bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
iATTRACT: Simultaneous global and local interface optimization for protein–protein docking refinement
Authors: Schindler Christina E. M. , de Vries Sjoerd J. , Zacharias Martin
Published: November 2014

Protein‐protein interactions are abundant in the cell but to date structural data for a large number of complexes is lacking. Computational docking methods can complement experiments by providing structural models of complexes based on structures of the individual partners. A major caveat for docking success is accounting for protein flexibility. Especially, interface residues undergo significant conformational changes upon binding. This limits the performance of docking methods that keep partner structures rigid or allow limited flexibility. A new docking refinement approach, iATTRACT, has been developed which combines simultaneous full interface flexibility and rigid body optimizations during docking energy minimization. It employs an atomistic molecular mechanics force field for intermolecular interface interactions and a structure‐based force field for intramolecular contributions. The approach was systematically evaluated on a large protein‐protein docking benchmark, starting from an enriched decoy set of rigidly docked protein–protein complexes deviating by up to 15 Å from the native structure at the interface. Large improvements in sampling and slight but significant improvements in scoring/discrimination of near native docking solutions were observed. Complexes with initial deviations at the interface of up to 5.5 Å were refined to significantly better agreement with the native structure. Improvements in the fraction of native contacts were especially favorable, yielding increases of up to 70%. Proteins 2015; 83:248–258. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The pharmacokinetic properties of bifenthrin in the rat following multiple routes of exposure
Authors: Gammon Derek , Liu Zhiwei , Chandrasekaran Appavu , ElNaggar Shaaban
Published: November 2014

BACKGROUND

Pyrethroids generally have relatively low oral toxicity but variable inhalation toxicity. The pharmacokinetics of bifenthrin in the rat after oral, inhalation and intravenous administration is described. Pyrethroid acute toxicity via oral and inhalation routes is also presented.

RESULTS

Groups of male rats were dosed by oral gavage at 3.1 mg kg−1 in 1 mL kg−1 of corn oil (the critical, acute, oral benchmark dose lower limit, BMDL) and at an equivalent dose by inhalation (0.018 mg L−1) for 4 h.  At 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 h after dosing initiation, blood plasma and brain bifenthrin concentrations were measured. The maximum concentrations of bifenthrin in plasma were 361 ng mL−1 or 0.853 μM (oral) and 232 ng mL−1 or 0.548 μM (inhalation), and in brain they were 83 and 73 ng g−1. The area under the concentration versus time curve (AUC) values were 1969 h ng mL−1 (plasma) and 763 h ng mL−1 (brain) following oral gavage dosing, and 1584 h ng mL−1 (plasma) and 619 h ng mL−1 (brain) after inhalation. Intravenous dosing resulted in apparent terminal half‐life (t1/2) values of 13.4 h (plasma) and 11.1 h (brain) and in AUC0–∞ values of 454 and 1566 h ng mL−1 for plasma and brain. Clearance from plasma was 37 mL min−1 kg−1.

CONCLUSION

Peak plasma and brain concentrations were generally a little higher after oral dosing (by ca 14%). Inhalation administration of bifenthrin did not cause increases in exposure in plasma or brain by avoiding first‐pass effects in the liver. The elimination t1/2 was comparable with other pyrethroids and indicated little bioaccumulation potential. These pharmokinetics data allow risks following inhalation exposure to be modeled using oral toxicity data. © 2014 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
The new steel‐glass architecture of air terminals in Japan
Authors: Kido Ewa Maria , Cywiński Zbigniew
Published: November 2014

Steel‐and‐glass structures for buildings, railway stations and airports are currently representatives of modern infrastructure worldwide. The first two, characteristic of Japan, have been discussed in previous articles [1], [2]. In this paper the authors look at Japanese air terminals.
The MAST (Manufacture Arts Experimentation Technology) multipurpose building – steel structures for urban transformation
Authors: Imbrenda Andrea
Published: November 2014

The linear architecture of the MAST (Manufacture Arts Experimentation Technology) multipurpose building in Bologna hides a complex combination of functions and spaces surrounding the core of the building and forms its raison d’être: the sublimation of innovation in manufacturing industry within the retrospective heritage of art and its projection in human memory. In this way, factors normally regarded as secondary to industrial activity become a central part of it and are acknowledged as its true roots and instinctive vision. The building acts as the vehicle for a declaration that there are no innovative ideas other than those arising from the interaction between memory and the capacity to project. The functional distribution traces a passage from emotive education (nursery) through formal teaching (classrooms) and the conservation of memory (museum and exhibition area) to listening (auditorium). Each function is acknowledged, not as a self‐contained unit, but rather as a component part of the driving force of innovation, which propels a capacity for technological process that is anything but sterile. In such a setting, the steel structures are the very symbol of the transition from tradition to innovation [1].
Adopt these strategies to boost student persistence
Authors: McCarthy Claudine
Published: November 2014

