bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Personal Dispositions and Shift‐Work Tolerance: A Longitudinal Study of Municipality Shift Workers
Authors: Foldal Vegard Stolsmo , Langvik Eva , Saksvik‐Lehouillier Ingvild
Published: December 2016

The aim of this study was to investigate how dispositional resistance to change and neuroticism could predict shift‐work tolerance (SWT) over a period of 6 months. Electronic questionnaires were completed by 74 shift workers employed in a municipality in Norway in January 2013 (1st wave of data collection) and in June 2013 (2nd wave of data collection). The findings suggest that individual differences, especially neuroticism, can predict SWT over a period of 6 months.
The Role of Transesterification in SnOct2‐Catalyzed Polymerizations of Lactides
Authors: Weidner Steffen M. , Kricheldorf Hans R.
Published: December 2016

l‐lactide or meso‐lactide are polymerized either at 120 °C where the polymerization process of l‐lactide is accompanied by crystallization, or at 180 °C where poly(l‐lactide) remains in the molten state. Polymerizations at 120 °C initially yield even‐numbered chains (with respect to lactic acid units) having relatively low dispersity, but the fraction of odd‐numbered chains increases with time and the entire molecular weight distribution changes. Traces of cyclics are only formed after 7 d. Polymerizations at 180 °C yield equilibrium of even and odd‐numbered chains from the beginning, but at low monomer/initiator ratios and short reaction times (<4 h) cyclics are again not formed. They appear at longer reaction times and entail higher dispersities. The results are discussed in terms of five different transesterification mechanisms.

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Control of Chain Orientation in Blends of Polypropylene and Polybutene‐1
Authors: Sato Shumma , Maeda Takayuki , Yamaguchi Masayuki
Published: December 2016

An extruded sheet having unique molecular orientation is developed using a miscible blend of isotactic polypropylene (PP) and isotactic polybutene‐1 (PB). Blends containing a small amount of N,N′‐dicyclohexyl‐2,6‐naphthalenedicarboxamide are extruded from a ribbon‐shaped die onto a chill roll at various temperatures. It is found that form‐I crystals of PB become oriented in the flow direction, whereas β‐form crystals of PP become oriented perpendicular to the flow direction. The molecular orientation is the most obvious for the blend containing 60 wt% of PB extruded at a chill roll temperature of 80 °C. The anisotropy in the tensile modulus of the obtained extruded sheet is reduced by its extraordinary molecular orientation.

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A symmetry property for polyharmonic functions vanishing on equidistant hyperplanes
Authors: Kounchev Ognyan , Render Hermann
Published: December 2016

Let be a polyharmonic function of order N defined on the strip satisfying the growth condition

urn:x-wiley:0025584X:media:mana201500378:mana201500378-math-0003for and any compact subinterval K of , and suppose that vanishes on equidistant hyperplanes of the form for and Then it is shown that is odd at t0, i.e. that for . The second main result states that u is identically zero provided that u satisfies and vanishes on 2N equidistant hyperplanes with distance c.
Smoothed particle hydrodynamics method with partially defined fluid particles
Authors: Kanetsuki Y. , Wells J. C. , Nakata S.
Published: December 2016

This paper presents a method for nested fluid simulation based on smoothed particle hydrodynamics. Given suitable background flow information of an “external flow” as it evolves in time, our method simulates the motion of particles only within a local material region. In order to perform the simulation, the background physical quantities need to be transferred to the local fluid particles. We employ ghost particles to carry the given physical quantities to the nested fluid. We also solve the problem of density computation appropriately for the ghost particles. Our numerical tests show that accurate local fluid motion can be obtained in such a nested volume of fluid particles. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Efficient and Rapid Synthesis of Radioactive Gold Nanoparticles by Dielectric Barrier Discharge
Authors: Bouchard Mathieu , Laprise‐Pelletier Myriam , Turgeon Stéphane , Fortin Marc‐André
Published: December 2016

A compact bench‐top system based on a dielectric barrier plasma discharge (DBD), enables the rapid, automatable, and continuous‐flow synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and radioactive gold nanoparticles (198AuNPs). AuNPs are used as radiosensitizers in oncology, and 198AuNPs (half‐life: 2.7 d) have been suggested as potential cancer brachytherapy sources. Plasma applied at the surface of a liquid containing gold ions (AuCl4−) and dextran induces the production of AuNPs directly in water. This synthesis is monitored in real time by UV–visible spectrometry: the change of absorbance of the solution provides new insights on the growth dynamics of AuNPs by plasma synthesis. By balancing gold ions and surfactant molecules, particles with a diameter lying in the optimal range for radiosensitizing applications (28 ± 9 nm) are produced. The method yields a reduction of more than 99% of the gold ions within only 30 min of plasma treatment. A postsynthesis ripening of the AuNPs is revealed, monitored by UV–visible spectrometry, and quantified within the first few hours following plasma treatment. Radioactive 198AuNPs are also produced by DBD synthesis and characterized by electron microscopy and single‐photon emission computed tomography imaging. The results confirm the efficiency of DBD reactors for AuNPs synthesis in oncology applications.
Plasmon‐Enhanced Photoelectrical Hydrogen Evolution on Monolayer MoS2 Decorated Cu1.75S‐Au Nanocrystals
Authors: Cui Jiabin , Jiang Rui , Lu Wenli , Xu Suying , Wang Leyu
Published: December 2016

