bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Psychological detachment and savoring in adaptation to cancer caregiving
Authors: Hou Wai Kai , Lau Kam Man , Ng Sin Man , Lee Tatia Mei Chun , Cheung Hester Yui Shan , Shum Tracy Chui Yu , Cheng Ashley Chi Kin
Published: October 2015

Background

Recovery experience including psychological detachment from caregiving and savoring positive moments in life could be complementary coping processes for cancer caregivers. This study aims to examine the nature of their associations with caregiving burden and anxiety and depressive symptoms among Chinese cancer caregivers in Hong Kong.

Methods

A total of 155 Chinese caregivers of recently diagnosed cancer patients (mean time since diagnosis = 42.57 days, SD = 39.25) were recruited from two major government‐funded hospitals and administered a questionnaire assessing psychological detachment, savoring, caregiving burden, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and demographics.

Results

Controlling for demographic and medical covariates, structural equation modeling revealed significant associations of detachment, savoring, and their interaction term with caregiving burden and anxiety and depressive symptoms. Detachment and savoring were inversely associated with caregiving burden only when the other was at lower/medium levels. Detachment was inversely associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms at lower/medium levels of savoring, but savoring was inversely associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms across all levels of detachment.

Conclusions

Detachment and savoring could overshadow the positive impact of the other on caregiving burden if either one is at higher levels, while they could demonstrate concurrent positive impact on burden when both are at lower/medium levels. Savoring could have a prioritized role in ameliorating caregivers' anxiety and depressive symptoms, supplemented by detachment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mediterranean fruit fly on Mimusops zeyheri indigenous to South Africa: a threat to the horticulture industry
Authors: Dube Zakheleni P , Mashela Phatu W , Mathabatha Raesibe V
Published: October 2015

BACKGROUND

Claims abound that the Transvaal red milkwood, Mimusops zeyheri, indigenous to areas with tropical and subtropical commercial fruit trees and fruiting vegetables in South Africa, is relatively pest free owing to its copious concentrations of latex in the above‐ground organs. On account of observed fruit fly damage symptoms, a study was conducted to determine whether M. zeyheri was a host to the notorious quarantined Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata).

RESULTS

Fruit samples were kept for 16–21 days in plastic pots containing moist steam‐pasteurised growing medium with tops covered with a mesh sheath capable of retaining emerging flies. Microscopic diagnosis of the trapped flies suggested that the morphological characteristics were congruent with those of C. capitata, which was confirmed through cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene sequence alignment with a 100% bootstrap value and 99% confidence probability when compared with those from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information database.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that M. zeyheri is a host of C. capitata. Therefore, C. capitata from infestation reservoirs of M. zeyheri fruit trees could be a major threat to the tropical and subtropical fruit industries in South Africa owing to the fruit‐bearing nature of the new host. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Comparisons of the performance of different statistical tests for time‐to‐event analysis with confounding factors: practical illustrations in kidney transplantation
Authors: Le Borgne Florent , Giraudeau Bruno , Querard Anne Héléne , Giral Magali , Foucher Yohann
Published: October 2015

Confounding factors are commonly encountered in observational studies. Several confounder‐adjusted tests to compare survival between differently exposed subjects were proposed. However, only few studies have compared their performances regarding type I error rates, and no study exists evaluating their type II error rates. In this paper, we performed a comparative simulation study based on two different applications in kidney transplantation research. Our results showed that the propensity score‐based inverse probability weighting (IPW) log‐rank test proposed by Xie and Liu (2005) can be recommended as a first descriptive approach as it provides adjusted survival curves and has acceptable type I and II error rates. Even better performance was observed for the Wald test of the parameter corresponding to the exposure variable in a multivariable‐adjusted Cox model. This last result is of primary interest regarding the exponentially increasing use of propensity score‐based methods in the literature. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Review and evaluation of penalised regression methods for risk prediction in low‐dimensional data with few events
Authors: Pavlou Menelaos , Ambler Gareth , Seaman Shaun , De Iorio Maria , Omar Rumana Z
Published: October 2015

Risk prediction models are used to predict a clinical outcome for patients using a set of predictors. We focus on predicting low‐dimensional binary outcomes typically arising in epidemiology, health services and public health research where logistic regression is commonly used. When the number of events is small compared with the number of regression coefficients, model overfitting can be a serious problem. An overfitted model tends to demonstrate poor predictive accuracy when applied to new data. We review frequentist and Bayesian shrinkage methods that may alleviate overfitting by shrinking the regression coefficients towards zero (some methods can also provide more parsimonious models by omitting some predictors). We evaluated their predictive performance in comparison with maximum likelihood estimation using real and simulated data. The simulation study showed that maximum likelihood estimation tends to produce overfitted models with poor predictive performance in scenarios with few events, and penalised methods can offer improvement. Ridge regression performed well, except in scenarios with many noise predictors. Lasso performed better than ridge in scenarios with many noise predictors and worse in the presence of correlated predictors. Elastic net, a hybrid of the two, performed well in all scenarios. Adaptive lasso and smoothly clipped absolute deviation performed best in scenarios with many noise predictors; in other scenarios, their performance was inferior to that of ridge and lasso. Bayesian approaches performed well when the hyperparameters for the priors were chosen carefully. Their use may aid variable selection, and they can be easily extended to clustered‐data settings and to incorporate external information. © 2015 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine Published by JohnWiley & Sons Ltd.
Joint Bayesian variable and graph selection for regression models with network‐structured predictors
Authors: Peterson Christine B. , Stingo Francesco C. , Vannucci Marina
Published: October 2015

