bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Third‐Culture Building
Authors: Chuang Rueyling
Published: December 2017

This entry provides a succinct theoretical overview and delineation of the third‐culture building (TCB) theory popularized by Fred Casmir. Casmir challenged the assumptions of traditional, rational, modern, and etic approaches to studying intercultural communication. He proposed a TCB model, which focuses on dialectic, interactive, emic, mutually beneficial, and multilayered intercultural transformation. The TCB metatheory model comprises five cyclic phases: (a) intrapersonal/intracultural communication; (b) interpersonal/intercultural communication; (c) rhetorical/intercultural communication; (d) metacultural communication; and (e) intracultural communication. Theoretical implications of TCB include examining intercultural and international encounters from a dynamic, dialectical, mutually interdependent vantage point, and asserting intercultural adaptation as a fluid, multifaceted, and postmodern process, which is not static nor an end‐state. This entry addresses major theoretical tenets, applications, and criticism of TCB. It also traverses past, present, and future directions of TCB.
Intercultural Communication Study in Finland
Authors: Salo‐Lee Liisa , Crawford Barbara J.
Published: December 2017

Intercultural communication (ICC) studies in Finnish higher education can be divided into three distinct but overlapping stages: (a)
national, with dawning internationalization
(1980s), single ICC courses in various disciplines and by individual researchers with international networks and research projects. The predominant research perspectives were cross‐cultural and comparative; (b)
internationalization
(1990s) with intense networking and establishment of ICC programs. Finland's first interdisciplinary ICC MA program started at the University of Jyväskylä in 1997. Criticism of the cross‐cultural paradigm and ethnocentric underpinnings of ICC theories increased; and (c)
global
(2000s), ICC as an academic discipline consolidated and universities offer ICC‐related programs at all degree levels. ICC studies are challenged by globalization, mobility, migration, and digitalization, as well as the theoretical turbulence within the multidisciplinary ICC field.
Essentialism and Universalism
Authors: Strauss Robert
Published: December 2017

The term
essentialism
implies that any entity has a set of requisite attributes that are fundamental to its form and function. For example, a chair has a determined function that dictates its form. However, if one applies the concepts associated with essentialism to groups of people, there are evident problems. A person with a particular form does not have a fixed function.
Universalism
is a notion that people everywhere in the world share similar norms regardless of their environment or socialization. At first glance these two terms appear complementary. They may or may not be, but both terms and their associated concepts can be problematic in the social sciences. When observing groups of people, “forms” may appear similar, but “function” and “meaning” generally vary across cultures. Rather than discard the terms
essentialism
and
universalism
, this entry analyzes their underlying assumptions and proposes a more sophisticated usage.
Interviews, Qualitative
Authors: Prentice Carolyn M.
Published: December 2017

The interview is the basic technique of qualitative research. In contrast to a standardized interview, the qualitative interview positions the participant as an equal partner in a free‐form conversation that can lead into unexpected topics. The purpose of this conversation is to create and share meaning by inviting participants to offer their insights in the terms and forms of their own choice. Most qualitative interviews have an intercultural dimension because the researcher stands outside the culture under consideration, or perhaps stands partially in both cultures, and is attempting to create meaning that can be shared with an audience of a different culture. Qualitative interviews are used as a stand‐alone method or with other qualitative or quantitative methods to expand understanding and to provide examples of communication practices as they are enacted in cultures.
Cultural Communication Norms
Authors: Hall Bradford ‘J’
Published: December 2017

Cultural communication norms are grounded in the expected practices within a community that shares a system for making sense of the world. Norms are standards or informal rules that prescribe and proscribe behaviors associated with certain types of people with certain types of relationships. Members of cultural communities use norms to create desired impressions and to make sense of the behaviors of others. Norms help a community bond and provide a means of social control. Norms are central in recognizing and developing social identities. They can function as both a source of and resource in cultural conflict. The existence of active norms within a community is marked by members' patterns of response, tendency toward negative attributions, remedial work, and identity‐based humor. Recognizing and understanding the complex nature of cultural communication norms allows researchers to develop a more nuanced understanding of cultural communication.
Communication Modes,
D
anish
Authors: Levisen Carsten
Published: December 2017

Danish is a Scandinavian language spoken by 5–6 million speakers. The semantics and pragmatics of Danish are in many ways closer to English and the Anglosphere than to the continental European languages. At the same time Danish has its own distinctive character formed by the history of Danish discourse, which is reflected in cultural keywords, such as
hygge
“pleasant togetherness,” and in an egalitarian communicative ethos.
Communication Modes,
E
astern
E
uropean
Authors: Petkova Diana
Published: December 2017

In Eastern Europe there is a variety of languages and language groups, as well as two alphabets: the Latin and the Cyrillic scripts. Eastern Europe is composed of many different ethnic and religious communities too. In this way it is impossible to define a common Eastern European cultural model. In terms of geography, culture, and communication modes, at least three basic cultural communities can be outlined: northeastern European, Central European, and southeastern European. However, despite the big differences between the countries, there are some common discourses due to the fact that all the Eastern European nations are postcommunist societies. The first discourse is focused on the social and cultural trauma experienced in the period of socialism and often triggers hate speech. The second is based on nostalgia about the “good things” in the era of communism. And the third discourse is underlined by the constant questioning of “who we are.”
Communication Modes,Israeli‐Jewish
Authors: Katriel Tamar
Published: December 2017