Hydrogen production from water splitting through an efficient photoelectrochemical route requires photoinduced electron transfer from light harvesters to efficient electrocatalysts. Here, the plasmon‐enhanced photoelectrical nanocatalysts (NCs) have been successfully developed by coating a monolayer MoS2 on the Cu1.75S‐Au hetero‐nanoparticle for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The plasmonic NCs dramatically improve the HER, leading to 29.5‐fold increase of current under 650 nm excitation (1.0 W cm−2). These NCs generate an exceptionally high current density of 200 mA cm−2 at overpotential of 182.8 mV with a Tafel slope of 39 mV per decade and excellent stability, which is better than or comparable to the Pt‐free catalysts with carbon rod as counter electrode. The enhanced HER performance can be attributed to the significantly improved broad light absorption (400–3000 nm), more efficient charge separation and abundant active edge sites of monolayer MoS2. The studies may provide a facile strategy for the fabrication of efficient plasmon‐enhanced photoelectrical NCs for HER.
Nitrogen Dopants in Carbon Nanomaterials: Defects or a New Opportunity?
Authors: Lee Won Jun , Lim Joonwon , Kim Sang Ouk
Published: December 2016

Substitutional N‐doping of carbon nanomaterials refers to the chemical functionalization method that replaces a part of the carbon atoms in fullerene, carbon nanotubes, or graphene by nitrogen. N‐doping has attracted a tremendous amount of research attention for their unique possibilities, spanning from its ability to engineer various physiochemical properties of carbon nanomaterials in a stable manner with different dopant configurations. Many viable configurations of N‐dopants are accompanied by typical structural defects, while still preserving the structural symmetry in the basal graphitic plane. Here, the physicochemical features are highlighted and the exciting challenges of N‐dopants in carbon nanomaterials identified, with particular emphasis on the broad tunability of the material properties and relevant emerging applications.
Orthogonal spectral precoder for minimizing adjacent channel leakage ratio in OFDM based cognitive radio
Authors: Kumar Ravinder , Tyagi Anshul
Published: December 2016

One of the major drawback of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing based cognitive radio is high out‐of‐band leakage that can severely affect primary users operating in adjacent bands. The paper aims to design a new spectral precoding scheme that minimizes Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR) while retaining the orthogonality among data symbols. The problem is formulated as trace ratio minimization subjected to unitary constraint that can be effectively solved using iterative methods. The proposed precoder's error performance is similar to uncoded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system due to orthogonal multiplexing. Also, it is practically realizable due to lower complexity. The scheme also extends for distinct ACLR requirements in upper and lower adjacent bands. A relative important factor is introduced so as to flexibly control the interference leakage in upper and lower adjacent channels. An algorithm is suggested for choosing suitable values of this factor. Simulation results display the superiority of proposed scheme over existing techniques in terms of ACLR and throughput. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
N‐ICE plasmids for generating N‐terminal 3 × FLAG tagged genes that allow inducible, constitutive or endogenous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Zhang Yueping , Serratore Nina D. , Briggs Scott D.
Published: December 2016

PCR‐mediated homologous recombination is a powerful approach to introduce epitope tags into the chromosomal loci at the N‐terminus or the C‐terminus of targeted genes. Although strategies of C‐terminal epitope tagging of target genes at their loci are simple and widely used in yeast, C‐terminal epitope tagging is not practical for all proteins. For example, a C‐terminal tag may affect protein function or a protein may get cleaved or processed, resulting in the loss of the epitope tag. Therefore, N‐terminal epitope tagging may be necessary to resolve these problems. In some cases, an epitope tagging strategy is used to introduce a heterologous promoter with the epitope tag at the N‐terminus of a gene of interest. The potential issue with this strategy is that the tagged gene is not expressed at the endogenous level. Another strategy after integration is to excise the selection marker, using the Cre‐LoxP system, leaving the epitope tagged gene expressed from the endogenous promoter. However, N‐terminal epitope tagging of essential genes using this strategy requires a diploid strain followed by tetrad dissection. Here we present 14 new plasmids for N‐terminal tagging, which combines two previous strategies for epitope tagging in a haploid strain. These ‘N‐ICE’ plasmids were constructed so that non‐essential and essential genes can be N‐terminally 3 × FLAG tagged and expressed from an inducible promoter (GAL1), constitutive promoters (CYC1 or PYK1) or the endogenous promoter. We have validated the N‐ICE plasmid system by N‐terminal tagging two non‐essential genes (SET1 and SET2) and two essential genes (ERG11 and PKC1). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clinical Cancer Genetics Disparities among Latinos
Authors: Cruz‐Correa Marcia , Pérez‐Mayoral Julyann , Dutil Julie , Echenique Miguel , Mosquera Rafael , Rivera‐Román Keila , Umpierre Sharee , Rodriguez‐Quilichini Segundo , Gonzalez‐Pons Maria , Olivera Myrta I. , Pardo Sherly ,   on behalf of the Puerto Rico Clinical Cancer Genetics Consortia
Published: December 2016

