bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organic Designs and Agrarian Practice in Uttarakhand, India
Authors: Galvin Shaila Seshia
Published: December 2014

This article brings together ethnographic fieldwork with archival research to show that debates about human agency are central to the contemporary meaning of organic agriculture in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. Through a study of an initiative taken by the Uttarakhand state government to promote certified organic agriculture among the region's smallholder farmers, the article demonstrates that debates about human agency in relation to soil, manure, and compost are bound up with historical as well as ongoing processes of state formation in the Uttarakhand region. After examining how state officials recognize certain forms of agricultural practice as agentive, but not others, the article concludes with an exploration of how farmers navigate newfound agrarian identities.
Ensemble perception of size in 4–5‐year‐old children
Authors: Sweeny Timothy D. , Wurnitsch Nicole , Gopnik Alison , Whitney David
Published: November 2014

Groups of objects are nearly everywhere we look. Adults can perceive and understand the ‘gist’ of multiple objects at once, engaging ensemble‐coding mechanisms that summarize a group's overall appearance. Are these group‐perception mechanisms in place early in childhood? Here, we provide the first evidence that 4–5‐year‐old children use ensemble coding to perceive the average size of a group of objects. Children viewed a pair of trees, with each containing a group of differently sized oranges. We found that, in order to determine which tree had the larger oranges overall, children integrated the sizes of multiple oranges into ensemble representations. This pooling occurred rapidly, and it occurred despite conflicting information from numerosity, continuous extent, density, and contrast. An ideal observer analysis showed that although children's integration mechanisms are sensitive, they are not yet as efficient as adults’. Overall, our results provide a new insight into the way children see and understand the environment, and they illustrate the fundamental nature of ensemble coding in visual perception.
The brain adapts to orthography with experience: evidence from English and Chinese
Authors: Cao Fan , Brennan Christine , Booth James R.
Published: November 2014

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined the process of language specialization in the brain by comparing developmental changes in two contrastive orthographies: Chinese and English. In a visual word rhyming judgment task, we found a significant interaction between age and language in left inferior parietal lobule and left superior temporal gyrus, which was due to greater developmental increases in English than in Chinese. Moreover, we found that higher skill only in English children was correlated with greater activation in left inferior parietal lobule. These findings suggest that the regions associated with phonological processing are essential in English reading development. We also found greater developmental increases in English than in Chinese in left inferior temporal gyrus, suggesting refinement of this region for fine‐grained word form recognition. In contrast, greater developmental increases in Chinese than in English were found in right middle occipital gyrus, suggesting the importance of holistic visual‐orthographic analysis in Chinese reading acquisition. Our results suggest that the brain adapts to the special features of the orthography by engaging relevant brain regions to a greater degree over development.
The late positive potential predicts emotion regulation strategy use in school‐aged children concurrently and two years later
Authors: Babkirk Sarah , Rios Victor , Dennis Tracy A.
Published: November 2014

The ability to use cognitive emotion regulation strategies such as reappraisal may be a core component of emotional competence across development, but due to methodological challenges in measuring such strategies, they are rarely studied in young children. One neurophysiological measure, the late positive potential (LPP), has been examined in response to reappraisal as a potential neurosignature for emotion regulatory capacity in adults. The association between the LPP and emotion regulatory capacity in children is unknown. The present study examined whether the LPP during reappraisal could predict greater observed adaptive emotion regulation strategy use in school‐aged children over a two‐year period. Thirty‐two 5‐ to 7‐year‐olds participated in two identical lab visits spaced two years apart. EEG was continuously recorded during a computerized reappraisal task in which children viewed unpleasant images paired with either reappraisal or negative stories. Next they completed a disappointing and a frustrating task during which emotion regulation strategies were observed. As predicted, children who showed reappraisal‐induced reductions in the LPP at the first assessment used significantly more adaptive ER strategies concurrently and two years later. These findings provide observation‐based evidence that the LPP may be a viable neurosignature for emotion regulatory capacity in children.
Concurrent and lasting effects of emotion regulation on amygdala response in adolescence and young adulthood
Authors: Silvers Jennifer A. , Shu Jocelyn , Hubbard Alexa D. , Weber Jochen , Ochsner Kevin N.
Published: November 2014

This study used functional MRI (fMRI) to examine a novel aspect of emotion regulation in adolescent development: whether age predicts differences in both the concurrent and lasting effects of emotion regulation on amygdala response. In the first,active regulation, phase of the testing session,fMRIdata were collected while 56 healthy individuals (age range: 10.50–22.92 years) reappraised aversive stimuli so as to diminish negative responses to them. After a short delay, the second,re‐presentation, phase involved passively viewing the aversive images from the reappraisal task. During active regulation, older individuals showed greater drops in negative affect and inverse rostrolateral prefrontal‐amygdala connectivity. During re‐presentation, older individuals continued to show lasting reductions in the amygdala response to aversive stimuli they had previously reappraised, an effect mediated by rostrolateral PFC. These data suggest that one source of heightened emotionality in adolescence is a diminished ability to cognitively down‐regulate aversive reactions.
Processing of audiovisually congruent and incongruent speech in school‐age children with a history of specific language impairment: a behavioral and event‐related potentials study
Authors: Kaganovich Natalya , Schumaker Jennifer , Macias Danielle , Gustafson Dana
Published: November 2014

