bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Response sensitivity of material and geometric nonlinear force‐based Timoshenko frame elements
Authors: Scott Michael H. , Jafari Azad Vahid
Published: November 2016

Response sensitivity is an essential component to understanding the complexity of material and geometric nonlinear finite element formulations of structural response. The direct differentiation method (DDM), a versatile approach to computing response sensitivity, requires differentiation of the equations that govern the state determination of an element and it produces accurate and efficient results. The DDM is applied to a force‐based element formulation that utilizes curvature‐shear‐based displacement interpolation (CSBDI) in its state determination for material and geometric nonlinearity in the basic system of the element. The response sensitivity equations are verified against finite difference computations, and a detailed example shows the effect of parameters that control flexure–shear interaction for a stress resultant plasticity model. The developed equations make the CSBDI force‐based element available for gradient‐based applications such as reliability and optimization where efficient computation of response sensitivities is necessary for convergence of gradient‐based search algorithms. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE: MINDFULNESS IN THE SCHOOLS—HISTORICAL ROOTS, CURRENT STATUS, AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Authors: Renshaw Tyler L. , Cook Clayton R.
Published: November 2016

This article provides an introduction to the special issue on mindfulness in the schools by discussing the historical roots, current status, and future directions of mindfulness‐based work related to youth and their caregivers. Definitions are provided to operationalize mindfulness and mindfulness‐based interventions (MBIs); key events in the movement of MBIs from clinical settings to school settings are summarized; and the upshot of current MBI‐related work in schools is provided from both popular and scientific perspectives. Finally, an agenda for future research regarding mindfulness in schools is provided, followed by introducing and briefly discussing the target articles of this special issue.
EFFECTS OF MINDFULNESS‐BASED INTERVENTIONS ON DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR: A META‐ANALYSIS OF SINGLE‐CASE RESEARCH
Authors: Klingbeil David A. , Fischer Aaron J. , Renshaw Tyler L. , Bloomfield Bradley S. , Polakoff Ben , Willenbrink Jessica B. , Copek Rebecca A. , Chan Kai Tai
Published: November 2016

The popularity of mindfulness‐based interventions (MBIs) is growing rapidly in schools. Decisions regarding the use of these interventions must be based on empirical evidence. There is robust evidence for the use of MBIs with adults, but research on MBIs with youth is nascent. The purpose of this meta‐analytic review was to add to the literature by synthesizing single‐case research on MBIs with children and adolescents. Specifically, the effect of MBIs on youths’ disruptive behavior was examined in 10 studies published between 2006 and 2014. Results indicated that, on average, MBIs had a medium effect on disruptive behavior during treatment, g = 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.30–1.78]; TauU = 0.59, 95% CI [0.40–0.77]. The average effect of MBIs during maintenance phases was larger, g = 1.41, 95% CI [0.55–2.28]; TauU = 0.71, 95% CI [0.59–0.83]. Potential moderators of intervention effects were also explored. Implications for future research and practice regarding MBIs with youth and in schools are discussed.
NMR study of the comonomer effect in metallocene poly(propylene‐co‐1‐pentene) copolymers synthesized at low temperature
Authors: García‐Peñas Alberto , Martínez Carmen , Cerrada María L. , Pérez Ernesto , Gómez‐Elvira José M.
Published: November 2016

The influence of the comonomer in the synthesis of poly(propylene‐co−1‐pentene) copolymers, with rac‐(dimethylsilylbis(1‐indenyl))ZrCl2/Methylaluminoxane at low temperature, has been studied. Changes in the catalyst activity and molecular weight have been analyzed as a function of copolymer composition, and associated with both content and nature of chain defects. The thorough characterization of chain‐end double bonds by means of the 1H NMR technique highlights the particular chain termination pathway, which underlies the so‐called comonomer effect. A specific termination mechanism is proposed based on the preferential regio‐irregular interaction of the active site with 1‐pentene molecules, instead of the one related to the β‐H atom of the last regular inserted unit, either propene or 1‐pentene. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017, 55, 843–854
Model Evaluation of Continuous Data Pharmacometric Models: Metrics and Graphics
Authors: Nguyen T. H. T. , Mouksassi M‐S , Holford N , Al‐Huniti N , Freedman I , Hooker A. C. , John J. , Karlsson M. O. , Mould D. R. , Pérez Ruixo J. J. , Plan E. L. , Savic R , van Hasselt J. G. C. , Weber B , Zhou C , Comets E , Mentré F ,   for the Model Evaluation Group of the International Society of Pharmacometrics (ISoP) Best Practice Committee
Published: November 2016

This article represents the first in a series of tutorials on model evaluation in nonlinear mixed effect models (NLMEMs), from the International Society of Pharmacometrics (ISoP) Model Evaluation Group. Numerous tools are available for evaluation of NLMEM, with a particular emphasis on visual assessment. This first basic tutorial focuses on presenting graphical evaluation tools of NLMEM for continuous data. It illustrates graphs for correct or misspecified models, discusses their pros and cons, and recalls the definition of metrics used.
Concise Review: Stem Cell-Based Treatment of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease
Authors: Osorio M. Joana , Rowitch David H. , Tesar Paul , Wernig Marius , Windrem Martha S. , Goldman Steven A.
Published: November 2016

