bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Literature overview highlights lack of paediatric donation protocols but identifies common themes that could guide their development
Authors: Vileito A , Siebelink MJ , Verhagen AAE
Published: February 2018

Aim

Paediatric donation is a unique and extremely sensitive process that requires specific knowledge and competencies. Most countries use protocols for organ and tissue donation to ensure optimal care for the donor and family, but these mainly focus on adults. However, the donation process for children differs from adults in many ways. An overview of the literature was performed to identify protocols for the paediatric population.

Methods

PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE and the Internet were searched up to March 2016 for papers or other sources in English related to specific organ and tissue donation protocols for children and neonates. This comprised title, abstract and then full‐text screening of relevant data.

Results

We included 12 papers and two electronic sources that were mainly from North America and Europe. Most discussed donations after cardiac death. The recurring themes included identifying potential donors, approaching parents, palliative care and collaboration with organ procurement organisations. Most papers called for paediatric donation policies to be standardised.

Conclusion

Scientific publications in English on paediatric donation protocols are very scarce. No comprehensive paediatric donation protocol was found. We identified several recurring themes in the literature that could be used to develop such protocols.
School‐based study found that physical activity and aerobic fitness predicted increases in total body fat and abdominal fat at a mean age of 9.8 years
Authors: Danielson Anton , Thorsson Ola , Karlsson Magnus K. , Wollmer Per , Andersen Lars B. , Dencker Magnus
Published: February 2018

Aim

We assessed whether baseline measurements of physical activity, aerobic fitness, body fat and abdominal fat were predictors of changes in body fat measurements over a two‐year period.

Methods

The study comprised of 204 children aged 9.8 ± 0.6 years with a normal body mass distribution, who recruited from four schools in middle‐class areas of Malmö, Sweden, from 2001 to 2004. Peak oxygen uptake and physical activity were measured at baseline. Body fat was measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry at baseline and two years later.

Results

Physical activity, aerobic fitness and total body fat or abdominal fat were predictors of change in total body fat or abdominal fat over a period of two years. Changes in the percentage of body fat were not related to any of the baseline measurements.

Conclusion

Our two‐year follow‐up of children with a mean age of 9.8 years at baseline showed that physical activity, aerobic fitness and body fat or abdominal fat predicted changes in total body fat or abdominal fat, but not the percentage of body fat.
Evolving improvised ideation from humour constructs: A new method for collaborative divergence
Authors: Hatcher Gillian , Ion William , Maclachlan Ross , Marlow Marion , Simpson Barbara , Wodehouse Andrew
Published: February 2018

This paper reviews and applies key principles from improvised comedy (“improv”) to overcome common barriers in effective group ideation, resulting in the formulation and presentation of a new creative idea generation method. The emergence of an innovative product design can be compared to the telling of a funny joke: both combine seemingly unconnected ideas in a way that is both surprising and satisfying. Our research expands upon this link between humour and creativity, and operationalizes the improv principles best suited to the conceptual design process. A workshop‐based methodology was used to select, develop, and refine the method protocol and facilitation technique. Participant feedback and observations have demonstrated how this approach can expand the solution space to support the generation of bold, innovative ideas. Finally, we present a step‐by‐step guide for the new “design improv” method and discuss its potential value in the generation of creative ideas in a group ideation context.
Alimentary microbes of winter‐form Drosophila suzukii
Authors: Fountain M. T. , Bennett J. , Cobo‐Medina M. , Conde Ruiz R. , Deakin G. , Delgado A. , Harrison R. , Harrison N.
Published: February 2018

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is a damaging pest of fruit. Reproductively diapausing adults overwinter in woodlands and remain active on warmer winter days. It is unknown if this adult phase of the lifecycle feeds during the winter period, and what the food source may be. This study characterized the flora in the digestive tract of D. suzukii using a metagenomics approach. Live D. suzukii were trapped in four woodlands in the south of England and their guts dissected for DNA extraction and amplicon‐based metagenomics sequencing (internal transcribed spacer and 16S rRNA). Analysis at genus and family taxonomic levels showed high levels of diversity with no differences in digestive tract bacterial or fungal biota between woodland sites of winter‐form D. suzukii. Female D. suzukii at one site appeared to have higher bacterial diversity in the alimentary canal than males, but there was a site, sex interaction. Many of the biota were associated with cold, wet climatic conditions and decomposition. This study provides the first evidence that winter‐form D. suzukii may be opportunistic feeders during the winter period and are probably exploiting food sources associated with moisture on decomposing vegetation during this time. A core gut microbiome has been identified for winter‐form D. suzukii.
Comparing the Incomparable? Migrant Integration Policies and Perplexities of Comparison
Authors: Gregurović Snježana , Župarić‐Iljić Drago
Published: February 2018

