bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Complex network description of the ionosphere
Authors: Lu Shikun , Zhang Hao , Li Xihai , Li Yihong , Niu Chao , Yang Xiaoyun , Liu Daizhi
Published: March 2018

Abstract. Complex networks have emerged as an essential approach of geoscience to
generate novel insights into the nature of geophysical systems. To investigate
the dynamic processes in the ionosphere, a directed complex network is
constructed, based on a probabilistic graph of the vertical total electron content (VTEC) from 2012. The results of the power-law hypothesis test show
that both the out-degree and in-degree distribution of the ionospheric
network are not scale-free. Thus, the distribution of the interactions in the
ionosphere is homogenous. None of the geospatial positions play an eminently
important role in the propagation of the dynamic ionospheric processes. The
spatial analysis of the ionospheric network shows that the interconnections
principally exist between adjacent geographical locations, indicating that
the propagation of the dynamic processes primarily depends on the geospatial
distance in the ionosphere. Moreover, the joint distribution of the edge
distances with respect to longitude and latitude directions shows that the
dynamic processes travel further along the longitude than along the latitude
in the ionosphere. The analysis of “small-world-ness” indicates that the
ionospheric network possesses the small-world property, which can make the
ionosphere stable and efficient in the propagation of dynamic processes.
The Rise of ‘Illiberal’ Democracy: The Orbánization of Hungarian Political Culture
Authors: Wilkin Peter
Published: March 2018

This article examines the rise of the political right and far-right in Hungarian political culture. It highlights the contribution that world-systems analysis can bring to an historical sociological understanding of the concept of political culture, with a particular focus on contemporary Hungary. Many commentators are asking: how it can be that 30 years of democratic transition has led to the dominance in Hungary of a politics of intolerance, illiberalism and ethno-Nationalism, as manifested in both the current government, Fidesz, and the neo-fascist party, Jobbik. This paper argues that the correct way to frame the question is to ask: why, given the legacy of authoritarian social and political movements that have shaped Hungary’s modern history, should a stable, liberal, political culture emerge after communism? Instead what the paper shows is that the goals of classical liberalism and a liberal political culture have long been destroyed by three factors: capitalism; the nation-state; and the persistence of traditional and sometimes irrational forms of social hierarchy, prejudice and authority. Hungary’s current Orbánisation reflects an on-going tension between liberal and illiberal tendencies, the latter being part of the foundations of the modern world-system. Rather than viewing Hungary as a dangerous exception to be quarantined by the European Union, it should be recognised that the political right in Hungary is linked to broader trends across the world-system that foster intolerance and other anti-enlightenment and socially divisive tendencies. Political cultures polarised by decades of neoliberal reforms and in which there is no meaningful socialist alternative have reduced Hungary’s elite political debates to the choice of either neoliberalism or ethnonationalism, neither of which is likely to generate socially progressive solutions to its current problems.
Review of Building the Urban Environment: Visions of the Organic City in the United States, Europe, and Latin America
Authors: Lopez-Morales Ernesto
Published: March 2018

n/a
Review of Planetary Gentrification
Authors: Parnreiter Christof
Published: March 2018

n/a
Dataset Review—Zooniverse, the online repository for Citizen Science
Authors: Manning Patrick
Published: March 2018

n/a
Editors' Introduction
Authors: Smith Jackie , Bair Jennifer , Manning Patrick , McDermott Joshua , Ruvolo David
Published: March 2018

Introduction to Volume 24 Issue 1
Review of Global Cities, Local Streets: Everyday Diversity from New York to Shanghai
Authors: Arkaraprasertkul Non
Published: March 2018

n/a
Utilization of Natural Zeolites as Cu (Ii) and Zn (Ii) Adsorbent
Authors: Dewi Evi Mutiara , Suwardi . , Suryaningtyas Dyah Tjahyandari , Anwar Syaiful
Published: March 2018

This research was aimed to determine the differences of physical and chemical characteristics from three natural zeolites from Tasikmalaya, Bayah and Lampung areas and to examine the characteristics of the natural zeolite adsorption capability to the micro-nutrients. The zeolite characterization analysis included some variables i.e. mineral types, morphologyand pH, CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity), BSP (Base Saturation Point), Cu and Zn content of zeolite.  Analysis of natural zeolite adsorption characteristics were done by Batch System. Data interpretation were done by  using the isothermal adsorption equation of Langmuir, Freundlich and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET).The results showed that zeolite from Bayah and Tasikmalaya had a similiar morphology and it was categorized as mordenite types and platy structure, while zeolite from Lampung was a clinoptilolite type and tabular structure. The CEC of Tasikmalaya zeolite (137.58 cmol(-)kg-1) was higher than Bayah (96.75 cmol(-)kg-1) and Lampung (87.72 cmol(-)kg-1). Adsorption capability at the Langmuir equation of Cu by Bayah zeolite (47.619 mg g-1) was higher than Lampung (33.333 mgg-1) and Tasikmalaya (28.571 mg g-1). Effective adsorption of Zn by Bayah zeolite 19.417 mg g-1 was higher than  Lampung (16.949 mg g-1) and Tasikmalaya (1.395 mg g-1).
Turkish version of the Survey of Attitudes toward Statistics: Factorial Structure Invariance by Gender
Authors: Emmioglu Sarikaya Esma , Ok Ahmet , Capa Aydin Yesim , Schau Candace
Published: March 2018

