bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and validation of two equations based on anthropometry, estimating body fat for the Greek adult population
Authors: Kanellakis Spyridon , Skoufas Efstathios , Khudokonenko Vladlena , Apostolidou Eftychia , Gerakiti Loukia , Andrioti Maria‐Chrysi , Bountouvi Evangelia , Manios Yannis
Published: January 2017

Objective

To validate anthropometric equations in the current literature predicting body fat percentage (%BF) in the Greek population, to develop and validate two anthropometric equations estimating %BF, and to compare them with the retrieved equations.

Methods

Anthropometric data from 642 Greek adults were incorporated. Dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry was used as reference method. The comparison with other equations was made using Bland‐Altman analysis, intraclass correlation coefficient, and Lin's concordance correlation coefficient.

Results

Nine of the thirty‐one retrieved equations had no statistically significant bias. However, all of them had wide limits of agreement (±8.3 to ±16%BF). The equations accrued were: BF% = −0.615−10.948 × sex + 0.321 × waist circumference + 0.502 × hips circumference−0.39 × forearm circumference − 19.768 × height (m) and BF% = −27.787−5.515 × sex−8.419 × height + 0.145 × waist circumference + 0.270 × hips circumference + 7.509 × log of thigh skinfold + 20.090 × log of sum of skinfolds (bicep + tricep + suprailiac + subscapular)−0.445 × forearm circumference. Bland‐Altman's reliability analysis showed no significant bias of −0.058 and −0.148%BF and limits of agreement ±8.100 and ±6.056%BF; the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.955 and 0.976; and Lin's concordance correlation coefficient was 0.914 and 0.951, respectively.

Conclusions

Literature equations performed moderately on this study's population. Therefore, two equations were designed and validated. The first one was simple and easily applicable, with measures obtained from a measuring tape, and the second one more complicated yet more accurate and reliable. Both were found to be reliable for the assessment of body composition in the Greek population.
Influence of age, sex and seriousness on reporting of adverse drug reactions in Sweden
Authors: Holm Lennart , Ekman Elisabet , Jorsäter Blomgren Kerstin
Published: January 2017

Purpose

To investigate how reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) among adults in Sweden is associated to age and sex, in addition to seriousness of the reaction and drug utilisation.

Methods

Individual case safety reports (ICSRs) reported by healthcare professionals to the national pharmacovigilance database 2008–2011 were related to defined daily dose (DDD) in the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register (SPDR) for individual's ≥20 years. Data were stratified into five age groups. Crude and adjusted (by age standardisation of prescribed drugs) reporting rate (RR) and reporting rate ratio was evaluated as well as impact of sex‐dependent drugs.

Results

Based on 9898 included ICSRs, the crude results show that overall RR was almost similar for both serious and non‐serious reports and indicates highest RR in the youngest age group. Women had higher rates than men, with predominance for non‐serious reports, contrary to men who had a higher RR of serious ones. Standardisation led partly to the same result, but age‐related distribution was adjusted, with highest overall RR in the oldest age groups. Sex‐dependent drugs had marginal impact on the results.

Conclusion

Age and sex have impact on spontaneous reporting of ADRs. After adjusting for dispensed drugs and by standardisation of age‐related differences in prescribed drugs, results indicate that healthcare professionals more frequently reported ADRs for the oldest individuals and for women. Serious reports were more frequently reported for men. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On‐axis and off‐axis growth of zinc oxide nanostructures via pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Ghosh Poulami , Sharma Ashwini K.
Published: January 2017

The comparison of surface morphology of ZnO at two different regions on n‐type Si substrate surface (off‐axis and on‐axis pulsed laser deposition) is reported. Nanostructures were grown by ablating ZnO pellet with second harmonic Q‐switched Nd:YAG laser. The nanostructures were synthesized by two‐step processes where first ZnO seed layers were grown on Si‐substrate at 300 °C and 0.2 mbar O2 pressure followed by the growth of nanostructures at different O2 pressures keeping the substrate temperature fixed at 450 °C. The growth of these morphologies (particles and thin‐walled nanostructures) is attributed to difference in the kinetic energy of the plasma at different angles of emission from the target surface. Structural property was studied by XRD spectra and the optical properties of the nanostructures were investigated by photoluminescence and Micro‐Raman spectroscopy. Recorded photoluminescence spectra shows near band edge emission along with visible emissions related to the defect levels in ZnO. Micro‐Raman spectra confirm the crystalline nature of the nanostructures and the presence of defects related to oxygen vacancy and interstitial zinc of grown nanostructures.
Reactive resistance welding of Ti6Al4V alloy with the use of Ni(V)/Al multilayers
Authors: Maj Łukasz , Mars Krzysztof , Morgiel Jerzy , Godlewska Elżbieta
Published: January 2017

