bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Divergent Requirements for EZH1 in Heart Development Versus Regeneration
Authors: Ai Shanshan , Yu Xianhong , Li Yumei , Peng Yong , Li Chen , Yue Yanzhu , Tao Ge , Li Chuanyun , Pu William T. , He Aibin
Published: May 2017

Rationale:

Polycomb repressive complex 2 is a major epigenetic repressor that deposits methylation on histone H3 on lysine 27 (H3K27me) and controls differentiation and function of many cells, including cardiac myocytes. EZH1 and EZH2 are 2 alternative catalytic subunits with partial functional redundancy. The relative roles of EZH1 and EZH2 in heart development and regeneration are unknown.

Objective:

We compared the roles of EZH1 versus EZH2 in heart development and neonatal heart regeneration.

Methods and Results:

Heart development was normal in Ezh1
−/−
(
Ezh
1 knockout) and Ezh2
f/f
::cTNT
−Cre
(
Ezh
2 knockout) embryos. Ablation of both genes in Ezh1
−/−
::Ezh2
f/f
::cTNT
−Cre
embryos caused lethal heart malformations, including hypertrabeculation, compact myocardial hypoplasia, and ventricular septal defect. Epigenome and transcriptome profiling showed that derepressed genes were upregulated in a manner consistent with total EZH dose. In neonatal heart regeneration, Ezh1 was required, but Ezh2 was dispensable. This finding was further supported by rescue experiments: cardiac myocyte-restricted re-expression of EZH1 but not EZH2 restored neonatal heart regeneration in
Ezh
1 knockout. In myocardial infarction performed outside of the neonatal regenerative window, EZH1 but not EZH2 likewise improved heart function and stimulated cardiac myocyte proliferation. Mechanistically, EZH1 occupied and activated genes related to cardiac growth.

Conclusions:

Our work unravels divergent mechanisms of EZH1 in heart development and regeneration, which will empower efforts to overcome epigenetic barriers to heart regeneration.
Associations of Acid Suppressive Therapy With Cardiac Mortality in Heart Failure Patients
Authors: Yoshihisa Akiomi , Takiguchi Mai , Kanno Yuki , Sato Akihiko , Yokokawa Tetsuro , Miura Shunsuke , Abe Satoshi , Misaka Tomofumi , Sato Takamasa , Suzuki Satoshi , Oikawa Masayoshi , Kobayashi Atsushi , Yamaki Takayoshi , Kunii Hiroyuki , Nakazato Kazuhiko , Suzuki Hitoshi , Saitoh Shu‐ichi , Takeishi Yasuchika
Published: May 2017

Background

It has been recently reported that histamine H
2
receptor antagonists (H2
RA
s) are associated with impairment of ventricular remodeling and incident heart failure. In addition, favorable pleiotropic effects and adverse effects of proton pump inhibitors (
PPI
s) on cardiovascular disease have also been reported. We examined the associations of acid suppressive therapy using H2
RA
s or
PPI
s with cardiac mortality in patients with heart failure.

Methods and Results

In total, 1191 consecutive heart failure patients were divided into 3 groups: a non–acid suppressive therapy group (n=363), an H2
RA
group (n=164), and a
PPI
group (n=664). In the follow‐up period (mean 995 days), 169 cardiac deaths occurred. In the Kaplan–Meier analysis, cardiac mortality was significantly lower in the
PPI
group than in the H2
RA
and non–acid suppressive therapy groups (11.0% versus 21.3% and 16.8%, respectively; log‐rank
P
=0.004). In the multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis, use of
PPI
s, but not H2
RA
s, was found to be an independent predictor of cardiac mortality (
PPI
s: hazard ratio 0.488,
P
=0.002; H2
RA
s: hazard ratio 0.855,
P
=0.579). The propensity‐matched 1:1 cohort was assessed based on propensity score (H2
RA
s, n=164;
PPI
s, n=164). Cardiac mortality was significantly lower in the
PPI
group than in the H2
RA
group in the postmatched cohort (log‐rank
P
=0.025). In the Cox proportional hazards analysis, the use of
PPI
s was a predictor of cardiac mortality in the postmatched cohort (hazard ratio 0.528,
P
=0.028).

Conclusions

PPI
s may be associated with better outcome in patients with heart failure.
An Initial Evaluation of the Impact of Pokémon GO on Physical Activity
Authors: Xian Ying , Xu Hanzhang , Xu Haolin , Liang Li , Hernandez Adrian F. , Wang Tracy Y. , Peterson Eric D.
Published: May 2017

Background

Pokémon GO is a location‐based augmented reality game. Using
GPS
and the camera on a smartphone, the game requires players to travel in real world to capture animated creatures, called Pokémon. We examined the impact of Pokémon GO on physical activity (
PA
).

