bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Challenges of Alleviating Poverty through Ecological Restoration: Insights from South Africa's “Working for Water” Program
Authors: McConnachie Matthew M. , Cowling Richard M. , Shackleton Charlie M. , Knight Andrew T.
Published: September 2013

Public works programs have been posited as win–win solutions for achieving societal goals for ecological restoration and poverty alleviation. However, little is documented regarding the challenges of implementing such projects. A commonly cited example is South Africa's invasive alien plant control program “Working for Water” (WfW), which aims to create employment via restoring landscapes invaded with alien plants. Recent studies have raised questions over the effectiveness of this program in achieving both its restoration and poverty alleviation goals. This is the first study that we are aware of that synthesizes the knowledge of managers on both the poverty alleviation and environmental outcomes of a public works project. Herein, we sought to understand the challenges and constraints faced by 23 WfW managers in fulfilling the program's environmental and poverty alleviation objectives. We found that the challenges most frequently cited by managers related to the capacity and competence of managers and teams, followed by challenges relating to planning and coordination, specifically the challenges of being flexible and adaptive when constrained by operating procedures. In addition, the current focus on maximizing short‐term employment was perceived by some as limiting the efficiency and long‐term effectiveness of the WfW program in achieving its environmental and social goals. We suggest that improving the conditions and duration of employment could improve the effectiveness of invasive alien plant control and ecological outcomes. We also suggest that WfW measure the impacts of their interventions through an adaptive management approach so that it can learn and adapt to the challenges it faces.
The Troubled Frame Narrative: Bad Listening in Late Imperial Russia
Authors: SAFRAN GABRIELLA
Published: September 2013

Technological change, the appearance of a new entertainment market, the great reforms, and the rise of new professions all required the subjects of the Russian Empire to listen differently in the final decades of the nineteenth century. As demonstrated in recent explorations by historians of the anglophone and francophone worlds, people react to what is perceived as an intolerable increase of noise in modernity by refusing to listen. This article contends that the new listening practices of the 1870s gave rise to a new literary genre, the “troubled frame narrative,” in which listening is thematized and portrayed as difficult and unpleasant; listeners yearn to escape. Close readings of Dostoevskii's “The Meek One,” Chekhov's “Drama,” and Tolstoy's “Kreutzer Sonata” describe the interactions between new genres of listening and a new literary phenomenon.
The Rule of Zakon: The Criminal Cassation Department and Legality in Late Imperial Russia, 1866–94
Authors: BHAT GIRISH
Published: September 2013

This article addresses the legal culture of late imperial Russia as reflected in the work of its highest criminal appeals court, the Criminal Cassation Department. The texts of the decisions rendered by Criminal Cassation, pre‐revolutionary Russia's approximate version of the U.S. Supreme Court in criminal law, demonstrate a commitment to legality expressed in a close reading of, and adherence to, statute (zakon). This zakonnost', in contrast to many of the other vital “legalities” described in late imperial historiography, was not motivated principally by political, cultural, or social ideology; rather, it was the product of a Westernized, maturing jurisprudence, dedicated to law in itself as a calling and task beyond extralegal considerations, and may be regarded as an example of Richard Wortman's notion of “Russian legal consciousness” in practice.
Spinoza on Causation and Power
Authors: di Poppa Francesca
Published: September 2013

The purpose of this paper is to argue that, for Spinoza, causation is a more fundamental relation than conceptual connection, and that, in fact, it explains conceptual connection. I will firstly offer a criticism of Michael Della Rocca's 2008 claims that, for Spinoza, causal relations are identical to relations of conceptual dependence and that existence is identical to conceivability. Secondly, I will argue that, for Spinoza, causation is more fundamental than conceptual dependence, offering textual evidence from both Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect and Ethics. In particular, I will offer an interpretation of the attributes as first and foremost causal activities, or powers: this interpretation has the advantage to clarify the role of 1D6 as a “genetic definition.”
The influence of coach reputation on the behavioral responses of male soccer players
Authors: Manley A. J. , Greenlees I. A. , Smith M. J. , Batten J. , Birch P. D. J.
Published: September 2013

The present study examined the impact of reputation information on athletes’ behavioral responses to coaches within a naturalistic, field‐based setting. Using a between‐group design, male soccer players (n = 35) were assigned to one of three experimental conditions (i.e., experienced reputation, inexperienced reputation, no reputation) prior to taking part in a coaching session delivered by an unknown coach. Participants’ behaviors indicative of attention to coach instruction, effort and persistence, and willingness to participate in demonstrations were video recorded throughout the coaching session. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed that participants in the experienced reputation condition exhibited significantly greater attention to coach instruction, and greater effort and persistence during free practice than participants in the inexperienced reputation condition. Results related to participants’ willingness to participate in demonstrations failed to yield any significant differences. The results provide further evidence to support the contention that athletes use reputation information as a basis for their initial expectancies of coaches, and such expectancies have the potential to influence athletes’ behavior during coach–athlete interactions. The findings also indicate that expectancies based on positive information may be more powerful than negatively framed expectancies, and can be harnessed by coaches as a means of developing effective relationships with their athletes.
Conceptualizing, Capturing, and Modeling Change: Challenges for Psychology
Authors: Jones Constance , Peskin Harvey
Published: September 2013

