bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence, risk factors, and ferritin testing to mitigate iron depletion in male plateletpheresis donors
Authors: Spencer Bryan R. , Haynes James M. , Notari Edward P. , Stramer Susan L.
Published: February 2020

BACKGROUND

Most single‐donor platelet (SDP) donors transition to plateletpheresis after prior red blood cell (RBC) donation. Recruitment may follow identification of a high platelet count, a marker associated with iron depletion (ID). SDP donors may have underrecognized risk for iron depletion.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

To assess the prevalence of ID, we performed ferritin testing on male plateletpheresis donors with hemoglobin levels less than 13.5 g/dL. Multivariable logistic regression identified risk factors for low ferritin (LF; ferritin ≤26 ng/mL) and absent iron stores (AIS; ferritin <12 ng/mL). To assess the impact of notifying donors of LF results, we compared donation behavior of “Test” subjects before and after sending an LF notification letter to that of “Control” subjects before and after increasing the minimum hemoglobin for male donors. An electronic survey to Test donors inquired about iron supplementation practices.

RESULTS

Prevalence of LF was 50% and AIS was 23%, with increase in risk associated with more frequent SDP donation, both controlling for RBC donation and in donors with no recent RBC donations. Donation frequency after intervention declined less in 1272 Test donors (19%, from 13.9 to 11.2 annualized donations) than in 878 Control donors (49%, from 12.3 to 6.3 donations). Only 20% of Test donors reported taking supplemental iron when they received the LF letter; 64% of those not taking iron initiated iron supplementation following the letter.

CONCLUSIONS

Donors were responsive to notification of LF and attendant messaging on iron supplementation. Ferritin testing potentially benefits donor health and a stable platelet supply.
Development of synthetic microRNA‐214 showing enhanced cytotoxicity and RNase resistance for treatment of canine hemangiosarcoma
Authors: Yoshikawa Ryutaro , Heishima Kazuki , Ueno Yoshihito , Kawade Miwa , Maeda Yusuke , Yoshida Kyoko , Murakami Mami , Sakai Hiroki , Akao Yukihiro , Mori Takashi
Published: February 2020

MicroRNA‐214 (miR‐214), a pivotal tumour‐suppressive miRNA, is downregulated in canine hemangiosarcoma (HSA) cells. Although these tumour‐suppressive miRNAs are potential therapeutic agents, their clinical efficacy may be limited because of their vulnerability to RNase‐rich microenvironments and low in vivo transfection rates. We developed synthetic miR‐214s with enhanced cytotoxicity, RNase resistance and quantity of miR‐214 in/on cells. These synthetic miR‐214s were synthesized by various chemical modifications (such as 4′‐aminoethyl‐2′‐fluoro, 2′‐fluoro, 2′‐O‐methyl, phosphorothioate and oligospermine modifications) of the wild‐type mature miR‐214 sequences. Transfection of HSA cells with synthetic miR‐214 (miR‐214 5AE) demonstrated significant growth suppressive effect and induced the strongest apoptotic response. Synthetic miR‐214s (miR‐214 5AE, miR‐214 10AE and miR‐214 OS) were much more stable than mature miR‐214s in foetal bovine serum. Similar to mature miR‐214, 5AE and OS suppressed the expression level of COP1 in HSA cells. The quantity of synthetic miR‐214s in/on cells was higher than that of mature miR‐214. In conclusion, we developed a clinically applicable, synthetic miR‐214 5AE that regulates the COP1 protein expression similar to that mediated by mature miR‐214. Additionally, miR‐214 5AE confers better cytotoxicity, nuclease resistance and transfection rate than mature miR‐214. Thus, miR‐214 5AE could potentially be a novel miRNA‐based chemotherapeutic agent that could improve the prognosis of HSA. Its in vivo effects on canine HSA need to be examined in future.
Machine learning-based classification of recreational fishing vessel kinematics from broadband striation patterns
Authors: Premus Vincent E. , Evans Max E. , Abbot Philip A.
Published: February 2020

Machine learning is applied to the classification of underwater noise for rapid identification of surface vessel opening and closing behavior. The classification feature employed is the broadband striation pattern observed in a vessel's acoustic spectrogram measured at a nearby hydrophone. Convolutional neural networks are particularly well-suited to the recognition of textures such as interference patterns in broadband noise radiated from moving vessels. Such patterns are known to encode information related to the motion of its source. Rapid understanding of target kinematics through machine learning can provide powerful and informative cues as to the identity and behavior of a detected surface vessel.
Staphylococcus aureus Virulence Affected by an Alternative Nisin A Resistance Mechanism
Authors: Kawada-Matsuo Miki , Watanabe Atsuko , Arii Kaoru , Oogai Yuichi , Noguchi Kazuyuki , Miyawaki Shouichi , Hayashi Tetsuya , Komatsuzawa Hitoshi
Published: February 2020

