bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterizing chain‐end structures formed during initiation reactions of radical polymerization for MMA‐St‐BA terpolymer using pyrolysis‐gas chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization high‐resolution time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry
Authors: Harata Kenji , Kitagawa Shinya , Iiguni Yoshinori , Ohtani Hajime , Ezaki Tatsuya
Published: December 2019

Rationale

Analyzing polymer end groups using pyrolysis (Py) gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in multi‐component polymer samples is not an easy task because of the insufficient sensitivity, selectivity, and mass resolution of conventional Py‐GC/MS systems.

Methods

A new Py‐GC/MS system using an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source combined with high‐resolution time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) was used for end‐group analysis of a methyl methacrylate (MMA)‐styrene (St)‐butyl acrylate (BA) terpolymer (P (MMA‐St‐BA)), which was radically polymerized using 2,2′‐azobis(2‐methylbutyronitrile) (AMBN) as an initiator.

Results

Five possible pyrolyzates, comprising an AMBN fragment and a monomer unit, formed during the initiation reactions from one of the three types of end groups, were selectively detected and exclusively identified in their respective extracted ion chromatograms for molecule‐related ions, such as M+ and [M + H]+, with a narrow mass window of ±2 milli m/z units.

Conclusions

It was demonstrated that Py‐APCI‐TOFMS is a powerful technique to characterize in detail the complex end groups in multi‐component polymer samples, because of the soft ionization nature of APCI and the high mass resolution of TOFMS.
Resilient control of networked control systems under deception attacks: A memory‐event‐triggered communication scheme
Authors: Wang Kunyu , Tian Engang , Liu Jinliang , Wei Linnan , Yue Dong
Published: December 2019

This paper considers resilient event‐triggered control problem for a class of networked systems subject to randomly occurring deception attacks. First, a new memory event‐triggered scheme (METS) is proposed to reduce the utilization of communication resources while maintaining desired system performance. Different from some existing event‐triggered schemes, some recently released packets are firstly utilized in the proposed METS, which provides a better flexibility to improve the system dynamics. Second, considering the security problem of the networked control systems, a randomly occurring deception attack model is employed where the bounded malicious signals are injected by the adversary. Considering both the effects of METS and deception attack, new type of networked control system model is constructed and the corresponding memory state‐feedback controller is designed. Then, sufficient conditions for the asymptotical stability of the systems are derived by using a Lyapunov functional technique. Finally, the obtained results are verified through a pendulum system, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Dynamic predictive probabilities to monitor rapid cystic fibrosis disease progression
Authors: Szczesniak Rhonda D. , Su Weiji , Brokamp Cole , Keogh Ruth H. , Pestian John P. , Seid Michael , Diggle Peter J. , Clancy John P.
Published: December 2019

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a progressive, genetic disease characterized by frequent, prolonged drops in lung function. Accurately predicting rapid underlying lung‐function decline is essential for clinical decision support and timely intervention. Determining whether an individual is experiencing a period of rapid decline is complicated due to its heterogeneous timing and extent, and error component of the measured lung function. We construct individualized predictive probabilities for “nowcasting” rapid decline. We assume each patient's true longitudinal lung function,S(t), follows a nonlinear, nonstationary stochastic process, and accommodate between‐patient heterogeneity through random effects. Corresponding lung‐function decline at timetis defined as the rate of change,S′(t). We predictS′(t)conditional on observed covariate and measurement history by modeling a measured lung function as a noisy version ofS(t). The method is applied to data on 30 879 US CF Registry patients. Results are contrasted with a currently employed decision rule using single‐center data on 212 individuals. Rapid decline is identified earlier using predictive probabilities than the center's currently employed decision rule (mean difference: 0.65 years; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.41, 0.89). We constructed a bootstrapping algorithm to obtain CIs for predictive probabilities. We illustrate real‐time implementation with R Shiny. Predictive accuracy is investigated using empirical simulations, which suggest this approach more accurately detects peak decline, compared with a uniform threshold of rapid decline. Median area under the ROC curve estimates (Q1‐Q3) were 0.817 (0.814‐0.822) and 0.745 (0.741‐0.747), respectively, implying reasonable accuracy for both. This article demonstrates how individualized rate of change estimates can be coupled with probabilistic predictive inference and implementation for a useful medical‐monitoring approach.
Advanced Hybrid GaN/ZnO Nanoarchitectured Microtubes for Fluorescent Micromotors Driven by UV Light
Authors: Wolff Niklas , Ciobanu Vladimir , Enachi Mihail , Kamp Marius , Braniste Tudor , Duppel Viola , Shree Sindu , Raevschi Simion , Medina‐Sánchez Mariana , Adelung Rainer , Schmidt Oliver G. , Kienle Lorenz , Tiginyanu Ion
Published: December 2019

