bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimal Nozzle Structure for an Abrasive Gas Jet for Rock Breakage
Authors: Liu Yong , Zhang Juan , Zhang Tao , Zhang Huidong
Published: October 2018

Abrasive gas jet technologies are efficient and beneficial and are widely used to drill metal and glass substrates. When the inlet pressure is increased, gas jets could be powerful enough to break rock. They have potential uses in coal-bed methane exploration and drilling because of their one-of-a-kind nonliquid jet drilling, which avoids water invasion and borehole collapse. Improving the efficiency of rock breakage using abrasive gas jets is an essential precondition for future coal-bed methane exploration. The nozzle structure is vital to the flow field and erosion rate. Furthermore, optimizing the nozzle structure for improving the efficiency of rock breakage is essential. By combining aerodynamics and by fixing the condition of the nozzle in the drill bit, we design four types of preliminary nozzles. The erosion rates of the four nozzles are calculated by numerical simulation, enabling us to conclude that a nozzle at Mach 3 can induce maximum erosion when the pressure is 25 MPa. Higher pressures cannot improve erosion rates because the shield effect decreases the impact energy. Smaller pressures cannot accelerate erosion rates because of short expansion waves and low velocities of the gas jets. An optimal nozzle structure is promoted with extended expansion waves and less obvious shield effects. To further optimize the nozzle structure, erosion rates at various conditions are calculated using the single-variable method. The optimal nozzle structure is achieved by comparing the erosion rates of different nozzle structures. The experimental results on rock erosion are in good agreement with the numerical simulations. The optimal nozzle thus creates maximum erosion volume and depth.
Research on the Relationship between Dynamic Message Sign Control Strategies and Driving Safety in Freeway Work Zones
Authors: Xu Wenxiang , Zhao Xiaohua , Chen Yufei , Bian Yang , Li Haijian
Published: October 2018

Several studies have researched the effect of dynamic message signs (DMSs) on the driving safety in work zones. However, only a few studies have examined the design of DMS control strategies in work zones. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of DMS control strategies on driving decisions and behaviors and to improve the driving safety in work zones by changing the content and placement of DMSs. In this study, five control strategies are proposed by combining five DMSs with different contents (“change lane” versus “go straight”). A total of 32 participants participated in this study. Each participant drove in five scenarios in a high-fidelity driving simulator corresponding to strategies 1-5. The results show that the control strategies have a significant effect on drivers’ decisions and behavior (e.g., the driving speed, acceleration, and lateral placement). All strategies reduce the drivers’ speeds and improve their control stability and compliance. After conducting analytic hierarchy process (AHP) analysis, strategy 2 was removed because the approaching speed exceeded the speed limit. The weight vectors of strategies 1, 3, 4, and 5 under free-flow traffic and traffic jam conditions are Ƴfree-flow  traffic=0.25,0.28,0.17,0.23 and Ƴtraffic  jam=[0.17,0.28,0.2,0.3], respectively. These results show that strategy 4 is not suitable for free-flow traffic in work zones, while strategies 5 and 3 are suitable for traffic jams in work zones. Strategy  3 is suitable for both free-flow traffic and traffic jams. The first occurrence of a decision sign that contains lane change content is key to the driver’s decision; in addition, the position of signage with such information should gradually be moved closer to work zones with increasing traffic flow.
Research on Stability of an Open-Pit Mine Dump with Fiber Optic Monitoring
Authors: Zhigang Tao , Chun Zhu , Yong Wang , Jiamin Wang , Manchao He , Bo Zhang
Published: October 2018

China has over 1500 open-pit mines and 5000 dumps consisting of waste rock from the mining process. Due to dump instability in an open-pit mine and its diverse foundations, landslides and mudslides frequently occur. Heaped loose waste rock and concentrated heavy rainfalls are the two important factors affecting slope stability of a dump. Using the high Dump II within the Nanfen Open-Pit Iron Mine with a slope height of 300 m as a case study, this paper first proposes a physical model similarity ratio according to the on-site engineering geological survey data. The governing principles of deformation in the shallow dump layers in terms of different heaped loads and rainfall were then determined using fiber optic sensing to conduct an experimental study on the monitoring of the dump stability with an indoor physical model. Experimental results confirm that the amount of rainfall and heaped load has a great impact on the landslide in a dump. With an increase in the amount of material heaped onto the pile, the place between two heaped load points is squeezed and slowly deformed. As rainfall begins, the deformation of the rock-soil mass is significant, and constantly increasing rainfall intensity is accompanied by a dangerous sliding surface. Finally, the FLAC3D method was used to simulate the deformation features in the shallow part of Dump II under different heaped load conditions and verify the experimental results of the indoor physical model. By comparing the physical model experiments and numerical simulation results, we propose monitoring the stability of Dump II using this fiber optic sensing technology and provide the scientific basis for stability monitoring of similar dumps to detect the early warning signs of mudslides or landslides.
When Is Enough, Enough? When Are More Observational Epidemiologic Studies Needed to Resolve a Research Question: Illustrations Using Biomarker–Cancer Associations
Authors: Marrone Michael T. , Tsilidis Konstantinos K. , Ehrhardt Stephan , Joshu Corinne E. , Rebbeck Timothy R. , Sellers Thomas A. , Platz Elizabeth A.
Published: October 2018

Background:

Research reproducibility is vital for translation of epidemiologic findings. However, repeated studies of the same question may be undertaken without enhancing existing knowledge. To identify settings in which additional research is or is not warranted, we adapted research synthesis metrics to determine number of additional observational studies needed to change the inference from an existing meta-analysis.

