bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of high cost sharing and targeted therapy initiation among elderly Medicare patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Li Pengxiang , Wong Yu‐Ning , Jahnke Jordan , Pettit Amy R. , Doshi Jalpa A.
Published: December 2017

High out‐of‐pocket costs may limit access to oral therapies covered by patients’ prescription drug benefits. We explored financial barriers to treatment initiation in patients newly diagnosed with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) by comparing Medicare Part D patients with low out‐of‐pocket costs due to receipt of full low‐income subsidies (LIS beneficiaries) to their counterparts who were responsible for more than 25% cost sharing during Medicare's initial coverage phase (non‐LIS beneficiaries). We used 2011–2013 100% Medicare claims for non‐LIS and LIS beneficiaries newly diagnosed with metastases in the liver, lung, or bone to examine targeted therapy treatment initiation rates and time to initiation for (1) oral medications (sorafenib, sunitinib, everolimus, pazopanib, or axitinib) covered under Medicare's prescription drug benefit (Part D); (2) injected or infused medications (temsirolimus or bevacizumab) covered by Medicare's medical benefit (Part B); and (3) any (Part D or Part B) targeted therapy. The final sample included 1721 patients. On average, non‐LIS patients were responsible for out‐of‐pocket costs of ≥$2,800 for their initial oral prescription, as compared to ≤$6.60 for LIS patients. Compared to LIS patients, a lower percentage of non‐LIS patients initiated oral therapies (risk‐adjusted rates, 20.7% vs. 33.9%; odds ratio [OR] = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.36–0.67, P < 0.001) and any targeted therapies (26.7% vs. 40.4%, OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.38–0.71, P < 0.001). Non‐LIS patients were also slower to access therapy. High cost sharing was associated with reduced and/or delayed access to targeted therapies under Medicare Part D, suggesting that financial barriers play a role in treatment decisions.
Take some time to invest for the future
Authors: Zacarese Lawrence M.
Published: December 2017

A penny saved is a penny earned. A stitch in time saves nine. Work now, play later. Three different and well‐known phrases, all with a slightly different meaning but interrelated nonetheless. Each phrase speaks, sort of prophetically, about thinking in the present but planning for the future. Save a few dollars by not spending them and you may have extra money down the line. Don't rush through something, and perhaps you will do the job right the first time. Spend the effort and focus on the task at hand so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor afterward. Life and our professional careers are similar to these historic pieces of important advice.
Boost community engagement to gain buy‐in for initiatives
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: December 2017

When officials at Villanova University decided to transition the public safety division to a sworn police force, the decision was met with many questions and significant concern from community members. The decision propelled the unit to increase community engagement, “some pleasant, some not so pleasant,” said David Tedjeske, director of public safety and chief of police.
Whole‐Cell Cascade Biotransformations for One‐Pot Multistep Organic Synthesis
Authors: Wu Shuke , Li Zhi
Published: December 2017

Performing one‐pot multi‐catalysis reactions is a revolutionary tool for multistep synthesis, representing a fast‐developing theme in catalysis field. To develop cascade reactions, enzymes are ideal catalysts due to their compatible reaction conditions. The implementation of enzyme cascades in recombinant microbial cells provides easily available self‐replicating catalysts for facile one‐pot biotransformations to produce a wide range of high‐value (chiral) chemicals. In this minireview, we summarize the recent development of whole‐cell cascade biotransformations according to the types of substrates, ranging from petrochemicals to biochemicals. Furthermore, we provide general instructions for the establishment of in vivo enzyme cascades, discuss the encountered problems and the corresponding solutions, and highlight the promising directions for future advance.
Tetrahedral Nickel(II) Phosphosilicate Single‐Site Selective Propane Dehydrogenation Catalyst
Authors: Zhang Guanghui , Yang Ce , Miller Jeffrey T.
Published: December 2017

Silica‐supported Ni catalysts usually show poor stability, low selectivity, and short lifetime in high‐temperature alkane dehydrogenation reactions owing to the reduction to Ni0 nanoparticles under the reaction conditions. The introduction of a phosphate ligand to silica‐supported NiII provided single‐site tetrahedral NiII phosphosilicate as a stable and selective propane dehydrogenation catalyst. The NiII−OSi bonds activate the C−H bonds of propane and make the NiII sites catalytically active, whereas the Ni−OP bonds prevent the reduction of NiII to Ni0 under the dehydrogenation conditions and help to achieve high stability and selectivity.
Chemical Engineering in Korea
Authors: Kang Jeon Won
Published: December 2017

No abstract.
Stable NCNgNSi (Ng=Kr, Xe, Rn) Compounds with Covalently Bound C‐Ng‐N Unit: Possible Isomerization of NCNSi through the Release of the Noble Gas Atom
Authors: Pan Sudip , Jana Gourhari , Ravell Estefanía , Zarate Ximena , Osorio Edison , Merino Gabriel , Chattaraj Pratim K.
Published: December 2017

