bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fabrication and optimization of proton conductive polybenzimidazole electrospun nanofiber membranes
Authors: Jahangiri Sassan , Aravi İpek , Işıkel Şanlı Lale , Menceloğlu Yusuf Z. , Özden‐Yenigün Elif
Published: October 2017

Phosphoric acid (PA)–doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) proton exchange membranes have received attention because of their good mechanical properties, moderate gas permeability, and superior proton conductivity under high temperature operation. Among PBI‐based film membranes, nanofibrous membranes withstand to higher strain because of strongly oriented polymer chains while exhibiting higher specific surface area with increased number of proton‐conducting sites. In this study, PBI electrospun nanofibers were produced and doped with PA to operate as high temperature proton exchange membrane, while changes in proton conductivity and morphologies were monitored. Proton conductive PBI nanofiber membranes by using the process parameters of 15 kV and 100 μL/h at 15 wt% PBI/dimethylacetamide polymer concentration were prepared by varying PA doping time as 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. The morphological changes associated with PA doping addressed that acid doping significantly caused swelling and 2‐fold increase in mean fiber diameter. Tensile strength of the membranes is found to be increased by doping level, whereas the strain at break (15%) decreased because of the brittle nature of H‐bond network. 72 hour doped PBI membranes demonstrated highest proton conductivity whereas the decrease on conductivity for 96‐hour doped PBI membranes, which could be attributed to the morphological changes due to H‐bond network and acid leaking, was noted. Overall, the results suggested that of 72‐hour doped PBI membranes with proton conductivity of 123 mS/cm could be a potential candidate for proton exchange membrane fuel cell.
Mechanical properties of rigid polyurethane composites reinforced with surface treated ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fibers
Authors: Meng Li , Li Weiwei , Ma Renliang , Huang Momo , Cao Yingbo , Wang Jiawen
Published: October 2017

The mechanical properties of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers reinforced rigid polyurethane (PU) composites were studied, and the effects of the fiber surface treatment and the mass fraction were discussed. Chromic acid was used to treat the UHMWPE fibers, and polyurethane composites were prepared with 0.1 to 0.6 wt% as‐received and treated UHMWPE fibers. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared demonstrated that oxygen‐containing functional groups were efficiently grafted to the fiber surface. The mechanical performance tests of the UHMWPE fibers/PU composites were conducted, and the results revealed that the treated UHMWPE fibers/PU composites had better tensile, compression, and bending properties than as‐received UHMWPE fibers/PU composites. Thermal gravimetric analyzer showed that the thermal stability of the treated fiber composites were improved. The interface bonding of PU composites were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis, and the results indicated that the surface modification of UHMWPE fiber could improve the interaction between fiber and PU, which played a positive role in mechanical properties of composites.
Observational Comparative Effectiveness of Pharmaceutical Treatments for Obesity within the Veterans Health Administration
Authors: Grabarczyk Ted R.
Published: October 2017

Study Objective

To compare the effectiveness of weight‐management medications used to assist with weight loss in real‐world clinical practice in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Design

Retrospective, multicenter, observational cohort study.

Data Source

National VA Corporate Data Warehouse.

Patients

A total of 66,035 VA patients aged 18 years or older with a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or greater who had an initial fill for a study medication (orlistat [6153 patients], phentermine [304 patients], lorcaserin [298 patients], or phentermine‐topiramate extended release [233 patients]) or participation in the VA's MOVE! weight‐management program with at least three total visits in a clinic coded as a MOVE clinic in the subsequent 24 weeks (59,047 patients) between January 1, 2012, and July 1, 2016.

Measurements and Main Results

The primary outcome was the percentage change in weight from baseline to at least 20 weeks or later (i.e., closest weight to 6 months). Secondary outcomes were difference in the percentage of weight loss at 12 and 36 weeks; changes in blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, high‐density and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels; and percentage of patients who achieved at least a 5% and 10% weight loss at 6 months from baseline in each group after at least 20 weeks. For the primary outcome, the percentage decrease in weight from baseline after at least 20 weeks in the lorcaserin, phentermine‐topiramate, phentermine, orlistat, and MOVE! groups were 3.6%, 4.1%, 3.6%, 2.1%, and 1.6%, respectively (phentermine‐topiramate group vs. MOVE! group, p<0.05). Achievement of at least a 5% weight loss after at least 20 weeks differed significantly among groups, ranging from 26.2% for the MOVE! Program only group to 40.3% for patients in the phentermine‐topiramate group.