Methods:

The fail-safe number (FSN) estimates number of additional studies of average weight and null effect needed to drive a statistically significant meta-analysis to null (P ≥ 0.05). We used conditional power to determine number of additional studies of average weight and equivalent heterogeneity to achieve 80% power in an updated meta-analysis to detect the observed summary estimate as statistically significant. We applied these metrics to a curated set of 98 meta-analyses on biomarkers and cancer risk.

Results:

Both metrics were influenced by number of studies, heterogeneity, and summary estimate size in the existing meta-analysis. For the meta-analysis on Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer with 15 studies [OR = 2.29; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.71–3.05], FSN was 805 studies, supporting futility of further study. For the meta-analysis on dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and prostate cancer with 7 studies (OR = 1.29; 95% CI, 0.99–1.69), 5 more studies would be needed for 80% power, suggesting further study could change inferences.

Conclusions:

Along with traditional assessments, these metrics could be used by stakeholders to decide whether additional studies addressing the same question are needed.

Impact:

Systematic application of these metrics could lead to more judicious use of resources and acceleration from discovery to population-health impact.
Evaluating Breast Cancer Care Coordination at a Rural National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center Using Network Analysis and Geospatial Methods
Authors: Moen Erika L. , Kapadia Nirav S. , O'Malley A. James , Onega Tracy
Published: October 2018

Background:

Variation in cancer care coordination may affect care quality and patient outcomes. We sought to characterize the impact of geographic access to and dispersion of cancer care providers on variation in care coordination.

Methods:

Using electronic health record data from 2,507 women diagnosed with breast cancer at a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center from April 2011 to September 2015, a breast cancer patient–sharing physician network was constructed. Patient “care networks” represent the subnetworks of physicians with whom the focal patient had a clinical encounter. Patient care networks were analyzed to generate two measures of care coordination, care density (ratio of observed vs. potential connections between physicians), and clustering (extent to which physicians form connected triangles).

Results:

The breast cancer physician network included 667 physicians. On average, the physicians shared patients with 12 other physicians. Patients saw an average of 8 physicians during active treatment. In multivariable models adjusting for patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, we observed that greater travel burden (>2 hours) and lower geographic dispersion were associated with higher care density (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively) but lower care network clustering (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

Variation in network-based measures of care coordination is partially explained by patient travel burden and geographic dispersion of care.

Impact:

Improved understanding of factors driving variation in patient care networks may identify patients at risk of receiving poorly coordinated cancer care.
Telomere Length-Associated Genetic Variants and the Risk of Thyroid Cancer in Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS)
Authors: Gramatges Maria M. , Morton Lindsay M. , Yasui Yutaka , Arnold Michael A. , Neglia Joseph P. , Leisenring Wendy M. , Machiela Mitchell J. , Dagnall Casey L. , Chanock Stephen J. , Armstrong Gregory T. , Robison Leslie L. , Bhatia Smita , Lupo Philip J.
Published: October 2018

Background:

Given the inverse relationship described previously between telomere content and thyroid subsequent malignant neoplasm (thyroid SMN) in survivors of childhood cancer, we investigated the relationship between known genetic determinants of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and thyroid SMN among survivors.

Methods:

Leveraging data from a large, genotyped survivor cohort, the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, we used a well-described genetic risk score method to estimate the HR for thyroid SMN among 5,324 genotyped survivors.

Results:

We identified 118 survivors with thyroid SMN and 5,206 without thyroid SMN. No association between genetically estimated LTL and risk for thyroid SMN was identified.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that variation in common SNPs influencing LTL is not strongly associated with risk for thyroid SMN in survivors of childhood cancer.

Impact:

The previously observed inverse relationship between LTL and thyroid SMN risk in survivors of childhood cancer may be related to alternative molecular mechanisms and warrants further study.
A Novel Engineered Small Protein for Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Human Programmed Death Ligand-1: Validation in Mouse Models and Human Cancer Tissues
Authors: Natarajan Arutselvan , Patel Chirag B. , Ramakrishnan Sindhuja , Panesar Paramjyot S. , Long Steven R. , Gambhir Sanjiv S.
Published: October 2018

Purpose:

To design and evaluate a small engineered protein binder targeting human programmed death-1 ligand (hPD-L1) in vivo for PET imaging in four mouse tumor models, and in situ in human cancer specimens.

