bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
MybA, a transcription factor involved in conidiation and conidial viability of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus
Authors: Valsecchi Isabel , Sarikaya‐Bayram Özlem , Wong Sak Hoi Joanne , Muszkieta Laetitia , Gibbons John , Prevost Marie‐Christine , Mallet Adeline , Krijnse‐Locker Jacomina , Ibrahim‐Granet Oumaima , Mouyna Isabelle , Carr Paul , Bromley Michael , Aimanianda Vishukumar , Yu Jae‐Hyuk , Rokas Antonis , Braus Gerhard H , Saveanu Cosmin , Bayram Özgür , Latgé Jean Paul 
Published: July 2017

SummaryAspergillus fumigatus, a ubiquitous human fungal pathogen, produces asexual spores (conidia), which are the main mode of propagation, survival and infection of this human pathogen. In this study, we present the molecular characterization of a novel regulator of conidiogenesis and conidial survival called MybA because the predicted protein contains a Myb DNA binding motif. Cellular localization of the MybA::Gfp fusion and immunoprecipitation of the MybA::Gfp or MybA::3xHa protein showed that MybA is localized to the nucleus. RNA sequencing data and a uidA reporter assay indicated that the MybA protein functions upstream of wetA, vosA and velB, the key regulators involved in conidial maturation. The deletion of mybA resulted in a very significant reduction in the number and viability of conidia. As a consequence, the ΔmybA strain has a reduced virulence in an experimental murine model of aspergillosis. RNA‐sequencing and biochemical studies of the ΔmybA strain suggested that MybA protein controls the expression of enzymes involved in trehalose biosynthesis as well as other cell wall and membrane‐associated proteins and ROS scavenging enzymes. In summary, MybA protein is a new key regulator of conidiogenesis and conidial maturation and survival, and plays a crucial role in propagation and virulence of A. fumigatus.
The association between childcare arrangements and risk of overweight and obesity in childhood: a systematic review
Authors: Black L. , Matvienko‐Sikar K. , Kearney P.M. 
Published: July 2017

SummaryOver 80% of preschool‐aged children experience non‐parental childcare. Childcare type has the potential to influence weight outcomes, but its impact on childhood overweight/obesity is not well established. This review aims to (i) systematically evaluate the effects of childcare type on childhood overweight/obesity risk and (ii) investigate the impact of childcare intensity and age at commencement. Five electronic databases were searched for observational studies quantifying an association between childcare type ≤5 years and weight outcomes <18 years. Twenty‐four studies were included (n = 127,529 children). Thirteen studies reported increased risk of overweight/obesity in children attending informal care (n = 9) or centre care (n = 4) vs. parental care. Seven studies reported decreased risk of overweight/obesity for children in centre vs. ‘non‐centre’ care (parental and informal). Four studies reported no association between informal or centre care and overweight/obesity. Early (<3 years) informal care, especially by a relative, was associated with increased risk of overweight/obesity. Higher intensity childcare, especially when commenced early (<1 year), increased overweight/obesity risk. Later (≥3 years) centre care was associated with decreased risk of overweight/obesity. Early informal care, earlier commencement age and higher intensity represent a risk for childhood obesity. Exploration of the obesogenic aspects of these contexts is essential to inform preventative measures.
Strategies for Improving Measurement Models for Secondary Data in Public Administration Research: Illustrations from the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey
Authors: Somers Mark John 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThis article builds on Fernandez et al.'s 2015 review of Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) research by focusing on two unexplored areas: measurement models and measurement quality. Employing the notion of an auxiliary measurement theory as an organizing framework, the author assesses the use of FEVS survey items to operationalize theoretical constructs and procedures in order to establish their psychometric quality. Results indicate that there is considerable variability in how FEVS items have been used to measure theoretical constructs, which is expressed as high levels of overlap across FEVS‐derived scales. Inconsistency in the assessment of measurement quality is evident as well, with a bias toward convergent validity. Three cautionary tales are presented to demonstrate the fragility of FEVS data when used with a compromised auxiliary measurement theory. The article concludes with recommendations for future FEVS studies.
Climate‐induced migration: Exploring local perspectives in Kiribati
Authors: Allgood Lacey , McNamara Karen E. 
Published: July 2017

A number of studies have indicated that the long term habitability of Kiribati, a low‐lying country in the central tropical Pacific Ocean, is tenuous given the impacts of climate change, particularly sea level rise. In an effort to plan for the resultant challenges ahead, a number of national policies and programs have surfaced to reduce the impact of localized changes on people's livelihoods. This study explores how local community members (n = 60) have taken it upon themselves to respond to the impacts of climate change by utilizing a number of different strategies. The results highlight that: first, respondents consider climate change to be the most concerning issue for sustaining their livelihoods; second, respondents have built physical defences, relocated temporarily or permanently, and sought government assistance to adapt to localized climate‐related impacts; and third, the majority of respondents indicated that they would migrate as a long term strategy to respond to the future impacts of climate change.
Third‐Party State Domestic Politics and Conflict Management During Interventions into Civil Conflicts*
Authors: Linebarger Christopher , Enterline Andrew J. , Liebel Steven R. 
Published: July 2017