Conclusion

In the VA population, the effectiveness of four available weight‐management medications was similar. Patients receiving phentermine‐topiramate had a greater proportion of weight loss after at least 20 weeks compared with those solely enrolled in the VA's MOVE! weight‐management program.
How good is CuAAC “click” chemistry for polymer coupling reactions?
Authors: Leophairatana Porakrit , De Silva Chathuranga C. , Koberstein Jeffrey T.
Published: October 2017

1H NMR and SEC analyses are used to investigate the overall efficiency of Copper Catalyzed Azide Alkyne Cycloaddition (CuAAC) “click” coupling reactions between alkyne‐ and azide‐terminated polymers using polystyrene as a model. Quantitative convolution modeling of the entire molecular weight distribution is applied to characterize the outcomes of the functional polymer synthesis reactions (i.e., by atom transfer radical polymerization), as well as the CuAAC coupling reaction. Incomplete functionality of the azide‐terminated polystyrene (∼92%) proves to be the largest factor compromising the efficacy of the CuAAC coupling reaction and is attributed primarily to the loss of terminal bromide functionality during its synthesis. The efficiency of the SN2 reaction converting bromide to azide was found to be about 99%. After taking into account the influence of non‐functional polymer, we find that, under the reaction conditions used, the efficiency of the CuAAC coupling reaction determined from both techniques is about 94%. These inefficiencies compromise the fidelity and potential utility of CuAAC coupling reactions for the synthesis of hierarchically structured polymers. While CuAAC efficiency is expected to depend on the specific reaction conditions used, the framework described for determining reaction efficiency does provide a means for ultimately optimizing the reaction conditions for CuAAC coupling reactions. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018, 56, 75–84
Comparison of NMR and crystal structures of membrane proteins and computational refinement to improve model quality
Authors: Koehler Leman Julia , D'Avino Andrew R. , Bhatnagar Yash , Gray Jeffrey J.
Published: October 2017

Membrane proteins are challenging to study and restraints for structure determination are typically sparse or of low resolution because the membrane environment that surrounds them leads to a variety of experimental challenges. When membrane protein structures are determined by different techniques in different environments, a natural question is “which structure is most biologically relevant?” Towards answering this question, we compiled a dataset of membrane proteins with known structures determined by both solution NMR and X‐ray crystallography. By investigating differences between the structures, we found that RMSDs between crystal and NMR structures are below 5 Å in the membrane region, NMR ensembles have a higher convergence in the membrane region, crystal structures typically have a straighter transmembrane region, have higher stereo‐chemical correctness, and are more tightly packed. After quantifying these differences, we used high‐resolution refinement of the NMR structures to mitigate them, which paves the way for identifying and improving the structural quality of membrane proteins.
Definition and classification of evaluation units for tertiary structure prediction in CASP12 facilitated through semi‐automated metrics
Authors: Abriata Luciano A. , Kinch Lisa N. , Tamò Giorgio E. , Monastyrskyy Bohdan , Kryshtafovych Andriy , Dal Peraro Matteo
Published: October 2017

For assessment purposes, CASP targets are split into evaluation units. We herein present the official definition of CASP12 evaluation units (EUs) and their classification into difficulty categories. Each target can be evaluated as one EU (the whole target) or/and several EUs (separate structural domains or groups of structural domains). The specific scenario for a target split is determined by the domain organization of available templates, the difference in server performance on separate domains versus combination of the domains, and visual inspection. In the end, 71 targets were split into 96 EUs. Classification of the EUs into difficulty categories was done semi‐automatically with the assistance of metrics provided by the Prediction Center. These metrics account for sequence and structural similarities of the EUs to potential structural templates from the Protein Data Bank, and for the baseline performance of automated server predictions. The metrics readily separate the 96 EUs into 38 EUs that should be straightforward for template‐based modeling (TBM) and 39 that are expected to be hard for homology modeling and are thus left for free modeling (FM). The remaining 19 borderline evaluation units were dubbed FM/TBM, and were inspected case by case. The article also overviews structural and evolutionary features of selected targets relevant to our accompanying article presenting the assessment of FM and FM/TBM predictions, and overviews structural features of the hardest evaluation units from the FM category. We finally suggest improvements for the EU definition and classification procedures.
Using SDS–PAGE gel fingerprinting to identify soft‐bodied wood‐boring insect larvae to species
Authors: O'Neill Mark A , Denos Mia , Reed Daniel
Published: October 2017

BACKGROUND

This paper describes the progress that we have made in assessing the feasibility of ‘fingerprinting’ using imaged SDS–PAGE gels of haemolymph proteins, to identify soft‐bodied wood‐boring insect larvae such as the Asian longhorn beetle,Anoplophora glabripennis(Motscholsky, 1853) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Because of stringent import restrictions and difficulty in obtaining licences to work with these organisms, we opted to work with four species of scarab beetle,Mecynorhina polyphemus(Fabricius, 1781),Pachnoda sinuata(Fabricius, 1775),Eucidella shiratica(Csiki, 1909) andEucidella shultzeorum(Kolbe, 1906) which have near identical larval morphologies.

RESULTS

We show that this technology when combined with an advanced pattern matching system (Digital Automated Identification SYstem ‐ DAISY) can classify soft‐bodied insect larvae that are almost identical morphologically to species at a level of accuracy is in excess of 98%. The study also indicates that the technology copes well with noisy data and small training sets.

