rocks, weathering, sorting, and other soil-forming factors, resulting in mineral compositions that deviate from the average mineral composition of the Earth’s crust.
Non-crystalline Inorganic Constituents of Soil
Authors: Nanzyo Masami , Kanno Hitoshi
Published: October 2018

Non-crystalline inorganic constituents of soil, such as volcanic glasses, phytoliths, laminar opaline silica, allophane, and imogolite are introduced using optical and electron microscope images and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The Al-humus complex and Al-rich Sclerotia grains are also introduced. The volcanic glasses are formed from magma and can be categorized as primary. All of these non-crystalline inorganic constituents are found in volcanic ash soils. Among these, phytoliths can be found under vegetation in many other soils than volcanic ash soils. Formation of allophanic materials from fresh pumice is shown stepwise using polished sections to demonstrate microscopic distribution of elements and inorganic constituents. Allophane and imogolite are rich in Al whereas their parent material, volcanic ash, is silica-rich. Changes in morphological property and element concentration of volcanic ash or volcanic glass during the formation of these secondary non-crystalline constituents are discussed.
Role of Inorganic Soil Constituents in Selected Topics
Authors: Nanzyo Masami , Kanno Hitoshi
Published: October 2018

Three topics are introduced to exemplify the important roles of inorganic soil constituents—the effects of tsunami on soil in Japan in 2011, the dynamics of radiocesium in the soil environment, and phosphates related to a soil–plant system. With respect to tsunami inundation into paddy field soils, soil erosion by seawater flow, sedimentation of soil transported by the seawater flow, precipitation of evaporites, and sodification are discussed. Removal of the deposited sediments and soil washing by rain and irrigation water were effective for restoration of the salt-affected farmlands. Radiocesium was effectively trapped by soil, which regulated its transfer to agricultural products. Among inorganic soil constituents, weathered biotite has a high fixation capacity for radiocesium. The biotite might have been released from granitic rock and volcanic ash. Apatite is the key phosphate in both natural and farmland soils, although it is converted to more soluble forms in the fertilizer industry. Fixation of phosphate by active Al materials is so high in Andisols that the recovery of phosphate by agricultural crops is low, and phosphate accumulation in plow layer soil is continuing. Struvite plays a role in cycling phosphate in the soil–plant system of farmlands.
Character integral representation of zeta function in AdSd+1. Part I. Derivation of the general formula
Authors: Basile Thomas , Joung Euihun , Lal Shailesh , Li Wenliang
Published: October 2018

Abstract

The zeta function of an arbitrary field in (d + 1)-dimensional anti-de Sitter (AdS) spacetime is expressed as an integral transform of the corresponding so(2, d) representation character, thereby extending the results of [arXiv:1603.05387] for AdS4 and AdS5 to arbitrary dimensions. The integration in the variables associated with the so(d) part of the character can be recast into a more explicit form using derivatives. The explicit derivative expressions are presented for AdS
d+1 with d = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Measurement of corneal thickness, optic nerve sheath diameter and retinal nerve fiber layer as potential new non-invasive methods in assessing a risk of cerebral edema in type 1 diabetes in children
Authors: Jeziorny Krzysztof , Niwald Anna , Moll Agnieszka , Piasecka Katarzyna , Pyziak-Skupien Aleksandra , Waszczykowska Arleta , Baranska Dobromiła , Malachowska Beata , Szadkowska Agnieszka , Mlynarski Wojciech , Zmyslowska Agnieszka
Published: October 2018

Aims

Some patients with diabetic ketoacidosis develop cerebral edema (CE) in the course of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), which may result in central nervous system disorders and high mortality. The imperfection of existing neuroimaging techniques for early recognition of CE forces us to search for the new and non-invasive methods. The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of new methods (pachymetry, transorbital ultrasonography—USG, optical coherence tomography—OCT study) in the assessment of the risk of CE occurrence in children with newly diagnosed T1D.

Methods

The study group included 50 children with newly diagnosed T1D, 54 patients with long-term T1D as a reference group and 40 children without glucose tolerance disorders as controls. In all subjects, a corneal thickness (CCT) index with pachymeter, optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) using transorbital USG and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) during OCT study were measured and compared with selected clinical parameters of T1D.

Results

In patients from a study group at onset of T1D, the higher CCT (p < 0.001) and ONSD (p < 0.001) values were observed as compared to the results obtained after 48 h of metabolic compensation. The ONSD correlated negatively with pH value (r = − 0.64; p < 0.001), BE (r = − 0.54, p < 0.001) and HCO3− (r = − 0.50; p < 0.001). A positive correlation between RNFL and Na+ levels (r = 0.47; p < 0.005) was also observed.