BALTIMORE, Md. — Maybe your institution just named you its chief retention officer. Or student persistence and success became one of your multiple responsibilities. In any case, it's highly likely that parents, students and staff expect you to keep retention rates high — and when rates drop, they probably look to you for explanations and quick fixes.
Second‐trimester cervical length as risk indicator for Cesarean delivery in women with twin pregnancy
Authors: van de Mheen L. , Schuit E. , Liem S. M. S. , Lim A. C. , Bekedam D. J. , Goossens S. M. T. A. , Franssen M. T. M. , Porath M. M. , Oudijk M. A. , Bloemenkamp K. W. M. , Duvekot J. J. , Woiski M. D. , de Graaf I. , Sikkema J. M. , Scheepers H. C. J. , van Eijk J. , de Groot C. J. M. , van Pampus M. G. , Mol B. W. J.
Published: November 2014

Objective

To determine whether second‐trimester cervical length (CL) in women with a twin pregnancy is associated with the risk of emergency Cesarean section.

Methods

This was a secondary analysis of two randomized trials conducted in 57 hospitals in The Netherlands. We assessed the univariable association between risk indicators, including second‐trimester CL in quartiles, and emergency Cesarean delivery using a logistic regression model. For multivariable analysis, we assessed whether adjustment for other risk indicators altered the associations found in univariable (unadjusted) analysis. Separate analyses were performed for suspected fetal distress and failure to progress in labor as indications for Cesarean section.

Results

In total, 311 women with a twin pregnancy attempted vaginal delivery after 34 weeks' gestation. Emergency Cesarean delivery was performed in 111 (36%) women, of which 67 (60%) were performed owing to arrest of labor. There was no relationship between second‐trimester CL and Cesarean delivery (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.97 for CL 26th–50th percentiles; 0.71 for CL 51st – 75th percentiles; and 0.92 for CL > 75th percentile, using CL ≤ 25th percentile as reference). In multivariable analysis, the only variables associated with emergency Cesarean delivery were maternal age (aOR, 1.07 (95% CI, 1.00–1.13)), body mass index (BMI) (aOR, 3.99 (95% CI, 1.07–14.9) for BMI 20–23 kg/m2; 5.04 (95% CI, 1.34–19.03) for BMI 24–28 kg/m2; and 3.1 (95% CI, 0.65–14.78) for BMI > 28 kg/m2) and induction of labor (aOR, 1.92 (95% CI, 1.05–3.5)).

Conclusion

In nulliparous women with a twin pregnancy, second‐trimester CL is not associated with risk of emergency Cesarean delivery. Copyright © 2014 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Synthesis, Structure, and Bio‐activity of a Copper(II)‐OH2 Complex based on N,N′‐Bis(2‐quinolinylmethyl)amantadine
Authors: Zhou Ying‐Hua , Chen Li‐Qing , Lv Qi‐Chun , Tao Jun , Liu Xian‐Wen , Cheng Yong
Published: November 2014

In the superoxide dismutase and metallohydrolase, the complexes containing water as weak ligand are located at the active site since water is easily substituted by substrate or deprontonated to form the metal hydroxyl active species. Herein, a new copper(II) complex, [Cu(bqad)(H2O)](ClO4)2·2H2O (1) [bqad = N,N′‐bis(2‐quinolinylmethyl)adamantine] was synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system with the P21/m space group, and exhibits a distorted planar configuration engendered by CuN3Ow set. The frontier molecular orbital energies were obtained by DFT calculations with B3LYP method at LanL2DZ basis, indicating that the copper(II) ion has the potential of accepting electron of O2·–. The complex showed quasi‐reversible one‐electron CuII/CuI redox waves with redox potentials of –0.13 V. The SOD‐like activity (IC50) of 1 was measured to be 0.71 ± 0.01 μM by NBT assay at pH 7.8. Moreover, the catalytic hydrolysis of p‐nitrophenyl acetate (pNA) was performed to be found that the kinetic process could be controlled by an acid‐base equilibrium and exhibited an inflection point at pH 8.37.
Does Culture Matter to Chinese Consumers? Empirical Evidence
Authors: Elliott Greg , Tam Charles Chin Chiu
Published: November 2014

The purpose of the paper is to explore the issue of regional cultural differences within China and their potential impact, if any, on consumers’ purchasing decisions. It examines, firstly, if there are any significant cultural differences among Chinese consumers in different regional locations in China. Secondly, it examines if there are any significant differences in product evaluation behaviours among these groups, and, thirdly, it examines whether these differences, if any, in product evaluation behaviours, can be linked to regional cultural differences. The study reports a survey of consumers in three regional Chinese cities (Shanghai, Chongqing and Hong Kong) and measures of differences in cultures and product evaluation behaviour. Results indicate that, for the product bundles studied, groups of Chinese consumers displaying differences in Hofstede's cultural dimensions do not differ significantly in their product evaluation processes.
Grey Zones of Welfare
Authors: Harboe Knudsen Ida
Published: November 2014