Previous studies indicate that at least some aspects of audiovisual speech perception are impaired in children with specific language impairment (SLI). However, whether audiovisual processing difficulties are also present in older children with a history of this disorder is unknown. By combining electrophysiological and behavioral measures, we examined perception of both audiovisually congruent and audiovisually incongruent speech in school‐age children with a history of SLI (H‐SLI), their typically developing (TD) peers, and adults. In the first experiment, all participants watched videos of a talker articulating syllables ‘ba’, ‘da’, and ‘ga’ under three conditions – audiovisual (AV), auditory only (A), and visual only (V). The amplitude of the N1 (but not of the P2) event‐related component elicited in the AV condition was significantly reduced compared to the N1 amplitude measured from the sum of the A and V conditions in all groups of participants. Because N1 attenuation to AV speech is thought to index the degree to which facial movements predict the onset of the auditory signal, our findings suggest that this aspect of audiovisual speech perception is mature by mid‐childhood and is normal in the H‐SLI children. In the second experiment, participants watched videos of audivisually incongruent syllables created to elicit the so‐called McGurk illusion (with an auditory ‘pa’ dubbed onto a visual articulation of ‘ka’, and the expectant perception being that of ‘ta’ if audiovisual integration took place). As a group, H‐SLI children were significantly more likely than either TD children or adults to hear the McGurk syllable as ‘pa’ (in agreement with its auditory component) than as ‘ka’ (in agreement with its visual component), suggesting that susceptibility to the McGurk illusion is reduced in at least some children with a history of SLI. Taken together, the results of the two experiments argue against global audiovisual integration impairment in children with a history of SLI and suggest that, when present, audiovisual integration difficulties in this population likely stem from a later (non‐sensory) stage of processing.
Core geometry in perspective
Authors: Dillon Moira R. , Spelke Elizabeth S.
Published: November 2014

Research on animals, infants, children, and adults provides evidence that distinct cognitive systems underlie navigation and object recognition. Here we examine whether and how these systems interact when children interpret 2D edge‐based perspectival line drawings of scenes and objects. Such drawings serve as symbols early in development, and they preserve scene and object geometry from canonical points of view. Young children show limits when using geometry both in non‐symbolic tasks and in symbolic map tasks that present 3D contexts from unusual, unfamiliar points of view. When presented with the familiar viewpoints in perspectival line drawings, however, do children engage more integrated geometric representations? In three experiments, children successfully interpreted line drawings with respect to their depicted scene or object. Nevertheless, children recruited distinct processes when navigating based on the information in these drawings, and these processes depended on the context in which the drawings were presented. These results suggest that children are flexible but limited in using geometric information to form integrated representations of scenes and objects, even when interpreting spatial symbols that are highly familiar and faithful renditions of the visual world.
Low prevalence of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults in northern India
Authors: Sachan A. , Zaidi G. , Sahu R. P. , Agrawal S. , Colman P. G. , Bhatia E.
Published: November 2014

Aim

To study the frequency of islet antibodies in a large cohort of clinic‐ and community‐based patients with Type 2 diabetes in northern India.

Methods

We measured glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies in 618 adults with Type 2 diabetes (378 patients with diabetes attending a hospital clinic, 240 patients diagnosed in a community survey) and in 192 healthy subjects residing in north India. Islet antigen 2 (IA2) antibodies were also studied in a proportion of the patients with diabetes (n = 492) and in a control population (n = 191). GAD and IA2 antibodies were measured by immunoprecipitation of the respective 35S‐labelled recombinant antigen.

Results

We found that GAD antibodies were present in nine (1.5%) patients with diabetes (clinic population: 0.8%, community study: 2.5%), a prevalence similar to that among the subjects without diabetes (n = 2; 1%). IA2 antibodies were detected in seven patients with Type 2 diabetes (1.4%) and in two healthy control subjects (1.0%). The frequency of either GAD or IA2 antibodies was similar in people with and without diabetes (3.2 vs 2.1%). No subject was found to have both antibodies. Insulin requirement was higher among antibody‐positive than among antibody‐negative patients (GAD antibody: 33 vs 6.3%; P = 0.001; GAD or IA2 antibody: 23.1 vs 6.4%; P = 0.02); however, other clinical features were similar in the two groups.

Conclusions

In the present north‐Indian population with Type 2 diabetes, the overall prevalence of GAD antibodies and the prevalence of either GAD or IA2 antibodies were considerably lower than those reported in white European populations.
Increased risk of ischaemic stroke among patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Tseng C.‐H. , Huang W.‐S. , Lin C.‐L. , Chang Y.‐J.
Published: November 2014

Background and purpose

Inflammatory processes including autoimmune diseases which ignite endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis may promote development of cardiovascular diseases including ischaemic stroke. This study aimed to evaluate whether multiple sclerosis (MS) increases stroke risk.

