bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GIS Based Groundwater Modeling Study to Assess the Effect of Artificial Recharge: A Case Study from Kodaganar River Basin, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu
Authors: Sashikkumar M. C. , Selvam S. , Kalyanasundaram V. Lenin , Johnny J. Colins
Published: January 2017

Groundwater is a dynamic and replenishable natural resource. The numerical modeling techniques serve as a tool to assess the effect of artificial recharge from the water conservation structures and its response with the aquifers under different recharge conditions. The objective of the present study is to identify the suitable sites for artificial recharge structures to augment groundwater resources and assess its performance through the integrated approach of Geographic Information System (GIS) and numerical groundwater modeling techniques using MODFLOW software for the watershed located in the Kodaganar river basin, Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu. Thematic layers such as geology, geomorphology, soil, runoff, land use and slope were integrated to prepare the groundwater prospect and recharge site map. These potential zones were categorized as good (23%), moderate (54%), and poor (23%) zones with respect to the assigned weightage of different thematic layers. The major artificial recharge structures like percolation ponds and check dams were recommended based on the drainage morphology in the watershed. Finally, a three-layer groundwater flow model was developed. The model was calibrated in two stages, which involved steady and transient state condition. The transient calibration was carried out for the time period from January 1989 to December 2008. The groundwater model was validated after model calibration. The prediction scenario was carried out after the transient calibration for the time period of year up to 2013. The results show that there is 15 to 38% increase in groundwater quantity due to artificial recharge. The present study is useful to assess the effect of artificial recharge from the proposed artificial structures by integrating GIS and groundwater model together to arrive at reasonable results.
Geology and Petrography of the Nagar Parkar Igneous Complex, Southeastern Sindh, Pakistan: The Kharsar Body
Authors: Jan M. Qasim , Agheem M. Hassan , Laghari Amanullah , Anjum Suhail
Published: January 2017

Kharsar hill is one of many granitic plutons comprising the Nagar Parkar igneous complex. The eastern part of the hill is occupied by grey-pink granite (earlier) and the western part by pink granite (later). They are composed of perthite, quartz, and plagioclase, with minor opaque oxide, biotite, titanite, local amphibole, and secondary chlorite, epidote, leucoxene/titanite. The pink granite is characterized by the presence of mafic clots. Both the granitoids are intruded by microgranite/aplite, and porphyritic mafic and rhyolite dykes, locally in swarms. These are abundant in a NE trending 200 m wide zone cutting the entire granite hill. The dykes may extend over 1 km in length and >10 m in thickness, but most are < 100 m in length. The felsic dykes are of several generations; some are associated with the two varieties of granite, others are contemporaneous with the rhyolite and mafic dykes. The mafic dykes can be grouped into two types one of which contains hornblende and the other augite as the principal mafic mineral. Major element analyses suggest that the granitic rocks are metaluminous. The Kharsar granites, like the others in Nagar Parkar, may be an extension of the Malani igneous suite of Rajasthan. The occurrence of bimodal mafic-felsic dykes and petrographic variation in the mafic dykes are briefly discussed.
Comparative and integrative analysis of RNA structural profiling data: current practices and emerging questions
Authors: Choudhary Krishna , Deng Fei , Aviran Sharon
Published: January 2017

Background

Structure profiling experiments provide single‐nucleotide information on RNA structure. Recent advances in chemistry combined with application of high‐throughput sequencing have enabled structure profiling at transcriptome scale and in living cells, creating unprecedented opportunities for RNA biology. Propelled by these experimental advances, massive data with ever‐increasing diversity and complexity have been generated, which give rise to new challenges in interpreting and analyzing these data.

Results

We review current practices in analysis of structure profiling data with emphasis on comparative and integrative analysis as well as highlight emerging questions. Comparative analysis has revealed structural patterns across transcriptomes and has become an integral component of recent profiling studies. Additionally, profiling data can be integrated into traditional structure prediction algorithms to improve prediction accuracy.

Conclusions

To keep pace with experimental developments, methods to facilitate, enhance and refine such analyses are needed. Parallel advances in analysis methodology will complement profiling technologies and help them reach their full potential.
The impact of frailty on depressive disorder in later life: Findings from the Netherlands Study of depression in older persons
Authors: Collard R.M. , Arts M.H.L. , Schene A.H. , Naarding P. , Oude Voshaar R.C. , Comijs H.C.
Published: January 2017

Background:

Physical frailty and depressive symptoms are reciprocally related in community-based studies, but its prognostic impact on depressive disorder remains unknown.

Methods:

A cohort of 378 older persons (≥ 60 years) suffering from a depressive disorder (DSM-IV criteria) was reassessed at two-year follow-up. Depressive symptom severity was assessed every six months with the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, including a mood, motivational, and somatic subscale. Frailty was assessed according to the physical frailty phenotype at the baseline examination.

Results:

For each additional frailty component, the odds of non-remission was 1.24 [95% CI = 1.01–1.52] (P= 040). Linear mixed models showed that only improvement of the motivational (P< 001) subscale and the somatic subscale (P= 003) of the IDS over time were dependent on the frailty severity.