The freestanding Ni(V)/Al multilayer foil was applied as a filler material in order to join Ti6Al4V alloy with the use of reactive resistance welding (RRW) technique. Present investigations, performed with the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) method, allowed to show that an application of high current (I = 400 A for 2 min in vacuum conditions ∼10–1 mbar) transformed the Ni(V)/Al multilayers into fine grain (<300 nm) NiAl phase. It also showed that the RRW process led to the formation of firm connection with nanoporosity limited only to the original contact plane between base material and the foil. Simultaneously, the formation of a narrow strip of crystallites of Ti3Al intermetallic phase elongated along the joint line (average size of ∼200 nm) was observed. The base material was separated from the joint area by a layer of up to ∼2 μm thickness of nearly defect free α‐Ti and β‐Ti grains from a heat affected zone (HAZ). The performed experiment proved that Ni(V)/Al multilayer could serve as a filler material for joining of Ti6Al4V alloys even without additional solder layer. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Valence band splitting in Cu2(Sn,Ge,Si)S3: Effect on optical absorption spectra
Authors: de Wild Jessica , Kalesaki Efterpi , Wirtz Ludger , Dale Phillip J.
Published: January 2017

We perform a detailed analysis of the valence band splitting (VBS) effect on the absorption spectra of monoclinic Cu2(Sn,Ge,Si)S3 combining theory and experiment. We calculate the imaginary part of the dielectric function for all three compounds using hybrid functionals and maximally localized Wannier functions in remarkably dense k ‐meshes to ensure an accurate description of the low energy spectral regime. We find that the VBS will affect the absorption spectra of these materials leading to multiple absorption onsets. Our experimental spectra on Cu2(Sn,Ge)S3, analysed using both Tauc plots and inflection points, verify this prediction. A good agreement between theory and experiment in terms of VBS values is recorded. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Microstructural identification of Cu in solar cells sensitive to light‐induced degradation
Authors: Luka Tabea , Turek Marko , Großer Stephan , Hagendorf Christian
Published: January 2017

Light‐induced degradation (mc‐LID or LeTID) can lead to a severe efficiency loss in multi‐crystalline solar cells. The underlying mechanism clearly distinguishes from known mechanisms as B‐O‐LID and Fe‐B‐LID. Various defect models have been suggested for mc‐LID mainly based on metal impurities, including Cu which is known to cause light‐induced degradation. We investigate mc‐LID sensitive PERC cells that show an efficiency degradation of 15%rel. The weaker degradation of the grain boundaries (GBs) typical for mc‐LID is identified and further investigated from front and rear side with respect to recombination activities. The combination of local electrical measurements (LBIC), target preparation (REM, FIB) and element analysis (EDX, TEM) unveil Cu‐containing precipitates at the rear side of the solar cells. They accumulate at grain boundaries and at the rear surface of the Si‐bulk material where the passivation stack is damaged. We conclude that Cu originates from the cell material and discuss its relation to mc‐LID.

LBIC mapping (EQE at fixed wavelength) of a degraded mc‐Si PERC cell from front and rear side results in qualitatively different appearance of GBs.

magnified image

LBIC mapping (EQE at fixed wavelength) of a degraded mc‐Si PERC cell from front and rear side results in qualitatively different appearance of GBs.
Sustainable Development, Share Price and Carbon Disclosure Interactions: Evidence From South Africa's JSE 100 Companies
Authors: Bimha Alfred , Nhamo Godwell
Published: January 2017

The gradual reorientation of the global economy towards accommodation of the idea of sustainable development has brought new thinking in terms of how corporates address issues pertaining to harmful carbon emissions that lead to global warming and in turn climate change. Hence, since 2007 a number of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) top 100 have joined the voluntary global Carbon Disclosure Project (now only known as the CDP) managed through the National Business Initiative. This initiative was partly occasioned by pressure from shareholders who wish to be associated with good environmental stewardship. The object of this paper was therefore to discover whether carbon disclosure, as a function of environmental and general disclosure, could be linked to share price movements of sampled JSE top 100 companies. The finding is that the share prices of companies that report voluntarily and participate on a regular or irregular basis in the CDP have experienced almost the same impact in terms of share price movements as a result of official disclosure of their carbon emissions. However, with the anticipated carbon tax implementation in 2014, the CDP report of 2013 demonstrated share price movement impact affecting participating companies. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
Patient‐Reported Outcomes for Acute Gallstone Pathology
Authors: Parkin Ed , Stott Martyn , Brockbank Joy , Galloway Simon , Welch Ian , Macdonald Andrew
Published: January 2017

Background

A number of prominent surgical trials and clinical guidelines regard length of hospital stay and rates of daycase surgery as being of upmost importance following cholecystectomy.
However, it is unclear whether these outcomes also matter to patients. This study aimed to identify the factors patients regard as most important when admitted with acute gallstone pathology.

Methods

A 41‐item survey was produced by combining outcomes assessed in recent clinical trials with results from a preliminary patient questionnaire. This was then given out prospectively to patients presenting with acute gallstone pathology, prior to their cholecystectomy. Patients were asked to read an information sheet about laparoscopic cholecystectomy and then complete the survey, scoring each item out of 100 in terms of importance to them.

