bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Water Retention Index: Using land use planning to manage water resources in Europe
Authors: Vandecasteele Ine , Marí i Rivero Inés , Baranzelli Claudia , Becker William , Dreoni Ilda , Lavalle Carlo , Batelaan Okke
Published: April 2018

Appropriate land management can be an effective approach to improving water quantity regulation. There is, however, a need to identify both where measures are most needed and where they may be most effective. The water retention index (WRI) was developed with this goal in mind. The WRI is a composite indicator which takes into account parameters reflecting potential water retention in vegetation, water bodies, soil and underlying aquifers, as well as the influence of slope and artificially sealed areas. Three land management scenarios were simulated up to 2030 using the LUISA modeling platform: increasing grassland in upstream areas as well as afforestation in both upstream areas and riparian zones. The WRI was computed for all scenarios as well as a comparative “business‐as‐usual” baseline scenario. All scenarios showed an overall improvement of the index as compared to this baseline, with afforestation in upstream areas having the greatest effect. The WRI can provide useful insights into the current capacity of a landscape to regulate water as well as the effectiveness of possible remediation strategies applied at the European scale.
Baltic amber impact on historical biogeography and palaeoclimate research: oriental rove beetleDysanabatiumfound in the Eocene of Europe (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Paederinae)
Authors: Bogri Amalia , Solodovnikov Alexey , Żyła Dagmara
Published: April 2018

Baltic amber is a rich source of fossilized organisms and a valuable tool for evolutionary, biogeographical and palaeoenvironmental research. Because it is found in several deposits around the Baltic Sea, the exact area of origin, age in the Eocene and palaeoenvironment of the amber forest form a subject for ongoing discussion. Furthermore, there is a puzzling connection between Eocene climate change and the co‐occurrence of thermophilic and temperate insect taxa in Baltic amber, sometimes even in the same inclusions. We revisit these issues through a new piece of evidence: the rare South‐East Asian rove beetle genusDysanabatium(11 extant species) found to be abundant in Baltic amber. We describe four new extinct species ofDysanabatiumbased on 13 specimens from 8 amber pieces collected in Denmark, Poland, Ukraine and Russia. These species areDysanabatium kechrimparensesp. nov.,D. aenaumsp. nov.,D. damgaardisp. nov. andD. johannesisp. nov. The occurrence of one species,D. kechrimparensesp. nov., in the amber from all countries, as well as its co‐occurrence withD. damgaardisp. nov. in one amber piece from Russia, suggest a possible common origin of Baltic amber from all these deposits.Dysanabatiumadds to a plethora of fossil species congeneric with extant species restricted to South‐East Asia, which points to the warm and equable climate of the north European Eocene amber forest.
Entanglement of purification in free scalar field theories
Authors: Bhattacharyya Arpan , Takayanagi Tadashi , Umemoto Koji
Published: April 2018

Abstract

We compute the entanglement of purification (EoP) in a 2d free scalar field theory with various masses. This quantity measures correlations between two subsystems and is reduced to the entanglement entropy when the total system is pure. We obtain explicit numerical values by assuming minimal gaussian wave functionals for the purified states. We find that when the distance between the subsystems is large, the EoP behaves like the mutual information. However, when the distance is small, the EoP shows a characteristic behavior which qualitatively agrees with the conjectured holographic computation and which is different from that of the mutual information. We also study behaviors of mutual information in purified spaces and violations of monogamy/strong superadditivity.
Does Intermittent Pringle Maneuver Increase Postoperative Complications After Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma? A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Lee Kit Fai , Wong John , Cheung Sunny Y. S. , Chong Charing C. N. , Hui Joyce W. Y. , Leung Vivian Y. F. , Yu Simon C. H. , Lai Paul B. S.
Published: April 2018

Background

In a previous study, we have shown that intermittent Pringle maneuver (IPM) might increase postoperative complications after hepatectomy for various indications. Complications which thought to be related to IPM were ascites, pleural effusion, wound infection and intra‐abdominal collection. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that applying IPM during hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) could increase postoperative complications.

Methods

Between January 2013 and October 2016, eligible patients who received elective open hepatectomy for HCC were randomized to have IPM or no Pringle maneuver (NPM). Occurrence of various types of postoperative complications was specifically looked for. A routine postoperative day 5 abdominal ultrasound examination and chest X‐ray were done to detect and grade any radiological ascites, pleural effusion and intra‐abdominal collection.

Results

Fifty IPM and 50 NPM patients with histological proven HCC were recruited for final analysis. Demographics and operative parameters were comparable between the two groups. The postoperative complication rates were similar (IPM 36.0 vs. NPM 28.0%, P = 0.391). However, in the IPM group, more patients developed radiological posthepatectomy ascites (42.0 vs. 22.0%, P = 0.032) and pleural effusion (66.0 vs. 38.0%, P = 0.005). In patients with histologically proven cirrhosis, there were 28 IPM and 25 NPM patients. Again, there was no difference in postoperative complication rate but more radiological posthepatectomy ascites and pleural effusion in the IPM group.

Conclusion

This trial was not able to detect a difference in postoperative complications whether IPM was applied or not, but use of IPM was associated with more subclinical ascites and pleural effusion. (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01759901).