Conclusions:

Physical frailty negatively impacts the course of late-life depression. Since only improvement of mood symptoms was independent of frailty severity, one may hypothesize that frailty and residual depression are easily mixed-up in psychiatric treatment.
Objective motion cueing criteria investigation based on three flight tasks
Authors: Zaal P.M.T. , Schroeder J.A. , Chung W.W.
Published: January 2017

This paper adds data to help establish fidelity criteria to accompany the simulator motion system diagnostic test specified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Twelve airline transport pilots flew three tasks in the NASA Vertical Motion Simulator under four different motion conditions. The experiment used three different hexapod motion configurations, each with a different trade-off between motion filter gain and break frequency, and one large motion configuration that utilised as much of the simulator's motion space as possible. The motion condition significantly affected (1) pilot motion fidelity ratings, and sink rate and lateral deviation at touchdown for the approach and landing task, (2) pilot motion fidelity ratings, roll deviations, maximum pitch rate, and number of stick shaker activations in the stall task, and (3) heading deviation after an engine failure in the take-off task. Significant differences in pilot-vehicle performance were used to define initial objective motion cueing criteria boundaries. These initial fidelity boundaries show promise but need refinement.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for stable synchronization in random dynamical systems
Authors: NEWMAN JULIAN
Published: January 2017

For a composition of independent and identically distributed random maps or a memoryless stochastic flow on a compact space$X$, we find conditions under which the presence of locally asymptotically stable trajectories (e.g. as given by negative Lyapunov exponents) implies almost-sure mutual convergence of any given pair of trajectories (‘synchronization’). Namely, we find that synchronization occurs and is ‘stable’ if and only if the system exhibits the following properties: (i) there is asmallestnon-empty invariant set$K\subset X$; (ii) any two points in$K$are capable of being moved closer together; and (iii) $K$admits asymptotically stable trajectories.
An Outbreak of Ralstonia pickettii Bloodstream Infection Associated with an Intrinsically Contaminated Normal Saline Solution
Authors: Chen Yin-Yin , Huang Wan-Tsuei , Chen Chia-Ping , Sun Shu-Mei , Kuo Fu-Mei , Chan Yu-Jiun , Kuo Shu-Chen , Wang Fu-Der
Published: January 2017

OBJECTIVE

Ralstonia pickettii has caused contamination of pharmaceutical solutions in many countries, resulting in healthcare infections or outbreak events. We determined the source of the outbreak of R. pickettii bloodstream infection (BSI).

METHODS

This study was conducted in a 3,000-bed tertiary referral medical center in Taiwan with >8,500 admissions during May 2015. Patients had been treated in the injection room or chemotherapy room at outpatient departments, emergency department, or hospital wards. All patients who were culture positive for R. pickettii from May 3 to June 11, 2015, were eligible for the study. The aim of the survey was to conduct clinical epidemiological and microbiological investigations to identify possible sources of infection.

RESULTS

We collected 57 R. pickettii–positive specimens from 30 case patients. We performed 24 blood cultures; 14 of these revealed >2 specimens and 6 used fluid withdrawn from Port-a-Cath implantable venous access devices. All patients received an injection of 20 mL 0.9% normal saline via catheter flushing. In addition, 2 unopened ampules of normal saline solution (20 mL) were confirmed positive for R. pickettii. The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention performed sampling and testing of the same manufactured batch and identified the same strain of R. pickettii. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis tests revealed that all clinical isolates had similarity of >90%, validating the outbreak of the same clone of R. pickettii.

CONCLUSIONS

R. pickettii can grow in saline solutions and cause bloodstream infections. Hospital monitoring mechanisms are extremely important measures in identifying and ending such outbreaks.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:444–448
Smart Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Algorithms (STARA): Employees’ perceptions of our future workplace
Authors: Brougham David , Haar Jarrod
Published: January 2017

Futurists predict that a third of jobs that exist today could be taken by Smart Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Algorithms (STARA) by 2025. However, very little is known about how employees perceive these technological advancements in regards to their own jobs and careers, and how they are preparing for these potential changes. A new measure (STARA awareness) was created for this study that captures the extent to which employees feel their job could be replaced by these types of technology. Due to career progression and technology knowledge associated with age, we also tested age as a moderator of STARA. Using a mixed-methods approach on 120 employees, we tested STARA awareness on a range of job and well-being outcomes. Greater STARA awareness was negatively related to organisational commitment and career satisfaction, and positively related to turnover intentions, cynicism, and depression.
Maternal short-chain fructo-oligosaccharide supplementation increases intestinal cytokine secretion, goblet cell number, butyrate concentration andLawsonia intracellularishumoral vaccine response in weaned pigs
Authors: Le Bourgot Cindy , Le Normand Laurence , Formal Michèle , Respondek Frédérique , Blat Sophie , Apper Emmanuelle , Ferret-Bernard Stéphanie , Le Huërou-Luron Isabelle
Published: January 2017