A primary goal of scientists, be they psychologists or physicists, is the detection of cause‐and‐effect relationships. In whatever field of study, the impact of the independent variable upon the dependent variable is assessed either indirectly through presumed change (comparing groups cross‐sectionally) or directly through observed change (comparing a single entity or groups of entities longitudinally). Researchers' conceptualization of change varies quite dramatically, even within the field of psychology, with attendant variation in research designs and statistics commonly employed. We discuss the array of options available to conceptualize, capture, and model change, including their strengths and weaknesses, using examples from our own research in personality lifespan development, along with others' related research.
Health Message Framing: Moderators, Mediators, and Mysteries
Authors: Updegraff John A. , Rothman Alexander J.
Published: September 2013

Health message framing is an important aspect of health communication. Over the past 20 years, researchers have sought to identify the contexts in which gain‐framed and loss‐framed health messages are most likely to motivate healthy behavior. Two major approaches have emerged: One approach focusing on matching the frame of the message to how people perceive the risks and uncertainties of the advocated health behavior and the other approach focusing on matching the frame of the message to the motivational orientation of the recipient. In this review, we describe these two major approaches to health message framing, identify the most likely psychological mediators that explain why these approaches motivate behavior, suggest a way to integrate these two approaches, and outline several key future directions for both basic and applied research in health message framing.
Molecular phylogeny of telenomine egg parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae s.l.: Telenominae): evolution of host shifts and implications for classification
Authors: TAEKUL CHARUWAT , VALERIO ALEJANDRO A. , AUSTIN ANDREW D. , KLOMPEN HANS , JOHNSON NORMAN F.
Published: September 2013

Parasitoid wasps of the subfamily Telenominae (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea, Platygastridae) develop as immatures within the eggs of other insects (Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera and Neuroptera). Rearing records indicate that individual species are restricted to attack hosts within only one of these four main groups. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis of the group using sequence data from multiple genes (18S, 28S, COI, EF‐1α) to assess the pattern of shifts among host groups and to test the monophyly of and relationships among genera and species‐groups. Telenominae sensu Masner—that is, including only the nominate tribe Telenomini—is not monophyletic. Representatives of the Psix group of genera (Psix Kozlov & Lê and Paratelenomus Dodd) form a monophyletic group that is sister to Gryon Haliday (Scelioninae: Gryonini) and are excluded from the subfamily. The remaining telenomines are monophyletic. The genus Phanuromyia Dodd and the crassiclava group of Telenomus Haliday, both recorded as parasitoids of planthopper eggs (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha, Fulgoroidea), form a monophyletic group that is sister to all other telenomines exclusive of the Psix group. Twenty‐nine species of the crassiclava and aradi groups of Telenomus are transferred to Phanuromyia as new combinations. Basal elements of the remaining species are all in groups reared from the eggs of true bugs (Heteroptera), primarily the stink bugs (Pentatomoidea) and seed bugs (Lygaeoidea). A shift to parasitism of lepidopteran eggs evolved within a single clade, occurring either one or two times. From this clade a small group of species, the Telenomus tabanivorus group, subsequently shifted to parasitism of egg masses of true flies (Tabanidae and Stratiomyiidae). Aholcus Kieffer and Platytelenomus Dodd both belong to the clade of lepidopteran parasitoids and are considered as junior synonyms of Telenomus (new synonymy for Aholcus). The monophyletic status of the two core genera, Telenomus and Trissolcus could not be resolved using these data. The phylogenetic pattern of host shifts suggests comparisons among taxa that may be fruitful in elucidating mechanisms by which parasitoids locate their hosts, the proximate factors that determine the host range, and the changes in these factors that influence host changes.
Feline cutaneous mycobacteriosis: a review of clinical, pathological and molecular characterization of one case of Mycobacterium microti skin infection and nine cases of feline leprosy syndrome from France and New Caledonia
Authors: Laprie Caroline , Duboy Julie , Malik Richard , Fyfe Janet
Published: September 2013

Background

Ten cats with skin lesions characteristic of cutaneous mycobacteriosis were included in this retrospective clinical, pathological and molecular study.

Hypothesis/Objectives

The aim of this study was to identify the causative agent and to compare the clinicopathological features of these cases with those of previous studies.

Methods

Cats were from the south east of France (eight cases), central France (one case) and New Caledonia (South Pacific; one case). Criteria for inclusion were histological evidence of granulomatous dermatitis and/or panniculitis, with acid‐fast bacilli within macrophages or extracellularly in regions of tissue necrosis. PCR targeting the 16S–23S internal transcribed spacer region and sequence analysis were performed using DNA extracted from formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded tissues from all cases.

