bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Seasonal Variations in Color Preference
Authors: Schloss Karen B. , Nelson Rolf , Parker Laura , Heck Isobel A. , Palmer Stephen E.
Published: November 2016

We investigated how color preferences vary according to season and whether those changes could be explained by the ecological valence theory (EVT). To do so, we assessed the same participants’ preferences for the same colors during fall, winter, spring, and summer in the northeastern United States, where there are large seasonal changes in environmental colors. Seasonal differences were most pronounced between fall and the other three seasons. Participants liked fall‐associated dark‐warm colors—for example, dark‐red, dark‐orange (brown), dark‐yellow (olive), and dark‐chartreuse—more during fall than other seasons. The EVT could explain these changes with a modified version of Palmer and Schloss’ (2010) weighted affective valence estimate (WAVE) procedure that added an activation term to the WAVE equation. The results indicate that color preferences change according to season, as color‐associated objects become more/less activated in the observer. These seasonal changes in color preferences could not be characterized by overall shifts in weights along cone‐contrast axes.
Board monitoring of the chief financial officer: A review and research agenda
Authors: Uhde David Alexander , Klarner Patricia , Tuschke Anja
Published: November 2016

Manuscript Type:

Review

Research Question/Issue:

Research on how boards govern individual top management team (TMT) members, i.e., senior executives aside from the CEO, is still scarce and fragmented. In this study, we review extant research on board monitoring of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – an increasingly influential actor at the top of the firm – synthesize it, and propose an integrative future research agenda on board governing of the CFO.

Research Findings/Insights:

Our review of the accounting, finance, and management literatures reveals that extant research emphasizes the board's need to monitor the CFO as a major strategic actor in the firm. However, studies have frequently focused on selective aspects of board monitoring activities, neglecting how central board attributes influence effective governance of the CFO. We therefore develop a comprehensive model of board monitoring and advising of the CFO that addresses the role of board attributes in governance activities.

Theoretical/Academic Implications:

Our future research program on board governance of the CFO contributes to developing a better understanding of how board composition, structure, characteristics, and processes influence different board monitoring and advising activities.

Practitioner/Policy Implications:

We offer a framework for boards of directors responsible for governing CFOs, highlighting the factors they have to take into consideration when selecting, dismissing, and compensating the CFO and when ratifying her decisions and rendering advice on her proposals. We also provide CFOs with insights into the factors that influence their dismissal, compensation, and collaboration with the board.
Humoral response of Borrelia burgdorferi outer surface protein A (OspA) vaccination in equids
Authors: Slaughter K. M. , Halland S. K. , Schur L. A. , Wagner B. , DeMel D. M. , Bertone J. J.
Published: November 2016

The objective of this study was to assess the safety and humoral response of outer surface protein A (OspA) Borrelia burgdorferi vaccine in equids via the transdermal or subcutaneous route over 355 days. Prior to vaccination, serological testing confirmed the vaccination and exposure status to B. burgdorferi. Vaccine was administered on Days 0, 22 and 226. Equids were examined for vaccine reactions at 24 h post‐vaccination. Antibodies to outer surface proteins were quantified over 355 days. A total of 42 healthy adult equids of various ages and breeds were used. These equids were selected based on unlikely exposure to B. burgdorferi. The equids were grouped according to full size, miniature, age and sex to create two relatively heterogeneous mirrored groups of 20 equids. Group TD (20 equids) was administered 1 mL (1/2 mL/site) vaccine transdermally over the pectoral region. Group SQ (19 equids) was administered 2 mL in a single injection subcutaneously at the left cervical region. Group C (3 equids) was unvaccinated. Vaccine was administered on Days 0, 22 and 226. Antibodies to outer surface proteins were quantified over 355 days. Both vaccinated groups responded with a significant increase in OspA antibodies as compared with the control group (P<0.0001) and to themselves prevaccination. The mean response was greater in vaccinated equids (Group SQ, P<0.0080; Group TD, P<0.0016) as compared prevaccine and control. Equids responded to the OspA vaccine via either route. This data may aid in strategic vaccination protocols and the development of a USDA approved vaccine for equids in the prevention of Lyme disease using the OspA vaccine.
A near half‐century of temporal change in different facets of avian diversity
Authors: Jarzyna Marta A. , Jetz Walter
Published: November 2016