This article examines the level of development of integration policies in the European Economic Area and the attempts to compare and standardize them. We discuss national integration models and policies based on the results of the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) and OECD/EU indicators of integration. Indicating the possible pitfalls of measuring and comparing integration policies, the results of researches into labour mobility and access to citizenship are examined. This comparative study shows that the indicators of immigrant integration are often at odds with the development level of integration policies, which results in their inadequate implementation in practice. Furthermore, EU countries face different challenges in the enactment of integration policies which spring from diverse (im)migration experiences, the scope of past migrations, and recent migratory flows. This is why integration policies should be re‐indexed, taking into consideration the particularities of (im)migration flows, the size of the immigrant population and other relevant factors.
Shadow Banking, Risk Transfer, and Financial Stability
Authors: Culp Christopher L. , Neves Andrea M. P.
Published: February 2018

Shadow banking is the process by which banks raise funds from and transfer risks to entities outside the traditional commercial banking system. Many observers blamed the sudden expansion in 2007 of U.S. sub‐prime mortgage market disruptions into a global financial crisis on a “liquidity run” that originated in the shadow banking system and spread to commercial banks. In response, national and international regulators have called for tighter and new regulations on shadow banking products and participants.

Preferring the term “market‐based finance” to the term “shadow banking,” the authors explore the primary financial instruments and participants that comprise the shadow banking system. The authors review the 2007–2009 period and explain how runs on shadow banks resulted in a liquidity crisis that spilled over to commercial banks, but also emphasize that the economic purpose of shadow banking is to enable commercial banks to raise funds from and transfer risks to non‐bank institutions. In that sense, the shadow banking system is a shock absorber for risks that arise within the commercial banking system and are transferred to a more diverse pool of non‐bank capital instead of remaining concentrated among commercial banks.

The article also reviews post‐crisis regulatory initiatives aimed at shadow banking and concludes that most such regulations could result in a less stable financial system to the extent that higher regulatory costs on shadow banks like insurance companies and asset managers could discourage them from participating in shadow banking. And the net effect of this regulation, by limiting the amount of market‐based capital available for non‐bank risk transfer, may well be to increase the concentrations of risk in the banking and overall financial system.
How to Integrate ESG into Investment Decision‐Making: Results of a Global Survey of Institutional Investors
Authors: Eccles Robert G. , Kastrapeli Mirtha D. , Potter Stephanie J.
Published: February 2018

The authors review the findings of their global survey of 582 institutional investors that were either practicing or planning to practice some degree of integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into their investment decision‐making process. The investors were evenly split between asset owners and asset managers, equity and fixed income, and across the three regions of the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. The survey explored reasons for ESG investing; the barriers to such investing and investor approaches to overcoming them; and the time frames used for making investment decisions, evaluating the performance of managers, and awarding compensation.

The authors report finding that the commonly perceived barriers to ESG integration—the belief that ESG integration requires sacrificing returns, that fiduciary duty prevents one from doing so, and unrealistically short‐term expectations for ESG to deliver outperformance—were not as great as commonly believed. The biggest barrier is the lack of high quality data about the performance of companies on their material ESG factors—a scarcity that the authors attribute to the lack of standards for measuring ESG performance and the lack of ESG performance data reported by companies. The results were very similar between asset owners and asset managers, equity and fixed income, and across regions. However, the investment horizons of asset owners were notably longer than those of asset managers, and the same was true of equity vs. fixed income investors. Investors in the Americas were more patient about time frames for seeing outperformance from ESG, while those in Asia Pacific were the least patient. There were also differences across regions in how to overcome the barriers to ESG integration.
The evolutionary stability of attenuators that mask information about animals that social partners can exploit
Authors: Hackett Sean , Ruxton Graeme D.
Published: February 2018

Signals and cues are fundamental to social interactions. A well‐established concept in the study of animal communication is an amplifier, defined as a trait that does not add extra information to that already present in the original cue or signal, but rather enhances the fidelity with which variation in the original cue or signal is correctly perceived. Attenuators as the logical compliment of amplifiers: attenuators act to reduce the fidelity with which variation in a signal or cue can be reliably evaluated by the perceivers. Where amplifiers reduce the effect of noise on the perception of variation, attenuators add noise. Attenuators have been subject to much less consideration than amplifiers; however, they will be the focus of our theoretical study. We utilize an extension of a well‐established model incorporated signal or cue inaccuracy and costly investments by emitter and perceiver in sending and attending to the signal or cue. We present broad conditions involving some conflict of interest between emitter and perceiver where it may be advantageous for emitters to invest in costly attenuators to mask cues from potential perceivers, and a subset of these conditions where the perceiver may be willing to invest in costly anti‐attenuators to mitigate the loss of information to them. We demonstrate that attenuators can be evolutionary stable even if they are costly, even if they are sometimes disadvantageous and even if a perceiver can mount counter‐measures to them. As such, we feel that attenuators of cues may be deserving of much more research attention.
A clinical risk score to identify patients at high risk of very late stent thrombosis
Authors: Godschalk Thea C. , Gimbel Marieke E. , Nolet Wouter W. , van Kessel Dionne J. , Amoroso Giovanni , Dewilde Willem J. , Wykrzykowska Joanna J. , Janssen Paul W. , Bergmeijer Thomas O. , Kelder Johannes C. , Heestermans Ton , ten Berg Jurriën M.
Published: February 2018

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine predictors of very late stent thrombosis (VLST; >1 year after stenting), and to evaluate whether addition of these predictors to the dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) score would improve the ability to identify patients at high risk of VLST who might benefit from DAPT.

