bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Which Firms Get Punished for Unethical Behavior? Explaining Variation in Stock Market Reactions to Corporate Misconduct
Authors: Carberry Edward J. , Engelen Peter-Jan , Van Essen Marc
Published: February 2018

Although there is ample evidence that stock markets react negatively to unethical corporate behavior, our understanding of the mechanisms that shape variation in these reactions across different incidents of misconduct remains underdeveloped. We propose and test a framework for explaining this variation by focusing on the role of the media in disseminating initial information about misconduct. We argue that the signaling effects of this information are important for investors because corporations have strong incentives to limit the information they disclose about misconduct. More specifically, we hypothesize that investors are more likely to react negatively when the media presents clear and credible information that misconduct occurred, that the firm was responsible for it, and that the misconduct was the result of deeper organizational problems. We also predict that information which signals that a firm has restorative capacity tempers investor reactions when the media places blame for misconduct on the corporation rather than specific individuals. We test our hypotheses in a unique sample of 345 acts of corporate misconduct in five European countries. Our findings provide broad support for our hypotheses, and we discuss implications for research on corporate misconduct and the role of non-state actors in regulating unethical corporate behavior.
Mean turbulence statistics in boundary layers over high-porosity foams
Authors: Efstathiou Christoph , Luhar Mitul
Published: February 2018

This paper reports turbulent boundary layer measurements made over open-cell reticulated foams with varying pore size and thickness, but constant porosity ($\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}\approx 0.97$). The foams were flush-mounted into a cutout on a flat plate. A laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) was used to measure mean streamwise velocity and turbulence intensity immediately upstream of the porous section, and at multiple measurement stations along the porous substrate. The friction Reynolds number upstream of the porous section was $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}\approx 1690$. For all but the thickest foam tested, the internal boundary layer was fully developed by ${<}10\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}$ downstream from the porous transition, where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}$ is the boundary layer thickness. Fully developed mean velocity profiles showed the presence of a substantial slip velocity at the porous interface (${>}30\,\%$ of the free-stream velocity) and a mean velocity deficit relative to the canonical smooth-wall profile further from the wall. While the magnitude of the mean velocity deficit increased with average pore size, the slip velocity remained approximately constant. Fits to the mean velocity profile suggest that the logarithmic region is shifted relative to a smooth wall, and that this shift increases with pore size until it becomes comparable to substrate thickness $h$. For all foams, the turbulence intensity was found to be elevated further into the boundary layer to $y/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}\approx 0.2$. An outer peak in intensity was also evident for the largest pore sizes. Velocity spectra indicate that this outer peak is associated with large-scale structures resembling Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices that have streamwise length scale $2\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}{-}4\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}$. Skewness profiles suggest that these large-scale structures may have an amplitude-modulating effect on the interfacial turbulence.
An echinoderm Lagerstätte from the Upper Ordovician (Katian), Ontario: taxonomic re-evaluation and description of new dicyclic camerate crinoids
Authors: Cole Selina R. , Ausich William I. , Wright David F. , Koniecki Joseph M.
Published: February 2018

The Upper Ordovician (lower Katian) Bobcaygeon and Verulam formations from the Lake Simcoe region of Ontario contain a highly diverse echinoderm assemblage that is herein recognized as a Konservat-Lagerstätte. Although fossil crinoids have long been recognized from these formations, the fauna has not received a comprehensive taxonomic evaluation since Springer’s classic 1911 monograph. Recent extensive collection and preparation of new material from the Bobcaygeon and Verulam formations near Brechin, Ontario recovered numerous exceptionally preserved crinoid specimens with arms, stems, and attachment structures intact. The Brechin Lagerstätte is the most taxonomically diverse Katian crinoid fauna, with more than 20 crinoid genera represented in this collection.

Here, all dicyclic crinoids belonging to subclass Camerata from the Brechin Lagerstätte are evaluated. The following four genera and seven species are described from the fauna, including one new genus and four new species:Reteocrinus stellaris,Reteocrinus alveolatus,Archaeocrinus sundayaen. sp.,Archaeocrinus maraensisn. sp.,Priscillacrinus elegansn. gen. n. sp.,Cleiocrinus regius, andCleiocrinus lepidotusn. sp. The exceptional preservation of this collection provides an opportunity to describe more fully the morphologic and ontogenetic details of known Ordovician crinoid taxa, to conduct a taxonomic re-evaluation of many species, to describe new taxa, and to provide a framework for subsequent studies of crinoid community paleoecology.