Although the noble gas (Ng) compounds with either Ng−C or Ng−N bonds have been reported in the literature, compounds containing both bonds are not known. The first set of systems having a C‐Ng‐N bonding unit is predicted herein through the analysis of stability and bonding in the NCNgNSi (Ng=Kr–Rn) family. While the Xe and Rn inserted analogues are thermochemically stable with respect to all dissociation channels, but for the one producing CNSiN and free Ng, NCKrNSi has another additional three‐body dissociation channel, NCKrNSi→CN+Kr+NSi, which is exergonic by −9.8 kcal mol−1at 298 K. This latter dissociation can be hindered by lowering the temperature. Moreover, the NCNgNSi→Ng+CNSiN dissociation is also kinetically prohibited by a quite high free energy barrier ranging from 25.2 to 39.3 kcal mol−1, with a gradual increase in going from Kr to Rn. Therefore, these compounds are appropriate candidates for experimental realization. A detailed bonding analysis by employing natural bond orbital, electron density, energy decomposition, and adaptive natural density partitioning analyses indicates that both Ng−N and C−Ng bonds in the title compounds are covalent in nature. In fact, the latter analysis indicates the presence of delocalized 3c–3e σ‐bond within the C‐Ng‐N moiety and a totally delocalized 5c–2e σ‐bond in these compounds. This is an unprecedented bonding characteristic in the sense that the bonding pattern in Ng inserted compounds is generally represented as the presence of covalent bond in one side of Ng, and the ionic interaction in the other side. Further, the dissociation of Ng from NCNgNSi facilitates the formation of a higher energy isomer of NCNSi, CNSiN, which cannot be formed from bare NCNSi as such, because of the very high free energy barrier associated with the isomeric transformation. Therefore, in the presence of Ng atoms it might be possible to detect the high energy isomer.
Porphyrin‐Based Air‐Stable Helical Radicals
Authors: Kato Kenichi , Furukawa Ko , Mori Tadashi , Osuka Atsuhiro
Published: December 2017

Stable helical radicals are promising multi‐functional molecules in light of intriguing magnetic and chiroptical properties. Attempts were made to extend diphenylmethyl‐fused NiII porphyrin radical to helical system as the first air‐stable organic neutral helical radicals. Intramolecular Pd‐catalyzed twofold C−H arylation of methyl‐ or methoxy‐introduced meso‐diphenylmethyl NiII porphyrins gave a mixture of the target and rearranged radicals. Oxidative fusion reaction of meso‐(bis(1‐naphthyl)methyl) NiII porphyrins provided doubly fused NiII porphyrin radicals. One of the helical radicals was separated into enantiomers that showed mirror‐image circular dichroism (CD) spectra up to 1300 nm. The helical dinaphthylmethyl‐fused NiII porphyrin radical displayed solid‐state magnetic property mostly arising from monomeric radicals, different from the parent diphenylmethyl‐fused NiII porphyrin radical that showed antiferromagnetic coupling due to π‐stacked pairing.
ProcessNet – Fluiddynamik und Trenntechnik (FDTT) – eine Erfolgsstory
Authors: Bart Hans‐Jörg
Published: December 2017

No abstract.
Intraindividual Pharmacokinetic Variability: Focus on Small‐Molecule Kinase Inhibitors
Authors: Chatelut Etienne , Bruno René , Ratain Mark J.
Published: December 2017

The magnitude of interindividual pharmacokinetic variability (IIV) of a drug and the factors responsible for this variability are intensively studied before—and sometimes after—registration as crucial information in anticipating and understanding variability in toxicity and efficacy. However, there has been much less attention paid to intraindividual variability, reflecting random or systematic changes in an individual's pharmacokinetics over time. We have chosen to focus on small‐molecule kinase inhibitors (SMKIs).
Memristor‐enhanced humanoid robot control system – Part II: Circuit theoretic model and performance analysis
Authors: Baumann D. , Ascoli A. , Tetzlaff R. , Chua L.O. , Hild M.
Published: December 2017

Neuromorphic circuits shall be considered in electronics to perform complex computing tasks in a time‐efficient and energy‐efficient fashion and to adapt their problem‐solving methodologies to changes in initial conditions and parameters. One of the key biological paradigms at the basis of their operation, allowing them to exhibit higher performance levels as compared with state‐of‐the‐art electronic systems, is the mem‐computing functionality, i.e. the capability to process and store data in the same physical location, which represents the core principle to overcome the time inefficiency of von Neumann machine architectures. With the advent of memristors, the interest in the exploitation of this principle to develop dynamic circuits for the implementation of innovative signal processing strategies has grown considerably. Here, we leverage the mem‐computing capability inherent in these devices to propose an innovative control system for motion control in a humanoid robot. In the part I paper, we introduced the paradigm theoretic foundations. In this part II manuscript, we propose circuit‐theoretic models for the new control system based upon an ideal and upon a physical memristor model and demonstrate through numerical simulations how it outperforms the old approach in terms of time‐efficiency and energy‐efficiency, maintaining a good degree of adaptability to changes in environmental conditions.
Excitation of hydrogen atom by ultrashort laser pulses in optically dense plasma
Authors: Calisti A. , Astapenko V.A. , Lisitsa V.S.
Published: December 2017