The three major hereditary cancer syndromes in Latinos (Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer, Familial Adenomatous Polyposis and Lynch Syndrome) have been shown to exhibit geographic disparities by country of origin suggesting admixture‐based disparities. A solid infrastructure of clinical genetics geared towards diagnosis and prevention could aid in reducing the mortality of these cancer syndromes in Latinos. Currently, clinical cancer genetic services in Latin America are scarce. Moreover, limited studies have investigated the mutational spectrum of these cancer syndromes in Latinos resulting in gaps in personalized medicine affecting diagnosis, treatment and prevention. The following commentary discusses available genotype and clinical information on hereditary cancer in Latinos and highlights the limited access for cancer genetic services in Latin America including barriers to genetic testing and alternatives for providing better access to genetic services. In this review, we discuss the status of clinical genetic cancer services for both US Latinos and those Latinos living in Latin America.
No difference in postoperative outcome after acute surgery whether the patients presented for first time or are known with Crohn’s disease
Authors: El-Hussuna Alaa , Hadi Sabah , Iesalnieks Igors
Published: December 2016

Abstract

Purposes

Acute operations (within 48 h) or urgent (within 2–7 days) carry the risk of unfavorable outcome as the patient is not optimized, the operation is performed by trainees and the disease is severe necessitating acute/urgent intervention. However, Crohn’s disease (CD) patients who present as acute disease may have more favorable outcome because they did not receive medications, surgery is performed early and the disease is promptly controlled.

Aim

To investigate whether CD patients presented first time have more favorable outcome compared to those who are known with CD.

Method

Retrospective multi-center study. Rate of complications, duration of hospitalization and rate of re-admission were used as a measure of postoperative outcome. Univariate and multi-variate analyses were used.

Results

Sixty-one patients in whom acute CD was first presentation (group 1) did not have more favorable outcome compared to 167 patients known to have CD (group 2) and presented acute. Mean duration of hospitalization was 8.7 days in group 1 compared to 9.4 days in group 2. Complications occurred in 12/61 patients (19.7%) in group 1 compared to 39/167 patients (23.4%) in group 2: odds ratio 1 .113, CI [0.611–2.024]. No difference in intra-abdominal septic complications rate was found between the two groups: odds ratio 0.932, CI [0.369–2.355]. Re-admission was seen in six patients (9.8%) in group 1 vs. 23 (13.8%) in Group 2: odds ratio 1.464, CI [0.566–3.788].

Conclusion

Patients undergoing acute surgery for the first CD presentation did not have more favorable outcome compared to those undergoing acute intestinal resection for known CD.

Highlights
On non-Western norm shapers: Brazil and the Responsibility while Protecting
Authors: Stefan Cristina G.
Published: December 2016

Drawing on a notable example of a non-Western normative initiative, Brazil’s ‘Responsibility while Protecting’ (RwP), this article contributes to broadening the scope of the norm dynamics literature beyond its common Western-centric focus. Post-2011 Libya intervention, Brazil proposed RwP to clarify what ‘using force’ means under the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) banner, but then withdrew from visible norm sponsorship, only to return to this as part of a collective exercise to institutionalise R2P at the United Nations. First, the article highlights the significant role of non-Western agents whose contributions usually go overlooked, yet carry the highest potential to address the legitimacy deficit of norms like R2P. Second, the article proposes adding a new conceptual tool when investigating the role of agency in norm dynamics, one that incorporates a wider range of norm ‘shaping’ processes and highlights enabling, contingent circumstances. The latter, is argued, best captures the anomalies in contemporary norm contestation. This is illustrated through an empirical analysis of the conditions under which Brazil was able to advance RwP, despite the subsequent emergence of unfavourable circumstances. This article emphasises how significant an alignment of enabling circumstances is to non-Western agents in terms of shaping norm contestation and normative exercise completion.
The Critique of Empirical Social Science: New Policies atManagement and Organization Review
Authors: Lewin Arie Y. , Chiu Chi-Yue , Fey Carl F. , Levine Sheen S. , McDermott Gerald , Murmann Johan Peter , Tsang Eric
Published: December 2016

At the June 2016 meeting of the International Association for Chinese Management Research, MOR organized a symposium to discuss the mounting criticisms of empirical social science and subsequent changes, as part of ongoing discussions affecting journal reviewing policies. This article overviews the history of modern empirical social science as the foundation of management, organization, and strategy research and the criticism of social science research, which has reached the point that some critics refer to current publication norms as encouraging and enabling the publication of junk science. Most importantly, however, this article outlines MOR's strategy going forward and the new reviewing initiatives that MOR is implementing as of Volume 13 (2017).
A dual inhibitor of FAAH and TRPV1 channels shows dose-dependent effect on depression-like behaviour in rats
Authors: Kirkedal Christian , Wegener Gregers , Moreira Fabricio , Joca Sâmia Regiane Lourenco , Liebenberg Nico
Published: December 2016

Objective

The cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) are proposed to mediate opposite behavioural responses. Their common denominator is the endocannabinoid ligand anandamide (AEA), which is believed to mediate antidepressant-like effect via CB1-R stimulation and depressive-like effect via TRPV1 activation. This is supposed to explain the bell-shaped dose-response curve for anandamide in preclinical models.

Methods

We investigated this assumption by administering the dual inhibitor of AEA hydrolysis and TRPV1 activationN-arachidonoyl-serotonin (AA-5HT) into the medial prefrontal cortex of rats. AA-5HT was given in three different doses (0.125, 0.250, 0.500 nmol/0.4 µl/side) and rat behaviour was assessed in the forced swim test.