Experimental Design: The hPD-L1 protein binder, FN3hPD-L1, was engineered using a 12-kDa human fibronectin type-3 domain (FN3) scaffold. The binder's affinity was assayed in CT26 mouse colon carcinoma cells stably expressing hPD-L1 (CT26/hPD-L1). 64Cu-FN3hPD-L1 was assayed for purity, specific activity, and immunoreactivity. Four groups of NSG mice (n = 3–5/group) were imaged with 64Cu-FN3hPD-L1 PET imaging (1–24 hours postinjection of 3.7 MBq/7 μg of Do-FN3 in 200 μL PBS): Nod SCID Gamma (NSG) mice bearing (i) syngeneic CT26/hPD-L1tumors, (ii) CT26/hPD-L1 tumors blocked (blk) by preinjected nonradioactive FN3hPD-L1 binder, (iii) hPD-L1-negative Raji xenografts, and (iv) MDA-MB-231 xenografts. The FN3hPD-L1 binder staining was evaluated against validated hPD-L1 antibodies by immunostaining in human cancer specimens.

Results:

FN3hPD-L1 bound hPD-L1 with 1.4 ± 0.3 nmol/L affinity in CT26/hPD-L1 cells. 64Cu-FN3hPD-L1 radiotracer showed >70% yield and >95% purity. 64Cu-FN3hPD-L1 PET imaging of mice bearing CT26/hPD-L1 tumors showed tumor-to-muscle ratios of 5.6 ± 0.9 and 13.1 ± 2.3 at 1 and 4 hours postinjection, respectively. The FN3hPD-L1 binder detected hPD-L1 expression in human tissues with known hPD-L1 expression status based on two validated antibodies.

Conclusions:

The 64Cu-FN3hPD-L1 radiotracer represents a novel, small, and high-affinity binder for imaging hPD-L1 in tumors. Our data support further exploration and clinical translation of this binder for noninvasive identification of cancer patients who may respond to immune checkpoint blockade therapies.
Phyllanthus niruri versus Placebo for Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Baiguera Chiara , Boschetti Arianna , Raffetti Elena , Zanini Barbara , Puoti Massimo , Donato Francesco
Published: October 2018

Background: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of a 12-month treatment with Phyllanthus niruri in subjects with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Patients and Methods: A placebo-controlled, parallel-group double-blind trial was performed. Clinical assessments took place at baseline and at 1, 3, 9, and 12 months after the treatment start and 6 months after treatment end. Results: In the first 2 years, 50 eligible subjects with chronic HBV accepted to participate. Of those, 47 completed all the study-related visits (6% drop-out rate): 24 of the 26 (92%) allocated to the Phyllanthus group and 23 of the 24 (96%) allocated to the placebo group completed the study. No statistically significant differences in viral load were found between the intervention and placebo groups after 12 months and no subjects showed HBsAg clearance. With regards to safety, there were no changes in renal function parameters in both groups after 12 months and no serious adverse events occurred due to the treatment. The study was stopped at the end of the second year because there was no apparent benefit of the treatment. Conclusion: This study does not support the use of Phyllanthus niruri for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B.
The Blood Bag Plasticizer Di-2-Ethylhexylphthalate Causes Red Blood Cells to Form Stomatocytes, Possibly by Inducing Lipid Flip-Flop
Authors: Melzak Kathryn A. , Uhlig Stefanie , Kirschhöfer Frank , Brenner-Weiss Gerald , Bieback Karen
Published: October 2018

Background: During storage of red blood cell (RBC) concentrates, the plasticizer di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) that keeps the blood bags soft leaches out and can be taken up by the RBCs. DEHP is known to be beneficial for the RBC storage quality, but the molecular mechanisms of the action are unknown. Methods: Aqueous suspensions of DEHP were added to RBCs in buffer. The morphological effects were observed on RBCs from 5 donors. Flow cytometry with annexin A5 binding was used to measure the exposed phosphatidylserine. Results: DEHP induced the formation of stomatocytes at concentrations as low as ng/ml, provided that the cell suspension was also sufficiently dilute. Some spherocytes, which were susceptible to lysis, were also formed; after lysis, RBC ghosts were seen to continue the transition to the cup-shaped stomatocyte form. Incubation with DEHP increased the exposed phosphatidylserine, an effect that was also observed in the presence of vanadate, which inhibits the ATP-dependent translocases that maintain the membrane's lipid asymmetry. Conclusions: DEHP can have an active effect on RBC shape, instead of just preventing the storage-related shape changes. The effect appears to be mediated by increased flip-flop of lipids between the leaflets of the RBC membrane.
Efficacy of Non-Invasive Auricular Acupressure for Treating Constipation in Leukemia Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Systematic Review
Authors: Chen Chun-Ye , Lin Xiao-Xu , Wang Xing
Published: October 2018

Background: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the available evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of auricular acupressure (AA) therapy for preventing constipation in leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: We searched 5 English databases and 4 Chinese databases, from their inception until August 2017. Quantitative syntheses of RCTs were conducted using RevMan 5.3 software. Study selection, data extraction, and validation were performed independently by 2 reviewers. Cochrane criteria for risk-of-bias were used to assess the methodological quality of the trials. Results: Five RCTs met the inclusion criteria, and most were of low methodological quality. All RCTs compared AA + routine care with routine care alone. Our analysis found that complementary effects of AA can improve the scores of the Bristol Stool Form (BSF), the Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS), and the Patient Assessment of Constipation-Quality of Life (PAC-QOL). However, the same positive results were not found in terms of the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), the EuroQoL 5-domain (EQ-5D), and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS). Conclusions: Overall, as a potential safety therapy, AA may be recommended in addition to routine care including use of laxatives to prevent constipation in leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy. In the future, more rigorous RCTs must be conducted to overcome the limitations of our existing data and to confirm the effect and safety of AA for managing constipation in leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Plasma Oxytocin Concentration in Pre- and Postmenopausal Women: Its Relationship with Obesity, Body Composition and Metabolic Variables
Authors: Maestrini Sabrina , Mele Chiara , Mai Stefania , Vietti Roberta , Di Blasio Annamaria , Castello Luigi , Surico Daniela , Aimaretti Gianluca , Scacchi Massimo , Marzullo Paolo
Published: October 2018

