bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A system‐based approach to the genetic etiologies of non‐immune hydrops fetalis
Authors: Mardy Anne H. , Chetty Shilpa P. , Norton Mary E. , Sparks Teresa N.
Published: May 2019

A wide spectrum of genetic causes may lead to nonimmune hydrops fetalis (NIHF), and a thorough phenotypic and genetic evaluation are essential to determine the underlying etiology, optimally manage these pregnancies, and inform discussions about anticipated prognosis. In this review, we outline the known genetic etiologies of NIHF by fetal organ system affected, and provide a systematic approach to the evaluation of NIHF. Some of the underlying genetic disorders are associated with characteristic phenotypic features that may be seen on prenatal ultrasound, such as hepatomegaly with lysosomal storage disorders, hyperechoic kidneys with congenital nephrosis, or pulmonary valve stenosis with RASopathies. However, this is not always the case, and the approach to evaluation must include prenatal ultrasound findings as well as genetic testing and many other factors. Genetic testing that has been utilized for NIHF ranges from standard chromosomal microarray or karyotype to gene panels and broad approaches such as whole exome sequencing. Family and obstetric history, as well as pathology examination, can yield additional clues that are helpful in establishing a diagnosis. A systematic approach to evaluation can guide a more targeted approach to genetic evaluation, diagnosis, and management of NIHF.
Fetal cardiac abnormalities: Genetic etiologies to be considered
Authors: Petracchi Florencia , Sisterna Silvina , Igarzabal Laura , Wilkins‐Haug Louise
Published: May 2019

Congenital heart diseases are a common prenatal finding. The prenatal identification of an associated genetic syndrome or a major extracardiac anomaly helps to understand the etiopathogenic diagnosis. Besides, it also assesses the prognosis, management, and familial recurrence risk while strongly influences parental decision to choose termination of pregnancy or postnatal care.

This review article describes the most common genetic diagnoses associated with a prenatal finding of a congenital heart disease and a suggested diagnostic process.
Dispositional mindfulness, self‐compassion, and compassion from others as moderators between stress and depression in caregivers of patients with lung cancer
Authors: Hsieh Chia‐Chen , Yu Chong‐Jen , Chen Hsiu‐Jung , Chen Yu‐Wen , Chang Nien‐Tzu , Hsiao Fei‐Hsiu
Published: May 2019

Objective

The present study aimed to identify the most important protective factors predicting caregivers' depressive symptoms among factors of caregivers' dispositional mindfulness, self‐compassion, compassion from others, and patients' dispositional mindfulness and their moderator effects on the relationship between caregiving stress and depressive symptoms.

Methods

A total of 72 lung cancer outpatients and their family caregivers participated in this study. Family caregivers completed the Kingston Caregiver Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory‐II (BDI‐II), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Self‐Compassion Scale, and Compassion from Others Scale. Patients completed the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ‐C30), BDI‐II, and FFMQ.

Results

After controlling for patients' factors (treatment status, symptom distress, and depressive symptoms) and caregivers' health status, caregivers' stress and dispositional mindfulness, the domain of mindful awareness, and self‐compassionate action were significantly associated with their depressive symptoms. Further analysis indicated that mindful awareness or self‐compassionate action could buffer the effect of caregiving stress on depressive symptoms. When the two moderators, mindful awareness and self‐compassionate action, were tested simultaneously, only self‐compassionate action remained as a significant moderating effect.

Conclusions

Caregivers' mindful awareness and self‐compassionate action were protective factors, which mitigate the impact of caregiving stress on their depressive symptoms. Therefore, the future supportive program aims at training the competencies of self‐compassionate action with mindful awareness, which may enhance caregivers' coping resources.
Burden of respiratory illnesses in pediatric intensive care unit and predictors of mortality: Experience from a low resource country
Authors: Divecha Chhaya , Tullu Milind S. , Chaudhary Satish
Published: May 2019

Introduction and Objectives

Acute respiratory infections (ARI), a major cause of childhood mortality and morbidity, place substantial burden on health services worldwide. Due to scarce data regarding respiratory illnesses requiring Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions (especially in low income/developing countries), we studied the burden of respiratory illnesses in the PICU and the risk factors contributing to mortality.

Methods

This prospective observational study was conducted over 18 months. Children (aged 1 month to 12 years) admitted to the PICU for acute respiratory/cardiorespiratory illnesses were enrolled. Demographic and clinical details of the study population were recorded and tabulated. Risk factors contributing to mortality (severity of illness [PRISM III score], diagnosis/etiology, need for mechanical ventilation, immunocompromised status, malnutrition, and length of stay [LOS]) were analyzed (using the χ2 test or Fischer Exact test).

