bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CTP synthetase activity assay by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in the multiple reaction monitoring mode
Authors: Boschat Anne‐Claire , Minet Norbert , Martin Emmanuel , Barouki Robert , Latour Sylvain , Sanquer Sylvia
Published: September 2019

Cytidine 5′‐triphosphate synthetase (CTPS) is known to be a central enzyme in the de novo synthesis of CTP. We have recently demonstrated that a deficiency in CTPS1 is associated with an impaired capacity of activated lymphocytes to proliferate leading to a combined immunodeficiency disease. In order to better document its role in immunomodulation, we developed a method for measuring CTPS activity in human lymphocytes. Using liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry, we quantified CTPS activity by measuring CTP in cell lysates. A stable isotope analog of CTP served as internal standard. We characterized the kinetic parameters Vmax and Km of CTPS and verified that an inhibition of the enzyme activity was induced after 3‐deazauridine (3DAU) treatment, a known inhibitor of CTPS. We then determined CTPS activity in healthy volunteers, in a family whose child displayed a homozygous mutation in CTPS1 gene and in patients who had developed or not a chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) after lung transplantation. Linearity of the CTP determination was observed up to 451 μmol/L, with accuracy in the 15% tolerance range. Michaelis‐Menten kinetics for lysates of resting cells were Km=280±310 μmol/L for UTP, Vmax=83±20 pmol/min and, for lysates of activated PBMCs, Km=230±280 μmol/L for UTP, Vmax=379±90 pmol/min. Treatment by 3DAU and homozygous mutation in CTPS1 gene abolished the induction of CTPS activity associated with cell stimulation, and CTPS activity was significantly reduced in the patients who developed CLAD. We conclude that this test is suitable to reveal the involvement of CTPS alteration in immunodeficiency.
Should we be “challenging” employees?: A critical review and meta‐analysis of the challenge‐hindrance model of stress
Authors: Mazzola Joseph J. , Disselhorst Ryan
Published: September 2019

The challenge‐hindrance model of stress proposes that stressors can be divided into two distinct groups: those that challenge employees and those that hinder employees. This critical review seeks to explain the history of the model and its basic tenets, while succinctly summarizing the findings of existing studies based on the model. A thorough search of the stress literature uncovered 32 studies that specifically examined the relationship between challenge and hindrance stressors and important personal/organizational variables. Results were reviewed and analyzed, specifically by describing past meta‐analyses on the model, looking at the overall pattern of results from primary studies, and meta‐analyzing the relationships presented in those papers. This synthesis suggests that although there are some differential relationships of challenge and hindrance stressors with organizational variables (e.g., performance and engagement), the relationships to other key variables, such as counterproductive work behaviors, psychological strains, and physical health, are consistently negative for both challenge and hindrance stressors. Thus, we propose that stress research move away from the current challenge‐hindrance model in favor of other established models and/or a more appraisal‐based approach.
Nitrogen assimilation in picocyanobacteria inhabiting the oxygen‐deficient waters of the eastern tropical North and South Pacific
Authors: Aldunate Montserrat , Henríquez‐Castillo Carlos , Ji Qixing , Lueders‐Dumont Jessica , Mulholland Margaret R. , Ward Bess B. , von Dassow Peter , Ulloa Osvaldo
Published: September 2019

Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus are the most abundant free‐living photosynthetic microorganisms in the ocean. Uncultivated lineages of these picocyanobacteria also thrive in the dimly illuminated upper part of oxygen‐deficient zones (ODZs), where an important portion of ocean nitrogen (N) loss takes place via denitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation. Recent metagenomic studies revealed that ODZ Prochlorococcus have the genetic potential for using different N forms, including nitrate and nitrite, uncommon N sources for Prochlorococcus, but common for Synechococcus. To determine which N sources ODZ picocyanobacteria are actually using in nature, the cellular 15N natural abundance (δ15N) and assimilation rates of different N compounds were determined using cell sorting by flow cytometry and mass spectrometry. The natural δ15N of the ODZ Prochlorococcus varied from −4.0‰ to 13.0‰ (n = 9), with 50% of the values in the range of −2.1–2.6‰. While the highest values suggest nitrate use, most observations indicate the use of nitrite, ammonium, or a mixture of N sources. Meanwhile, incubation experiments revealed potential assimilation rates of ammonium and urea in the same order of magnitude as that expected for total N in several environments including ODZs, whereas rates of nitrite and nitrate assimilation were very low. Our results thus indicate that reduced forms of N and nitrite are the dominant sources for ODZ picocyanobacteria, although nitrate might be important on some occasions. ODZ picocyanobacteria might thus represent potential competitors with anammox bacteria for ammonium and nitrite, with ammonia‐oxidizing archaea for ammonium, and with nitrite‐oxidizing bacteria for nitrite.
Toward assessment of resection margins using hyperspectral diffuse reflection imaging (400–1,700 nm) during tongue cancer surgery
Authors: Brouwer de Koning Susan G. , Weijtmans Pim , Karakullukcu M. Baris , Shan Caifeng , Baltussen Elisabeth J. M. , Smit Laura A. , van Veen Robert L. P. , Hendriks Benno H. W. , Sterenborg Henricus J. C. M. , Ruers Theo J. M.
Published: September 2019

Background and Objectives

There is a clinical need to assess the resection margins of tongue cancer specimens, intraoperatively. In the currentex vivostudy, we evaluated the feasibility of hyperspectral diffuse reflectance imaging (HSI) for distinguishing tumor from the healthy tongue tissue.

