bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Outlier identifiability in time series
Authors: Battaglia Francesco , Cucina Domenico
Published: March 2020

The occurrence of undetected outliers severely disrupts model building procedures and produces unreliable results. This topic has been widely addressed in the statistical literature. However, little attention has been paid to determine how large an outlier has to be for correct detection of both time and magnitude to safely take place. This issue has been the object of research mainly in geodesy. In this paper, the minimal detectable bias concept is extended to vector time series data, and the risk of accepting an outlier as a clean observation is evaluated according to both the size and power of the statistical tests. This approach seems able to deal with the difficult issues known as masking and swamping. The proposed measure of outlier identifiability helps to determine if any configurations of multiple outliers, also occurring in patches, are easily detectable.
A note on consistency of Bayesian high‐dimensional variable selection under a default prior
Authors: Hua Min , Goh Gyuhyeong
Published: March 2020

Zellner's
‐prior is one of the most popular choices for model selection in Bayesian linear regression. Despite its popularity, the asymptotic theory for high‐dimensional variable selection is not yet fully developed. In this paper, we investigate the asymptotic behaviour of Bayesian model selection under the
‐prior as the model dimension grows with the sample size. We find a simple and intuitive condition under which the posterior model distribution tends to be concentrated on the true model as the sample size increases even if the number of predictors grows much faster than the sample size does. Simulation study results indicate that satisfaction of this condition is essential for the success of Bayesian high‐dimensional variable selection under the
‐prior.
Schadensdetektion mithilfe elektromechanischer Impedanzspektren
Authors: Sahm Daniel , Pak Daniel , Fritzen Claus‐Peter , Dreisbach Anna‐Lena , Dietrich Gerhard , Yokaribas Volkan
Published: March 2020

Im Rahmen eines kooperativen Forschungsprojekts der Universität Siegen zwischen der Arbeitsgruppe Technische Mechanik (ATM) des Departments Maschinenbau und des Lehrstuhls Stahlbau und Stahlverbundbau des Departments Bauingenieurwesen wurde eine Methode zur zerstörungsfreien Schadensdetektion an Schrauben und Bolzen entwickelt und auf ihre grundsätzliche Anwendbarkeit hin überprüft. Die Methode basiert auf der Messung von elektromechanischen Impedanzspektren, welche sich bei variierenden Strukturzuständen ändern und so eine Zustandsbewertung ermöglichen. Die Untersuchungsmethode könnte bspw. im Monitoring von Brückenbauwerken etabliert werden.

Im Zuge des Projekts wurden Untersuchungen an Stahlplatten mit orthogonal aufgeschweißten Gewindebolzen durchgeführt. Um bei den Probekörpern das generelle Verhalten von elektromechanischen Impedanzspektren bei unterschiedlichen Zuständen festzustellen, wurden Voruntersuchungen gemacht. Hierbei ist eine gegenläufige Entwicklung der untersuchten Frequenzspektren unter den Einwirkungen „Vorspannung“ und „Sägeschnitt am Bolzenfuß“ festgestellt worden. Nachfolgend durchgeführte zyklische Versuche haben schließlich die Anwendbarkeit des Verfahrens gezeigt. Im Beitrag werden erste Versuchsergebnisse vorgestellt und darüber hinaus wird die Anwendbarkeit der Messmethodik für das Bauwerksmonitoring diskutiert.
Helium Ion Microscopy of Corn Starch
Authors: Wulff David , Aucoin Marc G. , Gu Frank X.
Published: March 2020

Normal corn starch granules are imaged using a helium ion microscope (HIM). This relatively new imaging technique produces high‐resolution images of both the interior and exterior of the granules that allow features to be observed which had previously not been seen with scanning electron microscope. Of particular interest is the mesh‐like structure which is observed in the interior when starch granules are sectioned with a metal blade, a structure not currently part of existing models of starch architecture. HIM imaging provides a new way to characterize starch in the ongoing quest to elucidate its internal structure.
Is real options analysis fit for purpose in supporting climate adaptation planning and decision‐making?
Authors: Kwakkel Jan H.
Published: March 2020

Even though real options analysis (ROA) is often thought as the best tool available for evaluating flexible strategies, there are profound problems with the assumptions underpinning ROA rendering it unsuitable for use in supporting planning and decision‐making on climate adaptation. In the face of dynamic and deep uncertainty about the future, flexible strategies which can be adapted in response to how the uncertainty is resolving are attractive. Traditional cost‐benefit analysis cannot account for the value created through optionality. ROA sets out to amend this. There are however several profound problems with how ROA tries to do this. It is typically not clear what is the baseline plan, without options, against which value is to be estimated. Different baselines significantly change option value. Even if option value can unequivocally be established for a given scenario, ROA relies on expected values over a set of scenarios. First, this requires assigning weights, or probabilities, to scenarios. Given the long‐time horizon involved in climate adaptation, these probabilities are meaningless. Second, the expected value over a set of scenarios need not obtain in any single scenario and is thus not a meaningful summary of option value.

