bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Antibiotics in Gut Microbiota Modulation: The Eubiotic Effects of Rifaximin
Authors: Ponziani Francesca Romana , Scaldaferri Franco , Petito Valentina , Paroni Sterbini Francesco , Pecere Silvia , Lopetuso Loris R. , Palladini Alessandra , Gerardi Viviana , Masucci Luca , Pompili Maurizio , Cammarota Giovanni , Sanguinetti Maurizio , Gasbarrini Antonio
Published: March 2016

Antibiotics are mainly used in clinical practice for their activity against pathogens, but they also alter the composition of commensal gut microbial community. Rifaximin is a non-absorbable antibiotic with additional effects on the gut microbiota about which very little is known. It is still not clear to what extent rifaximin can be able to modulate gut microbiota composition and diversity in different clinical settings. Studies based on culture-dependent techniques revealed that rifaximin treatment promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. Accordingly, our metagenomic analysis carried out on patients with different gastrointestinal and liver diseases highlighted a significant increase in Lactobacilli after rifaximin treatment, persisting in the short time period. This result was independent of the disease background and was not accompanied by a significant alteration of the overall gut microbial ecology. This suggests that rifaximin can exert important eubiotic effects independently of the original disease, producing a favorable gut microbiota perturbation without changing its overall composition and diversity.
Fractional Flow Assessment for the Evaluation of Intracranial Atherosclerosis: A Feasibility Study
Authors: Miao ZhongRong , Liebeskind David S. , Lo WaiTing , Liu LiPing , Pu YueHua , Leng XinYi , Song LiGang , Xu XiaoTong , Jia BaiXue , Gao Feng , Mo DaPeng , Sun Xuan , Liu Lian , Ma Ning , Wang Bo , Wang YiLong , Wang YongJun
Published: March 2016

Purpose: Current studies on endovascular intervention for intracranial atherosclerosis select patients based on luminal stenosis. Coronary studies demonstrated that fractional flow measurements assess ischemia better than anatomical stenosis and can guide patient selection for intervention. We similarly postulated that fractional flow can be used to assess ischemic stroke risk. Methods: This was a feasibility study to assess the technical use and safety of applying a pressure guidewire to measure fractional flow across intracranial stenoses. Twenty patients with severe intracranial stenosis were recruited. The percentage of luminal stenosis, distal to proximal pressure ratios (fractional flow) and the fractional flow gradients across the stenosis were measured. Procedural success rate and safety outcomes were documented. Results: All 20 patients had successful crossing of stenosis by the pressure guidewire. Ten patients underwent angioplasty, and 5 had stenting performed. There was one perforator stroke, but not related to the use of the pressure wire. For the 13 patients with complete pre- and postintervention data, the mean preintervention stenosis, fractional flow and translesional pressure gradient were 76.2%, 0.66 and 29.9 mm Hg, whilst the corresponding postintervention measurements were 24.7%, 0.88 and 10.9 mm Hg, respectively. Fractional flow (r = -0.530, p = 0.001) and the translesional pressure gradient (r = 0.501, p = 0.002) only had a modest correlation with the luminal stenosis. Conclusion: Fractional flow measurement by floating a pressure guidewire across the intracranial stenosis was technically feasible and safe in this study. Further studies are needed to validate its use for ischemic stroke risk assessment.
Do Public Involvement Activities in Biomedical Research and Innovation Recruit Representatively? A Systematic Qualitative Review
Authors: Lander Jonas , Hainz Tobias , Hirschberg Irene , Bossert Sabine , Strech Daniel
Published: March 2016

Background: Public involvement activities (PIAs) may contribute to the governance of ethically challenging biomedical research and innovation by informing, consulting with and engaging the public in developments and decision-making processes. For PIAs to capture a population's preferences (e.g. on issues in whole genome sequencing, biobanks or genome editing), a central methodological requirement is to involve a sufficiently representative subgroup of the general public. While the existing literature focusses on theoretical and normative aspects of ‘representation', this study assesses empirically how such considerations are implemented in practice. It evaluates how PIA reports describe representation objectives, the recruitment process and levels of representation achieved. Methods: PIA reports were included from a systematic literature search if they directly reported a PIA conducted in a relevant discipline such as genomics, biobanks, biotechnology or others. PIA reports were analyzed with thematic text analysis. The text analysis was guided by an assessment matrix based on PIA-specific guidelines and frameworks. Results: We included 46 relevant reports, most focusing on issues in genomics. 27 reports (59%) explicitly described representation objectives, though mostly without adjusting eligibility criteria and recruiting methods to the specific objective. 11 reports (24%) explicitly reported to have achieved the intended representation; the rest either reported failure or were silent on this issue. Conclusion: Representation of study samples in PIAs in biomedical research and innovation is currently not reported systematically. Improved reporting on representation would not only improve the validity and value of PIAs, but could also contribute to PIA results being used more often in relevant policy and decision-making processes.
Is There Any Difference between Ranibizumab and Aflibercept Injections in Terms of Inflammation Measured with Anterior Chamber Flare Levels in Age-Related Macular Degeneration Patients: A Comparative Study
Authors: Demirel Sibel , Bilici Serdar , Batıoğlu Figen , Özmert Emin
Published: March 2016