Results

Our results show significant antidepressant-like effect of AA-5HT (0.250 nmol) but no effects of low or high doses. The effect of 0.250 nmol AA-5HT was partially attenuated when coadministering the inverse CB1-agonist rimonabant (1.6 µg).

Conclusion

A 0.250 nmol of AA-5HT administration into the medial prefrontal cortex induced a significant antidepressant-like effect that was partially attenuated by locally blocking CB1-receptor.
The Parsec-Scale Morphology of Southern GPS Sources
Authors: Edwards P. G. , Tingay S. J.
Published: December 2016

Multi-frequency, multi-epoch ATCA observations of a sample of AGN resulted in the identification of nine new candidate Giga-hertz Peaked Spectrum sources. Here, we present Long Baseline Array observations at 4.8 GHz of the four candidates with no previously published VLBI image, and consider these together with previously published VLBI images of the other five sources. We find core-jet or compact double morphologies dominate, with further observations required to distinguish between these two possibilities for some sources. One of the nine candidates, PKS 1831–711, displays appreciable variability, suggesting its GPS spectrum is more ephemeral in nature. We focus in particular on the apparent relationship between a narrow spectral width and ‘compact double’ parsec-scale morphology, finding further examples, but also exceptions to this trend. An examination of the VLBI morphologies high-redshift (z > 3) sub-class of GPS sources suggests that core-jet morphologies predominate in this class.
Middle Devonian trilobites of the Saoura Valley, Algeria: insights into their biodiversity and Moroccan affinities
Authors: CRÔNIER CATHERINE , ABBACHE ABDELKADER , KHALDI AHMED YACINE , OUDOT MORGANE , MAILLET SÉBASTIEN , OUALI MEHADJI ABDELKADER
Published: December 2016

Trilobites are important elements of the Devonian macrobenthos; some of them were collected in the Chefar el Ahmar Formation, from two sections located near Béni Abbès in the Saoura Valley (Ougarta Basin, Saharan Algeria). This formation is characterized by alternations of claystones and limestones, and it is considered to be late Emsian to early Frasnian in age. Only the lower part of this formation has yielded trilobites so far; their presence has been known for a long time. Phacopines clearly dominate the trilobite assemblages, withAusterops,Barrandeops,ChotecopsandPhacops s.l.as the main genera. Two new species are described (Austerops salamandaroidessp. nov. andPhacops ouarouroutensissp. nov.), while some other taxa are presented in open nomenclature. Comparisons are made with closely allied species. These new trilobite occurrences have been analysed in terms of their intra- and interspecific variability and biodiversity. The occurrence ofStruveaspis maroccanica, previously known from the Saoura Valley, provides an early Eifelian age, which is also confirmed by the presence of trilobitesThysanopeltisandKoneprusites, and ostracodsBairdiocypris devonicaandBufina ?subovalis.
The Shackleton Range (East Antarctica): an alien block at the rim of Gondwana?
Authors: KROHNE NICOLE , LISKER FRANK , KLEINSCHMIDT GEORG , KLÜGEL ANDREAS , LÄUFER ANDREAS , ESTRADA SOLVEIG , SPIEGEL CORNELIA
Published: December 2016

The Shackleton Range is a truncated Pan-African Orogen situated at the Weddell Sea margin of East Antarctica. It almost exclusively consists of basement rocks exposed at an elevated, escarpment-bound palaeosurface and is covered locally by patchy remnants of Ordovician, Permian and, controversially, Jurassic terrestrial deposits. This inventory does not match the geological record of any other place in Antarctica. Here we reconstruct the Phanerozoic evolution of the Shackleton Range by means of a multi-disciplinary approach combining petrological, geochemical and geochronological data with thermal history models of zircon and apatite fission track (ZFT, AFT) and (U–Th–Sm)/He (AHe) data. Petrographic, geochemical and 40Ar/39Ar analyses of a sedimentary cover sequence identify volcaniclastic rocks related to the Ferrar/Karoo magmatic event. Thermal history modelling of ZFT ages of 160–215 Ma, AFT ages of 124–225 Ma, AHe ages of 95–169 Ma and kinematic proxies in combination with geological information indicates a complex thermal history comprising at least three cooling episodes interrupted by reheating pulses. Thermal history refers to inversion of part of the Carboniferous–Triassic Transantarctic Basin prior to the 180 Ma Ferrar/Karoo Event and formation of an up to 3.4 km deep extensional Jurassic – Early Cretaceous basin due to Weddell Sea rifting. Basin depth was diminished by regional middle Cretaceous stress field changes. Final basin inversion and surface uplift were likely triggered by far-field tectonics and climatic influence. This history represents a typical example for the transition from an active to passive margin setting along the outer rim of Gondwana.
Effectiveness of endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomy in adults with neurological disease: systematic review
Authors: Gilheaney Ó , Kerr P , Béchet S , Walshe M
Published: December 2016

Objective:

To determine the effectiveness of endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomy on upper oesophageal sphincter dysfunction in adults with upper oesophageal sphincter dysfunction and neurological disease.

Data sources:

Published and unpublished studies with a quasi-experimental design investigating endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomy effects on upper oesophageal sphincter dysfunction in humans were considered eligible. Electronic databases, grey literature and reference lists of included studies were systematically searched.

Review methods:

Data were extracted by two independent reviewers. Methodological quality was assessed independently using the PEDro scale and MINORS tool.

