bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D Supplementation in Mechanically Ventilated Patients in the Medical Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Leclair Timothy R. , Zakai Neil , Bunn Janice Y. , Gianni Michael , Heyland Daren K. , Ardren Sara S. , Stapleton Renee D.
Published: February 2019

Background

The utility of vitamin D (VITD) supplementation during critical illness and whether it may alter outcomes, including mortality and ventilator‐free days, is unclear. We performed a retrospective cohort study in a generalizable population to investigate this question.

Methods

We included all mechanically ventilated adults admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) service at a tertiary center from 2009 to 2012 who were in the ICU for at least 72 hours. Patients were grouped as having received or not received VITD at any time during the first 7 days of their ICU stay, and we adjusted for the following covariates with multivariable analyses: simplified acute physiology score, age, gender, admission diagnosis, race/ethnicity, admission season, admission day of the week, and VITD supplementation prior to admission.

Results

Among the 610 included patients, 281 received VITD, and 329 did not. There were no differences in outcomes between these groups. However, we did find significantly more ventilator‐free days (21.0±2.6 [adjusted mean days±standard error] vs 17.6±2.4, P=0.04) and ICU‐free days (18.5±2.5 vs 16.3±2.3, P=0.03) in patients who were taking VITD prior to admission (n=91) vs those who were not (n=519). No patients who were taking VITD before admission died vs 34.5% of those who were not (estimated odds ratio=4.9×10−7, 95% CI=3.1×10−7 to 7.5×10−7, P<0.0001).

Conclusion

These results suggest that VITD supplementation during critical illness may not provide benefit and that further research investigating potential supplementation in ambulatory patients at high risk of ICU admission (eg, severe underlying chronic disease) is warranted.
Reducing opioid‐related harms: practice in Australian hospitals in 2018
Authors:   The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia
Published: February 2019

The SHPA thanks its Opioid Advocacy Working Group for their contributions to this paper and the original report: Jane Booth, Thuy Bui, Annabel Calder, Christine Coorey, Michael Dooley, Paul Firman, Kerry Fitzsimons, Marisa Hodgkinson, Jacinta Johnson, Margaret Jordan, Miriam Lawrence, Daniel Lim, Duncan McKenzie, Peter Samios, Benita Suckling, Penelope Tuffin and Jason Waddell, supported by Johanna de Wever, Jerry Yik, Courtney Munro and Maria Khokhar from the SHPA secretariat.
Outcomes of carotid‐sparing IMRT for T1 glottic cancer: Comparison with conventional radiation
Authors: Mohamed Abdallah S.R. , Smith Blaine D. , Smith Joshua B. , Sevak Parag , Malek Jessica S. , Kanwar Aasheesh , Browne Theodora , Gunn G. Brandon , Garden Adam S. , Frank Steven J. , Morrison William H. , Phan Jack , Zafereo Mark , Skinner Heath , Lai Stephen Y. , Hutcheson Katherine A. , Lewin Jan S. , Hessel Amy E. , Thekdi Apurva A. , Weber Randal S. , Fuller Clifton D. , Rosenthal David I.
Published: February 2019

Objectives

We aim to report oncologic outcomes after conventional radiotherapy (ConRT) using opposed lateral beams and intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for tumor (T)1 nodal (N)0 T1 N0 glottic squamous cell carcinoma.

Study Design

Retrospective case‐control study.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed demographic, disease, and treatment characteristics for patients treated at our institution during 2000 to 2013.

Results

One hundred fifty‐three patients (71%) were treated using ConRT and 62 (29%) using IMRT. The median follow‐up for all patients was 68 months. There was no statistically significant difference in 5‐year local control between patients with T1a versus T1b disease (94% vs. 89%, respectively, P = 0.5). Three‐year locoregional control for patients treated with ConRT was 94% compared to 97% with IMRT (P = 0.4). Three‐year overall survival (OS) for patients treated with ConRT was 92.5% compared with 100% with IMRT (P = 0.1). Twelve of 14 patients with local recurrence underwent salvage surgery with 5‐year ultimate locoregional control of 98.5% and 97.1% in the ConRT and IMRT cohorts, respectively (P = 0.7). Multivariate analysis showed age < 60 years (P < 0.0001) and pretreatment Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status <2 (P = 0.0022) to be independent correlates of improved OS. Postradiation cerebrovascular events were in four patients in the ConRT cohort (3%), whereas no patients in the IMRT cohort suffered any events.

Conclusion

Because the oncologic outcomes for patients treated with IMRT were excellent and IMRT allows for carotid sparing, we have transitioned to IMRT as our standard for most patients with T1 glottic cancer.