CONCLUSION

The experience gained in undertaking this study gives us confidence that we will be able to develop a field deployable system in the medium term. We believe that as a high‐throughput identification tool, this technology is superior to competitor technologies (e.g. fingerprinting of imaged DNA gels) in terms of speed, cost and ease of use; and therefore, is suitable for low‐cost deployment in the field. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Use of biocontrol agents and botanicals in integrated management of Botrytis cinerea in table grape vineyards
Authors: Rotolo Caterina , De Miccolis Angelini Rita M , Dongiovanni Crescenza , Pollastro Stefania , Fumarola Giulio , Di Carolo Michele , Perrelli Donato , Natale Patrizia , Faretra Francesco
Published: October 2017

BACKGROUND

There is increasing interest in the use of biological control agents (BCAs) and botanicals (BOTs) due to increasing awareness of the environmental and human health risks associated with synthetic plant protection products. The BCAs Bacillus subtilis strain QST713, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain D747 and Aureobasidium pullulans strains DSM14940 and DSM14941, and the BOTs Melaleuca alternifolia and terpenic extracts are proposed for the control of grey mould in vineyards. This study was aimed at evaluating their effectiveness in integrated crop management strategies and their outcomes in terms of the management of fungicide resistance and residues.

RESULTS

In field trials carried out on table grapes in southern Italy, use of BCAs or BOTs alternately or mixtures of BCAs or BOTs with the succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicide fluopyram showed efficacy of up to 96% against grey mould on bunches, comparable with the chemical reference strategy (up to 87%). By contrast, use of BCAs or BOTs (up to 11 sprays) alone was not effective (< 30%) under high disease pressure. The integrated use of BCAs or BOTs reduced the spread of succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor‐resistant conidia, as well as fungicide residues in grapes.

CONCLUSIONS

Spray schedules based on integration of BCAs or BOTs with fungicides are effective against grey mould and reduce the risk of fungicide resistance in B. cinerea and fungicide residues in grapes. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Emission Efficiency Enhancement of Er3+ Ions in Silica by Near‐Field Coupling With Plasmonic and Pre‐Plasmonic Nanostructures
Authors: Kalinic Boris , Cesca Tiziana , Scian Carlo , Michieli Niccoló , Balasa Ionut Gabriel , Trave Enrico , Mattei Giovanni
Published: October 2017

Plasmonic nanostructures have been the object of strong scientific interest in the last decade for their linear and nonlinear optical properties. The present work is focused on the capability to control and enhance the Er3+ emission efficiency in silica by near‐field coupling with plasmonic and pre‐plasmonic nanostructures. The results shows that more than one order of magnitude Er3+ PL enhancement can be obtained with ultra‐small pre‐plasmonic Ag clusters synthesized by ion implantation and thermal annealing. Moreover, resonantly coupled extended plasmonic nanostructures in the form of gold nanohole arrays can efficiently interact with the Er ions, leading to a 20‐fold increase of their radiative emission at 1.54 μm.
Thin Films of Copper (I) Iodide Doped with Iodine and Thiocyanate
Authors: DeSilva Landewatte A. , Harwell Joshua , Gaquere‐Parker Anne , Perera Unil A. G. , Tennakone Kirthi
Published: October 2017

It is found that thiocyanate (SCN) is an alternative dopant that greatly stabilizes the p‐type semiconducting properties of CuI. Thiocyanate doping can be achieved by a complete removal of the excess iodine and introduction of thiocyanate via suitable precursors at ambient temperature. A method of removal of iodine from CuI before casting films is described. The electrical and optical properties of thiocyanate‐doped CuI thin films are also discussed.
Vibration damage rate curves for quantifying abrasion of printed packaging in accelerated random vibration test
Authors: Ge Changfeng , Pan Liao
Published: October 2017

Some vibration‐based damages in packaged products, such as surface abrasion and bruising of fruits, are not necessarily caused by vibration stresses at resonant frequencies. They are often nonfatigue damages resulting from the accumulation of low stress vibrations. This study introduces a new concept and methodology of vibration damage rate curves, which describes the relationship between damage rate, Grms, and vibration cycles, N. The vibration damage rate curves for quantifying the abrasion of a column stacked printed packaging was developed on the basis of ASTM D 4169 truck profile level 1, 2, and 3, as well as the field test. The abrasion rate in the laboratory was then compared to that in the equivalent time of road transportation per accelerated random vibration test formula. This study recommends that the accelerated random vibration formula can be used when vibration damage rate curves for printed packaged products are developed, to effectively reproduce the damage in the laboratory that is equivalent to the field.
Two cases of reversible male infertility due to congenital adrenal hyperplasia combined with testicular adrenal rest tumor
Authors: Tanaka Mikito , Enatsu Noritoshi , Chiba Koji , Fujisawa Masato
Published: October 2017

Cases

Testicular adrenal rest tumor (TART) is one of the possible causes of male infertility, accompanied by congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). Here are reported two cases of TARTs that were referred to Kobe City Medical Center West Hospital for the treatment of infertility and testicular tumors.