Conclusions

Transorbital USG and pachymetry may serve as the potential promising methods for the non-invasive assessment of the increased risk of development of CE in patients with T1D.
Artificial Neural Networks and Machine Learning techniques applied to Ground Penetrating Radar: A review
Authors: Travassos Xisto L. , Avila Sérgio L. , Ida Nathan
Published: October 2018

Ground Penetrating Radar is a multidisciplinary Nondestructive Evaluation technique that requires knowledge of electromagnetic wave propagation, material properties and antenna theory. Under some circumstances this tool may require auxiliary algorithms to improve the interpretation of the collected data. Detection, location and definition of target’s geometrical and physical properties with a low false alarm rate are the objectives of these signal post-processing methods. Basic approaches are focused in the first two objectives while more robust and complex techniques deal with all objectives at once. This work reviews the use of Artificial Neural Networks and Machine Learning for data interpretation of Ground Penetrating Radar surveys. We show that these computational techniques have progressed GPR forward from locating and testing to imaging and diagnosis approaches.
ESTIMATING MARINE RESERVOIR EFFECTS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CHRONOLOGIES: COMPARING ΔR CALCULATIONS IN PRINCE RUPERT HARBOUR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
Authors: Martindale Andrew , Cook Gordon T. , McKechnie Iain , Edinborough Kevan , Hutchinson Ian , Eldridge Morley , Supernant Kisha , Ames Kenneth M.
Published: October 2018

The best method for quantifying the marine reservoir effect (MRE) using the global IntCal Marine13 calibration curve remains unresolved. Archaeologists frequently quantify uncertainty on MRE values as errors computed from single pairs of marine-terrestrial radiocarbon ages, which we argue significantly overstates their accuracy and precision. Here, we review the assumptions, methods, and applications of estimating MRE via an estimate of the additional regional offset between the marine and terrestrial calibration curves (ΔR) for the Prince Rupert Harbour (PRH) region of British Columbia, Canada. We acknowledge the influence on ΔR of MRE variation as (1) a dynamic oceanographic process, (2) its variable expression in biochemical and geochemical pathways, and (3) compounding errors in sample selection, measurement, and calculation. We examine a large set of marine-terrestrial pairs (n= 63) from PRH to compare a common archaeological practice of estimating uncertainty from means that generate an uncertainty value of ±49 years with a revised, more appropriate estimate of error of ± 230 years. However, we argue that the use of multiple-pair samples estimates the PRH ΔR as 273 ± 38 years for the last 5,000 years. Calculations of error that do not consider these issues may generate inaccurate age estimates with unjustifiable precision.
A ROAD TO ZACATECAS: FORT SAN JUAN AND THE DEFENSES OF SPANISH LA FLORIDA
Authors: Beck Robin A. , Moore David G. , Rodning Christopher B. , Horsley Timothy J. , Sherwood Sarah C.
Published: October 2018

From 1565 to 1570, Spain established no fewer than three networks of presidios (fortified military settlements) across portions of its frontier territories in La Florida and New Spain. Juan Pardo's network of six forts, extending from the Atlantic coast over the Appalachian Mountains, was the least successful of these presidio systems, lasting only from late 1566 to early 1568. The failure of Pardo's defensive network has long been attributed to poor planning and an insufficient investment of resources. Yet recent archaeological discoveries at the Berry site in western North Carolina—the location of both the Native American town of Joara and Pardo's first garrison, Fort San Juan—warrants a reappraisal of this interpretation. While previous archaeological research at Berry concentrated on the domestic compound where Pardo's soldiers resided, the location of the fort itself remained unknown. In 2013, the remains of Fort San Juan were finally identified south of the compound, the first of Pardo's interior forts to be discovered by archaeologists. Data from excavations and geophysical surveys suggest that it was a substantial defensive construction. We attribute the failure of Pardo's network to the social geography of the Native South rather than to an insufficient investment of resources.
AN ASSESSMENT OF STONE WEAPON TIP STANDARDIZATION DURING THE CLOVIS–FOLSOM TRANSITION IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES
Authors: Buchanan Briggs , Andrews Brian , O'Brien Michael J. , Eren Metin I.
Published: October 2018

It has long been assumed that Folsom points are more standardized than Clovis points, although an adequate test of this proposition has yet to be undertaken. Here, we address that deficiency by using data from a sample of Folsom and Clovis points recovered from sites across the western United States. We used geometric morphometric techniques to capture point shape and then conducted statistical analyses of variability associated with Clovis and Folsom point bases and blades. Our results demonstrate that Folsom bases and blades are less variable than those on earlier Clovis points, indicating an increase in point standardization during the Early Paleoindian period. In addition, despite published claims to the contrary, Clovis and Folsom point bases are no more variable than blades. Based on these results, we conducted additional analyses to examine the modularity and size of Clovis and Folsom points. The results suggest Clovis points have more integrated base and blade segments than Folsom points. We suggest that several classes of Clovis points—intended for different functions—might have been in use during the Clovis period and that the later Folsom points might have served only as weapon tips, the shape of which were constrained by the fluting process.
THE EVOLUTION OF MATERIAL WEALTH-BASED INEQUALITY: THE RECORD OF HOUSEPIT 54, BRIDGE RIVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Authors: Prentiss Anna Marie , Foor Thomas A. , Hampton Ashley , Ryan Ethan , Walsh Matthew J.
Published: October 2018