Methods and Results

A pre‐post observational study of 167 Pokémon GO players who were self‐enrolled through recruitment flyers or online social media was performed. Participants were instructed to provide screenshots of their step counts recorded by the
iP
hone Health app between June 15 and July 31, 2016, which was 3 weeks before and 3 weeks after the Pokémon GO release date. Of 167 participants, the median age was 25 years (interquartile range, 21–29 years). The daily average steps of participants at baseline was 5678 (
SD
, 2833; median, 5718 [interquartile range, 3675–7279]). After initiation of Pokémon GO, daily activity rose to 7654 steps (
SD
, 3616; median, 7232 [interquartile range, 5041–9744], pre‐post change: 1976; 95%
CI
, 1494–2458, or a 34.8% relative increase [
P
<0.001]). On average, 10 000 “
XP
” points (a measure of game progression) was associated with 2134 additional steps per day (95%
CI
, 1673–2595), suggesting a potential dose‐response relationship. The number of participants achieving a goal of 10 000+ steps per day increased from 15.3% before to 27.5% after (odds ratio, 2.06; 95%
CI
, 1.70–2.50). Increased
PA
was also observed in subgroups, with the largest increases seen in participants who spent more time playing Pokémon GO, those who were overweight/obese, or those with a lower baseline
PA
level.

Conclusions

Pokémon GO participation was associated with a significant increase in
PA
among young adults. Incorporating
PA
into gameplay may provide an alternative way to promote
PA
in persons who are attracted to the game.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier:
NCT
02888314.
On Design Mining: Coevolution and Surrogate Models
Authors: Preen Richard J. , Bull Larry
Published: May 2017

Design mining is the use of computational intelligence techniques to iteratively search and model the attribute space of physical objects evaluated directly through rapid prototyping to meet given objectives. It enables the exploitation of novel materials and processes without formal models or complex simulation. In this article, we focus upon the coevolutionary nature of the design process when it is decomposed into concurrent sub-design-threads due to the overall complexity of the task. Using an abstract, tunable model of coevolution, we consider strategies to sample subthread designs for whole-system testing and how best to construct and use surrogate models within the coevolutionary scenario. Drawing on our findings, we then describe the effective design of an array of six heterogeneous vertical-axis wind turbines.
Abstraction, Sensory-Motor Coordination, and the Reality Gap in Evolutionary Robotics
Authors: Scheper Kirk Y. W. , de Croon Guido C. H. E.
Published: May 2017

One of the major challenges of evolutionary robotics is to transfer robot controllers evolved in simulation to robots in the real world. In this article, we investigate abstraction of the sensory inputs and motor actions as a tool to tackle this problem. Abstraction in robots is simply the use of preprocessed sensory inputs and low-level closed-loop control systems that execute higher-level motor commands. To demonstrate the impact abstraction could have, we evolved two controllers with different levels of abstraction to solve a task of forming an asymmetric triangle with a homogeneous swarm of micro air vehicles. The results show that although both controllers can effectively complete the task in simulation, the controller with the lower level of abstraction is not effective on the real vehicle, due to the reality gap. The controller with the higher level of abstraction is, however, effective both in simulation and in reality, suggesting that abstraction can be a useful tool in making evolved behavior robust to the reality gap. Additionally, abstraction aided in reducing the computational complexity of the simulation environment, speeding up the optimization process. Preeminently, we show that the optimized behavior exploits the environment (in this case the identical behavior of the other robots) and performs input shaping to allow the vehicles to fly into and maintain the required formation, demonstrating clear sensory-motor coordination. This shows that the power of the genetic optimization to find complex correlations is not necessarily lost through abstraction as some have suggested.
A General Architecture for Robotics Systems: A Perception-Based Approach to Artificial Life
Authors: Young Rupert
Published: May 2017

Departing from the conventional view of the reasons for the behavior of living systems, this research presents a radical and unique view of that behavior, as the observed side effects of a hierarchical set of simple, continuous, and dynamic negative feedback control systems, by way of an experimental model implemented on a real-world autonomous robotic rover. Rather than generating specific output from input, the systems control their perceptual inputs by varying output. The variables controlled do not exist in the environment, but are entirely internal perceptions constructed as a result of the layout and connections of the neural architecture. As the underlying processes are independent of the domain, the architecture is universal and thus has significant implications not only for understanding natural living systems, but also for the development of robotics systems. The central process of perceptual control has the potential to unify the behavioral sciences and is proposed as the missing behavioral principle of Artificial Life.
Real-World Evolution of Robot Morphologies: A Proof of Concept
Authors: Jelisavcic Milan , de Carlo Matteo , Hupkes Elte , Eustratiadis Panagiotis , Orlowski Jakub , Haasdijk Evert , Auerbach Joshua E. , Eiben A. E.
Published: May 2017

Evolutionary robotics using real hardware has been almost exclusively restricted to evolving robot controllers, but the technology for evolvable morphologies is advancing quickly. We discuss a proof-of-concept study to demonstrate real robots that can reproduce. Following a general system plan, we implement a robotic habitat that contains all system components in the simplest possible form. We create an initial population of two robots and run a complete life cycle, resulting in a new robot, parented by the first two. Even though the individual steps are simplified to the maximum, the whole system validates the underlying concepts and provides a generic workflow for the creation of more complex incarnations. This hands-on experience provides insights and helps us elaborate on interesting research directions for future development.
Notes on the identity and status of two Legumes (Fabaceae: Papilionoideae) from India
Authors: KRISHNARAJ MOOTHEDATHU VENUGOPALAN NAIR , MOHANAN NARAYANAN NAIR
Published: May 2017