Results

All cats were presented with a history of alopecic to ulcerated nodules. Most cases had limited disease, with one to few nodules, while others (three cats) showed a more aggressive clinical course. Lesions from eight cats yielded a sequence consistent with Mycobacterium lepraemurium, while Mycobacterium microti was identified postmortem from the cutaneous lesion in the cat originating from central France and euthanized for its debilitating condition. No PCR product could be amplified from the remaining specimen.

Conclusions and clinical importance

Based on this geographically restricted case series, feline leprosy in southern France is most likely to be caused by M. lepraemurium and presents as a generally self‐limiting disease. Molecular testing is essential to assess zoonotic potential, because M. microti‐induced cutaneous mycobacteriosis can resemble feline leprosy syndrome.
A comprehensive ovine model of blood transfusion
Authors: Simonova G. , Tung J. P. , Fraser J. F. , Do H. L. , Staib A. , Chew M. S. , Dunster K. R. , Glenister K. M. , Jackson D. E. , Fung Y. L.
Published: September 2013

Background

The growing awareness of transfusion‐associated morbidity and mortality necessitates investigations into the underlying mechanisms. Small animals have been the dominant transfusion model but have associated limitations. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive large animal (ovine) model of transfusion encompassing: blood collection, processing and storage, compatibility testing right through to post‐transfusion outcomes.

Materials and methods

Two units of blood were collected from each of 12 adult male Merino sheep and processed into 24 ovine‐packed red blood cell (PRBC) units. Baseline haematological parameters of ovine blood and PRBC cells were analysed. Biochemical changes in ovine PRBCs were characterized during the 42‐day storage period. Immunological compatibility of the blood was confirmed with sera from potential recipient sheep, using a saline and albumin agglutination cross‐match. Following confirmation of compatibility, each recipient sheep (n = 12) was transfused with two units of ovine PRBC.

Results

Procedures for collecting, processing, cross‐matching and transfusing ovine blood were established. Although ovine red blood cells are smaller and higher in number, their mean cell haemoglobin concentration is similar to human red blood cells. Ovine PRBC showed improved storage properties in saline–adenine–glucose–mannitol (SAG‐M) compared with previous human PRBC studies. Seventy‐six compatibility tests were performed and 17·1% were incompatible. Only cross‐match compatible ovine PRBC were transfused and no adverse reactions were observed.

Conclusion

These findings demonstrate the utility of the ovine model for future blood transfusion studies and highlight the importance of compatibility testing in animal models involving homologous transfusions.
Pattern of care of blood donors with early‐uncomplicated hereditary haemochromatosis in a Swiss blood donation centre
Authors: Stefashyna O. , Stern M. , Infanti L. , Holbro A. , Tichelli A. , Buser A. , O'Meara A.
Published: September 2013

Background and Objectives

We describe the recognition and pattern of care of voluntary blood donors with early‐uncomplicated genetic haemochromatosis in our blood donation centre.

Materials and Methods

Asymptomatic volunteers with suspicion of hereditary haemochromatosis (HH) due to an elevated ferritin level on routine screening were referred for further investigation. Alternatively, we accepted subjects with prediagnosed HH on referral. In the case of early‐uncomplicated genetic haemochromatosis, either standard whole blood donation (WBD) or double‐erythrocytapheresis (DEC) was offered.

Results

A median of six procedures was needed to achieve a ferritin value below 100 ng/ml in the WBD group and of four in the DEC group (P = 0·5). The rate of donation side‐effects was higher in the DEC group, while the costs it generated were equivalent to WBD.

Conclusion

Compared with WBD, DEC had no beneficial effect on treatment number, length of treatment, side‐effects or treatment budget in early‐uncomplicated HH. Integrating donors with uncomplicated genetic haemochromatosis to blood donation programmes can supplement blood stores and provide the donors with a cost‐effective and altruistic purpose of treatment.
Genome Sequence Analysis Indicates that the Model Eukaryote Nematostella vectensis Harbors Bacterial Consorts
Authors: Artamonova Irena I. , Mushegian Arcady R.
Published: August 2013

Analysis of the genome sequence of the starlet sea anemone,
Nematostella vectensis
, reveals many genes whose products are phylogenetically closer to proteins encoded by bacteria or bacteriophages than to any metazoan homologs. One explanation for such sequence affinities could be that these genes have been horizontally transferred from bacteria to the
Nematostella
lineage. We show, however, that bacterium-like and phage-like genes sequenced by the
N. vectensis
genome project tend to cluster on separate scaffolds, which typically do not include eukaryotic genes and differ from the latter in their GC contents. Moreover, most of the bacterium-like genes in
N. vectensis
either lack introns or the introns annotated in such genes are false predictions that, when translated, often restore the missing portions of their predicted protein products. In a freshwater cnidarian,
Hydra
, for which a proteobacterial endosymbiont is known, these gene features have been used to delineate the DNA of that endosymbiont sampled by the genome sequencing project. We predict that a large fraction of bacterium-like genes identified in the
N. vectensis
genome similarly are drawn from the contemporary bacterial consorts of the starlet sea anemone. These uncharacterized bacteria associated with
N. vectensis
are a proteobacterium and a representative of the phylum
Bacteroidetes
, each represented in the database by an apparently random sample of informational and operational genes. A substantial portion of a putative bacteriophage genome was also detected, which would be especially unlikely to have been transferred to a eukaryote.
Dual Substrate Specificity of an
N
-Acetylglucosamine Phosphotransferase System in Clostridium beijerinckii
Authors: Al Makishah Naief H. , Mitchell Wilfrid J.
Published: August 2013