The evolution of material wealth-based inequality is an important topic in archaeological research. While a number of explanatory models have been proposed, rarely have they been adequately tested. A significant challenge to testing such models concerns our ability to define distinct, temporally short-term, residential occupations in the archaeological record. Sites often lack evidence for temporally persistent inequality, or, when present, the palimpsest nature of the deposits often make it difficult to define the processes of change on scales that are fine enough to evaluate nuanced model predictions. In this article, we use the detailed record of Housepit 54 from the Bridge River site, interior British Columbia, to evaluate several alternative hypotheses regarding the evolution of persistent material wealth-based inequality. Results of our analyses indicate that inequality appeared abruptly coincident with a decline in intra-house cooperation associated with population packing and the initiation of periodic subsistence stress. We conclude that persistent inequality in this context was a byproduct of altered social networks linked to a Malthusian transition and ceiling.
A Note on the Petroleum Industry's Participation in Conservation Agreements for the Lesser Prairie Chicken
Authors: Melstrom Richard T.
Published: October 2018

This paper examines the petroleum industry's willingness to participate in conservation agreements for the lesser prairie chicken, a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Voluntary conservation agreements with assurances (VCAAs) can incentivize habitat conservation and sustain economic development. Using data on oil and natural gas wells in Kansas and Oklahoma, I develop a discrete choice model to examine company preferences for locating wells and participating in VCAAs for the lesser prairie chicken. Participation in VCAAs is low, but I find participating wells are concentrated in areas with the most crucial habitat.
Delivering information about retirement saving among Hispanic women: two Facebook experiments
Authors: BLANCO LUISA R. , RODRIGUEZ LUIS M.
Published: October 2018

We conducted two Facebook experiments (the first one during July 21–25, 2016, and the second during April 22–25, 2018) to determine what type of message related to injunctive norms is more effective in getting Hispanic women interested in learning about financial planning for retirement. We also explore how social media tools could be used in future interventions to promote retirement saving among Hispanic women. In both experiments, we found that a message centered on peer influence may be more successful than a message centered on familism in getting Hispanic women interested in learning more about financial planning for retirement. When we disaggregate our data by age and state, we find that click-through rates were higher among Hispanic women between 45 and 55 years old, and the largest numbers of impressions were among Hispanic women in California and Texas. When we disaggregate our data by device, we find that most study participants were reached through an Android smartphone.
From ward to washer: The survival of Clostridium difficile spores on hospital bed sheets through a commercial UK NHS healthcare laundry process
Authors: Tarrant Joanna , Jenkins Richard O. , Laird Katie T.
Published: October 2018

Objective

To quantify the survival of Clostridium difficile spores on hospital bed sheets through the United Kingdom National Health System (UK NHS) healthcare laundry process (Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 01-04) in vitro and on bed sheets from patients with C. difficile through the commercial laundry.

Methods

Clostridium difficile spores were inoculated onto cotton sheets and laundered through a simulated washer extractor cycle using an industrial bleach detergent with sodium hypochlorite 15% and peracetic acid sour 14% (acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide; pH, 2–4). Spore survival on hospital sheets naturally contaminated with C. difficile was also assessed using a washer extractor plus drying and finishing cycles at a commercial laundry.

Patients

Naturally contaminated C. difficile bed sheets were taken from beds of patients that had previously been diagnosed with C. difficile infection (CDI) and had received care on an isolated C. difficile ward.

Results

The simulated washer extractor cycle, with an industrial detergent, demonstrated survival of 2 strains of C. difficile NCTC 11209 (0–4 colony-forming units [cfu] per 25 cm2) and ribotype 001/072 (0–9 cfu per 25 cm2). Before laundering, naturally contaminated bed sheets had an average spore load of 51 cfu per 25 cm2, and after washing, drying, and finishing, the spore load was 33 cfu per 25 cm2. Before and after washing, the C. difficile strain was identified as ribotype 001/072. Both the simulated and in-situ laundering processes failed the microbiological standards of no pathogenic bacteria remaining.

Conclusions

Clostridium difficile spores are able to survive laundering through a commercial washer extractor and may be contributing to sporadic outbreaks of CDI. Further research to establish exposure of laundry workers, patients, and the hospital environment to C. difficile spores from bed sheets is needed.
The Development of Students’ Engagement in School, Community and Democracy
Authors: Holbein John B. , Hillygus D. Sunshine , Lenard Matthew A. , Gibson-Davis Christina , Hill Darryl V.
Published: October 2018