Results

Two hundred and ninety‐three children were enrolled (median age: 5 months; range, 1‐132 months; male/female: 181/112). Mean LOS in PICU was 5.25 ± 5.48 days and mean length of hospital stay of 14.82 ± 13.35 days. Mechanical ventilation was required in 62.8% cases. Pneumonia contributed to 66.89% of respiratory admissions and 91% of mortality. Ninety patients (30.7%) died; mortality being higher in cardiorespiratory cases (52.7%). PRISM III score and shock (respiratory cases) and age below 1 year (cardiorespiratory group) were significantly associated with higher mortality (
P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Respiratory illnesses are a significant contributor to PICU admissions and are associated with significant mortality risk in presence of high PRISM III score and shock (respiratory group); and age below 1 year (cardiorespiratory group).
An enzyme in the test tube, and a transcription factor in the cell: Moonlighting proteins and cellular factors that affect their behavior
Authors: Jeffery Constance J.
Published: May 2019

In the cell, expression levels, allosteric modulators, post‐translational modifications, sequestration, and other factors can affect the level of protein function. For moonlighting proteins, cellular factors like these can also affect the kind of protein function. This minireview discusses examples of moonlighting proteins that illustrate how a single protein can have different functions in different cell types, in different intracellular locations, or under varying cellular conditions. This variability in the kind of protein activity, added to the variability in the amount of protein activity, contributes to the difficulty in predicting the behavior of proteins in the cell.
Between hesitation and decisiveness—Understanding consumers' ego, altruism, and eagerness to pay for renewable energy
Authors: Venugopal Aparna , Shukla Dhirendra
Published: May 2019

In our study, we examined the role of consumers' egoism and social and biospheric altruism in influencing their willingness to adopt renewable energy. Past research has suggested that the social, biospheric, and egoistic values and beliefs of energy consumers influence their cognitive decision‐making mechanisms. However, studies have not compared and contrasted the effects of different altruistic values on specific environmental behaviors. To address this problem, we drew on the theories of value–belief–norm and paradox to propose that social and biospheric altruistic values have diverse effects on renewable energy adoption. We observed that biospheric altruism is positively associated with the adoption of renewable energy and social altruism is negatively associated with the adoption of renewable energy. Contrary to the propositions of the theory of paradox, we observed that egoistic values measured in terms of financial scarcity reduced the paradoxical nature of social and biospheric altruism. In our study, we used partial least squares structural equation modeling to analyze the data. We analyzed 140 responses from the residential energy consumers of New Brunswick, Canada. Our study underscores the claims of value–belief–norm theory. Further, it adds to the theory of paradox. The findings from this study help guide utilities on how to approach different consumers with specific new sustainable and renewable energy products and services. Moreover, the study throws light on how the policy makers should design energy policy‐related messages to specific consumer segments.
Three‐Component Synthesis of Tetrazolo Anthraquinone as a Representation of a New Heterocyclic System
Authors: Aelami Zahra , Maghsoodlou Malek Taher , Heydari Reza
Published: May 2019

A new series of (1H‐tetrazole‐1‐yl) anthracene‐9,10‐dione was proposed with the cyclisation amino‐anthraquinones, triethyl orthoformate and sodium azide in the presence of catalytic amount of p‐Toluenesulfonic acid (p‐TSA) in acetic acid at ambient temperature. Desired products were synthesized in good yields. Chemical structures containing the tetrazolo anthraquinone framework were identified using FT‐IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, Mass spectra, elementary analysis, and melting points. Additionally, DNA‐binding activities of these compounds were studied using UV‐Vis electron‐absorption spectra.
Optical Imaging Approaches to Monitor Static and Dynamic Cell‐on‐Chip Platforms: A Tutorial Review
Authors: Arandian Alireza , Bagheri Zeinab , Ehtesabi Hamide , Najafi Nobar Shima , Aminoroaya Neda , Samimi Ashkan , Latifi Hamid
Published: May 2019

Miniaturized laboratories on chip platforms play an important role in handling life sciences studies. The platforms may contain static or dynamic biological cells. Examples are a fixed medium of an organ‐on‐a‐chip and individual cells moving in a microfluidic channel, respectively. Due to feasibility of control or investigation and ethical implications of live targets, both static and dynamic cell‐on‐chip platforms promise various applications in biology. To extract necessary information from the experiments, the demand for direct monitoring is rapidly increasing. Among different microscopy methods, optical imaging is a straightforward choice. Considering light interaction with biological agents, imaging signals may be generated as a result of scattering or emission effects from a sample. Thus, optical imaging techniques could be categorized into scattering‐based and emission‐based techniques. In this review, various optical imaging approaches used in monitoring static and dynamic platforms are introduced along with their optical systems, advantages, challenges, and applications. This review may help biologists to find a suitable imaging technique for different cell‐on‐chip studies and might also be useful for the people who are going to develop optical imaging systems in life sciences studies.
Shrinkage behavior influence of strain‐hardening cementitious composites
Authors: Zhang Yongxing , Fang Yong , Lu Weihua , Liu Cheng , Wang Lei , Xie Haibo , Zhang Xuemin
Published: May 2019