The solventogenic clostridia have a considerable capacity to ferment carbohydrate substrates with the production of acetone and butanol, making them attractive organisms for the conversion of waste materials to valuable products. In common with other anaerobes, the clostridia show a marked dependence on the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS) to accumulate sugars and sugar derivatives. In this study, we demonstrate that extracts of
Clostridium beijerinckii
grown on
N
-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) exhibit PTS activity for the amino sugar. The PTS encoded by the divergent genes
cbe4532
(encoding the IIC and IIB domains) and
cbe4533
(encoding a IIA domain) was shown to transport and phosphorylate GlcNAc and also glucose. When the genes were recombined in series under the control of the
lac
promoter in pUC18 and transformed into a phosphotransferase mutant (
nagE
) of
Escherichia coli
lacking GlcNAc PTS activity, the ability to take up and ferment GlcNAc was restored, and extracts of the transformant showed PEP-dependent phosphorylation of GlcNAc. The gene products also complemented an
E. coli
mutant lacking glucose PTS activity but were unable to complement the same strain for PTS-dependent mannose utilization. Both GlcNAc and glucose induced the expression of
cbe4532
and
cbe4533
in
C. beijerinckii
, and consistent with this observation, extracts of cells grown on glucose exhibited PTS activity for GlcNAc, and glucose did not strongly repress utilization of GlcNAc by growing cells. On the basis of the phylogeny and function of the encoded PTS, we propose that the genes
cbe4532
and
cbe4533
should be designated
nagE
and
nagF
, respectively.
New Approaches Indicate Constant Viral Diversity despite Shifts in Assemblage Structure in an Australian Hypersaline Lake
Authors: Emerson Joanne B. , Thomas Brian C. , Andrade Karen , Heidelberg Karla B. , Banfield Jillian F.
Published: August 2013

It is widely stated that viruses represent the most significant source of biodiversity on Earth, yet characterizing the diversity of viral assemblages in natural systems remains difficult. Viral diversity studies are challenging because viruses lack universally present, phylogenetically informative genes. Here, we developed an approach to estimate viral diversity using a series of functional and novel conserved genes. This approach provides direct estimates of viral assemblage diversity while retaining resolution at the level of individual viral populations in a natural system. We characterized viral assemblages in eight samples from hypersaline Lake Tyrrell (LT), Victoria, Australia, using 39,636 viral contigs. We defined viral operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in two ways. First, we used genes with three different functional predictions that were abundantly represented in the data set. Second, we clustered proteins of unknown function based on sequence similarity, and we chose genes represented by three clusters with numerous members to define OTUs. In combination, diversity metrics indicated between 412 and 735 sampled populations, and the number of populations remained relatively constant across samples. We determined the relative representation of each viral OTU in each sample and found that viral assemblage structures correlate with salinity and solution chemistry. LT viral assemblages were near-replicates from the same site sampled a few days apart but differed significantly on other spatial and temporal scales. The OTU definition approach proposed here paves the way for metagenomics-based analyses of viral assemblages using ecological models previously applied to bacteria and archaea.
Functional Genotyping of Sulfurospirillum spp. in Mixed Cultures Allowed the Identification of a New Tetrachloroethene Reductive Dehalogenase
Authors: Buttet Géraldine F. , Holliger Christof , Maillard Julien
Published: August 2013

Reductive dehalogenases are the key enzymes involved in the anaerobic respiration of organohalides such as the widespread groundwater pollutant tetrachloroethene. The increasing number of available bacterial genomes and metagenomes gives access to hundreds of new putative reductive dehalogenase genes that display a high level of sequence diversity and for which substrate prediction remains very challenging. In this study, we present the development of a functional genotyping method targeting the diverse reductive dehalogenases present in
Sulfurospirillum
spp., which allowed us to unambiguously identify a new reductive dehalogenase from our tetrachloroethene-dechlorinating SL2 bacterial consortia. The new enzyme, named PceA
TCE
, shows 92% sequence identity with the well-characterized PceA enzyme of
Sulfurospirillum multivorans
, but in contrast to the latter, it is restricted to tetrachloroethene as a substrate. Its apparent higher dechlorinating activity with tetrachloroethene likely allowed its selection and maintenance in the bacterial consortia among other enzymes showing broader substrate ranges. The sequence-substrate relationships within tetrachloroethene reductive dehalogenases are also discussed.
Antimicrobial Tolerance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms Is Activated during an Early Developmental Stage and Requires the Two-Component Hybrid SagS
Authors: Gupta Kajal , Marques Cláudia N. H. , Petrova Olga E. , Sauer Karin
Published: August 2013

