bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and study of lipopeptide inhibitors on preventing aggregation of human islet amyloid polypeptide residues 11‐20
Authors: Mao Yexuan , Yu Lanlan , Mao Mengfan , Ma Chuanguo , Qu Lingbo
Published: November 2017

Type 2 diabetes mellitus, a kind of conformational disease, has become an epidemic disease, which seriously endangers the quality of life and health of human beings. The deposition of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) has been considered as one of the major pathological features of type 2 diabetes mellitus. As lipopeptides have some hydrophobic groups, which are similar to the reported aggregation inhibitors, and some lipopeptides could prevent cells from depositing of amyloid fibrils, several potential lipopeptide inhibitors have been engineered and synthesized, which have been assessed for their inhibitory effect in preventing amyloid fibrils formation of hIAPP11‐20 by using the conventional thioflavin‐T fluorescence assay and new technique microscale thermophoresis (MST). The final amyloid fibrils of hIAPP11‐20 were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. Results suggested that with the increasing length of alkyl chain, the antiaggregation efficiency of lipopeptide inhibitors towards hIAPP11‐20 increased gradually. Meanwhile, the amount of arginines, which represent the head groups of lipopeptides, may also have some influence. The binding events also showed that the inhibitory efficiency of these lipopeptide inhibitors was enhanced with the increase of affinities between lipopeptides and hIAPP11‐20, which were obtained from MST. This study demonstrated the efficiency of lipopeptides in inhibiting the aggregation of hIAPP11‐20 and proved that MST could be regarded as an appropriate and rapid method to screen potential inhibitors of hIAPP11‐20 or other amyloid proteins. This study also broadens the types of inhibitors on inhibiting amyloid formation of hIAPP.
Bayesian monotonic errors‐in‐variables models with applications to pathogen susceptibility testing
Authors: DePalma Glen , Craig Bruce A.
Published: November 2017

Drug dilution (MIC) and disk diffusion (DIA) are the 2 most common antimicrobial susceptibility assays used by hospitals and clinics to determine an unknown pathogen's susceptibility to various antibiotics. Since only one assay is commonly used, it is important that the 2 assays give similar results. Calibration of the DIA assay to the MIC assay is typically done using the error‐rate bounded method, which selects DIA breakpoints that minimize the observed discrepancies between the 2 assays. In 2000, Craig proposed a model‐based approach that specifically models the measurement error and rounding processes of each assay, the underlying pathogen distribution, and the true monotonic relationship between the 2 assays. The 2 assays are then calibrated by focusing on matching the probabilities of correct classification (susceptible, indeterminant, and resistant). This approach results in greater precision and accuracy for estimating DIA breakpoints. In this paper, we expand the flexibility of the model‐based method by introducing a Bayesian 4‐parameter logistic model (extending Craig's original 3‐parameter model) as well as a Bayesian nonparametric spline model to describe the relationship between the 2 assays. We propose 2 ways to handle spline knot selection, considering many equally spaced knots but restricting overfitting via a random walk prior and treating the number and location of knots as additional unknown parameters. We demonstrate the 2 approaches via a series of simulation studies and apply the methods to 2 real data sets.
Preparing to teach both content and language: Four ESOL teacher candidates' experiences
Authors: Tigert Johanna M. , Peercy Megan Madigan
Published: November 2017

The emphasis on English language learner (ELL) education in the United States has shifted heavily toward integrated content and language instruction. Now, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) teachers are expected to teach language through content areas, such as math, in an effort to meet the needs of ELLs. However, ESOL teacher education programs have thus far focused mainly on developing teacher candidates' (TCs') knowledge of language pedagogy, and have devoted scant attention to preparing TCs for teaching in content areas. This study focuses on the experiences of four ESOL TCs during their MEd TESOL program. The authors examined how prepared the TCs felt to teach in the content areas and what experiences best equipped them to integrate content and language. Overall, the TCs felt that their university coursework did not sufficiently prepare them to teach in the content areas. Instead, the path to integrating content and language was complex, aided primarily by hands‐on experiences and mentor support during the internship, coupled with TCs' prior knowledge gained from undergraduate content area studies. The findings point to the need to offer more content‐focused teacher preparation for ESOL teacher candidates, during both their coursework and practicum.
Using wind velocity estimated from a reanalysis to minimize the variability of aggregated wind farm production over Europe
Authors: Tejeda César , Gallardo Clemente , Domínguez Marta , Gaertner Miguel Ángel , Gutierrez Claudia , de Castro Manuel
Published: November 2017

