bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Experimental Analysis of Regulatory Interventions for Complex Pricing
Authors: Friesen Lana , Earl Peter E.
Published: November 2019

Considerable evidence demonstrates that consumers make poor choices when facing complex multidimensional pricing schemes. The problem is clear but appropriate regulatory interventions less so. We study the efficacy of five different interventions to improve consumer decision making in an experimental context where subjects choose among a set of predefined phone plans involving nonlinear tariffs. We compare two types of intervention: information provision and consumer literacy training. We find that training about plan costs significantly improves decision quality, while providing information about plan value assists inexperienced decision makers, and visual feedback helps experienced decision makers. Implications for policy are discussed, mindful of heterogeneous consumer literacy and the infrequency with which consumers are actually “in the market” for a better phone service plan.
Precipitation and Mechanical Property of V‐Alloyed Steel: Role of Cooling Rate
Authors: Huang Zhang , Yu Hao , Song Chenghao , Li Shuying , Duan Xiaoni , Wu Weijia
Published: November 2019

Herein, the effect of cooling rate on the precipitation behavior and mechanical properties of V‐added microalloyed steel is systematically investigated by nanoindentation test, X‐ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The present observation reveals that random precipitates and interphase precipitates are simultaneously observed at the low cooling rate of 0.5 °C s−1, whereas only random precipitates are obtained at the high cooling rate of 2 °C s−1. The contribution of the nanoscale precipitates to yield strength is evaluated to be 199 MPa at the low cooling rate of 0.5 °C s−1, which is almost 4 times higher than that of 2 °C s−1. The predicted yield strength by semiempirical model based on the structural parameters is consistent with the result from tensile testing. In addition, the greater difference between upper and lower yield points in sample B is caused by dislocations motion, which is related to the smaller interparticle spacing of nanosized precipitates within ferrite matrix.
Thermal discomfort analysis using UTCI and MEMI (PET and PMV) in outdoor environments: case study of two climates in Iran (Arak & Bandar Abbas)
Authors: Asghari Mehdi , Teimori Gholamheidar , Abbasinia Marzieh , Shakeri Fahimeh , Tajik Reza , Ghannadzadeh Mohammad Javad , Ghalhari Gholamabbas Fallah
Published: November 2019

Objectives

The aim of this study was to analyse the thermal discomfort of outdoor environments in two climates of Iran using physiological equivalent temperature (PET), predicted mean vote (PMV) indices and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI).

Methods

In this study, the meteorological data recorded by the meteorological organisation in a 15‐year period, including temperature, air velocity, cloudiness, relative humidity and water vapour pressure, in two different climates of Iran were surveyed. According to classification of the Köppen, Arak as a representative of a semi‐arid and cold climate and Bandar Abbas as a representative of a hot and dry climate were used to calculate thermal indices. The PMV index was based on the ASHRAE 7‐point thermal sensation scale, and the values of PMV and PET indices were extracted using Rayman1.2 software. The values of the UTCI were calculated using BioKlima 2.6 software.

Results

The results showed that the maximum and minimum temperatures in two climates were related to July and January, respectively. In Arak, the means of the UTCI, PET and PMV indices were 14.41 ± 11.5, 15.81 ± 1.23 and −0.77 ± 2.15, respectively. In Bandar Abbas as well, the mean of the UTCI, PET and PMV indices were 22.56 ± 9, 22.73 ± 7.7 and 0.73 ± 7.7, respectively. In Arak, there was moderate heat stress to moderate cold stress in this region, whereas in Bandar Abbas, the days had a strong heat stress to low cold stress. There are very strong correlations between the indices used for two different climates.

Conclusion

The bioclimatic comfort indices used were able to demonstrate the comfort and discomfort of people during different months of the year in two surveyed climates, and despite trivial differences, they provided relatively uniform representations of climate comfort for surveyed cities. Using thermal comfort indices, high‐risk areas can be identified, and appropriate measures can be adopted to reduce the effects of the changes.
Efficacy of recreational hunters and marksmen for host culling to combat chronic wasting disease in reindeer
Authors: Mysterud Atle , Strand Olav , Rolandsen Christer M.
Published: November 2019