Outcome

In one case, the semen analysis was improved from oligoasthenozoospermia to normozoospermia after taking oral glucocorticoid supplementation. The other case of original azoospermia showed that sperm had ejaculated into the semen after taking oral glucocorticoid supplementation.

Conclusion

Although the prevalence of TARTs in male infertility is very rare, it is important to know how to approach this disease, considering the curable pathology of spermatogenesis and tumors resembling an appearance to germ cell tumors.
50 keV H+ ion beam irradiation of Al doped ZnO thin films: Studies of radiation stability for device applications
Authors: Sahoo Susanta Kumar , Mangal Sutanu , Mishra D.K. , Singh Udai P. , Kumar Pravin
Published: October 2017

Thin films of Al doped ZnO (Al:ZnO) were deposited on two substrates (Si and glass) at room temperature and 300°C using DC magnetron sputtering. These films were bombarded with 50 keV H+ beam at several fluences. The pristine and ion beam irradiated films were analysed by X‐ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and UV‐Vis spectroscopy. The X‐ray diffraction analysis, Hall measurements, Raman and UV‐Vis spectroscopy confirm that the structural and transport properties of Al:ZnO films do not change substantially with beam irradiation at chosen fluences. However, in comparison to film deposited at room temperature, the Al:ZnO thin film deposited at 300°C shows increased transmittance (from 70% to approximately 90%) with ion beam irradiation at highest fluence. The studies of surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy reveal that the ion irradiation yields smoothening of the films, which also increases with ion fluences. The films deposited at elevated temperature are smoother than those deposited at room temperature. In the paper, we discuss the interaction of 50 keV H+ ions with Al:ZnO films in terms of radiation stability in devices.
Multichannel Charge Transfer and Mechanistic Insight in Metal Decorated 2D–2D Bi2WO6–TiO2 Cascade with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance
Authors: Yuan Lan , Weng Bo , Colmenares Juan Carlos , Sun Yugang , Xu Yi‐Jun
Published: October 2017

Promising semiconductor‐based photocatalysis toward achieving efficient solar‐to‐chemical energy conversion is an ideal strategy in response to the growing worldwide energy crisis, which however is often practically limited by the insufficient photoinduced charge‐carrier separation. Here, a rational cascade engineering of Au nanoparticles (NPs) decorated 2D/2D Bi2WO6–TiO2 (B–T) binanosheets to foster the photocatalytic efficiency through the manipulated flow of multichannel‐enhanced charge‐carrier separation and transfer is reported. Mechanistic characterizations and control experiments, in combination with comparative studies over plasmonic Au/Ag NPs and nonplasmonic Pt NPs decorated 2D/2D B–T composites, together demonstrate the cooperative synergy effect of multiple charge‐carrier transfer channels in such binanosheets‐based ternary composites, including Z‐scheme charge transfer, “electron sink,” and surface plasmon resonance effect, which integratively leads to the boosted photocatalytic performance.
Liquid Crystalline Networks toward Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Repair
Authors: Martella Daniele , Paoli Paolo , Pioner Josè M. , Sacconi Leonardo , Coppini Raffaele , Santini Lorenzo , Lulli Matteo , Cerbai Elisabetta , Wiersma Diederik S. , Poggesi Corrado , Ferrantini Cecilia , Parmeggiani Camilla
Published: October 2017

The communication reports the use of liquid crystalline networks (LCNs) for engineering tissue cultures with human cells. Their ability as cell scaffolds for different cell lines is demonstrated. Preliminary assessments of the material biocompatibility are performed on human dermal fibroblasts and murine muscle cells (C2C12), demonstrating that coatings or other treatments are not needed to use the acrylate‐based materials as support. Moreover, it is found that adherent C2C12 cells undergo differentiation, forming multinucleated myotubes, which show the typical elongated shape, and contain bundles of stress fibers. Once biocompatibility is demonstrated, the same LCN films are used as a substrate for culturing human induced pluripotent stem cell‐derived cardiomyocites (hiPSC‐CMs) proving that LCNs are capable to develop adult‐like dimensions and a more mature cell function in a short period of culture in respect to standard supports. The demonstrated biocompatibility together with the extraordinary features of LCNs opens to preparation of complex cell scaffolds, both patterned and stimulated, for dynamic cell culturing. The ability of these materials to improve cell maturation and differentiation will be developed toward engineered heart and skeletal muscular tissues exploring regenerative medicine toward bioartificial muscles for injured sites replacement.
Cross-Tissue Identification of Somatic Stem and Progenitor Cells Using a Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Derived Gene Signature
Authors: Schwalie Petra C. , Ordóñez-Morán Paloma , Huelsken Joerg , Deplancke Bart
Published: October 2017