Objective: To investigate the relationship between oxytocin, menopause and obesity. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis on 56 obese (OB; 28 premenopausal) and 53 normal-weight women (NW; 27 premenopausal) was performed by measurement of oxytocin, leptin, adiponectin, gonadotropins, sex steroids, glucose, and lipid homeostasis as well as DXA assessment of fat mass (%FM) and fat-free mass (FFM). Results: Women from NW and OB groups were comparable for age but differed in anthropometric measures. In our cohorts, menopause was not associated with changes in gluco-lipid homeostasis and %FM, while FFM was lower in postmenopausal women from both study groups (p < 0.05). In each group, leptin was unaltered, and adiponectin only marginally changed across menopause, while oxytocin levels were lower in post- than in premenopausal women (NW: p < 0.05; OB: p < 0.005), and lower in OB than NW women, either when assessed as whole groups or if stratified by menopause (p < 0.001). In correlation analysis, inverse associations related oxytocin to menopause, obesity, and adiposity-related measures. BMI (p < 0.0001) and menopause independently predicted oxytocin levels (p < 0.001), but their interaction was null (p = 0.5). Conclusions: Obesity and menopause are independent negative predictors of plasma oxytocin. Longitudinal studies should clarify the role of oxytocin on weight modifications experienced around and after menopause.
Spigelian Hernia: Case Series and Review of the Literature
Authors: Rankin Adeline , Kostusiak Milo , Sokker Ashraf
Published: October 2018

Background: Spigelian hernia (SH) is an uncommon ventral abdominal hernia. Traditionally repaired with an open technique, the laparoscopic approach is becoming more common and widely described in the literature. We hold that the transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) approach restores the anatomy and prevents complications such as seroma. We present a series of SH repair carried out at a single district general hospital over the past 13 years and a review of the literature. Methods: A retrospective case note review identified SH repaired between January 2005 and March 2018 at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, Norfolk, UK. A Medline search for ‘Spigelian hernia' and ‘laparoscopic' revealed 41 papers for review. Results: 33 patients underwent repair of SH. We found that the TAPP repair with a mesh is anatomically the most sound repair, with all the added benefits of keyhole surgery, i.e. reduced hospital stay, quicker recovery, and fewer infections. Our complication rates matched those described in the literature. Conclusions: Several operative techniques have been described to repair SH. We favour the laparoscopic TAPP approach which is safe, aids in confirming the correct diagnosis, and has all the benefits of keyhole surgery.
GnRH Transactivates Human AMH Receptor Gene via Egr1 and FOXO1 in Gonadotrope Cells
Authors: Garrel Ghislaine , Denoyelle Chantal , L’Hôte David , Picard Jean-Yves , Teixeira Jose , Kaiser Ursula B. , Laverrière Jean-Noël , Cohen-Tannoudji Joëlle
Published: October 2018

Background/Objectives: Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) signaling is critical for sexual differentiation and gonadal function. AMH receptor type 2 (AMHR2) is expressed in extragonadal sites such as brain, and pituitary and emerging evidence indicates that AMH biological action is much broader than initially thought. We recently reported that AMH signaling enhances follicle-stimulating hormone synthesis in pituitary gonadotrope cells. However, mechanisms regulating AMHR2 expression in these extragonadal sites remain to be explored. Method/Results: Here, we demonstrated in perifused murine LβT2 gonadotrope cells that Amhr2 expression is differentially regulated by GnRH pulse frequency with an induction under high GnRH pulsatility. Furthermore, we showed that GnRH transactivates the human AMHR2 promoter in LβT2 cells. Successive deletions of the promoter revealed the importance of a short proximal region (–53/–37 bp) containing an Egr1 binding site. Using site-directed mutagenesis of Egr1 motif and siRNA mediated-knockdown of Egr1, we demonstrated that Egr1 mediates basal and GnRH-dependent activity of the promoter, identifying Egr1 as a new transcription factor controlling hAMHR2 expression. We also showed that SF1 and β-catenin are required for basal promoter activity and demonstrated that both factors contribute to the GnRH stimulatory effect, independently of their respective binding sites. Furthermore, using a constitutively active mutant of FOXO1, we identified FOXO1 as a negative regulator of basal and GnRH-dependent AMHR2 expression in gonadotrope cells. Conclusions: This study identifies GnRH as a regulator of human AMHR2 expression, further highlighting the importance of AMH signaling in the regulation of gonadotrope function.
MÚSICA ANTES, PALAVRA DEPOIS
Authors: Aguilar Patrícia Michelini
Published: October 2018

