bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Refractory Hepatic Hydrothorax: A Rare Complication of Systemic Sclerosis and Presinusoidal Portal Hypertension
Authors: Abrams Gary A. , Chapman Robert , Horton Samuel R. W.
Published: April 2018

We report on a rare case of refractory hepatic hydrothorax in an individual with Scleroderma/CREST syndrome and noncirrhotic portal hypertension. Portal pressure measurements revealed a normal transjugular hepatic venous portal pressure gradient, mild pulmonary hypertension, and an unremarkable liver biopsy except for mild sinusoidal dilation. Pulmonary hypertension, cardiac diastolic dysfunction, and chronic kidney disease were determined to be the causes of his refractory pleural effusions and ascites. Over the year, he underwent 50 thoracenteses and 20 paracenteses averaging 10–12 liters/week. Repeat pulmonary evaluation determined his pulmonary pressures to be normal and a secondary review of the “unremarkable” liver biopsy noted mild venous outflow obstruction and possibly Nodular Regenerative Hyperplasia (NRH). Repeat portal pressures indirectly and directly confirmed the existence of presinusoidal portal hypertension that has been associated with NRH. A transjugular intrahepatic portal systemic shunt (TIPS) was placed and he has not required thoracentesis or paracentesis over the past 18 months.
Optical Ultrasound Generation and Detection for Intravascular Imaging: A Review
Authors: Zhao Tianrui , Su Lei , Xia Wenfeng
Published: April 2018

Combined ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging has attracted significant interests for intravascular imaging such as atheromatous plaque detection, with ultrasound imaging providing spatial location and morphology and photoacoustic imaging highlighting molecular composition of the plaque. Conventional ultrasound imaging systems utilize piezoelectric ultrasound transducers, which suffer from limited frequency bandwidths and reduced sensitivity with miniature transducer elements. Recent advances on optical methods for both ultrasound generation and detection have shown great promise, as they provide efficient and ultrabroadband ultrasound generation and sensitive and ultrabroadband ultrasound detection. As such, all-optical ultrasound imaging has a great potential to become a next generation ultrasound imaging method. In this paper, we review recent developments on optical ultrasound transmitters, detectors, and all-optical ultrasound imaging systems, with a particular focus on fiber-based probes for intravascular imaging. We further discuss our thoughts on future directions on developing combined all-optical photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging systems for intravascular imaging.
Socioeconomic Characteristics Influencing Level of Awareness of Aflatoxin Contamination of Feeds among Livestock Farmers in Meru District of Tanzania
Authors: Ayo E. M. , Matemu A. , Laswai G. H. , Kimanya M. E.
Published: April 2018

Aflatoxins occurrence in feeds challenges human and animal health. Farmers’ awareness status of these toxins has an effect on their level of exposure. The study assessed the influence of socioeconomic characteristics of farmers on their awareness of aflatoxin contamination of feeds. Data were collected from 258 households and analysed by SPSS program for descriptive statistics and association between socioeconomic characteristics and awareness of aflatoxin contamination of feeds. Over seventy percent of the farmers had never heard about aflatoxins. Education level, specialization, and period of keeping animals had significant influence on aflatoxin awareness. Hearing about aflatoxins was six times higher among farmers who studied life or social sciences than those without specialization and those who studied other fields. Awareness that aflatoxins may occur in feeds was twice higher among farmers with higher education than those with lower education. Perception that aflatoxins in feeds are detoxifiable was threefold higher among young people (with ≤10-year period of keeping animals) than among older ones. Awareness of aflatoxins was particularly low among farmers with low education and those without exposure to life or social sciences and vice versa. Sensitization is recommended to raise farmers’ awareness on aflatoxin contamination of feeds and incorporating aflatoxin knowledge in school curricula.
Does the Temporal Asymmetry of Short-Term Heart Rate Variability Change during Regular Walking? A Pilot Study of Healthy Young Subjects
Authors: Wang Xinpei , Yan Chang , Shi Bo , Liu Changchun , Karmakar Chandan , Li Peng
Published: April 2018

The acceleration and deceleration patterns in heartbeat fluctuations distribute asymmetrically, which is known as heart rate asymmetry (HRA). It is hypothesized that HRA reflects the balancing regulation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. This study was designed to examine whether altered autonomic balance during exercise can lead to HRA changes. Sixteen healthy college students were enrolled, and each student undertook two 5-min ECG measurements: one in a resting seated position and another while walking on a treadmill at a regular speed of 5 km/h. The two measurements were conducted in a randomized order, and a 30-min rest was required between them. RR interval time series were extracted from the 5-min ECG data, and HRA (short-term) was estimated using four established metrics, that is, Porta’s index (PI), Guzik’s index (GI), slope index (SI), and area index (AI), from both raw RR interval time series and the time series after wavelet detrending that removes the low-frequency component of <~0.03 Hz. Our pilot data showed a reduced PI but unchanged GI, SI, and AI during walking compared to resting seated position based on the raw data. Based on the wavelet-detrended data, reduced PI, SI, and AI were observed while GI still showed no significant changes. The reduced PI during walking based on both raw and detrended data which suggests less short-term HRA may underline the belief that vagal tone is withdrawn during low-intensity exercise. GI may not be sensitive to short-term HRA. The reduced SI and AI based on detrended data suggest that they may capture both short- and long-term HRA features and that the expected change in short-term HRA is amplified after removing the trend that is supposed to link to long-term component. Further studies with more subjects and longer measurements are warranted to validate our observations and to examine these additional hypotheses.
Experimental Study on Methane Desorption from Lumpy Coal under the Action of Hydraulic and Thermal
Authors: Zhao Dong , Li Dayuan , Ma Yulin , Feng Zengchao , Zhao Yangsheng
Published: April 2018

