bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Truth and Consequences: When Is It Rational to Accept Falsehoods?
Authors: Edis Taner , Boudry Maarten
Published: May 2019

Judgments of the rationality of beliefs must take the costs of acquiring and possessing beliefs into consideration. In that case, certain false beliefs, especially those that are associated with the benefits of a cohesive community, can be seen to be useful for an agent and perhaps instrumentally rational to hold. A distinction should be made between excusable misbeliefs, which a rational agent should tolerate, and misbeliefs that are defensible in their own right because they confer benefits on the agent. Likely candidates for such misbeliefs are to be found in the realm of nationalism and religion, where the possession costs of true beliefs are high, and where collective beliefs in falsehoods may allow for a cohesive community. We discuss the paradoxes of reflective awareness involved in the idea of deliberately embracing falsehoods. More rigorous, fully reflective concepts of rationality would still disallow false beliefs, but such demanding versions of rationality would commit agents to pay large costs, thereby weakening the motivation for acquiring true beliefs.
Dis-locating Subaltern Therapeutics
Authors: Mukharji Projit Bihari
Published: May 2019

The article is about totka chikitsha, a particular type of subaltern therapeutics widely recognized in northern and eastern South Asia. These simple recipes often circulated through transient encounters, physical or mediatized, between strangers. During the colonial era, government employment and the traveling that it required made many Bengalis in clerical jobs particularly authoritative in totka therapeutics. Though this mode of therapy was seen as an alternative to the increasingly commoditized medical market, anticonsumerism also became a discursive frame within which certain sections of the medico-print market appropriated totkas. My discussion of the colonial history of totka therapeutics is also intended as a critique of the persistent “localism” that haunts any attempt to engage, whether academically or practically, with subaltern therapeutics. I insist that we must historicize the local, the same way we now historicize the global.
Arbitration of Energy Disputes Under the Energy Charter Treaty: Added Value for the Belt and Road Initiative
Authors: Hobér Kaj
Published: May 2019

One of the objectives underlying the Belt and Road Initiative is to improve energy co-operation in areas such as energy infrastructure and exploration and development of energy resources. Most Central Asian States are situated along the Silk Road Economic Belt. At the same time those States are members of the Energy Charter Treaty. This treaty provides a multilateral framework for co-operation and investment protection in the energy sector. This contribution explores three aspects of the ECT (definition of investment and investor, dispute settlement and ECT jurisprudence, and energy transit) which could facilitate for China to achieve its energy objectives within the Belt and Road Initiative, were China to become a member of the ECT.
Redelimitation of Astraea lobata (Euphorbiaceae) and other taxonomic rearrangements in Astraea
Authors: SILVA OTÁVIO LUIS MARQUES DA , DIAS PEDRO , RIINA RICARDA , CORDEIRO INÊS
Published: May 2019

Astraea lobata is the most complex species within Astraea due to its wide distribution range and lack of clear diagnostic characters in its current delimitation. Based on an extensive revision of herbarium specimens and field observations, we recognize three more entities, including two new combinations, apart from A. lobata s.s.: A. surinamensis and A. trilobata, two weedy species distributed both in the New and Old World, and A. paulina, which is only known from Brazil and Bolivia. We also reestablish A. klotzschii as distinct from A. macroura and synonymize A. aureomarginata and A. hauthalii under A. cincta.
Lecanorchis moritae (Orchidaceae, Vanilloideae), a new mycoheterotrophic species from Amami-Oshima Island, Japan, based on morphological and molecular data
Authors: SUETSUGU KENJI , KAIDA SHINGO , HSU TIAN-CHUAN , SAWA SHINICHIRO
Published: May 2019

A new species of the mycoheterotrophic genus Lecanorchis Blume (Orchidaceae), L. moritae, is described from Amami-Oshima Island, Japan. It is most similar to L. suginoana but differs in having a transversely elliptic (slightly contracted at base) midlobe (vs. semiorbicular, not contracted at base), more triangular with almost entire margins (vs. relatively rounded, denticulate margins) and reddish apices (vs. somewhat whitish apices) and a lip with white and purple hairs (vs. white and lemon yellow hairs) and sparse unicellular papillae scattered on the disc (vs. dense unicellular papillae). An illustration and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) sequence (i.e., DNA barcode) of the new species are also provided.
A new species of the snake genus Fimbrios from Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Truong Son, central Vietnam (Squamata: Xenodermatidae)
Authors: ZIEGLER THOMAS , DAVID PATRICK , MIRALLES AURELIEN , VAN KIEN DOAN , Truong Nguyen Quang
Published: May 2019