O processo de catequização das crianças indígenas nas missões jesuítas brasileiras foi bastante peculiar, certamente diferenciado do que ocorria nos colégios europeus. Os padres inacianos precisaram aprender a língua local, adaptar os pro-cessos e materiais pedagógicos e proporcionar aos curumins uma vivência religiosa da qual eles nada conheciam. O uso da música foi essencial para estabelecer uma conexão mais próxima, atrativa aos índios, servindo ao mesmo tempo de isca para a catequese e de reforço ao aprendizado da doutrina. Embora essencialmente vocal, boa parte do repertório musical da catequese foi realizado em instrumentos, particularmente em flautas, amplamente empregadas pelos missionários, so-bretudo nas primeiras décadas de sua atuação (1550-1610). Nesta comunicação, pretendemos demonstrar que o ensino de instrumentos musicais às crianças indígenas, particular-mente de flautas, não visava apenas proporcionar uma varia-ção instrumental ao repertório, mas também estabelecer um elemento uniformizador de resposta à doutrina. A barreira da língua e a compreensão real do conteúdo cristão eram algu-mas das maiores dificuldades enfrentadas pelos padres, mas a realização da música pelas flautas de certa forma minimizava tais obstáculos e proporcionava a sensação de êxito na ativi-dade missionária. Se a palavra é necessária para concretizar e explicitar o pensamento, enquanto a música potencializa seu significado, nas missões jesuítas brasileiras os papéis parecem ter se invertido: a música serviu antes como recurso de assimi-lação, e a palavra, em língua desconhecida, constituidora de um texto complexo, foi por muitas vezes elemento acessório e não totalmente assimilado.
Toward a Consumer-Centered Economy and Its Implications for International Trade and Asia's Development
Authors: Helble Matthias
Published: October 2018

Advances in communication and information technology enable companies to have more and more data and knowledge about individual consumers. As a consequence, products and services can be marketed more specifically or even customized according to the preference of the consumer. In this paper we argue that we are currently witnessing the emergence of a consumer-centered economy. In such an economy, the success of firms depends on how well they are able to integrate consumer information into the process of value addition. Producing standardized products will offer few prospects for success, even when integrated into regional or global value chains. For Asia, this new trend means that developing countries need to rapidly upgrade the skills of their work force, improve their information technology and transport connectivity, and lower their trade costs.
The Black Death in Iran, according to Iranian Historical Accounts from the Fourteenth through Fifteenth Centuries
Authors: Fazlinejad Ahmad , Ahmadi Farajollah
Published: October 2018

The Black Death, as a unique historical event, has long attracted the attention of medieval and medical historians both in terms of the length of the pandemic and its geographical scope. Nevertheless, historical studies on the Black Death have often neglected the role it played in Iran. The present paper examines Iranian historical accounts of events pertaining to the pandemic in the late Middle Ages and its consequent outbreak in Iran. Its findings can open new frontiers for understanding the broad geographical area impacted by plague and, specifically, its spread in Iran. This paper attempts also to highlight the value of Iranian historical sources from the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries for understanding better the outbreak of the plague.
Phylogeny and taxonomy of Habenaria leprieurii, H. alpestris and H. sect. Microdactylae (Orchidaceae), with descriptions of two new taxa
Authors: BATISTA JOÃO A. N. , REIS ANDRÉ F. DE S. , LEITE JUNIOR JOSEFRAN L. , BIANCHETTI LUCIANO DE BEM
Published: October 2018

Habenaria leprieurii and H. alpestris both have histories of misleading and conflicting taxonomic identifications. We investigated the taxonomy, phylogenetic relationships, and sectional classification of those and related species. Examinations of type specimens and large numbers of additional live and herborized samples revealed that H. schwackei, H. amazonica, and H. platydactyla are conspecific with H. leprieurii and are characterized by having a white corolla and a long pedicel. The species previously treated as H. leprieurii, is H. cruegerii, of which H. culmiformis is a synonym and are characterized by the green flowers, short pedicel and the straight ovary, parallel to the inflorescence axis, curved only in the apex. A species from central-western Brazil, previously treated as H. alpestris, corresponds to a new species, described here as H. omissa, while H. alpestris is conspecific with H. melanopoda. We propose a new circumscription for H. sect. microdactylae, including H. leprieurii, H. heptadactyla, H. cruegerii, and the newly described H. omissa and H. cruegeri var. flaviflora—which now form a morphologically homogeneous section. An identification key, plus descriptions, notes, illustrations, and lists of specimens for each species are presented.
An Educational Deployment of the NCAR Mobile Integrated Sounding System
Authors: Billings Brian , Cohn Stephen A. , Kubesh Rodney J. , Brown William O. J.
Published: October 2018