Assessments of spatial patterns of biodiversity change are essential to detect a signature of anthropogenic impacts, inform monitoring and conservation programs, and evaluate implications of biodiversity loss to humans. While taxonomic diversity (TD) is the most commonly assessed attribute of biodiversity, it misses the potential functional or phylogenetic implications of species losses or gains for ecosystems. Functional diversity (FD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD) are able to capture these important trait‐based and phylogenetic attributes of species, but their changes have to date only been evaluated over limited spatial and temporal extents. Employing a novel framework for addressing detectability, we here comprehensively assess a near half‐century of changes in local TD, FD, and PD of breeding birds across much of North America to examine levels of congruency in changes among these biodiversity facets and their variation across spatial and environmental gradients. Time‐series analysis showed significant and continuous increases in all three biodiversity attributes until ca. 2000, followed by a slow decline since. Comparison of avian diversity at the beginning and end of the temporal series revealed net increase in TD, FD, and PD, but changes in TD were larger than those in FD and PD, suggesting increasing biotic homogenization of avian assemblages throughout the United States. Changes were greatest at high elevations and latitudes – consistent with purported effects of ongoing climate change on biodiversity. Our findings highlight the potential of combining new types of data with novel statistical models to enable a more integrative monitoring and assessment of the multiple facets of biodiversity.
Cognitive abilities predict death during the next 15 years in older Japanese adults
Authors: Nishita Yukiko , Tange Chikako , Tomida Makiko , Otsuka Rei , Ando Fujiko , Shimokata Hiroshi
Published: November 2016

Aim

The longitudinal relationship between cognitive abilities and subsequent death was investigated among community‐dwelling older Japanese adults.

Methods

Participants (n = 1060; age range 60–79 years) comprised the first‐wave participants of the National Institute for Longevity Sciences‐Longitudinal Study of Aging. Participants’ cognitive abilities were measured at baseline using the Japanese Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale‐Revised Short Form, which includes the following tests: Information (general knowledge), Similarities (logical abstract thinking), Picture Completion (visual perception and long‐term visual memory) and Digit Symbol (information processing speed). By each cognitive test score, participants were classified into three groups: the high‐level group (≥ the mean + 1SD), the low–level group (≤ the mean – 1SD) and the middle‐level group. Data on death and moving during the subsequent 15 years were collected and analyzed using the multiple Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for physical and psychosocial covariates.

Results

During the follow‐up period, 308 participants (29.06%) had died and 93 participants (8.77%) had moved. In the Similarities test, adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of the low‐level group to the high‐level group were significant (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.02–2.17, P = 0.038). Furthermore, in the Digit symbol test, the adjusted HR of the low‐level group to the high‐level group was significant (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.03–2.58, P = 0.038). Significant adjusted HR were not observed for the Information or Picture Completion tests.

Conclusions

It is suggested that a lower level of logical abstract thinking and slower information processing speed are associated with shorter survival among older Japanese adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1654–1660.
What price the court of St. James? Political influences on ambassadorial postings of the United States of America
Authors: Fedderke Johannes , Jett Dennis
Published: November 2016

This paper explores the appointment of career diplomats and political appointees to ambassadorial positions. We present models of the strategic interaction of political donors and presidential candidates, which predicts that donations will match the quality of diplomatic posting granted by the candidate. We test this prediction and confirm it for four presidential terms representing two presidents and 764 diplomatic postings over the 2000 to 2013 period. This allows for the generation of a price list associated with a range of desirable diplomatic posts. This paper provides evidence in support of the proposition that ambassadorships, in locations that are deemed desirable such as Western Europe, are awarded as a form of patronage in return for campaign contributions.
Routine Infanticide in the West 1500–1800
Authors: Hanlon Gregory
Published: November 2016

Historians have assumed that early modern Europeans did not practice neo‐naticide similar to the great Asian civilizations, but sex‐ratio studies are only now entering the demographic literature. This article passes in review both published and unpublished research on sex ratios at baptism in Italy, France, England and colonial Acadia, together with juvenile sex ratios drawn from censuses in Germany, France and Italy. Both endemic and conjunctural imbalances appear everywhere, but they could target females or males depending upon the context.
Not only age but also tactile perception influences the preference for cosmetic creams applied to the forearm
Authors: Trautmann M. , Wendel V. , Prinz D. , Primmel B. , Willging G. , Nagorsen E. , Suckert A. , Gehm S. , Brandt M. , Ballay P. , Godde B.
Published: November 2016

Objective

We aimed to examine whether and how age as well as tactile sensitivity and perception had an impact on how women liked richer and lighter creams. Furthermore, the question arose if age and tactile perception had an influence on the ability to distinguish between the creams and how the ability to distinguish between creams influenced the liking of these creams.

Methods

A total of 299 female participants were invited to rate how much they liked four different cosmetic creams applied to their forearms. The creams were based on the same base formula but differed with respect to the texture. In order to arouse the impression of more lightness (quasi‐light) or more richness (quasi‐rich), polyethylene particles of different sizes were added to the base formula. First of all, the participants were tested for their tactile sensitivity and perception. Tactile sensitivity was tested by Von Frey filaments, tactile spatial perception by the tactile Landolt ring test and the ability to discriminate surface structures by a sandpaper test. Furthermore, the participants rated the creams with respect to the acceptance, the subjective skin feeling after application and performed paired‐comparison tests. Analyses of variance and regression analyses were applied to the data.

Results

In general, participants liked quasi‐rich creams less than quasi‐light creams. However, older women compared to younger women and women with lower tactile performance in comparison with women with higher tactile performance revealed a weaker influence of cream type‐specific acceptance ratings. Further results revealed that young participants perceived the quasi‐light creams (with particles of ~50 μm diameter) as soft and quasi‐rich creams (with particles of ~100 μm and ~165 μm diameter), as coarse. In contrast, this subjective skin feeling after application in participants at age 50 and older did not differ much.