A second species of the previously monotypic snake genus Fimbrios is described from the Truong Son Mountain Range, Vietnam. Fimbrios smithi sp. n. is included in this genus on the basis of the combination of the following characters: rostral, mental and first three to four labials with raised, erected edges; a horizontal ridge of tissues above the rostral; a very large loreal. It is distinguished from F. klossi by having the suture between the internasals longer than that between the prefrontals; two suboculars; 193 ventrals, and 72 unpaired subcaudal scales; total length of at least 440 mm in males (with a tail length of 94 mm, and a tail / total length ratio of 0.214); dorsum greyish brown, with a paler flank area, and pale blotches and stripes in the neck region. Fimbrios smithi sp. n. is the seventh snake species that has been described as new from the Phong Nha—Ke Bang National Park, Quang Binh Province, central Vietnam, in the last decade; it is the forty-fourth colubrid snake species known from that region, which now comprises 60 snake species in general.
A new species of Pseudolambrus (Crustacea: Brachyura: Parthenopidae: Parthenopinae) from Panglao, Bohol, the Philippines
Authors: TAN S. H.
Published: May 2019

A new species of parthenopid, Pseudolambrus bato, is described. The single female specimen was collected from a trap during the PANGLAO 2004 expedition to Panglao, Bohol, Philippine Islands.
New record of the smalleye stingray, Dasyatis microps (Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae), from the western Indian Ocean
Authors: PIERCE SIMON J. , WHITE WILLIAM T. , MARSHALL ANDREA D.
Published: May 2019

Members of the Dasyatidae (stingrays) range in width from very small (<24 cm, e.g. the dwarf whipray Himantura walga) to very large size (>200 cm, e.g. the smooth stingray Dasyatis brevicaudata) (Last & Compagno, 1999; White & Dharmadi, 2007). The dasyatids are represented worldwide by more than 70 currently recognised extant species which occur in a variety of habitats, e.g. marine, estuarine and freshwater. They are typically demersal on insular and continental shelves, but one species (the pelagic stingray Dasyatis violacea) is pelagic in oceanic waters (Last & Compagno, 1999). In this paper we report the first occurrence of the smalleye stingray Dasyatis microps (Annandale) in the western Indian Ocean and provide information on the fresh colouration of this rare species.
Nine new species of genus Homoneura from Qinling mountains in China (Diptera: Lauxaniidae)
Authors: GAO XUEFENG , SHI LI
Published: May 2019

Nine species from Qinling Mountains in China are described as new to science: Homoneura (Homoneura) anadaequata sp. nov., Homoneura (H.) bicolorata sp. nov., Homoneura (H.) dagupingensis sp. nov., Homoneura (H.) longiacutata sp. nov., Homoneura (H.) longicurva sp. nov., Homoneura (H.) miaoae sp. nov., Homoneura (H.) platimarginata sp. nov., Homoneura (H.) similicurvata sp. nov. and Homoneura (H.) spectabilis sp. nov. from Homoneura (H.) henanensis group. Keys to separate known species from new species are presented.
A new species of Xenylla Tullberg, 1869 (Collembola: Hypogastruridae)
from China, with a key to Asian species of the genus
Authors: JIA JUNLI , SKARŻYŃSKI DARIUSZ
Published: May 2019

A new species of the genus Xenylla Tullberg, 1869 is described. The new species, Xenylla weinerae sp. nov., from China, resembles X. acauda Gisin, 1947, X. brevicauda Tullberg, 1869, X. caudata Jordana, 1993, X. lesnei Denis, 1935, X. nirae Gama & Oliveira, 1994, X. wandae Queiroz & Mendonça, 2016 and X. vanharteni Weiner et al., 2012 due to unique feature––six thickened cylindrical sensilla on antennal segment IV. X. weinerae sp. nov. having moderately modified chaetotaxy (b h1 h2 q t, head with dorsal setae l1 and l3 subequal, dorsal setae a3 on Abd. IV present) and well-developed furca (mucro separated from the dens, bearing 2 setae) is also similar to some populations of X. obscura Imms, 1912 sensu Thibaud et al. (2004). An identification key to Asian Xenylla species is provided.
Clarifying the taxonomic status and distributions of the spider species collected during the Leonhard Schultze expeditions in western and central southern Africa (Arachnida: Araneae)
Authors: HADDAD CHARLES R. , MARUSIK YURI M.
Published: May 2019

Purcell (1908) and Simon (1910) described or reported 181 spiders from southern Africa based on the material collected by German zoologist and anthropologist Leonhard Schultze in 1903‒1905. The expedition route passed through several countries/territories that have since changed their boundaries and/or names. The two mentioned papers included 32 localities in three modern countries, aside from broader geographical regions (e.g. Hereroland) without specified localities. In this paper, we list all species reported or described, their current taxonomic status, provide the correct data about the countries from where these species were described, and their current distributions based on taxonomic publications. Purcell and Simon treated 81 and 100 species respectively, of which 49 and 67 respectively were new. A sizeable proportion of these species have since been transferred to other genera or proposed as synonyms. In evaluating all of the localities provided in the treatments of species in these two papers, as well as subsequent taxonomic literature, we found that 25 of the 68 nominative species treated by Purcell and 38 of the 92 species treated by Simon had incorrect distribution data in the World Spider Catalog (2019). We provide revised distribution information for all of these, and discuss the importance of correct information in the preparation of national faunistic lists.
Two new species of Hetereleotris (Perciformes: Gobiidae) from the Red Sea
Authors: KOVAČIĆ MARCELO , BOGORODSKY SERGEY V. , MAL AHMAD O.
Published: May 2019