A hallmark characteristic of biofilms is their extraordinary tolerance to antimicrobial agents. While multiple factors are thought to contribute to the high level of antimicrobial tolerance of biofilms, little is known about the timing of induction of biofilm tolerance. Here, we asked when over the course of their development do biofilms gain their tolerance to antimicrobial agents? We demonstrate that in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, biofilm tolerance is linked to biofilm development, with transition to the irreversible attachment stage regulated by the two-component hybrid SagS, marking the timing when biofilms switch to the high-level tolerance phenotype. Inactivation of
sagS
rendered biofilms but not planktonic cells more susceptible to tobramycin, norfloxacin, and hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, inactivation of
sagS
also eliminated the recalcitrance of biofilms to killing by bactericidal antimicrobial agents, a phenotype comparable to that observed upon inactivation of
brlR
, which encodes a MerR-like transcriptional regulator required for biofilm tolerance. Multicopy expression of
brlR
in a Δ
sagS
mutant restored biofilm resistance and recalcitrance to killing by bactericidal antibiotics to wild-type levels. In contrast, expression of
sagS
did not restore the susceptibility phenotype of Δ
brlR
mutant biofilms to wild-type levels, indicating that BrlR functions downstream of SagS. Inactivation of
sagS
correlated with reduced BrlR levels in biofilms, with the produced BrlR being impaired in binding to the previously described BrlR-activated promoters of the two multidrug efflux pump operons
mexAB-oprM
and
mexEF-oprN
. Our findings demonstrate that biofilm tolerance is linked to early biofilm development and SagS, with SagS contributing indirectly to BrlR activation.
The use of intuitive rules in interpreting students’ difficulties in reading and creating kinematic graphs
Authors: Eshach Haim
Published: September 2013

The ability to form and interpret kinematic graphs is an essential skill for students studying physics. The literature, however, details a variety of students’ difficulties in this regard. The present article discusses how intuitive rules theory (Stavy and Tirosh. Int. J. Sci. Educ. 18, 653 (1996)) can be applied as a conceptual framework for understanding why some of these difficulties may occur. It suggests, moreover, that explicit teaching regarding students’ use of intuitive rules in interpreting kinematic graphs may deepen students’ general understanding of graphs in physics.
Lacking sensory (rather than locomotive) legs affects locomotion but not food detection in the harvestmanHolmbergiana weyenberghi
Authors: Escalante I. , Albín A. , Aisenberg A.
Published: August 2013

The ability to release a leg when forced by predators or during agonistic interactions is widespread and frequent in arthropods. Despite immediate benefits, losing legs may affect locomotion, sensory performance, reproduction, and fitness. The costs of autospasy in arachnids have been scarcely addressed. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that the number and type of self-amputated legs (sensory or locomotive) affect locomotion and food detection speeds in the harvestman Holmbergiana weyenberghi (Holmberg, 1876) (Sclerosomatidae). With field surveys in a subtropical forest in Uruguay we found that 35% of individuals lacked at least one leg, and sensory legs (second pair) were the most frequently lost. In an indoor setup, we found that individuals missing one sensory leg walked and climbed a trunk slower than individuals lacking a locomotive leg (first, third, or fourth pair), or compared with those with eight legs. Lacking legs did not affect the food detection speed. Additionally, larger individuals with eight legs had greater walking and climbing speeds. Therefore, losing sensory legs affects locomotion in these harvestmen and may confer costs in orientation, balance, and substrate recognition. Finally, we compared our results with the different patterns reported for the effect of autospacy in other harvestman species.
Public attitudes towards genomic risk profiling as a component of routine population screening
Authors: Nicholls S.G. , Wilson B.J. , Craigie S.M. , Etchegary H. , Castle D. , Carroll J.C. , Potter B.K. , Lemyre L. , Little J.
Published: August 2013

Including low penetrance genomic variants in population-based screening might enable personalization of screening intensity and follow up. The application of genomics in this way requires formal evaluation. Even if clinically beneficial, uptake would still depend on the attitudes of target populations. We developed a deliberative workshop on two hypothetical applications (in colorectal cancer and newborn screening) in which we applied stepped, neutrally-framed, information sets. Data were collected using nonparticipant observation, free-text comments by individual participants, and a structured survey. Qualitative data were transcribed and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Eight workshops were conducted with 170 individuals (120 colorectal cancer screening and 50 newborn screening for type 1 diabetes). The use of information sets promoted informed deliberation. In both contexts, attitudes appeared to be heavily informed by assessments of the likely validity of the test results and its personal and health care utility. Perceived benefits included the potential for early intervention, prevention, and closer monitoring while concerns related to costs, education needs regarding the probabilistic nature of risk, the potential for worry, and control of access to personal genomic information. Differences between the colorectal cancer and newborn screening groups appeared to reflect different assessments of potential personal utility, particularly regarding prevention.
HOW TO MAKE A PROFITABLE TRADING STRATEGY MORE PROFITABLE?
Authors: CHONG TERENCE TAI-LEUNG , LAM TAU-HING
Published: September 2013