Studying the elaboration of communication modes that are recognized as distinctive to Israeli‐Jewish speech culture provides insights into deeply rooted meanings and tensions that have attended the making of Israeli culture as a national and ideological project. It speaks to such basic themes as the dialectical relations between individual and community, the tension between self‐expressivity and interactional accommodation, and the balancing between social distinction and a shared ethic of recognition. These themes and dilemmas are discussed with reference to reflexively named communication modes such as confessional ‘soul talks’ (sichot nefesh), straight talk (dugrispeech), griping (kiturim), online participatory practices (tokbeks), expressive verbal appreciation (lefargen), and more. A consideration of these communication modes as they have emerged during the past century suggests a gradual shift between a communally‐oriented to an interpersonally or group‐oriented cultural focus in Israeli‐Jewish society.
Communication Modes,Japanese
Authors: McDaniel Edwin R. , Ota Hiroshi
Published: December 2017

This entry examines normative, contemporary Japanese communication modes. Japan's geographical location, topography, historical development, and relative homogeneity of population gave rise to a distinct, culturally based communication style, which influences both verbal and nonverbal behaviors. The role of culture and communication in how the Japanese manage conflict, assign responsibility, engage in decision‐making, conduct negotiations, and cognitively process problem‐solving is also explained. Several cultural constructs which influence Japanese communication behaviors are discussed.
Communication Modes,LatinAmerican/Latino
Authors: Albert Rosita , McKay‐Semmler Kelly L.
Published: December 2017

This entry covers Latin American/Latino cultural and communication patterns, and often contrasts these patterns to those ofUSAmericans and Northern Europeans. It presents the preeminent emic 'interpersonal orientation” of Latin Americans, which encompasses familism,simpatía, respect and dignity, loyalty, cooperativeness, avoidance of criticism and of negative behaviors, and “connections.” It explains where Latin American cultures fall on the etic dimensions of individualism/collectivism, power distance (including class), uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity/femininity (including gender roles). It provides information about contact (including proxemics, touch, eye contact) and other nonverbal behaviors in Latin American cultures, of their tendency to use high‐context communication, and to emphasize polychronic, present /past, and “being” orientations.
Communication Modes,NativeAmerican
Authors: Pratt Steven B. , Pratt Merry Buchanan
Published: December 2017

Cultural variability exists in all talk. Communication is considered a deeply cultural human activity. In examining Native American communication, cultural variability can be found in many areas. Ways of speaking specific to Native Americans include cultural identity, high context, and collectivism; as well as the use of silence, space, and time. Traditionally, Native American cultures have been oral cultures. This poses a unique problem for researchers of Native American communication modes. Historical, ethnographic research about Native Americans by Native Americans is lacking. Differences in worldview, judgments about who is a Native American, and beliefs about cultural identity and cultural competence are unique to the study of Native American communication modes. Future research should be directed toward communication among, with, and about Native Americans in the areas of historical trauma, health, media representation, and cultural appropriation.
Communication Modes,Russian
Authors: Gladkova Anna
Published: December 2017

This entry describes several salient modes of Russian communication: “polar” ways of talking with people one knows well and one does not know, emphasis on being “truthful” and “sincere,” and “opening up” one's soul in close interactions. Data are used from modern Standard Russian as spoken across the Russian Federation and represented in the Russian National Corpus' main written and oral subcorpora. The entry aims to represent an “insider perspective” on communication.
Communication Modes,
T
urkish
Authors: Haydari Nazan
Published: December 2017

Turkey is a country of various ethnic and religious groups where these multiplicities are reflected in heterogeneous modes of communication, structures, and practices that are historically derived from European, Ottoman, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Central Asian traditions. Communication in this entry is defined as a situated, sociocultural construction in a dialectical relationship with culture and history. Silence and silencing as modes of communication and the notion of
memleket
(“homeland”) as a communicative space are discussed to reflect on the complex interplay of communication with culture, identity, and history. Interpersonal communication and relations are mediated by but also mediate silence and
memleket
.
Intergroup Communication, Overview
Authors: Abeyta Audrey , Giles Howard
Published: December 2017

Intergroup communication is marked by the salience of one or more participants' social identities. This entry briefly reviews theoretical frameworks that assist our understanding of intergroup cognitive processes and communicative behavior (namely, social identity, self‐categorization, communication accommodation, and group vitality). Thereafter, five principles of intergroup communication are introduced as a means of integrating extant research. Together, these principles propose that: (1) communication differentiates groups; (2) portrayals of groups' history and demographics create distinctive cultures; (3) communication dynamically redefines intergroup interactions; (4) group members are strategically encouraged to acquire, or not, the communicative practices of other groups; and (5) norm‐related communication determines who leads the group and who is excluded.
Ethnophaulism
Authors: Rice Diana R.
Published: December 2017