Most populations of large mammals in developed countries are managed by human hunting, but there are surprisingly few empirical studies about the benefits and limitations of using recreational hunters to achieve specific management objectives. In particular, the extensive host culling required to markedly reduce population densities to combat some wildlife diseases may conflict with the management aims of landowners and hunters. This is particularly acute in the case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, which has now emerged in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Norway. We analyzed the relative efficacy of approximately 1,000 recreational hunters and 30 professional marksmen during the eradication of the entire CWD‐infected population of >2,000 reindeer in Norway. The government changed a series of legislation that would normally limit the efficacy of recreational hunters; these changes were linked to the duration of the hunting season, the specificity and size of the quotas, and spatial access rights. Efforts were taken to reduce both the searching time (hunters were given information on herd whereabouts) and handling time (helicopter aid for transport) of the recreational hunters. We compared 1) recreational hunting under ordinary legislation (up to 2016), 2) recreational hunting with less legislation (2017), and 3) culling by marksmen that were allowed to use both snowmobile and helicopter. Despite all of the changes in legislation, harvest by recreational hunters only increased from 241–316 during 2014–2016 to 582 reindeer in 2017 and was below management targets, while marksmen culled 1,399 reindeer, with a daily average and maximum offtake well above that of the hunters. The hunters shot more animals in the early season and during weekends. Offtake by both the hunters and marksmen were equally negatively affected by fog, which reduced visibility. We discuss the relative merits of using hunters and marksmen for wildlife control in general and limits to how legislation can increase offtake. We highlight the need for more research into how the use of marksmen comes with a cost in terms of social conflict. © 2019 The Authors. Wildlife Society Bulletin published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Wildlife Society.
Continuous regional arterial infusion versus intravenous administration of the protease inhibitor nafamostat mesilate for predicted severe acute pancreatitis: a multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase 2 trial
Authors: Hirota Morihisa , Shimosegawa Tooru , Kitamura Katsuya , Takeda Kazunori , Takeyama Yoshifumi , Mayumi Toshihiko , Ito Tetsuhide , Takenaka Mamoru , Iwasaki Eisuke , Sawano Hirotaka , Ishida Etsuji , Miura Shin , Masamune Atsushi , Nakai Yousuke , Mitoro Akira , Maguchi Hiroyuki , Kimura Kenji , Sanuki Tsuyoshi , Ito Tetsuya , Haradome Hiroki , Kozaka Kazuto , Gabata Toshifumi , Kataoka Keisho , Hirota Masahiko , Isaji Shuji , Nakamura Ryoji , Yamagiwa Koki , Kayaba Chie , Ikeda Koji
Published: November 2019

Background

Continuous regional arterial infusion (CRAI) of protease inhibitor nafamostat mesilate (NM) is used in the context of predicted severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) to prevent the development of pancreatic necrosis. Although this therapy is well known in Japan, its efficacy and safety remain unclear.

Methods

This investigator-initiated and -driven, multicenter, open-label, randomized, controlled trial (UMIN000020868) enrolled 39 patients with predicted SAP and low enhancement of the pancreatic parenchyma on computed tomography (CT). Twenty patients were assigned to the CRAI group, while 19 served as controls and were administered NM at the same dose intravenously (IV group). The primary endpoint was the development of pancreatic necrosis as determined by CT on Day 14, judged by blinded central review.

Results

There was no difference between the CRAI and IV groups regarding the percentages of participants who developed pancreatic necrosis (more than 1/3 of the pancreas: 25.0%, range 8.7–49.1% vs. 15.8%, range 3.4–39.6%, respectively,P = 0.694; more than 2/3 of the pancreas: 20%, range 5.7–43.7% vs. 5.3%, range 0.1–26.0%, respectively,P = 0.341). The early analgesic effect was evaluated based on 24-h cumulative fentanyl consumption and additional administration by intravenous patient-controlled analgesia. The results showed that the CRAI group used significantly less analgesic. There were two adverse events related to CRAI, namely bleeding and splenic infarction.

Conclusions

CRAI with NM did not inhibit the development of pancreatic necrosis although early analgesic effect of CRAI was superior to that of IV. Less-invasive IV therapy can be considered a viable alternative to CRAI therapy.
Response learning confounds assays of inhibitory control on detour tasks
Authors: van Horik Jayden O. , Beardsworth Christine E. , Laker Philippa R. , Whiteside Mark A. , Madden Joah R.
Published: November 2019

The ability to inhibit prepotent actions towards rewards that are made inaccessible by transparent barriers has been considered to reflect capacities for inhibitory control (IC). Typically, subjects initially reach directly, and incorrectly, for the reward. With experience, subjects may inhibit this action and instead detour around barriers to access the reward. However, assays of IC are often measured across multiple trials, with the location of the reward remaining constant. Consequently, other cognitive processes, such as response learning (acquisition of a motor routine), may confound accurate assays of IC. We measured baseline IC capacities in pheasant chicks, Phasianus colchicus, using a transparent cylinder task. Birds were then divided into two training treatments, where they learned to access a reward placed behind a transparent barrier, but experienced differential reinforcement of a particular motor response. In the stationary-barrier treatment, the location of the barrier remained constant across trials. We, therefore, reinforced a fixed motor response, such as always go left, which birds could learn to aid their performance. Conversely, we alternated the location of the barrier across trials for birds in the moving-barrier treatment and hence provided less reinforcement of their response learning. All birds then experienced a second presentation of the transparent cylinder task to assess whether differences in the training treatments influenced their subsequent capacities for IC. Birds in the stationary-barrier treatment showed a greater improvement in their subsequent IC performance after training compared to birds in the moving-barrier treatment. We, therefore, suggest that response learning aids IC performance on detour tasks. Consequently, non-target cognitive processes associated with different neural substrates appear to underlie performances on detour tasks, which may confound accurate assays of IC. Our findings question the construct validity of a commonly used paradigm that is widely considered to assess capacities for IC in humans and other animals.
Deriving an overall appearance domain score by applying bifactor IRT analysis to the BODY-Q appearance scales
Authors: Geerards Daan , van den Berg Lisa , Pusic Andrea L. , Hoogbergen Maarten M. , Klassen Anne F. , van der Hulst René R. W. J. , Sidey-Gibbons Chris J.
Published: November 2019

