bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Attack of Alkali Silica Reaction on The Strength of Sea Water Resistance Concrete Pavement
Authors: Sumarsono A , Labib NM , Suryoto  , Setyawan A , Zulfadli
Published: October 2019

Aggregate is the main material in concrete slab for rigid pavement. Quality of the aggregate should be eligible for the rigid pavement. Roads with rigid pavement structure can be damaged by non-technical factors including the effect of tidal flood. That damage due to the attack of alkali silica reaction in concrete. So, it required a research to select the type of aggregate that is more resistant to alkali silica reaction that will produce concrete more resistant to sea water. The method used is this research is experimental one, some sample in alkali silica reaction test using mortar bar of (25x25x285) mm dimensions. For the testing compressive strength and flexural strength of concrete using a cube-shaped test specimens of 150mm x 150 mm and a beam shape (150x160x600)mm. For testing performed after the age of concrete 28 days for normal conditions and after a concrete immersed fresh water 28 days, then soaked in seawater 13 days, and 26 days for testing the effect of sea water on the concrete strength. The test was performed using aggregates from PT. Armada Hada Graha, Magelang and PT. Panca Dharma Puspawira, Surakarta. The conclusion at this experiment is aggregate basalt (Surakarta) is more resistant to alkali silica reaction that caused by sea water than the aggregate andesite (Magelang).
Design and evaluation on the immersive Virtual Reality system in learning archeology
Authors: Purnomo F A , Pratisto E H , Bahtiar F S , Riasti B K , Puspitasari L , Ardhiana N
Published: October 2019

This research aims to design and evaluate the three-dimensional Virtual Reality game at showroom 1 and 2 of the Sangiran Museum. This application is designed for the media campaign and increase the appeal of the public to educational tourism contained in Sragen regency, the location of the museum. The game genre is quiz with scoring and it allows the user to guess the fossil name that is displayed on the screen. Twenty visitors were participated to evaluate the application after they finished exploring both showrooms. Questionnaire is used to measure the use of the application. The result shows good acceptance in term of usability. It is expected that visitors can add educational value to their knowledge on the post-visit to the museum.
Solution of time independent cosmic string for harmonic oscillator plus poschl teller non-central potentials using supersymmetry quantum mechanics methods
Authors: Anggraini D , Suparmi A , Cari C
Published: October 2019

Time independent cosmic string equation for Harmonic Oscillator and Poschl Teller non-central potential have been solved using supersymmetry quantum mechanics method. The time independent cosmic string with non-central potential was reduced into three one dimensional Schrodinger equations by using variable separation method. The energy levels and radial wave function were analyzed using supersymmetry quantum mechanics method from radial part of Schrodinger like equation. The angular wave function was obtained from angular part of Schrodinger equation. The effect of the non-central potential caused energy levels increasing. Energy spectra for λ = 0 and κ = 0 have smaller value than energy levels for λ ≠ 0 and κ ≠ 0. The increased value of parameter λ and κ caused increased in energy levels. However, the decreased of cosmic string parameter α, caused the increased of energy levels.
Application of alphazzle writing for basic school children base on android
Authors: Hartatik  , Pratiwi P , Purnomo A , Hartono R
Published: October 2019

The education process is one of the human activities in which the motivational function in the education process is to generate encouragement to do activities in education. Activity can produce changes in cognitive, psychomotor and affective students. This applies to every learning in the teaching and learning process. Student learning success is determined by several factors that support the success of the teaching-learning process, including the existence of innovative learning techniques in this case is learning to write. Android games are an alternative software that is chosen, with the reason Android tends to be used on mobile drivers such as smartphones and tablet PCs. In the current technological development, children tend to be more familiar with various gadgets, even children under five are now exposed to various gadgets. With the existence of android games and supported by attractive features, it is expected that children know computer technology, lessons for following directions and rules, problem solving and logic exercises, motoric nerve training and spatial skills, can help parents to teach their children in a fun way.
Taxonomic Interference Associated with Phonemic Paraphasias in Agrammatic Primary Progressive Aphasia
Authors: Nelson M J , Moeller S , Basu A , Christopher L , Rogalski E J , Greicius M , Weintraub S , Bonakdarpour B , Hurley R S , Mesulam M-M
Published: October 2019

Phonemic paraphasias are thought to reflect phonological (post-semantic) deficits in language production. Here we present evidence that phonemic paraphasias in non-semantic primary progressive aphasia (PPA) may be associated with taxonomic interference. Agrammatic and logopenic PPA patients and control participants performed a word-to-picture visual search task where they matched a stimulus noun to 1 of 16 object pictures as their eye movements were recorded. Participants were subsequently asked to name the same items. We measured taxonomic interference (ratio of time spent viewing related vs. unrelated foils) during the search task for each item. Target items that elicited a phonemic paraphasia during object naming elicited increased taxonomic interference during the search task in agrammatic but not logopenic PPA patients. These results could reflect either very subtle sub-clinical semantic distortions of word representations or partial degradation of specific phonological word forms in agrammatic PPA during both word-to-picture matching (input stage) and picture naming (output stage). The mechanism for phonemic paraphasias in logopenic patients seems to be different and to be operative at the pre-articulatory stage of phonological retrieval. Glucose metabolic imaging suggests that degeneration in the left posterior frontal lobe and left temporo-parietal junction, respectively, might underlie these different patterns of phonemic paraphasia.
A comment on ‘The Sraffian Methodenstreit and the revolution in economic theory’
Authors: Sinha Ajit
Published: October 2019