Results

Fifty‐six patients completed the survey (43 females; median age 51 years). Diagnoses were: cholecystitis (28 patients), biliary colic (13), pancreatitis (10), common bile duct stones (3) and cholangitis (2). The top‐scoring survey item was “long‐term quality of life after surgery”, with a median value of 97 out of 100. Other high‐scoring items included “cleanliness of the ward environment” and “pain control after surgery” (both 96). The lowest‐scoring item was “being treated as a daycase” (54).

Conclusion

Patients with acute gallstone pathology view long‐term quality of life after surgery as the most important factor and daycase surgery as the least important. These results should be considered when planning future surgical trials and clinical guidelines.
Laparoscopic Appendectomy: Risk Factors for Postoperative Intraabdominal Abscess
Authors: Schlottmann Francisco , Sadava Emmanuel E. , Peña M. E. , Rotholtz Nicolás A.
Published: January 2017

Background

Laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) has obtained wide acceptance over the last two decades. However, some studies suggest that there is an increased rate of intraabdominal abscess (IAA) when is compared with open appendectomy. Since postoperative IAA is associated with high morbidity, identifying predictive factors of this complication may help to prevent it. The aim of this study was to identify preoperative and intraoperative risk factors for IAA after LA.

Methods

From January 2005 to June 2015, all charts of consecutive patients underwent to LA were revised. Demographics, clinical and intraoperative variables were analyzed. Independent risk factors for postoperative IAA were determined by logistic regression analysis.

Results

A total of 1300 LA were performed. The mean age was 34.7 (14–94) years. Two hundred and twenty‐five patients (17.3%) had complicated appendicitis with perforation and peritonitis. The conversion rate was 2.3% (30 cases). The average hospital stay was 1.6 (0–27) days. There were 30 (2.3%) postoperative IAA. In the multivariate analysis, body mass index (BMI) >30 (p 0.01), leukocytosis >20,000/mm3 (p 0.02), perforated appendicitis (p < 0.001) and operative time >90 min (p 0.04) were associated with the development of postoperative IAA. There was no mortality in the series.

Conclusion

Patients with obesity, leukocytosis >20,000/mm3, perforated appendicitis and surgical time longer than 90 min have a higher chance of having a postoperative IAA. A close postoperative follow‐up would be necessary in these situations in order to prevent and identify IAA after LA.
Appropriate Choice of Plate for the Posterior Malleolus: Computed Tomography Study of 122 Chinese Adult Patients
Authors: Churk-Hang Charles Li , Cheung Man-Hong , Ka-Kin Samuel Ling , Ma Chun-Man
Published: January 2017

Background

Plating of the posterior malleolus (PM) is a common procedure for treatment of PM fracture but its osteology was seldom mentioned. In this study, we evaluated the anatomy of the PM in relation to the choice of plate.

Method

A total of 122 adult patients with normal distal tibia computed tomography films were recruited. The width available for PM plating, total width of the PM, the inclination angle of the groove for the posterior tibial tendon, and the proportions of the width available for plating with reference to the total width were obtained.

Results

Presence of the groove was found in 98.4% of the patients ( n = 120). The mean width available for plating was 20.4 mm for male patients and 18.4 mm for female patients ( p<0.05). The mean inclination angle was 36.9° for male and 28.9° for female patients ( p<0.05). The ratio comparing the width available for plating with the width of the PM at the level of syndesmosis was 0.49 for both sexes.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated the importance of understanding the anatomy of the PM for safe and effective plating of PM fractures. It provided estimations for appropriate width of plate and the method to evaluate the correctness by comparing with the width of the tibia.
Bolus dose of epinephrine for refractory post-arrest hypotension
Authors: Gottlieb Michael
Published: January 2017

Post-cardiac arrest hypotension is associated with worse outcomes. However, a significant proportion of patients may not be responsive to intravenous (IV) fluids, and vasopressor infusions require significant time to initiate. This case series describes the successful use of a bolus dose of epinephrine to rapidly treat IV fluid refractory hypotension among three patients in the post-arrest period. A bolus dose of epinephrine may be considered as a treatment for post-arrest hypotension that does not respond to IV fluids, but further studies should be performed prior to routine use.
Legislation for Youth Sport Concussion in Canada: Review, Conceptual Framework, and Recommendations
Authors: Russell Kelly , Ellis Michael J. , Bauman Shannon , Tator Charles H.
Published: January 2017

In this article, we conduct a review of introduced and enacted youth concussion legislation in Canada and present a conceptual framework and recommendations for future youth sport concussion laws. We conducted online searches of federal, provincial, and territorial legislatures to identify youth concussion bills that were introduced or successfully enacted into law. Internet searches were carried out from July 26 and 27, 2016. Online searches identified six youth concussion bills that were introduced in provincial legislatures, including two in Ontario and Nova Scotia and one each in British Columbia and Quebec. One of these bills (Ontario Bill 149, Rowan’s Law Advisory Committee Act, 2016) was enacted into provincial law; it is not actual concussion legislation, but rather a framework for possible enactment of legislation. Two bills have been introduced in federal parliament but neither bill has been enacted into law. At present, there is no provincial or federal concussion legislation that directly legislates concussion education, prevention, management, or policy in youth sports in Canada. The conceptual framework and recommendations presented here should be used to guide the design and implementation of future youth sport concussion laws in Canada.
BURYING, REPATRIATING, AND LEAVING THE DEAD IN WARTIME AND POSTWAR CHINA AND TAIWAN, 1937–1955
Authors: Nedostup Rebecca
Published: January 2017