In this work, we develop a Bayesian approach to perform selection of predictors that are linked within a network. We achieve this by combining a sparse regression model relating the predictors to a response variable with a graphical model describing conditional dependencies among the predictors. The proposed method is well‐suited for genomic applications because it allows the identification of pathways of functionally related genes or proteins that impact an outcome of interest. In contrast to previous approaches for network‐guided variable selection, we infer the network among predictors using a Gaussian graphical model and do not assume that network information is available a priori. We demonstrate that our method outperforms existing methods in identifying network‐structured predictors in simulation settings and illustrate our proposed model with an application to inference of proteins relevant to glioblastoma survival. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Delta‐based regression testing: a formal framework towards model‐driven regression testing
Authors: Nooraei Abadeh Maryam , Mirian‐Hosseinabadi Seyed‐Hassan
Published: October 2015

The increase in complexity and rate of technological changes in modern software development has led to a demand for systematic methods that raise the abstraction level for system maintenance and regression testing. Model‐driven development (MDD) has promised to reduce extra coding efforts in software maintenance activities using traceable change management. The research described in this paper presents a Z‐notation‐based framework, called delta‐based regression testing (DbRT), for formal modeling of regression testing in the context of MDD. The framework proposes to propagate the changes from a software specification to testing artifacts in order to preserve consistency after system evolution. Also, an effective delta‐based selection technique is provided for regression testing at the platform‐independent level. The framework is further enriched by introducing a new category of coverage patterns for DbRT. Complex coverage patterns can be defined using a declarative query language syntax for examining the adequacy of regression testing. Finally, an implementation technique and an analysis plan are provided to assess the effectiveness of the proposed framework. The assessment process is expected to be beneficial to both the platform‐independent and platform‐specific level of DbRT by identifying the desired coverage according to available testing resources. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Blueprint for Implementing Small‐Group Collaborative Discussions
Authors: Beaulieu‐Jones Lisa , Proctor C. Patrick
Published: October 2015

The adoption of the Common Core in many states across the country means we need to explore instructional approaches that promote student language use in order to meet many of the complex linguistic standards that comprise the Common Core. In this Teaching Tip, we provide a blueprint for a 4‐week collaborative discussion mini‐unit that a second grade teacher used in one of her small reading groups. We found that collaborative discussions can be implemented with relative ease and efficiency, and work with both bilingual and monolingual speakers alike. However, not all texts work for such discussions, and the teacher's role in facilitating participation is a necessary dimension of effective small group discussions.
Octahedral and Cyclic [Ag6] Cluster Cores Stabilized by {Ag3(Spz)3(N‐triphos)3} Motifs [HSpz = Pyrazine‐2‐thiolate, N‐triphos = Tris((diphenylphosphanyl)methyl)amine]: Ag···Ag Interactions
Authors: Ni Qing‐Ling , Zhang Fang , Huang Ting‐Hong , Wu Xue‐Peng , Wang Xiu‐Jian , Liang Guang‐Ming , Yang Kun‐Guo
Published: October 2015

The complexes [Ag12(Spz)12(N‐triphos)2][Ag3(Spz)3(N‐triphos)]2·(DMF)6 (1) and [Ag18(Spz)12(N‐triphos)4(CF3CO2)6] (2) were synthesized and structurally characterized by X‐ray diffraction [HSpz = pyrazine‐2‐thiolate, N‐triphos = tris((diphenylphosphanyl)methyl)amine]. The central [Ag6] ring with chair‐conformation in 1 and the ideally octahedral [Ag6] cluster core in 2 are both stabilized by the tripodal building units of neutral [Ag3(Spz)3(N‐triphos)] compound. The Ag···Ag distances of the [Ag6] moieties in 1 and 2 are 3.07 and 2.81 Å, respectively, exhibiting intermetallic interactions, which can enhance the stability of [Ag6] conformations. In addition, the π···π interactions between parallel pyrazine rings could impose on the building and the Ag···Ag interactions of these Ag–S clusters.
Catholics in Britain and Ireland, 1558-1829
Authors: Mullett Michael
Published: October 2015

In this new study, Michael Mullett examines the social, political and religious development of Catholic communities in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland from the Reformation to the arrival of toleration in the nineteenth century. The story is a sequence from active persecution, through unofficial tolerance, to legal recognition. Dr Mullett brings together original research with the new insights of specialist monographs and articles over recent years and provides indispensable information on how Britain's and particularly Ireland's, present religious situation has evolved.