This article explores the origins of youth engagement in school, community and democracy. Specifically, it considers the role of psychosocial or non-cognitive abilities, like grit or perseverance. Using a novel original large-scale longitudinal survey of students linked to school administrative records and a variety of modeling techniques – including sibling, twin and individual fixed effects – the study finds that psychosocial abilities are a strong predictor of youth civic engagement. Gritty students miss less class time and are more engaged in their schools, are more politically efficacious, are more likely to intend to vote when they become eligible, and volunteer more. Our work highlights the value of psychosocial attributes in the political socialization of young people.
THE SAXON REPUBLIC AND ANCIENT CONSTITUTION IN THE STANDING ARMY CONTROVERSY, 1697–1699
Authors: WALSH ASHLEY
Published: October 2018

The pamphlet controversy caused by the proposal of William III to maintain a peacetime standing army following the Treaty of Ryswick (1697) tends to be understood as a confrontation of classicists and moderns in which the king's supporters argued that modern commerce had changed the nature of warfare and his opponents drew on classical republicanism to defend the county militia. But this characterization neglects the centrality of the Saxon republic and ancient constitution in the debate. English opponents of the standing army, including Walter Moyle, John Trenchard, and John Toland, went further than adapting the republicanism of James Harrington, who had rejected ancient constitutionalism during the Interregnum, to the restored monarchy. Their thought was more Saxon than classical and, in the case of Reverend Samuel Johnson, it was entirely so. However, the Scot, Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, adapted neo-Harringtonian arguments to argue that modern politics could no longer be understood by their Gothic precedents. Above all, the king's supporters needed either to engage ancient constitutionalists on their own terms, as did one anonymous pamphleteer, or, as in the cases of John, Lord Somers, and Daniel Defoe, reject the relevance of ancient constitutionalism and Saxon republicanism completely.
The Second Slavery and World Capitalism: A Perspective for Historical Inquiry
Authors: Tomich Dale
Published: October 2018

The concept of the second slavery radically reinterprets the relation of slavery and capitalism by calling attention to the emergence of extensive new zones of slave commodity production in the US South, Cuba, and Brazil as part of nineteenth-century industrialization and world-economic expansion. This article examines the conceptual framework and methodological procedures that inform this interpretation. It reformulates the concept of the capitalist world-economy by emphasizing the mutual formation and historical interrelation of global–local relations. This open conception of world-economy permits the temporal-spatial specification of the zones of the second slavery. In this way, it is possible both to distinguish the new zones of the second slavery from previous world-economic zones of slave production and to establish the ways in which they are formative of the emerging industrial world division of labor. From this perspective, analysis of sugar production in Jamaica, Guyana, and Cuba discloses spatial-temporal differences between what would otherwise be taken as apparently similar historical-geographical complexes. This comparison demonstrates how world-economic processes produce particular local histories and how such histories structure the world-economy as a whole. This approach locates the crisis of slavery during the nineteenth century in the differentiated response to processes of world accumulation, rather than the incompatibility of slave production with industrialization and open, competitive markets. More generally, it calls attention to the continuity of forms of forced labor in the historical development of the capitalist world-economy and to the ways that processes of capitalist development produce social-economic differentiation and hierarchy on a world scale.
The utility of an RDoC motor domain to understand psychomotor symptoms in depression
Authors: Walther S. , Bernard J.A. , Mittal V. A. , Shankman S.A.
Published: October 2018

Despite the clinical impact of motor symptoms such as agitation or retardation on the course of depression, these symptoms are poorly understood. Novel developments in the field of instrumentation and mobile devices allow for dimensional and continuous recording of motor behavior in various settings, particularly outside the laboratory. Likewise, the use of novel assessments enables to combine multimodal neuroimaging with behavioral measures in order to investigate the neural correlates of motor dysfunction in depression. The research domain criteria (RDoC) framework will soon include a motor domain that will provide a framework for studying motor dysfunction in mood disorders. In addition, new studies within this framework will allow investigators to study motor symptoms across different stages of depression as well as other psychiatric diagnoses. Finally, the introduction of the RDoC motor domain will help test how motor symptoms integrate with the original five RDoC domains (negative valence, positive valence, cognitive, social processes, and arousal/regulation).
Commercialising thecúpla focal: New speakers, language ownership, and the promotion of Irish as a business resource
Authors: Brennan Sara , O'Rourke Bernadette
Published: October 2018

This article draws on ethnographic fieldwork in two Irish towns to examine the mobilisation of the Irish language as a resource for business by new speakers of Irish. We examine how local community-level Irish language advocacy organisations have implemented initiatives to specifically promote the use of Irish in business, primarily as visual commercial engagement with the language paired with the use of thecúpla focal. The article explores how new speakers of Irish understand what might be perceived as the tokenistic mobilisation of Irish and what value they invest in their efforts to use thecúpla focal. We explore tensions over language ownership that emerge as more fluent proprietors of ‘bilingual businesses’ position themselves in relation to the ‘newness’ of these speakers. (Irish, commodification, language ownership, language advocacy, language policy, commercialisation, language in business, new speakers)*
C'est très théâtre, c'est-à-dire très faux.Les origines et le développement de la construction [Adverbedegré+ Nom]
Authors: LAUWERS PETER
Published: October 2018

