bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A new species of tree crickets Oecanthus (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Oecanthinae) in tobacco plantation from Southern Brazil, with body color variation
Authors: MILACH ELISA MACHADO , MARTINS LUCIANO DE P. , COSTA MARIA KÁTIA MATIOTTI DA , GOTTSCHALK MARCO SILVA , OLIVEIRA GABRIEL LOBREGAT DE , REDÜ DARLAN RUTZ , NEUTZLING ALEXANDRE SCHNEID , DORNELLES JOSÉ EDUARDO FIGUEIREDO , VASCONCELLOS LUCAS AZEVEDO , ZEFA EDISON
Published: September 2015

We provide herein a description of a new species of Oecanthus collected from the tobacco plantation in southern Brazil, municipality of São Lourenço do Sul, State of Rio Grande do Sul. Description focused metanotal gland features, phallic sclerites, and calling song. A large sampling of individuals was distributed into four groups according to body and appendages color and dotted. We also rank all kind of marks present in the scape and pedicel. We compare linear morphometric variables of the metanotal glands and tegmina, as well as calling song parameters between groups in order do define all of them as the same species. Photographs and measurements are provided.
Response of Atmospheric Convection to Vertical Wind Shear: Cloud-System-Resolving Simulations with Parameterized Large-Scale Circulation. Part II: Effect of Interactive Radiation
Authors: Anber Usama , Wang Shuguang , Sobel Adam
Published: September 2015

The authors investigate the effects of cloud–radiation interaction and vertical wind shear on convective ensembles interacting with large-scale dynamics in cloud-resolving model simulations, with the large-scale circulation parameterized using the weak temperature gradient approximation. Numerical experiments with interactive radiation are conducted with imposed surface heat fluxes constant in space and time, an idealized lower boundary condition that prevents wind–evaporation feedback. Each simulation with interactive radiation is compared to a simulation in which the radiative heating profile is held constant in the horizontal and in time and is equal to the horizontal-mean profile from the interactive-radiation simulation with the same vertical shear profile and surface fluxes. Interactive radiation is found to reduce mean precipitation in all cases. The magnitude of the reduction is nearly independent of the vertical wind shear but increases with surface fluxes. Deep shear also reduces precipitation, though by approximately the same amount with or without interactive radiation. The reductions in precipitation due to either interactive radiation or deep shear are associated with strong large-scale ascent in the upper troposphere, which more strongly exports moist static energy and is quantified by a larger normalized gross moist stability.
Intellectual Giftedness and Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Francis Rosanna , Hawes David J. , Abbott Maree
Published: September 2015

Using a systematic search strategy in which intellectual giftedness was operationalized in terms of IQ score, the authors examined evidence from studies reporting on associations between this aspect of giftedness and psychopathology. A total of 18 studies met the inclusion criteria: compared gifted (IQ ≥ 125) and nongifted (IQ = 90–110) peers or used IQ as a continuous variable (IQ = 90–125+) and used empirically validated psychopathology measures. Overall, results indicated that gifted children demonstrate superior socio-emotional adjustment and fewer behavioral difficulties than their typically developing peers. Issues that may bias the findings in this direction are highlighted, including the tendency to select participants from gifted programs. Some socio-emotional and behavioral difficulties associated with giftedness were found when dimensions such as levels of giftedness and ethnicity were considered. Recommendations for future research include the use of adequate sample size, longitudinal studies, individually administered cognitive abilities tests, and specific age-appropriate psychopathology measures; and testing interaction effects between variables, such as age, ethnicity, and gender.
Becoming “Threshold Researchers” in the Community
Authors: Goss Rachael , McInerney Robert Garfield
Published: September 2015

This article provides a research methodology based in Queer Theory in order to support ethical interpretation within participatory, action, and community-based research. The work defines and explicates a potential relationship between a queering process as a threshold practice and a hermeneutics of love as a research stance. Additionally, this work offers qualitative, phenomenological narrative accounts of queer and threshold experiences that support the theoretical work herein.
The Role of Internal Control in the Equity Issue Market: Evidence From Seasoned Equity Offerings
Authors: Gao Xinghua , Jia Yonghong
Published: September 2015

This article examines the role of internal control requirements under the Sarbanes–Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002 in firms’ cost of raising equity capital. We find that, prior to the disclosure of internal control weaknesses (ICWs), ICWs are not directly associated with underwriters’ gross spread and seasoned equity offering (SEO) underpricing. After the disclosure, however, underwriters charge a risk premium on ICW issuers, especially on those disclosing ICWs in multiple consecutive years. We also find that SEO underpricing is exacerbated by multiple-year-disclosed ICWs but not by first-timers. More notably, we find that managers play a dominant role in deciding issue size pre-disclosure, but this dominance weakens post-disclosure. Taken together, our evidence suggests that internal controls help moderate the cost of raising equity capital and that ICW disclosures have significant implications for underwriters in the equity issue market.
Explaining three-dimensional dimensionality reduction plots
Authors: Coimbra Danilo B , Martins Rafael M , Neves Tácito TAT , Telea Alexandru C , Paulovich Fernando V
Published: September 2015