Purpose

With the BODY-Q, one can assess outcomes, such as satisfaction with appearance, in weight loss and body contouring patients using multiple scales. All scales can be used independently in any given combination or order. Currently, the BODY-Q cannot provide overall appearance scores across scales that measure a similar super-ordinate construct (i.e., overall appearance), which could improve the scales’ usefulness as a benchmarking tool and improve the comprehensibility of patient feedback. We explored the possibility of establishing overall appearance scores, by applying a bifactor model to the BODY-Q appearance scales.

Methods

In a bifactor model, questionnaire items load onto both a primary specific factors and a general factor, such as satisfaction with appearance. The international BODY-Q validation patient sample (n = 734) was used to fit a bifactor model to the appearance domain. Factor loadings, fit indices, and correlation between bifactor appearance domain and satisfaction with body scale were assessed.

Results

All items loaded on the general factor of their corresponding domain. In the appearance domain, all items demonstrated adequate item fit to the model. All scales had satisfactory fit to the bifactor model (RMSEA 0.045, CFI 0.969, and TLI 0.964). The correlation between the appearance domain summary scores and satisfaction with body scale scores was found to be 0.77.

Discussion

We successfully applied a bifactor model to BODY-Q data with good item and model fit indices. With this method, we were able to produce reliable overall appearance scores which may improve the interpretability of the BODY-Q while increasing flexibility.
Detecting bursty terms in computer science research
Authors: Tattershall E. , Nenadic G. , Stevens R. D.
Published: November 2019

Research topics rise and fall in popularity over time, some more swiftly than others. The fastest rising topics are typically called bursts; for example “deep learning”, “internet of things” and “big data”. Being able to automatically detect and track bursty terms in the literature could give insight into how scientific thought evolves over time. In this paper, we take a trend detection algorithm from stock market analysis and apply it to over 30 years of computer science research abstracts, treating the prevalence of each term in the dataset like the price of a stock. Unlike previous work in this domain, we use the free text of abstracts and titles, resulting in a finer-grained analysis. We report a list of bursty terms, and then use historical data to build a classifier to predict whether they will rise or fall in popularity in the future, obtaining accuracy in the region of 80%. The proposed methodology can be applied to any time-ordered collection of text to yield past and present bursty terms and predict their probable fate.
Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Obesity and Bariatric Surgery in Chinese Nurses
Authors: Fan Meiling , Hong Jie , Cheung Pik Nga , Tang Shutong , Zhang Jing , Hu Songhao , Jiang Shuwen , Chen Xiaomei , Yu Shuqing , Gao Lilian , Wang Cunchuan , Chen Weiju , Yang Wah
Published: November 2019

Background

Obesity has become a global epidemic. Surgical treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders in China is increasing rapidly, but it is still a new discipline even to health professionals. As an important member of the multidisciplinary team, the knowledge and attitudes of nurses provide crucial health care to the patients and support to surgeons.

Objectives

To study the Chinese nurses’ knowledge of obesity and metabolic disorders, and attitudes towards bariatric surgery and to improve their capability of work in this new discipline.

Methods

This is a multicenter study, with the questionnaire distributed to cooperative hospitals in the form of an electronic questionnaire by the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University in April 2018. A questionnaire was designed to investigate nurses’ demographic, knowledge, and attitude towards obesity, weight loss, and bariatric surgery.

Results

A total of 5311 questionnaires were received, with an effective rate of 91.8% (4878 questionnaires); 65.2% of nurses had a normal BMI. Nurses generally had a high knowledge of obesity and related cardiovascular diseases (98.6%) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (90.2%). However, there was a lack of knowledge in other related aspects, for example its relations to carcinoma (49.5%), gastroesophageal reflux disease (40.1%), and psychological disorders (49.1%), which are controversial issues in bariatric surgery. It was found that education (p < 0.05) had an important influence to nurses’ knowledge about the comorbidities of obesity. Female nurses had a higher tendency to choose weight loss than males, but male nurses did physical exercise more frequently than females (p < 0.05). Their acceptance of safety (25.1%) and efficacy (22.9%) of bariatric surgery is low, with concerns predominantly about postoperative complications and adverse effects. Surgical nurses had a more optimistic attitude towards surgery (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Chinese nurses have poor knowledge of obesity-related metabolic disorders and also have poor acceptance of surgical treatment modalities. Our findings suggest that it is crucial to enhance the continuing education of Chinese nurses for obesity, metabolic disorders, and bariatric surgery.
Factoring in Societal Culture in Policy Transfer Design: the Proliferation of Private Sponsorship of Refugees
Authors: Bertram Daniel , Maleki Ammar , Karsten Niels
Published: November 2019

