bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recovery‐stress patterns and low back pain: Differences in pain intensity and disability
Authors: Heidari Jahan , Mierswa Tobias , Hasenbring Monika , Kleinert Jens , Levenig Claudia , Belz Johanna , Kellmann Michael
Published: April 2017

Background

Recovery describes a restoring process influencing the health conditions of individuals but a potential link to low back pain (LBP) has not been scrutinized so far. Psychological strategies to deal with LBP have been considered within the biopsychosocial approach but substantial evidence regarding specific psychological underpinnings remains elusive. The current study aimed to compare individuals with different recovery–stress patterns (i.e. specific combinations of recovery/stress) regarding their pain and disability in the lower back.

Methods

Cross‐sectional data from 265 physically active individuals with non‐specific LBP were collected via standardized questionnaires. The participants engaged in prescribed exercise therapy provided by a healthcare professional owing to their back burden. A k‐means cluster analysis identified three clusters.

Results

Cluster 1 entailed individuals with high recovery and low stress values, Cluster 2 represented participants with medium scores on both dimensions and Cluster 3 included participants with low recovery and high stress values. The statistical analyses for pain intensity using analyses of covariance indicated significantly higher values for Cluster 3 compared with Clusters 1 and 2 for worst pain intensity (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively) and mean pain intensity (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). The disability comparisons using non‐parametric tests showed significantly higher LBP‐related disability in Cluster 3 than Cluster 1 on two disability measures.

Conclusions

The findings indicate an association between detrimental recovery–stress patterns and LBP. Examining the role of recovery has innovative practical relevance for LBP prevention and rehabilitation through the implementation of approaches to enhance recovery in relevant programmes.
Enhancing the power output of PV modules by considering the view factor to sky effect and rearranging the interconnections of solar cells
Authors: Peled Assaf , Appelbaum Joseph
Published: April 2017

The solar diffuse radiation incident on a photovoltaic (PV) module is unevenly distributed along the module's width because its solar‐cells “see” different view‐factor values with respect to their position. This fact causes PV modules to experience undesired power losses brought about by current mismatch. The paper addresses this issue and presents new interconnection strategies for the module's cells. The proposed interconnections are shown to introduce power gain vis‐à‐vis the all‐series connected module. Having established the theoretical framework, a case study is examined, comparing two sites with considerable different amounts of diffuse radiation with the aim of quantifying the power production enhancement with regard to the site's prevailing annual extent of diffuse radiation. It is found, for example, that by converting the all‐series cell interconnection into parallel strips in Desert Rock (NV, USA), each module can be supplemented with a 6.5 [kWph] annually on average. The study may have financial implications for the PV industry which strives to increase power generation while maintaining reduced costs. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exo‐ and surface proteomes of the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM
Authors: Celebioglu Hasan Ufuk , Svensson Birte
Published: April 2017

Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM is a well‐known probiotic bacterium extensively studied for its beneficial health effects. Exoproteome (proteins exported into culture medium) and surface proteome (proteins attached to S‐layer) of this probiotic were identified by using 2DE followed by MALDI TOF MS to find proteins potentially involved in bacteria–host interactions. The exo‐ and surface proteomes included 43 and 39 different proteins from 72 and 49 successfully identified spots, respectively. Twenty‐two proteins were shared between the two proteomes; both contained the major surface layer protein that participates in host interaction as well as several well‐known and putative moonlighting proteins. The exoproteome contained nine classically‐secreted (containing a signal sequence) and ten nonclassically‐secreted proteins, while the surface proteome contained four classically‐secreted and eight nonclassically secreted proteins. Identification of exo‐ and surface proteomes contributes describing potential protein‐mediated probiotic–host interactions.
Thin insulating film deposition on copper by atmospheric‐pressure plasmas
Authors: Wang Ruixue , Li Wenyao , Zhang Cheng , Ren Chengyan , Ostrikov Kostya (Ken) , Shao Tao
Published: April 2017

Long‐time partial discharge (PD) is regarded as one of the main reasons for the insulation failure of high‐voltage cables. In this work, we report on the application of atmospheric pressure plasma to deposit siloxane film on copper to avoid PDs. The dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma is driven by AC power supply, with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), argon, and oxygen mixture as the source gas. The effect of oxygen gas flow rate on the thin film surface morphology, chemical composition, and electrical properties is studied systematically. Our results show that the stability of the plasma deteriorated, when the oxygen flow rate exceeded 10 sccm. The addition of oxygen in the source gas induced a high oxidation level of deposited thin film. The chemical composition of thin film was in the form of SiOx (x = 1.9) with 10 sccm oxygen compared to SiOx (x = 1.2), when deposited in the absence of oxygen. Additionally, the optimal thin film with good stability was obtained with the surface resistivity 1.1 × 1011 Ω, when deposited in the absence of oxygen. The corresponding relative permittivity of the deposited thin film is 2.9. The simulation results demonstrated that the electric field distortion was weaken after the film deposition, which reduced the probability of PD to occur.
How does the core sit inside the mantle?
Authors: Coja‐Oghlan Amin , Cooley Oliver , Kang Mihyun , Skubch Kathrin
Published: April 2017

The k‐core, defined as the maximal subgraph of minimum degree at least k, of the random graph has been studied extensively. In a landmark paper Pittel, Wormald and Spencer [J Combin Theory Ser B 67 (1996), 111–151] determined the threshold dk for the appearance of an extensive k‐core.