This study examines factorial structure and the gender invariance of the Turkish version of the Survey of Attitudes toward Statistics (SATS-36). The SATS-36 has 36 items measuring six components: affect, cognitive competence, value, difficulty, effort, and interest. Data were collected from 347 university students. Results showed that the Turkish version of the SATS-36 had a six-factor structure and it was gender invariant. Internal consistency coefficients supported good score reliability for the subscales of the SATS-36.
Can a National Requirement Affect the Gender-Balance Approach?
Authors: Nardo Maria Teresa , Mazzotta Romilda
Published: March 2018

In 2009, Italian law required, at public administration, to provides a report on performance and gender. We ask how regulatory provision has affected Italian regions, because these last have a special responsibility in the adoption of standards related to gender. The aim of the paper is to fill up the information gap existing and to investigate practices adopted as a result of national legislation. The results show that the implementation of gender budget is timidly brought by Italian region. Therefore, we conclude that the presence of a standard does not necessarily create the conditions for public administration to adopt a gender approach, and more attention to the gender issue is required.
Market Knowledge Management and Performance in Mexican Small Business
Authors: Pinzon-Castro Sandra Yesenia , Maldonado-Guzman Gonzalo , Marin-Aguilar Jose Trinidad
Published: March 2018

Market knowledge management is a relatively new construct in the current literature of business and management sciences. It is considered by some researchers and scholars as a possible miracle cure not only to obtain more and better results in small enterprises but also to improve significantly their level of business return. Similarly, the adoption and implementation of market knowledge management allow small enterprises to achieve more and better competitive advantages, a better market ranking and a significant increase in their business return. Therefore, this empirical research aims to analyze the prevailing relation between market knowledge management and the level of business return in small enterprises. In order to do this, a sample of 364 small and medium-sized enterprises was used from Aguascalientes State (Mexico). The results obtained show that market knowledge management has a positive and significant influence in the business return of small enterprises.
Corporate Philanthropy and Innovation Performance
Authors: Jiang Shaoyan , Mi Jingwen , Tao Xiaohui , Hu Wanwan
Published: March 2018

Corporate Philanthropy and innovation performance are the focuses of enterprise research in recent years. Based on resource dependence theory and information disclosure theory, the paper explores the impact of philanthropic donations on innovation performance. Through the quantitative data analysis of 319 enterprises in China, the results show that: (1) There is an obviously positive correlation between philanthropic donations and innovation performance, which will be affected by the scale of enterprises. (2) The disclosure of philanthropic information will weaken the promotion effect of philanthropic donation on innovation performance. The conclusion of the study made a useful extension of the existing philanthropic donation literature and provided a theoretical basis for the philanthropic practice of the enterprise.
Analyzing the Effect of Entrepreneurial Characteristics to Maximize the Architectural Design Quality Value in Greater Amman Municipality (Case Study)
Authors: Alhalalmeh Mohammad Izzat , Al-khafaj Neameh Abbas , Al shalabi Feras Suliman
Published: March 2018

The study aims to analyze the impact of entrepreneurial characteristics represented in (the need for achievement, self-confidence, take the initiative, independence, responsibility, willingness to take risks, and experience) to maximize the architectural design quality value related to (the value of the design interest in the environment changes - durability -, good interior design - benefit - and the aesthetic design). The hypotheses have been tested by adopting answers from engineers working in the Greater Amman Municipality, (250 engineers), using the multiple linear regression analysis. The study finds that the entrepreneurial characteristics represented in (the need for achievement, self-confidence, take the initiative, independence, responsibility, the willingness to take risks, and experience) have an impact on the value of architectural design quality in general and on its sub-value in particular. This demonstrates that maximizing the architectural design quality value depends on analyzing the impact of entrepreneurial characteristics of engineers partially.
Corporate Board and Upper Echelons: The Case of the American Most Admired Firms
Authors: Dhaouadi Karima
Published: March 2018

The purpose of the paper is to study the effect of board effectiveness on the Top Management Team demographic characteristics of 274 American firms. The research mobilizes theoretically the upper echelons, the agency and the cognitive theories and empirically the clustering and the discriminating analysis. The results indicate that the TMT demographic attributes are not tied systematically to the board efficiency according to contractual approach of corporate governance. The relationship between the board characteristics and the TMT traits is not linear. The study contributes to corporate governance knowledge by highlighting the strategic role of the boards dealing with the TMT choice.
The Effect of Strategic Management on the Organizational Performance Using the Balance Scorecards Approach to Measure Performance: A Case Study in the Nursing Department at Al-Khalidi Hospital and Medical Center
Authors: Said Qarah Qarashay Dina Mohamed , Ali Alzubi Feras
Published: March 2018

