bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Brief and Sequential Exposure to Nystatin on the Germ Tube Formation and Cell Surface Hydrophobicity of Oral Candida Albicans Isolates from Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients
Authors: Ellepola Arjuna N.B. , Samaranayake Lakshman P.
Published: April 2014

Objective: To evaluate the impact of brief and sequential exposure to nystatin on the germ tube formation and cell surface hydrophobicity of oral isolates of Candida albicans obtained from patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Materials and Methods: After determining the minimum inhibitory concentration of nystatin, 10 oral isolates of C. albicans from 10 different HIV-infected patients were briefly (1 h) and sequentially (10 days) exposed to subtherapeutic concentrations of nystatin. Following a subsequent drug removal, the germ tube formation and cell surface hydrophobicity of these isolates were determined via a germ tube induction assay and an aqueous hydrocarbon assay, respectively. The data obtained from these assays for the control (unexposed to nystatin) and nystatin-exposed isolates were analyzed using Student's t tests. Results: The mean percentage reduction in the germ tube formation and cell surface hydrophobicity of the nystatin-exposed isolates compared to the controls was 30.12 ± 1.99 (p < 0.001) and 29.65 ± 2.33 (p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: These data elucidate the possible pharmacodynamic mechanisms by which nystatin might operate in vivo in the modulation of candidal virulence.
Determinants of Heat Generation in Patients Treated With Therapeutic Hypothermia Following Cardiac Arrest
Authors: Murnin Matthew R. , Sonder Petra , Janssens Gladys N. , Henry Connie L. , Polderman Kees H. , Rittenberger Jon C. , Dezfulian Cameron ,   And the Post Cardiac Arrest Service
Published: April 2014

Background

Therapeutic hypothermia (
TH
) is recommended to reduce ischemic brain injury after cardiac arrest. The variables that predict heat generation by patients receiving
TH
are uncertain, as is how this heat generation relates to neurologic outcome. We hypothesized that patient characteristics, medication use, inflammation, and organ injury would be associated with heat generation. We further hypothesized that neurologic outcome would be most strongly associated with heat generation.

Methods and Results

Surface and intravascular cooling devices were used to provide
TH
in 57 consecutive cardiac arrest patients. Device water temperatures during the maintenance (33°C) phase were collected. Patient heat generation was quantified as the “heat index” (
HI
), which was the inverse average water temperature over a minimum of 2 hours of maintenance hypothermia. Variables measuring reduced ischemic injury and improved baseline health were significantly associated with
HI
. After controlling for presenting rhythm, a higher
HI
was independently associated with favorable disposition (
OR
=2.2; 95%
CI
1.2 to 4.1;
P
=0.014) and favorable Cerebral Performance Category (
OR
=1.8; 95%
CI
1.0 to 3.1;
P
=0.035). Higher
HI
predicted favorable disposition (receiver‐operator area under the curve 0.71,
P
=0.029).
HI
was linearly correlated with arteriovenous
CO
2
(
r
=0.69;
P
=0.041) but not O
2
(
r
=0.13;
P
=0.741) gradients.

Conclusions

In cardiac arrest patients receiving
TH
, greater heat generation is associated with better baseline health, reduced ischemic injury, and improved neurologic function, which results in higher metabolism.
HI
can control for confounding effects of patient heat generation in future clinical trials of rapid
TH
and offers early prognostic information.
Association of Comorbidity Burden With Abnormal Cardiac Mechanics: Findings From the HyperGEN Study
Authors: Selvaraj Senthil , Aguilar Frank G. , Martinez Eva E. , Beussink Lauren , Kim Kwang‐Youn A. , Peng Jie , Rasmussen‐Torvik Laura , Sha Jin , Irvin Marguerite R. , Gu C. Charles , Lewis Cora E. , Hunt Steven C. , Arnett Donna K. , Shah Sanjiv J.
Published: April 2014

Background

Comorbidities are common in heart failure (
HF
), and the number of comorbidities has been associated with poor outcomes in
HF
patients. However, little is known about the effect of multiple comorbidities on cardiac mechanics, which could impact the pathogenesis of
HF
. We sought to determine the relationship between comorbidity burden and adverse cardiac mechanics.

Methods and Results

We performed speckle‐tracking analysis on echocardiograms from the HyperGEN study (n=2150). Global longitudinal, circumferential, and radial strain, and early diastolic (e') tissue velocities were measured. We evaluated the association between comorbidity number and cardiac mechanics using linear mixed effects models to account for relatedness among subjects. The mean age was 51±14 years, 58% were female, and 47% were African American. Dyslipidemia and hypertension were the most common comorbidities (61% and 58%, respectively). After adjusting for left ventricular (
LV
) mass index, ejection fraction, and several potential confounders, the number of comorbidities remained associated with all indices of cardiac mechanics except global circumferential strain (eg, β=−0.32 [95%
CI
−0.44, −0.20] per 1‐unit increase in number of comorbidities for global longitudinal strain; β=−0.16 [95%
CI
−0.20, −0.11] for e' velocity;
P
≤0.0001 for both comparisons). Results were similar after excluding participants with abnormal
LV
geometry (
P
<0.05 for all comparisons).