Indigofera karaiyarensis and Mucuna pruriens var. thekkadiensis are synonymized under Indigofera astragalina and Mucuna pruriens var. hirsuta respectively.
Gastrodia albidoides (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae), a new species from Yunnan, China
Authors: TAN YUN-HONG , HSU TIAN-CHUAN , PAN BO , LI JIAN-WU , LIU QIANG
Published: May 2017

A new species, Gastrodia albidoides (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae, Gastrodieae) from Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. It is closely related to G. theana and G. albida but can be distinguished by an almost smooth perianth tube, lateral sepals fused to ½ their length, whitish and unthickened petals, a well-developed rostellum and distinct column foot.
Description of a new species of Gymnotocinclus from the rio Tocantins basin with phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily Hypoptopomatinae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae)
Authors: ROXO FÁBIO F. , SILVA GABRIEL S. C. , OCHOA LUZ ENEIDA , ZAWADZKI CLÁUDIO H.
Published: May 2017

Gymnotocinclus canoeiro n. sp. of the Hypoptopomatinae is described from small tributaries of the upper rio Tocantins basin. It is distinguished from G. anosteos by having five characters: (1) the presence of body dermal plates, (2) the pectoral girdle not exposed in ventral view, (3) the pelvic spine longer than pectoral spine in males, (4) the pectoral fin with seven to eight branched rays, and (5) the presence of an adipose fin. Furthermore, maximum likelihood (ML) analysis was used to estimate a molecular phylogeny from previously published data of one nuclear (F-Reticulon 4) and three mitochondrial (16S RNA, COI and CytB) genes. The phylogenetic results revealed the new species as a sister taxon of Gymnotocinclus anosteos within the Otothyrini. We also included samples of Nannoplecostomus eleonorae that appeared sister group to all other Neoplecostomini species, and Plesioptopoma curvidens that appeared within the Neoplecostomini forming a sister clade to all species of Neoplecostomus, except N. ribeirensis and the species of Pareiorhina, except P. rudolphi.
A new species of Cavernocypris Hartmann, 1964 (Crustacea: Ostracoda) from caves in South Korea
Authors: SMITH ROBIN JAMES , KAMIYA TAKAHIRO , CHOI YONG-GUN , LEE JIMIN , CHANG CHEON YOUNG
Published: May 2017

Surveys of caves in South Korea yielded a new species of the ostracod genus Cavernocypris Hartmann, 1964, herein described as Cavernocypris danielopoli Smith & Kamiya n. sp. This is the fifth described species in this widely distributed genus, and can be discriminated from its congeners by the highly triangular shape of the carapace in lateral view, caused by a large dorsal protrusion on the left valve. A second triangular-shaped morphotype was also collected, differing from the first by a lower carapace and less pronounced dorsal protrusion. As it is not clear at present if this represents a separate species or intraspecific variation, it is left in open nomenclature. The lack of a pigmented eye, a highly triangular carapace and no carapace pigmentation suggests that Cavernocypris danielopoli Smith & Kamiya n. sp. is the most adapted species in the genus to a stygobiotic lifestyle. Another Korean species, Cavernocypris coreana (McKenzie, 1972), found in caves and spring discharges, has a reduced number of antennule segments, common for stygobiotic species, but this feature is lacking in the new species. This suggests that within the genus, species have followed different evolutionary pathways to adapt to the subterranean realm.
One new species and two redescriptions of Marphysa (Eunicidae, Annelida) species of the Aenea-group from Australia
Authors: ZANOL JOANA , SILVA THAUANE DOS S. C. DA , HUTCHINGS PAT
Published: May 2017

Species of Marphysa belonging to the Aenea-group have compound falcigers as the subacicular chaetae along the entire body. Around 30 species belong to this group, among these, two have originally been described based on Australian specimens, M. bifurcata and M. sessilobranchiata. Here, we redescribe both species based on type and non-type material and describe a species new to science, M. pseudosessiloa n. sp., including intraspecific variation. Informative features for the identification of these species are relative length of prostomial appendages in relation to prostomium, shape of notopodial cirri, left MxIV plate, left and right MxIV attachment lamellae and placement of branchial stem. A taxonomic key to species of Marphysa currently reported from Australia is also provided.
Sensitivity of CONUS Summer Rainfall to the Selection of Cumulus Parameterization Schemes in NU-WRF Seasonal Simulations
Authors: Iguchi Takamichi , Tao Wei-Kuo , Wu Di , Peters-Lidard Christa , Santanello Joseph A. , Kemp Eric , Tian Yudong , Case Jonathan , Wang Weile , Ferraro Robert , Waliser Duane , Kim Jinwon , Lee Huikyo , Guan Bin , Tian Baijun , Loikith Paul
Published: May 2017