Recently, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has resulted in serious problems for chemotherapy. In addition, many antibacterial agents, such as disinfectants and food additives, are widely used. Therefore, there is a possibility that bacteria are becoming resistant to some antibacterial agents. In this study, we investigated whether
Staphylococcus aureus
can become resistant to nisin A, one of the bacteriocins applied as a food additive. We isolated a highly nisin A-resistant strain designated SAN2 that displayed increased expression of Pmt proteins, which are involved in the secretion of virulence factors called phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs). This strain also showed decreased susceptibility to human antimicrobial peptides and increased hemolytic activity. In addition, SAN2 showed increased lethal activity in a mouse bacteremia model. Our study provides new insights into the possibility that the acquisition of resistance against food preservatives may modulate virulence in
S. aureus
, suggesting that we need to pay more attention to the use of food preservatives together with antibiotics.
Identification of Host Trafficking Genes Required for HIV-1 Virological Synapse Formation in Dendritic Cells
Authors: Bayliss Rebecca , Wheeldon James , Caucheteux Stephan M. , Niessen Carien M. , Piguet Vincent
Published: February 2020

The lentivirus human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) targets and destroys CD4
+
T cells, leaving the host vulnerable to life-threatening opportunistic infections associated with AIDS. Dendritic cells (DCs) form a virological synapse (VS) with CD4
+
T cells, enabling the efficient transfer of virus between the two cells. We have identified cellular factors that are critical in the induction of the VS. We show that ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1), bridging integrator 1 (BIN1), and Rab GTPases RAB7L1 and RAB8A are important regulators of HIV-1 trafficking to the VS and therefore the infection of CD4
+
T cells. We found these cellular factors were essential for endosomal protein trafficking and formation of the VS and that depletion of target proteins prevented virus trafficking to the plasma membrane by retaining virus in intracellular vesicles. Identification of key regulators in HIV-1
trans
-infection between DC and CD4
+
T cells has the potential for the development of targeted therapy to reduce
trans
-infection of HIV-1
in vivo
.
Draft Genome Sequences of Vibrio alginolyticus Strain S6-61 and Vibrio diabolicus Strain S7-71, Isolated from Corals in the Andaman Sea
Authors: Deb Sushanta , Badhai Jhasketan , Das Subrata K.
Published: February 2020

We report the draft genome sequences of
Vibrio alginolyticus
strain S6-61 and
Vibrio diabolicus
strain S7-71, isolated from the corals
Pocillopora verrucosa
and
Fungia danai
, respectively. The genomes of strains S6-61 and S7-71 contain 4,880 and 4,641 protein coding genes, respectively, and harbor genes associated with the ectoine biosynthesis pathway.
Expansion of the invasive European mistletoe in California, USA
Authors: Shaw David C. , Lee Christopher A.
Published: February 2020

The horticulturist Luther Burbank introduced the European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) to Sebastopol, Sonoma County, California, USA, around 1900 to grow as a Christmas ornament crop and tincture for medicinal use. The mistletoe has since spread from the point of introduction on apple to other hardwood trees, especially non-native hardwoods in yards and farms of the region. Mistletoe surveys were previously conducted in 1971, 1986, and 1991. We re-surveyed the region in 2019, with emphasis on the 1991 perimeter, and documented the current farthest distribution of V. album. This represents a 120-year record of spread. We observed infected trees up to 24.6 km (15.3 miles) from the point of introduction, doubling the farthest distance reported in 1991. The estimated area encompassed by mistletoe-infected hosts increased from 184 km2(71 miles2) in 1991 to 606 km2(234 miles2) in 2019. We also updated the host species list including both native and non-native mistletoe hosts. Viscum album spread appears to be limited by available habitat and hosts, but within the survey area it is intensifying, concentrated in urban and semi-urban yards, streets, and farms. However, V. album was also commonly found in riparian areas, which have a large number of native hosts.
Ultrafast fiber laser delivering conservative, dispersion-managed, and dissipative solitons
Authors: Park N.
Published: February 2020

A thulium-doped fiber laser, delivering the temporal solitons, has been proposed with a carbon nanotubes saturable absorber. By adjusting the dispersion design in the laser cavity, the proposed laser can generate three types of solitons, which are conservative soliton (CS), dispersion-managed soliton (DMS), and dissipative soliton (DS), respectively. The experimental results show that, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the autocorrelation traces of CS, DMS, and DS are in good agreement with hyperbolic secant curve, Gaussian curve, and super-Gaussian curve, respectively. DS with the broad spectral bandwidth of 45.3 nm is emitted from the cavity while the dispersion is adjusted to 0.005 ps2.
Squares and associative representations of two-dimensional evolution algebras
Authors: Cardoso Gonçalves Maria Inez , Gonçalves Daniel , Barquero Dolores Martín , González Cándido Martín , Molina Mercedes Siles
Published: February 2020