Level of Evidence

3b Laryngoscope, 130:146–153, 2020
An Adaptive Soft Plasmonic Nanosheet Resonator
Authors: Wang Xinghua , Yildirim Tanju , Si Kae Jye , Sharma Ankur , Xue Yunzhou , Qin Qinghua , Bao Qiaoliang , Cheng Wenlong , Lu Yuerui
Published: February 2019

Current micro/nanomechanical system are usually based on rigid crystalline semiconductors that normally have high quality factors but lack adaptive responses to variable frequencies—a capability ubiquitous for communications in the biological world, such as bat and whale calls. Here, a soft mechanical resonator based on a freestanding organic–inorganic hybrid plasmonic superlattice nanosheet is demonstrated, which can respond adaptively to either incident light intensity or wavelength. This is achieved because of strong plasmonic coupling in closely packed nanocrystals which can efficiently concentrate and convert photons into heat. The heat causes the polymer matrix to expand, leading to a change in the nanomechanical properties of the plasmonic nanosheet. Notably, the adaptive frequency responses are also reversible and the responsive ranges are fine‐tunable by adjusting the constituent nanocrystal building blocks. It is believed that the plasmonic nanosheets may open a new route to design next‐generation intelligent bio‐mimicking opto‐mechanical resonance systems.
Radial streak artifact reduction using phased array beamforming
Authors: Mandava Sagar , Keerthivasan Mahesh B. , Martin Diego R. , Altbach Maria I. , Bilgin Ali
Published: February 2019

Purpose

A new method for streak artifact reduction in radial MRI based on phased array filtering.

Theory

Radial imaging in applications that require large fields‐of‐view can be susceptible to streaking artifacts due to gradient nonlinearities. Coil removal methods prune the coils contributing the most to streaking artifacts at the expense of signal loss. Phased array beamforming is a form of spatial filtering used to suppress unwanted signals. The proposed method uses interference covariance generated from the streaking artifact samples which are manually extracted with phased array beamforming to suppress streaking in the images.

Methods

The performance of the proposed method was evaluated on abdomen radial fast spin echo images acquired on a 1.5T Siemens scanner and compared with previously proposed methods.

Results

Our results demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively suppress streaking artifacts without any noticeable loss in signal levels. Coil removal methods can suppress streaks as well but they may incur significant signal loss due to coil pruning. Quantitative metrics also demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method over earlier methods.

Conclusion

The use of interference covariance with phased array beamforming can help reduce streaking artifacts.
Radiofrequency phase encoded half‐pulses in simultaneous multislice ultrashort echo time imaging
Authors: Rettenmeier Christoph , Stenger V. Andrew
Published: February 2019

Purpose

To describe a simultaneous multislice (SMS) ultrashort echo time (UTE) imaging method using radiofrequency phase encoded half‐pulses in combination with power independent of number of slices (PINS) inversion recovery (IR) pulses to generate multiple‐slice images with short T2* contrasts in less than 3 min with close to an eightfold acceleration compared with a standard 2D approach.

Theory and Methods

Radiofrequency phase encoding is applied in an SMS (NSMS = 4) excitation scheme using “sinc” half‐pulses. With the use of coil sensitivity encoding (SENSE) and controlled aliasing in parallel imaging (CAIPI) in combination with a gradient echo 2D spiral readout trajectory and IR PINS pulses for contrast enhancement a fast UTE sequence is developed. Images are obtained using a model‐based reconstruction method. Sequence details and performance tests on phantoms as well as the heads of healthy volunteers at 3T are presented.

Results

An SMS UTE sequence with an undersampling factor of 4 is developed using radiofrequency phase encoded half‐pulses and PINS IR pulses which enables the acquisition of 8 slices at 0.862 mm2 resolution in less than 3‐min scan time. UTE images of the head are obtained showing highlighted signal of cortical bone. Image quality and T2 contrast are comparable to the one obtained by corresponding single slice acquisitions with only minor deviations.

Conclusions

The method combining radiofrequency phase encoded SMS half‐pulses and PINS IR pulses presents a suitable approach to SMS UTE imaging. The usage of coil sensitivity information and increased sampling density by means of interleaved slice group acquisitions allows to reduce the total scan time by a factor close to 8.
Copper Sulfate Pretreatment for Snail Control Reduces Channel Catfish Fry Survival
Authors: Mischke Charles C , Wise David J , Tucker Craig S , Griffin Matt J , Baker Beth H , Greenway Terry E , Byars Todd S , Tiwari Ambika
Published: February 2019

Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus fry farmers are interested in treating ponds to prevent trematode infections. Control strategies rely on chemical treatments to reduce snail populations and break the trematode life cycle. On a commercial catfish fingerling operation, we evaluated water quality, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and fish production in catfish nursery ponds treated with 1.02-mg/L Cu 21 d before fry stocking. These variables were also evaluated in controlled experimental ponds treated with 1.27-mg/L Cu 21, 14, 7, or 1 d before stocking. In the on-farm trial, copper sulfate treatment initially reduced phytoplankton and zooplankton populations, but communities recovered to adequate numbers at stocking. However, fry survival and revenue from ponds treated with copper sulfate were reduced relative to those from untreated ponds (survival: 17.7% versus 63.0%; revenue: $10,250 versus $27,467 per hectare). In the experimental pond study, free copper concentrations at fry stocking were 0.52 mg/L for the 1-d interval between treatment and stocking, 0.10 mg/L for the 7-d interval, 0.04 mg/L for the 14-d interval, and 0.02 mg/L for the 21-d interval. Similar results were observed in the experimental study, with lower survival in all treatment groups compared to controls; the lowest survival was observed in fry stocked 1 d after copper sulfate treatment. The cause of lower survival in copper-treated ponds is unclear. With the exception of ponds stocked 1 d after copper treatment, lower survival was likely related to effects on environmental quality rather than direct copper toxicity. Regardless of the cause, until further work evaluates copper's environmental effects, copper sulfate should not be used in Channel Catfish nursery ponds during early developmental fry stages.
Clinical Biopsychosocial Reflection on Coping With Chronic Illness and Reliance Upon Nutrition Support: An Integrated Healthcare Approach
Authors: Price Jenessa S. , Larsen Sadie E. , Miller Lawrence A. , Smith Heather M. , Apps Jennifer A. , Weis Jo M.
Published: February 2019