Two new species of the gobiid genus Hetereleotris, H. aurantiaca sp. nov. and H. semisquamata sp. nov., are described from the Red Sea, the former from Saudi Arabia at Jeddah from the cave at depth of 14–16 m, and the latter from the southern Egypt from reef flat. Hetereleotris aurantiaca sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by having dorsal-fin rays VI + I,10; anal-fin rays I,9; pectoral-fin rays 14, all rays branched; pelvic-fin rays I,5, the fin separated and without frenum, 5th ray unbranched; anterior nostril with a long tube without process from the rim, posterior nostril a pore with erected rim; no tentacle above eye; posterior angle of jaws extending posteriorly to below posterior edge of pupil; no opercular spine; no mental frenum; pelvic fins longer than pectoral fins; squamation reduced to a few scales on caudal peduncle at caudal-fin base; no head canals; by presence, size and pattern of suborbital rows of sensory papillae; and orange head and yellowish orange body with five faint brown bars. Hetereleotris semisquamata sp. nov. is distinctive among its congeners by unique scale pattern (scales cycloid, the squamation reduced, tapering from caudal-fin base along lateral midline towards pectoral fin where nearly reaching its base) and by coloration (head and body whitish, with brown line from eye to end of upper lip, dark brown band across interorbital area and continuing obliquely from eye to corner of opercle, broad dark brown band below first dorsal fin continuing into fin, and moderately broad dark brown bar on caudal-fin base). Furthermore, it is characterized in having dorsal-fin rays VI + I,11, anal-fin rays I,10, pectoral-fin rays 16, and absence of head canals. In addition to descriptions of two species, a key to all species of Hetereleotris is provided. Hetereleotris psammophila is reported outside the Gulf of Aqaba for the first time.
The Xiphydria palaeanarctica group from Japan (Hymenoptera, Xiphydriidae)
Authors: SHINOHARA AKIHIKO
Published: May 2019

The Xiphydria palaeanarctica group is defined to include the following three black northeast Asian Xiphydria woodwasp species with white-marked abdomen, and the females with white-marked antennae: X. ogasawarai Matsumura, 1927, X. palaeanarctica Semenov-Tian-Shanskij, 1921, and X. nagasei Shinohara, sp. nov. Based on the examination of the type material, the synonymy of X. jezoensis Matsumura, 1927, with X. palaeanarctica is confirmed and X. alnivora Matsumura, 1927, is synonymized with X. ogasawarai. Xiphydria nagasei is described from Japan (Honshu). Collection records are given for all 203 specimens examined.
A new species of Styloperla (Plecoptera: Styloperlidae) from China, with supplementary illustrations for Styloperla jiangxiensis
Authors: ZHAO MENG-YUAN , HUO QING-BO , DU YU-ZHOU
Published: May 2019

A new species, Styloperla starki Zhao, Huo et Du, sp. nov. is described from Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces of eastern coastal China. The new species has a process on the basal cercal segment that bears a pair of small spines, and a process with a pair of ventral, subapical spines. The aedeagus of the male of the new species is membranous, tongue shaped and flat, bearing regular spiral striae with a pair of inner sclerites and with several rows of minute spines on each apical flap. Additionally, we redescribe and illustrate Styloperla jiangxiensis Yang & Yang, 1990.
Integrating Science and Rhetoric on Climate Change in the Classroom
Authors: Labosier Christopher F. , Fay Isabel
Published: May 2019

Like many of the world’s most pressing challenges, climate change is a complex problem spanning the realms of science, economics, law and policy, ethics, communication, and more. With this multitude of implications, tomorrow’s leaders require the ability to think across academic disciplines to solve such problems. Here, we describe a newly developed course that responds to these demands by introducing undergraduate students to climate change as both a scientific theory and a policy concern. Through this integration of the fields of atmospheric science and communication, novel, pedagogically valuable questions and course themes emerged. Thus, students were engaged in readings and discussions of what science is and what it means for decision-making to be science based, in addition to acquiring a fundamental understanding of climate change science. Moreover, students developed media literacy skills by analyzing how science is presented in the public sphere and the challenges of communicating scientific uncertainty. In informative, narrative, and persuasive speech assignments, students practiced using rhetorical techniques to build audience interest in scientific questions of public relevance. These assignments required students to participate in public discourse on various aspects of climate change. With this note, we encourage other educators in a variety of disciplines to develop novel approaches to climate change education.
An Evaluation of the Impact of Assimilating AERI Retrievals, Kinematic Profilers, Rawinsondes, and Surface Observations on a Forecast of a Nocturnal Convection Initiation Event during the PECAN Field Campaign
Authors: Degelia Samuel K. , Wang Xuguang , Stensrud David J.
Published: May 2019