Background

VLST is a severe complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Extended knowledge about the predictors of VLST is needed to prevent this life‐threatening complication. Recent data showed a reduction in VLST after treatment with prolonged DAPT. The DAPT study developed a prediction score to identify patients after PCI who might benefit from prolonged DAPT duration.

Methods

The Dutch stent thrombosis study is a multi‐center case‐control study. Consecutive patients with definite VLST were included between 2007 and 2014. Baseline characteristics from the index PCI were collected. Independent predictors of VLST were identified and added to the DAPT score to develop the VLST score.

Results

In total, 155 VLST cases and 155 matched controls were included. Suboptimal result of stenting, right coronary artery as target vessel, and diffuse coronary artery ectasia were independent predictors of VLST, and added to the DAPT score. The power of the VLST score to identify patients who experienced VLST was increased (AUC, 95%CI; DAPT score: 0.64, 0.57‐0.70; VLST score: 0.70, 0.63‐0.76, P = 0.010).

Conclusions

Addition of newly identified independent predictors of VLST resulted in a prediction model with a higher ability to identify patients at high risk of VLST who might benefit from prolonged DAPT.
In patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with rotational atherectomy radial access is safer and as efficient as femoral access
Authors: Kübler Piotr , Zimoch Wojciech , Kosowski Michał , Tomasiewicz Brunon , Telichowski Artur , Reczuch Krzysztof
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Transfemoral approach (TFA) may be preferred access site in order to facilitate complex percutaneous procedures such as rotational atherectomy (RA). Notwithstanding, there is a growing evidence that transradial approach (TRA) is associated with lower access site complication rates and even lower mortality. The aim was to assess in‐hospital and 1‐year outcomes in patients undergoing RA using TRA, in comparison to TFA.

Methods

A single center observational study included all consecutive patients, who underwent RA from 2010 to 2015. Primary endpoints were procedural success, in‐hospital mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Secondary endpoints were 1‐year all‐cause mortality and MACE.

Results

The study included 177 patients, 69% in TRA group and 31% in TFA group. Except for male sex and logistic Euroscore II there were no differences in common risk factors. There was no difference in procedural success (95% vs 87%, P = 0.07) with even a trend in favor of TRA. Performing RA via TRA lower amount of contrast volume (P = 0.009) was used and hospital stay after the procedure was shorter (P = 0.004). Periprocedural complication rates were similar, however patients with TFA had significantly higher rate of major access site bleedings (13% vs 1%, P = 0.001), with no differences in mortality and other adverse events both in‐hospital and during 1‐year observation.

Conclusions

Even though RA is a demanding technique, when performed via TRA allows to maintain the same procedural success and long‐term results in comparison to TFA, reduces in‐hospital major access site bleedings, lowers the amount of contrast media and shortens hospital stay.
Do Hostile School Environments Promote Social Deviance by Shaping Neural Responses to Social Exclusion?
Authors: Schriber Roberta A. , Rogers Christina R. , Ferrer Emilio , Conger Rand D. , Robins Richard W. , Hastings Paul D. , Guyer Amanda E.
Published: February 2018

The present study examined adolescents’ neural responses to social exclusion as a mediator of past exposure to a hostile school environment (HSE) and later social deviance, and whether family connectedness buffered these associations. Participants (166 Mexican‐origin adolescents, 54.4% female) reported on their HSE exposure and family connectedness across Grades 9–11. Six months later, neural responses to social exclusion were measured. Finally, social deviance was self‐reported in Grades 9 and 12. The HSE–social deviance link was mediated by greater reactivity to social deviance in subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, a region from the social pain network also implicated in social susceptibility. However, youths with stronger family bonds were protected from this neurobiologically mediated path. These findings suggest a complex interplay of risk and protective factors that impact adolescent behavior through the brain.
Neural Correlates of Risky Sex and Response Inhibition in High‐Risk Adolescents
Authors: Hansen Natasha S. , Thayer Rachel E. , Feldstein Ewing Sarah W. , Sabbineni Amithrupa , Bryan Angela D.
Published: February 2018