This is a comment on Nuno Martins’ review article of my book: A Revolution in Economic Theory: The Economics of Piero Sraffa. It clarifies the confusion with respect to Sraffa’s prices and the classical notion of ‘long-term natural prices’ based on the idea of gravitation of ‘market prices’ to ‘natural prices’.
Reducing Native Ant Abundance Decreases Predation Rates in Midwestern Grasslands
Authors: Wills B D , Kim T N , Fox A F , Gratton C , Landis D A
Published: October 2019

Diverse and robust predator communities are important for effective prey suppression in natural and managed communities. Ants are ubiquitous components of terrestrial systems but their contributions to natural prey suppression is relatively understudied in temperate regions. Growing evidence suggests that ants can play a significant role in the removal of insect prey within grasslands, but their impact is difficult to separate from that of nonant predators. To test how ants may contribute to prey suppression in grasslands, we used poison baits (with physical exclosures) to selectively reduce the ant population in common garden settings, then tracked ant and nonant ground predator abundance and diversity, and removal of sentinel egg prey for 7 wk. We found that poison baits reduced ant abundance without a significant negative impact on abundance of nonant ground predators, and that a reduction in ant abundance decreased the proportion of sentinel prey eggs removed. Even a modest decrease (~20%) in abundance of several ant species, including the numerically dominant Lasius neoniger Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), significantly reduced sentinel prey removal rates. Our results suggest that ants disproportionately contribute to ground-based predation of arthropod prey in grasslands. Changes in the amount of grasslands on the landscape and its management may have important implications for ant prevalence and natural prey suppression services in agricultural landscapes.
Anomalous origin of left main coronary artery from right coronary artery in a patient presenting with inferior wall myocardial infarction: a case report and literature review
Authors: Ludhwani Dipesh , Woo Vincent
Published: October 2019

Background

Anomalous origin of the coronary arteries is seen in less than 1% of the general population. Single coronary artery (SCA) is a congenital anatomic abnormality identified by a single coronary ostium giving rise to one coronary artery. We present an extremely rare variant of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) branching off from the right coronary artery (RCA) and following a prepulmonic course.

Case summary

A 72-year-old woman presented due to ongoing chest pain with associated ST-segment elevation involving the inferior leads. Emergent cardiac catheterization revealed a 99% ulcerated lesion in distal RCA, which was intervened on with angioplasty and stent placement. The RCA was noted giving rise to LMCA, which followed a prepulmonic course (anterior to pulmonary artery) before trifurcating into a small caliber left anterior descending, ramus intermedius, and hypoplastic left circumflex arteries. The non-malignant course of the aberrant LMCA was confirmed on the coronary computed tomography angiogram. The patient was discharged home on guideline-directed medical therapy.

Discussion

The patient illustrated congenital SCA with type RIIA pattern of the aberrant vessel based on the Lipton anatomic classification for SCA. The prepulmonic course of SCA is usually benign and can be managed conservatively.
Stent erosion after treatment of coarctation of right-sided aorta and successful surgical management
Authors: Rukosujew Andreas , Weber Raluca , Kasprzak Bernd , Dell’Aquila Angelo Maria
Published: October 2019

We present a case of surgical treatment of a pseudoaneurysm of the right-sided aortic arch after stent implantation for primary coarctation in a 36-year-old woman with a previous history of ventricle septal defect closure in early childhood. As a first step, she underwent a left carotid to subclavian artery bypass for an aberrant left subclavian artery and as a second step a ‘beating heart’ aortic arch and descending aorta replacement via resternotomy. The postoperative course was uneventful.
Microbially mediated nutrient cycles in marine sponges
Authors: Zhang Fan , Jonas Lauren , Lin Hanzhi , Hill Russell T
Published: October 2019

Efficient nutrient cycles mediated by symbiotic microorganisms with their hosts are vital to support the high productivity of coral reef ecosystems. In these ecosystems, marine sponges are important habitat-forming organisms in the benthic community and harbor abundant microbial symbionts. However, few studies have reviewed the critical microbially mediated nutrient cycling processes in marine sponges. To bridge this gap, in this review article, we summarize existing knowledge and recent advances in understanding microbially mediated carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S) cycles in sponges, propose a conceptual model that describes potential interactions and constraints in the major nutrient cycles, and suggest that shifting redox state induced by animal behavior like sponge pumping can exert great influence on the activities of symbiotic microbial communities. Constraints include the lack of knowledge on spatial and temporal variations and host behavior; more studies are needed in these areas. Sponge microbiomes may have a significant impact on the nutrient cycles in the world’s coral reef ecosystems.
Swimming Turned on Its Head: Stability and Maneuverability of the Shrimpfish (Aeoliscus punctulatus)
Authors: Fish F E , Holzman R
Published: October 2019