Nutrition deficits are common in patients with chronic illnesses reliant upon nutrition support and can contribute to an increase in cognitive deficits that impact treatment adherence and challenge patients’ abilities to cope and successfully implement appropriate psychological and psychosocial interventions. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach addresses biological, psychological, and social barriers that help patients, families, and caregivers develop and maintain proper nutrition behaviors that can enhance patients’ quality of life and reduce frustration and misunderstandings with medical providers. This article is a review of the literature, and it advances the importance of encompassing a biopsychosocial approach when addressing the needs of individuals with nutrition support needs.
Cutting the double loop: Theory and algorithms for reliability‐based design optimization with parametric uncertainty
Authors: del Rosario Zachary , Fenrich Richard W. , Iaccarino Gianluca
Published: February 2019

Parametric uncertainties complicate engineering design—confounding regulated design approaches and degrading the performance of reliability efforts. The simplest means to tackle this uncertainty is double‐loop simulation, a nested Monte Carlo method that, for practical problems, is intractable. In this work, we introduce a flexible, general approximation technique that obviates the double loop. This approximation is constructed in the context of a novel theory of reliability design under parametric uncertainty: we introduce metrics for measuring the efficacy of reliability‐based design optimization strategies (epistemic design gap and effective reliability), minimal conditions for controlling uncertain reliability (precision margin), and stricter conditions that guarantee the desired reliability at a designed confidence level. We provide a number of examples with open‐source code to demonstrate our approaches in a reproducible fashion.
What is in a theme? Professionalization in nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations research
Authors: Marberg Angela , Korzilius Hubert , van Kranenburg Hans
Published: February 2019

This study examines 1,418 articles in three leading journals in the field of nonprofit organization studies from 1990 to 2010. Using topic modeling to detect dominant themes, we were able to trace the development of the academic research on nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations over two decades. We found remarkable changes with regard to an increasing use of professional, managerialist terminology such as that used in for‐profit organizations. This is significant given the potential of the research agenda to influence developments in the nonprofit sector.
How canopy shadow affects invasive plant species classification in high spatial resolution remote sensing
Authors: Lopatin Javier , Dolos Klara , Kattenborn Teja , Fassnacht Fabian E.
Published: February 2019

Plant invasions can result in serious threats for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Reliable maps at very‐high spatial resolution are needed to assess invasions dynamics. Field sampling approaches could be replaced by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to derive such maps. However, pixel‐based species classification at high spatial resolution is highly affected by within‐canopy variation caused by shadows. Here, we studied the effect of shadows on mapping the occurrence of invasive species using UAV‐based data. MaxEnt one‐class classifications were applied to map Acacia dealbata, Ulex europaeus and Pinus radiata in central‐south Chile using combinations of UAV‐based spectral (RGB and hyperspectral), 2D textural and 3D structural variables including and excluding shaded canopy pixels during model calibration. The model accuracies in terms of area under the curve (AUC), Cohen's Kappa, sensitivity (true positive rate) and specificity (true negative rate) were examined in sunlit and shaded canopies separately. Bootstrapping was used for validation and to assess statistical differences between models. Our results show that shadows significantly affect the accuracies obtained with all types of variables. The predictions in shaded areas were generally inaccurate, leading to misclassification rates between 65% and 100% even when shadows were included during model calibration. The exclusion of shaded areas from model calibrations increased the predictive accuracies (especially in terms of sensitivity), decreasing false positives. Spectral and 2D textural information showed generally higher performances and improvements when excluding shadows from the analysis. Shadows significantly affected the model results obtained with any of the variables used, hence the exclusion of shadows is recommended prior to model calibration. This relatively easy pre‐processing step enhances models for classifying species occurrences using high‐resolution spectral imagery and derived products. Finally, a shadow simulation showed differences in the ideal acquisition window for each species, which is important to plan revisit campaigns.
Biomolecule‐Functionalized Solid‐State Ion Nanochannels/Nanopores: Features and Techniques
Authors: Ding Defang , Gao Pengcheng , Ma Qun , Wang Dagui , Xia Fan
Published: February 2019