In this work we use the mean‐variance portfolio optimization, using as input the power derived from the wind and density results of meteorological model simulations (ERA‐Interim reanalysis), to minimize the variability of the wind power produced in a large region. The methodology involves selecting the placement of the wind farms on a high spatial resolution grid. We used the EU‐28 region to check the method and perform sensitivity tests. We studied the influence of the ratio between the total installed power of the whole domain (Pt) and the maximum power that can be installed per cell (Pmi) on the variability of wind power yield. The results show that the reliability of the electrical system improves when Pmi grows and worsens when Pt grows. A quadratic fit relates the variability of the system and the aforementioned ratio. The optimization procedure tends to select groups of terrain cells where wind farms should be installed. These groups grow when more energy production is demanded of the system, but they roughly maintain their location. There is some evidence that in a larger region greater system reliability could be achieved. Most of the selected cells have either a high or a low capacity factor and those with the latter are crucial in enhancing system reliability.
Road mitigation is a demographic filter for grizzly bears
Authors: Ford Adam T. , Barrueto Mirjam , Clevenger Anthony P.
Published: November 2017

Crossing structures (i.e., underpasses and overpasses) are becoming a widespread approach to promote movement of wildlife across roads. Studies have shown that species select for different crossing structure designs, yet little is known about intraspecific variation (i.e., differences among demographic classes) in crossing structure preference. Using data on grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) movement in Banff National Park (AB, Canada), we focused on selection by family groups (adult females travelling with young) and singleton (adult male or female) bears for 5 crossing structure designs distributed among 44 sites. Using data from the world's longest running monitoring program (1997–2014) on wildlife crossing structure use, we created an economic model to estimate demographic‐specific cost‐effectiveness for each crossing structure design. We found that all grizzly bears selected larger and more open structures (overpasses and open‐span bridges). Use of these structures has generally increased with time at a rate that exceeds estimates of population growth. Family groups were more selective than singletons and strongly selected overpasses. In spite of singletons’ selection for overpasses and open‐span bridges, box culverts were comparable in cost‐effectiveness. Our results suggest that structure designs targeting the selection of grizzly bear family groups are effective at restoring population connectivity, but a systematic approach to designing highway mitigation also would consider the role of lesser used structures in reducing intraspecific predation and multispecies connectivity targets. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
A proposal for (0,2) mirrors of toric varieties
Authors: Gu Wei , Sharpe Eric
Published: November 2017

Abstract

In this paper we propose (0,2) mirrors for general Fano toric varieties with special tangent bundle deformations, corresponding to subsets of toric deformations. Our mirrors are of the form of (B/2-twisted) (0,2) Landau-Ginzburg models, matching Hori-Vafa mirrors on the (2,2) locus. We compare our predictions to (0,2) mirrors obtained by Chen et al. for certain examples of toric varieties, and find that they match. We also briefly outline conjectures for analogous results for hypersurfaces in Fano toric varieties. Our methods utilize results from supersymmetric localization, which allows us to incidentally gain occasional further insights into GLSM-based (2,2) mirror constructions. For example, we explicitly verify that closed string correlation functions of the original A-twisted GLSM match those of the mirror B-twisted Landau-Ginzburg model, as well as (0,2) deformations thereof.
Complex Chern-Simons from M5-branes on the squashed three-sphere
Authors: Córdova Clay , Jafferis Daniel L.
Published: November 2017

Abstract

We derive an equivalence between the (2,0) superconformal M5-brane field theory dimensionally reduced on a squashed three-sphere, and Chern-Simons theory with complex gauge group. In the reduction, the massless fermions obtain an action which is second order in derivatives and are reinterpreted as ghosts for gauge fixing the emergent non-compact gauge symmetry. A squashing parameter in the geometry controls the imaginary part of the complex Chern-Simons level.
A Novel Technique of Paravertebral Thoracic and Preperitoneal Analgesia Enhances Early Recovery After Oesophagectomy
Authors: Phillips Stephanie , Dedic‐Hagan Jasmina , Baxter d’Arcy Ferris , Van der Wall H. , Falk G. L.
Published: November 2017

Background

Excellent analgesia following oesophagectomy facilitates patient comfort, early extubation, physiotherapy and mobilisation, reduces post‐operative complications and should enhance recovery. Thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA), the gold standard analgesic regimen for this procedure, is often associated with systemic hypotension treated with inotropes or fluid. This may compromise enhanced recovery and be complicated by anastomotic ischaemia or tissue oedema.

Methods

We report a novel analgesic regimen to reduce post‐operative inotrope usage. Infusion of ropivicaine via bilateral preperitoneal and right paravertebral catheters was used. Patient‐controlled epidural pethidine provided rescue analgesia (WC) (n = 21). A retrospective audit of inotrope requirement, mean pain scores, episodes of respiratory depression and excessive sedation, need for reintubation, reoperation in the first 5 post‐operative days, time to mobilisation, time in intensive care, time in hospital and 30‐day mortality were measured. These results were compared with those of an earlier patient group who received a thoracic epidural infusion of low‐dose local anaesthetic and fentanyl (TEA) (n = 21).

Results

Inotrope use was reduced by 29% in the WC group (p = 0.03) and the mean intensive care stay reduced by 2.4 days (p = 0.03), as was reintubation rate (p = 0.01) and early mobilisation (p = 0.03). The pain score was comparable in both groups, and there was no difference in the other outcomes examined.