Numerical weather prediction models often fail to correctly forecast convection initiation (CI) at night. To improve our understanding of such events, researchers collected a unique dataset of thermodynamic and kinematic remote sensing profilers as part of the Plains Elevated Convection at Night (PECAN) experiment. This study evaluates the impacts made to a nocturnal CI forecast on 26 June 2015 by assimilating a network of atmospheric emitted radiance interferometers (AERIs), Doppler lidars, radio wind profilers, high-frequency rawinsondes, and mobile surface observations using an advanced, ensemble-based data assimilation system. Relative to operational forecasts, assimilating the PECAN dataset improves the timing, location, and orientation of the CI event. Specifically, radio wind profilers and rawinsondes are shown to be the most impactful instrument by enhancing the moisture advection into the region of CI in the forecast. Assimilating thermodynamic profiles collected by the AERIs increases midlevel moisture and improves the ensemble probability of CI in the forecast. The impacts of assimilating the radio wind profilers, AERI retrievals, and rawinsondes remain large throughout forecasting the growth of the CI event into a mesoscale convective system. Assimilating Doppler lidar and surface data only slightly improves the CI forecast by enhancing the convergence along an outflow boundary that partially forces the nocturnal CI event. Our findings suggest that a mesoscale network of profiling and surface instruments has the potential to greatly improve short-term forecasts of nocturnal convection.
General Features of Extreme Rainfall Events Produced by MCSs over East China during 2016–17
Authors: Zhang Liu , Min Jinzhong , Zhuang Xiaoran , Schumacher Russ S.
Published: May 2019

This study investigated the characteristics of extreme precipitation events associated with mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) in East China (the area east of 96°E) during 2016–17. Over the entire region, 204 events were first identified and classified into synoptic, tropical, MCS, small-scale-storm (SSS), and unclassified types. For 73 MCS-type events, further division and analysis were conducted according to the organizational modes. Results show that MCS-related events occurred most frequently near southern Fujian Province and from April to October with a peak in July. The area of occurrence shifted from the south in spring to the north in summer before going back to the south in autumn. The events occurred most commonly from afternoon to early evening, matured around late afternoon, and ended before dark. Among MCS subcategories, the longest average duration was seen in the multiple-MCS cases. Of the 15 selected multiple-MCS events, 11 were defined as early-maturing type with peak rainfall occurrence before the midpoint of duration while the others were late maturing. Although multiple-MCS events were accompanied by a southwest low-level jet, strong warm-air advection, and convective instability, early-maturing cases had stronger synoptic-scale ascent, moister environments, and smaller surface-based convective available potential energy (SBCAPE) and convection inhibition (SBCIN) at the most extreme rainfall-occurrence point. Compared to the MCS type within all extreme precipitation events over the United States, the percentage was lower in China. However, the events in China exhibit more pronounced seasonal cycle.
The association of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and T with echocardiographic stages of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Authors: Hoffmann Julia , Behnes Michael , Ansari Uzair , Weidner Kathrin , Kuche Philip , Rusnak Jonas , Kim Seung-Hyun , Natale Michele , Reckord Nadine , Lang Siegfried , Hoffmann Ursula , Bertsch Thomas , Fatar Marc , Borggrefe Martin , Akin Ibrahim
Published: May 2019

Background

This study evaluates the associations between high-sensitivity troponin I and T (hs-TnI/hs-TnT) and the stages of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)/diastolic dysfunction.

Methods

Blood samples for biomarker measurements (hs-TnI/hs-TnT/NT-proBNP) were collected within 24 h of routine echocardiographic examination. Patients with left ventricular ejection fraction <50%, right ventricular dysfunction and moderate-to-severe valvular heart disease were excluded. Graduation of diastolic dysfunction was determined according to current guidelines.

Results

A total of 70 patients were included. Hs-TnT concentrations increased significantly according to the progression of diastolic dysfunction ( P = 0.024). Hs-TnT was able to discriminate patients with diastolic dysfunction grade III (AUC = 0.737; P = 0.013), while NT-proBNP revealed a greater AUC (AUC 0.798; P = 0.002). Concentrations of hs-TnI increased only numerically according to the increasing stages of diastolic dysfunction ( P = 0.353). In multivariable logistic regression models, hs-TnT concentrations > 28 ng/L were associated with diastolic dysfunction grade III (OR = 4.7, P = 0.024), even after adjusting for NT-proBNP.

Conclusion

Increasing concentrations of hs-TnT may reflect the stages of diastolic dysfunction being assessed by echocardiography, whereas hs-TnI does not show any association with diastolic dysfunction.
Locating the ‘Lordless Powers’ in Ireland: Karl Barth, Novels, and Theological Ethics in the Aftermath of the Celtic Tiger
Authors: Hargaden Kevin
Published: May 2019

Theological reflection on economic ethics often follows the tradition of the social sciences in describing economic reality in econometric terms. The numerical imagination of the social sciences is not always an elegant dialogue partner for theological ethical reflection. This can be seen to be the case when we draw upon Karl Barth’s discussion of ‘lordless powers’ to describe the dramatic economic reversal endured in Ireland over the last decade. In this article, I propose that literature represents an important additional dialogue partner for theological reflection. Four Irish novels are proposed as potential grounds for considering the relevance of the lordless power discussion in an Irish context.
Do Bodies Matter in Christian Formation?
Authors: Douglass Katherine M.
Published: May 2019