The aim of the present paper is to describe how the k‐core is “embedded” into the random graph in the following sense. Let and fix . Colour each vertex that belongs to the k‐core of in black and all remaining vertices in white. Here we derive a multi‐type branching process that describes the local structure of this coloured random object as n tends to infinity. This generalises prior results on, e.g., the internal structure of the k‐core.

In the physics literature it was suggested to characterize the core by means of a message passing algorithm called Warning Propagation. Ibrahimi, Kanoria, Kraning and Montanari [Ann Appl Probab 25 (2015), 2743–2808] used this characterization to describe the 2‐core of random hypergraphs. To derive our main result we use a similar approach. A key observation is that a bounded number of iterations of this algorithm is enough to give a good approximation of the k‐core. Based on this the study of the k‐core reduces to the analysis of Warning Propagation on a suitable Galton‐Watson tree. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 51, 459–482, 2017
Extending Category Partition's Base Choice criterion to better support constraints
Authors: Khalsa Sunint Kaur , Labiche Yvan
Published: April 2017

To ensure software is performing as intended, it can be black‐box or white‐box tested. Category partition is a black‐box, specification‐based testing technique that begins by identifying the parameters, categories (characteristics of parameters), and choices (acceptable values for categories). These choices are then combined to form test frames on the basis of various criteria such as Base Choice and Each Choice. To ensure that the combinations of choices are feasible, constraints on choices are introduced. Combining choices, while accounting for constraints, to form an each choice adequate test set is feasible (eg, using constrained covering arrays from combinatorial testing). However, the Base Choice criterion has not been defined to specifically account for constraints on choices, resulting in adverse consequences. In this paper, we introduce two extensions to the Base Choice criterion, namely, Constrained Base Choice and Extended Constrained Base Choice to specifically account for (complex) constraints on choices. We use a number of academic and industrial case studies to compare different adequacy criteria, including the new ones, in terms of cost and effectiveness at finding faults. Results show the performance of the new criteria equivalent to a 3‐way combination criterion with a much smaller cost.
Boys and men get eating disorders too
Authors: Thompson Dominique
Published: April 2017

Much attention has been focused on eating disorders in young girls and women. Eating disorders in boys and men are not often discussed, yet rates are increasing and it is thought that a significant number of sufferers remain unidentified. In this article the author provides guidance on how disorders can be identified and managed, and what sources of support are available.
Cross-Cultural Child Development for Social Workers
Authors: Robinson Lena
Published: April 2017

Social workers today operate in an increasingly ethnically diverse society, yet many of the models that they use fail to reflect that diversity.

Lena Robinson's exciting and innovative text draws on literature from Britain and North America to explain child development from a cross-cultural, black and ecological perspective. Using practice examples to illuminate key points for social workers, she considers a range of key topics from attachment to identity and communication to socialization. This will be essential reading for social workers at all stages of their careers who want to develop strength-based, anti-racist and culturally sensitive practice.
Tuning your writing
Authors: Watling Christopher
Published: April 2017

None
Sustainability aspects of a digitalized industry – A comparative study from China and Germany
Authors: Beier Grischa , Niehoff Silke , Ziems Tilla , Xue Bing
Published: April 2017

Industrial production is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation, leading towards a digitalized and interconnected industrial production, which is subsumed under the term Industrial Internet (of Things) or Industrie 4.0. This paper discusses the changes that digitalization is expected to bring about in the industrial sector by comparing a highly industrialized (Germany) with a major emerging industrial economy (China). We conducted two empirical surveys asking manufacturing companies from different sectors in Germany and China respectively, how they expect the digitalization of their processes will affect them. Both questionnaires addressed the future of work in production and the future of production itself. The main contribution of this paper is its empirical investigation of how the digitalization of industry is likely to affect sustainability aspects of manufacturing companies in two countries with very different industrial structures. Our findings suggest that this transformation will not only impact the ecological dimension (resource efficiency, renewable energy), but that the technical transformation is likely to be accompanied by social transformations. The findings of this paper will help decision-makers in the political sphere to anticipate and shape pathways towards a more sustainable future in the industrial sector.
Investing in institutions for cooperation
Authors: Smith Alexander , Wen Xi
Published: April 2017