Organizations nowadays are increasingly impracing in using strategic management to improve their performance, this study has mainly focused on the impact of the strategic management on the performance of Al Khalidi Hospital and Medical Center (KHMC), based on the using of the Balanced Scorecard as a measuring tool, regression analysis results Indicates the existence of a strong positive impact of strategic management on performance.The main findings in this study that the internal process perspective is the most affected perspective in the strategic management, and that the strategic management have a positive impact on the performance in (KHMC). The four perspective of the balanced score card is an effective tool to measure the performance by objective achievement.
Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 13 No. 4
Authors: Lee Stephen
Published: March 2018

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 13 No. 4, 2018
Implications of Network Structure on Small Firms’ Performance: Evidence from Italy
Authors: Rubino Michele , Vitolla Filippo
Published: March 2018

The aim of this paper is to examine whether and how some structural characteristics of the Italian Network contract (NC) influence small firms’ performance. Since the ‘70s Italy has had a long history of network alliances characterized by the establishment of the industrial districts. However, this type of informal agreements have proved to be inadequate to counter the effects of globalization and of the changes that have occured in the international economic scenario. Consequently, the legislator has enacted the law n. 33/2009 by introducing a new type of formal agreement, named NC, in order to increase firms' competitiveness. Research findings on the Italian NC have shown the existence of positive effects on firms’ performance. However, in most cases the analyses have been based on a limited number of firms and have not verified the influence of some network structural characteristics. This research wishes to fill this gap by increasing the existing literature on the subject. The empirical analysis, based on a firm level panel data, highlights that in networks composed of small firms the results are not always consistent with prior studies. Network characteristics differently influence the firms’ performance measures. The analysis shows that network diversity and network's geographical openness are negatively related to firms’ performance. Instead, network size has a limited impact on firms' performance expressed only by the ROA.
Developing Lexical Competence Through Literature: A Study of Intermediate Students of Pakistan
Authors: Din Muhammad , Ghani Mamuna
Published: March 2018

This study brings to light the fact how much teaching English through literature renders any pay off in developing and honing the EFL/ESL learners’ lexical competence. This study strives to investigate the role of literature in developing the ESL/EFL learners’ lexical competence, find out the ESL/EFL learners’ attitude towards teaching lexical competence through literature, know the lexical competence level of the ESL learners, examine ESL/EFL learners’ vocabulary knowledge and get insight into the difference between the ESL/EFL learners’ receptive and productive knowledge of vocabulary. In the Pakistani context, literature seems to be inadequate language teaching tool at HSSC level. To achieve the set objectives, the researcher went for the quantitative research methodology. So, a questionnaire comprising of 15 items encompassing the different aspects of vocabulary was designed to collect data from 600 subjects (male/female) of intermediate level. The researcher has also conducted “Vocabulary Level Test” and “Word Associate Test” as achievement tests. The collected data were analyzed through software package (SPSS XX). The findings of this study explicitly reveal that the EFL learners remain unable to develop lexical competence when they are taught English through literature. This study recommends that the teaching of English should be application oriented and task-based strategies and activities should be resorted to by the EL educators.
Consumer Surplus from Energy Transitions
Authors: Fouquet Roger
Published: March 2018

Energy transitions have led to major advances in human wellbeing. However, little evidence exists about the scale of the net benefits. By developing a new method for identifying the demand curve, this paper estimates the consumer surplus associated with heating, transport and lighting over more than two hundred years and identifies the gains from key energy transitions. For certain energy transitions, the increase was dramatic, reflecting the transformations in society and lifestyles that mobility and illumination provided in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Yet, the net benefits related to heating technologies only rose modestly. Finally, due to saturation effects of the demand for energy services, future technological developments and energy transitions may benefit consumers (though not necessarily society as a whole) less than those in the past.
Uitsluiten van ontbinding en vernietiging in overnamecontracten
Authors: Van den Bergh M.J.E.
Published: March 2018

Uitsluiten van ontbinding en vernietiging in overnamecontracten

De auteur gaat in op de in het overnamecontract veelgebruikte bepalingen waarmee ontbinding en vernietiging worden uitgesloten. De juridische achtergrond en de praktische zin van dergelijke clausules wordt besproken en er komen enkele voorbeelden uit de jurisprudentie aan bod.
Verwacht altijd het onverwachte
Authors: Spanjaard J.H.M.
Published: March 2018