The development of functional microstructures with designed hierarchical and complex morphologies and large free active surfaces offers new potential for improvement of the pristine microstructures properties by the synergistic combination of microscopic as well as nanoscopic effects. In this contribution, dedicated methods of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) including tomography are used to characterize the complex hierarchically structured hybrid GaN/ZnO:Au microtubes containing a dense nanowire network on their interior. The presence of an epitaxially stabilized and chemically extremely stable ultrathin layer of ZnO on the inner wall of the produced GaN microtubes is evidenced. Gold nanoparticles initially trigger the catalytic growth of solid solution phase (Ga1–xZnx)(N1–xOx) nanowires into the interior space of the microtube, which are found to be terminated by AuGa‐alloy nanodots coated in a shell of amorphous GaOx species after the hydride vapor phase epitaxy process. The structural characterization suggests that this hierarchical design of GaN/ZnO microtubes could offer the potential to exhibit improved photocatalytic properties, which are initially demonstrated under UV light irradiation. As a proof of concept, the produced microtubes are used as photocatalytic micromotors in the presence of hydrogen peroxide solution with luminescent properties, which are appealing for future environmental applications and active matter fundamental studies.
Supermembranes and domain walls in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 1, D = 4 SYM
Authors: Bandos Igor , Lanza Stefano , Sorokin Dmitri
Published: December 2019

Abstract

We construct a manifestly supersymmetric and kappa-symmetry invariant worldvolume action describing the coupling of a dynamical membrane to an

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1, D = 4 SU(N ) super-Yang-Mills multiplet. Worldvolume scalar fields in this action are a Gold-stone and a Goldstino associated with spontaneous breaking, by the membrane, of half of

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1, D = 4 supersymmetry. When the Goldstone fields are set to zero, the model reduces to an N = 1, d = 3 SU(N) Chern-Simons theory induced by the SYM coupling. We show that, when the membrane couples to the Veneziano-Yankielowicz (VY) effective theory of the

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1 SYM, it sources VY bulk field equations, separates two distinct SYM vacua and provides the missing contribution to the tension of BPS saturated domain-wall configurations, for which the membrane serves as a core. As a result, we obtain explicit BPS domain-wall solutions in the Veneziano-Yankielowicz theory. We also briefly discuss a supersymmetric system of an open membrane having a string attached to its boundary and coupled to a massive extension of the Veneziano-Yankielowicz model.
Cosmology as a CFT1
Authors: Achour Jibril Ben , Livine Etera R.
Published: December 2019

Abstract

We show that the simplest FLRW cosmological system consisting in the homo- geneous and isotropic massless Einstein-Scalar system enjoys a hidden conformal symmetry under the 1D conformal group SL(2, ℝ) acting as Mobius transformations in proper time. This invariance is made explicit through the mapping of FLRW cosmology onto conformal mechanics. On the one hand, we identify the corresponding conformal Noether charges, as combinations of the Hamiltonian scalar constraint, the extrinsic curvature and the 3D volume, which form a closed 𝔰𝔩 (2, ℝ) Lie algebra. On the other hand, this approach allows to write FLRW cosmology in terms of a AdS2 phase space and a Schwarzian action. Preserving this conformal structure at the quantum level fixes the ordering ambiguities in the Wheeler-de Witt quantization and allows to formulate FLRW quantum cosmology as a CFT1. We show that the CFT two-points correlator is realized as the overlap of the evolution in proper time of cosmological coherent wave-packets. In particular, the two-points function is built from a vacuum state which, although not conformally invariant, coincides with the cosmological vacuum annihilated by the scalar constraint. These results suggest new perspectives in classical and quantum cosmology, among which the possibility to apply the conformal bootstrap program to quantize cosmological backgrounds.
Effectiveness of Topical Insulin Dressings in Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Authors: Bhittani Mehreen K. , Rehman Mubarak , Altaf Humera N. , Altaf Omar S.
Published: December 2019

Background

Infected diabetic foot ulcers are always a problem for the surgeon, as well as, an economic burden upon the patient and state, in terms of increased hospital stay and cost of medications and dressings. Various methods have been devised for the treatment of infected wounds in history with varying results in different patients groups. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of topical insulin on the healing of diabetic foot ulcers with the conventional Pyodine® povidone iodine dressing. Our objective was to compare effectiveness of topical insulin with conventional Pyodine® povidone iodine dressings in frequency of healing of diabetic foot ulcers.

Materials and Methods

It was a quasi‐experimental study done at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Islamabad over a period of 20 months from January 2015 to September 2016. One hundred ten patients were included in the study. Sampling technique used was non‐probability consecutive. Patients were assigned into two groups, group A receiving treatment with solution of 30 International Units Insulin Regular in 30 ml of normal saline and group B receiving conventional dressing with normal saline. The wound were compared for both groups at the days 7, 14 and 21 for wound healing. Complete healing time of diabetic foot ulcers was determined from patients’ followup visits in outpatient department. Data was by analyzed by SPSS 20.

Results

A total of 110 patients were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided equally into both control and experimental groups. The mean age of the patients was 53.23 ± 6.21 years. The mean pre‐treatment wound diameter was 4.81 ± 0.85 cm in the placebo group, while it was 4.84 ± 0.81 cm in the topical insulin group (CI 0.29–0.35, P = 0.875). The mean post‐treatment wound diameter was 3.90 ± 0.76 cm in the placebo group, while it was 2.46 ± 0.57 cm in the topical insulin group (CI 0.44–0.58, P = 0.022). The mean wound difference was 0.91 ± 0.25 cm in the placebo group, while it was 2.4 ± 0.34 cm in the topical insulin group (CI 0.40–0.20, P = 0.041). The mean percent reduction in wound diameter was 19.2 ± 4.6% in the placebo group, while it was 49.7 ± 5.2% cm in the topical insulin group (CI 10.6–6.1, P = 0.001).

