bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Outcomes of in vitro fertilization cycles among patients with polycystic ovary syndrome following ovarian puncture for in vitro maturation
Authors: Lin Jia , Wang Peiyu , Zhao Junzhao , Xiao Shiquan , Yu Rong , Jin Congcong , Zhu Ruru
Published: September 2016

Objective

To investigate the effects of ovarian puncture for in vitro maturation (IVM) on subsequent in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryo transfer cycles in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Methods

A retrospective study included data from patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, China, between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2014. Patients with PCOS undergoing IVF cycles after having been treated with IVM unsuccessfully were included as the study group and an IVF‐procedure data‐matched control group of patients undergoing their first IVF cycles was included in a 1:4 ratio. Patients with reproductive anomalies were excluded. Endocrine‐hormone levels and antral follicle counts were measured and fertilization‐related outcomes were evaluated.

Results

There were 49 patients included in the study group and 196 included in the control group. Within the study group, basal luteal‐hormone, testosterone, and antral follicle count levels were significantly lower following IVM treatment. The total gonadotropin dose was lower (P < 0.001) and the duration of stimulation was shorter (P < 0.001) in the study group compared with the control group. The clinical‐pregnancy rate was higher in the study group (P = 0.018) and no difference was observed between the groups in ovarian hyper‐stimulation syndrome (P = 0.633).

Conclusions

Previous IVM resulted in improved endocrine profiles and increased clinical‐pregnancy rates among patients with PCOS undergoing IVF cycles.
Progression from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment in a diverse clinic‐based and community‐based elderly cohort
Authors: Chen Yingjia , Denny Katherine G. , Harvey Danielle , Farias Sarah Tomaszewski , Mungas Dan , DeCarli Charles , Beckett Laurel
Published: September 2016

Introduction

Investigation of the conversion rates from normal cognition (NC) to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is important, as effective early intervention could potentially prevent or substantially delay the onset of dementia. However, reported conversion rates differ across studies and recruitment source. Our study examined predictors of conversion from NC to MCI in a racially and ethnically diverse sample drawn both from community and clinic recruitment sources.

Methods

Rates and predictors of conversion were assessed in an ongoing prospective longitudinal study at University of California, Davis, Alzheimer's Disease Center from 2000 to 2015. Participants (n = 254) were recruited through a clinic (5%) and community sample (95%). They were clinically confirmed as cognitively normal at baseline and followed up to seven years. Recruitment source, demographic factors (age, gender, race/ethnicity, year of education, APOE ε4 positive), cognitive measures (SENAS test scores), functional assessments (CDR sum of boxes), and neuroimaging measures (total brain volume, total hippocampal volume, white hyperintensity volume) were assessed as predictors of conversion from cognitively normal to mild cognitive impairment using proportional hazards models.

Results

Of 254 participants, 62 (11 clinic, 51 community) progressed to MCI. The clinic‐based sample showed an annual conversion rate of 30% (95% CI 17%–54%) per person‐year, whereas the community‐based sample showed a conversion rate of 5% (95% CI 3%–6%) per person‐year. Risk factors for conversion include clinic‐based recruitment, being older, lower executive function and worse functional assessment at baseline, and smaller total brain volume.

Discussion

Older adults who sought out a clinical evaluation, even when they are found to have normal cognition, have increased risk of subsequent development of MCI. Results are consistent with other studies showing subjective cognitive complaints are a risk for future cognitive impairment, but extend such findings to show that those who seek evaluation for their complaints are at particularly high risk. Moreover, these individuals have subtle, but significant differences in functional and cognitive abilities that, in the presence of concerns and evidence of atrophy on by brain imaging, warrant continued clinical follow‐up. These risk factors could also be used as stratification variables for dementia prevention clinical trial design.
Entropy generation as a practical tool of optimisation for non-Newtonian nanofluid flow through a permeable stretching surface using SLM
Authors: Bhatti Muhammad Mubashir , Abbas Tehseen , Rashidi Mohammad Mehdi
Published: September 2016

In this article, entropy generation on non-Newtonian Eyring-Powell nanofluid has been analysed through a permeable stretching sheet. The governing flow problem is based on linear momentum, thermal energy, and nanoparticle concentration equation which are simplified with the help of similarity transformation variables. The resulting coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations are solved numerically with the help of Successive Linearization method (SLM) and Chebyshev Spectral collocation method. The novel characteristics of all the physical parameters are discussed with the help of graphs and tables. The expression for local Nusselt number and local Sherwood number is also taken into account. It is observed that velocity profile increases due to the greater influence of suction parameter. Moreover, Brownian motion and thermophoresis parameter significantly enhance the temperature profile, however Brownian motion parameter shows converse behaviour on nanoparticle concentration profile. Entropy profile acts as an increasing function of all the pertinent parameters.