ObjectiveWhen do third‐party states engaged in military support of civil war governments resort to conflict management, such as negotiation or mediation, with rebels? Current research underemphasizes the role of third‐party state domestic conditions as precipitating the resort to conflict management. To do so, we formulate two explanations linking third‐party state domestic politics to conflict management with rebels: (1) gambling for resurrection, in which a weak third‐party state leader eschews conflict management in the pursuit of a victory that will rehabilitate his or her political survival; and (2) cutting losses, in which a weak third‐party leader resorts to conflict management to reduce the domestic political costs associated with continued fighting.MethodWe identify a sample of 32 civil conflicts during the 1960–2004 period in which a third‐party state deploys troops to defend a central government against a rebellion. We code the timing of negotiation and mediation offers between the third‐party and the rebels. We then rely on third‐party state economic conditions as a barometer of the political survival that shapes the third‐party's resort to conflict management.ResultsA logit analysis supports the cutting losses expectation that third‐party states seek conflict management when political survival at home is at risk.ConclusionThe analysis underscores the necessity of incorporating the domestic politics of third‐party states in studies of interventions into civil wars and conflict management attempts therein.
Geomechanical and petrophysical properties of mudrocks: introduction
Authors: Rutter Ernest , Mecklenburgh Julian , Taylor Kevin 
Published: July 2017

Abstract
Mudstones (shales) are of particular importance as the source rocks for oil and gas, and increasingly so as the reservoirs for unconventional hydrocarbons. They are also the most common sedimentary rocks on Earth, and, hence, are frequently encountered in excavations and foundations for buildings. These factors point to a pressing need to develop an increased fundamental understanding of their geomechanical and petrophysical properties. The mineral content of mudstones has a dominant effect on their mechanical properties. Presence of clay minerals within them results in plasticity and ductility that can pose particular engineering challenges, but swelling clays in particular can lead to serious problems of mechanical stability of boreholes and in construction. Good hydraulic fracture performance is linked to brittleness and high elastic moduli. This in turn is favoured by high silica or carbonate content and diagenetic cementation. Permeability to fluids depends on the interconnectivity of storage pores through orientated crack networks. New advances in imaging technologies are permitting very-high-resolution three-dimensional imaging down to the nanometre scale. Such studies will eventually lead to technological advances that exploit more effectively these enigmatic rocks.
Honi the Circle Drawer: “A Member of the Household” or “A Son Who Implores His Father”?
Authors: Ben-Pazi Isaiah 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThis article analyzes the meaning of two short metaphors used in the legend of Honi the Circle Drawer that define Honi’s relationship with God: Honi referred to himself as a “ben bayit” and Shimon son of Shatah called him “a son who implores his father” (m. Taʿan. 3:8). Explaining these metaphors contains the key to understanding the conflict between Honi and Simeon son of Shatah who criticized him harshly. Most of the explanations for this exchange suggested previously involve imposing philosophical issues that are not suggested by the text. This article examines the use of the key term “ben bayit” and shows that it indicates a position of a slave who has decision-making powers in God’s “house.” This is what Honi presumed to be, and Shimon rejected.
Prospects of Bilateral Trade between India and Bangladesh
Authors: Sikdar Chandrima 
Published: July 2017

India and Bangladesh offer natural markets for each other's export products. In their mutual trade, they enjoy the advantages of reduced transaction costs and quicker delivery due to geographical proximity, common language and a heritage of common physical infrastructure. That is why soon after the launching of liberalization in Bangladesh in 1982 India's exports to Bangladesh registered unprecedented growth. On the other hand, Bangladesh's exports to India also increased, but not at a commensurate rate. This inevitably led to the increase of the official trade deficit of Bangladesh with India over the past decades. It has been held that this trade imbalance was not just an economic issue but generated strong enough political resonance that was inimical to the cordial relations between the two economies. Thus, in recent years, India-Bangladesh bilateral trade has been an issue that has called for much concern. It has been held at various levels of policy-making that a bilateral free trade area between the two economies will go a long way in dealing with this ever increasing trade gap. But the ultimate success of any bilateral trading arrangement between economies hinges on a number of factors like trade intensity index of an economy; its pattern of revealed comparative advantage and the extent of trade complementarities between the economies. The present paper seeks to discuss these concepts and to evaluate the prospects of bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh in the light of these indices.
Determinants of Exports of Textile Industry in Punjab
Authors: Mehra Anjana , Kaur Gian 
Published: July 2017