Conclusion

There was significant contraction seen in the size of the ulcer in both the study groups depicting the healing process.
“Can Computer Based Human-Likeness Endanger Humanness?” – A Philosophical and Ethical Perspective on Digital Assistants Expressing Feelings They Can’t Have”
Authors: Porra Jaana , Lacity Mary , Parks Michael S.
Published: December 2019

Digital assistants engage with us with increasingly human-like conversations, including the expression of human emotions with such utterances as“I am sorry…”, “I hope you enjoy…”, “I am grateful…”, or “I regret that…”. By 2021, digital assistants will outnumber humans. No one seems to stop to ask if creating more digital companions that appear increasingly human is really beneficial to the future of our species. In this essay, we pose the question:“How human should computer-based human-likeness appear?”We rely on the philosophy of humanness and the theory of speech acts to consider the long-term consequences of living with digital creatures that express human-like feelings. We argue that feelings are the very substance of our humanness and therefore are best reserved forhumaninteraction.
Measurements of thermophysical properties of solid and liquid NIST SRM 316L stainless steel
Authors: Pichler Peter , Simonds Brian J. , Sowards Jeffrey W. , Pottlacher Gernot
Published: December 2019

In this work, we perform high accuracy measurements of thermophysical properties for the National Institute of Standards and Technology standard reference material for 316L stainless steel. As these properties can be sensitive to small changes in elemental composition even within the allowed tolerances for an alloy class, by selecting a publicly available standard reference material for study our results are particularly useful for the validation of multiphysics models of industrial metal processes. An ohmic pulse-heating system was used to directly measure the electrical resistivity, enthalpy, density, and thermal expansion as functions of temperature. This apparatus applies high current pulses to heat wire-shaped samples from room temperature to metal vaporization. The great advantage of this particular pulse-heating apparatus is the very short experimental duration of 50 $$\upmu {{\hbox {s}}}$$μs, which is faster than the collapse of the liquid wire due to gravitational forces, as well as that it prevents any chemical reactions of the hot liquid metal with its surroundings. Additionally, a differential scanning calorimeter was used to measure specific heat capacity from room temperature to around 1400 K. All data are accompanied by uncertainties according to the guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement.
Nonlinear vibrations of a rotating thin-walled composite piezo-beam with circumferentially uniform stiffness (CUS)
Authors: Latalski Jarosław , Warminski Jerzy
Published: December 2019

A rotating system comprising a hub and a thin-walled laminate cantilever beam with embedded nonlinear piezoelectric layers is analysed in the paper. The reinforcing fibres set-up in composite material conforms to circumferentially uniform stiffness lamination scheme. This configuration exhibits the mutual bending couplings in two orthogonal planes. Nonlinear analytical model of a piezoelectric material embedded onto the beam walls is postulated by considering the higher-order constitutive relations with respect to electric field variable. Moreover, to properly model electromechanical structural behaviour, the full two-way coupling piezoelectric effect is considered. To this aim, the assumption of a spanwise electric field variation is postulated in the mathematical model of the structure. Based on previous authors’ research, the system of mutually coupled nonlinear equations of motion is formulated. In the numerical analysis the forced response of the system under zero and nonzero mean value harmonic torque excitation is considered. In particular, the influence of hub inertia, excitation amplitude and mean rotating speed on system dynamics is investigated. The results are presented in the form of appropriate frequency response plots and bifurcation diagrams.
Minimal disturbance: in defence of pragmatic reasons of the right kind
Authors: Bastian Lisa
Published: December 2019

This paper draws attention to an important methodological shortcoming in debates about what counts as a reason for belief. An extremely influential distinction in this literature is between reasons of the ‘right kind’ and the ‘wrong kind’. However, as I will demonstrate, arguments making use of this distinction often rely on a specific (and not explicitly stated) conception of epistemic rationality. Shifting focus to a reasonable alternative, namely a coherentist conception, can lead to surprising consequences—in particular, pragmatic reasons can, against orthodoxy, indeed be reasons of the right kind for belief.
Frequent Attendance to the Emergency Department after Release from Prison: a Prospective Data Linkage Study
Authors: Butler Amanda , Love Alexander D. , Young Jesse T. , Kinner Stuart A.
Published: December 2019