We examine the effects of endogenizing contribution productivity in a repeated public good game. In our experimental treatment, subjects collectively decide (by voting) how much to invest in augmenting the technology for producing the public good, and subsequently make individual voluntary contributions to provision. In the control, contribution productivity is exogenous. Contributions in the two treatments are similar.
Conservative Parties and the Birth of Modern Democracy in Europe
Authors: Ziblatt Daniel
Published: April 2017

How do democracies form and what makes them die? Daniel Ziblatt revisits this timely and classic question in a wide-ranging historical narrative that traces the evolution of modern political democracy in Europe from its modest beginnings in 1830s Britain to Adolf Hitler's 1933 seizure of power in Weimar Germany. Based on rich historical and quantitative evidence, the book offers a major reinterpretation of European history and the question of how stable political democracy is achieved. The barriers to inclusive political rule, Ziblatt finds, were not inevitably overcome by unstoppable tides of socioeconomic change, a simple triumph of a growing middle class, or even by working class collective action. Instead, political democracy's fate surprisingly hinged on how conservative political parties – the historical defenders of power, wealth, and privilege – recast themselves and coped with the rise of their own radical right. With striking modern parallels, the book has vital implications for today's new and old democracies under siege.
Vietnam's Lost Revolution
Authors: Stewart Geoffrey
Published: April 2017

Vietnam's Lost Revolution employs newly-released archival material from Vietnam to examine the rise and fall of the Special Commissariat for Civic Action in the First Republic of Vietnam, and in so doing reassesses the origins of the Vietnam War. A cornerstone of Ngô Đình Diệm's presidency, Civic Action was intended to transform Vietnam into a thriving, modern, independent, noncommunist Southeast Asian nation. Geoffrey Stewart juxtaposes Diem's revolutionary plan with the conflicting and competing visions of Vietnam's postcolonial future held by other indigenous groups. He shows how the government failed to gain legitimacy within the peasantry, ceding the advantage to the communist-led opposition and paving the way for the American military intervention in the mid-1960s. This book provides a richer and more nuanced analysis of the origins of the Vietnam War in which internal struggles over national identity, self-determination, and even modernity itself are central.
Economics, Sexuality, and Male Sex Work
Authors: Logan Trevon D.
Published: April 2017

Male sex work generates sales in excess of one billion dollars annually in the United States. Recent sex scandals involving prominent leaders and government shutdowns of escort websites have focused attention on this business, but despite the attention that comes when these scandals break, we know very little about how the market works. Economics, Sexuality, and Male Sex Work is the first economic analysis of male sex work. Competition, the role of information, pricing strategies and other economic features of male sex work are analyzed using the most comprehensive data available. Sex work is also social behavior, however, and this book shows how the social aspects of gay sexuality influence the economic properties of the market. Concepts like desire, masculinity and sexual stereotypes affect how sex workers compete for clients, who practices safer sex, and how sex workers present themselves to clients to differentiate them from the competition.
Egypt in a Time of Revolution
Authors: Ketchley Neil
Published: April 2017

This book considers the diverse forms of mass mobilization and contentious politics that emerged during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 and its aftermath. Drawing on a catalogue of more than 8,000 protest events, as well as interviews, video footage and still photographs, Neil Ketchley provides the first systematic account of how Egyptians banded together to overthrow Husni Mubarak, and how old regime forces engineered a return to authoritarian rule. Eschewing top-down, structuralist and culturalist explanations, the author shows that the causes and consequences of Mubarak's ousting can only be understood by paying close attention to the evolving dynamics of contentious politics witnessed in Egypt since 2011. Setting these events within a larger social and political context, Ketchley sheds new light on the trajectories and legacies of the Arab Spring, as well as recurring patterns of contentious collective action found in the Middle East and beyond.
Use of Facial Recognition Software to Identify Disaster Victims With Facial Injuries
Authors: Broach John , Yong Rothsovann , Manuell Mary-Elise , Nichols Constance
Published: April 2017

Objective

After large-scale disasters, victim identification frequently presents a challenge and a priority for responders attempting to reunite families and ensure proper identification of deceased persons. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether currently commercially available facial recognition software can successfully identify disaster victims with facial injuries.

Methods

Photos of 106 people were taken before and after application of moulage designed to simulate traumatic facial injuries. These photos as well as photos from volunteers’ personal photo collections were analyzed by using facial recognition software to determine whether this technology could accurately identify a person with facial injuries.

Results

The study results suggest that a responder could expect to get a correct match between submitted photos and photos of injured patients between 39% and 45% of the time and a much higher percentage of correct returns if submitted photos were of optimal quality with percentages correct exceeding 90% in most situations.