Methods

A national insurance claim data set of 22 million enrollees in Taiwan was used to identify 1174 patients with MS and 4696 randomly selected age‐ and gender‐matched controls from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2010. Both cohorts were followed up until the occurrence of stroke or censor. Relevant covariates, such as age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure and pregnancy, were included for further survey. The hazard ratio (HR) of stroke was assessed using a Cox proportional hazards regression model.

Results

After adjusting for the relevant covariates, the MS cohort had an increased risk of stroke (adjusted HR = 12.1 for 1 year; adjusted HR = 4.69 for 2–5 years) compared with the control cohort within 5 years of follow‐up. Amongst participants without comorbidities, the MS cohort was still at a greater stroke risk than the control cohort [HR 4.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.85–8.55]. Moreover, in the population aged ≤40, MS was associated with a significantly increased risk of stroke (HR 12.7, 95% CI 3.44–46.7).

Conclusions

Multiple sclerosis is declared to be associated with an increased risk in developing stroke, which requires closer attention to this group of patients for stroke prevention, especially in the younger population.
Enantioselective pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic analysis of two chiral CNS‐active carbamate derivatives of valproic acid
Authors: Shekh‐Ahmad Tawfeeq , Mawasi Hafiz , McDonough John H. , Finnell Richard H. , Wlodarczyk Bogdan J. , Yavin Eylon , Bialer Meir
Published: November 2014

Objective

2‐Ethyl‐3‐methylbutyl‐carbamate (EMC) and 2‐isopropylpentyl‐carbamate (IPC) are among the most potent anticonvulsant carbamate derivatives of valproic acid. EMC and IPC are chiral compounds. Consequently, the aim of the current study was to comparatively evaluate the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD anticonvulsant activity) profile of EMC and IPC individual enantiomers.

Methods

The anticonvulsant activity of EMC and IPC individual enantiomers was evaluated in several anticonvulsant rodent models including maximal electroshock (MES), 6 Hz psychomotor, subcutaneous (pentylenetetrazole) (scMet), and the pilocarpine‐induced and soman‐induced status epilepticus (SE). The PK–PD relationship of EMC and IPC individual enantiomers was evaluated following intraperitoneal administration (50 mg/kg) to rats. Induction of neural tube defects (NTDs) was evaluated in a mouse strain that was highly susceptible to teratogen‐induced NTDs.

Results

In mice and rats, (2S)‐EMC exhibited anticonvulsant activity similar to that of racemic EMC in the MES and scMet tests, whereas in the 6 Hz test, racemic EMC was more potent than its two individual enantiomers. Racemic EMC exhibited a potent activity in the soman‐induced SE model when administered 5 and 20 min after seizure onset with median effective dose (ED50) values of 33 and 48 mg/kg, respectively. (2R)‐IPC and (2S)‐IPC exhibited ED50 values similar to those of racemic IPC in the mouse and rat MES and scMet models. (2R)‐IPC had similar ED50 values on the 6 Hz tests. Racemic IPC had an ED50 value of 107 mg/kg in the pilocarpine‐induced SE model when given 30 min after seizure onset. Racemic EMC and IPC and their enantiomers had similar clearance (3.8–5.5 L/h/kg) and short half‐life (<1 h). EMC and its enantiomers did not cause NTDs at doses 3–10 times higher than their anticonvulsant ED50 values.

Significance

EMC and IPC did not exhibit enantioselective PK, a fact that may contribute to their nonenantioselective activity in any of the anticonvulsant models. The nonsignificant difference between racemic EMC and racemic IPC and their enantiomers, suggests that their wide spectrum of anticonvulsant activity is likely to be caused by multiple mechanisms of action.
Marine capture fisheries in the Arctic: winners or losers under climate change and ocean acidification?
Authors: Lam Vicky W Y , Cheung William W L , Sumaila U Rashid
Published: December 2014

Climate change, ocean acidification (OA) and the subsequent changes in marine productivity may affect fisheries and eventually the whole economy in the Arctic. We analysed how changes in climate and ocean pH under scenarios of anthropogenic CO2 emissions are likely to affect the economics of marine fisheries in the Arctic. We applied a Dynamic Bioclimate Envelope Model (DBEM) and outputs from four different Earth System Models (ESMs) to project future changes in the distribution and maximum catch potential of exploited marine fishes and invertebrates. We projected that total fisheries revenue in the Arctic region may increase by 39% (14–59%) by 2050 relative to 2000 under the Special Reports on Emission Scenario (SRES) A2. Simultaneously, total fishing costs, fishers’ incomes, household incomes and economy‐wide impacts in the Arctic are also projected to increase. Climate change with OA is expected to reduce the potential increases in catch and the economic indicators studied herein. Although the projections suggest that Arctic countries are likely to be ‘winners’ under climate change in comparison with tropical developing countries, the effects of OA will lower the expected future benefits in the Arctic. The predicted impacts are likely to be conservative as we consider only the direct effects of OA on fishes and calcifiers, of which there are only a few in the Arctic. Results of this study would be useful for designing effective adaptation strategies to climate change and measures to mitigate the potential negative impacts of OA in the Arctic.
Financial Wellness and Relationship Satisfaction: Does Communication Mediate?
Authors: Wilmarth Melissa J. , Nielsen Robert B. , Futris Ted G.
Published: December 2014