We associate a square to any two-dimensional evolution algebra. This geometric object is uniquely determined, does not depend on the basis and describes the structure and the behavior of the algebra. We determine the identities of degrees at most four, as well as derivations and automorphisms. We look at the group of automorphisms as an algebraic group, getting in this form a new algebraic invariant. The study of associative representations of evolution algebras is also started and we get faithful representations for most two-dimensional evolution algebras. In some cases, we prove that faithful commutative and associative representations do not exist, giving rise to the class of what could be termed as “exceptional” evolution algebras (in the sense of not admitting a monomorphism to an associative algebra with deformed product).
Hierarchical Assembly of MoS2 Nanosheets on Macroporous Ti Mesh as a Binder-Free Anode for Lithium-Ion Battery
Authors: Yang Qinghua , Xiao Jiaen , Huang Xuetao , Ma Lin , Li Biyi , Wu Chunyan , Xu Limei
Published: February 2020

In this work, a MoS2-based binder-free electrode has been fabricated via a simple hydrothermal deposition approach. In this electrode, the MoS2 nanosheets are orderly assembled and immobilized on macroporous titanium (Ti) mesh with exposed active sites for Li-storage. The Ti mesh with a 3D porous network provides a stable skeleton and large surface area for loading MoS2 nanosheets. Meanwhile, the intimate contact with conductive Ti mesh facilitates fast charge transfer in the electrode reactions. When applied as an anode in lithium-ion battery, the binder-free electrode exhibits a greatly promoted Li-storage property, including desirable cycling durability and superior rate capability.
Computer simulation of shearing deformation in polymer systems with polar groups
Authors: Maksimova Olga G. , Piskunov Oleg S. , Gerasimov Roman A. , Baruzdina Olga S. , Maksimov Andrew V.
Published: February 2020

In this work, shear strain modeling in materials consisting of a thin polymer layer ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm), adhesive bonded to a rigid substrate, considered not to be impacted by deformation, was performed. A discrete-continuum model of chains system with a given stiffness with polar groups is developed. The polymer chain was considered in the framework of the persistene model, and the polar groups were based on the lattice model on the tetragonal lattice. It was assumed that the main contribution to the energy of interchain interactions is due to the potential of the polar groups and was calculated using the Metropolis algorithm. The potential interactions between the nearest polar groups of chains included the energy of dipole–dipole interactions (Keesom energy) and the Lennard–Jones potential. It is taken into account that the possible orientations of the polar groups are determined by the average elongation of the chain. Calculations showed that the dependence of free energy on the interchain distance has two minima. The first minimum is characterized by the orientational ordering of the polar groups, the second — by their disordered state. The depth and position of the minima depend on temperature, bending stiffness of the chain, the modulus of the dipole moment of the polar groups and the depth of the potential well in the Lennard–Jones energy. A step-by-step simulation of shear strain in a polymer layer in an orientationally disordered state was carried out. The obtained stress–strain diagrams make it possible to estimate the value of the elastic limit and also to determine the stresses at the points of phase transitions from a disordered to an orientationally ordered state.
Democracy and Technology
Authors: Sclove Richard
Published: February 2020

Twenty-five years ago, Richard Sclove penned
Democracy and Technology
, his award-winning book, which long before today's debate around AI ethics called for all of us to pay greater attention to the development and regulation of new technology. “No innovation without participation,” he wrote in the
Washington Post
, championing the need to create the mechanisms for everyday people to play a role in governing the technologies that have come to dominate our lives. We talked with Sclove about his vision and asked him to look back 25 years and ahead another 25 years to assess the impact of democracy on technology and technology on democracy.
The Way We Think About Data
Authors: Colyer Adrian
Published: February 2020

The two papers I’ve chosen for this issue of acmqueue both challenge the way we think about and use data, though in very different ways. In "Stop Explaining Black-box Machine-learning Models for High-stakes Decisions and Use Interpretable Models Instead," Cynthia Rudin makes the case for models that can be inspected and interpreted by human experts. The second paper, "Local-first Software: You Own Your Data, in Spite of the Cloud," describes how to retain sovereignty over your data.
Accurate 3D Surface Reconstruction for Smart Farming Application with an Inexpensive Shape from Focus System
Authors: Lee Sung-An , Lee Byung-Geun
Published: February 2020

In precision agriculture, 3D vision systems are becoming increasingly important. By applying different optical 3D vision techniques, the acquired 3D data can provide information regarding the most important phenotype features in every agricultural scenario. However, most of these 3D vision systems are expensive, except some of the triangulation techniques. In this study, we focus on estimating accurate shapes using shape from focus (SFF), which is a triangulation technique. Typically, the SFF system incurs significant errors from images, including noise. As a solution to this problem, a simple low-pass filter such as the Gaussian filter has generally been used in most studies. However, when a low filter is applied, the noise is depressed but the signals are also blurred, which results in inaccuracies regarding the depth map. In this study, the noise is depressed independently without losing the original signals, and the edge components, which play important roles in finding a focused surface, are enhanced using the independent component analysis (ICA). The edge signals are amplified with a simple basis vector correction in the IC vector space. The experiments are implemented with simulated objects and real objects. The experimental results demonstrate that the obtained accuracy is comparable to that of existing methods.
Combined Accelerator for Attribute Reduction: A Sample Perspective
Authors: Chen Yan , Song Jingjing , Liu Keyu , Lin Yaojin , Yang Xibei
Published: February 2020

