bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physical and Financial Performance of Vijayapura and Bagalkot Milk Union Limited (VIMUL), Karnataka, India
Authors: Relekar Swati Prakash , Rebasiddanavar Revappa M , Mitrannavar D H
Published: August 2024

Livestock plays a crucial role in sustaining rural livelihoods in India, with dairying alone supporting millions of farm families. The livestock sector has witnessed significant growth, contributing to both rural income and the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In Karnataka, dairy cooperatives play a pivotal role in milk production, with the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) being a prominent player. One such entity within KMF is the Vijayapura and Bagalkot Milk Union Limited (VIMUL), operating in the districts of Vijayapura and Bagalkot. This research paper conducts a comprehensive analysis of VIMUL's physical and financial performance over a thirty-six-year period from 1986-87 to 2021-22. Utilizing secondary data, various analytical tools including growth rate analysis, ratio analysis, and financial performance indicators were employed to assess VIMUL's performance. The findings reveal a positive trend in VIMUL's physical and financial performance indicators over the study period. VIMUL demonstrated consistent growth in milk procurement, membership, and operational efficiency, reflecting its effective management and cooperative principles. Financial ratio analysis indicates satisfactory liquidity, solvency, efficiency, and profitability of VIMUL, although certain areas may require attention for further improvement. Overall, VIMUL emerges as a model for cooperative dairy enterprises, contributing significantly to rural development and economic growth in Karnataka. The insights provided in this research paper offer valuable implications for policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of continued support and investment in dairy cooperatives for sustainable agricultural development and rural prosperity.
Clay and lime mortars
Authors: Thacker Mark
Published: August 2024

This paper seeks to situate the mortared masonry techniques used to construct various pre-Romanesque chapels in northern and western Scotland within a broader geographical and chronological context. A combination of desk-based and fieldwork evidence is presented which highlights the apparent scarcity of mortar-bonded masonry buildings across the region before the medieval period, and demonstrates that lime and clay mortars repeatedly re-emerge into the Scottish archaeological record together – in different cultural contexts. This close archaeological, architectural and historical association extends to the use of both clay and lime mortars in our pre-Romanesque chapels, complicating narratives around native vs imported masonry techniques, and prompting closer scrutiny of the relationship between technical innovation, craft tradition and the environment.
Canmore ID 1569Canmore ID 2170
Improvement Plan for Prevention of Safety Accidents in Old Facilities
Authors: Lee Byung-Do , Yang Won-Jik
Published: August 2024

Recently developed buildings are becoming larger, more complex, and higher-rise. After the announcement of the first new city in 1989, other first new cities were created in Bundang New Town in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, and Ilsan New Town in Goyang-si, where occupancy began in 1992. Subsequently, second new cities were built in 12 locations in 2003. In 2018, third new cities were announced, including the Wangsuk District in Namyangju-si, Gyosan District in Hanam-si, and Gyeyang District in Incheon. The continued announcement of new cities suggests the existence of old equipment in first and second new cities, necessitating the safety management of old facilities. Among major building facilities, cases of safety accidents have been reported due to aging, explosion of refrigerators, fires from aging water substation facilities, and power outages. In December 2018, an accident occurred in which one person was killed and 20 people were injured when a hot water pipe at the regional heating corporation near Baekseok Station in Ilsan ruptured because of aging. Thus, the aging of facilities is a major cause of safety accidents, and the scale of accidents is also increasing, making it urgent to establish improvement measures to counteract the occurrence of accidents in old facilities. To prevent safety accidents in old facilities, this study intends to contribute to safety accident prevention by presenting a replacement standard for the main facility through facility expert surveys and domestic and international useful prior research life management case studies.
Development of Risk Indicator Incorporating Regional Characteristics for Fire-Following Earthquake Risk Assessment
Authors: Kang Taewook , Kang Jaedo , Lee Kihak , Kim Hyewon , Shin Jiuk
Published: August 2024

Secondary damages caused by earthquakes, such as fires, tsunamis, and landslides, significantly damage buildings (or structures) and adversely affect humans. Historical cases have highlighted the severe dangers posed by fire-following earthquakes (FFEs). The risk of FFE is determined by regional characteristics, such as the density of buildings and the types of fire-resistant structures. However, researchers have previously evaluated this risk by comparing relative fire burn rates without considering regional characteristics. Hence, a methodology used previously is adopted in this study to calculate regional-level fire burn rates in Pohang City. Subsequently, the relationship between regional characteristics and fire burn rates is examined. Based on the analysis results, a new risk indicator is proposed for evaluating the FFE risk while considering regional characteristics, and the results obtained for Pohang City are compared with those published in the literature (FFE risk ranking in L, Northern, Pohang = 3 or 2 vs. 2).
The effect of large‐scale model time step and multiscale coupling frequency on cloud climatology, vertical structure, and rainfall extremes in a superparameterized GCM
Authors: Yu Sungduk , Pritchard Michael S.
Published: October 2015