Conclusion

Age and tactile perceptual abilities have additive effects on the acceptance of creams with different textures when applied to the forearm.
Preservation of root cementum: a comparative evaluation of power‐driven versus hand instruments
Authors: Bozbay E , Dominici F , Gokbuget AY , Cintan S , Guida L , Aydin MS , Mariotti A , Pilloni A
Published: November 2016

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of three distinct periodontal treatment methods in comparison with hand instrumentation on residual cementum of periodontal diseased teeth. Cementum can influence the activities of periodontal cells and may play an important regulatory role in periodontal treatment. The ideal method for periodontal therapy involves removal of biofilm, calculus and endotoxin while preserving root cementum. Material and methods: Forty‐eight caries free, single‐rooted teeth in patients diagnosed with severe chronic periodontitis were treated using four different methods prior to extraction. The teeth were instrumented subgingivally at one approximal site either by hand curettes (HC), piezoelectric ultrasonic scalers (U), piezoelectric ultrasonic scalers following air polishing (U + AP) or air polishing (AP) alone. Following extraction of teeth, instrumented and non‐instrumented sites were analysed with a dissecting microscope and SEM for measurement of the amount of and surface characteristics of residual cementum. Results: The percentage of coronal cementum remaining following subgingival instrumentation was 84% for U, 80% for U + AP, 94% for AP and 65% for HC. Although subgingival instrumentation of apical portions of the cementum demonstrated 6% less retained cementum in comparison with coronal portions, the amount of retained cementum with AP was still significantly greater than with HC. SEM results found the smoothest root surfaces were produced by the HC followed by the AP, while root surfaces instrumented by U or U + AP presented grooves and scratches. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that AP was superior to U devices in preserving cementum, whereas HC were the most effective instruments in removing cementum.
Description and student self‐evaluation of a pilot integrated small group learning and simulation programme for medical students in the first clinical year
Authors: Levinson Michele , Kelly Diane , Zahariou Krisoula , Johnson Matthew , Jackman Christine , Mackenzie Sara
Published: November 2016

Background

Contemporary education for medical students should be student‐centred, integrated and contextualised. Small group learning promotes clinical reasoning and skills for lifelong learning. Simulation can provide experiential learning in a safe and controlled environment. We developed a weekly integrated problem‐based learning and simulation programme (IPS) over two semesters in the first clinical year to augment clinical placement experience and contextualise theory into work‐relevant practice.

Aim

To evaluate the new programme at Kirkpatrick level 1.

Methods

An anonymous survey of participating students.

Results

The programme was well liked. Students found the programme relevant and that they had a better understanding of patient safety and the assessment of the deteriorating patient. They felt it contributed to integration of theory and practice, clinical reasoning and the acquisition of non‐technical skills, particularly affective and communication elements.

Conclusion

This IPS programme in the first clinical year can deliver a student‐centred curriculum to complement clinical placement that delivers the important requirements of contemporary medical student education.
Which skills boost service provider confidence when managing people presenting with psychiatric emergencies?
Authors: Poremski Daniel , Lim Xin Ya , Kunjithapatham Ganesh , Koh Doris , Alexander Mark , Cheng Lee
Published: November 2016

The way service seekers interact with the staff at emergency services has been shown to influence the standard of care, especially in the case of certain psychiatric manifestations. Staff reactions to psychiatric complaints have been linked to their comfort dealing with these types of service users as well as their competencies understanding the illness. It is therefore vital to understand which skills increase confidence in treating psychiatric emergencies. Twenty‐six open‐ended convergent interviews were conducted with staff working in a psychiatric emergency department. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Participants reported several non‐technical skills which developed from exclusively serving people with psychiatric emergencies: 1) Vigilance allowed staff to be sensitive to minor changes in behavior which precede psychiatric emergencies. 2) The ability to negotiate and find tangible solutions was particularly important when dealing with psychiatric complaints which may not have tangible resolutions. 3) The ability to appraise social support networks allowed staff to plan follow‐up actions and ensure continuity of care when support was available. 4) The ability to self‐reflect allowed participants to learn from their experience and avoid burnout, frustration, and fatigue. Participants also reported several other clinical skills which they gained during training, including teamwork, de‐escalating techniques and risk assessment. Tentatively speaking, these skills improve staff's confidence when treating psychiatric emergencies. Certain skills may be generalized to staff working in medical emergency departments who frequently encounter psychiatric complaints.
Role of protein arginine methyltransferase 5 in inflammation and migration of fibroblast‐like synoviocytes in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Chen Dongying , Zeng Shan , Huang Mingcheng , Xu Hanshi , Liang Liuqin , Yang Xiuyan
Published: November 2016