Moisture and thermal are the key factors for influencing methane desorption during CBM exploitation. Using high‐pressure water injection technology into coalbed, new fractures and pathways are formed to transport methane. A phenomenon of water‐inhibiting gas flow existed. This study is focused on various water pressures impacted on gas‐adsorbed coal samples, and then the desorption capacity could be revealed under different conditions. And the results are shown that methane desorption capacity was decreased with the increase in water pressure at room temperature and the downtrend would be steady until water pressure was large enough. Heating could promote gas desorption capacity effectively, with the increasing of water injection pressures, and the promotion of thermal on desorption became more obvious. These results are expected to provide a clearer understanding of theoretical efficiency of heat water or steam injection into coalbed, and they can provide some theoretical and experimental guidance on CBM production and methane control.
Comparative Analysis of Global Solar Radiation Models in Different Regions of China
Authors: Zhang Qingwen , Cui Ningbo , Feng Yu , Jia Yue , Li Zhuo , Gong Daozhi
Published: April 2018

Complete and accurate global solar radiation (Rs) data at a specific region are crucial for regional climate assessment and crop growth modeling. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the capability of 12 solar radiation models based on meteorological data obtained from 21 meteorological stations in China. The results showed that the estimated and measured dailyRshad statistically significant correlations (P<0.01) for all the 12 models in 7 subzones of China. The Bahel model showed the best performance for dailyRsestimation among the sunshine-based models, with averageR2of 0.910, average RMSE of 2.306 MJ m−2 d−1, average RRMSE of 17.3%, average MAE of 1.724 MJ m−2 d−1, and average NS of 0.895, respectively. The Bristow-Campbell (BC) model showed the best performance among the temperature-based models, with averageR2of 0.710, average RMSE of 3.952 MJ m−2 d−1, average RRMSE of 29.5%, average MAE of 2.958 MJ m−2 d−1, and average NS of 0.696, respectively. On monthly scale, Ögelman model showed the best performance among the sunshine-based models, with average RE of 5.66%. The BC model showed the best performance among the temperature-based models, with average RE of 8.26%. Generally, the sunshine-based models were more accurate than the temperature-based models. Overall, the Bahel model is recommended to estimate dailyRs, Ögelman model is recommended to estimate monthly average dailyRsin China when the sunshine duration is available, and the BC model is recommended to estimate both dailyRsand monthly average dailyRswhen only temperature data are available.
“Bailout” Endovascular Treatment of Acute Aortic Occlusion
Authors: Tigkiropoulos Konstantinos , Stavridis Kyriakos , Lazaridis Ioannis , Saratzis Nikolaos
Published: April 2018

A 37-year-old man who had a recent history of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) 3 months ago presented to the emergency department with acute ischemia of lower limbs. A CT aortography was performed, where left ventricle thrombi and acute thromboembolic occlusion of aortoiliac bifurcation were depicted. He was urgently transferred to the operation theatre, where Fogarty embolectomy was initially unsuccessful. He was managed by primary deployment of balloon expandable (BE) covered stents in the aortic bifurcation followed by thrombectomy of the left ventricle (LV) under extracorporeal circulation by cardiothoracic surgeons 2 days after initial operation. He was discharged in good general condition after 20 days under warfarin and aspirin therapy.
A Mouse Model of Beta-Cell Dysfunction as Seen in Human Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Parilla Jacqueline H. , Willard Joshua R. , Barrow Breanne M. , Zraika Sakeneh
Published: April 2018

Loss of first-phase insulin release is an early pathogenic feature of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Various mouse models exist to study T2D; however, few recapitulate the early β-cell defects seen in humans. We sought to develop a nongenetic mouse model of T2D that exhibits reduced first-phase insulin secretion without a significant deficit in pancreatic insulin content. C57BL/6J mice were fed 10% or 60% fat diet for three weeks, followed by three consecutive, once-daily intraperitoneal injections of the β-cell toxin streptozotocin (STZ; 30, 50, or 75 mg/kg) or vehicle. Four weeks after injections, the first-phase insulin response to glucose was reduced in mice when high-fat diet was combined with 30, 50, or 75 mg/kg STZ. This was accompanied by diminished second-phase insulin release and elevated fed glucose levels. Further, body weight gain, pancreatic insulin content, and β-cell area were decreased in high fat-fed mice treated with 50 and 75 mg/kg STZ, but not 30 mg/kg STZ. Low fat-fed mice were relatively resistant to STZ, with the exception of reduced pancreatic insulin content and β-cell area. Together, these data demonstrate that in high fat-fed mice, three once-daily injections of 30 mg/kg STZ produces a model of β-cell failure without insulin deficiency that may be useful in studies investigating the etiology and progression of human T2D.
Self-Limiting OX513A Aedes aegypti Demonstrate Full Susceptibility to Currently Used Insecticidal Chemistries as Compared to Indian Wild-Type Aedes aegypti
Authors: Patil Prabhakargouda B. , Gorman Kevin J. , Dasgupta Shaibal K. , Reddy K. V. Seshu , Barwale Shirish R. , Zehr Usha B.
Published: April 2018