Chong and Lam and Chong et al. show that SETAR(200) and MA(50) outperform other rules in both the U.S. and the Chinese stock market. This paper investigates the synergy of combining SETAR(200) and MA(50) rules in ten U.S. and Chinese stock market indexes. It is found that the SETAR rule performs better in the U.S. market, while the MA rule performs better in the Chinese market. In addition, we find evidence that a new strategy combining the two rules together is able to create synergy. An immediate implication of our result is that investors are able to improve the performance of their portfolios by combining existing profitable trading rules.
MIXED-MODAL DISK GAS SQUEEZE FILM THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS
Authors: WANG YANZHONG , WEI BIN
Published: September 2013

In order to investigate the gas squeeze film characteristics with mixed-modal disk excitation, an actuator with piezo-electric components is designed. Experiments show that different modal shapes of the disk are excited along with the changes of the actuator excitation frequency. The amplitude of the modal shape can reach the same order of magnitude as the squeeze film thickness, so the modal effects on the squeeze film characteristics cannot be ignored. In this paper, the simulating and fitting of the exciting disk modal shapes were finished by ANSYS and MATLAB. The actual film thickness equation was amended by the modal shape fitting curve. The gas film characteristic can be obtained by solving the Reynolds equation which is coupled with film thickness and motion equation. In this study, finite element simulation and differential numerical calculation results provided a good guidance to the piezoelectric actuator design.
AN ALGORITHM FOR COMPUTING TYPICAL TESTORS BASED ON ELIMINATION OF GAPS AND REDUCTION OF COLUMNS
Authors: LIAS-RODRÍGUEZ ALEXSEY , SANCHEZ-DIAZ GUILLERMO
Published: September 2013

Typical testors are useful tools for feature selection and for determining feature relevance in supervised classification problems. Nowadays, computing all typical testors of a training matrix is very expensive; all reported algorithms have exponential complexity depending on the number of columns in the matrix. In this paper, we introduce the faster algorithm BR (Boolean Recursive), called fast-BR algorithm, that is based on elimination of gaps and reduction of columns. Fast-BR algorithm is designed to generate all typical testors from a training matrix, requiring a reduced number of operations. Experimental results using this fast implementation and the comparison with other state-of-the-art related algorithms that generate typical testors are presented.
VIBRATION OF CIRCULAR PLATE WITH AN INTERNAL ELASTIC RING SUPPORT UNDER EXTERIOR EDGE PRESSURE
Authors: MARETIC RATKO , GLAVARDANOV VALENTIN
Published: September 2013

In this paper, we analyze the transverse vibration of a circular plate loaded by uniform pressure along its edge. The plate is supported by an elastic ring support being coaxial with the plate. At its edge the plate is clamped but the radial displacement is allowed. Apart from this problem, the heated plate clamped at its edge, but without the possibility of radial displacement, is also analyzed. The analytical solution of governing equation is obtained in the form of Bessel's functions. Using the analytical solution, the frequencies of transverse vibrations depending on loads, elastic ring stiffness and the location of ring are obtained. The results show that the lowest frequencies vibrations can be either symmetric or asymmetric having one or two nodal diameters. It is also shown that multiple vibration frequencies can occur for special values of load and ring stiffness.
ARTISTIC COMPLEXITY AND SALIENCY: TWO FACES OF THE SAME COIN?
Authors: CACCIOLA MATTEO , OCCHIUTO GIANLUIGI , MORABITO FRANCESCO CARLO
Published: September 2013

Many computer vision problems consist of making a suitable content description of images usually aiming to extract the relevant information content. In case of images representing paintings or artworks, the information extracted is rather subject-dependent, thus escaping any universal quantification. However, we proposed a measure of complexity of such kinds of oeuvres which is related to brain processing. The artistic complexity measures the brain inability to categorize complex nonsense forms represented in modern art, in a dynamic process of acquisition that most involves top-down mechanisms. Here, we compare the quantitative results of our analysis on a wide set of paintings of various artists to the cues extracted from a standard bottom-up approach based on visual saliency concept. In every painting inspection, the brain searches for more informative areas at different scales, then connecting them in an attempt to capture the full impact of information content. Artistic complexity is able to quantify information which might have been individually lost in the fruition of a human observer thus identifying the artistic hand. Visual saliency highlights the most salient areas of the paintings standing out from their neighbours and grabbing our attention. Nevertheless, we will show that a comparison on the ways the two algorithms act, may manifest some interesting links, finally indicating an interplay between bottom-up and top-down modalities.
OPTICALLY MEASURED SPIN-WAVE MODE-SPECTRUM IN A ROLLED-UP PERMALLOY FILM WITH TIME-RESOLVED SCANNING-KERR-MICROSCOPY
Authors: MELLEM DANIEL , TOEDT JAN-NIKLAS , BALHORN FELIX , MANSFELD SEBASTIAN , HANSEN WOLFGANG , MENDACH STEFAN
Published: September 2013