The effect of global climate model (GCM) time step—which also controls how frequently global and embedded cloud resolving scales are coupled—is examined in the Superparameterized Community Atmosphere Model ver 3.0. Systematic bias reductions of time‐mean shortwave cloud forcing (∼10 W/m2) and longwave cloud forcing (∼5 W/m2) occur as scale coupling frequency increases, but with systematically increasing rainfall variance and extremes throughout the tropics. An overarching change in the vertical structure of deep tropical convection, favoring more bottom‐heavy deep convection as a global model time step is reduced may help orchestrate these responses. The weak temperature gradient approximation is more faithfully satisfied when a high scale coupling frequency (a short global model time step) is used. These findings are distinct from the global model time step sensitivities of conventionally parameterized GCMs and have implications for understanding emergent behaviors of multiscale deep convective organization in superparameterized GCMs. The results may also be useful for helping to tune them.
Dermal Patch with Integrated Flexible Heater for on Demand Drug Delivery
Authors: Bagherifard Sara , Tamayol Ali , Mostafalu Pooria , Akbari Mohsen , Comotto Mattia , Annabi Nasim , Ghaderi Masoumeh , Sonkusale Sameer , Dokmeci Mehmet R. , Khademhosseini Ali
Published: October 2015

Topical administration of drugs and growth factors in a controlled fashion can improve the healing process during skin disorders and chronic wounds. To achieve this goal, a dermal patch is engineered that utilizes thermoresponsive drug microcarriers encapsulated within a hydrogel layer attached to a flexible heater with integrated electronic heater control circuitry. The engineered patch conformally covers the wound area and enables controlled drug delivery by electronically adjusting the temperature of the hydrogel layer. The drugs are encapsulated inside microparticles in order to control their release rates. These monodisperse thermoresponsive microparticles containing active molecules are fabricated using a microfluidic device. The system is used to release two different active molecules with molecular weights similar to drugs and growth factors and their release profiles are characterized. This platform is a key step towards engineering smart and closed loop systems for topical applications.
Recent Advances in Laser Utilization in the Chemical Modification of Graphene Oxide and Its Applications
Authors: Trusovas Romualdas , Račiukaitis Gediminas , Niaura Gediminas , Barkauskas Jurgis , Valušis Gintaras , Pauliukaite Rasa
Published: October 2015

A dramatic rise in research interest in laser‐induced graphene oxide (GO) reduction and modification requires an overview of the most recent works on this subject. Typical methods for the recognition and confirmation of modified graphene and its derivatives, such as Raman, Fourier‐transform infra‐red (FTIR), X‐ray photoelectron (XP), and ultraviolet‐visible (UV–vis) spectroscopies, are introduced briefly in this review. A major part of the survey is devoted to the main modification ways and the laser parameters used in the literature. A discussion of possible reduction and modification mechanisms is also presented. Recent applications, especially in the biomedical field such as cell therapy treatment, as well as significant results of GO modification, are discussed in detail. Finally, perspectives for the application of laser‐induced GO modifications in passive THz photonics and biomedicine are briefly addressed.
Emission Fingerprint Relationships of Low‐Level Water in Organic Solvents Based on Ln3+‐β‐Diketonate Complexes in Laponite
Authors: Li Peng , Li Zhiqiang , Li Huanrong
Published: October 2015

Detection of low‐content water in organic solvents is highly desirable for a number of chemical industries. However, most of luminescence water detectors reported so far easily generate liquid waste and the luminescence intensity of single emissive transition is susceptible by many factors. Herein a simple and green solid‐state detecting way is proposed to achieve the ratiometric detection of low‐level water in organic solvents based on Eu3+, Tb3+, and acac co‐doped Laponite (abbreviated as Eu1Tb9(acac)n@Lap). Such a luminescence detector represents excellent fingerprint correlation between water content in solvents and emission intensity ratio (IEu/ITb), and the variable emissive light colors of Eu1Tb9(acac)n@Lap is observed as water concentration in common organic solvents (MeCN, EtOH, and THF) increases (0%–5% v/v) clearly and directly with the naked eye. The approach should be a very promising strategy to achieve the low‐content water detecting in organic solvents.
Foldable Conductive Cellulose Fiber Networks Modified by Graphene Nanoplatelet‐Bio‐Based Composites
Authors: Cataldi Pietro , Bayer Ilker S. , Bonaccorso Francesco , Pellegrini Vittorio , Athanassiou Athanassia , Cingolani Roberto
Published: October 2015

