bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Organizational Index Mapping to Identify Focal Sources During Persistent Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: JARMAN JULIAN W. E. , WONG TOM , KOJODJOJO PIPIN , SPOHR HILMAR , DAVIES JUSTIN E.R. , ROUGHTON MICHAEL , FRANCIS DARREL P. , KANAGARATNAM PRAPA , O'NEILL MARK D. , MARKIDES VIAS , DAVIES D. WYN , PETERS NICHOLAS S. 
Published: January 2014

Organizational Index Maps of AFIntroductionLocalized rotors have been implicated in the mechanism of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Although regions of highest dominant frequency (DF) on spectral analysis of the left atrium (LA) have been said to identify rotors, other mechanisms such as wavefront collisions will sporadically also generate an inconsistent distribution of high DF. We hypothesized that if drivers of AF were present, their distinctive spectral characteristics would result more from their temporal stability than their high frequency.Methods and ResultsTen patients with persistent AF underwent LA noncontact mapping. Following subtraction of far‐field ventricular components, noncontact electrograms at 256 sites underwent fast Fourier transform. Mean absolute difference in DF between 5 sequential 7‐second segments of AF was defined as the DF variability (DFV) at each site. Mean ratio of the DF and its harmonics to the total power of the spectrum was defined as the organizational index (OI). Mean DFV was significantly lower in organized areas (OI > 1 SD above mean) than at all sites (0.34 ± 0.04 vs 0.46 ± 0.04 Hz; P < 0.001). When organized areas were ablated during wide‐area circumferential ablation, AF organized in remote regions (LA appendage ΔOI ablated vs unablated: +0.21 [0.06–0.41] vs −0.04 [−0.14–0.05]; P = 0.005).ConclusionsAt sites of organized activation, the activation frequency was also significantly more stable over time. This observation is consistent with the existence of focal sources, and inconsistent with a purely random activation pattern. Ablation of such regions is technically feasible, and was associated with organization of AF in remote atrial regions.
Nice Guys Finish Last: Do Honest Taxpayers Face Higher Tax Rates?
Authors: Doerrenberg Philipp , Duncan Denvil , Fuest Clemens , Peichl Andreas 
Published: January 2014

SummaryThis paper examines the relationship between ‘tax morale’ and tax policy. Using a unique cross‐country data set based on the World Values Survey and the World Tax Indicators, we find that income groups with high tax morale face higher average and marginal tax rates. We propose three possible mechanisms which could help to explain our results: i) an inverse elasticity argument where governments seek to minimize distortions, ii) a political economy argument where governments take voting behavior into account, and iii) an administrative costs argument where taxing high morale groups is more cost efficient.
Do Bailouts Cause Moral Hazards or Franchise Value in Banking?
Authors: Kauko Karlo 
Published: January 2014

SummaryGovernmental safety nets are said to be a major source of moral hazard in banking. If profits are private but losses are borne by taxpayers, banks have perverted incentives to take excessive risks. Cordella and Levy Yeyati (2003) presented an opposing hypothesis. Safety nets offered during turbulent times help banks to survive and may increase banks' franchise value. This induces stronger risk aversion. This unorthodox hypothesis is tested with a cross‐national comparison. National banking crises in 1981–2003 were handled by national authorities in different ways, and countries may have built reputations as tough or generous crisis managers. The recent financial crisis was less severe in countries where the government had offered blanket guarantees in previous crises, which may be interpreted as a sign of stronger risk aversion during the pre‐2007 build‐up phase. Moreover, losses suffered by depositors in past crises made the recent crisis worse. These findings are consistent with the franchise value hypothesis but in strict contradiction with the mainstream moral hazard argumentation. The finding is politically unpopular and based on relatively few observations, but it is statistically significant and robust to the inclusion of numerous control variables.
Did the Classical Gold Standard Lead to Greater Business Cycle Synchronization? Evidence from New Measures
Authors: Miles William , Vijverberg Chu‐Ping C. 
Published: January 2014