Adolescence is a neurodevelopmental period of heightened sexual risk taking. Neuroimaging can help elucidate crucial neurocognitive mechanisms underlying adolescent sexual risk behavior, yet few empirical studies have investigated this neural link. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the association between neurocognitive function during response inhibition—a known correlate of risk behaviors—and frequency of intercourse without a condom among adolescents. We examined the correlation between condom use and fMRI‐based Stroop response in a large ethnically diverse sample of high‐risk adolescents (n = 171). Partially replicating previous literature, sexual risk was positively correlated with blood‐oxygen‐level‐dependent (BOLD) activation in the middle frontal gyrus during response inhibition, highlighting the relevance of this region during risky sexual decision making within this age group.
Longitudinal Associations Between Family Aggression, Externalizing Behavior, and the Structure and Function of the Amygdala
Authors: Saxbe Darby , Lyden Hannah , Gimbel Sarah I. , Sachs Matthew , Del Piero Larissa B. , Margolin Gayla , Kaplan Jonas T.
Published: February 2018

Using longitudinal data from 21 adolescents, we assessed family aggression (via mother, father, and youth report) in early adolescence, externalizing behavior in mid‐adolescence, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data in late adolescence. Amygdalae were manually traced, and used as seed regions for resting state analyses. Both family aggression and subsequent externalizing behavior predicted larger right amygdala volumes and stronger amygdala‐frontolimbic/salience network connectivity and weaker amygdala‐posterior cingulate connectivity. Externalizing behavior in mid‐adolescence mediated associations between family aggression in early adolescence and resting state connectivity between the amygdala and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex in late adolescence. Family adversity and adolescent behavior problems may share common neural correlates.
Prefrontal Cortical Response to Negative Social Words Links Social Risk to Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence
Authors: Lee Kyung Hwa , Oppenheimer Caroline W. , Siegle Greg J. , Ladouceur Cecile D. , Lee Grace E. , Silk Jennifer S. , Dahl Ronald E.
Published: February 2018

Research suggests that altered emotion processing may be one important pathway linking social risk factors and depressive symptoms. We examined the extent to which neural response to negatively valenced social information might help to account for the relationship between social risk and depressive symptoms in youth. Forty‐nine youth were scanned while identifying the emotional valence of words that connoted social status. They also completed questionnaires assessing self‐reported social risk factors and depressive symptoms. Mediation analysis revealed that reduced dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity in response to negative social status words explained the positive association between social risk and depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that social risk factors present during adolescence may contribute to depressive symptoms by influencing the neural substrates of emotion processing.
Broadening the Impact of Developmental Neuroscience on the Study of Adolescence
Authors: Fuligni Andrew J. , Dapretto Mirella , Galván Adriana
Published: February 2018

Having been a significance source of the renewed interested in the adolescent period, developmental neuroscience now needs to build upon its achievements to date and expand in several areas in order to broaden its impact upon the field. Addressing both typical and atypical development, examining the interaction between brain development and the social environment, studying change over time, and including attention to population diversity can help to produce a truly integrative science of adolescent development. The papers in the special section provide nice examples of how developmental neuroscience can make such expansions and continue to contribute to the field in the years to come.
The Great Recession, Austerity and Inequality: Lessons from Ireland
Authors: Savage M. , Callan T. , Nolan B. , Colgan B.
Published: February 2018

The advent of the Great Recession and the widespread adoption of fiscal austerity policies have heightened concern about inequality and its effects. We examine how the distribution of income in Ireland—a country which experienced one of the most severe economic contractions—has evolved over the years 2008 to 2013. Standard cross‐sectional analysis of the income distribution shows broad stability in the Gini coefficient and in decile shares, with one main exception: the share of the bottom decile fell sharply, with the largest fall in average incomes being for that group. Longitudinal analysis shows that the falls in the average income for the bottom decile were not due to decreasing income for those remaining in the bottom decile, but to falls in income from those initially located in higher deciles. The extent of redistribution through taxes and transfers increased strongly, as measured by the Reynolds‐Smolensky index, which rose from 0.20 before the onset of the crisis to 0.27 in 2013. Analysis indicates that about three‐quarters of this increased redistribution is due to automatic stabilisers and one‐quarter to discretionary policy changes.
Endogenous Comparative Advantage*
Authors: Moro Andrea , Norman Peter
Published: February 2018

We develop a model of trade between identical countries. Workers endogenously acquire skills that are imperfectly observed by firms; therefore, firms use aggregate country investment as the prior when evaluating workers. This creates an informational externality interacting with general equilibrium effects on each country's skill premium. Asymmetric equilibria with comparative advantages exist even when there is a unique equilibrium under autarky. Symmetric, no‐trade equilibria can be unstable under free trade. Welfare effects are ambiguous: trade can be Pareto‐improving even if it leads to an equilibrium between rich and poor countries, with no special advantage regarding country size.
Measuring functional polycentricity of China's urban regions based on the interlocking network model, 2006–15
Authors: Li Tao , Zhou Rui , Zhang Yina , Cheng Yao , Zhu Chasong
Published: February 2018