We investigate the magnetic field-dependent spin-wave spectrum of a rolled-up permalloy film by means of time-resolved scanning-Kerr-microscopy. We find several quantized spin-wave modes including the ferromagnetic resonance of the structure.
LQT2 nonsense mutations generate trafficking defective NH2-terminally truncated channels by the reinitiation of translation
Authors: Stump Matthew R. , Gong Qiuming , Zhou Zhengfeng
Published: August 2013

The human ether-a-go-go-related gene ( hERG) encodes a voltage-activated K+ channel that contributes to the repolarization of the cardiac action potential. Long QT syndrome type 2 (LQT2) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in hERG, and patients with LQT2 are susceptible to severe ventricular arrhythmias. We have previously shown that nonsense and frameshift LQT2 mutations caused a decrease in mutant mRNA by the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway. The Q81X nonsense mutation was recently found to be resistant to NMD. Translation of Q81X is reinitiated at Met124, resulting in the generation of NH2-terminally truncated hERG channels with altered gating properties. In the present study, we identified two additional NMD-resistant LQT2 nonsense mutations, C39X and C44X, in which translation is reinitiated at Met60. Deletion of the first 59 residues of the channel truncated nearly one-third of the highly structured Per-Arnt-Sim domain and resulted in the generation of trafficking-defective proteins and a complete loss of hERG current. Partial deletion of the Per-Arnt-Sim domain also resulted in the accelerated degradation of the mutant channel proteins. The coexpression of mutant and wild-type channels did not significantly disrupt the function and trafficking properties of wild-type hERG. Our present findings indicate that translation reinitiation may generate trafficking-defective as well as dysfunctional channels in patients with LQT2 premature termination codon mutations that occur early in the coding sequence.
Abnormal sympathetic nerve activity in women exposed to cigarette smoke: a potential mechanism to explain increased cardiac risk
Authors: Middlekauff Holly R. , Park Jeanie , Agrawal Harsh , Gornbein Jeffrey A.
Published: August 2013

In women, cardiac deaths attributable to tobacco exposure have reached the same high levels as men. Normally, sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) fluctuates according to the menstrual phase, but in habitual smokers, SNA levels remain constant. Our purpose is to extend these observations to other groups of women exposed to tobacco smoke and to explore potential mechanisms. We hypothesize that women exposed to secondhand smoke, but not former smokers, have nonfluctuating SNA compared with never smokers, and that impaired baroreflex suppression of SNA, and/or heightened central SNA responses, underlie this nonfluctuating SNA. We also hypothesize that female smokers have impaired nocturnal blood pressure dipping, normally mediated by modulation of SNA. In 49 females (19 never, 12 current, 9 former, 9 passive smokers), SNA was recorded (microneurography) during high- and low-hormone ovarian phases at rest, during pharmacological baroreflex testing, and during the cold pressor test (CPT). Twenty-four hour blood pressure (BP) monitoring was performed. Current and passive smokers, but not former smokers, had a nonfluctuating pattern of SNA, unlike never smokers in whom SNA varied with the menstrual phase. Baroreflex control of SNA was significantly blunted in current smokers, independent of menstrual phase. In passive smokers, SNA response to CPT was markedly increased. Nondipping was unexpectedly high in all groups. SNA does not vary during the menstrual cycle in active and passive smokers, unlike never and former smokers. Baroreflex control of SNA is blunted in current smokers, whereas SNA response to CPT is heightened in passive smokers. Smoking cessation is associated with return of the altered SNA pattern to normal.
Exercise training enhances multiple mechanisms of relaxation in coronary arteries from ischemic hearts
Authors: Deer Rachel R. , Heaps Cristine L.
Published: August 2013

Exercise training of coronary artery disease patients is of considerable interest, since it has been shown to improve vascular function and, thereby, enhance blood flow into compromised myocardial regions. However, the mechanisms underlying exercise-induced improvements in vascular function have not been fully elucidated. We tested the hypothesis that exercise training increases the contribution of multiple mediators to endothelium-dependent relaxation of coronary arteries in the underlying setting of chronic coronary artery occlusion. To induce gradual occlusion, an ameroid constrictor was placed around the proximal left circumflex coronary artery in Yucatan miniature swine. At 8 wk postoperatively, pigs were randomly assigned to sedentary or exercise (treadmill, 5 days/wk) regimens for 14 wk. Exercise training significantly enhanced the contribution of nitric oxide, prostanoids, and large-conductance Ca2+-dependent K+ (BKCa) channels to endothelium-dependent, bradykinin-mediated relaxation in nonoccluded and collateral-dependent arteries. Combined nitric oxide synthase, prostanoid, and BKCa channel inhibition ablated the enhanced relaxation associated with exercise training. Exercise training significantly increased nitric oxide levels in response to bradykinin in endothelial cells isolated from nonoccluded and collateral-dependent arteries. Bradykinin treatment significantly increased PGI2 levels in all artery treatment groups and tended to be further enhanced after nitric oxide synthase inhibition in exercise-trained pigs. No differences were found in whole cell BKCa channel currents, BKCa channel protein levels, or arterial cyclic nucleotide levels. Although redundant, upregulation of parallel vasodilator pathways appears to contribute to enhanced endothelium-dependent relaxation, potentially providing a more refined control of blood flow after exercise training.
Differential effects of fluticasone on extracellular matrix production by airway and parenchymal fibroblasts in severe COPD
Authors: Brandsma Corry-Anke , Timens Wim , Jonker Marnix R. , Rutgers Bea , Noordhoek Jacobien A. , Postma Dirkje S.
Published: August 2013