A long-standing question in biology is whether multipotent somatic stem and progenitor cells (SSPCs) feature molecular properties that could guide their system-independent identification. Population-based transcriptomic studies have so far not been able to provide a definite answer, given the rarity and heterogeneous nature of these cells. Here, we exploited the resolving power of single-cell RNA-sequencing to develop a computational model that is able to accurately distinguish SSPCs from differentiated cells across tissues. The resulting classifier is based on the combined expression of 23 genes including known players in multipotency, proliferation, and tumorigenesis, as well as novel ones, such as Lcp1 and Vgll4 that we functionally validate in intestinal organoids. We show how this approach enables the identification of stem-like cells in still ambiguous systems such as the pancreas and the epidermis as well as the exploration of lineage commitment hierarchies, thus facilitating the study of biological processes such as cellular differentiation, tissue regeneration, and cancer.
Sox2 Communicates with Tregs Through CCL1 to Promote the Stemness Property of Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Xu Yingxi , Dong Xiaoli , Qi Pingping , Ye Yujie , Shen Wenzhi , Leng Liang , Wang Lina , Li Xuefei , Luo Xiaohe , Chen Yanan , Sun Peiqing , Xiang Rong , Li Na
Published: October 2017

As an important component of the tumor microenvironment, CD4+CD25+ Tregs reduce antitumor immunity, promote angiogenesis and metastasis in breast cancer. However, their function in regulating the “stemness” of tumor cells and the communication between Tregs and cancer stem cells (CSCs) remain elusive. Here, we disclose that the primarily cultured Tregs isolated from breast-tumor-bearing Foxp3-EGFP mouse upregulate the stemness property of breast cancer cells. Tregs increased the side-population and the Aldehyde dehydrogenase-bright population of mouse breast cancer cells, promoted their sphere formation in a paracrine manner, and enhanced the expression of stemness genes, such as Sox2 and so forth. In addition, Tregs increased tumorigenesis, metastasis, and chemoresistance of breast cancer cells. Furthermore, Sox2-overexpression tumor cells activated NF-κB-CCL1 signaling to recruit Tregs through reducing the binding of H3K27Me3 on promoter regions of p65 and Ccl1. These findings reveal the functional interaction between Tregs and CSCs and indicate that targeting on the communication between them is a promising strategy in breast cancer therapy.
Mouse Parthenogenetic Embryonic Stem Cells with Biparental-Like Expression of Imprinted Genes Generate Cortical-Like Neurons That Integrate into the Injured Adult Cerebral Cortex
Authors: Varrault Annie , Eckardt Sigrid , Girard Benoît , Le Digarcher Anne , Sassetti Isabelle , Meusnier Céline , Ripoll Chantal , Badalyan Armen , Bertaso Federica , McLaughlin K. John , Journot Laurent , Bouschet Tristan
Published: October 2017

One strategy for stem cell-based therapy of the cerebral cortex involves the generation and transplantation of functional, histocompatible cortical-like neurons from embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Diploid parthenogenetic Pg-ESCs have recently emerged as a promising source of histocompatible ESC derivatives for organ regeneration but their utility for cerebral cortex therapy is unknown. A major concern with Pg-ESCs is genomic imprinting. In contrast with biparental Bp-ESCs derived from fertilized oocytes, Pg-ESCs harbor two maternal genomes but no sperm-derived genome. Pg-ESCs are therefore expected to have aberrant expression levels of maternally expressed (MEGs) and paternally expressed (PEGs) imprinted genes. Given the roles of imprinted genes in brain development, tissue homeostasis and cancer, their deregulation in Pg-ESCs might be incompatible with therapy. Here, we report that, unexpectedly, only one gene out of 7 MEGs and 12 PEGs was differentially expressed between Pg-ESCs and Bp-ESCs while 13 were differentially expressed between androgenetic Ag-ESCs and Bp-ESCs, indicating that Pg-ESCs but not Ag-ESCs, have a Bp-like imprinting compatible with therapy. In vitro, Pg-ESCs generated cortical-like progenitors and electrophysiologically active glutamatergic neurons that maintained the Bp-like expression levels for most imprinted genes. In vivo, Pg-ESCs participated to the cortical lineage in fetal chimeras. Finally, transplanted Pg-ESC derivatives integrated into the injured adult cortex and sent axonal projections in the host brain. In conclusion, mouse Pg-ESCs generate functional cortical-like neurons with Bp-like imprinting and their derivatives properly integrate into both the embryonic cortex and the injured adult cortex. Collectively, our data support the utility of Pg-ESCs for cortical therapy.
The Contribution of Lexical Diversity to College‐Level Writing
Authors: González Melanie C.
Published: October 2017

This article reports on a study that investigated the extent to which lexical frequency and lexical diversity contribute to writing proficiency scores on monolingual English‐speaking writers’ and advanced multilingual writers’ academic compositions. The data consist of essays composed by 104 multilingual English learners enrolled in advanced second language writing courses at various intensive English programs and 68 monolingual English‐speaking university students in a first‐year composition course. Three independent raters evaluated the essays according to the TOEFL iBT independent writing rubric. Results from a binary logistic regression reveal that lexical diversity has a significantly greater impact on writing score than lexical frequency. Post hoc analyses show that lexical frequency has only a moderate relationship to lexical diversity, suggesting that diversity of mid‐frequency vocabulary may be more important to writing proficiency than the use of more sophisticated terms that occur less frequently in natural language. Implications for practice suggest that it is not enough to simply teach vocabulary words in the second language composition classroom, but also to guide learners in how to employ these words in a varied manner in their writing.
Pejorative Discourse Is Not Fictional
Authors: Marques Teresa ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2017

