bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Description of a new long-tailed skink (Scincidae: Trachylepis) from Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Authors: MARQUES MARIANA P. , CERÍACO LUIS M. P. , BANDEIRA SUZANA , PAUWELS OLIVIER S. G. , BAUER AARON M.
Published: March 2019

Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are relatively unknown in terms of their herpetological diversity. Based on specimens collected in the Congolese region of the Katanga and the northeast of Angola during the first decades of the twentieth century, de Witte and Laurent independently suggested, based on morphological and coloration differences, that populations of T. megalura of these regions could belong a new “race”. We compared specimens of T. megalura (including the type specimens of T. megalura and T. massaiana) with Angolan and Katangan museum specimens as well as newly collected specimens from Angola. Coloration pattern and morphological characters, in combination with substantial divergence in the 16S mitochondrial gene, confirm the distinctiveness of the west Central African form, and it is here described as a new species. Data regarding its natural history, ecology and global distribution are presented.
Dorotea gen. nov., a new bathyal genus (Amphipoda, Eusiridae) from the Solomon Sea (Papua New Guinea)
Authors: CORBARI LAURE , FRUTOS INMACULADA , SORBE JEAN CLAUDE
Published: March 2019

A new species ascribed to a new genus of Eusiridae, Dorotea papuana gen. nov., sp. nov. is described from bathyal bottoms of the Solomon Sea (Papua New Guinea). Closely related to the genus Cleonardo, this new genus can be distinguished from most other known eusirid genera by the presence of a telson distally cleft and distinctly bilobate, of a distal spiniform process on uropod 1 peduncle and of a simple, stout and medium length dactylus on pereopods 5–7. The combination of all these characters can be considered relevant for the affiliation of this species to a new genus within Eusiridae. Due to its very close morphological affinity to Dorotea gen. nov., the bathyal sub-Antarctic species Eusiroides aberrantis Bellan-Santini & Ledoyer, 1987 cannot be maintained in the family Pontogeneiidae and it should be transferred to the   family Eusiridae.
Review of Cephennomicrus and Pomphopsilla of the Seychelles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae)
Authors: JAŁOSZYŃSKI PAWEŁ
Published: March 2019

All species of the cephenniine genus Cephennomicrus known to occur in the Seychelles were described by Scott (as Neseuthia) nearly a century ago. The descriptions were based on external characters, which does not allow for species identification. All the species are redescribed here: C. cordithorax, C. cornutus, C. minor, C. perexiguus, C. politus and C. typicus. Cephennomicrus crenatus is transferred to another genus, resulting in Pomphopsilla crenata comb. n. Lectotypes are designated for Neseuthia minor, N. perexigua and N. crenata. A new species group within Cephennomicrus is proposed to accommodate all species treated here, which share, among other characters, a long flagellum with a broad proximal portion, very short setae on the pronotum and elytra, five pronotal antebasal pits, a transverse groove connecting three of them, and unique modifications of the head in males.
The larva of Plectrocnemia renetta Malicky 1975 (Trichoptera, Polycentropodidae), including a discriminatory matrix to the larvae of Plectrocnemia Stephens 1836 species of Greece
Authors: WARINGER JOHANN , MALICKY HANS
Published: March 2019

This paper describes the previously unknown larva of Plectrocnemia renetta Malicky 1975. Information on the morphology of the final instar larva is given and the most important diagnostic features are illustrated. A preliminary discriminatory matrix for the Greek larvae of Plectrocnemia Stephens 1836 is also provided. Plectrocnemia renetta and P. conspersa conspersa (Curtis 1834) belong to the group where the inner and outer dorsal secondary setae on abdominal segment IX are strongly different in length. These two species can be separated from each other by the arrangement of muscle attachment spots on the head capsule, number and length of setae on abdominal sternum IX, and by distribution patterns. With respect to zoogeography, Plectrocnemia renetta has been reported from Cyprus, Turkey, and from the Greek islands of Ikaria and Samos.
Hoplonannus australis sp. nov. (Hemiptera, Schizopteridae): amended diagnosis of the genus and first record from South America
Authors: SILVEIRA DIEGO DUTRA , BARCELLOS ALINE , KNYSHOV ALEXANDER
Published: March 2019

Hoplonannus McAtee & Maloch, 1925 comprises three species described from Central America. Females of all these species are known only from brachypterous specimens. This paper describes the first South American species of the genus, Hoplonannus australis sp. nov. The new species differs from its congeners, in females, by the submacroptery, presence of ocelli and a basal bulge in the seventh sternite; in males, it differs by the presence of a process in the eighth tergite and the right paramere bifurcate apically, with branches subparallel. These traits entail a new diagnosis for the genus.
Estimating Convection’s Moisture Sensitivity: An Observation–Model Synthesis Using AMIE-DYNAMO Field Data
Authors: Mapes Brian , Chandra Arunchandra S. , Kuang Zhiming , Song Siwon , Zuidema Paquita
Published: March 2019