Synopsis

The typical orientation of a neutrally buoyant fish is with the venter down and the head pointed anteriorly with a horizontally oriented body. However, various advanced teleosts will reorient the body vertically for feeding, concealment, or prehension. The shrimpfish (Aeoliscus punctulatus) maintains a vertical orientation with the head pointed downward. This posture is maintained by use of the beating fins as the position of the center of buoyancy nearly corresponds to the center of mass. The shrimpfish swims with dorsum of the body moving anteriorly. The cross-sections of the body have a fusiform design with a rounded leading edge at the dorsum and tapering trailing edge at the venter. The median fins (dorsal, caudal, anal) are positioned along the venter of the body and are beat or used as a passive rudder to effect movement of the body in concert with active movements of pectoral fins. Burst swimming and turning maneuvers by yawing were recorded at 500 frames/s. The maximum burst speed was 2.3 body lengths/s, but when measured with respect to the body orientation, the maximum speed was 14.1 body depths/s. The maximum turning rate by yawing about the longitudinal axis was 957.5 degrees/s. Such swimming performance is in line with fishes with a typical orientation. Modification of the design of the body and position of the fins allows the shrimpfish to effectively swim in the head-down orientation.
The European Concept of Jurisdiction in the Colonies
Authors: Yahaya Nurfadzilah
Published: October 2019

This chapter explores the European concept of jurisdiction in the colonies. European concepts of jurisdiction were varied during the nineteenth century. One thing was for sure: the idea of territorial jurisdiction was imposed throughout the world as a handmaiden to colonialism. Jurisdictions were declared unilaterally and sometimes arbitrarily by colonial powers over huge swathes of territory. Moreover, territorial boundaries became more reified as cartography projects and imperial expeditions delineated borders, and colonial authorities enforced these border controls. The chapter looks at the pluralism that resulted from colonial powers imposing new administrative structures on colonial subjects. It highlights the significance of territorial jurisdiction as a tool to further the expansion of colonial rule and how the use of jurisdiction in this manner resulted in the subjugation of pre-existing legal frameworks.
Asia in the History and Theory of International Law
Authors: Anghie Antony
Published: October 2019

This chapter looks at debates about Asia in scholarship on the history and theory of international law. It also traces the evolution of concepts of sovereignty in the context of Asia’s colonial history, and more recent preoccupations with development. What counts as the ‘history and theory’ of international law is itself continuously changing and scholars must engage with new materials and issues. Possible new initiatives include deeper research on Asian traditions and concepts of rule and governance, justice, and order; approaching the history and theory of international law in Asia in global rather than regional terms; and turning to other disciplines—such as social/cultural anthropology—to develop new insights into the questions of governance and territory, and the powerful imaginaries of nationhood, sovereignty, and empire that animate the peoples of Asia, and that have not been entirely displaced by modern concepts of sovereignty and globalization. Examining these themes illuminates the important issues of how Asian states have attempted to innovate and use international law to further their own interests.
Visualising Voice: Analysing spoken recordings of nineteenth-century French poetry
Authors: Ardrey Caroline
Published: October 2019

This article presents a digitally assisted mode of close listening as an innovative way of analysing poetry, through the implementation of a recently developed web-based tool called Visualising Voice, initially conceived to facilitate performance studies of French poetry. This article begins by establishing the status of close listening practices and their importance as a means of studying poetry in French, as well as considering the possibilities afforded by applying these practices to studying poetry in other languages. It then goes on to examine how the Visualising Voice tool can be applied to case studies of two poems—Charles Baudelaire’s ‘L’Albatros’ (‘The Albatross’) and Paul Verlaine’s ‘Green’—each performed by three different speakers. This article argues that close listening using the Visualising Voice tool reveals subtle differences in the handling of metrical features and differences in performance styles of the same poem, which would be unlikely to be perceived by traditional listening methods. This article thus contends that close listening practices not only take the study of poetry beyond traditional modes of textual analysis but also that facilitating these practices through digital methodologies—such as those offered by the Visualising Voice tool—can transform the way in which poetry is read and understood beyond the academic sphere, in particular by general and younger audiences.
Evolving supernova remnants in multiphase interstellar media
Authors: Villagran Marco A , Velázquez P F , Gómez D O , Giacani E B
Published: October 2019

We performed three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations to study the evolution of a supernova remnant (SNR) in a turbulent neutral atomic interstellar medium. The media used as background shares characteristics with the Solar neighbourhood and the SNR has mass and energy similar to those of a Type Ia object. Our initial conditions consist of dense clouds in a diluted medium, with the main difference between simulations being the average magnitude of the magnetic field. We measured amplifications of the magnetic energy of up to 34 ${{\rm per\ cent}}$, and we generated synthetic maps that illustrate how the same object can show different apparent geometries and physical properties when observed through different lines of sight.
Diagnosis and Antibiotic Management of Otitis Media and Otitis Externa in United States Veterans
Authors: Pontefract Benjamin , Nevers Mckenna , Fleming-Dutra Katherine E , Hersh Adam , Samore Matthew , Madaras-Kelly Karl
Published: October 2019

Background

Acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME) occur primarily in children, whereas acute otitis externa (AOE) occurs with similar frequency in children and adults. Data on the incidence and management of otitis in adults are limited. This study characterizes the incidence, antibiotic management, and outcomes for adults with otitis diagnoses.