The book also offers a timely updated review of the role religion has played in the emergence of collective identities in Britain and Ireland between 1558-1829. Controversial and shaking some long-held assumptions, the book is strongly argued on the basis of extensive research and a review of the existing literature.
Tyrosol Attenuates High Fat Diet‐Induced Hepatic Oxidative Stress: Potential Involvement of Cystathionine β‐Synthase and Cystathionine γ‐Lyase
Authors: Sarna Lindsei K. , Sid Victoria , Wang Pengqi , Siow Yaw L. , House James D. , O Karmin
Published: October 2015

The Mediterranean diet is known for its cardioprotective effects. Recently, its protective qualities have also been reported in patients with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Oxidative stress is one of the important factors responsible for the development and progression of NAFLD. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a multifaceted gasotransmitter, has emerged as a potential therapeutic target in NAFLD. Cystathionine β‐synthase (CBS) and cystathionine γ‐lyase (CSE) are major enzymes responsible for endogenous H2S synthesis. Since oxidative stress contributes to NAFLD pathogenesis, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of tyrosol, a major compound in olive oil and white wine, on high fat diet‐induced hepatic oxidative stress and the mechanisms involved. Mice (C57BL/6) were fed for 5 weeks with a control diet (10 % kcal fat), a high fat diet (60 % kcal fat, HFD) or a HFD supplemented with tyrosol. High fat diet feeding induced hepatic oxidative stress, as indicated by the significant increase in lipid peroxidation and NADPH oxidase activity. Tyrosol supplementation significantly increased hepatic CBS and CSE expression and H2S synthesis in high fat diet‐fed mice. Such effects were associated with the attenuation of high fat diet‐induced hepatic lipid peroxidation and the restoration of the redox equilibrium of the antioxidant glutathione. Tyrosol also inhibited palmitic acid‐induced oxidative stress in hepatocytes (HepG2 cells). These results suggest that the antioxidant properties of tyrosol may be mediated through functional changes in CBS and CSE activity, which might contribute to the hepatoprotective effect of the Mediterranean diet.
Estrategia de inversión optimizando la relación rentabilidad-riesgo: evidencia en el mercado accionario colombiano
Authors: Contreras Orlando E. , Bronfman Roberto Stein , Vecino Arenas Carlos E.
Published: October 2015

Este trabajo evalúa y contrasta la rentabilidad observada del portafolio de mercado respecto a la que se obtendría mediante un modelo de optimización que maximiza el ratio de Sharpe, usando retornos diarios del mercado bursátil colombiano. A partir de lo anterior, se obtienen 12 portafolios semestrales recomendados para el periodo 2007-2012 que se comparan con los valores reales del Índice de la Bolsa de Valores de Colombia. Los resultados alcanzados evidencian la efectividad del modelo formulado y la no eficiencia del portafolio de mercado observado, toda vez que sus recomendaciones demuestran un desempeño superior al del mercado. Los aportes de este estudio apuntan hacia el potencial de profundización de su análisis para otros escenarios y en la eventual posibilidad de adopción del modelo en decisiones reales de inversión.
Time to treatment predicts seizure outcome in a high-treatment gap epilepsy population
Authors: Fawale Michael , Owolabi Mayowa , Mustapha Adekunle , Komolafe Morenikeji , Adesola Ogunniyi
Published: October 2015

Objectives To investigate the relationship between time to antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment (TTT) and seizure outcome in a high treatment gap sub-Sahara African setting.

Methods Clinical and demographic characteristics of 72 adults with epilepsy aged 18–75 years were obtained. We estimated TTT as the difference between the duration of epilepsy and the duration of treatment. Indices of clinical outcome including seizure severity and 6-month disease remission were documented. The effects of TTT and other clinical and demographic characteristics on clinical outcomes were tested using bivariate and logistic regression analyses.

Results Forty (55.6%) of the participants initiated treatment within 5 years of seizure onset (TTT ≤ 5 years) while 32 (44.4%) initiated treatment after 5 years (TTT > 5 years). There was moderate to strong correlation between TTT and age of onset (p = .009), age at treatment initiation (p = .026), duration of epilepsy (p = .000), and seizure severity (p = .020). The TTT > 5 years group had an earlier mean age of onset (p = .015) and higher seizure severity score (p = .001) and were less likely to be in 6-month disease remission (p = .014). Time to treatment ≤5 years was the only independent predictor of lesser seizure severity (OR = 0.163, 95% CI = 0.041–0.649) and better 6-month remission (OR = 0.154, 95% CI = 0.031–0.770) after adjusting for age of onset, duration of epilepsy, and number of AEDs.