In the field of neighborhood rough set, attribute reduction is considered as a key topic. Neighborhood relation and rough approximation play crucial roles in the process of obtaining the reduct. Presently, many strategies have been proposed to accelerate such process from the viewpoint of samples. However, these methods speed up the process of obtaining the reduct only from binary relation or rough approximation, and then the obtained results in time consumption may not be fully improved. To fill such a gap, a combined acceleration strategy based on compressing the scanning space of both neighborhood and lower approximation is proposed, which aims to further reduce the time consumption of obtaining the reduct. In addition, 15 UCI data sets have been selected, and the experimental results show us the following: (1) our proposed approach significantly reduces the elapsed time of obtaining the reduct; (2) compared with previous approaches, our combined acceleration strategy will not change the result of the reduct. This research suggests a new trend of attribute reduction using the multiple views.
Improvement of Blood Plasmalogens and Clinical Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease by Oral Administration of Ether Phospholipids: A Preliminary Report
Authors: Mawatari Shiro , Ohara Shinji , Taniwaki Yoshihide , Tsuboi Yoshio , Maruyama Toru , Fujino Takehiko
Published: February 2020

Introduction. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease (AD). With the ageing of population, the frequency of PD is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades. L-DOPA (1,3,4-dihydroxyalanine) is the most effective drug in the symptomatic treatment of PD. Nonmotor symptoms in PD include sleep problems, depression, and dementia, which are not adequately controlled with dopaminergic therapy. Here, we report the efficacy of oral administration of scallop-derived ether phospholipids to some nonmotor symptoms of PD. Methods. Ten (10) patients received oral administration of 1 mg/day of purified ether phospholipids derived from scallop for 24 weeks. Clinical symptoms and blood tests were checked at 0, 4, 12, 24, and 28 weeks. The blood levels of plasmalogens in patients with PD were compared with those of 39 age-matched normal controls. Results. Initial levels of plasma ethanolamine ether phospholipids in PD and ethanolamine plasmalogen of erythrocyte from PD were lower than those of age-matched normal controls. Oral administration of 1 mg/day of the purified ether phospholipids increased plasma ether phospholipids in PD and increased the relative composition of ether phospholipids of erythrocyte membrane in PD. The levels of ether phospholipids in peripheral blood reached to almost normal levels after 24 weeks. Furthermore, some clinical symptoms of PD improved concomitantly. Conclusion. 1 mg/day of oral administration of purified ether phospholipids derived from scallop can increase ether phospholipids in peripheral blood and concomitantly improve some clinical symptoms of PD.
Improving Distributed Decision Making in Inventory Management: A Combined ABC-AHP Approach Supported by Teamwork
Authors: Pérez Vergara Ileana Gloria , Arias Sánchez Julián Andrés , Poveda-Bautista Rocío , Diego-Mas Jose-Antonio
Published: February 2020

The need of organizations to ensure service levels that impact on customer satisfaction has required the design of collaborative processes among stakeholders involved in inventory decision making. The increase of quantity and variety of items, on the one hand, and demand and customer expectations, on the other hand, are transformed into a greater complexity in inventory management, requiring effective communication and agreements between the leaders of the logistics processes. Traditionally, decision making in inventory management was based on approaches conditioned only by cost or sales volume. These approaches must be overcome by others that consider multiple criteria, involving several areas of the companies and taking into account the opinions of the stakeholders involved in these decisions. Inventory management becomes part of a complex system that involves stakeholders from different areas of the company, where each agent has limited information and where the cooperation between such agents is key for the system’s performance. In this paper, a distributed inventory control approach was used with the decisions allowing communication between the stakeholders and with a multicriteria group decision-making perspective. This work proposes a methodology that combines the analysis of the value chain and the AHP technique, in order to improve communication and the performance of the areas related to inventory management decision making. This methodology uses the areas of the value chain as a theoretical framework to identify the criteria necessary for the application of the AHP multicriteria group decision-making technique. These criteria were defined as indicators that measure the performance of the areas of the value chain related to inventory management and were used to classify ABC inventory of the products according to these selected criteria. Therefore, the methodology allows us to solve inventory management DDM based on multicriteria ABC classification and was validated in a Colombian company belonging to the graphic arts sector.
Coordinated Stability Control Strategy for Intelligent Electric Vehicles Using Vague Set Theory
Authors: He Yilin , Ma Jian , Zhao Xuan , Song Ruoyang , Liu Xiaodong , Wang Lu
Published: February 2020