Conclusions

The present results suggest that the use of this software would provide significant benefit to responders. Although a correct result was returned only 40% of the time, this would still likely represent a benefit for a responder trying to identify hundreds or thousands of victims. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:568–572)
Stable Isotope Palaeodietary and Radiocarbon Evidence from the Early Neolithic Site of Zemunica, Dalmatia, Croatia
Authors: Guiry Eric , Karavanić Ivor , Klindžić Rajna Šošić , Talamo Sahra , Radović Siniša , Richards Michael P.
Published: April 2017

The Adriatic Sea and Balkan Peninsula were an important corridor for the spread of agriculture northwards and westwards from the Near East into Europe. Therefore, the pace and nature of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition along the Adriatic coastline has important implications for the movement of new peoples and/or ideas during one of the most eventful periods in European prehistory. We present new Early Neolithic radiocarbon and stable isotope evidence from humans and animals from the Zemunica cave site in Dalmatia, Croatia. The results show that these humans date to the earliest Neolithic in the region, and they have completely terrestrial diets, where the main protein source was most likely to have come from domesticated animals. Data are then compared to previous isotope and archaeological evidence to explore models for the spread of agriculture along the eastern Adriatic coast.
Unsteady MHD Natural Convective Flow of a Rotating Walters’-B Fluid Over an Oscillating Plate with Fluctuating Wall Temperature and Concentration
Authors: Singh J. K. , Joshi N. , Rohidas P.
Published: April 2017

In the present study, unsteady MHD boundary layer flow of a rotating Walters’-B fluid (viscoelastic fluid) over an infinite vertical porous plate embedded in a uniform porous medium with fluctuating wall temperature and concentration taking Hall and ion-slip effects into consideration is discussed. The MHD flow in the rotating fluid system is induced due to the non-torsional oscillations of the plate in its own plane and the buoyancy forces arises from temperature and concentration differences in field of gravity. The partial differential equations governing the fluid motion are solved analytically by using regular perturbation and variable separable methods by assuming very small viscoelastic parameter. Solution for velocity field in the case when natural frequency due to rotation and Hall current is equals to the frequency of oscillations i.e. in the case of resonance is also obtained. In order to note the influences of various system parameters and to discuss the important flow characteristics, the numerical results for fluid velocity in the non-resonance case, temperature and species concentration are computed and depicted graphically versus boundary layer parameter whereas skin friction, Nusselt number and Sherwood number at the plate are computed and presented in tabular form. An interesting observation recorded that there arises flow reversal in the primary flow direction due to high rotation. When natural frequency is greater than the frequency of oscillations the fluid velocity in the primary flow direction is maximum at the plate whereas incase when natural frequency is smaller than the frequency of oscillations, it is maximum in the neighborhood of the plate.
Capitalism as discourse: How can strategic management scholars contribute new insights and refocus debate?
Authors: Zubac Angelina
Published: April 2017

Surprisingly, the strategic management literature has had little to say of an explicit nature on the topic of capitalism. However, the discourse on capitalism is vast in economics and many would say the writings of some economists on the topic of capitalism have been inordinately influential. Bearing this in mind, the differences between three world renowned economists on the topic of capitalism are examined with the intention of identifying where scope exists for strategic management to contribute to the discourse on capitalism. The paper concludes that strategic management is well placed to develop its own organization-centric discourse on the subject.
Associations between motives for dish choice during home-meal preparation and diet quality in French adults: findings from the NutriNet-Santé study
Authors: Ducrot Pauline , Méjean Caroline , Fassier Philippine , Allès Benjamin , Hercberg Serge , Péneau Sandrine
Published: April 2017

A number of motives such as constraints or pleasure have been suggested to influence dish choices during home-meal preparation. However, no study has evaluated how the importance conferred to these motives potentially influence diet quality. The present study aims at investigating the difference in diet quality according to the importance attached by individuals to various dish choice motives. The importance of twenty-seven criteria related to dish choices on weekdays was evaluated among 48 010 French adults from the NutriNet-Santé study. ANCOVA and logistic regression models, adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, were used to evaluate the association between the importance attached to dish choice motives (yes v. no) and energy and food group intakes, as well as adherence to French nutritional guidelines (modified Programme National Nutrition Santé-Guideline Score (mPNNS-GS)). A higher adherence to nutritional guidelines was observed in individuals attaching importance to a healthy diet (mPNNS-GS score 7·87 (sd 0·09) v. 7·39 (sd 0·09)) and specific diets (mPNNS-GS score 7·73 (sd 0·09) v. 7·53 (sd 0·09)), compared with those who attached little/no importance (all P<0·0001). These individuals also exhibited higher intakes of fruits and vegetables, but a lower consumption of meat, milk and cheese, sugary products and convenience foods compared with their respective counterparts (all P<0·0001). For other motives, that is, constraints, pleasure and organisation, only small differences were observed. The main difference in diet quality was related to the importance placed on a healthy diet. Although a causal link should be demonstrated, our findings suggested that strategies aiming at enabling people to take into account diet quality during home-meal preparation might be effective levers to promote healthy eating.
Costs of preventive agronomic measures to reduce deoxynivalenol in wheat
Authors: ZORN A. , MUSA T. , LIPS M.
Published: April 2017