SummaryPrevious studies have presented findings suggesting that the gold standard may have led to an increase in business cycle synchronization among its member countries. This follows a growing literature which posits that currency unions in general lead to greater synchronization of business cycles. The previous papers on the gold standard, however, suffer from simultaneity problems, and incomplete measures of just how synchronized output gaps are. We accordingly apply two new measures of business cycle coherence which have recently been applied to the modern Euro zone. These measures account both for differences in the sign as well as the amplitude of output gaps, and can be computed on a period‐by‐period basis, unlike previous metrics. In addition, we employ two other methods which do not allow for time‐varying estimation, but have been employed in other studies of output convergence. We find, contrary to the earlier studies, that the classical gold standard did not appear to increase the coherence of business cycles.
Endoplasmic reticulum stress and angiogenesis: is there an interaction between them?
Authors: Paridaens Annelies , Laukens Debby , Vandewynckel Yves‐Paul , Coulon Stephanie , Van Vlierberghe Hans , Geerts Anja , Colle Isabelle 
Published: January 2014

AbstractWhen cells are subjected to stress by changes in their extracellular environment, unfolded proteins accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), causing ER stress. This initiates the unfolded protein response (UPR), a signal transduction cascade aiming at restoring cellular homeostasis. The UPR and angiogenesis are involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases such as cancer, pulmonary diseases and chronic liver diseases (CLDs) including alcoholic liver disease, non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatitis B. This review summarizes the upcoming knowledge of the interaction between the UPR and angiogenesis in physiological angiogenesis and in different CLDs and other diseases.
Chancelloriid sclerites from theLowerCambrian (Meishucunian) of easternYunnan,China, and the early history of the group
Authors: Moore John L. , Li Guoxiang , Porter Susannah M. 
Published: January 2014

AbstractChancelloriids are a group of enigmatic sessile animals that are covered with sclerites shaped as rosettes of spines, producing an appearance like that of a barrel cactus. They are known only fromCambrian rocks. Isolated sclerites of chancelloriids are widespread in small shelly faunas, but they have proven difficult to treat taxonomically due to the variation within and between individual animals. We report on large samples of chancelloriid sclerites from theMeishucunian (pre‐trilobiticLowerCambrian) of easternYunnanProvince,China, including material from theDahaiMember of theZhujiaqingFormation (theZhujiaqing section,Dahai,HuizeCounty) and theShiyantouFormation (theXiaotan section,YongshanCounty). The material from theDahaiMember appears to come from a single species,Chancelloriella irregularis. Statistical analysis of morphotype co‐occurrences in different samples suggests that several species are represented in the material from theShiyantouFormation, which we herein tentatively place in four species,Allonnia erromenosa,Allonnia tetrathallis,Archiasterella charmasp. nov. andArchiasterellacf.pentactina. We suggest therefore that careful study of large collections of isolated chancelloriid sclerites permits the identification of different species, opening the possibility of their use in evolutionary or stratigraphical studies. In particular, inSouthChina, it seems thatChancelloriella irregularisis characteristic of rocks of theParagloborilus subglobosus–Purella squamulosaAssemblageZone and theWatsonella crosbyiAssemblageZone, whilstArchiasterellaandAllonniafirst appear in the overlyingSinosachites flabelliformis–Tannuolina zhangwentangiAssemblageZone.C. irregularisis thus amongst the oldest well‐characterized chancelloriids, and the irregularity and poor organization of its sclerites relative to those of younger forms support the hypothesis that chancelloriid sclerites are compound structures arising from the fusion of originally separate elements, perhaps homologous with sclerites of halkieriids and other coeloscleritophorans. The similarity between the arrangement of rays in a chancelloriid sclerite and the arrangement of bubbles in small bubble clusters suggests that in many cases, aspects of the form of chancelloriid sclerites are the result of simple physical processes.
Alternative species to replaceMonterey pine plantations affected by pitch canker caused byFusarium circinatumin northernSpain
Authors: Martínez‐Álvarez P. , Pando V. , Diez J. J. 
Published: January 2014