Prebiotic supplementation modulates immune system development and function. However, less is known about the effects of maternal prebiotic consumption on offspring intestinal defences and immune system responsiveness. We investigated the effects of maternal short-chain fructo-oligosaccharide (scFOS) supplementation on mucin-secreting cells, ileal secretory IgA and cytokine secretion of weaned offspring and their humoral response to an oral vaccine against obligate intracellularLawsonia intracellularis. Sows were fed a control diet (CTRL) or scFOS-supplemented diet during the last third of gestation and throughout lactation. At weaning, each litter was divided into two groups receiving a post-weaning CTRL or scFOS diet for a month. Pigs from the four groups were either non-vaccinated (n16) or vaccinated (n117) at day 33. Biomarkers related to intestinal defences and immune parameters were analysed 3 weeks later. SCFA production was assessed over time in suckling and weaned pigs. Maternal scFOS supplementation improved ileal cytokine secretions (interferon (IFN)-γ,P<0·05; IL-4,P=0·07) and tended to increase caecal goblet cell number (P=0·06). It increased IgA vaccine response in the serum (P<0·01) and ileal mucosa (P=0·08). Higher bacterial fermentative activity was observed during lactation (total faecal SCFA,P<0·001) and after weaning (colonic butyrate,P=0·10) in pigs from scFOS-supplemented mothers. No synergistic effect between maternal and post-weaning scFOS supplementation was observed. Therefore, maternal scFOS supplementation has long-lasting consequences by strengthening gut defences and immune response to a vaccine against an intestinal obligate intracellular pathogen. Prebiotic consumption by gestating and lactating mothers is decisive in modulating offspring intestinal immunity.
What Goes Wrong in Habermas’s Pragmatic Justification of (U)?
Authors: NDAYAMBAJE JUVÉNAL
Published: January 2017

In his moral theory, named ‘discourse ethics,’ Jürgen Habermas holds that a norm is morally valid only when it is universalizable. He establishes the principle of universalization (U) as the procedural principle for testing the moral validity of norms in moral discourse. He argues that this principle can be derived from the pragmatic presuppositions of argumentation in general. By explicating the fiduciary status of pragmatic presuppositions of argumentation, and by distinguishing perspectival from comprehensive universalization, I argue that Habermas fails to justify his moral principle.
Regulation and Enforcement of Corporate Social Responsibility in Corporate Nigeria
Authors: Amodu Nojeem
Published: January 2017

It is usually assumed that there is sufficient legislation to regulate the Nigerian business community and combat corporate irresponsibility and that the challenge lies in lackadaisical enforcement by regulators. This article queries this assumption and analyses the corporate social responsibility (CSR) regulatory landscape in corporate Nigeria. It depicts a bleak picture of weak regulation, faulty legal transplantation of foreign principles, a lackadaisical attitude to enforcement, double operational standards from multinational enterprises, and incoherence and policy disparity between CSR regulatory provisions in primary legislation on the one hand and their subsidiary laws on the other. It argues that the challenge lies in faulty and disjointed legislation grossly undermined by fallacious legal transplantation. The article concludes by offering an agenda for the harmonization of the disjointed CSR framework in highlighted primary and subsidiary legislation, in line with best international standards.
Aurora and the Otago Museum: the boundary between Antarctic science and seamanship
Authors: White Moira
Published: January 2017

Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition famously did not succeed in traversing the Antarctic continent from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea. It was, nevertheless, an enterprise that engaged the interest of New Zealanders and the rest of the British Empire even as World War I was being fought. When one of the expedition ships, Aurora, broke from her moorings soon after arrival in McMurdo Sound and drifted trapped in pack ice for months, the construction of a temporary jury rudder while still at sea enabled her crew to make their way to Port Chalmers, Dunedin for more extensive repairs in 1916. This paper discusses interactions between the Otago Museum staff and the crew of Aurora while she was in port, the offer of the replaced jury rudder to the museum, and reflects on the concerns and interests that might have contributed to the offer and its rejection.
The Disappearance and Rediscovery of Zamzam and the ‘Well of the Ka'ba’
Authors: Hawting G. E.
Published: January 2017

According to Muslim tradition, some time after the spring of Zamzam had been caused by God to gush forth for Hagar and Ishmael following their expulsion into the wilderness by Abraham, it disappeared. Because of the sins of the tribe of Jurhum, which until then had possessed Mecca and the control of its sanctuary (wilāyat al-bayt), Zamzam, the well of the sanctuary, dis-appeared or was hidden, and Jurhum was driven out of Mecca and lost thewilāyat al-bayt. The rediscovery of the well is associated with the grandfather of the Prophet, 'Abd al-Muttahb. At a much later, but unspecified date, we are told, he experienced a dream in which the place of Zamzam was revealed to him. From this time on the well, according to tradition, enjoyed a continuous existence, it being one of the features of the Meccan sanctuary which were taken over when Muhammad adopted the sanctuary for Islam. Zamzam, however, is not the only well associated with the Meccan sanctuary. Muslim tradition knows too of a dry pit inside the Ka'ba which is sometimes referred to as the ‘well of the Ka'ba’.
How to drop a name: Hybridity, purity, and the K-pop fan
Authors: Chun Elaine W.
Published: January 2017