Trial registration number

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01759901.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in retinoic acid‐induced spina bifida aperta in rat fetuses
Authors: Xue Jia , Gu Hui , Liu Dan , Ma Wei , Wei Xiaowei , Zhao Lianshuai , Liu Yusi , Zhang Chaonan , Yuan Zhengwei
Published: April 2018

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are the most common and severe congenital malformations, which result from failure of the neural tube to close during embryonic development. The etiology of NTDs is complex, caused by interactions between genetic defects and environmental factors, but the exact mechanisms of this disease are still not fully understood. We herein employ a Seahorse Bioscience microplate‐based extracellular flux (XF) analyzer to determine mitochondrial function and quantify respiratory coupling to various bioenergetic functions using specific pharmacological inhibitors of bioenergetic pathways. We demonstrate that changes in coupling between ATP turnover and proton leak are correlated with NTDs. Further, we determined that the ATP content and oxidative stress levels in posterior spinal cords of rat embryos with NTDs between E11 and E14 was lower than that of normal controls. The present study reveals that mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with all‐trans retinoic acid (atRA)‐induced NTDs in rat embryos. Oxidative stress results from decreased antioxidant enzyme activity. This study provides a novel viewpoint for exploring the embryonic pathogenesis of atRA‐induced NTDs.
Gender‐specific desensitization of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors after maternal l‐glutamate intake during lactation
Authors: López‐Zapata Antonio , León‐Navarro David Agustín , Crespo María , Martín Mairena
Published: April 2018

In the present work we have studied the effect of maternal intake of l‐Glutamate (l‐Glu) (1 g/L) during lactation on group I mGluR transduction pathway in brain plasma membrane from 15 days‐old neonates. Results obtained have shown that maternal l‐glutamate intake did not significantly affect neither weights of pups nor negative geotaxis reflex, an index of neurobehavioral development, but increased l‐Glu plasma level in both male and female neonates. In male neonates, maternal l‐Glu intake evoked a loss of mGluR1 whereas no variation on mGluR5 was observed as revealed by Western‐blotting assay. The loss of mGlu1R was accompanied by a decrease on l‐Glu‐stimulated phospholipase C activity suggesting, therefore, a loss of group I mGluR functionality. Concerning female neonates, no variations were detected neither mGluR1 nor mGluR5 and group I mGluR functionality was also preserved.
The ketogenic diet in disease and development
Authors: Barry Denis , Ellul Sarah , Watters Lindsey , Lee David , Haluska Robert , White Robin
Published: April 2018

The ketogenic diet, low in carbohydrates and high in fat, was initially designed to reduce seizure onset in epilepsy. More recent evidence has shown its effectiveness in the treatment of movement and psychological disorders, and in general health maintenance. The cellular significance of ketone body metabolism during development and in the adult central nervous system is being revealed; however, the effects of replacing glucose with ketone bodies as the brain's primary energy source especially in pregnancy are not fully understood. In this mini‐review, we highlight key findings related to the functional consequences of ketone body metabolism and monocarboxylic transporter expression throughout development and adulthood. We outline the therapeutic relevance of ketone bodies, and place a spotlight on the known effects of a maternal ketogenic diet on the developing brain.
“How to Project Customer Retention” Revisited: The Role of Duration Dependence
Authors: Fader Peter S. , Hardie Bruce G.S. , Liu Yuzhou , Davin Joseph , Steenburgh Thomas
Published: April 2018

Cohort-level retention rates typically increase over time, and the beta-geometric (BG) distribution has proven to be a robust model for capturing and projecting these patterns into the future. According to this model, the phenomenon of increasing cohort-level retention rates is purely due to cross-sectional heterogeneity; an individual customer's propensity to churn does not change over time. In this paper we present the beta-discrete-Weibull (BdW) distribution as an extension to the BG model, which allows individual-level churn probabilities to increase or decrease over time. In addition to capturing the phenomenon of increasing cohort-level retention rates, this new model can also accommodate situations in which there is an initial dip in retention rates before they increase (i.e., a U-shaped cohort-level retention curve). A key finding is that even when aggregate retention rates are monotonically increasing, the individual-level churn probabilities are unlikely to be declining over time, as conventional wisdom would suggest. We carefully explore these connections between heterogeneity, duration dependence, and the shape of the retention curve, and draw some managerially relevant conclusions, e.g., that accounting for cross-sectional heterogeneity is more important than accounting for any individual-level dynamics in churn propensities.
TheJus ad Bellum’s Regulatory Form
Authors: Hakimi Monica
Published: April 2018

This article argues that a form of legal regulation is embodied in decisions at the UN Security Council that condone but do not formally authorize specific military operations. Such decisions sometimes inflect or go beyond what thejus ad bellumpermits through its general standards—that is, under the prohibition of cross-border force and small handful of exceptions. Recognizing that this form of regulation is both part of the law and different in kind from regulation through the general standards should change how we think about thejus ad bellum.
Remarks by Tai-Heng Cheng
Authors: Cheng Tai-Heng
Published: April 2018