OX513A Aedes aegypti is a genetically engineered strain carrying a self-limiting gene. Studies in several countries have shown the effectiveness of the strain at reducing pest Aedes aegypti populations. As a component of biosafety assessments relevant to Indian environments, OX513A and two Indian wild-type Ae. aegypti strains (from Aurangabad and Delhi) were tested for susceptibility to a range of commonly used insecticides in India, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), malathion, deltamethrin, and permethrin using World Health Organization (WHO) testing kits and following WHO standard test procedures. Knockdown times (KDT) for all compounds were determined separately for male and female adults of the three mosquito strains. Results indicated that adults of OX513A, Aurangabad, and Delhi strains were resistant to DDT, yielding mortality rates of 90.9, 87.4, and 44.4% and 70.1, 3.0, and 6.0% for male and female adults, respectively. In contrast, adults of all three strains were found to be susceptible to malathion, deltamethrin, and permethrin, exhibiting mortalities between 98 and 100%. The magnitudes of susceptibility, based on the KDT50 values, were greater in the OX513A strain, as compared to wild-type strains of Ae. aegypti for all insecticides tested. The results confirm that, aside from historical resistance to DDT, OX513A has retained full sensitivity to these commonly used compounds and exhibits responses akin to those of susceptible Indian wild-type strains.
Design and Control of a New Biomimetic Transfemoral Knee Prosthesis Using an Echo-Control Scheme
Authors: Bernal-Torres Mario G. , Medellín-Castillo Hugo I. , Arellano-González Juan C.
Published: April 2018

Passive knee prostheses require a significant amount of additional metabolic energy to carry out a gait cycle, therefore affecting the natural human walk performance. Current active knee prostheses are still limited because they do not reply with accuracy of the natural human knee movement, and the time response is relatively large. This paper presents the design and control of a new biomimetic-controlled transfemoral knee prosthesis based on a polycentric-type mechanism. The aim was to develop a knee prosthesis able to provide additional power and to mimic with accuracy of the natural human knee movement using a stable control strategy. The design of the knee mechanism was obtained from the body-guidance kinematics synthesis based on real human walking patterns obtained from computer vision and 3D reconstruction. A biomechanical evaluation of the synthesized prosthesis was then carried out. For the activation and control of the prosthesis, an echo-control strategy was proposed and developed. In this echo-control strategy, the sound side leg is sensed and synchronized with the activation of the knee prosthesis. An experimental prototype was built and evaluated in a test rig. The results revealed that the prosthetic knee is able to mimic the biomechanics of the human knee.
A Cross-Sectional Study of the Association between Autoantibodies and Qualitative Ultrasound Index of Bone in an Elderly Sample without Clinical Autoimmune Disease
Authors: Iseme Rosebella A. , McEvoy Mark , Kelly Brian , Agnew Linda , Walker Frederick R. , Boyle Michael , Attia John
Published: April 2018

Bone loss is characteristic of the ageing process and a common complication of many autoimmune diseases. Research has highlighted a potential role of autoantibodies in pathologic bone loss. The confounding effects of immunomodulatory drugs make it difficult to establish the contribution of autoantibodies amongst autoimmune disease sufferers. We attempted to examine the relationship between autoantibodies and bone mass in a population of 2812 elderly participants without clinical autoimmune disease. Serum samples were assayed for a panel of autoantibodies (anti-nuclear, extractable nuclear antigen, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic, thyroid peroxidase, tissue transglutaminase, anti-cardiolipin, rheumatoid factor, and cyclic citrullinated peptide). Bone mass was measured using quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the calcaneus. The relationship between each autoantibody and bone mass was determined using linear regression models. Anti-nuclear autoantibodies were the most prevalent, positive in approximately 11%, and borderline in roughly 23% of our sample. They were also the only autoantibody observed to be significantly associated with QUS index in the univariate analysis (n=1628; r=−0.20; 95% CI: −0.40–0.00; p=0.046). However, statistical significance was lost after adjustment for various other potential confounders. None of the other autoantibodies was associated with QUS index in either univariate or multivariate analysis. We are limited by the cross-sectional nature of the study and the low prevalence of autoantibodies in our nonclinical sample.
A Measured Method for In Situ Viscosity of Fluid in Porous Media by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Authors: Yang Zhengming , Ma Zhuangzhi , Luo Yutian , Zhang Yapu , Guo Hekun , Lin Wei
Published: April 2018