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by abnormal repair in the lung resulting in airway obstruction associated with emphysema and peripheral airway fibrosis. Because the presence and degree of airways disease and emphysema varies between COPD patients, this may explain the heterogeneity in the response to treatment. It is currently unknown whether and to what extent inhaled steroids can affect the abnormal repair process in the airways and lung parenchyma in COPD. We investigated the effects of fluticasone on transforming growth factor (TGF)-β- and cigarette smoke-induced changes in mothers against decapentaplegic homolog (Smad) signaling and extracellular matrix (ECM) production in airway and parenchymal lung fibroblasts from patients with severe COPD. We showed that TGF-β-induced ECM production by pulmonary fibroblasts, but not activation of the Smad pathway, was sensitive to the effects of fluticasone. Fluticasone induced decorin production by airway fibroblasts and partly reversed the negative effects of TGF-β treatment. Fluticasone inhibited biglycan production in both airway and parenchymal fibroblasts and procollagen 1 production only in parenchymal fibroblasts, thereby restoring the basal difference in procollagen 1 production between airway and parenchymal fibroblasts. Our findings suggest that the effects of steroids on the airway compartment may be beneficial for patients with severe COPD, i.e., restoration of decorin loss around the airways, whereas the effects of steroids on the parenchyma may be detrimental, since the tissue repair response, i.e., biglycan and procollagen production, is inhibited. More research is needed to further disentangle these differential effects of steroid treatment on the different lung compartments and its impact on tissue repair and remodeling in COPD.
A New Low-Cost Plastic Solar Collector
Authors: Juanicó Luis E. , Di Lalla Nicolás
Published: September 2013

An innovative solar collector based on a long plastic hose that is connected directly in series from the district water grid to consumption is presented. It takes advantage of plastic tubing to develop a simple self-construction collector that costs about 70 dollars for a one-family unit. In addition, due to its solar-pond configuration, it could achieve a good thermal performance, as it was demonstrated by modeling.
Ultrasonic, Molecular and Mechanical Testing Diagnostics in Natural Fibre Reinforced, Polymer-Stabilized Earth Blocks
Authors: Galán-Marín C. , Rivera-Gómez C. , Bradley F.
Published: September 2013

The aim of this research study was to evaluate the influence of utilising natural polymers as a form of soil stabilization, in order to assess their potential for use in building applications. Mixtures were stabilized with a natural polymer (alginate) and reinforced with wool fibres in order to improve the overall compressive and flexural strength of a series of composite materials. Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and mechanical strength testing techniques were then used to measure the porous properties of the manufactured natural polymer-soil composites, which were formed into earth blocks. Mechanical tests were carried out for three different clays which showed that the polymer increased the mechanical resistance of the samples to varying degrees, depending on the plasticity index of each soil. Variation in soil grain size distributions and Atterberg limits were assessed and chemical compositions were studied and compared. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) techniques were all used in conjunction with qualitative identification of the aggregates. Ultrasonic wave propagation was found to be a useful technique for assisting in the determination of soil shrinkage characteristics and fibre-soil adherence capacity and UPV results correlated well with the measured mechanical properties.
Exploring the Needs and Concerns of Women with Early Breast Cancer during Chemotherapy: Valued Outcomes during a Course of Traditional Acupuncture
Authors: Price S. , Long A. F. , Godfrey M.
Published: September 2013

Women diagnosed with breast cancer experience symptom clusters in addition to existential issues from a life-threatening diagnosis during chemotherapy. A complementary therapy, such as traditional acupuncture (TA) with its whole-person orientation, may help to modify these effects, alongside inducing other patient benefits. Exploring the needs and concerns of women and perceived benefits of TA would add to knowledge about its integrative treatment potential.Methods. A longitudinal qualitative study recruited fourteen women to receive up to ten sessions of TA during chemotherapy. They were interviewed before, during, and after chemotherapy. Two practitioners of TA delivered treatment and were interviewed before and after the study, and kept treatment logs and diaries. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and the data were analysed using grounded theory.Findings. Both broad and specific benefits were reported by the women; a highly valued outcome was enabling coping through the alleviation of symptoms and increased well-being. Practitioners dealt with the presented symptom clusters facilitating outcome patterns, including and beyond individual symptom changes. Further research on TA as a flexible intervention able to respond to the changing needs and concerns of woman during chemotherapy along with the measure of such outcome patterns is warranted.