Aiming at improving the tracking stability performance for intelligent electric vehicles, a novel stability coordinated control strategy based on preview characteristics is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the traditional stability control target is introduced with the two degrees of freedom model, which is realized by the sliding mode control strategy. Secondly, an auxiliary control target further amending the former one with the innovation formulation of the preview characteristics is established. At last, a multiple purpose Vague set leverages the contribution of the traditional target and the auxiliary preview target in various vehicle states. The proposed coordinated control strategy is analyzed on the MATLAB/CarSim simulation platform and verified on an intelligent electric vehicle established with A&D5435 rapid prototyping experiment platform. Simulation and experimental results indicate that the proposed control strategy based on preview characteristics can effectively improve the tracking stability performance of intelligent electric vehicles. In the double lane change simulation, the peak value of sideslip angle, yaw rate, and lateral acceleration of the vehicle is reduced by 13.2%, 11.4%, and 8.9% compared with traditional control strategy. The average deviations between the experimental and simulation results of yaw rate, lateral acceleration, and steering wheel angle are less than 10% at different speeds, which demonstrates the consistency between the experimental and the simulation results.
Temperature Load Parameters and Thermal Effects of a Long‐Span Concrete‐Filled Steel Tube Arch Bridge in Tibet
Authors: Shi Tuo , Zheng Jielian , Deng Nianchun , Chen Zheng , Guo Xiao , Wang Shi
Published: February 2020

Zangmu Bridge is a concrete‐filled steel tube (CFST) arch bridge along the Sichuan‐Tibet railway in Tibet, with a main span of 430 m. Owing to the unique temperature conditions in Tibet, there have been no large‐scale experimental studies on the thermal load design of CFST bridges in this area. Therefore, to determine the thermal load calculation parameters and thermal effects of Zangmu Bridge, a long‐term continuous field test was conducted to measure the temperature variations in a test arch with the same pipe diameter. The test results were then compared with current design specifications and relevant literature. Finally, the thermal effects in a CFST arch bridge were analysed using the finite element method. According to the results, the following recommendations were made: (1) the average temperature of concrete in the pipe after the formation of concrete strength should be used to calculate the closure temperature of CFST arch bridges in Tibet; however, the standard calculation formula was still applicable; (2) the daily average temperature in extreme weather should be taken as the maximum and minimum effective temperature; (3) we presented recommended values for the influence range and gradient temperature for a single large‐diameter pipe; and (4) a refined finite element model that included the arch base should be used to verify the temperature effects during bridge design.
The Spectrum of MYC Alterations in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Authors: Xia Yang , Zhang Xinlian
Published: February 2020

MYC, as a powerful transcription factor, plays a vital role in various cancers. The clinical significance of MYC alterations in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has been investigated for a long time. In this study, we comprehensively summarize the different alterations of MYC in DLBCL, including MYC overexpression, MYC translocations, MYC mutations, and increased gene copy number of MYC. Noteworthy, lone MYC overexpression or MYC translocation is not significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes, and their detrimental effects depend on the genetic alterations of BCL2 or BCL6. Both double-expressor DLBCL (DE-DLBCL), defined as overexpression of MYC and BCL2 proteins, and double-hit lymphoma (DHL), defined as a dual translocation of MYC together with BCL2 or BCL6, represent the distinct subgroups of DLBCL with inferior clinical outcomes. The mechanism may be that MYC activation induces cell proliferation, without the threat of the apoptotic brake in the presence of BCL2 overexpression. In addition, most of MYC mutations are present with favorable prognosis, and the nonsignificant effect of MYC copy number amplification has been observed. It has been proved that cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone plus rituximab show limited effects for DHL or DE-DLBCL, and the rituximab plus dose-adjusted etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin seem to be efficacious for DHL. The novel therapy is urgently needed for clinical improvement in DHL and DE-DLBCL.
Smartphone-Assisted Telecytopathology: An Intraobserver Concordance Study
Authors: Dixit Sonali , Tanveer Nadeem , Kumar Harresh , Diwan Himanshi
Published: February 2020

Introduction: Telecytology is the practice of cytology at a distance. The images captured by a camera are sent to the cytopathologist at a different location who views the images and reaches a diagnosis. Recently, smartphone-assisted telepathology has been evaluated for different subspecialities of pathology including cytology for second opinion. Materials and Methods: For the purpose of the study, a total of 151 cases of fine needle aspiration and 10 cases of urine cytology reported by a single pathologist were retrieved from the records. The images of all the cases were captured by a trained pathologist using the primary camera of a smartphone from the ocular of a binocular microscope. The images were sent by WhatsApp to the same pathologist who had made the conventional microscopy diagnosis. The images were viewed on the smartphone screen by the pathologist who replied with the diagnosis after analysing all the images with or without digital zoom. Results: A total of 154 cases out of 161 were correctly diagnosed on smartphone-assisted telepathology (overall intraobserver concordance of 95.6%). For head and neck swellings, the concordance was 65/70 (92.9%), for breast lesions, it was 23/24 (95.8%), and for miscellaneous swellings, it was 57/57 (100%). For urine cytology, the concordance rate was 9/10 (90%). Conclusion: Though the results of this study are encouraging, further improvement in the smartphone camera resolution and internet connectivity would enhance the utility of smartphone-assisted telecytopathology.
Constraining Head-Stranding Ellipsis
Authors: Landau Idan
Published: February 2020