The features of excitation of a hydrogen atom by ultrashort laser pulses (USP) with a Gaussian envelope in optically dense plasma at a Lyman‐beta transition are studied theoretically. The problem is of interest for diagnostics of optically dense media. USP have two doubtless advantages over conventional laser excitation: (a) the USP carrier frequency is shifted to the region of short wavelengths allowing exciting atoms from the ground state and (b) the wide spectrum of USP allows them to penetrate into optically dense media to much longer distances as compared with monochromatic radiation. As actual realistic cases, two examples are considered: hot rarefied plasma (the coronal limit) and dense cold plasma (the Boltzmann equilibrium). Universal expressions for the total probability of excitation of the transition under consideration are obtained in view of absorption of radiation in a medium. As initial data for the spectral form of a line, the results of calculations by methods of molecular dynamics are used. The probability of excitation of an atom is analysed for different values of problem parameters: the pulse duration, the optical thickness of a medium, and the detuning of the pulse carrier frequency from the eigenfrequency of an electron transition.
Population genetic structure of the endemic rosewoods Dalbergia cochinchinensis and D. oliveri at a regional scale reflects the Indochinese landscape and life‐history traits
Authors: Hartvig Ida , So Thea , Changtragoon Suchitra , Tran Hoa Thi , Bouamanivong Somsanith , Theilade Ida , Kjær Erik Dahl , Nielsen Lene Rostgaard
Published: December 2017

Indochina is a biodiversity hot spot and harbors a high number of endemic species, most of which are poorly studied. This study explores the genetic structure and reproductive system of the threatened endemic timber species Dalbergia cochinchinensis and Dalbergia oliveri using microsatellite data from populations across Indochina and relates it to landscape characteristics and life‐history traits. We found that the major water bodies in the region, Mekong and Tonle Sap, represented barriers to gene flow and that higher levels of genetic diversity were found in populations in the center of the distribution area, particularly in Cambodia. We suggest that this pattern is ancient, reflecting the demographic history of the species and possible location of refugia during earlier time periods with limited forest cover, which was supported by signs of old genetic bottlenecks. The D. oliveri populations had generally high levels of genetic diversity (mean He = 0.73), but also strong genetic differentiation among populations (global GST = 0.13), while D. cochinchinensis had a moderate level of genetic diversity (mean He = 0.55), and an even stronger level of differentiation (global GST = 0.25). These differences in genetic structure can be accounted for by a higher level of gene flow in D. oliveri due to a higher dispersal capacity, but also by the broader distribution area for D. oliveri, and the pioneer characteristics of D. cochinchinensis. This study represents the first detailed analysis of landscape genetics for tree species in Indochina, and the found patterns might be common for other species with similar ecology.
Regional patterns of declining butternut (Juglans cinereaL.) suggest site characteristics for restoration
Authors: Morin Randall S. , Gottschalk Kurt W. , Ostry Michael E. , Liebhold Andrew M.
Published: December 2017

Butternut trees dying from a canker disease were first reported in southwestern Wisconsin in 1967. Since then, the disease has caused extensive mortality of butternut throughout its North American range. The objectives of this study were to quantify changes in butternut populations and density across its range and identify habitat characteristics of sites where butternut is surviving in order to locate regions for potential butternut restoration. The natural range of butternut (Juglans cinereaL.) extends over a large region of eastern N. America encompassing New Brunswick south to North Carolina, north to Minnesota, and southwest to Missouri. Despite the species’ large range, it is typically not a common tree, comprising a relatively minor component of several different forest types. We evaluated change in butternut abundance and volume from current and historic data from 21 states in the eastern United States. We related abundance and volume at two time periods to a suite of ecological and site factors in order to characterize site conditions where butternut survived. We also assessed the current level of butternut mortality across its range. Since the 1980s, the number of butternut trees and butternut volume have decreased by 58% and 44%, respectively, across itsUSrange. Substantial relative decreases in tree numbers and volume occurred in most ecoregion sections. Five environmental variables were found to be significant predictors of butternut presence. The potential impacts of butternut canker are particularly acute as the canker pathogen invasion pushes a rare tree species toward extinction, at least at a local scale. Based on the results presented here, large‐diameter maple/beech/birch stands in dry, upland sites in eastern Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and upstate New York appear to offer the most favorable conditions for butternut growth and survival and thus may be the best stands for planting resistant butternut trees.
Superiority of capsaicin 8% patch versus oral pregabalin on dynamic mechanical allodynia in patients with peripheral neuropathic pain
Authors: Cruccu G. , Nurmikko T.J. , Ernault E. , Riaz F.K. , McBride W.T. , Haanpää M.
Published: December 2017

Background

Dynamic Mechanical Allodynia (DMA) is a typical symptom of neuropathic pain (NP). In a recent study, the capsaicin 8% patch was noninferior to pregabalin in overall peripheral NP relief. In this study, we report the comparison of the two treatments in relieving DMA.