To probe the role of protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) in regulating inflammation, cell proliferation, migration and invasion of fibroblast‐like synoviocytes (FLSs) from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). FLSs were separated from synovial tissues (STs) from patients with RA and osteoarthritis (OA). An inhibitor of PRMT5 (EPZ015666) and short interference RNA (siRNA) against PRMT5 were used to inhibit PRMT5 expression. The standard of protein was measured by Western blot or immunofluorescence. The excretion and genetic expression of inflammatory factors were, respectively, estimated by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Migration and invasion in vitro were detected by Boyden chamber assay. FLSs proliferation was detected by BrdU incorporation. Increased PRMT5 was discovered in STs and FLSs from patients with RA. In RA FLSs, the level of PRMT5 was up‐regulated by stimulation with IL‐1β and TNF‐α. Inhibition of PRMT5 by EPZ015666 and siRNA‐mediated knockdown reduced IL‐6 and IL‐8 production, and proliferation of RA FLSs. In addition, inhibition of PRMT5 decreased in vitro migration and invasion of RA FLSs. Furthermore, EPZ015666 restrained the phosphorylation of IκB kinaseβ and IκBα, as well as nucleus transsituation of p65 as well as AKT in FLSs. PRMT5 regulated the production of inflammatory factors, cell proliferation, migration and invasion of RA FLS, which was mediated by the NF‐κB and AKT pathways. Our data suggested that targeting PRMT5 to prevent synovial inflammation and destruction might be a promising therapy for RA.
Are Arbitrators Human?
Authors: Helm Rebecca K. , Wistrich Andrew J. , Rachlinski Jeffrey J.
Published: November 2016

Empirical research has confirmed the correctness of the legal realists’ assertion that “judges are human.” It demonstrates that judicial decisions are sometimes tainted by bias, ideology, or error. Presumably, arbitrators are “human” in that sense too, but that conclusion does not necessarily follow. Although arbitrators and judges both umpire disputes, they differ in a variety of ways. Therefore, it is possible that arbitrators’ awards are either better or worse than judges’ decisions. This article reports the results of research conducted on elite arbitrators specializing in resolving commercial disputes. Our goal was to determine whether, like judges, arbitrators are subject to three common cognitive illusions—specifically, the conjunction fallacy, the framing effect, and the confirmation bias. We also wanted to find out whether, like judges, arbitrators exhibit a tendency to rely excessively on intuition that may exacerbate the impact of cognitive illusions on their decision making. Our results reveal that “arbitrators are human,” and indicate that arbitrators perform about the same as judges in experiments designed to detect the presence of common cognitive errors and excessive reliance on intuition. This suggests that arbitrators lack an inherent advantage over judges when it comes to making high‐quality decisions. Whether the situation in which arbitrators make their awards is more conducive to sound decision making than the setting in which judges make their rulings, however, remains unclear.
Intuitive Jurisprudence: Early Reasoning About the Functions of Punishment
Authors: Bregant Jessica , Shaw Alex , Kinzler Katherine D.
Published: November 2016

Traditional research on lay beliefs about punishment is often hampered by the complex nature of the question and its implications. We present a new intuitive jurisprudence approach that utilizes the insights of developmental psychology to shed light on the origins of punishment intuitions, along with the first empirical study to test the approach. Data from 80 child participants are presented, providing evidence that children expect punishment to serve as a specific deterrent, but finding no evidence that children expect punishment to have a general deterrent or rehabilitative effect. We also find that children understand punishment in a way that is consistent with the expressive theory of law and with expressive retributivism, and we present evidence that an understanding of the value of punishment to the social contract develops throughout childhood. Finally, we discuss the application of the intuitive jurisprudence approach to other important legal questions.
Formal and Social Enforcement in Response to Individual Versus Corporate Transgressions
Authors: Haran Uriel , Teichman Doron , Feldman Yuval
Published: November 2016

Social enforcement of norms governing appropriate business practices, through online and social networks, is regarded as an effective alternative to formal, state‐sponsored enforcement. However, recent research finds that such norms are interpreted differently when applied to individual actors than when applied to corporations. This article finds that this difference transcends to enforcement, and that willingness to actively respond to a transgression depends on both the transgressor's identity and the type of violation. Three studies found that people are reluctant to substitute social enforcement for state‐sponsored action, and that the preference for formal over social action was generally more pronounced when the target of the action was an individual than when the action targeted a corporation. Furthermore, individuals were judged more severely for intentional harms, whereas corporations received higher levels of critique for violations caused by negligent behavior. Our findings suggest that the state may need to exercise caution in outsourcing norm enforcement in commercial relationships.
River flow modelling using nonparametric functional data analysis
Authors: Quintela‐del‐Río A. , Francisco‐Fernández M.
Published: November 2016