Verwacht altijd het onverwachte

In deze bijdrage bespreekt de auteur het arrest van de Hoge Raad inzake gemeente Bronckhorst. Het arrest ging om de onvoorziene omstandigheden. De Hoge Raad herhaalt zijn vaste lijn dat trouw aan het gegeven woord voorop staat. Voor wijziging van de overeenkomst op grond van onvoorziene omstandigheden is slechts in uitzonderingsgevallen plaats. De auteur onderzoekt of de zogeheten material adverse change clausule soelaas had kunnen bieden.
Nog een update rechtspraak over het non-concurrentiebeding in de franchiseovereenkomst
Authors: Kolenbrander J.H.
Published: March 2018

Nog een update rechtspraak over het non-concurrentiebeding in de franchiseovereenkomst

Geschillen tussen franchisegevers en franchisenemers over postcontractuele non-concurrentiebedingen in de franchiseovereenkomst blijven met de nodige regelmaat terugkomen in de rechtspraak. Dat is ook niet verwonderlijk, omdat het antwoord op de vraag of een ex-franchisenemer al dan niet gebonden is aan een dergelijk beding aanzienlijke gevolgen kan hebben voor zowel de ex-franchisenemer zelf als de franchisegever en de andere franchisenemers. In dit artikel wordt een samenvatting gegeven van recente jurisprudentie.
Duodenal-Type Follicular Lymphoma: A Clinicopathologic Review
Authors: Marks Etan , Shi Yang
Published: March 2018

Duodenal-type follicular lymphoma (D-FL) is a newly recognized entity in the 2016 World Health Organization classification update. It has an immunophenotype similar to that of other FLs and usually carries the typical t(14;18)(q32;q21) translocation. However, unlike other FLs, D-FL is almost always diagnosed at a low stage and stays localized to the small intestine, most commonly the second portion of the duodenum, whereas the vast majority of other FLs are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Additionally, D-FL gene expression and pathogenesis appear to be more closely related to extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue than to other types of FL. Therefore, many oncologists have opted to treat this variant of FL in a “watch and wait” manner because of its excellent prognosis and the rarity of D-FL to progress even when no treatments are attempted.
Chemical, electrochemical and tribological study of various olive oils and their behaviour on steel
Authors: Cesiulis Henrikas , Žilinskas Albinas , Padgurskas Juozas , Kreivaitis Raimondas , Rukuiža Raimundas
Published: March 2018

The influence of different chemical composition and physical properties of olive oils, produced from various districts in Morocco with various acidic numbers (from 1.76 to 18.01), on their tribological performance and corrosion protection has been investigated. The chemical composition was determined by means of IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The investigated olive oils show small quantitative and qualitative differences between each other (the amount of free fatty acids and the composition of fatty acids in triglycerides). The spectroscopic data let us unambiguously determine in general that the main fatty acids in oils are saturated palmitic and/or stearic acids, unsaturated oleic and linoleic acids except linolenic acid. The oxidation stability of oils was estimated. The contact angle measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data show that all films of olive oils on the surfaces of steels are porous; therefore, the values of corrosion inhibition efficiency are relatively low and ranged from 57 to 75%. The variations of friction coefficients and their mean values, the wear of steel covered by olive oils were estimated. The oils with the highest oxidation stability also show better lubricating properties.
The Problem of Unobserved Anomalies
Authors: Park Seungbae
Published: March 2018

Scientific antirealism, the view that successful theories are empirically adequate, is untenable in light of the problem of unobserved anomalies that since past scientists could not observe the anomalies that caused the replacement of past theories with present theories, present scientists cannot observe the anomalies either that will cause the replacement of present theories with future theories. There are several moves that antirealists would be tempted to make to get around the problem of unobserved anomalies. All of them, however, are problematic.
Eugene Thacker’s Conception of Negative Correlation Regarding Quentin Meillassoux’s Speculative Materialism
Authors: Diržys Adas
Published: March 2018

The current article deals with the analysis of the recently proposed ontological possibility to think the thing-in-itself. Quentin Meillassoux’s speculative materialism is explained in relation with Eugene Thacker’s critique of vitalistic correlation which is assumed as a broader attempt of thinking to transcend itself. The latter analysis manifests the limit of Meillassoux’s project optimism, concerning the ordering of necessity of contingency, situated through the epistemological conditioning of possibilities. In this part, contingent logic requires the full apprehension of the possibility to be otherwise despite the determination of logical probabilism. The article ends with the explanation of Thacker’s suggestion of the new mediation theory based on the excommunication (the negative communication act) as the primal condition of every speculative approach.
Heidegger’s Twofold Treatment of Modern Technology
Authors: Mickevičius Tomas Nemunas
Published: March 2018