We seek to use ARM MJO Investigation Experiment (AMIE)-DYNAMO field campaign observations to significantly constrain height-resolved estimates of the parameterization-relevant, causal sensitivity of convective heating Q to water vapor q. In field data, Q profiles are detected via Doppler radar wind divergence D while balloon soundings give q. Univariate regressions of D on q summarize the information from a 10-layer time–pressure series from Gan Island (0°, 90°E) as a 10 × 10 matrix. Despite the right shape and units, this is not the desired causal quantity because observations reflect confounding effects of additional q-correlated casual mechanisms. We seek to use this matrix to adjudicate among candidate estimates of the desired causal quantity: Kuang’s matrix of the linear responses of a cyclic convection-permitting model (CCPM) at equilibrium. Transforming to more observation-comparable forms by accounting for observed autocorrelations, the comparisons are still poor, because (we hypothesize) larger-scale vertical velocity, forbidden by CCPM methodology, is another confounding cause that must be permitted to covary with q. By embedding and modified candidates in an idealized GCM, and treating its outputs as virtual field campaign data, we find that observations favor a factor of 2 (rather than 0 or 1) to small-domain ’s free-tropospheric causal q sensitivity of about 25% rain-rate increment over 3 subsequent hours per +1 g kg−1 q impulse in a 100-hPa layer. Doubling this sensitivity lies partway toward Kuang’s for a long domain that organizes convection into squall lines, a weak but sign-consistent hint of a detectable parameterization-relevant (causal) role for convective organization in nature. Caveats and implications for field campaign proposers are discussed.
Comparing GEFS, ECMWF, and Postprocessing Methods for Ensemble Precipitation Forecasts over Brazil
Authors: Medina Hanoi , Tian Di , Marin Fabio R. , Chirico Giovanni B.
Published: March 2019

This study compares the performance of Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS) and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) precipitation ensemble forecasts in Brazil and evaluates different analog-based methods and a logistic regression method for postprocessing the GEFS forecasts. The numerical weather prediction (NWP) forecasts were evaluated against the Physical Science Division South America Daily Gridded Precipitation dataset using both deterministic and probabilistic forecasting evaluation metrics. The results show that the ensemble precipitation forecasts performed commonly well in the east and poorly in the northwest of Brazil, independent of the models and the postprocessing methods. While the raw ECMWF forecasts performed better than the raw GEFS forecasts, analog-based GEFS forecasts were more skillful and reliable than both raw ECMWF and GEFS forecasts. The choice of a specific postprocessing strategy had less impact on the performance than the postprocessing itself. Nonetheless, forecasts produced with different analog-based postprocessing strategies were significantly different and were more skillful and as reliable and sharp as forecasts produced with the logistic regression method. The approach considering the logarithm of current and past reforecasts as the measure of closeness between analogs was identified as the best strategy. The results also indicate that the postprocessing using analog methods with long-term reforecast archive improved raw GEFS precipitation forecasting skill more than using logistic regression with short-term reforecast archive. In particular, the postprocessing dramatically improves the GEFS precipitation forecasts when the forecasting skill is low or below zero.
Moisture Sources for East Asian Precipitation: Mean Seasonal Cycle and Interannual Variability
Authors: Guo Liang , van der Ent Ruud J. , Klingaman Nicholas P. , Demory Marie-Estelle , Vidale Pier Luigi , Turner Andrew G. , Stephan Claudia C. , Chevuturi Amulya
Published: March 2019

This study investigates the moisture sources that supply East Asian (EA) precipitation and their interannual variability. Moisture sources are tracked using the Water Accounting Model-2layers (WAM-2layers), based on the Eulerian framework. WAM-2layers is applied to five subregions over EA, driven by the ERA-Interim reanalysis from 1979 to 2015. Due to differences in regional atmospheric circulation and in hydrological and topographic features, the mean moisture sources vary among EA subregions. The tropical oceanic source dominates southeastern EA, while the extratropical continental source dominates other EA subregions. The moisture sources experience large seasonal variations, due to the seasonal cycle of the EA monsoon, the freeze–thaw cycle of the Eurasian continent, and local moisture recycling over the Tibetan Plateau. The interannual variability of moisture sources is linked to interannual modes of the coupled ocean–atmosphere system. The negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation increases moisture transport to northwestern EA in winter by driving a southward shift in the midlatitude westerly jet over the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Caspian Sea. Atmospheric moisture lifetime is also reduced due to the enhanced westerlies. In summers following El Niños, an anticyclonic anomaly over the western North Pacific increases moisture supplied from the South China Sea to the southeastern EA and shortens the traveling distance. A stronger Somali Jet in summer increases moisture to the Tibetan Plateau and therefore increases precipitation over the eastern Tibetan Plateau. The methods and findings in this study can be used to evaluate hydrological features in climate simulations.
Not dead yet: Human rights in an illiberal world order
Authors: Petrasek David
Published: March 2019