Conclusions

Higher comorbidity burden is associated with worse cardiac mechanics, even in the presence of normal
LV
geometry. The deleterious effect of multiple comorbidities on cardiac mechanics may explain both the high comorbidity burden and adverse outcomes in patients who ultimately develop
HF
.
Prognostic Value of Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction in a General Population
Authors: Kuznetsova Tatiana , Thijs Lutgarde , Knez Judita , Herbots Lieven , Zhang Zhenyu , Staessen Jan A.
Published: April 2014

Background

New techniques of Tissue Doppler Imaging (
TDI
) enable the measurement of myocardial velocities and provide information about left ventricular (
LV
) diastolic function. Recent studies explored the prognostic role of
TDI
‐derived indexes. However, these studies considered only total mortality and did not provide information on cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Therefore, we investigated in continuous and categorical analyses whether Doppler diastolic indexes contained any prognostic information over and beyond traditional cardiovascular risk factors in a general population.

Methods and Results

We measured early and late diastolic peak velocities of mitral inflow (E and A) by conventional Doppler, and the mitral annular velocities (e' and a') by
TDI
in 793 participants (mean age 50.9 years). We calculated multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratios for conventional and
TDI
Doppler indexes, while accounting for family cluster and cardiovascular risk factors. Median follow‐up was 4.8 years (5th to 95th percentile, 3.0 to 5.4). With adjustments applied for covariables, e' velocity was a significant predictor of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular (n=59;
P
=0.004) and cardiac events (n=40;
P
=0.001).
TDI
e' yielded a net reclassification improvement of 54.2% for cardiovascular and 64.0% for cardiac events. Hazard ratios of all cardiovascular (2.21;
P
=0.042) and cardiac (4.50;
P
=0.002) events were significantly elevated in participants with increased
LV
filling pressure compared with subjects with normal diastolic function.

Conclusions

TDI
e' velocity is a significant predictor of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events in a general population. Furthermore, we observed an increase in all cardiovascular events in the diastolic dysfunction group characterized by elevated
LV
filling pressure.
White Matter Hyperintensities and Their Penumbra Lie Along a Continuum of Injury in the Aging Brain
Authors: Maillard Pauline , Fletcher Evan , Lockhart Samuel N. , Roach Alexandra E. , Reed Bruce , Mungas Dan , DeCarli Charles , Carmichael Owen T.
Published: April 2014

Background and Purpose—

Aging is accompanied by clinically silent cerebral white matter injury identified through white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR)– and diffusion tensor imaging–based measures of white matter integrity. The temporal course of FLAIR and diffusion tensor imaging changes within WMHs and their less-injured periphery (ie, their penumbra), however, has not been fully studied. We used longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging and FLAIR to explore these changes.

Methods—

One hundred fifteen participants, aged 73.7±6.7 years, received clinical evaluations and MRIs on 2 dates. WMHs and fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were produced from FLAIR and diffusion tensor imaging and coregistered to a standardized space. Each distinct WMH was categorized as growing, stagnant, or noncontiguous incident. The penumbra of each WMH was similarly categorized as corresponding to a stagnant, growing, or noncontiguous incident WMH. Linear mixed-effect models were used to assess whether FA and FLAIR measurements changed between baseline and follow-up and differed between tissue categories.

Results—

Baseline FA differed significantly by tissue category, with the following ordering of categories from highest to lowest FA: penumbra of noncontiguous incident, then stagnant, then growing WMHs; noncontiguous incident, then stagnant, then growing WMHs. Despite differences in baseline values, all tissue categories experienced declines in FA over time. Only noncontiguous incident WMHs showed significant FLAIR signal increases over time, and FLAIR signal significantly decreased in stagnant WMHs.

Conclusions—

WMHs and their penumbra vary in severity and together span a continuous spectrum of white matter injury that worsens with time. FLAIR fails to capture this continuous injury process fully but does identify a subclass of lesions that seem to improve over time.
Making History with Coins: Nero from a Numismatic Perspective
Authors: Hekster Olivier , Manders Erika , Slootjes Daniëlle
Published: April 2014

Analysis of the coinage during Nero's reign as Roman emperor reveals a much less uniform image of Nero than is usually depicted in historical literature. The case of Nero exemplifies the importance of an interdisciplinary methodological framework. A “pick and mix” numismatic methodology devised in support of a Neronian ideology gleaned via literary evidence may lead to a superficially convincing image of the emperor, but it will not do justice to the complexities surrounding his reign.
Well-Being and Growth: A Diachronic Discourse
Authors: Rotberg Robert I.
Published: April 2014