Methods

In a randomized, open‐label, head‐to‐head, 8‐week study, 488 patients with peripheral NP were treated with the capsaicin 8% patch (one application) or an optimized dose of pregabalin. Assessments included the area and intensity of DMA, and the number of patients achieving complete resolution of DMA.

Results

At baseline, 253 patients in the capsaicin 8% patch group and 235 patients in the pregabalin group had DMA. From baseline to end of study, the change in DMA intensity was significantly in favour of the capsaicin 8% patch versus pregabalin [−0.63 (95% CI: −1.04, −0.23; p = 0.002)]. Similarly, the capsaicin 8% patch was superior to pregabalin in reducing the area of DMA [−39.5 cm2 (95% CI: −69.1, −10.0; p = 0.009)] from baseline to end of study. Overall, a greater proportion of patients had a complete resolution of allodynia with capsaicin 8% patch treatment compared with pregabalin treatment (24.1% vs. 12.3%; p = 0.001) at end of study.

Conclusion

Capsaicin 8% treatment was superior to pregabalin in reducing the intensity and area of DMA, and in the number of patients with complete resolution of DMA.

Significance

The superiority of a topical treatment over pregabalin in relieving DMA supports the view that both peripheral and central sensitization can mediate allodynia.
Sharing of prescription analgesics amongst patients in family practice: Frequency and associated factors
Authors: Markotic F. , Jurisic D. , Curkovic M. , Puljiz M. , Novinscak M. , Bonassin K. , Vrdoljak D. , Vojvodic Z. , Permozer Hajdarovic S. , Pekez‐Pavlisko T. , Tomicic M. , Diminic‐Lisica I. , Fabris Ivsic S. , Nejasmic D. , Miosic I. , Novak I. , Puljak L.
Published: December 2017

Objective

To analyse the frequency of nonrecreational prescription analgesic sharing, associated factors and differences between lenders and borrowers.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted in 10 outpatient family medicine practices in Croatia amongst 1000 patients to whom their physicians have prescribed analgesics at least once in their lives. A questionnaire was used to collect data about patients’ pain intensity, prescription analgesic sharing habits, factors associated with this behaviour, perception of risks associated with the conduct and demographic data. Logistic regression was conducted to analyse independent factors associated with lending and borrowing prescription analgesics.

Results

We found that 61% of patients in family medicine practices engage in sharing prescription analgesics, whether it was lending (42%) and/or borrowing (54%). Independent predictors of lending prescription analgesics were as follows: history of sharing prescription medication other than analgesics, providing information regarding the medication alongside the prescription medication itself, not reading package insert that accompanies medication, subjective perception of personal health and decreased awareness of personal harm associated with prescription analgesic sharing. Independent predictors of prescription analgesic borrowing were as follows: younger age, communicating details regarding the medication that was given, scanning of package insert accompanying the medication, biased subjective perception of personal health and perceiving alternative medicine as a safer option over conventional medicine.

Conclusions

Sharing prescription analgesics is highly prevalent amongst patients in family medicine. Healthcare providers should remain alert by routinely questioning patients regarding such behaviours. Preventive interventions should be conceived and established.

Significance

Sharing of prescription analgesics is a highly prevalent behaviour amongst pain patients, and there exist independent factors associated with such conduct. This information can be useful in the design of interventions aimed at mitigating analgesic sharing behaviour in the future.
Identifying slope processes over time and their imprint in soils of medium‐high mountains of Central Europe (the Karkonosze Mountains, Poland)
Authors: Waroszewski Jaroslaw , Egli Markus , Brandová Dagmar , Christl Marcus , Kabala Cezary , Malkiewicz Malgorzata , Kierczak Jakub , Glina Bartłomiej , Jezierski Paweł
Published: December 2017

Soils in mountainous areas are often polygenetic, developed in slope covers that relate to glacial and periglacial activities of the Pleistocene and Holocene and reflect climatic variations. Landscape development during the Holocene may have been influenced by erosion/solifluction that often started after the Holocene climatic optimum. To trace back soil evolution and its timing, we applied a multi‐methodological approach. This approach helped us to outline scenario of soil transformation. According to our results, some aeolian input must have occurred in the late Pleistocene. During that time and the early Holocene, the soils most likely had features of Cryosols or Leptosols. Physico‐chemical and mineralogical analyses have indicated that the material was denudated (between late Boreal to the Atlantic) from the ridge and upper‐slope positions forming a colluvium at mid‐slope positions. Later, during the Sub‐Boreal, mass wasting of the remains of silt material deposited at the end of the Pleistocene age on the ridge top seems to have occurred. In addition, the cool and moist conditions caused the deposition of a colluvium at the lower‐slope positions. The next phase was characterized by the transformation of Leptosols/Cambisols into Podzols at upper‐slope or shoulder positions and to Albic Cambisols at mid‐slope positions. During the Sub‐Boreal period, Stagnosols started to form at the lower part of the slope catena. Overall, the highest erosion rates were calculated at the upper‐slope position and the lowest rates at mid‐slope sites. Berylium‐10 (10Be) data showed that the Bs, BC/C were covered during the Holocene by a colluvium with a different geological composition which complicated the calculation of erosion or accumulation rates. The interpretation of erosion and accumulation rates in such multi‐layered materials may, therefore, be hampered. However, the multi‐methodological reconstruction we applied shed light on the soil and landscape evolution of the eastern Karkonosze Mountains. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Use‐inspired science: making science usable by and useful to decision makers
Authors: Wall Tamara U , McNie Elizabeth , Garfin Gregg M
Published: December 2017

