bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of physical activity and sleep duration in growth and body composition of preschool‐aged children
Authors: Butte Nancy F. , Puyau Maurice R. , Wilson Theresa A. , Liu Yan , Wong William W. , Adolph Anne L. , Zakeri Issa F.
Published: April 2016

Objective

The impact of physical activity patterns and sleep duration on growth and body composition of preschool‐aged children remains unresolved. Aims were (1) to delineate cross‐sectional associations among physical activity components, sleep, total energy expenditure (TEE), and body size and composition; and (2) to determine whether physical activity components, sleep, and TEE predict 1‐year changes in body size and composition in healthy preschool‐aged children.

Methods

Anthropometry, body composition, accelerometry, and TEE by doubly labeled water were measured at baseline; anthropometry and body composition were repeated 1 year later (n = 111).

Results

Cross‐sectionally, positive associations between sedentary activity and weight and fat‐free mass (FFM) (P = 0.009‐0.047), and a negative association between moderate‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and percent fat mass (FM) (P = 0.015) were observed. TEE and activity energy expenditure (AEE) were positively associated with weight, body mass index (BMI), FFM, and FM (P = 0.0001‐0.046). Prospectively, TEE, AEE, physical activity level, and MVPA, but not sedentary activity, were positively associated with changes in BMI (P = 0.0001‐0.051) and FFM (P = 0.0001‐0.037), but not percent FM. Sleep duration inversely predicted changes in FM (P = 0.005) and percent FM (P = 0.006).

Conclusions

Prospectively, MVPA, TEE, AEE, and physical activity level promote normal growth and accretion of FFM, whereas sleep duration inversely predicts changes in adiposity in preschool‐aged children.
The Effect of Additives on the Burning Rate of Silicon‐Calcium Sulfate Pyrotechnic Delay Compositions
Authors: Tichapondwa Shepherd M. , Focke Walter W. , Del Fabbro Olinto , Labuschagne George
Published: April 2016

The effect of fuel particle size as well as the influence of inert and reactive additives on the burning rate of the Si‐CaSO4 composition was evaluated. The burning rate decreased with increase in fuel particle size, while the enthalpy remained constant. Addition of fuels to the base composition increased the burning rate, with an increase from 12.5 mm ⋅ s−1 to 43 mm ⋅ s−1 being recorded upon 10 wt‐% Al addition. Ternary mixtures of silicon, calcium sulfate, and an additional oxidizer generally decreased the burning rate, with the exception of bismuth trioxide, where it increased. The Si‐CaSO4 formulation was found to be sensitive to the presence of inert material, addition of as little as 1 wt‐% fumed silica stifled combustion in the aluminum tubes.
A backbone amide protecting group for overcoming difficult sequences and suppressing aspartimide formation
Authors: Abdel‐Aal Abu‐Baker M. , Papageorgiou George , Raz Richard , Quibell Martin , Burlina Fabienne , Offer John
Published: April 2016

A backbone amide bond protecting group, 2‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxy‐5‐nitrobenzyl (Hmnb), improved the synthesis of aggregation and aspartimide‐prone peptides. Introduction of Hmnb is automated and carried out during peptide assembly by addition of 4‐methoxy‐5‐nitrosalicylaldehyde to the peptidyl‐resin and on‐resin reduction to the secondary amine. Acylation of the hindered secondary amine is aided by the formation of an internal nitrophenol ester that undergoes a favourable O,N intramolecular acyl transfer. This activated ester participates in the coupling and generally gives complete reaction with standard coupling conditions. Hmnb is easily available in a single preparative step from commercially available material. Different methods for removing the amide protecting group were explored. The protecting group is labile to acidolysis, following reduction of the nitro group to the aniline. The two main uses of backbone protection of preventing aspartimide formation and of overcoming difficult sequences are demonstrated, first with the synthesis of a challenging aspartimide‐prone test sequence and then with the classic difficult sequence ACP (65‐74) and a 23‐mer homopolymer of polyalanine.
Estimating Key Largo woodrat abundance using spatially explicit capture–recapture and trapping point transects
Authors: Potts Joanne M. , Buckland Stephen T. , Thomas Len , Savage Anne
Published: April 2016

The Key Largo woodrat (Neotoma floridana smalli) is an endangered rodent with a restricted geographic range and small population size. Establishing an efficient monitoring program of its abundance has been problematic; previous trapping designs have not worked well because the species is sparsely distributed. We compared Key Largo woodrat abundance estimates in Key Largo, Florida, USA, obtained using trapping point transects (TPT) and spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) based on statistical properties, survey effort, practicality, and cost. Both methods combine aspects of distance sampling with capture–recapture, but TPT relies on radiotracking individuals to estimate detectability and SECR relies on repeat capture information to estimate densities of home ranges. Abundance estimates using TPT in the spring of 2007 and 2008 were 333 woodrats (CV = 0.46) and 696 (CV = 0.43), respectively. Abundance estimates using SECR in the spring, summer, and winter of 2007 were 97 (CV = 0.31), 334 (CV = 0.26), and 433 (CV = 0.20) animals, respectively. Trapping point transects used approximately 960 person‐hours and 1,010 trap‐nights/season. Spatially explicit capture–recapture used approximately 500 person‐hours and 6,468 trap‐nights/season. Significant time was saved in the SECR survey by setting large numbers of traps close together, minimizing time walking between traps. Trapping point transects were practical to implement in the field, and valuable auxiliary information on Key Largo woodrat behavior was obtained via radiocollaring. In this particular study, detectability of the woodrat using TPT was very low and consequently the SECR method was more efficient. Both methods require a substantial investment in survey effort to detect any change in abundance because of large uncertainty in estimates. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.
Fetal middle cerebral artery Doppler indices and clinical application at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana
Authors: Seffah Joseph D. , Swarray‐Deen Alim
Published: April 2016