The Canadian model of private sponsorship schemes (PSS) for refugees is becoming an increasingly popular target for policy transfer in the field of migration. This article argues that the influence of societal culture on this transplanting process has played an underexplored role in the literature. We seek to provide original guidance for factoring in cultural elements into the policy transfer framework by demonstrating how specific design choices in PSS transfer display clear cultural associations. A tentative study of nine countries that have adopted different models of PSS corroborates this hypothesis empirically. Our preliminary findings suggest that cultural compatibility may indeed increase the effectiveness of a policy transfer in some instances, while culturally preferred choices being adopted in other cases may result in suboptimal design. This converse interplay indicates that cultural awareness constitutes a crucial element of successful transfer processes and stresses the need to adopt a culturally sensitive perspective more frequently and more explicitly.
Impacts of Hurricane Irma on Florida Bay Islands, Everglades National Park, USA
Authors: Wingard G. Lynn , Bergstresser S. E. , Stackhouse B. L. , Jones M. C. , Marot M. E. , Hoefke K. , Daniels A. , Keller K.
Published: November 2019

Hurricane Irma made landfall in south Florida, USA, on September 10, 2017 as a category 4 storm. In January 2018, fieldwork was conducted on four previously (2014) sampled islands in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park to examine changes between 2014 and 2018. The objectives were to determine if the net impact of the storm was gain or loss of island landmass and/or elevation; observe and quantify impacts to mangroves; and identify distinctive sedimentary, biochemical, and/or geochemical signatures of the storm. Storm overwash deposits were measured in the field and, in general, interior island mudflats appeared to experience deposition ranging from ~ 0.5 to ~ 6.5 cm. Elevation changes were measured using real-time kinematic positioning and satellite receivers. Comparison of 2014 to 2018 elevation measurements indicates mangrove berms and transitional areas between mudflats and berms experienced erosion and loss of elevation, whereas interior mudflats gained elevation, possibly due to Hurricane Irma. Geographic information system analysis of pre- and post-storm satellite imagery indicates the western-most island, closest to the eye of the storm, lost 32 to 42% (~ 11 to 13 m) of the width of the eastern berm, and vegetated coverage was reduced 9.3% or ~ 9700 m2. Vegetated coverage on the eastern-most island was reduced by 1.9% or ~ 9200 m2. These results are compared to previous accounts of hurricane impacts and provide a baseline for examining long-term constructive and destructive aspects of hurricanes on the islands and the role of storms in resiliency of Florida Bay islands.
Adolescent social isolation and premature mortality in a Swedish birth cohort
Authors: Högnäs Robin S. , Almquist Ylva B. , Modin Bitte
Published: November 2019

Research shows consistently that social ties are important for longevity, and they may be particularly important during adolescence. An absence of social ties, or social isolation, during adolescence may adversely affect long-term health and wellbeing. While prior research has examined associations between isolation from friends and long-term health, and having no siblings and mortality, no study (of which we are aware) considers jointly both the role of having no friends and no siblings, nor more generally with whom adolescents spend time, and the risk of premature mortality. This paper extends the literature by drawing on data from the Stockholm Birth Cohort Study to examine the association between different types of social isolation during adolescence (i.e., an absence of friends, siblings, and time with other adolescents) and the risk of premature mortality by midlife. Results suggest that having no siblings, being unliked at school, and spending (mostly) no time with other adolescents, increases the risk of premature mortality. The association between being unliked and premature mortality was attenuated by demographic and adolescent characteristics. Consistent with our expectations, net of a robust set of covariates, adolescents who had no siblings and mostly spent no time with other adolescents (i.e., isolates) were the group most vulnerable to premature mortality by midlife. However, this was only true for females.
The Increasing Issue of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci and the Bacteriocin Solution
Authors: Reinseth Ingvild S. , Ovchinnikov Kirill V. , Tønnesen Hanne H. , Carlsen Harald , Diep Dzung B.
Published: November 2019

Enterococci are commensals of human and other animals’ gastrointestinal tracts. Only making up a small part of the microbiota, they have not played a significant role in research, until the 1980s. Although the exact year is variable according to different geographical areas, this was the decade when vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) were discovered and since then their role as causative agents of human infections has increased. Enterococcus faecium is on the WHO’s list of “bacteria for which new antibiotics are urgently needed,” and with no new antibiotics in development, the situation is desperate. In this review, different aspects of VRE are outlined, including the mortality caused by VRE, antibiotic resistance profiles, animal-modeling efforts, and virulence. In addition, the limitations of current antibiotic treatments for VRE and prospective new treatments, such as bacteriocins, are reviewed.
Suggestions for improving the design of clinical trials in multiple sclerosis—results of a systematic analysis of completed phase III trials
Authors: Gehr Sinje , Kaiser Thomas , Kreutz Reinhold , Ludwig Wolf-Dieter , Paul Friedemann
Published: November 2019