Results:

Of 2938 records identified, 2 studies were eligible. Risk of bias assessment indicated areas of methodological concern in the literature. Statistical analysis was not possible because of the limited number of eligible studies.

Conclusion:

No determinations could be made regarding endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomy effectiveness in the cohort of interest. Reliable and valid evidence on the following is required to support increasing clinical usage of endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomy: optimal candidacy selection; standardised post-operative management protocol; complications; and endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomy effects on aspiration of food and laryngeal penetration, mean upper oesophageal sphincter resting pressure and quality of life.
One hundred years ago: the physician magician Blakesley presented his ethmoid forceps
Authors: Mudry A , Lübbers W , Pirsig W
Published: December 2016

Background:

The Blakesley fenestrated ethmoid forceps, eponymously named after Theodore Seward Blakesley, belong today in every set of endonasal surgical instruments. This study aimed to go back to Blakesley's original description, and to follow its introduction, variations and acceptation by rhinosurgeons.

Method:

Historical review of literature.

Results:

In 1915, Blakesley described two nasal instruments: a submucous septum resection instrument and an ethmoid instrument. The history of the ethmoid instrument is in close relationship to another quite similar one described by Moriz Weil. The difference between the Weil and the Blakesley ethmoid forceps lies essentially in the base of the cutting jaws, which are narrower in Weil's instrument.

Conclusion:

Blakesley's eponym must only be used for the instrument without the narrower base of the cutting jaws.
Early life history of oxudercine gobyPseudapocryptes elongatusin the Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Authors: Yokouchi Kazuki , Mai Hieu Van , Vo Toan Thanh , Wakiya Ryoshiro , Kawakami Tatsuya , Tanaka Chikaya , Yoshinaga Tatsuki , Wada Minoru , Tran Dinh Dac , Ha Hung Phuoc , Takita Toru , Ishimatsu Atsushi
Published: December 2016

Pseudapocryptes elongatusis one of the oxudercine gobies, which show varying degrees of amphibious behaviour and capacities to breathe air. There is little information on the early life history ofP. elongatus, particularly of their morphology and larval habitat and duration. This study focused on the life history of larval and juvenile stages ofP. elongatusinvestigated by genetic species identification, morphological observation and otolith analyses using specimens collected in June and October 2012 from estuaries in Bac Liêu Province, southern Vietnam (09°14′N 105°43′E). Genetically identified juvenileP. elongatuswere characterized by (1) a slender body form, (2) the anterior edges of both the anal and second dorsal fins located at the midpoint along the body axis, (3) scarce chromatophores over the body surface, (4) melanophores in the parietal region between the eyes, and (5) a single row of melanophores along the base of the anal fin. Mean age at recruitment to estuaries was 38.0 ± 4.1 days, and otolith Sr/Ca ratios ranged from 8.9 to 9.9 mmol mol−1, suggesting that larval migration from their spawning sites requires more than 1 month in saline environments.
Cognition as a treatment target in depression
Authors: Kaser M. , Zaman R. , Sahakian B. J.
Published: December 2016

Cognitive dysfunction in depression is associated with poorer clinical outcomes and impaired psychosocial functioning. However, most treatments for depression do not specifically target cognition. Neurocognitive deficits such as memory and concentration problems tend to persist after mood symptoms recover. Improving cognition in depression requires a better understanding of brain systems implicated in depression. A comprehensive approach is warranted for refined methods of assessing and treating cognitive dysfunction in depression.
The effect of a state income tax on migration: the example of Connecticut
Authors: Afonso Whitney B.
Published: December 2016

State-level income tax policy is a hotly debated topic in both academic and political spheres. Although economic theory and some empirical analyses suggest that larger income tax burdens affect migration decisions, there is also a good deal of empirical evidence showing that tax policy has little to no effect. This lack of consensus in the academic literature is echoed in the political world, where many states are debating whether to eliminate income taxes or reduce rates as a means of spurring economic growth. Connecticut’s adoption of an income tax policy in 1991 provides a unique opportunity to analyse the impact of a sizable income tax policy change on migration. The results suggest that Connecticut’s income tax deterred movement into the state but had no impact on exit from the state, resulting in a net loss in migration.
A decade of research on Greek fortifications
Authors: Fachard Sylvian
Published: December 2016

The Chronique des fouilles en ligne – Archaeology in Greece Online has recorded close to 300 field operations dealing with fortifications in the last decade. It is impossible to account for each of them in this brief survey, but the reader can effortlessly find them in the database (http://chronique.efa.gr/). Here, instead, I wish to focus on the main achievements of the last decade (2006–2016) by reviewing the major publications, recording current trends and research objectives, and suggesting future directions for the field of fortification studies.
Ceramic analysis in Greece
Authors: Hilditch Jill
Published: December 2016