This paper presents an experimental investigation into the shrinkage behavior of strain‐hardening cementitious composite (SHCC), which focuses on the influences of varied ingredients in mix proportions and curing condition. The experimental results confirm that the shrinkage strains of SHCC are obviously influenced by the investigated ingredients of SHCC, in which expansion agent can induce expansion strain for nominally reducing the shrinkage strains of SHCC, the shrinkage strains of SHCC's matrix are decreased with increasing fiber volume content and water‐to‐binder ratio, whereas those are increased with increasing silica‐fume‐to‐binder ratio. Moreover, the curing condition has significant influence for the shrinkage behavior of SHCC, and water curing can significantly reduce the shrinkage strains. This work provides experimental foundations for shrinkage behavior of SHCC.
Scalar Relativistic Density Functional Theoretical Investigation of Higher Complexation Ability of Substituted 1,10‐Phenanthroline over Bipyridine Towards Am3+/Eu3+ Ions
Authors: Boda Anil , Ali Sk. Musharaf
Published: May 2019

The better selectivity of Am3+ over Eu3+ ion with N‐based CyMe4‐BTPhen compared to CyMe4‐BTBP for experimentally observed [ML2(NO3)]2+ complexes was demonstrated using scalar relativistic DFT in conjunction with Born‐Haber thermodynamic cycle and COSMO solvation model. The calculated free energy of extraction, ΔGext reveals strong dependence on the hydration free energies of Am3+ and Eu3+ ions and week dependence to the difference in Gibbs free energy of solvation of the ligand or metal‐ligand complexes. Further, for the first time, we have computed the effect of co‐anion species ([M(NO3)5]2–) on ΔGext of Am3+ and Eu3+ ions with CyMe4‐BTPhen and CyMe4‐BTBP, which adds a positive contribution and thus reduces the ΔGext. The calculated values of ΔΔΔGext (= ΔΔGext,L1 – ΔΔGext,L2, ΔΔGext = ΔGext,M1 – ΔGext,M2) can be used to avoid the very sensitive metal ion solvation energy, effect of co‐anionic species and thus provides a robust approach to determine the selectivity between two metal ions towards different competitive ligands. The natural population analysis (NPA), molecular orbital analysis, Mayer bond order analysis, and bond character analysis using Bader's quantum theory of atoms in molecules indicates slightly more covalency for complexes of Am3+ ion that are correlated to the experiental selectvity of Am3+ ion over Eu3+ ion and hence might be useful in the design and development of next generation extractants.
Chiral transport in strong fields from holography
Authors: Bu Yanyan , Demircik Tuna , Lublinsky Michael
Published: May 2019

Abstract

Anomaly-induced transport phenomena in presence of strong external electromagnetic fields are explored within a 4D field theory defined holographically as U(1)
V
× U(1)
A
Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory in Schwarzschild-AdS
5. Two complementary studies are reported. In the first one, we present results on the Ohmic conductivity, diffusion constant, chiral magnetic conductivity, and additional anomaly-induced transport coefficients as functions of external e/m fields. Next, gradient resummation in a constant background magnetic field is performed. All-order resummed constitutive relations are parameterised by four momenta-dependent transport coefficient functions (TCFs). A highlight of this part is a thorough study of non-dissipative chiral magnetic waves (CMW) in strong magnetic fields.
A Population‐Based Study of Incidence, Presentation, Management and Outcome of Primary Thromboembolic Ischemia in the Upper Extremity
Authors: Vennesland Jørgen B. , Søreide Kjetil , Kvaløy Jan Terje , Reite Andreas , Vetrhus Morten
Published: May 2019

Objectives

To investigate the epidemiology of acute upper limb thromboembolism in a well‐defined Norwegian population.

Methods

This study was a retrospective, single‐center, observational population‐based cohort study of acute upper limb thromboembolism. The study included all patients from the hospital's primary catchment area from January 2000 to December 2015. Age‐ and gender‐adjusted incidence rates were calculated using population demographics from Statistics Norway.

Results

A total of 54 patients were identified, of which 49 were included in the analyses: 27 (55%) females (median age 83 years, range 40–96) and 22 (45%) males (median age 70 years, range 42–95) (P = .053). The adjusted incidence rate for the period was 1.6 patients per 100,000 inhabitants per year (95% confidence interval 1.2–2.2) and did not change significantly during the period studied. Atrial fibrillation was detected by electrocardiography in 30 (61%) patients; in this group, 10 patients were on warfarin but only two had an international normalized ratio > 1.9 and the remaining 20 were not anticoagulated. Altogether, 38 (78%) patients underwent surgery, 1 (2%) was treated with thrombolysis, and the remaining patients were treated conservatively; no amputations were performed. Four patients (8%) died within 30 days, and 12 of the surviving 45 patients (27%) had recurrent thromboembolism.

Conclusion

The incidence rate was stable during the study period. Patients with upper limb thromboembolism due to atrial fibrillation were inadequately anticoagulated. One in four patients experienced a recurrent thromboembolic event. Lifelong anticoagulation should be considered in all patients with upper limb thromboembolism.
Has Symptom‐Based Admission Replaced Diagnosis in the Emergency Department? An 18‐Year Review of Emergency General Surgical Admissions at Royal Perth Hospital
Authors: Kenner Peter I. , Wee Cecilia C. H. , Weber Dieter G.
Published: May 2019

Background

Classical medical teaching has made a clear distinction between signs and symptoms, and diagnosis. However, at the time of ward admission, a diagnosis may remain unclear. We propose administrative pressures during the admission process may have reduced the ability for pathological diagnosis. This may result in increased hospitalisation for investigation of signs and symptoms, rather than for treatment of clear diagnoses. We sought to further clarify this hypothesis and investigate changes in the nature of admissions during the last two decades in an adult emergency general surgery service.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of emergency general surgical admissions during four six‐month time periods, between 2000 and 2018, was conducted. The six‐month periods were spaced evenly during the 18‐year study. Demographic information, emergency department length of stay, incidence of a pathological diagnosis on ward admission and accuracy of admission diagnosis were analysed.