Study Design/Materials and Methods

Fresh surgical specimens (n = 14) of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue were scanned with two hyperspectral cameras that cover the visible and near‐infrared spectrum (400–1,700 nm). Each pixel of the hyperspectral image represents a measure of the diffuse optical reflectance. A neural network was used for tissue‐type prediction of the hyperspectral images of the visual and near‐infrared data sets separately as well as both data sets combined.

Results

HSI was able to distinguish tumor from muscle with a good accuracy. The diagnostic performance of both wavelength ranges (sensitivity/specificity of visual and near‐infrared were 84%/80% and 77%/77%, respectively) appears to be comparable and there is no additional benefit of combining the two wavelength ranges (sensitivity and specificity were 83%/76%).

Conclusions

HSI has a strong potential for intra‐operative assessment of tumor resection margins of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. This may optimize surgery, as the entire resection surface can be scanned in a single run and the results can be readily available. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fast and Efficient Electric‐Triggered Self‐Healing Shape Memory of CNTs@rGO Enhanced PCLPLA Copolymer
Authors: Ren Du , Chen Yujie , Yang Senlin , Li Hua , Rehman Hafeez Ur , Liu Hezhou
Published: September 2019

Shape memory and self‐healing stimuli‐responsive polymeric materials have aroused extensive research interests due to their special functionality. In this work, a kind of novel and fast electric‐triggered self‐healing shape memory polymeric composite, based on polycaprolactone‐polylactic acid (PCLPLA) copolymer and reduced graphene oxide with embedded carbon nanotubes (CNTs@rGO), are prepared via a facile method. Interestingly, the CNTs@rGO‐PCLPLA composites show improved mechanical properties, excellent electrical conductivity, and could recover their original shape within 60 s by applying 1.42 V mm−1 electric field. Meanwhile, the proposed networks can be self‐heal rapidly and efficiently under electrothermal effect. These offer for the new material promising practical applications in aerospace, artificial skins, and electronic sensors.
The Contribution of Lipids to the Interindividual Response of Vitamin K Biomarkers to Vitamin K Supplementation
Authors: Kelly Jennifer M. , Ordovas Jose M. , Matuszek Gregory , Smith Caren E. , Huggins Gordon S. , Dashti Hassan S. , Ichikawa Reiko , Booth Sarah L.
Published: September 2019

Scope

A better understanding of factors contributing to interindividual variability in biomarkers of vitamin K can enhance the understanding of the equivocal role of vitamin K in cardiovascular disease. Based on the known biology of phylloquinone, the major form of vitamin K, it is hypothesized that plasma lipids contribute to the variable response of biomarkers of vitamin K metabolism to phylloquinone supplementation.

Methods and results

The association of plasma lipids and 27 lipid‐related genetic variants with the response of biomarkers of vitamin K metabolism is examined in a secondary analysis of data from a 3‐year phylloquinone supplementation trial in men (n = 66) and women (n = 85). Year 3 plasma triglycerides (TG), but not total cholesterol, LDL‐cholesterol, or HDL‐cholesterol, are associated with the plasma phylloquinone response (men: β = 1.01,p < 0.001,R2 = 0.34; women: β = 0.61,p = 0.008,R2 = 0.11; sex interactionp = 0.077). Four variants and the TG‐weighted genetic risk score are associated with the plasma phylloquinone response in men only. Plasma lipids are not associated with changes in biomarkers of vitamin K function (undercarboxylated osteocalcin and matrix gla protein) in either sex.

Conclusion

Plasma TG are an important determinant of the interindividual response of plasma phylloquinone to phylloquinone supplementation, but changes in biomarkers of vitamin K carboxylation are not influenced by lipids.
Perspective: shedding light on spotted lanternfly impacts in the USA
Authors: Urban Julie M
Published: September 2019

Spotted lanternfly (SLF),Lycorma delicatula(Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) is an invasive phloem‐feeding planthopper currently being quarantined in a 24 000 km2area in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware, with a second population under quarantine in a 46 km2area in Virginia. Because this insect feeds on over 70 species of plants, it has the potential to impact a wide range of sectors, and as a result, there has been great public speculation that the economic impact of SLF could be severe. SLF is a large‐bodied voracious feeder that reduces plant resources directly by feeding, and indirectly, from sooty mold that grows on its excrement and blocks photosynthesis. SLF is causing severe damage to vineyards from feeding, and is a significant nuisance pest. It has high potential for spread via human‐mediated transport, particularly of egg cases, and may therefore significantly impact commerce in the near future. The ultimate impacts of this insect are not yet known, and will depend upon its longer term impacts on plant and tree health, and the extent to which its range expands. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Impact of packaging properties on the physical‐chemical‐microbiological‐sensory characteristics of Ricotta cheese during storage
Authors: Mihaly Cozmuta Anca , Peter Anca , Mihaly Cozmuta Leonard , Nicula Camelia , Apjok Robert , Drazic Goran , Nzekoue Franks Kamgang , Huang Xiaohui , Silvi Stefania , Sagratini Gianni , Peñas Antonio , Calahorro Antonio Jesus , Cano‐Galey Manuela , Hodek Ondřej
Published: September 2019