The polycentricity of urban regions has been an important theme in the study of urban systems. To fill in the blank of longitudinal and comparative studies, this paper uses the interlocking network model to measure the polycentricity of Chinese urban regions and subsequently examines their changes based on the location information of advance producer service (APS) firms. The results shows that the polycentricity of some Chinese urban regions did change significantly from 2006–15. Some urban regions have changed in type as a result of the changes in polycentricity and primacy ratios. Not only the polycentricity but also the polycentricity change is sensitive to scale. In addition, this paper interprets from three aspects—the economic factor, the political factor, as well as the impacts of Chinese APS firms and foreign APS firms.
Hypobaric live high‐train low does not improve aerobic performance more than live low‐train low in cross‐country skiers
Authors: Robach P. , Hansen J. , Pichon A. , Meinild Lundby A.‐K. , Dandanell S. , Slettaløkken Falch G. , Hammarström D. , Pesta D. H. , Siebenmann C. , Keiser S. , Kérivel P. , Whist J. E. , Rønnestad B. R. , Lundby C.
Published: February 2018

Live high‐train low (LHTL) using hypobaric hypoxia was previously found to improve sea‐level endurance performance in well‐trained individuals; however, confirmatory controlled data in athletes are lacking. Here, we test the hypothesis that natural‐altitude LHTL improves aerobic performance in cross‐country skiers, in conjunction with expansion of total hemoglobin mass (Hbmass, carbon monoxide rebreathing technique) promoted by accelerated erythropoiesis. Following duplicate baseline measurements at sea level over the course of 2 weeks, nineteen Norwegian cross‐country skiers (three women, sixteen men, age 20 ± 2 year, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) 69 ± 5 mL/min/kg) were assigned to 26 consecutive nights spent at either low (1035 m, control, n = 8) or moderate altitude (2207 m, daily exposure 16.7 ± 0.5 hours, LHTL, n = 11). All athletes trained together daily at a common location ranging from 550 to 1500 m (21.2% of training time at 550 m, 44.2% at 550‐800 m, 16.6% at 800‐1100 m, 18.0% at 1100‐1500 m). Three test sessions at sea level were performed over the first 3 weeks after intervention. Despite the demonstration of nocturnal hypoxemia at moderate altitude (pulse oximetry), LHTL had no specific effect on serum erythropoietin, reticulocytes, Hbmass, VO2max, or 3000‐m running performance. Also, LHTL had no specific effect on (a) running economy (VO2 assessed during steady‐state submaximal exercise), (b) respiratory capacities or efficiency of the skeletal muscle (biopsy), and (c) diffusing capacity of the lung. This study, showing similar physiological responses and performance improvements in the two groups following intervention, suggests that in young cross‐country skiers, improvements in sea‐level aerobic performance associated with LHTL may not be due to moderate‐altitude acclimatization.
Strength and cardiometabolic risk in young adults: The mediator role of aerobic fitness and waist circumference
Authors: Díez‐Fernández A. , Martínez‐Vizcaíno V. , Torres‐Costoso A. , Cañete García‐Prieto J. , Franquelo‐Morales P. , Sánchez‐López M.
Published: February 2018

The aim of this study was to analyze the mediation role of cardiorespiratory fitness and waist circumference in the association between muscular strength and cardiometabolic risk. A cross‐sectional study involved first‐year college students (n = 370) from a Spanish public university was performed. We measured weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure, biochemical variables, maximum handgrip strength assessment, and cardiorespiratory fitness. We calculated handgrip dynamometry/weight and a previously validated cardiometabolic risk index. Analysis of covariance models was conducted to test differences in cardiometabolic risk values across muscular strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and waist circumference categories, controlling for confounders. Hayes’ PROCESS macro was used for the multiple mediation analysis. The relationship between muscular strength and cardiometabolic risk did not remain significant (c′ = 1.76 [1.4]; P > .05) in a multiple serial bootstrapped mediation model including cardiorespiratory fitness and waist circumference as mediators when controlling for age and sex. According to the indirect effect, the significant paths in the model mediating this relationship between muscular strength and cardiometabolic risk index were as follows: muscular strength → waist circumference → cardiometabolic risk index (−4.899; 95% CI: −6.690; −3.450) and muscular strength → cardiorespiratory fitness → waist circumference → cardiometabolic risk index (−0.720; 95% CI: −1.316; −0.360). Both cardiorespiratory fitness and waist circumference mediate the association between muscular strength and cardiometabolic risk in young adults. Thus, our results place cardiorespiratory fitness and waist circumference as the main targets of physical activity programmes aimed at preventing cardiometabolic diseases.
Environmental literacy of undergraduate college students: Development of the environmental literacy instrument (ELI)
Authors: Lloyd‐Strovas Jenny , Moseley Christine , Arsuffi Tom
Published: February 2018

As the world population continues to increase and natural resources become limited, environmental education (EE) in universities play an essential role in developing environmentally literate. This study measured the environmental literacy (EL) levels (familiar knowledge, factual knowledge, attitude, behavior) of undergraduate college students. Measuring EL on a scale of 0–100%, undergraduate students scored 52%, indicating that they are not environmentally literate. Students had somewhat high attitudes (63%) but low levels of familiar knowledge (40%), factual knowledge (56%), and behavior (44%). College years are brief and formative; therefore, EE should be infused within university curricula in order to increase EL levels of students, who are future policy makers, voters, business people, and teachers.
Unbundled debt and economic growth in developed and developing economies: An empirical analysis
Authors: Intartaglia Maurizio , Antoniades Andreas , Bhattacharyya Sambit
Published: February 2018