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) is an X-linked disorder caused by mutation in the proteolipid protein-1 (PLP1) gene, which encodes the proteolipid protein of myelinating oligodendroglia. PMD exhibits phenotypic variability that reflects its considerable genotypic heterogeneity, but all forms of the disease result in central hypomyelination, associated in most cases with early neurological dysfunction, progressive deterioration, and ultimately death. PMD may present as a connatal, classic and transitional forms, or as the less severe spastic paraplegia type 2 and PLP-null phenotypes. These disorders are most often associated with duplications of the PLP1 gene, but can also be caused by coding and noncoding point mutations as well as full or partial deletion of the gene. A number of genetically-distinct but phenotypically-similar disorders of hypomyelination exist which, like PMD, lack any effective therapy. Yet as relatively pure CNS hypomyelinating disorders, with limited involvement of the PNS and relatively little attendant neuronal pathology, PMD and similar hypomyelinating disorders are attractive therapeutic targets for neural stem cell and glial progenitor cell transplantation, efforts at which are now underway in a number of research centers.
The cellular and molecular basis of cnidarian neurogenesis
Authors: Rentzsch Fabian , Layden Michael , Manuel Michaël
Published: November 2016

Neurogenesis initiates during early development and it continues through later developmental stages and in adult animals to enable expansion, remodeling, and homeostasis of the nervous system. The generation of nerve cells has been analyzed in detail in few bilaterian model organisms, leaving open many questions about the evolution of this process. As the sister group to bilaterians, cnidarians occupy an informative phylogenetic position to address the early evolution of cellular and molecular aspects of neurogenesis and to understand common principles of neural development. Here we review studies in several cnidarian model systems that have revealed significant similarities and interesting differences compared to neurogenesis in bilaterian species, and between different cnidarian taxa. Cnidarian neurogenesis is currently best understood in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, where it includes epithelial neural progenitor cells that express transcription factors of the soxB and atonal families. Notch signaling regulates the number of these neural progenitor cells, achaete‐scute and dmrt genes are required for their further development and Wnt and BMP signaling appear to be involved in the patterning of the nervous system. In contrast to many vertebrates and Drosophila, cnidarians have a high capacity to generate neurons throughout their lifetime and during regeneration. Utilizing this feature of cnidarian biology will likely allow gaining new insights into the similarities and differences of embryonic and regenerative neurogenesis. The use of different cnidarian model systems and their expanding experimental toolkits will thus continue to provide a better understanding of evolutionary and developmental aspects of nervous system formation. WIREs Dev Biol 2017, 6:e257. doi: 10.1002/wdev.257

This article is categorized under:

Gene Expression and Transcriptional Hierarchies > Cellular Differentiation

Signaling Pathways > Cell Fate Signaling

Comparative Development and Evolution > Organ System Comparisons Between Species
Current progress on microRNAs‐based therapeutics in neurodegenerative diseases
Authors: Pereira Patrícia , Queiroz João A. , Figueiras Ana , Sousa Fani
Published: November 2016

MicroRNAs (miRNAs)‐based therapy has recently emerged as a promising strategy in the treatments of neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, in this review, the most recent and important challenges and advances on the development of miRNA therapeutics for brain targeting are discussed. In particular, this review highlights current knowledge and progress in the field of manufacturing, recovery, isolation, purification, and analysis of these therapeutic oligonucleotides. Finally, the available miRNA delivery systems are reviewed and an analysis is presented in what concerns to the current challenges that have to be addressed to ensure their specificity and efficacy. Overall, it is intended to provide a perspective on the future of miRNA‐based therapeutics, focusing the biotechnological approach to obtain miRNAs. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1409. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1409

This article is categorized under:

RNA Processing > Processing of Small RNAs

Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs

RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease
Phylogeny-guided (meta)genome mining approach for the targeted discovery of new microbial natural products
Authors: Kang Hahk-Soo
Published: November 2016

Genomics-based methods are now commonplace in natural products research. A phylogeny-guided mining approach provides a means to quickly screen a large number of microbial genomes or metagenomes in search of new biosynthetic gene clusters of interest. In this approach, biosynthetic genes serve as molecular markers, and phylogenetic trees built with known and unknown marker gene sequences are used to quickly prioritize biosynthetic gene clusters for their metabolites characterization. An increase in the use of this approach has been observed for the last couple of years along with the emergence of low cost sequencing technologies. The aim of this review is to discuss the basic concept of a phylogeny-guided mining approach, and also to provide examples in which this approach was successfully applied to discover new natural products from microbial genomes and metagenomes. I believe that the phylogeny-guided mining approach will continue to play an important role in genomics-based natural products research.
Soil water extraction patterns of lucerne grown on stony soils
Authors: Sim Richard E. , Brown Hamish E. , Teixeira Edmar I. , Moot Derrick J.
Published: November 2016

Background and aims

Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is often grown under water-limited production conditions due to its capacity to extract water from deep soil layers through an extensive taproot system. These soils often contain stones which cause the roots to become unevenly distributed due to displacement by rock fragments. To improve the estimation of water use by lucerne grown in stony soils, we investigated the temporal pattern of water supply and demand, and how this influences crop growth.

