bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Growth response of temperate mountain grasslands to inter-annual variations of snow cover duration
Authors: Choler P.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. A remote sensing approach is used to examine the direct and indirect effects of snow cover duration and weather conditions on the growth response of mountain grasslands located above the tree line in the French Alps. Time-integrated normalized difference vegetation index (NDVIint), used as a surrogate for aboveground primary productivity, and snow cover duration were derived from a 13 year long time series of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS). A regional-scale meteorological forcing that accounted for topographical effects was provided by the SAFRAN–Crocus–MEPRA model chain. A hierarchical path analysis was developed to analyze the multivariate causal relationships between forcing variables and proxies of primary productivity. Inter-annual variations in primary productivity were primarily governed by year-to-year variations in the length of the snow-free period and to a much lesser extent by temperature and precipitation during the growing season. A prolonged snow cover reduces the number and magnitude of frost events during the initial growth period but this has a negligeable impact on NDVIint as compared to the strong negative effect of a delayed snow melting. The maximum NDVI slightly responded to increased summer precipitation and temperature but the impact on productivity was weak. The period spanning from peak standing biomass to the first snowfall accounted for two thirds of NDVIint and this explained the high sensitivity of NDVIint to autumn temperature and autumn rainfall that control the timing of the first snowfall. The ability of mountain plants to maintain green tissues during the whole snow-free period along with the relatively low responsiveness of peak standing biomass to summer meteorological conditions led to the conclusion that the length of the snow-free period is the primary driver of the inter-annual variations in primary productivity of mountain grasslands.
Experiences with distributed computing for meteorological applications: Grid computing and Cloud computing
Authors: Schüller F. , Ostermann S. , Prodan R. , Mayr G. J.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Experiences with three practical meteorological applications with different characteristics are used to highlight the core computer science aspects and applicability of distributed computing to meteorology. Presenting Cloud and Grid computing this paper shows use case scenarios fitting a wide range of meteorological applications from operational to research studies. The paper concludes that distributed computing complements and extends existing high performance computing concepts and allows for simple, powerful and cost effective access to computing capacity.
Selective deposition response to aeolian-fluvial sediment supply in the desert braided channel of the Upper Yellow River, China
Authors: Wang H. , Jia X.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Rivers flow across aeolian dunes and develop braided stream channels. Both aeolian and fluvial sediment supplies regulate sediment transport and deposition in such a cross-dune braided river. Here we show a significant selective deposition in response to both aeolian and fluvial sediment supplies in the Ulan Buh desert braided channel. This selective deposition developed by the interaction between the flows and the Aeolian-fluvial sediment supplies, making the coarser sediments (> 0.08 mm) from aeolian sand supply and bank erosion to accumulate in the channel center and the finer fluvial sediments (< 0.08 mm) to be deposited on the bar and floodplain surfaces and forming a coarser-grained thalweg bed bounded by finer-grained floodplain surfaces. This lateral selective deposition reduces the downstream sediment transport and is a primary reason for the formation of "above-ground river" in the braided reach of the Upper Yellow River in response to aeolian and fluvial sediment supplies.
Does Jatropha curcas L. show resistance to drought in the Sahelian zone of West Africa? A case study from Burkina Faso
Authors: Bayen P. , Sop T. K. , Lykke A. M. , Thiombiano A.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Land degradation is an environmental problem which weakens agro-silvo-pastoral productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. The most common manifestation of land degradation is the appearance of denuded land. We carried out an experiment to test the effect of three soil and water conservation techniques on survival and growth of Jatropha curcas seedlings transplanted onto two completely denuded lands in the Sahelian and Sudanian zones of Burkina Faso. We implemented an experimental design with three replicates per restoration technique. A total of 174 seedlings were planted in each study site. The results showed that soil water content varied according to the restoration technique used (df = 2; F = 53.21; p < 0.00) as well as according to study site (df = 1; F = 74.48; p < 0.00). Soil water content was significantly lower in the Sahel than in the Sudanian zone. Seedling survival rate varied significantly according to technique used (df = 2; F = 8.91; p = 0.000) and study site (df = 1; F = 9.74; p = 0.003). Survival rate, diameter and seedling height were highest at the Sudanian site. At the Sahelian site, all seedlings died two years after establishment. These results suggest that Jatropha curcas is unsuited to denuded land in the Sahelian zone. Most of the plants died in the Sahel between April and May, which is the peak of the dry season; this may be an indication that Jatropha may not be as drought-resistant as suggested by the prolific literature which has reported on diverse claims surrounding this plant.
China vs. United States: A Cosmopolitan Copyright Comparison
Authors: Rosen Amy
Published: February 2015

China has a notorious reputation for infringing on intellectual property, especially copyrights. Despite making substantial improvements in its copyright laws over the years, China continues to be haunted by this reputation. But is it really true? By analyzing China’s Copyright Law, this piece explores whether the assumption that China is a notorious infringer is valid. By comparing the copyright laws of the United States to those of China, and by comparing the number of litigated copyright cases that have recently occurred in both countries, this Article concludes that unfortunately Chinese citizens are still severely infringing on international copyrights. Such infringement harms not only foreign copyright owners, but Chinese citizens as well. Notwithstanding this dire conclusion, there is still hope. This paper posits three possible resolutions to help cure China’s reputational ills and weighs each solution's effectiveness.
Fall 2014 Table of Contents and Publication Information
Authors: Franklin Samuel
Published: February 2015