At present, the existing measuring methods for viscosity of fluid can only obtain the viscosity of bulk fluid, while the in situ viscosity of fluid in porous media cannot be acquired. In this paper, with the combination of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and physical simulation experiment, a testing method for in situ viscosity of fluid in porous media is established, and the in situ viscosity spectra of water in tight cores under different displacement conditions is obtained. The experimental results show that the in situ viscosity distribution of water in porous media is inhomogeneous, and it is not a constant but is related to the distance between water and rock walls. When the distance between fluid and rock walls is close enough (e.g., T2 relaxation time is less than 1 ms), the viscosity of fluid increases rapidly, and the in situ viscosity is greater than the bulk viscosity. Moreover, after the rock samples are saturated with water, the in situ viscosity of water is distributed as a double-peak structure. The left peak is characterized mainly by the in situ viscosity distribution of movable fluid, whose in situ viscosity is smaller, and the right peak mainly represents the in situ viscosity distribution characteristics of immovable fluid, whose in situ viscosity is larger and increases gradually. Under a relatively large driving force, the in situ viscosity amplitude of movable fluid decreases greatly, and the average in situ viscosity of residual water in the core is much higher than that of saturated water in initial state.
Medical Nutrition Education, Training, and Competencies to Advance Guideline-Based Diet Counseling by Physicians: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association
Authors: Aspry Karen E. , Van Horn Linda , Carson Jo Ann S. , Wylie-Rosett Judith , Kushner Robert F. , Lichtenstein Alice H. , Devries Stephen , Freeman Andrew M. , Crawford Allison , Kris-Etherton Penny
Published: April 2018

Growing scientific evidence of the benefits of heart-healthy dietary patterns and of the massive public health and economic burdens attributed to obesity and poor diet quality have triggered national calls to increase diet counseling in outpatients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or risk factors. However, despite evidence that physicians are willing to undertake this task and are viewed as credible sources of diet information, they engage patients in diet counseling at less than desirable rates and cite insufficient knowledge and training as barriers. These data align with evidence of large and persistent gaps in medical nutrition education and training in the United States. Now, major reforms in undergraduate and graduate medical education designed to incorporate advances in the science of learning and to better prepare physicians for 21st century healthcare delivery are providing a new impetus and novel ways to expand medical nutrition education and training. This science advisory reviews gaps in undergraduate and graduate medical education in nutrition in the United States, summarizes reforms that support and facilitate more robust nutrition education and training, and outlines new opportunities for accomplishing this goal via multidimensional curricula, pedagogies, technologies, and competency-based assessments. Real-world examples of efforts to improve undergraduate and graduate medical education in nutrition by integrating formal learning with practical, experiential, inquiry-driven, interprofessional, and population health management activities are provided. The authors conclude that enhancing physician education and training in nutrition, as well as increasing collaborative nutrition care delivery by 21st century health systems, will reduce the health and economic burdens from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to a degree not previously realized.
Different Effects of Normobaric Oxygen in Normotensive Versus Hypertensive Rats After Focal Cerebral Ischemia
Authors: Lan Jing , Esposito Elga , Ayata Cenk , Singhal Aneesh B. , Lo Eng H. , Ji Xunming
Published: April 2018

Background and Purpose—

The efficacy of neuroprotective approaches in stroke may be influenced by existing comorbidities. Here, we compared the effects of normobaric hyperoxia (NBO) in normotensive versus hypertensive rats subjected to transient focal cerebral ischemia.

Methods—

Male Sprague–Dawley and spontaneously hypertensive rats were subjected to transient focal ischemia via intraluminal filament occlusions of the middle cerebral artery. NBO was started 15 minutes after ischemic onset and stopped at the time of reperfusion. Acute neurological deficits and tetrazolium-stained infarct volumes were quantified at 24 hours.

Results—

NBO reduced mean infarct volumes by ≈50% (
P
=0.0064) in normotensive Sprague–Dawley rats subjected to 100 minutes transient ischemia. No effects of NBO were observed in hypertensive spontaneously hypertensive rats subjected to either 100 minutes or 75 minutes of transient ischemia. No significant changes in neurological outcomes were detectable in any group.

Conclusions—

NBO reduced infarction in Sprague–Dawley but not in spontaneously hypertensive rats. These findings suggest that comorbidities may influence responses to potential treatments after stroke.
The Impact of Schooling Intensity on Student Learning: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment
Authors: Andrietti Vincenzo , Su Xuejuan
Published: April 2018

This paper uses a quasi-natural policy experiment in Germany, the G8 reform, to examine the impact of schooling intensity on student learning. The G8 reform compresses secondary school for academic-track students from nine to eight years, while holding fixed the overall academic content and total instruction time required for graduation, resulting in a higher schooling intensity per grade. Using German extension of the Programme for International Student Assessment data, we find that this reform improves test scores on average, but the effect differs across subgroups of students. The reform effect is larger for girls than for boys, for students with German-born parents than for those with immigrant parents, and for students having more books at home. The heterogeneous reform effects cannot be explained by changes in observed channels. Instead, quantile regression results suggest that unobserved heterogeneity plays an important role: Whereas high-performing students significantly improve their test scores, the lowest-performing students hardly improve at all after the reform. We interpret the unobserved heterogeneity as reflecting students’ capability to cope with the increase in schooling intensity.
The Right to Security of Online Childhood
Authors: De Felice Deborah
Published: April 2018