Methods

Naturally occurring stones in the silt loam soil profile were used to reduce the plant available water capacity for three lucerne crops. The Monteith model was fitted against observed soil water to obtain estimates of the extraction rate constant (kl, day−1) and extraction front velocity (EFV, mm day−1) of lucerne roots. Crop water demand was represented by transpiration losses driven by intercepted solar radiation based on the “canopy conductance” approach.

Results

The Monteith model described the pattern of water extraction for lucerne grown on stony soils. However, a single, constant kl and EFV were inappropriate for characterising water extraction. The main physiological responses to water stress were (i) a reduction in canopy conductance, (ii) a reduction in canopy expansion and (iii) the rearrangement of leaves into a more vertical position.

Conclusion

This study validated frameworks to quantify lucerne water extraction and transpiration demand which can be used to improve the estimation of water use by lucerne crops.
Unsaturated shear strength properties of a compacted expansive soil from Regina, Canada
Authors: Chowdhury Rashedul H. , Azam Shahid
Published: November 2016

The main objective of this research was to investigate the unsaturated shear strength properties of the compacted expansive soil from Regina (Saskatchewan, Canada). Laboratory investigations on a typical expansive clay (liquid limit of 77% and plastic limit of 27%) were conducted using both saturated and unsaturated samples. Results indicated that the SWCC had one AEV of 10 kPa forwandθand two AEVs forS: 10 and 7000 kPa due to drainage through inter-clod pores and soil matrix, respectively. Most of the shrinkage occurred aroundS ≈ 80%, whereas desaturation before and after this value was associated with small changes in void ratio. Likewise, the peak stress on the dry side of optimum along with the initial gradient of the stress-displacement curve of up to 250 kPa and 13,350 kPa/mm, respectively, decreased to 170 kPa and 5670 kPa/mm on the wet side of optimum. The variation in cohesion followed the compaction curve and increased from 24 kPa on dry side to 65 kPa at optimum and then decreased to 33 kPa on wet side. The friction angle followed an L-shaped trend and decreased from 44° on dry side to 29° at optimum and to 27° on wet side. Finally, the S-shapedϕbcurve was in agreement with compaction characteristics and the SWCC. Theϕbcurve comprised 1° increase on dry side (and approaching residual suction), 12° increase around optimum (between AEV and residual suction), and 2° increase on wet side that tended to approach ϕ near saturation.
Assessing positive emotional memories with peers: The Early Memories of Warmth and Safeness with Peers Scale for adolescents
Authors: Cunha Marina , Ferreira Cláudia , Duarte Cristiana , Andrade Diogo , Marta‐Simões Joana , Pinto‐Gouveia José
Published: November 2016

Research on the association between early positive relational experiences and later psychosocial adjustment is growing. The quality of peer relationships may have a particularly important effect on adolescents' wellbeing and mental health. The current study aimed at examining a measure of personal emotional memories of peer relationships characterized by warmth, safeness and affection, which occurred in childhood and adolescence (EMWSSPeers‐A).

Distinct samples (N = 584) of adolescents aged between 12 and 18 were used to assess the EMWSSPeers‐A′ factorial structure through a Principal Component Analysis and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and to analyse the scale's psychometric properties.

Results indicated a one‐dimensional structure with 12 items with very good internal consistency, and construct, convergent, divergent and incremental validities.

By allowing the examination of the role played by memories of positive peer relationships on adolescents' psychological adjustment, the EMWSSPeers‐A may be potentially useful for future model testing and for the assessment of interventions.
Aide memoire: What should a memory clinic or a memory assessment service look like?
Authors: O’Carroll T. , Glynn K. , Lyons D. , Looney K.
Published: November 2016

With the global ageing of our societies and the predicted increase of cognitive impairment and dementia, there is increasing interest in the role and scope of memory clinics or memory assessment services in the early assessment, diagnosis and management of all subtypes of dementia. Memory clinics generally attempt to provide a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of memory impairment and dementia. However, little consensus exists about the profile or complement of staff that would constitute an ideal memory clinic, and services vary widely in terms of their organisation, remit and functioning. The purpose of this article is to highlight the variation amongst the existing complement of memory clinics in Ireland. The 17 models are compared in terms of their core multidisciplinary service and services available on referral. The Irish National Dementia Strategy recommends a well-coordinated service that provides early diagnosis and treatment, and one with good links to local support agencies. However, many of the services in Ireland lack input from relevant allied health professionals. This article also focusses on one privately funded memory clinic in Ireland which aims to bridge the gap between accurate diagnosis, holistic assessment and follow-up through comprehensive multidisciplinary input. The challenges facing this service are discussed, with particular reference to the difficulties encountered when providing community follow-up by a private sector clinic.
On the strength of the weakly nonlinear theory for surface gravity waves
Authors: Stiassnie Michael
Published: November 2016