None
INTEGRUOTŲ SLAUGOS IR PSICHOSOCIALINIŲ PASLAUGŲ POREIKIS NAMUOSE SLAUGOMIEMS SUNKIOS BŪKLĖS PACIENTAMS IR JŲ ŠEIMOS NARIAMS. ATVEJO ANALIZĖ VŠĮ CENTRO POLIKLINIKOJE
Authors: Gasperė Renata Kudukytė , Kriščiūnas Aleksandras
Published: February 2015

Aging population in Lithuania determinates the demand for integrated services, oriented in solving problems of senior, disable citizens and growing needs of home nursing. At the present time, Lithuania are only at the beginning of analysis for demand of integrated health care as well as nursing and psychosocial services for long care patients. Although more and more attention are paid for management of providing integrated nursing and psychosocial help for chronically ill patients at home, the real patient care burden still lies with patients family. The lack of attention for the needs of patient’s relatives in health care and psychosocial services was noticed. Public institution Centro poliklinika is the almost the only institution in Vilnius, providing integrated home nursing, palliative medicine and social services. This article assess the integrated nursing and psychosocial services demands for Centro poliklinika chronically ill patients and their relatives. The survey was conducted in 2013, by implementing public health program “Ensuring of safe environment at home for patients and social, psychological and spiritual help for their relatives”. 431 chronic severe disease patients with a specific set of permanent nursing or palliative care needs, as well as 220 of their family members were interviewed. It was found that the chronically ill, long term home nursed patients need an integrated comprehensive support and care provided by a multidisciplinary team of specialists, using a specific patient case management principles in organizing and providing diverse on the individual patient and his family members‘ needsoriented services. Psychosocial services are not organized for the patient‘s relatives in Lithuania, however, study has showed that patients‘ family members who are constantly taking care of them, particularly needs recreational services allowing them to rest from the day to day care of the patient.
PALIATYVIŲJŲ PACIENTŲ, SERGANČIŲ ONKOLOGINĖMIS LIGOMIS, SOCIALINĖS SVEIKATOS SUTRIKIMAI
Authors: Valiulienė Žaneta , Šeškevičius Arvydas
Published: February 2015

Purpose of investigation is ascertain and evaluation of social health disorders of palliative patients, ill oncological diseases. Investigation was performed starting from April 2012 until April 2013. Population of investigation: 100 investigatives, who are palliative patients, ill on oncological diseases. The Karnofsky Performance Scale Index is lower than 50%. Results showed that family participates rarely by taking desicions of palliative help. In mostly cases a help get paliative patients, ill oncological diseases, who are of a younger age. Older patients do not have a person, who could help them, so they could share their worries and feelings and to be charmed. Oncological disease of patients of younger age is making stress to the family members more often than for family members of older patients. Patients of younger age have evaluated relations with family members, friends, neighbours with the highest rates, they would like to get more support from their family members.
VAIKŲ VARDŲ IR SOCIALINIŲ VEIKSNIŲ SĄSAJOS ESANT GENETINIO SINDROMO DIAGNOZEI
Authors: Atkočiūnas Marius , Rutkauskaitė Gintautė , Serapinas Danielius
Published: February 2015

Child‘s name is an integral part of future collection or existing parents kind of work. It has to be responsible for a person of that name will have for a lifetime. It is argued that a person‘s name from the way the character patterns, health, social status, and ability to communicate. Were analyzed LSMU KK geneticist‘s office to accumulate data on children with genetic pathology, including their names in 2013. For comparison, control, consisting of healthy children data. In data analysis The study analyzed 210 children with genetic pathology data: 120 (57.1%) boys and 90 (42.9%) girls. In the control group of 210 healthy children to collect data: 90 (42.9%) boys and 120 (57.1%) girls. The study revealed that the genetic pathology may be connected with a child‘s name choice.
REGIONAL INEQUALITIES OF CHILDREN DISABILITY INCIDENCE IN LITHUANIA
Authors: Raistenskis Juozas , Skvarciany Zdislav , Gurevičius Romualdas
Published: February 2015