Highlights This study analyses entropy generation on non-Newtonian Eyring-Powell nanofluid through a permeable stretching sheet. The governing flow problem is modelled with the help of similarity transformation variables. The physical behavior of all parameters of the problem is discussed. Comparison with an existing results shows the validity of the present methodology.
Effectiveness and safety of dabigatran versus warfarin in “real‐world” Japanese patients with atrial fibrillation: A single‐center observational study
Authors: Naganuma Miyoko , Shiga Tsuyoshi , Nagao Takehiko , Suzuki Atsushi , Murasaki Kagari , Hagiwara Nobuhisa
Published: September 2016

Background

In “real‐world” practice, anticoagulant therapy is indicated for patients whose clinical profiles are not addressed in randomized clinical trials. We assessed the effectiveness and safety of dabigatran versus warfarin in “real‐world” Japanese patients with non‐valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).

Methods

Among 613 NVAF patients who initiated dabigatran or warfarin therapy during the period between 2011 and 2013, 362 patients were included in the study after propensity score adjustment. The median follow‐up period was 1.3 years. The effectiveness and safety outcomes were thromboembolism and major bleeding, respectively.

Results

The propensity‐matched hazard ratios of thromboembolism and major bleeding with dabigatran were 1.03 (95% CI: 0.12–8.04, p=0.971) and 0.15 (95% CI: 0.01–0.90, p=0.037), respectively.

Conclusions

The ability of dabigatran to prevent thromboembolism is comparable to that of warfarin; however, the major bleeding rate is lower with dabigatran in “real‐world” NVAF patients.
Sexual Assault Disclosure and Sexual Functioning: The Role of Trauma Symptomatology
Authors: Staples Jennifer M. , Eakins Danielle , Neilson Elizabeth C. , George William H. , Davis Kelly Cue , Norris Jeanette
Published: September 2016

Introduction

Previous research has demonstrated that a history of adult sexual assault (ASA) is associated with negative outcomes, including trauma symptomatology and fear of sexual intimacy. Disclosing sexual assault might be protective against such negative outcomes.

Aim

To examine the indirect effect of trauma symptomatology on the association between disclosing ASA and current sexual functioning.

Methods

Participants included 652 women 21 to 30 years old with a history of ASA recruited from the community. Participants completed self-report measurements on a computer.

Main Outcome Measures

Separate models were performed, with sexual functioning divided into sexual desire, orgasm, and pain during sex.

Results

ASA disclosure was indirectly associated with sexual orgasm and pain during sex by trauma symptomatology. However, there was no indirect effect of trauma symptomatology on the relation between ASA disclosure and sexual desire.

Conclusion

Disclosing experiences of ASA could serve a protective function by lessening trauma symptomatology, thereby mitigating impacts on aspects of sexual functioning, such as orgasm and pain.
Implementation of an Emergency Department Sepsis Bundle and System Redesign: A Process Improvement Initiative
Authors: McColl Tamara , Gatien Mathieu , Calder Lisa , Yadav Krishan , Tam Ryan , Ong Melody , Taljaard Monica , Stiell Ian
Published: September 2016

Background

In 2008–2009, the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported over 30,000 cases of sepsis hospitalizations in Canada, an increase of almost 4,000 from 2005. Mortality rates from severe sepsis and septic shock continue to remain greater than 30% in Canada and are significantly higher than other critical conditions treated in the emergency department (ED). Our group formed a multidisciplinary sepsis committee, conducted an ED process of care analysis, and developed a quality improvement protocol. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of this sepsis management bundle on patient mortality.

Methods

This before and after study was conducted in two large Canadian tertiary care EDs and included adult patients with suspected severe infection that met at least two systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria. We studied the implementation of a sepsis bundle including triage flagging, RN medical directive, education campaign, and a modified sepsis protocol. The primary outcomes were 30-day all-cause mortality and sepsis protocol use.

Results

We included a total of 167 and 185 patients in the pre- and post-intervention analysis, respectively. Compared to the pre-intervention group, mortality was significantly lower in the post-intervention group (30.7% versus 17.3%; absolute difference, 13.4%; 95% CI 9.8–17.0; p=0.006). There was also a higher rate of sepsis protocol use in the post-intervention group (20.3% versus 80.5%, absolute difference 60.2%; 95% CI 55.1–65.3; p<0.001). Additionally, we found shorter time-intervals from triage to MD assessment, fluid resuscitation, and antibiotic administration as well as lower rates of vasopressor requirements and ICU admission.

Interpretation

The implementation of our multidisciplinary ED sepsis bundle, including improved early identification and protocolized medical care, was associated with improved time to achieve key therapeutic interventions and a reduction in 30-day mortality. Similar low-cost initiatives could be implemented in other EDs to potentially improve outcomes for this high-risk group of patients.
Comparison of functional outcomes in elderly who have sustained a minor trauma with or without head injury: a prospective multicenter cohort study
Authors: Brousseau Audrey-Anne , Émond Marcel , Sirois Marie-Josée , Daoust Raoul , Griffith Lauren E. , Lang Eddy , Lee Jacques , Perry Jeffrey J. , Ouellet Marie-Christine , Verreault René , Berthelot Simon , Mercier Éric , Allain-Boulé Nadine , Boucher Valérie , Tardif Pier-Alexandre , Le Sage Natalie
Published: September 2016

Objectives

The consequences of minor trauma involving a head injury (MT-HI) in independent older adults are largely unknown. This study assessed the impact of a head injury on the functional outcomes six months post-injury in older adults who sustained a minor trauma.