Recently, Bonnefoy et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 805, 2016, R3) studied the resonant interaction of oblique surface gravity waves in a large $50~\text{m}\times 30~\text{m}\times 5~\text{m}$ wave basin. Their experimental results are in excellent quantitative agreement with predictions of the weakly nonlinear wave theory, and provide additional evidence to the strength of this widely used mathematical formulation. In this article, the reader is introduced to the many facets of the weakly nonlinear theory for surface gravity waves, and to its current and possible future applications, deterministic as well as stochastic.
Reynolds-number dependence of the near-wall flow over irregular rough surfaces
Authors: Busse A. , Thakkar M. , Sandham N. D.
Published: November 2016

The Reynolds-number dependence of turbulent channel flow over two irregular rough surfaces, based on scans of a graphite and a grit-blasted surface, is studied by direct numerical simulation. The aim is to characterise the changes in the flow in the immediate vicinity of and within the rough surfaces, an area of the flow where it is difficult to obtain experimental measurements. The average roughness heights and spatial correlation of the roughness features of the two surfaces are similar, but the two surfaces have a significant difference in the skewness of their height distributions, with the graphite sample being positively skewed (peak-dominated) and the grit-blasted surface being negatively skewed (valley-dominated). For both cases, numerical simulations were conducted at seven different Reynolds numbers, ranging from $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}=90$ to $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}=720$. The positively skewed surface gives rise to higher friction factors than the negatively skewed surface in all cases. For the highest Reynolds numbers, the flow has values of the roughness function $\unicode[STIX]{x0394}U^{+}$ well in excess of $7$ for both surfaces and the bulk flow profile has attained a constant shape across the full height of the channel except for the immediate vicinity of the roughness, which would indicate fully rough flow. However, the mean flow profile within and directly above the rough surface still shows considerable Reynolds-number dependence and the ratio of form to viscous drag continues to increase, which indicates that at least for some types of rough surfaces the flow retains aspects of the transitionally rough regime to values of $\unicode[STIX]{x0394}U^{+}$ or $k^{+}$ well in excess of the values conventionally assumed for the transitionally to fully rough threshold. This is also reflected in the changes that the near-wall flow undergoes as the Reynolds number increases: the viscous sublayer, within which the surface roughness is initially buried, breaks down and regions of reverse flow intensify. At the highest Reynolds numbers, a layer of near-wall flow is observed to follow the contours of the local surface. The distribution of thickness of this ‘blanketing’ layer has a mixed scaling, showing that viscous effects are still significant in the near-wall flow.
Added mass energy recovery of octopus-inspired shape change
Authors: Steele S. C. , Weymouth G. D. , Triantafyllou M. S.
Published: November 2016

Dynamic shape change of the octopus mantle during fast jet escape manoeuvres results in added mass energy recovery to the energetic advantage of the octopus, giving escape thrust and speed additional to that due to jetting alone. We show through numerical simulations and experimental validation of overall wake behaviour, that the success of the energy recovery is highly dependent on shrinking speed and Reynolds number, with secondary dependence on shape considerations and shrinking amplitude. The added mass energy recovery ratio $\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}_{ma}$, which measures momentum recovery in relation to the maximum momentum recovery possible in an ideal flow, increases with increasing the non-dimensional shrinking parameter $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70E}^{\ast }={\dot{a}}_{max}/U\sqrt{\mathit{Re }_{0}}$, where ${\dot{a}}_{max}$ is the maximum shrinking speed, $U$ is the characteristic flow velocity and $\sqrt{\mathit{Re }_{0}}$ is the Reynolds number at the beginning of the shrinking motion. An estimated threshold $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70E}^{\ast }\approx 10$ determines whether or not enough energy is recovered to the body to produce net thrust. Since there is a region of high transition for $10<\unicode[STIX]{x1D70E}^{\ast }<30$ where the recovery performance varies widely and for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70E}^{\ast }>100$ added mass energy is recovered at diminishing returns, we propose a design criterion for shrinking bodies to be in the range of $50<\unicode[STIX]{x1D70E}^{\ast }<100$, resulting in 61–82 % energy recovery.
Insights into the dynamics of spray–swirl interactions
Authors: Rajamanickam Kuppuraj , Basu Saptarshi
Published: November 2016

The near-field breakup and interaction of a hollow-cone liquid sheet with coannular swirling air flow have been examined using high-speed diagnostics. Time-resolved PIV (particle image velocimetry;$3500~\text{frames}~\text{s}^{-1}$) is employed to capture the spatio-temporal behaviour of the swirling air flow field. The combined liquid–gas phase interaction is visualized with the help of high-speed ($20\,000~\text{frames}~\text{s}^{-1}$) shadowgraphy. In this study, the transition from weak to strong spray–swirl interaction is explained based on the momentum ratio. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is implemented on instantaneous PIV and shadowgraphy images to extract the energetic spatial eigenmodes and characteristic modal frequencies. The POD results suggest the dominance of the KH (Kelvin–Helmholtz) instability mechanism (pure axial shear, axial plus azimuthal shear) in swirl–spray interaction. In addition, linear stability analysis also shows the destabilization of the liquid–air interface caused by KH waves ($\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{p}$), which arises from the formation of a vorticity layer of thickness$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}_{g}$near the liquid–air interface. The frequency values obtained from the primary KH wavelength ($\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{p}$) exhibit good agreement with the POD modal frequencies. Scaling laws are proposed to elucidate the relationships between the global length scales (breakup length, spray spread) and the primary wavelength. The breakup length scale and liquid sheet oscillations are meticulously analysed in the time domain to reveal the breakup dynamics of the liquid sheet. Furthermore, the large-scale coherent structures of the swirl flow exhibit different sheet breakup phenomena in the spatial domain. For instance, flapping breakup is induced by the central toroidal recalculation zone in the swirling flow field. Finally, the ligament formation mechanism and its diameter, i.e. the size of first-generation droplets, are measured with phase Doppler interferometry. The measured sizes scale reasonably with KH waves.
A taxonomic correction after 140 years
Authors: Dutta Rakhi , Bardhan Subhendu
Published: November 2016