Cereals are of major importance in human and animal nutrition, and the mycotoxin content is of great health and economic concern for the food sector and consumers. In Europe, Fusarium graminearum (FG) is the prevalent Fusarium species leading to Fusarium head blight on small grain cereals and contamination of grains by its main mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON). The present study assessed the costs of preventive agronomic measures to reduce the risk of DON contamination in wheat besides the use of fungicides. The abatement costs were calculated by linking actual data on wheat production costs and profits with assessments of DON contents based on results of the forecast model FusaProg for the period 2005–2011. Analysis revealed that ploughing was a relatively efficient measure to reduce DON risk compared with modifying crop rotation or growing a more FG-resistant wheat variety. Given a threshold value of 1·25 mg DON/kg wheat, a reduction of 0·1 mg DON was related to additional production costs of at least 2·5%. These economic findings are of relevance for farmers and policy makers in order to define sustainable production systems enabling both a high level of food safety and reducing the use of plant protection products.
Experience is more important than technology in paediatric post-tonsillectomy bleeding
Authors: Hinton-Bayre A D , Noonan K , Ling S , Vijayasekaran S
Published: April 2017

Background:

Paediatric tonsillectomy is a common procedure and one of the first skills acquired by surgical trainees. Post-tonsillectomy bleeding is one of the most significant complications. This study examined post-tonsillectomy bleed rates associated with technology and level of surgical experience.

Methods:

Data were collected on all tonsillectomies performed by surgical consultants (n = 6) and trainees (n = 10) at affiliated hospitals over a nine-month period. Hospital records were audited for post-tonsillectomy bleeding re-admissions and returns to the operating theatre.

Results:

A total of 1396 tonsillectomies were performed (279 by trainees, 1117 by consultant surgeons). Primary post-tonsillectomy bleed rates were equivalent between trainees and consultants. Secondary bleed rates were significantly greater for trainees (10.0 per cent) compared to consultants (3.3 per cent), as were return to operating theatre rates (2.5 per cent vs 0.7 per cent). Amongst consultants, technology used was not associated with differences in secondary post-tonsillectomy bleeding and returns to the operating theatre.

Conclusion:

Our data suggest that experience of the surgeon may have greater bearing on post-tonsillectomy bleed rates than the technology used.
Another Sogdian–Chinese bilingual epitaph
Authors: Bo Bi , Sims-Williams Nicholas , Yan Yan
Published: April 2017

Two stone tablets in the Wangye Museum, Shenzhen, contain a bilingual Sogdian and Chinese epitaph for a Sogdian merchant and his wife, who lived in the northern Chinese city of Ye 鄴 in the late sixth centuryce. The two texts are published here for the first time and accompanied by a detailed commentary on philological and historical points of interest.
Precursors to language development in typically and atypically developing infants and toddlers: the importance of embracing complexity
Authors: D'SOUZA DEAN , D'SOUZA HANA , KARMILOFF-SMITH ANNETTE
Published: April 2017

In order to understand how language abilities emerge in typically and atypically developing infants and toddlers, it is important to embrace complexity in development. In this paper, we describe evidence that early language development is an experience-dependent process, shaped by diverse, interconnected, interdependent developmental mechanisms, processes, and abilities (e.g. statistical learning, sampling, functional specialization, visual attention, social interaction, motor ability). We also present evidence from our studies on neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g. Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Williams syndrome) that variations in these factors significantly contribute to language delay. Finally, we discuss how embracing complexity, which involves integrating data from different domains and levels of description across developmental time, may lead to a better understanding of language development and, critically, lead to more effective interventions for cases when language develops atypically.
Maternal depression and trajectories of adolescent depression: The role of stress responses in youth risk and resilience
Authors: Monti Jennifer D. , Rudolph Karen D.
Published: April 2017

This study examined the independent and interactive contributions of maternal depression and youth stress responses to trajectories of youth depression in adolescence. Youths (n = 165, M age = 12.43, SD = 1.18) and their maternal caregivers participated in a 4-year longitudinal study. Mothers and youths were administered diagnostic interviews assessing depression, and youths provided reports of their responses to peer stress. Consistent with an interactive model, adaptive responses to stress (high effortful engagement and low involuntary disengagement) buffered the effect of maternal depression on initial levels and trajectories of youth depression, with gender differences emerging. Consistent with a dual-risk model, maternal depression and maladaptive responses to stress (high effortful disengagement and involuntary engagement) contributed additive risks such that youths displayed the highest levels of depression when they were exposed to maternal depression and showed maladaptive stress responses. This research provides novel evidence that responses to stress contribute to individual differences in depression among offspring of depressed mothers, and suggests that responses to stress are an important target for efforts to promote resilience in at-risk youth.
Astrobioethics
Authors: Chon-Torres Octavio A.
Published: April 2017