In the first place, the motion cannot get off the ground because there is no objective way to tell what jurisdictional decisions are “expansive.” In every contested jurisdictional proceeding, the respondent, at that phase of the case, will regard the court's decision as overly expansive if the court seizes jurisdiction. Whereas the claimant will not.
AGGREGATION OF DEPENDENT RISKS IN MIXTURES OF EXPONENTIAL DISTRIBUTIONS AND EXTENSIONS
Authors: Sarabia José María , Gómez-Déniz Emilio , Prieto Faustino , Jordá Vanesa
Published: April 2018

The distribution of the sum of dependent risks is a crucial aspect in actuarial sciences, risk management and in many branches of applied probability. In this paper, we obtain analytic expressions for the probability density function (pdf) and the cumulative distribution function (cdf) of aggregated risks, modelled according to a mixture of exponential distributions. We first review the properties of the multivariate mixture of exponential distributions, to then obtain the analytical formulation for the pdf and the cdf for the aggregated distribution. We study in detail some specific families with Pareto (Sarabiaet al., 2016), gamma, Weibull and inverse Gaussian mixture of exponentials (Whitmore and Lee, 1991) claims. We also discuss briefly the computation of risk measures, formulas for the ruin probability (Albrecheret al., 2011) and the collective risk model. An extension of the basic model based on mixtures of gamma distributions is proposed, which is one of the suggested directions for future research.
A GENERALIZED LOSS RATIO METHOD DEALING WITH UNCERTAIN VOLUME MEASURES
Authors: Riegel Ulrich
Published: April 2018

Unlike chain ladder, the loss ratio method requires volume measures. Typically, these volumes are assumed to be known. In practice, however, accurate volume measures are rarely available. We interpret the available volumes as estimators for the true volume measures and analyze the consequences for the loss ratio method. In particular, we calculate the mean squared error of prediction, including uncertainty of volume measures, and derive approximately optimal weights for the observed incremental loss ratios. We then introduce a generalization of the loss ratio method that is tailored to the situation of uncertain volume measures and calculate the prediction uncertainty of this generalized loss ratio method.
Development of phonetic complexity in Arabic, Berber, English and French
Authors: Gayraud Frédérique , Barkat-Defradas Melissa , Lahrouchi Mohamed , Ben Hamed Mahé
Published: April 2018

The goal of this study is to provide crosslinguistic data on the acquisition of phonetic complexity among children acquiring four different languages: Tunisian Arabic, Tashlhiyt Berber, English, and French. Using an adaptation of Jakielski's (2000) Index of Phonetic Complexity (IPC), we carried out an analysis to assess phonetic complexity of children's early vocabulary in the four languages. Four different samples from each language were analyzed: 50 words selected from an adult dictionary of each language, 50 words from child-directed speech, 50 words targeted by the child, and the child's actual pronunciations of those 50 words. Globally, we hypothesized that children's early productions would be shaped by universal articulatory constraints, but also by the language they are exposed to, depending on its phonological complexity. Our findings show that Arabic displays higher degrees of complexity compared to Berber, English and French, and that children acquiring Arabic target and produce more complex words than children learning Berber, English and French.
United Nations Charter, Chapter VII, Article 43: Now or Never
Authors: Burkle Frederick M.
Published: April 2018

For more than 75 years, the United Nations Charter has functioned without the benefit of Chapter VII, Article 43, which commits all United Nations member states “to make available to the Security Council, on its call, armed forces, assistance, facilities, including rights of passage necessary for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security.” The consequences imposed by this 1945 decision have had a dramatic negative impact on the United Nation’s functional capacity as a global body for peace and security. This article summarizes the struggle to implement Article 43 over the decades from the onset of the Cold War, through diplomatic attempts during the post–Cold War era, to current and often controversial attempts to provide some semblance of conflict containment through peace enforcement missions. The rapid growth of globalization and the capability of many nations to provide democratic protections to their populations are again threatened by superpower hegemony and the development of novel unconventional global threats. The survival of the United Nations requires many long overdue organizational structure and governance power reforms, including implementation of a robust United Nations Standing Task Force under Article 43. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;13:655–662)
Co-author network analysis of human-centered design for development
Authors: Li Nancy , Kramer Julia , Gordon Pierce , Agogino Alice
Published: April 2018

Human-centered design (HCD) offers a systematic approach to innovation practice, driven by customer research and feedback throughout the design process. Within the community of engineers and researchers who engage in design for global development, interest in HCD has grown in the past decade. In this paper, we examine the human-centered design for development (HCD+D) academic community to better understand the interactions between researchers. By building and evaluating a co-authorship network from a dataset of HCD+D papers, in which the nodes are researchers and the connecting links are co-authorship relationships, we provide a decade-long benchmark to answer a variety of questions about collaboration patterns within this emerging field. Our analysis shows that most HCD+D authors publish few papers and are part of small, well-connected sub-communities. Influential authors that bridge separate communities are few. HCD+D is emerging from disparate disciplines and widely shared scholarship across disciplines continues to be developed. Influential authors in HCD+D play a large role in shaping HCD+D, yet there are few authors that are in a position to connect and influence collaborative research. Our analysis gives rise to several implications including an increased need for cross-disciplinary collaboration and the need for a stronger core of HCD+D practitioners.
The Combinator – a computer-based tool for creative idea generation based on a simulation approach
Authors: Han Ji , Shi Feng , Chen Liuqing , Childs Peter R. N.
Published: April 2018