Conclusion Delayed treatment initiation is common in our sample and independently associated with poor seizure outcome.
Left cardiac sympathetic denervation: An important treatment option for patients with hereditary ventricular arrhythmias
Authors: Cho Yongkeun
Published: October 2015

Medications such as ß‐blockers are currently the primary treatment for patients with hereditary arrhythmia syndromes such as long QT syndrome (LQTS) and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT). However, these drugs are ineffective in some patients, and the other treatment option, that is implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation, is associated with significant complications in young and active patients. Left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) may reduce the wide gap between life‐long ß‐blocker medication and ICD implantation. Although LCSD is highly effective in prevention of cardiac events in patients with LQTS and CPVT, it is rarely used. The recently introduced procedure video‐assisted thoracoscopic LCSD is associated with short hospital stays and low morbidity. Thus, LCSD is an important therapeutic option for patients with LQTS and CPVT.
Measurement of diffuse ventricular fibrosis with myocardial T1 in patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Montgomery Jay A. , Abdallah Wissam , Yoneda Zachary T. , Brittain Evan , Aznaurov Sam G. , Parvez Babar , Adkins Keith , Whalen S. Patrick , Estrada J.C. , Shen Sharon , Crossley George H. , Kanagasundram Arvindh , Saavedra Pablo , Ellis Christopher R. , Lawson Mark , Darbar Dawood , Shoemaker M. Benjamin
Published: October 2015

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with cardiac fibrosis, which can now be measured noninvasively using T1‐mapping with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI). This study aimed to assess the impact of AF on ventricular T1 at the time of CMRI.

Methods

Subjects with AF scheduled for AF ablation underwent CMRI with standard electrocardiography gating and breath‐hold protocols on a 1.5 T scanner with post‐contrast ventricular T1 recorded from 6 regions of interest at the mid‐ventricle. Baseline demographic, clinical, and imaging characteristics were examined using univariate and multivariable linear regression modeling for an association with myocardial T1.

Results

One hundred fifty‐seven patients were studied (32% women; median age, 61 years [interquartile range {IQR}, 55–67], 50% persistent AF [episodes>7 days or requiring electrical or pharmacologic cardioversion], 30% in AF at the time of the CMRI). The median global T1 was 404 ms (IQR, 381–428). AF at the time of CMRI was associated with a 4.4% shorter T1 (p=0.000) compared to sinus rhythm when adjusted for age, sex, persistent AF, body mass index, congestive heart failure, and renal dysfunction (estimated glomerular filtration rate<60). A post‐hoc multivariate model adjusted for heart rate suggested that heart rate elevation (p=0.009) contributes to the reduction in T1 observed in patients with AF at the time of CMRI. No association between ventricular T1 and AF recurrence after ablation was demonstrated.

Conclusion

AF at the time of CMRI was associated with lower post‐contrast ventricular T1 compared with sinus rhythm. This effect was at least partly due to elevated heart rate. T1 was not associated with the recurrence of AF after ablation.
Endothelial Robo4 suppresses breast cancer growth and metastasis through regulation of tumor angiogenesis
Authors: Zhao Helong , Ahirwar Dinesh K. , Oghumu Steve , Wilkie Tasha , Powell Catherine A. , Nasser Mohd W. , Satoskar Abhay R. , Li Dean Y. , Ganju Ramesh K.
Published: October 2015

Targeting tumor angiogenesis is a promising alternative strategy for improvement of breast cancer therapy. Robo4 (roundabout homolog 4) signaling has been shown to protect endothelial integrity during sepsis shock and arthritis, and inhibit Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) signaling during pathological angiogenesis of retinopathy, which indicates that Robo4 might be a potential target for angiogenesis in breast cancer. In this study, we used immune competent Robo4 knockout mouse model to show that endothelial Robo4 is important for suppressing breast cancer growth and metastasis. And this effect does not involve the function of Robo4 on hematopoietic stem cells. Robo4 inhibits breast cancer growth and metastasis by regulating tumor angiogenesis, endothelial leakage and tight junction protein zonula occludens protein‐1 (ZO‐1) downregulation. Treatment with SecinH3, a small molecule drug which deactivates ARF6 downstream of Robo4, can enhance Robo4 signaling and thus inhibit breast cancer growth and metastasis. SecinH3 mediated its effect by reducing tumor angiogenesis rather than directly affecting cancer cell proliferation. In conclusion, endothelial Robo4 signaling is important for suppressing breast cancer growth and metastasis, and it can be targeted (enhanced) by administrating a small molecular drug.
Organisational analytical capacity: Policy evaluation in Belgium
Authors: Pattyn Vale´rie , Brans Marleen
Published: October 2015

Checklists for evaluation capacity builders include a wide range of building blocks for supporting evaluation activity. Yet, the relative importance of each building block is not clear. The purpose of this article is to identify the capacity related factors that are necessary, but not necessarily sufficient, for organisations that wish to institutionalise high quality policy evaluations. To retrieve these factors, we rely on the necessity function in qualitative comparative analysis. We present a study of twenty-seven organisations of the Flemish public sector (Belgium), in which the introduction of policy evaluations is relatively recent. Our case analysis thus sheds an interesting light upon how policy evaluation, and the underlying capacity to evaluate is given shape. Our findings point at evaluation demand as the most necessary prerequisite for fostering evaluation activity, more so than supply related factors.
Una breve introducción a los modelos de clases jerárquicas (HICLAS)
Authors: Leenen Iwin
Published: October 2015