The complex relationship between children online and digital technologies is the starting point of this reflection of a growing process of multidisciplinary theoretical attention to building children’s biographies. On the one hand, the concepts of “risk and childhood safety” have become increasingly central in institutional discourses. The content of this attention seems, however, to assume more the form of adults’ fears, dealing with an endless struggle for a utopian safety for their children, than the reality of what really can be a “risk” for children online. On the other hand, the current changes in the representations of childhood are increasingly oriented to a vision of the child as the subject of its own history and therefore more active and participatory. This makes it difficult to manage the distinction between adults and children and is problematic for the use of traditional parenting styles. Starting from a reflection on the main theoretical perspectives that have been compared on the issues of social change, this paper aims to clarify and problematise some of the paradoxes that accompany what has been said relating to children’s safety in the so-called second modernity, compared to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the powerful entry of technology digital science in familial contexts.
Women, the Parliament and Political Participation in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan
Authors: Turdalieva Cholpon , Tiulegenov Medet
Published: April 2018

This paper explores women’s participation in parliamentary elections in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan. Using various methods, it offers an interdisciplinary perspective on factors that affect the likelihood of women participating successfully in parliamentary elections. This study supports the general literature on the effects of gender quotas and proportional representation, but its results on other factors are mixed. The factor of financial resources is significant, though its impact has been reduced with the introduction of gender quotas, while other factors—such as social status—may not be particularly important. The public perception of a woman in politics is not the greatest obstacle to women’s representation, and a female candidate’s professional status may often be attractive to party leaders.
Four new species of Callibaetis Eaton (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae), nymphal description of Callibaetis (Abaetetuba) fasciatus (Pictet) and keys for South American species of Callibaetis
Authors: CRUZ PAULO VILELA , SALLES FREDERICO FALCÃO , HAMADA NEUSA
Published: April 2018

The first phylogenetic study of Callibaetis Eaton indicated an unrevealed diversity in this genus, including four new species named as Callibaetis sp. A, B, C and D, and the undescribed nymph of Callibaetis (Abaetetuba) fasciatus (Pictet). Given that neither the nymph of C. (Ab.) fasciatus nor the four new species received a proper description, the objective of this study is to describe them. The nymph of C. (Ab.) fasciatus differs from the others species in the subgenus by the presence of one row of setae on basal part of inner-dorsal row of maxilla and metanotum without spines; Callibaetis sp. A is described as Callibaetis (Abaetetuba) cochlea sp. nov. and differs from the others species in the subgenus by having trapezoid segment III of labial palp in nymphs; Callibaetis sp. B is described as Callibaetis (Aiso) calophenigyn sp. nov. and differs from the others species in the subgenus by the absence of stout setae on dorsal surface of glossa in nymphs, and from the others species in the genus by the forewing with red C and Sc areas in female imago; Callibaetis sp. D is described as Callibaetis (Callibaetis) molinerii sp. nov. and differs from the others species in the subgenus, from South America, by the maxilla with tuft of stout setae on outer margin proximad of palp insertion and paraglossa without row of stout setae on ventral surface; Callibaetis sp. C is described as Callibaetis (Cunhaporanga) imperator sp. nov. and differs from the others species in the subgenus by the presence of a complete row of setae on outer margin of maxilla. Additionally, new keys for species of Callibaetis from South America are proposed.
Black fungus gnats (Diptera: Sciaridae) found in association with cultivated plants and mushrooms in Australia, with notes on cosmopolitan pest species and biosecurity interceptions
Authors: BROADLEY ADAM , KAUSCHKE ELLEN , MOHRIG WERNER
Published: April 2018

Male sciarids collected in Australia from inside post-entry quarantine and domestic greenhouses and from vegetable gardens and various plants, were slide mounted and identified. Specimens intercepted during on-arrival biosecurity inspections of imported nursery stock plants were also examined, and the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries collection of slide-mounted Sciaridae was reviewed. Plant and mushroom pest species that are present in Australia are Bradysia impatiens (Johannsen), B. ocellaris (Comstock), Lycoriella agraria (Felt), L. ingenua (Dufour) = Sciara womersleyi Séguy, 1940 syn. n., L. sativae (Johannsen) = Sciara auberti Séguy, 1940 syn. n., Sciara jeanneli Séguy, 1940 syn. n., Sciara solispina Hardy, 1956 syn. n., and Cosmosciara hartii (Johannsen, 1912) comb. n. = Plastosciara perniciosa Edwards, 1922 syn. n. The last species is a new record for Australia. Bradysia tilicola (Loew) and Pnyxia scabiei (Hopkins) are potential pest species, but they have not been reported yet from Australia. An identification key to enable separation of the pest species is provided. Species with uncertain connections to plant and mushroom cultures are B. pallipes (Fabricius), B. strenua (Winnertz, 1867) = B. watsoni Colless, 1962 syn. n., Corynoptera concinna (Winnertz), (all three species are new records for the Australian mainland) and Hyperlasion aliens Mohrig (a new record for Tasmania). Bradysia spatitergum (Hardy) and Scatopsciara atomaria (Zetterstedt) were intercepted during the on-arrival biosecurity inspections of live plants imported from China and Canada respectively. Both species are widespread overseas but are not known to occur in Australia.
Values, regulation, and species delimitation
Authors: CONIX STIJN
Published: April 2018