UUID:http://zoobank.org/e3e268a7-88e5-43cd-84ea-b40df45e8281
CONTINUITY ON GENERALISED TOPOLOGICAL SPACES VIA HEREDITARY CLASSES
Authors: MONTAGANTIRUD P. , THAIKUA W.
Published: February 2018

A generalised topology is a collection of subsets of a given nonempty set containing the empty set and arbitrary unions of the elements in the collection. By using the concept of hereditary classes, a generalised topology can be extended to a new one, called a generalised topology via a hereditary class. We study continuity on generalised topological spaces via hereditary classes in various situations.
A Comparative Analysis of Widow Dispossession in Francophone and Anglophone Cameroon
Authors: Willis Roxana
Published: February 2018

Widows throughout sub-Saharan Africa may be at risk from dispossession when their husbands pass away. Whereas some scholars view widow dispossession as prevalent and global, others suggest that the issue is less common than claimed. This article contributes to understanding about the frequency of, and reasons for, widow dispossession through an empirical investigation of widowhood in Cameroon. By adopting a comparative method, working with similar groups in both francophone and anglophone regions, it presents preliminary findings. These findings include a higher awareness of widow dispossession in anglophone areas compared to francophone samples. Moreover, notably fewer marriages are legally registered in the anglophone dataset, compared to the francophone group, which may place anglophone widows at greater risk of dispossession. The article then assesses the impact of custom, religion, civil law and common law on the findings. In conclusion, it recommends the need for a holistic consideration of land rights.
Bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss as a first symptom of infective endocarditis: two case reports
Authors: Chroni M , Prappa E , Kokkevi I
Published: February 2018

Background:

Septic emboli are an unusual cause of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, for which few reports exist in the literature.

Case report:

This paper presents two cases of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, initially considered as idiopathic, but which were caused by septic emboli. Hearing loss in these cases was bilateral, sequential and total. The first patient had mild fever one week prior to their presentation with sudden sensorineural hearing loss; the other patient had no additional symptoms at presentation. These patients were later diagnosed with infective endocarditis, at two and seven months following the sudden sensorineural hearing loss respectively, showing that septic emboli had been the cause of sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Conclusion:

Septic emboli should be considered as a possible cause of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in cases of total hearing loss. This form of hearing loss should prompt the otolaryngologist to further investigate for infective endocarditis.
Past trauma and future choices: differences in discounting in low-income, urban African Americans
Authors: van den Berk-Clark Carissa , Myerson Joel , Green Leonard , Grucza Richard A.
Published: February 2018

Background

Exposure to traumatic events is surprisingly common, yet little is known about its effect on decision making beyond the fact that those with post-traumatic stress disorder are more likely to have substance-abuse problems. We examined the effects of exposure to severe trauma on decision making in low-income, urban African Americans, a group especially likely to have had such traumatic experiences.

Method

Participants completed three decision-making tasks that assessed the subjective value of delayed monetary rewards and payments and of probabilistic rewards. Trauma-exposed cases and controls were propensity-matched on demographic measures, treatment for psychological problems, and substance dependence.

Results

Trauma-exposed cases discounted the value of delayed rewards and delayed payments, but not probabilistic rewards, more steeply than controls. Surprisingly, given previous findings that suggested women are more affected by trauma when female and male participants’ data were analyzed separately, only the male cases showed steeper delay discounting. Compared with nonalcoholic males who were not exposed to trauma, both severe trauma and alcohol-dependence produced significantly steeper discounting of delayed rewards.

Conclusions

The current study shows that exposure to severe trauma selectively affects fundamental decision-making processes. Only males were affected, and effects were observed only on discounting delayed outcomes (i.e. intertemporal choice) and not on discounting probabilistic outcomes (i.e. risky choice). These findings are the first to show significant differences in the effects of trauma on men's and women's decision making, and the selectivity of these effects has potentially important implications for treatment and also provides clues as to underlying mechanisms.
Word learning by young sequential bilinguals: Fast mapping in Arabic and Hebrew
Authors: EVIATAR ZOHAR , TAHA HAITHAM , COHEN VIKKI , SCHWARTZ MILA
Published: February 2018

We tested children attending bilingual Hebrew–Arabic kindergartens on a fast mapping task. These early sequential bilinguals included those with Hebrew as their home language and those with Arabic as their home language. They were compared to monolingual Hebrew and Arabic speakers. The children saw pictures of unfamiliar objects and were taught pseudowords as the object names that followed typical Hebrew, typical Arabic, or neutral phonotactics. Memory, phonological, and morphological abilities were also measured. The bilingual groups performed similarly to each other, and better than the monolingual groups, who also performed similarly to each other. Memory and the interaction between language experience and metalinguistic abilities (phonological and morphological awareness) significantly accounted for variance on the fast mapping tasks. We predicted that bilinguals would be more sensitive to phonotactics than monolinguals. Instead, we found that Arabic speakers (bilinguals and monolinguals) performed better with Hebrew-like stimuli than with Arabic-like stimuli, and no effect of phonotactics for Hebrew speakers. This may reflect the diglossia in Arabic language acquisition. The results suggest that the process of fast mapping is sharpened by multilingual experience, and may be sensitive to sociolinguistic factors such as diglossia.
The relationship between elder care-giving and labour force participation in the context of policies addressing population ageing: a review of empirical studies published between 2006 and 2016
Authors: MOUSSA MARGARET MALKE
Published: February 2018