Methods

A retrospective cohort of ambulatory adult veterans who presented with acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) diagnoses at 6 VA Medical Centers during 2014–2018 was created. Then, a subcohort of patients with acute otitis diagnoses was developed. Patient visits were categorized with administrative diagnostic codes for ARI (eg, sinusitis, pharyngitis) and otitis (OME, AOM, and AOE). Incidence rates for each diagnosis were calculated. Proportions of otitis visits with antibiotic prescribing, complications, and specialty referral were summarized.

Results

Of 46 634 ARI visits, 3898 (8%) included an otitis diagnosis: OME (22%), AOM (44%), AOE (31%), and multiple otitis diagnoses (3%). Incidence rates were otitis media 4.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.9–4.2) and AOE 2.0 (95% CI, 1.9–2.1) diagnoses per 1000 patient-years. By comparison, the incidence rates for pharyngitis (8.4; 95% CI, 8.2–8.6) and sinusitis (15.2; 95% CI, 14.9–15.5) were higher. Systemic antibiotics were prescribed in 75%, 63%, and 21% of AOM, OME, and AOE visits, respectively. Complications for otitis visits were low irrespective of antibiotic treatment.

Conclusions

Administrative data indicated that otitis media diagnoses in adults were half as common as acute pharyngitis, and the majority received antibiotic treatment, which may be inappropriate. Prospective studies verifying diagnostic accuracy and antibiotic appropriateness are warranted.
Thymus Imaging Detection and Size Is Inversely Associated With Metabolic Syndrome and Frailty in People With HIV
Authors: Guaraldi Giovanni , Franconi Iacopo , Milic Jovana , Besutti Giulia , Pintassilgo Ines , Scaglioni Riccardo , Ligabue Guido , Riva Nicoletta , Raimondi Alessandro , Menozzi Marianna , Carli Federica , Zona Stefano , Santoro Antonella , Malagoli Andrea , Borghi Vanni , Torricelli Pietro , Cossarizza Andrea , Mussini Cristina
Published: October 2019

Background

People with HIV (PWH) may experience accentuating aging in relation to immuno-activation. Little is known regarding thymus (THY) involution in this process. We sought to investigate the relationship between THY imaging detection/size and clinically relevant aging outcomes such as metabolic syndrome (MetS), multimorbidity (MM), and frailty in PWH.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional observational study including 665 HIV patients (81% males; median age, 53 years) attending Modena HIV Metabolic Clinic from 2014 to 2017. They underwent thoracic computed tomography scan as part of the medical assessment for cardiovascular disease, in which THY detection and size were reported using a semiquantitative score. Outcome measures were MetS, MM, and frailty.

Results

THY was detected in 27.0% of subjects; 71.1% showed THY size of grade 1–2, and 28.9% exhibited grade ≥3. Covariates that inversely correlated with THY detection were age, male gender, body mass index (BMI), and HIV duration. Covariates that inversely correlated with MetS were age, HIV duration, BMI, and THY grade 1–2. Covariates that inversely correlated with MM were age, HIV duration, and CD4 nadir. Covariates that inversely correlated with frailty were age, HIV duration, CD4 nadir, BMI, and THY detection.

Conclusions

THY is inversely associated with MetS and frailty in PWH.
Risk for Endocarditis in Bacteremia With Streptococcus-Like Bacteria: A Retrospective Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Berge Andreas , Kronberg Karin , Sunnerhagen Torgny , Nilson Bo H K , Giske Christian G , Rasmussen Magnus
Published: October 2019

Background

Many genera and species of Streptococcus-like bacteria (SLB) can cause infective endocarditis (IE), but little is known about the epidemiology of and the risk factors for IE in SLB-bacteremia. The aim of the study was to analyze this in a cohort of patients with SLB-bacteremia, focusing on Abiotrophia, Aerococcus, Gemella, and Granulicatella. We also evaluated whether published scoring systems generated for other Gram-positive bacteria known to cause IE (HANDOC for streptococci and NOVA and DENOVA for enterococci) could be used in SLB bacteremia to decide whether transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) could be omitted.

Methods

Positive blood cultures with SLB were retrieved from population-based registries in Sweden (3.2 million inhabitants), from January 2012 to December 2017. Clinical data were collected from medical records. Risk factors for IE were analyzed and the performances of the scoring systems were calculated.

Results

The incidence of bacteremia with the 4 SLB genera was 30 episodes/1 000 000 population per year, of which Aerococcus contributed with 18. Among 568 episodes of bacteremia, 32 cases of IE were identified (5.6%). Infective endocarditis was most common in bacteremia with Abiotrophia (4 of 19) followed by Granulicatella (9 of 124), Gemella (6 of 87), and Aerococcus (13 of 338). NOVA had 100% sensitivity to identify IE but a low specificity (15%). For HANDOC and DENOVA, the sensitivities were 97% and 91%, respectively, whereas specificities were 85% and 90%, respectively, and numbers needed to screen were 3.6 and 2.8, respectively.