Garnett and Christidis (2017) [hereafter GC] recently proposed that the International Union of the Biological Sciences should centrally regulate the taxonomy of complex organisms. Their proposal was met with much criticism (e.g. Hołyński 2017; Thomson et al., 2018), and perhaps most extensively from Raposo et al. (2017) in this journal. The main target of this criticism was GC’s call to, first, “restrict the freedom of taxonomic action”, and, second, to let social, political and conservation values weigh in on species classification. Some commentators even went as far as to draw a comparison with the infamous Lysenko-case of state-controlled and heavily restricted science (Raposo et al. 2017, 181; Hołyński 2017, 12). This comment will argue, without thereby endorsing GC’s position, that these two aspects of their views need not be as threatening as this comparison suggests, and indeed are very reasonable.
Subseasonal Forecasting with an Icosahedral, Vertically Quasi-Lagrangian Coupled Model. Part I: Model Overview and Evaluation of Systematic Errors
Authors: Sun Shan , Bleck Rainer , Benjamin Stanley G. , Green Benjamin W. , Grell Georg A.
Published: April 2018

The atmospheric hydrostatic Flow-Following Icosahedral Model (FIM), developed for medium-range weather prediction, provides a unique three-dimensional grid structure—a quasi-uniform icosahedral horizontal grid and an adaptive quasi-Lagrangian vertical coordinate. To extend the FIM framework to subseasonal time scales, an icosahedral-grid rendition of the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (iHYCOM) was developed and coupled to FIM. By sharing a common horizontal mesh, air–sea fluxes between the two models are conserved locally and globally. Both models use similar adaptive hybrid vertical coordinates. Another unique aspect of the coupled model (referred to as FIM–iHYCOM) is the use of the Grell–Freitas scale-aware convective scheme in the atmosphere. A multiyear retrospective study is necessary to demonstrate the potential usefulness and allow for immediate bias correction of a subseasonal prediction model. In these two articles, results are shown based on a 16-yr period of hindcasts from FIM–iHYCOM, which has been providing real-time forecasts out to a lead time of 4 weeks for NOAA’s Subseasonal Experiment (SubX) starting July 2017. Part I provides an overview of FIM–iHYCOM and compares its systematic errors at subseasonal time scales to those of NOAA’s operational Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2). Part II uses bias-corrected hindcasts to assess both deterministic and probabilistic subseasonal skill of FIM–iHYCOM. FIM–iHYCOM has smaller biases than CFSv2 for some fields (including precipitation) and comparable biases for other fields (including sea surface temperature). FIM–iHYCOM also has less drift in bias between weeks 1 and 4 than CFSv2. The unique grid structure and physics suite of FIM–iHYCOM is expected to add diversity to multimodel ensemble forecasts at subseasonal time scales in SubX.
Philanthropic Foundations in Cross-National Perspective: A Comparative Approach
Authors: Anheier Helmut K.
Published: April 2018

Comparative studies on philanthropic foundations are still in their infancy. To advance the comparative understanding, the article proposes to use two countries—the United States and Germany—as comparative cases against which to assess the main contours of foundations in other countries. Both countries have large foundations communities; yet both are rather distinct in terms of their historical development as well as in terms of their institutional characteristics, patterns, and activities. Looking at the positioning, roles, advantages, and disadvantages of foundations, the article offers a framework for their comparative study using the varieties of capitalism, welfare regimes, and the social origins classifications.
Comparing Upper Airway Stimulation to Expansion Sphincter Pharyngoplasty: A Single University Experience
Authors: Huntley Colin , Chou David W. , Doghramji Karl , Boon Maurits
Published: April 2018

Introduction:

Expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty (ESP) is a surgical option for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Upper airway stimulation (UAS) is an alternative that has shown success in initial outcomes studies. We compare outcomes of a cohort of patients undergoing UAS to ESP.

Methods:

We compared demographic and polysomnographic data of the UAS to ESP cohorts. We also calculated the proportion of patients achieving surgical success.

Results:

The ESP cohort consisted of 33 patients. The mean preoperative Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), O2 nadir, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and BMI were 36.47 ± 20.01, 82.63 ± 5.37, 10.69 ± 4.42, and 29.6 ± 4.49, which improved to 13.47 ± 18.74, 84.84 ± 5.48, 7.00 ± 5.81, and 29.92 ± 4.59 postoperatively. There was a 63.64% success rate. The UAS cohort consisted of 75 patients. The mean preoperative AHI, O2 nadir, ESS, and BMI were 36.76 ± 20.72, 80.24 ± 8.43, 11.18 ± 4.16, and 29.50 ± 3.96, which improved to 7.25 ± 11.19, 88.71 ± 3.25, 5.36 ± 3.35, and 29.36 ± 3.68 postoperatively. The success rate was 86.67%. We found a significant difference in gender, age, preoperative AHI, postoperative AHI, postoperative O2 nadir, surgical success, and patients reaching an AHI less than 10 and 5.