Truly foldable flexible electronic components require a foldable substrate modified with a conducting material that can retain its electrical conductivity and mechanical integrity even after hard mechanical manipulations and multiple folding events. Here, such a material exploiting the combination of all‐biodegradable components (substrate and the polymer matrix) and graphene nanoplatelets is designed and fabricated. A commercially available thermoplastic starch‐based polymer (Mater‐Bi) and graphene nanoplatelets are simultaneously dispersed in an organic solvent to formulate conductive inks. The inks are spray painted on pure cellulose sheets and hot‐pressed into their fiber network after drying. The resultant nanostructured flexible composites display excellent isotropic electrical conductivity, reaching very low sheet resistance value ≈10 Ω sq−1, depending on the relative concentration between the biopolymer and the graphene nanoplatelets. Transmission electron microscopy results indicated that during hot‐pressing, graphene nanoplatelets are physically embedded into the cellulose fibers, resulting in high electrical conductivity of the flexible composite. The paper‐like flexible conductors can withstand many severe folding events, maintaining their mechanical and electrical properties and showing only a slight decrease of their electrical conductivity with respect to the unfolded counterparts. Unlike conductive paper technologies, the proposed paper‐like flexible conductors demonstrate both sides isotropic conductivity due to pressure‐induced impregnation.
Charge Photogeneration in Organic Photovoltaics: Role of Hot versus Cold Charge‐Transfer Excitons
Authors: Gautam Bhoj R. , Younts Robert , Li Wentao , Yan Liang , Danilov Evgeny , Klump Erik , Constantinou Iordania , So Franky , You Wei , Ade Harald , Gundogdu Kenan
Published: October 2015

The role of excess excitation energy on long‐range charge separation in organic donor/acceptor bulk heterojunctions (BHJs) continues to be unclear. While ultrafast spectroscopy results argue for efficient charge separation through high‐energy charge‐transfer (CT) states within the first picosecond (ps) of excitation, charge collection measurements suggest excess photon energy does not increase the current density in BHJ devices. Here, the population dynamics of charge‐separated polarons upon excitation of high‐energy polymer states and low‐energy interfacial CT states in two polymer/fullerene blends from ps to nanosecond time scales are studied. It is observed that the charge‐separation dynamics do not show significant dependence on excitation energy. These results confirm that excess exciton energy is not necessary for the effective generation of charges.
Lyophilized 3D Lithium Vanadium Phosphate/Reduced Graphene Oxide Electrodes for Super Stable Lithium Ion Batteries
Authors: Rajagopalan Ranjusha , Zhang Lei , Dou Shi Xue , Liu Huakun
Published: October 2015

3D lithium vanadium phosphate/reduced graphene oxide porous structures are prepared using a facile lyophilization process. The 3D porous nature of these lyophilized electrodes along with their high surface area lead to high rate capability and specific capacity. A high specific discharge capacity of ≈192 mAh g−1 is observed at 0.5 C. The cycling performance is noteworthy, as these lyophilized samples at 0.5 and 1 C do not show any fading, even after 1000 and 5000 cycles, respectively. Capacity retention of ≈96.2% is observed at the end of 10 000 cycles at 20 C. This remarkable cycling performance is attributed to the structural stability of the 3D porous network and is confirmed using scanning electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction after 10 000 cycles of consecutive charging and discharging at 20 C.
Thermally induced phase separation and electrospinning methods for emerging membrane applications: A review
Authors: Kim Jeong F. , Kim Ji Hoon , Lee Young Moo , Drioli Enrico
Published: October 2015

In this review, thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) and electrospinning methods for preparation of fluoropolymer membranes are assessed, particularly for the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene membranes. This review focuses on controlling the membrane morphology from the thermodynamic and kinetic perspectives to understand the relationship between the membrane morphology and fabrication parameters. In addition, the current status of the nonsolvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method and the combined NIPS‐TIPS (N‐TIPS) method, which is a new emerging fabrication method, are discussed. The past literature data are compiled and an upperbound curve (permeability vs. tensile strength) is proposed for the TIPS‐prepared PVDF membranes. Furthermore, the key parameters that control and determine the membrane morphology when using the electrospinning method are reviewed. Exploiting the unique advantages of the electrospinning method, our current understanding in controlling and fine‐tuning the PVDF crystal polymorphism (i.e., β‐phase) is critically assessed. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 461–490, 2016
Reduced‐order modeling for the control of selective noncatalytic reduction of nitrogen monoxide
Authors: Farcy Benjamin , Vervisch Luc , Domingo Pascale , Perret Nicolas
Published: October 2015

The design of a reduced‐order model is discussed to help in the control of selective noncatalytic reduction (SNCR) of nitrogen monoxide. Instead of relying on a look‐up table of nominal operating points, it is proposed to solve for the time evolution of a set of stochastic particles interacting through a model for turbulent mixing and a reduced chemistry. Each particle is representative of a fraction of the mass flowing in the system in gaseous or liquid form. To calibrate and validate the reduced‐order model, which runs in a few minutes on a desktop computer, reference three‐dimensional and unsteady large‐eddy simulation is performed in the complex geometry of a real incinerator. This is done solving the full set of conservation equations of mass, momentum, and energy over a 162 million cells mesh. The results confirm the possibility of real‐time SNCR optimization from the solving of partial differential equations. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 928–938, 2016
Solvable potentials with exceptional orthogonal polynomials
Authors: Arsenault Ashley , Opps Sheldon , Saad Nasser
Published: October 2015

Classes of solvable potentials are presented within an standard application of supersymmetric quantum mechanics. Sets of exceptional orthogonal polynomials generated by these solvable potentials are introduced and examined in detail. Several properties of these polynomials including orthogonality conditions, weight functions, differential equations, the Wronskains, possible recurrence relations are also investigated.