This article shares the finding from the Confirmation Project that the race and gender of youth affect levels of Christian believing and behaving. These two indexes were created based on research from Grace Davie which reported higher levels of Christian believing than belonging among the British population.
Learning from Each Other
Authors: Schweitzer Friedrich
Published: May 2019

This article is based on the European project on confirmation work. It provides a brief description of the theological and ecclesiological background of this project as well as of the empirical studies carried out in this project in nine European countries and summarizes some of the main results. The example of Germany is used for presenting more detailed insights into the practice of confirmation work there as well as the religious attitudes of the confirmands. Given the high participation rates (more than 90% of Protestant youth in the respective age group in Europe versus 59% in the United States), the emphasis on reaching as many young people as possible is seen as a core characteristic of confirmation work in Germany and Europe. In a second step, the author considers confirmation in Europe and in the United States comparatively by identifying and discussing commonalities and differences on the basis of the empirical results from the research on confirmation work in the European and in the American project. One main difference is identified in the emphasis on mentorship (United States) and young volunteers (Europe). The final part of the article has its focus on the question of what confirmation work in the United States and in Europe could possibly learn from each other.
ASA: A framework for Arabic sentiment analysis
Authors: Oussous Ahmed , Benjelloun Fatima-Zahra , Lahcen Ayoub Ait , Belfkih Samir
Published: May 2019

Sentiment analysis (SA), also known as opinion mining, is a growing important research area. Generally, it helps to automatically determine if a text expresses a positive, negative or neutral sentiment. It enables to mine the huge increasing resources of shared opinions such as social networks, review sites and blogs. In fact, SA is used by many fields and for various languages such as English and Arabic. However, since Arabic is a highly inflectional and derivational language, it raises many challenges. In fact, SA of Arabic text should handle such complex morphology. To better handle these challenges, we decided to provide the research community and Arabic users with a new efficient framework for Arabic Sentiment Analysis (ASA). Our primary goal is to improve the performance of ASA by exploiting deep learning while varying the preprocessing techniques. For that, we implement and evaluate two deep learning models namely convolutional neural network (CNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM) models. The framework offers various preprocessing techniques for ASA (including stemming, normalisation, tokenization and stop words). As a result of this work, we first provide a new rich and publicly available Arabic corpus called Moroccan Sentiment Analysis Corpus (MSAC). Second, the proposed framework demonstrates improvement in ASA. In fact, the experimental results prove that deep learning models have a better performance for ASA than classical approaches (support vector machines, naive Bayes classifiers and maximum entropy). They also show the key role of morphological features in Arabic Natural Language Processing (NLP).
Complications and Outcomes of Chimeric Free Flaps: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ettyreddy Abhinav R. , Chen Collin L. , Zenga Joseph , Simon Laura E. , Pipkorn Patrik
Published: May 2019

Objective

Ablations of locally advanced or recurrent head and neck cancer commonly result in large composite orofacial defects. Chimeric flaps represent a unique surgical option for these defects, as they provide diverse tissue types from a single donor site. The purpose of the study was to consolidate the literature on chimeric flaps with regard to postoperative complication rates to help inform surgical decision making.

Data Sources

The librarian created search strategies with a combination of keywords and controlled vocabulary in Ovid Medline (1946), Embase (1947), Scopus (1823), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Clinicaltrails.gov (1997).

Review Methods

Candidate articles were independently reviewed by 2 authors familiar with the subject material, and inclusion/exclusion criteria were uniformly applied for article selection. Articles were considered eligible if they included patients who received a single chimeric flap for reconstruction of head and neck defects and if they provided data on complication rates.

Results

A total of 521 chimeric flaps were included in the study. The major complication rate was 22.6%, while the minor complication rate was 14.0%. There were 7 flap deaths noted in the series. Median operative time and harvest time were 15.0 and 2.5 hours, respectively.

Conclusion

Chimeric flaps represent a viable option for reconstruction of complex head and neck defects and have complication rates similar to those of double free flaps and single free flaps with locoregional flap while only modestly increasing total operative time.
Endobronchial ultrasound-guided biopsy for evaluation of suspected lung cancer
Authors: Harris Dwight , Saha Sibu
Published: May 2019

Purpose

Historically, mediastinoscopy has been the gold standard for lung cancer diagnosis and staging, but mediastinoscopy has many limitations including sensitivity, the limited number of lymph node levels that can be sampled, and safety. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration is a relatively new and less-invasive technique being used for lung cancer screening. Many studies have reported that it has similar sensitivity and specificity compared to mediastinoscopy, with a significantly lower complication rate. We performed this review to determine our institution’s experience with endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration in lung cancer diagnosis and staging.

Methods

We reviewed the last 150 patients with suspected lung cancer who underwent endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration procedures in our institution from May 26, 2016 to August 31, 2017.

Results

Ninety-seven of the 150 patients had a confirmed diagnosis of malignancy. Forty patients had a diagnosis other than cancer, and 13 had incomplete information or were lost to follow-up. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration was correct in diagnosing malignancy or excluding malignant lymph nodes in 92 of the 97 patients with malignancy. Overall, the sensitivity, specificity, positive-predictive value, and negative-predictive value was 94.0%, 100.0%, 100.0%, and 91.5%, respectively. Only 3 complications were reported: 2 patients suffered minor bleeding, and one suffered major bleeding that resulted in cardiac arrest.