Purpose: To evaluate the inflammatory reaction to intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) or ranibizumab (IVR) in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: A total of 60 eyes of 60 neovascular AMD patients and 30 eyes of 30 age-matched healthy people as a control group were included in this observational, prospective, comparative study. The AMD patients received 1:1 either IVA or IVR. Anterior chamber flare was measured with the Kowa FM-600 laser flare meter (Kowa Company, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) at days 0, 1, and 30. The mean flare value and standard deviation are expressed as photon counts per millisecond. Results: There were 51 (56.7%) men and 39 (43.3%) women, with a mean age of 72.7 ± 7.5 years. Mean aqueous flare values at baseline, day 1 and day 30 were 7.08 ± 2.44, 7.23 ± 2.56, and 6.99 ± 2.29, respectively, for the IVR group, 6.87 ± 3.18, 6.86 ± 3.19, and 6.53 ± 2.79, respectively, for the IVA group, and 6.4 ± 3.29, 6.41 ± 3.06, and 6.42 ± 3.05, respectively, for the control group. There was no statistically significant difference in terms of baseline flare values for these three groups (p = 0.666). At the 1-day follow-up, a slight but not significant increase in flare was observed in the ranibizumab group. However, there was no significant change in aqueous flare values in either the ranibizumab- or the aflibercept-injected patients (p = 0.768 and p = 0.387, respectively) or between the groups (p = 0.635). No significant clinical inflammatory reactions were noted before or after intravitreal injections of either ranibizumab or aflibercept. Conclusion: No significant short-term intraocular inflammation was noted in the eyes receiving aflibercept or ranibizumab for the treatment of neovascular AMD. Although aflibercept has more immunogenic properties than ranibizumab, such as having an extra Fc portion and being a larger molecule, it is likely that its more potent anti-inflammatory effects prevent it from inducing inflammation.
Sentimental Analysis of Twitter Data using Classifier Algorithms
Authors: Shah Sharvil , Kumar Kannan , Sarvananguru Ra. K.
Published: March 2016

Microblogging has become a daily routine for most of the people in this world. With the help of Microblogging people get opinions about several things going on, not only around the nation but also worldwide. Twitter is one such online social networking website where people can post their views regarding something. It is a huge platform having over 316 Million users registered from all over the world. It enables users to send and read short messages with over 140 characters for compatibility with SMS messaging. A good sentimental analysis of data of this huge platform can lead to achieve many new applications like – Movie reviews, Product reviews, Spam detection, Knowing consumer needs, etc. In this paper, we have devised a new algorithm with which the above needs can be achieved. Our algorithm uses three specific techniques for sentimental analysis and can be called a hybrid algorithm – (1) Hash Tag Classification for topic modeling; (2) Naïve Bayes Classifier Algorithm for polarity classification; (3) Emoticon Analysis for Neutral polar data. These techniques individually have some limitations for sentimental analysis.
Network Activity Monitoring Against Malware in Android Operating System
Authors: Acosta-Guzman Luis Miguel , Aguilar-Torres Gualberto , Gallegos-Garcia Gina
Published: March 2016

Google’s Android is the most used Operating System in mobile devices but as its popularity has increased hackers have taken advantage of the momentum to plague Google Play (Android’s Application Store) with multipurpose Malware that is capable of stealing private information and give the hacker remote control of smartphone’s features in the worst cases. This work presents an innovative methodology that helps in the process of malware detection for Android Operating System, which addresses aforementioned problem from a different perspective that even popular Anti-Malware software has left aside. It is based on the analysis of a common characteristic to all different kinds of malware: the need of network communications, so the victim device can interact with the attacker. It is important to highlight that in order to improve the security level in Android, our methodology should be considered in the process of malware detection. As main characteristic, it does not need to install additional kernel modules or to root the Android device. And finally as additional characteristic, it is as simple as can be considered for non-experienced users.
A Monitoring System for Integrated Management of IoT-based Home Network
Authors: Ryu Changsu , Hur Chang-Wu
Published: March 2016

Recently, the society is rapidly becoming highly integrated with the convergence of smart devices, SNS, big data, cloud, and IoT. This phenomenon is being spread more swiftly based on the wired and wireless communication infrastructure provided to most homes, as terminal devices for communication have more various functions and are being supplied to homes through a multi-vendor system and as several terminal devices are installed in each home to provide services. Particularly, various IoT terminal devices and services are being introduced to facilitate functions such as home crime prevention, gas valve control, control of electric apparatus and temperature-humidity sensors, and door control based on facial recognition, and integrated IoT-based management monitoring is required for TVs, washing machines, refrigerators, etc. Hence, in this study, a monitoring system for integrated home network management and data collection management, which solves problems of existing home network systems by connecting API Adaptor connection technology, message technology for integrated management of universal communications terminal devices and IoT devices, and data modelling technology to individual network platforms, was proposed.
Induced Voltages on a Gas Pipeline due to Lightning Strikes on Nearby Overhead Transmission Line
Authors: Elgayar Ali I , Abdul-Malek Zulkurnain
Published: March 2016