Conclusions

Bacteremia with these SLB is relatively rare, and the decision whether TEE should be performed or not could be based on either HANDOC or DENOVA.
Posthumanism
Authors: Buell Denise Kimber
Published: October 2019

For New Testament and early Christian studies, posthumanism provides a vantage point for contemporary readers to appreciate just how fully contingent ancient texts perceive “the human” to be. This chapter opens by linking the study of gender and sexuality with posthumanism. Situating posthumanism especially in relation to intersectional feminisms, this chapter explores ways that New Testament and early Christian scholarship has engaged posthumanism and might further contribute to this field. Juxtaposing New Testament and non-canonical writings with contemporary critical theory that may be associated with posthumanism, this essay offers new possibilities for reading ancient narratives of human origins such as Genesis 1-3 and its retellings, for identifying non-reproductive kin-making and multispecies mutualisms through rhetoric and ritual, and for reconsidering temporality. A brief case study of Ephesians also shows how biblical interpretation offers a caution to those who view posthumanism’s potential as primarily liberatory.
Attentional Bias and Well-Being
Authors: Grafton Ben , MacLeod Colin
Published: October 2019

This chapter reviews work that has sought to examine how biased patterns of attentional responding to affectively valenced information can contribute to variability in both emotional and situational well-being. It begins by critically appraising the cognitive–experimental procedures that have most commonly been employed to assess such attentional bias. Next, the chapter considers findings from research that have employed these assessment approaches to investigate how individual differences in attentional bias toward either negatively toned or positively toned affective information may contribute to variability in emotional disposition. The chapter then discusses research that has examined how the selective processing of aversive information concerning prospective threat and selective attentional responding to positively toned appetitive stimulus information may impact the prospect of engaging in behaviors that have the capacity to enhance or impair situational well-being. In doing so, this chapter highlights the possibility that these types of attentional biases may directly contribute to dissociation between emotional and situational well-being, either by evoking negative emotion while also increasing the prospect of adaptive behavior or by evoking positive emotion while increasing the prospect of maladaptive behavior.
N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptors
Authors: Iacobucci Gary J. , Popescu Gabriela K.
Published: October 2019

Discovered more than 70 years ago due to advances in electrophysiology and cell culture techniques, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors remain the target of assiduous basic and clinical research. This interest flows from their intimate engagement with fundamental processes in the mammalian central nervous system and the resulting natural desire to understand how this receptor’s genetically encoded structural properties generate their distinctive functional features and how in turn these unique functional attributes play into the larger opus of physiological and pathological processes. From the overwhelming literature on the subject, the authors briefly outline contemporary understanding of the receptor’s evolutionary origins, molecular diversity, and expression patterns; sketch hypothesized correlations between structural dynamics, signal kinetics, and pathophysiological consequences; and highlight the breadth of processes in which NMDA receptors are implicated, many of which remain poorly understood. Continued developments in cryo-electron microscopy, whole-genome sequencing and editing, imaging, and other emerging technologies will likely confirm some of the current hypotheses and challenge others to produce a more accurate reflection of these receptors’ complex operation and myriad roles in health and disease.
Research on Diversity in Sexual Identities
Authors: Singh Pawan
Published: October 2019

If the elaboration of LGB identities is predicated on the development of binary sexuality in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries around normal and abnormal, heterosexual and homosexual, or Western and non-Western, research at the dawn of the twenty-first century has turned decidedly to the fluidity of sexuality and the various ways that sexual behavior is situated in social relationships and as social identities. This chapter turns to the persistence of alternative sexualities outside of or beyond the construction LGB, interrogating the links between sexuality and gender, the various reactions to the global diffusion of homosexuality (and homophobia) as cultural forms predicated on Western binaries, and the possibilities inherent in a world of diversely constituted sexualities.
The Persuasion Effects of Political Endorsements
Authors: Boudreau Cheryl
Published: October 2019

Political endorsements (recommendations about which candidate or policy to support) are ubiquitous in political contexts. They may come from political parties, interest groups, politicians, or even celebrities. Can uninformed citizens identify endorsers who share their interests and use their recommendations as substitutes for detailed political information? This chapter surveys the literature on the persuasion effects of political endorsements. It first provides an overview of theoretical models that examine how political endorsements affect citizens’ choices. Then, it describes a seminal observational study of how endorsements affect political persuasion. It next discusses experimental research that assesses the effects of endorsements. It emphasizes that experiments are particularly useful for identifying when political endorsements will persuade citizens because they allow scholars to manipulate the conditions that theoretical models identify in a carefully controlled environment. It concludes by discussing open questions about the effects of political endorsements and describing how ongoing research addresses them.
The Perception of Personality Traits from Voices
Authors: McAleer Phil , Belin Pascal
Published: October 2019

