bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Liver segmental volume and attenuation ratio (LSVAR) on portal venous CT scans improves the detection of clinically significant liver fibrosis compared to liver segmental volume ratio (LSVR)
Authors: Obmann V. C. , Marx C. , Hrycyk J. , Berzigotti A. , Ebner L. , Mertineit N. , Gräni Ch. , Heverhagen J. T. , Christe A. , Huber A. T.
Published: November 2020

Background

The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to show that the liver segmental volume and attenuation ratio (LSVAR) improves the detection of significant liver fibrosis on portal venous CT scans by adding the liver vein to cava attenuation (LVCA) to the liver segmental volume ratio (LSVR).

Material and methods

Patients who underwent portal venous phase abdominal CT scans and MR elastography (reference standard) within 3 months between 02/2016 and 05/2017 were included. The LSVAR was calculated on portal venous CT scans as LSVR*LVCA, while the LSVR represented the volume ratio between Couinaud segments I-III and IV-VIII, and the LVCA represented the density of the liver veins compared to the density in the vena cava. The LSVAR and LSVR were compared between patients with and without significantly elevated liver stiffness (based on a cutoff value of 3.5 kPa) using the Mann–Whitney U test and ROC curve analysis.

Results

The LSVR and LSVAR allowed significant differentiation between patients with (n = 19) and without (n = 122) significantly elevated liver stiffness (p < 0.001). However, the LSVAR showed a higher area under the curve (AUC = 0.96) than the LSVR (AUC = 0.74). The optimal cutoff value was 0.34 for the LSVR, which detected clinically increased liver stiffness with a sensitivity of 53% and a specificity of 88%. With a cutoff value of 0.67 for the LSVAR, the sensitivity increased to 95% while maintaining a specificity of 89%.

Conclusion

The LSVAR improves the detection of significant liver fibrosis on portal venous CT scans compared to the LSVR.
Blood plasma levels of biomarkers of liver status and lipid profile among nail technicians occupationally exposed to low-level mixture of volatile organic compounds
Authors: Grešner Peter , Król Magdalena Beata , Świercz Radosław , Gromadzińska Jolanta
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Nail technicians (NTs) are exposed to a low-level mixture of volatile organic solvents (VOCs), yet the health hazards related to such exposure are unknown. This study thus aimed to compare the blood plasma levels of selected biomarkers related to liver status and lipid profile among occupationally exposed NTs and unexposed controls. Associations between out-of-normal-range levels of such biomarkers and occupational exposure to VOCs mixture have also been investigated.

Methods

The study enrolled 145 female NTs and 152 unexposed controls. Biochemical analyses were performed using spectrophotometric assays and obtained data were analyzed using general linear model and Poisson regression modelling adjusted to multiple confounders.

Results

Compared to controls, NTs presented significantly increased plasma activities of ALT (2.04 ± 0.63 ln-U/l vs. 1.25 ± 0.71 ln-U/l; p < 0.0001) and AST (2.73 ± 0.25 ln-U/l vs. 2.08 ± 0.95 ln-U/l; p < 0.0001), and significantly increased plasma levels of TG (4.38 ± 0.53 ln-mg/dl vs. 4.21 ± 0.42 ln-mg/dl; p < 0.05) and TC/HDL ratio (1.18 ± 0.36 vs. 1.02 ± 0.27; p < 0.0005). Plasma levels of HDL were significantly lower among NTs (4.02 ± 0.29 ln-mg/dl vs. 4.21 ± 0.26 ln-mg/dl; p < 0.0001). Moreover, NTs were found to present significantly increased risk of occurrence of clinically relevant plasma HDL levels below 3.91 ln-mg/dl (i.e., 50 mg/dl; RR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.07–2.32, p < 0.05), as well as increased risk of clinically relevant TC/HDL ratio above the normal range limit of 3.5 (RR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.19–2.35, p < 0.005), as compared to unexposed controls.

Conclusion

Nail technicians are subject to adverse changes in selected plasma biomarkers related to liver functions, some of which may be of clinical relevance.
Analysis of failed therapy evaluations in radioembolization of primary and secondary liver cancers
Authors: Masthoff Max , Schindler Philipp , Harders Fabian , Heindel Walter , Wilms Christian , Schmidt Hartmut H. , Pascher Andreas , Stegger Lars , Rahbar Kambiz , Köhler Michael , Wildgruber Moritz
Published: November 2020

Purpose

To analyze patients’ characteristics and reasons for not performing planned transarterial radioembolization (TARE) in liver cancer after 99mTc-labeled macroaggregated albumin (99mTc-MAA) evaluation.

Methods

In this retrospective single-center cohort, all patients undergoing 99mTc-MAA evaluation prior to planned TARE for primary or secondary liver cancer between 2009 and 2018 were analyzed. Patients were assigned to either “TARE” or “no TARE” group. Patients’ characteristics, arising reasons for not performing the planned TARE treatment as well as predictive factors for occurrence of these causes were analyzed.