Hom and May (2015) argue that pejoratives mean negative prescriptive properties that externally depend on social ideologies, and that this entails a form of fictionalism: pejoratives have null extensions. There are relevant uses of fictional terms that are necessary to describe the content of fictions, and to make true statements about the world, that do not convey that speakers are committed to the fiction. This paper shows that the same constructions with pejoratives typically convey that the speaker is committed to racist ideologies, in contrast with fictional discourse that typically does not. The disanalogy undermines the plausibility of fictionalism about pejoratives. Moreover, the exceptions—uncommitted uses in embedded constructions—display features that conflict with Hom and May’s explanation of committed uses as conversational implicatures.
Commitment in Cases of Trust and Distrust
Authors: Tallant Jonathan ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2017

There is a well-developed literature on trust. Distrust, on the other hand, has gathered far less attention in the philosophical literature (though there is a burgeoning business literature on the topic). A recent exception to that trend in the philosophical literature is Hawley (2014, 2015) who develops a unified account of both trust and distrust. My aim in this paper is to present arguments against her account of trust and distrust, though then to also suggest a patch.
How to take (and enjoy) a vacation: Relaxation for Type A people
Authors: Costa Karen
Published: October 2017

When I worked full time as a college administrator, I would typically take a two‐week vacation during the summer months. I can vividly recall how it would take me about one week to calm down. Then, I would spend the next week getting anxious about returning to all the work I had missed while I was gone. You don't have to be a math whiz to determine that out of two weeks of vacation, I was lucky to get even a day or two of true relaxation.
Consider how to apply the top 5 sections of the FERPA regulations
Authors: Rainsberger Richard
Published: October 2017

You receive a phone call. It's from the Human Relations Office of a prospective employer of one of your alumni. She would like to verify the alumnus's degree, major, and GPA since no official transcript was required as part of the application process. “We only ask for transcripts for the finalists,” she says. However, she explains, they are hoping to fill the position quickly. “We'll worry about the transcript later,” she says.
Take advantage of free tools to check readability levels
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: October 2017

A number of free tools are available to help determine the readability level of your unit's web content, emails, and other key information for students.
Take concrete steps to prevent academic integrity violations involving tutors
Authors: O'Brien Timothy
Published: October 2017

When a part‐time tutor of student‐athletes recently posted on social media her offer to sell evidence of academic fraud committed at a particular university, it surely made every higher education administrator cringe.
Build open lines of communication with students and parents for success
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: October 2017

Liesl Fowler's long history at Augustana University gives her insight about the overall student experience that helps her in her job as registrar. She was a student at Augustana. She also coached the women's volleyball team for years, a position she says that helped prime her for her responsibilities in the Registrar's Office. “People that don't have the benefit of being in the room [the Registrar's Office] when those conversations take place have no appreciation for the work that has to be done behind the scenes to keep the college going every day,” Fowler said.
The Forgotten Polymorphism of Hydrazine Sulfate: Crystal Structure of the Metastable Monoclinic Form II
Authors: Martin Thomas , Fleissner Juliane , Milius Wolfgang , Breu Josef
Published: October 2017

A so far structurally unknown polymorph (form II) of dihydrogenhydrazinium (hydrazine) sulfate(IV) was isolated as macroscopic single crystals and its structure was determined and refined as twin from single‐crystal X‐ray data collected at 173 K [cell parameters: a = 5.5592(11) Å, b = 7.3571(15) Å, c = 10.270(2) Å, β = 96.75(3)°, V = 416.21(15) Å3, space group P21/c]. The structure shows some similarities to the structure of the known form I: Both form II and I share zigzag shaped strands of [SO4]2– ions running along the a axes. Within both forms the strands are separated by trans type (staggered) [N2H6]2+ ions. The spatial orientation is, however, different in both forms. Consequently, distinct hydrogen bond networks are formed. The new form II was proven to be metastable and converts into form I within one day as monitored with powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD).
Morphological diversity of panicle traits in Kam fragrant glutinous rice (Oryza sativa)
Authors: Lei Qiyi , Zhou Jiangju , Zhang Wenhua , Luo Jing , Wu Kainian , Long Chunlin
Published: October 2017