Declining birth rates, increasing number of diseases and injuries among children, socio-economical change in the situation of the country, as well as other social, health - and economics-related factors are the main reasons for greater interest of scientists in research on the social and health disparities in the counties (municipalities and districts). This paper analyzes the inequalities in first-time recognized children’s disability in counties of Lithuania during the period of 2007-2011. Aim of the study. To analyze incidences of the firsttime recognized children’s disability in Lithuania from 2007 to 2011 and to compare the parameters of the first-time recognized children’s disability incidence in 10 counties, taking into account variability of disability incidence inside the counties. Methods. The study used the data on the initial determination of disability in children, taken from Disability and Working Capacity Assessment Office under the Ministry of Social Security and Labor from 2007-2011. For the usage of further statistical index, the information on the number of citizens was taken from the database of Department of Statistics of the Republic of Lithuania. The indicators were age-standardized using the direct standardization method and the statistical program “WinPepi”. For the variation analysis of country’s regional disparities the One-way ANOVA test was applied. Results. During the analyzed period (2007-2011) in Lithuania some form of disability was found in 10649 children under the age of 18, of whom 6,219 - boys (58,0 percent) and 4,430 - girls (42,0 percent). The largest newly-recognized children’s disability averages in 2007-2011 were found in the region of Šiauliai (43,68 ± 1,70), Panevėžys county (41,55 ± 1,96) and Utena county (41,53 ± 6,27). In boys’ group - Šiauliai county (51,64 ± 1,53), Telšiai county (47,72 ± 10,61), Utena county (46,69 ± 7,83) and Panevėžys county (45,61 ± 2,59). In girls’ group - Panevėžys (37,14 ± 2,31 ), Šiauliai (35,33 ± 2,47), and Utena (36,16 ± 5,11) c o unties. In both girls’ and boys’ groups statistically significant differences (p0.05) in newly recognized children’s disability incidence in the country’s counties were found. Conclusions. The conducted variation analysis of children’s disability at t h e age of 0-17 y.o. in the period of 2007-2011 throughout the country’s counties, revealed inequalities among the counties. The biggest differences in newly determined disability in children in comparison with other counties of the country were found among Šiauliai, Utena, and Panevėžys counties.
Political Practice The Nexus Between Realisms and Just War Thinking
Authors: KELSAY JOHN
Published: February 2015

Some discussions of the efforts of the United States and its allies in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2010 used a distinction between wars of choice and wars of necessity. Wise policymakers know the difference; further, they restrict commitment of military and related resources only to the latter, in which fundamental interests are at stake. As well, wise policymakers understand that those engaged in conflicts of necessity cannot avoid the problem of dirty hands, since the means necessary for the defeat of an enemy may involve violations of established norms. For those who make such arguments, the just war idea seems too restrictive to serve as a guide to statecraft. In this, the choice/necessity distinction echoes themes common to realism, whether in its classic or contemporary forms. And yet just war thinkers through the ages sought to provide guidance for political practice. In particular, the criteria of ius ad bellum and ius in bello aim to guide policymakers in answering the question, In the situation before us, is military force an apt means by which to attain our goals? In this article, my goal is to demonstrate that a concern for wisdom in political practice provides a connection between various types of realism and just war thinking, and thus to develop an account in which these approaches are complementary rather than opposed to one another.
The Fiction of Reinhold Niebuhr as a Political Conservative
Authors: RICE DANIEL F.
Published: February 2015

The attempt to represent Reinhold Niebuhr as a conservative was instigated by his friend Will Herberg in 1956. Niebuhr expressly disavowed Herberg's representation, viewing himself as a realist who was willing to draw on varying insights from the realist tradition from Augustine to Edmund Burke as a means of critiquing the weaknesses he saw in America's social liberals with whom he largely identified. This article examines the historic confusion attached to the terms liberalism and conservatism; explores liberalism and conservatism in the American context, including domestic and foreign policy; and concludes with a treatment of recent neoconservative misappropriation of Niebuhr.
Het fenomeen aanwijzing in de zin van de Rijkswet financieel toezicht Curaçao en Sint Maarten
Authors: Kempes Marloes H.
Published: February 2015

Het fenomeen aanwijzing in de zin van de Rijkswet financieel toezicht Curaçao en Sint Maarten

Op 10 oktober 2010 is het land Nederlandse Antillen ontmanteld en zijn de nieuwe staatkundige verhoudingen in werking getreden. In het kader van deze staatkundige wijzigingen heeft Nederland zich bereid verklaard schulden van de Nederlandse Antillen en de eilandgebieden te saneren, om op die wijze de nieuwe entiteiten bij te staan bij het creëren van een financieel gezonde uitgangspositie. Ter voorkoming van financiële problemen is overeengekomen dat er toezicht zal worden uitgeoefend door een onafhankelijk orgaan, het College financieel toezicht. Sinds 10 oktober 2010 zijn er twee colleges van kracht. Het College financieel toezicht Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba op grond van de Wet financiën openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba en het College financieel toezicht Curaçao en Sint Maarten op grond van de (consensus-)Rijkswet financieel toezicht Curaçao en Sint Maarten. De beide colleges worden ondersteund door een gemeenschappelijk secretariaat, kantoorhoudende op Curaçao en op Sint Maarten.
Dialogism and classroom interaction in English language teaching: A review of Czech research
Authors: Tůma František
Published: February 2015

Cílem předkládané studie je podat přehled o českém výzkumu interakce ve výuce angličtiny. Interakci chápeme jako vzájemné ovlivňování mezi učitelem a žáky během výuky. Na interakci ve třídě nahlížíme pohledem dialogismu, který chápeme jako teoretický a epistemologický rámec předpokládající interakci jako jednotku analýzy. V přehledové studii analyzujeme 9 empirických studií uveřejněných v letech 2006–2014 jako články v časopise, knihy, kapitoly v knize nebo disertační práce. Tyto studie byly kriticky analyzovány z pohledu dialogismu. Významným zjištěním je například skutečnost, že řada studií se zabývala jazykem učitele (teacher talk), především otázkami učitele a používáním cílového a mateřského jazyka. Tyto a další oblasti výzkumu porovnáváme s odrazem zahraniční situace ve vybraných přehledech výzkumu a poukazujeme na mezery v tuzemském výzkumu. Co se týče metodologie výzkumu (a s ní souvisejících teoretických východisek), řada studií při analýze interakce ve třídě abstrahovala od kontextu. Činnost jednotlivců (učitele, žáků) tvořila v řadě studií analytickou jednotku spíše než samotná interakce. Tato zjištění naznačují, že v empirickém výzkumu nebyl dialogismus příliš uplatněn.
“You shouldn’t” Three observations on the necessity of moral education
Authors: Hábl Jan
Published: February 2015