This article is categorized under:

Climate Economics > Iterative Risk‐Management Policy Portfolios
Syntheses, Crystal Structures, and Vibrational Properties of Two Lead Azide Halides PbN3X (X = Cl, Br)
Authors: Liu Xiaohui , Stoffel Ralf , Dronskowski Richard
Published: March 2020

Abstract: Two new lead azide halides, PbN3X (X = Cl, Br), were precipitated from aqueous solutions and structurally analyzed by both X‐ray single‐crystal/powder diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy, in addition to density‐functional theory calculations. PbN3Cl crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/m (no. 11) with a = 5.5039(11), b = 4.3270(9), c = 7.6576(15) Å, β = 101.28(3)° and adopts a structure with alternating layers of cations and anions. PbN3Br crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnma (no. 62) with a = 7.9192(2), b = 4.2645(1), c = 11.1396(3) Å, and the cations and anions are alternating crosswise. Within PbN3Cl, a Pb2+ cation is surrounded by five azide and four chloride anions whereas, in PbN3Br, the coordination consists of five azide and three bromide anions. Both structures contain chain‐like [Pb2X2]2+ units with Pb–Cl = 2.95–3.21 Å and Pb–Br = 3.03–3.38 Å, and the N3– dumbbell is capped by five Pb2+ with Pb–N = 2.79–2.91 Å in PbN3Cl and with Pb–N = 2.69–2.89 Å in PbN3Br. The infrared and Raman spectra show the typical frequencies of a slightly asymmetric N3– unit, in good agreement with DFT phonon calculation. Thermal analyses reveal PbN3Cl to be stable up to 290 °C before it explodes to yield PbCl2, metallic Pb, and gaseous N2.
Supersymmetric continuous spin gauge theory
Authors: Najafizadeh Mojtaba
Published: March 2020

Abstract

Taking into account the Schuster-Toro action and its fermionic analogue discovered by us, we supersymmetrize unconstrained formulation of the continuous spin gauge field theory. Afterwards, building on the Metsaev actions, we supersymmetrize constrained formulation of the theory. In each formulation, we provide supersymmetry transformations for the $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 1 supermultiplet in four-dimensional flat space-time, in which continuous spin particle (CSP) is considered to be a complex scalar continuous spin field, and its super- partner which can be called “ CSPino ” is considered to be a Dirac continuous spin field. It is shown that the algebra of these supersymmetry transformations are closed on-shell. Furthermore, we investigate whether obtained supersymmetry transformations reproduce the known result of the higher spin gauge field theory in the helicity limit. Finally, we illustrate how these two separate set of obtained transformations are related to each other.
Precise yield of high-energy photons from Higgsino dark matter annihilation
Authors: Beneke M. , Hasner C. , Urban K. , Vollmann M.
Published: March 2020

Abstract

The impact of electroweak Sudakov logarithms on the endpoint of the photon spectrum for wino dark matter annihilation was studied intensively over the last several years. In this work, we extend these results to Higgsino dark matter $$ {\chi}_1^0 $$

χ
1
0

. We achieve NLL′ resummation accuracy for narrow and intermediate spectral energy resolutions, of order $$ {m}_W^2/{m}_{\chi } $$

m
W
2

/

m
χ

and mW, respectively. This is the most accurate prediction to date for the yield of high-energy γ-rays from $$ {\chi}_1^0{\chi}_1^0 $$

χ
1
0

χ
1
0

→ γ + X annihilation for the energy resolutions realized by current and next-generation telescopes. We also discuss for the first time the effect of power corrections in mW/mχ in this context and argue why they are not sizeable.
Wilson-line scalar as a Nambu-Goldstone boson in flux compactifications and higher-loop corrections
Authors: Honda Masaki , Shibasaki Toshihide
Published: March 2020

Abstract

We study a scalar zero mode originated from extradimensional components of a gauge field in a six-dimensional theory compactified on a magnetized torus. We confirm it is a Nambu-Goldstone boson of the translational symmetry on the torus which is breaking spontaneously due to magnetic flux. We also show explicitly it is massless up to the two-loop level. Moreover, we discuss full order contributions by considering the effective potential.
Live Liver Donors: Is Right Still Right?
Authors: Rammohan Ashwin , Reddy Mettu S. , Narasimhan Gomathy , Rajalingam Rajesh , Kaliamoorthy Ilankumaran , Krishnan Mathangi , Kanagavelu Rathnavel , Kota Venugopal , Rela Mohamed
Published: March 2020

Background

Conventional wisdom dictates that a larger hepatectomy is more prone to complications. Consequently, with the donor safety as paramount, the transplant community has intuitively been proponents of left lobe donation in live donor liver transplantation (LDLT), thereby satisfying the tenet of double equipoise. More recently some data suggest that this may not always be the case, especially in established centres. Our aim was to compare right and left lobe donor outcomes in LDLT from a centre with cumulative experience.

Methods

Review of a prospectively collected database of right and left lobe liver donors operated between August 2009 and July 2017 was performed. Their preoperative demographics, operative and post‐operative outcomes were compared.

Results

Of 904 liver transplantations, 458 were right lobe donors [379 without middle hepatic vein (MHV), 79 with MHV] and 58 left lobe donors. There was a significant difference in GRWR and functional liver remnant between the right and left lobe donors (1.27 ± 0.45 vs. 1.03 ± 0.28 p = 0.004, and 63.2 ± 7.9 vs. 37.7 ± 16.3, respectively, p value). The end portal pressure (7 vs. 8 mmHg p = <0.001), peak bilirubin (1.6 ± 0.8 vs. 2.9 ± 1.5 p = <0.001) and day 5 bilirubin (0.8 ± 0.3 vs. 1.4 ± 0.9 p = <0.001) were significantly higher in right lobe donors. There was no difference in blood loss, duration of surgery or peak lactate between the groups. Complications (20.7% vs. 25.9% p = 0.48), including serious complications (Clavien–Dindo > III) (6.9% vs. 8.1% p = 0.95), duration of ICU and hospital stay, were comparable between the groups. Subgroup analysis between left lobe and right lobe with and without MHV donor was also comparable.