After defining what is meant byethnophaulisms,this entry describes some of their primary characteristics, particularly the valence and complexity of words used to describe ethnic immigrant groups. This entry also describes the antecedents that lead to negative and simple ethnophaulisms targeting members of ethnic outgroups. It then addresses some of the consequences of being a target of ethnophaulisms, primarily focused on exclusion from full participation in the receiving society. Newer approaches to understanding ethnophaulisms suggest continuing research on current immigrant groups, and on incorporating social identity theory into research regarding ethnophaulisms.
Intergroup Discourse Analysis
Authors: Augoustinos Martha , Potter Jonathan
Published: December 2017

Intergroup discourse analysis has focused primarily on the text and talk of majority group members and powerful elites. Intergroup discourse is central to how speakers invoke social identities in talk and represent intergroup relations that are defined by status and power differences based on race, gender, ethnicity, age, etc. How speakers attend to and account for such differences in discourse is perceived to be intimately related to the reproduction and legitimation of social inequalities in liberal democratic societies. Intergroup discourse analysis has identified common and pervasive patterns of talk by majority group members that are seen as contributing to the continued marginalization and social exclusion of minorities. These discursive patterns include positive self and negative other presentation, denials of prejudice, discursive deracialization, and using liberal arguments to justify and legitimate inequality.
Self‐Categorization Theory
Authors: Cargile Aaron Castelán
Published: December 2017

For the first half of the 20th century, social psychological explanations for behavior were largely individualistic in nature. With the ascendance of interactionist approaches, however, individual behavior came to be understood in the context of group life. In particular, social identity theory explained that social aspects of our selves grounded the way we treated others, whereas self‐categorization theory outlined how these social selves were managed in the first place. This second theory has come to contend that although we have many different social selves, circumstances of both habit and context shift us along a continuum of identification and these shifts have important behavioral consequences. In addition to helping scholars better appreciate exactly how groups regulate individual behavior, self‐categorization theory has spawned theoretical developments (i.e., referent informational influence theory and uncertainty identity theory) that themselves explain social influence and uncertainty reduction processes in relation to social group identification.
Intercultural Communication Training, Overview
Authors: Bennett Milton J.
Published: December 2017

Intercultural communication training (ICT) is the primary application of intercultural communication theory, the study of cross‐cultural interaction at a group level of analysis. The tactical form of ICT uses culture‐general (etic) observational categories to contrast one's own to other worldviews and identify cultural differences that matter for coordinating meaning across cultural boundaries. Tactical ICT is used for sojourn preparation and improving communication in domestic or international multicultural groups. Strategic ICT attempts to derive the value of diversity by fostering a climate of respect for cultural difference. Strategic ICT is used for building creativity in multicultural groups and for fostering social justice, equity, and inclusion among people of diverse heritage. The entry summarizes key concepts, methods, and applications of ICT.
Culture Assimilator
Authors: Bhawuk Dharm P. S.
Published: December 2017

Culture assimilators are one of the most researched intercultural training tools. An assimilator consists of 50 to 100 critical incidents that capture intercultural interactions between a sojourner and a host country national that cause some cultural misunderstanding between them. At the end of each of the critical incidents, the reader is asked about the cause of the misunderstanding and is presented with four or five alternatives. Two of these alternatives represent a view from each culture, whereas the rest of the alternatives capture a range of individual differences present in either of the cultures that are usually less appropriate. Culture assimilators are of three types: culture‐specific, culture‐general, and culture theory‐based.
Intercultural Training in the Peace Corps
Authors: Storti Craig
Published: December 2017

Peace Corps intercultural training has evolved over the past five decades from a US‐based, largely area studies approach to in‐country training with a combined cultural and intercultural emphasis. The Peace Corps has relied heavily on an immersion methodology, consisting of structured exposure to the local culture followed by careful discussion and analysis to identify key learning.
Afrocentricity
Authors: Asante Molefi Kete
Published: December 2017

Afrocentricity is a contemporary paradigmatic idea usually associated with the analysis, criticism, and projection of African agency transgenerationally and transcontinentally. It was founded by Molefi Kete Asante who wrote four books on the subject over two decades marking Afrocentricity as an African intellectual idea to extend Negritude which was developing during the l930s. Asante and his compatriots in Afrocentric thinking sought to reposition cultural discourses on African phenomena from marginality to agency. Thus, the idea is to advance the notion that all phenomena, including communication, literature, art, and social and economic relations involving African people must reject the idea of Africans as victims or objects and seek the subject or centered place of Africans in the phenomena.
Critical Discourse Analysis
Authors: Aydın‐Düzgit Senem
Published: December 2017

Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is a theory and method of discourse analysis that focuses on the study of the dialectical relations between discourse and social, cultural, and political developments in different social domains. Its theoretical bases draw from Althusser's theory of ideology, Bakhtin's game theory, and in particular the Western Marxist tradition ranging from Foucauldian poststructuralism to the philosophical traditions of Gramsci and the Frankfurt School. CDA focuses specifically on the struggles for power and control through the study of competing discourses in various public spaces and different genres across time.
Cultural Essentialism and Neo‐Essentialism
Authors: Martinez Jacqueline M.
Published: December 2017

