bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Large and robust resistive switching in co-sputtered Pt-(NiO-Al2O3)-Pt devices
Authors: Rebello A. , Adeyeye A. O.
Published: February 2016

We have systematically investigated the resistive switching and electroresistance behavior in Pt-[NiO-Al2O3]-Pt (PNAP) capacitor-like structures. The PNAP devices show a large ON-OFF ratio (∼107), which is strongly dependent on the rate of the voltage sweep. Interestingly, the devices exhibit a robust electroresistance behavior in the high resistance OFF state and show an intriguing change of sign of rectification with increasing end voltage. Our direct measurement of the surface temperature of the sample during resistive switching indicates that RESET process is assisted by Joule heating effects. The results are explained on the basis of plausible interplay between Schottky barrier modification due to the trapped charge carriers at the metal–oxide interface and percolation effects of conducting nanofilaments.
Influence of CO molecular impurity on the structural and thermodynamic properties of fullerite C60, in a broad range of sorption temperatures
Authors: Meleshko V. V. , Legchenkova I. V. , Stetsenko Y. E. , Prokhvatilov A. I.
Published: February 2016

An x-ray diffraction study of how sorption of CO gas at a pressure of 30 atm in the temperature range of 150–600 °C influences the structural characteristics of polycrystalline and single crystal fullerite C60. The sorption kinetics are studied by constructing a dependence of the lattice parameter on the time it takes for fullerite to be saturated by CO molecules. At temperatures Tsorb > 300 °C there is an observed dissociation of carbon monoxide, accompanied by the precipitation of carbon powder and the chemical interaction of atomic oxygen with C60 and CO molecules, and possibly with the carbon condensate. These processes have a strong influence on the structural characteristics of fullerite, thus creating, in part, a nonmonotonic dependence of the parameter and lattice matrix volume on the impurity saturation temperature. The concentrations of solid solutions C60(CO)x poly- and single crystal samples are determined in the physisorption range for two modes (150 and 250 °C). It is found that the CO impurity has a linear effect on the lattice parameter and the temperature of the orientational transition of fullerite C60.
Graphene-oxide-semiconductor planar-type electron emission device
Authors: Murakami Katsuhisa , Tanaka Shunsuke , Miyashita Akira , Nagao Masayoshi , Nemoto Yoshihiro , Takeguchi Masaki , Fujita Jun-ichi
Published: February 2016

Graphene was used as the topmost electrode for a metal-oxide-semiconductor planar-type electron emission device. With several various layers, graphene as a gate electrode on the thin oxide layer was directly deposited by gallium vapor-assisted chemical vapor deposition. The maximum efficiency of the electron emission, defined as the ratio of anode current to cathode current, showed no dependency on electrode thickness in the range from 1.8 nm to 7.0 nm, indicating that electron scattering on the inside of the graphene electrode is practically suppressed. In addition, a high emission current density of 1–100 mA/cm2 was obtained while maintaining a relatively high electron emission efficiency of 0.1%–1.0%. The graphene-oxide-semiconductor planar-type electron emission device has great potential to achieve both high electron emission efficiency and high electron emission current density in practical applications.
Resonant plasmonic nanoparticles for multicolor second harmonic imaging
Authors: Accanto Nicolò , Piatkowski Lukasz , Hancu Ion M. , Renger Jan , van Hulst Niek F.
Published: February 2016

Nanoparticles capable of efficiently generating nonlinear optical signals, like second harmonic generation, are attracting a lot of attention as potential background-free and stable nano-probes for biological imaging. However, second harmonic nanoparticles of different species do not produce readily distinguishable optical signals, as the excitation laser mainly defines their second harmonic spectrum. This is in marked contrast to other fluorescent nano-probes like quantum dots that emit light at different colors depending on their sizes and materials. Here, we present the use of resonant plasmonic nanoparticles, combined with broadband phase-controlled laser pulses, as tunable sources of multicolor second harmonic generation. The resonant plasmonic nanoparticles strongly interact with the electromagnetic field of the incident light, enhancing the efficiency of nonlinear optical processes. Because the plasmon resonance in these structures is spectrally narrower than the laser bandwidth, the plasmonic nanoparticles imprint their fingerprints on the second harmonic spectrum. We show how nanoparticles of different sizes produce different colors in the second harmonic spectra even when excited with the same laser pulse. Using these resonant plasmonic nanoparticles as nano-probes is promising for multicolor second harmonic imaging while keeping all the advantages of nonlinear optical microscopy.
Patch mosaic cyclic succession associated with the growth and senescence of an alpine shrub
Authors: McPhail Danielle C. , Kirkpatrick Jamie B.
Published: February 2016