Ricotta is a highly perishable cheese of which shelf‐life is strongly influenced by the properties of packages in which it is stored. Four plastic packages currently in use in Italy (IT), Romania (RO), Slovenia (SLO), and Spain (SP) are characterized in term of structure, barrier, and antimicrobial properties, and their efficiency in the ricotta storage at 4°C is assessed. Differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicate that the IT and SP packages are made of low‐density polyethylene and the RO and SLO packages consist of polyethylene and polyamide 6. Permeability to the water vapour and oxygen transmission rate vary as follows: IT>SLO > RO > SP and SP > IT>RO > SLO, respectively. The SP package expressed the highest antimicrobial inhibition whilst the IT package the lowest. The maximum amounts of volatile compounds in cheese were reached after 3 days in the IT and SP packages and after 6 days in the SLO and RO packages. The score 2.8 for cheese overall acceptability was exceeded after 7 days in the IT, RO, and SP packages and 6 days in the SLO package. Barrier properties of packages significantly influence the shelf‐life of ricotta. Low barrier properties resulted in high level of oxygen and water vapours inside the headspace of packages ultimately favour the microbial development. The simultaneous compliance of microbiological safety level and overall acceptability score gives ricotta a shelf‐life of 3 days in the IT, RO, and SP packages and 1 day in the SLO package.
Improve crisis communications plans to better serve institution, students
Authors: McCarthy Claudine
Published: September 2019

Communication, image, reputation, and other aspects of campus life often quickly degrade after a crisis more than they would have if administrators had just invested more in the “before” — because that would greatly help improve the “after.”
Did court dismiss student's Title IX claim against her university?
Authors: Gelpi Aileen
Published: September 2019

The plaintiff, a first‐year Catholic University of America student‐athlete who played on the lacrosse team, reported to a resident assistant in 2012 that she was raped in her residence‐hall room by a freshman football player.
Healthy Minds and Intellectual Disability
Authors: Walmsley Jan
Published: September 2019

This chapter looks at some of the impulses that drove the movement to privilege and protect ‘healthy minds’, by segregating people with intellectual disabilities to prevent their ‘breeding’. It argues that the desire to prevent childbearing and child-rearing remains today, although the means of prevention are less obvious. Efforts to change this state of affairs, such as normalisation/social role valorisation, rely, not on challenging the fundamental undervaluing of people with intellectual disabilities, but on persuading people to ‘pass’ as normal, and persuading others to support such passing by offering and talking up ‘valued social roles’.
The National Schizophrenia Fellowship: Charity, Caregiving and Strategies of Coping, 1960–1980
Authors: Brumby Alice
Published: September 2019

Using the National Schizophrenia Fellowship as a case study, this chapter will show that this organisation was substantially more than a charity for those who were suffering from schizophrenia. This chapter will look at the beginnings of the movement for a care regime and support network in the UK from the perspective of one of the very founding members of the organisation. Using oral history, this chapter will show how the National Schizophrenia Fellowship helped to support relatives struggling with stigma and acted as a barrier to this stigma, thus providing strategies of coping for the ‘healthy’ non-schizophrenic caregiver.
Argyres-Douglas theories and Liouville irregular states
Authors: Nishinaka Takahiro , Uetoko Takahiro
Published: September 2019

Abstract

We study irregular states of rank-two and three in Liouville theory, based on an ansatz proposed by D. Gaiotto and J. Teschner. Using these irregular states, we evaluate asymptotic expansions of irregular conformal blocks corresponding to the partition functions of (A
1
, A
3) and (A
1
, D
4) Argyres-Douglas theories for general Ω-background parameters. In the limit of vanishing Liouville charge, our result reproduces strong coupling expansions of the partition functions recently obtained via the Painlevé/gauge correspondence. This suggests that the irregular conformal block for one irregular singularity of rank 3 on sphere is also related to Painlevé II. We also find that our partition functions are invariant under the action of the Weyl group of flavor symmetries once four and two-dimensional parameters are correctly identified. We finally propose a generalization of this parameter identification to general irregular states of integer rank.
The impact of air–sea coupling and ocean biases on the seasonal cycle of southern West African precipitation
Authors: Wainwright Caroline M. , Hirons Linda C. , Klingaman Nicholas P. , Allan Richard P. , Black Emily , Turner Andrew G.
Published: September 2019