This research investigated if married couples' positive and negative communication patterns mediate the association between financial wellness and relationship satisfaction. Data were collected from married individuals in a southern state in 2007 (N = 515) and 2011 (N = 489). Guided by social exchange theory, structural equation models isolated the mediating effects of positive and negative communication patterns. In concert with a consistent and positive direct path from financial wellness to relationship satisfaction, financial wellness was positively associated with positive communication patterns and negatively associated with negative communication patterns. Although a mediating role for positive communication was not identified, negative communication patterns indicated full mediation with the 2007 sample and partial mediation with the 2011 sample. Implications for understanding the effects of finances and couple communication processes on relationship satisfaction are discussed.
Exploring Current Ready‐to‐Wear Apparel Attributes for Plus‐Size Female Teens
Authors: Romeo Laurel D. , Lee Young‐A
Published: December 2014

This study investigated apparel issues experienced by plus‐size female teens aged 12–17 in the context of the functional, expressive, and aesthetic consumer needs model. A mixed‐methods research design was used with a convenience sample of 30 female teens with body mass indexes in the overweight or obese categories. Three‐dimensional (3D) body scans were taken and in‐depth interviews conducted with participants and their family members. Findings indicated that expressive and aesthetics desires were often sacrificed to obtain apparel that addressed functional needs. ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials) standardized sizes for Juniors need to be revised to include plus‐sizes and to improve the expressive and aesthetic attributes of apparel for plus‐size female teens.
Factors Affecting Purchase Intention of University‐Licensed Apparel
Authors: Tong Xiao
Published: December 2014

This study explores the factors that influence consumer's perceived value and purchase intentions toward university‐licensed apparel among college students. Four factors were identified through the initial focus groups and literature review. Based on the value‐intention framework, this study developed and empirically examined a structural model to investigate the effects of these factors upon consumers' perceived value and purchase intentions of university‐licensed apparel. A convenience sample of 255 undergraduate students from a large university in the southeast were the source of data. The findings provide evidence of a causal relationship among school identification, peer influence, apparel product attributes, perceived value, and purchase intention. The findings contribute to an understanding of college students' behavior toward university‐licensed merchandise. The findings suggest marketing directions for manufacturers, retailers, and university authorities.
Functional classifications and their application in phytoplankton ecology
Authors: Salmaso Nico , Naselli‐Flores Luigi , Padisák Judit
Published: December 2014

Ecologists often group organisms based on similar biological traits or on taxonomic criteria. However, the use of taxonomy in ecology has many drawbacks because taxa may include species with very different ecological adaptations. Further, similar characters may evolve independently in different lineages.

In this review, we examine the main criteria that have been used in the identification of nine modes of classifying phytoplankton non‐taxonomically. These approaches are based purely on morphological and/or structural traits, or on more complex combinations including physiological and ecological features.

Different functional approaches have proved able to explain some fraction of the variance observed in the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of algal assemblages, although their effectiveness varies greatly, depending on the number and characteristics of functional traits used. The attribution of functional traits to single species or broad groups of species has allowed a few classifications (e.g. Functional Groups, FG) to be used in the assessment of ecological status.

We stress that the misuse of functional classifications (by applying them under conditions other than those intended) can have serious consequences for interpreting ecological processes. Assigning functional traits or groups cannot be considered a surrogate for the knowledge of species or ecotypes, and the use of specific traits must always be justified and circumscribed within the limits of ecological questions and hypotheses.

An important future challenge will be to integrate advances in molecular genetics, metabolomics and physiology with more conventional traits; this will form the basis of the next generation of functional classifications.
Habitat and species identity, not diversity, predict the extent of refuse consumption by urban arthropods
Authors: Youngsteadt Elsa , Henderson Ryanna C. , Savage Amy M. , Ernst Andrew F. , Dunn Robert R. , Frank Steven D.
Published: December 2014