Methods

This multicenter prospective cohort study in eight sites included patients who were aged 65 years or older, previously independent, presenting to the emergency department (ED) for a minor trauma, and discharged within 48 hours. To assess the functional decline, we used a validated test: the Older Americans’ Resources and Services Scale. The cognitive function of study patients was also evaluated. Finally, we explored the influence of a concomitant injury on the functional decline in the MT-HI group.

Results

All 926 eligible patients were included in the analyses: 344 MT-HI patients and 582 minor trauma without head injury. After six months, the functional decline was similar in both groups: 10.8% and 11.9%, respectively (RR=0.79 [95% CI: 0.55–1.14]). The proportion of patients with mild cognitive disabilities was also similar: 21.7% and 22.8%, respectively (RR=0.91 [95% CI: 0.71–1.18]). Furthermore, for the group of patients with a MT-HI, the functional outcome was not statistically different with or without the presence of a co-injury (RR=1.35 [95% CI: 0.71–2.59]).

Conclusion

This study did not demonstrate that the occurrence of a MT-HI is associated with a worse functional or cognitive prognosis than other minor injuries without a head injury in an elderly population, six months after injury.
Sources of Information During the 2014 West Virginia Water Crisis: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors: Savoia Elena , Lin Leesa , Viswanath Kasisomayajula
Published: September 2016

Objective

On January 9, 2014, a faulty storage tank leaked 10,000 gallons of an industrial coal-processing liquid into the Elk River in West Virginia, contaminating the drinking water of 9 counties collectively known as the Kanawha Valley. In the context of this event, we explored the relationship between social determinants and (1) the timeliness with which residents learned about the crisis, (2) the source of information, (3) opinions on the source of information, (4) information-seeking behaviors, and (5) knowledge acquired.

Methods

Between February 7 and 26, 2014, we conducted a survey of 690 adult residents of West Virginia. Descriptive statistics and multivariable statistical models were performed.

Results

Information about water contamination spread quickly, with 88% of respondents from the affected counties hearing about the incident on the same day it occurred. Most people received the information from local television news (73%); social media users had 120% increased odds of knowing about the recommended behaviors. People who had a favorable opinion of the source of information demonstrated better knowledge of recommended behaviors.

Conclusions

The use of local television news during a crisis is important for timely dissemination of information. Information exposure across segments of the population differed on the basis of the population’s background characteristics. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:196–206)
Demographic characteristics of survivors of torture presenting for treatment to a national centre for survivors of torture in Ireland (2001–2012)
Authors: Duffy R. M. , O’Sullivan S. , Straton G. , Singleton B. , Kelly B. D.
Published: September 2016

Objectives

The asylum process has received a lot of recent media attention but little has been said about the psychological needs of those seeking or granted asylum. Many asylum seekers have experienced trauma and torture, which is associated with substantial psychiatric and psychological morbidity. The Spiritan Asylum Services Initiative (Spirasi) is Ireland’s national treatment centre for survivors of torture. The aim of this study was to examine the demographic profile of those attending Spirasi and to consider potential clinical implications of this.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed demographic data relating to the 2590 individuals who attended Spirasi over a 12-year period (2001–2012 inclusive).

Results

The majority of attenders were asylum seekers (88%), male (71%) and from African countries. The mean age was 31.9 years. The rate of new referrals, as a percentage of Ireland’s asylum-seeking population, has stabilised at ~6% since 2008. Women are underrepresented among those who attend.

Conclusions

The number of new referrals to Spirasi is lower than expected given international estimates of torture prevalence and the impact this has on mental health. Clinicians working with populations of asylum seekers and refugees should sensitively enquire about such events and be aware of the available services. Female refugees and asylum seekers are underrepresented, especially from Asian and Middle Eastern regions. Psychiatric, psychological and general practice services need to respond flexibly to evolving patterns of migration and address potential barriers to access, especially among female refugees and asylum seekers.
Simple and double microemulsions via the capillary breakup of highly stretched liquid jets
Authors: Evangelio A. , Campo-Cortés F. , Gordillo J. M.
Published: September 2016