Results

436 patients [male = 248, female = 188, median age 62 (23–88) years] with 99mTc-MAA evaluation prior to planned TARE of primary or secondary liver cancer were included in this study. 148 patients (33.9%) did not receive planned TARE. Patients with a hepatic tumor burden > 50%, no liver cirrhosis, no previous therapies and a higher bilirubin were significantly more frequent in “no TARE” compared to “TARE” group. Main reasons for not performing TARE were extrahepatic tracer accumulation (n = 70, 40.5%), non-target accumulation of 99mTc-MAA (n = 27, 15.6%) or a hepatopulmonary shunt fraction of more than 20% (n = 23, 13.3%). Independent preprocedural parameters for not performing planned TARE were elevated bilirubin (p = 0.021) and creatinine (p = 0.018) and lower MELD score (p = 0.031).

Conclusion

A substantial number of patients are precluded from TARE following 99mTc-MAA evaluation, which is, therefore, implicitly needed to determine contraindications to TARE and should not be refrained from in pretreatment process. However, a preceding careful patient selection is needed especially in patients with high hepatic tumor burden and alteration in lab parameters.
Can search result summaries enhance the web search efficiency and experiences of the visually impaired users?
Authors: Aqle Aboubakr , Al-Thani Dena , Jaoua Ali
Published: November 2020

There are limited studies that are addressing the challenges of visually impaired (VI) users when viewing search results on a search engine interface by using a screen reader. This study investigates the effect of providing an overview of search results to VI users. We present a novel interactive search engine interface called InteractSE to support VI users during the results exploration stage in order to improve their interactive experience and web search efficiency. An overview of the search results is generated using an unsupervised machine learning approach to present the discovered concepts via a formal concept analysis that is domain-independent. These concepts are arranged in a multi-level tree following a hierarchical order and covering all retrieved documents that share maximal features. The InteractSE interface was evaluated by 16 legally blind users and compared with the Google search engine interface for complex search tasks. The evaluation results were obtained based on both quantitative (as task completion time) and qualitative (as participants’ feedback) measures. These results are promising and indicate that InteractSE enhances the search efficiency and consequently advances user experience. Our observations and analysis of the user interactions and feedback yielded design suggestions to support VI users when exploring and interacting with search results.
Using a multi-stakeholder approach to increase value for traditional agroforestry systems: the case of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) in Kilifi, Kenya
Authors: Meinhold Kathrin , Darr Dietrich
Published: November 2020

The baobab tree (Adansonia digitata L.) is an integral component of many dryland farming systems in sub-Sahara Africa. Such traditional agroforestry systems can foster a variety of benefits; besides positive livelihood implications baobab can particularly address food security objectives due to its highly nutritious fruits. However, many bottlenecks persist inhibiting the broader potential of indigenous trees in farming systems and their increased utilisation and commercialisation. We suggest that traditional farming systems with baobab trees can be advanced by stimulating the emergence of local markets for baobab products while promoting businesses and innovations aimed at meeting the arising market demand. Increasing the perceived value of local agroforestry products in combination with facilitating additional commercialisation pathways will in turn lead to food security and livelihood benefits. Using a multi-stakeholder approach such considerations were put into practice in Kilifi, Kenya, by initiating a community-based enterprise development producing high-quality baobab powder and oil. Initial results demonstrate behavioural changes, an improved practical knowhow with regard to baobab management and utilisation, and an increased consumption of baobab, which may already contribute to food security objectives. Baobab is increasingly seen as a valuable resource as opposed to ‘food for the poor’ and a tree possessed by evil spirits. This may lay the groundwork for further value addition activities and enterprise development in the communities. With baobab being a common, yet so far underutilised feature of local farming systems in Kilifi, activities based on its increasing commercialisation can be complementary and easily integrable to prevailing livelihood strategies.
Knock out of sHSP genes determines some modifications in the probiotic attitude of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum
Authors: Longo Angela , Russo Pasquale , Capozzi Vittorio , Spano Giuseppe , Fiocco Daniela
Published: November 2020

Objective

We investigated whether the knock out of small heat shock protein (sHSP) genes (hsp1, hsp2 and hsp3) impact on probiotic features of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum WCFS1, aiming to find specific microbial effectors involved in microbe-host interplay.

Results

The probiotic properties of L. plantarum WCFS1 wild type, hsp1, hsp2 and hsp3 mutant clones were evaluated and compared through in vitro trials. Oro-gastro-intestinal assays pointed to significantly lower survival for hsp1 and hsp2 mutants under stomach-like conditions, and for hsp3 mutant under intestinal stress. Adhesion to human enterocyte-like cells was similar for all clones, though the hsp2 mutant exhibited higher adhesiveness. L. plantarum cells attenuated the transcriptional induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines on lipopolysaccharide-treated human macrophages, with some exception for the hsp1 mutant. Intriguingly, this clone also induced a higher IL10/IL12 ratio, which is assumed to indicate the anti-inflammatory potential of probiotics.