Time series and extreme value analyses are two statistical approaches usually applied to study hydrological data. Classical techniques, such as autoregressive integrated moving‐average models (in the case of mean flow predictions), and parametric generalised extreme value fits and nonparametric extreme value methods (in the case of extreme value theory) have been usually employed in this context. In this article, nonparametric functional data methods are used to perform mean monthly flow predictions and extreme value analysis, which are important for flood risk management. These are powerful tools that take advantage of both, the functional nature of the data under consideration and the flexibility of nonparametric methods, providing more reliable results. Therefore, they can be useful to prevent damage caused by floods and to reduce the likelihood and/or the impact of floods in a specific location. The nonparametric functional approaches are applied to flow samples of two rivers in the United States. In this way, monthly mean flow is predicted and flow quantiles in the extreme value framework are estimated using the proposed methods. Results show that the nonparametric functional techniques work satisfactorily, generally outperforming the behaviour of classical parametric and nonparametric estimators in both settings.
Urinary sex steroid hormone and placental leucine aminopeptidase concentration differences between live births and stillbirth of Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus)
Authors: Kinoshita Kodzue , Sano Yusuke , Takai Akira , Shimizu Mika , Kobayashi Toshio , Ouchi Akihiro , Kuze Noko , Inoue‐Murayama Miho , Idani Gen'ichi , Okamoto Munehiro , Ozaki Yasuhiko
Published: November 2016

Background

Under the environment of pregnancy, the placenta assumes an important steroidogenic role in the maintenance of pregnancy.

Methods

Urinary placental leucine aminopeptidase (PLAP), estrone‐3‐glucuronide (E1G), and pregnanediol‐3‐glucuronide (PdG) concentrations were compared among five pregnancies (four live births and one stillbirth) in four orangutans.

Results

The gestation period of the stillbirth (223 days) was shorter than that of the live births (239‐254 days). In females who gave a live birth, average PLAP and E1G concentrations increased until the delivery. Conversely, in the female who gave a stillbirth, PLAP concentration failed to increase, and E1G concentration was significantly low in late pregnancy period. Regarding PdG concentrations, there was no significant difference among all pregnancies.

Conclusions

This is the first study reporting a change in urinary PLAP, E1G, and PdG concentrations during orangutan stillbirth and live birth pregnancies. The findings will assist in developing pregnancy screening tests.
Infusing Diversity and Equity Into Clinical Teaching: Training the Trainers
Authors: Wilson‐Mitchell Karline , Handa Manavi
Published: November 2016

Clinical instructors in health care disciplines are charged with engaging students in experiential learning wherein respect and cultural sensitivity is applied. This article reports on the results of 3 diversity workshops conducted for clinical preceptors and field instructors from various disciplines. The workshops were developed in response to students’ growing concerns that their academic learning experiences were negatively affected by dissatisfying management of differences between students, faculty, and preceptors with respect to ethno‐racial group membership, socioeconomic level, and degree of privilege and power. The workshops included a didactic session that presented basic principles of social and health equity followed by small‐group reflection about various ethical and moral dilemmas that were presented in clinical education scenarios. Examples of discrimination on a variety of levels were addressed in these workshops, including race, ethnicity, immigration status, sexual orientation, religion, body size and appearance, ability, age, socioeconomic class, religious faith, and gender. The group exercises and discussion from these sessions provided valuable insight and approaches to difficult but common areas of discomfiture encountered in the clinical teaching setting. This article presents the findings from participants of these diversity workshops in order to encourage the application of equity principles into clinical teaching in midwifery and other health care education contexts.
Incorporating Antiracism Coursework into a Cultural Competency Curriculum
Authors: Gordon Wendy M. , McCarter Safiya A. U. , Myers Susan J.
Published: November 2016

Creating a socially conscious educational environment is an imperative if health care practitioners are to have a significant impact on health inequities. The effects of practitioner bias, prejudice, and discrimination on health and health outcomes have been well documented in the literature. Individuals being trained to provide health care will be entering into an increasingly diverse world and must be equipped with the appropriate knowledge and skills in order to meet the needs of those seeking their care. Cultural competency training in medical education has evolved over the past 15 years since the Institute of Medicine's 2002 report,Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. As research on the effectiveness of this training has emerged, several authors have called for the integration of antiracism training into the cultural competency curriculum, but few have found effective ways of doing so. This article describes the approach of one midwifery program in order to inform clinical education programs across the spectrum of health care practitioners.
Population‐Level Correction of Systematic Motion Artifacts in fMRI in Patients with Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Aranyi Csaba , Opposits Gábor , Nagy Marianna , Berényi Ervin , Vér Csilla , Csiba László , Katona Péter , Spisák Tamás , Emri Miklós
Published: November 2016

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to reveal potential sources of systematic motion artifacts in stroke functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) focusing on those causing stimulus‐correlated motion on the individual‐level and separate the motion effect on the fMRI signal changing from the activation‐induced alteration at population level.

METHODS

Eleven ischemic stroke patients were examined by fMRI. The fMRI paradigm was based on passive ankle movement on both the healthy and the paretic leg's side. Three individual‐level motion correction strategies were compared and we introduced five measures to characterize each subjects' in‐scanner relative head movement. After analyzing the correlation of motion parameters and the subjects’ physiological scale scores, we selected a parameter to model the motion‐related artifacts in the second‐level analysis.