Panicle traits are the most intuitive and representative features of rice germplasm resources that have been utilized in the determination of its identity, genetic diversity, yield, and quality. Based on the approaches of ethnobotany, cultural anthropology and plant morphology, we analyzed the panicle traits of 95 traditional Kam fragrant glutinous rice landraces according to folk classification in Qiandongnan Prefecture of Guizhou Province in the past 10 years. A total of 95 Kam fragrant glutinous rice landraces were tested, of which 91% consisted of those with awns, and landraces with awn lengths of 2–6 cm comprised 62%. The coefficient of variation (CV) of awn color, husk color and Grain color was more than 50%, thereby indicating extensive morphological variations among the traditional Kam fragrant glutinous rice landraces. The average Shannon–Wiener value (diversity index, H′) for panicle qualitative traits was 0.50, which was significantly higher than that of quantitative traits (0.22), thereby indicating a relatively higher degree of genetic diversity among qualitative traits. Cluster analysis of panicle morphological traits showed that 95 Kam fragrant glutinous rice landraces could be divided into five categories, using the Euclidean distance of 0.68 as threshold. Each cultivar manifested unique panicle traits. The present study on the morphological diversity of Kam fragrant glutinous rice landraces provided basic information that may be utilized for the conservation and sustainable use of Kam fragrant glutinous rice landraces.
How to become a first mover? Mechanisms of military innovation and the development of drones
Authors: Weiss Moritz
Published: October 2017

States generate the hardware of military power by either developing new technologies as first mover or adopting demonstrated technology as second mover. Given that military drones have arguably demonstrated effectiveness and thus proliferate, scholars have produced profound insights into today’s second mover dynamics. Yet, the preceding political process of developing this military technology remains poorly understood. The article’s objective is to explain how states become first movers of military hardware. To this end, it applies four causal mechanisms of military innovation studies to the historical trajectory of the development of drones. I argue that security threats initially formed state interests in drones. Yet, capacity was necessary for success. Politically induced transfers and cross-sector diffusion supplied technological progress. At the same time, distributional implications and legacy systems constrained the development process, but could ultimately be overcome. This mechanismic pathway results from the process-tracing analysis of two separate, but related trajectories in Israel and the United States since the 1970s. Given within-case variation, a sequencing and domain-of-application perspective allows the formulation of scope conditions of the mechanisms behind military innovation. This contributes to a historically contingent, yet generalisable, understanding of the political process of how states generate military power.
Detailed finer features in spectra of interfacial waves for characterization of a bubble-laden drop
Authors: Sumanasekara Udugama R. , Bhattacharya Sukalyan
Published: October 2017

This article describes unexplored details of the intriguing spectral manifestation of the small-amplitude waves at the surfaces of a bubble-laden drop. Its natural frequencies of interfacial pulsation reveal a non-trivial variation with the position of the cavity inside the liquid. This configurational dependence of spectra is calculated for arbitrary location of the void by using a novel approach under low capillary number and low Bond number limits. The analysis is based on expansion in two sets of basis functions where their mutual transformations are utilized to enforce interfacial boundary conditions. The obtained results quantify a few important features which have both scientific and technological significance. For a concentric geometry, the inherent azimuthal degeneracy makes the frequencies for a number of vibrational modes exactly the same. For an eccentric position of the bubble, however, this degeneracy disappears, creating small deviations in the spectral values corresponding to different azimuthal modes. Such behaviour is akin to fine-structure split in an atomic system, where different quantum numbers ensure small deviation in energy levels of the states. The formulated mathematical procedure can determine the individual frequency values for the interfacial oscillation even if these are grouped closely together in bands. The paper shows how the number of fine structures inside a band and their specific values can be exploited to predict the size and position of the cavity in an opaque drop without any direct visualization of its interior.
JAMAICAN LEGISLATION AND THE TRANSATLANTIC CONSTITUTION, 1664–1839
Authors: GRAHAM AARON
Published: October 2017

Between its first meeting in January 1664 and the final session held under unfree labour in December 1838, the volume of legislation passed by the house of assembly in Jamaica increased exponentially. As in Britain and Ireland, this reflected the growing administrative capacity and political power of the legislature and also the enormous demand for laws and law-making among local interest groups. The rise and fall of slavery and the slave society in the island was therefore underpinned in a large part by the power of its colonial legislature, which also operated within the broader transatlantic constitution structured by imperial politics and law. There was very little though to distinguish the house of assembly from others in British North America, at least in legislative terms, and even after the traumatic imperial disjuncture of 1783 the reformed transatlantic constitution continued to provide a supportive environment for the expansion of legislation within the island of Jamaica.
Molecular and morphological characterization of Belondira coomansi n. sp. (Nematoda: Dorylaimida, Belondiridae) from Iran
Authors: Golhasan B. , Heydari R. , Miraeiz E. , Abolafia J. , Peña-Santiago R.
Published: October 2017

A new species belonging to the genus Belondira is described from natural areas in Iran. Belondira coomansi n. sp. is characterized by its general size, the dimensions and appearance of its lip region, presence of distinct labial and post-labial sclerotization, the length of the odontostyle and its inconspicuous lumen and aperture, the length of the neck and its pharyngeal expansion, the reduction of the female anterior genital branch to a simple uterine sac, a very short posterior uterus, the anterior position of the vulva, the length and shape of the caudal region with distinctly thick cuticle at its tip, the length of the spicules, and the presence of only one pair of ventromedian supplements. The new species is close to Belondira brevibulba, B. sacchari, B. tenuidens and B. thornei, and it is compared to them. Molecular characterization (D2–D3 expansion segments of the rRNA large subunit) of the new species is also provided, representing only the second species of this genus for which any DNA sequence data are available.
Long-term effects of allergen-specific subcutaneous immunotherapy for house dust mite induced allergic rhinitis
Authors: Sahin E , Dizdar D , Dinc M E , Cirik A A
Published: October 2017

Background:

Allergic rhinitis is strongly associated with the presence of house dust mites. This study investigated the long-term effects of allergen-specific immunotherapy. Allergen-specific immunotherapy was applied over three years. The study was based on a 10-year follow up of patients with allergic rhinitis.