En este artículo, se presenta una introducción no técnica a la familia de modelos de clases jerárquicas (HICLAS, abreviados por sus siglas en inglés). El modelo HICLAS original, propuesto por De Boeck y Rosenberg en 1988, permite analizar una matriz de datos binarios; es decir, analiza una tabla con valores de 0 o 1. Contrario a otros métodos de clasificación, HICLAS proporciona como resultado del análisis (a) dos clasificaciones jerárquicas, una de los «objetos» (las filas de la tabla) y otra de los «atributos» (las columnas), y (b) una asociación de dichas clasificaciones a partir de la cual se puede pronosticar (o reconstruir) el valor en cada celda de la tabla. Se ilustran los beneficios de los modelos HICLAS con ejemplos en el ámbito de la educación médica, explicando los diversos pasos en la aplicación de este método y con especial énfasis en la interpretación de los resultados.
LOCAL SET APPROXIMATION: MATTILA–VUORINEN TYPE SETS, REIFENBERG TYPE SETS, AND TANGENT SETS
Authors: BADGER MATTHEW , LEWIS STEPHEN
Published: October 2015

We investigate the interplay between the local and asymptotic geometry of a set $A\subseteq \mathbb{R}^{n}$ and the geometry of model sets ${\mathcal{S}}\subset {\mathcal{P}}(\mathbb{R}^{n})$, which approximate $A$ locally uniformly on small scales. The framework for local set approximation developed in this paper unifies and extends ideas of Jones, Mattila and Vuorinen, Reifenberg, and Preiss. We indicate several applications of this framework to variational problems that arise in geometric measure theory and partial differential equations. For instance, we show that the singular part of the support of an $(n-1)$-dimensional asymptotically optimally doubling measure in $\mathbb{R}^{n}$ ($n\geqslant 4$) has upper Minkowski dimension at most $n-4$.
Gravity currents: entrainment, stratification and self-similarity
Authors: Sher Diana , Woods Andrew W.
Published: October 2015

We present new experiments of the motion of a turbulent gravity current produced by the rapid release of a finite volume of dense aqueous solution from a lock of length $L$ into a channel $x>0$ filled with a finite depth, $H$, of fresh water. Using light attenuation we measure the mixing and evolving density of the flow, and, using dye studies, we follow the motion of the current and the ambient fluid. After the fluid has slumped to the base of the tank, there are two phases of the flow. When the front of the current, $x_{n}$, is within the region $2L<x_{n}<7L$, the fluid in the head of the current retains its original density and the flow travels with a constant speed. We find that approximately $0.75(\pm 0.05)$ of the ambient fluid displaced by the head mixes with the fluid in the head. The mixture rises over the head and feeds a growing stratified tail region of the flow. Dye studies show that fluid with the original density continues to reach the front of the current, at a speed which we estimate to be approximately $1.35\pm 0.05$ times that of the front, consistent with data of Berson (Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., vol. 84, 1958, pp. 1–16) and Kneller et al. (J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, vol. 104, 1999, pp. 5281–5291). This speed is similar to that of the ‘bore’, the trailing edge of the original lock gate fluid, as described by Rottman & Simpson (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 135, 1983, pp. 95–110). The continual mixing at the front leads to a gradual decrease of the mass of unmixed original lock gate fluid. Eventually, when the nose extends beyond $x_{n}\approx 7L$, the majority of the lock gate fluid has been diluted through the mixing. As the current continues, it adjusts to a second regime in which the position of the head increases with time as $x_{n}\approx 1.7B^{1/3}t^{2/3}$, where $B$ is the total buoyancy of the flow per unit width across the channel, while the depth-averaged reduced gravity in the head decreases through mixing with the ambient fluid according to the relation $g_{n}^{\prime }\approx 4.6H^{-1}B^{2/3}t^{-2/3}$. Measurements also show that the depth of the head $h_{n}(t)$ is approximately constant, $h_{n}\sim 0.38H$, and the reduced gravity decreases with height above the base of the current and with distance behind the front of the flow. Using the depth-averaged shallow-water equations, we derive a new class of self-similar solution which models the lateral structure of the flow by assuming the ambient fluid is entrained into the current in the head of the flow. By comparison with our data, we estimate that a fraction $0.69\pm 0.06$ of the ambient fluid displaced by the head of the current is mixed into the flow in this approximately self-similar regime, and the front of the current has a Froude number $0.9\pm 0.05$. We discuss the implications of our results for the evolution of the buoyancy in a gravity current as a function of the distance from the source.
Inferring skeletal production from time-averaged assemblages: skeletal loss pulls the timing of production pulses towards the modern period
Authors: Tomašových Adam , Kidwell Susan M. , Barber Rina Foygel
Published: October 2015