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the severity of lightning induced voltages on a gas pipeline installed in parallel with overhead transmission line using two different simulation packages. The results from this study using CDEGS, which solves a given problem based on electromagnetic computations, reveal that the induced voltages on the pipeline are more accurate compared to that obtained by PSCAD simulation, which is based on the circuit approach. Unlike PSCAD, CDEGS considers many salient factors such as soil model, inductive, capacitive and conductive couplings, and multiple soil structures.  Models of a double circuit 132kV transmission line, gas pipelines, soil with different resistivities and variable lightning surges were developed. The effects of pipelines located at various heights above ground and distance of pipeline from the power lines were also studied. Compared to previously published work using PSCAD, it is found that CDEGS has given more accurate results. Several findings which were not possible using PSCAD were observed such as the effect of soil structure on induced voltage and multiple layers soil. This also led to better understanding of the conductive coupling from lightning strikes and fault conditions. The modeling work using CDEGS not only useful for providing more reliable data for further protection and mitigation techniques, but is  also very versatile to study the effects of various other important factors affecting the induced voltage on the pipelines. 
Identification of Acoustic Signals of Internal Electric Discharges on Glass Insulator under Variable Applied Voltage
Authors: Al-geelani Nasir A. , M. Piah M. Afendi , Saeh Ibrahim , Othman Nordiana Azlin , Muhamedin Fatin Liyana , Kasri N. F.
Published: March 2016

A Partial Discharge (PD) is an unwanted phenomenon in electrical equipment. Therefore it is of great importance to identify different types of PD and assess their severity. This paper investigates the acoustic emissions associated with Internal Discharge (ID) from different types of sources in the time-domain. An experimental setup was arranged in the high voltage laboratory, a chamber with an electrode configuration attached to it was connected to a high voltage transformer for generating various types of PD. A laboratory experiment was done by making the models of these discharges. The test equipment including antennas as a means of detection and digital processing techniques for signal analysis were used. Wavelet signal processing was used to recover the internal discharge acoustic signal by eliminating the noises of many natures.
MicroRNAs for Restenosis and Thrombosis After Vascular Injury
Authors: Gareri Clarice , De Rosa Salvatore , Indolfi Ciro
Published: March 2016

Percutaneous revascularization revolutionized the therapy of patients with coronary artery disease. Despite continuous technical advances that substantially improved patients’ outcome after percutaneous revascularization, some issues are still open. In particular, restenosis still represents a challenge, even though it was dramatically reduced with the advent of drug-eluting stents. At the same time, drug-eluting stent thrombosis emerged as a major concern because of incomplete or delayed re-endothelialization after vascular injury. The discovery of microRNAs revealed a previously unknown layer of regulation for several biological processes, increasing our knowledge on the biological mechanisms underlying restenosis and stent thrombosis, revealing novel promising targets for more efficient and selective therapies. The present review summarizes recent experimental and clinical evidence on the role of microRNAs after arterial injury, focusing on practical aspects of their potential therapeutic application for selective inhibition of smooth muscle cell proliferation, enhancement of endothelial regeneration, and inhibition of platelet activation after coronary interventions. Application of circulating microRNAs as potential biomarkers is also discussed.
Contested Accountability Logics in Evolving Nonstate Certification for Fisheries Sustainability
Authors: Gulbrandsen Lars H. , Auld Graeme
Published: March 2016

The rise of transnational nonstate certification programs has contributed to complex accountability relations surrounding efforts to hold companies accountable for their environmental and social impacts. Using the analytical lenses of internal and external accountability, we examine the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)—a fisheries certification program—to assess how its decisions about goals, engagement of stakeholders, and accountability mechanisms have affected the controversies facing the program and how it has sought to address them. We reveal a misalignment between environmental groups and the MSC. Both seek to advance sustainable fisheries, and the market campaigns of environmental groups have supported certification. However, the MSC has provided these groups limited influence over its governance; it has responded to external demands for accountability by focusing on internal accountability, and reforming its assessment and objection procedures. Environmental groups have responded by working to decouple their campaigns from supporting the MSC. Tracing the consequences of this misalignment therefore highlights the need to assess rival processes such as market and information campaigns to understand attempts to hold nonstate certification programs to account.
The Feedback-related Negativity Codes Components of Abstract Inference during Reward-based Decision-making
Authors: Reiter Andrea M. F. , Koch Stefan P. , Schröger Erich , Hinrichs Hermann , Heinze Hans-Jochen , Deserno Lorenz , Schlagenhauf Florian
Published: March 2016