Understanding three-dimensional projections created by dimensionality reduction from high-variate datasets is very challenging. In particular, classical three-dimensional scatterplots used to display such projections do not explicitly show the relations between the projected points, the viewpoint used to visualize the projection, and the original data variables. To explore and explain such relations, we propose a set of interactive visualization techniques. First, we adapt and enhance biplots to show the data variables in the projected three-dimensional space. Next, we use a set of interactive bar chart legends to show variables that are visible from a given viewpoint and also assist users to select an optimal viewpoint to examine a desired set of variables. Finally, we propose an interactive viewpoint legend that provides an overview of the information visible in a given three-dimensional projection from all possible viewpoints. Our techniques are simple to implement and can be applied to any dimensionality reduction technique. We demonstrate our techniques on the exploration of several real-world high-dimensional datasets.
Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Alzheimer’s Disease Using Different Discrete Transform Techniques
Authors: Dessouky Mohamed M. , Elrashidy Mohamed A. , Taha Taha E. , Abdelkader Hatem M.
Published: September 2015

The different discrete transform techniques such as discrete cosine transform (DCT), discrete sine transform (DST), discrete wavelet transform (DWT), and mel-scale frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) are powerful feature extraction techniques. This article presents a proposed computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for extracting the most effective and significant features of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using these different discrete transform techniques and MFCC techniques. Linear support vector machine has been used as a classifier in this article. Experimental results conclude that the proposed CAD system using MFCC technique for AD recognition has a great improvement for the system performance with small number of significant extracted features, as compared with the CAD system based on DCT, DST, DWT, and the hybrid combination methods of the different transform techniques.
Does Levonorgestrel Emergency Contraceptive have a Post-Fertilization Effect? A Review of its Mechanism of Action
Authors: Peck Rebecca , Rella Walter , Tudela Julio , Aznar Justo , Mozzanega Bruno
Published: September 2015

Background: Recent studies have identified that levonorgestrel administered orally in emergency contraception (LNG-EC) is only efficacious when taken before ovulation. However, the drug does not consistently prevent follicular rupture or impair sperm function.

Objective: The present systematic review is performed to analyze and more precisely define the extent to which pre-fertilization mechanisms of action may explain the drug's efficacy in pregnancy avoidance. We also examine the available evidence to determine if pre-ovulatory drug administration may be associated with post-fertilization effects.

Conclusion: The mechanism of action of LNG-EC is reviewed. The drug has no ability to alter sperm function at doses used in vivo and has limited ability to suppress ovulation. Our analysis estimates that the drug's ovulatory inhibition potential could prevent less than 15 percent of potential conceptions, thus making a pre-fertilization mechanism of action significantly less likely than previously thought. Luteal effects (such as decreased progesterone, altered glycodelin levels, and shortened luteal phase) present in the literature may suggest a pre-ovulatory induced post-fertilization drug effect.

Lay Summary: Plan B is the most widely used emergency contraceptive available. It is important for patients and physicians to clearly understand the drug's mechanism of action (MOA). The drug was originally thought to work by preventing fertilization. Recent research has cast doubt on this. Our review of the research suggests that it could act in a pre-fertilization capacity, and we estimate that it could prevent ovulation in only 15 percent or less of cases. The drug has no ability to alter sperm function and limited ability to suppress ovulation. Further, data suggest that when administered pre-ovulation, it may have a post-fertilization MOA.
Revisiting early intervention in adult asthma
Authors: Haahtela Tari , Selroos Olof , O'Byrne Paul M.
Published: September 2015

The term “early intervention” with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in asthma is used in different ways, thereby causing confusion and misinterpretation of data. We propose that the term should be reserved for start of ICS therapy in patients with a diagnosis of asthma but within a short period of time after the first symptoms, not from the date of diagnosis. Prospective clinical studies suggest a time frame of 2 years for the term “early” from the onset of symptoms to starting anti-inflammatory treatment with ICS.

The current literature supports early intervention with ICS for all patients with asthma including patients with mild disease, who often have normal or near-normal lung function. This approach reduces symptoms rapidly and allows patients to achieve early asthma control. Later introduction of ICS therapy may not reduce effectiveness in terms of lung function but delays asthma control and exposes patients to unnecessary morbidity. Results of nationwide intervention programmes support the early use of ICS, as it significantly minimises the disease burden.

Acute asthma exacerbations are usually preceded by progressing symptoms and lung function decline over a period of 1–2 weeks. Treatment with an increased dose of ICS together with a rapid- and long-acting inhaled β2-agonist during this phase has reduced the risk of severe exacerbations.
Dynamics of end expiratory lung volume after changing positive end-expiratory pressure in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients
Authors: Garnero Aude , Tuxen David , Corno Gaëlle , Durand-Gasselin Jacques , Hodgson Carol , Arnal Jean-Michel
Published: September 2015

Introduction

Lung recruitment maneuvers followed by an individually titrated positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) are the key components of the open lung ventilation strategy in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The staircase recruitment maneuver is a step-by-step increase in PEEP followed by a decremental PEEP trial. The duration of each step is usually 2 minutes without physiologic rationale.