Conclusion

Though biochemical differences exist between the groups, no difference in outcomes was noted. Despite larger liver mass loss in right lobe donors, a strict protocol‐based approach to donor selection leads to comparable outcomes between left lobe and right lobe donations.
Widespread low abundance despite habitat availability elevates extinction risk in pygmy seahorses
Authors: De Brauwer Maarten , Hobbs Jean-Paul A. , Jompa Jamaluddin
Published: March 2020

Due to difficulties with surveying, cryptobenthic fishes are understudied, which limits assessments of their extinction risk. Using a novel survey method (a combination of underwater visual census and underwater biofluorescence census), we surveyed the densities of two gorgonian seafan-associated pygmy seahorses (Hippocampus bargibanti and H. denise) in 63 sites across Indonesia. Densities were low for both seahorses (≤ 0.4 seahorses/host) and their hosts (≤ 0.25 seafans/200 m2). These low densities, combined with habitat specialisation, increase extinction risk. We failed to detect regional or depth patterns in seahorse abundance per host or group size in occupied hosts. Host occupancy rates were low (< 13.7%), suggesting that other factors than habitat availability constrain pygmy seahorse population size. The low densities found in this study highlight the high extinction vulnerability for habitat specialists on coral reefs.
Reliabilität der Hornhauttomographie nach Implantation von intrakornealen Ringsegmenten bei Keratokonus
Authors: Matar C. , Daas L. , Suffo S. , Langenbucher A. , Seitz B. , Eppig T.
Published: March 2020

Hintergrund und Ziel

Intrakorneale Ringsegmente (ICRS) sollen die Progression des Keratokonus (KK) aufhalten. Diese Aussage zur Progression erfordert jedoch Kenntnisse über die Reproduzierbarkeit der angewendeten Messverfahren. Ziel dieser Studie war es, die Reproduzierbarkeit tomographischer Parameter in Augen mit Keratokonus (KK) nach femtosekundenlasergestützter INTACS-Implantation (fs-INTACS) zwischen 2 Hornhauttomographen zu vergleichen.

Patienten und Methoden

19 KK-Augen wurden eingeschlossen. 5 Messungen wurden mit dem Scheimpflug-Tomographen Pentacam HR und dem optischen Kohärenztomographen (VA-OCT) Casia 2 durchgeführt. Zielgrößen waren die Reproduzierbarkeit und die Vergleichbarkeit der Messungen von (1) keratometrischem Brechwert der Hornhautvorder- und (2) -rückfläche, (3) maximalem keratometrischem Brechwert, (4) zentraler Hornhautdicke und (5) Hornhautdicke an der dünnsten Stelle zwischen beiden Geräten.

Ergebnisse

Die mittlere Differenz (Pentacam minus VA-OCT) von (1), (2), (3), (4) und (5) lag bei 0,67 dpt, 0,41 dpt, 3,4 dpt, 1,5 µm und 11,8 µm. Die mittlere SD der 5 Wiederholungen für (1), (2), (3), (4) und (5) lag bei 0,20 dpt/0,20 dpt, 0,10 dpt/0,07 dpt, 0,75 dpt/0,5 dpt, 6,5/2,4 µm (p = 0,007) und 7,3 µm/1,9 µm (p = 0,001) für Pentacam/Casia 2. Cronbach’s α war für alle Geräte und Parameter besser als 0,98.

Schlussfolgerung

Casia 2 und Pentacam ermöglichen beide eine zuverlässige Beurteilung der Hornhautbrechkraft bei KK nach fs-INTACS-Implantation. Die Reproduzierbarkeit war nur für die Hornhautdickenmessung mit Casia 2 signifikant besser. Pentacam zeigte signifikant höhere Werte für die Brechkraft der Hornhautvorder- und Rückfläche und misst signifikant dicker an der dünnsten Stelle im Vergleich zu Casia 2.
Evaluation of coronary artery disease in patients with atrial fibrillation by cardiac computed tomography for catheter ablation: CADAF-CT trial
Authors: Mito Takahiro , Takemoto Masao , Antoku Yoshibumi , Masumoto Akihiro , Nozoe Masatsugu , Kinoshita Satoko , Tanaka Atsushi , Yamamoto Yusuke , Ueno Takafumi , Tsuchihashi Takuya
Published: March 2020