This article explores how fans of K-pop, a mediatized musical genre from South Korea, negotiated the tugs of competing language norms within the transnational context of YouTube. The analysis focuses on interactions that emerged over thirty-three months and across eleven ‘reaction videos’ posted by two English-speaking fans. I analyze the semiotic process by which these two speakers’ utterances of Korean names came to be heard as hybrid by their viewers, how viewers invoked various ideological frames when evaluating these hybridities, and how local language practices and interpretations were shaped as a result. Specifically, I show how a purist ideology oflinguistic absolutism, which idealized the ‘correct’ pronunciation of words, was overwhelmingly dominant and how K-pop fans’ contextualizations of forms as hybrid, or theirhybridizations, triggered a discursive trajectory: once language was recognized as hybrid, it entered a pathway towardpurification, or the contextualization of language as pure. (Hybridity, metalanguage, ideology, new media, mediatization, Korean popular culture)*
Controlling Roma refugees with ‘Google-Hungarian’: Indexing deviance, contempt, and belonging in Toronto's linguistic landscape
Authors: Angermeyer Philipp Sebastian
Published: January 2017

This article investigates signage in the linguistic landscape of Toronto that is addressed to Hungarian-speaking Roma asylum applicants, focusing on multilingual public-order signs that convey warnings or prohibitions. Such signs are produced by institutional agents who often use machine translation (Google Translate), yielding ungrammatical texts in ostensible Hungarian. Drawing on ethnographic interviews, the article explores the indexicalities that such multilingual signs have for different groups of participants, including Roma addressees and English-speaking ‘overreaders’. While institutions may view the production of multilingual signs as indexical of open-mindedness towards migrants, Roma interviewees may see public-order signs as indexing racial stereotypes by presupposing deviant behavior, and may view ungrammaticality as indexing an unwillingness to engage in face-to-face interaction. (Multilingualism, Canada, Gypsies (Roma), linguistic landscapes, Hungarian, machine translation, indexicality)
‘CRAMPED AND RESTRICTED AT HOME’? SCOTTISH SEPARATISM AT EMPIRE’S END
Authors: Nielsen Jimmi Østergaard , Ward Stuart
Published: January 2017

The emergence of Scottish separatism as a viable political force in the 1960s is often seen as a reflection of Britain's wider political fortunes in a post-imperial world. It is indeed the case that the Scottish National Party emerged from electoral obscurity to become a credible political alternative in the 1960s, culminating in Winifred Ewing's by-election victory in Hamilton in November 1967. That this occurred in the wake of Britain's retreat from empire fuelled speculation that separatist momentum in Scotland represented an inward manifestation of the same pressures that had torn the empire asunder. This paper draws on sources from local politics to make two key arguments: first, that post-imperial influences were neither as pervasive nor even particularly prominent in the local politics of devolution as may be assumed. Equally, however, global processes of decolonisation contributed to the separatist agenda in ways more subtle than has hitherto been acknowledged. Indeed, there are several striking similarities between the gathering political momentum of the SNP and the sweep of ‘new nationalisms’ through the remnants of the British world in the 1960s, particularly in the former British Dominions of Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Thus, the relative absence of decolonising discourse in the local electoral source material does not necessarily rule out these global undercurrents, although the exact nature of their influence needs to be more carefully evaluated.
Hybrid methodology for tuberculosis incidence time-series forecasting based on ARIMA and a NAR neural network
Authors: WANG K. W. , DENG C. , LI J. P. , ZHANG Y. Y. , LI X. Y. , WU M. C.
Published: January 2017

Tuberculosis (TB) affects people globally and is being reconsidered as a serious public health problem in China. Reliable forecasting is useful for the prevention and control of TB. This study proposes a hybrid model combining autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) with a nonlinear autoregressive (NAR) neural network for forecasting the incidence of TB from January 2007 to March 2016. Prediction performance was compared between the hybrid model and the ARIMA model. The best-fit hybrid model was combined with an ARIMA (3,1,0) × (0,1,1)12 and NAR neural network with four delays and 12 neurons in the hidden layer. The ARIMA-NAR hybrid model, which exhibited lower mean square error, mean absolute error, and mean absolute percentage error of 0·2209, 0·1373, and 0·0406, respectively, in the modelling performance, could produce more accurate forecasting of TB incidence compared to the ARIMA model. This study shows that developing and applying the ARIMA-NAR hybrid model is an effective method to fit the linear and nonlinear patterns of time-series data, and this model could be helpful in the prevention and control of TB.
Traditional low-alcoholic and non-alcoholic fermented beverages consumed in European countries: a neglected food group
Authors: Baschali Aristea , Tsakalidou Effie , Kyriacou Adamantini , Karavasiloglou Nena , Matalas Antonia-Leda
Published: January 2017