Conclusions

sHSP genes deletion determined some differences in gut stress resistance, cellular adhesion and immuno-modulation, also implying effects on in vivo interaction with the host. HSP1 might contribute to immunomodulatory mechanisms, though additional experiments are necessary to test this feature.
Exploring Violent Cosmologies From a “Radical Interactionist” Approach
Authors: Ceretti Adolfo , Natali Lorenzo
Published: November 2020

This article advances a theoretical perspective on violent crime, using interviews with male prisoners in Italy who had perpetrated violence. By drawing on Athens’ (1992, 1997, 2007, 2017) “radical interactionism,” we propose the concept of “violent cosmology” in order to counter linear explanations of cause and effect. In an effort to complement narrative criminologists’ contributions, we seek to recognize and understand the dimensions of meaning that are accessed by social actors when they prepare and carry out a violent act, exploring the psycho-social processes that animate violent social experiences from the perspectives of perpetrators. Specifically, we suggest that a “radical interactionist” approach, in dialogue with narrative criminology, can help (1) illuminate the sources of perpetrators’ narratives; (2) explore the interplay between individuals and social structures; and (3) investigate ambiguities in the narratives of violent actors. Finally, we examine how enhancing the reflexivity of violent actors and recognizing the specificity and integrity of their lives and social experiences is a necessary precondition for understanding violent crime.
Universal Design of ICT for Emergency Management from Stakeholders’ Perspective
Authors: Gjøsæter Terje , Radianti Jaziar , Chen Weiqin
Published: November 2020

While Universal Design principles have been adopted in many areas to ensure that products and services are usable for the broadest possible diversity of users, there is still an open area when it comes to the emergency management domain. This article aims at providing a systematic overview of the current state of the emerging research field of Universal Design of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Emergency Management, and to highlight high-impact research opportunities to ensure that the increasing introduction of ICT in Emergency Management can contribute to removing barriers instead of adding more barriers, in particular for the elderly and people with disabilities. A systematic review on relevant literature on Universal Design, ICT and Emergency Management between 2008 and 2020 was employed using predefined frameworks, to answer the following questions: (1) Who are the target audiences (stakeholders) in research on Universal Design of ICT in Emergency Management in the different categories of Emergency Management ICT tools, and to what degree is Human-Centred Design and Universal Design taken into account? (2) What are the most important challenges and gaps in research on Universal Design of ICT in Emergency Management? We identify a set of gaps in the literature, indicating that there are some challenges where Universal Design is still limitedly addressed in technology development. We also derive promising future research topics based on areas that are missing in the literature.
Identifying Areas of Overlap and Distinction in Early Lexical Profiles of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Late Talkers, and Typical Talkers
Authors: Jiménez Eva , Haebig Eileen , Hills Thomas T.
Published: November 2020

This study compares the lexical composition of 118 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 12 to 84 months with 4626 vocabulary-matched typically developing toddlers with and without language delay, aged 8 to 30 months. Children with ASD and late talkers showed a weaker noun bias. Additionally, differences were identified in the proportion of nouns and verbs, and in the semantic categories of animals, toys, household items and vehicles. Most differences appear to reflect the extent of the age differences between the groups. However, children with ASD produced fewer high-social verbs than typical talkers and late talkers, a difference that might be associated with ASD features. In sum, our findings identified areas of overlap and distinction across the developing lexical profiles.
Serving Rural Veterans with Disabilities: A National Survey of Centers for Independent Living
Authors: Hale-Gallardo Jennifer , Kreider Consuelo M. , Ni Yuxin , Semeah Luz M. , Ahonle Zaccheus J. , Cowper-Ripley Diane C. , Mburu Sharon , Delisle Anthony T. , Jia Huanguang
Published: November 2020

This study comprises a systematic national examination of how Centers for Independent Living can and do support Veteran consumers, especially those living in rural communities. This research provides contextualized understanding of rural Veteran needs for community-based services and resources available through Centers for Independent Living. A survey was administered to the leadership of 383 Centers for Independent Living throughout the United States, the majority of which have rural catchment areas and serve rural Veterans through both main and satellite offices. Descriptive univariate analysis was used to describe responses. Study respondents represented a total of 39 states, with 20% of respondents reporting that their consumers were 100% rural and only 3% entirely urban. Services and supports from Centers for Independent Living provided to rural Veterans most frequently included housing, transportation, and peer support. Approximately half of all Centers for Independent Living reported tracking the status of their Veteran consumers.
Modeling of Chemical Reaction Systems with Detailed Balance Using Gradient Structures
Authors: Maas Jan , Mielke Alexander
Published: November 2020