Solid‐state ion nanochannels/nanopores, the biomimetic products of biological ion channels, are promising materials in real‐world applications due to their robust mechanical and controllable chemical properties. Functionalizations of solid‐state ion nanochannels/nanopores by biomolecules pave a wide way for the introduction of varied properties from biomolecules to solid‐state ion nanochannels/nanopores, making them smart in response to analytes or external stimuli and regulating the transport of ions/molecules. In this review, two features for nanochannels/nanopores functionalized by biomolecules are abstracted, i.e., specificity and signal amplification. Both of the two features are demonstrated from three kinds of nanochannels/nanopores: nucleic acid–functionalized nanochannels/nanopores, protein‐functionalized nanochannels/nanopores, and small biomolecule‐functionalized nanochannels/nanopores, respectively. Meanwhile, the fundamental mechanisms of these combinations between biomolecules and nanochannels/nanopores are explored, providing reasonable constructs for applications in sensing, transport, and energy conversion. And then, the techniques of functionalizations and the basic principle about biomolecules onto the solid‐state ion nanochannels/nanopores are summarized. Finally, some views about the future developments of the biomolecule‐functionalized nanochannels/nanopores are proposed.
Recent Progress on Germanene and Functionalized Germanene: Preparation, Characterizations, Applications, and Challenges
Authors: Liu Nana , Bo Guyue , Liu Yani , Xu Xun , Du Yi , Dou Shi Xue
Published: February 2019

A new family of single‐atom‐thick 2D germanium‐based materials with graphene‐like atomic arrangement, germanene and functionalized germanene, has attracted intensive attention due to their large bandgap and easily tailored electronic properties. Unlike carbon atoms in graphene, germanium atoms tend to adopt mixed sp2/sp3 hybridization in germanene, which makes it chemically active on the surface and allows its electronic states to be easily tuned by chemical functionalization. Impressive achievements in terms of the applications in energy storage and catalysis have been reported by using germanene and functionalized germanene. Herein, the fabrication of epitaxial germanene on different metallic substrates and its unique electronic properties are summarized. Then, the preparation strategies and the fundamental properties of hydrogen‐functionalized germanene (germanane or GeH) and other ligand‐terminated forms of germanene are presented. Finally, the progress of their applications in energy storage and catalysis, including both experimental results and theoretical predictions, is analyzed.
Recombinant Silk Fiber Properties Correlate to Prefibrillar Self‐Assembly
Authors: Xu Lingling , Weatherbee‐Martin Nathan , Liu Xiang‐Qin , Rainey Jan K.
Published: February 2019

Spider silks are desirable materials with mechanical properties superior to most synthetic materials coupled with biodegradability and biocompatibility. In order to replicate natural silk properties using recombinant spider silk proteins (spidroins) and wet‐spinning methods, the focus to date has typically been on modifying protein sequence, protein size, and spinning conditions. Here, an alternative approach is demonstrated. Namely, using the same ≈57 kDa recombinant aciniform silk protein with a consistent wet‐spinning protocol, fiber mechanical properties are shown to significantly differ as a function of the solvent used to dissolve the protein at high concentration (the “spinning dope” solution). A fluorinated acid/alcohol/water dope leads to drastic improvement in fibrillar extensibility and, correspondingly, toughness compared to fibers produced using a previously developed fluorinated alcohol/water dope. To understand the underlying cause for these mechanical differences, morphology and structure of the two classes of silk fiber are compared, with features tracing back to dope‐state protein structuring and preassembly. Specifically, distinct classes of spidroin nanoparticles appear to form in each dope prior to fiber spinning and these preassembled states are, in turn, linked to fiber morphology, structure, and mechanical properties. Tailoring of dope‐state spidroin nanoparticle assembly, thus, appears a promising strategy to modulate fibrillar silk properties.
Integrative taxonomy successfully resolves the pseudo‐cryptic complex of the disjunct epiphytic moss Orthotrichum consimile s.l. (Orthotrichaceae)
Authors: Medina Rafael , Lara Francisco , Goffinet Bernard , Garilleti Ricardo , Mazimpaka Vicente
Published: February 2019

Broad morphological variation and a complex taxonomic history suggest that Orthotrichum consimile, an epiphytic moss known from oceanic forests of western North America and western Europe, may be a complex of cryptic species rather than a single taxon. This hypothesis was tested through an integrative taxonomic approach combining morphological investigations and phylogenetic inferences from four chloroplast loci. We show that O. consimile is in fact a polyphyletic assemblage of four lineages, which can be diagnosed unambiguously on morphological characters. They are Orthotrichum consimile s.str., O. columbicum (resurrected from synonymy), O. persimile sp. nov. and O. confusum sp. nov. Except for O. columbicum, which has a trans‐Atlantic distribution, these species are endemic to western North America. Phylogenetic inferences increasingly resolve cases of so‐called cryptic speciation within bryophytes exhibiting broad geographic distributions. Almost invariably the hypothesis of cryptic differentiation remains untested. Here we show that parallel morphological and phylogenetic inferences can lead to the resolution of apparent incongruence and lead to the discovery of new, morphologically defined, species.
Cryptic taxa should have names: Reflections in the glasswort genus Salicornia (Amaranthaceae)
Authors: Kadereit Gudrun , Piirainen Mikko , Lambinon Jacques , Vanderpoorten Alain
Published: February 2019