We present an exhaustive experimental and theoretical study of the shapes of simple and compound jets formed when one (simple) or two (compound) immiscible liquids are injected into another liquid. The viscosity of the co-flowing external liquid is chosen to vary the characteristic Reynolds number of the outer stream, $Re_{o}$, over a wide range of values. Our slender-body theory in Gordillo et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 738, 2014, pp. 335–357) is extended to predict the shapes of simple jets when $Re_{o}$ is such that $Re_{o}\gg 1$ and also to predict the shapes of compound jets in the case of $Re_{o}\lesssim O(1)$. The validity of our theoretical results, applicable to describe the dynamics of simple or compound jets within an outer carrier fluid in a wide variety of practical situations, is tested using a set-up where the liquids flow from a pressurized chamber towards an extraction tube, finding a very good agreement between the predicted and the observed shapes. Moreover, when $Re_{o}\lesssim O(1)$, and thanks to the fact that the liquid jets produced using our method are highly stretched in the downstream direction, we find that the values of the critical capillary number above which a steady stretched jet is produced, with the capillary number defined here using the outer stream velocity and viscosity, is well below the corresponding critical values characterizing other similar procedures, like flow focusing. This experimental result, which is supported by a spatio-temporal stability analysis in which the axial gradients of the unperturbed solution are retained in the dispersion relation, imply a substantial saving of energy and of the volume of outer liquid necessary to generate a steady capillary jet from which drops are regularly produced. Additionally, making use of continuity arguments and of the fact that drops are formed as a consequence of the growth of a capillary instability, we provide closed expressions for the drop diameters and their production frequencies when the capillary number is above the critical one, in very good agreement with experiments. The simple or double microemulsions generated by the capillary disintegration of the type of simple or compound highly stretched steady jets described here might find applications in biotechnology, pharmacy, cosmetics or materials science.
Experiments on mixing in wakes in shallow water
Authors: Cafiero Gioacchino , Woods Andrew W.
Published: September 2016

We report on a series of laboratory experiments in which we investigate the mixing in a wake produced downstream of an obstacle in a uniform flow. The fluid is confined within a channel of finite width, and the water depth is small compared with the channel width. The mixing appears to be dominated by dispersion caused by the circulation of the eddies that are shed alternately from each side of the obstacle. However, due to bottom friction, these eddies gradually dissipate downstream. In turn, the intensity of the cross-stream mixing of the tracer decays in the downstream direction, limiting the cross-stream extent of the tracer. We present a time-averaged picture of the experiments which illustrates the deviation of the time-averaged flow in the wake relative to the uniform flow upstream. We then develop a time-averaged model for the flow, using mixing length theory to account for the cross-channel momentum transfer as an eddy viscosity $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{1}ud$, where $2ud$ is the cross-channel integral of the perturbation in the along-channel speed associated with the wake. We also include a frictional stress to account for the bottom friction. The model predicts a similar pattern of variation of the along-channel velocity in both the along- and cross-channel directions to our experimental data. By matching the cross-channel data with the model, we find that the constant $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{1}$ has value 0.2. We also analyse our experimental data to develop a time-dependent picture of the mixing of a stream of dye released into the wake. Using the model for the evolution of the flow, we develop a model for the time-averaged mixing, again based on mixing length theory. The model predicts a similar spatial distribution for the tracer in both the cross-stream and along-stream directions to that seen in our experimental data. By quantitative comparison of the model with the data, we find that the best fit of the empirical eddy diffusivity, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{2}ud$, with the data occurs with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{2}=0.22$. We discuss implications of our results for modelling cross-stream mixing in shallow turbulent flow.
Bounds for convection between rough boundaries
Authors: Goluskin David , Doering Charles R.
Published: September 2016

We consider Rayleigh–Bénard convection in a layer of fluid between rough no-slip boundaries where the top and bottom boundary heights are functions of the horizontal coordinates with square-integrable gradients. We use the background method to derive an upper bound on the mean heat flux across the layer for all admissible boundary geometries. This flux, normalized by the temperature difference between the boundaries, can grow with the Rayleigh number ($Ra$) no faster than $O(Ra^{1/2})$ as $Ra\rightarrow \infty$. Our analysis yields a family of similar bounds, depending on how various estimates are tuned, but every version depends explicitly on the boundary geometry. In one version the coefficient of the $O(Ra^{1/2})$ leading term is $0.242+2.925\Vert \unicode[STIX]{x1D735}h\Vert ^{2}$, where $\Vert \unicode[STIX]{x1D735}h\Vert ^{2}$ is the mean squared magnitude of the boundary height gradients. Application to a particular geometry is illustrated for sinusoidal boundaries.
Particle image velocimetry measurements of induced separation at the leading edge of a plate
Authors: Stevenson J. P. J. , Nolan K. P. , Walsh E. J.
Published: September 2016

The free shear layer that separates from the leading edge of a round-nosed plate has been studied under conditions of low (background) and elevated (grid-generated) free stream turbulence (FST) using high-fidelity particle image velocimetry. Transition occurs after separation in each case, followed by reattachment to the flat surface of the plate downstream. A bubble of reverse flow is thereby formed. First, we find that, under elevated (7 %) FST, the time-mean bubble is almost threefold shorter due to an accelerated transition of the shear layer. Quadrant analysis of the Reynolds stresses reveals the presence of slender, highly coherent fluctuations amid the laminar part of the shear layer that are reminiscent of the boundary-layer streaks seen in bypass transition. Instability and the roll-up of vortices then follow near the crest of the shear layer. These vortices are also present under low FST and in both cases are found to make significant contributions to the production of Reynolds stress over the rear of the bubble. But their role in reattachment, whilst important, is not yet fully clear. Instantaneous flow fields from the low-FST case reveal that the bubble of reverse flow often breaks up into two or more parts, thereby complicating the overall reattachment process. We therefore suggest that the downstream end of the ‘separation isoline’ (the locus of zero absolute streamwise velocity that extends unbroken from the leading edge) be used to define the instantaneous reattachment point. A histogram of this point is found to be bimodal: the upstream peak coincides with the location of roll-up, whereas the downstream mode may suggest a ‘flapping’ motion.
Who's the Fairest of Them All and Does It Really Matter? Positive and Negative Affective Responses to Levels of Relational Equity in Adolescent Relationships
Authors: Bowles Terence V.
Published: September 2016