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Preparation of peptide thioesters from naturally occurring sequences using reaction sequence consisting of regioselective S‐cyanylation and hydrazinolysis
Authors: Miyajima Rin , Tsuda Yusuke , Inokuma Tsubasa , Shigenaga Akira , Imanishi Miki , Futaki Shiroh , Otaka Akira
Published: October 2015

The vital roles of peptide/protein thioesters in protein chemistry, including chemical or semi‐synthesis of proteins, have encouraged studies on the development of methods for the preparation of such chemical units. Biochemical protocols using intein or sortase have proved to be useful in protein chemistry as methods suitable for naturally occurring sequences, including recombinant proteins. Although chemical protocols are potential options for thioester preparation, only a few are applicable to naturally occurring sequences, because standard chemical protocols require an artificial chemical device for producing thioesters. In this context, the chemical preparation of thioesters based on a reaction sequence consisting of regioselective S‐cyanylation and hydrazinolysis was investigated. Regioselective S‐cyanylation, which is required for cysteine‐containing thioesters, was achieved with the aid of a zinc‐complex formation of a CCHH‐type zinc‐finger sequence. Free cysteine residues that are not involved in complex formation were selectively protected with a 6‐nitroveratryl group followed by S‐cyanylation of the zinc‐binding cysteine. Hydrazinolysis of the resulting S‐cyanopeptide and subsequent photo‐removal of the 6‐nitroveratryl group yielded the desired peptide hydrazide, which was then converted to the corresponding thioester. The generated thioester was successfully used in N–to–C‐directed one‐pot/sequential native chemical ligation using an N‐sulfanylethylanilide peptide to give a 64‐residue peptide toxin. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 106: 531–546, 2016.
In Situ DRIFTS Analysis of Solid‐Electrolyte Interphase Formation on Li‐Rich Li1.2Ni0.2Mn0.6O2 and LiCoO2 Cathodes during Oxidative Electrolyte Decomposition
Authors: Teshager Minbale Admas , Lin Shawn D. , Hwang Bing‐Joe , Wang Fu‐Ming , Hy Sunny , Haregewoin Atetegeb Meaza
Published: October 2015

In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier‐transformed spectroscopy (DRIFTS) investigations have been made to examine solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation on lithium‐rich Li1.2Ni0.2Mn0.6O2 (LLNMO) and LiCoO2 cathodes during first‐ and second‐cycle charging and discharging. This DRIFTS technique allows us to clarify SEI formation with different charging voltages. Both cathodes revealed the formation of the same surface species during first‐cycle charging, initially including ethylene carbonate (EC) adsorption, and SEI species, for example, ROCOF, RCOOR, Li2CO3, ROCO2Li, and PFx, are formed above the onset potential, namely 4.0 and 4.5 V for LiCoO2 and LLNMO, respectively. The onset potentials correspond to the upper limit of the reversible redox potential range for transition‐metal couples (e.g. Co3+/Co4+ in LiCoO2 and Ni2+/Ni4+ in LLNMO), which account for the intrinsic instability of these cathode materials. Such results suggest the participation of intermediate reactive oxygen species in SEI formation. SEI species continue to form during the discharge process when the potential is scanned cathodically below 3.6 and 4.0 V for LiCoO2 and LLNMO, respectively. Similar SEI species are also observed during the second cycle charge–discharge over LLNMO, where additional oxidized species such as carboxylate (−COO−) and CO2 are also found during charging. With the exception of PFx, all of the observed SEI species can be attributed to the oxidative decomposition of the organic solvent, EC. Finally, possible reaction mechanisms related to the oxidative decomposition of EC are discussed.
Lewis‐Acid‐Mediated Stereospecific Radical Polymerization of Acrylimides Bearing Chiral Oxazolidinones
Authors: Fujita Takehiro , Yamago Shigeru
Published: October 2015

Lewis acid (MgBr2)‐catalyzed radical polymerization of acrylimides bearing chiral oxazolidinones gave highly isotactic polyacrylimides with up to >99 % meso tetrad (mmm) selectivity. Polymerization in the absence of Lewis acid gave atactic polymers with 80 % racemo diad (r) selectivity; the selectivity was deliberately tuned from 80 % r to >99 % mmm by varying the polymerization conditions. The polyacrylimide was quantitatively converted to corresponding polyacrylates while preserving the stereoregularity, thus providing a general method for the synthesis of atactic to isotactic polyacrylates.
How do you write and present research well? 3—shave your text with Occam's Razor
Authors: Patience Gregory S. , Boffito Daria C. , Patience Paul A.
Published: October 2015

Identify unnecessary verbs in the following sentences describing the measurement of poly(methacrylic acid) (PMMA) elasticity with an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM).[1]

An AFM was used to measure the entropic elasticity due to the uncoiling of individual polymer chains of PMMA.