Fermented beverages hold a long tradition and contribution to the nutrition of many societies and cultures worldwide. Traditional fermentation has been empirically developed in ancient times as a process of raw food preservation and at the same time production of new foods with different sensorial characteristics, such as texture, flavour and aroma, as well as nutritional value. Low-alcoholic fermented beverages (LAFB) and non-alcoholic fermented beverages (NAFB) represent a subgroup of fermented beverages that have received rather little attention by consumers and scientists alike, especially with regard to their types and traditional uses in European societies. A literature review was undertaken and research articles, review papers and textbooks were searched in order to retrieve data regarding the dietary role, nutrient composition, health benefits and other relevant aspects of diverse ethnic LAFB and NAFB consumed by European populations. A variety of traditional LAFB and NAFB consumed in European regions, such askefir,kvass,kombuchaandhardaliye, are presented. Milk-based LAFB and NAFB are also available on the market, often characterised as ‘functional’ foods on the basis of their probiotic culture content. Future research should focus on elucidating the dietary role and nutritional value of traditional and ‘functional’ LAFB and NAFB, their potential health benefits and consumption trends in European countries. Such data will allow for LAFB and NAFB to be included in national food composition tables.
No value restriction is needed for algebraic effects and handlers
Authors: KAMMAR OHAD , PRETNAR MATIJA
Published: January 2017

We present a straightforward, sound, Hindley–Milner polymorphic type system for algebraic effects and handlers in a call-by-value calculus, which, to our surprise, allows type variable generalisation of arbitrary computations, and not just values. We first recall that the soundness of unrestricted call-by-value Hindley–Milner polymorphism is known to fail in the presence of computational effects such as reference cells and continuations, and that many programming examples can be recast to use effect handlers instead of these effects. After presenting the calculus and its soundness proof, formalised in Twelf, we analyse the expressive power of effect handlers with respect to state effects. We conjecture handlers alone cannot express reference cells, but show they can simulate dynamically scoped state, establishing that dynamic binding also does not need a value restriction.
Price Endogenous Mathematical Programming Models and Trade Analysis
Authors: Spreen Thomas H.
Published: January 2017

Takayama and Judge introduced the price endogenous mathematical programming model as an alternative to the traditional econometric approach to sector-level policy analysis. McCarl and Spreen provided a review of price endogenous mathematical programming models. In that paper, they showed how price endogeneity can be introduced into a standard firm-level linear programming model. The introduction of price endogeneity allows expansion of the firm-level specification to a market-level analysis. At the time of publication of McCarl and Spreen, however, the application of price endogenous mathematical programming models was limited by the availability of software packages that could directly solve such models. The typical application used linear supply and/or demand relationships, which resulted in a quadratic programming (QP) specification. The advent of MINOS in the 1980s and then its incorporation into GAMS has lifted the computation constraint. In the present day, numerous price endogenous models have been developed. I can lay claim to six such models.
The rise and decline of nations: the dynamic properties of institutional reform
Authors: SOBEL RUSSELL S.
Published: January 2017

While it is now well established in the literature that countries with better policies and institutions, as measured by theEconomic Freedom of the Worldindex, have better outcomes in terms of prosperity, growth, and measures of human well-being. However, we know little about the process of institutional reform – that is why and how country policies undergo major changes either upward or downward in their levels of economic freedom. This research attempts to provide a systematic overview of this process, by uncovering what the data really show about this transition process. Institutional declines occur more abruptly than institutional improvements, and free trade appears to be a key ‘first mover’ in cases of large institutional change.
Age at menarche in relation to prenatal rainy season exposure and altitude of residence: results from a nationally representative survey in a tropical country
Authors: Jansen E. C. , Herrán O. F. , Fleischer N. L. , Mondul A. M. , Villamor E.
Published: January 2017

Intrauterine exposure to the rainy season in the tropics may be accompanied by high rates of infection and nutritional deficiencies. It is unknown whether this exposure is related to the extrauterine timing of development. Our aim was to evaluate the relations of prenatal exposure to the rainy season and altitude of residence with age at menarche. The study included 15,370 girls 10 to <18 years old who participated in Colombia’s 2010 National Nutrition Survey. Primary exposures included the number of days exposed to the rainy season during the 40 weeks preceding birth, and altitude of residence at the time of the survey. We estimated median menarcheal ages and hazard ratios with 95% confidence interval (CI) according to exposure categories using Kaplan–Meier cumulative probabilities and Cox proportional hazards models, respectively. All tests incorporated the complex survey design. Girls in the highest quintile of gestation days exposed to the rainy season had an earlier age at menarche compared with those in the lowest (adjusted hazard ratios (HR)=1.08; 95% CI 1.00–1.18, P-trend=0.03). Girls living at altitudes ⩾2000 m had a later age at menarche compared with those living <1000 m (adjusted HR=0.88; 95% CI 0.82–0.94, P-trend <0.001). The inverse association between gestation days during the rainy season and menarche was most apparent among girls living at altitudes ⩾2000 m (P, interaction=0.04). Gestation days exposed to the rainy season and altitude of residence were associated with the timing of sexual maturation among Colombian girls independent of socioeconomic status and ethnicity.
Rolled Mixtures of Barley and Cereal Rye for Weed Suppression in Cover Crop–based Organic No-Till Planted Soybean
Authors: Liebert Jeffrey A. , DiTommaso Antonio , Ryan Matthew R.
Published: January 2017