Methods

In this prospective study, we measured the dynamic end-expiratory lung volume changes (ΔEELV) during an increase and decrease in PEEP to determine the optimal duration for each step. PEEP was progressively increased from 5 to 40 cmH2O and then decreased from 40 to 5 cmH2O in steps of 5 cmH2O every 2.5 minutes. The dynamic of ΔEELV was measured by direct spirometry as the difference between inspiratory and expiratory tidal volumes over 2.5 minutes following each increase and decrease in PEEP. ΔEELV was separated between the expected increased volume, calculated as the product of the respiratory system compliance by the change in PEEP, and the additional volume.

Results

Twenty-six early onset moderate or severe ARDS patients were included. Data are expressed as median [25th-75th quartiles]. During the increase in PEEP, the expected increased volume was achieved within 2[2-2] breaths. During the decrease in PEEP, the expected decreased volume was achieved within 1 [1–1] breath, and 95 % of the additional decreased volume was achieved within 8 [2–15] breaths. Completion of volume changes in 99 % of both increase and decrease in PEEP events required 29 breaths.

Conclusions

In early ARDS, most of the ΔEELV occurs within the first minute, and change is completed within 2 minutes, following an increase or decrease in PEEP.
Renocardiac Syndromes: Physiopathology and Treatment Stratagems
Authors: Kingma J. G. , Simard D. , Rouleau J. R.
Published: September 2015

Purpose of review:

Bidirectional inter-organ interactions are essential for normal functioning of the human body; however, they may also promote adverse conditions in remote organs. This review provides a narrative summary of the epidemiology, physiopathological mechanisms and clinical management of patients with combined renal and cardiac disease (recently classified as type 3 and 4 cardiorenal syndrome). Findings are also discussed within the context of basic research in animal models with similar comorbidities.

Sources of information:

Pertinent published articles were identified by literature search of PubMed, MEDLINE and Google Scholar. Additional data from studies in the author's laboratory were also consulted.

Findings:

The prevalence of renocardiac syndrome throughout the world is increasing in part due to an aging population and to other risk factors including hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia. Pathogenesis of this disorder involves multiple bidirectional interactions between the kidneys and heart; however, participation of other organs cannot be excluded. Our own work supports the hypothesis that the uremic milieu, caused by kidney dysfunction, produces major alterations in vasoregulatory control particularly at the level of the microvasculature that results in impaired oxygen delivery and blood perfusion.

Limitations:

Recent clinical literature is replete with articles discussing the necessity to clearly define or characterize what constitutes cardiorenal syndrome in order to improve clinical management of affected patients. Patients are treated after onset of symptoms with limited available information regarding etiology. While understanding of mechanisms involved in pathogenesis of inter-organ crosstalk remains a challenging objective, basic research data remains limited partly because of the lack of animal models.

Implications:

Preservation of microvascular integrity may be the most critical factor to limit progression of multi-organ disorders including renocardiac syndrome. More fundamental studies are needed to help elucidate physiopathological mechanisms and for development of treatments to improve clinical outcomes.
Fulvestrant 500 mg Versus Anastrozole 1 mg for the First-Line Treatment of Advanced Breast Cancer: Overall Survival Analysis From the Phase II FIRST Study
Authors: Ellis Matthew J. , Llombart-Cussac Antonio , Feltl David , Dewar John A. , Jasiówka Marek , Hewson Nicola , Rukazenkov Yuri , Robertson John F.R.
Published: September 2015

Purpose

To compare overall survival (OS) for fulvestrant 500 mg versus anastrozole as first-line endocrine therapy for advanced breast cancer.

Patients and Methods

The Fulvestrant First-Line Study Comparing Endocrine Treatments (FIRST) was a phase II, randomized, open-label, multicenter trial. Postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor–positive, locally advanced/metastatic breast cancer who had no previous therapy for advanced disease received either fulvestrant 500 mg (days 0, 14, 28, and every 28 days thereafter) or anastrozole 1 mg (daily). The primary end point (clinical benefit rate [72.5% and 67.0%]) and a follow-up analysis (median time to progression [23.4 months and 13.1 months]) have been reported previously for fulvestrant 500 mg and anastrozole, respectively. Subsequently, the protocol was amended to assess OS by unadjusted log-rank test after approximately 65% of patients had died. Treatment effect on OS across several subgroups was examined. Tolerability was evaluated by adverse event monitoring.

Results

In total, 205 patients were randomly assigned (fulvestrant 500 mg, n = 102; anastrozole, n = 103). At data cutoff, 61.8% (fulvestrant 500 mg, n = 63) and 71.8% (anastrozole, n = 74) had died. The hazard ratio (95% CI) for OS with fulvestrant 500 mg versus anastrozole was 0.70 (0.50 to 0.98; P = .04; median OS, 54.1 months v 48.4 months). Treatment effects seemed generally consistent across the subgroups analyzed. No new safety issues were observed.