This paper systematically reviews empirical research published between 2006 and 2016 on the relationship between informal care-giving to elders and labour force participation (LFP). It does so in the context of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development policy responses to population ageing. In this context, conclusions regarding the LFP and care-giving relationship should at least be applicable to the sub-population of working-aged individuals who are most likely to provide informal elder care. Currently, these are women in mid-life and the recipients of their care are mostly extra-residential parents. The review's key conclusion is that mid-life women care-givers of elderly parents are significantly likely to reduce their working hours and also to work fewer hours relative to their non-care-giving counterparts. In drawing this conclusion, the review shows that studies finding only modest care-giving effects on LFP either do not adequately control for care-giving intensity or their conclusions apply to sub-populations less likely to be affected by policies addressing population ageing.
Constrained coverage path planning: evolutionary and classical approaches
Authors: Ahmadi S. M. , Kebriaei H. , Moradi H.
Published: February 2018

The constrained coverage path planning addressed in this paper refers to finding an optimal path traversed by a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to maximize its coverage on a designated area, considering the time limit and the feasibility of the path. The UAV starts from its current position to assess the condition of a new entry to the area. Nevertheless, the UAV needs to comply with the coverage task, simultaneously and therefore, it is likely that the optimal policy would not be the shortest path in such a condition, since a wider area can be covered through a longer path. From the other side, along with a longer path, the UAV may not reach to the target in due time. In addition, the speed of UAV is assumed to be constant and as a result, a feasible path needs to be smooth enough to support this assumption. The problem is modeled as an Epsilon-constraint optimization in which a coverage function has to be maximized, considering the constraints on the length and the smoothness of the path. For this purpose, a new genetic path planning algorithm with adaptive operator selection is proposed to solve such a complicated constrained optimization problem. The proposed approach has been compared to some classical approaches like, a modified version of the Artificial Potential Field and a modified version of Dijkstra's algorithm (a graph-based approach). All the methods are implemented and tested in different scenarios and their performances are evaluated via the simulation results.
Generic points of shift-invariant measures in the countable symbolic space
Authors: FAN AI–HUA , LI MING–TIAN , MA JI–HUA
Published: February 2018

We are concerned with sets of generic points for shift-invariant measures in the countable symbolic space. We measure the sizes of the sets by the Billingsley-Hausdorff dimensions defined by Gibbs measures. It is shown that the dimension of such a set is given by a variational principle involving the convergence exponent of the Gibbs measure and the relative entropy dimension of the Gibbs measure with respect to the invariant measure. This variational principle is different from that of the case of finite symbols, where the convergent exponent is zero and is not involved. An application is given to a class of expanding interval dynamical systems.
Peripheral Vision: Polish-Jewish Lawyers and Early Israeli Law
Authors: Likhovski Assaf
Published: February 2018

Some of the founding fathers of Israel's legal system were lawyers educated in Polish law schools. What was the impact of this background on their legal thought? There are few explicit references to Polish law in Israeli legal texts. However, indirectly, legal and constitutional ideas taken from Polish law did appear in Israeli law. This article focuses on the legal writing of four Israeli lawyers in the period immediately after Israel's independence in 1948, showing how Polish law was used by these lawyers as a source for occasional precedents, for critiquing Israeli law (dominated by English law), and, mostly, for constitutional precedents.

The relatively greater impact of Polish law in the constitutional realm can be attributed to the fact that Poland (like other new countries established in the interwar period in the periphery of western Europe, such as Ireland) offered Israeli lawyers constitutional models that were both more modern, and more relevant to the specific circumstances of the new state, where religion played an important role in defining the identity of the nation. The history of the impact of Polish law on Israeli law can thus serve as an example of interwar constitutional innovation in the European periphery, and its later impact on post-World War II constitutional law.
21st Century Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Anger: A Systematic Review of Research Design, Methodology and Outcome
Authors: Fernandez Ephrem , Malvaso Catia , Day Andrew , Guharajan Deepan
Published: February 2018

Background:Past reviews of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for anger have focused on outcome in specific subpopulations, with few questions posed about research design and methodology. Since the turn of the century, there has been a surge of methodologically varied studies awaiting systematic review.Aims:The basic aim was to review this recent literature in terms of trends and patterns in research design, operationalization of anger, and covariates such as social desirability bias (SDB). Also of interest was clinical outcome.Method:After successive culling, 42 relevant studies were retained. These were subjected to a rapid evidence assessment (REA) with special attention to design (ranked on the Scientific Methods Scale) measurement methodology (self-monitored behaviour, anger questionnaires, and others’ ratings), SDB assessment, and statistical versus clinical significance.Results:The randomized controlled trial characterized 60% of the studies, and the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory was the dominant measure of anger. All but one of the studies reported statistically significant outcome, and all but one of the 21 studies evaluating clinical significance laid claim to it. The one study with neither statistical nor clinical significance was the only one that had assessed and corrected for SDB.Conclusions:Measures remain relatively narrow in scope, but study designs have improved, and the outcomes suggest efficacy and clinical effectiveness. In conjunction with previous findings of an inverse relationship between anger and SDB, the results raise the possibility that the favourable picture of CBT for anger may need closer scrutiny with SDB and other methodological details in mind.
MODULARITY IN MATHEMATICS
Authors: AVIGAD JEREMY
Published: February 2018