Conclusion

The data demonstrated that it was possible to provide excellent post‐oesophagectomy analgesia equivalent to thoracic epidural infusions of local anaesthetic with reduction in inotrope requirements, intensive care stay, more rapid mobilisation, facilitating enhanced recovery.
A Generalized Speed–Accuracy Response Model for Dichotomous Items
Authors: van Rijn Peter W. , Ali Usama S.
Published: November 2017

We propose a generalization of the speed–accuracy response model (SARM) introduced by Maris and van der Maas (Psychometrika 77:615–633, 2012). In these models, the scores that result from a scoring rule that incorporates both the speed and accuracy of item responses are modeled. Our generalization is similar to that of the one-parameter logistic (or Rasch) model to the two-parameter logistic (or Birnbaum) model in item response theory. An expectation–maximization (EM) algorithm for estimating model parameters and standard errors was developed. Furthermore, methods to assess model fit are provided in the form of generalized residuals for item score functions and saddlepoint approximations to the density of the sum score. The presented methods were evaluated in a small simulation study, the results of which indicated good parameter recovery and reasonable type I error rates for the residuals. Finally, the methods were applied to two real data sets. It was found that the two-parameter SARM showed improved fit compared to the one-parameter SARM in both data sets.
Correction to: Physiological insights of recent clinical diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for cardiovascular diseases
Authors: Shigemi Kenji , Fuke Soichiro , Une Dai , Saku Keita , Shimizu Shuji , Kawada Toru , Shishido Toshiaki , Sunagawa Kenji , Sugimachi Masaru
Published: November 2017

The article Physiological insights of recent clinical diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for cardiovascular diseases, written by Kenji Shigemi, Soichiro Fuke, Dai Une, Keita Saku, Shuji Shimizu, Toru Kawada, Toshiaki Shishido, Kenji Sunagawa and Masaru Sugimachi, was originally published Online First without open access.
Cognitive Disparities: The Impact of the Great Depression and Cumulative Inequality on Later-Life Cognitive Function
Authors: Hale Jo Mhairi
Published: November 2017

Population aging has driven a spate of recent research on later-life cognitive function. Greater longevity increases the lifetime risk of memory diseases that compromise the cognitive abilities vital to well-being. Alzheimer’s disease, thought to be the most common underlying pathology for elders’ cognitive dysfunction (Willis and Hakim 2013), is already the sixth leading cause of death in the United States (Alzheimer’s Association 2016). Understanding social determinants of pathological cognitive decline is key to crafting interventions, but evidence is inconclusive for how social factors interact over the life course to affect cognitive function. I study whether early-life exposure to the Great Depression is directly associated with later-life cognitive function, influences risky behaviors over the life course, and/or accumulates with other life-course disadvantages. Using growth curve models to analyze the Health and Retirement Study, I find that early-life exposure to the Great Depression is associated with fluid cognition, controlling for intervening factors—evidence for a critical period model. I find little support for a social trajectory model. Disadvantage accumulates over the life course to predict worse cognitive function, providing strong evidence for a cumulative inequality model.
Gender and the Stability of Same-Sex and Different-Sex Relationships Among Young Adults
Authors: Joyner Kara , Manning Wendy , Bogle Ryan
Published: November 2017

Most research on the stability of adult relationships has focused on coresidential (cohabiting or married) unions and estimates rates of dissolution for the period of coresidence. Studies examining how the stability of coresidential unions differs by sex composition have typically found that same-sex female couples have higher rates of dissolution than same-sex male couples and different-sex couples. We argue that the more elevated rates of dissolution for same-sex female couples are a by-product of the focus on coresidential unions. We use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to compare rates of dissolution based on the total duration of romantic and sexual relationships for same-sex male couples, same-sex female couples, and different-sex couples. Results from hazard models that track the stability of young adult relationships from the time they are formed demonstrate that male couples have substantially higher dissolution rates than female couples and different-sex couples. Results based on models restricted to the period of coresidence corroborate the counterintuitive finding from earlier studies that female couples have the highest rates of dissolving coresidential unions. This study underlines the importance of comparisons between these couple types for a better understanding of the role that institutions and gender play in the stability of contemporary relationships.
Maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent academic attainment: Testing pathways via parenting and self‐control
Authors: Ng‐Knight Terry , Shelton Katherine H. , Frederickson Norah , McManus I.C. , Rice Frances
Published: November 2017

Maternal depression is associated with reduced academic attainment in children, however, it is not clear how this association comes about. Depressive symptoms are associated with impairment in social roles including parenting. Children's self‐control is an important contributor to academic attainment and is influenced by parenting. We therefore hypothesised that impaired parenting and children's self‐control may mediate links between maternal depression and children's academic attainment. Data were from a brief longitudinal study (3 waves) of UK children aged 11–12 years and their mothers. Higher maternal depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with lower academic attainment in children assessed one year later. There was evidence to support an indirect effect of maternal depressive symptoms on children's academic attainment through the mother‐child and the father‐child relationship which, in turn, reduced children's self‐control. These influences were independent of socio‐economic deprivation. A direct effect of maternal depression on children's academic attainment was also observed.
“So that's the way it is for me — always being left out.” Acquired Pragmatic Language Impairment and Social Functioning following Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Douglas Jacinta M.
Published: November 2017

Our ability to interact appropriately in everyday interpersonal situations is fundamental to successful social integration. Impaired pragmatic competence correlates significantly and substantially with indices of social function across several domains for adults with acquired neurological disorders. In particular, evidence supports the negative impact of pragmatic impairments on the development and maintenance of relationships and community integration more generally.