Voices are full of cues to socially relevant signals and, without conscious awareness, we rapidly make judgements about others based on their voice. Fascination with why or even how we do this is not a new phenomenon but stretches back to Ancient Greece and writings on how to become a great public speaker and to project oneself in a chosen manner (for example, Cicero’s De Oratore). More recently, with the influx of radio in the early twentieth century, focus on obtaining social signals from the voice grew in provenance. Reports of early American radio transmissions with President Franklin D. Roosevelt —‘the radio President’—talked about how he broadcast in a voice that revealed ‘strength, courage and abounding happiness’ (Dunlap Jr, 1933). Likewise, the efforts of King George VI to embrace the role of a broadcasting monarch, despite a speech impediment, were made famous in the popular film, ‘The King’s Speech’ (2010). This chapter will focus on one branch of social information from voices—personality. Starting with an overview of personality traits derived from the voice, and how this influences our decisions, the chapter will then discuss the consistency (both across listeners and time) and ‘accuracy’ of such judgements. The chapter will end by highlighting the importance of this work, looking at technological and medical applications, before posing future strands that must be studied to fully harness the impact of this research.
Machine-Based Decoding of Paralinguistic Vocal Features
Authors: Schmitt Maximilian , Schuller Björn W.
Published: October 2019

Machines are able to obtain rich information from the human voice with a certain reliability. This can comprise information about the affective or mental state, but also traits of the speaker. This chapter introduces all the different technical steps needed in such intelligent voice analysis. Typically, the first step involves extraction of meaningful acoustic features, which are then transformed into a suitable representation. The acoustic information can be augmented by linguistic features originating from a speech-to-text transcription. The features are finally decoded on different levels using machine-learning methods. Recently, ‘deep learning’ has received growing interest, where deep artificial neural networks are used to decode the information. From this, end-to-end learning has evolved, where even the feature extraction step is learned seamlessly, through to the decoding step, mimicking the recognition process in the human brain. Subsequent to the description of according and further frequently encountered methods, the chapter concludes with some future perspective.
Psychological Theories of Meditation in Early Buddhism and Sāṃkhya/Yoga
Authors: Sedlmeier Peter , Srinivas Kunchapudi
Published: October 2019

Ancient Indian spiritual and philosophical approaches contain psychological theories of meditation that specify (a) what meditation is, (b) what its aim is and how it works, and (c) predictions about its effects. This chapter introduces two representative theories that date back more than two millennia, one derived from early Buddhism and the other from the classical Hindu thought systems of Sāṃkhya and Yoga. According to both theories, meditation is not a single technique but a partly differing collection of many different ones. The final aim of meditation, embedded in a spiritual and moral context, is achieving a state of liberation or enlightenment, although it is unclear whether both theories refer to a common state. Both theories also predict that positive effects can already be expected for practitioners still on the way. The cognitive mechanisms that are the basis for these results are clearly described in the two respective psychological models. The two theories allow for deriving predictions that go beyond the research questions currently pursued in Western meditation research, and they can act as building blocks for a comprehensive theory of meditation.
The Sociology of Meditation
Authors: Pagis Michal
Published: October 2019

Sociologists study meditation as a social phenomenon, utilizing the contemporary practice of meditation as a window to larger questions about social life and organization in the contemporary world. This chapter illustrates how meditation serves as a new institution and social sphere that balances the “secular” and the “mystical” as well as “being together” and “being alone.” It embraces rising individualization and secularization, yet it is based on collective, joint circles where affective effervescence is produced and where people search for experiences that can be categorized as mystical, transformative, or therapeutic. The studies introduced in this chapter focus on three themes: meditation practice as a religious and spiritual phenomenon embedded in the contemporary world with its themes of individualization, secularization, and religious syncretism; the popularization of meditation as a social movement in a globalized world; and the micro-social world of meditation practice, focusing on social relations and the social self.
Okayama Astrophysical Observatory Wide-Field Camera
Authors: Yanagisawa Kenshi , Shimizu Yasuhiro , Okita Kiichi , Kuroda Daisuke , Tsutsui Hironori , Koyano Hisashi , Izumiura Hideyuki , Yoshida Michitoshi , Ohta Kouji , Kawai Nobuyuki , Nakada Yoshikazu , Yamamuro Tomoyasu
Published: October 2019

We report on the development of a wide-field near-infrared (0.9–2.5$\, \mu$m) camera built as a renewal of the existing classical Cassegrain 0.91 m telescope at Okayama Astrophysical Observatory. The optics system was replaced with fast hybrid optics (f/2.5) composed of forward Cassegrain optics and quasi-Schmidt optics, which results in an effective image circle of 52 mm diameter on the focal plane. The new camera, called the Okayama Astrophysical Observatory Wide-Field Camera (OAOWFC), has imaging capabilities in the $Y$, $J$, $H$, and $K_{\rm s}$ bands over a field of view of $0.^{\!\!\!\circ }47 \times 0.^{\!\!\!\circ }47$ with a HAWAII-1 HgCdTe PACE focal plane array. The primary purpose of OAOWFC is to search for variability in the Galactic plane in the $K_{\rm s}$ band and to promptly follow up transients. We have demonstrated a photometric repeatability of 2% in the densest field in the northern Galactic plane and successfully discovered previously unreported variable stars. The observations of OAOWFC are fully autonomous, and we started scientific operations in 2015 April.
Perceived Sensitivity to Pain and Responsiveness to Non-noxious Sensation in Substance Use Disorder
Authors: Assayag Naama , Bonneh Yoram , Parush Shula , Mell Haim , Kaplan Neeman Ricky , Bar-Shalita Tami
Published: October 2019

Objective

This comparative cross-sectional study aimed to characterize individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) in self-perception of pain sensitivity, experimental auditory aversiveness, and non-noxious sensory responsiveness, as well as examine the associations with SUD.