This study investigates the sensitivity of daily rainfall rates in regional seasonal simulations over the contiguous United States (CONUS) to different cumulus parameterization schemes. Daily rainfall fields were simulated at 24-km resolution using the NASA-Unified Weather Research and Forecasting (NU-WRF) Model for June–August 2000. Four cumulus parameterization schemes and two options for shallow cumulus components in a specific scheme were tested. The spread in the domain-mean rainfall rates across the parameterization schemes was generally consistent between the entire CONUS and most subregions. The selection of the shallow cumulus component in a specific scheme had more impact than that of the four cumulus parameterization schemes. Regional variability in the performance of each scheme was assessed by calculating optimally weighted ensembles that minimize full root-mean-square errors against reference datasets. The spatial pattern of the seasonally averaged rainfall was insensitive to the selection of cumulus parameterization over mountainous regions because of the topographical pattern constraint, so that the simulation errors were mostly attributed to the overall bias there. In contrast, the spatial patterns over the Great Plains regions as well as the temporal variation over most parts of the CONUS were relatively sensitive to cumulus parameterization selection. Overall, adopting a single simulation result was preferable to generating a better ensemble for the seasonally averaged daily rainfall simulation, as long as their overall biases had the same positive or negative sign. However, an ensemble of multiple simulation results was more effective in reducing errors in the case of also considering temporal variation.
Jet–Topography Interactions Affect Energy Pathways to the Deep Southern Ocean
Authors: Barthel Alice , McC. Hogg Andrew , Waterman Stephanie , Keating Shane
Published: May 2017

In the Southern Ocean, strong eastward ocean jets interact with large topographic features, generating eddies that feed back onto the mean flow. Deep-reaching eddies interact with topography, where turbulent dissipation and generation of internal lee waves play an important role in the ocean’s energy budget. However, eddy effects in the deep ocean are difficult to observe and poorly characterized. This study investigates the energy contained in eddies at depth, when an ocean jet encounters topography. This study uses a two-layer ocean model in which an imposed unstable jet encounters a topographic obstacle (either a seamount or a meridional ridge) in a configuration relevant to an Antarctic Circumpolar Current frontal jet. The authors find that the presence of topography increases the eddy kinetic energy (EKE) at depth but that the dominant processes generating this deep EKE depend on the shape and height of the obstacle as well as on the baroclinicity of the jet before it encounters topography. In cases with high topography, horizontal shear instability is the dominant source of deep EKE, while a flat bottom or a strongly sheared inflow leads to deep EKE being generated primarily through baroclinic instability. These results suggest that the deep EKE is set by an interplay between the inflowing jet properties and topography and imply that the response of deep EKE to changes in the Southern Ocean circulation is likely to vary across locations depending on the topography characteristics.
Spherical Harmonic Spectral Estimation on Arbitrary Grids
Authors: Cavanaugh Nicholas R. , O’Brien Travis A. , Collins William D. , Skamarock William C.
Published: May 2017

This study explores the use of nonuniform fast spherical Fourier transforms on meteorological data that are arbitrarily distributed on the sphere. The applicability of this methodology in the atmospheric sciences is demonstrated by estimating spectral coefficients for nontrivial subsets of reanalysis data on a uniformly spaced latitude–longitude grid, a global cloud resolving model on an icosahedral mesh with 3-km horizontal grid spacing, and for temperature anomalies from arbitrarily distributed weather stations over the United States. A spectral correction technique is developed that can be used in conjunction with the inverse transform to yield data interpolated onto a uniformly spaced grid, with optional triangular truncation, at reduced computational cost compared to other variance conserving interpolation methods, such as kriging or natural spline interpolation. The spectral correction yields information that can be used to deduce gridded observational biases not directly available from other methods.
Proactive QC: A Fully Flow-Dependent Quality Control Scheme Based on EFSO
Authors: Hotta Daisuke , Chen Tse-Chun , Kalnay Eugenia , Ota Yoichiro , Miyoshi Takemasa
Published: May 2017

Despite dramatic improvements over the last decades, operational NWP forecasts still occasionally suffer from abrupt drops in their forecast skill. Such forecast skill “dropouts” may occur even in a perfect NWP system because of the stochastic nature of NWP but can also result from flaws in the NWP system. Recent studies have shown that dropouts occur due not to a model’s deficiencies but to misspecified initial conditions, suggesting that they could be mitigated by improving the quality control (QC) system so that the observation-minus-background (O-B) innovations that would degrade a forecast can be detected and rejected. The ensemble forecast sensitivity to observations (EFSO) technique enables for the quantification of how much each observation has improved or degraded the forecast. A recent study has shown that 24-h EFSO can detect detrimental O-B innovations that caused regional forecast skill dropouts and that the forecast can be improved by not assimilating them. Inspired by that success, a new QC method is proposed, termed proactive QC (PQC), that detects detrimental innovations 6 h after the analysis using EFSO and then repeats the analysis and forecast without using them. PQC is implemented and tested on a lower-resolution version of NCEP’s operational global NWP system. It is shown that EFSO is insensitive to the choice of verification and lead time (24 or 6 h) and that PQC likely improves the analysis, as attested to by forecast improvements of up to 5 days and beyond. Strategies for reducing the computational costs and further optimizing the observation rejection criteria are also discussed.
Does the relationship between personality and divorce change over time? A cross-country comparison of marriage cohorts
Authors: Boertien Diederik , Mortelmans Dimitri
Published: May 2017