Cílem této studie je předložit tři fundamentální důvody objasňující důležitost a potřebu etického vychovatelství – nejen ve školách, ale v principu. Studijní otázka zní: Proč člověk potřebuje jakékoli etické vychovávání? Jednotlivé části této studie budou pojednávat jednotlivé odpovědi, resp. důvody k etické edukaci. Ty pokrývají následující tři oblasti: (1) povaha člověka jako morální bytosti, (2) povaha samotné morální reality, (3) specifická povaha doby, ve které potřebu morálního vychovatelství rozpoznáváme. Z analýzy zmíněných jevů vyplývá argument ve prospěch tradičního etického realizmu, který etickou výchovu nejen předpokládá, ale též umožňuje. Z uvedeného vyplývá závěr, že etické vychovatelství je nejen potřebné a nutné, ale též filosoficky legitimní.
NO-DO: Archivo y secuestro de la imaginación
Authors: Gutiérrez Enrique Fibla
Published: February 2015

Este artículo postula la necesidad de una nueva concepción de lo público digital en lo que a archivos audiovisuales se refiere. En lugar de pensar únicamente en la cuestión del acceso, se plantea también la inclusión del uso creativo del archivo como condición indispensable para la participación ciudadana en la institución del imaginario colectivo.Como objeto de estudio se ha escogido el NO-DO, pieza fundamental para entender la relación entre poder e imaginario en la sociedad española. El hecho de que se permita su visualización por streaming, pero no su libre descarga plantea una serie de interrogantes sobre lo público digital y la relación entre poder y archivo hoy, cuestiones que serán desgranadas a lo largo del artículo, aportando ejemplos de qué sucede cuando el archivo permite lo que Cornelius Castoriadis llamó "El imaginario radical instituyente".
Natural compound methyl protodioscin protects against intestinal inflammation through modulation of intestinal immune responses
Authors: Zhang Rongli , Gilbert Shila , Yao Xinsheng , Vallance Jefferson , Steinbrecher Kris , Moriggl Richard , Zhang Dongsheng , Eluri Madhu , Chen Haifeng , Cao Huiqing , Shroyer Noah , Denson Lee , Han Xiaonan
Published: February 2015

Dioscoreaceae, a kind of yam plant, has been recommended for treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions. However, the mechanisms are poorly defined. Methyl protodioscin (MPD) is one of the main bioactive components in Dioscoreaceae. Here, we aim to determine the mechanisms by which MPD ameliorates intestinal inflammation. Surgical intestinal specimens were collected from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) patients to perform organ culture. Experimental colitis was induced in mice by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) or Citrobacter rodentium, and was then treated with MPD. NF‐κB activation, expression of mucosal pro‐inflammatory cytokines, disease severity, and epithelial proliferation/apoptosis were determined. Mouse crypts and Caco‐2 monolayers were cultured to observe the effect of MPD upon intestinal epithelial differentiation and barrier function. We found that MPD increased the percentage of survival from high‐dose DSS‐(4%) treated mice, and accelerated mucosal healing and epithelial proliferation in low‐dose DSS‐(2.5%) treated mice characterized by marked reduction in NF‐κB activation, pro‐inflammatory cytokines expression and bacterial translocation. Consistently, MPD protected colonic mucosa from C. rodentium‐induced colonic inflammation and bacterial colonization. In vitro studies showed that MPD significantly increased crypt formation and restored intestinal barrier dysfunction induced by pro‐inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, MPD ameliorates the intestinal mucosal inflammation by modulating the intestinal immunity to enhance intestinal barrier differentiation. MPD could be an alternative for treating chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases.
Pharmacological effects of recombinant human tissue kallikrein on bradykinin B2 receptors
Authors: Charest‐Morin Xavier , Raghavan Arvind , Charles Matthew L. , Kolodka Tadeusz , Bouthillier Johanne , Jean Mélissa , Robbins Mark S. , Marceau François
Published: February 2015