Methods

Therapeutic community (TC) individuals with SUD (N = 63, male 88.9%) and healthy controls (N = 60, male 86.7%) completed the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) and the Sensory Responsiveness Questionnaire–Intensity Scale (SRQ-IS), followed by a psychophysical auditory battery, the Battery of Averseness to Sounds (BAS)–Revised.

Results

The SUD group scored higher on the PSQ (P < 0.0001), BAS-R aversiveness (P < 0.0001), BAS-R-unpleasantness (P < 0.0001), and on the aftersensation of auditory aversiveness (P < 0.0001) and unpleasantness (P < 0.000). Fifty-four percent of the SUD group vs 11.7% of the control group were identified as having sensory modulation dysfunction (SMD; P < 0.0001). Logistic regression modeling revealed that the SRQ-IS-Aversive score had a stronger relationship, indicating a 12.6-times odds ratio for SUD (P = 0.0002). Finally, a risk score calculated from a linear combination of the logistic regression model parameters is presented based on the PSQ and SRQ.

Conclusions

This is the first study to explore sensory and aversive domains using experimental and self-reporting in situ, revealing pain perception alteration that co-occurs with high prevalence of SMD, specifically of the over-responsive type. Findings may be significant in clinical practice for treating pain, and for expanding therapeutic modalities as part of broader rehabilitation in TC and beyond, to better meet personalized therapy.
Tocilizumab monotherapy for large vessel vasculitis: results of 104-week treatment of a prospective, single-centre, open study
Authors: Saito Shuntaro , Okuyama Ayumi , Okada Yusuke , Shibata Akiko , Sakai Ryota , Kurasawa Takahiko , Kondo Tsuneo , Takei Hirofumi , Amano Koichi
Published: October 2019

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab (TCZ) monotherapy for large vessel vasculitides (LVV), including Takayasu arteritis (TAK) and GCA.

Methods

Twelve patients with a newly diagnosed LVV (eight GCA, four TAK) were enrolled. One TAK patient withdrew consent, so 11 (eight GCA, three TAK) were analysed in a prospective, open-label study. TCZ (8 mg/kg) monotherapy, without glucocorticoids or immunosuppressants, was administered every 2 weeks for 2 months and then every 4 weeks for 10 months. Patients were followed for 1 year after the final TCZ dose. Complete and partial responses were defined as disappearance or improvement of all clinical symptoms and normalization of CRP. Relapse was defined as the worsening or recurrence of clinical symptoms, increase in CRP attributable to vasculitis, and/or the need for initiation of glucocorticoids and/or immunosuppressants. Poor clinical response described patients who did not fit the definition of complete response or partial response.

Results

Complete and partial responses rates were 75/66% and 25/0% in GCA/TAK patients, respectively, at week 24 and week 52. Five GCA patients and one TAK patient remained disease-free for 1 year after therapy. One GCA patient required TCZ discontinuation due to heart failure at week 24.

Conclusion

TCZ monotherapy showed a high response rate for newly diagnosed LVV patients, and the majority of patients did not relapse for 1 year after TCZ cessation. Result of this study could help us to understand the crucial role of IL-6 in the pathogenesis of LVV.
Changes to SNAP-authorized retailer stocking requirements and the supply of foods and beverages in low-income communities in seven U.S. states
Authors: Powell Lisa M , Singleton Chelsea R , Li Yu , Anderson Steeves Elizabeth , Castro Iana A , Grigsby-Toussaint Diana , Haynes-Maslow Lindsey , Houghtaling Bailey , Laska Melissa N , Leone Lucia A , Seguin Rebecca , Uslan Daniella
Published: October 2019

Less than one-half of small food stores audited in low-income communities met the USDA’s 2016 proposed expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-authorized retailer stocking requirements.
A non-parametric analytic framework for within-host viral phylogenies and a test for HIV-1 founder multiplicity
Authors: Lewitus Eric , Rolland Morgane
Published: October 2019