This entry provides a theoretical and historical account of cultural essentialism and neo‐essentialism as they function in the study of intercultural communication. The development of intercultural communication as an academic discipline within the US American context emerged in the mid‐20th century from a presumptive metaphysics of essence that both sustained the field and led to multiple critiques by the end of that century. These critiques emerged largely from postcolonial scholars and US American scholars of color. The “postmodern turn” and increasing influence of queer theory also played a role in the critique of cultural essentialism. Despite these many critiques, essentialism remains tacitly at work in much contemporary intercultural communication scholarship. This tacit deployment constitutes a neo‐essentialism.
Hybridity, Theories of
Authors: Uryu Michiko
Published: December 2017

The postcolonial notion of hybridity as a response to the poststructuralist “politics of knowledge” can be reconceptualized as a source of change, enhancing language, culture, and identity in the study of intercultural communication. Bridging Bhabha's theories of hybridity and the poststructuralist view of speaking subject, language, and agency, this entry elucidates the complexity and dynamic nature of intercultural communication, which takes place in the Third Space.
Intercultural Alliance
Authors: DeTurk Sara
Published: December 2017

This entry defines anintercultural allianceas a partnership of people from different social identities or cultural backgrounds who work together to promote peace, social justice, and/or intercultural understanding. It traces the concept to twentieth‐century social justice movements and links it to interdisciplinary scholarship addressing identity, relationships, social movements, power/oppression, and whiteness. Among the key questions addressed are the ways in which and extent to which people can effectively and ethically speak and work on behalf of other social identity groups, the nature of social identity itself, and how to confront challenges and tensions involving difference, commonality, power, and privilege. The entry concludes with requirements for successful alliances and new directions for alliance‐focused scholarship within the communication discipline.
Kawaida Philosophy
Authors: Karenga Maulana
Published: December 2017

Kawaida is one of the most significant and impactful philosophical initiatives to emerge in the Black Freedom Movement of the 1960s, influencing, among others, the Black Arts Movement, the Black Studies Movement, Black Power, the Black Student Movement, Afrocentricity, black theology, the Million Man March, ancient Egyptian studies, and reparations movements. It is defined as an ongoing synthesis of the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world. Developed in the midst of the ideological and practical struggles of the 1960s by activist‐scholar Maulana Karenga, Kawaida understands itself as a philosophy of life and struggle. It is self‐consciously Afrocentric and encourages ongoing dialogue with African culture, asking it questions and seeking from it answers to the fundamental issues confronting African people and humanity as a whole. Moreover, Kawaida is the philosophy out of which the global pan‐African holiday Kwanzaa and its core values, the
Nguzo Saba
(The Seven Principles), were conceived and created.
Muted Group Theory
Authors: Meares Mary
Published: December 2017

Muted group theory is the basic idea, articulated by anthropologists Ardener and Ardener, that in every society there are cultural groups who are traditionally muted—given less access than members of the dominant groups to public discourse and to having their individual and community concerns heard. This included four basic ideas: (a) that identity and reality are socially constructed; (b) that communication is the means for that construction; (c) that members of muted groups must adjust to the dominant ways of communication to get their voices heard; and (d) that resistance and change are possible. While originally this was used to explain gender differences, it has been applied to other identity groups, including racial identity.
Cognitive Styles across Cultures
Authors: Grove Cornelius N.
Published: December 2017

Cognitive style has an established meaning and an emerging one. The former is associated with research between 1940 and 2000, when most researchers were US‐based individual psychologists, their subjects were usually Americans, their methods were survey and self‐report, their focus was on classifying the ways in which different individuals handle information, and their findings were dozens of “style dimensions.” Only very gradually did psychologists become interested in the role of culture. By 2000, culture was emerging as a principal line of inquiry. Subjects were sought worldwide, and research team membership became multinational and cross‐disciplinary. Significantly, methods changed to controlled experiments that often employed neuroimaging technologies. Benefiting from this capacity to observe brains at work, emerging findings are revealing that culture has a strong, durable impact on brains as well as behavior. No longer is it possible to simply assume that any cognitive process or style is a universal human characteristic.
Negotiation Strategies across Cultures
Authors: Liu Meina , Zhu Lin
Published: December 2017

As the world becomes increasingly globalized, the study of culture and negotiation has proliferated in the past three decades. Compared with the bulk of research examining the relationship between input variables and negotiation outcomes, the process of negotiation has received far less attention. This entry reviews culture's influence on negotiation processes in terms of cultural variations in strategy frequencies, sequences, and phases of negotiation. It begins with a general overview of basic forms of negotiation strategies and basic theoretical frameworks that have been used to explain cultural differences, followed by a discussion of how each of the three frameworks illuminates cultural variations in strategy frequencies, sequences, and negotiation phases.
Online Information Effects across Cultures
Authors: Alcántara‐Pilar Juan Miguel , Barrio‐García Salvador Del
Published: December 2017