The biannual seasonal rainfall regime over the southern part of West Africa is characterised by two wet seasons, separated by the ‘Little Dry Season’ in July–August. Lower rainfall totals during this intervening dry season may be detrimental for crop yields over a region with a dense population that depends on agricultural output. Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models do not correctly capture this seasonal regime, and instead generate a single wet season, peaking at the observed timing of the Little Dry Season. Hence, the realism of future climate projections over this region is questionable. Here, the representation of the Little Dry Season in coupled model simulations is investigated, to elucidate factors leading to this misrepresentation. The Global Ocean Mixed Layer configuration of the Met Office Unified Model is particularly useful for exploring this misrepresentation, as it enables separating the effects of coupled model ocean biases in different ocean basins while maintaining air–sea coupling. Atlantic Ocean SST biases cause the incorrect seasonal regime over southern West Africa. Upper level descent in August reduces ascent along the coastline, which is associated with the observed reduction in rainfall during the Little Dry Season. When coupled model Atlantic Ocean biases are introduced, ascent over the coastline is deeper and rainfall totals are higher during July–August. Hence, this study indicates detrimental impacts introduced by Atlantic Ocean biases, and highlights an area of model development required for production of meaningful climate change projections over the West Africa region.
Fungi in the Canopy: How Soil Fungi and Extracellular Enzymes Differ Between Canopy and Ground Soils
Authors: Looby Caitlin I. , Hollenbeck Emily C. , Treseder Kathleen K.
Published: September 2019

Tropical montane cloud forests contain a large abundance and diversity of canopy epiphytes, which depend on canopy soil to retain water and nutrients. We lack an in depth understanding of how these soils contribute to ecosystem processes and soil diversity and how sensitive they may be to projected climate change. We compared canopy and ground soils in Monteverde, Costa Rica, to determine how these two soil types differ in their extracellular enzyme activity (EEA) and fungal communities. Samples were also collected along two elevation gradients to reveal if canopy soils differed in how EEA and fungal communities responded to elevation compared to ground soils. We found that canopy soils had higher EEA than ground soils. Fungal communities were less diverse and differed significantly between the two soil types. These differences were associated with higher relative abundances of yeasts and endophytes in canopy soils. The relative abundances of free-living filamentous fungi and yeasts shifted more dramatically with elevation in canopy soils compared to ground soils. Our study suggests that canopy soils may be a reservoir for endophytes. Epiphytes may invest in symbionts that promote stress tolerance over mycorrhizal fungi whose high resource demands are costly and less beneficial. Overall, soils harbor distinct fungal communities that may be altered under projected climate change.
Global budget versus cost ceiling: a natural experiment in hospital payment reform in the Netherlands
Authors: Gaspar Katalin , Portrait France , van der Hijden Eric , Koolman Xander
Published: September 2019

Global budget (GB) arrangements have become a popular method worldwide to control the rise in healthcare expenditures. By guaranteeing hospital funding, payers hope to eliminate the drive for increased production, and incentivize providers to deliver more efficient care and lower utilization. We evaluated the introduction of GB contracts by certain large insurers in Dutch hospital care in 2012 and compared health care utilization to those insurers who continued with more traditional production-based contracts, i.e., cost ceiling (CC) contracts. We used the share of GB hospital funding per postal code region to study the effect of contract types. Our findings show that having higher share of GB financing was associated with lower growth in treatment intensity, but it was also associated with higher growth in the probability of having at least one hospital visit. While the former finding is in line with our expectation, the latter is not and suggests that hospital visits may take longer to respond to contract incentives. Our study covers the years of 2010–2013 (2 years before and 2 years following the introduction of the new contracts). Therefore, our results capture only short-term effects.
Corporate religiosity and individual decision on conducting entrepreneurial activity: The contingent effects of institutional environments in China
Authors: Zhang Feng , Zhang Haina , Bell Geoffrey G.
Published: September 2019

This study draws on the institutional void and institutional support perspectives to examine the contingent effect of institutional environments on the relationship between corporate religiosity and individual entrepreneurial activity in the context of emerging markets. We employ a composite dataset that covers 7109 individuals in 69 major cities across 25 provinces in China. Our study provides convincing evidence that individuals with strong corporate religiosity may be disinclined to conduct entrepreneurial activity in corrupted markets, but are more likely to engage in entrepreneurship in well-developed markets (ones characterized by high levels of marketization). This study displays the interplay of both institutional void and institutional support with corporate religiosity in shaping individual behaviors.
Using Sexual Selection Theories to Examine Contextual Variation in Heterosexual Women’s Orientation Toward High Heels
Authors: Watkins Christopher , Leitch Amanda
Published: September 2019