We performed AFM measurements to evaluate the entropic elasticity due to the uncoiling of individual polymer chains PMMA.

The measurement of the entropic elasticity due to the uncoiling of individual polymer chains of PMMA was done with an AFM.

The entropic elasticity due to the uncoiling of individual polymer chains of PMMA were made with an AFM.

We tried an AFM to measure the entropic elasticity due to the uncoiling of individual polymer chains.
Economic recovery: A measure of the quality of cancer treatment and survivorship?
Authors: Bradley Cathy J.
Published: October 2015

More needs to be done to reduce the ill effects of necessary treatments, cull out those treatments with unacceptable employment and financial consequences, and provide data so that decisions regarding therapies with marginal benefit and potentially serious employment and financial consequences can be more informed. Steps to achieve this goal include systematic data collection and its broad dissemination, research to gain an understanding of how treatment interferes with work and economic viability, and the development of interventions that ultimately aid patients and their families.
Cross‐disease comparison of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal muscular atrophy reveals conservation of selective vulnerability but differential neuromuscular junction pathology
Authors: Comley Laura H. , Nijssen Jik , Frost‐Nylen Johanna , Hedlund Eva
Published: October 2015

Neuromuscular junctions are primary pathological targets in the lethal motor neuron diseases spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Synaptic pathology and denervation of target muscle fibers has been reported prior to the appearance of clinical symptoms in mouse models of both diseases, suggesting that neuromuscular junctions are highly vulnerable from the very early stages, and are a key target for therapeutic intervention. Here we examined neuromuscular pathology longitudinally in three clinically relevant muscle groups in mouse models of ALS and SMA in order to assess their relative vulnerabilities. We show for the first time that neuromuscular junctions of the extraocular muscles (responsible for the control of eye movement) were resistant to degeneration in endstage SMA mice, as well as in late symptomatic ALS mice. Tongue muscle neuromuscular junctions were also spared in both animal models. Conversely, neuromuscular junctions of the lumbrical muscles of the hind‐paw were vulnerable in both SMA and ALS, with a loss of neuronal innervation and shrinkage of motor endplates in both diseases. Thus, the pattern of selective vulnerability was conserved across these two models of motor neuron disease. However, the first evidence of neuromuscular pathology occurred at different timepoints of disease progression, with much earlier evidence of presynaptic involvement in ALS, progressing to changes on the postsynaptic side. Conversely, in SMA changes appeared concomitantly at the neuromuscular junction, suggesting that mechanisms of neuromuscular disruption are distinct in these diseases. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:1424–1442, 2016. © 2015 The Authors The Journal of Comparative Neurology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cut‐off Scores and Clinical Change Indices for the Dutch Outcome Questionnaire (OQ‐45) in a Large Sample of Normal and Several Psychotherapeutic Populations
Authors: Timman Reinier , de Jong Kim , de Neve‐Enthoven Nita
Published: October 2015

The Outcome Questionnaire‐45 (OQ‐45; Lambert et al., ) has been designed for frequent assessment of a patient's functioning during the course of psychotherapy and has become one of the most frequently used outcome measures in the Netherlands. The OQ‐45 was originally normed on outpatients in secondary care only, but is applied in a wide variety of patient populations. As such, it has become increasingly important to provide cut‐off scores with the normal population, as well as between different patient populations. The present large‐scale Dutch study aims to provide cut‐off scores between several populations. Data were collected from the normal population (n = 1810) and patients in five different treatment settings: outpatient primary care (n = 1581), outpatient secondary care (n = 9433), private practice (n = 457), day patient (n = 481) and inpatient therapies (n = 485), a total of more than 14.000 administrations. Reliable change indices and cut‐off scores were calculated using the method of Jacobson and Truax (). The reliable change index for the patient population was calculated as 18 and the cut‐off between the normal and patient population as 56. Sensitivity, specificity and area under the curves of cut‐off scores between the normal population and the treatment settings were satisfactory and generally higher than 0.80. Between the patient populations, these measures were generally too low for strict use. The OQ‐45 total score can satisfactorily discriminate between the normal and patient populations. For assignment to specific treatment types, the OQ‐45 may help, but its use is somewhat limited in practice. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Key Practitioner Message

The Dutch OQ‐45 has satisfactory levels of reliability, sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve.

The new overall cut‐off score for normal function for the Dutch OQ‐45 is 56 and the new reliable change index is 18.