Urban green spaces provide ecosystem services to city residents, but their management is hindered by a poor understanding of their ecology. We examined a novel ecosystem service relevant to urban public health and esthetics: the consumption of littered food waste by arthropods. Theory and data from natural systems suggest that the magnitude and resilience of this service should increase with biological diversity. We measured food removal by presenting known quantities of cookies, potato chips, and hot dogs in street medians (24 sites) and parks (21 sites) in New York City, USA. At the same sites, we assessed ground‐arthropod diversity and abiotic conditions, including history of flooding during Hurricane Sandy 7 months prior to the study. Arthropod diversity was greater in parks (on average 11 hexapod families and 4.7 ant species per site), than in medians (nine hexapod families and 2.7 ant species per site). However, counter to our diversity‐based prediction, arthropods in medians removed 2–3 times more food per day than did those in parks. We detected no effect of flooding (at 19 sites) on this service. Instead, greater food removal was associated with the presence of the introduced pavement ant (Tetramorium sp. E) and with hotter, drier conditions that may have increased arthropod metabolism. When vertebrates also had access to food, more was removed, indicating that arthropods and vertebrates compete for littered food. We estimate that arthropods alone could remove 4–6.5 kg of food per year in a single street median, reducing its availability to less desirable fauna such as rats. Our results suggest that species identity and habitat may be more relevant than diversity for predicting urban ecosystem services. Even small green spaces such as street medians provide ecosystem services that may complement those of larger habitat patches across the urban landscape.
Intercontinental divergence in the climate envelope of major plant biomes
Authors: Moncrieff Glenn R. , Hickler Thomas , Higgins Steven I.
Published: December 2014

Aim

Convergent evolution and environmental filtering are assumed to often result in deterministic patterns of vegetation structure and function in relation to prevailing environmental conditions regardless of differences in evolutionary history among regions. We systematically evaluate the degree to which biomes located in different biogeographic realms converge in environmental space; identifying globally uniform entities and those diverging systematically among realms.

Location

Global.

Methods

Two global biome distribution maps constructed using contrasting approaches are used to evaluate convergence in the environmental space occupied by biomes across biogeographic realms. Environmental conditions are summarized using nine climatic and two edaphic variables known to directly influence plant distributions. Biome maps are analysed accounting for differences in the availability of environments among realms.

Results

The same biome located in two different realms often overlaps no more in environmental space than two altogether different biomes, with the average overlap on the two biome maps calculated using Schoener's D metric only 0.42 and 0.36. This suggests that the coarse structural and phenological characteristics used to define biomes conceal important differences in plant functioning and responses to environmental drivers. Nonetheless, some biomes, in particular savannas and boreal forests, show high overlap among realms. Others, like mediterranean‐type ecosystems and treeless biomes, often occur in vastly different regions of environmental space. Within most biomes though overlap varies greatly depending on the specific realms being compared, with historical biogeography and evolutionary history helping to explain this variation.

Main conclusions

Biomes often occur under different environmental conditions when comparing regions with distinct evolutionary and environmental histories. The biome concept and efforts to model current and future vegetation patterns needs to be adapted to account for the role of history in determining how vegetation responds to environmental drivers and disturbance.
Energy use by migrants and residents in North American breeding bird communities
Authors: Fristoe Trevor S.
Published: December 2014

Aim

Of the order of 5 billion birds comprising more than 700,000 tonnes of biomass migrate across North America every year to exploit seasonal resource pulses at high latitudes during breeding. Despite this impressive scale, little is known about the metabolic role of these migrants in their breeding grounds across temperate ecosystems. I estimate the energy use of short‐ and long‐distance migrant passerines as well as residents in over 2000 breeding bird communities covering the geographic scope of North America. My aim was to characterize the geographic patterns of energy use by each migratory group and test the hypothesis that seasonal patterns of resource availability structure temperate breeding bird communities.

Location

North America from 25 to 69° N.

Methods

I estimated the energy use of migrant and resident passerines using abundance data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey and scaling relationships for field metabolic rate as a function of body size. Linear regression was used to test the relationship between energy use by each migratory group and latitude as well as indirect measures of environmental productivity during different seasons.

Results

Energy use by all groups showed a strong relationship with latitude except for long‐distance migrants, which were surprisingly invariant across geography. Energy use by migrants was highest in environments with low winter productivity and high seasonality, while resident energy use was highest where annual productivity was the highest.

Main conclusions

Migrant passerines contribute significantly to temperate breeding bird communities, especially in high latitudes. They account for 78% of consumption in habitats north of 50° N compared with 1.7% in the subtropics south of 35° N. Short‐distance migrants are especially important to community energy use in the habitats where migrants consume the most. Future shifts in breeding bird community composition are likely to occur as climate change alters seasonal cycles of resource availability.
Genetic and morphological characterization of Acroceras macrum Stapf
Authors: Ferrari Usandizaga S. C. , Brugnoli E. A. , Weiss A. I. , Zilli A. L. , Schedler M. , Pagano E. M. , Martínez E. J. , Acuña C. A.
Published: November 2014