Conclusion

There are several limitations of this OS analysis, including that it was not planned in the original protocol but instead was added after time-to-progression results were analyzed, and that not all patients participated in additional OS follow-up. However, the present results suggest fulvestrant 500 mg extends OS versus anastrozole. This finding now awaits prospective confirmation in the larger phase III FALCON (Fulvestrant and Anastrozole Compared in Hormonal Therapy Naïve Advanced Breast Cancer) trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01602380).
Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor–Associated Cardiovascular Toxicity in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Moslehi Javid J. , Deininger Michael
Published: September 2015

For most patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have turned a fatal disease into a manageable chronic condition. Imatinib, the first BCR-ABL1 TKI granted regulatory approval, has been surpassed in terms of molecular responses by the second-generation TKIs nilotinib, dasatinib, and bosutinib. Recently, ponatinib was approved as the only TKI with activity against the T315I mutation. Although all TKIs are associated with nonhematologic adverse events (AEs), experience with imatinib suggested that toxicities are typically manageable and apparent early during drug development. Recent reports of cardiovascular AEs with nilotinib and particularly ponatinib and of pulmonary arterial hypertension with dasatinib have raised concerns about long-term sequelae of drugs that may be administered for decades. Here, we review what is currently known about the cardiovascular toxicities of BCR-ABL1 TKIs, discuss potential mechanisms underlying cardiovascular AEs, and elucidate discrepancies between the reporting of such AEs between oncology and cardiovascular trials. Whenever possible, we provide practical recommendations, but we concede that cause-directed interventions will require better mechanistic understanding. We suggest that chronic myeloid leukemia heralds a fundamental shift in oncology toward effective but mostly noncurative long-term therapies. Realizing the full potential of these treatments will require a proactive rational approach to minimize long-term cardiovascular and cardiometabolic toxicities.
Cold Exposure Partially Corrects Disturbances in Lipid Metabolism in a Male Mouse Model of Glucocorticoid Excess
Authors: van den Beukel Johanna C. , Boon Mariëtte R. , Steenbergen Jacobie , Rensen Patrick C. N. , Meijer Onno C. , Themmen Axel P. N. , Grefhorst Aldo
Published: September 2015

High glucocorticoid concentrations are accompanied by metabolic side effects such as high plasma triglyceride (TG) concentrations. Liver, brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue are important regulators of plasma TG. Exposure to 4°C reduces plasma TG concentrations, and we therefore aimed to study the interaction between glucocorticoid excess and 24 hours of exposure to 4°C on lipid metabolism. For this, mice were implanted with 50-mg corticosterone or control pellets and housed for 24 hours at 23°C or 4°C 1 week later, after which various aspects of TG metabolism in liver, BAT, and white adipose tissue were studied. Corticosterone treatment resulted in a 3.8-fold increase of plasma TG concentrations. Increased TG was normalized by cold exposure, an effect still present 24 hours after cold exposure. Corticosterone treatment increased hepatic TG content by 3.5-fold and provoked secretion of large, TG-rich very low density lipoprotein particles. Cold exposure reduced very low density lipoprotein-TG secretion by approximately 50%. Corticosterone strongly decreased BAT activity: BAT weight increased by 3.5-fold, whereas uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) mRNA expression and Ucp1 protein content of BAT were reduced by 75% and 60%, respectively. Cold exposure partially normalized these parameters of BAT activity. The uptake of TG by BAT was not affected by corticosterone treatment but was increased 4.5-fold upon cold exposure. In conclusion, cold exposure normalizes corticosterone-induced hypertriglyceridemia, at least partly via activating BAT.
Differences in the Osteogenic Differentiation Capacity of Omental Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Obese Patients With and Without Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Oliva-Olivera Wilfredo , Gea Antonio Leiva , Lhamyani Said , Coín-Aragüez Leticia , Torres Juan Alcaide , Bernal-López Maria Rosa , García-Luna Pedro Pablo , Conde Salvador Morales , Fernández-Veledo Sonia , El Bekay Rajaa , Tinahones Francisco José
Published: September 2015

Multiple studies have suggested that the reduced differentiation capacity of multipotent adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) in obese subjects could compromise their use in cell therapy. Our aim was to assess the osteogenic potential of omental ASCs and to examine the status of the isolated CD34negative-enriched fraction of omental-derived ASCs from subjects with different metabolic profiles. Omental ASCs from normal-weight subjects and subjects with or without metabolic syndrome were isolated, and the osteogenic potential of omental ASCs was evaluated. Additionally, osteogenic and clonogenic potential, proliferation rate, mRNA expression levels of proteins involved in redox balance, and fibrotic proteins were examined in the CD34negative-enriched fraction of omental-derived ASCs. Both the omental ASCs and the CD34negative-enriched fraction of omental ASCs from subjects without metabolic syndrome have a greater osteogenic potential than those from subjects with metabolic syndrome. The alkaline phosphatase and osteonectin mRNA were negatively correlated with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase-2 mRNA and the mRNA expression levels of the fibrotic proteins correlated positively with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase-5 mRNA and the homeostasis model assessment. Although the population doubling time was significantly higher in subjects with a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or greater, only the CD34negative-enriched omental ASC fraction in the subjects with metabolic syndrome had a higher population doubling time than the normal-weight subjects. The osteogenic, clonogenic, fibrotic potential, and proliferation rate observed in vitro suggest that omental ASCs from subjects without metabolic syndrome are more suitable for therapeutic osteogenic applications than those from subjects with metabolic syndrome.
Reduced Circulating GDF11 Is Unlikely Responsible for Age-Dependent Changes in Mouse Heart, Muscle, and Brain
Authors: Rodgers Buel D. , Eldridge Jennifer A.
Published: September 2015