We unbundle the effect of debt on economic growth using a new panel data set sourced from Vague (2014, The next economic disaster: Why it's coming and how to avoid it. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press) for 48 countries over the period 1961–2015. We distinguish between public, private, household and nonfinancial corporation (NFC) debt. We use the panel vector autoregressive approach, Granger causality tests and impulse response to establish causality. We also test the heterogeneity in the debt–growth relationship across developed and developing countries. In our full sample of countries, all types of debt appear to be harmful to economic growth. The negative effect of public debt appears to be uniform across developed and developing countries, although the impact is much stronger on developed countries. Household debt appears to be expansionary in developing countries whereas contractionary in developed countries. Nonfinancial corporation debt appears to have no impact on developing countries but negative impact on developed countries. Finally, total debt (i.e., the sum of public, household and NFC debt) has a negative impact on growth in developed countries, but no impact is detected in the case of developing countries.
Just add science
Authors: Mervis Jeffrey
Published: February 2018

Scientists hit the campaign trail in hopes of making Congress work better.
New AAAS president emphasizes science as public service
Authors: Jarvis Michaela
Published: February 2018

Margaret Hamburg's humanitarian impulses started early
Infrared hyperbolic metasurface based on nanostructured van der Waals materials
Authors: Li Peining , Dolado Irene , Alfaro-Mozaz Francisco Javier , Casanova Fèlix , Hueso Luis E. , Liu Song , Edgar James H. , Nikitin Alexey Y. , Vélez Saül , Hillenbrand Rainer
Published: February 2018

Patterning a hyperbolic metasurface

Structured metasurfaces potentially enable the control of the propagation direction of excitations on the material's surface. However, the high losses associated with the materials used to date has led to relatively short lifetimes for the excitations. Li
et al.
patterned a subwavelength grating into a layer of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and found that the lifetime and propagation length of the excitations could be much longer. Direct imaging of the polariton excitations illustrates that hBN can be a viable platform for nanophotonic circuits.

Science
, this issue p.
892
Keeping watch on the ocean
Authors: Poloczanska Elvira
Published: February 2018

Monitoring of fisheries fleets provides crucial data for sustainable use of ocean resources
Toward nitrogen-fixing plants
Authors: Good Allen
Published: February 2018

A concerted research effort could yield engineered plants that can directly fix nitrogen
Earthquake or atomic bomb?
Silencing the Bomb
: One Scientist's Quest to Halt Nuclear Testing
Lynn R. Sykes
Columbia University Press, 2017. 303 pp.
Authors: Saperstein Alvin
Published: February 2018

A seismologist reflects on his role in the contentious politics of nuclear weapon test bans
Microbial Community Dynamics during Rearing of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens) and Impact on Exploitation Potential
Authors: De Smet Jeroen , Wynants Enya , Cos Paul , Van Campenhout Leen
Published: February 2018

The need to increase sustainability in agriculture, to ensure food security for the future generations, is leading to the emergence of industrial rearing facilities for insects. One promising species being industrially reared as an alternative protein source for animal feed and as a raw material for the chemical industry is the black soldier fly (
Hermetia illucens
). However, scientific knowledge toward the optimization of the productivity for this insect is scarce. One knowledge gap concerns the impact of the microbial community associated with
H. illucens
on the performance and health of this insect. In this review, the first steps in the characterization of the microbiota in
H. illucens
and the analysis of substrate-dependent dynamics in its composition are summarized and discussed. Furthermore, this review zooms in on the interactions between microorganisms and the insect during
H. illucens
development. Finally, attention is paid to how the microbiome research can lead to alternative valorization strategies for
H. illucens
, such as (i) the manipulation of the microbiota to optimize insect biomass production and (ii) the exploitation of the
H. illucens
-microbiota interplay for the discovery of new enzymes and novel antimicrobial strategies based on
H. illucens
immunity using either the whole organism or its molecules. The next decade promises to be extremely interesting for this research field and will see an emergence of the microbiological optimization of
H. illucens
as a sustainable insect for industrial rearing and the exploitation of its microbiome for novel biotechnological applications.
Bullous eyelid
Authors: Jaffer Zahra N , Nicholson Cherie
Published: February 2018

Periocular necrotising fasciitis is a rare but sight-threatening condition, which relies on clinical judgement to detect in a timely manner. A 51-year-old woman presented to a rural hospital with rapid onset bilateral eye swelling, erythema and pain and was started on broad spectrum intravenous antibiotics. Upon admission, she became septic and required fluid resuscitation and transfer to a higher level of care. She received debridement and continued intravenous antibiotics, with step down to oral when clinically stable. Rapid recognition and treatment of her condition resulted in a positive outcome.
Long-term mortality in outpatients with type 2 diabetes in a reference hospital in Cameroon: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Foryoung Joyce B , Ditah Chobufo , Nde Fon Peter , Mboue-Djieka Yannick , Nebongo Daniel N , Mbango Noel D , Balla Vanessa , Choukem Simeon-Pierre
Published: February 2018

Objectives

There are limited data on mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed at determining the mortality rate, and the causes and the predictors of death in patients with T2DM followed as outpatients in a reference hospital in Cameroon.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

A reference hospital in Cameroon.