Conclusions

Real-time endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration has a similar sensitivity and specificity to mediastinoscopy in diagnosing malignancy, with fewer complications and more financial benefit.
Conservative versus conventional oxygen therapy for cardiac surgical patients: A before-and-after study
Authors: Eastwood Glenn M , Chan Matthew J , Peck Leah , Young Helen , Mårtensson Johan , Glassford Neil J , Kagaya Hidetoshi , Suzuki Satoshi , Galvin Sean , Matalanis George , Bellomo Rinaldo
Published: May 2019

Avoiding hypoxaemia is considered crucial in cardiac surgery patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). However, avoiding hyperoxaemia may also be important. A conservative approach to oxygen therapy may reduce exposure to hyperoxaemia without increasing the risk of hypoxaemia. Using a before-and-after design, we evaluated the introduction of conservative oxygen therapy (target SpO288%–92% using the lowest FiO2) for cardiac surgical patients admitted to the ICU. We studied 9041 arterial blood gas (ABG) datasets: 4298 ABGs from 245 ‘conventional’ and 4743 ABGs from 298 ‘conservative’ oxygen therapy patients. During mechanical ventilation (MV) and while in the ICU, compared to the conventional group, conservative group patients had significantly lower FiO2exposure and PaO2values ( P < 0.001 for each). Accordingly, using the mean PaO2during MV, more conservative group patients were classified as normoxaemic (226 versus 62 patients, P < 0.01), fewer as hyperoxaemic (66 versus 178 patients, P < 0.01) and no patient in either group as hypoxaemic or severely hypoxaemic. Moreover, more ABG samples were hyperoxaemic or severely hyperoxaemic during conventional treatment ( P < 0.001). Finally, there was no difference in ICU or hospital length of stay, ICU or hospital mortality or 30-day mortality between the groups. Our findings support the feasibility and physiological safety of conservative oxygen therapy in patients admitted to ICU after cardiac surgery.
Examining the Safety Performance and Injury Severity Characteristics of Rural County Roadways
Authors: Geedipally Srinivas R. , Gates Timothy J. , Stapleton Steven , Ingle Anthony , Avelar Raul E.
Published: May 2019

Much of the earlier work on rural safety focused on state-maintained roadways and little is known about the safety performance of low-volume county-maintained roads. This study involved the estimation of safety performance for rural county roadways (paved and gravel). This was accomplished through the development of safety performance functions (SPFs) to estimate the number of annual crashes at a given highway segment, crash modification factors to determine the impacts associated with various roadway and geometric characteristics, and severity distribution functions (SDFs) to predict the crash severity. County road segment data were collected across a sample of 30 counties representing all regions of Michigan. Because of the overwhelming proportion of deer crashes, only non-deer-related crashes were considered. To minimize the influence of variability among counties, the random effect negative binomial model was used to develop SPFs. In addition, a multinomial logit model was used to develop SDFs. Paved county roadways showed approximately double the crash occurrence rate of typical state-maintained two-lane rural highways, and gravel roadways showed a substantially greater crash occurrence rate than paved county roadways across the equivalent range of traffic volumes. The economic analysis showed that it is beneficial to pave a gravel road when the traffic volume is greater than 600 vehicles per day. The random effect variable is significant in all the calibrated models, which shows that there is a considerable variability among counties that cannot be captured with the available variables. Not considering the random effects will result in biased estimation of crashes.
High density lipoprotein coated calcium carbonate nanoparticle for chemotherapy of breast cancer
Authors: Wei Kai , Zhang Jiaming , Li Xun , Shi Pengfei , Fu Peng
Published: May 2019

Satisfactory chemotherapy of breast cancer remains to be a great challenge in both experimental and clinical practice. Here in our study, we successfully developed a mixed drug delivery system composed of high density lipoprotein and calcium carbonate nanoparticles. The well-defined calcium carbonate nanoparticles served as a skeleton material to load anticancer drug doxorubicin, while high density lipoprotein served as a coating material to increase the stability and biocompatibility of the as-prepared mixed drug delivery system. Our experimental results indicated that the doxorubicin loading efficiency of HDL/CC nanoparticles was relatively high that is beneficial for the following administration. On the other hand, drug loaded HDL/CC/DOX nanoparticles can increase the uptake ratio of doxorubicin into breast cancer cells (MCF-7) compared with bare CC/DOX nanoparticles. Moreover, the in vivo tumor homing ability of HDL/CC nanoparticles as also superior than bare CC/DOX nanoparticles. Thus, HDL/CC/DOX nanoparticles exhibited stronger anticancer activity in vitro than free DOX or CC/DOX nanoparticles with minimized toxic side effects and preferable tumor-suppression capability on tumor-bearing nude mice model, which holds the potential to be further developed as a promising drug delivery system to be administered in clinic.
A critique of Marilyn Lake’sProgressive New World
Authors: Dabscheck Braham
Published: May 2019