Ellipsis of a constituent whose head has moved out of it (“headless ellipsis”) is possible in some cases but not in others. Headless ellipsis is licensed only if the stranded head has not crossed a Spell-Out domain. The reason is that the silencing instruction responsible for ellipsis must be PF-visible on the head of the elided constituent, and PF-visibility is cut off at Spell-Out domain boundaries. A parallel effect is observed with remnants of head movement that are frozen for movement (“headless movement”). The two effects can possibly be united if ellipsis and copy deletion recruit the same silencing instruction at PF, hosted on the head of the deleted constituent. A third, mirror-image effect is observed with reprise fragments, which must be visibly headed. This time head movement removes the PF instruction that spares these fragments from ellipsis. Overall, these phenomena establish the significance of headedness for the syntax-PF interface.
Examining How Testosterone and Cortisol Influence the Relationship Between Strain, Negative Emotions, and Antisocial Behavior: A Gendered Analysis
Authors: Cooke Eric M. , Connolly Eric J. , Boisvert Danielle L. , Armstrong Todd A. , Lewis Richard H. , Kavish Nicholas , Woeckener Matthias , Wells Jessica , Harper James
Published: February 2020

This study provides a test of General Strain Theory by examining the relations between strain, negative emotions, and biological hormones in the prediction of antisocial behavior across gender. Findings from a diverse sample of 512 undergraduate students reveal that strain and the ratio between testosterone to cortisol reactivity are associated with higher levels of antisocial behavior in males, but not females. In contrast, the effect of depressive symptoms on antisocial behavior is stronger at higher levels of strain and ratio of testosterone to cortisol reactivity in females. Drug use and depressive symptoms were found to partly mediate the association between strain and antisocial behavior in females, but not males.
The Better Future International’s family care model in Tanzania: Creating social capital as a means to empowerment in social work practice
Authors: Kail Barbara , Pardasani Manoj , Chazin Robert
Published: February 2020

This article describes the impact on social services of an innovative model of family care in Moshi, Tanzania, aimed at orphaned children and youth who are affected by HIV/AIDS and their caregivers. We explore three questions: Is social capital created during the provision of social work services? If so, what aspects of the model are responsible for it? How does this social capital influence the participants’ educational/occupational aspirations and vision of the future? This qualitative study is based on a case analysis of eight adolescents and their caregivers. Data were collected from in-depth interviews. The unique aspects of a family-oriented, holistic, social service model focused on empowerment and future orientation-generated bridging, bonding, and linking social capital. Youth with more social capital appeared to have clearer visions of their future path. Implications for community-based social work practice serving marginalized and impoverished groups are presented.
Global social work ethics and international field training: The experiences and practice dilemmas of Norwegian and Swedish social work students
Authors: Jönsson Jessica H , Lian Flem Aina
Published: February 2020

This article explores global social work ethics and international field training based on the experiences and practice dilemmas of Norwegian and Swedish social work students. It employs a postcolonial perspective to answer ‘What are key ethical challenges for the students?’ and ‘How can social work educators promote ethical awareness in international field training?’ based on focus group interviews and field reports. The results show that international field training contributes to both deepening some students’ critical knowledge and reinforcing others their colonial discourses. It is argued that social work educators play an important role for students’ critical positioning and knowledge.
Group Conflict Questionnaire: Adaptation and Evidences of Validity for Portuguese-Speaking Athletes
Authors: Nascimento Junior José Roberto Andrade do , Codonhato Renan , Freire Gabriel Lucas Morais , Fortes Leonardo de Sousa , Quinaud Ricardo T. , Carvalho Humberto M. , Oliveira Daniel Vicentini de , Fiorese Lenamar
Published: February 2020

This research adapted the Group Conflict Questionnaire (GCQ) into Portuguese and provided evidence for its construct validity. Study 1 included four translators and five academics who developed a Portuguese version of the GCQ (P-GCQ). In this phase, we provided evidence for content and construct validity for the scale and for each item using an expert panel in a pilot study with 20 youth athletes. Study 2 included two participant samples (Sample 1, n =  254; Sample 2, n =  351) of Brazilian youth and adult athletes who completed the adapted P-GCQ, providing evidence for the structural aspect of its construct validity via factor analyses. Study 3 included 162 Brazilian athletes who completed the P-GCQ and a measure of team cohesion, from which we provided further evidence of the P-GCQ’s internal and external construct validity, showing that both task and social cohesion were negatively associated with the athletes’ perceptions of group conflict. Overall, we found that the P-GCQ produces valid and reliable scores for Portuguese-speaking athletes; it may now be used confidently by researchers and practitioners interested in assessing group conflict within this population.
A novel parallel clock-driven algorithm for simulation of neuronal networks based on virtual synapse
Authors: Wang Zhijie , Peng Xia , Han Fang , Song Guangxiao
Published: February 2020