Objective

To determine normal ranges for various Doppler flow velocity indices of the fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA) and their trends in normal pregnancies at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.

Methods

A prospective cross‐sectional study was conducted at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in 2015. Included women had a singleton pregnancy of 20–40 weeks' duration, dated using an early ultrasonography scan, and normal fetal growth. Interviews were conducted to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, followed by Doppler ultrasonography of the MCA. The resistive index, pulsatility index, systolic‐to‐diastolic ratio, and peak systolic velocity of the MCA were determined for all participants.

Results

Overall, 458 pregnant women were recruited. The peak systolic velocity increased with advancing gestational age and a positive correlation of r = 0.725 (P < 0.001) was demonstrated between the peak systolic velocity and the gestational age. The resistive index, pulsatility index, and systolic‐to‐diastolic ratio of the MCA decreased with advancing gestational age in a parabolic pattern.

Conclusion

The reference curve for the peak systolic velocity increases with gestational age, whereas the other indices decrease in a parabolic pattern.
Diagnostic value of amniotic fluid inflammatory biomarkers for subclinical chorioamnionitis
Authors: Liu Yinglin , Liu Yukun , Du Chuying , Zhang Rui , Feng Ziya , Zhang Jianping
Published: April 2016

Objective

To determine the value of measuring amniotic fluid inflammatory biomarkers for diagnosis of subclinical chorioamnionitis.

Methods

A prospective study was conducted among pregnant women with cervical dilation, preterm premature rupture of membranes, threatened late abortion, or threatened premature labor who attended a tertiary care hospital in Guangzhou, China, between June 1, 2012, and January 31, 2014. Participants were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of subclinical chorioamnionitis. Surface‐enhanced laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectroscopy (SELDI‐TOF‐MS) was used to detect human neutrophil defensins (HNP‐1 and HNP‐2), calgranulins A (S100 A8), and calgranulins C (S100 A12) in amniocentesis samples.

Results

Overall, 22 patients had subclinical chorioamnionitis and 17 patients did not. Positive test results for HNP‐2 were noted for more patients with subclinical chorioamnionitis than for those without for HNP‐2 (19 [86%] vs 2 [12%]; P < 0.001), HNP‐1 (19 [86%] vs 5 [29%]; P = 0.001), S100 A12 (20 [91%] vs 9 [53%]; P = 0.011), and S100 A8 (12 [55%] vs 0; P < 0.001). When three or four of these biomarkers were present, the accuracy for a diagnosis of subclinical chorioamnionitis was 89.7%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 81.8%, 100.0%, 100.0%, and 81.0%, respectively.

Conclusion

Detection of inflammatory biomarkers in the amniotic fluid by SELDI‐TOF‐MS exhibited high diagnostic accuracy for subclinical chorioamnionitis.
Neuropathologic differences by race from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center
Authors: Graff‐Radford Neill R. , Besser Lilah M. , Crook Julia E. , Kukull Walter A. , Dickson Dennis W.
Published: April 2016

Introduction

Compared to Caucasians, African Americans (AAs) have higher dementia prevalence, different genetic markers, and higher vascular risk factors. However, pathologic underpinnings are unknown.

Methods

We used neuropathologic and clinical data on 110 AA and 2500 Caucasians who were demented before death. The groups were compared regarding demographics, cognition, apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, comorbidities, and clinical and neuropathologic characteristics.

Results

AA and Caucasians differed in their demographics, cognition at the last visit before death, APOE genotype, presence of hypertension, primary clinical diagnoses, and AD, cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and other neuropathologies such as Lewy body disease (LBD).

Discussion

AD, LBD, and CVD pathology were more common and TDP and frontotemporal lobar degeneration–tau less common in AA than in Caucasians. APOE accounted for most of the AD neuropathologic differences. If replicated, the observed differences in underlying neuropathology by race will be important for public health policy and recruitment for and interpreting of clinical trials.
What Happened to Our Environment and Mental Health as a Result of Hurricane Sandy?
Authors: Lin Shao , Lu Yi , Justino John , Dong Guanghui , Lauper Ursula
Published: April 2016

Objectives

This study describes findings of the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on environmental factors including power outages, air quality, water quality, and weather factors and how these affected mental health during the hurricane.

Methods

An ecological study was conducted at the county level to describe changes in environmental factors—especially power outages—and their relationships to emergency department (ED) visits for mental health problems by use of a Poisson regression model.