The burial of war dead was a key element of displacement and community formation during wartime and postwar China and Taiwan, 1937–1955. Reckoning with the physical burial and spiritual pacification of civilian as well as military dead posed practical and epistemological problems for the tens of millions forced to migrate amid shifting political and military boundaries. Various populations of living and dead refugees became increasingly politicized on the national and international levels, affecting local rituals and family burials. The accumulation of unidentified or lost bodies raised the stakes for the incorporation of the known dead into local, translocal, or national communities. The moral imperative of families and lineages to reconstitute themselves in the aftermath of war was made concrete via the extensive networks of locally-identified charitable organizations who worked to transport coffins back “home” from China's interior. The Nationalist government, meanwhile, prioritized symbolic control over military heroes in ways that ignored or eschewed burial and family ritual. The KMT and those who fled with them to Taiwan in 1949 were then cut off from their national as well as family graves, and struggled to find ritual and practical methods of overcoming or temporarily ameliorating political boundaries, geographic distance, and the passage of time.
THE STATE, THE GENTRY, AND LOCAL INSTITUTIONS: THE SONG DYNASTY AND LONG-TERM TRENDS FROM TANG TO QING
Authors: Chen Song
Published: January 2017

Historians have long aspired to see beyond the rise and fall of dynasties to the longue durée and the major changes over time in Chinese society. The five empirically rich and theoretically sophisticated books discussed in this essay all share this goal. While they make distinct contributions, they have in common close attention to the relationships between the state, the elite, and local institutions between the late Tang and Qing periods. Reading them together encourages rethinking the state-and-society issues that historians have been debating for a generation. In this essay, after a brief summary of each book's major contributions, I suggest ways they help us conceptualize the long-term processes of continuity and change from the late Tang to the Qing.
Interactions between patients' experiences in mental health treatment and lay social network attitudes toward doctors in recovery from mental illness
Authors: PERRY BREA L. , PULLEN ERIN , PESCOSOLIDO BERNICE A.
Published: January 2017

Research in the area of social networks and health has demonstrated that lay social network members play a critical role in the early stages of the illness career, influencing key decisions and pathways to formal care. Here, we revisit and extend this body of work, examining how the lay social network context can moderate the influence of treatment experiences on recovery outcomes as the illness career unfolds. To achieve this goal, we address two research questions, drawing on a longitudinal sample of people making their initial contact with the mental health treatment system: First, we explore how treatment experiences, lay social network characteristics, and recovery outcomes change over 2 years, beginning with the point of entry into treatment. Second, we examine whether the relationship between perceived treatment experiences and recovery outcomes is contingent on characteristics of the lay network context in which clients are socially embedded, focusing on the network's cultural orientation toward medical professionals. We find that positive treatment interactions facilitate improved self-esteem, mastery, role functioning, recovery optimism, and global functioning when the lay network culture is pro-medical, but largely have null effects on the recovery process when the lay network is more hostile to medical professionals.
Influence ofTriaenophorus nodulosusplerocercoids (Cestoda: Pseudophyllidea) on the occurrence of intestinal helminths in the perch (Perca fluviatilis)
Authors: Morley N.J. , Lewis J.W.
Published: January 2017

Concurrent infections of helminths in vertebrates are widespread and may demonstrate synergistic, antagonistic or negligible levels of interactions between species that share a common site. However, indirect interactions between species that occur in different organs of a host are poorly documented, particularly in fish. Plerocercoids ofTriaenophorus nodulosusare common liver infections of European perch (Perca fluviatilis). These larval cestodes cause extensive liver damage, resulting in systemic pathologies that include alteration of the physiochemical environment of the intestine. Perch harbour a wide range of intestinal helminths whose occurrence may be potentially influenced by the concurrent presence ofT. nodulosusplerocercoids. The present study, using an existing dataset, investigated the effects ofT. nodulosuson the infection levels of four common perch helminths –Acanthocephalus lucii, Camallanus lacustris, Proteocephalus percaeandBunodera luciopercae. The prevalences ofA. luciiandC. lacustriswere significantly reduced in fish infected byT. nodulosus, although the mean intensity of infections remained unaffected for any helminth species, while the mean abundance ofC. lacustriswas significantly reduced in plerocercoid-affected perch. Differences in site selection and individual interactions between the four helminth species in the intestine ofT. nodulosus-infected and non-infected perch were rarely observed.
Transoral laser resection of glottic carcinoma: what is the significance of anterior commissure involvement?
Authors: Stephenson K A , Fagan J J
Published: January 2017

Background:

The optimal management of glottic carcinoma involving the anterior commissure is controversial.

Method:

A retrospective analysis was conducted of 76 patients with glottic squamous cell carcinoma treated by transoral carbon dioxide laser resection by a single surgeon.