In a wide range of fields, the word “modular” is used to describe complex systems that can be decomposed into smaller systems with limited interactions between them. This essay argues that mathematical knowledge can fruitfully be understood as having a modular structure and explores the ways in which modularity in mathematics is epistemically advantageous.
Terahertz antenna technology for imaging applications: a technical review
Authors: Malhotra Isha , Jha Kumud Ranjan , Singh Ghanshyam
Published: February 2018

The terahertz (THz) regime of the electromagnetic spectrum is rich with the emerging possibilities in imaging applications with unique characteristics to screening for weapons, explosives and bio-hazards, imaging of concealed objects, water content, and skin, and these advantages can be harnessed by using the effective THz sources and detectors. In THz imaging systems, the pulsed THz sources and detectors find unique applications and thus we have emphasized on re-visiting these kinds of systems. Several novel imaging techniques which exploit the distinctive properties of the THz systems have been presented. Moreover, the THz antenna is one of the most important components of a THz imaging system as it plays a significant role in both impedance matching and power source. Therefore, the recent developments in THz antenna design for imaging applications are reviewed and the potential challenges of such THz systems are investigated. The photoconductive antennas form the basis of many THz imaging and spectroscopy systems and finds promising applications in various scientific fields. However, for the imaging applications, there is a requirement of planar and compact THz antenna sources with on-chip fabrication and high directivity in order to achieve large depth-of-field for better image resolution. Therefore, the key modalities of improving photoconductive dipole antennas performance are identified for imaging applications. Also, the ways to improve the directivity of the photoconductive dipole antenna are discussed. The main purpose of this review is to provide an assortment of all relevant literature to bring researchers up-to-date on the current state-of-the-art and potential challenges of THz antenna technology for imaging applications.
Solid-phase synthesis of protein-polymers on reversible immobilization supports
Authors: Murata Hironobu , Carmali Sheiliza , Baker Stefanie L. , Matyjaszewski Krzysztof , Russell Alan J.
Published: February 2018

Facile automated biomacromolecule synthesis is at the heart of blending synthetic and biologic worlds. Full access to abiotic/biotic synthetic diversity first occurred when chemistry was developed to grow nucleic acids and peptides from reversibly immobilized precursors. Protein–polymer conjugates, however, have always been synthesized in solution in multi-step, multi-day processes that couple innovative chemistry with challenging purification. Here we report the generation of protein–polymer hybrids synthesized by protein-ATRP on reversible immobilization supports (PARIS). We utilized modified agarose beads to covalently and reversibly couple to proteins in amino-specific reactions. We then modified reversibly immobilized proteins with protein-reactive ATRP initiators and, after ATRP, we released and analyzed the protein polymers. The activity and stability of PARIS-synthesized and solution-synthesized conjugates demonstrated that PARIS was an effective, rapid, and simple method to generate protein–polymer conjugates. Automation of PARIS significantly reduced synthesis/purification timelines, thereby opening a path to changing how to generate protein–polymer conjugates.
Multi-indicator sustainability assessment of global food systems
Authors: Chaudhary Abhishek , Gustafson David , Mathys Alexander
Published: February 2018

Food systems are at the heart of at least 12 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The wide scope of the SDGs call for holistic approaches that integrate previously “siloed” food sustainability assessments. Here we present a first global-scale analysis quantifying the status of national food system performance of 156 countries, employing 25 sustainability indicators across 7 domains as follows: nutrition, environment, food affordability and availability, sociocultural well-being, resilience, food safety, and waste. The results show that different countries have widely varying patterns of performance with unique priorities for improvement. High-income nations score well on most indicators, but poorly on environmental, food waste, and health-sensitive nutrient-intake indicators. Transitioning from animal foods toward plant-based foods would improve indicator scores for most countries. Our nation-specific quantitative results can help policy-makers to set improvement targets on specific areas and adopt new practices, while keeping track of the other aspects of sustainability.
Meta- and cross-species analyses of insulin resistance based on gene expression datasets in human white adipose tissues
Authors: Jung Junghyun , Kim Go Woon , Lee Woosuk , Mok Changsoo , Chung Sung Hyun , Jang Wonhee
Published: February 2018