The current study investigated how a sample of adolescents perceived the level of equity with friends, teachers, parents, and siblings; and how equity influenced adolescents’ affect. Analysis of responses from 208 Australian secondary students showed that level of perceived equity influenced positive and negative affect. Respondents’ mean scores showed they were more benefitted in their relationships with parents, siblings, friends and least benefitted in relations with teachers. Respondents were most frequently equitable in their relationships with friends. Importantly, consistent with previous research, negative affect was consistently associated with both the underbenefitted and overbenefitted conditions, particularly in relationships with parents and teachers. In conclusion, the findings confirm the initial proposition of equity theory when applied to multiple relationships with adolescents.
GENERALIZED GELFAND–GRAEV REPRESENTATIONS IN SMALL CHARACTERISTICS
Authors: TAYLOR JAY
Published: September 2016

Let$\mathbf{G}$be a connected reductive algebraic group over an algebraic closure$\overline{\mathbb{F}_{p}}$of the finite field of prime order$p$and let$F:\mathbf{G}\rightarrow \mathbf{G}$be a Frobenius endomorphism with$G=\mathbf{G}^{F}$the corresponding$\mathbb{F}_{q}$-rational structure. One of the strongest links we have between the representation theory of$G$and the geometry of the unipotent conjugacy classes of$\mathbf{G}$is a formula, due to Lusztig (Adv. Math.94(2) (1992), 139–179), which decomposes Kawanaka’s Generalized Gelfand–Graev Representations (GGGRs) in terms of characteristic functions of intersection cohomology complexes defined on the closure of a unipotent class. Unfortunately, the formula given in Lusztig (Adv. Math.94(2) (1992), 139–179) is only valid under the assumption that$p$is large enough. In this article, we show that Lusztig’s formula for GGGRs holds under the much milder assumption that$p$is an acceptable prime for$\mathbf{G}$($p$very good is sufficient but not necessary). As an application we show that every irreducible character of$G$, respectively, character sheaf of$\mathbf{G}$, has a unique wave front set, respectively, unipotent support, whenever$p$is good for $\mathbf{G}$.
NON-REGULARITY IN HÖLDER AND SOBOLEV SPACES OF SOLUTIONS TO THE SEMILINEAR HEAT AND SCHRÖDINGER EQUATIONS
Authors: CAZENAVE THIERRY , DICKSTEIN FLÁVIO , WEISSLER FRED B.
Published: September 2016

In this paper, we study the Cauchy problem for the semilinear heat and Schrödinger equations, with the nonlinear term $f(u)=\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}|u|^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}}u$. We show that low regularity of $f$ (i.e., $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}>0$ but small) limits the regularity of any possible solution for a certain class of smooth initial data. We employ two different methods, which yield two different types of results. On the one hand, we consider the semilinear equation as a perturbation of the ODE $w_{t}=f(w)$. This yields, in particular, an optimal regularity result for the semilinear heat equation in Hölder spaces. In addition, this approach yields ill-posedness results for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation in certain $H^{s}$-spaces, which depend on the smallness of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ rather than the scaling properties of the equation. Our second method is to consider the semilinear equation as a perturbation of the linear equation via Duhamel’s formula. This yields, in particular, that if $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ is sufficiently small and $N$ is sufficiently large, then the nonlinear heat equation is ill-posed in $H^{s}(\mathbb{R}^{N})$ for all $s\geqslant 0$.
NICIL: A Stand Alone Library to Self-Consistently Calculate Non-Ideal Magnetohydrodynamic Coefficients in Molecular Cloud Cores
Authors: Wurster James
Published: September 2016

In this paper, we introduce Nicil: Non-Ideal magnetohydrodynamics Coefficients and Ionisation Library. Nicil is a stand-alone Fortran90 module that calculates the ionisation values and the coefficients of the non-ideal magnetohydrodynamics terms of Ohmic resistivity, the Hall effect, and ambipolar diffusion. The module is fully parameterised such that the user can decide which processes to include and decide upon the values of the free parameters, making this a versatile and customisable code. The module includes both cosmic ray and thermal ionisation; the former includes two ion species and three species of dust grains (positively charged, negatively charged, and neutral), and the latter includes five elements which can be doubly ionised. We demonstrate tests of the module, and then describe how to implement it into an existing numerical code.
FRBCAT: The Fast Radio Burst Catalogue
Authors: Petroff E. , Barr E. D. , Jameson A. , Keane E. F. , Bailes M. , Kramer M. , Morello V. , Tabbara D. , van Straten W.
Published: September 2016