Results

2763 patients were admitted in the four six‐month time periods. A significant reduction in number of patients admitted with a pathological diagnosis was noted between the 2012 and 2018 study periods (p < 0.05), with 21.2% of patients admitted in 2018 for investigation of signs and symptoms. The incidence of an accurate admission diagnosis (as assessed by the discharge diagnosis) ranged from 62.3 to 63.6% and did not differ significantly by year.

Conclusion

Between 2012 and 2018, there was a significant increase in the number of emergency general surgical patients admitted for investigation of signs and symptoms. However, accuracy of admission diagnosis was unchanged during the study period.
Exploiting the natural poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) production capacity of AntarcticPseudomonasstrains: from unique phenotypes to novel biopolymers
Authors: Pacheco Nicolas , Orellana-Saez Matias , Pepczynska Marzena , Enrione Javier , Bassas-Galia Monica , Borrero-de Acuña Jose M , Zacconi Flavia C , Marcoleta Andrés E , Poblete-Castro Ignacio
Published: May 2019

Extreme environments are a unique source of microorganisms encoding metabolic capacities that remain largely unexplored. In this work, we isolated two Antarctic bacterial strains able to produce poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs), which were classified after 16S rRNA analysis as Pseudomonas sp. MPC5 and MPC6. The MPC6 strain presented nearly the same specific growth rate whether subjected to a temperature of 4 °C 0.18 (1/h) or 30 °C 0.2 (1/h) on glycerol. Both Pseudomonas strains produced high levels of PHAs and exopolysaccharides from glycerol at 4 °C and 30 °C in batch cultures, an attribute that has not been previously described for bacteria of this genus. The MPC5 strain produced the distinctive medium-chain-length-PHA whereas Pseudomonas sp. MPC6 synthesized a novel polyoxoester composed of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate-co-3-hydroxyoctanoate-co-3-hydroxydecanoate-co-3-hydroxydodecanoate). Batch bioreactor production of PHAs in MPC6 resulted in a titer of 2.6 (g/L) and 1.3 (g/L), accumulating 47.3% and 34.5% of the cell dry mass as PHA, at 30 and 4 °C, respectively. This study paves the way for using Antarctic Pseudomonas strains for biosynthesizing novel PHAs from low-cost substrates such as glycerol and the possibility to carry out the bioconversion process for biopolymer synthesis without the need for temperature control.
Co-cultivation of the anaerobic fungus Anaeromyces robustus with Methanobacterium bryantii enhances transcription of carbohydrate active enzymes
Authors: Swift Candice L , Brown Jennifer L , Seppälä Susanna , O’Malley Michelle A
Published: May 2019

Anaerobic gut fungi are biomass degraders that form syntrophic associations with other microbes in their native rumen environment. Here, RNA-Seq was used to track and quantify carbohydrate active enzyme (CAZyme) transcription in a synthetic consortium composed of the anaerobic fungus Anaeromyces robustus with methanogen Methanobacterium bryantii. Approximately 5% of total A. robustus genes were differentially regulated in co-culture with M. bryantii relative to cultivation of A. robustus alone. We found that 105 CAZymes (12% of the total predicted CAZymes of A. robustus) were upregulated while 29 were downregulated. Upregulated genes encode putative proteins with a wide array of cellulolytic, xylanolytic, and carbohydrate transport activities; 75% were fused to fungal dockerin domains, associated with a carbohydrate binding module, or both. Collectively, this analysis suggests that co-culture of A. robustus with M. bryantii remodels the transcriptional landscape of CAZymes and associated metabolic pathways in the fungus to aid in lignocellulose breakdown.
Marketing the Healthiness of Sports Drinks: From Physiological to Cognitive Based Benefits
Authors: van Esch Patrick , Gadsby Casey Lynn
Published: May 2019