The pitch canker pathogenFusarium circinatumwas first found to cause damage in nurseries and pine plantations in northern Spain in 2004. Since then, establishment of pine plantations in the region has decreased as a result of the prohibitions placed on plantingPinusspp. andPseudotsuga menziesiiin areas affected by the disease. However, although most pine species have been found to be susceptible to the pathogen under nursery conditions, little is known about how the fungus affects the trees in the field. Furthermore, it is not known whether some of the native or exotic species commonly planted in the area are also susceptible toF. circinatum. The aim of this study was to evaluate the susceptibility of several conifer species commonly planted in northern Spain to the pitch canker pathogen. For this purpose, two different trials were carried out, one under controlled laboratory conditions and the other in the field. Although most of the conifers were affected by the pathogen in the laboratory tests, onlyPinus radiata,Pinus nigra,Pinus pinasterandPinus uncinatawere susceptible to the pathogen in the field.
The Effect of Antifibrotic Drug Halofugine on Th17 Cells in Concanavalin A‐Induced Liver Fibrosis
Authors: Liang J. , Zhang B. , Shen R.‐W. , Liu J.‐B. , Gao M.‐H. , Geng X. , Li Y. , Li Y.‐Y. , Zhang W. 
Published: January 2014

SummaryAnti‐inflammation strategy is one of the proposed therapeutic approaches to hepatic fibrosis. T helper (Th) 17 cells, which play a detrimental role in experimental murine models of inflammatory diseases, have been demonstrated to participate in the pathogenesis of liver damage. The inhibitory effect of halofuginone (HF), an active component of extracts derived from the plant alkaloid febrifugine, on collagen synthesis has been shown in animal models of the fibrotic disease. The aim of this study was to clarify the in vivo effect of HF on Th17 cells in concanavalin A‐induced fibrosis rats. Haematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining and Masson staining were performed to observe collagen deposition. The presence of INF‐gamma, TNF‐alpha, IL‐6, IL‐17, IL‐1beta, IL‐33 and IL‐10 in serum and the presence of ROR‐γt, IL‐17, TGF‐β1 and α‐SMA in liver tissue were detected. Flow cytometry was performed to analyse the percentage of Th17 cells. We observed significantly lower levels of INF‐gamma, TNF‐alpha, IL‐6, IL‐17, IL‐1beta, TGF‐β1 and α‐SMA in HF‐treated group of rats, and the percentage of Th17 cells in splenic lymphocyte was decreased well. Histological examination demonstrated that HF significantly reduced the severity of liver fibrosis in HF‐treated rats. We concluded that HF (10 mg/kg) exerts an antifibrotic impact on Th17 cells and its relative cytokines in rats with ConA‐induced fibrosis.
Cathelicidin Antimicrobial Peptide LL‐37 in Cholesteatoma Enables Keratinocyte Reactivity with Cytosolic DNA
Authors: Chi Z. , Wang Z. , Wang K. , Zhu Y. , Qin S. 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine whether self‐DNA can trigger the inflammatory response in cholesteatoma. Specimens were collected from nine patients with invasive cholesteatoma, nine patients with attic‐type cholesteatoma (pars flaccida was perforated in five patients and intact in four) and four healthy skins. Expression and localization of LL‐37 and interferon‐alpha were detected by immunofluorescence and immunoblot analysis. Cultures of human cholesteatomatous keratinocytes were exposed to CpG DNA, LL‐37 or CpG DNA complexed to LL‐37 for 24 h. Expression of interferon‐alpha was detected by RT‐PCR. We detected abundant cytosolic DNA, increased LL‐37 and interferon‐alpha in keratinocytes in invasive cholesteatoma and attic‐type cholesteatoma with pars flaccida perforation, but not in attic‐type cholesteatoma with pars flaccida intact and normal skin. In cultured keratinocytes, LL‐37–DNA complexes induced IFN‐α expression. These data suggest that cytosolic DNA is an important disease‐associated molecular pattern that triggers the inflammation response in cholesteatoma. Furthermore, LL‐37 played an important role in DNA‐triggered inflammation. Thus, we have identified a link between cytosolic DNA, LL‐37 and autoinflammation in cholesteatoma, providing new potential targets for the treatment of this disease.
Methods to Distinguish Between Polynomial and Exponential Tails
Authors: Castillo Joan Del , Daoudi Jalila , Lockhart Richard 
Published: January 2014