Behavioral control is influenced not only by learning from the choices made and the rewards obtained but also by “what might have happened,” that is, inference about unchosen options and their fictive outcomes. Substantial progress has been made in understanding the neural signatures of direct learning from choices that are actually made and their associated rewards via reward prediction errors (RPEs). However, electrophysiological correlates of abstract inference in decision-making are less clear. One seminal theory suggests that the so-called feedback-related negativity (FRN), an ERP peaking 200–300 msec after a feedback stimulus at frontocentral sites of the scalp, codes RPEs. Hitherto, the FRN has been predominantly related to a so-called “model-free” RPE: The difference between the observed outcome and what had been expected. Here, by means of computational modeling of choice behavior, we show that individuals employ abstract, “double-update” inference on the task structure by concurrently tracking values of chosen stimuli (associated with observed outcomes) and unchosen stimuli (linked to fictive outcomes). In a parametric analysis, model-free RPEs as well as their modification because of abstract inference were regressed against single-trial FRN amplitudes. We demonstrate that components related to abstract inference uniquely explain variance in the FRN beyond model-free RPEs. These findings advance our understanding of the FRN and its role in behavioral adaptation. This might further the investigation of disturbed abstract inference, as proposed, for example, for psychiatric disorders, and its underlying neural correlates.
Umberto Eco’s Intertextuality: Appropriation of Dostoevsky’s Writing
Authors: Aloe Stefano
Published: March 2016

The starting point for this analysis is a statement by Umberto Eco in his essay "The American Myth in Three Anti-American Generations", where, with characteristic irony, he says: "If I reflect on my spiritual development, in the list of sources I should include Imitation of Christ, No no Nanette (the song), Dostoevsky and Donald Duck".

In this playful list of creations from both high and popular culture, from Thomas Kempis to Walt Disney, the place of Dostoevsky is pivotal: a link connecting two cultural dimensions that are seemingly opposite. Dostoevsky reaches incredible depths of moral and philosophical analysis as high literature, while retaining those features that make the popular novel a literary genre of broad reach.
Description of a new species of Victoriopisa Karaman & Barnard, 1979 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Eriopisidae) from China, with a key to the genus Victoriopisa
Authors: ZHAO SHUANGYAN , LIU CUNQI , HOU ZHONGE
Published: March 2016

Victoriopisa multiartus sp. nov. is described from mangrove in Qi'ao Island, China. The new species differs from the other nine species of the genus Victoriopisa in the gnathopod I sexual dimorphism; propodus palm of gnathopod II with two excavations in female and one excavation in male; and terminal article of outer ramus in uropod III expanded, oval-shaped. A key to the genus Victoriopisa with ten species and a map of their distribution are provided.
Taxonomic revision of some Micromyinae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) described by Zoya L. Berest
Authors: JASCHHOF MATHIAS
Published: March 2016

The taxonomy of 13 Micromyinae (Cecidomyiidae) described by Zoya L. Berest in 1986–2001 is revised. As a result, 12 new junior subjective synonyms are proposed: Aprionus giganteus Berest, 1991 syn. nov. of Aprionus halteratus (Zetterstedt, 1852); Aprionus lobatus Berest, 1986 syn. nov. of Aprionus acutus Edwards, 1938; Aprionus onychophorus Berest, 1991 syn. nov. of Aprionus cardiophorus Mamaev, 1963; Bryomyia multispinata Berest, 1988 syn. nov. of Bryomyia gibbosa (Felt, 1907); Cordylomyia barsovi Berest, 1991 syn. nov. of Neurolyga fenestralis Rondani, 1840; Eleniella Berest, 2001 syn. nov. of Monardia Kieffer, 1895; Eleniella kyseluci Berest, 2001 syn. nov. of Monardia obsoleta Edwards, 1938; Heterogenella dolini Berest, 1989 syn. nov. of Heterogenella cambrica (Edwards, 1938); Peromyia almensis Berest, 1989 syn. nov. of Peromyia caricis (Kieffer, 1901); Peromyia emarginata Berest, 1988 syn. nov. of Peromyia fungicola (Kieffer, 1901); Peromyia paliformia Berest, 1994 syn. nov. of Peromyia aeratipennis (Skuse, 1888); and Peromyia podolica Berest, 1991 syn. nov. of Peromyia fungicola (Kieffer, 1901). Misinterpretation of preparation artifacts for taxonomic characters is shown to be the principal reason for the identification errors unveiled here. Peromyia extensa Berest, 1991, a valid species known only from the type specimens, is redescribed.
First Record Of The Order Mecoptera (Insecta) For The Gorgona Island (Colombia), With The Description Of A New Species
Authors: ASCUNTAR-OSNAS OSCAR , DOMÍNGUEZ DIANA TORRES , ULLOA PATRICIA CHACÓN DE , MACHADO RENATO JOSE PIRES
Published: March 2016