Results

We found that many environmental hazards occurred as co-exposures during Hurricane Sandy in addition to flooding. Mental health ED visits corresponded with the peak of maximum daily power blackouts, with a 3-day lag, and were positively associated with power blackouts in Bronx (prevalence ratio [PR]: 8.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27–61.42) and Queens (PR: 2.47, 95% CI: 1.05–5.82) counties. A possible dose-response relationship was found between the quantile of maximum blackout percentage and the risk of mental health in the Bronx.

Conclusion

We found that multiple co-environmental hazards occurred during Hurricane Sandy, especially power blackouts that mediated this disaster’s impacts. The effects of power outage on mental health had large geographic variations and were substantial, especially in communities with low sociodemographic status. These findings may provide new insights for future disaster response and preparedness efforts. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:314–319)
The 12-item WHO Disability Assessment Schedule II as an outcome measure for treatment of common mental disorders
Authors: Thomas C.C. , Rathod S.D. , De Silva M.J. , Weiss H.A. , Patel V.
Published: April 2016

Background.

Common mental disorders (CMD) are among the most significant contributors to disability worldwide. Patient-reported disability outcomes should be included as a key metric in the comparative assessment of value across global mental health interventions. This study aims to evaluate the validity of a widely used, cross-cultural tool – the 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS) – as a functional outcome measure for CMD treatment.

Methods.

The study population includes 1024 participants with CMD enrolled in the MANAS trial in India. CMD was assessed using the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). Disability was assessed using the 12-item WHODAS II plus a measure of disability days. This analysis presents the correlations between these disability items and CMD symptom severity at 2 months after enrollment (convergent validity) and the items’ associations with CMD recovery 4 months later (external responsiveness).

Results.

All items showed a positive correlation of disability with CMD symptom severity (p < 0.001). The WHODAS items of ‘standing,’ ‘household responsibilities,’ and ‘emotional disturbance’ explained the most variance in CMD symptom severity. Improvements in ‘disability days,’ ‘emotional disturbance,’ ‘standing,’ ‘household responsibilities,’ ‘day-to-day work,’ and ‘concentrating’ were significantly associated with CMD recovery over follow-up.

Conclusions.

Further research is recommended on a CMD-specific WHODAS subscale comprised of the six WHODAS items found to be most strongly associated with CMD severity and recovery. This shorter, CMD-specific disability subscale would critically serve as a common metric to compare intervention impact on patient-centered outcomes and, in turn, to allocate global mental health resources efficiently.
Age and geochemistry of the Zhaheba ophiolite complex in eastern Junggar of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB): implications for the accretion process of the Junggar terrane
Authors: YE XIAN-TAO , ZHANG CHUAN-LIN , ZOU HAI-BO , YAO CHUN-YAN , DONG YONG-GUAN
Published: April 2016

We report new field observations, zircon U–Pb ages and geochemical data for the discrete members of the Zhaheba ophiolite complex in northeastern Junggar of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) with the aim to understand the accretion process of the eastern Junggar terrane. The zircon age data reveal that the cumulates of the Zhaheba ophiolite crystallized at ~485 Ma while the volcanic sequences erupted at ~400 Ma. Thus, the volcanic sequences are not members of the Zhaheba ophiolite. Chromian spinels from the serpentinite have comparable elemental compositions to those of spinels from MORB-type ophiolites. Similarly, the rift affinity of clinopyroxene and positive zirconεHf(t) (13–20) and mantleδ18O (+5.37‰) values of the cumulates imply that the cumulates crystallized from primitive magmas derived from a depleted mantle source. Elemental and Nd isotopic compositions indicate that the basalts in the Zhaheba area were derived from partial melting of a mantle wedge metasomatized by adakitic melts and/or subduction-related fluids. The data presented in this contribution, together with previous studies, indicate that the Zhaheba–Almantai and Kelameili ophiolites were MORB-type, which implies that there were at least two mid-ocean ridges during Ordovician to early Devonian times in the Junggar Ocean. In the earlier stage, intra-oceanic subduction led to the formation of the intra-oceanic arc, and then the Kelameili ophiolite accreted to an intra-oceanic accretionary wedge. In the later stage, the Zhaheba–Almantai ophiolite accreted to the accretionary wedge along the southern margin of the Iritish suture zone during the roll-back of the subduction zone from north to south.
LOW FERTILITY INTENTION IN TEHRAN, IRAN: THE ROLE OF ATTITUDES, NORMS AND PERCEIVED BEHAVIOURAL CONTROL
Authors: Erfani Amir
Published: April 2016