High heels are symbols of female sexuality and are “costly signals” if the risks of wearing them are offset by improving women’s attractiveness to men. From a functionalist perspective, the costs versus benefits of wearing heels may vary according to personal and contextual factors, such as her effectiveness at competing for mates, or at times when such motives are stronger. Here, we examined potential differences between women (self-rated attractiveness, dyadic versus solitary sexual desire, women’s age, competitive attitudes toward other women) and contextual variation (priming mating and competitive motives) in their responses to high heels. Study 1 (N = 79) and Study 2 (N = 273) revealed that self-rated attractiveness was positively related to orientation toward heeled shoes. When examining responses to two very attractive shoes (one higher heel, one lower heel) in Study 2, dyadic sexual desire, but not solitary sexual desire or intrasexual competitiveness, predicted their inclination to buy the higher-heeled shoe. In Study 3 (N = 142), young women chose high heels when primed with free choice of a designer shoe (95% CI [53.02 mm, 67.37 mm]) and preferred a heel 22 mm (0.87”) higher than older women (Study 4, N = 247). Contrary to predictions, priming mating or competitive motives did not alter women’s preference toward a higher heel (Studies 3 and 4). Our studies suggest that attractive women augment their physical appeal via heels. High heels may be a subtle indicator of dyadic sexual desire, and preferences for heels are stronger at times in the lifespan when mating competition is relatively intense.
Explicating Objectual Understanding: Taking Degrees Seriously
Authors: Baumberger Christoph
Published: September 2019

The paper argues that an account of understanding should take the form of a Carnapian explication and acknowledge that understanding comes in degrees. An explication of objectual understanding is defended, which helps to make sense of the cognitive achievements and goals of science. The explication combines a necessary condition with three evaluative dimensions: an epistemic agent understands a subject matter by means of a theory only if the agent commits herself sufficiently to the theory of the subject matter, and to the degree that the agent grasps the theory (i.e., is able to make use of it), the theory answers to the facts and the agent’s commitment to the theory is justified. The threshold for outright attributions of understanding is determined contextually. The explication has descriptive as well as normative facets and allows for the possibility of understanding by means of non-explanatory (e.g., purely classificatory) theories.
The Milk Protein Alpha-Casein Suppresses Triple Negative Breast Cancer Stem Cell Activity Via STAT and HIF-1alpha Signalling Pathways in Breast Cancer Cells and Fibroblasts
Authors: Garner Kirsten E. L. , Hull Nathan J. , Sims Andrew H. , Lamb Rebecca , Clarke Robert B.
Published: September 2019

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most lethal breast cancer subtype. Extended periods of lactation protect against breast cancer development, but the mechanisms underlying this protection are unknown. We examined the effects of the milk protein alpha-casein over expression in the triple negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. The effects of recombinant alpha-casein added exogenously to MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, and immortalised human fibroblasts were also investigated. We used transcriptional reporters to understand the signalling pathways downstream of alpha-casein in breast cancer cells and these fibroblasts that were activated by breast cancer cells. To extend our findings to the clinical setting, we analysed public gene expression datasets to further understand the relevance of these signalling pathways in triple negative breast cancer cells and patient samples. Finally, we used small molecular inhibitors to target relevant pathways and highlight these as potential candidates for the treatment of TN breast cancer. High levels of alpha-casein gene expression were predictive of good prognosis across 263 TNBC patient tumour samples. Alpha-casein over expression or exogenous addition reduces cancer stem cell (CSC) activity. HIF-1alpha was identified to be a key downstream target of alpha-casein, in both breast cancer cells and activated fibroblasts, and STAT transcription factors to be upstream of HIF-1alpha. Interestingly, HIF-1alpha is regulated by STAT3 in breast cancer cells, but STAT1 is the regulator of HIF-1alpha in activated fibroblasts. In analysis of 573 TNBC patient samples, alpha-casein expression, inversely correlated to HIF-1alpha, STAT3 and STAT1. STAT1 and STAT3 inhibitors target HIF-1alpha signalling in activated fibroblasts and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells respectively, and also abrogate CSC activities. Our findings provide an explanation for the protective effects of lactation in TNBC. Clinical data correlates high alpha-casein expression with increased recurrence-free survival in TNBC patients. Mechanistically, alpha-casein reduces breast cancer stem cell activity in vitro, and STAT3 and STAT1 were identified as regulators of pro-tumorigenic HIF-1alpha signalling in breast cancer cells and fibroblasts respectively.
Preparation of 93Mo solution using proton irradiated Nb
Authors: Osváth Szabolcs , Qiao Jixin , Hou Xiaolin
Published: September 2019

93Mo is an important long-lived radionuclide in nuclear waste, and is required to be measured during the characterization of decommissioning waste. However, no commercial 93Mo solution is available to be calibrated and used as standard in the analysis of nuclear waste. This work presents a method for separation of 93Mo from Nb metal used in cyclotron as a target holder and irradiated with protons for long time. The separation of 93Mo from Nb matrix was implemented by combination of precipitation and chromatographic separation. The Nb matrix was first removed by precipitating oxides-hydroxides of Nb (e.g. Nb2O5) and then by Fe(OH)3 co-precipitation; Mo in the solution was purified using an alumina (Al2O3) column. A decontamination factor of ca. 105 was achieved for Nb. A pure carrier-free 93Mo solution was successfully prepared, and the 93Mo purity was verified by liquid scintillation spectrometry.
Seed and seedling characteristics of hybrid chestnuts (Castanea spp.) derived from a backcross blight-resistance breeding program
Authors: Cipollini Martin , Wessel Nicholas , Moss John Patten , Bailey Natalie
Published: September 2019