During a review of material from the project “Assessment of the current status of the faunistic conservation objects from the Gorgona Island: a holistic approach to the ecological evaluation of the Gorgona Natural National Park”, conducted 2010‒2011, a male specimen of Pazius Navás, 1913 (Mecoptera: Bittacidae) was found. The genus had been previously recorded in Colombia in the Amazonas and Cundinamarca departments. The specimen described here differs from other species of Pazius by the absence of the aedeagus ventral process, the presence of seven short dorsal spines at the epandrium and shape of the ventral process. This finding represents the first record of the order Mecoptera for Gorgona Island, a new species of Pazius, and the expansion of the genus distribution in Colombia. A detailed morphological description of Pazius gorgonensis n. sp. and an identification key for species of the genus are presented.
Highly Significant Responses to Anthropogenic Forcings of the Midlatitude Jet in the Southern Hemisphere
Authors: Solomon Abraham , Polvani L. M.
Published: March 2016

It has been suggested that changes in the atmospheric circulation caused by anthropogenic forcings are highly uncertain, owing to the large natural variability intrinsic to the system. Here, to assess the statistical significance of such changes for the midlatitude, large-scale atmospheric circulation of the Southern Hemisphere, a new 40-member ensemble of integrations, from 1920 to 2080, of the Community Earth System Model, version 5, is analyzed together with a companion 1800-yr-long preindustrial control integration of the same fully coupled model. For simplicity, only the latitudinal position and the strength of the zonal-mean eddy-driven jet are considered. Given the large year-to-year variability of these jet properties, this paper focuses on their decadal averages, which reflect the more slowly varying climate state. The analysis herein reveals that the forced response in such decadal averages easily emerges from the natural variability, with only a few model integrations typically needed to establish statistical significance. In particular, a forced summertime poleward shift of the jet in the latter part of the twentieth century and a strengthening of the jet during the twenty-first century in all seasons of the year are found. Contrasting these with changes in the southern annular mode, this confirms earlier studies demonstrating that such a mode is unable to distinguish different structural changes in the midlatitude jet.
Nagasaki’s Districts
Authors: Palmer David
Published: March 2016

Nagasaki’s cityscape reveals a history beyond the 1945 atomic bombing. Four main area “districts” were focal points for Japan’s contact with the West spanning four hundred years: (1) the Urakami District, Japan’s most significant location for Christians before Tokugawa Shogunate suppression in 1614, and in 1945 the atomic bomb’s hypocenter; (2) the Commercial District during the Edo era, extending from Dejima’s Dutch trading enclave to the Nakashima River and the concentration of Japanese merchants ; (3) the Foreign Settlement District further south along the harbor during Meiji and Taisho, which was British dominated; and (4) the Shipyard District, across from the harbor from the main city, where the Nagasaki Shipyard was established during Meiji and that Mitsubishi expanded into East Asia’s largest shipyard by World War II. Nagasaki represents in microcosm Japan’s changing position in the world: initial contact with European colonial empires, then seclusion from the West, opening the country to modernization, and finally a militarist-industrial empire defeated in World War II but surviving the postwar era.
Semi-global output regulation problem of switched linear multi-agent systems subject to input saturation
Authors: Jia Hongwei , Zhao Jun
Published: March 2016

This paper addresses the distributed output regulation problem of switched multi-agent systems subject to input saturation. Two types of independent switching signals are considered in this work. Each agent is described by a switched linear system with an average dwell time and input saturation. The interconnection topologies are also switched subject to dwell time. Since not every agent can obtain the information of the exosystem, the distributed feedback controller is designed. An agent-dependent average dwell time method with an adjustable parameter based on algebraic Riccati equations is proposed to solve the output regulation problem. Finally, two examples are provided to illustrate the electiveness of our results.
Forgive and Forget, or Forgive and Regret? Whether Forgiveness Leads to Less or More Offending Depends on Offender Agreeableness
Authors: McNulty James K. , Russell V. Michelle
Published: March 2016

How does forgiveness predict the likelihood of reoffending? One survey study, one experiment, one 4-year longitudinal study, and one 2-week diary study examined the implications of forgiveness for reoffending in relationships. In all four studies, agreeableness interacted with partner forgiveness to predict subsequent offending; partner forgiveness was negatively associated with subsequent offending among more agreeable people but positively associated with subsequent offending among less agreeable people. Furthermore, Study 4 demonstrated a unique mechanism of each simple effect; relatively agreeable people engaged in fewer transgressions against more forgiving partners because they felt obligated to refrain from transgressing against such partners whereas relatively disagreeable people engaged in more transgressions against more forgiving partners because they perceived those partners were less easily angered. These studies indicate that completely understanding the intrapersonal and interpersonal consequences of forgiveness requires recognizing the dyadic nature of forgiveness and attending to qualities of the offender.
What Do You Want in a Marriage? Examining Marriage Ideals in Taiwan and the United States
Authors: Lam Ben C. P. , Cross Susan E. , Wu Tsui-Feng , Yeh Kuang-Hui , Wang Yi-Chao , Su Jenny C.
Published: March 2016