Endogenously-induced cyclic vegetation change has been associated with the life cycle of shrub species, resulting in mosaic or linear patterning in vegetation. We investigated whether mosaic cyclic succession was taking place in Richea acerosa (Lindley) F.Muell. alpine heath on the Central Plateau of Tasmania, Australia by determining the variation in species composition associated with different growth characteristics of the shrub and by monitoring shrubs in plots over 11 years. Temperatures below and adjacent to shrubs were measured in clear sky conditions to determine if microclimatic variation was associated with structural and floristic variation. Species richness was higher outside than inside the shrubs, and was further depressed by an increasing proportion of dead material in the shrub. However, Poa saxicola R.Br. appeared to be protected by the prickly foliage of R. acerosa and also preferentially occurred among the mass of dead stems that characterised the centre of older plants. There was a strong floristic shift associated with the development of the shrub. The live cover of individual shrubs remained constant in all plots over the 11 years, while plots initially dominated by senescent plants contained young plants and vice-versa. The live part of the shrubs moderated temperatures. However, root competition and protection from grazing seem likely to have made a major contribution to the shifting conditions associated with the mosaic cyclic succession.
Film translation in China
Authors: Haikuo Yu
Published: February 2016

Film translation in China began as early as 1949 and has been developing very fast. This article aims at providing an overview of the current situation of film translation in China and explores the two major types of English-Chinese film translation: dubbing and subtitling. Therefore, it can be roughly divided into two parts. The first part constitutes a general background for the study of film translation. The author of this article first discusses film’s origin and nature, the features of film language and the classification of film translation. Of the four categories of film translation (subtitling, lip-sync dubbing, narration, and free-commentary), dubbing and subtitling are the main forms used in China. Then the differences between the two types and social preference for them are analyzed. The author also presents a summary of film translation’s development and current studies on this topic. The second part probes into the details of dubbing and subtitling. This article investigates the features and technical constraints of dubbing and subtitling. The main techniques adopted in practice are illustrated through specific examples. Both forms have their relative advantages and disadvantages. In subtitling, standardization and simplification are its two important techniques. Standardization is concerned with the transfer of text mode – from spoken text to written text, while simplification is related to the technical constraints in subtitling, namely spatial and temporal constraints. In dubbing, the translator should make his translation fit into the pictures and synchronize the lines and the pictures, so lip synchronization, gestures and pauses are the major constraints in dubbing. As the two main forms of film translation in China, dubbing and subtitling coexist and compete with each other in the market.
The translation of proper nouns into Arabic
Authors: Al-Hamly Mashael A. , Farghal Mohammed
Published: February 2016

This paper aims to explore the strategies that translators adopt when rendering English proper nouns into Arabic and, consequently, offer both qualitative and quantitative insights into this process. It is a case study of proper nouns in professional Arabic translation based on one English novel (The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (2008); translated into Arabic by Taiba Sadeq (2011). Proper nouns are categorized and analyzed in terms of internal syntactic structure (Central, Converted and Extended proper nouns), as well as thematically (e.g. personal names, names of institutions, bodies of water, etc.), with an eye to establishing correlations between the type of proper noun and the translation strategy opted for. The results indicate that the translator’s choice between different strategies is governed by two main factors. Firstly, the translator needs to check whether the proper noun individualizes entities by means of ordinary language predicates (e.g. common nouns), proper nouns proper, or a combination of both, as each type usually requires a different strategy. Secondly, the translator needs to pay attention to the degree of comprehensibility and naturalness of his/her rendering, which may necessitate consolidating the single strategies of transliteration and translation with addition in the form of a generic word or even substitution in the case of idiomatic proper nouns. The paper concludes that proper nouns cannot be treated uniformly in translation between English and Arabic because they belong to different categories and, consequently, they may require different translation strategies including transliteration, complete translation, partial translation, transliteration plus addition, and translation plus addition.
Two Korean translations of the Xiaoxue
Authors: Kim Wook-Dong
Published: February 2016

Broadly historical in its approach, this article explores how the Xiaoxue (Lesser or Elementary Learning), or Sohak in Korean, a primary textbook for Confucianism in China, was translated into Korean at two different times with a span of seventy years between the versions in the sixteenth century. It argues that the two different versions of translation of the same book, Beonyeok Sohak and Sohak Eonhae, reflected not only significant differences in the principles and strategies of translation: free translation or literal translation and native words or foreign words, among other things; but they also revealed significant difference in the translators’ – or, for that matter, their commissioners’ – ideologies and worldviews. The two Korean versions of the Xiaoxue was thus a contested battleground for the scholars and the politicians. In sum, it claims that the debate on the methodology of translation is not just an issue specific to Western translation theory but also non-Western translation theory.
Morphomes and predictability in the history of Romance perfects
Authors: Esher Louise
Published: February 2016

In mediaeval Gallo-Romance, due to regular sound change, the reflexes of Latinperfectumforms develop stem allomorphy linked to alternation between rhizotonic and arrhizotonic stress. Both the allomorphy and the stress alternation are subsequently eradicated. By contrast, in early Italo-Romance, existing stem allomorphy is redistributed by analogy so that, in the reflexes of Latinperfectumforms, stem alternation and stress alternation have the same distribution, a situation which persists into modern Italo-Romance. These developments illustrate a tendency for the exponents of morphomic distributions to be aligned with one another, facilitating reliable inferences about the forms realising different paradigm cells.
Investigating contingency in school history: an aid to rich, meaningfully critical citizenship?
Authors: Billingham Luke
Published: February 2016