American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was a foundation species in the eastern United States until chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) infestation resulted in range-wide catastrophic reduction. Since 1983, The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) has engaged in a breeding program aimed at restoring C. dentata to the wild. The primary goal has been to introduce blight resistance from Castanea mollissima while recovering a C. dentata phenotype via successive backcrosses. To diversify the genetic base, state chapters of TACF have been producing BC3 and BC4 (third and fourth backcross) lines using C. dentata from across its native range. This study focuses on morphology and chemistry of seeds, and morphology and early growth of seedlings derived from BC3 and BC4 trees selected for blight resistance in state chapters. Our primary comparisons were among backcross, pure C. mollissima, and pure C. dentata lines. Seed traits included a suite of morphological characters known to differ between C. dentata and C. mollissima, as well as dry matter, total carbohydrate, sugar, protein, lipid, and phenolic content. Seedling traits included variables such as stem basal diameter and height, leaf variables such as number and area, and relative growth in key parameters such as stem volume. C. mollissima lines tended to differ significantly from C. dentata and backcross lines in most parameters, while C. dentata and backcross types tended to overlap broadly in traits. These results suggest that seed and seedling characteristics of backcross hybrids studied here are likely to be sufficiently similar to C. dentata for use in restoration programs.
Types of institutions and well-being of self-employed and paid employees in Europe
Authors: Fritsch Michael , Sorgner Alina , Wyrwich Michael
Published: September 2019

This paper analyzes the role of different types of institutions, such as entrepreneurship-facilitating entry conditions, labor market regulations, quality of government, and perception of corruption for individual well-being among self-employed and paid employed individuals. Well-being is operationalized by job and life satisfaction of individuals in 32 European countries measured by data from EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). We find that institutions never affected both occupational groups in opposite ways. Our findings indicate that labor market institutions do not play an important role for well-being. The results suggest that fostering an entrepreneurial society in Europe is a welfare-enhancing strategy that benefits both, the self-employed and paid employees.
Correction to: Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR/SBRT) for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Rhieu Byung-Han , Narang Amol K. , Meyer Jeffrey
Published: September 2019

The article Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR/SBRT) for Hepatocellular Carcinoma, written by Byung-Han Rhieu, Amol K. Narang and Jeffrey Meyer, was originally published electronically on the publisher’s internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 16 October 2018 without open access.
Dual Process Theories in Behavioral Economics and Neuroeconomics: a Critical Review
Authors: Grayot James D.
Published: September 2019

Despite their popularity, dual process accounts of human reasoning and decision-making have come under intense scrutiny in recent years. Cognitive scientists and philosophers alike have come to question the theoretical foundations of the ‘standard view’ of dual process theory and have challenged the validity and relevance of evidence in support of it. Moreover, attempts to modify and refine dual process theory in light of these challenges have generated additional concerns about its applicability and refutability as a scientific theory. With these concerns in mind, this paper provides a critical review of dual process theory in economics, focusing on its role as a psychological framework for decision modeling in behavioral economics and neuroeconomics. I argue that the influx of criticisms against dual process theory challenge the descriptive accuracy of dualistic decision models in economics. In fact, the case can be made that the popularity of dual process theory in economics has less to do with the empirical success of dualistic decision models, and more to do with the convenience that the dual process narrative provides economists looking to explain-away decision anomalies. This leaves behavioral economists and neuroeconomists with something of a dilemma: either they stick to their purported ambitions to give a realistic description of human decision-making and give up the narrative, or they revise and restate their scientific ambitions.
Living collections: care and curation at Drosophila stock centres
Authors: BANGHAM JENNY
Published: September 2019

Biological stock centres collect, care for and distribute living organisms for scientific research. In the 1990s, several of the world's largest Drosophila (fruit fly) stock centres were closed or threatened with closure. This paper reflects on why this happened, and uses the visibility of these endings to examine how stock centre collections are managed, who maintains them and how they are kept valuable and accessible to biologists. One stock centre came under threat because of challenges in caring for flies and monitoring the integrity of stocks. Another was criticized for keeping too many ‘archival’ stocks, an episode that reveals what it can mean for a living scientific collection to remain ‘relevant’ to a research community. That centre also struggled with the administrative and documentary practices that have proved crucial for sustaining a collection's meaning, value and availability. All of the stock centres in this story faced challenges of how to pay for care and curation, engaging with a problem that has been discussed by biologists and their funders since the 1940s: what are the best models for stock provision, and how could these models be changed?
The emergency department experience of patients with early pregnancy complications: A qualitative study
Authors: Rojas-Luengas Vanessa , Seaton Bianca , Dainty Katie , McLeod Shelley , Varner Catherine
Published: September 2019

Objective

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of care of women treated for early pregnancy complications in a Canadian emergency department (ED) and early pregnancy clinic (EPC).