Results:

Sixty-three patients (with tumour stage Tis–T3) were eligible for inclusion. Thirty patients had involvement of the anterior commissure; these patients were significantly more likely to have either uncertain or positive margins (63.3 vs 30.3 per cent, p = 0.012), and were also more likely to receive adjuvant radiotherapy (40 vs 3.2 per cent, p = 0.0005). The overall laryngeal preservation rate was 96.8 per cent; there was no statistically significant difference between those with and without anterior commissure involvement (96.7 and 96.9 per cent respectively).

Conclusion:

Transoral laser resection with the use of adjuvant radiotherapy in a minority of patients with adverse pathological findings can be recommended for the primary treatment of anterior commissure glottic cancer from an oncological perspective; excellent local control and laryngeal preservation rates can be achieved.
SARDINIA AND CYPRUS: AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW ON CYPRIOTES IN THE CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN
Authors: Russell Anthony , Knapp A. Bernard
Published: January 2017

Recent research reveals what we term a ‘discourse of certainty’ regarding an assumed predominant socio-economic and cultural impact of Late Bronze Age Cypriotes or Mycenaeans on the local peoples of Sardinia and/or Sicily and Italy, not least in terms of a systematic, seaborne trading network extending from the Cyprus to the Tyrrhenian Sea. ‘Minimalist’ approaches to such a phenomenon have a long and venerable but more limited pedigree. In this study, we question why minimalist views have been so summarily dismissed in much current literature that seeks to evaluate an eastern Mediterranean presence or influence in the central Mediterranean. We focus on Sardinia, and on the range of Cypriot or ‘Cypriot-type’ materials found there. We consider the nature of the Cypriot–Sardinian relationship, and suggest that we should decouple foreign objects from foreign agents. We question several of the perceived Cypriot influences on Sardinian artefacts, and consider possible alternative mechanisms and routes of exchange between the east and central Mediterranean. We outline and discuss the array of presumed or actual Cypriot artefacts found on Sardinia, and argue that these do not add up to a ‘significant’ corpus of Late Cypriot materials and connections.
Conceptualizations of English in the discourses of Brazilian language teachers: Issues of mobility, empowerment and international ownership
Authors: Diniz de Figueiredo Eduardo H.
Published: January 2017

The present study is an investigation of how English has been conceptualized in the discourses of ten Brazilian English language teachers with diverse language teaching experiences. Discourses of major agents in Brazilian English language teaching (ELT) – mainly the media, language schools, and the Ministry of Education through its national guidelines – usually associate English with notions of mobility, empowerment, and international ownership. The understanding of how English language educators conceptualize the language thus provides a valuable perspective on how these discourses may be taken on and reproduced by teachers. Such understanding is also relevant because educators have first hand experience in what actually goes on inside schools, thus being able to provide important accounts that are based on real life examples of their practices.
Performing Ancient Greek Tragedy in Twentieth-Century Greece: Dimitris Rontiris and Karolos Koun
Authors: Antoniou Michaela
Published: January 2017

In this article Michaela Antoniou gives an account of the two prevailing acting schools in ancient Greek tragedy in the twentieth century, as formed and developed by Dimitris Rontiris at the National Theatre and Karolos Koun at the Theatro Technis (Art Theatre). She discusses how these two great theatre masters directed, guided, and taught their actors to perform tragedy, arguing that Rontiris's approach stemmed from a text-based perspective that focused on reciting and pronunciation, while Koun's developed from a physical and emotional approach that prioritzed actors and their abilities. Her article summarizes each director's philosophy regarding the Greek tragedies, and discusses the position of the genre within modern Greek theatre, mapping the process employed by the actors, and analyzing their method in order to illustrate the different perspectives that the two great directors had with regards to approaching and performing a role. Michaela Antoniou completed her PhD at Goldsmiths, University of London, and is currently working as an external collaborator of the Department of Theatre Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She has also worked on the stage as an actress and playwright, and is a published author.
The Mobile Theatre Movement in India: a Success Story in Assam
Authors: Ross Ina
Published: January 2017

Taking mobile theatre in Assam as an example, Ina Ross questions in this article how professional, contemporary theatre can be successful in India, where it is considered to be a niche culture and economically precarious. She examines what would be needed for contemporary theatre in India to appeal to all segments of the population and asks how the theatre can compete with its omnipresent big brother, the cinema. A brief historical introduction to the mobile theatre movement is followed by an analysis of recent performances, complemented by interviews conducted with the major players in Assam's mobile theatre movement. The article shows that the success of mobile theatre is not to be found on the stage alone: it is also a social and societal model that is lived and experienced with the audience, and this ultimately is the key to its success. Ina Ross is a cultural manager with a focus on the performing arts. She has held the position of Associate Professor at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Art in Berlin, and since 2015 has been teaching arts management at the National School of Drama (NSD) in Delhi. She is the author of Wie überlebe ich als Künstler? (How to Survive as an Artist, 2013).
Circus Training for Autistic Children: Difference, Creativity, and Community
Authors: Seymour Kristy , Wise Patricia
Published: January 2017