In this article the twofoldness of Heidegger’s treatment of modern technology is presented. Firstly, it is shown that one can trace the line of thinking on modern technology from the earliest to the latest of Heidegger’s thinking periods. Though Heidegger claimed that it was firstly the task to understand the essence of modern technology that concerned him, it is still possible to discern basic trends of treatment or evaluation of modern technology in his thinking. On the one hand, the Heideggerian critique of modern technoscientific revelation of reality is presented: Heidegger stressed not only the negative practical consequences of technology as ecological crisis but also ontological ones as the disappearance of the experience of Being itself. The program of the overcoming of technology is presented as well as some examples of the alternatives. On the other hand, the positive or appropriative treatment of modern technology is presented. The fragmentary suggestions that it is precisely the modern technological revealing of reality that prepares the way for the authentic experience of Being are developed by connecting them with early Heidegger’s claim that it is the basic experience of production that forms the conceptual horizon of Western culture. The possibility that this line of Heideggerian thinking might help to understand and articulate such important phenomena of current technoscientific condition as synthetic biology is mentioned.
Emergence of Public Philosophy in the East-Central European Urban(e) Cultures: a Hungarian Case
Authors: Mester Béla
Published: March 2018

This article offers an analysis of the nation–city, country–capital relationship in the 19th-century East-Central European nation building in a framework of a case study on the question of the Hungarian Scholarly Society (now: Hungarian Academy of Sciences) about the role and function of the cities and towns of Hungary in the development of the Hungarian national culture. The work of the winner, János Hetényi, published in 1841, has found the equilibrium between the topics of the city and nation as ideal wholes, within a framework of a historical analysis of the urbanity of the public philosophy. This model of the urban(e) nation, organized by the cities as cultural centres was worked out in the optimistic decades of the Hungarian Reform Era (1825–1848), only; on its margins has appeared the known elements of the cultural criticism of the next epochs, such as the topics of a sinful and (ethnically) alien city.
Visuality 2017: Tourism vs Heritage in a Creative City
Authors: Keciorytė Vitalija , Stasiulis Nerijus
Published: March 2018

The article reviews the fourth international scientific conference “Visuality 2017: Tourism vs Heritage in a Creative City”. The text presents the course of the conference and the ideas of the speakers which covered a variety of related topics. The conference discussed the issues that arise in the creative city in both broad theoretical and specific practical terms. For instance, theoretical analyses of practical (political, everyday) debates on dealing with the Soviet cultural heritage in the region of Eastern Europe were proposed alongside novel approaches to multimedia technologies and their role in enhancing attractiveness and approachability of the creative city. Multiple ways of turning one’s being creative in a city as well as ways of seeing the creative city were discussed or suggested.
Étude des pratiques évaluatives en mathématiques de 25 professeurs des écoles français : une approche didactique à partir de l’analyse des tâches données en évaluation
Authors: Sayac Nathalie
Published: March 2018

Alors que des recommandations institutionnelles en matière d’évaluation ont récemment été émises en France, les pratiques évaluatives en mathématiques des professeurs des écoles sont encore peu connues. Nous avons adopté une approche didactique pour étudier ces pratiques évaluatives en considérant plus spécifiquement la nature et la complexité des tâches mathématiques proposées par les professeurs durant les évaluations données en classe. Nous avons ainsi appliqué un outil didactique décliné en facteurs de complexité et de compétence pour analyser les tâches données en évaluation par 25 professeurs qui ont constitué notre échantillon. Cet outil nous a permis de réaliser que ces tâches étaient, dans une grande majorité, d’un faible niveau de complexité et de compétence, et qu’elles correspondaient presque exclusivement à des tâches que les élèves avaient réalisées lors des séances ayant précédé l’évaluation. Cette étude a également mis à jour des éléments liés aux compétences des professeurs en évaluation.
La défense des droits des travailleuses et travailleurs1. Enjeux et défis d’une mobilisation collective à Montréal
Authors: MALHAIRE Loïc , CASTRACANI Lucio , HANLEY Jill
Published: March 2018

L’article explore les enjeux de deux campagnes de mobilisation réalisées au Centre des travailleuses et travailleurs immigrants (CTI), auprès de personnes (1) immigrantes permanentes insérées en agence de placement et (2) migrantes temporaires. À partir de données collectées parparticipation observanteet complétées par des entretiens semi-directifs, nous restituons une chronologie des deux actions collectives dont nous analysons les défis et les stratégies. Les résultats montrent que ces deux mobilisations constituent des réponses alternatives et complémentaires à des syndicats inopérants pour rejoindre la main-d’oeuvre précaire immigrante. Premièrement, le CTI offre les ressources humaines et matérielles nécessaires pour le développement du leadership des personnes qui deviennent sujet de droit et acteur de leur lutte. Cette dimension citoyenne semble d’ailleurs tout aussi importante pour les travailleurs que l’amélioration de leurs conditions matérielles de travail. De plus, les deux campagnes montrent une complémentarité entre la défense individuelle et collective de la main-d’oeuvre. D’autre part, les collaborations menées avec un syndicat révèlent un rapprochement stratégique entre deux organisations dont les ressources et les expertises sont complémentaires, renforçant aussi la légitimité du CTI. Cependant, l’engagement communautaire du syndicat reste marginal et produit des effets limités quant aux résultats des campagnes et à la possibilité de transformer profondément ses pratiques. Enfin, l’informalité des rapports de travail qui concernent les deux catégories d’immigrants, oblige à composer avec des moyens tout aussi informels pour appuyer leur organisation, rendant nécessaire le réseautage communautaire, religieux et culturel.
The risk of hospitalization for respiratory tract infection (RTI) in children who are treated with high-dose IVIG in Kawasaki Disease: a nationwide population-based matched cohort study
Authors: Lei Wei-Te , Lin Chien-Yu , Kao Yu-Hsuan , Lee Cheng-Hung , Lin Chao-Hsu , Shyur Shyh-Dar , Yang Kuender-Der , Chen Jian-Han
Published: March 2018