This paper analyzes the determinants of Punjab's exports of textiles during 1991-2008. The study used log linear regression model and it was found that fixed investment plays a positive and significant role in determining exports. Yearly growth rates have been computed to capture year-to-year fluctuations and Compound Annual Growth Rates (CAGRs) are estimated to view the impact of immediate post liberalization and post liberalization process on pace of growth momentum in exports. The study reveals the fact that growth of exports decelerated steeply in post liberalization period. JEL Classifiaction: C51, C22, L67
Threshold and Rate of Dark Adaptation as Functions of Aǵe and Time
Authors: Domey Richard G. , McFarland Ross A. , Chadwick Ernest 
Published: July 2017

In order to describe one family of dark adaptation curves obtained from an age sample ranging from 16 through 89 years, a mathematical model of the form [Formula: see text] was derived. It was found that the model could be generalized. In addition it was concluded that threshold of dark adaptation as a function of time was lawfully related to chronological age. Rate of adaptation was determined by differentiating the equation at time 30 sec and time 6 min as follows: [Formula: see text] The results showed that rate of dark adaptation was a curvilinear function of age. These findings are consistent with the hypotheses that dark adaptation threshold and rate of dark adaptation depend upon basic underlying physiological processes that change with age.
Complex Behavior in a “Simple” Task
Authors: Wolin Burton R. 
Published: July 2017

The present study is part of a research program being conducted to investigate the process by which man discovers rules of environmental generators. Using the binary choice situation, five subgenerators having a range of values of E1 from 0.3 to 0.7, and an average value of 0.5 were operated for 100 prediction trials at a time. The subjects' predictions varied as a direct function of the value of the subgenerators. An analogy is drawn between motor tracking and symbolic tracking. Ways of extending investigation of the analogy are discussed.
On Response-Response Compatibility
Authors: Cross Kenneth , Noble Merrill , Trumbo Don 
Published: July 2017

This study was designed as a first step in the investigation of response-response compatibility effects, a compatibility phenomenon hypothesized by Fitts and his associates. A two-hand cranking task was used in which S could, by manipulating two cranks, adjust a mechanical stylus to any one of one hundred points on a ten-by-ten matrix. The four possible combinations of clockwise and counterclockwise movements of the two cranks made up four response conditions. Three different stimulus types (codes) were used: digital, pictorial, and instructional. The stimuli, projected onto the rear side of a translucent screen located directly in front of S, indicated the point on the matrix to which S was to move the stylus. The target series used for each of the three stimulus types required the use of the four response conditions with equal frequency. It was found that speed of both total adjustment and initial response was dependent upon the particular stimulus type used, but not dependent upon response conditions. In contrast, number of correct initial movements was dependent upon response conditions but not stimulus types. The latter was, however, a function of response sets rather than compatibility. No evidence of significant interaction was found. The present findings fail to support the hypotheses of Fitts and his associates and time and motion principles which also, in effect, contend that R-R compatibility effects exist. Furthermore, the existence of response sets with no corresponding effect on the over-all efficiency of the system suggests that sets and compatibility are two different and not necessarily interacting phenomena.
The Effects of Values and Costs on the Detection and Identification of Signals in Auditory Vigilance
Authors: Levine Jerrold M. 
Published: July 2017

The effects on performance of the value of detecting a signal, the cost of a miss or false detection, and the size of the set from which the signals were drawn were studied in an auditory vigilance task. Seventy-two subjects were randomly assigned to each cell of a factorial arrangement of the cost and load variables and required to detect and identify each of several 49 db SPL pure tones differing only in frequency. Analyses of the number of correct detections, correct identifications, false detections and detection response time indicated a significant performance decrement with time for all measures and suggested that increasing costs for misses and false detections led to poorer detection performance while value had no effect. Load effected only identification performance, as higher loads led to a decrease in the percentage of signals correctly identified. The ď and β statistics of signal detection theory, indicated sensitivity to be invariant with manipulations of costs and with time. These findings imply that the performance decrement during a vigil is due to an increased strictness in the criterion the subject sets for deciding whether or not a signal was present. The cost factors were effective in manipulating performance by causing changes in the subjects' decision criteria.
Control of a Remote Maneuvering Unit During Satellite Inspection
Authors: Clark Herbert J. 
Published: July 2017