Persistent low fertility rates are an increasing concern for countries with low fertility like Iran. Informed by the Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study examined the immediate factors influencing fertility intentions, using data from the 2012 Tehran Survey of Fertility Intentions. The findings show that more than half of young married adults in Tehran intend to have no more children. The multivariate analysis results indicate that individuals who view childbearing as being detrimental to their personal life, feel less normative pressure to have a/another child, and believe their childbearing decision is not contingent on the presence of economic resources required for childbearing, are more likely to want no (more) children or to be unsure rather than to want a/another child. Attitudes and normative pressure are dominant factors influencing the intention to have a first child, while the intention to have a second child is mainly affected by attitudes and perceived constraints. The policy implications of the results are discussed.
Morphometric and molecular analyses of two digenean species in mugilid fish: Lecithaster mugilis Yamaguti, 1970 from Vietnam and L. sudzuhensis n. sp. from southern Russian Far East
Authors: Besprozvannykh V.V. , Atopkin D.M. , Ngo H.D. , Ermolenko A.V. , Van Ha N. , Van Tang N. , Beloded A.Y.
Published: April 2016

Adult Lecithaster mugilis Yamaguti, 1970 were found in Moolgarda seheli, Valamugil engeli and Liza subviridis in the coastal waters of Cat Ba Island (Halong Bay, Vietnam). Specimens of Lecithaster sudzuhensis n. sp. were found in Mugil cephalus located in an estuary of the Kievka River in the Primorsky region of Russia. Studies have demonstrated that these species share significant morphometric similarities with each other and with specimens of L. helodes Overstreet, 1973 isolated from M. cephalus and Mugil curema from the Mississippi Sound and adjacent waters. These three species differ from one another in the size of the pharynx and ventral sucker and in the ratio of suckers, while they differ from other species in the genus by having a relatively elongated oesophagus. Molecular analysis, using the 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA genes, confirmed the validity of L. mugilis and L. sudzuhensis n. sp. and demonstrated that these species form a shared cluster with L. gibbosus (Rud, 1802).
The Economies of Love: Love marriage, kin support, and aspiration in a South Indian garment city
Authors: DE NEVE GEERT
Published: April 2016

The article considers narratives and experiences of love marriage in the garment city of Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, South India. As a booming centre of garment production, Tiruppur attracts a diverse migrant workforce of young men and women who have plenty of opportunity to fall in love and enter marriages of their own making. Based on long-term ethnographic research, the article explores what love marriages mean to those involved, how they are experienced and talked about, and how they shape postmarital lives. Case studies reveal that a discourse of loss of postmarital kin support is central to evaluations of love marriages by members of Tiruppur's labouring classes. Such marriages not only flout parental authority and often cross caste and religious boundaries, but they also jeopardize the much-needed kin support youngsters require to fulfil aspirations of mobility, entrepreneurship, and success in a post-liberalization environment. It is argued that critical evaluations of love marriages not only disrupt modernist assumptions of linear transformations in marital practices, but they also constitute a broader critique of the neoliberal celebration of the ‘individual’ while reaffirming the continued importance of caste endogamy, parental involvement, and kin support to success in India's post-reform economy.
Intimate Transgressions and Communalist Narratives: Inter-religious romance in a divided Gujarat
Authors: HEITMEYER CAROLYN
Published: April 2016

In this article, I examine the seeming paradox of Hindu–Muslim romantic affairs in the wider context of communalism in Gujarat in the wake of the 2002 anti-Muslim violence. At the outset, such affairs appear to embody the most extreme form of taboo, both in their defiance of conventional arranged marriage systems (where caste endogamy and shared religious affiliation play a paramount role) as well as in the wider socio-political context in which Hindus and Muslims are viewed as irreconcilable enemies, or at least oppositional in lifestyle, beliefs, and values. Yet, while media reports in recent years have highlighted similar cases of transgressive liaisons elsewhere in India which have been met with extreme violence, the couplings which I describe in this article, are in practice tolerated by kin and neighbours as an ‘open secret’ which, while public knowledge, has not incurred strong retribution. While love has often been presented as a force for emancipation from the constraints of social conventions and norms in the popular media, I argue that this ‘toleration’ of inter-religious liaisons in the cases I describe suggests the very opposite: namely, that they do not present a significant challenge to entrenched social divisions at the local level.
Species associations of congeneric species in a tropical seasonal rain forest of China
Authors: Lan Guoyu , Zhang Yunbing , He Fangliang , Hu Yuehua , Zhu Hua , Cao Min
Published: April 2016

In tropical plant communities with diverse species, many congeners are found to coexist. Do environment or biotic interactions structure the coexistence of congeners in tropical forest communities? In this paper, we aimed to disentangle the effect of environment (first-order effects) and species interactions (second-order effects) on the spatial distributions of tree species. We used a classification scheme and torus-translation to test the first-order interaction of 48 species from 17 genera in a fully mapped 20-ha dipterocarp tropical seasonal rain-forest plot in Xishuangbanna, south-west China. Then we used heterogeneous Poisson null models to reveal significant uni- and bivariate second-order interactions. The results demonstrated that (1) 34 of the 48 studied species showed a significant relation with at least one topographic variable. This confirmed that topographical heterogeneity is important for distribution of these congeners. Spatial segregation (36.6%) and partial overlap (34.8%) were the most common bivariate association types in Xishuangbanna plot, which indicated first-order effects (environment) were strong. (2) For small-scale associations, 51% saplings (1 to ≤ 5 cm) (68.8% for large trees with dbh > 5 cm) of the species showed non-significant associations. For large-scale associations, 61.6% saplings (81.2% for large trees) of the species showed non-significant associations. Lack of significant species interactions provides evidence for the unified neutral theory. In conclusion, both environment and biotic interactions structure congeneric species' coexistence in tropical seasonal rain forest in this region.
A graph-theoretic implementation of the Rabo-de-Bacalhau transformation grammar
Authors: Strobbe Tiemen , Eloy Sara , Pauwels Pieter , Verstraeten Ruben , De Meyer Ronald , Van Campenhout Jan
Published: April 2016