Many argue that if liberal internationalism is in retreat, global support for human rights will weaken. This pessimistic outlook for human rights is not fully supported by the facts, not least that global attention to human rights continues to strengthen even as Western power declines. Emerging powers will certainly shape the human rights debate, and the authoritarians among them pose real risks, but global concern for human rights has never been solely dependent on Western support. The challenge for middle powers is not one of retrenchment around the status quo, but rather to build new coalitions of concerned states to meet new human rights challenges.
Curb your enthusiasm: Middle-power liberal internationalism and the future of the United Nations
Authors: Andersen Louise Riis
Published: March 2019

The future looks post-Western. But will it also be post-liberal? To gauge how and by whom liberal internationalism may be sustained in the coming order, the article provides a critical and historically grounded analysis of the role of the United Nations in the fading US-led order and the ordering potential and role of middle powers. The article suggests that in the current interregnum of global governance the conventional distinction between traditional and emerging middle powers is increasingly unhelpful. What matters is not their past history, but their present proclivity for seeking multilateral, negotiated solutions. It is this pragmatic version of liberal internationalism that may have a future in a post-Western world, and open up a more pluralist, inclusive approach to global governance.
NATO, liberal internationalism, and the politics of imagining the Western security community
Authors: Gheciu Alexandra
Published: March 2019

International Relations scholars often assume that NATO represents the institutional expression of a pre-existing, liberal-democratic Western security community. However, far from simply representing a pre-given community, NATO has always been involved in power-filled processes of constructing “the West.” At the heart of those processes lie practices of collective (re)imagining of the Western world, as well as the representation of internal tensions as feuds within a community united by liberal values. Today, the task of managing internal differences has become particularly complicated due to the rise of radical conservative political forces in several allied states. This has translated into an unprecedented clash between liberal and illiberal interpretations of the Western community. This paper also shows that, contrary to conventional wisdom, middle powers have played important roles both in the construction of the liberal Western security community, and, more recently, in articulating an alternative—radical conservative—vision of the West.
For the greater good?: “Good states” turning UN peacekeeping towards counterterrorism
Authors: Karlsrud John
Published: March 2019

The usual suspects of middle power internationalism—small and middle powers such as Canada, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Sweden—have all contributed to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA). This article argues that while these and other Western countries' contributions to MINUSMA may still be characterized as investments into UN peacekeeping reform and a rule-governed world order, the liberal underpinnings of that commitment are withering. Instead, these countries seek to enhance their own status. This is done by gaining appreciation for their contributions, primarily from the US; strengthening their bids for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council; and self-interested contributions to reform UN peacekeeping by efforts to enable it to confront violent extremism and terrorism. Paradoxically, the article concludes, when moving the UN towards counterterrorism and weakening the legitimacy of the organization, Western states undermine a cornerstone of their own security.
Hip-Hop, Gangs, and the Criminalization of African American Culture: A Critical Appraisal of Yes Yes Y’all
Authors: Aprahamian Serouj
Published: March 2019

It is commonly assumed that hip-hop was born when street gangs in the Bronx, New York, channeled their energy from violence and crime to music and artistic expression. I critically interrogate this dominant narrative through an examination of the influential book Yes Yes Y’all: The Experience Music Project Oral History of Hip-Hop’s First Decade (hereafter “YYY”). Drawing from the original interview transcripts used for YYY, I compare the gang-origin narrative espoused in the book with the primary accounts of early hip-hop practitioners featured within it. Special attention is given to the divergences between the two sources, demonstrating how the claim that hip-hop came from gangs is unsubstantiated by relevant interviewee accounts. I discuss how the prevalence of this false narrative in studies of hip-hop history overall is part of a broader historic pattern of associating working class African American culture with criminality.
Applying an outcomes-based categorisation to non-warranted/non-sworn volunteers in United States policing
Authors: Wolf Ross , Bryer Thomas
Published: March 2019

The use of volunteers for government service can improve civic engagement, collaboration in governance, and transparency. Policing is no exception, and throughout the United States many police agencies rely on volunteers to serve in various ways, including observational patrols, investigations, administrative support, chaplains, police explorer programmes, and search and rescue teams. While there are police volunteers in the United States that have police powers, this manuscript focuses on the varied ways that citizens participate in policing in non-warranted/non-sworn roles, and applies an outcomes-based categorisation to better understand motivations. Examples of volunteerism are provided, and the variation of use is discussed.
Brexistential Angst and the Paradoxes of Populism: On the Contingency, Predictability and Intelligibility of Seismic Shifts
Authors: Hay Colin
Published: March 2019

The time-travelling political scientist stepping out of her time machine today, having started her journey even 5 years earlier, would be amazed and, no doubt, shocked by the world in which she found herself. What sense, if any, might she make of British politics after the vote for Brexit – and, indeed, of the politics which gave rise to it? And what does the answer to that question tell us about how the vote for Brexit happened, how it was allowed to happen, its wider implications (both political and economic) and the seismic changes in and through which British politics is currently being remade? In an inevitably prospective and necessarily provisional way, I seek to reflect on the paradoxes of populism and neoliberal globalism that Brexit reveals as a way of drawing out a few of its implications for the conduct of British political analysis in a world in which Brexit could happen yet was essentially unforeseen.
Detaining patients in the general hospital – current practice and pitfalls
Authors: Smith Murray , O’Regan Rian , Goldbeck Rainer
Published: March 2019

Aims

Much has been written about the use of the Mental Health Act in psychiatric settings. There is, however, little written on its use to detain patients with mental disorder in general hospitals.