A growing body of research in translational science provides a foundation for translational ecologists to consider the practices that show the most promise, as well as the potential pitfalls of those practices. These research approaches (eg user‐inspired climate science) require deliberate engagement with end users, and an understanding of the social and cultural contexts in which a research project functions. We examine the climate science translation literature (looking at how research can inform decision making) to identify key issues related to how the social sciences have helped guide researchers engaged in user‐inspired research. We focus on understanding the more intangible inputs to research projects, including the social and cultural contexts; stakeholder engagement; the role of social capital; and evaluating the outputs, outcomes, and impacts of translational science projects and initiatives. Research on return‐on‐investment metrics for translational science is increasingly pointing to the conclusion that intentional, structured processes, such as those found in translational sciences, boost the likelihood of science being successfully incorporated into environmental decision making and policy.
Effect of edible chitosan film enriched with anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) essential oil on shelf life and quality of the chicken burger
Authors: Mahdavi Vahid , Hosseini Seyed Ebrahim , Sharifan Anousheh
Published: December 2017

In this study, the effect of chitosan film (CF) with different concentrations of anise essential oil AEO (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2%) on the quality of chicken burger during chilled storage (4 + 1°C) were examined over a period of 12 days. For this purpose, at the first, the physical and mechanical properties of the produced films were studied. Then, the chicken burger was covered with the produced films. Different treatment were analyzed by biochemical properties such as moisture and thiobarbituric acid, bacteriological properties such as total viable counts and total psychrotrophic counts, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. The results of this study showed that adding AEO improved the properties of CF, the moisture, solubility, and water vapor permeability decreased in these films. By increasing the concentration of AEO the tensile strength and elasticity of film were increased. CF with AEO, delayed lipid oxidation in chicken burger and improved the chemical properties of chicken burger. Also, microbial spoilage in these samples decreased significantly (p < .05) compared to the control sample. AEO at 2% in all experiments had better results than other treatments (p < .05), and the AEO (1.5% and 2%) had acceptable biochemical, bacteriological attributes up to end of storage, and these treatments could reduce the population of pathogen bacteria below the acceptable level from day 3 until the end of the storage period. Sensory score of the treatment containing AEO at 1.5% was higher than the sensory score of AEO at 2%. Overall, the results of this study showed that the use of CF with AEO as a natural preservative increased the shelf life of meat products. Considering the relatively similar anti‐oxidation and antimicrobial effect of AEO at 1.5 and 2% and also economic aspects, optimum dose for AEO could be 1.5% in the film.
Assessing the influence of music on wine perception among wine professionals
Authors: Wang Qian (Janice) , Spence Charles
Published: December 2017

Several recent studies have demonstrated that music can significantly influence the eating/drinking experience. It is not clear, however, whether this influence would be moderated by the expertise of the taster. In the experiments reported here, we tested a large group (N = 154) of very experienced wine tasters—the majority of whom were professionals working in the wine business—at a winemaking conference. The first study assessed the impact of putatively “sweet” and “sour” soundtracks on taste evaluation, whereas the second study assessed more subtle wine‐specific terminology such as length, balance, and body. The results revealed that the effect of music on wine perception can indeed be demonstrated in wine experts. Moreover, the amount of wine tasting experience, as measured in years, did not moderate the influence of music on sensory and hedonic wine evaluation. This result suggests that the aforementioned auditory modulation of drinking experience is not influenced by the increased analytical abilities afforded by traditional wine tasting expertise.
ÖBB Infrastructure as a driver of innovation – Perspectives on digitisation and automation in railway infrastructure
Authors: Petraschek Thomas , Walter Michael , Haberler‐Weber Michaela
Published: December 2017

Mobility is a basic need for people and society, so the steady growth of transport need will continue. The railway system is always in competition with other modes of transport and therefore has to improve productivity – within European and national requirements and specifications. The demands and wishes of customers are also changing; issues like industry 4.0, climate change, energy efficiency or digitisation are increasingly significant.