Background

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an immune-mediated systemic vasculitis, and infection plays an important role in the pathophysiology of KD. The susceptibility to infectious disease in patients with KD remains largely unclear. This study aimed to investigate the risk of respiratory tract infection (RTI)-related hospitalizations in children with KD.

Methods

Data from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database was analyzed. We excluded patients with history of congenital abnormality, allergic diseases, or hospitalization history. Children with KD were selected as KD group and age- and sex-matched non-KD patients were selected as control group with 1:4 ratio. Both cohorts were tracked for one year to investigate the incidences of RTI-related hospitalizations. Cox regression hazard model was used to adjust for confounding factors and calculate the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR).

Results

Between January 1996 and December 2012, 4,973 patients with KD were identified as the KD group and 19,683 patients were enrolled as the control group. An obviously reduced risk of RTI-related hospitalizations was observed in KD patients (aHR: 0.75, 95% CI [0.66–0.85]). The decreased risk persisted through the first six-months follow-up period with a peak protection in 3–6 months (aHR: 0.49, 95% CI [0.37–0.64]).

Conclusions

KD patients had approximately half reduction of risk for RTI-related hospitalizations. The protective effects persisted for at least six months. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the entire mechanism and investigate the influences of intravenous immunoglobulin.
Satellite‐Based Assessment of Rainfall‐Triggered Landslide Hazard for Situational Awareness
Authors: Kirschbaum Dalia , Stanley Thomas
Published: March 2018

Determining the time, location, and severity of natural disaster impacts is fundamental to formulating mitigation strategies, appropriate and timely responses, and robust recovery plans. A Landslide Hazard Assessment for Situational Awareness (LHASA) model was developed to indicate potential landslide activity in near real‐time. LHASA combines satellite‐based precipitation estimates with a landslide susceptibility map derived from information on slope, geology, road networks, fault zones, and forest loss. Precipitation data from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission are used to identify rainfall conditions from the past 7 days. When rainfall is considered to be extreme and susceptibility values are moderate to very high, a “nowcast” is issued to indicate the times and places where landslides are more probable. When LHASA nowcasts were evaluated with a Global Landslide Catalog, the probability of detection (POD) ranged from 8% to 60%, depending on the evaluation period, precipitation product used, and the size of the spatial and temporal window considered around each landslide point. Applications of the LHASA system are also discussed, including how LHASA is used to estimate long‐term trends in potential landslide activity at a nearly global scale and how it can be used as a tool to support disaster risk assessment. LHASA is intended to provide situational awareness of landslide hazards in near real‐time, providing a flexible, open‐source framework that can be adapted to other spatial and temporal scales based on data availability.
Oxidative Weathering Decreases Bioaccessibility of Toxic Metal(loid)s in PM10 Emissions From Sulfide Mine Tailings
Authors: Thomas Andrew N. , Root Robert A. , Lantz R. Clark , Sáez A. Eduardo , Chorover Jon
Published: March 2018

Environmental contamination from legacy mine waste deposits is a persistent problem due to the long history of hard‐rock mining. Sulfide ore deposits can contain elevated levels of toxic metal(loid)s that, when mobilized by weathering upon O2 and H2O infusion, can result in groundwater contamination. Dry climate and lack of vegetative cover result in near‐surface pedogenic processes that produce fine‐particulate secondary minerals that can be translocated as geodusts leading to ingestion or inhalation exposure in nearby communities. In this study, in vitro bioassays were combined with synchrotron‐based X‐ray spectroscopy and diffraction to determine the potential risk for toxic element release from dust (PM10) samples into biofluid simulants. PM10 were isolated from across the oxidative reaction front in the top meter of tailings subjected to 50 years of weathering under semiarid climate and introduced to synthetic gastric and alveolar fluids. Aqueous concentrations were measured as a function of reaction time to determine release kinetics. X‐ray diffraction and absorption spectroscopy analyses were performed to assess associated changes in mineralogy and elemental speciation. In vitro bioaccessibility of arsenic and lead was highest in less‐weathered tailings samples (80–110 cm) and lowest in samples from the suboxic transition zone (40–52 cm). Conversely, zinc release to biofluids was greatest in the highly weathered near‐surface tailings. Results indicate that bioaccessibility of As and Pb was controlled by (i) the solubility of Fe2+‐bearing solids, (ii) the prevalence of soluble SO42−, and (iii) the presence of poorly crystalline Fe(III) oxide sorbents, whereas Zn bioaccessibility was controlled by the pH‐dependent solubility of the stable solid phase.
An improved adaptive dynamic surface control approach for uncertain nonlinear systems
Authors: Zhang Zhikai , Duan Guangren , Hou Mingzhe
Published: March 2018