In this article I explore the ‘grey zones of welfare’ in rural Lithuania whereby I point to the inherent ambiguities that lies in a system where people to a high degree rely on networks and normative solutions to everyday shortcomings, rather than on the state. I argue that we in the period after socialism witness an increased degree of informal economies and social arrangements, as the formal sector of social security is perceived as unreliable. This results in a model where liberalism and individual ethics co-exist with a strong morality to support the poorest in society.
Negotiating welfare with the informalizing state: Formal and informal practices among engineers in post-Soviet Azerbaijan
Authors: Sayfutdinova Leyla
Published: November 2014

This article discusses the use of informal practices in negotiating welfare with state institutions in Azerbaijan. One of the effects of transition to market economies in the post-socialist countries has been the partial withdrawal of the state from welfare provision and residualization of welfare. Recent research has shown that informal practices play an important role in “structuring welfare from below” (Morris & Polese, 2014b) across post-socialist realm. Based on in-depth interviews with engineers at different periods of their careers, namely mid-career, working pensioners, and engineering students, this article demonstrates how formal and informal institutions and practices are strategically used by individuals, families, and low level bureaucrats to achieve desired career and welfare goals. Rather than compensating for the deficiencies of formal rules and institutions, formal and informal are intertwined and merged and are actively employed both by the citizens and state institutions.
Does Sperm Have a Flag? On Biological Relationship and National Membership
Authors: Harder Lois
Published: November 2014

Drawing primarily from the Canadian case, this paper explores the process of birthright citizenship determination for children born abroad through the use of assisted reproductive technologies. The determination of parentage is central to these cases, raising issues of how parental status is defined in the law—through biology, intentionality, and/or matrimony. Moreover, the complexities of defining who is a child and who is a parent, in order to determine who is a citizen, reveal fundamental contradictions in the consent-based model of liberal citizenship.
Nonlinear instability and convection in a vertically vibrated granular bed
Authors: Shukla Priyanka , Ansari Istafaul H. , van der Meer Devaraj , Lohse Detlef , Alam Meheboob
Published: November 2014

The nonlinear instability of the density-inverted granular Leidenfrost state and the resulting convective motion in strongly shaken granular matter are analysed via a weakly nonlinear analysis of the hydrodynamic equations. The base state is assumed to be quasi-steady and the effect of harmonic shaking is incorporated by specifying a constant granular temperature at the vibrating plate. Under these mean-field assumptions, the base-state temperature decreases with increasing height away from the vibrating plate, but the density profile consists of three distinct regions: (i) a collisional dilute layer at the bottom, (ii) a levitated dense layer at some intermediate height and (iii) a ballistic dilute layer at the top of the granular bed. For the nonlinear stability analysis (Shukla & Alam, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 672, 2011b, pp. 147–195), the nonlinearities up to cubic order in the perturbation amplitude are retained, leading to the Landau equation, and the related adjoint stability problem is formulated taking into account appropriate boundary conditions. The first Landau coefficient and the related modal eigenfunctions (the fundamental mode and its adjoint, the second harmonic and the base-flow distortion, and the third harmonic and the cubic-order distortion to the fundamental mode) are calculated using a spectral-based numerical method. The genesis of granular convection is shown to be tied to a supercritical pitchfork bifurcation from the density-inverted Leidenfrost state. Near the bifurcation point the equilibrium amplitude ($A_{e}$) is found to follow a square-root scaling law, $A_{e}\sim \sqrt{{\it\Delta}}$, with the distance ${\it\Delta}$ from the bifurcation point. We show that the strength of convection (measured in terms of velocity circulation) is maximal at some intermediate value of the shaking strength, with weaker convection at both weaker and stronger shaking. Our theory predicts that at very strong shaking the convective motion remains concentrated only near the top surface, with the bulk of the expanded granular bed resembling the conduction state of a granular gas, dubbed as a floating-convection state. The linear and nonlinear patterns of the density and velocity fields are analysed and compared with experiments qualitatively. Evidence of 2:1 resonance is shown for certain parameter combinations. The influences of bulk viscosity, effective Prandtl number, shear work and free-surface boundary conditions on nonlinear equilibrium states are critically assessed.
Does gestational diabetes result in cochlear damage?
Authors: Selcuk A , Terzi H , Turkay U , Kale A , Genc S
Published: November 2014

Background:

Glucose metabolism has a significant impact on inner-ear physiology. Therefore, hearing may be affected in gestational diabetes.

Method:

A matched case–control study was performed to evaluate 27 patients with gestational diabetes and 31 non-diabetic pregnant women with similar demographic characteristics. A medical history was taken for each participant, and otological inspections and high-frequency audiometry tests were performed.