Here, we present a catalogue of known Fast Radio Burst sources in the form of an online catalogue, FRBCAT. The catalogue includes information about the instrumentation used for the observations for each detected burst, the measured quantities from each observation, and model-dependent quantities derived from observed quantities. To aid in consistent comparisons of burst properties such as width and signal-to-noise ratios, we have re-processed all the bursts for which we have access to the raw data, with software which we make available. The originally derived properties are also listed for comparison. The catalogue is hosted online as aMysqldatabase which can also be downloaded in tabular or plain text format for off-line use. This database will be maintained for use by the community for studies of the Fast Radio Burst population as it grows.
Radiocarbon Age of Soils in Oases of East Antarctica
Authors: Zazovskaya E , Mergelov N , Shishkov V , Dolgikh A , Miamin V , Cherkinsky A , Goryachkin S
Published: September 2016

This article discusses radiocarbon dating results for soils and soil-like systems in the East Antarctic oases, including Schirmacher, Thala Hills, and Larsemann Hills. The organic matter of endolithic and hypolithic systems, soils of wind shelters, and soils under moss-algae vegetation were dated along with micro- and macroprofiles. Organic matter pools formed under extreme climatic conditions and originated not from vascular plants but from cryptogamic organisms, and photoautotrophic microbes have been identified within the oases of the East Antarctica. The organic matter of the most of East Antarctic soils is young and cannot reach a steady state because of the high dynamism in the soil cover due to active erosion. The oldest soil organic matter in East Antarctica was found in the soils formed in wind shelters and endolithic soil-like systems under the protection of consolidated rock surfaces. According to our data, the maximal duration for the formation of organic matter profiles within the oases of East Antarctica is ~500 yr, which is similar to the age determined for High Arctic soils in Eurasia. The absence of older soils, comparable with the Holocene deglaciation, can be due to the extreme conditions resulting in occasional catastrophic events that destroyed the soil organic horizons.
PYTHAGORAS’ NORTHERN CONNECTIONS: ZALMOXIS, ABARIS, ARISTEAS
Authors: Zhmud Leonid
Published: September 2016

Apart from his teachings, wonders and scientific discoveries, Pythagoras was also known for his wide-ranging journeys. Ancient authors alleged that he visited many countries and nations from Egypt to India, stayed with the Phoenicians and the Ethiopians and talked to the Persian Magi and Gallic Druids. However, he never went to the North. If, nevertheless, he was eventually associated with the northern inhabitants, it is only because they themselves came into close contact with him. The first of them was Zalmoxis, a deity of a Thracian tribe, the Getae, who guaranteed them immortality after death (Hdt. 4.94). Having described a blood ritual that the Getae practised to become immortal, Herodotus relates a story he heard from the Hellespontine and Pontic Greeks. It goes that Zalmoxis was not adaimōnbut a former slave of Pythagoras on Samos and, having adopted the doctrine of immortality from him, he returned to Thrace and converted his tribesmen to it with a cunning trick. He invited the most prominent of them to a men's hall (ἀνδρείων) for entertainment and told them that neither he nor they or their descendants would die, but would live eternally. Then, having constructed a secret underground chamber, he suddenly disappeared from the eyes of the Getae and hid in his shelter for three full years, being lamented as dead. Then he showed himself again to the Getae, thus persuading them of the truth of his promises (4.95).
SEED-ORIENTED PLANTING IMRPROVES LIGHT INTERCEPTION, RADIATION USE EFFICIENCY AND GRAIN YIELD OF MAIZE (Zea mays L.) – CORRIGENDUM
Authors: TORRES GUILHERME M. , KOLLER ADRIAN , TAYLOR RANDY , RAUN WILLIAM R.
Published: September 2016

This article was published with an incorrect Title. The correct title should read:

‘SEED-ORIENTED PLANTING IMPROVES LIGHT INTERCEPTION, RADIATION USE EFFICIENCY AND GRAIN YIELD OF MAIZE (Zea mays L.)’

The original article has been rectified with the correct title and a footnote detailing the error has been inserted in the online PDF and HTML copies.
BIAS IN COLLEGIATE COURTS
Authors: Olowofoyeku Abimbola A.
Published: September 2016

This article addresses the issues attending common law collegiate courts' engagements with allegations of bias within their own ranks. It will be argued that, in such cases, it would be inappropriate to involve the collegiate panel or any member thereof in the decision, since such involvement inevitably encounters difficulties. The common law's dilemmas require drastic solutions, but the common law arguably is ill-equipped to implement the required change. The answer, it will be argued, is legislation.
A synthetic review of notoedres species mites and mange
Authors: FOLEY J. , SERIEYS L. E. K. , STEPHENSON N. , RILEY S. , FOLEY C. , JENNINGS M. , WENGERT G. , VICKERS W. , BOYDSTON E. , LYREN L. , MORIARTY J. , CLIFFORD D. L.
Published: September 2016