Shape grammars are rule-based formalisms for the specification of shape languages. Most of the existing shape grammars are developed on paper and have not been implemented computationally thus far. Nevertheless, the computer implementation of shape grammar is an important research question, not only to automate design analysis and generation, but also to extend the impact of shape grammars toward design practice and computer-aided design tools. In this paper, we investigate the implementation of shape grammars on a computer system, using a graph-theoretic representation. In particular, we describe and evaluate the implementation of the existing Rabo-de-Bacalhau transformation grammar. A practical step-by-step approach is presented, together with a discussion of important findings noticed during the implementation and evaluation. The proposed approach is shown to be both feasible and valuable in several aspects: we show how the attempt to implement a grammar on a computer system leads to a deeper understanding of that grammar, and might result in the further development of the grammar; we show how the proposed approach is embedded within a commercial computer-aided design environment to make the shape grammar formalism more accessible to students and practitioners, thereby increasing the impact of grammars on design practice; and the proposed step-by-step implementation approach has shown to be feasible for the implementation of the Rabo-de-Bacalhau transformation grammar, but can also be generalized using different ontologies for the implementation.
Beyond analogy: A model of bioinspiration for creative design
Authors: Salgueiredo Camila Freitas , Hatchuel Armand
Published: April 2016

Is biologically inspired design only an analogical transfer from biology to engineering? Actually, nature does not always bring “hands-on” solutions that can be analogically applied in classic engineering. Then, what are the different operations that are involved in the bioinspiration process and what are the conditions allowing this process to produce a bioinspired design? In this paper, we model the whole design process in which bioinspiration is only one element. To build this model, we use a general design theory, concept–knowledge theory, because it allows one to capture analogy as well as all other knowledge changes that lead to the design of a bioinspired solution. We ground this model on well-described examples of biologically inspired designs available in the scientific literature. These examples include Flectofin®, a hingeless flapping mechanism conceived for façade shading, and WhalePower technology, the introduction of bumps on the leading edge of airfoils to improve aerodynamic properties. Our modeling disentangles the analogical aspects of the biologically inspired design process, and highlights the expansions occurring in both knowledge bases, scientific (nonbiological) and biological, as well as the impact of these expansions in the generation of new concepts (concept partitioning). This model also shows that bioinspired design requires a special form of collaboration between engineers and biologists. Contrasting with the classic one-way transfer between biology and engineering that is assumed in the literature, the concept–knowledge framework shows that these collaborations must be “mutually inspirational” because both biological and engineering knowledge expansions are needed to reach a novel solution.
A study on the effects of example familiarity and modality on design fixation
Authors: Viswanathan Vimal , Tomko Megan , Linsey Julie
Published: April 2016

Design fixation is a factor that negatively influences the generation of novel design concepts (Jansson & Smith, 1991). When designers fixate, they tend to reproduce example features or features from their initial ideas. In order to mitigate design fixation, it is crucial to identify the factors that influence the extent of design fixation. This paper investigates two such factors: the modality of examples and the familiarity of designers with the example features. To investigate this, an experiment is conducted with mechanical engineering students who were asked to generate ideas to solve a peanut sheller design problem. The students generated ideas in five different experimental conditions: control, where no example was given; the first example given in a sketch form; the first example given as a nonfunctional prototype; a second example in sketch form; and the second example in a working prototype form. The first example was a nonfeasible solution, but it contained several features familiar to the participants. The second example was a feasible solution, but it contained less familiar features. In order to understand the extent of fixation triggered by the examples, three metrics were utilized to compare across the experimental conditions: the quantity of nonredundant ideas generated by the participants, the presence of example features in their solutions, and their fixation to the example's energy source. The results showed that in the case of the familiar example, the example modality did play an important role in the extent of design fixation. Across the examples, it was found that the first example containing several familiar features caused more fixation than the second one. Overall, this paper shows that the modality in which the example was communicated and the presence of familiar features in an example influenced the fixation caused by those examples.
Presence of Balamuthia mandrillaris in hot springs from Mazandaran province, northern Iran
Authors: LATIFI A. R. , NIYYATI M. , LORENZO-MORALES J. , HAGHIGHI A. , SEYYED TABAEI S. J. , LASJERDI Z.
Published: April 2016