The aim of this paper was to identify characteristics and predictors of frequent emergency department (ED) use among people released from prisons in Queensland, Australia. Baseline interview data from a sample of sentenced adults were linked to ED and hospital records. The association between baseline characteristics and frequent ED attendance was modelled by fitting multivariate logistic regression models. Participants who had ≥ 4 visits to the ED in any 365-day period of community follow-up were defined as frequent attenders (FA). The analyses included 1307 people and mean follow-up time in the community was 1063 days. After adjusting for covariates, those with a dual diagnoses of mental illness and substance use (RR = 2.42, 95% CI 1.47–3.99) and those with mental illness alone (RR = 2.47, 95% CI 1.29–4.73) were at higher risk of frequent ED attendance, compared with those with no disorder. Future research should assess whether individually tailored transition supports from prison to community reduce the frequency of ED use among this population.
Vitamin D Status After Gastric Bypass or Sleeve Gastrectomy over 4 Years of Follow-up
Authors: Fox Alistair , Slater Chris , Ahmed Babur , Ammori Basil J. , Senapati Siba , Akhtar Khurshid , Ellison Jodi , Summers Lucinda K. M. , Robinson Adam , New John P. , Soran Handrean , Adam Safwaan , Syed Akheel A.
Published: December 2019

Background

Bariatric surgery for severe obesity can lead to micronutrient/vitamin deficiencies.

Aims

To study baseline and post-surgical prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients undergoing bariatric surgery.

Participants and Setting

Patients undergoing bariatric surgery in a university teaching hospital in North West England.

Methods

We performed an observational cohort analysis of longitudinal data on vitamin D and related parameters in patients who underwent bariatric surgery. Patients were routinely recommended daily combined calcium and vitamin D supplementation post-surgery.

Results

We studied 460 patients who had completed at least 12 months post-operatively; mean (standard deviation) age was 48.0 (10.5) years, weight 144.7 (27.3) kg and body mass index 50.0 (7.6) kg/m2; 292 (63.5%) underwent gastric bypass and 168 (36.5%) sleeve gastrectomy. Vitamin D level was 33.1 (23.9) nmol/L at baseline, rising to 57.1 (23.1) nmol/L at 12 months post-surgery. Whereas 43.2% had vitamin D deficiency and 34.7% insufficiency preoperatively, 8.9% and 26.7% had deficiency and insufficiency, respectively, at 12 months with similar trends up to 4 years of follow-up. There were no significant differences between procedures or sexes in vitamin D levels or sufficiency rates.

Conclusion

Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were prevalent pre-surgery and reduced significantly with routine supplementation post-surgery.
Correction to: DNMT3A reads and connects histone H3K36me2 to DNA methylation
Authors: Xu Wenqi , Li Jiahui , Rong Bowen , Zhao Bin , Wang Mei , Dai Ruofei , Chen Qilong , Liu Hang , Gu Zhongkai , Liu Shuxian , Guo Rui , Shen Hongjie , Wu Feizhen , Lan Fei
Published: December 2019

The author would like to add the below information in this correction. A similar study from Chao Lu group was published online on 5 September 2019 in Nature, entitled “The histone mark H3K36me2 recruits DNMT3A and shapes the intergenic DNA methylation landscape” (Weinberg et al., 2019). Although both the studies reported the preferential recognition of H3K36me2 by DNMT3A PWWP, ours in addition uncovered a stimulation function by such interaction on the activity of DNMT3A. On the disease connections, we used a NSD2 gain-of-function model which led to the discovery of potential therapeutic implication of DNA inhibitors in the related cancers, while the other study only used NSD1 and DNMT3A loss-of-function models.
Evaluation of a Desktop 3D Printed Rigid Refractive-Indexed-Matched Flow Phantom for PIV Measurements on Cerebral Aneurysms
Authors: Ho W. H. , Tshimanga I. J. , Ngoepe M. N. , Jermy M. C. , Geoghegan P. H.
Published: December 2019

Purpose

Fabrication of a suitable flow model or phantom is critical to the study of biomedical fluid dynamics using optical flow visualization and measurement methods. The main difficulties arise from the optical properties of the model material, accuracy of the geometry and ease of fabrication.

Methods

Conventionally an investment casting method has been used, but recently advancements in additive manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing have allowed the flow model to be printed directly with minimal post-processing steps. This study presents results of an investigation into the feasibility of fabrication of such models suitable for particle image velocimetry (PIV) using a common 3D printing Stereolithography process and photopolymer resin.

Results

An idealised geometry of a cerebral aneurysm was printed to demonstrate its applicability for PIV experimentation. The material was shown to have a refractive index of 1.51, which can be refractive matched with a mixture of de-ionised water with ammonium thiocyanate (NH4SCN). The images were of a quality that after applying common PIV pre-processing techniques and a PIV cross-correlation algorithm, the results produced were consistent within the aneurysm when compared to previous studies.