After numerous unremarkable centuries, why did humans start to live longer and reproduce themselves in increasing numbers? What were the proximate causes of this remarkable demographic acceleration? No longer destined everywhere to endure brutish and short life experiences, why did humans, first in northwestern Europe and eventually everywhere else, begin almost abruptly to enjoy enhanced well-being? Did their food intakes become more nutritious and their conflicts less devastating? Or were improvements in potable water sources key factors? Conceivably, too, the world simply grew richer, and its citizens could purchase better lives more easily. Deaton's The Great Escape provides many answers to such questions, and an excellent entry for historians and social scientists into the literature on well-being over time.
A Fight for Love and Glory: The Moguls of Hollywood and the Third Reich
Authors: Rabb Jonathan
Published: April 2014

The story of Hollywood in Weimar is essential to understanding how the American studios (and thus American culture) dealt with the Nazis. To ignore its impact is to risk misunderstanding the issues of the 1930s, both large and small. Any simple interpretation of the American film studios' connections with the Third Reich belies the actual interactions of those involved. Claims to the contrary, and efforts to slap empty labels on them, inevitably fail to convince.
Debating the Little Ice Age
Authors: Kelly Morgan , Ó Gráda Cormac
Published: April 2014

The commentaries of White and of Büntgen and Hellmann in this journal fail to prove that Europe experienced the kind of sustained falls in temperature between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries that can justify the notion of a Little Ice Age. Neither of them adequately addresses the cogency of the anecdotal or statistical evidence as presented in Kelly and Ó Gráda's article, “The Waning of the Little Ice Age: Climate Change in Early Modern Europe,” especially with regard to the spurious peaks and troughs created by the smoothing of temperature series—the so-called Slutsky Effect.
Real-Time Hallucination Simulation and Sonification through User-Led Development of an iPad Augmented Reality Performance
Authors: Kirke Alexis , Eaton Joel , Miranda Eduardo
Published: April 2014

The simulation of visual hallucinations has multiple applications. The authors present a new approach to hallucination simulation, initially developed for a performance, that proved to have uses for individuals suffering from certain types of hallucinations. The system, originally developed with a focus on the visual symptoms of palinopsia experienced by the lead author, allows real-time visual expression using augmented reality via an iPad. It also allows the hallucinations to be converted into sound through visuals sonification. Although no formal experimentation was conducted, the authors report on a number of unsolicited informal responses to the simulator from palinopsia sufferers and the Palinopsia Foundation.
Towards Ecological Autarky
Authors: van Dartel Michel , Nigten Anne
Published: April 2014

While the notion of autarky is often contested in terms of feasibility and desirability, art and design projects that deal with autarky seem moreover to suggest positive socio-cultural and ecological effects of autarkic living. A social network model of autarky is introduced to unify these seemingly opposing views.
Birding the Future
Authors: Caballero Krista , Ekeberg Frank
Published: April 2014

Birding the Future is a multi-layered interdisciplinary project that explores issues of species loss and biodiversity while specifically focusing on the warning abilities of birds as indicators of environmental health. It is an outdoor installation and image walk incorporating multi-channel sound, stereoscopic images, text, Morse code messages, calls of endangered and extinct bird species and a rendering of projected extinction rate. Birding the Future is a global project designed as a series of local, site-specific works.
Hug@ree: An ARTiVIS Experience for Sustainability
Authors: Mendes Mónica , Ângelo Pedro , Correia Nuno
Published: April 2014

Hug@ree is an interactive installation that provides a bond between urban beings and the forest. It is an ARTiVIS (Arts, Real-Time Video and Interactivity for Sustainability) experience that provides interaction with trees and videos of trees in real-time, raising awareness of the natural environment and how individual action can collectively become so relevant. In this paper, the authors present an overview of the Hug@ree concept, related work, implementation, user experience evaluation and future work.
Anastatica Sensibile - Grounding Interactivity on a Natural Process
Authors: Di Maro Daniela , Bene Andrea , Bernini Diego , Bonetti Simone , De Michelis Giorgio , Tisato Francesco , Colombo Gianluca
Published: April 2014

Interactive artistic installations represent avant-garde forms of Contemporary Art. They are artistic works able to change their behavior in response to the behavior of the viewers, turning them into (more or less) active participants. This paper discusses an interactive installation the authors developed during the beginning of 2012 for the St. Elmo Castle in Naples, Italy. In this installation the audience determines the evolution of the life cycle of specific plants, in terms of an opening/closing process. The paper proposes some reflections on this case study, especially about the engagement dimension promoted by the work.
Constant Visual and Haptic Time Delays in Simulated Bilateral Teleoperation: Quantifying the Human Operator Performance
Authors: Abuhamdia Tariq , Rosen Jacob
Published: April 2014