In this paper, we investigate how associations between personality traits and divorce have changed over time. Competing hypotheses are derived based on social exchange theory, crisis theory, and changing selection into marriage. A combination of retrospective and prospective data on marriages contracted between 1972 and 2009 is used from the British Household Survey ( n = 4169), the Divorce in Flanders study ( n = 4377), and the German Socio-Economic Panel ( n = 8155). Discrete-time event history models are estimated to look at changes over time in the associations between the ‘Big Five’ personality traits and divorce. The results show generally similar associations between divorce and personality traits across Britain, Flanders and Germany, and display relatively little change over time. Divorce seems, in general, to have become characterized less by people who behave in unconventional ways (high openness to experience) and, to some extent, more by people that do not keep up social relations as much as others (low conscientiousness). These results are congruent with predictions derived from a social exchange perspective, where traits related to external barriers to divorce are expected to become less important as divorce becomes more common and less costly in social, legal and economic terms.
The RANZCP guidelines for Schizophrenia: Why is our practice so far short of our recommendations, and what can we do about it?
Authors: Nielssen Olav , McGorry Patrick , Castle David , Galletly Cherrie
Published: May 2017

The new RANZCP guidelines for the treatment of schizophrenia and related disorders highlights what we know works. In this paper, we examine why patients so often fail to benefit from this knowledge and why clinical practice falls so far short of the recommended standard. Instead of the continuous improvement that we expect of health care in general, in psychiatry we face an accelerating decline in systems of care. There has been a sustained underinvestment in public mental health care and a shared failure by State and Federal governments to construct and commit to a governance and funding model that can deliver the standard of care that is available in other major non-communicable diseases, and which we know is equally possible for severe mental illness. This paper sets out some of the reasons for the poor quality of care received by many people with schizophrenia and related disorders in Australia, and describes ways that care could be improved. In particular, we recommend an explicit statement of what constitutes an adequate standard of care, for people at all stages of these illnesses. This would help provide transparency about whether the care provided by mental health services achieves these benchmarks, and enable publication of results comparing the performance of different states and regional services. Patients and families, as well as professional, consumer and carer organizations would then be able to see clearly where the deficits are and demand resources and care that match the recommendations.
A contrapuntal epistemology for social work: An Afrocentric perspective
Authors: Mathebane Mbazima Simeon , Sekudu Johanna
Published: May 2017

The experiences of diverse people present challenges and opportunities for knowledge production. The knowledge base undergirding social work has been found to be dominated by Anglo-American cultural values assumed to be universally applicable. The relevant texts on social work knowledge were examined. The analysis revealed that culture is the cornerstone of any society’s response to social problems, that the hegemony of Eurocentric paradigms remain intact, that there is complicity with the coloniality of power in knowledge production resulting in epistemic injustice, and that decolonisation and indigenisation are critical imperatives towards the achievement of global cognitive justice. A contrapuntal epistemology of social work is recommended.
Surface micro-dissolve treatment of cotton fabrics with sodium hydroxide/urea to impart crease-resistance properties
Authors: Lu Ming , Hu Ruimin , Zhao Zhenyun , Zhou Jing , Liu Yiping
Published: May 2017

In this study, cotton fabric samples were treated by the surface micro-dissolve process to improve their crease-resistance properties. The surface micro-dissolve treatment was conducted in the presence of sodium hydroxide/urea as an effective cellulose solvent at low temperature. The treated cotton fabrics were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Crease-resistance, tearing strength, breaking strength, whiteness degrees and moisture sorption values of the fabrics were also studied. The results indicated that the surface micro-dissolve treatment could effectively improve the crease-resistance properties of cotton fabrics. Moreover, the mechanical properties and whiteness degrees of fabric samples were retained well.
Interrogating urban crisis: Cities in the governance and contestation of austerity
Authors: Bayırbağ Mustafa Kemal , Davies Jonathan S , Münch Sybille
Published: May 2017

The meaning of ‘urban crisis’, and its applications in concrete struggles to govern and contest austerity urbanism, remains under-specified analytically and poorly understood empirically. This paper addresses the lacuna by opening up the concept of urban crisis to critical scrutiny. It begins by exploring how urban ‘crisis-talk’ tends to over-extend the concept in ways that can render it shallow or meaningless. The paper looks, second, at different applications of the terminology of ‘crisis’, disclosing key framings and problematics. In the spirit of critical urban studies, it focuses, third, on practices of crisis-resistance and crisis-making. The paper concludes by summarising the six urban crisis framings linked to six urban problematics, in order to inform future studies of austerity urbanism and assist in developing more reflexive approaches to the concept.
A Contextual Examination of the Associations Between Social Support, Self-Esteem, and Psychological Well-Being among Jamaican Adolescents
Authors: Gardner Alex A. , Webb Haley J.
Published: May 2017

Research on adolescent development and well-being has demonstrated the beneficial effects of social support and self-esteem for positive adjustment. However, there has been little examination of the associations between adolescents’ social support, self-esteem, and well-being within a Caribbean framework, and consideration to family factors that may moderate such associations. Accordingly, the current study explored the associations of perceived family and peer social support, self-esteem, and psychological well-being within the framework of several family contextual factors among 334 Jamaican adolescents ( Mage = 14.56, 51% boys). Family support showed direct and indirect associations with depression, anxiety, stress, and well-being through self-esteem while peer support only showed a direct positive association with well-being. Furthermore, several contextual factors demonstrated important associations with the variables of interest, though none of these significantly altered model fitness. The results demonstrate the protective nature of social support and self-esteem for Jamaican adolescents, and suggest that further longitudinal examinations are warranted.
Gamification and Game-Based Learning
Authors: Karagiorgas Dimitrios N. , Niemann Shari
Published: May 2017