A common charge levelled at English and Welsh citizenship education, whether taught as a separate subject or incorporated into other disciplines, is that it encourages compliance more than it inspires critical thought. There is room within the compulsory citizenship framework, however, for teachers to advance genuinely critical attributes in students. My aim here is to suggest that school History has particular potential for this, and to argue more specifically that the historical study of contingency in human affairs could advance a rich, meaningfully critical form of citizenship that contributes to Gutmann's ideal of ‘conscious social reproduction’. Gutmann's vision for citizenship centres on the idea that through critical scrutiny of present norms and institutions, students can be equipped to take part in the collective shaping of their future. Drawing on the work of social and political theorists as well as that of educationalists and philosophers of history, I argue that contingency can be rigorously and fruitfully investigated in school History, and that this could — at best — help students to develop three vital capacities for critical citizenship and conscious social reproduction: discernment of historical possibility, subtle normative reflection, and enriched political imagination.
Transformation through art: exploring Jung's view of art and the relevance of Charlotte Salomon's Life? or Theater?
Authors: Pounders Lisa A.
Published: February 2016

This paper explores Jung's concepts regarding art, the significant role of creativity in his notion of individuation, and art's relationship to transformation. As an illustration, it introduces Charlotte Salomon – a German Jewish artist who was murdered in the gas chambers at Auschwitz in 1943 – and her unique surviving opus, Life? or Theater? – a fictionalized autobiographical play-like work of art combining painted images, written words, and music. Applying Jung's theories as a lens, it broadly analyzes Salomon's work and considers it in light of Jung's distinction between psychological and visionary creative modes. In the process I reveal a potential material connection between Salomon and Jung, and argue that Life? or Theater? is not only artistically but also historically relevant to Jungian theory. By exploring Life? or Theater? in this way, my paper proposes that Jungian theory is a potent critical lens which can reveal a work of art's transformative nature and cultural significance.
Imagining Ovid and Chrétien in Fourteenth-Century French Libraries
Authors: Griffin Miranda
Published: February 2016

Popular in French royal and ducal libraries, the
Ovide moralisé
is the first full-length French translation of Ovid's
Metamorphoses
; it introduces pseudo-historical explanations and Christian moralizations. Fusing references to and tales from diverse medieval and classical sources, the
Ovide moralisé
is a microcosm of the late medieval library, offering a digest of myth and doctrine, and manifesting a reading practice aware of its reliance on, and reassessment of, previous instances of authority. With reference to Foucault's evocation of the
bibliothèque fantastique
, this article focuses on two
auctores
cited by the
Ovide moralisé
: Ovid and an author referred to as ‘Crestien’. Evidence from
Ovide moralisé
manuscripts belonging to the libraries of King Philippe VI, his wife, Jeanne de Bourgogne, and their three bibliophile grandsons — King Charles V; Jean, duc de Berry; and Philippe le Hardi, duc de Bourgogne — suggests that the name Crestien, today evocative of Chrétien de Troyes, would likely connote the author of a twelfth-century translation and adaptation of the
Metamorphoses
' Philomela episode, which is interpolated into the
Ovide moralisé
. Focusing on encounters between these authors reveals the medieval library as a space of fantasy in which texts gloss, summon, adapt, and re-imagine one another.
Drugs in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
Authors: Scarth Edward , Smith Susan
Published: February 2016

This title details drugs in anaesthesia and intensive care in an A–Z format. The new edition has been improved for exam revision, featuring diagrams of particular drug structures and comparison tables to aid comparison of differences within a drug class.
The featureless and non-variable optical spectral energy distribution of AXP 4U 0142+61
Authors: Muñoz-Darias T. , de Ugarte Postigo A. , Casares J.
Published: February 2016

We present GTC-10.4 m spectroscopy and multiband photometry of the faint (r ∼ 26) optical counterpart of the anomalous X-ray pulsar 4U 0142+61. The 5000–9000 Å spectrum – the first obtained for a magnetar – is featureless, allowing us to set an equivalent width upper limit EW < 25 Å to the presence of emission lines in the H α region. Multiband photometry in the g, r, i, z Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) bands obtained at different epochs over 12 yr shows no significant variability from minutes-to-years time-scales. The photometry has been calibrated, for the first time, against the SDSS itself, resulting in solid upper limits to variability ranging from ∼0.2 mag in i (over 12 yr) to 0.05 mag in z (over 1.5 yr). The shape of the optical + near-infrared (literature values) spectral energy distribution is not well constrained due to the high extinction along the line of sight. Using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis, we find that it can be described by a power law with a spectral index β = −0.7 ± 0.5 and E(B − V) = 1.5 ± 0.4. We also discuss on the implications of adding hard X-ray flux values from literature to the spectral fitting.
Pediatric diaphyseal forearm fractures: epidemiology and treatment in an urban population during a 10-year period, with special attention to titanium elastic nailing and its complications
Authors: Lyman Amanda , Wenger Daniel , Landin Lennart
Published: February 2016