Methods:

The study was conducted between 2001 and 2015. Skin prick test results and symptom scores were evaluated before (26 patients) and after 3 years (20 patients) of allergen-specific immunotherapy (using data from a previously published study), and 10 years after allergen-specific immunotherapy had ended (20 of 26 patients).

Results:

The symptom scores before allergen-specific immunotherapy were significantly higher than those obtained after 3 years of allergen-specific immunotherapy and 10 years after allergen-specific immunotherapy (p< 0.0175). There were no significant differences between the scores obtained at 3 years and 10 years after allergen-specific immunotherapy (p> 0.0175).

Conclusion:

Subcutaneous immunotherapy is an effective treatment for house dust mite induced allergic rhinitis.
Capitalism, Jacobinism and International Relations: Re-interpreting the Ottoman path to modernity
Authors: Duzgun Eren
Published: October 2017

Debates over ‘modernity’ have been central to the development of historical-sociological approaches to International Relations (IR). Within the bourgeoning subfield of International Historical Sociology (IHS), much work has been done to formulate a historically dynamic conception of international relations, which is then used to undermine unilinear conceptions of global modernity. Nevertheless, this article argues that IHS has not proceeded far enough in successfully remedying the problem of unilinearism. The problem remains that historical narratives, informed by IHS, tend to transhistoricise capitalism, which, in turn, obscures the generative nature of international relations, as well as the fundamental heterogeneity of diverging paths to modernity both within and beyond western Europe. Based on the theory of Uneven and Combined Development, Political Marxism, and Robbie Shilliam’s discussion of ‘Jacobinism’, this article first reinterprets the radical multilinearity of modernity within western Europe, and then utilises this reinterpretation to provide a new reading of the Ottoman path to modernity (1839–1918). Such a historical critique and reconstruction will highlight the significance of Jacobinism for a more accurate theorisation of the origin and development of the modern international order, hence contributing to a deeper understanding of the international relations of modernity.
An activity theory analysis of the relationship between student identity and the assessment of group composing at school
Authors: Thorpe Vicki
Published: October 2017

The purpose of this article is to contribute to existing literature about how activity theory might be used in music education research. It draws from the author's doctoral action research into the assessment of group composing for New Zealand's secondary school qualification, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). It outlines and explains how activity theory was used to examine three interacting activities: social jamming, group composing and achievement in the NCEA. Analysis revealed a relationship between students’ identities, their achievement in NCEA group composing, and socio-economic disparity.
DIFFERENCES IN VISUAL WORD RECOGNITION BETWEEN L1 AND L2 SPEAKERS
Authors: Schröter Pauline , Schroeder Sascha
Published: October 2017

Investigating the impact of linguistic characteristics on visual word recognition in children, we studied whether differences in native (L1) and second language (L2) processing already emerge at the beginning of reading development. German elementary school students in grades 2 to 6 completed a battery of standardized tests and a lexical decision task (LDT). Though L1 speakers outperformed L2 speakers on German skills, groups did not differ in their overall performance on the LDT. However, results from mixed-effect models revealed greater effects for word frequency and length in L2 over L1 speakers, indicating qualitative differences in the sensitivity to linguistic information between groups. This distinction persisted across all grades and after controlling for differences in vocabulary size and reading fluency. Findings extend evidence provided for adult L2 processing, suggesting that varying language exposure shapes the development of the word-recognition system already in the early stages of reading development.
Existence of travelling-wave solutions representing domain wall motion in a thin ferromagnetic nanowire
Authors: Lund Ross G. , Robbins J. M. , Slastikov Valeriy
Published: October 2017

We study the dynamics of a domain wall under the influence of applied magnetic fields in a one-dimensional ferromagnetic nanowire, governed by the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation. Existence of travelling-wave solutions close to two known static solutions is proven using implicit-function-theorem-type arguments.
Homotopy linear algebra
Authors: Gálvez-Carrillo Imma , Kock Joachim , Tonks Andrew
Published: October 2017

By homotopy linear algebra we mean the study of linear functors between slices of the ∞-category of ∞-groupoids, subject to certain finiteness conditions. After some standard definitions and results, we assemble said slices into ∞-categories to model the duality between vector spaces and profinite-dimensional vector spaces, and set up a global notion of homotopy cardinality à la Baez, Hoffnung and Walker compatible with this duality. We needed these results to support our work on incidence algebras and Möbius inversion over ∞-groupoids; we hope that they can also be of independent interest.