Recent high-profile studies report conflicting data on the age-related change in circulating growth/differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) and myostatin as well as the former’s influence on muscle regeneration. Both ligands bind and activate ActRIIB receptors with similar affinities and should therefore have similar actions, yet these studies suggest that GDF11 activates muscle regeneration whereas myostatin is well known to inhibit it. They also suggest that circulating GDF11 levels, but not those of myostatin, decline with age. We performed a careful assessment of the ELISA used to quantify circulating myostatin in these studies and determined that assay reagents significantly cross react with each protein, each of which is highly homologous. Circulating myostatin levels decreased with age and estimates of GDF11 levels using myostatin null mice indicate that they were almost 500 times lower than those for myostatin. This suggests that circulating GDF11 has little physiological relevance as it could not outcompete myostatin for ActRIIB binding sites. Together, these results further suggest that the previously reported aging muscle, heart, and brain phenotypes attributed to reduced circulating GDF11 should be reconsidered.
Garden Variety: Botany and Multiplicity in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Abolitionism
Authors: Kuhn Mary
Published: September 2015

This essay, by paying attention to botanical language, reveals how Stowe's environmental sensibility affects her racial politics and abolitionist strategies. The theories of plant growth and vitality she draws on as her career develops refute the strict classification and cultivation practices associated with slavery, disrupting the logic used to segregate humans from each other and from the environment. Stowe's characterization of plants reframes our understanding of the relationship between antebellum science and sentimental culture, and upends the essentialist approach to nature by which many ethnologists classified race. Stowe comes to emphasize nature's mutability and interconnectedness, and invites her readers to consider human nature as part of this dynamic natural order.
Louisa May Alcott's Age
Authors: Edelstein Sari
Published: September 2015

This essay draws attention to how the institutionalization of childhood studies in American literary criticism unwittingly privileges youth over all other ages and reifies the stages of life themselves as essential categories rather than as cultural constructs. Given that age emerged as a primary identity category between 1820 and 1900, this essay argues that age offers an especially pertinent lens for nineteenth-century literary scholars. Louisa May Alcott's 1873 novel Work makes the political and social significance of age its central subject. Work acknowledges age as a newly meaningful coordinate of identity in the mid-nineteenth century, but it denaturalizes the seeming inevitability of gendered age norms and the developmental teleology that under-writes them. Ultimately, Work envisions alternative versions of female maturity that depart from linear models of aging as decline.
Pregnant Chad: Gender, Race, and the Ballot
Authors: Kassanoff Jennie A.
Published: September 2015

The defense of electoral “purity” against intrusion, corruption, and fraud has historically bound US voting to a pernicious set of gendered and racial narratives, chief among them the routine depiction of the ballot as a white woman whose iconic, vulnerable body inscribes the limits of national belonging. By paying particular attention to the writings of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Thomas Dixon Jr., and William Faulkner, the essay traces the fixation on “the purity of the ballot box” from its moorings in the post-Reconstruction South to its reemergence in the disputed 2000 presidential election and its consequence for the doomed Voting Rights Act.
The Search for Parents in Tristan L'Hermite, 1601–1655
Authors: Chatelain Claire
Published: September 2015

Based on an analysis of the writer Tristan L'Hermite, this study focuses on the effects of the constraints individuals experienced in the kinship system of seventeenth-century Ile-de-France and the legal practices associated with it. Drawing on Tristan's literary and theatrical works, as well as notarial archives, this article examines his relationship with his mother and her relationship with her in-laws (both often difficult, according to Tristan). The consequences of a hypogamic alliance associated with residence in her husband's seigneurie created an indivisible inheritance that placed all involved in fragile positions. Nonetheless, Tristan, by affirming his profession as a writer, could simultaneously find an accomplished form of subjectivity and the public means for resolving these domestic difficulties.
“A Well-Made-Up Woman”: Aesthetics and Conformity in Postwar France
Authors: Colvin Kelly Ricciardi
Published: September 2015

This article examines the relationships among female respectability, aesthetics, and national belonging in the wake of World War II. This was a time of tumult, and the French sought order through conformity. This conformity had much to do with conservative gender roles. The article analyzes images of female beauty and love in the feminine press. A complex reading of these images reveals an intriguing subtext: a woman needed to conform to certain images of respectable femininity, which included a properly feminine appearance and, perhaps most important, a satisfied man at her side. Articles in women's magazines warned that a woman's failure to conform to such standards would result in ostracism and a lifetime of loneliness. This article posits that establishing these strict guidelines for women was crucial to reinstating a sense of male virility and control in France after the chaos of war.
Solow's Struggle with Medium-Run Macroeconomics, 1956–95
Authors: Assous Michaël
Published: September 2015