This study aims to describe the epidemiology of pediatric diaphyseal forearm fractures in an urban population and the complications of titanium elastic nailing. The medical records of 456 consecutive fractures were reviewed. The annual incidence was 0.7/1000 children. Eighty-six (19%) fractures in 83 children were titanium elastic nailed. The complication rate was 24%. Dorsal entry to the radius was associated with extensor pollicis longus rupture and radial entry was associated with sensory nerve deficit in three cases each. Seventy-eight (94%) of the operated patients recovered completely. Titanium elastic nailing is effective, but associated with a high rate of complications, most of which resolve spontaneously.
Treatment Outcomes and Prognostic Factors of Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty for Open-angle Glaucoma Receiving Maximal-tolerable Medical Therapy
Authors: Miki Atsuya , Kawashima Rumi , Usui Shinichi , Matsushita Kenji , Nishida Kohji
Published: February 2016

Purpose:

To evaluate the efficacy of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) for patients with open-angle glaucoma receiving maximal-tolerable medical therapy.

Patients and Methods:

Consecutive patients with open-angle glaucoma who were followed up for at least 1 year after SLT were retrospectively evaluated. The effectiveness was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with 2 criteria for failure: (1) intraocular pressure (IOP) equal to or more than baseline; and (2) <20% reduction from baseline, on 2 consecutive visits. Those 2 failure criteria also included loss of light perception, reoperation of SLT, and glaucoma surgery. Influence of baseline factors on success were assessed using mixed-effects Cox proportional hazard models.

Results:

Seventy-five eyes [39 primary open-angle glaucoma, 23 exfoliation glaucoma, and 13 secondary open-angle glaucoma (SOAG)] of 59 patients (21 females) aged 65.5±15.9 (mean±SD) were included. Preoperative mean IOP was 23.3±6.5 mm Hg with 3.4±1.3 IOP lowering medications. The overall success ratio at the end of study period was 45.3% by criterion 1 and 14.2% by criterion 2. The success ratio by criterion 1 and 2 was 61.1% and 21.7% in primary open-angle glaucoma, 29.3% and 14.5% in exfoliation glaucoma, and 15.4% and 7.7% in SOAG, respectively. Higher preoperative IOP and diagnosis of SOAG were significantly associated with treatment failure (P<0.01 and 0.04, respectively).

Conclusions:

One-year efficacy of SLT in controlling IOP was very limited in patients with maximal-tolerable medical therapy. Types of glaucoma and preoperative IOP were significant prognostic factors for treatment success.
Chronic musculoskeletal complaints as a predictor of mortality—The HUNT study
Authors: Åsberg Anders N. , Stovner Lars J. , Zwart John-Anker , Winsvold Bendik S. , Heuch Ingrid , Hagen Knut
Published: February 2016

The impact of chronic musculoskeletal complaints (CMSC) and chronic widespread chronic musculoskeletal complaints (CWMSC) on mortality is controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between these conditions and mortality. In this prospective population-based cohort study from Norway, baseline data from the second Nord-Trøndelag Health Survey (HUNT2, performed 1995-1997) were linked to the comprehensive National Cause of Death Registry in Norway with follow-up through the year 2011. A total of 65,026 individuals (70%) participated and were categorized based on their response to CMSC questions in HUNT2 (no CMSC, CMSC, or CWMSC). Hazard ratios (HRs) of mortality during a mean of 14.1 years of follow-up were estimated using Cox regression. During the follow-up period, 12,521 subjects died, 5162 from cardiovascular diseases, 3478 from cancer, and 3881 from all other causes. In the multivariate-adjusted analyses, there was no difference in all-cause mortality between individuals with or without CMSC (HR 1.01, confidence interval, 0.97-1.05) and CWMSC (HR 1.01, confidence interval, 0.96-1.05). Similarly, there was no association between CMSC or CWMSC and cardiovascular mortality, mortality from cancer, or mortality from all other causes. Therefore, from this study, we conclude that there is no evidence for a higher mortality rate among individuals with CMSC or CWMSC.
Plasma intestinal fatty acid-binding protein fails to predict endoscopic disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease patients
Authors: Bodelier Alexander G.L. , Pierik Marie J. , Lenaerts Kaatje , de Boer Evelien , Olde Damink Steven W. , Hameeteman Wim M. , Masclee Ad A.M. , Jonkers Daisy M.
Published: February 2016

Background

Monitoring disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is of major importance to prevent long-term complications. Intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) has been identified as a marker for intestinal damage and correlates with the degree of inflammation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether I-FABP can predict active disease or remission in Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in a real-life IBD cohort.

Methods

In total, 70 patients with endoscopic disease activity available and 194 patients with disease activity on the basis of a stringent combi-score of clinical activity index, C-reactive protein, and fecal calprotectin were included. Plasma I-FABP was compared between patients with active disease and remission. In a small subgroup of CD patients, follow-up samples were analyzed.