Scientific, analytical or ‘archaeometric’ techniques for investigating ceramic material have been used within archaeology for over 50 years and now constitute an indispensable tool for archaeologists in the Aegean world (see Jones 1986 for a detailed summary of early work in Greece and Italy) and beyond (Santacreu 2014). This paper provides a brief historical overview of research themes investigated by ceramic analysis in Greek archaeology along with reports on a small number of recent studies, in order to demonstrate current methodologies and results. The narrative is not chronological, either by the date of analysis or the material analysed, but instead focuses on the types of archaeological questions that ancient ceramic analysis can address in order to shed light upon who produced, distributed and consumed the ceramics under consideration. Ceramic analysis investigates both the composition and technology of fired clay vessels, evidenced most frequently in the ubiquitous broken pot sherd, which can then be used to identify provenance, production sequence and cultural tradition, as well as to provide a relative date for production, in combination with typological and seriation techniques.
High prevalence of fosfomycin resistance genefosA3inblaCTX-M-harbouringEscherichia colifrom urine in a Chinese tertiary hospital during 2010–2014
Authors: CAO X.-L. , SHEN H. , XU Y.-Y. , XU X.-J. , ZHANG Z.-F. , CHENG L. , CHEN J.-H. , ARAKAWA Y.
Published: December 2016

Fosfomycin has become a therapeutic option in urinary tract infections. We identified 57 fosfomycin-resistantEscherichia colifrom 465 urine-derived extended-spectrumβ-lactamase (ESBL)-producing isolates from a Chinese hospital during 2010–2014. Of the 57 fosfomycin-resistant isolates, 51 (89·5%) carriedfosA3, and one carriedfosA1. Divergent pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles and multi-locus sequence typing results revealed high clonal diversity in thefosA3-positive isolates. Conjugation experiments showed that thefosA3genes from 50 isolates were transferable, with IncFII or IncI1 being the most prevalent types of plasmids. The high prevalence offosA3was closely associated with that ofblaCTX-M. Horizontal transfer, rather than clonal expansion, might play a central role in dissemination. Such strains may constitute an important reservoir offosA3andblaCTX-M, which may well be readily disseminated to other potential human pathogens. Since most ESBL-producingE. colihave acquired resistance to fluoroquinolones worldwide, further spread offosA3in suchE. coliisolates should be monitored closely.
Transitivity, Moral Latitude, and Supererogation
Authors: PORTMORE DOUGLAS W.
Published: December 2016

On the standard account of supererogation, an act is supererogatory if and only if it is morally optional and there is more moral reason to perform it than to perform some permissible alternative. And, on this account, an agent has more moral reason to perform one act than to perform another if and only if she morally ought to prefer its outcome to that of the other. I argue that this account has two serious problems. The first, the latitude problem, is that it has counterintuitive implications in cases where the duty to be exceeded is one that allows for significant latitude in how to comply with it. The second, the transitivity problem, is that it runs afoul of the plausible idea that the one-reason-morally-justifies-acting-against-another relation is transitive. I argue that both problems can be overcome by an alternative account: the maximalist account.
Correctness of compiling polymorphism to dynamic typing
Authors: HOU (Favonia) KUEN-BANG , BENTON NICK , HARPER ROBERT
Published: December 2016

The connection between polymorphic and dynamic typing was originally considered
by Curry et al. (1972, Combinatory Logic, vol.
ii) in the form of “polymorphic type assignment” for untyped
λ-terms. Types are assigned after the fact to what is, in modern
terminology, a dynamic language. Interest in type assignment was revitalized by
the proposals of Bracha et al. (1998, OOPSLA) and Bank
et al. (1997, POPL) to enrich Java with polymorphism
(generics), which in turn sparked the development of other languages, such as
Scala, with similar combinations of features. In such a setting, where the
target language already has a monomorphic type system, it is desirable to
compile polymorphism to dynamic typing in such a way that as much static typing
as possible is preserved, relying on dynamics only insofar as genericity is
actually required. The basic approach is to compile polymorphism using
embeddings from each type into a universal “top” type, ${\mathbb{D}}$, and partial projections that go in the
other direction. This scheme is intuitively reasonable, and, indeed, has been
used in practice many times. Proving its correctness, however, is non-trivial.
This paper studies the compilation of System F to an
extension of Moggi's computational meta-language with a dynamic type and shows
how the compilation may be proved correct using a logical relation.
Assessment of a left circumflex coronary artery–left ventricle fistula by multimodality imaging in a child
Authors: Chen Jing , Yang Zhi-Gang
Published: December 2016

Multimodality imaging revealed a left circumflex coronary artery–left ventricle fistula in a 4-year-old boy. MRI tissue tracking revealed a slight abnormality in the left ventricular myocardial strain. Early surgery was suggested to avoid serious complications.
Unexpected complication of uncovered aortic end in ductal stenting
Authors: Bijulal Sasidharan , Sasikumar Deepa , Rashid Aamir
Published: December 2016

A newborn with tricuspid atresia and pulmonary atresia underwent ductal stenting. The aortic end of the ductus was not completely covered and was wide open; the baby was discharged on dual antiplatelets. The baby presented after a month with desaturation, and an angiogram showed extensive thrombus in the stent and the right pulmonary artery. The angle formed by the stent with the uncovered aortic end is likely to have precipitated the thrombus.
Bicuspid aortic valve outcomes
Authors: Rodrigues Inês , Agapito Ana F. , de Sousa Lídia , Oliveira José A. , Branco Luísa M. , Galrinho Ana , Abreu João , Timóteo Ana T. , Rosa Sílvia A. , Ferreira Rui C.
Published: December 2016

Background

Bicuspid aortic valve is the most common CHD. Its association with early valvular dysfunction, endocarditis, thoracic aorta dilatation, and aortic dissection is well established.

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and predictors of cardiac events in adults with bicuspid aortic valve.