Pragmatic language competence sits in a complex, multifactorial space characterised by interacting associations with cognitive and psychological functions and social and environmental parameters. This complexity is evident in much of the research seeking to unravel the nature and magnitude of interactions between pragmatic language competence and social outcomes in adults with acquired neurological disorders.

Over recent years our understanding of the impact of pragmatic impairments on social outcome has benefited substantially from inclusion of the insider's perspective in our research evidence base. Indeed, a methodological inclusion of constructivist paradigms has enabled the development of a rich understanding of the devastating social impact of impaired pragmatic competence.

The aim of this paper is to review pragmatic language impairment in the context of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and detail its impact on social functioning from the perspectives of people with TBI and their intimate partners/spouses and friends. With these perspectives as background, the paper concludes with consideration of therapeutic developments and a brief look at a novel intervention designed to reduce the negative impact of pragmatic deficits and improve functional language use following TBI.
Botulinum Toxin Type A Injections as Monotherapy for Upper Limb Essential Tremor Using Kinematics
Authors: Samotus Olivia , Kumar Niraj , Rizek Philippe , Jog Mandar
Published: November 2017

Background:There is a significant need for a targeted therapy for essential tremor (ET), as medications have not been developed specifically for ET, and the ones prescribed are often not well-tolerated, so that many patients remain untreated. Recent work has shown that, unlike previous experience, kinematically guided individualized botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) injections provide benefit along with minimal weakness. Ours is the first long-term (96-week) safety and efficacy study of BoNT-A as monotherapy for ET using kinematically driven injection parameters.Methods:Ten ET patients were administered six serial BoNT-A treatments every 16 weeks and were assessed at 6 weeks following treatment. During each study visit, the Fahn–Tolosa–Marin (FTM) scale, the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, and the Quality of Life for Essential Tremor Questionnaire (QUEST) were administered along with kinematic assessment of the treated limb. Participants performed scripted tasks with motion sensors placed over each arm joint. Dosing patterns were determined using the movement disorder neurologist’s interpretation of muscles contributing to the kinematically analyzed upper limb tremor biomechanics.Results:There was a 33.8% (p<0.05) functional improvement (FTM part C) and a 39.8% (p<0.0005) improvement in QUEST score at week 96 compared to pretreatment scores at week 0. Although there was a 44.6% (p<0.0005) non-dose-dependent reduction in maximal grip strength, only 2 participants complained of mild weakness. Following the fourth serial treatment, mean action tremor score was reduced by 62.9% (p=0.001) in the treated and by 44.4% (p=0.03) in the untreated arm at week 96 compared to week 48.Conclusions:Individualized BoNT-A dosing patterns to each individual’s tremor biomechanics provided an effective monotherapy for ET as function improved without functionally limiting muscle weakness.
Syntaxe du français médiéval et changement linguistique : Études de corpus
Authors: Dufresne Monique , Labelle Marie
Published: November 2017

Ce numéro spécial de la Revue canadienne de linguistique présente un ensemble d’études sur le français médiéval découlant d'un colloque qui a eu lieu à l'UQAM les 3 et 4 octobre 2014 sous le thème « L'utilisation des corpus (annotés) pour comprendre le changement linguistique ». Dans cette introduction, nous mettrons en évidence trois facteurs qui donnent à ce numéro son intérêt et son unité : les thèmes abordés, les approches linguistiques et sociolinguistiques et les modes d'utilisation des corpus.
Beyond Blaming the Victim: Toward a More Progressive Understanding of Workplace Mistreatment
Authors: Cortina Lilia M. , Rabelo Verónica Caridad , Holland Kathryn J.
Published: November 2017

Theories of human aggression can inform research, policy, and practice in organizations. One such theory, victim precipitation, originated in the field of criminology. According to this perspective, some victims invite abuse through their personalities, styles of speech or dress, actions, and even their inactions. That is, they are partly at fault for the wrongdoing of others. This notion is gaining purchase in industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology as an explanation for workplace mistreatment. The first half of our article provides an overview and critique of the victim precipitation hypothesis. After tracing its history, we review the flaws of victim precipitation as catalogued by scientists and practitioners over several decades. We also consider real-world implications of victim precipitation thinking, such as the exoneration of violent criminals. Confident that I-O can do better, the second half of this article highlights alternative frameworks for researching and redressing hostile work behavior. In addition, we discuss a broad analytic paradigm—perpetrator predation—as a way to understand workplace abuse without blaming the abused. We take the position that these alternative perspectives offer stronger, more practical, and more progressive explanations for workplace mistreatment. Victim precipitation, we conclude, is an archaic ideology. Criminologists have long since abandoned it, and so should we.
A Self-Regulation Model of Zhong Yong Thinking and Employee Adaptive Performance
Authors: Pan Wen , Sun Li-Yun
Published: November 2017