By the year 2020, the sports drinks segment in the global beverage industry is expected to reach US$6B. In an alternate segment, bottled water is the main competitor. Sports drinks marketing continues to focus on unproven benefits such as attention, increased performance during sport, increased energy and stamina. Both categories claim their product is the healthier alternative to the other. Yet there has been limited, if any, research on the effects of the perceived taste of sports drinks, familiarity with the brand, nutrition involvement and colour cue perceptions on sports drink consumption. Study 1 explored the perceived healthiness of sports drinks based on colour cues. The results showed that based on colour alone, clear coloured sports drinks are considered the healthiest. Study 2 explored dual-stage moderated mediation effects of familiarity with the brand, nutrition involvement and clear colour on the perceived taste and sports drink consumption relationship. The results showed that if sports drinks are perceived to be flavourful, delicious and good tasting; then consumers’ are more likely to consume greater quantities of it. Furthermore, familiarity with the brand mediates the relationship between perceived taste and sports drink consumption. Moreover, interaction effects of nutrition involvement and clear colour, results in a dual stage moderated mediation which has positive, direct and indirect effects on sports drink consumption. This study will assist marketers to shift their marketing tactics in terms of the way they promote the healthiness of sports drinks, from the physiological benefits to more cognitive based benefits.
Associations of major depressive disorder with chronic physical conditions, obesity and medication use: Results from the PISMA-ep study
Authors: Rivera Margarita , Porras-Segovia Alejandro , Rovira Paula , Molina Esther , Gutiérrez Blanca , Cervilla Jorge
Published: May 2019

Background:

Life expectancy of people with depression is on average 15 years less than that of the general population. This excess of mortality is largely attributed to a deteriorated physical health. Evidence about the association between major depressive disorder (MDD) and physical health is still lacking in some areas. The aim of this study was to explore the association between MDD and physical health-related variables in southern Spain.

Methods:

The PISMA-ep is a cross-sectional study based on community-dwelling adult population. Our main outcome was current prevalence of MDD. Independent variables explored were: lifetime prevalence of twenty-one chronic physical conditions (CPCs), anthropometric measures (height, weight, body max index, and hip and waist circumferences), general health status, and medication use.

Results:

MDD was significantly associated with any CPC (OR = 2.60; 95% CI: 2.01–3.35; p < 0.001). Increases in BMI were associated with MDD in women (OR=1.08; 95% CI: 1.05–1.11; p < 0.001), but not in men (OR=0.99; 95% CI: 0.95–1.05; p = 0.916). Variables associated with MDD in the multivariate model were: female gender, obesity, general health status, cancer, peptic ulcer, tinnitus and vertigo. 21.4% of participants with MDD received antidepressant treatment.

Conclusions:

MDD is associated with CPCs, obesity, and increased use of medication. The high rates of comorbidity between MDD and CPCs call for a more holistic management of patients in the clinical practice. The low rate of antidepressant use may be indicating underdiagnosis. Anthropometric variables were differently associated with MDD depending on gender, suggesting a strong influence of psychosocial factors.
Co-operative 3D salvo attack of multiple missiles under switching topologies subject to time-varying communication delays
Authors: Ai X.L. , Wang L.L. , Shen Y.C.
Published: May 2019

This study focuses on the co-operative salvo attack problem of multiple missiles against a stationary target under jointly connected switching topologies subject to time-varying communication delays. By carefully exploring certain features of the typical pure proportional navigation guidance law, a two-stage distributed guidance scheme is proposed without any information on time-to-go in this study to realise the simultaneous attack of multiple missiles. In the first guidance stage, a co-operative guidance law is proposed using local neighbouring communications only to achieve consensus on range-to-go and heading error to provide favourable initial conditions for the latter phase, in which switching topologies and time-varying communication delays are taken into account when obtaining sufficient conditions of consensus in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Then, missiles disconnect from each other and are guided individually by the typical pure proportional navigation guidance law with the same navigation gain to realise salvo attack in the second guidance phase. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to clearly validate the theoretical results.
Directors’ Duties in Singapore: Law and Perceptions
Authors: KOH Pearlie , TAN Hwee Hoon
Published: May 2019

It is trite that the law on directors’ duties is an important part of corporate governance. It is therefore unsurprising that a large part of extant research in the area is focused on understanding what the law requires, and how it applies or should apply in any particular situation. Such research is however largely reactive. In our research, we set out to look at duties from the perspective of the directors, with a view to appreciating how Singapore directors understand the law as it applies to them. The impetus for this is three-fold: first, to assess the depth of awareness amongst directors of the law on directors’ duties; second, to ascertain if there is any divergence between the law’s conceptualization of what is in the company’s interests, and the director’s own view as to how he or she would act in fact; and third, and flowing from the preceding, to assess the need for providing or improving knowledge enhancement courses targeted specifically at company directors. To collect the necessary data, we reached out to registered company directors of both listed companies and private companies to complete a survey. We released the survey online, and also conducted face-to-face interviews. Our article presents and analyzes the results of the survey.
Design, implementation, and evaluation of PINDAR, a novel short program on GCP for academic medical center principal investigators conducting human subject research
Authors: Plottel Claudia S. , Mannon Lois , More Frederick G. , Katz Stuart D. , Hochman Judith S.
Published: May 2019

The Principal INvestigator Development and Resources (PINDAR) program was developed at the NYU-H+H Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hub in response to a perceived need for focused good clinical practice (GCP) training designed specifically for principal investigators (PIs) performing human subject research. PINDAR is a novel 6-hour, instructor lead, participatory, in-person course for PIs developed de novo, piloted, and implemented. One hundred and seventeen faculty PIs participated in PINDAR from November 2016 through September 2018. All obtained mutual recognition for ICH E6 GCP training from TransCelerate Biopharma. PINDAR was well received by participant PIs, and feedback surveys have revealed a high degree of satisfaction with the program. Other CTSA hubs and research-intensive health systems should consider adopting a similar course focused on GCP for PIs.
Addressing the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials: Developments and Challenges within the Canadian Legal Landscape
Authors: HARRINGTON JOANNA
Published: May 2019