The traditional clock-driven algorithm is very time-consuming when performed on large-scale neuronal networks due to the huge number of synaptic currents computation and low performance of the parallel implementation of the algorithm. We find in this paper that the conductance coefficients of all the synapses coming from the same presynaptic neuron (neuron [Formula: see text] for example) does not need to be computed one by one, rather only one common conductance coefficient needs to be computed for all synapses from this neuron. We then propose an idea of virtual synapse for neuron [Formula: see text] to compute this common conductance coefficient and thereby have [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text] is the number of neurons in the network) virtual synapses for all presynaptic neurons in the network. Since each common conductance depends on only the spiking activity of the presynaptic neuron [Formula: see text] and is irrelevant of postsynaptic neurons, the computation of the different virtual synapses can be deployed to different computer processing unit efficiently. By introducing a circular data structure for the virtual synapses, we present a novel parallel clock-driven algorithm based on graphics processors for simulation of neuronal networks. It is demonstrated by test results that the proposed algorithm reduces memory and time consumption greatly, and improves the performance of the parallelization for large-scale neuronal network simulations effectively.
Ethnic violence and substantive representation of minorities in parliament
Authors: Ciftci Sabri , Yildirim Tevfik Murat
Published: February 2020

This study seeks to explain why, to what extent, and in what ways ethnic party representatives remain active on the parliamentary floor when the political representation of minority groups takes place alongside ethnic conflict. To test hypotheses related to these questions, we utilize an original dataset of 14,000 parliamentary questions and speeches and background characteristics of 372 representatives in Turkey. The dataset spans many episodes of the Kurdish conflict over six legislative terms (1991–2015). Our empirical analyses show that the parliamentary behavior of ethnic party representatives is directly linked to the intensity of violence between the state and the insurgent group. We specifically demonstrate that ethnic party representatives, compared to other representatives in conflict-ridden provinces, are more active on the floor and focus more heavily on civil rights and identity issues. These findings contribute to our understanding of various linkages between identity and the substantive representation of minorities during violent conflict.
Mutual Influence? Gender, Partner Pregnancy Desires, Fertility Intentions, and Birth Outcomes in U.S. Heterosexual Couples
Authors: Ray Colleen M. , Harcey Sela R. , McQuillan Julia , Greil Arthur L.
Published: February 2020

Competing hypotheses exist with regard to how men’s and women’s pregnancy desires and intentions are associated with births among contemporary heterosexual couples. There are compelling cultural and structural reasons to support either the hypothesis that men’s desires and intentions (patriarchal) or that women’s desires and intentions (matriarchal) will have more influence, or that both partner’s desires and intentions will be associated with births (mutual influence). In addition, patterns of change are likely to differ for couples that have children at wave 1 compared to those who do not. Path analyses of the of heterosexual couples (n = 615) who completed both waves of the National Survey of Fertility Barriers support the matriarchal hypothesis, because among couples without children, only women’s desires were associated with subsequent births. Among couples with children, men’s characteristics and desires are indirectly, and women’s are directly, associated with subsequent births, indicating support for the mutual influence hypothesis.
“Who’s gonna love a junkie? But he does”: Exploring couples’ identity negotiations and dyadic coping in the context of opioid use disorder
Authors: Crowley Jenny L. , Miller Laura E.
Published: February 2020

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., and people with OUD may rely on romantic partners to dyadically cope with their illness. Guided by the communication theory of identity, this study examines the identity tensions experienced by couples managing OUD and how identity negotiations contribute to couples’ efforts to dyadically cope with OUD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 dyads and 6 individuals ( N = 44), all of whom were in relationships in which at least one partner was managing OUD. Analyses revealed that couples managing OUD experience three types of identity gaps: personal–relational, relational–enacted, and relational–communal identity gaps. These gaps coalesced around a central theme of couple identity paradoxes, which demonstrated the opportunities and potential downsides of dyadically coping with OUD. Findings deepen theoretical understanding of identity negotiation in couples and the role of relational identities in managing illness.
Gay the right way? Roles and routines of Irish media production among gay and lesbian workers
Authors: O’Brien Anne , Kerrigan Páraic
Published: February 2020

This article explores how gay and lesbian identities are incorporated, or not, into the roles and routines of Irish film and television production. Data were gathered in 2018–2019 through semi-structured interviews with a purposive, snowball sample of 10 people who work in the Irish industries. The key findings are that for gay and lesbian workers their minority sexual identity impacts on the roles that they are likely to be included and excluded from. Sexuality also affects their promotion prospects and their career progression. Similarly, in terms of routines of production, gay and lesbian workers are associated with certain genres, based on stereotypical assumptions about their sexual identities by their hetero-managers and colleagues. In short, Irish gay and lesbian media workers articulated an overarching tension between the heteronormativity of the industry and the queerness of the gay and lesbian media worker. Some workers respond to that tension by adopting a homonormative approach to work while others attempt to forge a queer way of producing.
Universal Screening in Mathematics for Spanish Students in First Grade
Authors: de León Sara C. , Jiménez Juan E. , García Eduardo , Gutiérrez Nuria , Gil Verónica
Published: February 2020