Idea generation is significant in design, but coming up with creative ideas is often challenging. This paper presents a computer-based tool, called the Combinator, for assisting designers to produce creative ideas. The tool is developed based on an approach simulating aspects of human cognition in achieving combinational creativity. It can generate combinational prompts in text and image forms through combining unrelated ideas. A case study has been conducted to evaluate the Combinator. The study results indicate that the Combinator, in its current formulation, has assisted the tool users involved in the case study in improving the fluency of idea generation, as well as increasing the originality, usefulness, and flexibility of the ideas generated. The results also indicate that the tool could benefit its users in generating high-novelty and high-quality ideas effectively. The Combinator is considered to be beneficial in expanding the design space, increasing better idea occurrence, improving design space exploration, and enhancing the design success rate.
LD-pumped gas-cooled multislab Nd:glass laser amplification to joule level
Authors: Huang Wenfa , Wang Jiangfeng , Lu Xinghua , Huang Tingrui , Guo Jiangtao , Fan Wei , Li Xuechun
Published: April 2018

We demonstrate a laser diode end-pumped helium gas-cooled multislab Nd:glass laser amplifier. The design and thermal management of the proposed laser amplifier are discussed. The thermally induced wavefront aberration of the slabs was also measured and compared with simulation results. A small-signal single-pass longitudinal gain of 1.8 was measured with a pump energy of 7.3 J. With an injected seed energy of 0.6 mJ, the output energy from the amplifier reached 0.5 J at 0.2 Hz and 0.43 J at 0.5 Hz in a multipass extraction geometry, thus demonstrating the feasibility of diode-pumped, high-energy lasers with direct gas cooling.
Editorial for Applied Practices: Perspectives from the Field Section within the Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools edited by Associate Professor Susan Colmar
Authors: Colmar Susan
Published: April 2018

In this issue of the journal I am pleased to present a paper for Applied Practices by Christine Bhat on the highly topical issue of proactively preventing cyberbullying and sexting. Importantly, these two areas of concern occur commonly in our schools, particularly in secondary contexts, making this paper timely and helpful for practitioners. For example, I found the legal implications and potential recourse material very interesting, and could see that psycho-educational approaches, such that young people were made aware of the wider ramifications of cyberbullying and sexting, would be invaluable. The notion, which was new to me, of digital citizenship, ensuring young people “engage positively, know their online world, and choose consciously” is impressive as these principles of positive engagement, knowledge and choice can apply across other areas pertinent to the students we work with. Bhat addresses and explores four key areas of proactive prevention: school climate, policy, training online disinhibition, and promoting positive use of technology. I would commend this paper to you all as a resource to guide your own dealings and discussions on these critical topics of cyberbullying and sexting.
Learning behaviors as a linkage between organization-based self-esteem and in-role performance
Authors: Hahn Huh-Jung , Mathews Melissa A.
Published: April 2018

Research indicates that there is a positive relationship between organization-based self-esteem and in-role performance. The intervening process that creates this relationship, however, has not been investigated. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine employee learning behavior as a process between organization-based self-esteem and in-role performance. Additionally, this study examines perceived delegation as a boundary condition of a positive relationship between two variables. The sample size consisted of 293 employees from a Korean company, and the study findings revealed that employees’ learning behaviors mediate the relationship between organization-based self-esteem and in-role performance. Further, perceived delegation moderated the strength of the mediated relationship. Therefore, this study provides implications for how human resource practitioners and their organizations could support volitional learning behaviors through formal training, development-focused performance feedback, and the creation of new work experiences and learning opportunities.
Batocrinidae (Crinoidea) from the Lower Mississippian (lower Viséan) Fort Payne Formation of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama: systematics, geographic occurrences, and facies distribution
Authors: Ausich William I. , Rhenberg Elizabeth C. , Meyer David L.
Published: April 2018

The Batocrinidae are characteristic faunal elements in Lower Mississippian shallow-marine settings in North America. Recent delineation of objectively defined genera allows a reexamination of batocrinid species and their distribution in the Fort Payne Formation (early Viséan, late Osagean), a well-studied array of carbonate and siliciclastic facies. The Fort Payne batocrinid fauna has 14 species assigned to six genera, plus hybrid specimens.Magnuscrinus spinosus(Miller and Gurley, 1895a) is reassigned to its original placement inEretmocrinus. Hybrid specimens (Ausich and Meyer, 1994) are regarded asEretmocrinus magnificus×Eretmocrinus spinosus.Macrocrinus casualisis the dominant species ofMacrocrinusin the Fort Payne, andM.mundulusandM.strotobasilarisare recognized in the Fort Payne Formation for the first time.Magnuscrinus cumberlandensisn. sp. is named, 13 species are designated as junior synonyms, the name for the hybrid specimens is changed toEretmocrinus magnificus×Eretmocrinus spinosus, and the previous occurrences of two species in the Fort Payne are rejected. The Eastern Interior Seaway was a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic setting with both shallow- and deep-water epicontinental sea facies ranging from relatively shallow autochthonous green shales to deep-water turbidite facies.Dizygocrinuswas restricted to shallow-water carbonate and siliciclastic facies,Eutrochocrinuswas restricted to shallow-water carbonate facies, andMagnuscrinuswas restricted to deep-water facies. Species distributions varied fromAbatocrinus steropes,Alloprosallocrinus conicus,Macrocrinus mundulus, andUperocrinus nashvillae, which occurred throughout the Eastern Interior Seaway, to species that were restricted to a single facies.Eretmocrinus magnificus,Alloprosallocrinus conicus, andUperocrinus robustuswere the dominant batocrinids in the Fort Payne Formation.