Dynamic surface control (DSC) was developed to eliminate the “explosion of complexity” problem in backstepping procedure. However, as demonstrated in this paper, the obtained results by the existing DSC technique are somewhat conservative, which may pose difficulties in system debugging for realistic applications. This work addresses a modification that yields an improved adaptive DSC approach for tracking control of a class of semi‐strict feedback systems. The new method introduces nonlinear adaptive filters instead of the first‐order low pass ones to avoid repeatedly differentiating the virtual control signals. Meanwhile, novel flat zone introduced Lyapunov functions, which have dead zones in the prespecified neighborhood of the origin, are employed to design and analyze the improved robust adaptive control law. As a result, the developed control scheme exhibits three distinct features in comparison with the existing DSC strategy as follows: (1) global rather than semiglobal tracking is achieved even in the presence of nonlinear function nonlinearities; (2) the ultimate tracking accuracy can be exactly known before the controller is implemented; and (3) the ranges of the design parameters to guarantee the closed‐loop stability and ultimate tracking accuracy can be completely determined a priori, and the design parameters can be freely chosen from the feasible ranges to improve the control performance. Finally, two examples are presented to confirm the effectiveness of the established approach.
Analysis of state laws on informed consent for clinical genetic testing in the era of genomic sequencing
Authors: Spector‐Bagdady Kayte , Prince Anya E. R. , Yu Joon‐Ho , Appelbaum Paul S.
Published: March 2018

This article assesses the adequacy of informed consent to clinical genetic testing laws based on an examination of 15 states with institutions that had been involved in a National Institutes of Health‐supported Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research Consortium project. We identified relevant statutory provisions through a legal search engine and included statutes that describe the informed consent requirements for clinical genetic testing and/or the protections for genetic material, information, or data. We found that statutory definitions were often limited in problematic ways, such as focusing only on variants known to be associated with disease or negative health effects or associated with asymptomatic disease. Some statutes required complex levels of detail if applied to genomic technologies and set confusing disclosure standards for current use and future access. Others had exceptions from informed consent requirements for future research use, limited requirements for the destruction of specimens as opposed to derived data, or linked key definitional components to the evolving concept of “identifiability.” Further reform and research are needed to ensure that state law protections advance as rapidly as the science they aspire to enable.
Metal‐Free Sulfonylation of α,β‐Conjugated Systems by Using Sulfonyl Hydrazides
Authors: Aegurla Balakrishna , Peddinti Rama Krishna
Published: March 2018

A facile iodine/tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP)‐mediated protocol has been developed for the formation of C(sp2)−SO2 and C(sp3)−SO2 bonds through a radical pathway and an ionic pathway, respectively. The denitrative sulfono functionalization (DNSF) of β‐nitrostyrenes with arylsulfonyl hydrazides under solvent‐ and base‐free conditions has been described. The DNSF process appears to proceed through an addition–elimination pathway. The sulfonylation of olefins that contain electron‐withdrawing groups was also examined under solvent‐free conditions and afforded the corresponding alkenyl sulfones through the elimination of HI from the β‐sulfonyl iodo intermediate. The hydrosulfonylation of chalcones and β‐nitrostyrenes proceeded in the presence of an organic base in acetonitrile through a sulfa‐Michael addition.
Acoustic variation of spider monkeys’ contact calls (whinnies) is related to distance between vocalizing individuals and immediate caller behavior
Authors: Ordóñez‐Gómez José D. , Santillán‐Doherty Ana M. , Fischer Julia , Hammerschmidt Kurt
Published: March 2018

Due to several factors such as ecological conditions, group size, and social organization, primates frequently spend time out of visual contact with individuals of their own group. Through the use of long‐distance vocalizations, often termed “contact calls,” primates are able to maintain contact with out‐of‐sight individuals. Contact calls have been shown to be individually distinct, and reverberation and attenuation provide information about caller distance. It is less clear, however, whether callers actively change the structure of contact calls depending on the distance to the presumed listeners. We studied this question in spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), a species with complex spatial dynamics (fission‐fusion society) that produces highly frequency modulated contact calls, denominated “whinnies.” We determined the acoustic characteristics of 566 whinnies recorded from 35 free‐ranging spider monkeys that belong to a community located in Mexico, and used cluster analyses, discriminant function analyses, and generalized linear mixed models to assess if they varied in relation to the presumed distance to the listener. Whinnies could be grouped into five subtypes. Since the lowest frequency subtype was mainly produced by spider monkeys that exchanged whinnies at longer distances, and lower frequency calls propagate across longer distances, our results suggest that whinnies vary in order to enhance vocal contact between individuals separated by different distances. Our results also revealed that whinnies convey potential information about caller immediate behaviors and corroborated that these calls are individually distinct. Overall, our results suggest that whinny acoustic variation facilitates the maintenance of vocal contact between individuals living in a society with complex spatial dynamics.
Morphological integration of anatomical, developmental, and functional postcranial modules in the crab‐eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
Authors: Conaway Mark A. , Schroeder Lauren , von Cramon‐Taubadel Noreen
Published: March 2018