Visual feedback and force feedback (haptics) are the two streams of information in a robotic bilateral teleoperation where the operator manipulates a robot in a remote location. Delivering the visual and the haptic information depends in part on the characteristics of the communication network and results in a nonsynchronized delay. The goal is to study the effect of constant nonsynchronized and synchronized time delay of visual and haptic information on the human teleoperation performance. The experimental setup included a virtual reality environment, which allows the operator to manipulate the virtual objects in a simulated remote environment through a haptic device that renders the force feedback. The visual and the haptic information were delayed independently in the range of 0–500 ms, creating 121 different scenarios of synchronized and nonsynchronized delays. Selecting specific parameters of the remote virtual environment guaranteed stable teleportation, given the time delays under study. The experimental tasks included tracing predefined geometrical shapes and a pick-and-place task, which simulates both structured and unstructured interactions under the influence of guiding forces. Eight subjects (n = 8) participated in the experiment performing three repetitions of three different teleoperation tasks with 121 combinations of visual and haptic time delays. The measured parameters that were used to assess the human performance were the task completion time and the position errors expressed as a function of the visual and the haptic time delay. Then, regression and ANOVA analyses were performed. The results indicated that the human performance is a function of the sum of the two delays. As the sum of the two delays increases, the human performance degrades and is expressed with an increase in completion time and position errors. The performance degradation is more pronounced in the pick-and-place task compared to the tracing task. In scenarios where the visual and the haptics information were out of synchronization, the human performance was better than intentionally delaying one source of information in an attempt to synchronize and unify the two delays. The results of this study may be applied to any teleoperation tasks over a network with inherent time delays and more specifically to telesurgery in which performance degradation due to time delay has a profound effect on the quality of the healthcare delivered, patient safety, and ultimately the outcomes of the surgical procedure itself.
Low-Cost Virtual Reality System in Evaluation of Rhythmic Motor Patterns in Elderly and Parkinson's Disease Patients
Authors: Sanmartín Gabriel , Flores Julián , Robles-García Verónica , Arias Pablo , Cudeiro Javier
Published: April 2014

This work details a virtual-reality (VR) system developed to evaluate alterations in hand movements and central rhythm formation in Parkinsonian and elderly subjects. One feature of VR systems that is essential for use in clinical evaluation and to warrant presence is the lack of behavioral distortion from real-world execution. Herein, we present a technical description of our VR and its validation to evaluate rhythmic motor patterns when experimental subjects perform a finger tapping test. Execution of the test was performed at different rates in the VR system, and compared to the gold-standard real-world testing. The VR system proved to be as valid and reliable as real-world testing to characterize arrythmokinetic profiles present in Parkinsonian and elderly subjects (compared to young subjects), at the different rates of execution. VR served as a complementary tool in a research setting to isolate subjects from unnaturalistic environments during clinical evaluation, such as labrooms or brain scans, since it did not bias behavior from real-world evaluation in a basic clinical test.
New Visuomotor Mappings of Wrist Rotations Are Ignored if Continuous Visual Feedback Is Available
Authors: Barra Julien , Mégard Christine , Vidal Manuel
Published: April 2014

Mechanisms involved in the production of visually guided reaching movements have been extensively investigated, but little is known on the motor control of wrist rotation. In two independent experiments, we examined the adaptation of wrist motor control to new visuomotor gain in rotation in a task where subjects were asked to adjust the orientation of a virtual teapot using a force feedback robot arm without time constraints. We manipulated the visual feedback to assess how feedback affects the mechanisms employed by the motor system to compensate for the imposed visuomotor gain. In the first experiment, continuous visual feedback was provided to subjects during the learning phase with the new visuomotor gain. In a second experiment, which used a different design, only terminal feedback was provided, also as a visual teapot. We tested whether adaptation to yaw (flexion/extension) wrist rotations could transfer to pitch (ulnar/radial) rotations, as suggested by earlier work. We showed that in conditions close to robotic arm manipulations by teleoperators (when continuous visual feedback is available and the movement duration is not limited), novel visuomotor gains of wrist rotations are spontaneously taken into account without the need for adaptation. Nevertheless, an internal model of the new visuomotor gain was constructed in parallel, since limited, but significant, aftereffects were observed. For the second experiment, for which visual feedback was only provided after the manipulation, a clear adaptation with an internal model updating to new visuomotor gain was observed. This adaptation was transferrable to another wrist axis. However, after the transfer of the adaptation, subjects spontaneously and rapidly returned to a gain of 1.
Telehaptic Perception of Delayed Stiffness Using Adaptive Impedance Control: Experimental Psychophysical Analysis
Authors: Tzafestas Costas S. , Velanas Spyros
Published: April 2014

Telehaptics is the science of transmitting touch-related sensations over computer networks. With respect to robot teleoperation, telehaptics emphasizes more on reliably reproducing physical properties of a remote environment, as mediated over a network through the use of appropriate haptic interfacing technologies. One of the main factors that can cause degradation of the quality of a telehaptic system is the presence of time delays. Inspired by concepts such as impedance-reflection and model-mediated telemanipulation, an adaptive impedance control scheme has been proposed aiming to mitigate some of the problems caused by network delays in a telehaptic system. This paper presents an experimental analysis, which has been conducted to assess the actual performance of the proposed telehaptic scheme in terms of both control and human perception objectives. Firstly, a set of comparative numerical experiments is presented aiming to analyze stability and characterize transparency of the telehaptic system under large time delays. The results show the superior performance of the proposed adaptive impedance scheme as compared to direct force-reflecting teleoperation. Then, a series of psychophysical experiments is described, to evaluate the performance of the telehaptic system with respect to human perception of remote (delayed) stiffness. An analysis of the obtained results shows that the proposed adaptive scheme significantly improves telehaptic perception of linear stiffness in the presence of network delays, maintaining perceptual thresholds close to the ones obtained in the case of direct, nondelayed stimuli. A comparative experimental evaluation of psychometric transparency confirms the superior robustness with regard to time delay of the adaptive impedance telehaptic scheme as compared to state-of-the-art position/force transparentizing methods.
Xenophon contra Plato: Citizen Motivation and Socratic Biography
Authors: Vandiver Josh
Published: April 2014