We consider various modeling levels for spatially homogeneous chemical reaction systems, namely the chemical master equation, the chemical Langevin dynamics, and the reaction-rate equation. Throughout we restrict our study to the case where the microscopic system satisfies the detailed-balance condition. The latter allows us to enrich the systems with a gradient structure, i.e. the evolution is given by a gradient-flow equation. We present the arising links between the associated gradient structures that are driven by the relative entropy of the detailed-balance steady state. The limit of large volumes is studied in the sense of evolutionary$$\Gamma $$Γ-convergence of gradient flows. Moreover, we use the gradient structures to derive hybrid models for coupling different modeling levels.
Online vs. offline course evaluation revisited: testing the invariance of a course evaluation questionnaire using a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis framework
Authors: Laupper Ellen , Balzer Lars , Berger Jean-Louis
Published: November 2020

Survey-based formats of assessing teaching quality in higher education are widely used and will likely continue to be used by higher education institutions around the world as various global trends contributing to their widespread use further evolve. Although the use of mobile devices for course evaluation continues to grow, there remain some unresolved aspects of the classic paper and web-based modes of evaluation. In the current study, the multigroup confirmatory factor analysis approach (MGCFA), an accepted methodological approach in general mixed-method survey research, was chosen to address some of the methodological issues when comparing these two evaluation modes. By randomly assigning one of the two modes to 33 continuing training courses at a Swiss higher education institution, this study tested whether the two different modes of assessing teaching quality yield the same results. The practical implications for course evaluation practice in institutions of higher education as well as the implications and limitations of the chosen methodological approach are discussed.
Correction to: Pegvisomant in combination or pegvisomant alone after failure of somatostatin analogs in acromegaly patients: an observational French ACROSTUDY cohort study
Authors: Kuhn Emmanuelle , Caron Philippe , Delemer Brigitte , Raingeard Isabelle , Lefebvre Hervé , Raverot Gérald , Cortet-Rudelli Christine , Desailloud Rachel , Geffroy Clementine , Henocque Robin , Brault Yves , Brue Thierry , Chanson Philippe
Published: November 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Non-potable Water Quality Assessment Methodology for Water Conservation in Arid Climates
Authors: Seguela Geraldine , Littlewood J. R. , Karani G.
Published: November 2020

This paper documents a non-potable water (NPW) quality assessment methodology for a decentralized non-potable water system in Abu Dhabi (AD), capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is dominated by sandy and salty soil, high temperature, and humidity. The context is a medical facility case study (MFCS) in AD, which includes a landscape 50% as large as its building footprint. The project identified the need to investigate the impact of air handling unit (AHU) air conditioning (A/C) condensate water (CW) quality on soil health and building hydraulic systems. The aim of the research was to measure the impact of using recycled on-site NPW sources in a MFCS in AD, to alleviate the use of desalinated potable water and reduce associated energy consumption, operation cost, and greenhouse gas emissions for landscape irrigation (LI) and water feature (WF) use. CW has been tested in 2016 and in 2017 and analysed against local authority’s parameter limits to establish suitability for LI and WF use. The findings are that in AD CW classification and characterization is a gap in knowledge whereby salinity and toxicity concentration limits should be addressed by the local authority because CW has an impact on soil infiltration rate due its low dissolved salt content as evidenced by the water test results. The recommendations for this paper are to develop a sustainable water conservation and reuse (SWC) strategy forming the basis for a water protocol by the competent authority for regional medical facility including a methodology for assessing on-site NPW quality for outdoor reuse to reduce soil infiltration problems and consequently conserve water and associated energy. The next steps are to confirm if the MFCS soil infiltration rate is affected by the CW or other factors, and to test additional NPW types.
Predicting Violence in Merseyside: a Network-Based Approach Using No Demographic Information
Authors: Campana Paolo , Giovannetti Andrea
Published: November 2020

Purpose

We explore how we can best predict violent attacks with injury using a limited set of information on (a) previous violence, (b) previous knife and weapon carrying, and (c) violence-related behaviour of known associates, without analysing any demographic characteristics.

Data

Our initial data set consists of 63,022 individuals involved in 375,599 events that police recorded in Merseyside (UK) from 1 January 2015 to 18 October 2018.

Methods

We split our data into two periods: T1 (initial 2 years) and T2 (the remaining period). We predict “violence with injury” at time T2 as defined by Merseyside Police using the following individual-level predictors at time T1: violence with injury; involvement in a knife incident and involvement in a weapon incident. Furthermore, we relied on social network analysis to reconstruct the network of associates at time T1 (co-offending network) for those individuals who have committed violence at T2, and built three additional network-based predictors (associates’ violence; associates’ knife incident; associates’ weapon incident). Finally, we tackled the issue of predicting violence (a) through a series of robust logistic regression models using a bootstrapping method and (b) through a specificity/sensitivity analysis.

Findings

We found that 7720 individuals committed violence with injury at T2. Of those, 2004 were also present at T1 (27.7%) and co-offended with a total of 7202 individuals.