Cut‐off scores for several therapeutic treatments are provided.
Enhancing CBT for Chronic Insomnia: A Randomised Clinical Trial of Additive Components of Mindfulness or Cognitive Therapy
Authors: Wong Mei Yin , Ree Melissa J. , Lee Christopher W.
Published: October 2015

Although cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for insomnia has resulted in significant reductions in symptoms, most patients are not classified as good sleepers after treatment. The present study investigated whether additional sessions of cognitive therapy (CT) or mindfulness‐based therapy (MBT) could enhance CBT in 64 participants with primary insomnia. All participants were given four sessions of standard CBT as previous research had identified this number of sessions as an optimal balance between therapist guidance and patient independence. Participants were then allocated to further active treatment (four sessions of CT or MBT) or a no further treatment control. The additional treatments resulted in significant improvements beyond CBT on self‐report and objective measures of sleep and were well tolerated as evidenced by no dropouts from either treatment. The effect sizes for each of these additional treatments were large and clinically significant. The mean scores on the primary outcome measure, the Insomnia Severity Index, were 5.74 for CT and 6.69 for MBT, which are within the good‐sleeper range. Treatment effects were maintained at follow‐up. There were no significant differences between CT and MBT on any outcome measure. These results provide encouraging data on how to enhance CBT for treatment of insomnia. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Key Practitioner Message

CBT treatments for insomnia can be enhanced using recent developments in cognitive therapy.

CBT treatments for insomnia can be enhanced using mindfulness‐based treatments.

Both cognitive therapy and mindfulness produce additional clinically significant change.
Does the utilization of dental services associate with masticatory performance in a Japanese urban population?: the Suita study
Authors: Kikui Miki , Ono Takahiro , Kida Momoyo , Kosaka Takayuki , Yamamoto Masaaki , Yoshimuta Yoko , Yasui Sakae , Nokubi Takashi , Maeda Yoshinobu , Kokubo Yoshihiro , Watanabe Makoto , Miyamoto Yoshihiro
Published: October 2015

There are numerous reports on the relationship between regular utilization of dental care services and oral health, but most are based on questionnaires and subjective evaluation. Few have objectively evaluated masticatory performance and its relationship to utilization of dental care services. The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of regular utilization of dental services on masticatory performance. The subjects consisted of 1804 general residents of Suita City, Osaka Prefecture (760 men and 1044 women, mean age 66.5 ± 7.9 years). Regular utilization of dental services and oral hygiene habits (frequency of toothbrushing and use of interdental aids) was surveyed, and periodontal status, occlusal support, and masticatory performance were measured. Masticatory performance was evaluated by a chewing test using gummy jelly. The correlation between age, sex, regular dental utilization, oral hygiene habits, periodontal status or occlusal support, and masticatory performance was analyzed using Spearman's correlation test and t‐test. In addition, multiple linear regression analysis was carried out to investigate the relationship of regular dental utilization with masticatory performance after controlling for other factors. Masticatory performance was significantly correlated to age when using Spearman's correlation test, and to regular dental utilization, periodontal status, or occlusal support with t‐test. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that regular utilization of dental services was significantly related to masticatory performance even after adjusting for age, sex, oral hygiene habits, periodontal status, and occlusal support (standardized partial regression coefficient β = 0.055). These findings suggested that the regular utilization of dental care services is an important factor influencing masticatory performance in a Japanese urban population.
A high step‐up half‐bridge DC/DC converter with a special coupled inductor for input current ripple cancelation and extended voltage doubler circuit for power conditioning of fuel cell systems
Authors: Moradisizkoohi Hadi , Milimonfared Jafar , Taheri Meghdad , Salehi Sina
Published: October 2015

This paper presents a high step‐up soft switched dc–dc converter having the feature of current ripple cancelation in the input stage that is specialized for power conditioning of fuel cell systems. The converter comprises a special half‐bridge converter and a rectifier stage based upon the voltage‐doubler circuit, in which the coupled‐inductor technology is amalgamated with switched‐capacitor circuit. The input current with no ripple is the principal characteristics of this topology that is achieved by utilizing a small coupled inductor. In addition, the low clamped voltage stress across both power switches and output diodes is another advantage of the proposed converter, which allows employing the metal–oxide–semiconductor field‐effect transistors with minuscule on‐state resistance and diodes with lower forward voltage‐drop, and thereby, the semiconductors' conduction losses diminish considerably. The inherent nature of this topology handles the switching scheme based on the asymmetrical pulse width modulation in order for switches to establish the zero voltage switching, leading to lower switching losses. Besides, because of the absence of the reverse‐recovery phenomenon, all diodes turn off with zero current switching. At last, a 250‐W laboratory prototype with the input voltage 24 V and output voltage 380 V is implemented to verify the especial features of the proposed converter. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On a class of cross coupled fully differential filters
Authors: Maundy B. J. , Elwakil A. S. , Gift S. J. G.
Published: October 2015

In this paper, a class of cross‐coupled differential filters is presented. The filters implemented are second order, using two transistors cross‐coupled surrounded by passive RLC components. The input of each filter is differential and so is its output. Biasing of each filter is straightforward, and the stability of the filters is examined. Several of the filters were built experimentally using discrete components and simulated using SPICE in a 0.18 µm Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) complementary metal‐oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process, confirming the validity of the filters. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Neurobehavioral development of common marmoset monkeys
Authors: Schultz‐Darken Nancy , Braun Katarina M. , Emborg Marina E.
Published: October 2015