The main purpose of this study was to validate the curriculum-based measure Indicadores de Progreso de Aprendizaje en Matemáticas (IPAM [Indicators of Basic Early Math Skills]) in a local, Spanish-speaking context. This tool has been designed to identify first-grade students at risk for mathematics learning disabilities. The IPAM includes five measures (i.e., quantity discrimination, multi-digit computation, missing number, single-digit computation, and place value), which were analyzed as single measures and as part of a composite measure. In this study, 176 first graders were administered the curriculum-based measurement IPAM at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. The results showed that the composite measure of the IPAM was the best indicator of risk status. Reliability and concurrent and predictive validity results were adequate. Furthermore, receiver operating curve analysis and hierarchical linear model supported the capacity of the IPAM to correctly identify students’ risk status and growth rate during first grade.
An integrated numerical framework to investigate the running safety of overlong freight trains
Authors: Krishna Visakh V , Jobstfinke Daniel , Melzi Stefano , Berg Mats
Published: February 2020

Long freight trains up to 1500 m in length are currently not in regular operation in Europe. One of the important reasons for the same is high inter-wagon forces generated during the operation, especially when pneumatic (P-type) brake systems are used. For long trains with multiple locomotives at different positions along the train, radio communication with necessary fail-safe mechanisms can be used to apply the brakes. Long freight train operation on a given line is subjected to various attributes such as braking/traction scenarios, loading patterns, wagon geometries, brake-block materials, buffer types, track design geometries, etc., which are referred to as heterogeneities. The complex longitudinal train dynamics arising in the train due to various heterogeneities play a major role in determining its running safety. In this context, the maximum in-train force refers to the maximum force developed between any two wagons along the train during operation. The tolerable longitudinal compressive force is the maximum compressive force that can be exerted on a wagon without resulting in its derailment. Here, the authors adopt a bottom-up approach to model pneumatic braking systems and inter-wagon interactions in multibody simulation environments to study the complex longitudinal train dynamics behavior and estimate maximum in-train forces and tolerable longitudinal compressive forces, subjected to various heterogeneities. These two force quantities intend to facilitate a given freight train operation by providing guidelines regarding the critical heterogeneities, that currently limit its safe operation. In doing so, the authors propose the notion to have an operation-based approval for long freight trains using the simulations-based tool.
Assessing YouTube science news’ credibility: The impact of web-search on the role of video, source, and user attributes
Authors: Michalovich Amir , Hershkovitz Arnon
Published: February 2020

This randomized controlled experiment ( N = 707) is the first to examine the role of video, source and user attributes in credibility assessment of online science news videos, and the impact of web-search on this role. We created a science news YouTube video in 12 versions (3 × 2 × 2 for source, quality and popularity). Each participant was randomly assigned to one version and was asked to rate the credibility of the source and the scientific information presented in the video. We found that perceived credibility is positively associated with perceived quality, as well as users’ YouTube experience. For those participants who did not conduct an online search during the assessment task, there was a positive association between the presenter’s perceived credibility and the video’s perceived credibility as well as its popularity; however, such associations were not present for participants who did conduct an online search.
Identity Research That Engages Contextual Forces to Reduce Socioeconomic Disparities in Education
Authors: Destin Mesmin
Published: February 2020

A growing amount of psychological research contributes to the understanding of complex social issues, including socioeconomic disparities in academic outcomes. At a basic level, several studies demonstrate the ways that socioeconomic resources and opportunities shape the identities of students during adolescence and young adulthood, particularly emphasizing how they imagine their lives in the future. These future identities, in turn, affect how students engage in school tasks and respond to academic difficulty. The implications of these basic insights connecting socioeconomic resources, identity, and academic outcomes are most meaningful when considered within various levels of social-contextual influence that surround students. A collection of studies demonstrates how peers, parents, teachers, and educational institutions as a whole can be targeted and leveraged to support student identities and outcomes. This deepened engagement with various levels of context can complement and advance the existing emphasis on individual-level intervention as a strategy to contribute to the progress of psychological science toward greater influence and significance.
Effects of Cross-border Merger and Acquisition on the Operational Risk of US and Canadian Companies
Authors: Paula Bruno Lopes de , Pimenta Daiana Paula , Coelho Ricardo Limongi França , Borsatto Jaluza Maria Lima Silva , Oliveira Rafael Manoel de
Published: February 2020

The integration of the world economies is responsible for an increase in the number of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A), together with the growing participation of companies from emerging countries in this type of investment. However, the area studies focus their analyses on the determinants, antecedents and profitability of the companies, leaving the effects of this type of business on the operational risk of the companies involved as a gap to be explored. To fill it, we used panel data regressions to identify the relationship between cross-border M&A and the operational risk of companies. The results indicate that acquiring companies based in emerging economies are the ones that suffer the most significant impacts on this type of business. As the implication, this study serves as a basis for the decision-making of the managers of the acquiring companies, being able to identify the risks of this activity and the ways of preventing them.