Methods

We carried out a retrospective analysis of cardiac outcomes in ambulatory adults with bicuspid aortic valve followed-up in a tertiary hospital centre. Outcomes were defined as follows: interventional – intervention on the aortic valve or thoracic aorta; medical – death, aortic dissection, aortic valve endocarditis, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or ischaemic heart disease requiring hospital admission; and a composite end point of both. Kaplan–Meier curves were generated to determine event rates, and predictors of cardiac events were determined by multivariate analysis.

Results

A total of 227 patients were followed-up over 13±9 years; 29% of patients developed severe aortic valve dysfunction and 12.3% reached ascending thoracic aorta dimensions above 45 mm. At least one cardiac outcome occurred in 38.8% of patients, with an incidence rate at 20 years of follow-up of 47±4%; 33% of patients were submitted to an aortic valve or thoracic aorta intervention. Survival 20 years after diagnosis was 94±2%. Independent predictors of the composite end point were baseline moderate–severe aortic valve dysfunction (hazard ratio, 3.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.35–7.54; p<0.01) and aortic valve leaflets calcification (hazard ratio, 4.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.91–11.64; p<0.005).

Conclusions

In this study of bicuspid aortic valve, the long-term survival was excellent but with occurrence of frequent cardiovascular events. Baseline aortic valve calcification and dysfunction were the only independent predictors of events.
EMS Systems in Lower-Middle Income Countries: A Literature Review
Authors: Suryanto  , Plummer Virginia , Boyle Malcolm
Published: December 2016

Introduction

Prehospital care is one of the many issues that require addressing by lower-middle income countries (LMICs) where approximately 90% of global injuries occur. This may arise from more traffic in LMICs, poor road conditions, lack of public awareness of the importance of road safety, and the lack of ability to provide first aid to the victims. However, prehospital care in LMICs remains underdeveloped.

Problem

There is insufficient evidence regarding the development of prehospital care among LMICs. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the status of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems in these countries.

Methods

A review of medical-related electronic databases was designed to identify the development of EMS systems in LMICs. A search of the literature was undertaken using three electronic databases, CINAHL, Ovid Medline, and EMBASE via Ovid, from their commencement date until the end of July 2015. The grey literature was searched using Google Scholar. Articles were included if they reported on the establishment and current status of an EMS system and were excluded if they were letters to the editor, articles focusing on disaster management, a combination of more than one country if the other country was not a LMIC, written in a language other than English or Bahasa Indonesia, and/or focusing only on in-hospital care.

Results

There were 337 articles identified in CINAHL, 731 in Ovid Medline, 891 in EMBASE via Ovid, and 41 in Google Scholar. Based on the title and abstract, 31 articles from CINAHL, 40 from Ovid Medline, 43 from EMBASE, and 11 from Google Scholar were retrieved for further review. There were 92 articles that met the inclusion criteria with 35 articles removed, as they were duplicated, leaving 57 articles to be reviewed. From those 48 countries categorized as LMICs, there were 16 (33.3%) countries that had information about an EMS system, including injury types, patient demographic, prehospital transport, and the obstacles in implementing the prehospital care system.

Conclusion

The implementation and development of an EMS system is varied among LMICs. Many LMICs lack an organized EMS system with most ambulances used purely for transport and not as an emergency care vehicle. Financial issues are the most common problems faced by LMICs with support from developed countries a necessity.

Suryanto,PlummerV,BoyleM.EMS systems in lower-middle income countries: a literature review.Prehosp Disaster Med.2017;32(1):64–70.
The Birth and Growth of the National Ambulance Service in Ghana
Authors: Zakariah Ahmed , Stewart Barclay T. , Boateng Edmund , Achena Christiana , Tansley Gavin , Mock Charles
Published: December 2016

Introduction

This study aimed to document the growth and challenges encountered in the decade since inception of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) in Ghana, West Africa. By doing so, potentially instructive examples for other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) planning a formal prehospital care system or attempting to identify ways to improve existing emergency services could be identified.

Methods

Data routinely collected by the Ghana NAS from 2004-2014 were described, including: patient demographics, reason for the call, response location, target destination, and ti1mes of service. Additionally, the organizational structure and challenges encountered during the development and maturation of the NAS were reported.

Results

In 2004, the NAS piloted operations with 69 newly trained emergency medical technicians (EMTs), nine ambulances, and seven stations. The NAS expanded service delivery with 199 ambulances at 128 stations operated by 1,651 EMTs and 47 administrative and maintenance staff in 2014. In 2004, nine percent of the country was covered by NAS services; in 2014, 81% of Ghana was covered. Health care transfers and roadside responses comprised the majority of services (43%-80% and 10%-57% by year, respectively). Increased mean response time, stable case holding time, and shorter vehicle engaged time reflect greater response ranges due to increased service uptake and improved efficiency of ambulance usage. Specific internal and external challenges with regard to NAS operations also were described.

Conclusion

The steady growth of the NAS is evidence of the need for Emergency Medical Services and the effects of sound planning and timely responses to changes in program indicators. The way forward includes further capacity building to increase the number of scene responses, strengthening ties with local health facilities to ensure timely emergency medical care and appropriateness of transfers, assuring a more stable funding stream, and improving public awareness of NAS services.