Four studies investigated ideal standards for one’s marital partner and relationship held by Taiwan Chinese and European Americans. We first generated a list of attributes that tapped lay representations of marriage ideals based on free responses from Chinese and European Americans, and we uncovered attributes describing extended family that were overlooked in Western research (Study 1). We found similar ideal knowledge structures across the two cultural groups; importantly, Chinese prioritized ideals denoting financial resources and extended family to a greater extent than did European Americans (Study 2). These cultural differences were explained by interdependent self-construal (Study 3). Finally, the agreement between ideals and perceptions of current partner/relationship was related to positive relationship outcomes in both cultural groups (Study 4). Our research highlights both cultural similarities and differences in the content, structure, endorsement, and evaluative functions of ideals in Chinese and Western cultural contexts.
Smiling on the Inside
Authors: Schall Marina , Martiny Sarah E. , Goetz Thomas , Hall Nathan C.
Published: March 2016

Although expressing positive emotions is typically socially rewarded, in the present work, we predicted that people suppress positive emotions and thereby experience social benefits when outperformed others are present. We tested our predictions in three experimental studies with high school students. In Studies 1 and 2, we manipulated the type of social situation (outperformance vs. non-outperformance) and assessed suppression of positive emotions. In both studies, individuals reported suppressing positive emotions more in outperformance situations than in non-outperformance situations. In Study 3, we manipulated the social situation (outperformance vs. non-outperformance) as well as the videotaped person’s expression of positive emotions (suppression vs. expression). The findings showed that when outperforming others, individuals were indeed evaluated more positively when they suppressed rather than expressed their positive emotions, and demonstrate the importance of the specific social situation with respect to the effects of suppression.
Perceived Acceptance From Outsiders Shapes Security in Romantic Relationships
Authors: Lemay Edward P. , Razzak Suad
Published: March 2016

Romantic relationships unfold in the context of people’s other interpersonal relationships, and processes that occur in those other relationships have been shown to affect the functioning of romantic relationships. In accordance with this perspective, two dyadic daily report studies demonstrated that people generalize experiences of interpersonal acceptance and rejection from other people onto their romantic partners. Participants felt more confident that they were valued by their romantic partners on days they experienced acceptance, relative to rejection, from outsiders. In addition, this overgeneralization of daily extradyadic acceptance and rejection had prospective effects on romantic relationship security the following day, was independent of the romantic partner’s actual relationship evaluations on each day, was partially mediated by daily self-esteem, and predicted daily enactment of prosocial and antisocial behaviors toward romantic partners. These results suggest that overgeneralization of daily acceptance and rejection from outsiders shapes the functioning of romantic relationships.
Which Basic Rules Underlie Social Judgments? Agency Follows a Zero-Sum Principle and Communion Follows a Non-Zero-Sum Principle
Authors: Dufner Michael , Leising Daniel , Gebauer Jochen E.
Published: March 2016

How are people who generally see others positively evaluated themselves? We propose that the answer to this question crucially hinges on the content domain: We hypothesize that Agency follows a “zero-sum principle” and therefore people who see others as high in Agency are perceived as low in Agency themselves. In contrast, we hypothesize that Communion follows a “non-zero-sum principle” and therefore people who see others as high in Communion are perceived as high in Communion themselves. We tested these hypotheses in a round-robin and a half-block study. Perceiving others as agentic was indeed linked to being perceived as low in Agency. To the contrary, perceiving others as communal was linked to being perceived as high in Communion, but only when people directly interacted with each other. These results help to clarify the nature of Agency and Communion and offer explanations for divergent findings in the literature.
Living in a Genetic World
Authors: Kimel Sasha Y. , Huesmann Rowell , Kunst Jonas R. , Halperin Eran
Published: March 2016

Information about the degree of one’s genetic overlap with ethnic outgroups has been emphasized in genocides, is frequently learned about through media reporting, and is increasingly being accessed via personal genetic testing services. However, the consequence of learning about whether your own ethnic group is either genetically related to or genetically distinct from a disliked ethnic group remains unknown. Across four experiments, using diverse samples, measures and contexts, we demonstrate that altering perceptions of genetic overlap between groups in conflict—in this case Arabs and Jews—impacts factors that are directly related to interethnic hostility (e.g., aggressive behaviors, support of conflict-related policies). Our findings indicate that learning about the genetic difference between oneself and an ethnic outgroup may contribute to the promotion of violence, whereas learning about the similarities may be a vital step toward fostering peace in some contexts. Possible interventions and implications are discussed.
Integrating the Forensic Sciences in Wildlife Case Investigations
Authors: Viner T. C. , Hamlin B. C. , McClure P. J. , Yates B. C.
Published: March 2016

The application of medical knowledge to the purpose of law is the foundation of forensic pathology. A forensic postmortem examination often involves the expertise of multiple scientific disciplines to reconstruct the full story surrounding the death of an animal. Wildlife poses additional challenges in forensic investigations due to little or no associated history, and the disruptive effects of decomposition. To illustrate the multidisciplinary nature of wildlife forensic medicine, the authors outline a case of secondary pentobarbital/phenytoin toxicosis in a bald eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus). The eagle was the single fatality in a group of 8 birds that fed on euthanized domestic cat remains that had been improperly disposed of in a landfill. Cooperation between responding law enforcement officers, pathologists, and other forensic scientists led to the successful diagnosis and resolution of the case.
Monitoring and evaluating eco-localisation: Lessons from UK low carbon community groups
Authors: Hobson Kersty , Mayne Ruth , Hamilton Jo
Published: March 2016