In the last 10 years, gaming has evolved to the point that it is now being used as a learning medium to educate students in many different disciplines. The educational community has begun to explore the effectiveness of gaming as a learning tool and as a result two different ways of utilizing games for education have been created: Gamification and serious games. While both methods are used to educate, serious games are meant to provide training and practice without entertaining. Whereas, gamification uses game-like features such as points and similar to serious games are not meant to entertain. This review will provide an overview of gamification and serious games as well as the learning possibilities of noneducational games such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Finally, massively multiplayer online role-playing games will be discussed in detail as to whether they can meet the general behavioral requirements of effective learning.
Miscellany of Students’ Satisfaction in an Asynchronous Learning Environment
Authors: Larbi-Siaw Otu , Owusu-Agyeman Yaw
Published: May 2017

This study investigates the determinants of students’ satisfaction in an asynchronous learning environment using seven key considerations: the e-learning environment, student–content interaction, student and student interaction, student–teacher interaction, group cohesion and timely participation, knowledge of Internet usage, and satisfaction. The empirical data were gathered through structured questionnaires from 500 students who took courses in an asynchronous learning environment and the analysis was done using structural equation modeling. Framed along the positivist paradigm, deductive epistemology, exploratory research design, the study showed that all the seven variables served as robust antecedents of students’ satisfaction in an asynchronous learning environment.
A delay dependent approach to robust fast adaptive fault estimation design for uncertain neutral systems with time delay
Authors: Li Hui , You Fuqiang , Wang Fuli
Published: May 2017

This paper studies the problem of robust fault estimation for neutral systems, which is subjected to actuator fault, constant delay and norm bounded external disturbance. Based on the fast adaptive fault estimation (FAFE) algorithm, we focus on the design of fault estimation filter that guarantees the filtering error systems to be asymptotically stable with a prescribed [Formula: see text] performance. A novel Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional is employed, which includes the information of time delay. A delay dependent criterion of robust fault estimation design is obtained, and then the proposed result has advantages over some existing results, in that it has less conservatism and it enlarges the application scope. An improved sufficient condition for the existence of such a filter is proposed in terms of the linear matrix inequality (LMI) by the Schur complements and the cone complementary linearization algorithm. Finally, an illustrative example is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Cross-Situational Self-Consistency in Nine Cultures: The Importance of Separating Influences of Social Norms and Distinctive Dispositions
Authors: Locke Kenneth D. , Church A. Timothy , Mastor Khairul A. , Curtis Guy J. , Sadler Pamela , McDonald Kelly , Vargas-Flores José de Jesús , Ibáñez-Reyes Joselina , Morio Hiroaki , Reyes Jose Alberto S. , Cabrera Helena F. , Mazuera Arias Rina , Rincon Brigida Carolina , Albornoz Arias Neida Coromoto , Muñoz Arturo , Ortiz Fernando A.
Published: May 2017

We assessed self-consistency (expressing similar traits in different situations) by having undergraduates in the United States ( n = 230), Australia ( n = 220), Canada ( n = 240), Ecuador ( n = 101), Mexico ( n = 209), Venezuela ( n = 209), Japan ( n = 178), Malaysia ( n = 254), and the Philippines ( n = 241) report the traits they expressed in four different social situations. Self-consistency was positively associated with age, well-being, living in Latin America, and not living in Japan; however, each of these variables showed a unique pattern of associations with various psychologically distinct sources of raw self-consistency, including cross-situationally consistent social norms and injunctions. For example, low consistency between injunctive norms and trait expressions fully explained the low self-consistency in Japan. In accord with trait theory, after removing normative and injunctive sources of consistency, there remained robust distinctive noninjunctive self-consistency (reflecting individuating personality dispositions) in every country, including Japan. The results highlight how clarifying the determinants and implications of self-consistency requires differentiating its distinctive, injunctive, and noninjunctive components.
An Improved Strategy for Bayesian Estimation of the Reduced Reparameterized Unified Model
Authors: Culpepper Steven Andrew , Hudson Aaron
Published: May 2017

A Bayesian formulation for a popular conjunctive cognitive diagnosis model, the reduced reparameterized unified model (rRUM), is developed. The new Bayesian formulation of the rRUM employs a latent response data augmentation strategy that yields tractable full conditional distributions. A Gibbs sampling algorithm is described to approximate the posterior distribution of the rRUM parameters. A Monte Carlo study supports accurate parameter recovery and provides evidence that the Gibbs sampler tended to converge in fewer iterations and had a larger effective sample size than a commonly employed Metropolis–Hastings algorithm. The developed method is disseminated for applied researchers as an R package titled “rRUM.”
A Pilot Intervention Designed to Address Behavioral Factors That Place Overweight/Obese Young Children at Risk for Later-Life Obesity
Authors: Small Leigh , Thacker Leroy , Aldrich Heather , Bonds-McClain Darya , Melnyk Bernadette
Published: May 2017