Maximizing cereal rye biomass has been recommended for weed suppression in cover crop–based organic no-till planted soybean; however, achieving high biomass can be challenging, and thick mulch can interfere with soybean seed placement. An experiment was conducted from 2012 to 2014 in New York to test whether mixing barley and cereal rye would (1) increase weed suppression via enhanced shading prior to termination and (2) provide acceptable weed suppression at lower cover crop biomass levels compared with cereal rye alone. This experiment was also designed to assess high-residue cultivation as a supplemental weed management tool. Barley and cereal rye were seeded in a replacement series, and a split-block design with four replications was used with management treatments as main plots and cover crop seeding ratio treatments (barley:cereal rye, 0:100, 50:50, and 100:0) as subplots. Management treatments included high-residue cultivation and standard no-till management without high-residue cultivation. Despite wider leaves in barley, mixing the species did not increase shading, and cereal rye dominated cover crop biomass in the 50:50 mixtures in 2013 and 2014, representing 82 and 93% of the biomass, respectively. Across all treatments, average weed biomass (primarily common ragweed, giant foxtail, and yellow foxtail) in late summer ranged from 0.5 to 1.1 Mg ha−1in 2013 and 0.6 to 1.3 Mg ha−1in 2014, and weed biomass tended to decrease as the proportion of cereal rye, and thus total cover crop biomass, increased. However, soybean population also decreased by 29,100 plants ha−1for every 1 Mg ha−1increase in cover crop biomass in 2013 (P=0.05). There was no relationship between cover crop biomass and soybean population in 2014 (P=0.35). Soybean yield under no-till management averaged 2.9 Mg ha−1in 2013 and 2.6 Mg ha−1in 2014 and was not affected by cover crop ratio or management treatment. Partial correlation analyses demonstrated that shading from cover crops prior to termination explained more variation in weed biomass than cover crop biomass. Our results indicate that cover crop management practices that enhance shading at slightly lower cover crop biomass levels might reduce the challenges associated with excessive biomass production without sacrificing weed suppression in organic no-till planted soybean.
Übergang zu Eltern von Schulkindern
Authors: Wildgruber Andreas , Griebel Wilfried , Radan Julia , Schuster Andrea
Published: January 2017

Zusammenfassung. Im Hinblick auf den Bildungserfolg der Kinder in Kindertageseinrichtungen und Schulen wird die Kooperation zwischen den Beteiligten in der Forschung zunehmend beachtet. Ausgehend vom psychologischen Transitionsansatz wurde in der vorliegenden Studie die Sicht der Eltern auf ihren eigenen Übergang zu Eltern eines Schulkindes sowie auf die Bewältigung ihres Kindes erfragt. Mittels Gruppenvergleich wurden Unterschiede zwischen Eltern mit nach eigenen Angaben gut und schlecht gelungenem Übergang gefunden. Die Gruppen unterschieden sich in Informiertheit und erfahrener Unterstützung, im Kontakt zur Lehrkraft, der Beteiligung am Schulleben und der kindlichen Übergangsbewältigung.
Martian Mantle Models Pave the Way for NASA's InSight Lander
Authors: Zastrow Mark
Published: January 2017

The most detailed simulations to date of how heat flows through Mars's interior are good news for the upcoming lander and will help scientists interpret its data.
Ethical Decision Making for Psychology Trainees in the Clinical Pediatric Setting: Case Examples and Practical Solutions for Trainees and Supervisors
Authors: Fehr Karla K. , Hazen Rebecca A. , Nielsen Britt A.
Published: January 2017

The opportunity for psychology trainees to provide services on multidisciplinary teams in the pediatric medical setting offers unique opportunities and ethical challenges (e.g., deciding which information to disclose to medical team). The developmental process of integrating ethical principles learned from general ethics training in the classroom with ethical decision making for issues that present in the pediatric medical setting can be challenging for trainees. In this article the authors will highlight ethical issues related to working in a pediatric medical setting. In particular, ethical issues unique to the pediatric setting are highlighted, including (a) working with children with medical conditions and potentially life-threatening illnesses and (b) working on multidisciplinary teams. Case examples illustrate potential ethical concerns, and suggestions for both trainees and supervisors are discussed.
Salivary mucins promote the coexistence of competing oral bacterial species
Authors: Frenkel Erica Shapiro , Ribbeck Katharina
Published: January 2017

Mucus forms a major ecological niche for microbiota in various locations throughout the human body such as the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract and oral cavity. The primary structural components of mucus are mucin glycoproteins, which crosslink to form a complex polymer network that surrounds microbes. Although the mucin matrix could create constraints that impact inhabiting microbes, little is understood about how this key environmental factor affects interspecies interactions. In this study, we develop an experimental model using gel-forming human salivary mucins to understand the influence of mucin on the viability of two competing species of oral bacteria. We use this dual-species model to show that mucins promote the coexistence of the two competing bacteria and that mucins shift cells from the mixed-species biofilm into the planktonic form. Taken together, these findings indicate that the mucus environment could influence bacterial viability by promoting a less competitive mode of growth.
Temporal and compartment-specific signals coordinate mitotic exit with spindle position
Authors: Caydasi Ayse Koca , Khmelinskii Anton , Duenas-Sanchez Rafael , Kurtulmus Bahtiyar , Knop Michael , Pereira Gislene
Published: January 2017