Robert Solow has called repeatedly for the development of models that combine equilibrium and out-of-equilibrium outcomes, or what he calls medium-run macroeconomics. This essay recounts the history of his various attempts to address that issue. It starts in the early 1950s, when Solow developed his long-run growth model, and ends in the mid-1990s with the publication of A Critical Essay on Modern Macroeconomic Theory written with Frank Hahn. This narrative involves different economists associated with various research traditions, from the neoclassical synthesis in the 1960s, via the new classical economics in the 1970s, to the new neoclassical synthesis in the 1990s.
Creating Increasing Returns: The Genesis of Arrow's “Learning by Doing” Article
Authors: Ballandonne Matthieu
Published: September 2015

Kenneth J. Arrow's 1962 article “The Economic Implications of Learning by Doing” is considered a seminal contribution to endogenous growth theory. However, no history of its origins has been written yet. We aim to fill this gap by studying the genesis of Arrow's article, showing how its context of discovery conditioned its form, the concepts Arrow used and the way he defined them, and the modeling strategy he employed. We first show that Arrow's work on scale economies was part of a research project carried out with Hollis Chenery on technology and resource allocation funded by the National Science Foundation, a project that enabled Arrow to develop a theoretical and macroeconomic theory of increasing returns. We then examine the influence of John Dewey's experiential approach to education on Arrow's use of the notion of “learning by doing” and its approximation by cumulative investment. We finally study the different strategies for modeling learning developed in the 1950s and 1960s, showing the influence of RAND's and Armen Alchian's contributions on Arrow's use of a log-linear equation of learning and its introduction into an economic growth model.
Vimentin is involved in regulation of mitochondrial motility and membrane potential by Rac1
Authors: Matveeva Elena A. , Venkova Larisa S. , Chernoivanenko Ivan S. , Minin Alexander A.
Published: September 2015

In this study we show that binding of mitochondria to vimentin intermediate filaments (VIF) is regulated by GTPase Rac1. The activation of Rac1 leads to a redoubling of mitochondrial motility in murine fibroblasts. Using double-mutants Rac1(G12V, F37L) and Rac1(G12V, Y40H) that are capable to activate different effectors of Rac1, we show that mitochondrial movements are regulated through PAK1 kinase. The involvement of PAK1 kinase is also confirmed by the fact that expression of its auto inhibitory domain (PID) blocks the effect of activated Rac1 on mitochondrial motility. The observed effect of Rac1 and PAK1 kinase on mitochondria depends on phosphorylation of the Ser-55 of vimentin. Besides the effect on motility Rac1 activation also decreases the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) which is detected by ∼20% drop of the fluorescence intensity of mitochondria stained with the potential sensitive dye TMRM. One of important consequences of the discovered regulation of MMP by Rac1 and PAK1 is a spatial differentiation of mitochondria in polarized fibroblasts: at the front of the cell they are less energized (by ∼25%) than at the rear part.
The Dirichlet spectral radius of trees
Authors: Zhang Guang-jun , Li Wei-Xia
Published: September 2015

In this paper, the trees with the largest Dirichlet spectral radius among all trees with a given degree sequence are characterized. Moreover, the extremal graphs having the largest Dirichlet spectral radius are obtained in the sets ofall trees of order n with a given number of pendant vertices.
On the rank-k numerical range of matrices polynomials
Authors: Aretaki Aik. , Maroulas John
Published: September 2015

This article introduces the notion of the rank-$k$ numerical range $\Lambda_{k}(L)$ of a matrix polynomial $L(\lambda) = A_{m} \lambda^{m} + \cdots + A_{1} \lambda + A_{0}$, whose coefficients are $n\times n$ complex matrices. Also, geometric properties are obtained, including the relation to the ordinary numerical range $W(L)$.
A note on the convexity of the indefinite joint numerical range
Authors: Nakazato Hiroshi , Bebiano Natalia , Da Providencia Joao
Published: September 2015

This note investigates the convexity of the indefinite joint numerical range of a tuple of Hermitian matrices in the setting of Krein spaces. Its main result is a necessary and sufficient condition for convexity of this set. A new notion of âquasi-convexityâ is introduced as a refinement of pseudo-convexity.
Traces of Matrix Products
Authors: Greene John
Published: September 2015

Given two noncommuting matrices, A and B, it is well known that AB and BA have the same trace. This extends to cyclic permutations of products of Aâs and Bâs. It is shown here that for 2Ã2 matrices A and B, whose elements are independent random variables with standard normal distributions, the probability that Tr(ABAB) > Tr(AB) is exactly 1/\sqrt{2} .
On the Estrada index of cacti
Authors: Shan Erfang , Wang Hongzhuan , Kang Liying
Published: September 2015

Let G be a simple connected graph on n vertices and Î»_1, Î»_2, . . . , Î»_n be the eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix of G. The Estrada index of G is defined as EE(G) = \sum_{i=1}^n e^{Î»i}. A cactus is a connected graph in which any two cycles have at most one common vertex. In this work, the unique graph with maximal Estrada index in the class of all cacti with n vertices and k cycles was determined. Also, the unique graph with maximal Estrada index in the class of all cacti with n vertices and k cut edges was determined.
Positive semidefinite 3 x 3 block matrices
Authors: Lin Minghua , Van den Driessche Pauline
Published: September 2015