Abstract

Xenophon’s Cyropaedia should be considered a classic text of political theory. It inaugurated the political biography and is one of the most extensive classical Greek works on political leadership. It has, however, been neglected or, when studied, misunderstood as a cautionary tale of political corruption. I argue that Xenophon’s method in the Cyropaedia is illustrative of Socratic biography and focused on three problems: why leaders emerge, what motivates them, and how their character is constituted. Xenophon responds to these questions by modelling a spirited character type, a person uniquely motivated by philotimia, the desire for political status and honour, and thus uniquely suited for development into a political leader. Furthermore, Xenophon is in theoretic dialogue with Plato over the concepts which comprise this model and a proper understanding of their dialogue impacts interpretations of the Cyropaedia as a whole, Xenophon’s intervention in Greek political discourse, and Plato’s influence on contemporaries.
Portuguese Jews, Amerindians, and the Frontiers of Encounter in Colonial Suriname
Authors: Vance Roitman Jessica
Published: April 2014

Oppression, exclusion, and alliance are themes common in frontier zones like Suriname where cultures come into contact, collide, and connect. This article shows how Suriname functioned as a frontier not only between European empires but also between cultures and peoples. The meetings, clashes, and exchanges between Jews and Amerindians are a lens through which to analyze this zone of encounter. This relationship also illustrates the dynamics at play on the frontiers of nation and empire. These are places where peoples who are “in between” such as the Portuguese Jews and Amerindians broker between two cultures and two worldviews.
Human costs of the Afghanistan war
Authors: Friesendorf Cornelius , Müller Thomas
Published: April 2014

The war in Afghanistan has been the longest war in United States history. This article argues that from the beginning of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, the US conduct of the war posed great dangers for Afghan civilians. It distinguishes between three phases, each of which held distinct risks for civilians. The first phase, from late 2001 to 2009, was marked by the fight against al Qaeda and insurgent forces; the second phase, from 2009- 2010, by counterinsurgency; and the third phase by the transition of security responsibilities from NATO to Afghan security forces. While risk transfer clearly marked the first and third phases, civilians also suffered during the second phase, when the US put a primacy on civilian protection. We argue that neglecting civilian protection has not only been morally problematic but also risks undermining the Western goal of ensuring that Afghanistan will no longer pose a threat to international security.
Occurrence of true branches in Rhizoclonium (Cladophorales, Ulvophyceae) and the reinstatement of Rhizoclonium pachydermum Kjellman
Authors: ZHAO ZHI-JUAN , ZHU HUAN , HU ZHENG-YU , LIU GUO-XIANG
Published: April 2014

The phylogenetic position of the freshwater green alga Rhizoclonium pachydermum (Ulvophyceae: Cladophorales) was investigated using nuclear 18S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences. This alga has been referred to as Cladophora pachyderma. Based on its morphology, it was formerly classified in the section Affines in the genus Cladophora. However, this classification was not supported by the current phylogenetic analyses, where Rhizoclonium pachydermum formed a well-supported clade with other Rhizoclonium species. We consider that Rhizoclonium possesses real branches and the most important criteria that characterize the genus are: long unbranched filaments only with rhizoid branches, or only branched at the basal region of the thallus; and cylindrical cells with few or limited numbers of nuclei.
Validation of the name Centaurea ×forsythiana Levier (Asteraceae)
Authors: FILIGHEDDU ROSSELLA , FARRIS EMMANUELE , PISANU STEFANIA , URBANI MALVINA , SUSANNA ALFONSO
Published: April 2014

Two individuals morphologically intermediate between Centaurea horrida Badarò (1824: 367) and C. filiformis Viviani (1825: 6) were collected by Charles Immanuel Forsyth Major on 26 May 1885 at Tavolara Islet, Italy (FI!): these samples were published by Fiori (1904) and later reported in Arrigoni (1972) as two different hybrids: “C. superfiliformis × horrida Levier” and “C. superhorrida × filiformis Levier”. As annotated on the label by Emile Levier, the material deposited in FI shows that the morphology of the two hybrids is very different and only the one named by Fiori as “C. superfiliformis × horrida Levier” was labelled as C. forsythiana Levier (Fig. 1). This sample is morphologically similar to the individuals of a hybrid population we discovered in the same site in the Tavolara Islet (Timone), on limestone, as reported by Fiori (1904). The hybrid named “C. superhorrida × filiformis Levier” by Fiori (1904) was collected by Forsyth Major in a different site (Bocchetta) on granite, and has never been recollected afterwards. For the matter of this note, this is not a problem since, according to Article H.4.1 of the International Code of Nomenclature (McNeill et al. 2012), all the hybrid variants originated from the same parental species, as far as considered nothotaxa (Art. H.3.1), should bear the same name.
A review of the genus Pempheris (Perciformes, Pempheridae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species
Authors: KOEDA KEITA , YOSHINO TETSUO , IMAI HIDEYUKI , TACHIHARA KATSUNORI
Published: April 2014