Ample evidence indicates that insulin resistance (IR) is closely related to white adipose tissue (WAT), but the underlying mechanisms of IR pathogenesis are still unclear. Using 352 microarray datasets from seven independent studies, we identified a meta-signature which comprised of 1,413 genes. Our meta-signature was also enriched in overall WAT in in vitro and in vivo IR models. Only 12 core enrichment genes were consistently enriched across all IR models. Among the meta-signature, we identified a drug signature made up of 211 genes with expression levels that were co-regulated by thiazolidinediones and metformin using cross-species analysis. To confirm the clinical relevance of our drug signature, we found that the expression levels of 195 genes in the drug signature were significantly correlated with both homeostasis model assessment 2-IR score and body mass index. Finally, 18 genes from the drug signature were identified by protein-protein interaction network cluster. Four core enrichment genes were included in 18 genes and the expression levels of selected 8 genes were validated by quantitative PCR. These findings suggest that our signatures provide a robust set of genetic markers which can be used to provide a starting point for developing potential therapeutic targets in improving IR in WAT.
Small-Angle Twist Grain Boundaries as Sinks for Point Defects
Authors: Jiang Hao , Szlufarska Izabela
Published: February 2018

It is known that grain boundaries (GBs) provide sinks for defects induced into a solid by irradiation. At the same time radiation can change the atomic structure and chemistry of GBs, which in turn impacts the ability of GBs to continue absorbing defects. Although a number of studies have been reported for tilt GBs acting as defect sinks, the questions of how twist GBs evolve to absorb non-equilibrium concentrations of defects and whether GBs saturate as defect sinks for typical irradiation conditions have remained largely unanswered. Here, we used a combination of molecular dynamics and grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations to determine how twist GBs accommodate point defects. We used SiC and {001} and {111} twist GBs as model systems. We found that diffusion of defects along GBs in this material is slow and for most experimentally relevant conditions point defects will accumulate at twist GBs, driving structural and chemical evolution of these interfaces. During irradiation, screw dislocations within GB planes absorb interstitials by developing mixed dislocation segments that climb. Formation of mixed dislocations occurs either by nucleation of interstitial loops or by faulting/unfaulting of stacking faults. Both types of twist GBs can accommodate a high density of interstitials without losing the crystalline structure, irrespectively of the interstitial flux.
Electrofusion of single cells in picoliter droplets
Authors: Schoeman Rogier M. , van den Beld Wesley T. E. , Kemna Evelien W. M. , Wolbers Floor , Eijkel Jan C. T. , van den Berg Albert
Published: February 2018

We present a microfluidic chip that enables electrofusion of cells in microdroplets, with exchange of nuclear components. It is shown, to our knowledge for the first time, electrofusion of two HL60 cells, inside a microdroplet. This is the crucial intermediate step for controlled hybridoma formation where a B cell is electrofused with a myeloma cell. We use a microfluidic device consisting of a microchannel structure in PDMS bonded to a glass substrate through which droplets with two differently stained HL60 cells are transported. An array of six recessed platinum electrode pairs is used for electrofusion. When applying six voltage pulses of 2–3 V, the membrane electrical field is about 1 MV/cm for 1 ms. This results in electrofusion of these cells with a fusion yield of around 5%. The operation with individual cell pairs, the appreciable efficiency and the potential to operate in high-throughput (up to 500 cells sec−1) makes the microdroplet fusion technology a promising platform for cell electrofusion, which has the potential to compete with the conventional methods. Besides, this platform is not restricted to cell fusion but is also applicable to various other cell-based assays such as single cell analysis and differentiation assays.
Exotic complexes in one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates with spin-orbit coupling
Authors: Belobo D. Belobo , Meier T.
Published: February 2018

By means of the F-expansion method and intensive numerical simulations, the existence of three families of nonlinear matter waves including Jacobi elliptic functions, solitons, and triangular periodic functions, is demonstrated for spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensates with a linear potential. In addition, several complexes are obtained by taking two distinct solutions of each family or two distinct families. These solutions sustain different types of two-body interactions in the condensate that can be repulsive, attractive, or attractive and repulsive. Whereas the spin-orbit coupling destabilized these nonlinear matter waves, the linear potential leads to a stabilization. The numerical results are in excellent agreement with our analytical findings and it can be expected that the proposed robust solutions should be observable for experimentally relevant conditions.
High strength films from oriented, hydrogen-bonded “graphamid” 2D polymer molecular ensembles
Authors: Sandoz-Rosado Emil , Beaudet Todd D. , Andzelm Jan W. , Wetzel Eric D.
Published: February 2018

The linear polymer poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide), better known by its tradename Kevlar, is an icon of modern materials science due to its remarkable strength, stiffness, and environmental resistance. Here, we propose a new two-dimensional (2D) polymer, “graphamid”, that closely resembles Kevlar in chemical structure, but is mechanically advantaged by virtue of its 2D structure. Using atomistic calculations, we show that graphamid comprises covalently-bonded sheets bridged by a high population of strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Molecular and micromechanical calculations predict that these strong intermolecular interactions allow stiff, high strength (6–8 GPa), and tough films from ensembles of finite graphamid molecules. In contrast, traditional 2D materials like graphene have weak intermolecular interactions, leading to ensembles of low strength (0.1–0.5 GPa) and brittle fracture behavior. These results suggest that hydrogen-bonded 2D polymers like graphamid would be transformative in enabling scalable, lightweight, high performance polymer films of unprecedented mechanical performance.
Fast, sensitive method for trisaccharide biomarker detection in mucopolysaccharidosis type 1
Authors: Makino Elina , Klodnitsky Helen , Leonard John , Lillie James , Lund Troy C. , Marshall John , Nietupski Jennifer , Orchard Paul J. , Miller Weston P. , Phaneuf Clifford , Tietz Drew , Varban Mariet L. , Donovan Marissa , Belenki Alexey
Published: February 2018