Participants

From December 2015 to March 2016, patients with T2DM aged 18 years and older and who consulted between January 2009 and December 2014, were contacted directly or through their next of kin, and included in this study. All participants with less than 75% of desired data in files, those who could not be reached on the phone and those who refused to provide consent were excluded from the study. Of the 940 eligible patients, 628 (352 men and 276 women) were included and completed the study, giving a response rate of 66.8%.

Outcome measures

Death rate, causes of death and predictors of death.

Results

Of the 628 patients (mean age: 56.5 years; median diabetes duration: 3.5 years) followed up for a total of 2161 person-years, 54 died, giving a mortality rate of 2.5 per 100 person-years and a cumulative mortality rate of 8.6%. Acute metabolic complications (22.2%), cardiovascular diseases (16.7%), cancers (14.8%), nephropathy (14.8%) and diabetic foot syndrome (13.0%) were the most common causes of death. Advanced age (adjusted HR (aHR) 1.06, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.10; P=0.002), raised glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) (aHR 1.16, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.35; P=0.051), low blood haemoglobin (aHR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.10; P=0.002) and proteinuria (aHR 2.97, 95% CI 1.40 to 6.28; P=0.004) were identified as independent predictors of death.

Conclusions

The mortality rate in patients with T2DM is high in our population, with acute metabolic complications as the leading cause. Patients with advanced age, raised HbA1c, anaemia or proteinuria are at higher risk of death and therefore represent the target of interest to prevent mortality in T2DM.
Measurement properties of the craniocervical flexion test: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Araujo Francisco Xavier de , Ferreira Giovanni Esteves , Scholl Schell Maurício , Castro Marcelo Peduzzi de , Silva Marcelo Faria , Ribeiro Daniel Cury
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Neck pain is the leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide and it accounts for high economic and societal burden. Altered activation of the neck muscles is a common musculoskeletal impairment presented by patients with neck pain. The craniocervical flexion test with pressure biofeedback unit has been widely used in clinical practice to assess function of deep neck flexor muscles. This systematic review will assess the measurement properties of the craniocervical flexion test for assessing deep cervical flexor muscles.

Methods and analysis

This is a protocol for a systematic review that will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis statement. MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, PEDro, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Scopus and Science Direct will be systematically searched from inception. Studies of any design that have investigated and reported at least one measurement property of the craniocervical flexion test for assessing the deep cervical flexor muscles will be included. All measurement properties will be considered as outcomes. Two reviewers will independently rate the risk of bias of individual studies using the updated COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments risk of bias checklist. A structured narrative synthesis will be used for data analysis. Quantitative findings for each measurement property will be summarised. The overall rating for a measurement property will be classified as ‘positive’, ‘indeterminate’ or ‘negative’. The overall rating will be accompanied with a level of evidence.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval and patient consent are not required since this is a systematic review based on published studies. Findings will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42017062175.
In vitro assessment of the starch digestibility of western Canadian wheat market classes and cultivars
Authors: Karunaratne Namalika D. , Abbott Dawn A. , Chibbar Ravindra N. , Hucl Pierre J. , Pozniak Curtis J. , Classen Henry L.
Published: February 2018

The objective of the study was to measure the effect of wheat market class and cultivar on starch digestibility using an in vitro model that mimics the chicken digestive tract and relate it to grain characteristics. The study evaluated 18 wheat cultivars from eight western Canadian wheat classes and, each cultivar was replicated four times. Samples were subjected to gastric and small intestine (SI) digestion phases and each sample was assayed in triplicate; glucose release was measured in SI phase. Starch granule distribution, amylose, total starch, crude protein (CP), ash, and non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) were analyzed in all wheat samples. Small intestinal phase times of 15, 60, and 120 min were chosen to approximate digestion in the terminal duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Starch digestibility of wheat classes ranged as follows: 15 min — 33.1% to 49.1%, 60 min — 80.2% to 93.3%, and 120 min — 92.4% to 97.6%. Starch digestibility positively correlated with CP, ash, NSP, and proportion of large granules, whereas it negatively correlated with total starch, and proportion of small and medium granules. In conclusion, market class and cultivar of western Canadian wheat affects both rate and extent of starch digestibility and it is related to various grain characteristics.
Echolocation: a personal historical perspective
Authors: Grinnell Alan D.
Published: February 2018