Indigenous Chinese management research has attracted much academic attention in recent years. This study examines the mechanism through which Zhong Yong thinking influences employee adaptive performance from a self-regulation perspective. Using two-wave data of 361 subordinates in 62 teams from Chinese firms, job complexity was found to moderate the direct effect of Zhong Yong thinking on cognitive adaptability and emotional control, and the indirect effect on adaptive performance (via cognitive adaptability and emotional control). The direct and indirect effects of Zhong Yong thinking were found to be stronger with a higher level of job complexity. The study explores an important Chinese indigenous construct and its association with adaptive performance, and adds value to the indigenous management literature.
Establishing phenotypic performance of grass varieties on Irish grassland farms
Authors: BYRNE N. , GILLILAND T. J. , McHUGH N. , DELABY L. , GEOGHEGAN A. , O'DONOVAN M.
Published: November 2017

Conventionally perennial ryegrass evaluations are conducted under simulated grazing studies to identify varieties with the best phenotypic performance. However, cut-plot environments differ greatly to those experienced on commercial farms as varieties are not exposed to the same stress levels in test environments. It could be argued that plot-based testing regimes provide little direction to plant breeders in the development of advanced varieties. Varietal phenotypic performance needs to be quantified in ‘commercial’ situations. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the phenotypic performance of a range of perennial ryegrass varieties under commercial farm conditions. Monocultures of 11 Irish Recommended List perennial ryegrass varieties were sown on 66 commercial farms throughout Ireland where performance was evaluated over a 3-year period from 2013 to 2015, inclusive. A linear mixed model was used to quantify variety effects on grassland phenotypic performance characteristics. No significant variety effect was estimated for total, seasonal or silage herbage production. Despite the lack of variety effects, pairwise comparisons found significant performance differences between individual varieties. Grazed herbage yield is of primary importance and was shown to be correlated strongly with total production (0.71); Grazed herbage yield differed significantly by variety, with a range of 1927 kg dry matter (DM)/ha between the highest and lowest performing varieties. Sward quality (dry matter digestibility [DMD]) and density were influenced by variety with a range of 44 g/kg DM for DMD and 0.7 ground score units between the highest and lowest performing varieties. Results of the current study show that on-farm evaluation is effective in identifying the most suitable varieties for intensive grazing regimes, and the phenotypic variance identified among varieties performance for many traits should allow for improved genetic gain in areas such as DM production, persistence and grazing efficiency.
SMALL FAMILY NORMS AND FAMILY WELL-BEING IN INDONESIA, 2006–2014
Authors: Sujarwoto S.
Published: November 2017

This study examines the consequences of the universalization of small family norms in Indonesia for family well-being over the past decade (2006–2014) using contrasting views of Malthusian theory. Data came from Indonesia’s 2006–2014 Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas) conducted by Indonesia’s Bureau of Statistics and from official statistics. The survey covered 2.3 million households in 483 districts of the country. The findings show a steady small family ratio and an increase in family well-being over this period. A small family was found to be positively associated with high family well-being. The benefits of a small family for family well-being were found to vary between different sub-groups and sub-national levels. The data reveal that improving human capital and increasing access to formal jobs may be among the channels by which small family norms have increased family well-being in Indonesia.
FERTILITY TRANSITION IN SRI LANKA: IS IT A TEMPORARY PHENOMENON?
Authors: Perera E. L. Sunethra J.
Published: November 2017

This paper examines the fertility transition and its recent dynamics in Sri Lanka using data from Demographic and Health Surveys and Population Censuses. Fertility trends and patterns were analysed for two periods: 1953–2000 and 2000–2012. The findings revealed that Sri Lanka’s fertility transition has been relatively rapid and has taken place over a period of about four decades to reach replacement level. Social and health-related factors, including decline in maternal and infant mortality, increase in women’s education, changes in institutions, reproductive values and behaviour, and increased contraceptive use all contributed to bringing down the fertility level by 2000. However, in the 2006/07 Sri Lankan DHS and 2012 Population Census, a slight increase in Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to 2.3 and 2.4, respectively, was observed. Binary logistic regression estimates based on 2006/2007 DHS data were used to identify the significant predictors of fertility preferences of ever-married women. The analysis of factors affecting the likelihood of having a larger family (more than 2 children) revealed that lower educated women were more likely to have a higher number of children than their counterparts with a higher level of education. Women who lived in rural and estate (commercial area of 20 acres or more employing 10 or more labourers) sectors were 1.4 and 1.2 times, respectively, more likely to prefer more children compared with urban women. In terms of ethnic groups, Moor and Tamil women were 4.5 and 1.4 times, respectively, more likely to prefer more children than Sinhalese women. When the economic status of women was considered, the poorer women were 1.4 times more likely to desire a higher number of children compared with rich women, while women in the middle wealth quintile were 1.2 times more likely to desire more children. The findings suggest that the Sri Lankan government should re-visit population and reproductive health policy and family planning programmes to see how it can better manage fertility among the different population groups in Sri Lanka.
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF LOW FERTILITY IN BRAZIL
Authors: Castanheira Helena Cruz , Kohler Hans-Peter
Published: November 2017