The continued evolution of the Internet and the global nature of markets call for those businesses wanting to operate in international markets via the Internet to take into account the cultural values of users and the language in which they process the information they receive. Differences in national culture are fundamental to commercial strategy and Web site design. Drawing on the cultural framework of Hofstede, this entry aims to examine the effect of language as a vehicle for cultural values and explore how the different cultural dimensions moderate information processing online.
Organizational Communication in
G
ermany and the
U
nited
S
tates
Authors: Hinner Michael B.
Published: December 2017

This entry introduces the preferred communication styles in German and US business organizations. Due to their respective histories, Germany and the United States evolved different cultures. These differences are also reflected in the respective organizational structures, communication styles, and decision‐making processes. Germans prefer experts while Americans prefer generalists. Since Germans are more low‐context than Americans, Germans need more information than Americans do. Germans are also more monochronic than Americans, which is why they spend more time developing detailed plans and are less likely to change them than Americans are. While Americans like to make emotional appeals, Germans consider emotional appeals to be unprofessional. Germans expect team members to complete their assigned tasks with few subsequent meetings, while Americans prefer frequent meetings to discuss the progress. These differences can result in misunderstandings and irritations.
Personhood Beliefs across Cultures
Authors: Becker Maja
Published: December 2017

Personhood beliefs—beliefs about what it is to be a person or what it is that defines human beings—can vary both across individuals and across cultural groups. This entry introduces the concepts of lay dispositionism and implicit personality theories, then briefly presents different sets of personhood beliefs that have been studied in the social psychological literature: entity versus incremental beliefs; essentialist beliefs; trait beliefs; and contextualism beliefs. Evidence of cultural variation of these sets of beliefs and their consequences is reviewed.
Messtechnische Überwachung bei Brückenbaumaßnahmen
Authors: Wenner Marc , Käding Max , Marx Steffen
Published: December 2017

Überwachung und Messung spielten im Bauwesen schon immer eine zentrale Rolle, um das reale Verhalten von Strukturen zu verstehen. Durch die Entwicklung der numerischen Berechnungsmethoden wurde in den letzten Jahrzehnten jedoch versucht, die Fragestellungen bei der Planung und Durchführung von Baumaßnahmen nahezu vollständig numerisch zu beantworten, sodass die Nachfrage nach Messungen gesunken ist. Die numerischen Methoden bergen aber die Gefahr, dass man sich wegen des erreichbaren Detaillierungsgrads der Modelle und der verfügbaren Berechnungsmöglichkeiten fast blind auf die Ergebnisse verlässt. In der jüngsten Vergangenheit ist daher eine Rückbesinnung auf messtechnische Methoden zu beobachten, die teilweise auch durch die Infragestellung dieses Trends erklärt werden kann. Insbesondere im Zuge von Baumaßnahmen, entweder am Bauwerk selbst oder in der Nähe dessen, sind die tatsächlichen Randbedingungen wegen der sich ständig ändernden Bauzustände, der sehr streuenden und teilweise unbekannten Einwirkungen sowie durch die zeitliche Entwicklung der Materialeigenschaften sehr schwer abzubilden. In diesen Situationen bieten Messungen hervorragende Möglichkeiten, bestehende Unsicherheiten der numerischen Modelle aufzulösen oder kritische Situationen rechtzeitig zu erkennen. In diesem Beitrag werden die verschiedenen Anwendungsfälle für Messungen kategorisiert und anhand von Beispielen vorgestellt. Damit soll gezeigt werden, in welchen Fällen eine messtechnische Überwachung notwendig oder sinnvoll sein kann und welche Aspekte bei der interdisziplinären Umsetzung der Überwachungsaufgabe von Bedeutung sind.
Role ofsLOX‐1 in intracranial artery stenosis and in predicting long‐term prognosis of acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Li Xian‐Mei , Jin Ping‐Ping , Xue Jie , Chen Jie , Chen Qin‐Fen , Luan Xiao‐Qian , Zhang Zeng‐Rui , Yu Tie‐Er , Cai Zheng‐Yi , Zhao Kai , Shao Bei
Published: December 2017

Objective

The role ofsLOX‐1 in acute ischemic stroke still remains unclear. This study aims to demonstrate the value ofsLOX‐1 in evaluating degrees of intracranial artery stenosis and to predict prognosis in stroke.

Methods

Two hundred and seventy‐two patients were included in this study and basic data were collected within 72 hr on admission. We assessed the association betweensLOX‐1 levels and stroke conditions in one‐year duration. After adjusting for potential confounders, regression analyses were performed.

Results

We found thatsLOX‐1 levels were increased significantly in severe patients compared to the mild stroke group (p = .011). After adjusting confounders,sLOX‐1 was associated with a poor functional outcome in patients with an adjustedORof 2. 946 (95%CI, 1.788–4.856,p < .001). There was also positive correlation betweensLOX‐1 levels and the degrees of intracranial artery stenosis in the different groups (p = .029).