Results:

There were no significant differences in average pure tone air–bone hearing thresholds between the groups (p > 0.05). However, evaluation of high-frequency hearing thresholds indicated significantly increased auditory thresholds at 10 kHz and 12 kHz for right ears and at 8, 10, 12 and 14 kHz for left ears in the gestational diabetes group (p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

An investigation into cochlear damage in gestational diabetic patients showed significant high-frequency hearing loss. Further studies are needed to validate these findings in different ethnic groups and geographical populations.
Eosinophilic angiocentric fibrosis of the nose and sinuses
Authors: Rimmer J , Andrews P , Lund V J
Published: November 2014

Background:

Eosinophilic angiocentric fibrosis is a rare benign disorder of the upper respiratory tract. It is slow growing and progressive, with characteristic histological appearances.

Methods:

We report the largest single-institution case series of sinonasal eosinophilic angiocentric fibrosis to date, comprising nine patients. The current literature is reviewed, showing emerging evidence that this condition may belong to the immunoglobulin G4-related disease spectrum.

Results:

The series comprised five female and four male patients, with a mean age at presentation of 53 years. All were treated surgically. Six patients had no signs of recurrent disease after an average of 8.5 years. One patient went on to develop granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's granulomatosis), which required immunosuppressive therapy.

Conclusion:

The first-line management of this rare condition is complete surgical excision. Chronic granulomatous conditions, including granulomatosis with polyangiitis, should be excluded before a diagnosis is made, and patients should be carefully followed.
Intratympanic steroid injection as a salvage treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss
Authors: Belhassen S , Saliba I
Published: November 2014

Objective:

To determine the efficacy of intratympanic methylprednisolone injections for treating sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Method:

A retrospective chart review was performed to identify patients suffering from sudden sensorineural hearing loss with no recovery after oral steroids. Patients were given up to three intratympanic methylprednisolone injections at one-week intervals. They were classified according to their functional hearing class, remission was monitored and potential factors affecting prognosis were analysed.

Results:

Intratympanic injections provide effective salvage therapy for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (p = 0.039). Changes in pure tone average and speech discrimination score were analysed following intratympanic methylprednisolone injections. The pure tone average reached a plateau after the second injection; however, the speech discrimination score improved until after the third injection. Hearing improvement after intratympanic injections mainly occurred at low frequencies. The interval between symptoms appearing and intratympanic injections starting was not significantly associated with remission (p = 0.680).

Conclusion:

A delay between symptom onset and the first intratympanic methylprednisolone injection does not seem to affect prognosis.
A new species of the commercially harvested jellyfish Crambionella (Scyphozoa) from central Java, Indonesia with remarks on the fisheries
Authors: Nishikawa Jun , Ohtsuka Susumu , Mulyadi  , Mujiono Nova , Lindsay Dhugal J. , Miyamoto Hiroomi , Nishida Shuhei
Published: November 2014

We describe a new species of Crambionella, C. helmbiru, from central Java, Indonesia. The combination of the mean number of lappets per octant (14), presence of foliaceous appendages amongst frills on oral-arms, absence of tubercles on the velar lappets, proportion of terminal club length to oral-arm length (0.28), and the body colour distinguish this species from three previously described congeners. In addition, the analysis of partial sequences of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene indicate substantial genetic differences from both Crambionella orsini and Crambionella stuhlmanni, supporting the validity of this new species. A combination of morphological and genetic approaches determined that the remarkable differences in exumbrellar colours observed in specimens are simply intra-specific variation. Surprisingly, this species has been commercially harvested for more than 20 years and is well-known to the local people in the region, yet it had remained unknown to science until this point. The commercial fisheries targeting this formerly unknown species are also described in detail.
New and little known species of Celleporina Gray, 1848 (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata) from the Atlantic–Mediterranean region
Authors: Souto Javier , Reverter-Gil Oscar , de Blauwe Hans
Published: November 2014

Celleporina parvula, a species present in shallow waters along the NW African coast, is re-described from its original material. Celleporina fragilis, only known from the Canaries, and Celleporina derungsi, from south Portugal, are newly reported from the Gorringe Bank and NW Iberian Peninsula respectively. Two new species are described: Celleporina algarvensis n. sp., from south Portugal, and Celleporina mediterranea n. sp., from NW Mediterranean. The structure of the ooecium and its tabula, and the structure of the frontal wall in the genus Celleporina are discussed in the light of new observations.
Lexical characteristics of words and phonological awareness skills of preschool children
Authors: GOODRICH J. MARC , LONIGAN CHRISTOPHER J.
Published: November 2014

The lexical restructuring model (LRM; Metsala & Walley, 1998) can be used to explain the development of phonological awareness (PA). According to LRM, as children's vocabularies increase, children develop a more refined lexical representation of the sounds comprising those words, and in turn children become more sensitive to the detection of specific phonemes. LRM identifies several lexical characteristics of words that influence lexical restructuring: age of acquisition (AoA), word frequency, neighborhood density, and phonotactic probability. In this study, the effects of these lexical characteristics on children's performance on PA tasks were evaluated, as well as moderation of these effects by children's oral language skills and ages, in two independent samples of preschool children who completed measures of PA and oral language. For both samples, AoA and word frequency were negatively related to PA skills, and phonotactic probability was positively related to PA skills. Children's ages and oral language skills were positive predictors of PA skills, and children's ages moderated the relations between AoA and PA skills for children in Sample 2. Children's oral language skills moderated the relations between AoA and PA skills for children in Sample 1. Implications are discussed.
‘Health is their heart, their legs, their back’: understanding ageing well in ethnically diverse older men in rural Australia
Authors: RADERMACHER HARRIET , FELDMAN SUSAN
Published: November 2014