Incongruence between morphology and molecules, i.e., genetic differentiation of lineages that are morphologically identical, or morphological variation among accessions sharing identical genotypes, has been increasingly reported and is most problematic in taxa with reduced morphologies. We here review and discuss these issues for plant taxonomy, taking Salicornia, one of the taxonomically most challenging genera of angiosperms, as a model. We argue in favour of a taxonomic system that remains as much 'workable' as possible for traditional morphology‐based taxonomy, but avoids merging genetically widely divergent lineages despite their morphological similarity. Our revised classification of Eurasian taxa includes four species, ten subspecies and one nothosubspecies. The molecular and morphological characteristics as well as the geographical distribution of each taxon are described. A key to the Eurasian taxa based on morphology and geographical distribution is presented.
The forgotten Hermann Herbarium: A 17th century collection of useful plants from Suriname
Authors: van Andel Tinde , Veldman Sarina , Maas Paul , Thijsse Gerard , Eurlings Marcel
Published: February 2019

The National Herbarium of the Netherlands houses a 17th century, bound herbarium containing 51 dried specimens from Suriname, which was composed by the well‐known botanist Paul Hermann (1646–1695). This is considered as the oldest documented herbarium collection not only for Suriname but for the Guianas region. Most specimens are accompanied by (pre‐Linnaean) Latin or vernacular names and sometimes by Latin descriptions of the plants and their uses. To assess the importance of this collection for the present‐day flora and ethnobotany of Suriname, we identified all specimens (one by using ancient DNA analysis), translated the Latin texts, traced back the origin of the herbarium in national archives, 17th century and modern literature and compared plant names and uses with present‐day ethnobotanical data. We digitized the entire herbarium and made it available online (http://www.hermann‐herbarium.nl). The specimens were probably collected around 1687 by a certain Hendrik Meyer, who had a keen interest in botany and indigenous plant use. The 48 species in the herbarium are almost all useful plants: cultivated crops, wild edible fruits, medicinal plants, timber trees, fish poison, colorants and roof thatch material. Most species are used similarly today, and more than half of the vernacular names still exist in the region. The presence of Abelmoschus esculentus and Sesamum indicum in the herbarium prove the early establishment of African food plants in the emerging plantation economy of Suriname. Unlike Hermann's collections from Ceylon and the Cape, this herbarium was never seen by Linnaeus and therefore does not contain any type specimens.
Typification of eight names in Hieracium (Asteraceae)
Authors: Di Gristina Emilio , Raimondo Francesco M. , Domina Gianniantonio , Gottschlich Günter
Published: February 2019

Eight names in Hieracium (H. atrovirens Froel., H. crinitum Sm., H. lucidum Guss., H. pallidum Biv., H. racemosum subsp. todaroanum Zahn, H. siculum Guss., H. siculum var. minus Guss., H. symphytifolium Froel.), the descriptions of which are based totally or in part on Sicilian material, are typified. Hieracium racemosum subsp. todaroanum is treated as a synonym of H. crinitum, and H. siculum and H. siculum var. minus are treated as synonyms of H. symphytifolium. Hieracium atrovirens is recognized as a subspecies of H. murorum L. (H. murorum subsp. atrovirens (Froel.) Raimondo & Di Grist.).
Today’s Migration-Mobility Nexus in Switzerland
Authors: D’Amato Gianni , Wanner Philippe , Steiner Ilka
Published: February 2019

This chapter provides a general overview of the Migration-Mobility Nexus in Switzerland. Today’s patterns of migration move on a continuum from long-term and permanent to increasingly temporary and fluid. Based on data from the Migration-Mobility Survey and on theoretical and political considerations, it aims at providing a general empirical overview of the migration flows towards Switzerland. First and on a theoretical level, the two paradigmatic lenses of migration research and mobility studies are presented. Second, the transformation of European migration regimes since the 1970s and its effect on the patterns of migration and mobility are discussed. Third, we show how Switzerland, being part of the European Migration Regime in transformation, can be used as a laboratory to understand the changes in and of an advanced post-industrial society. To this end, we provide a short empirical overview of the immigrant population and their living conditions in the country. Fourth, the chapter provides a set of analytical questions that will be addressed throughout this volume – by means of the Migration-Mobility Survey data – and discussed in the concluding chapter.
Surveying Migrants in Europe. Experiences of the Swiss Migration-Mobility Survey
Authors: Steiner Ilka , Landös Aljoscha
Published: February 2019