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated thatsLOX‐1 levels could be used to evaluate the severity of stroke and the degrees of intracranial artery stenosis. Furthermore,sLOX‐1 could be exploited to predict the long‐term functional outcome of stroke.
Indirect risk effects reduce feeding efficiency of ducks during spring
Authors: Behney Adam C. , O'Shaughnessy Ryan , Eichholz Michael W. , Stafford Joshua D.
Published: December 2017

Indirect risk effects of predators on prey behavior can have more of an impact on prey populations than direct consumptive effects. Predation risk can elicit more vigilance behavior in prey, reducing the amount of time available for other activities, such as foraging, which could potentially reduce foraging efficiency. Understanding the conditions associated with predation risk and the specific effects predation risk have on prey behavior is important because it has direct influences on the profitability of food items found under various conditions and states of the forager. The goals of this study were to assess how ducks perceived predation risk in various habitat types and how strongly perceived risk versus energetic demand affected foraging behavior. We manipulated food abundance in different wetland types in Illinois, USA to reduce confounding between food abundance and vegetation structure. We conducted focal‐animal behavioral samples on five duck species in treatment and control plots and used generalized linear mixed‐effects models to compare the effects of vegetation structure versus other factors on the intensity with which ducks fed and the duration of feeding stints. Mallards fed more intensively and, along with blue‐winged teal, used longer feeding stints in open habitats, consistent with the hypothesis that limited visibility was perceived to have a greater predation risk than unlimited visibility. The species temporally nearest to nesting, wood ducks, were willing to take more risks for a greater food reward, consistent with an increase in a marginal value of energy as they approached nesting. Our results indicate that some duck species value energy differently based on the surrounding vegetation structure and density. Furthermore, increases in the marginal value of energy can be more influential than perceived risk in shaping foraging behavior patterns. Based on these findings, we conclude that the value of various food items is not solely determined by energy contained in the item but by conditions in which it is found and the state of the forager.
Rapid Synthesis and Good Performance of TiO2/Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Spheres as Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries
Authors: Zhou Yinlong , Zhang Peigen , Sun Yan , Shen Yuhua , Xie Anjian
Published: December 2017

A facile, efficient and short‐time shearing method was developed to synthesize TiO2 precursor, then followed by calcining in NH3 gas to obtain nitrogen‐doped carbon coated TiO2 (TiO2/N‐C) successfully. Interestingly, the prepared TiO2/N‐C nanospheres were assembled by many tiny nanoparticles (NPs) and possessed rough surface. When used as an anode material, the TiO2/N‐C exhibited reversible specific capacity of 277 mA h g−1 after 220 cycles at the current density of 0.6 C, indicating the superb cycle stability of TiO2/N‐C. And a good rate capability at different current densities was also obtained. The excellent performance of the TiO2/N‐C was due to the nitrogen‐doped carbon and assembly structure, which could enhance the electrical conductivity and buffer the volume expansion during the charge and discharge process. Furthermore, the tiny NPs can short the transportation path of lithium ions and the gaps produced between connective tiny NPs could accommodate the volume change. So, the method of high speed shearing has great potential in synthesizing other anode materials for lithium ion batteries.
The Synthesis of Adamantane Ring Containing Benzimidazole, Benzoxazole, and Imidazo[4,5‐e]benzoxazole Derivatives from 3‐Aminophenol
Authors: Soselia Marina , Geibel Irina , Zurabishvili Davit , Samsoniya Shota
Published: December 2017

Adamantane derivatives containing heterocycles such as benzimidazoles, benzoxazoles, and fused imidazo[4,5‐e]benzoxazoles were synthesized from 3‐aminophenol. The route started with amidation of adamantane‐1‐carboxylic acid chloride with 3‐aminophenol furnishing N‐(3‐hydroxyphenyl)adamantane‐1‐carboxamide. Subsequent nitration gave three regioisomers. After reduction of the nitro groups, the respective aniline derivatives were used in the formation of benzimidazole and benzoxazole rings. The cyclization of the 2‐substituted benzoxazole ring was performed using two methods: via condensation of N‐(2‐amino‐3‐hydroxyphenyl)adamantane‐1‐carboxamide with carbonitriles in the presence of a Lewis acid or via Cu(II)‐catalyzed oxidative coupling of aminophenol with aromatic aldehydes. The benzimidazole ring formed by acid‐catalyzed cyclization of N‐(2‐amino‐5‐hydroxyphenyl)adamantane‐1‐carboxamide was then converted to a tricyclic system after three synthetic steps.
Alkylimidazole‐Based Phosphines as Efficient Ligands for Palladium‐Catalyzed Suzuki Reactions
Authors: Chen Ting , Guan Jin Tao , Zhang Zhi Yong , Chen Jing Jing , Liu Fengyan , Liu Xiaopei
Published: December 2017