Age-frequency distributions of dead skeletal material on the landscape or seabed—information on the time that has elapsed since the death of individuals—provide decadal- to millennial-scale perspectives both on the history of production and on the processes that lead to skeletal disintegration and burial. So far, however, models quantifying the dynamics of skeletal loss have assumed that skeletal production is constant during time-averaged accumulation. Here, to improve inferences in conservation paleobiology and historical ecology, we evaluate the joint effects of temporally variable production and skeletal loss on postmortem age-frequency distributions (AFDs) to determine how to detect fluctuations in production over the recent past from AFDs. We show that, relative to the true timing of past production pulses, the modes of AFDs will be shifted to younger age cohorts, causing the true age of past pulses to be underestimated. This shift in the apparent timing of a past pulse in production will be stronger where loss rates are high and/or the rate of decline in production is slow; also, a single pulse coupled with a declining loss rate can, under some circumstances, generate a bimodal distribution. We apply these models to death assemblages of the bivalveNuculana taphriafrom the Southern California continental shelf, finding that: (1) an onshore-offshore gradient in time averaging is dominated by a gradient in the timing of production, reflecting the tracking of shallow-water habitats under a sea-level rise, rather than by a gradient in disintegration and sequestration rates, which remain constant with water depth; and (2) loss-corrected model-based estimates of the timing of past production are in good agreement with likely past changes in local production based on an independent sea-level curve.
THE RULE OF LAW, PARLIAMENTARY SOVEREIGNTY, AND A MINISTERIAL VETO OVER JUDICIAL DECISIONS
Authors: Allan T.R.S.
Published: October 2015

R (Evans) v Attorney General [2015] UKSC 21; [2015] 2 W.L.R. 813 is a case of real constitutional interest and importance. The division of opinion within the Supreme Court reflects divergent conceptions of fundamental principle. While all the Justices affirmed the principles of parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law, they understood them differently, resulting in disagreement about their correct reconciliation on the facts of the case. The majority of Justices achieved a real integration of these basic principles in a manner that the dissentients’ superficially more straightforward approach did not.
THE CONTINUING IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL GOODWILL IN PASSING OFF
Authors: Davis Jennifer
Published: October 2015

THE tort of passing off is embedded in the world of commerce. Its roots are in an age when customers patronised local speciality shops. Today it operates in a world of e-commerce operating across national boundaries. To succeed in passing off, the claimant must show it has goodwill, that there has been a misrepresentation, and as a result that the claimant has suffered damage or, in a quia timet action, that there is the likelihood of damage. Necessary to establishing goodwill is not only that the claimant's goods and services have a reputation in the relevant jurisdiction, but also that the claimant has customers there. The question raised in Starbucks (HK) Ltd. v British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc. [2015] UKSC 31; [2015] 1 W.L.R. 2628 was whether this principle is still relevant in what Lord Neuberger described as “the age of global electronic communication” (at [1]). The Supreme Court held that it was.
Les carrières ministérielles au Québec : Existe-t-il des différences entre les femmes et les hommes?
Authors: Tremblay Manon , Stockemer Daniel , Pelletier Réjean , Kerby Matthew
Published: October 2015

Puisant dans la littérature sur le processus de nomination au cabinet ainsi que celle sur les carrières ministérielles et les mobilités qu'elles comportent, ce texte examine l'hypothèse selon laquelle le taux de promotion et de rétrogradation ministérielles à l'intérieur d'un cabinet diffère pour les femmes et les hommes. Afin de vérifier cette hypothèse, nous avons constitué une base de données qui intègre les quelques deux cents personnes qui ont servi comme ministres au Conseil exécutif du Québec entre 1976 et 2012. L'analyse quantitative consiste en des statistiques descriptives et des modèles négatifs binominaux; elle prend en considération plusieurs variables telles que l’âge, l’éducation, et les mandats passés en politique. Nos résultats montrent que les carrières ministérielles des femmes et des hommes se déroulent selon une trajectoire commune. De manière plus précise, les femmes et les hommes entament leurs carrières ministérielles avec des responsabilités mineures, mais l'expérience ministérielle s'accumulant, les ministres des deux sexes décrochent des responsabilités de plus en plus importantes. En d'autres mots, les carrières ministérielles des femmes ne sont pas à la traîne de celles des hommes. Ce constat oblige à nuancer l'idée que les carrières ministérielles des femmes seraient moins glorieuses que celles de leurs compagnons.
Modulationally stable envelope solitons in astrophysical magnetoplasmas with degenerate relativistic electrons
Authors: Irfan M. , Ali S. , Mirza Arshad M. , Wang Yunliang
Published: October 2015

The formation and propagation characteristics of small-amplitude magnetoacoustic dark/grey solitons are investigated in a semi relativistic degenerate magnetoplasma whose constituents are electrons and singly ionized positive ions. For this purpose, the electrons are assumed to follow the degeneracy pressure law through the Chandrasekhar equation of state, while the inertial cold ions are taken as non-degenerate and magnetized. By solving the one-fluid quantum magnetohydrodynamic (QMHD) model with the aid of a reductive perturbation technique, a nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation is derived for weakly nonlinear envelope magnetoacoustic solitons. The NLS equation admits the existence of stable excitations, e.g. dark and grey solitons for which the condition $P/Q<0$ holds. Numerical results reveal that the variation of plasma number density, magnetic field strength, relativistic parameter $({\it\eta}_{e0})$ and the quantum parameter $(H)$ significantly modify the profiles of the envelope magnetoacoustic solitons. The present results are important to understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of magnetoacoustic solitons in astrophysical dense magnetoplasmas (viz., white dwarfs, magnetars, neutron stars, etc.), where the relativistic degeneracy effects play a vital role in collective interactions.
The current distribution and status of leopardsPanthera pardusin China
Authors: Laguardia Alice , Kamler Jan F. , Li Sheng , Zhang Chengcheng , Zhou Zhefeng , Shi Kun
Published: October 2015