With 2018 marking the twentieth anniversary of Canada’s Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act, an opportunity presents itself to take stock of both developments and challenges for the legislative scheme. As demonstrated by a review of the parliamentary record, the desire to enact legislation to criminalize the offering of an inducement to a foreign public official to secure a business advantage was decidedly international in nature, with Canada aiming to bolster the efforts of others to create a level playing field for companies operating abroad. Yet, despite good intentions, as well as amendments to strengthen the Act in 2013 and the passage of additional transparency obligations in 2014, Canada’s legislative scheme has not kept pace with the international and multi-jurisdictional realities of the problem to be addressed. Renewed interest needs to be paid to the demand side of a foreign bribery transaction. In addition, the confiscation or forfeiture of any ill-gotten gains must become a priority, with the touting of success in securing the voluntary payment of sizeable fines failing to provide for a sufficient accounting for the wrongs done, particularly if the victims of corruption, even as a class that needs clearer definition, are to be made a true concern of the Act. The challenges posed by matters of immunity and the need to improve matters of multi-jurisdictional cooperation also need further attention.
The effect of electoral autocracy in Egypt's failed transition: a party politics perspective
Authors: Resta Valeria
Published: May 2019

Although the failed democratic transition in Egypt following the Arab Spring is unanimously held as a poster child for the stubbornness of authoritarianism in the MENA region, its determinants remain disputed. Contributing to this debate, this article focuses on the noxious effects of past electoral authoritarianism on the transitional party system. More specifically, through quantitative text analysis, the article demonstrates that transitional parties’ agency is largely the by-product of the way in which political competition was structured under the previous electoral autocracy. On the one hand, the uneven structure of opportunity upholding previous rule is central to the lack of pluralism. On the other hand, the previous regime's practice of playing opposition actors against each other through identity politics is at the root of the absence of common ground among the aforementioned parties during the transition.
Sub-grid scale model classification and blending through deep learning
Authors: Maulik Romit , San Omer , Jacob Jamey D. , Crick Christopher
Published: May 2019

In this article we detail the use of machine learning for spatio-temporally dynamic turbulence model classification and hybridization for large eddy simulations (LES) of turbulence. Our predictive framework is devised around the determination of local conditional probabilities for turbulence models that have varying underlying hypotheses. As a first deployment of this learning, we classify a point on our computational grid as that which requires the functional hypothesis, the structural hypothesis or no modelling at all. This ensures that the appropriate model is specified froma prioriknowledge and an efficient balance of model characteristics is obtained in a particular flow computation. In addition, we also utilize the conditional-probability predictions of the same machine learning to blend turbulence models for another hybrid closure. Our test case for the demonstration of this concept is given by Kraichnan turbulence, which exhibits a strong interplay of enstrophy and energy cascades in the wavenumber domain. Our results indicate that the proposed methods lead to robust and stable closure and may potentially be used to combine the strengths of various models for complex flow phenomena prediction.
Penetrative turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection in two and three dimensions
Authors: Wang Qi , Zhou Quan , Wan Zhen-Hua , Sun De-Jun
Published: May 2019

Penetrative turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection which depends on the density maximum of water near $4^{\circ }\text{C}$ is studied using two-dimensional and three-dimensional direct numerical simulations. The working fluid is water near $4\,^{\circ }\text{C}$ with Prandtl number $Pr=11.57$. The considered Rayleigh numbers $Ra$ range from $10^{7}$ to $10^{10}$. The density inversion parameter $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{m}$ varies from 0 to 0.9. It is found that the ratio of the top and bottom thermal boundary-layer thicknesses ($F_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}=\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{t}^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{b}^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}}$) increases with increasing $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{m}$, and the relationship between $F_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{m}$ seems to be independent of $Ra$. The centre temperature $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{c}$ is enhanced compared to that of Oberbeck–Boussinesq cases, as $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{c}$ is related to $F_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}$ with $1/\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{c}=1/F_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}+1$, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{c}$ is also found to have a universal relationship with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{m}$ which is independent of $Ra$. Both the Nusselt number $Nu$ and the Reynolds number $Re$ decrease with increasing $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{m}$, the normalized Nusselt number $Nu(\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{m})/Nu(0)$ and Reynolds number $Re(\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{m})/Re(0)$ also have universal relationships with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{m}$ which seem to be independent of both $Ra$ and the aspect ratio $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}$. The scaling exponents of $Nu\sim Ra^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}}$ and $Re\sim Ra^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}$ are found to be insensitive to $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}_{m}$ despite of the remarkable change of the flow organizations.
Vibrational convection in a heterogeneous binary mixture. Part 2. Frozen waves
Authors: Vorobev Anatoliy , Lyubimova Tatyana
Published: May 2019