AbstractTwo methods to distinguish between polynomial and exponential tails are introduced. The methods are based on the properties of the residual coefficient of variation for the exponential and non‐exponential distributions. A graphical method, called a CV‐plot, shows departures from exponentiality in the tails. The plot is applied to the daily log‐returns of exchange rates of US dollar and Japanese yen. New statistics are introduced for testing the exponentiality of tails using multiple thresholds. They give better control of the significance level than previous tests. The powers of the new tests are compared with those of some others for various sample sizes.
Geometric Anisotropic Spatial Point Pattern Analysis and Cox Processes
Authors: Møller Jesper , Toftaker Håkon 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTWe consider spatial point processes with a pair correlation function, which depends only on the lag vector between a pair of points. Our interest is in statistical models with a special kind of ‘structured’ anisotropy: the pair correlation function is geometric anisotropic if it is elliptical but not spherical. In particular, we study Cox process models with an elliptical pair correlation function, including shot noise Cox processes and log Gaussian Cox processes, and we develop estimation procedures using summary statistics and Bayesian methods. Our methodology is illustrated on real and synthetic datasets of spatial point patterns.
Statistical Inference for Single‐index Panel Data Models
Authors: Zhu Liping , You Jinhong , Xu Qunfang 
Published: January 2014

AbstractWe study estimation and hypothesis testing in single‐index panel data models with individual effects. Through regressing the individual effects on the covariates linearly, we convert the estimation problem in single‐index panel data models to that in partially linear single‐index models. The conversion is valid regardless of the individual effects being random or fixed. We propose an estimating equation approach, which has a desirable double robustness property. We show that our method is applicable in single‐index panel data models with heterogeneous link functions. We further design a chi‐squared test to evaluate whether the individual effects are random or fixed. We conduct simulations to demonstrate the finite sample performance of the method and conduct a data analysis to illustrate its usefulness.
Teaching Race: Pedagogical Challenges in Predominantly White Undergraduate Theology Classrooms
Authors: Scheid Anna Floerke , Vasko Elisabeth T. 
Published: January 2014

AbstractWhile a number of scholars in the field of Christian theology have argued for the importance of teaching diversity and social justice in theology and religious studies classrooms, little has been done to document and assess formally the implementation of such pedagogy. In this article, the authors discuss the findings of a yearlong Scholarship of Multicultural Teaching and Learning (SoMTL) study, which examined student learning and faculty teaching regarding race and white privilege in two theology classrooms. After a brief overview of the study's design and execution, we reflect upon our findings and draw out implications for pedagogical practices. In particular we discuss students' emotional responses to the material and the role of cognitive dissonance in student learning with respect to racial inequality via social structures. See a companion essay in this issue of the journal (Karen Teel, “Getting Out of the Left Lane: The Possibility of White Antiracist Pedagogy”) and responses by the authors of both essays, also published in this issue of the journal (“Responses: Toward an Antiracist Pedagogy”).
Writing to Learn the Reformation: Or, Who Was Ulrich Zwingli And Why Should I Care?
Authors: Jordon Sherry 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThis article describes the use of “Writing to Learn” assignments in a course on the Theology of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations. These short, informal assignments promote active learning by focusing on writing as a process for critical thinking and as a way to learn the content of the course. They help students creatively engage with the texts, thoughtfully reflect on them, and critically assess their significance. This article describes the theory behind these assignments, provides examples of different types of assignments as well as excerpts from student papers, and concludes with an evaluation of their effectiveness. The students in the course found the assignments helpful in learning the content of the course and their attitude toward writing in this course significantly improved.
Sleeping with the enemy: the United Nations Development Programme and its position on the non‐communicable disease epidemic
Authors: Jacob Anil G. , Lal Pranay G. , Buragohain Anita 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThe United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) position on non‐communicable diseases (NCDs) is undermined by a key issue at the global institutional level. Fundamentally, the nature of the relationship between international development agencies and the tobacco industry is at odds with the professed public health priorities of the former. At its core, the business model of the tobacco industry is premised on the sale of addictive and disease‐causing substances that fuel NCDs in the first place. The role of the United Nations system and, in particular, UNDP is to ‘build nations that can withstand crisis’, not to collaborate with entities that profit from crises. This simple and well‐established fact cannot be overlooked. We outline an array of conflict of interests. If the effects of NCDs are ever to be reversed, then international agencies such as the UNDP ought to adhere to ethical standards in choosing partners and avoid conflict of interests. In the absence of this, the UNDP may well compromise its own agenda and proliferate NCDs rather than containing them.
An investigation of the effects of a hand washing intervention on health outcomes and school absence using a randomised trial in Indian urban communities
Authors: Nicholson Julie A. , Naeeni Mojgan , Hoptroff Michael , Matheson Jane R. , Roberts Anthony J. , Taylor David , Sidibe Myriam , Weir Anthony J. , Damle Satyawan G. , Wright Richard L. 
Published: January 2014

AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate how an intervention, which combined hand washing promotion aimed at 5‐year‐olds with provision of free soap, affected illnesses among the children and their families and children's school absenteeism.MethodsWe monitored illnesses, including diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections (ARIs), school absences and soap consumption for 41 weeks in 70 low‐income communities in Mumbai, India (35 communities per arm).ResultsOutcomes from 847 intervention households (containing 847 5‐year‐olds and 4863 subjects in total) and 833 control households (containing 833 5‐year‐olds and 4812 subjects) were modelled using negative binomial regression. Intervention group 5‐year‐olds had fewer episodes of diarrhoea (−25%, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = −37%, −2%), ARIs (−15%, 95% CI = −30%, −8%), school absences due to illnesses (−27%, 95% CI = −41%, −18%) and eye infections (−46%, 95% CI = −58%, −31%). Further, there were fewer episodes of diarrhoea and ARIs in the intervention group for ‘whole families’ (−31%, 95% CI = −37%, −5%; and −14%, 95% CI = −23%, −6%, respectively), 6‐ to 15‐year‐olds (−30%, 95% CI = −39%, −7%; and −15%, 95% CI = −24%, −6%) and under 5 s (−32%, 95% CI = −41%, −4%; and −20%, 95% CI = −29%, −8%).ConclusionsDirect‐contact hand washing interventions aimed at younger school‐aged children can affect the health of the whole family. These may be scalable through public–private partnerships and classroom‐based campaigns. Further work is required to understand the conditions under which health benefits are transferred and the mechanisms for transference.
Optimizing GPU energy efficiency with 3D die-stacking graphics memory and reconfigurable memory interface
Authors: Zhao Jishen , Sun Guangyu , Loh Gabriel H. , Xie Yuan 
Published: January 2014

The performance of graphics processing unit (GPU) systems is improving rapidly to accommodate the increasing demands of graphics and high-performance computing applications. With such a performance improvement, however, power consumption of GPU systems is dramatically increased. Up to 30% of the total power of a GPU system is consumed by the graphic memory itself. Therefore, reducing graphics memory power consumption is critical to mitigate the power challenge.
In this article, we propose an energy-efficient reconfigurable 3D die-stacking graphics memory design that integrates wide-interface graphics DRAMs side-by-side with a GPU processor on a silicon interposer. The proposed architecture is a “3D+2.5D” system, where the DRAM memory itself is 3D stacked memory with through-silicon via (TSV), whereas the integration of DRAM and the GPU processor is through the interposer solution (2.5D). Since GPU computing units, memory controllers, and memory are all integrated in the same package, the number of memory I/Os is no longer constrained by the package’s pin count. We can reduce the memory power consumption by scaling down the supply voltage and frequency of memory interface while maintaining the same or even higher peak memory bandwidth. In addition, we design a reconfigurable memory interface that can dynamically adapt to the requirements of various applications. We propose two reconfiguration mechanisms to optimize the GPU system energy efficiency and throughput, respectively, and thus benefit both memory-intensive and compute-intensive applications. The experimental results show that the proposed GPU memory architecture can effectively improve GPU system energy efficiency by 21%, without reconfiguration. The reconfigurable memory interface can further improve the system energy efficiency by 26%, and system throughput by 31% under a capped system power budget of 240W.