Regression models suggest that previous violence at time T1 is the strongest predictor of future violence (with an increase in odds never smaller than 123%), knife incidents and weapon incidents at the individual level have some predictive power (but only when no information on previous violence is considered), and the behaviour of one’s associates matters. Prior association with a violent individual and prior association with a knife-flagged individual were the two strongest network predictors, with a slightly stronger effect for knife flags. The best performing regressors are (a) individual past violence (36% of future violence cases correctly identified); (b) associates’ past violence (25%); and (c) associates’ knife involvement (14%). All regressors are characterised by a very high level of specificity in predicting who will not commit violence (80% or more).

Conclusions

Network-based indicators add to the explanation of future violence, especially prior association with a knife-flagged individual and association with a violent individual. Information about the knife involvement of associates appears to be more informative than a subject’s own prior knife involvement.
Pseudo-dimension of quantum circuits
Authors: Caro Matthias C. , Datta Ishaun
Published: November 2020

We characterize the expressive power of quantum circuits with the pseudo-dimension, a measure of complexity for probabilistic concept classes. We prove pseudo-dimension bounds on the output probability distributions of quantum circuits; the upper bounds are polynomial in circuit depth and number of gates. Using these bounds, we exhibit a class of circuit output states out of which at least one has exponential gate complexity of state preparation, and moreover demonstrate that quantum circuits of known polynomial size and depth are PAC-learnable.
Smart specialization strategies—insights gained from a unique European policy experiment on innovation and industrial policy design
Authors: Foray Dominique , Eichler Martin , Keller Michael
Published: November 2020

This paper aims to develop a coherent vision and detailed methodology of the policy approach that is evoked by the term “smart specialisation strategy” (S3), and to explore and elaborate the requirements and implications in terms of design and implementation that are consistent with that policy concept. As such, the paper addresses the issue of designing an innovation policy whose goal is the creation and development of networks of innovators in order to generate some desired structural changes within the framework of a regional economy.
Hematotoxic Snakebite Victim with Trauma: The Role of Guided Transfusion, Rotational Thromboelastometry, and Tranexamic Acid
Authors: Abraham Siju V. , Hakkeem Bezalel , Mathew Deo , Rafi Aboobacker Mohamed , Poomali Aruvi , Thomas Joe , Kassyap C.K.
Published: November 2020

Hematotoxic snake bite is a leading cause of mortality in South India. However, it is rare for the emergency physician to encounter a patient with trauma associated with snakebite. Management of such a patient differs substantially from the routine management of either a trauma patient or a snakebite victim. A 59-y-old man was bitten by a snake, after which he lost consciousness, fell, and sustained facial trauma. He was rushed to the emergency department within 30 min and was discovered to have ongoing oromaxillofacial bleeding. His respiratory distress and gasping respirations warranted orotracheal intubation and ventilation. He was treated with anti-snake venom and underwent viscoelastometry-guided transfusion to correct coagulopathy. Hemostasis was achieved after administration of tranexamic acid and bilateral posterior nasal packing. Imaging studies revealed craniomaxillofacial trauma with intracranial hemorrhage. He underwent a delayed mandibular repair. Judicious, guided fluid management, adequate nutrition, and prompt weaning off the ventilator allowed early discharge of the patient from the hospital. The minimal weakness present in his left lower limb at the time of discharge had improved by the time of follow-up. This report shows the utility of early and rapid anti-snake venom in envenomated victims with coagulopathy. The role of cryoprecipitate, tranexamic acid, and viscoelastometric testing needs further exploration in specific hematotoxic snakebites.
A Handbook of Primary Commodities in the Global Economy
Authors: Radetzki Marian , Wårell Linda
Published: November 2020

The dramatic price falls of 2014–2015 marked the end of the most powerful and enduring commodity boom since the Second World War. Now in its third edition, this book acts as a guide to the ins and outs of the primary commodity universe. Updates to this edition reflect on the consequences of both China's economic slowdown as its industrialization enters a new, less commodity demanding phase, and changes in the USA's trade policy under the Trump administration. Additionally, this edition takes into account recent developments in world oil markets and examines the effects of increased climate concerns. The authors introduce and explain pertinent issues surrounding international commodity markets such as the global geography of raw materials, price formation, price trends, the role of commodity exchanges, the threat of depletion, cartel action, state ownership, emerging commodity nationalism and more.
Technologies of the Novel
Authors: Paige Nicholas D.
Published: November 2020

Based on a systematic sampling of nearly 2000 French and English novels from 1601 to 1830, this book's foremost aim is to ask precisely how the novel evolved. Instead of simply 'rising', as scholars have been saying for some sixty years, the novel is in fact a system in constant flux, made up of artifacts – formally distinct novel types – that themselves rise, only to inevitably fall. Nicholas D. Paige argues that these artifacts are technologies, each with traceable origins, each needing time for adoption (at the expense of already developed technologies) and also for abandonment. Like technological waves in more physical domains, the rises and falls of novelistic technologies don't happen automatically: writers invent and adopt literary artifacts for many diverse reasons. However, looking not at individual works but at the novel as a patterned system provides a startlingly persuasive new way of understanding the history and evolution of artforms.
The Cambridge Grammar of Medieval and Early Modern Greek
Authors: Holton David , Horrocks Geoffrey , Janssen Marjolijne , Lendari Tina , Manolessou Io , Toufexis Notis
Published: November 2020