In the UK ‘low carbon’ community groups and partnerships (LCCGPs) have flourished in recent years, with sectors such as community energy receiving increased national policy attention. Whilst such attention aligns LCCGPs with agendas such as ‘New Localism’ and climate change mitigation, other modes of local socio-environmental change are advocated and enacted under a broad rubric of ‘eco-localisation’. Across the political and ideological spectrum however, there is growing interest in how LCCGPs understand and evaluate their impacts, with questions arising about what indicators, processes and tools are most pertinent and rigorous. In response, this paper draws on a knowledge exchange project that explored and trialled monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tools amongst a sample of UK LCCGPs in conjunction with groups and networks operating in an eco-localisation vein. Project findings highlight the positive effects that flexible and relevant M&E has on groups and networks. It also draws attention to the need for on-going support and facilitation for those undertaking M&E: vital if the burgeoning ‘impact agenda’ – whether emerging from central funders or ‘eco-localist’ networks themselves – does not over-burden or dishearten groups, thus causing the opposite effects of tools and processes meant to facilitate sustained and shared thinking, learning and action.
PRD-1, a Component of the Circadian System of Neurospora crassa, Is a Member of the DEAD-box RNA Helicase Family
Authors: Adhvaryu Keyur , Firoozi Ghazaleh , Motavaze Kamyar , Lakin-Thomas Patricia
Published: March 2016

The circadian rhythms found in almost all organisms are driven by molecular oscillators, including transcription/translation feedback loops (TTFLs). However, TTFL-independent oscillators can drive rhythms in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The fungus Neurospora crassa is a model organism for studying the molecular mechanism of the circadian clock. Although a circadian TTFL involving the proteins FRQ, WC-1, and WC-2 is well-characterized in N. crassa, rhythms can still be observed in the absence of this feedback loop. These rhythms are said to be driven by 1 or more FRQ-less oscillator(s) (FLOs). The prd-1 mutation lengthens the period in frq wild type and was previously shown to severely disrupt FRQ-less rhythms in frq null mutants under several different conditions; therefore, the prd-1 gene product is a candidate for a component of a FLO. We report here that prd-1 also disrupts free-running rhythms in wc-1 null mutants, confirming its effects on FRQ-less rhythms. We have now mapped and identified the prd-1 gene as NCU07839, a DEAD-box RNA helicase dbp-2. Complementation with the wild-type gene corrects the rhythm defects of the prd-1 mutant in the complete circadian system (when the FRQ-based TTFL is intact) and also the free-running FRQ-less rhythm on low choline. A PRD-1–GFP fusion protein localizes to the nucleus. The prd-1 mutant has a single base pair change in the first base of an intron that results in abnormally spliced transcripts. FRQ-less rhythms on low choline, or entrained to heat pulses, were only marginally affected in strains carrying deletions of 2 other RNA helicases ( prd-6 and msp-8). We conclude that PRD-1 is a member of an RNA helicase family that may be specifically involved in regulating rhythmicity in N. crassa in both the complete circadian system and FLO(s).
Re-engineering LIS education to meet industrial needs for knowledge societies
Authors: Mole Austin J.C. , Dim Chibuzo L. , Horsfall Millie N.
Published: March 2016

The aim of this paper is to examine the concept and characteristics of library and information science (LIS) vis-à-vis knowledge societies, and the emerging ICT skills in librarianship for knowledge societies. In addition, the study recommends strategies for enhancing the training of LIS professionals to meet industrial needs for knowledge societies. The researcher employed conceptual framework and critical examination to explore the concept of re-engineering LIS education, the state of LIS education and the requirements for meeting industrial needs for knowledge societies. There is a need to review the content and method of LIS education to inject more ICT content and approaches. If implemented, this will open up new avenues not only for the user community but also for the library profession. LIS constitutes a key factor in creating, developing and maintaining knowledge societies. To be able to achieve this, LIS education must equip library and information professionals with relevant ICT competencies. Consequently, there is need for re-engineering of LIS education in the area of methods and content of training for the LIS profession so as to meet industrial needs for knowledge societies. The value of this study lies in its exposition of the contemporary industrial needs and expectations of LIS education especially in the area of information and communication technology.
The first bite: Imaginaries, promotional publics and the laboratory grown burger
Authors: O’Riordan Kate , Fotopoulou Aristea , Stephens Neil
Published: March 2016

In this article, we analyse a 2013 press conference hosting the world’s first tasting of a laboratory grown hamburger. We explore this as a media event: an exceptional performative moment in which common meanings are mobilised and a connection to a shared centre of reality is offered. We develop our own theoretical contribution – the promotional public – to characterise the affirmative and partial patchwork of carefully selected actors invoked during the burger tasting. Our account draws on three areas of analysis: interview data with the scientists who developed the burger, media analysis of the streamed press conference itself and media analysis of social media during and following the event. We argue that the call to witness an experiment is a form of promotion and that such promotional material also offers an address that invokes a public with its attendant tensions.
On the Ethical and Democratic Deficits of Environmental Pragmatism
Authors: Maboloc Christopher Ryan
Published: March 2016