Waagen (1875) was the first who dealt with the Jurassic ammonites of Kutch based on detailed taxonomic work. In his monograph, he described among many species Perisphinctes spirorbis Neumayr, 1870 and P. aberrans Waagen, 1875 from the Callovian of Kutch, but the figures mentioned in the description did not correspond to the actual species. For P. spirorbis, the plate illustrated the holotype of an entirely different species (P. aberrans). On the other hand, P. spirorbis was illustrated as the lectotype of P. aberrans. Later, Spath (1924) introduced a new genus, Subgrossouvria, based on Waagen’s P. aberrans as type species. He also erected another genus, Indosphinctes, and included P. spirorbis Waagen, 1875 within the synonymy of I. indicus (Siemiradzki, 1899). Spath (1931) was aware of wrong numbering of plates of Waagen’s two species. But subsequent workers were ignorant of these taxonomic errors and continued to refer Waagen’s wrong plate numbers. We have here described both the type specimens and provided diagnoses for Spath’s two genera. We plead for this taxonomic correction in the incoming revised Treatise on Jurassic ammonites.
Party Competition and the Inter-Industry Structure of US Trade Protection
Authors: Lee Su-Hyun
Published: November 2016

Why do some declining industries receive more compensation through protectionist policies than others, even without actively engaging in lobbying? How does the political representation of industries affect their chances for protectionist relief? This paper argues that political parties seek to optimize electoral returns through the strategic allocation of distributive benefits generated by trade barriers. The inter-industry structure of protection is thus explained by the interaction between industries’ trade preferences and political characteristics. Using data on protection and subnational employment for US industries and district-level election outcomes in the 1990s, this paper finds that the concentration of industries in competitive constituencies not only increases their chances of receiving higher tariffs, but also magnifies the marginal effect of comparative disadvantage on tariff and nontariff protection.
HUMAN RIGHTS AS RADICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: PROTESTANT THEOLOGY AND ECUMENISM IN THE TRANSWAR ERA
Authors: RENAUD TERENCE
Published: November 2016

From the 1920s through the 1940s, European and Anglo-American Protestants perceived a crisis of humanity. While trying to determine religion's role in a secular age, church leaders redefined the human being as a theological person in community with others and in partnership with God. This new anthropology contributed to a personalist conception of human rights that rivalled Catholic and secular conceptions. Alongside such innovations in post-liberal theology, ecumenical Protestants organized a series of meetings to unite the world churches. Their conference at Oxford in July 1937 led to the creation of the World Council of Churches. Thus, Protestants of the transwar era supplied the two main ingredients of any human rights regime: a universalist commitment to defending individual human beings regardless of race, nationality, or class and a global institutional framework for enacting that commitment. Through the story of Protestant thinkers and activists, this article recasts the history of human rights as part of a larger history of critical reappraisals of humanity. Understanding why human rights came into prominence at various twentieth-century moments may require abandoning ‘rights talk’ for human talk, or, a comparative history of radical anthropologies and their relationship to broader socio-economic, political, and cultural crises.
Building machines that learn and think like people
Authors: Lake Brenden M. , Ullman Tomer D. , Tenenbaum Joshua B. , Gershman Samuel J.
Published: November 2016

Recent progress in artificial intelligence has renewed interest in building systems that learn and think like people. Many advances have come from using deep neural networks trained end-to-end in tasks such as object recognition, video games, and board games, achieving performance that equals or even beats that of humans in some respects. Despite their biological inspiration and performance achievements, these systems differ from human intelligence in crucial ways. We review progress in cognitive science suggesting that truly human-like learning and thinking machines will have to reach beyond current engineering trends in both what they learn and how they learn it. Specifically, we argue that these machines should (1) build causal models of the world that support explanation and understanding, rather than merely solving pattern recognition problems; (2) ground learning in intuitive theories of physics and psychology to support and enrich the knowledge that is learned; and (3) harness compositionality and learning-to-learn to rapidly acquire and generalize knowledge to new tasks and situations. We suggest concrete challenges and promising routes toward these goals that can combine the strengths of recent neural network advances with more structured cognitive models.
Dissociating early and late visual processing via the Ebbinghaus illusion
Authors: SCHMIDT FILIPP , WEBER ANDREAS , HABERKAMP ANKE
Published: November 2016