This manuscript reviews the primary and secondary endpoints of pivotal phase III trials with immunomodulatory drugs in multiple sclerosis (MS). Considering the limitations of previous trial designs, we propose new standards for the planning of clinical trials, taking into account latest insights into MS pathophysiology and patient-relevant aspects. Using a systematic overview of published phase III (pivotal) trials performed as part of application for drug market approval, we evaluate the following characteristics: trial duration, number of trial participants, comparators, and endpoints (primary, secondary, magnetic resonance imaging outcome, and patient-reported outcomes). From a patient perspective, the primary and secondary endpoints of clinical trials are only partially relevant. High-quality trial data pertaining to efficacy and safety that stretch beyond the time frame of pivotal trials are almost non-existent. Understanding of long-term benefits and risks of disease-modifying MS therapy is largely lacking. Concrete proposals for the trial designs of relapsing (remitting) multiple sclerosis/clinically isolated syndrome, primary progressive multiple sclerosis, and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (e.g., study duration, mechanism of action, and choice of endpoints) are presented based on the results of the systematic overview. Given the increasing number of available immunotherapies, the therapeutic strategy in MS has shifted from a mere “relapse-prevention” approach to a personalized provision of medical care as to the choice of the appropriate drugs and their sequential application over the course of the disease. This personalized provision takes patient preferences as well as disease-related factors into consideration such as objective clinical and radiographic findings but also very burdensome symptoms such as fatigue, depression, and cognitive impairment. Future trial designs in MS will have to assign higher relevance to these patient-reported outcomes and will also have to implement surrogate measures that can serve as predictive markers for individual treatment response to new and investigational immunotherapies. This is an indispensable prerequisite to maximize the benefit of individual patients when participating in clinical trials. Moreover, such appropriate trial designs and suitable enrolment criteria that correspond to the mode of action of the study drug will facilitate targeted prevention of adverse events, thus mitigating risks for individual study participants.
Assessment of geospatial capability index for siting waste dump/landfill to control groundwater geopollution using geographic information system (GIS) approach: case study of Abakaliki area and environs, Southeastern Nigeria
Authors: Onwe Mkpuma Rock , Nwankwor G. I. , Ahiarakwem C. A. , Abraham Ema Michael , Emberga T. T.
Published: November 2019

Understanding spatial variation of rock and soil is important for capability precision as well as groundwater contamination or geopollution management. In view of waste dump/landfills, geoenvironmental hazards ravaging our land including surface and groundwater contamination, site suitability indexing, spatial distribution and characteristics of underlying rock and soil matter are studied. Rock and soil samples were collected in a systematic grid pattern using simple drill core rig and hand auger. Geostatistical and soil property analyses were conducted on each grid. Groundwater aquifer vulnerability to leachate was studied using depth to water table, recharge (precipitation), aquifer material, topographic slope, impact on vadose zone/vadose zone material and hydraulic conductivity (DRASTIC) and geophysical methods. Human population growth analysis indicates tremendous waste generation. Flash points of waste generation and dumping were noted. Geographical positioning system was used to take record of sampling point coordinates. Using a sufficient dataset, each grid indicative factor is objectively scaled, weighed and assigned a numerical rating according to their relative importance employing site suitability (S) analysis approach in an empirical equation. Results were imported into a geographic information system (GIS) platform to generate thematic maps. The results showed that subsurface rock and soil characteristics are neither spatially nor vertically homogeneously distributed. Thematic maps were generated and further interpolated in the GIS domain to produce a composite waste dump/landfill suitability index map.
Determining skin zone properties from injectivity tests in single- and multilayer reservoirs
Authors: Bela Renan Vieira , Pesco Sinésio , Barreto Abelardo
Published: November 2019

This work proposes an interpretation technique for injectivity tests that provides a new estimation for skin zone permeability and radius in single-layer reservoirs. A means to compute the reservoir skin factor in multilayer commingled reservoirs is also presented. Under the assumption that layer flow-rates are decoupled, the suggested method was extended to compute individual layer permeabilities and skin factors. The results indicate that this hypothesis is valid in reservoirs where layer skin factors are similar.
Two-valenced association schemes and the Desargues theorem
Authors: Hirasaka Mitsugu , Kim Kijung , Ponomarenko Ilia
Published: November 2019

The main goal of the paper is to establish a sufficient condition for a two-valenced association scheme to be schurian and separable. To this end, an analog of the Desargues theorem is introduced for a noncommutative geometry defined by the scheme in question. It turns out that if the geometry has enough many Desarguesian configurations, then under a technical condition, the scheme is schurian and separable. This result enables us to give short proofs for known statements on the schurity and separability of quasi-thin and pseudocyclic schemes. Moreover, by the same technique, we prove a new result: given a prime p, any $$\{1,p\}$$

{
1
,
p
}

-scheme with thin residue isomorphic to an elementary abelian p-group of rank greater than two, is schurian and separable.
From east to west, can feminist legal strategies be transformative? Post-disaster to everyday times of crisis
Authors: Krishnadas Jane
Published: November 2019