Tissue kallikrein (KLK‐1), a serine protease, initiates the release of bradykinin (BK)‐related peptides from low‐molecular weight kininogen. KLK‐1 and the BK B2 receptor (B2R) mediate beneficial effects on the progression of type 2 diabetes and renal disease, but the precise role of KLK‐1 independent of its kinin‐forming activity remains unclear. We used DM199, a recombinant form of human KLK‐1, along with the isolated human umbilical vein, a robust bioassay of the B2R, to address the previous claims that KLK‐1 directly binds to and activates the human B2R, with possible receptor cleavage. DM199 (1–10 nmol/L) contracted the isolated vein via the B2R, but in a tachyphylactic, kinin‐dependent manner, without desensitization of the tissue to exogenously added BK. In binding experiments with recombinant N‐terminally tagged myc‐B2Rs expressed in HEK 293a cells, DM199 displaced [3H]BK binding from the rabbit myc‐B2R, but not from the human or rat myc‐B2Rs. No evidence of myc‐B2R degradation by immunoblot analysis was apparent following treatment of these 3 myc‐B2R constructs with DM199 (30 min, ≤10 nmol/L). In HEK 293 cells stably expressing rabbit B2R‐GFP, DM199 (11–108 pmol/L) elicited signaling‐dependent endocytosis and reexpression, while a higher concentration (1.1 nmol/L) induced a partially irreversible endocytosis of the construct (microscopy), paralleled by the appearance of free GFP in cells (immunoblotting, indicative of incomplete receptor down‐regulation). The pharmacology of DM199 at relevant concentrations (<10 nmol/L) is essentially based on the activity of locally generated kinins. Binding to and mild down‐regulation of the B2R is possibly a species‐dependent idiosyncratic response to DM199.
Human hepatic metabolism of the anti‐osteoporosis drug eldecalcitol involves sterol C4‐methyl oxidase
Authors: Yasuda Kaori , Iwanaga Yuasa , Ogawa Kazuaki , Mano Hiroki , Ueno Sera , Kimoto Shutaro , Ohta Miho , Kamakura Masaki , Ikushiro Shinichi , Sakaki Toshiyuki
Published: February 2015

The metabolism of eldecalcitol (ED‐71), a 2β‐hydroxypropoxylated analog of the active form of vitamin D3 was investigated by using in vitro systems. ED‐71 was metabolized to 1α,2β,25‐trihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,2β,25(OH)3D3) in human small intestine and liver microsomes. To identify the enzymes involved in this metabolism, we examined NADPH‐dependent metabolism by recombinant P450 isoforms belonging to the CYP1, 2, and 3 families, and revealed that CYP3A4 had the activity. However, the CYP3A4 ‐specific inhibitor, ketoconazole, decreased the activity in human liver microsomes by only 36%, suggesting that other enzymes could be involved in ED‐71 metabolism. Because metabolism was dramatically inhibited by cyanide, we assumed that sterol C4‐methyl oxidase like gene product (SC4MOL) might contribute to the metabolism of ED‐71. It is noted that SC4MOL is physiologically essential for cholesterol synthesis. Recombinant human SC4MOL expressed in COS7, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or Escherichia coli cells converted ED‐71 to 1α,2β,25(OH)3D3. Furthermore, we evaluated the metabolism of ED‐71 by recombinant CYP24A1, which plays an important role in the metabolism of the active form of vitamin D3 (1α,25(OH)2D3) and its analogs. The kcat/Km value for 24‐ or 23‐hydroxylation of ED‐71 was only 3% of that for 1α,25(OH)2D3, indicating that ED‐71 was resistant to CYP24A1‐dependent catabolism. Among the three enzymes catalyzing ED‐71, SC4MOL appears to be most important in the metabolism of ED‐71. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing that SC4MOL can function as a drug‐metabolizing enzyme. The yeast and E. coli expression systems for SC4MOL could be useful for structure‐function analyses of SC4MOL.
Portfolio Decisions and Brain Reactions via the CEAD method
Authors: Majer Piotr , Mohr Peter N. C. , Heekeren Hauke R. , Härdle Wolfgang K.
Published: February 2015

Decision making can be a complex process requiring the integration of several attributes of choice options. Understanding the neural processes underlying (uncertain) investment decisions is an important topic in neuroeconomics. We analyzed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from an investment decision study for stimulus-related effects. We propose a new technique for identifying activated brain regions: cluster, estimation, activation, and decision method. Our analysis is focused on clusters of voxels rather than voxel units. Thus, we achieve a higher signal-to-noise ratio within the unit tested and a smaller number of hypothesis tests compared with the often used General Linear Model (GLM). We propose to first conduct the brain parcellation by applying spatially constrained spectral clustering. The information within each cluster can then be extracted by the flexible dynamic semiparametric factor model (DSFM) dimension reduction technique and finally be tested for differences in activation between conditions. This sequence of Cluster, Estimation, Activation, and Decision admits a model-free analysis of the local fMRI signal. Applying a GLM on the DSFM-based time series resulted in a significant correlation between the risk of choice options and changes in fMRI signal in the anterior insula and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Additionally, individual differences in decision-related reactions within the DSFM time series predicted individual differences in risk attitudes as modeled with the framework of the mean-variance model.
A synthetic cannabinoid FDU-NNEI, two 2H-indazole isomers of synthetic cannabinoids AB-CHMINACA and NNEI indazole analog (MN-18), a phenethylamine derivative N–OH-EDMA, and a cathinone derivative dimethoxy-α-PHP, newly identified in illegal products
Authors: Uchiyama Nahoko , Shimokawa Yoshihiko , Kikura-Hanajiri Ruri , Demizu Yosuke , Goda Yukihiro , Hakamatsuka Takashi
Published: February 2015