Phylogenetics is a powerful tool for understanding the diversification dynamics of viral pathogens. Here we present an extension of the spectral density profile of the modified graph Laplacian, which facilitates the characterization of within-host molecular evolution of viruses and the direct comparison of diversification dynamics between hosts. This approach is non-parametric and therefore fast and model-free. We used simulations of within-host evolutionary scenarios to evaluate the efficiency of our approach and to demonstrate the significance of interpreting a viral phylogeny by its spectral density profile in terms of diversification dynamics. The key features that are captured by the profile are positive selection on the viral gene (or genome), temporal changes in substitution rates, mutational fitness, and time between sampling. Using sequences from individuals infected with HIV-1, we showed the utility of this approach for characterizing within-host diversification dynamics, for comparing dynamics between hosts, and for charting disease progression in infected individuals sampled over multiple years. We furthermore propose a heuristic test for assessing founder heterogeneity, which allows us to classify infections with single and multiple HIV-1 founder viruses. This non-parametric approach can be a valuable complement to existing parametric approaches.
Adiponectin deficiency induces mitochondrial dysfunction and promotes endothelial activation and pulmonary vascular injury
Authors: Shah Dilip , Torres Claudio , Bhandari Vineet
Published: October 2019

Adiponectin (APN), an adipocyte‐derived adipokine, has been shown to limit lung injury originating from endothelial cell (EC) damage. Previously we reported that obese mice with low circulatory APN levels exhibited pulmonary vascular endothelial dysfunction. This study was designed to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the pulmonary endothelium‐dependent protective effects of APN. Our results demonstrated that in APN–/– mice, there was an inherent state of endothelium mitochondrial dysfunction that could contribute to endothelial activation and increased susceptibility to LPS‐induced acute lung injury (ALI). We noted that APN–/– mice showed decreased expression of mitochondrial biogenesis regulatory protein peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ coactivator 1‐α (PGC‐1α) and its downstream proteins nuclear respiratory factor 1, transcription factor A, mitochondrial, and Sirtuin (Sirt)3 and Sirt1 expression in whole lungs and in freshly isolated lung ECs from these mice at baseline and subjected to LPS‐induced ALI. We further showed that treating APN_/_ mice with PGC‐1α activator pyrroloquinoline quinone enhances mitochondrial biogenesis and function in lung endothelium and attenuation of ALI. These results suggest that the pulmonary endothelium‐protective properties of APN are mediated, at least in part, by an enhancement of mitochondrial biogenesis through a mechanism involving PGC‐1α activation.—Shah, D., Torres, C., Bhandari, V. Adiponectin deficiency induces mitochondrial dysfunction and promotes endothelial activation and pulmonary vascular injury. FASEB J. 33, 13617‐13631 (2019). www.fasebj.org
Role of Imaging in the Management of Ventricular Arrhythmias
Authors: Jacobson Jason T.
Published: October 2019

The management of ventricular arrhythmias (VA) has evolved over time to an advanced discipline, incorporating many technologies in the diagnosis and treatment of the myriad types of VA. The first application of imaging is in the assessment for structural heart disease, as this has the greatest impact on prognosis. Advanced imaging has its greatest utility in the planning and execution of ablation for VA. The following review outlines the application of different imaging modalities, such as ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and positron emission tomography, for the treatment of VA.
Third-Generation LVADs
Authors: Levine Avi , Gass Alan
Published: October 2019

The field of durable left ventricular assist devices has advanced dramatically since its introduction into the clinical realm. From the first-generation pulsatile HeartMate XVE device to the second-generation continuous axial flow HeartMate-2 to the current third-generation centrifugal flow devices, the left ventricular assist device has undergone significant evolution. This review describes the technology and its changes over the course of time, with a focus on the fundamental question: Has anything changed?
Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Renal and Liver Transplant Candidates
Authors: Mohebali Donya , Anagnostopoulos Anne-Marie , Estrada-Roman Alisson , Pavlakis Martha , Curry Michael P. , Gavin Michael C.
Published: October 2019

In the modern era, renal and liver transplant candidates present with a greater medical complexity driven in part by a higher prevalence of cardiovascular conditions, including coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, and cardiomyopathies. In fact, cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death after kidney transplantation worldwide. Similarly, an increase in the number of patients being listed with end-stage liver disease from nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and a rising model for end-stage liver disease scores at the time of liver transplant in the United States parallel an increasing cardiovascular disease risk profile for liver transplant candidates. A large degree of variation exists among clinical practice guidelines and transplant center practice patterns regarding patient selection for routine cardiac testing and the choice of testing modalities. Here, we review the clinical practice guidelines established at our center by a multidisciplinary group, including transplant nephrology, hepatology, and surgery, as well as general and interventional cardiology, with the goal of improving patient selection and reducing adverse cardiac events posttransplant.
Pattern of Cross-Reactivity Between Mycobacterial Immunohistochemical Stain and Normal Human Eosinophils: A Potential Pitfall in the Diagnosis of Cutaneous Mycobacterial Infections
Authors: Baker Catherine , Sriharan Aravindhan
Published: October 2019

Cutaneous tuberculosis (CTB) is a challenging diagnosis that often requires tissue biopsy and the use of immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, among other special stains. The mycobacterium tuberculosis IHC stain is believed to be specific for mycobacteria and closely related organisms, without documented reactivity to normal human tissue. In this study, we document 4 cases of previously unreported cross-reactivity between the mycobacterium tuberculosis IHC polyclonal antibody and normal eosinophil granules in patients without other evidence of CTB infection. Such cross-reactivity represents a potential pitfall for the use of IHC in the diagnosis of CTB.