Older men from ethnic minority communities living in a regional town in Australia were identified by a government-funded peak advocacy body as failing to access local health and support services and, more broadly, being at risk of not ageing well. A qualitative study was undertaken to explore the health and wellbeing of ethnic minority men growing older in a rural community, and to identify the barriers they faced in accessing appropriate services from a range of different perspectives. Individual interviews were conducted with key informants (service providers and community leaders), followed by focus groups with older men from four ethnic minority communities. The men in this study showed signs that they were at risk of poor mental and physical health, and experienced significant barriers to accessing health and support services. Furthermore, environmental, technological, social and economic changes have brought challenges for the older men as they age. Despite these challenges, this study demonstrated how work, family and ethnic identity was integral to the lives of these older men, and was, in many ways, a resource. Key informants' perspectives mostly confirmed the experiences of the older men in this study. The discrepancies in their views about the extent of health-promoting behaviour indicate some key areas for future health intervention, services and research.
Time-series analysis of Campylobacter incidence in Switzerland
Authors: WEI W. , SCHÜPBACH G. , HELD L.
Published: November 2014

Campylobacteriosis has been the most common food-associated notifiable infectious disease in Switzerland since 1995. Contact with and ingestion of raw or undercooked broilers are considered the dominant risk factors for infection. In this study, we investigated the temporal relationship between the disease incidence in humans and the prevalence of Campylobacter in broilers in Switzerland from 2008 to 2012. We use a time-series approach to describe the pattern of the disease by incorporating seasonal effects and autocorrelation. The analysis shows that prevalence of Campylobacter in broilers, with a 2-week lag, has a significant impact on disease incidence in humans. Therefore Campylobacter cases in humans can be partly explained by contagion through broiler meat. We also found a strong autoregressive effect in human illness, and a significant increase of illness during Christmas and New Year's holidays. In a final analysis, we corrected for the sampling error of prevalence in broilers and the results gave similar conclusions.
Antarctic ice velocities from GPS locations logged by seismic stations
Authors: An Meijian , Wiens Douglas , An Chunlei , Shi Guitao , Zhao Yue , Li Yuansheng
Published: November 2014

In 2007–08, seismologists began deploying passive seismic stations over much of the Antarctic ice sheet. These stations routinely log their position by navigation-grade global positioning system (GPS) receivers. This location data can be used to track the stations situated on moving ice. For stations along the traverse from Zhongshan station to Dome A in East Antarctica and at the West Antarctic Ice Sheet divide the estimated velocities of the ice surface based on positions recorded by navigation-grade GPS are consistent with those obtained by high-accuracy geodetic GPS. Most of the estimated velocities have an angle difference of <28° with the steepest downhill vector of the ice surface slope at the stations. These results indicate that navigation-grade GPS measurements over several months provide reliable information on ice sheet movement of ≥1 m yr-1. With an uncertainty of ~0.3–1 m yr-1, this method is able to resolve both very slow ice velocities near Dome A and velocities of >100 m yr-1 on Thwaites Glacier. Information on ice velocity at three locations for which no data from satellite-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar are available have also been provided using this method.
Multi-state mark-recapture models as a novel approach to estimate factors affecting attendance patterns of lactating subantarctic fur seals from Marion Island
Authors: Wege M. , Nevoux M. , de Bruyn P.J.N. , Bester M.N.
Published: November 2014

Observer-based studies often underestimate key ecological parameters. Here a fresh approach was used to analyse six years (2006–11) of attendance cycles to estimate foraging trip lengths of a lactating flipper-tagged otariid: subantarctic fur seals at Marion Island. Multi-state mark-recapture models were used to calculate detection failures of females, correct estimates accordingly, and investigate the effects of year, season, pup sex and the presence of a telemetry device on attendance cycle parameters. There were no differences between corrected and uncorrected attendance data. This is attributed to the high capture probability across all seasons (range: 83–98%). This illustrates that observer-based studies are useful to augment telemetry studies. Only season and pup sex had a significant impact on female provisioning rates. In winter, foraging trip durations were longer (t-value=25.22,P<0.0001) and attendance durations shorter (t-value=-2.15,P=0.01) than during summer. Females with female pups spent a higher proportion of their time on land (χ2=6.6,P<0.05). Male pups have higher growth demands and are larger which suggests they can deplete female milk-stores faster.
A notion of homotopy for the effective topos
Authors: VAN OOSTEN JAAP
Published: November 2014

We define a notion of homotopy in the effective topos.
Mass-gathering Health Research Foundational Theory: Part 1 - Population Models for Mass Gatherings
Authors: Lund Adam , Turris Sheila A. , Bowles Ron , Steenkamp Malinda , Hutton Alison , Ranse Jamie , Arbon Paul
Published: November 2014

Background

The science underpinning the study of mass-gathering health (MGH) is developing rapidly. Current knowledge fails to adequately inform the understanding of the science of mass gatherings (MGs) because of the lack of theory development and adequate conceptual analysis. Defining populations of interest in the context of MGs is required to permit meaningful comparison and meta-analysis between events.