Six new psychoactive substances were identified together with two other substances (compounds 1–8) in illegal products by our ongoing survey in Japan between January and July 2014. A new synthetic cannabinoid, FDU-NNEI [1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-N-(naphthalen-1-yl)-1H-indole-3-carboxamide, 2], was detected with the newly distributed synthetic cannabinoid FDU-PB-22 (1). Two 2H-indazole isomers of synthetic cannabinoids, AB-CHMINACA 2H-indazole analog (3) and NNEI 2H-indazole analog (4), were newly identified with 1H-indazoles [AB-CHMINACA and NNEI indazole analog (MN-18)]. In addition, 2-methylpropyl N-(naphthalen-1-yl) carbamate (5) and isobutyl 1-pentyl-1H-indazole-3-carboxylate (6) were detected in illegal products. Compound 6 is considered to be a by-product of the preparation of NNEI indazole analog from compound 5 and 1-pentyl-1H-indazole. A phenethylamine derivative, N–OH-EDMA [N-hydroxy-3,4-ethylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine, 7], and a cathinone derivative, dimethoxy-α-PHP (dimethoxy-α-pyrrolidinohexanophenone, 8), were newly identified in illegal products. Among them, compounds 1 and 8 have been controlled as designated substances (Shitei-Yakubutsu) under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law in Japan since August and November 2014, respectively.
Ambulatory vital signs in the workup of pulmonary embolism using a standardized 3-minute walk test
Authors: Amin Qamar , Perry Jeffrey J. , Stiell Ian G. , Mohapatra Subhra , Alsadoon Abdulaziz , Rodger Marc
Published: February 2015

Objective

Diagnosing pulmonary embolism can be difficult given its highly variable clinical presentation. Our objective was to determine whether a decrease in oxygen saturation or an increase in heart rate while ambulating could be used as an objective tool in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.

Methods

This was a two-site tertiary-care-centre prospective cohort study that enrolled adult emergency department or thrombosis clinic patients with suspected or newly confirmed pulmonary embolism. Patients were asked to participate in a standardized 3-minute walk test, which assessed ambulatory heart rate and ambulatory oxygen saturation. The primary outcome was pulmonary embolism.

Results

We enrolled 114 patients, including 30 with pulmonary embolism (26.3%). A ≥2% absolute decrease in ambulatory oxygen saturation and an ambulatory change in heart rate >10 beats per minute (BPM) were significantly associated with pulmonary embolism. An ambulatory heart rate change of >10 BPM had a sensitivity of 96.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 83.3 to 99.4) and a specificity of 31.0% (95% CI 22.1 to 45.0) for pulmonary embolism. A ≥2% absolute decrease ambulatory oxygen saturation had a sensitivity of 80.2% (95% CI 62.7 to 90.5) and a specificity of 39.3% (95% CI 29.5 to 50.0) for pulmonary embolism. The combination of both variables yielded a sensitivity of 100.0% (95% CI 87.0 to 100.0) and a specificity of 11.0% (95% CI 6.6 to 21.0).

Conclusion

In summary, our study found that an ambulatory heart rate change of >10 BPM or a ≥2% absolute decrease in ambulatory oxygen saturation from baseline during a standardized 3-minute walk test are highly correlated with pulmonary embolism. Although the findings appear promising, neither of these variables can currently be recommended as a screening tool for pulmonary embolism until larger prospective studies examine their performance either alone or with pre-existing rules.
How does servant leadership affect employee attitudes, behaviors, and psychological climates in a for-profit organizational context?
Authors: Ozyilmaz Adnan , Cicek Serpil S
Published: February 2015

This study investigates the effects of servant leadership on employee attitudes, behaviors, and psychological climates. In Study 1, the empirical results are based on data for 284 employees from 12 different organizations, and in Study 2, the results are based on data for 286 employees from 15 different organizations. The results show that servant leadership is positively and significantly related to organizational citizenship behavior, job satisfaction, and psychological climate. The relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction is also partially mediated by psychological climate. With these results, this study contributes to research showing that leadership has both direct and mediating effects on employee attitudes and behaviors.
Inter-organizational relationships and firm performance: A study of the US equity underwriting market in the investment banking industry
Authors: Lo Yi-Ju , Hung Tung Min
Published: February 2015

The debate on how firms govern their inter-organizational relationships to foster their business performance is far from being settled. While several arguments suggest both transactional and relational mechanisms may act as complementary or substitutive forces, this paper explores and demonstrates how both mechanisms can be jointly exploited to enhance performance. Adopting the context of the US equity underwriting market, this paper reveals that an issuer adopting a transactional governance mechanism to manage its inter-organizational relationships with underwriters obtains a lower cost offering (cost performance) but may not entail price premium (price performance) of that offering. In contrast, an issuer taking a relational governance mechanism has superior price performance but worse cost performance. Nevertheless, this paper uncovers that an issuer adopting a synthesized mechanism obtains better cost performance and price performance by leveraging the advantages from both of the transactional and relational mechanisms.
Toward a life cycle theory of board evolution: Considering firm legitimacy
Authors: Perrault Elise , McHugh Patrick
Published: February 2015