The leopardPanthera pardus, categorized globally as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, has the widest distribution of any wild felid species, although in Asia it has declined dramatically and five subspecies are Endangered or Critically Endangered. In China at least three subspecies have been reported to occur throughout much of the country, and in 1998 the population was estimated to be 1,000. However, recent studies have indicated that leopards have disappeared from large areas, probably as a result of habitat loss, a low prey base and poaching, indicating this species may not be as common in China as previously believed. To examine this we reviewed recent literature and interviewed specialists to determine the current status and distribution of the leopard in China. Our findings indicate that the species has declined dramatically, with confirmation of presence at only 44 sites in 11 provinces, despite extensive surveys. Current populations are small and fragmented, and occur mainly in isolated nature reserves. We estimate a total population of only 174–348P. pardus japonensis(the north Chinese leopard), which is endemic to China, and < 30 individuals for each of the other subspecies whose distributions extend beyond China. We recommend that a separate IUCN assessment be made forP. pardus japonensis, and that this subspecies be categorized as Critically Endangered. Our findings are the first reliable estimates of the current distribution and status of the leopard in China, and provide valuable information that will help guide conservation efforts.
Modular-robotic structures for scalable collective actuation
Authors: Lengiewicz Jakub , Kursa Michał , Hołobut Paweł
Published: October 2015

We propose a new class of modular-robotic structures, intended to produce forces which scale with the number of modules. We adopt the concept of a spherical catom and extend it by a new connection type which is relatively strong but static. We examine analytically and numerically the mechanical properties of two collective-actuator designs. The simulations are based on the discrete element method (DEM), with friction and elastic deformations taken into account. One of the actuators is shown to generate forces proportional to its volume. This property seems necessary for building modular structures of useful strength and dimensions.
DECOLONIZATION AND SELF-DETERMINATION
Authors: Stilz Anna
Published: October 2015

While self-determination is a cardinal principle of international law, its meaning is often obscure. Yet international law clearly recognizes decolonization as a central application of the principle. Most ordinary people also agree that the liberation of colonial peoples was a moral triumph. This essay examines three philosophical theories of self-determination’s value, and asks which one best captures the reasons why decolonization was morally required. The instrumentalist theory holds that decolonization was required because subject peoples were unjustly governed, the democratic view holds that decolonization was required because subject peoples lacked democratic representation, and the associative view holds that decolonization was required because subject peoples were unable to affirm the political institutions their colonial rulers imposed on them. I argue that the associative view is superior to competing accounts, because it better reflects individuals’ “maker” interests in participating in shared political projects that they value. The essay further shows that if we accept the associative view, self-determination is not a sui generis value that applies to decolonization alone. Ultimately, our intuitions about decolonization can be justified only by invoking an interest on the part of persistently alienated groups in redrawing political boundaries. The same interest may justify self-determination in additional cases, such as autonomy for indigenous peoples, or greater independence for Scotland or Quebec.
EMERGENCY CLAIMS AND DEMOCRATIC ACTION
Authors: Rubenstein Jennifer C.
Published: October 2015

The straightforward normative importance of emergencies suggests that empirically engaged political theorists and philosophers should study them. Indeed, many have done so. In this essay, however, I argue that scholars interested in the political and/or moral dimensions of large-scale emergencies should shift their focus from emergencies to emergency claims. Building on Michael Saward’s model of a “representative claim,” I develop an account of an emergency claim as a claim that a particular (kind of) situation is an emergency, made by particular actors against particular background conditions to particular audiences, which in turn accept, ignore, or reject that claim. Emergency politics, in turn, consists of many different actors making and not making, accepting, and rejecting, a wide range of overlapping and competing emergency claims. I argue that scholars should shift their focus to emergency claims because doing so helps us see the fraught implications of emergency politics for marginalized groups. I examine three such implications: emergency claims are often “Janus-faced,” meaning that they function simultaneously as “weapons of the weak” and weapons of the strong; they are often regressive, including by discriminating against victims of chronic bad situations, and they often perpetuate and exacerbate existing social hierarchies. Noticing these troubling features of emergency politics raises a question that I do not address here: What might plausible alternatives to emergency politics look like?
THE MORALITY OF SANCTIONS
Authors: Pattison James
Published: October 2015

Economic sanctions have been subject to extensive criticism. They are often seen as indiscriminate, intending the harms that they inflict, and using the suffering of the innocent as a means to enact policy change. Indeed, some reject outright the permissibility of economic sanctions. By contrast, in this essay, I defend the case for economic sanctions. I argue that sanctions are not necessarily morally problematic and, in doing so, argue that sanctions are less morally problematic than is often claimed. I go on to argue that sanctions may sometimes be morally preferable to the leading alternatives and, in particular, to wars and doing nothing. This is in part because sanctions are more likely to distribute fairly the currently inevitable harms to innocents of tackling aggression and mass atrocities. In the final part of the essay, I draw on this point to argue more generally that that we should often favor a “Harm-Distribution Approach” in the ethics of war and peace.
Quality-protected folksonomy maintenance approaches: a brief survey
Authors: Jabeen Fouzia , Khusro Shah
Published: October 2015