ÖBB‐Infrastruktur AG is responsible for planning, building and operating the railway infrastructure in Austria. Current trends like digitisation and automation can show the way for the further strategic orientation. Innovation in all areas of the railway system is necessary to reach the focused goals. This can be obtained by participation in European or national research projects or by specific research on current issues. Digitisation, big data, visualisation and automation are promising solutions for the identified fields of activity.
Gloggnitz contract after completion of the intermediate access at Göstritz
Authors: Haas Dieter , Schachinger Tobias , Lechner Gerhild , Knopf Rudolf
Published: December 2017

The intermediate construction access at Göstritz was planned based on the results of a comprehensive geological investigation programme. The intermediate access minimises the risk of the excavation of the Semmering Base Tunnel through the Grassberg‐Schlagl fault system, which is located in the Otterstock area in Lower Austria. The site consists of an approx. 1000 m long access tunnel, a complex system of shaft head caverns, two shafts with a depth of about 250 m down to the level of the tunnel as well as a system of shaft bottom caverns for the four tunnel drives in the directions of Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag. During the construction of the access tunnel, a new shaft head layout was proposed by the contractor in form of value engineering to optimize further construction operation, and the optimized layout was adopted to the contract. At the end of the access tunnel, it turned out that the shaft head cavern system could neither be constructed in the original layout as tendered nor in the newly revised layout due to a geological fault zone, which had not been predicted despite extensive geological investigation in advance. Consequently, ÖBB, designer and contractor worked intensively to find a new feasible design to enable further construction of the cavern system, avoid a standstill of tunnelling works and comply with all approvals.
A review of the Early Mesozoic granitoids in the Qinling Orogen: Implication for gold metallogeny
Authors: Yang Gaoxue , Li Yongjun , Tong Lili , Duan Fenghao , Wang Zuopeng , Wu Le , Ning Wentao
Published: December 2017

The Qinling Orogen is located between the North China and South China blocks, and considered to form by the multiple accretionary processes, being also characterized by development of voluminous magmatic intrusions as well as abundant mineral resources. Here we compile the geological, geochemical and geochronological data of the Early Mesozoic granitoids from the Qingling Orogen and attempt to constrain the Early Mesozoic tectonic evolution and mechanism of gold mineralization in this region. The Early Mesozoic granitoids are most widespread in the Qinling Orogen, especially in western part, and can be classified into S‐, I‐, I‐A‐types, with the I‐type constituting the major variety. The isotopic ages of the three types granitoids are 200–222 Ma, 185–248 Ma, 210–227 Ma, respectively, indicating overlapping ages with a wide span of I‐type granitoids. The S‐, I‐, I‐A‐type granitoids show obvious zonation characteristics, that is the S‐type granitoids only occurred in southern South Qinling Belt, the I‐type granitoids are most widespread in the western Qinling Orogen, and the I‐A‐type granitoids are mainly exposed in the North Qinling Belt. The S‐type granitoids crystallized at relatively low temperature (800–850 °C) and deep‐crustal level (ca. 8 kb) and derived mainly from partial melting of a clay‐poor psammitic source. The I‐type granitoids formed at high temperature (>925 °C) and pressures above the garnet‐in phase boundary (>1.2 GPa) and derived from greywackes and partially igneous source. Moreover, the I‐A‐type granitoids probably derived from distinct sources with sufficient interaction, or common origin but underwent different degrees of crustal contamination, and generated at high temperatures (ca. 950 °C) and low pressures (1.0–0.2 GPa) conditions. These features indicate the Qinling Orogen experienced subduction, syn‐collisional, and post‐collisional during the Early Mesozoic, and also suggest the S‐, I‐, I‐A‐types granitoids underwent an episodic growth documenting the tectonic regime switchover at this stage. The gold deposits in the western Qinling Orogen can be classified as orogenic, Carlin‐type, and Carlin‐like gold deposits with the formation age of Late Triassic. The orogenic and Carlin‐type gold deposits have no genetic relation to granitic magmatism, but the Carlin‐like gold deposits is related to the synchronous magmatism. Combined with regional geology and metallogenic systems, we suggest that the multi‐stage Qinling Orogenesis resulted in the formation of the Early Mesozoic S‐, I‐, I‐A‐type granitoids and different types of gold deposits with some characteristic differences.
Geochemical characteristics and tectonic setting of the bimodal volcanic rocks in Sepikou region of eastern Tianshan
Authors: Gao Jinggang , Wang Xiaohu , Gao Yunxia , Zhou Yi , Fan Tingbin , Zhang Ning
Published: December 2017