Almost all institutions routinely perform cardiac computed tomography (CT) before radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of atrial fibrillation (AF) to evaluate the cardiac anatomy. The ideal timing of the CT image acquisition is different between for RFCA of AF and for evaluation of coronary artery lesions (CALs). Thus, the aim of this study was to assess whether 64- or 320-line routine cardiac CT scans before RFCA of AF could evaluate both coronary artery lesions and pulmonary veins (LA-PVs) anatomy at the timing of the image acquisition of the LA-PVs in patients with AF who underwent RFCA of AF. The CALs were evaluated in 606 consecutive patients who underwent RFCA of AF assessed by the ideal timing of the CT image acquisition for RFCA of AF, and myocardial ischemia (MI) was also evaluated in patients with severe coronary stenosis (≥ 50%) and unevaluable CALs due to their severe coronary calcification and banding artifact by additional examinations combined with exercise stress testing, 201Tl scintigraphy, and/or fractionated flow reserve measurements. This study revealed that, in patients with AF who underwent RFCA of AF, (1) both 64- and 320-line cardiac CT scans for RFCA of AF could evaluate CALs in 93% of those patients, (2) the prevalence of MI was 9%, (3) significant relationships between the CHADS2 score and prevalence of MI were observed (p = 0.003), and (4) the positive predict values of MI in patients with severe coronary stenosis (≥ 50%) and unevaluable CALs also significantly increased in accordance with the CHADS2 score (p = 0.003). The evaluation of CALs and MI by routine cardiac CT for RFCA of AF combined with the additional examinations may be one of the most feasible modalities for patients with AF.
Inter- and intraobserver reliability of non-weight-bearing foot radiographs compared with CT in Lisfranc injuries
Authors: Ponkilainen Ville T. , Partio Nikke , Salonen Essi E. , Riuttanen Antti , Luoma Emma- Liisa , Kask Gilber , Laine Heikki-Jussi , Mäenpää Heikki , Päiväniemi Outi , Mattila Ville M. , Haapasalo Heidi H.
Published: March 2020

Background

Injury of the tarsometatarsal (TMT) joint complex, known as Lisfranc injury, covers a wide range of injuries from subtle ligamentous injuries to severely displaced crush injuries. Although it is known that these injuries are commonly missed, the literature on the accuracy of the diagnostics is limited. The diagnostic accuracy of non-weight-bearing radiography (inter- or intraobserver reliability), however, has not previously been assessed among patients with Lisfranc injury.

Methods

One hundred sets of foot radiographs acquired due to acute foot injury were collected and anonymised. The diagnosis of these patients was confirmed with a CT scan. In one-third of the radiographs, there was no Lisfranc injury; in one-third, a nondisplaced (< 2 mm) injury; and in one-third, a displaced injury. The radiographs were assessed independently by three senior orthopaedic surgeons and three orthopaedic surgery residents.

Results

Fleiss kappa (κ) coefficient for interobserver reliability resulted in moderate correlation κ = 0.50 (95% CI: 0.45– 0.55) (first evaluation) and κ = 0.58 (95% CI: 0.52–0.63) (second evaluation). After three months, the evaluation was repeated and the Cohen’s kappa (κ) coefficient for intraobserver reliability showed substantial correlation κ = 0.71 (from 0.64 to 0.85). The mean (range) sensitivity was 76.1% (60.6–92.4) and specificity was 85.3% (52.9–100). The sensitivity of subtle injuries was lower than severe injuries (65.4% vs 87.1%p = 0.003).

Conclusions

Diagnosis of Lisfranc injury based on non-weight-bearing radiographs has moderate agreement between observers and substantial agreement between the same observer in different moments. A substantial number (24%) of injuries are missed if only non-weight-bearing radiographs are used. Nondisplaced injuries were more commonly missed than displaced injuries, and therefore, special caution should be used when the clinical signs are subtle.

Level of evidence

III.
Additive Manufacturing of a Low-alloyed Engineering Steel
Authors: Aumayr Christin , Platl Jan , Zunko Horst , Turk Christoph
Published: March 2020

Additive manufacturing of steel powders has gained a lot of attention in recent years. In the early stages of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) of steel powders, the well-known materials 1.2709, 316L, and 17‑4 PH were used due to their very low carbon content. Yet, since these materials are, on the one hand, quite soft (316L) but, in some cases, too highly alloyed for specific engineering applications (1.2709) on the other hand, also carbon steels are increasingly considered for a use in L‑PBF processes. In general, it is well known that carbon limits the weldability of the steel materials. As a rule of thumb, steels with a carbon content below 0.22 wt.-% are suitable for L‑PBF processes without powder bed preheating. This contribution presents a new carbon-steel alloy concept which can be processed by L‑PBF without powder bed preheating. Due to the special alloy design, it will be shown that the printed parts are ready-to-use in the as-built state with a well-balanced property relationship of strength, ductility, and impact toughness. Apart from the usability in the as-printed condition, it will also be shown that an additional heat treatment or even a surface hardening process can be used to gain even better material and part properties compared to the as-built condition.
Combining anterior and posterior component separation for extreme cases of abdominal wall reconstruction
Authors: Lopez-Monclus J. , Muñoz-Rodríguez J. , San Miguel C. , Robin A. , Blazquez L. A. , Pérez-Flecha M. , Rupealta N. , Garcia-Urena M. A.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The closure of midline in abdominal wall incisional hernias is an essential principle. In some exceptional circumstances, despite adequate component separation techniques, this midline closure cannot be achieved. This study aims to review the results of using both anterior and component separation in these exceptional cases.

Methods

We reviewed our experience using the combination of both anterior and posterior component separation in the attempt to close the midline. Our first step was to perform a TAR and a complete extensive dissection of the retromuscular preperitoneal plane developed laterally as far as the posterior axillary line. When the closure of midline was not possible, an external oblique release was made. A retromuscular preperitoneal reinforcement was made with the combination of an absorbable mesh and a 50 × 50 polypropylene mesh.

Results

Twelve patients underwent anterior and posterior component separation. The mean hernia width was 23.5 ± 5. The majority were classified as severe complex incisional hernia and had previous attempts of repair. After a mean follow-up of 27 months (range 8–45), no case of recurrence was registered. Only one patient (8.33%) presented with an asymptomatic bulging in the follow-up. European Hernia Society’s quality of life scores showed a significant improvement at 2 years postoperatively in the three domains: pain (p = 0.01), restrictions (p = 0.04) and cosmetic (p = 0.01).