The increasing need for information on immigrants can scarcely be satisfied by traditional population surveys or censuses. Only migrant-specific surveys allow for the integration of migrant-specific topics. However, when organizing a survey targeting immigrants, challenges concerning the survey setup are even more accentuated compared to traditional surveys. After a short introduction, this chapter first reviews the literature on survey methodology when targeting migrant populations. Second, it provides an overview of how specific migrant surveys, which have been undertaken in Europe since the year 2000, have addressed different challenges. Third, and considering the first two chapters, it reviews the implementation of the Migration-Mobility Survey by presenting the target population, the sampling procedure, the survey design and the data collection process and response rates. The chapter closes with a short overview of the main socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, thus serving as a basis for the following chapters of this book, and a short preview of the planned second wave of the Migration-Mobility Survey.
Integration of Recently Arrived Migrants in the Swiss Labour Market – Do the Reasons for Migration Matter?
Authors: Wanner Philippe
Published: February 2019

This chapter aims at measuring the extent to which the subjective reasons of immigration impact on the level and the pace of structural integration, defined as the participation in the labour market. The analysis not only considers primary migrants but also accompanying spouses and distinguishes between migrants regarding their country of origin and level of education. Based on the Migration-Mobility Survey data, the author uses not only descriptive statistics but also logistic regressions models to better understand the determinants of integration. Results show that migrants consider themselves relatively well integrated in the labour market: in particular, three-quarters of the men and almost two-thirds of the women declare an improvement in their work conditions compared to the situation before the move, their unemployment rate is low, fewer than 20% of migrants do short-term work or work without a contract, and approximately 60% use their skills at work. However, one can observe differences in the level of integration according to the reason for migration. Not only family migrants but also migrants who arrived in Switzerland for other reasons present a lower probability of job satisfaction and a higher risk of underuse of skills compared with those arriving with a work contract. Results also show a gender gap, men being better integrated than women whatever the indicator that is used.
Twisted compactifications of 3d $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 theories and conformal blocks
Authors: Gaiotto Davide
Published: February 2019

Abstract

Three-dimensional

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 4 supersymmetric quantum field theories admit two topological twists, the Rozansky-Witten twist and its mirror. Either twist can be used to define a supersymmetric compactification on a Riemann surface and a corresponding space of supersymmetric ground states. These spaces of ground states can play an interesting role in the Geometric Langlands program. We propose a description of these spaces as conformal blocks for certain non-unitary Vertex Operator Algebras and test our conjecture in some important examples. The two VOAs can be constructed respectively from a UV Lagrangian description of the

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 4 theory or of its mirror. We further conjecture that the VOAs associated to an

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 4 SQFT inherit properties of the theory which only emerge in the IR, such as enhanced global symmetries. Thus knowledge of the VOAs should allow one to compute the spaces of supersymmetric ground states for a theory coupled to supersymmetric background connections for the full symmetry group of the IR SCFT. In particular, we propose a conformal field theory description of the spaces of ground states for the T[SU(N)] theories. These theories play a role of S-duality kernel in maximally supersymmetric SU(N) gauge theory and thus the corresponding spaces of supersymmetric ground states should provide a kernel for the Geometric Langlands duality for special unitary groups.
Professionalising Primary School Teachers in Guiding Inquiry-Based Learning
Authors: van Uum Martina S. J. , Peeters Marieke , Verhoeff Roald P.
Published: February 2019

This paper reports a pretest-posttest study about the impact of a teacher professional development (TPD) programme on primary school teachers’ knowledge of and attitude towards inquiry-based learning. A pedagogical framework of inquiry phases and domains of scientific knowledge combined with hard and soft scaffolds formed the basis for the TPD programme. A total of 59 teachers were divided between the experimental group, which participated in the TPD programme, and a control group. We measured the teachers’ subject matter knowledge (SMK) of the conceptual, epistemic, social, and procedural domain before and after the TPD programme by means of different questionnaires. In addition, we measured their knowledge of how to support their pupils during the inquiry process (PCK) and their attitude towards inquiry-based learning. The results show that our TPD programme improved teachers’ conceptual and social SMK, PCK, and attitude. Our study implicates that scaffolding different domains of scientific knowledge during the inquiry cycle is a valuable component of TPD in inquiry-based learning.
Adolescent men's attitudes and decision making in relation to pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes: An integrative review of the literature from 2010 to 2017
Authors: Kane Joleen , Lohan Maria , Kelly Carmel
Published: February 2019

Introduction

The review updates a previous review conducted in 2010 (Lohan et al.), summarizing the available literature on young men's attitudes and decision‐making in the context of addressing two questions: (1) What are adolescent men's attitudes to adolescent pregnancy? (2) What are adolescent men's attitudes and decision‐making in relation to pregnancy outcomes?

Methods

Using Whittemore and Knafl's process for conducting an integrative review, 38 studies published between 2010 and 2017 reporting on young men's attitudes and decision‐making in relation to pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes were analysed.

Results

One of the most important conclusions of this review is that the findings of studies can often be contradictory. This is because attitudes to unintended pregnancy, contraception and abortion can be contextual and contingent on the dominant or prevailing social norms and roles within a given time, space or social group. In general, we can conclude that in the vast majority of studies young men perceive actual or potential unintended pregnancies as a life event that will present them with moral and material dilemmas.