This article engages with a key question raised by feminist legal scholars from the east to the west: whether women should or should not engage in rights strategies? Are rights systematically exercised to reproduce patriarchal, dominant sites of justice, or do rights constitute a multiple and relational force which may transform sites of justice? The experience of women’s engagements with law in South Asia has created a diversity of critical legal knowledge and scholarship reflecting the pluralism of both women’s identities and needs based on caste, religion, class and sexuality across an array of legal spaces from the family, community and state. Women in South Asian scholarship have complicated the notion of the homogenous legal subject and the static dominant site of justice. In this article I return to my underpinning field research whilst living and working within an earthquake affected area of Maharashtra, India in the post-crisis rehabilitation period (1993–1998). This research explored how women exercised their rights to reconstruct lives at different tiers of justice: in public policy, private legislation and the non-formal sphere of community relations to deconstruct the concept of rights existing within a static framework of justice. Drawing upon feminist discourse across the east to the west, I have analysed the role of rights in post-disaster sites to understand how women move from victims to survivors, beneficiaries to contributors and objects to agents of change to inform contemporary research on how women in post-domestic violence situations may exercise rights to reconstruct their lives in times of crisis in the UK. Through this analysis I argue that rights may be empowering if one can exercise one’s right to identity as agency, resources as capacity and location as mobility, as a three dimensional strategy to transform the framework in which one is situated. Over the last decade, I have actively applied this transformative methodology to create an alternative relational, intersectional and holistic legal paradigm, to transform sites of justice, in times of every day crisis, through the CLOCK/ All India Access to Justice Strategy.
Regulation of intracellular Ca2+/CaMKII signaling by TRPV4 membrane translocation during osteoblastic differentiation
Authors: Hu Fen , Zhao Yali , Hui Zhenhai , Xing Fulin , Yang Jianyu , Lee Imshik , Zhang Xinzheng , Pan Leiting , Xu Jingjun
Published: November 2019

Bone constantly remodels between resorption by osteoclasts and formation by osteoblasts; therefore the functions of osteoblasts are pivotal for maintaining homeostasis of bone mass. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), a type of mechanosensitive channel, has been reported to be a key regulator in bone remodeling. However, the relationship between TRPV4 and osteoblast function remains largely elusive. Only little is known about the spatial distribution change of TRPV4 during osteoblastic differentiation and related signal events. Based on three-dimensional super-resolution microscopy, our results clearly showed a different distribution of TRPV4 in undifferentiated and differentiated osteoblasts, which reflected the plasma membrane translocation of TRPV4 along with prolonged differentiation. GSK1016790A (GSK101), the most potent agonist of TRPV4, triggered rapid calcium entry and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) phosphorylation via TRPV4 activation in a differentiation-dependent manner, indicating that the abundance of TRPV4 at the cell surface resulting from differentiation may be related to the modulation of Ca2+ response and CaMKII activity. These data provide compelling evidences for the plasma membrane translocation of TRPV4 during osteoblastic differentiation as well as demonstrate the regulation of downstream Ca2+/CaMKII signaling.
Mapping Conservatism of the Republican Era: Genesis and Typologies
Authors: Xu Aymeric
Published: November 2019

Chinese conservatism is often reduced to a cultural movement the main concern of which is the preservation of traditional culture. This article proposes a new framework with which to analyze modern Chinese conservatism. It identifies late Qing culturalist nationalism, which incorporates traditional culture into concrete political reforms inspired by modern Western politics, as the origin of conservatism in the Republican era. Conservatism in this period was a reaction against New Culture activists’ denial of the political utility of this culturalist nationalism and constituted a response to World War I, leading some to question the merits of Western civilization. As a result, tradition no longer unitarily evoked the cultural elements corresponding to modern Western politics. Adopting a typological approach in order to distinguish different types of conservatism by differentiating various political implications of traditional culture, it divides the Chinese conservatism of the Republican era into four typologies: liberal conservatism, antimodern conservatism, philosophical conservatism, and authoritarian conservatism.
Age of the Berlin moraine complex, New Hampshire, USA, and implications for ice sheet dynamics and climate during Termination 1
Authors: Bromley Gordon R.M. , Hall Brenda L. , Thompson Woodrow B. , Lowell Thomas V.
Published: November 2019

At its late Pleistocene maximum, the Laurentide Ice Sheet was the largest ice mass on Earth and a key player in the modulation of global climate and sea level. At the same time, this temperate ice sheet was itself sensitive to climate, and high-magnitude fluctuations in ice extent, reconstructed from relict glacial deposits, reflect past changes in atmospheric temperature. Here, we present a cosmogenic 10Be surface-exposure chronology for the Berlin moraines in the White Mountains of northern New Hampshire, USA, which supports the model that deglaciation of New England was interrupted by a pronounced advance of ice during the Bølling-Allerød. Together with recalculated 10Be ages from the southern New England coast, the expanded White Mountains moraine chronology also brackets the timing of ice sheet retreat in this sector of the Laurentide. In conjunction with existing chronological data, the moraine ages presented here suggest that deglaciation was widespread during Heinrich Stadial 1 event (~18–14.7 ka) despite apparently cold marine conditions in the adjacent North Atlantic. As part of the White Mountains moraine system, the Berlin chronology also places a new terrestrial constraint on the former glacial configuration during the marine incursion of the St. Lawrence River valley north of the White Mountains.
Effects of pantothenic acid and folic acid supplementation on total tract digestibility coefficient, ruminal fermentation, microbial enzyme activity, microflora and urinary purine derivatives in dairy bulls
Authors: Wu Z. Z. , Wang C. , Zhang G. W. , Liu Q. , Guo G. , Huo W. J. , Zhang J. , Zhang Y. L. , Pei C. X. , Zhang S. L.
Published: November 2019

The effects of pantothenic acid (PA) and folic acid (FA) addition on digestibility coefficient, ruminal fermentation and urinary purine derivative (PD) excretion in dairy bulls were evaluated. Eight rumen-cannulated Holstein dairy bulls were allocated to a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design according to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Diets were supplemented with two levels of FA (0 or 8.0 mg/kg dietary dry matter [DM]) and two of PA (0 or 60 mg/kg DM). The PA × FA interaction was not significant for all variables. Both supplements increased DM intake and average daily gain, but decreased a feed conversion ratio. Digestibility of DM, organic matter, crude protein and neutral detergent fibre increased, but ether extract digestibility was unchanged for both supplements. Digestibility of acid detergent fibre only increased with FA supplementation. For both supplements, ruminal pH and ammonia nitrogen (N) decreased, but total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration increased. Acetate proportion only increased with FA supplementation. Propionate proportion decreased for both supplements. Consequently, the acetate to propionate ratio increased. For both supplements, activity of xylanase and pectinase, population ofRuminococcus albus,R. flavefaciens,Fibrobacter succinogenesandRuminobacter amylophilusand total PD excretion increased. Additionally, activity of carboxymethylcellulase, cellobiase,α-amylase and protease, and population of total bacteria, fungi, protozoa, methanogens,Butyrivibrio fibrisolvensandPrevotella ruminicolaincreased with FA addition. The results suggested that PA and FA supplementation stimulated ruminal microbial growth and enzyme activity, resulting in an increased digestibility coefficient and ruminal total VFA concentration in dairy bulls.
Precision medicine for long-term depression outcomes using the Personalized Advantage Index approach: cognitive therapy or interpersonal psychotherapy?
Authors: van Bronswijk Suzanne C. , DeRubeis Robert J. , Lemmens Lotte H. J. M. , Peeters Frenk P. M. L. , Keefe John R. , Cohen Zachary D. , Huibers Marcus J. H.
Published: November 2019

Background

Psychotherapies for depression are equally effective on average, but individual responses vary widely. Outcomes can be improved by optimizing treatment selection using multivariate prediction models. A promising approach is the Personalized Advantage Index (PAI) that predicts the optimal treatment for a given individual and the magnitude of the advantage. The current study aimed to extend the PAI to long-term depression outcomes after acute-phase psychotherapy.

Methods

Data come from a randomized trial comparing cognitive therapy (CT, n = 76) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT, n = 75) for major depressive disorder (MDD). Primary outcome was depression severity, as assessed by the BDI-II, during 17-month follow-up. First, predictors and moderators were selected from 38 pre-treatment variables using a two-step machine learning approach. Second, predictors and moderators were combined into a final model, from which PAI predictions were computed with cross-validation. Long-term PAI predictions were then compared to actual follow-up outcomes and post-treatment PAI predictions.

Results

One predictor (parental alcohol abuse) and two moderators (recent life events; childhood maltreatment) were identified. Individuals assigned to their PAI-indicated treatment had lower follow-up depression severity compared to those assigned to their PAI-non-indicated treatment. This difference was significant in two subsets of the overall sample: those whose PAI score was in the upper 60%, and those whose PAI indicated CT, irrespective of magnitude. Long-term predictions did not overlap substantially with predictions for acute benefit.

Conclusions

If replicated, long-term PAI predictions could enhance precision medicine by selecting the optimal treatment for a given depressed individual over the long term.
Psychophysiological influences on personality trajectories in adolescent females exposed to child maltreatment
Authors: Hassan Raha , MacMillan Harriet L. , Tanaka Masako , Schmidt Louis A.
Published: November 2019

Although child maltreatment is a major public health concern, which adversely affects psychological and physical development, we know relatively little concerning psychophysiological and personality factors that may modify risk in children exposed to maltreatment. Using a three-wave, short-term prospective design, we examined the influence of individual differences in two disparate psychophysiological measures of risk (i.e., resting frontal brain electrical activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia) on the trajectories of extraversion and neuroticism in a sample of female adolescents (N= 55;Mage = 14.02 years) exposed to child maltreatment. Adolescents exposed to child maltreatment with relatively higher left frontal absolute alpha power (i.e., lower brain activity) at rest exhibited increasing trajectories of extraversion, and adolescents exposed to child maltreatment with relatively lower respiratory sinus arrhythmia at rest displayed increasing trajectories of neuroticism over 1 year. Individual differences in psychophysiological measures indexing resting central and peripheral nervous system activity may therefore differentially influence personality characteristics in adolescent females exposed to child maltreatment.
Radiographic findings after stereotactic body radiation therapy for stage I non-small cell lung carcinomas: retrospective analysis of 90 patients
Authors: Menoux I. , Antoni D. , Santelmo N. , Truntzer P. , Schumacher C. , Labani A. , Noël G.
Published: November 2019

Aim:

Stereotactic body radiation therapy for lung tumours can expose patients to radiation pneumonitis (RP) (<6 months after irradiation) and lung fibrosis (beyond 6 months). The aim of this study was to describe post-irradiation radiographics appearances.

Materials and methods:

This retrospective study of 90 patients with a stage I non-small cell lung carcinoma reports a detailed description of the computed tomography (CT) or positron emission tomography/CT changes that can be observed after treatment, according to modified Kimura score for RP and Koenig’s classification for fibrosis. This evaluation was realised at 1 month and then every 3–4 months, with a median follow-up of 35 months.

Results:

The most common radiological RP pattern was diffuse consolidation. It appears in a mean time of 4 months and reaches its maximum at 9 months after radiotherapy. Seventy-three per cent of the RP evolved to fibrosis. Most of these findings were encompassed in the 35 Gy isodose.

Findings:

Radiological parenchymal changes are frequent in the treatment region, which renders the tumour response monitoring by tumour size, particularly by response evaluation criteria in solid tumours, unsuitable.
Inheritance of resistance and response of Provisia™ rice to quizalofop-p-ethyl under U.S. field conditions
Authors: Camacho Jose R. , Linscombe Steve D. , Webster Eric P. , Oard James H.
Published: November 2019

Provisia™ rice was developed recently by the BASF Corporation for control of grass weeds and is complementary to existing Clearfield® technology. Our previous research showed that resistance of Provisia™ rice to the acetyl coenzyme-A carboxylase herbicide quizalofop-p-ethyl (QPE) in laboratory and greenhouse environments is governed by a single dominant Mendelian gene. However, these results may not be consistent in different populations or field environments. Therefore, the first objective of the current research is to determine the inheritance of resistance to QPE in rice using different segregating populations evaluated under U.S. field environments. The second objective is to evaluate the response of QPE-resistant breeding lines to various herbicide concentrations at two U.S. locations. Chi-square tests of 12 F2 populations evaluated in Louisiana during 2014 and 2015 indicated that QPE seedling resistance at 240 g ai ha−1 was governed by a single dominant Mendelian gene with no observable maternal effects. Similar results were obtained in five F3 populations derived from the aforementioned F2 populations. Allele-specific SNP markers for QPE resistance also followed Mendelian segregation in the five F2 populations. For the second objective, six QPE-resistant inbred lines showed transient leaf injury at 1× (120 g ai ha−1) or 2× (240 g ai ha−1) field rates 7 and 21 d after treatment (DAT). However, a trend of reduced injury (recovery) from 7 through 33 DAT was observed for all breeding material. No differences in grain yield were found between untreated QPE-resistant lines and those treated with 1× or 2× QPE field rate. Single gene inheritance and good levels of QPE herbicide field resistance in different genetic populations suggest feasibility for rapid and effective development of new QPE-resistant varieties and effective stewardship of the Provisia™ technology.
Conventional culture diagnostics vs. multiplex PCR for the detection	of causative agents of vascular graft infections – results of a single	centre observational pilot study
Authors: Schrimpf Claudia , Ziesing Stefan , Michelmann Petra , Rustum Saad , Teebken Omke Enno , Haverich Axel , Wilhelmi Mathias
Published: November 2019

Summary: Background: Timely diagnosis of vascular graft infections is of major importance in vascular surgery. The detection of causative microorganisms is needed for specific medical treatment, but conventional culture is often slow, insensitive and inconclusive due to antibiotic pre-treatment. Detection of bacterial DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) might bypass these problems. We hypothesised that multiplex PCR (mPCR) is feasible, fast and sensitive to detect causative microorganisms in vascular graft infections. Patients and methods: We performed a pilot observational prospective study comparing conventional culture and a commercial mPCR. Inclusion criteria were: confirmed graft infection, suspicious imaging, clinical suspicion, anastomotic aneurysm and repeated graft occlusion. Diagnostic methods were performed using identical samples. Time to result, microorganisms and antibiotic resistance in both groups were compared using Student’s t-test or nonparametric tests. Results: 22 samples from 13 patients were assessed and 11 samples were negative for bacteria. Some showed multiple germs. In total, we found 15 different organisms. 13 samples matched, 9 had non-concordant results. Out of the mismatches 3 microorganisms identified in PCR were not detected by culture. Time to result with PCR was shorter (median 5 h vs. 72 h, p < 0.001) than with culture. No resistance genes were detected by mPCR, but conventional culture allowed susceptibility testing and revealed resistance in 5 samples. Conclusions: mPCR seems to be a feasible and quick tool to detect causes of vascular graft infections within 24 h and might be helpful in antibiotic pre-treated patients. The detection of antibiotic resistance with mPCR needs improvement for clinical practice.