The remarkable ability of echolocating bats to use echoes of emitted sounds as a substitute for vision is one of the most fascinating stories in neuroethology. Based in part on personal experience, the author discusses key discoveries in the early decades after the discovery of the phenomenon by Griffin and Galambos in 1941. Advances in our understanding of this remarkable phenomenon illustrate well the importance of comparative approaches, technological advances, and the synergistic interaction between behavior and electrophysiology.
On the closed embedding of the product of theta divisors into product of Jacobians and Chow groups
Authors: Banerjee Kalyan
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we generalize the injectivity of the push-forward homomorphism at the level of Chow groups, induced by the closed embedding of [Formula: see text] into [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a smooth projective curve, to symmetric powers of a smooth projective variety of higher dimension. We also prove the analog of this theorem for product of symmetric powers of smooth projective varieties. As an application we prove the injectivity of the push-forward homomorphism at the level of Chow groups, induced by the closed embedding of self-product of theta divisor into the self-product of the Jacobian of a smooth projective curve.
The canonical volume of minimal 3-folds of general type
Authors: Zhu Huanping
Published: February 2018

Let [Formula: see text] be a nonsingular projective [Formula: see text]-fold of general type. Denote by [Formula: see text] the [Formula: see text]-canonical map of [Formula: see text] which is the rational map naturally associated to the complete linear system [Formula: see text]. Suppose that [Formula: see text] be a minimal [Formula: see text]-fold of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] the pluricanonical section index. In this paper, we obtain the lower bounds of the canonical volume [Formula: see text] in term of [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text]. In addition, we also classify the weighted baskets [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] satisfying [Formula: see text].
An Improved Symmetric H-Bridge Multilevel Converter Topology; An Attempt to Reduce Power Losses
Authors: Alishah Rasoul Shalchi , Hosseini Seyed Hossein , Babaei Ebrahim , Sabahi Mehran , Ardashir Jaber Fallah
Published: February 2018

In this paper, a new structure for multilevel converter based on improved H-bridge converter is presented. The proposed topology is a symmetric topology since the values of all voltage sources are equal. The proposed symmetric structure is a general topology which can be extended for any number of voltage levels at output voltage waveform to obtain the least value of total harmonic distortion (THD). Reduction of switching losses, conduction losses, the number of on-state switches in the current path, utilized DC voltage sources, and gate driver circuits are the main advantages of proposed symmetric structures in comparison with other symmetric topologies. All mathematical analysis on the proposed structure is presented in terms of power losses and maximum blocked voltage by switches. The comparison results with other recently presented symmetric topologies and traditional multilevel converter structures are provided. Experimental results for a thirteen-level converter based on presented structure are provided to validate the practicality of the suggested multilevel structure.
Mathematical modeling, analysis and numerical approximation of second-order elliptic problems with inclusions
Authors: Köppl Tobias , Vidotto Ettore , Wohlmuth Barbara , Zunino Paolo
Published: February 2018

Many biological and geological systems can be modeled as porous media with small inclusions. Vascularized tissue, roots embedded in soil or fractured rocks are examples of such systems. In these applications, tissue, soil or rocks are considered to be porous media, while blood vessels, roots or fractures form small inclusions. To model flow processes in thin inclusions, one-dimensional (1D) models of Darcy- or Poiseuille type have been used, whereas Darcy-equations of higher dimension have been considered for the flow processes within the porous matrix. A coupling between flow in the porous matrix and the inclusions can be achieved by setting suitable source terms for the corresponding models, where the source term of the higher-dimensional model is concentrated on the center lines of the inclusions. In this paper, we investigate an alternative coupling scheme. Here, the source term lives on the boundary of the inclusions. By doing so, we lift the dimension by one and thus increase the regularity of the solution. We show that this model can be derived from a full-dimensional model and the occurring modeling errors are estimated. Furthermore, we prove the well-posedness of the variational formulation and discuss the convergence behavior of standard finite element methods with respect to this model. Our theoretical results are confirmed by numerical tests. Finally, we demonstrate how the new coupling concept can be used to simulate stationary flow through a capillary network embedded in a biological tissue.
Signatures of real algebraic curves via plumbing diagrams
Authors: Gilmer Patrick M. , Orevkov Stepan Yu.
Published: February 2018

We define and calculate signature and nullity invariants for complex schemes for curves in [Formula: see text]. We use an analog of the Murasugi–Tristram inequality to prohibit certain schemes from being realized by real algebraic curves. We give new formulas for Casson–Gordon invariants of graph manifolds, and signatures of graph links.
A homology theory for a special family of semi-groups
Authors: Mukherjee Sujoy
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we construct a new homology theory for semi-groups satisfying the right self-distributivity axiom or the idempotency axiom. Next, we consider the geometric realization corresponding to the homology theory. We continue with the comparison of this homology theory with one-term and two-term (rack) homology theories of self-distributive algebraic structures. Finally, we propose connections between the homology theory and knot theory via Temperley–Lieb algebras.