Method and results

We therefore carried out a survey of the use of the Mental Health Act in general hospital settings in Aberdeen, and also posted a questionnaire to Scottish Liaison Psychiatrists, asking about their experience of the use of the Mental Health Act in general hospitals. Over a six-month period in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, we identified 39 detentions. Out of hours, the use of Emergency Detention Certificates was more common than use of Short Term Detention Certificates – the latter is recommended by the Mental Welfare Commission, as patients are afforded more rights. When psychiatric staff were not directly involved, procedural and administrative errors were more likely to occur. Liaison psychiatrists elsewhere in Scotland reported similar observations.

Conclusion

General hospital clinicians are unfamiliar with the Mental Health Act and its use. Errors in its application therefore arise, and are more common when psychiatric staff is not involved. Better education, including the provision of written information and consideration of an electronic system, may improve current practice.
Geometrical analysis of bi-stretch auxetic woven fabric based on re-entrant hexagonal geometry
Authors: Zulifqar Adeel , Hu Hong
Published: March 2019

This paper reports a study on the geometrical analysis of bi-stretch auxetic woven fabric based on a re-entrant hexagonal geometry. The fabric was first designed and fabricated. Then, the fabric was subjected to tensile tests, and changes in the geometry of the fabric structural unit cell at different tensile strains were observed when stretched either in the warp or weft direction. Based on the observations, a geometrical model was proposed for each stretch direction and used to establish the relationship between Poisson’s ratio and tensile strain. The semi-empirical equations for both stretch directions were finally obtained by fitting geometrical parameters with experimental results. It is expected that the semi-empirical equations obtained in this study could be used in the design and prediction of the auxetic behavior of bi-stretch auxetic woven fabrics made with the same type of materials and geometry, but with different values of geometrical parameters.
The random-beard image method system for scoured combed wool fiber length measurement
Authors: Wu Meiqin , Wang Fumei
Published: March 2019

This paper introduces a new developed wool fiber length imaging measurement instrument, named the random-beard image method, an applied fibrogram method of wool fiber length measurement. It includes four parts, namely the fiber beard preparation, image acquisition and fibrograms and fiber length parameter calculation using the dual beard and a new calculation method of Hauteur length (mean fiber length biased by the cross-section of the fibers). To check the accuracy of the built instrument, the international standard fiber length measurement instrument, the Almeter100, was used as the reference method for comparison. Hence, 10 kinds of wool fibers were measured with both methods and the results showed that four fiber length parameters, the Barbe length (weighted mean length), Hauteur length, the coefficient of variation of the Barbe length and the Hauteur length of the two methods, have high consistency. An F-test was also applied to test the repeatability of these two methods measuring another three kinds of wool fibers five times. It was found that, under the significance level of α = 0.05, the repeatability of both methods is on the same level.
Bending properties and failure mechanisms of three-dimensional hybrid woven spacer composites with glass and carbon fibers
Authors: Wang Liyong , Liu Xiaohua , Saleemi Sidra , Zhang Yinjiang , Qiu Yiping , Xu Fujun
Published: March 2019

Three-dimensional (3D) woven spacer composites are competitive materials in aerospace fields due to their excellent integrated, light-weight structure. The face sheets of the 3D woven spacer composites are crucial for the mechanical properties. In this study, 3D hybrid composites, which are composed of glass and carbon fibers in the face sheets and glass fiber in the core layer as reinforcement and epoxy resin as the matrix, were designed and fabricated. The bending test results show that with the increase of the carbon fibers in the face sheets, the normalized bending strength of hybrid spacer composites showed limited improvement, while their normalized bending moduli and bending stiffnesses were significantly improved. The optical and scanning electron microscope images of the fractured surfaces reveal that the fibers in the top face sheet, which is under compression by the indenter, are damaged first and cause the failure of the entire structure, whereas the fibers in the bottom face sheets are stretched during the bending test and slightly damaged. In addition, in the failure cross-sections, pull-out of the carbon fibers is observed due to its limited interfacial bonding with the epoxy resin. This work could help optimize 3D hybrid woven spacer composite structures for better performance and lower cost.
What does poverty feel like? Urban inequality and the politics of sensation
Authors: Jaffe Rivke , Dürr Eveline , Jones Gareth A , Angelini Alessandro , Osbourne Alana , Vodopivec Barbara
Published: March 2019