Conclusions

This study presents an alternative low-cost option for 3D printing of a flow phantom suitable for flow visualization simulations. The use of 3D printed flow phantoms reduces the complexity, time and effort required compared to conventional investment casting methods by removing the necessity of a multi-part process required with investment casting techniques.
Connectivity Reliability on an Urban Rail Transit Network from the Perspective of Passenger Travel
Authors: Liu Jie , Peng Qiyuan , Chen Jinqu , Yin Yong
Published: December 2019

Under the background of urbanization and the rapid development of urban rail transit (URT), serious attention has been focused on URT network reliability in recent years. In this work, in order to measure network reliability, three indicators are constructed based on passengers’ tolerable travel paths, passenger travel efficiency and passenger travel realization on a URT network. The passenger tolerability coefficient, which is the ratio of passengers’ tolerable travel time to the shortest possible travel time, is proposed and added to the indicators. It reflects passengers’ behavior with respect to choice of travel paths. The ratio of affected passenger volume (RAPV) is proposed to identify important stations. Finally, the connectivity reliability of Wuhan’s subway network is analyzed by simulating attacks on stations. The results show that the degree centrality, betweenness centrality and RAPV indicators of stations can effectively identify the important stations that have a significant impact on the connectivity reliability of the network. In particular, the RAPV indicator effectively identifies stations that have the greatest influence on passenger travel realization. The connectivity reliability of Wuhan’s subway network is sensitive to passenger tolerability coefficient, and reliability is greater during non-peak hours than during peak hours. In addition, the stations that are important to the connectivity reliability of the Wuhan subway have two features, i.e., they are located at the center of the city, and they are important for connecting subgraphs of the network.
Expectations do not affect punishment
Authors: Coffman Lucas C.
Published: December 2019

Expectations-based reference dependence has been shown to be important across a variety of contexts in Psychology and Economics. Do expectations play a role in moral judgment? The higher our beliefs are relative to an outcome, do we punish more harshly? This paper reports a series of experiments investigating the hypothesis that expectations as reference points per se affect punishment. The experimental design varies the expectation the Punisher holds just before she learns what actually occurred. In tandem with the manipulation, expectations are shown to vary significantly and substantially. However, punishment does not respond to these exogenous changes in expectations. After 17 sessions, 295 Punishers, and six experimental setups, expectations are shown not to affect punishment in any systematic way.
The Agonistic Poetics of Dāsya-bhāva: the Soteriological Confrontation Between Deity and Devotee
Authors: Barua Ankur
Published: December 2019

The devotional literatures across the Hindu bhakti traditions of medieval India are shaped by distinctive styles of affective responses to the divine reality. A theme which recurs in several layers of their songs is a theological dialectic between divine majesty and divine accessibility; the divine is not only simply transcendent in the sense of being a distant deity but is also immanently present in and through a range of human sensitivities, emotions, and affectivities. We will highlight the dialectic in the devotional songs of three medieval figures, Tulsīdās (c. 1600), Sūrdās (c. 1600), and Mādhavadeva (1489–1596), which are structured primarily by the devotional attitude of a servant (dāsa) towards the Lord. As we will see, this theological servitude is not to be understood as a form of abject servility, for the three poets, in their somewhat distinctive ways, can not only speak of the Lord as a friend and as a lover, but can even level various kinds of complaints, challenges, and accusations at the Lord. Thus, if the Lord’s transcendental sovereignty is emphasised by the devotee through the modes of self-censure, the Lord’s immanent availability is also highlighted through the protests that the devotee fervently makes to the seemingly uncaring Lord.
Aiding the discovery of new treatments for dementia by uncovering unknown benefits of existing medications
Authors: Kern David M. , Cepeda M. Soledad , Lovestone Simon , Seabrook Guy R.
Published: December 2019

Introduction

There is a significant need for disease‐modifying therapies to treat and prevent dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Availability of real‐world observational information and new analytic techniques to analyze large volumes of data can provide a path to aid drug discovery.

Methods

Using a self‐controlled study design, we examined the association between 2181 medications and incidence of dementia across four US insurance claims databases. Medications associated with ≥50% reduction in risk of dementia in ≥2 databases were examined.

Results

A total of 117,015,066 individuals were included in the analysis. Seventeen medications met our threshold criteria for a potential protective effect on dementia and fell into five classes: catecholamine modulators, anticonvulsants, antibiotics/antivirals, anticoagulants, and a miscellaneous group.

Discussion

The biological pathways of the medications identified in this analysis may be targets for further research and may aid in discovering novel therapeutic approaches to treat dementia. These data show association not causality.
Ineffective levels of transforming growth factors and their receptor account for old age being a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Fessel Jeffrey
Published: December 2019

After the midninth decade of age, the incidence rates of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the presence of active TGF‐β1 show comparable increases. The hypothesis is proposed that the reason why advanced age is a major risk factor for AD is a progressive decrease with advancing age in the numbers of TGFR2 receptors in the brain, with the consequence of a decline in the neurotrophic efficacy of TGF‐β1 and 2 despite their already increased levels in older persons. Alternative, possible reasons are discussed but rejected because either those reasons may also affect young persons or because they cannot be validated in a clinical trial. The proposed hypothesis may be validated in persons with aMCI after raising their brain levels of TGF‐β1 and 2 by using a combination of three drugs, lithium, memantine, plus either glatiramer or venlafaxine, and then assessing their progression to AD.
Past as Prologue? Theorizing Transnational Labor Law Between Jessup and Jenks
Authors: Sinclair Guy Fiti
Published: December 2019