An increasing number of developing countries are experiencing below replacement fertility rates. Although the factors associated with low fertility in developed countries have been widely explored in the literature, studies of low fertility in middle- and low-income countries continue to be rare. To help fill this gap, Brazil was used as a case study to assess whether human development, gender equality and the ability of mothers with young children to work are associated with the likelihood of married or cohabiting women to have a child. For this purpose, multilevel logistic regressions were estimated using the 1991, 2000 and 2010 Brazilian Demographic Censuses. It was found that human development was negatively associated with fertility in the three periods analysed. Gender equality and the ability of mothers with young children to work were positively associated with the odds of having higher order births in Brazil in 2000 and 2010. In 1991, these variables were not associated with higher order births, and gender equality was negatively associated with first births. The positive association found in 2000 and 2010 may constitute a reversal of the relationship that in all likelihood prevailed earlier in the demographic transition when gender equality was most likely negatively correlated with fertility levels.
Temperature modulates the interaction between fungicide pollution and disease: evidence from a Daphnia-microparasitic yeast model
Authors: Cuco Ana P. , Castro Bruno B. , Gonçalves Fernando , Wolinska Justyna , Abrantes Nelson
Published: November 2017

Temperature is expected to modulate the responses of organisms to stress. Here, we aimed to assess the influence of temperature on the interaction between parasitism and fungicide contamination. Specifically, using the cladoceran Daphnia as a model system, we explored the isolated and interactive effects of parasite challenge (yeast Metschnikowia bicuspidata) and exposure to fungicides (copper sulphate and tebuconazole) at two temperatures (17 and 20 °C), in a fully factorial design. Confirming a previous study, M. bicuspidata infection and copper exposure caused independent effects on Daphnia life history, whereas infection was permanently suppressed with tebuconazole exposure. Here, we show that higher temperature generally increased the virulence of the parasite, with the hosts developing signs of infection earlier, reproducing less and dying at an earlier age. These effects were consistent across copper concentrations, whereas the joint effects of temperature (which enhanced the difference between non-infected and infected hosts) and the anti-parasitic action of tebuconazole resulted in a more pronounced parasite × tebuconazole interaction at the higher temperature. Thus, besides independently influencing parasite and contaminant effects, the temperature can act as a modulator of interactions between pollution and disease.
Classroom-oriented research: Processing Instruction (findings and implications)
Authors: Benati Alessandro
Published: November 2017

This paper firstly presents and examines the pedagogical intervention called Processing Instruction (PI). Secondly, it reviews and discusses the main findings of the empirical research conducted to measure the relative effects of PI. Current research trends within the PI research framework will be outlined. Experimental research investigating the effects of this pedagogical intervention in language teaching, and grammar instruction in particular, has primarily used listening and reading measures (so-called ‘off-line measures’) to elicit how learners comprehend and process sentences. On-line measurements, such as eye tracking and self-paced reading, have now been incorporated into PI research to measure language processing more directly. Finally, this paper provides specific guidelines and procedures for teachers on when and how to use PI.
Transpositions: Text and Reality
Authors: Rosenthal Yoav
Published: November 2017

The final passage of B. Ketubbot discusses the question of living and burial in the Land of Israel or Babylonia. This essay examines one unit within that passage featuring a debate between Rav Yehudah and R. Zeira regarding migration from Babylonia to the Land of Israel. The unit appears in two different locations in textual witnesses to the Talmud. Its migration and the particular points where it was incorporated suggest that its true place is as a satellite passage alongside the main one. This recognition correlates with other observations arising from an examination of the unit and its relationship to other parts of the passage and parallel sources, leading to the conclusion that though the main text discusses migration from Babylonia to the Land of Israel, this unit apparently has a different agenda: to legitimize the very existence of a Jewish center in Babylonia.
Developmental relations between amygdala volume and anxiety traits: Effects of informant, sex, and age
Authors: Warnell Katherine Rice , Pecukonis Meredith , Redcay Elizabeth
Published: November 2017