Conclusions

The combination of posterior and anterior component separation can effectively treat massive and challenging cases of abdominal wall reconstruction in which the primary midline closure is impossible to achieve despite appropriate optimization of surgery.
Heterozygosity and fitness in a threatened songbird: blood parasite infection is explained by single-locus but not genome-wide effects
Authors: Kubacka Justyna , Podmokła Edyta , Korb Judith , Dubiec Anna
Published: March 2020

In non-pedigreed populations, insights into effects of inbreeding can be obtained by correlations between individual heterozygosity and fitness-related traits (HFCs). Using an information-theoretic approach, we explored whether heterozygosity of microsatellite markers, measured as internal relatedness (IR), is associated with infection by blood parasites (Plasmodium,Trypanosoma,orLeucocytozoon) in the threatened Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola). We also explored whether any of the markers is more influential than others, or than IR, in explaining blood parasitism (single-locus effects). While we observed that IR was a relatively important predictor ofPlasmodiumparasitism, we did not find strong evidence for IR to correlate with infection by the identified blood parasites, accounting for sex and population effects. Therefore, our data did not support negative inbreeding effects on blood parasite infection in the Aquatic Warbler. However, we found single-locus effects, such that individuals heterozygous at AW-03 and Ase19 had lower probability of infection by blood parasites pooled together and byPlasmodium, respectively. This indicates that these two markers are in linkage disequilibrium with unknown fitness loci which are related to resisting or clearing blood parasites, and which confer a heterozygote advantage in the Aquatic Warbler. Our results add to the growing evidence that single-locus effects contribute more to HFCs than formerly recognized and have implications for Aquatic Warbler conservation.
Problems of Fact, Method, Theory, and Concepts in Tsoukas (2018)
Authors: McGahan Anita M.
Published: March 2020

On January, 27, 2017, U.S. President Donald J. Trump issued Executive Order 13769 on immigration and travel (EO 13769), which restricted entry into the U.S. of the citizens of seven primarily Muslim countries. Many academics reacted with outrage, including me and other members of the Academy of Management (AOM), of which I was President at the time. Some scholarly associations condemned EO 13769 as immoral, but the AOM did not immediately issue such a condemnation because the AOM’s Constitution included a policy of no-political-stands (NPSP) and a principle that nobody, including the AOM President, could represent personal views as those of the organization. Within a few weeks, the AOM Constitution was changed, and in October, 2017, the AOM joined other associations in issuing a condemnation. An article was published in this journal on this situation (Tsoukas in J Bus Ethics,https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3979-y, 2018) that was subsequently amended through a published Correction (Tsoukas in J Bus Ethics,https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04194-9, 2019), but the Correction only partially addressed the problems in the original. The main contribution of this commentary is to take up the invitation in Tsoukas (2018) to examine the case for insights on theoretical and conceptual questions raised in the literature on prototypicality and moral imagination. It also briefly outlines the most significant omitted errors of fact in Tsoukas (2018) that were not corrected in Tsoukas (2019), and describes the most important methodological problems in Tsoukas (2018). The conclusion suggests that the complex, nuanced, and evolving interactions that unfolded at the AOM are not fully addressed theoretically or conceptually in this literature.
Stemming the gender gap in STEM entrepreneurship – insights into women’s entrepreneurship in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
Authors: Kuschel Katherina , Ettl Kerstin , Díaz-García Cristina , Alsos Gry Agnete
Published: March 2020

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are notably important for innovation and technological development, which in turn are seen as drivers of social and economic growth. Hence, researchers and policy-makers have paid substantial attention to analyzing and promoting high-growth ventures in STEM fields. However, STEM fields are highly gender-skewed, regardless of whether the population considered is students, faculty members, graduates, top managers, or entrepreneurs. This is noticeable in the small number of women entrepreneurs with STEM backgrounds. This underrepresentation of women in innovation-driven business startups highlights existing gender biases and systemic disadvantages in social structures, making visible the double masculinity that exists at the intersection of STEM and entrepreneurship. This article addresses this issue by combining insights from research about women’s entrepreneurship and research about the gender aspects of STEM fields. We emphasize institutional, organizational, and individual factors influencing women’s entrepreneurship in STEM fields, laying the foundation for the articles included in this special issue. Finally, we discuss the way forward for research on the gender aspects of STEM entrepreneurship to help us create the knowledge needed to close this gender gap.
A pressuremeter-based evaluation of structure in London Clay using a kinematic hardening constitutive model
Authors: Rouainia Mohamed , Panayides Stelios , Arroyo Marcos , Gens Antonio
Published: March 2020

The self-boring pressuremeter (SBP) test was designed to measure in situ engineering properties of the ground with a relatively small amount of disturbance. The properties that may be inferred from the test depend on the mechanical model used for its interpretation and on the significance given to other previously available information. In this paper, numerical modelling using the advanced kinematic hardening structure model (KHSM) for natural soils has been performed to investigate the influence of the initial structure and the degradation of structure on the SBP cavity pore pressures and expansion curves within London Clay. The validation of the KHSM against well-known analytical solutions and the calibration procedure used to identify the material parameters are presented. The numerical analyses reveal that the simulations of the SBP tests using the KHSM model provide a very close match of the expansion curves to the experimental data, but underestimate the pore pressures at the initial stage of the SBP expansion test. A parametric study has been carried out to determine the effects induced by the parameters of the destructuration model along with the disturbance experienced during the SBP installation, which is difficult to estimate in situ. Two disturbance scenarios were considered where the initial structure was assumed to vary linearly across an area close to the wall of the cavity. These simulations indicate that accounting for installation disturbance leads to a substantial improvement in pore pressure predictions for the SBP.
Authority and Subject (in the Archaeological Discourse in Austria and Germany)
Authors: Karl Raimund
Published: March 2020