The Greek language has a written history of more than 3,000 years. While the classical, Hellenistic and modern periods of the language are well researched, the intermediate stages are much less well known, but of great interest to those curious to know how a language changes over time. The geographical area where Greek has been spoken stretches from the Aegean Islands to the Black Sea and from Southern Italy and Sicily to the Middle East, largely corresponding to former territories of the Byzantine Empire and its successor states. This Grammar draws on a comprehensive corpus of literary and non-literary texts written in various forms of the vernacular to document the processes of change between the eleventh and eighteenth centuries, processes which can be seen as broadly comparable to the emergence of the Romance languages from Medieval Latin. Regional and dialectal variation in phonology and morphology are treated in detail.
A new approach to inferring basal drag and ice rheology in ice streams, with applications to West Antarctic Ice Streams
Authors: Ranganathan Meghana , Minchew Brent , Meyer Colin R. , Gudmundsson G. Hilmar
Published: November 2020

Drag at the bed and along the lateral margins are the primary forces resisting flow in outlet glaciers. Simultaneously inferring these parameters is challenging since basal drag and ice viscosity are coupled in the momentum balance, which governs ice flow. We test the ability of adjoint-based inverse methods to infer the slipperiness coefficient in a power-law sliding law and the flow-rate parameter in the constitutive relation for ice using a regularization scheme that includes coefficients weighted by surface strain rates. Using synthetic data with spatial variations in basal drag and ice rheology comparable to those in West Antarctic Ice Streams, we show that this approach allows for more accurate inferences. We apply this method to Bindschadler and MacAyeal Ice Streams in West Antarctica. Our results show relatively soft ice in the shear margins and spatially varying basal drag, with an increase in drag with distance upstream of the grounding line punctuated by localized areas of relatively high drag. We interpret soft ice to reflect a combination of heating through viscous dissipation and changes in the crystalline structure. These results suggest that adjoint-based inverse methods can provide inferences of basal drag and ice rheology when regularization is informed by strain rates.
Meetings Between Strangers in the Nordic Bronze Age: The Evidence of Southern Swedish Rock Art
Authors: Bradley Richard , Nimura Courtney , Skoglund Peter
Published: November 2020

Recent research has established that south Scandinavia during the Nordic Bronze Age was entirely dependent on imported metal. It was obviously in contact with other parts of Europe and must have participated in a system of long-distance exchange. It is not clear how it would have operated, but it helps to explain the importance of watercraft and drawings of distinctive artefacts in the rock art on the Baltic and Atlantic coasts. A different group of images can be associated with inland areas where the art has a more restricted lexicon. Can the borderland between these traditions shed any light on the relationship between the seashore and the interior, and might this help to identify places where artefacts changed hands? This paper presents the results of fieldwork between Lakes Vänern and Vättern in Västra Götaland county, southern Sweden. It considers the character of inland rock art and whether some locations with more complex panels were used as ‘aggregation sites’.
Chiral smoothings of knots
Authors: Livingston Charles
Published: November 2020

Can smoothing a single crossing in a diagram for a knot convert it into a diagram of the knot's mirror image? Zeković found such a smoothing for the torus knot T(2, 5), and Moore–Vazquez proved that such smoothings do not exist for other torus knots T(2, m) with m odd and square free. The existence of such a smoothing implies that K # K bounds a Mobius band in B4. We use Casson–Gordon theory to provide new obstructions to the existence of such chiral smoothings. In particular, we remove the constraint that m be square free in the Moore–Vazquez theorem, with the exception of m = 9, which remains an open case. Heegaard Floer theory provides further obstructions; these do not give new information in the case of torus knots of the form T(2, m), but they do provide strong constraints for other families of torus knots. A more general question asks, for each pair of knots K and J, what is the minimum number of smoothings that are required to convert a diagram of K into one for J. The methods presented here can be applied to provide lower bounds on this number.
‘It's Not Gossip, It's True’: Denunciation and Social Control during the Guatemalan Armed Conflict (1970–85)
Authors: Janssens Joren F.
Published: November 2020

Practices of denunciation are at once ubiquitous and marginalised in literature on the Guatemalan armed conflict. Meanwhile, ordinary Guatemalans who spontaneously denounced neighbours, former friends and fellow villagers have largely escaped scrutiny in scholarly work on low-level perpetrators. Departing from untapped confidential documents in the Historical Archive of the National Police, this article provides the first archival study of denunciatory behaviour during the Guatemalan Civil War, specifically at the height of the conflict (1970–85). This contribution reveals both the strategic considerations that spurred state intelligence apparatuses to elicit civilian information as well as the broad range of personal, opportunistic and strategic motives that drove civilians to denounce. The case study questions scholarly consensus on the spontaneous and voluntary character of denunciation by arguing that besides providing novel pathways for opportunistic action, denunciations also opened up new strategies for survival in the face of a civil war that structured available choices.
Work at age 62: expectations and realisations among recent cohorts of Americans
Authors: Abrams Leah R. , Clarke Philippa J. , Mehta Neil K.
Published: November 2020