The action of high-frequency vibrations on a heterogeneous binary mixture that fills in a closed container is numerically modelled to validate the theoretical model obtained in the first part of the work, and to investigate the role of interfacial stresses in the evolution of miscible boundaries. Only weightlessness conditions are considered. A recent experimental study reports the threshold ignition of the frozen waves at a miscible interface even under weightlessness conditions, which cannot be explained on the basis of the classical approach that represents a binary mixture as a single-phase fluid with an impurity. This effect, however, can be well explained on the basis of the phase-field equations that were derived in the first part of our work. In particular, we found that when the vibrational forcing is sufficiently strong (the vibrational forcing is primarily determined by the amplitude of the vibrational velocity), above a certain threshold value, then the interface becomes shaped into a ‘frozen’ (time independent to the naked eye) structure of several pillars (the frozen waves) with axes perpendicular to the directions of the vibrations. The threshold level of the vibrations is determined by the interfacial stresses that need to be associated with miscible interfaces. The time needed for setting up the frozen pattern is relatively small, determined by hydrodynamic processes, however this time grows exponentially near the threshold. The frozen pattern remains stable either indefinitely long (if liquids are partially miscible) or until the interface becomes invisible due to diffusive smearing (if liquids are miscible in all proportions). A further increase of the vibrational forcing alters the number of the pillars, which happens discretely when the intensity of the vibrations surpasses a sequence of further critical levels. Correlation of the results with the previous experimental and theoretical studies validates the new approach making it a useful tool for tracing thermo- and hydrodynamic changes in heterogeneous mixtures.
Seven decades of uninterrupted advance of Good Friday Glacier, Axel Heiberg Island, Arctic Canada
Authors: MEDRZYCKA DOROTA , COPLAND LUKE , VAN WYCHEN WESLEY , BURGESS DAVID
Published: May 2019

Previous studies reported that Good Friday Glacier had been actively surging in the 1950–60s, 1990s and again in 2000–15. Based on observations of terminus position change from air photos and satellite imagery, we fill the gaps between previous studies and conclude that the glacier has been advancing continuously since 1959. Ice surface velocities extracted from optical and synthetic aperture radar satellite images show higher flow rates than on most other marine-terminating glaciers in the region. This behaviour contrasts with the regional trend of glacier retreat over this period. Possible explanations involve a delayed response to positive mass-balance conditions of the Little Ice Age, or a dynamic instability. There is, however, insufficient evidence to attribute this behaviour to classical glacier surging as suggested in previous studies. Based on present-day ice velocity and glacier geometry patterns in the terminus region, we reconstruct the evolution of ice motion throughout the advance, and suggest that what has previously been interpreted as a surge, may instead have been a localised response to small-scale perturbations in bedrock topography.
On the retrieval of sea-ice thickness using SMOS polarization differences
Authors: GUPTA MUKESH , GABARRO CAROLINA , TURIEL ANTONIO , PORTABELLA MARCOS , MARTINEZ JUSTINO
Published: May 2019

Arctic sea ice is going through a dramatic change in its extent and volume at an unprecedented rate. Sea-ice thickness (SIT) is a controlling geophysical variable that needs to be understood with greater accuracy. For the first time, a SIT-retrieval method that exclusively uses only airborne SIT data for training the empirical algorithm to retrieve SIT from Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) brightness temperature (TB) at different polarization is presented. A large amount of airborne SIT data has been used from various field campaigns in the Arctic conducted by different countries during 2011–15. The algorithm attempts to circumvent the issue related to discrimination between TB signatures of thin SIT versus low sea-ice concentration. The computed SIT has a rms error of 0.10 m, which seems reasonably good (as compared to the existing algorithms) for analysis at the used 25 km grid. This new SIT retrieval product is designed for direct operational application in ice prediction/climate models.
Iconografía y gobierno colectivo durante el posclásico tardío en Tepeticpac y Tlaxcallan, México
Authors: López Corral Aurelio , Velasco Almanza Ivonne , Ibarra Narváez Thania E. , Santacruz Cano Ramón
Published: May 2019

El objetivo de este trabajo es examinar la presencia o ausencia de una ideología colectiva en la expresión iconográfica de la cerámica polícroma de Tepeticpac, asentamiento fundador y miembro activo de Tlaxcallan durante el Posclásico tardío (1250–1519 dC). De acuerdo con la teoría de acción colectiva recientemente aplicada para Tlaxcallan, hipotetizamos que estas vasijas deberían carecer de íconos ligados a nobles, gobernantes o personajes particulares, promoviendo más bien la unidad colectiva. Para evaluar esta hipótesis, analizamos materiales procedentes de diversas excavaciones realizadas en plazas, conjuntos arquitectónicos, terrazas y templos. Concluimos que, lejos de privilegiar a personajes, individuos o incluso a una deidad en particular, la cerámica polícroma más bien muestra temas que no fueron regulados por las élites políticas y que están centrados en alusiones al sacrificio, la guerra, las festividades, los dioses, la jerarquía noble y probablemente, los méritos por conquista, temas y actividades en los que cualquier individuo, a cualquier rango, pudo involucrarse.
Global Euler obstruction, global Brasselet numbers and critical points
Authors: Dutertre Nicolas , Grulha Nivaldo G.
Published: May 2019