Certain recessively inherited diseases result from an enzyme deficiency within lysosomes. In mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS), a defect in glycosaminoglycan (GAG) degradation leads to GAG accumulation followed by progressive organ and multiple system dysfunctions. Current methods of GAG analysis used to diagnose and monitor the diseases lack sensitivity and throughput. Here we report a LC-MS method with accurate metabolite mass analysis for identifying and quantifying biomarkers for MPS type I without the need for extensive sample preparation. The method revealed 225 LC-MS features that were >1000-fold enriched in urine, plasma and tissue extracts from untreated MPS I mice compared to MPS I mice treated with iduronidase to correct the disorder. Levels of several trisaccharides were elevated >10000-fold. To validate the clinical relevance of our method, we confirmed the presence of these biomarkers in urine, plasma and cerebrospinal fluid from MPS I patients and assessed changes in their levels after treatment.
Gender bias in clinicians’ pathologization of atypical sexuality: a randomized controlled trial with mental health professionals
Authors: Fuss Johannes , Briken Peer , Klein Verena
Published: February 2018

The psychiatric classification of “normal” versus disordered sexual behavior has been a subject of some dispute. Although atypical sexual interests have been viewed traditionally as typically male, epidemiological data indicate its presence in both genders. We examined how gender and sexual orientation influence whether or not atypical sexual behavior is classified as a mental disorder. Mental health professionals (N = 546) were presented with five case vignettes where subjects exhibit paraphilic behaviors; one case with psychotic symptoms served as the control condition. For each vignette we randomly changed the described subject’s gender (male/female), sexual orientation (homosexual/heterosexual), and presented diagnostic criteria (fulfilled/ambiguous). Female subjects were significantly less pathologized and overall less stigmatized in terms of exhibitionistic, frotteuristic, sexual sadistic and pedophilic behavior. On the other hand, female sexual behavior that fulfilled diagnostic criteria for masochistic disorder was more pathologized. Our results demonstrate that nosologically irrelevant factors, which may be related to different sexual norms for men and women, affect clinicians’ decisions regarding atypical sexuality.
Introduction and General Aspects of Risk Assessment
Authors: Marrs Timothy C. , Maynard Robert L.
Published: February 2018

With the development of the European Union, the development of common toxicological standards was required to remove barriers to inter-community trade, and it has also been thought desirable to have common standards of worker safety and common environmental standards. There are various types of regulatory regimes, including premarketing approval systems and notification schemes. Yet a further type of regulation applies to existing situations, such as air pollution. Here, the main roles of the regulatory regimes are setting standards. Regulation depends on good data, which come from two main sources: proprietary data and studies in the peer-reviewed literature. Both sources have strengths and weaknesses. Proprietary data are generally generated according to good laboratory practice and guidelines are available for the conduct of many regulatory studies. There are a number of instances of retracted papers in the peer-reviewed literature that have had regulatory impact. For many substances, reference doses are calculated from toxicological data, most often obtained from experimental animals, generally by application of an uncertainly factor, or factors, to the lowest relevant no-effect-level in the most sensitive species. Air quality guidelines are predominantly derived from epidemiological data.
REACH
Authors: Andrew David J. , Wright-Williams Siân L.
Published: February 2018

REACH was introduced in the European Union (EU) to strengthen controls on the use of industrial chemicals and to protect human and environmental health. REACH obliges companies manufacturing or importing chemical substances in quantities of one tonne per annum or more to submit a registration dossier to the European Chemicals Agency. The registration dossier must contain toxicological information on the chemical, the extent of which is dependent on the quantity in which it is manufactured or exported. Although the REACH Regulation states that performing new studies in vertebrate animals must be a ‘last resort’, its introduction caused concern within the chemical industry due to the extent of testing required and the associated costs. The toxicological data requirements and potential testing strategies are discussed, together with ‘non-testing’ options such as in vitro methods, data waiving and read-across, in line with recent changes to the guidance on testing.
Comprehensive reaction mechanisms at and near the Ni–Fe active sites of [NiFe] hydrogenases
Authors: Tai Hulin , Higuchi Yoshiki , Hirota Shun
Published: February 2018

We overview recent advances in the mechanisms at and near the Ni–Fe sites of [NiFe] hydrogenases for activation–inactivation, catalytic reaction, proton transfer, and O2-tolerance.
Nanoencapsulation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) using a combination of food grade polymeric wall materials and its application for improvement in bioavailability and oxidative stability
Authors: Singh Harmanpreet , Kumar Chateshwar , Singh Narpinder , Paul Surinder , Jain Subheet Kumar
Published: February 2018