Several results related to positive semidefinite 3 by 3 block matrices are presented. In particular, a question of Audenaert is answered affirmatively and some determinantal inequalities are proved.
Factorization of Permutations
Authors: Huang Zejun , Li Chi-Kwong , Li Sharon H. , Sze Nung-Sing
Published: September 2015

The problem of factoring a permutation as a product of special types of transpositions, namely, those transpositions involving two positions with bounded distances, is considered. In particular, the minimum number, Î´, such that every permutation can be factored into no more than Î´ special transpositions is investigated. This study is related to sorting algorithms, Cayley graphs, and genomics.
Ranks and eigenvalues of states with prescribed reduced states
Authors: Li Chi-Kwong , Poon Yiu-Tung , Wang Xuefeng
Published: September 2015

For a quantum state represented as an $n\times n$ density matrix $\sigma \in M_n$, let $\cS(\sigma)$ be the compact convex set of quantum states $\rho = (\rho_{ij}) \in M_{m\cdot n}$ with the first partial trace equal to $\sigma$, i.e., $\tr_1(\rho) =\rho_{11} + \cdots + \rho_{mm} = \sigma$. It is known that if $m\ge n$ then there is a rank one matrix $\rho \in \cS(\sigma)$ satisfying $\tr_1(\rho) = \sigma$. If $m < n$, there may not be any rank one matrix in $\cS(\sigma)$. In this paper, we determine the ranks of the elements and ranks of the extreme points of the set $\cS$. We also determine $\rho^* \in \cS(\sigma)$ with rank bounded by $k$ such that $\|\tr_1(\rho^*) - \sigma\|$ is minimum for a given unitary similarity invariant norm $\|\cdot\|$. Furthermore, the relation between the eigenvalues of $\sigma$ and those of $\rho \in \cS(\sigma)$ is analyzed. Extension of the results and open problems will be mentioned.
On the max-algebraic core of a nonnegative matrix
Authors: Butkovic Peter , Schneider Hans , Sergeev Sergei
Published: September 2015

The max-algebraic core of a nonnegative matrix is the intersection of column spans of all max-algebraic matrix powers. This paper investigates the action of a matrix on its core. Being closely related to ultimate periodicity of matrix powers, this study leads to new modifications and geometric characterizations of robust, orbit periodic and weakly stable matrices
Some Properties of the Exchange Operator with respect to Structured Matrices defined by Indefinite Scalar Product Spaces
Authors: Cheng Hanz Martin , David Roden Jason
Published: September 2015

The properties of the exchange operator on some types of matrices are explored in this paper. In particular, the properties of exc(A,p,q), where A is a given structured matrix of size (p+q)Ã(p+q) and exc : M ÃNÃN â M is the exchange operator are studied. This paper is a generalization of one of the results in [N.J. Higham. J-orthogonal matrices: Properties and generation. SIAM Review, 45:504â519, 2003.].
A total positivity property of the Marchenko-Pastur Law
Authors: Marco Ana , Martinez Jose-Javier
Published: September 2015

A property of the Marchenko-Pastur measure related to total positivity is presented. The theoretical results are applied to the accurate computation of the roots of the corresponding orthogonal polynomials, an important issue in the construction of Gaussian quadrature formulas.
Godsil-McKay switching and isomorphism
Authors: Abiad Aida , Brouwer Andries , Haemers Willem
Published: September 2015

Godsil-McKay switching is an operation on graphs that doesnât change the spectrum of the adjacency matrix. Usually (but not always) the obtained graph is non-isomorphic with the original graph. We present a straightforward sufficient condition for being isomorphic after switching, and give examples which show that this condition is not necessary. For some graph products we obtain sufficient conditions for being non-isomorphic after switching. As an example we find that the tensor product of the grid L(â,m) (â > m>2) and a graph with at least one vertex of degree two is not determined by its adjacency spectrum.
Stationary vectors of stochastic matrices subject to combinatorial constraints
Authors: Breen Jane , Kirkland Steve
Published: September 2015

Given a strongly connected directed graph D, let S_D denote the set of all stochastic matrices whose directed graph is a spanning subgraph of D. We consider the problem of completely describing the set of stationary vectors of irreducible members of S_D. Results from the area of convex polytopes and an association of each matrix with an undirected bipartite graph are used to derive conditions which must be satisfied by a positive probability vector x in order for it to be admissible as a stationary vector of some matrix in S_D. Given some admissible vector x, the set of matrices in S_D that possess x as a stationary vector is also characterised.
Bounding the CP-rank by graph parameters
Authors: Shaked-Monderer Naomi
Published: September 2015

The cp-rank of a graph G, cpr(G), is the maximum cp-rank of a completely positive matrix with graph G. One obvious lower bound on cpr(G) is the (edge-) clique covering number, cc(G), i.e., the minimal number of cliques needed to cover all of Gâs edges. It is shown here that for a connected graph G, cpr(G) = cc(G) if and only if G is triangle free and not a tree. Another lower bound for cpr(G) is tf(G), the maximum size of a triangle free subgraph of G. We consider the question of when does the equality cpr(G) = tf(G) hold.
Sign patterns that require eventual exponential nonnegativity
Authors: Erickson Craig
Published: September 2015