Much remains unknown about how the 2008 Great Recession, coupled with the ageing baby-boomer cohort, have shaped retirement expectations and realised retirement timing across diverse groups of older Americans. Using the Health and Retirement Study (1992–2016), we compared expectations about full-time work at age 62 (reported at ages 51–61) with realised labour force status at age 62. Of the 12,049 respondents, 34 per cent reported no chance of working full time at 62 (zero probability) and 21 per cent reported it was very likely (90–100 probability). Among those reporting no chance of working, there was a 0.111 probability of unmet expectations; among those with high expectations of working, there was a 0.430 probability of unmet expectations. Black and Hispanic Americans were more likely than white Americans to have unmet expectations of both types. Educational attainment was associated with higher probability of unexpectedly working and lower probability of unexpectedly not working. Baby-boomers experienced fewer unmet expectations than prior cohorts but more uncertainty about work status at 62. Our findings highlight the unpredictability of retirement timing for significant segments of the US population and the role of the Great Recession in contributing to uncertainty. Given the individual and societal benefits of long work lives, special attention should be paid to the high rates of unexpectedly not working at age 62.
The role of simulation in imagery rescripting for post-traumatic stress disorder: a single case series
Authors: Looney Kathy , El-Leithy Sharif , Brown Gary
Published: November 2020

Background:

Imagery rescripting (ImRs) is an experiential therapy technique used to change the content and meaning of intrusive imagery in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by imagining alternative endings to traumatic events. There is growing evidence that ImRs is an effective treatment for PTSD; however, little is known about how it brings about change.

Aims:

This study aimed to explore the role of mental simulation as a candidate mechanism of action in ImRs, and, specifically, whether well-simulated imagery rescripts are associated with greater change in symptom severity during ImRs.

Method:

Using a single-case experimental design, seven participants receiving cognitive therapy for PTSD were assessed before, during and after sessions of imagery rescripting for one intrusive image. Participants completed continuous symptom severity measures. Sessions were recorded, then coded for goodness of simulation (GOS) as well as additional factors (e.g. rescript believability, vividness).

Results:

Participants were divided into high- and low-responders and coding was compared across groups. Correlational analyses were supported by descriptive analysis of individual sessions. High-responders’ rescripts tended to be rated as well-simulated compared with those of low-responders. Specific factors (e.g. intensity of thoughts/emotions related to original and new imagery elements, level of cognitive and emotional shift and belief in the resultant rescript) were also associated with reductions in symptom severity.

Conclusions:

There was tentative evidence that well-simulated rescripted images tended to be associated with greater reductions in symptom severity of the target image. Clinical implications and avenues for further research are discussed.
Multiple burdens of malnutrition and relative remoteness in rural Ecuadorian communities
Authors: Lee Gwenyth O , Gutierrez Cynthia , Castro Morillo Nancy , Cevallos William , Jones Andrew D , Eisenberg Joseph NS
Published: November 2020

Objective:

Social and economic changes associated with new roads can bring about rapid nutritional transitions. To study this process, we: (1) describe trends in adult overweight and obesity (OW/OB) among rural Afro-Ecuadorians over time and across a gradient of community remoteness from the nearest commercial centre; (2) examine the relationship between male and female adult OW/OB and factors associated with market integration such as changing livelihoods and (3) examine the co-occurrence of adult OW/OB and under-five stunting and anaemia.

Design:

Adult anthropometry was collected through serial case–control studies repeated over a decade across twenty-eight communities. At the same time, anthropometry and Hb were measured for all children under 5 years of age in every community.

Setting:

Northern coastal Ecuador.

Participants:

Adults (n 1665) and children under 5 years of age (n 2618).

Results:

From 2003 and 2013, OW/OB increased from 25·1 % to 44·8 % among men and 59·9 % to 70·2 % among women. The inverse relationship between remoteness and OW/OB in men was attenuated when adjusting for urban employment, suggesting that livelihoods mediated the remoteness–OW/OB relationship. No such relationship was observed among women. Communities with a higher prevalence of male OW/OB also had a greater prevalence of stunting, but not anaemia, in children under 5 years of age.