Objectives

Integration and modularity reflect the coordinated action of past evolutionary processes and, in turn, constrain or facilitate phenotypic evolvability. Here, we analyze magnitudes of integration in the macaque postcranium to test whether 20 a priori defined modules are (1) more tightly integrated than random sets of postcranial traits, and (2) are differentiated based on mode of definition, with developmental modules expected to be more integrated than functional or anatomical modules.

Materials and Methods

The 3D morphometric data collected for eight limb and girdle bones for 60 macaques were collated into anatomical, developmental, and functional modules. A resampling technique was used to create random samples of integration values for each module for statistical comparison.

Results

Our results found that not all a priori defined modules were more strongly integrated than random samples of postcranial traits and that specific types of modules did not present consistent patterns of integration. Rather, girdle and joint modules were consistently less integrated than limb modules, and forelimb elements were less integrated than hindlimbs.

Discussion

The results suggest that morphometrically complex modules tend to be less integrated than simple limb bones, irrespective of the number of available traits. However, differences in integration of the fore‐ and hindlimb more likely reflects the multitude of locomotory, feeding, and social functions involved. It remains to be tested whether patterns of integration identified here are primate universals, and to what extent they vary depending on phylogenetic or functional factors.
The timing and causes of a unique chimpanzee community fission preceding Gombe's “Four‐Year War”
Authors: Feldblum Joseph T. , Manfredi Sofia , Gilby Ian C. , Pusey Anne E.
Published: March 2018

Objectives

While permanent group fissions are documented in humans and other primate species, they are relatively rare in male philopatric primates. One of the few apparent cases occurred in 1973 in Gombe National Park, Tanzania, when a community of chimpanzees split into two separate groups, preceding the famous “Four‐Year War.” We tested the hypothesis that the original group was a single cohesive community that experienced permanent fission, and investigated several potential catalysts.

Materials and Methods

We calculated association, grooming, and ranging metrics from historical data and used community detection algorithms and matrix permutation tests to determine the timing, dynamics, and causes of changes in social network subgrouping structure.

Results

We found that the two communities indeed split from one cohesive community, albeit one with incipient subgrouping. The degree of subgrouping in grooming and association networks increased sharply in 1971 and 1972, a period characterized by a dominance struggle between three high‐ranking males and unusually high male:female sex ratios. Finally, we found a relationship between post‐split community membership and previous association, grooming and ranging patterns in most periods of analysis, one that became more pronounced as the fission approached.

Discussion

Our analysis suggests that the community began to split during a time of an unusually male‐biased sex ratio and a protracted dominance struggle, and that adult males remained with those with whom they had preferentially associated prior to the split. We discuss the costs and benefits of group membership in chimpanzees and contrast these results with group fissions in humans and other taxa.
Comparison of masticatory performance and tongue pressure between children and young adults
Authors: Fujita Yuko , Ichikawa Maika , Hamaguchi Ayako , Maki Kenshi
Published: March 2018

The aims of the present study were to evaluate whether there are significant differences in masticatory performance by gender and dental stage. We also determined the factors directly associated with the masticatory performance in children, and those directly associated with masticatory performance in young adults. The study included 180 subjects, ranging in age from 6 to 12 years or 20 to 33 years. The subjects were divided into three groups according to the Hellman developmental stage (III A, III B, or VA); the groups were the subdivided according to gender. The body mass index (BMI), maximum tongue pressure, and sum of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) were determined in all subjects. To investigate masticatory performance, the total number and maximum projected area of chewed particles of the jelly materials were measured. Masticatory performance had the highest values at Stage VA in both males and females. Regarding the maximum tongue pressure in females, Stage III B had the highest value of all stages. Multiple regression analysis showed that masticatory performance was associated with DMFT index, maximum tongue pressure, and BMI in children. Among young adults, masticatory performance was associated with DMFT index and maximum tongue pressure. Better masticatory performance is directly associated with better dental status, a higher BMI, and tongue pressure in schoolchildren. Additionally, masticatory performance was well‐correlated with tongue pressure in young adults, although maximum tongue pressure reached its peak before Stage VA in females. We suggest that females need training with respect to tongue pressure, by the mixed dentition stage.