Four species of the fish genus Pempheris are recognized for the Red Sea: P. adusta Bleeker, 1877; P. mangula Cuvier, 1829; P. nesogallica Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1831; and a new species P. tominagai. All are wide-ranging in the western Indian Ocean, and P. mangula has migrated via the Suez Canal to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Morphological and genetic analysis of 15 species in this genus show that P. adusta, a widely distributed species, that can't be divided into different species, because of the continuity of morphologies and distribution, and lack of variance in genetics between Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and Pacific Ocean populations. This confirms that the two subspecies described by Randall et al. (2013) are both synonyms of P. adusta. Pempheris adusta is distinguished from other species by a blackish spot on pectoral fin base, pored lateral-line scales 56–64, scale rows above lateral line 4 1/2–6 1/2, distinct blackish band on outer edge of anal fin, and blackish band on posterior edge of caudal fin. Pempheris mangula was named by Cuvier (1829) in a footnote making reference to a drawing and short description in Russell (1803) of a Pempheris from southeast India, giving only the native name ''Mangula-Kutti'', and listing no specimen. The wide distribution of this species, from the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea is also demonstrated by morphological and genetic analysis. Thus, the specimen collected from southern India is herein designated as the neotype. This species is distinguished from other species by its huge eye, deep body, blackish tip of the dorsal fin, pored lateral-line scales 49–60, and scale rows above lateral line 4 1/2–5 1/2. The extant syntype of Kossmann & Räuber's P. rhomboidea is designated as the lectotype of the species; however, P. rhomboidea is a synonym of P. mangula. In addition, Kossmann & Räuber's Pempheris erythraea and P. russellii Day, 1888 are also synonyms of P. mangula. Of two existing syntypes of P. nesogallica from Mauritius, one is designated as the lectotype, the other is re-identified as P. mangula; P. nesogallica is presently known only from the southern Red Sea. This species has a similar morphology to P. mangula, but can be distinguished by a smaller eye than P. mangula, and lack irregular faint longitudinal light stripes on the body side. Pempheris tominagai are distinguished from P. schwenkii Bleeker 1855, formerly misidentified, by the form of posterior nostril, scale counts, color of caudal fin, and by a 2.1% mitochondrial DNA sequence divergence.
Four new species of pholcine spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae) from Southeast Asia
Authors: YAO ZHIYUAN , LI Shuqiang , JÄGER PETER
Published: April 2014

Four new species belonging to four genera of the subfamily Pholcinae are reported from Southeast Asia: Belisana protumida spec. nov. (male, female), Khorata bayeri spec. nov. (male), Pholcus schawalleri spec. nov. (male), and Uthina khaosokensis spec. nov. (male).
Studies of Madagascan Ptiliidae (Coleoptera) 2: The genus Ptenidium including three new species
Authors: DARBY MICHAEL
Published: April 2014

This is the second report detailing Ptiliidae collected from forest leaf litter by the Moravian Museum expeditions to Madagascar 2010–2012. 3 new species are described and figured: Ptenidium azafady sp. n., P. lambdai sp. n., and P. tanalai sp.n., and the criteria for assessing subgeneric status discussed.
Taxonomic review of the genus Spatulignatha Gozmány, 1978
(Lepidoptera: Lecithocerinae), with descriptions of two new species in China
Authors: LIU SHURONG , WANG SHUXIA
Published: April 2014

The genus Spatulignatha Gozmány is reviewed. Two new species are described based on the Chinese material: S. arcuata sp. nov. from Guangdong, Hunan and Yunnan, and S. longizonalis sp. nov. from Guangxi. The female genitalia of S. hemichrysa (Meyrick, 1910) and the female of S. idiogena Wu, 1994 are described for the first time, and the previously described female of S. hemichrysa by Gozmány (1978) is considered to be the female of S. olaxana Wu, 1994. Images of adults and genitalia are provided.
A new species of Sphaeronemoura (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) from Henan Province of China, with additions to generic characters of the female and larva
Authors: LI WEIHAI , MURÁNYI DÁVID , YANG DING
Published: April 2014

A new species of the genus Sphaeronemoura (Plecoptera: Nemouridae: Amphinemurinae), S. separata sp. n. is described from the male, female, and larvae collected in Henan Province of China. The internal genitalia of the female adult is described for the first time for the genus, and additional generic characters for the larva are also given. The known distributions of all Sphaeronemoura species is presented.
Impact of Bay-Breeze Circulations on Surface Air Quality and Boundary Layer Export
Authors: Loughner Christopher P. , Tzortziou Maria , Follette-Cook Melanie , Pickering Kenneth E. , Goldberg Daniel , Satam Chinmay , Weinheimer Andrew , Crawford James H. , Knapp David J. , Montzka Denise D. , Diskin Glenn S. , Dickerson Russell R.
Published: April 2014