Although substantial human and animal evidence suggests a role for the amygdala in anxiety, literature linking amygdala volume to anxiety symptomatology is inconclusive, with studies finding positive, negative, and null results. Clarifying this brain–behavior relation in middle to late childhood is especially important, as this is a time both of amygdala structural maturation and the emergence of many anxiety disorders. The goal of the current study was to clarify inconsistent findings in previous literature by identifying factors moderating the relation between amygdala volume and anxiety traits in a large sample of typically developing children aged 6–13 years (N = 72). In particular, we investigated the moderating effects of informant (parent vs. child), age, and sex. We found that children's reports (i.e., self-reports) were related to amygdala volume; children who reported higher anxiety levels had smaller amygdalae. This negative relation between amygdala volume and anxiety weakened with age. There was also an independent effect of sex, such that relations were stronger in males than in females. These results indicate the importance of considering sample and informant characteristics when charting the neurobiological mechanisms underlying developmental anxiety.
John Deakin Heaton and the ‘elusive civic pride of the Victorian middle class’
Authors: MORGAN SIMON
Published: November 2017

Civic pride is rarely studied at the individual level. The journals of Dr John Deakin Heaton provide a unique insight into the motivations of a man linked to many institutions and civic sites of Leeds, celebrated by historians as a progenitor of its famous town hall and the city's first university. This article uses those journals to investigate the matrix of family honour, Anglicanism and professional identity, tempered by self-interest, underpinning Heaton's desire to improve his native town. Its conclusions further justify the recent historiographical emphasis on associational culture and ritual in the study of urban governance.
Lexical entrenchment and cross-language activation: Two sides of the same coin for bilingual reading across the adult lifespan
Authors: WHITFORD VERONICA , TITONE DEBRA
Published: November 2017

We used eye movement measures of paragraph reading to examine whether two consequences of bilingualism, namely, reduced lexical entrenchment (i.e., reduced lexical quality and accessibility arising from less absolute language experience) and cross-language activation (i.e., simultaneous co-activation of target- and non-target-language lexical representations) interact during word processing in bilingual younger and older adults. Specifically, we focused on the interaction between word frequency (a predictor of lexical entrenchment) and cross-language neighborhood density (a predictor of cross-language activation) during first- and second-language reading. Across both languages and both age groups, greater cross-language (and within-language) neighborhood density facilitated word processing, indexed by smaller word frequency effects. Moreover, word frequency effects and, to a lesser extent, cross-language neighborhood density effects were larger in older versus younger adults, potentially reflecting age-related changes in lexical accessibility and cognitive control. Thus, lexical entrenchment and cross-language activation multiplicatively influence bilingual word processing across the adult lifespan.
Awareness, use and information sources of folic acid supplementation to prevent neural tube defects in pregnant Japanese women
Authors: Yamamoto Shumi , Wada Yoshinao
Published: November 2017

Objective

Folic acid supplementation and folate-rich diets are recommended for women of childbearing age worldwide to prevent congenital anomalies. We aimed to determine the current status of folic acid supplementation among pregnant Japanese women and identify means to increase the intake of these supplements.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Subjects

A total of 1862 pregnant women who consulted the perinatal centre from September 2014 to December 2015 completed a questionnaire concerning knowledge about folic acid, sources of information and the use of folic acid supplements.

Setting

Osaka Medical Center and Research Institute for Maternal and Child Health (Japan).

Results

In our study population, only 20·5 % of pregnant women took folic acid supplements periconceptionally even though 70·4 % knew about the protective effect of folic acid. A multivariate analysis demonstrated that age ≥35 years (OR=2·80; 95 % CI 1·24, 6·29) and knowledge of the benefits of folic acid (OR=2·64; 95 % CI 1·92, 3·62) were associated with periconceptional folic acid use, and multiparity was negatively associated with such use. Compared with those who took folic acid supplements periconceptionally, women who did not take supplements received information through passive and less interactive media.

Conclusions

Although folic acid awareness was relatively high among pregnant Japanese women, folic acid supplementation before conception was insufficient. To increase the intake of folic acid supplements in countries in which foods are not fortified with folic acid, an effective public health approach promoting behavioural change is necessary for women of reproductive age.
THE RACE AGAINST TIME
Authors: Kwate Naa Oyo A.
Published: November 2017

In this paper I argue that time is a social determinant of health, and one that perpetuates racial health inequalities. Specifically, Black people in the United States experience time losses across numerous domains throughout the life course, putting them at risk of disproportionate morbidity and mortality. Fundamental cause theory holds that social conditions structure health through pathways to resources including money, knowledge, power, prestige, freedom, and social networks. Racialized time indirectly harms health by disrupting or denying access to these flexible resources and by undoing utility among those that are obtained. Racialized time harms health directly when it produces stress and exacerbates conditions of racial subordination. I examine racialized time in three categories: 1) Black people spending too much time to meet basic needs; 2) Black people having less time spent on them than is required; and 3) lost years of (good quality of) life. Linkages between time and health disadvantage exist in material resources, interactions with the state, intimate lives, public space, and cognitive processes.
Reexamining the Nineteenth-Century Presidency and Partisan Press: The Case of President Grant and the Whiskey Ring Scandal
Authors: Hopper Jennifer Rose
Published: November 2017