Notoedric mange, caused by obligately parasitic sarcoptiformNotoedresmites, is associated with potentially fatal dermatitis with secondary systemic disease in small mammals, felids and procyonids among others, as well as an occasional zoonosis. We describe clinical spectra in non-chiropteran hosts, review risk factors and summarize ecological and epidemiological studies. The genus is disproportionately represented on rodents. Disease in felids and procyonids ranges from very mild to death. Knowledge of the geographical distribution of the mites is highly inadequate, with focal hot spots known forNotoedres catiin domestic cats and bobcats. Predisposing genetic and immunological factors are not known, except that co-infection with other parasites and anticoagulant rodenticide toxicoses may contribute to severe disease. Treatment of individual animals is typically successful with macrocytic lactones such as selamectin, but herd or wildlife population treatment has not been undertaken. Transmission requires close contact and typically is within a host species. Notoedric mange can kill half all individuals in a population and regulate host population below non-diseased density for decades, consistent with frequency-dependent transmission or spillover from other hosts. Epidemics are increasingly identified in various hosts, suggesting global change in suitable environmental conditions or increased reporting bias.
Molecular characterization and expression analysis of three novel autophagy-related genes from the cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae)
Authors: FLORES FERNÁNDEZ JOSÉ MIGUEL , BARRAGÁN ÁLVAREZ CARLA PATRICIA , SÁNCHEZ HERNÁNDEZ CARLA VANESSA , PADILLA CAMBEROS EDUARDO , GONZÁLEZ CASTILLO CELIA , ORTUÑO SAHAGÚN DANIEL , MARTÍNEZ VELÁZQUEZ MOISÉS
Published: September 2016

The cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is a hematophagous ectoparasite of major importance for the livestock industry. It shows a remarkable ability to survive over long periods without feeding. However, the mechanisms used to endure long-term starvation are poorly understood. It is believed that autophagy, a process of intracellular protein degradation, may play a significant role to confront adverse environmental conditions. To advance our understanding of autophagy in R. microplus, in the present study we report the molecular characterization of three autophagy-related (ATG) genes, namely, RmATG3, RmATG4 and RmATG6, as well as their expression profiles in different developmental stages and organs of the parasite. The deduced amino acid sequences derived from the characterized gene sequences were subjected to Basic Local Alignment Search Tool analysis. The testing produced significant alignments with respective ATG proteins from Haemaphysalis longicornis and Ixodes scapularis ticks. Real-time polymerase chain reaction assays revealed that RmATG4 and RmATG6 transcripts were elevated in egg and ovary tissue, when compared with larva and midgut samples, while RmATG3 expression in midgut was 2-fold higher than in egg, larva and ovary samples.
Heythrop, Copleston, and the Jesuit Contribution to Philosophy
Authors: Haldane John
Published: September 2016

There has been public outcry from philosophers and others at the prospect of the closure of Heythrop College, University of London; yet the nature and history of Heythrop remain little known. It is apt and timely, therefore, as its likely dissolution approaches, to provide a brief account of its origins and development up to and including the period of its entry into London University under the leadership of the most famous modern historian of philosophy Frederick Copleston. Following on from this, the idea of a distinctive Jesuit intellectual tradition, and more specifically of the Jesuit contribution to philosophy, is explored.
Recent Critics of Mill's Qualitative Hedonism
Authors: Saunders Ben
Published: September 2016

Two recent critics of Mill's qualitative hedonism, Michael Hauskeller and Kristin Schaupp, argue that Mill's distinction between higher and lower pleasures was largely unsuccessful. They allege that Mill failed to demonstrate that some pleasures are lexically preferred to others, and indeed that this can be shown false by the fact that most people would not renounce supposedly lower pleasures, such as chocolate or sex, even for greater amounts of higher pleasures, such as reading or opera. I respond that many of these criticisms rest on uncharitable assumptions or interpretations of Mill's position. We need not suppose that Mill was even trying to do the things he supposedly failed to do. However, considering these objections may lead us to a more plausible interpretation of Mill's views, according to which the quality of pleasures, along with their quantity, contributes towards happiness. There is no need to suppose that ‘higher pleasures’ must be lexically preferred to lower ones, or even to be dogmatic about which pleasures are higher.
Cost-effectiveness of focal psychodynamic therapy and enhanced cognitive–behavioural therapy in out-patients with anorexia nervosa
Authors: Egger N. , Wild B. , Zipfel S. , Junne F. , Konnopka A. , Schmidt U. , de Zwaan M. , Herpertz S. , Zeeck A. , Löwe B. , von Wietersheim J. , Tagay S. , Burgmer M. , Dinkel A. , Herzog W. , König H.-H.
Published: September 2016

Background

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious illness leading to substantial morbidity and mortality. The treatment of AN very often is protracted; repeated hospitalizations and lost productivity generate substantial economic costs in the health care system. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the differential cost-effectiveness of out-patient focal psychodynamic psychotherapy (FPT), enhanced cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT-E), and optimized treatment as usual (TAU-O) in the treatment of adult women with AN.

Method

The analysis was conducted alongside the randomized controlled Anorexia Nervosa Treatment of OutPatients (ANTOP) study. Cost-effectiveness was determined using direct costs per recovery at 22 months post-randomization (n = 156). Unadjusted incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated. To derive cost-effectiveness acceptability curves (CEACs) adjusted net-benefit regressions were applied assuming different values for the maximum willingness to pay (WTP) per additional recovery. Cost–utility and assumptions underlying the base case were investigated in exploratory analyses.