The purpose of this pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to intervene with parents of overweight/obese 4- to 8-year-old children to improve child internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Parent–child dyads ( N = 60) were randomly assigned to treatment or comparison conditions. Parents attended four intervention sessions at their child’s primary health care office over 3 months. Child behaviors were assessed at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months post intervention. Parental beliefs in their skills/abilities increased in the experimental group parents, but there was no statistical difference between groups at any time. Child externalizing behaviors significantly decreased from baseline to postintervention for both groups ( F = 3.26, p = .020). Post hoc model testing suggests that this change was more pronounced in the intervention group ( F = 0.56, p = .692). Child somatic symptoms significantly decreased over time ( F = 4.55, p = .004), and there were group differences in child depressive behaviors ( F = 6.19, p = .020). These findings suggest that a parent-focused intervention program demonstrated positive preliminary effects on children’s behaviors.
Late presentation of esophageal rupture following blunt thoracic trauma
Authors: Nair Vinitha V , Singh Kunal Krishna , Kathayanat Joseph Thomas , Radhakrishnan Ratish , Babu Akash , Thanathu Krishnan Nair Jayakumar
Published: May 2017

Esophageal rupture following blunt thoracic trauma is extremely rare. A 30-year-old man sustained a road traffic accident causing blunt thoracic trauma that resulted in lower esophageal rupture. He presented 24 h after the initial trauma and was managed with primary repair and aggressive lavage with a drainage procedure. Early identification and repair of esophageal rupture is vital for preventing mediastinitis, but an aggressive surgical and postoperative management strategy can prevent mortality even in late presentations.
Teething
Authors: Bankole Olubunmi Olusola , Lawal Folake Barakat
Published: May 2017

Misconceptions about the teething process has led to high infant morbidity and mortality, which was recently experienced in Nigeria due to consumption of an adulterated drug used in the prevention and treatment of teething-related illnesses in infants. It is however, unknown if these misconceptions still persist in a rural town in Nigeria despite oral health awareness campaigns targeted at this. The aim of this study is to assess the beliefs and practices of residents in Igbo Ora, a rural township in Nigeria, regarding the teething process. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 393 adults in Igbo Ora using a 33-item, semistructured questionnaire. Symptoms such as diarrhea (80.7%), fever (69.2%), and boils (64.4%) were still considered as a must to accompany teething. Teething powder, teething syrup, and traditional concoctions were commonly recommended by (42.0%), (31.6%), and (48.1%) of the respondents, respectively, to treat and prevent teething symptoms. This study revealed that misconceptions about teething are still highly prevalent among the populace in Igbo Ora, and a structured oral health education intervention at the community level is urgently needed.
A micromechanical model for predicting biaxial tensile moduli of plain weave fabric composites
Authors: Bai JB , Xiong JJ , Shenoi RA , Wang Q
Published: May 2017

This article presents a new micromechanical model to predict biaxial tensile moduli of plain weave fabric composites by considering the interaction between the orthogonal interlacing strands. The two orthogonal yarns in micromechanical unit cell were idealized as curved beams with a path depicted using sinusoidal shape functions. The biaxial tensile moduli of plain weave fabric composites were derived by means of the minimum total complementary potential energy principle founded on micromechanics. Biaxial tensile tests were conducted on the resin transfer molding–made EW220/5284 plain weave fabric composites at five biaxial loading ratios of 0, 1, 2, 3 and ∞ to validate the new model. Predictions from the new model were compared with experimental data. Good correlation was achieved between the predictions and actual experiments, demonstrating the practical and effective use of the proposed model. Using the new model, the biaxial tensile moduli of plain weave fabric composites can be predicted based only on the properties of basic woven fabric.
Short Stature Is Associated With Overweight but Not With High Energy Intake in Low-Income Quilombola Women
Authors: Ferreira Haroldo da Silva , Luna Andreza A. , Florêncio Telma Maria M. T. , Assunção Monica L. , Horta Bernardo L.
Published: May 2017

Background:

Population exposed to chronic undernutrition in early life seems to be more susceptible to obesity in adulthood due to the development of mechanisms that improve the efficiency of energy use. Therefore, these individuals have relatively reduced energy requirements (thrifty phenotype).

Objective:

To investigate, among women living on severe socioeconomic vulnerability, whether short stature, a marker for undernutrition in early life, is associated with excess body weight but not with a high energy intake.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study, carried out between July and November 2008, evaluated 1308 women from all (N = 39) Quilombola communities of Alagoas. Adequacy of energy intake was estimated by the ratio between energetic ingestion and the estimated energy requirement (EER).

Results:

The prevalence of short stature (≤ 154.8 cm) was 43.0% and 52.4% had excess body weight (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2), being that 33.1% were overweight and 19.3% obese. Excess body weight was higher among women with short stature (56.6% vs 49.2%; P = .008), even after adjusting for age, energy intake, and per capita income (prevalence ratio = 1.16; 95% confidence interval = 1.04; 1.28). The ratio of energy intake/EER was independent of women’s stature.