Astrobiology is a discipline that is expanding its field of investigation not only in the natural sciences, but also in the social sciences. It is for this reason that the ethical aspects are progressively emphasized leading to a point where the whole field requires a specific handling. The appellation ‘astrobioethics’ is now considered as not only relevant, but also a true issue for the future of Astrobiology. Astrobioethics is the subsection within astrobiology that is accountable for studying the moral implications of, for example, bringing humans to Mars, the Planetary Protection Policy, the social responsibility of the astrobiologist to society, etc. It is in this way that the present article outlines a path for astrobioethics, as being a fertile field of study and an opportunity to trade scientific knowledge in a transdisciplinary way.
Genetic characterization of resistance to wilt disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ricini in castor (Ricinus communis L.)
Authors: Shaw Ranjan K. , Kadirvel P. , Shaik Mobeen , Prasad M. Santha Lakshmi , Prasad R. D. , Senthilvel S.
Published: April 2017

Castor is an industrially important oilseed crop. Vascular wilt caused by the soil borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ricini is a serious disease of castor. Use of resistant cultivars is the only viable option for management of wilt disease problem in castor production. Excellent sources of resistance to wilt have been found in castor germplasm. In this study, a set of four castor inbred lines (48–1, CI-1, AP42 and AP48) was characterized for inheritance of resistance to wilt by studying segregating populations generated by crossing these inbred lines with eight different susceptible genotypes. An artificial screening method (sick pot) with a new scoring system (days to wilt) was used for evaluation of plant progenies for reaction to the pathogen infection. The reaction of F1s indicated that the nature of resistance in 48–1, CI-1 and AP48 is recessive whereas it was dominant in AP42. Inheritance results from eight F2 populations showed that resistance to wilt is conferred by a single locus in one population and at least two loci, which interact in complementary way, in other seven populations. Different modes of inheritance were also observed when the same resistant source was crossed with different susceptible parents, indicating the possible role of genetic backgrounds in determining resistance. Overall, the results suggested that Mendelian resistance to wilt is predominant in the castor genotypes, which can be exploited for breeding cultivars. Particularly, AP42 with dominant nature of resistance will be of great interest to hybrid breeding.
An Item Response Theory Analysis of the Strength and Difficulties	Questionnaire (SDQ)
Authors: Keller Ferdinand , Langmeyer Alexandra N.
Published: April 2017

Abstract. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) assesses five subscales for measuring child adjustment. In the present study, an item response theory approach was used to analyze the parent version of the SDQ subscales and the total difficulties score (TDS), which is obtained by summing up the scores of the four problem subscales. Analyses are based on two data sets: The German Family Panel “Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam, N = 1,078)” and the survey “Growing up in Germany” (Aufwachsen in Deutschland: Alltagswelten; AID:A, N = 1,346). Partial credit and generalized partial credit models were estimated for each subscale and a bifactor model was applied to the TDS. The results showed satisfying psychometric properties in both samples for each of the five subscales, except for the “Hyperactivity/Inattention” subscales which seemed to have a two-dimensional structure. Item discrimination and category threshold parameters were broadly comparable between the samples. According to the bifactor models, there is evidence for multidimensionality in the TDS, but the general factor was strong. Thus, the TDS can be treated as essentially unidimensional, although some subscales may be of additional value.
Setting Doesn’t Matter Much
Authors: Becker Nicolas , Koch Marco , Schult Johannes , Spinath Frank M.
Published: April 2017

Abstract. This study deals with the effects of the diagnostic setting on the performance in intelligence tests. We conducted a meta-analysis in which k = 30 samples with a total sample size of N = 2,448 were integrated. We compared results for the same intelligence tests administered either in a group or in an individual setting. The main analysis indicated a small mean population effect [ M( g) = 0.085] that was not significant [−0.036 ≤  M( g) ≤ 0.206]. Nevertheless, moderator analyses indicated a stronger [ M( g) = 0.193] and significant [0.087 ≤  M( g) ≤ 0.298] effect in favor of individual settings for studies employing a between-person design. Setting effects in within-person designs were most likely superimposed by retest effects. As the setting effect was very small, the current testing practice in which results obtained in group and individual settings are treated as interchangeable is not overly problematic. However, our results encourage test developers to examine setting effects before stating that results obtained in different settings are equivalent. Between-person designs using participants of comparable ability are most suitable in this context as retest effects can be ruled out.
Psychometric Properties and Validation of a German High Sensitive	Person Scale (HSPS-G)
Authors: Konrad Sandra , Herzberg Philipp Yorck
Published: April 2017