UUID:http://zoobank.org/703aafd8-4c73-4edc-9870-e2356e2d28b8
Evaluation of a Botanical Extract that Mimics the Respiratory Cues of Cigarette Smoke
Authors: Rose Jed E. , Willette Perry N. , Loeback Tanaia H. , Botts David R.
Published: April 2018

Introduction: Cigarette addiction results from both pharmacological effects of nicotine and the rewarding effects of associated cues, including respiratory tract sensations.

Aims: This study sought to evaluate the initial acceptability of a non-nicotine botanical formulation that provided similar respiratory tract cues.

Methods: Two active test products and matching placebos were evaluated. One test product, an e-cigarette-like device, delivered a visible aerosol upon puffing; the other test product delivered an invisible vapour at ambient temperature. Test products delivered a botanical extract with flavourings and vehicle; the placebos delivered flavourings and vehicle only. Sixteen participants had 3-h ad libitum access to each test product and associated placebos, and were deprived of combustible cigarettes for 1 h before and throughout the 3-h evaluation period. Subjects rated the satisfaction (primary outcome) and other sensory qualities of the products. Safety evaluations included pulmonary function testing and monitoring vital signs.

Results: Satisfaction ratings (seven-point scale) were significantly greater for the active e-cigarette-like condition; M = 3.18, SD = 1.04 versus M = 2.69, SD = 1.22. Safety evaluations showed no clinically significant changes.

Conclusions: The results support the potential acceptability of a non-nicotine cigarette substitute in providing satisfaction to smokers. This approach merits further evaluation for safety and acceptability in tobacco harm reduction and cessation.
The effects of direction and orientation of located objects on spatial language comprehension
Authors: BURIGO MICHELE , SCHULTHEIS HOLGER
Published: April 2018

abstract

Spatial descriptions such as “The spider isbehindthe bee” inform the listener about the location of the spider (the located object) in relation to an object whose location is known (i.e., the bee, also called the reference object). If the geometric properties of the reference object have been shown to affect how people use and understand spatial language (Carlson & Van Deman, 2008; Carlson-Radvansky & Irwin, 1994), the geometric features carried by the located object have been deemed irrelevant for spatial language (Landau, 1996; Talmy, 1983). This view on the (ir)relevance of the located object has been recently questioned by works showing that presenting the located object in misalignment with the reference object has consequences for spatial language understanding (Burigo, Coventry, Cangelosi, & Lynott, 2016; Burigo & Sacchi, 2013). In the reported study we aimed to investigate which geometric properties of the located object affect the apprehension of a spatial description, and to disentangle whether the information concerning its orientation (axis), direction (front/rear), or a combination of the two gives rise to conflict. The outcomes of three placing tasks suggest that only the information concerning the direction of the located object is critical for spatial language use.
New Dates for the Solutrean and Magdalenian of Cantabrian Spain: El Miron and La Riera Caves
Authors: Straus Lawrence G , González Morales Manuel R
Published: April 2018

This sixth date list for the prehistoric site of El Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain) reports on new age determinations for the earliest and last Solutrean occupations (20.4 and 18.0 14C kyr BP) and for a Lower/Initial Magdalenian level with a possible rock wall (16.75 14C kyr BP). The site has now been dated by 92 radiocarbon (14C) assays. In addition, to help resolve inconsistencies in the 14C chronology of La Riera Cave (Asturias)—the first Paleolithic site in Spain to be extensively 14C-dated back in the 1970s—two AMS assays were done on bones from the Lower and Upper Magdalenian collections (15.1 and 13.5 14C kyr BP).
Concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D from neonatal dried blood spots and the relation to gestational age, birth weight and Ponderal Index: the D-tect study
Authors: Keller Amélie , Händel Mina N. , Frederiksen Peder , Jacobsen Ramune , Cohen Arieh S. , McGrath John J. , Heitmann Berit L.
Published: April 2018

Studies have suggested that vitamin D status at birth may be associated with a range of neonatal outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the association between neonatal 25-hydroxyvitamin D3(25(OH)D3) concentration and gestational age, birth weight, Ponderal Index and size for gestational age. Neonatal capillary blood stored as dried blood spots was used to assess 25(OH)D3concentrations among 2686 subjects selected from a random population sub-sample of individuals, born in Denmark from 1 May 1981 to 31 December 2002. There was an inverse association between 25(OH)D3concentration and gestational age at birth of −0·006 (95 % CI −0·009, −0·003,P<0·001) weeks of gestation per 1 nmol/l increase in 25(OH)D3concentration. An inverted U-shaped association between 25(OH)D3and birth weight and Ponderal Index (P=0·04) was found, but no association with size for gestational age was shown. This study suggests that neonatal 25(OH)D3concentration is associated with anthropometric measures at birth known to be correlated with many subsequent health outcomes such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Making Sense of Business and Community in Hollywood Films, 1928–2016
Authors: Hansen Per H. , Magnussen Anne
Published: April 2018