Results

In CD (139.2 vs. 119.2 pg/ml; P=0.37) and UC (107.8 vs. 151.8 pg/ml; P=0.33), the median I-FABP did not differ in endoscopic active disease versus remission. In UC patients with active disease on the basis of the combi-score, the median I-FABP (106.8 vs. 172.0 pg/ml; P=0.03) was significantly lower than in patients in remission, but not in CD (145.5 vs. 157.5 pg/ml; P=0.29). Neither disease location in CD nor extent of disease in UC influenced I-FABP significantly. I-FABP was not different (P=0.78) in CD patients with a change in disease activity over time.

Conclusion

Plasma I-FABP did not differ between endoscopic active disease and remission in both CD and UC. I-FABP was lower in active UC but not CD on the basis of the combi-score. On the basis of these findings, I-FABP has no potential as a novel noninvasive biomarker for disease activity in IBD.
Hospital Use by Persons With HIV in the 21st Century
Authors: Hellinger Fred J.
Published: February 2016

Objective:

The purpose of this study is to determine whether reductions in hospital utilization observed immediately after the availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (between 1995 and 2000) have persisted into the 21st century.

Data Sources:

Data on all human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related hospital admissions in 5 states (California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and South Carolina) in 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2013 were obtained from the State Inpatient Database, which is administered by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In addition, data on the number of persons living with HIV were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from the California Department of Public Health.

Study Design:

This study compares the average number of hospitalizations per person living with HIV in each of the 5 states as well as the average cost for hospital care per person with HIV in 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2013.

Results:

The total number of hospitalizations by persons with HIV in the 5 study states fell by one third between 2000 and 2013 even though the number of persons living with HIV increased by >50%.

Conclusions:

Persons with HIV disease were 64% less likely to be hospitalized in 2013 than they were in 2000. In addition, the probability of a person with HIV being hospitalized fell 44% between 2000 and 2010 and 29% between 2010 and 2013.
Ultrasound Elastography Is Useful for Evaluation of Liver Fibrosis in Children—A Systematic Review
Authors: Andersen Sofie Bech , Ewertsen Caroline , Carlsen Jonathan Frederik , Henriksen Birthe Merete , Nielsen Michael Bachmann
Published: February 2016

Objectives:

Adult studies have proven ultrasound elastography as a validated measure of liver fibrosis. The present study aimed to review the available literature on ultrasound elastography in children to evaluate the ability of the method to distinguish healthy from fibrotic liver tissue and investigate whether cutoff values for liver fibrosis in children have been established.

Methods:

A literature search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to identify studies on ultrasound elastography of the liver in children. Only original research articles in English concerning ultrasound elastography in children with and without liver disease, younger than 18 years, were included. All reference lists of the included articles were hand‐searched for further references.

Results:

Twenty‐seven articles were included. Elastography in children without liver disease was investigated in 14 studies and the results were comparable to those existing for adults. Twelve studies compared elastography with liver biopsy in children with liver disease and found that cirrhosis was correctly diagnosed, whereas it was more difficult to assess severe fibrosis correctly. For the distinction between no, mild, and moderate fibrosis in children with liver disease the method was less accurate. Ultrasound elastography was able to differentiate between children with and without liver fibrosis. In children without liver disease ultrasound elastography showed consistent liver stiffness values comparable to those found in adults. No fibrosis‐specific cutoffs were proposed.

Conclusions:

Ultrasound elastography was able to diagnose cirrhosis, distinguish healthy from fibrotic liver tissue, and showed consistent liver stiffness values in children without liver disease.
An Empiric HIV Risk Scoring Tool to Predict HIV-1 Acquisition in African Women
Authors: Balkus Jennifer E. , Brown Elizabeth , Palanee Thesla , Nair Gonasagrie , Gafoor Zakir , Zhang Jingyang , Richardson Barbra A. , Chirenje Zvavahera M. , Marrazzo Jeanne M. , Baeten Jared M.
Published: February 2016

Objective:

To develop and validate an HIV risk assessment tool to predict HIV acquisition among African women.

Design:

Data were analyzed from 3 randomized trials of biomedical HIV prevention interventions among African women (VOICE, HPTN 035, and FEM-PrEP).

Methods:

We implemented standard methods for the development of clinical prediction rules to generate a risk-scoring tool to predict HIV acquisition over the course of 1 year. Performance of the score was assessed through internal and external validations.

Results:

The final risk score resulting from multivariable modeling included age, married/living with a partner, partner provides financial or material support, partner has other partners, alcohol use, detection of a curable sexually transmitted infection, and herpes simplex virus 2 serostatus. Point values for each factor ranged from 0 to 2, with a maximum possible total score of 11. Scores ≥5 were associated with HIV incidence >5 per 100 person-years and identified 91% of incident HIV infections from among only 64% of women. The area under the curve (AUC) for predictive ability of the score was 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.68 to 0.74), indicating good predictive ability. Risk score performance was generally similar with internal cross-validation (AUC = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.66 to 0.73) and external validation in HPTN 035 (AUC = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.75) and FEM-PrEP (AUC = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.51 to 0.65).