Results

Costs of in-patient treatment and the percentage of patients who required in-patient treatment were considerably lower in both intervention groups. The unadjusted ICERs indicated FPT and CBT-E to be dominant compared with TAU-O. Moreover, FPT was dominant compared with CBT-E. CEACs showed that the probability for cost-effectiveness of FTP compared with TAU-O and CBT-E was ⩾95% if the WTP per recovery was ⩾€9825 and ⩾€24 550, respectively. Comparing CBT-E with TAU-O, the probability of being cost-effective remained <90% for all WTPs. The exploratory analyses showed similar but less pronounced trends.

Conclusions

Depending on the WTP, FPT proved cost-effective in the treatment of adult AN.
Gubernatorial use of executive orders: unilateral action and policy adoption
Authors: Sellers Mitchell Dylan
Published: September 2016

I examine gubernatorial use of executive orders, and assess how executive action influences statute adoption. I argue that strong governors use executive orders to pursue policy objectives when they perceive legislation as unlikely to pass. Multilevel Event History Analysis of executive orders and the adoption of statutes that protect the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from 1975 to 2013 reveals that partisan control of government and intrastate factors influence both forms of policy adoption. My findings support the strategic model that argues that executives turn to executive orders when confronting unfavourable legislative conditions, and that governors issue protections more when entering office. Legislatures respond to partisan control of the legislature and social characteristics. Further, states that have pro-LGBT executive orders in place are more likely to adopt similar statutes. My results suggest that stronger governors are more likely to issue executive orders, but it is states with weaker governors that are more likely to adopt legislation.
3D-point-cloud registration and real-world dynamic modelling-based virtual environment building method for teleoperation
Authors: Ni Dejing , Song Aiguo , Xu Xiaonong , Li Huijun , Zhu Chengcheng , Zeng Hong
Published: September 2016

It is a challenging task for a human operator to manipulate a robot from a remote distance, especially in an unknown environment. Excellent teleoperation provides the human operator with a sense of telepresence, mainly including real-world vision, haptic perception, etc. This paper presents a novel virtual environment building method using the red–green–blue (RGB) colour information, the surface normal feature-based 3D-point-cloud registration method and the weighted sliding-average least-square-method-based real-world dynamic modelling for teleoperation. The experiments prove the method to be an accurate and effective means of teleoperation.
A migrant-inspired path planning algorithm for obstacle run using
particle swarm optimization, potential field navigation, and fuzzy logic
controller
Authors: Kuo Ping-Huan , Li Tzuu-Hseng S. , Chen Guan-Yu , Ho Ya-Fang , Lin Chih-Jui
Published: September 2016

Obstacle avoidance is an important issue in robotics. In this paper, the particle
swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, which is inspired by the collective
behaviors of birds, has been designed for solving the obstacle avoidance
problem. Some animals that travel to the different places at a specific time of
the year are called migrants. The migrants also represent the particles of PSO
for defining the walking paths in this work. Migrants consider not only the
collective behaviors, but also geomagnetic fields during their migration in
nature. Therefore, in order to improve the performance and the convergence speed
of the PSO algorithm, concepts from the migrant navigation method have been
adopted for use in the proposed hybrid particle swarm optimization (H-PSO)
algorithm. Moreover, the potential field navigation method and the designed
fuzzy logic controller have been combined in H-PSO, which provided a good
performance in the simulation and the experimental results. Finally, the
Federation of International Robot-soccer Association (FIRA) HuroCup Obstacle Run
Event has been chosen for validating the feasibility and the practicability of
the proposed method in real time. The designed adult-sized humanoid robot also
performed well in the 2015 FIRA HuroCup Obstacle Run Event through utilizing the
proposed H-PSO.
Empirical Bayes estimation of farm prevalence adjusting for multistage sampling and uncertainty in test performance: a Brucella cross-sectional serostudy in southern Kazakhstan
Authors: BEAUVAIS W. , ORYNBAYEV M. , GUITIAN J.
Published: September 2016

Estimation of farm prevalence is common in veterinary research. Typically, not all animals within the farm are sampled, and imperfect tests are used. Often, assumptions about herd sizes and sampling proportions are made, which may be invalid in smallholder settings. We propose an alternative method for estimating farm prevalence in the context of Brucella seroprevalence estimation in an endemic region of Kazakhstan. We collected 210 milk samples from Otar district, with a population of about 1000 cattle and 16 000 small ruminants, and tested them using an indirect ELISA. Individual-level prevalence and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Taylor series linearization. A model was developed to estimate the smallholding prevalence, taking into account variable sampling proportions and uncertainty in the test accuracy. We estimate that 73% of households that we sampled had at least one Brucella-seropositive animal (95% credible interval 68–82). We estimate that 58% (95% confidence interval 40–76) of lactating small ruminants and 14% (95% confidence interval 1–28) of lactating cows were seropositive. Our results suggest that brucellosis is highly endemic in the area and conflict with those of the official brucellosis-testing programme, which found that in 2013 0% of cows and 1·7% of small ruminants were seropositive.