Dans cette contribution, nous nous intéressons à l'origine et au développement de la construction [adverbe de degré + nom]:C'est très théâtre, c'est-à-dire très faux. De nos jours, cette construction se présente comme un puissant outil de recatégorisation contextuelle pour exprimer un rapport de ressemblance basé sur une analogie avec un concept nominal. Sur la base d'une recherche de corpus outillée, nous montrons que la construction-hôte [ADVdegré+ ADJ] a pu s'ouvrir à la catégorie nominale à partir d'un petit noyau dur de noms humains, en partie qualitatifs, tirant profit de certaines propriétés structurelles du français de l’époque. Par la suite, la construction s'est diversifiée vers d'autres classes sémantiques (noms inanimés, noms propres, etc.) et a progressivement attiré une gamme plus diversifiée de types lexicaux dans son orbite. Elle n'a cessé de gagner en productivité, tout en réduisant son fonds lexical d'origine à la portion congrue.
Seed heteromorphy influences seed longevity in Aegilops
Authors: Guzzon Filippo , Orsenigo Simone , Gianella Maraeva , Müller Jonas V. , Vagge Ilda , Rossi Graziano , Mondoni Andrea
Published: October 2018

The genus Aegilops belongs to the secondary gene pool of wheat and has great importance for wheat cultivar improvement. As a genus with only annual species, regeneration from seeds in Aegilops is crucial. In several species in Aegilops, spikes produce different seed morphs, both in size and germination patterns. However, little is known about the ecology of seed germination, nor about the seed longevity in this genus. Here we investigated the germination phenology of Ae. neglecta under laboratory and field conditions and assessed longevity of different seed morphs of five additional Aegilops species using controlled ageing tests. Large seeds were short-lived and germinated faster than small seeds in most of the species. Field experiments with Ae. neglecta showed that large seeds of the dimorphic pair germinated 3 months after dispersal in contrast to 14 months for smaller seeds. Differences in longevity were detected not only in dimorphic seed pairs, but also among seeds from different positions on the spike. Our results indicate that different longevities in seed morphs of Aegilops may reflect a different soil seed bank persistence, with smaller seeds able to maintain a higher viability after dispersal than larger ones, thereby spreading seedling emergence over two years. Differences of seed germination and longevities between seed morphs in Aegilops may have important implications for ex situ seed conservation and reinforce the hypothesis of a bet-hedging strategy in the germination ecology of this genus.
Bedside clinical neurologic assessment utilisation in paediatric cardiac intensive care units
Authors: Kirschen Matthew P , Blinder Josh , Dewitt Aaron , Snyder Megan , Ichord Rebecca , Berg Robert A , Nadkarni Vinay , Topjian Alexis
Published: October 2018

Introduction

Neurodevelopmental disabilities in children with CHD can result from neurologic injury sustained in the cardiac ICU when children are at high risk of acute neurologic injury. Physicians typically order and specify frequency for serial bedside nursing clinical neurologic assessments to evaluate patients’ neurologic status.

Materials and methods

We surveyed cardiac ICU physicians to understand how these assessments are performed, and the attitudes of physicians on the utility of these assessments. The survey contained questions regarding assessment elements, assessment frequency, communication of neurologic status changes, and optimisation of assessments.

Results

Surveys were received from 50 institutions, with a response rate of 86%. Routine clinical neurologic assessments were reported to be performed in 94% of institutions and standardised in 56%. Pupillary reflex was the most commonly reported assessment. In all, 77% of institutions used a coma scale, with Glasgow Coma Scale being most common. For patients with acute brain injury, 82% of institutions reported performing assessments hourly, whereas assessment frequency was more variable for low-risk and high-risk patients without overt brain injury. In all, 84% of respondents thought their current practice for assessing and monitoring neurologic status was suboptimal. Only 41% felt that the Glasgow Coma Scale was a valuable tool for assessing neurologic function in the cardiac ICU, and 91% felt that a standardised approach to assessing pre-illness neurologic function would be valuable.

Conclusions

Routine nursing neurologic assessments are conducted in most surveyed paediatric cardiac ICUs, although assessment characteristics vary greatly between institutions. Most clinicians rated current neurologic assessment practices as suboptimal.
Executive Functioning Correlates With Communication Ability in Youth With Histories of Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Authors: Doyle Lauren R. , Moore Eileen M. , Coles Claire D. , Kable Julie A. , Sowell Elizabeth R. , Wozniak Jeffrey R. , Jones Kenneth L. , Riley Edward P. , Mattson Sarah N. ,   the CIFASD
Published: October 2018