This review article provides a critique of Marilyn Lake’s Progressive New World, a monograph that postulates that Australian/Australasian transpacific exchange shaped the development of American progressivism. The review outlines the major contours of her claim, notes her ambivalence concerning her overall position, and critiques her decision to not explain/examine differences in the political culture of the United States of America and Australia. The review seeks to overcome this problem by examining key differences in the cultural history of both societies and draws on the insights of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy and America. The review (a) develops a model which provides a means to understand how one society can impact another; (b) contrasts the origins of progressivism in the United States of America and Australia; (c) examines the work of the Australian scholar Michael Roe, who postulated that American progressivism was the independent factor impacting Australian developments; (d) distinguishes between two types of progressivism – racist conceit, pure and simple, and broader social reforms, which may or may not entrench racist conceit; and (e) examines various dimensions of progressivism which Marilyn Lake has used in developing her claim.

JEL codes: B10, B22
Adaptive aeroservoelastic mode stabilization of flexible airbreathing hypersonic vehicle
Authors: Piao Minnan , Zhang Youan , Sun Mingwei , Yang Zhihong , Wang Zenghui , Chen Zengqiang
Published: May 2019

The statically unstable airbreathing hypersonic vehicle requires a high-bandwidth controller to control the instability, which results in intricate interactions among the aerodynamics, the low-frequency structural modes, and the flight control system. Especially, the structural frequencies are uncertain and time-varying, which further raises the difficulty of controller design. In this paper, two adaptive aeroservoelastic mode stabilization methods are proposed. First, the condition of phase stabilization is given under the linear active disturbance rejection control framework to realize the self-stabilization of the flexible modes. Then, an adaptive notch filter, which employs the lattice type structure and the fast-recursive square root algorithm, is presented. Both methods can achieve the adaptive vibration suppression and extend the control bandwidth. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Transient interior analytical solutions of Lamb’s problem
Authors: Emami Mohamad , Eskandari-Ghadi Morteza
Published: May 2019

The classical three-dimensional Lamb’s problem is considered for an inclined surface point load of Heaviside time dependence. Attention is focused upon the acquisition of the transient elastodynamic analytical solutions for interior points through a unified method of analysis that is valid for arbitrary Lamé constants. The method of elastodynamic potentials is employed jointly with integral transforms to treat the corresponding initial boundary value problem. To derive the time-domain solutions, some integral equations are encountered, the solutions of which are found via a modified version of the Cagniard–Pekeris method. The final solutions are obtained as finite integrals that are amenable to numerical calculations. They are also expressed in the form of Green’s functions. The limit case of infinite time is investigated analytically to derive the closed-form expressions for the limits of the solutions as the temporal variable tends to infinity. As expected, the results are found to be equivalent to Boussinesq–Cerruti solutions in elastostatics. The elastodynamic solutions are also evaluated numerically to plot several time-history diagrams, depicting the transient motions of the interior points, especially of the points close to the boundary so as to illustrate the formation of forced Rayleigh waves at shallow depths within the elastic half-space.
Effect of structural stiffness on impact-sliding wear behavior of aluminium alloy
Authors: Tan Deqiang , Mo Jiliang , He Jifan , Luo Jian , Zhang Qi , Zhu Minhao , Zhou Zhongrong
Published: May 2019

Impact-sliding wear is a typical form of composite wear and occurs in many industrial equipment. The effects of structural stiffness on the impact-sliding wear damage and mechanisms of aluminum alloy were investigated using a bespoke impact-sliding device. The damage evolution and mechanisms of the impact-sliding wear for three different structural stiffness conditions were analyzed. Results showed that the main damage zone gradually shifted along the sliding direction with the increase in the structural stiffness. The wear damage of the material was higher for the low and high structural stiffness conditions and resulted in a very rough surface. However, for the medium structural stiffness, the impact-sliding wear exhibited a slow and linear increase and relatively smooth wear scars were observed. Moreover, the main wear mechanism transformed from delamination to ploughing as the structural stiffness increased.
Modeling and analysis of the nonlinear indentation problems of functionally graded elastic layered solids
Authors: Attia Mohamed A , El-Shafei Ahmed G
Published: May 2019

In tribological and thermo-electro-mechanical applications with an appropriate gradation of properties, functionally graded materials provide superior performance for damage and wear resistance of contact systems and thermal and mechanical responses for other mechanical devices. This paper presents a nonlinear mixed variational-based computational model for the analysis of nonlinear plane indentation problems of elastic functionally graded layered elastic solids. The functionally graded elastic layer is perfectly bonded to the elastic substrate and is normally loaded by a cylindrical rigid punch. In addition to nonlinearity inherent to the contact problem, the developed model accounts for the geometric nonlinearity in the sense of larger displacements and rotations, but smaller strains. The modulus of elasticity as well as Poisson's ratio of the graded layer are varying along the thickness of the layer according to both exponential and power laws. On the contrary, in the conventional homogeneous finite element formulation the isoparametric graded finite element formulation is adopted on the level of Gaussian integration points to realize the gradation in material properties. The friction at the contact interface is modeled using Coulomb's friction law. Moreover, the inequality contact constraints are exactly satisfied throughout the contact interface by employing the Lagrange multiplier method, where the indentation force and the displacement fields are treated as independent variables. The obtained results of contact pressure, tangential contact stress, stress distribution, and indentation force show a significant influence of the material distribution, gradation law, gradient index, and thickness of the functionally graded layer.
Inhibition Gets a New KAR Smell
Authors: Courtney Connor D. , Christian Catherine A.
Published: May 2019