Conclusions:

The association between male OW/OB and child stunting at the community level, but not the household level, suggests that changing food environments, rather than household- or individual-level factors, drove these trends. A closer examination of changing socio-economic structures and food environments in communities undergoing rapid development could help mitigate future public health burdens.
IMPLEMENTATION OF HIGH-ORDER, DISCONTINUOUS GALERKIN TIME STEPPING FOR FRACTIONAL DIFFUSION PROBLEMS
Authors: MCLEAN WILLIAM
Published: November 2020

The discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method provides a robust and flexible technique for the time integration of fractional diffusion problems. However, a practical implementation uses coefficients defined by integrals that are not easily evaluated. We describe specialized quadrature techniques that efficiently maintain the overall accuracy of the DG method. In addition, we observe in numerical experiments that known superconvergence properties of DG time stepping for classical diffusion problems carry over in a modified form to the fractional-order setting.
ASYMPTOTIC BEHAVIOUR OF THE STOCHASTIC MAKI–THOMPSON MODEL WITH A FORGETTING MECHANISM ON OPEN POPULATIONS
Authors: LI HAIJIAO , YANG KUAN
Published: November 2020

Rumours have become part of our daily lives, and their spread has a negative impact on a variety of human affairs. Therefore, how to control the spread of rumours is an important topic. In this paper, we extend the classic Maki–Thompson model from a deterministic framework to a stochastic framework with a forgetting mechanism, because real-world person-to-person communications are inevitably affected by random factors. By constructing suitable stochastic Lyapunov functions, we show that the asymptotic behaviour of the stochastic rumour model is governed by the basic reproductive number. If this number is less than one, then the solution of the stochastic rumour model oscillates around the rumour-free equilibrium under extra mild conditions, indicating the extinction of the rumour with a probability of one. Otherwise, the solution always fluctuates around the endemic equilibrium under certain parametric restrictions, implying that the rumour will continually persist. In addition, we discuss a possible intervention strategy that stops the spread of rumours by strengthening the intensity of white noise, which is very different from the deterministic rumour model without white noise. Also, numerical simulations are conducted to support our analytical results.
Teaching end-of-life preparation to African Americans
Authors: Pruitt Delicia , Weber Kirsten , Ragina Neli
Published: November 2020

Objective

This is a pilot study with a primary goal to develop an effective, targeted educational intervention that can serve as a teaching tool to educate African American (AA) population, especially the elderly, on options of end of life (EOL) prior to critical care.

Method

We first assessed the level of preparation for EOL in the AA community through a survey instrument. The survey was used to determine the deficits in knowledge in AA population in Mid-Michigan regarding EOL choices before and after the educational intervention. Paired-sample t-test was used to assess changes in understanding about EOL planning options. Regressions analysis was used to assess these changes while including several demographic covariates. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Our pilot data indicated that the educational intervention could be used as an effective teaching tool in educating AA population on EOL choices.

Significance of results

AA patients are more likely to choose life-sustaining measures at the end of their lives compared to other ethnic groups despite terminal illness. This decision is partly based on lack of knowledge of the available options of care at the EOL. Due to multiple life-sustaining measures, the AA patients are not receiving the care to help them peacefully die. This study provides evidence that physicians will need to increase their educational efforts with the AA population to help them better understand EOL options. An educational tool like the one developed in this study may be helpful and lessen the time of education so that the physician can answer any questions at the end of the session and also empower individuals and communities to take an active role in creating a culture of wellness at the EOL and decreasing morbidity.
Survivorship Bias in Comparative Politics: Endogenous Sovereignty and the Resource Curse
Authors: Waldner David , Smith Benjamin
Published: November 2020

Cross-national statistical research based on “all country” data sets involves no deliberate selection and hence ignores the potential for endogenous selection bias. We show that these designs are prone to selection bias if existing units are subject to differential survival rates induced, in part, by treatment. Using rudimentary graph theory, we present survivorship bias as a form of collider bias, which is related to but distinct from selection on the dependent variable. Because collider bias is always relative to a specific causal model, we present a causal model of post-colonial sovereignty on the Arabian Peninsula, show that it implies survivorship bias in the form of false positives with respect to the political resource curse, and provide historical evidence confirming that the model correctly depicts the creation of sovereign countries on the Arabian Peninsula but not elsewhere. When we correct for endogenous selection bias, the effect of oil on autocratic survival is shown to be negligible. The study motivates the need to think more broadly about the nature of the data-generating process when making causal inferences with observational data and to construct statistical models that are sensitive to treatment heterogeneity and rooted in context-specific knowledge and qualitative inferences.
Pandemics and soft power: HIV/AIDS and Uganda on the global stage
Authors: Doyle Shane
Published: November 2020

The COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 threatened years of effort by the Chinese authorities to extend its influence around the world. This article seeks to enhance understanding of China’s defensive engagement with global health agencies, and more broadly of the relationship between pandemics and soft power, through an analysis of Uganda’s evolving response to HIV/AIDS. As with COVID-19, HIV/AIDS presented a fundamental threat not only to countries’ internal social stability and population health, but also to governmental legitimacy and nation-states’ international reputation. HIV, however, also provided Uganda with an opportunity to enhance its global standing, influence international policy, and achieve national reconstruction. This case study highlights the importance of viewing international affairs from the perspective of the Global South. It argues that the very weakness of Uganda, and the structural marginality of HIV/AIDS, provided the leverage which would in the end deliver radical shifts within global health.