Two series of alkylimidazole‐based phosphines were conveniently synthesized in one step from the corresponding alkylimidazole by selective deprotonation and quenching with chlorodiphenylphosphine. The novel ligands are easily tunable and exhibit good‐to‐excellent performance in the palladium‐catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction.
An 8‐generation family with X‐linked Charcot–Marie–Tooth: Confirmation Of the pathogenicity Of a 3′ untranslated region mutation in GJB1 and its clinical features
Authors: Chen Dong‐Hui , Ma Maxwell , Scavina Mena , Blue Elizabeth , Wolff John , Karna Prasanthi , Dorschner Michael O. , Raskind Wendy H. , Bird Thomas D.
Published: December 2017

Introduction: Mutations in gap junction protein beta 1 (GJB1) on the X chromosome represent one of the most common causes of hereditary neuropathy. We assessed manifestations associated with a rare 3′ untranslated region mutation (UTR) of GJB1 in a large family with X‐linked Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease (CMTX). Methods: Clinical, electrophysiological, and molecular genetic analyses were performed on an 8‐generation family with CMTX. Results: There were 22 affected males and 19 symptomatic females, including an 83‐year‐old woman followed for 40 years. Electrophysiological studies showed a primarily axonal neuropathy. The c.*15C>T mutation in the GJB1 3′ UTR was identified in 4 branches of the family with a log of odds (LOD) of 4.91. This created a BstE II enzyme recognition site that enabled detection by restriction digestion. Discussion: The c.*15C>T mutation in the GJB1 3′ UTR segregates with CMTX1 in 8 generations. Penetrance in males and females is essentially complete. A straightforward genetic method to detect this mutation is described. Muscle Nerve 57: 859–862, 2018
Potential Enhancement of Juvenile Mussel Production with Exogenous Cortisol Treatment of Fish Hosts
Authors: Nelson Jace M , Bringolf Robert B
Published: December 2017

Hatchery propagation plays an essential role in restoration or augmentation of freshwater mussel populations, which are among the most critically imperiled of all taxa. A unique feature of freshwater mussel life history is an obligate parasitic relationship with fish in which the larval mussels (glochidia) must attach to host fish and metamorphose to the juvenile stage. Hatcheries can produce large quantities of juvenile mussels for restoration and research purposes; however, in cases where suitable host fish species have not been identified, options for propagation are severely limited. Although specific biochemical mechanisms mediating metamorphosis remain largely unknown, previous research suggests that the plasma cortisol level in the host is an important factor. Manipulation of cortisol to induce or increase metamorphosis in otherwise marginal or non-host fish may provide a valuable tool in culturing mussel species for which the primary host(s) are unknown or prohibitively difficult to rear in a captive environment. The objective of the present study was to further investigate the potential for exogenous cortisol treatment to increase attachment and metamorphosis on marginal or non-host fish. Cortisol treatment (intraperitoneal injection) of known host species (Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides and Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus) did not affect attachment or metamorphosis; however, in non-hosts (Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus and Goldfish Carassius auratus) and marginal hosts (Blue Tilapia Oreochromis aureus × Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus hybrids), attachment generally increased with increasing cortisol, though only significantly so in Goldfish. Metamorphosis was significantly increased on the marginal hosts but was not induced on the non-hosts. This study provides clear evidence that cortisol manipulation of marginal hosts can increase juvenile mussel production and may be an important tool to maximize propagation efforts, particularly for imperiled species.
Replacing Fish Oil with Hydrogenated Soybean Oils in Feeds for Yellowtail
Authors: Bergman Alexis M , Trushenski Jesse T , Drawbridge Mark
Published: December 2017

To assess the relative merits of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA)-rich versus saturated fatty acid (SFA)-rich lipids as alternatives to fish oil in aquafeeds, diets formulated for Yellowtail Seriola dorsalis—containing menhaden fish oil, fully hydrogenated soybean oil (high SFA content), partially hydrogenated soybean oil (high MUFA content), or blends of these soy-derived lipids (20/80, 40/60, 60/40, or 80/20)—were tested in a 7-week feeding trial. Juvenile fish (~11 g) were stocked in a semi-closed recirculating aquaculture system (15 fish/tank), diets were randomly assigned to tanks in triplicate (N = 3), and fish were fed in slight excess of estimated apparent satiation. Growth performance did not vary based on dietary SFA versus MUFA content, but performance was inferior among fish fed the soybean oil-based feeds relative to those fed the fish oil-based feed: weight gain was 714–770% versus 848%; specific growth rate was 4.03–4.16% versus 4.32% body weight/d; and feed conversion ratio was 1.30–1.38 versus 1.27. Generally, fillet fatty acid composition mirrored dietary composition except that the fillets of fish fed diets containing primarily fully hydrogenated soybean oil contained fewer SFAs and more long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) than one would expect based on dietary fatty acid profiles. Fillets of fish that were fed partially hydrogenated soybean oil contained trans-fatty acids (0.02–0.06 g of trans fats per 100 g of fillet) but only at trace levels. Liver fatty acid profiles were less affected by dietary lipid source, but where differences existed, they followed patterns similar to those observed in fillets. Results suggest that blends of fully and partially hydrogenated soybean oils may yield slightly higher growth performance and fillet lipid content without accumulating enough trans fats to negatively affect consumers. Diets containing only fully hydrogenated soybean oil may slightly reduce lipid digestion in Yellowtail, but they mitigate LC-PUFA loss associated with fish oil sparing.
Optimizing Feeding Strategies for Yellowtail Jack at Winter Water Temperatures
Authors: Bansemer Matthew S , Stone David A J , D'Antignana Trent , Skordas Paul , Kuerschner Leigh , Currie Krishna-Lee
Published: December 2017