Studies of the institutional development of the presidency and popular leadership by presidents over time lead us to contrary expectations as to how a nineteenth-century president would react to a major political scandal. Scholarship on newspapers of the late 1800s is also unclear on how a quasipartisan media, with some outlets moving toward independence, would cover a White House scandal. I find that a close analysis of the case of President Ulysses S. Grant and the Whiskey Ring scandal forces us to reconsider what we assume to be firmly modern developments in both presidential studies and media history. Though a supposedly “premodern” president, Grant still mounted a concerted effort to mitigate the damage of the scandal. Further, although the president could get his version of events across in prominent newspapers, Republican newspaper coverage was hardly reliable. Newspapers also connected politicians’ character and psychology to mistakes made in office and made presidential strategies to shape public perception clear to their audiences—emphases on political gamesmanship considered hallmarks of the modern media environment.
HILDEGARDIAN PROPHECY AND FRENCH PROPHECY COLLECTIONS, 1378–1455: A STUDY AND CRITICAL EDITION OF THE “SCHISM EXTRACTS”
Authors: HAYTON MAGDA
Published: November 2017

This article offers a study and critical edition of a group of passages (here called the “Schism Extracts”) that were compiled from the apocalyptic prophecies of Hildegard of Bingen and heavily annotated in response to the Great Western Schism (1378–1417). The article argues that the Extracts were created by someone with ties to the University of Paris to illuminate a French perspective on the Schism and that they circulated primarily within a Parisian milieu—both among masters at the university and among members of religious houses in and around Paris. The article outlines the main contents and themes of the Extracts and the manuscript contexts in which they are found, including five prophecy collections. While one prophecy collection is known to have been compiled by the Parisian master Simon du Bosc, it is here argued that three of the other collections were produced by Pierre d'Ailly or someone within his circle of associates. Many of the prophetic writings selected for these collections thematically concern the eschatological and reformist role of France and a future holy angelic pope (thepastor angelicus). These include the writings of John of Rupescissa, and parallels between the Extracts and John's reading of Hildegard suggest that the compiler of the text was well-versed in John's apocalyptic thought.
HROÐGAR AND THEGYLDEN HILTINBEOWULF
Authors: CRONAN DENNIS
Published: November 2017

The account of the destruction of the giants in the flood presented in lines 1689b–93 ofBeowulfis probably the commentary of the narrator and not part of the inscription on the hilt. It is addressed to the audience, and it completes our understanding of the significance of Beowulf's victory beneath the mere. Hroðgar's extended gaze at the hilt before he begins his speech is a sign that he is also reaching toward a new understanding of theeotenaswho have plagued his people. Regardless of whether he is able to read the runic inscription on the hilt, he can read the hilt itself against Beowulf's account of his struggle. The presence of the hilt in his hands implies an extensive social nexus for his apparently solitary enemies, who are now revealed as the enemies of God as well. Hroðgar knows nothing of the biblical stories of Cain and Abel or the flood, but his understanding of the meaning of Grendel's attacks now tracks that of the audience fairly closely. Although his “sermon” is not a direct response to the brief account of the flood, this account provides us with a context for understanding his speech.
THE POETRY OF THEPOETRIA NOVA: THENUBES SERENAANDPEREGRINATIOOF METAPHOR
Authors: WILLIS KATHERINE E. C.
Published: November 2017

Geoffrey of Vinsauf'sPoetria novamust be studied as a poem in its own right as thoroughly as it has been studied as a technical rhetorical treatise; although many scholars have acknowledged the brilliance of his style, few analyses thereof exist. This imbalance in criticism limits our understanding of his ideas and the appeal they held for medieval poets. This study, therefore, focuses on two images in the section onornatus graves, or weighty ornamentation, the category of figures defined by its reliance ontransumptio. In describing its moving effects, Geoffrey uses the imagery of a pilgrimage (peregrinatio) and of a “clear cloud” (nubes serena). Both help him explain how transumptive language at first displaces or hides meaning beneath something that is deceptively ordinary. When that meaning becomes clear to the reader, however, the recognition can be delightful, intoxicating, or even wondrously transporting. The images are not original to Geoffrey, nor are they drawn from the discourse of formal rhetoric. Rather,peregrinatioand thenubes serenahave a rich history in liturgical drama, biblical commentary, and iconography where they signify a kind of spiritual transport remarkably similar to Geoffrey's conception oftransumptioin terms of process and quality. Thus, thePoetria novaleverages the spiritual significance of the images to make a decisively literary point about the wondrous power of subtle, transumptive language. Only by recognizing the resonance of these images can we fully appreciate just how highly Geoffrey valuestransumptio. Approaching thePoetria novawith a poet's eye expands the range and scope of likely influences on the treatise and, more importantly, deepens our appreciation for his remarkable commitment as a poet to the affective potential of transumptive language.