The spatiotemporal control of mitotic exit is crucial for faithful chromosome segregation during mitosis. In budding yeast, the mitotic exit network (MEN) drives cells out of mitosis, whereas the spindle position checkpoint (SPOC) blocks MEN activity when the anaphase spindle is mispositioned. How the SPOC operates at a molecular level remains unclear. Here, we report novel insights into how mitotic signalling pathways orchestrate chromosome segregation in time and space. We establish that the key function of the central SPOC kinase, Kin4, is to counterbalance MEN activation by the cdc fourteen early anaphase release (FEAR) network in the mother cell compartment. Remarkably, Kin4 becomes dispensable for SPOC function in the absence of FEAR. Cells lacking both FEAR and Kin4 show that FEAR contributes to mitotic exit through regulation of the SPOC component Bfa1 and the MEN kinase Cdc15. Furthermore, we uncover controls that specifically promote mitotic exit in the daughter cell compartment.
Drug regimens identified and optimized by output-driven platform markedly reduce tuberculosis treatment time
Authors: Lee Bai-Yu , Clemens Daniel L. , Silva Aleidy , Dillon Barbara Jane , Masleša-Galić Saša , Nava Susana , Ding Xianting , Ho Chih-Ming , Horwitz Marcus A.
Published: January 2017

The current drug regimens for treating tuberculosis are lengthy and onerous, and hence complicated by poor adherence leading to drug resistance and disease relapse. Previously, using an output-driven optimization platform and an in vitro macrophage model of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, we identified several experimental drug regimens among billions of possible drug-dose combinations that outperform the current standard regimen. Here we use this platform to optimize the in vivo drug doses of two of these regimens in a mouse model of pulmonary tuberculosis. The experimental regimens kill M. tuberculosis much more rapidly than the standard regimen and reduce treatment time to relapse-free cure by 75%. Thus, these regimens have the potential to provide a markedly shorter course of treatment for tuberculosis in humans. As these regimens omit isoniazid, rifampicin, fluoroquinolones and injectable aminoglycosides, they would be suitable for treating many cases of multidrug and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.
A swarm of autonomous miniature underwater robot drifters for exploring submesoscale ocean dynamics
Authors: Jaffe Jules S. , Franks Peter J. S. , Roberts Paul L. D. , Mirza Diba , Schurgers Curt , Kastner Ryan , Boch Adrien
Published: January 2017

Measuring the ever-changing 3-dimensional (3D) motions of the ocean requires simultaneous sampling at multiple locations. In particular, sampling the complex, nonlinear dynamics associated with submesoscales (<1–10 km) requires new technologies and approaches. Here we introduce the Mini-Autonomous Underwater Explorer (M-AUE), deployed as a swarm of 16 independent vehicles whose 3D trajectories are measured near-continuously, underwater. As the vehicles drift with the ambient flow or execute preprogrammed vertical behaviours, the simultaneous measurements at multiple, known locations resolve the details of the flow within the swarm. We describe the design, construction, control and underwater navigation of the M-AUE. A field programme in the coastal ocean using a swarm of these robots programmed with a depth-holding behaviour provides a unique test of a physical–biological interaction leading to plankton patch formation in internal waves. The performance of the M-AUE vehicles illustrates their novel capability for measuring submesoscale dynamics.
Dietary cholesterol promotes repair of demyelinated lesions in the adult brain
Authors: Berghoff Stefan A. , Gerndt Nina , Winchenbach Jan , Stumpf Sina K. , Hosang Leon , Odoardi Francesca , Ruhwedel Torben , Böhler Carolin , Barrette Benoit , Stassart Ruth , Liebetanz David , Dibaj Payam , Möbius Wiebke , Edgar Julia M. , Saher Gesine
Published: January 2017

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disorder in which remyelination failure contributes to persistent disability. Cholesterol is rate-limiting for myelin biogenesis in the developing CNS; however, whether cholesterol insufficiency contributes to remyelination failure in MS, is unclear. Here, we show the relationship between cholesterol, myelination and neurological parameters in mouse models of demyelination and remyelination. In the cuprizone model, acute disease reduces serum cholesterol levels that can be restored by dietary cholesterol. Concomitant with blood-brain barrier impairment, supplemented cholesterol directly supports oligodendrocyte precursor proliferation and differentiation, and restores the balance of growth factors, creating a permissive environment for repair. This leads to attenuated axon damage, enhanced remyelination and improved motor learning. Remarkably, in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, cholesterol supplementation does not exacerbate disease expression. These findings emphasize the safety of dietary cholesterol in inflammatory diseases and point to a previously unrecognized role of cholesterol in promoting repair after demyelinating episodes.
Model dielectric function for 2D semiconductors including substrate screening
Authors: Trolle Mads L. , Pedersen Thomas G. , Véniard Valerie
Published: January 2017