Conclusion:

Upper airway stimulation is a new surgical option for select patients with OSA showing comparable or improved outcomes to a cohort of patients undergoing ESP.
Diversity, economic development and new migrant entrepreneurs
Authors: Jones Trevor , Ram Monder , Villares-Varela Maria
Published: April 2018

How do migrant entrepreneurs contribute to economic development? The growing attention to the contribution that migrants make tends to be skewed towards their economic role. Drawing on interviews with 49 new migrant business owners and 60 workers in the West Midlands, UK, we argue that benefits of diversity should be explored beyond the economic dividend. We engage with key theoretical developments in the fields of migrant entrepreneurship and diversity economics, and show that migrant entrepreneurs are characterised by the polarisation of their performance between high fliers and survival entrepreneurs. Despite their overall resource poverty, migrant entrepreneurs on the lower level create employment for their locality, cater to community needs and cushion the social incorporation of new communities in British society. We argue that debates around the benefits of diversity should incorporate not only economic growth, but also its impact on social processes.
Elderly Women in Rural Bangladesh
Authors: Hamiduzzaman Mohammad , de Bellis Anita , Abigail Wendy , Kalaitzidis Evdokia
Published: April 2018

In Bangladesh, one of the world’s poorest countries, a significant proportion of its most deprived citizens are elderly women living in rural areas, where healthcare access remains difficult. This article argues that as citizens, such elderly women, too, should have a constitutional right to healthcare access. Meeting this constitutional and human rights challenge is a joint obligation for the government and healthcare professionals. Yet, socio-economic discrimination and several cultural factors at individual, societal and institutional levels are known to limit access to healthcare services for elderly rural women in Bangladesh, who represent a highly vulnerable population group in Bangladesh regarding healthcare and healthcare access. This article first examines demographic ageing trends and then highlights key issues concerning the necessity of securing better healthcare for rural elderly women (REW) in Bangladesh.
Three Worlds of Representation: A Linkage-Based Typology of Parties in Western and Eastern Europe
Authors: Wineroither David M. , Seeber Gilg U. H.
Published: April 2018

This article is part of the special cluster titled Parties and Democratic Linkage in Post-Communist Europe, guest edited by Lori Thorlakson, and will be published in the August 2018 issue of EEPS

Have Eastern European democracies developed patterns of accountability similar to those existent in their established counterparts? While most accounts of convergence are confined to the world of programmatic reasoning and policy representation, we use a unique data set to cover the wealth of instrumental and emotional modes of linkage building. We apply advanced techniques of model-based cluster analysis to establish a linkage-based typology of political parties. In the East, the contrast of programmatic and clientelistic parties is most essential in the absence of strong regional subdivisions. In the West, the structure of linkage building is characterized by an all-encompassing divide that separates mainstream and challenger parties. Parties in Southern Europe form a distinct Mediterranean type of “machine politics.” The results for affluent post-industrial societies both support and contradict premises of the cartel party hypothesis. For third-wave democracies in the East, our results suggest the persistence of legacies of pre-communist and communist rule against the weight of cumulative democratic experience. In sum, patterns of accountability remained markedly different in the two regions on the eve of the economic crisis in 2008–2009.
Introduction to Special Section, “Parties and Party System Development in Post-communist Europe”
Authors: Thorlakson Lori
Published: April 2018

This article is part of the special cluster titled Parties and Democratic Linkage in Post-Communist Europe, guest edited by Lori Thorlakson, and will be published in the August 2018 issue of EEPS

This article introduces a special section on parties and democratic linkage in post-communist Europe. It sets out the main objectives and research questions that guide the four articles in this special section, presenting these in the context of the comparative politics literature on party and party system change and democratic development. It introduces the key arguments of the articles in the section, arguing that the contributions identify regionally distinctive patterns of party and party system behaviour in Central and Eastern Europe. These patterns have fuelled a quest for more suitable conceptual and measurement tools and call for diversity in comparative analysis, combining intra and inter regional comparison.
Finite-time fault-tolerant attitude tracking control for spacecraft without unwinding
Authors: Huang Bing , Li Ai-jun , Guo Yong , Wang Chang-qing , Guo Jin-hua
Published: April 2018

This paper investigates the finite-time attitude tracking control problem for spacecraft in the presence of external disturbances and actuator faults. Two anti-unwinding attitude tracking control schemes have been proposed based on the rotation matrix and sliding mode control technology. Utilizing a fast terminal sliding mode surface, the first controller can fulfill the finite-time attitude tracking control task with disturbance rejection ability. The second controller can improve the system reliability when the actuator fault occurs. Rigorous mathematical analysis and proof concludes that the proposed controllers can make a spacecraft track the desired attitude command in finite time. Numerical simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controllers.
No Compelling Evidence that Preferences for Facial Masculinity Track Changes in Women’s Hormonal Status
Authors: Jones Benedict C. , Hahn Amanda C. , Fisher Claire I. , Wang Hongyi , Kandrik Michal , Han Chengyang , Fasolt Vanessa , Morrison Danielle , Lee Anthony J. , Holzleitner Iris J. , O’Shea Kieran J. , Roberts S. Craig , Little Anthony C. , DeBruine Lisa M.
Published: April 2018

Although widely cited as strong evidence that sexual selection has shaped human facial-attractiveness judgments, findings suggesting that women’s preferences for masculine characteristics in men’s faces are related to women’s hormonal status are equivocal and controversial. Consequently, we conducted the largest-ever longitudinal study of the hormonal correlates of women’s preferences for facial masculinity ( N = 584). Analyses showed no compelling evidence that preferences for facial masculinity were related to changes in women’s salivary steroid hormone levels. Furthermore, both within-subjects and between-subjects comparisons showed no evidence that oral contraceptive use decreased masculinity preferences. However, women generally preferred masculinized over feminized versions of men’s faces, particularly when assessing men’s attractiveness for short-term, rather than long-term, relationships. Our results do not support the hypothesized link between women’s preferences for facial masculinity and their hormonal status.
Chronosequences of ant nest mounds from glacier forelands of Jostedalsbreen, southern Norway: Insights into the distribution, succession and geo-ecology of red wood ants (Formica lugubris and F. aquilonia)
Authors: Hill Jennifer L , Vater Amber E , Geary Andrew P , Matthews John A
Published: April 2018

Red wood ant nest mounds were investigated on terrain deglaciated since the mid-18th century at three outlet glaciers of the Jostedalsbreen ice cap in southern Norway. Chronosequence methodology was combined with a geo-ecological approach in the context of autecology. Size and composition of 168 mounds, most of which belonged to Formica lugubris, were related to terrain age, vegetation characteristics and physical habitat types using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) linked to segmented bubble plots and inferential statistical techniques. Substantive insights include (1) colonisation occurs 50–80 years after deglaciation; (2) mounds up to 100 cm high occupy the glacier forelands with a density of 2.5–4.6 mounds/hectare; (3) the positive correlation between mound size and terrain age is weakened by the presence of numerous small mounds attributed to the expansion of polydomous colonies by budding; (4) although mounds are mostly composed of plant remains (litter), they contain up to 17% mineral material (mostly gravel) on relatively young terrain; (5) mound size and composition are related to the number of trees ( Betula pubescens) occurring within 5 m of each mound, which reflects the availability of biological resources for mound thatch and ant food, the latter being primarily honeydew from aphids; (6) where aphids are present on trees, the mounds tend to be relatively large, reflecting the presence of ant–aphid mutualism; (7) mounds are larger on moraines and till plains than on outwash deposits, probably reflecting the enhancement of tree growth because of greater moisture availability and soil fertility in the former habitat types; (8) a strong southerly preferred aspect in mound orientation indicates the importance of direct solar radiation in maintaining internal mound temperatures and (9) glacier-foreland landscapes are not simply time-dependent chronosequences reflecting succession but the product of spatio-temporal dynamics involving biotic and abiotic interactions, which we summarise in a conceptual geo-ecological model. The main methodological implications are that chronosequences can be used to investigate the autecology of keystone species using a geo-ecological approach and multivariate analysis.
How American Nurses Association Code of Ethics informs genetic/genomic nursing
Authors: Tluczek Audrey , Twal Marie E , Beamer Laura Curr , Burton Candace W , Darmofal Leslie , Kracun Mary , Zanni Karen L , Turner Martha
Published: April 2018

Members of the Ethics and Public Policy Committee of the International Society of Nurses in Genetics prepared this article to assist nurses in interpreting the American Nurses Association (2015) Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (Code) within the context of genetics/genomics. The Code explicates the nursing profession’s norms and responsibilities in managing ethical issues. The nearly ubiquitous application of genetic/genomic technologies in healthcare poses unique ethical challenges for nursing. Therefore, authors conducted literature searches that drew from various professional resources to elucidate implications of the code in genetic/genomic nursing practice, education, research, and public policy. We contend that the revised Code coupled with the application of genomic technologies to healthcare creates moral obligations for nurses to continually refresh their knowledge and capacities to translate genetic/genomic research into evidence-based practice, assure the ethical conduct of scientific inquiry, and continually develop or revise national/international guidelines that protect the rights of individuals and populations within the context of genetics/genomics. Thus, nurses have an ethical responsibility to remain knowledgeable about advances in genetics/genomics and incorporate emergent evidence into their work.
Book review: Nima Naghibi. 2016. Women Write Iran: Nostalgia and Human Rights from the Diaspora
Authors: Kumar Kamayani
Published: April 2018

Nima Naghibi. 2016. Women Write Iran: Nostalgia and Human Rights from the Diaspora. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN: 978-0-8166-8382-6
An Evaluation of Treatment Integrity and Acceptability of Check & Connect
Authors: Tsai Shu-Chen , Kern Lee
Published: April 2018

The study reports the treatment integrity and acceptability of Check & Connect (C&C), after implementation by 234 adult mentors with 341 students with social, emotional, and behavioral problems. To address the gaps in the treatment acceptability literature, the study further explored (a) the relation between treatment integrity and treatment acceptability of C&C and (b) the predicted effects of variables investigated in the analog studies on mentors’ treatment acceptability ratings. Overall, mentors implemented C&C with high integrity perceived as an acceptable intervention. Regression analyses showed that mentors who perceived C&C as acceptable implemented it with significantly greater integrity than mentors with lower acceptability ratings. Dosage as well as student and mentor characteristics did not predict mentors’ treatment acceptability ratings. Implications for practice and research are discussed.