Common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) monkeys are a resource for biomedical research and their use is predicted to increase due to the suitability of this species for transgenic approaches. Identification of abnormal neurodevelopment due to genetic modification relies upon the comparison with validated patterns of normal behavior defined by unbiased methods. As scientists unfamiliar with nonhuman primate development are interested to apply genomic editing techniques in marmosets, it would be beneficial to the field that the investigators use validated methods of postnatal evaluation that are age and species appropriate. This review aims to analyze current available data on marmoset physical and behavioral postnatal development, describe the methods used and discuss next steps to better understand and evaluate marmoset normal and abnormal postnatal neurodevelopment. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 58: 141–158, 2016.
Don't let spurious accusations of pseudoreplication limit our ability to learn from natural experiments (and other messy kinds of ecological monitoring)
Authors: Davies G. Matt , Gray Alan
Published: October 2015

Pseudoreplication is defined as the use of inferential statistics to test for treatment effects where treatments are not replicated and/or replicates are not statistically independent. It is a genuine but controversial issue in ecology particularly in the case of costly landscape‐scale manipulations, behavioral studies where ethics or other concerns may limit sample sizes, ad hoc monitoring data, and the analysis of natural experiments where chance events occur at a single site. Here key publications on the topic are reviewed to illustrate the debate that exists about the conceptual validity of pseudoreplication. A survey of ecologists and case studies of experimental design and publication issues are used to explore the extent of the problem, ecologists’ solutions, reviewers’ attitudes, and the fate of submitted manuscripts. Scientists working across a range of ecological disciplines regularly come across the problem of pseudoreplication and build solutions into their designs and analyses. These include carefully defining hypotheses and the population of interest, acknowledging the limits of statistical inference and using statistical approaches including nesting and random effects. Many ecologists face considerable challenges getting their work published if accusations of pseudoreplication are made – even if the problem has been dealt with. Many reviewers reject papers for pseudoreplication, and this occurs more often if they haven't experienced the issue themselves. The concept of pseudoreplication is being applied too dogmatically and often leads to rejection during review. There is insufficient consideration of the associated philosophical issues and potential statistical solutions. By stopping the publication of ecological studies, reviewers are slowing the pace of ecological research and limiting the scope of management case studies, natural events studies, and valuable data available to form evidence‐based solutions. Recommendations for fair and consistent treatment of pseudoreplication during writing and review are given for authors, reviewers, and editors.
One‐Step Facile Synthesis and Luminescence Properties of Eu3+‐Doped Silica Nanowires
Authors: Chen Jie , Sheng Ye , Zhou Xiuqing , Zhang Hui , Shi Zhan , Zou Haifeng
Published: October 2015

Uniformly sized and shaped Eu3+‐doped silica nanowires were conventionally fabricated by the microemulsion method accompanied with a sol–gel process for the first time. The products were characterized by different techniques, and their luminescence properties were investigated and compared. The scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images demonstrated that the as‐synthesized Eu3+‐doped silica nanowires were formed in high yield with a smooth surface and a uniform diameter of about 130–150 nm. The results of FTIR spectroscopy, energy‐dispersive spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction showed that the Eu3+ ions were doped into the silica network structure in the form of Si–O–Eu bonds. The effect of the Eu3+ concentration on the luminescent intensity was investigated, and the highest emission intensity was found at the composition of 20 mol‐% Eu3+. The obtained Eu3+‐doped silica nanowires exhibited characteristic luminescent emission of Eu3+ at λ = 613 nm and apparent concentration quenching above the concentration of 20 mol‐% Eu3+. The growth processes of the silica nanowires were explained in detail on the basis of a modified vapor–liquid–solid mechanism.
Regulation task force report reveals costs, impact of compliance on higher ed world
Authors: Porter Michael
Published: October 2015

Almost every higher ed administrator is involved in federal government compliance efforts. Financial aid administrators must track and implement detailed Title IV regulations, and student life administrators must assess how specific Title IX guidance requirements are followed on their campuses. Security officials must stay attuned to the Clery Act and vagaries of the definitions of certain crimes and offenses. The list goes on and on.
The chemical quality of frozen Vietnamese Pangasius hypophthalmus fillets
Authors: Guimarães Carlos Frederico Marques , Mársico Eliane Teixeira , Monteiro Maria Lúcia Guerra , Lemos Môsar , Mano Sergio Borges , Conte Junior Carlos Adam
Published: October 2015