Dielectric screening of excitons in 2D semiconductors is known to be a highly non-local effect, which in reciprocal space translates to a strong dependence on momentum transfer q. We present an analytical model dielectric function, including the full non-linear q-dependency, which may be used as an alternative to more numerically taxing ab initio screening functions. By verifying the good agreement between excitonic optical properties calculated using our model dielectric function, and those derived from ab initio methods, we demonstrate the versatility of this approach. Our test systems include: Monolayer hBN, monolayer MoS2, and the surface exciton of a 2 × 1 reconstructed Si(111) surface. Additionally, using our model, we easily take substrate screening effects into account. Hence, we include also a systematic study of the effects of substrate media on the excitonic optical properties of MoS2 and hBN.
Chemically-activatable alkyne-tagged probe for imaging microdomains in lipid bilayer membranes
Authors: Yamaguchi Satoshi , Matsushita Taku , Izuta Shin , Katada Sumika , Ura Manami , Ikeda Taro , Hayashi Gosuke , Suzuki Yuta , Kobayashi Koya , Tokunaga Kyoya , Ozeki Yasuyuki , Okamoto Akimitsu
Published: January 2017

A chemically-activatable alkynyl steroid analogue probe has been synthesized for visualizing the lipid raft membrane domains by Raman microscopy. The Raman probe, in which ring A of its steroid backbone is replaced with an alkynyl group, was designed to enable activation of the alkyne signal through the Eschenmoser-Tanabe fragmentation reaction of the oxidized cholesterol precursor in lipid bilayer membranes. The alkynyl steroid analogue was observed to form liquid-ordered raft-like domains on a model giant-liposome system in a similar manner as cholesterol, and the large alkyne signal of the accumulated probe at 2120 cm−1 was mapped on the microdomains with a Raman microscope. The alkyne moiety of the probe was confirmed to be converted from the α,β-epoxy ketone group of its precursor by reaction with p-toluensulfonyl hydrazine under a mild condition. Through the reaction, the alkyne signal of the probe was activated on the lipid bilayer membrane of liposomes. Furthermore, the signal activation of the probe was also detected on living cells by stimulated Raman scattering microscopy. The ring-A-opened alkyne steroid analogue, thus, provides a first chemically-activatable Raman probe as a promising tool for potentially unravelling the intracellular formation and trafficking of cholesterol-rich microdomains.
Randomized controlled trial of the effect of phytosterols-enriched low-fat milk on lipid profile in Chinese
Authors: Cheung Ching-Lung , Ho Daniel Ka-Chun , Sing Chor-Wing , Tsoi Man-Fung , Cheng Vincent Ka-Fai , Lee Grace Koon-Yee , Ho Yuk-Nam , Cheung Bernard M. Y.
Published: January 2017

Phytosterols found naturally in plants are known to reduce cholesterol absorption in the gut. The traditional southern Chinese diet typically contains many vegetables and not much meat, and there is high prevalence of lactose intolerance in Chinese; we therefore aimed to test if phytosterols-enriched milk is effective in lowering serum LDL-cholesterol in Chinese. Two hundred and twenty-one participants (41 men and 180 women; age 24–79) without cholesterol-lowering drugs or diabetes mellitus were randomized to daily intake of phytosterols-enriched low-fat milk which contained 1.5 g phytosterols per day (N = 110) or a conventional low-fat milk (N = 111) for three weeks. Fasting bloods were taken before and at the end of the study for the measurement of lipid and glucose profile. Physical examination was also performed. Comparing treatment with control, treatment group had significant decrease in serum LDL-cholesterol level (9.5 ± 2.0%; p < 0.0001). Phytosterols intake also decreased total cholesterol (P < 0.0001) and diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.01). Consumption of a phytosterols-enriched low-fat milk led to a significant fall in LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and diastolic blood pressure in Chinese. This can be recommended as part of a healthy diet for people. (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02541201; Date of registration: 26 Aug 2015).
Overlap Extension Barcoding for the Next Generation Sequencing and Genotyping of Plasmodium falciparum in Individual Patients in Western Kenya
Authors: Levitt Brandt , Obala Andrew , Langdon Scott , Corcoran David , O’Meara Wendy Prudhomme , Taylor Steve M.
Published: January 2017

Large-scale molecular epidemiologic studies of Plasmodium falciparum parasites have provided insights into parasite biology and transmission, can identify the spread of drug resistance, and are useful in assessing vaccine targets. The polyclonal nature infections in high transmission settings is problematic for traditional genotyping approaches. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches to parasite genotyping allow sensitive detection of minority variants, disaggregation of complex parasite mixtures, and scalable processing of large samples sets. Therefore, we designed, validated, and applied to field parasites an approach that leverages sequencing of individually barcoded samples in a multiplex manner. We utilize variant barcodes, invariant linker sequences and modular template-specific primers to allow for the simultaneous generation of high-dimensional sequencing data of multiple gene targets. This modularity permits a cost-effective and reproducible way to query many genes at once. In mixtures of reference parasite genomes, we quantitatively detected unique haplotypes comprising as little as 2% of a polyclonal infection. We applied this genotyping approach to field-collected parasites collected in Western Kenya in order to simultaneously obtain parasites genotypes at three unlinked loci. In summary, we present a rapid, scalable, and flexible method for genotyping individual parasites that enables molecular epidemiologic studies of parasite evolution, population structure and transmission.