The best way to train the next wave of observational talent is through direct experience. In 2012 and again in 2014, students at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) welcomed deployments of professional atmospheric research equipment, allowing them to support and execute field projects. The Boundary Structure Experiments with Central Minnesota Profiling (BaSE CaMP) projects brought the Mobile Integrated Sounding System (MISS) from the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s (NCAR) Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) to SCSU for a National Science Foundation–funded educational deployment. Its diverse instrumentation and ability to travel to interesting weather events and locations makes MISS extremely valuable for teaching students about both weather experiments and measurement strategies. In addition to the university project, outreach activities with MISS took place at high schools, regional conferences, and public events. MISS carries four instruments: a boundary layer wind profiler, a radio acoustic sounding system (RASS), radiosondes, and an instrumented 10-m tower. The type and time of MISS deployments were quite varied so students could participate around their class schedule, jobs, and other commitments. Each year the project had periods of fixed operations and mobile activity, where MISS was relocated to best observe current weather conditions. BaSE CaMP operations and results were incorporated into many classes in the meteorology program at SCSU. The original course request was for Radar and Satellite Meteorology, but other activities contributed to Atmospheric Dynamics, Physical Meteorology, and Meteorological Analysis Software courses.
An Evaluation of Size-Resolved Cloud Microphysics Scheme Numerics for Use with Radar Observations. Part I: Collision–Coalescence
Authors: Lee Hyunho , Fridlind Ann M. , Ackerman Andrew S.
Published: October 2018

This study evaluates some available schemes designed to solve the stochastic collection equation (SCE) for collision–coalescence of hydrometeors using a size-resolved (bin) microphysics approach and documents their numerical properties within the framework of a box model. Comparing three widely used SCE schemes, we find that all converge to almost identical solutions at sufficiently fine mass grids. However, one scheme converges far slower than the other two and shows pronounced numerical diffusion at the large-drop tail of the size distribution. One of the remaining two schemes is recommended on the basis that it is well converged on a relatively coarse mass grid, stable for large time steps, strictly mass conservative, and computationally efficient. To examine the effects of SCE scheme choice on simulating clouds and precipitation, two of the three schemes are compared in large-eddy simulations of a drizzling stratocumulus field. A forward simulator that produces Doppler spectra from the large-eddy simulation results is used to compare the model output directly with radar observations. The scheme with pronounced numerical diffusion predicts excessively large mean Doppler velocities and overly broad and negatively skewed spectra compared with observations, consistent with numerical diffusion demonstrated in the box model. Statistics obtained using the recommended scheme are closer to observations, but notable differences remain, indicating that factors other than SCE scheme accuracy are limiting simulation fidelity.
High-Resolution Seeded Simulations of Western North Pacific Ocean Tropical Cyclones in Two Future Extreme Climates
Authors: McLay J. G. , Hendricks E. A. , Moskaitis J.
Published: October 2018

A variant of downscaling is devised to explore the properties of tropical cyclones (TCs) that originate in the open ocean of the western North Pacific Ocean (WestPac) region under extreme climates. This variant applies a seeding strategy in large-scale environments simulated by phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) climate-model integrations together with embedded integrations of Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System for Tropical Cyclones (COAMPS-TC), an operational, high-resolution, nonhydrostatic, convection-permitting numerical weather prediction (NWP) model. Test periods for the present day and late twenty-first century are sampled from two different integrations for the representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5 forcing scenario. Then seeded simulations for the present-day period are contrasted with similar seeded simulations for the future period. Reinforcing other downscaling studies, the seeding results suggest that the future environments are notably more conducive to high-intensity TC activity in the WestPac. Specifically, the future simulations yield considerably more TCs that exceed 96-kt (1 kt ≈ 0.5144 m s−1) intensity, and these TCs exhibit notably greater average life cycle maximum intensity and tend to spend more time above the 96-kt intensity threshold. Also, the future simulations yield more TCs that make landfall at >64-kt intensity, and the average landfall intensity of these storms is appreciably greater. These findings are supported by statistical bootstrap analysis as well as by a supplemental sensitivity analysis. Accounting for COAMPS-TC intensity forecast bias using a quantile-matching approach, the seeded simulations suggest that the potential maximum western North Pacific TC intensities in the future extreme climate may be approximately 190 kt.
Effects of Bailout Tirofiban on In-Hospital Outcomes and Long-Term Mortality in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Intervention
Authors: Velibey Yalcin , Guvenc Tolga Sinan , Demir Koray , Oz Ahmet , Akdeniz Evliya , Guvenc Rengin Cetin , Guzelburc Ozge , Yildiz Ufuk , Safak Aylin , Kalenderoglu Koray , Tekkesin Ahmet Ilker
Published: October 2018