The Sepikou region is located in the eastern Bogda Mountains of the east Tianshan. The Bogda belt is mainly composed of Carboniferous strata, including the Lower Carboniferous Qijiaojing Formation (C1q), Upper Carboniferous Liushugou Formation (C2l), and Qijiagou Formation (C2qj). Here, we report the petrology, geochemistry, and geochronology of bimodal volcanic rocks from the Upper Carboniferous Liushugou Formation, which is widely distributed in the Sepikou region. The basalts, basaltic andesite, and keratophyre have similar petrochemical characteristics and exhibit the high‐Na, low‐K characteristics belonging to calc‐alkalic rocks. These are characterized by the high abundance of K, Rb, Th, Ba, the depletion of HFSE (Nb, Ta, Zr, and Hf), and the slight depletion of Ti. Chondrite‐normalized rare‐earth elements (REE) patterns for basalts‐keratophyre show right‐leaning parallel curve clusters, together with a slight enrichment in light rare‐earth elements (LREE) contents and low heavy rare‐earth elements (HREE)/LREE ratios. The keratophyre exhibits slightly negative Eu anomalies. Compared with the basalts, the rhyolites have high alkali contents, slightly high ∑REE contents, low heavy rare‐earth elements/LREE ratios, negative εSr(t) (−9.1 to −12.0), low 87Sr/86Sr initial ratio, highly positive εNd (t) (+5.3 to +6.4), and low Pb isotope ratios. The fractionated REE patterns with prominent negative Eu anomalies suggest they were chiefly derived from the mantle magma underplated basaltic body remelting from the depleted mantle source. The LA‐ICP‐MS analysis on zircons from quartz keratophyre and rhyolite yield similar ages of 314.9 ± 1.2 and 314.0 ± 1.1 Ma, respectively, suggest that the major bimodal volcanism took place in the Late Carboniferous epoch. The quartz keratophyre zircons, with the 176Hf/177Hf ratios of 0.282897–0.283097, have highly positive εHf (10.99–19.97) and depleted mantle model ages between 180 and 628 Ma. The mafic rocks were chiefly derived from the depleted mantle with the partial incorporation of crustal components. The bimodal volcanic rocks were formed under a continental rift setting. The rift experienced extension in the early period of the Early Carboniferous and its final closure arose after a late period of the Late Carboniferous.
Global bioethics
Authors: Neuhaus Carolyn P.
Published: December 2017

This August, I participated in the conference “Genome Editing: Biomedical and Ethical Perspectives,” hosted by the Center for the Study of Bioethics at the University of Belgrade and cosponsored by the Division of Medical Ethics of NYU Langone Health and The Hastings Center. The prime minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, spoke of the significance of bringing together an international community of bioethicists, acknowledging that ethical, social, and legal issues surrounding gene editing technologies transcend national boundaries. Europe's Oviedo Convention prohibits human germline gene editing, and UNESCO's Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights says that germline editing “could be contrary to human dignity,” an assault on humanity itself. Whether one agrees or not, engaging with the idea forces us to think about what it means to be part of the global human community and about the moral significance of the human genome to creating that community. The conference highlighted for me how challenging having international, much less global, conversations about bioethics can be.
Public Health Autonomy: A Critical Reappraisal
Authors: Zimmerman Frederick J.
Published: December 2017

The ethical principle of autonomy is among the most fundamental in ethics, and it is particularly salient for those in public health, who must constantly balance the desire to improve health outcomes by changing behavior with respect for individual freedom. Although there are some areas in which there is a genuine tension between public health and autonomy—childhood vaccine mandates, for example—there are many more areas where not only is there no tension, but public health and autonomy come down to the same thing. These areas of overlap are often rendered invisible by a thin understanding of autonomy. Better integrating newer theoretical insights about autonomy into applied ethics can make discussions of public health ethics more rigorous, incisive, and effective. Even more importantly, bringing modern concepts of autonomy into public health ethics can showcase the many areas in which public health and autonomy have the same goals, face the same threats, and can be mutually advanced by the same kinds of solutions.

This article provides a schema for relational autonomy in a public health context and gives concrete examples of how autonomy can be served through public‐health interventions. It marshals insights from sociology, psychology, and philosophy to advance a theory of autonomy and coercion that recognizes three potential threats to autonomy: threats to choice sets, threats to knowledge, and threats to preferences.
Being Better Bodies
Authors: Reynolds Joel Michael
Published: December 2017

Bioethics has an uneasy relationship with embodiment. Only with vigilance does knowledge of the body as it is lived counterbalance the momentous inertia of knowledge of the body as an object brought about by modern medical sciences. As a field tethered to detached, technical ways of knowing the world, bioethics must toil to treat the body as more than mere material and machine. To be more is, among other things, to be social—to live in the thickets of interdependence and the institutions and practices we build, hone, and defend to facilitate it. I take this tension to define the ultimate stakes of Melinda Hall's The Bioethics of Enhancement: Transhumanism, Disability, and Biopolitics. Hall homes in on transhumanism, the idea that we should embrace technology to vault beyond current human limitations. Yet the work serves as a reminder for all bioethicists and philosophers of how easily one can be led astray by otherwise irreproachable values when they are disconnected from the conditions and realities of human life, including being irremediably interdependent embodied beings. Put more acerbically, the book is a reminder of how thinking goes wrong when divorced from the principal sources out of which human appraisals emerge: our fleshy, messy, social bodies.
Reproductive Rights without Resources or Recourse
Authors: Mutcherson Kimberly
Published: December 2017