Nothing is more urgent today than climate change. As a global issue, climate justice requires the recognition by rich countries of the adverse impact of climate change, especially in the Third World. Environmental pragmatism is an ethical paradigm that offers immediate, solid and action-oriented approach to environmental problems. From a practical end, the issue seems to demand that the theoretical debates on policy should now be resolved to hold governments and people accountable in order to address the problem. Is this the right thing to do? I argue that the pragmatic position on this matter is problematic. Environmental pragmatism suffers from ethical and democratic deficits. For instance, pragmatic solutions will not work in the Third World societies because of weak institutions and hegemonic power relations between the national leadership and the people. In this regard, one has to appeal to participatory democracy in the choice of ethical paradigms. In the end, climate justice requires clear philosophical and democratic grounding, one that pragmatic environmentalism neglects.
Behavioral Problems of Asthmatic Children
Authors: Duvdevany Ilana , Harel Yael
Published: March 2016

Behavioral problems of 116 children with asthma were studied at the Linn Medical Center in Haifa, Israel, where they were under treatment. Parents were administered a medical questionnaire and the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist. The study examines the relationship between asthmatic children of various levels of severity of the illness and behavioral problems. A comparison was made among the Achenbach scale, level of compliance with treatment procedures, and level of severity of the illness. Another comparison was made between age groups and level of behavioral problems. Significant differences were found between all three illness severity groups and two variables—somatic complaints and social problems. Differences were also found between age groups for the withdrawn variable.
When is a Funeral Not a Funeral?
Authors: Gadberry James H.
Published: March 2016

Change is an ever-present aspect of social life. Change can be swift and highly disruptive or slow and less unsettling. The changing structure of body disposition is an example of the latter. The traditional funeral is slowly losing the broad support it once enjoyed. This work explores three of the new methods of body disposition: (1) cremation; (2) secular, life-centered funerals; and (3) celebratory, “fun” funerals. The study opens with a review of the historical changes that have led to what most would consider traditional funerals. The reader will find a discussion of what many would say are deviant methods of body disposition. Cremation is quickly becoming less deviant. To be sure, of the three evolving types of funerals, none are as contentious as the fun funeral. The life-centered, celebratory funeral is growing in popularity in other parts of the world (especially Australia) yet is relatively unheard of in America.
A Loss of Innocence and a Gain in Vulnerability: Subsequent Pregnancy after a Loss
Authors: Wheeler Sara Rich
Published: March 2016

Each year in the United States, there are 650,000 miscarriages, 30,000 stillbirths, and 30,000 newborn deaths. Many of the families who suffer these losses will become pregnant again; however, the crisis of loss and grief responses leave the family feeling more vulnerable to the unexpected during the next pregnancy. For most families, the next pregnancy is fraught with anxiety and fear. Health care professionals need to be aware of these families' responses to loss, concerns, and needs for support during the next pregnancy. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide an understanding of the impact of early pregnancy loss, perinatal loss, and subsequent pregnancy loss, based on research findings. Interventions, based on the research findings, that health care professionals might use in offering anticipatory guidance, information, and support during this time are also offered.
Violence is the Dark Side of Spirituality
Authors: Morgan John D.
Published: March 2016

There are many reasons for violence: economic reasons, overcrowding, mental and emotional illness, or long-term hostilities. This article explores a different perspective—the spiritual roots of violence. Violence occurs within the context of a belief system. The article begins by discussing the uniqueness of the person. The author then discusses the impact of death on the human condition, what constitutes spirituality, and how spiritualities differ. Finally, the author discusses the use of violence by a person in the face of death.
Surviving Terrorism, International and Personal
Authors: Cox Gerry R.
Published: March 2016

The author, a sociologist, presents a hypothesis in this article that there are parallels between the violence that is inflicted by a tyrant within a family and the violence that terrorists inflict on the larger community. After comparing and contrasting the two types of violence, the author mentions some existing support groups (such as Parents of Murdered Children) and states a need for special support to be offered to all survivors of violence.
“We Wanted to Include Him”: Personhood in One Hispanic Family's Experience of the Genetic Illness and Loss of Their Son
Authors: Blake Deborah D.
Published: March 2016

This article draws from an ethnographic study to examine the understanding of personhood that emerges as a Hispanic family from Southern Colorado responds to the diagnosis, illness, and loss of a child with a severe genetic disorder. The focus of this article is on the cultural/religious ethos that shaped this family's resistance to the ideologies and practices that threatened to define their son by his genetic disorder and to diminish his value as a person. The case study exemplifies, and is consistent with, other families in the larger study. The concept of personhood that emerges stands in sharp contrast to, and as a critique of, the ideologies and practices of “geneticization” that define and diminish the value of a person with a genetic disorder.