Let X ⊂ ℂn be an equidimensional complex algebraic set and let f: X → ℂ be a polynomial function. For each c ∈ ℂ, we define the global Brasselet number of f at c, a global counterpart of the Brasselet number defined by the authors in a previous work, and the Brasselet number at infinity of f at c. Then we establish several formulas relating these numbers to the topology of X and the critical points of f.
Signs of development: photographic futurism and the politics of affect in Uganda
Authors: Vokes Richard
Published: May 2019

This article contributes to recent scholarship on an emergent public political visual culture in Africa. Through an ethnographic study of political billboards and other government-sponsored public political imagery in Uganda, it argues that this new visual culture is primarily characterized by African states’ extensive use of post-photographic techniques as a means for projecting fantastic visions of their future development goals. However, drawing on recent insights from the ‘material turn’ in visual theory, it finds that – in Uganda's case at least – the potency of these new public visual artefacts may stem less from what theyshowthan from how they invoke in their citizen-viewers an embodied sense of future possibilities. Once generated, this affective response can be mobilized by the state and its agents in the ‘here and now’, for political gain. The article looks at how this worked in the run-up to Uganda's 2016 presidential elections, when, in the context of major new spending on national infrastructure projects, the images and artefacts of this new visual culture served to greatly amplify the sense that all citizens would benefit from an emergent global capitalism. This inflated aspiration was mobilized in turn by the National Resistance Movement government as an integral part of its election campaign, and played a key role in returning the government to power.
Natural Knowledge, Inc.: the Royal Society as a metropolitan corporation
Authors: MOXHAM NOAH
Published: May 2019

This article attempts to think through the logic and distinctiveness of the early Royal Society's position as a metropolitan knowledge community and chartered corporation, and the links between these aspects of its being. Among the knowledge communities of Restoration London it is one of the best known and most studied, but also one of the least typical and in many respects one of the least coherent. It was also quite unlike the chartered corporations of the City of London, exercising almost none of their ordinary functions and being granted very limited power and few responsibilities. I explore the society's imaginative and material engagements with longer-established corporate bodies, institutions and knowledge communities, and show how those encounters repeatedly reshaped the early society's internal organization, outward conduct and self-understanding. Building on fundamental work by Michael Hunter, Adrian Johns, Lisa Jardine and Jim Bennett, and new archival evidence, I examine the importance of the city to the society's foundational rhetoric and the shifting orientation of its search for patronage, the development of its charter, and how it learned to interpret the limits and possibilities of its privileges through its encounters with other chartered bodies, emphasizing the contingent nature of its early development.
Criteria for classification of protein–energy wasting in dialysis patients: impact on prevalence
Authors: Gracia-Iguacel Carolina , González-Parra Emilio , Mahillo Ignacio , Ortiz Alberto
Published: May 2019

Malnutrition is highly prevalent in dialysis patients and associated with poor outcomes. In 2008, protein–energy wasting (PEW) was coined by the International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism (ISRNM), as a single pathological condition in which undernourishment and hypercatabolism converge. In 2014, a new simplified score was described using serum creatinine adjusted for body surface area (sCr/BSA) to replace a reduction of muscle mass over time in the muscle wasting category. We have now compared PEW–ISRNM 2008 and PEW-score 2014 to evaluate the prevalence of PEW and the risk of death in 109 haemodialysis patients. This was a retrospective analysis of cross sectional data with a median prospective follow-up of 20 months. The prevalence of PEW was 41 % for PEW–ISRNM 2008 and 63 % for PEW-score 2014 (P<0·002). Using PEW-score 2014: twenty-nine patients (27 %) had severe malnutrition (PEW-score 2014 0–1) and forty (37 %) with moderate malnutrition (score 2). Additionally, thirty-three (30 %) patients had mild wasting and only seven patients (6 %) presented a normal nutritional status. sCr/BSA correlated with lean total mass (R0·46.P<0·001). A diagnosis of PEW according to PEW-score 2014, but not according to PEW–ISRNM 2008, was significantly associated with short-term mortality (P=0·0349) in univariate but not in multivariate analysis (P=0·069). In conclusion, the new PEW-score 2014 incorporating sCr/BSA identifies a higher number of dialysis PEW patients than PEW–ISRNM 2008. Whereas PEW-score-2014 provides timelier and therefore more clinically relevant information, its association with early mortality needs to be confirmed in larger studies.
Japan-United States: Exchange of Letters Containing Medical Technology Procurement Agreement
Authors: Silberman Wendy , Sherman Laura
Published: May 2019

On October 1, 1994, the United States and Japan reached agreement on Japanese government procurement of medical technology products and services. This agreement consists of: (1) an exchange of letters between the Governments of Japan and the United States, which include goals, quantitative and qualitative criteria by which to evaluate progress toward the goals and consultation provisions; (2) Measures Related to Japanese Public Sector Procurement of Medical Technology Products and Services, adopted by the Government of Japan on March 29, 1994; (3) Operational Guidelines, which supplement and clarify the Measures; and (4) detailed data collection requirements.