ZakariahA, StewartBT, BoatengE, AchenaC, TansleyG, MockC. The birth and growth of the National Ambulance Service in Ghana. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(1):83–93.
Estimation of the Demand for Hospital Care After a Possible High-Magnitude Earthquake in the City of Lima, Peru
Authors: Bambarén Celso , Uyen Angela , Rodriguez Miguel
Published: December 2016

Introduction

A model prepared by National Civil Defense (INDECI; Lima, Peru) estimated that an earthquake with an intensity of 8.0 Mw in front of the central coast of Peru would result in 51,019 deaths and 686,105 injured in districts of Metropolitan Lima and Callao. Using this information as a base, a study was designed to determine the characteristics of the demand for treatment in public hospitals and to estimate gaps in care in the hours immediately after such an event.

Methods

A probabilistic model was designed that included the following variables: demand for hospital care; time of arrival at the hospitals; type of medical treatment; reason for hospital admission; and the need for specialized care like hemodialysis, blood transfusions, and surgical procedures. The values for these variables were obtained through a literature search of the databases of the MEDLINE medical bibliography, the Cochrane and SciELO libraries, and Google Scholar for information on earthquakes over the last 30 years of over magnitude 6.0 on the moment magnitude scale.

Results

If a high-magnitude earthquake were to occur in Lima, it was estimated that between 23,328 and 178,387 injured would go to hospitals, of which between 4,666 and 121,303 would require inpatient care, while between 18,662 and 57,084 could be treated as outpatients. It was estimated that there would be an average of 8,768 cases of crush syndrome and 54,217 cases of other health problems. Enough blood would be required for 8,761 wounded in the first 24 hours. Furthermore, it was expected that there would be a deficit of hospital beds and operating theaters due to the high demand.

Conclusion

Sudden and violent disasters, such as earthquakes, represent significant challenges for health systems and services. This study shows the deficit of preparation and capacity to respond to a possible high-magnitude earthquake. The study also showed there are not enough resources to face mega-disasters, especially in large cities.

BambarénC, UyenA, RodriguezM. Estimation of the demand for hospital care after a possible high-magnitude earthquake in the City of Lima, Peru. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(1):106–111.
Identification of 18 vector species belonging to Group I, Group II, and Group III ‘Dirty 22’ species known to contaminate food and spread foodborne pathogens: DNA barcoding study of public health importance
Authors: Sulaiman Irshad M. , Jacobs Emily , Simpson Steven , Kerdahi Khalil
Published: December 2016

The US Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) uses the presence of filth and extraneous materials as one of the criteria in implementing regulatory actions and assessing food adulteration of public health importance. So far, 22 common pest species (‘Dirty 22’ species) have been considered by this agency for the spreading of foodborne illness, and their presence is an indicator of unsanitary conditions in food processing and storage facilities. Recently, we classified the ‘Dirty 22’ species into four groups: Group I (four cockroach species), Group II (two ant species), Group III (12 fly species), and Group IV (four rodent species), and described two molecular diagnostic methods for group-specific identification. We developed a PCR-RFLP assay based on rRNA gene for the detection and differentiation of Group I ‘Dirty 22’ species. Later, we designed three Group II ‘Dirty 22’ species-specific nested PCR primer sets and sequence characterized the rRNA, elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1a), and wingless (WNT-1) loci. In this follow-up study, we have evaluated the robustness of five unique sets of published primers targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene for insect barcoding. With modified PCR conditions, we successfully used COI barcoding for 18 members of Group I, Group II, and Group III ‘Dirty 22’ species. Results of this study reveal that COI barcoding is an effective tool for rapid identification of insects of Groups I, II, and III ‘Dirty 22’ species known to contaminate food and spread foodborne pathogens.
Effect of dengue mosquito control insecticide thermal fogging on non-target insects
Authors: Abeyasuriya K.G. Thilanka N. , Nugapola N.W. Nalaka P. , Perera M. Devika B. , Karunaratne W.A. Inoka P. , Karunaratne S.H.P. Parakrama
Published: December 2016

Dengue vector control programmes are mainly focused on insecticide fogging/space spraying to control adultAedesmosquito vector populations. Due to the diurnal habit of the vectors, spraying is routinely conducted during the day when many other insect species are also active. This study reports the simultaneous effect of fogging on non-target insects by direct counting of knockdown in the insect population. Eight fogging treatments were conducted in two sites in Kurunegala District of Sri Lanka. Pesguard insecticide was sprayed in each treatment for 8 minutes according to the standard methodology and the ‘knockdown insects’ were collected on randomly spread polyethythene sheets (10 m2). A total of 3884 insects (24.3 insects per treatment per m2) belonging to 12 orders were collected and 12.44% of them recovered during a 24-hr recovery period. Diptera was the most affected insect order (36%) followed by Collembola (30%) and Thysanoptera (17%). Out of the 31 mosquitoes (<1%) collected, only two (<0.1%) belonged to the genusAedes. Body length of 93% of the affected insects ranged from 0.35 mm to 1.8 mm. Positive controls using the WHO standard cage bioassays with the mosquitoAe. albopictus(n = 417) and the stingless beeTrigona iridipennis(n = 122) showed 100% initial knockdown, and 83.5% mosquito and 93.5% bee mortalities after the recovery period. The study shows that insecticide fogging does have a severe effect on non-target insects such as pollinators; therefore, fogging operations should be done in a controlled manner and indiscriminate fogging should be avoided.