Acroceras macrum is a warm‐season grass used for pastures, and it has high nutritive value. The scarce genetic and reproductive information about this grass is limiting its breeding for forage. The objective of this research was to determine the number of genotypes and cytotypes present in a collection established in Argentina, and to estimate the diversity of this species based on molecular markers, and morphological and agronomic characteristics. The number of genotypes among forty‐seven accessions was determined using ISSR markers. The identified genotypes were further characterized for ploidy levels. In addition, the genetic distances among them were estimated with ISSR markers. They were also propagated and planted into the field following a randomized complete block design with four replications, and a group of sixteen morphological and agronomic variables were evaluated. A total of twenty‐seven genotypes were identified in this collection; twenty‐two genotypes were tetraploid (2n = 4x = 36) and five were hexaploid (2n = 6x = 54). These two cytotypes were found clearly separated by both genetic and phenotypic characteristics. Above‐ground biomass, internode length, initial growth and number of spikelets per inflorescence were the most variable traits. The high diversity present in this collection will allow for the initiation of a breeding programme for A. macrum.
Time‐Lapse Electrical Geophysical Monitoring of Amendment‐Based Biostimulation
Authors: Johnson Timothy C. , Versteeg Roelof J. , Day‐Lewis Frederick D. , Major William , Lane John W.
Published: December 2014

Biostimulation is increasingly used to accelerate microbial remediation of recalcitrant groundwater contaminants. Effective application of biostimulation requires successful emplacement of amendment in the contaminant target zone. Verification of remediation performance requires postemplacement assessment and contaminant monitoring. Sampling‐based approaches are expensive and provide low‐density spatial and temporal information. Time‐lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is an effective geophysical method for determining temporal changes in subsurface electrical conductivity. Because remedial amendments and biostimulation‐related biogeochemical processes often change subsurface electrical conductivity, ERT can complement and enhance sampling‐based approaches for assessing emplacement and monitoring biostimulation‐based remediation.

Field studies demonstrating the ability of time‐lapse ERT to monitor amendment emplacement and behavior were performed during a biostimulation remediation effort conducted at the Department of Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) Yard, in Brandywine, Maryland, United States. Geochemical fluid sampling was used to calibrate a petrophysical relation in order to predict groundwater indicators of amendment distribution. The petrophysical relations were field validated by comparing predictions to sequestered fluid sample results, thus demonstrating the potential of electrical geophysics for quantitative assessment of amendment‐related geochemical properties. Crosshole radar zero‐offset profile and borehole geophysical logging were also performed to augment the data set and validate interpretation.

In addition to delineating amendment transport in the first 10 months after emplacement, the time‐lapse ERT results show later changes in bulk electrical properties interpreted as mineral precipitation. Results support the use of more cost‐effective surface‐based ERT in conjunction with limited field sampling to improve spatial and temporal monitoring of amendment emplacement and remediation performance.
The information experience and learning needs of couples living with HIV in Malawi
Authors: Wella Kondwani
Published: November 2014

In this feature, guest writer Kondwani Wella presents an overview of his PhD – a study which investigated the information experience of serodiscordant couples with HIV and AIDS in Malawi. In particular, for this article, he considers the information behaviour of people who need HIV‐ and AIDS‐specific information and the role of the librarian in helping to deliver what is needed to support engagement in relevant learning.

H.S.
Gelating and Drying Process of Aqueous Gelcasting Aluminum Nitride Ceramics
Authors: Guo Jian , Sun Yongjian , Qiu Tai , Xue Wang , Yang Haiyan
Published: November 2014

In this study, aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramics were first prepared by aqueous gelcasting. The effect of various parameters such as concentration of N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMAA, as monomers), N,N′‐methylenbisacrylamide (MBAM, as cross‐linking agent), ammonium persulfate amount (APS, as initiator), solid content and polymerization temperature on AlN ceramics was discussed for aqueous gelcasting system. Finally, drying methods of aqueous gelcasting AlN green bodies were investigated. Aqueous gelcasting AlN ceramics, sintered at 1850°C for 4 h, had homogeneous grain size and little grain boundary phase, and the relative density, flexural strength and thermal conductivity of aqueous gelcasting AlN ceramics were 99.9%, 333(±10) MPa, 136(±9) W/(m·K), respectively.
Human rights of the mentally ill in Indonesia
Authors: Nurjannah I. , Mills J. , Park T. , Usher K.
Published: December 2014

Background

The mentally ill are vulnerable to human rights violations, particularly in Indonesia, where shackling is widespread.

Aim

The aim of this study was to understand the provision of mental health care in Indonesia, thereby identifying ways to improve care and better support carers.

Methods

Grounded theory methods were used. Study participants included health professionals, non‐health professionals and individuals living with a mental disorder who were well at the time (n = 49). Data were collected through interviews conducted in 2011 and 2012.

Results

The core category of this grounded theory is ‘connecting care’ a term coined by the authors to describe a model of care that involves health professionals and non‐health professionals, such as family members. Four main factors influence care‐providers' decision‐making: competence, willingness, available resources and compliance with institutional policy. Health professionals are influenced most strongly by institutional policy when deciding whether to accept or shift responsibility to provide care. Non‐health professionals base their decisions largely on personal circumstances. Jointly‐made decisions can be matched or unmatched. Unmatched decisions can result in forced provision of care, increasing risks of human rights violations.

Limitations

Generalization of this grounded theory is difficult as the research was conducted in two provinces of Indonesia.