Objectives: Caregivers of youth with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure report impaired communication, which can significantly impact quality of life. Using data collected as part of the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD), we examined whether cognitive variables predict communication ability of youth with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. Methods: Subjects (ages 10–16 years) comprised two groups: adolescents with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (AE) and non-exposed controls (CON). Selected measures of executive function (NEPSY, Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System), working memory (CANTAB), and language were tested in the child, while parents completed communication ratings (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales – Second Edition). Separate multiple regression analyses determined which cognitive domains predicted communication ability. A final, global model of communication comprised the three cognitive models. Results: Spatial Working Memory and Inhibition significantly contributed to communication ability across groups. Twenty Questions performance related to communication ability in the CON group only while Word Generation performance related to communication ability in the AE group only. Effects remained significant in the global model, with the exception of Spatial Working Memory. Conclusions: Both groups displayed a relation between communication and Spatial Working Memory and Inhibition. Stronger communication ability related to stronger verbal fluency in the AE group and Twenty Questions performance in the CON group. These findings suggest that alcohol-exposed adolescents may rely more heavily on learned verbal storage or fluency for daily communication while non-exposed adolescents may rely more heavily on abstract thinking and verbal efficiency. Interventions aimed at aspects of executive function may be most effective at improving communication ability of these individuals. (JINS, 2018, 24, 1026–1037)
Enhancing Care
Authors: Manea Teodora
Published: October 2018

If moral enhancement is possible, the caring capacity of human beings should be considered one of the first and most important traits for augmentation. To assess the plausibility of enhancing care, I will explore how the concept and its associated human dispositions are socially constructed, and identify some of the critical points and complexities. Scientific advances regarding neuro-enhancing substances that allegedly make humans more caring will be considered and assessed against the main principles that govern the ethics of care approach. I argue that given the relational and contextual nature of care, its enhancement, if targeted at the individual level, can be more disadvantageous than helpful, by overlooking the “webs of care” people are situated in, and the role of social institutions in shaping behaviours, duties, attitudes, and principles.
Moral-Epistemic Enhancement
Authors: Paulo Norbert
Published: October 2018

The idea of using biomedical means to make people more likely to behave morally may have a certain appeal. However, it is very hard to find two persons – let alone two moral philosophers – who agree on what it means to be moral or to act morally. After discussing some of the proposals for moral enhancements that all ethicists could agree on, I engage more closely with the recent idea of “procedural moral enhancement” that aims at improving deliberative processes instead of particular moral views, motivations, or dispositions. I argue that it is better understood as a contribution to moral epistemology and should thus be labeled “moral-epistemic enhancement”. I then defend perspective-taking as a moral epistemic capacity which can be enhanced by both traditional and non-traditional biomedical means; a capacity which almost always contributes to the epistemic value of moral decision-making. Perspective-taking seems to be an uncontroversial non-trivial capacity for moral decision-making reasonably widely shared by proponents of ethical beliefs within the academic community. The enhancement of this capacity is thus a good candidate for an uncontroversial non-trivial moral enhancement.
Moral Enhancement, Instrumentalism, and Integrative Ethical Education
Authors: Turchi Giuseppe
Published: October 2018

In this chapter I will discuss some of the arguments presented inUnfit for the Future, where the authors stress the necessity of moral enhancement to prevent a global catastrophe. Persson and Savulescu promote a reductionistic view of moral intuitions suggesting that oxytocin, serotonin, and genetic treatments could save humanity from the perils of contemporary liberalism, weapons of mass destruction, and uncontrolled pollution. I will contend that although we need a moral enhancement it cannot be a brute manipulation of our biology but something where human plasticity is seen as paramount. Following the lesson of Dewey's instrumentalism, I advocate a non-reductionistic, pluralistic view where neuroscientific data may be used to develop a more effective moral pedagogy. In my opinion, this prospect is currently much more feasible (and less risky) than a hypothetical mass psycho-civilisation created using drugs and electrodes.
DrugsandHugs: Stimulating Moral Dispositions as a Method of Moral Enhancement
Authors: Klincewicz Michał , Frank Lily Eva , Sokólska Marta
Published: October 2018

Advocates of moral enhancement through pharmacological, genetic, or other direct interventions sometimes explicitly argue, or assume without argument, that traditional moral education and development is insufficient to bring about moral enhancement. Traditional moral education grounded in a Kohlbergian theory of moral development is indeed unsuitable for that task; however, the psychology of moral development and education has come a long way since then. Recent studies support the view that moral cognition is a higher-order process, unified at a functional level, and that a specific moral faculty does not exist. It is more likely that moral cognition involves a number of different mechanisms, each connected to other cognitive and affective processes. Taking this evidence into account, we propose a novel, empirically informed approach to moral development and education, in children and adults, which is based on a cognitive-affective approach to moral dispositions. This is an interpretative approach that derives from the cognitive-affective personality system (Mischel and Shoda, 1995). This conception individuates moral dispositions by reference to the cognitive and affective processes that realise them. Conceived of in this way, moral dispositions influence an agent's behaviour when they interact with situational factors, such as mood or social context. Understanding moral dispositions in this way lays the groundwork for proposing a range of indirect methods of moral enhancement, techniques that promise similar results as direct interventions whilst posing fewer risks.
Should We Biochemically Enhance Sexual Fidelity?
Authors: Arrell Robbie
Published: October 2018

In certain corners of the moral enhancement debate, it has been suggested we ought to consider the prospect of supplementing conventional methods of enhancing sexual fidelity (e.g. relationship counselling, moral education, self-betterment, etc.) with biochemical fidelity enhancement methods. In surveying this argument, I begin from the conviction that generally-speaking moral enhancement ought to expectably attenuate (or at least not exacerbate) vulnerability. Assuming conventional methods of enhancing sexual fidelity are at least partially effective in this respect – e.g., that relationship counselling sometimes successfully attenuates the particular vulnerability victims of infidelity feel – then presumably the case for supplementing conventional methods with biochemical methods turns, in part, on the claim that doing so will better promote attenuation of victim vulnerability.