The U.S. Supreme Court declared procreation to be a fundamental right in the early twentieth century in a case involving Oklahoma's Habitual Criminal Sterilization Act, an act that permitted unconsented sterilization of individuals convicted of certain crimes. The right that the Court articulated in that case is a negative right: it requires that the government not place unjustified roadblocks in the way of people seeking to procreate, but it does not require the government to take positive steps to help people procreate if they wish to. I argue that a positive legal right is morally necessary in the United States, given the profound significance of procreation, the current barriers to access to care, and the related issues of individual and societal justice. I assume at the outset that the right to procreate should be expansive enough to include a right to noncoital reproduction. The absence of a positive right to procreate reflects not just constitutional tradition but also a governmental and societal commitment to a longstanding set of reproductive hierarchies by which those who fall outside of the traditional framing of family too frequently find their procreative dreams hindered. Reconceiving procreative rights to include a positive right would create greater opportunities to argue and lobby for increased access to technologies that are out of reach for many.
How the Criminalization of Pregnancy Robs Women of Reproductive Autonomy
Authors: Goodwin Michele
Published: December 2017

In 2003, the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Regina McKnight, an African American woman who was convicted at the age of twenty‐two for committing “homicide by child abuse.” She became the first woman in the United States to be arrested, prosecuted, and convicted for experiencing a stillbirth. Rather than an outlier case in the annals of American jurisprudence that stretched law beyond reason while restraining compassion and justice, McKnight's conviction inspired similar prosecutions of other poor black women and then of other women. More than one‐third of states consider pregnant women's illicit drug use a form of child abuse, resulting in unprecedented forms of criminal and civil punishment. Laws previously understood to protect pregnant women from domestic violence during pregnancy, such as fetal protection laws, now serve as the vehicles for prosecuting pregnant women. What these prosecutions and laws expose are the multitudinous ways in which the criminalization of poor pregnant women—and normalization of that criminalization, such that even doctors and nurses are expected to participate in it—serve to humiliate women, interfere with their reproductive health, and ultimately rob women of reproductive autonomy.
The Shifting Landscape of Prenatal Testing: Between Reproductive Autonomy and Public Health
Authors: Ravitsky Vardit
Published: December 2017

Since the 1970s, prenatal testing has been integrated into many health care systems on the basis of two competing and largely irreconcilable rationales. The reproductive autonomy rationale focuses on nondirective counseling and consent as ways to ensure that women's decisions about testing and subsequent care are informed and free of undue pressures. It also represents an easily understandable and ethically convincing basis for widespread access to prenatal testing, since the value of autonomy is well established in Western bioethics and widely recognized by funders of health care. In contrast, the public health rationale approaches prenatal testing as designed to reduce the incidence of certain conditions in the population to reduce the burden of disease. This rationale emphasizes the societal consequences of reproduction and the aggregate impact of women's individual reproductive decisions on the overall health of future populations. In this essay, I argue that, despite what could be seen as a persistent failure to meet the ideals of reproductive autonomy, resisting the public health rationale as a basis for prenatal screening is ethically and pragmatically crucial. I recommend policy mechanisms that can enhance reproductive autonomy at a societal level to support choice at the individual level.
Should Clinicians Set Limits on Reproductive Autonomy?
Authors: King Louise P.
Published: December 2017

As a gynecologic surgeon with a focus on infertility, I frequently hold complex discussions with patients, exploring with them the risks and benefits of surgical options. In the past, we physicians may have expected our patients to simply defer to our expertise and choose from the options we presented. In our contemporary era, however, patients frequently request options not favored by their physicians and even some they've found themselves online. In reproductive endocrinology and infertility, the range of options that may be offered or that patients may themselves seek out is continuously widening. Physicians certainly seek to find the option that will result in the best outcome for their patients, but the information to guide us in achieving the best outcome can be vague or conflicting. Add to this the financial and emotional pressures bearing on patients seeking assisted reproduction. In this essay, I explore the extent to which clinicians in reproductive medicine should follow patient requests with which they disagree or instead try to persuade the patient to do something else or simply refuse outright to meet the request. And if persuasion is to be used, what would be legitimate methods? Clearly, coercion is unacceptable, but the line between persuasion and coercion can be elusive. At what point can or should clinicians resist such requests—and to what degree?
Reproductive Autonomy and Regulation—Coexistence in Action
Authors: Deech Ruth
Published: December 2017

On occasion, British in vitro fertilization practitioners look over the ocean to the practice of IVF and embryo research in the United States, wonder why these areas are subject to less regulation than in the United Kingdom, and ask how much less risky and more progressive IVF and embryo research might be if subject to additional federal, or at least state, regulation. To an American audience, imbued with the centuries‐old spirit of independence, regulation and autonomy can seem in tension. From a British perspective, there is no necessary conflict. There is no dissent in the United Kingdom from the proposition that individual activities, services, and industries can be regulated and, at the same time, retain and exercise such autonomy as is their right within a safe sphere. From 1994 to 2002, I was the chair of the United Kingdom's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which regulates the practice of IVF and embryo research. The existence of the HFEA assures patients that safety and aspects of the practice of assisted reproduction are monitored, leaving them free to choose without worrying about danger, in the same way that the public may take only those drugs that have passed health and safety tests. I would propose that anxious and vulnerable patients do not have more autonomy in a less regulated, market‐driven field.