Operator performance in flying a simulated remote maneuvering unit (RMU) on a coplanar satellite in-pection mission was evaluated under two conditions of RMU attitude control and two condiitons of cockpit instrumentation. The maneuver was repeatedly performed successfully using either an on-off acceleration-command attitude control system or an on-off rate-command attitude control system, each with either a full panel of cockpit instruments (six) or only one cockpit instrument. The rate-command system was found to be superior for pitch control during station keeping and for roll control in general. The acceleration-command system was superior for pitch control during the trajectory portions of the mission. Because both control systems had disadvantages, investigation of a variable rate-control system is recommended. More economical and precise RMU control was obtained under the full-panel cockpit instrumentation condition irrespective of the control system used. The instruments of most value were found to be those which provided X (longitudinal) and Z (vertical) distance information. The limitations of the simulation and the advantages and disadvantages of an “inside-out“ versus an “outside-in“ television display of the target and its surrounds are also discussed.
The Effect of Local Target Surround and Whole Background Constraint on Visual Search Times
Authors: Brown Brian , Monk Timothy H. 
Published: July 2017

Two experiments are described in which the effect of nontargets in positions immediately adjacent to the target (target surround) on visual search times was examined under two background conditions. The target in the first experiment had a higher luminance than the background elements; in the second experiment the target was a “double-dot”, i.e., two background elements immediately adjacent. The backgrounds used were statistically generated using the parameter probability of transition (Pt) from the state “dot to no dot” to determine presence or absence of nontargets in the display matrix. When Pt= 0.5, a random background was generated and when Pt = 0.25, a constrained background was produced. Constrained backgrounds are those in which some grouping is imposed on the elements of the background. For both background conditions, mean search times increased sigmoidally as a function of the number of nontargets in the target surround. Search times were longer for unconstrained than for constrained backgrounds. A search strategy is suggested which would produce these results; further experiments are suggested to test the validity and generality of these concepts in visual search experiments.
Prediction of Ratings of Lifting Difficulty from Individual and Task Variables
Authors: Konz Stephan A. , Coetzee Jacobus 
Published: July 2017

Subjects (6 male, 6 female) lifted and lowered boxes at eight variations of location and direction. For each of the eight, there were three weights (5, 10, and 15 kg for males, 5, 7.5, and 10 for females), three volumes (150, 225, and 300 mm cubes), and two techniques (bend and squat); 144 conditions in all. Subjects rated difficulty using a 7-point scale (1 = prepared to do continuously, 3 = 1110 min for 8 hr, 5 = 1/120 min for 8 hr, 7 = refuse to do). For the same weight, females rated tasks more difficult than males. In addition, for each additional kg of weight, the female rating increased 0.44 versus 0.14 for males. The effect of volume was significant for females but not males. Lowering was 3% easier than lifting. Bending was 2% easier than squatting. Isometric back muscle strength is a good index of the maximum weight a person will lift (r = 0.84; rating standard error = 0.4).
Comparison of Five Mental Workload Assessment Procedures in a Moving-Base Driving Simulator
Authors: Hicks Thomas G. , Wierwille Walter W. 
Published: July 2017

Five methods of measuring mental workload (secondary task performance, visual occlusion, cardiac arrhythmia, subjective opinion rating scales, and primary task performance) were compared for sensitivity to changes in operator loading. Each was used to differentiate among low, medium, and high levels of workload defined in terms of the application point of crosswind gusts in a driving task. The driving task was produced using an automobile driving simulator with a six-degree of freedom computer generated display, a four-degree of freedom physical motion system, and a four-channel sound system. Techniques of mental workload measurement that have shown promise in previous studies were used as a between-subjects factor, and subjects were presented with a within-subject factor of wind gust placement. Gusts at the front of the vehicle represented high workload levels, and gusts toward the center of the vehicle represented progressively lower levels of workload. The results showed significant differences among workload levels for subjective opinion scales and primary performance measures of lateral deviation, yaw deviation, and steering reversals. A relative sensitivity estimate of these would be, from highest to lowest sensitivity, steering reversals and yaw deviation, rating scales, and lateral deviation. The techniques of occlusion, cardiac arrhythmia, and secondary task performance yielded no significant workload effect.
Recurrently Impulsed Resonators in Speech and Psychophysical Studies
Authors: Gandhi Om P. , Peterson Gordon E. , Yu Francis 
Published: July 2017

The need for data on the perception of sounds produced by the excitation of resonance systems is discussed in relation to speech and psycho-acoustics. The voltage response of a series of N decoupled low-pass resonator sections to the sudden application of various types of input pulse trains is reviewed. The output of such a series of resonators to a recurrent impulse which is suddenly applied contains a d.c. term, a series of transient terms at the uncoupled resonator frequencies, and a steady-state term involving the harmonics of the input pulse train. A circuit for psychophysical tests is described which provides a number of discrete positions of resonator frequency and damping. Sound spectrographic analyses demonstrating the transient and steady-state terms for a single resonator are presented.