Sign patterns that require exponential nonnegativity are characterized. A set of conditions necessary for a sign pattern to require eventual exponential nonnegativity are established. It is shown that these conditions are also sufficient for an upper triangular sign pattern to require eventual exponential nonnegativity and it is conjectured that these conditions are both necessary and sufficient for any sign pattern to require eventual exponential nonnegativity. It is also shown that the maximum number of negative entries in a sign pattern that requires eventual exponential nonnegativity is (nâ1)(nâ2)/2 + 2
Properties of first eigenvectors and eigenvalues of nonsingular weighted directed graphs
Authors: Kalita Debajit
Published: September 2015

The class of nonsingular connected weighted directed graphs with an unweighted undirected branch is considered in this article. This paper investigates the monotonicity properties of the first eigenvector of such graphs along certain paths. The paper describes how the first eigenvalue of such graphs changes under some perturbation. It is shown that replacing a branch which is a tree by a path on the same number of vertices will not increase the first eigenvalue, while replacing the tree by a star on the same number of vertices will not decrease the first eigenvalue. As an application the paper characterizes the graphs minimizing the first eigenvalue over certain classes of such graphs.
Implementation of reflective practice programme for registered nurses
Authors: N. Nelumbu Lucia
Published: September 2015

The researcher was convinced that the development of a programme is the good idea that will enhance the proper application of reflective practice in clinical settings for nurses not simply to perform daily routine activities without paying attention to reflection. The developed programme was implemented through a two-day workshop.Â  Therefore, the researcher considered the workshop to be an ideal strategy for implementation, because reflection can only be facilitated and practiced through active participation. The participants were drawn from various disciplines such as: Paediatrics, Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics and Internal Medicine. The facilitator explained the purpose of the workshop and the rules to be followed during the workshop. The content of the programme was presented and discussed during the specific sessions as it was scheduled. After the sessions, the participants were informed that they have to go back and apply what they learned from the workshop during their clinical practice for three months. And after three months the facilitator together with the participants contacted the evaluation of the application of the content of the programme.
Estudo comparativo da usabilidade de comandos direcionais para duas concepções de máquinas agrícolas
Authors: Veiga Ricardo Kozoroski , Merino Eugenio Andrés Díaz , Gontijo Leila Amaral , Masiero Fabrício Campos , Merino Giselle Schmidt Alves Díaz
Published: September 2015

O estado de Santa Catarina apresentou um expressivo crescimento em sua frota de máquinas agrícolas nos últimos 40 anos. Pelas origens históricas, o estado experimentou uma  agricultura familiar forte que se desenvolveu em pequenas propriedades. Essa reduzida dimensão das propriedades rurais impulsionou a aquisição de máquinas agrícolas de pequeno porte tais como os motocultivadores. Estima-se que em Santa Catarina existam mais de 20 mil máquinas dessa natureza. Pela concepção inicial dessa máquina seu emprego destina-se a operações com deslocamento em pé, possuindo para isso comandos dimensionados para a postura na vertical. Porém grande parcela dos motocultivadores é empregada no transporte de carga e pessoal, através da adaptação de um implemento que possibilita a condução na posição sentada. Essa modificação é incompleta, pois não possibilita a instalação de volante para manobras. Assim essa inadequação do comando aumenta a dificuldade na condução do veículo e pode potencializar o erro humano, levando ao acidente.  Buscando comparar a usabilidade e o índice de erros no acionamento de comandos de motocultivadores e de tratores, no trabalho utilizou-se de dois métodos: análise pelo modelo Usa- Design (U-D© )e teste de usabilidade. Um painel posicionado à frente das duas máquinas agrícolas simulou obstáculos surgindo à direita ou esquerda do operador, em situação de subida ou descida, e foi observada a reação do mesmo ao estímulo. A amostra de 53 voluntários comprovou que para todos os grupos (níveis de experiência) o erro foi maior para o motocultivador.  O trator apresentou 5,7 % de erro enquanto que no motocultivador esse valor foi de 49,1 %. O resultado encontrado pelo modelo Usa Design concordou com os encontrados no teste e apontou graves deficiências em aspectos funcionais e de segurança no motocultivador.
Proposta de modelo de desenvolvimento de produtos focada na metodologia de certificação CE
Authors: Pinheiro Nathalia Marcia Goulart , Santos Adriana de Paula Lacerda , Cleto Marcelo Gechele
Published: September 2015

Este trabalho apresenta uma análise crítica que compara 21 modelos de desenvolvimento de produto a fim de identificar se estas estruturas atendem às demandas da Certificação de Produtos da Comunidade Europeia (CE). Depois é apresentado um modelo de desenvolvimento de produtos, contemplando as etapas descritas nos modelos analisados acrescidas de melhorias para inclusão de atividades para certificação de produtos em relação à Conformidade Europeia, marcação CE. A melhoria proposta é justificada pela crescente busca na internacionalização de produtos e processos dentro das empresas.