Conclusion

Institutional policy was important in the process of connecting care for the mentally ill in Indonesia and needs to be underpinned by legislation to protect human rights.

Implications for nursing and health policy

Strengthening mental health legislation in Indonesia will allow nurses to connect care more effectively.
Phase‐Composition‐Dependent Piezoelectric and Electromechanical Strain Properties in (Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3–Ba(Ni1/2Nb1/2)O3 Lead‐Free Ceramics
Authors: Li Feng , Zuo Ruzhong , Zheng Donggeng , Li Longtu
Published: November 2014

New lead‐free perovskite solid solution ceramics of (1 − x)(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3–xBa(Ni1/2Nb1/2)O3[(1−x)BNT–xBNN,x = 0.02–0.06) were prepared and their dielectric, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and electromechanical properties were investigated as a function of the BNN content. The X‐ray diffraction results indicated that the addition of BNN has induced a morphotropic phase transformation from rhombohedral to pseudocubic symmetry approximately at x = 0.045, accompanying an evolution of dielectric relaxor behavior as characterized by enhanced dielectric diffuseness and frequency dispersion. In the proximity of the ferroelectric rhombohedral and pseudocubic phase coexistence zone, the x = 0.045 ceramics exhibited optimal piezoelectric and electromechanical coupling properties of d33~121 pC/N and kp~0.27 owing to decreased energy barriers for polarization switching. However, further addition of BNN could cause a decrease in freezing temperatures of polar nanoregions till the coexistence of nonergodic and ergodic relaxor phases occurred near room temperature, especially for the x = 0.05 sample which has negligible negative strains and thus show the maximum electrostrain of 0.3% under an external electric field of 7 kV/mm, but almost vanished piezoelectric properties. This was attributed to the fact that the induced long‐range ferroelectric order could reversibly switch back to its original ergodic state upon removal of external electric fields.
Explaining the “Pulse of Protoplasm”: The search for molecular mechanisms of protoplasmic streaming
Authors: Dietrich Michael R.
Published: December 2014

Explanations for protoplasmic streaming began with appeals to contraction in the eighteenth century and ended with appeals to contraction in the twentieth. During the intervening years, biologists proposed a diverse array of mechanisms for streaming motions. This paper focuses on the re‐emergence of contraction among the molecular mechanisms proposed for protoplasmic streaming during the twentieth century. The revival of contraction is a result of a broader transition from colloidal chemistry to a macromolecular approach to the chemistry of proteins, the recognition of the phenomena of shuttle streaming and the pulse of protoplasm, and the influential analogy between protoplasmic streaming and muscle contraction.

Michael R. Dietrich
A novel segmentation approach for noisy medical images using Intuitionistic fuzzy divergence with neighbourhood‐based membership function
Authors: JATI A. , SINGH G. , KOLEY S. , KONAR A. , RAY A.K. , CHAKRABORTY C.
Published: December 2014

Medical image segmentation demands higher segmentation accuracy especially when the images are affected by noise. This paper proposes a novel technique to segment medical images efficiently using an intuitionistic fuzzy divergence–based thresholding. A neighbourhood‐based membership function is defined here. The intuitionistic fuzzy divergence–based image thresholding technique using the neighbourhood‐based membership functions yield lesser degradation of segmentation performance in noisy environment. Its ability in handling noisy images has been validated. The algorithm is independent of any parameter selection. Moreover, it provides robustness to both additive and multiplicative noise. The proposed scheme has been applied on three types of medical image datasets in order to establish its novelty and generality. The performance of the proposed algorithm has been compared with other standard algorithms viz. Otsu's method, fuzzy C‐means clustering, and fuzzy divergence–based thresholding with respect to (1) noise‐free images and (2) ground truth images labelled by experts/clinicians. Experiments show that the proposed methodology is effective, more accurate and efficient for segmenting noisy images.
Moral Distress Among Healthcare Professionals: Report of an Institution‐Wide Survey
Authors: Whitehead Phyllis B. , Herbertson Robert K. , Hamric Ann B. , Epstein Elizabeth G. , Fisher Joan M.
Published: November 2014

Purpose

Moral distress is a phenomenon affecting many professionals across healthcare settings. Few studies have used a standard measure of moral distress to assess and compare differences among professions and settings.

Design

A descriptive, comparative design was used to study moral distress among all healthcare professionals and all settings at one large healthcare system in January 2011.

Methods

Data were gathered via a web‐based survey of demographics, the Moral Distress Scale‐Revised (MDS‐R), and a shortened version of Olson's Hospital Ethical Climate Scale (HECS‐S).