Visual perception is not instantaneous; the perceptual representation of our environment builds up over time. This can strongly affect our responses to visual stimuli. Here, we study the temporal dynamics of visual processing by analyzing the time course of priming effects induced by the well-known Ebbinghaus illusion. In slower responses, Ebbinghaus primes produce effects in accordance with their perceptual appearance. However, in fast responses, these effects are reversed. We argue that this dissociation originates from the difference between early feedforward-mediated gist of the scene processing and later feedback-mediated more elaborate processing. Indeed, our findings are well explained by the differences between low-frequency representations mediated by the fast magnocellular pathway and high-frequency representations mediated by the slower parvocellular pathway. Our results demonstrate the potentially dramatic effect of response speed on the perception of visual illusions specifically and on our actions in response to objects in our visual environment generally.
The Longitudinal Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Attributes and Demographics Study (LEADS): The First 10 Years and a Look at Public Perception of Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Authors: Crowe Remle P. , Bentley Melissa A. , Levine Roger
Published: November 2016

CroweRP, BentleyMA, LevineR. The Longitudinal Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Attributes and Demographics Study (LEADS): the first 10 years and a look at public perception of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(Suppl. 1):s1–s6.
Examining the impact of conservation agriculture on environmental efficiency among maize farmers in Zambia
Authors: Abdulai Abdul-Nafeo , Abdulai Awudu
Published: November 2016

This paper explores the impact of conservation agriculture (CA) on the environmental efficiency of maize farmers in Zambia, by comparing nitrogen fertilizer recovery between farms that practise CA and those using conventional farming technologies. The Nitrogen Index Tier Zero tool is employed in generating a nitrogen balance sheet at the farm level. As CA technology may improve farmers' access to better technology, we employ a selectivity-corrected meta-frontier approach to account for potential selection bias and technology heterogeneity. The empirical results suggest that farmers practising CA are environmentally more efficient than conventional farmers. The findings also show that environmental efficiency is significantly influenced by access to credit, farming experience and years of schooling of household head, land ownership and distance to markets. Moreover, farmers practising CA are found to be technically more efficient than those using the conventional technology.
The role of a food policy coalition in influencing a local food environment: an Australian case study
Authors: McCartan Julia , Palermo Claire
Published: November 2016

Objective

To explore how an Australian rural food policy coalition acts to influence a local food environment, focusing specifically on its composition, functions and processes as well as its food-related strategies and policy outputs.

Design

A qualitative case study approach was undertaken. Three sources were used to triangulate data: eleven semi-structured in-depth interviews with coalition members, analysis of thirty-seven documents relating to the coalition and observation at one coalition meeting. Data were analysed using a thematic and constant comparison approach. Community Coalition Action Theory provided a theoretical framework from which to interpret findings.

Setting

Two rural local government areas on the south-eastern coast of Victoria, Australia.

Subjects

Eleven members of the food policy coalition.

Results

Five themes emerged from the data analysis. The themes described the coalition’s leadership processes, membership structure, function to pool resources for food system advocacy, focus on collaborative cross-jurisdictional strategies and ability to influence policy change.

Conclusions

This Australian case study demonstrates that with strong leadership, a small-sized core membership and focus on collaborative strategies, food policy coalitions may be a mechanism to positively influence local food environments.
Analytical Multimode Scanning and Transmission Electron Imaging and Tomography of Multiscale Structural Architectures of Sulfur Copolymer-Based Composite Cathodes for Next-Generation High-Energy Density Li–S Batteries
Authors: Oleshko Vladimir P. , Herzing Andrew A. , Soles Christopher L. , Griebel Jared J. , Chung Woo J. , Simmonds Adam G. , Pyun Jeffrey
Published: November 2016

Poly[sulfur-random-(1,3-diisopropenylbenzene)] copolymers synthesized via inverse vulcanization represent an emerging class of electrochemically active polymers recently used in cathodes for Li–S batteries, capable of realizing enhanced capacity retention (1,005 mAh/g at 100 cycles) and lifetimes of over 500 cycles. The composite cathodes are organized in complex hierarchical three-dimensional (3D) architectures, which contain several components and are challenging to understand and characterize using any single technique. Here, multimode analytical scanning and transmission electron microscopies and energy-dispersive X-ray/electron energy-loss spectroscopies coupled with multivariate statistical analysis and tomography were applied to explore origins of the cathode-enhanced capacity retention. The surface topography, morphology, bonding, and compositions of the cathodes created by combining sulfur copolymers with varying 1,3-diisopropenylbenzene content and conductive carbons have been investigated at multiple scales in relation to the electrochemical performance and physico-mechanical stability. We demonstrate that replacing the elemental sulfur with organosulfur copolymers improves the compositional homogeneity and compatibility between carbons and sulfur-containing domains down to sub-5 nm length scales resulting in (a) intimate wetting of nanocarbons by the copolymers at interfaces; (b) the creation of 3D percolation networks of conductive pathways involving graphitic-like outer shells of aggregated carbons; (c) concomitant improvements in the stability with preserved meso- and nanoscale porosities required for efficient charge transport.
Assessment of Reading Precursors in Spanish-Speaking Children
Authors: Puente Anibal , Alvarado Jesús M. , Fernández Paz , Rosselli Mónica , Ardila Alfredo , Jiménez Amelia
Published: November 2016