Conclusions:

A discrete set of characteristics that can be easily assessed in clinical and research settings was predictive of HIV acquisition over 1 year. The use of a validated risk score could improve efficiency of recruitment into HIV prevention research and inform scale-up of HIV prevention strategies in women at highest risk.
Orbito-Masticatory Syndrome
Authors: Mettu Pradeep , Bhatti M. Tariq , El-Dairi Mays A. , Price Evan B. , Lin Amy Y. , Alaraj Ali , Setabutr Pete , Moss Heather E.
Published: February 2016

We describe 2 unique cases of visual symptoms occurring during mastication in patients with lateral orbital wall defects. A 57-year-old man reported intermittent double vision and oscillopsia after a right fronto-temporal-orbito-zygomatic craniotomy with osteotomy of the lesser wing of the sphenoid for a complex invasive pituitary adenoma. Proptosis of the right globe was present only during mastication. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a bony defect in the right lateral orbital wall. A 48-year-old man presented with transient diplopia and scotoma in the right eye elicited by chewing. CT and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a bilobed lesion connecting the temporal fossa to the orbit through a defect in the right lateral orbital wall. The regional neuroanatomy and pathophysiology as pertaining to these cases are discussed.
Modeling cumulative biological phenomena with Suppes-Bayes Causal Networks
Authors: Ramazzotti Daniele , Graudenzi Alex , Caravagna Giulio , Antoniotti Marco
Published: February 2016

Several diseases related to cell proliferation are characterized by the accumulation of somatic DNA changes, with respect to wildtype conditions. Cancer and HIV are two common examples of such diseases, where the mutational load in the cancerous/viral population increases over time. In these cases, selective pres sures are often observed along with competition, co-operation and parasitism among distinct cellular clones. Recently, we presented a mathematical framework to model these phenomena, based on a combination of Bayesian inference and Suppes’ theory of probabilistic causation, depicted in graphical structures dubbed Suppes-Bayes Causal Networks (SBCNs). SBCNs are generative probabilistic graphical models that recapitulate the potential ordering of accumulation of such DNA changes during the progression of the disease. Such models can be inferred from data by exploiting likelihood-based model-selection strategies with regularization. In this paper we discuss the theoretical foun dations of our approach and we investigate in depth the influence on the model-selection task of: (i) the poset based on Suppes’ theory and (ii) different regulariza tion strategies. Furthermore, we provide an example of application of our framework to HIV genetic data highlighting the valuable insights provided by the inferred SBCN.
Transmission of human mtDNA heteroplasmy in the Genome of the Netherlands families: support for a variable-size bottleneck
Authors: Li Mingkun , Rothwell Rebecca , Vermaat Martijn , Wachsmuth Manja , Schröder Roland , Laros Jeroen F.J. , van Oven Mannis , de Bakker Paul I.W. , Bovenberg Jasper A. , van Duijn Cornelia M. , van Ommen Gert-Jan B. , Slagboom P. Eline , Swertz Morris A. , Wijmenga Cisca ,   Genome of the Netherlands Consortium, Kayser Manfred , Boomsma Dorret I. , Zöllner Sebastian , de Knijff Peter , Stoneking Mark
Published: February 2016

Although previous studies have documented a bottleneck in the transmission of mtDNA genomes from mothers to offspring, several aspects remain unclear, including the size and nature of the bottleneck. Here, we analyze the dynamics of mtDNA heteroplasmy transmission in the Genomes of the Netherlands (GoNL) data, which consists of complete mtDNA genome sequences from 228 trios, eight dizygotic (DZ) twin quartets, and 10 monozygotic (MZ) twin quartets. Using a minor allele frequency (MAF) threshold of 2%, we identified 189 heteroplasmies in the trio mothers, of which 59% were transmitted to offspring, and 159 heteroplasmies in the trio offspring, of which 70% were inherited from the mothers. MZ twin pairs exhibited greater similarity in MAF at heteroplasmic sites than DZ twin pairs, suggesting that the heteroplasmy MAF in the oocyte is the major determinant of the heteroplasmy MAF in the offspring. We used a likelihood method to estimate the effective number of mtDNA genomes transmitted to offspring under different bottleneck models; a variable bottleneck size model provided the best fit to the data, with an estimated mean of nine individual mtDNA genomes transmitted. We also found evidence for negative selection during transmission against novel heteroplasmies (in which the minor allele has never been observed in polymorphism data). These novel heteroplasmies are enhanced for tRNA and rRNA genes, and mutations associated with mtDNA diseases frequently occur in these genes. Our results thus suggest that the female germ line is able to recognize and select against deleterious heteroplasmies.
Composition, Assembly, and Trafficking of a Wheat Xylan Synthase Complex
Authors: Jiang Nan , Wiemels Richard E. , Soya Aaron , Whitley Rebekah , Held Michael , Faik Ahmed
Published: February 2016