Balamuthia mandrillaris is an opportunistic free-living amoeba that has been reported to cause cutaneous lesions and Balamuthia amoebic encephalitis. The biology and environmental distribution of B. mandrillaris is still poorly understood and isolation of this pathogen from the environment is a rare event. Previous studies have reported that the presence of B. mandrillaris in the environment in Iran may be common. However, no clinical cases have been reported so far in this country. In the present study, a survey was conducted in order to evaluate the presence of B. mandrillaris in hot-spring samples of northern Iran. A total of 66 water samples were analysed using morphological and molecular tools. Positive samples by microscopy were confirmed by performing PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA gene of B. mandrillaris. Sequencing of the positive amplicons was also performed to confirm morphological data. Two of the 66 collected water samples were positive for B. mandrillaris after morphological and molecular identification. Interestingly, both positive hot springs had low pH values and temperatures ranging from 32 °C to 42 °C. Many locals and tourists use both hot springs due to their medicinal properties and thus contact with water bodies containing the organism increases the likelihood of infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the isolation of B. mandrillaris from hot-spring sources related to human activity. Therefore, B. mandrillaris should be considered as a possible causative agent if cases of encephalitis are suspected following immersion in hot springs in addition to Acanthamoeba and Naegleria.
Cities, nations and divine service: identifying Spanish merchants in late medieval Bruges
Authors: BROWN ANDREW
Published: April 2016

This article explores the relationship between ‘national identity’, the urban environment and its religious practices. As a gateway city, where locals met foreigners to an unusual degree, late medieval Bruges provides a useful case-study. The focus is on the processes that shaped expressions of identity. These often involved religious rhetoric and practices. Foreign merchants, such as the Biscayans and Castilians, were grouped into ‘nations’, and identified with their homelands, especially in their chapels; but why and how they did so was not the result simply of patriotism or a sense of otherness, but of urban and strategic agendas, their own and those of native citizens.
Giant aneurysm of the vertical vein in a case of supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection
Authors: Phadke Milind S. , Mate Swapnil D. , Kerkar Prafulla G.
Published: April 2016

A 17-year-old female presented with mild cyanosis. Imaging showed supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connections with a vertical vein travelling between the left pulmonary artery and the left bronchus with significant obstruction. There was a huge post-stenotic aneurysm of the vertical vein.
Improving Higher Education Students’ Learning Proficiency by Fostering their Self-regulation Skills
Authors: De Corte Erik
Published: April 2016

A major challenge for education and educational research is to build on our present understanding of learning to design environments for education that are conducive to fostering students’ self-regulatory and cooperative learning skills, transferable knowledge, and a disposition toward competent thinking and problem solving. Using the CLIA-model (Competence, Learning, Intervention, Assessment) as a framework for developing learning environments, and taking the growing knowledge base on self-regulated learning as a background, this article discusses an intervention study that aimed at the design and evaluation of a powerful learning environment for fostering self-regulated learning in university freshmen, thereby improving their learning proficiency. More specifically, the intervention in this environment focused on the trainability of four cognitive (orienting, planning, self-testing, and reflecting), and four complementary affective self-regulation skills (respectively self-judging, valuing, coping, and attributing). The effects of the learning environment were investigated using a pre-test – post-test design with a control group. The participants were 141 first-year students of business economics. The positive effects of the intervention on students’ self-regulated learning and on their academic performance is illustrated for two of the eight self-regulation skills, namely orienting (preparing one’s learning process by examining the characteristics of a learning task) and self-judging (evaluating one’s competences in view of an accurate appraisal of the efforts needed to approach and accomplish a learning task).
Chinese Students in Europe: Policies, Experiences and Prospects
Authors: THøgersen Stig
Published: April 2016

The paper briefly outlines the history of Chinese educational migration to the West and discusses some of the policies and socioeconomic trends that have made China the largest source of international students today. It then presents findings from studies of Chinese students’ experiences in Europe, which indicate that personal development and time for reflection is becoming part of what some middle class students and their parents expect from the study abroad experience. This opens new possibilities for European universities in the fields of humanities and social sciences. At the same time we will probably see a growing demand for study abroad programmes that offer training for social service sector professionals, a field where China has a perceived need for developing new attitudes and skills.
Foreign Language/Literature as Human and Social Sciences in the Chinese Context
Authors: Feng Zongxin
Published: April 2016

Globalization has accelerated international and intercultural exchange in almost all aspects of life and every discipline of study has to take a global perspective for its development. This paper discusses some current issues in China’s ‘foreign language/literature’ sector, at the tertiary level of human and social sciences, and it does so in terms of localized concepts and diverse fields of study, administrative intervention, institutional organization, professional recognition, academic dilemmas, and problems and prospects of development in view of the international context of sociocultural globalization.
Diet quality in European pre-schoolers: evaluation based on diet quality indices and association with gender, socio-economic status and overweight, the ToyBox-study
Authors: Pinket An-Sofie , De Craemer Marieke , Huybrechts Inge , De Bourdeaudhuij Ilse , Deforche Benedicte , Cardon Greet , Androutsos Odysseas , Koletzko Berthold , Moreno Luis , Socha Piotr , Iotova Violeta , Manios Yannis , Van Lippevelde Wendy
Published: April 2016

Objective

To study diet quality among pre-schoolers using the Diet Quality Index (DQI) and to investigate differences according to gender, socio-economic status (SES) and overweight/obesity status.