The emergent field of ‘sensory urbanism’ studies how socio-spatial boundaries are policed through sensorial means. Such studies have tended to focus on either formal policies that seek to control territories and populations through a governance of the senses, or on more everyday micro-politics of exclusion where conflicts are articulated in a sensory form. This article seeks to extend this work by concentrating on contexts where people deliberately seek out sensory experiences that disturb their own physical sense of comfort and belonging. While engagement across lines of sensorial difference may often be antagonistic, we argue for a more nuanced exploration of sense disruption that attends to the complex political potential of sensory urbanism. Specifically, we focus on the politics of sensation in tours of low-income urban areas. Tourists enter these areas to immerse themselves in a different environment, to be moved by urban deprivation and to feel its affective force. What embodied experiences do tourists and residents associate with urban poverty? How do guides mobilise these sensations in tourism encounters, and what is their potential to disrupt established hierarchies of socio-spatial value? Drawing on a collaborative research project in Kingston, Mexico City, New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro, the article explores how tours offer tourists a sense of what poverty feels like. Experiencing these neighbourhoods in an intimate, embodied fashion often allows tourists to feel empathy and solidarity, yet these feelings are balanced by a sense of discomfort and distance, reminding tourists in a visceral way that they do not belong.
Four types of urban austerity: Public land privatisations in French and Italian cities
Authors: Adisson Félix , Artioli Francesca
Published: March 2019

This article contributes to current debates on urban austerity by comparing public land privatisations in French and Italian cities. These privatisations have emerged in several countries during the last two decades as a recurring austerity measure. However, current research does not explain how similar national austerity policies result in diverse urban outcomes. This article tackles this limitation by developing an analytical model of the different types of urban austerity. It uses the intergovernmental system and local policy capacity as the main variables to explain four local patterns of austerity, that is, gridlock austerity, nationally mitigated austerity, locally mitigated austerity and opportunistic austerity. Drawing on nine case studies covering two public landowners, the article shows that public land austerity policies have become routine practice based on compromises in French cities, but conflictual and based on ad hoc solutions in Italian cities.
Successful treatment of XDR-TB patient in Tanzania: report of the first XDR-TB patient
Authors: Lyakurwa Dennis , Lyimo Johnson , Mleoh Liberate , Riziki Kisonga , Lupinda Mrisho , Mpondo Bonaventura CT
Published: March 2019

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is emerging as a new and serious public health challenge. We present the first case with confirmed extensive drug-resistant TB in Tanzania in a patient who had prior exposure to anti-TB drugs and a history of imprisonment in South Africa. The addition of bedaquiline to the treatment regime resulted in positive to negative sputum conversion. After a total of 30 months on treatment he was declared cured, remaining clinically stable and culture-negative throughout the follow-up. Close monitoring is important in managing drug-resistant TB cases, and good surveillance is required to detect drug-resistant TB to prevent further transmission.
The burden and risk factors for postnatal depression and depressive symptomatology among women in Kampala
Authors: Nampijja Margaret , Natamba Barnabas , Mpango Richard , Kinyanda Eugene
Published: March 2019

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a major global health challenge and postnatal women may be at an increased risk for this disorder. Very few studies have tested this hypothesis in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), so it is uncertain whether risk factors implicated elsewhere in the world are relevant in SSA. We explored prevalence and risk factors for MDD and depressive symptomatology among postnatal mothers in Kampala. Three hundred postnatal mothers at Nsambya Hospital were assessed for MDD using the DSM IV-based MINI; prevalence and risk factors were determined using frequencies and regressions, respectively. Four women (1.33%) had MDD; however, 94 (31%) had ‘sub-threshold’ or depressive symptomatology, with which partner violence is particularly associated. MDD is rare among postnatal women in a paying hospital in Kampala; however, the high prevalence of depressive symptomatology suggests susceptibility to MDD. Longitudinal studies should investigate this hypothesis and the susceptibility due to partner violence should guide appropriate interventions.
From the Academy to the Boardroom: Methodological Challenges and Insights on Transnational Business Feminism
Authors: Allison Katherine , Gregoratti Catia , Tornhill Sofie
Published: March 2019

Increasingly, corporations are championing the cause of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Global South. Tapping into notions about women’s role as caregivers, empowerment promotion is simultaneously meant to lead to family and community development, profitability for those who invest in women and girls and economic growth. While emerging feminist scholarship on this kind of ‘transnational business feminism’ (TBF) (Roberts, 2012, 2015) has largely scrutinised gender governance based on visual and textual materials produced by corporations themselves, this article expands the methodological engagement with TBF by reflecting on how we translated the concept into two distinct field-based research projects. The article compares and contrasts our situated fieldwork experiences, focusing in particular on accessing corporate elites and development partners and the epistemological rifts that emerged in conversations with them. It documents how our experiences of blockages, hostile relations and miscommunications have shaped our critical feminist research, and points to some of the power relations at work within TBF.
Risk Recall of Complications Associated with Vestibular Schwannoma Treatment
Authors: Goshtasbi Khodayar , Abouzari Mehdi , Moshtaghi Omid , Maducdoc Marlon , Lehrich Brandon M. , Lin Harrison W. , Djalilian Hamid R.
Published: March 2019

Objective

To assess the risk recall of complications among patients who underwent different vestibular schwannoma (VS) treatments.