Methods

We conducted a descriptive qualitative study to understand the perceptions, meanings, and perspectives of women of 18 years and older who presented to the ED or EPC of an urban, tertiary care hospital with early pregnancy complications or loss. Using a semi-structured interview guide, a 45- to 60-minute telephone interview was conducted by a trained qualitative interviewer at 4 to 6 weeks after the ED visit. All interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim for analysis. Data analysis occurred in conjunction with data collection in order to continuously monitor emerging themes and general areas for further exploration. Interviews were conducted until thematic saturation had occurred.

Results

Interviews were completed with 30 women between June and August 2018. Three key themes arose: disconnect of the ED's role in the provision of care, normalization of a chaotic healthcare experience, and finding connection through the institution's EPC.

Conclusions

Perspectives of women with early pregnancy complications highlight the ways in which ED care often does not meet the expectations or needs of patients and their families. The emotional complexity of this medical situation is often overlooked by ED staff and can produce encounters that are distressing. However, negative experiences were often mitigated by follow-up care in the institution's EPC.
Design optimization of a CFRP–aluminum joint for a bioengineering application
Authors: Pappas G. A. , Botsis J.
Published: September 2019

Lightweight design demands and complexity requirements of modern high-end structures in aerospace, automotive, sports and bioengineering can be successfully covered by a combination of fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) with metallic components. Conventionally, mechanical locking is favored in integrating multi-material parts, avoiding bonded interfaces. The feasibility of a multi-material carbon FRP–aluminum structural component of a robotic exoskeleton, fabricated in a single step with the FRP directly cured on the aluminum domain, was investigated. To conduct the feasibility analysis, pertinent systematic FE modeling involving cohesive contact was employed to optimize the design, while strength and fracture testing were conducted to define the formed interfaces’ resistance. Sandblasting treatment was also investigated and compared with plain surfaces. The results show that the effect of residual stresses due to curing process governs the created joint’s durability. To reduce their effect, the local compliance of the multi-material components was altered by introducing a compliant layer along with modification of the aluminum domains’ local geometry in a manner that does not compromise the overall structural integrity. The interface stresses of the optimized geometry are a few times lower than the ones estimated for the initial design. The methodology adopted herein delivers some guidelines on treating such problems.
Long-lasting educational engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Where are the Ghundus (children)? A longitudinal study
Authors: Louth Sharon , Wheeler Keane , Bonner Joyce
Published: September 2019

Abstract
This paper is a retrospective exploration of the long-term and deep-reaching impact of an educational aspirations program, Burunga M Gambay (Learning together) (BMG, 2012), on the career pathways and life-long learning of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students. The current project, where are the Ghundus (children)? (2017) follows a phenomenological research design by seeking to describe and interpret the long-term effectiveness of BMG through the experiences of the participants and the career pathways they have followed since the program. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed iteratively using nVivo 11. The program influenced the participants positively in four major areas: cultural identity, sharing culture, motivation and future aspirations. Notably, all participants completed senior school and added to their qualifications since school and are currently in paid employment. The implications of these findings suggest that future educational aspirations programs be co-constructed with the community to ensure cultural validity and a sense of connectedness. This will, as a result, ensure that the positive effects of such programs are long-lasting and deep-reaching in the educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
A Note on Forecasting Alcohol Demand
Authors: Voon Derby , Fogarty James
Published: September 2019

A recent study in the Journal of Wine Economics presented forecasts of future alcohol consumption derived using the ARIMA (Box–Jenkins) method. Alcohol consumption forecasts can be developed using many different methodologies. In this Note we highlight the value of using multiple methods to develop alcohol consumption forecasts, and demonstrate the capability of the R software platform as a general forecasting tool. (JEL Classifications: D12, C53)
East Asian winter monsoon evolution since the late Pliocene based on a pollen record from Lake Xingkai, northeast Asia
Authors: Xin Shouzhen , Shen Ji , Zhang Wenfang , Sun Weiwei , Xiao Xiayun
Published: September 2019

A 328.58 m drill core (XK12) was recovered from lacustrine–alluvial sediments in the Xingkai Basin, northeast China, with the aim of obtaining a high-resolution pollen record of East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) evolution since 3.6 Ma. An index based on the pollen record of thermophilous trees and terrestrial herbs is used as an indicator of winter temperature conditions controlled by the EAWM, at the glacial–interglacial scale. Primary age control was established based on lithostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy, and then the pollen index was correlated to the LR04 global benthic δ18O record and finally tuned to Earth orbital obliquity to produce a high-resolution astronomical time scale. The pollen record indicates that the EAWM underwent two stepwise enhancements at 2.8 and 1.6 Ma. These events are consistent with paleoclimatic records of mean quartz grain size from the Chinese Loess Plateau, and they are also in accord with the initiation and intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation. Our findings suggest that the variability of the EAWM since 3.6 Ma was primarily controlled by changes in global ice volume and climatic cooling.
‘BY THE IMPRESSION OF MY SEAL’. MEDIEVAL IDENTITY AND BUREAUCRACY: A CASE STUDY
Authors: Hoskin Philippa M , New Elizabeth A
Published: September 2019