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the chemical quality parameters regarding frozen Pangasius hypophthalmus specimens from Vietnam. The proximate composition, pH, ammonia, biogenic amines (BAs), total mercury (Hg), malondialdehyde (MDA), and polyphosphate were determined. The moisture, protein, lipid and ash values were between 83.83–85.59, 12.51–14.52, 1.09–1.65, and 0.76–2.38 g 100 g−1, respectively. Fraud by excessive polyphosphate addition was detected in 30% of the samples whereas Hg above the recommended limit was observed in 50% of the samples. With regard to compounds from the degradation process, low concentrations of individual BAs and pH values were found in this study and ranged from 5.88 to 6.18, except for samples with polyphosphate >1 g 100−1 (pH > 7.00) were observed in the present study. However, ammonia concentration indicated that a degradation process initiated in 80% of the samples (0.12–0.34 NH3 g−1) and 20% of the samples (1.87–1.94 μg NH3 g−1) were in an advanced deterioration process. Furthermore, MDA values (1.21–7.88 mg kg−1) suggested some failures, mainly during transportation and/or storage. We concluded that quality control measures must be implemented on the Pangasius production chain to improve the quality of products provided to consumers worldwide.
Assessing the Genetic Predisposition of Education on Myopia: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Cuellar‐Partida Gabriel , Lu Yi , Kho Pik Fang , Hewitt Alex W. , Wichmann H.‐Erich , Yazar Seyhan , Stambolian Dwight , Bailey‐Wilson Joan E. , Wojciechowski Robert , Wang Jie Jin , Mitchell Paul , Mackey David A. , MacGregor Stuart
Published: October 2015

Myopia is the largest cause of uncorrected visual impairments globally and its recent dramatic increase in the population has made it a major public health problem. In observational studies, educational attainment has been consistently reported to be correlated to myopia. Nonetheless, correlation does not imply causation. Observational studies do not tell us if education causes myopia or if instead there are confounding factors underlying the association. In this work, we use a two‐step least squares instrumental‐variable (IV) approach to estimate the causal effect of education on refractive error, specifically myopia. We used the results from the educational attainment GWAS from the Social Science Genetic Association Consortium to define a polygenic risk score (PGRS) in three cohorts of late middle age and elderly Caucasian individuals (N = 5,649). In a meta‐analysis of the three cohorts, using the PGRS as an IV, we estimated that each z‐score increase in education (approximately 2 years of education) results in a reduction of 0.92 ± 0.29 diopters (P = 1.04 × 10−3). Our estimate of the effect of education on myopia was higher (P = 0.01) than the observed estimate (0.25 ± 0.03 diopters reduction per education z‐score [∼2 years] increase). This suggests that observational studies may actually underestimate the true effect. Our Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis provides new evidence for a causal role of educational attainment on refractive error.
Genetic Variants Influencing Joint Damage in Mexican Americans and European Americans With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Arya Rector , del Rincon Inmaculada , Farook Vidya S. , Restrepo Jose F , Winnier Diedre A , Fourcaudot Marcel J , Battafarano Daniel F , de Almeida Marcio , Kumar Satish , Curran Joanne E , Jenkinson Christopher P. , Blangero John , Duggirala Ravindranath , Escalante Agustin
Published: October 2015

Joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is heritable, but knowledge on specific genetic determinants of joint damage in RA is limited. We have used the Immunochip array to examine whether genetic variants influence variation in joint damage in a cohort of Mexican Americans (MA) and European Americans (EA) with RA. We studied 720 MA and 424 EA patients with RA. Joint damage was quantified using a radiograph of both hands and wrists, scored using Sharp's technique. We conducted association analyses with the transformed Sharp score and the Immunochip single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data using PLINK. In MAs, 15 SNPs from chromosomes 1, 5, 9, 17 and 22 associated with joint damage yielded strong p‐values (p < 1 × 10−4). The strongest association with joint damage was observed with rs7216796, an intronic SNP located in the MAP3K14 gene, on chromosome 17 (β ± SE = −0.25 ± 0.05, p = 6.23 × 10−6). In EAs, 28 SNPs from chromosomes 1, 4, 6, 9, and 21 showed associations with joint damage (p‐value < 1 × 10−4). The best association was observed on chromosome 9 with rs59902911 (β ± SE = 0.86 ± 0.17, p = 1.01 × 10−6), a synonymous SNP within the CARD9 gene. We also observed suggestive evidence for some loci influencing joint damage in MAs and EAs. We identified two novel independent loci (MAP3K14 and CARD9) strongly associated with joint damage in MAs and EAs and a few shared loci showing suggestive evidence for association.
Regression Trees Identify Relevant Interactions: Can This Improve the Predictive Performance of Risk Adjustment?
Authors: Buchner Florian , Wasem Jürgen , Schillo Sonja
Published: October 2015

Risk equalization formulas have been refined since their introduction about two decades ago. Because of the complexity and the abundance of possible interactions between the variables used, hardly any interactions are considered. A regression tree is used to systematically search for interactions, a methodologically new approach in risk equalization.

Analyses are based on a data set of nearly 2.9 million individuals from a major German social health insurer.

A two‐step approach is applied: In the first step a regression tree is built on the basis of the learning data set. Terminal nodes characterized by more than one morbidity‐group‐split represent interaction effects of different morbidity groups. In the second step the ‘traditional’ weighted least squares regression equation is expanded by adding interaction terms for all interactions detected by the tree, and regression coefficients are recalculated.

The resulting risk adjustment formula shows an improvement in the adjusted R2 from 25.43% to 25.81% on the evaluation data set. Predictive ratios are calculated for subgroups affected by the interactions.

The R2 improvement detected is only marginal. According to the sample level performance measures used, not involving a considerable number of morbidity interactions forms no relevant loss in accuracy. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.