[Box: see text]
Model validation based on probability boxes under mixed uncertainties
Authors: He Qinshu
Published: May 2019

A non-probabilistic validation framework based on probability boxes (p-boxes) is developed for estimating predictive uncertainty involving input parameter, model form, and experimental uncertainties. These uncertainties are treated as aleatory and epistemic uncertainties. In order to characterize model form uncertainty, an interval-valued area validation metric is introduced to characterize the disagreement between the quantitative predictions from simulation model and experimental data when either or both of predictions and experimental data are represented by probability boxes, whose scales are the same as the original physical units. When experimental data belong to different distributions or physical observations, an extended u-pooling method is used to pool all the comparisons at different sites together, and it offers a global metric for model validation and is interval-valued too. The proposed method is examined by the thermal challenge problem from the Sandia Validation Challenge Workshop.
Adherence to pre‐set benchmark quality criteria to qualify as expert assessor of dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus biopsies – towards digital review of Barrett's esophagus
Authors: van der Wel MJ , Klaver E , Duits LC , Pouw RE , Seldenrijk CA , Offerhaus GJA , Visser M , ten Kate FJW , Biermann K , Brosens LAA , Doukas M , Huysentruyt C , Karrenbeld A , Kats-Ugurlu G , van der Laan JS , van Lijnschoten G , Moll FCP , Ooms AHAG , Tijssen JG , Bergman JJGHM , Meijer SL
Published: May 2019

Background

Dysplasia assessment of Barrett's esophagus biopsies is associated with low observer agreement; guidelines advise expert review. We have developed a web‐based review panel for dysplastic Barrett's esophagus biopsies.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to test if 10 gastrointestinal pathologists working at Dutch Barrett's esophagus expert centres met pre‐set benchmark scores for quality criteria.

Methods

Ten gastrointestinal pathologists twice assessed 60 digitalized Barrett's esophagus cases, enriched for dysplasia; then randomised (7520 assessments). We tested predefined benchmark quality criteria: (a) percentage of ‘indefinite for dysplasia’ diagnoses, benchmark score ≤14% for all cases, ≤16% for dysplastic subset, (b) intra‐observer agreement; benchmark score ≥0.66/≥0.39, (c) percentage agreement with ‘gold standard diagnosis’; benchmark score ≥82%/≥73%, (d) proportion of cases with high‐grade dysplasia underdiagnosed as non‐dysplastic Barrett's esophagus; benchmark score ≤1/78 (≤1.28%) assessments for dysplastic subset.

Results

Gastrointestinal pathologists had seven years’ Barrett's esophagus‐experience, handling seven Barrett's esophagus‐cases weekly. Three met stringent benchmark scores; all cases and dysplastic subset, three met extended benchmark scores. Four pathologists lacked one quality criterion to meet benchmark scores.

Conclusion

Predefined benchmark scores for expert assessment of Barrett's esophagus dysplasia biopsies are stringent and met by some gastrointestinal pathologists. The majority of assessors however, only showed limited deviation from benchmark scores. We expect further training with group discussions will lead to adherence of all participating gastrointestinal pathologists to quality criteria, and therefore eligible to join the review panel.
Cost‐of‐illness of inflammatory bowel disease patients treated with anti‐tumour necrosis factor: A French large single‐centre experience
Authors: Lawton Jean , Achit Hamza , Pouillon Lieven , Boschetti Emmanuelle , Demore Béatrice , Matton Thierry , Tournier Charlène , Prodel Martin , Peyrin-Biroulet Laurent , Guillemin Francis
Published: May 2019

Background

No study has evaluated the direct annual costs of inflammatory bowel disease patients treated with anti‐tumour necrosis factor therapy.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to identify annual direct costs and main cost drivers of anti‐tumour necrosis factor‐treated inflammatory bowel disease patients.

Methods

All inflammatory bowel disease patients treated with infliximab or adalimumab at Nancy University Hospital were consecutively screened for inclusion from November 2016–February 2017. Data about hospitalisation, surgery, medication, outpatient visits, investigations and transport over the previous 12 months were retrospectively collected.

Results

A total of 108 patients (n = 83 Crohn's disease; n = 25 ulcerative colitis) were included. The mean annual cost per patient was €15,775 (standard deviation €7221), with no difference between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (p = 0.2). The main cost driver was medication, which accounted for 84% of the total direct cost. Hospitalisation and surgery represented 11% and 2% of the direct costs. History of switch to another anti‐tumour necrosis factor treatment was identified as the only independent predictor of greater direct costs in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.0018).

Conclusions

In a French tertiary referral centre, direct costs of anti‐tumour necrosis factor therapy‐treated patients were mainly driven by medication, while hospitalisation and surgery represented only a minor part of the costs. There was no difference between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients.