bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving best practice for patients receiving hospital discharge letters: a realist review
Authors: Weetman Katharine , Wong Geoff , Scott Emma , MacKenzie Eilidh , Schnurr Stephanie , Dale Jeremy
Published: June 2019

Objective

To understand how different outcomes are achieved from adult patients receiving hospital discharge letters from inpatient and outpatient settings.

Design

Realist review conducted in six main steps: (1) development of initial theory, (2) searching, (3) screening and selection, (4) data extraction and analysis, (5) data synthesis and (6) programme theory (PT) refinement.

Eligibility criteria

Documents reporting evidence that met criteria for relevance to the PT. Documents relating solely to mental health or children aged <18 years were excluded.

Analysis

Data were extracted and analysed using a realist logic of analysis. Texts were coded for concepts relating to context, mechanism, outcome configurations (CMOCs) for the intervention of patients receiving discharge letters. All outcomes were considered. Based on evidence and our judgement, CMOCs were labelled ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ in order to clearly distinguish between contexts where the intervention does and does not work.

Results

3113 documents were screened and 103 were included. Stakeholders contributed to refining the PT in step 6. The final PT included 48 CMOCs for how outcomes are affected by patients receiving discharge letters. ‘Patient choice’ emerged as a key influencer to the success (or not) of the intervention. Important contexts were identified for both ‘positive’ CMOCs (eg, no new information in letter) and ‘negative’ CMOCs (eg, letter sent without verifying patient contact details). Two key findings were that patient understanding is possibly greater than clinicians perceive, and that patients tend to express strong preference for receiving letters. Clinician concerns emerged as a barrier to wider sharing of discharge letters with patients, which may need to be addressed through organisational policies and direction.

Conclusions

This review forms a starting point for explaining outcomes associated with whether or not patients receive discharge letters. It suggests several ways in which current processes might be modified to support improved practice and patient experience.
Factors associated with disease-specific quality of life in Taiwanese patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Lu Ming-Chi , Huang Kuang-Yung , Tung Chien-Hsueh , Hsu Bao-Bao , Wu Cheng-Han , Koo Malcolm , Lai Ning-Sheng
Published: June 2019

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the factors associated with disease-specific quality of life in Taiwanese patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Design

A cross-sectional study.

Setting

A regional teaching hospital in southern Taiwan.

Participants

Adult patients with ankylosing spondylitis recruited from the outpatient rheumatology clinics of the study hospital.

Primary outcome measure

Disease-specific quality of life assessed by the Evaluation of Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (EASi-QoL).

Results

Of the 265 patients, 57% were 20–49 years of age, with a male preponderance (75.5%). Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis indicated that a higher disease activity, assessed by the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score, was significantly and independently associated with a lower quality of life in all four domains (physical function, disease activity, emotional well-being and social participation) of the EASi-QoL. In addition, various independent factors, including educational level, nature of occupation, disease duration, dietary habit and body mass index, were significantly associated with different domains of the EASi-QoL.

Conclusions

Our findings indicated that, in addition to disease activity and perceived health status, a number of other factors could significantly impact the different aspects of quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, which warrant special consideration and support from healthcare providers.
Mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in dispersion-engineered highly nonlinear chalcogenide photonic crystal fiber
Authors: Li Jingling , Zhao Feng , Hui Zhanqiang
Published: June 2019

An [Formula: see text]-based chalcogenide highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with concentric rings consisting of air-holes is proposed to achieve extraordinary flat and small chromatic dispersion in mid-infrared region. This is obtained by design and optimization of the PCF cross-sectional structure. The dispersion variation between ±[Formula: see text]5 ps/(nm[Formula: see text]km) is obtained over 800 nm bandwidth. Both the effective mode area and nonlinear coefficient of the proposed PCF within the whole wavelength range from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text] are investigated. Furthermore, the output supercontinuum (SC) optical spectra for different pump wavelengths located at the normal and abnormal dispersion region are investigated, respectively. The results show that the broadest SC with −20 dB spectral width of 1034 nm covering from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text] is obtained for the pump wavelength of [Formula: see text] with 100 fs secant hyperbolic pulse of the peak power of 10 kW. Our PCF design offers a low-cost SC source, which can find potential application in mid-infrared photonics.
Navigating directed Cayley graphs of small diameter: A potent Solovay–Kitaev procedure
Authors: Bradford Henry
Published: June 2019

Let [Formula: see text] be a group and [Formula: see text] be a descending sequence of finite-index normal subgroups. We establish explicit upper bounds on the diameters of the directed Cayley graphs of the [Formula: see text], under some natural hypotheses on the behavior of power and commutator words in [Formula: see text]. The bounds we obtain do not depend on a choice of generating set. Moreover, under reasonable conditions our method provides a fast algorithm for navigating directed Cayley graphs. The proof is closely analogous to the Solovay–Kitaev procedure, which only uses commutator words, but also only constructs small-diameter undirected Cayley graphs. We apply our procedure to give new directed diameter bounds on finite quotients of a large class of regular branch groups, and of [Formula: see text] (for [Formula: see text] even).
Lyubeznik tables of linked ideals
Authors: Nadi Parvaneh , Rahmati Farhad , Eghbali Majid
Published: June 2019

In this paper, we examine the Lyubeznik tables of two linked ideals [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] of a complete regular local ring [Formula: see text] containing a field. More precisely, we prove that the Lyubeznik tables of two evenly linked ideals [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are the same when [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] both satisfy one of the following properties: (1) canonically Cohen–Macaulay, (2) generalized Cohen–Macaulay and (3) Buchsbaum.

Furthermore, we give some conditions for equality of Lyubeznik tables of two linked ideals of dimension 2.
Counting real algebraic numbers with bounded derivative of minimal polynomial
Authors: Kudin Alexey , Vasilyev Denis
Published: June 2019

In this paper, we consider the problem of counting algebraic numbers [Formula: see text] of fixed degree [Formula: see text] and bounded height [Formula: see text] such that the derivative of the minimal polynomial [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] is bounded, [Formula: see text]. This problem has many applications to the problems of metric theory of Diophantine approximation. We prove that the number of [Formula: see text] defined above on the interval [Formula: see text] does not exceed [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Our result is based on an improvement to a lemma from Gelfond’s monograph “Transcendental and algebraic numbers”. Given an integer polynomial small enough in some point, the lemma provides an upper bound for the absolute value of its irreducible divisor. We obtain a stronger estimate which holds in real points located far enough from all algebraic numbers of bounded degree and height. This is done by considering the resultant of two polynomials represented as the determinant of the Sylvester matrix for the shifted counterparts.
Stability of exponentially harmonic maps
Authors: Chiang Yuan-Jen
Published: June 2019

We show that any stable exponentially harmonic map from a compact Riemannian manifold into a compact simply-connected [Formula: see text]-pinched Riemannian manifold under certain circumstance is constant in two different versions. We also prove that a non-constant exponentially harmonic map from a compact hypersurface into a compact Riemannian manifold satisfying certain condition is unstable.
Fixed-point theorems for groups acting on non-positively curved manifolds
Authors: Lavy Omer
Published: June 2019

We study isometric actions of Steinberg groups on Hadamard manifolds. We prove some rigidity properties related to these actions. In particular, we show that every isometric action of [Formula: see text] on Hadamard manifold when [Formula: see text] factors through a finite quotient. We further study actions on infinite-dimensional manifolds and prove a fixed-point theorem related to such actions.
Effect of Next-Nearest-Neighbor Electron Hopping on Superconducting Gap of Cuprate Superconductors
Authors: Beura Pratima , Mohanta Kamal L.
Published: June 2019

We study here a single band Hamiltonian model to describe the effect of next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) electron hopping on superconducting gap in Cuprates. The Hamiltonian consists of nearest-neighbor (NN) and next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) electron hopping integrals between the copper sides. By taking d-wave pairing symmetry into account, BCS type superconducting interaction is studied. By applying Zubarev’s Green function technique, the total Hamiltonian is solved. From the correlation function, the temperature-dependent superconducting gap (SC) equation is derived and is computed self-consistently by using technique [Formula: see text] grid points of the electron momentum. By varying SC coupling, chemical potential, J-T coupling parameter and second-nearest-neighbor electron hopping integral, the evolution of the order parameter is investigated.
Engaging with Robotic Swarms
Authors: St-Onge David , Côté-Allard Ulysse , Glette Kyrre , Gosselin Benoit , Beltrame Giovanni
Published: June 2019

In recent years, researchers have explored human body posture and motion to control robots in more natural ways. These interfaces require the ability to track the body movements of the user in three dimensions. Deploying motion capture systems for tracking tends to be costly and intrusive and requires a clear line of sight, making them ill adapted for applications that need fast deployment. In this article, we use consumer-grade armbands, capturing orientation information and muscle activity, to interact with a robotic system through a state machine controlled by a body motion classifier. To compensate for the low quality of the information of these sensors, and to allow a wider range of dynamic control, our approach relies on machine learning. We train our classifier directly on the user to recognize (within minutes) which physiological state his or her body motion expresses. We demonstrate that on top of guaranteeing faster field deployment, our algorithm performs better than all comparable algorithms, and we detail its configuration and the most significant features extracted. As the use of large groups of robots is growing, we postulate that their interaction with humans can be eased by our approach. We identified the key factors to stimulate engagement using our system on 27 participants, each creating his or her own set of expressive motions to control a swarm of desk robots. The resulting unique dataset is available online together with the classifier and the robot control scripts.
Massively Parallel Polar Decomposition on Distributed-memory Systems
Authors: Ltaief Hatem , Sukkari Dalal , Esposito Aniello , Nakatsukasa Yuji , Keyes David
Published: June 2019

We present a high-performance implementation of the Polar Decomposition (PD) on distributed-memory systems. Building upon on the QR-based Dynamically Weighted Halley (QDWH) algorithm, the key idea lies in finding the best rational approximation for the scalar sign function, which also corresponds to the polar factor for symmetric matrices, to further accelerate the QDWH convergence. Based on the Zolotarev rational functions—introduced by Zolotarev (ZOLO) in 1877—this new PD algorithm ZOLO-PD converges within two iterations even for ill-conditioned matrices, instead of the original six iterations needed for QDWH. ZOLO-PD uses the property of Zolotarev functions that optimality is maintained when two functions are composed in an appropriate manner. The resulting ZOLO-PD has a convergence rate up to 17, in contrast to the cubic convergence rate for QDWH. This comes at the price of higher arithmetic costs and memory footprint. These extra floating-point operations can, however, be processed in an embarrassingly parallel fashion. We demonstrate performance using up to 102,400 cores on two supercomputers. We demonstrate that, in the presence of a large number of processing units, ZOLO-PD is able to outperform QDWH by up to 2.3× speedup, especially in situations where QDWH runs out of work, for instance, in the strong scaling mode of operation.
Machine Learning Methods That Economists Should Know About
Authors: Athey Susan , Imbens Guido W.
Published: June 2019

We discuss the relevance of the recent machine learning (ML) literature for economics and econometrics. First we discuss the differences in goals, methods, and settings between the ML literature and the traditional econometrics and statistics literatures. Then we discuss some specific methods from the ML literature that we view as important for empirical researchers in economics. These include supervised learning methods for regression and classification, unsupervised learning methods, and matrix completion methods. Finally, we highlight newly developed methods at the intersection of ML and econometrics that typically perform better than either off-the-shelf ML or more traditional econometric methods when applied to particular classes of problems, including causal inference for average treatment effects, optimal policy estimation, and estimation of the counterfactual effect of price changes in consumer choice models.
Biogeography of the Oral Microbiome: The Site-Specialist Hypothesis
Authors: Mark Welch Jessica L. , Dewhirst Floyd E. , Borisy Gary G.
Published: June 2019

Microbial communities are complex and dynamic, composed of hundreds of taxa interacting across multiple spatial scales. Advances in sequencing and imaging technology have led to great strides in understanding both the composition and the spatial organization of these complex communities. In the human mouth, sequencing results indicate that distinct sites host microbial communities that not only are distinguishable but to a meaningful degree are composed of entirely different microbes. Imaging suggests that the spatial organization of these communities is also distinct. Together, the literature supports the idea that most oral microbes are site specialists. A clear understanding of microbiota structure at different sites in the mouth enables mechanistic studies, informs the generation of hypotheses, and strengthens the position of oral microbiology as a model system for microbial ecology in general.
Spatial Models, Legislative Gridlock, and Resource Policy Reform
Authors: Chael Nathan , Crombez Christophe , Vangerven Pieterjan
Published: June 2019

This review evaluates the use of spatial models for the analysis of policy making. First, we examine spatial theory and its applications in a variety of institutional settings. We discuss how the preferences of the actors involved in political processes, the steps in those processes, and the locations of the reversion policies affect the policies that emerge from the processes. To illustrate this and analyze how the rights of political actors determine the extent of policy reform and the occurrence of gridlock, we use a spatial model of European Union (EU) policy making. We apply the model to major EU reforms in two resource policy areas: the Common Agricultural Policy reforms of the past two decades and the recent reforms of the Emissions Trading System.
Faster Than You Think: Renewable Energy and Developing Countries
Authors: Arndt Channing , Arent Doug , Hartley Faaiqa , Merven Bruno , Mondal Alam Hossain
Published: June 2019

Since 2007, large and unexpected declines in generation costs for renewable energy systems, particularly solar but also wind, combined with policy measures designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions, have created a paradigm shift in energy systems. Variable renewable energy now dominates total investment in electricity power generation systems. This dominance of variable renewable energy in investment has thrust the systems integration task of matching electricity supply with demand to center stage, presenting new challenges for energy policy and planning as well as for the institutional organization of power systems. Despite these challenges, there is ample reason to believe that variable renewables will attain very high levels of penetration into energy systems, particularly in regions well endowed with solar and wind potential. Similar to their success with mobile phone telephony, many developing countries have a significant opportunity to leapfrog directly to more advanced energy technologies that are low cost, reliable, environmentally more benign, and well suited to serving dispersed rural populations.
Impact Analysis of Parking Price Adjustment on the Quality of Service of Airport Parking Lots for Light Vehicles
Authors: Cheng Cheng , Qi Peng
Published: June 2019

Pricing is a common measure for parking demand management that has been implemented worldwide. However, the impact of parking price on a parking lot’s quality of service is seldom discussed. This study investigated the impacts of a ladder daily maximum fee charging strategy on the quality of service of the Hongqiao International Airport parking lot based on automatic transaction data before and after the strategy was implemented. An evaluation framework considering managers’ and users’ perspectives was designed. The estimation results show that the new price regulation method largely discouraged long-term parking demand and improved the availability of airport parking facilities, especially during long holidays. As a consequence, throughput and income largely increased in the airport, and there were extra time costs during vehicle departures. The price elasticity of parkers with different parking durations was further estimated. The results showed that price sensitivity is relatively inelastic but varies based on parking duration.
Study on Seismic Reliability of UHVDC Transmission Systems
Authors: Yao Kun , Qian Jiang
Published: June 2019

Electric power system is critical to maintain the welfare of the general public with impact on economic losses and other cascading. In this paper, the seismic reliability of the ultra‐high‐voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission system was evaluated from a perspective of the subsystem fault logic. An assessment model of system seismic reliability was proposed based on the state enumeration method. A case study was presented by taking a typical 800 kV UHVDC transmission system as the example. The finite element models of major components in the UHVDC transmission system were established to evaluate their seismic reliability. The results reveal that though the seismic reliability of major components seems satisfactory overall, the UHVDC transmission system may still suffer from seismic hazards to a certain degree due to the complexity of the full system. This calls for a further enhancement in seismic design requirements of the electrical equipment.
Modified Traffic Flow Model with Connected Vehicle Microscopic Data for Proactive Variable Speed Limit Control
Authors: Fang Jie , Ye Huixuan , Easa Said M.
Published: June 2019

Most previous prediction based Variable Speed Limit (VSL) control strategies focused on improving traffic mobility based on the macroscopic traffic data. Nowadays, the emerging technologies provide access to the microscopic traffic flow data, which better captures the details of traffic flow dynamics in the VSL controlled environment. Thus, in this paper, the microscopic traffic flow data were utilized as a supplement to predict the evolutions of traffic flow parameters. The proposed VSL control algorithm adopts the Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework, which employs a modified version of the classic traffic flow model METANET to take advantage of the microscopic data in traffic flow predictions. The microscopic traffic simulation software VISSIM was used to establish an experimental simulation platform and perform real time traffic responsive control based on field data. The proposed control strategy was evaluated against the no-VSL control and macroscopic-based VSL controlled scenario. The results show that utilizing the proposed modified METANET model reduced the error in speed prediction accuracy and improved system mobility performance.
Three Public Health Interventions Could Save 94 Million Lives in 25 Years
Authors: Kontis Vasilis , Cobb Laura K. , Mathers Colin D. , Frieden Thomas R. , Ezzati Majid , Danaei Goodarz
Published: June 2019

Background:

Preventable noncommunicable diseases, mostly cardiovascular diseases, are responsible for 38 million deaths annually. A few well-documented interventions have the potential to prevent many of these deaths, but a large proportion of the population in need does not have access to these interventions. We quantified the global mortality impact of 3 high-impact and feasible interventions: scaling up treatment of high blood pressure to 70%, reducing sodium intake by 30%, and eliminating the intake of artificial trans fatty acids.

Methods:

We used global data on mean blood pressure levels and sodium and trans fat intake by country, age, and sex from a pooled analysis of population health surveys, and regional estimates of current coverage of antihypertensive medications, and cause-specific mortality rates in each country, as well, with projections from 2015 to 2040. We used the most recent meta-analyses of epidemiological studies to derive relative risk reductions for each intervention. We estimated the proportional effect of each intervention on reducing mortality from related causes by using a generalized version of the population-attributable fraction. The effect of antihypertensive medications and lowering sodium intake were modeled through their impact on blood pressure and as immediate increase/reduction to the proposed targets.

Results:

The combined effect of the 3 interventions delayed 94.3 million (95% uncertainty interval, 85.7–102.7) deaths during 25 years. Increasing coverage of antihypertensive medications to 70% alone would delay 39.4 million deaths (35.9–43.0), whereas reducing sodium intake by 30% would delay another 40.0 million deaths (35.1–44.6) and eliminating trans fat would delay an additional 14.8 million (14.7–15.0). The estimated impact of trans fat elimination was largest in South Asia. Sub-Saharan Africa had the largest proportion of premature delayed deaths out of all delayed deaths.

Conclusions:

Three effective interventions can save almost 100 million lives globally within 25 years. National and international efforts to scale up these interventions should be a focus of cardiovascular disease prevention programs.
Feasibility of topological data analysis for event-related fMRI
Authors: Ellis Cameron T. , Lesnick Michael , Henselman-Petrusek Gregory , Keller Bryn , Cohen Jonathan D.
Published: June 2019

Recent fMRI research shows that perceptual and cognitive representations are instantiated in high-dimensional multivoxel patterns in the brain. However, the methods for detecting these representations are limited. Topological data analysis (TDA) is a new approach, based on the mathematical field of topology, that can detect unique types of geometric features in patterns of data. Several recent studies have successfully applied TDA to study various forms of neural data; however, to our knowledge, TDA has not been successfully applied to data from event-related fMRI designs. Event-related fMRI is very common but limited in terms of the number of events that can be run within a practical time frame and the effect size that can be expected. Here, we investigate whether persistent homology—a popular TDA tool that identifies topological features in data and quantifies their robustness—can identify known signals given these constraints. We use fmrisim, a Python-based simulator of realistic fMRI data, to assess the plausibility of recovering a simple topological representation under a variety of conditions. Our results suggest that persistent homology can be used under certain circumstances to recover topological structure embedded in realistic fMRI data simulations.
The Protohermes guangxiensis species-group (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), with descriptions of four new species
Authors: LIU XINGYUE , HAYASHI FUMIO , YANG DING
Published: June 2019

The Protohermes guangxiensis group (Megaloptera: Corydalidae) is proposed for five species from eastern and southeastern Asia. Four species are described as new to science: Protohermes furcatus sp. nov., Protohermes impunctatus sp. nov., Protohermes piaoacanus sp. nov., and Protohermes zhuae sp. nov. A key is provided for males of the species.
Notiocoelotes, a new genus of the spider subfamily Coelotinae from Southeast Asia (Araneae, Amaurobiidae)
Authors: WANG XIN-PING , XU XIANG , LI SHUQIANG
Published: June 2019

Notiocoelotes gen. nov. is described from China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The type species is N. palinitropus (Zhu & Wang 1994) comb. nov. from Hainan Island, China, and is transferred from Coelotes Blackwall 1841. Other species included in this new genus are: N. laosensis sp. nov. from Khammouan, Laos; N. lingulatus sp. nov. from Hainan Island, China; N. sparus (Dankittipakul, Chami-Kranon & Wang 2005) comb. nov. from Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand transferred from Iwogumoa Kishida 1955, and N. vietnamensis sp. nov. from Huong Son, Vietnam. Females of Notiocoelotes gen. nov. can be recognized from other Coelotinae species by the absence of epigynal teeth and the presence of a tongueshaped atrial scape on the posterior atrium, and males by the presence of a strongly bifurcated lateral tibial apophysis and the long, coiled conductor. The species of Notiocoelotes gen. nov. are similar to the basal clade genera, i.e., Coronilla Wang 2004, Femoracoelotes Wang 2002, Alloclubionoides Paik 1992, and Robusticoelotes Wang 2002 in lacking epigynal teeth and having a simple or reduced median apophysis, but the long conductor and the absence of a conductor dorsal apophysis are similar to the genera Pireneitega Kishida 1955 and Iwogumoa Kishida 1955.
Description of Vachoniochactas humboldti sp. nov. from Colombia, with complementary notes on the genus (Scorpiones, Chactidae)
Authors: D. EDUARDO FLÓREZ , BOTERO-TRUJILLO RICARDO , ACOSTA LUIS E.
Published: June 2019

The scorpion genus Vachoniochactas González-Sponga, 1978 is herein recorded for the first time from Colombia, and Vachoniochactas humboldti sp. nov. is described based on three females and 16 males collected at three localities in the Guyanese region of Colombia. The new species is characterized, among other features, by the presence of a ventromedian row of setae flanked by submedian setae in the telotarsus of legs III–IV. The hemispermatophore and several features of the external morphology of the new species are illustrated. With this description, the number of known species of Vachoniochactas is raised to four. A revised diagnosis for the genus based upon specimens of both sexes is given. A map showing the known distribution of the different species, and a key for their identification are included.
A note on the nomenclature of Stylodactylus gracilis Cleva, 2008 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea: Stylodactylidae)
Authors: CLEVA RÉGIS
Published: June 2019

Article 16.4.2 of the International Code for Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999) states that for a new species name published after 1999 to be regarded as available, it must be accompanied in the original publication “where the holotype or syntypes are extant specimens, by a statement of intent that they will be (or are) deposited in a collection and a statement indicating the name and location of that collection”. In the recent paper by Cleva (2008) treating several species of stylodactylid and bathypalaemonellid shrimps from the Philippines, a new species, Stylodactylus gracilis Cleva, 2008, was described. Although it was mentioned in the introduction that the material from this study will be deposited in three museums in the Philippines, Taiwan and France, the precise depository for the holotype of Stylodactylus gracilis Cleva, 2008, was inadvertently omitted (Cleva 2008: 32, figs. 1, 3A). This unfortunate lapsus makes the name Stylodactylus gracilis Cleva, 2008, a nomen nudum.
Minucella, a new leafhopper genus from China (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Stegelytrinae)
Authors: WEI CONG , ZHANG YALIN , WEBB M. D.
Published: June 2019

Minucella gen. n. and two species (M. divaricata sp. n. and M. leucomaculata (Li & Zhang) comb. n.) from southern China are described in the leafhopper subfamily Stegelytrinae. Difficulties in the delimitation of one of the included species, M. leucomaculata and its junior synonym Placidus maculates Li & Zhang, syn. nov., are discussed, and the observed variation is considered to be intraspecific. ‘Mud-puddling’ is recorded for the new genus and discussed for the subfamily.
Helicopsyche agnetae, new species (Trichoptera, Helicopsychidae) described from Hong Kong
Authors: JOHANSON KJELL ARNE , OLÁH JÁNOS
Published: June 2019

Helicopsyche agnetae, new species, is described and figured based on material collected in Hong Kong in May 2005. With this record two species of the family Helicopsychidae are known from China. The two Chinese species are probably sister species sharing several uniquely derived synapomorphies, and are separated from each other by features in the genitalia.
Revision of the Afrotropical genus Tritonus Mulsant (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)
Authors: SHORT ANDREW EDWARD Z.
Published: June 2019

The previously monotypic genus Tritonus Mulsant is revised. Six new species are described from Madagascar, from which the genus is also recorded for the first time: T. complanatus sp.n., T. crenulatus sp.n., T. madagascarensis sp.n., T. riambavy sp.n., T. riana, sp.n., and T. steineri sp.n. New records for the previously described and Mauritian-endemic species Tritonus cribratus (Mulsant) are given. All known species occur in hygropetric habitats, consistent with the biology of other members of the Oocyclus-genus group of the tribe Laccobiini to which Tritonus belongs. A key to species, aedeagal illustrations, and scanning electron micrographs of diagnostic characters are provided.
Erratum: Pfingstl, T. et al. (2008) Intraspecific morphological variation of Scutovertex sculptus Michael (Acari: Oribatida: Scutoverticidae) and description of its juvenile stages. Zootaxa, 1829, 31-51.
Authors: PFINGSTL T.
Published: June 2019

(Erratum)
Geographic variation in Neolamprologus niger (Poll, 1956) (Perciformes: Cichlidae) from Lake Tanganyika (Africa)
Authors: RISCH SARAH , SNOEKS JOS
Published: June 2019

Intraspecific morphological variation in Neolamprologus niger from seven localities along the north-western shoreline of Lake Tanganyika (Luhanga, Bemba, Ubwari West, Ubwari East, Yungu, Kabimba and Kalemie) was investigated. As a result of geographical variation, the populations could be categorized into a northern, a central and a southern group. A clear clinal pattern was found for several meristics and measurements. The lack of knowledge on the geographical variation in African cichlids and its implication for further taxonomic research is discussed.
Palinustus mossambicus Barnard, 1926 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Achelata: Palinuridae); morphology of the puerulus stage
Authors: PALERO FERRAN , GUERAO GUILLERMO , CLARK PAUL F.
Published: June 2019

Two adults of the rare buffalo blunthorn spiny lobster, Palinustus mossambicus Barnard, 1926 and a puerulus specimen were found while curating material from the first R/V “Dr. Fridtjof Nansen” expedition to the Western Indian Ocean. Furthermore, another puerulus-stage specimen of this spiny lobster species was found caught near Zanzibar, Tanzania. The morphological characters of the puerulus specimens indicated that they belonged to P. mossambicus, although the puerulus stage is somewhat dorsoventrally flattened, and has proportionally large pleopods. This constitutes the first puerulus description for the spiny lobsters of the genus Palinustus.
Description of two new species of Ischyroceridae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from the coast of Southeastern Brazil
Authors: VALÉRIO-BERARDO MARIA TERESA , DE SOUZA ANA MARIA THIAGO , RODRIGUES CARINA WAITEMAN
Published: June 2019

Taxonomic descriptions and figures are provided for 2 new species of Ischyroceridae (Cerapus jonsoni sp. nov. and Notopoma fluminense sp. nov.) from samples of Southwestern Atlantic, between the latitudes 22° and 24° S. Cerapus jonsoni sp. nov. is easily distinguished from others species of the genera recorded in Atlantic Ocean by dacyli of pereopods 6 and 7 with 1 accessory spine. Notopoma fluminense sp. nov. is characterized by 5 setal teeth on outer plate of maxilla 1, only 1 accessory spine on pereopod 7 dactylus and pleopod 3 absent.
A new species of Agaporomorphus Zimmermann from Venezuela, and a review of the A. knischi species group (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Copelatinae)
Authors: MILLER KELLY B. , WHEELER QUENTIN D.
Published: June 2019

A new species, Agaporomorphus colberti Miller and Wheeler, sp. n., is described from specimens from Departamento Amazonas, Venezuela. The new species belongs to the A. knischi Zimmermann species group based on the common presence of a pair of series of fine setae on the dorsal surface of the male median lobe of the aedeagus. Within this group, A. colberti sp. n. is sister to A. knischi and is united with that species based on broadly expanded antennomeres V and VI in the male and other general shape features of the male genitalia. An updated phylogenetic analysis of the genus is provided and the A. knischi species group is briefly reviewed with male genitalia and other relevant features illustrated.
A phylogeny of Plesiosauria (Sauropterygia) and its bearing on the systematic status of Leptocleidus Andrews, 1922
Authors: DRUCKENMILLER PATRICK S. , RUSSELL ANTHONY P.
Published: June 2019

Leptocleidus Andrews, 1922 is a poorly known plesiosaur genus from Lower Cretaceous successions of the UK, South Africa, and Australia. Historically, there has been little consensus regarding its phylogenetic position within Plesiosauria, largely because of its seemingly aberrant combination of a relatively small skull and short neck. As a result, a diverse array of potential sister groups have been posited for Leptocleidus, including long-necked Cretaceous elasmosaurids, Early Jurassic “rhomaleosaurs”, and Middle to Late Jurassic pliosaurids. A cladistic analysis including Leptocleidus, and a new, apparently morphologically similar specimen from Alberta, TMP 94.122.01, was undertaken to assess their phylogenetic position within Plesiosauria. A character-taxon matrix was assembled afresh, consisting of 33 operational taxonomic units sampled broadly among plesiosaurs. 185 cranial and postcranial characters used in plesiosaur phylogenetics were critically reanalyzed, of which 152 were employed in the parsimony analysis. The results indicate a basal dichotomous split into the traditionally recognized pliosauroid and plesiosauroid clades. Nested within Pliosauroidea, a monophyletic Leptocleididae was recovered, consisting of L. superstes Andrews, 1922 and L. capensis (Andrews, 1911a). In contrast to earlier suggestions, Leptocleidus neither clusters with Rhomaleosaurus, which was found to be paraphyletic, nor with large-skulled pliosaurid taxa, such as Simolestes. Rather, a sister group relationship between Cretaceous Polycotylidae and Leptocleididae was recovered, which is here named Leptocleidoidea. Although TMP 94.122.01 is superficially similar to Leptocleidus, several discrete characters of the skull nest this new taxon within Polycotylidae. Compared to other phylogenetic hypotheses of plesiosaurs, these results are more congruent with respect to the stratigraphic distribution of leptocleidoids. A classification for Plesiosauria is presented.
A new shrimp species of the genus Leptomenaeus Bruce, 2007 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pontoniinae) from Vietnam
Authors: ĎURIŠ ZDENEK , HORKÁ IVONA
Published: June 2019

A new species of pontoniine shrimp, Leptomenaeus nhatrangensis sp. nov., is described and illustrated. This new species is the second representative of the genus. It is distinguishable from L. dolichosternum (Okuno and Mitsuhashi 2003) by the straight dorsal outline of the carapace and rostrum (1), by the rostrum overreaching the basal antennular peduncle (2), a subacute lower orbital angle (3), serrate cutting edges on the first pereiopod chela (4), fingers of the second pereiopod chela not markedly longer than palm (5), and the sixth abdominal segment not distinctly longer than postorbital carapace length (6). A single specimen of this new species was found in shallows of the Nhatrang Bay, southeastern Vietnam, on the lower surface of a large boulder.
Catalogue and type designations for New Zealand Goniaceritae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae)
Authors: SHEN JIA-WEI , LESCHEN RICHARD A. B.
Published: June 2019

A catalogue for the eight Goniaceritae genera that occur in New Zealand is presented, treating a total of 62 species. Seventeen holotypes are confirmed, 38 lectotypes and 99 paralectotypes are designated herein for all valid species but Eupines acceptus Broun, for which type material was not located. One synonymy is proposed: Anabaxis electrica (King, 1863) (= Rybaxis brevis Oke, 1928). Four species of Eupines known only by females are valid species, but without subgeneric assignment. Images of primary type specimens and their original labels are provided.
A new genus and two new species in the tribe Selizini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Flatidae) with a checklist for the tribe from China
Authors: AI DEQIANG , WANG YINGLUN , ZHANG YALIN
Published: June 2019

This paper describes one new flatid genus, Armorseliza gen. nov., two new species and one new combination. This new genus is assigned to the tribe Selizini. A key to genera and a checklist of all known species of the tribe Selizini from China are provided.
On the Rapid Weakening of Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Hellen (2014)
Authors: Colomb Adrien , Kriat Tarik , Leroux Marie-Dominique
Published: June 2019

In late March 2014, very intense Tropical Cyclone Hellen threatened the Comoros Archipelago and the Madagascan northwest coastline as it became one of the strongest tropical cyclones (TCs) ever observed over the Mozambique Channel. Its steep intensity changes were not well anticipated by operational forecasting models or by La Reunion regional specialized meteorological center forecasters. In particular, the record-setting rapid weakening over the open ocean was not supported by usual large-scale predictors. AROME, a new nonhydrostatic finescale model, is able to closely reproduce these wide intensity changes. When benchmarked against available observations, the model is also consistent in terms of inner-core structure, environmental features, track, and intensity. In the simulation, a northwesterly 400-hPa environmental wind is associated with unsaturated air, while the classic 200–850-hPa wind shear remains weak, and does not suggest a specifically unfavorable environment. The 400-hPa constraint affects the simulated storm through two pathways. Air with low equivalent potential temperature (θe) is flushed downward into the inflow layer in the upshear semicircle, triggering the decay of the storm. Then, direct erosion of the upper half of the warm core efficiently increases the surface pressure and also plays an instrumental role in the rapid weakening. When the storm gets closer to the Madagascan coastline, low-θe air can be directly advected within the inflow layer. Results illustrate on a real TC case the recently proposed paradigm for TC intensity modification under vertical wind shear and highlight the need for innovative tools to assess the impact of wind shear at all vertical levels.
Understanding Environmental Attitude and Willingness to Pay With an Objective Measure of Attitude Strength
Authors: Qian Cheng , Yu Kangkang , Gao Jian
Published: June 2019

In this study, we adopted a novel objective measure of attitude strength based on observable responses, and empirically tested the role of attitude strength in the relationship between environmental attitude and willingness to pay (WTP) for improving air visibility. We proposed the moderating role of environmental attitude strength in the relationship of environmental attitude to WTP, and empirically tested it in a survey on air visibility on a sample of 652 residents in Beijing, China. Our main finding was that the translation of environmental attitude into WTP was 61% less when the same level of environmental attitude was weakly held rather than strongly held. We also investigated the relationships of individual difference variables to environmental attitude strength, showing the interaction of value orientation, environmental knowledge, need for cognitive closure, and demographic factors.
Agri-food competitiveness in South East Europe
Authors: Matkovski Bojan , Kalaš Branimir , Zekić Stanislav , Jeremić Marija
Published: June 2019

The purpose of this article is to determine the level of competitiveness of agri-food products in South East European (SEE) countries within the processes of European Union (EU) and regional integration as well as to find the factors that determine agri-food competitiveness. This article uses the revealed comparative advantages (RCAs) index to find the level of comparative advantage of agri-food products. Additionally, a model for identifying the determinants of the SEE agri-food comparative advantage was constructed and estimated. The results show that all SEE countries (except for Albania) have comparative advantages in the agri-food sector as part of the global market. Also, the estimation of the model shows that partial productivities in agriculture have a positive impact on comparative advantage while gross domestic product (GDP) per capita has a negative impact. This article makes a useful review of competitiveness of agri-food sector in SEE countries and determines which factors are significant for an RCA index. This is essential for policymakers to identify what determinants improve or degrade competitiveness of the agri-food sector in SEE countries.
Libman-Sacks endocarditis in a Bangladeshi patient suffering from rhupus
Authors: Zaman Shahana , Rahim Muhammad Abdur , Sayami Lima Asrin , Nabi Shaila , Islam AKM Monwarul , Ullah Mohammad
Published: June 2019

Libman-Sacks endocarditis (LSE) is one of the most characteristic cardiac lesions in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Patients may remain asymptomatic, while symptomatic patients often suffer with systemic emboli. These commonly test positive for anti-phospholipid antibody (aPA). The association of LSE with an overlap of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and lupus (also known as ‘rhupus’) is rare. We report such a patient, who had been diagnosed as having RA seven years before and had suffered an acute ischaemic stroke one year previously and had echocardiographic evidence of LSE found during routine evaluation. However, she tested negative for aPA.
Special Education Preservice Teacher Knowledge of Mathematics Methods: The Effects of Content Acquisition Podcasts (CAPs)
Authors: Green Katherine B. , Stuckey Adrienne , Towson Jacqueline A. , Robbins Sandra H. , Bucholz Jessica L.
Published: June 2019

In undergraduate college courses, assignments designed to showcase preservice teacher learning traditionally include classroom presentations, papers, projects, and tests. Often, these activities do not translate into permanent products that will be utilized outside the course. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of self-created video podcasts on content acquisition among undergraduate preservice special education teachers. Preservice teachers in two undergraduate courses were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) podcast condition (treatment group; n = 25) and (2) traditional live presentation condition (control group; n = 25). The participants in each group were then assigned targeted instructional strategies for teaching mathematics. Pre–post measures included a comprehensive multiple-choice test and an open-ended assessment targeting each assigned strategy. During the last 2 weeks of the semester, participants presented their final product and completed the posttests. Results suggested that the participants in the treatment group (podcasts) acquired a deeper understanding of their assigned strategy than the participants from the comparison group (live presentations). The treatment group also outperformed the control group on the comprehensive multiple-choice test.
Contrasting Crash- and Non-Crash-Involved Riders: Analysis of Data from the Motorcycle Crash Causation Study
Authors: Chawla Hitesh , Karaca Ilker , Savolainen Peter T.
Published: June 2019

Motorcycle crashes and fatalities remain a significant public health problem as fatality rates have increased substantially as compared to other vehicle types in the United States. Analysis of causal factors for motorcycle crashes is often challenging given a lack of reliable traffic volume data and the fact that such crashes comprise a relatively small portion of all traffic crashes. Given these limitations, on-scene crash investigations represent an ideal setting through which to investigate the precipitating factors for motorcycle-involved crashes. This study examines motorcycle crash risk factors by employing data recently made available from the Federal Highway Administration Motorcycle Crash Causation Study (MCCS). The MCCS represents a comprehensive investigative effort to determine the causes of motorcycle crashes and involved the collection of in-depth data from 351 crashes, as well as the collection of comparison data from 702 paired control observations in Orange County, California. This dataset provides a unique opportunity to understand how the risk of crash involvement varies across different segments of the riding population. Logistic regression models are estimated to identify the rider and vehicle attributes associated with motorcycle crashes. The results of the study suggest that motorcycle crash risks are related to rider age, physical status, and educational attainment. In addition to such factors outside of the rider’s control, several modifiable risk factors, which arguably affect the riders’ proclivity to take risks, were also found to be significantly associated with motorcycle crash risk, including motorcycle type, helmet coverage, motorcycle ownership, speed, trip destination, and traffic violation history.