In this chapter I argue that on a sufficiently sophisticated conception of what this vulnerability consists in, biochemical methods of enhancing fidelity will not expectably attenuate victims’ vulnerability. Moreover, when combined with conventional methods, biochemical methods will predictably tend to undermine whatever attenuation conventional methods expectably promote in that respect. Thus, I conclude that couples committed to saving their relationship following an instance of sexual infidelity have reason to prefer conventional methods of enhancing sexual fidelity sans biochemical methods to conventional methods plus biochemical methods.
Association between fast-food consumption and lifestyle characteristics in Greek children and adolescents; results from the EYZHN (National Action for Children’s Health) programme
Authors: Tambalis Konstantinos D , Panagiotakos Demosthenes B , Psarra Glyceria , Sidossis Labros S
Published: October 2018

Objective

To examine the prevalence of fast-food consumption and the association between fast food and lifestyle factors in a representative sample of children and adolescents.

Design

Cross-sectional, observational study. Fast-food consumption and dietary habits were evaluated using questionnaires (KIDMED index). Anthropometric and physical fitness measurements were obtained by trained investigators. Physical activity (PA) status, sedentary activities and sleeping habits were assessed through self-completed questionnaires.

Setting

Greece.

Subjects

Population data derived from a school-based health survey (EYZHN programme) carried out in 2015 on 177 091 (51 % boys) children aged 8–17 years.

Results

A greater proportion of boysv. girls (23·3v. 15·7 %,P<0·001) and of adolescentsv. children (26·9v. 17·1 %,P<0·001) reported they consume fast foods >1 time/week. Frequent fast-food consumption was strongly correlated with unhealthy dietary habits such as skipping breakfast and consuming sweets/candy regularly. Adjusting for several covariates, insufficient dietary habits, insufficient (<8–9 h/d) sleep, inadequate PA levels and increased screen time increased the odds (95 % CI) of being a frequent fast-food consumer by 77 % (0·218, 0·234), 30 % (1·270, 1·338), 94 % (1·887, 1·995) and 32 % (1·287, 1·357), respectively. Being overweight/obese or centrally obese did not correlate with frequency of fast-food consumption.

Conclusions

Frequent fast-food consumption was associated with an unhealthy lifestyle profile among children and adolescents. The findings support the development of interventions to help children adopt healthier dietary habits.
Systematic establishment of colour descriptor states through image-based phenotyping
Authors: Gentallan Renerio P. , Altoveros Nestor C. , Borromeo Teresita H. , Endonela Leah E. , Hay Fiona R. , Lalusin Antonio G. , Reaño Consorcia E. , Yoshioka Yosuke
Published: October 2018

A systematic method for determining colour descriptor states using image analysis is proposed using pili (Canarium ovatum) as a model. Kernel images of 52 pili accessions from the core collection of the Institute of Crop Science and National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory, University of the Philippines Los Baños were captured using a calibrated VideometerLab 3 setup. Colour descriptor states were derived from the average International Commission on Illumination lightness (L*), green–red (a*) and blue–yellow (b*) colour component values. Cluster analysis and subsequent colour-parameter averaging per cluster were performed to produce representative colour values of descriptor states. The Euclidian distance (Delta E) of 3.5 was used to cut the cluster into readily distinguishable colour differences resulting to three descriptor states – light brown, brown and dark brown. Continuous colour variation of brown colour was observed indicating a possible quantitative nature of the trait. The use of delta E in elucidating the descriptor lists served as a gauge in successfully identifying distinguishable variations between colours. The method described can be applied to the elucidation of colour descriptor states of all parts of the plant of all crop species.
The Changing Norms of Gendered News Coverage: Hillary Clinton in the New York Times, 1969–2016
Authors: Zulli Diana
Published: October 2018

Research on female politicians suggests that women face a double bind. Female politicians must embrace their femininity but not be too feminine, and they must demonstrate masculinity without deviating from gender norms. Hillary Clinton has often struggled with this balance, which has resulted in conflicting and inconsistent portrayals of her in the news. To examine the extent of this coverage, this study provides a longitudinal analysis of Clinton's personal and professional media coverage in the New York Times. A content analysis of news coverage of Clinton from 1969 to 2016 shows that she has largely not been bound to gender labels, gender traits, or mentions of physical appearance. In addition, Clinton was not overly discussed as a novelty or norm challenger. These findings contradict previous literature, demonstrating a potential trend away from using gender as a descriptor for or limitation to female politicians.
Patients’ radiation doses during percutaneous endovascular procedures in arteries of the lower limbs
Authors: Boc Vinko , Boc Anja , Zdešar Urban , Blinc Aleš
Published: October 2018