Developed nanoencapsulated DHA powder of microalgae oil with improved oxidative stability and bioavailability in brain using combination of wall materials.
Fermentation of non-digestible raffinose family oligosaccharides and galactomannans by probiotics
Authors: Zartl Barbara , Silberbauer Karina , Loeppert Renate , Viernstein Helmut , Praznik Werner , Mueller Monika
Published: February 2018

This study demonstrates the α-galactosidase activity and the growth of 20 selected probiotic strains with non-digestible raffinose family oligosaccharides and galactomannans.
Hierarchically structured CuFe2O4 ND@RGO composite for the detection of oxidative stress biomarker in biological fluids
Authors: Chen Shen-Ming , Umamaheswari Rajaji , Mani Govindasamy , Chen Tse-Wei , Ali M. Ajmal , Fahad M. A. Al-Hemaid , Elshikh M. S. , Farah M. Abul
Published: February 2018

In this work, stable and catalytically active copper ferrite nanodots (CuFe2O4) entrapped by porous RGO nanosheets were prepared via a facile condensation process using a green reducing agent.
A luminescent supramolecular Cu2I2(NH3)2-sandwiched Cu3(pyrazolate)3 adduct as a temperature sensor
Authors: Zhan Shun-Ze , Jiang Xia , Zheng Ji , Huang Xin-Da , Chen Guang-Hui , Li Dan
Published: February 2018

A highly luminescent supramolecular Cu2I2(NH3)2-sandwiched Cu3(pyrazolate)3 π-acid⋯base adduct, stabilized by intermolecular Cu3⋯I (π-acid⋯base), Cu⋯Cu and N⋯H interactions, is reported as a temperature sensor in a wide range.
[Ru3(6-NHC)(CO)10]: synthesis, characterisation and reactivity of rare 46-electron tri-ruthenium clusters
Authors: Ellul Charles E. , Lowe John P. , Mahon Mary F. , Raithby Paul R. , Whittlesey Michael K.
Published: February 2018

The room temperature reaction of 6-membered ring N-heterocyclic carbenes with [Ru3(CO)12] affords [Ru3(6-NHC)(CO)10], rare examples of coordinatively unsaturated, 46-electron tri-ruthenium clusters. Upon mild heating in the presence of C5H5N, H2 or PPh3, these compounds lose carbene.
n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids preventd-galactose-induced cognitive deficits in prediabetic rats
Authors: Guo Yu-Ru , Lee Hsiu-Chuan , Lo Yun-Chun , Yu Shao-Chuan , Huang Shih-Yi
Published: February 2018

Nutritional deficit of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is closely related to cognitive impairment and depression in later life.
An International Survey of Assessment Practices for Short-Term and Working Memory Deficits in Aphasia
Authors: Salis Christos , Murray Laura , Bakas Katrina
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Recent research has highlighted the clinical relevance of understanding the nature of short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) deficits in persons with aphasia and the way these deficits affect linguistic processing and functional communication in activities of daily living. The psychometric properties of tests commonly used to identify STM/WM problems in individuals with aphasia, however, have been questioned. No previous study has sought to investigate assessment practices and attitudes by speech-language pathologists involved in aphasia management. Accordingly, the aims of this study were (a) to investigate both attitudes toward STM/WM assessment in individuals with aphasia, as well as the types and frequency of STM/WM tests used with individuals with aphasia, and (b) to explore factors (e.g., educational background) that may influence STM/WM assessment practices.

Method

Respondents recruited via professional and aphasia support organizations completed an online survey. The survey elicited information about the respondents' demographic and clinical backgrounds and STM/WM assessment clinical practices and views, including frequency and preferred use of specific STM/WM tests.

Results

The majority of respondents reported regular use of STM/WM tests as part of aphasia management. Positive attitudes toward STM/WM assessments were also reported. The most popular rankings of tests were the Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test (Helm-Estabrooks, 2001), the Comprehensive Aphasia Test (Swinburn, Porter, & Howard, 2005), and the Token Test (McNeil & Prescott, 1978). Results suggested limited knowledge about measures that assess self-perceptions of functional memory abilities. Regression analyses showed that the frequency of reported STM/WM test use was similar between clinicians and dual-role researchers/clinicians, but their attitudes toward the value of STM/WM differed. U.S. and UK respondents reported similar assessment practices.