Conclusions

This review exposes gaps in the academic literature, concerning young men's experiences of unintended pregnancy and pregnancy decision making. This review argues that a greater understanding of young men's experiences when they experience an unintended pregnancy with a partner within a relationship or beyond it is a fundamental first step in offering reproduction and sexual health counselling and services to men. As it stands, we do not yet have a significant body of literature to inform practice development.
Rice Genomics: Over the Past Two Decades and into the Future
Authors: Song Shuhui , Tian Dongmei , Zhang Zhang , Hu Songnian , Yu Jun
Published: February 2019

Domestic rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important cereal crops, feeding a large number of worldwide populations. Along with various high-throughput genome sequencing projects, rice genomics has been making great headway toward direct field applications of basic research advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of agronomical traits and utilizing diverse germplasm resources. Here, we briefly review its achievements over the past two decades and present the potential for its bright future.
Epidemiology of Penile Fractures in United States Emergency Departments: Access to Care Disparities May Lead to Suboptimal Outcomes
Authors: Rodriguez Dayron , Li Kai , Apoj Michel , Munarriz Ricardo
Published: February 2019

Introduction

The epidemiology of penile fractures in the emergency setting is not well described.

Aim

Examine the incidence, evaluation, management, risk factors predicting surgical repair or hospital transfer, and use of financial resources in patients presenting with penile fractures to the emergency departments (ED) nationwide in the Unites States.

Methods

ED visits with a primary diagnosis of penile fractures (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition codes) between 2010-2014 were abstracted from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample.

Main Outcome Measure

Penile fracture incidence, disposition, hospital, and clinical factors which were associated with immediate surgical repair or transfer to another institution, and cost were investigated.

Results

8,029 ED visits for penile fracture in the United States were observed, which represents a national incidence of 1.02 per 100,000 male subjects per year. No meaningful trends in incidence were observed over the 5-year period. 63.9% were treated non-surgically or discharged from the ED, 25.7% underwent surgical repair, and 10.3% were transferred to other institutions. Hospital factors which predicted surgical repair included Northeast region, teaching hospital status, trauma hospital status, high volume ED, and urban location. Clinical risk factors which predicted surgical repair included hypertension, smoking, alcohol dependence, drug abuse, erectile dysfunction, hematuria, urethral injury, and urinary retention. Factors leading to patient transfers included non-academic, rural and non-trauma hospitals, low economic income and low emergency department volume. In addition, weekend and spring presentation were associated with higher transfer rates, while summer presentation was associated with surgical repair.

Clinical Implications

A large proportion of penile fractures are discharged from the ED, indicating possible health care access disparity.

Strengths & Limitations

This is one of the first population-based study of penile fracture incidence, disposition, risk factors which predict surgery or transfer, and cost in the US ED setting. The unexpected high number of discharges may be a result of misdiagnosis; alternatively these data may reveal previously under-reported management patterns in the community.

Conclusion

This large retrospective study of penile fractures in the US ED setting demonstrates a stable incidence of penile fractures presenting to the US emergency departments. A quarter of patients undergo immediate surgical repair, 10% are transferred to other institutions and 63.9% of patients are discharged home. The high proportion of ED discharges may be due to access to health care disparities.
Clitoral Phimosis: Effects on Female Sexual Function and Surgical Treatment Outcomes
Authors: Chmel Roman , Nováčková Marta , Fait Tomáš , Zámečník Libor , Krejčová Lucie , Pastor Zlatko
Published: February 2019

Background

Surgery is the optimal treatment for a severe form of clitoral phimosis (CP) that is initiated by lichen sclerosus (LS) and causes female sexual dysfunction.

Aim

We aimed to determine the etiology of clitoral phimosis, its influence on sexual function, and outcomes after surgical treatment.

Methods

In this prospective cohort study, we observed the occurrence of clitoral phimosis and related changes in a group of 3,650 sexually active heterosexual women with a mean age of 34.8 ± 14.9 years (20–45 years) from September 2014 to September 2016. Ultimately, we compared the changes in sexual function and distress and satisfaction with postoperative genital appearance in 9 patients with severe clitoral phimosis at 12 months after surgical treatment.

Main Outcome Measures

Sexual function was evaluated using the Female Sexual Distress Scale–Revised and the Female Sexual Function Index, and the patient’s genital self-image was evaluated using the Female Genital Self-Image Scale; gynecologic examinations were performed on all patients.

Results

Various forms of CP were found in 46 of 3,650 patients (1.3%). Severe forms of CP were found in 9 cases, but it was complicated by stenosis of vaginal introitus in only 2 cases. These 9 patients underwent circumcision, and 2 of them underwent perineoplasty. Female sexual dysfunction occurred mainly in those with LS and severe forms of phimosis. Sexual function, as indicated by the total Female Sexual Function Index score, was significantly improved at 12 months after surgery (17.9 ± 0.9 vs 26.6 ± 0.5; P < .001). The Female Genital Self-Image Scale score assessing genital perception was significantly higher after surgery than before in women who underwent clitoral circumcision (20 ± 3.0 vs 12.3 ± 3.3; P < .001). The Female Sexual Distress Scale–Revised score was significantly lower after surgery than before (21.3 ± 6.2 vs 33.8 ± 6.9; P < .001). Sexual function in 2 women with CP and stenosis of vaginal introitus improved after surgery, but the sexual distress level did not decrease significantly.