Xylans play an important role in plant cell wall integrity and have many industrial applications. Characterization of xylan synthase (XS) complexes responsible for the synthesis of these polymers is currently lacking. We recently purified XS activity from etiolated wheat (Triticum aestivum) seedlings. To further characterize this purified activity, we analyzed its protein composition and assembly. Proteomic analysis identified six main proteins: two glycosyltransferases (GTs) TaGT43-4 and TaGT47-13; two putative mutases (TaGT75-3 and TaGT75-4) and two non-GTs; a germin-like protein (TaGLP); and a vernalization related protein (TaVER2). Coexpression of TaGT43-4, TaGT47-13, TaGT75-3, and TaGT75-4 in Pichia pastoris confirmed that these proteins form a complex. Confocal microscopy showed that all these proteins interact in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) but the complexes accumulate in Golgi, and TaGT43-4 acts as a scaffold protein that holds the other proteins. Furthermore, ER export of the complexes is dependent of the interaction between TaGT43-4 and TaGT47-13. Immunogold electron microscopy data support the conclusion that complex assembly occurs at specific areas of the ER before export to the Golgi. A di-Arg motif and a long sequence motif within the transmembrane domains were found conserved at the NH2-terminal ends of TaGT43-4 and homologous proteins from diverse taxa. These conserved motifs may control the forward trafficking of the complexes and their accumulation in the Golgi. Our findings indicate that xylan synthesis in grasses may involve a new regulatory mechanism linking complex assembly with forward trafficking and provide new insights that advance our understanding of xylan biosynthesis and regulation in plants.
Cryo-coherent diffractive imaging of biological samples with X-ray free-electron lasers
Authors: Jiang Huaidong
Published: February 2016

Recent developments in the imaging of biological samples using the X-ray free-electron laser at the SACLA facility are highlighted.
Price-quality heuristic correlation with rates of product consumption
Authors: Priilaid David , Hall Daniel
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the manner in which the rate of product consumption contributes to the formation and strengthening of the price-quality heuristic.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research included a literature review with a series of tests across a sequence of blind and sighted tasting experiments involving 278 subjects assessing seven differently priced products of orange juice, coffee and wine.

Findings

– The paper found evidence that consumption rates do affect the way consumers respond to price information and that sight-based “System 1” judgement errors accrue and increase progressively with consumption. This relationship was observed to be stronger in sight-based product assessments for consumption of four or more units per week compared to those consuming one unit per week. For blind-based product assessments, an inverse relationship between price affect and consumption was observed, with affect reported to be stronger for minimal rates of consumption.

Originality/value

– The observation of sight-based and blind-based affect relationships which are dependent on the levels of product consumption appears to be an interesting advancement in consumer behaviour research. This provides support for a dual structure of rationality operated by an interconnection between “System 1” sight-based associations and “System 2” blind-based ponderous thinking. The paper further provides support for Kahneman’s “conflation of intuition” as classically conditioned memory.
Exploring consumers’ behaviour towards short food supply chains
Authors: Giampietri Elisa , Finco Adele , Del Giudice Teresa
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– Investigating the drivers of consumers’ behaviour towards purchasing in short food supply chains (SFSCs) and clarifying their relationships, the purpose of this paper is to test the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in order to predict the intention and the behaviour under investigation.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research includes a literature review of SFSCs. To investigate all the variables (attitudes, subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioural control (PBC) and intention) underlying consumers’ behaviour towards buying in SFSCs, an exploratory survey with a TPB questionnaire and a principal component analysis have been carried out among university students in Italy. Using a system of simultaneous equations, the relationships among variables have been measured.

Findings

– Findings illustrate that both attitudinal variables (i.e. sustainability, typicality and loyalty), SN and PBC play a key role in the consumers’ intention, that has a predictive effect on behaviour instead of PBC.

Originality/value

– This paper fulfils the purpose to explain and predict post-modern consumers’ preferences towards SFSCs, in order to orient policy strategies to support SFSCs.
Behind intention and behaviour: factors influencing wine consumption in a novice market
Authors: Agnoli Lara , Capitello Roberta , Begalli Diego
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of the decision-making process of consumers from novice markets facing the choice of a complex product like wine, explaining the determinants of their consumption intention and behaviour. It also aims to understand the link between product attributes and consumption intention and behaviour, analysing the role played by intrinsic and extrinsic cues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study applies the theory of planned behaviour considering that individuals do not always have complete control of wine consumption behaviour, especially when they come from a novice market. A questionnaire survey, preceded by an exploratory phase, was conducted in St Louis, Missouri, a novice market for wine.

Findings

– This study identifies a novice consumer whose choice of a complex product is driven by experiential attitude towards the product more than the conditioning of referents, and even more than the perceived behavioural control and the interconnected concept of risk. The risk is perceived to a greater extent when it has to do with the functional nature of the product linked to its sensory component, rather than with its social or health connotations.

Originality/value

– This study assesses the role of intrinsic and extrinsic cues and of the perceived behavioural control, assumed as closely interconnected with the concept of risk, in explaining wine consumption intention and behaviour. Perceived behavioural control was omitted by previous studies applying the reasoned action approach to explain wine consumption behaviour.
Consumers’ willingness to pay for light, organic and PDO cheese
Authors: de-Magistris Tiziana , Gracia Azucena
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to assess consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for three different food claims on semi-cured, pasteurized sheep milk cheese. In particular, the authors used a health-related claim (the nutritional claim indicating a reduced fat content: “light”), a regional claim (“designation of origin – PDO”) and an organic claim (the European organic logo). Moreover, the authors investigated whether consumers’ personal characteristics could influence their WTP for those types of cheese.

Design/methodology/approach

– A home-grown experimental auction was applied in Spain during Spring 2012. The authors opted to use the nth random price with repeated rounds and without price feedback.

Findings

– The results show that consumers were willing to pay more for PDO cheese, followed by organic and light cheese. Moreover, respondents who were female, older and with a university-level education showed some environmental concerns, influencing their WTP for different cheeses.

Originality/value

– Empirical evidence on consumers’ preferences for PDO, organic and nutritional claims, evaluated jointly, is lacking in Spain. Moreover, the home-grown auction has several merits in terms of real market simulation and consumer preference application.
A multi-product approach for detecting subjects’ and objects’ covariates in consumer preferences
Authors: Capecchi Stefania , Endrizzi Isabella , Gasperi Flavia , Piccolo Domenico
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– A different framework based on a parametric version of the process generating the hedonic scores is adopted. More precisely, a probability distribution for ordinal responses is proposed as a mixture of two components, denoted as feeling (as expressed preference) and uncertainty component (as inherent indecision). The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of covariates on the consumers’ behaviour pattern according to a statistical model.

Design/methodology/approach

– Sample data come from a multidisciplinary research aimed to improve the quality and marketability of soft fruits. Then, a stochastic model with subjects’ and objects’ covariates is built and the interpretation of significant results is discussed.

Findings

– The joint effects of personal characteristics and chemical contents of juice on the hedonic scores given by consumers are examined and graphically depicted by means of a significant model.

Originality/value

– The paper suggests a multi-product approach to expressed hedonic scores by means of a generalization of CUB models.
Order effect in interactive information retrieval evaluation: an empirical study
Authors: Clemmensen Melanie Landvad , Borlund Pia
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report a study of order effect in interactive information retrieval (IIR) studies. The phenomenon of order effect is well-known, and it is the main reason why searches are permuted (counter-balanced) between test participants in IIR studies. However, the phenomenon is not yet fully understood or investigated in relation to IIR; hence the objective is to increase the knowledge of this phenomenon in the context of IIR as it has implications for test design of IIR studies.

Design/methodology/approach

– Order effect is studied via partly a literature review and partly an empirical IIR study. The empirical IIR study is designed as a classic between-groups design. The IIR search behaviour was logged and complementary post-search interviews were conducted.

Findings

– The order effect between groups and within search tasks were measured against nine classic IIR performance parameters of search interaction behaviour. Order effect is seen with respect to three performance parameters (website changes, visit of webpages, and formulation of queries) shown by an increase in activity on the last performed search. Further the theories with respect to motivation, fatigue, and the good-subject effect shed light on how and why order effect may affect test participants’ IR system interaction and search behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

– Insight about order effect has implications for test design of IIR studies and hence the knowledge base generated on the basis of such studies. Due to the limited sample of 20 test participants (Library and Information Science (LIS) students) inference statistics is not applicable; hence conclusions can be drawn from this sample of test participants only.

Originality/value

– Only few studies in LIS focus on order effect and none from the perspective of IIR.
Exploring the information behaviour of users of Welsh Newspapers Online through web log analysis
Authors: Gooding Paul
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– Webometric techniques have been applied to many websites and online resources, especially since the launch of Google Analytics (GA). To date, though, there has been little consideration of information behaviour in relation to digitised newspaper collections. The purpose of this paper is to address a perceived gap in the literature by providing an account of user behaviour in the newly launched Welsh Newspapers Online (WNO).

Design/methodology/approach

– The author collected webometric data for WNO using GA and web server content logs. These were analysed to identify patterns of engagement and user behaviour, which were then considered in relation to existing information behaviour.

Findings

– Use of WNO, while reminiscent of archival information seeking, can be understood as centring on the web interface rather than the digitised material. In comparison to general web browsing, users are much more deeply engaged with the resource. This engagement incorporates reading online, but users’ information seeking utilises website search and browsing functionality rather than filtering in newspaper material. Information seeking in digitised newspapers resembles the model of the “user” more closely than that of the “reader”, a value-laden distinction which needs further unpacking.

Research limitations/implications

– While the behaviour discussed in this paper is likely to be more widely representative, a larger longitudinal data set would increase the study’s significance. Additionally, the methodology of this paper can only tell us what users are doing, and further research is needed to identify the drivers for this behaviour.

Originality/value

– This study provides important insights into the underinvestigated area of digitised newspaper collections, and shows the importance of webometric methods in analysing online user behaviour.