We retrospectively analyzed short- and long-term outcomes of patients who received bailout tirofiban during primary percutaneous intervention (pPCI). A total of 2681patients who underwent pPCI between 2009 and 2014 were analyzed; 1331 (49.6%) out of 2681 patients received bailout tirofiban. Using propensity score matching, 2100 patients (1050 patient received bail-out tirofiban) with similar preprocedural characteristics were identified. Patients who received bailout tirofiban had a significantly higher incidence of acute stent thrombosis, myocardial infarction, and major cardiac or cerebrovascular events during the in-hospital period. There were numerically fewer deaths in the bailout tirofiban group in the unmatched cohort (1.7% vs 2.5%, P = .118). In the matched cohort, in-hospital mortality was significantly lower (1.1% vs 2.4%, P = .03), and survival at 12 and 60 months were higher (96.9% vs 95.2%, P = .056 for 12 months and 95.1% vs 92.0%, P = .01 for 60 months) in the bailout tirofiban group. After multivariate adjustment, bailout tirofiban was associated with a lower mortality at 12 months (odds ratio [OR]: 0.554, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.349-0.880, P = .012) and 60 months (OR: 0.595, 95% CI, 0.413-0.859, P = .006). In conclusion, bailout tirofiban strategy during pPCI is associated with a lower short- and long-term mortality, although in-hospital complications were more frequent.
Clinical utility of chromogranin A for the surveillance of succinate dehydrogenase B- and succinate dehydrogenase D-related paraganglioma
Authors: Thompson Michael JW , Parameswaran Venkat , Burgess John R
Published: October 2018

Background

Patients with mutations of succinate dehydrogenase B (SDHB) and succinate dehydrogenase D (SDHD) are at high risk of paraganglioma necessitating surveillance. Chromogranin A has been proposed as a biochemical marker of paraganglioma. We sought to determine the diagnostic utility of chromogranin A in a population-based SDHx sample.

Methods

Tasmania is an island state with one tertiary referral centre for endocrine neoplasia. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of all adult SDHB ( n = 52) and SDHD ( n = 10) patients undergoing paraganglioma surveillance between 2011 and 2017. Chromogranin A was referenced against the outcome of paraganglioma surveillance with a minimum of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) and plasma metanephrines (metanephrine and normetanephrine).

Results

Chromogranin A correctly predicted the result of paraganglioma surveillance more often in patients with SDHB compared with those with SDHD (77% vs. 22%, P = 0.003). In the SDHB group, chromogranin A demonstrated a sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 79% compared with 22% and 0% in the SDHD group. Chromogranin A identified one of three PET/CT-visualized SDHB-related paragangliomas with normal plasma metanephrines at the expense of nine false-positive results. A normal chromogranin A demonstrated a negative predictive value of 92% for SDHB-related paraganglioma. In patients with SDHB, plasma normetanephrine and metanephrine offered superior specificity (100%, P = 0.01 and 100%, P < 0.01, respectively) with comparable sensitivity (67%, P = 1.0 and 11%, P = 0.06, respectively) to chromogranin A.

Conclusion

Chromogranin A does not provide additive benefit to standard surveillance for predicting the presence of SDHB- or SDHD-related paraganglioma, but has a useful negative predictive value when normal in patients with SDHB mutation.
On the Differential and Shared Effects of Leadership for Learning on Teachers’ Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction: A Multilevel Perspective
Authors: Pietsch Marcus , Tulowitzki Pierre , Koch Tobias
Published: October 2018

Purpose: Over the past years “leadership for learning” (LFL) has become popular among educational scholars. LFL refers to the idea that effective leaders demonstrate a contextually contingent mix of instructional, transformational, and shared leadership practices that may have differential effects at various organizational levels. These assumptions have rarely been investigated within a coherent empirical design. We examine the shared and differential effects of LFL on teachers’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment, which are relevant antecedents for learning, improvement, and change on all levels of a school. Method: Drawing on survey data ( nteachers = 3,746, nschools = 126) from Germany and on well-established instruments like the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire or Teaching and Learning International Survey, multilevel associations of LFL and teachers’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment were explored. This was done by applying doubly latent structural equation models. Findings: Our results indicate that (1) it is statistically necessary to model perceived leadership practices as a multilevel construct, (2) shared leadership is a strong predictor of individual and shared job satisfaction and organizational commitment of teachers whereas (3) individual consideration only shows significant associations on the individual level (4) that LFL is contextually sensitive. Implications for Research and Practice: Findings make a strong case for studying LFL within a multilevel framework and also for applying complex study and analytical designs, which should take the complexity of the theoretical assumptions into consideration all the way along from questionnaire design, through the process of data collection up to the point of data analysis.
Combating Information Attacks in the Age of the Internet: New Challenges for Cognitive Engineering
Authors: Endsley Mica R.
Published: October 2018

Objective:

This article provides an overview of the characteristics of misinformation and information attack and their effects on the perceptions of the public, with the objective of outlining potential solutions and needed research for countering this growing problem.

Background:

Society is facing a significant challenge from the spread of misinformation through websites and social media that has driven a divergence in people’s perceptions and understanding of basic facts associated with many issues relevant to public policy decisions, including the economy, taxation, and the deficit; climate change and the environment; and vaccinations and public health and safety. A number of factors are driving this fracture, including information presentation challenges that lead to poor information understanding, deliberate information attacks, social network propagation, poor assessments of information reliability, and cognitive biases that lead to a rejection of information that conflicts with preexisting beliefs.

Results:

A framework for understanding information attack is provided, including common sources, features, avenues, cognitive mechanisms, and major challenges in overcoming information attacks.