The primary task of archaeological heritage management is to represent the public interest in archaeology. How this is constituted and determined has changed significantly over the past 200 years. As this paper demonstrates, a modern, egalitarian, democratic approach has yet to be established within Austrian and German archaeological heritage management: the relationship between heritage management bureaucracy and the civic subject is anachronistic, stuck in a pre-1848 Revolution mindset. Due to the lack of a public discourse and the nature of scholarly engagement with archaeological heritage management, the power of (state) archaeologists is not imaginary, but very real.
High absolute lymphocyte counts are associated with longer overall survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with eribulin—but not with treatment of physician’s choice—in the EMBRACE study
Authors: Miyoshi Yasuo , Yoshimura Yuta , Saito Kenichi , Muramoto Kenzo , Sugawara Michiko , Alexis Karenza , Nomoto Kenichi , Nakamura Seigo , Saeki Toshiaki , Watanabe Junichiro , Perez-Garcia Jose Manuel , Cortes Javier
Published: March 2020

Background

Eribulin, a nontaxane synthetic inhibitor of microtubule dynamics, is widely used to manage locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Eribulin has demonstrated immunomodulatory activity on the tumour microenvironment. Baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a marker of immune status, may predict progression-free survival in eribulin treatment. This post hoc analysis assessed predictors for overall survival (OS).

Methods

The phase 3 open-label study (EMBRACE) of eribulin versus treatment of physician’s choice (TPC) in patients with MBC provided source data. Baseline absolute lymphocyte counts (ALCs) and NLR were evaluable in 751 and 713 patients, respectively.

Results

Eribulin prolonged OS versus TPC in patients with baseline ALC ≥ 1500/µl (hazard ratio [HR] 0.586; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.437–0.784; P < 0.001). There was no significant difference by treatment for ALC < 1500/µl (HR 1.002; 95% CI 0.800–1.253; P = 0.989). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed and identified baseline ALC as a potential predictor of OS in eribulin-treated patients. Interaction analysis of OS supported 1500/µl as a potentially differential cutoff value. NLR at a cutoff value of 3 was associated with prolonged OS (eribulin group). However, similar results were also observed in the TPC group, without apparent interaction effect, suggesting that NLR may be a general prognostic marker rather than a specific predictor of OS for eribulin.

Discussion

This hypothesis-generating study speculates that baseline ALC may be an independent predictor for longer OS in eribulin-treated MBC patients and could be clinically impactful because it can be evaluated without the need for additional invasive procedures.

Trial Registration

www.ClinicalTrials.gov code: NCT00388726
Revision of archive recovery tests using analytical and numerical methods on thermal water wells in sandstone and fractured carbonate aquifers in the vicinity of Budapest, Hungary
Authors: Garamhegyi Tamás , Székely Ferenc , Carrillo-Rivera J. Joel , Mádl-Szőnyi Judit
Published: March 2020

This study offers a reinterpretation of archive aquifer tests, predominantly on the basis of recovery data, from an original datasheet of thermal water wells located in carbonate and sandstone aquifer units in the vicinity of Budapest, Hungary. The study compares the hydraulic conductivity (K) and specific storage (Ss) values derived in the first instance from an aquifer test evaluation. This included an initial application of the classical analytical Cooper and Jacob method. Subsequently, the visual two-zone (VTZ) numerical method was applied, then third, a more complex model, namely, WT software. It was found that the simple analytical solution is not able to represent the field conditions accurately, while in the course of the application of the VTZ model, it proved possible to alter the various hydraulic parameters within reasonable limits to fit the field data. In the case of the VTZ model, the researcher is required to calculate the accuracy of the fitted model separately, while with the WT model, this is automatic, the software seeks out the best fit. In addition to VTZ parameters, the WT model can efficiently incorporate data on up to 500 model layers, water level, and pressure. The optimization of the parameters may be achieved by automatic calibration, improving the accuracy of the numerical results. Recovery tests for 12 wells were numerically simulated to obtain values for vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivity and specific storage for Triassic and Eocene fractured carbonate and the Upper-Miocene-Pliocene granular sandstone aquifer units. When an analytical solution is applied, only average values could be obtained. The conclusion reached was that the results of the analytical solution can be improved by the use of numerical methods. These methods are able to incorporate basic information on well design, aquifer material and the hydrogeological environment in the course of the evaluation. The revision of the archive recovery data using numerical methods may assist in the quest for better data for numerical flow and transport simulations without the need to perform new tests. In addition, the methods employed here can explain cases in which the original analytical interpretations proved unable to yield reliable data and predictions.
The solid progress of nanomedicine
Authors: Martins João Pedro , das Neves José , de la Fuente María , Celia Christian , Florindo Helena , Günday-Türeli Nazende , Popat Amirali , Santos José Luis , Sousa Flávia , Schmid Ruth , Wolfram Joy , Sarmento Bruno , Santos Hélder A.
Published: March 2020