This study’s purpose was to analyse basic reading processes in different age groups of Spanish-speaking children using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and regression analysis. Two hundred forty-five children (aged 4 years and 9 months, to 9 years and 7 months; 120 boys, 125 girls), native Spanish-speakers, were selected from schools in Madrid. All participants were in either their last year of preschool or the first three years of elementary school, depending on their age. Nine classic reading tasks were created and administered to measure three reading skills: word recognition, phonological awareness, and reading comprehension. The results of the CFA show that data fit to proposed model with a general reading factor based on these three reading skills χ2(27) = 29.03,p= .36, RMSEA = .02, 90% CIs [.0, .05], CFI = 1.0. The word recognition skills were the best at describing reading performance in preschool children (R2= .51 for word identification task); phonological awareness, especially rhyme identification task, discriminated well until second grade (R2= .60); and finally, reading comprehension, basically phrase completion task, were the best measure of reading performance in third grade (R2= .45).
Wie gut können VERA-8-Testergebnisse den schulischen Erfolg amEnde der Sekundarstufe I vorhersagen?
Authors: Graf Tanja , Harych Peter , Wendt Wolfgang , Emmrich Rico , Brunner Martin
Published: November 2016

Zusammenfassung. Vergleichsarbeiten in der 8.Jahrgangsstufe (VERA8) informieren zum Leistungsstand von Jugendlichen in Bezug auf Leistungsstandards für die Schulabschlüsse am Ende der Sekundarstufe I. Empirisch weitgehend offen ist bislang, wie gut VERA-8-Ergebnisse tatsächlich eine Vorhersage des späteren schulischen Erfolgs ermöglichen. Diese Frage wird auf Grundlage einer repräsentativen Längsschnittstudie an Berliner Gymnasien (N = 1394 Jugendliche) untersucht. VERA-8-Testleistungen korrelierten substanziell (1) mit Ergebnissen der zentralen Prüfung zum Mittleren Schulabschluss am Ende der 10. Klasse (–.43 ≥ r ≥ –.56) und (2) mit korrespondierenden Jahrgangsnoten (–.26 ≥ r ≥ –.44). Auch bei Kontrolle der Jahrgangsnoten (10. Klasse) konnten VERA-8-Testleistungen die korrespondierenden Prüfungsergebnisse vorhersagen: Die zusätzlich durch VERA8 erklärte Varianz betrug je nach Fach zwischen 10 und 16%. Insgesamt weisen die Befunde darauf hin, dass VERA8 ein Instrument für Lehrkräfte ist, um frühzeitig Hinweise für den schulischen Erfolg ihrer Schülerinnen und Schüler am Ende der Sekundarstufe I zu erhalten.
Wider einen Technisierungswahn!? Neue Medien zwischen Euphorie undApokalypse
Authors: Zierer Klaus
Published: November 2016

Zusammenfassung. Für viele sind neue Medien der Schlüssel, um Bildung und Erziehung zu revolutionieren. Aber was wissen wir über ihren Einfluss auf den Lernprozess? Welche Möglichkeiten und Grenzen sind mit dem Einsatz von neuen Medien verbunden? Und welche Konsequenzen ergeben sich daraus für pädagogische Interventionen? Diese Fragen werden im vorliegenden Beitrag diskutiert und am Beispiel von Schule und Unterricht konkretisiert. Zentral ist dabei die These, dass derzeit ein Technisierungswahn zu beobachten ist. Dieser läuft Gefahr, mehr Schaden als Nutzen anzurichten, weil er neue Medien als Heilsbringer für Bildungserfolg stilisiert und damit aber einen didaktischen Grundsatz aus den Augen verliert: Pädagogik vor Technik.
Adiponectin reduces ER stress-induced apoptosis through PPARα transcriptional regulation of ATF2 in mouse adipose
Authors: Liu Zhenjiang , Gan Lu , Wu Tianjiao , Feng Fei , Luo Dan , Gu Huihui , Liu Shimin , Sun Chao
Published: November 2016

Adiponectin is a cytokine produced predominantly by adipose tissue and correlates with glucose and lipid homeostasis. However, the effects of adiponectin on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis of adipose tissue remain elusive. In this study, we found that tunicamycin-induced ER stress increased serum free fatty acid (FFA) and impaired glucose tolerance, elevated the mRNA levels of GRP78, Chop, ATF2 and caspase 3, but reduced adiponectin mRNA level in white adipose tissue. Moreover, ER stress-triggered adipocyte apoptosis by increasing cellular FFA level and Ca2+ level. Further analysis revealed that adiponectin alleviated ER stress-induced adipocyte apoptosis by elevating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) mRNA level. Our data also confirmed that adiponectin reduced early apoptotic cells and blocked the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway by activating the AdipoR1/AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signal pathway. In addition, PPARα bound to ATF2 promoter region and inhibited transcription of ATF2. The inhibition of adipocyte apoptosis by adiponectin was correlated with transcriptional suppression of ATF2. Furthermore, adiponectin inhibited ER stress-induced apoptosis by activating the AMPK/PKC pathway. In summary, our data demonstrate adiponectin inhibited ER stress and apoptosis of adipocyte in vivo and in vitro by activating the AMPK/PPARα/ATF2 pathway. Our study establishes that adiponectin is an important adipocytokine for preventing and treating obesity.
Macrophage-dependent IL-1β production induces cardiac arrhythmias in diabetic mice
Authors: Monnerat Gustavo , Alarcón Micaela L. , Vasconcellos Luiz R. , Hochman-Mendez Camila , Brasil Guilherme , Bassani Rosana A. , Casis Oscar , Malan Daniela , Travassos Leonardo H. , Sepúlveda Marisa , Burgos Juan Ignacio , Vila-Petroff Martin , Dutra Fabiano F. , Bozza Marcelo T. , Paiva Claudia N. , Carvalho Adriana Bastos , Bonomo Adriana , Fleischmann Bernd K. , de Carvalho Antonio Carlos Campos , Medei Emiliano
Published: November 2016