Design

Kindergarten-based cross-sectional survey within the ToyBox-study. A standardized protocol was used and parents/caregivers self-reported sociodemographic data and a semi-quantitative FFQ. A total DQI and its four subcomponents (diversity, quality, equilibrium and meal index) were calculated based on this FFQ. High total DQI scores indicate better diet quality than low scores. Results of the total DQI and the subcomponents were reported as percentages of maximum scores (100 %).

Setting

Kindergartens in six European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain).

Subjects

European pre-schoolers (aged 3·5–5·5 years) and their parents/caregivers (n7063).

Results

The mean total DQI score was 68·3 %. Mean scores of the subcomponents were 61·7 % for diversity, 56·5 % for quality, 65·4 % for equilibrium and 89·7 % for the meal index. Pre-schoolers of lower-SES backgrounds had lower scores on the total DQI and all its subcomponents. No clear differences were found by gender and overweight status. Results differed slightly according to country.

Conclusions

Pre-schoolers scored low on the total DQI and especially on dietary quality, as energy-dense, low-nutritious food items were more often consumed than highly nutritious food items. Furthermore, already in pre-schoolers lower-SES mothers were less likely to provide a good diet quality and this was consistent for all four subcomponents of the total DQI. Food intake in pre-schoolers should be enhanced, especially in pre-schoolers of lower-SES backgrounds.
Dietary associations of fathers and their children between the ages of 20 months and 5 years
Authors: Walsh Adam D , Cameron Adrian J , Crawford David , Hesketh Kylie D , Campbell Karen J
Published: April 2016

Objective

To examine associations between dietary intakes of fathers and their children at child age 20 months, 3·5 years and 5 years, and to determine if fathers’ intake predicts change in children’s intake between 20 months and 3·5 and 5 years of age.

Design

The diets of fathers and their first-born children participating in the longitudinal Melbourne Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) Program were assessed using FFQ and three 24 h recalls, respectively.

Setting

Sixty-two pre-existing first-time parent groups were selected from fourteen local government areas within a 60 km radius of Deakin University Burwood, Victoria, Australia.

Subjects

Fathers and their first-born children at 20 months (n317), 3·5 years (n214) and 5 years of age (n208).

Results

Positive associations were found between fathers’ and children’s intakes of fruit and sweet snacks at 20 months (P=0·001) and 5 years of age (P=0·012). Fathers’ intake at child age 20 months was associated with change in children’s intake for fruit, sweet snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages between child age 20 months and 3·5 years, and for sweet snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages between child age 20 months and 5 years (allP<0·05). After adjustment for maternal intake, fathers’ intake of sweet snacks remained a predictor of change in children’s sweet snack intake between 20 months and 3·5 years of age (P=0·03).

Conclusions

Associations between the dietary intakes of fathers and their children commence at a young age and continue through early childhood. Fathers should be included in future interventions aimed at improving children’s diets.
Pursuing “effective measures” relating to nuclear disarmament: Ways of making a legal obligation a reality
Authors: Dunworth Treasa
Published: April 2016

This paper argues that pursuing negotiations in good faith on effective measures for nuclear disarmament is a legal obligation, not a foreign policy option. Drawing on the New Agenda Coalition paper of April 2014, which identified some pathways by which nuclear disarmament might be pursued, this paper identifies and analyzes international legal issues raised by each of those pathways. The paper concludes by explaining why legal analysis and discussion are important even in the absence of a settled political commitment to nuclear disarmament.
Caspase-mediated cleavage of raptor participates in the inactivation of mTORC1 during cell death
Authors: Martin R , Desponds C , Eren R O , Quadroni M , Thome M , Fasel N
Published: April 2016

The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a highly conserved protein complex regulating key pathways in cell growth. Hyperactivation of mTORC1 is implicated in numerous cancers, thus making it a potential broad-spectrum chemotherapeutic target. Here, we characterized how mTORC1 responds to cell death induced by various anticancer drugs such rapamycin, etoposide, cisplatin, curcumin, staurosporine and Fas ligand. All treatments induced cleavage in the mTORC1 component, raptor, resulting in decreased raptor–mTOR interaction and subsequent inhibition of the mTORC1-mediated phosphorylation of downstream substrates (S6K and 4E-BP1). The cleavage was primarily mediated by caspase-6 and occurred at two sites. Mutagenesis at one of these sites, conferred resistance to cell death, indicating that raptor cleavage is important in chemotherapeutic apoptosis.
Guided post-acceleration of laser-driven ions by a miniature modular structure
Authors: Kar Satyabrata , Ahmed Hamad , Prasad Rajendra , Cerchez Mirela , Brauckmann Stephanie , Aurand Bastian , Cantono Giada , Hadjisolomou Prokopis , Lewis Ciaran L. S. , Macchi Andrea , Nersisyan Gagik , Robinson Alexander P. L. , Schroer Anna M. , Swantusch Marco , Zepf Matt , Willi Oswald , Borghesi Marco
Published: April 2016