Study Design

Patients with VS completed a voluntary and anonymous survey.

Setting

Survey links were distributed via the Acoustic Neuroma Association (ANA) website, Facebook, and email list.

Subjects and Methods

Surveys were distributed to ANA members from January to March 2017. Of the 3200 ANA members with a VS diagnosis at the time of survey distribution, 789 (25%) completed the survey.

Results

Subjects reported the following incidence of posttreatment complications: imbalance (60%), hearing issues (51%), dry eyes (30%), headache (29%), and facial weakness (27%). Overall, 188 (25%) recalled remembering all the risks associated with their treatment. Among those in the surgical cohort (52%) who experienced balance issues, facial weakness, cerebrospinal fluid leak, meningitis, and stroke, 73%, 91%, 77%, 67%, and 33% claimed recall of these associated risks. Among those in the radiosurgery cohort (28%) who experienced balance issues, facial weakness, and hydrocephalus, 56%, 52%, and 60% recalled discussions of those risks. Patients with higher‐level education (P =. 026) and those who underwent surgery (P =. 001) had a significantly higher risk recall ratio, while sex, age, and tumor size were not significant contributing factors.

Conclusion

Not all patients with VS who experienced treatment complications recalled remembering those risks being discussed with them. Patients with higher education and those who underwent surgery had a better recall of risks associated with different treatment modalities. The risk recall ratio of patients experiencing complications ranged 33% to 91%, suggesting an opportunity for decision‐making and discussion improvement.
When do organisations learn from successful experiences? The case of venture capital firms
Authors: Bacon-Gerasymenko Violetta
Published: March 2019

This article examines the extent to which venture capital firms (VCFs) learn from successful experience and when such experience influences the likelihood of future successful exits. To test our theory, we drew upon a novel dataset of young French VCFs and their investments. Results indicate that VCFs learn from success, but only up to a certain level of after which the benefits decline. We also found an adverse effect on future performance from the first VCF experience, if it was successful. Refuting our prediction, VCFs appear to learn better from significant, rather than small, successes. Finally, our results reveal that VCFs learn most from more recent success but that extrapolating lessons from more dated experience may harm future performance. Our study contributes to the venture capital and organisational learning literature with practical implications for venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.
Electroconvulsive stimulation differentially affects [11C]MDL100,907 binding to cortical and subcortical 5HT2A receptors in porcine brain
Authors: Landau Anne M , Alstrup Aage Kristian Olsen , Noer Ove , Winterdahl Michael , Audrain Hélène , Møller Arne , Videbech Poul , Wegener Gregers , Gjedde Albert , Doudet Doris J
Published: March 2019

Background:

Electroconvulsive therapy is an effective therapy of depression. We hypothesized that the beneficial effects are mediated partly by decreased serotonin receptor availability in the cortex.

Aims:

We used positron emission tomography with the serotonin 5HT2A receptor radioligand [11C]MDL100,907 to determine serotonin receptor availability in response to electroconvulsive stimulation (ECS).

Methods:

Seven Göttingen minipigs were deeply anaesthetized and imaged at baseline before the onset of ECS, and at 1–2 and 8–10 days after the end of a clinical course of ECS, consisting of 10 sessions over 3.5 weeks, and post-ECS values were compared to baseline. One additional minipig was anaesthetized over 10 sessions without ECS, as a control. We analysed images with the Ichise model for binding in cortex and hippocampus, followed by whole-brain analysis by statistical non-parametric mapping.

Results:

We found significantly increased binding potential of [11C]MDL100,907 in the cortex and hippocampus 1–2 days after ECS, consistent with increased serotonin receptor availability compared to baseline. By 8–10 days after the final ECS, the average tracer binding had returned towards baseline. However, we also found significantly decreased tracer binding in the subcortical regions of olfactory bulb, pons, thalamus and striatum.

Conclusions:

With ECS, minipigs, unlike primates but like rodents, have higher availability at cortical and hippocampal 5HT2A receptors. Decreased tracer binding is consistent with reduced serotonin receptor availability as a differential effect of ECS on 5HT2A receptors in subcortical regions of minipig brain.
Implementation of AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design Software for Asphalt Pavements in Kansas
Authors: Islam Shuvo , Hossain Mustaque , Jones Christopher A. , Bose Avishek , Barrett Ryan , Velasquez Nat
Published: March 2019