We analyze how Hollywood films from 1928 to 2016 represented business within a broad historical and business context. We argue that the films actively contributed to audiences’ sensemaking processes and to how different groups perceived the role of business in society. We advance the idea that films provided cultural blueprints to be used by viewers for their own understanding, identification, and practices in relation to business in its historical context, particularly during periods of uncertainty, crisis, and instability when many films addressed deeper societal concerns about the role of business.
KOSZUL CALCULUS – ADDENDUM
Authors: BERGER ROLAND , LAMBRE THIERRY , SOLOTAR ANDREA
Published: April 2018

After the online publication of the article [1] we learned that Professor Jean-Louis Koszul passed away on January 12th, 2018. We dedicate the article to him.
Re-evaluation of endogenous development ofEimeria bareillyiGill, Chhabra and Lall, 1963 in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
Authors: Dubey J. P.
Published: April 2018

Water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is important for the economy of Asia, South America and parts of Europe. Coccidiosis is an important cause of neonatal mortality in livestock, including buffalo. Of more than 12 species ofEimeriain buffalo,Eimeria bareillyiis the most pathogenic. There are uncertainties concerning its asexual and sexual development. During a previously reported outbreak of fatal enteritis associated withE. bareillyiin buffaloes in the Netherlands, sections of small intestine were re-evaluated histologically and by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to seek details of endogenous development. Profuse asexual multiplication occurred in the jejunum and ileum. Light microscopic examination revealed that parasites divided in two (probably endodyogeny) or more organisms. There were two or more generations of morphologically different merozoites; some of these observations were confirmed by TEM. Details of gametogonic development, including oocyst wall formation are provided. Schizogonic and gametogonic development described in the present study can serve as a guide for differential diagnosis ofEimeriaspecies in histological sections of intestines of buffaloes.
Empirical evidence for discrete neurocognitive subgroups in patients with non-psychotic major depressive disorder: clinical implications
Authors: Pu Shenghong , Noda Takamasa , Setoyama Shiori , Nakagome Kazuyuki
Published: April 2018

Background

Neuropsychological deficits are present across various cognitive domains in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, a consistent and specific profile of neuropsychological abnormalities has not yet been established.

Methods

We assessed cognition in 170 patients with non-psychotic MDD using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia and the scores were compared with those of 42 patients with schizophrenia as a reference for severity of cognitive impairment. Hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted to determine whether there are discrete neurocognitive subgroups in MDD. We then compared the subgroups in terms of several clinical factors and social functioning.

Results

Three distinct neurocognitive subgroups were found: (1) a mild impairment subgroup with near-normative performance and mild dysfunction in motor speed; (2) a selective impairment subgroup, which exhibited preserved working memory and executive function, but moderate to severe deficits in verbal memory, motor speed, verbal fluency, and attention/information processing speed; and (3) a global impairment subgroup with moderate to severe deficits across all neurocognitive domains, comparable with deficits in schizophrenia. The global impairment subgroup was characterized by lower pre-morbid intelligence quotient (IQ). Moreover, a significant difference between groups was observed in premorbid IQ (p= 0.003), antidepressant dose (p= 0.043), antipsychotic dose (p= 0.013), or anxiolytic dose (p< 0.001).

Conclusions

These results suggest the presence of multiple neurocognitive subgroups in non-psychotic MDD with unique profiles, one of which exhibits deficits comparable to those of schizophrenia. The results of the present study may help guide future efforts to target these disabling symptoms using different treatments.
Policy accommodation versus electoral turnover: policy representation in Britain, 1945–2015
Authors: Bartle John , Avellaneda Sebastian Dellepiane , McGann Anthony
Published: April 2018

Does public policy in the United Kingdom respond to changes in public preferences? If so, is this the result of the government changing its policy to reflect preferences (“policy accommodation”) or the result of governments that pursue unpopular policies being replaced at elections by governments more in line with the public (“electoral turnover”)? We explore these questions by estimating annual aggregate public preferences (“the policy mood”) using responses to 287 questions administered 2,087 times and annual policy using budgetary data (“nonmilitary government expenditure”) for the whole of the postwar period. We find that mood moves in the opposite direction to policy and variations in mood are associated with variations in annual vote intentions. Policy is responsive to party control but not directly responsive to mood. Shifts in mood eventually lead to a change in government and thus policy, but this process may be very slow if the public has doubts about the competence of the opposition.
Seasonal influences on ungulate movement within a fenced South African reserve
Authors: O'Kane Christopher A.J. , Macdonald David W.
Published: April 2018