Meteorological and air-quality model simulations are analyzed alongside observations to investigate the role of the Chesapeake Bay breeze on surface air quality, pollutant transport, and boundary layer venting. A case study was conducted to understand why a particular day was the only one during an 11-day ship-based field campaign on which surface ozone was not elevated in concentration over the Chesapeake Bay relative to the closest upwind site and why high ozone concentrations were observed aloft by in situ aircraft observations. Results show that southerly winds during the overnight and early-morning hours prevented the advection of air pollutants from the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, metropolitan areas over the surface waters of the bay. A strong and prolonged bay breeze developed during the late morning and early afternoon along the western coastline of the bay. The strength and duration of the bay breeze allowed pollutants to converge, resulting in high concentrations locally near the bay-breeze front within the Baltimore metropolitan area, where they were then lofted to the top of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Near the top of the PBL, these pollutants were horizontally advected to a region with lower PBL heights, resulting in pollution transport out of the boundary layer and into the free troposphere. This elevated layer of air pollution aloft was transported downwind into New England by early the following morning where it likely mixed down to the surface, affecting air quality as the boundary layer grew.
Analysis of hole wall defects of drilled carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates
Authors: Catche Soraya , Piquet Robert , Lachaud Frédéric , Castanié Bruno , Benaben Audrey
Published: April 2014

The hole wall defects created during drilling of carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates are analyzed. First, an analysis of the location of the defects on the wall is performed. It is shown that, using results of orthogonal cutting, it is possible to predict the location of the main defects. Then refined scanning electron microscopic observation shows the different patterns of the defects. These observations raise the question of the quantification and measurement of the quality of holes drilled in composite laminates. Two roughness parameters, Ra and the bearing surface are compared and significant differences are found. This study is a contribution to a better definition of quality indicators for machined surfaces in composite structures, which should help to limit overquality and production costs.
Exporters in the Financial Crisis
Authors: Görg Holger , Spaliara Marina-Eliza
Published: April 2014

Using a large panel of UK manufacturing firms over the period 2000–9, we consider how firms responded during the most recent financial crisis, estimating models for export market participation decisions and firm growth and survival. The results indicate that financial variables are highly important in predicting export market entry, especially in the midst of the global financial crisis. With respect to firm growth and survival, we find that starters and continuous exporters are more likely to perform well in and out of the crisis than non-exporters.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Combining the Use of Corrective Feedback and High-Level Practice Questions
Authors: Fenesi Barbara , Sana Faria , Kim Joseph A.
Published: April 2014

A growing trend in teaching practices is to combine instructional techniques to optimize learning. If two instructional techniques can independently facilitate comprehension, it may be reasonable to assume that their combination would contribute to even greater learning. Here we examine the effects of using corrective feedback (present or absent) and practice questions (high level or low level) during initial learning on subsequent comprehension test performance. Results suggest that there was no added benefit from combining feedback with high-level practice questions. Providing feedback or practice questions were equally likely to benefit learners but the combination provided no additional benefit.
Individual and Group Credit for Class Participation
Authors: Taylor Cora M. , Galyon Charles E. , Forbes Bethany E. , Blondin Carolyn A. , Williams Robert L.
Published: April 2014

This research study focused on the use of cooperative groups to facilitate class-wide participation, especially for initially low participants. Undergraduates from three sections of a relatively large educational psychology course recorded their class participation in all course units. Four of the five units in each section offered either individual credit or group-plus-individual credit for participation. At the end of the first unit, instructors assigned students to five- or six-member cooperative groups based on their participation levels during the first unit. At the end of each remaining unit, instructors asked one student to randomly select 2 of 4 discussion days from that unit for individual participation credit. Additionally, in 2 of the 4 credit units, the instructor also made group bonus credit available if every present member of a group participated at least once on each selected credit day. The individual-plus-group credit contingency produced greater class-wide participation than individual credit alone for the total sample across the combined sections and for initially low participants in two of the three sections.
Going Green and Using Less Paper to Print Exams
Authors: O’Connor Kevin J.
Published: April 2014

Two studies measured the impact on student exam performance and exam completion time of strategies aimed to reduce the amount of paper used for printing multiple-choice course exams. Study 1 compared single-sided to double-sided printed exams. Study 2 compared a single-column arrangement of multiple-choice answer options to a space (and paper) saving alternative arrangement formatted into two-by-two columns and rows. Findings support the use of these simple paper reduction strategies as they had no effect on exam performance or exam completion time and were partially aligned with students’ self-reported preferences.
The friends and family test: a qualitative study of concerns that influence the willingness of English National Health Service staff to recommend their organisation
Authors: Dixon-Woods Mary , Minion Joel T , McKee Lorna , Willars Janet , Martin Graham
Published: April 2014

Objectives

The views of practitioners at the ‘sharp end’ of care provision are increasingly recognised as important indicators of quality of care. The National Health Service (NHS) Staff Survey in England has quantified employees' views on how far they would be happy with the standard of care provided by their organisation if a friend or family member needed treatment. We aimed to characterise the concerns that might affect the willingness of staff to recommend their own organisations.