All-optical approaches to particle acceleration are currently attracting a significant research effort internationally. Although characterized by exceptional transverse and longitudinal emittance, laser-driven ion beams currently have limitations in terms of peak ion energy, bandwidth of the energy spectrum and beam divergence. Here we introduce the concept of a versatile, miniature linear accelerating module, which, by employing laser-excited electromagnetic pulses directed along a helical path surrounding the laser-accelerated ion beams, addresses these shortcomings simultaneously. In a proof-of-principle experiment on a university-scale system, we demonstrate post-acceleration of laser-driven protons from a flat foil at a rate of 0.5 GeV m−1, already beyond what can be sustained by conventional accelerator technologies, with dynamic beam collimation and energy selection. These results open up new opportunities for the development of extremely compact and cost-effective ion accelerators for both established and innovative applications.
Mincle-mediated translational regulation is required for strong nitric oxide production and inflammation resolution
Authors: Lee Wook-Bin , Kang Ji-Seon , Choi Won Young , Zhang Quanri , Kim Chul Han , Choi Un Yung , Kim-Ha Jeongsil , Kim Young-Joon
Published: April 2016

In response to persistent mycobacteria infection, the host induces a granuloma, which often fails to eradicate bacteria and results in tissue damage. Diverse host receptors are required to control the formation and resolution of granuloma, but little is known concerning their regulatory interactions. Here we show that Mincle, the inducible receptor for mycobacterial cord factor, is the key switch for the transition of macrophages from cytokine expression to high nitric oxide production. In addition to its stimulatory role on TLR-mediated transcription, Mincle enhanced the translation of key genes required for nitric oxide synthesis through p38 and eIF5A hypusination, leading to granuloma resolution. Thus, Mincle has dual functions in the promotion and subsequent resolution of inflammation during anti-mycobacterial defence using both transcriptional and translational controls.
TNF is a key cytokine mediating neutrophil cytotoxic activity in breast cancer patients
Authors: Comen Elizabeth , Wojnarowicz Paulina , Seshan Venkatraman E , Shah Riddhi , Coker Courtney , Norton Larry , Benezra Robert
Published: April 2016

We have previously shown a novel antimetastatic role for neutrophils in the premetastatic lung of mice in models of breast cancer. Here we expand on those findings in the context of human breast cancer. We assessed the cytotoxicity of neutrophils from 90 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, 24 ductal carcinoma in situ patients, 56 metastatic breast cancer patients, and 64 women with no history of cancer. We report that neutrophils from metastatic and newly diagnosed breast cancer patients are significantly more cytotoxic than neutrophils from cancer-free individuals. We hypothesized that tumor-secreted factors ‘prime’ neutrophils to become cytotoxic. To identify these factors we assayed for cytokines in serum from 54 breast cancer patients and 35 cancer-free controls. Tumor necrosis factor (TNFα), MCP-1 (CCL2), and IL1RA significantly correlated with cytotoxicity and directly stimulated neutrophil cytotoxicity ex vivo. RNA-seq analyses found protein kinase C iota (PRKCI) to be over expressed in patient neutrophils relative to neutrophils from cancer-free individuals. PRKCI has been implicated in NADPH oxidase assembly, required for neutrophil-mediated cell cytotoxicity. Treatment of human neutrophils with TNF-induced PRKCI expression and cytotoxicity in samples that had low basal levels of PRKCI expression. To date, this work is the first to demonstrate the cytotoxic role of neutrophils in the peripheral blood of a large cohort of breast cancer patients, and that select cytokines appear to mediate the stimulation of neutrophil cytotoxicity. Further functional studies are necessary to identify clinically relevant means of stimulating neutrophil cytotoxicity as an effective barrier against disease progression and metastasis.
Downregulation of YAP-dependent Nupr1 promotes tumor-repopulating cell growth in soft matrices
Authors: Jia Q , Zhou W , Yao W , Yang F , Zhang S , Singh R , Chen J , Chen J J , Zhang Y , Wei F , Zhang Y , Jia H , Wang N
Published: April 2016

Despite decades of significant progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of malignant tumorigenic cells, it remains elusive what these tumorigenic cells are and what controls the growth of these malignant cells. Recently, we have mechanically selected and grown highly malignant and tumorigenic tumor-repopulating cells (TRCs), a small sub-population of cancer cells, by culturing single cancer cells in soft fibrin matrices. However, it is unclear what regulates TRC growth besides Sox2. Here we show that nuclear protein 1 (Nupr1), a protein independent of Sox2, is downregulated in TRCs of melanoma, ovarian cancer and breast cancer cultured in soft fibrin matrices. Nupr1 expression depends on nuclear translocation of YAP that is enriched at the Nupr1 promoter sites; YAP is controlled by Cdc42-mediated F-actin and Lats1 interactions. Nupr1 regulates tumor-suppressor p53 and negatively regulates Nestin and Tert that are independent of Sox2 and promote TRC growth. Silencing Nupr1 increases TRC growth and Nupr1 overexpression inhibits TRC growth in culture and in immune-competent mice. Our results suggest that Nupr1 is a suppressor of growth of highly tumorigenic TRCs and may have a critical role in cancer progression.