This commentary article conveys the views of the board of the Nanomedicine and Nanoscale Delivery Focus Group of the Controlled Release Society regarding the decision of the United States National Cancer Institute (NCI) in halting funding for the Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (CCNEs), and the subsequent editorial articles that broadened this discussion.
Continuity and Community: An Analysis of Membership Turnover, Growth and Decline in Three Congregations
Authors: Gallagher Sally K.
Published: March 2020

This article explores congregational growth and decline from the perspective of long-term members, drawing on personal interviews and fieldwork in a mainline, evangelical and Orthodox congregation. In these, we find distinctive patterns of stability, growth and decline, largely related to congregational demographics and leadership change consistent with findings from previous research. Yet when we shift the perspective from that of the pulpit (number of members) to the view from the pew (continuity of community) a different picture emerges—one focused on the salience of relationships within congregations. This approach challenges the methodological focus on net growth and decline as a way of assessing congregational stability and change. We argue that regardless of whether congregations are growing or shrinking, the experience of worship is shaped by continuity of community—and that continuity, more than size, creates an enduring and sense of connection helps explain why people choose not to circulate, but rather stay.
Erratum to: Nanowires-assembled WO3 nanomesh for fast detection of ppb-level NO2 at low temperature
Authors: Liu Di , Ren Xiaowei , Li Yesheng , Tang Zilong , Zhang Zhongtai
Published: March 2020

Figure 7 in the original version of this article was unfortunately wrong on page 23
Erratum zu: Einflussfaktoren und Folgen des Ausfalls gesetzlicher Ruhepausen bei Pflegekräften in Deutschland
Authors: Lohmann-Haislah Andrea , Wendsche Johannes , Schulz Anika , Schöllgen Ina , Pinzon Luis Carlos Escobar
Published: March 2020

Der Artikel „Einflussfaktoren und Folgen des Ausfalls gesetzlicher Ruhepausen bei Pflegekräften in Deutschland“ von Andrea Lohmann-Haislah, Johannes Wendsche, Anika Schulz, Ina Schöllgen und Luis Carlos Escobar Pinzon wurde ursprünglich ohne „Open Access“ Online First auf der Internetplattform des
Erratum zu: Auswirkungen verkürzter Ruhezeiten auf Gesundheit und Work-Life-Balance bei Vollzeitbeschäftigten: Ergebnisse der BAuA-Arbeitszeitbefragung 2017
Authors: Backhaus Nils , Brauner Corinna , Tisch Anita
Published: March 2020

Der Artikel „Auswirkungen verkürzter Ruhezeiten auf Gesundheit und Work-Life-Balance bei Vollzeitbeschäftigten: Ergebnisse der BAuA-Arbeitszeitbefragung 2017“ von Nils Backhaus, Corinna Brauner und Anita Tisch wurde ursprünglich ohne „Open Access“ Online First auf der Internetplattform des Verlags
Some Unresolved Ethical Challenges in Healthcare Decision-Making: Navigating Family Involvement
Authors: Menon Sumytra , Entwistle Vikki A. , Campbell Alastair V. , van Delden Johannes J. M.
Published: March 2020

Family involvement in healthcare decision-making for competent patients occurs to varying degrees in many communities around the world. There are different attitudes about who should make treatment decisions, how and why. Legal and professional ethics codes in most jurisdictions reflect and support the idea that competent patients should be enabled to make their own treatment decisions, even if others, including their healthcare professionals, disagree with them. This way of thinking contrasts with some cultural norms that put more emphasis on the family as a decision-making entity, in some circumstances to the exclusion of a competent patient. Possible tensions may arise between various combinations of patient, family members and healthcare professionals, and healthcare professionals must tread a careful path in navigating family involvement in the decision-making process. These tensions may be about differences of opinion about which treatment option is best and/or on who should have a say or influence in the decision-making process. While some relevant cultural, legal and policy considerations vary from community to community, there are ethical issues that healthcare professionals need to grapple with in balancing the laws and professional codes on decision-making and the ethical principle of respecting patients and their autonomy. This paper will highlight and propose that a partial resolution to these issues may lie in relational understandings of autonomy, which in principle justify interventions by healthcare professionals and family that support patients in decision-making.
City-Strata of the Anthropocene
Authors: Zalasiewicz Jan , Waters Colin , Williams Mark
Published: March 2020

The fabric of a city represents a transformation of raw geological materials into a complex assemblage of new, human-made minerals and rocks such as steel, glass, plastics, concrete, brick, and ceramics. This activity has been considered in terms of an “urban metabolism,” with day-to-day inflows and outflows of people, food, water, and waste materials. Here we adopt a longer time-scale spanning years to millennia, related to geological time-scales but still meaningful for present and future generations of humans, and consider cities as sedimentary systems. In natural sedimentary systems, flows of materials are governed by natural forces such as climate and gravity, and leave physical records in, for instance, river-strata. In cities, the flows of geological materials needed for construction and reconstruction are directed by humans, and are largely powered by the fossil energy stored in hydrocarbons rather than by gravity or the sun. The resultant assemblages of anthropogenic rocks and minerals may be thought of as sedimentary (and/or trace-fossil) systems that can undergo fossilization and now exist on a planetary scale. Far more diverse than natural geological strata, they are also evolving much more rapidly, not least in terms of their growing waste products. Considering cities through such a perspective may become increasingly useful as they come to be influenced by, and need to adapt to, the changing conditions of the emerging Anthropocene epoch.
The Fair Deposit: Credit Reallocation and Trade Finance in the Early Modern Period
Authors: Matringe Nadia
Published: March 2020