Circus training can benefit children diagnosed on the autistic spectrum and their families. In 2010, as Head Trainer at Flipside Circus in Brisbane, Kristy Seymour developed a method for using circus as a therapeutic tool for children with autism. In this article, she and Patricia Wise work between experiential and theoretical positions to explore how circus can open up a new world to such children, enabling them to take risks physically and emotionally, and to stretch the capacities of their bodies in an environment that enriches their social development. Seymour and Wise deploy the idea of ‘chaosmos’ from Deleuze and Guattari, Pope, and others to argue that, counter-intuitively, children with autism benefit from the environment of creative chaos that attends circus. Through Agamben's work on being and singularity they discuss how circus values difference and inclusivity, building community in ways also captured by Probyn's notion of ‘outside belonging’. Kristy Seymour has worked for over sixteen years in contemporary circus as an aerialist, trainer, artistic director, creative producer, and choreographer. She has a significant profile in the youth circus sector, and is completing doctoral research on Australian contemporary circus in Griffith University's School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science. An Associate Professor in the same School, Patricia Wise is a cultural theorist whose publications range over cultural policy and urban studies, inflected by interests in spatiality, materiality and gender. This article reflects a parallel concern with cultural practices in communities of difference, as does a recent co-publication on the value of participatory music for the welbeing of detained asylum seekers.
Deficits in Social Cognition: An Unveiled Signature of Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Chalah Moussa A. , Ayache Samar S.
Published: January 2017

Background and Objectives: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, representing the primary cause of non-traumatic disability in young adults. Cognitive dysfunction can affect patients at any time during the disease process and might alter the six core functional domains. Social cognition is a multi-component construct that includes the theory of mind, empathy and social perception of emotions from facial, bodily and vocal cues. Deficits in this cognitive faculty might have a drastic impact on interpersonal relationships and quality of life (QoL). Although exhaustive data exist for non-social cognitive functions in MS, only a little attention has been paid for social cognition. The objectives of the present work are to reappraise the definition and anatomy of social cognition and evaluate the integrity of this domain across MS studies. We will put special emphasis on neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies concerning social cognitive performance in MS. Methods:Studies were selected in conformity with PRISMA guidelines. We looked for computerized databases (PubMed, Medline, and Scopus) that index peer-reviewed journals to identify published reports in English and French languages that mention social cognition and multiple sclerosis, regardless of publication year. We combined keywords as follows: (facial emotion or facial expression or emotional facial expressions or theory of mind or social cognition or empathy or affective prosody) AND multiple sclerosis AND (MRI or functional MRI or positron emission tomography or functional imaging or structural imaging). We also scanned references from articles aiming to get additional relevant studies. Results: In total, 26 studies matched the abovementioned criteria (26 neuropsychological studies including five neuroimaging studies). Available data support the presence of social cognitive deficits even at early stages of MS. The increase in disease burden along with the “multiple disconnection syndrome” resulting from gray and white matters pathology might exceed the “threshold for cerebral tolerance” and can manifest as deficits in social cognition. Admitting the impact of the latter on patients’ social functioning, a thorough screening for such deficits is crucial to improving patients’ QoL. (JINS, 2017, 23, 266–286)
‘Set up to Fail’? How Welfare Conditionality Undermines Citizenship for Vulnerable Groups
Authors: Reeves Aaron , Loopstra Rachel
Published: January 2017

Underpinned by the assumption that unemployed persons are passive recipients of social security, recent welfare reforms have increased benefit conditionality in the UK and introduced harsher penalties for failure to meet these conditions. Yet, conditionality may result in vulnerable groups disproportionately experiencing disentitlement from benefits, one of the rights of social citizenship, because they are, in some cases, less able to meet these conditions. Rising sanctions, then, may be the product of a disconnection between welfare conditionality and the capabilities of vulnerable claimants. To test this hypothesis, we evaluate whether sanctions are higher in areas where there are more vulnerable Jobseeker's Allowance claimants, namely, lone parents, ethnic minorities and those with disabilities. We find that sanction rates are higher in local authorities where more claimants are lone parents or live with a disability, and that this relationship has strengthened since the welfare reforms were introduced under the Conservative-led coalition. Failure to meet conditions of benefit receipt may disproportionately affect vulnerable groups.
Cover crop-based reduced tillage system influences Carabidae (Coleoptera) activity, diversity and trophic group during transition to organic production
Authors: Rivers Ariel , Mullen Christina , Wallace John , Barbercheck Mary
Published: January 2017