RESULTS

At first (individual) level analysis, the noise‐component correction‐based CompCor method provided the highest −log10(p) value of cluster‐level occurrence probability at 12.4/13.6 for healthy and paretic side stimulus, respectively, with a maximal z‐value of 15/16.3. Including the motion parameter at second (group) level resulted in lower cluster occurrence values at 10.9/5.55 while retaining the maximal z‐value.

CONCLUSIONS

We proposed a postprocessing pipeline for ischemic stroke fMRI data that combine the CompCor correction at first level with the modeling of motion effect at second‐level analysis by a parameter obtained from fMRI data. Our solution is applicable for any fMRI‐based stroke rehabilitation study since it does not require any MRI‐compatible motion capture system and is based on commonly used methods.
Efficient Detection of Leptosphaeria maculans from Infected Seed lots of Oilseed Rape
Authors: Song Pei‐ling , Jȩdryczka Małgorzata , Irzykowski Witold , Yan Meng‐jiao , Huangfu Hai‐yan , Hao Li‐fen , Bao Yu‐ying , Li Zi‐qin
Published: November 2016

An efficient DNA extraction protocol and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for detecting Leptosphaeria maculans from infected seed lots of oilseed rape were developed. L. maculans, the causal agent of blackleg, a damaging disease in oilseeds rape/canola worldwide, was listed as a quarantine disease by China in 2009. China imports several millions of tons of oilseeds every year. So there is a high risk that this pathogen will be introduced to China via contaminated seeds. Seed contamination is one of the most significant factors in the global spread of phytopathogens. Detection of L. maculans in infected seed lots by PCR assay is difficult due to the low level of pathogen mycelium/spores on seeds and PCR inhibitors associated with the seeds of oilseed rape. In our study, these two major obstacles were overcome by the development of a two‐step extraction protocol combined with a nested PCR. This extraction protocol (kit extraction after CTAB method) can efficiently extract high‐quality DNA for PCR. Amplification results showed that the detection threshold for conventional PCR and nested PCR was, respectively, 1 ng and 10 fg of DNA per μl in mycelia samples. On contaminated seed lots of oilseed rape, the detection threshold of conventional and nested PCR was 709 fg/μl and 709 ag/μl of DNA, respectively. The DNA extraction protocol and PCR assay developed in this study can be used for rapid and reliable detection of L. maculans from infected seeds of oilseed rape.
Mapping the Impact of Social Media for Innovation: The Role of Social Media in Explaining Innovation Performance in the PDMA Comparative Performance Assessment Study
Authors: Roberts Deborah L. , Piller Frank T. , Lüttgens Dirk
Published: November 2016

Social media (SM) allow users to easily create, edit, or share content. The vast numbers of individuals that converge around sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter embody a rich source of external knowledge that could be utilized for new product development (NPD). Complementing other channels for open innovation (OI), SM can provide access to novel information about customer needs and technological solutions unknown to the firm. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are considerable benefits from using SM during an innovation project, but empirical evidence is scarce. Contributing to the perspective of openness in search, a number of hypotheses propose how SM as a new channel for OI can contribute to firm performance. This model is tested using data from the PDMA Comparative Performance Assessment Study, identifying factors influencing the relationship between SM and NPD performance. The findings indicate that utilizing information from SM channels can lead to higher performance, but that this link is influenced by the formalization of a firm's NPD process. This study also finds that the ability of a firm to benefit from external search in SM strongly depends on complementary internal processes when organizing and conducting this activity. Furthermore, managers have to take care when utilizing information from SM channels in radical projects, as for this kind of project only a weak significant performance contribution of SM could be found.
Association between serum soluble CD14 and IL‐8 levels and clinical outcome in primary biliary cholangitis
Authors: Umemura Takeji , Sekiguchi Tomohiro , Joshita Satoru , Yamazaki Tomoo , Fujimori Naoyuki , Shibata Soichiro , Ichikawa Yuki , Komatsu Michiharu , Matsumoto Akihiro , Shums Zakera , Norman Gary L. , Tanaka Eiji , Ota Masao
Published: November 2016

Background & Aims

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is an autoimmune liver disease characterized by portal inflammation and immune‐mediated destruction of intrahepatic bile ducts that often leads to liver decompensation and liver failure. Although the biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) can predict disease outcome in PBC, few biomarkers have been identified as prognostic tools applicable prior to UDCA treatment. We therefore sought to identify such indicators of long‐term outcome in PBC in the Japanese population.

Methods

The prebiopsy serum samples and subsequent clinical data of 136 patients with PBC treated with UDCA were analysed over a median follow‐up period of 8.8 years. Serum levels of biomarkers related to microbial translocation (sCD14, EndoCAb and I‐FABP) were measured along with those of 33 cytokines and chemokines and additional auto‐antibodies. Associations between the tested parameters and the clinical outcomes of liver decompensation and liver‐related death/liver transplantation were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards model with stepwise methods and Kaplan‐Meier analysis.