Many highway agencies are transitioning from the 1993 AASHTO pavement design guide to the AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design (PMED). Pavement performance models embedded in the PMED software need to be calibrated for new and reconstructed hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavements. Twenty-seven newly constructed HMA pavements were used to calibrate the prediction models—twenty-one for calibration and six for validation. Local calibration for permanent deformation, top-down fatigue cracking, and the International Roughness Index (IRI) models was done using the traditional split-sample method. Comparison with the results from the 1993 AASHTO design guide for ten new HMA pavement sections with varying traffic levels was done. The results show that the thicknesses obtained from locally calibrated PMED are within 1 inch of the AASHTO 1993 design guide prediction for low to medium-low traffic. For sections with high traffic level, the 1993 AASHTO design guide yielded higher thickness than PMED. The PMED implementation strategies adopted in Kansas and relevant concerns are discussed. Finally, an automated calibration technique has been proposed to help highway agencies to perform periodic in-house calibration of the performance models.
Effects of Aspirin on Growth Factor Release From Freshly Isolated Leukocyte-Rich Platelet-Rich Plasma in Healthy Men: A Prospective Fixed-Sequence Controlled Laboratory Study
Authors: Jayaram Prathap , Yeh Peter , Patel Shiv J. , Cela Racel , Shybut Theodore B. , Grol Matthew W. , Lee Brendan H.
Published: March 2019

Background:

The benefits of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are believed to be in part dependent on growth factor release after platelet activation. Platelet activation is complex and involves multiple mechanisms. One important mechanism is driven by cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1)–mediated conversion of arachidonic acid (AA) to precursor prostaglandins that then mediate proinflammatory responses that trigger growth factor release. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA; also known as aspirin) is known to irreversibly inhibit COX-1, thereby blocking AA-mediated signaling; however, it is unclear whether ASA use alters growth factor release from freshly isolated PRP.

Purpose:

To assess the effects of low-dose ASA use on activation of growth factor release from freshly isolated human PRP via AA and thrombin (TBN).

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Twelve healthy men underwent blood collection and leukocyte-rich PRP (LR-PRP) preparation through a double-spin protocol to obtain baseline whole blood and PRP counts the same day. PRP was aliquoted into 3 groups: nonactivated, AA activated, and TBN activated. Immediately after activation, the concentrations of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and platelet-derived growth factor AB (PDGF-AB) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The same 12 participants were then placed on an 81-mg daily dose of oral ASA for 14 days. Repeat characterization of whole blood and PRP analyses was done on day 14, followed by repeat ELISAs of growth factors under the same nonactivated and activated settings as previously stated.

Results:

Fourteen days of daily ASA had no effect on the number of platelets and leukocytes measured in whole blood and LR-PRP. Compared with nonactivated LR-PRP, AA- and TBN-mediated activation led to significant release of VEGF and PDGF-AB. In contrast, release of TGF-β1 from LR-PRP was observed only with activation by AA, not with TBN. Consistent with its inhibitory role in AA signaling, ASA significantly inhibited AA-mediated release of all 3 growth factors measured in this study. Although ASA had no effect on TBN-mediated release of VEGF and TGF-β1 from LR-PRP, ASA did partially block TBN-mediated release of PDGF-AB, although the mechanism remains unclear.

Conclusion:

Daily use of low-dose ASA reduces VEGF, PDGF-AB, and TGF-β1 expression in freshly isolated human LR-PRP when activated with AA.

Clinical Relevance:

Reduction in growth factor release attributed to daily use of low-dose ASA or other COX inhibitors can be mitigated when PRP samples are activated with TBN. Clinical studies are needed to determine whether activation before PRP injection is needed in all applications where ASA is in use and to what extent ASA may inhibit growth factor release in vivo at the site of injury.
Supporting Acts: Patents for Undergarments for Stout Women, 1891–1956
Authors: Keist Carmen N. , Marcketti Sara B.
Published: March 2019

Women’s support garments including corsets and brassieres have been intimately tied to health and a woman’s outward appearance. Manufacturers strongly urged stout women to wear corsets well into the 1930s when many women had already discontinued their use. Stout women often had different requirements in regard to comfort and fit for their clothing and support garments. Stout women were an important consumer group in the first half of the century (1891–1956), though little research has been conducted. The purpose of this study was to better understand, through patent research, the ways in which inventors sought to solve clothing ills for the stout woman. To explore this topic, a content analysis approach was utilized using patents found through Google Patents. Patents for stout women focused on supporting and improving the body through corsets, brassieres, menstrual products, support devices, and combinations of corset and brassieres.
Campaigning Outside the Campaign: Political Parties and Referendums in Bulgaria
Authors: Stoychev Stoycho P. , Tomova Gergana
Published: March 2019

This article is part of the special cluster titled Political Parties and Direct Democracy in Eastern Europe, guest-edited by Sergiu Gherghina.