Abstract. High sensitivity is an individual disposition to perceive and process external and internal stimuli more intensely than the average population. For measuring high sensitivity, Aron and Aron (1997) developed a unidimensional self-report questionnaire. However, Smolewska, McCabe, and Woody (2006) fitted a model with three correlated factors: ease of excitation, aesthetic sensitivity, and low sensory threshold. Both models were questioned by Evans and Rothbart (2008) who postulated a two-factor structure: negative affect and orienting sensitivity. Nonetheless, the studies presented so far are based on small samples and did not address the issues of the ordinal data and measurement invariance. We presented the first study that compared all postulated models, thereby taking the ordinal data into account, and evaluated the measurement invariance. We adopted the High Sensitive Person (HSP)-Scale for German-speaking populations and found that a three-factor model provided the best fit. However, we excluded 13 items because of their low factor loadings or high intercorrelations. The revised HSP-Scale fit a three-factor model. Furthermore, we could establish a high level of measurement invariance (strict invariance), indicating equality of loadings, thresholds, and residual variances across sex. The scale showed good psychometric properties and high test-retest reliability. Finally, relationships with psychological symptoms were presented.
HMGB1 release by H2O2-induced hepatocytes is regulated through calcium overload and 58-F interference
Authors: Zhao Pei , Ye Tingjie , Yan Xiaofeng , Hu Xudong , Liu Ping , Wang Xiaoling
Published: April 2017

HMGB1 is passively released by injured or dying cells and aggravates inflammatory processes. The release of HMGB1 and calcium overload have each been reported to be important mediators of H2O2-induced injury. However, a potential connection between these two processes remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we employed H2O2-induced hepatocytes to investigate how calcium overload takes place during cellular injury and how the extracellular release of HMGB1 is regulated by this overload. In addition, we investigated the use of 58-F, a flavanone extracted from Ophiopogon japonicus, as a potential therapeutic drug. We show that the PLCγ1–IP3R–SOC signalling pathway participates in the H2O2-induced disturbance of calcium homoeostasis and leads to calcium overload in hepatocytes. After a rise in intracellular calcium, two calcium-dependent enzymes, PKCα and CaMKIV, are activated and translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus to modify HMGB1 phosphorylation. In turn, this promotes HMGB1 translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and subsequent extracellular release. 58-F effectively rescued the hepatocytes by suppressing the PLCγ1–IP3R–SOC signalling pathway and decreasing the calcium concentration in cells, thus reducing HMGB1 release.
Inkjet printing technology for increasing the I/O density of 3D TSV interposers
Authors: Khorramdel Behnam , Liljeholm Jessica , Laurila Mika-Matti , Lammi Toni , Mårtensson Gustaf , Ebefors Thorbjörn , Niklaus Frank , Mäntysalo Matti
Published: April 2017

Interposers with through-silicon vias (TSVs) play a key role in the three-dimensional integration and packaging of integrated circuits and microelectromechanical systems. In the current practice of fabricating interposers, solder balls are placed next to the vias; however, this approach requires a large foot print for the input/output (I/O) connections. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the possibility of placing the solder balls directly on top of the vias, thereby enabling a smaller pitch between the solder balls and an increased density of the I/O connections. To reach this goal, inkjet printing (that is, piezo and super inkjet) was used to successfully fill and planarize hollow metal TSVs with a dielectric polymer. The under bump metallization (UBM) pads were also successfully printed with inkjet technology on top of the polymer-filled vias, using either Ag or Au inks. The reliability of the TSV interposers was investigated by a temperature cycling stress test (−40 °C to +125 °C). The stress test showed no impact on DC resistance of the TSVs; however, shrinkage and delamination of the polymer was observed, along with some micro-cracks in the UBM pads. For proof of concept, SnAgCu-based solder balls were jetted on the UBM pads.
Oxidative 1,2-carboamination of alkenes with alkyl nitriles and amines toward γ-amino alkyl nitriles
Authors: Liu Yan-Yun , Yang Xu-Heng , Song Ren-Jie , Luo Shenglian , Li Jin-Heng
Published: April 2017

Difunctionalization of alkenes has become a powerful tool for quickly increasing molecular complexity in synthesis. Despite significant progress in the area of alkene difunctionalization involving the incorporation of a nitrogen atom across the C–C double bonds, approaches for the direct 1,2-carboamination of alkenes to produce linear N-containing molecules are scarce and remain a formidable challenge. Here we describe a radical-mediated oxidative intermolecular 1,2-alkylamination of alkenes with alkyl nitriles and amines involving C(sp3)–H oxidative functionalization catalysed by a combination of Ag2CO3 with iron Lewis acids. This three-component alkene 1,2-alkylamination method is initiated by the C(sp3)–H oxidative radical functionalization, which enables one-step formation of two new chemical bonds, a C–C bond and a C–N bond, to selectively produce γ-amino alkyl nitriles.
Cytoglobin regulates blood pressure and vascular tone through nitric oxide metabolism in the vascular wall
Authors: Liu Xiaoping , El-Mahdy Mohamed A. , Boslett James , Varadharaj Saradhadevi , Hemann Craig , Abdelghany Tamer M. , Ismail Raed S. , Little Sean C. , Zhou Danlei , Thuy Le Thi Thanh , Kawada Norifumi , Zweier Jay L.
Published: April 2017