When contemplating the transnational futures of international labor law, it is worthwhile pausing to reflect on the origins of that body of law and its relationship to the idea of transnationalism itself. Seeking to establish the universality of human problems, Philip Jessup famously defined transnational law as “all law which regulates actions or events that transcend national frontiers,” including both public and private international law as well as “other rules which do not fully fit into such standard categories.” This concept has proven extraordinarily durable, impacting legal theory in a variety of fields, not least transnational labor law. It is noteworthy, however, that Jessup's foundational text makes only a handful of references to the International Labour Organization (ILO) and instead focusses to a much greater extent on problems involving other aspects of international economic relations. This short essay connects and compares Jessup's concept of transnationalism to another conceptual framework in international law, devised at around the same time, which has a more direct lineage in the practice of the ILO and, perhaps, a place in its future development.
Prehospital ultrasound use among Canadian aeromedical service providers – A cross-sectional survey
Authors: Sedlakova Anna , Olszynski Paul , Davis Philip , Froh John
Published: December 2019

Objectives

Evidence suggests that prehospital point of care ultrasound (POCUS) may change patient management. It serves as an aid in triage, physical examination, diagnosis, and patient disposition. The rate of adoption of POCUS among aeromedical services throughout Canada is unknown. The objective of this study was to describe current POCUS use among Canadian aeromedical services providers.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional observational study. A survey was emailed to directors of government-funded aeromedical services bases in Canada. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results

The response rate was 82.3% (14/17 aeromedical services directors), representing 41 of 46 individual bases. POCUS is used by aeromedical services in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Yukon reported they are planning to introduce POCUS within the next year. Ontario and Newfoundland reported they are not using POCUS and are not planning to introduce it. British Columbia is the only province currently using POCUS on fixed-wing aircraft. Most commonly reported frequency of POCUS use on missions was <25%. Most useful applications are assessment for pneumothorax, abdominal free fluid, and cardiac standstill. The most common barrier to POCUS use is cost of training and maintenance of competence.

Conclusions

Prehospital POCUS is available in Western Canada with one third of the Canadian population having access to aeromedical services using ultrasound. The Maritimes and the Yukon Territory will further extend POCUS use on fixed-wing aircraft. While there are barriers to POCUS use, those bases that have adopted POCUS consider it valuable.
Stakeholder engagement in methodological research: Development of a clinical decision support tool
Authors: Daudelin Denise H. , Ruthazer Robin , Kwong Manlik , Lorenzana Rebecca C. , Hannon Daniel J. , Kent David M. , McAlindon Timothy E. , Terrin Norma , Wong John B. , Selker Harry P.
Published: December 2019

Introduction:

Shared patient–clinician decision-making is central to choosing between medical treatments. Decision support tools can have an important role to play in these decisions. We developed a decision support tool for deciding between nonsurgical treatment and surgical total knee replacement for patients with severe knee osteoarthritis. The tool aims to provide likely outcomes of alternative treatments based on predictive models using patient-specific characteristics. To make those models relevant to patients with knee osteoarthritis and their clinicians, we involved patients, family members, patient advocates, clinicians, and researchers as stakeholders in creating the models.

Methods:

Stakeholders were recruited through local arthritis research, advocacy, and clinical organizations. After being provided with brief methodological education sessions, stakeholder views were solicited through quarterly patient or clinician stakeholder panel meetings and incorporated into all aspects of the project.

Results:

Participating in each aspect of the research from determining the outcomes of interest to providing input on the design of the user interface displaying outcome predications, 86% (12/14) of stakeholders remained engaged throughout the project. Stakeholder engagement ensured that the prediction models that form the basis of the Knee Osteoarthritis Mathematical Equipoise Tool and its user interface were relevant for patient–clinician shared decision-making.

Conclusions:

Methodological research has the opportunity to benefit from stakeholder engagement by ensuring that the perspectives of those most impacted by the results are involved in study design and conduct. While additional planning and investments in maintaining stakeholder knowledge and trust may be needed, they are offset by the valuable insights gained.
Athenacrinusn. gen. and other early echinoderm taxa inform crinoid origin and arm evolution
Authors: Guensburg Thomas E. , Sprinkle James , Mooi Rich , Lefebvre Bertrand , David Bruno , Roux Michel , Derstler Kraig
Published: December 2019

Intermediate morphologies of a new fossil crinoid shed light on the pathway by which crinoids acquired their distinctive arms. Apomorphies originating deep in echinoderm history among early nonblastozoan pentaradiate echinoderms distinguish Tremadocian (earliest Ordovician) crinoid arms from later taxa. The brachial series is separated from the ambulacra, part of the axial skeleton, by lateral plate fields. Cover plates are arrayed in two tiers, and floor plates expressed podial basins and pores. Later during the Early Ordovician, floor plates contacted and nestled into brachials, then were unexpressed as stereom elements entirely and cover plates were reduced to a single tier. Incorporation of these events into a parsimony analysis supports crinoid origin deep in echinoderm history separate from blastozoans (eocrinoids, ‘cystoids’). Arm morphology is exceptionally well-preserved in the late Tremadocian to early FloianAthenacrinus browerinew genus new species. Character analysis supports a hypothesis that this taxon originated early within in the disparid clade.Athenacrinusn. gen. (in Athenacrinidae new family) is the earliest-known crinoid to express what is commonly referred to as ‘compound’ or ‘biradial’ morphology. This terminology is misleading in that no evidence for implied fusion or fission of radials exists, rather it is suggested that this condition arose through disproportionate growth.