Conclusions

It is reassuring that STM/WM is taken into consideration by clinicians when providing aphasia management. Two of the most popular tests, however, have poor psychometric properties, and caution should be exercised in clinical decision making. The different value placed on STM/WM testing by clinicians and researchers/clinicians has implications for continuing professional development.
Machine learning gesture analysis of yoga for exergame development
Authors: Pullen Paula , Seffens William
Published: February 2018

Many successful and innovative information technology applications use gestures as input. These programs span a wide variety of genres, platforms and input technologies, from the touch screen of a smart phone to the full‐motion, the natural input of devices like the Kinect Sensor. Visual Gesture Builder, a data‐driven machine‐learning solution for gesture detection, was used to capture useful yoga gestures with high accuracy. This gesture analysis technology is being explored for incorporation into exergames for personalised medical interventions. The research goal is to test whether a machine learning algorithm in a basic computer video exergame can assess yoga skill acquisition in targeted select populations as a means to promote healthy physical activity.
Analytical model for armature reaction of outer rotor brushless permanent magnet DC motor
Authors: Ma Conggan , Li Qing , Lu Haifeng , Liu Yuewen , Gao Haibo
Published: February 2018

This study presents an analytical model for calculating the armature reaction magnetic field of outer rotor permanent magnet brushless DC motor (PMBLDCM) in stator stationary coordinate system (SSCS) and rotor rotation coordinate system (RRCS). Firstly, an expression of armature reaction magnetic field of single‐phase winding is deduced, without considering slotting effect. Afterwards, analytical expressions of armature reaction magnetic field in both SSCS and RRCS regardless of slotting effect are obtained using vector addition method. Then complex relative permeances of outer rotor BLPMDCM in SSCS and RRCS are analysed, respectively. Finally, analytical solutions of the armature reaction magnetic field in both SSCS and RRCS are derived, respectively, by multiplying the slotless armature reaction magnetic field and the complex relative magnetic permeance, the self‐ and mutual inductance are calculated by the armature reaction magnetic field. A 46‐ploes‐51‐slots outer rotor BLPMDCM is set as an example, the accuracy of proposed analytical model is verified by the Finite Element Method. Based on this analytical model, the pattern of slotting effect on armature reaction of both outer rotor and internal stator are analysed, respectively, as well as spatial order characteristics and frequency characteristics of armature reaction for outer rotor PMBLDCM in SSCS and in RRCS.
Gain enhancement of triple‐band patch antenna by using triple‐band artificial magnetic conductor
Authors: Ghosh Anumoy , Kumar Vimlesh , Sen Gobinda , Das Santanu
Published: February 2018

A microstrip line fed rectangular patch antenna with slots in the patch radiator is designed to realise triple resonant frequencies with satisfactory impedance matching (|S11|≤−10 dB) at 3.36, 5.96, and 9.09 GHz. Current distribution analysis is presented to provide an insight to the mechanism of triple resonance generation. A triple‐band artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) is designed and analysed based on resonance phenomenon of stepped impedance resonators. The resonant frequencies of the AMC coincide with the antenna. A rectangular split‐ring slot is embedded in the metallic ground of the antenna. The designed AMC is placed beneath the antenna maintaining an air gap between the structures. The slot in the ground plane enables the surface waves to interact with the AMC. The proposed arrangement enhances the gain from 1.38 to 3.77 dBi at 3.36 GHz, 3.22 to 6.29 dBi at 5.96 GHz, and 7.58 to 11.16 dBi at 9.09 GHz. The proposed structure exhibits good radiation patterns with low cross‐polarisation and high front to back ratio at all the three resonant frequencies. A prototype of the proposed structure is fabricated and the measured results are in good agreement with the simulated results.
Modified modulation scheme for three‐level diode‐clamped matrix converter under unbalanced input conditions
Authors: Su Mei , Zhao Ziyi , Dan Hanbing , Peng Tao , Sun Yao , Che Ruyu , Zhang Fan , Zhu Qi , Wheeler Patrick
Published: February 2018

The three‐level diode‐clamped matrix converter (TLDCMC) topology has outstanding performance under ideal operating conditions. However, input disturbance can influence the waveforms at the output side of the converter due to the direct coupling between the input and output. This study proposes a modified modulation scheme for TLDCMC during operation with unbalanced input voltages and when different transformer turns ratios are used for an isolation transformer at the input. With this modulation technique, sinusoidal and balanced output voltages are guaranteed and the input current harmonics are minimised. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed modulation scheme.
Off‐grid effects mitigation exploiting knowledge of the clutter ridge for sparse recovery STAP
Authors: Duan Keqing , Liu Weijian , Duan Guangqing , Wang Yongliang
Published: February 2018

In this study, a novel method for overcomplete dictionary construction for sparse recovery (SR) space–time adaptive processing (STAP) is proposed, which can effectively mitigate the off‐grid effect. The proposed method utilises the clutter ridge, calculated via some prior knowledge such as radar system parameters and modern inertial navigation system information, to discretise the grids in the angle–Doppler plane. The authors also investigate the accuracy of clutter ridge in the presence of several typical non‐ideal factors such as array errors, intrinsic clutter motion and aircraft crab. In particular, a parameter is introduced to adaptively adjust the grid interval to avoid the strong column coherence of the dictionary. The simulation results show that the signal‐to‐clutter‐plus‐noise ratio for the SR STAP with the proposed dictionary is significantly improved, compared with the one utilising conventional dictionary. Moreover, it is shown that the novel method not only works more robustly for the side‐looking array, but also has better performance for other array orientations.