Clinical Implications

The results of this study will help clinicians to centralize treatment methods and advise patients on the management of clitoral phimosis.

Strengths & Limitations

This is a study evaluating postoperative results of sexual function, distress, and satisfaction with genitalia in women with severe CP, using validated questionnaires. However, the small number of patients and the absence of an appropriate control group are limitations.

Conclusion

Surgical treatment of clitoral phimosis can improve sexual function, but because LS—a common underlying cause—is chronic in nature, patients may experience recurrence.
Control of Volunteer Giant Reed (Arundo donax)
Authors: San Martín Carolina , Gourlie Jennifer A. , Barroso Judit
Published: February 2019

Giant reed (Arundo donaxL.) has recently shown great potential as a feedstock for the bioenergy industry. However, beforeA. donaxcan be grown commercially, due to its invasive nature, management strategies must be developed to reduce the risk of unintended spread. This research was conducted in northeastern Oregon (USA) during two growing seasons. Nine control strategies were evaluated in a field that previously hadA. donaxas a crop. The control strategies included mechanical practices (stem cutting and rhizome digging), physical practices (covering with an opaque tarp), chemical practices (glyphosate applications at different rates and timings), and a combination of these practices. Spring samplings ofA. donaxregrowth in the season following treatments indicated that stem cutting in the spring without follow-up control practices provided no control. Covering plants with a tarp after cutting them (either with or without a glyphosate treatment after cutting) resulted in 96% control. Application of glyphosate alone also resulted in excellent control, although timing of application was an important factor for maximizing efficacy. The best results were found when the maximum dose (10.2 L ai ha−1) was split among two or three applications (>99% of control) compared with the maximum dose applied once (75% to 94%). Control was lower (73% to 89%) for two of the strategies that included mechanical practices, stem cutting + glyphosate and rhizome digging, in comparison to other strategies involving tarps and/or glyphosate applications (88% to 100%). Results indicated that it is very difficult to eradicate volunteerA. donaxin 1 yr, but very good control can be achieved with several of the strategies tested.
Final evolution of super-AGB stars and supernovae triggered by electron capture
Authors: Leung Shing-Chi , Nomoto Ken’ichi
Published: February 2019

Stars of 8–10 M⊙ form a strongly electron-degenerate oxygen–neon–magnesium core which is more massive than ∼1.1 M⊙, and become super-Asymptotic Giant Branch stars. The oxygen–neon–magnesium core increases its mass through H and He shell burning. The core contracts accordingly and the central density increases. In the high density core, electron capture takes place and further boosts the core contraction. When electron capture on 20Ne starts, it induces oxygen–neon deflagration. It remains a theoretical question whether neutron star can be formed after the deflagration has started. If the star collapses, the following explosion is known as an electron capture supernova. In this article, we give a brief overview on the development of idea in the presupernova evolution and the hydrodynamics behaviour of electron capture supernovae. Using standard stellar evolutionary models that show rather high ignition density, we show that the collapse can occur in a wide range of model parameter. However, future study remains important. We also review the possible observables of electron capture supernovae and discuss their applications to the light curve model for the Crab supernova 1054.
FINITE UNITARY RINGS IN WHICH ALL SYLOW SUBGROUPS OF THE GROUP OF UNITS ARE CYCLIC
Authors: AMIRI M. , ARIANNEJAD M.
Published: February 2019

We characterise finite unitary rings
$R$
such that all Sylow subgroups of the group of units
$R^{\ast }$
are cyclic. To be precise, we show that, up to isomorphism,
$R$
is one of the three types of rings in
$\{O,E,O\oplus E\}$
, where
$O\in \{GF(q),\mathbb{Z}_{p^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}}}\}$
is a ring of odd cardinality and
$E$
is a ring of cardinality
$2^{n}$
which is one of seven explicitly described types.
ALTERNATING COLOURINGS OF THE VERTICES OF A REGULAR POLYGON
Authors: SINGH SHIVANI , ZELENYUK YULIYA
Published: February 2019

Let $n,r,k\in \mathbb{N}$. An $r$-colouring of the vertices of a regular $n$-gon is any mapping $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}:\mathbb{Z}_{n}\rightarrow \{1,2,\ldots ,r\}$. Two colourings are equivalent if one of them can be obtained from another by a rotation of the polygon. An $r$-ary necklace of length $n$ is an equivalence class of $r$-colourings of $\mathbb{Z}_{n}$. We say that a colouring is $k$-alternating if all $k$ consecutive vertices have pairwise distinct colours. We compute the smallest number $r$ for which there exists a $k$-alternating $r$-colouring of $\mathbb{Z}_{n}$ and we count, for any $r$, 2-alternating $r$-colourings of $\mathbb{Z}_{n}$ and 2-alternating $r$-ary necklaces of length $n$.