Recent research has primarily focused on optimizing diet formulations and feeding regimes for Yellowtail Jack Seriola lalandi (known as Yellowtail Kingfish in Australia) during warm, optimal water temperatures. Further research on these aspects of production is needed during cool, suboptimal winter water temperatures. In this 84-d study, the growth performance and feed efficiency of Yellowtail Jack (1.44 kg) fed a commercially formulated diet at seven feed rates, ranging from 0.1% of body weight (BW) 1 d/week to apparent satiation 6 d/week, at cool water temperatures (11.5–16°C) were investigated. Yellowtail Jack fed to apparent satiation 6 d/week exhibited significantly higher growth rates and significantly better feed conversion ratios than fish fed at lower feed rates. The maintenance requirement for fish fed the formulated diet was 0.2047% BW/d (digestible energy and protein maintenance requirements are 30.1 kJ and 0.82 g · kg fish−1 · d−1, respectively). To provide nutrition slightly above this rate and ensure growth, fish may be fed to apparent satiation 2 d/week. Feeding fish below this maintenance rate during winter is not recommended, as the study fish lost weight. Underfeeding may also manifest itself in nutrient deficiency symptoms and health problems. We recommend that fish be fed the formulated diet to apparent satiation 6 d/weekduring winter. We also recommend further research to validate the current results under commercial conditions.
What if there were no universities?
Authors: Vasbinder Jan W.
Published: December 2017

To a large extent, the pursuit of science takes place in universities. In this essay, I ask the following questions. Supposing there were no universities, and that all the knowledge mankind has ever collected and generated is somehow accessible, would we invent universities to make this knowledge available to address the problems humanity faces? What should those universities perform, and what role would science play in such universities? To look for answers to those questions, I consider the nature of the problems dealt with by science, the knowledge needed to address those problems, the gap between the two, the need for interdisciplinarity and the need to educate the leaders of the future, and finally, the boundaries of scientific knowledge.
Inclusion of 2,4‐Dihydroxybenzaldehyde and 2,4‐Dihydroxybenzaldoxime in Cadmium Coordination Polymer and Conversion of Guest Aldehyde to Oxime
Authors: Tarai Arup , Baruah Jubaraj B.
Published: December 2017

A coordination polymer of cadmium nitrate with bridging ligand 1,3‐di(pyridin‐4‐yl)propane in which each cadmium ion has two chelated nitrate ions along with a water molecule is structurally characterised. Three component reactions of cadmium nitrate, 1,3‐di(pyridin‐4‐yl)propane together with 2,4‐dihydroxybenzaldehyde or 2,4‐dihydroxybenzaldoxime resulted in the formation of cadmium coordination polymers having 1,3‐di(pyridin‐4‐yl)propane as linkers encapsulating the aldehyde or the oxime in respective coordination polymer. These guest molecules are encapsulated between layers formed by hydrogen bonds among the chains of the coordination polymers where the nitro groups are vertically positioned in between the cationic chains assisting in formation of partitioned compartments to encapsulate guests. These guest included coordination polymers having the 2,4‐dihydroxybenzaldehyde or 2,4‐dihydroxybenzaldoxime guest molecules provided understanding on facilitation of the oximation reaction of aldehyde containing coordination polymer. Higher association ability of oxime over the aldehyde to the parent coordination polymer is found to be the driving force to facilitate the catalytic reaction.
Facile Synthesis of MoSx and MoSx‐rGO Composite: Excellent Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Ghosh Sourav , Azad Uday Pratap , Singh Ashish Kumar , Singh Akhilesh Kumar , Prakash Rajiv
Published: December 2017

In this work, one pot synthetic methodology was developed, wherein simple purging of H2S gas into a solution/dispersion of polyoxometalates in the absence as well as presence of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) at room temperature resulted in the formation of MoSx and MoSx‐rGO composites. Powder XRD, TEM, EDS elemental analysis, TGA, and XPS study reveal that as prepared samples mainly consist of nanocrystalline MoS3 particles whereas annealed samples mainly contain few layers of MoS2 nanosheets. Annealed samples exhibit better electrocatalytic activity towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) as compared to the as‐prepared samples. Among all the annealed samples, MoS2‐rGO nanocomposite exhibits superior catalytic activity for HER with lower onset overpotential and higher current density, as compared to other conventional MoS2. The Tafel slope of 41.7 mV/decade for MoS2‐rGO nanocomposite signifies that MoS2 catalyzed HER follows the Volmer‐Heyrovsky mechanism wherein, electrochemical desorption of hydrogen is the rate‐limiting step. Moreover, the integration of few layers of MoS2 and rGO enable remarkable long‐term electrochemical stability and showing negligible change in the current density even after 3000 cycles.