The identity of the specific nitric oxide dioxygenase (NOD) that serves as the main in vivo regulator of O2-dependent NO degradation in smooth muscle remains elusive. Cytoglobin (Cygb) is a recently discovered globin expressed in fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells with unknown function. Cygb, coupled with a cellular reducing system, efficiently regulates the rate of NO consumption by metabolizing NO in an O2-dependent manner with decreased NO consumption in physiological hypoxia. Here we show that Cygb is a major regulator of NO degradation and cardiovascular tone. Knockout of Cygb greatly prolongs NO decay, increases vascular relaxation, and lowers blood pressure and systemic vascular resistance. We further demonstrate that downregulation of Cygb prevents angiotensin-mediated hypertension. Thus, Cygb has a critical role in the regulation of vascular tone and disease. We suggest that modulation of the expression and NOD activity of Cygb represents a strategy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Effects of walnut oil on lipid profiles in hyperlipidemic type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Zibaeenezhad M J , Farhadi P , Attar A , Mosleh A , Amirmoezi F , Azimi A
Published: April 2017

Background:

The role of herbal medicine is now well documented in preventing and controlling diabetes mellitus. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of walnut oil consumption on lipid profiles of hyperlipidemic patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods:

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 100 hyperlipidemic type 2 diabetic patients aged 35–75 years were assigned to receive 15 cc Persian walnut oil or placebo every day for 90 days. The primary outcomes were the lipid profiles.

Results:

Consumption of walnut oil by type 2 hyperlipidemic diabetic patients resulted in a significant decrease in total cholesterol levels (treatment difference (TD)=−30.04, P<0.001), triglyceride (TG) level (TD=−15.04, P=0.021), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level (TD=−30.44, P<0.001) and total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (TD=−0.72, P<0.001) compared to the control group. There was a trend toward increasing HDL level with consumption of walnut oil (TD=2.28, P=0.06). Frequency of patients reaching a LDL level below 100 was higher in the case group (20 vs 0%).

Conclusions:

Addition of walnut oil in the daily diet of type 2 diabetic patients improves lipid profiles. Thus, it may be associated with a coronary artery disease risk factor modulation. Also, walnut oil may serve as a helpful natural remedy for hyperlipidemic patients with type 2 diabetes.
Loss of LZAP inactivates p53 and regulates sensitivity of cells to DNA damage in a p53-dependent manner
Authors: Wamsley J J , Gary C , Biktasova A , Hajek M , Bellinger G , Virk R , Issaeva N , Yarbrough W G
Published: April 2017

Chemotherapy and radiation, the two most common cancer therapies, exert their anticancer effects by causing damage to cellular DNA. However, systemic treatment damages DNA not only in cancer, but also in healthy cells, resulting in the progression of serious side effects and limiting efficacy of the treatment. Interestingly, in response to DNA damage, p53 seems to play an opposite role in normal and in the majority of cancer cells—wild-type p53 mediates apoptosis in healthy tissues, attributing to the side effects, whereas mutant p53 often is responsible for acquired cancer resistance to the treatment. Here, we show that leucine zipper-containing ARF-binding protein (LZAP) binds and stabilizes p53. LZAP depletion eliminates p53 protein independently of its mutation status, subsequently protecting wild-type p53 cells from DNA damage-induced cell death, while rendering cells expressing mutant p53 more sensitive to the treatment. In human non-small-cell lung cancer, LZAP levels correlated with p53 levels, suggesting that loss of LZAP may represent a novel mechanism of p53 inactivation in human cancer. Our studies establish LZAP as a p53 regulator and p53-dependent determinative of cell fate in response to DNA damaging treatment.
Oncogenic MCT-1 activation promotes YY1-EGFR-MnSOD signaling and tumor progression
Authors: Tseng H-Y , Chen Y-A , Jen J , Shen P-C , Chen L-M , Lin T-D , Wang Y-C , Hsu H-L
Published: April 2017

Tumor cells often produce high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and display an increased ROS scavenging system. However, the molecular mechanism that balances antioxidative and oxidative stress in cancer cells is unclear. Here, we determined that oncogenic multiple copies in T-cell malignancy 1 (MCT-1) activity promotes the generation of intracellular ROS and mitochondrial superoxide. Overexpression of MCT-1 suppresses p53 accumulation but elevates the manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) level via the YY1-EGFR signaling cascade, which protects cells against oxidative damage. Conversely, restricting ROS generation and/or targeting YY1 in lung cancer cells effectively inhibits the EGFR-MnSOD signaling pathway and cell invasiveness induced by MCT-1. Significantly, MCT-1 overexpression in lung cancer cells promotes tumor progression, necrosis and angiogenesis, and increases the number of tumor-promoting M2 macrophages and cancer-associated fibroblasts in the microenvironment. Clinical evidence further confirms that high expression of MCT-1 is associated with an increase in YY1, EGFR and MnSOD expression, accompanied by tumor recurrence, poor overall survival and EGFR mutation status in patients with lung cancers. Together, these data indicate that the MCT-1 oncogenic pathway is implicated in oxidative metabolism and lung carcinogenesis.