Process

A critique of existing definitions and descriptions of MGs was undertaken. Analyzing gaps in current knowledge, the authors sought to delineate the populations affected by MGs, employing a consensus approach to formulating a population model. The proposed conceptual model evolved through face-to-face group meetings, structured breakout sessions, asynchronous collaboration, and virtual international meetings.

Findings and Interpretation

Reporting on the incidence of health conditions at specific MGs, and comparing those rates between and across events, requires a common understanding of the denominators, or the total populations in question. There are many, nested populations to consider within a MG, such as the population of patients, the population of medical services providers, the population of attendees/audience/participants, the crew, contractors, staff, and volunteers, as well as the population of the host community affected by, but not necessarily attending, the event.

A pictorial representation of a basic population model was generated, followed by a more complex representation, capturing a global-health perspective, as well as academically- and operationally-relevant divisions in MG populations.

Conclusions

Consistent definitions of MG populations will support more rigorous data collection. This, in turn, will support meta-analysis and pooling of data sources internationally, creating a foundation for risk assessment as well as illness and injury prediction modeling. Ultimately, more rigorous data collection will support methodology for evaluating health promotion, harm reduction, and clinical-response interventions at MGs. Delineating MG populations progresses the current body of knowledge of MGs and informs the understanding of the full scope of their health effects.

LundA, TurrisSA, BowlesR, SteenkampM, HuttonA, RanseJ, ArbonP. Mass-gathering health research foundational theory: part 1 - population models for mass gatherings. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(6):1-7.
Mass-gathering Health Research Foundational Theory: Part 2 - Event Modeling for Mass Gatherings
Authors: Turris Sheila A. , Lund Adam , Hutton Alison , Bowles Ron , Ellerson Elizabeth , Steenkamp Malinda , Ranse Jamie , Arbon Paul
Published: November 2014

Background

Current knowledge about mass-gathering health (MGH) fails to adequately inform the understanding of mass gatherings (MGs) because of a relative lack of theory development and adequate conceptual analysis. This report describes the development of a series of event lenses that serve as a beginning “MG event model,” complimenting the “MG population model” reported elsewhere.

Methods

Existing descriptions of “MGs” were considered. Analyzing gaps in current knowledge, the authors sought to delineate the population of events being reported. Employing a consensus approach, the authors strove to capture the diversity, range, and scope of MG events, identifying common variables that might assist researchers in determining when events are similar and might be compared. Through face-to-face group meetings, structured breakout sessions, asynchronous collaboration, and virtual international meetings, a conceptual approach to classifying and describing events evolved in an iterative fashion.

Findings

Embedded within existing literature are a variety of approaches to event classification and description. Arising from these approaches, the authors discuss the interplay between event demographics, event dynamics, and event design. Specifically, the report details current understandings about event types, geography, scale, temporality, crowd dynamics, medical support, protective factors, and special hazards. A series of tables are presented to model the different analytic lenses that might be employed in understanding the context of MG events.

Interpretation

The development of an event model addresses a gap in the current body of knowledgevisavisunderstanding and reporting the full scope of the health effects related to MGs. Consistent use of a consensus-based event model will support more rigorous data collection. This in turn will support meta-analysis, create a foundation for risk assessment, allow for the pooling of data for illness and injury prediction, and support methodology for evaluating health promotion, harm reduction, and clinical response interventions at MGs.

TurrisSA,LundA,HuttonA,BowlesR,EllersonE,SteenkampM,RanseJ,ArbonP.Mass-gathering health research foundational theory: part 2 - event modeling for mass gatherings.Prehosp Disaster Med.2014;29(6):1-9.
Differential Focal and Nonfocal Prospective Memory Accuracy in a Demographically Diverse Group of Nondemented Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Authors: Chi Susan Y. , Rabin Laura A. , Aronov Avner , Fogel Joshua , Kapoor Ashu , Wang Cuiling
Published: November 2014