Organic grain growers rely on cultural practices and biological control to regulate pests, and the implementation and timing of cultural practices can affect many characteristics of the cropping system as a habitat for natural enemies of arthropod pests. Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in particular are important insect and weed-seed predators, and are sensitive to crop rotations, tillage and environmental complexity. In a reduced tillage system in transition to organic management, we evaluated the effect of cover crop species and termination date, crop rotation and high residue cultivation on ground and tiger beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) activity-density, community composition and size and trophic groups. The 3-year experiment included a sequence of corn (Zea maysL.), soybean (Glycine max(L.) Merr.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivumL.). A mixture of hairy vetch (Vicia villosaRoth) and triticale (xTriticosecaleWittmack) preceded corn, and cereal rye (Secale cerealeL.) preceded soybean, and each crop sequence was present in each year (full-entry). We compared three cover crop termination (and cash crop planting) dates by terminating the overwintered cover crops with a roller-crimper, and immediately or soon after, we no-till planted corn and soybean through the mat created by the rolled cover crops. In the corn and soybean phases of the rotation, we also compared inter-row cultivation as a pest management strategy to a control treatment (no inter-row cultivation in corn, and an alternative row-spacing in soybean). Wheat was planted on a single date in each year into tilled soil. Carabids were sampled using pitfall traps 2 weeks after termination of the two cover crop treatments, and in mid-June in wheat. Carabid activity-density and species richness increased across the experimental site during the 3-year transition, and community evenness across the experimental site increased by the third year. Crop species influenced carabid community composition, and by the third year, the carabid community was comparable between wheat and hairy vetch-triticale cover crop. The late cover crop termination date was positively associated with higher activity-densities of large carabids in rolled hairy vetch-triticale and rolled cereal rye; carnivorous beetles in rolled hairy vetch-triticale; and granivorous beetles in rolled cereal rye. Inter-row cultivation occurring in corn and soybean resulted in a significantly higher proportion of small beetles in the wheat phase of the rotation, with a significantly higher proportion of large beetles in wheat treatments, which had not received inter-row cultivation in corn and soybean. Results have strong implications for management during the transition to organic, including the importance of plant residue, reduced tillage and timing of cover crop termination dates for augmenting carabid populations.
How promoting consumption of traditional African vegetables affects household nutrition security in Tanzania
Authors: Ochieng Justus , Afari-Sefa Victor , Karanja Daniel , Kessy Radegunda , Rajendran Srinivasulu , Samali Silvest
Published: January 2017

Traditional African vegetables have recently received considerable attention for their contribution to food and nutrition security and opportunities for enhancing smallholder livelihoods. Promoting the production and consumption of traditional vegetables is expected to enhance household nutrition among urban and rural households. The Good Seed Initiative (GSI) program promoted production and consumption of nutrient-dense traditional African vegetables in Arusha region in Tanzania to reduce malnutrition through diet diversification. We estimated the impact of promotion activities on households, women, and children's dietary diversity. The study used cross-sectional data from 258 and 242 households in intervention and control regions, respectively, and applied matching techniques and inverse probability weighting to control for unobserved heterogeneity and selection bias, which could otherwise bias the outcome estimates. We found that households benefiting from traditional vegetable promotion and demand creation activities had significantly higher dietary diversity of children under 5 yr and women in reproductive age. We found no significant impact of promotion activities on households’ dietary diversity. The policy implication is that scaling up promotional and demand creation activities to encourage consumers to grow and eat traditional African vegetables would be an important element in initiatives to increase dietary diversity, particularly for children under 5 and women in Tanzania.
Achieving a Near-Zero Carbon Emissions Energy System
Authors: Davis Steven , Lewis Nathan , Caldeira Ken
Published: January 2017

Getting Near Zero: Decarbonizing the Last 20%; Aspen, Colorado, 31 July to 5 August 2016
Starved epithelial cells uptake extracellular matrix for survival
Authors: Muranen Taru , Iwanicki Marcin P. , Curry Natasha L. , Hwang Julie , DuBois Cory D. , Coloff Jonathan L. , Hitchcock Daniel S. , Clish Clary B. , Brugge Joan S. , Kalaany Nada Y.
Published: January 2017

Extracellular matrix adhesion is required for normal epithelial cell survival, nutrient uptake and metabolism. This requirement can be overcome by oncogene activation. Interestingly, inhibition of PI3K/mTOR leads to apoptosis of matrix-detached, but not matrix-attached cancer cells, suggesting that matrix-attached cells use alternate mechanisms to maintain nutrient supplies. Here we demonstrate that under conditions of dietary restriction or growth factor starvation, where PI3K/mTOR signalling is decreased, matrix-attached human mammary epithelial cells upregulate and internalize β4-integrin along with its matrix substrate, laminin. Endocytosed laminin localizes to lysosomes, results in increased intracellular levels of essential amino acids and enhanced mTORC1 signalling, preventing cell death. Moreover, we show that starved human fibroblasts secrete matrix proteins that maintain the growth of starved mammary epithelial cells contingent upon epithelial cell β4-integrin expression. Our study identifies a crosstalk between stromal fibroblasts and epithelial cells under starvation that could be exploited therapeutically to target tumours resistant to PI3K/mTOR inhibition.
Integrating mass spectrometry with MD simulations reveals the role of lipids in Na+/H+ antiporters
Authors: Landreh Michael , Marklund Erik G. , Uzdavinys Povilas , Degiacomi Matteo T. , Coincon Mathieu , Gault Joseph , Gupta Kallol , Liko Idlir , Benesch Justin L. P. , Drew David , Robinson Carol V.
Published: January 2017