Design

Qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews. Data analysis based on the constant comparative method.

Participants

Members of clinical and managerial staff in four NHS organisations ( n = 70), and senior stakeholders across the NHS including clinicians, managers and others with a strategic or senior-level perspective ( n = 98).

Setting

One hundred and sixty-eight interviews were conducted: 70 in four case study organisations and 98 across the wider English NHS.

Main outcome measures

Not applicable.

Results

Asking study participants the ‘if a friend…’ question offered insider views on the quality of care. Some staff had no concerns, but others, identified significant problems with consistency, reliability and behaviour of staff. Participants identified reasons for poor care that included inadequate organisational systems; structural problems of understaffing and under-resourcing; weaknesses in professional cultures and professional competence and failure to deal with problems such as unacceptable conduct. Participants emphasised that staff were not always able to deliver high-quality care because they worked in difficult conditions.

Conclusions

Asking staff to give accounts of their willingness to recommend their organisation to family and friends elicits important insights into quality and safety of care. Such accounts might be able to provide warning signs that could signal organisational decline and avert healthcare scandals, but use outside a research context requires further evaluation.
Learning from preventable deaths: exploring case record reviewers' narratives using change analysis
Authors: Hogan Helen , Healey Frances , Neale Graham , Thomson Richard , Black Nick , Vincent Charles
Published: April 2014

Objective

To determine if applying change analysis to the narrative reports made by reviewers of hospital deaths increases the utility of this information in the systematic analysis of patient harm.

Design

Qualitative analysis of causes and contributory factors underlying patient harm in 52 case narratives linked to preventable deaths derived from a retrospective case record review of 1000 deaths in acute National Health Service Trusts in 2009.

Participants

52 preventable hospital deaths.

Setting

England.

Main outcome measures

The nature of problems in care and contributory factors underlying avoidable deaths in hospital.

Results

The change analysis approach enabled explicit characterisation of multiple problems in care, both across the admission and also at the boundary between primary and secondary care, and illuminated how these problems accumulate to cause harm. It demonstrated links between problems and underlying contributory factors and highlighted other threats to quality of care such as standards of end of life management. The method was straightforward to apply to multiple records and achieved good inter-rater reliability.

Conclusion

Analysis of case narratives using change analysis provided a richer picture of healthcare-related harm than the traditional approach, unpacking the nature of the problems, particularly by delineating omissions from acts of commission, thus facilitating more tailored responses to patient harm.
Adaptive control of variable-speed wind energy conversion systems with inaccurate wind speed measurement
Authors: Meng Wenchao , Yang Qinmin , Sun Youxian
Published: April 2014

This paper deals with the power acquisition control of variable-speed wind energy conversion systems under inaccurate wind speed measurements. The control goal is to optimize the power capture from wind by tracking the maximum power curve. Firstly, the controller is designed for the case with known aerodynamic torque, which is a common assumption in many literatures. In this controller, the need for the exact knowledge of the system model is waived by using adaptive technologies. The chattering phenomenon in the generator torque, which can result in high mechanical stress, is avoided by adopting a modified robust term. Then, by utilizing an online approximator to learn an auxiliary term induced by the uncertain aerodynamics, the need for the exact knowledge of the aerodynamic torque is waived. Both of the proposed controllers are capable of providing good performance under inaccurate wind speed measurements. The control objective is obtained in the sense that the tracking error is guaranteed to converge to an arbitrarily small set. It is theoretically proved that all the signals in the closed-loop system are bounded via Lyapunov synthesis. Finally, the performance of our proposed controller is shown by simulating on a 1.5 MW three-blade wind turbine using the FAST (Fatigue, Aerodynamics, Structures, and Turbulence) code developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Whether Social Schema Violations Help or Hurt Creativity Depends on Need for Structure
Authors: Gocłowska Małgorzata A. , Baas Matthijs , Crisp Richard J. , De Dreu Carsten K. W.
Published: April 2014

Although people and events that disconfirm observers’ expectancies can increase their creativity, sometimes such social schema violations increase observers’ rigidity of thought and undermine creative cognition. Here we examined whether individual differences in the extent to which people prefer structure and predictability determine whether social schema violations facilitate or hamper creativity. Participants in Study 1 formed impressions of a schema-inconsistent female mechanic (vs. a schema-consistent male mechanic). Following schema-inconsistent rather than -consistent information, participants low (high) in need for structure showed better (impeded) creative performance. Participants in Study 2 memorized a series of images in which individuals were placed on a schema-inconsistent (vs. consistent) background (e.g., an Eskimo on the desert vs. on a snowy landscape). Following schema-inconsistent imagery, participants low (high) in need for structure increased (decreased) divergent thinking.