This paper presents the results of a case study of wax seals dated between 1225 and 1250 from St Ethelbert’s Hospital, Hereford. When medieval matrices were impressed into soft wax, handprints were often left on the reverse of the seal. The use of modern forensic techniques to capture and compare these prints provides evidence about the process of sealing and its relationship to the individual matrix owner. Seals with the same print on the reverse could be impressed with different matrices, and impressions of the same matrix have different prints on the reverse. The impressing of the matrix was not, then, as has been claimed, the responsibility of the matrix owner as the only way to impress their identity into the wax. This evidence allows a reappraisal of administrative developments in sealing, and the separation of the process of sealing from both the performance of livery of seisin and the seal owner.
Lower Cretaceous Barents Sea strata: epicontinental basin configuration, timing, correlation and depositional dynamics
Authors: Midtkandal Ivar , Faleide Jan Inge , Faleide Thea Sveva , Serck Christopher Sæbø , Planke Sverre , Corseri Romain , Dimitriou Myrsini , Nystuen Johan Petter
Published: September 2019

A comprehensive dataset is collated in a study on sediment transport, timing and basin physiography during the Early Cretaceous Period in the Boreal Basin (Barents Sea), one of the world’s largest and longest active epicontinental basins. Long-wavelength tectonic tilt related to the Early Cretaceous High Arctic Large Igneous Province (HALIP) set up a fluvial system that developed from a sediment source area in the NW, which flowed SE across the Svalbard archipelago, terminating in a low-accommodation shallow sea within the Bjarmeland Platform area of the present-day Barents Sea. The basin deepened to the SE with a ramp-like basin floor with gentle dip. Seismic data show sedimentary lobes with internal clinoform geometry that advanced from the NW. These lobes interfingered with, and were overlain by, another younger depositional system with similar lobes sourced from the NE. The integrated data allow mapping of architectural patterns that provide information on basin physiography and control factors on source-to-sink transport and depositional patterns within the giant epicontinental basin. The results highlight how low-gradient, low-accommodation sediment transport and deposition has taken place along proximal to distal profiles for several hundred kilometres, in response to subtle changes in base level and by intra-basinal highs and troughs. Long-distance correlation along depositional dip is therefore possible, but should be treated with caution to avoid misidentification of timelines for diachronous surfaces.
The acquisition of phonological alternations: The case of the Mandarin tone sandhi process
Authors: Tang Ping , Yuen Ivan , Rattanasone Nan Xu , Gao Liqun , Demuth Katherine
Published: September 2019

Phonological processes can pose a learning challenge for children, where the surface form for an underlying contrast may vary as a function of the phonological environment. Mandarin tone sandhi is a complex phonological process that requires knowledge about both the tonal and the prosodic context in which it applies. The present study explored the productive knowledge of tone sandhi processes by 108 3- to 5-year-old Mandarin-speaking children and 33 adults. Participants were asked to produce novel tone sandhi compounds in different tonal contexts and prosodic structures. Acoustic analysis showed that 3-year-olds have abstracted the tone sandhi process and can productively apply it to novel disyllabic words across tonal contexts. However, even 5-year-olds still differed from adults in applying tone sandhi in response to the trisyllabic prosodic structure. The results are discussed in terms of the factors that influence how tone sandhi processes, and phonological alternations more generally, are acquired.
Analysis of above-threshold ionization by “Wigner-distribution-like function” method
Authors: Guo Li , Liu Mingqing , Lu Ronghua , Han Shensheng , Chen Jing
Published: September 2019

Above-threshold ionization (ATI) is one of the most fundamental processess when atoms or molecules are subjected to intense laser fields. Analysis of ATI process in intense laser fields by a Wigner-distribution-like (WDL) function is reviewed in this paper. The WDL function is used to obtain various time-related distributions, such as time-energy distribution, ionization time distribution, and time-emission angle distribution and so on, of atoms in laser field pulses with different laser parameters. For the linearly polarized laser pulses, the time-energy distribution intuitively shows from a quantum point of view the relationship between the ionization moment and the final energy and clearly reveals the origin of interference structures in the photoelectron spectrum. In particular, for linearly polarized few-cycle laser pulses, all calculated distributions show the dependence of electron behavior on the ionization time, emission direction, and carrier-envelope phase (CEP). For elliptically polarized few-cycle pulses, we calculate the angular distribution, ionization time distribution, and time-emission distribution, which are compared with the semiclassical calculations. Analysis shows that the offset angle (difference between positions of the peaks in the angular distributions obtained by two methods) in the angular distributions does not correspond to the offset time (difference between positions of the peaks in the ionization time distributions obtained by two methods) in the ionization time distributions, which implies that the attosecond angular streaking technique based on this correspondence between the offset angle and time is in principle inaccurate. Furthermore, the offset time cannot be interpreted as tunneling time.