Conclusion and Application:

Potential solutions and research needs are presented for improving people’s understanding of online information associated with a wide range of issues affecting public policy.
Turning vice into virtue: Institutional work and professional misconduct
Authors: Harrington Brooke
Published: October 2018

Why do professionals engage in or aid misconduct, rather than rejecting it as a threat to their legitimacy and labor market survival? This article contributes to the scholarly agenda by drawing on an ethnographic study of professionals who facilitate offshore tax avoidance for the ultra-wealthy. This form of expert advisory work has become highly controversial, and is increasingly classified as a form of professional wrongdoing. Building on theories of institutional work and categorization, the study theorizes practitioners’ responses to field-level legitimacy threats. Specifically, the article models a process in which misconduct is recategorized in terms of the core norms that underpin professional legitimacy. Through this process, practitioners create institutional change by altering the way they see themselves and their work, transforming the ‘vice’ of tax avoidance into the professional ‘virtues’ of public service and expert neutrality. This model advances knowledge compared to previous research on professional misconduct, which was situated primarily at the organization level, and responds to calls for analysis of ‘agentic self-categorization’ processes in creating the micro-foundations for legitimacy in the professions.
Free volume properties of the zinc oxide nanoparticles/waterborne polyurethane coating system studied by a slow positron beam
Authors: Awad Somia , Al-Rashdi Awad , Abdel-Hady EE , Jean YC , Van Horn J David
Published: October 2018

A variable, mono-energetic positron beam was employed to study the free volume characteristics of coating system composed of zinc oxide nanoparticles dispersed in waterborne polyurethane. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, in tandem with Doppler-broadening energy spectra and derived S parameter is used to quantitatively assess the free volume and interfacial interactions between zinc oxide nanoparticle surface and waterborne polyurethane. It was found that S parameter decreases with increasing ZnO load from 0 to 5%. The decrease of S parameter is explained as a result of strong interfacial interactions between the surface of the ZnO nanoparticles and WBPU chains. Furthermore, the half depth where the change in S parameter is reduced by half from the surface to bulk was found to increase with increasing ZnO concentration. These results are presented in the framework of free volume interactions in which the S parameter is quantitatively used to characterize the free volume in the inorganic/organic nanocomposite matrix.
Bentham, Not Epicurus: The Relevance of Pleasure to Studies of Drug-Involved Pain
Authors: Jacques Scott
Published: October 2018

There is a disproportionate focus on pain over pleasure in policy-relevant research on drugs. This is unfortunate because theories of and findings on drug-involved pleasure can be used to inform knowledge of drug-involved pain. The cross-fertilization of theories and findings is bolstered by the availability of a conceptual framework that links drug-involved pain and pleasure in a comprehensive, powerful, simple, and instrumental manner. This article proposes such a framework. It consists of four types of drug-involved pain and pleasure: drug-specific corporal, drug-related corporal, economic, and social. This quaternary scheme is illustrated with findings from four literatures, namely, those on methamphetamine use, alcohol-related sexual contact among college students, resource transfer among drug users and dealers, and relational and communal issues related to drugs. The article concludes with implications for the field.
A Cross-Cultural Study on the Vocational Identity of American and Korean University Students
Authors: Kim Boyoung , Ha Gyuyoung , Kim Jiwon , Yang Joonyoung , Suh Suhyun , Johnston Kevin , Orum Van , Lee Sang M.
Published: October 2018

The purpose of this study was to examine the cross-cultural differences in vocational identity between American and Korean university students using the Vocational Identity Status Assessment. A total of 881 university students in both the United States and South Korea were sampled in this study assessing vocational identity. We compared means of latent variables (six dimensions of Vocational Identity Status Assessment in the present study) using latent mean analysis. The results indicated that Korean students showed higher scores on Career Self-doubt and Career Flexibility, whereas American students showed higher scores on In-breadth Exploration, In-depth Exploration, Commitment Making, and Commitment Identification. These results indicated the components of vocational identity that should be considered while providing career guidance to college students from diverse backgrounds. Implications for understanding the cultural differences of college students’ vocational identity and the need for conducting cross-cultural comparison studies to provide insights about the vocational development of college students in cross-cultural settings are discussed.
Doctors’ Job Satisfaction and Its Relationships With Doctor-Patient Relationship and Work-Family Conflict in China: A Structural Equation Modeling
Authors: Deng Shumin , Yang Ningxi , Li Shiyue , Wang Wei , Yan Hong , Li Hao
Published: October 2018

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship of doctors’ job satisfaction with doctor-patient relationship and work-family conflict in China. The data came from a cross-sectional survey in Hubei province, which was part of China’s Fifth National Health Services Survey conducted in 2013. The survey in Hubei covered 54 secondary and tertiary general hospitals distributed in 20 counties. Of the 1080 questionnaires, 908 were included into our analysis. After surviving from reliability and validity tests, structural equation modeling was applied for further analysis with SPSS 20.0 and Mplus 7.0. The results showed that the average score of job satisfaction is 19.61 out of 30 points, indicating a relatively low level of doctors’ job satisfaction in Hubei province. Work-family conflict was found to have negative impact on doctors’ job satisfaction, and good doctor-patient relationship was found to have positive impact on their job satisfaction. Therefore, hospital administrators and policy makers should make effort to design and implement strategies that focus on meliorating doctor-patient relationship and balancing doctors’ work and family life to further improve their job satisfaction.