Although prospective memory (PM) is compromised in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), it is unclear which specific cognitive processes underlie these PM difficulties. We investigated older adults’ performance on a computerized event-based focal versus nonfocal PM task that made varying demands on the amount of attentional control required to support intention retrieval. Participants were nondemented individuals (mean age=81.8 years; female=66.1%) enrolled in a community-based longitudinal study, including those with amnestic MCI (aMCI), nonamnestic MCI (naMCI), subjective cognitive decline (SCD), and healthy controls (HC). Participants included in the primary analysis (n=189) completed the PM task and recalled and/or recognizedbothfocal and nonfocal PM cues presented in the task. Participants and their informants also completed a questionnaire assessing everyday PM failures. Relative to HC, those with aMCI and naMCI were significantly impaired in focal PM accuracy (p<.05). In a follow-up analysis that included 13 additional participants who successfully recalled and/or recognizedat leastone of the two PM cues, the naMCI group showed deficits in nonfocal PM accuracy (p<.05). There was a significant negative correlation between informant reports of PM difficulties and nonfocal PM accuracy (p<.01). PM failures in aMCI may be primarily related to impairment of spontaneous retrieval processes associated with the medial temporal lobe system, while PM failures in naMCI potentially indicate additional deficits in executive control functions and prefrontal systems. The observed focal versus nonfocal PM performance profiles in aMCI and naMCI may constitute specific behavioral markers of PM decline that result from compromise of separate neurocognitive systems. (JINS, 2014,20, 1–13)
The Crucial Role of Working Memory in Intellectual Functioning
Authors: Cornoldi Cesare , Giofrè David
Published: November 2014

Cognitive psychology offers an important contribution to the understanding of the mechanisms underlying intelligence. In this paper, we synthesize the research showing that, among the different cognitive mechanisms associated with intelligence, working memory has a particularly high explanatory power, especially when considered in its active component involving not only the maintenance (as in short-term memory) but also the manipulation of information. The paper considers two main implications of this finding for the applied and clinical fields. For a start, we examine how intelligence tests take into consideration working memory. Secondly, we consider the highly debated literature on the effects of working memory training on intellectual performance. Theoretical and applied implications for the relationship between working memory and intelligence are discussed.
Conceptualization and Rehabilitation of Executive Functions
Authors: Dores Artemisa Rocha , Carvalho Irene Palmares , Barbosa Fernando , Martins Claúdia , de Sousa Liliana , Castro-Caldas Alexandre
Published: November 2014

Publications on executive functions have increased in the last few years, reflecting the importance of this area of study. The scientific output on executive functions is now extremely diverse, comprising variations around terminology, assessment, and rehabilitation practices, and ranging in topics from neuroanatomical correlates of executive functions to effects of executive dysfunction. This review seeks to explore this diversity around executive functions in order to provide an integrative overview of the topic that systematizes the current knowledge in this area, and to point to trends and future directions for research and practice. The literature review was conducted in the ISI Web of Knowledge databases. The analysis was conducted in NVivo9. Two independent coders applied an inductive analysis to all relevant papers, building a hierarchical model with categories and subcategories of themes emerging from the literature. A confirmatory analysis followed, with the same independent coders applying the model to the papers. The process was validated by a third expert researcher. Out of 187 titles and abstracts, 91 were analyzed. The outcomes were structured in six main categories: central nervous system, diagnosis, population, assessment, intervention, and theoretical models. Key findings included promising trends in executive function assessment and rehabilitation as well as potential implications for current health approaches and future research.
Understanding Activity Limitations in Depression
Authors: Krämer Lena Violetta , Helmes Almut Wiebke , Bengel Jürgen
Published: November 2014

Behavioral activation plays an important role in the treatment of depression. Although the development of activation treatments has made important progress in the past decades, effects are still low to moderate. This paper illustrates how the understanding and treatment of activity limitations in depression can be improved through the integration of theories from health psychology. One of the leading theories is the health action process approach (HAPA; Schwarzer, Lippke, & Luszczynska, 2011 ). In accordance with the HAPA, we argue that reasons for activity limitations can be divided into problems of intention formation (motivational problems) and problems of intention implementation (volitional problems). To date, depression research has primarily focused on motivational deficits. With regard to the HAPA, we discuss different aspects of motivational deficits by reviewing common constructs such as negative thoughts, learned helplessness, loss of reinforcers, or self-efficacy. In addition, we demonstrate that volitional deficits are also important for explaining activity limitations and should be taken into account more. Volitional deficits in depression are documented by behavior studies focusing on self-regulation and procrastination; additionally, evidence of volitional deficits has been found in research on executive functions and in neurobiology. In conclusion, the HAPA contributes to a better understanding of activity limitations in depression: The reviewed literature demonstrates that depression is associated with motivational and volitional deficits. Each of these two kinds of deficits should be treated with a different intervention technique (e.g., values assessment vs. activity scheduling). Beyond this relevance for clinical psychology, implications for health psychology are discussed.
News and Announcements
Authors: Polisenska Veronika
Published: November 2014

In this issue, we present varied news from Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovenia, and the UK. Cyprus reports on the new National Awarding Committee for EuroPsy and changes in professional regulations. From the Czech Republic, we have reports on lectures by Comenius award winner Wilhelm Hofmann and the Prague Symposium on Crisis and Disaster Psychology. In Germany, the Communicator Award was awarded to Onur Güntürkün, and there are new developments in the field of legal psychology. The Slovenian Psychologists’ Association summarizes its annual conference and from the UK we have news on the new British Psychological Society president, as well as on the First World War Centenary Project, behavior change advice, and interviews with prominent psychologists.
Nickel Oxide Nanoparticle-Assembled Microspheres with a High Rate Capability for Lithium Storage
Authors: Wang Xiujuan , Wang Gang , Zhai Gaohong , Wang Hui
Published: November 2014