The movement of African ungulates between habitats is determined by diverse factors including forage composition, availability and quality, water availability, topography, the catenary level and the effect of fire on vegetation. We assessed how grass flushes, following dry-season fires, and availability of water influenced seasonal movements of hartebeest, impala, warthog, white rhino, wildebeest and zebra in Ithala Game Reserve, a fenced reserve in South Africa. Over a 6-d period each month for 4 y, road transects covering a representative sample of the reserve's different vegetation types, and 23% of the reserve's total area, were carried out. We recorded the species, number, sex and age class of herbivores, obtaining 8742 records (total herbivores sighted = 47055), and obtained positional data on sightings over the last 2 y of the study. Using a GIS-based approach, we determined that ruminant, but not non-ruminants, were significantly attracted to dry-season grass flushes, and that presence or absence of such flushes significantly affected their mean distance to water and hence seasonal movements on the catena.
Expected value of high powers of trace of frobenius of biquadratic curves over a finite field
Authors: MEISNER PATRICK
Published: April 2018

Denote ΘCas the Frobenius class of a curveCover the finite field 𝔽q. In this paper we determine the expected value of Tr(ΘCn) whereCruns over all biquadratic curves whenqis fixed andgtends to infinity. This extends work done by Rudnick [15] and Chinis [5] who separately looked at hyperelliptic curves and Bucur, Costa, David, Guerreiro and Lowry-Duda [1] who looked at ℓ-cyclic curves, for ℓ a prime, as well as cubic non-Galois curves.
Time-dependent attractors for non-autonomous non-local reaction–diffusion equations
Authors: Caraballo Tomás , Herrera-Cobos Marta , Marín-Rubio Pedro
Published: April 2018

In this paper the existence and uniqueness of weak and strong solutions for a non-autonomous non-local reaction–diffusion equation is proved. Furthermore, the existence of minimal pullback attractors in the L2-norm in the frameworks of universes of fixed bounded sets and those given by a tempered growth condition is established, along with some relationships between them. Finally, we prove the existence of minimal pullback attractors in the H1-norm and study relationships among these new families and those given previously in the L2 context. We also present new results in the autonomous framework that ensure the existence of global compact attractors as a particular case.
A weighted weak-type bound for Haar multipliers
Authors: Osȩkowski Adam
Published: April 2018

We study a weighted maximal weak-type inequality for Haar multipliers that can be regarded as a dual problem of Muckenhoupt and Wheeden. More precisely, if Tε is the Haar multiplier associated with the sequence ε with values in [−1, 1], and is the r-maximal operator, then for any weight w and any function f on [0, 1) we have

for some constant Cr depending only on r. We also show that the analogous result does not hold if we replace by the dyadic maximal operator Md. The proof rests on the Bellman function method; using this technique we establish related weighted Lp estimates for p close to 1, and then deduce the main result by extrapolation arguments.
Poincaré inequalities for Sobolev spaces with matrix-valued weights and applications to degenerate partial differential equations
Authors: Monticelli Dario D. , Payne Kevin R. , Punzo Fabio
Published: April 2018

For bounded domains Ω, we prove that the Lp-norm of a regular function with compact support is controlled by weighted Lp-norms of its gradient, where the weight belongs to a class of symmetric non-negative definite matrix-valued functions. The class of weights is defined by regularity assumptions and structural conditions on the degeneracy set, where the determinant vanishes. In particular, the weight A is assumed to have rank at least 1 when restricted to the normal bundle of the degeneracy set S. This generalization of the classical Poincaré inequality is then applied to develop a robust theory of first-order Lp-based Sobolev spaces with matrix-valued weight A. The Poincaré inequality and these Sobolev spaces are then applied to produce various results on existence, uniqueness and qualitative properties of weak solutions to boundary-value problems for degenerate elliptic, degenerate parabolic and degenerate hyperbolic partial differential equations (PDEs) of second order written in divergence form, where A is calibrated to the matrix of coefficients of the second-order spatial derivatives. The notion of weak solution is variational: the spatial states belong to the matrix-weighted Sobolev spaces with p = 2. For the degenerate elliptic PDEs, the Dirichlet problem is treated by the use of the Poincaré inequality and Lax–Milgram theorem, while the treatment of the Cauchy–Dirichlet problem for the degenerate evolution equations relies only on the Poincaré inequality and the parabolic and hyperbolic counterparts of the Lax–Milgram theorem.
Classification of extinction profiles for a one-dimensional diffusive Hamilton–Jacobi equation with critical absorption
Authors: Iagar Razvan Gabriel , Laurençot Philippe
Published: April 2018

A classification of the behaviour of the solutions f(·, a) to the ordinary differential equation (|f′|p-2f′)′ + f - |f′|p-1 = 0 in (0,∞) with initial condition f(0, a) = a and f′(0, a) = 0 is provided, according to the value of the parameter a > 0 when the exponent p takes values in (1, 2). There is a threshold value a* that separates different behaviours of f(·, a): if a > a*, then f(·, a) vanishes at least once in (0,∞) and takes negative values, while f(·, a) is positive in (0,∞) and decays algebraically to zero as r→∞ if a ∊ (0, a*). At the threshold value, f(·, a*) is also positive in (0,∞) but decays exponentially fast to zero as r→∞. The proof of these results relies on a transformation to a first-order ordinary differential equation and a monotonicity property with respect to a > 0. This classification is one step in the description of the dynamics near the extinction time of a diffusive Hamilton–Jacobi equation with critical gradient absorption and fast diffusion.
On the existence of harmonic mappings between doubly connected domains
Authors: Kovalev Leonid V. , Li Liulan
Published: April 2018