In this article, we build on recent attempts to theorize about the evolution of boards of directors by juxtaposing firms’ strategies to gain, maintain, and repair legitimacy onto their life cycle to examine how board characteristics change – both symbolically and substantively – to reflect their firm’s evolving legitimating strategy. In doing so, we develop insights contributing to our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the evolving structure and composition of boards of directors. We suggest that boards fulfill an important role ingrained in the firm’s legitimacy in addition to, and intertwined with, their substantive contribution to the firm’s performance at each life cycle stage. We also address firms’ real ability to effect change in their board as a function of the factors that pertain to each stage of life cycle. We conclude by expounding the implications of this novel framework for future research and managerial practice.
Good George Brewing
Authors: Bowden Stephen G
Published: February 2015

On 13 September 2012, the Good George Brewery and bar opened for business in the Hamilton, New Zealand suburb of Frankton. This case describes the start of the business, the environment that supported it and the resources and capabilities that were utilised. The case won the ANZAM award for best case study at the 2013 ANZAM Conference.
Positioning the reader: the effect of narrative point-of-view and familiarity of experience on situation model construction
Authors: MULCAHY MELISSA , GOULDTHORP BETHANIE
Published: February 2015

abstract

Previous research suggests that situation model construction may be influenced by a reader’s ability to embody the first-person perspective of the protagonist, including character emotions, during online comprehension. This study examined the effect of narrative point-of-view and readers’ own prior personal experience on reading engagement and comprehension. Participants read eighty short story passages on a computer screen, each describing either a familiar or an unfamiliar event. Stories were written in the first or third person, and either featured or did not feature a shift in protagonist emotions in the last sentence of the text. The results indicated that the use of third-person narrative point-of-view had an overall effect on reading engagement and enhanced readers’ ability to monitor changing character emotions. First-person narrative point-of-view, however, promoted protagonist empathy when participants read about unfamiliar events. The results also provide support for the conclusion that readers were more engaged with the story and constructed more effective situation models when they had prior personal experience of story events.
Sourceland controls and dispersal pathways of Holocene muds from boreholes of the Ionian Basin, Calabria, southern Italy
Authors: PERRI FRANCESCO , CRITELLI SALVATORE , DOMINICI ROCCO , MUTO FRANCESCO , PONTE MAURIZIO
Published: February 2015

Deep-marine muds were collected from two boreholes (Crati II and Neto VI) along the Ionian Calabrian Basin. The samples from the Crati II and the Neto VI boreholes show a similar mineralogical distribution; the marine muds contain mostly phyllosilicates, quartz, calcite, feldspars and dolomite. Traces of gypsum are present in a few samples. The Neto muds show higher concentrations of carbonates than the Crati muds; these contents are mainly related to recycling of the Neogene–Quaternary carbonate-rich marine deposits of the Crotone Basin, which mostly influences the composition of the Neto muds. The geochemical signatures of the muds mainly reflect a provenance characterized by felsic rocks with a minor, but not negligible, mafic supply. In particular, the hinterland composition of the Crati drainage area is on average more mafic in composition than the Neto drainage area. The higher mafic concentration of the Crati sample muds is probably related to the ophiolitiferous units that are exposed in the Crati drainage basin. The degree of source area weathering was most probably of low–moderate intensity because the Chemical Index of Alteration values for the studied muds range from 67 to 69. Furthermore, the low and constant Al/K and Rb/K ratios suggest low–moderate weathering without important fluctuations in weathering intensity. The Al2O3–TiO2–Zr ternary diagram and the values of the Index of Compositional Variability indicate that both the Neto and Crati muds are first-cycle, compositionally immature sediments, related to a tectonically active (collision) setting such as the Calabria–Peloritani Arc, where chemical weathering plays a minor role.
What Is Agrarian Labour? Contrasting Indigo Production in Colonial India and Indonesia
Authors: van Schendel Willem
Published: February 2015

In scholarly writings, the term “agrarian labour” is used variously. It can refer to a very specific set of productive activities – the cultivation of crops and animal husbandry – but it can also have the much broader connotation of rural or non-urban labour. These different uses can be confusing, especially in comparative research. This paper starts from the French comparative agriculture school and its conceptualization of three nested scales of analysis – the “cropping system”, the “activity system”, and the “agrarian system”. It tests these ideas in a comparison of labour employed in the production of indigo dye in two colonial systems (British India and the Dutch East Indies). The article concludes that this approach helps counteract monocausal explanations of labour relations in terms of agro-environmental determinants, the force of colonial capitalism, or local work cultures. It also promotes agriculture-sensitive readings of social transformations by comparing social orders that comprise both agricultural and non-agricultural labour relations.
Muybridge in the Parlor
Authors: OLSON ALEXANDER I.
Published: February 2015

Commonly regarded as one of the pioneers of motion-picture technology, Eadweard Muybridge carried out several photographic studies of animal and human movement in the late nineteenth century. One of Muybridge's lesser-known commissions was an album of interior photographs that he created in 1880 for his friends Kate and Robert Johnson. This article offers a close reading of this album and argues that it has more in common with Muybridge's motion studies than historians have previously recognized. Far from being a commercial outlier, the album offered Muybridge an opportunity to experiment with the technological and cultural possibilities of photography in a new way. Through ghosts, mirrors, and other forms of representational excess, these images make visible Muybridge's handiwork as a photographer and the intellectual complexity of his collaboration with Kate and Robert Johnson.
Carbon allowances and the demand for offsets: a comprehensive assessment of imperfect substitutes
Authors: Dormady Noah C. , Englander Gabriel
Published: February 2015