UUID:http://zoobank.org/b383e039-3298-4472-a7e3-e81684f87cfe
Teacher Trouble: Performing Race in the Majority-White Shakespeare Classroom
Authors: DE BARROS ERIC L.
Published: December 2019

The topic of race has long enriched Shakespeare scholarship. Race scholarship remains marginalized in the broader world of Shakespeare studies. The simultaneous “truth” of these statements reveals a deeply rooted professional ambivalence. And while recent attention has been paid to its manifestation at conferences and in journals, this essay explores its challenge to black teacher–scholars in the majority-white classroom. Rethinking The Merchant of Venice as an educational play, with Portia and Shylock performing as nontraditional teachers, I develop the concept of “teacher trouble” from Judith Butler's “gender trouble” to reflect personally on the perils and liberatory potential of antiracist performative strategies.
“Fair” Bianca and “Brown” Kate: Shakespeare and the Mixed-Race Family in José Esquea's The Taming of the Shrew
Authors: AKHIMIE PATRICIA
Published: December 2019

This essay explores the world of a new production of The Taming of the Shrew, still in the earliest stages of development, that will employ non-traditional casting and re-envision Katharina (“as brown in hue / as hazelnuts”), “fair” Bianca, and their father Baptista as members of a mixed-race family. The production is conceptualized, cast, and rehearsed under the guidance of José Esquea, producer/director of the Soñadores Productions Shakespeare series (formerly of Teatro LATEA), a classical theater group that features Latinx, African American and Asian American actors, and mixed-ability casting (the combination of professional and amateur actors from the community).
PREDICTING LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY IN BILINGUAL CHILDREN
Authors: De Cat Cécile
Published: December 2019

Using advanced quantitative methods, this article demonstrates that cumulative exposure to the school language is the best language experience predictor of proficiency in that language (as indexed by sentence repetition, lexical semantic, and discourse semantic tasks) in a highly diverse group of 5- to 7-year-old bilingual children in monolingual education. An objective method is proposed to identify the amount of school language experience beyond which bilingual children are likely to perform within the monolingual range, and show that relative passivity in the home language does not translate into better school language proficiency. Socioeconomic status is shown to interact in complex ways with language exposure, such that it is only above a certain level of exposure to the school language that the benefits of a more privileged background have a tangible impact on school language proficiency. To tease apart the effect of environmental predictors from the effect of cognitive factors, memory and cognitive flexibility measures are included as covariates in all analyses.
Acquiring a Beijing hukou: Who Is Eligible and Who Is Successful?
Authors: Liu Tao , Shi Qiujie
Published: December 2019

Using a localized perspective, this paper explores the gap between the eligibility criteria for a Beijing hukou (household registration) and the reality of successfully acquiring one. By comparing those who are eligible to apply with those who actually succeed in gaining a hukou, it reveals that hukou practices are operated locally to serve the city's development needs. It also reveals huge gaps between migrants, eligible applicants and hukou winners. Most migrants in Beijing are not eligible to apply for a local hukou. However, among those limited applicants who can apply, those with a postgraduate education and who serve the capital's political functions are more likely than others to win a hukou, an advantage not pointed out in government documents. These “hidden” rules are most likely set intentionally by the city so that it can maintain absolute control over hukou transfers; however, at the same time, they frustrate migrants who meet the stated requirements but who are in reality still unlikely to ever acquire a Beijing hukou. These findings open up a novel perspective for exploring the people–city nexus in China during the migration process and highlight the gaps between policy and reality for those who can apply for a Beijing hukou and those who actually win one.
An intra-aortic guide wire: what “knot” to do
Authors: Ootaki Yoshio , Ross Gregory A. , Zeller Kristen A.
Published: December 2019

We report a rare complication of central venous catheter placement in a 5-month-old baby.
Monolinguals and bilinguals respond differently to a delayed matching-to-sample task: An ERP study
Authors: Morrison Cassandra , Kamal Farooq , Le Kim , Taler Vanessa
Published: December 2019

Previous research examining whether bilinguals exhibit enhanced working memory (WM) compared to monolinguals has yielded mixed results. This inconsistency may be due to lack of sensitivity in behavioral and neuropsychological measures. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of bilingualism on WM by focusing on brain activity patterns (event-related potentials) in monolinguals and bilinguals during a WM task. We recorded brain activity while participants (26 monolingual English speakers and 28 English–French bilinguals) performed a delayed matching-to-sample task. Although performance measures were similar, electrophysiological differences were present across groups. Bilinguals exhibited larger P3b amplitudes than monolinguals, and smaller negative slow wave and N2b amplitudes during retrieval. These results suggest that bilinguals may have more cognitive resources available in WM to allocate to task completion, and that task completion may be less effortful for bilinguals than for monolinguals.
Food insecurity and weight status of socially vulnerable child beneficiaries of a food assistance programme in Maceió, Northeast Brazil
Authors: Lucena Priscila Nazaré , Bueno Nassib Bezerra , Vieira Karlla Almeida , Cabral Marcela Jardim , Clemente Ana Paulo Grotti , Florêncio Telma Maria de Menezes Toledo
Published: December 2019

Objective:

To evaluate the association between weight status and food insecurity of children living in social vulnerability who are beneficiaries of a food assistance programme (FAP).