Na+/H+ antiporters are found in all kingdoms of life and exhibit catalysis rates that are among the fastest of all known secondary-active transporters. Here we combine ion mobility mass spectrometry and molecular dynamics simulations to study the conformational stability and lipid-binding properties of the Na+/H+ exchanger NapA from Thermus thermophilus and compare this to the prototypical antiporter NhaA from Escherichia coli and the human homologue NHA2. We find that NapA and NHA2, but not NhaA, form stable dimers and do not selectively retain membrane lipids. By comparing wild-type NapA with engineered variants, we show that the unfolding of the protein in the gas phase involves the disruption of inter-domain contacts. Lipids around the domain interface protect the native fold in the gas phase by mediating contacts between the mobile protein segments. We speculate that elevator-type antiporters such as NapA, and likely NHA2, use a subset of annular lipids as structural support to facilitate large-scale conformational changes within the membrane.
Organization of high-level visual cortex in human infants
Authors: Deen Ben , Richardson Hilary , Dilks Daniel D. , Takahashi Atsushi , Keil Boris , Wald Lawrence L. , Kanwisher Nancy , Saxe Rebecca
Published: January 2017

How much of the structure of the human mind and brain is already specified at birth, and how much arises from experience? In this article, we consider the test case of extrastriate visual cortex, where a highly systematic functional organization is present in virtually every normal adult, including regions preferring behaviourally significant stimulus categories, such as faces, bodies, and scenes. Novel methods were developed to scan awake infants with fMRI, while they viewed multiple categories of visual stimuli. Here we report that the visual cortex of 4–6-month-old infants contains regions that respond preferentially to abstract categories (faces and scenes), with a spatial organization similar to adults. However, precise response profiles and patterns of activity across multiple visual categories differ between infants and adults. These results demonstrate that the large-scale organization of category preferences in visual cortex is adult-like within a few months after birth, but is subsequently refined through development.
Agrp neuron activity is required for alcohol-induced overeating
Authors: Cains Sarah , Blomeley Craig , Kollo Mihaly , Rácz Romeo , Burdakov Denis
Published: January 2017

Alcohol intake associates with overeating in humans. This overeating is a clinical concern, but its causes are puzzling, because alcohol (ethanol) is a calorie-dense nutrient, and calorie intake usually suppresses brain appetite signals. The biological factors necessary for ethanol-induced overeating remain unclear, and societal causes have been proposed. Here we show that core elements of the brain’s feeding circuits—the hypothalamic Agrp neurons that are normally activated by starvation and evoke intense hunger—display electrical and biochemical hyperactivity on exposure to dietary doses of ethanol in brain slices. Furthermore, by circuit-specific chemogenetic interference in vivo, we find that the Agrp cell activity is essential for ethanol-induced overeating in the absence of societal factors, in single-housed mice. These data reveal how a widely consumed nutrient can paradoxically sustain brain starvation signals, and identify a biological factor required for appetite evoked by alcohol.
Photo-reduced Cu/CuO nanoclusters on TiO2 nanotube arrays as highly efficient and reusable catalyst
Authors: Jin Zhao , Liu Chang , Qi Kun , Cui Xiaoqiang
Published: January 2017

Non-noble metal nanoparticles are becoming more and more important in catalysis recently. Cu/CuO nanoclusters on highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays are successfully developed by a surfactant-free photoreduction method. This non-noble metal Cu/CuO-TiO2 catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity and stability for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) with the presence of sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The rate constant of this low-cost Cu/CuO based catalyst is even higher than that of the noble metal nanoparticles decorated on the same TiO2 substrate. The conversion efficiency remains almost unchanged after 7 cycles of recycling. The recycle process of this Cu/CuO-TiO2 catalyst supported by Ti foil is very simple and convenient compared with that of the common powder catalysts. This catalyst also exhibited great catalytic activity to other organic dyes, such as methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO). This highly efficient, low-cost and easily reusable Cu/CuO-TiO2 catalyst is expected to be of great potential in catalysis in the future.
The PPE2 protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis translocates to host nucleus and inhibits nitric oxide production
Authors: Bhat Khalid Hussain , Srivastava Shruti , Kotturu Sandeep Kumar , Ghosh Sudip , Mukhopadhyay Sangita
Published: January 2017

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, is one of the most successful pathogens of humans. It has evolved several adaptive skills and evasion mechanisms to hijack the immunologically educated host to suit its intracellular lifestyle. Here, we show that one of the unique PPE family member proteins ofM. tuberculosis, PPE2, can limit nitric oxide (NO) production by inhibitinginosgene transcription. PPE2 protein has a leucine zipper DNA-binding motif and a functional nuclear localization signal. PPE2 was translocated into the macrophage nucleusviathe classical importin α/β pathway where it interacted with a GATA-binding site overlapping with the TATA box ofinospromoter and inhibited NO production. PPE2 prolonged intracellular survival of a surrogate bacteriumM. smegmatis in vitroas well asin vivo. This information are likely to improve our knowledge of host-pathogen interactions duringM. tuberculosisinfection which is crucial for designing effective anti-TB therapeutics.