Diabetes mellitus (DM) encompasses a multitude of secondary disorders, including heart disease. One of the most frequent and potentially life threatening disorders of DM-induced heart disease is ventricular tachycardia (VT). Here we show that toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in cardiac macrophages mediate the production of IL-1β in DM mice. IL-1β causes prolongation of the action potential duration, induces a decrease in potassium current and an increase in calcium sparks in cardiomyocytes, which are changes that underlie arrhythmia propensity. IL-1β-induced spontaneous contractile events are associated with CaMKII oxidation and phosphorylation. We further show that DM-induced arrhythmias can be successfully treated by inhibiting the IL-1β axis with either IL-1 receptor antagonist or by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome. Our results establish IL-1β as an inflammatory connection between metabolic dysfunction and arrhythmias in DM.
The Robo4 cytoplasmic domain is dispensable for vascular permeability and neovascularization
Authors: Zhang Feng , Prahst Claudia , Mathivet Thomas , Pibouin-Fragner Laurence , Zhang Jiasheng , Genet Gael , Tong Raymond , Dubrac Alexandre , Eichmann Anne
Published: November 2016

Vascular permeability and neovascularization are implicated in many diseases including retinopathies and diabetic wound healing. Robo4 is an endothelial-specific transmembrane receptor that stabilizes the vasculature, as shown in Robo4−/− mice that develop hyperpermeability, but how Robo4 signals remained unclear. Here we show that Robo4 deletion enhances permeability and revascularization in oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) and accelerates cutaneous wound healing. To determine Robo4 signalling pathways, we generated transgenic mice expressing a truncated Robo4 lacking the cytoplasmic domain (Robo4ΔCD). Robo4ΔCD expression is sufficient to prevent permeability, and inhibits OIR revascularization and wound healing in Robo4−/− mice. Mechanistically, Robo4 does not affect Slit2 signalling, but Robo4 and Robo4ΔCD counteract Vegfr2-Y949 (Y951 in human VEGFR2) phosphorylation by signalling through the endothelial UNC5B receptor. We conclude that Robo4 inhibits angiogenesis and vessel permeability independently of its cytoplasmic domain, while activating VEGFR2-Y951 via ROBO4 inhibition might accelerate tissue revascularization in retinopathy of prematurity and in diabetic patients.
Global gain modulation generates time-dependent urgency during perceptual choice in humans
Authors: Murphy Peter R. , Boonstra Evert , Nieuwenhuis Sander
Published: November 2016

Decision-makers must often balance the desire to accumulate information with the costs of protracted deliberation. Optimal, reward-maximizing decision-making can require dynamic adjustment of this speed/accuracy trade-off over the course of a single decision. However, it is unclear whether humans are capable of such time-dependent adjustments. Here, we identify several signatures of time-dependency in human perceptual decision-making and highlight their possible neural source. Behavioural and model-based analyses reveal that subjects respond to deadline-induced speed pressure by lowering their criterion on accumulated perceptual evidence as the deadline approaches. In the brain, this effect is reflected in evidence-independent urgency that pushes decision-related motor preparation signals closer to a fixed threshold. Moreover, we show that global modulation of neural gain, as indexed by task-related fluctuations in pupil diameter, is a plausible biophysical mechanism for the generation of this urgency. These findings establish context-sensitive time-dependency as a critical feature of human decision-making.
Deterministic phase slips in mesoscopic superconducting rings
Authors: Petković I. , Lollo A. , Glazman L. I. , Harris J. G. E.
Published: November 2016

The properties of one-dimensional superconductors are strongly influenced by topological fluctuations of the order parameter, known as phase slips, which cause the decay of persistent current in superconducting rings and the appearance of resistance in superconducting wires. Despite extensive work, quantitative studies of phase slips have been limited by uncertainty regarding the order parameter’s free-energy landscape. Here we show detailed agreement between measurements of the persistent current in isolated flux-biased rings and Ginzburg–Landau theory over a wide range of temperature, magnetic field and ring size; this agreement provides a quantitative picture of the free-energy landscape. We also demonstrate that phase slips occur deterministically as the barrier separating two competing order parameter configurations vanishes. These results will enable studies of quantum and thermal phase slips in a well-characterized system and will provide access to outstanding questions regarding the nature of one-dimensional superconductivity.