Folksonomy gives liberty to its users to freely assign chosen keywords as tags, and this is the main reason behind its popularity. Apart from freedom, this system also reflects the collective intelligence of the crowd. However, this freedom and liberty can degrade quality of the folksonomy. It is required that quality of the folksonomy must remain consistently excellent and does not degrade with the passage of time. This is a survey paper, in which we present a brief survey of the research efforts intended to maintain a quality-protected folksonomy. We have organized our paper by looking at the problem from four aspects namely selection of quality tags, tag management features provided by folksonomy applications, folksonomy cleaning and interoperability of tags across platforms. We conclude our review with some of the interesting research topics, which need to be explored further. Our conclusion will be relevant and beneficial for engineers and designers who aim to design and maintain a quality-protected folksonomy.
Resolving conflicts in knowledge for ambient intelligence
Authors: Homola Martin , Patkos Theodore , Flouris Giorgos , Šefránek Ján , Šimko Alexander , Frtús Jozef , Zografistou Dimitra , Baláž Martin
Published: October 2015

Ambient intelligence (AmI) proposes pervasive information systems composed of autonomous agents embedded within the environment who, in orchestration, complement human activity in an intelligent manner. As such, it is an interesting and challenging application area for many computer science fields and approaches. A critical issue in such application scenarios is that the agents must be able to acquire, exchange, and evaluate knowledge about the environment, its users, and their activities. Knowledge populated between the agents in such systems may be contextually dependent, ambiguous, and incomplete. Conflicts may thus naturally arise, that need to be dealt with by the agents in an autonomous way. In this survey, we relate AmI to the area of knowledge representation and reasoning (KR), where conflict resolution has been studied for a long time. We take a look at a number of KR approaches that may be applied: context modelling, multi-context systems, belief revision, ontology evolution and debugging, argumentation, preferences, and paraconsistent reasoning. Our main goal is to describe the state of the art in these fields, and to draw attention of researchers to important theoretical issues and practical challenges that still need to be resolved, in order to reuse the results from KR in AmI systems or similar complex and demanding applications.
“Bureaucratic Bargaining”: An American Foreign Policy Simulation
Authors: Hobbs Heidi H. , Moreno Dario V.
Published: October 2015

The complexities of the governmental machinery and personal perceptions involved in the formulation of American foreign policy are difficult for students to comprehend from the confines of the classroom. Beginning students often enter the study of international relations/political science with a simplistic view of policy making. They tend to accept a priori what Graham Allison (1971) calls the “rational actor model” in which students “package the activities of various officials of a national government as action chosen by a unified actor, strongly analogous to an individual human being.” Students often believe that foreign policy is set by a cohesive group of individuals who share common goals and preferences. The additional tendency to anthropomorphize the state leads undergraduates to write papers in which nation-states are portrayed with such diverse human qualities as sympathy, cruelty, greed, and aggression.

Modern scholarship on decision making has expanded beyond this traditional view to encompass differing variables. There is an ongoing debate in the discipline as to what is the most potent variable in American foreign policy. One group of scholars contends that the bureaucratic or role variable is more important. While agreeing that role is a powerful restriction, particularly at the lower levels of the bureaucracy, other scholars argue that the individual perceptions and beliefs of policy makers are more important in the decision-making process.

Given the complicated nature of this debate, a creative way to expose beginning students to American foreign policy decision making is through a simulation. Simulations are useful for the study of the decision-making process because the standard lecture-discussion format, which provides a linear overview of the subject, does not adequately communicate the complex structure and multiplicity of factors in operation.
Summary and Analysis of a Survey of Graduate Core Courses in Comparative Politics
Authors: McHenry Dean E.
Published: October 2015

This paper summarizes the findings of a study of syllabi for the core course in comparative politics offered by a sample of political science departments in the United States with field offerings in comparative politics granting annually more than one Ph.D. These courses are given a variety of names. Some simply specify the subdiscipline, for example, Princeton's “Comparative Politics,” MIT's “Field Seminar in Comparative Politics” or Illinois' “Core Seminar in Comparative Politics.” Others specify the aspect or aspects of the subdiscipline given principal attention, for example, Stanford's “Major Theories in Comparative Politics,” Kentucky's “Comparative Politics: Theory and Method,” or Indiana University's “Seminar in Comparative Politics: Issues and Approaches.” Each is intended to provide graduate students with an understanding of the fundamental ideas of comparative politics. The purposes of the study were to assess the state of the subdiscipline and to facilitate the exchange of ideas among those involved in teaching such core courses. We recognize that a syllabus indicates only a part of what is taught and learned in any course. Nevertheless, syllabi fairly well reflect the topics and scholarly readings deemed most important by teachers in the field.

Scholars in the subdiscipline of comparative politics frequently have noted the lack of agreement among comparativists on frameworks, methodologies and subject matter. Macridis and Brown in the 1961 edition of their reader described the field as “in a state of flux” (3). During the 1960s and 1970s, the lack of agreement probably increased. Kaufman and Rosenau in 1977 described the field as then “in a state of ferment” (45).