While the existence of conformal mappings between doubly connected domains is characterized by their conformal moduli, no such characterization is available for harmonic diffeomorphisms. Intuitively, one expects their existence if the domain is not too thick compared to the codomain. We make this intuition precise by showing that for a Dini-smooth doubly connected domain Ω* there exists a ε > 0 such that for every doubly connected domain Ω with ModΩ* < ModΩ < ModΩ* + ε there exists a harmonic diffeomorphism from Ω onto Ω*.
New relaxation theorems with applications to strong materials
Authors: Mandallena Jean-Philippe , Sychev Mikhail
Published: April 2018

Recently, Sychev showed that conditions both necessary and sufficient for lower semicontinuity of integral functionals with p-coercive extended-valued integrands are the W1,p-quasi-convexity and the validity of a so-called matching condition (M). Condition (M) is so general that we conjecture whether it always holds in the case of continuous integrands. In this paper we develop the relaxation theory under the validity of condition (M). It turns out that a better relaxation theory is available in this case. This motivates our research since it is an important old open problem to develop the relaxation theory in the case of extended-value integrands. Then we discuss applications of the general relaxation theory to some concrete cases, in particular to the theory of strong materials.
Twisted Alexander invariants of complex hypersurface complements
Authors: Maxim Laurenţiu , Wong Kaiho Tommy
Published: April 2018

We define and study twisted Alexander-type invariants of complex hypersurface complements. We investigate torsion properties for the twisted Alexander modules and extend the local-to-global divisibility results of Maxim and of Dimca and Libgober to the twisted setting. In the process, we also study the splitting fields containing the roots of the corresponding twisted Alexander polynomials.
Affine focal sets of codimension-2 submanifolds contained in hypersurfaces
Authors: Craizer Marcos , Saia Marcelo J. , Sánchez Luis F.
Published: April 2018

In this paper we study the affine focal set, which is the bifurcation set of the affine distance to submanifolds Nn contained in hypersurfaces Mn+1 of the (n + 2)-space. We give conditions under which this affine focal set is a regular hypersurface and, for curves in 3-space, we describe its stable singularities. For a given Darboux vector field ξ of the immersion N ⊂ M, one can define the affine metric g and the affine normal plane bundle . We prove that the g-Laplacian of the position vector belongs to if and only if ξ is parallel. For umbilic and normally flat immersions, the affine focal set reduces to a single line. Submanifolds contained in hyperplanes or hyperquadrics are always normally flat. For N contained in a hyperplane L, we show that N ⊂ M is umbilic if and only if N ⊂ L is an affine sphere and the envelope of tangent spaces is a cone. For M hyperquadric, we prove that N ⊂ M is umbilic if and only if N is contained in a hyperplane. The main result of the paper is a general description of the umbilic and normally flat immersions: given a hypersurface f and a point O in the (n + 1)-space, the immersion (ν, ν · (f − O)), where ν is the co-normal of f, is umbilic and normally flat, and conversely, any umbilic and normally flat immersion is of this type.
Ship Trajectories Pre-processing Based on AIS Data
Authors: Zhao Liangbin , Shi Guoyou , Yang Jiaxuan
Published: April 2018

Data derived from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) plays a key role in water traffic data mining. However, there are various errors regarding time and space. To improve availability, AIS data quality dimensions are presented for detecting errors of AIS tracks including physical integrity, spatial logical integrity and time accuracy. After systematic summary and analysis, algorithms for error pre-processing are proposed. Track comparison maps and traffic density maps for different types of ships are derived to verify applicability based on the AIS data from the Chinese Zhoushan Islands from January to February 2015. The results indicate that the algorithms can effectively improve the quality of AIS trajectories.
Service and Evaluation of the GPS Triple-Frequency Satellite Clock Offset
Authors: Li Haojun , Zhu Weidong , Zhao Rungen , Wang Jiexian
Published: April 2018

This paper considers the effect of the biases in Global Positioning System (GPS) observations on satellite clock offset estimation. GPS triple-frequency satellite clock and reference observations are discussed. When the reference observation is selected and the corresponding satellite clock offset is computed, satellite clock offsets for all observations are obtained based on the computed satellite clock offset and the biases between the reference observation and other observations. The characteristics of these biases are analysed, and a service strategy for the GPS triple-frequency satellite clock offset is presented. To evaluate the computed GPS satellite clock offset, the performance in single-point positioning is validated. The positioning results show that the average relative improvements are about 20%, 28% and 19% for north, east and vertical components, when the Differential Code Bias (DCB) (P1-P2), DCB (P1-P5) and modelled Inter-Frequency Clock Bias (IFCB) are corrected. The effect of DCB (P1-P2), DCB (P1-P5) and modelled IFCB on the altitude direction is more evident than on the horizontal directions.