Results

Elevated levels of serum IL‐8, and sCD14 before UDCA therapy were significantly associated with both liver decompensation and liver‐related death/liver transplantation. In multivariate analyses, IL‐8≥46.5 pg/mL or sCD14≥2.0 μg/mL at enrolment demonstrated the same results. Kaplan‐Meier analysis also revealed IL‐8 and sCD14 to be significantly associated with a poor outcome. sCD14 was significantly correlated with IL‐8. EndoCAb and I‐FABP were not related to disease outcome.

Conclusions

Serum IL‐8 and sCD14 levels before UDCA therapy represent noninvasive surrogate markers of prognosis in patients with PBC.
Surviving Evils and the Problem of Agency: An Essay Inspired by the Work of Claudia Card
Authors: Tietjens Meyers Diana
Published: November 2016

Claudia Card did not live long enough to complete her work on surviving evils. Yet she left us an invaluable body of work on this topic. This essay surveys Card's views about the nature of evils and the ethical quandaries of surviving them. It then develops an account of survival agency that is based on Card's insights and in keeping with the agentic capacities exercised by Yezidi women and girls who have escaped from ISIS's obscene program of trafficking in women and sexual violence. Card holds that true survival requires not only staying alive and as healthy as possible but also preserving your good moral character. The essay maintains that while exercising agency to elude evil and protect yourself often depends on your own skills and personality traits, exercising agency to restore or develop your moral character often depends on social support.
Hate Crime Legislation Reconsidered
Authors: Baron Marcia
Published: November 2016

In “Is Penalty Enhancement a Sound Idea?” Claudia Card calls into question hate crime legislation, querying whether hatred makes a crime worse, whether hatred of the sort pertinent to hate crimes is worse than a more personal hatred, and whether the message sent by hate crime legislation is the intended message. This essay questions her assumption that penalty enhancement for hate crimes is warranted only if the crimes are worse than otherwise similar crimes that do not count as hate crimes. Instead, it may be the case that it is the proper business of the state to take a particular interest in such crimes, in part because they enact not just any hatred but civic hatred. And if hate crimes are understood as enacting civic hatred, hate crime legislation can indeed serve to counter a message that very much needs to be countered.
Claudia Card's Concept of Social Death: A New Way of Looking at Genocide
Authors: Snow James
Published: November 2016

Scholarship in the multidisciplinary field of genocide studies often emphasizes body counts and the number of biological deaths as a way of measuring and comparing the severity and scope of individual genocides. The prevalence of this way of framing genocide is problematic insofar it risks marginalizing the voices and experiences of victims who may not succumb to biological death but nevertheless suffer the loss of family members and other loved ones, and suffer the destruction of relationships, as well as the foundational institutions that give rise to and sustain those relationships. The concept of social death, which Claudia Card offers as the central evil of genocide, marks a radical shift in conceptualizing genocide and provides space for recovering the marginalized voices of many who suffer the evils of genocide but do not suffer biological death. Here her concept of social death is explored, defended, and criticized.
Applications of the fast–slow continuum and reproductive strategy framework of plant life histories
Authors: Salguero‐Gómez Roberto
Published: November 2016

Understanding the forces that shape the great amount of variation in plant longevity, reproductive output and growth rate is fundamental to effective predictions of viability, invasions and evolutionary pressures. Here, I extend the recently introduced ‘fast–slow continuum and reproductive strategy’ framework to quantify the variation in plant life history strategies world‐wide. I use high‐resolution demographic information from 625 plant species and show that this framework predicts not only key demographic properties, such as population growth rate and demographic resilience, but also has important connections to the leaf economics spectrum, biogeographical characteristics, evolutionary biology and conservation biology. This framework may allow plant biologists to unlock powerful global plant predictions from a handful of open‐access field measurements.

Contents

Summary
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I.
Introduction
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II.
The search for a periodic table of plant life histories
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III.
Implications beyond demography
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IV.
Conclusions
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Acknowledgements
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References
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A caseian point for the evolution of a diaphragm homologue among the earliest synapsids
Authors: Lambertz Markus , Shelton Christen D. , Spindler Frederik , Perry Steven F.
Published: November 2016

The origin of the diaphragm remains a poorly understood yet crucial step in the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates, as this unique structure serves as the main respiratory motor for mammals. Here, we analyze the paleobiology and the respiratory apparatus of one of the oldest lineages of mammal‐like reptiles: the Caseidae. Combining quantitative bone histology and functional morphological and physiological modeling approaches, we deduce a scenario in which an auxiliary ventilatory structure was present in these early synapsids. Crucial to this hypothesis are indications that at least the phylogenetically advanced caseids might not have been primarily terrestrial but rather were bound to a predominantly aquatic life. Such a lifestyle would have resulted in severe constraints on their ventilatory system, which consequently would have had to cope with diving‐related problems. Our modeling of breathing parameters revealed that these caseids were capable of only limited costal breathing and, if aquatic, must have employed some auxiliary ventilatory mechanism to quickly meet their oxygen demand upon surfacing. Given caseids’ phylogenetic position at the base of Synapsida and under this aquatic scenario, it would be most parsimonious to assume that a homologue of the mammalian diaphragm had already evolved about 50 Ma earlier than previously assumed.
Randomized, Double‐Blind Trial of Oral Methylnaltrexone for the Treatment of Opioid‐Induced Constipation in Patients with Chronic Noncancer Pain
Authors: Rauck Richard , Slatkin Neal E. , Stambler Nancy , Harper Joseph R. , Israel Robert J.
Published: November 2016

Background

Subcutaneous methylnaltrexone, a peripherally acting μ‐opioid receptor antagonist, improves opioid‐induced constipation (OIC) in patients with chronic noncancer pain. An oral methylnaltrexone formulation has been developed.