Findings

Five hundred ninety‐two (592) clinicians completed usable surveys (22%). Moral distress was present in all professional groups. Nurses and other professionals involved in direct patient care had significantly higher moral distress than physicians (p = .001) and other indirect care professionals (p < .001). Moral distress was negatively correlated with ethical workplace climate (r = ‐0.516; p < .001). Watching patient care suffer due to lack of continuity and poor communication were the highest‐ranked sources of moral distress for all professional groups, but the groups varied in other identified sources. Providers working in adult or intensive care unit (ICU) settings had higher levels of moral distress than did clinicians in pediatric or non‐ICU settings (p < .001). Providers who left or considered leaving a position had significantly higher moral distress levels than those who never considered leaving (p < .001). Providers who had training in end‐of‐life care had higher average levels of moral distress than those without this training (p = .005).

Conclusions

Although there may be differences in perspectives and experiences, moral distress is a common experience for clinicians, regardless of profession.

Clinical Relevance

Moral distress is associated with burnout and intention to leave a position. By understanding its root causes, interventions can be tailored to minimize moral distress with the ultimate goal of enhancing patient care, staff satisfaction, and retention.
Information Diversity and Complementarities in Trading and Information Acquisition
Authors: GOLDSTEIN ITAY , YANG LIYAN
Published: December 2014

We analyze a model in which different traders are informed of different fundamentals that affect the security value. We identify a source for strategic complementarities in trading and information acquisition: aggressive trading on information about one fundamental reduces uncertainty in trading on information about the other fundamental, encouraging more trading and information acquisition on that fundamental. This tends to amplify the effect of exogenous changes in the underlying information environment. Due to complementarities, greater diversity of information in the economy improves price informativeness. We discuss the relation between our model and recent financial phenomena and derive testable empirical implications.
Migration and invasion of oral squamous carcinoma cells is promoted by WNT5A, a regulator of cancer progression
Authors: Prgomet Zdenka , Axelsson Lena , Lindberg Pia , Andersson Tommy
Published: December 2014

Background

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) constitutes 90% of all cancers in the oral cavity, and the prognosis for patients diagnosed with OSCC is still poor. The identification of novel therapeutic targets and prognostic markers for OSCC is therefore essential. Previous studies of OSCC revealed an increased expression of WNT5A in the tumor tissue. However, no functional studies of WNT5A‐induced effects in OSCC have been performed.

Methods

Two different OSCC cell lines were used for analysis of WNT5A expression by Western blot, whereas WNT5A‐induced responses were analyzed by measuring calcium (Ca2+) signaling, PKC activation, migration and invasion.

Results

Despite the lack of WNT5A expression, both cell lines responded to recombinant WNT5A (rWNT5A) with activation of the non‐canonical WNT/Ca2+/PKC pathway. This effect was ascertained to be mediated by WNT5A by use of the WNT5A antagonist, Box5. To investigate how WNT5A affects tumor progression, rWNT5A‐induced alterations in BrdU absorbance (reflecting the number of tumor cells) were analyzed. rWNT5A had no effect on BrdU absorbance but instead promoted tumor cell migration and invasion. These results were confirmed by the use of the WNT5A‐mimicking peptide Foxy5, while the rWNT5A‐induced migration was blocked by secreted Frizzled‐related protein 1 (SFRP1), protein kinase C inhibitors or the intracellular Ca2+ chelator, MAPT.

Conclusions

These novel data clearly show that WNT5A activates the non‐canonical WNT/Ca2+/PKC pathway and increases migration and invasion of OSCC cells. This may indicate how an increased WNT5A expression in the tumor tissue is likely to promote progression of OSCC.
The Metabolic Syndrome and Sexual Function in Climacteric Women: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Politano Carlos A. , Valadares Ana L.R. , Pinto-Neto Aarão , Costa-Paiva Lúcia
Published: December 2014

Introduction

Studies have associated the metabolic syndrome with poor sexual function; the results, however, are controversial.

Aims

To evaluate the relationship between the metabolic syndrome and sexual function and to identify the factors associated with poor sexual function.

Methods

A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional cohort study including 256 women of 40–60 years of age receiving care at the outpatient department of a university teaching hospital.

Main Outcome Measures

A specific questionnaire was applied to collect sociodemographic and behavioral data, and the Short Personal Experience Questionnaire was used to evaluate sexual function, with a score ≤7 being indicative of poor sexual function. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, fasting glucose, high-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, triglycerides, follicle-stimulating hormone and thyroid stimulating hormone levels were determined.

Results

The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, as defined by the International Diabetes Federation, was 62.1%, and the prevalence of poor sexual function was 31.4%. The only factor related to female sexual function that was associated with the metabolic syndrome was sexual dysfunction in the woman‘s partner. The factors associated with poor sexual function in the bivariate analysis were age >50 years (P = 0.003), not having a partner (P < 0.001), being postmenopausal (P = 0.046), the presence of hot flashes (P = 0.02), poor self-perception of health (P = 0.04), partner's age ≥50 years, and time with partner ≥21 years. Reported active (P = 0.02) and passive (P = 0.01) oral sex was associated with an absence of sexual dysfunction. In the multiple regression analysis, the only factor associated with poor sexual function was being 50 years of age or more.

Conclusions

The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was high and was not associated with poor sexual function in this sample of menopausal women. The only factor associated with poor sexual function was being over 50 years of age.