This paper presents the massive preparation of nickel oxide nanoparticle-assembled mesoporous microspheres using acid-treated carbon microspheres as sacrificial templates. The microstructure and morphology of the hollow NiO microspheres are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and N2 adsorption–desorption methods. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images reveal that these hollow spheres are assembled by NiO particles with sizes of ~20 nm. The nickel oxide nanoparticle-assembled mesoporous microspheres feature high surface area and good electronic conductivity, leading to high capacity and excellent cycling performance as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.
Distinct 3D CdII Coordination Polymers with 1,2-Naphthalenedicarboxylate Regulated by Dipyridyl Co-Ligands with Different Spacers
Authors: Wang Zhuo-Wei , Zhao Hui , Hu Min , Liu Chun-Sen
Published: November 2014

Two distinct three-dimensional (3D) CdII coordination polymers with 1,2-naphthalenedicarboxylate (ndc2–) and dipyridyl co-ligands have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. Interestingly, the slight difference in the two 4,4′-dipyridyl building blocks, namely, 1,2-bi(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpp) and 1,2-bi(4-pyridyl)ethene (bpe) with C–C or C=C spacers, results in the significant structural divergence of the resultant coordination polymers. Structural analysis reveals that complexes [Cd(ndc)(bpp)(H2O)]n (1) and {[Cd5(ndc)4(bpe)2(OH)2](H2O)1.5}n (2) are constructed by discrete metal–carboxylate dimeric units and metal–carboxylate chains, respectively, which are further extended by bpp or bpe linkers to form the inclined interpenetrated two-dimensional (2D)→3D network for 1 and the 3D porous framework for 2. This result reveals that the flexibility of auxiliary ligands plays an important role in the structural assemblies of coordination networks. The thermal and luminescence properties of both complexes were also investigated in solid state.
CXADR-like membrane protein (CLMP) in the rat ovary: stimulation by human chorionic gonadotrophin during the periovulatory period
Authors: Li Feixue , Miao Xiaoping , Chen Yonglong , Curry Thomas E.
Published: November 2014

CXADR-like membrane protein (CLMP) is a novel cell–cell adhesion molecule. The present study investigated the spatiotemporal expression pattern of CLMP and its regulation in the rat ovary during the periovulatory period. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that Clmp mRNA was rapidly stimulated in intact ovaries by 4 h after human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) treatment. In situ hybridisation analysis demonstrated that Clmp mRNA expression was stimulated in theca cells at 4 h after hCG and remained elevated until 12 h. Clmp mRNA was also upregulated in granulosa cells and was present in forming corpora lutea. Our data indicate that the protein kinase A but not the protein kinase C pathway regulates the expression of Clmp mRNA in granulosa cells. Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase and p38 kinase are also involved in regulating Clmp mRNA expression. The stimulation of Clmp mRNA by hCG requires new protein synthesis. Furthermore, inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor activation significantly inhibited Clmp mRNA expression, whereas inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis or progesterone action had no effect. The stimulation of CLMP in the rat ovary may be important in cell adhesion events during ovulation and luteal formation such as maintaining the structure and communication of ovarian follicular and luteal cells.
Expensing e-books: how much should patron habit influence collection development?
Authors: Luther Cottrell Terrance , Bell Brigitte
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this article is explore the difficulties in managing print and e-book expenditures in today’s libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

– The basis for this article stems from conflicting data showing patrons desiring to read more e-books versus print books at the beginning of the very e-book movement, and more recent studies showing this trend plateauing while e-book reading device purchasing increases.

Findings

– Two different phenomena may be occurring in tandem or separately in this case: less people are reading while having increased capacity to read e-books; libraries are adding more e-book content while print book reading is not falling off as fast as previously anticipated.

Originality/value

– E-book expense allocations are far from an exact science. Library budget managers are in need for continued research and insight to guide decision-making. This article adds to extant research in this area providing support for a “wait-and-see” approach toward spending on e-books.
Onboarding to improve library retention and productivity
Authors: D. Hall-Ellis Sylvia
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this column is to examine the onboarding process and its importance for new hires. A well-designed and coordinated onboarding process assimilates new employees into the organization and equips them with the tools and resources needed for professional and personal success.

Design/methodology/approach

– Recognizing the importance of prudent expenditures within tight budgets, decreasing the time and money for new hires can result in reduced duplication of efforts, accelerating the time to productivity and increasing the satisfaction levels and retention potential among new employees.

Findings

– The column highlights five steps that a library administrator can take to design and implement an effective onboarding process.

Originality/value

– Original opinion piece.