Methods

In this phase 3, double‐blind trial, adults with chronic noncancer pain receiving opioid doses of ≥ 50 mg/day oral morphine equivalents with OIC were randomly assigned to oral methylnaltrexone (150, 300, or 450 mg) or placebo once daily (QD) for 4 weeks followed by as‐needed dosing for 8 weeks. Patients who had ≥ 3 rescue‐free bowel movements (RFBMs)/week, with an increase of ≥ 1 RFBM/week from baseline for ≥ 3 of 4 weeks during the QD period, were responders.

Results

Overall, 803 patients were included in the analyses. A significantly greater percentage of patients had an increase in mean percentage of dosing days resulting in an RFBM within 4 hours of dosing during weeks 1 through 4 (QD period; primary endpoint) with methylnaltrexone (300 mg/day [24.6%; P = 0.002] and 450 mg/day [27.4%; P < 0.0001]) vs. placebo (18.2%). The percentage of responders (49.3% for 300 mg [P = 0.03] and 51.5% for 450 mg [P = 0.005] vs. 38.3% with placebo) and change from baseline in mean number of weekly RFBMs (difference vs. placebo, 0.5 for 300 mg [P = 0.03] and 0.5 for 450 mg [P = 0.02]) was significantly greater with methylnaltrexone 300 and 450 mg/day vs. placebo during the QD period. All dosages of oral methylnaltrexone were well tolerated.

Conclusions

Oral methylnaltrexone was efficacious and well tolerated for OIC in patients with chronic noncancer pain, particularly the 450‐mg dose.
Pre‐pregnancy and Early Prenatal Care are Associated with Lower Risk of Ectopic Pregnancy Complications in the Medicaid Population: 2004–08
Authors: Stulberg Debra B. , Cain Loretta , Hasham Dahlquist Irma , Lauderdale Diane S.
Published: November 2016

Background

Ectopic pregnancy causes significant maternal morbidity and mortality. Complications are more common among women with Medicaid or no insurance compared to those with private insurance. It is unknown whether preventive care prior to pregnancy and prenatal care, which are covered by Medicaid, would decrease complications if they were more fully utilised.

Methods

Medicaid claims were used to identify a clinical cohort of women who experienced an ectopic pregnancy during 2004–08 among all female Medicaid enrolees from a large 14‐state population, ages 15–44. Diagnosis and procedure codes were used to identify ectopic pregnancies and associated complications. The primary outcomes were complications associated with ectopic pregnancy: blood transfusion, sterilisation, or hospitalisation with length of stay greater than 2 days. Independent variables were documentation of preventive care within 1 year prior to the ectopic pregnancy and prenatal care within 4 months prior.

Results

Controlling for race, age, and state of residence, women's risks of any ectopic pregnancy complication were independently higher among those who did not receive any Medicaid‐covered preventive care within 1 year before the ectopic pregnancy compared to those who did (RR 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09, 1.16), and among those who did not receive any Medicaid‐covered prenatal care within 4 months prior, compared to those who did (RR 1.89, 95% CI 1.83, 1.96).

Conclusions

Pre‐pregnancy and prenatal care are independently associated with decreased risk of ectopic pregnancy complications among Medicaid beneficiaries.
Paying for Performance to Improve the Delivery and Uptake of Family Planning in Low and Middle Income Countries: A Systematic Review
Authors: Blacklock Claire , MacPepple Ekelechi , Kunutsor Setor , Witter Sophie
Published: November 2016

Paying for performance is a strategy to meet the unmet need for family planning in low and middle income countries; however, rigorous evidence on effectiveness is lacking. Scientific databases and grey literature were searched from 1994 to May 2016. Thirteen studies were included. Payments were linked to units of targeted services, usually modified by quality indicators. Ancillary components and payment indicators differed between studies. Results were mixed for family planning outcome measures. Paying for performance was associated with improved modern family planning use in one study, and increased user and coverage rates in two more. Paying for performance with conditional cash transfers increased family planning use in another. One study found increased use in the upper wealth group only. However, eight studies reported no impact on modern family planning use or prevalence. Secondary outcomes of equity, financial risk protection, satisfaction, quality, and service organization were mixed. Available evidence is inconclusive and limited by the scarcity of studies and by variation in intervention, study design, and outcome measures. Further studies are warranted.