Based on the private records of a prominent sixteenth-century merchant bank (Salviati of Lyon), this article focuses on an important instrument of trade finance in the early modern period: the fair deposit. While the financial history of deposit banking has often been separated from that of merchant banking, this study demonstrates that during the sixteenth century a specific type of deposit banking emerged at fairs, intrinsically connected to merchant banking and international trade. As analysis of the Salviati archives reveals, the fair deposit was an instrument of both clearing and credit, sustaining the financing of large-scale European trade. Credit mostly derived from international trade and banking, where it was reinjected almost immediately. Investments were stimulated by the numerous advantages offered by the fairs held at Lyon: licit lending at interest, a choice of investments, and the possibility of making purchases and rapid transfers. Loans to local and foreign businessmen nourished the trade of commodities and, above all, the exchange business, conferring on Lyon a crucial position in the European trade and exchange system. This form of deposit banking was closely related to the development of merchant banks that worked mostly on commission, drawing substantial profits from it without becoming specialists or even deposit banks.
Intervention to reduce carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a neonatal intensive care unit
Authors: Thatrimontrichai Anucha , Pannaraj Pia S. , Janjindamai Waricha , Dissaneevate Supaporn , Maneenil Gunlawadee , Apisarnthanarak Anucha
Published: March 2020

Objective:

To investigate the effects of environmental cleaning and the installation of heat and moisture exchangers (HMEs) to reduce neonatal carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) sepsis and colonization as well as antimicrobial use.

Design:

We conducted a 7-year, quasi-experimental study.

Setting and patients:

All neonates admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Methods:

We compared the trends for CRAB sepsis and colonization before (period 1, 2011–2013) and after (period 3, 2015–2017) a 12-month intervention period in 2014 (period 2) to incorporate a combination of HME use and sodium hypochlorite cleaning (5,000 ppm in the NICU and 500 ppm in the neonatal environment) using interrupted time series analysis with segmented regression.

Results:

During the 7-year study period, 3,367 neonates were admitted to the NICU; the prevalence rates of CRAB sepsis and endotracheal CRAB colonization were 0.5 per 1,000 patient days, and 19.4 per 1,000 ventilator days. A comparison of period 1 to period 3 showed significant decreases in the percentages of both CRAB of A. baumannii sepsis (100% versus 11%) and endotracheal colonization (76% vs 52%) following the introduction of disposable HMEs and sodium hypochlorite cleaning (both P < .001). In period 3, compared with period 1, segmented regression analysis showed significant reductions in endotracheal CRAB colonization per 1,000 ventilator days (ie, change in level) and both carbapenem and colistin use (changes in both level and slope) (P < .001).

Conclusions:

Interventions featuring environmental cleaning and use of HMEs led to a sustainable reduction of CRAB colonization coupled with a reduction in broad-spectrum antimicrobial use in the NICU.
The Expansion of Slavery in Benguela During the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Candido Mariana P.
Published: March 2020

This article explores the nature and expansion of slavery in Benguela, in West Central Africa, during the nineteenth century, engaging with the scholarship on second slavery. Robert Palmer, Eric Hobsbawm, and Janet Polasky have framed the nineteenth century as the age of contagious liberty, yet, in Benguela, and elsewhere along the African coast, the institution of slavery expanded, in part to attend to the European and North American demand for natural resources. In the wake of the end of the slave trade, plantation slavery spread along the African coast to supply the growing demand in Europe and North America for cotton, sugar, and natural resources such as wax, ivory, rubber, and gum copal. In Portuguese territories in West Central Africa, slavery remained alive until 1869, when enslaved people were put into systems of apprenticeship very similar to labor regimes elsewhere in the Atlantic world. For the thousands of people who remained in captivity in Benguela, the nineteenth century continued to be a moment of oppression, forced labor, and extreme violence, not an age of abolition.

After the 1836 abolition of slave exports, local merchants and recently arrived immigrants from Portugal and Brazil set up plantations around Benguela making extensive use of unfree labor. In this article, I examine how abolition, colonialism, and economic exploitation were part of the same process in Benguela, which resulted in new zones of slavery responding to industrialization and market competition. Looking at individual cases, wherever possible, this study examines the kinds of activities enslaved people performed and the nature of slave labor. Moreover, it examines how free and enslaved people interacted and the differences that existed in terms of gender, analyzing the type of labor performed by enslaved men and women. And it questions the limitations of the “age of abolition”.
EXACT LOCAL WHITTLE ESTIMATION IN LONG MEMORY TIME SERIES WITH MULTIPLE POLES
Authors: Arteche Josu
Published: March 2020

A generalization of the Exact Local Whittle estimator in Shimotsu and Phillips (2005,Annals of Statistics33, 1890–1933) is proposed for jointly estimating all the memory parameters in general long memory time series that possibly display standard, seasonal, and/or other cyclical strong persistence. Consistency and asymptotic normality are proven for stationary, nonstationary, and noninvertible series, permitting straightforward standard inference of interesting hypotheses such as the existence of unit roots and equality of memory parameters at some or all seasonal frequencies, which can be used as a prior test for the application of seasonal differencing filters. The effects of unknown deterministic terms are also discussed. Finally, the finite sample performance is analyzed in an extensive Monte Carlo exercise and an application to an U.S. Industrial Production index.