Abstract. Background: Percutaneous endovascular revascularisation interventions are increasingly used in treatment of lower extremity artery disease and may expose patients to substantial radiation. Patients and methods: Dose-area product (DAP) was retrospectively analysed in 1063 consecutive interventions performed in adult patients with lower extremity artery disease in a single tertiary medical centre. Differences between procedure types, stratified according to anatomical region and arterial lesion complexity were evaluated. Results: Median DAP for diagnostic interventions was 35.6 (15.0–52.4) Gy cm2 in aorto-below-knee arteriography and 3.2 (2.0–4.5) Gy cm2 in ipsilateral femoral arteriography (p < 0.001). For angioplasty without stenting, median DAP was 53.4 (28.6–87.4) Gy cm2 for pelvic interventions vs. 5.9 (4.3–8.6) Gy cm2 for antegrade ipsilateral femoropopliteal interventions (p < 0.001). For stenting, median DAP was 54.9 (32.5–91.2) Gy cm2 for pelvic interventions vs. 8.3 (6.0–12.3) Gy cm2 for antegrade ipsilateral femoropopliteal interventions (p < 0.001). Inside the same anatomical region, diagnostic interventions were associated with significantly lower DAP than therapeutic interventions. Stenting vs no stenting increased DAP values only in antegrade ipsilateral femoropopliteal interventions (8.3 (6.0–12.3) vs 5.9 (4.3–8.6) Gy cm2 (p < 0.001). Arterial lesion complexity affected DAP values only in antegrade ipsilateral femoropopliteal therapeutic interventions. Conclusions: The most important factor influencing patients’ radiation doses was the anatomical region. Pelvic interventions were associated with 6–11-times higher DAP values than femoropopliteal interventions with antegrade ipsilateral approach. Stenting and complexity of lesions increased DAP only in antegrade ipsilateral femoropopliteal interventions.
Non-invasive ultrasound-based imaging of atherosclerosis
Authors: Kaspar Mathias , Baumgartner Iris , Staub Daniel , Drexel Heinz , Thalhammer Christoph
Published: October 2018

Abstract. Early detection of vascular damage in atherosclerosis and accurate assessment of cardiovascular risk factors are the basis for appropriate treatment strategies in cardiovascular medicine. The current review focuses on non-invasive ultrasound-based methods for imaging of atherosclerosis. Endothelial dysfunction is an accepted early manifestation of atherosclerosis. The most widely used technique to study endothelial function is non-invasive, flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery under high-resolution ultrasound imaging. Although an increased intima-media thickness value is associated with future cardiovascular events in several large population studies, systematic use is not recommended in clinical practice for risk assessment of individual persons. Carotid plaque analysis with grey-scale median, 3-D ultrasound or contrast-enhanced ultrasound are promising techniques for further scientific work in prevention and therapy of generalized atherosclerosis.
TdIF1: a putative oncogene in NSCLC tumor progression
Authors: Zhang Yujuan , Wang Zhigang , Huang Yanqing , Ying Muying , Wang Yifan , Xiong Juan , Liu Qi , Cao Fan , Joshi Rakesh , Liu Yanling , Xu Derong , Zhang Meng , Yuan Keng , Zhou Nanjin , Koropatnick James , Min Weiping
Published: October 2018

TdT-interacting factor 1 (TdIF1) is a ubiquitously expressed DNA- and protein-binding protein that directly binds to terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) polymerase. Little is known about the functional role of TdIF1 in cancer cellular signaling, nor has it previously been identified as aberrant in any type of cancer. We report here for the first time that TdIF1 is abundantly expressed in clinical lung cancer patients and that high expression of TdIF1 is associated with poor patient prognosis. We further established that TdIF1 is highly expressed in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines compared to a normal lung cell line. shRNA-mediated gene silencing of TdIF1 resulted in the suppression of proliferation and anchorage-independent colony formation of the A549 adenocarcinoma cell line. Moreover, when these TdIF1-silenced cells were used to establish a mouse xenograft model of human NSCLC, tumor size was greatly reduced. These data suggest that TdIF1 is a potent regulator of lung tumor development. Several cell cycle-related and tumor growth signaling pathways, including the p53 and HDAC1/2 pathways, were identified as participating in the TdIF1 signaling network by in silico analysis. Microarray, transcriptome and protein-level analyses validated p53 and HDAC1/2 modulation upon TdIF1 downregulation in an NSCLC cellular model. Moreover, several other cell cycle regulators were affected at the transcript level by TdIF1 silencing, including an increase in CDKN1A/p21 transcripts. Taken together, these results indicate that TdIF1 is a bona fide tumor-promoting factor in NSCLC and a potential target for therapy.