Conclusion:

Excess body weight among Quilombola women represents a serious health problem. Short stature was significantly associated with excess body weight but not with a high energy intake. “Thrifty phenotype” may be one of the plausible explanations for this finding.
Evaluating a Bilingual Text-Mining System With a Taxonomy of Key Words and Hierarchical Visualization for Understanding Learner-Generated Text
Authors: Kong Siu Cheung , Li Ping , Song Yanjie
Published: May 2017

This study evaluated a bilingual text-mining system, which incorporated a bilingual taxonomy of key words and provided hierarchical visualization, for understanding learner-generated text in the learning management systems through automatic identification and counting of matching key words. A class of 27 in-service teachers studied a course “e-Learning in primary mathematics” was asked to reflect “what is e-Learning” before and after the course. Their concept of “e-Learning” was investigated by counting the matching key words using the text-mining system and a content analysis of learner-generated text using a rubric, respectively. The correlations of the results using these two methods were .823 and .840 in the preteaching and postteaching reflections. This text-mining system has the potential as a supporting tool for teachers to gain a general understanding of learner-generated text using the hierarchical visualization for supporting pedagogical decision-making, which can be applied to massive open online courses with a large enrolment of learners.
Guidelines for the Institutional Implementation of Developmental Neuroprotective Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Part A
Authors: Milette Isabelle , Martel Marie-Josée , Ribeiro da Silva Margarida , Coughlin McNeil Mary
Published: May 2017

The use of age-appropriate care as an organized framework for care delivery in the neonatal intensive care unit is founded on the work of Heidelise Als, PhD, and her synactive theory of development. This theoretical construct has recently been advanced by the work of Gibbins and colleagues with the “universe of developmental care” conceptual model and developmental care core measures which were endorsed by the National Association of Neonatal Nurses in their age-appropriate care of premature infant guidelines as best-practice standards for the provision of high-quality care in the neonatal intensive care unit. These guidelines were recently revised and expanded. In alignment with the Joint Commission’s requirement for health-care professionals to provide age-specific care across the lifespan, the core measures for developmental care suggest the necessary competencies for those caring for the premature and critically ill hospitalized infant. Further supported by the Primer Standards of Accreditation and Health Canada, the institutional implementation of theses core measures requires a strong framework for institutional operationalization, presented in these guidelines. Part A of this article will present the background and rationale behind the present guidelines and their condensed table of recommendations.
Theoretical Foundations of Appeals Used in Alcohol-Abuse and Drunk-Driving Public Service Announcements in the United States, 1995-2010
Authors: Niederdeppe Jeff , Avery Rosemary J. , Miller Emily Elizabeth Namaste
Published: May 2017

Purpose:

The study identifies the extent to which theoretical constructs drawn from well-established message effect communication theories are reflected in the content of alcohol-related public service announcements (PSAs) airing in the United States over a 16-year period.

Design:

Content analysis of 18 530 141 alcohol-abuse (AA) and drunk-driving (DD) PSAs appearing on national network and local cable television stations in the 210 largest designated marketing areas (DMAs) from January 1995 through December 2010.

Measures:

The authors developed a detailed content analytic codebook and trained undergraduate coders to reliably identify the extent to which theoretical constructs and other creative ad elements are reflected in the PSAs. We show these patterns using basic descriptive statistics.

Results:

Although both classes of alcohol-related PSAs used strategies that are consistent with major message effect theories, their specific theoretical orientations differed dramatically. The AA PSAs were generally consistent with constructs emphasized by the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), whereas DD PSAs were more likely to use normative strategies emphasized by the Focus Theory of Narrative Conduct (FTNC) or source credibility appeals central to the Elaboration Likelihood Model.

Conclusion:

Having identified message content, future research should use deductive approaches to determine if volume and message content of alcohol-control PSAs have an impact on measures of alcohol consumption and/or measures of drunk driving, such as fatalities or driving while intoxicated/driving under the influence arrests.
Mechanical and tribological properties of ice-bonded abrasive polishing tools
Authors: Rambabu S , Ramesh Babu N
Published: May 2017

This article covers the efforts on characterising ice-bonded abrasive polishing tool in terms of the mechanical and tribological properties such as hardness, coefficient of friction, and wear rate. These studies were attempted on the tools prepared at different temperatures ranging from −10 °C to 0 °C with a view to identify the condition suitable to prepare ice-bonded abrasive polishing tool for effective polishing of Ti–6Al–4V alloy specimen. It also presents the methods adopted to determine various properties of ice-bonded abrasive polishing tool. Hardness was estimated from the measured penetration depth of cone shape indenter into the tool, coefficient of friction was determined from the change in power drawn by the motor rotating the tool mould, and wear behaviour of tool was assessed from the melting rate of the tool determined from the change in height of ice-bonded abrasive polishing tool at different stages of polishing. From the results of this study, it is clear that ice-bonded abrasive polishing tool prepared at −4 °C has possessed sufficient hardness, coefficient of friction, and reasonable wear rate suitable for polishing of Ti–6Al–4V specimens. This article also covers the details of low-temperature coolant supply unit developed to prepare the ice-bonded abrasive polishing tool at any desired temperature between 0 °C and −40 °C and thus to maintain it for a long time. Polishing studies with such ice-bonded abrasive polishing tool showed 72% improvement in finish after 90 min of polishing of Ti–6Al–4V specimen with tool, prepared at −4 °C.