The instrumental use of referendums by political parties has already been acknowledged in earlier studies showing how parties in government used direct democracy tools to promote their policies and to gain legitimacy, while parties in opposition sought to augment their image in the eyes of the public. However, opposition parties may have another potential reason to promote referendums on top of their quest for a better public image: The topic of the referendum could be a legacy of their own government. This article reveals how this mechanism works by focusing on the first referendum at the national level in post-communist Bulgaria in 2013. It shows how the Bulgarian Socialist Party, in opposition at the time of the referendum, pursued a policy initiated when it was in office. We use primary data to investigate the extent to which the rhetoric of the party during the referendum campaign served as the basis for subsequent electoral campaigns.
It Takes an E-Village: Supporting African American Mothers in Sustaining Breastfeeding Through Facebook Communities
Authors: Robinson Ayanna , Davis Marsha , Hall Jori , Lauckner Carolyn , Anderson Alex Kojo
Published: March 2019

Background:

Lack of breastfeeding support is a common barrier reported by African American mothers, whose breastfeeding rates remain significantly below the national average. Despite mothers’ reported use of social network sites to access support on topics relating to child rearing, few studies have examined their use to exchange breastfeeding support.

Research aims:

To describe (1) the experiences of African American mothers who participate in breastfeeding support groups on Facebook and (2) the breastfeeding beliefs, practices, and outcomes for this population of mothers.

Methods:

This was a prospective, cross-sectional qualitative study with an online focus group design. The study was guided by Black Feminist Thought and an integrated model of behavior prediction. Four online focus groups ( N = 22) were conducted using video conferencing during September 2017 with African American mothers who were participating in breastfeeding support groups on Facebook.

Results:

Thematic analysis was used to develop four themes and two subthemes, including creating a community for Black mothers, online interactions and levels of engagement, advantages of participating in online support groups, critiques of online support groups, empowerment of self and others, and shifts in breastfeeding perceptions and decisions. Among participants in this study, positive imagery of African American breastfeeding mothers and ongoing support from women with shared experiences improved confidence with public breastfeeding and prolonged goals for breastfeeding duration.

Conclusion:

Receiving peer support within Facebook communities may positively influence breastfeeding norms and confidence in breastfeeding, help mothers to overcome breastfeeding challenges, and ultimately extend intended breastfeeding duration.
Honoring Wisdom in Seeking Truth for the Moment: A Teaching-Learning Challenge
Authors: Yancey Nan Russell
Published: March 2019

In this column, the notion of honoring the wisdom of all involved in the teaching-learning endeavor in nursing is explored. Clarity of understanding wisdom and how it is known are considered in light of experiences recalled by faculty and students. Experiences of honoring wisdom in the teaching-learning journey are shared as ways of seeking truth for the moment as new knowledge and understandings emerge.
Perceptions of Competence About Evidence-Based Practice Among Saudi Baccalaureate Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors: Tumala Regie B. , Alshehri Abdualrahman S.
Published: March 2019

For more than 30 years, research utilization has been described in the literature, which predated the heightened interest and demand for using best research evidence in nursing practice. Fernandez, Tran, Ramjan, Ho, and Gill identified evidence-based practice (EBP) as a methodical approach for using the best research evidence when making clinical judgments, together with patient preference and clinical experience. Furthermore, EBP was defined as the use of evidence-based knowledge in the clinical situations, and its usage should be one of the most important educational objectives in nursing education as well as one of the important skills for registered nurses worldwide. In nursing education, students must be taught to appreciate the importance of utilizing best evidence in their nursing practice, especially during their clinical time in the healthcare setting. It is hoped that if they appreciate EBP that when they become nurses, they will play an important role in the decision-making related to patient care, along with other medical and allied health professionals.
Three-dimensional suboptimal guidance law based on θ – D technique and nonlinear disturbance observer
Authors: Man Chaoyuan , Liu Rongjie , Li Shihua
Published: March 2019

In this paper, a nonlinear suboptimal guidance system is presented for the missile targeting an unknown arbitrary target. An integrated quadratic performance index is minimized in this guidance law, and the whole design is based on the exact 3D nonlinear missile-target dynamics without any linearization. Considering that the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation of a nonlinear system is quite difficult to be solved, the [Formula: see text] method is used to obtain the approximate solution without complicated online computations. Moreover, the target accelerations are regarded as the unknown disturbances, and the robustness against the target maneuvering and the external disturbances is enhanced by introducing the feedforward compensation based on the nonlinear disturbance observer. In addition, no priori knowledge like the time-to-go is needed in this suboptimal guidance law. Simulation studies show that the proposed composite guidance system can guarantee that the missile intercepts the arbitrary maneuvering target with satisfied performance.
A practical, quantitative, fracture healing endpoint assessment criterion for tibial fractures treated with external fixation
Authors: Ogrodnik Peter J , Thomas Peter BM
Published: March 2019

There is a need for a quick, simple, repeatable, but quantifiable assessment tool to determine the fracture healing endpoint of tibial fractures that does not rely on the use of X-rays or on un-measured manipulation. This article presents an argument to support a ‘maximum of 1° bending’ criterion. The criterion was established from an examination of patient fracture stiffness profiles and following observations of stiffness measurements made in clinics. A proprietary mono-lateral external fixator was used to test the criterion. Sixty subjects had their fracture healing endpoint assessed using this criterion compared with the 15 N m/deg in two planes criterion, and it was deemed to be successful. The method of assessment for both mono-lateral and frame fixation (Ilizarov) is demonstrated.