Design:

Cross-sectional study.

Setting:

From all children benefiting from the FAP in the municipality, 30 % were mapped in forty-seven distribution points. Their weight status was evaluated using BMI-for-age and food insecurity was determined with the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Socio-economic data of the participants were collected using regular questionnaires. The main outcome measure was obesity.

Participants:

To be a beneficiary of the FAP, a family must have a child aged 24–96 months and receive less than half a minimum wage per capita. Participating families receive 1 litre of whole milk per day.

Results:

In all, 1487 children had BMI-for-age and food insecurity data. Of these children, 376 (25·3 %) had excess weight, of whom 164 (11·0 %) presented with obesity, and only twenty-seven (1·8 %) were underweight; 76 % of the families had some degree of food insecurity. Multivariable analysis revealed no overall association between household food insecurity and weight status. In the specific comparison, children living in severe food insecurity were less likely to present obesity than those children living in food security (prevalence ratio = 0·60; 95 % CI 0·38, 0·96; P = 0·03).

Conclusions:

In a socially vulnerable population that participates in a FAP, there was no overall association between food insecurity and weight status in children, a result which is similar to what is observed in more developed contexts.
SOME MODEL-THEORETIC RESULTS ON THE 3-VALUED PARACONSISTENT FIRST-ORDER LOGIC QCIORE
Authors: CONIGLIO MARCELO E. , GOMEZ-PEREIRA G.T. , FIGALLO MARTÍN
Published: December 2019

The 3-valued paraconsistent logic Ciore was developed by Carnielli, Marcos and de Amo under the name LFI2, in the study of inconsistent databases from the point of view of logics of formal inconsistency (LFIs). They also considered a first-order version of Ciore called LFI2*. The logic Ciore enjoys extreme features concerning propagation and retropropagation of the consistency operator: a formula is consistent if and only if some of its subformulas is consistent. In addition, Ciore is algebraizable in the sense of Blok and Pigozzi. On the other hand, the logic LFI2* satisfies a somewhat counter-intuitive property: the universal and the existential quantifier are inter-definable by means of the paraconsistent negation, as it happens in classical first-order logic with respect to the classical negation. This feature seems to be unnatural, given that both quantifiers have the classical meaning in LFI2*, and that this logic does not satisfy the De Morgan laws with respect to its paraconsistent negation. The first goal of the present article is to introduce a first-order version of Ciore (which we call QCiore) preserving the spirit of Ciore, that is, without introducing unexpected relationships between the quantifiers. The second goal of the article is to adapt to QCiore the partial structures semantics for the first-order paraconsistent logic LPT1 introduced by Coniglio and Silvestrini, which generalizes the semantic notion of quasi-truth considered by Mikeberg, da Costa and Chuaqui. Finally, some important results of classical Model Theory are obtained for this logic, such as Robinson’s joint consistency theorem, amalgamation and interpolation. Although we focus on QCiore, this framework can be adapted to other 3-valued first-order LFIs.
Sensitivity of dry edible bean to dicamba and 2,4-D
Authors: Bales Scott R. , Sprague Christy L.
Published: December 2019

Dicamba and 2,4-D exposure to sensitive crops, such as dry bean, is of great concern with the recent registrations of dicamba- and 2,4-D–resistant soybean. In 2017 and 2018, field experiments were conducted at two Michigan locations to understand how multiple factors, including dry bean market class, herbicide rate, and application timing, influence dry bean response to dicamba and 2,4-D. Dicamba and 2,4-D at rates of 0.1%, 1%, and 10% of the field use rate for dicamba and 2,4-D choline were applied to V2 and V8 black and navy bean. Field-use rates for dicamba and 2,4-D choline were 560 and 1,120 g ae ha−1, respectively. There were few differences between market classes or application timings when dry bean was exposed to dicamba or 2,4-D. Estimated rates to cause 20% dry bean injury 14 d after treatment were 4.5 and 107.5 g ae ha−1 for dicamba and 2,4-D, respectively. When dicamba was applied at 56 g ae ha−1, light interception was reduced up to 51% and maturity was delayed up to 16 d. Although both herbicides caused high levels of injury to dry bean, yield reductions were not consistently observed. At four site-years, 2,4-D did not reduce dry bean yield or seed weight with any rate tested. However, when averaged over site-years, dicamba rates of 3.7, 9.8 and 17.9 g ae ha−1 were estimated to cause 5%, 10%, and 15% yield loss, respectively. Dicamba also reduced seed weight by 10% when 56 g ae ha−1 was applied. However, the germination of harvested seed was not affected by dicamba or 2,4-D. Long delays in dry bean maturity from dicamba injury can also indirectly increase losses in yield and quality due to harvestability issues. This work further stresses the need for caution when using dicamba or 2,4-D herbicides near sensitive crops.