The efficient use of market-based policy instruments is an area of increasing importance as scholars and policymakers work to balance effective climate policy with economic growth. Carbon allowances and carbon offsets, despite being statutorily substitutable, behave in practice like imperfect substitutes. This paper provides a synthesis of extant work, market data and the regulatory frameworks of the world’s major carbon markets, and provides a comprehensive assessment of the drivers of demand for carbon offsets. It also provides a detailed assessment of the process through which international carbon offsets are produced, the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism. Demand for carbon offsets is heavily influenced by key programme design parameters that are specific to carbon market design and its implementation. These design parameters heavily influence the degree to which transaction costs, regulatory uncertainty and risk factor into the decisions of firms operating within the carbon trading programme. This paper also identifies key extra-statutory drivers that are outside of the policymaker’s control, which should be considered in both the policy design and the implementation process. This paper provides an instructive set of guiding criteria for policymakers and scholars for the design of future market-based environmental policy.
Robust adaptive fuzzy controller with supervisory compensator for MEMS gyroscope sensor
Authors: Fang Yunmei , Zhou Jian , Fei Juntao
Published: February 2015

In this paper, a robust adaptive fuzzy controller is proposed to improve the robustness and position tracking of a MEMS gyroscope sensor. The proposed controller is designed as an indirect adaptive fuzzy controller with a supervisory compensator. It incorporates a fuzzy inference system with an adaptive controller in a unified Lyapunov framework, which can approximate and compensate for the unknown system dynamics and nonlinearities in the MEMS gyroscope. The parameters of the membership functions in the fuzzy controller can be adjusted online based on the Lyapunov method. Moreover, a supervisory controller is employed to guarantee the asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system and boundedness of the state variables in the MEMS gyroscope model. Numerical simulations demonstrate the proposed robust adaptive fuzzy controller has satisfactory tracking performance and robustness in the presence of external disturbances.
Stabilizing the second-order nonholonomic systems with chained form by finite-time stabilizing controllers
Authors: He Guangping , Zhang Chenghao , Sun Wei , Geng Zhiyong
Published: February 2015

An underactuated mechanical system is generally a good test bed for advanced nonlinear controllers and can be applied to design a novel mechanical system with better energy efficiency and good controllability. It has been shown that the dynamics of many underactuated mechanical systems could be transformed into the chained canonical form. To improve the performance of the controllers presented in the literature, a novel controller design method is proposed in this paper. It is shown that the set-point stabilization problem of the second-order chained form systems can be changed into a trajectory-tracking problem based on the nonsmooth Hölder continuous feedback. By designing the tracked trajectory, the presented controller permits the achievement of exponential stability. Some numerical simulations demonstrate the stability of the proposed controller for an underactuated Hovercraft system.
Stiffness analysis of multibody systems using matrix structural analysis—MSA
Authors: Soares Júnior G. D. L. , Carvalho J. C. M. , Gonçalves R. S.
Published: February 2015

This paper deals with the stiffness analysis of multibody systems using the Matrix Structural Analysis—MSA. This methodology allows us to obtain the stiffness matrix of the structure from the stiffness properties of each element. First the MSA method is described and its application is detailed using an L-structure in order to make easy its understanding. Numerical and experimental results obtained for the L-structure and a 6-RSS parallel manipulator, follow to prove the validity of the methodology.
Abnormal myocardial blood flow in children with mild/moderate aortic stenosis
Authors: Madriago Erin , Wells Ronald , Sahn David J. , Diggs Brian S. , Langley Stephen M. , Woodward Daniel J. , Jerosch-Herold Michael , Silberbach Michael
Published: February 2015

Objective

To quantify myocardial blood flow in infants and children with mild or moderate aortic stenosis using adenosine-infusion cardiac magnetic resonance.

Background

It is unclear whether asymptomatic children with mild/moderate aortic stenosis have myocardial abnormalities. In addition, cardiac magnetic resonance-determined normative myocardial blood flow data in children have not been reported.

Methods

We studied 31 infants and children with either haemodynamically normal hearts (n=20, controls) or mild/moderate aortic stenosis (n=11). The left ventricular myocardium was divided into six segments, and the change in average segmental signal intensity during contrast transit was used to quantify absolute flow (ml/g/minute) at rest and during adenosine infusion by deconvolution of the tissue curves with the arterial input of contrast.

Results

In all the cases, adenosine was well tolerated without complications. The mean pressure gradient between the left ventricle and the ascending aorta was higher in the aortic stenosis group compared with controls (24 versus 3 mmHg, p<0.001). Left ventricular wall mass was slightly higher in the aortic stenosis group compared with controls (65 versus 50 g/m2, p<0.05). After adenosine treatment, both the absolute increase in myocardial blood flow (p<0.0001) and the hyperaemic flow significantly decreased (p<0.001) in children with mild/moderate aortic stenosis compared with controls.

Conclusion

Abnormal myocardial blood flow in children with mild/moderate aortic stenosis may be an important therapeutic target.